Prayer Matters ~ 100th and Last Blog

I decided that 100 blog entries was enough for anyone to write and I wanted to end on something that really makes a difference in my life as a woman, mother, grandmother, wife, daughter, sister and friend.

Prayer matters, I do not really understand how it works, but I know it matters in my life and it matters in the world. Even those who do not believe in prayer or say they have never uttered a prayer ~ I believe that there is a prayer within them and when we are silent and pay attention, we will begin to recognize the prayer that is coming from the depths of our being.

What is your prayer this day?

While prayer at its best is very personal and involves ordinary words and thoughts, I have found written prayers to be of great encouragement to me. As I write my last blog, I leave you with some of my favorite written prayers.

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The LORD bless you and keep you;
the LORD make his face shine on you and be gracious to you;
the LORD turn his face toward you and give you peace.
Numbers 6:24-26, The Holy Bible

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God bless the path on which you go
God bless the earth beneath your feet
God bless your destination
God be a smooth way before you
A guiding star above you
A keen eye behind you
This day, this night and forever.
God be with you whatever you pass
Jesus be with you whatever you climb
Spirit be with you wherever you stay.
(Celtic Blessing)

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May you be blessed with the understanding of how much God delights in how he made you. You are one of his masterpieces. You are his song to be sung in a key of music that is unique to you, in a rhythm, a harmony, and an orchestration that God rejoices to sing inside of you. The music of heaven graces your life as others see and hear and touch God’s creation in you. (Adapted from: Blessing Your Spirit by Sylvia Gunter)

Tips for planning the perfect nap!

Sometimes you just need to stop what you are doing and take a nap! When was the last time you took a nap?  Did you know this coming Saturday might be the perfect day for a nap?  A nap can be a pleasant luxury, a mini-vacation, an easy way to increase alertness and performance according to the National Sleep Foundation.

Some people think that naps are only for children, the sick and the elderly, but one study by NASA found that pilots and astronauts increased their performance by one third and their alertness by 100% after taking a nap!

Talkaboutsleep.com said that nature intended that we take a nap in the middle of the day. Those who research sleep and sleep patterns have found that there is a slight drop of body temperature mid-afternoon and that mood and alertness drops. Americans meet this challenge in the worst possible ways – caffeine, sweets, etc. which might give us a little boost, but really do more harm than good.

Three tips for planning the perfect nap:

1. Plan your nap in the early afternoon. (Sleeping later in the day can disrupt your evening sleep.

2. Keep your nap short, 30 minutes or less to enjoy the greatest benefits from napping.

3. Choose a cool, dark, noise-free area.

No day is so bad it can’t be fixed with a nap. (Carrie P Snow)

Grandparent’s Day – Sunday, September 11!

What do you call your grandmother? Are you a grandmother? If so, what do your grandchildren call you? I am looking for a special name that my grandchild might call me. My oldest daughter, Kalee, is expecting in February and I am so excited about my first grandchild.

Below is a variety of “grandmother names.” Some of which I like, some that I would rather not be called.

Grandmother names I would not prefer:
Maw Maw
Memaw (because that’s my Mom’s name)
Big Mom, Big Mama, Big G (or anything with Big connected to it!)
Granny, Grannie
Gummy (this sounds like I would be missing teeth!)
MiMi (my sister has this one)
Mombo
Mamoo, Mama-Moo, Ma-Moo (Geeze, sounds like you are cow!)
Mucka
Toots (I think the reason is obvious)
My children suggested WeeWee and TT (not going to happen!)

Grandmother names that are ok with me:
G-Ma
Nana
Lola
Lala
Muffin
Punkin & Popsi

Grandparents make the world . . .

a little softer, a little kinder and a little warmer.
(Author unknown)

Low Cal, High Fib, No Fat, Vit. Rich Smoothie

Could it get any easier? This week I stumbled onto the best fruit smoothie of the summer. Below is my secret recipe and now what I need from you is your recommendation for the best ice crushing, smoothie making blender. (Please do not say the Vitamix 5200 or Blendtec Total Blender because most people cannot afford a $500.00 blender.)\

The Special Recipe

½ ripe banana (fresh)
5 – 6 blueberries (frozen)
4 strawberries (fresh)
4 bing cherries (frozen)
Ice
You may need to add a little water or give it a kick with a splash of Diet Mt. Dew!

Helpful hints:

1. Always use one or two pieces of fresh fruit because it will blend better.
2. If you must use all frozen fruit, set it out of the freezer about 15 minutes.
3. Buy fruit every week; freeze whatever is not eaten in the first few days.

Freezing fruit for smoothies is simple:

1. Rinse the fruit.
2. Let the fruit dry.
3. Place fruit on a cookie sheet and put in the freezer for about an hour or until frozen.
4. Place frozen fruit in a freezer bag.
5. When freezing bananas cut in 1 ½ – 2 inch slices

Netflix Fix

In response to the price increase on Netflix, I suggest that we share our favorite Live Streaming series on Netflix.  Below are three series that my husband and I have thoroughly enjoyed this year.

• Heartland: Is a wonderful, feel-good series for the entire family. This CBC series is based on two sisters, their grandfather and their Horse farm.

• Lost: When Lost was on T.V., it just did not catch my attention. However, my husband and I enjoyed the series on Netflix, perhaps the continuity of watching the series helped us understand it. (I would not recommend this for children ~ The Smoke Monster might keep the kids awake and although the violence is minimal, I do not think this is a family friendly series. If I am being honest, it scared me a little!)

• Monarch of the Glen: I will admit it is a little silly and somewhat slow in the beginning but after a few episodes, my husband and I were hooked. This is a BBT production and it is wonderful for the entire family.

When my husband and I looked at the price increases for Netflix, we decided we could certainly live without the mail portion of the plan. If we want to see a more current movie, we will go back to using Redbox periodically.

Does anyone have a Netflix, live-streaming series you would recommend?

•*¨*•.¸Facebook Celebration!*¨*•.¸•*¨*

Everyone keeps asking, “How do you do that?”  Therefore, I have decided to share my secret.  Two years ago, I saw a friend write something on Facebook using different symbols to make a wave.  I just loved it and from that point on, I began to copy and paste ”Facebook art”  I liked in a message to myself on Facebook.  Over the past two years, I have gathered quite a collection and now I mix and match these symbols to communicate various celebrations. 

I have collected stars, musical notes (which I love to use when I say, “Happy Birthday”) and several others symbols.  To be honest, I have no idea how the original folks did it, but I have copied and reused these symbols regularly.

Do you know how this is done? I have found some directions on doing this, but it just did not work on my laptop . . . but “copy and paste” works just fine!

I will make a “comment” on Facebook with more “celebration symbols” so make sure you “like” Forsyth Woman Magazine and you can begin your on celebration collection.

Pet Peeves

OK ~ here is your chance to sound off! What are a few of your pet peeves? I will start. . . . .It bugs me to death when someone whips into a handicap-parking place, jumps out of their car and walks into the store right after they have been to the gym!

Wikipedia defines a pet peeve has a “specific behavior of someone else that involves disrespect, manners, personal hygiene, relationship and family issues.”

Answer.com defines a pet peeve as “someone or something that really irritates you and you just can’t stand it. It could be irrational, and not even annoy anybody else.” Pet peeves are as different as people are.

While I have mellowed considerably over the years, there are still some things that really get my goat. (You might not understand that last sentence if you are not from the south, but “getting someone’s goat” is similar to a pet peeve, however it is a little more personal!)

Just a few more of my pet peeves:
• People texting while driving
• People who exceed the speed limit
• People who ride my bumper when I’m doing the speed limit
• Emails that are forwarded to everyone on a person’s email list
• People who use God’s Name inappropriately

What are a few of your pet peeves?

Flavor Explosion Strawberry Salad

Everyone loves the first, fresh strawberries of the season – right? Combine strawberries, salad (super easy recipe below) with Strawberry Flavored Balsamic Vinegar and Persian Lime EVOO from (Green Gate Olive Oils) and you have a dinner that tastes like the most recent Food Network Star has prepared it!

Winston-Salem has a new treasure – Green Gate Olive Oils. The store, or should I say tasting room is located at 205 South Stratford Road.  You will find an explosion of tastes and flavors in their tasting room and discover the most unusual flavor combinations. When you visit the store, you are encouraged to taste their Vinegars and Olive Oils and combine flavors to find the ones that you enjoy most. A few of my favorites included Dark Cherry Balsamic Vinegar, Honey Ginger White Balsamic Vinegar, Tangerine Balsamic Vinegar and Persian Lime EVOO.

Flavor Explosion Strawberry Salad

Fresh strawberries, quartered. (Sweeten them if they are out of season)
Bag of Spring Greens (Add a little fresh spinach if you like)
Lemon Rotisserie Chicken (Purchased at the grocery store)
Small Can of Mandarin Oranges (Drained)
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Lightly Salted Cashews (Toasted Pecans would be great too, but that would take a little effort ? )
Drizzle with Strawberry Balsamic Vinegar & Persian Lime EVOO

Serve this salad with a chunk of fresh whole grain bread (also purchased) and you have an easy, healthy dinner that says . . . Welcome Spring!

10 Different Ways to make Deviled Eggs

A fully dressed Easter table must include a plate of deviled eggs. Below is the recipe I use, along with 10 variations. Do you have a different way of making deviled eggs?

1.  My favorite deviled egg recipe:

6 hard cooked eggs, peeled and sliced in half
2 ½ tablespoons of “Duke’s” Low-Fat Mayo
1 teaspoon of prepared mustard
1 tablespoon of diced dill pickles
1/2 teaspoon of cracked pepper
Salt to sprinkle on top
Paprika to sprinkle on top

Scoop the cooked yoke out of each egg half. Put the yokes in bowl and mash with a fork. Add the mayo, mustard, pickles and cracked pepper. Spoon the mixture into each Egg White. Sprinkle with Paprika and a little salt on top.

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Variations (Add one of the following)

2.  Garnish with Green Olives (You can also dice up one or two olives and put in egg mixture)

3.  Lemon Pepper:  Omit the pickles and prepared mustard listed above.  Add 1/8 teaspoon of lemon juice and a  dash of lemon zest.  Sprinkle with Lemon Pepper.

4.  Old Fashioned:  Add a 1/8 teaspoon of sugar and 1/8 teaspoon of vinegar (omit mustard)

5.  Bacon & Cheese:  Add crumbled bacon and grated cheese to the egg mixture (omit pickles and paprika)

6.  Kicking Eggs:  Add horseradish, ground mustard and dill weed (reduce the amount of cracked pepper, omit pickles and prepared mustard)

7.  Ham Eggs:  Add 1 heaping tablespoon of finely minced ham

8.  Veggie Eggs:  Choose one or more of the following veggies. (Celery, broccoli, cauliflower, Bell Pepper etc.)

9.  Spicy Eggs:  Add a dash of cayenne pepper

10.  SUPER EASY:  Substitute any flavored mustard you choose for the prepared mustard listed above.

Near Miss Day is Today!

Did you know that March 26 is Make Up Your Own Holiday Day? I wanted to give you plenty of time to plan and consider what “your holiday” will be.  I am thinking . . .  I might make it “Lipstick Day.” On this day, I will throw away at least ten tubes of old lipstick and go buy a new one!  Do you have any thoughts about what your “Holiday” might be?

Did you know that today is Near Miss Day? Just to make sure you fully understand the celebratory nature of this day, in 1989 an asteroid the size of a mountain came within 500,000 miles of a collision with the earth. In space terms, this is very close and classified as a “near miss.” Whew – now that is something to celebrate! If you are not sure what to do today, perhaps you could consider combining Near Miss Day with National Chip and Dip Day, which is also today.

Upcoming Important Dates to remember:

March 24      National Chocolate Covered Raisin Day
March 25      Pecan Day
March 26      Make Up Your Own Holiday Day
March 28     Something on a Stick Day
March 30     I am in Control Day
April 1           International Fun at Work Day, April Fool’s Day
April 2          National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day
April 4          Tell a Lie Day
April 7          No Housework Day (Hip, Hip, Hooray!)
April 14        Look up in the Sky Day
April 17        Blah, Blah, Blah Day