Family Time

Family time is the ultimate! What a holiday weekend :) We're tired, we're happy, we're full and we hate to have to go back to work tomorrow! LOL
This weekend was a tease. A taste of summer for everyone :)
Lots of cleaning up to do and getting organized for the week to come.
I hope all of you had a wonderful, family-filled holiday weekend.
My son and his fiance moved into their new home this weekend :) I remember how much fun it was to be just starting out in your first real house of your own! Fixing it up just the way you like, adding your own personal touches to your own personal space :) These are some of their good old days. They just don't know it yet.
I have to say this....I also said this to a friend earlier today....I have been mocked for my comments about our blessings. That's sick stuff, but so be it.
I will never not be grateful for all we have and all that we have been blessed with. We never take it for granted. And we truly have been richly, richly blessed.
We have family, we are happy and we're doing just fine. We aren't the richest, we don't have it all, but boy do we have what's important :)
And for that I say prayers of thanks every day of my life :)

Stuffed Cabbage Rolls! Yum!

INGREDIENTS 1 medium head cabbage For the Filling: 1-1/4 pounds lean ground beef (or combination ground pork and beef) 1/2 cup uncooked long grain white rice, cooked according to package directions (about 2 cups cooked) 1/2 cup finely chopped onions 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves 1 egg, lightly beaten Salt and pepper to taste For the Sauce: 1 tablespoon butter 1 tablespoon oil 1 cup finely chopped onions 1 can (14.5 ounces) whole tomatoes, crushed with fingers, and juices 1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce 1 teaspoon brown sugar Juice of a small lemon Salt and pepper to taste Pinch of cinnamon There are several techniques for blanching the cabbage leaves. I prefer to cut the bottom of the stem of the leaf, gently remove it from the head, then cook 3 or 4 at a time in lightly salted boiling water until tender, about 4 minutes. When I get to the inner portion of the cabbage where the leaves are too tight to remove without ripping, I immerse the remaining head into the water and remove the outer leaves as they become loose. Separate the cooked leaves on a clean towel so they can drain and cool quickly. To make the filling, place the ground beef in a medium bowl. Add 1-1/2 cups of the cooked rice, reserving any remaining rice for assembly, and the remaining filling ingredients. Mix well with hands until all is combined. (To taste for seasoning, take a small piece of the mixture and cook in a skillet or in the microwave.) To make the sauce, heat the buter and oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and sauté until just starting to brown. Add the tomatoes, sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to medium; cover and simmer about 10 minutes. Add the pinch of cinnamon and taste for seasoning. To assemble, first cut a slit in the thick portion of the leaves so they will roll easily. Starting with the largest leaves, place about 1/4 cup of filling at the thick end. Start to roll, tucking in the sides as you go. Roll as tightly as you can. This will make about 16 rolls, depending on the size of the leaves. When you have used up all of the filling, take the remaining leaves and lay them on the bottom of a baking dish or roasting pan large enough to hold the rolls in one layer. Top with the remaining cooked rice. Spoon just enough of the sauce over the layer to moisten. Place the cabbage rolls, seam-side down, in rows on top of sauce. Pour the remaining sauce over all. Preheat oven to 350° F. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Bake for about 1 hour or until hot and bubbly.

Lovin' Every Minute Of It!

I've had a great week so far! Given the luxury of working mostly from home, I've been able to get the website work done, files updated, spreadsheets and formulas finished, and of course, spend time on the online forums!
It surely helps to have key people in key positions. I can work on the paper end of the business while they take care of the hands on portion of the business.
That's about to change though :) Tomorrow is my last scheduled 'administrative day' for a while. We've acquired more corporate clients, added some staff and I need to be out and about from job site to job site, meeting with clients and taking care of the advertising meetings, etc.
So I'll enjoy tomorrow while it lasts LOL
Memorial Day Weekend is like the starter's pistol at the track! It'll be that way till after Labor Day :)
I have a vision of me....after tomorrow.....

Ready, set.....Wait! I can still have my coffee and a nice, relaxing start to the day tomorrow! :)

One Of Our Favorite Fresh Water Fishing Holes

Wonderful Quotes and Thoughts

Hatred paralyzes life; love releases it. Hatred confuses life; love harmonizes it. Hatred darkens life; love illumines it
--Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) 


But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
(Matthew 5:44,45)


 
If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man's life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.
--Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

To cure jealousy is to see it for what it is, a dissatisfaction with self.
--Joan Didion quotes (American Journalist and Novelist, b.1934)

Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.
John F. Kennedy

These Are My Mantras

Get thee behind me, Satan.

As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.

I am a child of The Most High God. You do know WHO you're dealing with, right? :)

Quiet Time....

Being able to work from home is a blessing and a curse. I can take as many breaks as I feel I want to, and it gives me a chance to work uninterrupted on paperwork and website changes.
On the other side of that coin is the time and space to let my mind wander to things unrelated to work.
I got word today that a friend received some questionable news in results from a chest xray. There's a 'spot' on the lower right lobe of her lung. Such a small word, spot. And such far-reaching ramifications it can and might have.
Let's pray that it's a touch of pneumonia. Or a blip on the screen.
The other possibilities just aren't good. And they aren't happy. And she deserves so much better and more than that.
Health issues here in my circle have arrived in a cluster. They usually do. But we can only take it as it comes.
One of the hardest parts is being smacked in the head with the fact that we are powerless and have no control when you think about it. Our bodies do what they will in this respect.
We can follow advice. We can take the meds and do the treatments. But our bodies will do as they will.
Focusing on the good and the positive and keeping an open hotline to the Powers That Be is really all we can do :)