September is sure flying past. So much coming up.. Little Man's 3rd birthday. Lima Bean's 2 year anniversary. Christmas. My Big 4-0! GASP! Next year my babies hit big milestones.. The Monkey turns 16! Two weeks later (to the day) The Boy turns 21!! Frankie has finally gotten a job at a hotel on the Beach.. He LOVES it.. He loves being on the beach (and I love the fact his job is inside so I don't have to worry about skin cancer!) My job is going wonderful. I am in the process of looking into a supervisor position. Keep your fingers crossed! It will be bitter sweet. I will love the new position but will miss the team I have put so much time in with. Right now I am coaching a team mate who has been out on a 7 month leave of absence. It is great having her back! One thing upcoming that I am really looking forward to at work is October 26. ROD STEWART will be playing at HSN! I love him!!! He has a Christmas CD. It can be pre-ordered on HSN. I have ordered mine and can not wait for it to come in!! We never did start our juicing. We just decided not too.. But we are still planning on doing it.. When.. I don't know. We eat a mostly vegetarian diet (Monkey is still 100% vegetarian). However, each time we eat meat we swear we will not do it again since it makes us feel blah... I did make kale burgers last week. Similar to the spinach burgers I made a little time ago.. I LOVED the kale ones much more.. They were sooooooo yummy... Frankie make a stir fry last night of Kale, Braggs, and some cut up veggies. Rolled it into some ezekial bread wraps and took that for lunch today (and made me one to try). Looked and smelled yummy! Can't wait to try mine at lunch. Our goal is to get to a plant based diet only. We have been doing a lot of reading about it. The Engine 2 Diet is what we have been looking at... Rip's father, Caldwell B. Esselstyn, Jr., M.D, has a book called Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease that we have been reading.. It has made a great read. A book that we plan on purchasing ourselves so we can have it. We have cut out adding any oil to things we cook.

"To God Be The Glory Great Things He Has Done!"



JMFK 11/27/2010 Gone but never forgotten

Labor Day

Happy Monday! Happy Labor Day!

This time of year I miss New England. The changing of the leaves, the crisp cool air, the smell of the fireplaces burning on the cold evenings...

Today is also opening day for the Football season!


I am excited to learn that my favorite team is playing Thanksgiving night and I get to watch it!! Woot Woot!!



I have been facebook free for three days now! I am starting to get over the withdrawal symptoms! lol I have just gotten tired of all the complaining and the hate that was on there. I was always wondering what ever happened to "If you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all." I have decided to get back to the old ways of communicating.. Letters and phone calls. Occasional emails. I have been writing a friend in California for about the last 6 months and just started writing one in Kentucky. It is kinda of neat.. I also noticed that no longer am I able to find stationary sets.. So sad.. I always liked the pretty paper and matching envelopes.

I have decided that I am going to get back into my quilting. I really need to finish Little Man's quilt.. I started it almost 4 years ago.. It is a work in progress. lol


Well, enough for today. Need to get ready to head into another wonderful day at HSN! Love this place!








"To God Be The Glory Great Things He Has Done!"



JMFK 11/27/2010 Gone but never forgotten

Goodbye Facebook.. Hello more posts

So I have decided that I am deleting my facebook. I was talking with a friend of mine at work and we were discussing how facebook has taken away from the social interactions. Not to mention it has become a whining board for drama..

So we are sitting here waiting for Isaac to come through. I would like to have a really nice storm at some point. (I miss my New England blizzards!) Frankie ran out and got some batteries and a little radio. We bought some food and water on Thursday. Guess the RNC will think twice before planning another convention in Tampa in late August. Duh! Middle of our hurricane season! I wish I could get to Tampa and meet Jim Cantore. lol


Well, this is just going to be quick. I need to get ready to head to work..








Hope everyone has a blessing filled day!




"To God Be The Glory Great Things He Has Done!"



JMFK 11/27/2010 Gone but never forgotten

Wow.. Guess I haven't been here in awhile.. A long while! My apologies.

Work is still amazing. I can't believe I have been at HSN for 13 months now. I really do love my job. I am now the go to person for our team in regards to Community Service.. I love community service. I did one in January for Juvenile Diabetes. I have one more day of Community Service but I am saving that.. Saving, you ask. Saving for my work with Big Brother Big Sister. By October I should have met my Little. I can't wait to meet. I know first hand how much it can mean to a child to have someone they can talk to. I had two very special woman in my teen years that I could talk to. They were my "moms" Through them I learned to love plays (all though I could never be in one). I took something else from one of them.. I learned that it is ok to roll up your windows and sing aloud. Every Easter I think of one of them and every time I hear the song Via Delarosa I hear it in her voice and not the voice of Sandy Patti. Boy did I go off on a tangent.. Lol..


Well, my poor squash plants did not do too well. The leaves started to get a white coating then within a matter of three days they all died.. So sad.. I was really looking forward to them. Well, I guess I will be cleaning out the box and starting over new.. Frankie was looking at seeds yesterday and talking about when we move into a house that he wants to start a garden in the back yard. I was impressed. He can not wait to sell the condo and get a house with his parents down here.. (personally neither can I!)

The Monkey is soaring through her virtual school. She chose some really neat classes like Forensics, Latin and World Religions. Her goal is to get everything done that is required so she can graduate early. (She is scheduled to graduate in 2015.)

The boy finished up his Culinary classes as Le Cordon Blue in Boston.

Little Man is growing so big. He looks like he is four or five. Not like he is going to be three in October. I love when he calls me and says "I love you ShaSha."

Frankie and I have decided that we are going back to being Vegetarians. We felt so good the year we were eating plant based. Now that we have been back to eating meat we don't feel as good. So starting on Sunday we are off the meat. We are even talking about doing a juicing diet for at least ten days. Tonight I am making homemade spinach burgers.. I will let you know how those come out..


So there is this little thing called Tropical Storm Issac out there... Looks like it should be hitting us possibly as Hurricane Issac Monday afternoon.. Frankie and I went out yesterday and picked up some water and stuff.


The Monkey and I are addicted to The Sims3 video games. We just love them... We play them on my days off and sometimes after I get home from work.



Hope you all have a wonderful Blessing filled day!




"To God Be The Glory Great Things He Has Done!"



JMFK 11/27/2010 Gone but never forgotten

My new adventure

I let some friends at work talk me into playing an online game... Oh my goodness. I can not believe that I am actually looking forward to it.. What is next Comic-Con?? All though to be honest I have been thinking of going to one...



When I am not working or playing the game I am still addicted to my Sims..
My plants are doing good.. Hopefully, my lime tree will be ok until Friday which is pay day.. I do need to get him some more soil..

Frankie has a job interview on Monday.. Hopefully he will get the position.








"To God Be The Glory Great Things He Has Done!"



JMFK 11/27/2010 Gone but never forgotten

Qucik little update

My squash plants are thriving.. My lime tree seems to have roots showing so I am going to need to add more soil to the pot to keep it covered. Same thing with my lemon tree.. My carrots seem to be just doing nothing. The tops are growing but tat is about it.. Haven't seen any sign of carrots.

Work is going great. I am enjoying it so much. I am getting to do some peer coaching which is amazing. I like to teach and help others and each person I sit with and teach something teaches me something in return.

Frankie is now a CNA. Received his card in the mail. I am so proud of him..

The Monkey has finished her Drivers Ed course and will be taking the permit test next week.

The Boy has obtained an apprentisship with a Hilton Hotel in the kitchen in MA. He loves it..

Sweet Little Man is just as amazing as always. I was able to finally hear him say "I love you me Sha Sha." Made me cry so much...

A friend of mine and her husband recently lost their 19 yo son to A Plastic Anemia. If you could please remember them in your prayers.



So that is the current on our little trip through this paradise we call life. May you all have a wonderful blessing filled day.










"To God Be The Glory Great Things He Has Done!"



JMFK 11/27/2010 Gone but never forgotten

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mother's Day. Whether you are a momma to human children or furry ones... I am lucky enough to be a momma to both. I did have to work but I had a great day still.. My beautiful Monkey painted me a picture. The Boy called me and talked to me twice.. Hubby bought dinner from Chipotle and wonderful Yo-Yo cookies (which there is no way in heck these cookies are healthy... They are so filled with sugar.. But we each only eat one and it was a holiday.)

Yesterday was also The Boys "20th" I can't believe my baby is 20. It seems like just yesterday he was a newborn. I am hoping next year for his 21st he will be able to come down here to spend it with us.

Today is day three of no caffeine. Not too bad... I switched to decaf coffee so that when my FIL and MIL move down I can drink coffee with him. He is having to give up all caffeine. Doctors orders... Of course I don't think it is too bad EXCEPT when my loving husband pours my coffee into my travel mug and I get to work and take a big swig and find out it is BLACK!! YUCKO!! Good thing I keep a little container of powder creamer in my pocketbook... LOL I did call him and ask him why he hated me... LOL








"To God Be The Glory Great Things He Has Done!"



JMFK 11/27/2010 Gone but never forgotten

We have decided that we are going to change our diet (not diet-diet but diet as the way we eat) to an all plant based diet. Yesterday we watched a couple of videos and never realized some of the stuff that we put into our bodies.. We were under the assumption that olive oil was good for us and that Earth Balance butter was also good for us... WRONG....

We have decided to follow The Engine 2 Diet. We started our afternoon watching Fork Over Knives which can be found onNetflix and on Hulu. We borrowed The Engine 2 Diet DVD from our library.. It was neat.. One family were already vegetarians. The stuff that Rip was taking out of their fridge saying NO about was freaky because some of those items are in our fridge.

As for myself, my LDL and HDL are amazingly good. Where they should be but I would like them a little lower.. I am hoping this will help me drop my weight thus dropping my BMI. Something I have struggled with since having children.







"To God Be The Glory Great Things He Has Done!"



JMFK 11/27/2010 Gone but never forgotten

New recipe

So I tried something new and it is something that is definitely getting added into our favorites..

1 bag 15Bean soup (being vegetarian I threw the seasoning pack away since it is ham flavored)
1 28oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 onion chopped
1 green pepper chopped
season to taste (I used a whole package of Bloomers Chili seasoning and Mrs Dash)

Soak the beans for 24 hours in cold water
Drain the beans and place in crock pot.
Add enough water to cover beans and sprinkle Mrs. Dash over water(enough for about 1/2in water on top)
Turn on low and cook. I cooked mine from 830pm to 730a
In the morning open and stir. Add can of tomatoes, onion, peppers, and seasoning. Stir. Beans will be a soft.
Turn back on low and cook.. Hubby turned it off around 1pm.

Hubby made pasta and mixed it in and it was soooooooo yummy....

We have plants!

Lemon Tree

Carrots

Lime Tree

My newest plants- My squash. They just sprang up this morning.. I was looking at them two days ago and it seemed only one was growing. Then the Monkey and I looked onto the porch today and saw four plants! I am pretty excited...


I am now into looking into more container growing... I am thinking of growing sweet potatoes.

RIP Uncle Jimmy

Today I received word that my Uncle Jim had passed from this world and through the Pearly Gates. Kind of ironic that my Uncle died on his mother's birthday.

Heaven has gained a wonderful angel. I know that he will be cracking up my grandson with his wonderful wit. Uncle Jimmy- Please don't scare him with Tom the Toad just yet.. .









"To God Be The Glory Great Things He Has Done!"



JMFK 11/27/2010 Gone but never forgotten

Frankies cooking adventure

So Frankie has taken up doing the cooking.. He is doing great. He has sauteed spinach and mixed it with seasonings and added to pasta.. The taste was wonderful. Last night he made bow tie pasta with broccoli. He cooked the pasta in water with apple cider vinegar. It gave the pasta a little umph... It was awesome...

We are planning on trying to make some vegetarian/vegan dog food for the Pup. She does eat just about anything (anything that isn't dog food! lol). I have been mixing more and more rice and beans into her hamburger (which the portion of burger is getting less and less).

I have decided to try to cut as much dairy as possible out. Now I didn't drink/eat too much to start with but I am trying to cut out the cheese, sour cream etc... So far I have gone almost a week with no dairy. My breakfast for the past week has been a protein shake (dairy free) made with tofu, strawberries, soy milk and protein powder. Oh my goodness it is sooooo yummy!

I have a new recipe that I am planning on trying on Thursday or Friday. It is Potato Pierogi with Sauteed Apples and Cabbage.

I love my Kindle. I spent about an hour downloading free Vegetarian books last night.. My Kindle keeps me amused at work when I have breaks alone. I have been rereading the Outlander series.


I hope you have a wonderful blessing filled day.





"To God Be The Glory Great Things He Has Done!"



JMFK 11/27/2010 Gone but never forgotten

Homemade Red and Black Bean Burgers...

I made these today for my family. I took a recipe and tweaked it and made it my own.. So this is the recipe I came up with...

1 16oz can Black Beans (drained and rinsed)
1 16 oz can Red Beans (drained and rinsed)
1 green pepper
1 med onion
2-3 stalks of celery
3 cloves of garlic
2 eggs
2 Tbls chili powder
2 Tbls cumin
2 teaspoon hot sauce
1 Cup bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 375. Line baking sheet with foil and spray lightly with olive oil spray.

In a bowl mash beans with a fork until thick and pasty.

In a food processor finely chop the onion, celery and green pepper.

In a small bowl stir together egg, chili powder, cumin and hot sauce.

Stir egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix the bread crumbs into the mashed beans until the mixture is sticky and holds together. ( this is where I take off my rings and use my hands!)

This will make 8 burgers. I just grab some and shape the burger in my hands.

Bake for 10 minutes per side.

Garnish as desired..


If anyone makes these I would love to hear how they came out.. If anyone changes the recipe I would love it you would share the changes.

My baby turned 15 yesterday

Time has flown so fast.... It seems like just yesterday I was changing her diapers. Now she is 15 and getting ready to test for her driver's permit... The Monkey has turned into such a beautiful young woman. She has a beautiful heart and a beautiful soul. I truly don't think she knows the word hate. She loves everyone and treats everyone the same... She doesn't see black and white or gay and straight. She sees a person. I have learned so much from her.. I honestly hope that she never changes. I will try to post some pictures of her through out the years this weekend. Lola

Wow... It has been like forever!

Can't believe how long it has been since I have been on here.. I was sitting at work yesterday thinking that I really need to get back to blogging. I enjoy it...

Work is going awesome.. I totally love working at HSN. I am currently still in Customer Service but I have my eyes set on different departments...

The Monkey is back to homeschooling.. After some difficult times at the public high school she approached me stating she isn't being challenged and wants to come back to homeschooling.. Can't say that I was not happy! I actually did a little dance.. She will be doing Virtual School again. She already has started taking the Drivers Ed course. I can't believe that in a week and three days she will be fifteen! Geesh.. Seems like just yesterday she was born..

I have taken a new hobby on.. I am determined to grow some of my own veggies... I currently have a lime tree and a lemon tree ( I know neither of which are veggies) growing. I planted carrots. I am waiting for my Earthbox which should be delivered today along with the Staking Kit. I think I am going to grow some zucchini squash in that... If all does well then I will be purchasing more.

We have gone back to being vegetarian. Frankie and I have decided that we felt much better eating a vegetarian diet.. So we decided to go at it again... It has been only four days but it is easier this time around. I have pretty much cut out the soda. I drink carbonated water that is naturally sweetened. I do drink ginger ale when I drink whiskey but other than that maybe two sodas a month.


Hope everyone has a blessing filled day!

Lola