Mommy Lesson #1

My daughter had written this in the sand and it went straight to my heart as a sign for my own life...  No more being cautious, no more putting my own feelings second and no more adjusting to someone else's expectations.  It is time to make a wave and start living the life that I had imagined!!!  Funny how wisdom can come from a fearless seven year-old who can spell...

Moments

My husband turns 39 today and I really wanted to celebrate in a big way before the big 4-0. He, on the other hand, just wanted to keep it simple. So I actually listened to him and we ended up having a really wonderful day.

Gifts in the morning before school and work, lunch at a sweet little restaurant with just the two of us, and dinner at home with the girls. Before going to bed tonight, he told me that if his time was up today then he would be die a happy man... 

I remember there are a few moments in my life that I have felt that way- and they were all after I had met him. 

They don't make them like they used to...

While I was buying groceries tonight (last hours of double coupons, but more on THAT later), a young woman behind me shoved her wine-in-a-box to the cashier (who was ringing up my groceries) so she could pick up a magazine to browse while waiting in line. The cashier, who bears a startling resemblance to Maya Angelou, looks at the rude young woman who must have noticed that she is handing a package to a very busy woman in the middle of scanning a lot of groceries, and says, "They don't make them like they used to..."

How funny, and sad. I wonder if that off-handed comment holds much truth. I would like to believe that my generation and the ones who come after, are more tolerant, better prepared and have a deeper understanding of the world as a whole. Comments that pose the younger generation as thoughtless, lazy or unimaginative are very worrisome.

I dislike the trend of "reality" TV and the reach for fame that it nurtures. I dislike the ever-growing technology that "connects" us with others and the illusion it creates that replaces live human interaction. I dislike the trend of giving our children everything and taking away their ability to delay gratification, live simply and appreciate what is around them. I also dislike the tendency to judge a whole group of people and the ease in which I have also been guilty of saying, "When I was a teenager, I never..."

It is more important than ever for us now to be more understanding, tolerant and compassionate. Our world is small and complex. We must not take a little knowledge and color the world with it. Our country is divided by politics. We must respect each other's views because, like it or not, this is a true democracy and all parties are needed to keep the other in check. Our hearts are heavy with so many wars, natural disasters and terrible news as seen and heard daily. We must remember that we are all connected to each other and we can always make a difference.

 

Show Up and Be Ready

Some people always show up on time, ready to go. My friend is such a person. Whenever we are planning to meet, she would say things like- "I will be there with bells on!" She also makes witty comments about how just showing up will put you there in life.

I am the kind of person who is usually late. I live in the moment and enjoy it so much that I forget about the my next destination. Lately, though, I have been changed my perspective on this matter.

This is partly due to the fact that I am a working mom, and I have found that preparation and the ability to be on time is critical to the entire operation of my household and work. However, I have also come to the conclusion that it is even more critical to show up and be ready for life!

It is far too easy to go on with our busy lives armed with a routine and routine expectations. Sometimes it is the loss of someone we love or a major life episode that reminds us to truly live. Free our emotions, remember the forgotten dreams, be open to what the universe is sending our way... So be present in your life and be ready.

Sunrise

South Carolina sunrise.  Just wanted to share...

Friends give friends baked goods

A beautiful thing happened this past Sunday morning...

It had been a great, but very long week and I needed to recharge myself very badly...  So badly in fact, that I was still in my PJs around 11 a.m. and left my husband to make breakfast for us (bacon, eggs, toast.. a balanced and very manly breakfast).

Breakfast was crucial and thoroughly appreciated, but I had a massive craving for something warm, comforting and sweet to go with my coffee.  I ransacked my pantry, fridge, freezer, but came up with nothing that could do the job.  Suddenly, the doorbell rang and my friend's son delivered this:

Banana bread!!!!  Can I tell you how much I love my friends?!?  They are the baked goods in the store of life...  Friendship is not required to survive, but to truly live, one must be blessed by at least one true kindred spirit...

Lovely Lemongrass Pork Chops

I made pork chops tonight and they were so outrageously delicious that my husband made me PROMISE to write down the recipe...  He even took a picture (yes, that is a half-eaten pork chop from tonight's dinner table).

This is a fusion recipe that combines the Vietnamese marinade of lemongrass, green onions, garlic, sugar, black pepper and fish sauce with the browning/cooking technique of the French.

Lovely Lemongrass Pork Chop Recipe

4 bone-in pork chops (medium thickness)
1/2 cup sliced onions
1/2 cup sliced green onions (or scallions)
6 smashed garlic cloves
1 tablespoon of chopped lemongrass (frozen is fine)
2 tablespoons of sugar (plus an extra tablespoon of sugar to make the caramel)
1 teaspoon each of salt and pepper
2 teaspoons of fish sauce (preferably a Vietnamese brand that is lighter brown in color)
1/4 cup of olive oil (or canola oil), divided

Combine all ingredients in large bowl (except for half of the olive oil and a spoon of the sugar) and coat the chops evenly.  Let it all marinate for at least 30 minutes.  Heat a large frying pan with the remaining oil and sugar (between high and medium-high).  Once the sugar turns caramel (dark brown color), place the pork chops in the pan and let it brown.  After about 3 minutes, flip the chops over to the other side and pour in the rest of the marinade from the bowl.  Cover and let cook for about 10 minutes.  Test for doneness by cutting into the part of the chop closest to the bone.  Enjoy!