Love

I found this poem over the weekend by Mary Mackey and it really spoke to me. Love isn't easy. To love for a lifetime takes talent. Talent that I'm dedicated to developing.

 It's easy to love through a cold spring when the poles of the willows turn green pollen falls like a yellow curtain and the scent of Paper Whites clots the air but to love for a lifetime takes talent you have to mix yourself with the strange beauty of someone else wake each morning for 72,000 mornings in a row so breathed and bound and tangled that you can hardly sort out your arms and legs you have to find forgiveness in everything even ink stains and broken cups you have to be willing to move through life together the way the long grasses move in a field when you careen blindly toward the other side there's never going to be anything straight or predictable about your path except the flattening and the springing back you just go on walking for years hand in hand waist deep in the weeds bent slightly forward like two question marks and all the while it burns my dear it burns beautifully above you and goes on burning like a relentless sun

Audio Adrenaline - Kings & Queens

I love this song!!

"Then they will be brave and free. Shout your name in Victory! When we love the least of these."

Words of Wisdom

Florida/Spring Break Excursion

We had a great vacation in Melbourne,Florida! 7 days of sunny weather, a block away from the ocean and 80 degree weather did my soul well. We did have one rainy day so Kim and I left the kids at home with the guys and went shopping and enjoyed a kids free lunch.

We spent most of our days at the ocean, which was bliss! Nathan and Tim surfed and Lucas and his cousins had fun in the water. We ate very well on the trip with fresh caught fish and amazing meals made by Kim and Tim. We also got to eat at one of Nathan's favorite burritos places, "Da Kine Diego's".

I was able to get in some great runs. It was awesome to be able to run outside wearing a tank and shorts. It sure beat running on the treadmill in the garage bundled up.

Below are some of my favorite pictures of the trip. Enjoy!

Vacation

I'm heading to Florida with the family and I'm anticipating a relaxing trip. The ocean, 80 degree weather and the sun are calling my name.
I'll be sharing our adventures with you when I get back!

Peace, Jean

The Kind Diet

I've made a bunch of recipes from the Kind Diet Cookbook and they have all turned out yummy. The cookbook is jammed packed with all kinds of information. It has opened my eyes up to trying out different foods and offers substitutions for the not so healthy types of food. We eat a lot of couscous in my home so this dish was a great way to switch things up a bit and make it more of a hearty meal. We had it as the main coarse with salad and crusty bread. Hope you enjoy!


Moroccan Couscous with Saffron


Prep time: 20 minutes |Cook time: 1 hour|Total time: 1 hour 20 minutes |Servings: 6


2 cup(s) of peeled butternut squash, cut into 1/4” to 1/2” cubes
2 cup(s) of yellow onion, large dice
1 1/2 cup(s) of carrots, cut into 1/4” to 1/2” cubes
1 1/2 cup(s) of zucchini, cut into 3/4” cubes
2 tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil
1 Pinch of fine sea salf
1 1/2 tsp. of freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cup(s) of vegetable broth
2 tbsp. of Earth Balance butter
1/4 tsp. of ground cumin
1/2 tsp. of saffron threads
1 1/2 cup(s) of whole wheat couscous
2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped


Steps
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the squash, onion, carrots and zucchini on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.
Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once with a spatula about midway through.
While the vegetables roast, bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a saucepan.
Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the butter, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cumin, saffron and salt to taste.
Cover the pan and steep for 15 minutes.
Scrape the roasted vegetables and their juices into a large bowl, and add the couscous.
Bring the vegetable broth back to a boil, and pour over the couscous mixture all at once.
Cover tightly with a plate and allow to stand for 15 minutes.
Add the scallions, toss the couscous and vegetables with a fork, and serve.

P.S This is a vegan meal and the picture above is of the dish I made.


Peace, Jean

Music to my Ears

Friday I'm In Love

It's Friday! Hooray! I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend and getting some Spring/Easter decorations up.

I think a trip to the Morton Arboretum is on the agenda too! Hope you all have a lovely weekend.

True dat.

Love it.

Awesome.

Be silent.

Yummy snack.

A perfect treehouse.

Cute Owl peephole.

Peace, Jean

Music to my Ears

I love the energy of this song!

Hope you enjoy!

Peace, Jean

A Poem

The Journey
By Mary Oliver

One day you finally knew

what you had to do, and began,

though the voices around you

kept shouting

their bad advice--

though the whole house

began to tremble

and you felt the old tug

at your ankles.

"Mend my life!"

each voice cried.

But you didn't stop.

You knew what you had to do,

though the wind pried

with its stiff fingers

at the very foundations,

though their melancholy

was terrible.

It was already late

enough, and a wild night,

and the road full of fallen

branches and stones.

But little by little,

as you left their voices behind,

the stars began to burn

through the sheets of clouds,

and there was a new voice

which you slowly

recognized as your own,

that kept you company

as you strode deeper and deeper

into the world,

determined to do

the only thing you could do--

determined to save

the only life you could save. 

Peace, Jean

Prayer for Peace

Are you giving up anything for Lent? Or is there something you are choosing to focus on during this season?

I spent most of yesterday pondering what I wanted to focus on or abstain from till Easter Sunday. In the past I've given up certain types of food and cut out t.v. While that is ok, I felt I needed something more. I wanted to center my thoughts and actions and take time everyday to pray for something specific. 

I came across an old prayer journal of my Mom's. She started the prayer journal in August of 1956. Wow! As I was reading through some of the prayers a small simple prayer card fell out from in between the pages. At the top of the prayer card it urged you to say this prayer of the gentle St. Francis of Assisi earnestly, to ponder it quietly, and to LIVE it. Then to spread it among others.

Perfect.

So this Lent I'm going to take time to Pray for Peace every day. I'm hoping that by taking time daily and putting aside my own needs and wants God can grow my heart for others. 

Prayer For Peace

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console; to be understood as to understand; to be loved as to love; for it is in giving that we receive, it is in pardoning, that we are pardoned, and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

~St. Francis of Assisi.

Peace, Jean

Body Cleanse

For the next two weeks I'm going to be doing a cleanse. Toxins can come from many sources; highly processed foods, artificial ingredients, pollution in our air and water, pesticides, fertilizers, agrochemicals, and hormones used in the foods we eat.

The body cleanse that I'm doing will help cleanse the digestive, liver, lymph and circulation systems. 

I'm going to cut out dairy, white flour, sugar and red meat. The best diet to detoxify your body is fruits and veggies, whole grains and sources of unsaturated fats protein. I'll check back in a week and share how things are going!

Peace, Jean

Friday I'm In Love

Wow, it's coming down like Cat's and Dog's outside. I love the rain, but not the gloominess. I hope these lovely pictures brighten your day! Enjoy your weekend!

Yummy.

Beatles  Love.

Believe it!

So pretty.

So true.

I love these cookie jar's. I have the orange one and I'm hoping down the road to get the white one!

Peace, Jean

The New Dew

I got a haircut today and I'm loving it!  I've been slowly going shorter and I've found the perfect length.  I also got it colored a brown/ red instead of the orange/ red I've been doing.  Just wanted to share with all of my lovely readers.

Peace, Jean

Books

This was the most recent Book Club selection that I read. The main character Henry, is a first generation Chinese American who grew up in Seattle during WWII. It tells his story of love for a Japanese American girl during an ugly time in American history. This book is tender and uplifting and full of history on what it was like to live in Seattle during the 1940s.

I just got this book from the library and read it in 2 days. I was completely absorbed in this courageous story set in Jackson, Mississippi in the early 1960s. It's a heartbreaking and hopeful story about segregation and what black women had to endure while taking care of white families. 

This was just a fun read. If you haven't heard of Ree Drummond and her blog you should check it out! This is her story of how she meet the love of her life. She is down to earth and hilarious as she recounts all the details of her Marlboro Man.

Next on the bookshelf!




Peace, Jean

Friday I'm In Love

It's been a very busy week and I'm looking forward to spending time with Nathan and Lucas. We will be snuggled on the couch with some yummy take-out and a movie. Hope you have something fun planned with your loved ones.

Just a few Friday Loves

So Sophisticated

Get your groove on!

Very true

Perfect Print

It's about time!

Amen

Bird Bike

Peace, Jean