Zazazu

I need to start this post out with the disclaimer that I have NOT seen the new movie out called No Reservations. I can, howewver, unequivocably and without doubt give the following recommendation.

In case you don’t know, this movie is a knock-off of what I would call the “real” movie – Mostly Martha. Mostly Martha is the original version of this script and is originally German. The German version of this movie is so beautiful; the story-line is full of emotion – raw emotion – and follows the trials of a little girl and her chef Aunt. This film is not fluff.  It is poignant and gets to the core of the characters’ personalities.  It is truly a beautiful film, even if you do have to read subtitles to know what is going on.

Again I say that I’ve not seen No Reservations so I can’t really comment that much on the performances of Catherine Zeta-Jones, Abigail Breslin and Aaron Eckhart. I can, however, say that I can’t imagine – can’t fathom! – their performances being any better than those of Martina Gedeck, Maxime Foerste and Sergio Castellitto.

So, before you go to the theater and pay $15 to see No Reservations, consider going to your library and renting out Mostly Martha.  I can guarantee that you will LOVE it and you will save some cash.  What could be better than that?

Bon appetit!

Just thought I’d pop in and let you all know that I’m hosting the monthly swap over at the Create-a-Connection blog. Check it out!

The swap is all about dream vacations and each participant will be sending a package based on their dream getaway location. It promises to be a lot of fun, as C-a-C swaps always are.

If you want to participate in it, leave a comment in the comments section there (not here).

Hope you all will join us! Create-a-Connection is a really fun blog and the swaps are always great!

Au revoir!

Review: Morningstar Farms Sausage Patties, Frozen, 8 oz.

As most of you know, the only meat I eat is fish. Therefore, getting enough protein in my diet is tricky. So, I turn to the many meatless products on the market today. Some are really good and some are just… meh.

Morningstar Farms Sausage Patties fall into the former category.

They are amazing.

I had two for breakfast this morning – along with an egg – and cooked them in a frying pan with a bit of Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. I cooked them for roughly seven minutes, turning occassionally and they were delicious. They cooked up so crispy and brown – just the way I like a sausage pattie. And they are spiced up such that you can barely notice a difference between the meatless and the meat sausage. In fact, if you DO notice a difference it is for the better as these are crispy and spiced just right.

I urge you to try these. They have a good bit of protein in them and are 75% fat free with little or no sugars and there are myriad ways to serve them, for breakfast or in pasta sauce for a filling dinner (can’t wait to try that recipe!) Mmmmmm… mmmmm… mmmmmmm… GOOD!

Firstly, I have to tell you all that I made the YUMMIEST Split Pea Soup today. It is a recipe that I kind of made up as I went along (my favorite way to cook) so I hope I can remember it to tell you all here and to replicate myself sometime in future. This is roughly how it goes:

Za’s Split Pea Soup

1 bag frozen English peas
1 cube Veggie Boullion
3 cups water
Several good dashes of onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper and a teeny dash of salt
1 small onion diced
3 TBS. EV olive oil

Put all of this into a pot and cook for about 30 minutes and then simmer on low for an additional 15 minutes. The goal here is to make sure that the peas are very mushy. Into your blender, put a cup of skim milk and the whole green pea mess that has been simmering in your pot. Blend well. I put a bit more seasonings into the blender with it and blend again, make sure it is whipped and a bit frothy. Serve hot with toast or crackers.

Mmmmmmm…

I love anything green to eat. I love vegetables in any way, form or fashion and I love green globs of stuff too. A bit gross maybe but I’ve always loved green things. The greener, the better!

Mmmmmmm…

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My second order of business today was finally finishing The Prophet by Khalil Gibran. I’ve had this book recommended to me by several very trusted friends and was assured that I would love it as much as they did. Well, I’m not really sure how much they loved it but I wouldn’t count it among my top ten favorite books. This book is packed full of wisdom, foretellings, life lessons, etc. There were many chapters that I loved and really gleaned a lot from but, overall, it was tedious for me. I felt like the main character of the book was a bit know-it-all and more preachy than I like. My feelings about this book are mixed because some of the lessons in it were so very VERY good but the tone of the book bothered me. However, I loved the chapter on Buying and Selling and the blurbs about Passion. Those really spoke to me.

I’m about to embark on another book that has come highly recommended to me: Gift From The Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh. As with all books that are highly recommended, I’m excited to see what it holds in store. Anyone read it?

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I am also busy composing my list for No. 11 on my 101 Things in 1,001 Days list. So far the book list goes like this:

1. Gift from the Sea
2. Time Traveler’s Wife
3. Change Your Mind and Your Life Will Follow
4. Midlife Crisis at 30
5. Kindred Spirits
6. Ishmael
7. French Women Don’t Get Fat
8. Yoga From the Inside Out
9. Something More
10. The Worry Cure

(As I’ve mentioned before, I’m a self-help junkie!)

I need to get reading! Anyone read any of these? If so, let me know what you thought!

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In other news, I’ve begun a new collection.: Vintage Kokeshi Dolls. My collection has been started with this adorable girl that I got from Justpickedvintage on Etsy.

Isn’t she just the CUTEST? I think so and can’t wait to find sisters for her.

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Hope all of you are having a lovely weekend! I’m off to have more green glob.

All things are free-flowing, untrammeled – what bondage is there, what entanglement?  You create your own difficulty and ease therein.  The mind source pervades the ten directions with one continuity; those of the most excellent faculties understand naturally.

~Tzu-hu 

Jana over at Jana’s Journeys tagged me for this little meme. I am *supposed* to tag five people in turn but I don’t like to tag so I’m not going to. I guess I’m cheating a bit. Here goes with my answers.

4 things that should go into room 101 and be removed from the face of the earth:

• Patterned pants
• Stirrup pants
• The names Hank, Trish and Willie (they bother me for some reason)
• Midriff and tube tops

3 things people do that make you want to shake them violently:

• When people ONLY know how to talk about THEMSELVES! Has no one read How to Win Friends and Influence People??
• People who drive sideways across a parking lot instead of driving up and down the proper lanes
• People who have done that, been there, met so-and-so and done it ALL better than you have

Grrrrrr…

2 things you find yourself moaning about.

• See above
• I’m not living my life to the fullest; I’m merely existing

1 thing the above answers tell you about yourself:

• That I’m an idealist to the extent that it negatively impacts my life.

Le sigh…

Well, folks, my birthday was a good one. I can’t complain at all. To all of you who wrote, emailed, called, texted, sent ecards, left comment, sent packages, etc., I appreciate it ALL so very very much. Each wish that I received was wonderful!

Besides more calls and emails than usual, my birthday wasn’t all that eventful. I didn’t do anything more or less than my normal routine and that was just fine. My dinner, however, was atypical and very special.

This evening, my Dad asked if I might like to go eat for my birthday. Well, my Father NEVER likes to eat anywhere besides right here so when he offers, you take him up on it! My Mother was excited to get to eat something that she didn’t cook so we all got ready and went to town for dinner. Now, to be clear, there aren’t many places to choose from in Corinth when aiming for a nice meal. We landed at Ruby Tuesday which was great since I’m in love with their salad bar (which is exactly what I had). We had a nice time and I really enjoyed having dinner out (my Mother enjoyed it too!) and am so lucky to have them and am blessed by all the time I get to spend with them.

A refrain, if I may…

I guess I’m like everyone else in that I get frustrated or impatient with the nuances of daily life. Sometimes I dream about being out partying like a rock star or living some lavish life – the life of a TV star perhaps – and being at home in some lush mansion, with a handsome and poised significant other, eating dinner from some posh take-out joint. Sometimes I wonder what people who do live lives like this did that is different to what I’ve done. Sometimes I even feel a bit sorry for myself that I don’t live a life like that.

But, what I do live is a good – GREAT! – life… MY life.

The people who do live like that don’t have what I have. If I were one of them, living somehow differently, I wouldn’t have what I have – the parents, the family, the house, the cat, etc. It would all be different and I’m not willing to trade any of it in, no matter how I dream of other scenarios. When I come to the end of my life, I wouldn’t really remember take-out from a posh place. What I will remember is sitting at a table in Ruby Tuesday, dipping french fries into a vat of ketchup with my Mom and Dad. THAT is a memory.

I guess what I’m saying is that all of us have moments when we are discontent (or at least I think that all of us do) but chances are that the really GOOD parts of life are the very nuances of daily life that we sometimes get so frustrated with.

I’ve heard it said and I truly believe: To wish you were someone else is to waste the person you are.

It was a good – GREAT! – birthday! I’m thirty-one now and still learning so much. Lesson today: Don’t waste the person that I am. Realize when you are making memories.

Even though today wasn’t particularly eventful, I realize that I made at least several memories. Thanks to each of you who had a part in it.

Here are some pictures from my day:

The most difficult thing I have ever had to do is follow the guidance I prayed for.   

~ Albert Schwietzer 

Isn’t it wonderful to see people doing good deeds?

I’ve volunteered in the past for different causes but have never done any sort of marathon until recently.  I am walking for Juvenile Diabetes Research in September and was amazed at how wonderfully my blogger and online friends responded to this!  I pledge to raise $100 and had me that goal by the very next day.  Wahoo!  That is amazing.

It seems that my brother and sister are both inspired by my walking this.  Ha – that is what I tell myself anyway.  My sister is walking the JDRF walk with me.  My brother – an avid biker – is participating in the Start to Finish MS Bike-a-Thon here through the Oxford, Mississippi Biking Group.  This Bike-a-Thon will be 150 miles (I’d drop over dead if I were to attempt that) and all donations will go to MS research.

So, I’m putting it out there for anyone who might like to donate to either of these causes -

my sister for JDRF

and

my brother for MS Research

Click links above to be taken to their participation pages.

I hope this post doesn’t seem spamm-y.  I would only post such for very good causes and I believe these to be just that.   I’m so proud of my brother and my sister for doing these sorts of things and want to support them in anyway I can.  Thank you for any donation you can send or just for good vibes.  Those help too.

“There may be more to learn from climbing the same mountain a hundred times than by climbing a hundred different mountains.”

~Richard Nelson