When I Think Of Traveling... THIS, Is What I Think Of

I've got some praying and listening to do.

Yup. Lots of it.



 From the web site...

THE WAY is a powerful and inspirational story about family, friends and the challenges we face while navigating this ever-changing and complicated world. Martin Sheen plays Tom, an irascible American doctor who comes to France to deal with the tragic loss of his son (played by Emilio Estevez). Rather than return home, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage "The Way of St. James" to honor his son's desire to finish the journey. What Tom doesn't plan on is the profound impact this trip will have on him. Through unexpected and oftentimes amusing experiences along "The Way," Tom discovers the difference between "the life we live and the life we choose.”

Inexperienced as a trekker, Tom soon discovers that he will not be alone on this journey. On "The Way," Tom meets other pilgrims from around the world, each with their own issues and looking for greater meaning in their lives: a Dutchman (Yorick van Wageningen), a Canadian (Deborah Kara Unger) and an Irish writer (James Nesbitt), who is suffering from a bout of writer's block.

From the unexpected and, oftentimes, amusing experiences along "The Way," this unlikely quartet of misfits creates an everlasting bond and Tom begins to learn what it means to be a citizen of the world again. Through Tom's unresolved relationship with his son, he discovers the difference between "the life we live and the life we choose."

THE WAY, written and directed by Emilio Estevez, was filmed entirely in Spain and France along the actual Camino de Santiago.
_____________________________________________

I just finished up this moving early this morning.

All I can say is...

Watch it.

My life might not be a "Disney Show", but it just might be an Emilio Estevez  movie.  :)

Hugs From My Travel Hungry Heart

Mark Reigelman and Jenny Chapman’s Manifest Destiny!  (click on link to see more), was a temporary cabin placed on the side of a building in the crammed downtown area of San Francisco.

Brooklyn-based artist mark reigelman, in collaboration with architect jenny chapman, have conceived 'manifest destiny!'.
The installation, whose structural engineering was provided by paul endres, seeks out areas of unclaimed territory for establishing a new home front in the remaining voids of san francisco, california.

Annie Sloan At Her Shop

I can hardly breathe.

Hugs From My Heart

"A truly good book teaches me better than to read it. 

I must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint. 

      What I began by reading, I must finish by acting."

Hugs From My Heart

Best Chocolate Ice Cream Eva!!!

Makes almost a quart

You'll need:
1 can (14-ounce/400 grams) sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cup (180 grams) whole milk
3/4 cup (175 grams) heavy cream
6 ounces (170 grams) bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely
1/4 cup (25 grams) cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon instant espresso powder (or two tablespoons freshly-brewed espresso)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
A pinch of fine sea salt
5 teaspoons (12 grams) cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water

In a heavy-bottomed large pan, whisk sweetened condensed milk, whole milk and heavy cream until combined. Set the pan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil.

Take off heat and add the finely-chopped chocolate, cocoa powder, instant espresso powder, vanilla extract and salt. Whisk until the chocolate melts and the cocoa powder is completely dissolved.

Mix cornstarch and cold water in a bowl with a fork until completely dissolved, and add to the ice cream base. Whisk until combined.

Place the pan over medium-high heat and cook, whisking constantly, scraping the sides and the bottom of the pan to prevent burning, until thickened, for 8-10 minutes.

Transfer to a heatproof bowl and set aside, uncovered, to cool for half an hour. Don't worry if a skin forms on top. When the bowl is cool enough to handle, cover with plastic wrap and chill thoroughly--preferably overnight--in the refrigerator. 

Before transferring the chilled ice cream to the freezer, stir or whisk to dissolve the skin on top and scrape into a container. Cover with plastic, this time pressing the wrap against the ice cream to create an airtight seal; put the lid on (or cover with an additional layer of plastic wrap) and freeze until firm enough to scoop.

By Cenk for Cafe Fernando

Hugs From My Chocolate Filled Heart

Bookcase Tutorial

I don't know about you, but...

I. LOVE. BOOKCASES!!!

Blue Eyes has built many while our family was growing up because we read all the time.

In our moves through the years, I have gotten rid of many books, collected more, but saved the peeps favorites from when they were little.  I stumbled upon Ashli, at MiniManor

Her affordable, beautiful tutorial is one we could all do with "built-in" results...

The attention to detail without spending a ton of $$$ is right up my alley.

Click on over to her blog... Mini Manor.  Let me know if your installing bookcases soon.

Hugs From My Heart

Today Was A Whoopie Pie Kinda Day...

I've had whoopie pies on my mind for a little while now...

It was one of many things our mom use to make for us when we were kids. 

I don't have "her" recipe, but the one I do have has to be pretty much it, because they taste like my childhood.

In the midst of baking, and mixing, my hand held mixer broke.  Yup, all over the place.

I don't know why I don't already have one of those 5 million dollar Kitchen Aid ones...

I do believe I will be getting one soon.  Well, at least by next Christmas.  :)

These are so yummy... always reminds me of my mom.  Always nice.

Oh yeah... now that I'm looking at it, I need a new coffee maker too. ;)

Hugs From My Heart

I'm Not Afraid Of Color... I'm Not Afraid Of Color... I'm Not.

See that guy right there? Well that's Blue Eyes.

See that absolutely beautiful caramel color he is painting on the wall, in our soon to be entryway?

Lovely isn't it?!

The new place has been primed, and painting has begun!!!  YIKES!!!

One of the things I love so much about this guy is that he believes in me.  Even if he thinks the colors I've chosen are too dark...  he says, " Honey, just go with what you like."   Then he plants a big smooch on me for added assurance.

Which I think is the best part. 

Rich, fall colors are my favorite.

They make me feel like I'm being hugged.  You know, like a warm cozy sweater or blanket.

And so, I won't be afraid of the colors I have chosen.  Because I really do love them.  :)

And when you come over to my house, and come into our entryway... expect two hugs.  One from me, and one from our home.

And on another note... can I tell you that I have always hated fake flowers.  ALWAYS.

But like most things lately for me, that is changing.  And it's good really.

I mean seriously.  Maine has been so dreary this winter.  Hardly any snow.

Tell me this little bit of fake flowers in a glass container, (also Dollar Store), with REAL water, (just for looks), isn't just the thing to brighten up any Sunday?!

Besides, you couldn't tell  there not real anywho!

Now run over to the Dollar Store with a few bucks, and get yourself some.  I won't tell.  ;)

Hugs From My Heart

For The Love Of Shelf

Hugs From My Shelf Lovin Heart

In Memory of Zelda Kaplan

"Yesterday 95 year old Zelda Kaplan passed away after collapsing, front row, at the Joanna Mastroianni Fashion Show. Zelda lived an amazing life.When we would get together she would always start by telling me how lucky she had been to have so many great opportunities. She traveled the world and collected hand woven fabrics and worked as an activist to bring the issue of female mutilation into discussion.

Zelda had a zest for life. She loved dancing and was a regular at New York's hottest clubs where she could be spotted dancing the night away in her brightly colored suits and matching hats. When I met Zelda the first thing she asked me was if I liked to dance. When it came to style she told me, "If you look well, then you heighten the atmosphere of a place, but remember to always be yourself. You can't turn marble into silk." Zelda definitely heightened the atmosphere wherever she went. I was lucky to have known her, even for such a short amount a time. I will cherish the advice she gave to me and remember her wonderful spirit always."

~Ari, from Advanced Style 

I have enjoyed Ari's blog for a while now, and can tell you that these women have inspired, encouraged, and helped me to take a good look at myself.  A goooood look.  Not just in how I dress, but why I dress how I do, and why I don't dress how I want too... so it reflects who I am... even if just to me.  I admire these women. Who they are, and their style.  Because it's not just about what we see on them... but what we see on them, is who they are.  I need more of that.

Ari, thank you for introducing us to these amazing women.  I look forward to your book.



Hugs From My Heart

A Few Things I Know For Sure... Ok, Maybe More Than A Few

Women need other women. I'm so glad I have mine, and they me.

A comfy bed, at the end of a long day is something I so look forward too.

I can hardly believe, or can seriously even  think, that our first born son, was a soldier in Afghanistan... in my mind and heart, he is still four years old.

I need to travel. Not to get away from those I love with all my heart. But to find me.

Dressing for comfort is so what I need to, and will do, daily.  I am sooo over impressing anyone.

The love Blue Eyes has for me, and me for him... it is strong, enduring, and a gift that is in the faces of... Benjamin, Matthew, Zachary, and Katelyn.  And I am truly, one grateful girl.

I am stronger than I think I am...

I. MUST. TAKE. PHOTOS...

Being who I am... REALLY, who I am, allows those around me to be THEIR, authentic self.

It's all good. And I am so grateful.  :)

Hugs From My Heart

Bringing Up Bebe... By Pamela Druckerman

An interesting book just came out...

Here is a bit of what is inside...

1. You can have a grown-up life, even if you have kids. Pamela writes: "The French have managed to be involved with their families without becoming obsessive. They assume that even good parents aren't at the constant service of their children, and that there is no need to feel guilty about this. 'For me, the evenings are for the parents,' one Parisian mother told me. 'My daughter can be with us if she wants, but it's adult time.' "

2. You can teach your child the act of learning to wait. Pamela writes: "It is why the French babies I meet mostly sleep through the night…Their parents don't pick them up the second they start crying, allowing the babies to learn how to fall back asleep. It is also why French toddlers will sit happily at a restaurant. Rather than snacking all day like American children, they mostly have to wait until mealtime to eat. (French kids consistently have three meals a day and one snack around 4 p.m.) A [French mother] Delphine said that she sometimes bought her daughter Pauline candy. (Bonbons are on display in most bakeries.) But Pauline wasn't allowed to eat the candy until that day's snack, even if it meant waiting many hours."

3. Kids can spend time playing by themselves, and that's a good thing. Pamela writes: "French parents want their kids to be stimulated, but not all the time...French kids are—by design—toddling around by themselves....'The most important thing is that he learns to be happy by himself,' [a French mother] said of her son....In a 2004 study...the American moms said that encouraging one's child to play alone was of average importance. But the French moms said it was very important."

4. Believe it when you tell your child "No." Pamela writes: "Authority is one of the most impressive parts of French parenting—and perhaps the toughest one to master. Many French parents I meet have an easy, calm authority with their children that I can only envy. When Pauline [a French toddler] tried to interrupt our conversation, Delphine [her French mother] said, "Just wait two minutes, my little one. I'm in the middle of talking." It was both very polite and very firm. I was struck both by how sweetly Delphine said it and by how certain she seemed that Pauline would obey her...I gradually felt my "nos" coming from a more convincing place. They weren't louder, but they were more self-assured."

-Blue Eyes and I are at the finish line with the raising of our four peeps. There are a few things we pretty much stuck too during that time.

1. Sometimes the answer is just,  "No."   I always knew when I was saying "yes" to much to our peeps.  If I needed to say no about something, and they wouldn't accept it, it was a red flag for me to say no more often.
2. They were always held accountable for their actions.  Very seldom did they get a "free pass" when they had made bad choices.
3. Always look after, and set a good example for your younger sibling. God put you in this birth order for a reason.
4. Don't ever be disrespectful to your Father.  I just never stood for it.  Ever.  I still don't.  Their Dad works too hard, sacrifices too much, would jump in front of a moving car for anyone of them for any level of disrespect.  
5. People's feelings are more important then things.
6. We will always back you up if you talk to people respectfully.

      And finally...
   
     7.  The world doesn't revolve around them.  My peeps know that we love them UNCONDITIONALLY.
         But they also know that they have to be considerate, thoughtful, respectful, and live with those around
           them.
We didn't read many how to books when we raised our kids.  This one looks so interesting. We made many mistakes along the way like most parents do.  But, I can say that all four of our children are good people, and Blue Eyes and I are very blessed.

Hugs From My Heart

Comfy...

Aren't they just beautiful...

Hugs From My Heart