Month: April 2012
Treats for my Furry Friend
Friday’s Quote
Experimenting
Wordlessness
Wordlessness. A funny word for a blog post, but yet its top of mind, so why not share?! As of late, I’ve had a bit of a ‘not so good attitude’ in a certain area of my life stemming from a frustration that I feel helpless about. In the grand scheme of things its minor, but in the day-to-day, it means something and needs productive attention. After holding a pity party for one, I decided it was high time I take back some of the control. I had to remind myself of a lesson learned [why can’t I learn them once and be done?]: No matter what happens in life, if you can have ownership of the problem, even if its partial ownership, then said problem can begin to be resolved.
Fate brought to my attention a new book, that from the moment I heard about it I was compelled to read right away. The first chapter interestingly enough starts with looking inside with what the author describes as ‘wordlessness.’ I’m not sure about you, but I don’t seem to get enough quiet time. Even when the room is quiet, I have what I call, ‘drunken monkeys’ chattering away in my head about something. It’s quite the challenge to get that inner voice to quiet down a bit to actually feel the energy within my own body.
The concept of wordlessness is a method used to shift thinking with your head to moving into the whole inner space of the body. Feeling this inner space, opens the mind to being guided with the way one actually feels, not how you’re programmed to feel. This energy is used as a guide for the big decisions in life and for the day-to-day stuff too. Deep stuff.
All this to say, the breathing exercises and practices for wordlessness have me actually resting in my body — while awake. Anything that even borders on meditation typically puts me fast asleep. Instead here I am, feeling, rested and moving differently in my body.
Maybe now, I’ll finally have the energy at the end of a long day to make those dog biscuits for my little furry guy that I’ve been putting off for weeks now and take care of my inner being.
Homemade Baileys Irish Cream
For my mom’s birthday, I’ve made her one of her favorite drinks – Baileys Irish Cream. She has a little in her coffee most nights after dinner, so I know this will get used right up. After doing a little research on the ingredients, I wrote the the following recipe:
– 1 Cup Light Cream
– 14 oz. Sweetened Condensed Milk
– 1 Cup Irish Whiskey
– 1 Teaspoon Instant Espresso Coffee
– 2 Tablespoons Chocolate Syrup
– 1 Teaspoon Vanilla Bourbon
Combine all the ingredients in a blender and mix on high speed for 30 seconds. Pour into a sealed container and refrigerate. Shake before using. From what I’ve read, your homemade Baileys should last up to two months — if it doesn’t get consumed long before the expiration date.
From the beginning, I had a hard time believing that this was actually going to taste anything like Baileys, but to my surprise, it does [I think it’s even better].
Traditions
Between what we gathered from great grandma Catalfamo years ago and our own independent research, the making of these pastries is a tradition in Sicily not only for Easter but for other special occasions as well, such as weddings and other celebrations. Depending on the celebration, different shapes would be made with an egg used to decorate the pastry.
Friday’s Quote
Another week, another Friday quote. Oh how I enjoy this part of the week. As I mentally unwind and look forward to the weekend, I hope to carve out some reading time. It’s been a couple of weeks since I just sat and read, and I miss it. I tend to go through phases of either reading at a leisurely pace or devouring book after book. With reading, naturally comes a good quote or two to stumble upon. The ones that leave me thinking, ‘Hmmm, I guess it’s not just me that thinks or feels that way.’ Novel concept [pun intended – wink, wink].
Quotes have been a part of my life since childhood. I’d find a phrase in a book or magazine and I had to have it. It wasn’t enough to just read it, it somehow had to become part of my life. I would cut them out of magazines or jot them down and place them here and there. To this day, that has not changed. I tape quotes to my computer, my dressing mirror, tucked inside of little jars — I even have a couple on my bookshelf.
So, as I look forward to sitting down with my new copy of Mrs. Kennedy and Me, by Clint Hill, it seems only natural to leave you with the quote that is currently on my bookshelf…”Your books are your autobiography: They map your history, reflect your tastes, hold emotional moments between covers. On these pages, intelligent designs for sharing space with the literature you love.” [author unknown]
Creative Direction
When I go with the flow and have fun with it, I tend to wind up with something I am happy with in the end.
How do you get those creative juices flowing?