Happy New Year

As we say goodbye to 2013

We would like to

wish all of our

family and friends

a happy,

safe, healthy and prosperous

New Year

 

Coming Up This Week….October 13 – 19

 

Good “SUNDAY” morning everyone!!  Hope your weekend has been a great one so far.

This week we have some fun and tasty days to celebrate.  Monday is National Dessert Day, what a fun day.  Celebrate by making a dessert to share with your family, buying one that you’ve been dying to try, take a trip to your local ice cream or sweet shop and indulge or an even better, eat dessert in place of a meal!!

Wednesday, October 16 is World Food Day.  It always amazes me that there are so many people in our country, especially children who go without food for days on end.  On this day do something to help put an end to hunger, donate non-perishable items to your local food pantry or kitchen.

And then there is Sweetest Day.  Sweetest Day is not celebrated everywhere, it’s a made up holiday who many feel for the sole purpose of making candy companies and florists a little extra cash.  I think a great way to spend this day would be to do something “sweet” for someone; visit the elderly, rake someone’s leaves, hold the door for someone, let someone go ahead of you in line.  It doesn’t have to be about candy or flowers, just something that leaves another person with the thought “Oh, how sweet of her/him.”

Also on Saturday is “Evaluate Your Life Day.”  Good day to reflect on how you think your life is going, where it’s going, the decisions you’ve made, the friends you’ve chosen, the path your on.  Is it, are they right for you?  What changes can you make on this day to make you a better person.

This a fun week filled with desserts, chocolate and pasta, good deeds and reflection.  Have fun with them, you never know who you might make smile this week.

Sunday – October 13

• National Yorkshire Pudding Day
• International Skeptics Day

Monday – October 14

• National Dessert Day
• Be Bald and Free Day

Tuesday – October 15

• National Chicken Cacciatore Day
• National Roast Pheasant Day
• White Cane Safety Day

Wednesday – October 16

• World Food Day
• Bosses Day
• Dictionary Day

Thursday – October 17

• National Pasta Day
• Four Prunes Day
• Wear Something Gaudy Day

Friday – October 18

• National Chocolate Cupcake Day
• No Beard Day

Saturday – October 19

• Oatmeal Muffin Day
• National Seafood Bisque Day
• Sweetest Day
• Evaluate Your Life Day
• International Newspaper Carrier Day

NOTE:  My sweet niece Chantell pointed out to me that in the original version I posted I had the date as September!!  Thank you Chantell – love you too!!

Coming Up This Week…October 6 – 12

It’s Sunday!!  A rainy Sunday here in Michigan and time to take a look to see what kind of whacky and yummy days we have this week.

This week we celebrate noodle day (today) and moldy cheese, hoagies, subs and grinders, I think all my grandbabies will agree the best foodie day this week is sausage pizza day although the only kind they all eat is sausage pizza!  Sausage/pepperoni…..we can make it work.

This week is also fire prevention week, with Fire Prevention Day celebrated on Wednesday.  Make sure you check the batteries in your smoke detectors and review your fire escape routes and meeting places with family members, especially if you have children.  It’s a great family project to work on together.

My personal favorite day this week will of course be “Take Your Teddy Bear To Work Day.”  Not that I will, my co-workers will think I’m crazy for sure but I am a bear collector, lots of Boyd’s bear figurines and teddy bears, so finding one to take with me would be pretty easy.

As always there’s are some unique and interesting days this week, pick a few and have a little fun with them.

Sunday – October 6

• National Noodle Day
• Mad Hatter Day
• Physician Assistant Day

Monday – October 7

• National Frappe Day
• Bald and Free Day
• World Smile Day

Tuesday – October 8

• National Fluffernutter Day
• American Touch Tag Day

Wednesday – October 9

• Submarine-Hoagy-Hero Grinder Day
• Moldy Cheese Day
• Curious Events Day
• Emergency Nurses Day
• Fire Prevention Day
• Leif Erikson Day

Thursday – October 10

• National Angel Food Cake Day

Friday – October 11

• National Sausage Pizza Day
• World Egg Day
• It’s My Party Day
• Take Your Teddy Bear to Work Day

Saturday – October 12

• National Gumbo Day
• Cookbook Launch Day
• Old Farmer’s Day
• Moment of Frustration Day

Coming Up This Week…September 22 – 28

If it’s Sunday it’s time for Coming Up This Week.  There are some fun and unusual days this week….

Today is not only the first day of fall, it’s also “National Ice Cream Cone Day” yummy, that one can be mine this week.  Our Joshua will love Thursday, it’s “Pancake Lovers Day,” Mio if you’re reading it’ll be chocolate pancakes for dinner at your house!!  For my two chocolate milk lovers Eric and Kaylee Friday is “National Chocolate Milk Day.”

The one that had me laughing the most was “Dog In Politics Day,”  Dogs in Politics Day is about dogs that were part of the presidential family. On this day in 1952 Richard Nixon gave a speech to assure the public that he had not received illegal campaign contributions for personal use. However one “gift” he received was a dog that his daughters named Checkers. He said they would be keeping the dog. The speech became known as the “Checkers speech.” * 

So my family and friends, pick a day or two….be a little creative, have a little fun and have a great week!

Sunday – September 22

• National Ice Cream Cone Day
• Business Women’s Day
• Elephant Appreciation Day

Monday – September 23

• National White Chocolate Day
• National Dog in Politics Day/Checker’s Day

Tuesday – September 24

• National Cherries Jubilee Day

Wednesday – September 25

• National Comic Book Day
• Crab Meat Newburg Day
• National Food Service Employees Day

Thursday – September 26

• Pancake Lovers Day
• Johnny Appleseed Day

Friday – September 27

• National Chocolate Milk Day
• National Corned Beef Hash Day
• Crush A Can Day
• Native American Day

Saturday – September 28

• Strawberry Cream Pie Day
• Ask a Stupid Question Day
• National Good Neighbor Day
• Drink Beer Day

*http://justsimplydogs.com/2012/dogs-politics-day-checkers-day

“Staycation” 2013 With A Little Robert Mondavi

With all the things going on in our little family right now, good and, well, not so good, Walt and I decided that we didn’t want to be too far from home so we made the decision to do another week of “Staycation” this year and be close to family and home.

We kicked off our official “Staycation” yesterday (Sunday) on our patio with a great steak, a tasty salad and delicious bottle of wine.

Our wine of choice last night…Meritage by Robert Mondavi.  Meritage (pronounced like “heritage” with an “m”) is a wonderful blend of black cherry, blackberry and plum.  This wine is long on flavor with a nice spicy, dry finish.  It’s definitely on our list to serve again.

This is going to be a week of family, friends, good food and of course, new recipes!  I like these “staycations!”

Happy 5th Birtdhay Eric

Today Eric turns 5!!

We celebrated with family and friends yesterday with lots of food, iced cold pop and fruit juice.  There were treats and goodie bags and birthday cake too!!  And of course lots of fun outdoor things to do like a mini pool, a slip and slide and water guns too!  What an awesome day for everyone, especially the birthday boy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ERIC!!!

WE LOVE YOU!!

Our Birthday Boy – Eric

Cousins – Kaylee, Eric and Joshua

Eric and Kaylee going for spin around the yard

Joshua, can’t wait for the real deal!!

How fun – TWO friends named Layla!!

Grandpa King, Great Grandma Fern and Great Uncle Bob

Dzia Dzia, Busia, and Great Uncle John

Great Unlce Greg

Great Aunt Monica, Katria (and coming soon cousin Tyler), Uncle John

Papa and Joshua being silly

The best part – opening presents

These three are always plotting!!

Joshua showing the little ones how to slip and slide

Kaylee slipping on through

Of course Momma (Nikki) could not resist the urge to play too!!

The birthday boy Eric, loves his parties at home!

Uncle John, a big kid at heart!

The Weekend

Weekends don’t count

unless you spend them

doing something

completely pointless

~Bill Watterson~ 

ENJOY YOUR WEEKEND – WE WILL!!

Continue To Hope….Continue To Pray

We have had an unbelievable week in our country and as we get through Thursday people are almost afraid to say “What could possibly happen now?”

My heart continues to go out to the people of Boston and those affected by the senseless bombing at the Boston Marathon, such a senseless act of cowardice.  I am always moved by our ability as a nation to move forward, to take care of our own and our ability to become even stronger than we were before.  I pray that those responsible are found soon and brought to justice.

I have fond memories of Boston.   During my very first visit many, many years ago on a beautiful July day, I actually ate my very first whole lobster.  During our stay in Boston we even visited the Bull and Finch Pub (the name has been changed) on Beacon Street made famous by the hit TV show “Cheers” well at least the exterior was made famous by the show.  The people of Boston were warm and friendly, I felt like it was home.

The explosion in West, Texas hits a little closer to home in an indirect sort of way.  Having been married at one time to a fire fighter for many years (my first husband) I feel the anxiety of the wives, husbands, children and parents of the fire fighters, first responders and police personnel directly involved in fighting that blaze.  I know only too well the dedication of these volunteers, men and women who at the sound of a siren, a beeper or a phone call drop everything they are doing to respond.

I can’t recall the number of interrupted dinners, holidays, parties, family outings and more that were disrupted when the siren sounded or the number of times I would sit holding my breath listening to the scanner as my then husband and our friends fought house fires, responded to auto accidents or worse yet runs made to the hazardous material handling facility in our town.

I sat and openly cried when the wife of a volunteer firefighter was interviewed last night on the Pierce Morgan show.  It was a telephone interview, her husband insisted that she leave town to go to her brothers home in a nearby town.  After making several attempts to reach her husband by cell phone, she finally connected with him and begged him to come to her, he told her he could not, he was needed, there was a job to do he needed to stay with his guys.  You could feel her agony and her fear in her words, in her voice.

Keep these volunteers and their families in your prayers, they do this as a “calling” an answer to their need to give to their community.  Although these “volunteers” do go through extensive training and testing fire fighting is not their source of income, many are teachers, business owners, factory workers, engineers, ministers and more.  Their dedication and commitment to saving lives and their community is no less than those who do it full-time.

With all that has happened this week we can’t allow any of it to force us to live in fear….if anything we should strive to embrace life more openly, forgive those who we feel have done us any wrong and most importantly hold those you love a little tighter and say “I love You” a little more often.

Have a great Thursday everyone, I hope it’s filled with family, friends and love.

Michigan – One Morning – 4 Seasons Passing Through

“Spring is coming….spring is coming….”I have to chant this today since the temperatures are going down instead of up, the wind is getting stronger and the rain had turned to a light sleet which is now snow. Spring is coming….spring is coming, what’s that saying “in like a lion, out like a lamb?” Ok, let’s hope this is a preview of how March will arrive in the next nine days so that by the end of March, and when spring truly does arrive on March 20, March temperatures will roll into April gentle as a lamb. Only in Michigan can you preview four seasons in one morning.

I think the interview I went to yesterday went a little better than the one last week, at least this time the interviewer actually came out and said “So, I have to ask.” “Why, would someone with your experience and background, want what could be considered an entry-level position?” “You could do so much more with your background.” So we spent about five minutes talking about why I want this role, how my background and experience will benefit them and why I want an entry-level role. She said she appreciated my honesty and I made sure to reiterate my stand on why I am the ideal candidate for this role in my “thanks for the interview” letter. We’ll see what happens.

On Saturday my bestie Tina made my morning.  I was enjoying a cup of coffee Saturday morning when I heard my phone chime that I had received a text.  At first when I saw it was Tina I held my breath for a second, we don’t usually weekend text so when I saw her name I sort of held my breath for a second.  Ok, quick sidebar….yes I am a creature of habit, I do not do well with surprises or things that happen out of the natural scheme of things that make up our lives.  So yes…her text made me pause for a second.

Ok..ok…back on track.  So I received a text which was actually a photo:

Tina decided to make the “Vanilla Coconut Muffins” on Saturday morning so she sent me a photo and a quick note to let me know that she made the muffins, she used coconut milk (yes I was jealous, I didn’t have any when I made mine), the house smelled delicious, she ate three mini muffins because she couldn’t wait and she thought they were so good she took some over to her neighbor.  Woohoo!!  I’m excited because Tina also had made the “too die for” blueberry muffins a while ago and I forgot to tell her to spray the top of the muffin tin as well so that when the blueberries melt and burst as they bake they don’t stick to the top and rip when you try to get them out.  Of course I was excited when the Vanilla Coconut Muffins were a hit.  Way to go girlfriend!!

Today I am going to share another tortellini recipe with you.  Just when I thought there couldn’t be another sauce we would like for our tortellini I stumbled across this one on the Taste of Home site.  It’s fast, easy and delicious….three of my most favorite things when I cook.  It’s a perfect dish to make for those “Meatless Monday’s” or better yet for Friday night dinners during lent.  Try it, this dish won’t disappoint and it reheats exceptionally well.

TORTELLINI WITH TOMATO CREAM SAUCE

What You’ll Need:

1 package (16 ounces) frozen cheese tortellini

1 small onion, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

1 package (10 ounces) frozen chopped spinach, thawed      and squeezed dry

1-1/2 teaspoons dried basil

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1-1/2 cups heavy whipping cream

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Additional grated Parmesan cheese, optional

Directions

• Cook tortellini according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender.
• Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer.
• Add the tomatoes, spinach, basil, salt and pepper.
• Cook and stir over medium heat until liquid is absorbed, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in cream and cheese. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 8-10 minutes or until thickened.
• Drain tortellini; toss with sauce.
• Sprinkle with additional cheese if desired.

Yield: 6 servings

Source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Tortellini-with-Tomato-Cream-Sauce

 

 

Coming Up This Week….February 10-16, 2013

Happy Sunday everyone!!  The one day of the week that has a dual role; even though the calendar shows Sunday as the first day of the week some people consider Sunday the beginning of the week while others consider Sunday the last day of the week because it’s the day before their work week starts.  We consider Sunday the first day of the week, a day we try to plan nothing and do nothing except relax and enjoy our time together.  So I ask you this…..Which day of the week is Sunday to you, the first day of the week or the last?

One thing we know for sure is that it is Sunday so that means it’s our ‘Coming Up This Week” post!  As always there are some funny and interesting days this week, especially today.  It is supposed to start raining here in Michigan later today making this a great day for “Umbrella Day.”  This past spring, for the first time ever I used an umbrella to shield myself from the sun while we were at Joshua’s football game, I was glad I had it.  Even though the umbrella was black and tended to draw the sun and heat it still kept me out of direct sunlight.  This spring my plan is purchase a light-colored umbrella for football season.

Today is also “National Cream Cheese Brownie Day.”  Who doesn’t like a good homemade brownie?  I already know that I will never get my little brood to eat cream cheese brownies so I think I’ll whip up a batch of good old double chocolate brownies for later today.

“Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day” is a day to be optimistic, think positive and look on the brighter side of things.  Since the first of the year I have been working very hard on doing just that.   No more looking back at the past, no more being dragged into other people s disputes even if they are family.  Life is way to short to spend it worrying about people or things that I cannot change.

Abraham Lincoln, born February 12, 1809, he shares his day with National Plum Pudding Day.  Hmmm, can’t say that I’ve ever seen plum pudding on the shelves in the grocery store.  Here’s a link to a recipe for “Grandma’s Plumb Pudding”  http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~mjw/recipes/dessert/grandmas-plum-pud.html.  We’ve never had it, it you try it let us know if you liked it.

Because we are good ole Polish Catholics, we can’t forget Paczki Day on Tuesday.  Paczki Day is always celebrated the day before Ash Wednesday which is the first day of lent making Tuesday the last day to consume goodies and sweets before fasting begins.   Paczki, wonderful little pastries  jelly filled, deep-fried pastries that everyone loves and eats whether they are catholic or not.  My favorite are the black raspberry ones, the traditional paczki before they started adding strawberry, apple and lemon filling to them.  Ahhh….the wonderful memories of childhood and Suchyta’s Bakery on the corner only 3 houses away from ours.  I loved my childhood, great memories.

Of course I have tortellini on the menu for Wednesday, which is “National Tortellini Day.”  It worked out that tortellini day fell on February 13 because that is also Ash Wednesday (the beginning of Lent) which is a meat free day for us as Catholics.  I have a new cheese tortellini recipe planned for our dinner Wednesday night which I’ll post about sometime next week.

We can’t forget Valentines day on the 14th which also just happens to be “Cream Filled Chocolates” Day.  I was a little surprised that February 14 wasn’t also some type of “National Rose Day” or at least some type of flower day.  Walt always opts for the roses, I love it.

As always lots of fun, silly, interesting and yummy days with this week.  Have fun with them and let us know what you did to celebrate!

Have  a great Sunday and a wonderful week everyone!!

Sunday – February 10, 2013

• Cream Cheese Brownie Day
• Umbrella Day

Monday – February 11, 2013

• Peppermint Patty Day
• Clean Out Your Computer Day (Second Monday of the month)
• Don’t Cry Over Spilled Milk Day
• Make A Friend Day
• White T-Shirt Day

Tuesday – February 12, 2013

• Paczki Day
• Plum Pudding Day
• Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday

Wednesday – February 13, 2013

• Ash Wednesday – Beginning of Lent
• National Tortellini Day
• Get A Different Name Day

Thursday – February 14, 2013

• Valentine’s Day
• National Cream Filled Chocolates Day
• Ferris Wheel Day
• National Organ Donor Day

Friday – February 15, 2013

• National Gum Drop Day
• Candlemas (Julian Calendar)
• Singles Awareness Day

Saturday – February 16, 2013

• National Almond Day
• Do A Grouch A Favor Day