Best. Husband. Ever.

I'm just sayin.' Rich, you are mine and that makes me so happy! What a blessing you are in my life. You are a true prince, my BFF and my sweetie forever.

"What a happy and holy fashion it is that those who love one another should rest on the same pillow."  —Nathaniel Hawthorne

"Success in marriage comes through falling in love many times, always with the same person."  —Mignon McLaughlin

"More marriages might survive if the partners realized that sometimes the better comes after the worse."  —Doug Larson

"I love being married. It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life."  —Rita Rudner

Recipe Time: Asian Noodle Salad

It's been a crazy summer, am I right? In fact it's been a rather crazy year. Life continues to be a roller coaster. So what to do when everything is getting to be too much? Go into the kitchen and cook yourself some dinner. Sitting down together with those you love and enjoying some good food and conversation is always an excellent way to spend the evening while relaxing and decompressing with the fam. Even when life is busy and hectic, don't skip dinner with your family - it's an important time. 

This is a delicious lunch or dinner salad that I find especially refreshing in the summertime, and can be pretty much a one-dish meal. You can use either chicken or shrimp (or leave it vegetarian - add some sliced red peppers, cucumbers, shredded carrots, cabbage, etc). It's also lovely with peanuts (and you can whisk a little peanut butter into the dressing). As you can see, there are many possibilities. Enjoy!

ASIAN NOODLE SALAD WITH CHICKEN and SNOW PEAS

2 packages (3 ounces each) Ramen Noodles, chicken flavor
4 boneless/skinless chicken tenderloin strips or 16 medium shrimp, peeled and cleaned
1 teaspoon light oil
3 teaspoons sesame seeds
½ cup fresh snow peas, ends trimmed and cut in half

¼ cup thinly sliced red onion


Dressing:
2 tablespoons light oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon black pepper


Break ramen noodles into small pieces. Discard or reserve seasoning packets for a future use. Cook ramen noodles in boiling water until tender. Drain, remove to a large mixing bowl to cool.


In a small non-stick skillet, sauté chicken or shrimp in oil until cooked through, seasoning with salt & pepper. Dice or shred chicken into small pieces. Combine noodles, chicken, sesame seeds, snow peas, and onions. Stir to combine.


Combine dressing ingredients in a pint jar with a tight-fitting lid; shake well to combine. Stir dressing into salad. Chill until ready to serve.

"Tell me what you eat, and I'll tell you who you are."  —Anthelme Brillat-Savarin


"Food is an important part of a balanced diet."  —Fran Lebowitz


"It's difficult to think anything but pleasant thoughts while eating a home-grown tomato."  —Lewis Grizzard

Life. Busy. Busy-ness. Business.

Well. I guess today marks the official end of summer since David went back to school. He's taking English (where for art thou, parking spot?) and Spanish (donde esta my classroom?) at Sierra College, and Jazz Band (Trumpet in the A band and Bass in the B band), Jazz Choir and Orchestra at Sac State. Plus he's working. So our Mr. David will be a busy man! And my hubby Rich is extra-busy at work these days in addition to helping me with my many business projects here at home. Me? I am working on said several projects and holding down the household. Oh, and I get to go have some more oral surgery the end of next week. Boo. Can't wait for that. Just when I was enjoying NOT having stitches in my gums anymore... ugh. And our sweetie pie Steph is still in Utah, doing well. Life is busy, and life is good (well, mostly). Challenges and frustrations abound, but we are grateful for our blessings. We carry on! The fun never stops, right?

"It's kind of fun to do the impossible."  —Walt Disney

"People rarely succeed unless they have fun in what they are doing."  —Dale Carnegie

"Fun is good." —Dr. Seuss

The Word is: PROGRESS

It's been a little slow and sometimes agonizing, but Rich and I are making progress on our new project. We are hopeful that by next week we can reveal what we've been up to. I am excited and nervous and working like heck to get to the point where we are ready to let the public in on our new venture. Thanks for your patience!

Isn't life interesting and fascinating? This summer marks thirty (yikes, it's true) years since I graduated from high school (yay Del Oro class of 1981!) Really, when I think back to the person I was in my earlier years, and what I imagined life would be like when I got to the age and station where I am now... it's not what I thought it would be. In ways I suppose that life as a wife of more than two decades and a mom with an almost-empty-nest was not even comprehendable to me when I was young. And now that I am here I think that some things are better, some are worse, and some are just... different. And all of the complexities of my various relationships... like I said, life is interesting and fascinating, and truly is, like the sign says, a work in progress. Oh, and have I mentioned lately that I LOVE MY HUSBAND! And I have the most wonderful children and friends. Love them all... so very much!

"Don't wait until everything is just right. It will never be perfect. There will always be challenges, obstacles, and less than perfect conditions. So what. Get started now. With each step you take, you will grow stronger and stronger, more and more skilled, more and more self confident, and more and more successful." —Mark Victor Hansen

"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."  —George Bernard Shaw

"All progress occurs because people dare to be different."  —Harry Millner

The Word is: PATIENCE

They say patience is a virtue. Patience is also a challenge. Patience is hard, but, patience is good.


"Patience is waiting. Not passively waiting — that is laziness — but to keep going when the going is hard and slow. That is patience."  —unknown

"Patience is the companion of wisdom."  —Saint Augustine

"The two most powerful warriors are patience and time."  —Tolstoy 

"A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains."  —Dutch Proverb

"Patience is the ability to count down before you blast off."  —unknown

"One moment of patience may ward off great disaster. One moment of impatience may ruin an entire life."  —Chinese Proverb

Some Thoughts on Growing Up...

As the parent of "adult" children, I am daily faced with the challenge of balancing the level of involvement I have in their lives. How much is too much? Do I help them and "save" them every time they have a crisis, or is it better to let them "sink or swim" on their own? Rich and I both struggle with this, but as the mom it's I who struggle the most. It was so much more clear-cut when they were young. Now their problems are bigger, the potential consequences are much more serious, and I just don't know what to do sometimes. Every day it's a new challenge, problem, or issue with one or both of my children, sometimes large, and sometimes small, and sometimes HUGE. I find myself on my knees in prayer a lot. I worry a lot. I pull my hair out a lot. But even more than these things, I love my children and am so very concerned for their happiness and success in life. So to you young mothers out there: if you think that changing diapers and dealing with colic in the night is difficult, just wait until they're in their twenties and not living with you anymore... that's when the real fun begins! A mother's work is never done?? Indeed. (photo: Stephanie & David, circa 1998)

"When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown-up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability... To be alive is to be vulnerable."  —Madeline L'Engle

"Our adult children have an adult's right to make their own choices and have the responsibility of living with the consequences. If we make their problems ours, they avoid that responsibility, and we are faced with problems we can't and shoudn't solve."  —Jane Adams  

"Human beings are the only creatures on earth that allow their children to come back home."  —Bill Cosby

I'm Back with some Blog Love!

Hey. How are you? Me, I've had a rough couple of weeks. My oral surgery went well and I am on the mend, but I am still numb and sore and it's been no picnic, I can't lie. Ever had a connective tissue graft in your mouth? Well, it's about as fun as it sounds. But all in all I am doing ok... and I've had lots and lots of help from my sweet family and my amazing friends, so that part has been great! I've really learned over the years that the whole "bearing one another's burdens" thing is really what life is all about. How thankful I am to have loving and supportive people around me!! Oh, yes I am.

So, this week the amazing design team gals over at Impression Obsession have an "orange" color card challenge going on. The lovely and talented Laura Fulcher and Daniela Dobson both created birthday cards using several of my new stamp designs. They turned out so cute, and I love them (both the cards AND the ladies!). Click on the card images for links to the clear stamp sets. Laura used CL329 "Let Them Eat Cake," and Daniela used WP328 "On This Day." These sets are also shown below (with links) for your viewing pleasure! 

So... In addition to trying to get my mouth feeling better these past couple weeks, I have been busy busy busy with work and life. Never a dull moment! I will hopefully have some exciting news to share in the next week or so. Well, I think it's exciting, anyway, and I really hope you will, too!! Rich has been hard at work helping me with my new venture, and I can't thank him enough for all he does for me. Sweetie, you are wonderful and I love you!! Also, David heads back to college classes in another couple of weeks. Can't believe the summer is almost over... how did it get to be August already? My goodness.

OK, time for a snooze. Good night! Here's wishing the rest of your week is fantastic and wonderful. Go make yourself a happy life!

"Believe that life is worth living, and your belief will help create the fact."  —William James

"He who has a why to live can bear most any how."  —Friedrich Nietzsche