Time To Spill It ~ Life, Passion and Food

Ahhh... sailboats moored at sunset. Looks peaceful, doesn't it?

No... We didn't buy a new boat. Hell, we don't even have an old boat. So. Why the picture? Well, I guess I'm just doing a bit of wishful thinking. It was a really long Winter and I can't remember a time in all of my life when I was this happy to see a new season on the horizon. I realize that Spring has sprung for some regions of the country, but at the moment, my neck of the woods has been doing a cruel, flip-flopping dance between late winter and early Spring. Last Tuesday, the temperature topped out at 80 degrees. On Thursday, the thermostat never crept over 48. Today's forecast says it's supposed to reach the mid to high 70's. The last time (about an hour ago) that I looked at the thermometer, it was 64. But, that's enough about the weather...

Earlier this morning, I was looking at some of the "discussion" posts on a LinkedIn group that I belong to  and someone had asked the question: "Do you consider yourself a foodie?" (It's a group for foodies, of course) So, I  took a gander at a few of the replies and it got me thinking about my own obsession with food and why so much of my life is centered around it.  Let's see....

I love going out for dinner.
And lunch.
And breakfast.
And dessert.
I cook.
A lot.
I host (and cook for) the majority of my family's holiday celebrations and special occasions.
I collect cookbooks.
And I read them like most people read novels.
I have cupboards and drawers and shelves and boxes, filled with pots, pans, utensils, gadgets, table linens, dishes and serving pieces.
I get more excited about grocery shopping, than I do about clothes or shoe or chotchki shopping. (and I really love to shop for clothes and shoes and chotchkies)
I talk (a lot) about food.
My food board on Pinterest has 10 times more pins than any other 10 boards, combined.
I blog about food.

Hmmmm...

Yeah... it's a little cluttered, but it works for me. :~)

How long has food been an obsession a passion for me?

Well... there was a time in my life when I had planned to become a professional chef. I was 16 years old and a junior in high school; and like most teenagers, I was absolutely, positively and unequivocally sure, that I had it all figured out. My parents were behind the idea 100%... for about a minute. Then, (insert sounds of screeching breaks here) common sense, aka fear, took over and they decided that life as a "cook" was not at all what they'd envisioned for their daughter. Nope. Absolutely, positively, unequivocally, N.O. (insert visual of deflating balloon here)

Source: Google Images

So, life went on. Time went by. I started a career, got married and had babies. Not necessarily in that particular order, but these were all things that my parents had envisioned for me.

All in all, it's been a damned good life, so far. Of course, there have been difficult times, too. Roads to cross. Tough decisions to make. Tears have been shed. Many tears. But, that is what life is. For all of us. We all experience the same duality in our lives. Good and not so good. (I don't really care for the "b" word) Positive and negative. Yin and yang.

There have been people sharing this journey with me. Good people, who've brought light into dark days, comfort when there's been pain, strength to a fearful heart and hope to a grieving soul. Loving people, who have fed my spirit. And isn't that the kind of food that matters most of all?

So, yeah... I'm definitely a foodie.

How about you... Are you a foodie too?

A Special Prayer Request

Hello All...

It's been a while since I've posted anything on this blog and for the most part, it's been due to a very busy summer. A summer filled with home and yard work, parties, short trips and house guests. All pretty normal, generally happy things, right?

You know the old saying, "It never rains, but it pours"??

Well, at the moment, I need... no, my family and I, need your prayers. And in all honesty, if you could spare a few good vibes and pass them along in our general direction, they'd be very much welcomed as well.

I know that we aren't the only people who have something difficult happening to them and one of the most important lessons I've learned in my 50 years on this planet, is to be truly grateful for the blessings that I do have, but at the moment, life is throwing us a bucket full of curve balls and they all seem to be flying across the plate at once.

On Thursday of last week, we received a call from Hubby's brother saying that their uncle, who has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's Disease, is missing. The last time that anyone saw him was on Saturday afternoon. On Monday, his empty, out of gas car, was found sitting on the side of a very rural and desolate highway in Pennsylvania, seven or eight hours North of his home. The local and state police have searched by ground and air and they have been doing everything in their power to find him, but as of this writing, we still have nothing.

On Friday morning, my sister-in-law's mother passed away, following a brief illness. My brother-in-law, sister in law, their three grown children and our daughter, will all be arriving from out of town, starting on Wednesday, for the calling hours and funeral on Thursday and Friday.  She lost her father at almost this same time last year and I think it's starting to really sink in for all of us, that we're at "that age" when the people we've relied on to guide and support us through our lives, are reaching the part of their lives, where their journey here on Earth is coming to a close. It's hard to lose the people that we love. And it's hard to come to grips with the realization that an entire generation is slipping away.

And as those of you who've known me for a while are aware, Hubby and I lost our precious younger daughter, when she was just a little one, from a fatal reaction to a routine medication. She was a miracle baby, who blessedly came into our life, after several years of believing that we wouldn't ever be able to have another child. Well, yesterday was her birthday. She would have been 12 years old.

Normally, at this time each year, I take a little time off from blogging, to reflect, remember and miss her in my own way. Not that we don't think of her and talk about her every single day... We do. She was and still is at the very core of our lives as a family and she'll never, ever be far from our hearts, or our memories. It's just that on days like her birthday or the anniversary of her passing, in order to be able to go on through the rest of the year with some semblance of normalcy, I need to be still and to heal. 

When you lose a child, I don't believe that you ever stop mourning for them. You pray and you move forward and do your best to live a life that has purpose and meaning, but that life is never quite the same again. I know that I'll have "these days" for the rest of my life, and that's OK. I gave myself permission a long time ago, to grieve in my own way and in my own time.

But, as you can see, we are in need of all of the prayer we can get at the moment.  So, if you could spare a moment, to say a few words of your own choosing, it would be more appreciated than you could ever know.

Thank you and God Bless you all, for being the most amazing, supportive community of  people, that I've ever had the pleasure of knowing.

Mary

Crazy Times ~ STMUSS

Phew!  I'm finally linking up again with my good friends Ginger and Rebecca for another Songs That Make Us Sing Saturday! (they probably think I've abandoned them)

It's a little insane around here at the moment. I'll try to just put this as simply and concisely as possible, 'K?

Easter - wonderful
Daughter and her family were here for 4 days - incredibly wonderful
Dear friend passes away unexpectedly - absolutely devastated
I get some kind of GI bug/flu - sick as a dog
Hubby is in an accident - scares me half to death
One and only car is totalled - cars can be replaced
He's fine (Thank God) - hubby can NOT be replaced
Hubby goes out of town for work - I hate being alone in this big old house
Hubby comes home - Happy Mary
Accountant calls - taxes are finally done - safe?? OR broke??
We get a refund this year! - Yes! unusual, but very nice
Start car shopping- hubby is right brained and very frugal, I am spoiled
Insurance decides NOT to total 10 year old totalled car - WHAT? - panic
Hubby, smart, savvy claims adjuster makes calls - relief
Back to car shopping - research and test drive a gazillion cars
Last night - finally decide on one of those gazillion cars
Today - going to the dealership to buy the car! - I win - Yipeeee! (photo later)

Maybe the rollercoaster has finally come to a stop?? - Fingers crossed...

I thought these songs were appropriate for what's going on in my life right now. No special order...







And last, but certainly not least.... a little something for a dear friend, brave Marine and Vietnam vet, who we will miss more than words can say.  RIP Richard. Semper Fi.

Just click right HERE to link up and join in on the fun!