Sunday 09.20.15

Happy Sunday!  Change is in the air!  The days are ending earlier, the summer heat is dying down and autumn season officially starts Wednesday, September 23rd.  The fall equinox is one of the two days out of the year that night and day are equal in length, which signifies that the balance between light and dark is shifting. 

As the weather cools and we move from shorts to sweaters, we should be mindful of this and take time to reflect on them.

Below are five ways to celebrate the equinox:

1.  Let Nature Inspire You
Bring nature into your home with fall decorations and sit outside reading or strolling through the leaves.

2.  Listen to Yourself
Understand what it is you need instinctively for yourself to prepare for the winter months.

3.  Reflect On Your Progress
The equinox is a perfect time for a progress check on your personal goal you have set for yourself earlier in the year.

4.  Make a Plan
Plan for the winter - decide now your holiday plans so that you are not caught up in the stress; plan your winter vacation.  Then come knee-deep in the snow you can refer back to your plan.

5.  Relax & Actually Look Forward to Winter
The harsh winter weather is a time of socializing, relaxing and making things.  You can have a more balanced life by taking time to rest and play.

Happy Autumn!

EUA

Oh the pain of dating someone who is emotionally unavailable.  They are evasive, make excuses, or are just plain inept when it comes to talking about feelings or the relationship.  The confusing part of being attracted to unavailable, commitment-phobic people is that the emotional or sexual chemistry can feel so strong that you accept behavior you would never tolerate in friends.  The person can be charming, thoughtful and caring…yet seems more than a little emotionally unavailable.

Here are 6 signs of the emotionally unavailable:

1.       EXCUSES, EXCUSES

 A solid sign that the person you are dating is emotionally unavailable is having an excuse for everything.  There is always an explanation for not doing something that could even be remotely considered intimate, as in adding you as a friend on Facebook.

2.       Where For Art Thou Boy/Girl Friend?

 Another sign that the person you are dating is unavailable is their lack of availability – text you  instead of calling, calls and never leaves a voicemail, or disappears for days or weeks with no excuse other than they were “busy” to explain away the Houdini act.  You should take this as a huge red flag!

3.       Person of Mystery

Have you been dating for a few months and STILL don’t know many intimate details of their life?  This means that they have no interest in being close to you.  If this sounds all too familiar, run don’t walk to the nearest exit.

4.       ME, ME, ME

When you manage to be with your date – is it always on their terms and is it usually to serve their basic primal needs.  Are you given just enough to make sure that you can be called up and ordered like take-out Thai food.  If the other person sets the tone and pace of the relationship then you are dating someone who isn’t there emotionally. They are the driver and you are the passenger.  Find a different mode of emotional transportation.

5.       They are weird about you staying over

Whenever you hang out, is it always at your house?  Mine brought his overnight necessities and then at the last minute remembered he forgot his sleeping medicine….This is an indication that they can leave whenever they want – talk about emotionally unavailable. 

6.       What Friends?

Finally you have caught on after months of dating that you are NOT going to meet his friends, nor is he going to meet your friends.  Mine told me he had better things to do than to hang out with me and my friends.  WOW – now that is unavailability at its finest.

Often people who find themselves caught up in a relationship with an emotionally unavailable person have low self-esteem, believing that they are not deserving of someone who is emotionally vested in the relationship.  Don’t be willing to ‘settle’ when you are dating, but be firm in your values and needs.  Remember that you teach others what is acceptable behavior for them to be honored with your presence and essence.

 

 

Sunday 09.13.15

The weather has been cooler and crisper in my region.  The sure sign that fall is fast approaching.  That means weekends of attending fall festivals, wineries, football games and bon fires!  Hope you are having a relaxing and fun day Sunday!

Links I enjoy:

The Seven Qualities of a Good Friend

Foods Proven to Make You Happy

What Does Your Favorite Color Say About You

How to Reuse Your Summer Clothing during Fall

Pumpkin Pie Dip

Brew Cooking

Cool and crisp fall weather lends to cooking more soups, stews and baking.  Cooking with beer adds a rich earthy flavor to soups and stews that makes them taste like they have been simmering for hours.  Beers with a sweet or nutty flavor can add depth to desserts. Don't be concerned about getting drunk - virtually all of the alcohol evaporates during the cooking process!

Which beer to use in cooking?

• For long, slow cooking use dark, malty beers
• For quick cooked pan sauce use mild-flavored light beers
• For baking try lighter styles of white or wheat beer to avoid a bitter taste
• For uncooked marinades and salad dressings use hop beers - IPA for fullness of flavor

Measuring beer to minimize froth:

1. To reduce amount of foam, open the bottle of beer earlier than needed
2. Tilt a liquid measuring cup while pouring the beer slowly down the side
3. If beer will be used for cooking, re-cap an open bottle, refrigerate overnight and use next day

Some great recipes using beer:

• Beer braised short ribs
• Beer-cheese biscuits
• Skillet-roasted chicken in beer
• Slow cooker chili with beer
• Cran-beery relish
• Chocolate Stout floats

Sunday 09.06.15

Labor Day Weekend - the indicator of the close of summer and cooler weather ahead.  My weekend has been low key and doing activities I enjoy- watching movies, going through fall decorations, hanging out at the pool with friends and listening to music at an outdoor concert.

Hope you all have an enjoyable and safe holiday weekend!

Links I like:

Easy Cold Brewed Coffee

The Secrets to Strengthening Your Nails

Chipotle Bloody Mary

Develop Your Personal Mission Statement

Grilled Parmesan Potatoes and Carrots

Sunday 08.30.15

It’s hard to believe that it is the last Sunday in the month of August!!!  Summer is quickly coming to an end.  I hope you have enjoyed the warmer weather and time spent with family and friends.  My summer was filled with helping my daughter move to Virginia to step into a new chapter of her life.  She is an amazing young woman with an open heart to life and love.  It’s never easy to boldly walk through new doors.  It does make it easier to be surrounded by beaches and the love of her life.

I have also had the privilege to spend time with family and friends, going to country music concerts, walking on nature trails, sitting around the pool, buying fresh produce at farmers' market, watching a NASCAR race, watching Major/Minor league baseball, fireworks at the lake, eating dinner on a patio and attending my 45^th High School Reunion!  It’s been a fun and enjoyable season of my life.

Links I enjoy:

How to be 10 times prettier with coconut oil

How to maintain a white and healthy smile

17 Refreshing Beer Cocktails you need in your life

Makeup Eraser

Microfiber cloths - Norwex

 

 

Mexican Sour Gherkin Cucumber

This past weekend a good friend and I made a day trip to Powell Gardens in Bates City, Missouri.  It was a gorgeous pre-fall outing, walking trails and viewing nature.  We had lunch at the Thyme Café and were served Mexican Sour Gherkin cucumbers as a garnish to the turkey wraps. 

We found them to be quite interesting – they are a cucumber-like fruit with a touch of lemon and shaped like a baby watermelon.  They are good added to salads or can be pickled.  The ornamental vines have tiny leaves and flowers, which are perfect for the cottage garden.   

Pickled Mexican Gherkins

Combine 1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar, 1 cup water, 2 tablespoons Kosher salt, and 1 tablespoon sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. Add 1 serrano chile pepper (halved), 1 garlic head (halved crosswise), 2 whole cloves, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon mustard seeds and 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns. Remove from the heat and steep until the liquid is warm–not hot. Add 1 cup gherkins, cool completely, and chill. Keep them jarred in the fridge–they will stay good for 2-3 weeks.