Uncluttered...

Thanks Lorie for posting this on Facebook....

Cover Flow....As Long As You Want Me

Our Town....Mayor's Bike, Hike and Row

Mayor's Bike and Hike
September 5, 2011

It's been in the hundreds all week...my car said 102 degrees Friday.
Labor Day...62 degrees
Seems strange to see us in jackets
Dick, Sissy and me
Seventeen miles....really?!!!
Dick with the only free thing besides water he could find....
apples...
bless his little " love it if it's free heart."

Just gotta blog again
must record this...

Biking 35 miles in the
Bike to Beat Cancer Ride

Very personal
Love my son-in-law
a lot...

Chemotherapy...stinks

Raising money to help fight cancer is positive
Training to survive 35 rolling hills
Family coming together in support ....all good
Playing it forward....feels awesome!

http://www.biketobeatcancer.org/goto/mbrinke

Dancing In The Mine Fields...lovely

Well I was 19 you were 21

The year we got engaged

Everyone said we were much to young

But we did it anyway

We got the rings for 40 each from a pawnshop down the road

We said our vows and took the leap now 15 years ago

We went dancing in the minefields

We went sailing in the storm

And it was harder than we dreamed

But I believe that's what the promise is for

Well ‘I do' are the two most famous last words

The beginning of the end

But to lose your life for another I've heard is a good place to begin

Cause the only way to find your life is to lay your own life down

And I believe it's an easy price for the life that we have found

And we're dancing in the minefields

We're sailing in the storm

This is harder than we dreamed

But I believe that's what the promise is for

That's what the promise is for

So when I lose my way, find me

When I lose loves chains, bind me

At the end of all my faith

to the end of all my days

when I forget my name, remind me

Cause we bear the light of the son of man

So there's nothing left to fear

So I'll walk with you in the shadow lands

Till the shadows disappear

Cause he promised not to leave us

And his promises are true

So in the face of all this chaos baby

I can dance with you

So lets go dancing in the minefields

Lets go sailing in the storms

Oh lets go dancing in the minefields

And kicking down the doors

Oh lets go dancing in the minefields

And sailing in the storms

Oh this is harder than we dreamed

But I believe that's what the promise is for

That's what the promise is for

Winter Snow

A Christmas memory I never want to forget....

 I was a single mom with two small children.

The first Christmas we were alone, 

started looking around the apartment for ornaments

....anything really...

that we could decorate the house with.

Realizing the boxes of ornaments we used to have

were nowhere to be found... sadness set in, oh dear!

No time for sadness though...gotta do something and quick!

Christmas was coming!

Somehow I came up with $10 to buy a fresh tree

from the stand across the street

Happy with that, I took the kids to a nearby K-Mart

where we purchased $2 plastic stained glass ornaments and

painted them ourselves

They were beautiful!!

***********

We had flour, salt and water ......

 put them all together and made

the cutest dough ornaments you ever wanted to see

painted little Santa's, stars, angels and trees

hung them all up on our little tree

along with freshly popped corn and

red and green construction paper ring garlands

Brad, Melissa and I had so much fun

making our ornaments

and so proud of our little tree

No amount of money could buy
the gift of togetherness my children and I shared.
Baking, painting, cutting, gluing and stringing....
we were busy
we were happy
my two little ones and I.

Thank you Lord for that Christmas

Michelle Tumes - Outrageous Grace (with Susan Ashton and Christine Dente)

Weekend with Jack

Words can't express how much Pop and I love this little guy...
The weekend few by like crazy!
A church fall gathering, 
neighborhood cookout 
and a harvest party all in one day..Whew!
Going to church together, sharing meals
Memories in the making
Hugs and kisses galore
fun times for sure!
Thanks Rachel, Rich and Jack !

White Bean Soup with Kale and Chorizo

For the recipe click here

Cooking Light Magazine just keeps getting better and better...really inspiring!

I knew as soon as I opened the November issue and saw this recipe
I'd be making it ASAP!

We had it last night for dinner and boy is it good.

It took me about 10 minutes to fix.

I let it simmer while the cornbread baked.

If you are not sure about Kale, this is the recipe to give it a go.

Yummy to the very last drop!

If you haven't tried Marie Callender's low-fat cornbread...you gotta!

Tasty!

Finally....

I've seen 10 year old kids with them...texting away. You can't pull up to a stop light without seeing someone in the car next to you, texting away....sigh. Part of me thought...who would I text? Why would I need a blackberry? Finally, I thought why not? Since buying my new phone Saturday I've been texting away...and finally hearing people a lot better. 

It's been a good thing.

Plus, I don't have to drag around my camera....I can snap away!

This was the first picture I took with my new Blackberry...pretty good I'm thinking.

We are still walking about 4 miles a day, trying to eat right....do the right thing. 

Took these pictures Sunday during our walk in Cherokee. The weather was glorious. I felt so blessed to be out enjoying it....with a really nice guy!