Family, Love, Happiness, Home

Tasty Tuesday and Little Weenies

This will by far, be the easiest most well loved recipe you will ever see, make and eat. All you have to do is buy the little wieners in a grocery store.

 There are a few types of little wieners. There are the little plain ones, the sausage ones, and one other freaky type. Wow, I feel bad writing this even though they do taste smashing. Eww Eww......
Ok.. Now, put bbq sauce in a chafing dish like the one I have shown here. I use the sassy Famous Daves BBQ sauce after I boil the weenies. Add weenies with bbq sauce and vwala, you have a guest favorite. I cook three bags for my huge family of 20 on holidays. I love my chafing dish and my sterno. It makes me think of the holiday season. I am so easily pleased just like my kids say....

Fifteen Minutes Free Writing Oh My

OK. So I am supposed to free write for fifteen minutes and see what my creative mind has to say. What will this stream of consciousness free to roam say, teach, grumble.......

I have set my clock to fifteen minutes so bear with me now. Carl Jung Swiss Psychologist believes that our conscious and unconscious mind balance each other out. How you ask? Well, one way is to free write and see what lies in the ole' beany. Dreams help us balance out our psyche too. Oh, the stories I could share with you on how my mind is unveiled in dreams. See, sometimes it is the real wacky doodle dreams that we have to pay attention to. Now one, might dream of being with someone who one despises, but see, the whole matter of the balancing act of the psyche is just that.  We may dream we are in a full fledged love affair with one we actually do not respect at all. One may venture to say that we learn much from our moral compass and how we view the world then, with such dreams.

I have done free writing before as a spiritual exercise. What came out of my soul and out of my free range hand was no more than amazing even to me. I do healing work and so for me to be in deep connection to my higher self is important. One time I was writing and was told how I was to write a book which would help the world. Well, I have been writing that book and it has been shared in my writings that I do online. I will publish all of these at some point.

One time as I sat in my home free writing, an archangel wrote through me and more than anything, this angel said " Love is All."  Now how cool is that and do we not know that the biggest lesson in the bible is to love and be loved. Love is all that matters and if you think about it, what is life without love?  Now I don't have a love in a marriage partnership anymore since I am divorced, but the love I give and receive is deep, profound and life changing.  See, now that I am free to be who God wants me to be, I can now be of service in love in so many ways. I don't have someone telling me what I can and can't do. I know my love partnership is not like all of you in that you have someone who supports you and helps you to strive to be the best you. I did not have this and now that I am free to be the "Real Me", I have blossomed in what God calls Agape love. To me my life is all about giving out love in ways that even I did not know possible.

Wow, I have only one more minute to write in this fantastic free writing. It just flows once you start. If there is a point to my writing here today, it is about being open to love and sharing it in whatever way God gifted you. We all have gifts and all I do is use mine now as a light worker or healer, just the vehicle to give out Gods love to the universe. So with that and now that I am actually one minute over, thanks for listening to my non stop stream of consciousness.  Remember, we all have a purpose here, be wise and use it, for life will be that much more abundant for you and the world.

New Years Resolutions???

  

     My New Year Resolutions?? Researchers state that our new years resolutions 

last a whopping month. I therefore won't set myself up to fail.  I know what I need to change, but I don't think it wise for me to blog it since I want to succeed. I also know that it is hard to share what the resolutions are and people will ask me how I am doing. So with no further ado, I will just say...................

Good luck to us all in what we know we need to change. Hee Hee.

Laura

Christmas 2011

What a lovely Christmas holiday it was this year. In Minnesota, there was no snow to speak of, but who needs snow when you have all that you have ever wanted. I am so blessed with my family, home and food on the table. I may not have extra, but I have all I need.

This year was extra special since many changes have taken place in my family. We have a brand new addition to the family. My niece had a baby boy named Amery. I will post pictures here of this perfect ball of joy. Also, my older sister is in recovery and it really did make Christmas Eve at my house, free of drama.

I know how lucky I am having people in the world that love me. I have seen so many families that had no one to turn to or count on, in my field of work. It is such a gift to be surrounded by those that love and care about you. I also feel so happy knowing that with age comes wisdom. I do not have an agenda at my age about Christmas and how it will turn out. I know when I was young I suffered greatly with let downs, because I put expectations on myself about what Christmas would be. This year I just let go and let God fill me with the holy spirit and enjoy the love all around me.

Life is a gift and we just have to be open and let the joy spill in. I hope all of you had a lovely holiday and know how very blessed you are in this life.

Holiday Traditions

 

http://aolradio.slacker.com/station/holiday-classics---                
 Top Picture me (Laura, My children Jacob & Ellie.
 Bottom Picture is my twin sister Linda & my son Jacob.

Listen to this classical Christmas/Holiday Music as you read my blog post on Christmas traditions. First and foremost, I love listening each Christmas season to holiday classics. I want to believe that I don't need tradition because I am an adult, but I do rely on it. I love putting up the Christmas tree with my children. I love the smell of the food cooking on our stove and in the oven on Christmas Eve. I love the smell of my little weenies cooking over Sterno in my chafing dish.

I treasure the holiday Christmas eve now celebrated at my home each year. I love the Christmas mass as a Catholic and the fantastic tradition of the mass. Every year at my home I have the yule log fire on the TVs in each room. In Minnesota it is channel 45.  It is a real fire burning and all different classic Christmas music playing as someone is even putting in their arm in the fire to put on new logs and stokes the fire. It is so charming and my whole family can't wait till Christmas eve to see it in every room. I also have a real fire blazing in my fire place.

Every other year, I have the kids on Christmas morning because I am divorced. The years that I have my kids, my little girl sleeps in her brothers room on the floor on her mattress.  This has been tradition ever since me and their dad split up. I have Christmas music playing lightly on my son's TV. Of course I love waking up the children to see what Santa has brought them. When we finish opening gifts, we make a huge brunch before my kids go to their grandparents for the Christmas dinner on their dad's side.

I must keep it real as I talk of tradition. My twin sister and I on Christmas day take a long winters nap. Hee Hee

I hope that all of you have a warm, blessed Christmas, Kwanzaa or Hanukkah. May all your dreams come true.

Easy No Boil Lasagna

My holiday vacation started yesterday. How fun as I am off work from December 20th till January 2nd. I was so giddy last night knowing I did not have to wake early, that at 2:00 A.M. I made no boil lasagna. Yes, I know I am a bit off, but it was so fun to cook while the kids and Aunt Linda slept. I mean, how often does a single mom have the house quiet and to herself?  Not often, so I totally took advantage of the opportunity. I was so busy at work the last month getting all our homeless families gifts, trees, decorations, that I feel very excited to have the time to just be. OK, so let me give you the easy breezy recipe for no boil lasagna.

Ingredients

• Package Lasagna Noodles
• Ragu Spaghetti Sauce - 2 Medium size bottles
• Mozzarella Cheese- 4 cups
• 2 packages Ricotta Cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 Jar Parmesan Grated

Mix in one bowl the Mozzarella, Cheese, eggs, ricotta Cheese & Parmesan- Set aside

I use a glass or foil lasagna pan. Either works just fine.  Now, I want to let you know, I am a total foodie and really don't like putting amounts of ingredients.  I like to add  in a recipe what my intuition tells me to put in. Just use my amounts as a guide, as that is how great cooks roll.  Ha, get it, it's how I roll, or I have tiger blood, or Winning!!!  Sorry, I just got off on a little bunny trail. 


Start with around one cup of Ragu and spread it evenly in pan. Then add your four lasagna noodles. Then add another cup or so of Ragu. Then add in half of the mixture of cheeses and egg. Do it again.  
Cook Lasagna for one hour with foil. Take out and take off foil. Add a little more mixture on top and cook fifteen minutes or so. 


I serve with my own Garlic Cheese Bread on French Bread.  Pair it with some Pinot Grigio wine. 

Christmas Comes To Perspectives

I hope you watch this video that Michael took for St. Louis Park Patch. What you will see is the true spirit of Christmas at a non-profit. Park Tavern Restaurant and St. Louis Park Fire Department in it's third year, brought gifts to at risk children in need. I was honored to be able to see Santa on his Big Red Fire Truck bring gifts to our families at Perspectives, where I am a Director. Just click the link on the title.

St. Louis Park Patch interviewed me to find out who and what the gifts were all about. See me here as Michael interviews me as the coordinator of this gift  program at Perspectives. I have had a lovely holiday season coordinating three different gift programs for all our programs at our agency serving at risk and homeless families.

Winter Scenes