Andy Rooney's words of wisdom......

Japanese Azaleas

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I find Andy's words encouraging, inspiring,uplifting.

Sign of the Time

Tacos, anyone?

Was wracking my brain what I would serve Jacob and Joshua for snack and since I had been craving for tacos for days I checked the pantry for what I could put together, and voila!!
You be the judge!

Boil chicken breast in onion, pepper, thyme and salt. Let it cool and flake. Run chipotle through a sieve and mix two tablespoon with the flaked chicken. Dice some seeded Roman tomatoes. Chop cilantro, spring onion,and lettuce. Crumble some cotija and grate some cheddar cheese. Heat corn tortillas directly over the stove flame and top with the prepared ingredients. Top with a dollop of sour cream and enjoy!

Paella in the Farm Town

My blogging has a new rival for my time - Farm Town on Facebook. I got invited to try it (I can't remember who did first so I won't mention any one) and I did and I warn you, it can be addictive! Now I have a new skill to learn - how to plant and design my farm!
Rachel has a very beautiful, to-die-for farm I wish I had (well, I can dream, can't I?).
Oh, I almost forgot the Paella. Hubby has a new hobby - trying new recipes. This weekend, to impress my in-laws, he prepared Paella with all the works, you know, clams, sausage, pork, chicken, mussells, peppers and more. Like the farm, it was also to-die-for. Because it was so good I didn't have the chance to take a picture before it zoomed into our tummys.
What a prelude to a new week.

Ah, thy name is WOMAN!

Liked this poem that my goddaughter, Rondah, had on her FB yesterday so asked for her permission to publish it.

THE WORTH OF A WOMAN

Women have strengths that amaze men.
They bear hardships and they carry burdens,
but they hold happiness, love and joy.
They smile when they want to scream.
They sing when they want to cry.
They cry when they are happy
and laugh when they are nervous.
They fight for what they believe in.
They stand up to injustice.
They don't take "no" for an answer
when they believe there is a better solution.
They go without so their family can have.
They go to the doctor with a frightened friend.
They love unconditionally.
They cry when their children excel
and cheer when their friends get awards.
They are happy when they hear about
a birth or a wedding.
Their hearts break when a friend dies.
They grieve at the loss of a family member,
yet they are strong when they
think there is no strength left.
They know that a hug and a kiss
can heal a broken heart.
Women come in all shapes, sizes and colors.
They'll drive, fly, walk, run or e-mail you
to show how much they care about you.
The heart of a woman is what makes the world keep turning.
They bring joy, hope and love.
They have the compassion and ideas.
They give moral support to their
family and friends.
Women have vital things to say
and everything to give.

HOWEVER, IF THERE IS ONE FLAW IN WOMEN,
IT IS THAT THEY FORGET THEIR WORTH.

What do you think?

Lose That Bulge

For as long as I can remember, losing weight has been my dream, desire, longing, coveted result, etc., etc., especially after I end up not buying a dress I like so much. Everytime I look away from those commercials showing the easy, yes, easy-no-sweat ways to lose those unwanted bulges, my desire is lured back by the colorful, yummy and delicious-looking plates of burgers, fries, salads, cakes, ice creams, you name it they show it dishes! Even a bowl of ratattouille looks so desirable.
So, tell me, how can one lose weight in this technohyper world?
Only if one diminishes the passageway of food into their tummys. If one will eat less, then one's calorie intake will be lessened and consequently one's weight will go down. But one needs assurance followed by discipline and perseverance in doing so. Better still, why not consult with a reputable, experienced lap band doctor?

It's Dream Time

It was during the early seventies, the song Ben was hitting my country's airwaves almost non-stop, when one of my hubby's uncles arrived from his tour of a commercial ship's captainship. It was also the year we had our first born. Everybody from both sides of my family was excited for the two arrivals. Excitement for our first son was understandable, especially on hubby's side since he would be their first grandson, and everybody had been waiting for his coming for almost four years already. But now, the excitement for my son was somewhat fading and overshadowed by his uncle's arrival.
I noticed hubby's excitement, especially. I found out why he was always smiling and so light footed only when Uncle finally arrived. At the height of our bienvenida celebration, his grandma called him aside and handed him a box. He slowly opened the box, almost afraid to see what was inside. When he finally did see it he approached me, hugged me so tightly I almost choked, kissed me and told me: "Finally, finally!" He hugged his grandma, who had been smiling lovingly at everything, and thanked her profusely. Finally I knew why he was so excited. In the box was a sparkling brand new Oyster Rolex watch, one he had been dreaming to own! Later, I found out that Grandma secretly told Uncle that if and when he got to Japan to please get one for my husband, even pre-paying him, as her belated wedding gift, in addition to what she had already given us on our wedding day. Although hubby's wrist had outgrown his beloved watch several sizes over, it is still with us.
My thoughts drifted dreamily to that day because of www.bestoftime.com, a friendly site where you can find the best collection of Rolex watches which are fully certified, authenticated and guaranteed with warranties.

What child didn't .....

What child didn't dream of owning a convertible car someday?
Our second son had his car totalled through no fault of his. He has to have a new car soon or else I'd be picking him up every morning (he threatened). Not wanting to pay more than the amount he received from the insurance company, he started looking for a used one.
One afternoon, Jacob came rushing to me and asked: "Grannie, do you know what a convertible is?" I knew he was up to something so I said "No". Pulling my hand he took me outside the house and excitedly pointed to a car:
"Look, Grannie, that is a convertible. And it is daddy's car. It is a cool car because it has no roof! Isn't it, Josh?" turning to his younger brother who was busy licking his lollipop .

Back to normal

As my husband and I were cruising down our community road one morning to take our children to school, we heard a loud thud on the passenger side of our car. My first reaction, and I am sure like any mother's, was to check on our kids. Were they OK? Did they bump their head on anything? Is there any part of their body that hurt? Since everything was okay, and because the kids didn't want to get detention hours after school, I got off the car while hubby continued to drop the kids off since the school was just some few yards away. When I alighted from the car, I saw a shallow dent on the side. Even with ours and the other drivers insurance we still had to put out some amount which was more than the repair would cost. We decided to go to a nearby auto body shop, but to our dismay, what and how the repair on our car was much much below the quality we expected.
How I wish auto body shop irvine, with its network of repair shops manned by collision experts were there at the time. We could have gotten the service we wanted like those many satisfied customers who had given their satisfactory ratings for the body shop network.

Better late than.........

Belated birthday greetings to our friend, Larry.

I wasn't sure if he'd notice, after all he has the whole country to celebrate his special day with (July 4th), but knowing him I knew he would. He is one kind of a friend. He checks my blog almost every day (but still has to leave a comment) and would show concern why I didn't post anything, which touches me deeply because I know how busy he and wife Fina are going ga-ga over their first granddaughter CJ (that lovely girl with the most gorgeous pair of eyes!).

Happy Birthday, our friend.

Goodbye and Rest in Peace

I think I know now why Michael Jackson is loved world wide.
While I can hum the melodies of some of his songs I never took the time to listen and understand the lyrics until this last week. I buried myself in his music videos. I went to lyric sites and got mesmerized with the message in each song. I hugged all TV news about him. I became an MJ addict from the time his death was announced. And every time I see and hear him, the more awed I become of his talent, creativity, gentleness and love for his family and fellowmen.

Now you can sing and play with the angels, Michael.

(Photos: Yahoo and google images)

Hoping and wishing for a better tomorrow .....

Those last four months had been very heavy in terms of happenings : be it physically, emotionally, intellectually and yes, even spiritually. So many things happened at work, at home, everywhere, and yet even how much I wanted to post I couldn't. Every time I sat in front of my computer, my brain would go blank my fingers numb and my thoughts drained. And yet, there were so many things I wanted to write about, to bring out, to share.
I've been telling myself, for the longest time, that tomorrow I will start again. After so many tomorrows, I still can't.
Tomorrow may be a different one, who knows!