...and finally, Z is for....

"This is the best love theme I've ever written, I keep telling everyone this is a romantic comedy, but nobody believes me." - [on Hannibal (2001)]

-Hans Zimmer

...Zimmer, Hans Zimmer.  This is what my final A-Z Challenge post will focus on.  I unloaded a TON of videos...have fun!  They are some of my favorites from the most talented composer.

(And yes, I am a heavy "film score" listener...I could play the musical score to the several Harry Potter films ALL DAY... ;)

"German-born composer Hans Zimmer is recognized as one of Hollywood's most innovative musical talents, having first enjoyed success in the world of pop music as a member of The Buggles. The group's single Video Killed the Radio Star became a worldwide hit and helped usher in a new era of global entertainment as the first music video to be aired on MTV."

(I just learned something new!)

IMDb

Hans and the "Gladiator"....

(2000)

Lisa Gerrard, an amazing vocalist, teamed up with Zimmer to create some of the prettiest music around.  This song was used for the following trailer...(goosebumps, Every. Single. Time I watch it!)

"Man of Steel"
2013

"Zimmer also composed the score for The Dark Knight Rises, the final installment of Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy. The film was released in July 2012.  Zimmer described himself as "devastated" in the aftermath of the 2012 Aurora shooting, which occurred at a screening of The Dark Knight Rises, commenting "I just feel so incredibly sad for these people." He recorded a track entitled "Aurora", a choral arrangement of a theme from the Dark Knight Rises soundtrack, to raise money for the victims of the shooting."-Wikipedia

It totally helps that all of the movies he has worked are some of, (what I consider), the most epic films ever...

"Inception"

(2010)

Zimmer did not compose the score, but produced the soundtrack album...-Wiki

...for one of my all time favorite films,

 "White Squall".

(1996)

I hope you found something pleasing to the ears in this post.  

Good luck, all you A-Z'ers, on your final post in this challenge!

Take care,

Y is for "YAY!"...

Today's A-Z post is going to be a mushed up ramble of a few celebrations I had these last couple of days.

First, I will start off with the biggest deal to me...

Today was my first day of work at the new job!  woohoo!

I was sooo incredibly nervous about my first day that I got maybe an hour of sleep last night.  Verdict of said first day:  awesome.  The chef who trained me in the kitchen reminded me of me from five years ago when I was cooking at my previous restaurant   She was very simple, direct, laughed, and still joked a bit here and there.  Just great.  She caught on quickly that I was a little freaked out because one of the first things she said to me was "don't worry! It's going to be alright".  hah.  

I work mornings the rest of this week (with the weekend off! yay!) and then next week I will start my solo schedule which will be primarily nights.  This means I will have to change my personal schedule around a bit since I do most of my "me" stuff in the afternoon/evening.  When this A-Z challenge ends I am going to stick to, as best I can, blogging at least three days a week.  I'm shooting for Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays.  (Just a little heads up for you wonderful followers of mine :)

Next on the "yay!" list:

This little can of magic is some of what saved me through this stomach bug battle.  (This bug is still lingering.  Very frustrating!  I just want it to go away.)  Ryan went up to the grocery store this evening and picked up a special treat for me...

Vanilla ice cream + Vernors Ginger Ale =

BOSTON COOLER

Guys.  In all seriousness...this soda/shake is a gift from the angels above!

When I was a little girl my mom would order one every time we would go out for ice cream.  I never understood why she would choose this over an ice cream cone or sundae.  I never really tried it until last Friday when I was at a Coney Island with Ryan for dinner.  I finished my cooler in no time.  Over the weekend I've probably had a handful more at my parents house. 

My mom thought it was the funniest thing.

Some laughs, just because...

...these were the photos floating around the chat room my siblings and I share on our smart phones...

(when you find him below, that's exactly what my cat "Bailey" looked like when he was a baby)

This is Mr. Bailey now-a-days...

 ...he is the most laid back kitty I've ever come across...(lol)...

 ...and he loves yarn...LOVES IT.

My brothers, sisters, and I all love to "kid" around in our chat room via our phones.  Becky, the youngest of us, does not have a phone (*yet*) so she will hijack one of ours if she catches it unattended.  Below, she picked up our sister Jenny's phone and the following took place:

(The order of us "kids" goes like so...me, Missy, Jenny, Cassie, Matt, Joe, Jeremy, and Becky.  Ages range from 29 to 13. Just to give you a little idea ;)

Well, that'll do it for now.  Since I have to work tomorrow morning and then go to Ryan's hockey game afterwards I am going to get started on the last post of this challenge.  I am so excited that it's about to be complete, this A-Z Challenge...but I am sad at the same time.  Some pretty awesome things have happened during this challenge and I am going to miss it for sure.

Thanks for the read...

Take care,

Hah! I found my "X"...

Better late than never...

(I have 45 minutes to hit "post" :)

I had to acquire help on this one.  I'm racing the clock but I think my little 13 year old sister whipped up a pretty good topic for the letter X.  Becky, by the way, is a huge fan of several gaming systems but has her heart set on one in particular.  That would be the "Xbox 360".  My siblings and I have always been heavy gamer type kids...I've fallen away from the controllers and "joysticks" for the most part though.  Except for Mario Kart.  I will forever be a sucker for Mario Kart!

Anyways...please enjoy the following...and be sure to leave Miss Becky a kind word or two!  This is her VERY FIRST blog post!  (I've got a little blogger in the works now!  I'm so proud :)

X if for Xbox 360

by Becky P. 

Hello y'all! I think my favorite gaming system would be the Xbox 360. 

The biggest reason that sticks to mind would be that I can play this fantastic game below:

Minecraft! Now, my favorite part of this game is the ability to express creativity not only by simply placing block on top of block, but by collecting and harvesting different types of earth to build whatever you would like. For example, I can go ahead and build a farm, a beautiful mansion, heck, I could even build Detroit if I wanted to. Of course a life in this world alone would get lonely. So here's another reason I play it. With this game you can connect and play with friends and family. In several duration's of play time with my brothers we have built villages. One more thing-which I believe to be one of the greatest aspects of the game-is not being limited to building. Sure, you build your cabin in a snowy wooded area, but you are more than welcome to craft a sword and bow to go hunt down some game (or even creatures of the dark). There are many, many more points that I could make, but overall, this game has a simplicity about it that makes it so enjoyable and yet so varying that there's always something fun you can find to do whether by yourself or with someone else.

Secondly:    

Call of Duty: Black Ops. I played several Call of Duty games, but this one sticks to me the most and I'll tell you why. First, it has a game mode that involves wagers and gambling called "Sticks & Stones". Just as I said, it's a game where you gamble "money" before the game and earn your reward depending on where you place on the scoreboard at the end of the game. The twist is that instead of the classic battle of guns, it's a free-for-all where you only have a ballistic knife, crossbow, and tomahawk to kill with. The second is a lovely game, Zombies. Zombies is a cooperative game that you, well, kill zombies in. I personally enjoy playing this with my brothers. Once you develop a strategy (and ultimately overcome the creepiness) it becomes a great fight against the virtual un-dead. 

These are just two of the games I'm intrigued by. The Xbox has much more to offer; even outside of the gaming aspect, and I'm glad to say I own one.

The end!

~~~

I hope you enjoyed this post...as I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!  

Take care,

                 

W is for...

"Winning"

and what does "winning" mean to you?

"That's so totally a win".

"You are winning with that".

...and so on and so forth.  These statements, phrases....have caught themselves up in normal, every day conversations.  Like, a new "lingo trend".  Winning, as I understand it, seems to suggest that a remarkable occurrence has taken place...and this makes it a "win".  But it's usually celebrated on quirky and out-of-the-norm type happenings. (my thoughts.)

If I were to consider something a "win"...(a fantastic happening or circumstance from a not so extremely fascinating situation)...it would be from the creators of this video below.  Had me to tears!  So cute.

It will make a whole lot more sense to those of you who have heard the original version of "Thrift Shop" by Macklemore.  The folks who made this video below created their own version of this song...and centered it around the mucho amounts of money that gets spent on babies and toddlers.

Enjoy, if you will!

So, to these folks...I say loud and clear...:  "YOU ARE WINNING".

yes.....hah


In other news, I've been so unwell...so ill...that I haven't had to charge my laptop for four days!  Usually it gets charged at least once a day.  Tells you how absent I have been in the blogging world!

I feel a significant difference in my body today though.  Still pretty queasy but I have been able to keep fluids and a little bit of food down.  Last night Ryan went up to the gas station for me and picked up a bottle of "Vernors" ginger ale.  I took a few sips and immediately felt a difference.  This is after not being able to keep water down for almost six hours!  After a hour of sipping on the Vernors I decided to kick things up a notch and made a cup of mint and ginger tea.  I usually sip slowly on my cup of tea but last night my cup was empty in about ten minutes!  It did the trick and I was finally out like a light at 6am this morning.

Hopefully I get all of this worked out by Sunday night...

...I start my new job on Monday morning...

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

yay!

Thanks for the read.

Take care!

V is for...

...sorry guys...but here it is...

Vomit.

Yup.  I've had the worse kind of stomach bug the last two days.  It's horrendous!  I'm having the hardest time getting around.  So much so that I texted my mom and said "I need my mom". :(

Any tips for a sour stomach?  I am trying to keep down water at this time.  I had crackers today...but that's not working out too well for me right now.

I did get a bunch of sleep today...so much so that I might be up all night now.  If you've any ideas/tips to share with me, I'd really appreciate it!  Thanks so much.  Hopefully I can get to stopping by your blogs and say "hi" soon.  For now...I need to hold still and rest before I run back to the bathroom....

Take care...

U is for...

...Unstoppable, the movie!

(which I am watching right now)

From IMDb: "With an unmanned, half-mile-long freight train barreling toward a city, a veteran engineer and a young conductor race against the clock to prevent a catastrophe."

The only thing super quirky about this film is the animal like roaring sound coming from the runaway freight train... It's a suspenseful action movie about trains...I guess they needed the added roar to maximize effect... ;)

Rotten Tomatoes: In this action thriller from director Tony Scott, rookie train operator Will (Chris Pine) and grizzled veteran engineer Frank (Denzel Washington) learn that a runaway locomotive carrying carloads of dangerous chemicals is headed for Will's small Pennsylvania hometown, where his wife and child live. In order to save the day, they must figure out how to catch up to the rogue engine, and stop it before harm comes to the town. Standing in their way is Galvin (Kevin Dunn), the head of the company who is more interested in saving the stock price than lives. On the plus side, the duo have competent corporate employee Connie (Rosario Dawson) on the radio, talking them through their various attempts to corral and then stop the potentially lethal locomotive. ~ Perry Seibert, Rovi



It's an interesting plot.  Not something I would consider "overly done".  The only reason I would watch it more than once however...

...is because this man below stars in the film...

Who doesn't absolutely adore Denzel Washington?  Seriously.  He. Is. The. Man!

I've found that, even if it's not a movie I would normally set myself to watch, if he is in it...I end up planting my butt and become completely memorized.  His skill as an actor is unbelievable.  That's, of course, my opinion.

If you have seen this movie in the past, what did you think?  Did it capture you?  And why?

Thanks for the read!

T is for...

"Twilight",

and why I said "no".

I had no qualms when it came to Harry Potter (movies or literature) because I knew nothing of it.  I watched the movies as they came out in theaters and enjoyed this "magical" world because, even though I am ten years their senior, I was able to watch these kids grow into adults from movie to movie.  Nothing but time has been the reason why I haven't dived into the reading yet.  That's going to take quite a bit of commitment!  My youngest sister did just finish reading all the books and gave me her reviews too.  They sound amazing!  Still, I have no time to dedicate myself to such a lengthy series!

When Twilight hit the theaters I made a promise to myself to not get caught up in that "trend".  Harry Potter never came across to me as "the new hip thing".  Rather, Potter revealed an entirely unknown world and exciting discoveries.  Twilight......it's vampires and werewolves.  Too typical to me.  I was the girl who grew up with "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" on television.  I watched all seven seasons from beginning to end.  She was my hero in so many ways.  She was much more than the stake wielding blond in high school.  I read Dracula by Bram Stoker.  I read and reread The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova.  

You would think that vampires would be my thing, right?

Twilight spares the reader from provoking literary intellectualism and, rather, shoves "I want" and "I need" into the laps of those paying attention.  

To get right down to it...read Dracula and then tell me I have no right saying that the literature in the Twilight series sucked.  I couldn't even get past the halfway point in the second book.  If I tried anymore, I thought I was going to jump off of a bridge.  I get it.  Bella was NOTHING with out her true love, the vampire.  (This is NOT a moral point...and I wouldn't want that idea expressed to my daughter from chapter to chapter to chapter...etc...).  My sister read and reread the entire series.  She loved it.  She explained to me why she loved it.  My rebuttals were too many to try to connect with her on this topic...plus, she did not have Vlad the Impaler constantly standing within sight, in the back of her mind, while she was watching a love story unfold between a mortal and non mortal...meaning, this was her first visit to vampire land.

Maybe I've too much history with the legend though, too much respect, to be able to fall head over heals in love with the Twilight series.  I finally did watch all of the movies...last year.  I will say this...between the Hunger Games and Twilight and which I would and would not allow my own kid to read...I would nix Twilight in a heart beat.  Maybe not nix it.  But I definitely wouldn't recommend it.  I'm a history buff, I would instead say "try out The Historian.  It's an entire history lesson on Vlad himself!"  Or, "you must read Dracula first before you can read Twilight"...just so that the basis of the subject is met and understood before a visit to "never never land" (Twilight Saga ;)  is made.  

Twilight is a whimsical idea given by an author I do not respect.  I respect literary work from those who make the reader learn with out them even knowing at first.  I like to finish a novel and reflect on the theme of the story as a whole.  I want to get as in depth in the thought or idea that is suppose to be the reason for the book's existence.

What was the theme of the Twilight series?

What is the reason for it's "being"?

It's a darn Vampire/high school/soap opera.

I'm so sorry to fans I may have offended but I would think it to be a greater offence to not fully explain myself while I voice an unfavorable opinion on a matter.

Thanks for the read! 

S is for "Suddenly!, Selena and Several Stitches"...

My music interest scares me at times.  Out of nowhere there will be a new hit slamming the airwaves and I will fall completely in love.

I heard this track from Selena Gomez while watching the MTV Movie awards a few weeks ago.  There were quite a few "oooh!'s" and plenty of goose bumps.  I don't even like this girl's music...but this song caught me...and pretty hard...

(that was this afternoon ;)

So, that was the "Selena" portion of this post.  Here is the "Suddenly" part...

"and then suddenly...CRAP! Oops!"

(Ryan will not be very happy that I posted this, but oh well!) 

He was doing his mother a favor yesterday by aerating her yard.  There is a steep hill by the little creek behind her house.  The unit started fish tailing a bit and it slid down towards the water! Eek!!!

Ryan and a friend will try to recover it this evening.  Fingers crossed!  Hopefully the ground is a bit more dry today.  All that rain we received over the weekend didn't help him a bit!

And now, the "Several Stitches" portion...

I have accumulated a TON of "baby soft" yarn in the last year.  I get leftovers from my sister and my mother all the time.  I had some free time yesterday and started the piece above with my size G crochet hook.  That is the center of the blanket so far.  No pattern.  I'm being quite "whimsical" with it and it's been so much fun thus far!  I'm very excited to see how it turns out when it's finished. 

So, that'll wrap this Challenge post up for today.  Ryan will be done with work soon and I will be going with him over to his mother's to retrieve the beast that is trying to go for an early summer swim... hahah!

Take care.  I'll be hopping through the blog world when I get back home tonight!

R is for....

...I was not prepared for the letter R.  I looked at my fiance today and said "what should I write about?"

He gave me this "duh" look and then said "um, RYAN!"

(His name is Ryan, if you missed that from prior posts ;)

So, here we go.  I'll give y'all the low down on my soon to be hubby:

Ryan is a HUGE hockey fan.  He has been playing roller hockey for 8 plus years.  No ice hockey yet though.  He is 24, a September baby....(which means after I turn 30 in August I will be 6 years older than him until his birthday the following month!)

He was born and raised in Michigan, about a hour south of where I grew up.  He is a devout Michigan State fan.  Both of his parents graduated from the school.  That mixed with my family of U of M fans....it can be a fun rivalry...(at times ;)

Pictures!!!

Ryan and I at a Red Wings game on St. Valentine's day this year.

(He won suite tickets...lots of fun!)

Because of him, I've gone to a ton of Wings games since we started dating almost 3 years ago.

Ryan and I, watching Aladdin on St. Patrick's day....

Us again below...we tend to match without even trying...a lot...

My nephews and niece take to him just fine...

:)

And, as a special treat for my Mr. Ryan...this is the dinner I fixed up for him tonight.

Spicy kielbasa, pasta, jalapeno sauce, and "roll" dough braided to make the plate look pretty.

(He really likes spicy food)

((& I really like to cook for him!))

That'll do it for today's Challenge post, as I only have a couple more hours to post it! 

ah!

Have a wonderful day off tomorrow.  We'll be outside enjoying the weather...we are looking at 50 degrees here, in southern Michigan......................(hopefully)

At least we aren't suppose to get snow.  I saw a few flurries today and my heart sank!  Come on spring...

Take care,

Q is for "Quell"...

...I'm going to do a two part post today.  The second portion could be considered "off limits" to those of you who have NOT read a particular book yet...

-Part One-

Definition of quell: verb (used with object)

1.

to suppress; put an end to; extinguish: The troops quelled the rebellion quickly.

2.

to vanquish; subdue.

3.

to quiet or allay (emotions, anxieties, etc.): The child's mother quelled his fears of the thunder.

Origin: before 900; Middle English quellen, Old English cwellan  to kill; akin to Old Norse kvelja  to torment, Germanquälen  to vex; cf. kill

Fun word, right?

Would you like to see the real reason why I chose this word?  You can if you are OK with the little spoiler I have below for a certain movie coming out this November!

-Part two-

************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************************

If you are familiar with the book "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins, then you already know how the word "quell" fits into this post!

That's right!  Come this November, "Hunger Games" fans will be back to the arena once more!

After reading the words: "I'm going back to the arena"...I felt like my heart was ripped from my chest.  No joke.

It was unfair, unjust, unimaginable! The already existing dislike for "President Snow" was now full on hatred towards him.

You wanted to reach for Katniss through the pages of the book and wrap your arms around her.  To comfort her.  To keep her.  Say anything kind or encouraging to her.................But, you couldn't!

You listened to her thoughts as she expressed in pure exasperation the fear in her heart through the words printed before you.  You cried.......clutched your book a little tighter...and mustered up the willingness to continue the story.

Past Quarter Quells

• In the 25th Hunger Games, the citizens of the districts had to vote on who would compete in the Hunger Games. The victor is unknown. Nothing is really known of this game.
• In the 50th Hunger Games, four tributes were chosen from each district instead of the usual two to remind the rebels that for each Capitol citizen killed, two rebels died. This put twice as many people in the arena and made it twice as brutal. Haymitch Abernathy won in the second Quarter Quell after using the arena's force fieldas a weapon.
• The 75th Hunger Games had past victors from earlier Hunger Games compete for a second time. This action was made to destroy any bonds the districts had with each other and to make them feel weak. It was meant to be a reminder to the citizens of the districts that even the strongest among them cannot overcome the power of the Capitol. It is speculated that this twist was not planned at the founding of the Hunger Games, but was designed specifically to force Katniss back into the arena in the hopes of stopping the rising rebellion. Had Katniss not won the previous year's Hunger Games, this twist would not have been possible as there would have been no living female victors from District 12.

I saw the "Hunger Games" twice in theaters before reading the first book.  I cried.....a lot...the 2nd time I watched it.  It took just about a week to finish all three books in the series.  I texted my sister into the late hours of the night when I finished the third book "Mockingjay".  I was a terrible mess the weeks after.  Now I have to wait patiently to endure the story all over again...
...ah!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this trilogy.  If you happen to be so inclined to "chat it up" with me regarding any of these books...I'd be more than happy to participate! 

Take care and thank you ever so much for the read!

P is for "Prayers"...

...because we definitely need a bunch said right now!

Since I was pretty much "off the grid" with no cable and internet for a few days I didn't hear about the Boston bombing till almost a day after it had happened.  When that sort of thing hits you all at once, rather than being able to "follow" a situation, it's brutal.  Reading into that story with this one only days apart now...May God be with these folks.

Only a couple hours ago we heard the tragic news from Waco, Texas.  A fertilizer plant explosion took place with what is being said, at this time, over a hundred injured.

WEST, Texas — A massive explosion at a fertilizer plant near Waco on Wednesday night injured dozens of people and sent flames shooting into the night sky, leaving the factory a smoldering ruin following a blast that damaged buildings for blocks in every direction.

The explosion at West Fertilizer in West, a community about 20 miles north of Waco, happened shortly before 8 p.m. and could be heard as far away as Waxahachie, 45 miles to the north.

Tommy Muska, West’s mayor, said at a news conference three hours after the explosion that he didn’t yet know how many people had been injured or killed. He said buildings in a five-block radius from the plant were severely damaged by the explosion.

-read more of this article HERE

No matter faith, higher power, or what path you follow...The folks suffering from these tragedies need our support, our love, our prayers and whatever aid we can offer.  I am all the way in Michigan but that won't stop me from contacting those I know in Texas to see if there is anything at all I can do.  

It will be the rosary beads I will take to tonight.  No matter what words suit you to speak to our God...please say them for the injured and those affected by these tragedies.  

Prayer for those who suffer

For those who suffer,

and those who cry this night,

give them repose, Lord;

a pause in their burdens.

Let there be minutes

where they experience peace,

not of man

but of angels.

Love them, Lord,

when others cannot.

Hold them, Lord,

when we fail with human arms.

Hear their prayers

and give them the ability to hear You back

in whatever language they best understand.

Submitted in January 1996 by Margaret A. Davidson

© 1996 by Margaret A. Davidson, All Rights Reserved

“there is no shortage of fault to be found amid our stars” ― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

“As he read, I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, and then all at once.” 

― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

***Spoiler, possibly ;) ***

"Where did this book come from and why didn't I hear of it sooner?"  That's exactly what I was thinking when I got half way through it last Sunday.  I read this in just a day's time, finishing it with sopping wet eyes at 2am that night.  Jeez Lou-eeze!  What a story.

I tend to be overly skeptical when it comes to stories centered around teenagers.  Their "attitude" portrayed  is aggravating more times than not.  Sassing their parents seems pretty typical, so much so that I end up thinking "can't there be one kid who loves their mom?  In "The Fault in Our Stars" there is a common ground met between child and parent for the most part.  The understanding that their kid is suffering and close to their end along with the acknowledgement that the parents work to the bone to tend to the child's needs.

In "The Fault in Our Stars" we find a group of teens dealing with the meaning of life and death as they go through their day-to-days, living with cancer.  The insight given to their trauma, suffering, and hold on life while dealing with knowing that the end is near is quite startling.  It was definitely an eye opener and probably not the best to finish and then go right to sleep.  Oh the dreams I had that night! heh...

God was looking out for me on Saturday night too.  I downloaded the novel to my phone just before losing my cable and Internet!  It's not the longest read either...but the ending was sufficient for me to be able to "cope and move on".

Well, that is, after I bawled my eyes out for a few...

I give this book five out of five stars!

O is for...

O*V*E*R*W*H*E*L*M*E*D

overwhelmed 

Carolyn LeGrand

For several reasons...mostly.  I did get my internet back today, however.  That's a plus.  But boy oh boy!  I was right back to feeling exasperated when I opened my mail box on my computer!  Lots to attend too!

The tragedy in Boston is coursing havoc through everything right now as well.  Such an awful situation and it seems like whenever anyone opens their mouth in regards to it, all I hear makes me want to scream and shout back.  Even when the president spoke this afternoon, addressing the public on the senate rejecting tighter background checks...oh wow.  I got soooooo frustrated with him!  I choose to not be one sided about the debate on tighter gun laws and such.  I'm more along the lines of someone who is keeping their eye on the 2nd amendment rather.  Honestly...If you were to discuss the gun debate with me, I would come across as a NRA apostle...but really, I'm not.

What my problem is-is this:  Would a tighter background check have kept the shooting at Sandy hook from happening???  No.  Maybe an already existing heightened focus on the mentally disturbed.  But that didn't catch attention until the shooting occurred.

&& are we stressing so much and weighing so much of our energy and efforts on tighter background checks that we are forgetting about what can be done now to protect society?  I want to know what I can do, as a regular citizen, to make the U.S. safer.  Not throw my arms up in the air and cry out "injustice!" because the senate denied tighter background checks.  What can I do.  Me.  

I do not want to feel overwhelmed in my country.  A country I am proud to be born from and a country I want more than anything to raise a brood of my own in.  I don't want to sit by and leave it to the senate.  I'd like to know what "we the people" can do in our own towns, our own neighborhoods.

Mr. President...this is the question your citizens need answered.

But, enough about that.  I tend to get very "ranty" when it comes to political issues so I will keep myself from putting y'all through a rant at this time!  

Chaos and confusion evolves quickly from an overwhelmed society.  Empowering the people with tools to strengthen its foundations, homes, protect families...communities need to come together and work passionately towards what will work for them.  Nothing gets done if we sit back and wait for an overall "band-aid" that won't even fix the problem in the first place.

Thanks for the read.  Take care...

N is for "no-bake"...

...today will be a quick little A-Z Challenge post of a "no-bake" recipe I tried and fell in LOVE with over Easter weekend.

I use my oven quite a bit.  Even come summer, I believe a "happy kitchen" is a one that offers fresh baked goods on it's counter tops at all times.  But, every now and then, my sweet tooth does not have the patience to work through the fixing dough up and baking process.  Sometimes, we need sugar and we need it A.S.A.P.  (lol)

So, what I share below is a quick and easy recipe for

JELLO cheesecake squares

Site for bars can be found HERE

(the picture above was taken directly from the website I linked :)

((The website offers very easy to follow instructions for these cheese cake, lemon, cherry jello bars))

Now...here's where I changed things up a bit.  Instead of following the instructions for the crust in this recipe I used a Lemon Bar "short bread" recipe.  For this, you can look up pretty much any recipe for Lemon Bars and follow the directions for the crust.  OR, you can buy already made pie crust from the baking aisle at your favorite grocery store and then add the filling to that. (That would 86 a third of the process in making the bars...!)

You will need, for the filling: 

1-8 oz package of Cream Cheese

1 small package of Lemon Jello mix

1 large package of Cherry (or your favorite flavor!) Jello mix

1 pint of heavy whipping cream
3/4 cup granulated sugar

and, of course, hot water to add to the Jello as the recipe instructs.

This is the ultimate summer "no-bake" recipe, I believe.  Quick, super easy to put together, and oh so tasty! And cheap.  We all like that, don't we?! 

If you like you some cheesecake or Lemon bars, or are just a Jello fan in general, these will not disappoint!   Even my brother who "hates Jello" LOVED the batch I brought over for Easter dinner!

Thanks for the read! If you do end up whipping up a batch please let me know how you liked them!

Take care,

M is for "Meltdown"...

...which I am having...right now.  A mental meltdown.

M was going to be used for a whole different topic.  But seeing as my internet and cable have been down since yesterday morning and since we won't have someone out until WEDNESDAY to check out what could be causing this problem...."meltdown" seems to be perfectly suiting for today!

Currently I have hijacked a smart phone's "hot spot" (roomie's), and I'm using my fiance's computer to whip this little post up.  I am so sorry for this, by the way!  The intended posting was going to be magnificent, I promise!  Maybe I can finagle an upcoming letter and see what I can do.

I did see that I had quite a few comments posted since Saturday by some pretty cool peeps so tomorrow I am going to head up to the local coffee shop/book store and hang out for a few hours to catch up.  I have had to calm myself at several points in the day today...nothing is "just happening" for me...such a disaster of a day.

Thanks so much for visiting...I really do appreciate it!  I promise I will be in much better spirits tomorrow.

;)

L is for "Longing"

I'm quite sure that at least a few of us are head over heals in love with the thought of warmer air pushing around our hair and the kind of sun light that prompts you to sport your favorite pair of sun glasses...

Right now, other than life goals still waiting patiently for numerous other things to happen...I am desperately "longing" for this...

A fresh cut of Lilacs on the kitchen table.

Oh boy...how wonderfully their scent fills a room!

This is the lake a grew up down the road from. I 

could sit on this beach for hours.

I'm longing for some newly planted favorites from the local greenhouse.

(I tend to favor pink and purple flowers)

That is my sister's picture of Lake Charlevoix below...

(Please be nice and don't steal it!)

 (Same goes for this one below)

A little poem I fixed up several years back.  I'm pretty sure this lays out the longing I feel come early spring every year...

~Her sunset~

She sits and looks down,
At the waves reaching her toes,
A silence creeps in
As the lazy sun goes.

The sand, still warm from the day,
Argues with the cooling breeze,
She looks up to the water,
The chill upon her leaves.

She watches the lake,
Darken in the glow
A shadow growing behind her,
A stillness settling low.

The sun’s colors paint this sky,
As it falls behind the bay,
She wants nothing more,
Than for a few more minutes to stay.

The darkness whispers chills,
Close at her back,
She says her goodbye,
As her lake turns black.

She digs her toes once more,
Into the still warm sand,
She turns into the darkness,
To the trail, inland.

~M.M.P.~
~~~

I am finally in a place where I can have and enjoy perennials so I planted a bunch last year.  I have much to look forward to as the 
weather gets warmer this spring.

and a pup with her wood pile.

Random pics below...but this pup has just as much fun 

camping as her people do!

That is Miss Mikayla last summer.

She is now double the size :)

Longing for a few rays, good company, stories told endlessly by the fire, stars twinkling down on the lake, flowers to brighten up winter eyes and weathered souls...

...all to come.

Take care and have a great weekend!