Enjoy today...

"Never put off until tomorrow what you can do today." 
-- Thomas Jefferson (I think)

To me, this quote is about fully embracing the present moment -- taking full advantage of the day I have right in front of me.

I can chose to live fully in the here and now. I can chose to see today as a gift.

We shouldn't waste time dwelling on yesterday or planning for tomorrow. We have today to be the person God would have us be, to do the things He'd have us do. And who knows, we may love it so much we'll want to do it again tomorrow.

I happened upon this example (below) and enjoyed the visual of an avalanche. While I'm not looking to leave a path of destruction in my wake, I do like the idea that small things can gather momentum and become a powerful force.

"Newton’s First Law says that 'An object that is at rest will stay at rest unless an unbalanced force acts upon it.' So there is momentum in sloth, delaying, procrastinating and all the other euphemisms for the act of not doing. The opposite is just as important.  Avalanches start when just the tiniest of pebbles or snowflakes bumps into just the right spot.  All that pent up potential energy is released, and gathers speed, strength and momentum.  By putting off until tomorrow, you are robbing yourself of the “mighty Mo” (momentum)."

When I live fully in each moment, I open myself to joys that might otherwise escape me.

My prayer for the day: 
Lord, help me live fully in the here and now. Help me make today a good one by doing Your will. Help me become all that You would have me be, just for today. Help me find joy and satisfaction in whatever tasks I accomplish today without worry if they are good enough for tomorrow.  If I am having trouble, I will ask for Your help.

The song that inspired me this morning is from Tim McGraw:

Don't worry...

“The reason why worry kills more people than work 
is that more people worry than work.”
— Robert Frost

Worry.

Such a nasty, unhelpful thing. I don't know about you, but I’ve wasted a lot of my life worrying.

This morning, I read that worry puts distance between us and others. So true. I’ve spent many dreadful moments worrying about what others may think of me or how they may respond in a certain situation.  And what happens? I inch further and further away from the person.

I've been called a "future girl" because I tend to worry about things that haven’t happened yet (and most likely won’t).

I’ve become an expert player in the “What if?” game. I’ve actually tried to strategically plan every “move” of a conversation or situation and in the end, found myself at the bottom of a rabbit hole paralyzed. The very notion that I can control a person or situation is so silly. And yet I still worry.

Because of my tendency to worry about the future, the first Bible verse I ever connected with is from Matthew 6:34: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”  

I so need that reminder!

 

When I find myself trapped in my head, full of worry, I need to remind myself to:

1) stay in today 

2) stop trying to figure everything out on my own and ask for help

Duh.

Asking for help may sound easy, but it is a HUGE hurdle for me. Somewhere along the way I developed the notion that it was Heather vs. The World (cue "Rocky" theme music). 

I truly believed that to be successful in life I had to accomplish goals and solve my problems on my own. Wow. So lonely, so sad, so WRONG. I mean, why would we be on this earth surrounded by millions of people if we are supposed to figure life out on our own?

Today, I must work (remember that quote from Frost?) at asking others for help...especially God.

According to Joyce Meyers, “All of us would be better off if we'd learn to lean on God and ask for His help. But as long as we try to do everything ourselves, God will let us. He won't take care of our problems and worries—our cares—until we turn loose of them and give them to Him.”

But, that doesn’t relieve us from the responsibility to act, to work. We have to do what we can and then turn over what we can’t to God.

We are told to “Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.” —1 Peter 5:6-7

Meyers sums up this idea: “God won't do for you what you can do yourself…When we humble ourselves and ask for His help, then He's able to release His power in our situations. It's only then that we can really enjoy life.”

So I say, put worry away. Remove it from your bag of tricks. Give it to God. 

And if all else fails, listen to Robert Nesta Marley.

 

Heather' Leek, Potato, Sausage Soup

About a month ago, I signed up for a weekly organic food box delivery to support local farmers AND try new fruits and veggies I wouldn't normally buy at the grocery store. While I look forward to my goodies each week, the other day I realized I didn't have a real plan for using the veggies before they went bad (yes, I know I need to write up a meal plan in the future).

In a rush to put nature's bounty to good use (I HATE throwing away fruits and veggies!) I scouted Pinterest for recipes. I found a few that piqued my interest, but this one won out. The only ingredient I didn't have on hand was the Spanish chorizo...so I improvised with some Italian sausage and extra spices I had on hand and made a super duper, yummy soup (I ate two bowls and almost went back for a third...).

Although I didn't have any, I think this would be very tasty served in a crusty, sourdough bread bowl or with some crusty French bread on the side.

For those of you who have asked, here's how I made it:

Leek, potato, sausage soup

• 2 Italian sausage links (squeeze out of casings and crumble, brown)
• 3 large potatoes, or 6 small (peeled and cut into about 1/2 inch pieces)
• 2 leeks (cleaned and sliced well)
• 1 bunch kale (touch stems removed, chopped well)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 2-3 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/4-1/2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/4-1/2 tsp red and black pepper (McCormick's "Hot Shot" red and black pepper blend is perfect for this)
• 1/4-1/2 tsp salt (and more to taste)
• 8 cups chicken broth

1. Heat oil and garlic in med-high heat in stock pot or Dutch oven until light gold and aromatic. Add sausage, crumble and brown, adding paprika and pepper (about 3-4 minutes)

2. Add leeks, potatoes and salt to sausage. Toss well and cover with lid. Cook until leeks and potatoes start to "sweat", but leeks don't wilt (about 3-5 minutes)

3. Add broth (broth should cover meat and vegetables, if you need more, add some water). Simmer until potatoes start soften.

4. Once potatoes are soft, use potato masher to thicken soup in pot (you want to keep some chunks, so don't go too crazy) and then add chopped kale.

5. Cover and continue to simmer 7-8 minutes, until kale softens and looses the raw/bitter taste. Check and and add more seasoning as necessary.

Serve and enjoy!

(the oil/fat you see in the bowl is really from the sausage and isn't as bad as it looks)

Note: total time cook time is about 20-30 minutes, but I think you could simmer in the stove for a little longer to keep warm.

If you try it, I would love to know how yours turned out!

Is there such thing as a 'new idea'?

I like to think that every once in a while, I have a good idea...or even better, a "new" idea. The more and more we humans socialize online, I'm beginning to the think a "new" idea is almost impossible!

Example: I noticed a woman getting off the elevator in front of me the other day. Nice suit, nice shoes, nice lady. What detracted from the nice suit however, was a little "X" sewn in the slit of her jacket--either she had forgot to snip it off, or she was one of the many who didn't know you were supposed to. (**Ladies and gents, you are, in fact, supposed to cut that off...it's only there to keep the material from folding up and getting wrinkled when it's in the store**)

I had a nice internal chuckle (which I instantly felt guilty about) and wondered if that little "X" was worth writing a blog about. You know, share with the world (or at least my wonderful readers) this little nugget of truth that many retailers forget to mention. As I walked to my car, I tried to mentally work out an opener: "This little "X" may mark the spot...but it doesn't lead to any treasure. It's an indicator that you are fashion clueless--a fashion faux pas some would say equals that of having your skirt tucked into your pantyhose..." or something witty like that.

However, life, as usual, happened and I didn't feel like writing that night and then of course completely forgot about it. That is until, I found myself reading a new blog post from one of my favorite bloggers (and a fabulous person to know): Cupcakes and Shoes, in which she shared this photo:

I seriously almost fell off my chair! I could not believe that there was not one, but at least two (this was a joint effort with Sassy Marmalade) other people out there (and by out there I mean in the DC area) who had been thinking about the very same thing--those naughty little "X"s. Not only had they been thinking about it, they took the conversation to a completely different level and decided to be good fashionsita stewards and develop little cards to help the less fashion-fortunate out. For the record, these ladies are saints for coming up with the idea!

After reflecting on this little happenstance, I started to feel a little sad and disappointed: so much for having any original thoughts or ideas anymore...**sigh**

I decided I was going to write a blog post about how much it sucks to think it's very possible I may never have an original thought again. Then it hit me: why should I get all bent out of shape about the fact that an idea I had (which I remind you, I did nothing about) had surfaced on someone's blog?

It's because of this social technology that I even know there are so many liked-minded, silly people like me, who have something to say...and share. Instead of being sad, I should be glad. Now, I know that Ms. Cupcake, Ms. Marmalade and I have more fun things in common. That thought should be comforting, not alarming.

Today, I say the hell with new ideas. Find comfort in old ones and instead of a new idea, you may just find a new friend...and who doesn't need one of those now and again?

My Discovery of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (reposted)

Wrote my first blog post for work last week and it went live today. Shared my personal experience with a concussion, also known as traumatic brain injury, hoping to inspire others to either share their stories or talk to someone if they find themselves in a similar situation.

I decided to repost here for a chance to get feedback on the post...so, tell me what you think!

A few things...

A lot of things have happened this week that I've wanted to write about, but sadly I haven't had the time. So, I figured at the very least, I could share a quick list now and maybe go deeper a little later.

On My Mind:

Technology Rocks!
I'm on a mission to get the most out of my electronic devices and the awesome technology available. One BIG win this week was the purchase of an AV composite cable that allows me to hook my iPhone or iPod up to the DVD player in the car...or a TV, stereo, portable DVD player, etc. I can now play movies or music from iTunes, watch videos from YouTube and stream Netflix. So awesome! This is a great companion to my recent AppleTV purchase.

Delta Debacle
Another awful incident of an airline (Delta) charging service members (who were on their way home from deployment) fees for extra bags. Shame, shame Delta. Thankfully, because of the power of social media and customer voice (infused with a healthy dose of patriotism) the airline quickly released a statement announcing a change in policy and offered apologies. While it's disgraceful that it happened in the first place, I applaud Delta for their quick response.


Family Routine Re-Org
In an effort to make sure the Marsh family is functioning at optimum speed, our routine needs a makeover. This also includes some household reorganization (home office, school stuff, art supplies, etc.) and restructuring (clear roles and responsibilities--I make sure bills are paid, hubby makes sure gas is in the cars, etc.)...and I'm open to any tips or resources to help ensure success! I've done a little research for online organizers/calendars and have found a few but I don't feel drawn to any just yet. When I find a keeper, I'll share.

Of course there are a ton of other things floating around my head (at least ten at any given moment) so I'll be sure to share more later.

Wait! 
One more thing to share. I just learned about a 15-year-old girl in England who has terminal cancer. She has come up with a bucket list and is blogging her way through it. Sad, yet touching story. What a great thing for her family to have and to be reminded by the many lives little Alice touched!

Food funk

I'm no Martha Stewart, Rachel Ray or Paula Deen, but I do love to cook, and even more, I love to eat. I'm not too picky (not a big seafood fan though) and enjoy trying new dishes. I've been told I'm a pretty good cook too...I only wish my family would be more excited about that.

The thing is, my kiddos are picky and my hubby has "plain" taste and enjoys way too many condiments (I made the mistake of saying he had trailer park taste buds ONE time because of the sheer amount of ketchup he goes through and I've never heard the end of it!) Up until recently, I chose to look at our differences as a challenge, one that always kept me on the look out for new recipes that would hopefully become a new family fave. My optimism has faded.

Today I have come to the conclusion that I'm in a food funk. I have been in denial (for at least the past year) telling myself it's a phase and we're just still adjusting to our new hectic lifestyle. I have said the following more than I'd care to admit:

• It was a long day at work and I'm tired.
• I don't feel like arguing with the kids about the need for them to try new things. 
• I can't bear to hear "I'm not eating that!" one more time this week. 
• Sure...we can have cereal for dinner.
• I don't know what to cook.
• I don't know what I want to eat.
• Nothing sounds good.

I've blamed my lack of creativity on a slough of reasons, but the fact is, I'm uninspired and tired of the fight. I'm like a zombie in the kitchen these days.

My dinner repertoire has diminished to five or so meals: baked chicken nuggets and fries; noodles with butter and a veggie/fruit on the side; breakfast for dinner; hot dogs (for Thing One) and grilled cheese (for Thing Two); pizza (hubby's fave). Our menu needs an overhaul and stat.

Is it possible for taste buds to atrophy?

I'm waving my white flag. Is there a support group or 10-step program for this? Is there a hotline I can call?

I need a food intervention.