Honoring the Memories

  This past Sunday was the anniversary of the day that my Mom was called home to Heaven. This year was 14 years since that day, and I was 14 years old when it happened, so this year was a little harder. September 29th has always been an emotional day, but for the past two years I've tried to celebrate my Mom, rather than grieve.

  Last year, for the first time, I thought I'd cook a special meal completely out of my Mom's cookbook, as a way to celebrate her life and one of her favorite hobbies.

  This year, I decided to do the same thing. I prepared Chicken Divan for dinner and Lemon Chess Pie for dessert. Chicken Divan (Turkey Divan in my Mom's cookbook) was actually a recipe belonging to my Grandmother, but I remember eating it all the time when I was little, so I wanted to make it. 

  It was probably only the second time I've ever cooked it, but it turned out fabulously and tasting it took me back to the kitchen table of my childhood. 

   Here's the recipe. I did use chicken instead of turkey and I substituted non-fat Greek yogurt for the mayo, and I promise you couldn't taste the difference. Greek yogurt is a wonderful and much healthier option to use in place of mayo and sour cream. 

  Mary Faust's Turkey Divan

• 1 bunch fresh broccoli, cooked and drained
• 3 cups cooked, sliced turkey
• 1 (10 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder
• 1 cup grated cheese
• 1/2 cup soft bread crumbs

1. Place the broccoli in a layer in a buttered, ovenproof casserole. Add the sliced turkey. Blend together the soup, mayo, lemon juice and curry powder and spread it over the turkey. Sprinkle grated cheese over all, then top with the bread crumbs. Bake in a 350 degree oven for thirty minutes. 

  For dessert we had Lemon Chess Pie. I don't remember eating this too often when I was little, but I remember that it was a very popular dessert in my Mom's restaurant. I turned out very well and T and I both savored it!

Lemon Chess Pie

• 4 eggs, well beaten
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 Tbsp. flour
• 1 Tbsp. corn meal
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 2 Tbsp. grated lemon peel
• 4 Tbsp. butter or margarine, melted
• 1 8-in. pie shell, unbaked

1. Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Pour into the pie shell. Bake for 1 hour at 350 degrees. 

  Our special dinner turned out wonderfully and was a perfect celebration of my Mom! And just a little reminder, I had my Mom's cookbooks reprinted last year and still have several copies available. If you'd like to get one please contact me under the "Contact Me" tab.

Motivational Monday

Lately.....

  Let's just quickly move past the fact that I've failed as a blogger by not posting in a gazillion years, and catch up with what's been going on lately.

  Let's see.....well a lot has been going on in my crazy, busy life. 

  Let's get the unhappy news out first. About five weeks ago T went to the gym on a Saturday morning and while on the way home was hit by another car who decided that they didn't really need to stop at a stop sign, even though T was turning right in front of them. Thankfully, T was not injured at all in the accident! He had driven my car that morning and the poor baby was just crushed. 

 

 

  Everything was settled and we were able to get another car within a few weeks. It's definitely a bigger and different type of vehicle, but we figured since we had to get another car we may as well get the "mommy car" now, rather than later. 

 

 

  On to happier and more exciting news........

  About 5 weeks ago I started taking and am now distributing a very awesome product. It's called Juice Plus. 

 

 

  It's been around for about 20 years and is backed up by over 30 published scientific research studies. It's basically a salad bar in a capsule. 

 

 

  The daily serving is equal to 17 servings of fruits and vegetables. Now, I eat a lot of fruits and vegetables, but I know that most days I'm probably not getting the recommended 9-13 servings. Our bodies work best when they're fueled properly.  I'm already noticing positive results after only a few weeks and I'm excited to see what the future holds! If you'd like more info on Juice Plus please contact me under the "Contact Me" tab and I'll be happy to tell you more.

  Now, even more exciting news!

  Over Labor Day weekend T and I went on vacation! We hadn't been anywhere in a long time, so this trip was long overdue. 

  Before we met T took a solo vacation to Sedona, AZ and since the day we met he's been telling me about it and talking about how he wanted to take me there. We began searching for a vacation destination in July and I told him that we needed to make Sedona happen! 

 

 

 

  I completely loved our trip! Sedona and Arizona as a whole is amazing and beautiful. I'd always imagined Arizona to be sand, cactus and HOT! Now, we did experience that in Phoenix when we flew in, but those pre-conceived ideas quickly disappeared as we took the highway north. Arizona was mountains and rivers and gorgeous. 

 

 

 

  We spent the majority of our trip in Sedona, but did take one day to check out the Grand Canyon. We hiked.....A LOT! 11 miles in one day! We returned from our vacation tired, sore and so happy that we'd had the chance to visit Sedona! I would definitely recommend it for anyone who is looking for a beautiful place to visit.

Take a chance

So, did I tell y'all that I'm a softball superstar?! Okay, so maybe not a superstar, but I did manage to make it through my first season without getting kicked off the team. More about that later.

T is a huge baseball fan, and as long as I've known him he's always played softball on various leagues. He joined a new league this spring and was placed on a team with other people that he didn't know. He really liked the league and decided that he wanted to form his own team of friends for the summer season. He convinced me to play, even though I assured him that I wasn't good. I played one season of little league softball and after taking a ball to the head was done, and hadn't played since.

I made T promise that he'd kick me off the team if I was doing too badly and was bringing the team down. I also tried to convince him that I'd play as long as I never had to bat and I didn't have to play catcher, because I was afraid I'd get hit with the bat. He told me I'd have to bat, but we never discussed the catcher request. 

Now, let me tell y'all, I started the season off pretty badly. I struck out pretty much every time I'd go up to bat and I wasn't the best fielder. During our second or third game of the season T stunned me by telling me to go in as the catcher. I about slapped him right there on the field! I did not want to play catcher! I did as my husband/coach said, and went in. Well now you better not try and put me in another position, because I love playing catcher! I have been hit by the bat and have taken several balls to the shoulder, stomach and shins. The shins part is mainly my fault. I've discovered that I tend to stop the ball by kicking it with my shin, rather than holding out my glove. Oh well.....I've got some awesome bruises to show off. 

The batting has been a work in progress. I started the season striking out, and in our last game hit the ball every time I was up to bat. They're not great hits......but a hit's a hit. 

Moral of the story: give something a chance....even if you're scared or don't think you'll be very good at it. 

Our team made it to the playoffs this season and our next season starts this Sunday. I'm excited all ready! Plus, the bruises are only looking good on my left leg. I need to give the right leg some decoration too.

Motivational Monday

I'm posting this picture with many thoughts in mind. Today is Monday and I'm starting with a clean slate. Today is the first day of a new workout program for me. I've been doing Turbo Fire since last August, and have finally purchased a new program. Today is my first day of Focus T25. Check it out here: http://www.beachbody.com/product/fitness_programs/focus-t25-workout.do

I'm also really going to start focusing on the food that I'm putting into my body. I'm so sick of having a bad day of eating and then having feelings of guilt. It's so much easier, physically and emotionally, to just eat right! Today is a new day!

Oh Snap!

  So, I know that I've talked about it before and I'm pretty sure that months ago I promised a post on the subject....and here it is....finally! My hubby is an amazing photographer. I know I'm biased because I kinda like the guy, but he really is awesome! He is completely self taught and I've loved watching his work get better and better over the years.

  I have always loved photography. When I was a little girl I considered looking at pictures to be one of my hobbies. Not sure if that really falls under the category of "Hobbies" but I was kinda a strange little kid. You could often times find me sitting on the living room floor, thumbing through our family photo albums. My Mom took a lot of pictures! I've always wanted to get into taking photos, but just never did....until now! I have no excuse or reason not to be able to pick up the hobby now. T and I have two fancy cameras, so now is the time.

  I've helped T photograph events in the past. He's done several weddings, and it really helps to have two photographers because there's so much going on. However, my photos are not always the best.

  I've really been trying to take a lot more pictures lately. There's no way to get better if I'm not practicing. For the past several posts I've only been using my DSLR versus my cell phone camera. I'm not sure if any of you have noticed a slight improvement in the quality of my pictures, but now I fully expect to receive millions of comments about my awesome skills. I kid, I kid....you don't have to say anything....until I get really good!

  Here's a few of the hubby's awesome pics. Y'all can comment on his skills......

  T recently formed a group here in San Antonio for people that are interested in photography and last week we had our first event. We just spent some time downtown, taking pics. Here's a few of mine....

  I only hope that one day I can be half as good as T, when it comes to my photography.

Friday Funnies

LOL! Love the Big Bang Theory! Happy Friday!