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Are You Enough?
Vulnerability – (adj.) Capable of being hurt or wounded. Possibly the best way to know exactly what you want in life is to know exactly what you do not want in life. Three and half years ago I left my job as an elementary school teacher to spend more time with my family and more time writing. I remember the sudden sense of relief and freedom I felt when my schedule opened up. If I wanted to, I could stop and watch a osprey teach her baby to fly, go for walks with my son, spend an hour chatting with my daughter or drive to the store in the middle of…
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BLT? Why not try a healthier SBLT?
This is one of my favorite sandwiches. It’s easy to make and keeps me full for hours. For everyone who loves blt’s this is a healthy alternative. If you click on the words in blue it will take you to the nutritional information of each item. All you need is a package of Smart Bacon. Some tomatoes. Yummy spinach. And avocado! I started with an avocado pit on my windowsill. Now look at it. Cook the Smart Bacon in a frying pan with a little oil or nonstick spray for three to five minutes. Flip it several times to make sure both sides cook thoroughly. The longer you cook it the crispier…
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Happy New Year! Vote for Your Favorite Picture.
Knowing that today was the day I’d take down all holiday decorations on this blog, I decided I needed a new picture of me and the kids. It’s difficult to catch all of us dressed up and in the right mood to be photographed. Arielle and I are usually in comfy clothes and Kai always looks at me with beady eyes when I say I want to take pictures. Just before we left for our friend’s new years celebration, I announced picture time. Kai rolled his beady eyes, Arielle refused to put on a cardigan, (I’m too old fashion and thought she needed one) and Eric went on a rant about…
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Family Bonding Over the Holidays
One of the greatest sounds in the world is the laughter of my children – together. Last night I was upstairs working, Eric was playing his computer game and our two children were downstairs watching a movie and laughing hysterically. I felt the warm glow that mothers feel when their children are bonding and kind to one another. I finished writing and went down to join them. Arielle was lounging on a chair and Kai was across from her on the couch. A small table sat in between. I plopped down next to Kai and we all watched, Waterboy. A commercial came on and Kai muted the TV. Arielle began telling…
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My New Years Resolution: Be Me
It begins as an uneasiness that I push down and pretend is not there. I busy myself with chores. This time I cleaned our entire garage in four hours. That night when I laid down to sleep, proud of my accomplishment, there was the question sitting like a rock in my gut waiting for an answer. Taunting me, telling me I could clean for weeks and never escape until I faced it. The question? What did I have to say about New Years? I rolled over and went to sleep having no idea. The next day I tackled loads of laundry and more miles on the treadmill and elliptical than I had…
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Banana Stuffed French Toast
We eat this French toast once a year – every Christmas morning. It’s our Rausin family tradition. While Eric cooked, I practiced taking pictures with my new Cowboy table top studio. My family got tired of watching me take hundreds of pictures from all different angles trying to catch the perfect light. New Years Goal #1: Become a better photographer. Notice I wrote photographer and not cook. Ingredients: Sugar 2 Tab. – Sugar 1/2 Cup 2 Tab. Water Butter 2 Tab. – Butter 1/2 stick Unsalted 2 Large ripe bananas (peeled and cut into 1/2 inch thick rounds) 1 One Pound unsliced egg bread (Cut into 6 slices) 2 Cups of Whole…