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In Dublin’s Fair City

After arriving at our modern apartment in Dublin, high in a small but tall, glass-encased building in the Docklands near the Grand Canal, we set off, Sweet Baby sleeping in her stroller, to walk along the River Liffey.

Peering into the courtyard at the main entrance to Trinity College, I remembered being there the weekend I turned 21. A friend and I took the night ferry from Morecambe, England, near Lancaster where we were at university, to Belfast and then hitched a ride to Dublin. (Not a well thought-out adventure, but memorable.) In the 1980s our family visited when the boys were five and one, wore matching green jogging suits, and paid most attention to a much-desired Lone Ranger figure, purchased in an Irish village.

This time we followed the now grown up one-year old, as he led us to see city sights. Dublin’s General Post Office – headquarters for the Easter Rising in 1916, which led to the creation of an independent Ireland – is still the main post office, and it also houses an interactive exhibition documenting the rebellion. Nearby on O’Connell Street, the Dublin Spire reaches skyward 390 feet, replacing Nelson’s Column blown up in 1966. In Dublin the Rising and the Troubles remain close at hand.

And so does Ireland’s amazing literary heritage – we visited the James Joyce Center, and a fine exhibition about W.B Yeats at the National Library of Ireland. We didn’t make it to peek at Dublin Castle, headquarters of the Garda in Tana French’s detective novels, but I thought a lot about all the other Irish authors I love, and the ones I read this winter like Maggie O’Farrell and Molly Keane. Frank Delaney’s “Ireland: A Novel,” is a tale of Irish history from prehistoric times to the 1950s, and it came alive at the National Museum of Ireland full of cultural artifacts from the millennia before invasion and colonization.

When weary of our activities, Sweet Baby played at the playgrounds in leafy Merrion Square and St. Stephen’s Green, the green heart of the city. (Nobody would guess, but Sweet Baby is, by an eighth, a wee Irish lass.)

And I am now full of curiosity and regret (“why didn’t I ask more questions”) about my mother’s parents who separately left County Kerry in the west of Ireland during the huge Irish emigration in the late 19th Century. My grandmother Kate was only 14.

The rain held off till our last night, then poured while we ate dinner (so many good meals in Ireland), and spoke of this brief visit and our hopes to return. Then early to bed for a six a.m. plane to Rome, and a rendezvous with Lady Baby and her family!


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Holiday Tips and Tricks

Good evening fellow readers!

Tonight I would like to address the time of year when many Americans over indulge and struggle to keep their health in check. Yes, this is time to enjoy treats and comfort foods, however, you don’t have to let it take over for the entire holiday season. I have come up with some tips to help stay on track during this time when cookies and candies become the norm.

  1. If  you know you are going to a holiday party that day, plan the rest of your meals accordingly.ex: For breakfast and lunch make sure to have a balance meal full of protein, fiber, and complex carbs. This is what I call a balanced diet. A LIFESTYLE. Knowing that you ate well earlier in the day should assure you that indulging in a few treats at the party isn’t going to hurt your health.
  2. Choose a smaller plate. By doing so you can fill this plate up nice and full, yet still have less items than if you had a large plate. This will help with portion control, yet will make you feel as though you are getting a good amount to eat.
  3. If your one who almost always goes back for seconds, STOP, WAIT, THINK. Before acting upon routine, ask yourself– Am I really still hungry? or Am I getting more food just because it’s available? Don’t always feel like you have to overindulge just because it is a holiday. Often times with big get togethers there are plenty of left overs, therefore, wait a few hours then go back for another plate.
  4. Lastly, STAY ACTIVE! Many families typically watch movies, sports, or take naps after eating the main meal. This can still happen as I am all for christmas movies and getting rest, however, doing some physical activity can/should be a family effort. Be the motivator!! Encourage your family members to play a game of basketball, take a walk, go for a bike ride, or play an active Wii game.

Overall, my advice is to have BALANCE! That is how I have maintained my healthy lifestyle habits. You can’t restrict yourself from all the treats and goodies or you will go crazy. Therefore, have balance and making sure to eat healthy foods consistently, so when you do indulge it goes with the flow. It doesn’t upset you for “ruining your diet” because one bad meal won’t do so.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS YALL!!! Hope these tips help:)

Break the Sugar Addiction

Good evening all!

Tonight I want to address the subject of sugar. Sugar is EVERYWHERE! However, you may not think you are eating or drinking sugar sweetened products because added sugars can appear as several different names on labels. In order to be caution of what you are consuming, I advise to learn or at least be able to recognize the other names that could be used. This may include:

  • any ingredient with the word “sugar” in i (such as beet sugar, raw sugar etc)
  • any ingredient with the word “nectar”
  • any ingredient with the word “syrup”
  • any ingredient containing a word ending in “-ose”
  • molasses
  • honey
  • fruit juice/concentrates
  • cane juice/evaporated cane juice

(this list is not all inclusive)

Trust me your body will thank you for limiting the added sugars you consume. Why? Because previous and recent research has shown a significant impact on cardiovascular health. The American Heart Association recommends women should not consume more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day, men 9 teaspoons. However, the average American is said to consume about 22 teaspoons a day!!! If this isn’t eye opening enough, scientific evidence is growing in this area and has concluded: more added sugars=higher triglycerides (blood lipids) + higher total & LDL (the “bad” kind) cholesterol + higher blood pressure! Oh wait and did I mention this is a leading cause of obesity too?!?!

Fruit: I have heard controversy about consuming fruit throughout the day or at night and how it was “bad” because of the sugar content. Fruit contains natural sugars that exist in nature. The sugar found in fruit is bound up with fiber + nutrients + water, therefore, don’t have the same negative effect as added sugars do to our body.

All in all I just want everyone to be aware of the consequences of  consuming added sugars and why it is so important to know what you are putting in your body. Remember this: Your body is like a machine and if doesn’t receive the proper fuel (nutrition) it isn’t going to function at its full potential.

Until next time,

Kayla B

Fall Everything Recipes

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (gluten free)

1 1/2 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)

1 3/4 cup all purpose gluten-free baking mix

1 tsp baking soda

2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 tsp pumpkin spice

1/2 tsp salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup coconut sugar

1/3 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup milk of choice

1 cup dark chocolate chips (I used ones that were ~63% cocoa)

3 scoops vanilla whey protein- check the label of the protein to make sure it’s gluten free– for those that don’t have to follow gluten free diet, any type will work

  • Mix flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and pumpkin spice in a medium size bowl
  • Next, mix eggs. sugar, oil,milk, and pumpkin puree in a larger bowl
  • Add dry ingredients to wet mixture until combined well
  • Stir in chocolate chips
  • Fill all greased muffin tins to the rim, Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes–Serve immediately or can be saved in fridge for up to 1 week

***I like to make a big batch of these and keep them in the fridge for breakfast,a snack, or even eat as dessert throughout the week!!! ***

More of these recipes to come soon 🙂

Pumpkin French Toast Bake

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup

Easy & Nutritious Butternut Squash Soup

Pumpkin Spice Ice Cream

Creamy Asparagus Soup

Disease Prevention related to Physical Activity Benefits

Link to article reference

Good evening readers!

First, I just want to say thanks to those who just clicked and opened my blog! Now, lets talk about the ways researchers are looking at to reduce risk for chronic diseases. (click the link above to read this article) The Academy of Nutrition Dietetics tells at least 150 minutes a week should be moderate to intensity aerobic physical activity + two days of muscle strengthening activities. 150 minutes can be as littles as ~21mins a day!!! However, many people have sedentary jobs that require long hours sitting in a chair and even individuals that continuously go to the gym about an hour are so called NOT “safe” from what attributes to sitting for long amounts of time. There are tips in this article that could really benefit those who have jobs in this category. So.. CHECK IT OUT!

Read it and then practice it!!! The little things you do to improve your health can take you a long way 🙂

until next time,

6 EASY & DELICIOUS breakfast ideas!

Good morning all!

Today I want to express my love for breakfast. Not only is it my favorite meal of the day, but it is the MOST IMPORTANT meal of the day. Everyone should eat within about 30 minutes of waking up, this will break the fast stage that your body is in and will get your metabolism going. Although many of you probably say, “but I’m not hungry”. Regardless of your reasoning for skipping out on breakfast, it doesn’t matter… NO MORE EXCUSES! Your body isn’t sending the “hungry” signal to your brain because of many reasons, one may be because you are dehydrated. The hungry signal is properly known as the hormone ghrelin. Ghrelin increase hunger and activates the hypothalamus (a part of your brain) and says I’M HUNGRY!!!  I want to share breakfast ideas that I personally eat on the regular because, not only are they delicious, but they’re so SIMPLE 🙂

Overnight Oats– combine 1/2 cup oats + 1 scoop vanilla protein + nuts + fruit+ water or milk –> Place in the fridge overnight and viola!

  • I like to make these in the Ball Mason Jars a week at a time –> you can combine different fruits and flavors for a variety each morning

Easy Breakfast Skillet On the top stove heat pan on medium heat, add in breakfast meat of choice + chopped up veggies (I use jalapeños+peppers+onion)

  • Sauté until meat is cooked and veggies are soft, then add in eggs/egg whites and seasoning
  • Let this cook until everything is well combined and eggs are cooked

Chocolate Chip Walnut Muffins- Follow instructions on the back of muffin box for basic muffin –> I recommend the Hodgson Mill Whole Wheat Muffin Mix (found at HEB)

  • After combining the ingredients from the box instructions, add in 1-2 scoops of protein of choice + 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips + handful of chopped walnuts
  • Bake at 400 degrees for about 12-15 mins–> Store in fridge and enjoy heated up or cold

Peanut Butter Banana & Chocolate Quesadilla-Click here to see picture! You will need: burrito size whole wheat tortilla + peanut butter + medium banana+ handful semi-sweet chocolate chips

  • Simply spread peanut butter on tortilla, add slices of banana to one side, then sprinkle chocolate chips over the side with the banana slices
  • Fold the tortilla over (in half) and place on top stow pan medium heat to allow chocolate chips to melt
  • Heat for about 3-5mins each side, cut into triangle pieces an enjoy! –> these can be dipped in maple syrup too!

Mixed Berry Smoothie- This smoothie is awesome, especially for those of you who are always on-th-go! This smoothie can be enjoyed as a meal replacement because it provides protein + fats + carbs all in one!

  • Combine in a blender: 1-2 cup spinach (promise you can’t taste it, just an easy way to get in those greens) + 1 cup frozen mixed berries (any kind) + 1 medium frozen banana + 1/3 cup full fat greek yogurt (plain or vanilla flavor works best) + 1/2 cup oats + water or almond milk +1 scoop vanilla protein powder (optional)

And one more…. Banana Nut Pancakes Recipe <– click here

Check out my instagram page for pictures of these ideas and more!

Hi Y’all!

I’m bringing my blog writing back to life as I progress through a new stage in my life. I graduated with a BS in Family and Consumer Science majoring in Nutrition and Foods. I am in the process of preparing to apply for a Dietetic Internship in order to become a Registered Dietitian. But, until then I will be sharing my recipes, How-to’s, cooking videos, tips, meal prep ideas and more! All support is appreciated 🙂

Feel free to leave a comment regarding anything I post or with any suggestions you;d like to learn about!

CLEAN EATS, a great way to let your body love you again

Wow, it’s been awhile since I have wrote on here and boy does it feel good to get back at it!

I have started a new journey in my life with eating only clean foods. No processed foods, fried, anything! Yes it will be a challenge to resist the temptaration of sweets!!!! This is definately my weak spot but I know there are some great alternatives out to satify my sweet tooth. 2 easy steps tpward eating clean has to include 1) prepping meals; if you do not have food prepped in advanced, it is more likely of you to either not eat (VERY BAD) or grab something quick (most likely processed). Eating clean does’nt mean eating plain, flavorless foods! There are many different foods that are clean that can be seasoned correctly, baked/mixed with something else, heated, and prepared differently to taste yummy. The key is you must be CREATIVE with your food! I have been experiencing with different types of vegatables that I have not ate before, for example, today I bought a spaghetti squash! I’ve never tried it but I’m looking foreward to finding a delicious way to prepare it. (Any ideas from anyone would be awesome ;)) I’ll let you guys know the results. 2) STAYING MOTIVATED! You must set your mind on a goal and do everything in your power to reach that goal. Whether it’s waking up early in the mornings or letting your friends talk you into cheat meals, don’t let your mind slip from your goal!! One cheat day will lead to more…be dedicated and find someone who will support and encourage you.

Here are some new recent meal ideas that I have been preparing:

Cabbage, turkey & avocado wraps: way easy just assemble the turkey lunch meat (any kind will do but try to use one lower in sodium), add a few slices of avocado, roll them up and done! (you can add dressing if you’d like)

Oats, water, cinnamon,pumpkin pure, & stevia combine all in a bowl and microwave for about 3 1/2 mins….Mmmm

If you are one that doesn’t care for spinach try and sneak it in other dishes: add into your smoothies (I swear you can’t taste it), protein shakes (blended in a blender of course), sandwiches(instead of lettuce), and my new fav way to add it in my omelets!!!

Clean foods are not only excellent for you but also will leave your body feeling so much better and energized rather than sluggish and tired (alot of processed/junk foods do this) YOUR BODY WILL THANK YOU.

More to come 🙂

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Playtime at the Park

by Brie

Last summer we stumbled upon the Centretown Community Health Centre’s (CCHC) free Summer Park program. I was very glad we did. And I am glad to say that they are back again this summer!

Mondays in the month of July and August will find the CCHC team out in force at two downtown Ottawa parks. With them comes craft supplies, sand toys, balls, bubbles and books. It is a great discovery if you are planning to be at the park anyway, but it is even worth going out of your way for. My one and a half-year old and three and a half-year old both had a great time exploring all the new treasures to play with, but I think this is particularly entertaining for older kids that are looking for something different to do.

The summer park programs rotates between St.Luke’s Park (Elgin and Gladstone) and Dundonald Park (Somerset and Lyon). More information is available here.

Brie is the mom of a 3.5 year old daughter “the girl” and eighteen month old son “the boy”. You can read her blog at Capital Mom.

Filed under Activities for kids, Free, Parks

5 responses to “Playtime at the Park

  1. krista

    I love playgroups in parks! My community does one from the time the snow melts until it comes again in the fall. It is less formal, but a great way to meet your neighbours – and their children!

  2. the early child education centers around town have some programming in selective parks throughout the summer as well. i remember doing stuff with the jellybean while on mat leave as well as during the holidays these past summers. great programmes.

  3. Pingback: July : what you might have missed « Kids in the Capital

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My Twitter Rules

In Lessons, Life, Marketing, Media, Social Media, Technology on February 6, 2013 by kiltforhire Tagged: , , , ,

We all all live by them. We all have our own code.

It’s the second love of my life. It’s the communications platform I always dreamed of. It gives anyone the ability to talk to anyone else in this world as long as they have a Twitter account. Not once in the history of the world has this been possible. Yet here we are exchanging words across the globe with anyone and everyone.

I’ve been using Twitter for nearly five years. I don’t cheat the system. I don’t play the follow me and I’ll follow you game. But I do reply to nearly everyone who speaks to me – its only polite – and I do hunt out fun and interesting people to talk to because its what makes life interesting.

But you got to have rules and that’s where My Twitter Rules come in to play.

1. If I follow you and you send me an auto-DM then I’ll unfollow. It’s rude to think that because I’ve chosen to engage with you that you suddenly have the right to barge into my life and try to sell me something or direct me to your blog or your website. If it’s in your profile chances are I’ve already looked.

2. If you tweet more than five times in my timeline in less than a minute and it’s not a scream for help because you are in a dire situation the I’ll unfollow you. I follow you because I’m interested in you. I didn’t follow you to know the exact contents of your mind one a second by second basis.

3. I don’t read celebrity gossip. I don’t wait patiently every week to find out which celebrity has been knocked up, divorced, having an affair or simply put on some extra pounds. You know what? I simply don’t care. Everyone deserves their privacy and I’m not a fan of peering into people’s lives through an 800mm lens.

4. Kim Kardashian or Paris Hilton. Retweet them and I unfollow. I have no desire to know anything about either of those two. Basically I suggest thinking about your followers before you retweet certain things. I always hover for a second and think about my followers before I retweet.

5. Quotes. If you think continually tweeting quotations is cool well that’s just swell however if I want to read quotes the I’ll head on over to one of the million quote pages on the web and read some.

6. Every week I try and find a few people I’ve not engaged with in a while or at all and see what they have to say and try to chat to them. Find something they have said I have found interesting and let them know.

7. If you have connected your account to a site that is sending DMs to me telling me ‘people are saying this about you and has a link’ I’ll DM you back and let you know. You may not know the account is sending on your behalf so it’s only right I let you know.

8. If I have just followed you and we haven’t interacted and you send me a DM asking me to subscribe to your YouTube channel or your blog you can be assured I won’t be visiting your site and I certainly won’t be following you any more.

9. I will block you if you are a troll. I have been abused a few times on Twitter (this one comes to mind!) and I simply won’t put up with you being an asshole. I’ll accept it a few times as you may be having a bad day but if you keep at it it’s block city

I guess they are my standard rules. I’ll probably come back and update when I think of others I use. If you have any rules I’d love to hear them.

22 Responses to “My Twitter Rules”

  1. One of the things I try to do is to add people to appropriate lists. If I get a couple of conversations out of people, I tend to add them to my more conversational lists rather than the lists I rarely monitor. And I’m like you, I try to respond to every mention. It’s more fun that way

  2. Some Twitter accounts turn nasty or problematic after a good start. I found a New Zealand written app called Twit Cleaner is useful for periodic clean-ups. I wrote about it on my site:

  3. Very similar to me mate. I just don’t get on their as much as I use to. I do use the facebook connector to publish and I make an effort if someone response to me on twitter (even to a facebooked tweet) to reply back on twitter, it’s only polite.

    I have one extra rule, which is: If you are constantly negative (75%+ of the time) and have nothing nice to say and just criticise, then I don’t need to read you and will unfollow. I think we all have enough stuff to deal with and I don’t need someone else getting me down. Constructive criticise is fine, but criticise and being negative is something I can do without.

  4. I remember calling someone out over Rule 1, then being told that my “feud” made it impossible for them to come to the pub for twitter meets… Wait, what?

  5. Do you have a rule about mixing business with pleasure? That is, do you mix NBN stuff with Star Wars, gaming and strange Scottish food.

  6. What if I accidentally break a rule with a slip on the retweet button or a monthly bout of verbal diarrhoea? is there any chance for redemption?

  7. Mate, I can’t believe you haven’t unfollowed me. Nobody is a bigger fan of Paris Hilton DMs than I.

  8. […] My Twitter Rules I also have a set of rules for traveling and today I’m going to write about some of my rules […]

  9. […] My Twitter Rules […]

  10. […] on from My Twitter Rules here are my Facebook rules. Now where Twitter is about conversations with anyone about everything […]

  11. This is so great… I almost practically don’t miss Twitter because everyone gets on my nerves for retweeting the same people, or doing the ‘im so inspirational’ here is a quote by the Dalai Lama. Or tells me to quit sugar. 🙂

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We’re Celebrating A Decade!

We’re celebrating a decade in music with a weekend of performances culminating in a music showcase featuring 6 of the most exciting alternative acts in Singapore (and Kuala Lumpur!). From the intensely visceral energy of prog-rock quartet T-Rex to the rhythmically complex experimentations of our neighbours from the north – Dirgahayu; this mini festival also … Continue reading

And So I Watch You From Afar – Zouk Singapore, 28 Feb 2014

Click the ‘buy button’ to purchase Early-Bird Tickets. Early-Bird Sold Out ONLINE TICKET SALE HAS CLOSED. BUY TICKETS AT THE DOOR OF THE VENUE AT sgd55. CASH ONLY TICKET(S) ARE SOLD TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS & CONDITIONS Entry will only be permitted on production of valid tickets. Tickets that are found to have been reproduced, counterfeited … Continue reading

Bandwagon sits down with Amateur Takes Control for a chat

Fresh off their first live show in six months, Amateur Takes Control returned into our collective iron sights when they played an explosive set at Blu Jaz Cafe last Saturday, along with fellow instrumentalists ANECHOIS and Ben. It was a return that impressed both old fans and new, for this was not the Amateur Takes … Continue reading

Russian Circles in Singapore, Saturday 13 October 2012

RUSSIAN CIRCLES 2012 Asian Tour 13 October 2012 TAB (Singapore) ////// All Ages Show (Please bring ID for verification and entry) ///// Doors open at 7.30pm, Starts at 8pm Tickets: SGD55 (Early-bird, limited quantity, online only) SOLD OUT SGD65 REGULAR PRESALE TICKETS SOLD OUT * Tickets only available at the door*

MONO returns with ‘For My Parents’

For My Parents is the new album by MONO, the Japanese quartet who — over the course of half a dozen albums in twice as many years — has followed their own muse, and in the process have become “one of the most distinctive bands of the 21st century.” They are an instrumental rock band … Continue reading

MY DISCO (Melbourne, Australia), HOME CLUB 28 April

Art by keepitlikeasecret x invsble studio

BITCH MAGNET, Home Club, Friday 13 April 2012

Bitch Magnet in Singapore

LYMBYC SYSTYM & CAROLINE /// 28 July Home Club

KittyWu Records presents LYMBYC SYSTYM and CAROLINE for a one night only performance at HOME CLUB on Thursday, 28 July 2011. LYMBYC SYSTYM returns to Singapore for a second time on their 2011 Asia Summer tour, the Bell brothers bringing with them their brand of percussion driven, highly emotive, instrumental rock. Okinawan-American songtress, CAROLINE, returns … Continue reading

Tomorrow Envy! Tickets, merch and showtime

Just a couple of details about the show tomorrow. We start at 8pm (Doors open and 1st band goes on soon after) We will be selling merch. CDs, tshirts and this sweetass 2 colour screenprint poster below. Bring CASH. Cash only! Limited number of tickets at $70 will be available at the door. If you … Continue reading

KittyWu and Macbeth present Envy w/ Amateur Takes Control

18th June 2011, Saturday Guinness Theatre, The Substaion (45 Armenian Street) 8pm ENVY /// Limited advanced tickets available at: – The Substation Box Office Open Monday – Friday 12pm-8pm Phone +65 6337 7800 Email boxoffice@substation.org – PRAISE (Cineleisure ORCHARD only) 8 Grange Road #02-04 Orchard Cineleisure Tel: +65 6735 3122 Opening Hours: 12:30pm – 10:30pm(Mon-Thu … Continue reading


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The Second Wheel

No, not the third wheel . . . though my partner probably feels that way sometimes while I’m busy spinning. No, no, the second wheel.

When I first purchased my Ladybug, I warned you (and myself–and my partner) that there would likely be other wheels in my life. This week, I am picking up a used (and pretty old) Ashford Traditional from a fine lady in Northern PA. The wheel looks to be from the 1970s or 1980s–the Ashford site is pretty great and has a PDF of their models through the decades. This allows you to see so much about the history of this particular wheel: what has changed and what has very much remained the same. My wheel may not be perfect (indeed, I have yet to meet her), but I was assured that she is a workhorse and will spin well. [As an aside, does anyone know when farming terms came to be applied to spinning wheels??]

For me, this second wheel means having the ability to spin when I am in NY visiting family. We are there quite often and I really can’t justify dragging my Ladybug *that* far, given how she sits awkwardly in the car on her short trips to and from guild meetings. I chose this used wheel for several reasons: the price was right; there was no shipping, as I could pick it up; and Ashford Traditional wheels are easy to service given that they are relatively ubiquitous. This last fact means that the parts are also easy to find. More than anything, it will be nice to not have a wheel I need to worry about. It’s a back-up and a farm-house wheel for my time in NY when I just can’t stand to be away from my wheel. Oh, and did I mention there will be a farm visit? Yes! Some sheep, some felted soaps . . . it’ll be a Farm Focus post in a few weeks.

And yes, I could just go with the old drop spindle (and that was my original, back-up plan) . . . but sometimes serendipitously, the stars align.

But first, the meeting. What will she be like? Will we work together well? Will she need a dusting and some tuning? I’ll admit, I’m a bit nervous, just as I was with my Ladybug. But, then again, back then, I didn’t even know HOW to spin! Heck, I had never even sat down at a wheel or even touched one. No, this time, I’m ready for the first meeting. I’m going to bring a little fiber bouquet. Oh, and the soon to be former owner is going to show me some tricks with the tension . . . can’t forget about that in the nerves of the moment.

This entry was posted in Ashford, meeting, second wheel, spinning wheel, Traditional. Bookmark the permalink.

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News Ticker

Popular bodybuilder Rich Piana, 46, dies two weeks after he was found unresponsive and put in medically induced coma – Rumors of possible steroid overdose

Popular Stories

Well known bodybuilder Rich Piana dead two weeks after he was put in coma because of a ‘medical emergency’
Rich Piana died on Friday in Florida two weeks after being placed in a coma
The 46-year-old collapsed a week ago at his home after a suspected steroid overdose
Emergency officials responding to a call at his Florida residence arrived to find Piana was unresponsive, transported him to a nearby hospital where he was placed into a medically induced coma
The social media king who had a lengthy history of steroid abuse, admitted to abusing anabolic steroids in his the past to enhance his bodybuilding career
His estranged wife Sara Piana confirmed the death in a Facebook post

Piana previously came forward to the public admitting he had been spending thousands of dollars a month on anabolic steroids, which assisted him in enhancing his ardent bodybuilding career and lifestyle.

In a YouTube video he posted last year, Piana said he took the drugs on-and-off over the course of 27 years, and advised his followers against the same unhealthy routine, while ultimately backing up his decision.’If you have the choice to do steroids or stay natural, stay natural. There’s no reason to do steroids, you’re only hurting your body and hurting yourself,’ Piana said.
‘But if you want to become a professional bodybuilder, guess what? You’re probably going to have to f***ing do them, you’re not going to have a choice. That’s the boat I was in.’

Sara Piana's update at around 6.30am on Frida announcing Rich Piana's death.jpgPiana’s estranged wife Sara, posted this update at around 6.30am on Friday announcing Rich Piana’s death

Jansen said Piana was transported to a nearby hospital near the home

Piana conceded that he began feeling immense pressure to intensify his routine at after he started getting booted offstage during shows.
‘I was getting to the point where I was getting blown off stage if I wasn’t going to do steroids, so I took that step,’ he added.
‘But you know what? I’m happy with everything I chose and happy with the way that everything went in my life and I would not have done anything different.
‘I’m completely happy with the choice that I made to start taking steroids at an early age of 18.’

 Rich Piana's Girlfriend Chanel Jansen posted this photo with Piana from the hospital last week.jpgChanel Jansen posted this photo with Piana from the hospital last week
After he announced the steroid cycle last year, Piana disappeared from the blogging world for a month, leaving followers concerned

After he announced his past steroid cycle, Piana vanished periodically from the blogging scene, tipping off his viewers that he may have gotten into some sort of legal trouble or was possibly hospitalized. He later returned without explanation.
He has repeatedly referred to his slogan of ‘Whatever It Takes,’ when discussing the risky lengths he would go to succeed in the muscle-building business.
Also last year, Piana and his wife, Sara Heimis, announced their decision to separate after nearly one year of marriage.
Piana released a video accusing Heimis of marrying him so she may obtain a Green Card. In the video, he also alleges she stole money from him.

Rich Piana 4Piana and his then wife, Sara Heimis, announced their decision to separate in November 2016

Rich Piana 5

‘I believe the time has come to announce that and I are no longer together. It was a crazy wonderful more than anyone could imagine year together!! A fairytale life, but we do have our differences as all couples do and we both decided together that this was the best scenario! he wrote to his Instagram page, beneath a photo that read ‘King and Queen’ of the two.
‘We are still friends and both agree this is the best choice for us. I felt it necessary to announce this on social media because we were together 24/7 so as soon as anyone sees us not together the first question is ‘where’s Sara’ about 20 people asked me that very question today at the gym and when I say we are no longer together it’s a 20 min conversation.
‘Whatever happens in life you have to be strong and keep pushing forward and Sara is a very strong girl and we will both keep pushing forward and being the best we can be in every aspect of life!’

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Note: Mac and Linux standalone builds are untested, but should work fine.

This is my submission to Ludum Dare 33 (My entry page), though I could only work on it for about a third of the weekend. The only gameplay is to kill as many people as you can by flying over them. The game ends after a set amount of time (just after sundown). The controls are "tank-like", meaning that movement is relative to the direction the monster is facing, not the camera.

Default Controls (configurable from launcher in standalone builds):

Movement: WASD keys/Arrow keys/Left Stick(gamepad)
Turn: QE keys/LR(gamepad)
Pause/Quit at end: Esc/Start(gamepad)
Submit(in menu): Enter/Return/A button(gamepad)
Toggle image effects: U(Depth of Field) I(Fisheye) O(Noise and grain)
Gamepad note: I've only tested the defaults with an XBox 360 controller on Windows

Engine & Standard assets: Unity 5.1.2f1 Personal
Game Jam Template from Unity Technologies (primarily base for menus/pause screen)
Music: Base midi file generated from
Edited using LMMS using the FLUID R3 soundfont by Frank Wen
Some Textures:

More information

Published Aug 25, 2015
PlatformsWindows, macOS, Linux, HTML5
TagsLudum Dare 33

Download NowName your own price

Click download now to get access to the following files: 21 MB 34 MB
PMA-KuGrou-LD33-Linux.tar.gz 34 MB


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Monday, September 24, 2012

Friday Event in the Society Rooms

This Friday between 10:30 am and 12:30pm Society President, Jackie van Bergen and Committee Member, Jill Ball will conduct a free workshop on Social Media in the Society Rooms.

You will learn about our Blog and Facebook pages and how to access them.  We will also take a peek at some other interesting blogs.  Please bring along your questions and we will endeavour to address them. If you and your friends are curious about Social Media please join us in this informal meeting where we will try to demystify the world of Social Media.

Bookings are essential: by email to, by phoning the rooms, or dropping in to fill out the sheet with your name and contact telephone number.

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PSR Model

Psychosocial Rehabilitation (PSR) Canada defines psychosocial rehabilitation as the promotion of personal recovery, successful community integration and improved quality of life for individuals who have been diagnosed with a mental illness that seriously impairs functioning.

Psychosocial rehabilitation services and supports are collaborative, client directed, and individualized, and an essential element of the human services spectrum and should be evidence-based. The focus is on helping individuals develop skills and access resources needed to increase their capacity to be successful and satisfied in the living, working, learning and social environments of their choice and includes a variety of services and supports.

The Psychosocial Rehabilitation model is an approach based on:

  • Recovery
  • Community re-integration
  • Better quality of life

How can PSR (Psychosocial Rehabilitation) help?

  • Focuses on your strengths
  • Helps you set and achieve your goals
  • Helps you to develop and learn new skills
  • Improves your quality of life
  • Is based on the belief that you can be more independent
  • Promotes recovery and hope

What are the core principles and values of PSR?

  1. Recovery is the ultimate goal. Interventions must facilitate the process of recovery. Practices are person-centered; they are designed to address the unique needs of individuals, consistent with their values, hopes and aspirations. It also promotes health and wellness, encouraging individuals to develop and use individualized wellness plans.
  2. Helps and encourages people to re-establish roles in the community and reintegration into community life such as training programs, education and employment.
  3. Facilitates the development of personal support networks by using natural supports within communities, family members as defined by the individual, peer support initiatives, and self and mutual-help groups.
  4. Help support individuals in the promotion of an enhanced quality of life.
  5. All people have the capacity to learn and grow.
  6. All people will be treated with respect and dignity.
  7. Culture and/or ethnicity can play an important role in recovery. They can be sources of strength and enrichment for the person.
  8. Promotes self-determination and empowerment. All individuals have the right to make their own decisions, including decisions about the types of services and supports they receive.
  9. Interventions build on the strengths and capabilities of each person.
  10. The involvement and partnership of the individual is essential to be successful in the process.

Source: PSR Canada
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services for persons with mental illness


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Report: At least one team has offered a first rounder for Lou Williams

Update: According to ESPN’s Chris Haynes, the Charlotte Hornets are “aggressively pursuing” Lou Williams. Williams seems to be the league-favorite to be dealt.

The original story is as follows:

Despite today’s upheaval in the Los Angeles Lakers’ front office, shooting guard Lou Williams is still a likely candidate to be dealt before Thursday’s midseason trade deadline. Williams has arguably been the best bench player in the league this season, averaging a career-high 18.6 points per game in his second season in purple and gold.

New Lakers President of Basketball Operations Magic Johnson said on Spectrum Sportsnet earlier today that he was already receiving several trade calls about the sixth man of the year candidate:

It’s not too surprising that Johnson’s already fielding such requests just hours into his new job. Three playoff contenders have been linked to Williams in trade rumors: The Washington Wizards, Utah Jazz, and Indiana Pacers. All three could desperately use a reliable bench scorer of Willams’ caliber. At least one of them has offered a first-round pick in the 2017 draft for his services, per ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne:

The Pacers are also a likely destination for Williams, as Shelburne reported earlier that the team is dangling its first rounder as it desperately looks for help around superstar Paul George. Regardless of where Williams ends up, it’s still incredibly likely that he won’t still be in Los Angeles on Friday morning. As for other trades, Shelburne’s ESPN colleague Marc Stein tweeted that dealing Williams is likely the only trade the team will pursue between now and Thursday’s deadline:

Whenever a deal does get done, it’s not unfair to wonder if Lakers owner Jeanie Buss chose to hire Magic now as opposed to after the deadline so the Lakers legend can get his feet wet as an NBA executive by seeing through one of the most trade scenarios in the league to its conclusion.

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Beautiful Lake Viking ...630 acres of water located in Northwest Missouri

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Monthly Archives: September 2012

Ann Arbor Vegan Dining at Jazzie Veggie

Ann Arbor Food

Mum Season: It is officially Fall

Keeping with my Vegan theme for the week, I attended my second Vegan Meetup event in Ann Arbor. It was at Jazzie Veggy on Main Street.

They do a lot of “faux meat items,” which are big hits with the Vegan set. There was “chicken” nuggets, soy sausage, “meat balls” with spaghetti, and more. I am looking to transition out of eating gluten, which means that most of the faux meat is off the menu.

They offered some fun apps of sweet potato fries and Plantain Chips.

We had the Krab cakes, very tasty, the veggie enchiladas and carrot cake.

Ann Arbor Food

Mushroom Sandwich

Ann Arbor Food

“Krab” Cakes: Very Yummy, I must have

Ann Arbor Food

Enchilada w/Spanish Rice

Ann Arbor Vegan Meetup at Zingerman’s Road House

Ann Arbor Food

Smoked Potato and Avocado Soup: Tomatillo and Avocado broth w/smoked potatoes

Today was my first day eating completely vegan. I have been looking into going Mostly Vegan for a while and when I found Ann Arbor’s vegan meetup group was hosting an all vegan meal at Zingerman’s Road House, I jumped at the chance.

The meal was great. The soup was rich and satifying. And the beans and rice were excellent, smokey and flavorful with local shiitake mushrooms.

Ann Arbor Vegan Meetup host dinners out once a month to a local restaurant.

Ann Arbor Food

Chef Alex of Zingerman’s Road House visits the Dining Room

Chef Alex came out before the meal and talk to us about the menu offerings. Many items came directly from the restaurant’s garden. You can’t beat that. I can eat like this everyday.

Alex said something that really stood out. He said that he had wanted to cook an all vegan meal for some time, but until now there was never a group large enough to do it.

Most restaurants will not go out on a lim to offer many vegan choices because the number (dinner tickets) are not there to make it worth while.

With that said, chef are a creative lot and many would jump at the chance to challenge themselves to export vegan. Showing up with 60-70 vegan dinners ready to eat might be the best strategy to get a great vegan meal from an award winning chef.

So here is what we had. (Soup or salad, choice of entree and dessert $25)

Ann Arbor Food

Pickled Watermelon Salad w/ arugula

Ann Arbor Food

Roasted Squash-Eggplant Crispy Lasagna w/ roasted tomato gravy (Entree one)

Ann Arbor Food

Quinau Pilau w/Curried Squash Slaw (Entree two)

Ann Arbor Food

Sea Island Peas and Dirty Mushroom Rice (Entree Three)

Ann Arbor Food

Chocolate Beet Cake w/Fresh Berries

Ann Arbor Project Grow Community Gardens 40th Anniversary Bash

Ann Arbor Food

Ann Arbor’s Project Grow Community Gardens caped off another season with their 40th Anniversary Bash for over 100 follow gardeners.

Like always, the p0tluck featured some great eats with lots of fresh veggies from the garden and cuisine that reflected the diversity of gardeners in our community.

Notable favorites of mine was the veggies pakora, lentils with mixed greens, my foccacia bread, dueling quinoa dishes, ginger top pickles and hot blueberry and apple crisp and more and more. And did I mention we had a whole roasted pig and crispy duck.

Thanks everyone for a great party and a great year.

Check out the pics.

Ann Arbor Food

Ann Arbor Food

Ann Arbor Food

Ann Arbor Food

Ann Arbor Food

Ann Arbor Food

Ann Arbor Food

Arthritis and Diet

Toasted Sesame Seeds

Short Grain Brown Rice and Electric Steamer

These two picture represent a radical switch in the change in my lifestyle.

Brown rice is the staple food in the Macrobiotic Diet and most on the diet like myself put toasted sesame seeds on their rice.

I talked a bit in the last few posts about going back into macrobiotics and vegan, but besides for weight loss, there is another major reason.

I have arthritis.

It is not official. I still need to see a Rheumatologist and get x-rayed or an MRI, but everything I have read suggests that I have a pretty classic cast for someone my age who also has psoriasis.

I have some on a joint on both hands, which is not too bad. But the real issue is that I now have it on the right side of the bottom of my lower back.

What does this means?

Almost over night I went from being normal functioning person (just out of shape) too not.

It is now hard to walk up stairs, walk fast, I need to be careful getting out of bed, getting up from sitting, getting out of the car and a subtle twist in motion can set it off.

And forget lifting heavy things, jogging or other activities.

It basically sucks. (Maybe I will look back and be grateful, but not today)

I feel like I became a old person over night. This all basically started a week or so ago at least on my back.

As for what to do about it, I am taking glucosamine/chondroitin, which is the standard go to supplement for arthritis and I am also taking fish oil.

The big change is a switch in diet, which is anti-inflammatory like macro/vegan.

This is all in the try and see phase because no one really knows what to do. I a still waiting for a treatment for psoriasis that won’t destroy my immune system in the process (and not even work).

As for medical science, besides for a handful of meds with major side effects (I cannot even take advil because of a reaction and hydrocortisone, which cause sblotting…also bad because it can create edema) I am basically on my own.

This is about the time Dr. House is suppose to come in with his miracle cure after misdiagnosing me at least three other times. He will give me some meds, a shot or IV drip to make me all better.

But that is TV and this is real life.

With that said, there are a bunch of books on arthritis with diet, supplements and exercise with some folks (on amazon book review) stating positive results.

At least that is something.

In the mean time a macro/vegan diet (with some fish) is the course of action.

No matter what, losing the 80-90 pounds I need to will help out my back (I hope) and I need to do this no matter what.

Mostly Food Communities

I have recently ventured back into my old food stomping grounds of Macrobiotic and Vegan toward being healthier. (See recent post)

Looking back, I started thinking about why I got off the Macro program.

In a previous post, I mention that the Macrobiotic diet was too strict. This was not just strict rules of the food do’s and don’t list.

It was also the strict people on the program.

I recall when I left the Kushi Institute to moved to Ann Arbor. I was teaching Macrobiotic cooking classes at Whole Foods and I had a fan.

This woman came to everyone of my classes, asked tons of questions and approached me during breaks and while I was packing up to talk shop.

Then during my dessert class, I used fruit juice to make a vegan cantan (jello) that was sweetened with agave nectar. Macrobiotics are strict about their sweeteners and agave was not on the list.

She called me on it and that was that. During the class break she left and never returned to another one of my classes.

I had broken the strict rules of Macro and I guess in her eyes I was no longer a part of the tribe.

And this is not an isolated experience. I felt judged and like an outcast for not being a perfect macro eater on many occasions from the community.

I suppose this is common. Vegans may do the same thing if they outed me eating a cheese burger.

The thing is we need community.

When you start a new healthy lifestyle, it is easy to feel like an orphan.

Everyone else is eating pizza and steak and we are the weirdos in the corner eating brown rice and spouts.

Of course, we figure that we will eventually find other people from a smaller tribe of folks who eat and think our new way, but imagine that this new tribe is a tough room with strict rules.

We already broke ties with the majority of folks with our new healthy lifestyle. But say if we also feel left out of the small tribe?

That is how me and Emily felt. Although we embraced the Macro diet (for a time), we had a hard time with the strict people.

I also felt this way when I was on Weight Watchers. The community is more flexible, but week after week, from the lectures, I got the message that the folks who strictly followed the program were where it was at. The rewards were from following the program and the shame/failure was from not.

For me Food is more than nutrition. It is about community and being social.

Food is about life.

This brings me to my “Mostly” Food Community idea.

While I probably could not pass for a Strict Macro or Vegan today , there are many things I have in common with these community, but if they are all-or-nothing then I am shut out (or faking in order to fit in).

So I propose the idea of Mostly Food Communities. These are folks like myself who for the most part follow many of the practices of a food community, but are a little more flexible.

They can bring a vegan/macro dish to a vegan/macro potluck and share food and community, but they are not all-or-nothing folks.

A good example of this is my community garden pot lucks. We have meat eaters, vegetarians and vegans, not to mention all sort of folks with various food allergies and personal food rules.

For the most part the offerings are vegetarian with many vegan items. If you want great veggie dishes good to a community garden potluck.

I tend to bring a vegan dish, but their will always be the guy who brings pork ribs or chicken wings. The difference with my community garden potlucks is that no one walks out in a huff because someone broke their food community rule. They simple don’t eat the wings and opt to hit up the vegan tabouli salad and grilled tofu.

The potluck is a mixed food community with tendency to vegetarian.

As for going to a Strict Food Community event, I would comply with the food rules. I mean, I don’t want to be the guy who brought the pork ribs at a kosher potluck.

With that said, I am going to my first social vegan restaurant dinner on Tuesday with a large vegan community.

I plan to eat an all vegan meal for the event, but if asked I will say that I am mostly macrobiotic/vegan.

Macrobiotic Redux

Ann Arbor Food

Tilapia with ginger orange and soy, steamed rice and miso/chili cabbage with red pepper

A few years back, I used to eat a Macrobiotic diet. The diet consisted of a lot of brown rice, veggies, beans and occasional fish.

At the time I was on the diet, I was very over weight and unhealthy and I turned to the program for health and weight loss. And it worked. In about a year, I had lost 90 pounds.

I was healthier and felt great.

Now, I find myself in pretty much where I was back then. I am 80-90 pounds over weight again. My bad habits kicked in over the years, but the Macrobiotic program in retrospect seemed too strict, which caused me to rebel against it.

But looking back now, I might have thrown out the baby with the bath water as the saying goes,

Instead of adding some items to a strict macro diet, I gave it all up. There were a lot of things that actually work, some that didn’t, but as a based diet it worked.

Macrobiotic introduced me to brown rice, sea vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, the use of miso, and dark leafy green veggies like kale and collards. It also got me into radishes, turnips and winter squash.

And macro introduced me to beans and fermented food like quick pickles.

I also learned about macro desserts, which using rice syrup, barley malt and maple for sweeteners instead of crystal sugar. They also use fresh and dried fruits and whole wheat flour or rice for sweet puddings.

With that said, the  version of the Macrobiotic diet I followed did not allow:

Meat, dairy, Eggs
Spices (including black pepper)
Garlic, Ginger
Very limited use of oil in cooking (non preferred)
Most herbs (except parsley)
Raw Food (no salad, or raw fruit)
Limited baked good, limited use of baking for cooking
No nightshade veggies (eggplant, tomato, potato, and peppers)
No spinach or chard
No chocolate
No tropical food (coconut, fruits)
No Coffee
No fried food (limited)

Fish was allow, but limited (non preferred)
Nut butters were allow (to be avoided or limited)

For those not familiar with macro who are looking at the No list, you might ask, “What the heck can you eat.”

My new approach to Macro is a hybrid. I plan to use the items on the No List, while keeping to the foundation of the Macrobiotic Diet of brown rice, veggie and bean based meals.

The meal above represents my new take.

It has the macro brown rice staple and includes a veggie dish with steamed fish. But I include a little oil in the rice, ginger with the fish, and red peppers and chili sauce with the vegetable. And for good measure, I have a (raw) orange with the meal.

The meal was tasty and uber healthy.

I can’t help but think if I allow myself a little more leeway with macro and ate meals like this one, I would not have gained back the weight.


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Celebrating the cottage garden in pictures

Sorry lovely readers, this photo collage, as you will have probably guessed was originally meant to go with the previous post. Oh the joys of techical hitches!

Enjoy! I will be out working in the garden soon planting the sage plant given to me by my dad yesterday and weeding. I also have gorgeous yellow and apricot lillies to plant in a border. As I love to do yoga stretches in my garden I am planning a serenity area. Any ideas for planting or water features are most welcome! 🙂

Celebrating our first summer

At Brown Hare cottage garden we are celebrating our first year. Last year we worked very hard getting rid of brambles and weeds. We grew flowers from seeds, planted many gifted plants and planned and created borders and a new cutting garden. As we have our bordder collies we have their interests at heart too, so there are areas they can explore. There is also a fenced vegetable garden with raised beds. Currently we have blackberry bushes, raspberry and currant bushes as well as tomatoes and courgettes.

Artful country foraging

At last summer’s here and since the month of June I have enjoyed foraging for Elderflower heads, then this month for cherries. I have my eyes peeled for the ripening rosehips, the wild plums, elderberries, blackberries of course and hazel, cobs, sweet chestnuts and if I’m lucky I’ll get a small harvest of green walnuts. I’ll add my garden herbs to nuts to make pesto and make cordials, cakes and coulis with my fruit harvest.

So far I’ve made wonderful Elderflower cordial, which is delicious poured over ice with water, amazing drizzled over strawberries as an alternative to dairy options and sublime with a measure of dry gin, natural tonic water and ice.

Note, I used the Belvoir bottle but my cordial is not as sweet, it has a hint of rose water and is gently refreshing.

Elderflower cordial

2.5 litres cold water

500g sugar

4 unwaxed lemons

20 or so freshly gathered healthy elderflower heads

2 tablespoons of rose water (optional)

50 grams citric acid( from chemists or jam making shelf)

1 Campden tablet (from brewing shops or ddepartments)

You will need a very large saucepan, a bucket with a lid, a washing up bowl, wooden spoon, a clean tea towel, two litre bottles with lids and a half litre bottle and a lemon zester.

1. Put sugar and water Iinto the pan and gently heat without boiling until the sugar has dissolved. Sir now and again.

2. Pare the zest from the lemons then slice the lemons Iinto rounds.

3. Add the rose water, stir then bring the syrup to boil, then turn off the heat.

4. Fill the washing up bowl with cold water and gently give the heads a clean. Discard any dried up looking flowers.

5. Shake off the water.

6. Put the cooled syrup into the bucket or tub and add the elderflowers, sliced lemons, citric acid and the crushed campden tablet as well as the lemon zest.

7. Stir put the lid on and leave for at least 24 hours. I left mine for 3 days stirring occasionally.

8. Line a colander with a clean teatowel and sit over a large bowl or pan.

9. Let the syrup drip through slowly, enjoying the aroma.

10. Discard the bits in the towel.

11. Using a small funnel pour your cordial into clean sterilised bottles.

12. Put in the fridge.

13. Will keep for a few weeks. Enjoy!


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Top Safety Tips For Cooking With Children

I believe part of the reason my daughter is such a non-fussy eater is because I try to include her in the cooking process as much as possible.  The other part of the reason is probably that she takes after me and just loves all types of food!!  Here is a lovely guest-poster who has some brilliant tips for cooking with children:

Cooking with your kids is not only messy and fun, but it is a great way to set them up for the future and ensure they have good eating habits.

I always try to get my kids involved when I get the chance, as they love mixing the dough, chopping the vegetables and stirring the sauces.

Yet if I have learnt one thing over the years safety really does matter when kids are involved. That is why I have come up with the following safety tips so you and you kids can whip up biscuit recipes safely, and still have fun.

  1. Are your hands clean? It is important that you all wash your hands before you begin handling food and cooking to prevent the transferral of germs. Similarly whenever any of you cough, sneeze or go to the bathroom, you need to wash your hands again.
  2. Choose your recipes wisely – it can be hard to judge what recipe is right for your kids, especially when they are so curious about cooking generally, but don’t give them too much too soon.
    Instead judge their tasks based on their age and ability. For instance toddlers will have tonnes of fun simply decorating the top of chocolate chip cookies, whilst older kids will easily be able to follow recipes, measure ingredients and mix them themselves.
  3. Be organised – get out all the ingredients and tools you need in advance so your kids can begin cooking straight away. Just remember to take over using knifes or turning on the oven if they are young to prevent accidents.
  4. Show them what to do – eventually your kids will get to the age where they want to cut things themselves. To prevent them cutting themselves or their fingers, first show them how to do it properly, get them to practice and always ensure that you are there to supervise.
  5. Supervise – even the most innocent of objects can be dangerous in the wrong hands, so make sure you supervise them closely and offer to help where needed to keep them safe.
  6. Don’t be tempted to sample – whilst we are constantly reassured that eggs have been processed to protect you from salmonella, I strongly recommend never letting your kids try uncooked foods, especially those with egg in them, to protect them from poisoning. Instead allow them to sample the finishing touches of your biscuit recipe endeavours…

Cooking with your kids can lead to countless hours of fun. Just remember to keep the above points in mind and you too can offer your kids a fun and safe cooking environment.

I’m Keli and I love cooking with my kids. I prefer the healthy option of making my own food but when I want to spoil my family I like the easy option of ordering from an online bakery.

‘5 a day’ burger

If your children (or grown ups!) are not keen on vegetables  – or even if they are – this is a winner of a recipe.

The burgers taste a little like falafels, which A and my husband love – so you could even adapt the recipe and make them in ball shapes as well as burger shapes.  A very versatile set of ingredients!

To me, when I see  the vegetables cooking in the pan (see pic below), I feel a bit sad that they’re going to be blended up and lose their vegetable-good-looks, but their delicious flavours are all still there, just mixed with other yummy ingredients.

This is based on a recipe from BBC Good Food website, here are the ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil

2 leeks, sliced

200g mushrooms, sliced

2 large carrots, peeled and coarsely grated

1 tbsp cajun spices (or any spices you particularly like)

1 tbsp soy sauce

300g can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

200g (about 4 slices) granary bread, torn into pieces

burger buns, lettuce, tomato and other burger favourites

1) Heat 1 tbsp oil in shallow saucepan/large frying pan on medium heat.

2) Tip in all vegetables, seasoning and soy sauce.  Cook, stirring occasionally for 10 mins until soft.

3) Tip into food processor with the kidney beans and bread, season, and blend to a thick paste.

4) With wet hands (otherwise you get sooooo sticky!), mould the mixture into burgers approx. 1.5cm (half an inch) thick and 6cm (2 inches).  If  you’re not cooking them straight away or have too many (as I always do!), they will keep in the fridge for 2 days or in the freezer stacked between greaseproof paper for 2 months.

5) To cook, heat oil in a frying pan and fry for 2-3 mins on each side until crispy.

The photo really doesn’t do them justice, but as I’m not a photographer for any well known burger selling establishments, I think I can get away with it.

I currently have a stack of these sitting in the freezer waiting for a day where I haven’t had time to prepare a meal from scratch, or just a lazy day!

They go well with potato wedges and taste great with some sweet chilli sauce on the burger.  This is one of the few meals A will eat every last morsel of and then try to finish off ours too if we’re not quick enough!

Let him eat cake!

As I follow my 2012 mission to bake for all my family and friends (within reason) for every occasion, I couldn’t miss out on making a treat for my lovely husband to celebrate Valentine’s Day.

To make a change from the round sponge cakes I’ve made so far (1 coffee and 2 chocolate so far), I bought some heart shaped silicone moulds to create these beauties:

I forgot to add baking powder (that’ll teach me to read the recipe rather than think I can remember it by heart – sorry about the pun!), but I was pleased I did forget as the cakes rose so much I had to flatten the top one down with the tin lid over night to make it practical to be iced!  The cakes were a little more dense than usual with the lack of baking powder but still a delicious texture and flavour (according to my husband).

I iced it with butter icing in the middle and on top – then added some ferrero rocher as they’re his favourites!

Here is the finished article:

and here is the recipe from Mary Berry’s Baking Bible:

Cake ingredients

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

3 tablespoons boiling water

225g softened butter

225g caster sugar

4 large eggs

225g self-raising flour

(2 level teaspoons baking powder)

Filling and topping

50g softened butter

175g icing sugar

1 tablespoon milk

(ferrero rocher x 4!)

1) Pre-heat oven to 180°, grease 2 x 20cm (8in) sandwich tins / heart shaped tins, line the base with greaseproof paper (if you use silicone moulds you don’t need greaseproof paper).

2) Blend cocoa and water together in a cup.  Leave to cool slightly.  Measure all remaining ingredients into a separate bowl, then add blended cocoa/water mixture and beat until thoroughly blended (I use an electric hand-held whisk to make it more light and fluffy).  Divide the mixture evenly between the tins and level out.

3) Bake in pre-heated oven for about 25 mins or until well risen and the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly pressed.  Leave to cool in the tins a while, then place onto wire rack to finish cooling.

4) To make butter cream filling and topping, blend together the butter, icing sugar and milk until smooth.  When cakes are completely cold, use half the butter cream to sandwich the cakes together, then spread the remaining butter cream on top and decorate as you wish.

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A few words about me …

Hello, I’m Leanne.  I’m married with a beautiful 20 month old daughter.  I work 2 days a week and during the rest of the week I enjoy cooking, baking, stewing, steaming … any kind of ‘food-ing’ to be honest!

I wanted to create a space where I could make a note of the best recipes I’ve used, put photos of any particularly aesthetically pleasing creations and inspire other mums or anyone needing ideas for good, healthy, fresh meals or cakes (the cakes may not be so healthy mind you!).

When my husband and I both worked full time we just prepared whatever food we could be bothered to make when we got home from work and only made fresh, made-from-scratch meals when we had friends or family over or at weekends.  This has all changed since having a little daughter to feed – making sure she has all the nutrients she needs to grow up strong and healthy is very important to me and my husband.

As well as nourishing my daughter, there are other reasons I have started enjoying preparing food more and more at this stage of my life …

Being at home 3 days a week I am sure I am not alone in feeling I want to show my husband how much I appreciate him going to work all week so I can be at home with A, so I love preparing fresh, tasty dishes I know he’ll love to tuck into when he gets home from work.  I get a real sense of satisfaction when he raves about what I’ve cooked for him!  This makes me want to make more and more different dishes for him.

I also love baking cakes for friends’ and relatives’ birthdays.  Last year I made several cakes for people’s birthdays – the main one being a fairy toadstool cake for my daughter’s first birthday.  My mum used to make brilliant birthday cakes for me as a child and I really appreciated the effort she went to, so I want to do the same for my daughter.  I’m not too good at decorating yet but hope to get better as time goes on!  This year I have decided to make a cake for all my close family and friends (well, those we’ll see around their birthdays anyway – don’t think Royal Mail can be trusted with posting a cake!).

The food I cook is not usually of my own creation I have to admit.  I use recipes from the various celebrity chef books we’ve collected over the years or from online recipe websites or television programmes.  So whenever I’ve used other people’s recipes I’ll be sure to quote the book/website/tv show used.

I hope people find this blog useful and please let me know if you try any of the recipes – and post photos too! :o)

I would also really like to get any new recipes, so please let me know any great ideas of recipes you have tried and have worked well (bearing in mind I’m allergic to cheese and chocolate – yes I know, awful things to be allergic to!).

Right, I’m off to make some veggie burgers and potato wedges for dinner, one of my husband and daughter’s favourite meals!


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Mother’s Day Cupcakes

As I continue my 2012 mission of baking cakes for all my close family and friend’s birthdays, baby showers, special events, etc. I mustn’t forget my lovely mum and lovely mum-in-law for Mother’s Day tomorrow.

I seem to be making a lot of cupcakes lately, I just love decorating them and practising my piping skills!  So I’ve made two very different types of cupcake to cater for each mum’s taste.

As we were seeing my husband’s mum today, I made her cupcakes first.  I used a Mary Berry recipe, but adapted it to put chocolate chips in the cake mix and used dairy free spread instead of butter and soya milk.

100g softened butter

150g self raising flour

150g caster sugar

3 tablespoons milk

2 large eggs

half tsp vanilla extract

2 handfuls of milk chocolate chips

For the icing:

100g softened butter

200g sifted icing sugar

25g cocoa powder

chocolate chips/other swirls etc to decorate

1) Pre-heat oven to 180°C.  Put muffin cases into a 12 hole muffin tin.

2) Measure all cupcake ingredients into large bowl and beat until blended and smooth.  Spoon evenly between paper cases.

3) Bake in pre-heated oven for 20-25 mins.  Make sure completely cold before icing.

4) For butter icing, beat together all ingredients for thick, creamy icing.  Pipe or smooth over cupcakes and add decorations.

Here are my finished articles!

The chocolate chips made the cake really indulgent with all the chocolate butter icing too – just what my mother-in-law loves!

I used the free cake stand you get with this lovely new magazine – I wish I could afford to subscribe to receive this each week but will just stick to buying it once a month or so!

The next cakes I made today are ready for my mum tomorrow.  They are apple crumble cupcakes.  I saw this recipe on a friend’s blog and thought they looked delicious.  My mum loves apple crumble so I thought these would be perfect.

You can find a brilliant step by step guide of how to make this on my friend’s blog here which I found really clear and easy to follow.  I used non-dairy butter and milk, and had to add a bit more flour to the crumble topping due to the slightly wetter consistency of sunflower spread.

Here they are:

They’re so delicious with the fruity texture inside and the crumble topping.

It’s a bit unfair that I won’t be getting cakes made for me on Mother’s Day (unless my 22 month old daughter suddenly becomes a baking prodigy!) but I’ve already eaten one of each kind I made – just to check they tasted ok, so that will have to do!


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Final Fantasy: A New World Concert Recap

Some of my favorite games growing up were in part due to the music that accompanied them. It wasn’t full blown orchestrated soundtracks like it is today but carefully crafted tracks that pushed the console hardware to its limits. My absolute favorite? Final Fantasy IV. When I found out that the concert series, A New World, a spinoff of the much larger Final Fantasy Distant Worlds concert series was coming to Phoenix, I jumped at the chance to see it.

The show was held at the Crescent Ballroom in downtown Phoenix. It was my first time at the venue and it was a cool little place as it doubles as a bar and then a small concert hall in the back of the building. The first show of the night was 8pm, which was a sold out show. I elected to go the second show at 10 which wasn’t as crowded.

Before I move on to the music, I feel I need to explain my position on the Final Fantasy series. I have a theory that people who play the games fall into categories: gamers who enjoy 1-9 and the gamers who enjoy 10-current. I fall into the first category, not even having played 10 or 11, getting a few hours into 12, and owning 13 but it’s still sealed BUT I enjoy the hell out of the earlier games. With that said, that’s the music I’m familiar with and was looking forward to hearing performed live.

Right out of the gate, they hit me with a track from Final Fantasy IV which was great but it was the only track from the game played all night. They atleast played a track from every game in the main series which was nice. It was varied mix of the type of music played but the highlight of the night was the piano player. He had a few solo performances, including a piece from Final Fantasy VII that the audience  went nuts for. He was really talented and the audience ended each of his performances with a loud ovation.

The show last just over an hour but it was an entertaining show that everyone was really into. It was a little pricey, just under $50 but I was glad to be able to experience it.

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weekly menu {may 9 – 13}

meal planning menus .JPG

this week is a little easier to pull together. because, man, i really needed some simple dinners – we’ve been so busy lately. if your week is anything like mine, you’ll appreciate some simple options for creating some great dinners!

soy-glazed chicken and fried rice makes for a simple yet tasty dinner. one of those that seem like they took more time than they did. and you can cook other meat the same as you do in this chicken recipe.

gnocchi caprese is a fantastic meat-free dinner. the fresh mozzarella is a lovely surprise – but i actually done include it for the kids. they don’t understand (or appreciate) how stringy it is. just ends up a major distraction you have to pull out in the end. but you can’t go wrong with some garlic bread!!

quesadilla, corn-on-the-cob & fruit salad is summer on a plate (even though it’s just spring). we have found some early season corn on the cob, and my kids just adore it. it’s perfect for their lunch boxes the next day as well. personally, i like a pan fried (over low heat) quesadilla, but oven works well too. just want some melty cheese!

italian sausage with onions, peppers & rice is a go-to for us when we don’t have much planned. i like to keep ingredients for these in the fridge just in case – suuuper easy to whip up when we get home late for any of several reasons. sautee all of it up, and that’s all you need to do. save this one for the afternoon/evening when everything goes wrong.

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The speech of Daniel O'Connell, Esq. M.P. at a public dinner at Newcastle-on-Tyne on ... September 14, 1835

Main Author: O'Connell, Daniel, 1775-1847.
Corporate Author: Making of the Modern World
Format: Online Book
Published: London : J. Limbird, 1835
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Reply to the speech of the Archbishop of Dublin delivered in the House of Lords, on Friday, March 26th, 1847 : and the protest, signed R. Dublin, Monteagle, Radnor, Mountcashel, against the poor relief (Ireland) bill /

Main Author: Scrope, George Poulett, 1797-1876.
Corporate Author: Making of the Modern World
Other Authors: Whately, Richard, 1787-1863.
Format: Online Book
Published: London : J. Ridgway, 1847.
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A Reply to the African Companies answer to the objections against the bill for settling the trade to Africa wherein the errors and mistakes of the company are detected and laid open.

Corporate Author: Making of the Modern World
Format: Online Book
Published: [S.l. : s.n., 1698?]
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An Ease for ouerseers of the poore abstracted from the statutes, allowed by practise, and now reduced into forme as a necessarie directorie for imploying, releeuing, and ordering of the poore : with an easie and readie table for recording the number, names, ages, exercises and defects of the poore ... also hereunto is annexed a prospect for rich men to induce them to giue, and a patterne for poore men to prouoke them to labour ...

Corporate Author: Making of the Modern World
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Published: [Cambridge] : Printed by Iohn Legat, printer to the Vniuersitie of Cambridge, 1601.
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England described, or the several counties & shires thereof briefly handled some things also premised to set forth the glory of this nation /

Main Author: Leigh, Edward, 1602-1671.
Corporate Author: Making of the Modern World
Other Authors: Camden, William, 1551-1623.
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Published: London : Printed by A.M. for Henry Marsh ..., 1659.
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Poems, original and translated

Main Author: Dabney, Richard.
Corporate Author: Sabin Americana, 1500-1926
Format: Online Book
Published: Philadelphia : Published by M. Carey, no. 121, Chestnut Street, 1815.
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Blog Archives

The Antidote for Fear is FAITH! { Special Guest Post from Debbie Yoerg on Psalms 27-28 }

So glad Debbie Yoerg is back with us today!  If you’re in the Tampa Bay area, she is hosting a women’s conference NEXT Saturday, January 24th from 9am-4:30pm at the Verizon Events Center in New Port Richey.  You definitely don’t want to miss it!  You can find more info on her Facebook page here and a link to order your tickets to the conference!

{ Special Guest Post – Debbie Yoerg – Psalms 27-28 }

Psalm 27:

The Lord is my light and my salvation

antidote for fear

One of my favorite Psalms is 27 and falls on the day that I am sharing with all of you. Every word of this Psalm is highlighted in yellow and has been meaningful for me to reflect back to over the years. I pray these insights bless you!

❤ Verse 1-3- I am reminded that because the Lord is the light of my salvation I have nothing and no one to fear! The antidote for fear is faith… He is our help in the moment and our hope as we move forward in Him. He is our strength! It is by trusting the Lord that we can face our enemies and conquer our fear. We are safe in His covering. ❤

❤ Verse 4-9- Do you desperately want to be in the presence of the Lord? I know I do! My heart cries to be in His presence; to seek His face, and to trust His protective covering over me. As I snuggle close to Him I find He does lift my head and holds my face in His hands. I can envision that as He tells me He loves me. My friend, He is the place to run to, He is your hiding place, He is your source of strength. He wants to reveal Himself to you. He is faithful as you draw close to Him. I pray you feel His presence and rejoice in knowing His unconditional love for you as you soak up His peace in the midst of circumstances.

❤ Verse 10-12- To be forsaken by a parent is so sad.  The scripture tells us that the Lord can heal the pain that lingers throughout the years. The Lord can take that place in our lives that have been wounded and draw us close to Him. He can fill the voids and heal hearts. If we receive His healing and let Him guide our steps, He will set our feet on His path for our lives as we seek His face. He is the Father to the fatherless and has adopted us as His sons and daughters! What the enemy meant for evil the Lord will use for good if we let Him.

❤ Verse 13-14- Despite the trials that David was going through, he chose to be confident that the Lord was present and helping him through his trial. David also learned to wait for the Lord and in His timing. Praise the Lord through your circumstances, trust that He has you in the palm of His hand protecting you and in His timing will pull you through and bless you for waiting on Him. I pray you grab a hold of this promise He is giving you and boldly trust Him in the midst of your trial! God is faithful!

Psalm 28:

Heart of worship is prayer

This Psalm teaches us that prayer is so essential to our relationship with Jesus. It is our heart communicating with the Lord, who is your very best friend and true source of strength. Prayer is a lifestyle and our worship to the Lord!

❤ Verse 1-2- I know I am not alone when I say I understand David’s cry to be heard by the Lord. It is a place of total surrender for me to pour out my heart and to hear the Lord’s still small voice as I draw close to the Lord in prayer. I know that is your heart’s cry, too! Please rest in knowing that He does hear you… You matter so much to Him!

❤ Verse 3-5- I feel for David as he is learning about friendships and how some are hurtful. The Lord has revealed this to me in my own life. I have found that some friendships have been wolves in sheep’s clothing; deceived by their friendship of their true agenda. The Lord has taught me much in this area and I thank Him for His wisdom and discernment to reveal those things in the spirit what I couldn’t see in the flesh. As the Lord teaches you to set boundaries, release these people to the Lord, pray blessings over them, and let go.

❤ Verse 6-9- Be encouraged, my friend, that the Lord does hear your cries and the desires of your heart. Give Him thanks in ALL circumstances! He is protecting you and strengthening you to take you deeper and to new levels of intimacy with Him. Grab a hold of Him, hold on tight and watch what the Lord will do as He continues to bring you into your position in His Kingdom.

Father, I thank you for Your promises to us! I pray your people grasp how much you love them and that their strength is ONLY found in You. You are their hiding place! You raise them up in the midst of enemies and trials! You may be silent at times but You are working things out on their behalf. Help your people to wait on You and in the waiting to be content and at peace. You hear their cries and hold them close! Help them to see what they cannot see in the flesh. I pray for wisdom and discernment as you reveal things to them. Thank you, Lord!! Pour out Your love over your people and I pray their hearts are filled with Your Holy Spirit as they bask in Your presence and the joy of their salvation. In Jesus Name I pray… Amen ❤

“The antidote for fear is faith.”  I absolutely LOVE this.  Partially because in my own life, I have been stepping way out of my comfort zone.  Like, waaaay out.  One thing I’ve learned is that God steadies our steps when they’re taken in faith.  Faith > fear.

God likes to stretch us from where our fear holds us captive to where He knows we will walk by faith and freedom. He’s a pretty smart guy.  😉

We’d love to hear what spoke to you in your quiet time today!  Start the conversation below or here on my Facebook page!

Live Life Unscripted,

❤ Brittany

Special Guest Loretta Yopp! Psalms 7-8!

I’m a day late posting this one.  Sundays are hectic for us, I apologize!  It’s always current here on my Facebook page if you want to follow along there!

I’d like to introduce to you a special friend of mine.  Loretta Yopp and her husband have faithfully loved and fostered children for years, and boy does she love the Lord!  We connected several years ago when my husband and I were the youth pastors at Rocky Mount Church of God.  I know you’ll be blessed today by her encouragement!  You can find her new blog here at

—————  Loretta Yopp – Psalm 7-8 ——————–

As I think about Psalms 7 and 8… I can’t help but think how relevant that this is to God’s children this day and time. So let’s dig in to the scripture with stating off with a simple question… Have you ever been falsely accused or badly hurt and wanted revenge?

Psalm 7
 ❤ Verses 1-6  We find that David is being tested. David is being falsely accused of something that he did not do. Yet we find that David truly shows why he is considered a man after God’s own heart. Instead of looking for revenge David cried out to God for justice. He prayed instead of retaliating. So many times we try to fight people or battles within ourselves and we make it worse when God simply says “Be still and know that he is God!” How many times do we open mouth and insert foot! (For me this is often the case) Take time to read Romans 12:19 and II Chronicles 20:17 if you are in a battle.

overcome and rewards

❤ Verses 7-13  We see that David truly understands that God is the ultimate Judge. We understand that God sees everything and there’s nothing hidden from God. God sees the heart of man and our motives and thoughts are an open book to him. We all struggle with weaknesses but if we truly follow him God he will help us overcome our weaknesses and reward our efforts.

❤ Verses 14-16  When we hold our peace and allow God to fight the battle that rages against us, evil will eventually destroy itself. But sometimes in the cross fire we do get hurt. And sometimes we don’t understand why, but I’ve come to realize that those battle scars are reminders that we overcame the battle. We may have been crushed, been broken and been knocked down but we are still standing strong. We are Victorious and an OVERCOMER!

hold our peace

❤ Verse 17 David gives us a true lesson that even in the battle we have reason to Praise the Lord… Yes, no matter how hard the battle gets don’t ever let the enemy steal your praise!!

Psalm 8

❤ Verse 1 ” O Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth who hast set thy glory above the heavens!” My friend there is NO other name in heaven or on earth that is strong enough to Save, Deliver, set the captives free, heal, calm the raging storm, but yet gentle enough that can still a baby’s cry or mend a broken heart… David knew that there was something about the name of Jesus…

Verses<3 3-4 Who is this man, that we his children our on His mind… How could this man called Jesus care about me? That He would come and comfort me and talk to me… The very Creator of the heavens and earth, the very work of His hands! How amazing that is to me, just to think that I am a child of the King. He loves me and you that if we find time to be still He will come to us and speak to our hearts! The Master Designer has placed His very fingerprint on us…

Praise Him today for He inhabits the Praises of His people!!

Thank you so much, Loretta for sharing with us today! I love how you said, “He helps us to overcome our weaknesses and rewards our efforts.” He understands our humanity and He rewards our efforts, big and small, for the kingdom of God!

David got to see such a beautiful side of God. He was sheltered and protected in the midst of such treacherous storms in his life. I encourage you to read Psalms 91 today if you’re going through a storm in your own life.

God will rescue you from the hands of your enemies. He will provide. He will make a way where there seems to be no way. The doctor doesn’t have the final say. The bank doesn’t get the final word.  God is Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end.

Even when the thick, heavy rain clouds are wildly blowing in around you, God will come in and watch over His babies. There’s such comfort in that, my friend. ❤

It’s time to chime in! We’d love to hear your thoughts on Psalm 7-8! Are you in a storm yourself? We would love to pray with you!

Live Life Unscripted,

❤ Brittany

God has a pretty sweet view from up there. Psalms 9-10 <3

What an exciting week!  It’s such a joy to have to many incredible women of God sharing their hearts on these chapters in the book of Psalms.

I pray you are as fired up about this new year as I am!  Let’s commit to letting our roots anchor deep in the Word of God in 2015!

Ready to dig in on this Marvelous Monday?

Chapter Nine:

❤ Vs. 1, 11, 14: Praise is one of our greatest weapons in times of trouble. It feels normal to praise Him when the battle is over, but we should praise our way through the storm too! Number one, it confuses the enemy! In biblical times, the worshipers went before the army. They ushered in the presence of the Lord before they raised their swords to battle. They understood the importance of praising their way into battle. Praise brings glory to God and hope to the hurting!

❤ Vs. 4, 9-10: God is our refuge and our safe place. When we are living for Him, we are being upheld by His grace. Our plans will flourish when they’re firmly rooted in His will. He’s never going to leave us. He’s never going to turn His back on us.

❤ Vs. 15, 20: We are nothing without God. Mere mice in a cage full of hungry lions. Yet many times we butter ourselves up and run into the cage. When we try to take God out of the equation, things simply don’t add up. We have removed all hope and are asking to fail. We are removing His hand of protection and are asking for trouble.

Chapter Ten:

false hope

❤ Vs. 3-6: When we have it all, it’s hard to feel the “need” for God. Things are going great, money is flowing freely, health is picture perfect.. We’re comfy in our kingdom of false hope. Be very careful when things are going well. It very well could be a carefully thought out trap from the enemy. And it can all be taken away in the blink of an eye.

❤ Vs. 11-14: God sees all, knows all. The good, the bad and the oh so ugly. He sees the the tears that saturate your pillowcase, the way your face lights up when your kids throw their arms around your neck, and the moments we have carefully kept from everyone else. Nothing escapes His sight. He’s got a pretty sweet view from up there. That can be so comforting or completely terrifying, depending on where you find yourself today. As long as you woke up with a pulse this morning, it’s not too late to put your trust in God. There is nothing more freeing than surrendering your life to Christ!

What jumped off the pages at you in Psalms 9-10 today?  I’d love to hear from you!  Jump in the discussion below of here on my facebook page!

Live Life Unscripted,

❤ Brittany

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Smoker Cooking

One of my family’s favorite “new” traditions is cooking with our smoker. We have a Bradley smoker, and absolutely love it. It is so nice because you can load it up with bisquettes, put your meat in, and monitor the temperatures from a distance. My husband recently received an iGrill2 thermometer for a gift, and loves it! It monitors the food’s progress and sends the data wirelessly to an application on his phone.

One of my personal favorites cooked in the smoker is hamburgers. It may sound weird, but they are absolutely delicious. You have to be patient and plan ahead though because they take longer than the normal grilled burger. To start, form and season your patties as you always would. We like seasoning salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and onion powder. Or sometimes we use one of Weber’s hamburger seasonings. Place the burger patties in the smoker for approximately 45 minutes. Then remove them and throw them on the grill for a minute or two, or just long enough to melt your favorite cheese on top (we like cheddar). Top these smoked cheeseburgers with some grilled onions, avocado, barbeque sauce and bacon for the ultimate experience.

We also love to smoke a large chunk of meat when we have family and friends over. You can use any cut of meat, really. We like to use beef brisket or pork shoulder. You can also use a leaner meat if you prefer, but we’ve found that the flavor isn’t as good. To begin, you’ll need to season the meat. As I’ve mentioned previously, we love to use a generous amount of coffee rub. You can use this rub on either pork or beef.

Once the meat is prepared, it’s best to bring it to room temperature before placing in the smoker. This helps to ensure that the temperature in the smoker doesn’t drop too drastically when you place the meat inside for cooking. Once you’re ready, put the meat in the smoker and cook with smoke for at least 5 hours. After this period, you may turn the smoke off, but it is likely that the meat will still need to cook. After you turn the smoke off, it would be a good time to wrap in foil to ensure it doesn’t dry out. You’ll need to cook for at least 10-12 hours total, if not longer. You’ll know when it’s done because it will pull easily when a fork is inserted.

IMG_1172After the meat is cooked, remove it from the smoker and begin pulling with two forks or whatever utensils you have around. Toss with some barbeque sauce (we love Dinosaur Bar-B-Que, but it isn’t available locally). Serve on a roll with some German Potato Salad on the side. We love filling our family and friends’ bellies with this yummy meal! Have you ever tried anything smoked that you would have never thought of, but it turned out to be delicious? I’d love to hear in the comments below, as we’re always looking for new ideas!

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Review of Accounting Studies

, Volume 6, Issue 4, pp 397–425 | Cite as

A General Affine Earnings Valuation Model

  • Andrew Ang
  • Jun Liu

We introduce a methodology, with two applications, that incorporates stochastic interest rates, heteroskedasticity and risk aversion into the residual income model. In the first application, goodwill is an affine (constant plus linear term) function where the constant and linear coefficients are time-varying. Homoskedastic risk gives rise to a constant risk premium, while heteroskedastic risk gives rise to linear state-dependent risk premiums. In the second application, we present a class of models where a non-linear function for the price-to-book ratio can be derived. We show how interest rates, risk, profitability and growth affect the price-to-book ratio.

stock valuation earnings residual income model asset-pricing affine model linear information dynamics

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

  1. Ang, A. and J. Liu. (1998). “A Generalized Earnings Model of Stock Valuation.” Stanford Research Paper 1491.Google Scholar
  2. Bakshi, G. and Z. Chen. (2001). “Stock Valuation in Dynamic Economies.” Working Paper, Yale University.Google Scholar
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Copyright information

© Kluwer Academic Publishers 2001

Authors and Affiliations

  • Andrew Ang
    • 1
  • Jun Liu
    • 2
  1. 1.Columbia University and NBERNew York
  2. 2.Anderson School C509UCLAUCLA

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