Jersey Strong and Thankful

There is nothing that could have prepared any of us for the DeVaStATiOn that resulted from Hurricane Sandy blowing through the Jersey Shore.  My children are the 4th generation of family spending summers on Chadwick Beach so seeing homes that have been in the backdrop of photographs with my grandparents  tossed on their sides and nearly unrecognizable was heartbreaking.  Those of you who follow our blog know how much the beach means to my family.  From my seaglass collection to finding special shells with my children to make wreaths or to just paint for fun, Chadwick Beach has been our own little paradise right here in our own backyard.  Chadwick Beach is on a barrier island that rests between the Atlantic Ocean and the bay.  During the storm the water from the bay and the ocean met causing extensive flooding.  Our family home was filled with a foot and a half of water in the first floor, but thankfully it is still standing.  Others were not so lucky. Neighborhoods of houses were completely washed away into the Atlantic Ocean.  Another beach suffered a tremendous loss when gas lines exploded and blocks of houses burned to the ground.

Abby on our beach path Summer 2012

Back home we lost power from the storm for six days and lived on a generator that we used conservatively because of a major gas shortage in the state of New Jersey.  My brother-in-law waited on a line for four hours in the middle of the night to fill up his car and some gas cans to keep his own generator running.  It was a very scary week for all of us and at the same time we were trying to find out any information we could about the shore house.  Thankfully my parents had full power fifteen minutes away and we were able to drive over there during the day to watch the news, stay warm, and let the kids play in some normalcy.

My second summer at Chadwick Beach ~ Summer 1978

Now that the power has been restored, the gas lines are back to normal, and we look forward to rebuilding our Jersey Shore back to its original beauty I am trying not to focus on what was lost.  The hurricane may have washed away many of the buildings and landmarks that were symbols of our shore, but nothing can take away our MeMoRiEs.  Let’s be thankful for what we have, and not ever for a second take anything for granted, it might not be there tomorrow.

This picture shows the two houses that line the beach path that Abby was on in the above photo.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving  celebrating

all that you have to be ThAnKfUl for!

My little loves

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

Are You Generous?

This year I am trying to put more focus on ways that I can be GeneRouS. If this is an area that you struggle with, the holidays offer plenty of opportunities to GiVe. Offer to help an elderly neighbor with their holiday shopping. Buy a giftcard and give it to a stranger. Have a love for music? Go carol a family and friend that is in need of a pick-me-up. Can’t think of anything you want for Christmas? Instead, donate the money to a family in need. It doesn’t take much to brighten the life of another. Be creative and have fun with it!

Make this holiday season the BEST one yet by being generous and reaching out to anyone that you meet!

~Lara

Just Do It – Say “I’m Sorry”

As humans none of us are perfect and we all make mistakes.  Sometimes on accident, sometimes on purpose.  And occasionally sometimes those mistakes call for an apology.  Whether or not we give one is completely another story.

Knowing I need to say “I’m sorry.” to someone gives that sinking feeling in my stomach because a true apology requires complete humility.  It requires that I put aside any justification on my part, any of those pathetic, “I’m sorry if I offended you.” pseudo apologies and just say, “I’m sorry, I was wrong.”  But when I finally do, I feel like I’m walking on air.  I guess that is because a clear conscience is as the MasterCard commercial says, “Priceless.”

Do you need to make a sincere apology?  What are you waiting for?  Free yourself from the pain of a guilty conscience and just do it – say “I’m sorry.”

:) Robynn

Wait It Out

I don’t know about you, but when I get upset I want to get it off my chest as soon as I can.  Let me tell ya, there are diSadvAntaGes to that.  I have found that if I speak my mind as the disagreement arises, I usually regret what was said.

The other day I was aggravated.  A first, I let my mind spiral out of control on all the things that bothered me about the situation.  Instead of verbalizing them as they came to mind, like I normally do, I took time to think long and hard about what I was going to say before pleading my case.  By thinking things through I was able to sift out unnecessary comments that would have been said only due to anger.  This was HuGe because back in the day it would have caused our arguments to fester twice as long!  By taking the time to fully evaluate the real reason I was upset, I had already calmed down which naturally heLpeD me discuss the situation in a more reasonable manner.

It is easy to want quick results and responses in all that we do.  The longer I live, the more I see the benefits in not getting in a HURRY.  As painful as it was to keep my mouth shut until I calmed down to carefully choose my words, it allowed me to resolve a problem with a person that wasn’t hurtful to them and regretful to me.

Taking the time to be more selective in what comes out of your mouth.  If your thoughts are going a hundred miles an hour, that is not the time to be verbalizing them.  Believe me; I know it is dreadful to wait.  Your mind is good at convincing you that those racing thoughts ARE truly how you feel.  Don’t be fooled.  Past arguments are evidence that your mind keeps tricking you, so do everyone a favor and wait this one out.

~Lara

Pile of Problems

Is life getting you down?  Do you feel like you have bigger problems than those around you?  Consider this…

If everyone were to pile all of their problems into the middle of the room, and you could swap yours out,

you’ll probably be in a hurry to grab yours back.

The grass is ALWAYS greener.  When we look at everyone around us, we never see the whole picture.  Same goes for other people.  They probably look at you and wish they could swap their problems with yours.  (I know you are laughing, but it is true!)  Your life may be tough right now, but don’t be so quick to envy someone else.  Your issues may not be so bad after all!

~Lara

Rustic Corn Bread

Corn Bread.  What a delicious treat for a cold Saturday afternoon.  My husband, who loves to cook, whipped this up and let me tell ya, it was good.  What I love about this recipe is its rustic and hearty quality.  The recipe came from a cookbook called The Bread Baker’s Apprentice by Peter Reinhart.  If you like corn bread give this recipe a try.  You may also want to check out another favorite that I shared on a previous post by clicking here.

 

Corn Bread

Ingredients

  • 1 cup coarse cornmeal (also packaged as “polenta”)
  • 2 cups buttermilk
  • 8 ounces bacon (approximately 10 slices)
  • 1-3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1-1/2 tablespoons baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
  • 2-1/2 cups fresh or frozen corn kernels
  • 2 tablespoons bacon fat or vegetable oil

1. The night before baking the corn bread, soak the cornmeal in the buttermilk.  Cover and leave at room temperature overnight.

2. The next day, to prepare the bacon, preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.  Lay out the bacon on 2 sheet pans.  Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until the bacon is crisp.  Using tongs or a fork, remove the pieces to a pan lined with paper towels to cool.  Drain off the fat into a can or stainless-steel bowl and save for greasing the corn bread pan.  When the bacon has cooled, crumble it into coarse pieces.

3. Lower the oven setting to 350 degrees F.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a mixing bowl.  Stir in the granulated sugar and brown sugar.  In another bowl, lightly beat the eggs.  Dissolve the honey in the melted butter and then stir the warm honey-butter mixture into the eggs.  Add this to the soaked cornmeal mixture.  Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture and stir with a large spoon or whisk until all the ingredients are evenly distributed and the batter is blended and smooth.  It should be the consistency of thick pancake batter.  Stir in the corn kernels until they are evenly distributed.

4. Place 2 tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat into a 10-inch round cake pan (you can also use a 9 by 13-inch baking pan or a 12-inch square pan).  Place the pan in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the fat gets very hot.  With good pot holders or oven mitts, remove the pan, tilt it to grease all the corners and sides, and pour in the batter, spreading it from the center of the pan to the edges.  Sprinkle the crumbled bacon pieces evenly over the top, gently pressing them into the batter.

5. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until the corn bread is firm and springy (the baking time will depend on the size of the pan) and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  The top will be a medium golden brown.  The internal temperature at the center of the corn bread should register at least 185 degrees F.

6. Allow the bread to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before slicing it into squares of wedges.  Serve warm.

Bon appetit!

:) Robynn

Gift Giving

Believe it or not, this is one that I sTruggLe with.  Birthdays, surgeries, baby arrivals and house warming gifts are just some of the few events that leave me defeated due to lack of creative ideas and planning ahead for special moments.

Before I continue with my point, it might be helpful to share some of my history.    Growing up, my family didn’t CeleBraTe birthdays with gifts.  Don’t get me wrong, I have extremely fond memories of birthdays…Mom made our favorite meal, we got a custom decorated Dairy Queen ice cream cake and we ended the night watching a movie as a family.  BUT, we never had the big piles of presents…in fact, it was very rare that we associated gifts with birthdays.  I knew other kids who did that, but I never thought anything of it because I felt my birthday was special and uNiqUe the way we celebrated it.

Because I didn’t grow up getting many gifts I think that is why I have a hard time buying gifts for others.  Now that I am older, it seems more challenging because everyone around me seems so thoughtful and I find that people give gifts for almost any and every occasion!  In some ways I have learned to be better about gift giving.  I try to have a basket of goodies on hand that I can wrap up in a pinch and give to someone as the occasion arises.  Robynn gave me some great aDviCe—buy people things that they can consume (candles or a specialty food item) that way if they don’t like it they aren’t obligated to keep it around.  This was helpful because just trying to think of what to give always served as an extra road block.

More importantly, give from the HEART.  Anymore, if I don’t have time to make a trip to town I just tuck some money in a card and put a cute piece of paper around it saying “This $ is only to be spent at Dairy Queen for your Birthday”.  Even though it isn’t an official gift card, it’s the thought that counts.  In the end, isn’t that what gift giving is all about?

~Lara

Pay it Forward: It’s Your Turn!

In my recent Pay it Forward post I shared a story of a random act of kindness my sister had done on our recent Disney trip.  As we prepare to celebrate the holiday of Thanksgiving, what better time to think about ways we can Pay it Forward to those around us?  Whether you help a family member with a rent payment one month or put money in a parking meter for an unknowing stranger…you are PaYiNg it FoRwArD.  We will be collecting Pay it Forward stories from our readers between now and Monday, November 19th.  These stories will be compiled into a special post for Thanksgiving to share with our readers.

Please email your stories to suedesofa@yahoo.com

~Robyn (Jersey Girl)

{Just Decide}

Why do I let inconsequential choices zap so much of my mental energy?  For the last year I have been trying to come up with a filing system for my 1st grader and preschooler’s work they bring home from school.  I’ve been walking past piles and piles of their work for the last year not knowing what to do with it.  Do I keep all of it or only the best ones?  If I only keep some of it, which ones?
I found these cute file folders at Walmart for 50 cents! They will be perfect for helping me organize my girls’ homework.

Have you ever been stuck in the realm of indecisiveness?  You have so many choices that you can’t decide on that you don’t decide at all?  I know I find myself in this predicament in other areas besides my girls’ homework.  All I need to do to free myself from this decision hanging over my head is make a choice.  Yes, sometimes there are many possible choices that would work, but after you have considered all the options sometimes you just have to decide so you can finally move beyond it and get to more important things!

Do you have something that needs to be completed?  Are you experiencing paralysis by analysis?  What are you waiting for?  Just decide!

:) Robynn