Red Wine Vingar Salad Dressing

Want a new and RefreshIng spin for your salad?  You must try this homemade salad dressing!  It is super easy and a crowd pleaser!

RECIPE:

1/3 C. Red Wine Vinegar

1/3 C. Olive Oil

1/3 C. Sugar

Pecans (throw them on a pan in the oven for a few minutes to enhance the flavor!)

Strawberries (or really any type of fruit–mandarin oranges, blueberries, etc)

Lettuce (I like using the prepackaged “spring mix”–it is much prettier–but this is all I had on hand the other night!)

Combine the sugar, oil and red wine vinegar and bring to a boil.  Then place it in the fridge to cool.

Pour the dressing in a bottle and always shake it well before serving!  EnJoy!

~Lara

Most Valuable Player

A month or so ago I had the opportunity to speak to a group of CoLLeGe students about following their DrEaM and fulfilling their PoTeNtiaL.  I took this trophy along and told them how I had wanted so badly to be named the MoSt VaLuAble PlaYer in BaSkeTbAll my senior year of high school.  Instead, on awards night, I took home the “BeSt DeFeNsE” trophy.  Defense always was my best asset.  Still, it was a disappointment, even though I knew that award of Most Valuable rightly belonged to another PlAyEr.

The point I made by bringing this trophy along for my talk was that each person is the “Most Valuable ____________ (Fill in YoUr NaMe in the  blank)” there is.  There never has and never will be another person with the combination of GiFtS, TaLeNtS, teMpeRmEnt, and PerSonAlity that you have.

The question is:  are you the best “YoU” that you can be or are you trying to be someone else?  We do a lousy job of trying to be someone else, but when we fulfill our potential we become a truly UnIqUe oRiGinAl.  If you are looking at others wishing you were more like them in LoOks, pErsOnaLity, tAleNts, etc, LeT iT Go!  You were created for a unique PuRpoSe.  There will NEVER be another you, so sit back, EnJoY yourself and take a load off your ShoUldErs wishing you were someone else!!

:)

Robynn~

Blessing and a Curse

No matter who you are or where you came from, we all have CharacTerisTics that can serve as a blessing and a curse.  Maybe you are GeneRous with money, which could cause you to struggle managing your finances. Maybe you are easy to get along with, but when it comes to standing up to people, you avoid conflict.

I have always been a planner.  This QuaLity is a huge asset when it comes to being a reliable source for others, organizing events and activities, or budgeting money.  On the other hand, being a planner is extremely hard in situations that are beyond your control and require you to “let go”.

It is easy to get down on yourself when you FocUs on the negative qualities of who you are.  No individual is perfect, and we all have qualities that are in constant need of polishing.  Acknowledging your weaknesses is a huge step in the right direction. Although it may always be a work in progress, you will be a BettEr person than if you’d never worked on it at all.

~Lara

Chalk It Up!

Maybe it’s the teacher in me, but I LOVE oLd-FaShiOn ChaLkbOarDs!   And the cool thing is they are in VoGuE!  So if you have some wall space and you’re not quite sure what to do with it, consider hanging a chalkboard.   You can find chalkboards in stores such as Marshalls or Hobby Lobby or in catalogs such as Ballard Designs.   However, my chalkboard is actually a homemade piece (homemade by someone other than me, although I did do a little of the painting!).   It is a piece of luan board that was painted in chalkboard paint and then nailed to the wall.  For the final touches, this blue trim was nailed around it to finish it out.  

 

It is perfect for letting your kids draw their MaStErPiEcEs….

Or your HuSbAnD drawing his!   (Sorry, there are no pics of my own.  I promise you, that would not be pretty!)

:)

Robynn~

Table Transformation

Check out this old, beat-up table I got for FREE!  Gave it a little TLC and see how it was TransFormed!

Needed to give the base some chunky legs…so I took some scraps from a 2×4, cut them, screwed them together, and made them fit at the bottom.

Used a couple cans of black spraypaint, sanded down random areas/corners of the table, and finally gave it a finished look using a glossy varnish.

And this is how it turned out!

Enjoy!

Lara

{My Husband’s Therapist}

“ThErApiSts”  and can come in many forms.  For some it is a ProFesSioNaL who has spent years in school learning to HeLp others.  For others it is a trusted FriEnD or CoNfiDaNt.  For my husband it is our chocolate lab, WaLtEr.   One of my “therapists” is “RuNniNg. 

If you are needing a BoOsT, maybe it is time to go to the person or thing that LiFts your SpiRiTs.

What is your “therapist”? 

:)

Robynn~

Build Your Self-Esteem

Life has proven to me that I FeeL the BeSt about WhO I Am when I push myself to TrY NeW ThInGs.  Sure, trying new things may mean I could fail, but those setbacks usually contribute to building better confidence for the future.

A couple of years ago I wanted to put hardware on our kitchen cabinets.  I try my best to help around the house, especially so I don’t have to bug my husband do it all the time.  So, I got out the electric screwdriver, started drilling holes, all the while saying “I…CAN…DO…THIS!!!”  Well, truth be told, I ended up messing up a few of the holes and had to ask my husband to help fix it.  Even though he had to spend the same amount of time to fix the problem, he agreed it was good because I LeaRned about this for FutuRe projects.  Maybe next time I won’t need his help at all!

Taking ChanCes and trying new things can be scary, but no one ever said building your self-esteem would be easy.  Some people take risks because they know that if they fail, it may make them BettEr the next time and SuccEss may start to be the norm!

~Lara

“Cookies & Cream” Ice Cream Balls

Want a SuPeR EaSy & FuN little dessert?  I call these “CoOkiEs aNd CrEaM” IcE CrEaM BaLLs: 

{Ingredients}

  • OREO CoOkiEs (I use the ones with chocolate centers, but you can use whatever you like.)
  • VaNilla IcE CrEaM

{Steps}

  1. Place OREO Cookies in a gallon size zip-lock bag and break them apart with a rolling pin.  I personally like to keep the OREO’s in big pieces vs. crushing them into tiny crumbs. 
  2.  With a small scoop (such as a MeLoN bAlleR) spoon out a few small ice cream scoops and place in the cookie crumbs.
  3. Using your FiNgErS roll the ice cream in the cookie crumbs pressing the cookie pieces into the ice cream.

4.  Place on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and place in the freezer. 

These little treats are great for little MoUtHs and eating with your fingers!!

EnJoY!!

:)

Robynn~

When The World Stopped Turning

Teaching a class full of InNoCeNt children is exactly what I was doing “WhEn tHe WorLd StOpPeD tUrNiNg”. While my class of first graders were getting ready to have their morning snack, our school nurse came to my room and told me that two planes had crashed into the twin towers. I had just been to the World Trade Center’s BuiLdiNg 7 two days prior to see my then boyfriend, now husband’s office. He was planning on going into the office around 9:00 the morning of 9/11 to drop something off. As the nurse continued telling me that the planes were part of a terror attack and that the buildings had collapsed I could not WrAp My MiNd ArOuNd what she was saying. It was as if information that could take a lifetime to comprehend was tucked into a two minute conversation. All I could say was “My BoYfRiEnD wOrKs ThErE.” Since I had just been to his office I knew exactly how close his building was to the towers and tried to call him on my cell phone. By now it was 11:00 a.m. and cell usage in New Jersey was completely hit or miss. I finally had a voice mail come through that Rob left me at 9:00 a.m. telling me that a plane had hit the World Trade Center and that He WaS oK. I felt better but thought….ok since then another plane hit, the towers fell, and I had no idea if he had ever made it to his office. Luckily, he got a call through to me around noon and explained that he was on 31st street headed to work when the first plane hit and that he was fine. I was relieved but along with everyone else in AmErIcA that day, I felt numb. Our school finished the day with parents lined up to pick up their kids. I drove home and will never forget the sight of those two giant plumes of smoke that now replaced the buildings that I had TaKeN fOr GrAnTeD being able to view so easily every day of my life. Later that night building 7 was the third building to collapse.

Everyone has their story of where they were, how they reacted, and the change it made within them. My story doesn’t come close to anything that those who were there experienced or those who lost a loved one went through, but it will stay with me as a day that changed the world.

May we always PrAy for those who were lost and the families who suffered. Ten years later the gaping hole in the skyline remains proof that FrEeDoM iSn’T FrEe and that you must LIVE every day to it’s fullest.

Guest Writer Robyn, from  New Jersey