Month: May 2016

Reminiscing

/ jennced15 / 1 Comment

So last weekend Sirius Radio debuted the Prom station and it was SOOO much fun to listen to. Thanks for playing Richard Marx, Right Here Waiting  . . . I can almost smell the Aqua Net on my super curly hair. This week MSN ran an article about the top summer songs over the last 30 years. You can read the article here. So after reviewing the list, I have my top 5 songs of summer from years past from that list. What are some of your favorite songs of summer?

  1. Steve Winwood: Roll With It
  2. TLC: Waterfalls
  3. Rihanna: Umbrella
  4. Carly Rae Jepsen: Call Me Maybe

Have a great Memorial Day weekend everyone!

In the Heart of the Country

/ jennced15 / 2 Comments

I just had the wonderful opportunity to spend some time in Nashville, Tennessee. It really is a fun place to visit and I recommend it to everyone if you have never been. Nashville not only has a lot of entertainment but you also get US history, incredible music and small town friendliness; not to mention the opportunity for great people watching. So here are 5 things that I learned during my stay in this great city.

  1. Following your dream: When I walked off the plane into the terminal on Monday afternoon; I immediately noticed the MANY people carrying musical instruments. When I say many—I mean about 1 in 10 people; the majority of those carrying guitars. Nashville truly is music city and to all of those with the ability to play instruments and sing well—hats off to you and follow the dream!!
  2. Quick as lightning: I have spent a fair amount of years living in the Midwest and one thing I fell in love with and have missed terribly are the thunderstorms. I love seeing the power that the earth can harness from within itself. It reminds me that we are all capable of great things and most of the time the penchant for greatness comes from nothing more than a flash of inspiration or the quick jolt of spontaneous emotions.
  3. Discovery is what you see: I stayed all week at a HUGE resort. It was great for my Vivo Fit and body as I counted upwards of 10,000 steps a day just trying to get from my room to my next seminar. Every day I found myself seeing things different. I saw many people from many different parts of the world coming together to learn and grow. It was remarkable to watch education flourish.
  4. Because it is tradition: In this day of age, I think most agree that tradition is old and unpopular but I would argue that tradition is what anchors us and gives us a soul. Many spend their time trying to buck against the system when in all actuality they are trying find their place in that system. Nashville has tradition and no more plainly established but in the likes of the Grand Ole Opry and the Ryman Auditorium. The entertainers have changed over the years but music and the venues have stayed. Styles will change but tradition will always remain.
  5. Bless your heart: There were many times that I wanted to take a picture with my phone to post out to the world some of the things that I was privy to see. Most of the time I found myself smiling from the view such as when I saw multiple ladies with their large hats looking as if they had just come from the Kentucky Derby. There was a Rockabilly convention that was a lot of fun to see. I got to see a man with a head-injury who drew the Harry Potter lightning strike on his bandages. And the list goes on . . . but it was so much fun!

Blissful Saturday

/ jennced15 / 2 Comments

Not going to lie . . . it’s not really Friday. In fact, it is Saturday and a very busy one at that. My house is a HUGE mess right now. I have laundry cycling through the washer and dryer. I have a box from storage and about six smaller boxes sitting all around my front room while I decide what to use for a special Mother’s Day at church tomorrow. I have a kitchen and dining room table taken over by the food that I am going to be serving on the items in the boxes at church tomorrow. I have the sheets off of two beds and a thousand pillows all over the floor in the two bedrooms and another bed with an open suitcase sitting on it with the start of a packing session. Needless to say, my house is in complete disarray . . . total chaos.

But . . . I find myself perfectly content. I am glad that I get to use my mad cooking and party skills tomorrow. I am happy to be getting some cleaning done in the house and I even find myself secretly excited about my upcoming business trip. A week away sounds like a lot of fun until I realize that all of the days in their ENTIRETY will be monopolized by work (including next Saturday) which is why I am sitting down a week early and writing my Friday post. Can’t always be running a marathon.

I am looking at everything; not sure where to begin again but I find myself content. I stepped out on to the back patio tonight. The wind is rushing through the trees every now and then like swells in the ocean. I feel the earth breathing and living and it makes me feel peaceful. I get little shafts of light glinting around me like the sun on water and I realize that this is what happiness looks like. I  hear birds chirping to each other. A cat came and drank water out of my bird bath and another one was slinking through the trees in search of something. There truly is beauty all around when there is love.

Today is high on my perfect but perfectly normal days. What is your perfect but perfectly normal day?

Food! Glorious Food! Part 2

/ jennced15 / 2 Comments

So what would be food without dessert? Dessert can elevate us from mere mortals into super heroes without too much effort. So below are some of the desserts that I have made recently for people who I love.

  1. In my house they are called Brownie Bombs. If you ask a kid it is because they are the bomb! If you ask an adult it is because they will completely derail your healthy living lifestyle. If you ask Food Recipe’s Book they are called Oreo and Peanut Butter Brownie Cupcakes. 
  2. Gina at Home: Chewy Coconut Cookies. I have been looking for a great coconut cookie recipe and I have finally found it. IMG_7700
  3. Floating Kitchen: Grilled Pineapple with Coconut Whipped Cream. So this really is the bomb! 
  4. Chocolate Peanut Butter Grahams. Probably the easiest thing you will make. Take chocolate graham crackers, spread peanut butter on one side. Spoon cool whip on the other side. Press together and freeze. They are awesome!
  5. I needed something elegant and easy to make for Mother’s Day and here it is. White Lights on Wednesday: Blackberry Napoleons. IMG_7704

P.S. Here are some pictures of spring to enjoy!