You are of value......

I subscribe to silentinsight.com which is a VERY short daily meditation for Catholics sent via email, but really you don't have to be Catholic to get something from it. Many days I have skipped over it...which it just silly, everyone needs a little me time, and its amazing how few words can touch your inner being and inspire or lift you up.

Today's was awesome, so I am sharing it with my blog followers who are all magnificent.....

We are made in the image and likeness of God. Our soul magnifies the magnificence of God. We are God’s work of art. Accept yourself, none of us as humans are perfect. We are of value.

Consider the story of the $100 bill -
As a brand new $100 bill, it is worth $100.
As a crumpled old $100 bill, it is still worth $100.

Your value is never diminished, no matter if you have sinned or if people have hurt your feelings.

Be Still Read Chew On It Listen Dialogue Close With Praise and Thanks

I needed to hear that today!

So Thankful.....

Its been a good day in our household despite the Hand Foot and Mouth disease Sarah picked up which was diagnosed yesterday. Its really just a virus, but is contagious so we stayed home instead of going to my sister's as planned. I didn't want to expose my dad who is 82 and in assisted living as our pediatrician told us to keep her secluded the next few days.

I am proud of myself as I threw together quite the nice little feast in less than 24 hours notice. We had Turkey - I actually had a butterball turkey roast in my freezer so just used that and boy was it good, mashed potatoes, stuffing...yeah I cheated it was just stove top which is easy, green beans - the frozen ones you steam in microwave...this would be the healthy portion of our meal, Sister Schubert's rolls....umm umm, and a pumpkin souffle....actually the recipe was for sweet potato but I just substituted the pumpkin as I had a can in the pantry, it was QUITE good also. I purchased 2 pieces of frozen pecan pie and some ice cream which we will have for dessert. I know pecan pie is HORRID when it comes to nutrition, but I figured 2 pieces were better than buying a whole pie. Sarah loved the mashed potatoes and pumpkin.

I have been thinking of what I am thankful of and here is my list........

* My health....my CAT scan came back great, no sign of heart disease. So to stay healthy its up to me in my diet and exercise which I am working on, well not so much the diet today.

* My husband...I have a good one. He is kind, loving and supportive of me. He is loyal and a great provider for our family.

* Andy's job......I am blessed I can stay home with Sarah and am grateful Andy has a job he likes that seems to be stable. I am also thankful should something happen, he has got GREAT development skills so even if he loses his job in this economy which in unlikely right this second, but you never know, he should be able to find something...even contract.

* My friends.....I have been blessed through the years with great friends. Wonderful people just keep coming my way.

* My faith......I am blessed I can worship as I want in this great country of ours. I thank my family for how I was raised, I thank my teachers at 12 years of parochial school for contributing to my faith and knowledge, I thank the many wonderful priests who have been wonderful Shepards for me....... most esp Fr Kenny RIP.

* My family in heaven....I am trying not to focus on what I don't have lately and have realized the people I have known and loved that have left this life have truly been a blessing to me. I miss my Mom, sister Mary Beth and Jack my brother, but boy were they a great family to be around when they were here......and of course my sweet Caleb, in the 8 days he was on earth I learned more about myself and my family with Andy than I have in many years.

* The fact I bought size 10 jeans last week....sure this is superficial...but a year ago I bought a size larger and they were TIGHT as the10s are now. The new 10s look good, but there is a little muffin thing going on, so I have to wear the right tops to hide that....BUT Andy said they look great. I know with a little work, they could be baggy and that is my goal.

So that is all I can think of.....

Happy Thanksgiving! May your families be blessed this holiday season.....may we all focus on the real meaning of Christmas and not get bummed with all the commercialism.

What a man Wednesday......yes, another Brit!

You know, I have been told by many I have beautiful eyes. According to the JJ man of the week and I quote.... "The sexiest part of the body is the eyes. Corny, but that's what I believe. They're what connect us as human beings." Well, let me tell you , this is one sexy guy...... A little trivia, I am exactly one week older than him. LOVED him in the films Inside Man and Children of Men.

I give you Clive Owen....

True confession

Yesterday I went WAY over on my calories and I did not exercise....nor did I exercise today, but the calories went well. Ok, I feel better.

Its official....I LOVE hospitals

I had a Coronary CAT Scan yesterday. At my physical, my doctor told me while not covered by insurance, he thought with my family history and my age it would probably be a good idea to check and see if I have any signs of blockages.

Background.....Mom died of heart attack at the age of 54, brother died of heart attack at the age of 52. Both smoked and my mother had high blood pressure. I quit smoking 10 years ago, and all my vitals were good at the physical but to be safe I decided to pay the money and do the test.

I had to go to the hospital....and was actually looking forward to the test. I had it at Piedmont - I have a lot of history with this place so I always like going there anyway as the people who wore there are so nice. I checked in and was taken back to imaging pretty quickly. I undressed from the waste up and put on a hospital gown - which you know I don't mind wearing. When I layed on the table they put a warmed sheet on top of me.....see this is one of the things I LOVE about the hospital, heated sheets. When would someone do that for you at home...... ummmmmmm NEVER. Anyhoo, they raised me up and slid me under the imaging device to get a good look at my heart and the arteries around it. They are looking for any calcium buildup or blockages.

My doctor will call me next week with the results....which will indicate if I am at risk for heart disease, ie if there are any early signs it has started. When that big old CAT Scan device started whirring away, I was SO relaxed and fascinated with the whole thing. I could get a report back I am ok, and everything looks great, I could get a report that there are some signs that things are looking not so great. He could tell me to take a low dosage aspirin daily, put me on some kind of medication, refer me to a cardiologist, or do nothing. Whatever the outcome I am glad I did it as I have to take care of Sarah and am hoping I will be around to see her graduate.

On my drive home I realized I LOVE going to the doctor and hospitals. I don't mind tests, or being poked prodded or stuck. I don't mind the gown. I love the attention and being taken care of. I have had experience with hospitals in my family.....and when I was pregnant with both Caleb and Sarah had hospital stays. After I delivered Sarah, I didn't want to leave....the nurses were so nice and helpful and I didn't need to worry about anything. I had many prenatal visits to the OB and Perinatolgist when I was pregnant with Sarah and LOVED going to the office, I looked forward to it. I have had the same dentist since I was 8 and you know I like going to see him also. Maybe its just I get a few minutes to just sit back and let someone take care of me in some capacity. And though I don't see my general practitioner often, he is the best...what a nice doctor!

Now with my realization of my affection for hospitals and healthcare do I WANT to end up in a hospital.....of course not. I thank God for my health as much as I remember, but I have to say, I certainly don't mind going at all. I am hoping my test shows that I am good and don't need to do anything other than eat healthy and exercise, which I am working on daily.

May God Bless all the health care workers in this country. I have been so blessed to have had some excellent care, so I ask a special blessing for those who have so wonderfully treated my family and me.

Boulder Stream

I was challenged on a message board I frequent to post a picture of the 6th pic in the 6th folder of pictures on my computer and describe it.

The year, 2002 in July, Andy and I went to Colorado for vacation. We were driving around in Boulder when we came across a pretty stream and a some rocks with people rockclimbing so we stopped to get out and look.

The water was incredibly clear.....so hear you have boulders in Boulder. :-)

Umm Umm Crockpot Italian Chicken

Its cold here in my neck of the woods and I have been craving something hearty and comfort food-ish....... which won't be too bad on my diet. My cuz Lyn gave me this recipe which she found on Spark People.....MAN it is GOOD!!!!! I served it with some brown rice and broccoli and we had a salad with lettuce, cucumbers, bell peppers, grilled asparagus, a little Feta and my FAVORITE dressing Trader Joes Goddess. What a DELISH dinner....next time, i will serve over the yolkless noodles or some whole wheat pasta. Might add mushrooms to the sauce also. I cooked it on high and it was fine....I used a little more water than suggested also.

So here it is.....Slow Cooker Italian Chicken....EASY to made, yummy to eat.

Just to clarify for the questions below:
First, YES the cream cheese is figured into the totals...if you use FULL FAT cream cheese, the fat content will be considerably higher. But low fat cream cheese really takes the fat down.Second, I haven't ever tried it with regular Italian dressing...let me know how it turns out!Third, I HIGHLY recommend using the low setting for cooking...it allows the juices from the chicken to really seep into the dressing.

Ingredients
*1.5 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*1 pkg Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
* 1/4 cup water
* 1 8oz pkg low fat cream cheese
*1 can 98% fat free cream of chicken soup*3 cups cooked white, long grain rice

Directions
*1. Place chicken in crock pot
*2. Mix together Italian dressing mix and water. Pour over chicken.
*3. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours OR low for 8 hours.
*4. Mix together cream cheese and soup in separate bowl.
*5. Carefully remove chicken from crock pot to plate.
*6. Pour cream cheese/soup mixture into crock pot and mix together with dressing in bottom.
*7. Return chicken to crock pot and mix gently to shred the chicken.
*8. Cook on LOW until heated through.*Serve with rice or noodles.

**You may add skim or low fat milk in very small quantities to thin the sauce a little. It does not significantly affect the nutritional value if you use up to 2 tablespoons
**Makes 6 servings. Approximately 2/3 cup mixture with 1/2 cup rice.This recipe can be made with FAT FREE cream cheese and it saves about 6 grams of fat. However, I feel that the dish benefits from the flavor of the low fat over the fat free.

Number of Servings: 6

Nutritional Info
Servings Per Recipe: 6
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 327.2
Total Fat: 9.9 g
Cholesterol: 93.6 mg
Sodium: 712.8 mg
Total Carbs: 24.1 g
Dietary Fiber: 0.9 g
Protein: 32.9 g