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Tasty Tuesday: Shrimp on the Grill
The weather has been beautiful in Ohio and what better way to enjoy the spring-weather but by pulling out the grill for dinner. If your family enjoys seafood like mine does you will love this perfect, simple, summer shrimp recipe. Continue Reading Join Us byUnknownonTuesday, June 04, 2013Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestMilitary Life:grill,Leanne,Recipe,Shrimp,Tasty Tuesday
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Starting Seeds in Milk Jugs
I’ve got the itch as anyone who follows my Gardening Pinterest Board very well knows. It’s the beginning of March and I want to be outside, in the dirt, enjoying the sunshine, hard work and noises and smells of Spring. But it isn’t that time in NE Ohio. Instead the forecast still includes snow, the temperatures are still in the 30s and getting the rototiller out is no where in site. Sigh… That is why I LOVE starting seeds this time of year. I get my hands dirty. I get to watch my plants start. I get to dream about what my garden will look like this year. A good…
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Frankenstorm and Gratitude
My friend, Ann Marie over at Household 6 Diva recently posted on Facebook this epiphany: There is always, always, always, always, always,something to be thankful for. #pinterestproverb We were really walloped by Frankenstorm Sandy. Folks in my area lost power in the storm on Monday, October 29th, and finally had it restored Sunday morning, November 4th. (I’m one of the lucky few to never have lost it.) Kids were out of school for ‘inclement weather’ (to say the least) for two, three and four days. Basements were flooded. Trees were down. Roads impassable. Yet, there were SO FEW posts on Facebook from my friends that were negative. A Hurricane and Gratitude? Can it be? Keep Reading…
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Self Esteem vs Self Respect
Last weekend was cold. Cold and rainy. The kind of weather that makes you want to curl up in front of a fire with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book. Instead I was at a soccer tournament for my ten-year old. Three games over Saturday and Sunday 90 minutes from home. Three games of pure determination on our boys’ parts. Three games of ‘Go, Avon, Go!’ … Three losses. Continue Reading about how to turn the loss into a win, Self Esteem vs Self Respect But that doesn’t necessarily make this mom sad: * The relationships that those boys are making out there on the field, the friendships…
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A Recipe for Summer: Sun Tea
Sun Tea! My favorite drink. It is sunny skies, warm weather and the sounds of summer wrapped up and packaged in a glass jar. A few years ago I perfected my family’s favorite version of sun-tea and I thought I’d share it with you. 6 tea-bags. (I use Lipton Tea, found in an economy box of 100.)2 quarts of cold water1 two-quart glass jar. Nothing expensive required! Using your glass jar combine the ingredients and let it sit in a nice sunny-warm spot for two or three hours. My deck table is ideal. The longer you let it sit, the stronger your tea will be. So you can play with the time to see…
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Seed Packets Promise a Garden of Beauty
We live in zone 5b. I did not realize this. I was a zip code and area code type person. Now, I can add planting zone: frost free date zone to my list of where to pinpoint my “home is where the heart is” on the map. Knowing your frost free zone is of premier importance for gardeners. It is the point where you little debutantes can come out and meet the world outside of the green house. I nurtured some impatiens and alyssum last year and saw their frozen little bodies worthless in a garden last year. Impatient can be imprinted on my garden gloves…. need to wait… need…
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Seasonal Light Disorder
“Seasonal Light Disorder”. Winter is tough. Winter in northeast Ohio is dark, dreary, cloudy. My mood can plumit into depths of darkness in an instant. Today at the grocery store I picked up a fresh basil plant. I came home, washed my kitchen window, put my new little ray of sunshine on a little plate. I BREATHED in the fresh spring air, the aroma of fresh gardens, sunshine and so much more all in a tiny little pot. What do you do to help with the dark dreary winter days? When we were stationed in Iceland we put lights on timers to help keep our ‘clocks’ on cycle. As those…
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Big, Red, Bouncy Ball
*C*, 5 years old learned something today. The power of a saved-dollar. He doesn’t get an allowance yet. (We started his older brother on an allowance at 1st grade). We don’t pay for household chores. My thought is no-one pays me to make dinner, why should I pay them to put away their laundry and get the table set before dinner? Household chores are just part of being a family! So at this point in the game if he has money in his wallet it isn’t from Mom. Stepping up the plate is Grandma. You have to love Grandmas! Especially the ones my boys have. Twice a week my mother-in-law…
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Lessons of the Season
Well Summer is here! The calendar doesn’t affirm that but the weather, sun and laughter sure do. We upgraded our Intex ‘blow-up’ pool this year after trying to fill last year’s pool and finding /multiple/ holes. (It was two or three years old so quite possibly the holes were inevitable from all the fun ‘n sun of years past!) This year’s pool is 15 x 42 and quite possibly the PERFECT size for my fish… ahem, boys, ages 5 and 7. They can actually swim if they want to and stand up at any point. There is a certain feeling of safety for them that encourages them to swim harder,…
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Tasty Tuesday: Pesto Cheesecake
After working in the garden on a perfectly ‘perfect weather’ day, the deck chairs seems to summon us, and the idea of a simple dinner with the neighbors is about as good as it gets. IN preparation for this event… this pesto cheesecake can be made from ordinary items in the back of the refrigerator. I tend to do a commissary shopping trip and load up on essentials…so having 4 packages of cream cheese on hand is not unusual. Understand we do not live close to a commissary, so when I go… I go for carts! I hope you have the occasion to sit outside, enjoy your work and enjoy…