Day 6

Day 6: Today I am thankful for sunsets

Sunset is my favorite time of day. I have always been a night owl so I don't get to see to many sunrises. I relish in the moment when the sun is just about to dip below the horizon and seems to set the whole sky a fire!

Some of the most beautiful sun sets happen in the winter months.
        








The clouds make for such and amazing canvas and the colors that cast off of them are breath taking.





 



Sunsets are one of my favorite things to photograph and what inspires me to want to learn to paint.  

 




I think watching the sun set is one of the most romantic dates.






 




Out here in Ophir I am lucky enough to have great views of sunsets. Adam and I have spent many evenings standing on the deck watching the last moments of light slip away. 

 






On our honeymoon we watched the sun set every night, its our thing! 

Admiring and soaking in these beautiful moments in life is when I feel the most relaxed and closest to the higher energy levels.

Day 4 & 5

Day 4: Today (yesterday) I am thankful for sleep.

                    Oh man did I needed it last night. 5th day this week( whoop whoop) and its big party season so its a little exhausting but worth it! Sleep is awesome! Sleep heals the body and calms the mind. When we get hurt or sick the first thing the doctor prescribes is rest. When we are sad our bodies have a hard time even getting out of bed. When we are stressed or unsure about something we say " I need to sleep on it" Most of us do not get as much as we need. When I go to long without enough sleep eventually my body just stops and I SLEEP, and awaken with a new attitude and feeling physically stronger. This honestly is my favorite kind of sleep, its when I sleep the deepest for the longest.
                     Last night I was trying to force myself to stay awake to blog and just couldn't get my brain to even function to think about how to express why I was thankful for sleep. Perhaps what I really needed was last nights sleep to fully comprehend my thankfulness for sleep. When I woke up this morning I realized that I was being silly. Holding myself to this idea of if you don't do this perfectly everyday your not really thankful, so deny your body and mind it's needs for a blog! Now I love my blog and you guys and I am committed to this 30 day project, but I needed some rest. I went to bed feeling a little guilty, but forgave myself this morning once refreshed and better equipped to express myself. An idea that I am really uncomfortable with, forgiving myself, and sometimes others...

                   

Day 5: Today I am thankful for forgiveness.


                    Forgiveness is a tricky game. Its complicated, complex and for me the hardest emotion to truly embrace. The Irish Italian in me holds a pretty hard grudge, and I've been know to be stubborn. I am learning that not only is it not good for my spirit, but also horrible physically. The energy that is held by not forgiving can be toxic. Toxic to life as well. It can continue a swirl negative energy and repeat negative patterns in our lives.
                      Forgiveness opens us up to so many opportunities with others and within ourselves that may have other wise been missed. A real feeling of relief comes from forgiveness. That always makes me think, if forgiveness is for me the hardest, and most rewarding how can I be more forgiving, in life in general? In turn be more understanding and make the impact I want.  


                  

Day 3

Day 3: Today I am thankful for growth. 

         Growth can be fun or exciting; social or economical; physical or emotional. Some of the time growth can even be hard. I feel the best kind of growth comes from overcoming adversity. I feel in times that are difficult, especially emotionally or spiritually, you lean the most about yourself. I feel these times in our lives help us to truly figure out where we stand on things, and who we are as an individual. They also help us lean to see people and situations from a different point of view. Growth is both good for you and necessary; and when you think you have grown enough life keeps on giving. I am trying to learn to wholeheartedly learn and grow as much as possible in my life.

French Meadows, Ca

Day 2

Day 2: Today I am thankful for: Friendship


               Friends enrich our lives, perhaps more than anything in our lives besides true love. Most people I know consider their friends closer than their family. Friends can understand and relate sometimes better than we can ourselves. They can up lift, support, motivate, and love us so deeply.
                Hanging and bonding with another human is one of my greatest pleasures in life, I have been blessed to do this a lot lately and with a lot of people I may have never chosen to on my own. I love in the midst of a indepth conversation with a great friend who you think you know so well and you get to learn something new about them and connect even more.
                Or someone you are getting to know is just on the same level and you gain some respect and appriciation for them that much more.
                 Lets not forget about mans best friend my little Buck. He is such a good boy. He puts a big smile on my face when he runs up to me when I get home or we are playing and we chase each other around the house. He gets this look in his eye that is just pure wild playful beast.
                  And my personal best friend my hubby Adam. He is the most amazing man, I have ever know besides my father. He is what makes me live and breath, He is why I want to be a better person. He is so kind and my favorite place in the entire world is in my "nook", when he holds me against his chest nesstled under is arms. So safe and comforting.
                     To all my past, present, and future friends I love you and thank you for enhancing my experience of this crazy thing called life.

30 Days of Thankfulness

        Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays ( oh who am I kidding I LOVE every holiday) and the older I get the more I feel like people in general are loosing the true meaning of this holiday. My friend Melanee O'Hagan has begun 30 days of thankfulness on her blog. http://thebestlifeivelived.blogspot.com/2011_11_01_archive.html.
       I love the idea, but I felt like perhaps I had missed the boat as it is already almost half way through the month. I was creepily reading through the comments, of complete strangers of course, and found that I wasn't the only one that felt this way. Melanee had the perfect response.
        " No one said the 30 days had to start on the 1st!"
    She has inspired me to to remember the meaning of this holiday, regardless of  individual beliefs, is being thankfull. Not just on Thanksgiving but all our lives long.

Day 1: Today I am thankful for: Laughter
       They say laughter is the best medicine. and I have to agree. Think about when you are in a not so great mood and some one cracks a joke and your hard bad mood, and  you both laugh out loud, sharing joy. One of my favorite things is hearing a baby or a child laugh out of pure excitement and contentment. I love laughter. I love after having a long day coming home with my man and laying in bed laughing about our day and how much we love working together. Try and share some genuine and pure self indulgent laughter!

Every human being emanates an energy field that corresponds to his or her inner state, and most people can sense it...~Eckhart Tolle

 

 

All the leaves are brown, and the sky is grey...

I know I know it’s been awhile, things have been busy and stressful around these here woods. Adam and I both started working at our favorite pizza place, Old Town Pizza (OTP) and are really enjoying it. It is a very fun and family oriented place and we fit in quite nicely! Adam had also started a new job with 2 of his brothers at a construction company out of San Francisco, but they were let go because they were too expensive. The guy couldn’t keep paying them what they were worth plus gas and company vehicles. So now we are all making it work and learning a little more how to work together and I think the true nature of our hippy commune!

That said I am so thankful to live in a place that sees all four seasons, and a beautiful property that I can sit and breathe it all in any time I want. Not everywhere, even in America sees all 4 seasons. Growing up Summer was always my favorite, as I think is true with most kids. Now I am torn. I love the Spring time. The sun comes back out, you get a warmer rainy day than in the frigid Winter months, and of course ALL the flowers start to bloom. There is a beautiful wash of warm bright colors every where you look. I am a Flower Child through and through, thank you Grandma Barbara! To be totally honest though, the older I get the more in love I fall with Fall! The urge to cuddle up with my love, pumpkins, cider, and the way the leaves that so skillfully and timidly poked themselves out in Spring now gracefully and boldly turn to the most breath taking shades of yellow, orange and red. Man, when the sun hits a liquid amber at just the right angle, at just the right time of day in mid November, it lights up like it’s on fire, and my heart begins to sing. One of my favorite things about Fall…the change in weather! So cold and snuggly. And it’s soup, stew and chili season! I love any food that requires a bowl and some dipping bread. I am Italian and Irish for goodness sake. We live of that kind of food! Last week was no exception. I made Chicken Chili. I also had sweet Melanee O’Hagan (whose family owns and operates OTP) and her precious little Rosanna to share in the gloriousness! They loved it. “Mo beans peese!” was all the little one could think about. We also had a fun time coloring with Bryan after dinner, and she even tried to steel my markers by stuffing them ALL in the front pocket of her sweatshirt…some without the lids! HA! I guess she figured that she didn’t need those. Good thing they are washable! We had some leftovers and normally I would have just packed ‘em up and put ‘em in the fridge, but Adam was working that night…he was closing. So I was a good wifey and brought him enough to share…it was devoured! I hope that you try my recipe and if you have a great chili recipe please share with me! 

Chicken Chili

Garlic Salt

Chili Powder

Cracked Black Pepper

Coriander

Cumin

Cayenne Pepper

Beer

Black Beans

Red Kidney Beans

Pinto Beans

Whole Corn Cornels

Diced Tomatoes

Cheese/Sour Cream/ Chives

Mix in crock pot: black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, corn, and diced tomatoes. While they get to know each other, on the stove cook 3 chicken breasts. In frying pan: oil bottom, add chicken, water and beer until chicken is covered. Beer does not need to be fancy. Add a bit of garlic salt, pepper, cumin and chili powder. Boil until fully cooked. Shred or cube, and add to crock pot. Add more garlic salt, pepper, coriander, cumin, and chili powder to taste. Simmer on high 2 hours. Top with your choice of grated cheese, sour cream and chives. 

 

Una Tradizione di Famiglia

“When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that’s amour!” OH, sing it to me Dean!

                To me there are certain things that just define Italians. The Rat Pack, an amazing bottle of homemade red wine, and pizza! This is also my definition of THE perfect date night!  Pizza as we think of it today is a little different then what it started as. The medieval Mediterranean people made flat bread and put oil over the top called it pizza. Much later the red sauce and cheese were added. Now we put pretty much anything we want on it. It was originally a dish of the poor, meaning CHEAP, sold on streets and in markets. This is sometimes true today, depending on your method of obtaining the pie! We have found the best pizza place in the entire world. The only other place that even compares is our kitchen! I love that I am part Italian and that my Grandmother Bernice is proud of it!

                 I feel very fortunate that I came from families that enjoy food. With many of my aunts, uncles, and grandparents I can remember making great food. My Grandma B (my mother’s mother) and I spent a lot of time together when I was young. I remember her house always smelling of food. I hated when it was smelled of fish, looking back I love that memory.  Walking in and saying, “Gramie your house is stinky!”

                She would laugh and say “It’s fish, Princess. Fish is yummy, and good for you. Gramie will make you some?”

                “NO!” I would squeal and she would just laugh.

                When I was in 5^th grade I lived with my Uncle Sam and his family for a while. His wife Zoë used to have family pizza night sometimes. Instead of going out and eating pizza, we made it. My Gramie had put a cook book together of my family’s favorite recipes. One of them was her spaghetti/pizza sauce and another was Zoë’s pizza dough. We made it all from scratch, then topped, baked, and enjoyed. These are some of my fondest and strongest memories from childhood.

                Adam also has a really close family that grew up with 3 kids the same age, who are all still friends. The Von Asche’s grandmother used to have homemade pizza night at their house a few times a month and the boys had a standing invite. They still remember and talk fondly of those times. Adam and I are determined to give our kids those same fun family pizza nights. We figure practice makes perfect so why not start now. Unfortunately and fortunately our oven has not been working, diagnosis TBD. On the upside we are getting really good at pizza a la BBQ!

                 I know right! That is just crazy, or is it? We have found that we almost prefer the BBQ pizza. Then Adam and I got an amazing cook book for our wedding called My Bread Book, by Jim Lahey, of course from Sam, Zoë and family. We have found the pizza dough recipe from this book and the BBQ are perfection and most definitely prefer! Now we just need some fine tuning on pizza timing. The never ending experiment can be an Italian family tradition in your house as well!  

Chi trova un amico trovare un Tesoro. Salute è buon appetitio!

Basic Pizza Dough

7 ½ cups Bread Flour

2 packages (1 ²/₃ tablespoons) of instant or other active dry yeast  

1 ½ teaspoons table salt

1 ½ teaspoon sugar plus a pinch

2 ¾ cups room temperature (about 72 degrees F) water

E.V.O.O. for the pans

                Stir together flour, yeast, salt, and sugar. Add water and using a wooden spoon mix until blended. It should hold together mostly on its own. It should be a little stiff not really wet or sticky. Cover the bowl and let sit at room temperature until the dough has more than doubled in size, about 2 hours.

                Using rubber spatula remove the dough from the onto a floured work surface. Separate into three parts and form into a rough ball. Let them rest for another 30minutes under a moistened kitchen towel spacing them 4 inches apart on your working surface.  

               Once your dough is ready oil your pans and cover in corn meal. Slap, pull, push and stretch the dough until it completely covers the pan. No need to make any rust it will make its own. Pinch together any wholes and make sure you have an even layer of dough. You are now ready to top how you like!

                 

 

Some of our favorite toppings include:

Sausage

Pepperoni

Salami

Yellow Onion

Mushrooms

Black Olives

Real Bacon

Pineapple

Cheese