APPLAUSE for my MOMMA!!!

This past weekend, I was asked to provide a Sweet Table for a 50th Anniversary party. Not knowing if I could put out a spread for 125 people, I turned to the only person that I know who could make it happen with grace and enjoyment: Mom.

Mom worked as a cook/baker and pastry associate in several local tea rooms. Having had her own catering business for over 30 years, she never advertised and did it all through recommendations and word of mouth.

Everything in her kitchen is homemade and from scratch - the way it was taught to her by my Great-Grandmother, Sebastiana, from Sicily. 450 delectable sweets later, I picked up the order and assembled it at the local yacht club where the party was to be held.

Thanks, Mom....for always lending a hand!

"TWISTER" finds a home!

Here are some photos of our Foster Pup, "Twister". We found a FOREVER HOME for him in about 4 days after we posted on CL! They are a nice family with a 2 acre fenced yard and pond in the suburbs. Perfect for this mixed breed who just loves to run!




I wrote them a letter in his doggy voice:

Dear New Forever Family~

I’ve been saying my puppy prayers for such a long time and now I know I have a guardian angel pooch looking after me.

You see, I always wanted to be someone’s pet instead of being caged in the shelter. When the nice people at the shelter found me, I was lost and stray and had no place to go.

There were so many other sad dogs with no homes and I hoped that when they brought me to PetSmart someone would like me enough to take me home. I was so happy my foster mommy and daddy brought me to an actual loving home, that I took a wee wee in excitement! I really liked their dog, Finnegan, but he seems sad and tired from his trauma.

I’m a puppy and I have a lot of energy and excitement and being able to play with my human brothers will give me great exercise!

I am always hungry but maybe once I get neutered I will be more regulated. I also drink a lot of water because I’m so full of energy.

I love to play fetch and run after balls.

When I get tired, I want to be with my foster mom and I curl up on her feet to take a nap! I love Finnegan’s doggie bed and have been sleeping in it since I am quicker to plop down on it than he is.

I am currently teething and love to chew on my puppy teething ring. I love to learn manner and ask for you to be patient with me as I learn where my boundaries are.

I love to run and run and go for long walks. Sometimes when I walk I tend to lead but if you take me for walks enough I will learn to walk with and beside you instead of ahead of you. Just very gently nudge me back and reward me with a treat every time. I’ll get the hang of it. I can go jogging and running with you too. I’m very versatile with my neat stealth puppy skills.

When I am left alone, I get nervous because I think I am going to be abandoned again. Make sure you exercise me and get a lot of my energy out before you leave me so I can spend more time sleeping zzzzzzz and less time crying and worrying. Again, if you wouldn’t mind being patient with me as I learn to be a good boy.

My foster mommy and daddy got quite attached to me and they said if I don’t work out with you, you can bring me back to them. It’s nice to be loved by so many people!

They also asked if you could send them pictures and keep them updated on me on occasion because they love me so much. Thank you!

Finnegan and I like to watch “our stories” on tv like DOG WHISPERER and IT’s ME OR THE DOG. We think the whole idea of exercise, gentle discipline and affection works for us. We are easy-going like that.

I know I am new right now and will get a lot of attention at first especially from my happy human brothers but as time goes by if you could please still remember that I need lots of love, affection and exercise to be a well adjusted and balanced dog, I will love and lick you for life!

I can’t thank you enough for opening up your home and your life to me. I will do my doggie best to be loved by you and if you ever want to snuggle with me, please feel free! I love snuggles!

I am so glad we are going to be together now. . . . so let’s go play and have fun!

All my Love, Licks and Paw Prints,

Your grateful new pet

Twister

Thanks for stopping bye!

A little bit about me...

Chapter 1.
Little Girl Lost.
Living with Anxiety - the early years.

To share this is difficult. I have to go deep. Yet writing down the bones of my life has become a cathartic source of therapy for me. If nothing makes sense, I apologize. It's the way I live and the thoughts become emotions which in turn become words.

To start, I've worn my heart on my sleeve to a fault for many years. Most folks may find this disconcerting but if I can reach out to anyone, I know it wasn't in vain.

I've always been the most honest about my faults, flaws and insecurities. I don't know why but it's been good for me to be open ....it provides a source of seek and help. I mean what the hell? I have nothing to lose that I haven't lost already - which is my mind.

I remember my first anxiety attack. I was only a little girl, maybe about 5 years old.

My Godmother/Aunt and Uncle along with my Grandparents took me every weekend to church, breakfast at the diner and then grocery shopping. One particular weekend, we went to visit friends of my grandparents. I remember sitting there while they talked and getting a sudden homesickness pang for my mom.

We lived in the same city and were only 20 minutes away but the separation anxiety was intense. And the fact that I didn't understand why I was feeling that way manifested the anxiety even more.

The next thing I know, I was crying to go home.

It began then, twisted and reinvented itself in many forms and hasn't stopped since.

I had separation anxiety throughout my school years. Usually my morning ritual consisted of waking up, getting sick in the bathroom, packing my books and getting sick in the hallway at the school.

I'd spend the day in class staring at the clock thinking the time would go fast. It didn't. Numerous phone calls from the nurse's office for my mom or grandfather to pick me up from school became a habit during my school years.

When it was back to school after summer or Christmas holiday, I would cry myself to sleep, vomit and have irritable bowel. The onset of panic became familiar and horrible from the earliest age.

Once puberty hit, a different set of anxieties occurred and now depression started to follow. Why was I different? Why couldn't I spend a weekend with my friends at the shore without feeling an overwhelming sense of doom and panic...? Why did I always feel sick and sad all the time?

My home life was happy for the most part. My dad worked and went to night school, mom was a homemaker except for Thursdays when she worked at the local city newspaper taking classifieds. My two older sisters kept busy with their school and social activities. I had a set of good friends and excelled in school.

Still from an early age, a pang of worry, grief and despair trailed me.

More to come...

A TWISTER hit our Home

Twister. He sat calmly on a leash outside of PETSMART. It was their adopt a shelter dog day. Skinny little guy. 8-10 months old. Found him wandering aimlessly along the streets of Trenton, NJ.

"Can we?" said the puppy dog face of my husband. "No." I replied. We have no room. We have no money. I meant what I said. We are pinching pennies these days and our 1000 sq foot home is considered a closet by modern day standards.

"Well, if we wait around till we have money or room, we never get what we want in life." replied the spousal unit. I hate when he's right. The dog handler chimed in on the plot "You can be Foster parents!"

Hmmmm.....Our beloved pooch, Finnegan, is still convalescing after his back trauma 6 weeks ago. He's made progress but is having a puppy the right thing for him? Will they get along? Will they bond like Tom Hanks and Peter Scolari in Bosum Buddies?

Those eyes looked up at me. And he was so relaxed and docile. "I'm going to go in and sign the Foster parent forms"....my husband already decided. My heart was tugging like a weight.

I worry. I worry a lot but I couldn't bring myself to put this little guy back into a shelter. Next thing I know, he's in the back seat of our car.

We weren't even supposed to go to PetSmart. We went to Barnes and Noble next door...but damn you...if you leave a homeless pet outside looking all vulerable and cute, you know we will be drawn like a magnet.

How did he get his name? His tail. He likes to chase his tail. Round and round...he'll bark at it.

He exits our car and goes into the yard...Jump, yipe, sniff our dog, jump yipe bark...sniff our dog a little more...mark the territory with the obligatory pee and he's off and running.

Part Greyhound, part who knows.....we section our small living room off. Him and Finnegan sniff each other, play tug, snark for dominance and run around.

Now, I know nothing about puppies. I'm just starting to watch DOG WHISPERER, read CESAR MILAN's books and learn how to be the PACK LEADER with our 5 year old pooch. Enter into the house a puppy and I feel overwhelmed and lost.

Any suggestions are most welcome. Please feel free to email me..I could use all the help I can get.

Oh, and his tail chasing is a fixation. Not very cute. He needs to break out of that habit...I am praying to St. Francis of Assisi (the animal Saint) for guidance.

Twister please be gentle.
Thanks for reading!

RANDOM TAG! ~ 6 Random Things

The ever-lovely and talented * f i o r e t t a * has tagged me for 6 RANDOM THINGS and it's my first spin on the Random Blog dance Floor. Let's see.

1. I am a Pisces yet I do not know how to swim. Never learned. In fact, I have a deep respected fear of the water - anything more than 3 feet and I stand by and watch with awe. Which is very strange for a born fish. Even odder, I cannot be more than 2 hours from the ocean or I will start to flounder on the land.

2. I live for History. I am attracted so much to anything historic and it's a bit creepy. I must always be surrounded by something historic. Thankfully, living in Bucks County, PA I can go only a few miles and explore historical sites. It's not just American History. World History. From ancient civilizations right up to the cold war....I think I am a recycled soul.

3. I've lived off and on for 12 years in the historic beach resort town of Cape May, NJ and consider it my home away from home - dream place to live. History meets Ocean meets Culture meets Scenery. Someday....I am going to own a home there. You are all invited!

4. I am not college educated. No Suprise! As you can tell by my horrid grammar and lack of worldly experience, I was recruited to work in the rat race right out of high school from a merited business program. From there on, I began my stint as a high profile corporate law firm legal administrative assistant. Since then, I have held many jobs and worked in many industries. People are generally the same wherever you go. Which is why the television show THE OFFICE is so damn accurate!

5. I won't eat seafood. Which probably connects back to #1 somehow. The thought of putting a sea creature in my mouth skeeves me. Weirdness, I know.

6. I love to mambo, samba and salsa dance with the best of them.
Let's' dance!

Ok so now it's your turn! You are getting tagged, my blog friends!
AbbyT,
Gatorhightowers
katie102006
Lolageek
Shihtzumomma
Rachel is eating butter

Here are the rules:

1. Link to the person who tagged you (i.e. me)
2. Post the rules on your blog
3. Write 6 random things about yourself
4. Tag 6 people at the end of your post and link to them
5. Let each person you have tagged know by leaving a comment on their blog
6. Let the tagger (me) know when your entry is posted

Have fun and thanks for stopping bye!

"What's In-Season?" RECIPE Challenge

My father and I always enjoy a visit to the local orchard (a mere mile from my parents' home) to pick the current fruit/veggies.

Here are some pics from last summer's "Father/Daughter Peach Pick"

Dad must have eaten half the peaches he picked before he even put them in the basket. He claimed he was "testing" them for ripeness. I'm sure mom must have heard him lament about stomach pains later.

"Stop eating, dad!"

Do you have a tried and true recipe for peaches, blackberries, corn on the cob, tomatoes that you want to share?

It's summertime and the freshest produce is available at your local farm stand and orchard.
Share your recipes here!

Happy Picking...... and Eating!
xoxo

HOW TO~ Make a Cute Keychain

Now if this doesn't look like an adorable little project to make with a friend!

Easy, Breezy Keychains and I'm sure the design options are endless!

Thank you to Creative Little Daisy's blog for such a great idea tutorial!

If you did one, send me the pic and info an I'll post here!

xoxo

Why I Use Daily Affirmations

Having suffered from an anxiety and panic disorder for most of my adult life, I often found myself in the perils of depression and worry.

As Anne of Green Gables would call it "the depths of despair".


Oh, I loved Anne of Green Gables but that's another post entirely.

Recently, while watching an episode of Oprah on the Law of Attraction in your life, I decided to create daily affirmations to myself and to read them as often as I could during the course of the day....fully tasting the truth of every word like it was a piece of much-craved apple pie.

Once I breath it all in and really started to focus my attention to being grateful for what I have instead of focusing on what I do not have...I felt the physical and physiological burden of stress flit away gradually.

I continually have to measure myself for good balance on my positive and negative thoughts and that takes work and energy and discipline. It's exercise.

By writing down core beliefs you want to have , then saying them in your head as often as you can till you truly believe it, you create a form of spiritual medication for a tired soul. It's a gift that you give yourself. Like a mini emotional makeover.

I hope you enjoy these Daily Affirmations and I hope you can create your own to help you attain a more harmonious life as well.

Be Blessed!
xoxo

TEATIME TUESDAY ~ Peach Tea Bread

Let's see, what's in season last week of July that would taste yummy with a cup of warm tea or glass of iced tea? Peaches.

So after, I browsed some recipes I found a good one for Peach Tea Bread. I may just make this after I pick some peaches at our local orchard. Peaches at the grocery store have not been very ripe as of yet and I want only the sweetest peaches in any of my recipes.

If you bake it, let me know how you like it!

Peach Tea Bread

2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 1/2 cup finely chopped fresh peaches
1 tbsp. lemon juice
1/3 cup oil
1/3 cup milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/3 cup finely chopped pecans

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease 9 x 5 loaf pan. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. In medium size bowl, combine peaches and lemon juice. In another bowl, combine oil, milk, eggs and vanilla. Add oil mixture to flour mixture and stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Do not overbeat. Fold in peaches and nuts. Spoon into greased pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until top is golden brown and center springs back when lightly touched, or test for doneness with a toothpick. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes. Serve warm.

Thanks for stopping bye!
xoxo

How to Market your Homemade Stationery, etc.

I just love perusing the beautiful blog world and when I came across this useful article for my craft friends, I had to post.

It's from Pearl at A Storybook Life, who has the most adorable website on vintage and cottage ideas.

Also, check out her "How To" section for clever ideas.