Penny for my thoughts...: Personal

Showing posts with label Personal. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 6, 2016

"...and they lived happily ever after"

This picture slideshow created with Smilebox

Thursday, July 9, 2015

A Tribute to my Mom and Our Mediterranean Cruise

My mom is my hero. She is AMAZING. She is one of six children, and grew up in poor 1st generation

Immigrant family in Brooklyn NY. My grandmother, a loving, church going, sweet heart of a woman got sick. My grandfather- not such a nice guy - decided to put his children in an orphanage rather then take care

of them. The oldest ran away, second went with a friend, and the rest stuck together as best they could. My great aunt upon finding out, quit her job and took them out of the home, and raised them with her husband until my grandmother got better. My aunt lived on a farm in Long Island and couldn't have children- so she always said Babci (Grandma in Polish) had enough kids for them to share. She had warm dinners, play time, church time, study time, and best of all plenty of love.

Many of these qualities became the core foundation in our very family as well. My mom was forced to grow up at a very young age, and be a rock for her family, her mother, and eventually me...

When my grandmother got better she moved the kids back to Brooklyn. I always wondered what would have happened if they stayed in farm life (funny to think of Long Island a huge metro suberb of NYC as a farm- but those were the times). Nevertheless my mom was 13 when she met my father who was 16. He had troubles, and although she loved him and thought she could help him- he became abusive. My mom did not want me to grow up in that environment and got divorced and we moved back to Brooklyn where she raised me by herself as a single mom since I was 8 months old. I don't say this with shame, but with pride that she had enough courage and faith to leave a terrible situation to give us both a better life.
I was the first in my family to attend and graduate from College. My mom worked for the Board of Education for 24 years helping children from Pre K- HS with drug prevention, violence prevention, gang prevention etc. Recently a student of hers became a FB friend... he was a "bad kid" who always was in trouble. My mom loved him the most. She helped him, listened to him, and redirected him. He now serves in the US Military and thanked my mom. He said it was because of people like her he is where he is today, selflessly defending our country. Just one example of the thousands of lives my mom has touched.

My mom moved to NC and has continued as she calls it, "doing God's Work" helping the elderly- especially her favorite- Mildred who is 98. My mom adores her, and the feeling is more than mutual. My mom although she no longer takes care of Mildred still visits her buddy. My mom has always sacrificed for everyone, putting herself last. Her needs, wants, and desires have been put on hold so she can help everyone else around her.

My mom has longed dreamed of going to Greece. She talks about it all the time, like some far away dream that one day... someday might get realized.

Well for those of you who follow my story, you know I have been blessed to travel to 60 countries now, most of which with my darling Husband Jay... but the first trip I ever took out of the country was with my mom and grandma when I was 13 on a cruise - 7 days at Sea and then off to Bermuda! It was a magical land of turquoise blue water, and I longed for more. At Sweet 16- My mom asked me what do you want for your birthday? A party? A car (even if she couldn't afford it... it really wasn't necessary since I was NYC kid). "No "I said, "I want to go somewhere...". "Okay" she said without hesitation- "Where?". Italy! I replied, Are you nuts she said? Well maybe, but why not. It was my 16th, my mom's 40th and my grandmother's 65th Birthday- and I was born longing to travel the world. Especially our home country! So- we went! It was the trip of the lifetime, and changed my life! I cried when I left... and I knew I wanted to spend the rest of my life exploring far away lands, eating foreign food, listening to exotic new languages and music, and immersing myself in "strange" and wonderful cultures.

Well, I am super excited to finally,after all these years repeat that trip of 3 generations- but this time my mom is Grandma and Brooklyn will once again go Globe Trotting and have nothing but pictures to remember ;). I am taking my mom on her dream trip and then some!

We are starting in a surprise destination, and then heading to Barcelona, Spain to being a Mediterranean Cruise!

Indeed this will be a dream vacation for all of us :)

Sat, 08/08/15	Barcelona, Spain View general port information Muelle Adosado Puerto De Barcelona Barcelona, Spain Www.Apb.Es Check In 1:00pm-5:30pm see Travel Summary For progressive Check In Times	– 7:00pm
Sun, 08/09/15	Marseille (provence), France	7:00am – 5:00pm
Mon, 08/10/15	Genoa, Italy (for Milan)	7:00am – 6:00pm
Tue, 08/11/15	Florence/Pisa (livorno), Italy	7:00am – 7:00pm
Wed, 08/12/15	At Sea
Thu, 08/13/15	Valletta, Malta	7:00am – 4:00pm
Fri, 08/14/15	Sicily (palermo), Italy	7:00am – 2:00pm
Sat, 08/15/15	Rome (civitavecchia), Italy See Travel Summary For progressive Check In Times	5:00am – 6:00pm
Sun, 08/16/15	Naples, Italy (for Capri & Pompeii)	7:00am – 6:00pm
Mon, 08/17/15	At Sea
Tue, 08/18/15	Crete (heraklion), Greece	9:00am – 6:00pm
Wed, 08/19/15	Rhodes, Greece	8:00am – 5:00pm
Thu, 08/20/15	Kusadasi, Turkey (for Ephesus)	8:00am – 5:00pm
Fri, 08/21/15	Santorini, Greece Tender Required wheelchair Access Limited	7:00am – 6:00pm
Sat, 08/22/15	Athens (piraeus), Greece View general port information	4:00am

Many places I have never been to myself! It will be my first time in France, Malta, Turkey, Greece and Sicily (where my ancestors truly are from!). I am so excited to have this experience with my wonderful and deserving mom... although I will miss my amazing husband as this is the longest I would have been away from him since we got married. You know what they say- absence makes the heart grow fonder (as if that is even possible for Jay and I :)).

I cannot wait to share the food, pictures, and best of all cherished memories with my mom and Schmooberry (aka Brooklyn). It willl be an exciting journey and becomes more real the closer we get. Time to pick excursions and prepare for all the fun! Stay tuned for pics and stories :) Also, if you have been to any of the destinations please comment on any and all "must sees" :) Thanks!

Sunday, January 4, 2015

My Favorite Songs of All Time- sorted by Decade

Music-

I have always loved music- it soothes the soul, it expresses your inner most feelings, it says the words you are longing to say or hear. It calms you when you are upset, it energizes you when you need motivation, or brings you to tears due to the raw emotion. I LOVE music- all sorts, Pop, Rock, Country, Hip Hop, Reggae, Classical, I have very eclectic tastes. So in an effort to consolidate my musical interests for myself, my baby bear and future generations- I have created this time capsule blogs (which will continue to grow and evolve as I do). I have separated each category by Decade. My original goal was 10- that was near impossible- so I have gone with approximately 50 in every decade starting with 1950 (which only has 25- but some real contenders). Some you may love, and sing along to- some you may never have heard of. In either case- give it a listen when you feel the desire ( I have included the hyperlinks for each song for your convenience- a labor of love). It sure was a lot of work- but 24 hrs of vegging and listening to music isn't a terrible way to spend a night in with the ones you love.

I find it so fascinating how music flows and begins changing -from year to year, and one decade to the next. Constant evolution and change- just like our lives. Each moment captured a fond memory with a verse and a tune. A narration of our life identical to the background of a movie.

The song playing, during your first kiss, the song you listen to (and shriek along to after your first break up), the one you select for you first dance at your wedding with your spouse or parent, the song you sing to your little girl- every one meaningful in it's own way!

Jay McBain made his list of top 72- I couldn't do mine that way! How can I compare Frank Sinatra with Gwen Stephani? To hard! I love many different artists and styles of music that have nothing in common. So, I chose to break it down by decade- which also proved harder than I thought it would be. I know I must have missed some and will keep adding and changing as I go (much like life).Let me know if any of mine struck your fancy, feel free to list your favorites in the comments (if you can choose- easier said than done, as I found out). Also, as they are all You Tube Links you can create a play list with your favs (my compliments!).
Let your heart sing!

2010's (thus far 1/2 way mark- subject to change :) ):

Listening to some songs really brought me back, but that is much harder in the current position. As I can only do (self imposed limitation) approximately 50 per decade- I limited myself in 2010's to 25 ish as we are only half way through (EVEN HARDER lol). Those there are the ones that inspire me, are completely unique or uplifting, sing to my soul, or I think will last the test of time-- but we will see... 　Only time will tell which one speaks to my heart 5, 10 or more years from now...

2000's:

1990's:

1980's:

Big Hair Band Favs:

1970's:

Shout out and honorable mention to my Disco Diva Mom's fav song (everytime I hear it I think of her and smile):

Frankie Valli - Swearin' To God

1960's:

1950's:

Bonus: Musicals

Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Dining made easy! Introducing Blue Apron!

Do you like cooking? Are you a foodie who likes trying new and interesting cuisines? Are you dieting, or trying to eat more healthy whole foods? Do you like supporting local Farmers and their fresh products? Are you too busy to find time to grocery shop for dinner every night? Then this might be for you!

My husband sometimes cooks for me. Some are better than others- and usually there is no rhyme or reason (or memory of what ingredients he added) to come up with some magical concoction. Spinach chili was a huge success, KD (if you're or Canadian) or Mac and Cheese (in the States) is a staple of his expertise. He makes a mean Belgian Waffle (via mix of course) and occasionally just opens a can of crushed tomatos and pours it directly on top of frozen pizza. There was of course the time he blended tuna, but I choose to omit that experience from my memory. They are not all winners- but he tries, and I appreciate that.

I of course grew up with a Sicilian and Polish Mother and Egg Plant Parm, Stuffed Mushrooms, and Lasagna were second nature to me. I have not yet perfected my grandmother's Stuffed Cabbage (the BEST) but I am working on it. However, I have learned about baking from my mother in law- she is amazing in the kitchen and can make miracles happen with a left over Turkey! (Soup, Pizza, a Pot Pie! who knew?).

I love to take cooking classes, and I am all about whole foods and presentation- but lack of time (a career at Cisco, and part time teaching Zumba, being a mom and step mom, wife, and fur mom to 3 - not to mention cleaning and cooking, my recent photography class, being Vice Chair for CompTIA's Advanicng Women in IT, volunteer work for my community church, and the occasional insomniacs sleep means there is simply not enough hours in the day.

So a few weeks ago my husband (and our) friend and fellow co-founder of ChannelEyes, Dave gifted upon us some meal time delicacies. Well, that was sweet I thought- as a full time working mom, who loves to cook but never finds time to grocery shop, let alone open her recipe books- this could serve to be an interesting experiment in dining made easy.

The company is called "Blue Apron"- site motto proudly stating:

"Fresh ingredients, great recipes

delivered weekly to your home" Cook Incredible Recipes

Learn exciting new recipes each week, created with care by our test kitchen team

Eat Fresher Food

Our experts source the best seasonal ingredients directly from farms, importers and family-run purveyors

Well, that sounds promising Jay and I thought- Flexible, Fresh, Convenient and Original- who doesn't love that?

Then the day came which changed our lives (only half kidding!). Our fresh food ingredients arrived at last!

Each meal comes with a menu card, all of your pre-portioned fresh ingredients and all the "knick knacks" in portions of 2 or 4 (2 seems to serve my husband, step daughter and I quite nicely- as Brooklyn fine dines on fancy baby food ala butter nut squash and quinoa, and the Oreo's my husband sneaks in- but that is for a different blog).

2 Person Meal

4 Person Meal

The pricing is fairly reasonable as well:

We take turns preparing, on average each meal takes about an hour from prep to plate.

Thus far we have had over 20 amazing and interesting meals (some with products I have never had like a sun chokes, or international cuisine made easy such as Mousaka!)

We have really enjoyed our fancy home made meals, and look forward each week to the new wholesome entrees and taste sensations. I will be updating this blog with some of our complete list of meals thus far as well as our finished deliacies for your viewing pleasure... it will really make you wish you had smell-a-vision.

My tiniest Chef Helper

Our meals thus far have included the following (in no particular order):

Gnocchi with Sausage & Savoy Cabbage
Chicken & Chestnut Pasta w/ Cabbage and Granulated Honey
Macadamia-Crusted Cod with Black Rice, Golden Beet and Avocado Salad
Braised Moroccan-Style Salmon & Greens w/ lemon Pine Nuts & Red Quinoa
Basted Flanlk Steaks with Beet-Freekeh Salad & Gorgonzola (a personal fav!)
Orecchiette Pasta w/ Roasted Cauliflower, Capers & Garlic Bread Crumbs
Maple Glazed Turkey Breast w/ Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans, & Maitake Mushrooms
Chicken Schnitzel with Watercress, Apple, Beet & Red Walnut Salad (Yum!)
Beef on Weck Salad with Heirloom Potato Salad
Seared Hake with Melted Leeks and Fingerling Potatoes
Croque Monsier-Style Sandwiches with Bacon, Radish & Little Gem Lettuce Salad (mmmmm)
Yuzu Kosho Glazed Drumsticsk with Shitake Mushrooms, Turnip & Rice Salad (AMAZING!)
Thai Chicken Meatballs with Red Coconut Curry, Bok Choy & Rice Noodles
Flank Steaks & Creamed Kale with Sunchokes 2 ways
Crispy Salmon & Barley- Fennel Risotto w/ Fresh Herb and Walnut Salad
Moussaka-Style Lasagna with Eggplant and Spinach
Pan Roasted Chicken with Saba-Grape Sauce, Roasted Fennel & Sunchokes
Crispy Fish Sandwhiches withe Coleslaw and Homemade Tarter Sauce
Pan Seared Salmon with Candied Orange Peel & Cranberry Walnut Stuffing
Lamb & Butternut Squash Soup with Spinach and Barley

A far cry from blended tuna, eh? I like to consider myself a tad of a foodie- but going out to eat can be expensive (unless you are Grouponing- blog to follow) and/or dieting whereby you have to question what goes into your food. Here you are getting farm fresh ingredients, interesting variety, a taste sensation, a health meals, and culinary lessons and recipes you can move in future meals! A win win all around.

A Sample of the Recipe Card and Instructions

Check out http://www.blueapron.com/ to get started being the chef you always dreamed you can be. I for one think it's brilliant, easy and delicious.

Bon Appetit!

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