Monday, one of my seven favorite days of the week!

I hope that you all had an amazing Mother's Day. This was the first Mother's Day I have spent with my son in many, many years. I have always had a "job" which didn't allow me the freedom to travel when I wanted or needed. That, of course, has all changed now! I get to live my life on my own terms and it feels SO good! My son and I went out for brunch, then a few of his friends came over for a pool party and BBQ. I was hugged and wished Happy Mother's Day by my son, of course. and also Timber, Blue, Salem and Derek! I feel like the luckiest person in the world. I am so very blessed in life.

In other fun news...Queen Emily has decided that she likes to walk on a leash and it is SO much fun!  Here are some photos of our recent adventures.  

Despite being tired, she didn't want to go back.  So we stopped for a few more minutes right by the condo.

It's true!  I AM Batman!  

And even though she has already had a walk that lasted OVER an hour, she wants more.  She goes from room to room meowing (another new trick she has learned, she never used to meow, only squeak) and then goes and waits at the door.  And of course, I will take her out again, because that is how I roll. 

Have a fabulous Monday, folks!  Be blessed and stay well.  

Gina's Roasted Cauliflower~Yum!

This is one of my BFF's favorite recipes.  She is an incredible cook and and amazing human being.  I love her like a sister.

Posted here with permission.

Gina's Roasted Cauliflower

Ingredients:

1 medium head cauliflower, cut into florets, about 6 cups
3 tablespoons garlic infused olive or grapeseed oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup fresh, finely grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  In a bowl toss cauliflower with oil, season with salt and pepper.  Spread on a baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until tender.  Carefully "stir" 1-2 times while baking to make sure it's evenly roasted.

Immediately upon removal from oven, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Makes 4 side servings.

The most amazing, superfine, awesome day!

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my life?  Probably not because I am such a slacker blogger, but I am here now to tell you I SO LOVE MY LIFE!  Two and almost a half years ago everything was a struggle. I worked 40 hours a week, made very little money, felt like (just being honest here) CRAP and even getting out of bed was an incredible struggle.  I was sad and sick and tired and sick and tired if you know what I mean.  Then everything changed.  A friend told me about the products I have been using since 1-1-11 and everything about my life has transformed!  Anyway, the reason I am telling you this is because I am now living each day to the fullest and enjoying every moment.  Yesterday, was NO exception!

My son and I decided to take the day off and we drove to the Colorado Springs area for the day.  We toured the Garden of the Gods and he took a plethora of awesome photos!

Moi!  

As you can see, it is a gorgeous place and one I highly recommend seeing!  After we finished our walk, we went to Manitou Springs for lunch!  We found an amazing little place called Adam's Mountain Cafe! It's right by a the creek and the food is not only healthy and organic, it is AMAZING!  I had the daily soup special which was turkey chipotle vegetable, a wonderful spring salad with chicken, cashews and balsamic vinaigrette dressing and it was all to die for!

All in all it was a most beautiful and fun filled day!  I hope you are enjoying every minute of this amazing season we call spring!  Live life to the fullest!  Go out and SEIZE the day!

Christmas every day!

Last night in my dreams I received two HUGE boxes of  the products that changed everything about my life.  I sat on the floor and opened them up like it was Christmas!  I brought out each item and oohed and awed over them like they were precious gems, but truth be known, they are much more valuable than that to me.  I started using the products a little over two years ago, at a low point health and otherwise in life that I hope none of you ever see.   I started to see improvements to my health within a few days, and as time went on I felt better and better!!  It wasn't long before I was able to tell the medical field I no longer "needed" their assistance after 25 years of "need" and by the end of six months I had released over 100 pounds and felt better physically and emotionally than I had in over 25 years. 

Now, 2 plus years later, I am 165 pounds lighter and healthier than I ever remember being.  I am happy to the very core of my being and I smile for absolutely no reason ALL THE TIME!  And it's not just my physical health that has improved, my financial health is BETTER THAN EVER!  I share the products with my family and friends, coach them in all aspects of product usage and help them build a wonderful business with the products if they choose.

I have made amazing friends in this amazing company and my life is better than I ever imagined it could be. I said goodbye to my demanding, demeaning and depressing job in education after seven months and now the only limit to the amount of money I can  make is the limits I place on myself, and trust me...I HAVE NO LIMITS! 

So you see, it really is Christmas, every single day. 

Thank you Isagenix, for giving me my life back.

Who needs prozac when they have purrzac?

We all know how in love I am with Emmy, my furchild.  She is the yin to my yang, my furry soul mate and the spice in my Szechuan-style shrimp.  She has been with me, literally, through thick and thin, feast and famine, hell and high water and I don't know how I would have survived the trials and tribulations of life without her.

I know that some day I won't have the benefit of  her love and affection (on her terms and in her time, of course), but until that time comes (and she's in excellent health), I am going to spend every possible minute with her that I can and that is one of the many MANY reasons I love being self-employed!  When she wants affection, I give it to her.  She gets the best treats and food available and to tend to  her health care needs, I have a vet (almost) on retainer.  The first thing I did when I came to visit my son was to ask the pet owners in the complex who the very best vet in the area was and after checking his references online, I have his phone number on speed dial and directions there in my navigational device.

 ~ long pause here because she draped herself across the keyboard making it impossible to type~

She has a cat tree, a heated cat bed, a ton of cat toys, a catio (think large, full sized window box that has been screened in and has two beds in it), and we are in the process of fully screening in the balcony at my son's house so she can really live it up in style while we are visiting in Denver. 

Of course, I'm not the only one that lets her have her way or dotes on her.  Here she is with my son's dear friend Salem.  She is helping him surf, as you can see.  

And here she is with most of the "gang".  I call this one The Cat and The Hats.

She is the life of the party, until she is tired.  Then she's just stick a fork in me done.

A day in the life...

 This is Emily.  My few fans will remember her as she is usually the star of my posts.  Today is an incredibly beautiful day.  The sun is shining, there's a very light breeze and the temperature is around 70F.  I have the patio doors and windows open and apparently Emmy decided she was tired of being indoors (she's an inside only cat) and decided to make her escape.  Lucky me, I caught it on camera.

OK, first one down...  

 
                                                   Hmmm, I think this is how they do it.

 Had to put some muscle into it, but GOT IT!

 

  

One more lock and I will be free!!

This would be so much easier if I had thumbs!

Forget it. Outside is over-rated. I'll just lie here and soak up some rays.

I just let it flow...

I'm my own boss, so I work from home.  Usually I rock out  with my Emmy kitty on my lap, listening to Pandora Radio on the smart TV.  The surround sound makes it an almost surreal experience. I find I go through a whole range of emotions as the music changes and I know it's because certain songs remind me of the people I love and I have lost.  Today is no exception.  I was giggling and chair dancing while listening to Bonnie Raitt and Bon Jovi (don't judge me), and then Louis Armstrong "What a Wonderful World" came on and, sure enough, my eyes started to leak.  Cousin Dale LOVED jazz and he absolutely adored Louis Armstrong.  It made me miss him more than ever.  It's so hard to believe he has been gone for almost six years.  Do certain songs remind you of people you have loved and lost?  If so, do you avoid listening to them or do you turn them up loud and let the emotion flow?