Follow up to New Look & My Dad

A little while ago I wrote a post about MY Dad and mentioned an article that was about him and his work preaching the gospel here in Tampa.  The article was included in the December Edition.  There are two links to the story:

1. A Conversation Version

2. The full article PDF, he is on page 21 of the file.

I'm so proud of my Dad!

Also check it...I got a photo cred!

In other news here is another Target Holiday Commercial for your daily dose of laughter.  These commercials just kill me and make my day better!  Hope it does the same for you!

- proud daughter lp

Target

I don't usually participate in Black Friday shopping.  I find the crowds make me angry more than anything.

 

This Target commercial makes me laugh so hard EVERY time I see it!

Hope it brightens your day!

 

Target 2-Day Sale Commercial

- lp

Artichokes, Gorgonzola, Giada & Fresh Herbs

Do you like artichokes?  And no I don't mean artichokes in spinach artichoke dip at Chili's or artichoke hearts in a salad...I mean like real fresh artichokes.  I'm trying more and more to eat in season and luckily as always Publix promotes in season veggies with good sales.  So according to this website there is a small crop of artichokes in October.  So I researched some artichoke recipes.

The first recipe I have tried is by Giada De Laurentis, it is Baked Artichokes with Gorgonzola and Herbs. I halved the recipe since there are only two of us.  I also assumed it wouldn't  be that filling however it was quite filling and would work best probably as an appetizer.  I can't say that this is the healthiest of recipes however, I did use fat free Gorgonzola which wasn't quite as gooey as full fat Gorgonzola would be but none the less quite tasty.  It was really easy to make and we really enjoyed it.  

Eating it was an adventure in itself.  MK and I debated on which was the best way to eat it.  If you're not familiar with artichokes the "meat" of the artichoke is at the base of the leaf.  If you scrap your teeth along the leaf you get the tasty "meat."  We decided that if you pile the cheese on top of the individual leaf by dipping or whatever method and then scrap the meat and cheese off it is delicious!

Hope you try it and enjoy!

On this adventurous culinary night we also spotted a culprit that LOVES to leave large gifts of a nasty consistency on my car.  Take a look at this Sand Hill Crane (which are my fav birds)just chilling on my car.

We chased it to a Honda Accord next door and saw the aforementioned nasty gift left on the Accord that we thankfully avoided the next morning.

- lp de laurentis 

Blessed

With recent events that have happened in our life I've come to appreciate how blessed we truly are when it comes to friends and family (both local and far away).

I don't think it's too often that MK and I need some help or have some needs where need to call on friends and family but this week we have had some obstacles.  How do I know that we're blessed?  That without asking we have friends who have gone out of their way and called to check on us and family members who have bent over backwards to make sure we had the easiest time as possible.  

There are even those friends who don't know what is really going on with us (which by the way is nothing too crazy, just some minor health issues being taken care of and part of journey, that at some point I'll share) and have just reached out or sent sweet encouraging messages.

It's all appreciated and I am confident it's all because of the love and common bond we share in God.  It's a great feeling.

Also, MK has been a great nurse! I've been a little out of it and basically in bed and he has done all that he can to make me more comfortable.  And he indulged my decorating fetish with a nice purchase.  Although...last night he might have hit his breaking point...case in point...he threatened me with drool.   I'll leave it at that.  He is a good hubby.

In other news, it's not hard to spend time in bed when there are little ones like this to keep you company.

- lp

My Lasagna

Ok...

I don't think anyone's recipes are truly all their own.  In reality if you're making a traditional dish it all basically stems from the same basic ingredients.  The Lasagna I make is based on PW's recipe found here.  But I make a few healthy changes to it, these are the items I use:

Whole Wheat Pasta
Fat Free Ricotta Cheese instead of Cottage Cheese (I have an aversion to cottage cheese due to a certain Alabama camp counselor and some stories....I digress)
Low Fat Cheese
Ground Turkey - organic if possible or no added hormones for sure
Topped off with fresh grated parmesan cheese mixed with grated cheese out of the can

I cooked this for MK's b'day dinner, after all lasagna is his favorite.  Here is what it looks like fresh out of the oven.

Joey would LOVE to sink his teeth into this!  He just loves food, any food, all food!

If you make this hope you enjoy it!

-lp

I Voted

I Voted.

Did you vote?

A few weeks ago MK suggested that we partake in early voting. I thought about it and decided no I did not want to vote early.  Here were my reasons:

1. As an American I have been blessed by God to have a government that allows me to have a say in who runs this great country.

2. Also as an American Woman I have the privilege to go to the polls to vote without fear of being discriminated against or harmed.  I remember when the first time I saw Iraqi voting taking place and women were able to go to the polls and vote, the pictures of it moved me.  If these brave women could decide to walk to the polls and vote and hold up their ink stained fingers then I could take the time on Election Day to go to my polls and vote.  Also there are many women in this world that today still do not have the rights that I have, so I felt like for their sakes I wanted to go to the polls and vote on the appointed Election Day.

3. I believe that it is my duty and Christian woman to participate in the these elections in order to help our country turn around from it's current wordly state.  Now I am not saying that all the candidates that we have are righteous, in fact sometimes I feel like I'm voting for the lesser of two evils.  But since our country is set up to elect our officials I should participate and have a say.

Now let me just remind everyone that I am not a political analyst, activist, or expert.  Nor am I overly informed about political issues.  But I do try to learn enough to make a good decision.  

I hope that if you feel like you should vote that you did vote (no matter who or what you voted for).  It's your way to have a voice in what is being done in this country.  I understand others exercising their right not to vote, if you don't know what or who you're voting for then it's probably best not to vote, or if you don't feel like it is your duty to vote you're entitled to that opinion as well.

- patriot lp

Pumpkin Patch Farm/It was a carnival!

This weekend Em wanted to take little Bug to a farm we had heard of that is about an hour away.  We thought it was going to be just a pumpkin patch, a hay ride, and some animals.  So made it a girls day with "Rara" and "Gi" too, loaded up and drove to the farm.  When we got there we saw it wasn't just a farm, it was basically a mini fair complete with fair food, trapeze artists, motorcycle tricks, pony rides, and carnival games.  We were shocked to say the least!  Bug thought it was the best place ever!  She had so much fun that day and we all did too.  It was a day well spent for these city girls (we were covered in dirt by the time we left)!

- lp