The very best Vanilla Lemon Drop!

My son hit upon this recipe quite by chance and it is delicious!

Ingredients:  Stolichnaya Vanilla vodka, Stirrings Simple Lemon Drop mixer and glass rimmer, cocktail shaker, crushed ice.

 Dip the glasses in citrus-infused sugar.....

Into a cocktail shaker, pour 1 part vodka for 2 parts mixer (a friend of mine uses a 1:1 ratio, which you can try if you dare!).  Fill with ice.

Shake like crazy!

Enjoy!

How to have a happy life

Some of my high school women friends gathered last week for drinks, catching up, appetizers, more catching up, and just general fun!  How wonderful it is to find ourselves older and wiser and be able to be fully present.  Having shed youthful angst, we seemed more comfortable and content. We were missing Denise, who was in Paris (!) but we will all get together again....

After such an enjoyable evening, I was inspired to share my thoughts about having a happy life with my son, who is struggling with all the current Millennial/Generation Y issues:  searching for a career opening, finding relationships confusingly defined, pining for less complexity.  

I've found that the steps to contentment are deceptively simple - but difficult to practice, sometimes:

 
Step one - identify and write down (this is supremely important) your dreams and desires; basically what you want your life to look like

Step two - VISUALIZE your perfect life - spend time learning how to focus your thoughts on your dreams and desires

Step three - maintain a positive outlook; never let a negative thought creep into your consciousness and get a toe hold.  Squelch it immediately! 

Step four - look for the joy in every moment..... 

 

Samantha Rose

This is what Samoyeds look like at 5 weeks

The day our lovely Samoyed, Misha, (I wrote about her in an earlier post - September 2008) died, I was

overcome with grief and knew that I couldn't go very long without another mass of white canine fur to share my family and life with. I contacted a local breeder, Darlene Rautio of Starstruck Samoyeds, but she didn't have a litter ready to go.  18 months later she did, and we added the wonderful, sweet, beautiful Sammy named "Samantha Rose" to our family. 

She's grown......

and now she's nearly 9 months old.....
.....and a very good girl!

There's no subsitute for positive thinking

I received the following email from Abraham-Hicks this morning.  Totally resonates with me:

Milk every moment for all the pleasure you can get from it. When you say, "It is my dominant intent to look for things that feel good today. No matter where I'm going, no matter what I'm doing, no matter who I'm doing it with, it is my dominant intent to look for what I'm wanting to see, to look for things that feel good," and the more you develop the habit of that kind of vibration -- the more the Universe understands that that's who you are! And so, the more you have access only to those kinds of things!
--- Abraham

Embracing Change

Summer began – unseasonably for Seattle – in June this year.  That may sound strange to those living in other parts of the country but, normally, we can expect the skies to clear sometime around July 10^th.   And rarely before the fourth of July.    But this year, we’ve even had some record breaking high temperatures – 103 degrees!  In Seattle…..?!

Yet, after basking in warmth for nearly three straight months, the weather has taken a turn.  Today, September 7^th, the high temperature is in the mid-60’s and it’s rained all weekend long, sometimes drenchingly.  This morning I gathered dozens of rose boughs that had been knocked to the ground by the deluge - but I say, if you have to cut roses, make a bouquet!   


In a few weeks summer will officially be over.  Soon it will be time to pick apples, rake leaves, mulch the roses, prune, generally batten down the hatches for winter... and contemplate the inevitable and wonderful changes that are part and parcel of life on this beautiful planet.

The colder weather has me anticipating the shift in seasons, from the advancing autumn to the Holidays - which will be upon us in no time.  It’s really not too early to start pondering holiday décor, or even planning new furnishings with which to entertain friends and family (or, in this tepid economy, maybe new accessories!).   As the air becomes brisk and we begin to spend more time indoors, it's time to think about freshening up our home for the season.  More on that next time…….

Fast and easy Piacenza salad for 2 .....a variation on the Caprese

This salad is a snap to make and so delicious!  It’s a staple in my household for a quick weeknight dinner.

The ingredients:

Half a container Marinated Fresh Mozzarella balls, 1 cup or so Cherry or grape tomatoes,2-3 T Julienned fresh basil, 1-2 T pine nuts, 2 T freshly grated Parmesan, 2 ½ cups baby lettuce, 1-2 T balsamic vinegar, freshly ground pepper.  For a one dish meal, add julienned salami or baked turkey.

Into your salad bowl, scoop the mozzarella – be fairly generous with oil and herb marinade (about 3 or 4 T).  Add tomatoes.  Toss in fresh basil, pine nuts, balsamic vinegar and baby lettuces (and salami or turkey if you like).  Toss.  Add parmesan and fresh ground pepper and toss again.

Add a few slices of hot bruschetta, a glass of wine – and enjoy!

Happiness is an attitude of gratitude.....

I've had a revelation recently:  gratitude is in short supply these days and there are a million things to feel grateful for, once I pause to reflect.  Here are a few:

• My husband, my wonderful son, my family.....
• The love of my friends....
• My pets, particularly Miss Misha.......
• Every friend, neighbor, client, acquaintance who marches boldly through life in a loving way......
  
• All the strangers I make eye contact with who are quicker on the draw than I am with a smile - bless you!  
• I'm magnificently grateful each and every day to live in this corner of paradise...

It's my intent to consciously find more things to feel grateful for, each and every day.....