Smiles and Sadness

Every man dies - Not every man really lives.

-William Ross Wallace-

I was saddened last night to hear that a friend had taken his life yesterday.  How easy it is to miss what turmoil or anxiety or sadness or...could be in the lives of people we know and...we didn't even know.  Friends he was with the night before never suspected anything was wrong.

It makes me sad to think that perhaps if he had shared his true feelings then perhaps he wouldn’t have approached that moment.

Something to think about even in just passing a smile to someone you pass along your way.   I know I’ve had my own spirits lifted in that way the occasional time when I’ve felt down and have been lost in my own thoughts. Just that gesture of a pleasant awareness and I know I passed it on. It helped to redirect my thoughts  Not that a smile would have been enough to stop this friend from this tragic way but one never knows what even a little smile can provide.

My thoughts are with this friend’s family and his friends.

I wish for all my dear blogging friends a happy day... Judi xoxo

Our care should not be to have lived long as to have lived enough.

-Seneca

From Sparks to Brownies...

Last week Geoff invited me to attend as Madeline took the oath in the swearing in from Sparks to Brownies.  She was excited and while we ate dinner at my place first she said she knew her oath.  I knew she would because she takes these things seriously (just like her dad) and she would be prepared.

She was so happy as we waited to go into the gym to begin the ceremony....

She had happy hugs for her daddy...

and hugs for Grammy... I was so proud of her...

She had her back to us for the oath but there she is in the orange...

She was glowing with her Certificate and the badges she had earned and received that night...

Then the Brownies sat in a large circle enjoying refreshments...yummy. 

One more happy picture with her daddy.  

 This was another special moment with Madeline... Love them both to bits.

They told us at the ceremony that this week the Brownies would visit a Retirement home.  The other night I asked her if this was the week she was going to the retirement home and she said "is that the place where the older people live?".  Yes, thats where she was going.  We talked about how special it would be for the older people there to have the Brownies visit with them.  She smiled and said "oh yes".  Love that little one...

Hope you've had a great day... Judi xoxo

Quick Taco Shells and Homemade Taco Seasoning...

Saturday night was casual tacos night.  Simple and yummy but we still managed to do our own "thing".

First we made our own taco seasoning because we had all the ingredients fresh and on hand.  Its very good and we made enough to keep on hand for the next time or two.

Then we made taco shells from corn tortillas.  We simply put foil on a cookie sheet and staggered the tortillas flat on the sheet.  We set them into a preheated 375F oven for approx. 10 minutes.  They become a little crispy and puff up in spots like they were going to "blow" up.  They were a nice change from the store bought kind.

Out of the oven we simply folded them and they held that shape nicely until they cooled.

Then we were ready to load them up.   Sour cream came next...

Abby was the first one at the table while we were setting up.  Silly kitty.   Great casual meal....

and yummy....

Do you make your own tacos?  Judi xoxo

Seafood in Garlic, Wine and Butter Sauce

Over Christmas we had dinner in at a seafood restaurant in New York state. I decided on a dish called Seafood in Garlic, Wine and Butter Sauce.  It was served over linguine and was delicious.

Last weekend we found a Recipe online simliar to what I had eaten  To the recipe we added both bay and large scallops and at the end we tossed in some large cooked shrimp and 1/2 a can of baby clams and all the juice.  If you don't want to use white wine you can use extra vegetable broth or add in more clam juice.  The dinner at the restaurant also served mussels in the sauce that we'll add in next time.

We served it over linguine as well and it was very quick, easy and tasted soooo good.  We have a new NoKnead bread recipe too that I'll share another time that we made for this dinner.

If you like seafood......give this a try!   Judi xoxo

The Argyle Twins

Marc's daughter Janet gave us both argyle sweaters for Christmas.   We got a chance to wear them the first time over the holidays...together and at the same time.  I suggested we wear them when we went to visit my sister-in-law and her hubby.

He was such a good sport and we didn't think about it any further until we got there, removed our coats and were welcomed with smiles and "you guys look so cute".  It took a minute for us to clue in and we all laughed actually. 

They took our picture and called us the Argyle twins. 

Do you and your hubby/partner ever dress alike?  Judi xoxo