Simple Secrets to a Happy Life Giveaway!

Yesterday I posted about this great book (see post here) and today I'm giving it away! It's so easy and fun to read that I just knew I had to share it with one of you.

As I mentioned yesterday it's divided into 50 short chapters, each of which has a simple 5 word title...


Look for Ways to Help


Figure It Out for Yourself


Celebrate the Life You're Given



are just a few examples (you'll find more in yesterday's post).

To enter to win the book (I'll mail it to you!!) do the following:

In the comments section at the end of this post (not on Facebook comments please!) put your own creative (or not so much) 5 word title of your own simple secret to a Happy Life.



You're all so fun and creative- can't wait to read what you come up with!

**** And just to be clear - the winner will be chosen at random from all the entries - but special recognition and maybe a little prize!! will go to the person with the most awesome entry!



You can enter thru Sunday!!


Lu

All that talk about experience being a great teacher? Turns out it's true.

Several years ago I discovered Luci Swindoll.

Well, I didn't actually discover her I suppose. I mean she's about 80 years old now and the author of umpteen books, a sought-after speaker, and a consummate world-traveler. She's visited places and done things that most people don't even know to dream about.
Her brother Charles (or Chuck as he's more commonly known) is one of the most beloved and influential preachers in the world today.

So, like I said, someone else probably figured out the whole Luci Swindoll thing long before me.

But I'm taking credit.

You're welcome!

I happened upon one of her books a couple of years ago. It was called Doing Life Differently:The Art of Living with Imagination.


She and I immediately became Best Friends Forever.

Now she doesn't know this of course, as we've never met, nor does she have a clue in the world who I am, but trust me... we're tight.

I can promise you, if you read one of her books you'll want to usurp me as her best bud, but don't even try.


The title of Doing Life Differently intrigued me. I've always felt my imagination was pretty healthy, but never really considered using my imagination to be any kind of art or a tool of sorts for living. I was wrong. In her book, Luci shares her lifelong secrets for making every single day an adventure.

Every. single. day. Can you even imagine?
How many of your days in the last couple of weeks would you consider an adventure? In the last year? Do we even realize sometimes there's adventure out there to be had?

Luci rarely goes to bed at night thinking "Wow, I accomplished absolutely nothing today" or " I really should have done more interesting things today".

No. She goes to bed each night exhausted and pleasantly spent from this opportunity that is life. Hers is not a great tale of triumph over tragedy, an underprivileged or abusive childhood, or a struggle with any kind of addiction or affliction. Instead, hers is a story of a dogged determination to capture and savor every single opportunity for adventure and joy that our brief time on earth allows.

I can't encourage you enough to go out and find this book. I'd let you borrow mine, but I joyfully passed it along to a friend after I enjoyed it, and then encouraged my friend to do the same.

Everyone needs to know Luci Swindoll.



Just yesterday I picked up her newest book Simple Secrets to a Happy Life.


I just can't put it down. So easy to read. So practical. In this volume she suggests 50 ways to make the most of every day. Each short chapter has a simple 5 word title. Here's some I've read so far:

Be On Time For Everything


Take Jesus With You Everywhere


Learn To Organize Your Stuff


Make Something With Your Hands


Value The Things You Have


Find Contentment In Doing Without


Engage People in Fun Conversation


I could go on and on but I'd give it all away. I couldn't possibly do justice to her wisdom or wit.

Have you ever met (or read) anyone who's just so engaging and interesting that you want to know more and more about them? What makes them tick or what their secret is? That's Luci.

If you have a chance pick up one of her books today. I know you won't be disappointed.

Lu

Because Brief is not Usually My Specialty

Did you have a good weekend? Mine seemed full.

Please join me while I re-cap.

1. I made bunches of little appetizers and other foods for a wedding shower. They turned out pretty well and are just the ticket for a small bite at any summer-ish celebration.

2. After the shower I headed to the farm. Before I had even reached the farmhouse I was extended a welcome by Otis. He's very polite.

3. On Saturday we spent a lot of time looking for a cow that had just had a calf. As Weegie will attest, there's a lot of places to look...

4. After about 2 hours search we spotted them. This particular Mama cow has quite the reputation for being persnickity when it comes to people approaching her calves. She comes from a long line of disagreeable Longhorn stock.
(See Mama to the left?)

5. While we were in the deepest part of the woods, I had a great time taking pictures of some of the beautiful trees. Many of them are well over 200 years old.

I'm a tree person. Always have been. Have you ever been to Muir Woods in California? You can't leave there without becoming a Tree People too...

6.  The Chief woke me up really, really early on Sunday to ask me if I wanted to go down and take  a picture of some hogs caught in the trap.

I said "Why yes Chief, thank you. I can't think of anything I'd rather do more than take some pictures of hogs at this hour of almost dark-thirty. I won't even brush my teeth."

7. Then after the whole big Pig in a Poke thing, I made some scones. The lightest, tastiest ones ever.


I believe it's the civilized way of celebrating such an event.





Hope your weekend was filled with fun stuff.

Lu

What We Ate Last Night

I know. Someone please nominate me for some kind of Creative Post Title Emmy Award.

But I almost ran out of TAB this morning and it was all I could do to come up with this pathetic one so I'm rolling with it.

Please roll with me.

I told my FB friends that I have been, let's say, "coerced" into posting what I cook for dinner (supper) for one week.

Monday was Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts, Wild Rice, and Honey Lemon Carrots.

On Tuesday I was feeling uninspired in the most overwhelming kind of way and for a while even entertained the idea of feigning a handy illness of some sort so that The Chief would feel sorry for me and perhaps offer to bring something home. Then I would miraculously recover just in time to chow down on whatever he picked up and also to watch the entire three hours of Dancing With The Stars. But then I decided that was impractical (not to mention just generally wrong) and I got thee to the kitchen.

I had taken two pork chops out of the freezer earlier in the day but didn't have any kind  of pork-related plan. I do that sometimes. Regularly I hold out hope that the pork chops or chicken breasts or ground beef that I take out to thaw will miraculously whip themselves into some kind of gourmet meal while I am busy doing something else, um, really important.


But anyway, the pork chops were just sitting there still looking all kinds of plain and pork chop-ish, and I knew that bottom line, I was going to have to put forth some effort. I pulled out the leftover wild rice from the night before and that kind of made me think Chinese (of course, not necessarily wild rice, but rice generally made me think Chinese)

Like oranges make me think Florida.

I'm glad we cleared that up.


So after a period of thinking some very serious cooking-type thoughts, this is what I did:

FYI - while I decided to put my nose to the grindstone so to speak, and you know, get 'er done and all, I did not have even a fleeting thought about taking pictures of the whole thing because frankly, the chances of success were freakishly low.


Alrighty then:

1. I sliced the two pork chops super thin and sprinkled them generously with salt and pepper.

2. I tossed the pork strips lightly in flour and then pan fried them in a little oil until just cooked through. Remove from pan and let drain on paper towels.

3. I sliced some bell pepper (I had red and yellow) some onion, and carrots really thin then quickly sauteed them in the remaining oil in the skillet.

4. Then I tossed the rice in with the veggies and cooked the whole mixture for another 5 minutes or so.

5. I made a sauce of Garlic Chili Sauce, honey, and some teriyaki sauce.

I know the teriyaki sauce is missing from the picture, but I used up all I had and one of the over-efficient staffers here at Mudpuddle Inc. got all energetic and put it out in the big garbage can before I could grab it for a picture...

If you've never used the Chili Garlic Sauce in the little bottle you're missing out. Great flavor. But I warn you it's pretty darn hot. About 1/4 cup of it mixed with about 3 T. honey and a little of the teriyaki sauce, though, made an awesome sauce. I put the pork slices in a saucepan, poured the sauce on top and just heated it through before I served the pork and sauce on top of the rice and vegetables.


So good.

It was almost too spicy for me but I muscled through. The Chief gave it a very high rating.

And so, so easy.

Try it.

Lu

The Farm Chronicles: Random Photos and Incoherent Musings

My guess is that you would all appreciate this post more if I could weave some kind of logical story together, tell a tale of sorts, or at the very least make some kind of basic sense of these photos from the farm.

It's just not happening, y'all.

I blame my inability to do this on the following:

Friday night at the farm while I was getting ready to go to bed (just before taking a bath and just after spending an inordinate amount of time inspecting the onslaught of gray hairs that have taken over my hairline) I  happened to be brushing my teeth. Now I know in itself this is not remarkable as I have a life-long habit of excellent dental hygiene, but this was different.
Just as I leaned down to (oh please excuse this crude language but I simply can't think of another way to put it...) spit (again, my apologies)  the toothpaste into the sink, a huge and also very awful scorpion chose that exact time and moment in history to crawl up from the drain and enter the bowl of the sink.

In other words: I am now mentally and emotionally scarred  for life.

So.

Here are some pictures in no order whatsoever and some stuff I have to say about them.

Weegie (see bottom right) was excited to see some of the pelicans out on the lake when we got there. He loves to swim with the pelicans.

The pelicans, though, don't seem to share the same affinity for The Weegster.

He consoled himself by rolling in something dead.

The Chief loves to mow and with the nice spring rains, there's a bumper crop of weeds. In this picture you're looking up the gravel road toward the front part of the farm. I love how the old trees practically form a tunnel.

Here's another view looking the other direction toward the farmhouse on the left and the barns on the right.

And then this is the view down the hill toward the lake. In this photo the farmhouse is just to the left. You see the trees way, way over there on the other side of the lake? That's the farm too. But you'd have to swim... Not really you can drive to get there - about 15 miles around the tip of the lake.

When you go down the hill toward the lake the road branches to the right or left. I suppose that would make sense. Anyhoo, if you turn to the left you go back up a hill and the road branches again (see where the white sign is? you can't see the right fork in the road) if you keep going to the left you go past the donkey and one of the compressor stations. Behind those trees to the back is a huge flat field we call The Big Field Behind The House.

Because we are very fancy.



If you veer to the right at the white sign you'll almost run over this...

Weegie and I were out in the Mule taking pictures when we happened upon it. It was very, very large. I'd say every bit of six feet.

And fat. A very healthy snake.

I tried to get it to spread itself out so you could see how long it was, but I had almost just accidentally run over it and it was not cooperating. I was also having to hold Weegie in the Mule by the collar lest he jump out and cause all kinds of commotion.


So we drove away and came back a few minutes later and found the snake making his way across the pasture.

The Chief commented later that I should have put something beside the snake (my foot, The Weege, etc...) so we could get a reference as to it's length.

I'll try to remember that next time.


And now I think that's all for today (although I have a lot more pictures). I'm sure you, like myself, are exhausted from all the excitement.


Lu

It's A Contest! You Know You Love 'Em!

So I just thought I should let you all know that later this afternoon I'm having a big contest! You don't want to miss it.

I'm trying to find the person with the Most Fabulous and Special Lawn-Mowing Skills! All you have to do to enter is:

1. Show up here at my house. (Make sure you're dressed appropriately for yard work- you want to look the part, of course.)

2. Each contestant will mow a section of my yard and will be judged (by me) on speed, quality and sharpness of "mower lines", efficiency of emptying the bag, and neatness. Everyone will be given the opportunity to mow a large section as I desire to make this contest as fair as possible.

We're on the up and up around here.


3. All contestants will sign a waiver that covers a few minor things like NEVER TELLING THE CHIEF THAT YOU PARTICIPATED IN, OR HAVE KNOWLEDGE OF ANY SUCH CONTEST EVER HAVING TAKEN PLACE.

4. In the case of a tie, we'll break the tie with a contest of weed-eating skills. Call me crazy, but I'm pretty sure there'll be a tie.

I'm prophetic like that.


I'm limiting the participants to just the first 100 to enter.


So please, don't be late.

Lu

Really, It's Free. All of it.

I think most of you know by now that I'm not big on giving advice. These are some bits though, some pearls, if you will, of wisdom that I don't feel comfortable keeping to myself.

I'm a giver.


1. Don't buy a baking magazine based purely on the pretty cover photo of cupcakes. The magazine may be from the UK with confusing measurements and terminology.

2. Don't assume that you're smart enough to just do the conversions in your head. You're not.
There are all kinds of nifty conversion charts online.

3. If cupcakes look inherently wrong when still in the batter stage, they will most likely look (and taste) just as wrong when they are baked. Or wronger. (Sorry, but in my head this is SO a word).

4. Don't ever assume your dog is smarter than a skunk.

5. Don't ever assume you're smarter than your dog.

6. No matter what the ads say, the So Slimming Jeans from Chico's will not make you look like you're actually a size 4. They lie.

7. Don't go to the doctor unless you want to hear about all the things that are wrong with you.

8. Don't feel like you need to share all your self-diagnoses with your doctor. He'll pretend to listen, but generally he'll think you're a nut. If you've been going to him for 20 years or more, he'll most likely feel free to share that with you... the nut thing.

9. You can practice every day for years by singing in front of the mirror using a perfume bottle as a microphone and still not sound good. Or even look like you sound good.

10. Be sure to cut off the little strappy-things they put on shirts to hold them on the hangers. If you don't you may:

a. Wear them hanging out of your arm holes all day.

or

b. Wear them hanging out of your arm holes all day and then get one caught on a display rack at a fancy store and subsequently pull the rack over onto the floor.

11. Don't even bother trying to explain to the distraught salesperson how 10(b) happened. They will not appreciate your story.



I'm all about making your life easier.

Lu