Silver Lining

I have had a couple seemingly irritating weeks, nothing big, just life-happens irritants! Anyway, it reached a climax today when I tried to restore my phone for one app, and it did not work and I lost all of my contacts.  I also realized my child had gone through the house like The Tasmanian Devil and thrown out everything possible on the carpet floor, among other things.

I put a post on Facebook to my friends and family to please message me their contact information.  Everyone was very pleasant and understanding and sorry that that had happened to me, offering words of encouragement and well wishes.  Comment after comment.  About three people in, I realized.  Maybe this isn't such a bad thing!  I am getting to flush out my numbers I don't use anymore and I'm getting to have chats with people I haven't gotten to talk to in awhile, because I have been too "busy".

It also made me realize something else.  I was addicted to that stupid game that I "had" to restore my phone for, and for what?  Not much.  I knew it was taking my time but this really brought it into the light.  I don't like admitting this, but it is true.  I don't know if anyone else has something they know they are addicted to, nothing too serious, but enough to take your time away from the real things, playing with your son/child for five minutes here or there, reading a good soul nourishing book -whatever genre that may be, hugging your husband, calling an old friend, etc., etc.  Sometimes it take something out of your control, and as an old friend likes to say, "hitting you like a big, red, Mack Truck!"

Lesson: If there is something at the back of your conscience telling you that you are spending too much time doing such and such, listen!  Give it up for more quality time.  Something that can edify your relationships with others and your own growth.  I'm going to take a closer look at other areas and other "blind spots" I might not be seeing.   I guess you could call it a Spring Cleaning for my habits and time.

What are your possible "blind spots"? Do you even want to investigate?  Why or why not?

Abundance Quote

Tea Tasting Tuesday

Tea is one of my pleasures in life.  Yesterday, we were out of milk and baby was napping so I couldn't immediately run out to the store.  So, I had to delve into our tea cupboard and get something besides black. {I like to drink my black tea with milk and sugar.} I decided to try something from our Tea Forté sampler, that we received as a gift.  I went for White Ambrosia and I was not disappointed.  It was absolutely delicious!  A sweet, fresh taste that was perfect for a summer afternoon.

The Tea Forté website says this tea has a fragrance of Madagascar vanilla and "the tropical tease of island coconut".  I recommend trying this out.  It was a delightful surprise.  I enjoyed mine hot but I imagine it would make a wonderful iced tea.  What is your favorite summertime tea?

______________________________________

"A bath refreshes the body, tea refreshes the soul."  

~ Japanese Proverb

______________________________________

Lemons into Lemonade | Pho Recipe

Hope you all had a great weekend!  I came down with an intestinal bug on Saturday afternoon.  So, I am still feeling not so hot, but considerably much better.  On the menu for the weekend was some Pho.  I had bought some baby bok choy at our local Farmer's Market and found the recipe below.   Yesterday evening I was not feeling like cooking, and then I remembered the Pho I was planning on making and mustered up the strength to make it.  I was not disappointed.  It was wonderful!  I was very thankful for this recipe after a rough day and a half.  I thought I would share it with you all.

This recipe comes for the Willams-Sonoma Weeknight Fresh + Fast Cookbook, you can find here.  The broth has ginger {great for my upset stomach} and healing chicken broth.  I only changed the recipe slightly, and that was because those items were not in my kitchen and I didn't have the time/energy to go to the store.

Hope you enjoy! After all, it turned my lemons into lemonade! ;)

Asian- Style Chicken Soup with Baby Bok Choy (Pho)

Ingredients:

Low-Sodium chicken Broth 8 cups

Green Onions, 1 bunch, white and green parts, plus green parts, thinly sliced, for serving

Fresh Ginger, 2-inch piece, peeled and sliced

Asian Fish Sauce, 2 TBS.

Sugar, I TBS

Star Anise pods, 6 * We didn't have any of this and it still tasted great!

Cloves, 6

Skinless, boneless chicken breasts, 1-1 1/4 lbs. (I did one breast per serving)

Thai chiles, 3 or 1 serrano chile, thinly sliced (I did 1 jalapeño)

Bean sprouts, fresh basil sprigs, fresh cilantro sprigs, and lime wedges, for serving (I didn't have bean sprouts either and it was still yummy)

Hoisin Sauce, I used a heaping tsp per bowl.

Baby bok choy, 4

Dried rice stick noodles, 6-7 oz.

Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Makes 4 servings.

~ In a large pot over high heat, combine the broth and 2 cups of water. Cut the green onion bunch in half crosswise and add to the pot; add the ginger, fish sauce, and sugar. In a tea ball, combine the star anise and cloves; add to the pot. Then bring the broth to a boil. Add in the chicken breast, return to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, 10-15 minutes, depending on the size of the chicken. Using tongs, transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside until ready to use. Simmer the broth to develop flavor, 15-30 minutes.

~ Place the sliced green onions, sliced chiles, beach sprouts, herb sprigs, lime wedges and hoisin sauce, on a platter or in small bowls and set out on the table. ~ Chop the bok choy in pieces approx. 1/2 inch thick. Thinly slice the chicken breasts. In a large bowl, place the noodles. Completely cover the noodles with very hot water and let soak for 3 minutes. I just make a kettle full of water in my electric kettle and pour it over, it works great!

~ Using slotted spoon or tongs, remove the green onions and ginger from the pot and discard. Season the broth to taste with salt and pepper. Add the baby bok choy to the pot, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Drain the noodles, add to the broth, and cook until just tender, about 2 minutes.

~ Using slotted spoon or tongs, divide the noodles, boy choy and chicken evenly in 4 warmed deep bowls. Then ladle the broth over the top. Serve and allow diners to add the condiments to taste.

Enjoy!

_____________________________________________________

"Soup is sensitive.  You don't catch steak hanging around when you're poor and sick, do you?"  

~ Judith Martin

_____________________________________________________

Quote courtesy of Susan Branch's book Vineyard Seasons, which you can find here and here.

Commencement, A Genesis.

I have been imagining putting together a blog that people would be happy to look at.  It completely terrifies me and excites me all at once.  I have many blogs that I follow, and get excited when they put up a new post.  My thought was, "So, why can't I do this?"

I am a new stay at home mama.  I am also an art therapist that is working my way to becoming certified but couldn't bare the thought that our baby was being raised by someone else & daily changing and growing.  So here I am, two weeks in and finding myself a little intellectually & socially deprived. And needing a way to reach out and connect with others.

So what am I going to blog about?  I'm not completely sure yet.  However, I think that is a part of the adventure.  The word abundant has been coming into my head a lot lately.  I have also been thinking about ways to find joy in the everyday "stuff".  Finding a way to have fun and love where I am, right now and bring others, {possibly} along in my fun!

We've been hearing in the news, Instagram, Facebook, etc. about commencement addresses all over the country.  Commencement means "a beginning, a new start".  I think that is appropriate for where I am at right now.  So I'm going to give it a go!  See where it leads.

Cultivating various quotes, pictures, books, art, artists, etc., etc., in an effort to help me to stay positive and look at all of the joy in my life.  I also have a slight obsession with manners, and would always hope to conduct myself in a manner of a Lady.  I know full well I'm not perfect, but even the pursuit of it makes me happy, so there will be posts on etiquette.  I hope in the following posts I'm able to inspire you to find the joyfulness in your life.  Maybe even finding it abundantly.  Lady Joyeux became my blog title when Lady JoyFULL was already taken and I also noticed it was already the name of a famous horse! Lest, someone would get us confused.

Any thoughts on what helps you cultivate abundance everyday?

I'll end with a quote from a book I read years ago in French class, and hope to hear from you!

Summer

  ______________________________________________________________________________

"What matters most are the simple pleasures so abundant that we all can enjoy them… Happiness doesn't lie in the objects we gather around us.  To find it all we need to do is open our eyes."

                        - Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, The Little Prince 

  ________________________________________________________________________________