Insomnia solution..Live in the moment,be present, and then surrender...

Does it seem like your dreams of sleep are  lost in a blizzard or  caught coming and going ? Feeling like you are trapped on an endless treadmill,or gerbil wheel

Sleep,the harder you try to sleep,the more frustrated you become when it evades you..

Rest easy my dear friend..
click on the  link below and read what the author shares.
I cannot vouch for everything the author may
espouse, value or believe.

I did think that some of the ideas in this article
could be most helpful for those who suffer from  racing minds and insomnia  Much of what is shared in this article goes "hand in hand" with things I am learning  with my new RenPro , CC  friends and fellow members.

http://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-to-surrender-to-sleep.html

The perils of Pauline..here is your long awaited applesauce raisn bar recipe..

Pauline, I am sorry I kept you waiting so long,

When I saw you were in facebook I thought why not get your  long overdue recipie to you...

I just received a yummy best ever gingerbredman
cookie recipie from somone..I waited patiently for it too... so good things finally do come to those who wait ...and yowzers this recipie is really good..

It is one of my all time favorites and always ,always received raving reviews ,leaving me  empty handed with an empty
tray,leftovers would have been nice :-)...YUM....

Applesauce Raisin bars

heat oven to 350 degrees 

1 cup of flour
2/3 cup of sugar ( I haven't tried it,but it just occured to me brown sugar would perhaps make this even      
                           better)
1 tsp soda, 1 tsp cinn,1/4 tsp nutmeg, 1/8th tsp cloves
sift(or still well)the  dry ingred together..to mix spices into the flour
add;
1/4 cup of shortening(I always used butter,thank you Toffee,Daphne and Daffodill our beloved Jerseys.
1 cup of sweet applesauce( I always canned without sugar,so I used unsweetened applesauce)
1 egg.."ladies" with the feathers on..take a bow (you gals in the chicken yard , all know who you are)
1/2 cup of raisins

mix  everything together and  place in a well buttered 9x13 pan
bake 25-30 min

while still warm spread frosting on top

frosting :(this  is more glaze like,so could add 1/4-1/2 of the same recipe for a thicker frosting))
brown 2 TBSP of butter add 2 TBSP of milk,1/2 tsp of vanilla ,2cups of pwd sugar (if lumpy sift otherwise the lumps will show)

yummm....can I come over to your house for coffee AND..... :-)

Dream big..when I grow up..I want to be just like you.

I love our little bouncing horse
she was always a big dreamer.

Years ago she was the trusted and faithful steed
for all three of our children. She safely carried them across deserts,through swamps,up mountains,and
rescuing damsels in distress and boldly carrying her rider to victory after victory.

With reverence and respect I   sadly put her out to pasture, carefully tucking her
up in the attic rafters for safe keeping.

As our children grew,they each had a "real"horse of their own. We still have two of them with us here at
farmfunnies.  Midnight and Ginger.  Hummer,Tina,April and Sheba are now grazing on heavenly grass in gold and silver meadows .  Ruby and emerald boulders beset the edges of their meadow.
 
Our children,while not died in the wool horse lover/fanatics as their mom (me)
 became more skillful riders than myself ,their hopeless horse loving mom.
I envied them.

With grandchildren now, I have become a bouncing horse rescuer, we now have four trusty steeds,
each waiting for their own dteam to come to fruition
Our oldtimer  gal..little horse,wanted to go out in the world and meet her models,
she silently held onto her dreams for years..She  dreamed so long
of running through the fields and rolling in the snow with the other family horses.

One day "it" happened..Little horse made it...she  woke up  one day to find herself  nose to nose
with the big guys and gals...
she discovered ....
Nothing is impossible...you just  need to keep dreaming,
to never give up and  to always keep hope alive in your heart..

Little horse also discovered  it helps if you accept a little help sometimes
even if it is from  farmfunnies "granny" :-)

Little horse also discovered those big guys and gals just might be terrified of you.
Little horse was  so surprized when Czar,Malahara and Midnight snorted and ran from her.

Little horse calmly held her ground,waiting,listening validating her new friends as she felt empowered
with her  own new found strengths.

Do you think your dreams are impossible? 
Rember Little horse, never be too shy or embarrassed to seek a little help .
Sometimes  sharing your dreams with somone on the outside,(or standing under you in the rafters) will allow you to clarify what really matters to you..

Go ahead and dream big..nothing is impossible :-)

The INVISIBLE one,

I thought I would share a reflection  of some  of my recent coaching lessons.
All of us ,not just coaches, can use  these basic lesson/skills, in every area of our lives.

Listening,creating a safe place to "be" for them to share,to validate their  thoughts,values,cares concerns,hopes,dreams ideas...

Being present..that is... being THERE , not reading,watching something on a screen, but THERE.

Really there for whomever you are with:
Big, little,old ,young, even feathered or furry critters need  and appreciate these listening skills.

Challenge:
Who do you listen to?
How do you listen ?
What do you hear ?
What do you convey as you listen?

now for my reflections of my class

=====================================================================

Learning to listen to the unspoken words, ones perhaps unconsciously held captive within a clients heart.


Listen closely, can you hear the hurt , sense the pain perhaps long ago instilled by a simple ,careless word ?

Perhaps invalidation of their personal worth ,when no one seems to really "listen"..they ...become...INVISIBLE.

Listen, wait, your clue could be hidden, it could be in a toss away word.
Reflected back , their words, perhaps they are  the key that can unlock the door for success.

Wait, listen, wait...it may be tossed out in a simple sigh, or perhaps even in a laughing jest.

As their coach, you can create a safe harbor, for truths to come to light. You can create a place for confidence to grow, allowing your client to successfully take wing..soaring into their bright,new future.

Lessons from listening,being present and creating a safe place...

Here's to your heart..Oatmeal Cookies and meatloaf with oatmeal.

There was sunshine today, Mary Queen of Scott's had her royal honey army buzzing me today.

         

I noticed the little heads of my daffodills peeking up through the soil...

There was a promise of spring in the air....

Time to reflect how fast this month has already gone...

Time to find my "magic" love potion cake recipe for valentines day...

But now...it is time.... for those promised oatmeal recipies...

TaDa

I hope you didn't keep your oven on all day after you made my yummy applesauce oat bran muffins.

Oatmeal cookies.... 375 degree oven

I'm not sure where I got this recipie from, I just know it is our favorite one.

1 1/4 cup of margarine (creamed i.e. beat until it looks creamy

( I am a fan of Paula Deans,and I have her passion for  using butter in cooking. Our beloved Jerseys gave us the best butter, sigh..they are gone now.  I must say  though, butter doesn't "work"  well in most cookie recipies, the cookies spread out too much...I do like Mrs. Batemans baking butter( a low fat butter and marg subsitute)

1/2 cup of sugar,3/4 cup of brown sugar (packed) I'm researching a natural sugar substitute called whey low

stir into the butter until well mixed

1 egg ( our hens say YAY..eat more eggs),1 1/2 tsp of vanilla

1 1/2 cup of flour, 1/tsp of baking soda,1 tsp of salt,1 tsp of cinnamon, 3 cups of rolled oats ,

mix all of the ingredients together

you can add 1/4-1/2 cup of finely chopped nuts , and 1/2 cup of rasins ,if you wish

our kids liked their cookies "plain"  drop by tsp onto an ungreased cookie sheet bake 8-10 min

our favorite meatloaf

1 cup of tomato sauce

3/4 cup of rolled oats,1 egg

1/4 cup of dried onion flakes , 1/2-1 tsp of salt ,dash of pepper

2 lbs of hamburger meat

mix together and place in a bread pan(9x5loaf pan)

(sometimes i will shape a loaf inside a glass baking dish..but it isn't as stable.

I cover the top with more tomato sauce or sometimes a homemade bar-b-q sauce.

or add 1 tsp of vinegar and about 1/4 cup of bwn sug to the tomato sauce

bake 1 hr at 350 degrees after about 30 mins I will put potatoes in the oven too

baked potato 'secret' I  wash and scrub mine well ,rinsing well under running water

I will dry them a bit and rub butter or shortening all over them and place them like that

on  a pie pan in the oven .  As soon as they feel soft when you squeeze them, bring them out

give them a good squeeze all over, slice the top and stick in a cube of butter.(wrap them and keep warm

until the rest of your meal is ready to be served.(also with a growing family and limited groc money while the chilkdren were still at home, I seldom bought baking potatoes, we also ate the skins ,they are good for you.

make a cole slaw or salad, maybe a carrot salad as well (these you can make earlier in the day

I always baked homemade biscuts as well. (these only take  8-10 mins of baking time)

you'll have a wonderful healthy meal that is  hubby and kid pleasing ..it will fill them up and satisfy their creature comforts too.

If your bunch can afford the extra calories, a slice of homemade apple pie and freshly made icecream

will polish  off your meal till you shine.( or you can cheat and buy real icecream..(the kind made with real cream and sugar and not all the 'stuff" that tastes like plastic..it looks like it if you leave a bowl  of it set out for a while , bleahhh

ok  you win, here is my cole slaw, much like the colonels

shred 1 head of cabbage ( I like to cheat and use a processor, careful or you'll have cabbage soup

1/4 cup of dried onion flakes

1 tsp of salt 1/2 of a carrot shredded(can omit)

1/2 cup of sour cream ( oops none in the fridge? evap milk or even plain milk with a tsp of vinegar

( it will curdle or as my grandma would say clabber)

3 Tbs of vinegar ( I always use real apple cider vinegar ..watch your lable as apple cider vinegar can mean it is "flavored only, there are health benefits to real apple cider vinegar.. I now buy and use  Bragg's raw apple cider vinegar .

2 tbsp of olive oil...mix together and chill at least an hour ( I know sometimes  you're late and you forgot to make it ahead..go ahead and use your cole slaw it's ok, it just tastes better when the flavors... marry..:-)

may your family have a wonderful time sharing  a wonderful homecooked meal. together.

(left overs make a great sandwich for hubby to take to work..think of the money you'll save and I'm sure he will be envied..how many people have a lovingly homemade lunch nowdays?.

Lets bring back the family to America....the table is a good place to start...

while you're at it ,what about  sharing a short thank you to God for His mercy,love and the ability to eat, some cannot (ever help a tube fed person, I'm sure they would be thankful to eat again)

of course you can Thank God for anything, you will be the one who is blessed.