Clementine Candle

Supplies:  One clementine,  paring knife, olive oil, lighter/matches

Remove the *cutie* sticker and adhere to the real cutie!

Use your paring knife to carefully score the peel around the middle.  (It’s really not as difficult as my expression would indicate!)

Next remove the peel in two pieces,  the upper half and lower half.  (Again, this is easier than I make it look!)

You now have a shell of a clementine.  The little piece of pith in the bottom half will be your wick.  The more of this piece you are able to keep in tact, the longer your ‘candle’ will burn.

Pass the innards around the table and call it a snack!

Cut a hole in the top half of the clementine shell.   You can do a neat design such as a star, heart, or flower.  We chose a heart! ♥

Fill the bottom half with olive oil.   Don’t cover the wick with oil,  just fill it nearly to the tip.

Next,  light the wick.  It is best to use a lighter because it will take a few minutes to dry the wick enough for it to light.

Put the top on your ‘candle’ and enjoy!

 

Morning Randomness

  I thought I would tie my Randomness Photo Journal in with the “A Typical Day” discussion at Michele’s lovely new board.  I carried my camera around in my apron pocket this morning and snapped photos of the chaos around me!

Littles playing a game.

Boring bookwork.

Pure Sweetness!

WHA HUH???!!!!

Leaving for the office.

Oldest and Youngest! 🙂

Baby Nursing – Mom Blogging 😉

Randomness

  Randomness is what I will call my photo journal  for Jennifer’s April’s Shower of Photos.    Here is my first installment,  at random!

Past Randomness:

A handsome confirmond!

An Irish Soda Bread contestant.

A little champion.

A girls work is never done!

 A creation.

Doing chores.

Chores to be done.

April Shower of Photos

  Jenniferwas inspired with this lovely idea and I am excited to participate!  I think it’s just the boost I need to get me blogging again.  Go check out the other participants!  I will add my own contribution this afternoon.  Thanks Jennifer!

Organizing Our Hearts by Sactifying the Moment

   I presented a short, reflective talk at our Mothers Retreat the first weekend of February.  The theme of the day was “Organizing Our Homes,  Organizing Our Hearts”.    Judy Lubowicki from Clutter Free Organizing  gave a very energetic and inspiring pep talk on clutter free home organization for the Organizing Our Homes aspect of the retreat.    Her hand outs are worth their weight in gold!   I presented the following for the Organizing Our Hearts aspect.  We enjoyed mass,  wonderful fellowship,  food,  and many laughs with others “in the trenches”.    Following is the talk I gave,  I edited here to better fit the medium. 

Organizing Our Hearts by Sanctifying the Moment

  Now that we have ideas for keeping our homes in order, let’s turn to organizing our hearts. Let’s face it, even with the best laid dinner plans, filing systems, curriculum, and laundry organizers – life as a homeschooling mother, often with many children, is unpredictable. The temporal demands of managing a household can sometimes become so pressing and necessary that we are tempted to push spiritual matters off to the back burner – if we can even find the back burner under the stack of dirty dishes!

  We have in the sacraments a firm backbone of an organized spiritual life – namely Holy Communion and Confession. We also have in our rich Catholic faith, the rhythm of the liturgical year to guide our devotions and meditations. We have many sacramentals and heavenly intercessors to aid us on our journey toward holiness. Then we have what the late Bishop Fulton Sheen called The University of the Moment, or simply The Now. This, I believe, is the key to organizing our hearts.

  Let me share with you the “perfect” spiritual day in my family. It would be begin with me – mom – rising early to pray a morning offering and study a scripture passage. I would sit with my coffee and listen to Our Lord whisper to me in the cozy silence of the morning. The children would begin to wake and we would all gather around the table for a gospel reflection and morning prayers with Dad. The children and I would dress and head to St. Josephs for daily mass. We would stop our studies at noon to greet Mother Mary in the Angelus. We would learn about the saint of the day and observe their feast day with tea and a craft to illustrate a virtue. We would observe the hour of Mercy with the chaplet at three o’clock. We would end our day with the Rosary, family litany, and night prayers. I would thoroughly examine my conscience before climbing into bed. I would fall asleep reading the biography of a great saint while the children would drift off with visions of Joyful Mysteries in their heads. Oh how holy we would be!

  Then there is reality – beautiful reality! As mothers we often hit the ground running each morning. My morning offering may be nothing more than a glance at the crucifix on my way out of the bedroom door. The baby needs nursing, the toddlers want oatmeal. There are clothes to iron, diapers to change, dishes to wash. Husbands rush out the door for early meetings; adolescents grudgingly drag themselves out of bed just about the time Father would be reading the gospel at mass. Some days, when we do make it to mass, I often think I should probably make a stop the confessional beforehand to confess the behavior I stooped to in order to get us all there in the first place!
  Now don’t get me wrong, we should always aim high when it comes to prayer time and devotions. My vision of a ‘perfect’ spiritual day does actually happen from time to time, and usually at least few of those items are accomplished every day. But even in that ‘perfect’ scenario, there is a lot of time left in the day. As terribly romantic as it may seem to be able to spend our days deep in prayer, it’s simply not in our job description as mothers. In a nutshell, our job description is to serve
  We are each created in the image and likeness of God. Christ lives in the soul of each baptized person around us. As mothers, we have the privilege of intimately knowing many faces of God right in our own homes. We have the opportunity to see, reflected in the faces of each of our children, another unique image of our own Creator. Through the adolescent boy with fuzz beginning to grow above his lip, Christ asks, “Listen to Me” Through the toddler with peanut butter smeared in her hair, Christ asks, “Tenderly wash me” Through the baby with a gaping smile and milk dripping off his chin, Christ asks, “Hold me.” It is in this reality, this present moment that we are given the opportunity to truly grow in holiness.
  But what do we do when the requests seem to us more like nagging demands, or they are fired at us one after the other, or even all at the same time? We can sigh in exasperation “Calgon take me away”, but that only works in commercials. (Ask me how I know!) We can fulfill each request with the slamming of doors we feel they deserve, or we can do the ever so tempting: shut it all out and retreat to a book, television, or computer. In doing any (or all!) of the above, we are giving up moment after moment of sanctification. We are ‘skipping classes’ in the University of the Moment.

  What exactly is “The University of the Moment”? While contemplating this phrase, I thought of how much sense it makes to us as mothers concerned with our children’s education. The University of the Moment is the unique curriculum tailored to each individual by God’s perfect Love. As mothers, we pray, research, discuss, and sometimes even agonize over education choices for our children. We take each child and examine their strengths, weaknesses, learning abilities, temperaments, and interests. We may decide to homeschool from a boxed curriculum, we may choose a parochial school, public school, or an eclectic homeschool. (, or Montessori, boarding school, classical curriculum, the choices alone are enough to exhaust us!) And there is no doubt that whatever choice we make, it is done out of our love for that child. -An imperfect love. As much time as we may spend with our children, as intimately as we may known them, our love for them is imperfect. Only God Loves with a Perfect Love. In His perfect Love, he tailors a unique curriculum to each and every one of us and that curriculum is the present moment – the Now. This curriculum is laid out before us only moment by moment, in each trial, setback, and obstacle we face. This is what Bishop Sheen said about our ‘unique curriculum’ designed by God:
 

 “Every moment brings us more treasures than we can gather. The great value of the Now, spiritually viewed, is that it carries a message God has directed personally to us. Books, sermons, and broadcasts on a religious theme have the appearance of being circular letters, meant for everyone. Sometimes, when such general appeals do appear to have a personal application, the soul gets angry and writes vicious letters to allay its uneasy conscience. Excuses can always be found for ignoring the divine law. But though moral and spiritual appeals carry God’s identical message message to all who listen, this is not true of the Now-moment; no one else but I am in exactly these circumstances; no one else has to carry the same burden, whether it be sickness, the death of a loved one , or some other adversity. Nothing is more individually tailored to our spiritual needs than the Now-moment; for that reason it is an occasion of knowledge that can come to no one else. This moment is my school, my textbook, my lesson.”

  When it comes to managing a household and raising children, discerning the “Now” takes some serious on the spot prioritizing. What exactly is my ‘NOW” when many things are being asked of me at once? The nitty-gritty of this is, of course, up to each of us to individually discern. I personally look to the corporal and spiritual works of mercy as a guideline. Just the other day when my oldest son was studying his catechism, he remarked to me how many of these works of mercy I accomplish each and every day! A few of these are obvious such as feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, and admonishing the sinner. As I was reading through these again while preparing for this talk, instructing the ignorant really jumped out at me. Now, before you think I am calling my children ignorant, bear with me, this can be applied in a very practical way while discerning exactly how to meet everyones needs justly and with charity. An example of this may be when your four year old is just begging you to color with him and you are nursing the baby. Dinner still needs to be made, and then it will be bath time, prayer time, and bed time. It is quite obvious to you that coloring is simply not a possibility, it would be very easy and tempting to say No, and don’t ask me again! Instead you could look at this “Now” moment, as an opportunity to practice a spiritual work of mercy. You could say something along the lines of “Sam, I would really like to color with you, but Markie needs to nurse right now, then Daddy will be home and we will all be hungry for dinner, so we need to make dinner, maybe we can color tomorrow.” In this case, the four year old was ignorant to the needs of the rest of the family, and you instructed him. Both of you have learned a lesson from the University of the Moment! Of course this is a very simplified example and we will often be faced with many bigger, constant, and not so clear demands. But if we practice these things in small matters, they will come easy and natural in big matters. Like Our Lord said in Luke (Lk 16:10) “Whoever is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much.

  We have to keep in mind that sanctifying the moment goes beyond the practical. It is a lot more than just plopping oatmeal into bowls, wiping bottoms, and teaching multiplication tables. We need to be truly present in the moment. When we serve Christ by serving our family members, do they, in turn see Christ in us? Do they see someone who is welcoming the opportunity to serve them, with warmth, love, and a genuine interest for their well-being?

  It never ceases to amaze me, when I am kneeling in prayer before the Blessed Sacrament, in a chapel full of people that God is there, present to me. He is concerned with nothing more than what is best for me, and at the same time, He is concerned with nothing more than what is best for the person beside me – all at the same time! This is only possible because God is outside of time and we live very much under time constraints, but there is still a lesson for us in this. We can imitate Him by being fully present to our individual children in even the most fleeting moments throughout the day. We need to learn to truly stop what we are doing, turn off the background noise in our heads, and focus on the person we are serving. This elevates our service from obligation to Love. It is certainly not our first inclination, and in reality is it not possible 100% of the time. (There is that pesky little “T” word again!) It is tempting though, to go on auto-pilot for the sake of efficiency. But when it comes to relationships, we should be aiming much higher than mere efficiency, the goal should be sanctity! And sanctity is possible, moment by moment…

  I would like to wrap this up with the following beautiful thoughts from my dear friend Holly at Seeking Faithfulness:

What will they see?
Infant of mine,
What will you see,
As I wash your skin and change your clothes?
Eyes that are focused on the next task or eyes filled with the wonder of you?

Toddler of mine,
What will you see,
As my head bends over yours and we brush your teeth?
Will you see a mouth turned down, a brow furrowed with thought,
Or a quick smile, just for you?

Little boys of mine,
What will you hear?
Words that seep with tiredness and frustration,
Or encouragement that you really can be the good boys
You want to be?

Daughters of mine,
What will you learn?
That mothering is a chore, a burden, a list,
Or a fulfilling, joyful job, worthy of your life’s attention?

Strapping sons of mine,
What will you observe?
A woman eager to control, to keep you under her thumb,
Or a mentor eager to disciple by example, a helping hand?

Husband of mine,
What will you find?
A spirit that is hard to please, a distant soul,
Or warm arms to welcome you as you walk in the door?

It is humbling, frightening of sorts, to realize that I create the majority of the memories that my family will carry with them regarding home. How have I framed that memory for each individual? Will their childhood have been filled with one of love and warmth, or of mommy simply “doing her job?” Will their adolescent years be full of good times, or will they be years of bad recollections? Will they grow up to desire a family for themselves, or will they believe that the cost of a child is much too high in terms of time, work, and finances? And my husband, if I were to be called home tomorrow, what would his memories of me be?
Have I, through the help of the Holy Spirit, given my best for these I love?
Isn’t it good to know that we do not walk this path alone?
His mercies are new every morning!

Attachment Parenting: How it has Worked and Evolved in Our Large Family

  Introduction

    Attachment Parenting International  has developed a list of eight basic tenets of attachment parenting (AP).   I really have to laugh because last week was the first time I had ever heard of Attachment Parenting International or became aware of any sort of ‘list’ to check off to see if one qualifies as practicing AP.   It has been very interesting for me to read through it all, and more importantly, reflect on how I apply these principles in our family each day.    It has been particularly interesting to reflect on how these principles have changed and developed in our family the past thirteen years  as the babies have come “fast and furious” as Danielle says.   

  I am going to take each of the tenets and share  my reflections on each one and how they have worked for us over the years.  I think I will do this in a series of posts,  starting with how we came to learn and live the AP lifestyle. 

Part I:  Our Introduction to Attachment Parenting

  When Nicholas was born almost thirteen years ago, (yes,  this mom of a bunch of littles is about to become the mom of a teenager!),  I was clueless about parenting,  let alone any style of parenting.    

  My preparation for birth amounted to the literature passed to me from my OB at the time,  who was chosen for me by our insurance company.   I followed every suggestion in the birth literature,  I didn’t dare ask any questions.  My quiet remarks about desiring a ‘natural birth’  we’re belittled with “It’s okay honey,  you don’t have to do that, we’ll take care of you.”  I often wouldn’t bother talking about my desires and concerns because I figured they wouldn’t be ‘allowed’  anyway.    My first birth experience was terrifying and brutal.      My first few months of motherhood were worse.

  We brought Nicholas home to our tiny little apartment.  We were newlyweds in a new city with the closest family two hours away and no friends.  During the pregnancy we decided that I would leave the work force and be a stay at home mother.    The decision was based more on finances than principle.  Tony was a full time student and part time package sorter for UPS.  My job as a cashier payed little more than minimum wage.  We didn’t know anyone to babysit and daycare was financially out of the question. 

    The decision to breastfeed was also based finances rather than principle.    Paying our rent each month was a struggle,  how could we even think about adding the cost of baby formula to that?  I was naive enough at that time to think it would be a piece of cake too. 

  Those first few months we parented exactly the way everyone was badgering us to.  “Don’t hold the baby too much, you’ll spoil him.”   “You have to teach him to sleep through all night long now or he never will.”  (Now the problem is getting that strapping lad out of bed every morning!)  We were miserable,  Nicholas was miserable.  We were so sleep deprived and stressed out.  We couldn’t figure out why we couldn’t ‘get’ this parenting thing.  It hurt our hearts to hear our newborn cry in his crib each night,  but we were told that it was best for him in the long run.    It killed me to hear him cry all day long because he wanted to be snuggled and nursed,  but I was told I could only do that every four hours. 

  Then one afternoon,  I sat on the couch to nurse him.  It was a big production every four hours.   He was often so exhausted from hunger and crying that it would take fifteen minutes or more to coax him to latch on properly.  I was often so tired, sore, and irritable,   I would fight feelings of resentment toward that little person that was keeping me up all night.  But this particular afternoon,  a small miracle occurred.  Once I got him latched on,  he nursed for a few minutes, and then – we fell asleep!  We didn’t just doze off as we often did while nursing.  We fell into a deep,  relaxing,  much needed slumber.  Right there on the couch,  together,  for six full hours.  I remember I woke up,  looked at the clock and nearly panicked!!  Oh, my!  What have I done?   I slept with my baby!   I’ve ruined him for life,  he’s going to grow into a spoiled brat!  But….  He slept!!  I slept!!  We finally got some sleep!

 That night we put him in the bed with us.  We became ‘closet’ co-sleepers.    The imperative word here being ‘sleepers’.  This wasn’t based on any deep principle that baby needed mommy,  we just wanted some sleep!   

   But it felt so right and natural.  It felt like something fell into place.  What I was feeling in my heart as a mother began to make more and more sense to me.  It occurred to me that when he was crying throughout the day,  he was not doing it to frazzle me,  or because he hated me.  (Yes,  I often though he hated me and that was why he cried.)   It was his way of telling me that he needed something.  Someone.  Me.  His mother.  He didn’t want to be held.  He needed to be held.  To hear my familiar heartbeat,  to smell my familiar smell.  He needed to nurse,  not only for nutrition but for comfort.  He didn’t need a fake soother in a fake swing.  He needed the real thing,  his mothers breast and the familiar way she moved.    We began to recognize and respect that our baby had needs beyond the basic cleaning and feeding,  needs that should not be dictated by a clock. 

   I bought a “Snuggli” baby carrier at the thrift shop and began strapping him to me throughout the day.    He blissfully slept right between us at night.  I would just sit and snuggle with him during the day,  interacting with him while he was awake,  holding him close while he slept.  I would nurse him when ever I sensed he needed to nurse,  not when the hour struck on the clock or when he had to work himself into a tizzy to tell me he needed to.  My feelings of resentment began to dissipate.  I no longer felt my baby hated me.  Our family began to develop a sense of peace.

  We did most of this in secret for awhile.  I felt like I was breaking so many ‘rules’.  I felt  like a rebellious teenager!  One day I was invited to a LLLI meeting  by the wife of one of Tony’s coworkers.    That first meeting changed everything.  I met other mothers that didn’t hesitate to hike up their shirt and nurse their baby whenever and wherever he needed it.  Many of these mothers slept peacefully at night with their baby right next to them.  They held their babies in slings,  soft ones without buckles even!  Of course there were many things that still seemed very very weird to me.  Like the mom nursing a toddler!  Or the mom with a baby and two older siblings that slept in her bed at night,  and the mom who used cloth diapers.  Oh,  and then,  there was the mom with FOUR KIDS!!  But I realized that what I was learning was natural and good.  I realized that my baby wasn’t ruling our household or making demands on me.  I realized that I was simply getting to know this little person intimately and helping him to grow and develop in a respectful and peaceful manner. 

  That day I checked out Nighttime Parenting  by Dr. Sears and really began to enjoy motherhood. 

 

Twelve Months of Monastery Soups

  I received this book from my children for Christmas.  It fits my plan to focus on simple, healthy, and frugal cooking for my crowd.  If there is one thing Br. d’Avila-Laourrette knows about it’s frugal, healthy, crowd pleasing cooking.  He is the resident cook and gardener at Our Lady of the Resurrection Monastery in Millbook New York.   There he grows most of the vegetables used in the soups he makes.  Most of the soups are meatless and work perfect for Friday suppers of soup and bread and simple Lenten meals.  The recipes are organized by months of the year,  focusing on foods that are in season each month.  I have jumped around quite a bit of course.  Most of the ingredients I have found easily at our local market,  and I look forward to spring when I can shop at our city Farmers Market and whip up these delicious soups with a local flare!    He does call for alot of white wine in many of the recipes, (which is certainly not a problem for me! 😉 )  I suppose if you were to cut down on the wine you would also cut down on the cost.   This lovely little book is also peppered with quotes and proverbs pertaining to soup, simplicity, and hospitality.     We really enjoyed the Minestrone Monastico last week, (just one of the many variations of Minestrone in this book.),  and tonight we will be having a pot of Traditional Austrian Cheese Soup.  YUM!

Minestrone Monastico

3 quarts water

3 carrots

3 potatoes

1 cup green beans

2 celery stalks

1 cup dry white beans

3 onions

1 cup olive oil

1 cup dry white wine

1 cup macaroni

tarragon, minced

salt and pepper to taste

grated Parmesan cheese

1.  Wash and peel the vegetables and cut them into small pieces (except the dry beans).  pour the water into a large soup pot and add all the vegetables (including beans) except the onions.  Cook slowly over medium heat for 1 hour.

2.  Saute the onions in a bit of the olive oil in a large frying pan.  when the onions begin to become golden, turn off the heat.

 3.  To the soup, add the onions, wine, rest of the olive oil, macaroni, tarragon, salt, and pepper and continue cooking for another 15 minutes.  Cover the pot and allow the soup to simmer for 10 minutes.  Serve hot, with a side dish of grated Parmesan cheese.

 *Br. Victor notes that while a single cup of wine is listed, one could easily add a cup or two more.  “The wine is the secret ingredient of this recipe – it makes all the difference in the world.”

 Traditional Austrian Cheese Soup

  *this one is simmering on my stovetop as I type.

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 finely sliced celery stalks

2 leeks sliced

2 large potatoes cubed

6 cups water

1 8-ounce package cream cheese cut into cubes

1 8-ounce container plain yogurt (*I am using Kefir instead)

salt and pepper to taste

1.  Pour the oil into a soup pot, add the celery, leeks, and potatoes, stirring constantly, for about 2 minutes.  Add the water and bring to a boil.  Lower the heat to medium, cover the pot, and cook the soup slowly for 35 to 40 minutes.

2.  When the soup is done, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 more minutes, stirring from time to time.  Add the cream cheese, yogurt (kefir), salt, and pepper.  Stir continuously until these latter ingredients melt and blend thoroughly with the rest of the soup.  Serve hot.

Taken Care Of

  I often fail to recognize just how well I am taken care of.  I get so very wrapped up in how much I take care of others.  (Read: whine, complain, and exaggerate.)   Even when I do stop and think of how well I am taken care of  I do not often give due appreciation.   I take so much for granted in my cushie life.    I know all care comes from God,  who works through the events, circumstances, and people in my life.   

   Oftentimes God’s care is obvious even in the little things.   Just this afternoon I needed to make a run to the market for juice.  I have several children with colds and croup that call for plenty of fluids.   I was torn between needing to be home with kids that need me,  or running out for juice for kids who need fluids!  I wanted nothing more than to hunker down with my kids and read some books and rock the virus away.    With all the holiday hub-bub and recent snowfall, traffic was awful.  The parking lot of the store was crammed and inside was no different.   I offered up a quick prayer for patience,  bundled myself up and walked in with my cart.  To my suprise (why am I still surprised when my prayers are answered???)  in the front of the store sat a cart of juice,  all marked $.50-$.75 off.  I loaded up and was out of the store and back home in no time.  A few of the kids didn’t even realize I had left yet! 🙂     On the surface these kinds of instances and events may seem like coincidences,  sheer ‘luck’ or no big deal.  As a child of God I need to stop and recognize them as my Fathers tender care.   

  There are the people in my life that love and care for me,  motivated by their love for Christ.  My husband is the most evident.  His love for Our Lord flows from him so generously in his  constant, steadfast, even gentle, care of me and the children.  He knows and fulfills our physical needs by braving the world each day to meet the strapping financial demands of our large and growing family.  I’ve never heard him say, “I don’t want to go to work.” I have seen him climb out of bed each morning and repeat the same ‘ole each day.  Usually with that dashing smile on his face that attracted me to him when we were young.    I’ve watched him hold a  hefty toddler in each arm for the duration of a high mass without batting an eye, so I can simply hold the baby and pray along the mass.    I’ve watched him cheerfully do things that I know are way out of his comfort zone just to be a good example to our children. 

   Without going into the full saga,  we’ve been having issues with the gas company lately.  It is December in Ohio and our gas was turned off for twenty four hours to repair a service line.    My husband spent the entire day dealing with service crews, public utilities commissions, and operators, making sure everything was being done to get our heat back on in a timely manner.   He went out and bought an electric heater for us to get cozied up in at least one room of our house.   He spent the whole day working to make us warm again.  I could not help but being reminded of St. Joseph tirelessly going from door to door looking for a warm place for his family.   Just as God provided Our Mother with a husband to care for her and His Son,  He has provided me with a husband that tenderly cares for me and our children. 

  Then there are the many friends that God has blessed me with.   There are the ones dear to me that I share tea with regularly,  the ones that rejoice with me when I share the news of another precious baby on the way and bring our family dinner when the baby is born.   There are the blessed friends,  far away.  Ones that I have never met face to face,  yet these dear women offer prayers for me whenever requested and graciously share unexpected gifts that make the yoke lighter and the burden easier. 

  I am worthy of this care insofar as I am made in His image.  I am His and He cares for me.  Through no merits of my own do I deserve anything.   I resolve to recognize and appreciate each act of kindness,  generosity,  and charity for what it is,  an overflow of God’s love for all of His creation. 

Meal Plan Monday

Lots of great ideas here!

Monday:  Turkey Tetrazzini (using up leftover turkey!)

Tuesday:  Bavarian Wiener Supper  (using leftover dogs from the guys’ paintball cookout.)

Wednesday:  Almond Chicken and Rice

Thursday:  Beans in a Pot

Friday: Slow Cooked Corn Chowder (omit ham)

Saturday:  Fried Eggs with Chili Cheese Grits

Sunday:  Quick Shrimp Gumbo

Breakfast: Oatmeal, Cinnamon Rice, Cooked Oat Bran, Bagels and yogurt,

Lunch:  Quesadillas,  Sloppy Joes, Migas, Pasta Salad, Bacon and Eggs,

A Toast!

to Suzanne!  Not as pretty as hers,  but very tastey no less! 🙂  Thank you for sharing the recipe!