The Nutty Monkey

It's a rare night when we have nothing going on and we get to stay home and enjoy a leisurly dinner. Tuesday night was one of those nights and I can't tell you how thankful I am when I get them. We grilled some adobo chicken I marinated and had some Spanish rice with it along with a nice fresh salad. Of course I had my hubby grill up some steak so we could enjoy that for dinner on Wednesday. I am always thinking ahead.

On these nights when we have no where to be and nothing to do I get a hankering to make dessert. It just seems like the thing to do. I don't like to give the kids a lot of sugar and junky desserts though so I decided to whip up a dessert with fruit and natural ingredients that the kids would love...and they did!

Nutty Monkey

Serves 4

4 Tablespoons butter (organic)

4 bananas sliced in rounds

3 Tablespoons peanut butter (organic)

1 Tablespoon honey (raw and local if you can get it)

1. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium high heat. Add the bananas and cook for a few minutes.
2. Remove the bananas with a slotted spoon and put in serving dish.
3. Turn the heat to low and add the peanut butter and honey to the butter in the skillet.
4. Cook and continue to stir to make a sauce.
5. Pour over the bananas and serve.

Note: If you want to go dairy free use coconut oil or ghee in place of the butter. You could sprinkle with chopped nuts, coconut, or even a teeny tiny bit of mini chocolate chips. The portion is small but a little goes a long way!

Forgive the picture. I know it doesn't do the recipe justice.

Making Peace With What Is

For those of you who know me well, you know that I am a summer girl. OK, a spring and summer girl. I love the warm and beautiful weather. I don't mind fall but I know it means winter is coming and I can't stand the thought of that so I usually don't like fall much.

I feel as if I were born into the wrong climate. Seriously! Even as a kid I didn't like going out in the cold. My friends would go out sledding, skating, and skiing and I would stay in the house where it was warm. Not my cup of tea!

So now I am still here in the Chicagoland area and I am still freezing every winter. I've tried changing my attitude about it. In fact a couple of years ago I started my own campaign called, "Embrace Winter". I went out and took pictures of the beautiful sunsets and looked daily for something to find beauty in every day. It worked well until February and I was miserable once again.

So why am I telling you all of this when the weather is so beautiful? I was reading in Geneen Roth's book, Women Food and God
yesterday and I ran across this passage. It was written to a woman who was unhappy in her current job situation and was asking how to be happy until she got the job she wanted. Here is Geneen's reply:

...What if this is exactly what you are supposed to be doing because it is what you are doing? What if each nitty-gritty task is perfection itself and you keep missing it because you're looking for something else?

It's like washing the dishes. If you focus on getting the dishes done so that your kitchen will be clean, you miss everything that happens between dirty and clean. The warmth of the water, the pop of the bubbles, the movements of your hand. You miss the life that happens inthe middle zone- between now and what you think your life should be like. And when you miss those moments because you'd rather be doing something else, you are missing your own life. Those moments are gone. You will never get them back.

...Even when you arrive at being Someone because you are where you were going- your life may not be any better if you haven't learned to be awake, alive, now. To take this moment for what it is. It's just as easy to be miserable when you are Someone Special as when you are No One in Particular. Because even Someone Special still has to live in her own skin and deal with boredom, rejection, loneliness, disappointment. Even Someone Special comes home at night and does what the Nobodies do: falls asleep alone. You might as well learn how to pay attention now. How to inhabit the life you've chosen. How to take up every inch of your skin. Occupy the space in this body you were given. It's your place. Only yours.

The writer Annie Dillard says, 'How you spend your days is how you spend your life.' Be unwaveringly honest. Ask youself how you want to spend your days...

...the reality of your day-to-day life has to be beter than the self-inflicted misery you are creating through the stories you are telling youself....

Come back. Break the trance. Pay attention to your breath. Your arms. Your legs...Notice colors. The royal blue of a coworker's dress. The coffee stain on your boss's tie. Wake up to the riot of life around you every second. The singer Pearl Bailey said, 'People see God every day; they just don't recognize Him.' What if every day was a chance to see a new version of God? What if what you needed was right in front of you and you were not recognizing it?

You already have everything you need to be content.

Her words are beautiful and really speak to me. This truth is for everyone whether you are wanting a better job, a better home, or a better climate. I am ready and willing to take the challenge to live every moment of my life. How about you?

Your comments are important to me. Please scroll down and click on the "comment" link to leave me a brief message.

Music Monday with Lee DeWyze

I had to share this video of Lee DeWyze from last week's show. You may remember when I wrote about him in this previous post. Watching him sing inspires me and I hope it inspires you too.

If you want to skip the talk and go right to the song then fast forward to 1:00 and enjoy.

Inspirational Music on Monday

I used to think that I could not go on
And life was nothing but an awful song
But now I know the meaning of true love
I'm leaning on the everlasting arms

If I can see it, then I can do it
If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

I believe I can fly
I believe I can touch the sky
I think about it every night and day
Spread my wings and fly away
I believe I can soar
I see me running through that open door
I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly
I believe I can fly

See I was on the verge of breaking down
Sometimes silence can seem so loud
There are miracles in life I must achieve
But first I know it starts inside of me, oh

If I can see it, then I can do it
If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

Hey, cause I believe in me, oh
If I can see it, then I can do it
If I just believe it, there's nothing to it

Hey, if I just spread my wingsI can fly
I can fly
I can fly, hey
If I just spread my wings
I can flyFly-eye-eye

Thankful Thursday!

Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you.

-- Eileen Caddy

In an effort to share a bit of the joy and laughter Eileen speaks of above, this blog will be dedicated to moments of gratitude each Thursday. I invite you to share the things you find yourself most thankful for throughout the week.

Just send note, a photograph or both to me by noon on Wednesdays to be featured on Thankful Thursday. If you didn't get a chance to submit your thankful moment this week, don't let that stop you. Just leave a comment down below. I am so excited to be able to share these special moments with all of you!
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I love yoga! Seriously I just love it. A while back I was doing yoga at my health club about twice a week. I would leave the club feeling so good.

Then I got sick. I got some strange virus that made it difficult for me to do much of anything. It lasted about 6 months and I put my membership on hold.

I got better and could have gone back to the gym but I never did. I don't know why. I know I had some good excuses...the woman who taught the class was gone and the I heard the new girl was no good, I was too busy, I don't know, I just didn't go back.

A couple of weeks ago one of my friends introduced me to 40 Days to Personal Revolution. In the past I always stayed away from books about yoga. It didn't seem like it would be something I would be able to do easily or something I would enjoy. But this time I felt differently. I was drawn to it.

So today I am on Day 4 of my personal revolution. I am thrilled with it. I love waking up and spending a few minutes meditating and then jumping right onto the mat to wake up my body with the beautiful yoga moves.

When I finish the session my body is humming with energy and I feel like I could burst with energy and excitement. I have gotten more done in the last four days and I have felt good doing it all.

So that is what I am thankful for this Thursday! What are you thankful for? Scroll down and leave a comment.

Inspirational Music on Monday

Thankful Thursday!

Gratitude helps you to grow and expand; gratitude brings joy and laughter into your life and into the lives of all those around you. -- Eileen Caddy

In an effort to share a bit of the joy and laughter Eileen speaks of above, this blog will be dedicated to moments of gratitude each Thursday.

I invite you to share the things you find yourself most thankful for throughout the week. Just send note, a photograph or both to me by noon on Wednesdays to be featured on Thankful Thursday.

If you didn't get a chance to submit your thankful moment this week, don't let that stop you. Just leave a comment down below. I am so excited to be able to share these special moments with all of you!


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I am a mother of a seven year old autistic boy. Since his diagnosis four years ago, life has really taken turns I never imagined. I'll admit there are days when I'd like to wish all the difficulties away. Going places like the mall, or a movie theater, and even a restaurant are at times impossible. The stares and comments about my "misbehaved" child almost seem too much to bear.

I have no doubt that I was given this child directly from God. He is the most amazing individual I have ever met. Who do you know, at such a young age, could be given so many obstacles to overcome and to do it with so much enthusiasm? He is one of the most admired people in my life. If he didn't have this disability I don't believe I would have the honor to truly know this fantastic little boy. What was impossible yesterday is a reality today. That makes me happy. It tells me that he's going to be the best he can be.

I feel I am blessed with the ability to see the strength in happiness. It allows me to focus on the little things that will add up to the fulfilling life that I desire. I am reminded of the movie The Lion King. In it, one of the characters said, "you can either run from it, or learn from it". My son is my greatest teacher.

-Siobhan Arnott

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Have you noticed that the world is engulfed in this blanket of negativity and a doomsday attitude? Everywhere you look there is something horrible. The news is one bad thing after another, television shows are filled with cheating, stealing, lying, killing, and hatred. Even the funny shows have children that are disrespectful and irresponsible.

Albert Einstein once said that the most important decision you'll ever make is to decide whether you live in a supportive universe or a universe that is hostile. The power is this statement comes from our perception. When we believe the universe is out to get us, we see things in a negative way and we respond accordingly. This is the media's model of the universe.

When we see the universe as supportive and friendly,we begin to see the little events that occur, like someone holding the door open for a woman with her hands full or a shining employee that has a smile and a kind word for every customer. This shift in perspective uplifts us and bring us joy and in turn we begin to radiate that attitude out to those around us. This is the model of the world I am striving for.

When the above Thankful Thursday contribution came in, I was so moved that Siobhan would share her beautiful thoughts with me and all of you. It reinforced my belief of a supportive universe and inspired me to keep sharing these moments of gratitude with you so that you may experience life from this place of gratitude if only for a moment out of your day.

So my gratitude goes out to all of you who have contributed to these Thankful Thursday posts and who have read it. I invite you to share the energy of this supportive universe with you friends and family today. And don't forget to send me your thoughts for next weeks post.