Waterlogged!

After months of procrastinating, a friend and I hit the pool today. I am hurting a little more than before, but generally I think it was a good thing. The water was mostly kind to my back, though I did learn of a couple of things that were bad ideas, but it felt so good to be active again. I hope we can stay with our commitment of visiting the pool at least three times a week.

Really even more enjoyable is the time this gives us to visit with one another. Swimming and talking, two of my favorite things! It is also nice because she is physically in the same boat as myself. No Stair-Masters or Pilates for us. Water is much safer for those of us with bad backs or hips!


Below I've gathered a few of my favorite exercise quotes...maybe they will keep me motivated!

The only valid excuse for not exercising is paralysis.

 ~Moira Nordholt

Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.

 ~Plato

A bear, however hard he tries, grows tubby without exercise.

 ~A.A. Milne

Movement is a medicine for creating change in a person's physical, emotional, and mental states.

 ~Carol Welch

And my very favorite:

Don't let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.

~John Wooden

~Marla

Tasty Tuesday: Leftover Spaghetti Bake

When I make a meal I tend to make large quantities. My husband and I actually enjoy leftovers. I made traditional spaghetti with meat sauce Sunday and had quite a bit of leftover pasta...this is what it became for Monday night. 

Leftover Spaghetti Bake

16 z. cooked spaghetti or angel hair pasta, really any pasta will do

3 eggs

1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

1 cup cheddar cheese

3 cups meat sauce

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine pasta, eggs, and Parmesan cheese in a bowl and mix well. Pour into a well buttered 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Layer on the meat sauce and top with mozzarella cheese. Cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes. Remove foil and bake until cheese well melted, about 15 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes, then cut and serve.

The great thing about this recipe is that you can make it to suit your family's taste. You can replace the cheddar cheese with cottage or ricotta, you can add mushrooms, onions, olives, and green or red peppers as desired.

Bon apetit ~Marla

Family Night

Last night was a Family Night at our house. Our two married children and their spouses joined us for dinner and a rousing game of Hand & Foot. The best part of the night? The fact that this is not something that I or my husband have to suggest, but that our kids will. I love the fact that they enjoy spending time with us and each other.

I wasn't always sure this would be the case. Growing up my daughter saw her little brother as the bane of her existence! Now the two couple actually seek out each others company...and occasionally they include us older folks. As a mother, I consider this a blessing beyond measure!

When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses. ~Joyce Brothers

What greater thing is there for human souls than to feel that they are joined for life - to be with each other in silent unspeakable memories. ~George Eliot

Family faces are magic mirrors. Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future. ~Gail Lumet Buckley

~Marla

When I Stumble

What if I stumble, what if I fall?

What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?

Will the love continue when my walk becomes a crawl?

What if I stumble, and what if I fall?

~DC Talk, What If I Stumble

I stumble. A lot. It isn't the fall itself that is important, but what I do once I've hit the ground. After all, we all fall...right?

I fell the other day. I did something without giving it careful consideration and almost immediately began regretting it. Being human, it took almost a day for me to admit the error of my ways and do something about it. Why do I try so hard to ignore that feeling of conviction and crawl along unaided? All I have to do to get back up again is admit my error and grab His outstretched hand.

So once again I am vertical. I know I will fall again, it is inevitable. I just hope that with each fall I am quicker to reach out for His hand to make things right. After all, we can't finish the race if we don't keep running.

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it.

~ 1 Corinthians 9:24

The Race

Blessings ~Marla

Thursday Travels: Rhapsody of the Seas, Grand Cayman

Ah, the Cayman Islands, home of the highest standard of living in the Caribbean. And it shows. No shanty's here...at least that you can see from the main road. Instead the island is filled with beautiful, well tended homes...often owned by beautiful, well tended people! Seriously, even the average Cayman home is cute and well kept.

The island of Grand Cayman, while attractive because of it's neatness and the gorgeous water surrounding it, is as flat as a pancake. It makes Kansas look mountainous. If a tsunami hits while you are there, you had better be right with the Lord! But what a fun island to visit!

Ships are tendered rather than ported in Grand Cayman. This means they anchor off shore and passengers take a ferry to and from the island. This also means there is no running to the ship to board at the last minute before sailing in the evening! (Yes, I have actually witnessed this phenomenon, and no, I have not had to do it myself). If you miss the last ferry then you are sadly out of luck!

The number one attraction in Grand Cayman is Stingray City. It is a natural sandbar located off the northern coastline where fisherman used to dump fish guts. Over time the stingrays decided this was a great place to chow down and started to hang out in the shallow waters waiting for food to arrive.

The boat engines signal food to them and over time the fisherman began to feed them by hand. Now generations of stingrays have endured crazy humans petting and kissing them, all for an easy meal.

These stingrays are not contained in any way and are free to come and go as they please. If they get tired of human interaction they simply swim away. They are very gentle and queue up quickly for the squid they are hand fed.

We booked an independent tour for our Stingray City and Snorkeling trip. It was cheaper, and had a fraction of the people the ship excursion had. We used Moby Dick Tours, and they were wonderful! The boat ride out to the snorkeling area and then to the sandbar was uncrowded and comfortable. 

The area we stopped at to snorkel was great...I have included photo's of the nurse shark and eel that were in the area. I have to say, I had a blast teasing the eel out of his rock home!

The stingrays were out of this world! We joined the other nutty humans, feeding, petting, holding and kissing the creatures...and not once did I worry about getting barbed.

Back in town we ate at Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville...overrated in my humble opinion. Expensive food that was nothing special, and they didn't even play his music!

The shops were fun and cute...especially The Rum Cake Factory...Grand Cayman's signature food. Then back to the ferry and the Rhapsody. Altogether a five star port and a five star day!


Next time; Cozumel, Mexico!


Bon Voyage! ~Marla

The Master Weaver

My father died suddenly following surgery in 1996. While his health was not perfect, he had been expected to have a normal recovery. Instead one day post-op he collapsed and they were unable to save him. I remember out of all the sympathy cards we received, one in particular touched my heart. The card meant so much to me that I have since sought out that same poem to send to others mourning a loss. I now have the poem framed and hanging in my bedroom to serve as a reminder of just how little we see of God's master plan. 

For now we see in a mirror, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then I shall know fully even as also I was fully known.

~1 Corinthians 13:12 (ASV)

I just felt compelled to share the poem today...maybe someone out there needs to hear this...maybe it is just me.

The Plan Of The Master Weaver

Our lives are but fine weavings,

That God and we prepare,

Each life becomes a fabric planned

And fashioned in His care.

We may not always see just how

The weavings intertwine,

But we must trust the Master’s hand

And follow His design,

For He can view the pattern

From the upper side,

While we must look from underneath 

And trust in Him to guide.

Sometimes a strand of sorrow

Is added to His plan,

And though it’s difficult for us,

We still must understand

That it’s He who fills the shuttle,

It’s He who knows what’s best, 

So we must weave in patience

And leave to Him the rest…

Not till the loom is silent

And the shuttles cease to fly

Shall God unroll the canvas

And explain the reason why—

The dark threads are as needed

In the Weaver’s skillful hand

And the threads of gold and silver

In the pattern He has planned.

--Anonymous

Blessings ~Marla

Tasty Tuesday: Butternut Squash

One of my favorite things about fall is the food. As the weather becomes cooler I start craving foods that lend a sense of warmth. One of these foods is butternut squash. I like zucchini and summer (crook neck or yellow) squash, but in the fall I start to have a hankering for the butternut or acorn varieties. 

Butternut squash is plentiful in the fall & winter, and nutritious to boot! It is low in calories and teeming with fiber, beta carotene (vitamin A), vitamin C, folate, potassium and vitamin B6, just to name a few. Add the fact that the high amount of antioxidants can have a anti-inflammatory effect...and you have a super food!

Butternut squash has a sweet nutty taste, and despite it's look, it is easy to cook. Here is an easy recipe to get you started.

Basic Roasted Butternut Squash

1 butternut squash

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut squash in half lengthwise. Scoop out seeds. Brush with a little olive oil, place cut side down on baking sheet or in a casserole dish and bake until soft, about 45 minutes.

Variations: You can season it with whatever you wish after cooking or you can season it before cooking and roast it cut side up. Ideas? Nutmeg, salt, pepper, brown sugar, allspice, pumpkin pie seasoning, butter, cloves, ginger.

Feeling more adventurous? Give this recipe a try!

Cassoulet with Butternut Squash

~Marla