Indigo-Daisy

Randy Pausch was a husband, a father of three small children, and professor at Carnegie Mellon  University.  On September 18, 2007,  he gave his last lecture to a crowd of over 400 collegues and students titled "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams."

This was one of the most moving and inspiring lectures that I have ever heard and If you have an hour to spare, it is really worth watching.

The thing is, this really was his last lecture as Randy had pancreatic cancer and succumbed to it on July 25, 2008.

The lecture, come to find out, was really for his surviving children.  I cried at the end…

This is a farm we purchased sweet corn from on my visit to Minnesota.

As a special gift for my parents anniversary, my aunt Joanne made two of these beautiful Kransakaga for my parents 50th Anniversary reception.

Kransekage is a Scandinavian cake served on special occasions such as weddings and made from layers of baked rings that are rich in almond flavor.

My aunt told me that sometimes they are decorated with a bottle of wine in the center.

She had special Kransekage  pans that she purchased in a Scandinavian specialty shop.  I actually found them online at Target.com for about $40.00.

Our mouths were salivating from the sweet smell of almond as it drifted through the house while they were baking.

My niece and my brother-in-law made the beautiful roses which adorned the base of the cake, and I was able to help decorate the layers with zig zags of icing which also helped hold it together.  You could say it was a family afair.

Kransekage has been a tradition in my family for many years and first introduced by my uncle Vic who was a second generation baker.  Uncle Vic took over the bakery that was started by my grandparents.

I found the recipe in an old cookbook that my aunt helped put together, so if you have the time, patience and the special occasion, you might want to give it a try.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs of Almond Paste (you might need to go to a bakery to find this as they can purchase in bulk)
• 1 1/2 Cups of Sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 egg whites

Place almond paste in mixing bowl and soften with the egg white a little at a time.

Gradually add the sugar, then the flour and mix well.

Form into about 3/4" ropes on a lightly floured surface and place in the specially grooved floured pans which graduate in ring size.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in a 360 degree oven.

Remove from oven and immediately take a table knife to gently separate the rings.

Decorate with thin icing by making scallops back and forth around each layer and assemble as you go.   Once assembled you can adorn as you please with icing flowers or specialty ornements.

My magic moment last week was going home for my parents 50th wedding anniversary.

I hadn’t seen my parents or sisters in person in at least 6 years and it was just a delight being around family and friends for such a joyous occasion.

The Minnesota weather was not too hot and the family got together for a family picnic the evening before.  It was a great time for reminiscing and fun seeing a new generation of cousins getting to know each other.

The actual celebration took place in the auditorium of the Church my parents attend.  A light lunch was served, and family and friends traveled from as far as Texas to be there for it.  Some of the grandchildren played a song on their musical instruments, my slide show was hooked up to the church video system and it was so beautiful on the big screen, everyone seemed to really enjoyed it.  Mom and dad even had several members of their wedding party come to celebrate with them.

After the celebration at church many people came back to the house and we continued celebrating on into the evening.

I truly allowed myself to just sit back and enjoy myself the entire week and this magic moment is permenantly recorded as one of my most precious memories.

We spent a lot of time growing up with cousin Steve.  He was the only child of my aunt and uncle on my dads side and he became our childhood friend.

When we got together with Steve we were never bored and always found fun things to do like acting out short comedy skits and pretending we were country music stars.  We would spend hours together laughing, playing and just being silly.

We were so impressed when Steve taught himself how to play the guitar, he was a natural at it and he played very well.  I can remember Steve singing the Johnny Cash song "A boy named Sue".  He played and sang that song as if he was Johnny Cash himself and my sisters and I not being country girls, we just ate it up and thought it was the funniest thing we ever heard.

We would make Steve play that song over and over and we would all sing in unison when it came to the part "My name is Sue! How do you do!"

We saw Steve at our parents anniversary celebration and he now stands about a foot above the rest of us.

The years have gone by, but Steve is still the same old fun guy that he always was when we were growing up.  Seeing him again brought back a lot of fun memories.

Click the link below and listen to "A Boy named Sue".

Had a chance to visit the county fair this week with my mom and caught this precious creature taking a break.

I had an anxiety attack this past week and It was the first I had experienced in several years.

There was a period in my life where I used to suffer from panic and anxiety quite often.  To the point where once I had my husband call 911 as the feeling was so overwhelmingly heavy that I felt I had only minutes to live and was certain I was going to die.  After I made them take me by ambulance to the hospital and they did every test they could on me finding nothing physically wrong, I realized that what I had just experienced was a full blown panic attack.

The doctors suggested I see a psychiatrist and after talking to a counselor for a few minutes, I decided that this was something I had to learn to heal myself.

What worked for me….

• make a list of things in my life causing me stress
• from that list, identify the things I can change
• start making the changes little by little
• do something every day no matter how small to remove the stress
• find some alone time to meditate or relax
• aromatherapy or scents that help you relax
• eliminate caffeine, drink herbal tea
• listening to classical music
• turn off the news
• read self help books
• avoid junk food, eat lots of fruits and vegetables
• keep hydrated, drink lots of water
• get a good nights sleep
• If there isn’t anything you can do about a situation, let it go

When I had the next panic attack, I realized what it was, and that I wasn’t going to die. So I just took a few deep breaths, said a prayer and rode it out.

Now and then I suffer from mild anxiety, a heavy feeling in the chest and like your body has had too much caffeine, very jittery.  It is very uncomfortable as you don’t feel you have much control.  So I have a cup of tea, close my eyes for a few minutes, light a candle and listen to some classical music.  Within about 15 to 20 minutes it usually does the trick.

Don’t dwell on what
has passed away
or what is yet to be.
Ah the wars they will
be fought again
The holy dove
She will be caught again
bought and sold
and bought again
the dove is never free.

Ring the bells that still can ring
Forget your perfect offering
There is a crack in everything
That’s how the light gets in.

Leonard Cohen

Turn your pictures into puzzles at jigzone.com

I lived in Florence, Italy for about a year before marrying my husband.  During my stay, I read the book "The Agony and the Ecstasy" by Irving Stone about the life of Michelangelo Buonararroti.  What an amazing book to have read while actually in the city of Florence.  I would read a chapter, then rush of to a museum, basilica or some part in the city to see the actual painting, sculpture or building in which Irving Stone so eloquently described.

It was the time when I fell in love with the works of Michelangelo, my favorite being his Pieta.  To give you an idea what a genius Michelangelo was, he was only 21 or 22 years old when he began this sculpture and it took him only 2 years to complete.

The thing I love about sculpture is that it is not a medium where you add to, so you can not mold and create what you envision.  It is a medium where you take from and can not put back, so what you envision has to be perfect before you start.

The original Pieta is displayed in  St. Peter’s Basilica in Vatican City , and I did have a chance to go see it on a brief visit to Rome.   Sadly, it now sits behind bullet proof glass as it was attack by a mentally disturbed man with a hammer in 1972 where he took 12 blows to this most revered piece of beauty.  It was then painstakingly restored and now sits protected in its own chapel.

This was the only piece in which Michelangelo actually carved his signature upon. You can see his inscription on the band that crosses Mary’s chest.  It is said that he had overheard people arguing over who the creator was and he didn’t want another to take credit for his work. I imagine that it was his youthful pride that came into play as later he felt bad for his rash actions and vowed to never again sign another piece.

I have a small replica that sits in my living room and one day several years back, my neighbor who was dying from melanoma came over for a visit and saw it.  He asked if he could hold it for awhile and I let him. I think in some small way he found comfort through it.  It is truly a piece of beauty and there is something so pure about it with Mary looking so youthful and Jesus appearing so peaceful. The scene is not one of a tragic event really, it is more of an acceptance of how it is, yet what a pity it had to be.

I highly recommend the book "The Agony and the Ecstasy" by Irving Stone.  And if you ever have the chance to visit Forence or Rome, I recommend you read it again.

Just a tidbit, there is an authorized replica of the Pieta in St Mary’s Cathedral, Sydney , The Metropolitan Cathedral of Brasilia, Brazil, St. John’s Cathedral, Korea , and Church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Poznań .