Fish Flop

I like to experiment with food. I'm known for throwing things together and making great meals out them. Well, on this quest to learn how to make different food items, I ventured into fish tonight. How can you go wrong?, I asked myself. I'd seen my mom do it a million times. I even got fancy and "rolled" the fish in some bread crumbs with garlic mixed in. I followed all the directions, which, I'll admit, I have issues doing. I'm constantly leaving out an important detail. But all I had to do, was stick it in the oven. Bake at 350 for 12 minutes. While that was cooking, I made some the THE best rice, Mahatma. It was actually one of the first things I bought when I moved out, um, a year ago. It's OK, rice lasts forever.

The fish finished cooking and I tried a bite just to make sure. It tasted a little strange, but I didn't think anything of it. It just needs some ketchup, I told myself. (I eat ketchup on all kinds of crazy things.) I was so proud of myself. From being so hungry and thinking about getting fast food, because it's "easier", to creating this whole, healthy meal from basically nothing. I even took a picture, see... Looks good, doesn't it?

Alas, I bite into it and I had the overwhelming urge to throw up. But I told myself I was over reacting. I continued to chew but it tasted as though I was digesting the ocean. Literally like I'd just pulled this fish straight from the salty water! I maybe exaggerating some, but it was yucky! I couldn't take it and spit it out! TMI?

I called my mom to get the scoop on tilapida. She says she basically drowns the poor fishy in herbs and spices. Now she tells me. Thank goodness for the yummy rice or I would have been really dissapointed!! The fishy went bye-bye into the garbage. Does anyone have a better way to season/cook fish? I'd love to hear it!

Thomas Edison said, "I haven't failed, I've found 10,000 ways that don't work." Mark my words... Fish and I will have another day in the kitchen.

Grant's new "tricks"!

(9/22/07) Sorry for the bad lighting, but this was too cute to pass up!




(10/27/07) This is my mom and Grant...

"Good Girl"

While reading September's issue of "Real Simple" recently, I read this article that I just had to share!


The Power of Praise

"Positive reinforcement works - on children, on work colleagues, even on pets. So why don't you use it on yourself? Take a moment to revel in your own successes and those of others, says life coach Gail Blanke. Everyone will feel better for it."

4 Steps to Becoming a Praiser
1. Point out something that someone is doing right, every day.
2. Seek out good behavior in others that might not be repeated if it goes unnoticed.
3. Make a list ofyour own "wins" over the past couple of months - big and small.
4. Say "Good Girl" to yourself every chance you get from now on.

Do you acknowledge yourself and the good things you do, or do you just move on to the next task?

Encouragement, in whatever format, is vital to every day life. Don't believe me? Next time a small child accomplishes something, try clapping for them and see how much they *light* up! How much more is that needed in our lives as woman? We give and give and give, until there's nothing left of us to give.

It's far too easy to get overwhelmed with all that needs to be done, but what if we encouraged ourselves through out the day? What kind of difference would that make in your life? I know that when positive feedback comes my way, I stand up a little bit straigher, gain confidence and work that much harder.

I'm FAR too hard on myself. I need to learn to relax and relish in the small wins. Without those, there'd be nothing big to celebrate. Boy, once I've made up my mind to do something, there's no stopping me!!! Which... can be a detriment (stubborn), but it's also what gives me my drive, determination and gumption.

In the past, I had a bad habit of starting something, but never finishing it. Well, I really wanted to get back into writing. For me, it's just a stress reliever. It also allows my mind to release some of its pent up ideas. I'm really proud of myself for sticking with this blog. Good Girl, Meredith, for following through.

I'm also so proud of myself for the desire to become healthy, once and for all. I've struggled with my weight my entire life. I woke up one morning literally a year ago and said, I've had enough, something's got to change. I joined Curves October 30, 2006. Since then, I can't tell you how much weight I've lost. Honestly, in order for me to maintain sanity, I had to go by how my clothes were fitting. And truth be told, I've lost A WHOLE SIZE in both pants and shirts. Which, is so exciting! I've kinda been keeping the whole thing under wraps, because with my rate of failure, I didn't want to set myself up for a fall. But now it's out there for all the world to see! Good Girl, Meredith, for sticking with it!

Today, while I was getting my braces off! PTL!!! Tabitha, the hygenist said, "Have you lost weight?" Wow. What woman doesn't love to hear those four little words?!? It's really refreshing to hear encouragement like that. To see myself every day, it would appear that nothing has changed. But to know that others do see a difference, that motivates me to work even harder!

Good Girl, Meredith!!

A Creed to Live By

Don’t undermine your worth by comparing yourself with others,

It is because we are different that each of us is special.

Don’t set your goals by what other people deem important,

Only you know what is best for you.

Don’t take for granted the things closest to your heart

Cling to that as you would your life, for without them life is meaningless.

Don’t let your life slip through your fingers by living in the past or the future.

By living your life one day at a time, you live all the days of your life.

Don’t give up when you still have something to give

Nothing is really over…until the moment you stop trying.

Don’t be afraid to admit that you are less than perfect,

It is the fragile thread that binds us to each other.

Don’t be afraid to encounter risks,

It is by taking chances that we learn how to be brave.

Don’t shut love out of your life by saying it’s impossible to find.

The quickest way to receive love is to give love.

The fastest way to lose love is to hold on too tightly,

And the best way to keep love is to give it wings.

Don’t dismiss your DREAMS.

To be without dreams is to be without hope.

To be without hope is to be without purpose.

Don’t run through life so fast that you forget where you’ve been,

But also know where you’re going.

Life is not a race, but a journey to be savored every step of the way.

"My Prayer" by Jessica Latten

My God

My God

Why have I forsaken you?

Wrap me again in you stillness so that I can see

cuz I saw

I saw.

Color bright, dark, natural and created. Reaching into my heart and mind intertwined I imagine the most beautiful sight coupled with the most beautiful feeling tripled by the best possible tasting thing, reminiscent of manna and a heavenly fragrance that makes you remember how things should be, how they were once before my existence. Then I hear something that makes my soul move and my body follow. Persistent like the shadow of Peter. I can't shake this piece of flesh as I hear rhythms, melodies and harmonies that move me and keep me captive, my beloved master. I know, because my third eye gave birth to my wisdom, enabling me to know YOU.

If I could see, hear, taste, smell feel and KNOW all of these sensations for just one simultaneous moment it would lonely be equivalent to reaching out to touch the hem of your garment... and I have yet to grasp it.

I love you now, I love you then and I love you forever. If I had a thousand knees, infinite tears, and a million soft lips I would be a trillion miles a way from effectively begging your forgiveness by kissing your feet to lift away the pain I've cause you.

My God I'm coming to you because I do not have the answer. I'm coming to you because I know I can't make up for the heart aches I've caused. I'm coming to you because I need guidance. I'm coming to you because I need peace. I'm coming as a child comes to a father with infinite patience and forgiveness. I'm coming to you in faith.

Lead me to where I belong. Guide my feet in the right path and let my light shine and to encourage others to do the same.

Thank you for your love for me.

In your name I pray,

Amen

Connective Ramblings

My sister surprised me today and brought my precious nephew for a visit! It was such an amazing surprise - a ray of sunshine on my other wise drab day! I got to show Grant around too. It'd been three months since people had seen him. The kid has grown a ton in that time. And I got to feed him a bottle too. I love him. Oh, and he's learned a new "trick" as we call it. He's learned how to hug. You say, Grant, may I have a hug? And he dives over one shoulder like he's Superman and rests his little head on my shoulder. Awwww! I won't get to see him again until Saturday morning. Can't wait.

It's hard living alone sometimes. For instance, tonight, my goal was to not only flip my matress but rotate it as well. So, here I am, balancing on the box springs, rotating my matress, inch by inch, just praying we don't fall. And then, flip it too! Whew! Plus, I had to make it with flannel sheets (yeah Fall!). I hate making my bed up but I enjoy sleeping in fresh sheets.

I had it in my mind to wear something for tomorrow, but for some reason, I always have a try on session, just to make sure everything still looks ok. So, I found this shirt the other day, washed it and couldn't wait for Friday, so I could wear it with jeans. I pull it over my head, look in the mirror, and ALAS, it has a gapping hole in it. I now remember ripping it last winter. Darn. I don't have very many fall/winter clothes to wear. Since I've been losing weight, all my old clothes are too big. And I don't feel like I should go out and buy new ones until I get to my goal weight. (Not that I know what that is... I don't have a "number", I'll just know by how I feel about myself. But sheesh, that's a whole other topic for a whole other day.)

I just wanted to ramble today. I think I only have one faithful reader, so I feel as though I'm writing her a letter. Hi Stacey! Hope classes are going well. Study hard!

I was playing Tetris on my phone earlier and I started to fall asleep. People it was 9:30 at the time!! So crazy. I suppose I haven't been getting enough sleep. One reason, my old bed. It has major issues. I'm actually asking for a new matress for CHRISTmas. Oh... which reminds me of a totally different topic. Do you realize CHRISTmas is two months away from yesterday?!?!? Are you ready?? Have you started your CHRISTmas shopping? I started the other day. I do this thing call MyPoints (ask me about it sometime) and it was extra bonus points to shop through Amazon.com plus free S&H. I was looking for something specific, but quickly discovered that Amazon is the Walmart of the Internet. Literally, you can find anything on there. To take advantage of the free S&H, I took care of my sister and got some things for my family as well. Two things arrived today! Ohhh, I can't wait to get them wrapped, put under the tree and see their expressions when they open the gifts up!

I'm so A.D.D. today, it's actually quite comical. I have this t-shirt which reads, "They say I had A.D.D. but I just don't understand. Oh look! A chicken!" Get it? hahaha I love that shirt! Back to CHRISTmas trees. I think the average family puts theirs up Thanksgiving weekend, at least, we always did in my family. But this year, I'm thinking about putting it up after Halloween. Am I crazy? Could be. I know I'm crazy for being up this late!!! OK, enough rambling out of me. I'm going to bed.

TGIF!!!

In My Arms - Plumb

I heard this song on the radio today and then downloaded it on iTunes when I got home! To me, it's about a love from a parent to a child. Perhaps a love song from Jesus?

Pay It Forward!

I did something today that I've always wanted to do. Have you seen the commercial where the girl gives the lady at the dry cleaners extra money for the guy behind her. Well, today I drove through Starbucks for some very yummy peppermint mocha, using a gift card I got for my birthday (Thanks, Micah!). The amount left on the card was more than I expected, so I decided to do something fun. I handed the card back to the lady and said, "Please use this for the people behind me." She got this very puzzled look on her face and I repeated my request and added, "If they ask, just tell them to 'Pay It Forward'". Her face lit up as she immediately understood my intentions. I quickly drove away, as though I'd just robbed a bank.

I didn't want any credit. In fact, I debated with myself about even talking about it because it might take away from the *magic* of the moment. Or perhaps you might think I'm bragging, but alas that's far from the truth. I just wanted to do something nice and completely unexpected for a perfect stranger. I have no idea who was behind me, but imagine their surprise when they pulled out their money to pay. "Your debt has been paid."

I just teared up as I typed that. How much is God like that with us? For all our sins which we continually commit, then come to the Father to ask forgiveness and He says, "No worries, you don't owe anything. Jesus took care of the bill." (Meredith translation) Like I previously stated in my last post. I don't think anything I experience is by chance. I believe He puts things in my path, so that I'm reminded of certain truths each day. I never know what God is up to, but I know He's up to something.

Interested in learning more about the Pay It Forward movement? Check out this site: http://www.payitforwardfoundation.org/

Just an observation...

I believe it's no accident that I see the world as I do. I see inspiration in everything! From the songs which shuffle on my iPod, to topics people talk about, to things that I read. I'm constantly trying to create something from nothing. It's kind of this game I play with myself. Life, all by itself, can be made into a blog entry. It's amazing really. If only I had the time to devote to it all. Perhaps one day my career will be a writer. How amazingly awesome that would be. Until then, I impart my *wisdom* on all who might read my thoughts.

Today, while stopped at a red light, movement caught my eye. There, in the gutter of the sidewalk was this precious bird. Although it was raining, it felt the need to take a bath. I found that humorous. Plus, I believe it was having fun doing it,w hich made me smile.

"Meredith Quintana" by Tim Wasyluka

My friend wrote this amazing poem to encourage me. See what you think...

Ms. Meredith Quintana loves the Lord.

She shares her love throughout every day -

Through a smile that lights this oft dreary world

With the glowing warmth of a bright sun-ray.

By day, through the sound of quieter, quaint chords,

She solemnly serves Him dutifully.

By night, her sweet soul, with powerful words,

Pensively praises Him beautifully.

Meredith – no longer ponder. Now is when!

Raise your timid true voice above the crowd,

But your timely thunderous thoughts to Pen!

When you share, it makes our loving Lord Proud.

The Lord wants to hear what you have to say!

Now…point the world to the light, to the way!