Tag Archives: Inspiration

Seen it all before?

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In my varied attempts lately to inspire and intrigue my son, I often find that I just as effectively intrigue myself.  Things that, according to majority of people you talk to, should not make any significant impression on an adult (since we’ve all seen it all before), will have me buzzing with inspired energy for days.  I take my son to see all the airplanes at a small local airport, for instance, and he is so overwhelmed by the glory of it all that he nearly hyperventilates.

And as I watch him, I realize that I am excited too.  I am reminded of the feelings that I had when I was a girl.  The excitement about flying.  The desire to become a pilot.  But it’s not just nostalgia.  It is here and now.  A childlike embracing of the present moment.  Maybe I am not two years old, but I have never seen the cockpit of a plane this close before, and darn it, it’s cool!

I am also inspired by the kindness of the people that we encounter.  The immediate drive of these people to share their passions with a small child in the hopes that it may become their passion too.  A local fireman who just had his first son, eager to practice his new role on this enthusiastic toddler, will do nearly anything to impress him.

How often do we see this kindness, this passion in the people we encounter day-to-day?  It is so beautiful that I feel like I have connected myself to these lives.  They have forever made and impression on me and hopefully we have made a small one on them as well.

I HOPe

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I have always loved IHOP, but my appreciation for it seems to grow in direct proportion to my age.  I have had the privilege of being treated to an IHOP breakfast with my boys for the last two Sundays in a row and both times I have been struck by the wonderful phenomena that exists there.  It is a bouquet of humanity.  One that smells of pancakes and sausage and eggs.  A melting pot of classes running the entire gambit from the very young to the very old and the very rich to the very poor.  It is Norman Rockwell’s America at it’s best – with a complete and utter lack of pretension or judgement.  Wholly sincere and simple.  One table houses a family of 7 and the very next is a table of one quietly sipping coffee while reading the paper.  It is beautiful.  So the next time you visit, don’t just feed your belly, although there’s certainly no doubt you’ll be able to do that well, feed your spirit.  Feast your eyes on the vast array of human goodness and smile.  And trust me, you won’t leave hungry.

Photo taken from pages.suddenlink.net/davew/pickin.htm

A “Little” Dinner Inspiration

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There is something about new ideas, even ideas about such mundane things as cooking supper, that can fire me up for days.  Those of you who really know me will not be surprised to learn that making dinner in a muffin cup made me so excited and proud, that I took pictures to share with family and friends.  Roll your eyes if you like, but this supper is just too fun, too adorable, and much too delicious to not share.  So here it is:

I made teeny tiny meat pies in muffin cups!  And they turned out so well.  I was actually really surprised that they stayed together.  You could simply pop them out of their cups and onto a plate to enjoy.

The filling was made just as you would any pot pie recipe (I’ll give the specifics for mine in a minute for those of you who’d like to try it.)  Then I used crescent rolls from a CAN!  I use the reduced fat ones because of my cholesterol, but I’m sure the full fat one’s wouldn’t hurt the recipe :)  I laid each triangle of the crescent roll dough into the bottom of a muffin cup (sprayed of course), filled it with the filling, wrapped the three corners over the top, brushed with olive oil, parmesan cheese and italian seasoning, and baked (at the temp. on the roll package) for about 15 minutes!  Voila!

Let me tell you, it was delicious!  And easy to boot.  And much more fun that a big old casserole pot pie with never enough crust.  I encourage everyone to give it a whirl.  The recipe for the filling is below, but I am VERY loose with amounts so please do everything to your own taste.  These are just estimates.

About 1/2 lb of ground meat (I use turkey for my diet, but you can use beef if you prefer)
1/2 Small onion, diced
Minced Garlic (to taste)
1/2 Green Bell Pepper, diced
1 Small Bag of Frozen Mixed Veggies
1/2 Bag of Frozen Broccoli Florets
celery Salt, Italian Seasoning Blend, Ground Black Pepper, and additional seasonings as desired (all to taste)
Saute over Med/High heat until meat is fully cooked and veggies are tender.
Add 1-2 cans of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup to desired moisture (Again, I use the Heart Healthy, Reduced Fat kind and you cannot tell a difference.)
Thin with Milk as needed.
Add Mozzarella Cheese and stir till melted.
Fill muffin cups as described above and ENJOY!

The Idea Behind the Blog – Making Our Own Happiness

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I have learned over the course of my increasingly fast-paced years, that happiness is not something that happens to us.  It is not delivered to our doorstep with a nice red bow on top, just waiting to be opened and enjoyed.  Of course life has its surprising moments that utterly grip us and take our breath away.  But for the most part, I believe, happiness is something we make.   Fulfillment is something we enjoy when we learn to stop taking the little things for granted.  If we constantly brush off all of life’s tiny little beauties because they are ordinary, unimportant, or we’re simply too busy to bother, then we will surely see the color fade out of life and happiness will be hard to come by.  Because, let’s face it, if we wait for the eventful, the enormous, the extraordinary to bring us joy, those moments will be few and far between.  My two year old son has been an amazing teacher of this this lesson.  To him, everything is new.  Everything is amazing.  The tiniest things that we as adults have come to see as commonplace,  can make him quiver with excitement and curiosity.  And, as his primary playmate, I too am learning to be excited with him.  To share in his enthusiasm rather than squelch it.  And, in some ways, he has become more of an influence on me than I have on him.  It is my goal in writing this blog to share that influence with any who care to read.  To find little lights of inspiration and beauty in every day life and highlight them for myself and others to take notice.  To help create happiness.  To appreciate now the things that we’ll remember later.

Photo taken by Reeta Allen in May 2010