Tender Mercies

It's a common phrase for women to ask their friends, "what can I do to help?" The usual response to this inquiry is something along the lines of, "oh I'm doing alright, you don't need to help with anything," and then both parties go back to whatever they were doing in their day.   But yesterday I asked for help from my lovely friend (who also happens to be my visiting teacher*). It had been a rough day for me and I didn't have all the motivation or energy to make dinner all by myself, and I knew that If I asked her to help me make dinner when she stopped by for a scheduled visit, she would be willing and we could talk and laugh and get dinner into the oven in half the time it would have taken me to do it alone.  My happy face after a delicious dinner was made by the help of a friend.  I had so much fun spending time in the kitchen with her, cutting eggplant and garlic, whisking eggs, and simmering a fresh pot of tomato sauce on the

Spring break was beautiful and a much needed respite from the daily grind. We checked St. Louis off of our bucket list by spending 5 nights with my sister-in-law and her husband 30 minutes outside of downtown. We played hard each day, ate well, and always saved time in the evening to talk, all while getting plenty of sleep to keep us going each day. The most enjoyable part about this trip was that it was only the four of us. Family reunions are fun, but having a more intimate group setting can be more relaxing and therapeutic. I came away from this trip feeling like I actually had  a vacation!  Our Itinerary:  Tuesday March 15th:  arrived in Chesterfield at 4:30 PM Ate Bibimbap for dinner retired to bed early Wednesday March 16th: Morning hike at Castlewood State Park : I absolutely LOVE morning hikes. Best way to get going in the day. We did the River Scene Trail, a 3.25 mile loop that takes you along the Meramec River Valley as well as through a tunnel

The husband leaves the house every day between 5:30 and 6:30 AM and does not return home until 12-14 hours later. He doesn't have time nor does he make the time to cook up something adequate, and even if he did, he'd be hungry again at 9. If  he ate his lunch then, it would be hard to make it through until dinner. So I devised a plan. On the Saturday or Sunday before the school week begins, I make a big batch of something yummy, and then I divide it up between 5 containers and that's what he takes all week long. I mix it up week to week so he doesn't get bored. Before he leaves the house, he usually has a bowl of homemade granola (see recipe at the end of this post) or homemade  cereal with fresh raw milk to tie him over until brunch when he has time to eat again. A Few Notes: I tend to use the "2 eggs per day" formula when I boil eggs or make the frittata or breakfast burrito filling.  I often don't use a recipe when it comes to the egg dishes..

The stereotypical yoga image is a tall, slender woman, wearing revealing clothing while balancing in some outrageously impossible pose, or some old guru sitting in a cross-legged position in deep meditation. Luckily this isn't the case, for I will be the first to admit that I have practiced yoga in my pajamas and I'm still working on those ridiculously hard poses. Yoga is something that came into my life right when I needed it the most. It was at a time when I had overused my body in excessive exercise, a time when "the blues" were heading towards deep depression. Yoga was a gift from God that helped me dig deep to find my inner beauty. Yoga was a gift that led me to a place where I could connect with a Greater strength than my own. Yoga was a gift that gave me the opportunity to keep moving and strengthening my body when I had to stop all other forms of exercise. Yoga was a gift that has truly altered and shaped my life for the better.  Two years ago I