True Love

Want to know what true love is? Just ask a two-year-old. This was the conversation that Kyra & I had in the car this morning:

Mommy: Kyra, I love you. Do you know how much Mommy loves you?

Kyra: You love me a whole bunch because you share your cherry Chapstick with me.

Priceless! Happy Friday friends! K~

Need Recipes?

My dear friend Katie posted on her blog today that she is in search of some variety in their dinner menu, and believe me, I've been in that same position on many occasions!!!

It's 5 o'clock, and although the kids would love macaroni & cheese with hot dogs for the 3rd time this week, your stomach, not to mention your diet, just can't handle it. You're desperately looking for something quick & healthy, that also tastes half-way decent, but doesn't cost an arm and a leg to make.

As Jenni commented on Katie's blog, one of the things I've come to rely heavily on is the sharing of recipes, either from friends or other online sources. Simply Recipes is one of my absolute favorite food blogs, and I find a majority of our meals come from recipes posted there.

It so happens I'd also been in the habit of posting my favorite recipes here, once a week, labeled as Culinary Delights, but then lost my link list one time when I was changing my background, and never got back into it.

So today, I decided to resurrect my recipes list, and change its section title to something a little more simple: "Favorite Recipes". Enjoy, and Katie, I hope this helps :-)

Happy Eating friends! K~

The Great Pumpkin Caper 2008

Yesterday was a perfect day for a pumpkin hunt--blue skies, warm sun, and best of all, family to share it with. We went back to the Plumper Pumpkin Patch, (see here for a peek at last year's adventure--I can't believe how much Kyra has changed!) and had an absolute blast!

Here are some pictures from our day.

I think we should get this one, Grandpa!

All smiles at lunch

Daddy & Kyra
removing muddy shoes on the porch

Have a great week friends!
k~

"In Sickness & In Health"

If you've ever attended a wedding, you've more than likely heard the phrase above, nestled in amongst the rest of the vows, "In good times & bad....till death us do part." And if you're like most married couples, you probably even said these very words, or something very similar.

The reality is, when you're caught up in the middle of the emotion & joy of that wonderful day, sickness, and all that it entails, is really the farthest thing from your mind. And it's not until you're sitting there holding your loved one's head, as they heave their cookies yet again, or worse, sit by their bedside as they struggle to breathe, that you grasp the true meaning of this phrase.

I was in a coffee shop the other day, and overheard a woman talking to another woman, and the first said, "I'm really struggling with my husband who has Alzheimer's. Some days I feel like I could just run away, far, far, away." I don't doubt in the least that she has stopped loving her husband. It's just that sicknesses, illnesses and injuries change people.

And I'm not just talking about the Christopher Reeve type of critical and in his case, ultimately fatal injury, although that is definitely the extreme of all and life-changing. Even when someone has something as minor as a common cold or flu, or pink eye, it changes you. Suddenly you are vulnerable. Weak. Unable to carry out your day-to-day activities. You may even have to rely on someone else to take up your slack, either at work or home. This, in turn, can put a huge amount of added pressure on that person, who may themselves be struggling just to get by.

So I guess my question is this: how do you continue to honor & and uphold the marriage vows that you took before God, your family & your friends, when the person you are married to, is no longer the same person, due to an long-term injury or illness, and you may not even really like them any more? I know a vow is a vow, but what about the caregiver's personal health, physical and/or mental? Is it ever okay for them to say, "I'm done. I can't do this anymore."?

By the way, David & I are fine :-) This is just something that got me thinking after I heard the comment in the coffee shop...What are your thoughts?