My Crazy Life in an Acronym~ part 2

Welcome Back! I hope you are sitting in a comfy chair, in your most favorite spot, and I hope you have your coffee, tea, or beverage of choice ready to drink as you read. I am ready to continue my “character quality', “My Crazy Life”, acronym with you! My character qualities I am working on in 2012 to be the BEST I can be. If you missed the first two Character Qualities from “My Crazy Life”, I will refer you back to the first blog in this series, so that it all ties together nicely! 

http://patti-lifeasiknowitcrazy.blogspot.com/2012/01/my-crazy-life-in-acronym.html 

Now on with the Second word in my blog “CRAZY” and it's acronym. My life really is so crazy with all of my obligations with my family, friends, job, extra jobs, hobbies, so that I would definitely define my life as CRAZY... but it is a HAPPY, HAPPY CRAZY LIFE that I lead. I would not change anything about the life I lead. Instead let me share the CRAZY Character Qualities I am focusing on, and I will do that with an acronym for the second word of my blog, “CRAZY”.

  

‘The thing that makes a creative person is to be creative and that is all there is to it.’

— Edward Albee

 

Creativity is such an important and essential part of who I am.  When I am not creating, I find my mind becoming stagnant, and I find that my activities become activities that simply fill my time~ mindless, empty, non essential time wasters. Creativity gives me joy, whether it is creating a meal for my family, creating with crochet, paint, a glue gun, taking pictures of flowers, creating jewelry with a friend at a local bead shop! Creativity in any form whether by myself or shared with another stimulates the mind! Now you may say, well I don't have a creative bone in my body! Well, I went to google and came up with a great little page on how to develop creativity with some absolutely FUN, CREATIVE exercises at the end... thinking I might give a few of them a whirl. For me, creativity needs to be a part of every day in SOME form. For 2012, I am SCHEDULING IN time each and every day to create something: a meal for my family, a friend. A walk to take pictures. Time to sit and just dabble with paints. I hope you will see the importance of developing some creativity for yourself.

http://www.wikihow.com/Be-Creative

"Another fresh new year is here . . . Another year to live! To banish worry, doubt, and fear, To love and laugh and give! This bright new year is given me To live each day with zest . . . To daily grow and try to be My highest and my best! I have the opportunity Once more to right some wrongs, To pray for peace, to plant a tree, And sing more joyful songs!"
~ William Arthur Ward

Radiate Joy! Life is SO GOOD. There are so many blessings in my life, and I make a very concerted effort to remind myself of those blessings each and every time they pop into my brain! I have found that when I forget to count my blessings, I become deflated, like an empty balloon. When I am deflated, I have nothing left to give. The spark has gone out, and I have no joy inwardly, and no joy to share with others who are so desperately looking for their own joy. I am a firm believer that my purpose her on earth is to share the joy that I have with others, that they may share in my joy, and find some joy for themselves. My desire this year, is to RADIATE JOY each and every moment, so that others see my joy, and want that same joy for themselves. For me, that joy comes from the Lord: “You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” Psalm 16:11. Since I have the joy of the Lord, my desire is to share it with all I know, and even those I don't know. Life is too short NOT to Radiate your Inner Joy!

Negative thinking destroys your brain cells and causes global warming. Source: The Scientific Institute of GetOverIt! ~Dodinsky, www.dodinsky.com

A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely. ~Roald Dahl

love these quotes! They makes me giggle~ but also make me think and think deeply. I am such an advocate of POSITIVE thinking. Life is hard enough without thinking in negative terms 100% of the time! Now don't get me wrong! There are times when things happen and my hackles may rise and I may stomp my foot, but I quickly talk myself out of getting caught in the trap of 'stinkin' thinkin'.  Bad things DO happen to good people. But I have learned that I can CHOOSE how I will respond when I am blindsided. I can respond with an attitude that is designed to improve, change or accept the problem~ a Positive attitude, or I can respond with  defeat, roll over and play dead, or cursing the gods mentality~ a NEGATIVE attitude. I find myself very attracted to positive people because they leave positive deposits in my personal account. THAT is the person I want to be... depositing 'positivity' into the lives of others instead of sucking their personal accounts dry with my negative outlook! It takes work, focus, prayer and meditation, but I can tell it will payoff in 2012.
 “Attitudes are contagious. Are yours worth catching?” ~Dennis and Wendy Mannering

Think excitement, talk excitement, act out excitement, and you are bound to become an excited person. Life will take on a new zest, deeper interest and greater meaning. You can think, talk and act yourself into dullness or into monotony or into unhappiness. By the same process you can build up inspiration, excitement and surging depth of joy.

Norman Vincent Peale

Each and every day I search for beauty.  I always have. I search for beauty in things I see~ a beautiful sunrise, smell~ a loaf of bread baking, touch~ the smoothness of a shell I find on the beach, hear ~ the sound of my daughter laughing, taste~ freshly made guacamole dip.  There is so much BEAUTY around me! When I am seeking that beauty I am living a life 
chock full of ZEST, and I am SO happy.

I purposely carry my camera with me wherever I go, looking for a beautiful flower blooming, or today~ I caught the unusual bark on these trees that are 'winter barren'. I always add extra spices to anything I cook~ 'zesting' it up as I go. I always keep a bottle of my favorite bubble bath next to the tub, so that I can enjoy a lovely, bubbly bath of hot steamy, lavender scented water. I look for jokes to share with my family, JUST so I can hear them laugh. I try HARD to create a 'zest filled' life, and this year, I am intent on living even ZESTIER! :) How 'bout you?

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/bouncing-back/201110/living-zest-secret-happiness

Youthfulness is connected to the ability to see things new for the first time. So if your eyes still look at life with wonder, then you will seem young, 
even though you may not be chronologically young.
Goldie Hawn

(yes this is me... as a child!)

OF COURSE I WANT TO STAY YOUNG! I do buy an assortment of facial creams and lotions, 'skin tighteners, wrinkle reducers, and cellulite ridding products.  LOL A friend shared that she swore by Preparation-H as a 'skin firming product'!  I am still pondering that one.  But I am smart enough to know that while outward beauty may fade, I can still maintain and keep my inward beauty as forever.

Youthfulness is a state of mind. What is that quote, 'you are only as old as you think?' or something like that. Inwardly I do believe I got stuck in a perpetual 'childlike' state. I find I am constantly sidetracked by a butterfly, or a new food that I will inevitably fall in love with. I find new crafts entirely enthralling, Reading helps me escape into worlds I NEVER dreamed I would visit. I find joy in digging for seashells at the beach, and when I find an amazing specimen, I am thrilled beyond words. In other words, I have never lost that child like amazement, in learning something new, in stretching myself to try new things, in experiencing something I have never tried before. On New Years Eve, I created my own little 'bucket list' of new things I wanted to attempt this year. They range from expanding my vocabulary, to taking a trip to 6 Flags to ride every roller coaster. I am trying something new each and every day... may be big, may be small, but it exciting and fun, and keeping me young. I will always be a “Toys 'R' Us" kind of kid.

Well, once again, time has given me no choice but to move to the next exciting thing on my datebook~ and we still have the word “LIFE” to finish and wrap up my blog in 'an acronym'. I hope you have had fun reading, and I hope something grabs you and revs you up. I have so much more to share. And since 'tomorrow' is the weekend. I encourage you to grab your coffee, or whatever! :) and find your favorite blanket, and join me as I finish up my character quality changes. I know I will still have my jammies on... hope you will too. Can't wait to visit with you tomorrow!  Leave me a comment on your way out.  Blessings to you!

Living Laughing and OH SO! Loving my Life,

Patti

My Crazy Favorite Fall Projects~ Starting with Crazy Delish Chicken Noodle Soup!

I am CRAZY in LOVE with this time of year!  Fall has always brought a sense of excitement and anticipation, since I was a young in’. As a child, I loved the crisp fall breeze, the crunch of the beautifully colored leaves under my feet!  I adored hayrides, bonfires, roasting marshmallows.  I LOVED going to the pumpkin patch as a family, and choosing the PERFECT pumpkin, or two… or…  ; )  Our pumpkins would eventually be carved into CRAZY CREATIVE designs~ whether ghoulish or simply cute.  There was nothing like seeing our finished pumpkin friend grinning at us, candle lighting up his smile! 
I loved pulling out and donning my fall sweaters, and eventually my chosen Halloween costume, for the most festive of evenings for a child!

As an adult, I LOVE the smells, cider, cinnamon, a scented fall candle.  I experience CRAZY, IMMENSE pleasure in cooking ‘fall weather’ foods- soups, casseroles, anything pumpkin!  I love decorating for the fall, yes with a pumpkin included, and of course my FALL inspired Year Around Christmas Tree!!!! (blog coming)  I love being outdoors and seeing the changes along the gulf coast.  Even though we do not have the gorgeous foliage changes here, like I did as a child up north, we still have our leaves that do change as well as a 
plethora of flowers that are still blooming.  

Oh! I am simply inspired, and so in love with this time of year, 

that I will be doing quite a bit of blogging for you over the next few months.

 For the first in this string of CRAZY FALL BLOGS, I thought I would focus on some of my CRAZY~FALL~ COMFORT, foods that are family and friend approved! : )  There is nothing like cooking a pot of soup that warms you to the bone.  Or, how about a crockpot dish that wafts delicious smells that will greet you as soon as you walk in the door!  What a wonderful way to be welcomed home!  I will also share a few DELISH side dishes, and beverages that I LOVE to prepare during the fall!  I will be including pictures, recipes, and instructions.  There recipes that I am sharing,  while they may have been inspired by another recipe,  are  all my OWN recipes that have been recreated to fit my families tastes, or my personal tastes, so most recipes, while they may have been inspired, are indeed my own creations.  I hope you will enjoy, and I hope you will be adventurous, even if cooking is not your strong point.  These are easy recipes, but crowd pleasers, as well as family, fall warming favorites!

And today we begin with an oldie but goody:

 “Crazy Delish Chicken Noodle Soup”!

Ingredients:

*1 chicken

*1 onion sliced-divided

*4 stalks of celery, chopped- divided

*1 pkg. of carrot chips or 4 carrots peeled, and chopped- divided

*4 cloves of garlic, minced- divided

*1 tsp Italian seasoning- divided

*1 tsp parsley- divided

*1 tsp garlic salt- divided

*1 tsp black pepper- divided

*2 tsp salt- divided

*4 c reserved chicken stock

*1 large can chicken broth (contains 6 cups)

*1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

*3 cups medium egg noodles

Directions:

Rinse your chicken, and make sure you pull the neck out of the cavity.  Place the chicken in a large pot and cover with water.  

Add 1/2 of onion, celery, carrots, garlic and 1/2 of all spices. 

Bring to a rolling boil. 

 Turn the temperature down slightly, and allow to boil for 1 hour.  Take the pot off the stove, and reserve 3 cups of the chicken stock.  Set the chicken aside to cool and discard the remainder of the pot.

Once the chicken is cooled, remove the meat from the chicken. 

Pour the chicken broth and reserved chicken broth into your large pot. Add the chicken, the can of Cream of Chicken soup 

and the remaining half of all vegetables and spices. 

 DO NOT add egg noodles yet.  Allow the pot to boil, reduce heat and cook for about 30 minutes.  Add the egg noodles and allow to cook for 8 more minutes.

Dish your soup up in your favorite bowls, and snuggle up in a warm blanket and be ready to enjoy your Crazy Delish Chicken Soup. I always like to cook some corn muffins to go with the soup~ Yummo! This will warm you up and add a touch of joy to your Fall day!  
I hope you will cook and then enjoy!  

Bon Appetit!

Living Laughing and LOVING the FALL!

Patti 

My 2nd CRAZY FUN “THRILLED” 5th grade Adventure~ Islands of Adventure, Orlando

The first day with my fifth graders and new ‘chaperone’ friends : ) had been wonderful. BUT, the second day sealed the deal. We were all a wee bit tired after our first adventure filled day, but when we saw the sign for “Islands of Adventures” welcoming us, the thrill of adventure did indeed take over each and every one of us, and we were ready to embrace the day! 

On our second day we broke down into smaller groups, switched groups, formed new groups. It was SO wonderful to once again witness joy through a child’s eyes, but this second day was so nice, because friendships that had started the day before were reinforced and solidified. As the music teacher of these awesome students, I rarely get to know the parents well. What a WONDERFUL experience it was to find so many new friends: Mike and Jennifer, Hyacinthe (I love that name!), Jocuilyn, B.J., Shell, and so many more. I felt so blessed, and have come to understand after meeting these incredible parents, and now friends, why these kiddos were so ‘Crazy Special’! These kids were receiving some amazing love and careful guidance and direction from these people I am now honored to call friends. 

SO OUR DAY! We decided we would head RIGHT to Harry Potter’s “Wizarding World” since we knew the lines would be long. Before we got to Harry Potter, we passed through several ‘photo worthy spots’! I loved the whimsical décor in Seuss Landing, and although we did not stop there, I loved the whole ‘Seuss’ theme throughout . I love Dr. Seuss’ ‘childlike’ philosophy, and it is so beautifully evident by the creators of Seuss Landing. One of my favorite Dr. Seuss quotes: ““Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”~ Dr. Suess 

We also RAN through the Lost Continent, a Sinbad Themed section of the park. Fun to look at, but NO TIME TO STOP, as Hogwart’s was calling! 

I cannot tell you the sense of PURE ENCHANTMENT I experienced as we walked through the gates of Harry Potter’s World. I felt like I was being taken back into the books I had read aloud to my children, OH SO many years ago. Islands of Adventure, truly outdid themselves on this Village. I was thrilled to see the Hogwarts Express, Hogsmeade Village ~ where a stop in Honeydukes for family gifts, and a refreshing Pumpkin Juice for myself was a must~ Honeydukes was always such a big part of most of the Harry Potter series, and the thought of chocolate frogs and Bertie Bott’s Every-flavored Beans lured me in. The shelves are lined with all manner of colorful sweets, including Acid Pops, exploding bonbons, Cauldron Cakes, treacle fudge, Fizzing Whizzbees, and Chocolate Frogs, which contain a wizard trading card in each box. Inside the shop you can fill up a bag of Bertie Bott’s Every-Flavour Beans. I KNEW my family would love the treats I chose for them! 

herbology

Hagrid's Hut

Then the Hogwarts Castle loomed over me. I literally felt as if my breath was being sucked away from me. It was ALL that I had imagined it to be and more! We entered through the towering castle gates and made our way down the familiar passageways and corridors of Hogwarts. We saw Dumbledore’s office, the Defence Against the Dark Arts classroom, the Gryffindor common room, talking pictures and more. And then we came to the ride: 
“Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey”. 

It was SO much fun to feel as if you were soaring above the castle grounds with Harry and his friends. We met the Womping Willow, the Spiders (EWWW), magical creatures, and so much more. This was an unforgettably thrilling, one of a kind, ride experience. And had the line NOT been so long, we would have ridden twice. Crazy fun and laughter was experienced by adults and children alike! 

Next we took a quick trip through Jurassic Park, where many of the scenes looked as if they were straight out of the movie. I was very glad that we visited this part of the park during daylight hours. That T-Rex looked mighty hungry. We were starting to feel a little hungry too, but decided to continue on for a few more rides before a pit stop. 

We were then off to Toon Lagoon. It was hot and we decided that a ride on the ‘Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls’ ~ a water log ride, would be just what we needed to cool off. Unfortunately it was a very LONG line as everyone else had the same idea, but it was worth the wait! The setting is the Canadian North Woods. And with a Dudley Do-Right ride you can expect the usual characters: The villain: that notorious scoundrel Snidely Whiplash. The hero: bumbling Royal Canadian Mountie Dudley Do-Right. The “I NEED RESCUING” Nell Fenwick. This ride is so much fun visually, and the plunge to the bottom at the end? GUARANTEED to leave you breathless and ummm… WET! And I did not mind the crazy, long line (2 hours), because it gave me more time to bond with my new friends! (You know who you are!) The kids were sweet as pie, which to me was a testimony to the fabulous parenting and character building these mom’s and dad’s are giving these kiddos! 

Next we decided to head over to “Marvel Super Hero Island” where we rode “THE HULK” YOWZA

You accelerate from zero to 40 mph in two seconds flat, with the force equal to that of a jet taking off an aircraft carrier. It is simply WILD! The world 

turns upside down as you experience a weightless "zero g" roll. Then you feel a surge in power as you pick up speed and a menacing roar fills your ears. All you can do is hang on as you experience the rage, power and fury of the Hulk, smashing through the sky and plummeting down to earth on a high-speed roller coaster rampage of destruction. This a must ride in Islands of Adventures…. Next stop… 

“Dr. Doom’s Fear Fall”! This ride made my hands sweat as I waited for my turn to sit down and fly up into the clouds, and then take the plunge. Again, the set up and ‘attractions’ before you hit the ride are so much fun! 
All hail Doctor Doom! 

With menacing Doombots watching your every move, you are strapped into your seat. The ‘scariness and tension’ build, and, suddenly the countdown reaches zero and you are rocketed skyward, 150 feet into the air, then hurled back down faster than the force of gravity itself! But never fear, the drop is a bounce drop, so it is not a roaring crash to the bottom! 

Blondie's looked like a fun place to eat also!

And alas, time for lunch! We ate at the “Comic Strip Café”. All your favorite comic strip characters line the walls of the Comic Strip Cafe, a fun cafeteria-style food court where you have your choice of Fried Chicken, Fish & Chips, Hot Dogs, Burgers, and even Asian & Italian Dishes. The café was cute and the Meal Deal once again was definitely the way to go. We certainly needed to 
re energize for the rest of the day. 

After lunch we stayed in Marvel Super Island and Rode “The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman”. This ride will make you laugh and laugh and laugh, and maybe squeal and scream too! Join your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man in an amazing 3-D adventure that has you swinging and soaring high above the city streets. You feel as if you are right in the middle of all of the action, I will not spoil any of the surprises, but there are quite a few things ‘thrown’ at you that will keep your eyeballs bulging! The best part is the simulated 400-foot free fall at the end of the ride. I literally laughed my way through this entire ride! 

After the ‘Spidey’ ride, we had fun shooting some of our own ‘comical pictures’ under the ‘thought bubbles’ in Marvel Island. It was so much fun watching everyone running around to find the thought bubble they liked best. Of course I chose a thought bubble to facebook to my family back home! 

We then met up with one of my most favorite people in the world Cassi, and she led us to the BEST RIDE EVER: 
Popeye 

& Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges~ 

a water raft ride! Set sail for uncharted hilarity.  

Brave white-water rapids as this twisting, turning raft ride makes you wish you'd have brought your spinach... and a towel. Don't be surprised if you’re completely soaked when it's all over! We rode this ride 2 times in a row, and we were all wet, from head to toe,or the rest of the evening!!!! 

The moments were ticking away, so we decided that we would have time to choose just a few more things we wanted to see. Our group decided on the “Dragon Challenge” back in Harry Potter’s World. We made a mad dash, well as fast as we could move in wet clothes! As we approached the coaster, I must admit, I did feel some heart palpitations! This coaster looked ‘crazy’ insane! 

You will definitely need the courage of a Triwizard Tournament champion as you mount one of two dragons – an aggressive Chinese Fireball or a ferocious Hungarian Horntail – that twist, loop and nearly collide in an intertwining roller coaster chase across the sky. Dragon Challenge is actually two high-speed roller coasters – each "dragon" is a completely different ride. 

Climb aboard and hold on tight as the two dragons twist, loop and nearly collide with each other in an intertwining roller coaster chase across the sky 

We were crazy enough to ride this ride 4 times in a row. When we finally headed back to catch our ride to the hotel, I had a hard time walking, but OH the laughter, the “do you remember’s”, the smiles and joy radiating and beaming from each tired face! We adults laughed at the fun we had AS adults. For one day, we had escaped from, and forgotten about all of our ‘adult’ issues, and we became kids. WOW! It was an a-ha moment for me as I realized how relaxed and at peace I was, and it was at that moment that I decided to make sure that I have more “kid days”, more play days! And you know what? I already have my next day planned. I do believe a day at the beach with my kids and their friends is in order. I cannot wait to splash in the waves, search for some seashells, and take some MORE pictures, because I am DYING to share my Crazy, Beautiful, Pensacola Beaches with you! NEXT BLOG! : ) 

I hope you have had fun traveling through Islands of Adventure with me. You really must take a trip there for yourself. Here is a great link to their site, with all the rides, attractions, eateries and deals. And if you can’t make it down to Orlando, Florida, there is no reason why you could not come up with your own PLAY DAY! I would love to hear all about it! Still living, laughing, and loving the memories…

~Patti~

Great Link to Islands of Adventure:

http://www.universalorlando.com/Amusement_Parks/Islands_of_Adventure/Attractions/attractions.aspx