*Life is in the journey!* ~ Origins

♥

Life's Inspirational Valiant Endeavors

~ Origins ~

“What are YOUR origins?”

Hi and Howdy! 

I'd like to say, Thank YOU!, to DL Hammons (Cruising Altitude 2.0), Katie Mills (Creepy Query Girl), Alex J. Cavanaugh and Matthew MacNish (The Quintessentially Questionable Query Experiment) for hosting the ORIGINS blogfest today!

 *Tell us all where your writing dreams began. 

It all started somewhere and we want you to tell us your own, unique, beginnings.*

Life is in the journey!

To LIVE with eyes wide open, 

inspiring ourselves and others, 

finding the courage to do so, 

as we strive toward a greater purpose...

This is my journey!

The first time I heard the question, “So I hear you’re writing a novel,” I wanted to crawl into a hole where I would, first, be free to contemplate the imminent tongue-lashing (followed by much kissing, of course) of he who must be named – my cheer-leading husband – for ever having mentioned IT to anyone *not on the list*... and second, a place of solitude where I could count the multitude of foolish, foolish dreams which had led me, oh so willingly, into this predicament.

For the record, those few brave souls *on the list* were to be read the following disclaimer upon their induction into this writer's (yes, that just happened) circle of trust: “I, (that's me) being of questionable mind and weakened spirit, do hereby admit to writing something, resembling but not limited to anything, of which will be referred to from here out simply as, a book, and of which, I do not expect (lie) to actually be considered (lie, lie) by any reputable agent (liar, liar pants on fire), because I know in my heart that, even though I am a wonderfully nice person (three weeks out of every lunar cycle), everyone knows (I want names) that publishing is likened to winning the lottery (I want names and I want my happy place back)!”

My love for writing began the moment I broke in the binding of my first paperback romance, at the tender age of thirteen. A whole new world opened up to me, teeming with Love, Loss and Lust. I remember the look on my mother’s face as she passed by my bedroom where I sat, huddled, with my head buried between the pages. It was that same look I gave my daughter when she first discovered Stephanie Meyer’s, “Twilight”. I was instantly hooked on the language of storytelling. Words were my new love, and to quote Edward Cullen, “… like my own personal brand of heroin.”

Raging hormones aside, publication or even the light of day eluded my characters once real life happened.  Stacks of writing journals, ripe with cliche characters and weak plot outlines, sat idle and stuffed into bottom drawers throughout my roaring twenties (which were rather dull actually, unless wandering from state to state in search of myself is considered roar-worthy). My characters, my make-believe, turned out young women, lost like me, but who had found the courage to fight for their truth and their voice. Women stronger than me. Women defined more by the fight within than their insecurities. 

By the time I hit my thirties, I had fallen willingly into the life of a devoted, though painfully lost, mother to three little monsters and, as such, had neither the time nor the energy to pursue what was still my dream ~ to write stories. 

My writing journey, my origins, are what’s given me my education. For that, I am grateful. And though I dreamt (yep, still do) of being whisked away to the land of publishing by a fairy godmother (a reputable agent) ~ because I'm just that good ~ it is simply telling a good story that drives me to spending hours, days... nay, a LIFETIME of pulling at my hair and holding my breath, as I hover over my keyboard in light and in darkness. Stepping outside of myself to captivate an audience, attempting to master the English language (Ha!) in the details... There is the true magic. And if it just so happens to irrevocably change the course of another human being's existence, then win-win.

As much as I have struggled over the years with the fear that I am not good enough to call myself ~ A Writer ~ I think I have finally accepted the truth of my calling. It matters little, really, that I keep up with the big boys and girls. Winning the trophy is oh, so nice, I won't lie, but the path, in which I continue to discover more about myself in search of that road less traveled, is truly the reward in itself. It's in the journey that we discover who we are and who we want to be. Not the destination.

Happiness, contentment, and fulfillment 

are found in the enthusiasm we carry for Life.
Here and Now. 

To write, is to dream.

To dream, is to let in hope...

opening up your world and the world of others 
to infinite possibility.

It is in our lifelong search to achieve,

Life’s Inspirational Valiant Endeavors, 
that we are most alive.

And there is nothing greater in this world 
than finding You Are Not Alone, 
within the pages of a good story.

*Life is in the journey!* is a weekly series here on Scarlett’s Tattoo.

Please DO join in the conversation!

Every voice matters.

“The best way out is always through.”

~ Robert Frost

*I Cook Barefooted!* ~ Pasta Con Broccoli

Barefoot Love!

 I love pasta!

 Noodles and sauce are my go-to comfort food,

all warm and garlicky and generously sprinkled with cheesy goodness!

I particularly love it served up in a wide, flat-rimmed bowl

with a nice crispy-on-the-outside, warm-and-soft-on-the-inside

  hunk of french bread and real butter on the side.

A glass of Merlot,

good company

and I'm feelin' right as rain!

Ahh, Pasta!

Spinach Lasagna,
Spaghetti and meatballs,
and my kids' favorite, Macaroni n' Cheese
have always been staples on our supper table.
Filling, affordable and healthy in moderation,
they are a mother's dream!

I'm not gonna lie.
Pleasing my family at the supper table
is among some of my more sought after goals in life. 
It is also, ironically, a look into my ever-growing madness. 


I fantasize often,
while hovering over a rainbow of color in the produce section, 
of strolling through a comfortably busy, preferably European outdoor market 
(Italy would be nice)
with my ECO-friendly shopping tote on one arm
and the hand of a small child clinging to the other, 
smiling and sharing giggles and kisses,
(picture slow motion action here ~ a gentle breeze in my hair)
as we lovingly fondle
the perfect ingredients for our family's evening meal!

Reality, sadly, often rears its ugly head here, 
leaping frantically
to some poor woman and her screaming toddler four aisles over! 
(PS: Been there. You have my pity.)
(PPS: "Never give in ~ never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty, 
never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense. 
Never yield to force; never yield to the  apparently overwhelming might of the enemy 
*ahem... precious child*.")

   ~Winston Churchill

 My lovely daydream has now morphed into, something along the lines of, 
Me ~ *Lost* in Italy,
just like Elizabeth Gilbert in, "Eat, Pray, Love" ~
only... happily married,
and *not* so miserable 
that I resort to sleeping on my bathroom floor, 
and living my day to days, unhappy and unsatisfied with my life.
Really ~  just the Eat, Pray and Love parts.
***

Ciao! Amico!

*Hey, Friend!*

Buongiorno! 

*Good Morning!*

Come stai?

 *How are you?*

Bene, grazie!

*I'm fine, thanks!*

 Potresti aiutarmi?

 *Can you help me?*

Sono Affamato!

*I'm hungry.*

Sei molto gentile!

 *You're very kind!*

Io amo la Pasta!

 *I love Pasta!*

*** 
 What can I say ~ It's my dream.
Pasta, just has a way of making you feel like all is right with the world. 
Isn't it lovely!



 ❤
 Happy Anniversary, Babe!
Here's a toast to Nineteen years of Bliss and Broccoli!

☮

Pasta con Broccoli

 1 lb. Frozen Broccoli
1lb. Medium-sized "Seashell" Pasta Shells

1 qt. Half n' Half

1 pt. Meatless Ragu Pasta Sauce

3/4 Stick Butter

1/4 lb. Parmesan Cheese, shredded

1 small package Mushrooms, sliced

Garlic Salt, to taste (OR  2 Tbsp. Minced Garlic)

Crushed Red Pepper, to taste

Add pasta to rapidly boiling water and cook till done.

Combine rest of ingredients on list, (except Parmesan) into a large pot.

Cook slowly on medium heat until broccoli thaws. 

Drain pasta, and add to large pot.

Remove from heat; add Parmesan cheese and stir. 

Buon gusto!

*Enjoy!*

You want reviews?
    How 'bout, 
    "BRAVISSIMO!" ヅ

 How 'bout You?
Have a recipe you want to share on 
*I Cook Barefooted!*?
Show some Barefoot Love and...

Send it here:  scarlettcolleen@yahoo.com 
Want to include a photo? Fun!

What's on your table?

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions.

All life is an experiment.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 *Barefoot Love*Airbrush By, Colleen 
2012

*Life is in the journey!* ~ Touched By Love

♥

Life's Inspirational Valiant Endeavors

~ Touched By Love ~

“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return.”

~ A poet, "Moulin Rouge"

I was touched by love the first time my mother kissed her lips to my little fingers and toes. It was, indeed, love at first sight. And so the story goes, I spent the next thirty-something years of my life trying to recreate that once-in-a-lifetime, unconditional they say, instinctual perhaps, but nevertheless, magic of love.

I caught glimpses of it in my father’s eyes when he grinned at me, as I watched an ant climb up a mountain. I grew closer still when my little brother wrapped me in his arms and hugged me tight, after life had gotten a hold of us. Even as the love of my life, “my density”, pledges his heart to me after nineteen years of marriage (twenty-seven if we’re counting an incredibly long courtship), I am reminded that true love is in action. I know what it is to have come so close, the moment I, myself, kissed three sets of fingers and toes, renewing the cycle of life and a mother’s love.

I know what it is to love and to be loved.

I had simply forgotten, to love *me* along the way.

We spend a lifetime searching for love in all the wrong places, wonderful as some of them may be, short-lived as some of them most thankfully are ~ all our efforts in vain, seeking that which we have denied ourselves, only to realize that the love we’ve searched for in others, was to be found, not in them, but in us. 

I asked myself some time ago, when life had slowed just long enough for me catch my breath ~ What was it I was so afraid of, that I would avoid intimacy with those I was closest to, avoid asking for what I need, avoid looking into my own eyes, my own heart, for those answers I sought in others. I found my answers, my truths, only when I began to let go of my fear.

Touched by love, we create fear, so as never to breathe, to live, to exist in its absence. Where love is courageous and not easily explained, fear is primal and instantly acknowledged, settling into our very bones.

It is the human condition that we often times confuse love with fear. Our fear of change stunts our growth. Our fear of intimacy and success stifles our creativity. Our fear of sadness and the loss of our voice, breeds more fear. But it is our fear of letting go, by our own design, which keeps us always coming back for more. Love hurts, we are told. And, it must follow, as the night the day, so it must be love.

Love is the antithesis of fear.

Love is…

Freedom,

Strength,

and

Honor

Courage,

Passion,

and

Peace

Wisdom,

Beauty,

and

Healing

Patience,

Hope,

Faith,

and

Truth!

Love is…

Courage, in the presence of Chaos.

~ Love, is Love, is Love! ~

  This Valentine's Day

Share the Love My Friends!

This I Believe: On Love

“The best way out is always through.”

~ Robert Frost

*I Cook Barefooted!* ~The One, The Only, The Great Cincinnati Chili Recipe!

Barefoot Love!

Born in Cincinnati, Ohio, 

 the youngest of eight children, 

my husband, Rick,

learned quickly never to be late to the supper table! 

SPAM loaf was a family favorite... go figure.

Ham soup, which just happened to be the color of peas,

(little Ricky didn't like peas, hence the name)

was also a traditional dish served up to the troops,
... as well as,  homemade pretzels,

 a yummy, albeit odd-tasting oatmeal breakfast sausage, 
called Goetta,
and occasionally, to our (we in-laws included) dismay 
Green eggs and ham!

All of them, loved family traditions.

But it is his strange addiction, 
dare I say love affair with,

Cincinnati's Skyline Chili 
that still earns him bragging rights!

Cincinnati may be better known for

Pete Rose and 'The Big Red Machine',

Pigs that fly 

and maybe even this song...

"Oh, I went to Cincinnati and I walked around the block,

and I walked right in to a bakery shop,

and I pulled two donuts out of the grease,

and I handed the lady a five cent piece.

She looked at the nickel,

she looked at me,

she said, 'This nickel's no good 'ya see,

it's got a hole in the middle

and it's all the way through.'

Said, I to the lady,

'Oh, your donuts do too!'

but it's because of this thin, bean-less, noodle-less chili

with hints of chocolate and cinnamon

that Cincinnati will forever live in his heart...

and possibly his lower intestine.

***

☮

The One, The Only 

The Great Cincinnati Chili Recipe!

2 Tbsp. oil

2 1/2 lbs. Ground beef

1 quart Cold water

1 can Tomato Paste

2 large onion, diced

1 1/2 Tbsp. Cider vinegar

1 tsp. Worcestershire

1 clove Garlic, crushed

2 Tbsp. Chili powder

5 Bay leaves

2 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Allspice

2 tsp. Cayenne pepper

1 1/2 Tbsp. Cocoa or 1 oz. semisweet chocolate

Salt & Pepper to taste

*on the side*
Hot dogs, buns, spaghetti, onions, red beans and CHEESE!

Heat oil in a very large pot. 

Add beef and cook till browned.

Add onions and water; boil.

Reduce to a simmer.

Add tomato paste and all other ingredients.

Simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Salt and Pepper to taste.

Remove bay leaves.
 (Serves 6 to 8)

"How do 'ya want it?"

1.Cheese Coney, Hot dog w/mustard, chili, onion and cheese

2. Regular Coney, Hot dog w/all of the above, minus the cheese

3. Three-way, Spaghetti, chili and cheese

4. Four-way, 3-way w/onions and red beans

5. Five-way ~ Gluttony ensues!

6. Spaghetti chili, w/onions, cheese and beans

... If 'ya like it that way!

You want reviews?

    How 'bout,

" Thanks, Honey! You're the best!"  ヅ

How 'bout You?
Have a recipe you want to share on 
*I Cook Barefooted!*?
Show some Barefoot Love and...

Send it here:  scarlettcolleen@yahoo.com 
Want to include a photo? Fun!

What's on your table?

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions.

All life is an experiment.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 *Barefoot Love*Airbrush By, Colleen 

2012

*Life is in the journey!* ~ If I Were Brave

♥

  Life's Inspirational Valiant Endeavors

~ If I Were Brave ~

I was brave once.

I spoke my mind,

stood up to bullies

and loved with all my heart.

I was brave once.

I lost those dear,

but kept them close.

I was brave once.

I asked, “How are you?”

and then

waited for an answer.

I was brave once.

I stood up and said,

“I do dare. I do.”

I was brave once.

I believed in truth,

I believed in hope,

I believed in integrity.

I chose ‘right’ over ‘easy’.

I was brave once.

I believed…

in the power of my voice,

the power of my words,

and the power of choice.

I was brave once.

I claimed responsibility,

and opened my heart to forgiveness.

If I were brave,

I would do it all over again...

in a heartbeat.

If I were brave.

***

“It takes courage to grow up

and become who you really are.”

~ e. e. cummings

 Courage is not the absence of fear.

It is action in its presence.

  Be Brave My Friends!

"The best way out is always through."

~ Robert Frost

*I Cook Barefooted!* ~ Key Lime Pie

Barefoot Love!

We moved a lot when I was little.


"Our battered suitcases
were piled on the sidewalk again;
we had longer ways to go.
But no matter,
the road is life."
~ Jack Kerouac

California 
introduced us to
Giant Redwoods, the West Coast,

and Disneyland.

I was an infant;

Breast was the meal du jour!

Alaska 
introduced us to 
a very… long… car ride,

and bean sandwiches.

We were poor. 

We had love and beans.

Florida 
introduced us to
the East Coast...

 The Florida Keys ~ That's me there; the little smiling face in the two piece!

the Sun, the Sand, and the Wind in our hair...

and it began my love affair
with my Be-lov-ed

Key Lime Pie!


"Adventure is a path.
Real adventure ~ self-determined, self-motivated,
often risky...
forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world.
The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it.
Your body will collide with the earth
and you will bear witness.
In this way you will be compelled
to grapple with the limitless kindness
and bottomless cruelty of humankind...
and perhaps realize that you yourself
are capable of both.
This will change you.
Nothing will ever again 
be black-and-white."
~ Mark Jenkins

In 1972,

my mom clipped a recipe from the Tampa Times.

She selected true key limes,

as the ingredient list suggested,

on a drive down to the Florida Keys.

Key limes are yellow, when ripe,

and smaller than the limes

found in these parts.

They’re tart and bitter and delicious!

The following November

we introduced 
Our Kentucky Family 
to a

Thanksgiving mouth explosion!

We've been hooked since!

There are few culinary pleasures that actually

tug on my heartstrings.

I do love me a Krispy Kreme glazed doughnut!

And, I am a sucker for a bowl of warm pasta and bread.

But it is that last Thursday in November,

every year since I was four,

that my mouth, literally, becomes a pie hole.

 “Really, it’s green?”

Yes, it is my friends!

Yes, it is.

☮

Key Lime Pie

For Pie:

1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk

4 Egg yolks (Save the whites for Meringue!)

¼ cup Lime juice,
(Key limes preferably, but bottled lime juice will suffice!)

3 to 4 drops of Green food coloring
*Presentation folks. It's all in the presentation.*

1 Graham cracker crust

For Meringue:

4 Egg whites

1 tsp. Cream of tartar

3 Tbsp. Sugar

Beat egg yolks until light yellow.

Add sweetened condensed milk and lime juice.

Mix in drops of green, and Voila!

Pour into graham crust.

Beat all ingredients for the meringue in mixer

until stiff and peaks form.

~If you’re looking to combine dessert with your workout:

Whisk in a glass bowl and count after me…

One, Two, Ten-thousand! ~

Pile immediately on top of pie in pretty dips and waves.

Bake at 350 degrees until tips of meringue are lightly browned.

You want reviews?

    How 'bout, 

"Green is my new favorite color!"  ヅ

     

How 'bout You?
Have a recipe you want to share on 
*I Cook Barefooted!*?
Show some Barefoot Love and...
Send it here:  scarlettcolleen@yahoo.com 
Want to include a photo? Fun!

What's on your table?


 

“Do not be too timid and squeamish about your actions.

All life is an experiment.”

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 *Barefoot Love*Airbrush By, Colleen 
2012