Monday Morning Motivation from the book of Matthew

"And be sure of this: I am with you always..."

It is a comfort to know that no matter what our day holds, the good, the bad and everything in between.  In fun, in joy, in pain, in confusion, in tears, and in laughter.  No matter what we encounter today and in everyday of our lives. it is a gift to know that God walks beside us.  I am truly thankful for his gift of love, mercy and grace in our lives.
Happy Monday Everyone!
Enjoy Your World:-)

Recipe Review..."Turkey Lasagna Rolls"

Here is a recipe I have made several times over the years.  When the kids were little they loved it and Joe and I have always enjoyed it too. Yummy "Turkey Lasagna Rolls".  I can't remember where I found this recipe but it is simple and tasty.  Great served with a salad and a fresh round of bread. I  gathered my ingredients......

Roll up station:-)

Here is the recipe....

Turkey Lasagna Rolls (12 servings)

*12 Lasagna noodles, uncooked

*1 pound ground turkey

*1 small onion finely chopped

*1 clove of garlic minced (I used garlic powder equivalent)

1 (28 oz) jar of spaghetti sauce (I always use a bit more)

1 (14 oz) jar of spaghetti sauce (I always use a bit more)

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1/2 tsp of salt

1 (15 oz) container of ricotta cheese

1 (12 oz) container of cottage cheese

1 cup (4 oz) of shredded mozzarella cheese

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese

1 tsp of dried Italian seasoning

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

Cook noodles according to package directions.  Drain, rinse with cold water and set aside. (I pat them dry with paper towels before I use them)

Cook turkey, onions, and garlic until turkey is browned, stirring until turkey is crumbled in a dutch oven or large pot.  Add spaghetti sauce, parsley and salt.  Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes. Spoon 1 cup of sauce mixture into a lightly greased 13 x 9 inch baking dish.  Set aside.

 Combine ricotta cheese and next 5 ingredients.  Spread evenly over each noodle. 

Roll up jellyroll fashion starting at narrow end.  Place seam side down in baking dish.  Pour remaining sauce mixture over rolls and sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the Parmesan cheese.  Cover tightly.

Bake covered at 375 degrees for 30 minutes

         Uncover and bake an additional 30 minutes or until heated through.

Happy Cooking and Eating Everyone!

I would have to give this a 9/10 on my cooking scale.

Enjoy Your World:-)

Monday Morning Motivation....

My good friend Melissa sent this to me a couple of weeks ago.  It brought a smile to my face and held some words of wisdom for us even though it is from a dogs point of view.....Brodie loved it:-)

Words of Wisdom From a Dogs Perspective.....

• When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
• Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure Ecstasy.
• Take naps.
• Stretch before rising.
• Run, romp, and play daily.
• Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
• On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
• On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
• When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
• Be loyal.
• Never pretend to be something you're not.
• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
• When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

It's all about not taking a single moment for granted.  Being thankful those in our lives, for our family, our friends, (for Brodie:-), and of course for God who loves us. 

Enjoy Your World Everyone!

Exploring Kathiey's Local World. "Apex Community Park"

I had yesterday off.  It was a brisk beautiful day so Bordie and I hopped in the SUV and headed to Apex Community Park in Apex NC.  This is probably my third visit to this park.  There are 2 entrances.  The way we enter you pass sports fields and tennis courts.  

We travel to the back parking lot and Brod and I get ready for our run.  What I like most about this park is that there is a paved trail that circles the lake.  It is a 2 mile loop.  Yesterday we ran (if you can call it that:-)  3 miles and then walked a mile.  I ran up on a man with a t-shirt that said "Walk, Jog, Run, or Waddle"  I thought that was cute.  In my life time I think I have done them all.  As long as we do our best, that is what matters.

I never feel isolated or fearful in this park.....not like my home trail where I am always on edge.  Here you will find folks with dogs, with strollers.  All age groups from young adults to elderly walking, jogging, running, and yes even waddling.  Very nice place to get out, exercise, and enjoy nature.  

I had planned on taking pictures yesterday.  I had my small camera.  Sadly I guess I was not in picture taking mode.  Last fall Brodie and I visited this park and took a few pictures so I will post those so you get a feel for our adventure......

"Come on Mom,
Lets Go!!"

Nice paved trail loops
around the lake.

Brodie thinking about life:-)

Another good day with my

wonderful dog Brodie:-)

Thanks to a fellow blogger and friend, Odie at The Simple Life for posting  on exploring with his dog Rocky.  He motivated me to do this post on exploring my world with Brodie.  Check out his site, you will love it.

Get out and explore and enjoy your world everyone:-)

Restaurant Review...."Skipper's Fish Fry and Market" Apex NC

Last Friday night Joe and I decided we wanted to go out to eat. We thought lets go dutch and spend $10 each.  Sounded like a doable plan but where could we go that had good food for very little money?  We consulted Urban Spoon.  We looked for the single $ sign that means "cheap eats".  We read the reviews on Skipper's Fish Fry and Market.  It had gotten many good comments so we decided to give it a shot.  Off to Apex we went....

The sign was inviting....

The entry was packed with people.  We saw a dinning room on the right and a long line of folks at the counter ordering.  So do we sit down first if we are eating in or do we order at the counter first?  We had no idea.  We asked someone who worked there and she seemed to snap "order at the counter".  So we joined the line. 

My combo platter. The hefty cardboard platter you see above held fried flounder,fried shrimp, fried hushpuppies, and french fries.  Do you see a trend here?
 I happen to like "fried":-)

The famous had model Joe, displaying his meal.

He loved the flounder.

Here is my fried shrimp.

It was pretty good.

The flounder was wonderful.

Flakey and delicious.

The famous hand model decided that he could not leave without trying the banana pudding.  Even though it took us over budget by $2.00 I said lets go for it.  You only live once. Joe went up and ordered came back to the table and we waited......

Finally it arrives......

It was very good.
We ate nearly every drop....

Nice mural....

I tried to get Joe to pose with the

fish, lower right, but he refused.

(Hand models these days....such prima donnas:-)

So all that said how would I rate this restaurant.  I guess I am torn.  I could go either way on the urban spoon rating of like or does not like.  I guess I would be in the "kinda likes" category.
In regard to the friendliness.  It was not that they were not friendly they were just too busy to take the time to see the people they were serving.  They were working very hard.
The food was good.  I really enjoyed the flounder and would go back just for that.
The price was great, we pretty much stayed in budget:-)
The atmosphere, well, I could hear music in the distance.  Something was playing but I can't be sure what it was.  The people in the dinning room were enjoying their food but very few folks were talking or smiling.  I guess the main focus was the food.
Would I go back?  Yes, but, I will need to go back to make a decision as to like or dislike.  I am still stuck at kinda like?
(By the way...the hand model loved it:-)
Get out and try a new restaurant.
Enjoy Your World:-)

Monday Morning Motivation "Happy Valentines Day"

Love

I think of have seen and experienced love in my lifetime.  The love of my parents.  The love of my husband and my children.  The love of my brother Bruce and my brother Dave.  The love of good friends.  

I have seen the love of strangers reaching out to help those they don't know.  I have heard the prayers of those praying for folks they have never met, these prayers said with deep love.  

I feel a deep love for my husband, my daughters, my son-in-law and for my brother Bruce.  I feel an extreme love for my new to be grandchild that will be here in Aug, what a blessing.  I feel a deep love for my friends.  

When I think back of visual examples of love they are endless.  One I will never forget. When I worked in the ER I was caring for an elderly dying woman.  She was trying to communicate but she was not physically able to speak.  She was so scared you could see and feel her fear.  Her husband stood by her not knowing how to help. He was scared too. This went on for hours. Then I watched as he lowered the side  rail of her stretcher, got onto the stretcher with her, laid close to her, spoke softly only words she and God could hear, and just held her.  Precious beautiful moment of love.  It still brings tears to my eyes.

Love can be seen in millions of ways.  A smile, a favor, a phone call,  a cooked meal, a hug, a prayer, a song, a gift....the list goes on and on.  I thank God for his love, his forgiveness and grace.  His love for us and in us is the greatest love of all.....Thank you God for loving us in all of our imperfections.... for loving us unconditionally.

"I pray that you ... may have power  to grasp how wide and long

and high and deep is the love of Christ" (Ephesians 3:17-19).

Happy Valentines Day Everyone!

Enjoy Your World:-)

Exploring Kathiey's Local World. "The Butterfly House"

Yesterday I had the opportunity to join my photography Meetup group for an outing to the Museum of Life and Science in downtown Durham.  Joe and I spent many days there with the kids when they were little.  Great place to learn and explore.
Yesterdays excursion had a focus.....butterflies.  They allowed our group to come an hour before the official opening so that we could go into the butterfly house and attempt to get some amazing shots.
I picked Melissa up at 8:30am and with our cameras in hand we headed to Magic Wings Tropical Butterfly Conservatory........

Melissa and I.
My hair was straight when we went in, just a bit of humidity and here come the curls:-)

We had a great time as usual with our photo group.  We have been on many local adventures with them. The group is called The Triangle Photography Club.  Great group.  I recommend them.  There are beginners like Melissa and I and there are folks with giant lenses and tripods, and things camera related that I have never heard of.  All are welcome and the photo experienced folks are always happy to give helpful hints and suggestions to those of us with lesser knowledge. Nice people!

I am happy with my pictures, but if you want to see some amazing pictures go to the photo club link just a few lines above.  If you are not a member you can still look at their photos, you just can't make comments.

Enjoy your world everyone and if you live near Raleigh and you like to take pictures join the Triangle Photography Club.. We would love to have you:-)