Author: faithlifemusicmagazine

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Life O’Life (Holidays are Done)

The last of the holiday guests left this morning; now it’s time to take back the house. It is time to clean, plan, purge and organize, but first I will listen to the calm and quiet of the house. Sit in my comfortable chair in my bear feet and enjoy the fireplace my husband built for me for my Christmas gift and have a sip of alcohol-free champagne… a sip, a sip? Who am I kidding; I’m gonna drink the entire bottle!

Self-care

Cheers to self-care and to you.

Happy New Year!

from

Faith, Life and Music Magazine

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Holiday Entertaining (Drinks)

I’m not a fan of alcoholic drinks; for years my family members and girlfriends made fun of my drink selections. In the past, I served Welch’s Grape Juice and Sparkling Apple Ciders. Last year I discovered FRE it’s alcohol-removed wine. It’s made and bottled by Sutter Home Winery, Inc. in St. Helena, Napa County, California. 20181114_154243I found them in my local Jewel grocery store where they keep the regular wines. I still remember the look on their faces when they gathered around the table; there was awkward silence because of the bottles. They thought I had lost my mind, but when they read the bottles they knew they were in the right house. The wines are wonderful to drink and when cooking they come through exceptionally well.

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The wines go well with desserts. The Red Blend makes and awesome gravy; if you’re looking to up your gravy game this holiday; add a cup of Red Blend to your gravy. If you’re looking for something different and safe for everyone to drink this holiday give FRE wines a try; for more information visit http://www.frewines.com. #notsponsored.

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The Sparkling Brut is great when you want that Champagne taste, but not the aftermath. I hope you give them a try and let me know. Happy Friday Holiday entertaining! 
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Holiday Countdown Cooking with Oils

Since this is the first holiday meal. We tend to take special care to make sure it is well, special. Have you seen the prices of fancy oils? The prices are over the top the for sure. I make my own oils and I enjoy cooking with the oils. Below are my two favorite oil creations I use when I’m cooking for the big day. I hope you give them a try. Make sure to store the oils in the refrigerator and let me know.

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I like to use grapeseed oil as the base.
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I like using Basil and Dill Weed to make my oils
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Pour the dried herbs into your clean bottles. I bought these from Dollar Tree.
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Pour Grapeseed oil or any oil you prefer other than coconut it won’t work. Over the herbs.
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Finally seal the oil with the topper and place in the fridge.
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There you have it; homemade specialty oil for a fraction of the price. It should take about 5 minutes to prep. 

 

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Holiday Countdown (We Hungry)

The big day is getting closer and I need every bit of spare time to get things done. I don’t know about you, but I need them to feed themselves for the next few days. I don’t have the time nor energy to cook a meal every single day. This is what I did to encourage them to feed themselves. I made a pan of Italian beef and sausages; meatloaf and veggies and lunch meat sliders. When the meals were done; I put a note on each pan of food and continued on with my life.

Here’s an idea if you’re looking for something quick.

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Italian Beef and Sausages sandwiches

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Holiday Countdown Continues (What to wear?)

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Photo by Flo Dahm on Pexels.com

That’s another added stress during the holiday. People are probably calling the host asking about the attire. For us; the name of the attire this holiday is comfort! We are wearing sweat pants, sweat shirts and holiday socks. This should accomplish several things.

  1. You don’t have to worry about a fashion show or the notorious fashionista. When people are comfortable in their clothing it seems to take the edge off.
  2. The hosts can relax; the last thing I want to do after planning for a month, shopping for weeks and cooking for days is put on something uncomfortable. I want to relax; of course my hair is fixed and my makeup is done well, but that’s all I need for the holiday pictures.
  3. If you have a shoe-free home. Guests can and will get offended when asked to remove their shoes, but if they know in advance to wear their crazy holidays socks and show them off. Well then that’s a family fun game and your floors are protected.
  4. Buy spare crazy holiday socks from Sam’s Club, Walmart, Dollar Tree or any other store #notsponsored; I bought a pack for men and women for about $6.99 each USD from Sam’s Club.

That takes care of what to wear; coming up next post “We hungry.”

 

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Life O’Life (Holiday)

Vegetable StewTime is flying by faster as the holiday gets closer. If you are a caregiver; you may already feel as if you’re behind. I feel the same; since I will cook this year and continue to caregive for my mother and brother; balance is so important.

If you’re entertaining and are starting to get phone calls, texts or emails regarding different diets. There is still time to change the feast to a potluck. Have each person who may be on a special diet to bring a dish for themselves and enough to share. It will give them an opportunity to show off their cooking skills and share with the family why they chose the diet or if the diet chose them during the meal. Make a game of it by having note cards. That should free up your time in the kitchen and give you the opportunity to not only host, but be a guest at the gathering. After all “many hands make light work.” I used to hate when my mother would say that; now I understand.

You may not have time to put a soundtrack together and you’re not sure if you’re ready to let sonny boy or girl DJ the gathering. Try Napster or Pandora they have tons of songs that should get you through the feast. #not sponsored. It worked for us last year; hopefully, it will work for you and your family.

Have a good Wednesday my friend!

 

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Holiday Motivation Monday (Self Care)

IMG_20171208_071425The countdown continues! Today is the day to take care of yourself; especially if you work outside the home or a caregiver for your family member or members.  There are 17 days to go…speaking of going; go get a manicure there are some salons that have discounts for customers on Monday and Tuesday. You can ask if they give discounts; as the holiday gets closer more people will begin to fill the salons; who has a lot of time to wait? Personally, I’m not a fan of the No Chip Manicure, but I did discover that it really does work and lasts no matter how hard you work.

If you’re not into the salon manicure thing; I understand. Try setting aside some time for a good bath or hide at a friend’s house or library just for some quiet. You may feel slightly guilty for playing hooky, but you will feel better and less stressed.

My friend, please take the day to relax and take a few deep breaths. A decent sound track will be the topping on the cake.

FYI: music playing in my mind “As” by Stevie Wonder from Songs In The Key of Life album.

 

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Faithful Friday (Holiday Countdown)

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Fruit and cheese tray prep

Well, here we are; officially counting down the days until the all you can eat feast followed by all you can shop feast.

To be honest, this year; I’m kinda looking forward to cooking, but at the same time I know I have limitations and I have to smart and careful. Looking back to last year my family hated the catered meals. When I say they hated them…they hated the meals.

So, this year my husband and I discussed it and I will cook for the family. Here are a few things I will do to make sure I stay healthy and enjoy the process.

 

This Friday; I will:

  1. Budget, stick to it and not waver.
  2. Menu written and ready.
  3. Shopping for the turkey and ham to put in the freezer until; it’s time to cook.
  4. Cleaning the kitchen, fridge, stove, and deep freezer.
  5. Picking out my music! I’ve got to have a decent soundtrack when in the house and on the go.

More than anything; I must remember this is my gift to my family and that makes them and me happy.

Happy Faithful Friday my friend; I hope you find inspiration today.

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Music Monday (I Hear Music in the Air)

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That’s what the sound of music looks like live on the air.

I believe every job has its quirks; mine is no different. There are days when I walk away from the studio knowing that I did a good job and that I connected with our listeners. Then there are days when I leave the studio wondering what happened and always with a song stuck in my head; an occupational hazard.

A few years ago I was in an industry meeting in Chicago. The guest speaker was giving radio hosts a pep-talk because it can get a little draining sometimes. He said “Never bring your personal problems on the air; people don’t want to hear about your problems. They tune in to listen to the music to forget about their problems for a while. You are there to uplift your listeners not the other way around.”

I didn’t know how to take what he said; it was stern, but wise. You don’t want to put something “out there” that you can never take back; because it just may come back to bite you in the mic. That’s good advice.

I do like to feel a sense of kinship with our listeners. I want to know just by the sound of their voice who is calling. I want to know their names and ask about family members they have mentioned. Realistically, that’s not possible because a call has to last 30 seconds or fewer. That’s not a lot of time, so you have to make every second count. Listen attentively and then play the appropriate song just for that listener so it can touch his or her heart and let them know that they were heard. That’s music in the air.

FYI: the song that’s stuck in my head today on Music Monday: “Feel Good Music” by Da Chozen Brothaz.

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Faithful Friday (Did You Remember To…)

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Friday’s Rain on the Lake

This was a busy rainy Friday and I’m still working around the house. Have you ever had one of those days when the list never ends?

The day started off a little later than I planned; that set the motion for me talking to myself asking “did you remember to…” I made a decision that I wasn’t going to ask myself that question anymore today because it only lead me deeper down the rabbit hole. I honestly can’t count the number of times I was overwhelmed today, but I stayed positive.

The next decision I made was not to beat myself up because I couldn’t do everything today. The kryptonite for this Superwoman today was time and time won! However, I’m still going to count this day as a victory here’s why:

I did remember to spend time meditating (even though my day started late; I was not about to sacrifice meditating).

I did remember to take a shower (that’s important especially when going out in public).

I did remember to smile at random people in the stores.

I did remember to walk the dog and check on the critters.

I did remember to stay grateful even when I had to walk all over the hardware store to find something that (I felt) should have been in the front of the store.

I did remember to post because it brings me joy.

My list was unbelievable today; I didn’t get everything done, but that’s okay. I will remember to do it tomorrow.

Happy Faithful Friday my friend!