Wordless Wednesday -- date night

Eggland's Best Eggs - Delicious! (Sponsored Giveaway!)

I was offered the opportunity to host a brunch with Eggland's Eggs.  They sent me a gorgeous ceramic bowl, coupons for eggs, a cute cutting board and other goodies.

If you've been with me, you know the last 6 months have been long and stressful. Bo doesn't really like eggs, but when he's out of town, scrambled cheesy eggs is my go-to comfort meal for me and the kids.  It's a meal that I know will be met with agreement by all, and I know it fills their tummies. In fact, tonight was just such a night -- Bo out of town and we were feeling a bit out of sorts, so scrambled eggs with cinnamon sugar toast was dinner.  It was delicious!

I did remember the task given me, however, and last week we enjoyed a wonderful Sunday morning breakfast with french toast (made with Eggland eggs) and fresh berries.  And, later that day, I made this wonderful pineapple upside down cake (link to recipe)  In fact, there are a bunch of great recipes at the Eggland website.

One thing I learned at their website is that the polystyrene containers are recyclable, and have less environmental impact than the paper cartons!   I also like the fact that the feed they give chickens does not contain any animal byproducts,  hormones, antibiotics or other nasty stuff.

If you want to learn more about them, you can check them out in a variety of places:

• Eggland's Best Eggs website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Pinterest

I'm excited to tell you that they have a great gift pack for one of my readers!  

The gift pack includes a coupon for Eggland's Best Eggs, a ceramic bowl, a ceramic mug, a wooden cutting board, a whisk, a scraper and a reusable bag!  If you would like to enter the giveaway, please follow this link to my giveaway page and fill out the necessary information.  Entries in the comments will not count for the giveaway.  On the giveaway page, you will enter your name, email, name of giveaway and answer to mandatory question.  You will get an extra entry if you have liked my Facebook page.

Giveaway ends April 17, 2013!

Name of Giveaway: EGGS!
Mandatory Question: Which recipe from the Eggland site would you like to try?

Good Luck!!

*Disclosure: I was provided information and products from Eggland's Best Eggs to facilitate this post.  They also provided the gift pack to give away. This is a sponsored post.*

Tell Me Thursday - Dad

This is the last picture I took of my Dad.  We were sitting outside in the courtyard of the hospice, enjoying the sun and warm breezes. There were many birds in the courtyard, and we talked about how much noise they made.  We mostly sat there quietly.  My Dad was always a thoughtful man -- thinking about many different things and contemplating things and figuring things out. He was so very intelligent, and the liver disease stole away pieces of his brain.

Today marks a month since his passing.  I miss him so much, and know that I always will.

His memorial service was very special.  My mom & brother gathered things that meant a lot to him and had them displayed in the chapel.  They brought in a large print of a photograph he took, a gargoyle (which he collected), a Tardis (for his love of sci-fi), and other items.  I compiled a number of pictures that the funeral home made into a slide show that played on a screen throughout the service.

My brother started things off, then Colin played Largo from Dvorak's New World Symphony on his viola.  Then I spoke, and my Dad's only brother, then his cousin, and finally my mom.  Nate wrapped it up playing the same piece, but on his string bass.  My Dad loved music, and I know he would have loved knowing the boys played for him one more time.

My mom had asked for donations to the AZ Humane Society, but some people still sent flowers.  I think there were 3 arrangements with tropical birds of paradise -- and I don't think I ever want to see another one.

Each eulogy given was special in its own way. This is what I shared about my Dad:

I want to thank you all for coming today.  My dad was a special person, and will be missed.  As the original daughter, I was his favorite . . .  well, until my sister, Jane, was born anyway. And, then Matt came along. Truthfully, my dad didn’t play favorites, but instead loved his children for their uniqueness and their own gifts.

 There are so many memories of my Dad that I cherish – waking up before dawn when I was very small and seeing him come in from work when he was driving a truck for Mobil, road trips to visit places across the U.S.,him leaving small gifts for me when we worked in the same office, his solo visit to Arizona soon after we moved here.  I cherish these memories in my heart. 

People often ask me how I ended up working with computers. I always tell them that I have my father to thank for that.  In high school, I wanted to take jewelry making.  Instead, he insisted that I take a BASIC programming class.  In high school, I also took the secretarial track by following his advice, and that knowledge helped me feel comfortable with computers when they were just taking off, and also helped me find higher paying jobs as I went through school.  Today, I love teaching others how to use software and simple programming – all in thanks to that push from my Dad.  In fact, I am so used to training that at this point I feel like I should pause and ask for questions. 

My father was a man devoted to his family.  His family always came first, and there was no doubt that he put us before anything else.  He loved talking about his children and his grandchildren to anyone who would listen. Especially during these last years, I was able to be with him when he would regale nurses and aides with stories of how proud he was of us.

He was especially devoted to my mom. Their love for each other was obvious to anyone, and that love was strong and passionate.  For as long as I can remember, they were always by each others’ side.   He doted on her, and did his best to make her feel special and loved every day.

 My Dad loved to learn. He would read about anything – just to learn more about it. He was curious and interested in how things worked, and especially loved new technologies.  The books in our home covered every topic imaginable, and provided many hours of enjoyable reading during my childhood. One thing that I strive to instill in my own children is that life-long love of learning. 

My Dad also loved music.  His CD collection was eclectic and far reaching.  He especially enjoyed Irish and Indian flute music, but that by no means limited what he enjoyed listening to. Not many of you may know this, but among my Dad’s love of music – he loved funny Christmas music.  He had quite the collection of humorous Christmas songs that he loved to play during the holidays.    

I’m going to miss my father fiercely.  He was a loving, compassionate, respectful man. Even though we may not have always agreed, he respected my intelligence and my choices.  He never insulted me for making the choices I did.  I know he loved me, and I will hold that in my heart for the rest of my life.

Wordless Wednesday - Dad

Tell Me Thursday -- this boy

I don't have a favorite child, but when I'm sick -- this child is my favorite child.  He is the most caring, most empathetic, and most gentle person to have around when you're not feeling well.

I know -- what a surprise! -- but I was sick again this week.  This time, the entire family came down with a stomach bug.  Nate got it a day earlier than I did, so when I was feeling like a truck hit me, he was the one who made sure I had drinks and even made me Jell-O (and now you know another secret about me -- when I'm sick I crave Jell-O.  I also craved it throughout my pregnancy with him.)

He also quietly played with his sister and plugged in headphones to the television so the sound wouldn't disturb me.  None of which I asked him to do -- he just knew what to do.

This picture is of him visiting his grandfather in the hospice last month. He's also the only one in my family who really talks about his grief or asks about mine.  He's one special kid, and I am honored to be his mom.

Wordless Wednesday - this boy