Author: jenobrown

And here we go — 2018 has arrived!

~ jenobrown ~ 2 Comments

Well….364 days later and I’m sharing with you only my second blog post – LOL! It’s been a busy year my friends…so welcome and Happy New Year 2018!

Do you ever wonder what your life would be like if the events that took place in the days and months leading up to the end of the year would have been just a little (or a lot) different? Do you dwell on what could have been versus embrace what IS and what will BE?  It’s so easy to do, trust me I KNOW.  Even when times are good, do you find yourself wanting more? And for the times that are less joyous, more stressful, more emotionally draining do you search for answers and ask, Why me? Why my family? Why now? Well, I know we have all been there and I gotta tell ya, I do all of the above way more often than I should. I try so hard to embrace the good and accept the not so good but so many times I find myself in an emotional rollercoaster, either selfishly expecting more of the good or feeling sorry for myself and wasting time dwelling on questions that simply don’t need to be answered [at the moment] during times of sorrow, stress or strain.  It’s not to say that when we are experiencing a not so good period in our lives or when the forward looking path isn’t inviting that we should just pick ourselves up, accept and move on….but rather differentiate the good from the bad in our situation and try to work on finding a way for all of our good to overpower all of our bad. Not an easy task my friends no matter how many times you stumble and fall or push-on to get to the other side, it’s always a challenge.   

I’m a true believer in the power of prayer and even through my toughest days I have always believed in HIM and trusted in HIM.  I feel like a broken record the past couple of years, because my family and I are going through that cycle of life that is, shall we say, not so much fun….aging parents, family funerals are out numbering weddings and baby showers, our kids are getting older and life in general just seems to be more complicated these days. But with all of the challenges and complications, one thing is consistent and certain and that is FAMILY (immediate, extended and friends who are considered family) and I feel extremely blessed to have an amazing family (you all – know who you are).  So, as I began to think about my focus for the coming year, I decided, I definitely need to continue to live-in-the-moment (my 2017 new year’s resolution) but I also need to express my gratitude for all that HE has given to me. Life moves at the speed of light and although I try to be present and feel the moments, I’m not so sure I’m always appreciative and making the most of those moments. So, in a purposeful order, my resolutions for 2018 are simply to:

  1. Be more grateful

  2. Embrace what is and accept what isn’t

  3. Reflect and tweak often

I’m excited to begin this new year and because of some unplanned circumstances that occurred in 2017, I know I will need to hold on tight and stay the course in order to get the most out of the coming year. I’m looking forward to seeing what 2018 has in store for me and my family, but more importantly I’m excited to resolute!

I promised in my first post that I would focus more on YOU instead of always talking about myself.  So, as I share some of my personal struggles and situations to kick-off the new year, I’d like to ask YOU to share your new year’s resolutions. Are you excited for the new beginning or sad that another year has passed? Do you have something exciting planned (e.g. special event, family vacation) for the new year or just enjoying life as it comes? Let’s get to know each other a little bit so we can help each other achieve our goals and practice our resolutions.

Cheers and hugs to all of you! 2018 will be your best year yet!

Jen

 

Salmon Caesar Salad (healthy version)

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Healthy eating starts NOW! After the holidays my body seems to naturally detox itself, as the cravings for rich, delicious food and sugary treats seem to subside and I start to crave the good stuff again.  So, as we all try to get back into the swing of things, I thought I would share one of my favorite healthy dishes and ask that you all share one of your favorite dishes too –  This will be fun!!

SALMON ‘CAESAR’ SALAD (healthy version of a fan favorite)

  • Cook Salmon to your liking (I usually get fresh salmon and add just a small pitch of salt and pepper, small dabble of grapeseed oil and clove of minced garlic, cook for about 20 minutes at 350 degrees (I like my salmon well-done)
  • Chop romaine lettuce and add a couple of chopped bell peppers (or cucumbers,  broccoli, any veggies you have on hand in the fridge for added nutrition).  You could also mix in some fresh spinach too that would be delicious
  • Add romaine and chopped veggies to a large salad bowl
  • Add in some nuts (sunflower, silvered almonds or pine nuts) or croutons
  • Add salad dressing (this is the best part), to make this salad healthier, forgo the creaming Caesar dressing and use a vinaigrette based dressing. My husband and I  have fallen in love with the Garlic Expressions classic vinaigrette salad dressing and marinade – it’s garlicy, but it’s the best!
  • Toss the salad,  add cooked Salmon to the top of a heaping helping of salad and enjoy!

For those that have kids, I usually cut enough veggies  so I can share them with the kids and either serve them raw or steamed.  Then, for my daughter, I usually cook up additional salmon, but for those kids that don’t like salmon, tuna sandwiches or fish sticks are good alternatives.  If your kiddos don’t like fish at all….well, then chicken nuggets or buttered noodles it is 🙂

Here is a picture of the salad dressing I mentioned above – it’s so YUMMY!!

IMG_3099

 

 

Happy New Year 2017!

~ jenobrown ~ 4 Comments

Welcome friends and Happy New Year! I hope your holidays were spent with those that you love and with making happy memories to cherish for a lifetime!  Welcome to my new blog, where I hope to share joy, laughter, fresh ideas and friendship with you.  Here is my very first post on my very first blog – enjoy!!

Happy New Year!!

I must say that 2017 has started off exactly how I love to begin new chapters, being surrounded by my family, wearing comfy clothes, eating delicious food, toasting to the new year and best of all listening to the laughter of the kids playing while the adults chuckle, sipping their beverages, reflecting on the past year and gearing up for what’s to come. But this New Year’s in particular, I recall having a few very special moments while sitting at my parent’s dining room table with just my siblings and I chatting about nothing too deep, just swapping stories, smiling, laughing and chilling, for me it was such a real and emotional moment. Some may think it’s a bit crazy, as my siblings and I already have a close bond and we all still live very close to each other, but this particular day was different. You see, like all families, with the good times, comes the not so good times, and the past two years especially, have been filled with many happy times, but also many challenging times for our families, as we have dealt with health challenges, health scares, unexpected deaths of close relatives, job changes, house moves and everyday marital and family situations, so to have a few moments with just my siblings on a happy celebratory day, sitting in the comfort of my parent’s home, chatting at the dining room table where we have shared so many memories, laughing and giggling instead of crying or discussing something serious was a very sincere and emotional few moments for me that I will cherish for the rest of my life. It made me realize how important these little moments are, how infrequent they are and how very special they are given the crazy busy, sometimes stressful schedules we manage in our daily everyday lives.

So, as I begin the New Year, and reflect on the past and plan for the future, I am challenging myself to live-in-the-moment! Those of you who know me well, know that I tend to do things a bit over the top sometimes (not all of the time, just sometimes) and that I love to capture the moments and memories on my camera! Well this past holiday season, I tried to chill a bit, and just literally enjoy the moment, spending more downtime and playtime with my daughter, using my time-off from work to chat over coffee with friends and family, making more time to enjoy the hometown (and NYC) holiday events rather than perfecting the decorations or Christmas morning activities and if a moment deemed worthy of a photo, I did my best to capture it on my camera, but I didn’t play “chase the memory” with my camera, rather I respected the time and the memories being made and made sure I captured all of the special moments in my heart and in my mind.

I’ve learned a valuable lesson this past year which is that God has a plan for all of US, but he needs US to step it up sometimes to ensure WE live out his plan to OUR fullest potential and that a plan is just a plan, how WE execute that plan is up to US, but HE is Always by OUR side. God has blessed me with the most amazing family, I’m beyond grateful for my beautiful and talented young daughter who is growing up so fast but who brings the true meaning of joy to my life each and every day, I’m grateful for my supportive and most-loving husband, for the best siblings a sister could ask for (and their spouses too) who have given me the most kind-hearted and loving nieces and nephews and for my most-amazing and selfless parents who have devoted their entire lives to making sure the lives of their children and the lives of their grandchildren are better than theirs, so there really isn’t much more a girl could ask for, but there is so much more that THIS girl can give.

So, one of my goals for this year is to live-in-the moment, which means, I will be working hard at laughing more than crying, praying more than worrying, socializing more than keeping to myself,  being more optimistic and less pessimistic, talking less and listening more, spending more quality time with those I love and less time planning the “perfect” get-togethers, capturing memories on camera but cherishing all of the moments in my heart and soul, giving more than receiving, working smarter not harder, loving more and hurting less. We’ve all heard it before, we’ve got one life to live, one chance to make it special (so no pressure, right?), but we also have so many gifts to give, some many giggles to share and so much unconditional love to spread, so it’s time to “stop sweating the small stuff” and live THIS life NOW, enjoying ALL of the moments, even if we are still “perfecting” some of the details.

Another goal of mine is the decision to start this new blog. This is something I have been wanting to do for some time now and I am thrilled that I’m finally actually doing it. It’s not perfected, but yep, you guessed it, I’m living-in-the-moment and sharing the “real me” with all of you! My hope for this blog is to bring some humor, some seriousness, some resources, some news, some recipes or creative ideas, but most of all to provide an “inspiring space” to build a network of new friends, stay connected with old friends and strengthen my relationship with God and those that I hold dear to my heart. I welcome you to the real me, and promise the future posts will be less about me and more about YOU, so I hope that you will visit often to swap a story, learn a new trick or become a new friend, because I’m ready to giggle more, guess often, perfect not much and live-in-the-moment.

Cheers and Hugs!

Chat soon,
Your friend, Jen