Ace of Base is Stalking Me!!!

AAGGHHH!!!! Get it out of my head!!

We've all had times when we've had a song stuck on repeat in our minds for hours, days, weeks...

For almost two weeks now, Ace of Base's The Sign has been looping over and over again in my head. I've heard it three times now in less than two weeks. First, on the way to Walmart. A few days later it was on the way home from Walmart. Just about an hour ago, a car drove by and had it blaring. This song came out in 1993 when I was a freshman in high school--why is it still around??

Relationships can be that way too. There are a couple people in my life that just seem to keep popping up--even though our lives have taken different directions. One specific example comes to mind: my cousin Amber. Our lives have just seemed to parallel one another, even though there's nothing we consciously did to make this happen.

We first met at church in 1993 (there's that "magical" year again!) when my Dad was dating her aunt Theresa. After they were married, Amber and I began spending a lot of time together and soon became best friends. The funny thing about Amber and I was that, though we weren't cousins in the DNA sense, we looked so much alike that people assumed we were actually sisters. Neither of us really look like anyone else in our families. (I would like to add that I think it is very unfair that she got to stay cute and slender after having children while I got to blow up like a walrus).

Since I was a year ahead of her in school, we did start to drift apart after I graduated and got married. Soon though, she was married too and we both began to start our families. By this time, we hardly saw each other at all and had different circles of friends and activities. Still, we somehow managed to time 5 pregnancies within weeks of each other, give some of our children similar names, and end up moving away from our hometown to the same new town an hour and a half away. In addition to that, we ended up at the same church and she got a job working for the same company as my husband, in the same department as my step-dad. There are many more memories and "little things" that remind us of each other---(in fact Amber, you're even part of my Ace of Base memories...remember Jayme and her CD collection? :)

I've jokingly said things like, "jeez, why can't I get rid of her?" (Just in case you read this, Amber, I wish we still lived close and I miss you!!! :) But seriously, what's up?

Do you have people like that in your life too? How about a certain painting that you see often in different settings and has special meaning to you? A scripture verse? For a long time, I'd see Jeremiah 29:11 ("For I know the plans I have for you....") EVERYWHERE! Guess God knew I needed to get that in my head!

I'm at the point now where I can see that God just might be doing something here. I think some relationships are woven together with our own lives on purpose. It will be interesting someday to sit on a porch swing with elderly Amber and look back at all the times God brought us back around to each other. I wonder if we'll be able to see his plan then?

I just hope that, in the meantime, he'll change the CD for me!

I Did It! Blue Monday

GIVEAWAY: I'm hosting a giveaway in honor of my new Wednesday linking party. Click HERE for up to 5 chances to win!


It's Blue Monday today at Smiling Sally's! When you're finished reading my good news, head over there for more blue-themed posts!

Two Blue Mondays ago, I challenged myself to get back into a skirt that I love but haven't been able to wear. I told you all that I'd update today...and yes, I did it! You can read the original post here.

In all, I've lost 8 pounds since that post! You'll be asking how I did it. Well, I did it the best way possible. I ate about 70% fresh fruits and vegetables each day and drank lots of water. The other 30% of my diet was made up of whole grain pancakes and sugar free syrup for some breakfasts and grilled chicken to go with some dinners. Yes, I snacked now and then and yes, there were a couple mornings when I had gained. However, it all evened out in the end and I'm feeling pretty great about that!

Here's the picture I promised. My husband took this this morning before we left for church.

Happy Blue Monday, everyone!

How to Freeze Basil: Easy Tutorial

                         
I adore basil. It is my most favorite herb! In fact, I love it so much that the name Basil has been on my "names for little boys" list since 1999!

I just finished putting some freshly picked basil away in my freezer and thought my readers would enjoy an easy tutorial!

It's only recently that I've begun to use fresh basil and while the dried-in-a-jar variety is fragrant and delicious, it doesn't hold a candle to my homegrown!

You will know that your basil is at it's best "picking state" when it gets buds on it and begins to flower. 

 Clip as much off as you want but leave a few leaves to soak up the rays for more plant growth! Something to keep in mind with basil: the more you clip, the more you get as basil grows back two new stems for every one that is clipped!

Pick off the big leaves and carefully wash each one. Be aware that little bugs like to hide in the shady places under the dark basil leaves. Wash both sides and run your fingers along to wipe off any dirt or....baby snails!

Take a moment to look for any that might be trying to get away!!

When you've washed all the leaves, place them in a colander and shake or use a salad spinner if you have one.

Then lay them out in a single layer on paper towels or napkins and pat dry--soaking up as much water as possible.

Next, place the leaves in a food processor, if available, and pulse until they're the size you prefer. I don't have a food processor so I used my Pampered Chef Food Chopper.

You'll want to add a little bit of olive oil to the basil to keep it from turning black in the freezer. (It doesn't affect the taste...just the appearance) If you are using a food processor, you can add it in as you're chopping the basil. I just poured some in the bowl when I was done chopping with my food chopper and mixed it up with a spatula. The amount you'll need will vary depending on what you plan to do with your basil, but I just used enough to cover each piece.

Finally, you'll want to decide how you're going to divide it up to freeze. It is wise to freeze each recipe size separately. I divided mine up to have a couple good spoonfulls in each container. I plan to put it in pasta sauce and my pasta sauce must feed a family of 9!

You can freeze your basil in small containers, if you have them. I used these two:

Notice they're not fancy! I got one at the Dollar Store for my daughter's baby food and the other is a little Rubbermaid-type lunch box one. You just need something that will be airtight to avoid freezer burn. If I didn't have these two containers, I would have used sandwich bags and then just placed all the bags into one large freezer bag.

**Update: Several readers have mentioned another great freezing method. You can also measure your basil out into ice cube trays and freeze it that way. Then, once it's frozen, pop all the little cubes into a freezer bag to be taken out individually for soup, sauce and more! I will be designating a tray specifically for this as I imagine the tray would eventually take on the wonderful aroma and color of basil! (Though that little taste of basil in lemonade or iced tea might not be too bad??)

Herbs will keep for many years but you'll get your best flavor if you use your basil within the year. Here are a few facts about basil:

**Basil comes from the Greek language and means "king". Basil has been called the "King of the Herbs"

**Basil is highly poisonous to mosquitoes, (Yay!) but safe for rats (bummer!)

**Basil is thought to be a great treatment for arthritis and has antioxidant and anticancer properties.

**Basil will affect the taste of tomatoes if planted too close together. This could be a good or bad thing--depending on what you're doing with your tomatoes!