Mary Quast's Blog, page 13

Quiet Morning

Sometimes you need to have a few moments of peace and tranquility. I often find such moments of calm on my porch in the morning.
I enjoy the twittering birds and the lush greens of summer. 
The best part is sharing this time with my sweet Flyboy. We may have a bit of quiet conversation or simply enjoy the refreshing time.

#RainyMorning

Enjoying my coffe on the porch with my girl. 

It's been several months since we brought her home and she's still learning about the world. Reyka is facinated with the morning birds and neighborhood traffic. The porch is a favorite place to be.
"Do you hear that, Mom? What is it?"

My Baby is 16

 

My youngest was born with a hole in his heart, a bowel obstruction and one kidney. He suffered a seizure at a year old that left him paralyzed for a few days. He didn't speak at all. 
Lucky for us a wonderful teacher noticed his intelligence and recommended he go into regular kindergarten. He worked with a speech therapist several days a week until 5th grade. 

Little Man thrived in school. Not only has he become athletic (plays football & baseball) he's been #1 academically in his class for Freshman and Sophomore years.

Today is his 16th birthday. 

I look at him and am amazed with how far he's come. Flyboy and I are super proud of him and thankful for all those who have helped our son over the years grow into the wonderful young man he's becoming.

#LifeIsGood

First time out this year! 
Time on the river.

New Yoga Partner

My new girl hasn't figured out her manners while I do yoga outside on the deck.
She thinks its play time.
Once she found a bone to chew on and claimed a corner of the mat, i managed to complete my routine.
My Word of Intention for the day is BEAUTIFUL. I will look for the beauty of the day and try to share it with others.
What is your intention for the day?
Flyboy says his is to get put in the boat and to get moving do we can go.

I Confess

Alison Luterman is a poet, essayist and playwright. Her books include The Largest Possible Life, See How We Almost Fly, and Desire Zoo.

#FetishFriday - Writing Handcuffs & Silk

Handcuffs & Silk started out as a sweet romance. A simple one night stand between a lady cop and a lawyer sounded easy but somewhere along the line the characters took over the story and sexed it up.  Bring out the leather and restraints...I was off to write about something I had no idea about.
So what did I do?
What any good author does... RESEARCH.  Here's where hubby has that Cheshire Cat grin.  No, really... I poured over books (fiction & non-fiction), interviewing various Doms and subs then let my imagination go.
According to Wikipedia: BDSM is a consensual lifestyle choice, or type of adult role-play between two or more individuals. The compound acronym, BDSM, is derived from the terms bondageand discipline (B&D), dominance and submission (D&S), and sadism and masochism (S&M). BDSM includes a wide spectrum of activities, forms of interpersonal relationships, and distinct subcultures.

I found the best help on the subject (other than personal interviews) turned out to be the online site Seekers.  This site states, "D/s is a lifestyle choice, Domination and submission, where people live their lives opting by nature to be either Dominant or submissive. In a relationship the one complements the other and is based on the gift of submission, and absolute trust."

I must say this sight was not only helpful with my work, but I thought the owners handled the subject in a fundamental and kindly manner.

Writing Handcuffs & Silk became a whole new experience for me and opened a door I always thought was best kept closed. Not only am I becoming a better writer because of my research but I've also developed a sincere respect for my new friends who delve into this world. Hubby and I won't be visiting a dungeon any time soon, but he certainly enjoys being my "research assistant."


Never be afraid to ask questions, the answers may amaze you.  

Tasty Tuesday - Mrs. C's Chocolate Chip Cookies

I looked forward to making cookies at my best friend's house. Her mom used Oleo. I loved the smell of it.  The recipe was an old family recipe. I think those are the best kind! Tried and true!

When Mom Carlyon passed away, she took the recipe with her. I've spent some time in the kitchen being a mad scientist to figure out the actual recipe. My family never once complained about being "forced" into taste testing.  My son's baseball team certainly didn't complain about getting the left overs.

Alas... I cracked the code. Mom was certainly with me as I made this last batch. Time to share. Can you smell them?
Ingredients

3 cup Unsifted all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon Baking soda

1 teaspoon Salt

1 cup Regular Crisco

3/4 cup Granulated sugar

3/4 cup Brown Sugar; firmly packed

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

2 large Eggs – room temp

1 cup Walnuts or pecans; chopped (I smash mine into a rough powder)

1-2 cups Chocolate chips

2 cups chopped Dates

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl; set aside.

Combine butter, sugars, and vanilla extract in a large bowl; beat until creamy.

Beat in eggs.

Gradually add flour mixture; blending well.

Stir in Nestle Semi-Sweet Real Chocolate Morsesl, dates and nuts.

Drop by rounded teaspoonsfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. I like to actually roll the dough into balls. I also used parchment paper lined cookie sheets. If the dough isn't firm, chill it in the fridge for a 30 min.

Bakes at 375 degrees F. for 8-10 minutes.

Cooking With Wine

Enjoying some vino while grilling the trout.
Fish caught in Lake Michigan.Wine: Michcato from St. Julian Wine Co

Seriously?

Nothing tops a bad day!
I ordered my favorite shoes in black. The day they were delivered had been a sucky day. With excitement I tore into the package.  Its shoes!
Only one shoe was in the box!
Are you kidding