Flashcards with Liam :)

Just wanted to share the awesomeness that is Liam.  In these videos you can hear his cute little voice going through flashcards and making various animal noises.  Man am I lucky to be his mom :)  I hope to always continue to teach him new and positive things.  He absolutely loves to sing his own version of the ABCs and thrills at learning new words and colors and sounds!  I just love his little mannerisms and how he needs things to be a certain way, just like mommy.  :)  Share in the joy that is my little man :)

Opposites according to Liam

A glass being full or empty according to Liam.

Let me start by showing a picture of part of one of Liam's (my 2 and a half year old son for those of you who don't know) books that prompted this blog thought:

 

 As you can see on this page it is showing opposite of a glass full and empty and a girl being happy and sad.  I have always laughed at Liam when he reads this page because to him the glass is "drink" and "need more drink."  As he is learning more about emotions he is able to point them out in people around us.  So as he used to say that this girl was crying, this evening he said "happy" and "sad need more drink."  

Now you could go in many different directions with this.  Initially I thought about a glass being "half empty" or "half full" and how a child doesn't even see it that way at all.  My son views this glass as either having something that he wants in it, or needing to have something that he wants in it refilled.  Or "more drink."  If only the rest of us thought this way as this doesn't really have to be a glass "half empty" but just an opportunity to add more "drink" to it. 

You could also take this as my son is a future alcoholic haha.  He either has drink or needs more drink and you are sad when you need more drink haha.  I didn't really think about it that way until I was writing this blog and it popped into my head haha. 

Ultimately if we are only viewing something by what it needs (ie the solution) and the way that we can feel if we get it, than we are able to more easily overcome obstacles instead of just seeing emptiness.  Defining that emptiness and the "drink" that it needs more of can simplify our problems and make life run a lot more smoothly.   I don't know maybe I am just reaching here, but it makes sense in my head haha.  I would love to hear your take on it. 

Raspberry Balsamic Glazed Chicken

Raspberry Balsamic Glazed Chicken

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Butter

4 boneless skinless Chicken breasts

Salt & Pepper (I use Alpine Touch)

Oregano

Tarragon

1 Large Red Pepper sliced

1/2 Cup Vinegar (Balsamic is what is called for but I used White Wine Vinegar to make it sweeter)

1/3 Cup Chicken Stock

1/2 Cup Fresh Raspberries (You can substitute thawed frozen berries)

Thyme

Directions:

Melt the Butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Season the Chicken with the Salt & Pepper, Oregano & Tarragon.  Add the chicken to the skillet and cook until browned on both sides 5-8 minutes depending on the size of the chicken breasts.  Transfer to a plate (store in microwave to keep warm).  

Add the red pepper slices to the skillet and reduce heat to medium, cook until softened about 5 minutes.  Add the Vinegar and raise the heat, cook for about 3 minutes to reduce the vinegar to a syrupy state.  Whisk in the chicken stock and cook for another 1-3 minutes.  

Return the chicken breasts to the skillet and spoon the sauce and peppers over them.  Simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add the raspberries and thyme, swirl around to coat the raspberries.  Serve the chicken slices with sauce and raspberries on top of it.  Enjoy!

Brown the chicken on both sides

Add the red peppers to the skillet

Pour the vinegar into the skillet

Return the chicken back to the skillet

Add the raspberries & Thyme to the skillet

Beef Stroganoff with Loaded Mashed Red Potatoes

This evening I created a beef stroganoff dish with a side of loaded mashed red potatoes.  I normally start out with a recipe for inspiration and then go from there.  This is my step by step version exactly as I made it.  Turned out quite delicious. 

Recipe for the Beef Stroganoff

Ingredients:

1 package Stew Meat

3 oz butter

8 oz egg noodles (wide works best)

2-4 tsp Salt & pepper (can substitute Alpine Touch)

2 tsp Mediterranean Oregano (reg can be used but I prefer the taste of Mediterranean)

8 oz pack of Mushrooms tops diced (whichever you prefer I used Monterey for this recipe)

½ Zucchini peeled and diced

8 oz package of cream cheese

½ cup Orange Liquor (I used Gran Gala)

1 Cup Sour Cream

1 tsp Parsley

Directions:

Melt 2 oz of butter in heavy bottom skillet.  Add stew meat, 2 tsp Salt& Pepper,  & 2 tsp Oregano and brown the meat, this should take about 6-8 minutes total.  While stew meat is being browned boil water in a separate pan for the noodles.  Add noodles and boil until al dente.  Drain and set aside the noodles once complete.  Once browned remove the steak from the pan (I store in the microwave to keep warm).  Don’t clean out the pan to ensure maximum flavor.  Add the final oz of butter to the pan and add the diced mushrooms & zucchinis cook until softened about 2-3 minutes.  Once softened add the cream cheese and the orange liquor, simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add the sour cream and the remaining Alpine Touch as well as the Parsley and simmer for about minute or two to mix.  Add the steak back into the sauce and stir until thoroughly mixed and warmed.  Serve by pouring sauce over the noodles when ready to eat.  Enjoy!

Recipe for Loaded Mashed Red Potatoes

Ingredients:

5-6 red potatoes

1 Cup 2% Milk or Half & half

1-2 oz butter

2TBsp Sour Cream

1-2 cloves garlic chopped

2 green onion stalks chopped

¾ cup shredded cheese ( I used colby jack)

2 tsp Salt & Pepper ( I use Alpine Touch)

2 tsp Basil (I use Mediterranean)

Directions:

Quarter the red potatoes, I leave the skin on for added flavor.  Put into a pan and almost cover with water.  Boil until potatoes begin to soften (you should be able to mash them easily with a cooking spoon).  Empty any excess water.  Turn the heat to Low.  Add the milk and butter.  If you do not want lumps in your potatoes now would be the best time to use the whisk to eliminate any lumps in the potatoes.  Add the remaining ingredients mix and turn to Simmer until the cheese is thoroughly melted.  The potatoes should not be ready to eat.  You can add a dash of Basil on top when served to taste.   

 *Pictures are in chronological order

Brown the stew meat & boil the potatoes

Soften mushrooms, continue boiling potatoes

Soften mushrooms & zucchinis, continue boiling potatoes

Add cream cheese & orange liquor to the sauce, potatoes should be softened from boiling

Add sour cream to the sauce and the remaining potato ingredients

Add the meat back into the sauce and ensure cheese is melted in the potatoes

Serve & Enjoy!

Contemplations of The Adventures of Milo & Otis

Milo & Otis

I have wanted to write a blog about the movie Milo & Otis for quite some time now.  In case you have never heard of it, The Adventures of Milo and Otis is a 1986 movie about two animals, Milo (an orange tabby cat) and Otis (a pug) who go on an adventure and interact with an assortment of other animals & sticky situations.  When I was a child I thought this was a fantastic movie.  I actually ended up re-buying it a few years ago before I ever had my son, thanks to a wonderful $5 movie bin.  During my entire life, I would have bet money that Milo and Otis spoke during the movie.  You can imagine my devastation when finally watching this movie in adulthood that there is actually only a single narrator (Dudley Moore) that tells the story and voices all characters throughout the movie.  I was highly impressed by the excellent story telling skills that had me convinced as a child that these characters were brought to life in my imagination.   From Milk & Otis hatching an egg, to traveling downstream, interacting with a bear, riding on a turtle’s back, meeting mates,  making it back home and many other little anecdotal adventures along their journey. 

Just a few weeks ago I got my son into Milo & Otis and we were watching it together.  I again saw this movie with a new set of eyes.  I started paying more attention to how amazing it was that the film maker had actually caught all of these animals on camera doing these amazing things.  There are a few moments of possible staging, but overall, it appears that the filming of Milo & Otis took quite some patience in following their journey throughout the movie to be able to catch such amazing animal interactions.  I began to look at the movie in a whole new way.  This brought about the question of whether these animals were set up into staged scenarios, and whether or not they were trained.  Then I began to wonder if any animals were harmed, especially since there are several scenes showing a black bear interacting with the main characters that could easily result in harm to the animals.  Keep in mind that this was originally a Japanese movie that was created in the early 80s and later translated into an American film and narrated by Dudley Moore.  No matter what the circumstance, it is still amazing to see the animal interactions and wonder at the man hours to capture all of this on film.  If you have never seen Milo & Otis, I recommend watching it at least once just for the sheer awe of 80s animal adventure cinema.  If you have seen it before, I invite you to revisit the film to see how a new set of eyes might view the story.  I still love it to this day and have been happy to have the opportunity to share it with my son. 

Please view this movie trailer to pique your interest or bring you back to memory lane.

*Disclaimer: this is a video borrowed from YouTube, I am not the owner nor do I have any rights to this video, this is for entertainment purposes only.

*According to Wikipedia, the entire movie was comprised of roughly 40.3 hours of film shot over a period of 4 years.

Now that is dedication if you ask me.

Because of You

Because of You

All because of you

Hearing your voice in the dark

No longer am I blue

You rekindled a spark

Deep within my

My pain is finally gone

My heart whispers softly

Singing it's joyful song

You're so close

Yet so far away

Wonder if he knows

How much I need him today

Alone here I sit

With you in my heart

Inside I'm throwing a fit

When we are a part

Slipping off my mask

Letting out my pain

What is it you ask

Love has reached me again

Your words amaze

Spoken from within

Away pass the days

Is loving you a sin

Somehow you found a way

To caress my soul

From the very first day

Having you was my goal

What do I need to do

To have you in my life

My love for you grows

Cutting my pain like a knife

*This is a poem that I wrote in 2002 and was published thanks to my Senior high school English teacher Miss Karnop who submitted it without my knowledge and bought me the book that it was published in for a graduation present.  I spent my entire Senior year thinking that I was a horrible student as English had always been my favorite subject and she had been so hard on me and always pushed me.  It wasn't until the end of the year when she finally told me the potential that she saw in me and helped give me inspiration in my writing when I felt that I couldn't make it.  I will never forget her, and was sad to see that she ended up moving after that year and getting married.  I wonder where she is now.

I Embrace You Now

I Embrace You Now
Brittany Lynne McCann
9/7/09

Yearned to be free
Happiness to Reclaim
Cut all the chords
Start anew, fresh
So much time wasted
Too much time lost
Lost inside one’s self
A quarter century flies by
I’m right here waiting
This is me Now
You cannot break me
Immeasurable strength
Don’t judge without knowing
Some days held on by a thread
New found strength
More lessons learned
Never go back
Always moving forward
Fear no longer paralyzing the progress
Can always choose again
I’m ready and willing
Brush off the old
No room for the fake
No heart for the lies
Come real or not at all
Never needed anyone else
Me against the world
Rolling in armed and strong
Prepared for this journey
The untrodden pathways
The wisdom to discover
Feet can’t keep up with intentions
Laughter found in each day
Take me as I am
Completely or not at all
All is me, as I am all
No time for games
Won in overtime
Ready to move on
No adversary strong enough
No tears lonely enough
I open my heart to you now
As I was afraid to do before
No room for regrets
No need to look back
I embrace you now
My all-encompassing future

*I wrote this poem as I was getting ready to enter into the military again and make a huge move to Texas as I was in the process of pulling myself out of a dark place in my life.  It is enlightening to read this now as I have just ended my 11 years with the military and have a newfound freedom and feeling more stressfree as my primary reason for moving is coming to a close.  It was what I definitely needed at the time and allowed me to move into a different realm within my career.  I do not harbor any regrets and I am again embracing the future in a different direction. 

Never Meant To Be

Never Meant To Be
By: Brittany Lynne McCann
April 13, 2010

You and me
Were never meant to be
It was just an idea
That didn’t realize reality
Couldn’t grasp it’s own depth
From that second glance
We both fell into it
Eyes wide open
Hearts slammed shut
Somewhere along the way
Things happened right beneath our feet
Not as controllable
As you and I thought
Hearts leaping with joy
Yet still not feeling right
Everything was somehow wrong
The universe felt off
The deeper I fall
The more detached I seem to feel
The less it all seems real
I want to give my all
To someone willing to receive
From day one
There were no disillusions
I knew you were not the one
But I also knew I deserved some fun
My life had become so mundane
It threatened to drive me insane
Where do we go from here
I want my affections to go
To someone who wants them
You would rather feel nothing for me
To escape this contradictory
That drives us apart each day
And somehow closer still the next
Your company I crave
Yet wishing I cannot help
That in your place was someone else
Someone with open arms and heart
To appreciate and give in return
Someone deserving of me now
Not so far into the future
Someone who will not realize it once I’m gone
But who can realize it when it’s there
I do not want to lose you as a friend
Yet I feel it coming to an end
If we don’t act fast
It could end disastrous
Leaving us worse off than before
As our hearts hit the floor
Torn bare from our chests
In this battle of wills
While your touch still gives me chills
But your mind captivates
Not I moment I will regret
Many times I will never forget
How much longer can we masquerade
As we play at this charade
Of never letting go
Both stubborn as the bull
Which one of us will give in first
This time I feel the turn is mine
Allowing yourself to love would be divine
Yet I cannot continue to waste time
Waiting around for you to mature
I know what I deserve
Far more than you can give right now
Your friendship is irreplaceable
I will be sad to see you go
Yet I know we are meant to part ways
Already we have spent too many days
In this relationship contradictory
After all, you and me
We were never meant to be

*This is a very private poem that I did not share with very many people.  It was written in regards to the father of my son.  This was at the end of things between us and 2-3 months before I found out that I had been pregnant since March.....

Dear Unconditional Love

Dear Unconditional Love

No matter what happens, I seem to figure things out on my own. I grow older and wiser with each passing moment. I have so many amazing things that I have yet to experience in life. So many ups and downs, challenges and triumphs. Each day always creating an even better and more refined version of myself, even when there are days that feel like I am going in reverse. Eventually it is merely making me stronger and more appreciative of the future and the now. I keep moving forward somehow, always moving no matter how slowly, when there are days when getting out of bed is all that can be mentally accomplished. I continue to do what I can to give my all to each day, even when my all is more on some days than others. I try to be brave and to feel no fear, to be sure to conquer the fear that makes it through. The last couple years have pushed me more than I ever knew possible. Given me so many days that I had nothing left to offer but laughter at the irony of life, the ridiculousness of the situation, and the realization that no matter how bad things seem they can always be worse. I do not sit here vindicated I sit here thankful and rejuvenated with the things that I have been allowed to overcome and to grow from. Everything is a blessing, a new opportunity to learn from in the classroom of life. I have been incredibly fortunate with those in my life whose love has been my rock, my strength when I no longer had anything to give. No matter what capacity it came in I will NEVER forget, and I only hope to come close for anyone in life to try to repay back this miracle of love to the universe.
Yet it has all been bittersweet because you have not been here to share it with me. You have not been here to grow with me, to laugh with me, to cry with me, and to merely LIVE life with me. To me this is the most unacceptable thing of all. I know you are somewhere, so close and yet so far away, but what are you waiting for? I have never been very good with patience and I cannot find a valid way to justify each day gone without you in my life. In searching I am afraid that we may have gotten lost along the way, that we somehow missed what was there. So I will sit here becoming the best I can be for you and more importantly for me each and every day. I will not close my eyes to whatever way it is that you have chosen to reveal yourself to me this time. I don't want to live with regrets and each day wasted without you is a waste of time that could have been OURS. Time that can go by in the blink of an eye if we are not careful. I'm no longer afraid, so why should you be? Stop making excuses, stop postponing life. Stop being afraid of the end before a beginning is ever allowed to happen. There is no reason to postpone the ultimate in shared happiness. I am here telling you that I am not running, I'm here and I am ready. So what are you waiting for? Come and get me.

Your Soulmate


*This is a letter I wrote in February of 2010 as I was feeling very open to welcome new and wonderful experiences into my life.