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I want to share with all of you the joy of turning 60 today!!
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May 23, 2012 8:00 am
133 Views
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Yes, today it happens to be my 60TH BIRTHDAY!! Oh my, that is a big blessing. I have lived a full life with joy and tears, challenges and victories, and a few losses too. I have loved intensily, and I have sharead wonderful days. I am so thankful to God. I am just a woman of simple ways with a big disposition to all that is good in life and having so many great friends from SFF has really been a treat. Hugs, hugs, hugs and thanks for sharing with me this lovely day!!
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23
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The Thin Line Between Life and Death
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Apr 20, 2012 11:30 pm
269 Views
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The thin line between life and death is so narrow, that when we come to realize how close it also can be to us, it is undoubtedly a very sad feeling that can wrap us and leave us numb. We often hear about young teenager, or dear friends pass away in terrible car accidents, and we do feel sorry when we hear that they die. This time, it happened to one of my dearest friends. My friend Susana, her husband and lovely two daughters decided to take a trip to Susana's home town. In the city of Pachuca in the state of Hidalgo, in 1852, many British settlers came and found this city and state in Mexico to be a wonderful place for them to settle. There is even copy of the Big Ben clock that was brought by them to remind them of their beloved England. In the bakeries, you can buy the famous pastes and many families do have English surnames.
I met Susana in the city of Leon, and she and I became very good friends even if I am several years older that she is. Her father came directly from England. Susana is a lovely beautiful woman with an elegant touch and delicate features. She married a good man and they had three children. Susana's oldest daughter is named after her, her son Ricky, a fun and kind young lad, and the youngest girl was María Fernanda. On the way to Susana's hometown, they suffered a terrible car accident. Her daughter María Fernanda lost her life. Susi's back broke and she had to have surgery immediately. Susana and her husband were also very badly hurt. Their son had not been able to go with them because of his job in Mexico City.
Once the accident happened, and we have a deep moment of reflection of how things do happen, we realize that the thin line between life and death is actually very thin. It can break in no time, and the loss of those whom we love can happen in no time.
This sad accident has deeply hurt me. I have said that I am a believer that death only comes to those who do not believe and have accepted Jesuschrist as our Saviour. And death comes to those who actually have chosen to live a miserable life and do hurt others for no reason. But today, I am sincerely hurting for the loss of María Fernanda. A beautiful young girl whose heart and ways were great. She wanted to become a medical doctor. And to see her life end in such a fast and sad way, does make me feel so very sad. We must really be prepared to go at any time. We must learn to see life and death with another face. And we are not ever prepared to see our loved ones go. I will have to take the time to examine my own beliefs once again, and teach my son to accept the thin line between life and death.
Hugs, dear friends.
Marylola
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Desire of My Heart
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Mar 19, 2012 8:52 am
299 Views
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In my writing, I do express my feelings and if the desire of my heart never happens, I must say that that would be alright for I sincerely am a happy woman in my heart, in love with life and all that surrounds me.
Desire of My Heart
From the deepest desire of my heart
I plant the seed of hope
To see it grow
And growing strong and firm the beautiful plant
Brings thousands of multicolored flowers
To my eyes, to my heart, to my voice
In my mind your name may be engraved
The name of the man I wait for
Whose noble and good feelings
May appreciate the multicolored flowers
The day shall come
I will recognize him immediately as I see him
The love he brings knocking at my door
And my heart willing to love him
Shall be overjoyed upon his arrival
My lips shall pronounce his name
Walking together hand in hand along the garden
Of the multicolored flowers
Where I planted the seed of hope
The flowers blooming scenting the air with a fresh aroma
The echo of our voices as one
The soft breeze of the wind shall bring
To my eyes, to my lips, to my heart
As I say his name out loud
You shall hear me and will come with overflowing joy
Like when we see the rainbow after the storm
And peace has come again
I can breathe the sweetness of the scent
From the deepest desire of my heart
I plant the seed of hope
I can hear your footsteps, you are about to arrive
My beloved one let me see your face
I want to recognize you
To see myself in your eyes
Let´s walk together along the garden of multicolored flowers
Kiss my lips, undress my soul
In my heart I can feel your heart´s beat
Give shelter to my name in your heart
Give life to my hope
Come see with me the new horizon and in a sweet embrace
Your lips kissing mine smiling together, smiling to love
Distant only a sigh from us
From the deepest desire of my heart.
María Dolores Alvarez Bourke
May 19, 2005
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Rest in Peace my dear friend HappyCamper313
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Mar 13, 2012 8:24 pm
494 Views
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I was recently informed by one of our dear SFF friends that our dear Happy Camper313 passed away this last weekend. If you never talked to him you really missed getting to know a wonderful man. A man whose kindness and integrity, great manners and loving attitude enriched all of us who had that chance.
My HappyCamper313 lived in Washington State when I first met him here at SFF's in the Lobby. I invited him to come visit me to Leon and he said he would love to get away from the cold winter in Washington, and how long could he stay. I did say to him that he could stay for as long as he wanted since I had a downstairs guest room and full bathroom.
My son and I went to the airport to wait for him. He stayed almost 8 weeks in Leon. It was Christmas and he had never been in Mexico for Christmas. We sincerely enjoyed his stay. We traveled to the cities of Durango, Guanajuato, San Miguel de Allende. He really enjoyed my cooking, also.
Mr HappyCamper313 will be greatly missed. Rest in peace, my dear friend. We shall meet again someday.
Marylola
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Houston, it is great to be here!!
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Mar 7, 2012 8:10 am
388 Views
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I came last Friday evening to visit Houston for six days. I wanted to meet my dear SFF friends from the Houston area for sometime already. They had kindly kept inviting me to come and meet them.I was so happy to see that we would be getting together with VolleyballGranny at her house. Bob, Belle, Blueowl, and other dear SFF members would also be there. My dear friend Blueowl and I were to meet in Houston and I asked him if he would like to meet some of the SFF friends that live there. He said yes... that made me very happy. So, on Saturday afternoon, we headed straight to Volleyballgranny's house. She understood that we had to stop and ask three times at gas stations if we were on the right tracks to get to her house. We were suppossed to have GPS service in my cellular phone, and it never worked.. LOL not that we were really lost but we really had to drive extra miles to get to her house.
As soon as we got there, Belle, offered to go with us to the supermarket where I could buy the groceries needed for me to cook. I had offered them that I since I really like cooking, I would love to cook for all of them. My menu was really simple. For a start, a pico de gallo with tortilla chips and a good guacamole would be really great. Houston is famous for its south of the border meals also. Then, I made a cactus salad, or an ensalada de nopales.. it turned out to be pretty good. Different in taste to all of them nevertheless, it was a good salad. Michelle cooked some white rice and the chicken entomatadas were really good. For dessert, I made a light flan.
Meeting my dear SFF friends, cooking for them, and simply enjoying their company to me, it was wonderful. I hope that they can make plans to see them next year.. I volunteer to cook again.
LOL... Belle, Volleyballgranny, Deb, Nancy, Regina, Jihg, Blueowl, Bob, Dean, Becky and Matt YOU are all dear friends. Those lovely gals are great also in the kitchen. They left our host's house spic and span.. Thank you, thank you so much for being great SFF friends. Hasta la vista, queridos amigos.
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Enjoy the Holiday Season, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah!
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Dec 12, 2011 5:11 pm
538 Views
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It is not so easy these days, to fully feel wrapped up in the holiday season, and that is to be understood. Many things do make us stop and a zillion feelings of mixed emotions come out very strong and they utterly hurt us. I have been reading some of the blogs of my friends here, and I want to say this to all of you. Please look down and discover that you are on top of the world. Many have nothing, many have lost their jobs, their homes, their income is very little. Please feel the love inside you and look for someone to share it with. We are all so blessed. If it is not the kind of love that you are yearning for, the love of a man and a woman, well, keep your hopes up high. It might happen sooner than you expect it. And if for a reason it would not come, look back and cherish the great moments lived and then, look forward to finding a new love. The kind of love that is so real and valuable. Dedicate yourself to share all the love your heart is capable of giving with those who need it. Visit an elderly center, an orphanatory. Get involved at doing voluntary activities. I am sure that you will find so much to do around your own area. WE are all important and unfortunately, our pain and great need to feel loved blinds us and we are not able to function like we once did. But, remember this, the world does not evolve around us, we evolve around the world. Show the world you are alive and well. Cheer up and count your blessings. I wish you all the very best. Life is beautiful. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, enjoy the season!
With love,
Marylola
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Orange Cookies and More..... Bruja.... these are fantastic recipes..
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Dec 12, 2011 11:41 am
571 Views
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Dear Bruja,
These are the best cookies I have tried for Christmas and my favorite recipe of the pecan cookies which do not need to be baked.
Be well, my dear Bruja.
Marylola
1.
Orange Sugar Cookies: Polvorones de Naranja by Karen Hursh Graber © 2007
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The sugar cookies called polvorones are sometimes known as "Mexican wedding cookies" in English, although I've never seen them served at a wedding here in Central Mexico. They are a common bakery item throughout the year, but the version made with fresh orange juice and zest is associated with the Christmas season, possibly because oranges are an abundant winter fruit.
Ingredients:
¾ cup (1 ½ sticks) butter or margarine
2/3 cup sugar plus extra for sprinkling on cookies
1 egg yolk
juice and zest of 1 orange
1 ¾ cups sifted flour
¼ teaspoon baking soda
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 375ºF.
With a wooden spoon, cream the butter or margarine with the sugar until light and fluffy. Stir in the egg yolk and the orange juice and zest. Add the flour and baking soda.
On a floured surface, roll out the dough ¼ inch thick. Cut into circles about 2-2 ½ inches in diameter. Bake on greased cookie sheets until light golden.
Allow to cool and sprinkle with sugar. Makes about 2 dozen.
2.
Pecan Cookies by Marylola
3 rolls of Marias cookies (Gamesa or Nabisco)
1 1/2 packages of butter
1 cup of pecans
1/2 cup of sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
In the blender, blend the Marias cookies, blend the pecans, In a large bowl, mix the blended pecans, cookies, and sugar. Add the butter and form the small balls. Sprinkle the balls of pecan cookies in the powdered sugar.
These are really easy to make and very good in taste.
It is actually one of my favorite cookies to make because they do not need to be baked and because of the flavor.
3.
Mexican Christmas Cookies: Galletas de Navidad by Karen Hursh Graber © 2007
Both blackberry and apricot jam are produced in great quantity in late summer and enjoyed during the cooler months, especially in the Sierra Madre Oriental region, where fruit orchards abound. Either one may be used in these cookies.
This recipe has appeared in several places, probably because it is the quintessential Mexican Christmas cookie recipe. The first time I saw it was in Patricia Quintana's Mexico's Feasts of Life.
Ingredients
1 ½ cups butter, at room temperature
1/3 cup sugar
3 cups flour
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
4 eggs, separated
¾ cup sugar
juice of 1 lime
2 ½ cups fruit preserves
½ cup Grand Marnier
½ cup confectioners' sugar
¾ cup chopped walnuts
Mix the butter, 1/3 cup sugar and flour until well blended. Add the vanilla and egg yolks and mix until a large ball can be formed.
Knead the dough 4 to 5 minutes, dust with flour, cover with plastic and refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Preheat oven to 350ºF. Grease two cookie sheets.
Beat the egg whites until stiff, lower mixer speed and gradually add ¾ cup sugar and the lime juice. Beat for 1 minute, until the mixture is shiny.
On a large, floured surface roll out the dough. Transfer it to the greased cookie sheets and continue to roll out until very thin.
Combine the preserves and the Grand Marnier, then spread the mixture over the dough. Cover the preserves with the beaten egg white mixture and sprinkle with confectioners' sugar and chopped walnuts.
Bake for 45-60 minutes or until egg whites are golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven, allow to cool and cut into squares. Makes about 2 ½ dozen.
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To link to this blog (Marylola) use [blog Marylola] in your messages.
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