Happy Holidays from the Chicks...continued..

My decorating was very sparse this year…..I went thru my things and selected just a few of my favorites to set out.  This picture was one.  My cat Sprout.  He was with us for only 9 years and would love to play with the tinsel on the tree.  One little picture brought back so many memories, so many thoughts.  Which leads right into my next post of where I start my journey to my living “The Enchanted Life”.  One of the beauties of the steps is you chart your own course, what you think will work for you.  I’m  starting with #2 for me….. “Live in the Now”.  Follow me as I start my journey……

Happy Holidays to all of you out in blog land!

Apprentice Chick

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Here is the tree I've always loved... The Noble fir.  Our Dad would go up into the woods, find the straightest, nicest tree and bring it home and decorate it.   One year we kids got Styrofoam candy canes.  We loved those and they didn't last long, if you know what I mean.  This picture was taken in 1971.  The last pic was when I was 7 months old before my brothers were born.

Happy holidays to all our lovely bloggers!  

Sunflower Chick

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Mele Kalikimaka everybody! For the past 16 years I have not had any Christmas decorations for a very good reason.

My Milee, who is no longer with us!

The first year I tried any sort of Christmas decoration  and she tried to destroy it no matter how high it was.  She would obsess over it.  So, to ensure that I have a good night sleep, there have been no decorations. I was going to do one this year but time caught up with me and there wasn't enough time! Next year I will start early!

Happy Holidays everyone!  

 Island Chick

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Happy Winter Solstice, all!

Well, even though I go home to California every year to be with the family, I always make sure my little condo is decorated for Christmas, all cozy and warm.  And yes, I'm a girly, girl so in years past I used to bring out my pink little Christmas tree.  Hey, who says a tree has to be green?  Lol!  To each his own, right?  I tend to stick with the smaller trees that can sit on a table since my condo is only 1100 square feet.  So, here are a few "little" trees I've had now and in the past to welcome Christmas and the Winter Solstice!

Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season!

Vintage Chick

Happy Holidays from the Chicks!

Well the Chicks have not been great with posts lately but we intend on changing that after the first of the year!  We did, however, remember to come by to say happy holidays to all of you!   In our usual tradition, we will have Chick memories and traditions posted in the next several days1

Hello fellow bloggers!  Spicy Chick here.

I always do the tree every year and take pride in my decorations,  I think I am quite good at decorating Christmas trees.  This year, I let my daughter do her decorations and we went very traditional with homemade decorations and very traditional ornaments.  She and the kids are living with us and it was important for the children. I finished it with a topper that I'm proud of and I have to say it turned out great. So sometimes when you don't have to do things your way, it is okay.  We have  a snowman outside and wreath on the garage. 

We are all ready for Santa to come!  And remember, you don't have o be right and do things your way as Step #4 has stated in The 13 Steps.

Here is my tree from last year.  Of course, you will see that I have a very different style. That is what makes us who we are.  If we were all alike it would be very boring.

Happy holidays everyone!

Spicy

More Thankful Chicks!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!   It's that time of year where we really think about what we are thankful for and the Chicks have decided to let you in on what each of us is grateful for.  We hope you will take the time to really remember what's important in your life.

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What I am grateful for this Holiday….

For me there are so many things to be grateful for that I decided to honor one in particular this year.  That is really the joy I find in this Holiday along with being with family. I am not a big fan of the traditional sacrificing of turkeys for dinners. But my family would not be happy with a vegetarian meal. So, as always, I go with what the masses want.

So on with the real joy of this holiday. I am grateful for the parents I had. I didn’t realize how good of parents they were until I was an adult.  Funny how that is. Being a good parent is not easy job, but I was truly blessed with mine.

They instilled in me:

To not be Selfish

To love all living Things

Respect the Earth

The importance of Family

To cherish true Friends.

They really made me who I am today and I think I’m ok…

~~Spicy Chick~~

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I’m Thankful for….

1)              Family, those who’ve been by my side and the newly discovered ones.

2)            Ancestors, those who have paved the way before us.

3)            My smart little boy, he’s the apple of my eye.

4)           Animals and their cuteness.

5)            Good food and drinks.

6)           My nice comfy home with green grass.

7)             My shovel, for those snows yet to come.

8)            A/c, for those sweltering, melting days.

9)           Honda Element, it’s a special car given with love, and forever grateful for that!

10)         Good health.

11)          Friends, they complete my circle.

12)        Good clean cool water, my drink of choice along with Tuaca (an Italian liquor).

13)        The wondrous Moon, the power she gives.

14)        Hand lotion, for those dry skin days in the winter.

15)        Music, the sound of the soul.

16)        Having abundance! Everything we desire comes to us with positive and loving thoughts. 

17)         There is so, so much more I’m grateful for.  However, I’m most grateful for my journey that continues to lead me right where I’m supposed to be at this very moment.  We are an ever connecting band of souls on a colorful journey. 

~~ Sunflower Chick

To see what Vintage Chick and Island Chick are thankful for go here

Thankful Chicks

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!   It's that time of year where we really think about what we are thankful for and the Chicks have decided to let you in on what each of us is grateful for.  We hope you will take the time to really remember what's important in your life.

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Aloha fellow bloggers!

Thanksgiving is coming soon and there is so much for me to be thankful about.

1 - My girlfriends ahhhh what would I do without them during my depressive times. They were the only ones I can bitch to!

2 - My job. I know I bitch a lot about it but hey it helped pay for my kitchen and bathroom remodelling!

3 - My husband. He is such a wonderful man. I definitely got the better deal here than he did!

4 - Living in Hawaii. I think it is one of the best things I ever did! Get my butt out of Singapore to Hawaii. Thanks mommy!

5 - Tropical fruits. Yes, I love them and I am so thankful I can get them year round in Hawaii!

6 - Wholefoods! Yes, I know they are expensive but we do not have a Trader Joes here so sad but Wholefoods is just as wonderful. See another reason to be thankful for my job!


Island Chick
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Love and Light everyone!

I can't tell you how thankful I am these days.  Amidst all the turmoil going on with our nation, we all need to remember what we are each thankful for so that we can stay in that positive light.  at the top of my list, every year, is my family.  They are always there for me, no matter what, offering advice, love and encouragement when I most need it.  I believe family will always be there for you from the beginning to the end.  I am also thankful for my kitties who keep me company everyday of my life and give me unconditional love, something all of us can learn to give, me included!  I have to also be grateful for my good health and that I have a roof over my head when there are so many people who are struggling to survive!  My close friends are very important to me as well.  Being there when my family can't means a lot for me. They are my pillars of strength when I need it, especially when my family lives so far away.  We all cannot forget our soldiers who have fought for our freedom.  Last but not least, I am so thankful for all the turkeys who have sacrificed their little (okay some big) lives to feed us all on this wonderful holiday.  May we all give them thanks and a blessing before we eat all the wonderful food.  If it were up to me the turkey would be my pet.  :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

Vintage Chick

STAY TUNED FOR MORE THANKFUL CHICKS!!

Pumpkin Bisque with Wild Rice Soup

There is nothing more that says Fall than pumpkin soup.   It's definitely soup weather here in the Northwest so we decided to whip up a batch of this hearty, comfort soup to keep us warm on these cold days.    The one thing the Chicks believe in are organic ingredients.  We try to find the naturalist of ingredients so that are bodies are filled with less additives to keep us healthy.

Ingredients:

2 cups chopped white or yellow onion sauteed to a golden brown (Nonnie always says sauteing your onions first to a golden brown will add more flavor to any dish!)

2 cans canned pumpkin, not pie filling

3 1/2 cups cold water

4 cups lower-sodium chicken broth  

1` tsp ground Cumin (we added a little more cumin in to our liking)

1 tsp dried Oregano

1 tsp light brown sugar

3 cans white beans of your choice

3/4 cups cooked wild rice

2 tsp cooking wine, optional

1/2 cup half and half

1/4 cup Parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Begin bringing pot of water to a boil on high setting for the rice.  In a separate pot begin by sauteing the chopped onion until golden brown.  Then throw in all ingredients except the cream, parsley and wild rice.  Begin heating those ingredients on a low to medium setting.  When the water comes to a boil in the other pot, pour the wild rice in.  After the rice has softened, strain then add it to your mixture in the other pot with rest of ingredients.  Begin stirring in half-and-half slowly until thoroughly mixed.  Once the soup is heated through, serve and garnish with parsley!

Nonnie always says saute those onions to a golden brown!

We love organic wild rice.

We even had an audience that came with wagging tails and drooling tongues 

Beautiful Fall colors even in a soup!

Love those hearty beans!

Now remember, life doesn't always go by rules so if you want to add more salt or pepper or peanut butter by all means!  Add what you think will make this dish better for YOU.  Being creative is the key to being Enchanted!

Welcome Fall :)

The Chicks