fmf :: play

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What is fmf, you ask??   Five Minute Friday.
An opportunity to share in five minutes, your thoughts, on the prompt word given.  Not a lot of overthinking or time spent...
This week's word was: Play

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Oh the things you find when one of your kiddos asks if they can play with your phone!!

Scrolling through... it makes me nearly laugh at all the fun and creativity this girl provides...
Here are just two I've found, recently, on my phone...
Silly girl!!  I often find she's recorded videos, songs... antics. :)

Being the middle child - she is often adaptable to others taking charge at what to play but before long - you can hear her calling the shots and everyone, then, follows Aubrey... :)

My daughter is a lot like me - growing up.  As the oldest child, I was always creatively coming up with new ideas and things to play - make believe. 
One day I'd be a nurse, the next a school teacher, the next a mom...
Always pretending to be someone else and someone older than me.  I NEVER played things as my own age...my bike was always my car!!!
Oh, and when it was time to do the dishes or help in the garden...
Nope.  I was off, playing or hiding... pretending I had to use the bathroom.  BAAADDDD!!!

I don't know what I would have been like had my parents a cell phone to play on.

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Linking up with fiveminutefriday.com

Skillet Cabbage

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I know.  I haven't shared a recipe with ya'll in a really long time.  So - here's one for you, that you've got to try.

::Skillet Cabbage::
1 Tbsp. olive oil - pour into skillet

3 cups finely shredded cabbage
1 cup finely chopped celery
1 small green pepper, chopped (opt.)
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
dash black pepper
1/2 cup chipped ham, bacon or crumbled sausage (opt.)

Variation:  For flavor change, add 2 tsp. soy sauce.

Add these ingredients to the oil preheating in the skillet.  Cover and cook 7-10 minutes until desired tenderness, stirring occasionally.  May add 2 T. water, if needed.  Serve immediately.

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I was to a friend's house - for lunch, one day - and she shared this dish, but made as the title of this post suggests, with cabbage.  Purple Cabbage, I might add.  :)
Yumm.  This dish was so tasty and so pretty.

Delightful, to say the least.  Of course, I begged her for the recipe.

As it turns out - when she pulled the book out, to copy over the recipe, I realized we share the same cookbook.  Here, I've had it all along...tucked on my shelf of many cookbooks!

We had to laugh!

Enter - time to make the dish for my family.

I knew I had zero cabbage in the house, this particular dinner hour.  However, I had a head of cauliflower pining to be used.

Could I dare - do a switch around?
You bet I could. (smile)

I sliced it really, really fine... lightly chopping... through the flowerets of the cauliflower.

I also used thicker chunks of bacon and smoked ham pieces to begin the sauteing process.

I pretty much followed the recipe from here on out, including the soy sauce.
However, I did not add the green pepper.

To serve.  I made a side of couscous. But rice would work just as well.

 We layered these two on our plates to enjoy.

Couscous + "Cabbage" (Cauliflower) = Contented Kids!

We ALL enjoyed!!

Every single plate emptied and yeah... they "licked their platters" clean.  ;)

Let's decorate... for Christmas!!

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Let the decorating and the re-decorating begin! :)

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Christmas

My goodness, my goodness, 

It's Christmas again.

The bells are all ringing.

I do not know when

I've been so excited.

The tree is all fixed, 

The candles are lighted,

The pudding is mixed.

The wreath's on the door

And the carols are sung,

The presents are wrapped

And the holly is hung.

The turkey is sitting 

All safe in its pan,

And I am behaving 

As calm as I can.

~ Marchette Chute

This re-decorating part... I have a feeling this will be done again and again.  Thanks to my little stinker who is behaving as calm as she can. :)  An appropriate poem for today!

Have a wonderful week!

** Linking this post with Tuesday @ Ten - Finding the Grace Within

Keeping it real, folks! (How is this for a Whimsy Wednesday Challenge on a Five Minute Friday - where the word prompt is: Find)

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So, the prompt for Whimsy Wednesday was this:
Don't cry because it's over.  Smile because it happened.
And, this comes out of the fact that Kaitlin is ending her Whimsy Wednesday Weekly Challenge, early.  For now, she says.

I'm a tad sad.  Because I've been having loads of fun, with it.  Apparently, there hasn't been too much of an active response in and amongst other folks and so for now... it's an indefinite good-bye! And, this is her reasoning.  She also said she might pick it back up someday - but, I'm not sure when...! And, I'm not so sure she knows either.)
As for today's link - she may or may not keep up her end of the bargain, I perceive, as she may still be in serious vacay mode.  I hope she comes through!!  Because, she's always so amazing!!

Anyway.  For your reading pleasure... here is...

The story behind today's Whimsy Wednesday photo.  

As I thought about what to do for my part in this one-last photo challenge... there was this one afternoon where, at lunchtime, I requested from my kiddos - that I needed three volunteers!!! They were willing to give me either two smiley faces and one pouting - on the count of one, two, three - or two pouty and one smiling!

After several shots and attempts.  Reality took over.

Folks!!!  This here photo is as real as it gets.  I don't know what the pout was over!! 

 But... I'll take it!  lol!!

Keeping life real, friends.  Keeping it real!!

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Five Minute Friday

How fitting that today's two posts will work to come together into one!!  
I love it when this happens.
Today's prompt is: find.  Taking just five minutes to write real and raw and joining with many other brave souls who all will write together on the same topic.

 
 This morning around the kitchen table, one of my kiddo's asked the question.  Why does this sunflower have to hang his head... so low?
We talked about it a bit.  And, I asked.  Don't you ever have moments, in your day, your life, where you have trouble finding your smile? Yes!, was the relating reply.
 The flower was found bruised... and broken.. from the windstorm the other evening and in our attempt to lift it up, by putting it into some water (with others)  -- well... sometimes, it takes time... to come around.

This explains how today's five minute friday post has come about.

::go::

You're spent.
You've been here before - this is not the first time.
You've struggled to find your smile.
Your head hangs low.
It's easier to stay in the slump and look down and away -- because, it's over.

Then something changes.
Maybe you've been given a taste of new and living water.
It refreshes.
It bathes your soul.  It fills you!
There is more to life than the constant frown upon your soul.
Your spirit awakens.  Because,  hope always does.
Your soul lives.
You find your smile again  -- because, you remember. it happened

It happened!!!  You were blessed to enjoy a moment.  Though gone...
It's not over.
Really.

 Don't cry because its over.  Smile, because it happened 

:: stop ::

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Linking today with two link-ups.
Whimsy Wednesday Weekly Challenge


Five Minute Friday

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I hope you'll find yourself enjoying a wonderful and sunshiny weekend!!  I'll see you back here on Monday - with another Mugs & Muffins special. :)