As I promised in my post about the sweet scents of paradise, I only have to walk 42 steps to the water. This is photo is taken from our upper deck above our garage.Just to the left of the photo is the Plumeria tree that exudes the sweetness I enjoy on a daily basis.
These next two photos are of the beach that is just there beyond the car in the first photo.
this is looking south east to towards Honolulu.
The clear water is very warm, as you can tell in the first photo
the highway runs along the edge of the beach. It has to be one of
the best drives I have ever had the pleasure of taking on a daily basis.
This view is to the North if you were heading towards Laie,Sunset and Haliewa.
This is the beach I wrote my friends name in the sand .
I walk this beach frequently, sometimes my footprints are the only ones in the sand,depending on the time of day. I love being alone on the beach,just soaking in all of the natural beauty surrounding me. I try to clear my mind and just enjoy the moments of peaceful ,lovely, paradise.
I want you to know that I am a firm believer in living your dreams. Living in Hawaii has always been a dream for me, it's on my bucket list. Does living ones dream come with out sacrifice? No, nothing is ever really perfect, yes even in paradise. I will say that it is however, worth it...to achieve the dream. Maybe it's everything you wanted or maybe not, but the incredible part is the journey, not the destination.
I don't know how long we will stay in Hawaii, but it has been an incredible experience. I am most happy that I can say, it was one of my dreams and I lived it! I hope you will be inspired to contemplate your dreams...and go for it! The hardest part is making the decision, the rest will follow.
I did it! and I shared it with the ones I love the most....do you dare to live your dreams?
These are a few of the Plumeria's that grace my island.
Tonight ,as I walked out in my yard ,I could feel the ocean breeze gently pass by me. This rare "cool" breeze was accompanied by the sweetest scent of Plumeria....ahhh...hmmm..! It actually stopped me in my steps and I inhaled deeply to be sure I wasn't imagining it? I took another deep cleansing breath , looked up at the dark evening sky peppered with sparkling stars, I could hear the faint sound of the waves quietly meeting the shore. I completely submerged in the moment , it was truly magical. My front door is exactly 42 steps to the sandy ocean.It's a dreamy spot all in it's own way...
Stopping to take in the sweet scents of paradise was just what I needed at the end of a better day. My families safe return from the days events of comings and goings from every direction was a welcomed relief. We closed our day with a warm bowl of homemade Macaroni and Cheese, tossed greens and a Ham Panini . Our family prayer was filled with hope and help for Haiti coupled with immense gratitude for all the blessings in our life. Focusing on just being grateful in the now, for what we do have and not focused on what is lacking. Our Family home evening was centered on Honesty. It is really amazing to listen to my young adults and teens discuss what honesty means to them and how it directs their lives for the good.
Tonight . " My cup runeth over with the sweet scents of Paradise".
I'm sending you all the sweet scents of paradise....Aloha nui loa
add 2 large cans crushed pineapple drained -reserve juice for glaze
add more cream if mixture is to crumbly
should pull together, roll out 1 and 1/2 inches thick large rectangle
slice 4 inch sections and cut triangles
place 9-12 depending on desired size on greased jelly roll pan
brush with cream
Any choice of fruit may be added, frozen berries is also delicious, note fresh fruit will not keep as long in scones...frozen or canned or dried fruits seem to work best;)
GLAZE
1 box Powdered sugar
1/3 cup pineapple juice
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract whisk and glaze scones while they are warm out of oven, let cool and serve.
BAKE @ 375 15 minutes
WHEAT ROLLS -I HAVE POSTED MY ROLL RECIPE UNDER ROLLIN IN DOUGH-JUST SPLIT FLOUR HALF AND HALF WITH WHEAT FLOUR AND WHITE!
~~cover raw vegetables with water in a stockpot then add reserved corn juice~~
simmer until vegetables are tender~~
2 sticks butter qc. flour 1quart half and half 2tsp salt 1 tsp pepper 2 Tbsp Parsley~~in a large sauce pan melt butter and add flour whisk briskly until you have formed a rue , should be a light Carmel color add cream, corn and seasoning to mixture bring to a simmer and add directly to stock pot of tender vegetables in water~~
Stir until thick...may add cheese if desired, Harvarti, cheddar, cream cheese or your favorite!
So glad to share some things on the lighter side ;)
WISHING YOU ALL A ROYAL WEEKEND.....Aloha...Queen B
Heirlooms... from three generations of lovely ,leggy, Blueeyed dazzles from the roaring 20's through 2008.
Exquisite Eleanore , daughter of Elegant Anna...and Mother of
Divine Dorothy, these three women are the Mother, Grandmother and Great Grandmother to my Husband.
The striking commonalities of all five(including my husband and youngest daughter) of these cherished loved ones is their Blue eyes .
All three of these women who have graced our past and honored us with their memories, also loved sporting the fashions of their eras.
Anna in the 20's and 30's and 40's, Eleanore in the 40's and 50's and 60's
Dorothy in the 50's and 60's ,70's and 80's and 90's.
Since Dorothy is my Mother in Law I knew her the longest.Every one of these lovely beauties had great sense
of style and charm.
Dorothy recently passed in 2008 but not without leaving behind a legacy of love for her posterity to cherish and enjoy. I have recently come across these photos saved from Dorothy's family files.
I am so very grateful to have them and document them for our posterity . I love Family History and Genealogy, it's one of my passions. We believe families are forever, so along with these classic photos of bygone eras are pieces of heirloom jewels that were saved through the generations.
Dorothy was not specific as to exact dates and pieces,
but it is evident in their designs. She had taken great care of her Mother Eleanore and I know she loved her Grandmother Anna as well. Dottie's closet was dated by decades.As sad as I was to have to sort through the things she had collected and enjoyed through her life and the lives of these women before her, it was really interesting to piece together the puzzle of her past and what was deemed cherish-able.
I chose the Blue pieces to journal because that was their favored color amongst the three, it matched their eyes. I know my camera and photography skills are in need of improvement, but I must push through my limitations and hope that the thoughts are enough.
I would like to see these Blue eyed lovelies remembered,cherished and appreciated for their similarities and their differences. They all had fine qualities. Each of these women were different and very individual, still chosen and woven together with lovely shades of undeniableBlue....I am so glad my youngest lovely daughter Makinsee carries on the Blue. She too is as dazzling and individual as the Blue eyed lovelies before her.
I know Makinsee is happy to have her Big Blues...
I tell her often I would love to swim in them.
It will be fun to see if the Bluescontinue on in our posterity.
As much as I love our Family tree of pictures and eclectic bobbles of bygone eras, the golden threads that weave and bind us together is our relationships, love and the sweet memories to cherish and share with those that continue to come forward and keep the links of our Family Chain strong ,bonded and forever eternal. These are definitely...My Kinda Blues...............
This New Year has brought me a deeper understanding of just how fragile things are in the World. At the same time, windows into people's lives have been opened up to me, where I have had a chance to view their concerns, hopes, dreams,struggles,passions,worries,challenges and yes even triumphs. In learning a little about myself, I know I am a fixer, or I at least try to be. I have come to understand that the key for me is to be a good listener rather than focusing on trying to fix what ever issue of need is at hand. A dear friend of mine recently shared her desires of living in the tropics, as I am doing and the thoughts of island living seemed to lift her spirits and bring her glimmering hopes of fresh and exciting chapters on the horizon.
Our 25+ years of sharing our lives together is a precious jewel to me. She is a few years my Senior, we met when I was 18 and I knew it all!! Where do I begin to try describe this Regal Beauty of Style,Grace,compassion for others and a fierce ability to slay the Dragons that flew into her life . She knew who she was and I loved that about her. I remember a time when I was still in my late teens and we were going out for the evening somewhere very elegant and I felt unsure of myself,she quickly calmed my fears and said"Bran, just walk in like you own the place"! I followed her lead many a time, never failing me...
I grew up with her, when my husband first met her, he understood me, much better.
She taught me a lot about my inner beauty and self worth.Her head start over me in life was definitely in my favor. I tried to learn from her mistakes that she shared with me rather than repeat them.I have found that in moments of sweet triumphs in my life , I want to share them with her first. She has blessed my life, just by sharing her life with me and loving me unconditionally.
I met her through a co-worker in the Beauty business, I have been a licensed Hair Stylist since 1981 and I am currently still,. She was looking to hire a few people and my friend invited me to come along and interview with her.Well that was the beginning of our adventures in life together, we were roommates ,sisters,friends and co -workers too.We spent many days walking the beaches of Laguna trying to figure out the keys to happiness in life...our time on the ocean is where we are at home and find peace.
We reflected a lot on the poem " footprints" during those years of walking on the beach together. It's still a favorite.
My point to sharing this precious jewel of a friend with you is that through our last conversation by cell, I felt so helpless being so far away.....remember I'm a fixer......not that being in the same room with her meant I could of changed anything for her and she wasn't needing me to fix anything either. It was just the love and support you feel when people you care about are burdened. I ended our chat with a request for her to check her in box on her email.....this was all I sent
her name in the sand, it's not the clearest photo, it was taken from my cell phone,but it was my Aloha to her, and she loved it...I hope it was something good in her world... love you Sharon....
In Perseverance; thunder crashes, sails billow, waves toss the fragile boat. We see that the clouds are about to break. The sea will calm; the sailor's perseverance will soon be rewarded by a return to God's safe heaven. Perhaps this painting can assure each of us that if we can simply persevere, God's hand of love will soon disperse each storm.
- Thomas Kinkade
I happen to own this painting in my Art collection..., I love it! I was first drawn to this piece because of my love for the sea and sailing with my Father.So it has a double meaning for me.. It seems to me that our lives are very much like the boat in this painting, if you look very closely on the back of the boat it is named Faith, and you can see the light inside of the boat and it has a glow. When you have the painting under a dimmer light, depending on the bright light or a low light determines if the boat is sailing into a storm at sunset or sailing out of a storm at daylight... I just love it, aren't we all sailing in or out of storms in our lives? It is not the storm that is important, but how we weather it...right? The rub in life seems to be that none of us really ever want to be in a storm.Clear weather and calm seas is the forecast I like! If all we ever get is good weather, how will we grow?, how will be be able to "Persevere" and become stronger,heartier,deeper, someone of substance.?
Now, I don't go looking for storms either, but you know as well as I do that a storm is bound to show up sometime!! so....
I hope you will consider" Perseverance" in your next storm...I have this painting hung where I can look at it everyday in my room. You know, I am writing this blog for my Children and their posterity so that maybe, they will get to know a little bit about me through my eyes and thoughts and feelings about life and my love for them. I wonder who will end up with this Painting of mine, years from now? I hope they have a chance to read this post in my published memoirs of my personal journey..it's on my" List",then they will know a little more about what is behind this simple painting of a boat and the Sea and what it meant to me.
Did I mention that when I brought my husband to look at the painting at the T.K. Gallery he bought it on the spot for me? He knew my love for sailing and for my Dad, so he didn't hesitate. Thank You Al for loving me enough to honor me with this painting...I Love You
So here is the essay I wrote about my Father that was published in my College literary magazine,THE DELTA WINDS,San Joaquin Delta College,CA. I was just happy to pass the class, never thought this would be my first publishing, and hopefully not my last! I am honored to share it with you...Aloha
I think that I have decided to post this because it is very personal to me. I love blogging the most because it allows me to truly share who I am and what I am thinking and feeling . When I am able to someday slurp this blog into a hard bound Family Journal for my posterity, maybe they will feel a little closer to me by reading things that happened in my life and those whom I love most and those things that are important to me.
The things on my Bucket list are not in order of importance . I did date the things that I have already checked off, some things I won't ever really know until after I have kicked the "BUCKET"!!
I have also changed the name of my BLOG,as I am sure you can see. I decided that while this blog is about my family, I wanted to take the focus off my name and make it a little FUN! I was hoping to post the picture of my white Hummer that had my license plate"4RQUEEN" but it is still in IDAHO on the wall of our Restaurant.And the Hummer that the license plate was attached too,I sold in Honolulu last year ,2009, when gas hit over $5.00 a gallon!! I was commuting to North shore everyday.I loved my 2004 WHITE HUMMER...may she forever ride free
Things come and go......
One thing that will never change is...... there is only one QUEEN in my Kingdom and I love to remind my friends that they are the Queen's of their kingdoms as well.
So this post I dedicate to The Future Queens from my Kingdom and to all of you who rule your Kingdoms with love,grace,happiness,laughter,peace,good food,lots of forgiveness for yourself and others,kindness,charity,faith and hope. Share your dreams, make them a reality ,we only go around once, love the life you live and live the life you love....and if you haven't a Bucket List???...write one!!..it really opens your mind to things that only you know about yourself,your dreams,your hopes......once you write it, put it out to the Universe!!! I just did and so can you. I will continue to date my list as I accomplish them.
At least think about it?....here goes.....:))
My Bucket List
BE ON A GAME SHOW -FAMILY FUED DONE-1979 MARRY A KING DONE 2-8-1989
WITNESS A MIRACLE-DONE 1993 HELPED IN THE BIRTH OF MY BEST FRIENDS SON J.M.,SAW MY SWEET K.C.,T.R. AND M.C CHOOSE GOD IN THEIR LIVES AND LIVING IT..I LOVE YOU ALL 2001
.
RIDE IN A HOT AIR BALLOON DONE -1991
BE PUBLISHED-literary College magazine at San Jacinto college, a poem about sailing with my Dad DONE-2000
CREATE MY OWN PERFUM IN FRANCE DONE-2004
OWN A RESTAURANT-ROADSTERS GRILLE done 2006
OWN A RACE HORSE AND RACE DONE-2006
WORK AS A REALTOR @ Sotheby’s intl. DONE-2008
SWIM WITH DOLPHINS DONE-2008
GIVE MY TESTIMONY IN HAWAIIAN DONE-2008
HEAR SHERI DEW SPEAK-BYUHAWAII DONE-2008
LIVE IN HAWAII DOING-CURRENT
FIND MY HAWAIIAN FAMILY NAME& LINEAGE
TAKE PIANO LESSONS AND PLAY ANY HYMN AND THE THEME FROM “THE NOTEBOOK”
WRITE A BOOK AND PUBLISH IT
OWN AND RIDE MY OWN HARLEY
LIVE TO ENJOY ALL OF MY GRANDKIDS
RE-UNITE MY BROTHER WITH MY MOTHER
TRAVEL TO ITALY,GREECE,SPAIN,SCOTLAND,IRELAND,ENGLAND
NORWAY,SWEDEN,DENMARK,EGYPT,AFRICA
HAVE A 2ND HONEYMOON WITH AL
BUY AL HIS A CAMARO
CHANGE SOMEONES LIFE FOR THE GOOD
SEE AL ATTAIN HIS DREAMS FOR HIS SUCCESS
BECOME A REGISTERED NURSE & WORK IN MATERNITY
LOSE ALL OF MY UNWANTED WEIGHT & STAY HEALTHY
BE A BEST FRIEND
PUT ON THE 10 VIRGINS PRODUCTION FOR THE STAKE
HAVE AN 800 FICO SCORE
SEE ALL MY CHILDREN MARRIED IN THE TEMPLE
MEET OUR PROPHET
LEARN ASTRONOMY AND PHOTOGRAPHY AND CALIGRAPHY
BE ON A COOKING SHOW
SLEEP IN A CASTLE
RIDE A ANDALUSION HORSE
SEE MY CHILDRENS DREAM S COME TRUE
KEEP MY FATHERS MEMORY ALIVE IN HIS POSTERITY
HAVE AND USE SKYNET
LEARN TO COOK AUTHENTIC, THAI AND GREEK FOOD MAKE MONEY WHILE I SLEEP....zzz...$$$...zzz...$$$
SEE GRAND CANYON, NIAGRA FALLS,YELLOW STONE,REDWOODS,MT.RUSHMORE,PALMYRA,NAVOUU,TENESSEE,ALABAMA,KENTUCKY,CAPE COD
GO SEE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW
HAVE OUR DREAM HOME-WHERE THE SPIRIT DWELLS ALWAYS~
With the Holidays and activities all so close together I am posting my Holiday photos a little late. But I did not want them to be left out of our family journal.Blogging began as a way for me to journal our life together, but it has really become so much more. I really enjoyed our Holidays this year.It was our last Christmas together for the next two years. Our Eldest son Travis is serving a Mission for our Church in 2010, he will be gone for 2 years. We feel like every moment is a moment worth savouring. He is going to be a great Missionary and he is really excited we are excited for him too!. His time with us is short and we all love being together.Travis bought the Christmas tree this year and brought it home after work one day. It had to be the most perfect shaped tree we have ever had. It smelled divine, as if he had just cut it!! truly the pine scent was wonderful.It was a sweet gesture on his part to contribute such a special part of our Christmas. We felt the Spirit of Christmas in our home and with our loved ones ...I hope you enjoyed your Holidays for 2009.
We celebrate Nana every New Years Eve with a small family Birthday party. This year she wanted Lemon cake.We spent the day together, running around the island and doing lunch with the kids, going shopping and then we came home and we sang to her and had a few gifts .Breakfast will be Martha Stewart's Popovers with butter and Jam ,Thick Smokey Bacon and Orange Juice.She wants her favorite Chicken Pecan from Martha Stewart's Cookbook also for New Years Day Dinner.She loves to watch all of the Bowl games on TV, so I think we are set!.Happy Birthday Nana we all love you! Here is the recipe for the Lemon Cake, it is from The Barefoot Contessa, I think she should of called it Lemon Zinger!! and I would of served it with a scoop of Vanilla Bean Ice Cream!next time I will...Ina makes it in 2 loaf pans but I used a large Bundt pan instead and it was great.. Here are the three recipes I used,If you have any problem reading the last 2 I will be happy to email them to you. Have a Great New Years Day...Aloha
