Do you remember me telling you about my camera lens, which I dropped and then couldn't remove from my camera? I wrote about it here. Well I finally got that baby fixed!!!!! I asked a local photographer where he would take it and he said Charlottesville. I asked a friend to tag along, we loaded into the car and drove the hour or so...10 minutes in the shop, and $20 later it was fixed. YEEHAW:)))) I felt like doing cartwheels to the car. Something I'd been worrying about for months was suddenly fixed. Like that...instant voila! Now I'm just praying my lens lust won't return;) I was doing good.
So while we were in Charlottesville we decided to take in Thomas Jefferson's plantation home Monticello. If you haven't been there you really should add it to your bucket list. I can't tell you how much fun we had.
It's nestled in the mountains, with rolling hills and lush gardens all around.
Just thinking about all the history, interesting people and things that happened on that land about made both our heads pop off. At one point Kim turned to me and said she thought she was going to pee her pants. Uh yeah it was that exciting! Oh and don't you just love the holey jeans and flip flops?? Mr. Jefferson would be so proud...gracing his lovely garden in only the finest;)
The gardens were lovely, but the house...where I couldn't take one picture...was fascinating. You know it was all I could do not to whip out my camera. The thought of being escorted out like the guy at the National Archives in DC was the only thing holding me back.
The DETAIL! Holy cow people Jefferson was a detail maniac. He was a mathematician, master gardener, architect, servant to our nation etc... He read novel upon novel...7,000 volumes to be exact. Which back in the day one book cost as much as a cow! Knowledge was power and he was powerful. He spoke and read 7 languages. He loved maps and owned 50...which was unbelievable for that time. He painstakingly planned out every inch of his home. It took 40 years to get just right. And I kept thinking to myself how in the world did he have time to do everything?? How was he SO uber gifted in so many areas. You know what I think the answer is...NO INTERNET! I'm just sayin'...oh and slaves to help him do all the work.
Here's a candid of me. Just so ya know I don't smile all the time. I actually do have another face. It's called scowl...ha!;)
Another interesting fact about Jefferson is that he died at age 83. That's over twice the average lifespan of a man for that time. He died on the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence...along with his very bestie James Madison. How weird is that?
There's more...like the slave he was involved with that bore his children, and that he died penniless. Which really stumped me. He was extravagant, but he was also sharper than a whip. He had to have known there was more going out than coming in.
But beyond all of that, the fact that he was never able to live out his own words that all men are created equal and free his own 200 or so slaves. That's the thing that stuck with me. I know times were different. That's all they knew, but it just kind of made me not respect the man as much. See I'm judging. Shame on me. But still to have written those words! Wouldn't it have been so much more impactful if he could have set the bar??
Now onto another great man, Rocco Dispirito...ha! I'm not sure if he's great, but his cookbook is pretty good. Just got this at Target the other day and that's where my recipe for Feed my Family Friday is coming from this week.
Crispy on the Top Tuna and Green Pea Casserole
This is just the sort of recipe Jefferson would have liked by the way. They made "mac n cheese" and comfort food at Monticello often.
This is just the sort of recipe Jefferson would have liked by the way. They made "mac n cheese" and comfort food at Monticello often.
3/4 cup reduced fat sour cream
3/4 cup 2% plain Greek yogurt. I used fat free.
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 1/4 cups reduced fat cheese. I used whatever I had on hand which was mozzarella I think.
18 ounces canned tuna packed in water.
1 1/2 cups frozen peas
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup crumbs. I used Ritz.
Boil noodles to directions on package. Mix sour cream, yogurt, mustard and cheese. Add tuna, cooked noodles and pea. Stir well. Pour into sprayed baking dish. I used a 9X11. Pour crumbs over top and bake at 425 for 10-12 minutes. ENJOY. My family loved this! Yummy and pretty healthy to boot. SCORE!!!
Okay you know the drill. If you want to share a recipe grab my button, link to that post and let's FEED OUR FAMILIES:)
And finally the winner of the MAN CUFF is:
Okay sister, here ya go...
I start slow, with my iphone on Pandora tuned into Josh Wilson...I get a nice beat and mix of my favorite Christian contemporary music...Lord knows I need HIM to get my ass running!
then I bag my faith and get DIRTY with Christina Augulera's Dirty album...
to get up those big hills, I put on FERGIE...black eyed peas...gets my booty moving!!! And hopefully, smaller....
I start to get out of breath here...but I have at least 20 minutes left, so, I call on my girl, PINK...
her BEST HITS rock...keeps my legs and arms moving!!
now time to slow down...
might work in a little Train, or Jason Mraz..Colbie...Christina Perri...and then I work my way back to my good ol' Christian Contemporary...
LOVE to stretch in my driveway when I am all done, and listen to Laura Story's BLESSINGS...or anything Third Day...
I can NOT run without music.
And I walk the dog with my rosary beads :-)
enjoy and happy working out!
I start slow, with my iphone on Pandora tuned into Josh Wilson...I get a nice beat and mix of my favorite Christian contemporary music...Lord knows I need HIM to get my ass running!
then I bag my faith and get DIRTY with Christina Augulera's Dirty album...
to get up those big hills, I put on FERGIE...black eyed peas...gets my booty moving!!! And hopefully, smaller....
I start to get out of breath here...but I have at least 20 minutes left, so, I call on my girl, PINK...
her BEST HITS rock...keeps my legs and arms moving!!
now time to slow down...
might work in a little Train, or Jason Mraz..Colbie...Christina Perri...and then I work my way back to my good ol' Christian Contemporary...
LOVE to stretch in my driveway when I am all done, and listen to Laura Story's BLESSINGS...or anything Third Day...
I can NOT run without music.
And I walk the dog with my rosary beads :-)
enjoy and happy working out!
Thank you all SO much for the playlist suggestions. I downloaded a ton of new music and it has made my workouts much better. Check out the comments from that post for ideas:)
Have a blessed day.
616. holding a hurting friend's hand
617. learning about my nation's past
618. fieldtrips that ROCK
619. getting my camera fixed!!!
620. a week full and overflowing
621. a proud momma moment with my big chick
