A great weekend at home with the family...

Ava - Peering out from her blankets!

Ava napping...
Lyndsey and Ava
Gram and Ava chatting on a Sunday afternoon...

I love this shot!

Ava in her Halloween Costume - a chubby cheeked cow!
Ava sleeping in Lyndsey's arms.
Ava doing tummy time naked- her favorite!
Ava after her nap in the basket...
Smiling for the camera...
Kelsey, Anthony and Ava

Heading home...

Heading home to NJ for the weekend....Can't wait to spend time with my little Ava and the whole family...Pictures will be posted once I return...

Happy Birthday, Matthew...

Here's to hoping that you come knocking at my front door to

steal my bike for the rest of my life!

Enjoy...

Much love-

Beckina Frankelburger

Menu Planning...

I am a strong believer in the benefits of weekly menu planning. Going into the week knowing what meals you will be making not only saves money (only buying the groceries you NEED) but also relieves a great deal of stress - no more worrying about what to make for dinner each night! And while I value the benefits of menu planning, I am sometimes lacking with my follow through. So I was thinking, maybe if I posted my weekly menu plan for everyone my follow through rate would improve! Some people are very rigid menu planners and are very specific about which meal is made on which day. I am a bit more relaxed and just plan 4 meals for the week and let things happen according to our tastes and preferences each day. Often times though one meal will create extra food that is used in other recipes, so naturally I try and do that as my first meal for the week. So...consider menu planning for yourself. And feel free to ask for recipes if anything sounds yummy to you!

Meal 1: Butternut Squash Soup with Fresh Rolls & Side Salad
Meal 2: Rotisserie Chicken with Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Fresh Veggie & Side Salad
Meal 3: Fish Tacos with Black Bean Corn Salad
Meal 4: BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with Fresh Coleslaw, Fresh Veggie & Side Salad

Happy Cooking...

The Freedom Of Forgiveness

I will blog more about forgiveness in the future- it's a work in progress and not something I am fully ready to blog about quite yet...but for now wanted to share some quotes on forgiveness that resonate deeply with me at the moment:

-

“When you hold resentment toward another,

you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel.

Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.”

-Catherine Ponder

-

“Sincere forgiveness isn't colored with expectations that the other person apologize or change. Don't worry whether or not they finally understand you.

Love them and release them.

Life feeds back truth to people in its own way and time.”

-Sara Paddison

Ohio Winery Adventure - October 6, 2007

I can't believe it has taken me this long to blog about our Ohio Wine Adventure. The day was so great I knew a rushed blog just wouldn't do it justice! It was the ultimate perfect day- beautiful sunny weather, great friends, and yummy wine! Mitch, Brett, Jacquie and I trekked up to northern Ohio to check out three very different Ohio Wineries!

Our first stop was at Jilbert Winery. It was selected somewhat at random for our first stop, but in an act of total serendipity it ended up being the most perfect of all the wineries to start our day! We were immediately greeted by the owner David Jilbert -who in the middle of preparing that evening's clambake for over 100 people- stopped and gratefully embraced our visit to his winery. He gave us a tour of his beautiful new barn tasting room, talked about his state of the art winery methods, and gave us very discounted tastes of his yummy wines! Of course, we were still in Ohio, so the labels on his bottles read "Jhelbare" to encourage the more appropriate pronunciation of his name! His wines were good, but he humbly stated that he is actually much more well known for his mead! We were ecstatic- because we made his winery the first stop on the trip because Mitch doesn't really care for wine- but loves him some mead! Once we shared this with Jilbert (as he is known to most) he sadly shared that he was totally sold out of mead! Not a single bottle around to give us even one taste! Poor Mitch! However, being the gracious man that Jilbert was, he got on his blackberry and called around to find out that there were a few bottles of his famous mead on the shelves of the local town store just around the corner! We finished our visit to Jilbert Winery with a bottle of his Rose and a basket of cheese and crackers! We sat on the stone patio enjoying our snack and celebrating the perfect balance that Jilbert seems to have accomplished in life- environmental engineer by day, wine maker on the weekends, family man and friend always!


After a quick stop at the general store around the corner for some mead, we were off to Sarah's Vineyard...

Sarah's Vineyard won the prize in my book for being the cutest of all the vineyards. The vineyard is just a few years old, but all the buildings on the grounds were built to look like old barns - very New England! The vineyard is built on a piece of land that has been granted a long term farm lease from the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. The lease was granted to the vineyard because they embrace sustainable farming practices. The vineyard was just planted in 2003, so they are still needing to supplement their own grapes with others- but only allow grapes that have been farmed with sustainable practices. The grounds at Sarah's feature a tasting room, art studio/shop and garden all encircled by the flourishing grapes. Brett took some great shots of the grapes with his IPhone...

When we arrived at Sarah's a wedding was just beginning right out in the vineyard between the rows of grapes. It featured acoustic guitars, casual dresses, wildflowers and a groom that surely looked old enough to be the bride's father! The wedding had a casual elegance I admired and a well suited pistachio green and chocolate brown color scheme! Since the reception was taking place in the tasting room/studio we were limited in viewing the art on display from local artisans. I definitely want to make it back to Sarah's again to gain the full experience! While there we did sample nearly all of the wines they produce. I was surprisingly fond of their blueberry wine!

Sarah's Vineyard also featured a beautiful butterfly garden with walking path. The garden was full of lush perennials with hand crafted garden art throughout. Brett captured a few pictures of the flowers. The garden also featured something that was not so lovely- the most unapologetic and appalling display of P.D.A. any of us had witnessed in a LONG time! I am talking a 30-something couple with too much makeup and thinning hair that were swapping spit throughout our entire visit! This was not your everyday kissing in the garden- this was porn grade kissing....It was just enough of a train wreck to keep our interest and inspire many a joke...

Our last stop was to The Winery at Wolf Creek which in my opinion had the most interesting business model of all! We entered into the winery through the tasting room where we were met with the most amazing view of the day. There was a wall of windows in the back that showcased the most beautiful view. The winery sat at the top of a hill that led down to a creek (presumably Wolf Creek.) From this perch you could see for miles! Off the tasting room there was a large deck featuring over sized tables where they encouraged you to bring your own picnic meal to accompany their many wines. We selected a picnic table that sat about halfway down the hill and unloaded our picnic feast! As the sun was setting we shared a yummy meal: fresh baguette with pesto, mozzarella, and amazing end of season tomatoes - pita chips with hummus and tzatziki - McIntosh apple slices with caramel dip- and to top it all off, a HUGE chocolate cake to celebrate Mitch's birthday!

It was the perfect end to a great day. We loaded into the car both happy and full, and headed back home! The is great value in finding joy in the area near your home. And even greater joy in a day spent with good friends....

Happy Birthday, Buddy...

I keep a close watch on this heart of mine

I keep my eyes wide open all the time

I keep the ends out for the tie that binds

Because you're mine,

I walk the line

-

I find it very, very easy to be true

I find myself alone when each day is through

Yes, I'll admit that I'm a fool for you

Because you're mine,

I walk the line

-

As sure as night is dark and day is light

I keep you on my mind both day and night

And happiness I've known proves that it's right

Because you're mine,

I walk the line

-

You've got a way to keep me on your side

You give me cause for love that I can't hide

For you I know I'd even try to turn the tide

Because you're mine,

I walk the line

-

I keep a close watch on this heart of mine

I keep my eyes wide open all the time

I keep the ends out for the tie that binds

Because you're mine,

I walk the line

-Johnny Cash

"I Walk The Line"

Happy Birthday, Mitch...

Love-

Bec

Pee Wee turns 18...

Our little Pee is an adult!!!

Wishing you all the best as your enter the world of official adulthood. This changes many things:

You can vote now (and I suggest you do)...

You can buy lottery tickets now (which Gram would suggest you do)...

But most things don't change -

I still love you and want only the best for you!

Keep working hard and making choices for yourself...take chances.

You have a fun (and crazy) family behind you that will support you no matter what!

Happy 18th, Kels-

Love, Bec

Grace

“I do not at all understand the mystery of grace -

only that it meets us where we are, but does not leave us where it found us.”

-Anne Lamott

Cleaning tip...

So I have found a great new way to clean the inside of the microwave. I had heard of the steam trick for cleaning the microwave- but I was dubious ;) Tried it at work this week and it worked amazingly well (and trust me - that was one DIRTY microwave!!!)

So here's what you do:

Fill a microwave safe bowl with 2-4 cups of water (small microwaves will be ok with 2 cups but larger ones would benefit from 4 cups.) If you have lemons in the house, add a half of lemon to the water- this is a great use for lemons that are getting old! Microwave on high until water boils (depending on your microwave this could be anywhere from 3-6 mins.) Leave door shut and let sit for 5 mins. Discard water and lemon.

The steam will loosen dirt on the inside of the microwave and the mess will wipe off with little effort. This will also loosen any spills on the glass tray- but I usually place the glass plate in the dishwasher whenever I have a spill- so that is generally not as much of an issue.

Happy Microwaving!

Little Ava is 2 months old!

To my little Ava...

Tomorrow you are two months old! You are changing everyday and I hate that I miss seeing all your new tricks! Know that even though we don't see you all the time - we love you very much and think that you are beautiful, amazing and perfect!

Love- Aunt Becki, Uncle Mitch & Jake Dog

Happy Fall...

Today is the first day of fall and despite the fact it going to be nearly 90 degrees here I am very excited! Since I no longer spend my summers at the beach and traveling (yay for the real world, right!) I have declared a new favorite season - fall! I love the weather, the ever-changing brilliant colors outside and the warmth and coziness that comes from yummy fall inspired cooking! I was hesitant in admitting that fall is my new favorite season because one little thought constantly sits in the back of my brain throughout fall - Winter is coming. Winter in Ohio is dreadful, not because we have massive amounts of snow or anything like that, in fact that would be better. Toni Morrison really says it best,

"Winter in Ohio was especially rough if you had an appetite for color."

(from 'Beloved' - a must read if you haven't already!) Winter in Ohio is just month after month of grey overcast sky - so depressing. Yes, winter brings Christmas and cherished time with family and friends and the occasional snow day off from work, but mostly it's just cold and grey. But nature is cyclical and spring always arrives offering an exhilarating sense of new life and color to our world.


So for now...here's to crisp fall days, crunchy leaves underfoot, and a warm mug of cider!

Welcome...

Welcome to my blog! I realized today that I am far too opinionated to not be sharing my thoughts with the world. And just like that...a blog was born!