Hi loves!
Woah, where does the time go??? Has it really been 5 days since my last post? Crazy. Will I ever get back to a consistent blogging flow?
I don't know!
But, what I DO know is that yesterday was a day of reflecting, remembering and honoring
my momma :-)
It was her birthday yesterday. She would have been 55 years old. I can't believe it's already been 9 years since she passed away.
I spent yesterday celebrating her life by just thinking about her all day! I journeyed through all the memories I have of her and celebrated the sweetness of her that is still alive in me and alive in her memory.
Some sweet memories that stand out in my mind:
~*~When I was a little girl, whenever the kids in the neighborhood were having an argument or a problem, my mom would make us all hold hands and form a "love circle." That never failed to make us giggle and forget whatever it was we were fighting about.~*~
~*~ My mom taught me the faery May Day tradition that she followed every year: "Wash your face in the morning dew and you'll be beautiful the whole year through!" Every May 1st, you'll find me out in the garden in the morning carrying on that tradition.~*~
~*~As a teenager, whenever I left the house, my mom would yell after me, "Use good judgement! I love you." Eventually she shortened it and would just say, "Alaina, six words!"~*~
~*~She used to write stories for me when I was a little girl. Then she would turn them into songs and sing them to me while she played guitar. She taught me how to play my first song on guitar: Colors by Donavon. Whenever I hear that song, it never fails to tug on my heart strings and remind me of her.~*~
~*~She would always say, "Love is the answer. Love is the way."~*~
~*~She taught me about positive affirmations and manifestation at a young age. I remember being sick as a little girl and she told me to keep saying, "I feel well and happy," over and over again until I felt better.~*~
Last night, Woody and I went out to dinner to celebrate her. I honored her memory be wearing one of her necklaces and a pair of her faery earrings that she always used to wear.
Woody and I each had a beer because you know...we like beer. And my mom did too! So, we had one for her. :-)
We ordered the super delicious and spicy Harissa Fries!
A roasted beet salad with walnuts and feta cheese.
And this crazy delicious salmon dish!
The salmon was cooked PERFECTLY and tasted so amazing. I can't remember all the components of the dish, but I do know that there was a bacon vinaigrette involved. Um yeah...BACON vinaigrette!!! I think at one point during the meal, I told Woody that I wanted to start putting bacon vinaigrette on EVERYTHING. :)
After dinner Woody and I came home and indulged in the birthday cake I made for my mom. She always used to really like pink cake with chocolate frosting. I went on a mission to find some beet powder or some kind of natural food coloring to make the cake pink, but to no avail. Instead I made a cake with strawberries hoping it would turn out pink! It didn't. However, it was DELICIOUS :-)
I basically followed the recipe for this cake, except I used Pamela's Gluten-Free Baking Mix for the flour, coconut sugar instead of maple sugar, I didn't use the lemon juice or the food coloring, I also didn't use the baking flour, baking soda or salt since Pamela's already has all of that in it. AND, I didn't layer the cake as it was done in the original recipe. For the frosting, I just went the simple route and used Pamela's Chocolate Frosting since I already had some in the house.
I think my mom would have been VERY happy with this cake. It was so delicious. I rarely use the whole amount of sugar that is called for in recipes because I find that in most cases, it is WAY too much (in my humble opinion.) But for this cake, I went for it and used the WHOLE CUP of sugar! And I don't regret it one bit. It was a BIRTHDAY cake after all!
Woody and I topped our cakes with fresh strawberries and a little bit of Vanilla Coconut Bliss ice cream
Happy Birthday Momma!
Woody and I spent the rest of the evening cuddled up on the couch watching one of my mom's favorite movies: The Secret of Roan Inish. So sweet!
It was a beautiful day celebrating the sweet memory of my precious momma! There were some laughs and some tears but it was all beautiful :-)
I love you Momma! Thank you for teaching me that love is the answer and love is the way and that life is precious and sacred. Thank you always accepting me and giving the freedom to be me, but always offering me guidance on my path. Thank you for continuing to guide me in spirit. Thank you for always making me feel sacred and special and teaching me to love myself (and others!) unconditionally. Thank you for always being so supportive and encouraging. Thank you for naming me Alaina Rose. :-) Thank you for my life, all the gifts you have given me and all the lessons you have taught me. Thank you for being such a radiant light able to brighten up any space. Your contagious light seemed to have an effect on the people around you, causing them to shine brighter in your glowing presence. Thank you for continuing to shine in me and through me. Thank you for making ME shine. Thank you for being my mom and giving me the honor of being your daughter. I miss you. <3
Now do me a favor, my friends! If you have a mom, go give her a BIG hug right now and tell her you love her! <3
Love, light and blessings to all my friends and readers! Thank you for being here <3
The salmon was cooked PERFECTLY and tasted so amazing. I can't remember all the components of the dish, but I do know that there was a bacon vinaigrette involved. Um yeah...BACON vinaigrette!!! I think at one point during the meal, I told Woody that I wanted to start putting bacon vinaigrette on EVERYTHING. :)
After dinner Woody and I came home and indulged in the birthday cake I made for my mom. She always used to really like pink cake with chocolate frosting. I went on a mission to find some beet powder or some kind of natural food coloring to make the cake pink, but to no avail. Instead I made a cake with strawberries hoping it would turn out pink! It didn't. However, it was DELICIOUS :-)
I basically followed the recipe for this cake, except I used Pamela's Gluten-Free Baking Mix for the flour, coconut sugar instead of maple sugar, I didn't use the lemon juice or the food coloring, I also didn't use the baking flour, baking soda or salt since Pamela's already has all of that in it. AND, I didn't layer the cake as it was done in the original recipe. For the frosting, I just went the simple route and used Pamela's Chocolate Frosting since I already had some in the house.
I think my mom would have been VERY happy with this cake. It was so delicious. I rarely use the whole amount of sugar that is called for in recipes because I find that in most cases, it is WAY too much (in my humble opinion.) But for this cake, I went for it and used the WHOLE CUP of sugar! And I don't regret it one bit. It was a BIRTHDAY cake after all!
Woody and I topped our cakes with fresh strawberries and a little bit of Vanilla Coconut Bliss ice cream
Happy Birthday Momma!
Woody and I spent the rest of the evening cuddled up on the couch watching one of my mom's favorite movies: The Secret of Roan Inish. So sweet!
It was a beautiful day celebrating the sweet memory of my precious momma! There were some laughs and some tears but it was all beautiful :-)
I love you Momma! Thank you for teaching me that love is the answer and love is the way and that life is precious and sacred. Thank you always accepting me and giving the freedom to be me, but always offering me guidance on my path. Thank you for continuing to guide me in spirit. Thank you for always making me feel sacred and special and teaching me to love myself (and others!) unconditionally. Thank you for always being so supportive and encouraging. Thank you for naming me Alaina Rose. :-) Thank you for my life, all the gifts you have given me and all the lessons you have taught me. Thank you for being such a radiant light able to brighten up any space. Your contagious light seemed to have an effect on the people around you, causing them to shine brighter in your glowing presence. Thank you for continuing to shine in me and through me. Thank you for making ME shine. Thank you for being my mom and giving me the honor of being your daughter. I miss you. <3
Now do me a favor, my friends! If you have a mom, go give her a BIG hug right now and tell her you love her! <3
Love, light and blessings to all my friends and readers! Thank you for being here <3
