A MountainWings Moment — The Rented Room‏

Posted: under "LOVE is LOVELY", Inspirationals.
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    The Rented Room
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    Our house was directly across the street from the clinic
    entrance of Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore. We lived
    downstairs and rented the upstairs rooms to outpatients at the
    clinic.

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    One summer evening as I was fixing supper, there was a knock at
    the door. I opened it to see a truly awful looking man.

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    “Why, he’s hardly taller than my eight-year-old,” I thought as I
    stared at the stooped, shriveled body. But the appalling thing
    was his face, lopsided from swelling, red and raw.

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    Yet his voice was pleasant as he said, “Good evening. I’ve come
    to see if you’ve a room for just one night. I came for a
    treatment this morning from the eastern shore, and there’s no
    bus ’til morning.”

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    He told me he’d been hunting for a room since noon but with no
    success, no one seemed to have a room. “I guess it’s my face…
    I know it looks terrible, but my doctor says with a few more
    treatments…”

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    For a moment I hesitated, but his next words convinced me,
    “I could sleep in this rocking chair on the porch. My bus
    leaves early in the morning.”

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    I told him we would find him a bed, but to rest on the porch.
    I went inside and finished getting supper. When we were ready,
    I asked the old man if he would join us. “No thank you.
    I have plenty.”  And he held up a brown paper bag.

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    When I had finished the dishes, I went out on the porch to talk
    with him a few minutes. It didn’t take a long time to see that
    this old man had an oversized heart crowded into that tiny body.

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    He told me he fished for a living to support his daughter, her
    five children, and her husband, who was hopelessly crippled from
    a back injury.

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    He didn’t tell it by way of complaint; in fact, every other
    sentence was prefaced with a thanks to God for a blessing.

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    He was grateful that no pain accompanied his disease, which was
    apparently a form of skin cancer. He thanked God for giving him
    the strength to keep going.

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    At bedtime, we put a camp cot in the children’s room for him.
    When I got up in the morning, the bed linens were neatly folded
    and the little man was out on the porch.

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    He refused breakfast, but just before he left for his bus,
    haltingly, as if asking a great favor, he said,

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    “Could I please come back and stay the next time I have a
    treatment?  I won’t put you out a bit. I can sleep fine in a
    chair.”  He paused a moment and then added, “Your children made
    me feel at home. Grownups are bothered by my face, but children
    don’t seem to mind.”

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    I told him he was welcome to come again.

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    And on his next trip he arrived a little after seven in the
    morning. As a gift, he brought a big fish and a quart of the
    largest oysters I had ever seen. He said he had shucked them
    that morning before he left so that they’d be nice and fresh.

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    I knew his bus left at 4:00 a.m., and I wondered what time he
    had to get up in order to do this for us.

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    In the years he came to stay overnight with us, there was never
    a time that he did not bring us fish or oysters or vegetables
    from his garden.

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    Other times we received packages in the mail, always by special
    delivery; fish and oysters packed in a box of fresh young
    spinach or kale, every leaf carefully washed.

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    Knowing that he must walk three miles to mail these and knowing
    how little money he had made the gifts doubly precious.

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    When I received these little remembrances, I often thought of a


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    Comments (0) Mar 25 2012

Healthy Smiles

Posted: under "DID YOU KNOW".
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Classic Comfort Foods Made Healthy

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Here are blue plate specials with nutritious twists―so you can enjoy these beautiful dishes even more, without sacrificing one ounce of good taste. 
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Beef Stroganoff

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Beef Stroganoff With Yogurt and Dill
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Serves 4| Hands-On Time: 25m | Total Time: 25m

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Ingredients
12 ounces multigrain noodles
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound sirloin steak, thinly sliced kosher salt and pepper
1 pound button mushrooms, sliced
4 shallots, sliced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup nonfat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

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  • Calories 535 Calories From Fat 22%

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Directions

Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the steak with ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper. In 2 batches, cook the steak until browned, about 1 minute per side. Transfer to a plate. Return the skillet to medium heat and add the remaining oil. Add the mushrooms and shallots; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until the liquid has reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes. Return the beef and accumulated juices to the skillet and cook until

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Comments (0) Jan 12 2012

New Year Jump-Start !!!

Posted: under "DID YOU KNOW".
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5 foods you should be eating….

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Sugary cakes. Glazed hams. Egg nog. That’s all behind you now. Wipe the slate clean and start the new year on a healthy note by focusing on vitamin-rich foods that you can incorporate into every meal going forward.

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The best way to reset your eating habits after the holidays is to stock your fridge with fresh, nutrient-rich foods that give you energy and improve your mood. Here’s a list of the top five:

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Lentils

LENTILS

These beans are filled with high-quality vegetarian protein and fiber, which boost energy and mood. They’re inexpensive and they cook up in 30 minutes or less. Suggests making large pots of lentil soup or lentil chili so you can freeze the leftovers.  

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Brussels Sprouts

BRUSSELS SPROUTS

Toss some Brussels sprouts on a baking sheet, add olive oil and salt, and then bake until they’re crispy. We have no doubt they will become your favorite veggie. Added bonus: They’re only 55 calories per cup and they help fight cancer and boost memory.

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Comments (0) Jan 05 2012

Smilin’ … Stylin’ … Caring and Sharing !!!!

Posted: under "A Slice Of Life", "DID YOU KNOW", Inspirationals.
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Michelle Obama attends a St. Patrick's Day reception at the White House on March 17, 2011

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As the First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama has become a role model in the awareness arena for healthy eating, sharing her  homegrown recipes via her cookbook. Next celebrity chef?  She has also become a fashion icon and has been named by Forbes Magazine as the eighth most powerful woman in the world.

 

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Michelle Obama appears on the

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Michelle Obama speaks at the Democratic National Committee's Women's Leadership Forum, May 19, 2011.

First lady Michelle Obama speaks at the Democratic National Committee’s Women’s Leadership Forum in Washington….

 

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Michelle Obama speaks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Oct. 17, 2011

First lady Michelle Obama speaks on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Monday, Oct. 17, 2011, during an event to honor schools that met the first lady’s goal to double the number of participants in the HealthierUS School Challenge in year.

 

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Michelle Obama attends cultural performances in Brasilia, Brazil, March 19, 2011.

Michelle Obama attends cultural performances in Brasilia, Brazil….

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Michelle Obama introduces President Barack Obama at a DNC fundraiser at Gotham Hall, New York

Michelle Obama introduces President Barack Obama at a DNC fundraiser at Gotham Hall, New York-

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Michelle Obama gestures before introducing her husband President Barack Obama at a DNC fundraiser at Gotham Hall in New York. She’s mingled barefoot among Aspen’s elite, stirred a Vermont utility executive to tears and bucked up disenchanted New Yorkers. The 2012 presidential campaign is well under way for Michelle Obama, and the first lady is promising to put herself into the election effort like never before. More than a year from Election Day, she is hauling in millions in campaign cash and sketching a portrait of her husband drawn with an intimacy that no one else could duplicate.

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Michelle Obama delivers a commencement address for the Quantico Middle/High School in Quantico, Va., June 3, 2011.

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Michelle Obama speaks to children at Christ Church College in Oxford, England.

Michelle Obama speaks to children at Christ Church College in Oxford, England.-
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Michelle Obama speaks to children from Elizabeth Garrett Anderson school in London as they visit Christ Church College in Oxford, England.

 

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Comments (0) Dec 18 2011

“Lets Move!” with Smiles

Posted: under "DID YOU KNOW".
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Michelle Obama welcomes runners participating in Run Across America at the White House in Washington, May 2, 2011.

First Lady, Michelle Obama welcomes young runners participating in Run Across America health campaign at the South Lawn of the White House…

 

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First lady of the United States, Michelle Obama has become an advocate for healthy eating, veterans and military families, poverty awareness and women’s rights.  Here are some recipes created with Michelle’s veggies in the White House kitchen, and served to the Obama family on a fairly regular basis….

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Enjoy…!

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Grilled Chicken Salad with Herb Sherry Vinaigrette (serves 6)

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2 pounds assorted seasonal garden greens like arugula and and baby spinach

 

6 chicken breasts (6 ounces each)

 

1 tablespoon thyme

 

zest from 1 lemon

 

6 sprigs chives, chopped

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For the Vinaigrette

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Comments (0) Dec 18 2011

Smiles: Sharing and Caring with Love

Posted: under "DID YOU KNOW".
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Are you ready for Michelle Obama, kitchen goddess? The first lady’s pulling a Gwyneth Paltrow and publishing a cookbook.  Americn Grown, on sale April 10, 2012, combines veggie growing tips with recipes inspired by Michelle’s White House garden.

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It’s a garden she’s toiled over since 2009.  So have daughters Sasha and Malia, who help with the weeding “like it or not”. Despite being a gardening novice, Obama’s laid the groundwork for over 55 varietals of veggies. Stalks of black kale, bright yellow peppers, and beams of eggplant have grown from the most expansive garden the White House lawn has ever seen.

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Now it’s growing beyond the Obama home, and into the cookbook arena. According to her publishers, she’ll use the garden’s offerings as the starting point for seed-sowing, recipe ideas and personal anecdotes and photos of the Obamas’ home-base. The aim of the book is to show how “increased access to healthy, affordable food can promote better eating habits and improve health of families and communities across America,” according to the publishers at Random House, who

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Comments (0) Dec 18 2011