#Magnificent Mondays! #2: Confucius Says...

Quote of the Week: "If someone else gets it in one try, I will try one hundred times. If someone else gets it in ten tries, I will try one thousand times. " Confucius

Rumination: This quote by the famous Chinese philosopher is one which is becoming more and more dear to me as time passes. Too often we are caught up in what others do or have, how much they earn, how much they spend. As mothers, we become competitive in how fast our children walk and talk, whether they sleep through the night just like someone else's, whether or not they hit the ground running in kindergarten. Learning to go at our own pace doing the very best that we can, and redoubling our efforts to achieve our goals is always a lesson that is worth learning and relearning as we journey through life.

Mantra: :"Unique and unrepeatable diamond am I"

Recipe: Carrot ginger soup! Just the thing to keep you trying for your goals!

Ingredients: 2 tablespoons sweet cream butter

2 peeled and chopped onions

6 cups chicken broth

2 lbs peeled and sliced carrots

2 tablespoons grated fresh ginger

one cup whipping cream

salt. to taste

white pepper. to taste

sour cream

parsley sprigs


1. Put a pan on medium high heat.
2. Place butter and onions inside of the pan, stirring until onion is limp.
3. Add broth+carrots+ginger to the pan.
4. Cover and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to simmering(the carrots will be tender when pierced).
6. Remove from heat.
7. Transfer mixture to a blender.
8. Pulse mixture and then puree to smooth the mixture.
9. Return to the pan and add the sweet cream.
10. Stir over high heat until hot.
11. Ladle into bowls and garnish with sour cream and parsley sprigs. Enjoy!

*When blending, be sure to be careful of not filling the blender more than halfway. Also, leave one corner open and cover with a towel.

Exercise: Out of bed, your chair, stop and now:

1. Inhale deeply.
2.Raise arms up above the head.
3. Put arms down by side.
4. Inhale and repeat 3x.
5. Inhale.
6. Now bend the knee and raise the right leg, then the left leg.
7. Repeat 5x.
8. Inhale and done!

Salutations: That's it for this edition, and if you find your enthusiasm flagging for your New Year's resolutions, it is not too late to reset and try again! With this cheerful soup inside of you and brighter days ahead, go for your goal and use your own timetable of ten times or one thousand times to achieve what you want this year!

Bis vivit qui bene vivit,

Doula Angelita