so over it

I'm happy to say I'm so over my computer freak out. I feel silly for having gotten upset over something so trivial when there are starving people and folks with serious health issues all over the globe, but I guess it will always be true that blue days happen occasionally in my life. 

The good news is that my main man, Quiet Guy, was able to fix the issue. Yay, QG! That night, as I was laying in bed trying to get to sleep, I realized that I'd been forgetting to do my "What Went Right" exercises for months. That's a helpful practice of reviewing my day before I fall asleep to pick out three things that went right that day, and concentrating on those for a while. I got this exercise out of a book on happiness and it's really great for fostering a positive outlook. 

I was thinking that, just like I have to keep up my yoga and physical exercises if I want to avoid the pain of arthritis and stuck joints since the accident, I need to keep up my mental exercises to avoid emotional pain and to accomplish the most. Interesting, as I never thought of it in these terms before, and it motivated me to continue with habits of gratitude, prayer & meditation, and What Went Right. 

These are some beautiful long green beans. I got them at HMart, an Asian grocery store nearby. I've been reading tons of cookbooks lately, and the more I get into cooking, the simpler my methods become. Doing the least to food seems to maintain flavor the most. I've gotten into roasting veggies. I sprinkled these beans with a little olive oil and salt and pepper, then roasted them in a 425 degree oven for about 25 minutes. So easy. So delish. 

I made them with this simple pasta dish, which I adapted from another recipe. Take 3 fourteen ounce cans chopped tomatoes, heat with 1/2 stick butter, three cloves sauteed garlic, 1/2 chopped sauteed onion, salt and pepper to taste, and 1 to 2 Tablespoons dried basil. Heat to boiling, then simmer about 5 minutes. Cook a pound of spaghetti, and toss with the tomato mixture and 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese.

The beans and the pasta dish were two of my what went right's for yesterday. The other was the Burberry London fragrance deal I snagged. This is my favorite perfume, and I was out. Found a bottle on sale at Target and got it with my b-day money from my mother in law, Jane. Isn't that the sweetest that she sends me a check on my birthday. That kills me. I am lucky to have such a peach of a mother in law.