SERVAS International

SERVAS is a non-profit international, non-governmental organization founded in 1949. Based on understanding, tolerance and world peace it is an organization of volunteer hosts and travellers divided into nine areas around the world with each area having its own coordinator.

"It operates through a network of Servas hosts around the world who are interested in opening their doors to travellers, and, "on the other side of the coin", many open-minded travellers who want to get to know the heart of the countries they visit. "

How does Servas work?
"Through SERVAS, travellers have opportunities to meet hosts, their familes and friends and join in their everyday life. Where convenient, hosts may offer two nights' accommodation and invite travellers to share a meal."

"Names and addresses of hosts appear in annually produced lists which are made available to approved travellers. Servas hosts are just a cross-section of ordinary people."

So if you would like to meet people from other countries or travel in a different way off the the tour route check out what SERVAS has to offer.

You can go to their website to learn more:
http://www.servas.org/index.php?id=InfoCenter%3AWeb+sites%3AInternational%3AWelcome%21

Kansas Peach Cobbler

1 - 29 oz. can sliced peaches, drained
5 slices white bread
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 T flour
1 egg, beaten
1 stick margarine, melted

Preheat oven to 350. Place fruit in 8 x 8 pan. Cut crust from bread and cut each slice into 5 strips. Place bread strips on peaches. Mix sugar, flour, egg and margarine. Blend well and pour on top of bread strips. Bake 35 - 40 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm with ice cream or good cold, just plain.

Thanks to my Aunt Sylvia for this Pass-Along recipe!

Emergency Cellular Telephone Numbers

"The National government and many states have mandated that 911 work from your cellular telephone. According to many Cellular Providers, they are making strides to accomplish this.We urge you to check with the local or state authorities, before you travel."
"Here are the state police / highway patrol telephone numbers by state. (Go to link below.) Law enforcement agencies urge motorists to use these numbers only to report accidents, emergencies, impaired drivers, reckless drivers, vehicle problems, hazardous material spills and criminal behavior."

http://www.shopoakpark.com/info-cellnumbers.html

"Fair warning - your cellular telephone may or may not work with the numbers at the website."

Birthdays....

For a number of years my childhood friend Carol and I have been exchanging gifts through the mail. Her birthday's the 6th and mine is today.
I was telling someone the other day that ever since my mom died my birthday has never been the same. She always made it special, from making my favorite meal, her fried chicken and the dark chocolate cake with the whipped cream frosting, to finding unusual little gifts that she'd sometimes pick up on vacation. They were always neatly wrapped and given with a beautiful card. My dad most always would give me a Snoopy card always addressed to "Deb-a-roo". I don't remember why or when that started.

But now I have my package from Carol and I really look forward to it. Her mom passed away a few years ago and I'm sure there was something that she did that she misses too. So a new tradition has replaced the old. It's great to have good friends.

"Make new friends but keep the old, one is silver and the other gold.
- From The Girl Scouts Pocket Songbook

Copyright © 2006 Deborah Sharp Loeb

(See 6/3/05 post for the cake recipe.)

Family Watchdog

"Family Watchdog allows you to see where registered sexual offenders live and work around you."

http://www12.familywatchdog.us/

Go to their Frequently Asked Questions for more information and explaination of this site.

Thanks Carrie for passing this along.

Blind Date Cake and Butter Cream Frosting Recipes

Cut 1 cup dates fine. Add 1 1/4 cups boiling water.
Stir and mash. Cool.
After cooled, add 1 teaspoon baking soda.
Cream 1/2 cup shortening and 1 cup sugar.
Add 2 beaten eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
Sift 1 1/4 cups flour, 3 Tablespoons cocoa, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Stir together, add date mixture and put into a greased 9 x 13" pan.
Topping:
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 small package chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
Mix together and sprinkle on top and press lightly into batter.
Bake: 35 minutes at 325'

This Pass-Along Recipe comes from my neighbor Linda She also sends along this Frosting recipe from Kay Lithgow.

Butter Cream Frosting

2 pounds powdered sugar
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup butter
1 Tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt
approximately 1 cup milk

Beat shortening and butter, vanilla, salt until light and fluffly. Then add sugar and milk. Add milk a little at a time until mixture is consistancy of whipped cream. Less milk is needed in hot weather.





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Recognizing a Life-Threatening Stroke

The following is in part an email I received from my friend Carrie and I thank her for this "Pass-Along" of some very valuable information.

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify.
Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster. The stroke
victim may suffer brain damage when people nearby fail to recognize the symptoms of a stroke.

Now doctors say a bystander can recognize a stroke by asking three simple questions:

1. *Ask the individual to SMILE.

2. *Ask him or her to RAISE BOTH ARMS.

3. *Ask the person to SPEAK A SIMPLE SENTENCE (Coherently) (ie . It is sunny out today)

If he or she has trouble with any of these tasks, call 9-1-1 immediately and describe the symptoms to the dispatcher.

After discovering that a group of non-medical volunteers could
identify facial weakness, arm weakness and speech problems, researchers urged the general public to learn the three questions. They presented their conclusions at the American Stroke Association's annual meeting last February. Widespread use of this test could result in prompt diagnosis and treatment of the stroke and prevent brain damage.

My nephew, Ian Leber, an ER doctor adds the following:
"The facts are that if a person presents within 3 hrs of the onset of symptoms, they MAY be eligible (depending on type of stroke, medical history, blood pressure and symptoms) for “clot busting medicine”. This can sometimes (about 30% of the time) reverse the symptoms, however it is not without risk. There is about a 10% chance of bleeding in the brain when giving this medicine and this can be fatal.
The most important thing anyone can do is get to the hospital IMMEDIATELY if they have any of the above symptoms. Even if the symptoms go away in a short period of time (known as a TIA-transient ischemic attack, or “mini-stroke”), it can still be a warning sign of an impending stroke. I believe that 30-50% of people who experience TIA’s can go on to have a full stroke within 30 days if they are not treated."

For more information go to these sites:

http://www.strokeassociation.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1020

http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/stroke/knowstroke.htm

http://www.strokecenter.org/pat/warning.htm

Recipes Using Parchment Paper

I received the following email so I'm putting it out there to you fellow "farmers" to help Dottie out with her recipe request. You can email your recipes to Dottie directly at: Aries46Leo810@aol.com Below is what I found on the Internet for her.

Hi Debbie,
I'd like to know if you or other "Farmers" have any recipes (the easier, the better!) requiring parchment. There is one for scallops in Real Simple {Feb. 2006} month, but I'd like one for chicken or salmon as well. Thanks for the cookie recipe. Can't wait to try it!
Dottie
All Saints'

For Recipes Using Parchment Paper go to:

http://www.dinnerunplugged.com/reynoldskitchens/kitchenconnection/search/results3.asp?Step=ProductRecipes&prodID=20
or
http://www.chefsselect.com/htm/jmrecipe_box.htm

Salmon:
http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?type=content&id=recipe4068&layout=edf&edfParentCat=

Red snapper:
http://seafood.allrecipes.com/az/redsnapperinparchmentpaper.asp?showform=email

Chicken breast:
http://www.cooks.com/rec/doc/0,1739,154183-226199,00.html

Monk Fish:
http://www.freshfish4u.com/recipes/228.htm

What Type of Friend Are You?

"Are you a straight shooter? A nurturer? A problem solver? A girl (or guy) who just wants to have fun?"
Go here: http://www.positivethinkingmag.com/page.asp?prmID=3
to take an online quiz to find out what kind of friend you are from the Jan./Feb. issue of Positive Thinking Magazine.

Sweet Dark Indulgence Cookies

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
finely grated zest from the whole outside of an orange
1 or 2 Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate Bars,
for 5 oz. size you’ll have some left over

Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat the butter and both sugars in another medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 30 seconds. Add the egg yolks, vanilla and orange zest mixing until fully incorporated. Slowly add the flour mixture, and continue beating until the dough comes together, stopping and scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.

Divide dough in half, roll by hand into 2-inch-wide logs, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, at least 2 hours.
Cut the logs into thin cookies. You can use a wire cheese cutter or a mandoline slicer to get the thin slices.
Cut each rectangle of chocolate in half to make a square that you place between 2 slices of dough. Pinch the dough all the way around. They’ll kind of look like round ravioli. If you make up more while some are baking keep them refrigerated until it’s time to bake them. This makes a thinner crisp cookie. You can also take some dough a little less than the size of a golf ball and place the chocolate in the center of it. The cookies will come out thicker and dome shaped.

(I forgot the vanilla extract once and they were still good because of all the orange zest.)

Bake 375’ for about 10 to 15 minutes until the bottoms are golden brown. Cool on sheets until firm enough to transfer to a rack to cool. Yield: 30 cookies

The dough for these cookies is from a recipe from the Food Network called 3-in-1 Sugar Cookies.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_31961,00.html
I thought they’d be good with the dark chocolate in-between and tried it out. Success! They’re especially good warm with the chocolate all gooey.
A piece of dark orange chocolate would be good too or perhaps an Andes Mint!

D.S.L. 2006

Musings for Toddler Moms

Barbara Crafton received the following email and passed it on to me. With Sarah's permission I'm posting it and requesting a response from other moms for Sarah. Also, I'd love for you to share your special moments with your child.

Dear Barbara,
I am a new subscriber to the Geranium Farm's eMos and I have enjoyed them so much... each day I look forward to seeing if there is a new one waiting for me! I am writing to ask you if anyone at the Geranium Farm writes a similar meditation for mothers of toddlers?

I am a mother of one 23-month old boy. As I'm sure you know, the days fly
quickly by. My mind is cluttered with so many things - (did I email that
file for the project at work? Is there a clean sippy cup in the car? Oh
gosh, I forgot to take the chicken out to thaw, whatever will I make for
dinner?) - and it is hard to find that still and quiet place to listen for
God's voice.

And yet, there are moments... last night, for instance, my son was
fighting a cold. He cried out to us from his crib, and I went in to soothe
him. I picked him up and lay down on his love seat with him snuggled
against my chest. As I lay there holding him in the dark, listening to the
faint sounds of my husband in the kitchen, and nuzzling his sweet-smelling baby hair as his breathing slowed and he drifted off to sleep, I thought,
"Yes, this is holy, this is sacred, this is grace."

I want more moments like that. I'm looking for meditations which will
help me to find them. Do you know of any?

Blessings to you, and thank you,
-Sarah

Twist Ties, Rubber Bands, and Paper Clips

My in-laws are in their 80's and underwent a move this week. You see for over thirty years they lived in an upstairs condo. That was all good and fine when they moved in, but now with them both using a cane to get around, the two outside sets of stairs were just becoming too much. I had hoped and even suggested that they did this move years ago. Well, that didn't happen. They were able to find a downstairs unit in the same complex, as my mother-in-law has friends and activities she enjoys there.
Phew! Thirty-three years of stuff and that was with getting rid of a lot. Depression era savers, my husband got some of that gene running through his veins from his father. Although he's more of a collector. Heck he had stored so much in my sister-in-law's attic, unbeknownst to my brother-in-law, that when he passed away (the family joke) we bought the house. Oh, the thought of emptying it out. I threaten him with eBay. I know that must be why he has yet install attic stairs.
If you were to have to move tomorrow what would you save and what would you get rid of? What would you just die of embarrassment to have anyone find in your closets or drawers? Spring cleaning is just around the corner. Hmmm....if I start now......

Copyright © 2006 Deborah Sharp Loeb

Baked Artichoke Squares

6-8 canned artichokes
2 eggs to start
flavored bread crumbs
milk

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and drain artichokes, gently squeezing out the water. Cut each artichoke in half. Beat 2 eggs mixed with a little milk. Dip artichoke in mixture, then in bread crumbs. Lay artichokes side by side in a greased baking dish. Cover with bread crumbs. Pour any remaining egg/milk mixture over the bread crumbs, adding more eggs as needed to cover.

Bake one hour until top is slightly brown. Cool and cut into squares.

This Pass-Along appetizer recipe comes by way of Joan Russo. She was David's bus driver for many of his years in High School.

2 Recipes - Meringues and a Coffee Cake

Meringues:preheat oven to 375 degrees
(The nice thing about this recipe is that they don't have to be watched.)

Whip two egg whites adding slowly
3/4 cup of sugar til mixture peaks
Fold in 6oz of semi-sweet chocolate chips
Drop in teaspoonful on cookie sheet
Put in oven and turn off immediatley and go to bed

Coffee Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1 package of fresh frozen fruit
1 cup of flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp of baking soda and baking powder
1 egg
1 cup yogurt
1/2 stick of butter-optional (I forgot recently and a
friend thought it was fine without so I have been leaving it out)
Spead fruit on bottom of square baking pan
Mix other ingredients til smooth batter and spread
over fruit
Bake 30-40 minutes or until a knife comes out clean.
It tastes better if served while hot

These Pass-Along recipes come from Wendy Rambo Shuford of Baltimore, Maryland. She says: "Here are two recipes, one I have been making for almost 40 years and the other I made up from taking averages of several coffee cake recipes. Thank you for asking for recipes. I just made two double recipes of the coffee cake as a thank you present for the local station of Public Radio. I have made the meringues as Christmas goodies for many years."

Black Beans and Rice

Moros y Cristianos

½ cup extra virgin Spanish olive oil
½ cup chopped green onion (scallions)
½ cup chopped white onion
¼ cup chopped green bell pepper
1 oz. chorizo (try to find some imported from Spain; it’s a hot sausage), chopped.
8 garlic cloves (yes, that’s EIGHT)
1 2 oz. jar red pimientos, drained and chopped
2 15.5 cans of black beans (Goya beans are good), well rinsed
4 cups chicken stock or defatted chicken broth
3 cups long-grain white rice
1 teaspoon ground oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon or so chopped cilantro : use less if it’s dehydrated. I chose not to buy a bunch of it, since it was cheaper to buy a nice ounce or so in a package, bright green – from Canada!
More olive oil (don’t exceed about another 2 tablespoons; I just guessed)
Salt to taste, about 1 teaspoon

Heat a large (at least three quart) pot or sauté pan. Don’t use a Teflon coated pan; who wants to eat more fluorine? Made right, this does NOT stick. Put in the olive oil (to save some calories, 1/3 cup will do, most likely) and add the chopped vegetables and the chorizo. Push the garlic cloves through a garlic press into the sofrito as you cook it. Yes, the oil and the veggies are the sofrito. The vegetables should get soft and the chorizo should render its fat; this will take about 5 minutes on medium heat. Add the black beans, mix well. Add the stock and bring to a boil, then add the rice, the oregano, and the cumin. It will smell fantastic now! Cover the pan with a sheet of waxed paper, and then a paper towel on top of that; put the lid on, reduce heat to low and let it cook for 25 to 30 minutes. The rice should be tender, but still moist.

Transfer it all to a serving dish, fluffing up the rice and distributing the beans evenly – they will have mostly stayed on the top; then sprinkle with the cilantro and some salt to taste, then drizzle with a little olive oil.

Adding the chorizo for a little extra kick! and the taste one gets only from animal protein was my idea; it is clearly optional, and without it, this would be a fine (complete protein) dish, and, incidentally, not very expensive.

Bon appetit.

This Pass-Along Recipe is from Nancy Torok.
She says: Serves 6 to 8 Cubans, or about a dozen non-Hispanics.
Its Spanish name is not exactly Politically Correct, but it is imaginative.
This is my version of Joyce La Frey’s recipe in her book “¡Cuba Cocina!”

Black-Eyed Peas Dip

1 3/4 cups black-eyed peas (dried)
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (optional)
1/3 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup butter or margarine
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
1 4 oz. can chopped green chiles
1 tbsp liquid from chiles

Cook peas as directed on package, or substitute 3 or 4 cans of peas or
equivalent amount of frozen peas. Combine peas, peppers, onion, and garlic
in blender, and blend until smooth. Set aside. Combine butter and cheese
in top of double boiler. Cook over low heat until melted. Add chiles and
liquid, and combine with pea mixture. Stir well and serve with corn chips.

This Pass-Along recipe comes from Ellie Chapman of St. Louis, Missouri with the following note: "My husband was rector of a church in St. Louis for many years, and we had a tradition of entertaining the parish at an open house on New Year's Day. The centerpiece of the party was always a large chafing dish of black-eyed pea dip. Everyone had at least a bit, to ensure good luck in the coming year."

A List of All the 2005 Hodgepodge Posts

Just to make it a little easier if you were trying to find an old post on Hodgepodge click here to find the titles, beginning on April 1st to December 2005:

A List of All the 2005 Hodgepodge Posts

If you can take a moment and scan through it I'd really like to know what you liked and want to see more of, as well as what didn't interest you. Email me or leave a comment. I'd like to hear your feedback. Thanks, Debbie

Quotes from TV Shows Trivia Game

Back in November, (See 11/9/05 post for recipe.) I made some Surprise rolls for our Geraniumfest get together. This time for Barbara and Q's New Year's Day party I made a little more of a game of it by putting quotes from TV shows in them. Each person had to match their quote to the show on the poster and place it under the TV Show title with fun-tack. The number after the title indicates how many quotes there are for a particular show. If you arrange the names of the shows in alphabetical order you should be able to figure out the correct answers. The winning quotes can be highlighted or you can put it on the sign on the basket of rolls as I did. You will have to make a double recipe of the dough to have enough for all the quotes.

If you'd like to get a copy of this game to print out go to:
Quotes, Show Titles, and Sign for Basket of Rolls

If you'd like to look for additional quotes, or have trouble matching the answers, you can go to this website where I found the quotes I used:
http://www.geocities.com/great_tv_quotes/

Chocolate Expresso Biscotti

This Pass-Along recipe comes from Lori and she adds:
"Here's a recipe for you. I make these every year and people go mad for them."

4 cups all-purpose Flour + flour for board
2 cups strained Dutch-processed Cocoa powder
2 tablespoons Baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 teaspoons Expresso coffee powder
2 teaspoons Cinnamon
½ teaspoon Chipolte pepper

2 sticks unsalted Butter
6 large Eggs
2 1/2 cups Sugar
1 cup dry Fruit pre-soaked in 4-oz liqueur: orange peel/sambucca, cherries or cranberries/cointreu. Soak for at least 2 days.

2 cups Hazelnuts, toasted (substitute: walnuts, pecans, chocolate chips. chocolate covered expresso beans…)
16 ounces Good quality bittersweet chocolate (for glazing toasted biscotti) or substitute white chocolate for contrast.

1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Lightly dab the corners of your cookie sheets with butter and line them with baking parchment.
2. Whisk together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, expresso powder, cinnamon, and chipolte. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat the butter until soft and light. Then add eggs and pinch of salt. Continue beating on medium speed until batter lightens in color.
4. Gradually add the sugar, taking about 2 minutes. In the last minute add the fruit and liqueur.
5. Add the dry ingredients about a cup at a time, mixing only until everything looks wet.
6. Remove the bowl from the mixer, and using a spatula, stir in the nuts. The dough will be soft. Let it rest for 10 minutes to thicken.
7. Drop the dough onto a heavily floured board and kneed. Cut dough in half and form logs 2 inches wide.
8. Put logs onto baking sheets about 3 inches apart. Use palm of your hand to flatten them to maybe an inch high. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes. To ensure even baking, rotate the pans half way through. Top should be a little darker with tears where steam has escaped in baking. Test it by pressing your finger on top: if done, cookie will spring back not leave a mark. The bottom should be a shade darker than the top. Remove to cooling rack and them sit for 20 minutes.
9. Using your sharpest knife, cut the logs on the diagonal into 1-inch-thick slices. Turn the slices cut side up and return to the oven for 15 minutes. Turn the biscotti over and bake for 5-10 minutes longer. You are looking for a nice crisp plane along the side of your cookie.
10. While the toasted biscotti are cooling, melt the chocolate using an electric chocolate pot or a double boiler. Dip the ends into the chocolate and set on wax paper. Harden off the chocolate by setting them in the refrigerator for an hour.

YEILD: 2-4 dozen. STORAGE: Store in an airtight container, layered between strips of wax paper, to up to 3 weeks. Hide them from everyone in the house, as fox have been known to pinch frozen cookies and leave the containers empty.)

Pinwheel Sandwiches

This Pass-Along recipe comes from Barbara Allen.
My favorite take-along item is pinwheel sandwiches, which are easy, look great, and can be made out of almost anything. Sometimes the cracker bread is hard to find. The bakery people tend to send you to the deli and the deli people send you back to the bakery. If you ask someone nicely, they may look in the freezer and sell you some of their private stock. You can order it online at www.HyeRoller.com and get three huge, flat breads that fit nicely under the ice holder in your freezer. I always make two and that fills a pretty tray with a few leftovers for filling in when there are blanks. These are always the first to go.

Dampen breads with spritz of water and cover with towel while you combine filling. My favorite is to beat together 2 8oz. pkgs room temp. cream cheese, chipped olives or capers, fresh dill, chopped scallions, lemon zest and enough liquid (lemon juice, olive juice, sour cream, yogurt) to make it spread easily. Spread on flat loaves, put 4oz. smoked salmon on each one and roll tightly (especially at the beginning, so you don't end up with a hole) and wrap in foil for 2-24 hours. Slice and garnish with dill.

You can use almost anything in this, dried, chipped beef, any thinly sliced cheese or meat, although I avoid tomatoes which get soggy. You can even make a dessert one with strawberry cream cheese, bananas, nuts, coconut, although I think it's gross

Good Luck Peas

A-Pass-Along Recipe from Allison Baylash

1- 16oz package of dried black-eyed peas
3 cups of water
1- 14oz can of chicken broth
1- package dry italian salad dressing mix
2- tbls. of red or black pepper
3 to 4 tablespoons of canola or olive oil

Soak peas in 6 to 8 cups of water for 1 to 2 hours.
Drain,rinse and sort them.
Place peas in a large sauce pan with 3 cups of water, broth,
dressing mix, pepper and oil.
Bring to a boil and reduce heat.
Simmer, covered with lid tilted for 1
to 2 hours, or until peas are tender.
If needed add more water or broth.
Serve over rice. --- Serves 12
Note - goes great with pickled sweet peppers.

Try it you will like it -------

gods peace
al

Barbara and Q Host a New Year's Day Party

Barbara and Q hosted a most wonderful New Year's Day Party for about 40+ people. Q, seen above, carved the 20lb. ham and everyone brought sides, drinks, and desserts. What a feast! There was a "Gimmick" game, meaning you had to bring a prop that represented an event from 2005. I made my "Suprise Rolls" and this time it was a "Quotes from TV Shows Trivia Game". (Check back later in the week for more details.) After dinner there was a game of 20 questions and a name game. There were so many yummy foods and desserts. I'll post recipes as they are sent in to me. If you were there, reading this, and and brought a dish, please share your recipe, or anyone the dish or dessert you like to bring to parties, by emailing it to me at: debbie@geraniumfarm.org Thanks!

Barbara leads the group in a game of 20 Questions

Happy New Year!

All the best to you and your family in the New Year!
Here are a few motivational quotations to help get you started.

"Even though you may want to move forward in your life, you may have one foot on the brakes. In order to be free, we must learn how to let go. Release the hurt. Release the fear. Refuse to entertain your old pain. The energy it takes to hang onto the past is holding you back from a new life. What is it you would let go of today?"
-Mary Manin Morrissey

"When you make a mistake, don't look back at it long. Take the reason of the thing into your mind and then look forward. Mistakes are lessons of wisdom. The past cannot be changed. The future is yet in your power."
-Hugh White

"Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going."
-Jim Ryun

"All your life you are told the things you cannot do. All your life they will say you're not good enough or strong enough or talented enough; they will say you're the wrong height or the wrong weight or the wrong type to play this or be this or achieve this. THEY WILL TELL YOU NO, a thousand times no, until all the no's become meaningless. All your life they will tell you no, quite firmly and very quickly.
AND YOU WILL TELL THEM YES."
- Nike ad

"Our lives are not determined by what happens to us but by how we react to what happens, not by what life brings to us, but by the attitude we bring to life. A positive attitude causes a chain reaction of positive thoughts, events, and outcomes. It is a catalyst, a spark that creates extraordinary results."
-Anon.