The concert last night was so awesome, I was on a high all night!  (Now I'm crashing...it's a good thing I took the morning off!)  We had the BEST seats.  Front AND center.  The woman sitting next to me was Thursday's winner.  She seemed a little jaded since she's won all sorts of stuff from XTU, including backstage passes to meet Kenny Chesney and they flew her to Atlanta for a concert!  The opening acts were really good. But of course, Toby got the real attention.  He played all his hits, plus some, for almost 2 hours!  Tom was really getting into it, too!  It was such a great night!!!

Yesterday, we met Eagles Kicker David Akers at the bank's newest branch grand opening.  There was a steady flow of people coming to see him and everyone really seemed to have a good time.  He was very nice and signed autographs for us.  Of course, we have Toby tonight - I hope he's ready for me!  I don't think I've ever been up close to two celebrities, let alone two in one weekend!

...to the Toby Keith concert!!!  Front row seats!!!  I just couldn't believe when I was caller 23.  For 3 years I've been calling, trying to get through and win something.  This morning, WXTU played two Toby songs back to back and I called in at the beginning of the second one.  Someone answered the phone "XTU" and I said "Am I the 23rd caller?"  He said, "You might be if you can get really excited, like you just won the lottery."  It felt like I had.  Then he put me through to the morning show hosts, Scott Evans and Andy Summers.  The conversation went something like this:

E&A: Hi Sandy...Guess what?!
S: I'm the 23rd caller!!!
E&A: That's right! And you got yourself front row seats!  Congratulations!
S: Oh my gosh, thank you so much!!!
E&A: This was the last pair of tickets we were giving away before the concert on Sunday!!!  Sandy, this means you are also qualified for backstage passes to see Toby Keith!
S: Oh wow, thank you!  I'm so excited for the concert on Sunday!!!

I picked up the tickets at the studio and now I'm on my way to see Toby!!!  Pictures to come!

I found a recipe for Portobello Mushroom sandwiches and this White Bean Salad on one of my favorite blogs, The Savory Notebook.  I love eating a great vegetarian meal and this one far exceeded my expectations -- to the point that if every vegetarian meal was this good, I'd go meatless in a heartbeat!  There were bursts of flavors in ever bite and one ingredient was never overpowered by another.   The meal was a delight and I look forward to the leftovers tomorrow night!  I know that the bean salad will be even better since it will continue to soak in the dressing.  Instead of using the mayo, since Alysha said was runny, I bought Red Pepper Spread at Trader Joe's, which provided a perfect consistency and really nice flavor.  I highly recommend these recipes and thanks to Alysha for providing them!

If ever you think your life is bad, imagine having 10 kids, an alcoholic husband and rarely leaving your small town in the 1950s.  Most people would be depressed by this situation, but not Evelyn Ryan.  She used her creativity as an outlet to make the best out of her situation and entered contests...winning anywhere from a few dollars for poetry to thousands of dollars and cars for jingles.  The back cover of the book sums it up nicely: "Standing up to the church, her alcoholic husband, and antiquated ideas about women, Evelyn turned every financial challenge into an opportunity for innovation, all the while raising her six sons and four daughters with the belief that miracles are an everyday occurrence."

This true story is now a major motion picture starring Julianne Moore.  It is excellent!  And you know the book is always better.  Just when I thought that couldn't be possible, it was!  I got the same tingly feeling from the book, but it was much more detailed and included pictures and copies of the actual contest entries.

Whether you watch the movie or read the book, you'll surely get something out of the story and be left with a sense of hope and deep admiration for this incredible woman.

Who likes getting up in the morning? Not me! But now I have something to look forward to since I found the best muffin recipe ever! Try whipping up a batch of Morning Glory muffins, a recipe from Cooking Light. They are so healthy and hearty. Tom even likes them and he usually thinks my healthy recipes are so-so.

It says in my Cooking Light magazine that you can substitute the pitted dates for dried apricots or raisins. So far, I have tried each of the alternates (the raisins were golden), and both were really good. I still want to try the pitted dates.

They freeze really well. A batch makes 18 muffins, so I'll pop most of them individually wrapped in the freezer and pull one out each morning on my way to work. What a time saver! By the time I reach my desk, it's thawed and ready to enjoy!

Here's a fascinating article from Wise Bread about baby carrots.  I had no idea they were so processed.  They don't taste as good as the real thing, produce more waste and are more expensive - I'm going back to the ones you have to peel, wash and cut just out of sheer principle.  We already started doing that with lettuce.  It's so much cheaper and has a better taste.

I'm trying to go back to the way things were.  When times were simpler.  When people weren't in so much of a rush.  I actually enjoy the 10 minutes it takes to wash and dry my own lettuce.  Making meals from scratch.  Even if it's just peeling my own carrot, it makes me appreciate things more. 

I stumbled on this treasure of a website: www.newdream.org.  It is all about everything I believe in: consuming less, simplifying, finding time, spending less and giving of yourself more.  Even if you don't agree with everything, you'll surely get something out of it.  Be sure to check out the newsletter, too!