FroZenLemonZ

Green Velvet Cupcakes for St.Patrick's Day ...

Green Velvet Cupcakes

I've decided

I'll bake

Green Velvet Cupcakes

to take to the

St.Patty's Day Party

I'll attend this weekend

time permitting

I'll do a "test bake"

midweek

any takers

to sample the first batch?

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk***
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 oz green food coloring

*** to make buttermilk, place 1 tablespoon of white vinegar

in a liquid measuring cup.

then add enough milk to the cup, to bring liquid to 1 cup line.

let stand 5 minutes.

voila - Buttermilk!

preheat oven to 350 degrees,

line cupcake pans with cupcake papers

******

in a medium bowl, whisk lightly eggs

add oil, buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla & food coloring

whisk all together til blended ... then set aside

in a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, cocoa, salt & baking soda

pour 1st bowl (wet ingredients) into 2nd bowl (dry ingredients)

then beat on medium speed with an electric mixer for

1 minute, or JUST until everything is well combined

DON'T overbeat, or the result will be very tough cupcakes!

bake for 15-17 minutes

cool completely before frosting

the ICING on the cupcake!

if you're in a hurry,

Betty Crocker makes

a decent premade cream cheese icing,

sold aside cakes mixes,

in local North American grocery stores.

Home Made Cream Cheese Icing

1 oz pkg of softened cream cheese

1/4 cup of margarine

1 - 2 lb bag of icing sugar

milk as needed

cream together cream cheese & margarine in a bowl until smooth.
slowly add in, icing sugar as you continue mixing.
add just enough milk as needed to get to the desired consistency.

either spread cream cheese icing on cupcakes with a knife,
or do what I've been doing for years,
put cream cheese icing in a ziplock bag,
then cut a very small corner off the bottom of bag
and pipe icing atop the cupcakes!

Enjoy!

The Locomotive Engineer, that gave me clarity & calmness

Several people have asked me how it is I'm now able to go forward in such a public way, concerning Ty & rail road safety.
It is in part, because I had the "benefit" of connecting with a CN Locomotive Engineer.

This individual was not involved with my sons "incident" but was aware of the situation.

By providing concise answers

to the questions I asked him,

with regards to trains in general,

this person

gave me unprecedented access into his world.

I believe it took great courage on his part, to give me permission & the opportunity to ask away.

Me the Mom,

with the son killed by a train

asking a Locomotive Engineer questions

that only the 2 of us will ever know.

This CN Freight Train Engineers job required him to travel the very same rail road tracks where Ty walked listening to his iPod and was struck by a train & killed.

I greatly respect him allowing me into his mind, as I was aware, he himself has been involved in "incidences" at work.
How quickly their job can become cruel & haunting, when an Engineer is put into a situation when death is forced before them.
He was cognizant of the conflict within me, and I was equally mindful that by him giving me "carte blanche" I could be unsettling his calm composure.

It is in part, to the willingness of this unnamed person, that I've arrived to this point; that when I hear or see trains it does not cause me panic, and when the train whistles, I no longer struggle to catch my breathe.

He's very aware, the difference he has made to my life.

( we met outside of any professional setting. never did he have comment nor give opinion on my sons"incident" or regarding any "incident" he was involved in, nor did I ever take conversation there)

Out of a beloved son's death, a train safety message emerges

re-posted from Operation Lifesaver Canada

March 7, 2012

Ty King was not your average teenager. He was rarely without a smile on his face – and this smile was contagious. When Ty entered a room, everyone inside felt his positive energy and immediately felt happier. He was a natural leader – someone who stood up for what he believed in and would speak up if he witnessed any form of wrongdoing. He was active at his Grimsby, Ontario high school, re-establishing the Breakfast Club and pursuing his interest in the arts by participating in the school’s drama program. He had an innate ability to view every adversity as a challenge and every obstacle as an opportunity. He immediately saw the best in everyone he met. His future looked limitless.

Photo of Ty King taken in 2007

By now you’ve noticed that Ty’s story is being told in the past tense. That’s because on September 29, 2007, Ty was struck by a train and killed instantly. It was exactly 27 days after his 18^th birthday.
Ty’s mother, Pam King, says that he was not a risk taker. In fact, on the day he was killed, Ty was attending driver’s education classes because unlike his two older brothers, he hadn’t felt ready to get his license when he was 16. That Saturday afternoon, Ty left the driving school, placed his headphones over his ears and began to walk to meet some friends to prepare for a drama presentation.
Pam doesn’t know if Ty made it a habit to walk on the railway tracks that run through the middle of their town. But on this day, as Ty walked along the tracks listening to music on his iPod, he was unaware of the fact that a train was travelling at full speed toward him. The train engineer spotted him on the tracks and desperately sounded the horn, but Ty’s music prevented him from hearing it. And then there was impact – in an instant, Ty and his promising future were gone.
Pam remembers Ty’s 18^th birthday as a day when she reminded him once again that of her three sons, he was the one that made her want to be a better person. He led by example – an example that she followed. When he died, she knew that she couldn’t let his death and the tragic, but preventable, circumstances that surrounded it go unnoticed. She contacted Operation Lifesaver to tell her family’s story – and in doing so, allow Ty to impact others by providing one last important example.

Last photo taken of Pam and Ty, 2007

“I have a social responsibility to be involved with train safety – to share my tragedy, to prevent other families from having to undergo the pain of losing a loved one.”
Ty’s needless death serves as a devastating reminder of the importance of behaving safely around railway property. Pam hopes that in hearing the circumstances of her son’s death, people will realize that railway tracks are an incredibly dangerous place to be.
“I want the public to understand that train tracks are a high-speed, 24/7, autobahn for train traffic and train traffic only. If a pedestrian were seen walking down the middle of a highway, the public would recognize that as a life threatening situation and the police would be called. It is no different for a person walking on train tracks.”
Pam hopes that her story will show other parents that it’s imperative to include railway related information as part of the general health and safety messages they share with their kids.
“As a mom, I enrolled my sons in swimming lessons to make them safe around water. I talked to them about the dangers of hydro wires and about the dangers of illegal drugs. I had my sons wear helmets when they rode their bikes. They wore seatbelts in the car. I warned them to never talk to strangers. I did everything possible to prepare my sons for the world’s potential dangers – with the exception of one thing. Never once did I talk to my sons about walking on train tracks. And I’m left to regret that every day.”

Chicago St.Patricks Day Parade

St. Patrick's Day

is fast

approaching

If I could be

any one place

to celebrate

the

"Luck of the Irish"

would be

Chicago!

click here Chicago St.Pats Parade

SPA TIME at home! ... Grapefruit Soak

relax
unwind
and find calm & peace
at home in your own bathtub :)

I've enjoyed the privilege
of being spoiled & pampered
with treatments at Spa's
over the years.

being in that zenful environment
is as close to heaven
as one can get

but for some,
it may not be a time option,
some may require childcare,
live in an area
that doesn't have Spa's
or it may
simply be an issue
of not having the extra dollars
for a luxury splur.

the good news is ...
many treatments are possible
to create in your own home!

I regularly have
"in home treatments"
based on
previous Spa experiences I've had

for the cost of just a buck or two!

Grapefruit Soak

***

cut thick slices of 4-5 grapefruit

( check out the

produce mark downs,

those grapefruit will serve the purpose

and save some money!)

prepare your bathroom with candles
(if you don't have
candles at home,
a quick run into
a Dollar Store will do fine!)

it's all about staging the effect
for a CALM YOU TIME!

with candles lit,

run a bath of warm to warm plus water

add the pre-cut grapefruit
to the tub water

as you relax in your tub,

rub one slice of grapefruit at a time

to a section of your body

feet,

legs,

tummy,

chest,

hands,

arms,

neck & face
(the alphahydroxy acid
helps slough off dead skin)

after each
grapefruit slice has been used

squeeze remaining juice

into bath water

discarding used rind
into a bowl beside the tub

soak, relax & focus
only
on the present moment

your mind & body
will thank you

treat your feet to this pedicure!

Pedicure Pick Me Up!

soak your feet

in warm orange juice for 10 minutes

( if your new to this soak,

after you've done this once

...you'll be hooked! )

pamper your feet

by scrubbing with:

a mixture of

1/2 cup sugar & 1/2 cup cooking oil

rinse and dry your feet

then pretty up your toes

with a fun coat of polish

your feet will thank you!

Be the type of person you want to meet!

would you want

to become friends

with a person like yourself?

If you answer, no ...

what about your life

are you able to modify

to become

the type of person

you want to

meet?

This is to not to suggest

becoming phoney,

this is all about

taking an objective overview

of how you present to others,

and

letting

the best of

you,

rise to the surface!

from unable to speak in public, to Public Presenter ... the story behind the Kings Speech!

My voice once lost
will now prepare to be heard Nationally

I lost my ability to speak in public for 4 months after my son was killed.

I'm not referring to public speaking; I'm stating I could not utter a single sound in public if others were close enough to hear me.

The only exceptions were the 3 following ... my middle son Trav, who I never told I

was having this communication shut down, rarely did I tell him of the difficulties

I experienced, not that he wasn't caring, I simply could not burden him with my issues, he had enough to deal with.

... my ex John, who I kept in close contact with.

... and when I was at the St.Catharines Rowing Club, because it was my "safe place".

My inability to allow my voice to be heard by others, began several months after Tyler

was killed.

Dr.Pierce, my family doctor, assured me it was trauma working

out of my system, and that my ability to "speak" in public would return.

As I am a Real Estate Broker, this made earning an income impossible.

But after a child is killed, getting through the next 5 minutes is what it's all about.

Survival is paramount, mine & that of my 2 remaining sons.

After months of spoken silence,

it then took many more months,

for me to build back up,

to once again

confidently communicate with the public.

There were several times in 2008, when I didn't think I would be able to return to

working in the public eye ... who would want to with ...

People staring & glaring at me, only compounding my living hell.

Me hearing people discussing the "incident", making my life fucking nightmarish.

(note to Public: in the future, assume the Mother whose child you are discussing

can hear you BECAUSE SHE DID ... )

I understand the public was not intentionally bringing harm to me, but for the love of God,

when jaws would drop when they would see me out in the shops, when I

would wave to my neighbours and they now were uncomfortable to extend

the friendly smiles as they once had always done, when people I recognized would

spin their grocery carts 180 when they would see my in the aisle to avoid having

to acknowledge me ... it only added to my extreme pain.

During the rawest moment of grief, I was "gifted" an angel, who stayed with me

through the worst moments & celebrated with me the best.

Tricia a mother of 4, knew sudden lose; her parents were killed in a car accident

years earlier & the year prior she had buried her nephew, her sisters boy Aaron.

She knew the reality of life.

She also realized, my survival was in her hands.

Never once did Tricia let me down.

We "met" as strangers, and she became one of my most trusted friends.

North American writer & author of several books, Tricia LaVoice, the creator of "Wishes" pulled me into shore & never allowed the tide to pull me back out to sea.

( “Wishes” can be heard on Tricia's friend Leeza Gibbon's radio show "Hollywood Confidential" as well as various other places, GOOGLE & enjoy them! )

"I wish for everyone reading this, a friend like you Tricia" xo P

I eventually fled Grimsby

on my predetermined day of April Fools Day , 2009

I drove away from town that morning,

without ever glancing back into my rear view mirror

I kept my focus straight ahead

I never wanted to ever set foot back in Grimsby.

Never is a word, we should never use ( or use it sparingly! lol)

In 2011, the single reason I could "safely"

return home ... appeared in my life.

He gave me the strength, to face my fears.

He gave me the courage, to tackle my obstacles.

He guided me when needed, stood beside me when I was standing on my own,and was behind me to catch me when I would start to fall.

He gave me the burning desire, to return to the only place I consider to be home,Grimsby.

Transitioning back into town, was not smooth, nor easy at all.

The pictures on Facebook may have shown me all smiles, but it was challenging,

With the support of Joe & many friends, I eventually "arrived back home" !

fast forward to now:

I am not as strong as I was when Tyler was living. I am stronger.

It is said in life, what doesn't kill, you makes you stronger, I guess I'm an example to that.

I am in a "unique" situation, to bring public attention to rail road safety & I have a vested interest.

I don't want another person to lose their life senselessly, to a preventable death.

the voice that once was lost, has resurfaced

ASPIRE to INSPIRE before you EXPIRE

I triple LOVE this!

WHAT

are you

planning

to do with

YOUR LIFE ?

WHAT

will

YOUR LEGACY ?

When I knew I was ready to become a Public Presenter

February 13th 2012, was the day I became aware, how strong I have become in my personal recovery since my 18 year old son Tyler King was killed by a train, as he walked the train tracks listening to his iPod,
on September 29th, 2007, in Grimsby, Ontario Canada
I now knew I was ready to take on a much more public role, in rail safety awareness, to reach maximum people possible, as to the reality of the danger of rail roads.

me & Tyler

on his 18th birthday

September 2nd, 2007

I contacted Operation Lifesaver in Ottawa, Canada.
I'm now in the process of providing all the documentation required to be accepted into the program at Operation Lifesaver to be trained to become a Public Presenter for Operation Lifesaver.

(The following is directly from the Operation Lifesaver website)

Operation Lifesaver is a unique public-private partnership that promotes awareness to help save lives and reduce suffering from injuries incurred at highway/railway crossings and from trespassing on railway property.

Funded by The Railway Association of Canada and Transport Canada, this partnership initiative is guided by a National Operation Lifesaver Advisory Committee, which provides advice to the national director regarding the development and implementation of the program. This Advisory Committee is chaired by representatives of Transport Canada and the Railway Association of Canada. Other members of the committee include representatives from the Canada Safety Council, CN, and CP, VIA Rail Canada, theOntario Provincial Police, the Sûreté du Québec, GO Transit, and the Teamsters Canada Rail Conference.

Mission & Purpose

Every year in Canada approximately 300 collisions and trespassing incidents occur at highway/railway crossings and along railway tracks resulting in the death or serious injury of nearly 130 people. Virtually all of these incidents could be avoided.

Operation Lifesaver saves lives by educating Canadians about the hazards surrounding rail property and trains. Our mission is to prevent collisions between trains and motor vehicles. We also work to prevent trespassing incidents that lead to serious injury or death.

We make over 2,000 presentations per year to schools, youth clubs, driver associations, snowmobile clubs, and other community groups. We work with the rail industry, government, police, unions, the media, other organizations and the public to spread the word.

Believe in yourself ...

the

single most powerful

deciding factor

between

success and failure

will be determined

by one thing.

whether

you have a

believe in yourself

no one can,

make

you believe in yourself

nor can it be given to you

nor can it be lent to you

nor can it be bought for you

it must be felt within

♥

Happy Family Day

wishing everyone

HAPPY FAMILY DAY

some family is by birth,

some family is by choice,

and

some family is 4 legged with wagging tails!

may you enjoy

happiness & laughter

today

and

everyday

with your family

♥

Success isn't how far you got ...

occasionally

you

look over your shoulder

back towards

the start gate

and

appreciate

the miles

of ground

that you have covered

you will

refuel your confidence

to reach

your goals!!!

2 more teens killed on rail road tracks

Operation Lifesaver

2 more Canadian teens

were

killed this week

by trains,
as they were

walking along rail road tracks

distracted
by their electronic devices.

Upon hearing

this tragic news,
I realized
I had

now
become
strong enough

to be

a public voice & face

the reality

the

rail road tracks.

my
18 year old

son

Tyler King

was

killed by a train

as he walked the rail road tracks

distracted
by his electronic device,

on September 29th, 2007

Grimsby, Ontario Canada

I will now
join forces with
(click) - Operation Lifesaver
and become
a public presenter
for
rail road safety.

I will share
The Tyler King story
in attempts
to save another life.

The living hell
me,
Tyler's dad,
Tyler's brothers,
Tyler's friends & co-workers
friends of my family
and
the community locally & from afar
have been made to endure,
is
the reality show
no Hollywood Producer
could ever capture.