The Bluebird Patch

    With the panorama of the Atlanta skyline as the background lies Plaza Fiesta, an often overlooked building by many metro Atlantans. This is not your traditional “lifestyle” mall. This is a place where worlds collide. One you step in you feel like you are in a totally different country. Personally, Plaza Fiesta gave me flashbacks of my years in Guadalajara. When you enter, the first thing that hits you is color! Quinceañera dresses, Madonnas, “zapatillas de futbol” (soccer shoes) and Mexican garlands are hung everywhere. Your eyes don't know where or what to look first. Is a full blown sensory overload. However, the best part of this place is the collection of unique eateries. I swear, Plaza Fiesta is the perfect place for a Food Network episode. So if you are feeling adventurous, and want to try something new give it a try. Sundays are the best day to visit since they have live mariachis. One word of advice, bring cash since most eateries are “c...

Live without pretending, Love without depending, Listen without defending, Speak without offending. Drake Source: Tumblr

After loosing all my documents and family pictures due to a hard drive malfunction, I learned the hard way to NEVER rely on a computer as "storage".  Let's be real, computers get infected all the time, they can get stolen, or in my case be permanently damaged. These days having a "cloud" or online management system is crucial and not having one is like playing Russian roulette.  I was contacted by AboutOne to review their new online management system and let me tell you it is absolutely wonderful. I deeply regret not doing this before but oh well you live and learn. AboutOne is a secure online family management system that makes it easier for families to manage daily life by providing a centralized location in which to quickly and easily store and manage beloved family memories and vital household information. Family members are able to access this information anywhere, anytime—at home or away, from any web-enabled device. With its time-saving featur...

Our newest resident Mathew Stewart ( @stewmj on twitter) who recently relocated from Cleveland to Atlanta, submitted one of his favorite recipes to the patch. His recipe is an adaptation of Rachel Ray Pretzel Crusted Chicken Breast.  We  were thrilled to post his recipe and we encourage you to follow him on twitter.  He is a super nice guy!! When asked who he discovered this recipe he replied:   " I got this recipe originally from the Rachel Ray show... I don't actually watch RR, but found it online when I was searching for a fun & somewhat easy recipe to impress my then-girlfriend.  As you can see, this recipe requires pretzels, in my excitement to cook this dish, I forgot to buy pretzels at the grocery store.   Luckily I had a bag of Pepperidge Farm pretzel goldfish which works perfectly.   Midway through the meal, I wondered if this dish would be any good with the other flavors of Goldfish (Pizza, Cheddar, Parmesan)...

 A family that sticks together, stays together. The more I learn about Bluebirds the more they fascinate me. I think is something about their temperament that makes me like them so much. Did you know Bluebirds are known to be quite devoted to their young? Eastern Bluebirds lay a clutch of four to five eggs brooded by the female only for 12 to 14 days. After hatching, the young are cared for by both parents. After the young leave the nest, they remain as a family and frequently travel within the nearby territory for a few days. After the mated pair begin their second brood, the fledged young remain nearby and help the parents take care of the new brood. There are times when either the first or second nesting is seriously disturbed and, when that happens, bluebirds will occasionally raise a third brood in one season. Interesting...  These little fellas have strong sense of family. Who knew?  Photos via http://www.tumblr.com and http://www.welovebirds.org/

A Place Called Blessing: Where Hurting Ends and Love Begins John Trent, PhD & Annette Smith Publication Date: May 3, 2011 Publisher: Thomas Nelson 192 pages "Once when I was pretty little, Mom and Dad took me and my brothers with them. They stopped on the way at a gas station and got us Honey Buns. Our mom gave us a blanket that was in the front seat. When we got to the bar, they left us in the car. It was only supposed to be for a little while, but I guess they forgot. Matt and Sam and I fell asleep and did not wake up until the cops came and opened the doors". The Blessing Many of you are going to be surprised with what I am about to say, but as soon as I realized this was a christian novel I lost all hope on the book. I took me several days for me to find the motivation to sit down and tackle it.  But guess what? Once I started, I just couldn't put it down. I needed to know what was going to happen to those poor boys bouncing from one foster home to anothe...

The United Nations General Assembly adopted on Tuesday a non-binding resolution that will acknowledge happiness as an indicator of a country’s success, saying that this is critical to advance economic growth and social progress. Calling the "pursuit of happiness" a "fundamental human goal," the resolution recognized that it was a universal goal, which is in the spirit of the UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which are the internationally agreed on developmental goals. The resolution called on a "balanced approach" to economic growth that can lead to sustainable development, poverty eradication, happiness and well-being of the planet. The UN General Assembly has Bhutan’s ambassador, Lhatu Wangchuk, has been lobbying political leaders on his proposed ‘Gross National Happiness’ indicator for the past 10 months. He secured the backing of 66 countries before the UN accepted his plan on Wednesday. Countries will now be measured on their qualit...

The mistake we make is not going for happiness first. If we did, everything else would follow.  Deepak Chopra

"Never keep up with the Joneses. Drag them down to your level. It's cheaper."   Quentin Crisp I swear I am so OBSESSED with this video that I decided to post it and share it with my readers. Last week, I stumbled across a video of Debra's shotgun shack. Her downsizing story is one many of us can relate. We are living in one of the worst depression in the past 100 years. Yet, many us hold on to things that are dragging us down. Although living in a 320 square-feet home is not for everyone I believe there is a lesson to be learned here.  Happiness comes from having low expectations and living in acceptance. Keeping up with the Joneses will drag you down to a path of financial misery and unhappiness. We don't need huge houses and crazy mortgages to keep us happy. The more we own the more we struggle. We need to stop caring what other people think. Don't focus on what you don't have and learn to work with what you have. Go small but think big. Gather...

"MAKE YOUR MARK: ULTIMATE DANCE OFF – 'SHAKE IT UP' EDITION" LANDS IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA ON SATURDAY, JULY 23 "Shake It Up" Star Roshon Fegan to Participate in Fan Q&A Make Your Mark: Ultimate Dance Off – 'Shake It Up' edition," Disney Channel's first national dance talent search just for kids, hosted by AT&T U-verse, will make its mark at Mall of Georgia in Buford, Georgia. Kids ages 8-16, with the consent of a parent, will have the opportunity to show off their dance skills and record a dance video onsite for online submission for a chance to compete in a dance off to air on Disney Channel in October 2011. The grand prize includes a special guest dance spot on "Shake It Up" plus the chance to meet the cast. Fans and dance enthusiasts are invited to come down and participate in a Q&A with Roshon Fegan. *A limited number of special "AT&T U-verse Dance Passes" will be available at the AT&T Sto...