IT"S A BOY!

One of the most precious gifts of country life, is the appearance of new life.  This colt, born in the wee hours of Thursday morning, was a surprise to everyone---including his owner!  She'd bought his momma about 8 months ago, not knowing that Heidi was expecting.  Surprise!  A few months ago, Heidi started showing signs of pregnancy.  A visit with the vet confirmed her special surprise, and we all waited anxiously for the new arrival. 

Both Mom and son are doing great and had check ups from the vet; which they both passed with flying colors.  Tired, but healthy!  Despite this being her first time, and being a young mare, Heidi is a GREAT mom, and is super attentive to her precious bundle. 

Peeky-boo!

Lookin for lunch!

Look at those legs! 

We're thrilled for Heidi, her owner, and wish this precious boy a very blessed Happy Birthday!  We look forward to watching him grow, learn new things, and experience the precious gift of life through this little one's eyes.  We'll keep y'all posted and update often! ;-)

~Kimberly

Recipe request: My favorite fruit smoothie that gets my motor runnin---and keeps me going and full for hours!

I love food.  I love to cook/concoct, and I love to eat!  Because of my brain injury and multiple sclerosis, I need to keep an eye on my diet.  The food that I choose to eat needs to give me enough energy, protein, and nutrition to help fuel my body and keep me as functional as possible.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not adverse to eating not-so-healthy food, but everything in moderation! What it comes down to for me, is that the better I eat, the better I feel, so I do try to stay healthy for the most part, and indulge my cravings in moderation.

I was telling a friend about my favorite breakfast, my homemade fruit smoothie, and she requested the recipe.  I figured that I'd share it all with you here as well ;-) 

Since fresh, local fruit has not come into season here in Colorado yet, I use frozen fruit; which I will swap out with fruit from local farmers once it comes in season (Mmm, can't wait!)

Jersey Girl's Fresh Fruit Smoothie

1 1/2 c of fruit (I use a mix of strawberries, mango, peaches and pineapple---yum!)

1/2    c of blueberries (they have a lot of healthy antioxidants)

1    large banana

1 cup whole grain oats (they keep you full for a good, long time!)

1/2-1c of nonfat yogurt (any flavor--my favorites are vanilla or strawberry-banana)

2 Tbs. of ground flax seed (flax is good for so many things! Hair, nails, digestion, and has even been said to be a natural pain reliever.  Don't worry, you can't taste it and the kiddos won't even know its in there!)

Measure the ingredients into a blender and cover the above with enough milk (which ever kind you choose). Blend to achieve the consistency you prefer.  Enjoy! 

*If you use fresh fruit, you can freeze it ahead of time, or add ice cubes to get the frozen factor that makes this smoothie simply delish!  I would go with freezing the fruit ahead of time so as not to dilute the natural flavors with ice...but that's just me ;-) 

Makes 2-3 servings

~Kimberly 

Hey, Y'all! Welcome to my blog!

Hi!  I'm so glad you're here!  My name is Kimberly; and I'm just a simple girl from New Jersey who has been on an anything-but-simple life-journey; but truly, I really do love, crave, and appreciate the simple life.  I am a single mom to the most wonderful little girl, and I am a brain injury survivor.

In the past, our lives had been turned upside down, stirred, shaken, and shattered; but our cup overflowed with God's grace, and He gave us an amazing story to tell along the way! 

Today, I am a motivational speaker, and share my story with audiences all over the country (www.SpeakerKimberlyCarnevale.com). I'm also an advocate for brain injury awareness/prevention and speak about this subject that is so close to my heart (www.TheButterflyExpress.com).  

My daughter, dogs, and I were forced to leave our home state of New Jersey after a home invasion and brutal attack left us homeless, traumatized, and in desperate need of space to lick our wounds.  After living in the GREAT city of Nashville for a time, and a long, cross-country journey for brain injury awareness; we found ourselves in Colorado, and currently reside here in the foothills of the beautiful Rocky Mountains. We've done a lot of hurting, a lot of soul-searching, and a lot of healing; and we experienced God's grace through it all.

My favorite things in life have always been the simplest ones.  Nearly losing my life and being homeless for an extended amount of time has brought home very important life lessons to my little girl and I. We put stock in the things that really matter in life; and we know for a fact, after being on both ends of the financial spectrum, that "things" don't really matter at all. ;-)  

We're all about cowgirl boots, faded jeans, country music and the Great Outdoors! Our favorite place to be is outside with our animal friends! Being out in nature gets us up close and personal with God, and is a basic necessity for a happy life for me and my little girl.  Hanging out with our animals is not only enjoyable; but has been life-saving therapy for both of us. We love the country life and embrace it fully here in Colorado. 

 

I've blogged for sometime now... about brain injury, and our awareness tours.  Recently, I've been blessed to be able to take part in brain injury rehabilitation and utilize therapies that were not available 14 years ago when I suffered my brain injury.  The therapy promises to help me out in life with the things I struggle most with (cognitive impairment), but it really knocked me for a loop and exhausted me!  I found myself  craving a creative outlet for my writing that was fun, and had lots of helpful tips, funny stories about life in the country, life in general, animals, food, family and...oh, did I mention, FUN!?  I wanted a light-hearted blog that reflected all the things I love; and so, here we are at this Jersey Girl's Kountry Korner! ;-)

I plan to blog about the things that have, and continue to inspire me---from New Jersey to Colorado, funny stories, life on the farm, animals, positive stories from others, recipes, God's grace, family life, organization tips, decorating, crafts; and pretty much anything that tickles my fancy...and anything that tickles yours! ;-)  I welcome all feedback, ideas, requests and guest bloggers; so send me your tips, recipes, comments and ideas via the comment section or email!  

 I look forward to getting to know y'all, and hope you enjoy getting to know us, and all the crazy characters that make up our crazy, country life! I hope you continue on this new journey with me, and come sit a spell with us in this Jersey Girl's Kountry Korner!

~Kimberly