All the same...

Everything is the same. I have been telling my kids this for years. If you learn how to stand in line and wait your turn for the slide in the playground then later you can stand in line at the grocery store. If you helped a teammate get up on a field of play then later you give a friend a ride to the airport. If you got stuck on a problem and asked the teacher a question then later you will ask for help. If you can translate a picture in your head to something on a piece of paper then later you can prepare presentations whether in a boardroom or the dinning room. If you had an idea and were encouraged to voice it then later you will be willing to offer new concepts in the workplace. If you sat quietly through a Sunday mass then later you can sit through a meeting or a presentation. It's all the same and for that reason it all matters.

I am convinced of this and I seriously doubt you could change my mind about it because each day that passes I see it more and more.

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending my nephew's (he's 13, we'll call him N13) piano recital. Because of timing restraints I was only able to go to one and not the other because they are now go to different teachers. There were going to be 11 performances. It was a small venue and all the students are truly talented.

My BIL was going to video the entire performance to later give copies to the other parents. He set up his tripod and camera coincidentally right next to where we were sitting as it was the best vantage point. My younger nephew (N8) was in the aisle seat and was warned to not kick, touch, bump etc the tripod. He also warned all of us sitting nearest that ANYthing we say will come out in the video to be gifted to all the parents.

The first student , she was maybe 8, went up and played from memory their solo. The woman sitting behind me whispered something to her neighbor, she opened the zipper on her purse removed and opened a pack of tissues. The rest of the students went up for their performances and she continued to whisper comments, removed water bottle from her purse which her neighbor had to open and made more noise than I could stand. In a short break where they had to change the piano bench for someone, I turned and reminded the woman that everything was being recorded right next to her. She just smiled at me. She was perfectly quiet when her grandson performed but not the others.

Later BIL joked with me and thanked me for making the comment because he felt awkward doing so since this person was related to him and N8 commented to me that he behaved better than she did. He hoped she'd be more respectful at his recital and wondered if she does all that at Mass. From the mouths of babes....

It's all the same people and it matters.

I did some new baking this weekend. I made truffles with brandy. It was my first time. I coated them 3 different ways some with cocoa powder, others with crushed pistachios, and others with crushed pretzels. I chose pretzels because the person I was giving them to likes the sweet and salty combo.

The truffles were a bit involved. It's not that its technically hard to make it was just a lot of steps and working with chocolate and melting it and getting it to the right temp was a bit daunting. But know that I've done it. I have some ideas to make it easier and I will take on the task again. I already bought more chocolate.

I have 6 of each kind to hubby's aunt as her birthday present. I told her to be honest with me later and tell me which ones she liked, if any, because they were an experiment. I didn't tell her I had tried one and didn't like it.

I had some leftover and so I took them to a girls game night where I volunteered to take dessert because I wanted to make a Marmalade Cake I saw here: http://orangette.blogspot.com/.

The truffles were sampled there and enjoyed and I tried one again and it was good. I guess the brandy and chocolate needed to mellow. Now, I know.

The cake intrigued me the day I read about it and I had been wanting to make it and my girlfriends were the perfect guinea pigs. I really liked the way it came out. It was very simple looking but full of flavor. I totally see why she called it a marmalade cake not an olive oil cake. The olive oil is not a predominate flavor. The citrus and almonds totally steal the show.

I have one more birthday to plan for this month, hubby's, then I will start planning on the April ones which I already have some ideas for one of which requires setting up the sewing machine again. So, here we go.

Oh, I almost forgot I used my homemade vanilla in the recipes this weekend. I think it worked well. I am going to give some to a girlfriend who bakes a bit to have her try it and see what she thinks.

Other happenings:

* 17 went to a school retreat for 3 days. I have never done anything like that and I know he's been dealing with some issues that he doesn't want to talk to mom about and I was thrilled and grateful when he came home Friday raving about what a wonderful experience it was for him. He says it truly brought him closer to the classmates and teachers that were there and to God. He felt very good about things and I am so happy for him.

*20 had an accident in the weight room while he was bench pressing. The bar slipped from his hand and +200lbs fell on his chest. Miraculously, he's fine. He didn't even crack a rib. The Dr. didn't believe it when he saw the x-rays and so he ordered a scan and both came out clean. He's in pain because he has severe bruising but nothing broken. Thank goodness!

* My dog isn't doing very well. I see him more lethargic than normal and he has these growths that I won't go into detail here but they are gross to deal with and are giving off a bad odor. I think it may be time to say good-bye. I need to talk to the rest of the family about this.

* I have been watching more old movies and still have many recorded to watch. I saw 42nd Street, Broadway Melody and Golddiggers of 1935 and a documentary about Zora Neale Hurston as well as some cooking shows. I'm enjoying the old movies, surprised I know so many of the songs from the musicals but I guess I just didn't know what movies they came from.

The Bad, the ugly, and the good.

The Bad news: 19s football team lost on Saturday and so they will not be going to the playoffs. They do have one more bowl game this Saturday but its really a non-event. :(

The Ugly: In my project this weekend making the pañales I am using clear thread. Do you know what color clear is? Its the color of whatever it is on; its clear! Do you know how hard it is to thread a frickin' frackin' needle with clear thread? Let me tell you it is really really hard. Do you know how hard it is to untangle clear thread? Let me tell you it is practically undoable. I gave up and just started over. Do you know how hard it is to stitch and know where you are with clear thread? Let me tell you it is really really hard. So, aside from being one of the hardest projects I have EVER done and testing my patience, it is coming out great. I completed one and have one more to go. I don't think I have enough patience in me for the third one. We shall see....

The Good news: 19 will be home for the holidays, including Thanksgiving. 17 has completed all of his college applications and already met with his counselor at school and had him send all the transcripts etc. He is already working on scholarship applications and completed a couple over the weekend. Comfort and Joy!

Note: Yes, I know that undoable is not a word but that's part of the point. It is taking to parts unknown! Gimme Patience.

Yahtzee!

I mean BINGO!

We really did a lot this weekend. It was very productive and busy with house things, crafting, cleaning, errands and add to that GM in the hospital and that makes for one jam packed weekend.

I actually went to the scrapbook store on Saturday for about an hour and as per usual spent more than budgeted. But oh well. I got ALL my cleaning and then some done. Microwave is fixed. Missing shutter was replaced. I changed the weather stripping on the front door. Did maybe 6 scrapbook pages and the cover of a scrapbook, made some birthday cards. Set up all my online bill paying for the month. Packed up clothes for donate to Haiti. I saw the movie Smart People on DVD. I thought it was hysterical and laughed out loud. Hubby fell asleep. As you can see it was a wide variety of things that got done this weekend.

But the highlight was relaxing Sunday evening with friends who came over to watch football. The husbands and 16 watched football and my friend from The Mind Wobbles and I played Scrabble. For the first time in my life I got a BINGO! You know, when you are able to put all of your tiles down in one turn. My word was r-a-n-t-i-n-g-s. Coincidentally, she had played the night before with her hubby and she got a BINGO too. I think it's a hoot that we both did it the same weekend. We constantly say that we share a brain. There's just more proof.

Apple picking

I have been thinking a lot lately about the parents of my moms best friend in life. Honestly, I only saw these people maybe a couple of dozen times in my life but they made an impact. Thinking now I am sad to say that most of these people have passed on (my mom, her BFF & BFF's dad not sure about the mom, I have spoken to BFFs kids in a while.)

Anyway, he was one of those full of life people. He had such a zest for life it was contagious. He shared his laugh, smiles and verve with everyone around him especially his wife. She shall we say doesn't have the same zest for life that he did. She's not a warm and fuzzy one she has some rougher edges but you appreciate her too. She tends to complain a bit more than he did and she always has those little barbs that she tosses out all the time about everything that make you think she's not happy. But deep down I think she is, it's just her way. So, they were an interesting couple to watch in action; always counterbalancing each other. Almost as if she just couldn't handle his overbubbliness and had to be stick in the muddish. Like they were made for each other because he made her get out and go and enjoy and maybe her being they way she is made him all the bubblier. Who knows.

They lived in Tampa and I grew up in N. VA. I remember one fall when they were driving through to PA and stopped at out house for a couple of nights. They were probably in their mid 50s. Our house had 2 beautiful apple trees (one green and one red) on the side. The lawn was covered with apples and leaves of every color. It was really picturesque. He wanted a picture of them and the apple trees. Most people would just stand there, maybe put their arm around each other smile, say cheese and snap- there's your picture. Not good enough. Pretend we're picking apples! He yells out. She simply explains there are no apples they can reach, they are all rotting on the ground besides everyone will know that we didn't really pick them. As if he didn't hear her, like a little kid he exclaimed, We can reach these! as he picked one off the ground, dusted it off on the back of his pant leg, turned it so the bruised part wasn't showing, held it up to the branch as if it were hanging. With her hand in one hand and holding the apple in to the branch he yelled at me Take it Now! with the biggest smile you can imagine. After I took the picture he told us he picked the red apple because it was her favorite type. She said something about that it was old and dying. I remember him leaning over and giving her a peck on the cheek saying it was crabby just like her but he loved them both and he actually took a bite out of the 'clean' side of the apple! I screamed in shock that it was rotting and gross. He showed it to me and said it was fine. Things may look old and crabby on the outside but inside they are sweet and fine. I was dumbfounded as I followed them laughing inside.

I think of that moment a lot. It taught me a lot. We have to make our own fun, our own moments in life. We have to take the time to see the good stuff inside. There's always something we can appreciate and crabby people can help us appreciate the sweetness of life even more because we need to help them see it. Plus, you never know the impact any little thing can have on a person. I mean look at what snapping that picture some 27 years ago did for me.
I wonder where that picture is? I need to call his grandkids and keep in touch with them. I hope everyone's alright.

Halfway there....

The year is half over! Can you believe it? I can't. So this would be the time of year that I take a look back and see what I've done and set my mind to a few more before the end of the year. I think about the resolutions I made and where I am with that.

So, I don't remember my resolutions. I looked back at my end of year and beginning of year entries because you would think that I would have blogged about it but didn't see any. So, we'll move on to what I have done. I fixed myself. That its I found a Doc, a DOM (Dr of Oriental Medicine) who has fixed me. I'm not in pain anymore. That's a biggie. Of course, i still have to loose weight so I am starting to walk. Haven't blogged about it because I didn't want to jinx it. But I am going to try to walk and reduce my intake. I'm already eating better because of my DOM but the problem now is quantity...proportions. My head knows the right ones but the serving hand, mouth and stomach aren't listening to the brain. I need to work on that.

I have been doing more of my hobbies which I am enjoying tremendously. I am scrapping, cooking, embroidering, crocheting and even starting to sew. It's lots of fun. I need to organize my self better and clean out closets and drawers to make space. I need to keep working on that.

So, looking ahead....I see walking....more crafting.....de-cluttering and organizing my surroundings...

Mental Feng Shui

A friend sent me this as a chain email and I liked the message so here you go! I deleted all the chain mail parts.

Mental Feng Shui
ONE. Give people more than they expect and do it cheerfully. T
TWO. Marry a man/woman you love to talk to. As you get older, t heir conversational skills will be as important as any other.
THREE. Don't believe all you hear, spend all you have or sleep all you want.
FOUR. When you say, 'I love you,' mean it.
FIVE. When you say, 'I'm sorry,' look the person in the eye.
SIX. Be engaged at least six months before you get married.
SEVEN. Believe in love at first sight.
EIGHT. Never laugh at anyone's dreams. People who don't have dreams don't have much.
NINE. Love deeply and passionately. You might get hurt but it's the only way to live life completely.
TEN. In disagreements, fight fairly. No name calling.
ELEVEN. Don't judge people by their relatives.
TWELVE. Talk slowly but think quickly.
THIRTEEN. When someone asks you a question you don't want to answer, smile and ask, 'Why do you want to know?
FOURTEEN. Remember that great love and great achievements involve great risk.
FIFTEEN. Say 'bless you' when you hear someone sneeze.
SIXTEEN. When you lose, don't lose the lesson.
SEVENTEEN. Remember the three R's: Respect for self; Respect for others; and Responsibility for all your actions.
EIGHTEEN. Don't let a little dispute injure a great friendship.
NINETEEN. When you realize you've made a mistake, take immediate steps to correct it.
TWENTY. Smile when picking up the phone. The caller will hear it in your voice.
TWENTY- ONE. Spend some time alone.
A true friend is someone who reaches for your hand and touches your heart.

My sweet boys!

No! I am NOT being sarcastic. After dinner last night I sat at the table with both of my sons and we gabbed for about two (yes 2!) hours. It was lovely.
We talked about school stuff but not the grades, the people and the dramas that are in every high school - the stuff soap operas are made. Some of the other things we talked about:
sports (duh), their friends, upcoming summer dreams, college wishes, wouldn't it be great if..., remember when..., comparing my high school days to theirs, weekend plans.

It was great, we didn't watch TV, we didn't do any chores. We just sat, the 3 of us and talked and talked and talked. Really nice. They have no idea how much it meant to me even though I told them.

Balance?

I laugh in the face of balance! Who needs you?! I certainly do not!
Fri...
Bought/gathered the goods to make the pañales, cut up and sewed the hems and prepped the rest for the road trip, up until midnight when 15 and his friends got picked up for his weekender (I didn't see him again until Sunday at 10:30- when I got home), forgot to make Sat's dinner. The best laid plans....
Sat...
Up at 4:15 making breakfast to fuel a long distance runner, left the house in the dark at 5:45 with hubby to Sebastian thinking I'll keep sleeping in the car. The rainstorm of the century decided to come down upon us and I was wide awake with hubs trying to make sure that we stayed in our lane and not hit anything. Everyone driving with their hazards on at 20 mph with minimal visibility. Are we having fun yet!? We did that forever (read: a good hour) and then it finally started letting up. Who can sleep now? I'm wide awake so begin crocheting in the car. WE finally make it to The Meet miraculously on time, with 15 minutes to spare. It's freezing! The wind it blowing 30 mph (read: 30 mph- seriously!) Gratefully, I find a windbreaker in the trunk of the car because I'm in short sleeves and brought a broad rimmed floppy straw hat for sun shade! We find the team and settle in the bleachers, 18 is in the first race the 4x800. He runs well but the wind made a difference in the times. The team came in 6th in that event. Well, we got points for the team. I spent the entire day sitting in the stand crocheting off and on, tossing drinks down to kids on the track, handing out snacks and food in the stands, hubby made a run to the grocery store, we all got sunburned and were cold. Lots' s of good fun. The races were awesome. We placed in everything we competed in except the discus and shotput. We were in 1st or 2nd place the entire morning. After the lunch break we were in 1st but only by a few points. It was tight all afternoon. The final race, 4x400, we are up by only 6 points. Our cross-town district rivals are in second place, this is their best event. 18 was the first leg, he ran a close 2nd, we ended up in 7th place giving us 2 more points and our rivals came in 2nd place giving them the 9 points they needed to win The Meet by one point! it was very exciting. Our boys ran their hearts out. We drove back, beat just beat! Showered while dinner got delivered, ate and to bed.
Sunday...
Slept in till 9:30. Nice. But by the time I came out of the bathroom hubby tells me its 10:40. WHAT! I was in there for 10 minutes not an hour! He gives me some crap about Spring forward. Whatever! After breakfast, I proceeded to wash, dry and fold 637 loads of laundry (precisely that many), make a grocery list for hubby, pick up for the cleaning lady that's coming on Mon., all while watching The Bridcage. I love that movie. It's hysterical! I cooked the meat for tomorrow's dinner...yeah! and left at 5:00 to go have amazing Indian food with my girlfriends. Boy was that delish!
Not exactly the balanced weekend I planned but there ya go. Life got in the way again. But it's all good; a good time was had by all.

Weekend planning

So, as you know it's off to Sebastian, FL tomorrow for the Track Meet. I bought some crochet thread in a seafoam green to crochet a border for the baby blanket. Well, it's not a blanket I think it may be called a Receiving Blanket in English. It's made of diaper cloth. Anyway they didn't have the diaper cloth at my craft store. I will try to go after work to another one that's sort of on the way home. If not then I will embroider a design on a bib. I have a yellow bib at home a gajillions of pattern and thread. So between that and the book I need to finish I am good for the trip.

Tonight I am making Carne con Papa to leave done for tomorrow's dinner. That way we have food ready to eat when we get home for dinner. Tonight I am making fish for me and dad and Shrimp Alfredo for the runner because he needs the carbs. Plus I will do a little scrapping after I get everything ready for tomorrow.

Sunday, I want to sew. I have some pillow forms and a pink fluffy material that I bought a while back to make pillows for my niece. I am also going to dinner with my girlfriends. We are going to try a vegetarian Indian restaurant. I also need to update my agenda with dates for other track meets and a few other things the kids have told me about. Plus I have some Thank you cards to send out.

If I actually do these things then I will have actually done like all my favorite things in one weekend! It sounds like an aggressive list to me. Let's see how it turns out.

MARCH!

It's March already and I realized this weekend that I have not read one book yet. Heck, I have only read scrapbook magazines. I am in the middle of "Into Thin Air" and I've been in the middle of it since December! So, I brought it in to work today and by golly I am going to read on my lunch hour. I have to get a balance on all the things I like to do and not let any one get out of hand. Yeah right.

My good deed for today was surprising my GM at the Rehab Center for breakfast. I took her a pastelito and cafe con leche on my way in to work. I have the car today because the boys have a Track meet and go on the bus. She was surprised to see me since I didn't call first. She loved the pastelito and ate that plus the breakfast they gave her. And I took her and her neighbor a couple of books. For my GM, Mario Puzo's "The Godfather" and for her neighbor one in Spanish because she doesn't read English by Isabel Allende.

It was a nice way for me to start the day too.

Cuban cooking

Not too long ago was the inaugural Cuban cooking class. It's being documented over here.

I have been wanting to do this for years. I have talked about doing this for years with family and friends and it's finally happened. I am so happy about it. It means a lot to me. I don't know if I can put it into words but here goes. I didn't grow up here in Miami. I grew up in Northern Virgina and so my sense of "being Cuban" is VERY different from that of my friends who all grew up here.

In fact, growing up my family didn't talk a lot about Cuba and their life there, their exodus etc. I caught bits and pieces because I learned early on how to sit quietly and listen. Grown ups tend to forget that you are there and you pick up on all kinds of things. In any event, the gist is that Cuba wasn't a part of my upbringing the same way it is if you grow up here in Miami. My parents and grandparents all spoke perfect English. I didn't even study Spanish in high school. I studied French and by the time I graduated high school I spoke that better than Spanish. My Spanish was negligible and I couldn't read or write it all.

My grandparents and parents actually went to school here in the states and therefore acclimated very easily to American life. They had homes in the states, in Cuba, Madrid, Miami and Tampa since the early 30's and travelled back and forth with ease. My parents were very American and brought us up that way. I didn't grow up on the Cuban-American hyphen. My mother was adamant that we were American. I know that was a sore spot between my parents. My grandparents and father were very active in politics (that was why they relocated to Northern Va.) and therefore made many friends and enemies Cubans, Cuban-Americans and Americans alike. My father always put me and my brother in the forefront of any march or protest. I don't remember all the causes but I remember all the arguments. My mother always won only allowing us to participate if we carried American flags not Cuban flags because we are American not Cuban. Period. And so with that as a background, you can understand that meals at my home were meatloaf and mashed potatoes not palomilla and frijoles. My grandmother never cooked anything, it's just not her style. My paternal grandmother was the cook and although she ended up in Elizabeth NJ, working in a factory after her jet-set life, I always thought of her as my only proof of 'being Cuban'. Since she lived so far away, I never shared those things with her but I am always told that I am a lot like her.
I didn't grow up with the Cuban smells, sounds and tastes. I only experienced that in the summers when I would come to visit in Miami. It was a whole other world. Honestly, I never thought I'd live here. I always associated Miami with vacation not life, work and real world stuff. Nevertheless, here I am. For years, I talked about learning to cook the recipes that my husband's grandmothers made for us by heart, with a pinch of this and a little of that. Sadly, it never happened and we have since said good-bye to both of those ladies. And as I am now watching his parents, aunts and uncles get older and a little more tired I am determined to learn these things because I want to be able to pass them on to my grandkids and not have these meals just be a memory that my kids talk about to them but I want to pass them on to them.
I know there are a million restaurants that we can go to and buy the food already made but it's not the same. (I'm the one who makes Thanksgiving completely from scratch-just because.) When one of my kids ends up in Timbuktu and I can make Arroz con Pollo or Carne Asada and Flan, it will bring back a flood of memories and help create new ones for others. I love when 18 walks in the house when I am making Ropa Vieja and says "It smells like abuela's house when I was little." It makes me smile.

The kitchen is the heart of the home and I don't want to loose the Cuban beats. That's why I was so excited about the lesson a few weekends ago and look forward to those to come. We were taught to make ham croquettes. When my husband bit into a freshly fried one he said "I remember these." I later fried a few to take to my GM at the rehab center and when she took the first bit she said they were just like when she was little. It brought tears to my eyes. It took her to such a happy place and that meant so much to me to be able to do that. Memories...more and more I am convinced that's what it's all about...memories. Que siga la tradicion...
Mom, I know I'm American but I think I am much more than that and I embrace it all.

Lovely

What a nice weekend I had.....Semi-prodictive, VERY relaxing and lots of reconnecting....just lovely!

Saturday, after running errands early and doing house chores, I had lunch at home with hubby. Nothing special, just reheated leftovers from the crappy week but it was just the 2 of us and we sat and talked and it was nice.

We then went and picked up 18 at the airport from his week in DC. Heard a bunch of stories, he had a great time. We had an early dinner and all 4 four of us just sat around after dinner and 18 told us stories and we updated him on things from our week. It was nice. It all seemed so "grown-up". Hubby and I commented later that it was a little surreal that those were our children seeming like adult friends. Again, it was nice. Saturday night hubby and I hung out together and watched Tivo and folded clothes and sorted some pictures that I will be scrapping.

Sunday, I didn't have time to make the usual waffle breakfast for the boys because they slept in and I had the first cooking class that day but I left them the batter ready to go and was happy to hear later that they made their own waffles when they each got up. Of course, hubby commented that he hopes they ate more than they spilled all over the counter.

The cooking class... I am organizing cuban cooking classes to pass down home recipies to this generation. This was our inaugural class. it was at one of my best friends' mom's house. We learned to make ham croquettes. It was fabulous. Such a wonderful time. During the downtime form the actual cooking we sat aroudn and she showed us on old photo album and we talked about all sorts of things: Cuba, our kids, comparing the raising of kids from their times to our times to our kids, music etc.. It was soooooo nice!

When I got home 18 had me fry up some croquettes right away and loved them. We had another easy nice dinner and then the boys went out. I did some scrapping and hubby watched TV and we called it an early night around 11.

Such an easy, pleasant weekend. I wish everyday could be that way....

The Mayonnaise Jar plus...

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 glasses of wine...

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.
The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.
The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'YES.'
The professor then produced two glasses of wine from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.
'Now,' said the professor, as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life:
The golf balls are the important things; your family, your children, your health, your friends, and your favorite passions; things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.'
The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, and your car.
The sand is everything else; the small stuff. 'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'There is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you.'
'Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. Do one more run down the ski slope. There will always be time to clean the house and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first; the things that really matter. Set your priorities.
The rest is just sand!

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the wine represented.

The professor smiled. 'I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of glasses of wine with a friend.

I had heard the Mayo Jar story part but not with the 2 glasses of wine. I like that addition because that's the part I need to work on. Keeping connected with friends. I'm not good at that.

Tips for an Exceptional, Superb &Powerful Life!

It's still January. That time of year where life reflection and correction is á la mode. This was recently emailed to me and I think it's a comprehensive list that is right on target. Of course, it is much easier to post this list than it is to live out the list. We'll see how it goes.

Tips for an Exceptional, Superb & Powerful Life!

1.) Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile. It is the ultimate antidepressant.
2.) Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day. Buy a lock if you have to.
3.) Buy a Tivo (DVR), tape your late night shows and get more sleep.
4.) When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, 'My purpose is to________ today.'
5.) Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm, and Empathy.
6.) Watch more movies, play more games and read more books than you did last year.
7.) Always pray and make time to exercise.
8.) Spend more time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of Six.
9.) Dream more while you are awake.
10.) Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less foods that are manufactured in plants.
11.) Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.
12.) Try to make at least three people smile each day.
13.) Clear your clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.
14.) Don't waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts or things you cannot control. Instead, invest your energy in the positive present moment.
15.) Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class .......but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
16.) Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.
17.) Smile and laugh more. It will keep the energy vampires away.
18.) Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
19.) Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
20.) Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
21.) You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
22.) Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
23.) Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
24.) Ladies - Go on and burn those 'special' scented candles, use the 600 thread count sheets, the good china and wear our fancy lingerie now. Stop waiting for a special occasion. Everyday is special.
25.) No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26.) Frame every so-called disaster with these words: 'In five years, will this matter?'
27.) Forgive everyone for everything.
28.) What other people think of you is none of your business.
29.) Time heals almost everything. Give time, time!
30.) However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
31.) Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch with them.
32.) Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
33.) Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need. God provides remember?!
34.) The best is yet to come. (in Heaven)
35.) No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
36.) Do the right thing!
37.) Call your family often.
38.) Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: 'I am thankful for __________.' Today I accomplished _________.
39.) Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.
40.) Enjoy the ride. Remember that this is not Disney World and you certainly don't want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

LIVE, LOVE, LAUGH. LIFE'S A GIFT ... UNWRAP IT!
Have a Blessed day. Please share with friends!

What day is today?

Houston, we have a problem. I thought today was Thursday and well, it's not.

Last night as we were getting for bed and my mind was running through the next days events I told hubby to remember that he was on his own tomorrow with the boys for dinner, I have Game Night! He sleepily (he had just laid down and was half asleep but that's a whole other blog!) replied 'I thought that was on Thursday'. Yeah. Well, tomorrow's only Wednesday. Dang!

And I woke up this morning thinking (ergo problem: thinking before caffeine intake) again it was Thursday! Dang! Do you think I am looking forward to Game Night?

Now, some of you may be asking what is Game night and how old am I. Well, I'm 42 and yes, I play games; board games, card games with my girlfriends. We get together every so often and play for a few hours, eat and drink and hang out together. It's fabulous. Invariably we laugh! Extremely therapeutic! If you don't do it, you should. Start a game night. Have some fun! I think tonight, I mean tomorrow we are playing charades. It should be a hoot and a half!

Who's in your front row?

A friend sent this to me and I liked it!

Everyone Can't Be in Your FRONT ROW.

Life is a theater so invite your audiences carefully. Not everyone is holy enough and healthy enough to have a FRONT ROW seat in our lives. There are some people in your life that need to be loved from a distance. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you let go, or at least minimize your time with draining, negative, incompatible, not-going-anywhere relationships, friendships, fellowships, and family!

Everyone Can't Be in Your FRONT ROW.

Observe the relationships around you. Pay attention to: Which ones lift and which ones lean? Which ones encourage and which ones discourage? Which ones are on a path of growth uphill and which ones are just going downhill? When you leave certain people, do you feel better or feel worse? Which ones always have drama or don't really understand, know and appreciate you and the gift that lies within you?

Everyone Can't Be in Your FRONT ROW.

The more you seek God and the things of God, the more you seek quality, the more you seek not just the hand of God but the face of God, the more you seek things honorable, the more you seek growth, peace of mind, love and truth around you, the easier it will become for you to decide who gets to sit in the FRONT ROW and who should be moved to the BALCONY of your life.

Everyone Can't Be in Your FRONT ROW.

You cannot change the people around you...but you can change the people you are around! Ask God for wisdom and discernment and choose wisely the people who sit in the FRONT ROW of your life. Remember that FRONT ROW seats are for special and deserving people and those who sit in Your FRONT ROW should be chosen carefully.

Everyone Cannot Be in Your FRONT ROW!

Sometimes I think I need to be more selective on who I give tickets to and where their seats are located. I tend to leave the door open and its a free for all. Sometimes that's fun but not always. HMmm.