New Year, New Beginnings

Hey Friends,

After a long absence, I'm going to give another go at posting. With the new year approaching I couldn't help think - what a great time to start over - with lots of things. I don't know about you but the turn of the calendar always gets me thinking. A LOT!! So I'll take the next little while to share some of those thoughts here.

Here's what's currently rolling around in my brain. I came across these 5 statements in the book by Andy Stanley - The Best Question Ever. Here they are. Ponder...Consider...Evaluate....

Maybe this will be the start of some intentional thinking about 2012.

1. There is cumulative value in investing small amounts of time in certain activities over a long period.

2. There are rarely any immediate consequences for neglecting single installments of time in any arena of life.

3. Neglect has a cumulative affect.

4. There is no cumulative value to the urgent things that we allow to interfere with the important things.

5. In the ciritical arenas of life, you cannot make up for lost time.

Scripture Chirp

Ps. 119:165
"ABUNDANT peace belong to those who love Your instruction; nothing makes them stumble."

Do you want stability and sure footing for your life? Here's the Rx. Find out what God is instructing you on and then pursue loving it - however confusing, difficult or unlikely it may seem.

Relationship Advice

I'm for sure no expert on relationships but I like this quote by Barbara Johnson on the importance of unconditional love.

"Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved." - Barbara Johnson

Some valuable guidelines for relationships

1. Support the person when you can't support their behavior.

2. Settle accounts immediately - time is the great enemy of reconciliation and restoration

3. Adopt forgiveness when reconciliation is not possible

4. The Bible says that love covers a multitude of sins. Integrate that.

Friends, parents, children, siblings, relatives......need love the most when they deserve it the least.

Bite Size Brain Snack

If you believe in yourself, have dedication and pride and never quit, you'll be a winner. The price of victory is high, but so are the rewards. - Paul "Bear" Bryant

This is a great quote from a famous coach - one that my son-in-law admires very much. It's true to the point that it takes an amount of confidence in yourself to be able to make substantial changes in your life. The older you get the harder it is. I know some folks who have done it. I've watched them turn around and go in a completely different direction after years of established habits and patterns.

I would like to add, however, that those who have a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, have the advantage of drawing on His very power, even when they are desperately weak, to continue to integrate those changes into their body (new ways of acting), their mind (it all starts with new thoughts) and their spirit (where the lasting motivation lives).

For You are my hope, Lord GOD , my confidence from my youth.
Psalm 71:4-6

She's Here!!

My heart is smitten, overtaken, striken, slayed, overwhelmed, undone....

Here's why -

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.639772509128.2138852.52707831

Bite Size Brain Snack

When you pray, it is better to have a heart without words, than words without heart.

From Bridesmaids to Babies

I know this is the natural progression of life - first you have weddings and then come the babies. I was thinking the other day about my mom. She had four children in a little over five years. That's just hard. It's hard when their babies, hard when their toddlers, hard when their all in school, hard when their teenagers!, and hard when they all grow up. I think there was one year when she had a graduation, a wedding, and a baby all in a 3 month span. Totally doable but that would rattle anybody's cage.

We had Jill's wedding in early May, 2010 and Lori's was in late 2008. It seemed like we lived and breathed in conversations that involved dresses and receptions and flowers. I loved every minute of it. It's so much fun to watch your daughter dream and plan a day that's all about her and man she loves. With very few exceptions we enjoyed every moment....there have to be a few tense moments - really!

And now we have transitioned, at least for the moment, into babyland. Lori and Ethan are having their first baby in a few weeks and Jill is talking about babies. It's what comes naturally but my feelings have caught me off guard. It's not hard to be excited, and I have been, but I'm such an experiential learner, that for a time my full blown enjoyment was still yet to come. Is that weird?

All that changed when the calendar flipped to May. It's here!!! The month our little grand girl will be here (unless she's dreadfully late). The nursery is ready. Mom and Dad are ready. Me and Papa are so ready!!!! Some days it feels like my heart is going to explode. I honestly don't ever remember feeling like this.

So much to come! And now we're counting days and not months or weeks. Yippee!!!

The Royalty of Family

Royal Wedding Reflections

Cast your vote...happy, healthy family?

I stayed up all night with a bunch of great friends to watch the spectacle of the royal wedding. It was a moment in history and I didn't want to miss a second of it in real time. The sights, sounds, color, pageantry, pomp and protocol were absolutely fascinating.

I couldn't help but think that, with all the millions of dollars spent, I'll bet you a designer hat these folks have all the familiar struggles of family. Maybe even more so. There's no doubt that fame and fortune have their curses, as do poverty and obscurity. The truth is that when it comes to family there is no such thing as perfection.

As much as I love my husband, siblings and kids, we are all just people trying to love and accept each other and make some great memories while we carry on lives of work and responsibilities. Some days it's a joy you can't even put into words and other days it's as much work as being on a chain gang. That's just life in all it's reality.

But in the end - they're all we have, really. When everything else is all stripped away - our stuff, our accomplishments, our dreams - they are the reason we live and breath.

U Turn On Food

I wanted to share a recent post from a sweet friend's blog. She happens to be a physician among other things and is one of the most intriguing people I have met in a long time. Her blogging stamina makes me jealous every day, yet I still keep going back. You can check out her other ideas at www.livingwithpower.org.

This is a "how ya doin' on your New Years Resolution" post. I thought it had some great thoughts about food choices. I share with her permission.

Thanks, Lina!

I’m talking to women here, because I’m sure if you’re a guy you started some kind of weird diet that includes burgers and fries and you still somehow lost more than your desired weight goal. Yada yada yada.

Don’t be discouraged, though. It’s not too late to get back on the saddle. We still have a few weeks to go before the pool season. It’s never too late to start now. You can do it. Where there’s a will there’s a way, and all that positive thinking and cliche statements.

But seriously, I figure I should use my expertise as a physician and share some great tips with you towards achieving your goal of losing those last 5-10 pounds. Let’s start by defining those foods that don’t make us fat.

Anytime you pick up a food, use these four criteria to judge whether or not it’s a food that won’t make you far:

1. you better not smell it. Seriously, if it smells good it’s likely fried or bathed in sugar. If you can smell it, drop it and pick up an odorless food. You’ll thank me later. And if you’ve got a cold, don’t use this as your excuse to binge. Simply put all food aside for a couple of days until your sense of smell is restored and you can judge the foods in front of your nose.

2. you better not see it. Portion control, portion control, portion control. Did I say portion control? It’s all about the size of the plate in front of you. If you can see the food, it’s too much. Put half of it away. This is a great tip to hang on to when your sense of smell is dim.

3. you better not wear it. I don’t care if you’re an apple or a pear, food will ultimately settle in around your belly or your hips. Make a decision not to wear the things you eat. The secret here is to take it off. Get on a treadmill. Go for a walk. Whatever you do, move. My assistant thanks me every time I send her on a hike to the mail room because she figures I’m saving her the cost of the gym. Learn from the wise. Exercise. Mind you, don’t over do it. Thirty minutes a day is plenty.

4. you better not crave it. This is a very well kept secret, but I’m going to share it with you. It all starts in the mind. The more you think about food the more you will want to eat. Have you ever noticed that you hardly ever think about food until the minute you decide to diet? Then it’s all you can do not to think about that ice cream sundae or that juicy burger. Take every thought captive. Stop the craving right between your ears!

All right. Hope these tips were helpful. On a more serious note, I’ve found loseit.com to be an incredibly helpful tip in watching what you eat. You can find it on the world wide web, or download it on your iphone.

If you have any other great tips for dieting, share them with the readers in the comments section!

WRESTLING WITH DELEGATION

I’m recently dealing with a very difficult season. The landscape of my current “to do” list is like Mt. Everest in front of me. I have way more to do than time to do it. Can anybody else identify with that? I know some of you, or maybe most of you can.

I’ve been working with a wellness coach for several months and in one of our recent sessions I had a complete meltdown. When she asked me, “okay, tell me what’s really going on with you?”, I had to admit that it had less to do with my plateau in weight loss, or my shifting hormones, or not getting enough exercise. It had to do with another key area of wellness – STRESS.

We all have to deal with stress at some level. And some seasons seem to be worse than others with a million different factors playing into the equation. But the point is, you can implement some strategies that can help you alleviate or manage the stress in your life.

My coach and I hit on one such strategy that is a huge weakness for me. Since misery loves company, and because I know women well, I’m going to assume that you all are in this pit with me. It’s the dirty D word – DELEGATION.

I don’t like it, I don’t do it, I’m unskilled at it. I asked my husband for help. After all, he really knows me best after 35 years of marriage. I said, “tell me why I’m no good at delegating?” He laughed. This was an honest question and a cry for help, so I persisted. I said, “no, really….”, to which he responded gently, “do you think it has anything to do with control?” BINGO!

So, I began to set out with some thinking that I’ve learned in my months of being coached. Janis, my coach, is great at provoking me to put together a plan that will set me up for successful changes. www.inspiredtraining.com I’d like to share it with you in hopes that it will be useful to you.

THE ROAD TO DELEGATION

Identify your inner challenges - these probably come from personality/temperament/life experience.

1) Fear of losing control

2) Commitment to perfection vs. excellence

3) Habitual Martyr syndrome – woe is me, I have so much to do

4) Pride in two forms

a. Wanting all the credit

b. Always thinking your way is best/right

5) Being intoxicated on busy-ness – Some people are afraid to slow down – really. We say we want it but when we do slow down – we don’t even know what we consider “fun” anymore.

Identify your excuses – they are multiple and messy

1) I can do it better myself

2) I may have to redo the work

3) It takes too long to explain it – I might as well do it

4) I will feel guilty asking someone else to do my work

Identify the benefits to you and others – they are many and wonderful (say this out loud J)

1) More overall efficiency for you

2) Reduced stress/anxiety – ask yourself if you’re afraid of “free time” or margin in your life?

3) Satisfaction of giving another person the joy of accomplishment/learning something new/growing in their role

4) Freeing up brain space to be creative, solve problems, identify new processes

Identify your strategies for success – this provides direction (you’ll never get anywhere you’re not headed)

1) Get advice from someone you’ve observed to be a good delegator

2) Determine to ask for help – force yourself

3) Identify a few people around you that have the potential to grow in their work/skills

4) Identify a few people that have time/resources that would be helpful to you

5) Fight with all your might against perfectionism.

6) Rehearse humbling thoughts/prayers that remind you that your way is just that – your way. Someone elses “way” has value too.

Practice makes perfect!!!! Just do it!!! Small choices in the direction of delegating can become a whole new work style and lifestyle for you. Someone around you - maybe many people are going to be happy about that.

What To Do With Fish

I know that fish is a really good choice for a meal. Have you ever noticed, however, that it's all about what you put ON the fish that influences how good it tastes. I was playing around in the kitchen last week, wanting to use what I had on hand for the meal and this is what I created.

Fun Fish in One Dish

2 Mahi Mahi Fish Fillets (frozen or fresh)

2 c. Mashed Potatoes (real or instant)

1 pkg frozen broccolli florets

Salt n pepper

Old Bay spice

Nature Seasoning

BBQ potato chip crumbs from the bottom of the bag

My mashed potatoes were from leftovers I froze but you could make them

fresh or instant. I spread those on the bottom of the baking dish. Then I laid

the two fish fillets (Sams Frozen), still partially frozen on top of the potatoes.

I filled the outside of the dish with frozen broccolli. I put some thin butter

shavings on top of the fish followed by salt, pepper, Nature's Seasoning and

Old Bay Seasoning. At this point you could also squeeze fresh lemon or lime.

I sprinkled a little grated cheese on top of the broccolli ( you could use any kind)

and popped it in the oven on 375 for 40 minutes. Keep in mind that the fish

was still a little frozen. About 10 minutes before it was done, I sprinkled the

BBQ Potato Chip crumbs from the bottom of the bag on top of the fish.

The two of us could not finish it all but the leftovers were tasty as well.

Enjoy!!

Bite Size Brain Snack

If you have a positive attitude and constantly strive to give your best effort, eventually you will overcome your immediate problems and find you are ready for greater challenges. - Pat Riley

Hymn Hum

Hymn Hum I've mentioned before how the old hymns minister to me on such a deep level. The theology around the lyrics is just necessary in a culture of scratch and sniff everything that forces us to skip along the surfaces of the important things in life. But occasionally my heart is captivated by a contemporary song who's lyrics also take me deep into who God is and why He loves me. Sharing two such songs today. One, an old hymn a friend mentioned the other day that I hadn't thought about in years - the other, a current Christian radio favorite. How Deep The Father's Love For Us (thanks, Kaye) How deep the Father's love for us, How vast beyond all measure That He should give His only Son To make a wretch His treasure How great the pain of searing loss, The Father turns His face away As wounds which mar the chosen One, Bring many sons to glory Behold the Man upon a cross, My sin upon His shoulders Ashamed I hear my mocing voice, Call out among the scoffers It was my sin that held Him there Until it was accomplished His dying breath has brought me life I know that it is finished I will not boast in anything No gifts, no power, no wisdom But I will boast in Jesus Christ His death and resurrection Why should I gain from His reward? I cannot give an answer But this I know with all my heart His wounds have paid my ransom _______________________________________________________________ Starry Night (Chris August) From the Birds that Sing, In the Tallest Trees. To the Human Life, of you and me. From the Desert Sands, to the place we stand. He is God of All, He is Everything. I'm giving my life to the only One who makes the Moon reflect the sun. Every Starry Night, that was His design. I'm giving my life to the only Son, who was and is and yet to come Let the praises ring, 'cause He is everything 'Cause He is everything From the Autumn Leaves, that will ride the breeze To the Faith it takes, to pray and sing From the Painted sky, to my plank filled eye He is God of all, He is everything I'm giving my life to the only One who makes the Moon reflect the sun. Every Starry Night, that was His design. I'm giving my life to the only Son, who was and is and yet to come Let the praises ring, 'cause He is everything. Hallelujah (Hallelujah) Hallelujah I believe Ohhh Hallelujah (Hallelujah) Hallelujah I believe I'm giving my life to the only One who makes the Moon reflect the sun On that Starry Night, He changed my life. I'm giving it all to the only Son who gave me hope when I had none. So let the praises ring, Ohhhh Let the Praises Ring I'm giving my life to the only One who makes the Moon reflect the sun. Every Starry Night, that was His design. I'm giving my life to the only Son, who was and is and yet to come Let the Angels sing, that he is Heavenly So let the Praises ring 'Cause He is everything

Dressing Blessing

Oh my!!! Nanny went a little crazy yesterday. Finally having even a few minutes to browse a baby store turned into a wardrobe-palooza for the little girl we are expecting - in just 13 weeks!!!

As the days tick off the 40 week calendar, this grandmother is getting giddy about everything infant. I just can hardly wait. And my friends who are grandmothers are fueling the fire. On and on they go about how absolutely wonderful it is to hold a tiny treasure of legacy in your arms. I'm just not sure I can make it 13 more weeks!!

Dave was so sweet to drop me at an outlet mall for a few minutes yesterday. My radar zeroed in on a baby store. I was immediately mesmerized by pink and tiny....and then I saw it! The 75% off sign on nearly every shelf and rack. I was so undone. I took me exactly 20 minutes to pick up a substantial armful of goodies for her and check out with enormous satisfaction with my purchases. SCORE!!!!

I hopped back in the car with Dave, who was ready for me to head to several other stores, when I surprised him and said, "okay, I'm done". I was spent...both budget and baby had gotten all of me for 20 minutes. I was ready to get home and show Lori - NOW!

Well, actually, I just couldn't wait and pulled the frocks from the bag, snapped pics with my phone and texted them to her.

This is just the beginning of the fun yet to come. I knew you'd want to see pictures and I'm happy to oblige. To complete the view for you, you need to know some things that I'm pretty sure of.

1. Our little girl will almost surely have dark hair - lots of it.

2. She will have big eyes that capture your gaze.

3. Beautiful and adorable will be just two words that can't even come close to describing her.

Could you just die at how she'll look in these outfits? My imagination runs wild!

I'm showing you just a sampling. :):)

It was a

DRESSING BLESSING!!

Bite Size Brain Snack

It takes courage to reinvent joys, to reinvent opportunities, to reinvent dreams, to reinvent connections, to reinvent hopes that you have set aside."

~ Mary Anne Radmacher

Valentine Thoughts

I wish I had written this but instead found it on the card I gave my husband yesterday.

When our marriage began, we couldn't have known that after all this time it would be so wonderful....

that our love would feel even more special than it did when we first discovered it...

or that the changes and trials we faced would be among the most powerful tools God would use to make us one.

Back then, we were just two people with a single dream that we could have everything God promised, and now our love is a beautiful picture of His faithfulness.

You are and always will be the one

I dream with,

my very best friend,

and the one I love for all of my life.

Love ya, mean it !!!

Celebrating Sisters

My sister is a beautiful person on many levels. Her looks, sense of humor, energy for life, creativity and persona make her one of those people that gets the attention and affection of others. She and I have quite a history, as you can imagine? We're just 16 months apart in our family birth order of four. We're stuck together like peanut butter and jelly in the middle of two wonderful brothers.

We were great playmates as young girls, followed our separate interests and friends as teens, and reunited as young brides and mommies in our early 20's. We've never had the privilege of living in the same city as sisters, in fact we were for many years on opposite ends of north and south - yet we've been thoroughly entwined in each other's lives.

We've been through some pretty rough stuff. No need for details here but I should probably say some REALLY rough stuff. Life isn't pretty but it is real. Hurts, pain, desperation come to us all at one point or another. Me and sis have gutted out our share of that together. Supporting in prayer and practicality with everything available to us to give.

I have four girls and that makes a lot of sister connections in one family. I could only pray that they would each be as loyal, loving and resourceful in each of those relationships. I'm glad they've seen my sis and I work through differences along the way and remain loving to one another. Its a legacy to pass on that would make my heart so happy.

Today is my sister's birthday. We got to celebrate together yesterday for the first time in many, many years. It's a gift to me. As the years go by, simple treasures like a special occasion spent together grab a certain new significance.

We made some fun memories yesterday. A girlie lunch with her friends, shopping, and dinner with the family at a fancy restaurant. It was fun to see her laugh and enjoy and receive the accolades she deserves for being a great mom, a great sister and a just great person! When her face turned red as they sang a public happy birthday to her, it made me smile inside. She was loving every minute.

As I was writing her birthday card, a silly little poem popped in my head. Not sure what's up with that but it's not unusual for us girls so share a little poetic thought now and then :)

Sisters we have been,

Through thick and a little thin;

Walking hand in hand,

Though spread across the land.

Together we'll always be.

In our hearts for eternity;

Walk a few more miles, we will,

Friends - Sisters remaining still.

I love ya, sis!!!

Cake For A Happy Day

As a newlywed nearly 35 years ago my husband and I went to a church function where they served a cake that is still to this day the best cake I've ever put in my mouth. It makes you want to put on a happy face, do a happy dance and happily not worry about the calories - not because there aren't any, but just because you don't even care. So here I'm sharing my beloved recipe with you!

Happy Day Cake (that's the real name I got for it 35 years ago)

Mix together:

2 1/4 cups flour

2 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

Add:

1/2 cup oil

1 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla (I add a little extra)

2 eggs

Blend briefly and then mix for no more than 2 min.

Bake at 375 for 25 - 35 min. You can use a 9x13 cake pan or make into cupcakes. I only baked mine 25 min. Avoid over baking. Start checking at 25 min. - when toothpick comes out clean from the center - it's done.

Penucha Frosting

Melt together:

1 stick butter

1 cup brown sugar

Boil for 2 minutes

Add:

1/4 cup milk (it will sizzle and almost smell burnt)

Boil again until mixed and all one color.

Cool to lukewarm

Beat in 2 cups powdered sugar until smooth. Pour/spread over cake right away.

HAPPY~HAPPY~HAPPY~HAPPY~HAPPY~HAPPY~HAPPY~HAPPY~HAPPY~HAPPY

Bite Size Brain Snack

"What you possess in the world will be found at the day of your death to belong to someone else. But what you are will be yours forever." - Henry Van Dyke

Hymn Hum

I heard this hymn on my way into work today. Whether it's sung traditionally or in a more contemporary fashion, the words are absolutely rich and resoundingly TRUE!! Don't stop short of reading every verse...the final one will make your heart sing.

COME THOU FOUNT

Come, Thou Fount of every blessing,
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace;
Streams of mercy, never ceasing,
Call for songs of loudest praise.
Teach me some melodious sonnet,
Sung by flaming tongues above.
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it,
Mount of Thy redeeming love.

Sorrowing I shall be in spirit,
Till released from flesh and sin,
Yet from what I do inherit,
Here Thy praises I'll begin;
Here I raise my Ebenezer;
Here by Thy great help I’ve come;
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure,
Safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,
Wandering from the fold of God;
He, to rescue me from danger,
Interposed His precious blood;
How His kindness yet pursues me
Mortal tongue can never tell,
Clothed in flesh, till death shall loose me
I cannot proclaim it well.

O to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be!
Let Thy goodness, like a fetter,
Bind my wandering heart to Thee.
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,
Prone to leave the God I love;
Here’s my heart, O take and seal it,
Seal it for Thy courts above.

O that day when freed from sinning,
I shall see Thy lovely face;
Clothed then in blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy sovereign grace;
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry,
Take my ransomed soul away;
Send thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day.

New Meaning to Fun

Work is called work

or else it'd be fun.

But sometimes work done

Can feel like fun.

Am I all alone

in this strange phenomenon?

When work involves people

Fun is really what's done.

Work by itself

Is just something you do.

Work that's turned fun

Is a people hullaballoo!

So love what you do

and work if you can,

To live in the moment

With the people at hand.

Missing Mom Today

My mom passed away four years ago today. Much that's happened in recent weeks has brought me back to those dark, yet wonderful days spent with her just before she passed on to her eternal reward.

~Snowy, cold, gray days. Snow laden pine boughs through the window...birds fluttering around as they visit trees in the yard...a snuggly pink blanket spread across the bed for extra warmth...

"It Is Well With My Soul" popping into my head. The special days, her last days had all of these things and more.

~The pending arrival of a new baby girl - she LOVED her grandkids in a very hands on way - even though my girls were long distance. And oh, how she loved babies. She and Lori had a special bond, I think because their birthdays were almost exactly 50 years apart. She would not have been able to contain her excitement about this first granddaughter from my family. The day my daughter called me to tell me the ultrasound revealed "a girl", the very first thought I had was to call my mom. I couldn't but oh, how I wanted to.

~Friends and co-workers dealing with situations where loved ones are terminally ill. I can't tell you how many people I know are currently dealing with this difficulty. It's one of life's hardest tasks - saying goodbye prematurely to those who are fully aware that their time here is on a certain countdown clock.

~Stumbling unexpectedly across faded photographs of days gone by. My mom was a pretty lady and such a pleasant person. She loved people through her smile, her many words and such very kind eyes.

Moms aren't perfect. Mine wasn't, hers wasn't. But in the end I know she loved me and was proud of me. She told me so. Many times. She gave me all she could in every way. Sometimes I regret being so independent and reserved, denying her the opportunity to "mother" me in ways she probably wanted to. I didn't know better then.

All of this is making me miss her very much today. I can still hear her voice, the way she would giggle when she called me by my "pet" name that she knew annoyed me. I miss her silly birthday songs and how she would sing "You Are My Sunshine" - so off key. It makes me smile just to think of her.

I miss you, Mom. Always.

Low Cal Something for the New Year

You may be continuing or starting your "healthier lifestyle" here in January. I stumbled on an idea in the kitchen the other day that actually turned out well. Sometimes they don't. nuff said :)

Vegetable Salad Surprise came about this way....BTW, any made up recipe of mine is always titled the "something, something? SURPRISE" just because it makes it sound like a culinary adventure. I'm a legend in my own mind. Ha Ha!

I had some peppers that were not so long term healthy and needed to be eaten. I was feeling too short on time and lazy to prepare lettuce for a salad. So, I cut up the red and green peppers into bite size pieces, cut cucumber slices into 1/4's and threw them into a bowl. Then I added some homemade salsa (Pioneer Woman's recipe) and tossed it around. It looked good just like that but my menopausal taste buds generally scream for alot of flavor. So I added some Sundried Tomato and Parmesan salad dressing - just a dash or two - and mixed it all up. I added some spicy pepper just to make sure the "buds" were going to jump for joy...and whahla!!!!

Vegetable Salad Surprise!!!

Very tasty and very low calorie!!! The next night I took what was left over topped my salad with it. A flavorful reprise and no wasting produce - YES!!!

"Knowing" Is An Intimate Word

Knowing is a good word. It suggests an inside track on something, a first hand understanding, a confident capture, an experiential familiarity - you get the idea. Well last week we finally got to KNOW the answer to a very important question.

With Lori and Ethan expecting their first baby in June - we have all been hanging on till the ultrasound a few days ago. The big thing to KNOW?? What this little tator tot is going to be, of course.....BOY or GIRL????

It changes everything to KNOW. It immediately removes 50% of the thinking process on everything from names, to clothing to room decor. It takes your conversation from the "it" and "the baby" realm to very specific, endearing references. It takes your heart from a fuzzy portrait of a "neutral" baby to one that is either pink or blue.

Oh, are you wanting me to get on with the big reveal of what I now "know"???????

SHE'S A GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A wonderful, sweet, baby smelling bundle of hugs and kisses all dressed up in pink and lace and polka dots. I cannot wait!!!!

She is now my granddaughter - how cool is that? SHE will now be connected to me FOREVER. Nothing can or will change that. I am so ready for this experience and have prepared those around me for the totally bonkers me that will soon emerge.

I'm ever so thankful that my granddaughter's family lives less than 20 minutes door to door. I plan to be on everlasting call for anything and everything she needs.

I have to go now. I'm needing to go outfit my soon to be minivan with carrier, car seat, pack n play and whatever else I need to be the "go to" granny. (that's not what I'm going to be called, BTW, but am open to suggestions.)

So much to do for baby girl including praying for her safe arrival. I love you like you're already here, little angel!!

Love, Nanny

Bite Size Brain Snack for the New Year

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential." - Ellen Goodman