Focus, Focus!

My friend the "Frau of Focus" called me, the "Disorganized Ditz," on Sunday afternoon, just to catch up on family news.  During the course of the conversation, it came out that she has not only decided what she is going to make for Thanksgiving, but she has also written menus for the entire weekend and has started assembling ingredients for various dishes in her butler's pantry.

Next she casually lets slip that she has already set the table for Thanksgiving.  I did mention that this was Sunday, right?

It will come as no surprise that she has also started decorating her house for Christmas.

My world is a little more casual than hers.  I have a vague idea about what we will be eating on Thursday and after that things get a little more nebulous.  Pretty much anybody who wanders in and expects to eat at my house this weekend will be holding a paper plate, of that I am certain.  

If this were a contest, I would have conceded years ago but there's one tiny area where we might be able to shine this year.  My friend lives up north and it's been snowy there lately so she probably hasn't gotten her exterior lighting up yet.  Weeks ago, Jerry put up itsy bitsy white twinkle lights on our deck and under our patio umbrella.  I'm planning on keeping them up all year but to assuage my ego, just for today I'm calling them Christmas lights.

I'm not gonna say that I envy The Frau's organizational skills (although I do).  Instead, I'm just gonna say "Happy Valentine's Day, Renée!"

www.StillSwimmingUpstream.com

  

Parenting in 2014

I marvel at parents today.  They just "get it" so much easier than we did.  Here's an example:

I was in my daughter Jessica's kitchen watching my two-year-old grandson Grayson eating a carrot. He leaned over and got some dip, took a bite of carrot, then chewed.  He chewed and chewed and chewed and then -- when he was good and ready -- he spat the finely chewed carrot out.  Then he took another  carrot, got some dip, took another bite and repeated the entire sequence.  A little mound of chewed carrot was forming on the table in front of him.

Spit.

Dip.

Chew.

Grayson was oblivious to me and so as I watched and laughed (inside), the carrot "eating" continued. Soon my daughter passed through the kitchen, glanced swiftly at her son and his carrot mound and said, "If you want to eat the dip, just use a spoon."

I rest my case.

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Temptation

Isn't she the picture of innocence?

I met Christina Fluet Cockey last night at a Pampered Chef party that my daughter Kate was hosting.  We hit it off right away.  She's cute.  She's fun. She's energetic.  Turns out she's also the Picasso of the cookie world. 

She came in carrying a box of cookies, and, although the packaging was lovely, I didn't pay much attention to the contents because I've been on a diet for, well, ever.  Weirdly, my newest lifestyle changes ~ which I've been following since Easter ~ are actually delivering results and I'm now the LIGHTEST WEIGHT of MY ADULT LIFE.  I'm gonna pause now and bask in the glow of happiness that surrounds me. Ahhh….

We are laughing and cooking and then it's time to eat so we wander over to the food area where Christina holds up:

Curryously Coconut (dark chocolate, coconut, curry)

I know what you are all thinking.  That I caved and gobbled up that scrumptious looking piece of art.  Well, you're wrong.  I passed that up -- as well as one called Apple Cider Sangria that everyone was raving about.  My downfall was the Chocolate Chip M&M cookie.  Comfort food!  As soon as I held it in my hand my resolve began weakening but I still planned to take home. Planned.

My cookie is on the counter.

While I was filling out my Pampered Chef order, I decided to nibble on a piece of cookie, just to make Christina feel happy.  Who am I kidding here?  On a good day my willpower is the size of a gnat and I was holding a cookie.  Once I had a taste, I was hooked.  It was like eating the seven deadly sins all wrapped up in one delicious cookie.  I savored every morsel of that tasty treat. 

Today I'm back on my bandwagon.  Do I regret eating that cookie?  Nope.

I could have done without the knowledge that VanDoughs, Christina's cookie company, ships though.

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