It's Soup Weather -- Bead Soup, That Is

More Gratitute -- This Time For The Young People In My Life

"I loved you the minute I heard your heartbeat. I loved you the minute you were born; then I saw your face and fell in love some more. You were only a minute old, but I knew I would die for you and to this day I still would."

The above is a status that people (mostly moms) are posting on facebook lately.  It's so true.  How could you not love those faces.  The picture above shows my nieces on the left and my sons on the right.  Ahhhh.... love.

Just in case you were wondering ...

From Marrion Webster, the definition of GRATEFUL:

1a : appreciative of benefits received

  b : expressing gratitude

2a : affording pleasure or contentment : pleasing

  b : pleasing by reason of comfort supplied or discomfort alleviated

— grate·ful·ly \-fə-lē\ adverb

— grate·ful·ness noun

For my word of the year, my definition is 1a:  expressing gratitute.  I have so much to be thankful for and I willfully remind myself to make the words "Thank You" be the first I say every day.  I say these words to G*d.  What I want to do more of this year (and every year forward) is to tell those in my life, my wonderful sons, my amazing friends, my colleagues, my little group of blog readers, who grateful I am for all of you.  How you all enrich my life and make it worth living.  Grateful, that's me.

My One Word for 2011 -- Gratitude

“If you concentrate on finding whatever is good in every situation, you will discover that your life will suddenly be filled with gratitude, a feeling that nurtures the soul.” ~ Rabbi Harold Kushner

1-1-11 (ok it's 1-4-11, but who's really counting?)

May this new year bring health, happiness, prosperity and love to all of the universe that seeks it.  Blessed be you all in 2011.

Holiday Boutique and Tea

Please try to make it to my very first boutique sale -- just in time for the holidays.  Along with my cards, there will be Melanie's frames, Cookie Lee Jewelry and chocolates!  Bring your friends, there will be prizes.  RSVP to Kary for even more chances at raffle prizes.  See you on November 21 in Pasadena!

A Whale or a Mermaid?

Recently, in a large French city, a poster featuring a young, thin and tan woman appeared in the window of a gym. It said:

¨THIS SUMMER DO YOU WANT TO BE A MERMAID OR A WHALE? ¨

A middle aged woman, whose physical characteristics did not match those of the woman on the poster, responded publicly to the question posed by the gym.

To Whom It May Concern:
Whales are always surrounded by friends (dolphins, sea lions, curious humans).. They have an active sex life, they get pregnant and have adorable baby whales. They have a wonderful time with dolphins stuffing themselves with shrimp. They play and swim in the seas, seeing wonderful places like Patagonia, the Barren Sea and the coral reefs of Polynesia and the lovely Pacific Ocean . Whales are wonderful singers and have even recorded CDs. They are incredible creatures and virtually have no predators other than humans. They are loved, protected and admired by almost everyone in the world.

Mermaids don’t exist. If they did exist, they would be lining up outside the offices of psychoanalysts due to identity crisis. Fish or human? They don’t have a sex life because they kill men who get close to them not to mention how could they have sex? Therefore they don’t have kids either. Not to mention who wants to get close to a girl who smells like a fish store?

The choice is perfectly clear to me; I want to be a whale.

P.S. We are in an age when media puts into our heads the idea that only skinny people are beautiful, but I prefer to enjoy an ice cream with my kids, a good dinner with a man who makes me shiver and a piece of chocolate with my friends. With time we gain weight because we accumulate so much information and wisdom in our heads that when there is no more room it distributes out to the rest of our bodies. So we aren’t heavy, we are enormously cultured, educated and happy. Beginning today, when I look at my butt in the mirror I will think, ¨Good gosh, look how smart I am…¨

I am learning to love being a whale and being so smart!  Baruch Hashem.