Jennifer - live performance

Jennifer performed at a writer's night at the Tin roof in Nashville last night. Here is a video of one of the songs she sang.(to hear more of her original songs, go to myspace.com/zuffinetti )

How to Avoid Swine Flu

Don't do this!

Teen Heart Throbs

Zac Efron

Say what you want about today's teens. But I see a lot of hope coming from this next generation. Instead of Britney Spears, they flock to Miley Cyrus (I saw Hannah Montana the movie and it was darling). High School Musical 1, 2, and 3 are huge hits - and Amy and I went to see 17 Again today and it was surprisingly good. Zac Efron is number one with teenage girls. (Isn't he adorable? I just want to pinch his cheeks). In my day, the best we could do was Frankie Avalon and James Darren in the Beach Blanket Bingo movies. My favorite teen movies were Gidget, Gidget Goes Hawaiian, and Gidget Goes to Rome (and they were pretty scandalous for that era).

Aah, to be a teen again. Oh wait. I forgot about all the horrible "stuff" that goes with being a teen: Acne, horrible hair, gangly bodies, panic attacks, and the poor self-esteem issues. Yuck. I'd rather be thirty than thirteen. (I was going to say that I'd rather be sixty than sixteen, but I realized that by sixty you start having the "stuff" again: horrible skin, saggy bodies, panic attacks, and self-esteem issues)

P.S. I saw Frankie Avalon on American Idol last week, and, uhmm...

he's looking better to me now than he did when I was a teenager ..

Happy Birthday Amy!

Amy, Emerson and Lincoln (and one due in December!)

Too bad you can't go out to dinner to celebrate (since you are the stake assistant girl's camp leader, you have to be in charge of tonight's girl's camp kick off). So go wild TOMORROW night (I'll babysit). Luv ya!

Obama's Budget

Obama's budget triples the national debt. It raises taxes on job creators, and cuts the defense budget dramatically over the next ten years. It is a roadmap for disaster that will bankrupt this country. This is not the change people were hoping for. This is unbelievable growth in government at a time we can afford it the least.

Politicians are saying we must quit looking in the rear view mirror and focus on what's ahead of us. But one glance back might be helpful to the future of this country. I'm talking about the days of Ronald Reagan. He wasn't a genius. What made him successful was picking the right people to run the government. Picking advisors who could help him make smart decisions. When I look at who Obama is choosing for important cabinet positions - it scares me.

I hope for the best, but I'm preparing for the worst. The only people coming out very well here are those who don't pay taxes and don't ever plan on working again.

Envy

Oprah's home in Monteciteo (it's just one of her many homes)

Don't envy those who have more than you. So what if Jerry Seinfeld bought a $32 million house in the Hamptons with a twenty car garage to house his Porsches. Are you going to let that diminish your happiness? A $7,000 plasma screen TV is nice, I'm sure, but a $200 TV gets you all the same channels. Jerry Seinfeld may have a different Porsche for every day of the month, but your own car gets you to and from your intended destination. So, enjoy what you have. Coveting someone else's good fortune is toxic to your own happiness. There will always be someone who has more than you, but that is their life, and it in no way makes your life less happy or fulfilling.

They grow up too fast!

I LOVE this commercial. It seriously makes me want to cry. It just reminds me how fast time flies. If you have small children, it may seem that time is standing still. But you won't believe how fast that three year old will be turning thirty! So enjoy the ride. Don't keep wishing they'd grow up. It will happen faster than you think. (my babies are 32 and 30 so I know what of I speak)

I was having lunch with Jennifer one day (when she was about 22) and she asked me what my favorite age was when raising them. I told her EVERY year was my favorite. I used to look at them (starting when they were about three and one years old ) and say, "I wish I could keep them at this age." Then the next year I'd say it again. She asked, "When did it stop?" I said, "It hasn't stopped yet. I still say it every year." Her eyes welled up and she said, "That's the sweetest thing I've ever heard."

Time flies when you're having fun - and I've never had more fun than raising my daughters.

Make a book out of your Blogs!

Your blogs are a reflection of you - your thoughts, your personality, etc. Why not pass them down to the next generation? Diaries are boring, but your blogs say a lot about living in our time. There are sites that will make a book out of your blogs. Here's one:

Just go to http://www.blurb.com/ and it'll walk you through it. Basically, you go to Blurb, download their free uploading software called Booksmart and then it'll prompt you as to whether or not you have a blog you'd like to upload to Booksmart. It'll ask you if you have a blog through Blogger, LiveJournal, WordPress, etc. Once you click on Blogger, it'll ask you for your login information (email address and password). It will then "slurp" your blog into a book format. Some way, some how, the Booksmart program looks through your blog and matches how many pictures and/or how many words each blog entry is and formats it into book form. Then, it's up to you to go through and make sure it's laid out the way you'd like, change fonts and/or colors, add backgrounds, etc. You can really personalize your Blurb book anyway you'd like!

After you've edited the book to your liking, it'll prompt you through how to send it to be printed. (This is all online, you don't have to print it out or take it anywhere. Very similar to ordering photos through Snapfish or Photoworks.) The cost is determined by how many pages your books is. They have categories like 1-50 pages is so much, 51-100 is so much, etc. a 40-page book starts at $12.95. Mine was 96 pages and I got an 8x12 hardcover book with a slipcover and it was $50.

.

P.S. You can also do any other kind of book: photo book, text and pictures, cookbook, wedding book, family history, etc. -

(...You're welcome)

Retirement

Retirement is often over rated. Most men I know who "retired" went back to work within five years...because they WANTED to. If you make your living at something you love and are committed to, you'll never "work" a day in your life.It is only "work" if there is something else you'd rather be doing. (Me, I plan to live with my kids and let THEM support me!)
.

Thought for the day:

.

“The only way to be happy is to live the gospel.

It is not possible to sin enough to be happy.”

Sheri Dew

.

Easter Dessert Idea:

I'm doing a variation of this for tomorrow. I'm making meringue nests and filling them with lemon mousse and topping it with whipped cream and a Peep. Go me.

Tina Turner at 68

Good Grief.  If I got down on the floor like that, I'd need three people to help me up!

(and I'm five years younger than she is)

Happy Birthday to me...

(and I thought it was impossible to put 64 candles on a cake)

I'm not having any more birthdays. I liked my 60th ("colorful" photo below) so much that every year I'm just going to look at all my photos from that party and smile and pretend I'm still 60. (They say 60 is the new 40, so I'm pretending I'm an old looking 40 year old). Wait a minute... I just dug out a photo of me when I was 40 (the good looking top photo)...they LIED! Sixty is definitely not the new 40! (Okay, so I'll pretend I'm an old looking 55 year old.)

They did a very strange thing at my birthday party. There were over thirty people there and about half of them stood up and talked about how I had impacted their life. After about the tenth person, I said, "Did I die?" I felt like I was at my funeral. Looking back on it, it was a wonderful thing to "be at my own funeral." How many people get the chance to hear what people think of them. I think we should make this a part of every birthday celebration. If you don't have an occasion to do it, write your feelings about your friends in their birthday card or Christmas card.

"I would rather have one rose and a kind word
from a friend while I'm here
than a whole truck load when I'm gone."

Goals

"I don't set goals in life...we limit ourselves with goals."

Hugh Jackman*

Are you kidding me? If you set a goal of being a songwriter and somebody comes along and offers you a record deal because they want YOU to perform the songs, that has enlarged you, not limited you.

The truth of the matter is, Hugh Jackman "says" that's what he believes, however, he does set time frames where if something doesn't happen, he goes on to plan B. That sounds like a goal to me.

.

Goals are important. We can't just let life happen. The less we plan to achieve, the less we will achieve. Opportunities come to those who are prepared for them. If you want to be one of those people, sit down right now and make a plan for your life.

.

1. Make sure the goal you are working for is something you really want and are capable of achieving.

2. A goal can't contradict any of your other goals.

3. Set goals for the various areas of your life: Family/Home, Spiritual, Social, Financial/Career, physical/Health, and Mental/Educational

4. Most Importantly - WRITE THEM DOWN! Be specific. Include how you plan to achieve them.

.

Good Luck!

.

*A-List Actor (Xmen, Kate & Leopold, The Prestige, Australia...and People Magazine's "Sexiest Man Alive" Award - 2008 (...and my personal pick as the most "super delicious" man of the year.)

The Importance of Family Dinner

According to a Columbia University survey, teenagers who eat with their families at least five times a week are more likely to get better grades in school and much less likely to have substance abuse problems.
.
An International study found that family meal time has a more positive influence on emotional and intellectual development on children and teens than sports or additional time in school.

Bonnie D. Parkin, former Relief Society General President of my church said, “The dinner table is the place to connect with each other, to share our daily activities, listen and encourage each other, and even laugh together.”
.
As parents, we want to connect with our kids. Surprisingly, our kids want to connect with us. They want to know we care about them and what they are doing. They not only want our support, they want our approval and respect. Dinner time should not be a time to criticize or reprimand – it should be a time to share experiences, opinions and bond as a family.

I know, it's a scheduling nightmare in today's world. But that is exactly why you need to do it. If you are not doing it, do it. I promise you'll be glad you did. If you are doing it, value it.

.

Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

There are two possible courses to affluence: wants may be easily satisfied either by producing much or desiring little. "He is richest who is content with the least." (Socrates). The key is to reconcile your expectations with your capacity to produce. The philosophy of the rich versus the poor is this: the rich invest their money and spend the rest; the poor spend their money and invest the rest. "There is no dignity quite so impressive and no independence quite so important as living within your means." (Calvin Coolidge).
.
Money doesn't bring happiness; it merely allows you to look for it in more places. Those who believe that money (or clothes, or a car, or a house) makes the man are deluding themselves. In the final analysis, it's character, not physical possessions that define the individual. If someone complains that he is not tall enough or rich enough or smart enough or handsome enough, I say, "Quit whining." Lose the victim mentality. When you complain, you have wasted five minutes of your own time as well as five minutes of the time of the person who had to endure listening.

Tacky Wedding Toppers

To see them all click HERE

Make Your Own Wedding Cake

Are you looking for an out-of-the-ordinary wedding cake that reflects your funky sense of humor? How about this:
Who doesn't like Peeps? But if you're not a peeps fan, you could substitute your favorite treat - like, maybe "Twinkies"?