Happy Birthday Lincoln! (Three Years Old!)

(Lincoln is front row, on the far right)

He had a terrific Jungle Safari theme party (as evidenced by above photos) equipped with a jumping house, face painting, games and a petting zoo! No detail was overlooked, the kid food was renamed goldfish (piranas), raisins (dried ants), etc. Upon walking through the door each child got their "passport" stamped and chose an animal hat to wear. Lincoln's mom is the ultimate party planner.

Gramma J with Little Emmy
Little Miss Emmy missed out on the group photo (it was nap time)

Twilight

I don’t get it. The books were written for teenage girls – but married women are getting so obsessed over “Edward” (the lead character played by Robert Pattinson) that their husbands have forbidden them to see the movie.

.

I saw the movie. No big whoop. I promise you guys, there is nothing in the movie that’s going to send your wife over the edge. It is entertaining – that’s all.

.

I see Twilight, and the upcoming New Moon, as the Star Trek for women and teens. Trekkies are predominantly obsessed males. Now there is something for the females. I don’t know what the catch phrase will be for the Twilighters (maybe “Vamps” for vampires), but it’s the same thing.

.

I also see the Twilight series as the Harry Potter for women and teens – Lucky Stephenie Meyer. She’s on her way to becoming the next J.K. Rowling with more books ready to be movie sequels.

.

P. s. I want to share with you all the comment I got on this post:

.

Diane said...
Hi Jeri, I read all the books and got caught up in all the hoopla. I'll tell you what was fun was attending the premiere with every single young screaming teenager in Nashville. A friend of mine rented the theater for the night for all of us "older" Twilight fans. When word got out, EVERYONE wanted to come!! I think there were two token guys in the audience, but seriously....when I say screaming...I mean screaming! I'd have to watch the movie again to hear it. Not high budget, definitely made for those who read the book, and WAY fun! My shirt read..."My heart belongs to my husband...My neck belongs to Edward"!
June 12, 2009 2:21 PM

.

Self-Worth

I had trouble going to sleep last night because I’ve been working on family histories and I got to thinking about the things that have happened in my life that were life changing. I’d like to share one of them with you.
.
I was PTA president and a member of my board came to me mid-semester, with her husband, to tell me that I would have to find a replacement for her because she was going back to work…as a nuclear physicist! I was in awe and her husband said to me, “don’t think what you do is unimportant. My wife looks at you in awe and admires what you do for this school.” And then he said the words that changed my attitude forever: “We are all important in our own sphere of influence.”
.
Wow. Thanks. I needed that.

Thought for the Day

"To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did...'" When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. Always remember this.... "The will of God will never take you where the grace of God will not protect you."

No More E-Mails

I am sorry to say that I'm through with E-mails. Things have been a bit tough lately and life is getting shorter and shorter every day, and I want to take time to see this great country of ours. So, I bought a motorcycle, going to quit e-mailing jokes and travel full time with a biker gang to see the country and enjoy life while I still can. Don't worry about me - they all seem like really nice people . It has been nice emailing you all!!!!!!!!!!!!
.
.
.
.
.
Oh, a photo of the gang ...
.
.
.
.
.

and NO - You can't come!

.

(Why me? Because I can whip up a tasty pan of biscuits.)

Trust in the Lord

Why doesn't God always answer our prayers?

He DOES always answer our prayers - you just might not be getting the answer you expected. Sometimes the answer is "NO." Sometimes it is "Wait." But we rarely get what we ask for immediately. Usually we have to do OUR part first. There is an old Middle Eastern proverb that says, "Trust in Allah, but tie up your camels."

We have to learn to Trust God. He knows what we want before we even ask for it. He knows all our secret desires. He also knows what is good for us and what is not. He knows that we may not realize what comes with what we are asking for. Sometimes He lets us have it anyway, just so we learn that important principle.

My Grandfather always said, "Be careful what you want, you may get it." (and as I mentioned in one of last year's posts, one of the worst gypsy curses is, "May you get what you want.")

We ask for protection. We'll get it - we may just not realize it.

...When you question God - 'why me?'

....always look at the bigger picture....

(click on photo to enlarge)

.

Audrey Hepburn's Beauty Tips

"For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.. For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people. For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry. For beautiful hair, let a child run his/her fingers through it once a day. For poise, walk with the knowledge that you never walk alone.

.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anyone.

.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of each of your arms. As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands; one for helping yourself, and the other for helping others."

Pet Names

"Pucci"

,
Jennifer is at it again. Today she started talking about how she wants another dog and what she would call it. A few years ago she wanted a hound dog so she could name it Elvis. Now she wants a lap dog that she can “dress up” and call it Pucci. She already has two dogs: Turbo and Junior, but she hates the name Junior. She says it’s just not right that a songwriter, someone who is so good coming up with the perfect words, has a stupid dog name so she tells people Junior is short for Edmund Von Schnauzer Junior. (She was going to call him "Tyson" because the first day they got him, he bit Turbo's ear - but her husband nixed the name).
.
For dog number three she is toying with the idea of calling him “good dog” because she thought it would be funny to say “bad, good dog.” Or calling him “Here Boy” and watching him run to everyone in the neighborhood (or park) who’s calling his dog. The pick right now is “Rut Row.”
.
I told her she was just daring me to write a blog. She said, “I double dog dare you.” So – here it is.

.

Bad to the Bone

Children’s photos (He's not even three yet!) are sure different than they were when I was raising my kids:

I liked this one so much (especially the "MOM" tattoo) that I used it as the CD label for a selection of Jennifer's "Bad Boy" songs (you can listen to them at myspace.com/zuffinetti )
.

It's a Man's World

All my life I’ve been grateful that I was a woman. Now that I’m older, and supposedly wiser, I see great advantages to being a man. If you’re a man, you’ve got it pretty dang easy:

“You can never be pregnant.
Car mechanics tell you the truth.
Same work, more pay.
People never stare at your chest when they're talking to you.
Phone conversations are over in 30 seconds flat.
A five-day vacation requires only one suitcase.
You can open all your own jars.
Three pairs of shoes are more than enough

The same hairstyle lasts for years, maybe decades (and your hair cuts are waaaay cheaper than ours)
Your face is good just the way it is (count the number of “must haves” in your wife’s cabinet!)

One wallet (and no handbag to lug around)
You can wear shorts no matter how your legs look.
You can do Christmas shopping for 25 relatives on December 24 in 25 minutes.”
(edited from an e-mail I received lately)

In my next life, I want to be you. No, actually, I’d want to be my daughters. They’ve got it even better than you. I’d trade your stuff for their stuff any day.
.

Tacky Grave Site

There ought to be a law against this:
.

If anyone in my family does this to my grave, I'll never speak to them again!

(this is the best argument for cremation I've ever seen - I may consider it after all)

.

American Idol Finale - Season 8

Okay, I got it wrong. Silly me. I predicted Adam Lambert would win, hands down, no contest. However, I forgot to factor in one important thing: Americans rally around underdogs! At this point, it doesn’t really matter who comes in first and who comes in second. Adam Lambert will leave Kris Allen in his dust when it comes to concert tickets sold and number of records sold. Kris Allen’s support is primarily in the U.S., whereas Adam’s is already world-wide (I know this because I track the number of hits that come to my page looking for Adam Lambert’s photo and they are coming from all over the world – including the Czech Republic, Peru, India, Iceland, and other random countries).
.
Let’s take a stroll down memory lane and see what past seasons have looked like:
.
Season 1: Kelly Clarkson over Justin Guarini (we got it right – but it took Kelly several years to really take off. )
Season 2: Ruben Studdard over Clay Aiken. Both underdogs. But Clay is making more money than Ruben. However neither one could live up to the title “Idol.”
Season 3: Fantasia over Diana DeGarmo. America got it right – or did they? Fantasia’s light is being extinguished by the fourth (or was it fifth?) runner up: Jennifer Hudson (She made $5 million last year. Carrie Underwood is the only one who beat that).
Season 4: Carrie Underwood over Bo Bice. Duh! Carrie has sold 9.6 million albums and made $14 million dollars last year. (Highest paid idol)
Season 5: Taylor Hicks over Katharine McPhee. Talk about an underdog. Taylor’s fans all switched over to the Season 6 contestant - Sanjaya. Taylor has made the least money (only $300,000 last year) Chris Daughtry on the other hand is rockin’ out and living up to the “Idol” name, even though he didn’t make it to the top three.
Season 6: Jordan sparks over Blake Lewis. Eh. That whole season left me cold.
Season 7: David Cook over David Archuleta . They are both currently doing very well. Time will tell.

.
Seriously America - Picking Kris over Adam is like picking Pat Boone over Elvis.

.

Note: As soon as the show ended, I got a phone call from my oldest daughter, Amy. She said, "I'm glad you don't live in a two story house. I'd be calling to talk you off the ledge. Are you okay with Adam Lambert losing?" I just laughed. Actually, being THE American Idol wouldn't really be a good thing for the kind of Rock Star performer he intends to be. He's better off being the runner up. She said, "What was with the 'wings?' " I told her to get used to it. He's going to shock the H. E. double L. out of his fans with his 9" platforms, flaming stages and such. She said, "Are you okay with that?" I said, "Sure. I'm down with it." Then she laughed to hear her 64 year old mother talk about being "down with" platforms, wings, and flaming stages. Just as long as he doesn't come around wanting to date my daughters...and I'm pretty safe in saying that would never happen. So, Adam. Even though I, personally, won't be going to your concerts or buying your records (rock just isn't my thing), I think you are going to rock the world.

.

"I tink I gonna go over to da couch now. Where da couch? "

(Dean Martin)

The Color of America is Changing

I just ran across an article in U.S.A. Today (dated 5/14/09) which pointed out that 43% of Americans younger than 20 are minorities and 47% of children younger than 5 are minorities (with Hispanics having the highest growth rate).

According to the census bureau, the Hispanic population is growing three times faster than the total U.S. population due to high birth rates and continued high immigration.

.

Right now, in America, whites are in the majority (65%) -but that is going to change (as early as 2022 - and by 2050, whites will comprise 46% of the population. Again, the fastest growing group among the non-whites is the Hispanic population.


Note to self: In order to protect my own rights as an American in the future, I have to be sure to protect the rights of minorities in general today because it won't be long before I am one!

Money can't buy happiness - BUT...

Money can't buy happiness but LACK of money can bring you sadness (if you can't provide for your family ) and can certainly cause stress in your life (if you can't pay your mortgage or your car payment, etc.). I think we can ALL agree that it is better to have money than not to have it.
.

The best way to have money is not to spend all the money you get. Another way to increase what you have is to decrease what you owe. Cut up your credit cards and only pay cash for what you buy. Learn to distinguish between "wants" and "needs." Only borrow money for things you "need." If you don't have enough money to buy groceries, you don't have enough money to buy a lottery ticket (you might as well flush that money down the toilet). Make a budget and stick to it. All this is easier said than done. But you need to do it.

.

It's not about having money - it's more about avoiding NOT having it.

Computer Addict Alert

I'm not joining any 10-step programs until I get this message. . . again.

(According to Maxine, "Home computers are the perfect thing for women who don't feel that men provide them with enough frustration").

Job Security

.

Your boss may not always be right - but he's always your boss!

.

“You can’t please all of the people all of the time,
But I suggest you start with me.”

..
.

Women's Lib

I hate woman’s libbers. There have been some good things to come from legislation they managed to get passed. However, I believe they’ve done more harm than good to our society as a whole.

There are women who would rather have careers than have babies. They have a right to that choice and they should be paid the same as a man doing the same job.

What I object to is that women who chose to have babies have bought into the idea that they should be able to be both mothers and career women. Very few can succeed at both. One always suffers and it’s usually the family. Just look at the generation of young people produced by the “liberated” woman. They were raised by day care workers until they were old enough to be home alone. Mom came home too tired to do what a mother should do – mother her children.

When my daughters were toddlers, I remember going to cocktail parties where the first thing another woman would ask you was, “What business are you in?” Most of the women there had started their own business in town. One opened up a kitchen shop (she was divorced four years later), one opened up an exclusive women’s boutique (she went bankrupt), and another started a catering business (she quit after two years). The point is, at the time, they looked down their noses at me for being satisfied to be a stay at home mom (one had the gall to say, “Oh how plebeian.” )

Being a stay at home mom may not be rewarding and fulfilling on a daily basis. But neither is being a career woman. I know because I was one before I had children. I’ve never regretted being a stay at home mom. In the end, the woman who can look at her offspring with pride can pat herself on the back and say, “Well done.”

I subscribe to President David O. McKay’s saying, “No other success can compensate for failure in the home.”

While I’m on the subject of Women’s Liberation. I’d like to put in my two cents regarding their change of focus over the years. In the sixties, I actually supported the movement because they were giving women options. They supported women. They encouraged women to dare to dream. They gave women a voice. But somehow that has taken a back seat to the current focus which has evolved into a strictly left wing political agenda and they only support women who share their political views. Two current cases in point: Sarah Palin and Carrie Prejean. Their silence in support of these women was deafening.

Are your FEET ready for summer?

Women always stress as summer approaches because they have to get their bodies in shape for swim suits. But it won’t matter how good your body looks if your feet are nasty. Are your feet ready for summer? Before you walk out the door in your favorite sandals, take a good look at your feet and see if you pass the test:

.

1. Always wear sandals that fit. Toes should not hang over the front, nor should heels spill over the backs. And the sides and tops of your feet should not pudge out between the straps.

2. Go polish-free or vow to keep the polish fresh, intact and chip-free. (Do not cheat and just touch up your big toes. )

.

3. Use a pumice stone (every day!) and follow up with Dr Scholl's moisturizer to keep your heels from getting dry and cracked.

.

Take a look in a mirror so you get other angles…did you pass? Enjoy your day. If not, spend a week or two getting your feet in shape.

Fat Girl Shopping

I'll bet you all can't wait to run out and buy this figure-flattering outfit. Ha! But this is what I found as high-end fashion at Saks Fifth Avenue. Just the jacket is $492 (well, it is actually on sale right now - for "only" $295 - ooooh such a "bargain"). Sorry girls, but these are the kinds of clothes that are waiting for you once you start wearing sizes 14 and up.

My daughters used to give me grief about the clothes I brought home, so one day they decided to take me shopping. When we arrived at the "fat girl" department, they looked around and Jennifer said, "Oh. I see what you mean. Sorry mom."
.
According to the center for disease control, 34% of American women are "obese." If you take a poll, 62% of American women consider themselves to be "overweight" - So, I ask you (again), why aren't there designers out there seriously designing for the over size 14 crowd?? I say seriously because there are a number of big time designers that are making clothes for plus sizes. But they really don't understand the plus size figure. They think to make something plus size you have to lengthen the jacket and widen the sleeves and that's it. Wrong! All that does is make the plus size woman look bigger! They need to get some plus sized models in and design clothes that look good on them. How hard would that be?
. .

So usually when I say I'm going shopping, what I mean is I'm going "fat girl" shopping - which means I'm looking for shoes, handbags, jewelry, or make up.

American Idol

Adam Lambert is a "Rock God" - (Told you so ).

Tune in tonight to see if he makes it to the final two...duh.

Wacky Warning Labels

On a cell phone: “don’t try to dry your phone in a microwave oven” (would anyone really do that? )

On furniture-cleaning cloths: "Do not use as baby wipes" (So that's why baby smells like Lemon Pledge).

Under big rigs and mixer trucks: "Do not use a blow torch near gas tank" (they had to put that warning up after a man died using a blow torch under a concrete mixer truck - I guess people really are stupid)

"The Original Off-Road Commode" won this year's "Wacky Warning Labels" contest, Steve Shiflett of Hampton, Ga., won $500 for submitting the toilet seat's warning that it's "not for use on moving vehicles." (really? Who'd have thunk?)

Daniel Berganini of Fridley, Minn., won the second-place prize of $250 for a line in a wart-removal product's instruction guide that is unlikely to reach its targeted audience: "Do not use if you cannot see clearly to read the information in the information booklet."

"Do not eat the LCD panel," warns a label on a 1-by-4-inch LCD screen, a finalist submitted by David Almcrantz of Goleta, Calif. (must be an attractive nuisance for 3-year olds)

Past winners include a small tractor that cautioned "Danger: Avoid Death," and a warning not to put people inside a washing machine (anyone with small boys wouldn’t think this warning was unwarranted. The only question is, if you warn the boys NOT to do it, will that give them the idea to do it???)
.

Mother's Day

This is my mom - Happy Mother's Day Mommy!

Job Title for Mothers:
"Research associate in the field of child development and human relations"

Things my mother taught me:
My mother taught me CONSIDERATION FOR OTHERS when she said, "I just scrubbed that floor. Go outside and bleed in the grass."

My mother taught me HUMOR when she said, "When that lawn mower cuts off your toes, don't come running to me."

My mother taught me GENETICS when she said, "You are just like your father!"

My mother taught me JUSTICE when she said, "One day you will have kids, and I hope they turn out just like YOU...then you'll see what it's like."

(ha ha - I actually DID have children that turned out exactly like me...perfect in every way!)

.

Last, but not least, If at first you don't succeed, do it the way your mother taught you.

.

Happy 5th Anniversary Amy & Kyle!

May 8, 2004

(No, they didn't get married on the merry-go-round. They got married in the San Diego Temple - then took their whole bridal party to Belmont park to ride the merry-go-round and the roller coaster. Then they went to the beach:

Then they went to the reception and danced all night.

Cinco de Mayo

Women Gone Wild

Daryl, me, Sue

Cinco de Mayo makes me think of all things Mexican - and in particular, the mother/daughter cruises to Mexico we used to take when the girls were teenagers (we started out with the three day cruise to Catalina and Ensenada, then extended to the five day cruise to Ensenada, Mazatlan and Cabo San Lucas). My two crazy pals and I would be in one cabin, and their daughters and my two girls were in the cabin next to us (so we could keep track of their comings and goings without being in their face). Since we all live in San Diego, it was an inexpensive vacation for us and it was great bonding time for all. We did it every other year until one of the girls got married. Our girls always hit it big with the cruise staff - especially the waiters. After a few years, when we'd walk in for dinner the first night, the waiters would applaud and come hug the girls. They knew the party was starting.

2-Ingredient Drink

Summer Cooler

Ingredients
3 cups fresh melon (watermelon or cantaloupe), seeds removed and roughly chopped
1 1/2 cups Minute Maid Lemonade (I use Light - only 15 calories)

Directions
Place ingredients in a blender and process until smooth. Chill and serve over ice.

Great for breakfast, lunch, around pool, and especially good with Mexican food.

Happy Birthday Kyle!

Kyle with Lincoln (age 2-1/2)

Lincoln says, "You are the best daddy on the planet!" We all agree!

Favorite Wedding Photo:

My nephew's wife is a wedding photographer in Oregon. I checked out her website and she takes amazing photos. She has a way of capturing the personality of a wedding. What do you do when you have a group of groomsmen who are so different in size, shape, and personality? Play it up and have fun with it! I love it.

If you know anyone who is getting married, have them check out: asimpleldswedding.com

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"?