The BEST of Me..........

I've been thinking a lot about a number of things! No surprise really, my brain often goes a zillion miles a minute! I'm sure if I was in school now there would be a name for it!

I've been thinking a LOT as I will be.....
I could say "halfway through my 50's", or other things I'd rather not say right now!

I was thinking this morning as I was attempting to put on nail polish... about what I'm good at, and not so good at! My BIG "NOTS" would be hair cutting, cake decorating, and putting on fingernail polish.......

I'm really, really good at lots of things! Bread is one of them!

I also think I've done a fairly good job as a mom.......... my kids are wonderful and amazingly talented! Mother's Day is such a special day, and a great time to realize what matters MOST

Once again my daughter really hit the nail on the head! She said I've always used symbolism for so much...... PAYBACK!

It was really wonderful, profound, and I can't wait to use it!
This is what life is, rich and full and often unexpected.
I hit a "milestone" today with my health stuff....... I'm 58 lbs down, and had to take my dress pants in because I can't keep them up! (No, I'm not ready for a 6!)

I don't need Diet Mt. Dew anymore. I lived on it for decades; but no more!
My latest addiction continues to be my Vanilla Creme water I guzzle daily! (It is my nearly 3year old grandson's favorite "grandma water" flavor!) Natural and healthy....... all good!








I've been "smelling" things instead of eating them. I'm not missing out, not giving anything up! Went to a wedding the other night and didn't eat at the cookie bar, the cheesecake, or anything else.
My choice! I'll go get a cookie when I'm ready, I'll go get the best cheesecake when I choose!

I'm on the way to 55 and the best of me!
Life is good, life is rich, life is AMAZING! I'm not giving up anything...... I've feeling better than I have for so long; and health and happiness is worth any short term "sacrifice".

Business continues to grow by leaps and bounds, I'm getting to know wonderful people from all over! LUCKY ME to experience them.

So here I am........ off to eat my 3.5 ounces of chicken and cabbage, or maybe just an apple! Oh yes........... LUCKY ME!
So what is the "BEST" of me? I can't wait to see!

Greater Expectations..

I love strawberries.......... I mean, I really, really LOVE them! In 1988 I actually had 2 strawberry pies for my birthday! My visiting teacher got me one , and a friend got me one. I have never forgotten that birthday.

My wonderful husband brought me 3 flats of strawberries the other day. We want to freeze them, preserve them, etc. so we can enjoy them longer.

They were some of the best strawberries I'd had for a LONG time. Naturally sweet, didn't even need any of my Sweetleaf Vanilla Creme stevia drops to taste amazing.
I had strawberries for my "legal fruit" as I was cleaning them and preparing for freezing.

I ate and I ate and I ate...... Lets just say I used "strawberries" as my fruit and veggies for the entire day! I had 3.5 oz of chicken for lunch, and 3.5 oz of chicken for dinner! The scale was my friend this morning, so my unplanned modification worked, this time.




I froze bags and bags of them, but had the fantastic idea that I wanted to dry some. I prepared the berries and filled my trays of the best dehydrator.
Such a beautiful sight!
Then the drying started! The house smelled FANTASTIC, just like strawberries.
This morning........ the end result!




Here are my dried strawberries......... they are "okay", not bad really. But, come on, these are STRAWBERRIES! They need to be fantastic! The amazing sweet flavor didn't carry through. I didn't add anything, I wanted all natural, only strawberries; just like I do my apples I'm addicted to!

Dried strawberries will never be an addiction. I adore fresh ones, frozen are good...... but there I draw the line!
I wanted to try, I did have great expectations. Instead I got a learning experience.

Often life does NOT go as we plan, even aspects of our daily life are not as we expect or work for! This is life,* Life is what happens while we are making other plans*
You know, these are just strawberries and they will still be eaten and enjoyed. The harvest is still upon us so I will have more strawberry opportunities. I will not dry them.
I will savor them for the sweet fruit they are!

I will take each moment of my life, good, crazy good, not so good- and appreciate it!
This is what we get, this is our today and we only get to do it once!
So I will have greater expectations, and it's okay if I have my "dried strawberry days"