A Child Again

Susan Branch is one of my favorite artists. She is a talented writer, illustrator, author and her cookbooks transport me back to wonderful childhood memories. Her Christmas post was about a dinner party that she held recently. As eight dinner guests sat around a beautiful holiday meal, candles glowing, wine glasses sparkling...someone said, "You can always see the kid in a person if you look closely." There was a hush over the chatty table, guests leaned forward looking into the faces of each other. Suddenly they were transported back in time, little girls in party dresses and black patent shoes swinging back and forth under the table...little boys squirming and fidgeting in their seats trying to be good!

What an insightful notion, that inside each of us....especially at Christmas, is that wide-eyed child of long ago. Waiting and hoping for snow on Christmas or that one special present under the tree. Thrilled with the simple pleasures of the lights on the Christmas tree or that delicious coziness of flannel pajamas and a hot cup of cocoa topped with marshmallows.

Let this be our resolution for the New Year, to allow ourselves to recapture that sweet magic of childhood. To keep kindness and good in our hearts and expect good things to happen. We all need that special quality of youth to give us hope and encouragement for the hard days ahead.

Happy 2012!

The Difference

Father's Day is a hard one, I'm usually at a loss what to buy my husband. The Sunday before, we sat reading the paper... me going through the stack of Father's Day ads when I saw the Kindle advertised at Best Buy. Jerry used to read a lot when he travelled. Long flights, hotel rooms and my absence gave him the quiet time he needed to savor a good book. A week later, we are both in LOVE with the Kindle! If you are on the fence about getting one, let me tell you it's all it's cracked up to be and it's plug and play... instant gratification! The ability to have a book in seconds, for less money than a hard copy is mind boggling.

Jean Chatzky's book The Difference has two of my favorite subjects, financial freedom and self help/keys to happiness in your life. She notes that money doesn't breed happiness~ but happiness can breed money.

I am an optimist, I'm one of those who sees the glass half full. I tell my husband I always expect the best and am surprised when things don't turn out that way. Sometimes they don't, it's just a fact. If I set here and write down all of the bad things that have happened to us the list might be a little long. But I'd rather think of all the positive things and in my eyes, life has been good to us.

In her book, Jean Chatzky says a person’s ability to be appreciative and grateful for what they already have is essential to attracting more of what they desire. So my "Rose Colored Glasses" approach may be responsible for the contentment I have in my heart! I am satisfied with what we have and grateful for everything that has happened to us thus far... the good and the bad. I like to think we've grown stronger from the hard times.

So how does one acquire this magnetic chemistry? Here is what she suggests:
"Wear rosier glasses – In other words, choose to see things more optimistically, eliminate the cynicism and elect to see how abundantly rich you truly are – not necessarily always in cash value, but in the relationships, lifestyle and the community you live in. Appreciating what you have instead of what you lack will create a tremendous positive change."
"Stop comparing yourself to others. By choosing to value who you are and the talents and gifts you have to offer, you are again focusing on your self-worth, but if you constantly are belittling yourself for not being like the Jones’ or the beautiful model on the cover of the magazine, you will always feel as though you are lacking. Change what you focus on and that energy will multiply."
"Use visual cues. By posting your mantra, inspiring quotes or visuals that serve as reminders to keep you focused on what is truly important, you help yourself out on those days when it seems nothing can go right and you begin to doubt yourself. Put yourself on the offensive by planning ahead and frame your most inspiring quote above your desk, write it in your planner so you see it when you open it up every day, on your phone’s screensaver – wherever you will notice it and take a moment to check in with yourself on those moments when you’re in doubt."
"Do something for someone else. Choose to pay it forward by helping someone out who isn’t expecting your aid – it may be someone you know, it may not be, but in doing so you are giving of yourself – your good fortune - to someone else who could benefit from your time and energy. It doesn’t have to be a grand expensive gesture. In fact, it doesn’t need to cost any money, a simple 30 minute visit to a senior citizen who enjoys your conversation. Whatever you do, remember do it without wanting anything in return because truly wealthy people realize how fortunate they are and want to give back when they can simply because they can."

We may be old dogs, but we are still learning some new tricks!

Living "Green"

When Orlo Stitt was growing up in Iowa, his parents and grandparents taught him:

"Don't be wasteful."

"Don't take things for granted."

"Give back to the Earth for all the wonderful things she's given us."

He carried those lessons with him, shaping every aspect of his life. Driven from childhood to practice conservation, his commitment to building energy efficient homes is evident the first time you meet him. We are lucky to call him friend and neighbor, and we're proud to say he built the home we love so much !

His new book Holistically Green Homes is an accumulation of many years of knowledge and techniques that he has researched and documented to build homes that are not only beautiful but truly energy efficient. In the book he lays out eighteen principles that describe what green home design and building are all about. These principles can be used with both existing or new construction.

We built our home 6 years ago this May. It was a difficult site to build on, a very sloping mountain side, but we fell in love with the wooded land and the view of the lake.

Stitt Energy Systems took our plans and tweaked them to build us a home that would have extremely low utility bills. The placement of the house with the largest expanse of windows being on the South and East side took advantage of the Winter sun's heat. The conservation of trees shades us during Summer months. Arxx blocks were used to pour solid concrete walls for the first floor, in our case our basement. Bio-Foam insulation, a soybean-based foam was used to give us high R-Values in the walls and the attic. Energy efficient CFL bulbs, EnergyStar appliances and Rheem 16-Seer heat pumps heat and cool our house. We chose a Noritz on demand hot water heater and have been very happy with the performance and costs. Those all add up to great savings on our energy bills. Last year our total cost for electric bills (for us that includes heating and cooling, 2 heat pumps) was $982 or an average of $81 a month. We don't do without anything to achieve these low bills, we live just like everyone else forgetting to turn off lights and wasting electricity sometimes. But we are that generation that reminded our kids to turn off the lights and television so we don't waste without some guilt !

The Master bedroom is on the second floor. Can you read the little pillow in the chair?
It says, "The Best Is Yet To Come"...

isn't that the most wonderful thought !?!

Our rooms are small, but they are open and I love that!

I wish my kitchen was larger though, it drives me crazy not to have "elbow room !"

 We built these patios ourselves, two old people ! It nearly killed us but we survived and we enjoy them so much. There are decks on the back of the house, but the patios are our favorite place to relax.

 The flowerbeds are all very rocky so everything has a "Natural" look.

 That's our excuse anyway for letting Mother Nature do our landscaping !

 The best thing about where we live is the lake. We like to fish and our Grandsons love the water like us. Arkansas is a great place to live and enjoy the many blessings of life. Living green is an attitude that we can all incorporate into our lives. We reap the rewards with lower energy bills. Small steps really can save you a lot on your utility bills !

Lighten Up

Peter Walsh who is the mastermind behind the show Clean Sweep on TLC has written a book to help people live clutter-free lives titled "Lighten Up: Love What You Have, Have What You Need, Be Happier with Less.” Clutter goes a step further if you watch any of the proliferation of shows about hoarding.

When the stuff starts coming out the seams of a house, you know there's a problem

Hoarding doesn't have to be messy, it can be in the form of piles of books...

...or rows of cans.

Hoarders, Animal Hoarders, Buried Alive... I find these shows disturbing so I don't watch. I may be the only person not watching though, their ratings are through the roof. Does that apply to anyone in this house...uhh, no! If you rang my doorbell right now,  I might not be dressed for the day but I can tell you for certain that my house would be clean. That's just how I roll. I just don't go to bed unless it's picked up, not spotless eat-off-the-floor clean, but the kind of clean that is ready for company. It's not cluttered...but it is stuffed. I need this book. He said most of us are guilty of buying too much. Your downfall may be clothes, or shoes, or maybe you are like me and like linens. Oh how I love good sheets and towels. There's nothing as good as crawling into bed on smooth sheets, rich in thread count and silky to the touch. And don't get me started on tablecloths, napkins or pillows. Yep, I have a problem! I have dishes for summer, winter and holidays, dishes for the boat, glasses of every shape and size, flatware for a small army. I have officialy ran out of room to store any more, so I've solved that problem...I'm passing some on to daughters!
Hoarding must start like this, a love of things. The need for plenty in our lives and somehow it just goes haywire. So, I've been purging, slowly but surely the closets are getting pared down, the dishes will be shared and my car has almost forgot it's way to Tuesday Morning. Almost...

The bad news is that Ross Dress for Less is opening soon. I'm in big trouble!

*The word "later" is the best friend of clutter. ~Peter Walsh

Life Is Short, Wear Your Party Pants

I have a book that I can go to for encouragement anytime I feel the need and here lately, I’ve needed it a lot. Life Is Short-Wear Your Party Pants by stress management consultant Loretta LaRoche reminds us to slow down, love more and treat ourselves more kindly. Sometimes we can be our own worst enemy. I know I beat myself over the head when I don’t get all of the things on my “To-Do” list done. I stretch myself too thin and then wonder why I can’t get it all done…sound familiar?? Her practical advice about wearing your Party Pants will set you free to claim peace and happiness in your life!


Loretta said her Mom used to say “You never know.” They would clean the house on Saturdays because…”You never know.” In the middle of a wonderful meal her Mother would remind them to save leftovers because…“You never know. Small pieces of wax paper were saved, as well as string and empty egg cartons because…well, you know! She said she kept trying to understand what it was she didn’t know but needed to know. She used to ask her Mother if something bad was going to happen, but then her Mom would counter with, “Someday you’ll see.” She had a hard time coping with all of this as a child, but the thing that really pushed her over the edge was underwear. Her Mother bought her the most hideous underpants, on sale…the kind that wouldn’t wear out, ever. Loretta longed for the kind that were pretty and feminine with little flowers and lace. When her Mother finally had a weak moment and bought her a pair she was ecstatic, until Mom said the usual: that she couldn’t wear them often because… “You never know.” She added they were going to be her “Party Pants.” Just how many parties did a nine year old go to? The pants stayed in the drawer surrounded by their ugly step-underpants. She wore them twice, she still had them but they didn’t fit anymore!

Loretta mentions a favorite story about a woman who was in her kitchen preparing roast beef for dinner. Her young daughter was watching her make the meal, and the young girl asked, “Mommy, why did you cut the ends off the roast beef?”And the Mother told her: “Honey, that’s just the way you prepare it.”“But why?”And the Mother had to think about it for a second and acknowledged, “You know, I’m not sure why. It’s just the way my Mother did it, and I’m sure she had a good reason.”“Let’s ask Grandma.”So the woman called her Mother and asked why she cut the ends off the roast beef. The older woman had to admit she didn’t really know why she id it either, but she did it because that’s the way her Mother prepared the roast beef. So they called the old woman, the child’s great-great-grandmother who was now in her 90’s, and asked her why she cut the ends off the roast beef before cooking it.“Well,” the old lady said, “it’s because I didn’t have a roasting pan big enough to hold it!”

How many of us have inherited that scarcity mentality from our parents, a mentality that says we shouldn’t celebrate and use the good things in our everyday lives. But like the woman who cooked the roast beef we should look beyond what we’ve been brought up with to try to find our own path to a happy life.

It’s a great self-help book that will bring insight to your life and you’ll laugh your socks off the whole way through!

Please, wear your prettiest panties today!

Little Redheads Across America

Aunt B. sent an article from their paper yesterday telling about a great new book titled
"Little Redheads Across America," written by Nicole Giladi. After giving birth to twins, she and her husband were surprised when one of them had “orange fuzz!” About a year later, her curiosity got the best of her, and Giladi started researching. She discovered that the redhead gene has to come from both parents. She also learned how extraordinary red hair was. The more she searched, the more fascinating biological information she found. That’s when the idea of her book came to her, she said. She wanted to write a book for all redheaded children to let them know they weren’t alone and to give them information on their uniqueness. Soon she was hearing from parents of redheaded children across the country. She accepted photo submissions, seeking the best choices from each state. Of course, raising a redhead can be somewhat of a challenge. They say redheads have a fiery temper and are stubborn. I can't say for sure those traits are just for our redhead daughter Amy, since our blonde daughter Stephanie also shares the same ones!
Rarity — Red hair is the rarest hair color in humans. Redheads make up only 2 percent of those in the United States.

Genetics — Because it's a recessive trait, red hair can easily skip a generation. It can reappear after skipping one or more generations if both parents (no matter their hair color) carry the red hair gene.

Hands down — Being a lefty is more prevalent among redheads than among those with other hair colors.

Hair dye — Red is the most requested hair color at beauty salons. It is very difficult to dye naturally red hair. Red hair holds its pigment more tightly than most other natural colors.

Changes — The color of red hair changes over time. This is because the amount of melanin in hair changes with time. Someone who is a bright redhead as a child will notice the shade becoming more muted as she ages.

Freckles — Having freckles is genetic and is often found in people with fair hair and red hair. The appearance of freckles is triggered by exposure to sunlight.　　

Our daughter Amy at 2 had hair the color of a new copper penny!

By 3 her hair was still very coppery, and she had curls too!

By 8 she had heard every redhead joke you can imagine. Her favorite thing to tell people when they asked, "Where did you get your red hair? She'd smile and say, "My parents left me out in the rain!"
By 14 she had a mane of auburn hair. Strangers would come up to her to tell her how beautiful it was!

Amy's a Mom now to 2 year old BLONDE Ewan! She still gets compliments on her red hair, it's just so pretty!

Thanks Aunt B. for another great article!