Live a LIfe that Matters....

[lucy]

I'll give it a go, use the 'good' spoons after Christmas dinner and report back.

Does "Knees Up Mother Brown" sound better when played with the "good" spoons, I wonder...

btw, the name of that song is rather fascinating...I am afraid to ask, though/

This reminds me of one of my favorite Sandra Bullock movies...Can't remember the name offhand, but that is because I am getting older...ah, MISS CONGENIALITY...that's it. She is an undercover cop at a beauty pageant, but her only "talent" is playing the "water glasses"....You could do a duet for Christmas dinner maybe..the "silver spoon and crystal chorus"....

[lucy]

Ivan, you are so industrious... The decorations sound delightful.

I suppose my only talent at Christmas is baking cookies...sigh/

[ivanm]

Ivan, you are so industrious... The decorations sound delightful.

I suppose my only talent at Christmas is baking cookies...sigh/

Me and the girls (the cockers) are Edna's taste testers.  Most cookies taste best right out of the oven. 

I have been trying hard to lose weight and now she has found a  way to fatten me back up, the Sneaky Pete.  I just cannot say no to  cookies and to pretty women. 

[lucy]

The older one gets, the more important the cookies/:D

[Michael]

We baked pies and made banana-bread.  But we use "Swerve" instead of sugar.

It's expensive stuff, $14.00 for 2 1/2 cups, but we stay fit and trim...AND enjoy the "goodies". 

[lucy]

Never heard of that stuff.

I cut the sugar for most recipes I make, frankly....

For dessert we had a sweet potato pie and I  had vanilla bean ice cream and made gingerbread "dogs" with a cookie cutter...the dogs were a hit, I think. So cute.

[Michael]

"Swerve" tastes just like sugar, and even mixes like sugar.  But is NOT sugar.

It is excellent for diabetics, but like I said...It's expensive.  Well worth it though.  Most people do not fully realize how extremely unhealthy sugar is.  Let alone how easily it makes you fat.

A less expensive alternative (also 100% natural) is "Stevia".  It is said to even CURE diabetes.  The newest brand of "Stevia" called "Truvia" tastes a lot more like sugar.  It is inexpensive and can be purchased in most grocery stores.

[lucy]

Just be sure these artificial sweeteners are safe. Aspartame is toxic.

[lucy]

We may be witnessing a very different Christmas "attitude" this year because of the economic "slowdown."

An article re shopping:

"For many Americans, shopping resembles a religious experience. For others, the urge to spend represents an addiction every bit as powerful as those involving drugs, alcohol, or tobacco. And for some, keeping up with the Joneses is like being under the spell of a dangerous cult.

Now, with cold-turkey reality intruding and unexpected economic interventions leaving many formerly spendthrift souls unable to shop, some are experiencing a rash of unsettling symptoms. In "Downturn Spurs 'Survival Panic' for Some," Reuters reports on the emotional, physical, and social fallout stemming from the transition to a new age of frugality."

linkhttp://www.financialarmageddon.com/2008/12/suffering-from-shopping.html


But, truly buying things is a very temporary emotional satisfaction, so if you really HAVE to buy, I suggest you buy things that will add to your mind/spirit:

1) literature/books in general
2) music that uplifts you
3) comfort food you can make yourself
4) and maybe even discover a craft or something creative you enjoy doing...paper and pens and paints are still relatively cheap, for example.

FORGET the expensive clothes and trappings, especially....we could do well to bring back an simple, tasteful view of what we wear and what items we accumulate....imo.

just a thought/