I AM SO IN LOVE

 Do you remember when you felt those butterflies in the pit of your stomach when you first saw him/her?

Do you remember when you couldn't wait to be in his/her presence again?

Do you remember when you couldn't stop thinking about him/her?

I have the feeling now and I can't stop smiling about it.

He arrived on November 30th and has been in my life since then.

To soon for love, you say? No way. It was love at first sight. Hey if they can make an entire show about it, then I can find it too, right.

He came in and made himself at home and has never left. 

He makes me so comfortable and he actually allows me to rest. He comforts me when I need it most and for that I am the MOST grateful.

He lets me sit on him for hours, sometimes having to move a little to get more comfortable; but he never complains.

He can be a little hard to move but I manage to get him right where I need him.

I have bought new PJ's for him and spruced up my bedroom for him.

He is the BEST thing in my life right now; well right behind my kids, grandchildren, parents and cigars...but he is right up there.

I don't really like calling his name out because people look at me funny when I refer to him. 

Most time I just call him Cee but his real name is Sleep Number QC4

Wait...did you think I was talking or referring to something else. 

Since QC4 has come into my life, my insomnia has gotten slightly better. According to my sleep therapist, I have gotten more REST since having the bed. Not sleep but rest. There is a difference.

And for that I will be forever grateful to QC4. He has made my life better and now I must go back online to buy him some more sheets and PJ's. He appreciates that I make this effort to make him feel at home.

Is there something that you received for Christmas that has you instantly in love. Leave me a comment on FB or Instagram and let me know. Feel free to post a picture with it as well, because well, who doesn't like a good photo.

MY ORGANIC EXPERIMENT BEGINS NOW

So I decided to go organic/healthier for the next six month. 

So, I walked into an organic store in  Bowie and I noticed one thing immediately; it was FREEZING in the store. Even the clerks were walking around with big sweaters on. I asked one of the ladies; why is it so cold in here. She said that organic stores keeps the temperatures down slightly lower than regular stores because the food is 'all natural and can spoil much quicker." The weather was the other factor. (DC was in the middle of a brutal cold spell the first week in January)

Undeterred, I wrapped my scarf around my neck and pressed on. I found some amazing finds on meats and bulk rice, oatmeal and spices. 

I didn't buy anything because I wasn't going home until the following day. 

Fast forward to Monday (Jan. 8) and I decided, I am doing it. I'm going to go to Whole Foods.

Yes, the store was cold but I was prepared.  Scarf, hat and gloves ready, I parked in the garage and set off!

AMAZING!

I found what I was looking for but was also given some great tips by the nice man in the meat department. No, not like at your local stores. This was ACTUALLY a meat department. 
 
The guy was back there; waiting for you to tell him what you wanted and then would cut,weigh and package your meat for you. You know like in the 70's. The brown paper wrapping that I was so in love with when watching shows like I Love Lucy and Leave It To Beaver. ( I always wanted to buy my meat like that, go figure)

1. Never buy more food than you will consume in a week. Organic food is best kept in the fridge NOT the freezer.
2. It may be expensive but look at it in these terms. My shopping trip cost me $56.72. On average I spend about $113 every couple of weeks. Broken down; I am actually spending the same amount of money; although making more trips to the store. However, not spending anymore in gas because it is on the way home; so win-win for me.  
3. Organic milk is better for you but remember to SHAKE it before using it. Also it comes in glass bottles so take them back for your refund. Every little bit helps. 
4. It is more expensive but the health benefits are worth it.
5. Most organic/natural food markets will custom cut any meat you would like. 
6. Most eggs come from free range chickens.
7. Most beef is grass fed with no antibodies added.
8. No nitrates are used in organic bacon. 

I wanted pork chops but didn't want the thick cut they offered. The butcher worked with me and I ended up with 4 thin sliced pork chops for the cost of what 2 thick chops would be.  I could immediately taste the difference!

So for the next six months; I am going to be all organic/natural when it comes to my food. I am going to see if this helps with my energy and sleep levels.

Would you go organic knowing that the food is much more expensive but healthier? 

Sometimes we have to make a choice. Convenience or Healthy?

THE BEST FAMILY VACATION EVER...PART I

 This past weekend, my family and I took a trip to +James Pierce (ok, I know there is a name there, but Powhatan Resorts is where we went and hopefully James works there)

Anyway, we took a trip there with +Austin Camacho and Denise and their family and my two children along with their children and also a couple of friends, and also a cat (which will be a different blog on a different day)

We arrived on Friday night and we were all to tired to do anything but this was a family vacation and after all of the sleeping arrangements had been made, re-made and floor space claimed, we settled in for a peaceful night.

Then came Saturday and the madness began. Have you ever cooked breakfast for 13 hungry people, 7 men, (2 of which play semi-pro football) and 6 females and one finicky 1 year old and a 2 month old baby. Well the task of what to feed them was easily solved with a bag (Costco is your friend on family outings) of pancake mix, a gallon of syrup, 3 dozen eggs, four pounds of bacon and enough coffee to wake up an entire teaching staff of college professors.  See that looks like a lot of food and after cooking for what seemed like an hour we were ready to call everyone in for breakfast except...

Half of them were still asleep, one decided they needed to take a leisurely bubble bath and the men, well they were about to gnaw off an arm if they weren't fed immediately.

We (that would be Denise and I) sat down the platter of pancakes and two bowls of bacon and by the time 6 of them ate...we needed more food.

Wait, what....my initial statement of "wow; do you think we will need all of that bacon" was met with the very light laugh and yes" from Denise)

Turns out we needed all four pounds of bacon, half of a bag (5 pounds) of pancake mix and 1 dozen of eggs. We ushered in shifts of food, took turns at the table that sat 6 and made quick time using two different coffee pots. Whew, breakfast was over and the dishes, well; the dishwashing hands of Denise and myself had all of the dishes, pots, pans and glasses and mugs out away in a little over an hour but you know what,

the memories that were made just over breakfast will stay embedded in my mind forever and off to the beach we went. But getting everyone corralled into three cars...

to be continued.......

What do you write in?

Rosemary, or Rosey to her closest friends, found me on LinkedIn when I sent an invitation to blog.

Today she tells us what she likes to wear when she is writing.When I blog I rest my feet in furry pink slippers on a built-in obsolescence model printer. Practically it is to save my knees and level my bottom. Metaphysically, what is it? Lowest upward – let us consider.

Obsolete printer? I have finished with cheapos bought from department stores. The days of pandering to the teaching profession with lush handouts produced spontaneously in the wee hours for belligerent students are gone. When the school door was firmly closed, I emptied the ink for a friend who shook over a forthcoming inspection then declared this object redundant. It stubbornly retained the label some months later when I repurchased ink for another purpose so now it is under my feet. Any future model will have to be laser, imperishable and funded. The old model signifies the fight for better facilities.

Pink fluffy slippers? These signify comfort, warmth and refusal to totally negate a young girl’s dream world with the harsh realities of advancing age. Slippers hug my feet with love, for my daughters supply them. They remind me to see a pretty image in the mirror even if I have to dim the light. They defy the cold and whisper to me of days in the Jamaican sun where feet never feel a chill. Slippers predict better days to come

Bottom always pressed into a hardwood chair, computer bound, several mornings a week? This signifies persistence. It is the only quality lauded by pundits as likely to succeed. Using this, I keep electronically communicable, approachable as an author, aspiring as a marketer and battling as a writer. My relief is a walking job for limited wages but my belief is in the profit that will one day flow from the balanced cheeks here firmly pressed.

Who ever said writing does not pay needed to add “yet”. We live in an age when centenarians are becoming average. In the old span of life we were ancient at seventy, now we are late middle-aged. Let us all build dreams for our extended phase.  With electronic literature, e-sales, pyramid promotions we must redress the march of time, the conformity to stereotype, the deterioration of the fiery spirit that fuelled us and find obsolescence to climb over, comfort to cling on to and visions to invest in. My seat at my computer does all these things. I’m sure yours is doing it for you too.

Thanks for sharing the positive promise of a writing life.

Thanks Rosey, I'm making myself her closest friend and for me; I like to wear...wait this isn't about me, is it?

What do you like to write in?

Let us know and while you are at it, why not stop by and check her out

http://roseythomaspalmerauthor.wordpress.com