Hot pink

I don't know about you but I sure am seeing pink everywhere lately, and it's a great thing! The best part about it is that it's all for a great cause: breast cancer awareness.

It seems that more attention is paid to it this year than in years past although some of the same promotions have been around for quite a number of years. The pink Yoplait lids are one of them.

I have some Yoplait yogurt in my refrigerator right now and I'll be sure to mail the lids in to Yoplait. For every one of their pink lids that they receive until December 31st, they will donate 10 cents to the fight against breast cancer. It may not seem like a lot but I believe the minimum donation is $500,000 dollars. Not bad!

Also, Saks 5th Avenue is doing its Key for the Cure T-shirt promotion again and this year's t-shirt was designed by Donna Karan. The t-shirt will be available at Saks later this month but only for a short time. Here's a sneak peek:

Yes, that is Uma Thurman and yes, she could wear a rag and look fabulous. :)

The pink ribbons and pink bracelets are everywhere too.

All that pink inspired me to bake some chocolate cupcakes. What does pink have to do with chocolate cupcakes you ask? Well, the pink frosting of course!




I packed almost 2 dozens to give away and kept a few "extras" at home, which we enjoyed.

My camera doesn't do the pink frosting justice. It was actually vanilla frosting with a couple of drops of red food coloring which gave them a nice soft pink color. They were good, I can tell you that!

You know, most of us women tend to take care of everyone else before ourselves so let's make an effort to be vigilant about monthly self-exams and if a mammogram is recommended, let's not put it off.

I am due for one this year and although I can't say it's something I'm looking forward to, I will get it done. One diagnosis is one too many.

Wishing you a wonderful week ahead! May you see lots of pinks everywhere as a reminder for you to take care of yourself.

{hugs}

Oh the irony...

As I drove home this afternoon, I couldn't help but crave the most wonderful ice cream: Moose Tracks. Have you ever had it? It's vanilla ice cream with chocolate and mini peanut butter cups all mixed into one delicious concoction.

And then I remembered, today is Tuesday and The Biggest Loser is on tonight and of course, I somehow get a craving for ice cream or cake or anything else "forbidden" when I watch a show about people eating healthy, working out and losing weight. Why is that?

Please tell me I'm not the only one! It would make me feel better.

Hoping your week is going well and praying many sweet blessings upon you and yours!

{hugs}

Summer break

A week ago, I received the sad news that my mom passed away unexpectedly. We lived in two different countries for the past 17 years (she lived in Canada and I'm in the US) and although I did not get to see her very often, she was very much close to my heart and in my prayers always. We loved each other deeply and the distance between us had never changed that.

The sadness of losing her will last for a while but I know that the Lord came to get her because He had chosen it to be her time and as His ways are not our ways, I will not try to understnd why it is so. Losing her made me reflect on my own motherhood and the little bit of time that I have with my own child. My little guy is already 7 and I want to treasure as much of our time together as possible, making family memories to cherish for years to come.

In order to spend as much quality time enjoying my family and the special activities that summer has to offer, I have decided to take the summer off from my blog and maybe longer depending how I feel come autumn.

I hope each of you has a great summer, with many fond memories to look back on. In the meantime, here's a short but beautiful poem written anonymously that I would like to leave you with today.


May there always be work
For your hands to do,
May your purse always hold a coin or two,
May the sun always shine
Warm on your windowpane,
May a rainbow be certain to follow each rain,
May the hand of a friend always be near you,
And may God fill your heart
With gladness to cheer you.

Enjoy your summer, your loved ones and your many sweet blessings!

{hugs}

Sugar or lemon?

Ah, sugar and lemon you say?




Those are two things often served with tea, of course. But if I asked you which one would you rather be, would you need to think about it for a while?

These six things the Lord hates, yes seven are an abomination to Him: a proud look, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, a heart that devises wicked plans, feet that are swift in running to evil, a false witness who speaks lies and one who sows discord among brethren. Proverbs 6:16-19.

I'd like to share with you an excerpt from Tea time with God which I really enjoyed on the topic of sugar and lemon (or how sweet and/or sour our words can be).



Afternoon tea is traditionally a time for reflecting on the day and chatting with friends. Perhaps because it comes at a low-energy time of day, we may be more careless in our conversation and include not-so-kind opinions about others.



At the very time sugar and cream are being slipped into the tea, verbal raspberries, lemons and sour grapes may slip into the conversation.

Consider sharing this little poem with your tea-mates at the beginning of your time together.

I Know Something Good About You

Wouldn't this world be better
If folks whom we meet would say
"I know something good about you"
And treat you just that way?

Wouldn't it be splendid,
If each handshake, good and true,
Carried with it this assurance:
"I know something good about you?"

Wouldn't life be happier,
If the good that's in us all,
Were the only thing about us
That people would recall?

Wouldn't our days be sweeter,
If we praised the good we see;
For there is a lot of goodness,
In the worst of you and me?

Wouldn't it be fine to practice,
This way of thinking too;
You know something good about me,
I know something good about you?

- Author unknown

How perfect of a poem for teatime or anytime, don't you think? I hope you enjoyed it.

So, again I ask you: sugar or lemon - which one would you rather be? There's plenty of room so come and jump in the sugar bowl with me! ;)

Many sweet blessings!

Savoring time

Lately, I have been busy as a bee! Busy with life, wondering how come time goes by so much faster than when I was a young girl. Is it just me or does it seem like days and weeks (even years!) simply seem to fly by nowadays?

Since there isn't a time machine out on the market that can help me slow down the minutes of my days, I will just need to slow down and savor them as I know they will be memories soon.

Over the past few months, we've been enjoying Little League baseball games, one of our son's favorite sports. This keeps us busy with weeknight practices and Saturday games and we love every minute of it!


In the midst of everyday life, homework review, school activities, various sports functions, dinner, laundry, errands, and so on, I do find it relaxing to sit down for a few minutes to enjoy a cup of one of my favorite teas. Have you ever tried this one?



And if I'm blessed enough to enjoy my tea along with some friendly conversation, then you guessed it, there's always a little something sweet to go along with it!



Or if I don't have anything baked, a little chocolate is always wonderful. Which one would you go for? I'm a dark chocolate fan myself.



But trust me, my life isn't all tea and sweets and a neat little tearoom to enjoy it in. With an active boy and a husband who lives and breathes sports too, it's hard not to trip up over balls sometimes!

When you have a 7-year old boy, you need to do things a 7-year old boy enjoys doing and sharing a lovely teatime isn't on his list these days! No, a lot of times I find myself playing catch in the backyard, cheering over every little and big fish that he catches (and releases), and sharing some of the humor that makes a little boy laugh the kind of laugh you just want to bottle up! In fact, that's what we have in this book:



If you haven't read it you must, especially if you have a little one in your life... or a dog with flatulence issues! It is such a cute story about this great dog Walter. I was at Barnes and Noble laughing so hard I just had to buy it!

But, in the midst of the busyiness of life, family and home, I hope I never forget that the only reason I am this blessed to have a family that keeps me busy from morning until night and to have a home that takes forever to clean is absolutely by the great grace of God. To Him, I owe everything. And I need to spend more time reading His word, hiding it in my heart.



Lord, please help me to slow down and savor each moment of my life, today, tomorrow and always. In Jesus' name, Amen.

May your days be filled with lots of joy and laughter, with the love of your family and friends and with satisfaction in all your accomplishments, big and small.

{Hugs}

Joy

Do you consider yourself a joyful person? Are you feeling joyful today? If so, then you may not have heard that today is known as the most depressing day of the year! Oh my.

Yes, apparently there is such a thing and it's based on things such as the cold weather, increasing debt (credit card bills coming in from Christmas purchases), and new year's resolutions that have already been broken.

But could joy be a deliberate choice and not a reaction to various elements in our life? I think it can be. After all, I don't know one single person who has no problems to overcome, no issues to spoil their joy and no difficulties to rob them of their comfort or peace of mind. And yet, for many of them joy has won and fear has lost.

"It really is possible to color a dark canvas golden, even with the tiniest of brushes. You just keep on dabbing the paint, and sooner or later you transform the surface with brightness. In the same way, if you keep on making joy choices, small and large, your heart will eventually display a joyful tint that is more durable than you ever imagined."

- Thomas Kinkade, a.k.a. The Painter of Light



Despite the cold weather and the difficulties you may be facing, may joy warm your heart and be yours today and always!

{Hugs}

A reflection

"God loves America. When you realize what He accomplished in bringing forth a new nation on this continent - a government founded on Christian principles and dedicated to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness - you have to realize that He had a dramatic vision and purpose for this nation."

Dr. James Kennedy (1930-2007)