Whirley Happiness

I love popcorn. It is in my top 5 favorite foods. Builderman received a gift for Father's Day that has orbited me into popcorn heaven. The Whirley-Pop is a fantastic little pan that makes the best old-fashioned stove popcorn ever. It's easy and it's fun... kids of all ages love it. (That would be me.) It's sold only by Wabash Valley Farms (on Amazon), which is an Amish company in Indiana. I am not a huge fan of the Amish books by the "other" Beverly Lewis, but I am now a huge fan of this Amish popcorn company. Give me 3 minutes and you can taste it for yourself. Yummm.

A Drum Roll Please....

I'm so happy to announce that my new LifePoint website is now "live"! I would love your feedback, so Go Here, then PLEASE come back and leave your suggestions, comments, referrals or whatever!! (Shameless promotion, I know.)

A big shout out for Erin Duke Photgraphy and Design. Erin did my logo and blog header along with the whole business package of business cards, letterhead, etc. She is very reasonable, very professional and very talented. She was easy to work with and I have to admit, I like to network with Moms who are working from home. I met her through blogging!

This project took me longer than I anticipated so I feel such a sense of relief to have this step completed. Now I can get back to the business of actually booking speaking engagements!!

There’s Nothin’ Like the Truth

My husband is a truthful man. Honest. Without guile. And without tact I might add. This can be endearing at times. At other times it is totally maddening.

Builderman has a history of naming my outfits and being a commentator on fashion. I decided years ago to laugh about it. About 15 minutes before our recent graduation party was to begin, he frowned at me and asked, “Is that new?” Which of course my clothes were new- we were having a party! He proceeded to say, “You look like you’re packing an extra 20 pounds today.” Not 10, but 20. Argghh. I ran to the bedroom to look in the mirror and scanned my options quickly. I decided there was no time to change and decided that his fashion sense leaves much to be desired. Trust me on that.

Hence, this morning, I looked at some photos taken that night and guess what?? I look 20 pounds heavier. This prompted me to put on the new blouse with some “skinny” pants, thinking that would fix it. Nope. You know why those loose blouses that are so popular now are called the maternity look? Indeed Cupcake in her little tiny size zero body couldn’t look pregnant if you put a tent on her. But me? I don’t look pregnant. I just look fat. So much for my nice new outfit. I could post a photo and do a contest and a giveaway but friends don’t do that to friends. Live and learn.

The Evidence is In

You’re healthier because you are a blogger. Scientists said so. (And so did Antique Mommy, who posted this news and caused me to do a happy dance.)

A recent article in Scientific American says, “Self-medication may be the reason the blogosphoere has taken off. Besides expressive writing (blogging) serving as a stress-coping mechanism, physiological benefits include improved memory and sleep, improved immune cell activity and it even speeds healing after surgery."

So if we needed justification for time spent blogging, we now have some great arguments. Blog on…and have a great weekend!

Lucious Veggies

'Tis the season that we have vegetables coming out of our ears. I wish you were here - I would be glad to share. Squash is so prolific that if I don't pick it twice a day, it gets too big. That speaks of heat and humidity if the condensation on the windows doesn't tell ya it's HOT. I'm not complaining - I'll take the heat over the cold any day. As long as I have air conditioning, that is. Are we spoiled or what? Here's a few of the squash plants:


I tried to talk Cupcake into setting up a stand on the highway with beans, squash, corn and potoatoes. She always liked to do lemonade stands when she was little, but she didn't go for my plan. So I just force vegetables on everyone I know. How many ways can you cook squash? Forrest Gump had the scoop on shrimp and my specialty is squash: boiled squash, steamed squash, sauteed squash, fried squash, squash casserole, sqaush gumbo.... got any recipes to share?

Tomatoes aren't ready yet. I have never learned the art of canning and don't want to. I'd rather just share. Guess what's for dinner at our house?

Banana Pudding

Since I mentioned the easy peasy, absolutely delicious banana pudding that serves an army, I decided to share the recipe. The problem with having it in the house is that I can eat it for breakfast (bananas are healthy, right?), lunch, dinner and dessert. How to gain weight in 4 easy steps. You can just make HALF the recipe, but what fun is that?

Banana Pudding

3 8 oz Cool Whip
5 cups milk
1 8 oz sour cream
2 lg Vanilla Instant Pudding
1 1/2 boxes Vanilla Wafers8 bananas

Blend cool whip, milk, sour cream and pudding. Layer wafers, bananas
& cream. Best if refrigerated overnight before serving.

Run – Don’t Walk!

We spent a wonderful 3 nights at the beach last weekend. I was born in Sarasota and grew up enjoying the beach, so I figure my roots are sea oats. That makes days at the beach especially idyllic. I went to the website for the Dunes of Panama to pull a few photos (remember I’m photographically challenged) and I saw a last minute vacation special that made my heart leap. This place was great and I am sorely tempted to head straight there again. $99 a night for beachfront with a gorgeous balcony? Are you kidding? (Only through June 5- fly, drive or run, but hurry!)

My schedule at the beach looked like this:
7 ish Walk on the Beach
8 ish Relax on the balcony & watch the beach come to life
10 ish Lounge at the pool
1 ish Eat lunch- either poolside or on the balcony
2 ish Sit on the beach under the umbrella.
4 ish Back to the pool.
6 ish Dinner somewhere casual and fun
8 ish Browse at Pier Park

People-watching is so interesting. Here’s bits of a conversation I overheard at the pool:
Blonde lady: “I am concerned about getting sunburned. I got a little red yesterday.”
Fit Friend: “You can NOT get sunburned if you have on sunscreen. No worries.
Blonde lady: “I don’t think we should swim in the gulf today. There’s a red flag.”
Fit Friend: “That ridiculous. As long as you can touch, you can’t drown. Only stupid people drown. They go out too far and that’s how they get into trouble.”
Editor’s Note: You absolutely CAN get sunburned with sunscreen on. She is ignorant. Furthermore, this area is known for rip tides. There were more than 45 water rescues on Sat. and 2 people drowned. The woman at the pool was clearly not a good source for advice.

One last recommendation: Pier Park opened in March on the west end of Panama City Beach. It is absolutely delightful. A well planned area with stores, food and entertainment. Let me know if you head to the condo and I’ll come down and give you a personal tour of the area. No charge. : )