Newtown: Let's Give Love and Kindness

Like many of you, I can't stop thinking about the awful things that happened at Sandy Hook Elementary School on Friday.  It's tragic, horrible, sickening, senseless, deplorable... there just aren't enough adjectives to describe what happened - it literally makes my stomach turn.  The entire community of Newtown, Connecticut is in my prayers.  

While we continue to ask questions like "Why?" and "How?" and try to find solutions on how to prevent something like this from happening again, I believe we should also focus on supporting each other rather than tearing each other down, as it seems like many of us have been doing lately.   WHY not do something nice for someone in need or even a complete stranger?  Or... HOW about: Let's be kind to each other.  It's amazing how an act of kindness can lift YOUR spirits.  Let's come together and LOVE and treat our neighbors - not even the way YOU think they want to be loved and treated, but by how THEY would want to be loved and treated.  

I recently saw this video on You Tube and I think I think it shows MANY great examples of acts of kindness.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p8Z-afKPmxs

What will you do to make this world a kinder place?

'Tis the Season to Eat, Be Merry and Drink A Gingerbread Smoothie!

Gingerbread Smoothie

Gingerbread Smoothie

It’s December and the holidays are in full swing!  It’s the most wonderful time of year! It’s also the time of the year and the season when most of us get a little out of control with our eating and drinking habits and binge on all kinds of heavy hors d’oeuvres, confectionary treats, and cocktails because we’re at more social functions whether it be a work party or Christmas or other holiday parties.  People seem to get in the baking mood as well and bring all kinds of goodies to the office.  It’s also MY birthday month (December 12th if you wanna sing to me or send a colorful balloon bouquet) and I have several celebrations throughout the month.

Now, I’m not going to tell you to NOT indulge a little because after all... it IS the holidays and it only comes around once a year.  However, if you don’t want to have to make that typical New Year’s Resolution of “losing weight” and “getting back in shape” it’s a good idea not to get too crazy.  

With my friend Jeffrey at my 12/12/12 birthday dinner
at the Brown Derby at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

As I mentioned, December is my birthday month and I have a lot of friends that I like to celebrate with throughout the month and we usually get together for dinners or lunches so what I usually try to do is balance things out.  For example, the other night my friend Jeffrey took me to dinner at the Brown Derby.  I had a flight of martinis which were three small drinks that probably was equivalent to one VERY large martini drink (delicious). We both ordered the Blue Jumbo Lump Crab Spring Rolls which are fried as an appetizer.  Umm... AHH-MAZING!  We both ordered the appetizer size Cobb Salad as our entree and I ordered mine without the turkey and bacon since I don’t eat meat, but it had LOTS of really yummy blue cheese and fresh avocado!  And of course because it was my birthday we HAD to have dessert!  The server recommended the Banana White Chocolate Toffee Tower, which I ordered and it was as decadent, rich and delicious as it sounds!  

Now because I had such a rich and fattening dinner, the next day I balanced things out: I ate light and worked out.  I had a green smoothie for breakfast, fresh cut veggies (broccoli, zucchini, celery, carrots) for lunch, sweet potato hummus as a snack and miso soup with two veggie spring rolls (made by my mom) for dinner.  Okay, well the veggie spring rolls were fried but I only had two and I ate so light the whole day I didn’t feel bad about it.

Anyway, according to the Book of Donna it’s okay to indulge a little during the holidays... just make sure to balance things out and not go crazy for EVERY meal and continue to exercise. OR... you can try having my delicious Gingerbread Smoothie when you’re craving something sweet!  It’s like having a gingerbread cookie in the form of a delicious, healthy smoothie!  And in case you didn’t know, ginger has many great qualities about it.  It has anti-inflammatory and anti-viral properties and is great for treating nausea.  

Benefits of Ginger - found this on Health & Organic Wellbeing's
Facebook page.  Like their page - they have great info!

Fresh Ginger

What's a Gingerbread Smoothie without a little gingerbread man?

Gingerbread Smoothie - Delicious!

This recipe I created is great and the raw cashews make it nice and thick that it seems like a milkshake and makes you feel like you’re having a dessert!  So if you’re craving something a little sweet, but want to have a “healthy” treat - try my Gingerbread Smoothie!  

The ingredients for Gingerbread Smoothie.

If you don't have a good protein supplement
try adding vanilla yogurt.  I love using
So Delicious Vanilla.

What’s your favorite food or drink to indulge in during the holidays?  Iced sugar cookies? Hot cheesy dips? Festive colorful cocktails?  Tell me!  And I’ll sit back and fantasize about them while I enjoy my healthy, guilt-free Gingerbread Smoothie. Please let me know if you try this recipe and what you think! Hope you have a happy holiday season!  

Gingerbread Smoothie

Ingredients:

1/2” Fresh Ginger, peeled

1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1/4 tsp Ground Ginger

1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg

1 Banana, frozen *see tip

1 cup Almond milk (or milk of choice)

1-2 Tbsp Black Strap Molasses

8 Raw Cashews

1-2 Scoops Vanilla Protein Powder ***OR***

3oz Vanilla Yogurt (I used So Delicious non-dairy)

4-6 Ice Cubes

Directions:

Place all ingredients in blender (I used my NutriBullet) and mix until blended. Sprinkle with more cinnamon or nutmeg if you wish.

Tips:

*The key to making the “perfect” smoothie is having the right amount of frozen items whether it be the fruit or ice and liquid.  You may need to add more milk or ice depending on how thick you prefer the consistency of your smoothie to be.

*Use EITHER the protein powder OR yogurt, but not both at the same time.  I use a plant-based/vegan protein (brown rice and pea protein) that I buy from my chiropractor who created his own formula and sells it at his practice here in the Central Florida area.  It is the most amazing and best tasting plant-based protein supplement I’ve come across, but is not available on-line yet so I created the yogurt version which is So Delicious!  I always switch up how I make my smoothies so I don’t get bored with them.  I like to use the So Delicious brand because it’s non-dairy, soy free, has no GMOs and taste “so delicious” just like their name!

*I always freeze my bananas ahead of time so they are ready for smoothies.  Check out my Pinterest board for instructions on how to freeze them - this method also works with other fruit (I’ve used it for papaya and pineapple). http://pinterest.com/TheBookofDonna/great-tips/

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 17 - My Stretchy Comfy Pajamas

Every day from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am thankful for.

Day 17:

I am thankful for my stretchy comfy pajamas. After indulging in a magnificent epicurean delight with my husband that started with an amazing bottle of red wine followed by a 3-tiered seafood appetizer consisting of lump crab cakes, sea scallops and grilled oysters; a scrumptious main course of incredible fish with the most delicious sauce; followed by a decadent gourmet banana pudding for dessert... I am thankful and grateful for my stretchy pajamas so I can let the food digest in comfort while I sit on the couch watching TV with my husband. I am thankful for a delicious dinner date with my husband and my comfy stretchy pajamas.

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 16 - Being an American

Every day from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am thankful for.

Day 16:

I am thankful and proud I am an American. This morning, with tears streaming down my face, I watched a live naturalization ceremony as 30 people became American citizens on the Today Show. Many of those new Americans waited years for this moment and had to work very hard to make this happen. I am grateful to my Filipino parents who made incredible sacrifices so I could be born in this country as an American citizen. They left their own families to raise my brother and me here in the United States so we would have opportunities they didn't have and I never ever take that for granted. We live in a great nation where freedoms and opportunities are available if we take them and I feel like I live the "American Dream". I am proud and thankful to be an American.

My amazing parents.

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 15 - My Neighborhood

Day 15: I'm thankful for my neighborhood and the location of where we live. Realtors always say, it's all about, "Location, location, location!" I really love where we live. I enjoy our neighborhood and everything it has to offer: beautiful streets lined with old live oak trees, shaded jogging trails, convenient location that is so close to so many great restaurants! If you follow my posts, you know how my hubby and I love to dine out so it's wonderful to be walking distance to what's called "restaurant row" - not that we ever walk! We're also only 15 minutes away from the airport, 5-15 minutes from the theme parks depending on which one you're going to, and good shopping is in every direction you turn - hooray for that! Our neighbors are great - all friendly, neat and quiet. I love that I feel safe in my neighborhood. We're also just moments from downtown, interstate, turnpike and Bee-line (toll roads). I agree, it's all about location and yes, I love ours and I'm thankful and appreciative to have so many conveniences handy an close by. I'm thankful for our neighborhood.

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 13 - My Comfy Bed

Every day from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing something I am thankful for.

Day 13 of Thanksgiving:

I am thankful for my comfy bed. After a busy, long day when I'm tired like I am today, I look forward to crawling into my bed and snuggling with all my fluffy pillows with my hubby next to me along with my furry kids. And as I lay in my bed and close my eyes reflecting on all that I am blessed with in my life, I say my prayers of gratitude and that always helps me fall asleep with a happy heart. I am thankful for my bed.

Sweet Potato Smoothie

Sweet Potato Smoothie

My friends who know me know I love my smoothies!  I started making and drinking smoothies several years ago when I was working out with a personal trainer because it was a great way to get my protein after a workout.  Now, because I don’t eat meat it’s also a great way to get my protein using plant-based sources.  (See why I’m a “cheating vegetarian” on my previous post.)  http://thebookofdonna.blogspot.com/2012/10/why-im-cheating-vegetarian.html  I usually have a smoothie at least once a day - either as breakfast or as my post-workout recovery drink so I'm always experimenting with different combinations and flavors to keep from being bored.  

I try to eat healthy as much as possible and a staple food in my diet is sweet potatoes.  I love them because they are naturally sweet and taste good!  It’s one of the things I can eat without putting any condiments on - YES, I like eating sweet potatoes NAKED - not me naked, the sweet potatoes!  Sweet potatoes are a good source of fiber, calcium, potassium and beta-carotene.  So while I do love a regular baked potato every once in awhile, I almost always will choose a baked sweet potato because of the nutritional value.

My no-longer-smelly dog, Hershey!

Sweet potatoes are also very inexpensive and the shelf life on them are longer than other produce, which makes them easy to keep stocked in your pantry.  AND I bet you didn’t know this!  If you have dogs that have odor issues, add a couple of heaping tablespoons of cooked sweet potato (I usually use baked) to their regular dog food and that bad doggy smell will be gone almost instantly!  Okay, not instantly - it takes a day or so to start working, but it really does work!  My female Springer Spaniel, Hershey was having some doggie odor issues several months ago.  Bathing didn’t help - she’d start smelling icky about an hour after having a bath and it wasn’t her teeth or breath either.  We even took her to the vet and had her checked out, but they couldn’t find any reason she was having this issue, but it was breaking my heart because her foul odor made it pretty much intolerable to be near her!   I searched for a natural remedy to fix this issue and yes, discovered feeding her sweet potatoes did the trick!  Here is the link to the website where I found the information about dog odor remedies:   http://www.earthclinic.com/Pets/dog_odor.html Both of my dogs LOVE it and it's good for them!  A lot of high quality dog food contain sweet potato!

The ingredients - you don't have to use frozen sweet potato puree.

Anyway, sweet potatoes are great and if you like them you might want to try my sweet potato smoothie recipe!  I use sweet potato puree that I have previously frozen and keep stored in the freezer, but you don’t necessarily have to use frozen.  You can just use cold sweet potato that has been baked - so this is great if you ever have left over sweet potatoes.  Let me know if you try it and what you think!

This is what it looks like in my NutriBullet.

Soak raw nuts for 6-8 hours to activate the enzymes.

Use a good quality yogurt - I like So Delicious because
it's dairy free and vegan, but you can use your favorite.
I just encourage you to read the label and find one
you like that doesn't have artificial sweeteners or corn syrup.

Sweet Potato Smoothie

Ingredients:

3 cubes Sweet Potato puree, frozen OR 1/2 cup cold sweet potato

               *see link below for instructions on how to make the puree

1/3 Banana, frozen

3 oz Vanilla yogurt (I used So Delicious) *see tip

1 cup Milk of choice (I used unsweetened almond milk)

1/4 cup Water *it depends on how thick you want your smoothie

1 Tbsp Walnuts, raw *see tip

1 Tbsp Maple Syrup

1/2 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract *see tip

1/4 tsp Cinnamon

Pinch Nutmeg

2-4 Ice Cubes *depends on how thick you like your smoothie

Directions:

Place all items in blender (I used my NutriBullet) and mix until blended - you can use your blender.

*Tip:  If you're not using puree and using cold sweet potato, you may need to add a little more milk or water, depending on how you like the consistency.
*Tip:  When using raw nuts of any kind, soak in water for 6-8 hours.  This activates the enzymes.

*Tip:  Sometimes I use1 scoop of a plant-based vanilla protein when I make my smoothies, but the brand I use is not available commercially yet unless you live locally in Central Florida.  If you use vanilla protein, you may need to "play" with the liquids and ice for desired consistency, either adding more or less milk or ice.

Link for instructions on making sweet potato puree:  http://thebookofdonna.blogspot.com/2012/11/sweet-potato-puree.html

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 14 - A Cup of Coffee

Every day from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing something I am thankful for.

Day 14:
This morning I am thankful for the simple pleasure of a cup of coffee. I love mornings when I don't have to rush out of the house and can enjoy and savor a good hot cup of coffee or tea. A lot of the times we all rush around because of our busy lives, but I always think its important to appreciate and be grateful for the small things like this that we often don't even give a second thought unless we just need a "jolt" to get our day started. As I try to do each time I eat to drink anything, I try to enjoy the taste and flavor of every drop and morsel and appreciate where it came from and how it got to my table or kitchen. I am thankful for my cup of coffee.

Mmm...A hot cup of coffee with So Delicious dairy free creamer.

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 12 - My Friends

Every day from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am thankful for.

Day 12 of Thanksgiving:

Just a few of my friends - there are too many to show!
I'm a lucky woman to have so many people to call friends.

I am thankful for my friends, old and new. I'm fortunate and grateful to have some great friends. One of the things I love most about my friends is the diversity of them. I'm not one who has to be around people or have friends that are exactly like me. So while I'm a married Asian-American woman in my forties who is a Christian, a registered Republican, a "cheating vegetarian" who loves food and wine, dogs and all animals, and currently works part-time - I love that my friends are women and men of all ages. I have friends who are white, black, Asian, and Latino. Friends who are Republican, Democratic and Independent. I have friends who are straight and friends who are gay. My friends are Christian, some are Baptist while others are Catholic and Methodist and Mormon. Others are Jewish and Muslim, and yes I even have friends who are agnostic and atheist. I have some friends who are vegan, some who are vegetarian, but most who are meat-eaters. 

Some friends I've met through work, others I went to
school with, others I met on vacation.

A lot of my friends have pets and friends who don't like animals at all. I have friends who are busy career people, others who are in school - some who do BOTH at the same time and some who work two jobs to make ends meet. I have friends who are married, divorced, single, separated and widowed. Some friends who are retired and some who gave up their careers so they could raise their children. 

While my friends are diverse, the thing ALL my friends have in common is they are good people with good hearts and because they aren't exactly like me, I learn so much and gain different perspectives that I believe help to make me a better person. I am thankful for my friends.

Sweet Potato Puree

I use frozen sweet potato puree for smoothies and like to have it handy for smoothies and pasta dishes.  It's really easy to make and can be used in other recipes that call for the puree.  Here is my how I make it.

Ingredients:

4 large Sweet Potatoes

1/4 cup Water

Use parchment paper for easy clean up.

Peel away the skin then use spoon to scoop out the flesh.

Add your water a little at a time.

It only takes seconds for the puree to process!

Scoop into ice cube trays and freeze.

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees.
2. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper.  This isn’t necessary, but will save on clean-up since the sweet potatoes sometimes leave a sticky residue on the pan from the juices.
3. Place sweet potatoes on cookie sheet and bake for about 45 minutes or until tender.  Let cool until cool enough to handle - about 30 minutes to an hour.
4. Using your fingers, peel back the skin of the sweet potatoes.  Scoop out the flesh and put into food processor.  (You can also use blender.)
5. Add about 1/4 cup of water.  You may need to add more water depending on how big your sweet potatoes are, but I always start with less water because you can always add more.  
6. Process until sweet potato is the consistency you want.
7. Using spoon, scoop into ice cube trays and freeze for about 6 hours. (I usually just freeze overnight.)
8. Once your sweet puree is frozen, pop the cubes of frozen sweet potato into a zipper storage bag and store in freezer until ready to use.

Pumpkin Granola Buckwheat Pancakes

Like a lot of people during the fall season, I get just a little obsessed with everything pumpkin!  (See my previous post from October 13, 2012 on “Pumpkin Season”)  http://thebookofdonna.blogspot.com/2012/10/pumpkin-season-pumpkin-pie-smoothie.html  Whether it’s at the coffee shop, the Yankee Candle store, or the bakery I want to devour myself in ALL things pumpkin throughout the fall season!

So Delicious Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk
It's dairy free so its great for those who are
lactose intolerant!

So when my Whole Foods finally started carrying the So Delicious Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk, you can imagine how excited I was!  I believe I actually started doing the “happy dance” right there in the store!  I know I probably got a few looks from other customers, but it’s no different than when I’m in my car so I just do my dance and go about my business.

I use So Delicious products all the time - I love their  vegan “ice cream” and I use their coffee creamers.  They have a vanilla and hazelnut flavor coffee creamer, but I have missed the seasonal flavors that come out during the holidays.  However, even though I miss the seasonal flavors, I can’t get myself to drink them anymore because of all the nasty ingredients they contain that I try to keep out of my diet.  Sooooo... back to the Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk.  If you know me, you know I love food and I’m someone who isn’t afraid to experiment with recipes.  The So Delicious carton has a recipe on it for pancakes and while I’m sure it’s very good I wanted to make my own version!  I’m big on texture when eating so I prefer granola pancakes over regular pancakes because I feel like the oats gives it more bite.  And I love buckwheat so I thought I’d try making Pumpkin Granola Buckwheat Pancakes and WHO’DA THUNK???  They were so amazing that I knew I had to share the recipe immediately!

These are the ingredients I used (those aren't real pumpkins - they're actually candles).

I ate my pancakes with just a little bit of (real) organic maple syrup that I heated up so it was nice and warm and I cannot even begin to describe how happy it made my my belly!  Do yourself a favor and get yourself some REAL maple syrup and DON’T waste your money or tastebuds on that fake corn syrup stuff!  It’s nasty and not good for you and is a pain to clean up - plus maple syrup tastes so good!

I used a little ladle to easy pouring for the batter.

You'll know they're ready to flip when
the edges of your pancakes look "dry".

Beautiful golden brown pancakes!

You know you want to make these!

The first time I made these pancakes I used an egg, but I made it the second time using EnerG Egg Replacer to make it was vegan.  Honestly, I couldn’t tell the difference in the taste, but you can make it whichever way you decide and let me know what you think!  According to the Book of Donna, if you like pumpkin - you’ll want to eat these pancakes every morning for breakfast!

So delicious with a little warm maple syrup!

Pumpkin Granola Buckwheat Pancakes

Makes about 9 dollar size (5") pancakes

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Buckwheat Pancake Mix

1/3 cup Rolled Oats

1/3 cup Pumpkin Puree

1/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

1 cup So Delicious Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk

2 tsp Safflower Oil *you can also use canola oil

1 Egg, beaten OR 1 serving EnerG Egg Replacer for Vegan Version

Directions:

1. Mix buckwheat, rolled oats together in a medium bowl.  
2. Add Pumpkin puree, pumpkin pie spice, So Delicious Pumpkin Spice Coconut Milk, safflower oil and egg OR egg replacer if making vegan version.  
3. Whisk together until completely combined.  
4. Heat griddle on medium heat and lightly spray it with non-stick cooking spray.
5. Pour about 1/4 cup batter onto griddle - cook for about 2-3 minutes, depending on your stove top.  The way you’ll know your pancakes are ready to flip is the edges will start to look “dry”.  I always use a spatula and carefully peek under the edge before flipping to make sure they’re ready to flip.
6. Flip and cook other side for about 1-2 minutes.  Enjoy with warm maple syrup.

*Tip:  When I’m making a BIG batch of pancakes, I pre-heat my oven to 200-250 degrees and place the pancakes on a pan in the oven to keep them warm until I’m ready to serve them.  This way, they’re all nice and warm when you’re ready to serve!  

*Also, you can make a large batch and freeze the leftover pancakes!  They re-heat really well and taste just as good as the day you originally made them!  Just put them in a plastic zip-loc bag and put them in the freezer - reheat in the toaster oven at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or in the microwave.

*For a variation, you may want to try adding some chopped walnuts or pecans either directly into the pancake batter, or top off your pancake with the nuts.

Let me know what you make these and what you think - tweet me or comment on my Facebook page.  Have a great day!

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 11 - Our Veterans

Every day from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am "thankful" for.

Day 11 of Thanksgiving: 

I am thankful for all veterans who have served our great country. It is because of these brave men and women who courageously defend our freedoms and make great sacrifices that we can live in this country safely and with pride. So to my dad, and all the other men and women who have served and still currently serve the United States of America, I want to say I am grateful to you for all the sacrifices you have made. Happy Veterans Day!

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 10 - Beautiful Days

Everyday from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am "thankful" for.

Day 10 of Thanksgiving:

I am thankful for beautiful days with gorgeous blue skies and gentle breezes. I love being outdoors and playing even now as an adult. And when the sun shines and the temperature is perfect, mid-70's, like it was today, I love playing in the theme-parks or going to an outdoor festival so I can enjoy the weather. This is the time of year I love living in Florida the most because the weather is so nice and I spend as much time as I can outside. I think I must've said, "If today was any more beautiful, I just don't think I could stand it!" to my friend Jeffrey about a dozen times yesterday and thankfully he agreed wholeheartedly or I think he would have slapped me because I would've driven him crazy sounding like a parrot! I am thankful for beautiful days.

22 Days of Thanksiving: Day 9 - The Furry Kids

Everyday from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am "thankful" for.

Day 9 of Thanksgiving:

I am thankful for my two dogs - my English Springer Spaniels Hershey and Zeke, also known as our "furry children". Our dogs aren't just pets and responsibilities to us, they truly are family members in our home and I love them with all my heart. They both have distinct personalities that make them unique and charming in their own way, but they're both so incredibly sweet and loving. Dogs are amazing creatures because of their ability to show and demonstrate unconditional love and our two furry kids do this every day. I always look forward to coming home because they're there to greet us with their wagging tails, wet noses and sloppy kisses. I am grateful and thankful for my furry kids who show me every day how to love so completely and unconditionally.

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 8 - My Husband

Everyday from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am "thankful" for.

Day 8 of Thanksgiving:

I am deeply thankful for my husband and the incredible relationship we have. Tom and I have been married for 10 years and I can honestly say he has been more than I ever imagined a husband could or would be. At our wedding reception, one of our friends congratulated us and shared how happy she was for us; that we seemed perfect for each other because we were "good" for each other, but she thought it was unfortunate we hadn't met earlier in our lives so we had more time to spend together. I thought then and I still believe now, that God brought us together at the most "perfect time". I truly believe if we had met each other sooner, we wouldn't have appreciated each other as much. We don't ever take each other for granted and that's what makes our relationship and marriage so great. I am thankful for my amazing husband who came into my life at the perfect time.

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 7 - Good Health

Everyday from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am "thankful" for.

Day 7 of Thanksgiving:

I am thankful for my healthy body. I went through a really tough time with an incapacitating shoulder condition that lasted for two years a couple of years ago and because of that, I don't take a single thing about my body for granted any more. We're given one body in this lifetime so I show my gratitude for the body I have by taking care of it. I've learned how to listen to what my body tells me it needs and I take care of it by exercising regularly, getting rest, eating good-quality healthy food and limiting the "junk", and keeping my surroundings positive. I am so thankful and appreciative for my good health and plan to continue to do what it takes to stay healthy because without your health, nothing else is possible.

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 6 - Right to Vote

Everyday from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am "thankful" for.

Day 6 of Thanksgiving:

I am thankful for my right to vote. There are still many countries where people don't have this privilege - in this country women have only had this right for about 100 years!

Even if the candidates I vote for don't win, at least I can say I did my part. I'm also thankful that, regardless of who wins this presidential election, the political ads and constant phone calls on my home line will stop. (True statement.)

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 5 - The Job That Allows Me to Play

Everyday from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am "thankful" for.

Day 5 of Thanksgiving:

I am extremely fortunate to work a company that's often called the "Happiest Place on Earth". In my current position, I don't have a big "important" job - not when compared to other positions I've held in the past. However, even though I don't have a position with a fancy title, big paycheck, office with a window or an assistant - I also don't have all the stress that went along with those types of jobs because I don't have the responsibility and accountability that went along with it... and I'm okay with that!

I've worked since I was 15-years-old. While I was in college I sometimes worked three jobs. So while I enjoyed having a career for many years, it's nice to not have so much responsibility for a change. My current role doesn't include a big paycheck, but the people I work with are some of the best! Not only are they creative, smart and fun, many have become great friends. And I am also able to enjoy and make "magical" moments and memories with my family because of my job, which makes me a HUGE hit with the kids! I am thankful for a job that doesn't feel like work.

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 4 - Clocks and Bagels

Everyday from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am "thankful" for.

Day 4 of Thanksgiving:


Today I am thankful for an extra hour of sleep because I was tired and needed it. I'm also thankful for Everything Bagels because they taste so good! Clocks and bagels are both round - and today I am very thankful for both!

22 Days of Thanksgiving: Day 1 - Munchkins, Not the Eating Kind the Hugging Kind

Everyday from now until Thanksgiving I will be sharing things I am "thankful" for.

Day 1 of Thanksgiving:

Even though I don't get to see them as often as I wish I could because we don't live in the same state, I adore my two little munchkins. For not getting to see them as often as I would like and considering they are not my grandchildren biologically, I'm always amazed at how genuine their love is for me and how real our relationship is. I love being their Nonna as they give me so much joy I can't even begin to describe or put into words. I look forward to seeing them grow up and into the beautiful women I know they will become one day because they are beautiful souls that shine inside and out right now who are being raised by two amazing parents.