breakfast of champions

i did not invent that title. i borrowed it. illegally. i'm such a gangsta'(as my boys would say....like when i sneak la croix grapefruit sparkling water into the movie theater) ::ahem:: back to what i really want to talk about....

i'm not interested in re-inventing the wheel. or re-inventing anything. i am interested in recognizing what is working and what isn't.

what has worked for me--for feeling good and losing weight. eating breakfast.

i stopped eating breakfast regularly in high school. i know.

when i was really most successful in my weight loss, i was eating breakfast every morning, within 2 hours of getting out of bed. nothing i have to think about. the same thing every morning.

my breakfast of choice?
oatmeal with lots of cinnamon (much more than a dash), blueberries and a splash of milk.

it is warm and creamy and fruity--a little nutty and delicious. it's not pie. but, it's almost a cobbler. yum-meeeee:)

what are you eating for breakfast? you are eating breakfast, aren't you? you know it's the most important meal of the day, right? oh, right. sorry. went a little *momma* on you. my apologies.


best
deborah

bittersweet

today, the 12th of january is such a weighted day for me. today is the 101st anniversary of my sweet grandma's birth. she would have been 101 today. you have no idea how much i would have loved to celebrate with her.
but it is another anniversary too. it is the 15th anniversary of my dear grandpa's death. yeah. he died on my grandma's birthday.

bittersweet, for sure.

i kind of believe that he knew she'd be with us that evening--not alone at home, when he died at the hospital that cold night.

i have no big plans today.
i'm going through boxes in the basement. deciding what to keep, toss and giveaway. i'll probably get lost in the first box for hours and then red will come down and rescue me(read *ask what's for dinner?*). deciding what to keep and toss and givaway is sometimes hard.

this i know.

i am thankful for all the things that my grandparents gave me with a warm hand. not anything of huge value to anyone else, but to me? priceless.
funny things.
worn things.
everyday things.

i'm keeping that in mind as i head to the basement.


best
deborah

choosing carefully

did you make any resolutions this year?

they really don't work for me. really.

what does work? choosing a word or phrase for the season or year.

i went back and forth in deciding. after much thought, it became obvious to me that my word this year just had to be, *intention*. to enter each conversation and situation with a clear intention. to do so mindfully. on purpose. keeping the question alive within--that asks, "what is my intention here?". that my intention will focus my words and actions, everyday.

i'm hoping that is what this year needs from me.


best
deborah

epiphany

it's offical. the holidays are over.

today is january 6th. twelfth night. epiphany. or is it?

this is what wikipedia has to say about it:

Twelfth Night is a festival in some branches of Christianity marking the coming of the Epiphany and concluding the Twelve Days of Christmas.

It is defined by the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary as "the evening of the fifth of January, preceding Twelfth Day, the eve of the Epiphany, formerly the last day of the Christmas festivities and observed as a time of merrymaking".[1] However, there is currently some confusion as to which night is Twelfth Night:[2] some count the night of Epiphany itself (sixth of January) to be Twelfth Night.[2] One source of this confusion is the Medieval custom of starting each new day at sunset, so that Twelfth Night precedes Twelfth Day.

we always wait until the 6th to take down the trees. (and now i read that it *may be bad luck* to leave up decorations after the sixth.....i'm sunk, if that's the case) january seems so bleak without the glow of miniature lights twinkling inside and out. now, i'm thinking that i'll rush through this chore tonight....getting it all cleared up and halued to the basement before midnight. i may turn into a pumpkin. oh....wrong story. but, it does feel a little cinderella-y all this tidying and sweeping. :)


best
deborah

soup from bones

new year and new beginnings. who doesn't like that? but, do we have to start over? or can we begin again. from where we left off?

can we take all we've learned and experienced and use it to begin....right here, right now?

that's what i'm doing. no resolutions. no big fan-fare. just quietly scooping up all i've learned, gained and experienced to make further progress.

do you know what works for you....and what doesn't? are you willing to let go of what isn't working this year?

what works for me? starting the year with a big pot of soup on the stove and my big family to share it with. it's a tradition--17 years, now. making soup from bones. a black bean and ham soup. our christmas eve honey baked ham bone in particular. then lots of yummy ingredients. it simmers all day. the recipe is right here. it's an evening of family, good food and games every new year's day. that works for me. taking something wonderful from last year and bringing it into the new year. soup from bones--something from nothing.


best
deborah

all's well that ends well

all's well that ends well....the saying goes.

in the car on christmas eve, over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house is where and when i fixed my camera. alright, *fixed* is a relative term.....but it's working again--just in time:)

so do you ever push buttons? and make things worse? is that your intention? it wasn't mine. yeah, i'm talking about cameras and perhaps, other people. hmmmmm? you know, pushing buttons, stirring the pot.

the boys are off school and big red has the week off. i'm loving it. mostly;) i haven't even had a bit of sniffles in over four years....and wouldn't you know it, i have a full-blown nasty cold this week. this morning, i awoke with the voice of a dude or a 40-year smoker. awesome. red's calling me *madge*. but i have all i need right here, right now....and the cold will disappear in a few days. just here to slow down the pace of the season, which does go all too quickly.


best
deborah

hoping for a christmas miracle

now i did it.

i took this last picture of true and wanted to adjust the camera a bit. that's all.

but then, the camera began acting all odd.

so, i twirled every dial. and pushed every button.

some--maybe 47 times.

and now my camera is acting all weird and making beeping sounds. like it's gonna' back-up.

great.

just in time for the holidays.

perfect.

so, if you need me. i'll be in the other room with my head in the camera manual-- hoping for a christmas miracle.


best
deborah