Christmas Goodies

Currently I am enjoying these things:

Candy Cane Cocoa.

Brownie Cookies. (Okay, I only bought two. The store clerk asked if I had tried them before, when I said, "No," he said next time I would buy the box of twelve. It is tempting, but then I would probably eat them all. Maybe when the family comes for Christmas.)

Christmas Specials. ABC Family is showing the 25 Days of Christmas. So I have watched some old favorites of mine.

Hot Soups.... yum. I have finally discovered some tasty ones I like. I did not used to be a huge soup fan before.

Holiday Music, but not too much to be overloaded on. Nat King Cole, Bing Crosby, as well as a few others are some I really have enjoyed hearing a bit this year.

Walking in a store...

I saw an umbrella just like the one I posted as a picture on here, it did not have the red ruffle, but it was so similar, it was like my artwork coming to life! I almost bought it, but I have enough umbrellas that I never use, so why would I need another one?

I love fall.

I recently went out to a park that I had only been to once years ago & rediscovered it as I was driving the other day. Originally, I went out to read. I went out by the water, found a dry place to sit down, and looked out at the beautiful fall leaves on the trees. A father and his son were fishing behind me. A row of five ducks, alternating from male to female swam past in a line, then got out of the water by the shore I was sitting at. Such a lovely day. I could not waste it by being distracted.

I Finally Can Tolerate "Skim Milk"

This month I decided to try a "diet" for the first time in my life. Mainly, because I want my body to learn to eat healthier again. I have never liked skim milk on my cereal, actually I never liked it at all, until now. Growing up, it was always 2% or whole.

During college, one of my roomates taught me how to like 1%. She would mix half of her 2% milk with 1%, then eventually, 1% tasted fine. So I have been drinking that for the past few years now.

I wanted to follow this diet to a tee. I wanted to start it a certain day as well. Since I had no milk left in my fridge, I decided to use the dry milk I keep in my cupboard. It tasted absolutely disgusting on my cereal! I wondered how long I could handle this diet that is only supposed to be for two weeks. Determined, I went out and bought some skim milk anyway. The taste was such an improvement over the dry milk, that it hasn't bothered me since!

I think now I shall incorporate skim milk as part of my overall way of eating.

Is the glass half-empty, half-full, or COMPLETELY empty?

Recently I visited an Italian restaurant that served water in tall glasses. At the end of my meal, it appeared that I had some more water left in my glass. I was still thirsty so I decided to finish it off. When I picked up the glass, I realized that there was actually no water in it at all -- just an illusion created by a ridge on the inside. It just struck me funny as I was thinking, “Hmm… this gives new meaning to that old phrase…”

For Better or Worse?

My sister recently lent me her DVDs of "The Butterfly Effect" & "The Prestige." Totally different movies entirely, except for the fact that one small incident can change a lifetime of events. Sometimes I wonder how my life would be different at certain checkpoints of my life if I just did things slightly differently. Would I (and others) be better off? Or would we be for the worse? I guess all we can do is the best that we can with the knowledge that we have, in good faith, and hope it is for the best.

Future Goals

This has been a nice summer. I have been able to visit with friends I haven't seen for awhile. I have tried out some new recipes with success. I have discovered some new places of which I have never been, and visited old places which have changed, but are familiar. I hope to continue with gaining stronger bonds with my friends and finding new and different places. I am also hoping to get back into my illustrating, which I have not done much lately, but realized that I missed it desperately after taking on a mini-project as a favor for someone at my church.