Before the day gets away from all of us, I wanted to share something with you. Right now, WallMart has the cutes little marshmellow “pals” that are 3 to a package $$1.00 that are on the Valentine candy isle)  that could be broken apart and used on top of cupcakes. I bought the green frogs which are holding a little pink heart. I am going to make them and outline the top of the cupcake in pink for the girls and the kelly green for boys. They are just precious. Go get some. It will make decorating your cupcakes for Valentines day so simple.  Then buy some of the frosting in a tube (any color you want) for the outside border and you are done. Unless you want to feel like a Martha Stewart or Paula Deen and make your own frosting, which sure makes the adults you give them to, think you are the best cook in the world. But if giving them to children, the frosting in a tube is great. They don’t care what it tastes like, they just want it to look cute. HA.

I know right now that you must be thinking “what in the world do funerals and lock & lock’s have in common”. Well, I’m going to tell you. Now  I know that this is probably one of those stories that isn’t funny unless you are there to experience it, but………I have to tell you, this really was so funny, or I’m getting so old that it just doesn’t take alot to make me laugh. Either way, I learned something today. Now, I do not want you to think that we were being disrespectful, discussing QVC while in the kitchen while the families of the deceased were standing around sharing events in their lives with their now passed away loved one, while we are in the kitchen laughing our heads off at what “hum, some of us…..(RH)”…are addicted to…….but since we didn’t know the person or anyone there except the owners of the home where we were serving….we allowed ourselves some bonding time between the 3 of us. We are putting things away and one thing led to another and before you know it, we are discussing what we like to buy and (not mentioning any names here, but I will say ” the blond one among us” says, that she is addicted to Lock & Locks. Jerry and I didn’t have a clue what Lock & Locks were so before we can say, “Tupperware” we are 10 minutes into a conversation as to all the wonderful things regarding this most wonderful invention called Lock & Locks…….Well, I had to come home to check this out on QVC and she’s right. With these new gorgeous colorful little plastic containers, I can have my kitchen totally packaged up in round, square, rectangle, straight upright, long or flat, containers. Now, I will have to think about what color I am going to organize in. Do I pick red and then all the patterend containers to go with the red, or do I want a mixture of colors, like all blue for the staples like flour, sugar, cornstarch, etc…..then the green for the festive spices, yellow for the fruit or just the clear containers so I can use my imagination as to what I would like painted on them, if I so choose.

Honestly, I came home and spent $100.00 ordering containers to put the spaghetti, macaroni and rice. Now am headed off to the store to buy different shaped and colored spaghetti and macaroni products to look pretty in the different containers. Thank you “oh new blond friend”.  I’m sjure that when Randy finds out, he will  thankyou also……now besides HGTV, we will be watching QVC just in case Lock & Lock come out with a new colored container, which I must have…………

Seriously, this was a wonderful time of bonding with two ladies who I have not really known very well up until today and it was an honor to have them there and to visit and work together. What a blessing our Bible Fellowship has been that we continue to be amazed at the sweet people God puts in our lives and allows us the chance to fellowship and laugh and enjoy being and working with ladies who share so much of the same feelings, hobbies and thoughts. Thank you Jerry and Rita for today. It was such fun and rewarding to laugh, to work and to know that our hearts were bonded just a little more than yesterday…..let’s make it a point to continue this conversation over a cup of coffee, a cupcake and an order form for Lock & Lock!

What a most glorious day today. The sun is shinning and the weather is just beautiful! Am doing a little cooking and then will take off a couple of hours to watch “Jack” on the season premier of 24 tonight. After us going over to Randy’s mom’s house and cleaning up after moving her to a nursing home, I have really rethought about what I keep and what I don’t. So kids, you would be proud of me. I have been throwing out things that haven’t been looked at in a couple of years. Don’t worry, we are not throwing out any treasures like all your report cards, or your cigar boxes with pasted on macaroni, sprayed gold, all over it. I want you to have the joy of doing that. One day you are going to thank us for what we are doing this week. Have thrown out old cookbooks that we never use, clothes that are the size I want to be, but will never be again, funiture that has the “gorilla glued on” leg. Things that we should have tossed many years ago. But in going through some of the things at Hazel’s, there were a few cookbooks that I just had to bring home. I made some peanut butter cookies from one of those books which I will share tomorrow. They are just delicious. And since it was written in the 1950’s, it has 1 cup of shortening in it. That’s right, shortening, not margarine or half butter, but pure shortening and that is simply what I used. So stay tuned in tomorrow, as that recipe will be posted. Gotta ruin and get another trash bag, am going to attach the hall closet now………

OK, I just got really busted by Son In Law, Eric, for not talking about how awesome his pork tenderloin was Christmas night dinner. Actually it was fantastic, and I have continually told him, since that day, that that was the best tenderloin ever. So today, he asked me why I had not written about it on the blog. Since I’m old, I was able to use the excuse, “I thought I did”. So Mr. SIL, here it is. I have to truly say that it was just the best ever. It was wrapped in bacon, marinated in mustard, brown sugar and apple juice, I think and then put on the grill outside to cook. Scrumpcious! It was also nice just walking in to their house and only bringing a couple of items. What a wonderful Christmas day we had. Thank you Eric and Jodi for hosting all of us this year. It is just so much fun to be friends with our adult children and to share meals, laughter and watch as you begin new traditions with your children. This growing “older” is not half bad. We are able to sit and relax sometimes “just because we want to” and not apologize for doing so. We enjoy sitting by the fire, reading, talking on the phone or simply just watching television. It’s nice this time of year, to just settle in some nights and enjoy the moments. So, thank you Eric and Jodi for hosting a most wonderful memory. Eric, please send me your recipe so we can share it with our friends! They are waiting!

What a beautiful day. The sun is shining and I am cooking tacos for my daughter and her husband to come to lunch. Their office has moved over close to us and she loves to come to lunch when I offer. She loves homemade tacos, so we will sit by the window, enjoy the sunshine and chomp down on tacos and chocolate cream pie for dessert. While in the kitchen, had the tv on watching “Tool Time”. It is the segment about Tim not ever wanting to talk to his mom and, of course, at the close of the 30 min show, he comes to realize that if he does not talk and share his heart with her, and her with him, there will come a time when he would be unable to do so. This understanding comes after hearing from a friend that he would never really get to know his mom as a person. It started me thinking about our adult children and what they think they know about  Randy or myself. I remember during my young adult years that I was pretty self centered and pretty much everything was about me. (Yes, I am an only child). As we mature, we realize that our parents, like us now, were not just parents, but “people” as well. They had friends, feelings and thoughts that I probably will never know. Now, is the time, that when I talk to my mom and dad, I try to ask them about not just what they are doing, but what they are thinking. It feels good to hear them talk about why they made some of the choices they made, why they moved to certain places, why they worked at certain jobs, what they felt when I made some of the choices I made. It will feel good to know, one day, when they cannot share their hearts with me, that maybe, just maybe, I gave them the chance to share who they really were, not just telling them what I was doing, not what I was feeling, or telling them my plans. It’s sad that we have to waste so many years sometimes, before we allow the people we love truly love to share “who they are” . These parents of ours shaped the people we are today. It is interesting to hear the stories of their trials and their accomplishments and their failures, their goals they met and their goals they never attained. Life happens so quickly. It is amazing, this gift God has given us…..life, with so many family members and friends, coming and going through different seasons of our lives. I want to live the rest of my days sharing, when asked, what is on my heart, not being afraid to speak words of love and encouragement to those I love. I hope our children will one day ask us these questions, desiring to understand our hearts.