SOME THOUGHTS ON CHOCOLATE

I came across this when I was cleaning out some drawers in my office and I thought it might be fun to share with my friends...I am really not a chocoholic, but I do enjoy eating it now and then.

1. If you have melted chocolate all over your hands you were eating it too slowly.

2. Chocolate covered raisins, cherries, orange slices, and strawberries count as fruit, so eat as many as you would like.

3. The problem: How to get two pounds of chocolate home from the store in a hot car...Solution: Eat it in the parking lot.

4. Diet tip: Eat a chocolate bar before every meal. It will take the edge off your appetite and you will eat less.

5. If calories are an issue, store your chocolate on top of the fridge. Calories are afraid of heights and they will jump out of the chocolate to protect themselves.

6. If I eat equal amounts of dark chocolate and white chocolate is that a balanced diet? I think they counteract each other.

7. Chocolate has many preservatives. Preservatives make you look younger. Therefore, you need to eat more chocolate.

8. Put "eat chocolate" at the top of your "to do" list today. That way, you will get at least one thing done.

9. A nice box of chocolate can provide you with your total daily intake of calories in just one place. Now, isn't that handy?

10. If not for chocolate, there would be no need for control top pantyhose. An entire garment industry would be devastated. You can't let that happen, can you?

So as we enter the next phase of this holiday season, just keep in mind the benefits of chocolate and enjoy!

Visions of Sugarplums

It has been a while since I have had time to write a new post. Now I find myself a week from Christmas Eve and the excitement is starting to build. Of course, the snow this weekend, coupled with the cold temperatures has gone a long way toward putting me in a holiday mood. I will confess that when the snow started falling Saturday morning, I was snuggled between flannel sheets and covered with a down comforter. Perfect sleeping in weather! It was quite pleasant to stop and rest. Oh, there was much I could have been doing, but taking the time to slow down really made me stop and think about all my blessings. We have a tradition in our family where we spend Christmas Eve with my sister, Margaret and her family in their home. They live in the country just outside of Greensburg, In. We have dinner, exchange presents and play some games with them. Her four children were little when we started this tradition but now range in age from 6-17 yrs old. Every year we look forward to sharing this special time with them.

Last year was quite eventful as Christmas Eve was on Sunday. We left after church and headed up I-74 toward Greensburg. Not far past Batesville we heard a horrible noise as the rear driver's side tire blew out. This was pretty upsetting to me since only two weeks prior we had replaced the front tires and had the front tires rotated to the back because they were still good. We called my sister and she had her husband drive over to help us. We got out and began trying to remove the cover from the spare tire. By the time my brother in law arrived, we were still struggling to get the zipper undone. It had been five years since it was off--so I am guessing you know what we encountered. We ended up breaking the zipper and pulling the cover off the spare tire.

As if that wasn't enough opposition(there was a cold wind--thankfully no rain) whoever had worked on the tires decided to torque the lug nuts really tight. After much struggling we managed to break all but one. It wouldn't budge.

While we were struggling with the lug nut another car passed us and pulled over. To our surprise it was Bishop Striebeck and his famiy. He and his son worked with us to try and break the bolt and the only thing that happened was we ended up with a bent tire iron. Finally, my brother in law was able to contact someone with the right tools to help us. When the Bishop was sure we had help on the way, he left us. Eventually we were able to get the tire replaced and were on our way.

This was our Christmas miracle. By the time we got to my sister's home, we were cold, hungry and tired. Margaret and the children were waiting there with warm hearts and a wonderful meal. I was truly thankful that we were protected during this experience. It could have been much worse than it was and I have been grateful that the Bishop took time to stop and make sure we were ok.

This year, for the first time in a long time, I am looking forward to having my Dad and Bobbye join us at Margaret's for our family Christmas celebration. This past Saturday morning, instead of being sad about having to stay in, I got out my scriptures and read the Christmas story. I read Luke 2 and Matthew 2 and then read in Helaman 14 and 3rd Nephi 1. I finished off by reading Isaiah 9:6 as tears flowed down my cheeks. It has been a challenge for me to get into the spirit of the holidays this year. I am thankful for the gift of a snowstorm that helped me slow down enough to have my heart touched by the scriptural account of Jesus' birth.

As we begin this final week before Christmas, may each of you take time to count your blessings, recognize the many miracles that occur daily in your lives, and find peace as you feel the love of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas to you all.

The Little Things in Life

It is no secret that I hate Winter. I don't mind Fall with its crisp mornings and sunny, warm afternoons. Spring is also great because of the crisp mornings and sunny afternoons. And what can I say about summer...it is the best. Winter is my least favorite season for a lot of reasons. Yesterday was one of them...SNOW. I hate snow. If I could stay inside and look at it, then it would be ok, but I haven't had that luxury for a long time. It is more of a nuisance than anything else and I am not looking forward to the forecast for tomorrow since I leave for work at 6:30am.

It is in times like these that I take comfort in the little things of life. I am thankful that my car runs well in the snow. I am thankful that I have heat in my house. I am thankful that I have the internet, cell phone and satellite tv. Last night, however, I was thankful for a not so little thing...Eric!

He has been battling this coughing crud for over a week and seemed to be doing really well. We kept the dog inside overnight because it was really cold (usually he likes to be outside at night). Eric started with the coughing again early in the evening. I went to bed about 9:30pm and he was still up watching tv. I remember waking up at 11pm and feeling like I hadn't slept at all. I took the dog out to do his business. When I came back, Eric was fast asleep. I guess the dog was bothering us so around 1am Eric decided he would go and sleep in the recliner in the living room. I awoke about 1:30 to the sound of Eric coughing and choking.

It took a few minutes for me to calm him down enough to catch his breath. I was able to get him to the kitchen and started the hot water running in the sink. The steam helped him to cough up a lot of junk and he started breathing better. Of course, by this time it was nearly 3. I figured it was time to get him some professional help. So I took the day off work and made him an appt. with the dr.

Interestingly enough, the dr. prescribed a powerful antibiotic and suggested the same over the counter cough medicine with decongestant that I had already been giving him. This made me feel a little better about waiting so long to take him to the dr....especially after paying the $50 copay for the antibiotic! When we were on our way home, he confessed to being really scared that he was going to die. He said that he felt like he was drowning and I rescued him. His thoughts--"Well, Sylvia won't have to worry about giving me my Christmas presents this year." My thoughts--"I really don't want to pay for a funeral right now! oh, I mean....I am glad I rescued you, too sweetheart!"

PS

He has now had some of the medicine and a good long nap. He is feeling better. I think he will survive this one. The past couple of days at work have been really difficult. Last night I asked Heavenly Father if He could help me carry that burden better. Maybe He decided I needed a day off or at least a different burden.

Taking a moment to cheer: Hooray!!

I finished my Christmas shopping today. I usually try to have it done early in the season, but this year was difficult and I don't know why. Anyway, I am pleased to say that I am finished and looking forward to enjoying the wonderful holiday celebrations ahead. Last year at this time, I was finishing up making cards and mailing them out. This year, I haven't made any cards. I just haven't had the time. I may get to it, but it is really low on the priority list right now.

The RS lesson on Sunday was terrific and just what I needed to hear. I had already made the decision to simplify my life but was feeling a little guilty about not doing all the things I usually do at this time of year. After hearing the inspired lesson, I gave up the guilt.

Eric and I did go to the Festival of Lights this year. My sister, Debra, and her family came to visit over Thanksgiving weekend and we went with them. It was so much fun. We would love to go back and hope that the weather will permit us to do that. The Polar Express in 4D was neat. Eric called it a glorified theater trailer, because it was about 15 minutes long, but I enjoyed the experience and would do it again for the thrill of racing down that hill in the train. I also liked the snow coming down in the theater. It was really "cool".

I am starting early on my new years resolution to lose weight. 2008 is going to be an important year for me. I have a family reunion to attend in July and then my sisters and I, along with Bobbye are going on a "sister's adventure" together. More details later...suffice it to say that I need to get in shape so that I can really enjoy these two events. I was explaining my plan to a co-worker today and she asked if I had a membership at the YMCA. I told her that I didn't. (I had one for over a year and never went--how sad is that?!)

I explained to my friend that I didn't need the Y membership because I have every piece of exercise equipment that a fat person could ever want...Tae Bo video, Zumba DVDs, Yogabootyballet DVDs, I have the xl glider, ab scissor, the urban rebounder complete with workout videos, a treadmill and my most recent purchase was (much to Eric's dismay--but I have until 1/31/08 to return it if I don't use it) the air stepper--which is really cool and likely to be a keeper. Eric and I even worked out every week with a personal trainer for 5 years. It was great, but I didn't make a full commitment to the process of changing. (I won't even give you the list of diet books I have purchased) I started today with a simple mile walk. My hope is to work my way up to using the treadmill. And when the weight starts coming off, I hope to be able to start using the other things that just are not easy to do at my present weight. I will keep you posted on my progress.