The Sweet Life

All Sweet Things Must Come To An End

2009-10-23T09:44:00.000-07:00

Today’s blog posting is just a little bittersweet as it will be my last. We have had so much fun over the last year and a half but I have decided to take a small hiatus from writing “The Sweet Life”.

Life has been so good to me and I am always happy to share some of the great insights I have gained and hope that it has brought a little sweetness into your life, as well.

I realize that this is a little sudden and ending “The Sweet Life” was not really something I had ever considered as it HAS been so much fun for me. I appreciate all of your great comments and feedback, as well as all of your support. It has meant so much to me.

It has always been my goal to provide a little humor and optimism into everything that I experience and pass it along to all of you. This blog has also taught me a little bit about the value of sharing these experiences and interacting with an audience and I think that I have achieved that and so much more. I have learned so much but it is time to pursue other things.

As it can be time consuming to raise myself while also raising two rambunctious boys and wanting to succeed in a career that is truly satisfying to me, I want to make sure I am giving those efforts 110% so future posts of “The Sweet Life” will have to wait until I feel like I can give it the full attention it deserves, creatively.

And who knows….maybe in the meantime, I will be able to craft “The Great American Novel” in my head and you will see it topping the New York Times Best Seller list in the next handful of years.

Until then, I remain….1SweetMama

The Best Medicine

2009-10-16T09:33:00.000-07:00

James Madison, our 4th U.S. President was a pretty smart guy.

An American politician, political philosopher, and recognized by many political and historical academics as the “father of the Constitution”, this man took his work seriously. However, apparently, he also made a commitment to his leisure time, as well. James Madison said, “Let me recommend the best medicine in the world: a long journey, at a mild season, through a pleasant country, in easy stages.”

And he is right.

Not realizing it at the time, I heeded the advice of President Madison and did just this. Laying my “guilty mother” and “career-gal” reservations aside, I took P.O.D. up on his invitation to spend a week with him and the G’s in Southern France and Monaco. A long journey. A mild season. A pleasant country. Easy stages. While my initial reactions to this trip focused mainly on all the things I would miss out on, I have more recently been reflecting upon all the things I have gained from this trip.

Here are a few “life souvenirs” that I picked up in my travels:

Global vision. I realize that I am not the only person living on this planet. I know that is an elementary way to express it but there are many people who never leave the boundaries of their home towns. They grow up in their own “walled cities” and live life not ever seeing that there is a whole world of cultures and languages and problems and triumphs that exist beyond their own front porch. Landscapes as rich and beautiful as the ones we call “home” abound in every hill and valley of our planet. Cultures. Colors. Foods. Music. While they are all so different, they have one thing in common…..they serve as home to someone. Those people are just like you and me but live elsewhere and it is our job to visit as many of our fellow humans in their “homes” as possible. I think this allows us to gain a better understanding that we live as one united people. One global community.

Self acceptance. This one was BIG for me. The cliché is true….French women are beautiful. And here is the thing….their beauty is much different than what Americans (especially American women) recognize as beautiful. French women are beautiful from within. Their beauty comes from a confidence that they exude like nothing I have ever seen. They are comfortable in their own skin. They are strong and independent. They eat until they are full; they drink until they are satisfied. Here is the difference…..they LIVE. I am working very hard to accept this as part of who I am. I am not a size. I am an essence. I want to LIVE like the French and, with any luck, my beauty will become a by-product of my loving life.

Deeper. Broader. Richer. On this trip, I made a conscious effort to take many “mental pictures”. I savored every taste, every sip, every sight, every sound. From the vision of a festival atmosphere in a town square in Nice, to the church bells ringing in the distance while sunning myself by the pool, to my seeing a blueness of the Cote d’ Azur waters that I have never, ever seen before in my life….these are the things that make my life richer. No t-shirt or postcard can ever capture those things. My soul has been made richer by experiencing these things and for that, I am forever changed.

Finally, appreciation of my own “good life”. Ahh. To be home again is something I cherish. Frantic schedules. The reality of bill-paying, my small, cluttered, dirty house, managing my personal dramas, feeling overwhelmed by life….kids pulling me in every direction. It is chaos. But it is my life and it is my reality. And I am glad to be back in it. I need all of that as much as all of “that” needs me. It feels good to be home.

Maybe James Madison knew all of this, already. One doesn’t rise to a position of his stature without embracing the whole “work-life” balance and knowing that one really needs to take some time out to climb off the hamster wheel and get outside of your box every now and then just to appreciate all the things you have. It truly is “The Best Medicine” to cure what “ails ya”.

One of my best gal pals, Phoebe, tells me that I am living the book, “Eat. Pray. Love.” (Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia, Elizabeth Gilbert(2006)) I, embarrassingly, have never read this book but if what Phoebe tells me of the story is true, then I am feeling satisfyingly full.

Thank you, P.O.D., for giving me a gift greater than you will ever know….and thank you to my friends who shared our travels with us and thank you to the new friends I made along our journey. Thanks, too, to the people and places of Provence for giving me a wonderful new perspective on my life.

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

Dining Out: Le Moulins de Mougins

2009-10-13T13:11:00.000-07:00

Thursday night in France was to be our “big night out”. As I mentioned last Friday, it was the precursory celebration of Mr. and Mrs. G’s 16th Anniversary. P.O.D. and I joined the "G's" and Mr. G's cousin, Sophy, at a restaurant of note in a town called Mougins, not far from Cannes.

From the moment you walked in the door, you knew this place was going to provide an extraordinary dining experience. We sat in a kind of “garden room”, enclosed on all sides by glass allowing a virtually unimpeded view of the courtyard garden outside (photo below, in the daylight).

Autographs of notable personalities were scrawled on the glass the likes of Dustin Hoffman, Audrey Hepburn, Elizabeth Taylor….all who had dined at 'Le Moulins de Mougins' on a previous occasion.

Tonight was our night to dine there and, although we were not asked to sign the glass, we did enjoy an amazing meal. Our table opted for the “Chef’s Tasting Menu”, which is a practice of being served several (I believe we had 11) small-portioned courses hand selected and prepared by the Chef. We were tended to by a graceful and fun wait staff, led by our head waiter, Diedre.

Not far into our courses, we learned of the notoriety of our chef, Sébastien Chambru. The staff sung his praises and the plates they brought to us were probably the singular best-tasting culinary pairings that I have ever had. French and Japanese fusion. My favorite? Escalope de foie gras de canard poêlee, pain perdu á la banana (Pan friend duck foie gras, French toast banana flavor).

This being "The Sweet Life", I thought I would highlight our sweets (desserts....and there were THREE....can it get much sweeter than that??) Below are some photos and descriptions:

Ananas bounty (Coconut, vanilla, pineapple combination and pineapple sorbet)

Feuille á feuille craquante au praliné, caramel glacé (Contemporary “mille feuille” of chocolate and hazelnuts, salted caramel ice cream….and you may not be able to see it in the photo, but there was a small gold leaf draped over the wafer/ice cream presentation ….beautiful….and, for, the record….the leaf had no real taste!)

Finally….NOT on the menu, but presented to our table as a gift from the staff, was this lovely glass of custard with a chocolate topping decorated with the restaurant logo. A very nice end to the perfect meal.

We left full and happy. It was a beautiful night and the company was wonderful.

Then, just this morning, I received an email from Sophy, who excitedly explained that she happened to catch a feature on television LAST night about the restaurant and its artful Chef, Sébastien Chambru. Here is her report:

He is exactly 32 years old and has worked in Japan where he especially worked on
choosing the products and associating them. He said that 50% of the work is done
in having good products. He brought a [uniqueness to the menu of] 'Le Moulins de
Mougins' with his young Japanese experience and his brand-new French and
Japanese association of food.

He [received] the 'MOF' graduation in 2007: “Meilleur Ouvrier de France” (Best worker of France), issued from a competitive examination. There were only [seven] to be graduated in France in 2007, and only they are allowed to wear the French Flag around their neck when they are in the kitchen clothes. [You can see this red, white and blue French flag collar in the photo,below...from L to R: P.O.D., Mrs. G, Chef Sébastien Chambru, 1SweetMama, Mr. G, Diedre, Sophy]

'Le Moulin de Mougins' has two 'Macarons Michelin'
(or we can say also 'Etoiles Michelin'), Sébastien Chambru is trying to bring
the 3rd Macaron Michelin to the restaurant with his New French/Japanese Cuisine
[fusion-style menu selections].

We were the last to leave the restaurant…I think it was around midnight but everyone remaining at the restaurant was very gracious to us. If I am ever lucky enough to visit France again, I would love an encore at Le Moulins de Mougins, but….until then, you will find me on my treadmill.

If you would like to visit this restaurant, virtually, you can travel there via this website: http://www.moulindemougins.com/fr/index.php#index.php

Next Friday will be my last posting on my French adventure. Please join me as I wrap up this chapter of “The Sweet Life”.

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

Nice is Nice!

2009-10-09T12:15:00.000-07:00

(a view from our hotel room in Nice. This is the Cote D'Azur. Nice is very NICE!!!)

Bon Jour! Today is Friday and this is my last day in France. Yesterday, we m

ade the move from our hotel in Monte Carlo to our hotel in Nice. We fly out of Nice on Saturday morning….headed toward home.

Wednesday night was a truly lovely evening. We met up with more of Mr. G’s family, including a familiar face from Monday night, Coco*. There were also new faces: Jaques*, Coco’s brother, cousin Sophy*, and Elle* (Jaques’ wife). All of these people, especially the women, are truly exquisite and wildly interesting and they put out a certain je ne sais pas. They were all so welcoming and, although I could only converse about 85 percent of the time due to a bit of a language barrier of MY part, we all spoke the same languages of family, food, and the trials and tribulations of life: marriages, divorces, children, school, politics, work, and the like.

We dined in Antibes at a restaurant called Auberge Provancale d’ Antibes. This establishment specializes in Fruits de Mer (literally, Fruits of the Sea… or seafood). We ate in a romantic fauna-covered garden (jarden d’éte ombragé) outside and in back of the restaurant. If you are interested, feel free to visit the website at www.aubergeprovencale.com .

My dinner began with six (6) huitres Fines de Claires (raw oysters), followed by the main course of Pave d’espadonen croûte de tapenade (swordfish and mixed vegetables in a white wine and butter sauce), with a dessert course of Pore pocheé aux espices, caramel au noisettes et glace au rhumet raisins (pear cooked with spices, caramel sauce and nuts with rum raisin ice cream). Just for fun, the very personable waiter even set our desserts ablaze au flambé Grand Marnier.

After dinner, the group walked around the city walls of “old” Antibes and viewed the enormous yachts and ships docked in the marina. These vessels are owned by people who live lives of privelidge the likes we will never know. By this time, it was close to 1:30 a.m. and we all bid adieux and went our separate ways. We drove Sophy home and she showed us her beautifully remodeled apartment with a luxury kitchen…..very efficient by American standards but very “over-the-top” for someone living in Monte Carlo.

Thursday was a day for driving the 20-30 kilometers from Monte Carlo to Nice and for walking through the shopping districts. Our mission was to find a great pair of shoes, some souvenirs for my boys, and a great hat for me. I am a hat-wearer so finding a hat in France seemed the right thing to do. We also, of course, made some time to stop at Fennochio again for more great glace (ice cream).

While we found lots of shoe options that we did not purchase, I found myself stumbling in to a great hat shop called La Chapellerie. I must have tried on one hundred hats from the insane to the glamorous but ended up purchasing two: one very French and one very warm and French for when I return to Iowa. I also found a neck-scarf that will go well with both.

Thursday night was the premier dining event. Today (Friday) is Mr. and Mrs. G’s 16^th anniversary and we pulled out the stops for dinner on Thursday night to kick it off right. We dressed to the Nine’s, met up with Sophy and travelled to a very nice restaurant called Le Moulin de Mougins (The Mougins Mill) in Mougins, France, not far from Cannes. I will devote next Tuesday’s blog entry entirely to that experience because I have never had a dining experience quite like that one…..11 courses, all small dishes recommended and prepared by the chef (The Chef’s Sampling Menu). It was the best food I have ever tasted and the entire experience with the great staff who catered to us all night was second to none. We even met the chef and had a picture taken with him. I can’t wait to tell you about that night.

Tune in next Tuesday for the full details on Le Moulin de Mougin… á bientôt!

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

* Names are changed…..sorry, I can’t give it ALL away!!

The Secret Is Out!!

2009-10-06T15:10:00.000-07:00

It was a rocky start to my travels......Friday's flight out of Sioux City: CANCELLED. It was the last flight out. One hour and forty-five minutes and several highly emotional calls to Delta operators later, I had re-booked a flight that left Des Moines at 9 a.m., which meant that I had to be on the road by 3 a.m. in order to make it to the airport. I had to unpack my BIG suitcase and had to fit all my clothes, etc. into a carry-on suitcase. The flight left on-time......I arrived to meet P.O.D on time and we made it to JFK in time to catch our international flight.

On the plane with a "nice" in-flight meal, one bourbon, and a cushy neck pillow later, I was sound asleep waking four and a half hours later somewhere over France, P.O.D. at my side. Ahh.

This is the big surprise. We are spending a week in Monte Carlo, Monaco, and Nice, France. I couldn't say anything before because this adventure was a clandestine journey to surprise Mr. G (you have previously met The Fabulous Mrs. G….or “Fab”) in the land of his ancestry, Southern France.

The trip has been wonderful so far. Our room overlooks the marina, in which high-end yachts dock and gently rock back and forth in their “parking spaces”. We look out over the Mediterranean and the breezes are warm and calm.

Being 1SweetMama and sharing a friendship with Fab, who is also one to appreciate ice cream, or glace, as it is called en France, we have made it our mission to eat as much of it as possible. So far, we have had chocolate with chili pepper, tomato basil (yes….ice cream!), a yummy salty caramel (I wrote the name down but cannot find it at the moment….I will share it with you later), dulce de leche, pistachio, avocado, and even a few gelatos…apple and mixed berry.

Wanting to experience as many gastronomic opportunities as possible, I have eaten Mediterranean Sea Bass, calamari…which actually looked like mini squids swimming on my plate (they looked terrible but tasted delicious!!), sole meunière, oysters, rosé wine at every opportunity, and South Beach diet be darned…..lots and lots of good, crusty French breads.

Quickly…today included several hours driving to tour a winery, Chateau Beaucastel, eat lunch in Avignon, and on to Hyères to visit the Catania family and have dinner with them. Spaghetti and Caillette (a chestnut and ground meat mixture wrapped in a cabbage leaf with bacon).

I will give full descriptions in a future blog entry….photos, anecdotes…..etc…. á bientôt!

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

Bud's Big Day

2009-10-02T06:58:00.001-07:00

It has been two weeks of travel and I have another big week next week (you will hear all about it in my blog post on Tuesday) so it comes as no surprise that Bud’s (my oldest son) 15th birthday kinda snuck up on me.

Not to be “snuck up” upon by any birthday, I was prepared. I whipped up another fabulous party last night, complete with birthday cake and Blue Bunny Peanut Butter Panic® ice cream, gifts, singing relatives, and lots of embarrassed eye-rolling from my “I’m-too-cool-for-all-this-attention” 15-year old.

The party needed to end early so that everyone could get homework done and get in bed at a decent time so that we could be up and making my first kid delivery to school by 7:15 a.m.

And since September seems to be about birthdays and cakes and ice cream, I must tell you one of my most favorite stories about Bud. One year, when he was 9 or 10, he asked for an Easy-Bake Oven® for Christmas. While this was the source of several conversations on whether or not a pink EZ Bake oven for a 9-year old boy was a good gift….come Christmas morning, that oven was under the tree and weeks of teeny-tiny cakes, baked by the heat of a light bulb, and quarter-sized cookies, baked 4 at a time, were enjoyed by all. We continue to tell stories about it to this day and Bud has even expressed interest in the possibility of pursuing a career in the culinary arts. Who knows………….maybe Chef Duff got his start with an Easy-Bake Oven and, possibly, a blow torch!

As the oldest, Bud has always been a bit of the Guinea Pig…the science experiment. From the day he was born until this morning, and for every morning hereafter, I will always look upon him with wonderment as the one who started my motherhood journey and leads me into unchartered territory on a daily basis. Bud continues to fascinate me with his compassion, kind heart, talent, and his resolute.

He is easy going and knows how to “work a room”. He has a winning charm and plays a very mean piano…..and he will always hold a special place in his mom’s heart as the one who, on this day 15 years ago, both terrified me and melted my heart all at the same time.

Happy 15th birthday, Bud!

Beware! Today’s blog post ends in a Cliffhanger!!!

Before I leave you for the week, I IMPLORE you to check out my blog post on Tuesday. It will be pretty unexpected, i assure you. Not sure the time that I will post it so keep checking back on Tuesday until you see it.

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

Time To Take A Stand

2009-09-29T04:00:00.000-07:00

OK. Seriously. Someone has to say something and if no one else does, I sure am going to. I need to take a personal stand against "those" emails…..you know the ones….you get them two or three times a day. The “here-is-a-ridiculously-sappy-email-with-flowers-or-cute-puppies-or-angels-or-roses-that-says-you-need-to-forward-to-10-friends-and-your-wish-will-come-true-at-11:37-and-besides-you-must-hate-me-if-I-don’t-get-this-back” emails.

Just recently, I was sent an email from a good friend and the subject headline read:

“Let’s see if you reply….if ya don’t it says a lot!!”

Wow! That is harsh!

My immediate reaction is, “Why would so-and-so send me an e-mail with that as the header??” I guess I better read it! I open it up to find a series of roses for love and friendship, blah…blah…blah. I am supposed to send it on to 10 friends including her, the sender. If I don’t, I must be some kind of stone-hearted person with ice water running through my veins.

My email reply to her was:

“Dear friend,

“Know that I get all of your emails like this
one but I just don't reply or forward out of respect for my
fellow cyber-friends. If I sent and received all of these "Send to 10
friends and see who replies" emails with wishes being granted I would never get
anything done. In fact, my Inbox is generally where those kinds of emails
go to die. BUT I will reply to this one so you DO
know...

“I appreciate your friendship.....here is a virtual
rose.

“Just because I don't reply doesn't mean I don't care.
Hope all is well with you and your family!

1SweetMama”

I absolutely adore the gal who sent this to me…..but I cannot stand receiving these emails. I don’t mean to be a cynic but these are the cyber equivalent to credit card offers that litter my mailbox or solicitations for donations for The Boys and Girls Home or the ASPCA with photos of starving dogs and cats on the envelopes. I can’t stand these things! I am riddled with guilt when I toss them into the shredder. I know I should respond but I never have enough money to spread around for these kinds of things. I want to give but I just can’t.

And because my money is like my time, I must carefully budget it and spending time to respond and forward thousands of “here-is-a-ridiculously-sappy-email-with-flowers-or-cute-puppies-or-angels-or-roses-that-says-you-need-to-forward-to-10-friends-and-your-wish-will-come-true-at-11:37-and-besides-you-must-hate-me-if-I-don’t-get-this-back” emails is not very prudent. Again: I want to give but I just can’t.

So….here is YOUR virtual rose, your angel, your kitty, puppy, dancing hippopotamus, shout out to the classy ladies for “Today Is Classy Lady Day” (which, according to the number of times I receive this in a year….it must occur 47 times annually). I love you all but I don’t need to forward or respond to emails threatening me to do so. My promise to YOU is that you will never get one of those emails from me, either. You might, however, get a personal email telling you how much I love you. I hope that is okay.

Send this on to 10 friends or not. I really don’t care.

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

Duff and Geoff - The Dynamic Duo

2009-09-25T05:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome back, sweet readers…. So you want to hear more about the cake superhero, Chef Duff Goldman, and his merry minion, Geoff Manthorne?? Well, you have come to the right place.

This past Tuesday was such an incredible experience to be able to celebrate with one of our customers, A&P, along with 50 contest winners and their guests, and – of course – Chef Duff Goldman and Geoff Manthorne (of Charm City Cakes in Baltimore, Maryland) at the A&P 150th Birthday Party, hosted by Blue Bunny® Ice Cream.

The night before (Monday night), we were informed by one of Duff’s staff (his brother, to be exact) that the cake was to be finished around midnight and that one of the bakery employees would hit the road, cake loaded in the van, bound for New York City. His arrival time? 2:30 a.m. Meanwhile, Duff and Geoff would board a train Tuesday morning, arriving in NYC at approximately 8:50 a.m. We later were informed by Duff that because of our project, a new rule has been established at Charm City Cakes:

“No more cake orders for delivery on a Tuesday.”

By 9:30 a.m., we began to grow anxious at the word of Duff’s arrival. The report finally came around 9:45 a.m. – “Duff is in the Park!”….meaning, Chef Duff Goldman – The Food Network’s “Ace of Cakes” – had called to say that they were driving around Central Park in an attempt to find the Boathouse and that he feared his driver was a little lost.

Moments later, the Charm City Cakes van appeared, followed by Chef Duff, himself, and Geoff, along with Mark the road-weary cake transporter. The three of them carefully carried the main cake in – a vintage ice cream delivery truck. Then, armloads of cardboard flats containing each piece of the cake, molded from fondant icing and gum paste. Once everything was settled inside, the real work began.

The three of them set to work to finish the cake, carefully placing each piece, wiring the cake for lights and sound, smoothing out edges, shaping, molding, fussing. It was like watching a fine sculptor as he worked his medium. Two hours later, we were posing with each other next to the finished cake and Duff proudly displaying the mechanics of the dry ice smoke mist and the working horn: “Aah-ooooo-ga! Aah-ooooo-ga!” It was priceless. He was so proud of himself and we were speechless.

Duff and Geoff graciously interacted and posed with corporate executives and laughed and joked with everyone. They posed, unflapping-ly, for nearly 200 photos with our party guests (everyone got a personal photo of themselves with Duff, Geoff, and the cake). They signed autographs, listened to stories and humbly reacted to swooning fans.

The thing that amazed me the most was the number of young people who are impacted by Chef Duff and the work that he does with Charm City Cakes. Young children, fans of the show, tried to contain their excitement as they met the dynamic duo and told them how much they love the show and how much they want to grow up to be a pastry chef, too. I am also wildly aware of the impact Duff has on these kids because I see it in my own home. My own two boys and I love to watch the show. Both of my sons ask questions about culinary schools and how did Duff get his start? The thing about Duff is that he is a great role model…..he is edgy, cool, a talented artist. In fact, he makes art cool. He inspires our youth to think about career options that are not necessarily the standard doctor-lawyer-engineer-stockbroker (not there is one single thing wrong with these careers!) types but to also consider careers in art, culinary skills, music, and the like.

He wears a backwards baseball cap and an assortment of sports jerseys, baggy jeans, and steel toed shoes. He looks more like a character off of the Discovery Channel’s “Orange County Choppers” or “Ink” than a cake-decorator. One of my co-workers commented that Duff just seems like “your favorite drinking buddy”.

Geoff is an artist-type. Quiet. Un-assuming. Quirkily dressed. Humble. Thoughtful. Sincere. I would liken him to that quiet friend you can always count on to be there for you.

This pair definitely puts the “charm” in Charm City Cakes and we were honored to have them involved with our program. We look forward to working with them again and there is some talk of future meetings and grand ideas…so stay tuned. You never know when these guys might show up again in a future blog post.

Keep reading “The Sweet Life”…..next week’s posts include a funny take on “those kinds of emails” (you know the ones!) and another birthday……but we are just three posts away from a really fun blog entry……you won’t believe it until you read it.

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

Having My Cake And Eating It, Too!

2009-09-23T06:18:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday to me!
Happy Birthday to me!

Oh, wait….it isn’t my birthday! But no birthday of mine in recent history (okay, my 16th birthday and the cheese-ball and Jello® Jiggler food-fight that ensued during the party is probably my best birthday memory EVER) can top a day like the one I had yesterday.

Cheese-balls and Jello Jigglers aside, Tuesday was spent celebrating many birthdays other than mine. We celebrated one of our retail customers, A&P’s, 150th birthday, along with 50 winning birthday memories submitted by contestants to the Blue Bunny® and A&P Best Birthday Contest promotion. Contest entrants had to submit their favorite birthday memory and the top 50 were chosen (from over 800 contest entries!) and those winners were invited to our Birthday Party, celebrated YESTERDAY (coincidentally, on National Ice Cream Cone Day, in honor of the birthday of the ice cream cone!!) at the Central Park Boathouse in Central Park, New York City. These fabulous people with stories as great as they were joined us as we carved into the incredible birthday cake, designed and sculpted by The Food Network’s Ace of Cakes, Chef “Duff” Goldman.

There was speechmaking and gift-giving, the ceremonial singing of the “Happy Birthday” song, cake and ice cream….a real “festivus” for all involved. And Duff and Geoff?? They were the (dare I say it??) “icing on the cake”! More on these two in FRIDAY’S blog entry…tune in to “The Sweet Life” on Friday for more!!!

The cake, itself, was, in a word...awe-inspiring. The cake, created to honor the 150th birthday anniversary of A&P Stores was a one-of-a-kind creation by the Food Network’s “Ace of Cakes”, Chef Duff Goldman, and was commissioned by Wells’ Dairy, Inc., makers of Blue Bunny® branded frozen ice cream and novelties, in honor of partner retailer, A&P’s (Great Atlantic and Pacific Tea Company) 150th birthday celebration. The cake was designed by Chef Duff Goldman (while we watched over his shoulder…see my blog entries dated August 11 and 14, 2009) and was created by him, along with the talented artists of Charm City Cakes, Baltimore, Maryland. The cake size was 3.5’ long and served 200 people.

As the photo shows, the cake featured a sculpted vintage A&P delivery truck placed within a cobblestone street scene; a background created with fondant icing of the first A&P store in operation, located on Vesey Street in New York City, served as the backdrop to the truck. The delivery truck was wired for electricity, sound (the horn on the truck actually honked!), and dry ice “smoke” which misted out of the back of the truck, where stacks Blue Bunny product were loaded for delivery to the store. The cake also featured a modeled newspaper vendor (“selling” the Le Mars Sentinel (our local paper)) and a Blue Bunny delivery man, created in the likeness of Blue Bunny Senior Vice President of Marketing and Research & Development, Jim Reynolds.

To sweeten the cake offering, we served each piece of chocolate and yellow marbled cake with 20 containers of Blue Bunny ice cream (1-2 scoops per piece!). Flavors? Blue Bunny® Bunny Tracks and Premium All Natural Vanilla.

After the party, my colleagues and I boarded our jet plane bound for home in “The Ice Cream Capital of the World®”.

So…after 24 hours of suspending my South Beach Diet regimen and replacing low-fat and high protein meal choices with great New York food and Chef Duff-made cake and Blue Bunny Ice Cream, I am exhausted and a little bloated but oh, so very happy to have been involved with such a great project and so many wonderful and remarkable people. Remember to come back and check in to “The Sweet Life” on FRIDAY for more on Chef Duff Goldman and his incredible side-kick, Geoff – who loves eating Blue Bunny ice cream! Who knew??

Until next Friday, I remain on Cloud Nine and….1SweetMama

RATED PG-13: How Birthday Cake Taught Me About The Male Anatomy

2009-09-18T04:04:00.000-07:00

This is your final warning that this blog entry is rated PG-13…..(according to the Motion Picture Association of America, a PG-13 rating is one that strongly cautions parents as some material may not be suited for anyone under the age of 13 – either physically or mentally…okay, so I added that last part! But don’t say I didn’t warn ya!)

Growing up, some of my most vivid memories are of my coming home from school or work and finding my mother toiling over a cake. She ran a home-business as a cake decorator and she would make, on average, about 4-6 cakes each week.

She was very good at it…..and her buttercream icing was to die for!!

I learned a lot of things from my mother and her cake business. How to make a flower out of icing…how to put a scalloped edge on a cake, how important the mixing time is for both the cake batter AND the icing……and that it isn’t just a Ho-Ho that plays an important role in a “naked man” cake.

Yes, my dear, sweet, non-assuming mother was a highly-sought-after decorator of “naughty cakes” suitable for bachelor/bachelorette parties….milestone birthday parties….whatever occasion called for a naughty cake. Now, Mom had a collection of beautiful and socially appropriate cakes that she created, as well. Wedding cakes, baby showers, Christenings….you name it. But the naughty cakes took the…..well, you know.

I distinctly remember walking in the door after school one afternoon, the house smelling of cake batter, sugar, and Crisco and found my mother in the “sculpting process” of one of her naughty cakes. Now, I had seen the multitude of female versions of the “naughty cake” in various states of undress and, because I was already familiar with the “parts manual” of the female anatomy, I was, mostly, un-phased. Grossed out…but un-phased. Bear in mind that I was probably 14 or 15 at the time.

Old enough to know but not old enough to fully understand, I rounded the corner that fateful afternoon and was confronted with the male naughty cake assembly, in process. I noted a top and bottom layer of cake, secured with a layer of buttercream frosting between them and carved into the shape of a man’s torso, from the chest area to the upper thigh. In the groin area, was a Ho-Ho (the usual suspect) and…what’s this???? Two marshmallows?? What they heck are they doing there? Isn’t the Ho-Ho all that belongs there? But a Ho-Ho and two marshmallows? …and….why is it all slanted to the left? This simply did not compute in my middle-school adolescent brain.

A ten minute conversation and clarification from my mother, probably followed by an “Ewww!” from me, and I was set straight on the male anatomy. Just like that. Apparently I never really paid much attention in Health Class but a man carved out of baked cake batter and decorated in frosting? Well, now THAT was the kind of “body language” I understood.

Obviously, the “Lesson Of The Naughty Cake” certainly made an impact.

From that day on, I was no longer shocked when I rounded the kitchen corner….but I never could look at marshmallows the same way again. Or Ho-Ho’s, for that matter.

And speaking of cake, dear readers, my NEXT blog post will be the “Day of Duff” – Chef Duff, that is! Bear in mind that it may not get posted until late, late on Tuesday night or early on Wednesday morning so keep checking back for the full SCOOP on every SWEET detail of the birthday cake and Blue Bunny® ice cream party occurring just four days from today.

Talk to you on Tuesday!

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

The Birth Of The Ice Cream Cone

2009-09-15T04:47:00.000-07:00

Photo: Blue Bunny® Ice Cream wwww.flickr.com. Find it at http://www.flickr.com/photos/bluebunnyicecream/3179408525/in/set-72157612280082067

Speaking of birthdays and birth days…Who REALLY “birthed” the ice cream cone?

There are so many stories surrounding the birth of the ice cream cone and, in my attempt to create a slow build of excitement to the Blue Bunny®/A&P® Birthday party with Food Network’s “Ace of Cakes”, Chef Duff Goldman, one week from today (let me hear ya say “Woo-hoo!”), I happened to realize that the actual DAY of our party to celebrate A&P’s 150th Anniversary is also the nationally celebrated birthday of the ice cream cone!

Most histories of ice cream will tell you that that the ice cream cone was invented in 1904 at the St. Louis World’s Fair, a fact that 1SweetMama, a native St. Louisan, is VERY proud to proclaim. Syrian immigrant, Ernest A. Hamwi gave some of his “zalabia” (a waffle-like pastry) from his pastry cart to neighboring vendor, Arnold Fornachou, who had run out of paper dishes to serve his ice cream in at his adjoining ice cream cart at the fair. Another version has Hamwi teaming up with a different ice cream vendor named Charles Menches, who also ran out of dishes. Who knows for sure….perhaps a little case of “cone envy”??

There are about a hundred other stories that sound much the same but involve different ice cream and waffle vendors….and there were, likely, a hundred ice cream and waffle vendors at the St. Louis Fair (or the Louisiana Purchase Exhibition). Whatever the story, whatever the claim…..whoever the vendor….. certainly, the one singular GIVEN is that the ice cream cone became universally popular after this date. Despite the number of claimants, most ice cream experts and associations DO give the credit to Hamwi. Way to go, Ernie!

But, for the sake of humoring me with the “September 22 in New York City” tie in - let us also consider Italo Marciony – who claimed he created the ice cream cone on September 22, 1896! He sold his cones from a pushcart in New York City, and his claim may be the best, since he had a patent for a waffle mold, granted in December, 1903, eight months before the St. Louis Fair!
So…. Seven days before my Blue Bunny colleagues and I trek off to New York City to celebrate cake and ice cream with Chef Duff and A&P, I must pay homage to the ones who gave us the foundation to do so. Cones and ice cream; cake and ice cream. No matter how you scoop it, I still find myself all giddy as a school girl. September 22 is growing ever-closer!

And, speaking of cake and ice cream…..tune in next FRIDAY as I tell you about how I learned about the male anatomy from birthday cake. You KNOW you will want to read that one!

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

Aunt 1SweetMama Will Always have Gum!

2009-09-11T05:00:00.000-07:00

I told you previously that there is a slight difference between birthdays and birth days and here is that subtle nuance.

Early Thursday morning, just 3 and one-half hours past the “lucky” 09-09-09 date, my sister, “Little A” gave birth to my VERY first nephew. For now, I will call him “Squeaker”, because that is what he mostly does. I only met him for the first time for just 45 minutes yesterday and he squeaked and squawked the whole while, melting his “Auntie’s” heart. His fingers and toes are long and purplish but soft to the touch and oh, so dainty. His poor little head is misshapen and bruised from hours of stress and pressure of a long and painful labor and birth.

I must tell you that, while many cultures boast the good omens of the 09-09-09 date, the best omen for our family was to finally meet this little guy. My sister, a petite (but strong marathon runner) suffered 20 hours of labor, including 4 and a half hours of “pushing” before her doctor must have finally “done the math” and realized that a 5’1” girl may not be able to successfully push out a 7 and a half pound baby. Near total exhaustion, she finally underwent a C-Section and….

Welcome “Squeaker”!

He was born on 9-10-09…maybe not the lucky date that everyone talked about on Wednesday but the luckiest date for Little A and her hubby, “Banan-er” (pronounced like “banana with an “er” at the end). He is their first-born and a definite keeper.

This little angel joins the ranks of my two nieces (from my brother and his wife) as holding a very special place in 1SweetMama’s heart. These are the people who I hope will always know that they may come to their “Auntie” for advice and, most importantly, GUM.

That is right. Let it be known that if they ever have want for gum and I am in gum-giving proximity…..I will be ready to hand it over for their pure chewing enjoyment. Advice will also be dolled out in the same fashion, should they ever decide they need it.

I know that aunts play important roles in nieces’ and nephews’ lives and I hope that I will be able to fulfill this duty with courage, dignity, humor, sweetness…..and a piece or two of Juicy Fruit gum.

So, you see there IS a slight difference between birthdays and birth days and in this instance, this particular birth day is a wonderful moment in 1SweetMama’s life.

…..and, while I am at it, how about a “shout out” to all those who I love who also celebrate September birthdays….

Corey, Maggie, Jayne, Evie, and Peanut. Congrats on another beautiful year!!

Tune in next Tuesday when we will start the countdown to Chef Duff Goldman and my “Ace of Cakes” encounter in New York City!

Until then, I remain….”Auntie”1SweetMama

Peanut And His Tenth Trip Around The Sun

2009-09-08T14:43:00.000-07:00

(Peanut in 2006....I love this picture...it is about the only moment when he wasn't talking...we call this photo "Peanut, at rest")

He was supposed to have been born on 9-9-99 but he just couldn’t wait. Peanut was born, instead, on September 8, 1999, and I watched, from my hospital bed, all the other mothers being interviewed on television because they had had their babies on September 9. Peanut was anxious to get started with life a day early and he has never looked back.

I also remember that he latched on to a “binky” and a stuffed animal from just days old. Peanut still cannot go anywhere without that stuffed animal, which was – we believe – a beanie-baby hamster but we began to call it “Mole” or more endearingly, “Moley”. I don’t even want to get into the whole… “But the animal has eyes so how can it be a mole?” thing….it is just what we called it and the name stuck. Today, Moley is just a stump with an eye (and no arms and legs) that Grandma Jane has to continue to perform surgery on in order to hold him together. Peanut doesn’t care.

The binky was a near permanent fixture for Peanut. When we began to grow concerned because his speech and language development was slow, the doctor simply told us to “pull the plug” on the binky and, upon its removal, the words began to pour out of his mouth like never before. He still talks non-stop and sometimes we joke with him, asking him if he ever even stops to take a breath. It is a common belief that he is making up for lost time from the binky and his “no-talking” days.

He has the wildest imagination and wants so much to be like his big brother. He says the funniest things without even realizing they are funny…which makes it even funnier.

He tells me that he likes to take showers because it is his “imagination place”, which, at first, terrified me when he said it. When I asked what he meant by that, Peanut said, “Well, I like to go in there and just think about things that are interesting.” Wow. That is deep.

Now in the 4th grade, he loves football (see my 8/28/09 entry), video games, the Nickelodeon Channel, collecting stuffed animals, and wanted nothing more for his birthday than an overly priced Nerf gun and a chocolate ice cream cake.

(Photo, middle, right, is of Peanut at his party....he held up the cake so we could take his picture and it slid off....his expression is priceless!)

His birthday was a huge hit.

Not only was there chocolate ice cream cake, Peanut received TWO Nerf guns (because what’s the point in having just one gun when you can have two and choose your opponent?), a giant slab of beef jerky (that’s his favorite), some little “fun” gifts, and the meal of his choice, which ended up being country-style BBQ ribs, Iowa sweet corn, and Grandma Jane’s applesauce.

Peanut is wildly proud of the fact that he is now a double-digit number. 10 passes around the sun and a personality that is just as bright.

Happy birthday, Peanut. We love you!

Labor Day!

2009-09-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Today is the last day of a crazy work week and I must confess that the minutes are ticking by ever so slowly….I know that, since it must be 5 o’clock somewhere, we all should be allowed to get out of here and go home and begin our “relaxing” weekend that is meant to congratulate workers across the globe for a job well done with a well-earned long weekend.

In case you were wondering (and this comes straight from Wikipedia. Read the full story at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labor_Day ) …..

Labor Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the first Monday in September (September 7 in 2009).

The holiday originated in Canada out of labor disputes ("Nine-Hour Movement") first in Hamilton, then in Toronto, Ontario in the 1870s, which resulted in a Trade Union Act which legalized and protected union activity in 1872. The parades held in support of the Nine-Hour Movement and the printers' strike led to an annual celebration in Canada.

In 1882, American labor leader Peter J. McGuire witnessed one of these labor festivals in Toronto. Inspired, he returned to New York and organized the first American "labor day" on September 5 of the same year.

The first Labor Day in the United States was celebrated on September 5, 1882 in New York City. In the aftermath of the deaths of a number of workers at the hands of the US military and US Marshals during the 1894 Pullman Strike, President Grover Cleveland put reconciliation with labor as a top political priority. Fearing further conflict, legislation making Labor Day a national holiday was rushed through Congress unanimously and signed into law a mere six days after the end of the strike. Cleveland was also concerned that aligning a US labor holiday with existing international May Day celebrations would stir up negative emotions linked to the Haymarket Affair. All 50 U.S. states have made Labor Day a state holiday.

The form for the celebration of Labor Day was outlined in the first proposal of the holiday: A street parade to exhibit to the public "the strength and esprit de corps of the trade and labor organizations," followed by a festival for the workers and their families. This became the pattern for Labor Day celebrations.

Or……simply host a bar-b-que! Go camping. Have a party. Go fishing. Eat ice cream.

This is supposed to be a workers’ holiday….a time to celebrate and rest from work.

Hmmmmm…..rest from work?

Do we ever really rest? In the age of cell phones and email and smart phones and mp3 players, and Facebook, do we ever truly “turn it off” and spend some quality time just (figuratively speaking, here) sitting on the front porch and wile away the hours….resting?

If given a chance, would we?

Maybe our mission this weekend is to find a hammock or chaise lounge and put our feet up for a while and just do nothing…..or…..if you must do something productive….take a nap.

Or eat ice cream.

I have heard that you never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

That moment arrived, for me, about 4 days ago.

I hope you enjoy your Labor Day weekend and PLEASE take some time for yourself and/or your family. Shut the phone off. In fact, shut it ALL off and just “be”. The time that you spend with those that are important to you is truly the remedy for the stress and strain of the work-a-day world.

There is no better way to celebrate than to do it with family and friends…..and eat some ice cream.

Have a glorious weekend and we’ll chat on Tuesday.

Until then, I remain….1SweetMama

What The Hell Is That Thing??

2009-09-01T12:24:00.000-07:00

We have all seen them. I know I see them as I am sitting, taking care of business, in the women’s restroom. I know! I know! What am I doing looking around when I should be quickly and efficiently “conducting my business”? I can’t help it. I look up and there it is…

What the hell is that thing??

Smoke detector? Motion detector? Both? Neither? “Big Brother” watching? Aliens? There are no signs identifying it. It just hangs there – a constant sentinel standing watch over the ladies’ restroom. There are actually two of them in there. They don’t do anything but blink…that is – a little green light alternately blinks on and off in a random blinking pattern. I am almost convinced that the blinking is in response to movement but I can’t be sure. There are also these two “eyes” that don’t do anything at all, except perhaps to watch me. They NEVER blink. Ever. Disturbing.

To test it, I sit “there”, VERY still and it doesn’t blink. After what I feel is an appropriate amount of time, I move my hand….and it blinks!! Or maybe it isn’t random at all and I am just impatient for shorter amounts of time than I think I am.

I AM aware that the lights in the bathroom are motion activated. There are times when I have walked into the bathroom and when I open the door, the lights turn on. If there is enough traffic through the bathroom, the lights stay on all day. If there is a lull in activity in there, the lights shut off.

But no one really knows what the “timer” is set at. Is that what that "thing" is for?

I don’t know!! There is no sign.

It just simply begs the question, “What the hell is that thing?”

There has been a lot of discussion in the office. We see this thing all over the corporate office and I have seen similar things in restaurants and shopping areas but it is very unsettling that a semi-intelligent woman, such as myself, cannot identify this "thing".

I know you are thinking that I am crazy for obsessing about it. Perhaps I am….or is it the aliens that are watching in me in the bathroom that make me think this way?

The mystery remains as we stare each other down in the ladies’ restroom.

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

P.S. If I might brag….before I leave you today, I want to tell you to strap on your “sweet-belts” because the next “bakers’ dozen” (13, for those of you who don’t like pastries) of blog posts will be the BEST ever. My posts will feature LOTS of birthdays, birth days (yes, there is a slight, but related, difference!), more Chef Duff encounters, stories about cakes and male anatomies…yes, they are related…., and ONE BIG, GI-NORMOUS SURPRISE!!! But, you’ll never know if you don’t read and tune in twice (Tuesdays and Fridays) each and every week to “The Sweet Life”.

Tell your friends. Grab your laptops and wi-fi hot spots and hang on. It is going to be one SWEET ride!

"Pardon Me, If It's No Trouble..."

2009-08-28T06:37:00.000-07:00

(Peanut is the one in the center of the photo with his "Lineman" stance. Grrrrr!)

I love my almost-10-year old, "Peanut". From the day he was born, he was always very sweet. A “cuddler” and…..a bit of a Mama’s Boy, he always does his best to do what he thinks is right.

At nearly 10 years old, he still collects stuffed animals and says “I love you, Mom” about a hundred times a day. Out of the blue, he will tell me that he loves his grandmas and grandpas, how much he adores his dog, Max, and quotes random scientific facts (“Do you know why a spacesuit is white? So that it is cooler because it reflects the sun and so other astronauts can see it. Did you know that there is gravity in space?…it is just less.”).

He is smart as a whip, loves to read, is a master Guitar Hero player, plays piano, and is starting on the viola this year. Stubborn as an old mule…but a very good heart and is one of the gentlest and kindest souls I have ever known.

This being said, I have to talk about his love and participation in football.

Peanut plays in the community youth football league. An organization, I assure you we had no idea when we signed him up for it, that is an extremely competitive, travelling league. The coaches yell a lot in practice and blow the whistle to the point of near annoyance. I painfully watch my delicate flower of a son as he lumbers around the field and when Coach makes him run two laps. I can only breathe again when I know he has successfully completed the drill. Peanut wants to always have someone at practice to watch him because (and these are his words, not mine) he might “puke”.

When we signed him up last fall for this league, we knew it was tackle football and full pads and gear. Peanut begged and begged to do it. He loves football – his favorite teams are the Vikings and the Iowa Hawkeyes. To bring down an opposing player like the “big guys” do on TV? Well, to Peanut…..this would be sheer bliss.

However, because Peanut is such a kind and gentle soul….I am not sure football is his game. He has a tender demeanor which prevents him from being aggressive on the field. He tries so hard to please the coaches and he certainly has size on his side…..nearly 105 pounds. He pushes himself through each practice and game and is learning all the skills and plays of a Lineman. Starting out as Defensive Lineman, he was moved to Offensive Lineman because he just wasn’t aggressive enough to “give it” and was much better at “taking it”.

I tell him that I am going to sprinkle a little “mean” in his cereal each morning. He laughs and gives me his sweet, little smile and says, “Mo-om!!”

Peanut’s interpretation of “bringing down the other guy” is to awkwardly squat down, wait for the hike, then quietly say to the other boy, “Pardon me, number 26, if it’s no trouble, would you be so kind as to not cross this line of scrimmage and tackle our team’s quarterback? It would be most appreciated,” while his other teammates are dragging down the other boys by their legs and hips into the mud. I, of course, exaggerate. However, Peanut DOES master the “gentle fall down” technique by tapping the opponent on his chest or shoulders, then looking for the pile-up and running to jump into it.

At least he is trying. He has stuck with his football career longer than I could have expected (and it just started three weeks ago) and I give him points for that. I am very proud of him. He loves football and I want to support him every season, if he wants me to. I must admit that he does improve with every practice and I did watch him at practice lat night actually PULL DOWN a ball carrier. Very impressive.

This may not have been the way Peyton Manning or Brett Favre started out, but one thing they all have in common is passion. Peanut shares this love for the game and tries very hard and as long as he knows I am on the sidelines with a water bottle and a friendly word of encouragement, that is all that matters to me.

Who knows? He could, one day, be the big star on the high school Bulldogs football team…..or not. But it will be fun to watch him find out on his own.

Until next time….I remain, 1SweetMama

...And We're Off!

2009-08-25T07:51:00.000-07:00

(Photo: www.flickr.com , **msk - http://www.flickr.com/photos/estmsk )

It is that time of year where I have a death grip on my Franklin Planner, monitoring every hour of every day and planning and orchestrating every single move and complex decision which will help me to best manage the schedules of my life.

With my job, the boys’ lives, school, sports, music, and church schedules - my calendar is an intricate series of “so-and-so needs to be here at this time” and “so-and-so needs to be there at that time” and who is going to get them there and who is going to pick them up.

As a single mom, I have become a diligent 5-Star General, strategizing troop movement from battlefield to battlefield, with me shouting orders and commands as we go. There is no room for error, less the enemy (our crazy schedule) find the weak spot and inflict total schedule annihilation. We must be swift! Agile. Determined. We must not show fear. We must forage our path into school year territory and (in the words of Winston Churchill) never, never, never quit.

For those of you who read this and wonder why I never call anymore…..here is why:

(Bear in mind, I work from 8 – 5 Monday through Friday….)

Monday: 7:05 – leave home to drive Bud (my oldest) to chorus rehearsal followed by my racing back home to get Peanut (my youngest) ready and out the door and to school by 7:55 (my neighbor, who watches these shenanigans from his back porch, calls this “Round One” and “Round Two”). School until 3:15 p.m. Grandma Jane picks up Peanut and brings him home. I meet up with them at my house at the end of my work day; walk the dog; help feed and dress Peanut for football practice at 6 p.m. then leave to pick Bud up from High School football; drop Bud off at the house…tell him to scrounge for food (“Think ‘Man vs. Wild’”, I tell him. “Imagine you have been dropped into the mountains of Yemen and you must stay alive but instead of eating reindeer droppings….you might find a peanut butter and cracker pack or frozen microwavable pizza!”). Then I am off to watch Peanut practice until 7:30 p.m. Everyone reunites around 7:45 p.m. Piano practice. Viola practice. Drum practice. Homework. Showers. Bed. Monday nights are also game nights for Bud so on the nights that he plays, the evening schedule management must be farmed out to any family member with a car and the mental fortitude to help out.

Tuesday: Repeat morning and day schedule. Just substitute Peanut’s piano theory class for the football practice element. Everyone reunites around 7:45 p.m. Piano practice. Viola practice. Drum practice. Homework. Showers. Bed. Throw in a random Tuesday night game for Peanut and theory must be rescheduled or skipped altogether.

Wednesday: Transition day for the boys to their dad’s house. Repeat morning and day schedule. 7 – 9 p.m. is Catechism for Bud and me (I am an adult guide for the group).

Thursday: Repeat morning and day schedule. The boys are with their dad but I must remain on call to assist their father if he has a work conflict. Peanut has football practice from 6 – 7:30 p.m.

Friday: Repeat morning and day schedule. Boys are with their dad. Evening activities include 5 p.m. piano lessons for Peanut, later attending the high school football game and to watch Bud play in the half-time marching band program.

Saturday: Boys are still with their dad but he often has Saturday work conflicts so I remain on call. Meet any time (depending on the gametime) between 7:45 a.m. and 10 a.m. to drive to and watch Peanut’s football game. It is a traveling team, so this usually takes all or most of the morning. Bud has football practice from 8 – 9:30 a.m. Piano Lessons at 11:30 a.m. Catch up on laundry and house cleaning. Yard work. Grocery shop.

Sunday: Church – usually 8:15 a.m. service as "late church" is too contemporary for my preference. Lunch. Family fun activity or more yard work with the boys. Catch up on anything left on the list that didn’t get done. Evening dinner/dessert and card game activity with the extended family.

So…we are off and running. Eventually this will all become a carefully choreographed dance that we perform effortlessly and will, ultimately, master. For now, we clumsily take it a step at a time – until we fall into a rhythm.

To all you Moms and Dads out there: I feel your pain. Give me survival tips, if you have any. Just know that we are all in this together!

For those of you who wonder why I never call….please bear with me. I will get back to you when the schedule lets up….in about 8 years!

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

Why I Love The Iowa State Fair

2009-08-21T13:43:00.000-07:00

For a girl who was raised in “the big city”, I love the atmosphere and the uniqueness of the Iowa State Fair.

To remind Iowa State Fair scoffers of the significance of this event, I mentioned in my blog posts, dated August 14 and August 19, 2008, that, “You may know that the Iowa State Fair was listed as one of '1,000 Things To See Before You Die' as chronicled in a book of the same name (Schultz, Patricia. 1,000 Places to See Before You Die: A Traveler's Life List. New York: Workman Publishing, 2003. p. 630. http://www.1000beforeyoudie.com/ )." Take that and add it to your list!

With this in mind, I usually try to figure out a way to load up the kiddies and make an annual trek to The Iowa State Fair. In order to fully enjoy a day at the Fair, one must, first, option a second mortgage on the house in order to pay for all the yummy food delicacies that await you while there. With an average cost of $8 per “yummy” multiplied times myself and two bottomless pits for children, let’s just say the trip is really costly (especially if you have to include gas, hotel, souvenirs, etcetera, etcetera) but it is really worth it.

This year’s adventure included all of the traditional stops: the Super Bull (“Big Black,” an Angus bull rockin’ it in at 3,404 pounds), the Big Boar (“Buddy,” weighing in at 1,117 pounds), the butter sculptures (the traditional Jersey cow and an additional sculpture commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Lunar Landing), and a stop at the Lamb Association food stand for a stick of lamb jerky or a lamb burger. You can see all of these truly fascinating features by visiting the Iowa State Fair website at http://www.iowastatefair.org/fair.php

But this year, we also managed to take in the sights of Iowa’s biggest pumpkin….nearly 1,100 pounds! Now that is a pumpkin Charlie Brown would be proud of!

But what do I really love about the Iowa State Fair? It is all about a state coming together. It is all about the wholesomeness of Iowans gathering in Des Moines to show off the biggest, the best, the tastiest, and the kitschy-est attributes of this wonderful mid-western place. It is about families and fun and home-town pride. Folks representing their communities (and the pride of the family name!) enter into competitions for events like flower arranging, quilting, livestock showmanship, talent, and cooking….just to name a few!

Speaking of cooking….this year, I was really fortunate to be asked by Blue Bunny® to judge three cooking contests featuring Blue Bunny ICE CREAM!! Yes, 1SweetMama tasted and evaluated, in all, over 35 dessert entries in two dessert categories: youth and adult. At one point during the judging, I turned to my fellow co-worker and judge, and said, “I think I have died and gone to heaven!” The capper to the day was judging nearly 20 entries in the youth “Ugly Ice Cream Contest”. This is a contest in which kids ages 6-12 must create an ugly ice cream concoction (with a Blue Bunny Vanilla ice cream “base”) in which all inclusions MUST be edible foods….but the food combinations are ghastly! For instance…..one entry featured Blue Bunny Vanilla ice cream, pickled pigs’ feet, anchovies, pickled herring, and some other unidentifiably horrific (and stinky!) ingredients. Another entry featured Blue Bunny Vanilla ice cream, mealworm larvae, and crickets (dead and dried). You get the idea.

Fortunately, judges do NOT have to taste these entries and I wouldn’t exactly have described the experience as “heavenly”…. “otherworldly” is, perhaps, more of an accurate description. However, the Bug Ice Cream Chef’s mother invited us to try a larvae and we all reluctantly complied. Tasted like a musty potato chip.

With livestock pooh on the soles of our shoes, less cash in our pockets, and mealworm larvae in our bellies, the boys and I departed for home in “The Ice Cream Capital of the World(R)” with another fabulous Iowa State Fair experience in the 1SweetMama Family history books.

A great way to round out a summer in Iowa.

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

Do They "Trick Out" Riding Mowers??

2009-08-18T06:00:00.000-07:00

Last Friday afternoon, I guess you could say that I came face to face with that famous brass ring and, finally, decided it was time to pull the heck out of it.

That’s right, boys of the neighborhood….that middle-aged, hot (mostly because my tolerance to heat and humidity isn’t what it used to be) mama sitting on her brand new, bright red, hydrostat automatic engine, 24 horsepower, 42” cut Craftsman riding lawnmower with the drink cup-holder? That’s me!!

Well…..er….for now…..it is really my oldest son, Bud. Who, yes you are hearing me right - moms and dads of the world, begged – and I mean groveled – to climb on and mow not just my lawn but his grandparents’ lawn, too. If you can at all swing it financially (which, thanks to zero interest and zero payments for one full year along with season close-out pricing!!)….I am telling you, the price of this fine piece of lawn machinery was worth it simply for the fact that my teenager was not only excited to mow the lawn….asked when he could mow it again!! He said that this mower was the greatest investment I ever made. My youngest son, Peanut, kept asking when he would be old enough to mow the lawn. I believe he even compared the lawn mowing job to his current role as “Weedinator” as being more fun than pulling weeds and that I didn’t even have to pay him to mow.

Ahhhh, Heaven. It might be that I am a genius. It might also be that I can start thinking about standing up my lawn for our weekly “date night” and begin to hand that job off to my offspring. What would I do with an extra free night? Get a pedicure? Clean the toilet?? So many options!!

Oh, yes….and I cannot forget to tip my hat to the new gas-powered Weed Eater I also purchased along with the riding mower….or “The Tractor” as we now like to call it at the 1SweetMama household. I watched in utter disbelief as Bud gave Peanut a tutorial on how to operate it. It was so sweet watching Bud shepherd his little brother through the process. Bud pulled the starting cord and demonstrated, step for step, what I had showed him an hour earlier, including safety tips like “You will be better wearing pants when you do this because it hurts when you trim and the grass and dirt hits your shins.” For a moment my kids were adults, working together, to collaborate on a home project.

Until the newness wears off, I will bask in the afterglow of my tractor purchase and watch as my children take over my lawn care maintenance. And when it does, 1SweetMama will be waiting to spring like a gazelle into the driver’s seat of my bright, red beauty. I wonder, do they “trick out” riding lawn mowers??

By the way, my boys and I make our annual trek to the Motherland of all things Iowa today! Read about our adventures at The Iowa State Fair in my blog post on Friday, August 21!

Until then, I remain….1SweetMama

Second Time Is A "Charm"!

2009-08-14T07:46:00.000-07:00

Part 2 of 2 - Our meeting with Chef Duff and Charm City Cakes

The two large wooden doors closed behind us and there was a moment when we all paused…reflected internally on what had just happened…then, we – under the watchful eye of the Charm City Cakes video surveillance camera, I am sure! – exploded. We had done such a good job at remaining professional and composed for an hour and a half while we met with Chef Duff. Not able to physically contain ourselves any longer, we, on the street corner there in front of the bakery, jumped up and down, hugged each other and screamed. We had just completed Part 1 of a very successful cake conceptualizing meeting at Charm City Cakes in Baltimore.

One of my colleagues from the marketing agency, clutched a small white bakery box, with the Charm City Cakes sticker on the top, close to her chest. Outside was written her name and the flavor samples of cakes that were contained inside. Inside thebox were six small cake samples, each a different flavor. The chosen flavor would be the flavor of the final cake. The samples included Mint Chip, S’more, Chocolate Peanut Butter, White, Chocolate, and Marble.

We hustled over to Dizz’s where we sat at a table, placed a small order for nosh (potato skins and sweet potato fries), then proceeded to dive in to the sample box. Two minutes later….only crumbs remained.

After careful consideration and much discussion, we opted for the Marble flavor. Mint Chip, S’more, and Peanut Butter –while very good – might overwhelm the flavor of ice cream that we will be serving along with the cake on September 22. White and Chocolate were both delicious – probably the best chocolate flavor I have ever tasted – but a little bit of a yawner as a stand alone. We chose Marble because it combined two traditional and very tasty flavors into one interesting cake flavor that will be fun to look at.

As we ate, we must have checked our watches a thousand times and shook our heads in disbelief, “Can you believe we met the Charm City Cakes crew today?”

“Can you believe we were invited back?”

“Wasn’t Duff so incredible??”

When we felt we had allocated enough time for Chef Duff’s 3 o’clock meeting, we hustled back over to Charm City Cakes. Time for our second meeting.

Again….the intercom. Again…..the exchange. Again…those ominous-looking doors opened. This time when they did, we were welcomed with recognition and enthusiasm. Chef Duff and his gang…glad to see us? Wow…that is pretty cool!

Mary Alice helped us to fetch our ice cream and we spread our containers of ice cream and ice cream toppings out on the conference table where we had met just one hour earlier.

The artists of Charm City Cakes flocked to the table where we filled their Blue Bunny® color-changing bowls (they change from white bowls to bright blue when you add cold ice cream!!) with heaping scoops of Blue Bunny® Bunny Tracks, Blue Bunny® Mint Chip, Blue Bunny® Homemade Chocolate, and Blue Bunny® Neapolitan (Duff took that one!) ice cream. We gave them a few mementos to commemorate our visit, we chatted with the group and ironed out plans for our September event in Manhattan for our promotion’s party (not sure what the promotion is? Check it out here). I also made lots of small talk with Chef Duff about his show, his band, and the possibility of him visiting us here in the Ice Cream Capital of the World® and some fun ideas he has for ice cream flavors, if we were ever interested in considering them.

An hour later, we bade our farewells to our new friends at Charm City Cakes, feeling fabulous about our day. Cake and Blue Bunny ice cream….what can top that?

This can…..just yesterday we discovered that Charm City Cakes blogged about our visit, too. Check it out here: http://www.charmcitycakes.com/blog It was the cherry on top of one delicious experience.

Ahh, life can be so sweet.

Until next time, I remain…1SweetMama

....I Think I Heard Angels Singing....

2009-08-11T14:57:00.000-07:00

(Chef Duff Goldman at work)

…and there we were……

After a day of travel to Baltimore and a breakfast planning meeting and a trip to the local Harris Teeter store to buy all the Blue Bunny® ice cream and toppings fit for a good ‘ol fashioned ice cream social we found ourselves standing at the threshold of all that is good and sweet and oh, so right. A world of cakes and fondant and creative artists and bakers….and Chef Duff Goldman, himself.

We grinned stupidly at each other – none of us believing that we were actually at Charm City Cakes’ front door. A plain, grey-ish stone building with two giant citadel-like wooden doors that no one could breach, no matter how strong their sugar craving.

I rang the intercom bell:

Voice: “Hello?”
Me: “Blue Bunny ice cream team is here!”
Voice: “Okay….just a moment.”

We exchanged glances…giddy as schoolgirls.

The doors opened. I swear I think I heard angels singing.

There it was. The interior of the bakery. In all of it’s crazy pop-art colors and decorations, the crew busily building fondant cake “wraps” (not sure this is the technical term, but they sculpt the designs on cake molds and then wrap it onto a cake once it is baked, later in the week) and applying some of the most beautiful and intricate artwork I have ever seen. “Dummy cakes” – not real cakes but fake cakes built for display only of some of their finest works rimmed the conference table area. The most intriguing “dummy cake” was a bust of Marie Antoinette with her throat slit, blood oozing from the incision. Chef Duff explained that while it was really interesting, it was very macabre. It took our whip-smart intern to exclaim, “How interesting, since she was the one who said, ‘Let them eat cake!’” Duff stopped and looked at her, incredulous and flattered at her insight…. "You see?” he said softly, “No one gets that!”

Chef Duff was a gentle, crazy, awe-inspiring genius that gracefully led our team (five of us, in all) through the creative process to design a cake concept that would include lights and dry ice smoke. Unbelievable. His mind just floated from our concepts (which we thought were good in the first place) to something a little more intriguing and unique. At one point during the meeting, I turned to him and said, “Is there anything you have always wanted to do for a cake but never have?”

His eyes danced and he leaned back in his chair for a moment to reflect. The Willy Wonka of cake-making, a story-telling, good-hearted, soft-spoken, yet creatively outgoing master of his art leaned forward and took a pencil in hand and sketched. We talked. He talked. We watched him work. Dream. We collaborated and finally ended up with a cake that will be an amazement to all who attend the event in which it will be unveiled.

He wrote up the contract. Quoted us a price. Ouch (but worth it). We signed it. Paid our deposit. He proceeded to present us with some samples of cake flavors we had requested for our cake and he wanted to visit more. At the two-hour mark, Mary Alice (oh, how we lover her, too!) reminded Duff that he needed to “shut up” (Duff’s words, not mine) and get ready for a three o’clock appointment they had.

But the ice cream social had not yet occurred.

Chef Duff told us to go across the street to “Dizz’s” restaurant (oh….yummmy place to eat) and come back in about 45 minutes.

Invited back? Us? To Charm City Cakes?

Find out how the rest of the visit went in Friday’s blog post. But until then, I remain….1SweetMama

How Sweet It Is!

2009-08-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

(One of the Charm City Cakes creations "Nightmare"...see this and many others on the Charm City Cakes website http://www.charmcitycakes.com/)

There are times when I love my job and there are times when I love LOVE my job. This is one of those times…..

I often tell folks about how there may be six basic food groups to most people, but, to me, there are eight: Grains, Fruit, Vegetable, Dairy, Meats/Poultry/Fish/Nuts, Oil, Dairy, chips and salsa, and birthday cake. It is very important that you include items from each of these food groups every day in order to manage a well-balanced diet.

Well, I am thrilled to report that next week, I get to weigh a little heavy on the birthday cake portion of that food pyramid. In fact, I have been training intensively for my trip to the center of the universe for birthday cake: Charm City Cakes to meet the Wizard Himself (note the capitalization of his title…like “His Holiness” or “Her Majesty”), The Ace of Cakes, Chef Duff Goldman. As a big fan of his Food Network Show (Ace of Cakes)….and a fan of cake itself…I can barely believe that my feet will trod upon the hallowed grounds of Duff-dom and his merry minions. To be in the very presence of all that cake and frosting and fondant icing…..I can barely find the words to articulate my excitement.

My training this week has simply been to hone my body’s tolerance of sugar, tame my willpower so that I will not be tempted to dive, head-first, into vats of cake batter and/or frosting, and to practice my skills at dialing down my desire to act like a Duff fanatic. Always, the professional, I have had to increase my exposure to cake and frosting and the show so that I can resist the urge to overindulge with both my emotions and my sweet tooth.

The purpose of this visit is to conceptualize a cake that we (Blue Bunny) are commissioning with Charm City Cakes for a customer promotion we are doing with A&P in the Northeast. For complete contest details and rules, visit the promotion website at http://www.chefduffpromotion.com/ .

This trip will mark my journey to Mecca. The motherland. The tip of the frosted layer-cake of confectionary art and design. The gastro-trip-the-light-fantastic adventure to the ONLY place to go if “birthday cake” exists as a piece of your food pyramid.

Look out Charm City! Here comes 1SweetMama and HER gang of merry minions. We look forward to a very sweet collaboration.

For my fellow readers….you an expect a full report on Tuesday morning.

Until then, I remain a sugar buzzed 1SweetMama.

The Sweet Mystery of Motherhood

2009-08-04T12:02:00.000-07:00

A Letter To My Sister on her approaching baby shower.....

Dear Little A,

For whatever it is worth:

I often joke with friends and relatives that I was never meant to be a “Baby Mom”. I am awkward with tiny people and about the only thing I love to do is hold babies until they start to cry and then I hand them back to their mothers. Of course, I loved having my own babies and the experience was one that I would never trade but I was always the type that just couldn’t wait until they got older and I could relate to them in a different way. I have even flirted with the odd (yet beautiful) role of “grandmother-type” to a young lass as P.O.D. has been blessed with one of the most handsome and sweet grandsons on the planet. My relationship to P.O.D. gives me the assumed right to be able to purchase stuffed animals, show off photos to co-workers, and dote on him in order to give his parents a break. It is good practice, anyway, for the day when I officially take on a role of Grandma.

However, I must confess that these days I am finding myself more drawn to my devilishly handsome sons with whom I have discovered I can now relate to in a more adult-ish way. We can joke about more intellectual comedic moments that present themselves in our lives or on television. I am able to relate to their friends better. We can have great meaningful discussions about important life issues like politics, relationships, futures, goals, dreams….yes, sometimes even girls.

It has occurred to me that somewhere along the way, a line was crossed where they stopped being tiny people and have grown into young men. And, even, within that journey, I have discovered that we are now – dare I say? – raising each other.

This is a Sweet Mystery of Motherhood that moms and mom-types across the globe realize at some point during child-rearing but never really talk very openly about. You don’t discuss it at baby showers when you are discussing the pros and cons of organic baby food and cloth vs. disposable diapers. It isn’t shared during playdates, not even at parent organization meetings. Yet…it is one of those realizations that just washes over you one day when you are really not thinking much about it.

It is such a wonderful and satisfying part of raising children when you realize that you have not only participated in bringing up young people who are good-hearted and healthy but that they are also intelligent, witty, and possess a sense of humor beyond the “bodily noises that are funny” category. You somehow have this feeling of semi-accomplishment that they will be able to interact well with people and that your kids might actually be someone that other intelligent, witty, people might want to be around, as well.

Parenting is funny sometimes. It is such hard work and can be physically and emotionally exhausting but it is over before you know it and when you look back on it, you barely remember the things that were hard about it. I am halfway there to kicking my kids out from the nest and I know there will be a lot of wing-spreadin’ yet to do, but it is so nice to know that I am, at least working on building them a really great runway.

Good luck, Little A, as you and your "Banan-er" build a runway for your little birdies!

Love, Your Sis/1SweetMama

My Love-Hate Relationship With My Lawn

2009-07-31T03:02:00.000-07:00

You know when Summertime has arrived at the 1SweetMama household when my Friday night date is usually with someone who can be a little loud and obnoxious and is a little gassy and hard to turn on.....my lawnmower.

And by "lawnmower", I don't mean a sexy groundskeeper who manicures my lawn, shirtless, and cracks open a Diet Coke like that construction worker some years back that drove all the women wild in that commercial.

No....by "lawnmower", I mean my non-self-propelled, well-worn, pull start "Lawn Boy" push mower.

Now, I will set the stage by telling you that my backyard is, roughly, half a block long and 1/4 of a block wide yet when I mow it, it feels roughly the size of the National Mall in Washington DC. Oh...and one very important feature of my lawn to note is that even Jef Corwin - the wild animal guy on the Discovery Channel - would turn green at the number of snakes who have chosen to live in my yard. Yes, they, too, appreciate my lovely yard yet none of those rat ba$#ards have received the memo that if they live there, they have to step up and help out with the yard work. Oh, sure....they eat crickets and grubs and various 6- and 8-legged creatures what I hate just as much as snakes....but I say - "Not good enough. Get out of my lawn!!!"

I digress.

So, despite the heat and humidity, the lack of a self propelled (or riding) lawnmower, and sexy Diet Coke drinking groundskeeper....each week I trudge out to the garage, don my brown yard/work gloves and set to work on my lawn. I hate doing this.

I often joke about how I inherited my anal-retentive approach to lawn care from my father. My father - God love him!! - walks slower than any human I have ever seen that isn't actually standing still to very slowly and methodically mow his lawn. "If you walk too fast," he explains, "then you don't give the mower enough time to mulch up the grass!" It is for this very reason that we do not have (we share a lawn mower) a self-propelled mower.....because it will go too fast for his liking.

I am thinking it might be time to break from the communal lawnmower and purchase a self-propelled or a riding mower of my very own. Maybe one that is green and yellow with the initials JD...yeah....you know what I'm talkin' about!!

I also grew up watching my father hand-trim (with those little garden scissors) the lawn. It is for THIS reason, that, while I own an electric weed-whacker, I chose not to use it. I know I cause physical pain to my neighbors when they see me going around the yard after mowing it and hand trimming the grass blades around the edges of my house, trees, and flower garden with hand shears. Years of therapy has not allowed me to let go of this OCD behavior of mine.

But......and this is my saving grace......when I am done mowing and trimming and weeding and step back - after 2-3 hours of grounds keeping efforts - and look over my yard that my hearts swells with pride.

Years of annual investments into a fabulous yard care (chemical applications) company and weekly mowing and trimming with love have produced a lush and weed-free lawn. One of the finest on my block, if I dare be so bold.

While my ultimate dream is to own one of those 0 degree riding mowers that they use on Major League Baseball fields that lay the grass blades in wide strips so that you have alternating tones of green.....for now, I will settle for the old Lawn Boy...and I do not mean the guy who drinks that Diet Coke.

Yes....it is a labor of love. A job I love to hate and an end result that I love to show off. Truly, when I reflect on my beautifully manicured lawn.....I can appreciate another aspect of "The Sweet Life" in "The Ice Cream Capital of the World(R)".

Until next time, I remain....1SweetMama

Take Me Out To The Ballgame

2009-07-28T13:26:00.000-07:00

It is late and I just wanted to get a quick post in today before I tuck myself and my boys into bed.

This morning, I set off on another road trip with Bud and Peanut at 6:15 a.m. Our ultimate destination was a business event that afforded my the luxury of being able to bring them along with me. The evening event was a customer/client appreciation/networking event at a Twins game vs. the Chicago White Sox that culminated in a very exciting "Twins Win! Twins Win!" ending.

Taking my young boys to a ballgame has always been very exciting for me as I feel that it is a passing along of my family's love of the game to the next generation. I have written in previous blog posts how much I recall my father's careful teaching of baseball to me and to my fellow siblings.

Score keeping.

Knowing the traditional rally cries.

Appreciating the fine art of peanut-eating....in the shell (like my dad did) or peel the shell off?

Understanding the importance of root-root-rooting for the home team (because that is what the song says!).

...and so much more.

So after several innings of careful teaching and informational, yet entertaining, commentary from me, my boys and I watched the Minnesota Twins ultimately defeat the Chicago White Sox in a very exciting game. The sweetest thing of all? Hearing Peanut, somewhere between the 7th inning stretch and the top of the 9th inning, comment...."Wow! I really DO love baseball!"

There are many things that will make me proud of my children as I raise them into happy and well-adjusted adults. Teaching them the love of baseball is definitely right up there.

We are all exhausted and have to be up early again tomorrow to return home so I will make today's post a short and sweet one. Until next time, I remain.....1SweetMama

Christmas in July in Copenahgen

2009-07-24T14:31:00.000-07:00

It is 87 degrees in “The Ice Cream Capital of the World®” and I am laughing this afternoon because I just read that a “Santa Congress” was held in Copenhagen this week.

I was compelled to write about something a little more significant today…something with a little bit of substance….but was distracted by this sparkly object of news-worthiness.

According to the allthingschristmas website and news reports from Yahoo!, the congress is a proud tradition, conducted since 1957, that provides a venue for the coming together of Santas from all over the planet to gather for networking and merriment-making.

Besides Christmas itself, this is the Santas’ most important event and the only time they can meet to discuss important issues such as better rooftop parking conditions and standards of chimney-cleaning. And of course, they have to fix the date for Christmas Eve. Not sure what that is all about… I wonder, too, if the “Little Helpers” find this a good place to lobby for better working conditions and bigger pay for smaller people.

Congressional events also include a parade, an obstacle course (complete with chimney climbing), visits to local children’s hospitals, seminars discussing the challenges facing Santas in today’s economy and world situation, and…of course…..sight-seeing.

Maybe next year, they should consider a fashion show to share all the latest in Santa fashions…..maybe even invite chefs from around the world to offer up delicious cookie delicacies of what only the “coolest Santas" are eating this year??

Ahh….only in Copenhagen.

And, really….why wouldn’t there be a “Santa Congress”?

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

There's No Place Like Home

2009-07-21T11:30:00.000-07:00

Settling back into the routine of living in Northwest Iowa after being completely engulfed by the hustle and bustle of The Big Apple has been a nice transition for me. It has enabled to me to, once again, review the reasons why I live where I do. I need to take a mental inventory every now and then when I am romanced by the light of the city.

Always a fan of big city life (I grew up in St. Louis), I miss a lot of the cultural and social activities that a city provides. It is also nice to be a small fish swimming in a big pond and not feel like you are living a life under a magnifying glass. There are museums and diversity and lots of great things to experience.

Having said this, there is much to be said for living in a place where you can walk to the farmers market and the grocery store on a sunny Saturday morning. One can also send your kids to the park without fear or know that if you forget to set your garbage can out the night before trash pick-up….your neighbor will remember to do it for you.

It means that, come August, your co-workers bring bushels and bags of vegetables that have grown in abundance in their garden… “Please! Take them! They will go to waste if you don’t!” It also means sweet corn being sold on the side of the road out of an old pick-up truck by teenagers (usually the farmers’ kids) – the sign, painted in orange paint on a piece of 4’ x 8’ particle board that reads, “SUPER SWEET CORN” – while another pick-up truck 30 yards away is advertising on their own particle board sign, “SUPER CANDY SWEET CORN”. How does one choose??

Living where I live provides free concerts in the gazebo on Wednesday nights, county fairs, kids selling home-made pie at the 4-H stand, driving through country roads surrounded by the smells of earth and growing things and farm-fresh air.

Bon-fires.

It is a place where my children are being raised by a community who cares about growing kids up to be strong, patriotic, and responsible citizens. It is a place where family members live within walking distance and Sunday nights in which dinner, dessert, and/or a card game is the order of business. It is where I can sit on my mom and dad’s front porch swing and watch the world go by, waving at folks walking past on the sidewalk.

It is wide green spaces and no traffic jams and just about the only thing that makes you late for work is the 7:55 a.m. train that crosses through town.

It is chilled Pinot Grigio on the back porch, road trips to the lake, and Sunday church service. It is ice cream in the freezer 365 days a year.

It is life in “The Ice Cream Capital of the World®” – where, while it may not be over the rainbow, it is where life, truly, is sweet.

Until next time, I remain…..1SweetMama

Making New Yorkers...and me!...Smile

2009-07-19T06:05:00.000-07:00

So, a post on Friday was not possible for me so you are getting it a couple of days late....

Our fabulous week in NYC promoting National Ice Cream Month was a rousing success. Thursday proved to be an exciting challenge as we gave away - if I am to understand correctly - 41,000 (yes, that is forty-one thousand!!) pieces of product at the corner of 50th Street and 7th Avenue. The morning sampling event included our givng out the new Blue Bunny(R) Sedona(TM) Frozen Yogurt Granola Sandwich and the aternoon event included the Blue Bunny Caramel Lovers' Champ!(R) Cone.

The BEST part of the sampling events over the past three days was making people happy by giving them ice cream. It is truly amazing to me that we all are different in terms of background, economic and social status, religion, nationality, and beliefs....yet something like an ice cream cone brings us together. Everyone loves ice cream....well, except those who are lactose-intolerant or suffer gluten allergies!.....and everyone smiles when they are given one. Young and old alike would smile and their eyes lit up when you offered them an ice cream cone.

And with the arrival of Friday, our mission to distribute thousands of pieces of ice cream drew to a close and we had a great time not only getting to know our consumers but each other.

Since there were so many great experiences in the City, I will give you my top 10 memories:

10. Trading hats with an NYPD while in line at "Good Morning America"

9. Eating my lunch and people-watching in Central Park, pretending like I have lived in NYC all my life

8. Setting out on my own to find really great sushi

7. Eating a "black and white" (cookie) every night

6. Dinner of PIZZA at John's Pizza....no slices!!

5. Crying at the end of "Wicked" - what an unbelievable story...who thinks of that stuff??

4. Running my fingers through Lonnie Quinn's hair (read my entry on 7.14.09)

3. Seeing two more original Gustav Klimt original paintings at MoMA (Museum of Modern Art)

2. Eating at an off-the-beaten-path, "open to the street" restaurant/cafe with three FABULOUSLY interesting friends.....we fed crackers to the passing pooches!

1. Making New Yorkers smile with Blue Bunny ice cream!

So there you have it. What a great trip. I am richer for it.

Remember that TODAY is National Ice Cream DAY. That is right, in 1984, Ronald Reagan declared it so. Make your own people smile by making sure to feed them lots of Blue Bunny ice cream.

Until next time, I remain....1SweetMama

A Hair-Raising Encounter With Lonnie Quinn

2009-07-14T12:14:00.000-07:00

(me, pre-hair encounter..."OMG!!! That is Lonnie Quinn!")

Well, here I am in New York City with my fellow Blue Bunny(R) buddies. We are working a Public Relations event in which we are giving out 50,000 Blue Bunny Champ! Cones at the corner of 50th Street and 7th Avenue, right underneath our "Devour Them" ad. It has been so fun. Our crew is a total blast and every step is a new adventure.

This morning was our big debut on a couple of the morning shows. A colleague (I will call her J-Gal) and I were up at the crack of dawn to dress in our "uniforms" (Blue Bunny t-shirts and kahkis) and head off, each of us wearing an ice cream cone hat, to the "Good Morning America" Show. After 45 minutes of networking with the crew and NYPD, we deduced that we were definitely going to be a hit on the show. It was our job to get in-studio to tell them about how we were celebrating National Ice Cream Month (July!) by giving out our product in Times Square today through Thursday. Our hats and winning personalities won over the staff, crew, and security and that gave us the confidence that not only were we going to BE on the "Good Morning America" show, but we would probably get our own segment. OK, that is a slight embellishment but we thought we could at least make an impression. We filed, along with about 150 other tourists, in line to the entry point of the studio. We were finally singled out and pulled out of line by the audience coordinator person (I am sure there is a much more official title than that one but I cannot remember it) and asked to come with her.

This is it! They ARE going to give us our own segment!

Not exactly. We were called out of the line because we were obviously promoting something and we were not allowed to pull any kind of "PR Nonsense" (not her words) in-studio. With a few kind words about how she loves ice cream, we got the New York "Get the heck outta here" Line and a friendly bit of advice about how we should try The Today Show because (and I quote)...."Over there it is just a free-for-all."

Dejected but not discouraged, we trotted over to The Early Show, instead, to meet up with the rest of our troupe who had also gotten up early and dressed in THEIR uniforms and had gone on ahead to loiter around the gates of Harry Smith (very dashing, in person) and Lonnie Quinn, handsome-est weather guy ever, and....the hair!! Need I say more??

Well, needless to say, The Early Show folk were much more receptive to our Blue Bunny PR Antics and our uniformed group of 30+ were not only appreciated but were encouraged by the crew. We made it on several times during the hour and a half that we stood there and, despite having to share the stage with fake-bearded Santa Clauses wearing dark socks and red swim trunks and the Snickers(R) "Bar Hunger" PR pack, had a rousing good time and scored a wonderful "win" on the show.

The best part??? Yours truly made her national debut this morning! Yep! It is true.

To set it all up for you.... I have often joked about how I admire the hair of CBS weatherman stand-in, Lonnie Quinn. He covers the weather for The Early Show on weekends and fills in for the usual weather guy who works the Early Show during the week when regular, Dave Price, cannot be there.

So... Lonnie is handsome in a super-hero kind of way and has this gorgeous hair. Duirng a station break, our eyes met at one point and he was intrigued by my ice cream cone hat that I was wearing (it is always a conversation-starter). He came over and commented on the hat. We shared some "blah-dee-blah talky-talk" and then I shamelessly confessed that I watch him on the weekends and could I just touch his hair??

Stunned (but not offended), he obliged and was so friendly about it. He let me run my fingers through his lovely locks to which I relished every moment. Our group laughed, snapped a few photos, and he went on about his business. By the way - a little hairspray-ish but, otherwise, very soft. :)

So how did I make my national television debut? Goodness loves Lonnie Quinn....would you believe that he came back over to me during his live broadcast and asked me to reinact our hair encounter?? Twice in one day???? I felt faint. He was a great sport about it and, at the end, he planted the nicest kiss on my cheek. Two words: hubba hubba.

On our way back to the hotel, I decided to set a new goal. If I could run my fingers through Lonnie Quinn's hair, what would Matt Lauer allow me to do?? Maybe I will ask him the same question and make a morning show personality comparison of scalps.

By the way...by early afternoon, our Blue Bunny crew DID gave out 15,000 Blue Bunny Champ! Cones in less than 2 hours - the first of three sampling days in Times Square - and it was a total blast. It is so great to make New Yorkers and their guests smile on a hot July afternoon.

Can't wait until tomorrow's adventures. Until next time, I remain....1SweetMama

Blue Bunny® Takes A Bite Out Of "The Big Apple"!

2009-07-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

(I will be right there!)

Today’s blog entry is relatively short and sweet but I wanted to let my readers know that next week is going to be a really cool (no pun intended) week for myself and several of my co-workers.

Monday morning, our group will depart for New York City….The Big Apple….where we will be giving out nearly 50,000 Blue Bunny® Champ!® Cones all week in Times Square, beneath our ad (see photo). In addition, Yours Truly will be attempting to get on camera (I actually have two “in-studio” tickets) at the Good Morning America Show on Tuesday and my other co-workers will be sweeping the other morning networks shows, The Early Show (on Tuesday), and The Today Show (on Thursday). Be watching for us on your favorite morning show!

You can follow all of our activities on Twitter, too, at http://twitter.com/Blue_Bunny . I will also be writing about our fun in my blog entries next week.

So…start spreadin’ the news…..I’m leavin’ on Monday…..I’m gonna be a part of it…New York! New York!

And…they say that if you stand in Times Square for 7 minutes, you will run in to someone you know. I plan to be there for 4 days so….hopefully I’ll see you there!

Until next time, I remain…1SweetMama

Garanimals For Guys

2009-07-07T11:50:00.001-07:00

Men, forgive me. I do not mean to stereotype. In fact, several of you out there are quite snappy dressers. Belt matches shoes; socks match shirt. You dare to wear the occasional paisley with a gentle “windowpane” print. For those of you who serve as Master of The Wardrobe in your domain, you are excused. We will chat next Friday.

For those of you, like the guy I sat across the aisle of the airplane from on Saturday…you need serious help. You do not wear a yellow polo shirt with blue and black horizontal striping with brown and green plaid shorts. I am not sure what he was thinking when he reviewed his ensemble in the mirror on Saturday morning before heading out the door for the airport but I am fairly certain it surely was not, “Wow! Now that is the look I am goin’ for!!” Or, maybe it was. His only excuse could (possibly!) be that, as he informed everyone sitting around him – yes, he was a “plane talker” – was that he was on his way to visit his fiancé. This, in my opinion, screams, “My fiancé coordinates all of my clothing choices.” Because she was not there to assist with dressing him that morning, I will allow him a “mulligan” – a do-over. Mr. Airplane-Talking-Bad-Dressing Guy, you are excused just this once. From now on, make smarter wardrobe choices and save yourself from publicly humiliating yourself.

But here is my million dollar idea. If any of you reading this blog happens to come up with a business plan and actually takes this idea to market, all I ask is that you please remember me with some tiny monetary compensation – or a dinner on the town. Okay, entrepreneurs, here it is:

Garanimals For Guys

Remember those cute little hippopotamus-es, and elephants, and other jungle creatures that adorned the tags of kiddie clothes a thousand years ago? Where have they gone and why can’t we resurrect this wardrobe tool for men? Garanimals! Of course! The hippopotamus tie goes with any article of clothing from the hippopotamus family: pants, jacket, socks…you name it. The tiger shorts coordinate with any shirt from the tiger family and so on and so forth.

Brilliance. Women all over the planet will be relieved of their “Honey, will you help me pack for my business trip?” duties. After the launch of the “Garanimals For Guys” clothing line, women can holler over their shoulders, in response, as they are headed out the door for martinis with the gals, “Honey, you can do it! You are a big boy now! Just match up your tigers and elephants!”

No room for error – unless they decide to match up the tigers with the hippopotamus-es. Sigh!

Now, all I need is the mojo to get this project off the ground…and maybe a good endorsement from Stacy and Clinton (TLC’s “What Not To Wear”).

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

P.S. It’s the countdown to the “Blue Bunny Ice Cream In Times Square” event! Read about it in my upcoming “The Sweet Life” blogs and follow along next week on Twitter. Follow us on http://twitter.com/Blue_Bunny

"Cash"-ing It In For The 4th of July

2009-07-03T06:10:00.000-07:00

I just heard on the radio that 40 years ago yesterday, July 2, that one of Johnny Cash's songs hit #1. Being a bit of a fan of the man in black, my ears perked up. Awaiting the announcer to tell me which one it was, I guessed, "Walk the Line"? No, no...what about "Ring of Fire"? No, that can't be it. Then the radio DJ played "A Boy Named Sue". WOW!! 1969 was the year he recorded it. Live at San Quentin Prison. The song became Cash's biggest hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, spending three weeks at #2 in 1969; it also topped the country music and adult contemporary charts that same year.

Johnny wrote this song with American author, poet, musician, and songwriter, Shel Silverstein ("Where the Sidewalk Ends" and "A Light In The Attic", just to name a couple of his most loved works - of course!). I LOVE "A Boy Named Sue". It is so quirky.

The best way to describe it is to just take the description from Wikipedia, who details:

"("A Boy Named Sue") tells the preposterous yet moving tale of a young man's quest for revenge on an absent father whose only contribution to his entire life was naming him Sue, commonly a feminine name. The name was the cause of endless ridicule as the young man was growing up. As the years went on, Sue grew big, strong and fearsome from all the fights he got into with bullies.
At the climax of the song, Sue finds and confronts his father, and the two get into a vicious brawl. After the two have beaten each other almost senseless, Sue's father admits that the name was given to him as an act of love: because he knew he would not be there for his son, Sue's father gave him that name to make sure that he grew up strong. Learning this, Sue forgives his father and they have an emotional reconciliation.

With his lesson learned, Sue closes the song with an announcement: "And if I ever have a son, I think I'm gonna name him . . . Bill or George, any damn thing but Sue! I still hate that name!"

Late 1960s public decorum being what it was, the word "bitch" in the line "I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you Sue!" (declared by Sue's father) was censored in the radio version, and the final line was edited to take out the "damn". Both the edited and unedited versions are available on various CDs."

They played the bleeeep for the b-word on the radio station that I listened to - but they left the d-one in. Times have changed...

And speaking of Johnny Cash....his "Ragged Old Flag" brings tears to my eyes every time I hear it. I know this will make today's entry VERY long but, in the spirit of Old Glory, please bear with me - it is SO worth it:

Ragged Old Flag - by Johnny Cash

I walked through a county courthouse square
On a park bench, an old man was sittin' there.
I said, "Your old court house is kinda run down",
He said, "Naw, it'll do for our little town".
I said, "Your old flag pole is leaned a little bit",
And that's a ragged old flag you got hangin' on it".
He said, "Have a seat", and I sat down.

"Is this the first time you've been to our little town?"
I said, "I think it is"
He said "I don't like to brag, but we're kinda proud of
That Ragged Old Flag.
You see, we got a little hole in that flag there,
When Washington took it across the Delaware.
And It got powder burned the night
Francis Scott Key sat watching it, writing
'Say Can You See'
It got a rip in New Orleans, with Packingham & Jackson
Tugging at its seams and
It almost fell at the Alamo beside the Texas flag,
But she waved on though.
She got cut with a sword at Chancellorsville,
And she got cut again at Shiloh Hill.
There was Robert E. Lee and Beauregard and Bragg,
And the south wind blew hard on
That Ragged Old Flag.
On Flanders Field in World War I,
She got a big hole from a Bertha Gun,
She turned blood red in World War II.
She hung limp, and low, a time or two,
She was in Korea, Vietnam,
She went where she was sent by her Uncle Sam.
She waved from our ships upon the briny foam."

"And now they've about quit wavin' back here at home.
In her own good land here She's been abused.
She's been burned, dishonored, denied an' refused."

"And the government for which she stands
Has been scandalized throughout out the land.
And she's getting thread bare, and she's wearin' thin,
But she's in good shape, for the shape she's in.
Cause she's been through the fire before
And I believe she can take a whole lot more."

"So we raise her up every morning
And we bring her down slow every night,
We don't let her touch the ground,
And we fold her up right.
On second thought
I *do* like to brag
Cause I'm mighty proud ofThat Ragged Old Flag."

So celebrate the holiday weekend with adding Johnny Cash's "A Boy Named Sue" and "Ragged Old Flag" to your MP3 list and play it loud and proud this 4th of July.....because is there anything much more American than Johnny Cash??

Happy Birthday, America!

Until next time, I remain....1SweetMama

Your True Colors

2009-06-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend marked a gi-normous milestone for my mother and me…we convinced my Grandma Jane to repaint her white-walled rooms in her home.

Since she and my late Grandpa S moved into the house, over 10 years ago, they had never painted the inside of the house. When they moved in, all of the walls were white and the kitchen and bathrooms featured a splash of pastels in the form of wallpaper. Grandma Jane would argue that the walls are not really white but more off-white. C’mon, Grandma Jane…off-white is NOT a color!!! Grandma Jane and Grandpa S liked their home awash in white. “It looks so clean!”

But my mother and I, fans of COLOR, worked with Grandma Jane, who had determined that it was time to spruce up the place, to introduce some color – albeit light colors - into the home. After a few trips to home centers, and my absolute refusal to not paint any color with the word “beige” in it (see my blog entry from August 29, 2008 “Never Be Vanilla”), we settled on light blues, rosey-tans, yellows, and lavenders. WOW! This is a big step for Grandma Jane.

This weekend, we proudly began to turn her institution-like rooms into a warm and inviting atmosphere. I think Grandma Jane realizes that maybe a little color in her life is good for her. Before we know it, she will want her front porch painted turquoise, like mine! Okay, that is a stretch but it supports my theory that everyone needs a little more color in their life.

And, speaking of putting more color in your life, never listen to your Avon lady (a.k.a. my pregnant, hormonal sister) when she tells you that sunny yellow is a good summer color for your toenails. Perhaps a little too much color….even for me. Maybe if I were more “hip” or 20 years younger….meanwhile…..off to the nail place for a pedicure.

Until next time, I remain…1SweetMama

Fly On Proud Birds

2009-06-26T12:37:00.000-07:00

(Photo by Rusty Russ)

Yesterday, two prominent figures from my youth passed from this world and I just wanted to pay a small tribute in The Sweet Life to these people.

Despite their talents and trials, joys and controversies, these two figures: Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson were individuals who contributed to the culture of my youth - Fawcett for her strength and beauty, Jackson for his contribution to the bridging of the gap between soul and pop music. I know it seems odd that the death of these two icons of the 70s and 80s should impact me so much, but as I reflect on it and as I talk to so many others from “my generation”, the stark realization that these seemingly immortal figures can – and do! – die is almost too difficult for us to swallow. It sort of makes me step back and realize my own mortality and that life is, indeed, a big old circle. Babies are born, the young get old, the old die and babies are born to carry on in our footsteps. Thus the Great Circle of Life begins anew.

To not acknowledge their deaths would seem inappropriate.

I am not sure where I first heard this quote but I remembered a piece that Charlie Daniels, country and southern rock musician, wrote for his friend who had died in a plane crash. I remember that I felt this might be fitting for today’s blog entry and thought I would look it up and print it here.

“A brief candle;
both ends burning An endless mile;
a bus wheel turning
A friend to share the lonesome times
A handshake and a sip of wine
So say it loud and let it ring
We are all a part of everything
The
future, present and the past
Fly on proud bird You're free at last.”

-written by Charlie Daniels en route to the funeral for his friend, Ronnie Van Zant of the band, Lynyrd Skynyrd.

Fly on, Farrah and Michael, you are finally free at last.

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

Ice Cream Days!

2009-06-23T14:50:00.000-07:00

It is that glorious time of year when the 9,500 residents of “The Ice Cream Capital of the World®” come together to spread the ice cream joy at our community’s flagship event, “Ice Cream Days”.

Father’s Day weekend is the time when we roll out the red carpet and invite ice cream lovers and anyone who appreciates a good community festival to the city of Le Mars, Iowa, to take in the sights, sounds, and tastes of Americana. Three days of ice cream socials, a parade, a concert in the gazebo in the park, arts festival, rib-grilling contests, competitive run….so much to do!

But this year’s highlight, for me, was playing the coveted role of Blue Bunny® Bomb Pop®.

Now, I don’t know if you understand what this means. You see, the Bomb Pop is an iconic frozen treat that has been popular for over 50 years!! This appointment to don the familiar red, white, and blue packaging is not to be taken lightly. Years of working for a company that makes the Bomb Pop got me to thinking….how does one properly represent the personality of the Bomb Pop?? This led me to perform a character analysis based on the Bomb Pop history….

Having just celebrated its 50th anniversary, the original six-finned Bomb Pop has become iconic with summer. It is rumored that two candy-makers, James S. Merritt and D.S. “Doc” Abernathy found that sales of their chocolate confections declined in the summers’ heat. Sweet-toothed patrons wanted something that was refreshing when the temperatures soared. After several attempts, the two landed (no pun intended) upon the idea of a frozen pop. Since its invention by Merritt and Abernathy in 1955 on Independence Avenue in Kansas City, Missouri, the Bomb Pop® has gone down in the American history books as one of the most popular frozen confections ever created. It is adored by generations past, present, and will continue to be part of the American experience well into the future.

So you can see why I wanted to properly portray the personality of the pop.

So I, along with my fellow packages – The Blue Bunny Champ!® Cone and the Blue Bunny Aspen™ Frozen Yogurt Granola Bar (who, I am certain also did detailed character background studies) danced and pranced, twirled, and whirled our way down the 2 miles parade route properly communicating our excitement to the parade spectators for being invited to participate in the ice Cream Days festivities….

Make sure to take a look at Blue Bunny's Flickr page to see all the “cool” fun we had on Saturday.

Coincidentally, Thursday, June 25, is National Bomb Pop Day. Be sure to celebrate by enjoying one of these super-cool and refreshing red, white, and blue treats. YUM!

Until next time, I remain....1SweetMama (a.k.a Blue Bunny Bomb Pop Extraordinairre)

Sweet Endings

2009-06-19T13:19:00.001-07:00

This blog entry will mark the last of the “Summer Vacation” series and I hope you have enjoyed my musings and insights into a really wonderful adventure with my boys, Bud and Peanut.

Our final leg of the tour was a stop in St. Louis to do What St. Louisans Do. We attended a St. Louis Cardinal game (yes, 1SweetMama bleeds Cardinal red!!) and enjoyed frozen custard at Ted Drewes, a local tradition for decades.

Ted Drewes started when Ted Sr. opened his first ice cream store in Florida in 1929, followed by two locations on the north side of St. Louis in 1931. In 1941 the family opened stands on the south side. The current Chippewa location, where we ate, is on the famed old Route 66.

The above photo is the one I took of the stand. Bear in mind, it looks like this pretty much every hour of operation. Frozen custard-hungry patrons patiently stand in line, sometimes 6-8 people deep, for their favorite flavor concoctions. Some like it straight up in vanilla or chocolate, or you can order a Concrete (similar to a Dairy Queen Blizzard) in several varieties. My Concrete of choice is the “Frisco”. Having grown up in St. Louis, I ordered this absolutely yummy flavor a million times. Finally, I asked them why it was called a “Frisco”….they said it was because it is full of fruits and nuts. Their words…not mine.

By the way, the ballgame was great because it was my first time in the new Busch Stadium and I got to see Albert Pujols’ derriere (we were very close behind – no pun intended - the first base line) for 8 glorious innings. The photo is of Bud and Peanut at the ONLY moment the sun shone after we entered the ballpark. Very soon after this photo was taken, storm clouds blanketed the city and we cheered on the Red Birds in a thunderstorm….they never pulled the tarp out and the boys and I finally gave it up at the top of the 8th inning after we realized that the Cardinals could never rebound from a heartbreaking score of 8 to 2. Yes, the Colorado Rockies handed the Cardinals’ butts to them. Oh, well…..at least we knew that our day, and thus our vacationing fun, would end sweetly at Ted Drewes.
And so, on a sweet note, we ended our vacation and returned home the following morning. But we also knew that, at the end of our journey, we would arrive at another destination where life is sweet…..home in the “Ice Cream Capital of the World®”.

And as a sidebar, make sure you come back and read my blog next Tuesday….I will tell you about my experiences this weekend as our community hosts “Ice Cream Days”. If you find you are in the area, you really should come out to Le Mars, Iowa, and take in all the fun and festivities of this flagship ice cream event for our town. And if you happen to read this in time for the parade, you will recognize me….I will be dressed like a package of Blue Bunny® Bomb Pops®. Check out all the Ice Cream Days details by clicking here.

Pirates and Pastries

2009-06-16T06:00:00.000-07:00

Our week in St. Augustine, Florida, with my aunt and uncle was such an adventure! I learned a lot from my boys. One of those things I learned was that they are “destination people”. Much like their mother, they don’t mind getting up early in order to beat the heat and the traffic and simply get to the next destination.

So it was on Sunday morning. Saturday marked the longest day of driving – 12 hours in the car from Kansas City, Missouri, to Dalton, Georgia (The Carpet Capital of the World!). With heavy traffic in Nashville and a stop for dinner, the day ended up being a very long one. After our arrival in Dalton, the boys and I took a walk around the outside of the darkened (it was after hours) outlet mall and a quick game of invisible basketball (the hotel desk wouldn’t check out a basketball to us to play on the basketball court because it was after 10 p.m.), the boys and I made the decision to leave on Sunday morning at 3 a.m. – which meant that Mom awoke at 2:15 a.m. to shower and dress. I rolled the boys out of bed at 3 a.m. and we were on the road by 3:15 a.m. This got us to the beaches of At. Augustine by 1 p.m. on Sunday. What a glorious day!

During our visit to the oldest city in the U.S., we, along with our aunt and uncle – both retired librarians and avid history and entertainment buffs – booked passage upon the Pirate Ship “Black Raven” and sailed the inlets of St. Augustine – or St. Arrrgh-ustine, as the pirate crew called it.
I also learned that my boys, who would never admit it to me outright, thoroughly enjoyed the piratical antics aboard the Black Raven. We met Captain Blackbeard, William Mayhem (pictured), Red (the pirate wench) and William Scott. This surly, yet hospitable and merry-making band of buccaneers took us on a 90 minute cruise upon their beautiful ship where we sang pirate chanteys (songs), my uncle was emblazoned with a facial scar, and we watched dolphins leap and play in the waters alongside the ship. We even learned the Black Raven rally cry, which we shouted to the surprise of passing boaters: “Smoke and Steel! Aye!!!” If you ever find yourself in St. Arrrgh-ustine, a voyage aboard The Black Raven is a must!

Also – make sure you end your day at LuLi’s cupcake shop. As 1SweetMama, I can never resist the opportunity to include sugar in my day, so a stop at this local favorite was almost a requirement.

Although I understand it is better when you go earlier in the day because selection is at its best, we stopped in after our pirate cruise and still found a nice selection of the most decadent cupcakes I have ever had. The boys enjoyed a chocolate/peanut butter cupcake and I thoroughly enjoyed my vanilla-vanilla one. Our aunt and uncle ate, respectively, the peach cobbler and carrot cake cupcakes. Three words: oh…my…goodness.

While enjoying these wonderful sweets in a fairly feminine confectionary shop, I also learned that my boys weren’t too “macho” to appreciate the finer things like indulgent delicacies in a pastry shop in the middle of the afternoon….in fact….in the picture, it would appear that Bud was enjoying himself a little too much, perhaps.

Just kidding.

All in a day’s vacationing for 1SweetMama! Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

Superman Eats Blue Bunny Ice Cream!

2009-06-12T08:15:00.000-07:00

Well….it is an unofficial observation, anyway, but I do have photographic evidence that Blue Bunny® ice cream is available in Metropolis….Metropolis, Illinois!

My boys and I were about 6 or 7 hours into our road trip and just about to cross over into the Bluegrass State of Kentucky when we happened upon Metropolis! Now, everyone who follows the heroics of Superman MUST know that he lives in Metropolis where his crime-fighting ways keep the streets free of Lex Luthor’s evil schemes.

While unable to really spend little more time in this southern Illinois community than to take a “bio break” and gas up, we were very fascinated by this little city on the Ohio River. Peppered with superhero cut-outs (see photo), Metropolis is also home to the Super Museum, and a large Kryptonite meteorite, located on the southwest corner of Third and Ferry Streets.

Check out some of the sites here!

I love towns like this. The boys and I surveyed the superhero collection of souvenirs and I explained to them that, if we had flown to Florida, we never would have seen this part of the world – Superman’s town!! Not sure they were totally convinced....
Of course, we enthusiastically noted that Blue Bunny ice cream carried a prominent presence in the convenience store in which we stopped. Bud – my oldest son – posed by the Blue Bunny hard-dip ice cream and novelty bunkers located within the store. We explained to the staff that we were from “The Ice Cream Capital of the World®” and that we brought greetings from Blue Bunny to Superman’s constituency in the southern-most area of Illinois. To which, they responded that Blue Bunny ice cream was their favorite ice cream. I asked them if they knew what Superman’s favorite flavor was…..a question that was met with a blank stare from the staff. I took that as meaning that it must have been Scooper Hero ® ice cream – a vanilla ice cream that is colored bright red, yellow, and blue – the traditional colors of crime-fighters, I think.

AND, as an FYI… Wonder Woman, arguably the most popular and iconic female superhero in comics (and also wears the popular crime-fighter team colors of red, blue, and yellow), is considered a feminist icon and is informally grouped with Superman and Batman as one of a "Trinity" of DC characters, regarded as especially important, which is why she is also welcomed in the great city of Metropolis, Illinois.

We stopped for a quick photo (Peanut was a good sport about being Wonder Woman) of my own two superheroes….and then we were on our way.

More next week! Until then, I remain…1SweetMama

Gaining A New Perspective

2009-06-09T13:10:00.000-07:00

(The St. Augustine Lighthouse, built in 1874)
Fresh from our travels, the boys and I are beginning to settle back into our usual routine following a wonderful and fulfilling vacation journey. For the last eleven days, we traversed nearly 4,000 miles and a total of eight states (Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida). We have seen mountains and valleys, rivers and oceans, rocks and sand, flora and fauna. But mostly, this journey allowed me to see something that I have been searching out for quite some time…..

A new perspective.

(a view of the 219 steps going to the top of the lighthouse)

Both literally and philosophically, this trip was a fantastic opportunity for me to escape with my children and take a journey with no physical limitations. Sure, we had destinations, but the trip was not so over programmed that we felt too much pressure to be at too many things at pre-determined times. We meandered. We explored. But most importantly, we found each other.

I gained a new insight into my boys who are growing up so fast that I just don’t see it when we are operating within our daily routines. Between school and work and all of our activities and obligations, there seems to be no real leftover time for us to sit with each other and talk. Nearly 50 hours in a closed car will provide you plenty of opportunity to interact.

I joked with my friends and family who we saw during our travels that my boys matured into men somewhere between Iowa and Florida. Sure – we had a few moments of “I’m not touching you….I’m not touching you” drama but overall, these guys made me so proud to be their mom.

We had a wonderful trip from start to finish and I can’t wait to tell you about some of the highlights over the next few blog entries.

But for today, my message to you is that in order to get closer to your children, maybe you need to get further away from your usual routine. You will gain a whole new perspective on the kind of people they are growing in to.

And, in case you were wondering, the photos from today’s entry are of the St. Augustine (Florida) Lighthouse. You can read more about this beautiful city landmark at http://www.staugustinelighthouse.com/history.php

It was 219 steps to the top.

It took a lot of effort to get there but with a few stops to catch our breath along the way, we made it to the top where the view was positively breathtaking. Hmmm….sounds a little bit like life.

Until Friday, I remain…..1SweetMama

What's This?? National Chocolate Ice Cream Day???

2009-06-05T07:00:00.000-07:00

Oh, joy of joys! Oh rapture! This Sunday is National Chocolate Ice Cream Day!

The boys and I are on vacation and, no doubt, will celebrate this holiday and perhaps the eve of this holiday with scoops of Blue Bunny® Chocolate Champion Ice Cream. For those of you who have never been lucky enough to get your hands on this dreamy and creamy chocolate-lover’s paradise…..run to your favorite grocer and grab a container of this flavor ….go on….I’ll wait…..

…..ok…..back now? That didn’t take long!

An award-winning (trust me, I wouldn’t lie about this!) taste of velvety smooth, rich chocolate ice cream and nothing else. It truly is the best chocolate ice cream I have ever had.

Happy National Chocolate Ice Cream Day!

Tune in next Tuesday for the first blog entry of our vacation adventure.

Until then, I remain….1SweetMama

The Filter Test

2009-06-02T06:00:00.000-07:00

Since the boys and I are out on vacation, I cheated a bit and pre-posted this week’s blog posts. Hope you don’t mind my getting some much needed R & R. Enjoy this week’s posts and PLEASE tune in for stories about our vacation adventure during the week of June 8!

The following was in an email that I received some time ago and it is pasted in a prominent place in front of my computer desk. We all have either been on the giving or receiving end of gossip at one point in our life and keeping this parable where I see it daily is a very good reminder to not contribute to the grinding of the Rumor Mill. I read this last night and thought I should pass it along:

In ancient Greece (469 - 399 BC), Socrates was widely lauded for his wisdom.

One day the great philosopher came upon an acquaintance who ran up to him excitedly and said, "Socrates, do you know what I just heard about one of your students?"

Wait a moment," Socrates replied. "Before you tell me I'd like you to pass a little test. It's called the Triple Filter Test."

"Triple filter?"

"That's right," Socrates continued. "Before you talk to me about my student let's take a moment to filter what you're going to say. The first filter is Truth. Have you made absolutely sure that what you are about to tell me is true?"

"No," the man said, "actually I just heard about it and..."

"All right," said Socrates. "So you don't really know if it's true or not. Now let's try the second filter, the filter of Goodness. Is what you are about to tell me about my student something good?"

"No, on the contrary..."

"So," Socrates continued, "you want to tell me something bad about him, even though you're not certain it's true?"

The man shrugged, a little embarrassed.

Socrates continued. "You may still pass the test though, because there is a third filter - the filter of Usefulness. Is what you want to tell me about my student going to be useful to me?"

"No, not really..."

"Well," concluded Socrates, "if what you want to tell me is neither True nor Good nor even Useful, why tell it to me at all?"

The man was defeated and ashamed.

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

On Our Way!

2009-05-29T07:17:00.000-07:00

roadmap by Validat1on

Today marks the beginning of our journey to St. Augustine, Florida. For those of you who read my blog post on May 12, you will remember that my two boys and I will set off on a 23 hour car ride to visit my aunt and uncle. It will take us two and a half days to arrive to our beach-y destination. We leave tonight at around 5:30 p.m.

The bags are packed. The car is 98% loaded. The movies are rented and the laptop is charged – and the car adaptor for the laptop is also included! The boys have programmed their iPods. The car is gassed up. The GPS is programmed and the Mapquest directions are tucked neatly into the glove box in case our Magellan Roadmate GPS system (endearingly dubbed “Maggie Magellan”) sends us on an unexpected detour.

As prepared as I am for this trip, I also have to confess that I had never really prepared myself that, at age 41, I would be taking a family vacation with me as the “head of household”. Since I was a girl, I always pictured the perfect familial situation. Mom. Dad. 2.3 kids. Dog. Mini-van.

OK…so it is just me, the two boys…the dog is being boarded with my sister… and my small, yet fuel-efficient car. “Maxine”, the name we gave to the car years ago, and Maggie Magellan will, with any luck, harmoniously interface together in order to guide us safely to our destination.

It is a heartbreaking and agonizing, yet, joyful journey of learning and growing that has brought me to this point. But these days I am happier and braver than I ever thought I could be. If I WAS in that “perfect familial situation”, I might be too afraid to step out of my comfort zone and do things that are a little scary. And I think this is an okay thing to pass along to my kids.

So, as I set off on this journey I relate to a great quote I picked up from one of my favorite shows, “Sex and The City”. Carrie, one of the four main characters in the series, writes:

“Maybe our mistakes are what make our fate. Without them, what would shape our lives? Perhaps if we never veered off course, we wouldn't fall in love, or have babies, or be who we are. After all, seasons change. So do cities. People come into your life and people go. But it's comforting to know the ones you love are always in your heart. And if you're very lucky, a plane ride away.”

We are off to see some of those important people in our lives who are a plane ride away. It may be a roadmap we will be following to Florida….but it is the roadmap of my life that has really brought us to this day where we embark on our journey. I very much look forward to each and every mile.

Until next time, I remain…..1SweetMama

Ahh....The Joy of Cupcakes and Ice Cream!

2009-05-26T08:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend was a busy one. Memorial Day is always a conglomerate of activity carefully choreographed to make it “feel” like a holiday, even though we never really go anywhere. As the official kick-off to summer in “The Ice Cream Capital of the World®”, Memorial Day weekend is usually a mish-mash of high school graduation parties, yard work, grill outs with friends, more yard work, my birthday….the list goes on and on.

Bud, my oldest son, marched in the school band on Monday (he is on the drum line) for the Memorial Day parade. I have also attached a photo of the Memorial Day ceremony that takes place, annually, at out county courthouse where we honor our military veterans. The parade marches up to the courthouse, followed by a flag dedication ceremony. Pretty awe-inspiring.

These activities usually prevent us from actually travelling anywhere significant so we just hung out all weekend and participated in all of the activities mentioned above plus some added fun extra’s. We also took in an IMAX showing of “Night At The Museum 2”…even though we had a two-hour drive in order to go see it…it was totally worth it. We had such a great weekend!!

But, amidst all of the above activity, we managed to squeeze in a little quiet time, too. For my birthday, my oldest son, now dubbed, “The Grillmaster” perfectly prepared steaks on the grill, which we ate for my birthday dinner, followed by cupcakes and ice cream and I gotta tell ya….for about 45 minutes, the world just stopped. What a joy to sit around the table, flanked by my kids, eating birthday cupcakes (aside from chips and salsa, cake and frosting is my favorite good group) and Blue Bunny ice cream. We laughed and chatted and ate more than we should but it was a great time….just the three of us. We ate my favorite flavor du jour, Blue Bunny® Double Cone Crunch ice cream and it was a little scoop – okay, it was a large scoop! – of absolute, total heaven. Have you tried this ice cream yet??? Two words: Yum… me.

I encourage you to carve out a little time in your life this summer to sit down and enjoy some ice cream (um…Blue Bunny…..okay?) with the ones you love. In a summer of never-ending activities and obligations, it might allow you to stop running on the “hamster wheel” for a little while and enjoy some sweet moments of bliss.

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

What It Means To be Another Year Older

2009-05-22T06:59:00.000-07:00

If you read my blog last week, you will know that my birthday is fast approaching. While I kid about the fact that my birthdays stopped at age 39 (my sister’s wedding fell on my 40th birthday last year, so I claim that I never had a 40th birthday and, therefore, I will remain 39 forever)…I am proud to say that I will be 41 years old.

What this means to me is that I join the ranks of other 40-somethings who I believe have reached a pivotal moment in their lives where they, for the first time, feel the bravest, strongest, and wisest as they have ever felt.

I do have to give a special shout out to my girlfriend, Kimmer, and my Aunt who are celebrating their birthdays TODAY. Both of these women are string and fun and more beautiful than ever.

At nearly 41, I am able to view life more clearly than I ever have before. I feel more. I find the joy in more things.

I love more deeply. I don’t hold grudges for too long. I try to sweat less over the small stuff and I like to try to believe that every day is a chance to start over.

And while I work hard to stay in shape and to keep the wrinkles away and try to remain fashionable, I realize that I am of the age where sexiness is not necessarily defined by a waistline but by self-confidence. Wrinkles are earned and I am proud of each one of them.

These days, I appreciate a fine wine on a quiet evening much more than a night out on the town. I appreciate spending time with my children and walking my dog.

I enjoy sunny Saturday mornings when I can sit out on my front steps and watch the world go by….

Boring? Maybe. It has been a long and painful road to get where I am today but I am hoping that my 41st year on this earth will be the best ever. This is the year that I will smell more flowers and appreciate the beauty in more things. Maybe I will even take a cooking class….nah!

I will spend my birthday with my children. I think our plan is to take in a movie, maybe a picnic lunch and a walk in the sunshine. If the weather is good, we might grill out for dinner, enjoy some cake and Blue Bunny ice cream (is there any other kind of ice cream??) and sit outside for as long as the night will allow. I will wrap up my day with a book that was given to me for my birthday when I was in kindergarten by my teacher, Miss Moelling.

My favorite book of all time….it is a Golden Book called “The Daisy Dog Wake Up Book” by Ilse-Margret Vogel. It is about a little beagle who runs around waking up all of her friends early in the morning to invite them to her birthday party “under the apple tree”. Funny thing about Daisy Dog…..she was up so early inviting her friends that she fell asleep in time for the actual party. All of her friends arrived and had to wake up “that silly, sleepy pup” so that they could have chocolate covered meatball pizza and thimbleberry pie. Reading this book has grown to be one of my favorite birthday traditions.

Not sure why I do it….maybe because it reminds me that no matter how old I get, there is still a little “pup” in me who can’t wait to celebrate her birthday with the people she loves the most.

Until next time, I remain...1SweetMama

What May 19 Means To Me

2009-05-19T07:55:00.000-07:00

Photo: popup calendar may june page by lilibee1

It is funny….I had another blog ready to post today when I realized that it was May 19.

For many, May 19 holds no real significance but for me, I remember the EXACT day that I began to form some kind of weird connotation with this particular date. My mother thinks I am weird....I think I would say I was sentimental.

It would have been May 19, 1975. I was in the second grade at Westchester Grade School. I remember that it was a sunny and warm day and I vividly remember my classroom. It is funny, but the older I get, the more clearly I can recall the little details of that room. I do not, however, remember my teacher or any of my classmates but I do remember that the room had windows that looked out on one side to the playground area and I remember that they were open that day.

As a six-year-old-about-to-turn-seven, I remember realizing that the date was May 19 and that I only had 5 “wake-ups” left until my birthday. As many wake-ups as there were fingers on my one hand. From that moment on…..there has always been a real meaning to May 19.

Today as I was preparing my blog entry, I realized that I only have as many wake-ups to wait for my birthday as there are fingers on my one hand.

Today’s weather is very similar to that of May 19, 1975. My house windows are open and the same smells of late spring waft through it as they did through my classroom windows many years ago.

A lot of water has flowed under the bridge since that day. But it still holds the same meaning and I still look forward, with childlike anticipation, to my birthday in five days.

Until next time, I remain.....1SweetMama

My Brother - The Soldier

2009-05-15T08:31:00.000-07:00

Several nations of the world hold an annual Armed Forces Day to recognize, venerate, and honor their military forces. It is similar to Veterans Day or the “Remembrance Day” in many other nations. In the United States, Armed Forces Day is celebrated on the third Saturday in May (that’s tomorrow). The day was created in 1949, and was a result of the consolidation of the military services in the Department of Defense.

So, today’s quote pays homage to some special people in my life who have served my country. It is from American poet, essayist, journalist, and humanist, Walt Whitman:

“The moon gives you light, And the bugles and the drums give you music, And my
heart, O my soldiers, my veterans, My heart gives you love.” –Walt Whitman

I am a member of a family who has had at least one member serving our country in every generation, dating back to – at the very least – the Civil War.

Specifically, the ones I have been told about are my Great-Grandpa who served in the Armed Forces in WWI, my Grandpa S (US Air Force) and Grandpa F (US Air Force) served during WWII, my father (US Air Force), an uncle (US Army) served at the end of the Viet Nam era. My cousin (US Army), a graduate of West Point, has completed three tours of duty in Iraq and my kid brother has served in the US Air Force for the past 14 years, being sent overseas three times – this time to Kabul.

So… pride in the US Armed Forces runs thick in my veins. Every man and woman who bravely place their life between me and anyone who wants to compromise my freedoms is certainly worthy of honor. Tomorrow is a day set aside for that.

So, while I pause and reflect on all the things I have and the great cost others have paid in order for me to have them, I will think about my brother.

Three months into his service in Kabul, he misses his wife and two daughters who wait for him back home. He calls us all on a webcam program that allows us to see him and talk about our lives. He is always dressed in his dessert BDUs (Battle Dress Uniform). He always looks tired because it is 5:30 a.m., his time, when we are able to talk.

He thoroughly enjoys his work and he is interacting with so many nationalities of people. His assignment is very interesting and, once back home in the ‘States, he will be able to recognize the wonderful things he is doing and how he is truly making a difference globally.

This one, the brother, who I used to punch when my parents weren’t looking. I always kid him about this, but he, once, chewed the head off of my Luke Skywalker action figure…which, no doubt, unleashed a barrage of sibling beatings. How ironic that these days, he is the ultimate “Action Figure” of my life.

I will always be older than him but he will always be braver than me. I want to thank him and his family for allowing him to serve my country.

Here is to my brother, as well as all my other family members…and all of yours….who have served or are currently serving. May you know that you are truly the heroes of our time.

Until next time, I remain...1SweetMama

It's Not The Destination.....

2009-05-12T06:45:00.000-07:00

This weekend I began the planning process for a road trip that the boys and I will be taking in a few weeks. We will be visiting my aunt and uncle who have a place in St. Augustine, Florida. This will be an exciting adventure for the three of us.

22 hours of road time. Yikes. It will take us approximately two-and-a-half days to arrive at our destination. The boys and I are very excited about all the things we are planning to do – including lots of beach time – but it is a little scary to pack up and get in the car to drive a half a country away.

We have certainly travelled before but this is the biggest trip we have taken together on our own….with ME as the responsible adult!! It makes me smile and wince all at the same time. But I have never been one to be intimidated by opportunities outside of my comfort zone. I stare ‘em down and give it my battle cry: “Bring it!!”

There is a quote from a book I read a long time ago. It was life altering. The book was called, “The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho and I didn’t just read it – I studied it. Page after page presented me with new mantras to steer my life’s course. I couldn’t help but thinking of this one quote, in particular, as I was planning this trip:

“I've discovered things along the way that I never would have seen had I not had
the courage to try things that seemed impossible for a shepherd to achieve.”
(“The Alchemist” by Paulo Coelho)

I, the Shepherd, and my little flock will load up the car and take the journey and wait to see what adventures await.

I have plotted the journey. I bought the GPS. My oldest son, armed with iTunes and $20, recorded the road trip soundtrack. And, with the Alchemist quote emblazoned like a road sign in my brain, I will set out on my journey – with my boys – and we will courageously discover the landscape between Le Mars, Iowa, and St. Augustine, Florida, knowing that, while our destination will be a most wonderful time, the fun really lies in the journey.

And while I think about it…..isn’t that what life is really all about anyway?

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

Being A Mom

2009-05-08T11:17:00.001-07:00

Sunday is Mothers’ Day and I have never had a clearer understanding of the magnitude of what motherhood means until this past week.

I came across this quote the other day:

“A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.” ~Tenneva Jordan

It struck me hard.

I have conversations with Moms who tell me about the different sacrifices they make in order to make life better for their children. They give up weekends to sit in lawn chairs or on bleachers to watch sporting events. They take personal days from work in order to nurse sick children back to health. They spend a king’s ransom to support their daughter’s dancing career. Some moms even confess that they feed the kids first and only eat after they are sure that their children have had their fill.

Becoming a Mom isn’t about getting to wear the fun (and funny) maternity clothes. It isn’t about the baby showers and the Christmas pictures and the God-given right to place the Honor Roll bumper stickers on the back of the family van.

It is sometimes about making the tough choices. It is sometimes about giving up things in life that are important in order to place the happiness and well-being of the children before our own. Careers, relationships, intellectual pursuits, financial independence….even their own physical well being…all lost for the sake of the children.

What it means to be a Mom is to put the children first. Always. No matter how much it hurts.

So why do we do it? Moms give up everything in order to raise their babies to become respectful, healthy, well-adjusted adults who will, one day, love their own children and contribute as leaders within their community. It is all about passing along the love from one generation to the next. It has been a Mom-Tradition dating back to the dawn of time.

Mom Love is bittersweet. We know that no matter how much love we pour into child-rearing, one day those children will leave us. But what we do know is that the degree of love we give is related to how much we will really “lose” those children. The goal is to love them so much that they will never truly leave us – no matter how far away they may live.

We love. We give. We discipline. We nag. We love. Being a Mom means sacrifice…a beautifully painful sacrifice that will both drain us and awe us all at the same time…a little like childbirth, wouldn’t you say?

Happy Mothers’ Day to everyone who “mothers”. Sunday is your day to step back and look at the flowers that are growing in your garden….and I don’t mean the garden in your yard…..I mean the one in your heart.

Until next time, I remain……1SweetMama

Springtime in the Ice Cream Capital of the World

2009-05-05T12:03:00.000-07:00

Photo, courtesy of D. Smetter, May 5, 2009

Warm weather is sometimes a long time a-comin’ when you live in Northwest Iowa. The April Showers that bring the May Flowers often become May Showers that bring the June Flowers.

But, late as it may be, I am always amazed at the beauty and wonder all around us as the deadness of winter springs forth in green lushness once the shower and thunderstorm season arrives.

It also never ceases to amaze me how we are all caught by the moments that Mother Nature brings us. I continually try to remind myself that it is so important to stop and smell the flowers. Take the time to breathe in the little things that life gives us that sometimes go unnoticed. I was so refreshed this morning when I came into work….just moments after the photo at the top of my blog was taken… and opened my Inbox to discover a half dozen emails from co-workers, including my boss who submitted today’s photo, of the double rainbow that appeared at 7:21 a.m. Adults routinely immersed with their usual morning routines suddenly stopped, took notice of the event and (thanks to the miracle of cell phone and digital camera technology) captured it. Photos of every angle and in many settings – farmland, interstate, residential – displaying this simple little thing that presented its loveliness to us today.

And that so many of my friends and co-workers took the time to stop and take in the beauty of this rainbow and wanted to spread it around via email is a wonderful thing. It means that we haven’t stopped appreciating the little things and they aren’t going unnoticed here in the place where I live.

As sweet as an ice cream cone on a warm, sunny day or as wondrous as a double rainbow in the heart of Springtime….thus is life in The Ice Cream Capital of the World®.

What Is Up With Crabby People?

2009-05-01T06:30:00.000-07:00

I realize that if you live in “The Ice Cream Capital of the World” and you work for a company that makes Blue Bunny ice cream, your view on life might be a little more sweet than the view of someone who doesn’t. However, there is no real excuse for people to go around with a chip on their shoulder, infecting the rest of society with negativism.

I get so tired of people who feel that it is their mission to make everyone around them feel insignificant and miserable. The only deduction I can make from this kind of behavior is that those people are only truly happy when everyone else around them feels as sour inside as they do. And so the saying goes, “Misery loves company,” and I believe it.

We all have had bad days but there is no reason to take it out on other people. I have a mother who works in a job that handles consumer comments. You would not believe some of the things people say to her. She is not directly responsible for any of the things people call her number to complain about, yet those people use her as a verbal punching bag in order to help them vent their anger. She calmly takes the insults, tries to make it right with them and hangs up.

But what I have also noticed about my mother is that on days when the complaints are heavier, this usually pleasant woman is crabby, too.

Crabbiness is viral. Negativism spreads like a toxic disease and, if infected at an early age, can scar a personality for the rest of that individual’s life.

There are some people who I think would be so much happier if they just ate an ice cream cone every now and then.

The world, for the most part, is good. People, for the most part, are good. Imagine a world where everyone was kind to each other….and ate more ice cream.

Pass the scoop.

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

What Painting Are You?

2009-04-28T13:10:00.000-07:00

A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884) by George Seurat

There is a great quote by Danny Kaye that goes, “Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint you can on it.”

These are great words by a man whose light-hearted approach to life both on and off the stage and screen was as colorful as an Andy Warhol painting. Kaye smiled and laughed, danced and sang, and “slap-sticked” his way through life. A great way to live, if you ask me.

I would like to think of my life as a Georges Seurat painting. Take his painting, A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte (1884). I have always loved this painting and when I saw it in a restaurant recently and it made me think about Danny Kaye’s quote and life being like painting on a canvas. The Seurat painting portrays many people enjoying a sunny Sunday afternoon in a park. If you stand back and look at it as a single image, it is bright and fun and emits a feeling of life simply being enjoyed.

If you stand back and look at my life, I would say that you would see those same things.

If you look a little more closely at Seurat’s painting, you will see a multitude of contrasts reflected in the picture. Sun and shade, water and land…even the subjects in the painting are different: adults and children, rich and poor, stylish and plain. Yet all of them play off of each other to create a more interesting, grander, overall image.

If you look more closely at myself and my life, you will see the contrasts to my personality, as well. Brightness and despair, strength and weakness, triumph and tribulation, silliness and seriousness, adventure and security, wildness and calm. Yet, like the painting…..they all work together to create a more interesting, grander, overall image.

Motivated by study in optical and color theory, Seurat contrasted miniature dots of colors that, through optical unification, form a single hue in the viewer's eye. He believed that this form of painting, now known as pointillism, would make the colors more brilliant and powerful than standard brush strokes.

If you were to look very closely at me, you will see my life as a series of millions of dots of colors - those being the influences and experiences that make up the whole of me. And, while some of those dots may be bright and yellow and sunny….some of them are darker – almost black, in fact…. but stand back and take it all in as one larger image, you will see that those individual colors are much more brilliant than a singular colorful brush stroke.

I am complex. My life is complex but as one larger image, it is very beautiful. My canvas is not completely covered with paint yet. But I am workin’ on it.

What painting are you?

Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

Introducing The Family To Bocce Ball

2009-04-24T08:24:00.000-07:00

(This is NOT my family playing Bocce Ball but, most likely, some Italians enjoying the game on a traditional-style court. this photo was taken from the Wikipedia sight. Maybe someday, I will be able to provide my own photo of ME enjoying a game of Bocce Ball IN Italy!)

This past fall, I was fortunate enough to be introduced by some business contemporaries to the game of Bocce Ball. For those of us not counted among the cultured and worldly types, Bocce (or Bocci, or Boccie) is a precision sport belonging to the boules (bowling) sport family, with an origin dating back to the Roman Empire. Developed into its present form in Italy (where it is called Bocce, the plural of the Italian word boccia which means "bowl"), it is played around Europe and also in overseas countries that have received Italian migrants, including Australia, North America and South America.

For Christmas, these business contemporaries sent me my very own Bocce Ball set, which until last night, was being used as a weight (18.6 pounds!) strategically placed in the trunk of my car to give me better driving traction during the Iowa winter months. I figured that since it was the end of April and it was a record-setting 90 degrees yesterday, it was time to pull the set out of the car and introduce it to my family.

Coincidentally, in celebration of April 23 being National Picnic Day, my folks, my sister, my youngest son, Peanut, and I set out for the neighborhood park and enjoyed a picnic supper and an introductory Bocce Ball game. Initially leery of the game, my family entertained me as I read through the rules and provided a visual demonstration of the balls. The jack, or “puck” for lack of a better term, is called the Pallino and is generally smaller than the other player balls, which resemble the size and weight of croquet balls.

Since we did not have a formal court (91’ by 13’) and we did not play on the traditional “oyster shell” bed, we improvised in the grass of the park and did more of a version of “lawn bowling” than an official Bocce Ball game. The end result? A family who now wants me to not only construct our own official Bocce Ball court in my back yard, but the creation of several new fans to the game.

What better way to celebrate National Picnic Day and enjoy springtime in Iowa than to learn a new family sport that can be played by a full range of ages and physical abilities. I see a summer full of Bocce Ball and I am forever grateful to expand both my and my family’s knowledge of global recreational opportunities.

I am curious if any of you have ever played Bocce Ball? Any game tips? Feel free to share. You may post a comment “Anonymously” if you do not want to post one with an ID. I am anxious to hear your feedback….

And don’t forget to take the poll over to the right!! I have extended the poll closing date for another week. Thanks!

Until next Tuesday, I remain…..1SweetMama

Grandma Jane

2009-04-21T13:52:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow, a very special lady will be celebrating her 83rd birthday and I just wanted to tell you a little bit about her.

My Grandma Jane was raised on a farm and received formal schooling at “Country School” only until the 8th grade, which was a common practice for girls back in “those days”. She and her sister, Emily, helped out on the family farm. Since there were no sons, I am certain that she and Emily probably did as much work as any male. This is where Grandma Jane gets her work ethic that has been passed through the generations. There is nothing this woman cannot do.

At age 19, she met my Grandpa Bill who was home on leave from the War. They met at the City of Brentwood Carnival and were introduced by the sister of Grandpa Bill’s buddy, Homer (her name was Mildred). Homer was also dating Grandma Jane’s sister, Emily. If I recall the story correctly, it was raining and Bill had offered to buy Jane a lemonade but didn’t have, as it turned out, enough money for both of them so Jane paid the nickel for her own. They didn’t ride any rides that night – just sat around and talked. Jane thought Bill was a cocky soldier and Bill was enamored by this young farm girl who had moved to the “big city”. She had spunk and Bill liked it.

The two were married in 1946 (coincidentally, Homer and Emily were married in 1945) and the wedding reception was held at a local dance pavilion, complete with banjos and fiddles. Sixty years of marriage later, they ended up with two daughters and a son, which ended up producing six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren, with one on the way.

As a kid, some of my fondest memories include how Grandma Jane was the best back scratcher in the whole world. Sleepovers at Grandma and Grandpa’s house were the best as she would read book after book, at my request, until I was nearly asleep. To this day, when I hear her read anything out loud, I am instantly transformed into that seven year old who loved to sleep on the fold out couch at Grandma’s. Grandma Jane also introduced me to braunschweiger sandwiches, which I loved as a kid but cannot stand as an adult.

Grandma Jane and Grandpa Bill moved to the Ice Cream Capital of the World® from our “home city”, a large Metropolitan area, in June of 1999, following their oldest daughter, my mom (with dad and my kid sister, Diana), who had also made the move from that same city to Le Mars a year earlier, to follow their oldest daughter (me). This family exodus occurred nearly 12 years after I had moved here. All of this was in an effort to bring keep some of the family close together and to “get out of the rat race”, as they called it. Family has always been important to Grandma Jane and Grandpa Bill….and this, too, has carried through the generations.

Together with Grandpa Bill, Grandma Jane helped me tremendously by providing all the daycare and transportation from school to activities for both of my boys. They attended every single music concert and were such a rock to both myself and to my children.

Sadly, we lost Grandpa Bill in 2006, but Grandma Jane remains the steadfast matriarch of the family. She works almost full time as a greeter in a large “box store” and loves it because she gets to talk to everyone. At 83, she is often on her feet an entire shift and sometimes she will even work an 8-hour shift.

So much of who I am today is due to her influence and I owe her so much. I hope that on my 83rd birthday, I am able to do HALF the things that Grandma Jane does today. She has never missed a step and is the youngest and most vibrant 83-year old that I know.

Happy Birthday Grandma Jane!

…and if you would like to wish my Grandma Jane a happy birthday, please post a comment. When it asks for your ID, chose the “Anonymous” posting option – you won’t have to sign up for anything! She reads this blog regularly and I think it would be cool if anyone responds with a birthday greeting for her…plus it will be a good exercise for all of us to learn how to post comments within this blog and boost some interaction among the readers.

Until, next time, I remain….1SweetMama

I Felt Like I Was A Kid Again!

2009-04-17T13:08:00.000-07:00

So there we were….a collection of seven business contemporaries….ending a day of meetings with marketing personnel for the Minnesota Twins (Blue Bunny ice cream is the “Official Ice Cream of the Minnesota Twins”) in a roped off area, within yards of batting practice on the Minnesota Twins baseball field inside of the Metrodome.

In our group, there was a Senior Vice President of Legal Affairs, a Senior Advertising Manager, a Trade Development Director, a Web Designer, an entrepreneur, a Marketing Associate Manager, and an Account Executive.
Yet, for about 45 minutes, we were schoolchildren, completely enamored by the young athletes warming up for the game. Over the course of our time in the “holding pen”, several of the players signed baseballs and chatted with each of us. We grinned silly, little 12-year old grins, thrust out our baseballs and Sharpie pens, and snapped photo after photo. When baseball great, Tony Oliva, stopped by, we whispered “That’s Tony Oliva! That’s Tony Oliva!!” He signed our baseball, too, and chatted about how he loves ice cream.

What is it about baseball that makes us feel like kids again? All of us had stories we shared all day in anticipation of our meeting the team and all of us shared even more stories as we watched the game and, then, wearily regaled play-by-play details as we trudged back to our hotels afterward, agonizing over a heartbreaking loss of the Twins to the Toronto Blue Jays.

But it is baseball. Baseball seems to stir up something in all of us that makes us want to open up and share the stories of, “I remember when…” Baseball impacts our lives from the day we enter our first ballpark and catch Baseball Fever – for which there is no cure.

Being from St. Louis, my stories are mostly of the Cardinals and the old Bush stadium. The Cardinals offered an incentive program where they would send a couple of sets of free tickets if you earned a certain grade point average. Each year, it was a big deal for me to get those tickets. My dad and I would use them and, despite the fact that they were usually in the “nosebleed section”, we still had a great time. Dad would teach me how to score the program book: “K” was a strike out, “BB” was a base-on-balls, and a “DP 6-4-3” was a classic double play on a hit to the shortstop (6) who tosses it to the second baseman (4) who, then throws it to the first baseman (3). Each player on the field is assigned a number, starting with the pitcher (1), then the catcher (2), the first baseman (3) and so on….. I became such an expert at scoring that I scored for my high school boys’ baseball team for two years. Today I am a little rusty but can still keep a pretty mean card.

Those were the days. For me – it was the late 70’s and through the 1980s. The days of Ozzie Smith, Darryl Porter, Tommy Herr, and so many players who stand out in my memory. It was the 1982 and 1987 World Series (coincidentally – it was the Twins that the Cardinals defeated for the title!) and all the excitement surrounding them. What fun!

Sometimes I wonder, as baseball season begins anew, maybe all the world needs these days is a little more baseball. A ‘dog, a beer, a bag full of dry-roasted peanuts and a big ol’ foam finger seems to take the edge off of anybody. The crack of a bat, the “CHARGE” rally cry, and the camaraderie of people pulling together for a common goal seems to be more human than we give it credit. Can you be angry or vengeful or oppressed or evil when you are overlooking nine heroes on a field of green? No – because you are feeling young and innocent – just like a kid.

Until next time, I remain.....1SweetMama

Help Me To help You!

2009-04-14T12:33:00.000-07:00

Photo by digitalgopher, http://www.flickr.com/photos/digitalgopher/2170495422/

Okay readers, I need your help. Twice each week, I pour my heart out to you and hope that you are enjoying my posts. I have very much enjoyed this creative outlet and thank you for allowing me to write about my "eternal optimist" opinions and experiences each Tuesday and Friday.

However, I am currently in the process of reviewing this blog and its impact. If I understand correctly, there seems to be several of you out there reading “The Sweet Life”, yet, I don’t know much about you.

In order for me to remain effective in my efforts to provide a fun and informative blog for all of you, I would like to ramp things up a bit by learning a little bit about all of you and encouraging interaction among you. I have reached out to a few of my readers and have discovered that there are several of you who are concerned about the level of difficulty required in order to simply post a comment. I am told that in order to post a comment, you need to sign up for some kind of an id.

When I go through this process through a third party, it does ask you to sign in with an i.d. – Google, Netvibes, OpenID, etc. For readers of “The Sweet Life” who may not understand this process, signing up for an i.d. might seem a little intimidating. Today, I tweaked the settings a bit for comment posting, so I am very curious if someone out there could attempt to post a comment and let me know how it goes. Feel free to send me an email at highfivemarketing@yahoo.com. Comments to this email will be monitored on a regular basis.

So, here is my question and where I really need your help. Over the next few weeks, I will be offering a series of questions via polls and blog posts asking you for input to this blog and the content you are reading.

Together, I want to build a sweet little community of “Sweet Life” readers so that we will be able to have some fun interaction and keep all of you wanting to come back for more. But I can’t help you if you don’t help me.

I really appreciate your support these past seven-and-a-half months but I can’t improve my product if you can’t help me to help you. I want to grow and become more of a user-friendly blog that encourages you to read, pass along, and interact.

Stay tuned for an eventual upgrade of “The Sweet Life” but in order for me to make logical and useful changes, I need your help. Your assignment for the next week is to remember to take the poll (over to the right) and try to post a comment (at the end of my blog posts). Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

Easter Eggs Gone Bad and The People Who Provoke Them, Part 2

2009-04-10T06:00:00.000-07:00

When last we spoke – I had left you with visions of colored Easter eggs dancing in your heads. The family was just preparing to launch the traditional “Egg Cracking Contest” with the “Ugly Egg Contest” Winner going egg-to-egg with his opponent, my youngest son, Peanut.

“Three-Two-One…Go!” With a sickening “crack-plfth” sound, the two eggs collided in an explosion of semi-cooked egg guts spraying the two opponents and a host of eager onlookers.

Well, we never had THIS issue before…..

In my 30 "ish" years of egg boiling, I had obviously made a slight miscalculation of boiling time in this instance and both batches of eggs had been undercooked to the consistency of those that had been soft-boiled.

Shocked by the scene, we all stared, wide-eyed at the carnage. My first reaction was to stomp off, exclaiming, “Oh, great! I ruined ‘Fake Easter’!”. But my pregnant and hormonal sister in her self-described attempt to “make lemonade” grabbed what was left of the egg and “smooshed” it into Peanut’s hair. He shrieked, then reciprocated.

Of course, not to be left out from the fun - like a scene from Animal House - everyone began to grab the remainder of the colored eggs and began to throw them at each other and smash them into each other’s hair.

About 5 minutes later, with egg dripping from my head and eggshells oozing their way down my back and into my underwear, we were weeping with laughter.

‘Fake Easter’ wasn’t ruined at all – it was salvaged by my sister’s quick thinking followed by everyone’s willingness to clean the whole mess up. Of course, Max the Wonderdog found that egg fights were an ultimate benefit to him, being close enough to the floor to being missed as a target and, yet, be close enough to assist in the clean-up process.

And now, with most of the family being gone this coming weekend and the boys with their dad, P.O.D. will arrive to town and we will celebrate ‘Real Easter’ quietly with church on Sunday followed by a brunch with Grandma S.

Hope your Easter is filled with “eggs-tremely” sweet memories, too.

Until next time, I remain....1SweetMama

Easter Eggs Gone Bad and the People Who Provoke Them, Part 1

2009-04-07T14:50:00.000-07:00

It all started so innocently. Due to plans that will take members of our family away for the Easter weekend, 1SweetMama decided to play “host-ess with the most-est” to the gang and have “Fake Easter” this past Saturday.

It is also important to note that everyone was feeling a little edgy over the weather. Forecasters were predicting the worst snowstorm of the season to begin that evening, culminating in blizzard-like conditions and over a foot of snow overnight. Iowans are pretty hearty folk, but weather events, such as this one, the week before Easter puts us close to the edge.

This year being no different, just a week earlier and in the face of an oncoming weather event, we gathered – my parents, my expectant-sister and her husband, myself and my children, to color Easter eggs and play ping-pong (okay – so the ping pong isn’t as traditional – but it was fun!). In preparation for the event, I boiled two batches of eggs so that they would be ready to go before company arrived.

Our family’s typical pre-Easter activities includes following a 35 – 40 year old tradition of dying Easter eggs on “heirloom rags” (by “heirloom”, I simply mean old bedspreads that Grandma S. had cut up) that have been passed from my grandmother to my mother and, now, to me. As I place the protective cloths over my table, I smile as I see the decades of dye stains on these cloths as they serve as an annual reminder of how this holiday, like many of the others we celebrate, are steeped in participation by my entire family.

Additionally, each year we dye the eggs and conduct the “Ugly Egg Contest” – this is a much coveted honor. Amidst all the beautifully colored and decorated eggs we contribute to the bounty, anyone who so chooses, may offer up one of their eggs for the title of “ugliest”. The winner of the “Ugly Egg Contest” usually has the honor of starting the “Egg-Cracking Contest”, another piece of the traditional Easter festivities that takes place on Easter Sunday. Now, this time-honored tradition is where everyone chooses their “weapon of choice” and goes head-to-head (or egg-to-egg) to see who can inflict the most damage to their opponent’s egg.

My Grandpa S., usually emerged as the Grand Champion Egg-Cracker, every year until he passed a few years ago. It was only a few years before the end of this magnificent man’s life, that he finally confessed his secret….he used his knuckle!! - but made it look like he used his egg! - thereby sparing his egg the impact from the opponent and emerging triumphantly when he inflicted the mortal wound upon the shell of the opposition. He also offered this bit of advice for future Egg-Cracking champions: always let the opponent come at you first. Through a carefully calculated energy/mass equation, he deduced that the aggressor’s egg would always receive the damage from impact. So, when we would shout out the countdown (“Three…Two….One…..go!”), Grandpa (using his secret knuckle strategy) would hold his egg still and emerge every time, triumphantly, as the Egg-Cracking Winner. No one ever figured out this man’s strategy until he chose to offer it up to the family. Now, every year we laugh and regale stories in tribute to Grandpa S. and his legendary egg-cracking proficiencies.

The guests arrived. The coloring commenced. We had a ball. We ate snacks. We played ping pong. Toward the end of the evening, Peanut decided that, since we would not be together for Easter, we should conduct the Egg-Cracking Contest.

Everyone selected their eggs. My brother-in-law, whose egg had been honored with the title, “Ugly Egg Winner” chose to match forces with Peanut.

For the conclusion of “Eggs Gone Bad”, tune in on Friday. Until then, I remain…1SweetMama

1SweetMama's Ode To Caramel - April 5 is National Caramel Day!

2009-04-03T07:03:00.000-07:00

Oh, caramel, oh, caramel, your taste is so sweet!
I love all the moments when it is you that I eat.

Drizzled or dropped or something I dip in
I just can’t get enough – your taste gots me trippin’!

You taste great on my oatmeal, my pancakes, and frappes….
With fruits – you’re the best – especially on my "app’s".

In cakes made with leche or with chocolates in boxes
With peanuts, rice krispies, or pecans – you really rocks-es!

Your sweetness is dreamy, your taste is delish
But you taste the best when mixed with ice cream in my dish.

Whether swirled within or swirled atop
Doesn’t matter – I love it – Gimme more caramel! Don’t stop!

So chewy and sweet - no matter how I eat it
The craving has got me – I just can’t defeat it.

As I wrap up my rhyming caramel foray….
I think I’ll have a scoop of Blue Bunny®’s Homemade Turtle Sundae.

...HOORAY.......!

Peanut's Lucky Weekend

2009-03-31T09:50:00.000-07:00

(photo by http://www.flickr.com/photos/leftlung/)

My nine year old, Peanut, is – aside from his incredible stubbornness – probably one of the happiest, most optimistic people I know. It has become the joke with most people who know him that he cannot tell a story without smiling. His inability to properly enunciate consonants is simply because he never is able to shape his lips in anything other than a big, ol’ Cheshire Cat grin. It is one of many endearing qualities he possesses.

This past weekend was a fun weekend for the boys and me. Our itinerary wasn’t anything particularly out-of-the-ordinary but Peanut must have thought it was something extra special. At lunch, on Sunday, he exclaimed that this weekend was a really lucky weekend. I asked him why he thought the weekend was so lucky and he summed it up by saying, “Well, we had Mom-And-Sons Date Night on Friday and had the best food and waitress ever, then we got to go to PetCo and we bought Hannah (the hamster) a new cage. Then on Saturday we played Blitz (this is our “traditional family card game” that involves a $1 per person ante to play the game) with Grandma and Grandpa F. and Great Grandma S. and I won $6. Then we got to come here, to the China Buffet, for lunch after church.”

We all thought that sounded like a pretty great weekend and what luck he had to have had it.

As we left the Chinese food restaurant, he insisted we all take fortune cookies and read them together. We took them as we walked out and got in the car to go home.

Peanut remarked from the back seat, “Well, guess what, Mom?”

“What’s that?”

“My weekend just got even luckier,” he exclaimed. “My fortune cookie has TWO fortunes in it!”

How lucky is that? It just goes to show us that we are only as lucky as we recognize we are and sometimes it just takes a nine-year old to point it out to us.

Peanut’s Lucky Weekend reminded me of how lucky I am, too.

"I Would Like To Thank My Family..."

2009-03-27T14:29:00.000-07:00

Last time we were together, we talked about how you should always have an elevator speech so that you can give a brief “who-you-are-and-what-you-do” overview of yourself, should you ever need to produce it at a moment’s notice. I also told you that it is nice if you also had your “Oscar Speech” ready, as well. What is an “Oscar Speech”?

In order to explain this, I feel I should back up and address Oscar Night. This is the night, usually held in the month of March where celebrities parade up and down a red carpet in their designer finery and celebrate great talents in the cinematic arena. This is also the night when those selected as the “top” in their field of work are awarded a shining gold statue and invited to address the audience. We have all watched these thank you speeches and anticipate that incredibly awkward moment when the music comes up and some classic talent is cut short during his or her remarks. It is (in the eyes of the producers and directors of this carefully choreographed event, the most “PC” way to offer up) the theatrical “hook” to yank those windbags off the stage so the evening doesn’t end up running so late that we are all sound asleep on the couch in time to hear the “Best Actor” category.

Any-hoodles….

Our own “Oscar Speech” is one we should all try to have just in case we are publicly acknowledged for a job well done. It is one that relays our gratitude and recognizes those who have helped us along the way.

I recently attended a dinner in which the recipient of an award took 20 minutes to say thank you. By the time they were done, the audience was coughing and shifting in their seats so much that I became wildly uncomfortable. The honored recipient never realized that sometimes, when it comes to bestowing thanks upon others, that too much is not a good thing.

Also – how many times have you heard someone reflect on a thank you speech they gave and say, “Oh, no! I forgot to thank my wife!”

If you have your “Oscar Speech” prepared, you will never forget those important people and you will never have to write it out on a little white card (come on…how grateful can you be to anyone who you can’t remember their names on your own??).

My Oscar Speech would go something like this:

“I am honored that you would recognize me for something that I am so proud to have been a part of. I want to thank everyone involved in the project who contributed their time and talents so selflessly and I want to thank all of you for your continued support. I want to thank my family, especially P.O.D. (remember this guy? If not, read my blog archives, for goodness sake!), for being so understanding of my passion for this project. I realize that sometimes it meant a sacrifice to them but they, like I, felt that what we were doing was a valuable contribution toward (insert whoever benefitted from the project). Thanks again.”

Keep it general. Keep it short. Show gratitude and make a graceful exit off the stage. Nobody wants to hear you grandstanding or taking up a filibuster for your cause.

And that’s your Oscar Speech. Have this one ready, too….you never know when you might need it.

What's Your Elevator Speech?

2009-03-24T12:50:00.000-07:00

Someone once told me to always have an “elevator speech” ready. What, you ask, is an elevator speech? It is a 3-5 minute description of who you are and what you do and it usually includes some interesting tidbit about who you are or what motivates you or some little nugget that would make you interesting to the elevator speech audience.

I am usually faced with producing my elevator speech on airplanes. As much as I desperately try to avoid conversation with my seatmate(s), seventy percent of the time I am finding myself giving it. I often wish that my seatmate had an elevator speech because usually they give me a 45 minute monologue on their life, their family history, and any medical conditions they may be facing at the moment. I once had a seatmate tell me within the first three minutes of my sitting next to her that she was having surgery on some female issues (I will spare you the graphic details) later that week. I think I must have stared at her for a full minute before I reacted to her story. I could tell it was going to be a very long flight. Thankfully, she was removed (she was in the wrong seat) and replaced with a teenager who slept the entire flight. Whew.

I digress.

So, my elevator speech goes something like this:

“My name is 1SweetMama (name changed to protect the innocent!) and I am a mother of two boys, ages 14 and 9, and we live in Le Mars, Iowa, The Ice Cream Capital of the World. Le Mars is actually called The Ice Cream Capital of the World because more ice cream is made in my town than any other town on the planet. Le Mars is actually located in the northwest corner of Iowa and it is about 30 miles north of Sioux City. I have been employed at Wells’ Dairy, Inc. (we make Blue Bunny ice cream), with the exception of a four month sabbatical, since 1998. Presently, I am in the "blah, blah, blah" department serving as the "yaddah, yaddah manager" (awww, c'mon....I have to leave some mystery to 1SweetMama's identity!). What this means is that I am do stuff to get people to buy Blue Bunny ice cream (again....nebulous....I am kind of an enigma). I also love to write and do some copywriting for Wells’ Dairy, including writing my own blog about how sweet life is. I really do enjoy my work.”

With the appropriate dramatic pauses and inflections, this elevator speech takes me about three to four minutes. It sums up who I am and what I do and how it relates to them. Sometimes there is a follow-up question and answer period but the gist is that it is concise.

Elevator speeches work great on airplanes, at small dinner parties, or even if called upon for a “get-to-know-you” ice breaker activity. I highly recommend you carry your elevator speech in your “cerebral back pocket” so that you can quickly and easily reference it at a moment’s notice.

Now, an “elevator speech” should not be confused with your “Oscar Speech”, which we will talk about next time. Stay tuned! Until then, I remain…..1SweetMama

Short, But Oh, So Sweet!

2009-03-20T15:40:00.000-07:00

Today’s blog comes with no pictures, no sugar-coated blah-de-blah, no funny. What it does give you are simple, yet powerful words for anyone to live by:

Life is too short to wake up with regrets…
So love the people who treat you right;
Love the ones who don’t just because you can.
Believe everything happens for a reason.
If you get a second chance, grab it with both hands.
If it changes your life, let it.
Kiss slowly.
Forgive quickly.
God never said life would be easy…
He just promised it would be worth it.

Until next week, I remain….1SweetMama

Are Ya Feelin' Lucky?

2009-03-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

Today is St. Patrick’s Day and this morning, while I was walking Max, I got to thinking about this day and how it is known for celebrating the Luck o’ the Irish.

Now, I am mostly German and Scottish, by ancestry, but I understand that there is a wee bit o’ Irish in me somewhere and on no other day of the year is it more prevalent than today. But this morning, I was trying to contemplate something else, other than the wearin o’ the green, or eating corned beef and cabbage for dinner tonight.

I was thinking about my luck.

The Luck of the Irish historically refers to the fact that the Irish people have come through such overwhelming adversity and have come out on top and kicking! It must be luck... or true perseverance. Or stubbornness. Whatever it is, I think that I might actually be more Irish than I thought.

There has been some adversity here and there to overcome and I feel as though I have not only come out on top but have found my way to the end of the rainbow, too. I have been very lucky. My life has been, for the most part, very good.

A wonderful childhood. A solid upbringing with parents and grandparents who have been and continue to be my rock and my compass. Two healthy and amazing children who make me laugh every single day – even if it is sometimes through tears.

For the past two and a half years, I have been lucky enough to have been placed in the life of a simply remarkable man who I adore and hope to one day spend the rest of my life with. My health. A solid job with benefits. A roof over my head. Food on the table. Fun in my life. Friends. Family. Laughter. Inspiration. …and all of you who follow this blog on a weekly basis – it is truly my creative outlet.

Yes, my friends….while St. Patrick may be remembered for leading the snakes out of Ireland, I hope I am remembered as the nice girl who realized that the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow was her richness of life and the value of everyone who contributed to it.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Friday the 13th!

2009-03-13T08:04:00.000-07:00

This has been my day so far….

I woke up a little too early this morning because I was having a bad dream about missing my flight that I am supposed to take later today….

I got too little sleep last night because I had to re-arrange my furniture, late into the evening, in order to move my couch away from the front window (there is a great debate between my grandmother and me – I think Max the Wonderdog is eating my couch in defiance of my being gone all day and he is bored and my grandmother thinks he is tearing it up because he tears around the house – repelling off the couch cushion that is torn up – when the postman comes…and we know how Max feels about the postman!)…

Just before I left the house, I had to stretch across my son’s (Peanut) bed in order to check behind it for one of his favorite stuffed animals that he thinks he might have left at my house before he left for his dad’s house. Turns out “Iceberrrrg Junior” (a Lil’ Webkins Huksy dog) was not behind the bed, after all. When I left the house for work, I glanced at my coat (which I had on while I performed the Husky search) and it was so covered in dog hair that it looked like I was actually wearing Max…..

After parking the car in the corporate office parking lot, I realized I left my cell phone at home. My plan was to not go back home until after I return from my trip on Sunday (since I am getting a ride to the airport). I had to call my grandmother to go search my house (because, of course, I cannot remember where I left the darn thing) so that she could bring the phone up to me, here at the office (thank goodness she lives close by!).

But…always being the eternal optimist….It is now 9:27 a.m. and things are beginning to look up for me.

I did get my coat cleaned off (it took several swipes with a lint roller), Iceberrrrg Junior (I think) has been located at Peanut’s dad’s house, Grandma found my phone, and I am pretty sure there is a bar in the airport so I am thinking there may be a cocktail in my near future (after all, it is 5 o’clock somewhere!!). Oh, and it is payday today. Sweeeet!

Here is to a better Friday the 13th and I am hoping that you all are finding the number 13 to be a lucky one.

Until next Tuesday, I remain……1SweetMama

Brain Freeze!

2009-03-10T13:56:00.000-07:00

It is March 10 and I am really getting tired of the bad weather. People who tell me that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb obviously do not spend a lot of time in northwest Iowa. We “locals” know that March can never reliably be counted upon for good (or predictable) weather. In fact, March is often the most outrageous month for unpredictable weather…..and today is no exception.

Rain, freezing rain, sleet, snow, high winds, and bone chilling air temperatures are the gifts that Mother Nature has given to us within the last 24 hours. This is just her way of reminding us that we are mere mortals and can never control the weather….we can predict it, analyze it, and get out of it….but she holds the ultimate power in this department.

So, today’s entry is short and sweet – because my brain is frozen solid.

The New Washing Machine

2009-03-06T08:40:00.000-08:00

Coincidence? Perhaps. No one will ever know for sure…..in my last blog, I wrote about how Hannah the Hamster (aka – Hannah The Escape Artist) was very recently extracted from the guts of my washing machine.

Max The Wonderdog – or Max The Hamster Hunter – (please refer to my last blog entry) quickly located her, by smell, as being inside the washing machine. We all had our doubts but we couldn’t overlook Max’s intense concentration on the lower, front corner of the appliance.

Now, understand that my washer has been on the fritz for the past six months. It came with the house, but if I had to make a guess, I would think the washer was probably 20 years old. In recent weeks, it has been acting up and, really, has developed its own little personality. It will knock and bang around a load and will run so loudly, that I would start a load of wash and leave my home, just so that I would not have to listen to the ruckus. On many occasions, I have gone to the basement to find my washing machine had strolled across the floor – possibly to socialize with the water heater?? – you know, appliances really do need to get more social with each other…

Until the “Hannah” episode, the washer and I had formed a nice little relationship: she won’t bother me too much as long as I don’t bother her too much. However, the “Hannah” adventure tipped the scales in her favor. After my father disassembled parts of the machine in order that we could locate and remove Hannah from the inside, this washing machine has refused to run without incident.

Her wash cycles grew louder –as if she was screaming at me from the basement, "WHY DID YOU TOUCH ME???? I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH ME!!!! WE HAD AN UNDERSTANDING!!!” She would knock around in the basement, walking away from her little corner, in total refusal to cooperate as a functioning contributor to my household. Then, the other night, she put her foot down for the very last time. She ran all night, spewing water and never draining. I found her the next morning in a pool of lukewarm water, still churning the load I placed inside her at bedtime, the night before.

Well, that attitude from my washer just doesn’t “set” with me. It was time for her to go. And I was gonna throw out her little friend, Mr. Dryer, too. He just couldn’t seem to dry a single load of clothes without taking his own sweet time – sometimes taking two or three cycles to accomplish the job. I was sick of him sucking off my electricty while taking total advantage my benevolence - allowing him to remain under my roof without contributing 100% to the laundry effort.

So, let this be a lesson to all the other appliances living within the walls of my residence – get lippy with me and OUT YOU GO! Today, my new washer and dryer stand proudly in the spot vacated by the insubordinate ones. Gleaming white, they are not the big, fancy front loaders I often daydream about, but simple laundry sentinels, standing at the ready – awaiting their next load. The new crew washes and dries three times the capacity as the old ones in half the time. In fact, I am happy to report that, for the first time in several months, I am totally caught up on the laundry. And no back-talk from either of them!

So – I guess that the entire ecosystem within my household supports each other in ways I never even fathomed….it took one little escape adventure from Peanut’s hamster to trigger a whole chain of events that resulted in a brand new set of appliances that make me very, very happy.

I guess that in the “Ice Cream Capital of the World”, it is the little things that make me realize that life really is sweet!

Max The Hamster Hunter

2009-03-03T07:17:00.000-08:00

Today I must pay homage to the family dog, Max – or “Max The Wonderdog” as I have referenced him in previous blogs.

Max has been the center of our lives for a year and a half now. The boys adore him and my youngest is fascinated by the fact that Max has a metal rod in his left leg as the result of injuries sustained from a hit and run incident from his puppyhood (judging from his extreme hatred of the Schwan’s Man – we think it was some kind of truck that may have struck him).

Aside from his continual shedding and occasional neurotic behavior of eating random areas of my carpeting and inconspicuous areas of my couch – he does this when he is ticked off at me because I have been gone all day (“What? And you couldn’t just leave me a note? Well, take that, 1SweetMama! Let this be a lesson to you!”), Max has proven his value in protection, love, and loyalty to our family…and now Max has assumed another role in our household: Max The Hamster Hunter.

Hannah – as in “The Hamster” (not “Hannah” as in “Montana”, as my 9 year old, Peanut, enthusiastically explains) is an escape artist. She has only gotten out a handful of times but I am continually amazed at her verve for wanting out of her humble abode. No matter how heavy the object placed atop her cage, she somehow manages to muscle up the strength to pull back the lid and drop 3 ½ feet to the floor below in order to explore the basement.

It is important that I mention that Hannah lives in the basement (which is actually a very decent living area – she lives in the “rec room” area) because when we have tried keeping her upstairs in Peanut’s bedroom, it drives Max insane. The hamster cage is like “Max TV” and Max is completely transfixed by the fact that we keep a rodent under glass for his viewing enjoyment. Max is a hound dog and, eventually, he is totally consumed by the movements of this rodent and he begins to whine and foam at the mouth in anticipation of what this tasty morsel might feel like in his belly.

To save Max from madness, we keep Hannah on a separate level of the residence, with the door between the main floor and the basement closed. But, occasionally, we will allow Max into the basement, under close supervision, to observe Hannah in her habitat. Max thinks we must be marinating her for his future enjoyment (“The longer that thing stays in that glass box, the fatter and juicier she gets!”).

The greatest thing about the Max and Hannah relationship is that we have discovered that each time Hannah disappears, Max is able to locate her in less than 10 seconds. We simply send him downstairs with the charge, “Max, go find Hannah!” And it is done. End of story. He doesn’t even stop to take a sniff. His incredible sense of smell leads him directly to her hiding spot and we are able to extract her from whichever precarious predicament she has placed herself in and she goes back into the cage. (“She must not be done yet”, is what Max must think every time we put her back into the glass box.) The last Hannah escape found her tightly wedged into a tiny corner of the washing machine. We would never have located her there if it wasn’t for Max who insisted that she was there. He probably wound up actually saving her life. Good dog!

Every one in the family plays a role and Max’s place within our family unit is no different. He provides us with limitless unconditional love, protects us from the Schwan’s Man, and keeps Hannah well accounted for.

For this, we are eternally grateful. Until next time, I remain….1SweetMama

Nuts For Pistachios!

2009-02-27T06:38:00.000-08:00

(The pistachio, on the tree, just before harvest)

Awww…..nuts! I cannot believe that “February Foodie Love Month” is just about over. But, what better way to bid a fond farewell to February than with a salute to National Pistachio Day, February 26, which was actually yesterday.

The “Pistachio” is a small tree which is mainly seen in the mountain regions of Iran, Turkmenistan, and western Afghanistan. This tree was first cultivated in western Asia. It has a hard shell which is removed. The kernels are eaten whole and can be eaten either fresh or roasted and are also used in ice creams and many indulgent confections. Pistachios help in lowering the risk of heart disease.

Pistachios from Turkey are smaller and less open than California-grown pistachios and have darker shells, but they feature a richer, more distinctive taste. Turkish pistachios are left to dry with their outer husks on, which darkens the shells but protects the flavor. Consequently, many pistachio aficionados think Turkish pistachios are better-tasting than any other variety, including Iranian. And the best pistachios in Turkey come from the area around the city of Gaziantep, not far from the Syrian border, and are thus named Antep pistachios.

So….why the focus on Turkish pistachios when there are so many other varieties of fabulous pistachios? Well…I owe my “development” to both my mother and the nutritional integrity of this nut.

At the time my mother was expecting me, she, the wife of an Air Force man (my dad), found herself a young woman living off base in a tiny apartment in Yalova, Turkey. During her pregnancy, my mother and a fellow military wife, Nancy, wiled away the hours camped out on her apartment balcony drinking Chai tea – not the Starbucks kind, I am sure – and eating Turkish pistachios by the pound while studying the Turkish woman who lived in the house below the building. This woman spent her afternoons practicing the ritual of hand washing her laundry in her metal wash basin - outside. Better than reality TV for Mom and Nancy, that woman – and those Turkish pistachios - seemed to somehow make these young women forget that they were military wives living in a foreign country thousands of miles from home.

Forty-one years later, I still cannot get enough of pistachios…Turkish or otherwise….and I guess I owe it all to Mom, Nancy, and that Turkish laundress. Here’s to National Pistachio Day (a day late) and the end of February Foodie Love Month. Hope you enjoyed it. Until my next entry in March, I remain….1SweetMama

It's Fat Tuesday!

2009-02-24T11:35:00.000-08:00

The term “Mardi Gras” is French for “Fat Tuesday”. In many countries, the term Mardi Gras refers to the time period between Epiphany, or Twelfth Night and, Ash Wednesday. This time period varies from city to city, as some traditions consider Mardi Gras as the entire Carnival period while others just treat the final three-day period leading up to Ash Wednesday as being “Mardi Gras”.

Carnival is an important celebration in most of Europe, except in Ireland and the United Kingdom where the festival is called "shrovetide” ending on Shrove Tuesday, and pancakes are the traditional feasting food.

While this holiday is not nationally celebrated in the U.S., today IS a day that is recognized as Fat Tuesday….or even as “International Pancake Day”. In fact, I have been seeing that IHOP is giving away pancake dinners all day today - FOR FREE! Gosh, I LOVE this day!!

Because early generations of my family hail from European countries, our family’s traditional interpretation of “Fat Tuesday” also includes pancakes and sausage links – and plenty of it. I think my mother used to even throw in a year or two of potato pancakes – not as much my favorite as the buttermilk kind….

I was raised, and remain, a Lutheran so the practice of binging in excess prior to and then purging and doing without during the period of Lent has never really been anything we have done as part of a regular tradition but we do recognize this event by eating too many pancakes on Fat Tuesday, making an intention to give something up for the Lenten period, if we are so moved, attending Ash Wednesday service the next day and hunker down and wait for Easter.

Pretty easy. All I know is that tonight, my boys and I will gather at my mom and dad’s place, along with my sister and brother in-law and we will dine on stacks of light and fluffy carbcakes – er – pancakes.

Ice Cream Treasures Along the Treasure Coast

2009-02-20T07:48:00.000-08:00

Ahhh….vacation! Every year, at this time, Mr. P.O.D. and I travel with friends to a Florida destination that is both conducive to golfing (for the guys) and lounging on the beach (for the gals). This year goes on record, for me, as one of the best years ever. Above average temperatures (mid-80s), great company, lots of sun, great wine and food, a fabulous shoe purchase and three ice cream opportunities all played a role in this trip obtaining the “best ever” title.

This year’s destination, The Treasure Coast, in Florida….specifically Hutchinson Beach, Jensen Beach, and Stuart…offered up a plethora of experiences. Did you know that the name "Treasure Coast" is derived from a number of ships of Spanish galleons (especially those of the 1715 Spanish treasure fleet) that wrecked off the coast during the 17th and 18th centuries? “The Fabulous Mrs. G” (I will call her “Fab” for short) is my female counterpart on this trip (while the guys go chase little white balls around in the grass) and it is up to us to fill our days with uncovering as many of those little treasures as possible.

And this year’s booty? Ice Cream!

Following dinner on Friday night at a little Italian restaurant, we stumbled upon a small dip shop called “Strawberries” where they served Mayfield ice cream. My chocolate and peanut butter combination paled in comparison to the caramel-coyote-something-or-other that Fab ordered. I can’t remember the name but it was pretty good. Nothing spectacular about this ice cream experience but it was a nice ending to a great Italian meal.

This year’s trip also included a 9-mile Valentine’s Day bike ride that afforded Fab and me a wonderful opportunity to watch about a dozen dolphins frolicking in the waters of the Intercoastal Waterway. What an awe-inspiring moment to see! We also uncovered an outdoor tiki-hamburger bar called J.B. Pipps that served really great burgers and fries. But on this particular bike ride, we had one main goal – to eat ice cream at our second ice cream destination of the trip, Killwin’s. Fab, a fan of Killwin’s for many years, turned me on to this shop during our Florida excursion last year. This year’s experience did not disappoint. Founded in Northern Michigan in 1947, this franchise of confectionary shops has about 60 locations throughout the country. Here are a few photos of the dipping cabinet and some of the confections they were making the morning that we arrived. Bear in mind, it was Valentine’s Day and they were obviously expecting a larger than normal patronage today. Our ice cream was “delish” and I enjoyed a double scoop of Rasberry Sorbetto and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough – an odd combination – but who cares?? It’s vacation!

Finally, Sunday was the day we opted for a gelato case we found at a small café and wine shop just down the street and over the bridge from our hotel. Fab ordered a dolce de leche and pistachio combination while I tried my luck again with chocolate chip cookie dough on top of a yummy flavor – I can’t recall the name – but it tasted like an Almond Joy candy bar. This was also the day that we got to pet stingrays and identify fish in a lagoon at the Florida Oceanographic Costal Center.

Alas! Another vacation “in the can” and more time on the treadmill for me. As long as the vacations consist of sweet ice cream experiences, it is all worth it!

Next Tuesday we’ll chat a little bit about “Fat Tuesday” before we begin to “detox” our bodies from February “Foodie-Love” Month. Until then, I remain…..1SweetMama

February 19 is National Chocolate Mint Day!

2009-02-17T13:29:00.000-08:00

Today’s blog is short and oh-so-deliciously sweet. I am busy writing my entry for Friday about all the great ice cream discoveries I made while on vacation in warm and sunny Florida this past week.

Here are some things you can dazzle your friends with at your next party:

Mint (from the Latin word, menthe) originated in Europe and the Mediterranean and its many varieties are now cultivated all over the world. Mint has long been regarded as the symbol of hospitality. Romans would scatter mint around the settings of feasts and banquets as a welcoming sign to guests….I guess kind of like many of us, today, perform the practice of popping a piece of mint chewing gum in our mouths before we know we will be sharing some kind of personal space with someone, either casually or intimately.

Chocolate, on the other hand, has its origins in central Mexico. In fact, chocolate residue has been found in several jars from the site of Puerto Escondido in Honduras, from around 1100 BC and it is the earliest evidence to date of the use of cacao. This evidence that was found indicates that the earliest use of cacao seems to have been used as an alcoholic beverage. There are many interpretations as to the origins of the word “chocolate” but I like best the description that gives it Mayan origins. “Chocolate” comes from the Nahuatl word xocolātl derived from xocolli, bitter, and atl, water. Xocolatl was a chocolate drink consumed by the Aztecs, associated with the Mayan god of Fertility.

So, in both histories of mint and chocolate, I interpret that both are used to welcome closeness with others, whether it is hospitably or intimately…

So, tonight……pull your friends, family, and lovers close and enjoy “mint-chocolate-anything”: ice cream, peppermint patties, hot chocolate flavored with mint. Whatever moves you. I, myself, may just treat the kids to a carton of Blue Bunny® Premium Mint Chocolate Chip ice cream…..with an extra shot of chocolate syrup.

Do I Smell chocolate?? February is National Chocolate Month!

2009-02-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

(Photo by eszter, www.flickr.com)

To say that I love chocolate is a bit of an understatement. I just recently commented to a co-worker that I could wake up in the morning and go to bed at night and eat nothing but sweets in-between. Aside from any kind of ice cream and white cake with lots of frosting, I could ONLY eat chocolate. I get my sweet tooth from my dad who not surprisingly, is now being monitored for on-set diabetes. I have to be very careful in my sweets selection and I have tried to make “smarter” choices when it comes to sweets. Angel food cake as opposed to pound cake. Light ice creams instead of Premium (most of the time). Dark chocolate to milk chocolate. But….if I find that I have simply pushed the limit to my chocolate consumption, I have found some other very interesting ways to satisfy my craving for chocolate.

First – one of my favorite movies is “Chocolat”. This movie takes place in post-war France and stars Juliette Binoche and Johnny Depp, among a host of other great actors. The movie’s premise is that a woman and her daughter open a chocolate shop in a small French village that shakes up the rigid morality of the community (how dare she open a candy store during Lent??). One of the characters in the story, Yvette Marceau, describes an innocent piece of chocolate by saying, “...And it melts, God forgive me, it melts ever so slowly on your tongue, and tortures you with pleasure.” What the movie lacks in caloric intake it makes up for in satisfying other cravings – like feasting your eyes on Johnny Depp for two hours. Yowsa.

The second is a “bubble” bath bar (“Ma Bar Bubble Bar”) from a great handmade, organic soap company called “Lush”. I was clued in to this wonderful store by a fabulous fashion and couture-conscious friend of mine, Priscilla, in Chicago. This product makes me want to bathe all the time. All the clean…none of the calories. You can find it on their website here.

And in the late spring, I often like to top off my landscaped flower gardens with the smell of chocolate with cocoa mulch. This insanely delicious smelling mulch is actually ground up cocoa bean shells and it is used to keep ants out of your gardens. Makes working in the garden like an afternoon of aromatherapy for chocoholics. Here is one little caveat, though: Be careful not to let your pets close to the stuff….it has been suggested that this product contains theobromine, a chemical that can be dangerous to animals, when ingested and because the mulch smells so irresistible, pets will want to eat it.

And if you just cannot resist eating the stuff– as I know I will not be able to do tomorrow when I hope to be presented with a big, heart-shaped box of expensive chocolates – go for the dark kind as it boasts the most health benefits. And maybe a little red wine to wash it all down.

Ahh…now that is livin’ the sweet life!

Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you! May your day be sweeter than you expected.

Truth...With A Cherry On Top

2009-02-10T07:25:00.000-08:00

(Photo, "I is for Ice cream with a cherry on top" by blondie478, from http://www.flickr.com/)

Whew! February is such a popular month that I would think that the other months might be a little jealous!! Not only is it National Chocolate Month, National Cherry Month, American Heart Month and the month for celebrating lovers and Presidents, I thought it was fitting today to tell you a little bit about cherries and the President who taught us that “honesty is always the best policy”.

First, some sweet information on cherries….According to ChooseCherries.com (Choosecherries.com is sponsored by the Cherry Marketing Institute (CMI), an organization funded by North American tart cherry growers and processors):

Cherries – available year-round as dried, frozen and juice – are "America’s Super Fruit," a homegrown and colorful way to reap the health-promoting properties of antioxidants. Health and nutrition experts say to look no further than fruits grown on American soil for health and wellness benefits. Cherries are a great local alternative to exotic berries grown in faraway rainforests. It’s no coincidence that February is both American Heart Month and National Cherry Month, since science suggests cherries may offer powerful heart-health benefits.

Whether I am eating cherries for my heart or simply enjoying them and seeing how far I can spit the pits, I do love cherries – especially when topping an ice cream sundae but what about the presidential “deviant” who vandalized his father’s prized cherry tree?

According to legend and to the website http://www.apples4theteacher.com/ and author, M.L. Weems:

When George (Washington) was about six years old, he was made the wealthy master of a hatchet of which, like most little boys, he was extremely fond. He went about chopping everything that came his way.

One day, as he wandered about the garden amusing himself by hacking his mother's pea sticks, he found a beautiful, young English cherry tree, of which his father was most proud. He tried the edge of his hatchet on the trunk of the tree and barked it so that it died.

Some time after this, his father discovered what had happened to his favorite tree. He came into the house in great anger, and demanded to know who the mischievous person was who had cut away the bark. Nobody could tell him anything about it.

Just then George, with his little hatchet, came into the room.

"George,'' said his father, "do you know who has killed my beautiful little cherry tree yonder in the garden? I would not have taken five guineas for it!''

This was a hard question to answer, and for a moment George was staggered by it, but quickly recovering himself he cried: “I cannot tell a lie, father, you know I cannot tell a lie! I did cut it with my little hatchet.''

The anger died out of his father's face, and taking the boy tenderly in his arms, he said:
"My son, that you should not be afraid to tell the truth is more to me than a thousand trees! Yes - though they were blossomed with silver and had leaves of the purest gold!''

So today, I will not tell a lie as I write that tonight I will be enjoying some warm, cherry cobbler topped with Blue Bunny® All Natural Vanilla ice cream. You should, too….just do me a favor and buy your cherries at the store - no hatchet necessary!

I Cry "Fon-Due-Over"!

2009-02-06T08:28:00.000-08:00

Did you know that we missed National Chocolate Fondue Day?? For the love of all things sweet, smooth and chocolaty…how could we have missed that??

So I grant all of us a do-over….or, rather…a “Fon-due-Over”. It has only been a day. Kinda like the 5 second rule for when you drop the cupcake on the floor, frosting-side down and you can pick it up and eat it within 5 seconds and it is still good. I think that if no one actually sees it fall and your picking it up…you are allowed 10 seconds in order to use your fingers to scrape up the remaining frosting on the floor and eat that, too.

I digress.

Some of the sweetest (I apologize for the pun) memories of my youth include evenings when my folks had friends and family over to the house and mom had a melt-y pot of cheese or chocolate fondue bubbling in her “burnt orange” hued fondue pot. There were 4 or 6 little forks that you speared chunks of yummy pieces of food and dunked them into the goo. My favorite nights were when chocolate was the featured “fondue goo”.

There were usually bowls of marshmallows, strawberries, angel food cake, graham crackers and I might even remember a Twinkie® or two. Ahh, those were the days…my dad sporting a shiny disco shirt and me with the metabolism of an active, healthy 9 year old. Mom would lay out the spread and party guests would go at it. I can still remember how excited I got when I saw her pull that fondue pot out of the kitchen cabinet. I knew somethin’ special was gonna happen.

Of course, no one ever heard of “double dipping” at that time. It was like “free fondue love”. No one cared about being socially correct. It was all about sweet fondue-riffic indulgence, baby!

Ahh….those were the days. Today, I do not even own a fondue pot but I know they have made a popular comeback.

Maybe I need to run right out and purchase one so my boys can experience the same joy I did when the fondue pot became the centerpiece of the kitchen table.

‘Cause you know somethin’ special is gonna happen!

Go ahead…..serve up some yummy fondue this weekend and, since February IS National Chocolate Month, make it chocolate fondue. Here are some really great recipes for chocolate fondues from GourmetSleuth.com.

Or add a little bit of ice cream fun by hosting a Blue Bunny® Rocky Road Fondue Party. The recipe and video can be found on the Blue Bunny website.

Enjoy a little warm and melt-y chocolate fun on our “Fon-due Over” weekend!

February Foodie Love

2009-02-03T15:08:00.000-08:00

February is a very exciting month for celebrating food.

Maybe it is because half the nation is still maintaining some kind of hibernation mode and all we seem to want to do these days is find justifiable reasons for us to eat. Did you know that February is National Cherry Month? Also – let us not forget that February is also National (a-hem, guys? You have 11 days until Valentines’ Day!!) Chocolate Month.

Because I love food and February is the month for love, I have decided to dedicate all of my blogs this month to my love of all these decadent foods and the days that are devoted to them.

Be looking for some exciting and insightful blogs to come your way in the next four weeks celebrating my love for these, and other, food items that are given a day of recognition this month.

Today’s blog is very brief as I am busy conducting some very important research into these “tasteful” topics!

Stay tuned, fellow foodies, for a month of sweet surprises!

"K"

2009-01-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

This really gets my goat. I have several friends and family (whom I adore!) who use this term often in text messages, emails, and even in the spoken language. Now, to me, to actually speak the word “’kay” (short for okay) is, in my opinion, a slight dismissal toward the person with whom you are conversing. For example:

Me: “Did you remember to put away your gym bag?”
They: “No.”
Me: “Can you please do this for me now?”
They: “’kay…”

The word “’kay” is usually muttered under the breath and accompanied by an eyeroll. This type of behavior is most often associated with my teenager, to which I usually respond with a matronly sigh conveying my annoyance that I am being dismissed .

To read this as a text is equally unnerving. For example:

Me: “hey there. just wondering if we were planning to go out 4 dinner 2morrow.”
They: “yes!”
Me: “call me and we will line up details. lookin 4ward 2 it”
They: “k”

What is that??? Better yet, there is this:

They: “k np” (this stands for “k” “no problem”, which is short for “Okay, no problem”)

“K” might, to the sender, be communicating in the affirmative. It indicates that they have received and analyzed your message and they will react to it. But in my translation, I view the word “k” is that the person I am conversing with doesn’t even have the time to spell out “OK”, much less the full word “okay”. And with no accompanying body language, it is hard to even place the letter “k” into any kind of emotional context. Does it mean, “Hey, that is really great!” or does it dismissively say “Whatever…” ? To me, the word “k” in a text is the same as an “emoticon eyeroll” – you know, one of those little smiley faces where the yellow-faced image looks frustrated? “k” is dismissive and tells me that you don’t even have one extra second to waste on me for you to type one other letter – perhaps, like the letter “o” in front of it.

If you don’t have the time to text “ok”, then I don’t have the time to text you back.

Computers and cell phones and email and text messaging are destroying the way we communicate. It takes away an element of human interaction and lessens the level of personal contact. I feel it strips away some element of emotional interaction and replaces it with some kind of gobbledy-gook DOS language that only allows robots and computers to speak to one another. Perhaps, in a small way, maybe that is what we are becoming: a society of robots and computers interacting. To me, this level of communication simply “does not compute”.

With the advent of blogs and Facebook and My Space, Twitter, and Flickr, we are able to speak and represent ourselves in words and images. We brag about the multitudes of ways that we are now able to connect and to reconnect via technology and cyberspace but let’s not forgot the most important way we connect with others: With feeling. With emotion. With compassion. With passion.

I am not recommending that we give up the means in which we communicate but maybe we should simply MEAN what we communicate. If it is “okay”, then it is ok but it isn’t “k”. Don’t take a shortcut if you are speaking to another individual. It is disrespectful and they may not appreciate it. So before you flip the letter “k” my (or anyone else’s) way, think about how it is being interpreted. You may not be giving it a second thought but I will guarantee that the person on the receiving end might be thinking pretty hard about it.

In the words of Forrest Gump – perhaps the most effective communicator in his own unique way, “And that’s all I have to say about that.”

Ode To Moms

2009-01-27T10:05:00.000-08:00

(Photo by sharaff, from flickr)

Last night, as I was tucking Peanut (my youngest son) into bed, he announced, “You are the best Mom in the whole world.” To which I replied, “Well, thank you! Why do you say that?”

“Just because I love you and you are so good to me.”

I couldn’t have been more taken aback. Then he followed up by saying, “Even though I bet all kids in the world say their mom is the best mom, I think YOU are the best-est.”

He gets his brains and good sense from me…..

But, this morning, I read a news item that a woman in Southern California gave birth to octuplets. Yeah – that is right. Eight babies and all are doing very well, including the smallest one – just 1 pound and eight ounces – who was proclaimed as being “very feisty”. Each baby is named with names from A to H, for each consecutive letter of the alphabet.

I also would like to reference another of my favorite “mom of multiples”, Kate, of “Jon and Kate Plus Eight” on the TLC channel. This is a mom, who with her hubby, Jon, had a set of twins and then a few years later gave birth to sextuplets. The show chronicles life in the “Jon and Kate” household with eight of their own kiddies. Admittedly, I have become a big fan of this show and have forced my own two boys (who will reluctantly admit that they also enjoy the show) to watch it as I exclaim, “See? Imagine having four more brothers and sisters exactly like you that you have to deal with!!”

I give a lot of credit to these parents. It takes lot of guts to raise kids these days. After my first one, we were totally shell-shocked with the amount of work that went in to raising him. It took us four years to begin considering a second child. I love these two boys of mine more than life itself but every day is a new challenge.

From birth to “terrible two’s” to first days of kindergarten. Then progressing to pre-teen-hood, ‘tweenhood…then (gulp!) the dreaded teens. Even after they are out of college, there are more worries. A girlfriend of mine has a 23 year old daughter who just left to visit a “friend” (of the opposite gender) in South Korea, where he is working. My girlfriend, despite her wanting her daughter to live a full and “juicy” (this is her word) life, has her own set of reservations. So…the worrying never stops.

My own sister and her new hubby are now going down this road with their own VERY recent announcement that she is now expecting. They are young and have lots of energy to raise children…which is good, as they want a big family.

Me, on the other hand, am totally complete with my two charming and handsome “handfuls”. They provide me with a very satisfying amount of joy and heartache and all, usually, within the same day.

As my “2009 Intention #17” states, “Being a mother is the hardest job on earth. Women everywhere must declare it so.” Whether it is 15 children, 8, 4, 2, or a single wonderful child, I wish all the mom’s (and dads) of the world a hearty “Well done!” and a firm “Keep on keepin’ on!”

P.S. I also have to give a shout out to my OWN mother, who proofreads all my blog entries. She has served as my own personal proofreader since high school. And while I am at it, I also have to credit her mom, my grandmother, for everything she does for me, too. As Peanut so cleverly observed, ‘Even though I bet all kids in the world say their mom is the best mom, I think YOU are the best-est’.

SWEET LIBERTY!

2009-01-20T07:21:00.000-08:00

WARNING: This blog entry is sappy. If you don’t much care for “syrup-y sweet” patriotism served with hot fudge, sprinkles, whipped cream, and a cherry on the top then I suggest you stop reading immediately and return to this blog on Friday. Don’t say I didn’t warn you….

Today is a special day not only for Americans but for the world. It is a day which reflects the liberties of an American people who have the right to choose their leaders and to be able to honor a President who gracefully transitions the power of the office to another. It is a day for the world to consider how “doing business with America” may change a little.

Today, our nation will pause to revel in the pomp and ceremony of the Presidential Inauguration, as it has done for the past forty-three American Presidents.

Aside from the obvious, this day is historical. It symbolizes change. It symbolizes hope. It symbolizes a new day in politics for our country.

Sometimes I think we take for granted the fact that we can choose our leaders and also to choose to disagree with them. No matter which candidate we supported over the past 18 months, we all, now, must move forward with respect for the office and the things that are being legislated from it.

Last November, when I returned to the states from my trip to the Bahamas, a woman (a Bahaman native) was on our flight. She was travelling to this country just to be a witness to the election. She told us that she just wanted to “feel a part of it”. She could not vote. But she wanted to experience the event, first hand, within the borders of the United States of America.

Life is most certainly sweet when you stop to consider that we live in a place which despite its recent bumps and bruises still affords us the rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Today, of all days, is the day to remember these freedoms and to honor the hundreds of thousands of fellow Americans who have altered or given their lives in order to maintain them.

God Bless America!

(Senator Barack Obama enjoys Blue Bunny Mint Chip Ice Cream in a waffle cone at the Blue Bunny Ice Cream Parlor in Le Mars, Iowa, during the campaign)

Eat Ice Cream To Lose Weight?? The Benefits of COLD

2009-01-16T06:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday morning when I arrived at the corporate offices of Wells’ Dairy, Inc., my workplace, I glanced at the car dashboard. I knew we were setting record cold temps that day and wanted to see just how bad it was. To my horror, my car dashboard read an astounding 22 degrees below zero! At this temperature, I read, flesh freezes in 10 minutes. As it takes me two minutes to walk from my car to the building, I figured I better hustle up and get inside but not before snapping a photo of the dashboard LED readout with my cell phone. And here is the evidence:

I figure when it is this cold outside, there has to be some advantages to being exposed to the cold. Some dermatologists are exploring the benefits of cryogenically “freezing” bare skin (naked people step into a freezer for three minutes - sounds like my kind of fun) to preserve the skin and prevent its aging process.

But what about all the eating I have been doing lately? All this cold has caused me to enter into some sort of hibernation behavior where I am driven to eat everything in sight and adopt a more dormant lifestyle (ergo: replace 40 minutes of treadmill exercise with 4 hours of stretching myself out on the couch eating Hershey bars covered in peanut butter) – my body’s way (I can only surmise) of telling me to layer on the fat to keep myself from freezing to death.

But why, in all of these intensely cold temperatures, do I crave ice cream? I cannot get enough of it and my latest weakness is Blue Bunny® Peanut Butter Panic ice cream. In trying to justify this ice cream addiction, I have been doing a little research to support why I should continue to eat ice cream, even though I must do it while huddled under my electric blanket in order to prevent me from going into hypothermic shock.

To my delight, here is what I found (and I do want to thank my friend, “J-Vo”, for helping me locate this very relevant information!):

As we all know, it takes 1 calorie to heat 1 gram of water to 1 degree Celsius.

Translated into meaningful terms, this means that if you eat a very cold dessert (generally consisting of water in large part), the natural processes which raise the consumed dessert to body temperature during the digestive cycle literally sucks the calories out of the only available source, your body fat.

For example, a dessert served and eaten near 0ºC (32.2ºF) will in a short time be raised to the normal body temperature of 37ºC (98.6ºF). For each gram of dessert eaten, that process takes approximately 37 calories as stated above. The average dessert portion is 6 oz, or 168 grams. Therefore, by operation of thermodynamic law, 6,216 calories (1 cal./gm/deg. x 37 deg. x 168 gms) are extracted from body fat as the dessert's temperature is normalized.

Allowing for the 1,200 latent calories in the dessert, the net calorie loss is approximately 5,000 calories. Obviously, the more cold dessert you eat, the better off you are and the faster you will lose weight, if that is your goal.

Frozen desserts, (ice cream!!), are even more beneficial, since it takes
83 cal./gm to melt them (i.e., raise them to 0ºC) and an additional 37 cal./gm to further raise them to body temperature. The results here are really remarkable, and it supports stretching out my couch eating ice cream to running on my treadmill hands down.

Happy ice cream eating.

January 15 Is National Strawberry Ice Cream Day!! Woo-hoo!

2009-01-13T07:26:00.000-08:00

At the time of this writing, Tuesday, January 13, 2009, at 8:42 a.m., the actual temperature outside is negative five degrees. This does not factor in any wind chill at all. Tomorrow’s forecast is that temperatures here in northwest Iowa could reach the “coldest temperatures on record”. What does that mean, exactly?? Seriously….I know what it means. It means it is too darn cold outside. Yesterday afternoon, the corporate offices at Wells’ Dairy, Inc., closed early so that employees could get home safely – we were experiencing a blizzard (you know….winds of 30 – 40 miles an hour, horizontal snow, zero visibility….fun stuff like that). Fellow employees who crawled home in their vehicles reported this morning that “it was the worst they have ever experienced”. Yikes.

I say all of this because today’s blog is dedicated to strawberry ice cream….an odd topic to cover in the dog-days of winter. Still, it is worth mentioning that Thursday, January 15, is National Strawberry Ice Cream Day!

I am especially interested in celebrating this day on Thursday BECAUSE of the weather. Of course, if you know me, you know that I love ice cream…and I am lovin’ the idea of celebrating strawberry ice cream because strawberries make me think of summer. And….what better way to eat ice cream than when a record-breaking cold is settling over the region? Strawberries remind me of summertime, when the air almost sizzles with the sounds and smells of the season: lawnmowers running in the neighborhood, kids playing in the yard next door, hamburgers on the grill…..late sunsets and early sunrises. THIS is the time to eat strawberry ice cream….but why not on Thursday, too?

Pay homage to the time of year when you can kick back and feel the sun on your shoulders and taste the sweetness of those yummy, fat berries that are the best when tasted straight off the plant after they have been warmed by the sun in a late August afternoon.

Forget the winter doldrums. Forget the wind chills. Treat yourself and your kids to some Blue Bunny® Strawberry Sundae Crunch® Bars or the super-delicious Blue Bunny Champ! Strawberry Cone (by the way…if you haven’t tasted this…..three deliciously enthusiastic words: OH MY GOODNESS!!!!!), or the old favorite: Blue Bunny Double Strawberry ice cream. Wow. I can’t wait!!

Your family might think you are crazy but surprise them with a “Summertime Picnic Dinner” on the living room floor followed by strawberry ice cream for dessert. Then, watch as the winter chills melt away – Celebrate National Strawberry Ice Cream Day on Thursday, January 15!

Tell Me A Story

2009-01-09T07:18:00.000-08:00

(Photo credit: A.W.A.N., from www.flickr.com )

Mr. P.O.D. (remember him? If not, please refer to my blog entry from Tuesday, September 2, 2008) is a very thoughtful and insightful person. He enjoys getting to know people and will even strike up conversations with interesting-looking individuals just to get their “back story”. A fan of military history, he will approach elderly veterans (often identifiable with ball caps and jackets bearing their infantry groups and/or reunion patches and marks bearing battle or warship information) and ask them about their experiences. P.O.D. delights in the learning and re-telling of this information.

Just recently, P.O.D. went to a college reunion dinner party with some old school mates and their spouses. Given that many of these individuals have been out of college for thirty years, and have a lifetime of experiences, one would surmise that there would be a plethora of stories. When asked to share some, according to P.O.D., most of the folks around the table got that “deer in headlights” look and proclaimed that they had no stories.

No stories??

P.O.D. had to coax his former classmates into timidly sharing details from their lives, which ultimately, made them realize that they might, indeed, have a story or two.

But this has now become his mission. In fact, it has now become his favorite “party game”. “Tell Me A Story” has become a fantastic way to get to know people better…even some of those people who we have known for a long, long time. In fact, this past New Years Eve, P.O.D. and I sat around the table with my brother, his wife, their two daughters, and my sister-in-law’s cousin. We told stories for hours, each one getting progressively humorous as the night drew on. The best was hearing my sister-in-law imitate her grandmother’s British accent as she regaled a story from her youth.

What I take from the “Tell Me A Story” game is that there is so much to learn and so much to share and if we all took a few minutes to do this every day with one another, the world might be a much better place.

In fact, I met a dear friend of mine on an airplane (and I am definitely known to NOT be a “plane talker”) by sharing stories over Bloody Marys. At the end of our two-hour flight, we had developed a wonderful friendship. She is 75 and I am 40 and I might have never, otherwise, spoken to this woman but the story game broke down the walls of social indifference. This has been nearly three years ago and we still call and visit each other as often as we are able.

Imagine the wonderful people on the planet that you might be missing. Stop and listen. You might actually find a commonality between you. The world is not that big of a place. In fact, sharing stories will, no doubt, make it feel much smaller and friendlier. I tell stories to all of you twice a week. Now it is your turn.

Tell me a story….

Don't Let The Parade Pass You By...

2009-01-06T10:42:00.000-08:00

Ever since I can remember, I have been a fun-seeker. This being said, I love a good parade – heck…I even love the not-so-good ones. Line up a few cars and a drummer or two and I am thrilled.

I can sniff them out and often will drag my family and friends to see them. You never know what great sights and sounds await you during a parade but all I know is that I am never unhappy during a parade – and I have not known anyone else to be unhappy either.

My favorite parade is, without question, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – the foremost parade event on the planet. It has been a dream of mine to hold the job as Parade Director. My kids know that during the broadcast of the parade, they are to leave Mom alone to clap and cheer along the balloons, floats, marching bands, etc. as they make their way through the streets of New York City in all their commercialized glory.

I had the privilege in 2007 to be able to view this marvel both from street level and from the top of the Empire State Building – a treat that will always remain a treasured memory for me.

But here's the irony…..I cannot stand clowns. Never liked ‘em. Never trusted ‘em. When the clowns walk by, I make sure that I am standing as far away from them as possible. Not that I am certain that they are lovely individuals but I fail to find the charm in these colorful characters with flower pots on their heads and oversized shoes on their feet.

I digress.

On New Year’s Eve Day, my brother’s family, my fella, and myself were all entertained by “The Outback Bowl” parade on the streets of historic downtown Ybor City, outside of Tampa, Florida. It was happenstance that we stumbled upon this parade opportunity. We went to Ybor City to take in its quaintness and to eat some lunch but were rewarded with a bonus opportunity to enjoy this parade celebrating the University of South Carolina Gamecocks and the University of Iowa Hawkeyes . As I am an Iowan, I was able to fully enjoy this experience surrounded by several thousand of my fellow statesmen and Hawkeye fans.

But I don’t know if it was the company, the pleasant Floridian weather, the festive atmosphere or the excitement of the parade that evening, but as I watched the bands and floats and bead-tossing pirates pass me by, I took it as a sign. I was very, very happy.

And then it hits me. Isn’t life, after all, one big parade? We all march to the beat of our own drummers, we are able to watch people pass us by – some are princes and princesses, some are heroes and patriots, and some are even clowns and pirates. If we are lucky, we will be able to catch a few treasures tossed out by each of these people. There is music and dancing and picture-taking and celebrating. And the only way to truly enjoy it is to take it all in and clap and cheer it along.

New Year - New Intentions

2009-01-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

My good friend, Emma, a holistic life coach, has told me that she has big plans for 2009. Her New Year “Intention” (she prefers that term to “Resolution”) is simplification. I, too, would like to adopt this in my life. In fact, she and I have pledged to help each other through this process of whittling back the things that clutter our lives – both physically and emotionally.

I would also like to add one more Intention to my New Year’s plan and that is to follow the list of 20 things that “Oprah Knows For Sure”. Please understand that I am NOT an “Opraholic” but I do find a couple of gems now and then in her magazine. This list of 20 things she knows for sure was on page 284 of the November, 2008, publication of “O” Magazine. Her insights are brilliant and I will be posting these to my bathroom mirror for me to read every morning. They are as follows:

What you put out comes back all the time, no matter what.
You define your own life. Don’t let other people write your script.
Whatever someone did to you in the past has no power over the present. Only YOU give it power.
When people show you who they are, believe them the first time. (This was a lesson Oprah learned from the great Maya Angelou)
Worrying is wasted time. Use the same energy for doing something about whatever worries you.
What you believe has more power than what you dream or wish or hope for. You become what you believe.
If the only prayer you say is “thank you”, that will be enough. (This is from the German theologian and humanist Meister Eckhart)
The happiness you feel is in direct proportion to the love you give.
Failure is a signpost to turn you in another direction.
If you make a choice that goes against what everyone else thinks, the world will not fall apart.
Trust your instincts. Intuition doesn’t lie.
Love yourself and then learn to extend that love to others in every encounter.
Let passion drive your profession.
Find a way to get paid for doing what you love. Then every paycheck will be a bonus.
Love doesn’t hurt. It feels really good.
Every day brings a chance to start over.
Being a mother is the hardest job on earth. Women everywhere must declare it so.
Doubt means don’t. Don’t move. Don’t answer. Don’t rush forward.
When you don’t know what to do, get still. The answer will come.
“Trouble don’t last always.” (A line from a Negro spiritual).

I want to thank Oprah Winfrey for her beautiful insights and for giving me a roadmap to how I hope to live my life in 2009. I hope this is helpful for you, too.

Welcome to 2009. May it be sweeter than ever!

"Days Gone By" and "Happy New Years"

2008-12-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

From my friends at Wikipedia:
“Auld Lang Syne" is a Scottish poem written by Robert Burns in 1788 and set to the tune of a traditional folk song (Roud # 6294). It is well-known in many English-speaking countries, and it is often sung to celebrate the start of the new year at the stroke of midnight on New Year's Day. The song's title may be translated into English literally as "old long since", or more idiomatically, "long, long ago"or "days gone by".

To all my friends and family and anyone else who might be reading “The Sweet Life”, I thank you for hanging out with me these past three months. I look forward to more sharing in 2009. Until then:

Should old acquaintance be forgot,and never brought to mind? Should old acquaintance be forgot, and old times since?

CHORUS:
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.
And surely you’ll buy your pint cup! And surely I’ll buy mine! And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet, for auld lang syne.

CHORUS
We two have run about the slopes, and picked the daisies fine; But we’ve wandered many a weary foot, since auld lang syne.

CHORUS
We two have paddled in the stream, from morning sun till dine; But seas between us broad have roaredsince auld lang syne.

CHORUS
And there’s a hand my trusty friend! And give us a hand o’ thine! And we’ll take a right good-will draught, for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

Happy New Year!

2008 Lists - Part II

2008-12-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

On this, the day after Christmas, I want to now, take a moment to celebrate the good things that happened in 2008. On Tuesday we covered the year’s “eye-rollers”. Today, let’s review some of the “Sweet Spots” from 2008. Again, I also invite you to contribute your own comments below. I am certain I have missed some good ones…..but these are my favorites:

A toast! Red wine is good for you!

Shiba Inu Puppy Cam – in a year of hardship and crisis, leave it to puppies to make us smile! All the cuteness of fuzzy puppies - no housetraining required! I have been watching this website for a couple of months and now the puppies, Autumn, Ayumi, Amaya, Aki, Akoni, and Ando are just about ready to go to their new homes! Tooooo cute!

Heartwarming story of “Annie” the Golden Retriever in Minnesota

Great news for frugal fashionistas: Michelle Obama shops at J Crew!!

Oprah decides to “be healthy” – amen! Maybe this will take some pressure off the rest of American women. Happiness and health is not necessarily tied to a certain body size or shape!

Saturday Night Live’s lighthearted stabs at the 2008 election

Lin Hao, the nine year old “class leader” who saved many of his classmates from the rubble of his fallen school building following the Chinese earthquake. He was honored by the Chinese government with a place of honor next to Yao Ming,a Chinese basektball player, during the opening ceremonies of the Beijing Olympics

Michael Phelps historic Olympic medal wins – notice this is #8??

Heroes in uniform – this includes U.S. Armed Forces, police, firemen and women, doctors, nurses, and even Boy Scouts, especially those who endured the Little Sioux tornado

Singularly the most moving event for me in 2008: Barack Obama Speaks to 80,000 in Chicago's Grant Park on Election Night– Part 1 and Part 2 . I am especially moved at how the crowd silently listens and a nation is inspired.

I hope you enjoyed my lists of "Dips" and "Sweet Spots" for 2008. I hope you all are enjoying a wonderful holiday season! Talk to you on Tuesday!