Beyond Words

“The wishbone will never replace the backbone.”  Will Henry

©Kathy Womack

Wined and Dined Done Right

 On a recent lazy Saturday, my husband and I stopped off at a Texas Hill Country winery as we were heading home from a day driving around the nearby rolling hills.  We walked in having no idea that a tasting event was in progress.  It was both surprising and fun and made our day complete.  Not soon after, I saw a posting from the Austin Dining Club (more on them later) regarding “The Unspoken Rules of Wine Tasting” as reported by “Bon Appetit” magazine.  I thought it’d be interesting to share some of those tips with you.

I would venture to guess that most of you enjoy a glass of wine every now and then, but do you really know what you’re drinking, how to drink it, and even how to order or buy it?  I have my favorite brands and favorite varieties, but when it comes to actual wine tasting, I can get a little bit lost regarding the sip, swallow and spit routine.  I know a dry red from a sweet white, but don’t ask me about vintages, tannins, or fermentation.  Yes, I’ve been to Napa, but no I’m not a wine expert.

Sommelier Belinda Chang, Winemaker Charlie Wagner, and Napa Chef and Vinter Michael Chiarello are experts and it’s them who “Bon Appetit” and blogger Jason Kessler went to for tips and answers.

First and foremost they highly recommend planning your wine tasting itinerary.  Don’t just get in the car and stop wherever and whenever.  Instead, research what varieties you like and target those vineyards and tasting rooms.  Don’t be shy either, when you enter the tasting, let your preferences be known.  I don’t like very dry white wine so why would I want a wine tasting staff member to pour me a sample? 

Much like a dinner tasting menu, start light and build from there.  You probably wouldn’t start off with a rib-eye and end with a light salad, so keep the heavy reds for the end of your tasting experience.  It’s also recommended to begin with the driest wines first.  A simple rule of thumb:  lightest to richest and most simple to most complex.

Once wine is poured, keep your hands off it!  Actually, keep your hands away from the liquid area of the glass, as body temperatures can affect taste.  You should never hold a wine glass from anywhere other than the stem…that’s why they have them.  Now you are ready to hold the glass up to the light to observe the wine’s clarity and color.  Then, tilt your glass and let the wine run down the sides.  Wines that leave heavy streaks on a glass are said to have “legs,” meaning more alcohol and more sugar content. 

From there, take a tiny sip of the wine and swirl it in your mouth.  This may feel silly and unnatural at first, but the process of doing so actually aerates the wine, allowing oxygen to unleash all of its great flavors.  Keep in mind that the point of wine tasting is to have your whole mouth – front, middle, and back – actually taste it. 

Now, it’s time to spit.  This can be seem even more uncomfortable than swirling but is yet another tasting necessity.  Remember, what goes in should come out…preferably in one clean and quick “poof.”

Once you have all of this down, it’s time to have fun and enjoy the experience.  Whether you’re in Napa, Sonoma (which, by the way don’t like each other at all!), Bordeaux, Chile, or the Texas Hill Country, talk to the tasting staff and make friends with others around you.   Discover what you like and maybe even take a little home with you.

Just What the Sommelier Ordered

When it comes to all things culinary, “Bon Appetit” is always thinking, so the experts there also asked a sommelier the secrets to ordering wine.  Often times a wine menu goes from one person to another before someone brave enough accepts the job of ordering for the group.  This can be a little intimidating, but don’t let it be.  It’s the sommelier’s job to help you find the right wine, so let him or her do their job…you just need to help them a little.

First off, don’t just say you want a “good wine.”  Tastes vary so wide that this is neither safe or smart.  If you don’t see a brand or variety of wine on the menu that strikes your fancy, instead of asking the sommelier what he suggests, tell him what you like.  Do you tend to like red or white more?  Do you enjoy a light, fruity white wine or a full-bodied dry red? If that’s too challenging for you to determine, tell him what you don’t like.  I don’t like either very sweet or very dry wines, so that’s what I would let him know right off the bat.  From there, let him do his job. 

If you order a bottle, be sure to really taste it when the server pours you a glass.  This is your chance to either tell him thank you or perhaps even no thank you.  Don’t wait till several glasses have been poured to let him know you’re not happy with the selection.  Last tip:  slowly enjoy each drink.  Wine is made to be savored.

Vineyard or Winery?

Where you buy wine can also get a bit confusing…and I’m not even talking about stores.  You will notice that some wine labels say they come from a winery while others say they are from a vineyard.  What’s the difference between the two?  There are definite methods to the madness, but, my research on the “Taste of Wine” website revealed there are no legal standards for the use of the terms so any wine producer can call themselves a winery or vineyard if they so choose.

According to the online webpage, a vineyard is, as the word suggests, a “yard” where vines are grown — specifically vines for grapes used to produce wine.  A vineyard may be small with just a few acres or it might be huge with hundreds of acres. Some wine producers may have just one or two areas they call their vineyards or they may have dozens spread around a region, all used to produce a variety of wines.  Those vineyards, however, are not always where wines are produced.  Their grapes may be grown for the purpose of creating wines, but the people in charge of tending the grape vines aren’t always the ones who make the wines.  

A winery, on the other hand, is a place where wine is produced.  It is basically where every part of the process of creating wines takes place once the grapes have finished growing and have been harvested. It is not the same as a vineyard.

In general if someone is going to put “vineyard” on their bottle of wine, they are likely responsible for both growing the grapes and producing the wine you’re drinking.  It is common for vineyards and wineries to be at the same location and managed by the same people, but there are many cases where they are separate.   Many small, family-owned vineyards can’t afford to own and run their own wineries so they ship their grapes to large wineries for processing. There are also wineries that specialize solely in producing wine from grapes sent to them from smaller vineyards and there are wineries that create wines from both their own grapes and grapes sent to them by others.  One setup is not necessarily better or worse than the other. What matters most is your own opinion of the wine when you drink it.

About Austin Dining Club

Created by Founder Gwen Cash, ADC’s mission is to bring people together to experience and explore the art of fine dining.  Members visit some of Austin’s premium restaurants and enjoy getting to know new and interesting people over a great meal.  Cash is also working hard to create a non-profit organization to provide cultural dining experiences for underprivileged children in Austin.  For more information, go to austindiningclub.com.

About Kathy Womack

Austin artist Kathy Womack is best known for her “Women and Wine” series, a series of which I own several and adore.  They are elegant paintings and prints of the simple act of enjoying a glass of wine with friends we cherish.   As Womack says, “The success of the series lies in the fact that I share this view with many women today who might feel the weight of our commitments and just need to get out and mingle.”  For more info, check out kwomack.com.

It seems so many people I talk to lately are either preparing to take a child off to college or to tour universities in search of the perfect one for their son or daughter. I have just one more week at home with our daughter before we take her back to college and it all reminds me of a trip I took a few years back that still brings a smile to my face. 

 Seeing the South Through Its Universities

I knew the trip was going to be a memorable one as soon as my friend Kelly and her daughter Robyn picked us up in their loaded-down, big as Texas, SUV.   What I didn’t know was just how memorable it would turn out to be.

It was the four of us:  Kelly, Robyn, my daughter Kristen, and myself.  Texans headed into the Deep South to visit potential universities for high school juniors Robyn and Kristen.  It would be the Spring Break of all Spring Breaks.  We had it all mapped out:  drive through six southern states in one week and return with college choices in mind.  Kelly was armed with mountains of AAA maps and we both had files of confirmation numbers for campus tours, staff appointments, and hotel reservations.  Leaving Austin early in the morning, we headed east as we made our way south.  First stop:  Vicksburg, Mississippi.  Or so we thought.

 As we drove mile after mile through just Texas, we realized that, without any male riders aboard, we could stop wherever and whenever we wanted – flea markets, small-town boutiques, restrooms- all had our names on them!  

 Finally crossing the Texas state line into Louisiana, we couldn’t help but realize just how long we’d been driving….but only in Texas!  Getting restless, we blew through the Bayou State and finally arrived in Vicksburg.  Even though we wanted the trip to be entertaining, we also wanted it somewhat educational so Vicksburg was our first scheduled “must see.”  We arrived in the historical Civil War town in the middle of the night, found a hotel, and rested.  We woke up early, and with Vicksburg native Myra as our guide, we drove into the Nationa lMilitary Park.   We drove out very impressed.  Even the girls knew they had just seen something special.

 No rest for the weary though.   We had five universities to tour in five days.  Although we debated for months which ones to include on our itinerary, we settled on MississippiState, Ole Miss, Alabama, Auburn, and Arkansas.  (Tennessee, Clemson and Georgia didn’t make the cut.)  We loved something about each one but will most fondly remember the friendly and endearing admissions counselor at MSU who constantly said “I’m just pickin” instead of the more familiar “I’m just kidding.”  We will also never forget a wonderful one-on-one meeting the four of us had with an Ole Miss Chancellor.  Her nameplate said “Dean” but her visit with us about being a mom of a college-aged girl as well revealed much more than an educational pedigree:  she was a true southern lady and was smart enough to never forget it.

 In between our college visits, we managed to visit Elvis’ birthplace in Tupelo, Graceland in Memphis, and dear friends who live in Alexander City, Alabama.  We drove thousands of miles and got very little sleep, but what we will remember most from our “Southern Swing” are the laughs we shared and the kindness we were shown.  In the end, the girls chose two schools not even on our itinerary (Oklahoma for Kristen, Oklahoma State for Robyn), but I know I speak for all of us in saying we’d do it all again, just for the fun of it.

Sweet Tea and Sweet People

So what is it about the south?  My daughter loves all things southern, from the boys she dates to the music she listens to.  She only looked at universities in the south and is enormously proud to be a born (but Sooner bred!) Texan.  Being the daughter of a Yankee from New York and a Hispanic from New Mexico, I guess you could say all those years of Texas history classes proved their worth!

 In our trip to southern universities, we experienced  first-hand what southern hospitality is all about.   Everything seems calmer in the south, slower, from the drawls to the doings.  Say what you will about the south (i.e.: “rednecks”), but no one ever retires “up north.”  Southerners are celebrated for their charm and their gentleness.  In Margaret Mitchell’s famous “Gone With the Wind,” Scarlett O’Hara was not written as typically attractive, but the novel does state that people around her were taken by her charm. 

 Southerners are also known for their sweet tea and sweet dispositions.  They are also fiercely patriotic and put faith and family first.  Manner are paramount to southerners, and as the mom of a young woman, I want nothing more than for her to dress and act like a lady and to be treated as such from a fine young gentleman.  Don’t get me wrong, I still want her to have the guts and grit of Leigh Anne Tuohy from “The Blind Side,” but at the same time ask herself “WWAD?”  “What would Audrey – as in Hepburn – do?”  As she says, “Don’t mess with Texas, and don’t mess with Texas women!”

 So, do you use real mayonnaise in your chicken salad?  Do you say “yes sir” and “no ma’am?”  Do you think pearls never go out of style?  Do you believe good manners can take you places neither money nor education can?  Do you love college football?  Do you consider thank you notes a necessity?  Then, ya’ll just might be southerners!  Yeehaw!

Enough’s Enough

 How much is enough?  Do we really need more than we have?  What if we could finally come to the understanding that what we have right this minute is really and truly enough?  Those, my readers, are not my words but a descriptive review of the Will Davis Jr.’s new book “Enough:  Finding More by Living with Less.”  The book was recommended by Susie Davis, whose blog “The Good News Girl” is one of my favorites.  It arrived in my in-box as I was writing my recent blog about the little things in life, in which I talked about loving simple daisies over extravagant roses.  I also included one of my favorite quotes, “enough is as good as a feast,” from Mary Poppins, and it got me thinking.

 I’ll admit it:  I’m a pack rat.  A major pack rat.  My husband would agree and would probably go so far as to say I’m a hoarder, even though I guarantee he’s never seen or heard of the reality TV show.  I say it’s because I’m so nostalgic.  He’d say it’s because I’m crazy.  Thankfully, I am an organized pack rat.  I know just where everything is, even though those “things” should probably be donated or in the nearest landfill.

 Whatever the case, when do we ever have enough?  When are we satisfied?  We live in a society that stresses more…more money, more stuff, more power, more everything.  In his book, Davis challenges us to move away from this type of thinking and instead discover the peace that comes through contentment with what we have and compassion for those in need.  His goal is to show us the rewards of living with less in order to be more and do more with our lives.  Sounds simple enough, right?

 I don’t watch “Hoarders” but I am newly addicted to Pinterest.  Many say it is the on-line version of hoarding, and I gotta kinda agree.  My boards do consist of cool ideas and tips, but some are just collections of things I love and cherish.  But, isn’t it more important to collect moments, not things?   How do we become not just happy, but truly content?

 George Lorimer once said “it’s good to have money and the things money can buy, but it’s also good to check once in awhile to make sure you haven’t lost the things money can’t buy.”  And what would those be?  I believe they are faith, family, friends and good health.  Without those, nothing else really matters, right?  They should be the “things” we strive to attain and cherish.  Sadly, I don’t always practice what I preach.

 Maybe I should take a personal challenge and not buy one thing for a certain amount of time.  I would probably discover that my life would not suffer a bit from doing so.  Do I really need another frame, another pair of shoes, or another end table?  I’m hearing a resounding NO!   

 My friend Christie is probably saying it the loudest.  She of the exquisite taste and fabulous wardrobe, but, she of recently selling her stunning Florida home with everything in it.  WHAT?????  No way!  When she told me, I about fainted.  I think I’d rather bungee jump then sell my house with EVERYTHING in it!  What’s the lesson here though?  The more things you own, the more they own you.

So true and so what got our country into the current debt crisis.  “I can’t afford that huge house with a pool but the bank will lend me the money anyway so let’s get into debt up to our eyeballs and buy it anyway.”  There will always be someone with bigger, better and more things than you.  Rather than envy, I often sympathize with those who live in Hollywood or anywhere where money is abundant, as the competition to keep up with the Joneses must be exhausting.  Maybe that’s why they turn to plastic surgery and substance abuse so often.  They own everything and have been everywhere, the only thing left to change is ME and then numb the inevitable dissatisfaction I have with everything.  An exaggeration?  Probably, but maybe ever so slightly accurate.  A pretty face doesn’t always mean a pretty heart, and it certainly doesn’t always mean a happy heart.  Some people are so poor all they have is money and still others have more money then sense.

 One of my favorite children’s authors was Maurice Sendack, who recently died.  I keep a favorite quote of his on my refrigerator:  “There must be more to life than having everything.”  Yes, Mr. Sendack, there must be.   To find that life, maybe the secret is simply not letting the things you want make you forget the things you have.  It’s called being grateful and it just might be the real secret to genuine happiness and to finding what’s truly “the right stuff.”

“True friends are like jewels:  precious and rare.  False ones are like leaves:  found everywhere.”

Is Tilapia Really Worse Than Bacon?

I love red meat.  I can’t imagine being a vegetarian.  Still, I know full well that red meat is not always good for me.  So, in recent months I’ve worked hard at buying more fish to cook at home.  Imagine my horror when I read the above headline on a recent blog!  What???

The post was by Dr. Axe at draxe.com who cited a report by Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center that showed farm-raised tilapia, one of the most highly consumed fish in America, has very low levels of beneficial Omega 3 fatty acid and, perhaps worse, very high levels of Omega 6 fatty acids.  Many of us don’t think twice about eating fish and tilapia tastes reasonably good and is relatively inexpensive.  If it sounds too good to be true, is it?

Yes and no.  It all revolves around where the fish you eat came from. There is a world of difference between fish caught in the wild and farm-raised fish, and it’s worth your while to know just what those differences are.  Turns out, all fish are not created equal.

 Most nutritionists believe farm-raised fish can actually sometimes be bad for you. They may be healthier than some red meats, but they are not always “health food.”  Farm-raised fish may have at least 10 times the cancer causing pollutants as those bred in the wild.  The crowded conditions of fish farms cause the fish to be more susceptible to disease so farm owners give them antibiotics, which can be dangerous to humans.  They are also often treated with harmful pesticides to combat sea lice. 

“For individuals who are eating fish as a method to control inflammatory diseases such as heart disease, it is clear that tilapia is not a good choice,” Dr. Floyd Chilton, a professor of physiology and pharmacology and the director of the WakeForestCenter for Botanical Lipids said.  “All other nutritional content aside, the inflammatory potential of hamburger and pork bacon is lower than the average serving of farmed tilapia.”

In fact, the study concluded that eating farm-raised tilapia may worsen inflammation, which can lead to heart disease, arthritis, asthma, and other health conditions, and could be a potentially dangerous food source for those patients.

 It’s not all bad news though, and facts need to be personally tailored to an individual’s health plan.

“Tilapia is not necessarily worse just because it contains less Omega-3 than salmon and more Omega-6 than bacon,” said Dr. Eliza Mei Perez Francisco, a nutrition support physician at St. Luke’s Medical Center. “It still has many nutritional benefits, and cannot be judged solely on its potential to cause inflammation.”

And unlike other fish, tilapia has very low levels of mercury because it is a fast growing- and short-lived fish that mostly eats a vegetarian diet.  It has been around since Biblical times and is even sometimes called “Saint Peter’s fish” because that was the fish the apostle caught that reportedly carried a coin in its mouth.

Originally, tilapia was only raised in Africa, but because of its introduction into fresh water lakes, it is not only a growing food source, but a growing industry.  Today Asia accounts for 63 percent of worldwide tilapia production, with China, Indonesia, Thailand, and the Philippines producing the most.  Dr. Kevin Fitzsimmons, president of the World Aquaculture Society, calls it the “food fish of the 21st century” and is also referred to as “aquatic chicken” because both Americans and Europeans consider it a low cholesterol “white meat.”

Besides Tilapia, the most common types of farm-raised fish are:

Salmon

Carp

Sea Bass

Catfish

Cod

 If you’re looking for a healthy daily does of omega-3-fatty-acids, stick to wild caught fish like wild sockeye salmon.  Taking a high quality fish oil that contains astaxanthin is also recommended for many.  As for buying fish to eat, check local health food stores and make sure you’re buying real wild caught fish. 

 Sources:  Agriculture Business Week 4/16/09, Brad Sylvester/Yahoo, draxe.com.

Kate Spade

 I was recently watching one of my all-time favorite movies, “Sex and The City,” and even after numerous viewings, I teared up during several scenes.  I love when sweetCharlotteangrily screams “NO!” at Big when he tries to talk to Carrie after leaving her at the altar…or the stairs in her case.  I also totally relate to the scene where Charlotte, Amanda and Samantha decide to go to Cabo after peaking at a still sullen Carrie sitting on the couch, and, what girl doesn’t love the scene when Samantha spoon feeds Carrie in Cabo?  These are true girlfriend moments and equal any of the funny and romantic parts of the movie.

Yet another scene that always touches me is when Big puts that gorgeous cobalt blue Manolo Blahnik pump on Carrie as he proposes in the closet.  So loving.  So fitting.  Wait, the gesture or the shoes?! 

Okay, I admit it:  I am a self-proclaimed shoe-a-holic.  There, I’ve said it.  Anyone who knows me is aware of this.  I never deny it, I never hide it, and I certainly know I am not alone!  Have you seen the TV ads for JustFab.com…an entire website dedicated to finding you that perfect shoe complete with a shoe consultant?  Have you watched “House Hunters” and died every time a giant walk-in closet is revealed?  But, where is HE going to put all HIS stuff?!

What is it about shoes and women?  Maybe it’s what I like to call the “Cinderella Syndrome.”  It is said the Disney princess is proof that “a good pair of shoes can change your life” and, although I may not agree that a prefect pair of pumps can literally change my life, I do agree with this Marilyn Monroe quote. 

Remember playing in “high heels” as a child?  What about all those adorable Barbie pumps?  Were they fun or what?  I am not, by any means, a Wizard of Oz fan, but I get the magic of those ruby slippers Dorothy wore. 

For me, shoes provide an avenue of style and fun.  They also are a matter of comfort…both internally and externally.  Being a “plus size” woman, I forever struggle with clothes fitting just right.  This is not the case with shoes.  I know I can walk into any shoe store anywhere and find a fabulous fit! 

As I said before, you know and I know I am not the only one who is obsessed with shoes.  Take my dear friend Christie who has more style in her pinky than I do in my entire body but is, at the same time, the original “save the earth” momma.  Yet, during hurricanes in herFloridahome, what does she take with her?  Photos and shoes!  Now that’s a girl I can relate to!  Then there’s my high school friendBeckywho worked for two high-end and reputable shoe companies before going back to college to get a late-in-life college degree.  I am so proud of her and I’m also proud that, where is she today?  Working in the shoe industry and living a fabulous life of fun and travel.

My husband and daughter make fun of my devotion to shoes, but trust me, she is right there with me.  On her Christmas list?  Shoes.  Birthday list?  Shoes.  Have I created a monster or a fashionista…are they the same thing?!   

No essay on shoes would be complete without mentioning Christian Louboutin.  For those of you who don’t know, Louboutins, or “Loubous” are the most coveted shoes in the universe by those who can afford them.  Prices start at around $1,000 and can go up to tens of thousands.  Yes, TENS of thousands!  You may have seen them.  They’re the shoes with the trademark red lacquered soles.  Would I ever spend that much money on a pair of shoes?   Probably not, and I have to wonder if they would be as trendy as they are without those red soles.  Yes many of them are works of art, but so are Manolos and other brands.  I am therefore convinced that JLo, Cameron, and all 500 Kardashians wear them just to show they can.  This, annoys even this shoe-a-holic.

Even as I contemplate my next purchase, I instead admire someone like Kate Middleton who wears her trusty nude pumps over and over.  I also treasure the card that hangs in my closet that my friend Ana gave me during a trying time, which asks, “Do these shoes go with my stress?”  I love it so much I used the wording for a board on Pinterest.  Yes, I OF COURSE, have an entire board just for shoes!  One of the coolest pins I included is this photo of the sole of a bride’s shoe that has a surprise love note written on it from her groom.  That, my friends, is much more special to me than a red sole.

I have no plans to therapeutically address my shoe addiction and most likely will continue to stock my closet.  I know it’s excessive and impractical, but it works for me and if the shoe fits…

   “Never look back.  If Cinderella went to pick up her shoe, she wouldn’t have been a princess.”

“I said to myself I’m going to quit complaining.  Lord, help me realize how brief my time on earth will be.  My whole lifetime is but a moment to you and all my busy rushing ends in nothing.”  Ps. 39

“Love ya.”  That’s all the text said yet I’m still thinking about it and even now, writing about it.  It was simple, came from my daughter Kristen and, was more than enough. She doesn’t say it often in a text so when she does, it means the world to me.  Such a little thing that made such a big difference.  Isn’t that what life’s really all about though:  the little things?

Call it what you want…”smell the roses,” “count your blessings,” or simply enjoy the simple things.  Amazingly, even as I was writing this, my friend Karen called to invite me over.  She had bought a strawberry de-corer for me and was ready with melted chocolate, berries and Arnold Palmer iced tea.  It made my day!  A tiny, $5 kitchen gizmo resulted in a couple of hours of quality time with someone I just don’t see often enough. 

Yet another friend, Carolyn, chronicled these very sentiments in her wonderful book “BackyardPearls,” in which she cleverly reminds us that in order to find the gems in our crazy lives, sometimes all we need do is look out our backdoor and into our own homes.  Perhaps Mary Poppins said it best when she told a young Jane and Michael Banks “enough is as good as a feast.”  It has always been one of my favorite quotes and I must say, the British nanny was spot on!

I do love to travel and enjoy getting “dolled up” once in a while, but this photo depicts one of my all-time favorite things to do:  surround myself with good friends, good food,  and good conversation.

 Give me a mason jar full of daisies over an elaborately packaged dozen roses.  For me, a heart-shaped box of chocolates on Valentine’s Day brings me as much joy as a little blue box from Tiffany’s.  And speaking of sweets, I do love my Crème Brule but I’m also a full-fledged Brownie fanatic.  And cheese?  Yep, I’m proud to admit I’ll take a bowl of queso any day over a platter of Brie. 

For me, it is about counting my blessings and enjoying the little things.  I actually have a small “count your blessings” sign above my bathroom sink that I see every morning and every night and it serves as a constant reminder that big doesn’t always mean better and expensive doesn’t always mean the best.  I love nothing more than lazy “do nothing” days and I tend to look back more than I look forward.  Nothing confirms this better than our family Christmas tree.  Number one, it’s always real and number two, it’s not lavish.  Nope, it is humbly decorated each year with treasured childhood and homemade ornaments and those bought in far away places.  No color-coordinated, fancy-smancy tree for us.  Give me down-to-earth and give me the real deal.

That sign pretty much describes me – I’m definitely a wordsmith and I do love pretty things – as long as they are meaningful, elegant, or practical.   One of my favorite extravagances, if you will, are expensive sheets and down comforters and pillows.  I LOVE comfy and cozy beds.  But, right next to them in my inexpensive nightstand are not high-end, celebrity-endorsed lip balms, but rather Mentholatum and Rose Bud Salve…right next to my dollar store back scratcher.

I don’t know what kind of sheets my dear friend Janel has, but I do know she always uses cloth napkins, which I love about her.  You see, Janel is one of the most unpretentious ladies I know.  She’s not out to impress anyone.  She’s not trying to save the earth from needless paper napkins.  She plain and simply likes cloth napkins and the grace and polish they represent.   I love scented candles, but as long as one smells good it can be from a posh boutique or an inexpensive chain store.  Keep it simple silly. 

So today, look around.  What little things in your life bring you great joy?  Appreciate them and always remember that someone else is happy with less than you have and that there is always, always something to be thankful for.  What are you grateful for today?

Think about it…

What if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?