Girlfriends R 4ever!

Posted on August 1, 2011 by Dee Dee T

Today is… National Girlfriend’s Day!

What would we do without our sista-girls, confidants, shopping buddies, dinner companions, and traveling girlfriends? 

Today spend time and share laughs, information, updates… with your best girlfriend(s).  And let us be sure to inspire, support and encourage each other!

Even if you can’t get together on this day – go ahead and plan it – don’t wait or procrastinate. Here are a few ways to celebrate:

Get a mani/pedi. Visit your favorite spa or salon together (one of my all time favorite things to do with my girlfriends!).

Go wine tasting. Find out when the local wine shops have a wine tasting or go winery hopping at a few wineries (if you are near Gordonsville, VA, try Horton Winery. I love, love, love! their Blueberry Wine. They are open for tastings 7 Days a Week from 10 am – 5 pm). Hmmm… can you say “Road trip?!”.

Friends are like wine, they get better with age.

Get Artsy. Take an art class together and create a work of art for each other.

Give to your community. Donate your time to a soup kitchen or shelter. Check out Minnie’s Food Pantry – they are doing great things!

Bucket list. Make a list of the 10 things you’ve never done, but always wanted to do (before you “kick the bucket”), and promise each other to do at least one thing on each of your lists together at least every 3-6 months.

Plan a girlfriend get-away. Check out Tyland Travel — the go-to lady for group/event based travel! — and plan a mini-break to take together… but just don’t plan it, do it!

Couch potatoes for a Day. Rent the entire series of your favorite TV series and watch back to back episodes of it.  Be sure to have popcorn handy, order pizza or from your favorite “takeout for dinner place”… and don’t forget dessert!

Calories don’t count when you are having dinner with your girlfriends.

Have a heart-to-heart. Maintain a strong friendship by having a necessary, but put off heart-to-heart talk to work through any problems you may have in your relationship. Keep it strong!

A good long talk can cure almost anything!

Donate your clothing. Go through your closets together and set aside anything that doesn’t fit or look good on you anymore (your girlfriends will tell you the truth!). Donate the clothes, shoes, jewelery to your local organizations that accept used clothes, etc.

Sweat together. Go for a run or bike through your local park or hit the gym or the local YMCA/YWCA.

Muse at a museum. Visit one or two art museums and talk about the paintings, prints and sculptures that inspire you.

But wait…there’s more?  Check out Girlfriend Getaways for all kinds of Girl Time ideas!

GEMS MAY BE PRECIOUS, BUT GIRLFRIENDS ARE PRICELESS!

and Happy Happy Birthday to my very best girlfriend in the whole wide world… My Mom!  HAPPY 80TH !!

Always with Love for you Mom!!

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It’s Hotter than July!

Posted on July 21, 2011 by Dee Dee T

When it’s too hot to think, what else is there to say but, “Is it hot enough for ya?” Yep… a store clerk sure nuff said that to me today — making idle conversation as she “rang up” (I mean scanned) my items. My response… “Yep, sure is!”

It looks as though “Is it hot enough for ya day” has come a tad bit early. Believe it or not, IS IT HOT ENOUGH FOR YA day is celebrated on July 23rd every year. But this year we’ve been “celebrating” all week! The temperature has climbed into the 90’s across most of the country.  And the forecast: Hotter than yesterday, not as hot as tomorrow!

So when you’re out and about today, tomorrow, and especially on July 23rd, go ahead… You know you want to say it! Is it Hot Enough For Ya?

And Now… for your amusement, You know it’s hot outside when…

It it Hot Enough For You?

  • It only takes two fingers to drive your car.
  • You ask your boss for extra work in order to stay in the air conditioning.
  • Water comes out of the cold water tap hotter than the hot water tap.
  • You’re getting hot flashes… and you’re a man.
  • Politicians take their hands out of your pocket long enough to fan themselves.
  • You’re sitting inside reading these jokes.
  • A good friend shares a cartoon like this one and it’s the funniest thing ever!

On a day like today, you gotta laugh.
Got A Joke? Share A Joke!
How hot is it!?

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The older I get, The more I want…

Posted on July 12, 2011 by Dee Dee T

… simplicity and clarity that is. I don’t want more STUFF.

Today we celebrate Simplicity Day and the birthday of
Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

 who advised us to:

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you’ve imagined. As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.”

I don’t want complicated STUFF in my life, in my relationships, or even in the technology that I use (and I ♥ technology). If it’s not straightforward and clear I don’t want it. I hope that I am.

There is one thing that’s definitely clear. Moving can really bring into focus how much stuff we accumulate in our lives. It’s hard for me to wrap my brain around how much stuff I have gained in just 6 months, notwithstanding the years and years of stuff I have acquired. I have moved so many times that I can’t even count them on my fingers OR my toes. I’ve moved within the same city, to a different city, to a different state and back again… full circle. I always say “change is good, even if it’s a nickel” and I enjoy the excitement of starting something fresh and new each time, but this moving thing (packing, unpacking, repacking all this stuff and living out of suitcases and boxes) is for the birds! It’s just TOO MUCH STUFF!! It’s time downsize and apply the K.I.S.S. and make it a better rule (Keep it Simple Simon) to every aspect of my life.

Where to start? I’ve only got 2 things on my list. (1) Identify what’s most important to me; and (2) Eliminate everything else. It ain’t gonna be easy, but I am working towards getting rid of that clutter that’s blinding my way… getting in the way of me living my imagined life.

Today I will spend my time doing the things I love, and being with the people I love, (both near and far), Always with Love.

And in the words of Henry David Thoreau… “Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail.”

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My Life’s Just Fine

Posted on July 3, 2011 by Dee Dee T

Today is Compliment Your Mirror Day!

When I heard about this day, I immediately thought about Mary J. Blige’s song, Just Fine. It’s one of those “make you feel good about you” songs. And every time I hear it, no matter where I am, no matter what I’m doing, it makes me smile and I have to move to the beat. And you know what my favorite part of the song is right?  ♪ … So I like what I see when I’m looking at me when I’m walking past the mirror ♫ …  I sing that part real loud and strong!  BTW, Mary J. is jamming in this video (note the Michael Jackson moves). Her dancing seems to express exactly how I feel when I hear this song and see the video. Visualize, if you will, me doin’ the wop in my mirror right now this second. Enjoy the video!!

… and when you walk past your mirror today, don’t forget to compliment it!  Does it smile back after the compliment? 

Sing it with me y’all… Always with Love!

Feels so good, when you’re doing all the things that you want to do
Get the best out of life, treat yourself to something new
Keep your head up high
In yourself, believe in you, believe in me
Having a really good time, I’m not complaining
And I’m a still wear a smile if it raining
I got to enjoy myself regardless
I appreciate life, I’m so glad I got mine
So I like what I see when I’m looking at me
When I’m walking past the mirror…

YouTube Preview Image

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The Halfway Point

Posted on July 1, 2011 by Dee Dee T

Today is Halfway Point Day!

At noon on July 1st, there will be exactly 182-1/2 days left before it’s 2012. It seems like just yesterday we were ringing in the New Year and some of us were making resolutions. And here we are already – at the halfway point!

Are you happy with the progress you’ve made so far? Are you where you want to be? Are you content? For questions 1 and 2, I can definitely say “kinda/sorta”. Question 3… absolutely “nope!”… But, I’ve always been the type of person who’s not looking for, or wanting contentment. There’s a saying that goes “When I get to where I can enjoy just lying on the rug picking up lint balls, I will no longer be too ambitious.” ~Hugh Prather… I will never enjoy picking up lint balls!! … but that’s just me.

Right now this second, is the time to get serious. Right now is the time to look at goals that have been set and take steps towards getting there. Now is time to stop procrastinating all the stuff you’ve been putting off! And do something that will move your life forward.

Often times, it helps to enlist the assistance from people around you.  Those who will encourage (totally and openly), the habits you want – and discourage the habits you don’t want, or wish to be rid of. You know… those who will give you some of that good ol’ tough sand paper rubbing type of love!

In my own quest to find answers and get “kick-started”… again, I came across this website: Barbara Sher: How to Get What You Really Want and thought I would pass it on. Barbara encourages us to start a “Buddy Meeting” system. You and a friend/colleague meet once a week and work towards both of your “individual” goals. You team up and exchange support and resources. Check it out! There’s a plethora (I love that word) of information on making effective changes in your life on her website.

Are you with me? Let’s get going – 2012 will be here before we know it!

*******

What Today will Tomorrow Be?
Check it out on the right under the heading
Every Day’s a Reason to Celebrate … AWL!
 

 

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Quiet Lessons… ~ by Cathi Young

Posted on June 19, 2011 by Dee Dee T

Welcome Guest Blogger Cathi Young to “Blogs Always with Love”!

The Quiet Lessons of My Father (a/k/a “My Papa”)
~ by Cathi Young

My father was a man of few words. But, oh God, he taught a lot of silent lessons. Maybe it was in the way he looked, maybe it was in the way he walked, or just maybe it was in the way he quietly smiled. My first quiet lesson came when I was little girl, around two. I cried and cried to go home with one of my big brothers. My Papa took me to his knee, my very first quiet lesson. In this lesson I learned that no is no, it wasn’t about what I wanted.

The next vital silent lesson came when my girlfriends and I took our very first college road trip. We were Carbondale bound to sing at SIU with our choral group. Of course, it was Kappa Carnival weekend (big party time too). My father let me take the car for the whole weekend [this was a miracle]. We pulled up into the parking lot of the Ramada Inn upon arrival, excited, too excited! We began removing our luggage from the trunk. Lo and behold, in my excitement I laid the keys on the trunk floor and closed the trunk. I had to call Papa!

My Papa had to get my brother to drive more than two hours to bring the spare key. When he and my brother drove up to meet me in the parking lot, I didn’t know whether to be happy or sad. One thing I knew for sure, Papa was mad. I asked my brother why Papa didn’t speak. My brother assured me that it was best that he didn’t – another quiet lesson from my Papa.

My Papa passed on the 3rd day of September (one month, 9 days before the birth of my first child). The time we spent together while I was home on maternity leave was a divine gift. We spent time talking, sharing, laughing, crying, praying, and playing. The eve before he quietly departed, I received my last lesson from Papa. He told me that Mama wanted him to come and be with her (my mother had passed less than two years before). The last quiet lesson was: “Love lasts an eternity.”

I will always cherish the memory of my Papa.

In memory of Augusta Young, Sr. (“Papa”)

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
***
 
Happy Fathers Day… to all who are blessed to be called dad, daddy, pops, papa… and remembering my father Charles D. Thomas, always with love, never without (gone but never forgotten). 
 
What Today will Tomorrow Be?
Check it out on the right under the heading  
Every Day’s a Reason to Celebrate … AWL! 
 
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Smile A While

Posted on June 15, 2011 by Dee Dee T

Today is… Smile Power Day!

SMILE POWER!

Smiling, laughing, and positive thinking have been shown to have a huge number of health benefits to the mind and body, both physically and emotionally.

When was the last time you laughed uncontrollably, with tears running down your face? For me, it happens every time I’m around my mom – its usually at some type of family event; we have to get “that laugh” out. And much to the chagrin of other family members, it typically happens late at night, just as everyone has said their good-nights and are “trying” to go to sleep. It classically ends with me running… sometimes crawling out of the room… anything to get away, in order to stop. Don’t know why we have that affect on each other. And boy, do we hear about it the next morning from the fam. It’s been said that laughter is the best medicine. For me, it’s the best thing ever! I try to do it every day.

But let’s get back to smiling. I recently read that a smile gives the same level of stimulation as eating 2,000 chocolate bars. (Silver Lining: Shows on your face – not your hips) Woo Hoo! It takes twice as many muscles to frown as it does to smile.  And did you know that a smile can lower the blood pressure of everyone who sees it? Apparently, smiling can lengthen your life.

Smiling is the most recognized form of beauty, friendship, acceptance and goodwill. For something that is so easy to give. 

And did you see the SMILE of Congresswoman Gabby Gifford pics posted on facebook? Now that’s inspiration for a smile! I bet you know someone that can use your smile today!  So go ahead – pass it on! It won’t cost a thing.

Which brings me to this. I am reminded of a little poem I heard when I was about 14 years old and it is forever etched in my brain. And it goes a little something like this…

Smile a while.
And while you smile, another smiles.
And soon there will be miles of smiles
And life is worthwhile…
Just because YOU SMILED!

I wish you all a day full of smiles! Pass it On – Always with Love, Never Without!

 What Today will Tomorrow Be?
Check it out on the right under the heading  
Every Day’s a Reason to Celebrate … AWL! 
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90 Degrees in the Shade

Posted on June 10, 2011 by Dee Dee T

 Today is… National Ice Tea Day????

Although today is National Ice Tea Day, it’s FREE lemonade for all in Nature’s Air Conditioned City (my hometown of Bluefield, WV)!  Residents are treated to that cool refreshing drink when the temperature reaches 90 degrees.

Serving free lemondade is a long tradition (72 years) and is a rare treat indeed, as Bluefield, WV usually lives up to it’s nickname of Nature’s Air Conditioned City. But apparently not this year – it’s 90 degrees in the shade! in Bluefield!  It’s the 3rd time this year (and Summer’s not even here yet!) that lemonade will be served. 

But Wait, There’s More…
  • This year has set a record of the earliest date that lemonade has been served.
  • There have been 35 summers that the temperature never reached 90 degrees.
  • In 2010, Bluefield served its historic 200th serving of free lemonade. 
  • There have been many summers when the official thermometer at the Mercer County Airport never hit 90 degrees.
  • Bluefield hit 90 degrees a record 18 times during the summer of 2007.
  • There was not one single 90-degree reading in 2008 or 2009.
  • The highest the mercury has ever climbed to date is 96 degrees, set back in 1988.

Looks like 2011 is off to a record-breaking start… can you say “global warming”?  I can attest to a definite shift in the climate (both winters and summers) in my hometown. What do you think?

Free Lemonade, that cool refreshing drink…
being served in Bluefield, WV on June 10, 2011
11:30 AM – 1:30 PM
 (and is… My Favorite Thing, Right Now This Second)!

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The Audicity to Hope

Posted on June 4, 2011 by Dee Dee T

Today is… Audacity to Hope Day!

It is a day for all Americans to recommit to their dreams with the “audacity to hope” that those dreams can be achieved.

Yesterday it was announced that employers only hired 54,000 new workers in May. This is the fewest number in eight months, and the unemployment rate rose to 9.1 percent… and stocks plunged. And that’s just about the economy. When there’s so much disheartening news in the news, I have the NERVE to hope!

When the storms come, I have the COURAGE to hope… I know that this too shall pass.

It is my hopes and dreams (and a whole lot of prayin’) that get me through rough times. We are a very blessed nation and we, the people, are resourceful. I believe there really is growth out there – it’s just not in the “traditional” way. We are Freelancers, Contractors, Consultants, Independent Workers, and At Home Workers, and that’s just the tip of the iceberg.  It takes GUTS!

I choose to count my blessings this and every day, and look to the future with positivity and with… the AUDACITY to hope for a better day for Our America.

In these uncertain times, I have HOPE for me, HOPE for our country, and…HOPE for you too.  

May your dreams take you… to the corners of your smiles, to the highest of your hopes, to the windows of your opportunities, and to the most special places your heart has ever known.
~unknown

Always with Love, Never Without!

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Cherries – My favorite thing (rnts)

Posted on June 3, 2011 by Dee Dee T

My Favorite Thing — Right Now This Second!

Dark Cherries

Cherries are one of my all time favorite fruits, and I enjoy them fresh during the summer months regularly. But before you know it, they are gone and you have to wait until next season to find them fresh in grocery stores.

Some of my best summer-time memories growing up in West by God Virginia were picking cherries right off the trees in the neighborhood (One had to be very careful with which neighbor it was though. Some of those mean ol’ neighbors would come out with their rifles pointed! ha ha ha). All those good ol’ fruit trees (cherry, apple, pear, and peach) in the ol’ hood are gone now. So sad! :-(

A friend recently introduced me to Dark Sweet Cherries (the frozen kind). Not only are they good tasting, but they are good for you too!  I found them in the frozen fruit section at the local grocery store.  Who knew!!!  Imagine how many times I’ve passed them up while getting frozen strawberries for making strawberry shortcake? Now, lucky for us cherry lovers, they can be eaten all year round. 

Some interesting tidbits my dear friend also told me about cherries… they are considered a SUPER fruit and they help with inflammation. I also found out that cherries provide vitamin C, beta carotene (19 times more than blueberries and strawberries) potassium, magnesium, iron, fiber and folate (a water-soluble B vitamin that occurs naturally in food. fyi “folic acid” is the synthetic form of folate). And, as if taste alone was not enough, for added bonus — a diet incorporating cherries lowers body weight, cholesterol AND reduces body fat (i.e., “belly” fat – woo hoo!!) according to a clinical study by the University of Michigan. And did I mention the frozen ones are already pitted?!!

From now on, I plan to keep a bag in the freezer so I can nibble on their sweet deliciousness whenever I want – Spring, Summer, Winter and Fall!  It’s sure better for me than eating those Reese’s Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups that I love!  ♥

Frozen Dark Sweet Cherries are My Favorite Thing … right now this second!


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