All in Products & Gift Ideas
What do you think of when you hear the words “trail mix”? I’ll share what I think of: sunshine, 75 degree weather, mountains and a John Denver song playing in the background. Pretty much the backdrop of Colorado most days of the year. Trail mix is the perfect food for any activity that involves outdoors, hiking and/or camping.
This is so surreal. Today I am writing a blog post about a national day that was actually founded by me! Last year was the very first year that we celebrated National Thoughtful Day and this Saturday, August 28th, we will be celebrating Thoughtful Day again. Pinch me. Am I dreaming or is this really going to happen every year?
Over the weekend, I took the kids to Minneapolis primarily to watch the Broncos play the Vikings in a pre-season game at U.S. Bank Stadium. While we were there, it made sense to see our friends. From the moment we arrived, my family was immediately pampered and cared for in so many ways. I counted the moments we were were blessed by being hosted:
When we were deciding what to get my mom for her birthday, both of my kids gave me many ideas. I told them that when I was packing up to move, I noticed that their grandmother treasured their gifts so much that she never even used anything. Including a daily Jeopardy! calendar that was still in the packaging and the years is more than half way over! I told my kids that my mom had plenty of great things from them and so sending something that can not be bought in a store would be best.
Many people, whether religious or not, have heard about putting a statue of St. Joseph in our yards to help us sell our houses. Some claim it’s superstitious or think it’s a hoax. Some truly believe in this ritual. For me, I indulged my mom’s emphatic believe and buried a St. Joseph statue in our yard.
Besides getting late night munchies at Taco Bell or Carl’s Jr. as a teenager and young adult, I never fully appreciated the convenience of a drive-thru until I moved to Minnesota. We had arrived to our new home in August which gave me plenty of time to get the lay of the land while running errands with a baby before the first snow came down in November. It didn’t matter, I still struggled for years whenever I schlepped the baby(s) around for errands.
Are you someone who dreams about winning the lottery but actually never plays it? I used to be one of those people. I would sit and day dream about what I would do with all my winnings. I thought if I just wished hard enough I could win. We all know that the formula for winning the lottery would work better if I actually bought lottery tickets. My chances increase from zero to at least one in a trillion. I remember thinking that all that money would solve all my problems.
Saying “Goodbye” to friends and family is not fun. In fact, I would advise everyone to avoid it at all costs. Unfortunately, skipping town without hugging friends and telling them how much we care about them is not the best thing to do. So when my friends decided to throw me a, “Not Goodbye” party (a.k.a. See Ya Later Party), I was thrilled. It was such a thoughtful idea. It turns out my kids’ friends had the same idea too. Many of our friends gathered on particular dates in order for my daughter, my son and I to see our friends one last time before we moved. Each event was an amazing experience.
Like most, I take advantage of not having to make my bed when I stay in a hotel. I also like not having to squeegee a shower door after I take a shower. And another task that I don’t have to do while staying in a hotel is take out the trash. All of these tasks are minimal and it sounds really lame that I enjoy not doing them while I’m away from home. Nonetheless, someone will do these tasks because hotel guests enjoy having clean spaces wherever we are.
Thank you coconuts for being so versatile that it seems like there is really nothing a coconut can’t be used for. I’m actually surprised that we can’t use coconut oil instead of motor oil in our cars. And even though coconut is officially listed as a tree nut (but it’s drupaceous fruit), it is rare for people to be allergic to any derivative of a coconut. Which supports my theory that we can use the coconut for so many things, it’s like the “thneed” in the Dr. Seuss book.
As Father’s Day approaches, one of my besties, Reena, is preparing for her father to die soon. I have been listening to her as she shares very condensed versions of what she has been going thru. There are necessary steps, paperwork and procedures that must be taken care of and on top of that, she is coordinating “last” visits with her father’s community of friends. Reena sums it up by saying that it reminds her of planning a wedding.
Alright, don’t judge me on the organization of my spice cabinet. Sure, I have to lift up each spice jar in order to see what it contains. Jars are always falling over when I am looking for the garlic salt. Obviously, that is an efficient way to spend all the free time that I have - especially when I am cooking. And of course I have spice jars from when I moved from CA to Chicago in 1997.
