Good Morning Dear Reader:

I know I mentioned this in my previous post, but for some reason, I am inspired to sew–not that I am a seamstress! In fact, I am sure at the back of one of my dresser drawers are some almost fabulous creations that I sewed the last time I had this impulse, which I believe was 1983.

There is a hot pink palazzo pant outfit which was my first attempt at installing a zipper. I say attempt because it never actually zipped. If I dug further, I am sure I would find other almost treasures, victims of my creative side–just a little short on the technique.

This time out, I may actually take a class or just limit my sewing to garments and home goods that have no zippers, button holes or other fasteners–basically pillow cases, tablecloths, and sheets. Give me a little time and I am sure Macy’s will be featuring my designer line of linens just like Martha Stewart’s. Too much coffee you say? No, too many episodes of Project Runway and Fashion Star!

I do love both of those shows because the designers are just so incredibly talented, unlike most other reality shows. Sure, there’s lots of drama, but you’d be dramatic too if you had to create evening wear out of paper bags. I’m also a big fan of all the do-it-yourself and cooking shows. Like my friends who watch them, I have discovered that it is so satisfying to watch them, you feel no need to actually do any of it. I do miss the actual tasting and eating. But on the positive, I save a lot of calories that way.

Meditate on this…

Great reviews at Amazon.com

As you know, I am always struggling to master meditation. So far I am up to 2 minutes of blissful tranquility. I picked a copy of Good Housekeeping Magazine from January 2012 while getting a pedicure and discovered a great tip for a three-minute meditation, which in my case seems doable. You may want to try it for those times when you are stressed out from trying to make an evening gown out of paper sacks o rif you  just learned you’re pregnant with triplets–whichever.

Three-Minute Meditation (Page 44, adapted from Emotional Freedom by Judith Orloff, M.D.)

1. Find a peaceful place.

2.  Gently rest your palm over your heart. Now concentrate on a person, place, song or memory you love. The idea is to let yourself feel love and to concentrate it as energy in your chest.

3.  Visualize any thoughts as clouds drifting in the sky. Let them float by and out of your mind.

4.  Observer the sensations in the area of your heart:  heat, coolness, bliss, compassion, release of pressure, vibration. In time, you will feel positive energy flowing into your body.

This excellent exercise was featured in a article by Denise Foley entitled, The Secret to Beating Fatigue. Is there a women alive who does not deal with this issue? I do recommend looking for the complete article, but in a nutshell here’s her advice:

1. Shake up your routine–try new things, even in very small doses, new routes to work, listening to different music,  or a different workout.

2. Find your passion–If your job doesn’t happen to be it, look for other ways in your life to find your spark, a charity, a hobby, a goal.

3. Hang with the fun crowd–surround yourself with positive people and spend time with them regularly.

4. Vanquish the vampire–those people– (love the author’s description) “Angry, Whiny, Needy, Grumpy, Nasty, Killjoy, and Toxic” who are in your life. If they happen to be family, it’s more difficult, but set boundaries with them and limit your contact.

5. Take a break–Everyone needs breaks to maintain a high level of energy–to refresh. These are vacations and long weekends, even mini-breaks in your workday. For a real mini-mini-break, try the meditation exercise above and consider ordering Judith Orloff’s book!

Now, don’t you feel all better? Me, too!

Have a wonderful stress-free day!

Diane

So perfect! Found at Jennika's in Kingwood

After visiting some model homes in the neighborhood, which I might add were done by professional decorators, I am so obsessed with paint and linens. The new colors frequently include my all time favorite, aqua, in some shade, usually pale and subtle. It is enough to make you start to fantasize about paint brushes, buckets, and drop cloths.

For me, reality intervened when I recall my most recent painting project at our area women’s shelter where I got to indulge my painting urge. It looked so simple, just repaint the walls and wooden built-in bunk beds. Did you ever try to paint a ceiling while squatting on the slats of a top bunk?

Do you know the pain that appears the day after scrunching into weird contortions while painting overhead or trying to reach a recessed corner over an armoire? I do now.

Do you know how fast paint runs when someone turns over a gallon can? Did you ever try to contain that moving glob of paint when all you have is two limp paper towels? It seems painting is not so simple after all.

Choosing paint colors could easily take me months because there are probably no less than 10,000 colors to chose from. I know for a fact that there are easily 500 different whites. Better Homes and Gardens has a new paint tool, check out www.betterhomesand gardens.com. Also Sherwin Williams‘ web site  (www.SherwinWilliams.com) has a similar feature that lets you see what a color would look like in your room. Way better than those big stripes of paint samples smeared across your dining room wall.

Home Decor in Kingwood…

Not to mention that one size fits all!

I love this mirror at Jennika's!

If you have not visited Jennika’s gorgeous store, you must! Located at 4501 Magnolia Cove Dr. #107 down on Lake Houston, across from Raffa’s, it has some stunning home decor and great gifts as well as clothing, hats and purses. It has those off-beat finds that make great gifts for that hard to shop for person–like you!

I fell in love with this amazing mirror that would just make a room! I noticed they also carry a unique line of bras in hard-to-fit sizes. In fact they are having a one-day bra-fitting clinic on Wednesday, May 16th from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sometimes Dessert Wins…

I do my very best to resist the call of dessert, especially in the middle of the day at lunch. To give in is just the ticket for dozing off at an important meeting or appointment.

Amedeo's does bread pudding right! Oh yum!

Last week I succumbed to one of my all time favorite indulgences…bread pudding. I have always thought that New Orleans has the definitive bread pudding, but Tony Raffa of Amedeo’s and Raffa’s has turned my head with their version with features additions such as chocolate, berries, and other fruit and is just divine. Taste it and you will agree it is worth any sacrifice!

I like to remember what the wonderful, late, Erma Bombeck said, “I’ll bet the ladies on the Titanic wished they hadn’t passed up the dessert cart”.

Have a wonderful day!

Diane

I hope you are enjoying  the gorgeous flowers that are bursting into bloom everywhere. This morning I saw the most beautiful morning glories, flowers that I have not noticed for years. The colors are just stunning. It is enough to make even the brownest thumbed person want to try again!

I grew up in a family where both my parents not only loved flowers but could grow anything. Living at home, my gardening experience was limited to raking pine straw, which fell by the bushel barrel in our heavily wooded yard. Daddy did not believe in leaving the yard “natural”. So on Saturdays, my sister and I manned the rakes.

As the years passed, and I had my own yard, I regretted not paying more attention to how my parents cared for plants. Thinking back to my Dad’s vegetable garden, I remembered how he generously sprinkled the pesticide, chlordane, to kill insects that threatened to destroy his vegetables. In 1983, the EPA banned chlordane because of its dangerous effect on the environment and humans. I often wonder if Dad’s Parkinson’s Disease might have been triggered by that pesticide.

This past week, I attended a wonderful presentation on Holistic Nutrition by Debra Vaughn, M.S. who holds a certification in the subject and has studied it extensively since she began suffering with arthritis 20 years ago. Through diet, she was able to control the pain of her arthritis, avoid knee replacement surgery, and as a side benefit has eliminated seasonal allergies (she credits elimination of most dairy products) and has not had a cold for years. Vaughn is a vegetarian now and believes her high energy level and good health are a direct result of her diet.

Grow your own and raise them organically! That's smart!

She shared the Environmental Working Group’s Shopper’s guide to pesticides in produce, called the Dirty Dozen and the Clean 15. While buying organic fruits and vegetables are slightly more expensive, for those with any serious health issues, and for children, it might be worth the added cost.

I do not remember when I was growing up the incidence of autism, attention deficit disorder, bi-polar issues, or cancer. There is little we can do to protect ourselves from the air we breathe,but we can make better food choices.

The Dirty Dozen:

Apples, Celery, Strawberries, Peaches, Spinach, Nectarines, Grapes, Sweet Bell peppers, Potatoes, Blueberries, Lettuce, Kale/Collard Greens

The Clean 15:

Onions, Corn, Pineapples, Avocado, Asparagus, Sweet Peas Mangoes, Eggplant, Cantaloupe, Kiwi, Cabbage, Watermelon, Sweet Potatoes, Grapefruit, Mushrooms.

Also, don’t forget there are now “acceptable” levels for the amount of DDT in apple juice and milk. How depressing, since those are the two liquids found in most children’s diet up until age 2 or so.

Many of the fruit and veggies on the Clean 15 list have a heavier outer skins which affords protection to the inside of the fruit or vegetable. Packaged spinach, lettuce, etc. , even though they are pre-washed, are not safe unless they are marked “organic”. Some farmer’s markets have vendors whose crops are organic and/or sustainable. Look for them.

When fruits and vegetables look so beautiful in the grocery store, it is difficult to believe that they could not be good for you, but in this case, what you can not see can truly hurt you and your family. For a great documentary on sustainable agriculture, see: www.forksoverknives.com or www.foodmatters.tv/#.

Good books to check out:  Digestive Wellness by Dr. Elizabeth Lipski, and Healing Foods , How to Prevent Diabetes, and What the Drug Companies Won’t Tell you and Your Doctor Doesn’t Know by Michael T. Murray.

Don’t be depressed by this information–do something! Shop smarter and educate your friends and family.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Diane

There are acres of beautiful wildflowers waiting...

Driving down Highway 290 from Houston to Austin this weekend, I didn’t expect to see the profusion of wildflowers that I saw last month with the explosion of the gorgeous bluebonnets, particularly near Brenham. What I did see were acres and acres of magnificent susans, both red and yellow from Brenham all the way to Austin.

I kept intending to stop and take photos, but the traffic was fierce on Friday and I thought, “I’ll just stop on the way home and get some photos of the best spots”. When I turned into the little street that leads to our lake house, there right before me was the biggest and most beautiful field of them, just laid out like an enormous blanket. I pulled off the road and made these pictures so you could enjoy them as well.

I highly recommend driving over to see them. It is well worth the trip. By the way, the Blue Bell Creamery is on the way if you aren’t motivated enough by the wildflowers.

Good Advice from our friend, Dr. Mehmet Oz…

I love watching Dr. Oz’s TV show, but I don’t get to see it much since my TIVO time is now devoted to my top shows of the moment: The Middle, Modern Family, Dancing with the Stars (the best season, ever) and American Idol ( pretty awesome as well).  It is all I can do to keep up with them.

Thankfully, Dr. Oz also writes for the Houston Chronicle and Oprah Magazine, so I get his good advice here and there. He also has a terrific book out, You, The Owner’s Manual, co-written with Dr. Michael F. Roizen. There are other versions available as well, on topics such as beauty, diet, and one for teens. Every possible health question is addressed in great detail.  It may help you avoid a trip to the doctor, but if you must go, you will go armed with intelligent questions.

Some great advice from the good doctor:

1.  An early morning regiment of yoga or Dr. Oz’s 7-minute routine (oprah.com/ozvideo) can double your morning metabolic rate for hours.

2.  Drinking a pint of cold water first thing in the morning may also spike your metabolism up to 30% for as long as an hour.

3.  500 milligrams of white bean extract may improve your muscle-to-fat ratio. Important because muscle burns 3x more calories than fat, plus it is much more attractive.

4. Don’t skip the protein for breakfast. Digesting protein takes up to 7x more energy than digesting carbs or fat.

5.  Don’t give up the coffee. Caffeine keeps your metabolic rate revved, increasing the energy you burn by 16% for up to 2 hours..

6. Drink green tea. Not only does it increase metabolism, but it may also reduce body fat and trim the waistline.

Two new beauty products I love:

Give this BB cream a try!

If you haven’t heard of the BB creams (short for beauty balm cream), you should. They are now out in every major cosmetic line and what they have in common are moisturizing ingredients, an SPF of at least 15 and a tinted base. The one I am loving is by Clinique (about $30) with an SPF of 30. It has taken the place of my regular foundation and I love the look, the feel and the SPF. Estee Lauder and Garnier are among others to try.

If you have not worn sunscreen faithfully as most of us have not, you have been blessed (?) with some unattractive freckles, or heaven forbid we should call them “age spots”. The most effective treatment I have found for them came with a recommendation from my 95 year old mother-in-law, who looks fantastic.

Go to Ulta and look for Exuviance, there is an entire line of products. The Skin Brightening Gel is about $35, which is half of the some of the others on the market. Apply it morning and evening and watch for the return of great skin.

Exuviance is found at Ulta stores

Now that you are totally gorgeous and healthy, have a wonderful day!

Diane

In my last post I painted a sad picture of the impact of the birth of my precious little sister, Janet. I am not sure I adequately described her gorgeous black hair which fell in soft ringlets all over her perfect little head. Her huge brown eyes were framed by long dark lashes that swept her rosy cheeks when she blinked. Botticelli never painted a more angelic cherub.

From the moment she arrived home, I began plotting how to get even with the curse of cuteness which was visited upon my baby sister.

I'll be darn if she's not still cute!

Over the years there have been a few moments when I managed to trump her. Once I found a photo of her at age 30 something where she appeared to be reaching under the Christmas tree for gifts. The parts of her anatomy which were the most prominent in the photo were her feet and her posterior. Since they were closest to the camera, frankly, they looked huge. This quickly became my favorite photo ever.

After blowing it up to poster size, I conspired with a “friend”, Gerald, who owned the local Sears store to put up the poster on the wall behind the checkout counter shortly before she arrived to pick up a catalog order, with me in tow, of course. When she saw the poster, she virtually leaped over the counter and wrapped both hands around sweet Gerald’s neck before demolishing the poster. I also got a photo of that.

On a recent trip to visit her, we were driving down the Natchez Trace when we saw an SUV pulled off the side of the road and a woman dash across the street  in pursuit of a large lab, which was nearly hit by an oncoming car. Janet, the consummate dog-lover stopped the car, rolled down the window and yelled, “Put a leash on that dog, L-A-D-Y!”. The woman who by now had wrestled the dog into a neck lock, looked up at Janet and shouted back, “It’s NOT my dog, you I-D-I-O-T!”. Janet turned around to me and said, “Did she just call me an idiot?”.

That episode still makes me laugh!

Affirmative.

Janet will probably be more careful in the future about her interpretation of doggie rescues, but that was one for the books. While it doesn’t cancel out all those years of perfect strangers cooing over her cuteness, it’s a start.

And if you have a sibling afflicted with perpetual cuteness, athletic prowess or sheer brilliance, you know I can sympathize.

Have a spectacular day in spite of it!

Diane

It’s funny how there are pivotal moments in your childhood that remain with you a lifetime, when you sometimes can’t even remember what you did yesterday. For me, one of my most vivid memories includes the day my parents brought home my baby sister, Janet, from the hospital. As a four-year old, I was pretty sure that life as I knew it was over.

No longer was I the darling daughter. I had been replaced by an 8 pound interloper who the neighbors declared to be the prettiest baby they had ever seen. Plotting her demise kept me busy for days. I concocted a brilliant scheme to push her baby stroller off a cliff, accidentally, of course. However, much to my disappointment, Prichard, Alabama had no cliffs. Thus, I had to endure her cuteness, and still do.

I truly believe that you never forget your first love, I know I never will. His name was Ronda and we were in first grade together. Ronda was blond and sweet. Every day he brought me a toy. They weren’t new toys, but just some out of his toy box. Some were broken, but I received them as if they were the crown jewels. One day Ronda asked me to ride on the back of his bicycle. It was a short trip. We ran into a mail box and I went home with blood dripping down my leg. Mother sent Ronda home in tears and that was that.

When I was ten, I fell in a different kind of  love– with a shiny green Schwinn bicycle that I saw at the hardware store. It was magnificent. After a sufficient amount of begging and pleading, I found it under the tree on Christmas morning. It carried me to school, on long rides where I imagined great adventures, and sometimes to the grocery store for mom. I’ve never forgotten that bike.

My new Electra Townie--she's a beauty!

Yesterday, I bought another bike–a red one that I have been looking at for quite some time. I thought I might be too old for a bike, but after a turn on it in the parking lot of the bike store, I decided that I was was perfect for it, and it for me. It’s an Electra Townie, an Italian bike–lightweight with nice big tires, real brakes on the pedals and the handle bars, and just three speeds, because, let’s face it, I’m not going to be riding through the Alps.

I didn’t just stop with the bike. I bought a basket that detaches so you can take it in the grocery store and just snap it back on. I have a water bottle carrier, a safety helmet, and the most charming little horn you can imagine. I have a combination lock and chain to deter all those who lust after my Townie.

Yesterday, I brought her home and took her out for a little spin. She rides like a dream. Tomorrow, if the weather’s really nice, I may actually leave the driveway. Don’t say you weren’t warned!

Have a wonderful day!

Diane

Don't miss the bluebonnets or the people!

I have just returned from a wonderful trip to Austin where the highways, particularly in Brenham are just packed with cars stopped to photograph this year’s crop of stunning wildflowers. The blue bonnets which were almost totally absent last year due to the drought have come back with a vengance. They are just mesmerizing.

I pulled off the road to take photos of the wild beauties but it was much more fun to watch the people posing and dragging props for their children to either wear or sit on. One poor husband came dragging a big dining room chair to middle of a lush field of blue while his wife bounced ahead with their toddler daughter. I wonder how long she was content to sit in that chair?

One mother struggled mightily to get a hot pink tutu on her infant daughter who would have no part of the itchy net.  I saw couples of all ages, one of them splayed out in the flowers while the other leaned over for the best shot. It was pretty entertaining.

While I can’t call the names of the other flowers, the yellows and red are really competing for attention this season, so don’t wait too long or you will miss them completely.

This entire area was just stunning!

On my way out of Brenham I finally decided to stop at this lovely shop I have been seeing for years, but never had the time to really browse. The name is Leftovers Antiques, but the merchandise far more beautiful than the name conveys.

It is a large building just outside of town with some beautiful antiques, new elegant linens, household decor, divine beauty and bath products and gourmet food. There is something there for everyone. If you stop, get on their mailing list as I understand that is how you learn about fabulous events they have there.

More gorgeous displays and goodies!

You can find Leftovers Antiques, Home Mercantile, all 10,000 square feet of it, from 10-6, daily at 3900 Hwy 290 West, Brenham, Texas, 979-830-8496. You can see more of their merchandise at www.LeftoversAntiques.com.

A great beauty tip!

I love the look of lots of mascara, but hate the clumpy look that you frequently get when applying it. I have never found the mascara combs/brushes that you can buy to do a very good job of separating your lashes. For the best look ever, try using the brush type plastic toothpicks that you can buy in the dental section in your pharmacy. The brush end is very fine and does a terrific job of separating every lash one!

A Scary Fact

According to Women’s Health Magazine, 52% of kids’ cereals have more sugar per cup that 3 chocolate chip cookies and actually, adults consume 58% of kids’ cereals. Be sure to read those labels!!

Eat them up!

Eating just two servings a week of salmon, mackerel, herring and sardines will help keep your hair and skin plump and youthful due to the omega 3’s in them. Fish oil supplements are great, but no substitute for the real thing!

Have a healthy day!

Diane

It is the dark of the morning and for some reason I always find this to be such a productive time, maybe because I am truly a morning person. My pals who are clearly night people would sorely disagree. They don’t really come to life until nearly noon and at midnight they are just really getting into their groove.

I have always wanted to stay up and see what it is like, in those hours past midnight, but my body simply begins to fold up somewhere around 10 p.m. and there is no stopping it. One of my goals in life is to finally see one entire episode of Saturday Night Live. Come Saturday night at 11 p.m., I am anything but live. Comatose would best describe it. Parties don’t phase me either. While my good buddies might be dancing on the table, I am asleep on it.

It isn’t something you can change or negotiate. You are born with a decided preference, an internal clock. Who says one is better than the other? For me, the early hours of the morning will always be my time for introspection, planning and communing with my first cup of coffee…and visiting with you.

The war on clutter continues…

It seems that every magazine and TV home show has a feature on de-cluttering your home and your life. I read and watch them religiously hoping to find the holy grail of spartan neatness. I don’t have that gene, so for me it is always an uphill battle. I have often asked myself why I need to hold onto things that don’t have any real significant value.

In the March issue of Oprah, I found the answer. It seems there are reasons we need to hold onto things beyond what might seem to be the obvious. Check out “What Kind of a Clutterer are You?” on page 151. Peter Walsh, organizer extraordinaire enlightens us. I would encourage you to read the complete article as well as the previous story where he tackles Gail King’s closet! Here’s his breakdown:

1. The Behind-Closed-Doors Clutterer--This is the perfectionist, control freak. Their clutter is about delayed decisions, and a manifestation of shame at failing to live up to unrealistic high standards.  The solution: Tackle small tasks, 15 minutes at a time, every day.

2.  The Knowledge Clutterer--Stockpiles books and magazines believing that if you own it, you own the knowledge. The answer? go digital when possible, toss ancient issues of magazines–more are always coming! Limit your collection to one bookshelf. When you exceed it, begin swapping old for new–pass them on.

3.  The Techie Clutterer--Closets and drawers are clogged with old cords, chargers, remotes and discarded computers and phones. The answer? 1. Donate the item as soon as you replace it with a new one. 2. Label your components–cables, chargers, etc. 3. Store smartly in labeled boxes. Walsh suggests titles: Listen (iPod), Look (camera stuff),Travel (vacation related), and Data.

4.  The Sentimental Clutterer--The saver of all things from your offsprings, decreased relatives’ items, etc. The answer: 1. Establish a hierarchy of value and trim ten boxes to one. 2. Frame or properly display those items of true meaningful value. 3. Edit your collection of children’s art work. consider photographing the best and keep digitally.

5. The Bargain Shopper/Coupon Clutterer--Stockpiles everything. Buys in multiples. The answer: 1. Limit purchases to immediate use. 2.  Realize that there is a price to pay for storing stuff you may not need for a year or more. 3. Find a new hobby besides shopping.

This article clarified for me better than anything I have ever read or seen, the real root of clutter. Now I looking at my closets and drawer in a whole new light–they still look awful, but I’m committed to do better! Find more great ideas at Oprah.com.

Have a wonderful day!

Diane

After arriving at the airport at 8:30 in the morning for a 9:20 flight to Kansas to  see the twin grandboys ( and possibly the parents attached to them), I discovered that my flight had been delayed until 11:43 .

Within one short hour I had cruised every fast food location conducting an inspection for culinary delights to distract me. But alas, you already know how uninviting and totally unexciting your choices are here at IAH and most airports.

I love the Seattle airport with its numerous tempting foodie spots. One of my favorites offers small packaged gourmet appetizers, creative luscious salads and imaginative sandwiches, hot and cold. Desserts? Where do I start? While they might cost a bit more than the fast food fare, the food is truly as delicious as any you might find in a fine restaurant.

Discover all the comforts of home at the airport

Armed with McDonald’s oatmeal for $2.99, (which by the way cannot hold a candle to Starbucks’) and a $3.00 bottle of apple juice I positioned myself for the scary fashion nightmare that you can find in any airport in America.

While waiting for flights I have seen Civil War veterans, possibly wearing their original uniforms, hippies who could have been present at the first Woodstock , and a very large man wearing a gigantic green tee shirt with a shamrock the size of Ireland. His wife walked a dozen paces behind him, and who could blame her? If only I had been quick enough to snap a photo!

Complete strangers have allowed me to sit in on their most intimate phone conversations where they discussed: a. their most recent surgery, b. the idiot they married, or c. what they plan to do when they win the lottery.

One man who was flying to pick up his teenage daughter covered her checkered academic history and then chimed in with his own, adding a discussion of medications they had both taken to stabilize themselves. I could have told him that short of anesthesia, there wasn’t much hope for him. I can only hope his daughter fares better.

I was almost sorry to have to board the flight! Usually you can only find this kind of entertainment on reality TV or at Mardi Gras.

Hudson tests the monkey bars. "I'm nervous", he says. Me, too!

In Kansas, I’m just in hangin’ with the boys, honing my Lego skills, testing my muscles on the jungle jim ( where’s the Ben Gay?), and enjoying a neighborhood adventure walk. Now that’s the life.

Have a wonderful day!

Diane

Again, I have managed to be AWOL without the first explanation. Just let me begin by saying that I have a wonderful new job, and in the past two weeks have hardly stopped long enough to even find my little laptop and converse with you dears. I am very repentant and hope you will forgive the craziness that has overtaken me. Although those who know me well, would say, “So what else is new?”.

First, new job–I am now overseeing the wonderful new Women’s Center at Lone Star College-Kingwood. This is the first time wehave had such a facility and it is just such a blessing. It is a place where women attending the college can find resources to help them be successful in their classes and in life. I like the term, empowerment center, because I hope that is what we will become. It is also a place where women in the community can come to learn more about what the college can offer them. I am hopeful that some of these women in the community will become mentors for students as well. Win,win!

In a matter of three weekends, I visited Austin, Midland and Houston, Mississippi! Can you see the pile of laundry and dust bunnies that await me at home? It is not a pretty visual.

Last weekend in Houston (Mississippi, that is), my sister, Janet, directed their community theater’s production of “ South Pacific”, one of my all-time favorite musicals. Jan directs one musical a year with a combined cast of students and community performers. Some have never been on a stage before or sung in public. She has nurtured many hesitant performers into the stage stars they become when that curtain goes up.

Student stars, Molly and Emmett

Every year with jangled nerves, a stage full of adolescent football players dancing in rented costumes, and decor still in sacks from Hobby Lobby, she shouts into her phone after a late-night rehearsal, “What was I thinking?”.

I tell her it will be wonderful. Everyone will know their lines, and show up with the correct costume on the night of the performance. She never believes me. But I am always right. The audience is delighted and every year new stars emerge.

Last year Agnes, a darling grandmother who had formerly only sung in the church choir made her debut in “ Bye, Bye Birdie”, where she rocked. This year she returned as Bloody Mary, better than ever. I am sure she gets requests for autographs at the grocery store. She pretends her only interest is performing once a year, but I see stars in those eyes!

The after-play party this year was the perfect opportunity to experiment with some culinary creations. My favorite are those based around chocolate. Luckily, I was placed in charge of dipping some magnificent strawberries in melted chocolate. When I ran out of berries and still had half a bowl of of that sweet dark dip left, I called upon my creative side and began looking for other candidates.

Strawberries yes, but say no to carrots!

I must say that the pretzel crackers and even the salt and vinegar potato chips dipped in chocolate were divine.

When attempting to create the perfect health food snack, a dark chocolate dipped mini-carrot, I stumbled. Let us end by saying that while chocolate is probably great with almost anything, carrots are definitely the exception.

Have a wonderful day!

Diane