Five years ago, I gave birth to our youngest- and final- child. Fifteen months before that was our first. Those two things I would not change for the world. What I would have done differently is not give in to so many cravings for rich, fudgy, warm fresh from the oven brownies. I think the last eight or so boxes are still on my hips. I also wish that I had worried less and done more- more simple things like extra time reading to the kids, extra time sitting outside with them, watching them play in the sunshine. Combine those two things- eating less of the brownies and moving around with the kids more- and I might be a stronger person today. At least there is nothing saying those things can not be changed now, right? Right!

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It was two weeks ago today that my father in law took a sudden and unexpected turn for the worst, that left him passing away five days ago. Watching his decline was an eye opener for the entire family, but it hit truly hard for my husband and I. We looked back and talked about our regrets- which there were not many of. My biggest one was living up in Tundra Country for so long, when life in the south has been so much better. We jointly decided that yes indeed life is much too short to sit idle and watch the world go by. We promised each other that when we grew old there would be no sitting there, wishing we had done things differently. Instead, we were going to seize each and every single day and live it to the fullest- as if it might be our last. Because as we learned from watching his father- it might just well BE our last.

Dogs truly are man’s best friend. Being the owner of three small dogs, two Pomeranians and a Chihuahua, I feel blessed to have these little ladies in my life. Not only are they loyal and enjoyable to be around, they also are a great reason to get out and be active, because they always want to go for walks at the park, with a leash tied to their large dog collars. I’m fortunate enough to have an open field nearby my house where the pups and I can run around for a brief fifteen to thirty minutes and get our daily dose of exercise. This turns out to be a really good way to make sure we both get a sound’s night sleep. All in all dogs are great pets if you’re ready to take the responsibility of raising one.

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With a crazy busy family that contains two growing like weeds boys, I spend a lot of time in the kitchen. A lot of time in the kitchen. According to my father, the boys in our family tend to eat once a day- from the time they get up, to the time they go to bed. My poor kitchen seriously needs revamping. The small pantry makes it tough to keep enough dry goods in stock, shelves are weak and I worry about stacking too much on them. A lack of counter space makes meal prep a challenge to say the least. I dream often of a huge kitchen- with double convection ovens, a six burner stove top, a huge three door fridge, freezer combo and a breakfast bar. Lots of storage space in a big, roomy pantry too.  Ahh the stuff dreams are made of…