Thanksgiving Memories!!!

I am so in love with the new commercial by Publix.  It is about Thanksgiving and family.  It shows how important family is around this holiday - no matter what size your family consists of, such as:  single parent, two of you, just your family or a big family.   It really is a sweet commercial.

I think the commercial really hits home with me because I love Family at Thanksgiving.   To me Thanksgiving is all about Family - no matter what size.  I love having all my family around the table.  The more the merrier.

I have so many fond memories of Thanksgiving at my grandma's.  I LOVE THEM!!  My cousins would come in from Alabama.   I always loved when they came in because we didn't get to see them often - mostly at Thanksgiving and Easter.  It was a time to spend with cousins.  Whether it was seeing who got to sit in the kitchen to eat - that was always a good thing - you were closer to the food.  Or hiding in the bathroom when it came time to clean dishes.  My grandmother didn't have a dishwasher, so we would hid.


As I grew up I got to help my grandma with food preparation.  My memories are flooding back of helping her clean the turkey.  I can hear her laughing at me getting the insides out.  I always thought it was gross - still do.  She would let us grease down the turkey.  I cook mine differently than she does but I still have vivid memories of helping her with the turkey.

I am so thankful that I got to learn how she made dressing.  Now, she made the best dressing!!  I would have put it up against anyone else's.  In fact, I don't eat any other dressing.  My grandma didn't have a written down recipe so it took me years to learn how she made it.  I loved helping her and getting to do the taste testing.  I still make her dressing today.  Over the years, I have made it my own and I look forward to passing down the none written recipe to my daughter or granddaughter.  Maybe they will take pride in it like I have over the years.


Even though my grandma hasn't been with us for going on 17 years, I still miss her.  All we have now are our memories of those days gone by.  They are sweet, sweet memories and I will always cherish them.

What memories do you have about Thanksgiving?  Did you spend it with a big family?  Grandparents house or your own? 

New chapter ....

It has been a long road over the past year.  So many things I wanted to do but just didn't have the energy or mental awareness to get things done.  I really wanted to keep posting on my blog about my journey with my 2nd cancer but I just didn't feel like it.  I know I shouldn't beat myself up for not doing it.  I had to take care of myself for a change.  That I did .... 

I walked away from something that I loved doing.  I quit the ball field from being the President, Treasurer to running the concession stand.  I really never thought that I would totally walk away but I did.  There have been times when I have missed it but I haven't missed the stress.  I knew for my health, that I had to walk away.  I needed to finally take care of myself. 

Other changes I have made is in my eating.  I have been following the Paleo diet for months now.  I love it!!  I have found for me, it isn't just about losing weight, it is about eating for my body.  I have learned that my body can't handle eating certain foods.  Certain foods wreck havoc on my body.  My body swells, hands break out and I will claw myself to death.  So, I am finding out which foods do this and the main one is gluten.  However, I also have found out that I can't necessarily eat foods that are gluten free either.  I am having to just eat cleanly. 

Another change I have made is changing MLM companies.  I have been with a few different companies over the years.  I am not knocking any company and/or their products.  Not every company is for everyone; and their products also.  I have finally found a company for works for me.  I am so in love with their products for weight loss.  I am finally losing weight.  The pounds are just falling off!!!  I have lost of 10 inches all over - 6 of them being in my stomach area. 

This company has more products than weight loss.  They have products for almost every area of your life.  Their motto is:  Living Clean!!  I have tried their shampoo - conditioner - dish soap (love it) - clean wipes and their awesome liquid collagen.  I am loving that these products are NOT TOXIC!!  This to me is so important.  I am currently working on changing some of the other products in my house with what they offer - laundry detergent - dishwasher pods and lotions. 

Not only is this companies products are great so are the comp plans.  This company offers 2 different ways to make money - as a customer and as a social marketer.  You can earn free products and/or money.  I love the group of people that I am aligning myself with from my upline to my crossline.  They are amazing & wonderful people!!! 

I really pray and hope that I get to be on here more than I have before.  There are so many things I want to do and share with people.  So many projects that I am working on ...  menu planning, getting out of debt and the list goes on and on.  I hope you will join me ....  New chapter .... journey continues

New Year ... New Steps

As with any New Year brings new beginnings.  It is a time for each of us to make goals for things we want to accomplish in the new year.  I don't like to set New Year's Resolutions, but set goals instead.  With all that I have been through in 2016, there are things that I would like to change and to do differently in 2017.

Of course, one of the goals that I have set for this year is to get healthier.  With having Cancer last year, I want to be healthier.  I don't to worry about dieting or losing weight.  I just want to concentrate on getting myself healthier - better food choices, exercising, relaxing and taking my vitamins.   This is a tall order for this kind of list, but I am going to keep it simple.  I want to eat food that is healthy for me.  Food that will benefit my body.  I just need to do some type of exercise - walking is the easiest.   Relaxing might be hard, but it is something that I am going to have to do for myself.  My family will just have to get use to it.  haha 

Now taking my vitamins was always a hard one for me.  It seems to be the easiest on my list but I could never remember to take them.   I use to take a brand name for years and I still like this brand but I was taking more than 20 different products.  I could never remember what I had taken and if I had taken anything.  I was going crazy trying to remember to simply take my vitamins.   I have found the best products/company for me.  It is so simple.  As simple as 1 - 2 - 3.

I have been Thriving for 3 weeks now and I can see a change.  It has given me energy that I haven't been having, but I also have to remember that I will be awhile before I am 100%.  In the meantime, I don't have to feel horrible either.  So, I thought I would give Thrive a chance.  What did I have to lose?  It really is easy as 1-2-3.  First thing in the morning, when your feet hit the floor you take your vitamins, not 20 but 2.  Then within in 30 minutes you drink a shake and put on a patch that stays on for 24 hrs.  You are DONE!!  Nothing else.  It has given me energy and it is helping with my appetite.  I am thankful to cousin for posting on facebook that she was Thriving and how well she was doing.

Some other goals I have set in next post .....