Uplifting, Encouraging, and Fun blogging.

Well hidey ho neighbors!. Lord what a busy winter but, I’m finally in a slow down period and it’s time to write. I get so busy with the zillion other things that I have to do that I don’t even pick my laptop up for a month. Finally, I sit down and start to type, I realize just how much I’ve missed it. For starters, I hope you each had a wonderful holiday season. We certainly did. It was seasonably warm here in good ole East Tennessee. We didn’t get our first snow until week before last and we ended up with about 6 inches. It was beautiful for a few days but, I’m glad it is now gone. I’m ready for spring. These dark 6:30 pm’s are for the dogs. I feel like I leave my office (which is in my house), cook dinner for my fellas and then I’m ready for bed. I’m sure many others feel the same way.

Do you remember having a bed time when you were little? I don’t remember ever having a “set” time but we were certainly in the bed before 9:30 on school nights and before dads time to watch his “11 o’clock” news on the weekends. We really weren’t even the kind of kids that had to be reminded. My older siblings were 8 and 12 years older than me and I they did have to go to bed as early as my little sister and I. I think our older sister pretty much wanted us out before she came to bed. We all three shared a room. The poor gal never had any privacy. She was stuck with her two little younger sisters in her face lol. We always went to sleep with the radio on. Then as we got older and the older siblings left, we graduated to our own rooms. We then had tv’s in there and I know there was never a night that my tv was not on when I went to sleep. Ti this day I still can go to sleep with the tv on. Until about 10 years ago I still kept it on all night. My son is 21 years old and to this day he sleeps with his tv on. There’s no harm and he always sleeps well so I don’t say a word.

Eleven years ago I met the love of my life. My now husband. We married a year after we started dating and I soon realized that he did not like the TV on at night once he’s ready to sleep lol. Ole grumpy bear will be like “can you turn it down” over and over until its pretty much on mute lol. Then he’ll say “are you still watching that”. That is my que that the light is bothering him and he wants it turned off. Of course I do. Then I turn on my meditation but I use ear buds. Thus why “Early To Bed” is what I do. Pretty much every night I go to bed before my husband. He stays in the living room and watches his programs. It’s his wind down and typically he comes to bed after about an hour or two. Rarely am I ever asleep when he comes to bed so its not like we are ignoring each other. I like to read, he doesn’t. I love Martha Stewart and Bob Ross, he doesn’t. He watches criminal mystery and sports, I don’t lol. So we get our own little wind down time every evening and I think its just wonderful. 

I think as adults we should still have a “bed time”. Now, I know life is busy, especially if you have little ones in sports and all, but, there’s just something about getting in the bed at a descent time and being able to unwind and relax. My sons pediatrician said that it was so important for my sons growth (from body to brain) that he get 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. I average maybe 5 to 6 hours but, I do get rest. There is a big difference. 

This early to bed is so much more that “sleep”. Its allowing myself the time that I need in a very hectic day, to rest my mind and body and to care for my mental health. You cant pour from an empty glass. If you are empty you can not be all that you need to be for the others that need you and may depend on you. No one can fill your cup back up except for yourself. Find that time to recharge. Even if it means that you delegate some of your responsibility to others. You are worth it. 

I hope you have the very best night. Happy dreams and here’s to rest and setting a new goal for Early To Bed!

Always….. Brooke

Hello!!! Well its been a few minutes since I’ve blogged. Life’s just been so busy. We’ve had a holiday and a vacation and many many cake events. Today is the perfect day to have a restful Sunday and just type. Vacation was grand. Hilton Head Island always is. But, lord I ate. I ate so much food and we drank way too much. We were also pretty lazy. It was wonderful but, I tell ya, I was pretty shell shocked when I stood on the scale the day after getting home. So, we start over again. We get back on the healthy road. Do you do the same thing? Does it feel like your weight journey is over and over? Mine sure is.

Let me assure you I am by no means vain. I do however, want to be as healthy as I possibly can and try to stay around for my son, husband and to be able to take care of my momma as she needs it. I have battled with my weight from high school on. As a young girl I was too skinny. So skinny in fact, that my knees were larger than my legs. I ate anything that I wanted and never gained an ounce. It was wonderful but, also a curse. As I began to age, that started to change. Food became sort of a comfort and the weight came on while I was in my Sophomore and Junior years in high school. I went from a size 6 to a size 14 within a year. Getting the weight off was my priority my senior year. I became obsessed with it. Who wanted a dancing, singing fat girl. I did everything that I could to get it off. Boy did it come off. I was a size zero before too long. A 5’7″ gal as a size zero, uuhhmm it was pretty bad. I also felt horrible. My hair began to fall out. I bruised all over just from being lifted during show choir performances. I did nothing but go to school, work at a local restaurant, dance and sleep. I was also diagnosed with bulimia. Yes, that’s how far I took it. Thankfully I had a best friend (a guy none the less, his name was Patrick) and he cared enough about me to tell my parents so that they could intervene.

Fast forward a lot of years and I’m so much smarter. That look of skin and bones no longer appeals to me. I’m a momma so there’s saggy baggy and stretchy everywhere. One thousand percent worth it to get my son here. I’m also married and not on the market to be arm candy. My husband doesn’t care what my weight is but, I do want to make him proud. More than anything else, I want to live a healthy life so that one day I can enjoy retirement and my grandchildren.

Now that we got that scary business over with, let me tell you what has and has not worked for me. I think I’ve tried almost every diet on the market. I’ve spent so much money over the years. And I have to say there are a few that work and a lot that don’t. Let’s talk about low carb/keto. It absolutely works. But it comes with a few side effects. First is the keto flu. If you’ve never tried it get ready to feel like you have a good flu about day 3 or 4. Don’t worry. It will go away in a day or two. I’m not a doctor or dietitian and don’t claim to be so of courses seek a doctor’s counsel before trying any diet at all. This diet is doable because you can eat. And you can eat a lot. Meat, cheese and most vegetables. You don’t count calories and you don’t have a lot of limits. The bad thing is eventually it stops working. Well, it stopped working for me. I lost the most weight in my adult life with a low carb diet. But, for me I think my body sort of got use to it.

Weight Watchers was also a good option for me. You have a points system and you can eat anything you want as long as you track your points. It’s slow weight loss which is better I think but, the weight did not stay off for me. It came right back even with me tracking. The downside is, sure, you can have some pizza. Have those 2 slices but you better cut them in to tiny bites and plan to eat them all day because that’s all you are getting. Or you can fast and just cram them in all at once. I lost about 10 pounds on weight watchers. For me it wasn’t wort the price just to be able to track the points.

Speaking of fasting let’s talk about intermittent fasting. Okay, yes it works. But, I am a binge eater and by the time it was dinner time (I always ate in the evening because that is when I’m hungry) I was so hungry that I ate more than I should and ate so fast that there was no way I digested it well. It lasted about 2 months and I lost about 15 pounds. Just not worth it in my book.

Let me tell you a few others that get the big fat NO from me. Golo. I saw it advertised on television and thought I’d give it a whirl. Nothing. I followed the “diet” and took the pills and nothing. It’s cheap but it does not work. Not for me any. Then there is Noom. Nope. It’s ridiculously expensive to have an app to tell you what you are doing wrong and how proud they are of you. Who’s proud of me? I mean I didn’t lose weight. Just don’t do it. I mean you can, it might work for you. Finally Optavia. This has worked for tons of people and I’m so thankful that it did for you. You but the “snacks” and you eat 5 of them a day (every 2.5 hours) and then you eat one “lean and green” meal a day. You are basically starving yourself as you eat 1000 calories or less a day. They even tell you in the book if you are planning to exercise move to 4 snacks and 2 lean and greens. I lost about 12 pounds pretty quick and then zip. Nothing! The food is terribly expensive, and it tastes awful to me. Except for the bars and sweets. I think that makes you crave more honestly. I was starving to death, miserable, and not a nice person. I hope it works for you but, this momma couldn’t do it. I still have some of the food. I take the bars on bike rides with me for fuel as I feel its better for me than a breakfast bar from the store.

Here’s what has worked for me. Here’s my go to and what still works today at 45 years old. I eat a low carb but healthier low carb. I don’t eat bread. You just can’t. It turns in to pure sugar. And it really upsets my belly. I spent 4 days in misery when we got back from the beach. Healthier low card to me is chicken, lean meats, and I try to stay away from added preservatives. Unfortunately, I’m allergic to fish so that’s not an option. I do eat some cheese but I try not to overindulge. I eat lower carb vegetables. (no peas, potatoes of any kind or corn). I do however eat carrots (raw) because for some reason they seem to help me sooth a ugly tummy. If I eat fruit, its blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. I think strawberries are okay too but they make my throat itchy and I really don’t care for them. Every 4th day I eat a cup and a half of a rice/quinoa blend. I like the “Seeds of Change” blend with garlic. You can throw it in the microwave for 90 seconds and its really delicious. Now, rice is NOT low card but, I have to have some substance every few days for my mind to function. If not I fall of the wagon big time. Finally, WATER! You have to stay hydrated. I don’t like it and I hate water but, I do it. Eating so much protein can cause kidney stones and I have them and don’t like them. I strive to drink 3/4 of a gallon of water a day. Stay close to the bathroom. You’ll pee yourself to death lol. I feel like it cleanses your body from all the bad. So, I hold my nose and suck it down.

Get some rest. Even if you are like me the queen of insomnia. Pick a time or a day once a week to just rest. Read, write, take a nap, do a relaxing hobby, just something to give your body and mind some rest. Sleep is so important and if you are like me, a good night’s rest is few and far between, so rest when you can. I blog, sew, and bake. Don’t bake if you love sweets. I’ve never been a big sweets person so it doesn’t bother me. Now if I made homemade pasta we’d be in trouble. Its my downfall. And folks it’s hard when your household doesn’t eat the way that you do. My husband and son are eaters. They love food. I cook dinner every night except for Saturdays. I also cook breakfast for my son every morning as he works night. It’s not easy making all they bread and yummy food knowing I can’t eat it. But, nothing that is worthwhile is easy. Just remember that when you get in those situations. Find your low carb foods that you really like. And keep them on hand. I told you that pasta is my weakness. I love italian food. Well so do my guys. And I won’t deprive them because I made a decision to not eat it. Once a week they get some type of italian dish which usually includes pasta. While I am cooking, I have been known to eat a ton of pickles, cucumbers, or even pepperonis. It works for me. I’m not starved while I’m cooking.

Let’s talk a minute about going out to dinner. As I said above, I cook every day except for Saturday. We typically go out to dinner on Saturdays. Do I eat? Absolutely. I try to pick meat and vegetables or salad. However; I cheat. I will had a dinner once a month of exactly what I want (usually pasta). In my case, I can not completely deprive myself. I eat a meal each month that I want. And I will continue to do that. May not work for you, but it’s a must for me. Alcohol. Yes I drink alcohol and I love a good beer but it’s kinda a no no unless you drink a lite beer. My go to us vodka with water and a lime. If you get kettle one its virtually no carb. I also do a dirty martini (vodka and olive juice). I love olives. They are full of sodium, so I drink plenty of water.

Finally, MOVEMENT. You have to move. Walk, ride a bike, run, weights, anything. Just move. My daddy use to say “if you stop, you’ll stop”. So move. Eat and move. I try to have some type of exercise atleast 5 days a week. Even if you do 30 minutes you’ve got to move. And remember you can’t out exercise a bad diet. If you eat 20,000 calories no amount of exercise will get rid of that. Don’t deprive yourself just make better choices. If you want the piece of candy, eat it, just don’t eat the whole bag and don’t do it every day. And for goodness sakes, don’t be a slave to your scale. I weigh every day but, I don’t have anxiety about it. If I gain a pound or 2 then that’s okay. I don’t wear myself over it. If it causes you anxiety stay off of the darn thing. Just weigh once a week, or once a month, or never. Go by the way you feel in your clothes.

Ultimately, do what is right for you. Be happy with the body you are in. There’s no body size that is wrong. Find the size and body that you want and just be you. Be happy in the skin you are in. And for goodness sake, if you are suffering from an eating disorder, please seek help. Nothing is worth that. We live this one little, tiny life so please live it happy. Know that you are so loved. Here’s to health and happiness!

Always…..Brooke

Hello and how are ya? Hoping you are well in to a marvelous week. It seems like they last about 3 million minutes from start to finish around here. All week we wish for Friday then, poof, the weekend is gone and were mid week again. Life’s just so busy we just don’t get the time to sit back and enjoy. So for now let’s talk about something other than work. Let’s talk about our worth

Did you ever get bullied as a kid? Thats a touchy subject I know. I don’t believe that I ever did except one time when I was in elementary school. It was about 3rd or 4th grade and a girl named Amy used to give me so much grief. She would mauk me and laugh. Some of the other kids in my class would get a kick out of it. It got to the point where I didn’t want to go to school. I remember lying in bed at night with anxiety about facing another day of smirks and remarks. It wasn’t long after when my daddy began to notice the difference in me. One evening after dinner he told me that I needed to tell him what was wrong. I just remember crying and thinking it was the end of the world that someone was speaking ill of me and didn’t like me. Lordy little did I know, I would have so many folks not like me and speak ill of me throughout my life. I do however; remember daddy just saying, you can’t let someone treat you like that and if you do it’s your fault. He told me to either handle it or learn to tune it out. Wellllllllll it wasn’t long after that until I had myself a little fight at school and got in to trouble. I decided to “handle” it with a little girl fight lol. Am I ashamed of that decision now? Sure. Fighting isn’t good. But, do I regret it? No I don’t. Let me tell you why. After the little scuffle, Amy and I actually became friends. And to this day, some 38 years later, if I see her out we speak and talk. Oh, and I didn’t get punished at home for the fight because daddy sort of didn’t elaborate on how to handle the situation. He meant for me and the girl to talk it out not to be judy choppin lol.

I have a zero tolerance for a bully. When it came to my son I was that mom. They one that went to the school and went off when he was having any trouble lol. Thats terrible, but true. What I began to realize is that those that do the bullying usually have an issue that they are trying to deal with themselves. Because of that, the bullying doesn’t end in elementary school. Adults can be a bully too. I’ve met my share of them over the years. Some were just rude and would do anything to make your daily life a living hell. Others are sneaky and seem to be so sweet and a friend then as soon as they are certain they have you under control they turn on you like a snake in the grass. It happens more often than we realize. The best advice that I was ever given about these adult situations was from a friend years ago while we were teaching a Sunday school class together. Her simple words were “Darling, don’t sit at any table where you are the topic of their conversation when you leave”. Unfortunately, she meant anywhere, including church. Cause yea it happens there too. What strong advice. I mean think about that. Don’t sit with people whom are going to talk ill of you when you walk away. Don’t associate with that. Because kings and queens you deserve better than that. You get up, adjust your crown, lift your chin, and walk on. There are plenty of other tables to sit at. And when you finally find your tribe, well honey, they will love you for you and will be your friends for life.

Anywho, you are saying, well the title of this little tale is “be your own bully” and you’ve been talking about other people bullying you. Patience! I want to ask you a question. When is the last time that you said or even thought something negative to yourself? I bet if you really think about it you put yourself down in some way every single day. Ladies, you know I’m going to say we are constantly on ourselves about weight, or how we look or don’t look in our clothing, our hair, our makeup, and the list goes on for a dozen more. Fella’s do you compare yourself to your buddies? Is your truck not as nice as theirs, or you income not as much as theirs, the house isn’t as big, they have a bigger boat etc, etc, etc. When we think things like this about ourselves, we are being our own bully. Now ya’ll I am the first to say, I am the worst to do this. Not because I want to look like the woman in the pages of the magazine or even that I want anything material. I’m an old Hippy with a Hyundai Kona that I’ll drive the wheels off of. I’m content in my modest home with the big yard. Nature and music and farmers markets and bookstores make me happy. But, I am critical of myself. Very critical of my weight. And I’ve struggle with that self criticism my entire life. At the end of the day, I just want to feel good in my clothing, look lean and healthy, and be desired by my husband. Well guess what. Even those little thoughts are me bullying me. Negative thinking of yourself is bullying yourself.

So here’s what I want you to do. And here’s what I want me to do. Me! Because I need it as much as each of you. Tomorrow. Yes Thursday tomorrow (or the day after your read this post no matter when you do) I want you to wake up and breathe deeply. Walk in front of that mirror. Look at yourself ( crazy hair, bad breath and all) and tell yourself ” I AM ENOUGH”. You are. No matter what. You are enough. Don’t bully yourself tomorrow or any day after that. When you begin to have a negative thought about yourself, stop. Instead of the negative thought or comment, just simply say “I’m a work in progress”. I vow to do this all day tomorrow and I want you to as well. Let’s see if it makes our day much better. Don’t go back to yesterday because you were a different person then!

I hope you have the very best night and a great day tomorrow!

Always…….Brooke

Happy Day All. I hope your Thursday has been filled to the brim with everything good. Today is my Friday so it was rather good for me. I love working 4 ten hour shifts and being off every Friday. This evening I’m gonna tell you a little sappy tale. So if you don’t like sappy I guess you better skip this one. Or read on because you might just learn a little something. Have you ever felt like it was you against the world? I guess I would be a liar if I said I haven’t had many of those days. I sure have. From jobs, to people, to health struggles, to being who I need to be. Sometimes I feel like it’s all I can do to be who I need to be. Sometimes I feel like even breaking on down. Then I realize who is in my shadow. The shadow that stands right behind me. My husband.

My husband and I have been together for ten years. No I know that doesn’t sound long especially for a 45 year old woman and a 54 year old man. We were of course, married before. I was married to my sons dad for 15 years and he was married to his ex-wife for 22 years. We’ve both been around the block before lol. All I can say is when you have been through a divorce before, it really makes you appreciate when you find your true love. Divorce is bad no matter the situation. I don’t care if you wanted it or not. It’s just generally tough. Even more so if a child is involved. Can I just say that you absolutely love differently after a divorce. Guarded yes, of course. But, also you know how it feels when things are bad. Friends when you find that person that completes you, you WILL know it. It’s like you heart stops and starts again with a brand new beat. It pumps stronger. It relaxes more. You just know. From our very first date, I knew. He obviously did too. That night we went to dinner and he told me that he loved me. It just slipped out. And I could tell it all over his face that it was a slip. It scared him to death. The look on his face was priceless. Truthfully, I felt the same way. It wasn’t very long until the “I love you” became a daily ritual. It still is. Not a day goes by that I don’t tell him or he tell me.

There is so much to a relationship. You never really realize exactly what you are signing up for when you walk down that isle and say your I Do’s. For us, these last years have been filled with so much good that I forget about the bad. Just like my momma said, “the good always outweighs the bad” and she is so right. Weve had so many wonderful vacations and adventures. We also dealt with some harder times with deaths in our families as well as health issues that we fought through together. Uuuum did you hear that? We fought through them TOGETHER. Aah there it is. The one thing that I never had in any previous relationship or with my ex-husband. My husband has supported me (as well as my son) in every adventure, crazy idea, good day and bad that we have had. For many years he has loved my son as his own. That in itself is enough to give him a star on his crown. But, he’s also loved me unconditionally. It’s nice to have someone in your corner.

For many years I have baked cakes for birthdays and weddings and every occasion in between. He is the one who encouraged that dream. He gives me my space when I need it and stays within arm’s length when I am needy. Yes, fellas we are all needy at some point. Suck it up and deal with that. He makes me feel smart when I tell myself I am done. He helps me to achieve my goals when I am about to give up. He tells me that I am beautiful when I feel fat and ugly (he needs his eyes checked lol). But more important than any of that, he stands behind me when I need his strength, beside of me when I need his courage, and in front of me when I need his direction.

With that being my sappy bragging session I just want to say, ladies, I hope and pray for each of you that you can find a man (or a partner) that can make you feel like you are a force to be reckoned with. I hope you can see through him that you are worth something. That when you wake up and he is next to you , you feel content and truly happy. I never in my life thought I would feel those wonderful feelings. I didn’t believe that a partner such as that existed. God was good. And he sent my husband to me. He gave me someone to take all of the tiny broken pieces of my heart and put them back together. I just hope, if your don’t have that love and support, you find it. Because lovely, you deserve it!

Fellas, (or partners), love here fierce. Make her feel like she still catches your eye. Tell her that she is your one and only. And for goodness’ sake ask her out on a date. (and put your phone away while you are on the date). I promise your rewards will be much more than what you give. Believe me it wont matter what is in front of her as long as she knows that you are behind her!!! (repeat that a million times). Have the very best night!

Always…….Brooke

Oh Happy Labor day to y’all. Whew what a fast paced, quick, long weekend this was. Filled with ballgames to watch, a family cook out, my little sister’s birthday, a hair appointment, and fall decorating (which is my fave); the minutes just flew by. I haven’t had time to write and I’ve missed it. Yesterday we had my husband’s entire family here for a cookout. We’ve lived in our home for almost 10 years, and we have never done that. It’s just difficult to get them all in one place at one time. His siblings are quickly aging ( he is the baby) and the young family members all have lives of their own and are very busy. Aren’t we all? Yesterday was a great day for my husband and I could just tell how much he enjoyed it. I made sure that all of the food was prepared, and no one had to bring a thing except for what they wanted to drink. My husband’s wish was to have homemade chocolate and butterscotch pies. His dad used to have cookouts when he was alive. He always had those two pies, so it brought back some great memories for my husband. As y’all know, I am a baker so making the pies was just no trouble. I also made an angel food cake.

As everyone was piling in to our big yard yesterday for the festivities, I couldn’t help but notice the differences in everyone’s vehicles. I know, I know I’m super weird. I looked at vehicles. For some reason the conversations yesterday were around the vehicles that they drove lol. One had a hybrid for gas mileage. Two had almost monster trucks that probably took a tank of gas just getting up our hill. A few small sedans and a jeep or two rounded out the bunch. Everyone seemed to just love the vehicle that they were in. You can almost tell a person’s personality by the vehicles that they drive. It’s true. I know that’s silly but you can. My husband drives a Toyota 4Runner. It suits him perfectly. He likes that suv type vehicle. As I’ve told before, he is the drummer in a band and his drum kit fits perfectly in the back of his vehicle. My son drives a 4 door Ford F150 truck. This also fits him perfectly. He is always carrying tools. Hés a machinist so his tools fit very well in the covered bed. As for my I just have a little Hyundia Kona. I love my little car. Is not quiet a sedan and not as large as an SUV. It holds my cakes perfectly.

Growing up I found a love for “antique” cars. Strange that a little girl would love them but, nothing about me was ever “normal”. I was certainly the horse of a different color in our family. My sister and I would often go on trips to car shows with our Aunt and Uncle. He always had some type of hot rod in the works or on the road. The ones where they wipe with a cloth and allow no one to touch. Don’t get me wrong, they were beautiful unique vehicles, but why would you want something that no one could touch and enjoy. We spent many days just walking around looking at all these beautiful old cars and wishing we could sit in them and just drive them around.

My fascination with things old is still with me today. I love anything reto or antique. Especially from certain time periods like the 50s and 60s. My interest took one great focus when it came to vehicles, however. Let me enlighten you lol. My momma had a beauty shop in our home (I’ve told that before) and she “did hair” for so many folks including her family and daddy’s family. Daddy had a cousin that would bring his wife to have her hair fixed once a week. He would pull in the driveway, and I would literally get butterflies over the vehicle that he drove. It was a 1970 something beautiful black El Camino. Yes! My dream car is an El Camino. Daddy’s cousins name was Gene. And the car fit the man. He wore rolled up blue jeans and had wavy hair to his shoulders. His beard was long, and he had a silver chain from his wallet to the pocket watch he carried in his front pocket. I would just sit beside of Gene on the front porch and just stare at him until he got tired of it. He’d finally look at me and say “you can get in it but, don’t touch anything lol. He would allow me to sit in the driver’s seat and pretend I was driving that big hog. The steering wheel felt as big as a hula hoop. I would just imagine driving it down the road. The white and black fuzzy dice hand from the rear-view mirror and I thought it was just the coolest thing ever. He would let me sit in that car every week that he come with his wife while she got her hair fixed.

Jump forward 30 years and I still search for El Caminos at the car shows. There aren’t very many as folks don’t like them the way they do mustangs or corvettes. On occasion I will come across a few and I just fall in love with them even more. The ones at the car shows are all perfect and polished. They don’t usually have all of the original interior or motors. But they have been redone as close as possible. Folks are very proud of their El Caminos, and I feel like they are just as odd as me to have chosen that vehicle to love.

Fast forward about 35 years from my little tale. Gene passed away a few years ago and his wife not long after. I keep up with his granddaughter on Facebook and we’ve talked about Gene’s old car on several occasions. His son owns the car now and is keeping it original a neat just as it was that long ago. I’ll probably never own an old El Camino (unless I win the lottery). But, I can dream. If I had the money, I would sure own one. I would buy Gene’s old car and I would ride that hog all over this town. It would be my daily driver, my grocery gitter. The only change I would make would be the fur dice would surely be teal and I would have a furry teal cover to put around that hula hoop steering wheel. Talk about the car suiting the gal. Oh well, we can all dream can’t we.

If you ever see a hippy retro gal in East Tennessee in a black El Camino with teal fur dice you can just assume that I have hit the lotto numbers. Unti then I will just look and admire online or at the car shows. Does your car suit you? If not will your next one? Would you be brave enough to go against the grain and drive your prefect car? I hope one day we all get to. Have the best Labor Day evening ever. And enjoy the photos of the El Caminos I have included in case you forgot how lovely they are. (the black one isn’t Genes. Wish I had a photo of it.).

Always…….Brooke

Howdy friends. Hope Thursday treated you like you were something special. Tonight is just a short little story and confession. I am the queen of admitting when I’m wrong or have made a mistake. So, far I don’t believe I’ve made any real mistakes with my blogs lol. I try to tell stories that are personal to me and that make me smile. I want to tell tales that will make you think and bring some fond memories to light. After all, I was put here on this earth to spread joy and be kind. I truly believe that as I don’t have much else to offer. Don’t you think that we should all just be here for that. Just to be kind and love one another. To be a light in someone’s darkness. Hopefully you feel the same.

Let me tell you a little about this husband of mine. Not only is he cute and has a great big heart lol but, he is also the king of spelling. Seriously, he was the spelling bee champion at his elementary school. He’s a math whiz too but, we won’t talk about that. He’s just precious but, he likes for eeeeeeerthing to be in its place. Apparently, letters should be in their place too. He’s a proofreader where I am a “hit send then apologize because it makes zero sense” lol. Bless his heart, he reads my social media posts and says, “honey did you mean to say I got hone or I got home”. Blahahhaha it drives him crazy. I usually leave it because I like to see his face and because all of my friends know how I am and that I never ever proofread anything. I get so tickled because he will read something 3 or 4 times before he hits send. Nope you never know what you are going to get from me.

Here’s my confession. I rarely proofread my blog posts. It should be apparent by now. I looked at one from the other day and the spelling was bad and the grammar wasn’t much better lol. Here’s the deal. With me what you see is what you get. I’m not offensive but, I’m a simple hippy gal who loves to write and isn’t big on perfection. Not with anything. I accept everything as it is for the most part. I love you no matter what. I love my family and God and I’m not afraid to share that. And I CAN NOT spell. And I’m okay with it. Also my fingers type faster than my brain works.

So when you read my blog and you see a misspelled word or a typo just smile and say to yourself “she’s imperfect” and keep on reading. When you see that misspelled word, you know what I am meaning to say lol. And that’s all I got to say about that! Thank you for reading my little tales and blog entries. It means a lot to me. Have the best night ever!

Always…….Brooke

Happy Wednesday! Hoping all is well and the day was fab. Tonight, I want to talk a little bit about something that I started doing about 6 months ago. Y’all know that I have a severe issue with insomnia. Sometimes it’s so bad that I’m lucky to get one hour of sleep. Yea I said one. Yes, its completely unhealthy as I am well aware. Lack of sleep will do something to you. Physically and mentally, it will wear you down. I will cause your immune system to tank. Most days I look like some kind electrocuted chicken running around. So if you see me out mind ye business! I don’t sleep!

Months ago I was told by a friend that I should listen to meditation before I go to bed. She talked to me about how much it calmed her and most nights she would fall asleep while she was listening to it. I seriously though she was crazy. I listened to what she was saying because I love her and she’s my friend. Buuuuut in the back of my mind it was thinking “you’ve lost it, you’ve really lost it” lol. Can I say when you go about 7 days with no more than an hour of sleep per night you’ll just try anything.

One night, after tossing and turning for about 4 hours with no luck of sleep, I decided to give it a whirl. Okay! I’m on the crazy train too because it worked! I pulled up sleep meditation/relaxation by Jason Stephenson on you tube. I picked one and just listened. He has breathing exercises and visualizations. And his voice has an Australia accent. It’s so easy to listen to. There’s no subscription so it’s completely free.

No before you go crazy and think I’ve lost it (because well, I thought she had), you need to try it just once. You need to make sure you are ready to sleep. And it needs to be a time when you can devote 30 minutes or so without interruption. Preferably the rest of the nigh because you are going to go to sleep. You’ll thank me later. It has worked so well for me that some nights my husband will say “you need to put on your meditation”. Now I will tell you it doesn’t keep me asleep. If I wake up for any reason, I’m right back to insomnia queen. Then you just try again. It does often work again for me in the middle of the night. Give it a whirl if you can’t sleep. It may help you too. Good luck, good night, and happy dreams.

Always…….Brooke

Hello!!!!! I hope that your Tuesday has been full of blessings and peace. I ain’t gonna lie. These last couple of days have been a little poo poo for me. I am currently fighting some type of summer flu. My though is, if I’m going to have to get the flu why can’t it at least be cold outside. I must say I look pretty silly with my heating pad, blanket, and hot tea while I’m working when outside its 84 degrees. The cure for the flu to me is hot cocoa, noodle soup, and a heater. Can’t really do all that in the dead of summer. I could but, my husband and son might go to a hotel until I get better. They like this house cold. I should be on the upswing after today as I took a good bolus of antibiotics. As Barney Fife said “nip it in the bud, nip it!”

When I was a little girl, my momma use to cure everything with a cup of soup, a hot bath, and a warm cozy bed. We slept off all that illness. And we sweated out the fever. She’d load the blankets on us until the fever “broke” and the covers were soaked with sweat. Lordy now days that would be considered abuse lol. Little did I know that a fever is your bodies way of fighting off the bacteria. Breaking the fever gets it out of your system. Momma was right. (Aren’t momma’s always). I can tell you so many times when I’ve said that I should have listened to her. Put butter on the burn immediately followed by toothpaste. What crazy person came up with that? Well, it works. Warm your biscuits up in a sandwich bag. Believe me do it. They taste like they’ve just come out of the oven. Wash your face every night before you go to bed even if you don’t feel like it. Yes, I’ve done this since I was a teenager. Sounds silly but, I can count on two hands the times my face has had a pimple or break out over the years. And that’s pretty good for a 45 year old menopausal woman. See momma knows best.

Do you ever remember as a kid just loathing getting in the tub? Shew I do. We would go outside and ride our bikes until dark. Thats not a bad thing either by the way. It’s good for your muscles. And my little sister has the legs to prove it. That gal rode her bicycle from sun up to sun down. She loved it. And she has the legs of a beauty queen. We also played in the yard. Getting super sweaty was just part of our routine. Dirt in our hair was normal. No video games for us. In fact we didn’t have a television in our bedrooms until I was in high school. Daddy wanted us outside moving around. We would come in for dinner and clean our plates. Not because we were made to. Because we had played so hard that we were starved. We never complained about the food that mom put on the table. You either ate it or you were free to make yourself a sandwich. I did that sometimes. I didn’t like meatloaf lol. It didn’t stop her from making it however. Daddy like it so she made it once a week. We would sit at the table and dread what was coming next. Bath time. And I mean not just a quick wash off. She wanted you scrubbed until the water was brown from the dirt. You better not come out of that tub with a speck of dirt on you or appear greasy. She’d check you. And if she thought you didn’t get clean enough then back you go. I’m not joking. She was funny about cleanliness. She still is lol. I can’t tell you the times my son has said to me “nanny made me go in there and wash my face because I had a breakout” lol. No zits at her house. That was a sign of nasty.

So tell me when did taking a bath in the tub turn in to punishment no more? I take one every night. It’s that soak in the hot water that makes me relax so that I can sleep some. I look forward to it. That water is so hot it’s almost to the point of giving me a 1st degree burn. The hotter the better. Epsom salt sooths the muscles and gets the tension out. It’s so funny that something that I use to dread, is now one part of my day that I look so forward to. These last 3 nights I’m not sure how I would have made it without my bath. The flu is miserable. Every part of your body hurts. The headache is never ending. And the chills are for the birds. That hot bath makes it so much better.

What is a childhood memory that you have that use to feel like a punishment that now is a treasure? Did your momma give you little pointers that even today you stand by? What little habits have you instilled in your children? There are just too many for me to count. I am however so blessed and thankful for all I have learned from mine. Memories are such good things to have. I hope tonight’s little story has helped you to remember a few. Have the best night ever and happy dreams.

Always …….Brooke

Friends, we made it through another week. It may have been great, or it may have hurt a little. To some it was full of good and excitement and to others it may have smacked you in the face. Either way we made it through. The sun rose and set every single day. It’s funny that no matter what is going on, time still carries on like that’s its job. Time doesn’t care if you wish it were in slow motion. Like when you’re on vacation and you never want it to end. And then when you have a bad day and it drag on forever. Time just does its deal and gets the day over to start another fresh one. I just try to be thankful for getting to watch that time move for another day.

Let’s talk about a bad day. I know, I know it’s not a good positive subject. Miss positive Polly here seldom blogs about anything except positive. Well tonight, I feel the need talk about the bad. I think it gets better at the end lol. For starters this week has sort of been the pits. On top of a horrible bout with insomnia all week long, work hasn’t been the best. Insomnia is a boil on the butt of humanity! Last night I tossed and turned for hours. My legs were wiggly and I couldn’t get anything to relax. I think I was up and down about 20 times and I finally fell asleep around 5:30 am and the clock went off at 6:30. Yep, you calculated that right. I got a whopping one hour of sleep. I guess it was sleep. I could have passed out from exhaustion. The entire week has been 3 hours or less a night. I go through spells like that. Usually after nine or ten days I will crash. I can go on no sleep (obviously) but, my body hurts like someone has beaten me with a tennis racket. Thats the bad part.

Grumpy, exhausted, and not a nice person, I hauled my tail to work this morning. And when I say hauled, I mean I walked down the hall to my office. I know, it’s a terrible treck. I get settled in to view my cases and immediately get sacked in the face with a bad email and another that was just downright rude. Ten minutes in to a ten hour shift and I’m already contemplating Judy Choppin. (if you don’t know what that is you’ll just have to google it. Seriously do. He’s hilarious). Two cups of coffee and a Jim Croce record later and I had decided no Judy Choppin needed today lol.

By the time my workday was over I was a mess. I down right looked like some kind of electrocuted chicken that just needed a bath. I know I’ve told you all how lucky I am to still have my momma. She’s a saint in so many ways even when she isn’t trying. This evening, even at 45 years old, I just needed my momma. I drove down there and walked in and just started bawling. She didn’t say more that one or two words. “What’s wrong” of course were the first words out of her mouth. And I couldn’t even tell her. It was almost like what wasn’t wrong. I was exhausted. I was hurting all over. I was hurt. I was mad. All the emotions all at once. She gave me a tissue, a glass of ice water, an Ibuprofen and simply said “now get over there and sit down and be still a minute”. Be Still. Be Still. Those words. It’s what my daddy use to say to me. Those two little words mean so much that I have them tattooed on my wrist. In my mommas handwriting no doubt. After I got it all out I felt better. My face looked like a busted can of biscuits with all the swelling, but I felt better.

So here’s the deal. You can’t be sunshine all of the time. It isn’t possible. We all have bad days. We sometimes even have bad weeks. It IS okay. It’s okay to be sad. It’s okay to cry. It’s okay to feel mad. It’s okay to be tired. It’s even okay to think about Judy Choppin (lol, just dont do it). Get it out! Then just Be Still. You have permission to get upset and down. Just dont unpack your bags and live in that emotion. Get it out then stand up. Adjust your crown! Lift up your face and carry on. If all else fails and you have the ability, go see your momma. Go home. It always makes it better. I hope each of you have a lovely evening. Thanks for sharing your time.

Hidey Ho Neighbors! I hope your Thursday shaped up to be a marvel! Today means its the end of the workweek for me as I am off on Friday’s. Woohoo. Fridays are usually an extra workday for me making cakes and sewing. We have to put in the work to be able to enjoy our down time, so I try to think of it as a blessing. And aren’t we so blessed! Putting in all the hours have allowed my husband and I to go on vacation 2 times per year and do a few weekend get aways. Now when I say vacation, I mean here in the Unites States and withing driving distance. We typically visit Hilton Head (which is my most favorite place) for our weeks away and try some quick get aways for our weekend excursions. Confession:::: I don’t get on a plane. I’ve never flown in my life. I’m a big scaredy cat. I also don’t do boats so not cruises for me. I’m scared to death of deep water. I do not know how to swim. And I know what you’re saying. “Didn’t you take swimming lessons”? Yep, three times. As the last swim instructor said to my daddy “you can’t teach someone to swim if she won’t take her feet off of the bottom”. So that’s me. Little miss “no water above the knees but loves to be in a hot tub or go to the ocean” lol.

I will admit that my fear of flying, and water has hindered my ability to enjoy this beautiful earth. It’s not good and I realize that. My siblings will hop on a plane and go anywhere. No biggie. In fact, they would rather fly than drive when traveling. They are brave. They are fierce. I am a pansey. I literally feel like I would have to be in a similar situation as Mr. T to get on a plane. Drug me up and carry me on. My son is now 21 years old, and I’ve often thought what I would do if he moved far away. This has happened to so many of my friends. Their children live all over. It brings me anxiety to think about it but, it would one scenario that I would be airborne. I would be in the airport bar for about 3 hours prior to boarding and someone might have to carry me on to that plane but, I would do it to see my son. Thankfully he is a “feet on the ground” kind of guy too. And he’s happy right here in this town with his family.

Here’s a little story about an opportunity and a fear. Several years ago I worked in a dental practice here in our area. I worked there for over 12 years and the office became my extended family. I still have a realtionship with the dentist today. I worked with a beautiful old soul named Bernadette . Just the name should give you an image of a sophisticated eclectic soul. And she certainly was. She was in her mid to upper 70’s and she had no intention of retiring (she since has and is still living today). Bernadette was an imigrant from France. Paris to be exact. She was one of those whirlwind love stories of girl meets soldier, falls in love, and moves to the US to start her life. She left behind her entire family. She birthed a daughter here and became a citizen. She then bagan working as a dental assistant and the rest is history. She became my great friend, confidant, and my work partner. We leaned on one another. Her accent was so strong that many times I would have to ask her to repeat what she said. Sometimes, I admit, I had her to repeat it just so that I could here her talk. We spent many lunch hours with her telling me stories of France and her home. Our dentist (boss) was a captain in the Navy and each year was gone for a 2 week furlow and we would close the office. She would travel back to France and typically stayed an entire month. The last year that she and I worked together (she retired), she offered for me to come with her and stay in France for a week. All expense paid. flight paid for and staying with her family. All I would have had to pay were for my meals and any souvenirs that I purchased. The woman had frequent flyer miles coming out of her ears. Yes, I declined. Due to my fear of flying. Ugh. I’m a complete idiot.

In the years that have passed since my invitation I realize how silly I was. Silly or not I still won’t do it. My husband and I often talk about where we would go if we “went”. His dream would be to visit Scottland. It’s his heritage. And he would love it. I guess it’s what we call our bucket list of travels (which will never get emptied). I myself, would venture 2 places. The first I can drive to as it is in the US. I would probably never as its 14 hours away. I have always wanted to go to Boston. Sounds crazy huh? A southern country gal wanting to go to Boston. I had a coworker from there and I lived that dream through him. My favorite television show of all time is “Cheers”. The bars (actually both bars) are there. They filmed in two separate bars. Both of which are open and can be visited.

The second bucket list for me to travel would be Sicily. The rich landscape and crumbling streets. The food and the bistros. It truly is a wish for me. If only I could close my eyes and be there and not get on the plane. I just think it would be an area that would take me back to that old world. A time of Italian love for food and family. Where you stick together and don’t mess with the Mob lol. Its certainly my kind of atmosphere.

Now that you know I won’t fly heres my “next best thing”. Unfortunately i suffer from Insomnia. Truly I do. I write my blogs at 11 pm or later and post them days out. Sometimes that is when I do my best “thinking” but that’s a different story. At night while my husband is sound asleep, I find myself looking at images of Sicily on Pinterest or the Web. I watch videos of the area and I read about the atmosphere there. I call it armchair traveling. I travel there sitting right here in my home. I explore through photos. It helps me relax and lets me dream. I should probably call it bedtime travel as I’m typically in bed propped up on a ton of pillows while I “travel”. It works for me for now. And will until I can make my phobia go away. Thankfully my husband could sleep through an explosion and it doesn’t bother him lol.

What is your bucket list for traveling? Where have you been lucky enough to visit and where do you want to explore? Thinking about those positive things will make you feel happy. It truly will. One day, when I get past my fear, I may get to mark Boston and Sicily off of my list. But until then, I will just live the dream through my armchair traveling.

Always…… Brooke

P.S. the photos below are how I see Sicily in my dreams. If you’ve traveled there and it doesn’t really look like this, then mind your business lol. Don’t crush a girl’s dreams.