Today's Joy: Finding Out Some Interesting Facts About Yourself.
My dear friend, K, asked me to blog about this website he found: www.paulsadowski.com. You plug in your birthday or your name and a whole list of interesting and amusing facts come up.

Here is some of what it said about me:
As of 4/24/2010 10:54:15 AM EDT
You are 33 years old.
You are 404 months old.
You are 1,757 weeks old.
You are 12,299 days old.
You are 295,186 hours old.
You are 17,711,214 minutes old.
You are 1,062,672,855 seconds old.

I am 12, 299 days old! That is so cool! Who knew it was so many! Well, I could have figured it out, but honestly, it never occurred to me. Wow, I've woken up on over 12,000 mornings. I've been alive for 12,000 sunsets and 12,000 earth revolutions! Being 404 months old means there have been 404 full moons in my lifetime. 1,757 weeks means I've had 1,757 Fridays! Pretty cool stuff (and yes, I'm easily amused).

Sure, it seems like trivial stuff. But sometimes trivia can remind us how blessed we are. So far, God has given me over 17 million minutes on this Earth. That's amazing! Imagine all the lives I've been a part of in that time! Imagine all the opportunities to do good for others and make a positive difference. And how many of those minutes went by unused and unnoticed?

How many minutes have you had, Reader? What are you going to do with them? Powerful stuff!

Today's Joy: Fortuitous Meetings.
I took a risk today, Reader. I applied to a juried art/craft show slotted for later this summer. Juried means that a committee of the show organizers reviews all the artists who'd like to participate and decides which ones will be invited to exhibit their work. Juried shows are usually a more organized and more lucrative venue for artists than the average festival. There's also the opportunity to win prizes for your work.

Well, I prayed about it and ruminated on it and when I felt God urging me to give it a shot, I decided it was time to throw my hat in the ring. I put together my application with samples of my work (am still so proud of my little darlings) and today I hand-delivered it to the submission address. I got there later than I planned--a few unexpected errands popped up--and the mail slot was too small for my envelope, so I rang the bell and a woman came to the door. Turns out, she's the submissions contact and a lovely woman. So, I introduced myself and we chatted a bit. She seemed really excited to peek at my application so I thanked her and ski-dattled. Hopefully I made a good impression.

Looking back on it now, the timing was very fortuitous. I know in my heart that God wanted me there at that time for a reason, and this meeting was somehow significant. It had that 'stardust feel' to it. You know what I mean--that feeling of foreshadowing you get when you meet someone new or visit some place for the first time and you just know it will be significant in the future. Like déjà vu, only it hasn't happened yet. Or like God offering you a sneak peek. A holy spirit preview, if you will.

I've gotten that feeling several times in my life, each time leading to something wonderful. So, I'm hopeful. When was the last time you had a 'stardust feeling', Reader? Did you shake it off or embrace it? What was the outcome?

Today's Joy: Waiting in Acceptance.
I'm taking a deep breath tonight, Reader, and letting God handle the troubles on my heart. Being still in this moment doesn't lessen the pain. But there is calming sort of comfort in knowing He already knows what comes next.

Today's Joy: Resilience.

It's been cold the last few nights, Reader. Cold enough that we had a pretty good frost the other day, much to Aunt's (and my) dismay. Her beautiful, creamy-yellow magnolia blossoms were just beginning to open. We've been waiting to enjoy them for several months, but now, they're barely open & they're already turning brown. Rats!

Then I took the dogs outside this morning and got a surprise! Several very young blooms made it through the frost and are now opening in all their creamy-yellow glory. Just when we thought there would be no magnolia joy this spring. Gotta love those little unexpected gifts! Can't wait for Aunt to see them when she gets home tonight!

Blue Cheese Topping

Have you noticed, Reader, the explosion of nutritionists on television of late--all warning us that we shouldn't be eating any processed foods? Whether it's the hidden sugar content, the artificial fillers in practically everything or that most dreaded of processed food offenders--partially hydrogenated oils--we're being warned to stay away from it all.

Of course, the nutritionists are right. All that crud is terrible for us. It's also scary. I, for one, am developing food anxiety. When I see that my favorite dish at Restaurant A packs 1,800 calories or Restaurant B's super-indulgence tops out at a whopping 2,500 calories, it makes me (literally) ill and cranky. It seems there are so many things in the world we have to be vigilant against. Adding every single meal we consume to the list is overwhelming! It's getting to the point where I have to see my food prepared or prepare it myself or I don't feel good about eating it.

Fortunately, I LOVE to cook and getting in the kitchen is a creative outlet for me. But for folks who are culinarily-challenged or don't enjoy cooking, all this food-phobia must be even more overwhelming. To that end, I'm going to do my part to post some easy, cheap & de-lish homemade alternatives to the processed junk we don't even realize we use every day. Jamie Oliver, rejoice! The Food Revolution does start with us!

Okay, last night I made blue cheese & mushroom burgers. While I love blue cheese, I can't stand processed blue cheese dressing. I want blue cheese that is creamy, fresh and not overpowering. So, here is my very simple blue cheese topping for burgers & salad. It also makes a yummy dip for veggies & crackers. The best part: you can whip up small, fresh batches lickety-split so you don't have a bottle of artery-clogging gunk hanging out in the fridge for months.

Simple Blue Cheese Topping

1 5 oz. container crumbled blue cheese

3/4 cup real mayonnaise

2 tbl. sour cream

1 tbl. fresh chives, chopped

salt & pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients and serve immediately.

Makes 6-8 tablespoon-size servings.

Refrigerate up to one week.

Today's Joy: Documenting the Garden.
Happy Tuesday, Reader! Got a call from Mom last night. Her Flowering Almond bush is now blooming in all its glory. As I've been her garden photographer for several years now, she wondered if I'd stop by and shoot a few photos. So I swung by this morning and WOW! She wasn't kidding! Every inch of branch was covered in pink blossoms. It was gorgeous! I don't think I've ever seen it look so good.

One of the things I love most about being the family photographer is recording little moments like this. What a great way to bring joy to others while doing something I love. Here are a few shots for you to enjoy, Reader.





I heart spring!

Today's Joy: Adding a Little Meditative Prayer to the Day.
Have you noticed, Reader, how a rough or unbalanced day improves dramatically when you take a few moments to close your eyes, breathe deeply and relinquish control? When I stop and take the time to invite God into my heart to do his work through me, it's amazing how peace seems to envelope me and I suddenly feel calmer, more focused and more open to the good I can do. Sure beats worrying about all the stuff I don't have control over!

Today's Joy: Everybody Gathered Around for Dinner.
As I was headed out the door to work this morning, Reader, and feeling a bit sorry for myself to be working on a lovely Sunday, Aunt said those magic words,"Everybody's coming over for pot roast tonight!"

Of course, it could have been BBQ chicken, potato soup, polenta, duck with orange sauce or one of a hundred other succulent, spur-of-the-moment dishes. My reaction is always the same: Hurray! After all, Aunt Chef--whose culinary training includes a stint in Austria--makes food that is 14 kinds of delicious. Even the stuff she doesn't think is up to snuff is pretty darn good.

But the conversation at these get-togethers is what I most look forward to. My family is full of characters. I don't mean the garden variety kind of nuttiness you find in every family. My family is a character writer's dream. Each a unique and autonomous soul whose strengths play well off of one another. It's just plain fascinating to watch them interact. They also seem to get into mischief en masse and you never know what they'll be up to next. I can't wait to tune in and hear about their latest & greatest adventures. Like the time my uncle dressed up in a gladiator's outfit with a blond wig and drove a team of four ponies around the indoor arena at a horse show. Or the time Aunt Chef was herding escaped cows with Uncle's truck.

There are many, many more wonderful stories, of course. Some of which might be a tad incriminating. So, apologies, dear Reader, but posting them to my blog would be bad form. However, if you happen to join us for dinner some evening, you can hear them in all their juicy glory for yourself. I promise, you won't be disappointed.