Adding Insult to Injury

Birthdays are a special time ~ but there comes a point in every woman's life when the birthday just doesn't feel quite so welcome. This month I turned 45 (!!!!) and thought I was doing alright...but I know I was just fooling myself. I treated myself to a haircut and highlights, then my dh took me to dinner at Frankie D's Italian Chop House and to see the new Indiana Jones movie that happened to premiere in our town on the day of my birthday. My cake was a box of Milk Duds. My present was a beautiful border garden.

The haircut took a little getting used to as it is as short as I've ever had it. The food was great. The movie...well, it stars Harrison Ford. Enough said. I didn't even open the Milk Duds until the next day and nibbled on them for three days. We started to work on the garden on the Friday after my birthday. It is becoming quite a conversation item with passersby. Next year it will be spectacular (after the perennials have time to mature a bit).

The real bummer in all this was what I discovered while trying to find a better way than iron pills to overcome slight anemia and also avoid taking a prescription medicine for high cholesterol (I already take a daily thyroid pill ;-< ). I got out my copy of Phyllis A. Balch's Prescription for Nutritional Healing and looked up every concern my doctor had. Everything is manageable as long as I am diligent in following some specific guidelines.

Of course the typical high fiber, low fat and sugar diet. Plenty of steam distilled water and fresh juices. Lean meats and lots of salad and fresh veggies and fruits. But..........in order to really overcome some of my iron absorption problems, PMS symptoms, cholesterol, and weight control issues...I have to give up caffeine in all forms. That includes coffee and chocolate. I seriously crave coffee every day. My mornings will not be the same drinking decaf Earl Grey tea. And a girl just has to indulge in one Dove dark chocolate a day!!

Ok, enough whining for one day. I'm just going to make myself a comfort smoothie and get over it! Maybe blueberries and bananas with some low-fat vanilla yogurt-organic, of course...

Adding Insult to Injury

http://typingone-handed.blogspot.com/2008/06/adding-insult-to-injury.html

That Coffee House Experience...

I’ve spent several years trying to convince my dear husband that spending five dollars on a single cup of coffee is worth the money and it’s not just about the coffee.

It’s about the aroma when I walk through the door of the coffee house. I always pause for a moment, close my eyes, take a deep breath and inhale the fragrance of freshly ground beans, just brewed coffee, and hot steamed milk.

I open my eyes and listen to the murmur of conversations all around me and then try to determine what music is playing softly in the background. This morning it’s Frank Sinatra singing about how he did it his way.

Now comes the hard part – choosing my coffee. The choices are nearly overwhelming, fresh brewed Guatemala blend with a hint of chocolate aftertaste, or maybe a frozen blend of espresso, bananas, and coconut syrup – with an extra shot of espresso.

Today I choose the Guatemala blend, hot and steaming with space for plenty of half and half. As I watch the milk swirling in the cup I spot my favorite table. It’s empty and the sun is shining on the chair in which I like to read and do a little writing.

The next part is the best part. I sit with the sun directly on my face, take a drink of my hot coffee and savor the little taste of chocolate after I swallow. I open my Bible study materials and begin to completely relax – the sun warming my face, the coffee warming my mouth, and the word of God warming my soul.

Five dollars doesn’t seem like too much for all that, now does it?


**Note: I originally wrote this piece for a Christian Writer's Guild Apprentice assignment. It's a coffee house kind of day so I needed to read and share it again!

That Coffee House Experience...

http://typingone-handed.blogspot.com/2007/06/that-coffee-house-experience.html

After that second cup of coffee....

Finally the wheels start rolling! Cup number 1 is the one I hold in my hand as I walk out to feed the chicken, dog, rabbit, cat... Cup number 2 is halfway consumed before I get to the desk for my morning devotions... then over to my computer for the second round of inspiration:

I was absolutely intrigued by the name of Linda's blog: 2nd Cup of Coffee. I had to include it on my list of favorites for the title alone. After spending time reading and absorbing some of her insights, I am glad I found it! She is hysterically funny! Just what I needed to read while trying to finish my second cup of coffee and dash to the pot before it shuts off and I have to reheat cup number 3 in the microwave.

What is with those auto shut-off coffee makers, anyway?? This isn't Shoneys! I don't have to brew a fresh pot every 20 minutes. With a little extra cream and maybe a bit of sugar, that thick, dark, two-hour old coffee kinda tastes like a mocha latte, right?

On to the ?inspired? stuff...

After that second cup of coffee....

http://typingone-handed.blogspot.com/2007/06/after-that-second-cup-of-coffee.html