a thousand words

My niece, Josie...in her "cool diaps"

I feel wordless...
I actually have millions of words going through my brain, but sometimes silence is sweeter.
They say...pictures are worth a thousand words....

Zebra-striped diapers...what a diva.  Because we have had, both elderly people and babies stay with us for long periods of time...my Mom made the observation that we have a supply of : diapers for babies and adults, walkers for babies and adults, potty chairs for babies and adults...and the list goes on :-) Its funny how life seems to come full circle...isn't it?

I'm not even kidding...if, God-willing, I live to be old enough to go through the diaper stage of life...again - you better believe that you'll find my 100-year-old self in zebra stripes! No shame in that game girl. 

The Sweet Girl...

These are just a few snapshots from my phone...I will post better pictures soon - when I figure out how to use my new camera :-)

Sweet love and diva diapers,

Julie

Everything's better with...grass-fed butter?

It's been a lil' bit since I've written...I've been busy with school and preparing for a gig I had on Friday night for a business function.  My friend Kathy accompanied me on the piano as I sang. Now I wouldn't consider myself a gadget girl, BUT I have to admit that my new favorite thing was Kathy's amazing, studio-quality microphone that she let me borrow.  It not only made me look like a super swanky chic, but it also had great sound quality! Sigh...how I love sangin'  :-)

I've been changing the look of my blog...a lot lately.  I'm still under construction.  For now, I've gone with the broken old piano...because of the whole Band Wagon theme...and 'cause I like playin' piano (almost as much as I like sangin')...and also because the keys on the piano reminded me of the different seasons of my life journey thus far....some crooked keys, some nicely-aligned ones, and some that were just.....straight up broke. Actually...I changed it AGAIN, because I fell in love....with a blue piano :) I like to think of my story as a Jazz or Blues melody.  Some jazz chords, when played outside of the context of a song, can seem dissonant or jarring...but within a song, they have the ability to weave a lovely melodic design. So maybe I'll keep this canvas for my blog...(at least for a week or so)...as I write my notes along the way and God weaves my life's design into a sweet melody...

So....about BUTTER.





I have been reading about how great butter (from grass-fed cows) can be for our brain health. I came across this website about the benefits of the healthy fats in this type of butter and how yummy it is when blended with some toxin-free coffee...and I decided to try it out for myself. Julie...girl you crazy! I know it sounds strange but just think of how it seemed to the first person who discovered that pineapple on pizza was, ahem, at least in my opinion....amaaaazing

My Recipe? 

• 1 tbsp of UNSALTED, grass-fed butter (Kerry Gold is a good brand you can find at Trader Joe's) JULIE WHAT? GIRL you have GOT to be kiddin' me....a whole TABLESPOON of butter!? But that's so much FAT!! Well...I would actually attribute the "low-fat-fakey-chemically" diet as the true culprit that has been making Americans fatter over the years...so yea...lets take the ancient paths and PUT SOME BUTTAH IN IT!!! ;-)
• 1 tbsp of organic, unrefined coconut oil (because coconut oil is SO good for you too) WHEW GIRL...now you just gotta be playin'...all that SAT-U-RATED fat...uh-uh, NO way. Oh dear, well you see, certain types of saturated fats are actually very good for you...its them nasty ol' trans fats, and hydrogenated oils that mess with yo' body in a bad way.  So be free, and SAT-U-RATE yo'self in some good fat. 
• 1 - 2 cups of coffee (depending on how much you usually drink or how black you like it)
• I sweeten it with stevia
• blend in a blender that can handle hot stuff, or with a nifty hand-held blender like the one below....until frothy

Why grass-fed butter? Here's a motto: "Eat happy things that ate healthy things" Happy cows = ones that ate healthy grass... as they were created to do. Their poor little tummies weren't made to digest corn :-/

OK, well I'm anticipating the cuteness of my blog to rise about 100% soon, because my niece (Josie, 1) and nephew (Landon, 4) are coming to town this week!  So, if you're not down with butter...or coffee...or blending them together, I understand....BUT, if you are not down with pictures of the cutest lil' niece and nephew in the world..... well then no comprendo, my friendo.

Mucho Amor. 

Blogger's block prohibited

If there's anyone out there who is still reading...you can probably tell that I've had a bad case of blogger's block lately.

It's not that there has been a lack of things to write about, but every time I sat down to type...I just couldn't.

I'm not gonna lie...I've been a little down...but I'm learning that in times like these...underneath all of the rubble.... gratefulness is just below the surface.  Well, it may take a bulldozer to get to it, but I'm willing to dig to find it.  Sometimes you just gotta start with the "small stuff," which is actually...usually the pretty amazing stuff...that we tend to take for granted...
I am thankful that I have all of my limbs and a functioning brain (a mostly functioning brain ;-)  I'm thankful for air to breath and water to drink. I'm thankful I have God and people who love me.  I'm thankful that I live by a river....
The other day, while driving, I noticed a neat bridge over the Delaware so I pulled over to get out and walk across.




I hadn't been there 4 seconds before I was bombarded with signs prohibiting me to do...most things!
Ever notice how we only see signs of what NOT to do?
Like at a museum: Do not touch
A pool: Do not dive
A zoo: Do not feed the animals


....I know, I get it- safety first...but I'd still like to see a place where you are bombarded with signs that tell you all of the things you CAN do!  

So in respect, while walking over the bridge, I did NOT... fish, loiter, jump off, swim... ride my bike or moped....

Then when I got to the park across the bridge, I made sure NOT to.... consume alcohol, unleash anyone's dog, park my car...anywhere, do any metal detecting, litter, or start any fires...in non-picnic areas (I guess one could argue that setting fire to the picnic areas is fair game? ;-)

Because I saw no signs prohibiting the following- I DID.....

Make a hair weave out of leaves: A leave weave...Lady Gaga hasn't even heard of these yet!

Cook sticks on the grill...because I had no steaks...

Find a scarecrow doing yard work in Pearls....

       I posed with her...she was sort of shy and opted out of the pose... (wow...this is scary - I need friends...;-)

Then I busted some moves on a park bench.....Yep, someone totally rode by me on their bike as I was taking a photo of myself doing this.  I shook it off and hid behind my aviators.  Lately I have been wanting to move somewhere else..."What Julie? You don't enjoy being 27 and living in a 55-and-over?" Nope....that is one of the reasons I've been bulldozing for gratefulness ;-) Truthfully, I am grateful that my parents took me in after a very difficult season in Georgia.  I was working as a House Mother in a shelter for women coming out of Human Trafficking and when I think about what they had to go through....my bulldozing for gratefulness  turns into digging with a toy shovel in a sandbox to find it.  I miss those ladies.  Some of the most brave women I have ever met.  Maybe I'll write about my experience there soon.  

I'm grateful to express myself in this blog....and for aviators to hide behind when expressing myself means making a fool of myself on a park bench :-)

Much Love.