Southern Living Yankee

Focus, focus, focus--I can't do it! Whenever I sit down to write at either the computer or curled up on the sofa with a notebook, I don't know where to start! All day, every day, I'm filtering everything I hear and see through two questions--how could I write about this, or how does this apply to widows? I'm obsessed. I can hardly sleep at night! So when I lug my over-worked, stressed out brain to the notebook or keyboard, I can't do it. Oh, I can start! I can start a hundred different sentences. Or one idea a hundred different ways. And then poof! My brain then gives me another hundred options of where to conclude it, and a million daydreams of where it will go. I call this Artistic ADHD. Before I go to a medical professional for some powerful knock-me-outs, I'm going to try something else. I think I've trapped myself; I don't have enough time or energy to do both the book and the blog. My first love, the first commission God gave me, was the book. N...

I had a great suprise on Friday! When I just happened to check the voice mail on my cell phone (which I rarely do), there was a message from my sister, "Mind if we stop by tonight?" Almost 8 hours later, Tom picked me up from work, we grabbed a bit of dinner (we're still on the diet--so an itsy bitsy bit of dinner), and shortly after that Anjee called again to get directions to our doorstep! They were on their way home from a spring break vacation in Tennessee . . . well, I'm just so glad they stopped! And they thought they'd just stop in to say hello . . . but we talked them into spending Friday night and Saturday night! Took them out to breakfast on Saturday, and then it rained all day. :(  But we made the best of it and went to Jungle Jim's to tour that crazy grocery store and eat ugli fruit. When we got home, Jessica made supper! She's in culinary school and improvised the recipe she entered in the chili cook-off. Then she helped me write i...

We've made it to Day 4 of the diet. Ugh. After gagging on eggs at 6:30 a.m. the first day I now opt for half a cup of cottage cheese with some cinnamon on it. I know this might sound disgusting, but I find it easier to deal with than eggs-turned-cold-too-soon. I was so fond of toast with peanut butter with my steaming hot coffee! I miss toast. We're doing the South Beach diet, so no carbs. No bread or anything made with flour--good-bye bread, biscuits, muffins, cookies, brownies, cake, pie, good stuff! No starches--good-bye potatoes, rice, and salty crunchy junk food love! No sugar--good-bye Coke, chocolate, and the candy drawer at work.  sigh Hello salads, V-8, veggies veggies veggies. I'm getting really sick of veggies. Meat without gravy or condiments. whine whine whine.  But now it's time for the evening snack that I look forward to every day--a glass of low-fat milk and a no-sugar fudgsicle. yum.  Sweet dreams everyone, and enjoy those brown...