Little Book of AWESOME

So I'm looking for a birthday present for my wonderful mother-in-law, can't find what I'm looking for, so I settle on a book. One problem - I have no idea what she likes to read!  Well I'm a visual person, and this book caught my eye.

"The Book of Awesome," based on an award-winning blog (1000 Awesome Things), is a list of 1000 FREE things that bring us joy in every-day life.

So I flip open the page, and what's there?  "The small square in a waffle, full to the brim, with golden sweet syrup and melted butter."  Okay, I'm sold on the book already!  I don't even LIKE waffles and it's bringing me joy. (LOL)

So I continue to flip through random pages, smiling as I read some of the headlines ("Guessing the Wheel of Fortune puzzle before the contestants do," "Cleaning the soft, fuzzy lint out of the dryer"), and I think, what an amazing thing.  So I bought the book!  And now I want one for myself!  (And in it, I'll add "Carefully biting the chocolate layer off the outside of a Skor bar, without breaking the hard butterscotch inside.")

Remember, you only live once!  Love every moment!

Triggs:The Smartest Stupid Cat U Ever Met

What do you get when you cross an owner who thinks she's solved the constantly-meowing-for-food problem by paying $100 for an automatic feeder, with a cat who lives to eat and find trouble?

The "problem-solved" automatic feeder 20 feet away from where you left it, toppled over, lid unscrewed, with 3 pounds of cat food scattered for him to eat at his will!

"Bath Salts" : A Must-Know for Parents

I have just been reading some startling information about "bath salts," a new mixture of drugs that teens are using to create a meth-like high (but "bath salts" also cause hallucinations along with the normal stimulant effects).  Of course, these "bath salts" are not the regular bath salts that we use to relax in the tub.  


The major concern with this new drug is the rate of suicidality after the stimulant high - the reported feelings or attempts of suicide post-use are astounding.


The reason it is becoming so big, so fast is because it is readily available (legal to sell, so widespread on the internet, etc) and cheap (1g of meth is over $350; 1g of bath salts are $18!). 

I'm having a hard time finding out what exactly is in this new mixture, but some of the ingredients are the same as those that are used in pesticides.  It can be snorted, shot, swallowed, or smoked, and therefore comes in white powder (resembling traditional bath salts), capsules, or even dried leaves.

Many of the States are currently working on legislation to make this drug illegal (they are working towards making it a "Schedule 1" drug, the same as cocaine, etc).  It is legal and gets around the FDA laws because suppliers mark "not for human consumption" on the product. 


There is quite a bit of info online; here is a random website with a good overview to get you started:

http://www.burningtree.com/bath-salts-abuse/

Respect. Kindness. Love.

IT SEEMS THESE DAYS THAT DIVORCE AND SEPARATION ARE EVERYWHERE WE TURN.  HOW HAVE WE FORGOTTEN THE GIFT OF LOVE SO EASILY?  HERE'S PROOF HOW ONE LITTLE THING CAN MAKE SUCH A BIG DIFFERENCE.  READ ON:

There was a couple who’d been married for twelve years. The first two years were good, happy even . . . but then the kids came and work got hard and money got tight and the shine wore off of each of them. She used to see strong and silent but now she saw cold and distant. He used to see passionate and loving, but now he saw dramatic and meddling. They allowed themselves to become annoyed with each other. And so they stopped being careful. They stopped taking care of each other because they each decided they needed to look out for themselves.


And the distances between them grew longer and deeper until it felt impossible to touch even when they were in the same room. And one day she said to her girlfriend. . . I just don’t love him anymore. And it felt terrifying and exciting to say. And he said to his buddy . . . I don’t know if I ever loved her. And their friends said what about counseling but it all seemed tangled up too tight to try to unwind.


She got home from work one evening and fed the kids and put them to bed and she was tired to the bone. And he was late again. Late again. And even though he was late and the house was a mess, she knew that he would walk in the door, pour his glass of wine, and sit down at the kitchen table and relax. He’d sit and relax. She couldn’t even remember what relaxing felt like. She was always either going like hell or sleeping. Somebody had to keep the family running.


She stared at his bottle of wine on the counter. Then her eyes wandered over to their wedding photo on the wall. Clueless, she thought. We were clueless. But happy. Look at us. We were happy. We were hopeful.


God, please help us, she said silently.


Then she walked over to the counter and poured a glass of wine for him. She put it next to his book on the kitchen table, the place he loved to sit and relax, and she went upstairs to sleep.


He tiptoed into the house fifteen minutes later. He knew he’d missed the kids’ bedtime again, he knew his wife would be angry again, and he prepared himself for her steely silence. He hung up his coat andwalked into the kitchen. He saw his glass of wine, and his book, and his chair pulled out for him. He stood and stared for a moment, trying to understand.


It felt like she was speaking directly to him for the first time in a long, long while.


He sat down and drank his wine. But instead of reading, he thought about her. He thought about how hard she worked, how early she woke to get the kids to school and herself to the office. He felt grateful. He finished his wine and then walked over to the coffee maker. He filled it up and set the automatic timer. 5:30 am. It would be ready when she came downstairs. He placed her favorite mug on the counter. And then he walked upstairs and quietly slipped into bed next to her.


The next morning she woke up and stumbled downstairs, exhausted, to the kitchen. She stopped when she heard the coffee maker brewing and stared at it for a few moments, trying to understand.


It felt like he was speaking directly to her for the first time in a very, very long while.


She felt grateful.


That evening, she stayed up until he got home. And she allowed her arm to brush his as they prepared dinner together. And after the kids went to bed and they assumed their TV viewing positions on the couch . . . he reached out for her hand. It was hard, but he did it.


And things started to unwind. A little teeny bit.

IF YOUR GOAL IS TO SHARE A HAPPY LIFE WITH SOMEONE FOR MANY YEARS TO COME, THEN SOMEONE HAS TO POUR THE FIRST GLASS OF WINE.


You see, Love is not something we search or wait or dream, but simply something we make a choice to do.