Tell Me About Yourself

If you were speaking on the phone with someone whom you've never met and they asked you to "tell me about yourself", what would you say?

Go ahead; think about it for a few seconds. What are the first things that pop into your head?

The color of your eyes or hair?

Did you think about your smile, or perhaps a beauty mark?

Did your height come to mind?

Or maybe your weight or body shape flashed into focus.

Today, I watched a bit of a morning talk show where a celebrity was discussing her weight gain and attempts to lose the extra pounds, again. This discussion got me to thinking about how much we focus on our physical attributes.

If someone were to ask me to tell them about myself, I would probably start with my green eyes, and height, etc. These are just superficial things, a part of who I am, yes, but not the most important things that truly make me--me and you--you.

I think we should start focusing on the best things that make each of us unique:

       bubbly personality

               sense of humor

                      positive outlook

                            love of reading

       interest in nature

               fondness of romantic movies

                       boundless energy

                             a smile that lights up the room

       ingenuity that keeps the boss guessing

               faith in a higher power

                       fierce loyalty to family

                              creative flair

                                     Etcetera...

The next time you look in the mirror, don't focus on gray hairs, blemishes, extra pounds, or other physical imperfections, take a second and think about a few things that make you special.

I hope you realize (in a non-pompous way) how wonderful it is to be you!

Ordinary Moment

The simple gesture of holding someone's hand, the sharing of warmth, the immediate sense of familiarity is so comforting. Something that is so everyday ordinary and yet it is so special.

I often sit with my mother talking or watching television and we will occasionally hold hands. There is always a tender squeeze that says “I love you". Sometimes I am taken back to my childhood, walking hand-in-hand with my mother; the memories are warm and loving. We would play a game with my mother squeezing my hand a certain number of times and I would respond with the same number of squeezes. In silence, walking along, back and forth quick successions of squeezes in attempts to fool the other person. Such a simple game but it is embedded in my memory of a happy childhood.

When next you hold someone's hand be it friend, spouse, child, or family, savor the moment, the sensations, and simply enjoy.

I could bake everyday!

With the gift of farm fresh eggs from my sister's friend, yesterday morning began with a baking spree...Angel Food and Sponge Cakes!

Fresh egg whites yield a fluffier, higher Angel Food Cake so I wanted to use the eggs for this purpose. As you may or may not know, Angel Food Cake only uses the whites of the eggs, no yolks. Also, it is best if the whites are at room temperature, so while the whites warmed up I made a Sponge Cake.

                                      

Sponge Cake only uses the yolks so it is a great way to use up the yolks. Sponge Cake is a very light and airy cake, not at all dense and squishy like a kitchen sponge. Since Valentine's Day is close, I chose heart pans.

I kept one heart for my family and drenched it in a decadent, rich chocolate ganache, mmmm.

The second heart received a blanket of strawberry butter cream using some homemade jam and decorated with fresh berries. This cake was happily given as a gift to my Aunt Patsy and Uncle Bob.

Thank goodness for electric mixers, otherwise I don't think I would make a scratch Angel Food Cake. Look at the marvelous volume of whites whipped to stiff peaks!

After carefully folding in flavorings, cake flour and sugar the cake baked to a golden perfection.

Cooling the cake upside down is required so as not to deflate all the delicate air bubbles.

Sometimes I like to frost Angel Food Cakes, or serve with berries and whipped cream. But yesterday we enjoyed the cake "au naturale".

Christmas Crafts...delayed

As a Stocking Stuffers I made a bunch of felt snowpeople, each of them unique. I was working down to the wire, in fact, I was stitching on Christmas morning. In the hustle and bustle, I neglected to take pictures of my snow family.

But I made two more, a snowman with a top hat for Dad and Mom wanted an angel. Without a Christmas deadline, took my time to fininsh this pair. They were actually completed the end of January and I'm only getting around to posting the picture. I figured with all the recent snowfall the snow duo were still appropriate and well, you know, better late than never.

Cute couple, just like Mom and Dad!

Two Two

February 2, 2010 and it is Tuesday, so it is 2-2-10 Tuesday! I like the way the alliteration sounds, try it, say it out loud.

Three is said to be a magical number. Three is often used in mythology and fairy tales. Even in modern myths three is significant, i.e. "celebrities die in threes".

But I like two. Two is cozy, friendly.

Two has been heralded as well in its own adages: "Table for Two!" "Two to Tango" "Two's company, three's a crowd." "Tea for two." "Two peas in a pod." "Cocktails for two." "Two wrongs don't make a right." "Two can play at that game."

"Two heads are better than one" when working through a problem. To do something quickly is to have it done in "two shakes of a lamb's tail". A lightbulb moment is often achieved after you have "put two and two together."

Enough of my ramblings, my two cents if you will, about the number two. I will put the subject to rest with this thought, there are no two ways about it, I am not of two minds, but of one in my brief homage to the number two--Twoday is tremendous!