Why Chocolate Cravings???

The Chocolate Cravings!

As you know my blog is called Chocolate Cravings
and I guess maybe I should explain my reasoning behind that.

Originally, I was going to do a sort of,
on-line dieting blog. You know, talk about
the struggles of losing weight, maybe give a
few helpful hints, talk about the ups and downs,
form a support group and talk about the
food cravings....and if you’re a woman,
you can bet Chocolate will be one of them!

Then I decided to scrap that idea.
Seriously, who am I kidding?
At almost 48, do I really care if I look
like a model?
( I didn’t even look like one in my late teens)
....and more importantly, why should I?

I think society is already pushing our
younger generation to be "perfect"
When the show "Plain Jane" aired last fall,
I was irritated beyond reason.


The show was about, a young woman who was seen by others as "plain" and she was given a complete make over in order to get the "guy of her dreams". Are you kidding me?? Then the guy thinks she’s beautiful and they all live happily-ever-after. OMG, how wrong is that? So, let me get this right, in order to have any chance at dating a really cute guy, you have to look like the perfect model? Huh, guess I never got that memo.  And this is the line of crap we teach or young ladies to believe. Unreal.

Ok, so I’ll do another blog on the unnecessary evil of looking perfect or I’ll be here all day, lol.

So, back to Chocolate..................
Chocolate is one of the universal foods. It too is almost like the language of love. It has so many different ways of being used from candy, ice cream, hot chocolate or as a syrup, the list is long. But it’s also one of the foods that make people feel good.

If I’m having a really bad day and Rick knows it, he’ll become a partner in crime (cuz I’m sure my fluffy, womanly figure doesn’t need it) when he goes to the store or gas station and he’ll bring me home a Reeses’ peanut butter cup! You gotta love a man that knows how to make his woman feel better :)

   Hot Chocolate, just warms your soul.                            
It makes you feel all warm and cozy inside.

Chocolate ice cream is just good anytime.... like a friend that stops in unexpectedly. It’s not something you need, but if it happens to be there, it’s all good.

As for chocolate syrup, well that can be fun and we’ll just leave it at that, lol.

So, are you getting the connection between my blog title and Chocolate? It’s Universal!!

I’m hoping this blog will do for others what chocolate does for many....Make everyone feel good, laugh, smile or maybe bring some warm, needed comfort.
So everyone here’s to you! Go out and get a candy bar or eat some chocolate ice cream! Grab a cup of hot chocolate and raise it high!! Then snuggle up with some one you love!

Maybe just for today, don’t worry about if that chocolate is going to add an extra pound to the scale or care about what someone might think. Instead, just for today make yourself happy! Isn’t that the most important life lesson anyway?

　                                            
　

Check back soon for my special series of Valentine Day blogs entitled
"R" rated with Jen..... that should pique your curiosity, lol
　
Have an awesome day everyone!

Paper Puppies For Sale

Paper Puppies For Sale

As some of you know my summer past time is going to Rummage Sales. It’s not really that I need a lot of things, it’s just something I remember doing as a young child with my Grandparent’s and my Mom. I guess I just grew to love it. I’ve also now passed this trait on to my own children, lol.

This past Saturday a little town called
Fairwater was holding their "city wide"
rummage sale. Now, Fairwater has a
population of about 350 people
(I noticed the sign as we got there, lol)
After the rain had stopped about noon time,
Rick and I decided to take a ride and see
what kind of bargains and treasures
I could find.

I should mention, that we only came across
about a half a dozen rummages. I wasn’t sure
if it was because of the rain or the fact that the town was so small. It didn't matter though, I was on a mission for the best bargain!
The third rummage sale we stopped at was at a really nice little ranch style home. There was an attached garage which was where all the bargains were being sold.
I walked in and there was a woman, an older woman (I’m assuming her mother) and a little girl. I started scoping out the first table, but wasn’t really seeing anything that was of interest to me. As I started scanning the other tables I saw that the little girl, who was maybe 7 or 8 years old, had her own "personal" table set up with something to sell.
As I got closer, I could see this little girl who was dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, start to look a little anxious. Upon a much closer look, I could see she had a little tupperware bowl filled with different colored pieces of paper......ahhhhhhh.....the "papers" were actually Puppies,.... Origami puppies!
Now, this little girl was smiling from ear to ear, so I asked her if she had made all those puppies herself. With a huge smile of pride she informed me, she had indeed. Now, from another table not too far away, Mom and Grandma were watching me and grinning.

I remarked back to the young sales lady just how cute they were and how it must have taken her a long time to make all of them. Her response was simply a shy giggle. The sign on the front of the tupperware container said "2 for 5 cents". Being the ever thrifty rummager that I am, I know a deal when I see one!!!
This adorable little girl was so nervous, she was wringing her hands, but that smile on her face was huge and the hopeful look of making a sale was evident in her eyes.
"Well young lady, I would like 2 puppies please" I told her. OMG! The look of pure happiness and delight on that little angle’s face just made my whole day! She very "professionally" asked me which color puppies I would like. I was enjoying this way too much and told her she could pick the colors for me.
Mom and Grandma were smiling ear to ear now too. As my young sales lady was digging around in the rainbow of paper puppies, she didn’t notice her mother mouth to me "Thank You" or me simply winking back at her. I’m not sure who was prouder, Mom or Grandma.
The little girl then informed me that she had found the perfect paper puppies for me to purchase. One was yellow and the other was pink. "Perfect!" I said "I would have chosen those exact puppies myself!" Again, this little girl was damn near beside herself with happiness.
I went into my wallet and got out a quarter. As she started to fumble around in her little container for change, I told her too keep the whole quarter, that she obviously worked very hard on all those puppies and deserved the whole 25 cents!
The look on the young girls face will be with me for a long time. She had made a sale! She was proud and happy. Her smile and the look in her eyes saying it all.
I told them all to have a wonderful day and walked out to the car. My wonderful little paper puppies in my hand.
I told Rick about my bargain for the day and gave him the yellow puppy. He too smiled as I retold the story to him.

I guess the point of my blog is this: No matter how small something may seem to you, it might mean the world to someone else. I’m sure there were a few people that day who over looked the paper puppies, maybe thinking they were silly. Maybe we all need to take the time to see the simple things in life and the joy they can bring. Maybe we need to remember what it was like to see the world through a child’s eye’s or maybe we just need remember, paper or pedigree shouldn’t really matter. Take time to make someone smile today.....it will fill your heart so full of happiness and that in itself is a true blessing.

This blog was originally written in 2009 also. But the picture above shows that little pink paper puppy is still taped where I can see it and see it often! It's my reminder that sometimes little things mean a lot to someone and that I'm able to make someone smile everyday and that it's not that hard to do :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Reason, Season, Lifetime.....Update

I originally wrote this blog 2 years ago.
Since then many things have changed in
regards to some of the people I was thinking
of when I wrote this.
One of the "guys",
the one who disappeared for what seemed
like no apparent reason, came back into my
life shortly before Christmas! I couldn't have
asked for a better Christmas present, than to
have one of my very best friends come
back into my life. I knew I missed him a lot,
I just never knew how much until
I experienced the happiness of
having him back!
Thank you hun, you know who you are :)
I'm looking forward to countless days of 
smiling, laughing and being affectionately
called "brat", lol.


One of my "internet  friends" has changed
my life in such a profound way, I don't even know where to begin.
Yes Dawn, I'm talking about you! LOL 
This amazing woman has changed my life in so many ways and every single one of them is for the better. She has become my best friend for life. Talking about this incredible person, will have to be a future blog all of it's own. Our story "Dawn & Jen" is like no other and I mean that in the most wonderful way imaginable! I don't want to give too much away, but thank you isn't enough. LYLAS (love you like a sis) isn't just simply words when signing the end of an email.... they're words written in my heart & soul forever :)

My girls.... it goes without saying. It seems like we have been friends forever (some have and some only for a few years) and each of you means more to me than you know. Thank you for always being there, in the good times and the not so good :)

Sadly, a few people are no longer in my life. Some simply drifted away and others I chose to remove from my circle of friends. In either case, it's never easy to lose a friendship. I really do wish the best for all of them.

To all the internet friends, I hope to be able to meet more of you in the future! You can never have too many friends. One of life's greatest blessings is being able to pick and choose, the people we want to surround ourselves with. The ones you want to call family. Friendship really is a garden. It grows and blooms in miraculous ways. However it still needs tending, you can never just take it for granted. So fill it with sunshine, laughter and love. Sometimes it'll be watered with tears, but even those will help it grow.

Hugs to all of you & thank you for being my friend :)

Reason, Season, Lifetime....part 3

Ahhhhhh, the "Internet" friends!
I wonder how many of you out there
believe that you can develop a deep
 seeded friendship with someone you
 have never met? I believe you can! 

I have experienced this first hand.
Although these on-line friendships
are different, I believe they can be
just as strong but in a very different way.
You can honestly care about these people
as if you just "saw" them yesterday.
Let me say here and now, you have to also
be VERY careful about who is out there,
not everyone is honest to say the least.
But when you find those truly honest,
wonderful people they can become an
important friend in your life.

I have met some amazing people on-line over the past few years. As I mentioned earlier, about "the guys" I had met them both via the internet, but yet had the great pleasure of also meeting them in person and getting to hang out with them. I know, that takes it to a different level, lol. I have chatted and emailed with quite a number of people for years. One very special person comes to mind and I love them to death. Even though we live in different states and have never met and may never meet, this person means A LOT to me. A love in a very special way. I worry about them when I don’t hear from them for a few days or if I don’t see them on line...just like I would about my other friends.

The sad thing about on-line friendships is the fact that if something happens to one of these people, how would you ever know??? Most people don’t tell everyone about who they chat with or email to. It’s almost like a secret little community, lol. If something happens with one of my "girls"...well you know how that is, the phone starts ringing off the hook. Good news travels fast, but bad news travels faster. We can immediately go there and be with the person in need....that’s what friends do. But the on-line world is different, that’s not always an option.

About 6 years ago I had met a wonderful man on-line. His name was Chuck and he and his family lived in Minnesota. He was happily married for 24 years and had 3 sons he was very proud of. We emailed and chatted daily and even talked on the phone a few times. He was just a very sweet man. I looked forward to his silly emails and sometimes not-so-funny jokes that he would send me. About 4 years ago I noticed I wasn’t getting any emails from him. I left him a few off lines saying I hoped everything was ok and just figured he got busy with his family or work....life happens. A couple of weeks went by and I still didn’t hear anything from him. I thought it was weird but hey, everyone gets busy right?.. even me.

Then one day when I got home from work I made myself some coffee and sat down to check my emails. In my inbox there was an email from a sender I didn’t recognize, however, in the subject it said "About Dad". Now normally I don’t open these emails as you never know about viruses, etc.....but that one bothered me....I opened it.

It was from Chuck’s son. It was very short, but to the point. It read like this.... " I was going through my Dad’s things today and came across your email address on a piece of paper in my Dad’s desk. I thought you would like to know, my Dad was killed in a car accident 2 weeks ago.".......that’s all it said. I swear it felt as if someone had hit me in the gut and knocked the wind out of me. I just sat there in disbelief and cried.....yes, I cried. I can’t even explain now, how I felt getting that email. In a way I’m thankful that his son found my email address otherwise I never would have known. I was surprised by the loss I felt over a person I never "met". Yet I knew so much about him and his family...he shared pictures with me...it was just like "knowing" him.

I still have a few very close on-line friends. There are even a few of you that I’ve been able to get to know thanks to myspace!! Maybe some day soon, I’ll have the honor of meeting a few of you in person!
Thank you all for being my friends. Whether you’re someone I’ve known for years or someone I’ve only emailed or chatted with a short time, please know that you are all very special to me and it’s been my honor to get to know you. Time is precious and life is short. Think about the friends in your life and tell them what they mean to you. You never know when the phone might stop ringing, the emails coming or the chats ending.....

Try to think of these people as the Diamond’s in your life ...they’re rare jewels and should be kept in a special and safe place. The perfect place may just be your heart.............

Reason, Season, Lifetime.... part 2

I think we both just had other things going on in our lives and somehow we let those things take precedence over our friendship. It’s sad how I let that happen, that I let such an important person be placed on a back burner. I wish there was some way to fix what changed.
To go back to the way we were.
But maybe our reason or season
has come to an end. Maybe all we’ll have
from this point forward is the occasional
chat to catch up a little and say Hi.

If you noticed, these both were male friends.
Yes, that IS possible. A persons gender has nothing
to do with their ability to be a good friend.
I can go on and on with stories about these two men.
 How they have helped me and been there for me,
 just as I have for them......but......maybe another time.......

Then there’s "The Girls". You know, the ones that have been there through everything. During different times in my life there have been different friends. Again, circumstances and people change. Life happens. But the past 12 years or so have brought several women into my life. I should mention here that they range in age from 27 to 41 years old.....yes, I’m the "old" lady in the group, LOL. All these women are in my life for different reasons. One is my "burgers and beers" friend, who I love to death, another is my "Penelope" she is irreplaceable, another keeps me "grounded" and there are so many others. These are the girls who make me smile, laugh, cry, mad, etc........the one’s who keep my life going. They are the ones who know thing’s about me that no one else does....the ones who at times I wish didn’t know so much, lol. Women who with a single word or phrase can either make me laugh until I pee my pants or feel like I wanna crawl in a hole and hide. I actually had that happen last night........

My good friend called on her way home from work to tell me of something that happened at work. It reminded me of very good times that I spent with her. I laughed soooooooo hard. Then as we kept going down the path of memory lane, she said a single name....yeah......something that never should have happened......but again, that’s what friends are for right? To remind us of things past, to keep us in line, to love us no matter what.

I don’t get to see these women very often since I moved, but we keep in contact... some daily, some weekly...but we keep in CONTACT, that’s the important thing! I’ve decided that I "need" to make more time to see them and hopefully they can do the same. I miss them. I don’t want anymore friends on the back burner. Life is short, so I want to make the most of it. I want to visit these women and laugh until I pee my pants...... I love them all........

Then there’s the "Internet" friends........


Part 3, yet to come...........

Happy New Year!

With the start of 2011, I thought I'd re-post a blog I had originally written in February 2009. It has to do with the people who come and go in our lives, be it family, friends or co-workers. Everyone has a purpose and as you read this 3 part blog, I'm sure you'll be able to relate to it, in one way or another.......

Reason, Season or Lifetime

I’ve decided that this blog will have to do with Friendship and the people who come and go in our lives. Someone sent me this email awhile back and the words seem so true.
I’d like to share that
email with you and then say
a few more things about it........

People come into your life for a
reason, a season or a lifetime.....
When someone is in your life for a REASON, it is usually to meet a need you have expressed.
They have come to assist you through a difficulty, to provide you with guidance and support,
To aid you physically, emotionally or spiritually. They may seem like a godsend and they are...
They are there for the reason you need them to be.
Then, without any wrongdoing on your part or at an inconvenient time,
This person will say or do something to bring the relationship to an end.
Sometimes they die. Sometimes they walk away.
Sometimes they act up and force you to take a stand.
What we must realize is that our need has been met, our desire fulfilled, their work is done.
The prayer you sent up has been answered and now it is time to move on.

Some people come into your life for a SEASON, because your turn has come to share, grow or learn.
They bring you an experience of peace or make you laugh.
They may teach you something you have never done.
They usually give you an unbelievable amount of joy.
Believe it, it is real. But only for a season.

LIFETIME relationships teach you lifetime lessons,
Things you must build upon in order to have a solid emotional foundation.
Your job is to accept the lesson,
Love the person and put what you have learned to use in all other relationships and areas of your life
It is said that love is blind but friendship is clairvoyant.....
I’d like you all to think about those words. I’m pretty sure if you go through the list of those who have come into your life, those who have left or those you’re still friends with, these words hold oh so true. I know they do for me. I’d like to mention that the person who sent that email to me, I have not heard from since November. I remember when I got that email from him, I responded by saying that we’ve already known each other longer than a season, know each other for many reasons and that I hoped to be friends for a lifetime.....I guess maybe that’s not the way it’s suppose to be. I have no idea what happened or why I have not heard from him. I guess maybe someday it’ll all make sense.

There have been so many people who have come into my life. Some for a short time (a season) some for lengthy periods (a reason) and some are still hangin' around!

There is another person who I truly miss. I met him on the internet under some of the oddest circumstances, LOL. But we became fast friends. He was having problems with the woman he was in a relationship with and I was having problems in my marriage...and NO, we never dated or anything else. But this person became a rock for me during that period of my life. He made me laugh, see things in a different light and had infinite words of wisdom.

The day I was moving into my apartment after deciding to end a 21 year marriage, he called but I wasn’t there. He left me a message and when I listened to it, I cried. The words of support and caring were something I really needed that day. I will remember for the rest of my life that voice message and what it meant to me.

Our friendship grew...we chatted or talked by phone everyday. He would call every morning at 9:00a.m. just to "check in". He called at 2:00 a.m. when he was "after Christmas" shopping at Wal-mart. Man how we laughed. He was also the person I called crying at 3:00 a.m. when Rick had decided to break up with me at one point.

Over time, even this relationship/friendship changed. We stopped talking, emailing and chatting. I know we both had things going on, but again I’ve often wondered, "what happened"? How does someone who means so much to you and is so important, just slip away??? Did we just stop needing each other? Did we both grow up? Or worse, just grow apart?

I understand I have a hand in this too. We still chat or email occasionally, but no where near like it was and I really do miss him A LOT.......

part 2 coming soon.......