So basically, if you are volunteering, you are giving of your time to perform a service of some type on your own FREE WILL. If you are helping, you are basically providing what is necessary for someone to accomplish a TASK.

How about doing a random act of kindness, no expectations, just looking for an opportunity (or not OVERLOOKING an opportunity) to help someone - no strings attached? Is someone looking for volunteers and you happen to be available? Why not give it a try and see how EMPOWERED you feel that you made a difference - because you DID! If you are in an organization that wants you to report volunteer hours, maybe try thinking of it as being valued because you are PRICELESS - because you are!

As the name suggests, this is a take from Jimmy Buffet’s famous Cheeseburger in Paradise, but in pie form. This burger is seasoned perfectly, has that hint of Worcestershire sauce, and the combination of cheeses on top makes it so good! You may not be at Margaritaville, but you will feel like it from the first bite of this delicious burger.

“Grief doesn’t have an expiration date. It’s not like a loaf of bread that’s fresh for a week or so and then slowly molds and crumbles away into nothing. Grief is resilient. It perseveres. It doesn’t give up. Ever.” ~ John Onwuchekwa

“GRIEF TRIGGERS”. What? You know, when all of a sudden, out of nowhere when your mind is OVERCOME with something that rekindles an emotion, OVERWHELMED and all consuming. Emotions that create FEELINGS of sadness, longing, regret, thoughts of “if only”. These unexpected triggers can pop up so fast, catching you off guard and triggering an overflowing surge of EMOTIONS. I was just driving along and all of a sudden grief triggers dominated me. All of the MEMORIES flooding my mind. I had no control. I tried to shake it off, but to no avail. My eyes were filled and overflowing those MEMORIES down my cheeks. It’s been 10 ½ years - YEARS, and yet it just comes out of nowhere.

Say hello to a dessert that brightens the day with it's sunkissed lemony flavor! Lemon Angel Cake Bars are a real treat. They are made with a fluffy, lemon and coconut, angel food cake base and then topped with a sweet, creamy, lemon-infused cream cheese frosting that you'll definitely want to lick off the spoon! It's so quick and easy to put together you won't believe it!

Do you ever feel like “will anybody ever remember me when I’m gone?”? I have that feeling swirl its way through my THOUGHTS every now and again. I’m not really sure why. I guess it’s just that sometimes I feel like I’m just going through the MOTIONS. I wake up and go through pretty much the same MUNDANE routines each day and then I go to bed only to do it again. That’s okay, there’s a lot of beauty in ORDINARY days. But I know there’s a reason for me being here, a PURPOSE God has for me in the big picture of life.

When that hint of SPRING and warmer weather strikes, so does my desire to get busy planting flowers. There’s just something about all of the vivid COLORS, from the simple african daisy (osteospermum) to the beautiful flowing clusters of the verbena to the DAINTY alyssum blooms to the statuesque sunflowers.

I wanted to talk to you about my planters, both flower pots and planter boxes and how to create an IDEAL environment for them to grow. There’s so much more to it than simply adding potting soil to a pot - so much more.

Here I am at age 56 doing something I never would have imagined - going somewhere without makeup ON PURPOSE! Somewhere where I know people. I find it funny and SAD all at the same time. I have been wearing makeup since I was 12 years old. For many years it was a mix of wearing it to hide my acne as well as to HIDE myself.

Who is in the mood for some pasta? How about stuffed pasta? Oh yeah, now we’re talking. This Chicken Stuffed Manicotti is just what you need to make for dinner. It’s a simple meal that you can make any time. If you enjoy minimal effort dishes, then this meal is for you. It is creamy, cheesy, meaty, and deeply satisfying. It’s stuffed with chicken, monterey cheese, and Stove Stop Stuffing and then doused in a creamy sauce!

BANTERING, good-humored teasing they say. A one-way or back-and-forth conversation with someone in a “seemingly” lighthearted and WITTY manner that is meant to be funny and not serious. But is it? Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me. Whoever came up with that was in DENIAL, because words can not only hurt, they can mutilate, cause irreparable damage, bring about agonizing and excruciating PAIN! No, words themselves don’t have the POWER to hurt you. But we give them power. They cannot be unheard, unfelt. They were said with intention, even if it was meant as good-humored TEASING.

This recipe really does taste like the classic Chinese Cashew Chicken - or maybe even better! The classic chunks of green bell peppers and onions, the slightly spicy sauce that you can adjust by adding more or less of the chili garlic sauce, it is just so incredibly good! Add some rice or chow mein noodles and you have a whole meal.