Sit back, watch the video, then go pick some wild blackberries (if they live by you) and whip up this special treat!

We are so much alike and we have so much in common. We want to love and be loved, we have great concern for the well being of our families and finding peace of mind is important to us. We want peace and joy to follow us all the days of our lives and getting down in the dumps when we have so much to be thankful for can make us feel even worse.

Peace of mind and joy are spiritual qualities and it takes practice to have them follow us through the twists and turns and ups and downs of life. It’s good to know the doorway to peace and joy is gratitude. God wired us with the ability to be grateful and when we’re feeling gratitude, we are joyful and we instantly feel better.

What I realized is thinking I don’t like change is a lot of hooey! I do too like change! I love clean sheets, fresh towels, and the change in seasons. I like the time when day turns to night, night turns to day, each different day of the week, the growth in goodness of my children and grandchildren, new stuff like cars, shoes, books and such. I love a change of scenery, a vacation, and even “the change of life” had its very good qualities.

Best of all, these succulent crowd pleasers are made without that dreaded ingredient your grocery store tries to force down your throat...sugar. It doesn't help the medicine go down and it sure doesn't belong on your dinner plate so out it goes!

You won't believe how delicious these ribs are and your taste buds will beg for seconds and thirds, so buy plenty. Get the recipe (below) and watch the video, then fire up that Weber and get ready for rave reviews with this wonderful new take on an American classic dish.

( Author not responsible for hungry neighbors who may show up with their plates....)

Did you know we can actually be a mom to ourselves? I know it sounds sort of crazy, but it’s true.

I received an email from one of my subscribers and it illustrates my concept very well.

Let Them Eat Fat!!!

"Fill 'em with fat, right off the bat!" That's my motto for kids healthy eating. Yep, you read that right! Now before you all go running to report me to the first lady, let me explain a little. If your kids are like mine were. they're hungry all the time, and nothing seems to stop the little munchkins from rummaging around the kitchen like homeless guys in the park. Round and round they go pulling open drawers, cabinets, oven doors; you name it, searching for something to eat. Not even the dog dish is safe.

Well, as you might guess, it's low carb cooking to the rescue. You see, it's fat that stays with your body and gives you the kind of energy that lasts.....through the tree climbing, sprinkler jumping, roller skating days of summer fun. You'll love this easy, healthy snack that's better than ice cream and fun to make too. Guaranteed to shut up your craving for junk food!

In this video, I show you how to makes a snack for your snuggle bunnies that will stop the scrounging for something to eat.

Remember in The Sound of Music when the Von Trapp children were terrified by the thunder storm? Maria sang My Favorite Things to them and it took their fear  away. Below I have printed out the absolutely brilliant lyrics for My Favorite Things (written by Oscar Hammerstein II) (pronounced HAM-err-styne), followed by my own lyrics to the same tune (written by Richard Rogers). I guarantee that if you were feeling bad when you started reading my essay, you will feel better when you finish reading Oscar’s words. As you read each line think for a few seconds about what it means to you. My lyrics don’t come near to the poetic brilliance of Mr. Hammerstein’s, but they do make ME feel good! Maybe you can write your own words or at least make a list of your favorite things and carry it with you to read every time you start to feel sad or bad or worried or mad or. . .oh well, you know what I mean.

During your day, find as many ways as you can to get things done so that you can stop work at 6:00 pm. Consider it quitting time. Of course your little Snuggle Bunnies will need your love and attention after six, but I’m talking about the household workload.

If you tend to be frazzled in the evening, you’ll love my 4 tips for making guilt-free couch time a reality. 

4 Steps to Win

Are you always arguing with your mate over a messy house?
Do you think clutter control would help? Would you stop arguing if this problem were solved?

If you answered yes to these questions, I might be able to help! I must warn you I’m not a marriage counselor and I am on my second marriage, but I have learned some successful spatting skills in the 41 years I’ve been married and you just might find them helpful.

My ideas will work for many fights, but to illustrate my strategies, I decided to pick a fight that’s common among couples; clutter control conflicts. (Wow that’s a tongue twister: couple’s common clutter control conflicts. I dare you to try and say it five times without screwing up.) The underlying cause of this conflict is stuff. It’s the, my-stuff vs your-stuff which is the most common cause of a bout about clutter. One sees his stuff as his stuff and the other guy’s stuff as clutter and it works the other way around. It’s a blame game and couples have been playing it since Adam and Eve argued about whose leaf was whose that got tossed on the ground.

The other common clutter clashes ignite when stuff gets lost, stuff gets left out, stuff gets thrown out, stuff gets wrecked, stuff gets dirty and stuff gets stuffed just to get it out of the way.