Even though I can not physically spend time with my mother, I am able to recall the fond memories of her daily. I was blessed to have such a wonderful godly mother although I am sure that there were times that I didn’t realize how fortunate I really was.

Mother’s Day is only four days away on May 9th and I would like to share a poem written by my mother and later found in her Bible after her passing. As a  tribute to her, I am privileged to be able to publish it here for others to read.

Happy Mother’s Day — I hope you have a blessed day.

Only Christ

by Esther Worrall

Only Christ can turn my night to day.

Only Christ can bring a better way.

If you will trust in him and truly him obey,

You will find a clearer, brighter day.

Only Christ can show the world its sin.

Only Christ who has the power to win.

If you would seek his love and give your heart to him,

You will see for you a new life will begin.

Only Christ can share in all my dreams.

Only Christ can.

Image via Wikipedia

This is a fun and exciting time of year in the Louisville area. Almost everyone catches the Derby fever. There are so many different events for everyone to attend. A few of the many events include Thunder Over Louisville, the Pegasus Parade, the Balloon Glimmer, the Great Steamboat Race,  the Oaks, and of course the Kentucky Derby.

Each year when I was teaching I recall planning many learning activities associated with the Derby. Each year we would schedule a trip to the Derby Museum for the week preceding the Derby. It was always the favorite field trip of students, parents, and teachers too.  Not only was it beautiful with all the tulips in bloom, but also there was an exciting atmosphere. The students always loved the activities associated with the Derby and the visit to Churchill Downs was the culminating activity. To be able to watch the Derby with their parents on Derby Day and see the places they had visited was a fascinating experience for them.

Hope everyone enjoys the many fantastic Derby events!!!

Introducing Fit Fam for Life — a website and blog currently being developed for sharing our life journey as we seek to improve our health and fitness. The website is up and going even though some changes may occur. So, I invite you to join us on this journey to improved health and fitness. Our goal is to inspire and encourage others to make changes and improve their life. It is never too late.

Click Here to visit “Fit Fam for Life“

Currently, our family is working on developing a new blog for all your health, fitness, and wellness needs for your family. My husband, Dave, my daughter, Shauna, and myself will each contribute articles for your enjoyment. My daughter has a background in physical education and wellness with much expertise to share. We all have developed a passion in health, fitness, and wellness as we seek to encourage others and try to make a difference in their lives. So, stay tuned for the announcement of the website launch date.

With Christmas nearing, I am nearing the almost panic mode with no cookies or candies prepared for our Christmas Eve and Christmas Day celebration. Since my mother passed away, I have always tried to continue the tradition of preparing the goodies that she prepared for Christmas. This year I had been suffering from a back issue involving the sciatic nerve and hesitated to continue the tradition. The preparation of a Christmas party celebration had resulted in a setback and I did not look forward to another. After much reluctance, I finally decided to continue the tradition and begin preparing cookies and candies for the celebration.

Christmas Preparation

Today was the day that I began. I began by making the Reece’s Cup cookies with the Reece’s Cup in the center of the cookie. Next I prepared the infamous chocolate coated peanut butter balls known as buckeyes. My final preparation of the day was to make divinity.  I had never made the divinity in my life but had watched my mother prepare it many times. After someone mentioned divinity at our Christmas party for our class, I decided to give it a try this year.

Success and Energy with NO PAIN to Spare

I do have to say that all three of the cookie and candies were successfully created and I must say that I believe that I came through without any setbacks so far which is rather amazing. I must confess however that I have tried a new energy and wellness drink and it appears to be working. Wow!!!  If it continues to work like this, it will be wonderful for all to use.  I will keep you posted and let you know how it continues to perform.

The Seelbach

The Seelbach

This past weekend we celebrated our daughter’s birthday. As the custom in recent years, we attended a Sunday brunch at The Oak Room. If you are not familiar with The Oak Room, it is located in the Seelbach, a luxury hotel in heart of downtown Louisville, Ky. The historic qualities of  the Seelbach shine through as you enter and view the marbled lobby and the Beaux-arts Baroque architecture throughout. The Seelbach Hilton offers storied history, which includes tales of the 1920′s gangsters and a ghost. Ghost tours can even  be arranged.

The Oak Room

The Oak Room

The Oak Room offers a Four Star rating as well as the first and only AAA  Five Diamond restaurant in Kentucky. Dining in The Oak Room is truly a unique culinary experience. The Sunday brunch is served in an elegant atmosphere in a creative and artistic style, and is the perfect place to celebrate any special occasion. Although surroundings are very elegant, it is not absolutely necessary to dress in such elegant style. You will find everything from the semi-formal dress to the much more casual style.

For many years now Dave and I have attended Derby Dinner and enjoyed their fabulous productions. We began attending Derby Dinner occasionally in our early years of our marriage as a special treat.  When our daughter was young, we would make plans to attend the Christmas production as well as any other productions geared to the family.   After my daughter was grown and involved in her own life, we began attending Derby Dinner and decided that it was time for us to get season tickets. So,  probably the past ten years or more, we have had season tickets and we always look forward to the upcoming show.

Sometimes we attend just the two of us, sometimes our daughter and a friend will join us, sometimes another couple will join us, or we may attend as a group. Whatever the situation, it has always been a fantastic evening. We always look forward to our evening together at Derby Dinner.

My favorite production this current season was “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat.” It was absolutely outstanding.

Before retiring from teaching, I always looked forward to taking my class to the Christmas performance at Derby Dinner. It was a favorite of  both the children and the parents. It was a great way to celebrate Christmas with the class.

In addition to their many productions, Derby Dinner also offers many concerts throughout the season generally on Monday evenings. They offer a variety of performers including gospel groups, country music singers, and more. We have found these to be another great evening of entertainment as well. Recently, we thoroughly enjoyed the Monarchs and look forward to their return to Derby Dinner. It was a wonderful evening.

Visit the Derby Dinner website for additional information.

For the past several years, we have celebrated Thanksgiving at our home. There were a few years after my mother passed that we would make reservations at a restaurant for Thanksgiving dinner. However, it just didn’t seem the same. Therefore, we decided to continue celebrating Thanksgiving at our house. Since retiring, I can say that I truly enjoy preparing the Thanksgiving dinner for everyone. I have devised a system of measuring ingredients into baggies in advance to save time in the preparation.

My daughter had planned to help me prepare the pies and cake on Wednesday. However, due to my strategic planning, I was well ahead of schedule and we decided to goes to the movies as a family instead.  Of course, she came over on Thanksgiving morning to help me prepare. “The Blind Side” was a fantastic movie and I highly recommend it. You will not be sorry.00

Our family celebration included my husband and daughter, my brother and another brother and his family from Tennessee. My niece from Tennessee brought her boyfriend to meet the family which we all enjoyed. In addition, for the past several years and this year included, we have been blessed to have our closest friends and their families to join us — the more the merrier. We have plenty of food and lots of fun and enjoyment. Most of our friends know that on Thanksgiving our home is an open invitation.

Our Thanksgiving dinner consisted of  basically the traditional feast — turkey, country ham, dressing, gravy, cranberry sauce, mashed potato balls, macaroni and cheese, green beans, corn, and sweet potatoes. Our family actually requested the potato balls rather than the traditional mashed potatoes. The mashed potato balls are definitely much easier to fix as I prepare them ahead of time. and freeze them.  Desserts consisted of pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and an apple-carrot cake with carmel cream cheese icing. Naturally there was a lot of leftovers to be eaten afterwards. I can see myself freezing some of the cake to satisfy my sweet tooth at some future time.

Wow!!! What a fast and furious year this has been. With Thanksgiving here and Christmas just around the corner, it makes me reflect and be thankful for the many blessings that our family has received. We should let our sincere thankfulness radiate from our lives each and every day. We never want to make our thankfulness appear insincere or routine. So tis the season to be thankful and express our thankfulness from a sincere and humble heart.

I am thankful for a God whose grace and mercies have no boundaries; a God who loves me unconditionally no matter what I do; a God who gave His only son to save me from my sin; a God who forgives me umpteen times.

I am thankful for my family — my husband, my daughter, my brothers, my nieces and nephews, as well as the extended families. God could not have given me a better family to enjoy. I have been blessed with a loving and caring husband to love and cherish till death do we part. I have been blessed with a lovely daughter who shows her love and appreciation in so many ways and who models the values that have been passed down. I have been blessed with loving and caring brothers who continue to share a close relationship as we have matured. My nieces and my nephews are not for trade. I only wish that we could see them more often.

I am thankful for my parents who have passed on for the values that were instilled in each of us as we grew up. There were certain expectations and we knew what they were. Parents do not always have to teach but rather model the life that we are to emulate.

I am especially thankful for my mother who lived a godly life and even though there were times that I did not show my appreciation. I am thankful now and can fully appreciate that she set such a godly example for me to follow.  Many lessons in life can be taught simply by letting your daily life be a godly example to others.

I am especially thankful for our friends — friends from the past, friends from the present, and the many future friends that God has in His plans for my life. Dave and I have been blessed with godly friends to share our lives with them. We are blessed to be able in include some of our closest friends in our family celebrations.

I am also thankful for my church, the ministers, the staff, and the entire congregation — Southeast Christian Church. I can honestly say that I really did not know what it meant to be a true Christian until I joined Southeast. The ministers at Southeast are truly godly examples to others and admit that they are human just like the rest of us. I am proud to say that I am a member of Southeast and I invite others to experience the worship there before being critical. It is truly a service dedicated to worshiping our Lord and Savior.

These are the most important blessings in my life — blessings that only God could provide.

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

On my birthday, we went to Bravo’s — my all time favorite Italian restaurant. I even love their salads and their delicious bread with a special oil. It is absolutely delicious. We had not been for a while and I had literally forgotten how scrumptious their food could be. Tiramisu for dessert was not on my agenda, but my daughter insisted we at least split one. How could you turn it down?

The following evening on Wednesday, my brother treated us all to Outback Steakhouse which I dearly love. During our conversation, the waitress overhead my brother mention my birthday. Naturally, she treated me to a hot fudge sundae with crunched up Oreo cookies on it. How could anyone say no to such a delicious sundae? It just didn’t happen.

Today, Thursday evening, my final selection was to go to Chubby Ray’s Pizza for the ultimate taco salad. My other choice was Macca’s because I simply love their black and bleu burger. Our friends would have insisted on alligator pie for dessert which I have never had. That was my reasoning in choosing Chubby Ray’s because I knew I would not be tempted for dessert there.  Well, since it was my birthday, our friends insisted we go to the Pie Kitchen since Chubby Ray’s dessert was not appealing to us. Of course I had a chocolate cupcake with caramel icing and Reece’s ice cream. I have had my fill of sweets for a while.

We had been trying our best to discard the diet stigma and change our lifestyle pertaining to our eating habits and make wiser choices. As you can see, the last couple days, we have not had any success making wiser choices. However, I am not going to dwell on the past. Rather, I am going to put that behind me and start again tomorrow morning. I pray that God will help me overcome the temptations I have with food.