How About [Thanks]Giving Next Tuesday?

"You may have heard of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. There's another day you might want to know about: Giving Tuesday. The idea is pretty straightforward. On the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, shoppers take a break from their gift-buying and donate what they can to charity." ~Bill Gates

Next Tuesday, November 29, 2016, charities, families, businesses, community centers, and students around the world will come together for one common purpose: to celebrate and encourage giving.

Anyone, anywhere can get involved in Giving Tuesday and give back in a way that is meaningful to them. From fundraising to volunteering to offering your services for free, Giving Tuesday is a great way to become a part of a larger worldwide movement that promotes generosity.

You are the most important part of making this movement a reality. You don’t have to be a world leader or a billionaire to give back. Giving Tuesday is about ordinary people coming together doing extraordinary things. Can you imagine what we can accomplish when we all give... together.

Have a wonderful ThanksGiving all, and let's keep that spirit going next Tuesday and all throughout the year.

Glenny
xoxo

photos by: Pixabay and Freepik

Happy Thanksgiving!

Hello! I just wanted to pop in and say Happy Thanksgiving to my favorite peeps! No matter how you celebrate, I hope you have a wonderful day. I hope you are surrounded by friends and family... and good food.

And during this time of thanks, I wish to thank all of you for coming to our events, being courageous enough to leave the world behind for a few days and explore your creativity. Without all of you, we wouldn't have an Art & Soul. You may think that you're just having fun and making art while you're at our events, but you're also enabling me to continue doing something I love... put smiles on all your lovely faces!

So thank you, thank you, thank you! Have a great holiday!

Much Love,
Glenny
xoxo

Thanks For Giving...

If you've kept up with me on this blog or on Facebook, you know it's been kind of a rough year. But when holidays like Thanksgiving come around, well... you really can't hide from that word — Thanks! It seems like all the tough situations I've been in this year have brought me closer to the people in my life and made me realize how important the connections of family and friends really are. I mean — when all is said and done, when there are no more "things" left — what have you got? You've got the love of family and friends. That's what!

And through this year, I've fondly thought of all of you — my Art & Soul family. And all the love and support you have given me. I typically don't see myself that way — on the receiving end, that is. I'm usually the one trying to put on these events for your enjoyment and creative growth. But you turned the tables when you filled up my heart to overflowing this year — with all the love you sent my way when I needed it the most.

So, I just wanted to say on this very special holiday... thanks for giving!

Big Giant Hugs to You All,
Glenny xoxo

Pass the Gravy, Please...

So, I'm now on the last phase of the recovery diet plan. This means that I can begin to introduce real food to my life again. WOW! that sounded so wonderful! ...and I could not wait to have an actual dinner with the family. 

Thanksgiving was lift off.  

I love Thanksgiving. It is the only time that I enjoy cooking. My grandson could eat an entire turkey by himself! He LOVES food and it is a joy to watch him. His football coach continues to encourage him to bulk up, so eating is not an issue for him. I cooked for two days with heavenly anticipation. I was careful... sticking to soft foods (easy at Thanksgiving — mashed potatoes & dressing!) and making certain the turkey was moistened with gravy. No problem there!!! And then I think I ate about 5 bites and was done. That was a good thing.  I felt satisfied and was thrilled.  

Fast forward to the next day.

Blood sugar was elevated a bit, resulting in an insulin injection which always makes me ill. Needing to eat, I tried a scrambled egg and apparently ate it too fast. The resulting pain is up there on the same scale as a kidney stone. I swear — it does not let up — and is excruciating. It takes time for the food to pass through the itty bitty opening — so add being nauseated to the pain and it was a day to remember.  That is the bad part of all of this. Every day is an experiment with my new body (planned or unplanned!).

Remembering to eat slowly and chew to a pulp is something that I struggle with.  I've always grabbed something to eat on the run and washed it down with a glass of water. Not so much anymore. All these behaviors that we have known for years and never follow are now coming back in spades. Eat slowly... Put your fork down between bites... Do not drink while eating.  

When I was in Italy, dinner was a two hour affair.  Everyone visited and enjoyed the time together — how did we get so far away from the old traditions?  Now food is gobbled up in less than 10 minutes and no one talks about their day.  Unless they text.  No wonder we are an obese nation!