Baby It's Cold Outside

There's a chill in the air this morning. The ability to heat our home with the flick of a switch (and having a home in the first place) has just been added to The Thanks Ranks.

Blessed Be The Thai That Binds

To new-to-me L'Thai Organic Restaurant and Wine Bar for satisfying my taste for Pa-Nang curry with vegetables and Hubby-Honey driving 12 miles out of his way to get it for me, you've just been added to The Thanks Ranks.

I Slept On It

Thursday night...

Friday night...

Saturday night...

Sunday night...

And this morning, I decided that was that. If my coveted vintage Aigner leather jacket was still at Finders Keepers, then it was meant to be mine, and I was going to get it.

I went, it was, and I did. And I have to say, the picture doesn't do it justice. And when I'm wearing it with my jeans and already-owned heels of the same color, it's exquisitely nothing short of badass.

Dana recognized me from being in the store last week, and our friendly exchange at the register made the shopping experience all the more pleasurable. And the biggest bang to boot? It was further on sale than I'd thought!

To Dana, the donor, and the minimal dollars spent--for a terrific start to my week--you've just been added to The Thanks Ranks.

Wonder-Fun from My Inner Birthday Girl

While I usually take the weekends off, you know I wasn't going to pass up seeing today's date on my blog in print. ;-)

Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a GOAL luncheon, during which I was challenged from the podium to recall my little girl within--what she used to do, what she used to be into--and see if perhaps there weren't some "buried" parts of her that were worth my excavating for the examination/celebration of the adult woman that I am now.

And when I thought about it, I remember me thinking, as a young, child-of-the-70's girl, that I could do/be anything I wanted.

I could save the world, make people tell the truth, fly under the radar but get where I wanted with ease, deflect bullets meant to harm me, turn folks around or bring them back with a flick of my wrist--because there was some lady on TV named "Wonder Woman" who did that. And if she could, why couldn't I?

So in the spirit of reviving that sense of being strong and limitless, I give you this funky little memory-evoking ode to Wonder Woman that makes the little girl in me jump up and cheer.

All that over the years that has made my life what it is today has just been added to The Thanks Ranks.

Here's to Act II, Scene One.

And Happy Mother's day, Mom. Happy Father's Day, Poppy. ;-)

Today on Thanks Ranks Radio (10.25.07)

(photo credit: AP Photo/Chris Carlson)

Here's what was referenced and added to The Thanks Ranks:

* The individual(s)? responsible for the spike in Thanks Ranks Radio's listenership

* All of those lending a hand to those in need in the SoCal wildfires

* My son's school for being open to healthier lunch options; Farm to School activists; Amy Kalafa and Susan Rubin for Two Angry Moms and for Ian Cheney and Curt Ellis for King Corn

* Finders Keepers Fashions consignment store

* Sevananda Natural Foods Market and Financial Coach Patricia Del Rey for the Women and Money discussion, and the two fellow attendees who caused me, "Ah ha!" moments

* Mint.com for refreshing money management

* All of you who have enriched and helped me celebrate my life by being a part of The Thanks Ranks community. MmmUAH!!!

If you so desire, you can click on the player to the left to hear this week's show in its 30 minute entirety. For earlier shows, check out the Thanks Ranks Radio archives at blogtalkradio.com.

Horn of Plenty

The opportunity to be grateful for everything, because there's too much to narrow it down to one thing, has just been added to The Thanks Ranks.

Corn and a-Cussin'

Grateful Lisa, reticent-yet-evolving activist and film buff here...

Check out King Corn and Two Angry Moms when you get a chance.

That's all.

To your health and the health of children you love. To those who make movies to spur movements: you've just been added to The Thanks Ranks.

The Road of Life in Focus

With my, "I-don't-care-what-we-do-I-just-want-to-be-with-my-family," NYC slicker brother in town this past weekend, we sought out some good "country" fun by heading south to Serenbe--a place that I've long been drawn to visit.

We drove leisurely through the beautiful community in development, though we never came upon the farm located somewhere on the property that we'd set out to find (admittedly, not that hard, or we would've stopped and asked someone). So we decided to head over to the advertised BBQ-Bluegrass-Blues Festival taking place at a nearby park to see what it had to offer.

Once there, of greatest interest to me was the organic produce stand of said farm that we'd been unable to locate.

While chatting with the young gentleman manning the stand, trying to determine where we'd gone wrong in missing the farm, I noticed a photographer in my periphery documenting the event.

When Friendly Farm Guy's and my exchange was over and I turned to rejoin my family, the photographer approached me. To my surprise, it was an old co-worker of mine from our mutual part-time, culinary world "hustling" days, when Hubby-Honey nor the babies were even a thought in my consciousness.

As we hugged and caught up, I couldn't believe 1) that of all places we'd find each other here and 2) that this "coincidental" meeting was taking place with someone I'd admired those 10+ years ago for going after doing what she loved and was meant to do, who was now actively and successfully doing it--precisely at a time that I've been framing and receiving insight as to what that means for me.

It occurred to me later on the drive home that what I'd set out looking for that day was just what I'd found. And we weren't talking a farm here.

Julie, I congratulate you for "doing you". For being yet another signpost along my life's road, you've just been added to The Thanks Ranks.

Signs of Intelligent Life

Reflections on yesterday evening's fine prospective parents night at an elementary school we're pondering for Big Boy and a visit from my ever-clever "baby" brother to distract me from becoming irate over ignorance have just been added to The Thanks Ranks.

Have an enlightened weekend!

Today on Thanks Ranks Radio (10.18.07)

Here's what was referenced and added to The Thanks Ranks:

* Kellie's addition: Kiki92268, The Sims Simulator Supreme

* Mr. Reddick, "Honest Abe" car mechanic extraordinaire

* Atlanta Botanical Garden, for family fun at Scarecrows in the Garden and my, "LIVE!" Peacock Lady scarecrow

* "Childhood Jersey" Kelli, bygones being bygones and friendship

* Again, WABE 90.1 and the notable quotable that inspired Wednesday's blog post

* Olive Riley, 108 year-old birthday girl and world's oldest blogger: www.allaboutolive.com.au

* All the good from a conquered tumor experience

If you so desire, you can click on the player to the left to hear this week's show in its 30 minute entirety. For earlier shows, check out the Thanks Ranks Radio archives at blogtalkradio.com.

More on Living

'Cause that's just the place I'm in right now...

Heard this morning on WABE 90.1, in a recorded spot of personal reflection from a supporter, encouraging folks to contribute to the station during this week's Fall Fund Drive:

"How we live our life is how we live our days."

I did not catch the featured listener/contributor's name at the top of the spot, but for sharing this quote that she mentioned is posted in her kitchen, and causing me to examine and reflect upon the accordance of how my days are being lived with how I want to see my life lived, she has just been added to The Thanks Ranks.

Shake it Up, Baby

My routine being anything but as of late has just been added to The Thanks Ranks.

Not Lazy, Just Necessary

The inexplicable privilege to sleep until noon today (yes, the babies slept too!) has just been added to The Thanks Ranks.

On to carpe diem! Have a great weekend.

Today on Thanks Ranks Radio (10.11.07)

Gotta love Atlanta traffic...

Thanks to those of you who waited to hear my "half-time show", delivered with half-brain function. :-) Here's what was (or was meant to have been) referenced on today's show and added to The Thanks Ranks:

My signs/lessons always seem to come in threes...

*On ending my love affair with Starbucks:

1) Say it isn't so! Organic Consumers Association's scathing report

2)The Starbucks kids' cups recall. Starbucks and turtles (Go Maryland!)--what wasn't to love? I'd bought one this summer for Big Boy, and was mildly annoyed when he lost it. Now I'm relieved.

3) The discovery of Cafe Campesino, a fair trade coffee company in Georgia

* On being an activist:

1) Come On People by Bill Cosby and Alvin Poussaint

2) The invitation to the GOAL Luncheon (thanks, Gail)

3) Life's Fruit blog (way to go, Kirsten! inhale... exhale... write!)

If you so desire, you can click on the player to the left to hear this week's show in its, well, 15 minute entirety. For earlier shows, check out the Thanks Ranks Radio archives at blogtalkradio.com.

Just Ducky

Big Boy has been downed with respiratory issues yet again, so it was back to the pediatrician for us.

So here we go again with another round of treatments to pinpoint exactly what's going on with him: allergies, infection, asthma, a combo? Suspicions abound, but he's not textbook, so at this point it's hard to say.

While I was a little resistant the last time, for the sake of his full-functioning breathing and getting to the bottom of all of this, I have reluctantly-with-fingers-crossed agreed to the full-on assault of meds, which includes two inhalers.

At least this part of his treatments has been made manageable and fun for him by using what we've been calling, "The Duckface".

With this animated chamber, he's able to count his three breaths (child's play) and take in the mist that is hopefully giving his lungs a break and getting those passageways back in order.

In God I trust, and as we spend the next two weeks trotting out "The Duckface"... for making this aspect of his treatments distracting and amusing for Big Boy, PARI VORTEX Masks, you've just been added to The Thanks Ranks.

Oh, Joe...

Moment of silence in my household.

Joe Torre: watching your press conference in the wee hours of this morning, I ache and just want to cry. And it's my Hubby-Honey who's the uber-Yankee fan, not me.

But through him I've come to love you. For 12 great years of being a class act, you've just been added to The Thanks Ranks.

Harvest Mission Accomplished

1 promised to and highly expectant child in search of pumpkins and scarecrows

+ 2 lazy Sunday afternoon parents

+ 3 hours of good sunlight left in the day

+ 4 entries down on a "pumpkin patches - Atlanta" online search

equals

a manageably distanced trip out to "the country" and Yule Forest Hwy 155, where the desired objectives were met and family fun adventures with a petting zoo, tractor-pulled hayrides and more were thrown in as gravy.

For exponentially meeting my son's "Welcome, fall!" needs this weekend and making Mommy and Daddy look like heroes without much required effort, Yule Forest Hwy 155, you've just been added to The Thanks Ranks.

Under My Umbrella...brella...brella...

Rain in Georgia, because we've needed it, has just been added to The Thanks Ranks.

Happy weekend!

Yesterday on Thanks Ranks Radio (10.4.07)

Had to wrap up some loose ends... here's what was referenced on yesterday's show and added to The Thanks Ranks:

* October - what a difference a year makes!

* All of you who I've met as a result of The Thanks Ranks and Thanks Ranks Radio and experiences brought to me along my path

* New BlogTalk Radio"friends"--fellow show hosts ZedalzaRadio, Dr. Blogstein and Savair

* New acquaintances met over the past week, as referenced in the last few blog entries

* Kellie's addition: Bridge to Terabithia, the well-done 2007 movie based on her favorite childhood book of the same name, which incidentally appears on the American Library Association list of the 100 Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990-2000

* Author Beverly Cleary for my childhood favorite, Ramona and Her Father

* Dr. Mercola for suggesting coconut oil as a skin moisturizer, and Nutiva Exta Virgin Coconut Oil for seemingly making a difference with Big Boy's eczema

* Hubby-Honey, my knight in shining armor, for saving me from myself after again not listening to "that small voice"... and the Atlanta Botanical Garden for "Scarecrows in the Garden". I was mistaken. The craft is not actually making the scarecrows, but more than 70 of them will be on display throughout the Garden. No matter--Big Boy will be all the more fascinated

If you so desire, you can click on the player to the left to hear this week's show in its 30 minute entirety. For earlier shows, check out the Thanks Ranks Radio archives at the new and improved blogtalkradio.com.

Thanks for the McMemories

Whew! I'm recuping from driving all around God's green Georgia yesterday. Logged a lot of miles, but all for good causes. More on that in the near future, with thanks to Mari, Leah (sp?), Shona and crew.

By 5:10 p.m., I couldn't stand the highways and traffic anymore, so I embarked upon a little adventure traveling unfamiliar backroads that I was confident-thanks to an inherent good sense of direction-would eventually lead me to a place I knew, with the children and I getting home at a less harried pace.

Traveling on one of the many thousand metro Atlanta streets with "Peachtree" in its name, I found myself between the cities of Doraville and Chamblee when I came upon this house of yesteryear, with signs, objects and symbols from days gone by scattered all around the building.

And I find it funny that, in light of my recent posts and thoughts on quality food, I came upon this relic from my childhood and a piece of immortalizd pop culture.

Do you remember McDonaldland, and its characters? I was running through my mental rolodex, and could recall Grimace, Hamburglar, Mayor McCheese, Ronald (of course), The Fry Guys... But this character...his name escaped me. Later when I quizzed Hubby-Honey at home, he too couldn't recall.

Gotta love Google. I gave up trying to remember it on my own, searched this a.m. and got the answer--that for fun I'll link but not state here. Tell me if you recalled it, or if you too needed a little online assistance to jog your memory.

For the "final-nail-in-coffin" symbolism that coincides with my making peace with my McPast and bidding my relationship with the Golden Arches a complete adieu, strange little house of oddities, you've just been added to The Thanks Ranks.

Mothers Earth

This past Saturday I was at a fantastic "Farm-to-School 101" event and encountered fellow mom and blogger Pattie Baker. She addressed the crowd that day, and wrote a perfect summation of the event on her blog that I encourage you to read at FoodShed Planet.

I've since become a fan, as she is a trailblazer on the path I've just embarked upon since Big Boy started "school"--that of a hopeful mom who believes systemic change in the school lunch program is not too much to ask for the sustainable health and welfare of our children.

Stanley, the industrious mom behind the garden at E. Rivers Elementary, also challenged and inspired me in ways I dare to acknowledge. I'm telling you, reading that book, GRUB, has turned my head around, and the path of enlightenment has led me to these fine women.

Pattie and Stanley, I stand in mom-to-mom solidarity with you and all those committed to putting good food within our children's reach-- one square foot at a time. For all your fine efforts that have further fueled me, you've just been added to The Thanks Ranks.