Yumminess

I know I should be dieting in January.  What better time and month to begin a new program.  Buttttt....I haven't yet. Before Thanksgiving rolled around, I had lost 17 pounds and was feeling good.  Somehow the motivation waned and I was into the holiday spirit in all its glory revolving around food and that same type of food love has worked it's way into the beginning of this year.  Five pounds here, two pounds there -all going in the wrong direction.  Meanwhile, everyone around me has started a program and are doing really well so far.   They are able to call their diet a journey or a healthier way of life and I am proud of them.  I know they are all right, of course. But I still call it a diet.   No matter how I look at it, their success is still inspiring.  You do have to get a fresh mindset to begin anything new that's contrary to what you are used to enjoying.   In my life there are upcoming vacations to take this year, a wedding and the holidays to use as a goalpost.  There will always be something to work towards.  While talking about dieting, I'm getting visions of past indulgences and pure goodness. I've pictured some of my own creations below   -   Some good, some bad.  It seems we measure food as either good or bad.  There's never a grey area.  I'm thinking it's all good, in moderation.  I wonder if I can remember that when I need to in the weeks ahead. 
Hmmm, I'll start my diet Monday...



Chicken Enchilada





Peppermint Chocolate Cake

Pork Loin with Roasted Potatoes

No Bake Cheesecake

Baked Chicken marinated with Mayo and Onions

Homemade Lemonade 

You betcha!

Potatoes with Roasted Garlic and Rosemary Butter

Peppermint Bark



Pumpkin Bread with Cream Cheese Ribbon running through it



Christmas Crunch

Triple Chocolate Cake

The Lure of Pawley's Island

I've been fortunate and very thankful to be able to take vacations at Pawley's Island, SC for alot of years now.    It is known as the oldest seaside resort in America.  The people there use a slogan which reads "Arrogantly Shabby" and it fits.  Rice plantations helped establish Pawley's in the early 1700's.You can visit some of the plantation sites along with the old slave cemetery ruins.  There is an island called Sandy Island where descendants of the original slaves who worked on the plantations still live.    It's just rich with history.   It also features Brookgreen Gardens.  It's a beautiful, large garden with a good sized zoo.  It's a sculpture garden and just amazing to walk through with large trees, flowers and plaques with witty and thought-provoking quotes everywhere.  You can also take several different tours through the land by trekkers or boat.  You buy a ticket and it is good for seven days.  I'd recommend everyone go there during their visit.  Across the street from the garden is a place called Atalaya Castle.   Anna and Archer Huntington built and lived in Atalaya.  This place is tourable in the Huntington Beach State Park.  The park is a great place for bird watching and taking hikes on quite a few trails.  You can get a sense of the richness of life that was once had by the people who were able to buy alot of land along the sea.  It must have been heaven. 

       The attraction of Pawley's Island is simplicity at it's finest.  There are still alot of beautiful,

natural sites created by the hand of God along with the touch of  man's handiwork.  The place is quiet, serene and able to make anyone stop and take note of what is around them.  Everytime I go, I never want to come home again....but so it is.   You can't always get what you what, right?  If that were true, the places we visit and enjoy for a short time in our lives would then become commonplace and not hold the same attraction they once did in our eyes and heart.  I'm just glad I've been able to go more often this past year to soak it all in. 

But while contemplating the beach area  - why will there be no more sea ? 

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. (Revelation 21:1) .  That's strange to me and I don't get it. 

Anyway, here are some sites you might enjoy and some shots I've taken around Pawley's. 

                                                             http://www.townofpawleysisland.com/

                                                             http://www.brookgreen.org/

                                                             http://www.huntingtonbeachstatepark.com/Atalaya.htm

                                                             http://www.huntingtonbeachsc.org/