Happy Holidays!

Over the weekend I served up a great brunch for my girlfriends. This was quite the culinary challenge because one of the guests is on a renal diet and I have my food allergies (no dairy or wheat). So I served many baked goods including muffins, scones and several cookies including the perennial favorite Ricotta Cheese cookies. The main course was three different wraps one eggs wrap (Renal diet option), one fish wrap which had homemade coleslaw and basmati rice and a roasted veggie wrap which was basically a knock of Karyn’s Cooked veggie wrap. Plus several cheeses (for those that can do cheese), fruit, and turkey sausage and gravy. Everything turned out pretty good. Making a huge meal like this is kind of like a science project. It was so wonderful to chat and start out the Christmas season with good vibes.

I still have a bunch more baking to do. Now that I’m eating raw foods I don’t really want the cookies anymore. I almost have to re-read that sentence cause it’s a complete shock coming from me. I’m a recovering dessert-oholic. Then again when you eat pomegranates, young coconuts, dates, cashews, raw chocolate, etc. it not like you are deprived of sweet tasting foods.

I really do love this time of year. The more I develop on the inside, the more powerful the act of giving is to me. I have a bunch of parties to go to including a New Year’s Eve party. I love New Year’s too. I love the idea of starting fresh and dusting yourself off. My resolutions for 2007 include:

- Putting creativity first. I really want to write something whether it be an article, book or screenplay. I also plan to create a great new series of art.

-Watch less tv and do more art (more on that later . . . )

-Continuing with healthy diet and the idea of *adding* and not obsessing about what I shouldn’t consume. I will be adding more green foods to my diet.

-Continuing with working out. Learning more about T-tapp. Continue with cardio, pilates and weights. I would love to take more yoga and try out martial arts.

- Learn to knit. My sister bought me an instructional DVD and I still haven't tried it yet.

- Take a vacay that requires stamping my passport. I still haven't decided where I want to go yet. I'm thinking maybe Costa Rica. Someplace exotic and warm this winter.

A few weekends ago I went to the free Soft Addictions workshop at the Wright Institute. While a lot of the info was compelling it’s hard for me to completely get behind some of the methods presented. I’m more of a straightforward gal and I’m not into singing little songs or dancing you know —“mandatory fun”. Some of the vibe there reminded me of people who are Born Again. Perhaps I should come up with an alternative to something like Chicken Soup for the Soul but maybe Self-Help for Sarcastic People or Self-Help for People Who Hate Self-Help Books.

I will say that I met some great people and I am really watching less tv. I just couldn’t be sold into more workshops or life coaching. Perhaps the fear of going back to the Institute is propelling my progress?