Who could resist a teddy bear advent calendar?

Who could resist a teddy bear advent calendar? Big kid or small!

Our daughter Lisa came by to visit. She brought gifts such as pajamas and a blanket for Joan. It has been months since we last saw Lisa, so this was such a joyous time. We laughed, shared recent events, and caught up about coming plans. 

Lisa and her family mailed a Build a Bear advent calendar to us, for Christmas joy. Joan, Eldred, and I have been opening one door a day to find the next surprise. Eldred thinks all teddy bears are her personal property and follows every move during our daily discoveries. 

You can tell from the title there are teddy bears and their clothing behind each door. At age 9 Joan would cut out paper people and clothing from catalogs. Build a Bear is remarkably like Joan dressing paper people. Each bear has its own wardrobe that we dress them in, with Eldred at our elbows waiting for us to give her a bear. Very fun – maybe not so much for Eldred, since she cannot have one. This daily delight was right up my alley. 

Build a Bear reminds me of how I am creative when I build for clients. Sometimes you must get creative to meet a client’s needs. Recently I replaced the rotten wood underneath a client’s kitchen sink. After installing the new wood, to add waterproofing, I re-purposed a clear plastic carpet protector normally used under desk chairs. Such a simple, and creative, solution!

Spending time with our daughter, enjoying a teddy bear advent calendar each day, and being creative for clients are a few of my favorite things! It doesn’t require Oprah to have delight, creativity, and joy-filled experiences in our holiday season. 

What are a few of your favorite things? Do you wish to have help making those come true? Let us know. 

Wishing you and yours a joy-filled holiday season!  

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Do you love your veggies and fruit?

Do you love your veggies and fruits?

I am thankful that my parents and grandparents served us whole plant foods.  

I remember our table filled with fresh green salads, whole cooked red potatoes, oven-baked sweet potatoes, rice, oil, vinegar, salt and pepper (as salad dressing), choate squash, and many other whole foods.

I know, I know, many of you don’t like the taste of greens. 

My family history broadened my delight in fresh fruits and vegetables. These memories paved the way for my recent change to a whole foods plant-based diet and as free of salt, oil, and sugar as possible. I see it as my path forward to health. It is more a mission to stay healthy. By the way, I was motivated by the documentary, “The Game Changers.”

I have lost 30 pounds, my waistline has reduced, my energy has increased, my thinking has become clearer, my morning aches and pains are gone. It is so much easier now to crawl in attics, under sinks, and any hard-to-reach places.

In fact, our Thanksgiving feast was entirely whole foods plant-based, including a vegan turkey loaf from Trader Joe’s. There was a salad, olives, green beans, brussels sprouts, red and sweet potatoes, carrots, cranberry sauce, and a homemade vegan pumpkin pie.

Why the change? During these times it is so clear that resilient health is our greatest wealth and safety. I see that many friends and family are on lots of medication for illness symptoms and I have lost some dear people.

For me, a whole food plant-based diet is the foundation for better health.

Give us a call if we can help you. We are truly grateful to be of service.

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