Thank You Notes: Flint, Michigan and Shondaland

It's important to show thanks for all that we have in our lives. Giving thanks and having positive thoughts not only make you happy, they make the world a happier place to live.  I wanted to share with you a few things that I am thankful for at this time.

Thank you Mother Nature for the random warm and sunny days we have had, because I am so ready for Spring to get here.

Thanks to whomever provides us with clean water.  I've been reviewing the crisis in Flint, Michigan and I'm deeply sadden by what has happened. 

I've attached a video with a timeline of the events.

http://abcnews.go.com/Health/flint-water-crisis-children-exposed-lead/story?id=36376739

Photo Source

Thank you middle-schooler, in my district, who proposed a plan to help the citizens of Flint.  Thanks that my school has decided to participate in helping the families in Flint, Michigan. We have several teachers from Michigan and while I was preparing a presentation for my principal, one teacher walked in my office to see what I was doing.  When I explained to her that the district would be participating in their relief efforts, she began to tear up.  She just moved from Michigan this pass summer to work with us.  She has jumped in and decided to spearhead this initiative and I will be assisting her.  We are now thinking of ways to get the students rolling and I came up with a class competition.  One class, per grade level, would win a popcorn or pizza party or some other form of celebration.  

Thank you loving family for coming to spend Valentine's Day with me.  Okay, it was the day before, but you get the picture.  Wish my other son could have been home to join us.

Thank you Shonda Rhimes for your creative genius-ness and for providing us with an entertaining night of television.  Yes, I'm obsessed with #TGIT!!!  Anyone else out there with me?  I mean, who else could pack all this action into one single night? Nothing can top Shondaland!  If you are not watching Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, and/or How To Get Away With Murder you are truly missing out.  Like, who knew red wine would taste so good with popcorn?!?! (You have to watch to know what I'm talking about)

And finally, thanks to whomever made February 18th National Drink Wine Day!

Did you notice the frenzy all over social media?  It was like the closet winos found a reason to celebrate.  Everyone was flying out of the woodwork to do what seems so natural to me.   Remember this...

Enjoying girl time at Accent On Wine! Bottoms up! Food by Fratello's Italian Tavern #yummygoodness #accentonwine #girlsnightout #finewine #BloggersGetSocial #CapturingLifeLaughterLove #browngirlbloggers #winetasting #wineoclock #wine #winedowntuesday #vino #italianwine #italianfood #fratellositaliantavern

A photo posted by sunshineandelephants (@sunshine.and.elephants) on May 26, 2015 at 3:16pm PDT

And this...

Prepping for TGIT...Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, HTGAWM...Shondaland of course! #Bloggersgetsocial last thing I read... O magazine. #Oprah #wine #PanacheLane #panachelaneflamboyant #CapturingLifeLaughterLove your favorite thing. Just a couple 😉🍷😄

A photo posted by sunshineandelephants (@sunshine.and.elephants) on Feb 19, 2015 at 5:09pm PST

Did you notice the caption reference?  And... well you get the picture (tee hee hee)!

But...if you would like to tame your inner wine beast, you should do this...Click this link

 https://www.clubw.com/w5n1unwsvx and enjoy a free bottle on me!  I've spoken about this here and here and here...

I’m really enjoying @Club W! They make wine affordable, convenient,and fun. Use this link, we both get wine. https://t.co/SLXFJn1ZUj

— L Jamison (@sunphant) January 29, 2016

See how excited I am for you to join me!  Cheers!  :)

So what are you thankful for?  I would love for you to share below.

Random Sparks and A Boredom Buster

This is not my typical type of post, but recently I have had many activities that have sent me down memory lane during different stages in my life.  I mentioned in a recent Currently post how preparing a treat for my team of teachers triggered a memory I shared with my mom when I was a little girl.

While on holiday break, I did some serious cleaning and came across photos of my boys that triggered memories of their youth.  I wrote about it in a holiday edition of Currently.

While preparing a monthly Simply Me post, I reminisced about a holiday tradition from my past.

I don't know if my strong commitment to cleansing out the negative energy that had encompassed my life prevented me from remembering the past, but I was ecstatic to have these memories surface.

Lately, I've come across several boredom buster posts explaining how to pretty much maintain your sanity when you're stuck in the house with little ones.  As I was reading a similar post today,  I began to relate the activities listed to ones I did with my boys when they were little.  As I was typing a comment, a fun memory was ignited.  When the boys were five, we had to evacuate the area due to an impending hurricane.  We stayed at my parents home since they lived farther away from the danger zone.  While we were there, we were still  trapped in due to heavy rain.  After playing our usual games and toys for some time, boredom began to set in.

Out of the blue, I made up a game called What's Missing?... my homemade version of a memory game.   I gathered random items in the room and place them under a blanket.  The boys were given a few minutes to study every item placed under the blanket before covering them.   I explained to them that they would have to guess which item I removed from the rest (hence the name).  It's a made up memory game that anyone can enjoy.  I would grab items like a small stuffed animal, keys, legos and other small toys, a cell phone, pen, pencil, makeup, brush, comb, any reasonable sized item you can get your hands on.  I wouldn't go over 10 items so their little brains don't get too stressed. We each took turns being the caller so it made it fun for all involved.  We played this game for hours and it became a regular boredom buster in our home.  

Have you encounter a trigger that sparked a memory from your past?  Do you have fun boredom busters to share?  I would love to hear about them in the comments section below.

See where I am Linking Up to share with others.

My Sunday Photo: Valentine's Day

Sharing a little love with you from my family on Valentine's Day!  :)

Sixteen In 2016

It's been awhile since I created a bucket list, so I thought it would be fun to put together a list of items I would like to tackle in 2016.

1.  Visit a place I've never been before.  I love to travel and wish I had the money to travel any time I choose.  But let's be realistic, I'm an educator, so I have to budget.

2.  Attend a cooking class.  There's a place called Charleston Cooks in the downtown area that I really want to attend.  I had tried to make plans to attend this past summer for my birthday, but didn't get the respond I needed from my friends to make reservations.  When I finally decided to go at it alone, the class was booked.  Well, I'll be going this year even if I have to go alone.

3.  Try a new hairstyle.  Not sure what to do at this time, but my hair is growing and I'm stuck in one style right now.  I feel my look is so blah, blah, blah and can't wait until it grows out more so I can create more variety with my looks.

4.  Exercise more.  I haven't been putting my health in the forefront and I need to.  I plan to do better this year.

5.  Visit a new winery.  I'm hoping to be able to venture to a few in North Carolina.  One day, I hope to go to Sonoma Valley.

6.  Host a giveaway.  I hosted one last year for my one year blogiversary and really enjoyed it.  So, why not host another!  :)

7.  Attend a concert.  Sad to say that it's been a long time, but I would like to attend the concert of one of my favorite artist.  Who you may ask?  Time will tell.

8.  Get a massage.  A woman can enjoy herself, right?

9.  Go cruising.  My bags are already packed...mentally that is!  I will be going on a cruise this summer with some friends.  I can't wait!

10.  Swim in unfamiliar waters.  I think this one can be taken care of when I go on my cruise.

11.  Read a book.  If you've been following me, you will see that I have had some trouble in this department.  I will not let 2016 end without having a book read.  Do children's hardbacks suffice?

12.  Attend the graduation of my sons.  I guess this can only happen if they continue to stay on track.  If it's in God's plans, they will both graduate from their respective colleges in December 2016.  Now let's just hope their ceremonies are not on the same day.

13.  Fly a kite.  Remember my Spring Bucket List?  Well I'm going to make it happen this year.

14.  Host a linkup party!  I don't think I would have time to do a weekly link party, but more on the lines of a one month themed linkup or a box swap linkup.  So looking forward to doing this!

15.  Give my blog a face lift.  I'm considering a few things with this one.  I love the colorful background I currently have, but it doesn't fit every post that I write.  I feel that I need to make a few changes to get my blog to a more productive state.  I also need to develop a plan to increase traffic to my blog.

16.  Finding more things to do.  It took me a couple of weeks to put this post together.  I really need to venture out to see what else there is for me to tackle in the world.

So what big ideas do you have planned for 2016?  Have you created a bucket list?

Check out my Linking Up page to see where I'm sharing this post.

Currently February Vol. 2

Currently:

Watching:  Super Bowl 50 of course!  I'm watching Cam Newton dab all over those Broncos.  Sorry Peyton, I know this may be your last game, but as a Carolina girl, I'm 100% behind my Panthers.  #GoPanthers 

Source

Enjoying:  Time with my friend Sophia.  We don't get to see each other often, but when we do we just pick up where we left off.  

Eating:  Some salad and wings prepared by Sophia and her husband.

Drinking:  My first bottle from Club W.  Did you read my post about this company?  If not, you can catch up here and enjoy a bottle on me.  Anyway, we partook in the delectable taste of A Beautiful Waste Of Time and it was sooo good!  Smooth with taste and aromas of deep cherry. I don't want to say too much because I'll probably be featuring it for a Wino Wednesday post.   

Feeling:  Sad!  Because our Panthers just lost Superbowl 50.  I don't know how I'm going to make it through the week.  :(

I began this post way before the game started and had to change a few things.  I'm sure you can tell what they were.  While I sulk in despair, tell me what you're currently up to and maybe it will bring about good cheer.  

Wino Wednesday: Biltmore Estate Cabernet Sauvignon

February

love is in the air, pink and red hearts, hugs and kisses XOXO, 

sweets of all kinds, CHOCOLATE, 

snuggles and warmth

and

A rich, tasty Cabernet,

to drink alone or better to share with others.

Winemaker's Notes:  

Remarkably smooth with rich vanilla aromas, lush cherry flavors, and soft lingering tannins.  Its middle to full bodied and has been oaked-aged.  

Pairs well with beef, lamb, cheddar and Gouda cheeses, chocolate cake, Italian dishes and squash dishes. 

Tonight I'm enjoying it with pizza!

My thoughts:

The color is a dark berry.  Very smooth and mellow.  The first taste tantalized my senses. There were hints of cherry and a slight oak.  I was enjoying it alone and instantly wanted to share it with someone.  Next bottle will be for a dinner party; too good to keep to myself.  Very pleasant to drink and it goes down easy. Reasonably priced at Sam's for about $10

Have you tried this Cabernet?  Do you have one to recommend? Please share below.

Currently February

Currently...

Hey it's February, the month of love.  There's a little bit of love in this post, but I just wanted to share a little bit of what's going on with me recently.  

Celebrating:  It's National School Counseling Week!  Have you thanked your child's School Counselor?  :)

Source

Subscribing:  To Club W!  My newest, soon to be addiction.  Everyone knows how much I love wine and I think I came across a great deal.  You can read more on how I feel about Club W here.  I would love for you to try it and I'm offering you a free bottle.  Simply highlight and right click on this link  https://www.clubw.com/w5n1unwsvx  and select go to in order to access an experience like no other.  

Sending:  Hand written notes to my sons.  Valentine's Day is right around the corner.  I don't go all out with gifts as I did when they were younger, but notes and cards are always there for me to share with them.  

Well, that's all I have to share for now.  Come back soon to catch up on more of my little tidbits.

What are you Currently up to?