“The greatest gift is a portion of thyself.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Do you have gifts that you receive each year...

I mean...

you look forward to receiving them...

and have come to expect them...

year after year after year?

My mom has...

for more years than I care to remember...

given me a subscription to Southern Living magazine...

and just this past year...

 attempted to end my subscription...

since we live in the UK and all...

but I just could not bear the thought of it.

The idea of having a stack of those magazines...

just waiting for me...

like an old friend...

was just too much to give up.

She also gives me the Daily Guidepost...

for a daily devotional...

and there is something about knowing we are reading the same devotional each day...

that warms my heart.

She even writes a note on the special days of our lives...

like birthdays and our anniversary.

A few years back...

I was shopping at some very cute store...

and saw this calendar...

by Susan Wallace Barnes.


Since that day...
Ren Man has made sure...
every Christmas...
 that I do not miss a month without her incredible artwork...
hanging in my office.

I do not mind admitting...
I am a creature of habit...
I don't need to be surprised all the time...
and I love, love, love my...
reoccurring gifts.


I depend on them...
they remind me that some things don't change...
and there is something very refreshing about that.


How are you doing on the 120 foods in 7 days challenge?
I am currently at 60, halfway there...
woo hoo!
 Meanwhile...
 it is getting harder with each meal.
Leftovers are out of the question...
so that means cooking...
every meal...
and getting very creative about it.


Enjoy your day!