For the past 6 weeks or so I have been having randomly-occuring episodes of intense and long-lasting abdominal pain. My GI docs think its duodenal ulcers; I am having an endoscopy next weekend.

Tonight I am in bed again, with just a heating pad to help a bit with the cramping pain. There is no Rx to help with this. It completely sucks, mostly because it is so random and disruptive and there is nothing I can do about it.

So, if I don't happen to "visit" often, its likely because I'm either resting or trying to catch up on the things I need to do when I am feeling ok.

Found inside my New Year's Day fortune cookie from the local Chinese take-out:

As it turns out, my personal faith system offers similar advice; we just don't use the term "karma" (well "we" don't but I do!)

Namaste, everyone!

Dateline: Morning of December 26th, 2007

My 7-yr old Daughter to her grandmother: "Gambaba, the holiday celebrations aren't over yet! Today is Kwanzaa!"

Gambaba: "But honey, our family doesn't celebrate Kwanzaa."

7-year old: "Yeah, you're right. We're not Jewish."

I likely won't have much time to update here or offer any amusing (or nauseating, depending on your point of view) tales of my GI tract, because, like many, I'm in the midst of the pre-Christmas flurry of activities.

We are packing up the Rockin' Van to drive to Philly for the holidays, and I have to pack clothes, toiletries, snacks and activities for the ride, dog supplies, gifts, and a cooler full of frozen pierogies (don't ask!) by Friday afternoon.

I also have many errands to run and tasks to complete (wash, clean house, organize items for pet/plant sitter, etc.) prior to the packing and driving.

Luckily for me, I was able to get someone to care for my 6 tree frogs over the break. None other than one of my parish priests offered to care for my amphibious creatures while I was away!  I hauled the habitat and supplies (cage full of crickets!)over to church today, and received many curious glances as I strolled into the office.

My priest pal is so sweet to help me out with the frogs, as they have to be fed DAILY and have the water level checked. He also has a fish aquarium in his office so more caged creatures doesn't really upset the apple cart over there!

Our pet sitter (for the cats) can only come a few times over the break, but that is fine, as the cats have self-feeder and self-watering dispensing dishes that merely need to be topped-off every 3rd day or so.

Ok, enough typing...I have to get back to my To Do list...

Do you publish and mail a Christmas letter?

I do not.

But, my parents DO and it inevitably contains something about me and my family (as well as my sisters.)

This year I happened to be chatting with my dad who noted that he just finished the Christmas letter. I asked him to email it to me. Not that I was going to play copy editor but...well I wanted to check it out before it went to the presses.

If I recall, in previous years there have been mentions of items that I personally would not have elected to broadcast to my parents' friends and distant relatives.

But then I thought, hell, I talk about my bowels often enough here to an audience I have (mostly) never met so... I guess it would be pretty hypocritical for me to object to my parents offering mild-mannered topics relating to my family, such as real estate transactions, recent vehicle acquisitions, etc.

The one thing that bothers me is that for some reason my dad talks more about my husband than me or my daughter combined!

Last year, a family moved into our neighborhood, renting a home that had previously been for sale. The children are a brother and sister. They are from the West Side of Chicago but have lived in Gary, Indiana, and various locales between here and there. The boy attends school with my daughter (he is 2 years ahead) and since their residence is on our street, he stops by our house in the morning on the way to the bus stop. We have gotten into a habit of sharing coffee in the morning - even if I'm not having any, I brew a bit for him to enjoy. He is thrilled if we happen to have a flavored creamers to try, like "French vanilla" or "pumpkin spice." My daughter enjoys the camraderie. I enjoy a polite and sweet child in the house to set a good example for her!

This 10 year-old is incredibly bright, vibrant and chatty. He truly has a "winning" personality. But his eyes lowered and his face fell when he mentioned to me a few weeks ago that they had to move. "I am only 10 but I have moved 14 times, " he stated to me somberly. He must have seen the sadness in my eyes. He quickly continued, "But don't worry, I'll still be going to the same school. We're going to find an apartment in the neighborhood."

There are few rental options - let alone AFFORDABLE rental options - for working people in this 'burb - although that is largely true throughout Chicagoland. My coffee buddy confided in me that they were to be evicted and had to be out of their house.

December 1st has come and gone and our young friend is still coming over in the mornings to walk to the bus with us. My daughter began to pry, demanding "Why haven't you moved yet?" He looked at me with confused and pleading eyes, and I hurriedly remarked to her, "Hey, that's not your business."

Through clues that he has offered, I am aware that this family is still in their rented home but they have no power or heat. Some evenings, they go the local library for the evening so the kids can do their homework. Often, they drive each night way up to the far northern suburbs to sleep in the basement of a relative. Then they wake the kids early and get them dressed and off to school here in the the Northwest suburbs.

One could easily turn their nose down and judge the parents for putting their children through the tumult of the shuttling and late nights and overall lack of stabilty. However, although I have only met the mother once, I do know that these parents are determined to do whatever it takes to provide a safe, high-quality education for their children, as ours is a top-rated school district.  Both kids gets nearly straight A's on their report cards.

Since we walk together each morning, I could not help but notice that my young friend has neither snow boots nor gloves. Thankfully, he does have a nice warm, hand-me-down coat from a cousin. I thought that a gift of boots might not be accepted. But today I went to the store and bought a few pairs of inexpensive gloves. I had a strategy for presenting them so as to not seem "charitable" but merely "neighborly."

As the kids clambered off the bus this afternoon, I had the gloves tucked into my pocket. "Hey, buddy, I went to the store today and they had a clearance special on gloves. I picked up some for our family and there are some extra. Would you like these," I stated, as I handed him the warm red gloves that coordinate with his coat and hat.

He couldn't put them on his little chilly fingers fast enough. "Thanks so much, Mrs. H.!"

Another part of my strategy, I was wearing a too-small pair in blue that I bought, intended for his sister. "You know, it turns out these are too small for me, do you think your sister could use them?"

"Oh, blue is her favorite color! Yes, thanks!"

The exuberance in his voice and the look of relief on his face will always be with me as a reminder to appreciate the littlest details in life and to be thankful for whatever I have - and not to worry about what I don't.

Yesterday morning, as I sauntered out the door to accompany my daughter to the bus stop, my local weather-person informed me that in my location, it was a whopping five degrees outside..."warming up to a high of 28!"

Five. 5. That's Farenheit, too, for all my metric-luvin' friends who may not think 5 is a big deal for December. Actually, at the weather station about 20 minutes away it was Zero. Again, in Farenheit. Ah, winter in Chicago!

Anyway, to warm your guts without overdoing the fat, sodium, carbs, and other junk typically present in most prepared soups (and even in many recipes) here's a tried-and-true chill-buster that is popular in my household. Its originally from the Atkins Website from 3 years ago. In place of escarole, I usually use spinach.

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (I use regular salted butter)
  
• 8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
• 1 portabello mushroom, diced
• 1 small onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 celery stalk, diced (about 3/4 cup)
• 1 small carrot, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1 cup canned diced tomatoes (use low sodium type if possible)
  
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 1/2 pounds stew meat, trimmed and cut into 1/4" cubes
  
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium beef broth
  
• 1 bunch escarole, washed, tough ribs trimmed, cut into 1/2" strips
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped (note; I use dried thyme and only add 1/2 tsp.)
  

1. In large non-stick skillet melt butter over medium-high heat Add mushrooms and season with salt and pepper to taste. Sautee until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add onion, celery and carrot and sautee until barely softened, about 2 minutes Add garlic and sautee about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes and wine and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, season meat with salt and pepper. In large pot over medium-high heat, heat olive oil. Add meat and sautee until well-browned, about 8 minutes. Add tomato-vegetable mixture to broth and water. Bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer until meat is very tender and vegetables are very soft, about 15 minutes.  Stir in escarole to wilt, thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste.

I have noticed many juicers/extractors on the market recently -all at very affordable prices. So if you have thought about it, now may be the time to give juicing a try!

On that note, and per Tammys request, I present a "tonic" based on a juice reicpe I found somewhere in cyberspace but modified to my tastes and nutritional needs.

This might SOUND gross but trust me, it is delicious. It also looks kind of neat - it is BRIGHT GREEN.  Thus, I call this my "Green Tonic"

• 1 med-large green (granny smith) apple, cut up, seeds & stem removed
• large bunch of flat-leaf parsley, washed (including stems)
• bunch (about 1 cup) of radish greens (when you buy fresh radishes, these are on top! cut them off, rinse off, store in a dry paper towel inside a ziploc. )
• 1 small zucchinni, washed, tip and tail removed, UNPEELED
• 1-inch cube of fresh ginger, peeled
• 1 stalk celery, rinsed

Juice ginger and parsely first and together; then the rest. If you can't get radish tops, you can omit or even use some green cabbage leaves, or bok choy leaves.

The ginger and green apple give this a "zing" that makes it a great afternoon pick-me-up. The parsely and celery have diuretic properties. And of course the ginger is great for digestion.

In summertime, you could put this over crushed ice, but for now I am enjoying it plain. Make sure to drink fresh juices within 20 minutes of juicing. Otherwise, they begin to lose the nutrient/enzyme value and can also turn brown or go bad (no preservatives/stabilizers because they are all-natural.)

   Last night, I prepared one of my husband's favorite vegetable dishes: My own recipe for Sauteed Greens. When fresh greens aren't available, I use a combo of two frozen chopped "greens" (collard, turnip, mustard, etc.) Last night, I used freshly chopped Swiss Chard and fresh spinach.

First, I dice up some uncooked turkey bacon and sautee that until browned in a large frying pan. Then I add a freshly-diced onion and continue to sautee. When they are cooked through, I add a touch more olive oil, and the chopped greens - either fresh or frozen - turn down the heat to medium/low and continue to stir untill all the greens are thoroughly wilted and cooked through. Then I add a few tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, and blend that in the mix. Perhaps a teaspoon or so of sugar or sweetener (Splenda, etc.) to offset the vinear and finish with some freshly ground black pepper.

Since my daughter volunteered to help cook the greens, she also wanted to try them at dinner, albeit with some trepidation.

"What does it tase like," she asked curiously.

"Its the best thing, it has so many flavors..." began my husband.

"Yeah, its bitter and salty and sour and sweet all at once, " I added.

"Kinda like Mommy!" noted my husband, to roars of laughter from the kid.

"I'm putting that in my blog!" I muttered.

(and I did!)

We have little room in our house for either the display or storage of extensive Christmas decorations. However, my daughter is fascintated with Nativity scenes. I walked into the living room and discovered that she fashioned this with Fisher Price farm animals, Mega Blocks dollhouse pieces and Barbies - I think she was inspired by the Angel Barbie she received last year. Note that "Baby Jesus" is portrayed by a princess Kelly doll.

I was both touched and amused by her creativity and sincerity: