Rainy Day Decadence

I remember when I bought this umbrella.  Our youngest was in preschool and I thought an umbrella as crazy as this would surely make it easier for him to spot me in a crowd of overenthusiastic parents waiting at the bus stop on a rainy day.  By first grade, it quickly became an embarrassment.  Its still my favorite umbrella.
I have always loved rainy days.  I have always believed if you could dance in the rain, nothing could ever get you down.  Rain had the power to wash away the bad and let you begin again fresh.  And well, it didn't hurt that my car needed a bath.
When my husband and I were first married, we spent a lot more time hanging out with friends.  I can remember weekends long ago when we would sit around a fireplace, laugh about our week, and sip warm mugs of cocoa and peppermint schnapps.  I miss those days.
After I worked out this morning, I had to go out and pick up a new shower head to replace a broken one.  For some reason, things just keep breaking around here.  Its a bit difficult to get used to.  After all, we've never really lived anywhere long enough for stuff to break from overuse.  We've been here a little over seven years.  That's more than twice as long as anywhere else we've lived.  I never thought I'd miss moving around, but I guess I'm nomadic at heart.  I'm ready to load my duffle bag, pack up my tent and go....so to speak.
Anyway, while I was at the store (yes, it was Target) looking for the replacement shower head, I saw these Swiss Miss "Sensible Sweets" hot cocoa mixes and I thought...Mmmm, peppermint patties...something to make me feel all warm and snugly...something to remind me of a time when we were all younger, when life was less complicated, when we didn't worry about how food affected our bodies.  We ate what we wanted and could care less.  The future was too far off to worry about it.  
Well, now we can have our "hot chocolate" and drink it too.  Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets No Sugar Added has only 60 calories.  It has only 7grams of sugar.  Swiss Miss Sensible Sweets Diet  is even better.  It has only 25 calories.  It has only 2 grams of sugar. It has as much calcium as an 8oz glass of milk and only 160mg of sodium.  http://www.swissmiss.com/index.jsp
While I was there, I thought I'd see what else I could discover today.  In the cookie section, I started checking out labels, looking for lower sugar treats, and I found these...Nonni's Biscotti.  http://www.nonnis.com/products/products.html   The original has only 90calories per serving, only 7 grams of sugar, and only 65mg of sodium.  Now that's a cookie I can handle.  And think how wonderful its going to taste with that Hot Cocoa and Peppermint Schnapps AKA the Peppermint Patty.
No, I'm not at all bothered by this rainy day.  Maybe, if I feel a hankering later in the day, I might even go out there, dance around the yard, and feel the rain on my skin.  Don't laugh.  Natasha Bedingfield did it.  : )

..."Feel the rain on your skin

No one else can feel it for you

Only you can let it in

No one else, no one else

Can speak the words on your lips

Drench yourself in words unspoken

Live your life with arms wide open

Today is where your book begins

The rest is still unwritten"...