It's In The Sauce!

The Busiest Time of the Year

Posted on October 10, 2019 by Patti Fralix

A lovely harvest display at Southport Baptist Church

Hard as it is to believe, the last quarter of 2019 has arrived. Summer passed quickly, and now it is Fall, which seems to have finally arrived in the South. This fourth quarter of the year is full of celebrations. October hosts Halloween, November Thanksgiving, and December Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, and Christmas. This time of the year can wear us out, especially women, and even more especially, mothers. While it is a wonderful time of the year, it can also be exhausting. But it doesn’t have to be, not if we plan well and execute wisely. It is time to make those decisions now while we can before these months get away from us. Continue reading →

Posted in change, family, life | Tagged 2019, 2020, busiest time of year, celebrations, Christmas, December, fall, family, Fralix, Halloween, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, meals, November, October, Patti Fralix, Perform, plan, planning, priorities, process, pumpkins, Purge, Start doing, summer, Thanksgiving, The Fralix Group, winter | Leave a comment

Making a Difference

Posted on October 3, 2019 by Patti Fralix

This wasn’t the blog that I planned to post this week. I wrote this week’s (intended) blog yesterday, but today I decided to post something else. I am not exactly sure why other than the bookmark I found from Ruth’s Last Lecture. That, coupled with going to two funeral services this past weekend, is probably the reason that I am writing this. The blog I intended to post can wait. Continue reading →

Posted in family, gratitude, life | Tagged Andy Andrews, Chuck Mahoney, death, Everything matters, family, Family First, Fralix Family, friends, Friends who are family, funeral, life, Making a Difference, memorial, Patti Fralix, The Butterfly Effect, The Fralix Group, Will Fralix | Leave a comment

Mindlessness and Mindfulness

Posted on September 24, 2019 by Patti Fralix

Mike and I had a lovely afternoon listening to music in Key West.

Lately, I have been thinking about mindlessness and mindfulness. While mindfulness is a fairly common topic and one which also interests me, we also need to think about mindlessness. We may not even be aware of how often our behavior is on autopilot. Continue reading →

Posted in best self, change, life | Tagged boredom, choice, decisions, health, Key West, mindfulness, mindlessness, Patti Fralix, The Fralix Group, time, travel | 3 Comments

Shedding and Growing

Posted on September 19, 2019 by Patti Fralix

Soon the Summer of 2019 will be just a memory. The weather is beginning to cool down and Fall officially arrives in a few days. As one season exits making room for another, as the leaves begin to turn and the trees eventually shed their leaves, I am thinking of what I want to shed. Continue reading →

Posted in change, family, life | Tagged books, Changing Me from the Inside Out, clothes, death, expectations, Fralix, Gramps, grandson, growing, inside out change, life, life is precious, Patti Fralix, relationships, shedding, shedding and growing, The Fralix Group, too many clothes, weight loss, yearbooks | Leave a comment

A Life Worth Living

Posted on September 11, 2019 by Patti Fralix

A somewhat younger Will Fralix, but he never lost his hair!

He would have been 96 in December. Although Mike, his oldest son, wanted him to “have a few more months,” his body gave out. He died a peaceful death on September 6, 2019, with his beloved wife of seventeen years, Rosie, by his side. He had been in a hospital, and then a rehab facility, and had he lived another day, he would have been a hospice patient. But around noon on September 6, after being non-responsive for days, he opened his eyes briefly, took two more breaths, then made his transition. He had told several of us, including Mike, that he was “ready to go.” What a blessing for the family to know he wasn’t fighting death, that he was not giving up, but that he was “ready to go.” Continue reading →

Posted in family, life, love | Tagged blessing, Brookdale Hendersonville, children, dad, death, family, Fireside, Fralix, Gramps, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, Hendersonville, laughter, life, lived long good life, love, Mike Fralix, Navy, North Carolina, Patti Fralix, Sawmill Tap Room, Silver Springs Florida, Thanksgiving, The Fralix Group, transition, Westinghouse, Will Fralix | 16 Comments

The Second Anniversary of Hurricane Irma in St. Maarten

Posted on September 6, 2019 by Patti Fralix

As Hurricane Dorian heads up the coast of the Eastern United States after decimating the Bahamas, Mike and I are in St. Maarten, remembering Hurricane Irma’s wrath here two years ago today. While Hurricane Dorian wiped out much of the Bahamas, its impact on the Eastern United States is still in process. Dorian’s wrath on the Bahamas has left many without homes and businesses, and at least twenty-five deaths are being attributed to this hurricane. The devastation of Hurricane Dorian is legendary. Our thoughts and prayers are with the many people who suffered Hurricane Dorian’s wrath. Continue reading →

Posted in change, gratitude, life | Tagged 36 beaches, Bigwood, Cherie's Cafe at Maho, damage, Dorian's wrath, Fralix, Grand Case, Hurricane, Hurricane Dorian, Hurricane Irma, island, Joe's Jewelry, Kakao, La Plage, La Vie en Rose, Marigot, Mike Fralix, Mullet Bay, Orient Beach, Patti Fralix, personal experience, Philipsburg, rebuilding, remembering, Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Saint Martin, Sint Maarten, Sonesta, St. Maarten, The Fralix Group, The Royal Islander Club | 2 Comments

Back in St. Maarten

Posted on August 30, 2019 by Patti Fralix

Looking out of the front of our condo in St. Maarten.

It is that time of the year. Mike and I are on our two-week vacation in St. Maarten, a trip we have taken every year for the past twenty years, with the exception of last year, when we came for only one week. Last year our trip was abbreviated because our property was still under renovation from Hurricane Irma that occurred on September 6, 2017. More about that next week, on the anniversary of that major event. Continue reading →

Posted in change, conflict, life | Tagged beaches, commitment, committed, Hurricane, Hurricane Dorian, island, Patti and Mike Fralix, Patti Fralix, St. Maarten, stopped drinking alcohol, The Fralix Group, vacation, weight loss, WW | 2 Comments

An Angel in My Midst

Posted on August 21, 2019 by Patti Fralix

I went into a laboratory to have blood drawn, never expecting to receive a blessing. I left crying, not from the blood stick, but from the blessing I received from the technician, Tina. Continue reading →

Posted in best self, gratitude, hope | Tagged addict, addicted to drugs, an angel in my midst, authentic, blessing, blessings, choose to be happy, Fralix, God, happiness, happy, inspiring, life experiences, losing a son, memorable moments, opioid addiction, Patti Fralix, plan, positivity, thank you, The Fralix Group, therapy, trauma | Leave a comment

Empathetic Texting

Posted on August 15, 2019 by Patti Fralix

It is a given that communication occurs more now through texting than by face to face or phone. I wish it were not so, but it is. Me too. I find that it is much easier to send a text than to call, so I often do. While texting is great for efficiency, it often lacks in effectiveness. I am finding of late that common courtesies are often missed when “talk” occurs through text. I am sure that I have made the same mistakes that I write about, without even thinking about it. In this blog post, I am discussing one of the most common mistakes made when talking by text. Continue reading →

Posted in life, Relationships, social media | Tagged busy, Common courtesies, communication, conversation, empathetic texting, Fralix, misinterpretation, Patti Fralix, phone call, relationships, texting, texting rule, The Fralix Group, writing | Leave a comment

90 Days and Counting

Posted on August 7, 2019 by Patti Fralix

I wrote in May about a big change I was making, and that I would discuss it openly once I hit the 90-day mark without backsliding. I named it the “Big C.” I linked it to my return to Weight Watchers (now WW, but still Weight Watchers to me!) This week (August 5^th to be exact) I hit the 90-Day mark, without backsliding. So here is the big reveal. Continue reading →

Posted in best self, change, life | Tagged 30 pounds, AA, alcohol, behaviors, Changing Me from the Inside Out, Chardonnay, commitment, Do what makes you happy, Fralix, martini, not drinking, overweight, Patti Fralix, The Fralix Group, weight, weight loss, Weight Watchers, wine, WW | 6 Comments