“Oh, my gosh!” I let out a big sigh. “If I see one more article telling me how delicious bugs taste I’m going to scream!” I tossed the magazine I’d been reading on the couch next to me.

“Hey, I heard they have a nice nutty taste to them.” Alex called from the kitchen. He came around the corner wiping his hands on a towel.

“Where’d you hear that?” He could see the skeptical look on my face.

“On the survivor shows Dad and I watch.” He went back in the kitchen to put the towel away before returning to the living room. “We watched one guy popping ants in his mouth saying it was like eating from a bowl of nuts.”

I shuttered. “That’s disgusting.”

Alex shrugged his shoulders. “Hey, when you’re trying to survive you do what you have to.”

“Okay, I get that. But I’m not out in the woods trying to survive!” I handed him the magazine. “They have a Michelin star chef trying to convince me to start making cookies with cricket flour!”

Alex said down next to me and skimmed over the article. “You know they’re already using ground up crickets in food. They just give it a different name so you’ll never know.”

“WHAT!” I sat up straight. “What are they calling it?”

Alex sat back thinking. “I’m pretty sure they call it acheta powder.”

I got up and went to the kitchen to go through our cabinets. “If they’ve been sneaking that in my food I’m going to scream!” I grabbed a box of crackers and began reading the ingredients.

Alex was right behind me laughing. “It’s mostly in protein powders and energy bars right now.”

“No acheta in this one.” I put the box back and grabbed a box cookies.

“I’m telling you it’s not really that common right now.”

“Not in here either.” I put the cookies back.

Alex patted me on the shoulders. “No one’s going to make you eat bugs.”

“Not yet.” I sighed. “But it’s coming.” I grabbed my phone out of my back pocket. “Okay, so they say it’s got a nutty flavor.” I typed in my next question. “What does cricket flour smell like?”

“Really?” Alex shook his head. “What made you think of that?”

“Because when I buy the live crickets for Max’s bearded dragon they STINK!”

Alex stood next to me when the answer popped up on my phone.

“It says the texture of cricket flour is similar to sand.” I looked over at Alex. “That sounds yummy.” I continued to read. “It’s dark colored about the same shade as dark brown sugar.” I shrugged my shoulders. “That no big deal.” I continued. “Cricket flour smells distinctly nutty, but also a little fishy!” I smacked my phone with the back of my hand. “I knew it!” I looked back at Alex. “Nothing is more delicious than a plate of freshly baked cookie with a slight fishy smell to it!”

Alex couldn’t help but chuckle. “What are you worried about? You haven’t baked cookies in years!”

I thought for a second and had to laugh. “Well now I’m never baking again!” I held up the phone for him to see again.

“Oh, yeah.” He shook his head as he headed down the hall to his room. “That’s the real reason you’re not baking cookies anymore.”

“That’s right!” I called after him. “And I’ll be sticking to that!”

“Oh, my gosh!” I cried. “I think I’ve finally figured it out!” My husband Steven and I had just come home from dinner and I was sitting on the couch listening to my stomach go crazy.

My son Alex came into the room. “What did you figure out?” He asked.

“Why my stomach is always bothering me after I eat.” I heard my stomach gurgle again. “I think it’s the cheese.”

“You think you’re lactose intolerant?”

“It has to be.” I got up to get a glass of water. “I had eggplant rollatini for dinner so, not only does it have mozzarella cheese on it but it’s also filled with ricotta cheese.” I grabbed a glass from the cabinet and called over my shoulder. “I swear within a half an hour of eating it my stomach started to hurt.” I came back into the living room taking small sips of water from my glass. “I can’t believe it.” I sighed. “My stomach was just starting to feel better after the lunch we had.” I sat back down.

“But you made homemade chicken soup.” Alex looked confused. “There wasn’t any cheese in that.”

“No.” I raised my eyebrows. “But I dipped a grilled cheese sandwich in my soup.” I had to laugh. “All these years I’ve been thinking that I just had a nervous stomach. I can’t believe this is the first time it even crossed my mind that I was lactose intolerant!”

“You do eat a lot of cheese.” Alex said.

“I LOVE cheese. Any kind of cheese.” I leaned back against the cushions and sighed. “Grilled cheese, mac and cheese. I put cheese on everything! I’m Bubba from Forrest Gump.” I looked over at Alex. “Only with cheese!”

“You’re just missing the enzyme that helps digest dairy. A lot of people have that.”

I grabbed my phone to do some research. When I found the site I began reading from it. “Okay, it says here that 65 percent of people have a reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy.”

“See.” Alex said. “And yours isn’t even that bad. You didn’t even know you had it.”

“Wait a minute.” I’d scrolled down further. “It says only15 percent of adult Caucasians have it.”

I dropped my phone on the couch and sighed. “Well, isn’t that just magical. I’m in the 15 percent group.”

“You’ll be fine.” Alex got up and was headed down the hall. “I’m in it too.”

“I can’t give up cheese!” I cried.

“You don’t have to.” Alex was back and dropped a box of enzyme supplement next to me on the couch. “Just take these whenever you’re going to have dairy. It’s really no big deal. I’ve been using them for years.”

As I was reading the box Steven walked into the room. “Hey, are you lactose intolerant?” I asked him.

Steven shook his head. “Nope. Never had a problem.”

“Well, aren’t you special.” I grumbled under my breath.

“What?” Steven asked.

“Nothing.” I sighed. “Now I’ve got to carry packets of these around with me.” I held up the box.

“Hey, you could just give up eating cheese.” Alex said.

“NEVER!” I cried as I took a sleeve of pills out of the box and went to go find my purse.

We’d had a big snowstorm a few days earlier but, with the sun out and the temperature above freezing, the snow was beginning to melt.

My son Alex and I were headed to my car, going out to do some errands, when I noticed a small dandelion trying it’s best to push through a patch of snow.

“Oh, I know just how you feel.” I said to the little flower as I took my phone out to snap it’s picture.

“Who are you talking to?” Alex asked as he stood at the passenger door of my car, looking at me over the roof.

“My little dandelion friend over here!” I bent down to get a closer shot of it.

Alex came around to my side of the car. I was just standing back up and held the phone out for

him to see. “What do you think?”

“Wow, a dandelion in February.” He handed me back my phone. “That’s impressive.”

“That’s more than impressive.” I said as I opened my car door and climbed in. I waited for him to get in before I continued. “It gives me hope and makes me feel like I’m not the only one struggling through each day.”

Alex nodded as he put on his seat belt.

“I’m serious!” I snapped my own seat belt into place.“With the last couple of weeks I’ve had I could use a little encouragement from a dandelion. It just showed me that sometimes you just have to keep pushing through!”

Alex started to laugh. “You got all that from a dandelion?”

“Hey, there was a reason that little flower was right next to my car door.” I began backing out of the driveway. “It could have been in the middle of the yard where I wouldn’t have seen it, but it wasn’t.” I put the car in drive and we were on our way. “I honestly feel we’re given signs all the time.” I looked over at Alex. “We just have to be open to seeing them.”

Alex shrugged his shoulders. “I know you’re big on symbolism but sometimes when you see a cardinal in the back yard it might not mean you’re getting a visit from someone who’s passed. It might just mean you filled the bird feeders.”

“Hey!” I laughed. “I filled the feeders days ago! That cardinal I showed you this morning was a sign!”

Alex sighed and patted me on the shoulder. “Of course it was.”

I had to laugh. “I know you’re more pragmatic than I am but I can’t help it. Every time I see something unusual I can’t help but feel it’s trying to tell me something.”

We were stopped at a red light when all of a sudden a small white feather gently floated past the windshield. I looked over at Alex raising my eyebrows. “Well?”

“I’m not saying a word.” He sighed as he shook his head.

“Exactly.” The light turned green and we were back on our way. “By the way remind me to call Toni when we get home. I’m pretty sure that one was for her.”

I was sitting on the couch finishing up a phone call with my sister Liz when my son Alex came into the room. “Okay, so I’ll talk to you later.” I told her. “Have a good night.” While I was hanging up I saw a confused look on his face.

“Why don’t you say ‘love you’ at the end of your call like you do with us?” He asked.

That caught me off guard and had me thinking for a second. “I guess because my family has never been a ‘love you’ or a hugging group of people.” I shrugged my shoulders.

“But you are.” He came and sat at the other end of the couch.

I had to laugh. “That’s because I met your Dad.”

“What do you mean?” He kicked off his shoes, grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch and laid down.

“Your Dad comes from a long line of hugging, cheek kissing, saying ‘I love you’ family.” I started to laugh. “I remember when I first brought him home to meet the family, he went up to my sister Donna, ready to give her a big bear hug and she backed up and put her arm up like she was trying to stop someone from assaulting her!”

Alex started to laugh.

“So actually your Dad’s the one who kind of mellowed my family. Now when we see each other we do kind of hug but I don’t think we’ll ever get to the ‘I love you’ place.”

“I feel kind of bad for your family.”

I shook my head. “Don’t. We just weren’t raised like that.” I sat back and thought about it. “Honestly, I never met my Dad’s parents but I know Mom’s parents never said it either.” I shrugged my shoulders again. “Different ways of growing up.”

“So how did you know your parents loved you?” He adjusted a pillow behind his head.

“Well, every time we left the house my Mom’s favorite phrase was ‘Be careful it’s slippery out.’” I shrugged my shoulders. “I’m guessing that was her ‘I love you.’”

“So what was your Dad’s?”

“Well, my Dad came from a family that believed that if there was food on the table and you had a warm bed, that was love.” I had to think for a moment. “But every once in a while he’d pat me on the top of the head when he walked by.” I got up to get a glass of water and as I headed for the kitchen I stopped to adjust the blanket for him and to kiss him on the top of his head. “I love you.”

“Love you, too!” He answered.

When I came back from the kitchen, holding my glass of water, Alex was standing up with his arms out for a hug.

I put my water glass on the coffee table and wrapped my arms around him.

“I’m glad Dad got you used to giving hugs and saying ‘I love you.’”

I gave him an extra squeeze before he gave me three quick pats on my back before letting me go. “Me too.”

“Okay, it’s finally here!” I called from the front door as I dragged the large cardboard box into the house.

I’d ordered my son Max a small dining room table with two chairs for his house.

My son Alex came into the living room. “Do you want me to help you put it together?”

I began ripping the package open. “I think I’ve got this.” I began tugging the pieces from the box.

“All right. Call me if you need any help.” Alex went back to his room.

I sat on the floor surrounded by the furniture pieces, a bag of screws and nuts, and two little metal wrenches. I held up the Allen wrench. “I’ve used you too many times to count!”

I picked up the directions and gave them a quick scan. “Okay, I think I’ve got this.”

I began putting together the first chair. After dropping the Allen wrench several times, misplacing the nuts and screws, and failing to hold the pieces together while I tried to get the screws in place, I dropped everything on the floor. “I’M DONE!” I cried out as I stormed to my bedroom, threw myself on the bed, and began playing solitaire on my phone, waiting until I could calm down and try again.

I wasn’t sure how long I’d been in my room when I heard someone in the living room.

I got up to check and when I came down the hallway I could see Alex with the unfinished chair up on our dining room table putting it together.

I envied the calm look on his face.

“How do you do that?” I asked.

“Do what?” He was tightening up the last screw before placing the newly finished chair next to the first he’d completed.

“Stay so calm when you put things together?”

“I don’t know.” Alex shrugged his shoulders. “It just doesn’t seem to bother me.”

Just then my husband Steven came into the room and saw Alex putting the furniture together. “Hey, do you need some help?” Steven picked up the directions and began moving nuts and bolts out of his way.

“I’m good.” Alex said as he calmly took the directions from Steven’s hand.

Steven shrugged his shoulders. “Okay, call me if you need me.” He went down the hallway to our bedroom.

I looked at Alex and began to laugh. “Your Dad has less patience putting things together than I do.”

Alex nodded his head and laughed. “That’s for sure.”

I picked up the top of the table. “Can you use some help putting this together?”

He picked up one of the table legs. “Well, that all depends.” He looked at me and raised his eyebrows. “Are you calm enough now?”

“I think so.” I had to laugh. “Besides you’re the one who’s actually putting it together. I’m just planning on being the one who’s holding the pieces for you!”

“I think that’s a perfect plan.”

“I love snow days!” I said as I looked out our front window. The ground was covered in snow with a few flakes still coming down.

“You haven’t had a snow day in years.” My son Alex said as he came into the room.

We both stood at the front window watching our neighbors across the street, with their four little ones, out playing in their front yard. Two of them were building a snowman with Mom while Dad was pulling one on a sled and the last one was steering his remote control car over several moguls he’d built.

“I miss those days.” I sighed as I took a sip of tea.

Alex couldn’t help but laugh. “You hated being out in the snow!”

I began shaking my head. “Oh, I’m not saying I miss having to be out in the snow.” I looked over at him. “I miss you at that age playing in the snow.” I sighed again. “You and your friends would spend hours in our back yard making all kinds of things.”

My husband Steven came into the room. “I’m going out in about an hour to clean off the sidewalk and get the cars cleared off. I just want to finish up a few things at my desk first.”

“No hurry. We’re not going anywhere.” Alex and I were still looking out the window when Steven stopped to watch as our next door neighbors and their three kids were crossing the street to join the others. “Oh, now it’s a party!” I said.

We watched as the two Dad’s tied together some sleds, attached them to a riding lawnmower, and made a small caravan of sleds for the kids be on while one of the Dads drove them around the house with the lawnmower.

I looked over at Steven. “Okay, now that’s clever.”

A snowball fight had broken out with both families. We could hear their laughter as they scooped up handfuls of snow. Some bare patches were now appearing on their front lawn. I looked at our lawn with it’s blanket of pristine snow. Not a footprint anywhere.

“I miss that, too.” I sighed.

“What?” Steven asked.

“Besides a well trodden front lawn I miss a kitchen filled with wet snow pants hanging from the backs of chairs while my kitchen table was filled with kids eating homemade cookies and sipping hot chocolate.”

Alex laughed again. “Those were fun times.”

I put my tea cup down on the coffee table. “Well, I can still make my snow day fun.” I said as I headed for the kitchen.

“What are you going to do?” Steven asked as he followed me.

“I’m going to bake some muffins.” I began pulling out the muffin tin and getting out a mixing bowl.

Alex had followed us. “Didn’t we all decide that we were cutting back on desserts right now?”

I looked over at him. “These aren’t going to be for us.” I said as I pulled a pumpkin muffin mix out of the cabinet. “I’m making these for the kids across the street.” I looked over at Steven. “When they’re done can you take them over for me?”

“Sure.” Steven looked over at Alex then back at me. “But could we at least have one before I do?”

I stopped and did a quick head count of everyone across the street. “Sure. But you two are going to have to split one. Otherwise I’m not going to have enough.”

Alex looked over at Steven before nodding his head. “I’m good with that.”

“These blueberries aren’t any good.” My son Alex called from the kitchen.

“Are you kidding me!” I cried as I went into the kitchen to see what he was talking about. “I just bought them yesterday!”

As I walked in Alex shrugged his shoulders and handed me the container. “They’re a little shriveled.”

I looked at the berries and sighed. “How could they turn so fast?”

I opened the refrigerator to see if the raspberries, I’d gotten yesterday, were having the same fate.

“Wait.” I moved a few things around on the shelf. “Here’s the blueberries I bought yesterday!” I held the container out to Alex.

“Oh, great!” Alex took the blueberries and put them on the counter top. “I can make my smoothie after all.” He went to get the mixer. “Do you want one?” He asked over his shoulder.

“No, I’m good.” I was holding the container of old blueberries over the trash when I looked out the kitchen window and saw all the birds clinging to our bird feeders. Each trying to get to the seeds that were in the snow covered feeders. “I think I’m going to give the birds a nice winter treat!” I said as I closed the trash drawer with my knee and headed for the back door.

“Do birds eat blueberries?” Alex asked as he poured some of his berries into the mixer.

“Of course they do!” I said with confidence but then paused and looked over at Alex. “Well, at least I thought they did.” I took my phone out of my pocket to double check with Google. After a quick search I put the phone down and picked up the blueberries again. “Yup, they love them!”

I went to the back door and was taken by surprise with the blast of cold air that hit me when I opened the door. “Wow! I’m definitely making this quick!” I crunched through the snow on the back deck and did a quick underhanded toss, releasing the berries into the air and watching as they dotted the snow with little blue specks.

The birds on the feeders scattered with the incoming berries and headed for the safety of the trees. “No worries!” I called to them. “When you come back you’ll see I’ve left you a delicious sweet treat!” I went back into the house and closed the door as fast as I could. As I stomped the snow off my shoes and looked over at Alex and smiled. “I don’t know why, but that made me feel really good!”

Alex was tossing some spinach into the blender. “You love feeding the birds.” He looked over at me and laughed. “And the chipmunks.”

“Well, my chipmunks are tucked in their warm little burrows right now. So no peanuts for them.” I headed for the couch, kicked off my shoes, and climbed under a nice warm blanket. “I know exactly how they feel.” I was still chilled from being outside.

Alex brought a glass of his smoothie into the living room. “Are you sure you don’t want some?” He tipped his head towards the kitchen. “There’s another glass still in the blender.”

“I’m not in the mood for anything cold right now.” I pulled the blanket up under my chin. “Maybe I’ll make something hot.” I got up and headed back to the kitchen.

There was a container of strawberries that Alex had left on the counter top. “Do you want me to put the strawberries away for you?” I called to him.

“I don’t think so.” He called back. “They’re almost ready to be thrown out, too.”

I pulled a knife out of the drawer and looked out the kitchen window, watching as the birds discovered the blueberries. “Hang on my friends!” I called to them as I began slicing the strawberries into smaller pieces. “More treats are on the way!”

I came out of my bedroom and headed for the kitchen to make myself my morning cup of tea.

As I came around the corner I felt a bit dizzy and grabbed a hold of the counter to steady myself.

“Are you okay?” My son Alex asked.

“Just another wave of feeling a little light headed.” I said as the swirling in my head slowed and I began to feel better.

“Why do you feel light headed?” He asked.

“This year I decided my New Year resolution wasn’t going to have anything to do with losing weight.” I looked at him and sighed. “That only depresses me by February when I haven’t dropped any weight and Valentine’s Day rolls around.” I shook my head to clear it some more as I went to fill the kettle. “Instead I’m going to do a new mental exercise that’s suppose to rewire my brain. I heard it’s life changing!” I placed the kettle on the stove. “I started it this morning!”

“Looks like it’s pretty life changing already!” Alex laugh. “You’re already having trouble walking in a straight line!” He got out a pan and placed it on the stove. “I’m making some eggs. Do you want some?” He went to the refrigerator.

“No thanks. I’m just having tea.” Secretly I was still hoping to drop a few pounds before Valentine’s day.

“So, what are you doing that’s making you dizzy first thing in the morning?”

I grabbed my cup from the cabinet. “Well, first you brush your teeth with you left hand.” I looked over and raised my eyebrows. “But only if you’re right handed.” I shrugged my shoulder. “So far not hard.”

“That made you dizzy?” He cracked an egg against the pan. “That just sounds like you aren’t going to do a good job brushing your teeth.”

“Wait,” I held up my hand. “There’s more.”

Alex grabbed a spatula and began to stir the egg.

“When I’m done brushing my teeth.” I looked over at him and raised my eyebrows. “Which, by the way, I did an awesome job. I’m supposed to look in the mirror and say to myself, ‘I love you’ ten times.” I shook my head. “I’m not going to lie. That one was a little tough to do and not feel silly.”

Alex looked skeptical. “Still not seeing where you got dizzy.”

“It was the last part of the exercise that I think I overdid.”

“Which was?” His egg was almost done.

“You’re suppose to take exaggerated deep breaths.” I shook my head again. “Like twenty five of them!” I took another deep breath and exhaled. “I’m pretty sure I hyperventilated.” I couldn’t help but laugh.

Alex slid his scrambled egg out of the pan and onto a plate. “So it was life changing for you.” He laughed.

“Yeah, in a bad way today.” I sighed. “So tomorrow I’m planning on doing about ten of the deep breaths.” I pour my hot water over my tea bag and let it steep. “I’ll keep you posted!”

Alex shook his head as he took his plate to the table. “No need for that.”

“What?” I was feeling offended. “Why?”

“Well, if it’s going to be that life changing wouldn’t I notice it?”

“Good point.” I laughed as I took a sip of tea.

My son Alex came into the kitchen and noticed that I had my elbows on our butcher’s block, with my hands resting under my chin, staring at a plant.

“What are you doing?” He asked as he opened the cabinet and took out a bag of coffee.

“I’m watching this amaryllis bulb I planted a few days ago.” I pointed to the pot of dirt with the bulb sticking up a few inches, its green leaf and stem peeking out from the bulb another inch or two.

Alex put the coffee on the counter and went to get a cup and his ceramic pour over coffee dripper out of the cabinet. “Has it grown any?”

I stood back up and shrugged my shoulders. “I’m not seeing anything.” I sighed.

Alex took the mug over to the counter and began making his coffee.

“It’s been a whole week!” I looked over at the bulb again. “I was sure something would have happened by now.” I shook my head. “I don’t think it’s changed a bit.”

“Well, it’s only been a week.” Alex leaned against the counter waiting for the water to boil. “Just give it more time.”

I had to laugh as I raised my eyebrows. “I know but my sister Liz gave me the bulb for a Christmas present and I’m just worried about my green thumb skills.”

Alex started to laugh, too. “Oh, we ALL know about your green thumb skills!” He took the now boiling water from the stove and began slowly pouring it over the coffee grounds. “You’ve given your plants some pretty awesome trims.”

“What I like to call ‘haircuts’.” I laughed.

“Yeah, not many of them survived those haircuts.” He had finished pouring the water into his cup and was ready to throw out the coffee grounds when I stopped him.

“Wait!” I cried. “Don’t throw those out!” I grabbed some paper towels and placed them on the counter. “Here. Dump them on this.”

Alex looked confused. “Why?”

“Because I read that amaryllis bulbs love used coffee grounds!”

“Really?” Alex took the wet coffee grounds and poured them on the paper towels.

“Yeah. They just need to be dried before I can put them on the plants.” I pointed over to the coffee table where my African violet plants were. “I’m pretty sure they love them, too.” I spread the coffee grounds out so they would dry quicker.

“So how much of the coffee grounds do you give each plant?” He went to the refrigerator to get some milk.

I shrugged my shoulders. “I have no idea. They never say how much but I figure a little sprinkle couldn’t hurt.”

Alex laughed as he poured some milk in his coffee then took a sip. “Yeah, with your green thumb skills what could possibly go wrong with that?”

I laughed as I reached over and grabbed my phone off the counter. “Maybe I should look that up.”

It was Christmas night and everyone was getting ready to sit down for dinner.

“Okay, everybody. Before I put dinner on the table lets pop our Christmas crackers!”

My husband Steven picked his up off his plate and our son Alex took his, too.

“Didn’t we already do this at breakfast?” Alex asked.

“We did! But I had extras so…” I shrugged my shoulders. “I figured, why not?”

The three of us broke open our crackers.

“Oh wow!” Steven pulled out a pair of silver metal cuff links. “These are really nice.” He sounded surprised.

“I got a whistle!” I held mine up before putting it to my lips and blowing. A high pitched squeak came out. “It even works!” I cried.

I noticed that Alex was holding a silver binder clip in the palm of his hand. “I got office supplies.” He said before he sighed.

Steven and I looked at each other and started to laugh. “Didn’t you get something weird in your Christmas cracker this morning?”

Alex nodded his head as he handed me the binder clip. “I got some twisted metal pieces that were stuck together.” He shook his head. “I’m guessing it was suppose to be some sort of puzzle.”

I placed the clip next to my napkin then I pointed over at our sideboard. “I got that cute silver thimble.” I looked back at Steven. “I was planning on putting it in with my sewing supplies.” I shrugged my shoulders again. “I’ve never used one but it’ll look cute.” I glanced over at Steven. “I forgot, what did you get this morning?”

“A metal bottle opener that’s shaped like a fish.” He pointed to the kitchen. “I put in the drawer with all the other openers.”

I pulled out my gold paper crown from inside the cracker. As I placed it on my head I could see that both my guys had taken there’s out but weren’t putting them on. I chose to ignore that as I made a final adjusted to my crown.

“So who wants to read their joke first?” I asked.

“I guess I’ll go first.” Alex reached in his cracker and pulled out the small piece of paper. “Where do gingerbread men sleep?” He laughed and began shaking his head.

I thought for a moment and then shrugged my shoulders. “Okay, you got me. Where do they sleep?”

Alex was still shaking his head. “On cookie sheets.” He tossed the slip of paper onto the table next to his crown. “I even got the lame jokes this year.”

I tucked my whistle under the edge of my plate and picked up Alex’s binder clip. “You know this would make a nice chip clip.” I held it up for Alex to see. “Do you mind if I use this today?”

Alex laughed. “Sure. Chip clip it is!”

I got up and headed to the kitchen where I opened the cabinet and took out a new bag of chips. Attaching the clip to the bag I held it out for both my guys to see. “It’s all ready for when the bag gets opened!” I said as I tossed the chips back in the cabinet and went to the stove to open the oven door. “Now who’s ready for some chicken parm?” I called over my shoulder.