How to Create a Stress Free Holiday

If you'd like to create a stress free holiday this year, check out Beyond Eggnog and Mistletoe by Sandy Fowler. I proofed this book and it's GREAT! Not only does Sandy give you permission to scale back to what is comfortable and meaningful to you, she also provides a lot of practical tips on how to do so.

So if you're tired of the stress, frustration and overwhelm that is prevalent this time of year, grab yourself a copy of Beyond Eggnog and Mistletoe and create the holiday of your dreams!

11 Reasons I am Thankful in 2012

 

Photo collage by Karen Balvin, Sunlitway Photography (sunlitway.com)
Thanks, Karen!

 

Thanksgiving is nearly here. What are you thankful for?

All You Need to Know About Life

I don't know who said this so I can't give proper attribution - but I had to share it anyway.

Life is like a coin. You can choose to spend it any way you wish, but you can only spend it once. Make your choices wisely.

~ Unknown

Give Consumable Gifts for a Stress-free Holiday Season

For a truly stress-free holiday, give consumable gifts to everyone on your list. Think about it – consumable gifts are always in style and you have no worries about getting the right size or color, consumable gifts are affordable even on a tight budget, and consumable gifts are appreciated and used (and used up!) – what more could you want?

So, what are my favorite consumable gifts?

For small to middle sized children, you can’t go wrong with crayons and a coloring book. If you want to encourage a budding artist, choose watercolor paints or modeling clay.

For older kids and teens, it gets a little trickier. My favorites for this age group are food gifts. Think a batch of their favorite homemade cookies. Or better yet, a cookie-of-the-month club subscription with a small plate of homemade treats delivered fresh from your very own kitchen at the beginning of each month throughout the year.

And what about adults? Well, it’s usually food gifts again! For women, I prefer chocolate. Delicious homemade fudge is always a big hit. For men, I tend toward salty snacks, such as Chex Mix.

What are your favorite consumable Christmas gifts?

Looking Forward to the Change

The time change, that is. Yep. Tomorrow is the day – time to ‘fall back’ for those of us who must adjust our clocks twice each year. I’ll get up in the dark, but by 6:45 when we prefer to go for our morning walk, it will be light! Come evening, however, I’m sure I’ll be whining about the earlier darkness...

Oh well. It’s a tradeoff and one that I’m looking forward to this year. Lately, we don’t have adequate light for walking until about 7:10. Beings I don’t eat until after we walk, waiting that extra 30 minutes or so for breakfast when I’ve been up a couple of hours just isn’t working for me.

As for that other change (you know, the one that hits women around age 50) – well, I welcomed it, too. For someone who is usually totally resistant to change, isn’t that amazing?