I love Christmas music. From the day after Thanksgiving until Christmas night, that’s pretty much all I listen to. There are songs that make me smile, some that make me feel nostalgic and tender, and a few that make me go, “Huh? What they’d just say?” I recently read Vikki Claflin’s Laugh Lines post about…
Winter is in the air, if not officially on the calendar. This week’s Friday Favorites centers on season firsts. First valley snow. Of course by the time I took this picture from my office window, the valley snow was melted, but you can still see it on the mountains. This is my favorite type of…
It might sound a little selfish, but this holiday season I’m all about the present. Okay, not the present that comes in a pretty package—though I’m not opposed to that kind either—what I’m talking about is mindfulness, being fully present in the present. Mindfulness is simply being aware of what is happening right now without…
Halloween is over. Thanksgiving is just two weeks away. We are officially in the holiday season. The season of joy and gratitude, certainly. But if we’re honest, for many of us, it is also the season of anxiety and excess. Too much activity…too much food…too much drink…too much spending…too many expectations. Just typing that paragraph…
There are so many wonderful things about being a grandparent: obviously, the spoiling, the cuddling, the adventures, and the sleepovers. One thing I especially love is hearing the delightful things that come out of their mouths. Remember that show “Kids Say the Darnedest Things?” Well, if you have grandchildren, you know it’s true. Last summer I…
Sunday was Mother’s Day—a fact that you are probably well aware of, if the statistics are any indication. More phone calls are made on Mother’s Day than any other day of the year. These holiday chats with Mom often cause phone traffic to spike by as much as 37 percent. In the U.S., $21.2 billion…
You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection. ~ Buddha It’s Valentine’s Day—the day we celebrate love and, therefore, a most fitting day to revisit the kindness challenge. A couple of weeks ago, we made a list of 10 kind acts we would do for others this winter. Today…
Last year at this time, I posted New Year’s Revolution, some new ideas for successful New Year’s Resolutions. Did anyone try them? If so, I’d really love to hear what you did and what your experience was. Even if you didn’t take my fabulous advice, I’d like to know if you made a resolution last…
There’s nothing like the feeling of finding the perfect gift for someone and few things as frustrating as trying to think of something special and coming up empty. So today I am stepping into the mindset of the receiver and thinking about those gifts I’ve received that were particularly memorable—as inspiration for giving better gifts. Personal/personalized…
It’s December! Thanksgiving is over, Christmas music is playing, and there is snow on the ground. At our house, it is officially the Christmas season. This week’s Friday Favorites is all about season firsts. First holiday nails –Winter Wonderland! Seven-year-old Piper says the silver accent nail looks like a jingle bell in the snow. I…
