It's Christmastime!

Probably like yours, my time this week has been filled with grocery shopping, wrapping presents, addressing Christmas cards, menu planning, shopping again for the one thing that I forgot on the first run to the grocery store, and doing some cleaning of my house for company. Whew!  My time online has been limited. 

Yesterday, my Mom, sisters, and two girls baked and decorated sugar cookies.  My Mom always says that a messy cook is a good cook- so we must be super great!  And our results were works of delectable art!!! Yum!

 Some in the family are more conscientious artists at work.

Sand-tarts~ Great Grandma's Brown's recipe.

 

                                               Sarah made a special cookie just for Santa.

As we are in the midst of this holiday season, I wish you the

  Merriest of Christmases and a very Prosperous New Year!

Enjoy the simple pleasures of colored lights, smells of pine and chocolate cookies, and a roaring fire in the fireplace, children's laughter of delight, and warm hugs from loved ones.  And may the magic of the Christ Child, grab your heart in rapture once again.

I will see you in the next year with fresh ideas of starting my year with perspective, purpose and passion.  Look for my study of "Mom's Planning" and free printables for you.  See you soon!

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Colors of Life

Today's five minute writing prompt is COLOR.
Go.



Color.  Red, blue, orange, yellow, pink, green.  Magenta, crimson, sienna, and ochre.

The hues of red poinsettia, of azure skies lightening, warm glow of yellow candle light, the caramel color of me coffee.  How the color around me adds variance to my scene.  I visually drink in the colors and my mood enlivens, or becomes subdued, depending on the hue.

Imagine a world of only black and white.  How bland, how sad.  We would not have the intoxicating hues that enrich our world.

Experiences can be like colors. 

The birth of a baby brings the red and orange of excitement. 

The calm blue of ordinary days of routine. 

The gray of sorrow.

The warm red of deep love that sets the heart on fire.

The days of chaos and stress are those crazy days of  colors all mixed into muddy brown.

The green of new dreams being birthed.

Some colors backdrop life's painting.  Some accent and punctuate the colors of memory.  And some compliment.

If we did not have dark purple, how would we fully enjoy bright yellow?  Without the fire of red and would the peace of blue satisfy us?

Enjoy your life's colors today.



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I am ADDICTED!!!!!!

OK- I admit it...I will not deny it anymore.


I totally admit it.


I am completely, utterly addicted to buying books! It is a truth that I do not think that I will ever change. I love everything about them.... The beautiful pictures or illustrations, the feel of the pages (I LOVE holding and caressing a book! I do not think I will ever be a Kindle customer), even the smell of a new book or an old one.



I go into the bookstore for a Starbucks White Chocolate Latte with whipped cream. After grabbing my Joe, I decide to take the LONG way around to the book counter where my intention is to purchase a gift card for my niece. Strolling along I see their recently added "Irish" display for upcoming St. Patrick's Day. I know that it is recent not just because of the calendar because I was just in this store five days ago?



Of course the first thing that I notice- the same as everyone else- is a book's COVER. And YES; I DO judge a book by its cover...If the cover is visually beautiful or interesting I am magnetized. These books below are covers that grabbed my attention and yelled to me, "Come look at me, pick me up, stroke my pages!"



The first two are of the Irish theme. I try to celebrate St. Patrick's Day (and every holiday for that matter) with an authentic meal- last year's menu included corned beef, cabbage, and as always green mashed potatoes. "Irish Pub Cooking"- what a great book to add some more recipes to my Irish repertoire. The "Leek & Potato Soup" looks scrumptious and it is green. Maybe I will even get brave and try the Irish Soda bread recipe. My sister visited Ireland last year, too, she will enjoy my meal; another reason to buy the book!


And the "Bargain Price" is another attraction.





This next book is so visually darling and tactile! It has one of those smooth hard covers that I just so enjoying holding. Inside contains an Irish fable with a moral to "alter the perspective in our hearts and perhaps render a change in the world". Wow, that little book can do that. Another reason why I just love books. And beyond that and the dreamy photographs of the Irish country side, and the colorful illustrations, and prettily bordered pages, there are little envelopes glued to the pages containing little pieces of paper that I can extract from their mysterious folder, and lift-up flaps of die-cuts. The one I am looking at now is of a pie. When you lift up the crust the recipe for Shepherd's pie is inside. Think adult version, just right for the addicted book type woman version of a toddler's "Lift and Touch" book. I just love it! I realize that my visual and tactile senses are getting completely satisfied! And I am a visual, hands-on learner. Suddenly it is all making sense to me- this infatuation.

The next two books have such beautiful covers; I had to book them up. Historical fiction of the Regency and Victorian era! Well, I am sold. (And of course the "Bargain Price" seals the deal.

Now I said that I most certainly judge a book by its cover. At least initially. However, I have made the mistake of buying books with beautiful covers that even though the story line seemed interesting, I was disappointed. Hopefully this will not be the case.

Now remember my intention of going to the book store? Besides to get my delicious caffeine elixir? I forgot it. So excited with these new treasures. I had to back track to purchase the gift card!

Now where does the guilt come in? (Inevitably it does with any addiction, because the very definition of addiction connotes a negativity with it.) I have a shelf (maybe shelves?) of books who after my first meeting are awaiting patiently to have more connection with me.

Happily though I am engaging in the books pictured below. They are lying beside my night stand. I do not read every one every day- maybe a few pages here and there (except for the last one which I am devouring!). If you notice most of them have to do with shaping perspective. My essence for living a lovely life. This particular clump of books are a family of ideas helping me traverse my way through what I consider to be a mid-life crisis that I am experiencing. (We can talk more about THAT later.)

But each these offers a fresh sense of beauty, fun, or thought that my soul currently needs. So important to my psyche that I will no longer say that I am addicted to books, but a COLLECTOR of books.

or am I still simply in denial?

What are you passionate about? What would you use your children's milk money to purchase?

Massages and Smiles

Last night as part of my husband and my Valentine celebration night out, we went to see the Chinese masseuses (is that the plural?).

Now if you have never had the pleasure of receiving a massage, I feel for you! My husband and I receive a massage regularly by the same woman. But a visit to the Chinese people, well, that is a special treat. Now if you are what I call a "martyr"Christian and do not "believe" in such "self pleasures" then please do not comment to me on the sin of self indulgence. Not only is a massage one of life's great joys but considered a commodity to physical and mental health by my husband and I.

So we walked the mall briskly with determination to find our pleasure makers. Soon we find the Chinese man (unusually large in stature for a Chinese man, thus I nick-named him the Chinese man with the big hands) smiling brightly to us. "You like a massa-?" Ireply, "Is there just one of you tonight?" See, I had envisioned my husband and I relaxing side by side. Well, table beside table. He looks at me blankly and I can tell that I am not being understood. I point to my husband and I and say, "Two of us." He looks out into the mall in search of what I understand to be his partner. "Bathroom." I continue trying to communicate about hitting certain problems areas, but pointing to the areas is enough. Past experience in my attempts to engage him in small talk proved no more fruition except toothy smiles on his part. So with the three of us understanding that the "two" of us want a 45 minute massage, my husband lies down.

I have mentioned this Chinese man with the big hands before on Facebook. I have been his visitor a few times having been left with a spectacular experience of relaxation. This time I sacrificed my own satisfaction and "let" my husband go to him. He has chronic neck and back problems and I wanted him to experience a body massage with the big strong hands making my husband's physique into pliable putty! I was in no less hands as I was lying at the table next to him getting massaged by a Chinese woman.




Situated in a small store site at our local mall the dimly lighted massage place is still enticing. Yet, one wonders at first how relaxing the experience can be with mall shoppers bustling about yards away. Kids yelling, adults yelling occasionally for that matter. But soon the soothing music being played and as the massaging strokes begin I DO relax and I think that I even enter that Alpha state of complete relaxation. Her hands work like a therapeutic machine in waves and strokes moving over every muscle, even in muscles that I did not know I had. I will not go into more of a pictured description except to say that I could almost feel liquid endorphins flowing through my body. You have to try it.



After 45 minutes my husband and I stood feeling almost as though in another world. We were completely relaxed and gave a big smile and "Thank you" to our two attendants. After all I realized they understood THAT.





So my pondering points for today?





ENJOY the good things life offers.





ENJOY them with the ONE you Love.





And always SMILE- it is the universal welcome and endorphin giver.