Wordless Wednesday: White Christmas

I'm dreaming of a white Christmas.....



No, not that white Christmas...the other white Christmas!




May you all have a blessed, magical and merry Christmas!

If you have some time during this busy season, you'll find other Wordless Wednesday posts here and here.

Enough already

I am woman


This is my Machine


This is my mission....do you see it?


Mission accomplished. Yes, there really is a driveway there.

Return to top of page and repeat. Every day. Enough already.

Works for Me Wednesday: Holiday Tablecloth

 
This is hands down the best and easiest way to iron your holiday tablecloth. So much easier than fighting with the ironing board and wrestling with all that fabric, trying to keep it unwrinkled and clean. Just follow these easy steps:
 
NOTE; THIS ONLY WORKS IF YOU HAVE A GOOD TABLE PAD IN PLACE. DO NOT DO THIS IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A HEAVY PAD!
 

1. Remove your tablecloth slightly damp from the dryer and place it on your table.
 

2. Plug your iron into an adjacent outlet and start ironing from the center out.
 

3. Within minutes your tablecloth will be perfectly smooth and free of wrinkles. I heard that Martha Stewart irons her tablecloth this way but that may just be a rumor. I think the results would pass her inspection!
 
Now go check out Rocks in My Dryer for more great tips!
 

Free Christmas Joy

 
Ideas abound on the internet and elsewhere this time of year for ways to spend less during the holiday season. The desire to live more simply is also a common theme as are articles on how to combat stress and the holiday blues.
 
Our Christmas celebration has changed drastically over the past four years. My husband had a stroke in 2004 that left him with partial right-sided paralysis and aphasia. He was a creative handyman around the house but now we have to rely on others or hire someone if I cannot do it myself. And he is super sensitive to the cold weather so doesn't venture outside on days when the temps are below freezing. These are just minor details of the 180 degree turnaround our life has taken.
 
The holidays always seem to crystalize the changes we've had to make. We used to get a tree that was at least nine feet tall and it was my husband's job to set it up and string the lights. Obviously that tradition is a thing of the past. We now have a small artificial tree that sits on a table. At the end of the holidays I wrap it up and my son carries it downstairs. The following December, he carries it back up and except for a few dislodged ornaments, the tree is up and decorated.
 
One of the things I have learned these past few years is how much a kind word or action, a random act of kindness, can mean. Whether or not it is obvious that someone is going through a difficult season, even a small act of kindness can have a huge effect. I have been on the receiving end many times and so speak from experience. And since we all know that it's better to give than to receive, I think that a random act of kindness can go a long way in our struggle to find meaning in this hectic holday season.
 
Rowena Alegria, writing in Stroke Smart magazine this month, suggests just that. Spread the Kindness This Season is her article giving 31 ideas that we can use to make someone's day or holiday a little brighter. Here are a few of her ideas (and a couple of mine thrown in). See if you can't find something you can do.
 
Pay a visit, lend a hand, say hello

Wave back at children who wave at you (or wave first!)

Share a smile, forgive mistakes, lend an ear

Open a door, let another go first, be tolerant

Offer a hug, compliment a stranger, praise someone's cooking

Check on a neighbor who lives alone

Reach an item on a high shelf for someone shorter than you

Help someone carry or lift a heavy item

Bring in a neighbor's mail on a cold day

Shovel a neighbor's driveway

Remove obstacles from a road or walking path

Pick up litter (this is a favorite of my husband when we take walks!)

When you receive superior service, let that person's manager or supervisor know

Offer to babysit so a busy mother can do some holiday errands

Take cookies to a neighbor

Send a card to someone out of town to let them know you're thinking of them
 
Want more inspiration? Visit The Random Acts of Kindness Foundation's website for testimonies from people who have received or provided an unexpected act of kindness.
 
So there you have it: the one-size-fits-all solution to spending less, relieving stress and combating holiday blues. Try it today....and tomorrow....and the day after that....
 

Wordless Wednesday

 
Pumpkin meringues???