January: Your Pants or Your Life

3 Jan

The month of January has come around again and people want to be perfect. It happens every year.

No point in trying to overhaul your life all at once. Relax.

Just pick one specific problem to solve. When that is done, think of another problem.

CAUTION: Be sure not to think of all of the problems at once! That is a rookie mistake. You might end up catatonic.

Recently, I thought about my pants and felt annoyed. I realized that I had a pants problem. Some pants were too big, some were too small, some were too long, and most of the pants were not where they were supposed to be. (I was going to say that some of the pants were “too old”, but let’s be realistic — too old means too small.)

I have the pant situation under control now, thanks to some hemming, some hanging, and some handing off to charity. I have nine pairs of pants, and that is plenty.

Pants can be symbolic of life. I have watched What Not to Wear enough times to know that I am supposed to dress for the life I want, and the body I have. Those shiny, stretchy, hot pink pants I used to wear would not work for me now. I am a decade older, I am a size larger, and I go out less frequently. This sounds bad, but it isn’t. I would not trade the last decade for a trim waistline and a pair of pink pants.

There is a happy middle ground between pink pants and mom jeans, however, and that is where I am staying.

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What Did You Learn in 2011?

30 Dec

I would like to share this wonderful post from Susan, author of the blog The Great Balancing Act.

The Great Balancing Act: “Things I Learned In 2011″

As you all reflect on the year’s end, I hope that you find some meaningful perspective.

I know that a few of Susan’s personal lessons rang true for me, although my struggles have certainly been different from hers. It has been one of the worst years of my life, but I have learned so much that I can carry forward with me into the new year, whatever happens.

Oh Magic 8 Ball, will 2012 be a better year?

I would love to hear some of the lessons you have learned in 2011, and I hope you will share.

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Gingerbread House 101, For Those Who Have Experienced Gingerbread House Collapse

17 Dec

Candy decorations courtesy of my eleven year old.

There is one absolutely crucial fact you need to know to prevent structural collapse in your gingerbread home.

It is all about the icing.

If you want your walls and roof to stay where you want them, you MUST get the consistency of the icing right.

Sometimes the directions on the kit will tell you the icing should have the consistency of toothpaste.

Please note: Either they are deliberately lying to you, or else they are brushing with some seriously thick toothpaste! Don’t listen to them.

First of all, don’t even think of it as icing. Think of it as mortar. This will give you a more accurate idea of how thick it should be.

Be very stingy with your water. Make the icing so thick it will bend a spoon. Make it so thick it is like dough, and almost rolls into a ball. Use plenty of it. If you get it thick enough, there is virtually no “drying time”. This best if you have children. Kids like gingerbread houses but they do not like waiting. Waiting is boring. Ask any kid.

Remember that the roof sections of the house will need to fight gravity, unlike the walls. You may need to hold the roof for a few moments, until it sets, to prevent sliding.

When your house is firmly together, you can add very miniscule amounts of water to the remaining icing until it is thickly spreadable, but not at all drippy. Decorate the sides of the house before icing the roof, because it adds weight. The softened icing will allow you to do a little piping (with the bag and nozzle) and ice the roof.

A few other tips:

If your roof has a gap at the top, use more thick frosting and then cover with large gumdrops. No problem.

If you are piping (squeezing with the bag and nozzle) and your icing gets too soft from the warmth of your hands, pop the piping bag into the freezer for a few moments and it will harden up. Just don’t forget it is in there.

To make your house stick to the base, add icing to the undersides of the walls or just add some icing along the bottom edge after it is assembled to prevent slipping. If it looks messy, just slap some candy over it.

Remember, this is supposed to be fun. If it were a job, someone would be paying you. Don’t get upset. It is only gingerbread, not your actual home. If all else fails, just break it apart, frost it, and call it cookies!

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Your Clutter Just Wants You to Be Happy

7 Dec

“Never miss an opportunity to make others happy, even if you have to leave them alone in order to do it.”—Unknown

Could some of your clothes make you happy by leaving your closet? Would the disappearance of that pile of papers put a spring in your step?

If the glass hummingbird figurine your grandmother gave you when you were in grade school suddenly took flight through an open window, would you breathe a sigh of relief?

Imagine that your clutter wants what is best for you.

If only the expired coupons had hands, they would toss themselves right into the waste basket. If the shoes that hurt your feet could walk on their own, they would have shuffled off to the thrift store ages ago.

Those old VHS tapes regret taking up your shelf space. They don’t want to stand in your way. They want you to be fulfilled, to live the life you have always dreamed of.

Make it an amicable parting of ways.

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Letting Go

30 Nov

Let go of your past (what was and what wasn’t)

Let go of those years of clutter

Let your fears fly away

Live your life as if it were new

Be free

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Thinking Thankful Thoughts, November 2011

16 Nov

Some Things I Feel Thankful For, in No Particular Order:

Hemmed slacks

Crisp sweet apples, especially the tiny ones

Intelligent writers who hold my attention and make me think

Quiet mornings when I can reflect on all manner of things

Sincere friends, supportive family and other fine folks (especially my husband)

Warm Fall breezes that make my skin tingle

Optimism (and the occasional delusion)

Cold filtered water at my fingertips

Being of sound mind and body

Flannel sheets and king size pillows

Nasal decongestants that actually work

A clean bathroom (especially one I didn’t clean myself)

Merino wool and cashmere sweaters

Living in a free country

A piece of music titled “Sheep May Safely Graze”

Nutrition labels

The french fries at Elephant Bar (forget the nutrition label on that one)

My blog readers

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Mental Magnets

9 Nov
“Optimism is a happiness magnet. If you stay positive, good things and good people will be drawn to you.”—Mary Lou Retton

Have you ever noticed that when you get a new car (even a used car) you start seeing that model of car everywhere — as if you had just acquired the top-selling vehicle in the nation?

Similarly, when you have just been dumped by your sweetheart and you are moping around all alone, thinking about the happy times before your beloved kicked you to the curb, you can be sure that blissful couples will appear at every turn, cuddling and sighing contentedly.

I believe the human mind seeks familiarity. We see whatever we are thinking about.

We may feel as though we are drawing these things toward ourselves like a magnet, when perhaps we are simply more attuned to what has been there all along.

Either way, it seems to be a good idea to focus on what you want in your life, rather than what is wrong or what is missing.

Don't be this guy.

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This Mess Is So Big

1 Nov

“And this mess is so big
And so deep and so tall,
We cannot pick it up.
There is no way at all!”

― Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat

This is untrue, of course.

Charming, but untrue.

This is what children say when they don’t want to clean their rooms, only they don’t rhyme as well.

If you are an adult, and you catch yourself making this kind of excuse to avoid cleaning or organizing, you must remind yourself that you CAN do it. It might take a while, and it might be stressful, but it can certainly be done.

Have some faith in yourself, focus on the goal, and take breaks.

You can do it!

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Self-Service

19 Oct

Recent events have led me to the rather obvious conclusion that I can reduce my stress level and even simplify my life to a great degree simply by focusing more of my energy on myself.

Shocking, isn’t it?

I often come across The Usual Free Advice about how to feel better and find inspiration by focusing on helping others through volunteer work or other selfless pursuits. This is excellent advice for those who have a natural inclination to focus too much on themselves.

On the other hand, those who have spent decades focused on the needs of others may realize, as I have, that too much outward focus eventually becomes detrimental, and the solution sometimes lies in the opposite direction.

I am taking a minimalist approach to stress. Less outward focus means more inward focus.

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Homemade Sugar Scrub (soft feet for less money)

5 Oct

Some time ago, I read a recipe for homemade sugar scrub (something I normally purchase for use on my feet). I thought it was a terrific money-saving idea, but I promptly forgot where I had seen it.

For those who are unfamiliar with sugar scrubs or salt scrubs, the grains exfoliate the skin and the oil softens it. Normally, these scrubs have a scent, such as lavender or grapefruit.

Having recently exhausted my current supply of purchased sugar scrub, I resolved to try making my own. I filled the container with a mix of olive oil, granulated sugar and vanilla extract. I would have preferred a citrus extract, but the whole point of this exercise was to avoid a trip to the store, so vanilla was fine. I didn’t measure at all, but simply matched the general consistency to the scrub I had used previously.

The resulting batch was a success. As a bonus, in addition to being soft, my feet now smell like cookies!

CAUTION: If you use any oil based product in the shower, be sure you have a non-slip mat to avoid breaking your neck!

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