Monday, November 29, 2021

Cyber Monday madness

   Here we go again, we have to deal with a pandemic for a second Christmas shopping season. 

  Cyber Monday has become the busiest shopping day of the Year. 

  Although you can find anything you want on the internet, it isn't nearly as special as going from store to store.

  There was something special about having to search in person until you saw that perfect gift.

  It's easy to just pick something you find in cyberspace and order it just to have a gift.

  But knowing that you went from store to store looking for the gift you give them makes the gift way more special to them.

 And the gifts that someone makes themselves are the most treasured gifts of all.

  Last year my friend and her husband made bird houses for gifts because of quarantine. This year they were happy to be able to go out to search for that perfect gift.

  No matter if you decide to do your shopping in cyberspace or brick and mortar places, don't buy just to be buying.

  In case you haven't already it's time to get out the Holly Jolly Christmas music. I know Elvis will be setting the Holly Jolly Mood this Christmas just like he always does.

  

Friday, November 26, 2021

Today is officially Thanksgiving LEFTOVER DAY!

   Once we celebrate Thanksgiving the count down until Christmas officially begins. 

  You, along with millions of other people, probably had already completed most of your Christmas gift purchases before Thanksgiving. 

  But it isn't until you officially have celebrated Thanksgiving that the official count down until Christmas begins. 

  It's time to get your presents wrapped and put under the tree because before you know it Christmas day will be here.

  The cheery colors from your wrapped gifts will greet you every day to cheer you up and bring a smile to your face.

  The day after Christmas when you miss being greeted by cheery colors to make you smile, you have to think of how happy they were when they opened your gift to make you smile.

  Keep in mind that you don't need to buy people expensive gifts they don't need. 

  Remember the reason for the season is to spend time with those you love, not to go in debt to buy people things. 

  Enjoy your official Thanksgiving LEFTOVER day today. 


  

  


   

Wednesday, November 24, 2021

Starting the first day of cooking

   You just can't cook everything for your Thanksgiving Feast all in one day. Because this isn't just a dinner, it is a FEAST.

  It takes a lot of time and energy to make the FEAST that we all look forward to enjoying  every Thanksgiving.

  There just are no shortcuts on Thanksgiving. And every dish is someone's favorite Thanksgiving dish.

  I am glad that many of the dishes can be made the day before Thanksgiving. It would be impossible to make everything in just a few hours.

  The pandemic had kept us from being together last year for any holidays. 

  We can all be thankful that we are able to gather to enjoy Thanksgiving Dinner together. 

  Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Remember there is no dieting on Thanksgiving!

  Today my house is full of the smell as the cooking has begun.

  This year I decided to take a little bit of cake batter to make myself a cupcake that I could enjoy eating today. 

 And I am sure looking forward to eating it. It's going to be a new tradition I will start doing.

  I can't believe I never thought of it before this year. 

  

 

Monday, November 22, 2021

Quiet time requires being quiet

   You can't enjoy the quiet moments if you don't spend time being quiet.

  To think clearly requires some quiet time so you can think clearly.

  When you quietly enjoy a few moments of quiet time, you feel relaxed.

  When you can relax you can think clearer.

  Don't let the noise distract you from making the right decision for yourself.

  If it is an important decision you have to make, then you know it is important that you can think clearly to make the right decision.

Friday, November 19, 2021

Don't waste it!

  The time you have is all the time you have, so don't waste it.

  You only get one time to make a first impression, so don't waste it.

  Once you react you can't take it back, so think about it before you react.

  Once you write it in cyberspace it's written in permanent ink. So think about that before you hit send.

 Once it is done, it's done, and forever it is what it is.

  Would've, could've, and should've doesn't matter because IT IS WHAT IT IS. 

  Before you react STOP and think about what your ACTIONS will bring.

  Because once you REACT you will pay the consequences for your ACTIONS. 


Wednesday, November 17, 2021

Your plans will have to change because it is what it is.

   If you can't change it then you have to change what you do to work around it.

  If you don't like change, well get over it because it is what it is. 

  To navigate through all the challenges that this pandemic has caused, means that  many things have had to change.

  No matter if we like all the changes or not, it is what it is. And we all got to change to do what we need to do because it is what it is.

  We can all be thankful that we can gather with our family and friends for Thanksgiving. 

  Our Thanksgiving gatherings will NOT have CHANGED at all, it will be the same as it used to be. 

  And guess what else won't have changed? We will all eat too much like we always have.

  

 

  

  


Monday, November 15, 2021

Not everybody likes Turkey

   You may not like Turkey and that is okay. You can still get plenty of other delicious side dishes to stuff yourself with.

  And you know there will be lots of tasty desserts that you only get to enjoy this once a year as part of the Thanksgiving feast.

  Trust me you will have plenty to feast on that day. 

  Heading back out tomorrow to get something I had been unable to find yet when I had been at the grocery store. 

  Everytime I go back out to any store, I seem to always come home with things that weren't on my list at all.

  We always put our Christmas tree up by Thanksgiving Day. It sets the Holly Jolly Mood to be part of our time together being THANKFUL we can be together.

  If a guest ask you if there's anything that they can bring when they come over to eat Thanksgiving Dinner, it's okay to let them bring something.

  If each person brought something each year then no one would ever have to say that they were too exhausted because they had to cook everything.

  Just thinking about all the delicious food I will get to have Thanksgiving Day and all the leftovers there will be is making my mouth water.

  What is your top five favorite Thanksgiving dishes are you most looking forward to eating?

 I could easily pick five favorites but it was on top of my favorite two desserts. So seven favorites it is.

  

  

 

 

Friday, November 12, 2021

How do you start your day?

   We all start our day the same way. We wake up and stand up. Before we head out to start our day we will all end up in front of the mirror brushing our teeth.

  Your morning routine is subconsciously done without even having to think about it.

  What is also subconsciously part of your morning routine is to fill your mind with things you had to experience yesterday and what you dread doing today. 

  Before you even are finished getting ready to start your day, you have filled your head with negative thoughts.

  Your mindset is set before the day has even really begun. You just gathered many "sandbags" that you will carry with you all day.

  To have a fresh start each day you got to do what the players do before the game and "huddle" with yourself and the person in the mirror to pump up yourself to be able to enjoy life while you are living it.


Wednesday, November 10, 2021

Did you get your Thanksgiving groceries yet?

   Thanksgiving Dinner is just days away. It's that time of the year when we make some of our old family recipes.

  Each family member has certain special food dishes that they excitedly look forward to eating.

  What is your favorite Thanksgiving dish that you are looking forward to eating?

  Thanksgiving dinner is a day to spend time with everyone and to eat. So remember there is no dieting, just eat.

  It has been a long time since we have been able to spend time together. The pandemic even caused us all to spend holidays last year apart.

  But it may be hard to find the ingredients for those special dishes because the pandemic has caused shortages of many food items.

  Don't put off your grocery shopping too long because you may have to go to several stores to get all the ingredients you need. 

  Thanksgiving is a time to reflect on the things we are thankful for. Getting to finally get to spend time with your family and give them a hug, is what we all are thankful for.

  Being thankful for what you have is the only way you can appreciate what you have. 

  

  

  

  

Monday, November 8, 2021

Have you heard the old phrase, If you can't beat them then join them?

   Have you heard the phrase, If you can't beat them then join them?

  There will be many times throughout your life's journey that this phrase will fit perfectly.

  When you realize that there is nothing you can do to change it then you know you have to figure out how to deal with it.

  The rollercoaster of life is full of CHALLENGES and there will be times when you have to bend like a pretzel to get through those challenges.

  There will be times when you feel like you can't make it through a challenge but just remember that you felt that way at other times in your life but you made it through them.

  That will give you the push you need to know that you will get through it.

  Even though you have to accept that it is what it is you can't change it, you didn't fail.

  You just have to ADJUST to make things turn out the best for you as possible.

  The outcome is not determined by the challenges that you face but on how you react to the challenges that you must face.

  First you have to ACCEPT IT so you can figure out how to deal with it.  Then you will know what you have to do to make sure the outcome can be the best that it can be for you.

  If you can't change it then you have to adjust. That's just life.

  

  

  

Friday, November 5, 2021

When is the last time you took a day off just to do nothing but relax?

  It doesn't have to be a holiday, not even your birthday, to make it your day.

  You know, a relaxing day that is ALL ABOUT YOU.

  Everyone deserves to have a day that is ALL ABOUT THEM.

  Of course you got to check your busy schedule of necessary days you can't they are necessities, that is just life.

  But a day with no noises,  no responsibilities, nothing but a relaxing Zen day that is ALL ABOUT YOU AND ONLY YOU DAY. 

   You have to make sure you take care of you! Which means sometimes it has to be ALL ABOUT YOU.

  

 

  

Wednesday, November 3, 2021

What do you want to pass on?

 If you could get someone to listen what would you say?

 If you could pass on something to the next generation, what would it be?

  If you could change one thing to make a positive difference in the world, what would it be?

  If you could, would you?

  If you want to make a positive difference you have to do something or say something so it can make a positive difference to anyone.

  What you do is up to you. What you say is up to you. 

  Just remember that choosing to do nothing is still a choice you make. 

  The seeds you plant in your community will determine what spreads in your community. 

  Plant seeds of kindness so humanity can spread to replace the insanity we see in society.

Monday, November 1, 2021

Did you know that some of your treasured memories happen while you were going through a negative situation?

  When you are older you have accumulated a lot of memories. Some are pleasant memories and some are not so pleasant memories.

  And some are both unpleasant and pleasant at the same time. Like once when I was taking my son and his friend to Walmart.

  We all know that a Walmart parking lot is the size of a football field. 

  There are three doors, one on each end of the building and one in the middle. 

  On this particular day as we were shopping you could.hear thundering and lighting. There was no rain forecasted but you could clearly here that it was raining outside. 

  We got what we came for and got in line to checkout. We were hoping it would stop raining by the time we got ready to go out to the car.

  I picked the aisle closest door to where we parked outside. I was glad we had found a parking spot near the front when we came here.

  As we got done checking out and went to the exit we could see about thirty people standing around outside by the carts.

  Although the thunder and lightning had stopped it was still raining. So we stood with them waiting for the rain to slow down.

  The boys and I decided we were parked close enough that we didn't want to keep waiting. We decided we wouldn't melt if we did get wet.

 We imagined the others waiting would notice us as we got wet heading out to our car.

 We headed out to my car parked about four cars back on the row of cars right in front of us. Although a big bronco was blocking our view, we knew we parked right by the door the fourth car back.

  But when we stepped around the bronco, it wasn't my car. We looked around at the rows around us to see if we were in fourth spot on different row.

  But NOPE. We didn't see my car anywhere. We were all totally drenched by this point and it was still steadily raining.

  Then it dawned on me that I had parked close to the door alright. But it was the door in the garden side. 

  Which was a football field away.

  Me and the boys looked at each other and said we are already soaking wet let's just walk there instead of walking through the store to get there.

  We stepped in so many water puddles along the way. We did enjoy ourselves getting to stomp in all the rain puddles.

  We tried to keep the items in our bags that we had bought dry, but we couldn't. 

  But me and my son talk about that memory together several times a year when we are out at a store and it rains. 

  It makes us both smile from ear to ear. 

  That day we could remember angrily how we had to walk a football field in the pouring rain. 

  But instead of it being an angry memory we both remember it as a treasured memory of a great day we spent together having fun stomping in the rain.

  When life gives you lemons you can make the best lemonade to enjoy.

  Today the dentist visit was necessary out of pain but it turned out to be necessary to have one of the most treasured memories that I will never forget. 

  Sometimes to get you where you need to be your journey will be difficult at times.  But it's part of the process necessary to get you there.