Where Ornaments Go to Die

Have you ever noticed the back of a Christmas tree?

The rear of the tree is where all the ugly ornaments go to die. Well, not really die, just hide. All of us have them: the tacky dough ornament that was an unwanted gift even the day it was opened, the souvenir ornament from Aunt Gertrude’s stop in Dolly Wood 12 years ago, the handmade pipe cleaner and clothespin reindeer from your third grade Sunday school Christmas party (yours never looked like the teacher’s example.)

There is a guilty feeling that washes over each person as they bring out the Christmas trimmings. Those ornaments we all wish didn’t exist, but we are stuck staring at year after year. Why can’t we just throw them away? Or donate them? There’s just a twinge in one’s gut that says, “You must hold on to this. It is a Christmas treasure. If you toss it, you will lose the Spirit of Christmas Past.”

And so it goes, we find the least visible branch. We unwrap that bane and place it gingerly on the unnoticed bough. “Well, I paid homage this year,” you say to yourself as you wish you had not been so gentile with that horrid memento.

“Next year I’ll let the two year old help me with the back of the tree decorations…First I’ll load her with sugar, then I’ll dance with her until she’s dizzy in the living room, then I’ll moisturize her hands, then ask her to put it as high as she can reach… All of this I’ll watch with loving, careful supervision…in hopes that the dough ornament will find a crumbly end.”

How is it that the accidental breaking of an unwanted ornament is easier on the psyche than the passing on of such items? It just seems more honorable to bear this burden until the burden no longer exists.

Next time you go to a friend’s house, take the time to inspect the wall-facing portion of the largest Christmas decoration. (Then secretly gift your unaware buddy with one of your own back bough beauties!)

So Mini Things to Read

You may not feel you have time for a book, but everyone has time for an article. Here are five links to quick reads on decluttering. If your interest is piqued, you may be surprised at what you can find at the library on this topic.

1. Where Do I Start? OrganizedHome.com
   
2. How to Declutter Flylady
   
3. Ten Ways to Declutter Your Home Peter Walsh
   
4. The Clutter Control Rules Jeff Campbell
5. Interview with Don Aslett, Author of Clutter's Last Stand Sarah Aguirre
   

'Tis the season to be simple!

How quickly the fall goes by! We are on the cusp of Thanksgiving, and the holiday pace will snowball from there. In the midst of all the hustle and bustle, no one wants to replace celebration with chaos. But, how do we keep that from happening? It takes conscious effort. Forethought is helpful.

In the Fall of 2001, I went on a women's retreat where I received a helpful list of stress tips from speaker Lynn Fagerstrom. I have included many of her best tips here.

• Be realistic about your expectations. Don’t set unrealistic goals for yourself. Start early to plan for the holiday rush and keep your levels of activities attainable. Know when to say “no.”

• Get ready at night. Take a few minutes to prepare your clothes, organize your purse, fill the coffee pot or whatever you can do to make “tomorrow” easier.

• Fill it up! Make it a personal rule to never let your gas tank get below a quarter tank. You’ll never have to stress out about running out of gas again.

• Wake up 15 minutes earlier. If mornings are always a hectic time of chaos, make this small change that will reap huge results!

• Save one spot for your keys and purse. Never again frantically search for missing keys! Just remember to put them all in one spot as soon as you get home.

• Eat right! Cut down on sweets. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Easier said than done- especially with all the yummy holiday treats- but what a difference it makes when we eat well!

If you have any helpful stress tips to add, please feel free to comment! Your advice just might change someone's holiday!

“Always surround yourself with people who are a lot smarter than you are.” - George Steinbrenner, owner of the New York Yankees

We have friends that are light years ahead of my husband and me when it comes to financial know-how. And in sync with the previous quote, my hubby and I went to them for fiscal advice. When they recommended The Total Money Makeover, we listened. And we are glad we did.

Dave Ramsey, the writer of said book, has been mentioned on this blog before. I know he will be mentioned again later. That's the type of impact his work has had on our family.

My children don't know much about money yet, but they are learning. As a matter of fact, I still have tons to learn about finances. But, in our limited knowledge,we are teaching our kids what we can. We lead them through the simple steps of handling resources responsibly.

In teaching our children, we follow the give, save, spend method. When our child's piggy bank gets fairly full, we dump it on the kitchen table. We count their change together. Then we calculate ten percent for giving, ten percent for saving, and eighty percent for spending. We place the "give" money in an envelope labeled accordingly for charitable donations. Then we seal it. Likewise, we seal up the save envelope for a trip to the bank. The remaining goes into their little wallets for our trips to the Toys-r-everywhere-store or garage sales. I know, it's not rocket science. But these are skills to be expanded on as they mature.

Take it from me: this book is worth the read. Even though you may not become a money guru because you read this book, you may feel a tad more on the savvy side.

Simple Pleasure: Local eggs!

I am practical. Some say overly practical at times. But even in my practicality, beauty is something I desire. I prefer pink rubber gloves to yellow. I prefer a pretty writing pen to a regular ball-point. I prefer stationery to plain paper.

And today, I prefer the simply gorgeous hues of the beautiful eggs on my kitchen table to the plain white ones I buy on any given grocery day. I have never made Easter eggs that rivaled them.

I bought them from a sweet friend of mine that raises her own chickens. They are more than just decorations. They taste incredible. They have a pure, rich flavor that doesn't call for seasonings or salt. No nasty pesticides, no nasty antibiotics, no nasty nothin'. Just amazing, bright-orange-yolked decadence from chickens that have a great life.

In my blog, I hope to mention things I love. Oprah has her "favorite things," Martha has her "good things, " and I have simple pleasures.

Orange Fuzzy Pencils

For Halloween, my children and I crafted some gifts for local nursing home friends. Generosity is an attribute I want to help them develop. This was also something I remember doing as I child. So any creative kudos you may wish to give, can be passed along to my mom.

It's easy, cheap, and also uses up those spare writing utensils we all have stashed around our homes.

Supplies needed:

• fuzzy faux fur (Look for a bright color and long fibers.)
• all purpose glue
• googly eyes
• clothespins
  
• pencils galore!

Directions:
Cut the fur in 1x2 inch pieces. Make sure you "part" the hair away from where you are cutting so the hair stays as long as possible. Put glue on the back of the fur and it wrap tightly around each pencil. Clip a clothespin on the end of each pencil to hold the fur in place while it dries.
After the glue dries, remove the clothespins and glue on googly eyes.

Red beans hot, red beans cold, red beans in the pot 2 days old!

My little family lives on a budget. We live within our means. But, with that in mind, we also are foodies. My hubby and I LOVE a great steak. We munch seasonal fresh fruit and veggies. Trying new recipes is a joy! But we all need those staple meals that keep our funds in check. Our recipe repertoire needs to contain as Dave Ramsey says, "beans and rice, rice and beans."

I can eat plain rice and beans, but it that would not satisfy my crew. This take on red beans and rice is a flavorful, slightly meatier version. We make this at least twice a month.

Darlene's Red Beans and Rice
Slice and saute in 3 T olive oil:
1 medium white or yellow onion
1 polish sausage (Hillshire Farms is GF)

Blend or food process 2 cans red beans (Usually, I use dark red kidney beans or occasionally black beans.)

Add beans and 1 can of water to onions and sausage. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Season with garlic powder, red pepper, chili powder, salt, pepper, and basil to taste.

Prepare rice according to package directions. Pour beans over rice.

I highly recommend rose tinted glasses.

I always wear pink sunglasses. These are my reasons:

1. Pink is one of my favorite colors.
2. If I leave my glasses somewhere (which I often do), they are easy to describe.
3. I like how I look in cheap plastic pink sunglasses.
4. Looking at the world through pink plastic makes me feel better.
   

It's really true that pink is a feel-good color. Your sense of well-being seems hightened when everything looks rosy. I also must clarify here that red or lavender do not evoke the same feelings. So sorry, no red for me.

5. And last but certainly not least, fall is just so much more vibrant through pink lenses! So go get yourself some cheap pink sunglasses!