Blog Archives

Holiday and Shopping Shenanagins

11/30/2015

Getting the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off is a futile battle because EVERYBODY wants that day off. Cyber Monday, however, is a whole other issue. People are full, rested, and ready for work that day. That's why I usually take it off to do my Christmas shopping. Everything is less crowded, and it's easier to get things done. Not only that, but I learned some useful things today, such as:

Black Friday sales are still on. I was surprised because in past years, those sales expired by lunchtime on Black Friday. Not this year. I was surprised to find that every place I went were still offering the same prices that I saw in circulars on Thursday. I was even more surprised that the stores are still well stocked. So if you missed it Friday, it's not too late.

Online is fine, but order now. If the Black Friday sales are any indication, there's a good chance that Cyber Monday sales will also run for the rest of the week, but don't push it. That stuff needs to be delivered, and you want to allow for possible delays or exchanges if necessary.

Star Wars stuff is everywhere. I feel like Kylo Wren is stalking me. Star Wars stuff is everywhere in every store. Watches especially, but I also saw coffee mugs, shirts, and even toothbrush sets. Just walk in a store. Any store. You'll see Star Wars.

But beware, because people will still try to rip you off. I got stopped by a guy in the mall wanting to demonstrate a straightening iron. He fixed my hair and offered to sell me the iron on a Black Friday sale for only $99. What a bargan, eh? I said I needed to think about investing that much into myself when my purpose today was to buy for others, and then drove to Target and got one for $19.95 (along with a few other gifts for other people). The point: be aware. I looked online and through sales circulars over the weekend so I knew how much things were, so when this guy tried to sell me a "bargain," I knew for a fact that other places had it much cheaper. People will always try to rip you off, so it's good to always be cautious and never impulse buy - but especially this time of year. That being said, it's ok to get a little something for yourself. Just be reasonable and aware of your limits.

Don't fall for the "there's no point in dieting and/or exercising until the New Year" excuse. I know you're busy (we all are), but diet and exercise help you feel better and more energetic, which is exactly what you need during this hectic season. Plus, they're good habits to form, and it's easier to do it now, before the New Year rush.

So you can still save out there, but do your research, be aware, and get out there now.

That's all today. Take care, and have a great week.

Bye!

Tips to Keep Your Sanity

11/20/2015

It’s almost upon us – the holiday season! This is the time of year when our attention turns to family, festivities, and fun. That may be good or bad. Whichever end of the spectrum you fall on, one thing is certain: you’ll get overwhelmed with all of festivity coming upon us if you aren’t careful to keep in balance. Whether you’re an introvert like me that needs time for yourself to stay centered or you need a break to manage the extra activity of this most wonderful time of the year; here are some tips for taking care of yourself and keeping the joy in the holiday season:
1. Stop multi-tasking. Because it’s also the most distracting time of the year, and attention shrinks in direct proportion to the growth of peoples’ “to do” list. That’s why it’s vitally important that you work hard to focus, and this means doing one thing at a time. This is especially relevant when you’re driving a car. When you get behind the wheel of a motor vehicle, you have one job: operate the vehicle safely so you can reach your destination without harming yourself or others. We love to say this to teenagers when we’re reluctant to hand over the car keys but folks, it applies to everybody. I don’t care how long you’ve been driving; you’re never so good at it that you can afford to go on auto-pilot. The #1 way to ruin the holiday season is to have a wreck, and they tend to be messy and involve many unpleasant things this time of year, so don’t go there. If you’re driving, just drive. Work out your schedule, to do list, chores, errands, arguments, plans, schemes, plots, problems, emotional drama, and the rest of your world when you get home.

2.Take care of yourself first. Eat right, exercise, get enough sleep and take your medication. For some reason, people think skipping their meds this time of year is a good idea. It’s not. Your doctor put you on them because you need them to function at your best, so walk away from the computer right now to see if you need refills and put them in! I know you’re busy, but don’t skip on yourself. You’re no good to anybody if you break down (mentally or physically) in the middle of it all. Take it from the girl that was knocked out with the flu a week after Thanksgiving last year – the time and effort to take care of yourself is the most worthy investment you can make.
3. Schedule time for nothing. You aren’t obligated to get caught up in the whirlwind pace of life right now. In fact, it’s best if you don’t. Keep a handle on your schedule and make sure there are some empty blocks on there for you to take down the pace and rest at least a couple of times a week. I know it’s tough because everything is active, but it’s perfectly acceptable to decline an invitation, and there are polite ways to do it. Simply say “thank you for thinking of me, but I can’t make it to this event.” You don’t have to give a doctoral dissertation on why.
4. Keep it simple. Utilize the tips from my last entry to take advantage of ways to save time, energy, and money this holiday season and only “do up” matters the most. Decorate, gift, cook, and celebrate based on what matters the most to you. For example, if it’s about getting everybody together, then coordinate schedules and plans and ask for help with gifts and meals. If you prefer getting nice gifts, then focus on shopping for perfect gifts and just put up a small tree. If the meals matter, then peruse the grocery store ads and cookbooks for the perfect recipes, ingredients, and prices, and do your Christmas shopping on the Amazon Black Friday sales (which are supposed to be awesome and start TODAY, by the way). You can’t do it all, so don’t try. It’s better to be awesome at one thing than frazzled over a million.
5. Buy a small gift for yourself. This is one I stumbled upon by accident years ago when I picked up a holiday music CD on a sale rack while shopping. When Rick asked where I got it, I told him it was a gift to myself because I didn’t have any holiday music for my car yet. He thought it was a good idea, and it started a tradition of buying one small thing for yourself that others aren’t likely to get for you. I’ve picked up books, lotions and shower gels, costume jewelry, small electronics, and snow domes since that holiday music CD set my personal tradition. You’d be amazed at how much joy one thing under $20 can bring you. Reward yourself in a small, personal way to stay motivated on the journey through the season.
6. Ground your expectations. Remember that we’re all human beings, and as such “the perfect holiday” isn’t possible. Schedules clash, finances are limited, cooking is an inexact science, the weather can turn with little or no notice, clothes wear out, pets poop on your carpet, lights burn out, things sell out, people argue, germs spread, flights are delayed, traffic is bad right when you don’t need it, accidents happen – the point is that chaos happens. It’s the nature of the universe. The holidays come every year, so there will be good ones and bad ones. The past is gone and will never come back, the future isn’t here yet, so we have to work with the present. Trust that it will work out, do your best, and let it go. Holiday season or not, tomorrow is a new day. Do what you can with this one, plan the best you can, and believe in the promise that it will all work out for good if you walk in true faith and act in wisdom.

7. Buy a gift for someone in need or volunteer. There's always a lot of need out there, and the holidays are a perfect time to share your abundance with those who can give back nothing but gratitude. Even dropping a few dollars in the Salvation Army buckets helps. Do one small thing to help somebody that needs it and can't reciprocate. You'd be amazed at how good it feels, and what great energy it brings into your life.

I hope these tips are helpful in preparing for another round of holiday fun! Take care, and have a great weekend.
Bye!

Cheat Sheet to a Fun Holiday Season

11/16/2015

Want some tips to make the upcoming holidays easier? I have a few for you. In today’s blog entry, I happily introduce my Cheat Sheet to a Fun Holiday Season:

Make a list, and create a shortcut to it on your desktop. A few years ago, I created a spreadsheet of everybody I buy gifts for. It takes some effort, but it’s worth it. Update and save it often so you can keep track of who and what you bought. I also keep a copy of the list from the previous year, so I can remember what worked or what I want to do different this year.
Amazon is your friend. This you know, but did you know that their Black Friday sales are usually better than the stores, and many of them start Thanksgiving night? Case in point: I have 4 cashmere sweaters, and they were all bought on Amazon Black Friday sales. They’re even having “countdown sales” now. Forget camping out – just click it and have it delivered to your door! Better yet, you can create Wish Lists. Encourage people you buy for to create a public wish list, save it, and make one of your own now so you can grab those sales next week. Just keep an eye on delivery dates. I’m already ordering gifts from Amazon to ensure delivery, and usually don’t order from them after the first week of December. Yes, you have to plan, but it’s worth it.
Do simple crafts for friends and coworkers. We tend to get in ruts with friends and coworkers, so break free and be creative. Again, it takes some planning and you probably want to start now, but there are plenty of simple crafts you can do that are quick, easy, and unique. One tip: glitter ball ornaments. I made 8 of them Sunday in less than 15 minutes. Another tip is paper clip angels. Go to Pinterest or Google “simple craft ideas” for tips on easy gifts you can make in very little time. Don’t be the person everybody expects hand lotion or candy from every year. Keep them guessing what you’ll come up with next!
Utilize “gift memberships.” If you subscribe to a service like Netflix or anything else with a monthly membership, see if they’ll give you the option to gift a membership. Many of them do, so it’s a great opportunity to give family or friends a chance to try it for free for a month or so. Just be mindful of terms and conditions and, of course, be sure it’s something the person is interested in. You don’t want to be the one famous for gifting a subscription of “Guns and Ammo” to your friend that believes in tighter gun restrictions.
Review your Christmas card list. Remember that the purpose of Christmas cards is to extend greetings to people you don’t buy gifts for or see on a regular basis. Also, fewer people are mailing them these days. Keep track of who you’re receiving cards from, and only send to those people. It’s a waste of time, effort, and postage to send out 50 cards every year if you only receive 20. Of course it’s worth it to keep sending that card to a great aunt in a nursing home who loves them, but my point is not to be held hostage to card writing, especially if the recipients don’t respond or seem to care. And don’t take it personally if somebody quits sending you cards, either. People are busy these days, and it seems that card-writing is going as out of style as thank you notes and panty hose. On that note:
Post the annual “holiday letter” on a blog. There are still people that believe in it, and going digital is ok. Save yourself the trouble of photo cards and photocopying your 5 page letter of the year’s events by creating a free Wordpress account, posting it online, and putting the link in your Christmas cards. Better yet, set it up now and email it to people if you have their address, or get some business cards printed at VistaPrint with the blog name and link, and put those in your cards instead. That way, people can visit and bookmark the site if they want to see your news and pictures, and you didn’t go to time and trouble to print and copy a letter that they’ll lose or throw away by January 10. Who knows? You may enjoy blogging and decide to keep it up daily instead of annually.
Do “pot luck” meals. Cooking is a job and while there are people who love it, they could usually use a helping hand. Assign every member attending dinners to bring a dish for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day dinners. Or better yet:
Go non-traditional for one of the above. My family usually does steak dinners for Christmas Eve. It worked out especially well 2 years ago, when I won just enough Omaha Steaks for everybody to have one. I also do a Friday after Thanksgiving pot of crock pot chili quite often.
Take off the Monday after Thanksgiving. Everybody fights for the Wednesday before Thanksgiving off. If your place of employment isn’t progressive enough to give you that day yet, go for the Monday after instead. I’ve done this for a few years now, and it’s super easy to get a lot done that day, because everybody is going back to work. If you have the time to do it, take the Tuesday after Thanksgiving off too, to give yourself a nice, long weekend and time to get a lot done with few crowds getting in your way.
Schedule “you” time. It’s easy to get bogged down in shopping and events this time of year. It’s perfectly acceptable to decline an invitation or to purposely block out time for doing nothing but what you want to do, and you don’t owe anybody an explanation for it. You have to take care of yourself, because you’re no good to anybody else if you burn yourself out or worse yet, get hurt or sick. Take time to slow down. It’s ok. If anybody gets mad about it trust me; they’ll get over it.

I hope these tips are helpful in creating a more fun, less stressful holiday season. Now get out there and have some fun!

That’s all today. Take care, and have a great week.

Bye!

Calling Your Bluff

11/10/2015

Dear Everybody Threatening to Boycott Starbucks:

I call your bluff. You aren’t going to give up your high-falutent java fix and here are three reasons why:

You’re as addicted to that expresso as I am to books and superhero TV shows. Come on, if you weren’t, then you’d dust off the coffee maker and brew it at home (or the office) like the rest of us that balk at sitting in line for 20 minutes and paying $5 a cup. You aren’t going to stop. You can’t. You’d have done it already if you could.
A trip to Starbucks is as much a part of your social life as it is about your caffeine fix. You go for the atmosphere and experience as much as for the coffee. Again, we go back to reason #1. It’s a luxury in your life that you enjoy. You aren’t going to cut out the coffeehouse experience any more than I’m giving up my fictional friends.
You’re complaining about disposable cups that are going in the trash can as soon as you finish drinking that mixture of insanity. And deep down, you know that’s stupid.

Come on, everybody, let’s be real. This is the kind of stuff that makes Christians look bad. Jesus doesn’t want you fussing over cups when we live in a world with sickness, poverty, death, politics, and radical terrorism. The world has enough troubles without making up more. Then again, if you’re life is so good that you have the mental and emotional energy to get worked up over paper cups, then your life is to be envied.

But perhaps I underestimate America’s caffeine addition. If you do prove me wrong and go through with the boycott, then why not donate that money to charity, or use it to buy a toy for a child in need this Christmas? It may be worth it if you channel that time and money to a person or cause in need.

As for me, I’ll keep brewing my Dunkin Doughnuts coffee in my own kitchen, thank you very much, and I’ll drink it from ceramic mugs. I have a nice collection between my china collections, traveling and gifts – I even have a Christmas collection of mugs with Angels, nativities, poinsettias, snowmen, and Santa. No protest from Rick and the birds there, and they’re good for spiced cider and hot chocolate, and are dishwasher safe, too. That’s multipurposing!

That’s my humble take on it. It will be interesting to see where the Starbucks cup wars take us next.

That’s all today. Take care, and have a great week.

Bye!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like - What?

11/9/2015

A little after Halloween, and I'm already being accosted by Christmas everywhere I go. Ok, I've been out and about a lot lately, which may explain it. And I have been planning and have started shopping. But still, turning on the radio to a station playing all Christmas carols last night was a bit much. That, I believe, was crossing a line - at least in my own head.

Tell it to the retailers, right?

Oh well. We survive every year and so we shall again. At least we have a few more weeks until the TV shows go into mid-season finales. And by the way, when did we start with the mid-season thing? That seems new in the past few years. I can't tell you why.

I can't tell you why all of my book promotion of late has come from the U.K. Seriously, I've found two things and both are British. Well, people read in England too, and the British have been good to me with my writing. If you want to check out my latest promotion, swing by the IndieTribe Christmas Book Fair 2015 and iAuthor. And thanks for the love from "across the pond," or however you put it. Hey, I'm a southern gal here. Wazzup?

That's all of my rambling for the day. Take care, and have a great week.

Bye!

Good Ideas

11/4/2015

Is it me, or does it seem like the bad idea spread like wildfire, but the good ideas are guarded as secrets? You’d think that we’d like to help one another succeed and would love to share anything that makes life easier. I’ll do it. Here are some good ideas I’ve picked up that I’m happy to pass along to you:

Back up your computer files. I pass this tip along every November as we enter National Novel Writing Month, and now it’s easier than ever with Cloud technology. I’m fastidious about file backups because they’ve saved me at both home and work several times. If you want a free option for this, set up a Gmail account and use the Google Drive. Just copy and paste your documents into the appropriate Google type file (Word files can go into Google Documents, Excel Spreadsheets can go into Google Sheets, etc.) Not only does it back up to their drive, but you can access it from multiple devices. If you prefer to use external devices, I suggest an external hard drive or a USB drive. Whatever you use, please be sure to save your files to more than just your hard drive. Computers are funny, and you never know when a virus or a glitch will take things out.
Update passwords for your email and any website where you manage or pay money 2-3 times a year. Hackers never quit trying, and the only way to stay ahead of them is through good virus software, and changing these passwords frequently. You probably also know this, but also use passwords that are a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols.
Use a Dead Sea Salt Hand Scrub. This is a tip I picked up on a business trip to Arizona in 2013, and I went through 3 jars of the stuff last winter. You can get a jar of Dead Sea Salt hand scrub at Ross (and sometimes T J Maxx) for less than $10, and it’s better at locking in and maintaining moisture in dry skin than any lotion I’ve ever used!
Go low-tech on your office music. Lots of people with desk jobs like to listen to music while they work, and Internet radio is a popular option. Unfortunately, it eats up bandwidth, which usually means slower Internet and networks – so much that many employers are blocking access to it. Playing music through your cell phone can also drain your battery, so this is a place where low-tech options may be your best. Here are three options for having your tunes within company policy:

Buy an FM/AM radio, copper crafting wire, a roll of packing tape, and a pack of alligator clips. Extend the antenna and wrap the copper wire around it. If you have static, extend the copper wire as far as you can and tape it to the top of your cubical if you work in a cubby farm, or near a window if you have an office. If the reception still has static, attach alligator clips along the antenna and wire. I put one at the top of the radio antenna and one at the end of the wire on top of my cubical, and I get a good radio signal. Also, keep the radio as far from your computer as you can to prevent further interference.
Get a portable CD player. You can play old CD’s, or burn your favorite MP3 songs to CD to play in the office.
Get a cheap or older model MP3 player at a secondhand store or on clearance to keep at the office.

5. Take 1000 mg of Vitamin C every day. People I know who work in schools and the medical field have been suggesting this to me for years, but I passed it off as an old wives tale - until I caught a cold right after getting an ear infection, and was desperate enough to try it. Turns out, they swear by it for a reason. Vitamin C really does work to boost your immune system. Try it this winter. What do you have to lose?

See, good ideas aren’t hard to find. If you don’t horde the wisdom you gain, you can spread the wealth of helpful knowledge to make countless lives easier and happier.

That’s all today. Take care, and have a great week.

Bye!

Bad Ideas

11/1/2015

I read a couple of online articles that said the time change is a bad idea. Whether you go forward or go backward, it seems there's no real advantage to moving the clocks either way - in fact, when we go on Daylight Saving Time, there's an increase in accidents the following Monday. It left open the question of why do it anyway? Especially when we're only on standard time for about 5 months of the year, and spend the rest on Daylight Saving Time.

And yet, we continue to do it. Why? Who knows? But it's not the only bad idea we stick with because we're used to it. There are many, in fact. For example:

HalloThankMus - Once upon a time, you didn't utter Thanksgiving until mid November, and Christmas until after Thanksgiving. They were their own holidays. No more. Now Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas have been merged into a concoction of holidays that are barely distinguishable from one another. Why? $$$ Holidays are a moneymaker, and the more we can push people to get on the bandwagon, the more cha-ching. While it isn't as obnoxious as it has been in past years - I saw my first Christmas commercial on Thursday (Oct. 29) compared to seeing it in late September in past years - it's still too much, too soon.

Ridiculously early political debates. There have already been three Republican debates and one Democratic debate. Primaries aren't even until February, and the general election for President (and Governor in South Carolina) aren't for another year and a few days. We know you want to get your message to the masses, but too much too soon leads to a shutting off right when you probably want our attention most. In fact, somebody in Sunday School today was complaining about people not paying attention to smaller local elections this Tuesday because they're already focused on the major election next year. Turns out, the neighboring city is having a Mayor election, and they fear low voter turnout in a sharply contested position because people are so focused on next year, that they don't realize there's something big happening much closer to home in 2 days! Yes, it's wise to take a long view - but not at the expense of what's happening right outside of your door. And then, as if it's bad enough that we're getting hit with holidays and politics too soon, then we have the problem of:

Outrageous telecommunications costs. They have us by the neck, and they know it. Everybody needs a cell phone, but the reliable services (Verizon) are outrageously expensive while the cheaper packages (Sprint) aren't reliable. Then there's the fact that every cable and satellite provider will give you a great deal on TV, then gouge the price after 1-2 years of service. Sure, you can get around this. With telephone, you can get a basic model (which isn't easy, but you can do it) and with TV it's by cutting the cord and getting Internet TV. Still, you get what you pay for, so the service on basic cell phones and Internet TV isn't outstanding. I ask why this is? Why must we pay so much for access to signals running through the air? It's not like we're trying to take pictures of Pluto. We just want to keep in touch with one another, and with the world around us.

I don't know what it will take to change things, but these are definitely four things that we need to ask ourselves: why? We're living the definition of madness here. Why aren't we doing something to change it, whether it's going back to the old, tried and true ways of doing things, or finding new approaches to life? It's something to think about.

That's all today. Take care, and have a great week.

Bye!