Wednesday's wisdom....

I Can Do This!

People used to talk years ago about "playing tapes in your head" -  i.e. repeating certain words or phrases over and over, generally negative ones, to the point where you start to believe they are true. Things like, "I can't do that." or "Girls can't do that" or "I'll make such a mess of that". You get the picture.

I've come to learn over the years that I need to do two things.

One: Stop repeating those ridiculous statements!

Two: Admit that more often than not, it's more a case of "I don't want to do that" rather than "I can't do that."

My girls will tell you that our collective little mantra when they were growing up was:

We can do this!

And the more we said it, the truer it became.  

Tip for a Tuesday....

SAVE ~ SAVE ~ SAVE!

I've been doing nearly all my shopping online these days.

Saves my sanity and is far less stressful than battling the crowds and traffic.

My only concern?  Perhaps I was missing out on a sale or two, or the opportunity to use some coupons.

But I've made a wonderful discovery!

Each time I go online and place an order, before I finish the transaction I "google" or search to see if there might be some coupon codes - floating out there in cyberspace.

Today I found a 40% off code for a pair of gloves I had been in search of.  Hurray!

If you too are cruising the "superhighway" of shopping, before you press the final order button check to see if there are any coupons out there which will help you save a few bob.

You can also sign up on sites such as Coupon Mom, Retail Me Not and Ebates, to receive emails on special deals.

As Martha Stewart says, "It's a good thing."

Monday memory....

Back in the day....

Long before there was "online" shopping, there was catalog shopping.  I can recall the excitement as a child of perusing for hours the Sears Christmas catalog, making out my list for Santa.

When my own children were growing up, I discovered and relied heavily upon the Spiegel catalog.  There wasn't a store attached to it, like Sears, but they seemed to always have in stock items, especially of the toy nature, which seemed in short supply in our local shops.  Think Cabbage Patch dolls, back in the Eighties.

Unlike shoppers of today, my ordering took place over the telephone, not on a computer. After giving all the pertinent information to the Customer Service Representative, I simply waited for the items to arrive.

Via the iconic brown truck, with the friendly driver.

What a treasure my local UPS driver, Ted, turned out to be!  He was sort of the "Elf" that helped make Christmas one in which secrets and surprises were kept until little girls excitedly crowded around the tree on Christmas morning.

Ted liked to back his huge truck up our driveway, then toot the horn to let me know he had arrived with goodies.  Not only did this greeting summon whichever dog was currently residing under our roof, it often brought curious children to the window.  

Knowing this, Ted came up with a plan to deal with holiday deliveries.  He would wait until I raised the garage door and then look to see if there were little ones beside me. If not, he would hand over the various boxes and bags after obtaining my signature on his clipboard.

If there were wee ones about, he would stack packages in such a way as to hide any identifiable markings.  Or he would comment, "Looks like the gifts for the cousins have arrived" if they were too difficult to conceal. One time, because I wasn't at home when he arrived and the photo glued to every side of one rather large package would have divulged its contents, he found a way to tuck it behind the bushes on the side of the house.  He then placed several boxes around it as added protection and left me a note, explaining his subterfuge.

Thanks to Ted, this once young, harried mother of three, was able to secretly gather together the presents needed to create magic on Christmas morning.  

Friday Foto and Friday Fitness!

I just love the colors of these trees in the Autumn....

and sleepy Basset Boys, resting up for the Thanksgiving feast.....

Friday Fitness is back! 

Check out daughter #2's blog for some fabulous tips!

I'm going to be following several of them.

Heading out now to walk the Basset Boys and walk off some of yesterday's goodies!

Click here!

(not sure my "link" will work, so look on the right side of this page under "My Blog List" and click on "Mommy Musings" to read the tips!)

Thursday's thought for the day....

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Feeling extremely grateful this Thanksgiving Day for boundless blessings.

Wishing you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving, 

filled with wonderful memories 

and the love of family and friends.

Wednesday's wisdom....

A Picture Perfect Holiday

This may be the image that most of us conjure up in our minds when we think about Thanksgiving - the scene depicted by the artist Norman Rockwell

Our family gathering tomorrow on Thanksgiving will be quite small if what they say is true, that most family gatherings will consist of at least twenty-five people or more. Seated around our table will be the Englishman, our three daughters, two granddaughters and one son-in-law.  Our other son-in-law, unfortunately, will be at work.

Growing up, our family table was even smaller.  It was just my parents, brother, sister and me. I never knew any of my grandparents - they had all passed away before I was born.  Aunts, Uncles and cousins did not attend.  The truth is, until I was older and heard otherwise, I just assumed everyone spent Thanksgiving, and any other holidays, at their own homes with just their immediate family.  I didn't feel as though I was missing out - it was simply what I knew.

The holidays were no less special because it was just us.  We dressed up, my mother made a special, traditional dinner.  Thanksgiving, I always looked forward to watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade then viewing The March of the Wooden Soldiers on WPIX.  I  also loved the scent of apple pie and sausage stuffing floating from the kitchen.

I spent Thanksgiving seated in my mother's dining room for nearly my entire life.  The numbers grew as each of us married and had children.  Then they fell again, as happens when members begin new traditions.  The Englishman finally got to host it in our own home only a few years ago, following my mother's battle with some serious health issues. 

Life experiences, talking with others, and being a good observer have taught me that there are no "perfect" families or holidays. There's just my family.  No matter where we are, no matter how many or few are seated around the table, we will have a wonderful time.  No matter what the "picture" might look like.

Tip for a Tuesday....

Let the sun shine through!

Looking for an effective way to clean your windows and avoid those nasty streaks?

Try a solution of vinegar and water, adding slightly more vinegar than water, to a spray bottle.

Then, dig out some old bed sheets, cut into small rag sizes and use them to dry the windows.

Voila - streak free glass!

The Englishman was recently away on business.  When he travels, especially to locations in which there is, lets say, "added security" in the form of armed guards in the hotel lobby, I find it best to keep myself busy.

Very busy.

So last week I washed every window in my house. And mirror. And any surface with glass.

(It really did help to reduce my stress level!)

The vinegar/water and old sheet combo "worked a real treat", as they say in England. It's far less costly than purchasing traditional glass cleaner.  Using old sheets rather than paper towels not only saves money, it doesn't leave behind those annoying bits of fluff. Upon finishing my onslaught, I simply tossed the rags in the wash. They are now freshly laundered, folded and in my cupboard ready for the next business trip.