AMANDA'S BASKETS: COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS

Monday, December 1, 2014

COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS

Thanksgiving is behind us and that means that the countdown to the holidays is now front and center. For me, that's Christmas.

For others, it's different celebrations. But the countdown has begun.

Problem is that I'm at a loss as to what to do. I do have a few decorations which I can put up in Duchess....come on now, it's me. I even had decorations for fall and Thanksgiving up in Duchess.

Will I have an apartment or not? You know, I am not too sure. And then even once I secure an apartment, I will have to get my 'stuff' down from Portland, Maine! Sometimes it seems overwhelming, but I will make it.

So, I am thinking that I will focus on making a few ornaments and purchasing gifts (remember all those quilts I made last year - a dozen or so?). Homemade is not going to happen this year..not to that extent anyway.

And baking, the pies I make this week may be all the baking I get done, but that's okay too.

The message of the holidays for me is 'LOVE'. And I have lots of that to share. And guess what, LOVE is the monthly thought for December.

So, for all of you who are in a panic about the upcoming holidays...take several deep breathes, sit down and savor this moment (It's the only one you have.), and do something that you enjoy doing like browsing through a favorite magazine, reading a book, thinking about all those things you are grateful for, or just remembering wonderful memories.

Now, take the countdown list, pare it down to what you really want to do...not what you feel you have to do...and then smile and feel the love surrounding you. And yes, we all have love that surrounds us whether seen or unseen.

Tomorrow I'm off to the city. Wish me luck in finding an apartment. But no matter what, I will still enjoy myself...you know me, I love the Big Apple...

Thanks for visiting...
See you tomorrow...

CRAFTING IDEAS

I am always looking for a small piece of paper to write down something which will later be disposed of. I decided to use some of the scrap paper of which I have a ton. I mostly use the paper for glueing projects. I decided to cut the paper into a small size. (Six pieces from a piece of copy paper.). But just having them sitting on my desk would get messy without a container. So, using a cardboard box, I cut it down to size and using a hot glue gun I glued the ends together. Using a picture from a magazine cut into pieces and stick craft glue, I glued the pieces to the box inside and out. I also used some decorative tape for the outside edges. And to finish the top corners which were not covered, I used straight pins with colorful tops. Looks nice and works well.

MAGAZINE IDEAS

(New) One article in the Farmer's Almanac 2024 is a list of trends. One I knew about is the trend to downsize in just about every area. Another trend that I was surprised about was called ''The Human Library' which offers people on loan to talk about specific subjects. Finally, more folks are adding pets to their family and as a result, stores are adding more pet food, toys and medication to their offerings. There's also a nice garden article which suggests mixing vegetables and flowers together for success.

RECIPE IDEAS

Have you every made Cherry Dump Cake. It calls for 2 cans of Cherry Pie Filling (21 ounces), a white cake mix, 1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted & 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. In a 9 by 13 pan, spread both cans of cherry pie filling. Add the melted butter to the cake mix and break apart the resulting mixture and crumble it evenly over the pie filling. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Fast, easy and very delicious.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What if you want to establish better habits, then decide what habit you want to work on. Again, try an easier one first for that good feeling of success. Let's consider more exercise. Start small. Don't try to run a marathon right away. Set the amount of time, the type of exercise and when to do it to begin making sure that it is within your reach. If it works for you each week add a bit more. Walking is one of the best ways to get good overall movement but there are many exercise videos on YouTube of varying lengths and difficulty to check out. Change your exercise routines to eliminate getting bored. For hardcore exercise with weights, give yourself a day in-between to recover. Even on days you would rather not exercise, do it and see if you feel better. It takes an average of 66 days to establish a habit. Just think 66 days to establish a good habit for a lifetime. Sounds like a good thing to me...how about you?