Agh! What Happened to my Waist?

Yes, the holidays are finally over and the last cookie sits on a used once a year platter. I am waiting for someone to finish the cookie but no one wants it and I don't have the heart to throw it away. Of course all the good cookies have been gobbled up and the lone remain is an oatmeal raisin goodie and only one person in the house would eat it but for some reason has decided to leave it be.

Each family member has a choice of what type of treat they want and then we try one new cookie just to have something different on the table. The cookie democracy has worked well except next year poses a problem because the newly chosen shortbread was a huge hit and everyone wants it added to the cookie list and no one wants to give up their long-standing favorites.

I know Christmas is a year away but I have been mulling over this dilemma until I stepped on the scale, wept, and then tossed the scale out with the petrified Christmas tree. So what decision did I come to? No cookies next year--well except for the lone oatmeal raisin because I am sure it will still be around.

Resolutions -- Not!

Saturday brings us to New Year's Eve. This holiday excites me the most because there is no shopping for others involved, I am tired of eating and so is the rest of the family so I do not have to cook, and the tree can finally come down and stop dropping its prickly needles on my carpet.

New Year's Eve is a time of reflection while New Year's Day is a time for resolutions. I do not make resolutions because I believe it puts too much pressure on a person when they are trying to embrace change.

So take it easy. Reflect and reward yourself for what you have accomplished this past year and open your arms to welcome the winds of change. I am not a superstitious person but have always believed that the frame of mind I am in when the new year rolls in will follow me throughout the rest of the year. So here is to positive thinking and may 2012 make me smile everyday.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Winding Down

And so it begins. The shopping is finished and the gifts are wrapped. This year I did something  I never do, I shopped during Christmas week. Yes, I actually went into the malls and a few stores without so much as giving thought to what I would encounter. I was pleasantly surprised to find a convenient parking spot wherever I went and the crowds were not too bad. It felt good to get out amongst others and embrace some holiday cheer.

What I also realized is how close the end of 2011 is and how I must hunker down and bang out a manuscript worthy of submission. I know I have been slacking but it is considered research when one is not writing. Isn't it? I am not one for making resolutions...but wait a minute...I am getting ahead of myself. I am that excited to begin work on a new story, the problem is which one. I will use the remainder of 2011 to help me sort that out.

So, this week I will have cleaned the house only to mess it up again on Christmas morn as gift wrapping paper covers the carpet and cookie crumbs find their way into every nook and cranny of the living room set.

I wish you peace, love, and light as you embrace your respective holiday. And may your time be well spent with family and friends.