Seasonal Delights

The holidays are here and I couldn't be more excited! I'm just a festive kind of girl. But I really wish everyone shared my merriness. Honestly, I am a little disappointed by some of my friends lately - so much complaining about shopping and cooking and cleaning and waiting in lines. I get it - it's all a little crazy - but here are a few of the things that help keep me in the right state of mind.

There is something magical about tiny, twinkling bulbs wrapped around winter's naked branches. Especially with the glass walls of downtown as the backdrop. It almost makes it worth it to leave work in the blackness of night. I equally love the giant inflatable snowman the springs from my front lawn each night. My daughter picked it out and my husband put it up as a surprise, which makes it awesome.

I savor every buttery morsal of Christmas that I can get my teeth on. Not a gingerbread, truffle, spritz or peanut blossom is safe around me. I even like the coconut things that everyone else passes over. And they taste even better when dressed in sprinkles by a child. These adorable reindeer were made by my mom and daughter. They tasted just as good as they look.

December is the one time of year that I love going to the mailbox. The kids and I quickly tear through the envelopes to find the prizes inside. We take the time to talk about each person or family we receive cards from - always great conversation. I know Christmas cards aren't doing the environment any good, but I love them anyway. There is something special about having my friends' and family's smiling faces taped on my kitchen door. I usually keep them up through March.

And, of course, if all else fails, its impossible not to love celebrating Christmas with little people who still believe in the big guy in red. Their excitement is beyond contagious. I set them loose to decorate and wrap - who cares if the tree has 90 percent on the ornaments on the front lower half? The joy of the season is completely alive in them and it is wonderful!

For me, this package says it all.

Head Above Water

When I created this blog my intention was to write about the good in my life, because that's where I want to focus my energy. Hence the title "Choose To Live Lovely."

The only problem is there are times when things don't feel so lovely and it makes me feel a bit unauthentic to only be talking positive on my blog. Sometimes it feels like a better title may have been "Head Above Water," or something of that flavor.

I guess the purpose of this post is to let you know that, yes, I have bad days and I'm not always so optimistic, but I'm sticking with the (mostly) good stuff on this blog because that was the whole point. I believe positive thinking goes a long way and writing it down goes even further.

This reminds me of a cool product called The Intention Box, created by a local woman named Ann Drew Yu. I love her tag line: "Where Intention Goes, Energy Flows."

So, I'm going to keep my focus where my heart always is - even on the bad days. My hope is that my words may help spark even a little positive energy within those who choose to read them. There is something very gratifying about the writing process for me.

Kitty Bliss

I am watching my cat dozing by the window, lazily tossing his tail from side to side as if in response to pleasant thoughts. His tabby coat glistens pure gold in the afternoon sun that heats the glass he rests against. His fat tummy slowly rises and falls as he breathes in, out, in, out, in, out. So relaxed. So at peace.

I wonder what, if anything, he’s thinking about. Is he day dreaming about chasing small prey through the back of our wooded lot? Is he remembering the good rubdown I gave him last night? Is he basking in the thrill of victory after his morning spat with his sister?

Sometimes I am envious of his leisurely life. No responsibility. No obligations. Would I be bored? Is he bored? If only I had the chance to know.

The fact that he has caused me to pause and think about this at all makes me smile. He’s reminded me, even if only for the moment, to slow down, exhale and enjoy. One minute of pure kitty bliss.

Like New

A quick follow up on my last post. The girls found the garage sale staging area in the basement and brought a bunch of toys back upstairs. They are all excited to play with the "new" toys.

Hmmm... This isn't all bad. Maybe my strategy just needs to be rotation.

25% Off At The Zimmermans

The curse of online shopping is most definitely the resulting fire hose of email sales promotions. At this moment, Toys R Us is particularly driving me crazy. I’m sorry; I’m just not interested in your deal of the day AGAIN!

I’m simply not inspired to shop. And it’s not about spending money. I hate buying gifts just to give gifts. I don’t like the trend my family has taken of basically telling each other what to buy. Certain unnamed family members (by marriage) literally provide SKU numbers for the gifts they want. A couple years ago they even bought the gifts and just asked us to give them the cash. That’s when I surrendered to the fact that we have very different ideas of Christmas and I’m not going to let them spoil mine.

Moreover, I just have no desire to add more junk to our overflowing house. I am telling my family to please not buy me gifts, and really, the kids need nothing (read: keep it small, I’m begging you!).

Instead of standing in line for Zhu Zhu Pets or seeking out the best deal, this year I am spending my time purging. I have set the goal to reduce the contents of my house by 25 percent. (Really, it’s that bad.)

I’ve been honest here before that household organization is not my strong point. (Remember my tribute to Organized Audrey?) It was no joke when I said I am serious about it this time. I have spent a lot of time planning what needs to be done, and the bottom line is that there is no way to maintain this house in an orderly manner when it is completely packed with stuff. Really, how can I organize a closet that I can’t even shut?!

I have set a deadline of May 1 to complete this project. Our city-wide garage sale is the following weekend and my neighbors can look forward to a quarter of our possessions piled on the driveway up for grabs.

I’ve already started on the kitchen and the kids toys, and it’s been incredibly refreshing work so far. I’m not brave enough yet to post before and after pictures, but here’s a shot of the recently decluttered toy cabinet. The board games alone were a several-hour project – finding missing pieces and taping up boxes. Not fun work when I was drowning in piles of homeless junk, but worth the effort in the end. Sometimes now I open the cabinet just to look at the perfectly stacked boxes. (Maybe I need to get a life?)

I am quite confident that I purged a quarter of the toys from the main level of our house last weekend – and all of those I removed had not been played with in at least a year! I truly believe I could cut a fourth of our possessions without anyone in my family noticing. But I can guarantee that they will notice the result. I think it's going to be better than Christmas!

Enter Stage Light

I consider myself an optimist, but winter is one thing I have a hard time seeing the bright side of. Because of the darkness.

I work full time in a cubicle with no windows, so winter means I only see the sun on weekends. About 20 hours a week of daylight - down from over 50 in the summer.

Experience has taught me that embracing the dark and cold just isn't going to happen, so I don't even try any more. I've found a source of light besides the sun to help nurture my starving soul through the winter months - the Twin Cities fabulous arts scene.

There is always something new to see, to hear, to experience, to learn. It's almost worth the sacrifice of being shut in.

And you really don't need to spend a lot of money to get a full dose of culture. You can enjoy an entire season of the arts for about the cost of one snowmobile suit!

My family kicked off the dark season with November's free first Saturday event at the Walker Art Center. We helped build a reflective sculpture, explored the exhibits, and rocked out with The Commandos. We were even blessed with some sunshine for running around the Sculpture Garden.

It's days like these that make me thankful that I share my hometown with Target Corporation headquarters. The retail monster sponsors regular free events at all of the major museums and even offers free family shows at Orchestra Hall (available on a lottery basis).

Speaking of orchestra, the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra offers a fabulous deal for young adults called Club2030. It allows us non-traditional patrons (I assume that's how the under-40 crowd is classified) to purchase best available seats to any show for only $10.

Community theater is another superb option for affordable entertainment. During November I took my daughters to an outstanding high school production of The Music Man, as well as Fiddler on the Roof at Phipps Theater in Hudson, WI. I have already purchased tickets for the whole family to see Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type at Stages Theatre in Hopkins this spring - I am SO excited to see one of our favorite kids books on stage!

Of course, when I can swing it I still love to make it to the Broadway-quality productions that frequent the cities and the Tony-winning Children's Theatre Company, but I have to stick with what the budget allows. Sometimes great deals, like two-for-ones, are available and I am always keeping my eyes open.

Last month I also had a chance to escape to First Ave for the Mason Jennings show. I love to see a local act becoming so successful. Mason's new album, Blood of Man, is phenomenal live. (He's coming again in December - just saying...)

The Twin Cities has a constant stream of awesome bands flowing through town, most of which you can catch for under $20. Sometimes it almost seems like robbery the shows are so good. Although, I will admit that I splurged and bought U2 tickets as a little early Christmas gift to myself. Occasionally you just have to drop the bucks. And I figure anticipation is half the fun, so I will get my money's worth just by having to wait until June for the show!

I'm glowing a little just thinking about it.