Time to Make the Cookies - What's the secret ingredient for success - Just do it.

I must say this every Christmastime - "I feel rushed; it's all happening so fast; I'll never get the cards done"....ad nauseum. My apologies in advance.

One thing I always manage to get done is cookies. Over the years we have managed to squeak out 5-10 varieties of lovely Christmas cookies, no matter what. I really don't know how.

Well, yes, I guess I do. Just do it. Hello, Nike? I hear you need a new spokesperson.

I consult my daughters and ask them what kinds of cookies they want, ask them if they want to participate. I purchase all of the ingredients so they are in the house. I don't wait until a special time to make the cookies. If I know I have 2 hours in a row to complete a couple of batches, I do it. I prep and save ingredients so I can just throw everything together at the last minute. I know it is nauseating how organized I am. However, it is truly for a good cause - my stomach. I also think of others - that's true. Christmas would not be Christmas without cookies.

Ask me when I got my holiday cards out last year (Dec 28), the year before that (Dec 31), year before that - not - etc, etc. What is that giant pile of paperwork on my desk? Who haven't I called back? Sorry, I was creaming ingredients. Tis the season. What would Ina Garten do?

That Christmas Feeling

We've begun decorating the house for Christmas. When the children were still at home, we would whirl from holiday to holiday, and our home would always be decorated to celebrate some special occasion. Not so anymore. However, Christmas is still very special, a magical time of year.

In this bare bones economy, it is even more important to me to keep true to those times of joy with family and friends. The real gift is the gift of each other. We decided to light up the house a bit outside this year, with some extra lights here and there. It has been fun watching them glow at night!

The truth is, after all of the above platitudes (which are my truth), my other favorite way to enjoy Christmas is through fun songs, movies, videos. The South Park Christmastime in Hell is one of my favorites (sorry - just can't help myself).

My favorite video so far this year is one that our dear friend Melina (she just turned 21, shout out!) forwarded through Facebook. I love it and am sharing it here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTs5eKZ0i1E

(It is written and directed by John Roberts, directed by Clay Weiner, edited by Jesse Reisner, DP Drew Denicola. A mom and her christmas tree.) It has been making me smile every day since Melina sent it. Awesome and hilarious. Merry, merry............

I need a turkey...

Just spent a great Thanksgiving holiday in Boston with friends. Usually I cook. I just could not quite pull myself away from the concept of having a bird, cooked at home. Dudley Moore (God rest his hilarious soul) said, in Arthur, "I love a chicken cooked at home". I love a turkey cooked at home, so, I will rinse and stuff the now brining bird with some aromatics, create a bunch of side dishes and serve it to my husband, daughter Julia and however many of her friends decide they want to eat. If you are reading this, you are invited. Saturday, 5pm. Yum.

A Different Turkey Day

We had the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving at one of our daughter's boyfriend's parent's homes (how's that for possessive). It was a wonderful mix of friends, family and great food. It was very nice to be included, and a day for everyone to enjoy each other and ooohhh and ahhhh over the many wonderful dishes created by our hosts and each other. What fun! I know it must have been work for Chris' dad and stepmom, but they were mellow and smiling throughout. Apparently they have been doing this for almost 40 years, in varying configurations. What a fun crew. Our daughters Jess and Julia were with us, and Jim and I.
It was also interesting to be a guest instead of host. It was alien for me to stay out of the kitchen for most of the day (though I just had to help clean up a bit). I made spinach pie and pumpkin/banana pie which people raved about. This was a nice revelation too, as I guess we begin to take each other for granted year after year of pouring over a hot stove without much recognition. Not that I was looking for attention or plaudits - just nice that people notice when you put love into your food. There was a lot of love in a lot of this Thanksgiving's food.
I also enjoyed meeting so many new people. After so many years of spending time just with our extended families, this was an interesting change. I don't want to exchange experiences, but this Thanksgiving brought a fresh perspective on how we need to acknowledge and appreciate one another.
As I said in an earlier post, quoting Abraham, act as if... Act as if this is how you are already being treated. For me, that means to model behavior I most value, by truly appreciating the people who are in my life. I would like to make a list, but at the risk of outing all of my loved ones who may not want to be listed, you all know who you are! Husband, daughters, father, sisters and brother all, friends and coworkers.

Give Thanks for Adam Sandler Singing his Thanksgiving Song

When we think of all the things we are thankful for - I always add Adam Sandler to the list...enjoy (sorry for the Tide ad in the front - where is fast forward when we need it?)! And while we are at it - thanks for Charlie Brown and Snoopy too and for TIVO!
http://www.spike.com/video/adam-sandler/2788992

10 Years Since Jeanne

My mom passed away 10 years ago today. As I've talked about in earlier posts, she had breast cancer first, then ovarian cancer. She was only 61. She was first diagnosed at 53. She was a young woman, too young to go. I miss her every day.
Jeanne was one of a kind. If you were talking with her, she would draw you out and talk about everything that was on your mind. You would feel as if someone had finally heard you. I would see this in social situations over and over again. People loved her. This may sound a bit morose, but so many people filled the church at the funeral Mass that we barely fit, and the cars from the church to the cemetery stretched out 1/2 a mile, from hill to hill on Route 17 from Upper Saddle River to Ramsey. It was quite a sight.
Even as she was struggling that last day, she had a definite opinion and sense of dignity that she insisted be respected. She died on hers and my Dad's 42nd wedding anniversary. That morning she said to me, "has your father ordered flowers for our anniversary?...cancel them." Though it was so saddening, that was my mom. She knew she wouldn't be needing them. We even had a little smile about her deliberate decision to cancel, even while we knew why.
The day before she died, she was up in a chair, holding court with me and my siblings at the hospital. I always wanted to bring her food that she liked, but that day she just wanted to laugh and talk. We had a really good visit. Then, I guess, she was done. By the same time the next day, she had left.
My dad, siblings and I are really lucky. She worked hard to make the holidays and our birthdays special. She taught us well how to continue to do this for each other. Spirituality was very important to her, and while we all embrace the spirit in our own way, we all feel comfort in never being alone. In that way, Jeanne will always be with us.

Act As If

I don't usually post other posts in their entirety, but this one seemed especially, well, special. We are all about human connection, but so often we are disappointed because the connection is not quite the way we would hope it to be. Remember that we are all imperfect in our humanity, so we just don't always get it right. However, if you just let go of trying to control the relationship and just work on your part, that is enough. The positive feelings, vibrations, actions dominate and override the negative. Stop reacting and be proactive. Act as if....just give it a try and have patience with yourself.

Daily Law of Attraction Quotation

You don't have to worry about what their vibration is if your vibration is one of connection. Because if your vibration is one of connection -- you're going to dominate the vibration. This is the way you learn your relationships. The thing that most people do not understand, is that you get to control the way you feel, because you get to choose the thoughts you think. Most people think that they only have the option of responding to the circumstances that surround them. And that's what makes them attempt the impossible, which is to control the circumstances around them, which only feeds their feeling of frustration and vulnerability, because it doesn't take very much life experience to discover you can't control all of those circumstances. But you can control your vibration. And when you control your vibration, you've controlled everything that has anything to do with you.
--- Abraham

Excerpted from the workshop in El Paso, TX on Thursday, March 28th, 2002

If you are so inclined, check out the daily blog of Abraham, maintained by Esther and Jerry Hicks at

http://www.abraham-hicks.com/lawofattractionsource/index.php