Marypause's Best of 2014

    As we see the old year out, I wanted to look back and compile a best of list for 2014. This list is about as subjective as it gets, but I think it is always important to feel gratitude for the old, but embrace the new. It's what keeps us young at heart!

~ Best Purchase of 2014 ~ This would have to be Ugg sheepskin insoles that I bought for my beloved Emu boots. Plow & Hearth sells them for $14.95 & they provide arch support!

~ Best Cocktail - Honey Jack Cooler ~ mix Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey Bourbon (or brand of your choice) with muddled mint, ginger ale & a squeeze of lemon. Or simply mix with below SanPellegrino Limonata!

~ Best Beverage (non-alcoholic) ~ SanPellegrino Sparkling Flavored Beverages. You may already be familiar with the lemon & orange flavors, but there are blood orange, clementine, grapefruit & lime flavors. These are refreshing on their own but make a perfect mixer.

~ Best Healthy-ish Snack ~ Brookside's Dark Chocolate Covered Fruits So healthy dark chocolate, (which we need a bit of every day), meets healthy dried fruits like raspberries, goji, blueberries, pomegranate & acai. A match made in Hershey heaven!

~ Best Beauty Product - Chapstick's Dual-ended Hydration Lock ~ One end is sunscreen, the other super hydration for night. Why hasn't someone come up with this sooner? Genius.

~ Best New TV Shows ~ Drama - How To Get Away With Murder; Comedy - Blackish.

~ Best Music - So subjective but millions agree & they catapulted to fame this year - Sam Smith & Ed Sheeran.

~ Best Garden Plant ~ Torenia ~ We will forever lament the loss of our shade-loving impatiens. Torenia is not a new plant but now it can be found in the same affordable flats and it is gorgeous, versatile & maintenance -free!

~ Best New Game ~ Trivia Crack ~ I just started playing this one and it is aptly named! Helps keep the cobwebs off the 'ol brain.

~ Best Book ~ Well this time of year, I can't seem to choose a new book, just an old one that we can reread every year & get something new out of it. Simple Abundance by Sarah Ban Breathnach. There are 365 passages beginning on January 1st. I can't think of a better way to read in the new year!

Happy New Year! Here's to a healthy, joyful & adventurous 2015!!

Festive Holiday Cocktails

   It's that wonderful time of year for entertaining and friends and family to gather. I think it is always nice (and easy) to have a holiday cocktail that is ready to go for such occasions. Last year I posted the Poinsettia Cocktail. This year is the Candy Cane Martini (and a second just as delicious!)

Candy Cane Martini

2-oz. Vodka

1 oz. Strawberry Liqueur

4 dashes White Crème de Menthe

2 oz. Cranberry Juice

1 Candy Cane, crushed, for garnish or mini candy cane or peppermint candy

Rim a martini glass with water and crushed candy cane or simply hang a mini candy cane off the rim of the glass or float a peppermint candy. In a shaker, combine other ingredients and ice. Strain and pour! (Mix a batch ahead of time and shake as needed.)

Festive Prosecco

Another favorite is even simpler. Mix one bottle of Prosecco and one cup of pomegranate juice. Garnish with pomegranate seeds. Pour into festive flutes or holiday stemware. Simply Delicious!

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & His Risk-taking Friends

    Call this my third annual Christmas Story Blog. This year was a no-brainer. Yes one of the most beloved Christmas stories-turned-TV-show, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, turned 50 years this month! (I am proud to say I have watched at least that many times!) Yes, he is being honored with merchandise in all the stores & even a postage stamp! We all know the story of Rudolph, but we need to remember it was his friends & life experiences that showed him the way back home again.

    The first risk-taker our hero encounters after being embarrassed & rejected by family, peers and even Santa, is Hermey the elf. He is the elf with a dream (to be a dentist) and has already begun the positive steps (studying) to make his dream come true. Rudolph, with no direction or next step, happily runs away with Hermey the dreamer and they go off for a life adventure. They then encounter our risk-taker number two, Yukon Cornelius, the greatest prospector in the North. Together, the three begin an adventure that mostly involves avoiding the Bumble (snow monster) and develop strong friendships along the way. With Hermey & Yukon as his role models, Rudolph learns that listening to your heart and accepting the 'gifts' that life has given you is the way to go. They unknowingly point him to his True North (pun intended). Yukon learns that in his relentless search for silver & gold, it is friendship that is truly golden. Hermey learns that surrounding yourself with friends who believe in you & support your goals, will be the springboard to realizing all you have dreamed. Together they save Christmas for all the good girls & boys and we see it as a teachable moment for all the North Pole inhabitants and for ourselves.

    So keep dreaming & risk-taking & remember, no Bumble can ever squash a dream when one has friends! Merry Christmas!