Resolve ~ Absolutely; Resolutions ~ Not So Much

    By definition ~ Resolve ~ to find an answer or solution to (something): to settle or solve (something) ~ to make a definite or serious decision to do something.

     By definition ~ Resolution ~ the act of finding an answer or solution to a conflict, problem, etc.: the act of resolving something ~ an answer or solution to something.

    You would have to read these two definitions a number of times to grasp their subtle but important differences. In my head, the way I see it, I know one requires action & determination. The other requires me to think about action & determination first. So which would you choose?

   Well, you need to know yourself first. Sitting down on January first & writing down some resolutions for me is failure personified. (I mean seriously, me the person, will haunt my thoughts because I haven't kept them up!) For example, if my resolution is to write fifty-two blogs this year, that is a haunting & daunting task looming over what is a creative process. Now if I resolve on January 1st to say write a blog that day or night because I am inspired by something (Big Magic as Elizabeth Gilbert would say in her new book) at whatever time inspiration hits me, now that is something I can live with and feel good about. Resolve is something that I feel would make my life richer, passionate and not as much of a pressure cooker as a resolution would suggest!

   With the New Year being a time for fresh (dietary) starts, instead of 'I am going to lose twenty pounds this year', one might try: 'I received this delicious olive oil for Christmas this year with a fantastic vinegar... I am going to have some healthy fats today & try this out for sure!' Yes, the healthy fats like olive oil, nuts & avocadoes will help you feel fuller & give you tremendous nutritional benefit. I guess you can see where I am going with this now. Resolve is action & resolution is the thought and then action on what often turns out to be an unrealistic expectation. Your resolve is based on thoughts you've been having over the past months anyway. You are probably not jumping into resolve willy nilly. There is no danger here; there is only success!

    So let those inspirations of yesteryear fuel the resolve you feel in 2016, one day at a time. No pressure, just passion!

    Here's to a New Year chock full of that resolve & passion.

Christmas is Love!

       Every year it seems I have a private decorating joke. I always seem to find fir needles until Easter & cellophane Easter grass until Christmas amongst my decorations or wedged in my older hardwood floors (and yes, I clean!). So as I was unpacking my Christmas decorations this year, there it was: a pink strand of Easter grass. Alas, I thought to myself, there has to be a message for my blog in this somewhere. So as I sit with that strand by my keyboard for inspiration... 

   For me, I believe the message to be that with these two special holidays we come full circle: the true understanding that we are really loved and that we are really, really loved. I have a simple heart-shaped tree ornament that simply states, Christmas is Love. So while the purchased present giving will always continue for Christmas, let us not forget the most inexpensive gifts that we can give. A kind word, a smile, a small gesture goes a long way in helping us remember the true message of the season and that is... Love. Recipients of the homemade 'coupon book' may joke that it was last minute but shame on us for not cashing in on those thoughtful gestures throughout the year!! A handmade gift also shows so much thoughtfulness. I received an amazing handmade snowflake from a coworker last week. She attended a local class with her husband on the how to of it. I am just feeling the love in their whole process, from learning to creating to giving & receiving!

   So what I guess I am trying to say is: keeping it real and simple while opening your loving heart will help you feel the Christmas spirit now & throughout the year. Keep the Christmas goodness and love flowing; love can be effortless this time of year. It can also be hard but your effort shows the love you are feeling and trust me, it will be felt. You may not have a simple pink piece of Easter grass as your reminder, but I am sure you have your own reminders. This next week & throughout the coming year, let your free flowing love & kindness transform your season and beyond. Have a blessed Christmas!

Home Alone Celebrates 25 Years ~ Facing Your Fears

    Many holidays shows are celebrating milestone years & the classic Home Alone is no exception. The blockbuster holiday movie is celebrating 25 years this year! Kevin McCallister, our 8 year old leading 'man' is accidentally left home alone while his extended family leaves for a holiday trip to Paris. The unsettled nerves the night before a big trip brought forth many a nasty word said and Kevin was banished to the attic room for the night. In the mad rush to get to the airport after a power failure left alarms silent, Kevin is forgotten. And then come the lessons to be learned in a two hour time frame...

   Being eight, Kevin believes his wish had come true, that he made his annoying family disappear. The reality of this settles in that morning & he likes it! Then the reality of being home alone settles in... and the fear becomes reality. In her new best-selling book Big Magic - Creative Living Beyond Fear, Elizabeth Gilbert conveys her important message beautifully: when inspiration strikes, grab it while the iron is hot (quite literally in Kevin McCallister's case) and face your fear of it. This will allow creativity to flow. Kevin does just that. He stops hiding under the comforter, and from under the bed. He accepts the basement will never be his favorite place  and when realizing his home is threatened by the bumbling robbers, The Wet Bandits, he lets go of his fears and takes command. And this is when Kevin gets creative & boy does he get creative! To protect it, he booby traps his house & these pranks have become movie classics.

    So why all of the sudden does Kevin face fear & become his home's protector? When you are 8 years old the importance of your home & your family are told to you. Kevin, when thinking his family may not return, gets the chance to feel these things all on his own. He realizes what he has been explained to all along, that family, friends, traditions & home are the most important things, especially around the holidays. His bravery gains him a new friendship (in the neighbor next door), and the respect of his older brother (pretty cool he didn't burn down the house), and the rest of his family. On Christmas morning, amongst the warmth of the decorations he carefully placed out, when seeing his Mom upon her return he forgives her in an instant. His evolution in a two day period is epic. The family rushes home to save Kevin & in reality he has saved their home & Christmas ~ helping them all realize what is important, being together.

   The creators of this movie never expected the unparalleled success it has received even 25 years later. But, thank you for bringing us Kevin and sharing his entertaining journey into the big magic of Christmas and it's true meaning.

Planting & Planning for Winter Interest

   As the temperatures continue their seasonal descent, I would hate for us to lose sight of the beauty still lurking in the Winter landscape! Over the weekend I was helping (in a sous chef kind of capacity) my girlfriend make a live green Christmas wreath for her front door. (see pic below) It was great fun as we tied our bundles of evergreens & chatted away. Her winterberry berries were the crowning glory! This got me thinking about our the plantings in our gardens and the winter interest they may hold...

   Although you may not be planting it, this is the time to plan for it - your winter landscape. Walking around a nursery this time of year is the perfect way to observe what a potential tree or shrub will look like this wonderful time of the year. Most are open selling Christmas trees, wreaths, roping, poinsettias & greens, so walk around! Some of my favorite shrubs are winterberry, firethorn, red twig dogwood, nandina, & cotoneaster. The non-deciduous boxwoods, azaleas & hollies have beautiful foliage too. The evergreen trees like cypress, cedar, white pine, spruce & hemlock are the bones of any landscape & evergreen decorating. Trees with berries like dogwood, holly, chokeberry & serviceberry are a feast for the eyes as well as the birds. (Sorry, yes they will get eaten as some point). Make sure, if you are to purchase in spring or fall, to ask your nursery or do your research on planting trees & shrubs that berry. Many, like the holly & winterberry, require a male & female planted in the same area in order for the flowers/berries to form.

   Now it is time to get creative with your holiday decorating! Even if you don't have the greens to cut on your own property, I am sure you have a friend who does. Another great suggestion that came from my garden club's president, is to buy inexpensive boxwood and pine roping & deconstruct it. You will have plenty of plant material to work with so let your creative juices take you wherever they may go. I started collecting tabletop sleighs at garage sales & I love to stuff them with branches, pinecones (some spray painted silver & gold of course) & picks & lights (see pic below). My fireplace mantel is the traditional favorite with beautiful branches of greens, lights & pinecones. Remember, you can decorate with greens & berried branches all winter long too!

   
   Enjoy being outside this winter, planning your garden & getting creative in your home with your Winter landscape!