Christmas Presents

This year my husband and I are taking a new approach on gift-giving. Every year, we save money at every paycheck for Christmas presents. And every year, we spend all of it on Christmas, which is OK, that's what it's for. But, it just seems that there is so much "stuff" and too many "presents" for everyone.

So, this year, we are looking to make Christmas "simple". Simple gifts, that REALLY mean something to both the giver and receiver, that don't cost a ton of money, that will be remembered and hopefully will have sentimental value.

I don't have time to knit big presents for everyone, but I do have time to make some small items.

1. Hats for some friends - I've been asked to make baby hats for a couple of friends for their gift giving.
2. Leg warmers for my granddaughter that takes dance lessons. Makes sense :)
3. shawl/scarf for my daughter, for winter. Is both professional and attractive for work.
4. Dish clothes for everyone - durable, quick knits. have them mostly done.
5. New hats for my granddaughters - I'm looking at some really FUN patterns, with pompoms, colorful, and of course warm.

6. For my adult kids - I'm thinking zoo passes, museum passes, movie passes, the gift of music & movies for home viewing. Also, gift cert to a nice restaurant for a date night.

So, I'm making my list and checking it twice.....hope I can get it all done in only 40 more days :)

"...And in the end... The love you take is equal to the love you make." ---The Beatles

Thanks for reading my Heavenly Thoughts

Election Day, Thank God it will be OVER!

I'm so relieved that tomorrow is finally election day. The non-stop ads on television, radio, internet sites, mailings and yard signs. The election season seems so long and slow.....it's kind of like waiting for Christmas to get here when you were a child. It seemed to take forever!!

The constant barrage of polls, negative ads, more polls, facebook and twitter posts, new polls, blogs, and opinion polls. I live in Ohio, so not only has the media splash been a drowning of ads, but the candidates and their families, celebrities, etc. been here almost every day. I suppose we are fortunate to get so much attention. Who knew Ohio would ALWAYS be the most important state?!?

Don't get me wrong, I'm 100% in favor of our democratic process - I love voting and instill the passion for the process into my children. My family has been active in local level politics and I grew up knowing it is my civic duty.

But wouldn't it be nice to hear ads like:
1. I plan to do "specifics"
2. I believe in "specifics"
3. I will lead the country "specifically"

I know that once they are in office, they become privileged to information that may not enable them to execute their plans, but at least tell us what the plans are. Talk more about why I should cast my vote for a candidate instead of why I shouldn't cast it for the other one.  And this isn't just the presidential race, it's at every level of campaigning.

I'll be glad it's over.

"...And in the end... The love you take is equal to the love you make." ---The Beatles

Thanks for reading my Heavenly Thoughts

Difficult People

We all have them in our lives - difficult people. The thing I don't get is what is to gain by being difficult. I've always found that the best policy is to be a team-player, honest, straight-forward and factual but not confrontational and accusatory.

I've left jobs before because of difficult bosses. It can become a living hell if you don't have a manager that is on your side. I know managing people is not for everyone and some are better at it than others. But even if the manager is "so-so" as long as they are a team player it works out. It those that are difficult that make people give up and move on.

I'm reminiscent today, never regretted my decision to move on when faced with difficult managers - especially when I've tried to initiate change. Adios! Moving on to bigger and brighter things.

And the same can be said in personal relationships. I was always searching for my life partner but never could be happy and always picked someone that ended up being difficult. Yikes. Always leads to frustration and heartache.

And now in my life I've managed to be in a great relationship, have wonderful children and grandchildren, and a job that is perfect for me. So all the difficult people in my past have helped me achieve what I have today.

Thanks to them and thanks to me!

Decide to Decide

Some decisions are easy. Chocolate or Strawberry? 7:00 or 7:30? Venti or Grande?

Other decisions are more impactful and the more impactful the more difficult the decision is to make. Some examples are:

"House X or Y"    "This car or that car"     "Job A or B"    "Vacation Here or There" 

I've been writing about choice, chance and change. It's easy to talk about it, but more challenging to put it into action. What if your choices are fairly even, House X and House Y have the same square footage, same amenities, same neighborhood. You must have decision criteria that will make one of them stand out to be the "right" choice.

So, it really comes down to the "Chance" or Risk Factor. You have to decide how much Risk Tolerance you have. A house is a BIG decision, most people make payments at least 15 years, more commonly 30 years. So it comes to reason that it has to be a decision you can live with.  Sure, you can sell it, but you risk losing money if sold too soon or if the market is not right. Again, a risk factor that has to be analyzed.


Some of the common risk factors that I base decisions on are:
Is this decision stay in line with my ethics, morals, beliefs?
Does my spouse agree?
What about my income or income potential, age, health, children, expenses, timing or security?
How secure do I think I am currently?
How will this change affect that security?
Am I too young/old to do this particular thing?
If I take this on, can I afford it over the long-haul?
What happens if I can't?
How important is this REALLY?
Can I live without it?
Is my current situation good? 
Can I fail?
How will a failure negatively impact my life?
Can I change back if it doesn't work out?
What are my goals? What do I want to achieve in my life?
Are these answers in line with my goals and my life achievements?

Since many decisions are very difficult, perhaps you are the type of person that needs to run it by a few close friends, needs to verbalize it to hear what your choices are. If so, I encourage you to do that, but to listen to yourself, your inner voice. I find mine is usually right and even if it doesn't work out, then it's still ok because I really wanted to do it anyway.

Good luck and make a choice to take a chance to make a change ! 

"...And in the end... The love you take is equal to the love you make." ---The Beatles

Thanks for reading my Heavenly Thoughts

Hubby's 90-Day Challenge Results - Day 86

Lost 25 lbs in 86 days.  Shirt size decreased by one. Can't see his legs, but they have trimmed down.  The BIG news is his insulin, day time usage cut by 80%;  night time usage cut by 50%.   INSULIN GOAL - working with Dr to go back to pills and no longer need shots.

Mayonnaise Jar & Two Beers...

I received this in an email from a friend the other day - I just loved it!! 

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, When 24 hours in a
day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the 2 beers:

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of
him. When the class began, he wordlessly picked up a very large and empty
mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.
He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was  full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous 'yes.'

The professor then produced two beers from under the table and poured the
entire contents into the jar effectively filling the empty space between the
sand.

The students laughed.

'Now,' said the professor as the laughter subsided, 'I want you to recognize
that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things---your family, your children, your
health, your friends and your favorite passions---and if everything else was
lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house and
your car..

The sand is everything else---the small stuff.

'If you put the sand into the jar first,' he continued, 'there is no room
for the pebbles or the golf balls.

The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Spend time with your children.

Spend time with your parents.

Visit with grandparents.

Take your spouse out to dinner.

Play another 18 holes of golf.

There will always be time to clean the house, fix the disposal or deal with
things from your job.

Take care of the golf balls first---the things that really matter.

Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented.

The professor smiled and said, 'I'm glad you asked.'

The beer just shows you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's
always room for a couple of beers with a friend.

"...And in the end... The love you take is equal to the love you make." ---The Beatles

Thanks for reading my Heavenly Thoughts

Photos from Weight Loss

12-weeks, lost 21.6 lbs and still going strong :)