The Elf Blog

Christmas Countdown - 7 Months!

Christmas is seven months from today! I'm already excited! Remember: the purpose of the Christmas countdown is to help you prepare. If you follow the countdown, when Christmas Eve rolls around, you'll be relaxed and ready to celebrate.

Here are the things you should begin working on over the next few months:

• Keep updating your Christmas card list. (If you don't have one, make one.) Summer is a big time for moves and marriages, so it's helpful to keep the addresses current.

• If you plan to make gifts, now is a very good time to start. You can do a little at a time and still finish. It’s a great thing to do on a rainy day at the beach.

• If you are vacationing (or traveling for business) this summer, be on the lookout for charming and unusual gifts for those you love. I've bought some of my favorite gifts at little boutiques I've visited on my travels.

• Have a conversation with family about where you will celebrate the holidays. As soon as that is decided, make any travel arrangements needed. The earlier you book a plane flight, the better price you’ll get and the more choices you’ll have.

• Make a budget for the holidays. I tend to look at Halloween through New Year's. It should include all aspects of your celebration: gifts, travel, food, entertainment, decorations, cards and postage, etc. If you have not already started saving to cover these costs, start now. You should never go into debt to celebrate the holidays. Having a budget and saving throughout the year will allow you to keep control of your spending while prioritizing the things that mean the most to you.

Activity of the Week 19

Each week in 2012, I’ll post an Activity of the Week. They won’t be huge things, just something to move you in a different direction or give you a new perspective or shake things up in some way. Since I’m late on this, we’ll have 2 activities this week!

Here’s the Activity for Week 19: Do something to shake up your routine. Go home a different route. Have something different for lunch. Try a new workout. Just something new and different.

Accountability: I visited a locally owned consignment store (and bought a few things!). Also, I used my pastry brush to coat some over fried chicken. I use the pastry brush maybe 4 times a year…

Activity of the Week 18

Each week in 2012, I’ll post an Activity of the Week. They won’t be huge things, just something to move you in a different direction or give you a new perspective or shake things up in some way.

Here’s the Activity for Week 18: Use some kitchen utensil you almost never use. And please use it for it's proper purpose. Using the meat thermometer as a bookmark doesn't count!

Accountability: I still need to shop at a locally owned small business, but that's on the schedule for tomorrow!

Just in Time for Mother's Day

I thought it would be a good idea to do a review of basic rules of gift-giving:

-- Buy what the recipient wants, not what you wish she wanted.

-- The thought really does count. An expensive gift that does not reflect her personality will be less welcome than a well-chosen inexpensive gift.

-- Do not get someone a gift to "improve her" unless you know it's someting she really wants. So a gym membership is probably a bad idea if she's never mentioned it, but two sessions with a running coach for someone preparing for herfirst half-marathon is OK.

-- Small luxuries are always welcome and generally make a better gift than something practical.

-- When in doubt, the gift of an experience (a spa day, a concert, an exhibition, etc.) is always a good choice.

Spring and Summer Entertaining

Spring and summer are a great time to entertain. Lots of good opportunities. Wonderful fresh foods to eat. And if the weather is good, you can entertain outside so you don't have to celan your house (except for access to a bathroom).

Take some time this weekend to think about your spring and summer entertaining plans. Here are som ideas to get you started:

•Mother's and/or Father's Day.

•Memorial Day and Fourth of July.

•Graduation parties.

•Bridal showers.

•A cookout can be a simple and elegant meal. You can grill meat, fish, veggies, fruit. Even pizza.

•Outdoor happy hour. All you need is a tub of ice and a blender. Especially good on Fridays.

How will you entertain this season?

Activity of the Week 17

Each week in 2012, I’ll post an Activity of the Week. They won’t be huge things, just something to move you in a different direction or give you a new perspective or shake things up in some way.

Here’s the Activity for Week 17: Shop at a locally owned small business. It can be a grocery, a restaurant, a coffee shop, a beauty salon, a boutique. As long as it's a small business and locally owned, it counts!

Accountability: I spent all afternoon Sunday with my living room window open. It was lovely! Plus, I finally caught up on past episodes of a TV show, watched the Netflix movies that had been lying around too long, AND updated my Netflix queue. All things I'd been meaning to do.

Activity of the Week 16

Sorry for the delay in this week's activity. I'm finally finished that huge work project and some travel. I know w're behind a week, but I'll find a way to make it up.

Each week in 2012, I’ll post an Activity of the Week. They won’t be huge things, just something to move you in a different direction or give you a new perspective or shake things up in some way.

Here’s the Activity for Week 16: Do something you've been meaning to do. It doesn't have to be a chore. It could mean stopping at a restaurant you've always wanted to try or watching a movie you've wanted to see.

Accountability: I didn't open the windows (we had a cold and rainy spell), but I did clean out my work and personal e-mails and I took a lovely reminiscing walk around my old college campus.

Christmas Countdown -- 8 months

Christmas is 8 months from today! Here are some things you can do now to help you be better prepared in December.

Rememeber, our goal is that you have a low-stress December so that you are able to enjoy the holidays. Ideally, by Christmas Eve, you spend the day playing in the snow before coming inside to watch a Christmas movie while drinking hot cocoa and eating Christmas cookies.

•As you travel, think about picking up small unique gifts from local shops. I've bought some of my best presents at little boutiques I stopped by on my way to a meeting.

•If you like to make gifts, now is a great time to start thinking about what you'll make and to gather supplies. You can even begin your crafting.

•Spring is a time for graduations and weddings and moves. Make sure you update your Christmas card list.

•A rainy spring day is a great time to plow through your holiday recipe file, highlighting the keepers and discarding the ones you don't like. Youi can even spend some time looking for healthier versions of family favorites!

What else can you do now to prepare?

Activity of the Week #15

Sorry for the delay in this week's activity. I'm trying to finish a huge work project.

Each week in 2012, I’ll post an Activity of the Week. They won’t be huge things, just something to move you in a different direction or give you a new perspective or shake things up in some way.

Here’s the Activity for Week 15: Open your windows. It's spring. Accept the fact. Plus, there's nothing like open windows and fresh air to make a house feel new.

Accountability: I still you you a cleaned out digital file and a walk. I diod spend lovely time with friends at my Easter brunch.

Do Entertaining and Dieting Mix?

Last month, I discussed my diet. I still hate it, but I'm having good success so far. But I really wondered if I would still be able to throw parties without destroyng the diet. I love entertaining. It's a part of me. I'd hate having to give it up -- more than I hate limiting my pizza intake.

On Easter, I'm attempting to host brunch without blowing the diet. I modified a few of my go-to recipes and pulled others from the Cooking Light website. I'm doing several salads instead of several desserts. In shopping today, I also took much more care in limiting the quantities of ingredients that I purchased. Hopefully, that will mean that I won't have tons of leftovers that will tempt me to pick. I've also decided that whatever I have left will either go into the freezer, in to work, or into my lunchbox within the first few days of next week.

I'll report back how it goes.