The Elf Blog

Happy Samhain

To those who follow the Old Path, Happy Samhain.  May the turning of the seasons bring you light, prosperity, and peace.

Bright Blessings!

Fall Back

At 2:00 a.m. on November 1st, Daylight Savings Time ends.  So, before you go to bed tonight, turn your clocks back an hour.

It's also a good time to change the batteries in your smoke detector and the box of baking soda in your fridge.  The really ambitious among you can rotate your mattresses.

But most of all, enjoy the extra hour.  Sleep late, read a book, spend time with a loved one, savor a cup of tea.  Enjoy.

Last Minute Costumes

So, you're off to a Halloween party tomorrow night.  What are you wearing?  If you haven't decided yet, here are a few last-minute ideas that you can put together relatively quickly and inexpensively:

• The Professor from Gillgan's Island.  A white shirt and some khakis are all you need.  To accessorize, detach the receiver from an old phone and duct tape it to a coconut from the grocery store.  Invite people to test your island phone.
• Given the horrendous calls in this year's baseball post-season, wear a black jacket and pants over a black shirt.  Carry a white cane.
• In honor of Where the Wild Things Are, where kiddie clothes and go as your inner child.
• Wear a white lab coat, carry a stopwatch, and wrap yourself in red tape.  You're a doctor trapped by the health care system.
• Wear baggy old clothes and a battered hat.  Outline your facial features in triangles or other shapes using an eyeliner pencil.  Tape some straw (available at craft stores) at the openings of the clothes (between buttons, wrists, neck, ankles) and go as a scarecrow.

What will you be?

Christmas Countdown -- 8 Weeks

Thanksgiving is 4 weeks away.  Christmas Eve is 8 weeks away.  (Well, that takes care of scaring you all for Halloween!)

In the last weeks, we've done master scheduling, made lists, and played catch-up.  This week, we focus on taking stock:

• Take stock of your hostess items -- serving platters, fancy table linens, good china and silver, etc.  Does the silver need to be polished?  Do the linens need to be laundered or ironed or replaced?
• Take stock of your cooking and baking supplies.  Do you have enough cookie sheets?  Storage tins?  What cooking and baking basics do you have on hand:  broth, flour, nuts, sugar, vanila, almond extract, spices, baking powder, colored sugars, etc.?
• Take stock of your Christmas cards.  If you bought them in the after-Christmas sales last year, find them.  Make sure you have enough. Also, check your stock of address labels.  Holiday stamps are available at the post office, so you can pick them up at your convenience.
• Take stock of your wrapping supplies: paper, boxes, tissue, tape, ribbons, bows, and gift tags.
• Take stock of your decorations so you'll know if anything needs to be repaired or replaced.

By the end of the week, you should know where you stand so you'll be ready to move forward.  That's the goal.

Laying Groundwork for the Rest of the Year

We have about two months left in 2009.  (Where did the time go?  It seems like last week I was playing with penguins in Antarctica.)

There are three things you can do that will make these next two months far less stressful:

• Create a master calendar for the household.  No commitment exists if it isn't on that calendar.  Family members can match their personal calendars to it weekly.  Every commitment goes on it -- school and work events, visits to the gym, parties, dental appointments -- everything.  Make sure you block out time for exercise, relaxation, and family time.
• As you cook over the next few weeks, cook double when possible and freeze the extra in single meal portions.  When the holiday pace picks up, you will be too tired and pressed for time to want to cook.  It will be all to easy to call for a pizza and hit the fast food drive-thru.  In the same amount of time, you can defrost something from the freezer in the microwave and heat it up. Add a salad and you have dinner. Some dishes that freeze well includ lasagna, shepherd's pie, chilis, and soups.
• Spend some time de-cluttering your entertainment spaces.  Most of us don't use our guest rooms and formal dining rooms all that often.  That means they become repositories for all sorts of things we've been "meaning to get to."  Tidying them up now means not panicking once the holidays hit.

How NOT to Save Time

By now, everyone who reads this blog knows that I'm a huge fan of multi-tasking and using small blocks of time well.  But lately, I've seen people trying to save time in unacceptable ways.

It seems like every day when I get on the subway, someone has confused it with the beauty salon.  I see people putting on makeup, doing their hair, etc.  NO.  Those are things you do at home.  I also get to listen in on people's intimate conversations -- another big no. Your subway ride is an excellent time to catch up on reading or to make lists.

On Sunday, I saw something that takes the cake.  A woman in the airport departure lounge casually sat waiting for her plane while flossing her teeth.  I don't want to see that.  NO ONE wants to see that.  It's fine if you want to use the time before your flight to freshen up.  That's why airports have bathrooms.

So, when you decide to multi-task and use your time well, please keep in mind how that will affect other people.  Living life graciously means being kind.

The Benefit of Crafting

I have a tendency to carry my crafts with me when I travel and to take them out whenever I have blocs of time.

I had a business trip last weekend, so I took some projects to work on.  I didn't only make excellent progress, I also confirmed an impression.

If you are crafting, you become immediately accessible.  Complete strangers walk up to you to ask questions, offer advice, and share experience.  This has happened to me in a variety of settings and in more than one country.  Something about crafting breaks down the barriers that divide and invite people to approach you.

Just a little Elfin magic. 

Deep Breath Weekend

This is the last weekend before the holiday season begins in earnest.  Next Saturday is Halloween and then Thansgiving, Christmas, and New Years day follow in a rush.

So take this weekend to enjoy.  Rest.  Refresh,  Experience autumn.

Find the balance between work and play that will hold you through the craziness ahead.

Christmas Countdown -- 9 Weeks

Christmas Eve is 9 weeks from today.  This week in the countdown is a catch-up week.  By the end of the week, you should have devleoped:

• Your budget.
• Your holiday calendar.
• Your lists (Christmas card, gifts to give, gifts to receive, etc.)
• Your travel plans.

If you find yourself with extra time, start your crafts, paw through your recipe file, and check your inventory of wrapping paraphernalia.

Stopping the Yo-Yo

Sorry about the lack of blog yesterday.  I had a problem with my Internet connection.  So there will be two today!

The last post looked at the problem of yo-yo scheduling.  Ok, now it has a cute little name.  But what do we do about it?

The first step is to look at how you spend your time.  What do you actually do in a day? (Write things down if you have to.  The results may surprise you,)  If you are doing too much to allow sufficient relaxation, you'll need to make some cuts:

• Are you doing anything that you don't need to do?  If so, that's the first thing to go.
• Are there things you are doing that are neither important nor necessary?  If so, those can go.  There is nothing wrong with telling people no.  Just practice these phrases:  "I'm sorry.  I won't be able to help with that project.  Please ask me the next time."  or "That sounds like such a lovely event.  I'm so sorry I won't be able to attend." 
• Is there a short-term short cut?  For example, you have an incredibly busy week ahead.  Can you pick up a roasted chicken and some sides rather than cooking?  Drop off shirts at the dry cleaner rather than doing laundry and ironing?
• Can you get help? Unless you live alone or there is a disability issue, you shouldn't be doing it all yourself.  Even a child can learn to make his own bed, put away her toys and clothes, gather recycling, etc. The older a child gets, the more responsibility he or she should have.  A high school student can do some of the laundry and cooking.  Yes, I know they have extra-curricular activities and homework.  Are they learning how to balance their schedules?  If not, how will they survive college or the work force when everything depends on them? 
• Can it be less than perfect? Here's something Martha will never tell you.  Not everything has to be top quality all the time.  Sometimes good enough is good enough.  You can not iron the parts of a shirt that no one will see.  Or you can close the doors to rooms that aren't guest ready.  Or you can buy snack for soccer practice instead of baking.  Life will go on. 

In the long run, a peaceful spirit will create a more pleasant memory than perfection.