Give Me an L.O.V.E.

You know that saying, “Why put off until tomorrow what you can do today”? That one never made sense to me. I can always think of a bunch of reasons to put anything off, starting with – “I don’t feel like doing it right now.” I am the Queen of Procrastination (except when it comes to deadlines, of course, in case any editors happen to be reading this.)

So it’s no surprise that I rarely get Christmas cards out before Christmas. In fact, they usually end up being New Year’s cards, and I figure as long as they arrive before the end of January, the year can still be considered “new.” And hey, if our cards show up around Valentine’s Day, they’re doing double duty, right?

I planned to be more on top of things this year, but life got in the way. A death in the family, some other bumps in the road, and holiday cards dropped to the bottom of the list. But this year, I'm actually glad I waited. Why?

Because we came up with the coolest, most spectacular, unique and magical idea for a card. Wait until you see it!!!! 

But first, let me set the scene. 

New Year’s Eve bonfire in the moonlight. A fire pit surrounded by a ring of packed snow. Ice crystals sparkling in the firelight. An arching dark-sapphire sky with diamond stars. Absolute stillness and peace. My stepdaughter’s boyfriend playing with long exposures on his camera. The rest of us poking at the fire with spruce boughs. 

Then it occurred to us, let’s write things in the air with our glowing sticks and see if the camera can catch it!

After a few experiments, the four of us – me, my husband and my two stepdaughters – stood on a snow bank and madly traced letters in the air, over and over, for four seconds. And here’s what it looks like.

The background's a little dark, I know. We're working on that. But isn't it just the coolest?? I love it. I did the E. My husband and 7 year old were L and O, and we think their sticks must have collided to create that spider pattern.

So ... sorry it's a little late, but Happy New Year! As we're telling all our friends, may the New Year bring you love, light, and mysteries unfolding. 

Juniper

Starting Fresh

So the children are all tucked in bed, the dishes are done, the holiday decorations are stored away for another year. Lunches are waiting to be made and outfits are laid out for the morning.

Yes, for me, the new year doesn't start until that last bus pulls away from the curb. You can keep your countdown to midnight on December 31st. My New Year's celebration begins today.

Dont' get me wrong, I love the holidays. Having family around, being able to sleep in, celebrating the season with the people I love - all of these things are in the "win" column for me. But for starting fresh, turning a page on the year, I need the structure of my routine, the daily schedule that gets me back on track.

And, of course, the new challenges that go along with it. I don't like to make big Resolutions-with-a-capital-R, with specific end results, because they're so easy to break. This year, I thought I'd look at a few areas of my life that could use a nudge, and list a few ideas of what I'd like to do differently this year. Here they are, ready for the official start today:

1. I will exercise more. (Yes, I know, this is *the* big resolution. Still, it needs to be done!) Even if this means heading to the gym the minute the kids are safely tucked away in the public school system instead of making a hot chocolate and surfing the net for a little down time. I may not be able to find a parking space, but hey, the extra walk won't hurt. And with a trip to Hawaii just three months away, I'd better start working off those holiday pounds NOW.

2. I will stay on top of things. No more letting my e-mail pile up in folders until I have 500 unread messages (sorry, NNN ladies! I'm a bit behind!). No more waiting until the last minute to meet deadlines. This year, I'm going to get it done early.

3. I'm going to organize and prioritize better. Twitter can wait until I finish that book proposal.

4. I'm going to read more. Somehow, this fell by the wayside in '09, and I don't want that to happen this year.

5. I'm going to celebrate the small successes. Sometimes life can be a bit overwhelming, and it's easy to forget to enjoy the positives, especially if they're not huge flashing neon signs. I'll work on recognizing and enjoying them more.

It's not a long list, but it's a good start. How about you? What steps are you taking this year - big or small?