Say “hello” to your heart

Valentine’s Day-Honoring Self!
By Teresa D. Huggins

Red and white hearts and flowers adorn the stores. Sweethearts discover the best gift to capture the message within their heart. More hugs are embraced. Sweet messages are shared. Love is in the air.

Have you ever thought of taking a moment to say “hello to your heart”? Have you paused lately to acknowledge your gifts, your treasures that you share with the world each day? Have you honored your truth, lived your passion?

Take time on this Valentine’s Day to say hello to your heart! Create a moment spending time just for you. Read more

Holiday giving ideas for animal lovers

It seems everyone has at least one person on their holiday shopping list that is difficult to buy for – the man who has everything, the woman who has very specific tastes, or even the child who doesn’t need yet another ordinary toy. The Rosamond Gifford Zoo offers several solutions for unique holiday gifts. And, gifts from the zoo are like giving two gifts in one – proceeds from these presents go right back to the animals.

For the gift that keeps giving … a zoo membership
A membership to the Rosamond Gifford Zoo is the perfect gift for families, individuals who frequently visit the zoo or any animal fan! Among the many exclusive benefits are free admission to the zoo, a discount in Read more

Lightening up your holiday menu

The past few weeks we’ve talked about how to avoid the holiday dieting pitfalls when attending a party or feast at someone’s home.  Well, what about when you are hosting the party or feast?  There are a number of ways to make your holiday menu a bit healthier, without sacrificing flavor.  Chances are your guests won’t even know the difference.

1. Use fat-free sour cream anytime a recipe calls for regular sour cream.  This trick works for dips, cookies and even potatoes.
2. When making mashed potatoes or rice, use fat-free, low sodium chicken or vegetable broth instead of water.  This adds a lot of flavor, so you can use less butter, milk and salt.
3. Instead of smothering vegetables in butter or cream sauces, roast them in a small amount of olive oil and add various herbs.  This helps to bring out the vegetables natural flavors Read more

A Christmas recipe for children

Aunt Marie’s Delicious Cinnamon Stars -By Elisabeth Hurley

Have you ever walked into a room where the warm smell of cinnamon was hanging in the air? Have you ever had a craving for whatever it was that had created this welcoming aroma? If you did, you know what Aunt Marie’s kitchen was like.

Aunt Marie came to America from a small mountain village in Germany. She loved to bake, especially at Christmas time. Her – and everyone else’s – favorite cookie was one she had created herself. Here is the recipe for her cinnamon stars: Read more

Just desserts

This might not seem like such a big deal to someone who doesn’t know me or my “story”, but for my husband and I and our family it is huge.

After nearly ten years of ongoing emotional battles with my husband’s ex-wife, we had determined over the last year that we were finished and ready to move on. Over the past year, in most instances we have simply made concessions to her and my step-son regarding visitation changes and the like, to promote harmony and to stay focused on the positive as we try to raise our two biological children as well.

Although this was “our” year to have my step-son for Thanksgiving his mother asked if he could come to her mother’s home to have dessert after finishing his meal with our family. Read more

Don’t leave home without these strategies

I wish you all a wonderful, peaceful day. I wanted to share some strategies that can be helpful during the holiday season.

Don’t Leave Home Without these Strategies:

1. The Elevator Speech: Is a practiced script that rolls of your tongue in response to “those” questions. Here are my two favorites: “We have a team of experts working on it” or “Babies come when babies come”.
2. The Red Flag Phrase: A predetermined word, sentence or phrase that immediately lets your partner know that you’re near your breaking point. Ours was, “These pretzels are making me thirsty”. Read more

How much is enough?

Every December I see them, I feel them … tense people, tense bodies. With all the prep-work the holidays can bring, we can tend to push aside the fact that there are only so many hours in the day to accomplish what we feel we need to in order for ourselves and others to have a “happy holiday”, and we forget that we can’t do it all, we can’t please everyone. Decorating, shopping for gifts for friends and family, preparing special meals—all of these things are a source of “good stress” but are stressors just the same; Read more

Holiday survival tips

December has arrived, and with that comes all of the indulgent eating that the holidays bring. While this time of year may have a strong focus on food, it is still as important as ever to eat right and stay active. The holiday season is a tough time to lose weight. A more realistic goal is to maintain your current weight, and if you lose weight during this time of year … that’s an extra gift to yourself.
Temptation will be abundant during the next few weeks, below are a few tips to help you stay on track, and give you some wiggle room for indulging-once in a while.

~Be picky! If there is a food available that you can have any time of the year, it’s best to avoid it. Trade ordinary foods like chips, nuts and crackers for something indulgent, like a mini quiche tart or crab dip. That way you can enjoy a treat that you might only get during the holidays. Read more

Touchstone for the Holidays

I was reminiscing recently about what Thanksgiving means for my family and I realized … things that are constant have a certain appeal. Change is inevitable, in fact, it is what makes life exciting and challenging. Imagine if nothing ever changed and every day was exactly the same. It wouldn’t take long for the masses to go screaming into the night. But once in a while it feels very much like a touchstone when certain things are always the same. That is how it is at my house on Thanksgiving.

There are some years that the house fills to over 20 plus people and other years it might be only 6 or 7. This is because my family is grown and they have other obligations. When we are all together the house is not only full of love but it is just plain full. Elbow to elbow we share our blessings and our challenges. Read more

Gratitude

“Pausing…Turbulence or Transformation”
© Teresa D. Huggins, November 22, 2008

Choice: Joy or Judgment
Choice: Gratitude or Grumbling
Choice: Faith or Fear

As we approach this holiday season let us carry an important package with us. This gift is a moment in time, a connection to the possibilities that can be discovered in every storm of life, in every challenge, in every new beginning. As we pause and notice, we experience life with a sense of serenity. Read more