IT IS ENOUGH

I am re-posting this because I think it is so very important to remember. What you do is ENOUGH.

I go all out at Christmas. I have a ton of decorations up. I bake and cook up a storm for Christmas dinner, Boxing Day get together and then a New Years Eve dinner too. We can lose sight of the magic of Christmas and feel overwhelmed with what we have to do. (See my previous post about not having an oven right now.)I have put on too many dinners and parties through the years to count and if there is one thing I have learned when trying to make everything perfect it is this:
WHATEVER I GET DONE IS ENOUGH.

I will not always get done what I think I should or what I want to but it doesn't matter. What matters is that my family and friends come by and put their feet up and have a visit. And believe me our guests always put their feet up.  

So take some time to enjoy the season. We are not Martha Stewart with a team of staff to pull of all the fabulous ideas we have in our heads. What will make Christmas enjoyable is that you can be with your family and friends and smile a true smile and not a tight faced grin while you are thinking about what you should have done.

Believe me your guests will notice if you are not relaxed and having a good time and they will feel like a burden and not a guest.

Delegate what you need to delegate. There is no rule that says you need to be the sole provider of Christmas joy. It is a shared joy and those who are not brought in to help don’t get to experience the feeling of warmth in their hearts when everyone is together.

Many years ago when my BB Guy and our neighbour complained about Christmas being a commercial grab and nothing special I snapped back that the reason it wasn’t special to them is that they are doing nothing special for anyone else. I admonished advised them to step up to the plate and do something to change this and to do for others. I think it worked. A lot more thought went into Christmas around here after that.

So remember this word.
ENOUGH

And have a Merry Christmas Season.

RAT PACKS OR PACK RATS

So, like, you know that moment when the guy at the oil change place opens the hood of your car and says "ya there's a rat in there" and he really means there is a Dead Rat under the hood of your car along with a blue, kid's glove and some plant material .... ya well I had that moment today.

It was a pack rat, not to be confused with the Rat Pack.

They bring stuff with them. I wonder whose little blue glove he stole? Somebody on Facebook pointed out that it would have been nice if he had brought a gold watch with him instead. I agree.

We think he must have gone in there back in early October when I was up at the cabin for Canadian Thanksgiving. It would have been a wild ride home that is for sure.

I did notice a smell in the garage and in my car. I was looking around under my seats for an errant bit of food maybe from my grocery shopping. I never thought to look under the hood. Gack.

It was quite the sight watching my BB Guy peel the carcass off my valve cover using the rat’s own, stolen blue glove. The guys in the oil shop were pretty grossed out especially the guy who got to take the valve cover and wash it clean. We gave them a hefty tip.

Pack rats are apparently quite a problem and will destroy all kinds of things around your home and car. So far I think my car is okay and he would have been dead for sure by the time I got home from the cabin as it is a 2 1/2 hour drive.

Have you ever had a rodent hitchhiker?

DEAR DR. RUTH

Here is a repeat post I thought you would enjoy...

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