A warm home on a cold day

We have been blessed so far this year in Chicago with an amazingly warm winter. We got some temperatures in the low 30's and they seemed cold by comparison to the mid 40s we've had most of the winter. HA! As a kid growing up, we thought nothing of below zero temps in the winter.
We've also had an extremely sunny winter so far. A few grey days here and there, usually when the snow pops in, but we definitely haven't seen the weeks of grey with no release that we've seen in years past. 
Nonetheless, these are the days we like to stay snuggled indoors. Perhaps with a super soft blanket and a good book or movie. Maybe with a hot mug of tea or cocoa. Soup sounds better than salad for lunch or dinner.
We crave warmth in the month of February in the midwest. Not just the temperature on the thermostat, but warmth in all it's forms. Shops decorated in deep, sunny hues catch our interest. Lush, overstuffed chairs seem so inviting.
Coffee shops are filled to overflow these days, not just because they offer a warm beverage, but because they offer cozy interiors, warm hues and soft couches. - credit to Reese Spykerman for the great visual wording.
I love the feeling of walking into my house and being enveloped by the warmth and coziness of it. Warm, rich, friendly.Of course, the fact that every room is adorned with candles doesn't hurt :)


What are you doing to satisfy your warmth craving these days?  

Some are dreaming of a tropical vacation, planning spring break activities, some are enjoying that coffee house vibe. Some are getting warmth by hanging out with family and friends. Some are lavishing themselves with a hot bath, possibly accompanied by a glass of wine.

Share how you are warming up this week. 

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I love what I do

Image via WikipediaI read a lot. I particularly read a lot about my industry, direct sales. I read information by trainers and those who have achieved what I aim to achieve myself. 
Today, for some reason, it struck me that when I hear other people in my industry talk about how much they love what they do, they often talk about how they love what they "get to do" or what they "don't have to do". 

"I love that I can be home to put my kids on the bus and get them off the bus."

"I love that I don't have to ask my boss for a day off."

"I love that I can work in my PJs."

"I love that I get a free company trip each year."

"I love that I don't have to wake up to an alarm in the morning."

"I love that I can take a nap in the afternoon."

"I love that I make my own schedule."

Those are all great benefits, to be sure. But it got me to thinking that I don't often hear people talking about actually loving what they do do when they are working.

I LOVE what I do. I love when the new product line is released. I love pouring over the pages and picking my favorite items. I love smelling the new scents and taking the sparkly shiny new pieces out of their blue boxes. 
I love becoming friends with my customers as we work together.
I love doing a home party! Hanging out with a room full of women, who are usually drinking wine :) laughing, sharing, connecting.
I love helping women pick out a new look for their home.
I love helping women pick out  the perfect gift for their mother, daughter, sister.
I love helping women start their own business.
I love working with women as they embark on a journey of self discovery and empowerment.
I love watching women become strong, confidant business women.
I love learning from other brilliant, powerful business women.


I love what I do. There are great benefits too, don't get me wrong. 
But why do I do what I do? Because I freaking LOVE it!

What do you love about what you do?

What if we just did the thing?

Image by Tonymadrid Photography via FlickrI find myself inspired by another blogger this week. So much so that I am putting "pen to paper" once again myself. Reading the story of The traveling red dress, I was nearly brought to joyful tears. I say often that I'm not a crier but maybe I am becoming more of one. Maybe I am more able to put myself in another's shoes as I ripen (I like that a bit better than age, eh). 
I am so touched by Jenny's vision with the dress. I feel so inline with her thoughts on how we deny ourselves the things in life that are impractical. Practical. What a horrible word! What were our mother's thinking when they drilled THAT into our heads? 
As women, we are always doing doing doing for others, aren't we? And then when we entertain a thought about doing something for ourselves, we feel guilty and bad and run back and redouble our doing efforts.
What if we entertained our impractical? I'm not saying quit your job and join the circus or take a 3 month leave of absence and go see if you can learn to surf. What if, just sometimes, we did the awesome, fun, silly, funny, outrageous, big, little, impractical thing that sprang into our heads? 
What if today's daughters learned THAT from today's moms? 
What have you won, conquered, learned, fought, overcome, faced, apologized for, gotten past? It doesn't have to be huge, but I bet, I bet that you have something to celebrate. 
What if we just did the thing? Things like flying lessons, and ballet shoes, and breaking into spontaneous song, and building a train set, and crawling onto the roof just to see the stars better.  Things like cartwheels and learning how to box and painting encouraging words on your body to remind yourself that you’re worth it...Find a playground swing and remember how it felt to fly.  
What would life be like? 
I think, it would be WAY better than it is today. Way better! 

Momentum

As we near the end of January, many people have already abandoned their New Year's Resolutions and are headed back to doing things the way that they did them in 2011. Great intentions have been thwarted again by the inescapable LIFE, happening to all of us again, always.
Like many people I started 2012 with big plans and goals, and though I have experienced some setback, I am prepared to enter February more energized, more committed and more excited about those goals than I was at the end of December or the beginning of January.
As I was reflecting on this today, after receiving another new lead from an unknown referral source, I considered what is making 2012 different for me than 2011 and what is keeping my eyes on the prize. And I think it's momentum.
As you start any endeavor, especially something new, or something you are re-starting from a set back or a stand still, the beginning stages are the most difficult. Whenever I think of this, I remember all the times I had to push my Ford Tempo on the side of the road when I used to own it. Getting it started was always the hardest part. One 5'3" tall girl, behind a whole car, pushing with all her might. At first, nothing happens, shoes not meant for that purpose slide on the pavement, footing lost. Next, small changes happen, at first, almost imperceptible, the car starts to rock. Going with the rocking, soon you find a pendulum effect, and the further the car rocks back the farther it rocks forward. Then, slowly the car starts to creep forward. At first, every muscle in your legs groan with each foot you move forward, then, it happens so gradually that you don't even notice the transition and before you know it, the car is rolling almost effortlessly forward with you walking behind.
This is how momentum is, and I think sometimes, we get so focused on the struggle that we don't see it through to the point where things are rolling along almost effortlessly. For so many people, I think that January is that month of rocking. And when we rock backward, instead of getting into the rhythm and working with the pendulum, we become disillusioned and stay in the backward movement, not knowing that just getting into a rhythm and continuing to move forward would so quickly make all the difference.
I am reminded that when I get into the rhythm with my business, with my exercise routine, with training my dog, with any goals I set out to accomplish in 2012 that the beginning is the hardest part. It seems that no progress is being made at all. Setbacks seem so big, because the forward distance is not yet great enough to show their insignificance. 
I don't know what kept me moving forward so far. I took more than a week off of my exercise routine, yet I've still lost a few pounds. I felt stagnated in the progress of training my dog, yet at agility class this week, he overcame 2 major obstacles he's been completely stuck on. And I have not yet mastered the new business habits I mean to put in place this year, yet I am on track to achieve my first goal of the year and the referrals and new business leads keep rolling in. 
Some achievements have been so small, but for whatever reason I noticed them. And I'm thankful. Celebrating the small achievements keeps me juiced to keep pushing for the large ones.
What is your momentum doing for you in 2012?

How would YOU like to come home to a room filled with candlelight?

Image by jason tinder via FlickrI came home last night to the often copied scene from countless movies. It was the end of a long day, I walked into my family room to find a room filled with light from nothing but candles and a tiny Christmas tree. That's right, my husband did that, with no prompting whatsoever. 
Now don't get me wrong, this was not a grand gesture to sweep me off my feet, but it was the perfect end to a very long day.
I felt immediately relaxed, transported and removed from being tired, having a list of things to worry about and work on and simply melted into the couch.
Maybe this doesn't appeal to you. Maybe you don't have long days, and don't come home mentally and physically exhausted.
Maybe at this time of year, the late sunrise and early sunset don't make the days seem 30 hours long.
But I can tell you, I was sure happy that my home has candles to light, that my husband knows where they are, and that even when I'm not home, he thinks to light them up just for himself, because coming home to a room filled with candlelight was the perfect, relaxing end to my day.
Thanks Hubby!

Commuting in the dark

Image by reverses via FlickrImage by jo-h via FlickrGrey skies, late sunrise and early sunset getting you down? 

This time of year, we start to slip into the blahs. You get up in the morning and it's still dark. You drive to work, it's still dark. You drive home from work and it's STILL dark. OK, maybe not still, but it feels like it, doesn't it?


Did you know, there is actually a chemical reason for these "blahs"?

When our eyes detect darkness, a small gland in the brain called the pineal releases melatonin, which establishes sleep cycles. When we detect light, melatonin production subsides and its cheerier hormonal sibling, serotonin, takes over to promote wakefulness and help elevate mood. (The word serotonin is rooted in serum + tonic, so it's like an elixir for happiness. Melatonin is the mel or "black" tonic, for darkness.)

So, in the dark months of winter, you are actually experiencing an increase in melatonin and a decrease in serotonin in your body. Freaky, eh? And you thought it was just in your head!


Whether you are entertaining a group, or just your family, heck even just yourself, light and fragrance are the most effective and easiest way to improve your home's mood and ambiance.  Candles allow you to provide both.  They create elegant subtle lighting, beautifully decorate your home with texture and color, and their fragrances can be tailored to fit any mood or environment.

And, did you know that fragrance is the sense most closely tied to emotion? 

Layering candle fragrances is a great way to make unique scents and create your own ambiance.  Burn a vanilla candle near a strawberry candle to create a, "Strawberry Shortcake aroma."  Or burn a cinnamon candle near an apple candle to create a scrumptious, "Apple Pie" Remember to light your candles ½-hour before your guests arrive to allow the fragrances time to diffuse in your rooms.    

What are your favorite ways to beat the grey winter blues?

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Feeding your family can be fun!

Image by panduh via Flickr

Is your free time limited? Have you ever experienced an ounce of guilt after spending a few quality hours with your girlfriends? You are in luck with this fun girls night idea! Another plan to combine your chores with fun and friendship, and probably wine :) you’ll prepare meals together to freeze and eat at a later date. We all have to eat, so why not find a way to make the prep work more fun? It’s a win-win situation: You get to spend a few hours actively connecting with your friends while saving yourself time in the busy holiday weeks ahead.
Setting and Setup
The nice thing about this party is the only room you have to clean is the kitchen! 
First, pick a simple theme for the recipes you will make, such as casseroles, soups, chilis, or chicken dishes. Consider your friends’ budgets when setting your theme. You may want to limit the meals to 4- or 5-ingredient recipes. A great resource for make ahead recipes is http://onceamonthmom.com/.

If someone is making lasagna, they should bring foil pans or you can provide.
Have plenty of freezer bags, small zip-seal bags and aluminum foil on hand. You will also need labels and/or a Sharpie marker. Single girls: You may want to have small freezer bags or plastic containers so you can freeze individual portions.
On the day of the party, you will want to make sure your kitchen is sparkling and ready for your friends. Clear the counters, wipe down the stovetop and clean out the frig.
Invitations
With preparations made, now it’s time to invite your girlfriends! Because of time and space constraints, limit your guest list to five or fewer.
Try sending your invitations on recipe cards: Recipe for a Great Evening
4 chatty friends
5 different dishes
1 cup of laughter
1 hot stove
A splash of wine
And the key ingredient: You!

We’ll be cooking up freeze-ahead recipes while we enjoy each other’s company. Please bring all the ingredients to make your favorite recipe (times 5!). You’ll leave with 5 different meals to put in your freezer.

Food and Drink
Super simple is the key here. You are going to be cooking up a storm, so you don’t want to be tired out from preparing snacks for your guests. Popcorn, chips, store-bought brownie bites, or other easy nibbles are all you need. Be sure to have sodas, beer, wine, a pitcher of margaritas, or whatever your crew likes to drink at the ready.
Ready, Set, Cook!
Pack the finished dish in as many zip-top bags or foil pans as needed. Wrap securely.
Using a permanent marker (we love Sharpies), write the name of the recipe on the bag as well as any special instructions…e.g. “cook at 350 for 50 minutes,” or “serve over pasta.”
Connecting Activities
Spending time in the kitchen together is a great opportunity to share joys, setbacks and thoughts on life over food. Here are few potential conversation starters:
-Your favorite food related memory
-Who is your favorite chef
-How you learned to cook (or didn’t)
-Your signature recipe

If you want to add something extra special, here are few party favor ideas:
- Find plain aprons at a craft store (sometimes you can even find then at the dollar store) and decorate with fabric paints, or create iron-on transfers using a favorite picture of you and your girlfriends.
- Chicken Soup for the Girlfriend’s Soul
- Ask your girlfriends to send you their recipes ahead of time so you can make copies and have them ready to hand out at the party. You can put them in page protectors, or, if you are feeling ambitious, start a “Girlfriends Cookbook” binder that you can add to each time you get together to cook.

Give this fun party idea a try, you have to cook anyway, and now you get to do it while gabbing with your friends. Try it, and you may discover a new tradition. What a blast to get things done AND have fun. All it takes is a little advance planning and a kitchen full of girlfriends!

Ho Ho Home for the Holidays

Image via Wikipedia

It's the start of the holiday season. What does Thanksgiving mean to you and your family? 

I host Thanksgiving Day with my in-laws and the day after with my sister and her family. It's the family holiday I've claimed :D I LOVE to cook, and I'm pretty good at it. Yeah, I know we're supposed to be all humble and stuff, but hey, I'm a darned good cook and I'm proud of it!

I love to try out subtle twists to the holiday standards. This year, I'm doing a marinade for the turkey before hand to get some additional layers of flavor. I also inject my bird with wine and spices (helps to have a sister in the medical field that gets me these great syringes) and make an herb butter that I lay on under the skin on the breast and thighs. Juicy, flavorful turkey... mmm mmm.

I've gotten better at letting family members bring contributions for the official meal, though it's hard for me to relinquish control.

My mashed potatoes will be standard, but I'm making a mushroom gravy from the turkey drippings as well as a mushroom sourdough stuffing and standard sweet potatoes with apples.

Image via WikipediaI love the family stories from Thanksgivings past. Love that my in-laws don't hold back on giving me "the business". When my husband and I first started dating, I went to Thanksgiving at my in-laws. They have a family rule that you have to eat something 3 times before you're allowed to say you don't like it.

On the 3rd year, I emphatically proclaimed that I did NOT like brussel sprouts and would not be eating them again. My father-in-law was relentless giving me a hard time all through the dinner meal. At the end, Mike's grandmother moved her glass and we all spied that she had hidden her brussel sprouts in a pile behind her glass and did not eat them either. I couldn't believe she had sat there and let me take all the grief through the meal and didn't say a word! We laugh about that year after year.

I also am a food separatist. I do not like my foods to mingle. Thanksgiving is one of those meals where I often leave lines on my plate where the food items ran together which I won't eat. Another opportunity for my father-in-law to give me endless grief.

Love the laughter of family around a full table. That is what Thanksgiving is for me. A table filled with great food and lots of family and loads of laughter. With copious amounts of wine, of course!!

My sister is coming home for Thanksgiving this year from Denver, CO. As she spends Thanksgiving day with her in-laws, we've adopted a new family tradition of a Friday meal. My parents hosted this meal until they moved to Arizona last year. I'm looking forward to spending the day cooking and eating with my sister and my niece. We'll start with brunch and mimosas, then snacks and munchies and then move to a nice non-turkey holiday meal. My father is an amazing gourmet cook and his meals are out of this world 6 course meals complete with some amazing soup. This year I'm doing a cranberry marinated pork roast, pasta carbonara (a family favorite) and green beans almondine with a Pear Frangipane tart for dessert.

I can't wait to hang out all day with my sister and her family, playing games, cooking, munching and of course, drinking lots of wine ;)

What are your Thanksgiving traditions? Is it just another day to you or do you look forward to it every year like I do?

Do you host or do you bring a dish? Do you travel or do you stay local?

Wishing the warmest of Holiday greetings to all on this Thanksgiving week. May your table overflow with great food, great wine, love and laughter!

Catch my latest newsletter with more holiday tips and recipes!

http://www.shannonbednowicz.com/lifesaparty.html

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Black Friday Wrap-A-Thon (with wine) Party

I promised you some great ideas for fun Girlfriend get-togethers - so let's get started!

Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving and biggest shopping day of the year, in case you’re not aware) is just around the corner. The wee morning hours, mobs of people, neverending lines, and aching feet: remember those from last year? Who wouldn’t need a drink after the race to that finish line? If you are going to be out and about anyway, why not meet afterward for some girl time? It will give you the opportunity to show off your bargains, get some wrapping done and nourish your body, soul and mind with good food and great company.

Invitations

You might say something like this:

Join the girls Black Friday

after your shopping is done

let’s get the gifts

all wrapped up

and have some fun.

Set-Up

Ask each girlfriend to pick up a few rolls of wrapping paper, tape, boxes or ribbons on their way through the checkout and bring them to the gathering. It is always better to have too many wrapping materials than too few. This will also help to reduce the cost of wrapping for each person. Plus, moms take note: it is always nice to wrap your kids’ gifts in paper that isn’t physically in your own house. Lest your five-year-old say, “Mommy, is Santa real? Because why would he use the same wrapping paper that is under your bed?”

Alternatively, you can get the fixings to make your own wrapping paper. Especially if you or your girlfriends to home-made gifts. Instead of wrapping mall bought gifts, get crafty and make some one of a kind wrapping paper and gift bags.

The house does not have to be spotless; everyone is busy with the holidays. They will just be excited to hang out and put up their feet. Plan to use the room in your house with the biggest area to wrap gifts.

Set up a wrapping station. A large table with wrapping paper, scissors, tape. Have a 2nd area with bows, ribbons, gift tags and pens. At my house, I like to wrap presents in a big open spot on the floor. You'll have to corral any helpful pets, however.

Food and Drink

Make it simple– order out! Just make sure to order from someone who delivers. Pizza is super and easy. Or Chinese—whatever you are in the mood for, just make sure you can call it in. You don’t want to have to stop on your way home; the day is too busy for that. Instead, let your fingers do the walking and you can do the talking—with your girlfriends.

While you’re shopping for Thanksgiving this week, just throw a few extra things in the cart. Some ideal quick munchies might include: Hummus and pita chips, pretzels and spicy mustard, pre-cut cheese and crackers, and carrots and veggie dip. Those are all things you can throw in a bowl and serve without having to think about it.

Some drink ideas to warm the soul: Hot cocoa with a side pour of schnapps, spiced eggnog and of course WINE! Be sure to offer water as well. After all that running around, everyone is sure to need a little shot of H20.

Activities

A lot of wrapping and chatting will be done at this gathering, so the activities will be pretty minimal. But some quick suggestions might include:

Things to talk about. 

1. How did you learn the truth about Santa and at what age? 
2.  What do you enjoy most about the holidays? 
3. Are there any holiday traditions in your family that you feel are important to pass on? 
4. If you could only remember one Christmas, which one would it be and why? 
5. What is the most non-traditional thing you have adopted into your holidays?

Match the Santa list game. Ask everyone to write down some of the things they asked Santa for as a child. The hostess will randomly read off the lists of each girlfriend’s childhood wants. Your gal pals try to match the guests with what they asked for. The one with the most correct answers wins.

Weirdest gift guessing game. Ask everyone to write down the weirdest gift ever received at the holidays. The hostess will read the answers randomly. The guests will try to match the weirdest gift with its receiver. The one with the most correct answers wins.

Prizes and party favors are not necessary for the games or this party. It will be enriching just to learn some things about the girls that you never knew. Learning more about each other enhances our girlfriend relationships. What better prize could a girl ask for?

We hope you take time to turn the race of Black Friday into something special, a winning finale to this busiest of all shopping days. Your girlfriends will be appreciative, even if the invite is last-minute. 

What black-friday activities did you enjoy last year? 

Are you planning to hit the malls or hide-out at home?

Keeping Committments

Image by Lutz-R. Frank via Flickr

The end of 2011 is on the horizon. We're nearing the time when we look back on the year and reflect what we've accomplished and what we haven't. We look at the goals we set and mark our progress on achieving them as we get ready to make our plans for the New Year.

This year was my year to be fit. Physically, spiritually, emotionally, financially, and fit in my family and business life. In some areas, I've done well, and in others I still have a long way to go. There are some things I desperately want to accomplish and breakthrough by the end of the year, mostly in my business and in my finances.

Thankfully, I've come to a place in my life where I am making great choices around honoring and supporting my commitment to my family and friends. Given the choice of spending time with friends and family or doing something else, I've been spending time with friends and family. 

My husband and I don't have children, we have dogs. Well, we currently have a dog, as we lost our older guy last month. Always high on my list of commitments to myself is spend more quality time with the dogs. The loss of Darwin has spurred me into action and I finally enrolled Apex in an agility class, as I've been meaning to do since we took a few lessons last October. We had our first lesson last night and I now have Thursday evenings blocked off as time with Apex at agility. 

It feels SO great to keep that commitment to myself and to my loved one (my dog). 

This is the time of year when we think with warmth and fondness of our friend and our family and all our loved ones. We promise once more to spend more time with one another and to make a point of seeing each other. 

I invite you to keep your commitment to yourself. Honor your intentions and seize every opportunity to enjoy life with your loved ones. 

Life is always shorter than we think. 

The floor doesn't have to be waxed today, the drapes don't need to be ironed. Take a look at your to do list and make sure that on that list is an action item to spend some time with those you love. You never know when that last chance will be.

Stay tuned for some FUN ideas for different holiday get togethers!