Mistletoe: An Im-PECK-able Christmas Tradition
Christmastime has more plants with fascinating legends and symbolism than any other U.S. holiday season, and undoubtedly the kissing ball is best known for its link to love and romance. If it is December, and there is a sprig of mistletoe hung in a doorway, chances are you will find a couple smooching underneath. While […]
Have Yourself a Merry Little Old-Timey Christmas
The “COVID Christmas” of 2020 was anything but “old-timey.” We: barely left the house…except for riding around and looking at the decorations didn’t put up the tree…but settled for some outdoor lights connected with family from our couch via Zoom and Facetime…which was great, but a far cry from the real thing. I have to […]
Andragogy: How to Teach Grown-ups
Andragogy? Chances are, you may never even have heard of it. But if you teach, sell to, or speak to adults in any capacity—as a salesperson, educator, corporate trainer, or even as a Sunday school teacher—you’ll make a greater impact on your audience if you understand something about andragogy. Andragogy is “the art and science […]
ReDESIGNS by Ava: Your Own Front Door
“It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Toys in ev’ry store, but the prettiest sight to see is the holly that will be on your own front door.” ~ Meredith Wilson “It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas”….seems it starts earlier every year. Since mid-summer, stores have been enticing us to start our […]
Keeping Christmas Gifts under Control
The scenario seems to be the same every year. On Christmas morning you have beaming children frolicking in a sea of gifts, wrapping paper strewn about, and excited voices proclaiming this is the best Christmas EVER. Fast forward a week or a month… and how many of those initially loved gifts have fallen to the […]
Lifestyle Tweaks to Make this Winter
If you absolutely dread winter, or are at best “stoical” about it, here’s an opportunity to turn that around by: Rethinking routines Considering adaptations Managing temptations By putting yourself in control of how you experience this season, you may find that you actually enjoy it. First Things First: Your Health Diet Do you tend to […]
The Joy Of Giving – The More You Give, The More You Receive
We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give. – Winston Churchill Sincerely giving from the heart fills your life with joy and nurtures your soul. Giving, in whatever way you choose, offers rewards that are of much more value than any gift could be. As Mahatma Gandhi […]
Gingerbread Houses…a Spicy Past!
No confectionary treat symbolizes the holiday season quite like the spicy, candy-laden, edible gingerbread house. The modern-day U.S. Christmas tradition of gathering friends and family members to assemble and decorate these fantastical houses actually has roots (pardon the pun) in China. The ginger root srigavera (Sanskrit) is translated “root shaped like a horn” – a […]
5 Areas to Create Boundaries for a Joy Filled Holiday Season
The real Christmas Miracle a lot of us are looking for is a stress-free holiday season. It’s no mystery that the holidays can be a little overwhelming, and by the time December rolls in full force, levels of anxiety and stress are here. (As in last-minute online gift shopping for your hard-to-impress mother-in-law while burning […]
Zoom Dysmorphia
At the beginning of the pandemic, I knew we would have a lot of trauma from staring at ourselves. And now, nearly two years later, we’re facing this crushing realization that this trauma does exist, and this particular flavor is called Zoom Dysmorphia. Shadi Kourosh, an assistant professor of dermatology at Harvard Medical School, realized […]
