Oh Christmas Tree, Verse Two

I've made progress since last week. The tree is up, it's decorated and there's even one wrapped package under it. Yay me!

My shopping is done also. It's all piled on the futon in my office, waiting to be wrapped. Some of it will have to be mailed and the rest will be hand delivered at various and sundry times.

I've made my Christmas card list and two partial boxes of cards are on the dining room table waiting to be signed and addressed. I don't expect that to happen quite yet. I still have to compose my annual Christmas letter, complete with photo of the granddaughter. Or maybe it will be family photos from my mother's visit in the fall and from Thanksgiving.

The rest of the apartment is decorated too. The wreath's on the front door, the bar has red mesh garland with some hurricane candles and a poinsettia. The wire basket that usually holds fake apples now has Christmas balls in it.



The Nativity set is in place. I got it in Bethlehem so it's very special. I visited Israel in August 1980 and our tour of the walled city was so fast I tell people that I ran where Jesus walked.





The stocking is hung by the bookcase with care. No fireplace, so this has to do. I also got a new stocking hanger this year. Some certain individuals I know complained about my small stocking and flimsy hanger last year. Okay, problem rectified. ;-)



And here's the tree. I like how it turned out. It's traditional like me and has a few old ornaments on it, but mostly it reflects my new life.



And one of my favorite ornaments is this. Of course it stands for my first name -- Marilyn. But I also like to think it stands for Me or Mine because I don't have to argue about whether or not to put tinsel or garland on the tree, whether I'll open gifts on Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, whether I eat turkey or ham or a Healthy Choice dinner on Christmas.



It's my life now and different as it may be, I can make what I want of it. In our divorce group, we call it "creating a new normal."

There's still lots to do and a couple of Christmas parties to attend. But also, I have a couple of Christmas romances I want to read. They caught my eye on the shelf and I bought them last month. I told myself I couldn't read them until I'd finished NaNoWriMo. I started reading the first book last night. I was crying by the end of the acknowledgements. I'm such a sap. I also have Christmas movies on my DVR and I need to watch them or it'll fill up and dump them off.

So... are YOU ready for Christmas? Or at least on the way to being ready? Are you like me and it's just not quite the Christmas season until you've heard Bing sing "White Christmas," watched at least one Christmas movie and read a Christmas romance?

It's September already!

And where in the heck have the last eight months gone?

Back to school items are already on sale, Halloween and fall items are crowding the shelves and I even caught myself looking at the price of artificial Christmas trees at Hobby Lobby last week. I need a new tree this year. Some very dear friends gave me a gift certificate to a Christmas store and because the store was having a nice sale and because I tend to think of myself as a pretty savvy shopper, I got double the bounty from the Christmas store.

However, I now have waaaaaaaaaay more beautiful Christmas decorations than will fit on my little Charlie Brown four-foot tree I got from the thrift store last year before I moved into my new apartment. Don't get me wrong. That tree made Christmas wonderful for me last year. I had only been out on my own for about a month by Thanksgiving and that's usually when I put up my tree. I had brought along a few things, bought a few others and I had my tree.

But now, I want to showcase my new stuff and a 4.5 foot tree just ain't gonna do it. So I'm going to have to start doing some serious bargain hunting for 7 to 7.5 foot slim line trees. I promise to post pictures once I get it and get it decorated. It's going to be gawgeous!

And in other decorating news, remember those Command strips I blogged about last week? I used them again. This time I put a bulletin board on the outside of the closet door in my office/spare bedroom. And because I'm having a problem getting some artwork mounted evenly on the wall, I'm going to try them with that. I have 3 of my True Romance and Confessions covers framed and on the wall. And try as I might I simply cannot get them even. I've used a level, measured carefully and the darned things are still not right. I think the Command picture hanging strips might solve the problem.

I also got an email from someone who apparently read my "favorite things" blog. I'll pass it along because some of you may be interested in entering:


I know you are no stranger to decorating your space, but did you know that a recent survey commissioned by Command products revealed that one in four women haven’t redecorated their home since Bill Clinton was in office?

Beginning September 5, Command Brand wants to reward you and your readers for creating your own amazing transformations in the Take Command of Your Space Facebook Contest. You could win $500, plus a flip-video camera and a prize pack of Command products!

Simply visit Facebook.com/CommandBrand and upload a photo or two - we love before and after shots! - along with a tip about how you use Command products to simplify, organize or decorate your space. We’re selecting a new winner every week through December 25, so you can enter more than once!

Let me know if you have any questions. Looking forward to your entry!

Best,
Alicia XYZ
XYZ Public Relations
--

I'm not sure my mirror or bulletin board will blow them away, but if I come up with some other nifty uses, I might send in some photos because the $500 would buy that tree at Hobby Lobby.

Have YOU redecorated since Bill Clinton was in office (FYI this was 1993 - 2001)? If so, share some of your decorating tips. If you haven't redecorated, what would you love to do if money were no object?

Slow Dancing, Feng Shui-ing to the Music

From wordnetweb.princeton.edu: feng shui (pronounced fung shway) - rules in Chinese philosophy that govern spatial arrangement and orientation in relation to patterns of yin and yang and the flow of energy or qi.

Almost four years ago, I posted about an online Feng Shui class I took and how I was trying to apply the principles to my office. Not long after that I sold my first short story and I became a true believer.

Here's the Bagua Map, or the guide to applying Feng Shui principles. In this version of Feng Shui, the map is oriented toward the entrance to a room. The entrance will always be along the bottom of the map.

Now I have a new office (with a reorganized Keeper Shelf and washed curtains I might add) and the RWA PRO group had Feng Shui as part of their January bootcamp (see what you're missing by not being a PRO???), so I began the Feng Shui process again.

• Red valances over the window -- check



• Framed magazine covers over the desk -- check



• A meaningful plaque in my Zen area -- check



• Two wooden angels hung over the door in the Helpful People area -- check

The rest of the room would have to wait until I can buy a sofa and move the futon from my living room to my office. But still, something didn't seem quite right.

Then whammo! I realized the furniture in this office is reversed from my old one. The desk is in the Creativity area and the futon will go in the Health/Family area. I had the wrong artwork hung in the wrong place. Oh noes!

So... the framed magazine covers came down to wait in the closet until they can be hung over the futon. But what could I do for the wall over the desk? It has a hutch top so there's a limited amount of wall space above it.

I perused the art I'd moved with me and took one of the metal pieces from the old office, found two round wooden pieces at my fave decorating place, Hobby Lobby, and the Feng Shui for that area feels as right as rain now.

My desk and the revised art over it. I'll tackle the cluttered shelves next because clutter is a negative force anywhere.

The red valances.


The Keeper Shelf and the angels over the door

Truer words have never been spoken

My Zen area plaque because a gal's gotta keep a positive attitude.

Next I need to work on the clutter because clutter just saps the energy right out of a room.

I've had fun playing with the feng shui and while I've been decorating my office and bedroom, I've carried the bagua map in my purse so I'll know if that green wood wall hanging will work in the Health/Family area (it will) or if I should pass on the single red vase because things in the Relationship area should be in pairs.

Whether it really works or I just had some good timing is up in the air. But it sure doesn't hurt to try.

Have you ever done any Feng Shui with your dwelling?

P.S. Our very own Problem Child will be blogging tomorrow at The Pink Heart Society blog. Please pop over and say hi to her.