Wishing You and Your Family a Merry Christmas!

As I write this my mind is scanning the completed 'to do' lists for anything forgotten. Tree trimmed, cards sent, gifts bought, gifts wrapped, groceries for Christmas dinner all gathered, all check, check, check (I hope:)

And while it's a festive time, the Christmas season is also a hectic time. We feel stresses and pressures to fit all this preparation in on top of our everyday lives and hope that by the time the big day arrives, it was all worth it and nothing was forgotten.

It's also a time that provides more challenges for some than others. Whether it be a first Christmas without a loved one or another challenge that changes the face of the holidays for someone, we must recognize that the holiday season also provides an opportunity to reach out to those that need us-to those that may be or feel forgotten.

And so while I give thanks for my family and look forward to celebrating the holiday with them, I will remember those no longer with us and also, make an effort to reach out to the forgotten. Won't you do the same?

From my family to yours, Merry Christmas and I wish you a great 2011~ The possibilities are endless!

Thank you for your friendship and your business.

Joanne

The Seven Days of Christmas!

It's Saturday morning and I'm sure many of you are looking at that list that you have been carrying around for weeks. It's probably a bit doggy eared and crumpled, making it hard to read but it's become almost a bible of sorts reminding you of all that has to be done in time for the holidays. Christmas is a week from today and hopefully there are more items on the list marked complete than not.

But if not don't worry. We tend to get ourselves a bit worked up around holiday preparations as we put a lot of pressure on ourselves. We have our everyday life to continue on with and then throw Christmas prep in the mix and it becomes very busy. And with the goal being to enjoy the holidays with family and friends, that should be another item on the list - don't sweat the small stuff, it will get done and be wonderful!

With 7 days to go it's a good time to take some time for yourself. Grab a hot chocolate with a friend and enjoy a nice visit before conquering any more items on THAT list and enjoy the moment for what it is. Life is made up of moments and often we are too busy to enjoy them.

And with that I leave you with a few tips that might help make this last week a little more enjoyable!
*Delegate - when you can, give someone else in your household an errand to do
*Get out early - the malls are less busy first thing in the morning
*Wrap as you go - it makes a huge difference
*Make writing the holiday cards a family affair and put everyone to work helping
*Don't fret about not baking enough -compliment some of your homemade baking with some nice treats at the store. Your family and friends will not mind!

Enjoy your weekend.

Joanne

Winter Ready

Good Morning!

As I write this from my cozy den I can't help but be thankful to be inside as the freezing rain hits the window! A coffee and fire going in the fireplace makes it a perfect day to be inside. And even though it's a hectic time of year with lots to do outside of the house i.e. shopping at  the mall for the perfect gifts, picking up baking supplies at the grocery store and hitting the craft store for supplies to enhance the holiday season decor both inside and out, sometimes it's nice to just stay in and enjoy time with the family on a day like today.

This weather is a great prompt for preparing an emergency kit for the car. You never know when you might get stranded and having a few key supplies in your vehicle can really be helpful. A blanket, matches, candles, a flashlight, some food items that have a longer shelf life like some chocolate and a box of crackers and a couple of bottles of water stashed in for good measure. You can buy a great first aid kit at Canadian Tire, Walmart or Shoppers Drugmart and then just add another kit for the car with the above mentioned items. It also doesn't hurt to join a service like CAA . Also, check to see if you have roadside assistance with your vehicle as they provide a lot of the same services as CAA.

As for vehicle maintenance in the winter months you should try to keep your gas tank healthy. Never go below a quarter tank of gas in the winter. You never know when you may get stuck in traffic extra long and the last thing you want to worry about in the cold weather is running out of gas! Also, check your tire pressure and oh, make sure you have invested in some winter tires. They really do help with the different road conditions you will experience over the next few months. Additionally, it doesn't hurt to have an extra bottle of -40C windshield wiper fluid in the car as we go through a lot more of it in the winter months. And, if you notice your windshield wipers smearing on the windshield, it's probably time to change them and picking up a pair made specifically for winter is best.

Drive safe and have a great Sunday!

Joanne

Happy Holidays - Themes & Dreams

*As you receive this issue of Home by Design you may be in the throes of holiday planning and chaos as well as looking forward to the start of a new year!

The topic of theme rooms in this month's edition mirrors well with the time of year as we can take the idea of a theme and apply it to our lives and our goals. We can even plan our New Year's resolutions around a theme to make them more attractive and enticing to follow through on!

With this in mind, I have embarked on a 'theme' involving my business and connection with my most valuable resource, you, my client. I am embracing new ideas and concepts within my business so that I may continue to serve you efficiently and thoroughly. Following the rapid growth of online business and its strong presence in the marketplace, I am embracing social media and see it as a powerful tool that provides an interactive form of communication between my clients and myself as well as offering current information on everything to do with my business. I look forward to hearing from you!

Themes & Dreams

I think it's safe to say that we all have ideas and plans. This never seems to be the problem. Rather, it is often executing those great ideas and plans that provide a challenge. Small and wrinkled little bits of paper float around from bulletin boards to notebooks and usually the list gets longer before much gets checked off as finished.

This is where attaching a theme to a project might come in handy. Picking a theme allows you to break down your project and itemize a list of decisions to make. For example, if you ant to modernize a tired powder room and are overwhelmed by paint choices alone, a theme might help. An ocean or beach theme would allow you to focus in on blue as a paint colour, white accents and perhaps some shells in a glass hurricane lamp and an ocean print for the wall.

Why not pick one project on your list and try this approach? Explore the possibilities and see what you come up with. I think you may be pleasantly surprised and even enjoy the process. Drop me a line and let me know how things turned out!

Working for you every day.

Joanne

*These articles are taken from the December/January issue of my 'Home by Design' Magazine.