Christmas Has Past! New Year Here We Come!

Who is ready for the New Year?? 2024, here we come!! 

I love Christmas, but it always comes and goes really fast! I usually love listening to the last few days until New Year's Eve of Christmas stations until the New Year; because it just isn't long enough for me at least! Our family does a White Elephant only to make it more fun to steal, take, or grab a new gift that hasn't been taken. This really makes the holidays less stressful and we really get to enjoy the food, time together, and napping on the couch from being full. My job is less stressful and I love this as a family! We still buy presents for our littles and it makes it fun for them. This makes my heart happy that all of us adults get to watch them get excited opening presents from Santa! It really does take a village to raise children these days. I believe this so much because all of us in our family help each other and work together to accommodate our little ones.  I really got the time to talk to them about how we should be more grateful and the importance of saying, "Thank you" or just writing a thank you note or even drawing a photo of thanks to someone who did something nice for you. They loved this idea!

With all of this talk about spending time together, I decided to really make the photos that I take from my phone and display them in my home. I took this advice from a person that I admire dearly and it spoke so much life into my heart. What a great idea! 

I love my family and want the best for them! I think this is a great reminder of how grateful I really am as a person. Life is too short and we aren't promised tomorrow. So with that being said, I will work harder on being better at organizing photos for them. My grandmother did this and my mom does this. 

This New Year, I have many goals, and trying to organize my life seems so challenging at times. With this being said, I have an organizational way of putting these into general topics to allow you to be more specific. Let's jump right into this:

• Spiritual - Just use two to three examples that you want to improve in your life for each one. 
• Family
• Mind 
• Health 
• Relationships 
• Personal Development 
• Work / Career 
• Finances 

I think that a little progress is better than none at all. So let's start something new ~ what are your goals and dreams?

I would like to wish everyone a most prosperous and Happy New Year! Have a safe and fun New Year's Eve and a great 2024!

Love Shell

Christmas is my favorite time of the year! I love the scents of cinnamon, pomegranate, and vanilla! All of the things that I love to do when getting ready for Christmas are making sure that my candles are where I want them when trying to put me in a great mood and having Christmas music in place as I prepare my meals or get food ready for our parties. The candlelight and music are what I love to create when in a room in my home. Everything else really comes together while preparing meals or decorating during the holidays. How about you? 

I love to create new dishes and make all of our bellies full! This makes us happy and we love our space as we get to be creative! This holiday season has been really busy with all the things that allow me to stay productive. I am pushing through making new decisions for the new year on what is most important for my family and myself. Have you thought about what your New Year resolutions will be this coming new year? I have tried to sit down and be more intuitive about what is most important for us. Sometimes it can be difficult to be clear about what your needs are and what is at the top of your list. Here are some pointers for thinking most clearly when it comes to goals: 

• Specific - Be clear and specific about what it is that you are trying to achieve. 
• Measurable - Is it measurable? 
• Achievable - How long do you think is a reasonable amount of time to achieve your goal?
• Relevant - Is the goal that you have decided on, relevant to what your business is related to?
• Time Bound - Will the time be sufficient for you to be successful? If not, allow yourself a good amount of time to get off track or re-circle back towards your goals.

I learned these in school and have always used them to help me get back on track. This is not for everyone but it helps me to focus on what is important for myself. What helps you? Please share with us.

I hope you all have a great holiday this year! 

Merry Christmas! 

Love Shell

Happy December 1st!

It's that time of year! It's December 1st! Time to get all of those things together that help you prepare for the holidays. Tell me what are some things that help you get ready for your family to celebrate Christmas! What are some things that are important to your family or family traditions that you make sure to pass down for generations to come? Here is a list of things that I do to help us prepare for the holidays:

• Decorating your home, putting up the Christmas tree.
• Prepare a menu for Christmas dinner or brunch (we are doing brunch this year).
• Make a list of what you need at the grocery store before hand and right before preparing your meal.
• Focusing on the elements in the room that I am decorating for that room, for example, candles are important to me and I love all the smells of Christmas and the ambiance it gives. 
• Make a gift list of all the gifts you need to purchase as well as your Christmas cards.
• Within two weeks prior to Christmas, mail your Christmas cards to friends and family, start wrapping gifts, and make sure all Christmas photos are taken. 
• Plan things to do with the kids such as decorating a gingerbread house, or any type of Christmas crafts. I usually love to make cookies with the kids for Santa so there is enough time and we aren't rushing during this time.
• Prepare Christmas brunch and set up the table.
• Enjoy Christmas brunch and have fun spending time with family.

Christmas is a great time with family in the past and I really love it! 

Let us know what you do to plan for the holidays. 

Love Shell