Living Well Etc.

  Eat Well, Spend Less, and Engage Children This Holiday Season As a young mother, many years later a small business owner, now retired, I've always found ways to save money.   The holidays often bring budget-busting challenges, especially when hosting the extended-family Thanksgiving dinner.  However, after 30+ years of hosting, I've come up with some great money-saving tips.  Follow along as I share mine with you.    Decorate with found objects or real fruit and vegetables. Feeding a large group of people doesn't leave much room in the budget for decorations.  This doesn't have to be an issue as most of us have just the right table centerpiece in our own homes.   I often dress a large oval plate with leaves, pine needles, or herbs from my garden.  On top of this, I arrange fruit, vegetables, nuts, pinecones...whatever I can find that looks appealing.  One year, I filled the plate with bright orange persimmons accented with vibrant yellow Euryops flowers—b

  All Treats and No Tricks for Those Who Go Green As an avid recycler, composter, and green gardener, I use every opportunity to be green .  Halloween can be a bit tricky but offers us a chance to be inventive with our eco-friendly efforts.  Let's explore some of my favorite green and eco-friendly ways to celebrate this ghoulish holiday. Trick or Treat Goodies Treats don't always have to be food .   In fact, most candy packaging is excessive with a tiny treat packaged inside paper, packaged inside plastic, making most a non-green option.      As a retired teacher and gardener, my favorite choices are recycled bookmarks, stickers, and seed packets.   Ghostly Parties Halloween parties are a much better green option for serving organic, home-baked goodies in a safe environment.   Involving children in the planning, baking and hosting makes this an even more memorable event.   Compostable Invitations Begin by hand-delivering handmade invitations for those who don

  The Hostess Gift An invitation to another’s home is a privilege and honor, so the good guest would behave as such.   Guests should bring some type of gift such as a bottle of wine, flowers, or even a single rose as a token of appreciation.   Note : It’s much easier for the host if flowers are already in a vase.   Dollar stores usually have nice ones in stock.   One dollar and done! Must-Follow Rules Guests should avoid picking up or reading notes laying around, entering rooms uninvited, putting feet up on the furniture, or indulging in anything unoffered.   After the gathering, guests should also write a thank-you note thanking the host for including him/her. More by Rebecca How to Avoid the Biggest Party Planning Mistakes How to Create a Great Guest List Party Hosting Reluctance: Why and How to Overcome it?

  Dear Rebecca, What are the biggest party mistakes people typically make?   Is there a magic formula to planning correctly? Just Asking Dear Just Asking , No one wants to sit next to a bore or attend a party and not know anyone but the host.   These two mistakes are preventable.   Always create a guest list with ultimate care.   And don’t sit two shy, quiet people next to each other; neither will initiate a conversation.   I also find it especially offensive when a host expects his guests to cater his party or if it is to be held in a restaurant , expecting the guests to pay for their owns meals.   Very poor manners. Always consider who your guests are, what they prefer, and provide it.  This is your magic formula.   Most sincerely, Rebecca More by Rebecca The ABCs of Party Planning How to Create a Great Guest List Party Hosting Reluctance: Why and How to Overcome it?

  Choosing Refreshments Based on the Guest List & Type of Party Dear Rebecca, I want to plan a great party .  Please inform me of how to choose the food, drink, and atmosphere.   Also, could you tell me more about types of parties, theme parties, and when is best for the usual vs. elegant event?   Clueless Dear Clueless, The first thing I think of when planning a party , besides the guest list, is the food and which wines I will pour.   Food and drink are essential components of any party.   The type of party the host wishes to host will dictate what type of food and beverages are served. However, there are times that I will purchase a new bottle of wine and while thinking of what type of food will best match it, will experience an epiphany. Suddenly, I just know that I want to share this type of wine paired with a certain food with a particular group of people.   The best host knows what their guests like to eat and drink, and how they like to celebrate and will

  Dear Rebecca, I’d like to know your insights about creating a perfect guest list and how to choose the size of the party .   Wants to Party! Dear Wants to Party! The size of the guest list depends upon the intimacy level the host is trying to create but should always be made with care. The best parties are those where everyone interacts and is stimulated by the conversation of the others in attendance.   So, the mix of people is very important.   Most sincerely, Rebecca More by Rebecca Q & A: The Best and Worst Parties I’ve Hosted or Attended Using Teachable Moments When Planning & Hosting Parties Party Hosting Reluctance: Why and How to Overcome it?

  Dear Rebecca, What do you think keeps most people from having a party ?   How do reluctant hosts overcome this?   Lots of Questions Dear Lots of Questions, Parties are a lot of work!   The host must create a list of guests who complement each other, plan, prepare a delicious menu , mingle, and clean up.   Why would anyone want to work that hard?   I believe the only reason anyone might want to host a party is to enjoy the company of others or to honor someone specific.   Some reluctant hosts are uncomfortable with others coming into their homes and causing a mess.   If this is the issue, these people should probably skip hosting parties. Most likely, guests would feel the host’s uncomfortableness.     For the timid host-to-be who simply cannot boil an egg… go for it.   Enjoying a special evening with a group of friends is, well, there is nothing like it. One way to help with this anxiety is to buy prepared food and invite a small group for the first gathering.   Th

  The Worst Party Dear Rebecca, What is the worst and parties you’ve attended or given as well as what made them so? Wondering Dear Wondering, The worst I hosted was for my daughter’s 12 th birthday party. My planning focused on all the invitees: gift bags, a variety of games with prizes, birthday cake, candles, and the lot.   The one thing I didn’t plan well was to make sure that my daughter was the center of attention.   I expected her to be a cohost and cater to the guests.   Not good.    Huge mistake!   This was her special occasion, her party.   Children want to feel as if their birthday party is all about them.   They need to win some of the prizes.   They need to be the center of attention.   They need to feel special.   So, this was a good lesson for me.   Message to daughter: Sorry, Shannon.   You are special to me.   The Best Party One of my dear friends hosted a wonderful dinner party for a group of ten exceptional people.   We all knew and ha

After many years of visiting our great state of California’s countless wineries, I've found the key to creating the perfect wine tasting experience.   Furthermore, I'm sharing it with you.   Shhhh...we don't want everyone learning about this.   It's our little secret. Create a Moment with the Pourer Just about everyone loves attention and the pourer at the winery is no different.   This person usually knows quite a bit about the wines and most often wants to share it.   So, inquire about the wines, how the grapes are grown, and where.   Ask questions, even if you consider the questions to be too simple.   The plus side is that you just may learn more as well.   My favorite question is, "What am I smelling in this wine?   I can't seem to identify it." Now if the tasting room is empty besides you and the pourer, usually, the more you engage this person, the more he/she will share.   For example, during a visit to Silverado Vineyards in Napa where

  While enjoying one of my favorite past times, I had an epiphany.  I realized that there is etiquette involved when gardening, which I should have realized sooner.   After all, there is etiquette involved and expected in every aspect of our lives.  Except, I hadn't really thought much about "Gardening Etiquette" and what that might entail.  And, how about you? I wonder what all of you think of this concept.  Do you think there is etiquette when gardening (for our plants, for our land, for our neighborhood, etc.)?  The thought and question have my mind working as a mouse on a little wheel.  So, let's get that mouse running full speed here. Respect for Our Plants First, consider how we treat our plants.  Since we care about our plants and want to treat them with respect , we would also want to consider their comfort.  Yes, this means planting them where they would thrive and not in some dismal spot where they would suffer.  We would never plant our begonias in

  Stay Healthy During Season Changes Every autumn my immune system goes into hyperdrive as if it is trying to fight off some fierce monster virus.  After two decades of multiple sclerosis – or what I like to call it: what will it do to me today? – I've come to expect the flu symptoms, severe fatigue, and achy muscles my immune response to the change of weather brings.  It is an all-out assault against my body and mind.  Why is Season Change an Immune-System Trigger? With temperatures dropping from warm to cold, the change of season affects everyone at some level.  After all, this change adds stress to the body, thus triggering an immune system response.  Fold in the increased chances of contracting a cold or virus and this is a challenging time for all of us—autoimmune disease or no.  Through the years, though, I have found ways to combat this assault.  Plus, the pandemic taught us many general health lessons.  I’ve found wearing a mask to be one of my best weapons agai

  Diet and Exercise is my Fountain of Youth Menopause is a major life change for women.   Some welcome it, as it means the end of the dreaded monthly visitor.   Nevertheless, some mourn , viewing it as the end of their youth.   No doubt, menopausal women are not as youthful as we once were, but this can be the best time of our lives.   So true, except for that one enormous elephant in the room.   That elephant can be us due to the typical weight gain associated with menopause.   My experience is slightly different than most because I am also saddled with a chronic disease that limits my activities .   Combine the natural weight gain many menopausal women face with the neurological damage of multiple sclerosis and I could become that elephant quite easily.   Yet, I am not.   Why?   Follow me and I will share all my secrets.   Move that body! Even though my form of MS is a chronic progressive type, which chips away at my stamina, I have found that I can exert myself for short pe