Come sit with me for awhile . . .
and see what I’m bringing to the table ©

It’s a week before Christmas, and all thru your house, not a person is resting, yadah, yadah, yadah .   .   . well you get the idea .   .   .

Let’s face it, holidays are not a walk in the park, or a spa-cation with all the ‘pamper and replenish me’ trappings. Truth be told, (and I do tell it like it is), it can be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, or far worse .   .   . stomps all over your spirit!  Yes, yes I hear you saying .   .   . and my point is??? I’m glad you asked, because .   .   . I come baring pearls of wisdom. Now before you all get too excited, let me say that if you don’t accept wise thoughts, then think about accepting creative ideas. As seen in the above photo .   .   . click to get a seat at my table, and see how patterns of table linens mixed with simple, but elegant place settings create a great backdrop for just enough pops of flights of fancy.

It’s the itty-bitty, teensy-weensy, little nuances, aka pops, that create the big who ha picture of any design. .   .   .  click on photo below to see why this tassel is worth the hassle. Glass red, and black beads fashioned into such a wow accent piece .   .   . must be let out of the closet!!! What, you can’t hear them? People, please remain calm. I am not here to shake you up .   .   . Shhh breathe .   .  . all you need to do is take a second .   .   . not ready yet? Go ahead take a deep cleansing breath, in with the good, out with the bad!  Now take a calm moment to focus on all of your forgotten goodies relegated to dark, cramped drawers, and closets. You just remembered .   .   . Ahhhhhh eureka!!! Now we’re on the same page. Phewww .   .   . for one split second I thought I lost some of you. This accent/pop stuff is just like life .   .   . It’s not how much you put out, but what you put out!!!

I’m here to help soothe the holiday beast lurking in all of us. A good way to find extra minutes to catch up on your to do list, comes from the old play date system, for those of you with young children. All it takes is one mom/dad (or more), who is happy to take a day in the week to keep your wonderfully behaved children, in exchange for you taking her/his equally delightful little ones on another day in the week. As it generally turns out, kids seem to be on their best behavior in other peoples’ homes. Weird ha? I say, just accept the compliments, and beat it to your car!!!  You can now fill your wish list .   .   . it doesn’t matter what’s on your list, organize, exercise, fantasize .   .   . it’s your time, your list, who knows you might even enjoy a fleeting thought .   .   . as to how good life can be, as a member of the ‘ found time club, and reap the rewards!!!

After holidays will be a breeze in the kitchen, by doubling up on your recipes for the next couple of weeks,(or throughout the year) with the help of your freezer, microwave, and tons of healthy choices at your fingertips. Healthy, hot, and a variety. I am a big proponent of hearty soups, filled with veggies, a meat of choice or not, and mouth watering seasonings, made in huge, ginormous, pots. When I prepare soup, I use 2 huge pots, and freeze in portions for two. I also fill a couple of mini sized containers for when I’m in need of good old fashioned ‘comfort food’. Extra time spent for doubling your recipe .  .  . maybe 15 minutes or so.  .  . BUT people, people .   .   . will you reap the rewards in a few weeks. Wow!  Toss a simple (my fav word), salad, add a side dish of choice, and clean-up goes to the .  .  . you guessed it .  .  . the beneficiaries of your excellent cuisine!!! .   .   . You just earned a small mini-cation while the clean-up crew gets into full swing! Now with my way of thinking you could probably fit in a nice hot bubbly soak .   .   . hmmmmm?

More tips next week, for a less stressful holiday season.

*Don’t forget to trim wicks to between 1/4″ to 3/8″ in length each time before burning.

Sharon Insul is the former owner of the popular Beverly Hills boutique Candle light and…

© 2014 Sharon Insul / Tableofferings. All rights reserved (Text and Photography)

I WELCOME YOUR COMMENTS and QUESTIONS  .   .   . sharons3@me.com

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