Are You A Positive Thinker?

During the course of my life I have tried to be a positive thinker and an optimistic person in general.  My children continue to refer to me as "Polly" as in Pollyanna, but I am not oblivious to the negative things that happen in my life or around me.  I just choose to think that my glass is half-full rather than half-empty.

Because these times in which we are living are so troubled, I was pleased to find a way to use a list of positive thoughts, actions, and feelings for two Christmas gifts. The list originated with a man Leo Quinn who has various Internet enterprises and on whose mailing list I am.  I printed out the list for myself.  Then as the holidays came closer for my daughter and my cousin I photocopied the list and cut each word out.  Having at least 365 strips of paper I put each set in an opaque plastic bowl with a red cover (not very elegant but I needed something large enough to hold all the slips of paper).  I told both recipients that I hoped each morning during 2013 they would draw out one piece of paper and focus on that word throughout the day.  Whether they actually will follow through or not I don't know, but I believe if they do that they will benefit from focusing on the positive.  I also gave them other gifts.

Are you a positive or negative individual?  If you are positive, please leave your comments as to how you maintain your positive attitude?  If you are a negative person, what would it take to change your attitude from pessimistic to optimistic?  Share your comments, please.  You never know when what you write will help a person on the other side of your town or on the other side of the world.

Why Do Liquid Medications Have To Taste SO Bad?

Today I am preparing to have both a colonoscopy and endoscopy tomorrow morning.  I don't really mind the procedures (after all, I am sleeping during them), but I absolutely detest the preparation.  After taking four teeny-tiny little pills that always make me terribly sick, having to also drink a gallon of vile-tasting liquid seems like cruel and unusual punishment to me.

When I was a little girl the pediatrician prescribed Cod Liver Oil for my older sister.  Just the smell from the open bottle was foul, and I remember my mother saying she was thankful that it was my sister who had to take it and not me.  My sister was cooperative and did not fight taking it.  As for me, I would and still will take the biggest pill but even a scant teaspoon of liquid medication makes me want to bolt.  When I was a child my mom would have to catch me to give me cough medicine for my annual bouts of bronchitis in the cold Chicago winters.  Sometimes it would take both my father and my mother to accomplish it (one to catch me and hold me still while the other one squeezed my jaws to open my mouth to get the dreaded spoonful of medicine down my throat). 

To this day my own children remember having to take cough medicine during their childhoods in Dallas.
My son is the oldest and he, like my sister, was cooperative and would take it without any problem even though he detested it.  My daughter was always very petite but very strong, and she and I both laugh when we remember the way she would try to escape taking the medicine.  Since her dad traveled much of the time it fell to me to devise a way to hold on to her AND get the medicine in her mouth.  Because she was petite, I would be able to catch her, put her down on the carpeted floor on her back, straddle her to keep her arms and legs from flailing, and then with one hand squeeze her jaws to open her mouth while inserting the spoon with the other hand.  It was always an ordeal, and I knew how awful the medication tasted so I felt terrible for having to force her to take it.  She has long since forgiven me for those episodes which were necessary but never enjoyable.

Now my children are adults with one living on the opposite side of the country and one living on the other side of the world.  They both have visited me recently, and I love them beyond words, but I must admit that I am glad they are not here to see me today as I make myself go through the process of
preparing for tomorrow's tests.............although perhaps they might enjoy a little revenge if together they could catch me and hold me down while pouring that nasty liquid down my throat.  As it is, I must just do what I have to do, like it or not, and know that by this time tomorrow I will be sound asleep on a gurney as my doctor performs both procedures.  I am hopeful I won't require these tests again for another five years and that perhaps in the interim some genius will invent a new prep medication that tastes like a delicious milkshake.  One can only hope...............

Don't You Just Love Clever Ideas?

Perhaps because I don't think of myself as a particularly clever person, I seem to be fascinated with what I consider to be the clever ideas and creations of other people and other cultures.  During my long career at Neiman Marcus I was able to see many clever ideas become merchandise to be carried in our stores and catalogs.  I remember the year the Pet Rock hit our selling floors for the Christmas Season.  I remember the mood rings that were quickly snapped up in the '70's.  We also sold a very pretty gold-tone costume ring that had a hinged domed cage which opened so that any one of six colored stones could be placed inside to coordinate with one's mood or wardrobe on any given day. 

This weekend I received two items which I think are especially clever.  My son and his family live in Tokyo, Japan; and he visited me this weekend.  He brought me a sweet note from my daughter-in-law accompanied by two thoughtful gifts which she had to know I would enjoy.  The Japanese people package everything so beautifully that before I even know what is in a package I am intrigued.  The first item was a packet containing small rectangles of paper.  Actually, the rectangles are paper soap.  I think it is an extremely clever idea because we all know there are many times when using restrooms we find soap dispensers to be empty.  Now I can carry this little packet in my handbag to be prepared when that happens.  While my hands are dry I will remove a single piece of paper, then turn on the faucets and as I begin to wash my hands the paper will turn into soap.  Is that not clever?

The other gift she sent to me is called "fashion paper" and is something I had not previously seen.  The paper is printed with a very pretty, delicate, pastel floral design, and is folded into squares about the size of cocktail napkins.  Each piece is meant to be used to wrap a small gift, and I think it is a very clever idea (especially coming on the heels of the recent holiday season when each time I wanted to wrap a small gift I had to cut into a huge roll of gift wrap paper which was cumbersome as well as wasteful).  So now I am eagerly looking forward to the next gift-giving occasion so I can buy small presents and wrap them in my "fashion paper."

What about you?  What are your favorite clever ideas and items?  Please share them below in the comment section.

Handmade Gifts To Be Treasured

It has been my good fortune in life to know many people who are creative and able to make lovely things.  I had childhood friends who were gifted, and I have adult friends whose talents are amazing.  When a person takes time to create something special and then bestows it on me as a gift, I am truly touched.  My daughter is one of those people.  She is creative, thoughtful, a perfectionist and has given me some of my most beautiful and favorite gifts.

One of the many things she thoroughly enjoys is making gift baskets.  Because she is thoughtful she selects each item with great care and is able to produce themed baskets geared perfectly to the recipient.  During the 2012 Christmas season she designed and produced a beautiful basket to give to a cousin.  The basket theme was Audrey Hepburn, Paris and the film Breakfast at Tiffany's.  Both she and her cousin are avid fans of Audrey Hepburn, Paris, and Breakfast at Tiffany's (as well as Sabrina and Roman Holiday).

I watched my daughter assemble the carefully chosen items, and she gave equal time and attention to selecting the best basket in terms of shape and size.  She purchased specific fabric to line the basket and asked me to make the liner which I was happy to do for her (it gave me a chance to learn how to make basket liners since I had never before sewn one).  She made pink marshmallows to go along with pink hot chocolate and a special mug she created.  She baked and decorated cookies in the shapes of a French Poodle, the Eiffel Tower, and a fleur-de-lis.  She placed them in glassine bags tied with small ribbon bows.   From the color coordination of shredded paper nestling the gift items to pink M & M's, pink icing on the cookies to beautiful  ribbon encircling the basket she gave meticulous attention to every detail.

The gift basket was a beautiful gift and much appreciated by her cousin.  Truth be told, I have always really liked gift baskets so the temptation to not let it leave my house was strong..........but I am content with
this photograph and the knowledge that I have a talented, generous daughter who creates beautiful gifts.

Happy 2013

Now that the Christmas decorations have been packed away for another year and my house returned to some semblance of normalcy, I want to take time to wish all of you a very happy, healthy and blessed New Year.

I could not resist making a few resolutions (like many people I make resolutions but break them within days ............a very unattractive quality I think).

• The usual one topping my list is there again..........losing weight by getting more exercise and eating healthier food.  I am pleased to report that at least the number of pounds I need to lose is less than this time last year (when I had my lung surgery I lost 15 pounds, but I do not recommend that as a way to do it).  
• The next one always on my list is to get control of spending and saving (perhaps our government will ultimately provide some ideas if ever they are able to cut spending to match their revenues...........a novel concept).  
• My third and last resolution is to spend more time working on my Internet business selling handmade clothing and accessories for babies and toddlers.  Life-threatening health problems the past three years pulled my attention away from my business, but if I am healthy in 2013 (God willing) then I plan to focus more time and attention on my website www.malcolmfortots.com and my ETSY shop www.malcolmfortots.etsy.com  

I have no idea if you made resolutions or what your resolutions are, but I do know they are usually easier to make than to keep.  That being said, I wish you much success in keeping yours.   Perhaps by including mine in this blog post it will hold me more accountable than in previous years.

As the world seems to be embroiled in turmoil, anger, financial ruin, tragedies, divisiveness, etc. my primary resolution should be that I will do my part to contribute to Peace on Earth, Good Will to Men.  Mahatma Gandhi said something to the effect that we should be the change we want to see in the world.  Therefore, I hope I can be more patient, more tolerant, more helpful, and more positive.  Like the song says,
"Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me."

Happy New Year, everyone!  May there be peace, happiness and good health in your lives.

Thankful and Thanksgiving Day

For those who celebrate Thanksgiving Day, I hope you had a wonderful day with family, friends or volunteering.  This is the first time in a long time I did not cook Thanksgiving dinner, but this year I was not up to it.  I am feeling much better but seem to not have regained my energy and stamina yet.

I opted to make a reservation at my favorite restaurant and treated my cousin and my adorable 93-year old neighbor to dinner.  The food was delicious, and we all enjoyed it.  I did cook the next evening though for the three of us.  My neighbor's daughter-in-law had caught fresh wild salmon in Washington, and offered to provide it for dinner.   I marinated it in Sesame Ginger sauce, grilled it on a cedar plank, and it was delicious if I do say so myself.  We all ate too much on both evenings but enjoyed every morsel.

My son and his family live in Japan which is too far away to visit for the weekend.  My daughter normally is here for Thanksgiving weekend, but a new job  required her to stay in New York.  My cousin lives in a suburb of Los Angeles but joins us in the desert for the holidays each year.  She did a great job of putting the lights on my Christmas tree since that is something my daughter always has done for me and one more thing I am not yet up to doing for myself.  Slowly I will get the ornaments put on it, but the lights are a real chore so I am grateful to her for her assistance.

We did take time on Saturday to go to the movies where we saw  Lincoln,  and it deserves all the great reviews it is getting.  Daniel Day Lewis should win an Oscar for his superb portrayal of Lincoln.  Sally Field and Tommy Lee Jones were also outstanding as were so many other actors and actresses whose names are too numerous to mention here.  If you have not seen the film, I hope you will have an opportunity to do so.  Even if you are not a history buff you will still enjoy the film I think.  I am not a history buff at all, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

This year my family and I especially have so much for which to be thankful, and I try to be grateful each day and not just on Thanksgiving Day.   I know sometimes I fall short of that goal, and my vow is to try to do better in the months ahead.  There are so many people in this world who are in harsh situations, and by comparison I know I am blessed and more fortunate.  I hope I will continue to remember that daily and do whatever I can to help others.

What about you?  Are you fortunate or unfortunate?  Are you grateful or ungrateful?  I would very much like to hear from you as to what you are thankful for or as to what your misfortune may be.  Thanks for taking time to read today's post.

Life Is What Happens When We Are Making Other Plans

Whoever coined that phrase knew about what he or she was speaking.  I have always been a person who plans, makes lists, utilizes planners and calendars and schedules.  Although since my surgery I have tried to resume those habits, I seem to be lagging behind in getting back on track.  I make a plan, and then I have to change it because a medical appointment must be kept.  I make a plan, put it on the calendar and find I must cancel it or reschedule it.  I now write things in pencil because I have to change plans for various reasons.  Unexpected visitors, too many phone calls from pollsters and/or telemarketers, as well as other interruptions have totally discombobulated my plans.

All that being said, however, I know it is really up to me to take charge of my time and get back to business.
I have begun listing new items on our website www.malcolmfortots.com and our ETSY shop www.malcolmfortots.etsy.com so please check back on both sites frequently to see what progress has been made.

The holidays are rapidly approaching so my mind swirls with ideas and plans for the various special celebrations of the season.  As I add them to my ever-lengthening lists, I also am thinking of new things to include in my blog in 2013.  I so much appreciate the thousands of page views my blog has had since its inception, and I hope to broaden its appeal in the New Year with the changes I am contemplating adding.

Thanks so much for continuing to read my posts.