Scatter the flowers

                                                     photo source  (possibly her senior picture?) "Isn't it nice to think that tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it yet?" ~ L.M. Montgomery, Author - Anne of Green Gables  ☃ It's almost January & right up front I want to apologize for the title of this blog. It has been exhaustively used ad nauseam and I definitely used it an annoying amount of times with my 8th graders when they returned from Christmas break. You know- for behavior management mileage-in hopes of extending my holiday magical feeling. You see, mid-year 8th grade, you may recall, is a pivotal time where all of a sudden everyone is looking at you as being high school bound rather than a middle school fixture. The downside is you know you move to the bottom of the food chain as a freshman. But the upside is an emphasis on what a great time to start managing yourself, your emotions, your ambitions. ☃ Just like out in the real world, it's b

  "I simply remember my favorite things, and then I don't feel so bad." ~ from the song 'My Favorite Things' 🎵 I  have discovered another label for myself: "maximalist interior designer".  That's right, it's pretty much the opposite of the minimalism that is so trendy now.  Note the difference at Christmas with decorations:                                                                                                                                                                                                        Minimalism:                                                                   (from House Beautiful) Maximalism ( a Taylor room). Yes, it looks like Christmas threw up at my house - no apologies.   Many from my generation have a lot of 'stuff' and can be the target of judgment, but I think it's more misunderstanding. I call it self care.  Nothing speaks to my soul more than being able to look around my home, my haven-a

                                                               Mr. Fezziwig's Ball ~ A Christmas Carol 1843 " There is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humour."  ~A Christmas Carol 🎄 A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is one of the most powerful stories of redemption given to us.  It in itself is a gift to us to not just regard it as a Christmas classic, but to literally take to heart the lessons from it and apply them today .   The characters, though created in the mid 1800s, provide all the insight into timeless human nature: 🎄 Mr. and Mrs. Fezziwig - jovial and festive - inviting all to partake in the celebration of the holidays and to leave the daily worries behind.  I get the idea that they are that jolly almost every other day of the year as well.  I wish they were my boss.  I bet their motto is work hard and play hard, but more importantly as they work, they are investing in their employees as people who are worthy.  Scrooge

                                                                        Christ in the House of Martha and Mary ~ Johannes Vermeer " Lord I want to be like Mary today, but can you send Martha over to clean my house?" ~ Pinterest 🎁 How do we do it?  How do we balance the necessity of making sure the presents are bought & wrapped, the decorations are up, the food is bought & prepared, and everyone's having the most memorable time ever with remembering why Christmas is celebrated?   🎁 It seems like Martha was having the same frustrations two thousand years ago:                         "As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem,  they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed  him into her home.  Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord's feet, listening to what  he taught.  But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was  preparing.  She came to Jesus and said, "Lord, doesn't it seem unfair to  you that my si

  "So good news. I saw a dog today." ~ Buddy the Elf There are sooooo many great life quotes from Elf.  On the surface it's a goofy, light-hearted, feel good, magical movie.  There's proportional abnormalities in the North Pole, production line fails, and a finale that has evil character reveals, questionable singing talent, and involves some serious chase scenes.   But it also contains some wonderful moral lessons-victories over the usual malice: greed, dishonesty, anger, arrogance, and desire to squelch the Christmas spirit.  And that's why it was my one movie I showed every year in my math classes - yes, I did watch it 6 times a day for close to 18 years. I adore Buddy. He always sees the best in everybody he meets & celebrates life:   He adores Santa.  When confronted by the head elf about his underproduction, he humbly takes ownership.   When reprimanded by his boss at Gimbles, he sees that the man just needs some cheer & tries to encourage him.  He c