Imagine a Christmas Without Electronics!

This actually happened this year in the Nielsen house. No one received anything that required batteries, needed to be plugged in or connected to the Internet. Instead everyone received something practical. The family also received a great "back to the basics" game which was fun for the whole family. It's called The Game of Things and uses brain power not electrical power!

The day after Christmas we enjoyed breakfast together then took a 3-mile hike in the woods where we enjoyed the beauty of listening and seeing nature in all its glory. A bright blue sky against trees that had no leaves. We noticed as we viewed the trees that some had bark with a reddish hue which is something we would never have noticed if we were whizzing by in a car. The sound of a rambling brook as it meandered through the woods, trying to figure out which footprints were left by humans, dogs and deer, breathing in the fresh crisp winter air were also some other things we experienced.

Dear Santa…

…all I want for Christmas are two good-paying jobs – one for me and one for my husband.
Thank you.
Dawn Nielsen
Bristol, CT

Don't Ever Try to Outsmart a Four Year Old…

So my husband and I thought we were being clever when one Christmas Eve as we were putting out the presents for the girls from Santa…
We came up with this idea that if we took a piece of white chalk and drew a footprint on the fireplace hearth that we could tell the girls (mostly Heather because Katie was only 2) that it was Santa's footprint and that he left it there when he came down the chimney to leave the presents. We were excited the next morning when we thought our plan was foolproof and said to Heather, "Look Santa left a magic footprint over there by the fireplace." She went over to examine the footprint, took her finger and touched it then smelled it and said to us both very seriously, "It's chalk!" It was so hard not to laugh, but what could we do! Ho Ho Ho.

Christmas Past and Christmas Present…

My girls…
Then and now.

Blue Gum, Christmas and "Hanakin"

This happened many years ago as I was dressing the girls for a Christmas party and I thought I'd share it as we are in the midst of bad economic times that have curtailed those Christmas parties of long ago…

So when you don't have a lot of time and two little girls, plus yourself to get ready for a Christmas party you put them in front of the TV to watch a captivating show so that you can get things done quickly and have more time to make yourself pretty. I dressed Katie, the younger one, first in a pretty green dress with white lace on the collar, white tights and red patten leather shoes then proceeded to dress Heather in a black and white striped dress with a red bow at the waist while Katie become engrossed in the TV show. Heather didn't feel that the dress I chose for her was very "Christmassy" and declared, "Mommy this dress isn't very Christmassy, how come Katie gets to wear a Christmas dress?" At which time Katie, who we didn't think was paying attention to the conversation, piped in without missing a beat, "Yeah, Heather. That's right not only am I Christmassy, but I'm 'Hanakin' too, because I got blue gum." As she chomped on the big wad of blue bubble gum (which I also gave her to distract her while dressing her!).

For those of you lucky enough to be able to celebrate this holiday season at a Christmas party or two – enjoy!

A 77-Year Old Tradition Continues…

Last night was the annual lighting of the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Plaza in NYC so I thought it fitting to let you know a little trivia about this 77-year old tradition. Did you know that the first Christmas tree was erected by construction workers who were so thankful to have work in 1931 during the Great Depression. Here it is 77 years later and the country is once again part of a worldwide economic downturn. In 1931 it was thanks to John D. Rockefeller Jr. who created jobs for thousands of people by creating what is known today as Rockefeller Center. The first tree was a simple 20-foot balsam, which the workers draped with makeshift garlands and tin cans as decoration. The tree gave a gaping hole between 49th and 50th streets in Midtown Manhattan a festive feeling as the men lined up next to the tree to receive their paychecks on Christmas Eve 1931. For some, it was their first paycheck in weeks, if not months.

This year's tree was decorated with 30,000 energy-efficient LED lights on five miles of wire, topped with a 750-pound star made of 25,000 Swarovski crystals. It was donated by the Varanyak family in Hamilton Township, N.J. Mrs. Varanyak planted the tree in the 1930s with the hope that it would someday be chosen as the Rockefeller Christmas tree.

Thanksgiving Blessings…

“Not what we have, But what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.”
– John Petit-Senn

Enjoying it, really I am!…

So with the economy the way it is and job security worries along with wanting to make some extra money to make up for the losses we had with the 529 accounts for college tuition, I've decided to become a Pampered Chef Consultant. I've been a consultant for about a month now and instead of it being another job to do, I'm actually enjoying myself. I'm becoming passionate about their products as well as having a great time cooking and using all the stuff I got for becoming a consultant, as I cook and try new recipes with my youngest daughter. We've used the large bar pan to make a delicious chicken and vegetable meal. The Turtle Pretzel Candies recipe makes a great holiday snack or hostess gift and is really easy to do in no time at all. Along the way we learned that some recipes aren't really all they're cracked up to be and are more difficult to execute than the photos show them to be – the Candy Cane Brownie Lollipops. I've also been pleasantly surprised at how much interest there is in Pampered Chef and I want to thank everyone who has been supporting me and helping me get my business started. I have Cooking Shows booked all the way through the holidays, but if anyone is interested in hosting a Cooking Show in the new year, just email me.



Happy Cooking for the Holidays!

Let this be our motto for the next couple months…

“Out of intense complexities intense simplicities emerge.”
– Winston Churchill

Hoping and praying for better days ahead for our country.

Change Has Come to America…

… and their names are Barack Obama and Joe Biden! God Bless America! History has been made – let's celebrate!

THANKFUL… I think!

So as Election Day approaches and we wait to see what direction the financial situation of this country goes in, we all need to have a good laugh to get us through. It's tradition in our family to get together for Thanksgiving dinner at my sister's house – this year we decided to do an invitation to let the family know what time dinner would be served. I think the invite says it all! Enjoy – laughter truly is the best medicine when times are tough.

Trick or Treat?…

The cutest little puppy dog came trick or treating to our house on Halloween. She was so cute and had no idea what was going on, and kept looking at us as if to say "What in the world are these people getting all excited about? And why are they taking so many pictures of me!"

Regression Instead of Progress…

The country is regressing! And America is officially back in Kindergarten now! Here is a headline I just read online: White House Tells Banks to Stop Hoarding Money and here is the first paragraph of the article: WASHINGTON — An impatient White House is serving notice on banks receiving billions of dollars in federal help to quit hoarding the money and start making more loans.

That's just great, now all the country's money problems are solved because the banks will listen to Washington and do what they say, right, yeah right! Unbelievable, just thought I'd inform America we're going to be OK because Washington has spoken. I wish the best to everyone losing their jobs because things are getting worse instead of better. And all my best to the new President because he will definitely have his hands full trying to clean up this mess which gets bigger by the day.

I said "I Do" and Never Looked Back…

Today is my 21st Wedding Anniversary. On October 24, 1987 when I said "I Do" I never imagined all that we would experience together as a married couple – we were so young and in love that the future was the farthest thing from our minds on that bright, blue sky day with all the colors of fall and family and friends celebrating all around us. It's been an amazing ride…

Two houses, two kids and many ups and downs later I look back and know it was the best two words I've ever said. As we embark on the next 21 years and beyond, I hope the ride continues to be just as interesting.

Happy Anniversary, my love, may these uncertain times become the memories of our future as we weather this latest "storm" together!

Traditions…

My youngest daughter turned 16 last week and this past weekend we gave her a "Sweet Sixteen" party. All her friends that I've known and have been in school with her since kindergarten attended and I couldn't believe how grown up they all were. Two of my daughter's closest friends came to help her celebrate turning 16. She's stayed in touch with them even though they all now live in different towns and go to different high schools. At all the birthday parties and other gatherings that they've all been together over the years it's been a tradition to take a photo of the three of them together. Happy Sweet Sixteen, Katie and may the three of you always be the "3 Muskateers" no matter where life takes you.

The first day of nursery school – 1994


At a dance recital many years ago.


The 3 Muskateers at Katie's 14th Birthday Party


All grown up at the party this past weekend

Connecting with the past by staying in touch with old friends…

I recently corresponded with an old friend that I haven't been in touch with for a while. We were best friends in high school and then stayed in touch through college. We were both in each other's weddings as a maid of honor and then once we had children spent many hours together to pass the time while our kids played together. Then in 1997 when our kids were 7, 6, 5 and 4 years old I went back to work and she had another baby. Our lives took different directions and we lost touch as we went down separate paths in life. Now that all our children are older I hope that we can stay in touch again on a regular basis. She told me today that she thought of me as she was going through some old photos and found one of our kids together at a beach house that we rented together one summer. Here is a page I found in one of my scrapbooks of when the kids were younger. It is of my daughter (Winnie the Pooh) and her daughter (Barney) when they were 2 and 1. Here's to a future of staying in touch more frequently, my friend – let's have a cup of tea and a walk down memory lane when you have some time!

The Sunday morning comics and dinner with family…

It's Sunday morning and my husband just kissed me good-bye to go off to his weekend job to pay for the college tuition bills and my youngest daughter just got a ride with a friend to head off to the local soccer club to work all day. And I'm making a grocery list and a list of other errands I have to take care of today because there's not enough time during the week to do them.

What ever happened to sitting and reading the Sunday paper? – saving the comics for last and savoring them until it was time to get dressed and have Sunday dinner with family. I remember when Sunday mornings meant long leisurely breakfasts with the Sunday paper, then Sunday dinner at the dining room table with extended family in the afternoon. Even when I was in college and home on an occasional weekend I was expected to be free and home at 1 pm to sit down and eat dinner with my whole family. When I was younger Sunday's meant getting in the car and driving to my grandparent's house to enjoy a meal that my grandmother spent days preparing for us. It was either some kind of pot roast dinner or pasta with sauce that she labored over for hours making from scratch with fresh tomatoes and spices and there was always something homemade and delicious for dessert. Those times, I'm afraid are gone. During the week families are too busy to sit down and enjoy a daily meal together and the weekends are even more hectic so there's never any time.

Taking cues from my childhood upbringing, as I raised my own family I always made a point to make them sit down a couple of times a week to a family meal with no TV, no cell phones or anything else to interrupt us for at least a half hour. I have also always made it a point to make one weekend meal where all four of us could sit down together – either on Saturday or Sunday evening. When my oldest daughter was in high school a couple of years ago she actually thanked me for taking the time to cook and make her sit down to eat meals together. She said that none of her friends had this privilege – privilege! Something that should be part of our daily routines has now become a privilege, can you believe it!

I recently finished reading a great book written by my Mom's best friend's husband. A Lifetime Ago Before the Death of Childhood is about the life and times of a man who grew up in the 1950's – a simpler time. I highly recommend it for all generations so we don't forget how life used to be. And to remember when life was simpler, less hectic.

History Does Repeat Itself…

As I watch my 401K retirement account and the 529 accounts for college tuition bills dwindle I try to read up and listen to the news about what is happening with our economy so that I can stay informed. I remember when my husband and I applied for a mortgage on our first house right before we got married back in the late 1980s – we not only had to qualify for a mortgage based on our income we also had to see a mortgage counselor to make sure we were financially and mentally able to handle the monthly mortgage payment. I hope people learn from the recent mortgage crisis that has gotten us into this mess. I believe we need to get back to a time where "if you don't have the money to pay for it then you can't buy it" mentality. As our country struggles with this latest economic crisis we really need to step back and look at how the past has gotten us here and learn from it. Just as history repeats itself so too do the cycles of nature every year. For those of us lucky enough to live in New England fall is a time of beauty – it seems especially beautiful this year with all the bright colors against a beautiful blue sky. As I leave you with these thoughts enjoy this photo taken by my daughter who attends Hampshire College in Amherst, MA (she also took the photo in my header as well) and then take time to enjoy the beauty of nature around you.

Remember When…

Family and friends have inspired me to start my own blog (see blogs that I follow below), as I've been following theirs for a while now. I've decided to call my blog "Remember When…" because now that I'm forty-something I feel I have a lot to remember in my life. For starters trying to keep up with all this technology – blogs, twitter, emails, voicemails, etc. – drives me crazy. I feel it takes up so much of my time these days just trying to keep up with it all, but also feel it's necessary and rely on it on a daily basis to do my work and keep in touch with family and friends. I remember when these things did not exist, when there was time to do other things. When things get too crazy I look at this photo which I have on my frig to remind me that life used to be simpler and much, much SLOWER. It's myself, my two brothers and some neighbor kids stopping to enjoy some ice cream on a summer day while on our way to The Bronx Zoo with our parents in a station wagon with no seat belts or car seats! Can you believe it and we survived, probably because cars went slower back then and everyone was not in the hurry to get where they were going like now. So stayed tuned for more thoughts on how things used to be and how we can use those times and memories to learn and grow and make our futures better – especially in these changing times with a new president to elect and the unstable economy.