Having been raised in Michigan, my friend Martin knows how to stay warm. Over the years I've noticed how he layers his clothing and is almost never in a bulky, uncomfortable winter coat. In order to enjoy colder weather, you need to be wearing the right gear in order to be warm and still able to move (were you ever or do you have the overstuffed snowsuit kid?) There’s a method to layering clothes for warmth. Following these tips from Back to Basics: A Complete Guide to Traditional Skills by Abigail R. Gehring (Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., 2008) should keep you and yours both warm and comfortable.
1. Before thinking about the clothes, realize that food supplies heat to the body; the clothes provide protection so that it isn’t wasted. Make sure you eat a good meal before spending an extended amount of time outdoors in winter.
2. Several light, comfortably fitted layers are preferable to a single heavy layer. Generally an outer, mid, and under layer suffice.
3. Underlayer. Two-ply long johns and undershirts, (cotton on the inside for comfort, wool on the outside for warmth, are warmer than thermal-knit underwear. Two pairs of socks–a thin pair of cotton socks beneath a heavier wool pair–are warmer and more comfortable than a single thick pair.
4. Midlayer. For warmth and ventilation, wear a tightly woven wool shirt that opens down the front and a quilted jacket over it that also opens in the front. Pants should be of tightly woven wool, cuffless, with plenty of room in the seat and legs, and flaps over the pockets to help keep snow out. For added ventilation use suspenders rather than a belt. A woolen stocking hat or mask-like hat will greatly reduce loss of heat from the head.
5. Outer layer. The main job of the outermost layer is to protect against wind, rain and snow. A parka that covers the hips and has a hood with a full-length zipper is best. If you’re planning on going above the timberline or along windswept ridges, you’ll need a windproof face mask. Down pants, mittens and booties are fine around camp, but are too warm for the trail. Two-piece mittens–a wool liner and a nylon outer shell with a leather palm–are better than gloves.
6. A good pair of boots are essential. Double boots–a felt inner liner and high-top outer boot–are warm and comfortable, but very expensive. A rugged mountaineering boot has many of the benefits of the double boot at a lower cost. Foam-insulated rubber boots will keep your feet warm, but will also make them perspire.
7. While down provides maximum warmth at minimum weight, wool has the important advantage of retaining its warmth even when wet.
It's December again and the year is coming to an end! How do you feel? Excited? Eager to see what's in store for the new year?
For myself personally, I love Decembers because it's the time when I take a breather, look back and see how the year has been. I just did my year end review yesterday, and I'm extremely excited to get started on year 2011. In this article, I'll share with you 7 powerful questions to ask yourself as you close off your year. I recommend you to allocate at least 30 minutes with yourself and use that time to earnestly answer these questions. This will be one of the most important exercises you've ever done. Here they are:
On a scale of 1-10, how satisfied are you with 2010? This gives you a quick snapshot of how satisfied you are with this year. 10 is the highest, and 0 is the lowest. Interestingly, this number can give you a lot of insights.
Why did you score that way? For the score you gave yourself in Q1, why did you assign that? I believe it's more important to understand the underlying drivers of the situation, rather than harp on the assessment itself. For example, if you gave yourself a score of 3/10, why did you give a 3? Is it because you feel that you neglected your relationships and health in pursuit of your work? Is it because you didn't go all the way in achieving your goals? Write them down.
What are your biggest accomplishments this year? Accomplishments here refer to any results you are proud of. It can include business achievements, career, relationships, health & fitness, and more.
For some people this question can be confronting, especially if they have been living on auto-pilot. Yet it's extremely important because it makes us take a cold, hard look at how we've been spending our time. Did we put it to good use? Have we been working on our Quadrant 2 tasks? It helps us sieve out the unimportant and zoom down to what matters.
When I first asked myself this question years ago, I had trouble coming up with meaningful answers. It made me realize that the bulk of my achievements that year were for my employer, whereas I had done nothing for myself. It gave me a wake up call, and from there I became a person on a mission. I became in tune with my personal dreams in life, and I was singly focused on bringing them to life. I knew in my heart of hearts that I want to help others grow and be their best selves, so I worked in that direction. In less than a year I had shed away my previous job and was pursuing my dream. By the next year, I had already turned it into a real, full time career. This year is my 2nd year and it's my best performing year yet. This happened because this question made me conscious of what I wanted to achieve in my life.
What are the biggest lessons you learned this year? Out of all the things that happened this year, what are the biggest things you've learned?
In life, we have countless experiences, and there are things to be learned in every experience. We can either let these incidences pass us by, or we can stop to understand, internalize them, and draw lessons from these experiences. When we do that, we literally become wiser than we were before. We can then use these important lessons and apply them to new situations we face.
Since 2006, I took to the habit of writing annual reflections. Writing them down helps us to stack our lessons through time, so we can build upon our wisdom, rather than relearn the same things. This way, we can advance our growth much faster.
What are your biggest goals that you want to achieve next year? Alternatively:
* "How can you make next year your best year ever?" * "If it's now Dec 31 of next year, what do you want to see in your life?" Then, set these as your goals.
What does it take to make you feel a 10/10 satisfaction level at the end of next year? What goals do you want to have achieved? What dreams do you want to see fulfilled? Write these goals down and set them as your key goals for the next year.
What new habits do you want to cultivate? Successful goal achievement come from having the right habits. What new habits do you want to cultivate? The most popular ones for me every new year include meditating, exercising, waking early, sleeping early, drinking plenty of water a day and more. When you practice positive habits, you naturally become a better person.
What are your immediate next steps to achieve them? It's not just about writing, but about doing. Now that you have written your intentions for the new year, what are the immediate next steps you've to take to achieve them? What do you have to do to get the ball rolling? Write down specific dates to the actions.
Here's an important tip - get started right away. Get a head start even and do them before the new year comes! You'll feel ahead of everyone. I'm now already planning out my February-March plans for my blog and it feels great knowing what's ahead! Do that for your life and you'll immediately see the positive difference it brings.
Share Your Reflections! How are your year end reflections? How do you feel about this year? Why? What have you learned? What are your biggest goals for the next year? Share with everyone here in the comments.
Editor's Note: This is a re-post from the Thanksgiving edition of the PCTG News; back by popular demand. Enjoy!
By Krishanna Spencer, PCTG News Editor/ Web Content Specialist
Thanksgiving is traditionally the time to reflect and count our blessings; to express thankfulness, gratitude and appreciation for all that surrounds us and we at Personal Chef To Go want to take this opportunity to wish you a very warm Thanksgiving, full of all the trimmings and laughter it can provide. We continue to be both grateful and thankful for our wonderful clients and their support now and all year through. We so enjoy being able to provide you with a service that you use and enjoy!
There are times when days get hectic and you begin to feel overwhelmed. While having a Personal Chef To Go meal on hand can help ease the stress, often taking a moment to focus on the people and things you are grateful for in life helps too. When you are grateful, other things will fall by the wayside. For example, you probably won’t be able to feel jealous and grateful at the same time. It’s impossible to be angry and grateful at the same time. You might even be thankful for someone else’s success or their contribution to you. Being thankful gives you perspective on your situation and brings you into the present moment.
One of the most impressive reasons for being grateful is the positive impact on the way you think and feel. Research shows that grateful people have, “higher reported levels of the positive states of alertness, enthusiasm, determination, attentiveness and energy.”
More often though, it takes a rough patch to remind us of what we have. My year has been fraught with loss. I lost 3 pets in as many months and the 15 year relationship with a man I thought I would spend the rest of my life with. Though gratitude is a part of my daily life, I had slacked on remembering exactly what I was grateful for everyday. So I restarted my Gratitude Journal and focused on what I had in my life, instead of what was gone or slipping away.
It’s amazing how one simple, easy, positive action can change so much in a person’s life.
One of the things that has had the biggest effect on my life in the last 9 months is the reminder of the power of gratitude. Simply giving thanks. Just once a day.
It has affected everything as I have traveled this painful and sad road. It has made me a more positive person. A more productive person. A better achiever. A better friend and worker (at least, I like to think so). A happier person. In fact, some of closest friends have told me they haven’t seen me this happy in years. I’m not perfect, but gratitude has made me better, more calm and more serene.
Can it change your life as well? I can guarantee it. You might not get the exact same benefits as I have, but there’s no doubt in my mind that the simple act of gratitude on a regular basis will change anyone’s life, positively and immediately. How I many other changes can claim to be that quick, that easy, and that profound?
Let’s take a look at some of the ways you can incorporate gratitude into your life, and how it will change your life. These are just some examples, based on my experience and the experiences of others I’ve talked with, and not all will apply to your life. But pick and choose the ones you think will work for you.
Have a morning gratitude session. Take one minute in the morning (make it a daily ritual) to think of the people who have done something nice for you, to think of all the things in your life you’re grateful for. You won’t get to everything in one minute, but it’s enough. And it will instantly make your day better, and help you start your day off right. Can you think of a better use of one minute?
When you’re having a hard day make a gratitude list. We all have those bad days sometimes. We are stressed out from work. We get yelled at by someone. We lose a loved one. We hurt a loved one. We lose a contract or do poorly on a project. One of the things that can make a bad day much better is making a list of all the things you’re thankful for. There are always things to be thankful for — loved ones, health, having a job, having a roof over your head and clothes on your back, life itself.
Instead of getting mad at someone, show gratitude. That’s a major switching of attitudes — actually a complete flip. And so this isn’t always easy to do. But I can promise you that it’s a great thing to do. If you get mad at your co-worker, for example, because of something he or she did, bite your tongue and don’t react in anger. Instead, take some deep breaths, calm down, and try to think of reasons you’re grateful for that person. Has that person done anything nice for you? Has that person ever done a good job? Find something, anything, even if it’s difficult. Focus on those things that make you grateful. It will slowly change your mood. And if you get in a good enough mood, show your gratitude to that person. It will improve your mood, your relationship, and help make things better. After showing gratitude, you can ask for a favor — can he please refrain from shredding your important documents in the future? And in the context of your gratitude, such a favor isn’t such a hard thing for the co-worker to grant.
Instead of criticizing your significant other, show gratitude. This is basically the same as the above tactic, but I wanted to point out how gratitude can transform a marriage or relationship. If you constantly criticize your spouse, your marriage will slowly deteriorate — I promise you. It’s important to be able to talk out problems, but no one likes to be criticized all the time. Instead, when you find yourself feeling the urge to criticize, stop and take a deep breath. Calm down, and think about all the reasons you’re grateful for your spouse. Then share that gratitude, as soon as possible. Your relationship will become stronger. Your spouse will learn from your example — especially if you do this all the time. Your love will grow, and all will be right in the world.
When you face a major challenge, be grateful for it. Many people will see something difficult as a bad thing. If something goes wrong, it’s a reason to complain, it’s a time of self-pity. That won’t get you anywhere. Instead, learn to be grateful for the challenge — it’s an opportunity to grow, to learn, to get better at something. This will transform you from a complainer into a positive person who only continues to improve. People will like you better and you’ll improve your career. Not too shabby.
When you suffer a tragedy, be grateful for the life you still have. I’ve recently lost an aunt, and my children recently lost a grandmother. These tragedies can be crippling if you let them overcome you. And while I’m not saying you shouldn’t grieve — of course you should — you can also take away something even greater from these tragedies: gratitude for the life you still have. Appreciation for the fleeting beauty of life itself. Love for the people who are still in your life. Take this opportunity to show appreciation to these people, and to enjoy life while you can.
Instead of looking at what you don’t have, look at what you do have. Have you ever looked around you and bemoaned how little you have? How the place you live isn’t your dream house, or the car you drive isn’t as nice as you’d like, or your peers have cooler gadgets or better jobs? If so, that’s an opportunity to be grateful for what you already have. It’s easy to forget that there are billions of people worse off than you — who don’t have much in the way of shelter or clothes, who don’t own a car and never will, who don’t own a gadget or even know what one is, who don’t have a job at all or only have very menial, miserable jobs in sweatshop conditions. Compare your life to these people’s lives, and be grateful for the life you have. And realize that it’s already more than enough, that happiness is not a destination — it’s already here.
Some days, my list is filled with amazing things, such as enjoying an afternoon with my best friend, sharing a meal, hearing a loved one’s voice on the phone at just the right time. Many days, I'm thankful for the simple activities; a good movie, a productive day, a smile from a stranger or a one of my cats jumping into my lap, purring.
Gratitude can make a real difference in your ability to feel positive, both emotionally and physically. This holiday season why not try to live every day as a thank you and make Thanksgiving last all year long!?
We at Personal Chef To Go would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your business during 2010. Thanks to you, we have had a very good year.
In an effort to allow time for our employees to spend time with their families during this festive season, we will be shipping out your food a day early. If you usually receive your food on Friday, it will come on Thursday. If you usually receive your food on Saturday, it will arrive on Friday. Local deliveries will arrive on Wednesday evening. We will also continue this same schedule for next week as well. Our regular schedule resumes on the first full week of the new year. If there are any conflicts, please advise us as soon as possible.
Thank you for allowing us into your home. It has been a pleasure to serve you and your families this year. We look forward to serving you again in 2011.
We at Personal Chef To Go wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Happy Holidays!
Blair, Gene, Sandy, Krishanna, Doug, Joe, Joey, Lucy, Mike, and Charlie
Photo Credits: Cheryl Anderson
Pictured here: "JingleBulls" Boo, Dozer, and Tank.
Can you believe that Christmas is just a few days away? If you’re like me, you probably have a few folks left on your list that could use some holiday cheer. With the clock ticking down, it’s time to get crafty! Here are some gift ideas that are quick, easy, and fun to make!
1. Upcycled Sweater Scarf
No knitting required! Doug at Green Upgrader walks you through creating a simple scarf from old sweaters. The only thing I’d add here is that it would probably be best to work with felted wool sweaters to avoid unraveling, but that’s easy as pie! Just toss those old, ill-fitting wool sweaters in the wash and then into the dryer on high heat, and you’ll have them all felted up in no time.
If you don’t want to felt or your sweaters aren’t wool, you could also use the zig zag stitch on your machine to carefully finish the edges of each piece. (Another option for old sweaters: pillows!)
2. Curried Lentil Soup Mix
This curried lentil soup mix went over really well with my friends and family last year. You can layer the ingredients beautifully in a Mason jar for an attractive, simple present. The best part is that the jar stays useful long after the soup is gone!
3. Coffee Foot Scrub
This would be a perfect present for anyone who’s on their feet all day. Maria at Feelgood Style points you to an all natural foot scrub that you can make using coffee grounds! I love her suggestion to add some peppermint oil for an extra kick! Package it up in a pretty, glass jar, and you’re ready to give. (Another easy DIY beauty/bath gift: scented bath salts)
4. Fabric Flower Bouquet
Forever flowers make a lovely hostess gift for Christmas parties. You could also use these as stocking stuffers or even wrap them up and put them under the tree.
All you need are pinking shears, vintage buttons, some pretty fabric scraps, and dry branches. You can check out the fabric flower tutorial over at Green Upgrader.
5. Upcycled Sweater Capelet
Capelets are super hip right now, and it turns out it’s really easy to make your own recycled version for the ladies in your life! Threadbanger shows you how. Sure, this video is from Mother’s Day, but this would make a great Christmas gift, too!
Image Credits: Christmas Gifts. Creative Commons photo by jimmiehomeschoolmom Soup Mix. Photo by Becky Striepe Coffee Grounds. Creative Commons photo by floodkoff Fabric Flowers. Photo by Becky Striepe
Becky Striepe is a green blogger and independent crafter with a passion for vintage fabrics. She runs a crafty business, Glue and Glitter, where her mission is to use existing materials in products that help folks reduce their impact without sacrificing style! She specializes in aprons and custom lunch bags. Like this article? You can follow Becky on Twitter or find her on Facebook!
Give the gift of delicious chef-prepared meals that will pamper and please anyone on your holiday gift list!
Avoid holiday burnout by ordering a Personal Chef To Go meal plan for yourself or a Gift Card for a friend or loved one. It's easy to do and right now you can add 20% more on your next gift card purchase for free. Receive an additional $10 for every $50 in gift card purchase from now until the New Year! That's 20% added on to each order!
Here's how it works: An average meal plan with shipping comes to about $140.00. Simply order a $50 or more Gift or E-card and we'll automatically add $10.00 to each $50 increment until January 1, 2011! The added value will be applied to the gift card AFTER the paid gift or e-card order is received, and not at the time of checkout. We'll send a confirmation of the new gift card amount via email to you and your receipient once the order is received and processed.
Give the gift of delicious chef-prepared meals that will pamper and please anyone on your holiday gift list!
Read the Personal Chef To Go Blog! You can look for commentary on health and fitness, charitable giving, food trends, contests and anything else that is food related! Read recent reviews of our service from fellow bloggers and feel free to leave your own comments. It's all you can feed on!
It’s that time of year! We’re all getting ready to deck the halls with holiday decor. If you’re trying to have a more eco-friendly holiday, you probably want to forgo the cheap plastic and paper decorations that will likely be headed to the landfill after a season or two. Instead, why not decorate with some of these all natural options that you can compost come January?
1. Gourds
Gourds are gorgeous and versatile! A cluster of different shaped gourds on the porch or as a table centerpiece adds a touch of fall flair. I also love Martha Stewart’s gourd garland project. Sure, she lists it as Halloween decor, but that fall feel can absolutely last through December.
If you want to really up the wow factor, check out the carved squash centerpiece from Paper Plate and Plane. What a beautiful way to spruce up a centerpiece or mantle!
2. Pine Cones
Pine cones are another natural material that makes a lovely garland. Just use natural twine to tie knots around the tops, and you’re ready to string it over a doorway or along a wall that needs some holiday cheer.
I also love this pine cone chandelier from Dollar Store Crafts! Her directions call for faux flowers, but you could use dried flowers instead to make this an all natural project.
3. Fall Leaves
It might be too late for some folks, but in warmer areas you can still find leaves in beautiful reds, oranges, and yellows. These look lovely scattered on a tabletop or a mantle.
Creating leaf bouquets is a fun project to do with kids, and you can hang your colorful creations with twine in doorways, from the mantle, or anywhere that you want a pop of fall color.
4. Sticks and Twigs
Sticks and twigs add a lovely, rustic feel to holiday decor. You can weave them into lovely wreaths, like the one pictured above or keep it more simple, arranging them in a vase with pretty, colored pebbles and marbles in the bottom. I really like the wreath in the photo, because rather than the ribbons and holiday trappings you’d expect, they embellished it with Spanish moss and air plants.
I think it’s a shame that pumpkins get hijacked by Halloween. Although they make a brief comeback for Thanksgiving in pie form, their curtain call comes much too early in the season. So what’s a pumpkin lover supposed to do? This one makes a quick shift to other members of the Cucurbitaceaefamily: gourds and various winter squash. They don’t put me in a dizzy swoon quite the same way pumpkins do, but they’ll suffice. Gourds are great for cool-weather crafts, and winter squash will supply the awesome fodder for delicious dishes all the way until strawberry time (known by some as “spring”).
Gourds and squash are actually fruits by botanical definition–but because they are treated more like a vegetable than a dessert, they are typically considered vegetables. Most commonly, gourds are the product of the species Lagenaria siceraria (the calabash or African bottle gourd), native to Africa. This species is thought by many to be the oldest plant domesticated by humans.
Some gourds are put to culinary application, but most are used in the form of a vessel; think bowls, bottles, yerba mate cups, musical instruments, and birdhouses. Winter squash is used more for food than decoration. Following are ideas for ways to use both.
1. Bird feeder. Small birds, such as finches and pine siskins, will appreciate the protection from predators that these bird feeders offer. They’re very cute, especially with finches and pine siskins poking their little faces out of the windows.
2. Delicata squash, stuffed and baked. The version above is white bean and kale stuffed delicata squash from cooklocal.com, or try this easy recipe for cheese spread baked in a winter squash with dates, and cranberry chutney. Yum, yum, and yum.
3. Gourd bowl. Meet Karen LoCasale, gourd artist extraordinaire! Watch hereHow video to see how someone makes making a gourd bowl look easy.
4. Butternut squash lasagna. There’s this version by Giada De Laurentiisthat has amaretti cookies (is that even fair?!), and there’s my version–no cookies, but it does have lots of sage, raisins and pine nuts!
5. Pumpkin treats for luscious skin. You knew I’d have to sneak some pumpkin in, didn’t you? The pumpkin in this facial mask and sugar scrubcontains a lot of anti-oxidant vitamins A and C, as well as zinc and beneficial alpha-hydroxy acids–a perfect combo to reveal your lovely autumn skin.
6. Amazing gourd lamp. Leave it to Martha Stewart to describe this gourd lamp project as “simple,” but then again, if you use the recommended kit that is usually used for turning a bottle into a lamp (available at most hardware and crafts stores)–maybe it is. I have always wanted to make one, I think they are clever and lovely.
7. Winter squash candles. If the gourd lamp seems too ambitious, there’s these super easy winter squash candles from hgtv.com–no sawing or wiring required, just a little hot wax and winter squash as the mold.
8. Maple roasted acorn squash. This scrumptious recipe is so easy, it practically makes itself.
9. Gourd garland. Here’s another project from Martha (she’s good with the gourds, by golly). This gourd garland is pretty user-friendly, and very sweet on the eye.
10. Butternut cheesecake bars. Yes, that says butternut cheesecake bars–and they are a very wonderful invention. I will go ahead and give pumpkin one last spin in a pie for the season, but starting tomorrow? Butternut cheesecake bars all the way!
For many of us, December brings the holidays, and whether it’s Kwanzaa, Hanukkah, or Christmas that’s celebrated, family and tradition are always in the forefront.
To celebrate, we can add some festive touches from our own natural landscape and bring the sense of calm and serenity we usually feel in our gardens inside our homes during this often-hectic time.
Here are some quick and easy ideas using collected branches, seeds, plants, leaves, fruit, and other natural items to extend the garden’s bounty into the winter holiday season.
One of the simplest things to do is to decorate the house with fresh greenery from your garden. Greenery gathered from your own garden will be much fresher than any that you can buy. Just remember when gathering live greenery from your shrubs and trees you are actually pruning the plants so carefully consider which branches to cut and which ones to leave.
You can use the greenery to create garlands, wreaths, swags, and to add to centerpieces and flower arrangements.
Door ornaments are quick and easy to make from evergreen branches. Wrap a sturdy wire around the ends of branches of several types of evergreens for contrasting color and texture. Then add a large bow to cover the attachment point. You can also substitute rope or raffia for the ribbon for a more natural look.
Use winter berries from your shrubs such as holly, pyracantha, and toyon to add to your garlands and wreaths.
To add unique color to your decorations, attach shiny, red, and gold apples to your wreaths and garlands. Cranberries, citrus, and pomegranates also look great in holiday decorations.
Gather dried pods, pine cones, dried wildflowers, and twigs and display them in a basket. They can be used as they are, sprayed with gold or silver paint, or sprayed with potpourri oil. You can also put a dab of glue on each point of the pine cone and sprinkle them with glitter.
All different sizes of candles, from votives to pillars, can be scattered with metallic painted pinecones and branches of leaves to make a decoration for the mantle.
For a simple Hanukkah centerpiece, you can light nine assorted candles (to represent the nine candles on the Menorah). Scatter colorful clementine or other tangerines from your garden, dreidels, and chocolate gelt with the candles. That way, between dinner courses, your family and friends can snack on a tangerine or chocolate and the children can play with the dreidels.
Add some sparkle to your decorations by including glitter or small mirrors.
Use fruit for decorating your holiday table. Pears and small apples are great for spray painting with metallic colors or in your favorite holiday color.
Oranges, lemons, or apples sprinkled with cinnamon or cardamom and stuck with whole cloves make fragrant pomander balls and are a great rainy day project for the whole family.
Judi Gerber is a University of California Master Gardener with a certificate in Horticultural Therapy. She writes about sustainable farming, local foods, and organic gardening for multiple magazines. Her book Farming in Torrance and the South Bay was released in September 2008.
To celebrate this Holiday Season, Personal Chef To Go is offering you 20% more on your next gift card purchase. Receive an additional $10 for every $50 in gift card purchase from now until the New Year! That's 20% added on to each order!
Here's how it works: An average meal plan with shipping comes to about $140.00. Simply order a $50 or more Gift or E-card and we'll automatically add $10.00 to each $50 increment until January 1, 2011! The added value will be applied to the gift card AFTER the paid gift or e-card order is received, and not at the time of checkout. We'll send a confirmation of the new gift card amount via email to you and your receipient once the order is received and processed.
Give the gift of delicious chef-prepared meals that will pamper and please anyone on your holiday gift list! We appreciate your business, and look forward to serving you again and again!
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