Charleston, South Carolina!

Posted on December 14, 2011 by jamiegall1930

If I could live anywhere, I would want to go to Charleston, South Carolina.  I visited there once, a few years ago, and I absolutely fell in love with it.

There is so much history there, it’s so close to the Ocean, the homes are beautiful, and the Southern BBQ is to die for.

An Artist was at work in the park I visited in Charleston.  It was a beautiful piece of art as you can see!

One of the many statues that was located within the park.  I don’t know the history of Charleston completely, but I know it was a place that got attacked often whether from land or sea.  Attacked twice by Britain, and also a huge place during the American Revolution.  It is truly a military town, and it is shown in the landmarks throughout the town of Charleston, South Carolina.

The ocean being so close to land, you can catch some amazing sunrises in the morning as the Sun rises from the Ocean.  Unlike the west where the Sunsets are truly where it’s at.  The water would be a bit cooler to jump into throughout the year though.  That’s for sure.

When I visited there I went to one of the BEST Southern BBQ places ever.  I don’t remember the name, but it was a bit of a drive.   Once there, it was truly worth it.  The BBQ was served buffet style, it had all the mixin’s you could ask for.  I’m not much of an eater, but here, I had too full plates, it was that good.

The houses were just beautiful in Charleston.  There is so much character in them, and also so much history.  I can imagine the people that lived there at one time.  It’s almost as if I would pick a house, and I would create a story about what happened there over the years.  Such a beautiful place indeed.

 

And, of course, sunsets happen in Charleston too.  I ventured off to a park outside of town, and captured the sunset there.

I was only there for a day, but it was a day I’ll never forget.  Charleston, South Carolina is a beautiful place, and a place filled with so much American history.  I’d go back in a heartbeat if I could.

Have I sold you on a visit to Charleston, South Carolina?

 

 

 

 


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A Stress FREE Holiday!

Posted on December 13, 2011 by jamiegall1930

You may love to hate me, but I am one of those that does not get stressed out during this time of the year.  If I don’t feel like doing something, it won’t get done, and it won’t happen.

I am one of those that does not begin my shopping until Black Friday, and I am one of those that will not go out on Black Friday either, unless later in the afternoon, and it’s usually to Target or Kohls or even the grocery store.  I won’t overdo it.

I am also the type that does the majority of my shopping online.  I am the one that does not believe in gift cards either, unless it’s in good reason.  For example, a few years ago my brothers and sisters were big into their ipods so itunes gift cards seemed like the ideal gift, or now that the kindle’s and nook’s have come out, a gift card to Amazon or Barnes and Noble truly makes sense to me.

However, for everything else, I do put the thought into it.  I think about conversations I’ve had in the past year with said people I’m gifting for, and think of something they would enjoy, and go from there.  I know, by this time, what it is they enjoy, and what it is they eat.  I am not afraid to give food for gifts, or something useful that they may have not thought of.

The other thing for me is that I won’t break the bank either.  I learned my lesson from when I was younger.  I now know that you need to spend within your means, and that includes not breaking out the credit cards.  I refuse to do it.

I am the one that enjoys this time of the year, and instead of stressing over it, I will sit back and concentrate on the parts I truly enjoy about this time of year.

If I don’t have the time to bake, I won’t do it, or perhaps if someone else is offering to do a baking day, I’ll team up with them so the day is a lot more fun, and there’s more goodies to share (did I mention I love cookie exchanges?)

If I’m going out of town for the holidays, is there a reason to put out the decorations?  Instead, I’ll save it for a year I can be home and enjoy it.  I’m not a scrooge, it’s just being productive and resourceful with the time I do have.

The thing is, I don’t stress.  I just enjoy.  If I get invited to a party, and I know I’m overbooked, I will politely turn the invitation down, but also keep in mind for next year if the same invitation comes along to make sure I attend then.

Each weekend of December I designate it something.  The first weekend after Thanksgiving is dedicated to Black Friday and Cyber Monday deals, and also putting up the decorations if I am home for that year.

The second weekend in December is dedicated to going out to the stores and grabbing any last minute gifts I didn’t find the weekend before, and also designated for baking.

And the third weekend of December is dedicated to going out on the town and looking at Christmas Lights, or going ice skating, or something related to the season.

By dividing the weekends up, and by making sure I stay organized, I allow myself to not be stressed, and then I can honestly sit back and enjoy the month ahead.

This year, my Christmas wrapping won’t be done until I arrive home on Christmas EVE, but still, even then, I won’t be stressed about it, I’ll just do it.  BTW: if you buy your gifts at stores, opt for the stores that do the wrapping for you! It’s a life saver =)

And if there’s any grocery shopping or wrapping needed to be done from items I bought online, I will spend the evenings working on these things.  If you’re a parent, in the bedroom after the kids go to bed 😉

That is how I survive the holidays, and also how I live a stress free holiday.


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Christmas Traditions!

Posted on December 13, 2011 by jamiegall1930

For years, I fought like hard to make sure Christmas wasn’t my favorite holiday, but the older I got, I realized it was.  It became the only holiday that I would decorate for.  I got into it.

Some of my Christmas Traditions:

1) Putting the Christmas Tree Up

It was my mother’s rule, the tree and lights could not go up or on until the weekend after Thanksgiving.  Thanksgiving would not be forgotten.  I kept with this tradition.  The weekend after Thanksgiving is when I would pull out all of the decorations and put the house up in the way I like it.

2) Department 56

About 5 years ago I started collecting the Department 56 villages.  I loved going into the stores and looking endlessly for hours at all the villages and houses available.  Each year I would look for the deals on the houses that were retiring that year, and also the new villages that would come out that year.

3) Spaghetti for Dinner

Our family doesn’t do Ham for Christmas, nor do we do a huge meal.  Instead, it’s a spaghetti dinner.  My mom told me this tradition started when my brother and I were young, for we wouldn’t eat anything else.  Over the years, people began to expect the Spaghetti, so the tradition’s stayed since then.

4) Christmas Eve as Opposed to Christmas Day

Our holiday celebration always was Christmas Eve night.  In the past, I would usually have to work during the day then the evening would be all about family.  It also began when we were young, as my parents were divorced so Christmas Eve was spent with mom, and Christmas Day, I’d go over to my dads.   I never realized how complicated it could get once married though 😉

5) Shopping

The majority of my shopping also happens the weekend after Thanksgiving.  I am not one to go out at midnight to shop though.  Instead, I will shop online looking for all the good deals, and the more and more web friendly it becomes, the easier and easier it is to shop.  This year, I was done shopping by the second weekend of December.  And that’s my goal every year.

6) Christmas Movies

There are 2 movies I have to watch every year around Christmas Time.  Those movies are: Love Actually and While You Were Sleeping.   Love Actually is just a cute feel good movie, and While You Were Sleeping was my mom’s and my tradition as I grew up.

7) Christmas Ornaments

From the year my little sisters were born, it was always tradition to give them an ornament so when they were old enough to move out on their own, they would have enough ornaments to start their own tree.  16 years later, and it is still a tradition.

8) Baking

The older I got the more and more I realized how much I loved to bake.  I’d only get in my baking niches around Christmas though, so one of the December weekends would be completely dedicated to baking.  And boy oh boy, would I make a mess of the kitchen.

9) Christmas Lights

At least one night my loved ones and myself would go out for a night of driving around town looking at all the beautiful Christmas lights.  Since moving out to LA, since there is so much to see, it happens to be more than one night around here.  Part of that reasoning is me wanting to see as much as I can so I can decide on my favorites.  This year I’m very much looking forward to visiting the Mission Inn in Riverside, CA.

10) Christmas Cards

The reason I like doing Christmas Cards is kind of a selfish reason for I love receiving mail in my mailbox 😉 And I realize in order to receive you must put the effort out too.  However, it has become a tradition.  In the past, I use to make my own cards when I was huge into scrapbooking, but over the years I’ve realized how time consuming that can be, and it can add up in the costs, that I’ve gone back to buying the cards out of the box.  Every year it’s my goal to pick out a card that represents my style and a little bit of me though.  This year were two boxes, Angels and a Snowman.

These are some of my holiday traditions, what are some of yours?

 


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