The holiday season is something that I look forward to with excitement and a tad bit of dread.  The sheer mention of picking out a Christmas tree can cause me to cringe without even realizing I'm doing so.  The reason you ask?  Well it's because choosing the right tree is so difficult here in Hawai'i and because I've had some pretty tricky times setting up Christmas trees.  In Hawai'i there are several places with Matson crates full of trees but they're not as readily available these days as the economy has been steadily declining and the prices of trees are on the rise.

I come from a home of super picky Christmas tree lovers.  My mom was very detailed and specific on what kind of tree we had growing up and it's rubbed off on me I suppose.  Since I live with them because the cost of living here is so high, I have to accomodate the overall census and preferences of the household.  Big tree it is!!  Anyhow, there are so many different varieties of Christmas trees.  I prefer Douglas fir because the branches are stiffer and can more easily support the weight of all the ornaments I feel the need to adorn my tree with.  Last year I chose a tree that looked great at the shop but when I got it home, NOTHING worked to keep it from leaning.  Even a wire to the ceiling didn't do the trick.  It eventually fell on me one night, cutting my hand up terribly and I ended up ripping the tree down and got a new one.  Found out that tree's trunk was terribly crooked but that because of the fullness of the branches and their lengths, it appeared straight even though it wasn't.

Now that you have a grasp on why I tend to slightly dread the holidays, let me tell you why I LOVE them.  Christmas for me is a joyous celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ.  He's the reason for the season and the core of our celebration on Christmas.  I would be remiss however, if I didn't also admit that the reason I love this time of year is because of all the lights and presents.  As a child, it was such a treat to go and sit on Santa's lap and tell him my Christmas wish.  I always loved driving through the city looking at all the lights glowing and twinkling in contrast to the dark of night.  

One of my favorite things to do is stay up late and just lay on the couch and look at the glowing, colorful and sparkling Christmas tree.  Whether you celebrate Christmas or not, I'm sure you can agree that the lights, adornments and general splendor of the season are a beautiful sight to see.

I am really looking forward to baking with my son and making decorations for the house with him.  It's so much fun to watch children create something they are so proud of and see the joy in their eyes as they hang up their decorations.  An added bonus for me is that usually the weather here in Hawai'i gets cooler and it's a nice contrast from the normally muggy, hot and humid weather that we are used to.  Not that I'm complaining, but I rather enjoy crisp 60 degree nights and cool 70 degree days instead of the 90+ degree weather we had this summer. It gets so hot and stifling at times!

I was playing with my camera the other night taking bokeh (out of focus) photos of Christmas lights and my favorite ornaments.  I love how the lights glow warmly at night picking up all of the color and sparkle from the Christmas tree illuminating my living room. 

How do you decorate your trees?  What do you do for the holidays?  Do you have any ideas for decorating your home for the holidays?  Do you have any traditions or tasty recipes?  Share your experiences, tips and ideas in the comments below.  

Here are more pictures of my favorite bokeh shots and ornaments. 

Hydrating is very important.  If I don't drink enough, my skin breaks out and I feel drained and more easily worn out than when I'm fully and properly hydrated. 

http://www.fitdiaries.com/2011/12/how-much-water-should-you-drink.html

As much as I'd like to be a full time stay at home mom, I can't afford to be.  My mom was one and I loved having her home and there for me and my brother whenever we needed her.  In these trying and uncertain economic times, families everywhere are doing all that they can to stretch their pennies as far as possible to feed their families, pay their bills and support all their needs.  Sadly many families all around the world and even in America, are falling short.

I sit here typing this on a break from my paperwork that I brought home with me while my son is showering and getting everything ready to go to bed.  He's almost 10 and every single day of life with him is a blessing and a new experience in learning how to balance work and motherhood.  How do some people do it?

There are times where I feel so overwhelmed with work that I wonder if I can go on but then I pick myself up and "keep on truckin'".  What baffles me is that I only have 1 child and he's almost 10 and it's still difficult to find that balance.  He is the absolute light of my world, the love of my life and I'd do anything for him.  On my worst day, seeing him (even if I'm irritated or angry at him) gives me comfort and I feel an overwhelming amount of love for him that I never experienced before becoming a mother.

I was watching Dr. Oz this afternoon and the topic of the episode was starving middle class families.  It broke my heart to see so many struggling.  I wish I could do more than I do.  I donate to several charities and give food to food drives but I wish I could personally feed and support all those in need.

That brings me to my second thought...how these insanely rich people can look at themselves in the mirror every day and know that they could save so many families and so many lives and yet fail to do so.  I mean sure you got your Angelina Jolies who seem to really care, really devote a large amount of time and money to helping the needy.  Then you have some who claim to donate to charity and if they do, good for them.  I watch tv and see people spending INSANE amounts of money on weddings and cars and houses.  Some make millions and millions off of wedding photos and baby photos.

I'm not saying celebrities and uber rich don't deserve to make a good living and enjoy life.  I'm sure many of them donate a large amount of money to needy people.  It's when you see people whining about how hard they have it because they chose to have cameras follow them everywhere (ahem Kim Kardashian) when there are people with REAL problems every single day suffering to scrape by.

Sorry for going off on a tangent.  Watching quasi celebs whine and complain about how hard being rich and beautiful just disgusts me.  Not hating but not appreciating their circumstance either.  Seriously, if you don't have to worry about paying your bills and feeding your kids, you're lucky.

I'm thankful for all that I do have, the job that pays the bills, my family's health and the roof over our heads.  We are truly blessed.  I pray for all those who are in need that someone gives them help and warm food to eat and a warm place to stay.

How are you doing? Are you going through the same thing as me?  Are you a working parent? How do you find balance?  If you're at stay at home mom, how do you and your family make extra money or pay the bills?

I wish you all a happy and blessed holiday season!  If you have any ideas for budgeting, any good coupon sites, any good suggestions or ideas to share with me and anyone else who reads this blog, please feel free to comment below!!

It's the season for giving and for celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ in Nazareth over 2000 years ago.  Though many disregard Jesus completely (which makes me sad), most still find the time to give and receive gifts.  My wish list is quite small and rather affordable if you compare it to other bloggers.  Just the same, these are the top items that have caught my attention.  Can you tell I enjoy photography? haha

Happy Holidays to all of you out there.  

My life has had many ups and downs.  More than the average person...or at least that's how it feels sometimes.

I'm not saying that I haven't had good times in my life either but the terrible ones seem to be more memorable than the happy ones...well at least sometimes this is the case.  I was sitting back the other day contemplating life while I was stressed out beyond recognition and I realized that Einstein's theory of relativity is very true.  While you're going through something that's awful, it may seem to drag on forever whereas someone else is going through a happy and amazing time and it seems to fly by.  Why is it that the stressful and sad moments linger on in our memories and seem to drag out?  Perhaps it's because when we get stressed or worried, we have a tendency to obsess over the matter at hand and it's always on our mind.  When you're happy or joyous, you live in the moment and the cares of the world seem like they can't touch you.  It's easy to forget the good times when life gives you a bag of sour lemons because you're so busy focusing on the struggle that you forget how truly blessed you really are.

Every breath of life is a blessing, even on the worst of days, you're lucky to be alive.  I could get really corny and use phrases like "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" but I'm sure you know that already.  The bottom line is that through every single terrible and awful experience, I've learned a lot more about myself than I have in the good.  The tragedies and stresses in my world have truly made me stronger and strengthened my endurance through life's trials.  I believe I'm a better person for it...each and every bad day has given me a little  more character, a tad more experience and a lot more perspective.

I remember watching the movie Under the Tuscan Sun where a secondary character who's name currently escapes me tells Diane Lane's character "perspective is the difference between a happy person and a miserable one".  That line has stuck with me for several years since I first saw the movie in theaters.  It's a good quote to remember when you're dealing with life's trials and tribulations.  It's too easy to let the bad times and the curve balls and personal tragedies get you down.  It's easy to allow yourself to wallow in self pity and depression because of it.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that depression is invalid and irrelevant but if you maintain perspective, it's a lot easier to work through and deal with.

In the Bible there are verses that warn to be careful about the evil one (the devil) and how he will test you and tempt you.  He tempted Jesus and thankfully Jesus did not give in or allow those temptations to cause Him to veer from His path.  I know no one is perfect like Jesus but we have to try to be more like Him.  When we are going through trials and tribulations we have to stay the course and learn from the bad experiences as well as the good.  Remember that life is not a waste of time and that every single day, every single breath is a gift from God!  The devil lies and deceives us into doubting in God and allowing the bad times get us to believe that we are doomed to suffering.  It's his attempt to drain us of hope and faith that leads so many people astray.

When I was contemplating writing this blog it was more to work out thoughts I was having than to discuss biblical events and theory but they are all as true today as they were then.  We have to stay strong and resilient through the tough times so that we can enjoy the good times.  It's the joy, the blessings, the happy moments in life that make life worth living.  Even if you experience more bad moments than good ones, you must remember that it's the quality of the happy experiences that matters more than the quantity.  Anyone can have a million random and generic decent days but I'd rather have  one really happy day, a truly blessed and perfect day than a million decent days.  Quality is better than quantity holds true in all of life's experiences.  You just have to truly cherish the good moments in life and hold on to those moments when life is throwing you a curve ball and the evils of this world have gotten you down.

Much like the photo I've posted here, we are all fragile beings capable of dying at any time.  We come and go when it's our time and like dust in the wind, we can leave this world at any moment.  If you've ever blown on a dandelion that has gone to seed and faded from it's once vibrant yellow petals, you know that the seeds float away gracefully and easily in the wind.  We are a lot like those seeds blowing in the wind.  That's why we have to enjoy and appreciate every single moment we have of life.

We have to live our lives to the fullest and be thankful to God for allowing us the time we have with all those we love.  It's easy to lose perspective in the hustle and bustle of work and life in this unstable world.  Don't forget to kiss the ones you love and hold them close when you have a chance.  Put down the phone or laptop to spend some quality time with those that matter most to you while you still can.  Every day is a gift, and that is why it's called the present. 

Just my thought for the day.  I know it's flawed and far from perfect but then again so am I...and I'm fine with that.