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#1. “Betsy” is in need of some TLC. You know your car with the dust bunnies and empty coffee cups in the back seat. The hours accumulated in your car each fall and winter qualify it as a second residence. It’s time to give back this baby some love. Clean the oil and throw out the coffee cups, give it a much needed bath, replace the duct tape and broken parts and she will love you all the way to your destination and back.

#2. “Light my Fire” How about the possible need for a good fire extinguisher? When you combine flickering candles, a fondue and a fireplace it might be a good idea to have one around. And if you do, check how much charge is left. The kitchen is always the best place to have a fire extinguisher handy but it doesn’t hurt to have one near the outside BBQ, or near those places where the flickering candles might be flickering while you doze off for a long winter’s nap.

#3. “Warm your Heart and Tummy” Great warm up foods like soup, stew or chili. And don’t forget to “spice it up” a little so you can work up a sweat which is great if it’s cool outside.

#4. “Turn Down the Heat/ Turn up the Down”Hey I just negotiated $65.00 off my monthly heating bill! That means that last year I saved $780.00 in usage and they had to adjust my monthly fees “down”. Why? How? Well at night I put the thermostat down as low as I can stand and I crawl into this soft embrace of a down filled comforter but like most things that feel good it does have a down-side the nightly trip to the bathroom is a little brisk brrrrrrr

#5. Don’t get stuck at the mall! Get your Christmas presents early. Especially those soon-to-be-sold-out electronic gadgets. Shop on-line and get this years’ gift giving “wrapped up” early and avoid the line ups that go outside the store.

#6. “Great Movies” I really don’t understand even with over 900 T.V. channels I still can’t find anything to watch. Maybe I’m just “choosy” but I don’t have time to go thru 900 channels, so I grab one of my DVD’s, pop it in and presto. Instant entertainment. You know there are some movies that I can see over and over again. My wall unit is my “entertainment heaven” with my own collection of tried and true classics.

#7. “Stay Healthy” Oh like you’ve never heard this one before. But really 8 glasses of water, a big salad and frosty fruit smoothy is great on a hot summer day but when it’s dark outside at 4:30 p.m. I’m usually looking for a chocolate bar to cheer me up and a extra-large coffee on the side to keep me awake for the drive home. It’s time to pop those vitamins in the morning and maybe even take an extra fish-oil supplement or “B’ vitamin to keep my brain moving at warp-speed.

#8. “Dance like there’s no one Watching”…My kids say I dance like a robot. But I call it “dancercise”. You see while I’m making dinner I’ve got my favorite CD cranked and I’m literally kicking up my heels. Fall and winter is a great time for this as slippery roads and sidewalks make an evening walk way too risky. And what do I do when the kids walk into the kitchen? Do I stop? Of course not. I start singing to the song and drive them right outta there, this way I’m dancing, singing and cooking in peace.

#9. “Do a Good Deed” I’ve tried to teach my kids to do something good. Amongst a few things that we do is help out an elderly widow that lives beside us. Raking leaves and shoveling snow is great exercise and even more fun when the whole family gets out, splits up between the two houses and tackles the yards or driveway. It feels even better when you do it later in the evening and our neighbor wakes up to a nice surprise.

#10. “The best thing on the List” I saved the best till last and it’s really quite simple. Don’t let the “lack of sunshine blues” get to you. I used to get so depressed when the trees were turning but I don’t anymore. You see I got a great notebook and wrote out over 80 things I could do to enjoy the colder weather. I even separated it into sections. Things to do at home (menus, fun-stuff, decorating for the holiday season) Things to do away from home (skiing, going up-north to see the leaves turning, fall and winter festivals) etc.. etc.. Make up your own lists with one page per idea and write it out with a fun marker. If you’re like me you’ll need this handy reference every once and awhile to give you the comfort and joy that this time of year can bring you.

Learn more about online shopping from Personal Shopping Consultant Heather Hyde.