Nap Guilt-Free

New Year To-Do

Naps are my happy place. – Unknown

Don't you take naps? Maybe you should.

I dream of a world
where naps are mandatory.

Commit to naps when you need them, guilt-free.

Eat. Sleep. Nap. Repeat.

The real circle of life.

If all else fails, take a nap.

Want to super-charge your day?

A good nap can get you out of an afternoon slump, recharge your energy, and leave you more alert and in a better mood.

Plan your snooze. Nap smart. Here are a few tips:

(1) Mid-afternoon is best, around 3 pm.

Lexi: Happiness is an afternoon nap.

Fav Granddaughter: My midday nap isn’t a sign of laziness. It’s a sign of self-love.

 

Don’t nap too late in the day, or you’ll be wide awake at night and spoil your bedtime routine.

I fought the nap and the nap won.

(2) Find a cool, quiet place to doze.

(3) Keep it to 20 minutes, no longer than 30.

Now relax.

Get those bonus Zs, so you can be Healthy For Good!

Smile! An Epilogue

 New Year To-Do

A smile is a course that sets everything straight. – Phyllis Diller

A smile is happiness you’ll find right under your nose. 

So true. 

Plentiful reasons right here in our peaceful, beachy world in Waikiki.

Warning!

New driver. Clear the road.

Left: At K1 Speed,2019

Right: Fav Grandson passing his first-ever driver’s test, January 2026

Brothers are just born to disturb sisters.

Youngest Brother’s visit, quick shop for colorful ABC aloha welcome trinkets

We just don’t want to look back and think we could have eaten that.

Left: Fresh ahi tuna poke drenched in wasabi, garlic, salt and pepper from Safeway

Right: Dim sum at Legend’s Seafood, Chinatown Cultural Plaza

No matter what yesterday was like, birds always start the new day with a song.

White tern hatchlings on an umbrella tree branch  

 

There is always a reason to smile. Find it.

Start every day off with a smile and get it over with.

Smile!

 New Year To-Do

Smile… happiness looks gorgeous on you. - Unknown

How about this tip as we embark on new beginnings?

Start the New Year with a smile and a joke in your pocket.

Perhaps, write a list of things that make you smile, and do one every week.

Want to hear a funny joke? 

Hold on, let me brace myself.

I'm sailing in spicy waters tonight!
Niagara, 2024

Starting something new can be both exciting and nerve-wracking, whether it’s friends, church, school, or simply a new day.

Sometimes laughter can go a long way in easing the jitters and helping us to embrace the adventure ahead. 

Life is short. Buy the concert tickets.
Obsessed Concert, Utah, 2024

A smiling face is a beautiful face.

A smiling heart is a happy heart.

Be reminded that no matter what new challenge or opportunity comes our way, we’ve got this.

So, smile.

It freaks people out. Also makes them wonder what you’re up to.

Ultimately, be the reason someone smiles today… or the reason they drink. 

Whatever works.

Ramen House, Edmonton, Canada: 2024

Fly, Touch The Sky

 New Year To-Do

You bought a bigger bottle than you needed, thinking that tonight, it was better to be safe than sober. You had said with certainty, I’ll bring my favorite drink. It is called "a lot."

If girls always treated each other like we do when we’re drunk in the girl’s bathroom, the world would be a happier place. Fav Granddaughter, New Year's Eve, Columbus: 2025

You used to think drinking was bad for you, so… you gave up thinking.

 But, the best time for new beginnings is now.

As the year begins, trade pressure for presence.

A softened heart, open hands, and a quiet yes

Often become the most meaningful way forward. – The Giving Closet

Let's kickstart the year with that mindset.

For starters, how about this story for inspiration?

********************************************************

Being a little weird is just a natural side-effect of being awesome. – Unknown

Stripe and Yellow are two caterpillars in the allegorical novel Hope for the Flowers by Trina Paulus.

In this fable of life and hope, these two characters begin their search for meaning by attempting to climb the top of a caterpillar pillar only to discover another destiny.

In the end, Yellow, who has followed her instincts and continues to eat and then spin a cocoon, eventually emerges.

Just when the caterpillar thought her life is over, she begins to fly.

The moral is simple and clear. 

Yellow has found the real answer to the feeling that there must be more to life than eating leaves, and who caterpillars really are.

Change can be good.

Come to think of it, what if the change you’re avoiding is the one that gives you wings?

Très Chic!

 Kookie Christmas Wearables

Home: where I can look ugly and not care. - Unknown

Ooh la la!

There are just days when you’re highly motivated to do nothing.

Too cold… 

Not moving…

It took me years to look this ugly.

Green sweat suit bought in yesteryears from Phoenix K-mart paired with red fleece blanket for a "French-beret look."  December 20, 2023?

You just wanna cozy up, stay in your sweats, get wrapped up in a blanket, and watch Elf.

After all, nobody’s there to judge whether you’re a ‘fashion victim’ or just ‘ensemble-challenged.’

Forget dressing up. Conformity is the only real fashion crime.

P.S. I think Pretty Puppy would look good like this.

Life is ruff when you're this cute.

 Here’s wishing you the merriest of Christmas that’s filled with endless holiday cheer love,

leftovers you won’t get tired of by New Year’s,

and more joy than tangled lights!

All-Dressed Up

 Kookie Christmas Wearables

Get up, dress up, and show up! – Anonymous

Hey! This is not “kookie" dressing. Sometimes, we just like to ditch the ugly sweater and don clothes like it’s the best day of our life. 

Enjoy the fashion!

Keep calm and … OMG. Is that pasta?!

Guapo Son-In-Law looking cool and warm at the same time. Little Italy, New York: December 2025

We get to dress how we want, but sometimes, we gotta wear different hats.

 Ohana Trio try out Cossack hats. Soho, New York City

I’m still hot. It just comes in flashes now.

Right: Second Daughter shows off snowman dangle earrings, Gabe waffle-shirt and bandanna.

Never forget how fabulous you truly are.

Top right: Fav Younger Granddaughter proudly models long-sleeved shift dress handed down from Fav Young Granddaughter.

Dear Santa: I'd like to explain. I’ve been naughty and it was worth it!

Left: Hubby is delighted that he had kept Santa necktie gifted by Second Daughter some 40 years ago.

Best way to get rid of kitchen odors? Eat out! 

Right: Wearing hand-crocheted slouchy hat, 20-year old cross-stitched top, and Ho-Ho-Ho purse from Aldi’s

Our favorite exercise is a cross between a lunge and a crunch. It’s called lunch.

Early Christmas lunch celebration. Cooper’s Hawk Winery and Restaurant. Columbus, Ohio: December 21, 2025

May your eggnog contain enough rum

to get you through the Christmas season.

And may the spirit of Christmas bring you and your family

hope, love, and happiness!

Santa Cape

Kookie Christmas Wearables

The true spirit of Christmas? Finding the perfect gift… for myself. - Unknown

It’s Christmas.

So, why not get me a bright red Santa cape trimmed with soft, white fur? It’s the perfect me-gift for that classic, cozy Christmas look.

Dressing up as Santa is a delightful way to bring joy to both young and old. The red of the suit is vibrant and eye-catching.

Think of the rich, merry hue of holly berries or a crackling Yuletide fire.

They said I could be anything I want to be. I choose fabulous.

 

Fav Granddaughter agrees. It's not just about the outfit. It's about the spirit you bring to it.

 ‘Tis the season to be jolly, so suit up.

Practice your Ho ho ho, 

and get ready to spread some festive cheer!