Soulful Thoughts of Rachel

I’m enjoying the long Christmas break. I love spending a lot of quality time with my family. We like the cool December weather. We often spend a lot of our time at the lanai.  It’s a nice and comfortable part of our home.  We have a small lanai by the garden with patio furniture. We have a square table and several chairs. We also have a small wooden cabinet with a granite top. Guests often get surprised when they find out what’s inside the cabinet doors. When you take a peek, you would see my son’s “outdoor” toys. My son loves spending time at the lanai and he often brings out toys. My husband and I thought of setting aside toys that he often uses outside. Example of those toys are my son’s basketball, soccer ball, kiddie golf set, baseball bat, baseball gloves, baseball, cars, trucks and sand toys. The granite top of the cabinet is a perfect spot to place snacks and other refreshments when we’re at the lanai.

I have a friend who has a rather large lanai at her home.  Her family has a nice pool and we sometimes go swimming at their place.  They have four lovely patio umbrellas.  They have nice wicker furniture as well.  I love resting on one of those wicker chairs with oversized pillows.

Hope everyone had a wonder Christmas celebration.  My family and I had a memorable one. We had Noche Buena at my MIL.  The family shared a small feast of ham, Italian sausage pasta, chicken galantina, fried chicken, potato salad,  fruit salad and sapin-sapin (native delicacy). When we got home on Christmas eve, my son opened his gifts under the tree. I just love watching him unravel his presents. He was thrilled when he found out his Christmas stocking had goodies inside.

We had Christmas dinner at my MIL’s place the following night. After dinner was our kris kringle revelation.  It was a fun evening.  Yohan received many wonderful gifts and he loved opening them one by one.

A t-shirt is a versatile gift that you can give to family, friends, relatives, colleagues, clients, etc.   A t-shirt is a great gift idea.  You can give theme inspired t-shirts.  Try to find out the interests of the gift recipient and give that person a shirt that relates to his or her interest.  I’m sure that person will appreciate the thoughtful gesture.

There are many different t-shirt themes to choose from.  A popular theme is superheroes.  You can choose from popular superheroes like batman, superman, flash, Captain America, green lantern, incredible hulk, iron man, spider man, punisher, x-men and more.

Find out if the recipient loves a particular type of sport. If that person likes baseball then a baseball theme t-shirt would be perfect. Perhaps that person might be interested in UFC t-shirts.

Sports is another favorite theme. You can choose from UFC t-shirts, baseball, wrestling, football and more.

I particularly like T-shirt inspired by TV programs.  Examples of t-shirts with TV themes are seinfeld t-shirts, Happy Days, Baywatch, Sesame Street, Saturday Night Live, Knight Rider, Married with Children, and more.

Music is a favorite theme as well. Examples are johnny cash t-shirts, Bob Marley, 50 Cent, Coldplay, Jonas Brothers, and more.

Wishing everyone a meaningful Christmas. May love, joy, and peace fill your hearts this season. God bless each and everyone.

Just a few more days and Christmas is here.  I’m sure many of you will be attending a lot of parties and get togethers.  The Christmas holiday is a favorite time to catch up with family and friends.   It’s a fun and busy time of the year.

Parties often involve a lot of eating and drinking.  Remember to be responsible when you are driving.  Don’t let all the merry making get the better of you.  You can have fun but practice self discipline.  Don’t drink and drive.  Don’t tarnish the Christmas season by getting a ticket or worse, hurting yourself or someone else because of a traffic accident. Be smart and safe this Christmas season.

If for some reason you end up in a tight situation, you can get valuable help from the Los Angeles Criminal and DUI Defense Attorneys.   This group of people are dedicated to help clients get the best possible outcomes.  They take pride in listening to their clients in-depth side of the story. These Defense Lawyers dedicate their time and effort to protect your rights.

Below are some strong attributes that highlight their qualifications to help you in difficult situation:

• State Bar Certified Specialist in Criminal Law
• Former District Attorney
• Former Senior Trial Prosecutors
• Private Investigator On Site
• Law Professor, UCLA and Pepperdine
• Over 50 years courtroom experience
• Across street from Van Nuys Courthouse

Q: What are the Christmas traditions and you and your family practice?

Christmas is just a few days away.  I’m sure you’re excited as I am about the coming Christmas.

Here are some of my family’s Christmas traditions that I would like to share with you:

- We usually put up our Christmas tree and other holiday decors during the 1st week of December.

- My family and I attend Misa de Gallo, an evening mass during Christmas Eve.

- We have our Noche Buena at my MIL’s place.  A small feast always awaits us.

- When we get home, we open the Christmas gifts under the tree.

- The following day, Yohan checks the gift from Santa.

- We deliver some gifts on Dec. 25 and we have Christmas dinner at my MIL’s place. We have our annual Kris Kringle and we exchange gifts with family members.

We just attended a party last night and we are off to another one today.  My family and I were invited to attend a double birthday party.  It’s the joint celebration of our family friend’s grand daughters.  It’s a children’s party and my son is very excited.  There will be a lot of fun games and activities for sure.  I’m expecting a lot of tempting sweets which will make Lipovox quite handy.

Last night was our village Christmas party.   There were several live band performances.  One of the bands comprised of a group of teenagers residing in the village.  I realized that I’m not so young anymore because I couldn’t appreciate all that shouting in between the songs.  I love the dance number of a group of young women with their mothers.  It was such a cool performance.  It was nice to see two generations blend in.   There was a buffet dinner served for the homeowners and guests.  There are more parties to come and I might just need Leptovox to lose the extra pounds.

Just a few more week until Christmas break.  Perfect time for some time off and relaxation.  There are many lovely las vegas hotels with great amenities. Las Vegas is the heart of gaming, dining, shopping, entertainment, and luxury.   Relax, unwind and be merry this Christmas season until your heart’s content.  A nice vacation is a wonderful gift you can give yourself and people dear to you.

Q: What frugal or practical Christmas tips (does your family practice) that you can share to cut down on Christmas-related expenses but not necessarily sacrificing on quality?

Instead of buying expensive gifts, we give out baked goodies (personally baked by hubby) to family and friends.  Last year, we gave out Pineapple Carrot Cake in Christmas boxes.

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

Q: Are you happy?

I could say that I’m happy.  I’m grateful for all the wonderful blessings that God has bestowed on me and the people I love.  We may not be rich but I’m happy that we have a comfortable life.  I’m grateful for my family’s good health.