send hand-written thank you notes.

Little Rabbits, always remember the power and sweetness of a hand-written note. Everybody loves getting fun mail and it is becoming a rare commodity. When you start thinking you will just send an email to express your thanks to someone, think again. Think about how much you love receiving a hand-written note. Think about the power of handwriting. (Did you know that Sunday, January 23rd is National Handwriting Day?)

Mother Rabbit suggests having a collection of darling notes at your fingertips. It makes it more fun to write them if the notes themselves make you happy. And the task is easier when you keep a collection of notes for all occasions in a handy spot. Mother Rabbit also always buys pretty stamps and keeps a good supply. Make someone's day. Write a note and send it by snail mail.

always take the stairs.

When given the option of escalator or stairs, always take the stairs. This is a simple path is a little healthier lifestyle. I learned reading "French Women Don't Get Fat" by Mirelle Guilano that French women always take the stairs too.

collect favorite recipes.

Cooking is a way of handing down the history of your family. I recommend that you respect the power of favorite recipes in your life, and in the lives of your family. Memories are made over food lovingly prepared. Family recipes have the power to nourish the body and the soul.

Mother Rabbit's bunnies have been begging for a cookbook filled with the recipes that they have grown up on. For Christmas 2010, the bunnies received "Mother Rabbit Cooks Volume 1". It contains recipes that they beg for, recipes that we know by name, and that we would even call "friends". The most fun part was adding the story of where the recipe came from and photos of us enjoying the food. If you would like to take a peek at the pages, use the link below. (Just sign in with your email address and a password to view.)

http://www.cmphotocenter.com/photos/share.php?code=xuqpipyJIJ2qwSaU-dJ8lFtGN_mGoZ4Z&share_type=storybook

I realized this fall, looking at my overstuffed three-ring binder of recipes, that in the event of a house fire I would need to grab this 20 year collection of recipes as well as all of the photo albums. I was also growing tired of fielding calls from the girls for the ingredient lists for favorite recipes. This is fine and dandy when you are standing in your kitchen, but not as handy if you are hiking in Ireland or working out at the YMCA. I couldn't get all the recipes with accompanying stories & memories in one volume, but Mother Rabbit Cooks Volume 2 is already started.

Respect the power of your recipes and the memories that they provide.

savor your history.

Preparing recipes that have been in your family for a long time will bring you in touch with your ethnic roots in a very tangible way. Christmas a great time to ask your mother or your grandmother what they remember eating that formed food traditions in your family. It doesn't take long for a holiday food ritual to take hold so that "it wouldn't be Christmas without..."

Mother Rabbit is a purebred 100% Swede, and she is proud of it. Both parents are Swedish, all the grandparents are Swedish. You get the picture. It was actually a Bucket List item to make Ostakaka all by myself, and in December 2010 I did it. My Grandma Eunice Wallerstedt made it every Christmas and it was one of my favorite taste treats. For those non-Swedes out there who are wondering what it is, I would describe it as a yummy custard dessert that has an amazing and unique texture. It is made by curding raw milk with a rennet tablet and separating the whey (very similar to making cheese) then adding eggs and sugar before baking it. It is tradition to top it with ligonberries. I was always scared to make it because the process seemed foreign, but it was remarkably easy! My first Ostakaka was good, but I already think I know how I can make it even better. Similar to making bread or pie crust and needing to get the feel for the dough, I need to get a feel for the curds and whey. (I sound like Little Miss Muppet instead of Mother Rabbit.) Anyway, I was very proud of myself for making it, and felt like I honored my grandmothers by carrying on the tradition.

I am also proud to say that I baked Lutefisk and served it in a pepper cream sauce for Christmas Eve dinner. (Lutefisk is a fish that has been dried and reconstituted, and has gotten a very bad rap for its fishy taste and smell - which was not as bad as all the talk.) My grandmother would not have thought of having a Christmas dinner without lutefisk, maybe not because everybody loved it but because it was the Swedish thing to do.

Jag är glad att jag gjorde det.

the "on hold" challenge.

Mother Rabbit says "Never just sit there and wait when you have a long hold time." Put your phone on speaker and set it down. Then get to work on something! I like to play a little game with myself to see how much I can get accomplished while I am on hold. Can I get the dishwasher emptied? Can I get the whole dryer load folded? Can I edit and sort two dozen photos? It is a fun game. Have fun playing it!

enjoy fresh juice.

A great way to start every day is with a glass of fresh juice. Do you know how easy it is to give yourself this luxurious treat? Purchase a juicer and buy bags of citrus. It takes under a minute to produce the fabulous - and need I say - super healthy results.

Many of you might have a Kitchenaid Mixer as Consumer Reports has named it a "Best Buy" for performing well at a great price. I purchased the $29 attachment which makes this whole process even easier. Buy one for yourself next time you are at the department store.

I am going on two years now of having fresh juice every morning, sometimes grapefruit and sometimes orange. Violet, at our charming bed & breakfast in the Irish countryside, served a combination of both. Sometimes I do that and then close my eyes to see if I can transport myself back there on a memory...

store it clean.

Unless you have one of those massive, over-sized closets this might be the season when you are storing your summer clothes and linens and pulling out the winter ones. I usually wait until the temps drop to zero to make the move. That time was last weekend.
One of the things that I remember from my Textile Science class as a Textile Design major in college was to always store fabric that is clean. Nothing takes its toll on fibers like dirt and grime. Have you ever noticed when pulling out a garment from storage that a spot showed up that you didn't even remember or the underarm stain looked exaggerated? Well, now you know why. You gave that dirty grime a chance to do its business!
If you have nice dresses, sweaters and blankets that you want to keep over the long haul - store them after you have cleaned them. If they are items that cannot be hand or machine washed, take them to the dry cleaners before putting them in the storage closet, or the back of your closet.
Store your clothes clean. I learned it in college. It is really true.
Note: Too much detergent left on your fibers is another nasty culprit. Do not over-do the soap.