Grateful

It's the week of Thanksgiving and I feel very blessed. I have a loving husband, beautiful girls, fantastic friends and supportive parents. And I'm healthy! So you will hear no complaining from me. I hope you take some time to slow down and enjoy the journey of these holiday celebrations that give us time with our loved ones. There isn't more that we need.

With that in mind, I will share just a few more of my holiday preparations and planning:

• Wrapped two more Christmas gifts.
• Made a list of items we need to pack in our car for Thanksgiving.
• Cleaned up some papers on my kitchen counter and on my desk (just 10 minutes or so for the past two days).
• Took the turkey out of the freezer to begin thawing in the refrigerator on Monday. :)
• Finally making my Goodwill run (since Monday the roads were icy).

I might vacuum, do a load of laundry, pay bills, and cut up a bag of onions. Maybe, if I'm motivated. Oh, the onions. I figure if I cut the 8 or so onions I have, this will help in December with future recipes. I would freeze on trays first, then measure them out into 1 cup portions and put in freezer bags. But I may just take it easy too, as the time celebrating with family will be busy too. 

Happy Thanksgiving! See you next week. 

The Latest Project

I've owned a piece of barn wood for over a year. It has just been hanging out in our garage. This spring I realized that I wanted to use some of it for making a coat rack, the kind with knobs that hangs on the wall. It was way too long though!

This spring we rented a saw to cut some crown molding to put on the top of our laundry room cabinets. I made sure to get this piece of barn wood cut to a shorter length at the same time. Not too much later, I found some knobs I liked at Hobby Lobby at 50% off, which made them two dollars each.

Unfortunately, that is as far as the project when until this past Sunday! We just put it off, or made other things the priority. And that is fine, but I'm so glad we came back to it. We were motivated after a friend sent a picture of a rack she just put up and mentioned Hobby Lobby knobs. I asked how she was able to cut the long screws the knobs had...and this put us on the path to finishing the project.

I don't have before pictures, but here are the two after pictures:

This is hung in our laundry room. I expect coats to be hung here after shoveling (so they can air dry), or laundry that needs to air dry can be placed here. And it could be extra space for some coats when we have guests as well. Otherwise, I think it just looks like art. And it makes me happy!

I'm so thrilled to have this project complete. I really didn't think it would be completed before the end of the year but now that it is I am super glad! 

Do you have a project you are in the middle of? How long since you worked on it? Any chance it will be done before the end of the year? 

Decluttered and Baked

As I write this on Sunday night, I am tired out! I was busy today, which means I accomplished quite a bit. And I am pleased! In addition to the two main holiday tasks I accomplished, I managed to get three loads of laundry done and put away, helped my husband with a project, ran errands to four stores, which included last minute groceries and made two homemade pizzas for dinner! The two main tasks for the holidays completed today were two batches of cookies and some decluttering.

I made two batches of Nestle Toll House Mint Chocolate Chip bars. Making cookies this way is so much easier than dropping cookies on to trays and baking multiple pans over and over. Each pan made 60 bars! They are tiny, but that is how you get more. We all had the equivalent of two bars, the rest are packed up and in my freezer to pull out later. I expect some to get sent to school for a fundraiser bake sale, and some to go to work with my husband. Next weekend we'll bake another kind of cookie!

While the cookies were baking and cooling, I first packed up all the items I found last night to send to Goodwill. I only took 30 minutes to glance into cupboards, drawers and closets last night. I really am amazed some times how I can keep finding more things! I did find some trash and items to recycle, but most of it was actual items that need to leave our home.

I also made sure to look around in the basement for items to let go of. I didn't find quite as much downstairs, but I did find two picture frames and multiple mat boards to let go of. The pile of mat boards was bugging me, so I'm glad I knew it was time to part with those. I also found a couple boxes to break down for recycling!

Tomorrow is my planned Goodwill run. I have two pretty large boxes to drop off. I'm hoping the snowfall allows for me to get there! Tomorrow I will share the project my husband and I worked on today. It was a project we planned late this summer, but got put on the back burner for various reasons. Now it's done! :)

Did you do any baking for Thanksgiving or Christmas yet? Do you have plans to do any decluttering before the end of the year?

Warmer Weather Means...

I was able to get out and decorate the front porch area of our home on Saturday. It was about 50 degrees. It was a little windy, but I didn't need gloves or a hat. It was actually nice to get a little fresh air.

I set up the faux tree on the porch, with the JOY sign I made. I also put lights in some of our bushes in the front landscaping bed. The hardest part was getting all the lights connected and set up on a timer. I'm pretty sure I have it set up so it will come on, but not sure yet. I also put out this willow branch tree shaped chair (hard to explain) with a faux wreath. It should look pretty good once it is all lit up. \

This wasn't one of those twenty minute tasks, but probably more like an hour. I did spend a little time moving the furniture that was still on the porch from this summer. This led to me moving a few things around in the garage, too.

I don't usually decorate the porch before Thanksgiving, but it less than a week away. The weather was the main motivation to get out there and get it done. Once I know the lights come on as scheduled, I will pull the plug until after Thanksgiving.

We are going to continue working on decluttering a bit more this weekend, since I have my planned Goodwill drop off on Monday. And we might bake some of our holiday cookies. I think the mint chocolate chip bars will be easy to throw two batches together and then get into the freezer.

I'm mostly waiting on more gift buying until after Thanksgiving, since that is when we decide about gifts for extended family. I've been thinking more and more about not doing gifts with extended family, or most of them. I hear people say they don't need anything or they seem stressed about gift buying. I just don't know if it is worth giving to a large circle of people. It seems that if families just bought for themselves it would be simpler and less stressful for everyone. Of course, I don't want to squash the idea of people being givers, because we still need that, so I end up feeling mixed about the whole thing.

How are you feeling about the holiday's? Are you pleased with your plan and progress so far? What did you get done this week? Do you feel like you have too many people to buy for?

JOY Sign Complete and A Thought

I completed the JOY sign last night. I like how it turned out. It will get propped up against my faux tomato cage tree on my porch. I think the final painting in took about 15 minutes. I had to be careful on the edges! I sure didn't think I would slip in a craft for this season, but I'm glad I did. And what is better is it was free. I already had the wood and paint. And the time was minimal.

I cleaned my kitchen floor earlier this week, and then the next day vacuumed the carpets and dusted. Doing those things has made me feel inspired to keep the clutter put away. I found myself taking care of tasks immediately, so the items don't become a pile. Here are a couple examples:

• My daughter brought home a t shirt order form. I immediately wrote the check, and recorded the transaction. No paper waiting around for me to act on it later.
• I received a request for something from a friend. I completed the task and responded to the email right away. Then deleted the email. I do like a clean inbox. 
• I washed towels today (which tends to be a Friday task for me). When I heard the dryer stop, I stopped my other tasks and put the towels away. 

Now I do realize, this isn't always possible to take care of things right away. However, if it is possible to take care of something now. Just do it. It removes one more thing from that do list. Heck, in some cases it doesn't even make it on your to do list!!

So just thought on getting things done and not procrastinating. It might help keep the stress down this holiday!

If you are here from A Bowl Full of Lemons, please click the Home button above and scroll through more recent blog posts about my holiday planning and preparation!

Holiday Groceries & A Craft

It has been a pretty productive week getting some of my holiday tasks done. Today, I was able to accomplish several things.

I cleaned the kitchen floor and vacuumed the carpet upstairs. Clearly these are tasks that need to be done regardless of the holiday. It seems sometimes the focus on the holiday tasks put the everyday tasks on a back burner. Of course, this is okay, but I feel better when I can keep up on the tasks I normally do while in the midst of holiday planning.

I purchased groceries for the upcoming short week and the holiday. I was motivated by Super Target's coupon in this week's ad that offers a $10 gift card for purchasing $50 worth of groceries. I did score one! I plan to go back tomorrow to see if I can meet the minimum again with the remaining items I need. It would be really nice if I don't have to step foot in another grocery store until the end of November!

I started a craft. This is definitely not a planned task, but I was inspired by Pinterest. I have a piece of barn wood that we cut in half to use for one project (which is not yet done, or started) and I decided the other half would become a sign. I printed out large letters, cut them out, traced them with pencil where I wanted them to be on the piece of wood. I then found a paint pen to make the lines more noticeable. The next step is to fill the letters in with paint, and sand a bit if needed. I will prop this up outside near my faux tomato cage tree.

Here's what the sign looks like so far:

My rustic barn wood sing: JOY

Are you keeping up with your regular tasks while working a little bit on holiday planning? Did you take advantage of a recent deal? Will you make any crafts or decorations for the holiday?

Christmas Cards Completed!

I'm really liking this extra time to prepare for the upcoming holidays!! Do I say that everyday?!I'm getting quite a bit done, but it is not consuming my days or weeks. I may still be feeling a little stress at times, but then I remember I have plenty of time yet!
I wrote Christmas cards today. Most of the envelopes had previously been addressed and address labels attached. Today I wrote in each card, included at photo, sealed the envelope and put a stamp on. I would say I spent an hour or less on this. I had less than 35 cards. If I had more, I would have spent a few sessions working on them.

Since my last post, three more gifts have arrived in the mail. I also ordered one more. That means I will need another mini wrapping session later in the week!

I think I will interrupt my Christmas planning for some Thanksgiving planning this week. I need to confirm with my mom on food I'm bringing. Once I do that I hope to get to the grocery store before the weekend for those items and groceries for the rest of month. I have quite a few things to take with us on our visit for Thanksgiving, so I also need to make a list and gather all the items together. I also need to make arrangements for the cats to be checked on once or twice while we are away.

I also need to get caught up on some cleaning around the house and some final decluttering before the holidays. I have a scheduled date with myself to drop off items at Goodwill this Monday, November 24. Feel free to do the same at your house! There is something about giving away things before the end of the year that makes me feel lighter and blessed.

What can you do this week to prepare for Thanksgiving or Christmas? Are you taking time to slow down and decide what is really important to do? What are you thankful for?

Wrapping Begins

Last week I picked up tape, which was the only item I needed to wrap Christmas presents. I have plenty of gift bags, bows, paper, and tags. Actually, I'm a little short on gift tags, but I have a plan. If I need more tags, I will use white address labels, or fold over some card stock to attach with a ribbon. And those are free!

Today, I decided to pull out a craft table and set up a gift wrap station, since I will not be wrapping on just one day. I don't want to keep getting things back out. In fact, this might make it easier to wrap on the same day I buy something or it arrives in the mail. That will help me keep on top of it all.

Here's what my gift wrap area looks like:

I have rolls of paper, gift bags, tissue paper, boxes, tape, scissors, pen, ribbon and bows, I prefer to use a gift bag when possible...even for the kids. For kids, I put the item in, cover it in tissue paper, and then tape the top of the gift bag closed all the way across the top. That way they can't peek, or if they do they have to do some work to tape it up again.

I've been storing gifts in a bin in my basement as I pick them up or the UPS man delivers. The bin was getting tight. This motivated me to wrap some gifts! I'm as shocked as you are!! I have never had this much shopping done, let alone have any wrapped this early in the holiday season.

I wrapped ten gifts. Two are ornaments for my girls to open when we put the tree up after Thanksgiving. Otherwise, the gifts were for various people. Right now the gifts are just sitting out in the basement, since their is no tree to put them under yet. Even that seems strange. No where to put the gifts.

I updated my list of gift recipients with the gifts I have already purchased. I'm in really good shape. Right now there are just three people that I'm a little bit iffy on what to buy. That will get hashed out eventually.

I need to check with my husband about what he thinks the gift plan at work will be. And what he might want to give. That way we can make sure to get something soon instead of at the last minute.

I'm so excited to be this far ahead with the shopping and now the wrapping!

Holiday Picture Taken and Ordered

I'm pleased to announce a few more items can be checked off my Christmas preparation list!

Holiday picture of the girls was taken. I did need to be firm to get it done, but it is done. My oldest even quickly did some Photo Shop tweaks to it. Other than the color of their shirts, it isn't really Christmas themed, but I'm okay with that.

Photos were ordered. Soon after the photo was taken my oldest daughter did a few tweaks with Photo Shop. I was thankful she took care of it so quickly. That meant I was able to get it uploaded to Target's website and ordered. I will pick them up the next time I'm there and use my 30% off photo prints coupon!

Another gift purchased online today! This is the big gift for my oldest and I finally found it for a price I was willing to pay. It will arrive next week. :)

I did spend some more time looking around for some gifts online, but I did limit my time. That alone helps keep my stress level down.

Do you take holiday photos? Do you have a plan on when to make that happen?

November Meal Plan Complete!

Thanks Amy for the inspiration...I know I inspired you, but I finally got to this task today!

Today, I planned all the meals I will be preparing at home for the month of November. That's more than half the month! I didn't really take too long. We don't have any big events this month, other than visiting my parents for Thanksgiving. That means there are at least three evening meals that I didn't need to account for. Even easier!

I included take out pizza for the evening we return from Thanksgiving weekend festivities. I have a coupon that expires right before that and is good for a free pizza when one is purchased. I made sure to include some soups that are easy to throw together. One of them I'm making this weekend and will freeze for much later in the month.

Once I had all the meals planned, I made a list for the grocery store to purchase items through next Friday. I actually did the shopping today, too! I was able to purchase a few more items from my holiday baking list as well. Since it is expected to snow this weekend, I was motivated to just get it done so I don't have to be out driving in the snow.

Here are some of the meals I'm making through the end of the month:

Pasta with roasted vegetables
Taco Dip
Tortellini and Vegetable soup
Pancakes and Eggs
Five Bean Chili
Homemade pizza
Chicken Fajitas
Moroccan Lentil Soup
Salad and rolls
Salmon, couscous and salad

I'm sure several of these will be repeated in the month of December, but I know I will be adding another soup: Chicken Tortilla soup. I haven't had that one in a long time!

Baking list update:

1 bag of all purpose flour
1 bag of sugar
1 bag of brown sugar
1 bag of powdered sugar
3 lbs of butter (I got one pound)
18 eggs (I got 12 eggs)
2 cans of pumpkin
raspberry jam (may not need)
peanut butter
marshmallow creme
2 bags mint chocolate chips
1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips
Crispix cereal
2 large cans whipped cream
cloves
candy canes

Only got some eggs and some of the butter because I'd like the price to be lower and I don't need them quite yet anyway. Same with the candy canes! And I would have picked up the canned whipped cream but the store didn't have it in stock. :(

I ordered two more gifts online today. And several gifts I ordered earlier in the week arrived in the mail. It feels good to have so many things arriving already!

Christmas is beginning to feel less stressful! How are you feeling about your preparations for Thanksgiving and/or Christmas?

More Stocking Stuffers

A few more updates on the Christmas planning and preparation. I don't feel I have been as productive this week. I've accomplished some things, but I feel I may be spending to much time on the computer looking for the right price or the right gift! That can be more stressful than it seems.

Baking list purchases have begun. I crossed off the ones I have purchased so far. I think I will get nearly everything else this weekend, although I haven't seen a good price on butter just yet, so I may wait a little longer for that.

1 bag of all purpose flour
1 bag of sugar
1 bag of brown sugar
1 bag of powdered sugar
3 lbs of butter
18 eggs
2 cans of pumpkin
raspberry jam
peanut butter
marshmallow creme
2 bags mint chocolate chips
1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips
Crispix cereal
2 large cans whipped cream
cloves
candy canes

Stocking stuffers for my foster niece have been easy to find. I found a Hello Kitty toothbrush at Dollar Tree (rarely go in there), and a new sample size toothpaste in our closet. I also picked up her favorite character band aids. I also have a few other ideas on my list, so that will be helpful when I get out to shop again.

Offered food for Thanksgiving to my mom and she seemed excited about the offers. I even included at turkey breast and wine in the offer. I know of a rebate on the wine. Rex Goliath wines specifically. Some of those purchases will need to be made soon, as well. Likely this weekend, so  I can just have it done.

I have failed to take inventory of gifts I have, even after two recent ones were in my mail this week. So that is still on the to do list. After I get that done, I will complete our gift list and see where we stand with what still needs to be purchased.

It actually feels really good to have so much complete at this point in the season. The biggest thing I need to work on is keeping myself from browsing the internet 'shopping' and just buy. I also need to make as few trips to stores as possible, while hopefully getting a few deals in the process!

And still want to get a picture of my girls taken. Just a simple shot here at home that can be sent with Christmas cards. Now to just get them away from their electronics to do so!!

Do you have a stocking stuffer idea that is always a hit?

Husband's Gift Complete

More Christmas tasks completed!

I bought my husband's gift online. The bonus is I found a couple gifts for other to get him and ordered those as well. I will receive them here at home, and then secretly transport them to Thanksgiving dinner for the gifters to take possession of and pay me!

Took note of stocking stuffer ideas my girls put out there. It's always nice to know what they would like to receive in their stockings. One likes chocolate covered sunflower seeds and the other asked for ginger chews! I have the hard ginger candy at home and realized instead of eating the whole bag, I will set those aside to put in my parents stockings.

Found more gifts to give that we already have in our home. My daughter has extra photography from an art fair. We will give one to her flute teacher. We also found a print of a drawing my teen nephew was very interested in this summer but did not purchase. It's now his gift, along with some socks I already bought on clearance!

I'm going to add another task to my list: take inventory of what I do have for gifts thus far! It all starts to become a blur. I also could start wrapping a few of these things, but I might wait.

How is your Christmas planning coming along? Do you stuff stockings? Do you have a favorite item to put in them?

Berries and Another Gift

Despite having a cold that is wearing me out, I managed to complete these Christmas preparation tasks over the weekend. Every little bit helps!

Added faux berries to my outdoor Christmas tree. I purchased a faux red berry bush at Hobby Lobby last week when all Christmas items were 50% off. I spent about $5. The tree is actually made of a tomato cage upside down in a large planter. I wrapped faux evergreen garland around the tomato cage, and added white lights and pine cones. It was lacking a little something during the day on the porch, thus the reason I added the faux berries. This task took just five minutes.

Dropped our non working lights off at Home Depot for recycling. Happy they are no longer in our home and that this service was offered.

Purchased a gift online for my daughter. Another t shirt!

Found two gifts to pass on to my nieces and nephew. We have some snow toys we no longer use that will go to a family of four children to play with. Costs me nothing, but should bring hours of fun! I will give some of our holiday cookie cutters and sprinkles to another child for making cookies for Santa (this one is a gift for before Christmas obviously).

This week I hope to get some, if not all, the baking supplies purchased. Several items are on sale, so I will snap those up for sure. And I'd really like to get a picture of my girls taken.

Yea! I completed more tasks. And it hasn't been stressful at all. It fact it has been fun!

Christmas Lights and Cards

I completed more Christmas preparation tasks, so I thought I'd pop in and share what I did.
I only spent 20 minutes of my day on these two tasks:

Checked that all Christmas lights were in working order. I did find three strands that would only light up halfway. Two of them were marked from two years ago that they only lit part way! Why was I saving them? No clue. I plan to take them to Home Depot for recycling this weekend.

Addressed Envelopes for Christmas cards. We don't send a lot of cards, so I was able to address nearly all of them in 10 minutes. I didn't sign the cards yet, but at least the return address labels are on and addresses written.

I'm really liking this preparing a little bit at a time! Are you working on any Christmas tasks?

Baking Planned

I've planned our holiday baking!

I might be making more than I sometimes do, but expect some of the food to be taken to work and some to be donated. I did get some help from my youngest daughter on what we should make, It was nice to have help and know we will have something they will enjoy!

The baking that made the list for Thanksgiving and Christmas are:
2 batches of Jam Print Cookies
2 batches of Banana Bread
2 batches of Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies
Puppy Chow
2 Pumpkin Pies
Peanut Butter Fudge

It sounds yummy, yet sickening and fattening all at the same time. At least I know that much of it will be passed on and that we will have some goodies to share!

I have made my list for the store. I have some items on hand, so those are not included in the following list:

1 bag of all purpose flour
1 bag of sugar
1 bag of brown sugar
1 bag of powdered sugar
3 lbs of butter
18 eggs
2 cans of pumpkin
raspberry jam
peanut butter
marshmallow creme
2 bags mint chocolate chips
1 bag semi sweet chocolate chips
Crispix cereal
2 large cans whipped cream
cloves
candy canes

I added my list here to share, but also for future reference. Next year I can look back at what I made and possibly use a very similar list! I hope to find some sales on items over the next few weeks while I'm doing my regular shopping. However, I may just make a run and get it all. That would be the simplest and least stressful approach!

Do you plan your holiday baking? Do you give desserts as gifts? What is your favorite holiday dessert?

It's November and I'm Planning for Christmas

I've started Christmas planning. Even I'm surprised! But I am excited. Apparently, I'm motivated by people and their brilliant blog ideas. I'm reading on that is doing quite a bit of holiday preparation in November to have a less stressful Christmas season. I've been doing better every year with getting the stress lower. I decided I might as well start planning.

I have been planning all year because I'm saving cash each month for Christmas gifts.

This month, I'm going to get gift ideas pinned down (and hopefully all shopped for). My girls seem to have very easy ideas for me this year, and I have a good one for my husband as well. It then becomes the extended family!

I will gather addresses and determine a Christmas card list. I have already purchased cards on clearance last year and just purchased stamps today. I will either write a simple letter, or take a photo of our family, girls or cats. If I go with a picture, I will order before the month ends.

I will plan holiday baking that is outside my normal cooking and baking. Some will be for our family to eat and some will be to take to work, and donate to a cookie fundraiser in early December. I will also make a list of all ingredients for these. I will even shop for these items before the end of November, preferably before the Thanksgiving shoppers invade the store.

I will buy gift wrap and supplies if needed. These means I will be pulling out the current wrapping paper, bows and bags to see what I really have. I'm pretty sure I'm good on gift bags. I may need one or two rolls of paper for the larger gifts. I will also check on tape and gift tags.

It generally doesn't take me too long to gift wrap. And I actually like that part! It is fun. I will likely wrap once December rolls around, but if you dread it, you may consider wrapping a portion of the gifts you have once each week. Keep your supplies all in one place all season, so it isn't a chore to get started each time.

I will meal plan. I do a pretty good job of planning meals by the week, but the holidays are stressful and that chore just adds more on. I will spend some time this month meal planning for December, doing my best to take into consideration what activities we have planned. I may make an effort to double up on some soups or other items I can freeze and thaw later.

The Merry Little Christmas Project page on Facebook indicated that the November planning for Christmas can take as little as 20 minutes a day. I agree this is doable. Maybe longer on weekends if shopping is in order. I plan to use 20 minutes of my day today to make the baking ingredient list and make a final calendar plan of my 20 minute tasks that will help me this November make Christmas a little less stressful!

Here is to getting Christmas organized!! Do you have a way to keep track of your holiday tasks? How far ahead do you plan for Christmas or any other holiday?