At the starting gate!

Thanksgiving weekend is over and I’m at the starting gate for the  Christmas season.

We all have our own traditions and hopes for the season. Many times we feel overwhelmed with the preparations and all the activities that we feel we must do and end up being stressed and disappointed.

One way to help reduce this is by good planning and organizing which should be done before December.

Christmas Cards: I have a permanent Christmas card list that is both on the computer and  on paper. I prefer the paper list because it is easier to upgrade during the year when people tell me they have moved (especially if the computer is being used by others).

If you plan on doing a family photo for your cards you will need to get a group picture and have them printed or print them yourselves. This is something that is best done in October but with today’s printers it is not too late to do it yourself. I prefer to simply buy the generic cards at the store and add a family photo if we had a new one taken that year and our annual Christmas letter.

Annual Christmas Letter:  If you have never written one before now is the year to start. I wish I had started one a long time ago. They act as a summary of what you and your family did that year and become keepsakes as the years go by.  Can’t remember what year you want to Canada? Check the annual letters! I can not believe how many friends stop to tell me how much they enjoy this letter which is included with our Christmas cards. I usually write these out right after Thanksgiving.

 

Gift List for others: Make a list of who you need to buy gifts for and gift ideas before you go shopping.

Gift list for yourself and your family: Be prepared for when others ask for gift ideas. That way it helps take the stress off of your friends and family and you get what you want and not some weird statue that you don’t even know what it is supposed to be.

Priorities :Take a few minutes and think about how your perfect Christmas would look like. Identify what is important to you and your family and put those things at the top of your list. Also think about old family traditions  that have not worked out well – do you work to make your mother’s old fashion fruitcake only to throw most of it out at the end of the season? Maybe it is time to ditch that tradition and start a new one.

Budget: Decide how much you can (not how much you want) to spend on each item. Including gifts for each person; supplies to make gifts; wrapping paper, gift tags, and ribbons; decorations; Christmas cards; shipping and postal cost for gifts and cards; food for parties, dinners, and gifts; and traveling expenses.

Set up a wrapping station: Buy all wrapping supplies early and wrap, label, and mark off each gift as you bring them home. This prevents last-minute wrap marathons. Find a place that is out of sight so that you can leave the supplies out until after Christmas. It also helps if you can pile the wrapped gifts in the same location.

Plan your Holiday Baking Schedule: First decide who you plan on baking for and what activities do you have to bake for. Choose recipes that freeze well so that you can bake ahead and label baking good for who or what they are for. My mother would start baking the day after Thanksgiving  and bake until Christmas. Our freezer would be filled because she gave Christmas cookies to all the people on her list. I tried this one year and decided that tradition had to go out the window. I bake her Christmas Santa cookies and a few of our family favorites and do not give them out as gifts. Unlike my mother I do not enjoy baking all day for weeks on end. Hint: you can bake your Christmas cookies as early as the first week of November and freeze them.

Freezer meals: Keep a few meals in the freezer that you can heat and eat on nights when you have other activities that you must attend.  Sure you can go though the fast food lanes but that can become expensive and lead to weight gain during a time when you are already being tempted by sweets everywhere you look. Look for meals that are easy to double and that freeze well. Making a meatloaf for dinner – make two and freeze one for December.

Now that you have everything planned out it is time to get started .. after you finish cleaning up from Thanksgiving.  Throw out all the leftovers, clean out the refrigerator,  put all the Thanksgiving decorations away, clean the house completely, change sheets from the used guest rooms before you put out the first Christmas decoration.  You should be ready to  mail out your Christmas cards and letter, put up the Christmas tree and decorations,  plan what you will take to the Christmas parties, and what you will serve on Christmas day by the end of the first week of December.  Start shopping for nonperishable foods and also always be on the look out for the gifts on your to buy list.

Doug left to go back to his place this afternoon so I spent the afternoon grocery shopping and cleaning from Thanksgiving.  The house is ready for the Christmas decorating to begin!  Tomorrow.

 

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Continue filling out home inventory forms.

Black Friday Disease

I can remember when Black Friday was a single day of shopping. The deals were good and people were respectful of others. It seems to me that Black Friday has become almost like a disease that slowly spreads each year. It now starts on Thanksgiving day and runs the whole weekend and into Cyber Monday. People skip being with family so that they can camp in front of the store to get the “deals.” Do they not know that they are missing the real deal – spending time with their families.

As the years pass, the material things that they skipped Thanksgiving for will be forgotten and unfortunately many of the people that they love will have passed on. God has given you a limited number of minutes – it is our job to use them wisely.

We have found that you usually do not have to wait in line to get the deals. Doug loves to shop so if there is a big deal on something we really want, he and his Dad usually go after dinner and simply pick up a voucher without having to stand in line all day. True we have to go on-line and fill out the form and we do not walk out of the store with the item; however, we have always gotten the item of choice at the special price before Christmas.

This allows us to relax and enjoy family time on Thanksgiving day.

(Guess I should have Photoshop Chris into the picture because he was upstairs at the time these were taken,)

We usually put up our Christmas tree on Thanksgiving night but the last few years we have waited until December 1. The family prefers to play games and talk around the dinning room table whenever they get together.  I guess putting up the tree is just too much work. So Shoes and I will get that job done this week when everyone has returned to their jobs. Shawn and Desiree have returned to their home and Doug will be heading back to his place on Sunday afternoon. Doug and I spent this afternoon watching football and I addressed the Christmas cards. I need to finish the yearly Christmas letter and print that off before sealing up the cards. Then off to mail them and do some Christmas shopping later in the week.

Our Christmas shopping list has slimmer down to a much smaller number since we have retired and the boys are grown. The boys have come to the point in their lives that they want money to pay bills more than a bunch of gifts. I am not sure if Christmas is cheaper this way  but it sure is easier and not as much of a hassle having to look for just the right action figure or game. We still do a little Christmas shopping but it is at our leisure and we can spend the time enjoying the decorations.  We no longer have co-workers to buy for   but usually buy for a needy child or family of our choice.

The down side is that the tree looks bare compared to when they were small and the opening of gifts only takes a few minutes.

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Continue filling out home inventory forms.

Apple Raisin Dressing

This has been my favorite dressing for as long as I can remember. My mother gave me the recipe when I got married and I have fixed it every Thanksgiving since she has passed on.

Apple Raisin Dressing

Ingredients:

1 well beaten egg

3 cups diced, paired, cored cooking apples

1 cup raisins

1 cup minced onion

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

7 cups day – old bread crumbs

1/8 teaspoon pepper

1/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup melted butter

Hot water

Instructions:

Combine all and mix well. Place in casserole dish and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.  (325 degree for glass dish).

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Declutter fall holiday decorations before storage.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving !

I tried a new recipe for the turkey this year and it was very good. Usually I just throw the turkey in the oven but this year I used a spice rub.

Today menu was Spice rubbed turkey. Apple raisin dressing, Egg noodles, Applesauce, Cranberry sauce, Mashed potatoes and gravy, Mixed vegetable, Rolls, Banana bread, Apple pie, Pumpkin pie, Jello, and Blueberry pie.

The whole family came in for the day. As any mother knows it is a wonderful day when all your kids are under the same roof at the same time.

I got smart this year and timed dinner so that I could sit and enjoy the National Dog Show before having to work non stop in the kitchen.

Doug and Bill left after dinner to go shopping. Bill has his eye on a bigger TV and Doug wants to check out the DVDs. Shawn, Desiree, Chris and I ended up watching football and talking before getting out the games.

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Make plans for eating leftovers!

Thanksgiving Eve

Thanksgiving  is my most stressful holiday. I  don’t mind cooking when I want to cook but I dislike having to cook on demand.

My mother loved to cook and her simplest meals equal my Thanksgiving one. She sat the bar high when it came to Thanksgiving – Roast turkey, raisin apple dressing, oyster dressing, plain dressing, homemade egg noodles, mashed potatoes and gravy, candied sweet potatoes, baked beans, green beans with ham, molded cranberry salad, cranberry sauce, corn, home – made yeast rolls, pumpkin pie, apple pie, date pudding, persimmon pudding, jello, cake,and  ice cream.  I tried to keep her tradition alive after she died but it was just impossible especially when I had to work the day before and the day after. My Thanksgiving is based more or the fact that the family is all together for a few hours and not on the food. We still have the roast turkey, raisin – apple dressing and plain dressing (but they are combined in the same dish), egg noodles (I do not make the noodles from scratch), mashed potatoes in gravy, cooked frozen vegetables, brought rolls, baked frozen apple pie, jello with cool whip, and brought pumpkin pie. If they are lucky I may bake some banana bread this year.

Chris is at work and Bill is working at the apartment today. They had to take the rental car back so I do hope that at least one of the cars makes it out of the repair shop today because I am tired of not having my truck.

While they were doing their thing I finished  the photo ledges in the studio.  This is what the short wall looked like before. Not bad but it did not allow me to change out the pictures without adding new nail holes.

Short wall

I decided to put up two new photo ledges each measuring four-foot long.

These are the painted pieces that I had to mount on the wall today. For instructions on making these ledges see How to make a photo shelf.

I even have room for more pictures in the same space! This looks so much neater. I would love to work on that trim board today but ran out of time. I have jello, banana bread, apple pie and a blueberry pie to bake this evening.

__________________Fill out home inventory forms.

 

Thanksgiving Countdown Begins

I planned on cleaning the house as soon as I finished feeding the animals but I got delayed.  It was a nice 32 degrees and I noticed that the goldfish pond’s filter was not working. Not wanting to get into the icy water if I did not have to I checked the electricity connections first. Well it worked so that meant that it was not going to be a simple fix of resetting the breaker. I had to face the freezing water!  Cleaning the filter is an easy job in the summer because I just use the high pressure from the hose but this time of year I have to use the bathroom sink. The good news is that it usually does not get clogged up in the winter. The bad news I had a mess in the downstairs bathroom. The filter is fairly easy to clean even with my big helper, Shoes who kept pushing her nose over the sink to see what I was doing. The filter is now back in place and hopefully will not get clogged again this winter. I was surprised that it was clogged because the water was crystal clear.

Goldfish pond – fixed

Needless to say I started the house cleaning in the downstairs bathroom!  It took most of the day to clean everything today and change sheets on  Doug’s bed in preparation for his visit. The reason it took so long is that I still needed to deep clean the grout in our bathroom and today was a good day to get it done. I should be able to seal the grout after Thanksgiving. This is the last room that needed the grout cleaned and sealed.

Bathroom grout waiting to be sealed.

House is clean for Thanksgiving and posters hung in the basement. I still need to find/ make something for over the sofa and get some cushions for it before I can say the basement is finished. The photo ledges and the trim boards are ready to hang in the studio.

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Begin creating home inventory list.

DIY Paper/Photo Collage

 

What is a collage? According to the Wikipedia

“Collage is a technique of an art production, primarily used in the visual arts, where the artwork is made from an assemblage  of different forms, thus creating a new whole.

A collage may sometimes include magazine and newspaper clippings, ribbons, paint, bits of colored or handmade papers, portions of other artwork or texts, photographs and other found objects, glued to a piece of paper or canvas. The origins of collage can be traced back hundreds of years, but this technique made a dramatic reappearance in the early 20th century as an art form of novelty.

The term collage derives from the French “coller”. This term was coined by both Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso in the beginning of the 20th century when collage became a distinctive part of modern art.”

Collages can be made from almost any materials so the first thing you need to do is select a style or material for your collage. Today I am going to work on a paper/photo collage using different types of paper and old pictures from magazines.

The most important step is to choose a background material that will work well and support your collage material. Since I am doing a paper/photo collage a good solid piece of cardboard will work well.  I did a nature collage a few years back and had to use a plywood backing to support the weight of the material.

 

Collect the material you will need to make your collage.  I will be using some of those old Muscle and Fitness magazines.

Fold, tear, and cut your paper. You can use many different methods to add variety to the collage. I like a clean look so I cut all my pictures. Since I have decided to keep these magazines I was careful to use only pictures that did not have stories on the backside.

Develop a theme and build the collage around this idea. My theme will be “Make the commitment – Go For The Burn” and it will be displayed in the health and family bague area of the basement above the gym equipment.

Do not be afraid to add 3D effects with beads, ribbons,etc. If your collage will be under glass you may consider using a shadow box or adding the embellishments to the glass.

Design your collage and lay it out before gluing.

Once you  are happy with the results take a picture of it and then start gluing. Use the picture to help position the pieces of paper. Allow it to dry completely before hanging.

I used a poster frame which held the pictures in place without gluing that way I can update the collage whenever I want to change it.

Workouts are becoming very inviting.

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Week 47: Create personal home inventory

Rainy Sunday

I am so glad we got groceries yesterday because it is a deary wet day. It started rainy as we headed for church this morning. It began with a light sprinkle and has continued on and off most of the day. We are now looking at a steady drizzle of rain with the temperature in the 50’s but the air feels very damp.

I am not complaining because it could be snow or worst freezing rain but I do miss summer and the sun. I fully understand why so many animals hibernate during the winter.  I still have not adjusted to the time change and the cooler weather. I either go to bed way early or way later than normal  and have to have the alarm to wake me up. Thank goodness I have animals to care for or else I would probably stay in bed until spring.

This morning  the birds greeted me by jumping up on my hands as I opened the door. I would have taken a photo if I had a third hand – Sunny was on one hand and Chatty on the other. They love attention and would rather be in the same room with you than by themselves. I am so glad that they have finally decided to trust me and are looking forward to training/play time. We laugh at the silly things they do and especially at Chatty who sounds like he is writing the next bestseller epic book as he plays with his toys. Think old fashion typewriter complete with return cartridge sound compliment of his bell toy.

The cookbook of the  church member’s recipes was on sell this morning but I did not have time to pick one up before the service.  I was going to buy one after the service but they had packed them up already. They will be al sell at the main office during the week.

We decided to go to Waffle House to have lunch/dinner or linner.  Yes, That is the word for it.  Bunch is breakfast/lunch.  Then there is Bill’s favorite brinner, a word for breakfast at dinner time.

It’s a wet overcast Sunday which means it is a perfect day to curl up on the sofa and watch TV. One day of relaxing before the madness of Thanksgiving preparations begins. Don’t forget to thaw your turkey!

__________________Declutter id’s play room and /or areas kid’s play in.

Making lemonade from lemons!

You all know the saying when life hands you lemons make lemonade. It sums up yesterday!

Bill and I had a full day planned – we were going to go visit grandma and stop and get Shoes dog food and Artemis’ rats on the way home.

That all changed with one phone call from Chris. He was calling to say he was okay and had gotten to work; however, he had no brakes. Ouch! Bill and I hopped into the truck and headed to town. There was a huge puddle of brake fluid under the car and when we added new fluid and stepped on the brakes the fluid spurted out like a cut artery.   Long story short, we now have two cars in the shop and there is a rented car in our driveway. Now finding a rental car on short notice in a small town is not easy and after many phone calls we finally found one available. By this time  Chris was off work and it was way to late to go to Indianapolis. We did not want to waste the rest of the day so we headed to Columbus and picked up the trim boards I needed to finish the studio, then to  Wal-Mart to get one of Shoes’ dog food (our local Wal-Mart does not carry that brand).

While in Columbus we decide to eat at Sirloin Stockade which Bill said was very good. I do not remember eating there before and was pleased with the food. The pecan pie was great!

We stopped at Best Buy to check out prices on TV’s, air purifiers,and dehumidifiers. Than we want to Petco to get Artemis’ rats and more Dental Works for Shoes. That should cover both Shoes and Artemis for the next two to three months. I have two months of food on hand for the birds which means I just need to stock up on cat food before winter hits hard.

Bill is so patience with me at Petco. I can not get out of that store without checking out all the animals. They had some sweet little ball pythons what were so small. I remember when Artemis was that small!  That was back in 2006. He rode coiled up asleep in my hand as I drove us home that day. Now he is too heavy and long for me to handle safely which is a bit sad. He would love to curl around my arm with his little head on my hand and watch the computer screen as I typed. That ended last year when he tighten around my arm to the point it was turning numb before I got him uncoiled.  He still gets attention and petted (after he has eaten) but he stays in his cage. I have the cage located so that he can still watch the computer screen and me which he does all the time. I enjoy watching him climb his tree and “hunt” for his food.

I always enjoy watching the reptiles knowing that I will never buy a water dragon or exotic frog.

Did I just say never?  I use to say that about ball pythons and cockatiel because they where so expensive and needed such  large cages.

They had a cockatiel that looked like Sunny and the sign said funny and cute. I have to agree with that Sunny is both and smart also. He surprised me by turning out to be a very sociable bird.  I always feel sorry for the one bird that has been there forever. He is way over priced at $400. If I ever win the lottery he will have a new home because he is beautiful.

The parakeets were all playing and seemed happy but none of them came up the side of the cage like the parrots did.

They had a bunch of ferrets what were tumbling around with each other. I think they are adorable but they create a mess.

The hamsters, rats, and mice were watching everything with their beady little eyes and busy doing what they do best – eating.

I love watching the colorful saltwater fish and would love to set up a saltwater aquarium but I do not have room for a large one and I don’t think saltwater fish should be kept in a small aquarium. I will stick with my small freshwater aquarium.

I got a lot done today. We could not visit grandma because she was busy today.  I started by staining the two trim boards and screwing the two photo shelves together.  I had to wait for the drill’s battery to charge before I could get started on the shelves so I gave the red pool cue holder a third coat of paint and planned the menu/grocery list for this week.

I thawed a rat out for Artemis but he was more interested in playing than in eating! He has not been this friendly in a long time. I ended up tossing the rat (ouch $4.00 wasted) and will wait another week before thawing another one. This is not unusually behavior for this time of year. He goes from eating once a week to once every two weeks and then he sometimes goes months between eating in the winter.

Sunny spent his training time on my shoulder this morning. He has learned “step up” and “shoulder.” “Shoulder” is important because it is where I want him to land if he gets out of his cage.

I found some old heavy-duty display posters in the old storage/bathroom which I plan on using in the basement. I trimmed them up to fit into the space I plan on hanging them. I was getting ready to hang them when Bill came home and we decided to get the groceries – will mainly to get the turkey so it can start to thaw.

Since I had skipped lunch we stopped at Apple-bee’s before getting the groceries. I really don’t like to shop that well and was happy to see that the store was not too busy.

Before relaxing for the night I stained the boards and painted the shelves again.

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Declutter video games.

Honey Mustard Rosemary Chicken

Honey Mustard Rosemary Chicken is an easy meal that can be made for as many people as needed.

Ingredients:

1 frozen chicken breast for each person

Honey mustard

Dried rosemary

Salt

Directions: Spray cooking pan with cooking oil. I use olive oil spray.  Arrange chicken in the pan and spread  honey mustard over each piece of chicken. Top each piece with dried rosemary and a bit of salt. Bake at 375 degrees until internal temperature reaches 180 degrees which usual take an hour if the breast are frozen.

Honey mustard rosemary chicken

I ate half of the chicken before I remembered to take the picture. I was so good and I was hungry.

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Declutter video games