This and That

Well...it's pretty obvious, this post, that was scheduled to be sent out Nov 12th... didn't get sent when it was supposed to...not sure what I am doing wrong and I didn't catch that it didn't post, till just now.  So, I am sending it anyway.  Then, I will comment at the end :-)


Just curious....how many of you have your Christmas cards done for this year?  How many are still working on them and last but not least.....how many of you have decided to fore go sending homemade cards or any cards this year?


With all that is going on around our home the next couple of months, I am not sure I'll get my Christmas cards....homemade or otherwise...finished in time to send to everyone.  So, I have decided that I will just send to those that I will not be seeing or hearing from before Christmas.  The rest will get a phone call or a visit.

Every month, I turn the calendar and it's fairly empty and then day by day....things get added to it and I don't get done all I had planned on getting done....no matter how early I get up or how late I stay up and then I start to get stressed out.

Having a teenage girl that is active in so many activities...and no driver's license...means I need to reshuffle what is on my list of things to do...to be available to chauffeur her around.   It's ok, she can't help that she isn't old enough to drive yet.  I just need to be able to find a happy medium for myself so that I don't burn out.

I made a decision, last year, to get my home cleaned and organized before Thanksgiving so that I could thoroughly enjoy the holiday season. I loved it!!!  I had time to actually watch the holiday programs, take part in holiday activities and just BE.

Well, I am doing that again this year and a couple of weeks ago, I made another decision..and that is that I need to take care of myself...first and foremost...so that I am able to take care of my hubby's and Granddaughter's needs and stay on top of all there is to do around home.

If my house is clean and organized and my family's needs are met, then I feel a great sense of  mental 'freedom'. I didn't realize until I let my stamp room get such a mess.....that there definitely IS a link between how we 'feel' depending on how messy our house is and how much STUFF we cling to...that we really don't need.

So, in order to have that sense of  'mental freedom' I need to constantly make decisions on what things I can take part in and what things I have to say 'no' to in order to stay focused and find a balance.

I subscribe to CannyWoman and they believe in doing instead of buying and shop at home first and I have been trying to follow that theory.  It actually works!!  I have started to look before I buy.  So many times, I actually HAVE the item I thought I needed to buy....but because my house was so disorganized, I didn't remember I had it.  NO....I am not a hoarder, just was getting very disorganized.

My hubby is a 'collector/saver' and he hates to throw ANYTHING away, especially if he thinks he can fix it or use it for making something else.  Now, I do have to admit that occasionally something he has saved has come in handy.  Most times, it just builds up and takes up room!

I have been also reading some minimalist blogs.  I know that I will NEVER get to where I live out of a suitcase and only have 100 things to my name, but they do have a lot of good advice about paring our 'things' down. We don't need 2-3 of everything...I have been going through all the drawers and closets in our home....getting rid of 'extras'.  Some times it's extremely hard to get rid of something that is perfectly good, but how many coats do you really need?  How many DVD's or VHS do you need when all you have to do is rent them from Netflix.  That being said, I do hang onto favorites that we like to watch over and over and over....especially our Christmas favorites.

Ok....enough for today.  I am going to schedule this post to go out in a few days.  We shall see if I get it right this time.  Thanks for hanging in there while I figure it out again!

UPDATE: NOPE!!  I don't know what I am doing wrong....but I'll figure it out eventually.  :-)

Anyway, I have completed my Fall cleaning, organizing and have followed Countdown to Christmas and have to say it has helped me tremendously to get a handle on all the stuff that goes on this time of year.  I have to admit...it takes a lot of planning and staying focused but I LOVE having everything done on time and being ahead of a few things!  That's two years in a row....I guess this plan is a 'keeper'.

If you would like to take part in Organized Christmas next year, you can get a head start here:  Organized Christmas

I just took what worked for my family.....and went with it!  I loved the daily reminders of things to do.  It helped me to stay focused!

Hope you have a great day!!!!

Hugs,
Char