Easy Organized Thanksgiving

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easy Organized Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is our national holiday for gratitude.  We are abundantly blessed in our country with privileges and resources.  The celebration focuses on an abundant table, set with all sorts of fabulous food.  It can be a overwhelming to prepare for this holiday.  Let’s plan an easy organized Thanksgiving this year.

  • Thanksgiving is when our family and friends come together to celebrate.  Start with a guest list and a meal plan.  Knowing how many guests are coming makes setting up easier.  Knowing your meal plan makes for easy delegation and participation for guests.   Everyone wants to help, so when asked you are ready to share responsibility for side dishes.
  • Write down a time line for food preparation. Frozen turkeys often take longer than expected to defrost so start early. Starting with the Sunday before the holiday, write down what you want to accomplish each day.   Be sure to include dates for grocery shopping, pie baking and making side dishes.
  • Not enough oven room? Think about crockpot dishes for sweet potatoes or green bean casserole.  You can even do your turkey in the crockpot!
  • Ask your family to help.  They can set your tables early and make table decorations too.  Set out your table ware and serving pieces and label these with post it notes.  For guests bringing dishes, be sure to have serving pieces and spots available.
  • Purchase inexpensive dollar store cartons for leftovers for yourself, your family and your guests.  Sending leftovers with guests is a special gift for them!

 

Join me for more Thanksgiving tips on food and crafts on pinterest  Happy Holidays.

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Make ahead Holiday Treats

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I love the idea of bringing a little something to share with a hostess at holiday time.  I also love sending small treats to friends and family during the holiday season.  These holiday chocolates and pretzels are  a wonderful small something to share.  Depending on the holiday, I vary the M&M colors.  I use red for valentine’s, orange for Halloween and red and green for Christmas.  I make ahead holiday treats to save time and energy plus add the joy of the season to my home with sharing easy, simple and fun small bites.  Enjoy these treats and a sweet holiday season!

Chocolate Pretzels

 

Ingredients

  • 24 square pretzels
  • 24 chocolate kisses (milk or semisweet)
  • 24 M&Ms

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

  1. Place pretzels on baking sheets. Unwrap candy kisses and place one in the center of each pretzel.
  2. Place in preheated oven 1 to 2 minutes, until kisses melt. Remove from oven and place one candy-coated chocolate in the center of each pretzel. Chill in refrigerator until set.

Just a smidge of chocolate and a salty pretzel base.  Easy to make and share for any holiday!  Wishing you a joyful holiday season!

 

 

Want to rethink the gift giving? Clutter free gifts make the difference! Join me on pinterest for Happy Holidays.

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Holiday happiness 10 Tips for Mindfulness

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holiday happiness mindfulness

 

The holiday season can become a blur.  There’s extra to do, to make and to finish. Company’s coming and your home is not ready.  There’s gift buying and wrapping.  There’s family photos and cards to write.

 

At the same time we are grateful for our family’s being together and the abundance we are blessed with.

 

Mindfulness is a state of active, open attention on the present.   Being in the moment you can enjoy your accomplishments and share time with your friends and family.  These 10 mindfulness tips will help you stay in the moment during the holiday season.

 

 

1. Make a list and move forward.  When we have too much on our mind, it’s hard to be in the moment.  Getting it all down on paper helps free you up.  Have a weekly planning time to get it all done.

2. Delight in nature.  It’s a time of seasonal change and beauty.  Take a few moments every day to notice the color of the leaves, the duration of the day and nature around you. You are in touch with the changes around you.

3. Focus on fun.  Got leaves? Rake them together and jump in. Hate laundry? Host a laundry party with music and snacks to get it done and off to closets.

4. Nurture yourself with rest.  When we think we have too much to do, our rest is the first activity we diminish to add more time to the day.

5. Embrace inclusion.  Include other’s in your celebrations that are unable to join their family for the holidays.  Adding more people multiples the joy of the season.

6. Troubled by a rude relative or stranger? Think about being overly kind throughout the holiday season despite a difficult situation.  Instead of ruminating about it, return joyfulness.

7.  Share gratitude.  Hug your family, friends and strangers to share the joy of the season.  Write a note to express your gratitude.  Call or text to say thanks.

8. Give yourself extra time to savor a moment.  A little extra time between events and errands makes for less stress.

9. Work together with others.  Delegate and partner with people and resources around you.  Incorporate your family into holiday organizing and activities.

10. Keep spirituality in your season.  Materialism is everywhere and it’s hard to keep yourself grounded.  Whatever your belief, choose one activity that taps into your spirituality.

 

Wishing you a joyful holiday season!

Join me on pinterest for Happy Holidays.

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Getting Organized for the Holidays

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holiday organizing

It’s already the holiday season! We see it in our yards with Halloween decorations, in shops with Christmas decorations, and we feel it in the energy around us.  Thanks to BlogElevated, I have asked some bloggers to share how they get organized for the holidays.  How do you get organized for the holidays? 

 

Admittedly, I am not the most organized person, however when it comes to holiday decorations I make an exception. We store all of our holiday decor in labeled containers in the garage and pull them out when it’s time to decorate. I always make sure the house has had a good cleaning/dusting before setting out our decorations. Then, when the holiday is over all of the decorations go right back into their container! Inevitably, we end up with a bit more decor every year and have to buy another container, but it’s worth it to keep things organized!

Heather Shaw

Blogger and Entrepreneur 

Mother of 2

 http://www.asouthernmom.com/

 

 

My best tip for getting organized for the holidays starts the year before when I’m packing for the holidays. Our family celebrates many religious traditions for Advent, before Christmas. So, when I am packing up decor from the year before I put things in boxes in the order they will be used the next year. The advent wreath comes out first, and all of our stuff we use the first couple of weeks of Advent are packed together (i.e., the Advent wreath isn’t packed with other wreaths.) We do our Christmas tree on Gaudete Sunday (3rd Sunday of Advent) so ornaments and tree stuff are packed together in a box. We put up stockings on the 4th Sunday before Christmas, so those are packed in the bottom so they will be the last out of the box. I use different apps on my phone to track gifts we’ve bought for the kids, and I use the Amazon Wish List feature to keep track of things the kids want throughout the year. I made a Pinterest board for myself called Husband Buy Me This for my own “wish list”. I love using Pinterest for this because I can add the price and link to the store where he can purchase it, so he doesn’t have to go on a scavenger hunt. http://www.pinterest.com/milehimama/husband-buy-me-this/

Lisa Stauber

Co-founder Blog Elevated Conference

Mom of 10

http://milehimama.com

 

I start planning at least a month in advance. Decorating is always my first priority, because it takes so much effort, and I can enjoy it the longest. I think of things that enchanted me as a child, and then try to incorporate them into my lifestyle with my family now. Next, I start dreaming up recipes to share with my family and friends. Sweet treats and Main Dishes, always including traditional favorites as well as new tastes and flavors to help begin new memories. 

 Nicole T. Woodard

Author, Food and Home Blogger

Author of 37 Catholic Classroom Crafts (in 30 Minutes or Less),

Mother of 4 little girls

 http://www.nickiwoo.com

 

 

When it comes time for preparing for the holidays, meal planning may come to mind when you’re planning that celebration meal. But with the busy holiday season, healthy habits can take a back seat to more fast and convenience foods that are not so good for you. But it doesn’t have to. In early November, I like to make up several healthy meals that to store in my freezer. Adding a simple salad or steamed vegetable to most meals means you’ll not only be eating a little healthier but also saving money to spend on holiday shopping and activities.

 

Brenda Thompson,

Freelance Writer and Blogger

Meal Planning Magic

http://www.mealplanningmagic.com

 

 My holiday organizing is about breaking things into baby steps.  I love my holiday time line for getting it all done! 

 

How you you get organized for the holidays? 

 

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Fall organizing: Gift wrap organizing

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fall organizing gift wrap organizing

Fall organizing prepares you for the fun ahead including holidays.  Lots of gifts, for family, friends, and charity, will be wrapped in the next few months. There is seldom a home that is not overflowing with materials to beautify a box or bag.  Be gift wrap read by organizing and sprucing up your stuff.  Organize your gift wrap and be ready for the holiday season.

  • Start by culling out what has seen better days.  It’s easy to think you will need an abundance of bags, tissue and ribbon. However, be sure these are in excellent condition to use for another gift.  Decide how many bags of different types are needed. If you have too many baby shower bags or happy birthday bags,  decide on a number to keep. Your bags and wrap can be recycled or donated.
  • Decide what other supplies you need.  Fall is often when school fundraisers for gift wrap take place. Knowing what you need will help you support local charities and not over purchase.
  • Your gift wrap station should be easy to access.  There are lots of possibilities.  Hanging gift wrap bags are popular to store bags in guest closets.  Dresser drawers in your guest room are an option. Short, three drawer sterilite plastic chests can work too.  Having subdivided areas for tissue, ribbon, bags and rolls makes it easy to find and use your supplies. Under bed gift wrap organizers are available for any room. You can also divide holiday and every day supplies, storing holiday with your holiday decorations.

 

hanging gift wrap organizer

 

 

 

under bed gift wrap organizer

  • Place the items in your new storage area. Label the categories so you know what is stored in each space.
  • Take a little extra time each time you wrap a gift to replace items where they belong.
  • Maybe this year you want to forgo gifts and go clutter free too!

What’s your gift wrap trick for eliminating and storing?

 

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Five Fall Organizing Tips for Your Home

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home organizing
Fall organizing makes ready the transition to autumn.  ›I love Fall!  It’s a time of transitions, back to school, fresh starts, and the gateway to the holidays!  Here are five fall organizing tips for your home.  Focusing on these areas will make your home company ready too!
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›Organizing Your Time
Activities gear up during the fall.  Your kids activities, church activities, fall festivals, and football games are all important dates and time to add to your calendar.  You may be planning to travel as well.
  • ›Add all your dates to your calendar as soon as possible.  You will avoid conflicting activities and feel more in control.
  • ››Set aside time to prepare for big events.  Be sure you add in preparation time.  This includes time to make food, time to pick up an item or time to travel to your activity.
  • Get your family into the swing of things with a family meeting, recording dates on a month at a glance calendar posted in your kitchen.
  • ›Use checklists.  Spend a few minutes the week before an activity writing down all the items you will need to bring.  Having a checklist makes it easy to be sure everything gets to your destination.
›Organizing Your Landing Strip
Happily we need light sweaters and jackets, different shoes, and hopefully an umbrella during fall.
  • Create a spot where things come and go in your home right at your entry.  A basket for shoes or boots corrals them where you can find them later.  Hooks on the wall add a spot to leave a jacket.  A small attractive trash can can hold umbrellas.
  • ›Use baskets or totes to carry items back and forth to the car.  A tote  gives you a spot to place a return or other item that needs to get to the car.  It also is a way to carry it there.
  • ›Storage for keys.  Attach a key spot for dropping your keys as soon as you enter your home.
  • ›As with all spots in your home, remember to declutter regularly.  Too many shoes or jackets at your landing strip makes chaotic clutter.
›Organizing Your Crafts
  • Start by dividing items by craft.  If you know you are no longer doing that craft, send the supplies off to Texas Art Asylum.
  • Divide your space by “centers” where you can use your craft supplies, setting up spaces with a table, chair and storage for your supplies.
  • ›Plan a projects area to store multiple projects in progress.  Often you are working on several projects simultaneously.  Take this into account in our craft space.
›Organizing Your Pantry
Many of our holidays revolve around food.  In the fall we are entertaining more and inviting in company.  Dinner time is back in full swing with the routines of school and work.  Organizing your pantry makes it easy to prepare meals.
  • ›Remove everything from your pantry and toss what is expired.
  • ›Set up your pantry with categories like the grocery store  and additional groups such as veggies, breakfast, and snacks
  • Think about what you want to frequent and easy access to first, then place items accordingly.  Especially for your kids, place items they can reach on the lower shelves.  ›
  • A turn table lazy susan is great for difficult to access corners.
  • Use baskets for snacks and floppy stuff
  • Canisters for flour, sugars, and pastas are important in our climate.
›Organize Outside
Cooler temperatures will start soon.  It’s time to rein in the outside clutter too.
  • ›Bring pool items, cushions and extra toys  in and store in your garage or attic.  Remember to hose down items and clean before storing.
  • ›Add vertical storage to the garage to store tubs.  Label your tubs for easy access.
  • ›Freshen up your entry by sweeping, dusting and cleaning your door and entry way.

Fall organizing prepares  you for upcoming events.  Have  these areas decluttered and ready for fun!

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3 Simple Gift Giving Tips

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Giving meaningfully is part of the holiday season.  Follow your inner guide to give meaningfully.

A Guide to Giving Gift From Erin Carlyle

Homemade gifts from texascottage.blogspot.com

Gifts of Random Kindness from littlelucylu.com

 For more ideas for simple gift giving, visit my pinterest page www.pinterest.com/EllenDelap  Happy Holidays board!

Wishing you a season of meaningful sharing and gifting!

Organize to Revitalize: Enlist the Elves!

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I love sharing my thoughts on Organize to Revitalize too!

Holiday Organizing: Enlist the Elves is posted there at http://dallisonlee.com/blog/2012/12/03/holiday-organizing-enlist-the-elves/.

Who are your elves?

5 Tips to Organizing and Decorating for the Holidays

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Getting your decorating done for the holidays can be overwhelming! Over the years you have accumulated so many darling decorations, there is so much to sort through, there are so many places in your home to decorate, and there is only so much time.  These 5 tips can help you get started and get finished with getting your decorating done. 

1.  Walk through your home and visualize the decorations in place. What special decorations always sit in one area?  What areas are focal points in your home for your family and your holiday guests? What decorations are important to your kids?  Start with a visual reminder of what is most important to you.  Write down notes or draw pictures to help you as you work.

2.  Review your calendar and see what time you have and when you want to be complete.  If you have 2 weeks until a major event at your home, this accountability will help you.   If not, set a date for completion for yourself.

3. Enlist the elves! Ask your family for help of even the smallest kind. Can your kids or husband set up the tree? Can they take down boxes and take our ornaments carefully? Can you pay your cleaning lady to come an extra day to assist?  Put on the holiday music and get moving. 

4. Choose a strategy to get the job done. It can be decorate room by room, decorate your door frames and table tops, or whatever strategy appeals to you.  It will prevent you from roaming from space to space and help you get areas complete.

5. Know the emotion of “enough”.  This season of abundance often means you never feel that you are done decorating.  Perfectionism may creep in and decorating goes on, and on, and on.  Knwoing what “enough” feels like makes a difference in moving forward to the next step of your holiday preparations.

What are your tips for decorating this holiday season?

Deck the (Decluttered) Halls

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Holiday time is almost here! November begins our holiday celebrations with Thanksgiving, Christmas, Chanukah and New Year’s Eve.  Our holidays bring amazing joy and lots to do at our homes.  Doing just a little decluttering makes it easier to decorate your home and helps you feel prepared.  Spend on hour on one of these four areas to help you get prepared for your most memorable holiday. 

•Declutter last year’s holiday cards. It is a powerful way to prepare for this year’s cards by collecting addresses and eliminating extra paper clutter. You will be prepared knowing the number of cards to order too!   Just a little less paper means a lot less stress. 

• Declutter the toys in your home.  There is no better way to prepare than by sharing your blessings with other’s less fortunate!  Your kids can be a part of the process in choosing what is donated.  They can choose 3 toys to donate and bless others.  If you have unopened toys or crafts from previous years, it is a great experience for you and your children to bring these to local philanthropies for gift giving. 

 • Declutter your decor as you decorate.  While you are decorating for the holidays, create an awareness of what has lost meaning or value to you in your home.  Whether it is a knick-knack or books, you can declutter while you decorate to create space for the holiday decorations and create a space for new decor after the holidays.  Thrift stores and consignment shops appreciate these items for upcoming holiday shoppers.

•Declutter your holiday decorations.  Keepsake decorations can be stored and marked to honor wonderful memories and preserve these items to share with your family.  Decorations that are in good condition are an excellent donation to local philanthropies and a special way to share the joy of the holiday. 

 Decluttering before decorating makes our holiday less stressful and more joyful.  Put on holiday music and get started on one of these small projects.  If you struggle with getting started or following through with your decluttering, give me a call to assist.