Holiday Control Journal Part 2

Holiday Traditions and Menu



Are you ready for Part 2?  Have you ever sat down at the end of Christmas day and remember that you forgot a tradition? Or forgot to make your favorite holiday dish?  Or maybe you remembered that dish but couldn't find the recipe?  Well, this part of your Holiday Control Journal will help keep that from happening this year!  If you would like to see what I've typed out, click here.  There are three parts to this section of your journal.

1) Traditions - Take time to write down your Holiday Traditions.  I broke mine into categories like:  Food, Decorations, Things to Do etc.  I also included a section of Traditions I'd like to start.  Something to remember about traditions - they are only traditions if you do them so if something isn't working, stop doing it :-)  As our kids get older we would like to add in going to see a Christmas show - we are fortunate enough to have large Christian High Schools, Colleges, and Churches that do incredible shows every year which will be great to take the kids too.  Adding this year, well, they just aren't ready.  I also left space to make notes for next year - what worked, what didn't work, new ideas ect. 

2) Menu/Food - Take time to list the food traditions you have for certain days.  We have some specific things that we do and foods that we love.  Instead of trying to remember it all, write it down.  If you don't do the meal, just leave it blank for now.  Someday, you may need to fill it in!

3) Recipes - Now, I did not include all of my recipes or the document would have been huge.  When I created this journal this summer, I just started going through my recipes and adding things that looked good, we had used before for holidays or I wish we had used before!!  This year, I'm going to refine it as we go through the holidays so only the recipes we use this year are included (if we like them!).  Than, next year, I will have those tried and true recipes that we love and can add a few new ideas too!  If your recipes are in a book or a file, that just make a note of where to find them if you don't want to type them out.  I type all of mine out anyway so they are saved in my computer and easy to copy and paste!

See how easy that is?  :-) 

I did get through my week one plan too!  Here are some photos of my dining room.  My color scheme is silver and red.

I like to wrap my large wall hangings like gifts.  It really transforms a room.  And, in January, when I unwrap them, it's like having new wall art!

I love using place mats and napkins for table coverings.  You can get them for little cost after the holiday.  That is what I'm hoping to do with my curtains!  I want holiday curtains but don't want to spend very much.  I may see if I can get some fabric I like and make some but from past experience, that can be even more expensive sometimes.

So I'm not totally sold on my "free art" ribbon yet, but it does look better in person.

This wall - a work in progress.  I'm in the middle of a little craft idea to dress this wall up.  I'll share pictures later.

And he was IN the dining room so he counts LOL  We had pizza for lunch, can you tell?  :-)

I know that in my plan for this past week, I was going to do something to my porch but, when I wrote that this summer, I did not plan on decorating my porch for fall.  So I have moved that to the end of the month and have left my fence, pumpkins, and Indian corn in place for now! 

I'd love to see pictures as your decorate so please share!!

30 Days of Thankfulness Challenge

November 7, 2010



Today, I am thankful for my brother Kelly.  Kel is the oldest of us kids and we have lots of funny stories about him.  He still thinks of me as his "baby" sister because he left home when I was still so little (there is almost 10 years between us!  He told me recently that he really doesn't remember me at home - I told him it is because he is getting so old :-)  Kel is a hard worker but he is kind-hearted.  He is organized and a planner and I like it because I'm like him :-)  He's fun and has a great sense of humor.  I miss him a lot because he lives in Brazil - I am looking forward to seeing him in a just a few short months though :-)

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 27

Day 27 - Pets
I love my pets :-)  We have three!

 First, There is Misty.  She is about 15 years old and is "my" cat.  There is a story behind her!  My brother and his family were getting ready to leave for Brazil as missionaries when I got a call from my sweet niece, who was very upset.  They had to get rid of their cats and she asked if I would take one of her favorite kittens.  How could I say no??  In this picture she is posing with the fake cat - I thought it was cute :-) (She is the black cat in case you couldn't tell hahaha)

 Than there is China.  She is one of our rescue animals.  After we bought our house we knew we really wanted a dog so we would go to PetSmart almost every Saturday to see the dogs.  When we saw her, we knew she was ours.  She is now about 9 years old and is a couch potato/scardy cat.  She is actually hiding behind the chair during a storm.  The poor thing.

Strat is our second rescue.  She never ever has her eyes open in pictures and she always has a drippy eye, which is pretty common in white cats, I guess.  Strat is actually our garage cat - she enjoys life to the fullest getting to roam in our fenced in yard.  We didn't plan to have a garage cat, we got her to be a house cat but sometimes, with rescues, you don't know their previous life and they have habits you can't break.  So, to keep us all happy, we've made her a very nice home in the garage and, don't worry, in the dead of winter, we also have a backup home in our basement.  I still love her though - she is a snuggler :-)

30 Days of Thankfulness

November 6th, 2010

Today, I am thankful for snow. Yep you read that right!  We our first snowfall today and it put a huge smile on my face.  It was nothing that stuck or hung around but those sweet little first flakes that fly through the air and land on your nose, your hands, your clothes.  I love the big black snow clouds and that incredible sky where the sun shines just beyond the clouds and is EXTREMELY bright.  There is nothing like the mix of dark clouds and sun.  You only get that mix from snow clouds.  This year, I am so excited to be able to be home this winter when we get those snowy days.  My husband doesn't like it but I'll keep the house warm for him :-)



How Much Do You Love Kohls?

 I learned something new at Kohl's today!  I've always know that they have the most incredible return policy but today it just got better.  Once, I returned two shirts that I had purchased for gifts and than didn't end up needing them (I bought too many!).  I returned them over a year later with a receipt and got my money back.  I've returned stuff in the past without a receipt and just got the current price.  Today, I returned an outfit I had bought for Nate this past summer.  It really didn't fit his personality after I bought it for him.  I could not find my receipt so I knew that I would get less than half of what I paid for it but that was better than nothing.  Much to my surprise, there is something new since I last returned something.  Since I bought it on my Kohl's card, the clerk was able to scan my Kohl's charge card and than scan the tag on the outfit - it came right up and I was credited the full amount :-)  Isn't that awesome?  Kohl's  is the one card I use because you get such awesome savings when you use it on top of the coupons a lot of times (than we pay it off!) and now I know i have the ease of doing returns with a receipt if I misplace it.  Add to that the fantastic deals you can get there and it is my favorite place to shop.  I picked up a few things today and actually saved $10.00 more than I spent due to the sales. 

Just thought I would pass this on :-)

30 Day Blog Challenge - Day 26

Day 26 - A Picture of My Family

Here's my little family - I love this picture because it is my boys in action on Halloween!!  :-)

30 Days of Thankfulness

November 5, 2010

Today I am Thankful for the Parents!  My parents are great!  They are so willing to help us out and love to watch our kids for us so I can have a day out or we can have a little break.  They have always been super supportive of  my brothers and I and are a great example to all of us.