Organizing Mission Monday Link Party – Week 49

Christmas time!

We are moving into the Christmas season! Decorations, Christmas carols, lights and cooking!

What is your favorite recipes or projects for Christmas?

There are years that I don’t feel inspired the month of December for the holidays. It is almost like it comes up too fast or something.  But this year we have our decorations up this weekend and I want to enjoy the entire month!

We also have five birthday’s this month in our house, so it is a full month of celebration!

Link up to My Linky Party

We are going into December, Christmas month! I’d love for you to share your Christmas DIY projects, decorating and recipes,  but as always you can link up any organizing or cleaning or DIY post to my link party.

You can find the link for my button and also my “Proud to Be Featured Button” on my top “Buttons” Tab.

1) Link to your specific post – not your blog
2) Please Link back to my blog with my button or link (link just above underneath my button)
3) I’d love if you’d follow me on google and/or FB. The google is new and I’m trying to build it
4) Blog post related to Organizing or Cleaning or DIY or decorating
5) No sales pitches or web sites.
6) If I feature you I will use one or more of your pictures with a link back to your blog.
7) Feel free to link up more than 1 post.

Looking for other link parties? I have a whole list of them. Thumbnail via day above and keep scrolling down to find a more extensive text lists by day on my link party list. If you aren’t sure how to link up… see my link party tutorial here. It is simple. If You Are On A Reader and Want to View All the Great Link Up’s on this post please Click Here.
This party will be open until December 25th, 2011

Organization Tips

Organization Tips #5

Clear Out Decorations at Holiday Time

This is the best time to sort through all those holiday decorations we accumulate. For some reason it seems strange to purge holiday decorations. Either someone gave them to use, or we think we may still use them one year.

If you have 4th of July decorations that you are getting out for the 4th – Be sure to look in that bin or box and see when the last time was that you used all of the decorations in that box.

If you didn’t use it last year for the holidays and you decide not to use it this  year, then donate it if it is good enough shape. If it is faded or broken, or torn – then either recycle or pitch it!

Time to Organize for Christmas- Christmas Cards

Can you believe how fast time goes? Christmas is only 25 days away. OMG!! And Chanukah comes up sooner than that..I think it is 11 days away (please forgive me if I got that wrong.)
This is the time to get on top of your planning, so that you don’t get overwhelmed at all this month has to bring.

If you send Christmas cards:
Get your cards purchased.
If you order them with pics like I do…get your picture picked out to use or get the kids together this week and take that picture.
Places like snapfish.com and vistaprint.com do them fast and easy. You can also go to CVS or Walmart and order them over the internet and pick them up in the store.
I have also taken my picture (flash drive or camera disc) to Cord Camera or CVS, Walmart and you can make cards while you wait.

Get your address list together if you don’t have it in a file or address book.
Once you have your cards, put together a small bag with your envelops, cards, address book and stamps.
If you have an upcoming Doctors appointment or you are sitting in your car waiting for kids at school or activities…or even if you are sitting watching TV in the evening. You will have your supplies all at hand to get your envelops addressed and cards written.
Many of you have your addresses online and you print out labels (you can still put your labels into your bag and peel and stick while you wait) , but for those of us that do it the old fashion way…this works great.
I personally love getting the Christmas letters from friends. I like seeing what they are up to. Yes, I am a letter giver myself. I know some people hate them, but I don’t like getting a card from someone I hardly see or haven’t seen in years and not getting a picture or note or letter from them.

Disclosure: I am not representing any companies. The links I mentioned are what I have had experience with in the past.

The Stockings were hung by the chimney with care….

The Stockings were hung by the chimney with Care..In hopes that St. Nickolas Soon would be there.

Just a few stockings hung! The rest of the mantel is not decorated yet…one thing I am behind on. We had planned to be in another house by now, so many of our things were packed to move. I have not gotten all the decorations out this year, but will get a few more out to do the mantel.
Things don’t have to be perfect. I am not stressing over the fact that I do not have all my decorations out. We have lights outside, the tree up and a few of our favorite Christmas decorations out. You know what…I don’t think the kids will notice or even care. We aren’t having any big party here this year. My Dad and his wife and my brother will be over and if they have complaints….oh well.
I think we get so concerned with what we think we should do in other people’s eye that we can ruin the fun for ourselves.
I worked yesterday on the goodies that I make every year. We have the the gifts bought and wrapped. The Christmas picture and letter went out on time. We will have a wonderful time even without the whole house decorated.
I am going to enjoy my Christmas time with my family and not stress that the decorations aren’t perfect. I hope you can do the same this Christmas and we should all remember that Christ is the reason for the season and that this time is to be enjoyed with family, and not ruined because we are stressed.

Thanksgiving supplies

Thanksgiving Organizations

Thanksgiving is over and we need to think about getting out the Christmas decorations, but what is the best way to store your Thanksgiving supplies? To make it easiest for next year I suggest a clear container, preferably a fall colored one. Label what is in the container.

Meal Plan with Shopping list Saved
One thing I did last year that my husband was thrilled with was I kept the shopping list he made up last year on the computer. We got all the recipes together we were going to make (he makes the turkey, duck and a few side dishes)and he made up a shopping list. I had taken and made copies of all the recipes we had last year. I made notes on the recipes if the kids liked them or if there were any little tweaks we made to them and if they worked or not. I took those copies and the shopping list and clipped them altogether and put in the Thanksgiving bin. It made it very easy this year!

Black Friday Shopping

Organizing for Black Friday Shopping

 

 

 

 

Are you a Black Friday shopper? Do you set your alarm for 3am and have the drive in the dark and sometimes snow. Standing out in the line that you can’t believe is already THAT long? If you have never experienced the craziness…you are actually missing some fun. I don’t shop every year on Black Friday am, only if there are things that it will benefit me and I am in the right frame of reference to do so.
But I love to do it and usually make it about 75% of the time.
But I think once you get yourself on the road (the getting up is no fun), then you feel like you are off to tackle a battle and its really fun.
I usually go to Walmart because I would rather wait inside..thank you very much. They just have all the “door busters” covered up and you are guessing at which big covered thing in the middle of the aisles is what you want. Then at the given time of the sale there is supposed to be an employee by each one…they tear them off and everyone starts diving for them. I have never been in a situation where people are literally fighting or pushing or calling names. I know it happens, but usually everyone is friendly and tend to help each other out. You are there on the same mission.
But it is easy to get caught up in the frenzy and buy too much. You may go with one thing in mind, but if you don’t have your shopping trip planned you may walk away with oodles of things you really didn’t budget for or you may walk away without any of the deals you went for.

Before you go

1) Make your list on Thanksgiving day with the sales ads in hand. If you know the
layout of the store, mark down a map of where you plan to go.
2) Plan which stores you are going to go to and at what time (plan early for
your first store). Some stores match prices so you can take your K-mart ad into
Walmart with the exact same item and if there is a given price (you can’t use a
percentage off, they won’t honor that)during the hours of the sales, they will
match that. (Check to make sure your store matches prices)
3) Get to your store early (everyone else will too) Make sure you have your list
with you AND the store ads. (keep them in a folder)
4) Go for your most important item first. Then try your best to stick to your plan.
5) Try to resist grabbing the last ticket for that 52″ big screen that you don’t
need or want just because you are in the right place at the right time.
6) Go light hearted and plan to have fun. Having a positive attitude can make
your experience an adventure instead of a disaster!

Decorating for Holidays

Is Decorating for Christmas -Fun Or Stressful?

Christmas Decorating

Christmas lights and trees, candles, Santa mugs, stockings, garland, ornaments….ahhh the Christmas decorations! The time is almost here! Usually this is a time that is really exciting and fun. The expectations of getting out the Christmas decorations and decorating the house is something that children and adults look forward to – right?

Where are the Christmas Decorations?

But what if you aren’t sure where all the decorations are? Are they together? I seem to remember seeing a box of ornaments under Jimmy’s bed sometime this year…I think. Katies stocking may still be in her room from last Christmas, I don’t think she ever put it away. Does that sound familiar?
How about this – How in the world am I even going to put a Christmas tree up? There is literally NO room for it. If I move the pile that is in the corner where the tree used to go, I don’t know what to do with it. I can’t move it to the basement – that is full. The garage is over flowing, we can’t even get the car in there. You can’t walk into the spare bedroom!! Does that sound more like you?
Either of these situations (and there are many more) are VERY stressful. There are expectations for Christmas. Having family over, sitting by a fire and enjoying family time. But if you have too much of a mess to decorate or have people over – then you are going to feel even more stress than most people do at the holidays.
So what do you do?
Depending on how much “stuff” you have and need to move you need to find some help! If its family or friends or hiring a professional organizer – you probably can’t do it yourself. Don’t plan on being able to tackle all of your house before the holidays, that is probably an unrealistic goal. But sit down and think about how much you NEED to do so that you can have family over or if nothing else, get some decorations out for your kids.

Start Small
You just have to start out bit by bit. Pick one little corner, or chair or table top and start there. You need to be tough with yourself at this point. Do you REALLY need it? Especially at the holidays there are a lot of people who could use your things. They would actually get used and be appreciated. They wouldn’t be stuck in the back of a room unused for years collecting dust.
Many people feel like as Professional Organizers we will come in and throw everything out. We won’t do that – but if you have 3 times the amount of stuff in your house than can fit – then you have to be realistic and do the math….something has to go to be able to change your home.
Get out your bags for donate and trash. You can feel like Santa and fill up lots of bags to give to other families to help them. That may make it easier to part with things that you feel an attachment to.

Win Win
It can be a win win situation. By decreasing your “stuff” and making room for the holidays to come into your house and make your family and yourself happy – you are increasing the little bit that many families have. This year is worse than any other since the depression for families. Many, many people have just been laid off and need your help.