In a worrisome, troubled world, people took comfort when President Hinckley said, in his fatherly, assuring way, "It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out."

Friday, September 25, 2009

Making Lists

I like to make lists.
It makes me feel in control when in reality I know that I'm not.
I even make lists of my lists as you can tell from my last post.
I have made progress in my list making though.
I now have the following lists on my computer instead of in a small notebook or on random post it notes which usually gets lost.

My lists for Christmas organization are:
1. Christmas cards
2. Christmas goodies to make
3. Christmas gifts to make
4. Christmas project ideas
5. Christmas gifts to buy

So, you see, I am getting organized and ready for Christmas.
I have listed people to send card to, but not their addresses.
I have listed goodies to make,
but of course it is a bit early to start cooking.
I have listed a few projects and gifts that I want to make and
even bought some of the required materials.

Now for the amazing part.
I have actually finished two gifts.
Yes you heard me right, two gifts are completely finished.
Not only that but, another is in progress.
I know that is hard to believe, but it is true.
Now all of this craftiness is completely top secret
so I can't provide further details,
but all will be revealed in just 93 days.
Yep, that is how long until Christmas.

I will continue to give updates on how little time we have to prepare so that you can become more stressed as time gets shorter.
I however will remain calm, because after all, I have my lists.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

100 Days Until Christmas

I belong to a group called "100 Days Til Christmas. They promise that if I follow their guidelines and use the planning list that I will have an organized and stress free holiday season. Now I certainly believe in miracles but I think maybe that is too much to ask. Everyone knows that me and organization mix about as well as oil and water. I mean if you look up the definition of organized you will not see a picture of me. I have my system and it works for me, most of the time. I know which pile of papers are the bills and which pile is the recipes I want to try someday. I usually know which room a certain article resides in unless I have been cleaning and then all bets are off. I have been working on this lately, but it is still a work in progress and progress is slooooow.

Back to that 100 days till Christmas thing. I will not panic yet. I will be more organized. After all having a goal is good, right? I'll start with making lists. I am VERY good at making lists, just not so good at actually accomplishing the things on my lists. But I have to start somewhere.

These will be my lists;
1. Christmas Cards
2. Goodies to Make
3. Gifts to Buy
4. Gifts to Make

Yeah, that looks like a good plan. (Pat myself on the back)

Ok it is probably to early to do anything about the first two and I don't have the faintest idea what to buy anyone so I guess I'll work on number four. Oh, but first I need to make a "list" of the projects I want to create. Hey, this means another list. I think I'm going to be good at this organization stuff after all. I just have to keep making lists.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

AUTUMN

Autumn sounds so much more classy than FALL.
No matter what you call it I love the season between
Summer and Winter.
I LOVE FALL !!!
It is, in my opinion, the perfect time of year.

So today by popular request I am:
1. Continuing my "Things I am Thankful For" series and
2. Rambling about Fall.

And yes I know I don't have to capitalize Fall every time I write it but in case you didn't get it the first time "I LOVE FALL".
There is nothing I don't like about Fall.
(I will spell it with a capital every time because I want to and just so you don't forget what I'm talking about)

I love that the excessively hot and humid days of summer are coming to and end for another year. Those days when as soon as you step out of the shower you are soaked in "perspiration" again. Summer days so humid that is is like trying to breath underwater.
That must be what fish feel like when we pull them out of the water and they try to breath air.
Summer is NOT my favorite season.

Fall is the season before it get so cold that my fingers turn blue. I know we live in the south and it doesn't get cold by some people's standard, but heck we ARE southerners and not used to cold weather.

OK, enough negativity, on to why I LOVE Fall.

I like cool crisp mornings with a hint of colder weather to come.
I like seeing the first frost on my lawn.
I like the smell of leaves burning.
I love the colors of the leaves; golds, yellows, oranges, browns.
I like to see people raking leaves into piles and
children jumping into those piles.
I like to drive down the tree lined streets and
have the wind blow down the leaves in little "leaf showers"
I like to see the big yellow school buses roll down our street.
I like to see moms buying school supplies and kids excited about returning to school, seeing old friends, meeting new ones and
finding out who their teacher will be.
I like to throw on my favorite sweatshirt when I go out to get the mail.
I like curling up with a good book, a cup of hot chocolate, an afghan and feeling all warm and snug in my home.

I love football season. I've never been a big sports fan, but football is not just a sport. Football is huddling in the stands on a crisp Saturday afternoon. It is cheerleaders and pom poms. It is homecoming and bowl games. It is legendary school rivalries. It is mascots and coaches. It is yelling until your throat is sore. It is tailgating and victory parties.

Fall makes me want to ... wait for it ... it makes me want to "COOK".
I am not the best cook in the world, but I make a great veggie soup.
Which is the only way I will eat vegetables.
Fall makes me want to cook big pots of soup or chili.
I want to make chocolate chip cookies and peanut butter cookies.
(Again that is the only way I will eat peanut butter)
I love the smell of cinnamon and pumpkin
(which I refuse to eat no matter what you do to it)
Fall is time for cups of hot chocolate and
oooey, gooey, yummy, s'mores.

Fall is Wayne County Fair time.
I will NOT ride any rides, but I love the fair.
The sound, the smells (most of them anyway), the lights,
the exhibits and even the crowds.
I love bumping into people you haven't seen for a while.
I love seeing the food booths that are run by church groups and
volunteer fire departments.
I like to look at the art from the local schools and the crafts and
the home canning displays.
I have to eat cotton candy, boiled peanuts,
and a hamburger or a hot dog.
But most of all I HAVE to have a funnel cake
covered with powdered sugar.
Hot fried dough covered in sweet sticky sugar.
What could finish off an evening at the fair any better.

I love Halloween not just because my favorite goblin was
born on that day. Which is, of course, my number one reason.
Halloween is just fun!
No gifts to buy, no big meal to prepare no STRESS.
Just fun decorations, silly costumes and CANDY.
Preferably of the chocolate variety.
Halloween is little spooks standing on the front porch holding out their bags and being to afraid to say "Trick or Treat". It is having at least one "ring and dash" from that teenager who is too old to go trick or treating, but just wants to join the fun.
I have to watch "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown",
but positively NO scary movies or hurtful tricks.
Just FUN.

Fall is for carving pumpkins and toasting the pumpkin seeds. Why I toast the seeds I don't know. It is another one of those things I make but don't like. But is seems like the right thing to do after you rip the guts out of a perfectly good pumpkin. Kind of paying respect to "The Great Pumpkin"

Then comes Thanksgiving which is a bit more stress,
but a good kind of stress.
I Love planning and cooking our "Family Feast".
I cook too much and can you believe it, I eat too much.
We watch the Macy's parade and some football.
Then it is time to get the sale papers and plan our attack strategy for an early morning of black Friday bargain shopping.

Fall just never seems to last long enough for me.
It feels like the shortest season of the year.
It is gone much too soon and then we are into the hustle and bustle that the Christmas season has become.

I want the world to slow down and enjoy Fall for the perfect season that it is. The season to just enjoy the feeling that is kind of like that peaceful, cozy feeling you get just before you fall asleep at night.
Maybe that is what Fall is to me; that half asleep, half awake feeling after one busy day and before another.