Every year for Christmas, we give some of the elderly from our church gift baskets filled with goodies. My friends love the treats and I love distributing all our efforts to people who loved us and who we loved so much during the year.
So this week is filled with baking, candy making, marshmallow making, Chex mix tossing, fudge fudging, truffle truffling and packaging all those treats.
Let me tell you, the elderly ladies and gentlemen who we deliver those homemade treats love them.
I am encouraging you to bake some extra cookies or some fudge, etc. You will be so loved and feel so good... trust me you will want to do it every Christmas.
Last year, well actually two years ago, I decided I wanted to put Christmas lights outside out home. Now nothing dramatic but nice tasteful lights. So when Target had their lights on sale for 75% off, I bounded into action and found icicle lights, clips, extension cords, and times. SCORE!!!
Then last year, sometime in November, I came up with a lighting plan. A plan that would make the home pretty and highlight it's best attributes.
Here are the results:
The icicle lights along the house.
A sweet reindeer, the shed lit and the fence swagged with garland and lights.
Last year, I ran ten week series on Christmas planning. My Christmas was a lovely planned event with pretty much no hitch. However, this year, I have been so busy with remodeling, company, wedding planning, and several other projects, my Christmas is a .... well, lovely planned event.
This year? Christmas cards are unsigned, the Christmas photo is not taken, the cookies have not been baked, etc.... Well, we are all busy and sometimes you cannot get everything planned, no matter how earnest you try.
So what do you do?
1. Write a list of everything that needs to get done... gifts, baking, menu, parties, decorating, etc.
2. Next, prioritize the list. What is the most important items to you and your family? Is it the parties, the Christmas tree? Take your list and number your priorities.
3. Start working the list from your most important and finish it first.
4. Delegate the list. The children can help decorate, wrap gifts for friends and families.
5. Let the rest go. Trust me, if you want to have a party, your family and friends are not going to care if you purchased the foods at the grocery or Warehouse store, versus you whipping up every dish from scratch. The most important thing is you and your family have fun and enjoy the season.
Yes, we all want the picture perfect Christmas but your children are not going to grow up and say, "I remember the perfect Christmas back when we were little and we haven't had one like that since..." They will the presents, games, your laughter, the warmth and love of a close and happy family and friends.
Summer has come to an end and the garden needs to be put to bed. As I pulled the vegetables when they were finished, the weeds looked at the lush gardens and though, hey... let me make my home there!!!
So before winter comes to Tennessee, the garden needs to be cleared of weeds.
We do have a little lettuce and arugula left if the garden but next week, temperatures will drop below freezing so they will be gone soon.
When the garden is cleared of weeds, it is time to feed the garden and put it to bed!!!
Add some peat moss.
Cover with compost!!
And tuck the soil in until next year.
In spring, I will use a big fork to turn the dirt over.
I know this is not a pretty post, but the garden will be beautiful and bountiful again next year for all the hard work I have done this fall!!! Always remember, beauty always require the dirty work!!!
