Realization

Just like everyone else, I have a "favorites" tab in my task bar at the top of my screen.  For the longest time, it was just filled with my favorites, until my kids figured out that they wanted to save their favorite web sites too.  So mixed in with my gardening blogs and coupon sites, there are sites like..."How to make a realistic werewolf mask", and "how to make a fake Pepsi bottle and hide stuff in it".  I even found one that gives instructions on how to create  realistic fake squirting blood from a wound, which of course begs the question, "why?"  Anyway, while looking at my favorite blogs I was faced with the realization that they're all talking about Christmas already.  (!)  I don't know if these super-organized people are in the minority, or if I am.  (I'm going to choose to believe that they are...) So here's my contribution to being organized this Christmas. 

•    Organized Christmas  This site offers a lot of recipes and homemade gift ideas.  They suggest you have a Grand Plan (their term) and use a notebook to keep all of your recipes, receipts, and lists organized.  Sounds good in theory. 
• Organized Home - Christmas  A general home organization site, it too uses a notebook.  There are even printable forms you can put in your organizer.  There's lots of useful information too, like sections devoted to freezer cooking, cleaning your house, and getting rid of clutter. 
• Speaking of lists,  if you need a list, chances are its here.  Of course, it ain't free.  And I'm too cheap to have someone else make my lists for me but hey, you're you.
• Christmas Organizing This one is by a woman who calls herself a "Christmas Coach".  She's even on Facebook.  There's a lot of ideas here, but not a lot of depth.

I guess I should start taking the Halloween decorations down if I'm going to start thinking about Christmas...

Culver Christmas Tradition

As I'm putting the Christmas decorations away today, its like taking a trip down memory lane.  Every piece I pick up tells a story or reminds me of other happy times.  So while this job of putting the decorations away is one of my least favorite things to do, I'm trying to make it a little more pleasurable by being mindful of items I'm handling.  Which leads me to think about my favorite holiday tradition:  Christmas Eve Bingo.

We have played Bingo on Christmas Eve for the past 30 years.  It started out as a way to keep the younger kids occupied until we were ready to open a few gifts and it has morphed into the most anticipated event of the whole Christmas gathering.  The best part about Bingo, is the prizes.  Throughout the year we all scout out and gather up potential bingo prizes; the weirder, the better.  In fact, the ladies in the family take a trip to Shipshewana, Indiana every summer to their flea market with big plans to find prizes.  We even make a game out of it.  Whoever can find the weirdest, ugliest, or most bizarre item for $2 or less wins.  This year, I bought a pair of ginormous purple panties.

 Can you see the red hat up in the corner?

There are also some really nice gifts mixed in with the pile of prizes but you never know what you're going to get because they're all wrapped.  This year, we had about 40 prizes in the center of the table.  Stealing someone else's prize is allowed, but only before they're unwrapped.  This year, I won this:

                     If I'd have known that this was possible, I would have saved myself a lot of problems!!!


  My nephew opened these fabulous prizes.  You can tell by the look on his face that he is just thrilled!

While sitting in my Mom's house, my eyes wandered over to her fireplace where she has a lovely scene set out.  But upon closer inspection, something seemed out of place.  It reminded me of an old Sesame Street song:  One of These Things is Not Like the Other...  See if you can figure out what I'm talking about.  

 

To me, there's something a little out of place with the snowman angel standing in the back.  Anyway, it made me laugh! 

So today, while I'm not doing anything toward achieving my publicly announced goals, I am doing things that make me happy.  I'm sitting here at my computer, watching the snow fall beautifully outside with a cup of hot coffee by my side, and I have plans later to meet some friends for dinner.  That sounds like a pretty good day!