****Holiday Planning, 2013****

[Nancy]

I am back from the store and looked at the small Drug store and they had the blue tissue paper I have been looking for, two other places I looked did not have it, third time is a charm, don't give up!

I also found fun fall cookie cutter shapes marked down an acorn apple & maple leaf are now in my collection in a package for a dollar.

At the store I got pie crust too for cinnamon sugar sprinkled snacks. I am not sure what to call them.

[Harriet]

Have gotten the ages straight on the 8 children. If I said there were 9 before, oops, miscounted!
13, 12, 10, 8, 4.5, 2, 1.5, newborn.
girl/boy goes G, B, G, G, B, B, B, B
Have been looking online for ideas for each, at FatBrain.com, and amazon.com.

Cards here and ready for signatures, envelopes here and ready, return address labels here and ready, stamps ordered and on the way.

After cards are set to the side, if there's any quiet time before major Thanksgiving prep, I'd like to look and see what I have in the way of pressed flowers that look nice enough to try bookmarks. I have laminating sheets.

Considering whether I liked the bows from Current last year enough to order this year. They received compliments, and just buying the pom poms alone is half the cost of buying these ready-made, so I know they are a value. But I need to be frugal and ordinary bows are a lot less than making an additional catalog order with the shipping, etc.

[Ivy]

I decided to not use a tablecloth on the table, covering up the beautiful pattern detail of the squares decorated in wood. The pattern almost looks like a framed quilt square, the way it's so wonderfully laid out. We'll keep serving dishes on the eating bar, place mats, centerpiece and food on the table. If someone wants 2nd's, they can get up and go to the eating bar. This way, serving dishes won't leave marks from heat on the wood, I won't have clutter of crocheted, tile, and other trivets and hot pads on the table. It will be more orderly and easy to wipe up spills. When there's a tablecloth covered with place mats, plates, serving dishes and glasses- then someone spills, it's such a hassle to get to the spill, strip the cloth off and clean the table. My idea simplifies everything. We only expect DD and possibly Dgrson-17. SEVENTEEN! WOW!

[Ivy]

I got out the metal turkey sculpture and the wooden Pilgrim couple "Happy Thanksgiving" sign. I'll re-check my "Thanksgiving O. M. M. List" again this evening or this weekend. I'm breaking getting ready for Thanksgiving down into baby steps so I won't over do it and be too tired. Or cranky from being too tired.

[Harriet]

After some phone calls and emailing with dd33 to make sure our gifts didn't overlap, I made the online gift order for the 8 children. I'll need to add a little something more to one, but this is basically it. I had never intended to order completely from amazon.com for this, but it did work out that way for me. She'll be buying elsewhere. I was dismayed to find that my order went through without what I assumed would be a final double-check and question about how I would pay. It seems the site "remembered" the card number from the last time I ordered and just used it without a question to me! It's okay this time, but basically I don't like that. What if that's not the way I wanted to pay, and really, who told them they could keep track of my card number, anyway.... hmmm... I certainly didn't know it if I ever did that.

Glad that is underway. When possible, I chose items that were sold in boxes. That will simplify my wrapping.

We ordered a roast turkey and dressing, which will be ready for pickup the day before Thanksgiving, the first day we'll have company. That makes me feel a little more relaxed, knowing I can add to that and have the first meal covered, with a good possibility the second meal will have nice leftovers to build on.

[Nancy]

H. Wants to give cards to the crew at wk. So need to get cards for that.

I talked to to him about the smoked tky. He does w/out brine our fav. When to thaw it so he can do that it's a small one.

[Ivy]

[color=#40BFFF][color=#FF0000]I put address labels and Christmas stickers onto Christmas cards, addressed them and I'm signing them now. We're giving out to fewer people. I'm not giving to my pen pals, but will write them a holiday letter in place of a card. It's nice to have this chore nearly done. [/color][/color]

[Nancy]

I am working on tweaking a cranberry bread recipe today.
Got a place where on thing in my list was in stock so I'will tell h. The other thing can be here in 2 days so I got the number of the product. Still trying to decide if I need a new one or if we should fix the old one.

Cookie cutters that did not cut well can be used for decorating a fall wreath. Possible craft project later today. Winding down to the last few rows on he rainbow afghan.

[Harriet]

One of those gifts will not work out. I will probably include it in the Angel Tree gift for church instead. So I need to buy one more girl gift. Hmmm... ... The rest are here and ready for gift wrapping, which is waiting until cards are set to the side.

I continue to address cards right now. The dining table is just full of it all! LOL! Almost finished. The apple stamps worked out fine. Didn't even think about it before, but the apple colors happen to match the colors in our return address labels, too. So, hey - I meant to do that!

Need to ask about addresses and situations:
dfirstmil - ask about her sister who may have moved to a nursing home
dcousin - ask about another cousin who no longer responds to mail
dear aunt - ask about an elderly cousin in nursing home
HRH - needs to find out his sister's new address, his cousin's new address

Found the Bible I think I will buy for the Angel Tree girl. I think this is the best middle-of-the-road because it is titled a "kid's" Bible, but doesn't look childlike.

[Nancy]

Thanks for using cranberry bread as a gift wrapped with an ornament idea! I have a blue one for Hanakha.