***Holiday Planning, 2015***

[blessedw2]

I am happy I saved money ahead - it's still tight but I'm trying to keep focused on sticking to a budget - I did forget the Christmas tree and wreaths in my budget though

Dds and r making a meal and cookie dough and soup for the freezer weekly

I want to pick up yarn for mittens for both my girls
House oh my gosh nothing

I also have to order tickets for dds to for for New Years to Florida to spend time w my mom

I miss having a computer for ordering Xmas presents

[Harriet]

blessed, please tell us about the mittens in Art, Craft thread, too.

I missed the Halloween moment for working on Christmas cards. Oh, well.

A warning - Dd bought a kit for the boys to play with, of ready-made pumpkin-shape cookies with cookie-icing and sprinkles in the kit. They were AWFUL. Don't buy these kits through the holidays, 'cause the cookies don't taste good! Bleeeaaak. HRH says they are probably made early in the year and stored, and they may not be air-tight. No doubt you would be better off putting homemade cookie-icing onto just about any cookie, rather than buying one of those kits. Easy recipes for "Royal Icing" (firm cookie icing) are several places on the net - Alton Brown has one, with a video of cute blue cookies under the recipe, of how-to tips. Dd and I wish we had done that. I would probably cut Alton's big recipe in half.

[blessedw2]

Thanks for sharing both - re cookies and royal icing - have a great day d Harriet

I haven't found Christmas cards I like yet but will start labels today

[Nancy]

This year my energy is going into puppy training instead of baking it's better for me. Used pumpkin shaped cookie cutters on pb sandwiches yesterday .

[Harriet]

Since the postal service is issuing the large variety of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" stamps this year from the old Christmas special, I decided to just embrace the theme today. I ordered the (several years old) Dayspring cards of the characters on the stage in nativity costumes ( boxedchristiancards.com had the best online price although Dayspring itself does still carry them). I ordered Current Catalog's return address labels of Snoopy putting a letter in the mailbox while Woodstock and friends wait at the sleigh. The cards' envelopes have a design with scripture on the back, so I probably won't even use a seal this year to conflict with that image.

That was about as quick on card-decision-making as I've been in years. HRH was really happy to see so much Peanuts, complimenting each other, and very pleased with the Snoopy mailbox labels, to which he said a big "yes" - interesting because he doesn't usually pay much attention to what I'm buying for cards, lol.

By the way, if anyone hopes to order from Current Catalog this season, their promotion, code CUR5G9, will be in effect until New Year's and give a 25 percent discount. I also got their flat bow pack of 24 that turn into the large round 5-inch pom-pom bows when you pull the strings. It's on sale $4.99 (20 cents each). Have been meaning to get flat ones to save space in storing bows. Beats the store prices on that size bow for sure. Current has good quality, although their shipping prices are a little higher than most, I think. They also take 6 business days for shipping, within the states, even if you are not personalizing anything, so their time frame is certainly slower than some. But they are a helpful catalog.

[Harmony]

Harriet, the cards and labels and everything sound wonderful. I got cards after Christmas last year so I have those and I have return address labels that are blank. In the corner are the camels and figures and star on light blue. Maybe they're not all coordinated with the cards, but good enough for me. I stamped them with our script return address stamp and they look pretty, I think.

A week or so ago I got a package of new assorted size boxes. Nobody keeps their boxes, they give them all back to me so I get to reuse them...however, they are getting so flimsy these days they don't last very long. I tossed a stack away because they were so limp. And nobody seems to mind if I use shoe boxes or auto parts boxes for odd-sized gifts. They always laugh. I'd be fancier, and would enjoy that, but it would be lost on my family.

I got a nice gift for DGD today and found a couple things here I'd set aside for her and put that together. So at least 2 people on my list are done. Sigh...it's going much slower than I'd hoped, but when I made plans to get ahead, I didn't know we had such medical challenges ahead.

[blessedw2]

I love Charlie Brown - I have it on my errand list to get the stamps too!

Hi d Harriet and d harmony

Yesterday I bought two small gifts for dd younger and got some ideas for my better half

I have decided to put two days a week aside to finish misc gifts b 4 holidays

I have made 2 different dinners for freezer for holiday use
The butcher split 8 deboned chicken breasts and flattened them for me which made cooking easy and fast

[Nancy]

This week I am sewing up some doggie neck kerchiefs that have a pouch for dog or people snacks.

[blessedw2]

Lovely d Nancy!

Yesterday I trimmed the boxwood and put white lights on them - bummed that I didn't buy lights after Xmas 2014 be I had to buy lights at full price

[Nancy]

Thanks Blessedw2. WTG everone!
Today made up 2 holiday print neck kerchiefs for Ella. Will use em for a "family" photo of us & the pooch. I will wear red and my santa hat.

Watching a special what do U like to vuew during this holiday season?