christmas planning

it's just about this time of year that i start finalizing my christmas plans.

where are we spending the holidays?
what is our gift budget?
what kinds of gifts do i need to make?
what kinds of gifts do i want to buy?
how long is my christmas card list this year?
are there things i need to plan ahead (hotel, flights, etc)?

so tonight i will turn up the air conditioning in my home and start making christmas plans.

and *finally* get around to hanging up those tropical colored paper snowflakes that gave me a carpal tunnel syndrome flare-up!

monthly planning

since rudolph day for june 2009 is only 10 days away, i wanted to finalize my plans. it is also a thursday so i will be working and will have less time to work on things.

right now i am planning on watching "elf" the movie and working on my christmas notebook and figuring out which crafts i'd like to complete for gifts this year. i have some bracelets to work on and luckily i have all the supplies for those.

hopefully i will get a chance to test out another recipe next month!

may 2009 rudolph day

i just got back from michaels craft store since i had a special 20% off coupon for memorial day + a 40% off coupon for one item. i bought a glitter stamping set from the martha stewart crafts line. it came with some really cute deer stamps that i can use for holiday stamping!

i am going to watch "love actually" tonight. i was going to make gluten free cranberry scones (test run!) but i am not sure i will have time or the ingredients since our refrigerator has been acting up lately. as for christmas gifts, i have definitely started an ideas list. i am holding off on buying - i have to get through my husband's birthday first.

it's all coming together

this weekend i started my christmas planner only discover i am going to need 2 planners. the planner i made this weekend contains craft ideas, recipes, & fun articles and pictures. last night i went out to get supplies to make what i am calling my rudolph day planner, which will be holiday specific.

and i am going to have to separate out halloween, thanksgiving, and christmas in my planners. right now they are all just thrown in together which will make it difficult to find my halloween crafts, etc.

i need to get some scrapbook supplies so i can make some fun intro pages and covers for my books as well! fun.

pies galore

So remember while December
Brings the only Christmas Day,
In the year let there be Christmas
In the things you do and say;
Wouldn't life be worth the living
Wouldn't dreams be coming true
If we kept the Christmas spirit
All the whole year through?

i cannot believe how quickly time passes. my husband and i were talking last night about strawberry picking in june. it's right around the corner. and we are thinking about where we might want to go in the fall for thanksgiving as we need to make reservations soon.

i am going to make 4 pie crusts for the freezer - i make 4 pies a year, each after we go to a farm and get fresh produce. strawberry pie in mid-june, blueberry pie in early august, apple pie in mid-october, and pumpkin pie just before thanksgiving. it's that time already to plan my baking! i will be trying a new gluten free pie crust recipe this year from pamela's recipes. i hope it turns out wonderfully.

planning ahead

haven't been feeling today, so i took some time to get caught up with my rudolph day assignments.

i reviewed the hallmark dreambook! i will post some of my favorites soon.

i also looked through some recipes because i need to bake an item once a month to try it out and see if it works before i try and make it at christmas. never again will i have a christmas like this past one (my first gluten free christmas). success will be had!

so for may rudolph day, i am going to do the following

• bake cranberry orange scones
• plan menus
• buy a few christmas gifts
• watch the movie "love actually"