Also side note: Frugal weekly recap is coming. I've just been busy and haven't had much time to sit down the last few days.
As I was saying, November is going to be a busy month for me. For one, I do still plan to do the "Gift a Day" posts this year. There is just going to be fewer gifts going on, but I will post up the things I make. Mainly because I do enjoy it and other people seem to enjoy it to. So, watch out for those starting (and hopefully ending, although that might require a miracle in step two *laugh*) up this month.
Then there is trying to get the house super duper cleaned in preparation of putting up Christmas decorations at the end of the month. We'll be putting up the tree the weekend of Thanksgiving, like normal around here. I would honestly wait to put the decorations up until later but the kids love them so much, especially my son, that I always cave and let them have their way.
So, the biggest thing I've been doing the last couple of days has been working on cleaning and organizing my den as it has become a catch all mess with me organizing the master bedroom closet and the pantry and everything. I mean a MESS!!! I've brought loads of things to the used store this week and we took another load today, consisting mainly of old clothes that don't fit the kids anymore.
Then there is the food drive at school. Every year they send home a list of things the school will need to make up Thanksgiving baskets for families who can't afford a good meal and this year the need is greater than ever. So, I put together a bag of things for the food drive that we can drop off at school Monday. My daughter helped me to go through the pantry and pick out some things. Freebie Friday snack items that aren't safe for us to have here (peanut cross contamination/contain peanuts, etc), free cans of vegetables I got from the Monopoly game at Carrs over the summer and a few other things that I felt we could part with to make some families lives a little better this Thanksgiving got placed into a shopping bag and put by the door. Having been on the receiving end of kindness more than once this year, I feel like paying it forward is even more important. I might not be able to do much, but by golly I'll do what I can! So, that was on my list to do this month and will be checked off and done when we drop the donations off at school on Monday :).
So, yeah, it's so busy around here it's like a blur, although the last few days have been slower for the poor daughter who is battling either a cold or seasonal allergies and is kind of miserable with a sore throat and a bit of a cough. I actually made her home made chicken noodle soup last night especially for her and she's requested some of the leftovers for dinner tonight. Hopefully she starts to feel better soon.
So, anyway, onto the goals for this month!
Sewing Goals:
- Work on Christmas gifts
- Hem jeans for husband (we bought a new pair that was too long for him the last time we bought him brand new jeans as the jeans were basically on sale buy 2 get 1 free IF you bought three pairs and they only had two pairs in his actual size. I've been meaning to hem them, but couldn't figure out where I had stuck them and finally found them today. NOW if I could find where in the Heck I put my crochet hooks I'd be thrilled *grumble*.
- Work on organizing den some more.
- Move desk into den (this is part of a possible master plan for my master bedroom...you'd think I'd stop with "master plans" the way they seem to work out, but nope, not me. Never learn *laugh*).
- Rearrange sewing table and dresser in den.
- Put up Christmas tree and decorations in den (at end of the month)
- Go through toys in son's closet and weed out anything that needs to go (it's been YEARS since I went through his things and yeah...it's time).
- Rearrange kitchen cabinets to work better with the baking dishes (I'm in a constant fight to get a couple of cabinet doors closed as things slide forward and things and it's driving me a bit loopy).
- Continue to weed through things and figure out what can go and what should stay.
And I'm going to call it good there as that's already a ton to do. So, how about you? Anything on your list this month?
I'm with you, got to clean before Christmas. It's been a whirlwind here, I never dreamed how time consuming it wohld be to try and juggle the house and kids, work part time and try and be there at the drop of a hat for the rental properties my mom started and asked my busband and I to manage. We are 2 or 3 years away from getting any payment for that, but I'm telling myself in a few years it will be a help, and not letting myself freak out over how th at will work with me working full time, too.
ReplyDeleteYesterday went to a new thrift store and my son was over the moon, for $7 found a 100% leather maroon duster, just like his hero Star Lord wears in Guardians of the galaxy. Only problem is the lining is thin un spots. For dressing up I guess I won't worry about it, but it does bother me. The jacket is wprth at least $200, its amazing. Must have been a tiny person who wore it. He's 10, and by 12 it will not fit, and he's average in size.
Christmas buying is in full swing here. We took 2 mames from the school salvation army like tree, (were assigned, rather) and hoping to find a good deal on the things those kids need.
My main goals this month are to get some cigar boxes covered in old maps, ephemera for the grands. I’ve been saving found feathers and coins to put in them. There are three grands so three boxes. The youngest just turned two so I need to really think about what to put in her box. With that in mind, i’ve bought some magnets, stickers I got from somewhere, really large crayons.
ReplyDeleteThe second goal is to get all Christmas gifts wrapped that go down state. My son is coming over Thanksgiving so I want that done by the time he pulls in. He can take his gift and his brothers family gifts. Even though we plan on going down for the holidays, I think it’s just smarter to send them ahead in case we get snowed in up here.
For cleaning, i’ve Been doing something small every day since my Summer job ended. Even if it’s one drawer, Stuff is getting done. I’m happy about that!
I have no idea what to get for my husband or his parents for the holidays. The only name brand bookstore is filing bankruptcy so I can’t get a gift card. This was the only place that sold a very expensive photography magazine my husband likes. The in-laws are in assisted living, very immobile, and never had hobbies or interests outside of watching sports. (That’s a wake-up call to everyone who does that. Get outside, meet people, do something!) So, any suggestions are very welcome! I need to figure that out, pronto,so I can budget for it.
That’s all i’ve got for now. I’m sure i’ll Have something i’ve forgotten, it never fails. I’m making a concerted effort to have low stress, nice, calm holidays. I wish the same for you and your family!
Debbie
Debbie, an idea for your in-laws in assisted living might be a gift basket of the little things they might need: lotion, wet-wipes, toothpaste, small flashlight, big print book, a fresh flower, etc. Or you might make up a basket of gifts they could give to people they want to thank who come into their life, candy, cookies, cupcakes, etc. They probably don't have any room to store anything big anyway.
DeleteJeannie @ GetMeToTheCountry
I also sent down some of those Friday Freebies plus extras, to the church's food drive. I figured that the items I sent are good food--there were just 1 or 2 we couldn't eat because of allergies, as well. I was actually excited to have something so tasty looking to send. Then, I just grabbed a few more things that were purchased for a great deal like you did, and sent them, too. I love being able to send more because they were a good deal.
ReplyDeleteYou are really getting some cleaning done--what a feel-good moment when you complete those kinds of jobs!! My husband is still trying to get the shop cleaned out from the bins and bins and bins we put in there after we moved. He's making great progress and I helped with that for a while yesterday. Because we are going through things, items that have been buried for a long time are coming to light, which is nice. I've been able to find sewing items and some fabric that was buried, too, and did some sewing this week. Ahhhh....At last.