Because I've been totally slacking this week on everything, I thought I'd go over this week's stuff just to see where I am. Because I think it's not as bad as I think. (Huh?)

Questions- done earlier in the week
Cleaning- I decided that I don't have to deep clean the living room I don't intend to be in and that I should invest my energies elsewhere.
Holiday Prep- this is where I'm not sure where I am.

Continue to fill in the blanks for last week's lists.
What I have left from last week's list is getting my recipes together to put my grocery list together.
Add extra flour, shortening, and other food items for your long-term shopping list to your grocery list this week.
I decided not to buy a lot of extra stuff until "cheap grocery season", but to budget for that instead.
I would also add here that if you need extra freezer containers for meals and cookies that you add those to your grocery list as well.
I did buy some of these.
Order Christmas cards or buy the supplies to make them.
Although I've had some ideas, I just haven't settled on what I want to do for cards. But I did decide that if I didn't have cards made before Thanksgiving that I would just buy a box and address them during the week after.
Make and freeze one extra meal for the holiday season. (LABEL IT!)
I wanted my husband to make lasagna for Christmas Day. When asked if he would be willing to do that he said, um...no. When asked if he would be willing to make lasagna some other time between now and then, he said sure. So now I just have to nail down a weekend, get the stuff, and get him to make it so I can freeze it.
Develop ideas for gifts, decorations, etc.
I think I must be blocking this out. I've got gift ideas set for the extended family. I have few ideas for the people for whom I have to buy a bunch of real gifts. I like to have a theme around which to buy dd's gifts, like for her birthday (2) I got her dress-up type stuff. But since we're putting off her kitchen until her birthday, I really don't know what to do for her. I found a few t-shirts for my brother, but nothing else. My parents and dh are still totally unfigured.
Find out specifics for those who celebrate other holidays (ex. When is Chanukah?)
I found out when Chanukah is, noted that I just need to get cards out by December 1st and so forgot again.
Divide gift responsibilites with other family members.
To me this just means make dh take dd away so I can wrap presents.

So that's where I am. How are you guys doing?

I was doing pretty well with my holiday schedule until I got to today.  I'd planned to start signing and addressing Christmas cards (1/5 each week as suggested in the Grand Plan).  Only, guess what -- no cards!  I was sure I had some partial boxes from previous years, but I must have finished those last year.  So until I find some cards I like I will be behind on that.  Bummer.

On the plus side, I've made my Christmas card list and checked my other supplies.  I have more than enough wrapping paper, tags, gift bags, ribbons, scotch tape and packing tape for this year.  The only purchases I will need to make are cards and Christmas stamps when the Post office has them.

I want to make cards. This is something that should be fun, but is often hampered by my desire to be impressive and perfect.

Today I made a birthday card. It's not perfect. But the idea is cute, somewhat thoughtful, and one can tell that I put a lot of work into it.

I found myself thinking that the recipient of the card could have done a lot better job herself, on the computer graphics, on the scissors and glue stuff. Then I stopped. Why would she be making a card for herself?

So apparently, other things that go on in my head cause me to miss the point of making and sending cards. It's something I'm going to think about while working on my holiday cards this year.

Getting holiday cards out on time (and at all) seems to be a goal for a lot of us. This week you'll be making your list of card recipients, and, hopefully, getting updated mailing addresses for everyone on your list. I'll be printing a list to put in my holiday notebook (control journal) to be easily accessible for the addressing stage.

One of next week's tasks is the ordering of our holiday cards and related paraphenalia. Things I'm wondering:

Anyone planning or wanting to make their cards?

Anyone have ideas for handmade cards?

Anyone have links for handmade cards?

Anyone have a book they love about making cards?

Anyone have links for ready-made cards?

When is Chanukah this year?

What's your target date for sending out your cards?


Here are some links I found with handmade card ideas:
Super Homemade Holiday Cards from FamilyFun.com
Ideas from Impress Rubber Stamps
From HGTV, scroll down about halfway for links.
Links from Allcrafts.net. I almost missed these and there's some great stuff. Be sure to scroll down (a little more than halfway) to"Cardmaking Free Projects".
Card Inspiration's Christmas 2005 gallery. No instruction, but lots of inspiration.
A few ideas from Martha Stewart

Here are some links I found for quotes and sayings for cards:
From OnTheSpotPhotography.com
Appropriate for businesses from Making-Greeting-Cards.com
There are some lovely ones here from Phrases.org.uk
For Chanukah from Invitations-Shoppe.com
A page of quote links from About.comThanksgiving, New Years, and Christmas

Last year I made a half-hearted effort at FLYlady's Holiday Cruising.

Today, while working on lists for this year, I opened up the folder in My Documents labeled Christmas and found: a card recipient list, a list of cookies I had planned to bake last year with the number of recipes (doubled, tripled) I'd planned to make (I made 10 out of 12 on the list), a list of ingredients for said cookies complete with amounts, the start of a file of recipes to have all the cookie recipes in one place (I had entered 4 of the 12), and even the beginnings of a now-obsolete list of ideas for gifts to get the cousins' kids for this year.

This was really exciting. I feel like I have a jump start. Imagine how I'll feel next year.