Pinterest project: lighted snow globe terrariums

Back in early December my daughter Carrie and I got together to make some of these Snow Globe Terrariums using mostly old jars from my dad's basement.  The jars had been sitting there for years, so it was fun to wash them until they sparkled and give them a new life as pretty winter decorations!

Here are a few photos of the process.  Enjoy!

Getting started

Close look at one of the jars

I arranged mine on a table on our screened porch.

I added greenery from our woods for a finishing touch.

Goals for week beginning 12/30/2013

From my collection of vintage cards

We're digging out from a big snowstorm this morning!  Not sure how many inches fell last night, but it was a snow globe-type snow -- huge wet flakes, falling steadily at the rate of 1 to 2 inches per hour.  It was beautiful but VERY slippery if one had to be out in it.

So hard to believe it's almost 2014!  I'll soon be setting goals for a new year.  Still, (especially since I failed to post my goals last week) I need to set some goals for the week.  Here's what I'm aiming at:
* Finish Sunday School lesson 1 and start on lesson 2 -- this is a new study we're starting on prayer
*  Make 1 or 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook
*  Review Psalm 62:7-8
*  Read 1 or 2 chapters in  Following God With All Your Heart
*  Exercise or go for walks as often as time allows
*  Finish a few UFO Christmas/birthday gifts
 *  Keep up a good water intake
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night
*  Post often in both this blog and my Christmas blog
* Send out a few New Year cards
*  Zero in on homemaking tasks in Zone 2, the kitchen and Zone 3, the bathrooms, plus Zone 5, the living room
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do
*  Email several friends
* Have friends over for a meal
* Take my dad to an appointment

And here's how last week went:
* Finish Sunday School lesson 14 -- DONE!
 *  Make 1 or 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook -- not done
*  Memorize Luke 2:10 -- DONE!
* Continue with Advent study -- DONE!
*  Read 1 or 2 chapters in  Following God With All Your Heart -- not done
*  Exercise or go for walks as often as time allows -- not done
*  Keep up with crafting goals for Christmas -- not completely done
 *  Keep up a good water intake-- DONE!
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night -- not done
*  Post daily in both this blog and my Christmas blog -- not done, though I managed to post quite often
* Send out Christmas cards to friends as I receive theirs -- DONE!
*  Zero in on homemaking tasks in Zone 2, the kitchen and Zone 3, the bathrooms -- not done
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do -- not done every day
*  Email several friends -- DONE!
* Finish the Christmas decorating -- DONE!
 * Continue Christmas baking -- DONE!
*  Continue with a back-on-track challenge in the area of homemaking -- not done
* Finish several handcrafted gifts for our family in Nevada -- still have 1 Christmas gift to finish
* Wrap all of the gifts that I have -- DONE!
* Send package(s) to Nevada -- DONE!

I'm hoping for a productive week, but there's a lot going on so I may not accomplish all that I'd like to.

Merry Christmas!

Mr. T and I would like to wish all of our friends a very Merry Christmas!  I am late posting this as the past couple of days have been very hectic, but wanted to extend our Christmas wish to you.  I can't think of a nicer way to do that than to share this beautiful poem by the beloved writer Edgar Guest:

God bless you all
This Christmas Day;
May Bethlehem's star
Still light the way,
And guide thee to
The perfect peace
When every fear
And doubt shall cease,
And may thy home
Such glory know
As did the stable
Long ago.

Edgar A. Guest

May you enjoy a blessed Christmas week and a very happy, healthy 2014!

December 20 ~ A small Christmas miracle

Well, it seemed miraculous to me, at least. 

Yesterday I packed the box of Christmas and birthday gifts for our family out West.  That in itself was a miracle on such a busy day -- to have [nearly -- there's still one I have to finish] all the gifts completed, wrapped -- and they all fit in one flat rate box.  It had been a busy day with a lot of time spent out of the house, yet with the Lord's help, this task was accomplished.

Last night it was already after ten when I went to the computer to do the click 'n' print thing -- a great postal service option for paying and printing your shipping label on line.  (Did you know it also saves money to pay online?  It does.  I saved over a dollar on the shipping by doing it this way.)  The label downloads automatically as a pdf.

So I then scheduled a package pickup for this morning -- another great, free option which I just love.  And then I went to print the shipping label.

And it didn't print.  Well, it printed, but it was just unreadable gibberish, because my black ink cartridge was close to finished.  Aargh.  We had just been in Walmart that evening and could have picked up a cartridge if we'd thought.  But even if I'd thought about it, I'd have been pretty sure there was enough ink left to print a label.

So I went to bed and prayed.  Before I went to sleep I had formulated a plan of action.
1) I would try to print the label in a dark color like midnight blue.  If that didn't work,
2) I would go over to Walmart as soon as they opened and buy a cartridge.

When I got up this morning I told Mr. T of my plan.  It sounded good to him, but he had another thought.  He had heard somewhere -- though he thought this tip might have been for toner cartridges in photocopiers -- that if you take the cartridge out and shake it, it might help to get just a bit more ink out of it.

So I did that, then prayed.  Next, I tried printing the label in black.

Hallelujah!  The printout is two-part.  One half of the page is the label; the other half, the directions.  The directions were only faintly readable; the label printed out sharply black and clear!  I shouted, "It's a Christmas miracle!"  And I believe it is.

December 18 ~ This morning's Advent study

From my collection of vintage cards.  I love how this one has a real snip of red satin ribbon as a bookmark!

For something different today, I thought I would share my little Advent study time from this morning.  [Let me quickly interject here that I am not in any way a theologian.  I realize that today's verse is from a psalm that's considered a Messianic psalm.  I am simply going to share how this verse spoke to me this morning.]  This week's theme is "Joy" and today's verse is Psalm 16:11 --

S [Scripture]: "Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore."

O [Observation]: This psalm is titled by Scofield [in the reference Bible I was using] "The path of life and joy."  Psalm 16 is considered to be a Messianic psalm pointing to the resurrection of Christ.

But it has a message for me as well, a message that I can take from this without doing any disservice to the Scriptures :
1) God will show me the path of life.
2) In God's presence there is fullness of joy.
3) At God's right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

A [Application]: God promises to show me the path of life.  He will give me guidance and direction day by day, and even moment by moment, as I consistently look to Him.  Am I doing this?

In God's presence there is fullness of joy.  Even in very difficult times, I can joy in the God of my salvation.  His presence is always with me, and joy can also be my constant companion as I choose to look to God and not my circumstances.  Am I doing this?

And I know that "pleasures forevermore" await me in heaven.  I am so blessed not only to have God's presence and guidance here in this life, but to have heaven to look forward to.  Am I living as befits a citizen of heaven?

If I'm honest, I will have to admit that I cannot answer a wholehearted "Yes!" to any of these questions.  My answer would have to be more like, "Yes, but not consistently."  Obviously, I need to pray about these things and make them part of the fabric of my everyday life.

P [Prayer]:  "Lord, I thank You so much for the clarity of Your Word!  I praise You that it so clearly teaches Your people how You would have them to live!  This verse has so much instruction for me to act on today.
"Lord, I thank You for the guidance and direction You promise to give for my life as I am faithful to look to You consistently.  I pray that You will help me to seek Your wisdom daily -- even moment by moment as necessary.
"And I praise You for Your constant presence with me.  You will never leave me or forsake me.  Help me every day to look to You and not my circumstances.  Many times, life doesn't look or feel very joyful, but I can have joy in  my heart when I look beyond my circumstances to You  and remember that You have a good purpose in my trials and that You are in control.
"I thank You that my citizenship is in heaven.  I am just passing through; just a pilgrim in this life.  Help me to conduct myself every day as a citizen of that better country.  I thank and praise You for all that You will do!  In Jesus' name, Amen."

So that was a good bit of my quiet time this morning.  Is anyone else doing an Advent Bible study?  I hope you are finding it a blessing!

December 16 ~ Goals for this week

I have certainly fallen short of my goal to post in both blogs every day, and I do apologize for that.  This past week, in particular, was very busy, and the weekend was packed full of activity.  Although we missed being in church yesterday (services were canceled due to a large snowstorm in our area), we were also thankful for the opportunity to catch our breath and have a somewhat quiet day at home.  Here are my goals for the week:
* Finish Sunday School lesson 14
 *  Make 1 or 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook
*  Memorize Luke 2:10
* Continue with Advent study
*  Read 1 or 2 chapters in  Following God With All Your Heart
*  Exercise or go for walks as often as time allows
*  Keep up with crafting goals for Christmas
 *  Keep up a good water intake
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night
*  Post daily in both this blog and my Christmas blog
* Send out Christmas cards to friends as I receive theirs
*  Zero in on homemaking tasks in Zone 2, the kitchen and Zone 3, the bathrooms
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do
*  Email several friends
* Finish the Christmas decorating
 * Continue Christmas baking
*  Continue with a back-on-track challenge in the area of homemaking
* Finish several handcrafted gifts for our family in Nevada
* Wrap all of the gifts that I have
* Send package(s) to Nevada

And here is how last week went:
* Work on Sunday School lesson 14  -- DONE!
 *  Make 1 or 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook -- not done
*  Memorize Zephaniah 3:17 -- DONE!
* Continue with Advent study -- DONE!
*  Read 1 or 2 chapters in  Following God With All Your Heart -- not done; think I read part of one
*  Exercise or go for walks as often as time allows -- not done
*  Keep up with crafting goals for Christmas -- DONE!
 *  Keep up a good water intake -- not as much as I should have
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night -- not done
*  Post daily in both this blog and my Christmas blog -- not done daily
* Send out Christmas cards to friends as I receive theirs -- started out well, but haven't kept up with it
*  Zero in on homemaking tasks in Zone 2, the kitchen -- not done
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do  -- DONE!
*  Email several friends -- think I sent one email
* Get a lot of Christmas decorating done -- DONE!
* Continue Christmas baking -- DONE!
*  Continue with a back-on-track challenge in the area of homemaking -- not done
* Attend some Christmas events -- DONE!
Plus we also managed to have a very fun outing with three of our grandkids -- something we are trying to make a tradition.

So I am surely hoping for a good, productive week this week.  Thankfully, it doesn't look like I have to be out of the house a lot this week; probably just parts of Wednesday and Thursday.   I love it when I can stay home!

A Christmas swap!

From my collection of vintage Christmas cards

I will tell more later about our ladies' Christmas fellowship and Yankee swap, because there is much more to tell than just this, but can only take a few minutes today.  I thought I'd just share this interesting tidbit.

My friend Mrs. Doug, who is not only my blog friend but a real-life friend, had done a post this week called "Christmas craftiness" in which she showed pictures of some projects she has been making.  I borrowed her photos of one project because I am having some camera issues right now.  I wasn't really sure if she was making this bag for the Yankee swap, but guessed that she might be.

The photos don't do this beautiful bag justice.  Made from a thrift-store felted sweater in the softest, palest aqua, it is just exquisite.  You can just catch a glimpse of the lining and the handmade macrame handles.

Some of the details.  The embroidery is so beautifully done.

The same day, on my Christmas blog, I posted some pictures of mug mats I'd made which I intended to put in a basket with other goodies for our Yankee swap.  I scanned the mats rather than trying to use the camera, which is why one of the mats is so crooked in the picture.

One of my daughters used this fabric on a Christmas sweatshirt in high school, I think.  The snow globe fabric has been in my stash for years.

 Now here is the funny part.  I believe there were around 30 people at our ladies' Christmas fellowship, and lots of nice gifts were changing hands throughout the course of the Yankee swap.  But I ended up with the gorgeous bag made by Mrs. Doug -- and guess what?  She ended up with the mug mats and basket of items which I had brought to the swap!  So much fun!  I think we were both pleased with the outcome.

December 11 ~ A fabulous bunch of giveaways at Sew Mama Sew!

From my collection of vintage Christmas cards

Yes, I am posting another giveaway -- or more accurately, hundreds of them -- today.  Monday was Giveaway Day at Sew Mama Sew, but it's really a Giveaway Week as the giveaways are open until this Friday, December 13.  You'll find bloggers and shops giving away everything from patterns to fabric to books to handmade items.  If I had time I would sit here all day clicking on interesting links and entering to win.  So far, the only requirements for the giveaways I've entered from here have involved leaving a blog post comment -- usually a reply to a very specific question. 

But I don't have time to sit here entering giveaways all day, so I am passing that opportunity on to all of you.  Here's the link: Giveaway Day at Sew Mama Sew.  Have fun!!!!

December 10 -- A HUGE Christmas giveaway by Karla Dornacher!

Photo by Karla Dornacher

I receive Karla's newsletters by email, and she has an amazing giveaway going on right now.  All of the items pictured above are part of this giveaway.  Some for the winner to keep and plenty to share with friends.  As you can see, these are not all Christmas items; rather, this giveaway is  Karla's Christmas gift to those who enjoy her art.

The giveaway ends next Monday, December 16, at midnight, so go on over and check it out here:
Christmas Goodie Giveaway.  It's very quick and easy to enter.  Hope you win!

December 9 ~ Goals for this week

From my collection of vintage cards

 My ordinary "goals for the week" seems like rather a lame excuse for a daily December post, but it's what I have to share tonight, so...
Here are my goals for the week:
* Work on Sunday School lesson 14
 *  Make 1 or 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook
*  Memorize Zephaniah 3:17
* Continue with Advent study
*  Read 1 or 2 chapters in  Following God With All Your Heart
*  Exercise or go for walks as often as time allows
*  Keep up with crafting goals for Christmas
 *  Keep up a good water intake
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night
*  Post daily in both this blog and my Christmas blog
* Send out Christmas cards to friends as I receive theirs
*  Zero in on homemaking tasks in Zone 2, the kitchen
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do
*  Email several friends
* Get a lot of Christmas decorating done
* Continue Christmas baking
*  Continue with a back-on-track challenge in the area of homemaking
* Attend some Christmas events

And here's how last week went:
* Completely finish Sunday School lesson 13; begin lesson 14 -- DONE!
 *  Make 1 or 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook -- DONE!
*  Memorize Romans 15:13 -- DONE!
* Continue with Advent study -- DONE!
*  Read 1 or 2 chapters in  Following God With All Your Heart -- DONE!
*  Exercise or go for walks as often as time allows -- not done
*  Keep up with crafting goals for Christmas -- DONE!
 *  Keep up a good water intake -- DONE!
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night -- not done
*  Post daily in both this blog and my Christmas blog -- DONE!
* Send out Christmas cards for a card exchange I'm taking part in -- DONE!
*  Zero in on homemaking tasks in Zone 1, the entry, dining room, and porch -- -- DONE!
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do -- DONE!
*  Email several friends -- not done
* Get a lot of Christmas decorating done -- well, not a lot.
* Begin Christmas baking -- DONE!
*  Continue with a back-on-track challenge in the area of homemaking -- DONE!
* Post some TripAdvisor reviews -- not done
* Finish a set of Christmas banners for over the dining room windows -- DONE!

I'm thanking God for what I did accomplish and praying for a productive week.

December 8 ~ my "Christmas Cookie Exchange" Pinterest board

From my collection of vintage magazines

Christmas cookies are always a big part of our holiday celebrations!  In fact, my hubby is preparing a batch of dough as I write.  Over the past few years he has taken on the task of baking many of our Christmas cookies and seems to really enjoy it.

I am always fascinated by cookie exchanges and swaps.   Although I have never hosted one in real life, I would love to.  So I have done the next best thing by creating a Christmas Cookie Exchange! board on Pinterest.  You might enjoy visiting it for some new ideas.

Yesterday Mr. T baked a batch of these: Whipped Shortbread Cookies which are a huge family favorite in our house.  Easy and so delicious!

And if you'd like a few more family favorites, both the everyday type and some a little fancier, look here: family favorite cookies .

Perhaps your family thinks that cut-out cookies are the epitome of Christmas baking.  If so, you'll find some great recipes here: Christmas cut-out cookies .

Happy baking!

December 7 ~ a day of Christmasy things

A favorite little cookbook from my childhood

Yesterday Mr. T unexpectedly had the day off, and we accomplished quite a few Christmasy things, in addition to (on his part) other tasks like making a dump run and fixing the brakes on the car.

I had already made afternoon plans with our daughter who lives nearby for a decorating project we wanted to work on together -- we were each making our own version of the project.  I will hopefully share pictures in the next few days.  While we were crafting I had figured that her three kiddos would probably just play with our toy stash, which they dearly love.  But, since Mr. T was home, he suggested doing some cooking and baking with the kids, so he had them bring their aprons and chef's hats along.  He did make two batches of decadent holiday bark with them, and again, I will tell more about that and share pictures in a future post.

At supper time we picked up our 10-year-old granddaughter who was coming for the weekend.  Due to our very busy afternoon, we took her to Subway for a quick meal.  Over supper, we talked about the rest of the evening and what she might like to do.

Our Christmas trees (pre-lighted) are up and in place, but no ornaments have been added as yet.  So decorating the tree was one option.  Another was baking Christmas cookies, and a  third idea was to play a game (Scrabble® is her favorite!).  So she thought about it and asked if we had put the lighted village under the tree yet.  We hadn't, so she chose to do that and also to bake cookies.  They opted to bake only half the dough and refrigerate the rest, so there was still time for a quick game of Scrabble® -- which she won.  A fun evening!

The cookies they baked were a favorite from my childhood.  You can find the recipe for Chocolate Spritz and the story behind them here.

Over the years we've collected a number of inexpensive lighted houses and, some years, we put five or six of them around the Christmas tree like a little village.  The grandchildren always enjoy seeing that.

Our tree and village in 2006.  Our living room looks much different today.

Last year, the village looked like this.  We bought a new log cabin one after Christmas last year at Tractor Supply, so that is under the tree this year with the others.

That was our day yesterday.  Hope yours was as nice!

December 6 ~ my "Vintage Christmas" Pinterest boards

Vintage card from my personal collection

 Today I want to share another of my Pinterest boards with you all.  Actually, make that two, plus another site you might enjoy.

It's probably no surprise to anyone who has spent time on my blogs that I love vintage Christmas things, whether decorations or cards.  Having grown up in the 1950s and early 1960s, I just have a love for those simpler, more innocent times.  My childhood Christmases were simple, but magical.  The items I've pinned on these boards are reminders for me. 

My Vintage Christmas board  has all sorts of vintage Christmas stuff, and it may even have a few cards on it.  But I did make a separate board for  Christmas Cards and Sentiments, so if you enjoy the paper treasures you will want to check that one out too.

In addition, maybe most people have seen this source for free Victorian Christmas cards, but if you haven't it is worth a visit.

Enjoy the nostalgia of Christmases gone by!

December 5 ~ My "crafting for Christmas" Pinterest board

As anyone who reads my Christmas blog -- Mrs. T's Christmas Kitchen -- well knows, I love crafting for Christmas.  I love making ornaments, in particular, but oh -- I have so little time to do so.  A dream of mine is to have a Christmas shop on Etsy.  Who knows if that will ever come to pass, but I do enjoy Christmas crafting so much.

Years ago, I used to peruse the Country Handcrafts and Crafting Traditions magazines, not to mention my collection of older Christmas magazines, every fall and decide on an ornament or two to make.  I would send off my order to Home-Sew and just have a wonderful time creating.

hot mats

I also love making handcrafted gifts, especially for family, but also for friends and for gift exchanges at church.  I tend to focus on things that are simple and quick to make, since my time is limited.

tea wallet

cloth napkins

teapot wall  hanging

mug mats front and back

So it's really no wonder that I would have an entire Pinterest board titled
 Crafting for Christmas!  If you're looking for some crafting inspiration, you will find plenty of ideas  here.  Enjoy!

December 4 ~ helping others in this season of giving

This sweet graphic is from Little Birdie Blessings.

For the past few winters, our church has had a small part in helping neighbors in our community who may not have enough to eat.  Starting in early November or so, a large plastic tub is placed in the foyer.  Our church folks bring in items for our local food pantry.  When the tub fills up, our pastor delivers it to the food pantry.  Then he brings the empty tub back to the church and the cycle begins again. 

One thing I have been doing is buying a few items for the food pantry every time I grocery shop.  Canned corn, green beans, and so on are 50¢ a can at our local supermarket.  Recently Wal*Mart has had 4-packs of canned vegetables for $2.  I buy things like this, or instant mashed potatoes, or boxed macaroni and cheese or just boxes of plain or whole wheat pasta, and so on.  In November I put in some cans of cranberry sauce and some of pumpkin.

Recently, Mr. T and I found a way to help out the food pantry for free.  Our local Rite Aid and CVS stores were both offering rewards in the same value as certain items -- so the items were free.  Mr. T always shops these two stores for the deals, so it was a simple matter for him to pick up these free items.  Some of the things we got were 4-packs of snack size pudding cups, and Kraft boxed macaroni and cheese.  If these types of deals continue, we will continue to put the free items in the food pantry tub.  This is a way that people with little grocery money to spare can give to those who may be even less fortunate.

December 3 ~ December plans

My friend Susan, over at By Grace</>, is doing a series called "December Daily" where she is posting every day this month.  Yesterday, she posted about the December plans she and her hubby have made so far.  It was very interesting, especially an event that their church has called "Christmas ... Family Style."  It sounds like fun!

Our plans are not all in place yet, but we do have a few things on the December calendar so far.

This weekend is the hometown holiday parade in our town.  We don't always get to this, but it's a fun event.

Next Tuesday, December 10 is our church's annual ladies' Christmas fellowship.  It's always a festive time that starts the season off right for many ladies. 

On Friday evening, December 13, we plan to take our oldest granddaughters to a musical version of "A Christmas Carol" at the Christian high school our kids attended.  We're all looking forward to that!

Sunday afternoon, December 15 is our Patch the Pirate Club's Christmas presentation -- just like the club at Susan's church, they are doing one song and one Christmas carol.  It's a challenging one!

And Sunday afternoon, December 22 is going to be our church gift exchange and fellowship.  We draw names and get small gifts for those whose name we draw, and many families also hand out Christmas cards at that time.  We have refreshments and a simple devotional.

Those are all the plans we have made so far, but I know other events are in the planning stages ... my hubby's work Christmas party, an ice-cream-sundae date with 3 of our grandchildren, and a possible breakfast get-together with friends, to name just a few.  I love this time of year!

Goals for week beginning 12/2/2013

A day late posting weekly goals again.  That seems to be how it goes around here!  So my goals for the week are:
* Completely finish Sunday School lesson 13; begin lesson 14
 *  Make 1 or 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook
*  Memorize Romans 15:13
* Continue with Advent study
*  Read 1 or 2 chapters in  Following God With All Your Heart
*  Exercise or go for walks as often as time allows
*  Keep up with crafting goals for Christmas
 *  Keep up a good water intake
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night
*  Post daily in both this blog and my Christmas blog
* Send out Christmas cards for a card exchange I'm taking part in
*  Zero in on homemaking tasks in Zone 1, the entry, dining room, and porch
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do
*  Email several friends
* Get a lot of Christmas decorating done
* Begin Christmas baking
*  Continue with a back-on-track challenge in the area of homemaking
* Post some TripAdvisor reviews
* Finish a set of Christmas banners for over the dining room windows

And here's how last week went:
*  Spend time in 2 Samuel Bible study -- DONE!
* Finish Sunday School lesson 13 -- finished all except the last page
 *  Make 1 or 2 pages for "What Do I Know About My God"?  notebook -- DONE!
*  Review Psalm 100 -- DONE!
*  Read 1 or 2 chapters in  Following God With All Your Heart -- not done
*  Exercise or go for walks as often as time allows -- not done
*  Keep up with crafting goals for Christmas -- DONE!
 *  Keep up a good water intake -- not done as much as I'd have liked
*  Get to bed by 9:30 or 10 pm each night -- not done
*  Post at least four times in my regular blog, and in my Christmas blog as time allows -- DONE!
*  Zero in on homemaking tasks in Zone 5, the living room -- DONE!
*  Spend at least 15 minutes a day reorganizing the many piles, stacks, notebooks and containers full of recipes I've collected over time -- not done, although I did spend the 15 minutes one of the days
*  Make a daily time schedule for the things I need to do -- DONE!
* Find or make a better weekly to-do list -- not done
*  Write several encouraging notes to friends and family -- -- DONE!
*  Continue with a back-on-track challenge in the area of homemaking -- DONE!
* Post some TripAdvisor reviews -- I posted one, so I guess that counts
* Enjoy Thanksgiving Day with friends and family!  -- DONE!

I'm tabling a few things for now; the recipe project, the 2 Samuel Bible study; the search for a better to-do list.  I'm trying to concentrate and focus on the true meaning of the season.

Update for back-on-track homemaking challenge

You probably thought I was never going to post another update ... that the challenge had just fizzled out.  (And you could easily have been right.)  Well, here's a report on how Days 7-18 have gone.

We left off in Zone 4, the bedroom.  On Day 8 I washed the bedspread and also a hand-hooked bedside rug.  Both items needed cleaning badly and both took forever to dry.

On Day 11 I started in Zone 5, the living room.  I threw away a lot of outdated catalogs from a bookcase (with doors) where I keep them.  Needed to make more room for Christmas catalogs!

On Day 12 I did a bunch of dusting, decluttering, vacuuming, and some floor washing in this zone.

On Day 13 I did a bit more dusting and decluttering.  My hubby also rearranged some picture wire on the back of grandkids' picture frames (the school pictures are in a horizontal format this year) to re-hang them on our family photo wall.

On Day 16 Mr. T did some minor mold removal in this room.  I have no idea why we ended up with small spots of mold on some of the window frames, after re-doing all the windows in this room, but it was there.  It's great to have that taken care of.

Day 18 started Zone 1, the front entry, dining room, and porch.  (The porch actually got decluttered and shop-vacced on Day 13, prior to Thanksgiving.)

Now today, Day 19, I am taking down the fall decor in this area and preparing to put up a few Christmas items -- I will need Mr. T's help to get things down from the attic, so that's why I say "a few" Christmas items.  Onward and upward!

December 2 ~ My December goals

Goal-setting time again at the beginning of a new month!  I've eliminated some of my more usual goals in favor of doing some special things in December.  I think that I may definitely try to fit too much activity into this month by trying to do everything I ordinarily do in addition to special December activities, so I'm trying to be more realistic and focused this year.

I'm also trying to leave my health and energy goals firmly in place.  Here's a quote from Woman's Day's "Healthy Holidays" section in the December 2013 issue:

"Water, sleep and exercise ... are extremely important to keep you on track throughout a hectic season.  Less of any of them can lead to unwanted weight gain.  Your goal: Aim for six 8-ounce glasses of water per day, 7 to 8 hours of sleep a night and 30 minutes or more of exercise at least three times a week." 

This is just common sense, but so easy to forget in the busyness of December.  So, here are my:
DECEMBER GOALS
*Work on Advent Bible study
* Continue reading Following God with All Your Heart
* Memorize 4 Bible verses.
* Exercise at least 15 times; walk as often as possible
* Get to bed by 9:30 pm each night.
* Limit sugar.
* Drink enough water each day.
* Spend several hours updating my A-store.
* Write and send Christmas cards
* Post daily in one or both of my blogs
* Make the remaining Christmas gifts on my crafting list
* Purchase remaining Christmas gifts
* Make Christmas kitchen gifts
* Decorate for Christmas
* Wrap all Christmas gifts
* Send Christmas packages to Nevada well ahead of time
* Attend several Christmas parties and events
* Get together with friends for breakfast
* Complete a back-on-track homemaking challenge
* Plan Christmas dinner
* Make some Christmas or winter curtains and other home decor items

And here is how things went in November:
* Continue reading through the book of Proverbs, journaling as I go -- done, until the last 2 weeks when I switched to doing a Thanksgiving study
* Continue reading Following God with All Your Heart -- DONE!
* Memorize at least 4 Bible verses -- DONE!
* Continue study of 2 Samuel -- DONE!
* Exercise at least 15 times; walk as often as possible -- not done
* Get to bed by 9:30 pm each night -- not done
* Limit sugar -- did great the first couple of weeks ... after that, not done
* Drink enough water each day -- did okay with this
* Keep up with Kelly's missions in homemaking zones of the week -- did okay with this
* Spend several hours updating my A-store -- not done
* Write at least 4 encouraging notes to friends and family -- DONE!
* Post several times weekly in one or both of my blogs -- DONE!
* Finish some UFO craft projects -- not done
* Make most of the remaining Christmas gifts on my list -- still have quite a few to go
* Declutter several closets -- not done
* Work on crafts for gifts or sale -- DONE!
* Complete a back-on-track challenge -- DONE!
* Plan and host Thanksgiving dinner -- DONE!
* Make some fall curtains and other home decor items -- DONE!

So, while I am hoping for a productive December, my goals have shifted a bit from the usual.  I want to focus on enjoying the true meaning of the season!

December 1 -- starting an Advent Bible study

From my collection of vintage Christmas carol books

I'm very excited this morning about the Advent study I'm starting.  The study, "Keeping Our Hearts Focused on Jesus"  is available free from Good Morning Girls*.
Good Morning Girls also offered a free 2-week Thanksgiving study.  (The one for Advent, of course, is a 4-week study.)  I downloaded the study and did it very simply on my own -- studying the suggested Scripture each day using the S.O.A.P [Scripture, Observation, Application, and Prayer] method.  I found it a real blessing and am looking forward very much to this Advent study.  It always seems to me that December passes too quickly and that, even as a believer, I put too little emphasis on the real "reason for the season" -- celebrating the birth of our Savior.  This year I would love to enjoy every moment of this blessed season.

If you are interested in obtaining this study, too, check it out at  Good Morning Girls. In order to download the study,  you need to first sign up for their emails.  At the bottom of the email there are links to click to start the download.  There's a pretty bookmark you can print out with a chart of the Scripture references to study.  Let me know if you are planning to study these verses, and we can perhaps compare notes in the Comments here at my kitchen table!

* I noticed that some of the study materials on this site use the NIV Bible.  However, the bookmark simply lists references, so you can easily do this study on your own, using your preferred version of the Bible.