Holidays

March Special Dates and Events

/

This year March has only two special dates/holidays. There is Daylight Savings day on Sunday, March 11. Most of us will move the clocks forward and lose that extra hour of sleep.  You don’t want to be late for any plans that day so be sure to set your clocks the night before.

ShamrockThen there is St. Patrick’s Day on Saturday, March 17.  St. Patrick’s Day may have started out as an Irish religious holiday over 1000 years ago but many people, including all us non-Irish, love to join in the celebrations today. Below are several links to find out about the history of this holiday and fun ways to celebrate it with your family.

March also has several month long events. There is Women’s History Month, American Red Cross Month, And National Craft Month. There is also Poison Prevention Week. If you have small children or pets be sure to check out the FAQ’s at the link below for a lot of good information.

If you are a crafter then this will be a month filled with special sales and classes at your local craft store. Below are some links for some of the major stores where you can find out the specials in your area.

If your craft/sewing area is filled with clutter and unfinished projects it may be time to clean it out before starting any new ones. I’ll be posting an article on decluttering craft supplies next week.  Be sure to check back here or better yet sign up to receive an email when a new post is written. You can sign up here…..

Check out the sites below and start getting organized for the month ahead. Remember that a little planning today makes tomorrow easier and a lot more fun!

Janice

Women’s History Month

http://womenshistorymonth.gov/

http://www.nwhp.org//

American Red Cross Month

www.redcross.org

National Craft Month

This is a great site for projects and links to blogs on crafting.

http://www.craftplace.org/

If you’re into sewing and crafts these links are for the major craft stores.  On the main page of each site you can also link to their Facebook page.

http://www.joann.com/

http://www.hancockfabrics.com/

http://www.hobbylobby.com/

http://www.michaels.com/

poison_prevention_awareness_month_pageMarch 18 – 24,  Poison Prevention Week

http://www.poisonprevention.org/poison.htm

March 11 (Sunday), Daylight Saving

Make sure you move your clocks forward.  Spring forward, fall back. That’s how I always remember which way to move the clock.

   http://www.holidaysmart.com/z_daylightsavingstime.htm 

ShamrockMarch 17 (Saturday), St. Patricks Day

http://www.history.com/topics/st-patricks-day

http://www.st-patricks-day.com/

http://holidays.kaboose.com/patrick-history.html

March Special Dates and Events Read More »

Clutter Free Gift Ideas

/

We know about our own clutter.  Sometimes we know about a family member or close friend’s clutter.  We want to give them a gift but don’t want to make their clutter problem even worse. Since we know they will probably want to give us a gift we don’t want something that will add to our own clutter.     Christmas presents

So what type of clutter free gifts will be enjoyed and appreciated? Below is a list of ideas for both giving and receiving. Don’t be afraid to ask the person what they would like. Give them some choices from the lists below. Otherwise they will probably say, “I don’t know” or “It doesn’t matter, whatever you want to buy me”. They really do care but are afraid to tell you.

You can also make suggestions for things you would prefer to receive from your family and/or friends. Try to be considerate of the cost of the gifts and the person’s financial situation. You can either set a limit on the cost of the gifts or use the list below for clutter free gifts that cost little or no money.

Clutter-Free Gift Ideas – price: various

  1. Gift certificate for the local mall or their favorite store.
  2. Gift certificate for a movie, theater production, or concert.
  3. Gift certificate for a day spa.
  4. Gift certificate for a local attraction or activity such as the zoo, a museum, amusement park, sporting event, bowling, ice skating, etc.
  5. Candles are good gifts if you know they will use them. Otherwise they may become clutter and gather dust.
  6. Special food items they normally would not buy for themselves. This could be high quality chocolates, specialty oils and vinegars for cooking, or even a gift certificate for a fancy restaurant they would enjoy.
  7. Fancy (usually more expensive) shower gels, lotions, hair products, etc. Make sure they use these kinds of products.
  8. Ask them if there is any particular item they really want or need. At least you will know it probably won’t sit in drawer unused.

Clutter-Free Gift Ideas – price: mostly your time

  1. Create a gift certificate that can be redeemed for a service. This is a great gift for older grandchildren to give to their grandparents. Examples: cleaning the garage or basement, yard-work, car washing, special household projects.
  2. Create a gift certificate that promises someone that you will treat them to a movie, lunch/dinner, special event, etc.  Although this does involve money on your part more importantly it involves spending time with the person and sharing the activity together. If you don’t want to spend any money look for free local attractions you can visit with them.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

 

Clutter Free Gift Ideas Read More »

Ideas for Last Minute Holiday Inspiration

/

It’s hard to believe Christmas is just a little over a week away.  The first night of Chanukah is next Tuesday, December 20. The greeting cards are arriving in force now. If you haven’t mailed yours yet it’s time to do it.

In my monthly newsletter I included a lot of website links for ideas on Christmas and Chanukah. Here are some of those links to help you with ideas for gifts, organizing your holidays, making homemade decorations with your children, holiday recipes, and lots of other ideas.  Check them out for some last minute inspiration.

Christmas

http://christmas.organizedhome.com/

http://www.amazing-christmas-ideas.com/

http://holidays.kaboose.com/christmas/

http://browse.realsimple.com/holidays-entertaining/holidays/christmas/index.html

 

Chanukah

http://www.chabad.org/holidays/chanukah/default_cdo/jewish/Hanukkah.htm

http://holidays.kaboose.com/chanukah/

 

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

 

Ideas for Last Minute Holiday Inspiration Read More »

Reduce Stress by Creating New Traditions

/

December is one of the most hectic, crazy, and hopefully fun months of the year. There are the holiday parties at the work place, schools, friends’ parties, and family gatherings.  Then there is the shopping for gifts plus the shopping for groceries for meals and baking. Don’t forget there are all the decorations to put up to create that festive mood in your home. Plus sending out all those greeting cards!

Whether you celebrate Christmas, Chanukah, or both there are a lot of preparations for the holidays.

Along with all these activities comes a lot of stress. The expectations are high. Usually these high expectations come from long standing traditions, many which we don’t even know where they came from.  Maybe it’s time to lower those expectations and create some new traditions that fit our lifestyle of today.

It’s not always easy to change a tradition without feeling guilty, especially if it’s been handed down for several generations. If you enjoy the tradition then go ahead and keep it going.  If you don’t enjoy it you probably experience un-needed stress to keep it going.  Maybe it’s time to question why!

Here is a little story about following traditions and not knowing why.  I’ve heard many times in different ways. Some call it “Grandma’s Cooking Secret”.

A young newlywed was cooking a brisket.  Her husband asked her why she cut off both ends of the brisket before putting it in the roasting pan.  She replied that was the way her mother always did it.  She later asked her mother why and her reply to her daughter was because her mother had always done it that way.  The next time they were over at the newlywed’s grandmother’s house she asked her why she always cut off the ends of the brisket. The grandmother replied, “because my roasting pan was too small”.

Snopes has several variations of this story. They will make you question why you follow some of your traditions.

Start some new traditions this year that fit your current family, not past generations. You’ll be starting new traditions to pass down to your children. And let them know why you are doing things your way.  Be opened minded about your children wanting to create some of their own new traditions.

Change is sometimes hard to accept. If you’re not happy with a new tradition then you can always go back to the old one next year.

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

 

Reduce Stress by Creating New Traditions Read More »

Giving The Gift of the Holiday Spirit

/

From the news reports about Black Friday and Cyber Monday people really got an early start on the shopping.  The numbers were up from last year. People are in a buying mood and gift giving mood.  That is all part of the holiday spirit.

I was reading an article in my local paper that talked about ways to enjoy happier holidays by spreading that gift giving to help others not so fortunate. It doesn’t mean just buying things for others it also means giving your time, your compassion, and your friendship.

It can also mean giving your unused things that are gathering dust and cluttering up your home to someone who can use them. Many churches and synagogues have coat drives, food drives, and toy drives at this time of year. You’ll feel happier knowing your unused things will make holidays a little brighter for someone else.

How To Bless Others For The Holidays

Here is a list of some things you can do to make the holidays a little happier for others. Get your family involved. Create a new family tradition of giving.

  1. Write a “Letter from Santa” to a child. Check your post office, local church, or charity to see if they sponsor this kind of program.
  2. If you have an elderly neighbor you can offer to help them put their decorations up or help clean up their house for the holidays.
  3. Visit a nursing home with your children. Have your children make ornaments or other small decorations to give the residents. This is a creative way to use up some of those craft supplies. Be sure to call the nursing home first to get permission. This is also a great activity for girl scouts or boy scout troops. I still have fond memories of doing this when I was a girl scout.
How To Bless Others Year Round

There are lots of little things you can do that don’t take any extra time on your part. But they could have a big impact on both the recipient and you.

  1. Smile at someone. It just might change their mood if they are having a bad day.
  2. Hold a door open for someone who’s arms are filled with packages, a child, etc.
  3. Tell a fast food employee or other hard worker that they are doing a good job. They rarely hear this.
  4. If you see someone struggling to get an item off of a high shelf offer to help if you can. They will appreciate it and you’ll feel good helping.

There are plenty of other things you can do to help give the holiday spirit to others. If you have any suggests to help brighten someone’s holiday spirit, please share in the comment section. Thanks.

For it is in giving that we receive. ~ Francis of Assisi

No one has ever become poor by giving. ~ Anne Frank

Generosity is giving more than you can, and pride is taking less than you need. ~ Khalil Gibran

To a lighter load along the way.

Janice

 

Giving The Gift of the Holiday Spirit Read More »