Holiday Grand Plan - Master Bath Week

Can you believe it is a new week to our holiday prep ! What a great thing. This week we turn our attention to the Master Bathroom. Right now this is our only bathroom in the house! We plan on adding another bathroom off the Master Bedroom - for now we share.

This area was the first we started - hard to live in a home without functional indoor plumbing . Just trust me on that!

Grand Plan cleaning/organizing area:

• Master Bathroom, Linen closet


• Master Bathroom cleaning list

Holiday Prep:

• Make one batch of holiday cookies


• Make one meal for the freezer


• Buy two items from your menus


• Buy 1/8 of gifts to give


• Wrap and label packages


• Work at least 1 hour on crafts


• Make list of books and items the children would like, this will make it easier if family members ask what they would like, or need


• Inventory list of clothes needed, pay attention to the size and mark down on your list

This weeks forms to print:

• family wardrobe planner


• gift ideas planner

My boys come home in a few hours, they will most likely be tired and in need of cookies! As your home becomes more organized, you have a plan on how to tackle clutter and the holidays, it will be easier to deal with the bumps in everyday family life.

My find this weekend was an antique ottoman; I would like to reupholster the top with a coordinating fabric, and refresh the stain. Today I also gave my dear husband his anniversary gift - I framed our wedding photo.

Enjoy your day!

Happy Rudolph Day!

Happy September Rudolph Day everyone! Today I spent 8 hours in a staff meeting, dropped my boys off at Scout camp, and I am now cooking dinner for just for the two of us.

On tonight's menu:

• Sticky Rice Cakes
• Stir -fried Beef and Broccoli
• Vietnamese Crispy Rolls
• Jasmine loose leaf tea

Tonight is predicted to go down to 3 degrees Celsius - lets hear an 'oh ya'. Love this cooler fall weather, warm days and brisk nights. I even dug out my flannel pj's! We always wait till the weather is pretty cool till we use heat, we are perfectly comfortable with the temp. in our home to be about 15 to 18 degrees Celsius.



This Rudolph Day is focused on gifts and giving. By breaking down our purchases for the holiday, you are more likely to remain within your budget, save time by not running around scrambling in over packed stores, and most likely to save money by shopping with the sales and buying incentives from now to December. This is a great time to get the last of summer and back-to-school discounts, at much reduced prices! Think Easter or a spring birthday (now stay with me I am not crazy), it is a great time to pick up bikes, beach toys, sidewalk chalk and bubbles... things that you would pay more then double the cost 6 months from now. Look at the sandals and summer gear too, great discount.

Some great printables to help you along on your holiday gift giving:

• Master gift list
• Internet order tracker
• Gifts to make list
• Gift closet

While the boys are away we are hoping to get a good start on our renovation list that we need to complete before the snow flies! Tuesday will be our anniversary, so this weekend we plan on doing what all great older geeks do on their night out - go to Chapters and purchase something ridiculously expensive from Starbucks. While there I will check out the discount table for books on my list, and clearance travel mugs for stockings.

Enjoy your day!

Autumn Equinox

Today is the first day and the start of holiday celebrations for me. I love the fall, crisp and colourful leaves, cool mornings and sunny afternoons, rows of chrysanthemums and pumpkins on porches, and new sweaters to buy - I have a sweater thing. I actually own more sweaters then any other piece of clothing. Never have enough sweaters!

On the Equinox we have a relaxing dinner and say prayers of thanks for the next season, and for us to be mindful of how the world around us changes, how things need to change in order for life to continue, and for a simple abundance during the harvest.

Our Autumn Equinox menu:

Sweet Mulled Apple Cider

Gingered Acorn Squash Bisque (I use apple juice instead of sherry)

Roasted Sweet potato w/ caramelized onions

Pork Loin with apple & cornbread stuffing

Seared green beans

Pumpkin Pudding

Enjoy your day!

Holiday Grand Plan - Master Bedroom Week

My husband is going to be very happy that my attentions have turned to this room! Our master bedroom has become a dumping ground for things that belong to us, but we have no idea where to put as the renovations are being done. We are both big readers, so there is a never ending pile of books, plus our cell phones and chargers, usually a glass or two of water, a box of Kleenex, renovation 'master plan' drawings, and a million sticky notes with my agenda ... on my side of the bed alone!


Upon completion of the 'new' master bedroom and bath - our current room will belong to our youngest son. The 'to be renovated' master bedroom space is being completely tore down to the studs, moving the bedroom wall to make more space, and adding a small bathroom on one side. This will be the smallest bedroom in the house! I am however happy with the plan, it will service our needs well and provide the boys with the extra space they require by having the larger rooms.


I found a headboard on Kijiji, and was very excited it had a poinsettia like wood relief in the centre. This will be my first re-do for this area. The colours for the new MB will be black furniture, white linens and grey accents. I am really hoping I can pull this together, I have always wanted a crisp white bedroom, and love the grounding colour of a matte black. We found amazing bedside lamps on a retirement lighting sale, they have a grey scroll shade with a pewter type base. The night stands are going to be another rescue project... two oak cubes from IKEA. It will be an eclectic bunch of furniture items that I am hoping a coat of paint will add uniformity, without being 'match-y'.

Cleaning and organizing area:

Master bedroom and MB closet

Master bedroom cleaning checklist


Holiday Prep:

• Make on batch of holiday goodies
  
• Make one extra meal, and freeze
  
• Buy two nonperishables for holiday menus
  
• Buy 1/8th of gifts, wrap and store
  
• Work at least one hour on holiday crafts
  
• Make list of needed holiday linens, pick up a few item each week

This weeks printable forms:

• holiday budget
  
• gift closet inventory
  
• Internet order tracker
  

Links to some of my most used internet order sites for the holidays:

• Sears
  
• Amazon
  
• Focus on The Family
  
• Dragonfly Toy Company
  

Enjoy your day!

Holiday Grand Plan - Entry Foyer Week

This weekend really got away from me. I do not know why it surprises me... after all these years... that my best laid plans can go in the opposite direction of intention!


This weeks Holiday Grand Plan focus is the entrance. Our entrance/foyer is an area that has not yet received drywall, and therefore is also missing flooring and molding! What we do have in this area is a saw horse and half a dozen sheets of drywall! The foyer of our home is a little used space as we enter from the opposite direction (kitchen door). In considering what to put here I know I will need storage (no closets), and clearance for the new heater. I think the most practical, due to the tiny size of this area, would be a dresser type unit that has an area above to hang the heater, a flat top to display seasonal vignettes, and plenty of room below to organize 'stuff'! I do not have a great deal of 'stuff', honestly! I do have an annoying (if you live with me) habit of putting things into the rubbish bin if I cannot find their spot. So the men in my life have developed habits of squirrelling away their possessions.

Grand Plan Cleaning and Organizing:
I guess the cleaning and organizing of this space would be complete... besides the never ending list of renovation projects! Working on stripping the entrance door and installing new hardware. Who knew it would take so long to remove (safely) 107 years of paint?

Holiday Prep:
This week I tried a new recipe for the holiday cookie tray. Of the 5 family members, four agreed it was great! Not bad considering it is gluten free too! The one who did not like it - is also diabetic, so it is a sugar thing. The following recipe could be made at anytime of the year, but for me - the cost of a small bag of almond flour is too expensive for this to be a 'cookie jar' filler!

Almond Cookies:

These are a chewy, richly scented, sweet cookie. Makes about 30.

2 1/2 cups almond flour (may be labelled almond meal)
1 1/4 cups bakers sugar
3 large egg white
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1 tsp. pure almond extract
Xtra sugar for dusting

1. Preheat oven to 300F (I use a convection bake)
2. I use a stand mixer for most recipes, but a hand blender would work fine too! In a bowl mix together sugar and almond flour till well blended. Add vanilla and almond extracts, blending. Add one egg white at a time, blending after each addition. Blend until mixture is smooth.
3. Place teaspoons of dough onto parchment lined (I use insulated) cookie sheets. Lightly dust tops with the xtra sugar.
4. Bake for 24 minutes, or until golden on the edges and set. Allow to cool on pan, remove from paper and place in air tight containers. These freeze well!

This weeks to print forms:

• baking planner
• freezer inventory

Enjoy your day!

Holiday Grand Plan - Question Week

This past week has really flown by, and just my luck the weather was cooperating to lay cement or do exterior painting and Mr. Elf was away! So I spent some time on painting a curio cabinet for the upstairs bath, and working on my to-do list. Was able to make some progress with the porches, they are cleaned out and awaiting some attention from Mr. Elf and his hammer! I am feeling a little more ‘rushed’ this week as some of our leaves here are changing colour – a usually joyful time for me, but with the promise of cooler weather comes the fear we will not be able to complete the porches (again) this season. We just need some dry weather, 4 days would be perfect!

The living room in our home is currently under renovation too – so for me the to-do list is a great deal different then I would like. I have a pie table I do need to refinish, and a picture to order for this room. I found a really interesting print from 1895 that I am trying to find the time to pick up! I just love the expressions on their faces – and I have a very similar parlor table!

Grand Plan Cleaning & Organizing Are:

• Living Room
• Living room cleaning checklist form

Holiday Prep:

• Start picking up some of the non perishable items from the holiday baking list
• Make one extra meal for the freezer labeled HOLIDAY MEAL.

My Browse Week list:

• Work on ideas for Christmas gifts for the boys, and what to put into their stockings!
• Plan on what our Christmas card will look like!
• Work on idea layouts for home and work.
• Book a 'candle party' for October - make list of needed items to order.

This week's printable forms:

• gifts to make list
• holiday menu planner
• freezer inventory

Questions:

1. Do I see Christmas time primarily as a time for entertaining friends and renewing long lost acquaintances or as a time for family? For us Christmas is really a time of faith, family and food!
2. How much emphasis do our Christmas activities place on the spiritual side of Christmas? A great deal of how we celebrate the holiday revolves around our faith. From our Advent worship to attending Mass, we try to reflect our Christian beliefs in how we give and walk in our daily lives - especially during this Holy time.
3. How involved is my family in the Christmas preparation? We do most things as a family unit, from shopping, cooking, cutting down our tree, and decorating - everyone helps and has a voice.
4. What activities are particularly important to our family at Christmas? To myself? Thanks to the Holiday Debriefing, we are able to focus on what really matters for us during the holidays; celebrating with our family Advent Wreath at home, the food we serve, visiting with family, and cutting down our tree. For me, it is the quiet moments, the evening of Christmas Eve is very special for me! After the children go to bed, we watch The Christmas Carol, then have a drink by the lighted tree, with soft Christmas Carols playing... if there was a small space... a fracture of time - this would be my heaven on Earth moment.
5. Why do we observe the traditions we do in our house? We observe the traditions we do, because they work for us! As the boys have changed, and we have grown more comfortable with ourselves, we have changed the way we do things - often dropping what really did not matter for us (like a dozen kind of cookies) and focusing what does (Advent wreath, a large feast with family).
6. How important is an elaborately decorated house, homemade gifts or food, to my feelings about Christmas? I would not say so much 'elaborate' is important to me as certain decorations are 'Christmas' for me: like our tree, our Advent wreath and candles! I am NOT a gift person (please, if you have a person in your life who is driving you crazy because they are hopeless in giving gifts read: The Five Love Languages. This book really helped in our understanding how and why we do the things we do 'for love'.) Food plays a big role in how we celebrate during the holidays - I think it is the most time consuming, but still enjoyable part of the holidays for me!
7. What would my ideal Christmas be like? My ideal Christmas - my postcard picture Christmas... would be spending the holiday at a cabin in the woods, beside a frozen pond in the shadow of the mountains. Starting on Christmas Eve, arriving at a small country Parish on a horse drawn sleigh. Waking to the smell of a pine tree, coffee, french toast and ham. We would spend the morning unwrapping our stockings, and our small gifts to the boys - then go ice skating on the pond. As the snow would begin to fall we would go into the cabin to work on a puzzle till the rest of the family and friends arrived for Christmas dinner. Everyone would eat a perfectly prepared dinner, and we would all sit around and laugh, play cards or have a marathon game of monopoly with the children. As night settles, and the boys drift off to sleep, we would sit by a big fireplace, pop popcorn and drink hot cocoa. My postcard Christmas!

Enjoy your day!