The Final Countdown…

Christmas is quickly approaching.  I think I’m done (OK, to be honest I have a couple of presents to wrap for sister and BIL).  I boxed up all the cookie tins and they are ready for delivery.

I still have to clean up all the nonpareils that are coating my floor.  But I’m happy that I had Ella’s help with the cookies this year.

I’ve missed her help these last few years.

 

As usual, Ella did a great job on the tree.  It’s nice not to have to climb up and down on the chair any more.

And of course, with Merry here for her Christmas visit, we never know what we’re going to find.

The night before we got the tree, the elves thought Ella missed a spot when we moved the cubby.

Then hanging out with Ella’s new gnome decoration that we found at the Pakenham General Store on the way home from the tree farm.  By the way, if you watch the Halmark Christmas Scavenger Hunt movie, you’ll see ‘our’ tree farm a number of times (including their covered bridge).

Then last Saturday while Ella was at a sleepover with her girlfriends in Arnprior, the elves had a serious looking meeting with all the stuffies!

And finally, last week we FINALLY got some snow.  It looks like Christmas.  Everywhere looks like a Christmas card.  Though we didn’t need the sudden drop to -32C (-25F) windchill that we had the other day.

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Yarn Along/Crafting On

A couple of things for Crafting On/Yarn Along:

Did I show you the progress on Mom’s sweater after I ripped out all the patterned body part?

Sorry for the too much flash.  I was trying to get the pattern to show up.  It’s a charcoal colour, but with a black base, not grey like in this picture.  I really need to start doing some focused knitting.  I hate giving half-made presents.

Ella having book club every Monday morning is really helping my purse knitting.  First sock is done, just finishing up the casings/bind off at the top.  I love making socks.

I know I haven’t mentioned it this fall, but I hope you all have been working on your Christmas countdown preparations.  I’m behind on the cleaning, but I’m done shopping (I think) and have lots of ideas ready for the Advent season.   Don’t forget, this Sunday is ‘Stir-Up Sunday‘, get all your ingredients ready for your Christmas pudding and cakes.  Follow the link to grab my recipe or just to see my adorable little helper.

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Day Book a Day Late

For Today…  27 October 2015

Outside my window…It’s a chilly but clear 0C (32F) outside.  This is good because Colin wants to continue combining the corn before all that rain arrives tomorrow.

I am thinking… how to get Ella to quit dawdling about doing her school work.  I know it would be the same if she was in school.  She would just rather play outside, read, or do her video games instead.

I am thankful… for our new outdoor corn furnace.  Not only do my lungs NOT hurt, I’m not coughing AND the house is a toast 21C  (70F)

I am wearing… my blue jumper and a thin purple 3/4 sleeve t-shirt.  I usually save this dress for ‘town’ but all my house dresses are downstairs waiting for the laundry.  That’s my only ‘complaint’ with the new furnace.  My cellar is now on the cool side so it’s taking laundry much longer to dry which has caused a back-up.  I may do a couple of loads in the dryer just to get caught up again.

I am creating… the finishing touches on Ella’s costume.  Boy, it was the most annoying pattern.  I am ready to be done with the darn thing.

I am going… no where!  Actually, we might have lunch in the field with Daddy again.

I am wondering…what’s for lunch??  It’s hard to plan lunch when I don’t know where it’s going to be eaten.  I need to get some sandwich supplies I can keep in the fridge.

I am reading… don’t know if I can really call it reading, but I’m working on week two of the Christmas Countdown and making my plans and updating my Christmas Control Journal.

I am hoping… to finish my Christmas shopping soon.

In my kitchen…I need to glaze the cake I baked last night.

In the homeschool room… we’re going to try Handwriting Without Tears with Ella.  I’ve done some reading and it’s been suggested that children who don’t do well with printing often find cursive easier.  The HWT style of cursive is very simple and easy to read.  Ella can read it already.

One of my favorite things… my girl

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Christmas Countdown Begins….

 

Christmas is coming whether we are ready or not.  Want to be ready without all the stress and bother?  Join me in the Christmas Countdown and be ready to relax and enjoy the Advent season.  It also keeps you out of all the mayhem at the mall.

I really need to do the Countdown this year.  I don’t know how the house got so cluttered and dusty this summer.  I know all that heat doesn’t help.  So let’s get started with week one.  Also, daily ‘mission’ ideas can be found over at FlyLady.  And here’s the link to FlyLady’s Holiday Control Journal if you’d rather not make your own.  If you’re travelling for Christmas, she has a handy packing one too that I have found helpful.

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Menu Plan Monday -10 November 2014

 

Soon going to be time to change my Menu Plan button to the winter one.  It’s definitely chilly here now. That’s fine, so long as it’s dry.

Week Three of our Christmas Countdown.  I need to be on the look out for some pretty paper this year.  I checked the supply box and we’re almost out.  Didn’t get any of the Christmas cards done, so I need to get on those.  Maybe I’ll get Ella to help this year.

Monday:

A&W -just realized Ella doesn’t have any winter boots for tomorrow so we got lunch out

spaghetti

Tuesday:

sandwiches

beefsteak pie

Wednesday:

macaroni and cheese

meatloaf

Thursday:

pizza

leftover beefsteak pie

Friday:

pizza

leftover meatloaf

Saturday:

stuffed chicken

Sunday:

steak

What’s cooking at I’m an Organizing Junkie?

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Menu Plan Monday -3 November 2014

Wow, November already.  I forgot to start my annual Christmas Countdown a couple of weeks ago.  But this is the beauty of starting early, if you ‘fall behind’ you’ve got lots of time to catch up without feeling rushed.

Last week I started week one.  Mostly just planning and getting ready.  Our Christmas lights aren’t up yet but they are Colin’s job since I can’t reach -ha ha!

Week two this week is in the kitchen.  Time to give everything a good clean before the start of all the holiday baking and cooking.  Since we are at home this year for Christmas day there will be extra baking to be done.  I’m actually ahead of the game here because I’ve already ordered Ella’s Christmas dress from Hanna Andersson.  The twirl dresses were on for $29 the other day.  If you’ve got girls to buy for check out this company.  The dresses are so well made and such good quality.  Ella’s old ones look just as good as the new ones we got last year.  They are a nice length too, which is hard to find at Old Navy or Gymboree.  Shipping is reasonable and they even take care of the duty.  This is great because I hate to get a surprise at the post office.  Not sure what I’m wearing and Colin usually decides the day of depending on the temperature.

My poor table linens are waiting to be washed.  Our ‘wonderful’ sliding glass doors in the kitchen (his parents’ great idea in the 80’s) is leaking so much moisture (and air) that all the floor and window behind my Great Grandma’s sideboard were covered in mold.  It’s made all my linens smell musty.  I had to rearrange the eating area of the kitchen.  I’m not ruining my sideboard!

Monday:

French onion soup

enchiladas (didn’t make them yesterday)

Tuesday:

pancakes

casserole roasted pork

Wednesday:

spaghetti and meatballs

Wendy’s -it’s grocery night for the girls

Thursday:

pork sandwiches

leftover enchiladas

Friday:

tuna sandwiches

leftover pork

Saturday:

meat pie with the leftover pork

Sunday:

leftover meat pie

More great ideas at I’m an Organizing Junkie.

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Menu Plan Monday -2 December 2013

 

We got another dumping of snow this weekend.  It sure looks like December now.  Ella’s having a grand time.  Daddy has already started piling up Mt. Ella in the yard.  I need to find Ella a snow saucer, she has such a hard time with the crazy carpet and really the toboggan is too long for a short run.

Scaling back on school for December but we are looking forward to some Advent activities from Christmas Adventures.  And of course, lots of outdoor snow time.

Monday:

leftovers

shepherd’s pie

Tuesday:

pizza

spaghetti and meatballs

Wednesday:

pizza

leftover shepherd’s pie

Thursday:

pancakes

beefsteak pie

Friday:

tuna sandwich

chicken burgers

Saturday:

garden beef vegetable soup

leftover ‘pie’

Sunday:

smothered chicken

What’s cooking at I’m an Organizing Junkie?

Now that we’ve got food for the week figured out, how’s your Christmas preparations going?  If you’ve been working along with me we’re finishing up with week six of the Countdown.  The house is clean and organized (or enough anyway) and it’s time to focus on the Advent season and stay out of the chaos at the stores.  Sit back and enjoy the time of anticipation.

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Menu Plan Monday -25 November 2013

A late Menu Plan Monday post, we’re just home from a lovely weekend away.  There was 6 inches of snow at the cabin, but just a bare covering here at home.

Monday:

spaghetti

Tuesday:

hot dogs

roast pork (didn’t make on Saturday because we were away)

Wednesday:

BBQ meatballs

Thursday:

chili -probably Pioneer Woman

leftover roast pork

Friday:

tuna sandwich

chicken burgers

Saturday: St. Andrew’s Day

potato soup with oat cakes

fish and chips

Sunday:  First day of Advent

leftover meatballs

What’s cooking at I’m an Organizing Junkie?

The Christmas Countdown continues.  Week Five finds us in the living room.  Perfect timing to get everything cleaned up and ready for Advent/Christmas decorating.

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Christmas Countdown

With all the business yesterday I forgot to share the links for this week’s Christmas Countdown.  We are in the bathroom and Ella’s room this week.  I think the bathroom is the hardest to keep clean.  But then Colin comes home dirtier than most husbands.  It’s really bad when he gets gear oil in the white sink.

I’ll share this post from Facebook yesterday, just as some encouragement to get planning:

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Menu Plan Monday -28 October 2013

 

Menu Plan Monday sees the Valley getting a little bit of ‘snain’ this morning.  Not much of anything but enough to send Ella into panic mode because she doesn’t want snow for Halloween.  Hopefully the sun comes out and the wind continues because Colin has to do beans for a neighbour and they have to be dry enough.

Back to school this week.  After being sick and then being away, we’re a bit ‘behind’.  But of course not really because we work on our schedule.

Speaking of being behind, last week should have been the start of the Christmas Countdown.  If you are new here, the Countdown gets us ready for Christmas the nearly pain-free way!  We do little bits for daily for six weeks and then we’re ready to relax and enjoy the Advent season and Christmas.  It’s so great to just sit back and watch the chaos at the stores instead of being in the midst of it all.  So here’s the link for week on of the Christmas Countdown.  Join me and have a stress-free Christmas.

Monday:

wieners and beans

sausage and potato cakes

Tuesday:

pizza

chicken a la king

Wednesday:

pizza

bbq meatballs

Thursday:  Halloween!!!

egg and potato pie

leftover chicken

Friday:  All Saint’s Day

tuna sandwich

leftover meatballs

Saturday:  All Soul’s Day

leftover pie

chicken cacciatore

Sunday:

leftover chicken cacciatore

More great ideas at I’m an Organizing Junkie

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