Eight Mondays and Counting

Let's face it, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, and tons of baking to be done for that day, now is a good time to bake some cookies and some bread for the freezer.

Most cookies and bread freeze well and taste fresh when they are thawed out.

All of us will have parties and get-togethers to attend and wouldn't it make it much easier to just thaw something out, put it on a pretty platter and go? Imagine how much more you would be able to enjoy the time with friends and family!!!

It's never to early to plan your Christmas menu and start watching those sales so that you can purchase the things you are going to need.

The biggest mistake I ever made in planning the menu was thinking that my crew wanted the same thing every year. There are a few items that they won't budge on..ham and homemade rolls...but especially as the kids have gotten older, tastes have changed and they've wanted to have a hand at making a dish for Christmas dinner.

So now, we sit down and discuss what we'd like to have and go from there. Of course, there have been times when I've had to remind them that I'm feeding four not forty!!!

One thing we've done in the past is ask our pastor if he knew of anyone in the area who did not have family to spend Christmas with. If so, we then contacted them and if they accepted, they were included in the meal planning. Let me add that if you've never done that, I'd encourage you to give it a try. You will be more blessed than you could ever imagine!!

So let's recap:

By now you should have your Christmas cards ready to mail the day after Thanksgiving. You should have a budget in place along with a list of people you are giving gifts to. You should have some ideas to match the personalities of those receiving your gifts, and you should be (if you haven't been at it all year) making those gifts or purchasing them from yard sales, thrift stores and clearance racks.

I hope you are feeling the stress that comes with the season becoming less and less. Won't it be wonderful to actually enjoy the birth of our Savior this year?!!