December Organizing!

It seems like just yesterday I was posting the November organizing tools.  Well, December is here, and here are some tools to help you keep track of everything.  There is a monthly calendar, recipe cards {for all that holiday cooking and baking!}, weekly calendar, gift giving guide, and of course the menu/shopping list.  I made it so you could easily cut it apart if you wanted.  I personally got tired of looking at my scribbled out grocery list up on the fridge.

Click on an image if you want to download the full-size document.  You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open them.  Happy December!

And now it's November

I don't know about anyone else, but it's hard for me to believe it's November.  I came up with some more monthly planning resources for myself, so of course I'm sharing them with you!  All you need is Adobe Acrobat Reader, your computer and a printer.  There is the menu/shopping planner, a November calendar, a Thanksgiving menu planner, and a Thanksgiving shopping planner.

I know I'm not alone in saying that I dread the holidays.  For as many people out there who just LOOOOVE Thanksgiving and Christmas, there are those {like me} who struggle.  I can't even say exactly why.  One factor is definitely a family history of having the stomach flu on these special, special days.  Then there is the stress of planning who you are going to celebrate with and what exactly you want to celebrate.  How many extra activities are we going to take on?  How much extra money do we need to spend?  How many vacation days will be used up hurrying here and there while generally getting a lot less rest and relaxation? 

I was talking with my brother-in-law the other day and he asked what I wanted for "the holidays".  As I started listing things I did not want- mainly the stomach flu- he kindly reminded me that it can be more helpful to think about what you DO want. For me, I'll have to think about that. 

In the madness of the coming months {and in my life, in fact}, what do I want?  There are the answers that immediately pop into my head:  a close relationship with the Lord, a healthy family, commitment to serving others... but how does that actually look for me?  This is something I will be thinking about and reflecting on, trying to determine how that actually looks in my life beyond the concept.