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Short on time? Read: 5 Gift Ideas for the Person Who Has Everything. This past weekend, 3 people (on 3 different occasions) asked if our family was "so busy" this time of year. I think I shocked them all when I said, "no, not really". We certainly do have many special "extras" on our calendar this month... but I know they're coming, so I intentionally remove other things from our schedule to make space for the extras. I also prioritize a few things each year so I don't burn myself out. For example... this year, I prioritized Nora's and Dave's special birthdays (10 and 40) and several fun extras at school and church (x 4 kiddos). I opted out of sending Christmas cards, doing much decorating around the house, and a few other things we've done in the past... all in an effort to simplify! As we make our way through the Christmas / Advent season, I challenge you to consider one or two things you can do well... and then let yourself let the other things go (maybe for this year, maybe forever). For example, you might really love preparing special holiday-themed foods for your family, wrapping all your gifts a certain way, or mailing holiday cards. Maybe you love looking at the Christmas lights or always attending the same party every year. You might choose to focus on a specific devotional for the season, participate in charitable activities, or simply demonstrate a spirit of joy all month long. Whatever the case, focus on doing those things well... and allow yourself a guilt-free "pass" on the rest. Then enjoy a less-busy, more peace-filled Christmas season! Simple Food. Dave and I are headed to an annual Ugly Sweater party with college friends this weekend (we've been doing this for 18 years!) This party is always a fun opportunity to whip up a "fancy-looking" appetizer platter... and if easy + delicious + fancy-looking appetizers sound good to you, I have just what you're looking for! Get the recipe --> Easy, Crowd-Pleasing Appetizers Organized Home. It's cold and flu season... Don't wait until you're up in the middle of the night with a sick kid (or hubby) to organize your medicine cabinet... do it today! It's usually a pretty quick project and it will save you so much hassle if/when sickness strikes your home. Read More --> 3 Tips to Organize a Medicine Cabinet Intentional Living. Most of the people on my gift list don't actually "need" anything... however, it's Christmas and gift-giving is what we do... right!?! Thankfully, I have a short list of gift ideas that are perfect for these folks! Get the list --> 5 Simple Gift Ideas for the Person who has Everything In other news... Dave turned 40 yesterday! We celebrated his (and his Dad's) birthday over the weekend with a delicious lunch and a hike to Lake Michigan. It was cold but beautiful! I also made roughly 10 pounds of fudge and dozens of cookies for his staff birthday treat. This is our favorite Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe... and these are the 3 fudge recipes I made (not from my blog). Another "simple gift tip": buy big rolls of white and/or brown craft paper to wrap ALL your gifts ALL year long. You can dress it up with fancy ribbon, twine, greenery, raffia, an ornament, etc. Or, if you have kids, let them color and paint the paper for a personal touch. I can't even remember the last time I purchased real wrapping paper... and I love the simplified look of the white paper. Our family recently finished reading The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, and I have the movie ready to go for movie night this weekend. It has some mild language in it, but over-all it was a good story with a great message, and the kids loved it. I'd like to give two of you a $50 Amazon gift card to help with any last-minute Christmas needs (or wants!) To enter, simply click on over to my blog and leave a comment on ANY post before Friday, Dec. 10 @ 11:59pm. I'll choose winners on the 11th and email you this weekend if you win! Now a "gift" for everyone... I have a whole page of free printable resources for my email subscribers -- yup, that's you! If you haven't utilize them before, now is a great time to start. That's all for this week, I'll see you back here again next Wednesday! ~ Andrea |
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