AMANDA'S BASKETS: CHRISTMAS 2015 HAS BEEN CELEBRATED! WHAT ABOUT CHRISTMAS 2016?

Monday, December 28, 2015

CHRISTMAS 2015 HAS BEEN CELEBRATED! WHAT ABOUT CHRISTMAS 2016?

Christmas 2015 has come and gone. Other than being sick, I had a wonderful Christmas. And yes, my tree is still up and will be for several more days (weeks) maybe even a couple months. I know, I know, most folks take their tree down shortly after Christmas but I enjoy it more after Christmas. That's one of the reasons that I have an artificial tree. I keep it up.

So how was your Christmas? I hope it was all that you wanted and more. I also hope you didn't stress out too much.

But guess what? Now is the time to think about next year. No, not specifics but general observations. What worked really well for you? What could use some more tweaking? What can you eliminate?

This would be a good time to sit down with a cuppa and make some short notes. I suggest that you put them on a calendar so you see them next year soon enough to be aware of those ideas before you begin planning for Christmas 2016.

For instance, I put up almost all of my decorations this year. But many, I realize, I can easily part with. I enjoyed them one more year and now I will donate them to someone else. Many are going to family members, some to friends, but most to a thrift store where others will have an opportunity to enjoy them next year.

Mind you, not all. I will still have more decorations than most folks. And next year will be the same, I will just have fewer of those 'more' decorations.

On another point, I did a lot of baking this year. But, as much of that baking went to family as gifts, I will probably do the same amount next year. I don't anticipate much left after the New Year. At most a few cookies which I will freeze in small packages so I can enjoy them throughout the rest of winter.

As usual, I need to get my packages out earlier next year. I wasn't too bad this year...things got to everyone before Christmas but it would have been cheaper if I had sent them a couple weeks earlier.

One other thing I need to do is begin to plan what I will be making for each of the families. A couple years ago, I thought about a crocheted village based on the one I made when the children were young but on a scaled down size. I still place the original under my tree each year. Here's part of it...

I did make a sample village but never got around to making enough sets. Here it is...

So, I think I will do some tweaking with some of the buildings and begin now so I can make enough sets for next year.

So, can you think of any ideas that you might want to incorporate in your plans for next Christmas? Be sure to make a note of them.

I'm still a bit under the weather, but doing better. I think tomorrow I will get out to see some things. If I do, I will take pictures.

Thanks for stopping in...
Talk to you tomorrow...

CRAFTING IDEAS

I am always looking for a small piece of paper to write down something which will later be disposed of. I decided to use some of the scrap paper of which I have a ton. I mostly use the paper for glueing projects. I decided to cut the paper into a small size. (Six pieces from a piece of copy paper.). But just having them sitting on my desk would get messy without a container. So, using a cardboard box, I cut it down to size and using a hot glue gun I glued the ends together. Using a picture from a magazine cut into pieces and stick craft glue, I glued the pieces to the box inside and out. I also used some decorative tape for the outside edges. And to finish the top corners which were not covered, I used straight pins with colorful tops. Looks nice and works well.

MAGAZINE IDEAS

(New) One article in the Farmer's Almanac 2024 is a list of trends. One I knew about is the trend to downsize in just about every area. Another trend that I was surprised about was called ''The Human Library' which offers people on loan to talk about specific subjects. Finally, more folks are adding pets to their family and as a result, stores are adding more pet food, toys and medication to their offerings. There's also a nice garden article which suggests mixing vegetables and flowers together for success.

RECIPE IDEAS

Have you every made Cherry Dump Cake. It calls for 2 cans of Cherry Pie Filling (21 ounces), a white cake mix, 1/4 -1/2 cup butter, melted & 1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans. In a 9 by 13 pan, spread both cans of cherry pie filling. Add the melted butter to the cake mix and break apart the resulting mixture and crumble it evenly over the pie filling. Sprinkle the pecans evenly over the mixture. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 35 - 45 minutes until the topping is golden brown. Serve with vanilla ice cream. Fast, easy and very delicious.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

What if you want to establish better habits, then decide what habit you want to work on. Again, try an easier one first for that good feeling of success. Let's consider more exercise. Start small. Don't try to run a marathon right away. Set the amount of time, the type of exercise and when to do it to begin making sure that it is within your reach. If it works for you each week add a bit more. Walking is one of the best ways to get good overall movement but there are many exercise videos on YouTube of varying lengths and difficulty to check out. Change your exercise routines to eliminate getting bored. For hardcore exercise with weights, give yourself a day in-between to recover. Even on days you would rather not exercise, do it and see if you feel better. It takes an average of 66 days to establish a habit. Just think 66 days to establish a good habit for a lifetime. Sounds like a good thing to me...how about you?