How To Destress Your Holidays

We all know the Holidays come every year and what time……so why wait until the last moment?

I learned years ago some helpful things to help destress my holidays. I use to work in retail and I know all too well about Black Friday. We use to get cussed out, blessed out and more for things that we had no control over. I promised  myself that if I ever got out of retail that I would never ever get out on that day and shop. So that started my journey of finding ways to make my holidays easier. I have kept that promise all these years.

Number one thing I learned was to start early. We have a birthday, anniversary and Christmas all in the same week.

I know alot of people wait until Black Friday to do ALL their shopping. I guess I just never understood getting up way before the crack of dawn, even camping out in cold weather the night before, waiting in lines for hours,  fighting, etc. A $10 crockpot is  not worth it to me. We always start early.  Here is an idea. We have a whole year to know who we are going to buy for and what they like or want. Catch these things when they go on sale throughout the year. I know alot of things are around the same price sometimes throughout the year as they are on Black Friday.  That’s  my experience from working retail all those years. Once a month pick up one or two gifts and put them up. Go ahead and wrap them if you want to and make a list  of what they are. Wholah!

We all know there is going to be alot of meals around the holidays too. I start around the first part of November preparing dishes for Thanksgiving and freezing them. I will do a few dishes a week so I’m  not having to go grocery shopping all at once and spending lots of money. I will do the same thing for Christmas  dinners as well. I have two houses and church dinners to cook for. Sometimes I might cook the same dish for the same houses and just make double batches. The night before, I will take them of the freezer and let them defrost overnight. The next morning I will finish prepping and place in the oven to just heat up a little.

This helps me out so much and I’m not spending one whole day in the kitchen  cooking and exhausting my self so much that I can’t enjoy my time with family and friends.

This is a few things that has helped me and our family and it has worked great for us.

I hope these ideas help some of ya’ll to help destress your holidays too.

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Having A Ball

Since Thanksgiving, we have just been busy and having a ball around here.

We spent one day with my parents for Thanksgiving. 

Wake up Uncle Dallas

Showing mommy how to make a snack for her work Christmas party. Pay close attention mommy. Teenie tiny human in a teenie tiny apron.

Then we had Thanksgiving at Nannys house.

 

I always wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas.  I got the inside and dad got the outside.

I moved our Christmas tree to a different place this year, you know, due to all the, uh hum, toys in the living room. I chose not to put up one of my Christmas villages this year due to not wanting to constantly keep telling Atleigh not to touch. Much to my surprise, she has been very good about not getting into anything.

Christmas time is my favorite time of the year. I crank up the Christmas music when we make Christmas goodies, and boy we have been doing alot of that lately. And we fire up the fireplace, put in the movies and just get all warm and toasty. I love creating memories with my grandchildren.  I want to make Christmas time special for them like it was for me growing up.

Can’t wait until Caroline gets big enough to join in. In the mean time I will just enjoy snuggling with and holding her.

Dallas and his girlfriend went to the Mistletoe Toe Ball for school.  Mommas don’t let your babies grow up to be cowboys, cause you will never get them into a tux. Look out,  here comes Tex.

 

We went to one of our local Christmas parades.

Dear hubby has been busy doing projects since he got home. He extended our back porch by 5ft. I love the new room.

He has cleaned out gutters, cleaned the flue, taken proper care of the yard,  cleaned out his out building,  and just simple things he wanted to do.

Atleigh is telling Leah how things are going to be with Uncle Dallas.

Atleigh to Leah:

Look here girl…..this is how this is gonna go…..he’s mine, he’s always been mine, and he will always be mine……got it? Good.

Look at these precious faces.  Sweet and Sassy.

We’ve got more baking to do and some hibernating to do. My fireplace is really comforting me this time of year. I’ve had good days and bad days, but I’m going to try to enjoy my holidays. We have a birthday,  anniversary and Christmas coming up.Well, gotta go.

Easy Morning

 

I honestly do not know how to act this morning not having to rush around and cook and clean to get ready for get togethers for Thanksgiving dinners.

I’ve prepared all week and got my house cleaned.

I started last week preparing dishes for two meals. You can either precook them and put them in the freezer or prep them ahead of time and cook them the next morning of the meal. I precook mine and set them out the night before to thaw at room temperature.  Then I get up the next morning and turn the oven on low just to heat them and keep them warm. Now, I do know some things are just better prepared fresh.  That’s when you plan your menu accordingly.  The less you have to do that morning, the better.

This way you are not stressed or exhausted when you get to your destination. You can sit back and relax and enjoy time with family. Not to mention, when you get home, there is no messy kitchen to clean up. Problem solved.

I could make a list of all the things I’m thankful for but that would take me all day. God knows my heart and let’s just say, I don’t deserve any blessing he has bestowed on me. I am thankful most of all for his mercy and grace.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving with family.

May you always reflect on your blessings that the Lord had given you and never take them for granted.

God Bless.

Happy Thanksgiving Week

I know everyone has plenty to do this week and so do I. Just still try to enjoy the Thanksgiving season this week and be thankful. God “chooses” to bless us because we certainly don’t deserve it sometimes handed to us. Safe travels to anyone going or coming home.

Prayer Answered

I’ve been praying for a while that God would somehow hurry up and let my sweethearts job be over so he could come home. Well…..he answered. I can always tell when it is time for him to come home. It’s when he starts getting depressed and can’t sleep. That means he’s had enough and it’s time to come home. He had to pack 9 months of stuff into his truck but he did and he is one happy Poppie.

He gets to play and spend time with his girls. He has missed them so much.

He is already doing things he wants to do and enjoying himself. He made us some deer sausage one day. We take ground deer and pork fat and seasonings and grind them together and section them into portion meals and vacuum seal them. He’s so rocking that apron. Lol.

He had more projects on his list he wants to do and I’m not going to bother him.

We got our first snow of the year and freeze. Killed the remainder of my peppers that were ripening on the vine though. Oh well….I’ve got plenty.

He went to go pick up Dallas at school. We weren’t suppose to start getting any til the wee hours of morning  but it started before school was out and I was getting worried. He just responds with, “I got this.” Those words always comfort me.

Watching the snow and she says, “Whoah!”    She is learning more words all the time.

We are learning our ABC’s. I will get to G and she says Baw. She thinks I want her to say G-Maw. 😊. Makes me glad. She is getting so independent. She is going to be just like her daddy. Dakota was the same way.

Caroline is growing so much. She tries to talk and she is laughing and smiling all the time. She is such a different baby after the colic went away. She only gets mad if you have not met her demands in about 5 minutes. That’s the only open window you get. Lol

Sissy Love

Keeping her entertained

Dallas made deer minute steaks one night and this is what happens when you say there is only one left, you have to tap the other guy out to win.

Daddy is getting to do Atleigh the same way we had to do him when he was little. Yep, bill ride. It’s in the genes I guess.

We got to go to a little niece’s one year  day party. She is too stinking cute.

In my spare time I have been trying to bake and cook for two dinners. I have been putting them in the freezer. I only have one more dish and some homemade rolls to do. My days will be easy peezy. It’s really simple. You just cook your dishes ahead of time, put them in the freezer. The night before, take them out,  uncover them, place them in the stove to defrost. Next morning , get up and put turn the oven  on and wholah!!!!! Lunch is served.

Honoring Our Veterans

Today we honor our Veterans past and present. Thank you to all who have served and are still serving.

This is my dear sweetheart.  Thank you for your service.

This is my grandfather aka: PaPa.

This is why we put ours first. No one will ever fight for you or your country like they did.

Just Living Life

I’ve just been hanging around and enjoying these grandbabies

 

Caroline is growing so much. Jossies mom has a chiropractor friend and he blessed us with getting rid of Caroline’s colic. All it took was one adjustment and she is like a new baby. If I would have known that they could get rid of colic, I would have taken Dakota to one when he was a baby 20 yrs ago. She’s alert,  wants to see everything and she watches sissy all the time. If she is crying, I can start singing Skip to Malou and she will stop. Go figure. She laughs and coos  at us and tries to talk. She takes cat naps instead of good naps, which makes it hard to get anything done. Oh well.

Atleigh still loves to help take care of sissy.  She is learning alot every day. Sometimes she plays and sometimes she helps cook. She is a character.

She is going to learn to sew too if I can help it.

I got to make her and sissy a few aprons. I’m going to have their name embroidered on them.

Uncle Dallas has been helping out alot with the girls. He stayed with big brother while I went to AR  to see Dad.

It has turned off cold here and we wanted to roast hot dogs and marshmallows, so we just brought it inside.

Next week I’ve got baking and cleaning to do to get ready for the holidays.

Hope everyone has a blessed day.