Hello blog friends.

I hope you're all enjoying this week and staying warm.  It's is so cold and windy here and I've been staying inside.  I am still battling a terrible sinus infection, so I've been doing some Christmas decorating around the house this week.  (WARNING THIS BLOG POST IS LONG)!

I like to make lists of all the things I need to do for the holidays.

I like to make lists of people I will need to make or buy presents for.  I do half present shopping online and half in the store.  When I have a present I cross it off the list and then I try to wrap the present right away.  This will happen sometime next week for me.

I usually save my Christmas card list from year to year.  I like to see if I will be adding or taking off people on my list.  You can also buy your holiday stamps at the post office or online.

You should decide if you are making photo holiday cards, buying your cards, or even making your own handmade cards.  There are sales specials now on photo holiday cards to take advantage of.

If you are sending out any packages to family or friends you should get your packages ready to send out early.  I like to do this early as this time of year the post office is super busy with long lines.

You should figure out menus and if you will be entertaining any parties or get togethers with family and friends.

Start thinking about outfits you will be wearing and if you need to go shopping for any clothes.  This applies to the children also.

I like to have extra food around just in case I have anyone drop by unexpected for coffee.  You can make extra food and then freeze it.  When you are in a rush and don't have time to cook you can plan ahead of time and take food out of the freezer and just defrost it to have for dinner.

I love to make quick and easy meals for weeknights and weekends.  I love using the Instant Pot for a really quick meal and the Crock Pot for weeknight meals.  You can click here to see some of my easy recipes for weeknight dinners and the holidays.

Now is a great time that you can start your holiday baking of cookies, candy, and any other holiday treats.

You should figure out if you will be buying a real tree or a fake tree.  If you are putting up a fake tree, you can get it up early and decorate the tree.  Decide if you need to buy any new ornaments, lights, or decorations.  This is a great time to sort through your holiday decorations and decide if you are keeping them or if the ones you don't need you can donate to charity.  (Some of you might have your tree up and decorated already, so please ignore this one).

I like organizing my decorations and I usually decorate the inside of my house right after Thanksgiving.  I am in the process of doing this right now!  This also applies for decorating the outside of the house too.  Last year I organized and went through my Christmas decorations.  I donated a lot of them to our church.

The bottom line is just try to stay organized and try to have family members help you out.  One of the ways I like to do this is by having my college girl invite some of her friends over to decorate the Christmas tree and do some holiday baking.  It's always fun when you have everyone involved and helping out.







Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you all enjoy the rest of the week and weekend.  :)


Click HERE to see the great parties I will be linking up to!


Julie

It's a day to all be grateful.

Last year I made corn pudding casserole for the first time and it tasted so good.  I never made this casserole before and I was happy to find the recipe on the blog Kitty's Kozy Kitchen.  This casserole makes the perfect side dish.  I was only able to get this shot of the casserole because it tasted so good.  To see the recipe just click here.

Enjoy the rest of the week and weekend.  :)

Hello blog friends.  I seem to have made a mistake and tried to edit this blog post from many years ago (back in 2013) and it posted again with the comments.  Has this ever happened to any of you? 

Well, I guess I am posting this again.  Perhaps some of you would like to make this fast and cute Crochet Christmas Ornament using any leftover scrap yarn that you might have.
 
Christmas is right around the corner and how would you like to make your own Christmas Ornament?

I've made and designed a really easy pattern for a Crochet Christmas Ornament that can be made in one one sitting.

This is a great way to use up any scrap yarn that you may have left over from another project. 

Below are the details to make your own crochet ornament






For this pattern I used kitchen cotton, but you could also use acrylic yarn if you don't have any cotton yarn available.
Thanks everyone and enjoy.

Julie

I can't believe it's been six years that I have been blogging!  I'm really amazed at how fast the time has gone by.

Blogging has become now a daily part of my everyday routine.

I enjoy visiting your blogs each week to catch up and see what is going on with all of you.  I love the blog friendships I have made through this amazing blogging community.

I am so inspired by all of your talents and helpful hints.   I love seeing all of your recipes, crafts, fashion, and beautiful homes.  I was so happy when I even had the opportunity of meeting a few of you in person.

Some days I hate blogging due to some of the changes with blogger and some days I just want to quit it all together.

I just seem to keep on blogging each week as I'm enjoying it right now and I will continue to blog.  :)

I've noticed that some bloggers have stopped blogging altogether or they have moved over to Instagram instead.  I like Instagram and I enjoy how easy it is to post and share photos.  If you would like to follow me on Instagram I am at @brklynhousewife and I'd love to connect with you there.

Thanks for your support and the blogging friendships I've made with all of you!  You are the best!