Time to Make Some Lists

For some reason making lists helps me to feel better about life. It's as if writing something down is saying to the universe that I'm commited to whatever it may be, and that I'm in control. And let's face it, there's just something so gratifying about checking items off a 'to-do' list. It's at this time each year when I tend to feel a bit overwhelmed with the holidays just around the corner, so I have to get organized! So much to do, so little time!

Each November, our neighborhood HOA plans a community yard sale. This is a great opportunity to clean out our closets and make a little money to spend on Christmas presents.  For the last few years, there have been people actually waiting outside the neighborhood gates waiting for them to open before 7 am. And since a lot of these people have children, childrens clothing and toys are big sellers. Luckily, I have stockpiled a ton of clothing that Ava has outgrown and a couple of weeks ago, I cleaned out her toy room. It feels so good to purge all of this STUFF!

This is the mess that is my office right now. The task of sorting and pricing is first on my list of to-dos this week. I'm still debating about how best to organize all the clothing so people can see everything. Do I sort by size and just throw into bins and let people rummage through it? Or should I hang each item up so it looks more like a store display? I bet I can find some good recommendations out on the internet to help me decide.

I know come Saturday morning, I'm going to feel sick to my stomach having to wake up so early to deal with strangers going through my unwanted stuff, but when I tally all the money up (hopefully) at noon, I'll know it was so worth it. Last year I made about $400. Not bad.

And before I know it, Thanksgiving will be here! This Thanksgiving just happens to also fall on my birthday, so I have double the excuse to be grateful and to celebrate. I've decided to host Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year, because I wanted to make sure my whole family could be together one last time before my sister moves to Wisconsin. =(

There's only one problem with me signing up to cook this important meal....I've never cooked a turkey before! So that means I have some research to do, which of course I love! If anyone out there has any good recipes or tips you'd like to share, please e-mail them to me: jordyeflynn@netscape.net. I'm already obsessing over place-settings and finding the perfect centerpieces. I want everything to be perfect.

And lastly (for now anyway), I've already checked one item off my list--I ordered our family Christmas cards from Tiny Prints. They should arrive sometime next week. I'll get them all addressed and ready to go, so I can mail them off on December 1st. Sending out Christmas cards and receiving them in the mail from friends and family, is always one of my favorite aspects of the holiday season.

Let the fun begin!