Holiday Check List - 1 Week Before Christmas

1 week before Christmas!  Can you believe it?  Are you ready?  I do have to admit, that my mind has been busy lately because besides thinking through everything Christmas, I am also thinking everything baby, as we only have a week or two till our third child JP arrives!  I'm happy I've been making my Holiday Check Lists this year so I've been able to stay on top of things that need to get done for Christmas.  Here is my check list for this week, one week before Christmas:

• Wrap Gifts (I don't want My Farmer finding himself on Christmas Eve having to figure out who gets what gift and having to wrap them if I find myself in the hospital with a new baby so I need to get my wrapping done.  Hopefully the last of my gifts will arrive in the mail or via UPS this week!)
• Christmas Letter (Did you hear how today was the busiest mail day for the Postal Service?  Were you part of that craziness?  You need to get your cards out soon if you want them to arrive before Christmas.)
• Buy Groceries (Just like at Thanksgiving, I try to avoid the grocery store if possible the week of Christmas.  By simply buying your groceries at the end of this week, you'll save yourself a lot of headache and crowds.)
• Christmas Baking (This is a great week to look at all of your Christmas sweets you've stocked over the last couple of weeks and start thawing them so you are ready to make cookie platters for your Christmas parties.  If you are still needing some Christmas cookies, check out my Iowa Christmas Cookie Exchange for 16 goodie recipes, including my family's favorite - Peanut Butter Balls.)
• Christmas Traditions (Don't forget the reason for the season and to make sure you have everything you need to incorporate new and old traditions into your Christmas celebrations.  I think LP asks everyday if it is Jesus's birthday because he is excited to have a party for Him and have our family over to celebrate at our house!)

What is on your holiday check list this week?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

If you are feeling behind, check out my previous week's Holiday Check List for more ideas:

Holiday Check List - 2 Weeks Before Christmas

How did it already become two weeks before Christmas?!?  I'm happy I've been making my Holiday Check Lists this year so I've been able to stay on top of things that need to get done for Christmas, but will have to admit between being gone at a conference last week and then having the flu hit our house I have fallen slightly behind...  I guess that is why it is good to make check lists so you can still feel okay and not stressed out if things take you out of the loop for a few days!  Here is my check list for this week, two weeks before Christmas:

• Finish Shopping  (I still need to order a couple things online so I'll get that done tonight!  Plus, I just need to review my gift list and make sure I have everything taken care of.  If you are still looking for some Christmas gift ideas, check out my family's picks for this year here.)
• Wrap Gifts (I don't want My Farmer finding himself on Christmas Eve having to figure out who gets what gift and having to wrap them if I find myself in the hospital with a new baby so I need to get my wrapping done now.)
• Trim Your Home (If you haven't finished decorating your home for Christmas yet this is the week to get it done.  We still have a box in our basement which probably means I should just make it a garage sale box instead of putting the decorations in that box out... This is a perfect time to sort out your decorations too!)
• Christmas Letter (Finish writing and printing your Christmas letter and cards this week.  Also, address your envelopes so you can get them in the mail as soon as your have all of your components done.  One of our Christmas traditions is to take our Christmas photo in the same spot with a fresh coat of snow on the ground - we're waiting for the fresh December coat of snow...)
• Finalize Christmas Menu (Whether your hosting or traveling to other's for Christmas, this is a good week to finalize your menu.  What are some Christmas dinner traditions for your family?)
• Buy Non-Perishables  (Talking about that Christmas Menu, this is the perfect week to start buying your non-perishable grocery items.  Many of them start going on sale this week, plus it will help ease your future grocery lists.)
• Christmas Baking (Keep making all of your favorite Christmas sweets and then freezing some of each batch back that way you will have a variety to choose from to make cookie platters close to Christmas.  Check out my Iowa Christmas Cookie Exchange for 16 goodie recipes, including my family's favorite - Peanut Butter Balls.)

What is on your holiday check list this week?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

If you are feeling behind, check out my previous week's Holiday Check List for more ideas:

Holiday Check List - 3 Weeks Before Christmas

The holiday season is full of fun, laughter, and good times with family and friends.  And if you let it, the holiday season can be full of stress too.  I have always been a planner, and I like to think that my family and friends appreciate that.  It seems even more important to stay on top of my holiday check lists this year since we're expecting our third child (JP) anytime around the end of December.  So, without further ado, here is my check list for this week, three weeks before Christmas:

• Finish Shopping  (I'm planning on finishing all of my Christmas shopping this week between online and locally, after getting a large majority done on Black Friday.  Did you take advantage of any Cyber Monday deals today?  If you are still looking for some Christmas gift ideas, check out my family's picks for this year here.)
• Wrap Gifts (This is an area I usually fall behind on but this year I'm planning on getting my wrapping done as I get my presents bought.  I don't want My Farmer finding himself on Christmas Eve having to figure out who gets what gift and having to wrap them if I find myself in the hospital with a new baby...)
• Christmas Tree (If you haven't gotten your Christmas tree yet, now is a perfect time to get your tree so you can enjoy it for a few weeks.  If you do have your tree, crank up the Christmas tunes, chill the egg nog and decorate your tree.  We went and got our Christmas tree this past Saturday and decorated it on the first day of Advent.)
• Trim Your Home (Don't forget about decorating the rest of your house beyond the tree!  I'm planning on hanging our stockings and decorating throughout the house this week.)
• Christmas Letter (If you write a Christmas letter start writing and get it printed this week.  I'm planning on getting this done mid-week this week and then hopefully getting them printed by the end of the week.)
• Christmas Cards (Be sure the select your Christmas cards if you haven't already (I always get ours in early November when Hallmark has a buy one get one free special).  If you are creating a card online be sure to choose your design and order your cards this week.)
• Christmas Card Recipient List (Review and finalize your Christmas card list.  You can also start addressing your envelopes so you can get your cards out as soon as possible.  It always feels good to have your Christmas cards in the mail!)
• Christmas Photo (If you haven't selected a photo yet, you better take one fast.  We are actually planning on waiting for the next snow fall to take ours so we have a fresh layer of snow on the ground - it is one of our family traditions.)
• Plan Christmas Menu (Whether your hosting or traveling to other's for Christmas, start planning your menu.  What are some Christmas dinner traditions for your family?)
• Christmas Baking (Keep making all of your favorite Christmas sweets and then freezing some of each batch back that way you will have a variety to choose from to make cookie platters close to Christmas.  Check out my Iowa Christmas Cookie Exchange for 16 goodie recipes, including my family's favorite - Peanut Butter Balls.)

What is on your holiday check list this week?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

If you are feeling behind, check out my previous week's Holiday Check List for more ideas:

Christmas Goodie Must - Peanut Butter Balls

Black Friday means several things to me:

• First - I get most of my shopping done (and without kids)!
• Second - I start playing Christmas carols in the car and in the house.
• And Third - I start stocking up on Christmas goodies!

I love making Christmas cookie plates as gifts and to bring to Christmas parties, so I start making, freezing and storing Christmas goodies today.  Each week I try to make a couple different varieties of goodies so I have a diversity of goodies for my cookie plates (and so I have enough to make it till the end of Christmas).  One Christmas goodie that it seems inevitable that I end up making a few batches of is my family's favorite - Peanut Butter Balls (affectionately known as Christmas Crack to My Farmer!)

Peanut Butter Balls

18 oz jar Creamy Peanut Butter (Many brands have decreased their jar size over the last few years so if you can't find an 18oz jar you'll be fine, but you might want to add an extra scoop of peanut butter to your recipe.  If you live in Iowa, I personally know that Fareway still sells their generic brand at an 18 oz size.)

2 cups Powdered Sugar

4 Tbsp Butter, soften

5 cups Rice Krispies cereal

Chocolate Almond Bark, melted

Combine first four ingredients.  The mixture should be able to stick and stay together, and at the same time not leave peanut butter all over your hands.  Roll mixture into balls about the size of a quarter.  Dip balls into melted almond bark.  (If your almond bark is really thick, add a tablespoon of shortening to the almond bark to thin it out slightly but not changing the flavor.)  Refrigerate or keep in cold storage.

***Chef's Note*** I like to use a spoon to help cover each peanut butter ball in almond bark and then spoon the ball onto a fork to drain off excess chocolate before letting it set on a cookie sheet with parchment paper on it.

What is your family's favorite Christmas goodie?  Remember to Comment for a Cause!

Also, be sure to check out my blog this weekend for a Christmas Cookie Exchange round-up post!

1 Week Til Christmas - Holiday To Do List

The Christmas Countdown continues as we approach one week til Christmas!  I am happy to report that I have all my Christmas shopping done and have everything ready to go for our Christmas cards and letters (I just need to assemble them to).  My to do list each week seems to have a lot of carry-over from the previous weeks, but I'm just happy that I started planning and thinking about some of these things early, otherwise I'd really feel overwhelmed now.  Here's my to do list for this week:

• Go Christmas Grocery Shopping (This last week I bought non-perishable items and now this week I'll do my final grocery shopping run getting everything I need for all of our Christmas get togethers.  It is my hope and goal that I won't have to step foot in the grocery store next week!)
• Deliver Goodie Plates (Last night My Farmer asked me if I had any goodie plates ready to go to deliver to one of our farm landlords that he was seeing, and all I could tell him was that I had the plates but not enough goodies!  So I guess this means I better get on top of my baking and have enough variety to put some together!  We love giving Christmas goodie plates to our landlords, neighbors, and those that have helped us throughout the year.)
• Clean the House (Last call to decorate and clean the house for the holidays!  It is good to do a nice clean sweep of your home as family and friends visit.  And if you are traveling a lot for Christmas it is always nice to come home to a clean house.  I personally need to clean our home badly!  I'm afraid that you currently have to watch where you step in our living room and I still have Christmas decor I want to put up.  If I don't get this done by the weekend then I guess it won't get done.)
• Thaw Christmas Cookies and Treats (You've been freezing Christmas goodies haven't you?  Well, if you haven't, start baking, and if you have, this weekend be sure to take them out of the freezer and start letting them thaw so they are ready to be shared and ate.)
• Wrap Presents (This is something that I still need to finish.  I have my wrapping paper out and my presents organized, I just need a couple afternoon nap times to get them done.)

What is on your to-do list for this final week before Christmas?

2 Weeks Til Christmas Eve - Holiday To Do List

Can you believe that there are only 2 weeks til Christmas Eve?!?  Are you ready?  Well, I do have to admit that I have fallen behind from my to do list I set for myself last week but plan on catching up this week (fingers crossed)!  So this week's list is a combination of what I didn't get done last week and what I was planning on concentrating on this week:

• Christmas Present Shopping (I am almost all the way done.  I just need to pick up a couple gift cards when I'm in town this week and order a few more items online and then I'll be done.  I really do hope and plan on finishing this week!  Review your present lists this week and make sure you've got everyone covered.)
• Wrap Christmas Presents (So many times I am rushed to wrap all of our gifts the day before or even the day of a family get together, so this year my goal is to start now.  Anything to do to decrease my stress and busyness during this time of year!)
• Decorate for Christmas (We didn't get this done last week so my plan is to do this sometime this week.  We got our tree last weekend but haven't decorated it yet.  All of my Christmas boxes are currently being stored in the garage because all of the electrical work isn't done in our house and I'm trying to have the basement as accessible as possible for when the electricians come back.  So... I need to "man-up" and venture into our garage and find my Christmas decorations AND the electricians need to come back and finish our house!)
• Christmas Letter/Card/Photo (I feel behind in this area from last week.  Both our letter and card are not ready to be mailed and we took a photo but I'd like to take another stab at it - hopefully my family will bare with me at another photo shoot!  One area I did work in was our Christmas card recipient list; I think I got all the new addresses I needed to change for family and friends that moved.  I still hope to get this all in the mail by the end of the week or start of next week.)
• Christmas Baking (This is something that should be on your to-do list every week.  Make, bake, enjoy some and then freeze some!  I've ran across some new recipes I want to try, along with making my standby Christmas goodies.)
• Plan Christmas Meals (This week my goal is to finalize the Christmas menu for get togethers at our house, as well as what I need to bring to other family gatherings and start buying the non-perishable items needed.)

Whoo!  Looks like I've got plenty to do but I just know I'd rather be working on this now in steps, rather than right before Christmas.  Have you started planning your Christmas meal?  What is on your menu?

Christmas Countdown To Do List

It is officially the Christmas Holiday Season!  I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and that you have started getting into the Christmas Spirit!  Last week I talked about how my Mom, sisters and I go Black Friday shopping every year and this year was no different.  We stayed away from the big crowds and went shopping during the "off hours" this year and still got all of our door busters!  I was wanting and planning on not shopping at all on Thanksgiving Day but by 9pm when the kids were asleep I figured why not check to see what was left at Wal-Mart, K-Mart and Target, and then that led us onto Kohl's, JCPenney, and the rest of the mall.  Thank goodness the mall was opened because that gave us something to do until the stores that were closed on Thanksgiving (which I think is great for stores to do) opened on Friday morning.  Black Friday seems to get earlier and earlier every year but I know retailers get so many more customers by opening earlier.  It is sad, but true.  Like I said, we've been Black Friday shopping for the last decade and it is unbelievable how many more people Black Friday (or Thanksgiving Day) shop now, then when the earliest a store would open was 5am.

But enough about Black Friday, it is time to share my To-Do list for this week.  My goal by doing a few things each week is that I'll have a low stress Christmas and Holiday Season when it comes time to actually celebrate with family and friends.

• Shop (If you don't like crowds or waiting in line I hope you took advantage of some Cyber Monday deals!  I am planning on doing some more shopping this week and maybe even finishing!  If you are still looking for ideas (which I personally like to get finalized and done the week of Thanksgiving) check out some of these ideas.)
• Christmas Tree (If you haven't gotten your Christmas tree yet (which we haven't... the plan is to after we visit Santa later this week) then get your tree, or if you do have your tree, crank up the Christmas tunes, chill the egg nog and decorate your tree.  My plan is to get all of this done at the end of the week!)
• Christmas Letter (If you write a Christmas letter start writing and get it printed this week.  I'm planning on getting this done mid-week this week and then hopefully getting them printed by the end of the week.)
• Christmas Cards (Be sure the select your Christmas cards if you haven't already (I always get ours in early November when Hallmark has a buy one get one free special).  If you are creating a card online be sure to choose your design and order your cards this week.)
• Christmas Photo (If you haven't selected a photo yet, you better take one fast.  We are actually planning on waiting for the next snow fall to take ours so we have a fresh layer of snow on the ground - it is one of our family traditions.)
• Christmas Card Recipient List (Review and finalize your Christmas card list.)
• Christmas Baking (Start making all of your favorite Christmas sweets and then freezing some of each batch back that way you will have a variety to choose from to make cookie platters close to Christmas.  We have sadly already finished our first batch of Peanut Butter Balls today :(  I better make some more!)

What do you have on your to-do list this week?  Do you send out the traditional Christmas card and letter or do you send them online?