Mindless Monday, Blog Linkage

Good Monday morning!

Monday came too fast this time, didn't it? The older I get, the faster it comes.

Well... We need to get busy!

I'll start off today's post with a few more Thanksgiving Day pictures. (I didn't have time to post EVERYTHING.)

Roxie gets really "huggy" on major holidays.

Josh and Brad.

Grandmother and the Grandsons. (Our new rock band.)

RANDOMNESS #1 - I would have to say our Black Friday get-away was a huge success. Thanks to Amy's expert tweaking, our little group has found the way to celebrate Black Friday... and live to tell the tale.

We all arrived at The Wynfrey from our different homes around 6:00 a.m. Friday morning. We left our bags with an employee of The Wynfrey (or a total stranger with a vest, coat and tie) and began our shopping extravaganza.

The four girl cousins (Katie, Roxie, Monica and Abbie) went one way, and after seeing which direction they headed, the three adult cousins (Belinda, Beverly and Amy) went in the opposite direction.

It was 6:00 a.m. and we had a little trouble keeping our eyes open. (Monica was trying extra hard!)

We met for breakfast and lunch (and a couple of times in between). Our room was ready at 11:00 a.m., so we all went upstairs to drop off our luggage and shopping bags, make a plan for the afternoon and talk about what other purchases needed to be made.

We did the "adjoining room" thing this year, and it was wonderful, wonderful.

One of the big differences between the "girl" cousins and the "adult" cousins was our shopping lists.

We discovered the "girl" cousins had bought boots, shoes, scarves, jeans and cute tops... for themselves.

We know Katie has on two different boots. We were trying to help her decide which one was best for that particular outfit.

We know Roxie is only wearing one boot. We didn't know why, but we were aware.

And then Roxie pulled out the Kate Middleton flesh-colored 3" heels... to wear with her Volleyball Banquet Dress... which we haven't purchased yet.

But she assured me these shoes "go with EVERYTHING."

And all I had to say was, "Keep the ticket!"

There are no pictures of outfits Amy, Bev and I purchased because we were doing this crazy shopping thing where we actually buy Christmas gifts for others.

"Roxie. You don't shop for yourself on Black Friday. You shop for others' Christmas gifts."

"Don't worry, Mom. It's just November. I have plenty of time."

"Time, yes. But what about money, Honey?"

It would appear "I worry too much."

I can't wait to show you my Christmas gift from Roxie. I have a feeling it will involve hot glue and my favorite candy bar.

But she'll look marvelous when she gives it to me!

As per the new "plan," we went to the movies in the middle of the day to relax from our strenuous shopping.

After the movie, we shopped some more, ate some more and went to sleep... tired, but very, very happy.

I know I need to talk to Amy and Bev about this, but I think our tweaking days are over.

I think we've got this!

RANDOMNESS #2 - Some of you who receive a Christmas Card from The Faulkner Five may recall two years ago I put all of our ages at the bottom of the card.

Mike (49), Belinda (32), Austin (19), Josh (16) and Roxie (14).

It created quite the buzz among family and friends to discover I was only "32."

Quite simply, I was "in a mood" and I did it to be funny.

Well, last year I wasn't "in a mood," but several people said, "I can't wait to see this year's Christmas card."

I have one word. Pressure.

I finally just decided to do the collage Christmas Card... and I added a picture of a beautiful llama I had taken on a Birmingham Zoo visit earlier in the Fall.

Several people admitted they rode by our house to see if we indeed had a llama in our fence with Copper and Sparkle.

So this year I have two words. Extreme Pressure.

Thankfully, Mikie helped me out, and while it isn't as hilarious as the previous two Christmas cards, it is a little funny.

I went with the collage method again, but I'll show you one of the ten pictures we've decided to use.

Josh took this last night. He did good, didn't he? (And, NO! This isn't the funny part of the card!)

RANDOMNESS #3 - I found this little nugget on Pinterest, and I thought I would share. It comes from www.thestressedmom.com... Ten Habits of a Well-Run Home.

1. Wake up early. I know this one stinks, but it is the best way to get a jump on your day. Otherwise, the day seems to be in control rather than you controlling the day.

2. Waking up early starts with going to bed earlier. I know you like the time after the kids have gone to bed for yourself, or for working on projects, or even for trying to catch up on housework. The fact is, shutting down and turning in earlier will make for a better morning, and you will likely be more productive. This may not be accurate for the true night owls out there, but I urge you to give it a try.

3. Evening preparations. Make sure everything that is needed to leave the house in the morning is prepped and where it should be. Teach your children this habit as soon as you possibly can. It can make your life easier.

4. Institute meal-planning. Whether you have every meal for the week planned out, or you have 6 dinners to pick from each day, find a way to make meal planning work for you. I love Pinterest for ideas for meals! Look at your meal plan the evening before and see if you need to do any prep work.

5. Do one complete load of laundry a day. From start to finish. Build a habit of grabbing everyone’s clothes after bathtime and tossing it in the wash. Then toss it in dryer before bed. Take 5 to 10 minutes to fold and put away that load (or have your kids do it). One load a day may or may not be enough for your family, but doing at least one load every day will help you stay on top of the pile.

6. Do your best to get your dishes done in the evening before going to bed. I know this can be hard sometimes, but think how much better it feels in the morning to come down to a clean sink. Build this habit and you will appreciate it. Again, if your kids are old enough to do the dishes or at least help, let them!

7. Take 5 minutes and buzz through the bathrooms with a damp cloth. Straighten, wipe, and keep a toilet brush handy for swishing the toilet. Take any dirty towels and clothes to laundry room. Some days use a paper towel with Windex to shine things up, including the mirror.

8. A place for everything and everything in it's place. We have heard this all our lives and it is true. It makes life a lot easier. One problem is we have accumulated too much stuff so we have a difficult time keeping things in their places. Work on clearing clutter and designating homes for regularly used items. Teach your children this as well. I know how discouraging it can be to walk into a messy room. On the reverse, think how calming it is to walk into a room where everything is tidy and orderly.

9. Have a bedtime routine that includes putting away toys, books, dishes, trash, etc. and picking out clothes for the next day. Having this routine in place will help your kids learn responsibility and know what is expected of them. We are their mom... not their maid.

10. Do not say "YES" immediately to new requests. Come up with a response, such as “Let me check my calendar and get back with you.” Or if you know you need to say "NO," get it over with immediately. Don’t feel like you have to explain yourself. A simple, “Due to other obligations, I won’t be able to ________."

The Enchanting Belinda says, "I can honestly say I do numbers 5 and 10 very, very well."

Blog Linkage - Today's linkage is ALL about the Countdown to Christmas.

1. Go to "eighteen25" under My Blog List and read the post entitled "[past projects] christmas countdown" for some cute, cute ways to countdown the Big Day.

2. Go to "a little bit of me" under My Blog List and read Susan's post entitled "Our Christmas Book Advent." Excellent, excellent idea.

I hope you have a great week. I'll be decorating. My goal is to be totally finished by December 1. I realize many of you have been "totally finished" for a couple of weeks now, and I wish I lived with you... but the truth is I'm a piddler and piddlers decorate with a piddle here and a piddle there. (Truthfully, my goal today is to decorate the dining room table and put out my Christmas music boxes. And that will be a success!)

I'll be back Friday with Christmas ideas, Randomness, basketball pics and more.

Take care, and I'll talk to you Friday.

Sincerely,

The Enchanting Piddling Belinda