Less Hustle More Coffee

Well, Blogmas Day 4 here. I actually planned all these Blogmas topics while on the way to Thanksgiving week in Texas. Some days may become really simplified as we go through the time crunch. But I put “Gift Wrapping Reminders and Ideas” as Day 4. Early on in the month before you get started.

I said to myself, “do I really need to do a blog entry on such a simple topic?” Well, maybe not, but I thought maybe it might help someone remember a few things while they are out shopping for something else. These are all pretty basic reminders and tips and nothing elaborate. Just a few things to make your life easier and more efficient, which is what I’m all about. I’m just sharing what I do really.

So let’s get to it.

Gift Wrap Reminders and Ideas

• The tape. Just go ahead and put it on your grocery list NOW and not just one, but three at least!
• Go find your hole puncher! It comes in handy for running a ribbon through tags and hanging them on gift bags so you can reuse the bags next year without having last years name tag to someone else stuck on them.
• Check out the Dollar Tree as early as you can during the season. They usually have good deals on all sizes of bags (as well as holiday ornaments to use to hang on the sides of bags and a few holiday decorative items). Sometimes they have sets of gift wrap boxes, which we often run out of during the holidays.
• When buying Christmas paper, look for really thick rolls, even if you have to pay quite a bit more. The amount you save overall is usually tremendous and the roll lasts forever and a day.
• Stock up on tissue paper early and lots of it. I use white if I can so I can use it for birthdays and other events when Christmas is over. But if you DO buy a mixed pack of red, green, and white – you will likely pay more but if you do save the white sheets for birthdays. That’s how I roll anyway.
• Use the fronts of last years Christmas cards. Well you know, the old fashioned kind anyway. Not the kind with everyone’s kids and dog on the front but you know, the polar bears, reindeer, red birds, pretty scenes and all that. It makes for a beautiful name tag on the front of a wrapped gift if the colors match. This is one of the ways I saved in the early days. I tossed the Christmas cards in with the Christmas stuff and then used it the next year. You get to revisit them too and smile.
• Buy some sticky back name tag labels for your wrapped gifts. It saves so much time.
• Buy a black sharpie for writing names on the name tags. It makes it big and readable so Nana doesn’t get Nonni’s gifts because she misread and opened the wrong gift, lol.
• Always buy a few wine gift bags to keep on hand. It really makes it convenient for last minute gift buys when you can’t think of anything else or you want to take a gift for a host of a party or for a neighbor who brought you home baked goodies and you didn’t bake this year to return the favor ::yikes::. (Might want to keep a few whites and reds on your grocery list in Dec so you have that on hand too?)
• Go ahead and buy a HUGE gift bag if you see one and keep it on hand for that huge gift you have to wrap. It makes life so much easier to have one of those cute bags to just throw over it and tag it and call it a day. (I haven’t seen one this year so I don’t have mine yet.)
• Make sure you have some ribbon – big ribbon and small ribbon. You may not use a LOT of it, but I have found it to be useful for hanging the tags on bags. And on really special gifts it is so nice to use really pretty ribbons.
• A note for all year: If you go to yard sales or garage sales, you can find all sorts of ribbons and wrapping supplies – as well as decor. You won’t be in the mood for Christmas in July most likely but I have really hit the jackpot by going to the yard sales through the years.

So what might YOU add to this list?

I am not that great of a gift wrapper. I enjoy it when I’m not rushed and I liked to make them pretty if I can. Often though, we are in a hurry and don’t have much time and I have to really rush and can’t make them as pretty as I’d like. We also have a tendency to gift a lot of little practical gifts instead of big huge ones so we have a lot more wrapping that way. But we love for family to have a lot of gifts to open for the thrill of it so that’s ok. It’s fun to give. And we give things that are practical and useful and based on the person. The surprise and thrill of unwrapping a gift is just a fun joy I remember as a child up through my adulthood. And while I don’t think of it now so much, until December 24th, I still feel giddy like a child and go to be thinking “oh I get gifts tomorrow”. But it’s really more fun watching everyone open theirs. So much work and it’s over so fast!

So now you can be reminded of some of these things and when you are out can stock up and get prepared ahead of the time. I hoped the list helped in some way.

So while I do Blogmas, I’m still trying to do my updates as to what is going on around here in our lives.

• We enjoyed a day at home yesterday. It went by way too fast. It was the first Saturday in 4 weeks we’ve had at home.
• It’s TMI but you all are cheering for him, Dexter’s poops are getting a little thicker. My husband has become Vet George. He did a lot of research to give him some help while we go through the weekend. Dexter has had yogurt, probiotics, pumpkin, rice, eggs, and broth. We took him off canned food temporarily to calm his digestive system down. His energy level is coming back and it looks like his poops are getting less runny. We still need to turn a corner. He acts like he feels a little better. Never any nausea, just lethargy and diarrhea or runnier stool than normal.

• We fixed beef stew and turkey noodle soup yesterday. We had the turkey noodle for dinner last night and beef stew is tonight. I took Mom some of both along with two pieces of corn bread b/c I know she loves it so. I put those in her fridge when we picked her up for church today.

• Our tree is up but not all the ornaments are on it yet.
• George brought up the boxes for Christmas decorating the house and I got about 60% of that done (non-tree type of decorating).

• About 40% of the gifts are wrapped. George did that. It was my idea to but I didn’t get that far. He did, lol. Bless him. I’ve been still trying to do my blog/vlog and get organized with everything else in our lives.
• We took Mom to Al’s grocery store in Lebanon, TN and Mom loved it. It was smaller than Kroger. The prices were better on some things – like meat – but were not so much better on others. Mom spent the amount she usually does so not sure she saved much but she said she felt like she could find things better there. We were there for a looooong time.
• We ate lunch at the Social on the Square. It was not crowded and we walked right in and got a table. I got a grilled chicken salad with ranch dressing and it was so good. Lots of protein and very filling. Very flavorful too.
• Mom has decorated her house. I’m going to save those pics for another day in Blogmas, coming very soon. 🙂
• My vertigo is better. I could not look up yesterday. Today I can look up but I’m still not right. I had a bad spell laying down yesterday as I looked up while sending my head back to lay on the pillow. It sent me for a scream. It was very unsettling. I still have a feeling of unbalance here and there.
• George has gout in his foot. His toe is better but his ankle is hurting him. He wore flip flops to church and it was in the 40’s today, lol.

• I get Friday off this week and I need it to finish decorating, finish my Christmas cards if I don’t get them done during the work week, do some wrapping, and see where we are with stockings. I will try to finish the puzzle and I’ll see what time I have to work on videos after that. Likely won’t have a video for next Saturday unless I really get a lot done.
• Making progress with the puzzle. It gives me glee to work on it, to play on Farmville2, and to read. I didn’t get to read yesterday other than doing my Bible study, but I’m getting a few pieces in!
• Lots of things going on this week.
• I get my hair cut and trying to decide to let it grow or keep it short and what looks best on me and what is easiest.
• We have our financial planner meeting this week which should be interesting since investments have gone South, but I want to discuss the possibility of retiring early at 62.5 and my options for doing that as well as paying for insurance during the period b/w that and when medicare and all that starts.
• I have a therapy appointment at lunch time Thursday. I had to cancel last week due to an office meeting which sent a message to all in the office (you really need to be there).
• Oh the office meeting. Some changes coming. Some will impact me I think and some things may give me more work but then I may drop some of the other work and we’ll just see what is acceptable and makes sense. We can shuffle some things around and have me doing the right things with my talents/knowledge that make sense. It would really be nice to work from home or even in Mount Juliet. So too many changes would likely push me into a tizzy. I can’t take on more responsibility without losing something. If it doesn’t fit then we will have to look and see what will need to be done. I have so much stuff going on in my world it doesn’t take much to send me over the edge. And doesn’t take much to send me packing either. lol Whatever that means. I’m not sure I know that myself. I just know life is getting harder every year.
• We have George’s office party this Saturday. We are home most of the day but may run to Pop Shelf to get some stocking stuffers.

Over and out and I’ll be posting every day due to blogmas but some days may be simple posts. I know you guys are busy too. If you made it to the end you have to let me know. Have a great week.