Pages

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

I love fall...

I love fall. I love the colors, the warm oranges, the vibrant yellows, the brilliant reds and the earthen browns. I love the chill in the air and I love getting all the winter catalogs with all the fantastic sweaters! I love wearing jeans. I love wearing my flannel pajamas -- I would live in them if I had the choice. :) I love that Halloween is around the corner... I love seeing kids all dressed up going door to door begging for candy. I love Thanksgiving and how this time of year starts to get everyone thinking of how they SHOULD be and feel and act all year long. :) THANKFUL. :)

I also start making my mental lists now... what do I want to do for the holidays... what are my kids going to be for Halloween... what will we do for Christmas... who all is on my list... what do I need to start making NOW so that it's finished in time for the big day... what is the jolly old elf going to bring the boys... What should I cook... will I make cookies this year... how am I ever going to get it all done?! :) So, I've started planning NOW and by the 15th of this month, I will be planned out! WOO HOO!

One other thing I start thinking about is winter prep for the house. YOu gotta take care of the casa. Now while I do have an ongoing "to do" list for the house, I know there are other things less expensive than an entire exterior paint job that need to be done seasonally. :)

  • fertilize and put on pre-emergent on the ground
  • plant spring bulbs -- I think i actually may just plant some this month!
  • get into the garage and start decluttering everything I **SAID** I would put in the spring garage sale. Who wants to be in the attic when it's 150 million degrees
  • get the mittens, gloves, scarves and such ready for wear and accessible. I'm putting a clear shoe organizer in the coat closet. This will serve as home to these thigns so that they are always able to be found. I think I actually may put pegs on the wall too so that the boys can hang their backpacks in there as well.
  • purge closet. It's a great time to think of those less fortunate and those shelters that always need a little help. Purge things you didn't even touch this season... or last season... or the season before that. Chances are, you aren't going to wear it again.
  • I love to buy new pillows for the couch this time of year (they generally don't last that long with 3 dogs and 2 boys) so getting some nice, squishy, soft, cuddly fall colored pillows is a special treat. I check TJ Maxx and places like Tuesday Morning for great deals.
  • Get the car ready -- I always keep two no-sew fleece blankets in the car as well as umbrellas. I always double check my stock in my "mom crate" to make sure it's full. What is a mom crate you ask? Why, it's just a milk crate that I've stocked with all kinds of things we always seem to need in the car -- kleenex, hand wipes, germ-x, napkins, straws, snack cups, bottles of water, sunscreen, first aid kit, ketchup packs, etc. You basically stock it with things that you generally will need but never seem to have. I also have a "kit" in my front seat of items that I need more frequently... this, however, goes in the house with me each night because it also contains my portable camera and Palm pilot.
  • Stock the kids' activity bag. When we're out the door, I try to bring along the activity bag. It's a black bag iwth pink polkadots that I won't mistake for anything else. It's got activity books, crayons, etc. for the boys to use in the car to keep themselves occupied.
  • In my bedroom, I like to get the electric blanket out and clean it... get it on the bed and ready for toasty nights. It's not on there yet but it's out ready to be cleaned. :) I love my electric blanket. :) LOVE IT
  • Outdoors -- I need to get a few of the trees trimmed... that's a big one. And I probably SHOULD get the one gutter cleaned out on the back of the house because the neighbors' tree likes to shed into my gutters. :) They're so sweet for sharing.

So, again, me in my ever-going list mode.... making lists of stuff to do... I need to add all this to my list... my ever growing, always changing, reworking list of things to do.

Does anyone else make paper lists or is everyone electronic? I can't decide which I like best... so I have both -- INSANE, I know!



No comments: