September Acres

December 1st can sneak up on us, can't it?  A late Thanksgiving can really throw me for a loop.  As in, December 1st is on Tuesday.  The Tuesday that is the day after tomorrow.  We have always had an advent calendar around here (or maybe even two) and most years I'm on top of things but this year, not so much.  So not on top of things that I bought our advent calendar last night. First time I've bought one. Ever.  With a 13, almost 14 year old I didn't feel so bad since she actually asked for this one and was thrilled I said yes. So, I've already put the guilt behind me.  But in the good old days gone by I would never have purchased an advent calendar.  I'm imagining it's November 30th and I don't have my calendar yet.  I've got the Elf on its Shelf but no Advent to be found.  What's a girl to do? Christmas Book Countdown I'll assume that you have all of your Christmas books handy.  I loved this countdown when LM was younger.  Wrap 2

I have opened a shop at Society 6 .  I am super excited to share some of these fun holiday items with you!  There are pillows and prints and canvas and travel mugs.  Even clocks!  Head over and take a look.  I'd love to hear your feedback too. I'm also open to your ideas - I have a bunch swirling around in my head but I love to hear what other people think and would like to see. I can do custom items too.  Or just switch out colors to match your decor. These items make really fun and unique gifts.  And did I mention the free shipping? I've ordered a few things from Society 6 in the past and have been happy with the quality and I'm sure you will be too. I hope you'll head on over to the shop and take a look.  Thanks!

I spent too many years in retail to ever want to spend the Friday after Thanksgiving shopping.  All that traffic and pushing and waiting in line is great for retailers but not for me.  I actually went to W@lmart one Black Friday about 15 years ago.  I figured I'd zip in at 5 am, pick up the vacuum and TV and be back at home before my husband woke up.  This was before the days of being open on Thanksgiving day and even at 5 am, the store was packed.   Packed with mean, pushy, cart ramming shoppers.  I picked up the two things I came for as fast as I could (which wasn't all that fast) and vowed never to do that again.  Never.  Ever. These days my Black Fridays are more relaxing and fun.  If you're looking for something to do this year besides hitting the mall, consider one of these activities: Put up your Christmas Tree.   This can be a fun family event and if you have relatives in town you even get some extra help!  Take pictures, too, and share them on the Septembe

Thanksgiving is a little more than a week away.  Cooking, cleaning, decorating.  Are you ready?  If not we can help you a little bit with the cooking part with our recipe exchange .  There are a couple of yummy recipes that have been shared on our Facebook page . Cleaning. We cannot help you with that by maybe the FlyLady can give you some pointers. :) Decorating.  We always want everything to look nice when our guests arrive.  I have a free printable for you that can help a bit.  Print it out and pop it in a frame and you're set. (Just click on the image below, right click, save image as and print from your computer.  Print on card stock or regular paper.)

I don't know about you but I love to try new recipes although I don't do it a much as I'd like to.  I think that's because on the average day it's all I can do to get something on the table and I just don't make the time to look for something new.  Even when I meal plan and add a couple of new recipes to the menu each month I usually end up scratching it and just cooking what I know (spaghetti, anyone?) Thanksgiving is a fun time to add something new because I usually have a little extra time with school being out and the excitement of the upcoming holiday season takes over.  So I thought this would be a perfect time to have a recipe exchange.  I'd love to see your tried and true recipes or even something new that you haven't tried but would like to.  I know there are many wonderful cooks out there with recipe boxes full of inspiration. Please share your recipes in the comments here or better yet, on the September Acres Facebook page . Fell free to

Thanksgiving is right around the corner (3 weeks away!)   Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year or visiting someone for the day?

I am not a huge list maker.  I make a grocery list - which often gets let at home (anyone else?) - other than that I am hit or miss. I like post-it notes and use them in my Home Management Notebook for my "to-do's". I use  index cards  for making lists sometimes.  I have never quite gotten into using my phone or computer for my lists.  No matter where you keep your lists, they are a key to keeping organized.   Try making lists to keep yourself (and your family) on track for some of these tasks: Groceries - Saves money & time.  If you don't lose it! Errands  -Saves money & time.  And driving around in circles. Cleaning/Chores  -  Clean Mama  has some wonderful printables (some free) to help keep you on track. Gifts  - Saves money & time. Holiday Greeting Cards  - Keep track of who you send cards to each year and who you receive cards from if you'd like. I do keep this kind of list each year- it makes it easy to know who gets cards ea