Tips on a Stress Free Holiday Season

For many of us the holiday season is truly a wonderful time of year, but it is also a stressful time of year.  I know that often times when the stress gets to me that I no longer enjoy the spirit of the season and get bogged down in getting things done 'perfect'.  I get lost in the details instead of simply enjoying it all.  So each year I strive to "de-stress" my holiday season.  Each year it gets a bit less stressful and a bit more enjoyable.

Here are some tips for keeping your season a bit less stressful.

Be Realistic:
Families change and grow, adjust your expectations with those changes.
Set realistic goals for family traditions.  Sure it's nice to be able to include all 100 various family traditions handed down from generation to generation.   If those traditions are going to add stress instead of enjoyment, however, it no longer is fun.  So be practical and realistic.  Pick a handful of traditions you would like to share and enjoy with your loved ones and get rid of the rest.
Don't try and do it all.  Whatever that "all" might be for you.  Accept that there are only 24 hours in the day and no one can possibly do it all.

Pace your Work Load:
There are 24 days leading up to Christmas, so pace your work load.  Make a list of all the things you need/want/desire to accomplish and spread out the work load over the 24 days leading up to the big day.  When broken down into smaller more manageable pieces its easy to accomplish many things and enjoyable at the same time.

Share the Work Load:
Figure out which items you must do yourself, which items you can hire out for, and which ones you can share with a loved one.  And then delegate.

If you are like me delegating is probably one of the hardest things to do.  I have a definite problem in letting go of control with regard to all things holiday and family related.  Yet I know that in order to focus on the big picture and remain sane throughout the holidays, some amount of delegation is necessary.

Throw Away The White Gloves:
No one is going to care if your home passes the white glove test, but everyone will care about having a great time and enjoying that time with you.  If you are too busy making sure everything is perfect and can pass the white glove test you will likely miss out on some of the best moments of the holiday season.

Schedule any heavy cleaning to be done at least 5 days prior to the holiday.  Then 2 days before the holiday go back over the carpets, floors, and bathrooms.  The day of your holiday hostings, dust lightly, straighten up the bathroom and kitchen areas again, and do a once over on the floors.  All else will fall into place.

Stick to a budget:
If you haven't already set your budget for the holiday season, don't delay.  One of the biggest stressors for people is money and debt.  No one wants to be paying into the new year for the holiday that they enjoyed today.  So set a budget, make it realistic, and stick to the budget.

Stay Healthy:
It's a difficult time of year for germs, and if you get sick then you won't be able to enjoy even one moment of the holiday.  So take your vitamins, eat well, get enough sleep, drink plenty of fluids, and stay healthy.

Have Fun:
Last but definitely not least is have fun.  If you aren't enjoying yourself chances are you shouldn't be hosting that holiday in the first place.  Holidays are meant to be enjoyed, so relax, sit back, and enjoy.  Everything else can wait five minutes.

Friday Favorites

Shorten Jeans and Keep the original hem - This is a fabulous way to keep the original hem on pants or jeans but still make alterations to them.

Use a Golf Tee to Fix a Door Hinge  - how to fix that wiggle door when the screw has been stripped and left with a hole that won't hold anything

10 Simple Things to Make You Happier at Home  - nice list of simple things

Learn to Sew - an eight part series on learning to sew

Heirloom Tomato Pizza - from Martha Stewart

Friday Favorites

10 Habits for a Well Run Home -  and to stay sane
Natural Pantry - from Whole Living - items to stock up and create a natural pantry
Salted Honey Butter Popcorn -  sounds just yummy
Illustrated Knife Skills - just a nice illustration of knife skills
Veggie Cooking Cheat Sheet - for boiled, steamed or microwaved veggies - this lists them and times of how long to cook

Friday Favorites

10 Organizing Mantras to Help You Cut Clutter and Get More Done -   good list to help motivate and get more done
Folding a Napkin like a Bunny from Martha Stewart - just so cute I couldn't resist adding to Friday Favorites
50 New Uses for Old Things from Real Simple - some really good ideas such as using an old tape cassette for keeping your earphones or ipod wires neat  or using a tooth brush (clean of course) as a vegetable brush
Smart Gardner - I haven't had time to check this website out fully but just the little bit that I have looked at - looks interesting and helpful.   It can help plan your garden from start to finish. You tell it where you live it tells you what to plant and when, designs your garden for you and gives you daily reminders of what to do to your garden.
Raspberry Breakfast Bars - from Smitten Kitchen that look delish
Choosing an Eco-Friendly Pillow - a good article on finding an eco-friendly pillow  from Whole Living

March Question Month: To-do Lists

Anonymous asks: When you can't keep your focus or get overwhelmed by the endless to-do list, what helps on stay on track to get it all done?

For me, it helps to break those overwhelming lists into smaller lists. Instead of focusing on the big picture and ultimately throwing in the towel because it seems an impossible task, I rewrite the lists into manageable portions. You can divide daily tasks into morning and afternoon tasks. Do one weekly task a day. You can assign bigger projects to one afternoon a week, or one weekend day.

Prioritize things with the help of the ones who care. For instance, I might think that it's a huge deal that I don't dust every single day, when Master only thinks it's necessary to dust once a week. I can then scratch dusting off of the daily chore list, guilt-free. If you've really just got too much on your plate, sit down and figure out which things have to go. There really are only so many hours in the day, and so much energy to go around. Maybe that 3 acre garden needs seriously downsized. Maybe the artsy side business needs to be shelved for a few years. Maybe every night home-cooking organic and creative meals can wait until the mandatory overtime at work is cut out. Maybe hiring a once a week/once a month maid service is feasible and opens up time to rejuvenate.

Find out what makes things go a little more smoothly. If shopping day is Monday, then Sunday night means going to bed with morning chores completed; then Monday doesn't feel so rushed. If certain days of the week run later and making dinner is stressful on those days, choose another day that has more time and make a meal ahead of time, or make a double batch a few nights (which is barely any extra work at all) and pop them in the freezer.

Sometimes I use a timer to help. I can set the timer for 15 or 30 minute intervals and spend that much time tackling one huge task that I find overwhelming, like organizing a closet or storeroom. Looking at it in terms of minutes rather than completion helps me to find the gumption to go at it. I can do anything for 15 minutes. If I want to work at it longer, I do, but I don't allow myself to quit until the timer goes off. And if it takes me several days to complete it, that's okay. I AM completing it and that's the bottom line, plus I'm not crabby, tired, frustrated or irritable in the process. Nor am I doing it at the expense of ignoring other necessary chores.

Delegate, delegate, delegate. Got kids? Use them. My 2 yr old granddaughter loves to put the silverware away when I unload the dishwasher. She likes matching the spoons and forks and she loves to help. Win-win. My older kids do their own laundry, which cut down significantly on my loads. When my son walks to the bus stop, he takes the garbage out with him. When my daughter goes to take a shower, she scoops the litter box. Streamline it for them, too, and there is less balking.

Good luck!

Friday Favorites

Declutter Calendar 2012 - I could just link to the calendar. I have signed up for it and got the link but this person wants you to sign up so real easy - email and name. And if you haven't already create an email for things like that you sign up for that you don't necessarily want to spam your regular email account.  I have an account that I give whenever a store or restaurant wants an email address to get coupons.  I use it for these kind of things too. Anyway - the calendar is great each day it just has one thing like January 10th is "Clear off the top of a nightstand",  April 13th is declutter cookbooks and each day has tasks like those.

52 Weeks to an Organized Home - another of the same vain as above.  You can sign up to have it delivered to your email but if you scroll beyond that there is the link to the post for each week. 

31 Days to a Better Grocery Budget - just as the title says. Posts help you to a better grocery budget.

Creating the Perfect Plans by TinyBuddha -  Just a good life lesson on things not always working out and being perfect.

Granola Bars - looks like a good recipe for Granola Bars

Tuesday Tips: New Year's Edition

In lieu of the regular Tuesday Tips post, I wanted to change it up a bit and make it more personal. I came across an article that seemed to fit in with the theme of the New Year when people are prone to making resolutions. This isn't a list of things to do-it's a list of things to stop doing.

30 Things to Stop Doing to Yourself by Marc 

Stop spending time with the wrong people. – Life is too short to spend time with people who suck the happiness out of you. If someone wants you in their life, they’ll make room for you. You shouldn’t have to fight for a spot. Never, ever insist yourself to someone who continuously overlooks your worth. And remember, it’s not the people that stand by your side when you’re at your best, but the ones who stand beside you when you’re at your worst that are your true friends.

Stop running from your problems. – Face them head on. No, it won’t be easy. There is no person in the world capable of flawlessly handling every punch thrown at them. We aren’t supposed to be able to instantly solve problems. That’s not how we’re made. In fact, we’re made to get upset, sad, hurt, stumble and fall. Because that’s the whole purpose of living – to face problems, learn, adapt, and solve them over the course of time. This is what ultimately molds us into the person we become.

Stop lying to yourself. – You can lie to anyone else in the world, but you can’t lie to yourself. Our lives improve only when we take chances, and the first and most difficult chance we can take is to be honest with ourselves.

Stop putting your own needs on the back burner. – The most painful thing is losing yourself in the process of loving someone too much, and forgetting that you are special too. Yes, help others; but help yourself too. If there was ever a moment to follow your passion and do something that matters to you, that moment is now.

Stop trying to be someone you’re not. – One of the greatest challenges in life is being yourself in a world that’s trying to make you like everyone else. Someone will always be prettier, someone will always be smarter, someone will always be younger, but they will never be you. Don’t change so people will like you. Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.

Stop trying to hold onto the past. – You can’t start the next chapter of your life if you keep re-reading your last one.

Stop being scared to make a mistake. – Doing something and getting it wrong is at least ten times more productive than doing nothing. Every success has a trail of failures behind it, and every failure is leading towards success. You end up regretting the things you did NOT do far more than the things you did.

Stop berating yourself for old mistakes. – We may love the wrong person and cry about the wrong things, but no matter how things go wrong, one thing is for sure, mistakes help us find the person and things that are right for us. We all make mistakes, have struggles, and even regret things in our past. But you are not your mistakes, you are not your struggles, and you are here NOW with the power to shape your day and your future. Every single thing that has ever happened in your life is preparing you for a moment that is yet to come.

Stop trying to buy happiness. – Many of the things we desire are expensive. But the truth is, the things that really satisfy us are totally free – love, laughter and working on our passions.

Stop exclusively looking to others for happiness. – If you’re not happy with who you are on the inside, you won’t be happy in a long-term relationship with anyone else either. You have to create stability in your own life first before you can share it with someone else.

Stop being idle. – Don’t think too much or you’ll create a problem that wasn’t even there in the first place. Evaluate situations and take decisive action. You cannot change what you refuse to confront. Making progress involves risk. Period! You can’t make it to second base with your foot on first.

Stop thinking you’re not ready. – Nobody ever feels 100% ready when an opportunity arises. Because most great opportunities in life force us to grow beyond our comfort zones, which means we won’t feel totally comfortable at first.

Stop getting involved in relationships for the wrong reasons. – Relationships must be chosen wisely. It’s better to be alone than to be in bad company. There’s no need to rush. If something is meant to be, it will happen – in the right time, with the right person, and for the best reason. Fall in love when you’re ready, not when you’re lonely.

Stop rejecting new relationships just because old ones didn’t work. – In life you’ll realize that there is a purpose for everyone you meet. Some will test you, some will use you and some will teach you. But most importantly, some will bring out the best in you.

Stop trying to compete against everyone else. – Don’t worry about what others doing better than you. Concentrate on beating your own records every day. Success is a battle between YOU and YOURSELF only.

Stop being jealous of others. – Jealousy is the art of counting someone else’s blessings instead of your own. Ask yourself this: “What’s something I have that everyone wants?”

Stop complaining and feeling sorry for yourself. – Life’s curveballs are thrown for a reason – to shift your path in a direction that is meant for you. You may not see or understand everything the moment it happens, and it may be tough. But reflect back on those negative curveballs thrown at you in the past. You’ll often see that eventually they led you to a better place, person, state of mind, or situation. So smile! Let everyone know that today you are a lot stronger than you were yesterday, and you will be.

Stop holding grudges. – Don’t live your life with hate in your heart. You will end up hurting yourself more than the people you hate. Forgiveness is not saying, “What you did to me is okay.” It is saying, “I’m not going to let what you did to me ruin my happiness forever.” Forgiveness is the answer… let go, find peace, liberate yourself! And remember, forgiveness is not just for other people, it’s for you too. If you must, forgive yourself, move on and try to do better next time.

Stop letting others bring you down to their level. – Refuse to lower your standards to accommodate those who refuse to raise theirs.

Stop wasting time explaining yourself to others. – Your friends don’t need it and your enemies won’t believe it anyway. Just do what you know in your heart is right.

Stop doing the same things over and over without taking a break. – The time to take a deep breath is when you don’t have time for it. If you keep doing what you’re doing, you’ll keep getting what you’re getting. Sometimes you need to distance yourself to see things clearly.

Stop overlooking the beauty of small moments. – Enjoy the little things, because one day you may look back and discover they were the big things. The best portion of your life will be the small, nameless moments you spend smiling with someone who matters to you.

Stop trying to make things perfect. – The real world doesn’t reward perfectionists, it rewards people who get things done.

Stop following the path of least resistance. – Life is not easy, especially when you plan on achieving something worthwhile. Don’t take the easy way out. Do something extraordinary.

Stop acting like everything is fine if it isn’t. – It’s okay to fall apart for a little while. You don’t always have to pretend to be strong, and there is no need to constantly prove that everything is going well. You shouldn’t be concerned with what other people are thinking either – cry if you need to – it’s healthy to shed your tears. The sooner you do, the sooner you will be able to smile again.

Stop blaming others for your troubles. – The extent to which you can achieve your dreams depends on the extent to which you take responsibility for your life. When you blame others for what you’re going through, you deny responsibility – you give others power over that part of your life.

Stop trying to be everything to everyone. – Doing so is impossible, and trying will only burn you out. But making one person smile CAN change the world. Maybe not the whole world, but their world. So narrow your focus.

Stop worrying so much. – Worry will not strip tomorrow of its burdens, it will strip today of its joy. One way to check if something is worth mulling over is to ask yourself this question: “Will this matter in one year’s time? Three years? Five years?” If not, then it’s not worth worrying about.

Stop focusing on what you don’t want to happen. – Focus on what you do want to happen. Positive thinking is at the forefront of every great success story. If you awake every morning with the thought that something wonderful will happen in your life today, and you pay close attention, you’ll often find that you’re right.

Stop being ungrateful. – No matter how good or bad you have it, wake up each day thankful for your life. Someone somewhere else is desperately fighting for theirs. Instead of thinking about what you’re missing, try thinking about what you have that everyone else is missing.

Shared from Marc and Angel Hack Life.

Happy New Year!

Friday Favorites

I apologize for lack of posts this summer. It always seems the summer gets away from me so that my best laid plans often get toppled. So some times I just have to accept that I am doing the best I can with the time I have. Hopefully thing get back to normal and all the unfinished posts I have will be completed. But for now here is a Friday Favorites post.

Overwhelmed by Your To-Do List - tiny Buddha posts help me with my mental, emotional

Homemade Lemon Pepper - Jouet passed this link on and now I am sharing it here. We love lemon pepper and use it all the time - I would love to make it homemade. The rest of the blog has so many recipes that look great.

National Center for Home Food Preservation - this website has info on drying, freezing,canning, curing, smoking and several other ways to preservation. Just a huge resource.

Tip for washing Trash Cans

How to Clean Your Bathtub with a Grapefruit and Salt - just looks like an interesting cleaning method

Friday Favorites

Specialty Bottle - I found this site and was really happy. I have been searching for a gallon jar without a spout for a while. And it is hard to find a gallon. Find half gallon or smaller but not gallon in my area. This site has so many different kinds of bottles. I saw many uses. Look at the bottom of their home page - they have Martha Stewart using their bottles for many entertaining ideas.

Curbly - is a site I just started exploring. But have found some interesting articles on it. From the about section: "Curbly is a Web community for people who love where they live. Curbly is the best place to share pictures of your home, find design ideas, and get expert home-improvement advice."

How to Stop Comparing Yourself to Others - this was geared towards creative types but I think it really works for everyone. It is such a hard thing to conquer at times the comparison game. And although it might seem like a strange link to put here I think we can get caught up it in service - all types of service.

Making your Own Reusable Swiffer Dusters and Mop Covers - a little tutorial on how to do make them

Cooking Light Taco Party Menu - menu includes Blackberry Margaritas,Baked Black Beans with Chorizo, Flank Steak Tacos, Chimichurri Halibut Tacos, Cabbage Slaw, Grilled Pineapple-Avocado Salsa, Pineapple-Mint Sangria Sorbet - so many good recipes and a taco party is great for entertaining

Friday Favorites

A to Z - How to Decorate Series - A to Z has gathered some great bloggers together to do a month long series on decorating

TinyBuddha.com: Being Hard on Yourself - "focus on progress, not perfection–to forgive myself when I’ve gotten negative, and then start anew from right where I stand."

180 Popsicle Recipes - link up to recipes for homemade popsicles to cool off for the summer

Vermontucky Lemonade - from Smitten Kitchen - just looks like a great summertime cocktail

DIY Concrete Garden Spheres - from Design Sponge

Metamorphosis

On a snowy day, over 2 years ago, I lost my job. It was a job I loved and prided over. I felt good with every paycheck I brought home and every good deed I did. It fulfilled me and gave me a source of confidence. On that day I was crushed.

The day after the loss was a turning point for myself and my Master. He decided that I would begin a new career, one that was not based on physical income, but of building his home and filling it with warmth, comfort and organization. I was to become his stay-at-home submissive. I admit that it was a lovely dream of mine to be his domestic slave, but nothing I ever entertained as every happening. He on the other had had it in the plans from the very beginning. It was not big deal for him to move that into place earlier than he planned.

It was overwhelming. Not only did I not think I was service-minded AT ALL, but that it would now become my everyday job. To say I struggled would be an understatement.

The first thing that changed is that I had a new higher standard of clean. It’s so much easier to say well I’ve been at work all day, vacuuming can wait till the weekend. Not so when you have nothing to your day but home care. I started reading up on the right way to clean, and how clean were things with the way I was doing it. Turns out... not very clean at all. I retaught myself to dust and clean and sanitize. I learned to notice messes before they got too big and to keep the dishes washed.

I pulled out a binder and started making a home care journal. I put everything in it, I organized my days down to the hour sometimes. I wrote how-tos on anything I needed to remember. Little did I know I was putting the cart before the horse. I had no idea of time management when it came to household duties. And the computer lured me into wasting hours of days that I could have been learning and perfecting my new job.

I slid into laziness. Then I’d pick up the binder again and give it another go. It was just too much too fast. So I started again. I thought maybe if I focused more on setting hours in the day to work I’d get more done. I used the kitchen timer to keep me on task. But I burned out fast. I almost gave up.

It put a huge strain on our relationship. I was failing but couldn’t understand why. I asked to go back to work; at least there I felt that I was contributing to the house. He didn’t see it that way. My job was to make him happy and he was happy with me right here at home all day. I pushed at my service. I tried to make sense of how I could be a service submissive and if it was compatible with my own vision of myself. He declined my pleas to find a job several more times.

And I started yet again. This time with routines. One for before bed and one for the morning. These worked amazingly well and I still do them today. The house was a bit more organized from that day on. I added a daily cleaning list with basic chores that had to be done every day. I started to see my home duties as a job.

And that was the turning point. Through my struggle, backsliding and lack of motivation I never saw what I was doing as my job. It was chores, it was housework and it was never good enough for me because I couldn’t see the monetary income from it. But then, I realized that there was a lot of intangible income I was providing. I kept to a budget, I saved money on food, gas, and homecare items. I started making my own cleaners, knitting and mending instead of purchasing. I learned to scratch cook a lot of food we’d waste our money on going out for.

We were happy, Master was thrilled with me being home and as I realized that I began to be happy. My routines still drive me everyday to get everything accomplished and it even leaves my afternoons free to write and work on my websites. I live a joyful life. It’s not always roses and sometimes I wish I had a larger household budget, but I make do with what I’m given. I’m pleased with the things I make and wonder why I would ever buy them again. We eat healthier, cheaper and made from scratch food. I clean with safer cleaners that have a smaller impact on the environment.

Best yet, I’ve embraced being of service to him in the home. I love my job and I’m glad he stuck it out with me through all the pushing against it. I’m living my dream and I never thought it would be reality or that I’d be happy with it. My job is building a happy, stress-free life in a hectic fast-paced world.

BIO: lunaKM is a stay-at-home full-time submissive in a D/s relationship. She has been writing about her personal submission since 2003 and is editor of Submissive Guide where self-help and submissive exploration are emphasized for novice and experienced submissive alike. You can contact her on FetLife or via email at subguide@gmail.com.

Friday Favorites

5 Ways to Get Yourself Motivated to Clean - I will say that I have used a few of these before.

How I cut my Grocery Bill by 75% - I think it has some really good ideas. And good ideas that don't do everything at once. The planning your menu backwards - I have done many times. It is a good one when trying to save money because buying a deal and then cooking from it instead of planning a menu that doesn't use anything that is one sale.

Gardening Guides - now that spring is upon us - I know many are starting to garden. I thought this site had a lot of good info.

65 Cheap Healthy One Dish Meals - She has a list of links to some a variety of one dish meals.

Low-Cost Kitchen Crafts Ebook for FREE - I haven't had a chance to look at it but a FREE ebook is always worth a look to me


I am going out of town and won't be back until after Easter. I hope to have the spring cleaning lists ready to go and post while I am gone. (Crossing my fingers I have time to get those ready.) If not, then I will get to them as soon as I get home. If you have any questions, please leave a comment on a post and one of the other wonderful ladies will be happy to help you.

Friday Favorites

Lisa's Kitchen - After posting yesterdays review of the Moosewood Restaurant cookbook, it made me realize that I hadn't posted this website before. It has a lot of really good recipes for vegetarians. I also look at them for meals for us when we go meatless or some to add as a side dish.

Free Printable Book Plates - We love books around here. And in the past I have lost a few books due to lending. But having a book plate in them helps those you lend them to remember the owner of the book. These are also stylish without being overly girly.

Wine 4 Beginners - I saw this website mentioned by another blogger so checked it out. It is what it says it - Wine 4 Beginners.

Appreciate your Imperfect World - I don't think we shouldn't strive for excellence in everything we do but there are some things here that I know I should remember.

Vintage Sewing Info - Okay this is a wealth of information on vintage sewing. It has many books online that I know I would never get to see in person. And I am sure I could learn a lot from many of these books.

6 Changes

After posting Friday Favorites yesterday I was reading a website that linked to this website....6 Changes. And it is a website that many of us would like and could. It is a website about creating 6 new habits for 2010. Now I am not one for resolutions but I am for setting goals anytime of the year. And so I think this website would help in creating those goals and working towards the end result.

What goals do you have set for yourself?

Friday Favorites (on Saturday Morning)

Last night our internet went out just as I was going to post Friday Favorites so...here they are on Saturday morning instead.



Get Organized - This is a long list of tips to get organized in the new year. I repeat it is a long list. It might overwhelm so I would just read it through and pick 1 to 5 things you want to accomplish and then when you do those come back and pick a few more.

Top Ten Organizing Resolutions for the New Year - I really think 7, 8 and 9 are good for all but also a very good reminder for those of us in service.

Organized Home - also has some great tips and articles on organizing for the year.

Clickable House - Click on a room of the house and it gets you tips for organizing that room.

Storage Solutions for Your Home - some tips on creating and looking for storage solutions for your home

DIY Storage Solutions - a list of projects to create more storage in your home

and I will end with a recipe that I think I want to make for brunch tomorrow...

Brown Sugar Pancakes

Out of Control

Well I am up at 3am because there are not enough hours in the day for me right now. I think we all go through those times where things just aren't going smoothly. And you have so much on your plate you don't know where to start.

That is where I am at right now. Last year I was ahead in all my holiday prep....this year a string of events happened that cause me to get so behind that I have to basically make up 3 weeks of work in one. We haven't even got our tree up yet which is unusual.

Just posting this to let you know I may love all things domestic but I fall behind and don't do a good job at always juggling all my priorities. And so sometimes I have to do things like stay up until 3am.

What do you do when you have too much to do? How do you stay organized to get it all done?

Newsletters

I am signed up for quite a few email newsletters so I thought I would share them all with you. I like opening them up scanning to see if anything jumps out at me. And then I save them in a folder in my mailbox if I like something or if it really inspires me for the moment - I print it right away.

Allrecipes.com
* Daily Dish - This one is just what it says daily dish - I don't get it anymore but did for years (others below are what I get now). It has one meat recipe and an added one too sometimes vegetarian recipe, sometimes just another recipe that would be good with it it or a quicker version. And then it has a few links to sides that would go them. This actually has saved me a few times when I was completely clueless on what I was going to make for dinner. This one of course is delivered daily.

* Healthy Bites - Again what the name implies healthy recipes. It is delivered weekly.

* Slow Cooker - Seasonal recipes, tips, and ideas for using your Slow Cooker year-round that is delivered weekly. I just started this one not too long ago and haven't seen many recipes so far that have really got my attention. But I love using my slow cooker so don't doubt I will find some inspiration from it.


They also have several others that I don't get. But at the holidays I do sign up for the cookie countdown.

MarthaStewart.com has are probably my favorite daily/weekly emails I get. If you go to MarthStewart.com and go to the top menu tabs: subscribe. Click that and scroll down to newsletters. Click on any of them and it will give you options to sign up for many more then just that one. For some reason I am not finding a link to just all the different options.

From MarthaStewart.com I get:
* Martha Stewart Living - A weekly newsletter of the best recipes, crafts, and decorating ideas.

* Everyday Food - A weekly newsletter for easy and quick meals. Plus dessert recipes, cooking tips and techniques.

* Whole Living - A weekly newsletter with ideas, recipes and tips for living a balanced and healthy lifestyle.

* Craft of the Day - Which is just as it sounds I get an email with a link to the craft of the day. That has instructions and sometimes video with it.

* Organizing Tip of the Day - And this one is by far my favorite an email that arrives daily with an organizing tip.

* Dinner Tonight - a daily email with a dinner recipe. This one has saved me a few times. Through either making it or at least sparking an idea I had in the house to make.

I also am signed up for many of her holiday newsletters. Umm I like Martha Stewart's newsletters can you tell?

Cooking Light's Dinner Tonight - again daily that gives ideas for dinner - except these are healthy.

And I am also signed up My Recipes Chicken Tonight as we have chicken a lot. That you can get to at the link above.

Myrecipes.com has quite a few newsletters but those are the only 2 I get at this time. But have thought about getting the home tips one though.


Kraft Food and Family - I got this because I had their magazine - which used to be free but now they charge for it. Even if I don't always use their products it sometimes gives me a starting off point for meals...that are easy.

And then I get Daily Diabetic Recipes - because often they are healthy recipes with lots of flavor to them. I have probably made more recipes from them then any of the other newsletters I get. And we are not diabetic either. They are just are healthy recipes.

And then also I get the Ideal Bite one that I mentioned here recently.

And then I get Better Homes and Garden's 100 Days of Holidays - which is an email I think it starts the first day of fall(?) and then goes all the way to New Years. And it has decorating, entertaining, recipes, crafts, kid projects, party ideas and so on for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.

There are a TON of newsletters to sign up for there. But I really I never noticed until now - because I signed up for the 100 Days through my magazine subscription. There was a link listed in it for the 100 Days that looked fun. And really I have enjoyed it a lot. I made a few craft projects for Thanksgiving last year. And a couple Halloween recipes. This year I hope to do more or their ideas.

I also get 2 daily emails that aren't domestic but they do help keep me centered and positve outlook on life. One is from Daily Om and the other is Notes from the Universe.

That is it. I know it is quite a few but it really just takes me moments to open them up and scan them. And frankly I hit delete on quite a few. But then there is something in several that spark my interest enough to look further.

Do you have any newsletters you would like to share? I obviously need some more. :)

A Service Book of Days

I have been wanting to participate in namaste's Book of Days. But have never had the time to sit down to do it. I decided to make a few minutes available to join in. If you want to join in, I suggest you go to this entry that has it listed for easy cut and paste. And explains a little about it.

I think it is relevant to domestic servitude because it can help create focus and a clear plan for the week ahead.

Outside my window... (weather, what do you hear, what do you see?) It is a Sunny, hot day

my thoughts... are preparing Master and myself to go out of town for work: making lists, gathering things and packing

Today's Quote... “Our thoughts create our reality -- where we put our focus is the direction we tend to go.” ~ Peter McWilliams

i am thankful for...for getting a good night sleep last night - after having several nights in a row where I couldn't sleep well.

From my service training... (any skills, training etc; notes you want to share this week) - this week will be about organization. Lists, keeping track of all Master's equipment, set up and take down.

From the kitchen... (menu for the week, what are you cooking?) Since we will be out of town this week - nothing on the menu except for tonight. Tonight we are having brats on the grill and baked beans

i am creating... (crafts, sewing etc;) - Mail Love: I sent out thank you notes today for people who have been especially kind to me.

my adventures this week... (where are you going this week?) Denver

Becoming well read... (What are you reading this week?) Martha Stewart's Encyclopedia of Crafts: An A-to-Z Guide with Detailed Instructions and Endless Inspiration and Dragonfly Amber by Diana Gabaldon

i manifest and co-create... (what are your hopes, dreams, and prayers this week) I hope to have and help create a smooth week without a lot of bumps in the road

Todays Melody... (what music are you listening to? even if it's just the sound of a bird...) Master's voice on the phone - but was listening to U2

One of my favorite things... sending out mail love, the perfect birthday card for a dear friend, photos of my family

further plans for this week... Just keeping focused and organized for this busy week ahead of Master and I

Still....life (share a picture you've taken OR a picture you found online that speaks to you)
A photo I took on my trip...

What To Do When You Don't Know What To Do.

How do you tackle your to-do list when you are overwhelmed and don't know where to start?

I'm probably going to echo a lot of what Danae and Jouet said but that's because it's good advice- and it works!

* Make a list. There are a couple of reasons why I like the list. One- Trying to remember everything is difficult, and if, at the end of the day, I've forgotten something, it weighs me down. Two- There is immense satisfaction in being able to cross things OFF the list. Actually seeing the list dwindle makes me feel productive.

* Prioritize the list. If you're in a relationship like mine, I have Master prioritize it if I'm not able to. All I do is say "I have a lot to do today and I'm not sure I'll have time to do it all. Would you point out to me which items are an absolute 'must-do'?" It never fails to surprise me how often I'd have done it differently. What I probably would have put at the top of his priority list, he'll drop to the bottom. This way, if all I can manage to accomplish are a couple of things, at least they are the things that mattered most to him. I'm then not left thinking that I ran my butt off all day and still failed to please him.

*Split the list into categories (ie. Daily, Long Term, Outdoors, etc.) Because we have such unpredictable weather here, the Outdoor list will sometimes take priority over the Daily list. Also, I try and start at least one item on the long term list every day.

Splitting the list up helps me from feeling overwhelmed. I get to cross things off my Daily list (and watch it dwindle) while still accomplishing something on the Long Term list without becoming overly involved in the lower-prioritzed Long Term projects.

* Set a timer. This is often how I start those Long Term projects. I'll set the timer for 15 or 20 minutes and work on that proeject. One project I have to do is to clean out and reorganize the laundry room. In 15 minutes, I can finish one shelf. When the timer goes off, I stop what I'm doing and return to the Daily list. This way, I'm not looking at the laundry room chore as a day or two long tedious project and I'm not overwhelmed at trying to figure out how I'm going to do that room, plus do the Daily list, plus run errands, etc. It'll still get done, and I'm enjoying it as I do it.

* Do the distasteful stuff first. I find if I do the chores that I hate first, I can then zip through the rest with a lighter attitude. If that icky chore is hanging over my head, I'll slug my way through the other stuff trying to put off getting to that chore that I hate. Or, I'll be tired enough from doing everything else that I'll talk myself out of doing it at all.

* Accept it. Accept that you will always have a to-do list. Attitude goes a long way in making the unpleasant turn pleasant.

* On that same note, take care of yourself so that you can be positive. And if you need a break, a day with no chores, a flop on the couch with a good movie, take it! Everyone needs their batteries recharged.

You could even put yourself on your own to-do list. High priority, of course! ;-)

tackling your to-do list

How do you tackled your to-do list when you are overwhelmed and don't know where to start?

Make a list: I write out everything I need to do, and list out the components of a task if it’s too general. ‘Spring cleaning’ is too vague- I break that down into individual tasks so I can estimate how much time each one will take. Then I prioritize the list. Ideally, I’d try to do one high priority a day and if time permits, a quick low/medium priority item.

Review: Each morning, I review the list. Knowing what's on the list helps me take advantage of unexpected opportunities to tackle one of the items. My favorite software for lists are Google documents and RememberTheMilk.com. I can access those anywhere, they complement my Google calendar, and they can text me reminders. I also auto-populate reminders in my calendar for semi-annual items such as checking my credit report. If one day is so busy I can’t get to my list, I double up the next day. Items are crossed off the list as soon as they are done.

Do it smart: I bundle like tasks together. For example, if I’m running to drop off the dry cleaning, I’ll hit the bank right next door or I will clean out the fridge right before we do our next grocery shopping trip. If I can take a lunch break one week to knock out 4 errands, that’s worth it to me. I add to the list as I go along—including fun, relaxing and necessary things to make sure I am making the time to take care of me.

Bite size: I break it down into manageable bite sizes, and commit to at least 20 minutes a day to do what needs to be done. If a single task (ie: organize my closet) is overwhelming, then I break it down into tasks that can wrangle it under control.

So I might start with:

1. Remove laundry from closet, and do it as you can.
2. Remove items that are awaiting repair from closet into a designated box.
3. Drop off any items needing dry cleaning.
4. Organize shoes.
5. Organize purses.
6. Look for items you no longer wear- and figure out why you aren’t wearing them. Decide to store, donate or repair.
7. Evaluate current storage methods and find out why it’s not working (do you need a better system? more shelves or boxes?)

Create zones: I also create zones that I can clean easily- I may not have 90 minutes in one sitting to clean my room, but I can spend a quick 15-20 minutes focused time tidying up my desk or wiping down the bath before bed.

Take care of you: Get enough sleep, sex and exercise. Eat well. Snuggle. It just helps you deal better when you feel overwhelmed and unmotivated.