August Rudolph Day

Oh my goodness, it's been a YEAR since I put up a Rudolph Day post!

What's Rudolph Day? Here is the definition according to Organized Christmas:

A few years ago, members of our Christmas community began to observe "Rudolph Day" on the 25th of each month.

On that day, we take a few moments to plan some simple tasks for the month ahead, in order to get ready for Christmas Day with plenty of time to spare. By starting early--and working a bit at a time on each month's Rudolph Day--it's easy to prepare for Christmas, save money on gifts, and cut holiday stress.

Here's the annual line-up with the sub-theme in parentheses:

January - Tie Up Loose Ends (gather ideas and organize your Christmas notebook)

February - Begin a Holiday Letter

March - Birthday Gift-Buying Strategy (party planning for the holiday season)

April - Plan Holiday Crafts 

May - Catalog Shopping Tips

June - Recipe Round Up

July - Choose a Holiday Plan (Christmas in July celebration)

August - Craft Control (thinking ahead to Elf on the Shelf)

September - Prepare for Holiday Gifts and Giving

October - Plan Holiday Meals

November - Write Holiday Letter

The bottom line is...prepare for Christmas by doing something every month and make the 25th of each month a Rudolph Day by doing something Christmas-y!  This month, it's time for some craft control - get those supplies organized and ready for any craft projects you plan to complete before Christmas.  For those of you who have fun with the little guy or gal in the red suit, it's time to think about what mischief he or she will get up to in December.

This has to be one of my favorites from our Elf in the Shelf days:

Here's another reminder about the holiday plans and links to each one - the two big ones are just a week away:

Holiday Grand Plan (starts Sunday, September 1)

House & Holidays Plan (also starts Sunday, September 1)

Christmas Countdown (starts Sunday, October 27)

I spent the day getting my Christmas planner organized with the printables for the House & Holidays Plan and added the Christmas Countdown sheets in there as well to be ahead of the game.  This month's movie was Love the Coopers, it was open in the DVD closet but I don't remember ever watching it before.  It was ok, won't make my top ten but it had a cute ending.

Here's a sneak peak at my planner - I've been meaning to put up a Christmas planner organization post, it's coming soon.

I love my Christmas planner clips from Cherry Blossom in the Market Square on Etsy.

That's me!

Life Last Week #28

Hello everyone!  It's been a while but I'm back and with a renewed commitment to my blog (if I say it, you'll hold me accountable, right?).  I've missed you all; tried to read posts when I had a few minutes but time has been limited so forgive me and rest assured, I'll get around to visiting everyone as soon as I can.  Get more organized - that's my fall resolution.

Here's a photo I took in Newport from Castle Hill - gorgeous view, how lovely to sit in one of those chairs and just watch the scene on the bay.  Summer is coming to an end, school supplies are in every shop, some districts have already gone back to school, and soon the supplies will be whisked away and pumpkins, bats, and spiders will abound.  Pumpkin Spice Lattes will appear announcing fall, the changing of the leaves, and the run-up to the holidays.  How did time whiz by so quickly?  Wasn't it just January when I stood on the rain-soaked pier to wave goodbye to Vic and his shipmates?  Since then, he's been to Guam, South Korea, Singapore, the Philippines, and Hawaii and returned safely to Washington.  His new orders are here and Virginia beckons.  I have moved from the job I held for ten months into a temporary promotion that now has the real potential to be a permanent assignment.  The vacancy announcement was posted this week and my application was dispatched for consideration.  I think I stand a pretty good chance, the only obstacle being a military spouse candidate who has the qualifications to do the job and would have priority under the Military Spouse Priority Placement Program.  I have a backup, the opportunity for a position in another department for six months while one of my co-workers is on maternity leave, so we'll see what happens.  Vic and I have some decisions to make - neither one of us is overly thrilled about being separated again but we are thinking long-term and have set up several key events that will happen to help us determine that long-term plan.  Step one is to resolve my job status.

Sophia is busy moving into a new apartment and waiting for her new roommate prospect to pass the leasing company's application screening.  She has a full load of classes scheduled for the fall quarter, her last fall quarter as all being well, she will graduate in the summer.

I'm moving Life Last Week from Monday to Sunday and I'm toying with a regular blog schedule, details coming soon.  I'd like to have some regularly-scheduled categories during the week and then add to them as topics come to me.

It's an opportune time for me to take to the keyboard again as the Ready for Christmas:  House & Holidays Plan begins today.  This is Week One:  Planning and Paperwork - perfect timing!  I feel like I should see the words "This one's for you, Pamela" written under the title.  The goal this week is to clean, organize, and de-clutter the home office or planning area.  Yes!  How did they know that mine is in desperate need of cleaning and organizing?  It's also time to begin the basics of holiday planning:  values, budget, and gift list.  I've got the framework of these going so I feel that I'm off to a good start.  Leave me a comment if you're planning to join in.

Have a great week!