Tag: Autumn

Needles, Thread, and Halloween Dread (Just a Little!)

Leave a comment

Another week in October is DONE and it was another busy one: Donation pick-ups for the band fundraiser, setting up volunteers to sew/reinforce buttons on band uniforms, various doctor appointments for the kids, the Cross Country Leagues race, dinner with my granny and aunt…all good things.

Freshly-Quilted Quilts!

I picked up the freshly-quilted Penguin Party and Layer Cake Crepe quilts from the quilter and they look FABULOUS. I was pleasantly surprised, as was the quilter, that the Layer Cake Crepe quilt turned out so well…it’s kind of a boring pattern, but when you get the quilting done on it, it really starts to sing! I’m looking forward to binding those soon!

Rachel’s Graduation Quilt

I even managed to sneak in some sewing and I am ecstatic to report that the top and backing of Rachel’s Graduation Signature Quilt are pretty much DONE! I thought they were done-done, but then remembered I still have to appliqué a couple of late signature blocks to the quilt.

ASAP Projects

But I can’t get to any of those quilts until I finish up two projects: The Ward Harvest Party Chili Cook-Off Champion apron and the Band vests’ buttons.

Chili Cook-Off Champion Apron

The Ward Harvest (really: Halloween) Party is this week, and we always have a chili cook-off competition at the same time. I’m a huge fan of friendly competition, so I suggested we award some sort of prize with low-key bragging rights and volunteered to make Champion aprons for our various cooking competitions throughout the year. I made one for the cobbler contest we had at our Pioneer Day BBQ and it turned out super cute! I decided to go more gender-neutral on the chili apron because I think we’ll get a lot of guys participating and rick-rak isn’t a favored look by that demographic.

I was having a hard time motivating myself to work on the apron last week because I want to finish Rachel’s graduation quilt, and eventually I had to crowdsource some motivation from my family: Renaissance offered to “bully” me by refusing to watch the series we’re working through together UNLESS I was working on the chili apron. Worked wonders. Something went a little wonky with vinyl placement–shocker (vinyl is not my preferred creative medium!)–so I need to create and cut another little bit of the illustration to fill in an empty spot, but then it’ll be done.

Band Vest Button Reinforcements

The band vests aren’t that big of a deal, but they popped up out of nowhere and it’s just another thing I’m keeping tabs on until they’re done. Our director noticed that the buttons were wearing through their attaching stitches and asked if it was something we could fix before it became a bigger problem. I threw together a Facebook post asking for sewing volunteers. Some people offered to help, I told Nathaniel to bring the vests home from school, and the volunteers came to my house to pick up their assigned vests. No biggie. Love being part of a community that helps!

I did notice some vests were missing buttons, so I’ve taken over those particular ones. Of course, they’re satin-covered buttons that match the vests’ golden-butterscotch color, but I just got off the phone with the company that made the vests and it turns out you can just order the buttons from them. They will be here sometime next week and I’ll reattach them then.

Another Christmas Knitting Project

I also decided to throw prudence to the wind and commit to another Christmas gift project, but discovered that I didn’t own the correctly-sized knitting needles for it. So I ordered those, and they’re set to arrive sometime this week.

Last-Minute Halloween Preparations

Oh, and it’s Halloween Week, duh. So I need to be working on Michael’s and my costumes for the Halloween party, and our trunk-or-treat setup. Might go super simple, might go super creative and awesome. It will really depend on how this week goes.

Last Week’s Progress:

  • Picked up Penguin Party and Layer Cake Crepe quilts.
  • Finished piecing the top of Rachel’s Graduation Quilt.
  • Almost finished the Chili Cook-off Champion apron.
  • Distributed Band vests to sewing volunteers, ordered replacement buttons.

This Week’s Goals:

  • Finish Chili Cook-off Champion apron.
  • Halloween costume creation.
  • Create Trunk-or-Treat decorations.
  • Ward Harvest Party miscellaneous creations.
  • Reinforce Band vest buttons while waiting for replacement buttons.
  • Maybe start working on the new Secret Christmas Knitting Project. I need a good codename for this one…I think I’ll call it “Project Snickerdoodle.” I don’t know if I can pull this off in the time left before Christmas, but the beauty of knitting is that it doesn’t go bad. If I completely miss this year’s deadline, it can always be a gift next year.
    • Milestones I’ll need to hit if I want to finish this in time for Christmas:
      • Oct 26-Nov 1: 13% done
      • Nov 2-8: 25% done
      • Nov 9-15: 38% done
      • Nov 16-22: 50% done
      • Nov 23-29: 63% done
      • Nov 30-Dec 6: 75% done
      • Dec 7-13: 88% done
      • Dec 14-20: 100% done
      • Dec 21-24: Blocking & wrapping

Forty Pounds of Ground Beef, Amongst Other Things

Leave a comment

Monday

Nothing much to report. Regular stuff.

Tuesday

I dropped off both the Penguin Party Quilt and the Layer Cake Crepe Quilt at the quilter’s house! She’s already begun quilting the Penguin Party Quilt.

I went out donation-hunting with one of the Current Band Moms for an entire afternoon.

Michael, after years of listening to me complain that we need more Halloween decorations in our front yard so that the children will know to come to our house, surprised me and put up a bunch of Halloween decorations while I was at the church running a rehearsal that evening.

Wednesday

Nathaniel had his yearly check-up. While getting into the car to drive to the doctor’s office I received a text from the school informing me that they were in lockdown for a safety issue. “No biggie,” I thought, “my kid’s not even there.”

While sitting in the waiting room, walking Nathaniel through how to fill out his own family medical history form, I got a phone call from Renaissance, who had almost passed out at school and needed me to come pick her up because she didn’t feel well enough to drive. “I can’t do that right now because I’m at the doctor with your brother,” I explained, “but I can come get you when I’m done here.” I phoned Michael, who couldn’t help me, and then I turned to Ren’s friend’s mothers, aka the “OG Band Moms.” I had help lined up in five seconds.

The “Current Band Moms” group text started getting active. The “safety issue” at the high school was a student with a gun on a bus, threatening to shoot up the school with his buddy. Police were swarming the place. The nurse called us back for Nathaniel’s appointment. I tried to be a good mom and not be on the phone during my child’s appointment, but c’mon! Ailing adult child in one direction and potential school shooting in the other. Longest well-child appointment of my life.

Got a new text from the school as I was pulling into my driveway, saying that the threat had ended and that school would return to normal soon. I told Nathaniel to stay home until one of his friends at school called him and said things were definitely back to normal. Then I left with Ren’s buddy, Riley (son of an OG Band Mom), to drive to her school so we could pick her up and Riley could drive her car back home.

Ren’s instructor wouldn’t let her leave until she got to speak to me, so I had to go inside for a chat that made me decide to take Ren to the Emergency Room. Riley drove her car home while I drove Ren home, and then I took Ren into the Emergency Room, where we spent the rest of the day. Seriously. 11:00am-7:25pm.

Silver lining: I finished the Husband Christmas Socks.

Other good news: Kid with the gun on the bus didn’t actually have a gun. But he did make threats and was sent away for that.

Thursday

Football Game! Which meant Pep Band/Band Mom duties! Due to the homecoming game being canceled, this was now our big halftime show, PLUS the regularly-scheduled Senior Night AND Eighth Grade Night, where we invite the eighth grade band students to come play with the pep band so they can get a feel for what it will be like if they choose to continue with band in high school.

As part of this event, we host a Taco Potluck, with food assignments given out by grade level. I started up some taco meat in the crockpot, made two other crockpots of beans, and also posted a reminder on Facebook that we really needed people to send food to the potluck because we were expecting 170-190 kids at the dinner that night. (120 high school kids + up to 70 middle school kids.)

The Cross Country team had a restaurant fundraiser that day as well, so I had scheduled to have lunch with the OG Band Moms and one of their sons (not Riley). As I pulled into the parking lot I got a Facebook Messenger notification:

Hi Cara, I saw your post about needing meat for Tacos tonight. I went to our local butcher and they donated 40lbs of ground beef. I can’t cook all of this myself and I only have one crockpot. HELP!

Wait…WHAT?!

I then spent many minutes phoning the person who sent the message and getting the lay of the land, and then I went into Mission Mode to find people to get the meat, disperse it, and get it cooked. I wasn’t the best lunch attendee for the first part of the lunch, but darn it, that ground beef found places to go. (Credit is really due to one of the Current Band Moms who basically took the project over.)

So that was awesome! We ended up having ONE HUNDRED AND NINETY-TWO band students at the potluck. It was so much fun! They took up twice the amount of bleachers in the stadium and it was such a great sight!

Friday

NO. SCHOOL. (Thank you!!)

I went to the gym for the first time in WEEKS, and then I watched movies with Renaissance, who still didn’t feel well, for the rest of the day. I drifted in and out of consciousness.

Saturday

Woke up at 3:00am. Sigh. Decided to use my early start to get caught up on my Ward Activities Committee and Social Media Director callings. That kept me busy until 6:00am. I then spent the rest of the day getting stuff done around the house while Michael worked on grinding all the stumps down in the front yard. It was A LOT of work!

Sunday

8:30am warm-up call for a small women’s choir I was conducting in two sacrament meetings that day. A year ago, before all the ward boundary changes, I was choir director and we were preparing a beautiful SSA arrangement of “The Old Churchyard,” but it didn’t come to fruition. My friend remembered it a couple months ago and asked if I’d consider resurrecting it. So we got the old gang back together, and since the original singers of the song are split between two different wards now, we decided to just go ahead and perform in both of those wards. I DID try to get singers from the other ward as well, but only one panned out. It wasn’t an exclusionary decision.

But yeah, we performed in the 9:00am sacrament meeting and the 11:00am sacrament meeting.

And there was a Linger Longer after church ended, so I helped with setting that up and making sure it went smoothly.

And then there was ward choir after the Linger Longer, so I went to that. Our pianist had gone home, so I also played the piano (read: plunked out single parts because Cara is NOT a piano player) for ward choir.

And now I am home and I am very tired and I bid you adieu.

This Week’s Progress

  • Dropped off the Penguin Party quilt and the Layer Cake Crepe quilt at the quilter’s house.
  • Tended to a very sick adult child.
  • Finished the 2026 Husband Christmas Socks.
  • Dealt with forty pounds of donated ground beef and heartily fed 192 teenagers.
  • Pulled off a multi-ward women’s choir performance.
  • Helped with a very successful Linger Longer.
  • #absolutelyrockingit

House & Holiday Plan 2026: Week #7: Bath & Bedding

Leave a comment

This Week’s Focus: Linen Closet and Bathrooms

The day before Thanksgiving is no time to discover that your good tablecloth is shredded and stained. This week, we’re diving into linen storage areas and tackling family bathrooms as we prepare for Christmas. We’ll check linens and clean and organize bathroom areas so we’re prepared for holiday primping … and guests!

In holiday prep, we’ll think ahead to what we need to wrap and ship gifts, and continue gift shopping. Try these resources to make the week’s assignments fly:

This Week’s Household Checklist

  • Into the bathrooms to declutter, clean and organize! From the master bathroom to the small half-bath off the hall, this is the week to focus on the household’s “facilities.” Clear away clutter in each bathroom, then deep-clean fixtures, floors and walls. Organize personal care storage and prepare for entertaining guests.
    • Because I had this on my mind, I actually picked up a new shower curtain liner and set of bath rugs for the kids’ bathroom. I should probably order them a new shower curtain as well—rainbow stripes just isn’t really their vibe anymore now that they’re young adults.
  • Declutter the linen closet. Linen storage areas can become a catch-all space, so rout them out this week. Return misplaced items to their homes, then organize sheets, blankets and towels to make them easy to find in busy times.

This Week’s Holiday Prep Checklist

  • Make a pre-holiday linen check. As you declutter and organize the linen closet, make a quick linen check. If you need sheets, towels, or blankets, add them to the shopping list now.
  • Start stocking up on bathroom basics. Running out of toilet tissue isn’t a major problem–unless it happens during a holiday party. Before the season begins, stock bathrooms with ample supplies to ward off embarrassment.
  • Set up a holiday wrap and mail center. Use an empty closet, corner or an under-bed organizer to gather gift wrap, ribbons, bags, tags and supplies. You’ll speed gift wrapping and parcel mailing with supplies all in one place.
  • Simplify mailing chores with an account from USPS.Com. Power to the Postal Service! A free account with USPS.Com makes it easy to buy postage, print labels or arrange for carrier pickup. Better, the USPS will deliver free flat rate mailing boxes to your mailbox, then collect your labeled packages at the door under the Click-n-Ship program. No more waiting in line!
  • Buy, wrap and package overseas gifts for mailing. Next week’s mailing deadline means that overseas gifts must be bought, wrapped and packaged for mailing this week. Check gift lists and complete any overseas gifts.
  • Begin shopping holiday bazaars–or swaps. It’s bazaar season! Service clubs, church groups and school organizations offer great holiday savings–and a lot of fun–at holiday bazaars. Bazaar season starts in early October; add a few events to your calendar to shop for gifts and decorations. Another frugal source for gifts and decor: holiday swaps. Check your favorite online community for active swaps, where members exchange like items for holiday giving.
  • Continue working on Christmas cards. Divide the Christmas card list into five sections. Complete one section this week. Goal: to be finished writing, signing and addressing cards by November 15.

House & Holiday Plan: Week #6: Wardrobe

Leave a comment

With all the craziness that was last week, I haven’t had much time to work on HHP, so I’m just going to drop the checklists for the week here and hopefully I can do a more thorough check-in next week. I hope you’re all finding some time to do a little holiday prep amidst this busy back-to-school season! (Also, please know that you can generally find the next week’s checklists over on magicalholidayhome.com.)

This Week’s Focus: Clothing Care Areas and Clothes Closets

Catching up on the clothes closet is our focus this week, and it’s high time! With Autumn bringing cooler weather and the holidays ahead, it’s time to assess our family’s wardrobe.

While we’re focused on clothing, we’ll also clean, declutter and organize any areas devoted to clothing care. Whether it’s a laundry area, a sewing corner or clothing storage, this week will see us clean and organize the areas where we care for clothing.

In holiday prep, we’ll think ahead to “Secret Santa” or classroom gifts, focus on gift ideas for family members and begin online shopping.

This Week’s Household Checklist

  • Tackle family clothes closets. With cooler weather on the way, a seasonal clothes closet declutter is in order. Make room for holiday finery as you sort and toss summer’s stained garments.
  • Declutter, clean and organize clothing care areas. From laundry room to sewing basket, it’s time to make a clean sweep of clothing care areas. Declutter the laundry room, then clean and organize any other household area devoted to clothing care. Make it easy to do the wash, press a dress or sew on a dangling button … fast!

This Week’s Holiday Prep Checklist

  • Check family wardrobes. Time for a pre-holiday wardrobe check! Fill out the family wardrobe worksheet, and put any “To Buy” items on your shopping list.
  • Plan photo outfits. Check condition and fit for family photo outfits. Save time and tears on photo day!
  • Update individual “gift suggestion” lists for each family member. As you check wardrobes, record current clothing sizes, colors and preferences on the Gift Idea Planner form for each family member. Up-to-date information means fewer gift returns on December 26th!
  • Clear out the coat closet. Colder weather plus holiday guests can make for cramped quarters in the family coat closet. Add extra hangers, and make space for guests’ coats, hats and umbrellas.
  • Brainstorm ideas for Secret Santa or 12 Days exchanges. Workplace, school or social group gift exchanges should be small and sweet. Brainstorm gift ideas now.
  • Begin online shopping. Ordering early pays off if you shop online or through catalogs. Begin now to spread the financial burden of gift-giving and build up reserves in the gift closet.
  • Continue working on Christmas cards. Divide the Christmas card list into five sections. Complete one section this week–then check progress against the goal. You should be more than half-way there … and on track to finish before November 15

So Much for a Breezy Homecoming

1 Comment

This last week went COMPLETELY SIDEWAYS! Lemme break it down…

Homecoming Chaos

I woke up last Sunday thinking I had homecoming completely under control. No dresses to make or hem, only a tie and corsage to purchase, and that was already done. Dinner and photos set up. This was going to be a BREEZE.

And then I went to church.

I caught up with the other two moms of the boys going to homecoming and found out that one of the boys’ dates was gluten-sensitive. The mom who had originally volunteered to host dinner at her house declared that she was really uncomfortable with feeding someone with a gluten sensitivity, and the other mom, who was already taking the photos, was super busy that day and also not completely comfortable with the responsibility of providing a gluten-free dining experience. So I volunteered to take over. I have a handful of friends with gluten intolerances whom I have fed in the past, so I knew I could handle it.

Alright, I could host a dinner for five teenagers. The theme of the dance was something like “Nights in Rio,” so I decided we’d go with something that would be easy to make gluten-free: Mexican-ish, which I could pass off, in the most white bread of ways, as Brazilian/South American. My husband loves to grill, so he said he’d make carne asada and fajita veggies. The other moms volunteered to bring the cilantro rice and fruit platter, and the grandmother of one of the boys heard of the theme and insisted I take a strawberry horchata drink mix home with me to serve them, which I thought was the cutest thing ever. That left me to prepare the beans, taco toppings, tortillas (wheat and corn), and desserts (which Renaissance took over). Renaissance made her now-famous pumpkin spice cupcakes (not gluten-free) because Nathaniel requested them, and then she also made Brazilian brigadeiros and pineapple-coconut sorbet.

I was thinking about what it would be like to be a teenage girl who just learned that she’d be having dinner at her date’s house, and I decided I wanted to make it a little fancier for them than “dinner at home” because, c’mon, it’s HOMECOMING. I decided to keep leaning into the “Nights in Rio” theme and turn my dining room into an elegant Brazilian(ish) restaurant.

I sent out a request on my ward’s Relief Society Facebook group to borrow anything that would support my vision and my sisters in Christ did not disappoint! Linens, serving ware, lighting, florals, greenery…I had ordered a few things from Amazon to decorate with, but ended up not using any of it because my dear friends came through so generously, down to the fairy lights and LED candles! This was SUCH a fun experience, and a reminder that we are all so much better off within a loving community. These ladies were so joyfully committed to giving these dear boys of ours a beautiful homecoming experience from start to finish, and I love them even more for all their help.

So, yeah, kind of chaotic, but it all worked out in the end.

BUT WAIT, I’m not finished!

Because I said CHAOS.

In my #craftygoals post I mentioned that I almost took the Penguin Party Quilt to the quilter’s house this week, but didn’t end up getting to that task.

You know why that was?

Oh, I’ll tell you. Because, in addition to setting up this charming homecoming dinner at home idea, I’m also the president of the band boosters and homecoming means a parade and halftime performance and all the logistics that go into that. But whatever, I’m old hat at this by now.

And then Wednesday happened.

I was working on the homecoming dinner plans and getting ready to reach out to the quilter to set up a time to drop off the Penguin Party quilt, when my phone buzzed with a text. I picked up my phone and saw that it was the Band Booster Board Members’ group chat.

. Secretary: My son just told me the homecoming football game is canceled tomorrow. ???

Me: LoL if that’s true because I just can’t .

. Secretary: He said the other team canceled the rest of their season.

I’ll spare you the rest of the panicked text conversation, but yes, ten minutes later there was an all-district alert sent out stating that our homecoming football game was called off because the other team had ended their season. THE DAY BEFORE our homecoming football game, we found out the opposing football team had canceled the rest of their season.

The school district made the decision to keep the parade on the books and move all the football-game-related stuff (homecoming royalty, marching band halftime performance) to the next football game, so we adjusted a few things surrounding the parade and went to work. The next day and a half involved a lot of texts, waiting for confirmations, and a general feeling of anxiety. But it went fine! Woo hoo!

Parade? Check.

Game? Canceled.

Dinner? Check. (So good…the carne asada smelled AMAZING and I think strawberry horchata is one of my new favorite things!)

Dance? Check.

Wandering around the house on Sunday in a comatose state? Double-check.

An excellent homecoming week, despite the obvious hiccups!

Crafting

As you can guess, not a lot of time for crafting. But since the Husband Christmas Socks live in a portable knitting bag, I have managed to sneak in a few rows here and there. We’re getting into the home stretch with these, I’m so excited!

I am really pining for some time to work on Rachel’s graduation quilt, but I don’t even remember the last time I was in the craft room.

I’m looking at my calendar for the upcoming week and I don’t think I’m going to find much time to work on creative pursuits this week, either. I need to break down all the homecoming decorations and return them, and it looks like this is THE week for planning meetings and rehearsals for a bunch of other stuff. A big life takes a lot of work! See you next week…maybe I’ll have finished up the socks by then?

No pictures because I’m feeling protective of our guests and don’t want to splash other people’s kids’ photos across the internet, and because the Husband Christmas Socks are a gift.

The Lovely Hurry of Ordinary Life

Leave a comment

The school year is massively underway! Life is operating at a breakneck, nonstop pace!

Cross Country

We hosted the Cross Country team dinner before this week’s meet, and it was so much fun! If I could do my parenting all over again, I would have pushed for every one of my kids to run cross country. That group of kids and their parents are just the best sort of human beings. They all work hard, they’re all polite, and they’re a no-drama group who are always thankful for anything you do for them. I love that Nathaniel runs cross country.

We served a pasta bar with amazing garlic breadsticks, and Renaissance spent three days making custom decorated sugar cookies for the team. Nathaniel sure has a sister who loves him!

The meet went well. I always enjoy cheering with the other parents as we move from spot to spot on the course. I think Nathaniel finished fourth on his team, and, compared to this time last year, he is running faster. He’s not at a personal record (PR) pace just yet, but he’s steadily improving.

Relief Society Activities, Now Featuring Rachel

Rachel is serving on the Relief Society Activities Committee and she conducted the activity that was held this past week. She was adorable. It’s so funny to me that she doesn’t really like public speaking, but she’ll soldier through because, while she doesn’t like doing it, she fully realizes it’s not going to kill her to speak in front of people. Sometimes that’s the healthiest mindset for getting through something.

Pep Band

Another home football game, another potluck for the pep band! We did a chili and baked potato bar this time and once again had too much food left over. Better than the alternative!

It was also our Alumni Night, where we invited any and all band alumni back to play with the band for funsies. The turnout was a little smaller than we’d hoped, but Renaissance and her two band buddies decided to go and it was so cute to see both Nathaniel and Ren playing in the same band. It was a nice evening.

Three young adults pose together at their pep band alumni night.

Rachel’s Graduation Quilt

Haven’t touched it. Not one bit. When would I have had the time?

Husband Christmas Socks

Still slogging away on ’em. They look good; it just takes a long time to knit socks for man-sized feet.

Gardening

We’re trying to tidy things up in the yard before winter arrives. We’ve cleared the area where I want to plant the bulbs, and then Michael offered to build me a raised bed there, so at the moment it’s a bit of a mess. AND…our plans for next weekend have changed drastically, so I don’t know if we’re going to get this project finished anytime soon. Eek!

There’s another busy week ahead of us, but it’s mostly really fun stuff! It’ll be fun to share with you next week!

House and Holiday Week 4 Close to Home banner

House & Holiday Plan 2026: Week #4 Close to Home

Leave a comment
House & Holiday Plan Week 4 Close to Home banner featuring elves cleaning up a children's bedroom and donating toys to charity

Alright, fellow Christmas junkies, we’re heading into the fourth week of HHP!

Due to being really sick for the past week and a half, I’ve not had the opportunity to work on any of Week 3’s tasks, YET. I’m posting so that you can have the checklists for Week #4 somewhat close to its original posting schedule. I’ll debrief Week #3 with Week #4.

Week #4: Close to Home

Week #4 Cleaning Checklist: Kids’ Bedrooms

  • Declutter, clean, and organize children’s bedrooms.
    • Particularly with kid stuff, I like to list available items in my church Facebook group so that congregation members can take them if they’d like. No point in driving it to a donation store when my own neighbors might use it themselves.
    • This week is a great week to help children work through the process of decluttering so they can learn how to do it from a young age. The chapter on kids’ room in Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff, by Dana K. White, is such a good read for this sticky area of parenting. I started using her tips with my kids about four years ago and they have slowly built up the ability to do a lot of it on their own now. One of my kids even did their own decluttering session around Labor Day because “it [felt] like the right time of year to do it.” I guess end-of-summer decluttering somehow became a tradition for our family?! #parentingwin
      • FYI: I also do a BIG kids’ room declutter at the end of the school year/beginning of summer break. There’s not enough time to do as thorough a job as I’d like during this one week of HHP, especially against the backdrop of a new school year ramping up. I also like the “chapter closing” feel of doing a big declutter and clean at the end of the school year.
  • No children in your household? Use this week to tackle a bonus room or any other area this week, catch up on previous weeks, or take the week off.
    • Next week will be Guest Room week, and I’ve never had a guest room in my home, so I use it as another week for cleaning kids’ rooms. Because trying to clean four kids’ bedrooms in one week is insane. If you don’t have kids or a guest room, it’ll be another bonus week.
  • These two weeks are also good yardwork weeks, before the weather starts turning. I try to plant my spring bulbs around the Autumn Equinox (~September 21), which falls in this week.

Week #4 Holiday Prep Checklist

  • Seasonal Spruce-Up exercise: I LOVE THIS TASK; it’s something I do every year because it’s so smart. Do a home walkthrough and write down any home improvements, chores, or projects that need doing before the holiday season gets underway.
    • Once I have my entire list written down, I rank and prioritize the projects/tasks so I can tackle the most important ones first. I like to use Karen Lin’s Ranker tool to help me figure out what my true priorities are and then copy/paste the prioritized list into a document.
    • Delegate where you can! When I ask someone in the family to do a task, I write it down on a Post-It and stick to one of my kitchen cabinets so I don’t forget to ask them about their progress. The Post-It stays on the cabinet and I keep “reminding” (also referred to as “nagging” by some members of my family) until the task is done. Then the Post-It note can go in the trash.
  • Declutter children’s toys: As our family heads into adult children years, there is more of this than you would expect. Specific areas to declutter include board games, video games/dead controllers, sports equipment that’s too small, winter weather wear, and sheet music that is from their elementary years. Arts and crafts supplies was a big one a few years ago, and also books.
  • Begin collecting stocking stuffers.
  • Hit the back-to-school clearance sales: Good sources for stocking stuffers, craft supplies, and wrapping and mailing supplies like tape and scissors.
  • Consult family and decide on Halloween costumes.
  • Start thinking about Advent calendars.
  • Start working on Christmas cards or letters.
  • Update birthdays and anniversaries in your calendar and/or task lists.
  • Continue working on handmade gifts. (Week 3 of 14)
  • Keep trying to find daily time to work on HHP. A little bit of time daily can get A LOT done.
The House & Holiday Plan was originally created by Cynthia Townley Ewer, and I use much of her original wording. She shut her Organized Christmas website down, so many people now post their own version. You can also join another Christmas planning enthusiast community at Magical Holiday Home.

Rainbow Pencil Crayon quilt in-progress for an artist graduation

Two Weeks, One Cold & Some Very Large Pencil Crayons

Leave a comment

Fear not, dear readers, ’twas only a cold that kept me from checking in for the last two weeks. The Boy brought it home after only one week at school, and Renaissance and I caught it within three days and it flattened us for nine days straight. Hopefully we’re now done with back-to-school illnesses. One and done. ONE AND DONE, YOU HEAR ME?!

(Except that I just re-read my last check-in post and remembered that we had a mild virus in the week before we had the cold…TWO AND DONE, YOU HEAR ME?!)

Rachel’s Graduation Quilt

Borders on the artist graduation quilt in black polka dot and rainbow stripes.

I did manage to find a little bit of time to work on her quilt! I added the top and bottom borders on the signature backing, so that side is officially done!

And we also have fully assembled pencil crayons and drawing lines for the front of the quilt. I stuck them up on the design wall and Renaissance walked into the craft room shortly thereafter and just busted up laughing.

“Those pencil crayons are OBSCENELY large!”

Rainbow Pencil Crayon quilt in-progress for an artist graduation

And yeah, they are. Almost four feet tall. I’ve never made a quilt like this before and it is weird to have elements that big. I’m sure it will look amazing when it’s complete. Which shouldn’t be too long from now.

I mean…then I’ll have to quilt it and who knows how long I’ll drag my feet on that?!?! Sigh.

Husband Christmas Socks

The heel is completely turned, the gusset is finished, and I am firmly entrenched in the knitting of the foot at this point. I think we’re going to make it, guys.

I love knitting when the autumn vibes set in! It’s so satisfying to work with wool when the view includes crimson leaves peeking out from fog. Michael bought me a pumpkin spice creamer at the store last week, and I’ve been adding it to my rooibos chai in the morning and it’s just *perfection.* A warm cinnamon cuppa, hearty wool clicking on the needles and wispy fog make for the best kind of mornings.

Back-to-School

The first home football game (and pep band potluck and performance) is in the books! Everything went well, it was fantastic to see everyone again and we’re sounding really good for so early in the season! It was our big hometown rival game and we were winning until we weren’t, sad face.

Mother and son hugging at a pep band pre-game potluck dinner

It was a really good game though, so hopefully that bodes well for the rest of the season.

There have also been a handful of Cross Country meets and invitationals. We went to the farthest-away invitational this past weekend, which required a ferry ride!

Father and son hug on a ferry boat with a red and orange sunrise in the background

It was a lovely day; there was no cell service where we were, so it was a day of conversation and walking, which is always a nice break from this crazy digital age that we find ourselves held hostage in. I nestled under my Florabelle Hexie Stripe quilt while the morning was chilly and damp, happy to chat with other parents while knitting away on a decoy sock. We ate wonderful bagels from a super cute local bagel shop, and the kids tumbled over each other as they laughed and waited for their assigned races. By afternoon it was warm and sunny and we were ready to cheer for everyone as they ran a beautiful PNW course lined with cedar trees and lush ferns. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day.

Autumn is Here

Blueberry bush leaves turning red in autumn

The weather is lovely right now, a perfect blend of foggy, rainy days interspersed with warm and sunny days to dry everything out for a little while before heading back into overcast. The leaves are starting to turn in earnest, and I’ve officially had to start wearing a hoodie in the mornings. Such a pretty time of year. Hopefully it translates to some more crafting time soon, but back-to-school is a busy time of year, so let’s just keep our expectations low through October.

I’ll get caught up on posting the House & Holiday Plan posts soon.

House & Holiday Plan 2026: Week #2: Calendar & Creativity

House & Holiday Plan 2026: Week #2 Calendar & Creativity

2 Comments
House & Holiday Plan 2026: Week #2: Calendar & Creativity

Hello, old friends and new readers! We’ve made it through the first week of the House & Holiday Plan 2026! Congratulations! How’d you do?

Week #1 was all about Planning & Paperwork, and we focused on getting our office areas tidied up and setting up a Christmas Activity Center. We also filled out the Holiday Values worksheet, established our holiday budget, and began our Master Gift List.

Debrief: Week #1

I’m still in the process of getting my dining room table full set up for HHP, but I’ve left my HHP binder on it all week and, as a result, used any downtime I had to work on various HHP tasks.

My rolling Christmas cart is downstairs AND I’m in the process of cutting some vinyl wording for it to make it cuter.

I was talking last week about potentially setting up a sewing machine in my Christmas Activity Center so that I could have easy access to working on some projects, but the more I think about it, the less inclined I am to do it. I’m trying really hard to not start new projects until I clear a specific handful from my crafting queue, so I don’t think it’s the year to undertake some impressive Christmas makes at the last minute. [insert super sad face here] However, I do have a knitting project I thought I’d make for Christmas this year, and that’s easy enough to leave on the table, so I might go that route. OH…I think I’ll also get out my Christmas Alphabet Embroidery Sampler and its frame and use some downtime to get it framed. (I TOLD YOU I wouldn’t get back to framing it until the holiday rolled around again!)

Filling out the Holiday Values Worksheet was revealing: As I thought back over last year’s Christmas season, I realized we actually didn’t do much because we were dealing with my husband’s stepfather’s passing, and subsequent out-of-state funeral. We missed concerts, events, just about everything. The only thing we did was attend one of Renaissance’s friends’ birthday celebration on Christmas Eve. Christmas Day was super low-key because we desperately just needed a break.

And then I remembered that Christmas 2024 was a rough one, too, because the last half of 2024 was rather brutal for the Brooke Family.

I think we’re due for a really amazing holiday season this year, what do you think? I’m going all-in, y’all. We’ve earned it.

Week #2: Calendar & Creativity

Alright, Week #2 concerns itself with our schedules and our creative spaces. We’ll get our calendars under control and get our crafting and gifting areas ready for their holiday work.

Week #2 Cleaning Checklist: Craft Room

  • Declutter and clean creative spaces: I’ll be heading into my craft room, which is bulging at the seams yet again. How does that happen?!?!
    • If you’re looking for a kick-in-the-pants method for decluttering, I highly recommend reading Decluttering at the Speed of Life: Winning Your Never-Ending Battle with Stuff, by Dana K. White. I’m not an affiliate or anything; I use it and it’s the best decluttering book I’ve come across thus far.
    • A good rule to start with, that I picked up somewhere long ago, is: The floor is not a shelf. When in doubt, clear out a room enough to not have anything on the floor that shouldn’t live on the floor.
  • Assess stored crafts materials: Do you need to purchase any basics? Do it now and save yourself the “I thought I had that” headache later.

Week #2 Holiday Prep Checklist

  • Get your calendar filled in: Now that school is in session for most families, it’s a great time to physically write in every game, concert and event the family needs to show up for. Get everyone’s birthdays written down, too!
    • I now use a calendar that starts in August and then goes through December of the next year. I tried a new brand this year and am not loving it; I wish I’d stayed true to my favorite Orange Circle version. If I hadn’t already filled my unloved calendar in, I’d totally start all over with this beautiful Fruit & Flora one.
  • Plan holiday travel.
  • Schedule necessary household and family upkeep appointments.
    • Furnace checks
    • Carpet cleaning
    • Family photo session, if needed
    • Chimney cleaning
    • Any family medical appointments that need to be done
  • Hold a family scheduling session: I call it our Autumn & Christmas Bucket List Planning Session, and I give a heads-up to everyone in the family a couple of days beforehand to start thinking about the activities they’d like to participate in that will be fun and bring them joy through the end of the year. Then we meet, write every idea down and figure out what’s actually possible to do, given time and budget constraints. Click here for the Autumn PDF, and click here for the Christmas PDF.
    • When they were younger, I’d then write down all the autumn bucket list ideas on a big piece of poster board and use painter’s tape to affix it to a wall that was easily visible from the dinner table so we could talk about the upcoming events and cross them off as they happened.
      • Bonus: By having it up as a poster, it kept our plans at the forefront of my ADHD brain so I wouldn’t forget about making them happen. I’d also make a Christmas bucket list poster to put up during December, and we’d have another planning session in the week after Christmas to make up our Winter Bucket List poster.
      • I might bring this idea back this year because young children management tactics work well with teenagers and young adults, too. We’ve not been very into activities in recent years and I’d like to change that for the better. Use the tools that work!
House & Holiday Plan Autumn Activity Brainstorming worksheet
House & Holiday Plan 2026 Christmas and New Year's Activity Brainstorming Worksheet
  • Start gathering your holiday ideas: The original HHP plan called this “tear files,” where you’d tear out articles, recipes, and other ideas from magazines because that’s what us “mature” folks did back in the days before Pinterest. If you’re still a magazine person, then by all means, curate an expanding file folder to hold your ideas. If you’re a Pinterest user like myself, set up a new board for 2026 Holiday Ideas and start pinning! I go through all of my holiday decor boards, activity idea boards, recipe boards, etc., and re-pin the ideas that I’d like to do this year to the new board. That way I still have the pins on the original boards, but then I have a focused list of actual possibilities for this particular year all in one place.
  • Start a shopping list: Paper or digital, it’s up to you.
    • Our family uses the Google Keep app and I’ve invited them to the grocery shopping list so we can all add to the same list when things run out and then I have it in my pocket when I’m out.
    • Hint for the Gift Tracking app I mentioned last week: If you add a link to each gift’s description, then it will populate it into a shopping list that you can check off. I don’t know why it needs a link for it to get onto the list, but that’s the trick. I just insert thatcraftycara.com as the link when I don’t need to purchase the item online. 😉 UPDATE 9/12: Opened my Gift List app this morning and it had an update that fixed the bug that kept gifts without links from populating into the Shop tab. Huh. (Yay! Thanks, Gift List app developer(s)!)
  • Review gift lists: Is your Master Gift List from last week complete?
    • This is the week I like to reach out to extended family and get sizes, favorite colors, and gift ideas for everyone.
  • Inventory unfinished crafts projects: It’s time to face the music, Fellow Crafters! When I did this last year, I found I had forty-seven UFOs (UnFinished Objects)!
    • Good piece of advice from Cynthia Townley Ewer, the creator of the HHP: “Remember the Crafter’s Rule of Four: If you have more than four unfinished crafts projects, or if any single project is more than four years old, don’t schedule any new crafts! Finish the old ones this year–you’ve already got a head start on the process and the price is right! Rout out projects you’ve begun, and take advantage of the time already invested in them for happy crafting.”
      • Obviously, I don’t abide by this creed…but, as a crafter drowning in UFOs, I do admit its wisdom and wish I did. #goals
  • Begin a “Gifts to Make” list: Because now is the time to start! Click here for the PDF.
    • I try to finish making gifts by American Thanksgiving (November 26, this year), preferably the weekend right before. That way I’m not under a cloud of stress during December when our family has all the music rehearsals and concerts, gift wrapping, social events, and requisite movie and cocoa family time.
    • Life Hack: Actually schedule time for working on your handmade gifts. (This is, after all, a crafting blog!) Like, create a recurring event in your calendar and if something comes up that’s trying to be scheduled during that time, say, “I’m not available at that time.” It’s that easy. No one needs to know what you’re doing at that time (and don’t tell, because they’ll try to talk you out of it, believe me!) and if you simply say you’re unavailable, then the people you’re making plans with will move on to the next available time.
      • Only twice in the last twenty years has my protected crafting time actually made it impossible for me to meet up for something important. When it becomes obvious that it’s my schedule that’s causing the problem (when I’ve said, “I’m not available at that time,” for the third time), I stop for a second (Say it out loud: “Give me a second to think here.”), think about whether meeting up for the thing trying to be scheduled is something I actually need or want to do (am I willing to give up crafting/music practice time willingly, or am I being guilted into this?), and then, if I do truly want to be a part of it, I’ll cancel one of the three scheduled crafting sessions/conflicts suggested to make room for the proposed event at-hand.
        • If it turns out that I don’t actually want to be involved in the event, I’ll say, “It looks like my schedule is too busy right now to commit to another thing. I’m sorry, but I’m not going to be involved with this after all. I’d forgotten about some commitments I’ve made, but looking at my calendar now has made it obvious that my schedule is too full to add anything else.”
        • Repeat after me: It is better to disappoint others in a small way now (by declining to participate when you know you don’t have time for it) rather than disappointing them in a big way later (by overcommitting and doing a terrible job at, or worse, flaking out at the minute for, the thing you said you’d do because you didn’t have the time or energy to do as it should be done). The event organizer will have time to find another person for the task if you decline upfront. It’s not a big deal. If they can’t find another person, well, that’s their problem, not yours. Also, maybe the event doesn’t actually need to happen? Or maybe it’s a great idea…for next year?
House & Holiday Plan 2026 Gifts to Make worksheet

I had a lot to say about that, ha ha. But crafting is self-care for me, it’s one of the most therapeutic ways to help keep my mind quiet and calm. I respect it as a important tool in my mental health arsenal. I also have to respect my music practice time if I’m going to deliver on any performance I commit to. It’s just that simple. Don’t let people bully you out of your scheduled creative times, or else stop committing to creative projects. Beautiful projects and performances take the necessary time to prepare them well.

And that’s it for Week #2’s tasks! Let me know in the comments how Week #1 went for you, and whatever’s on your mind for Week #2! I’d love to hear about all of it.

London Fog Custard Tarts with caramel, earl grey whipped cream and a sprinkle of lavender buds on top.

Rainy Days & London Fog (Tarts)

Leave a comment

Here we are at the Labor Day weekend, firmly entrenched in September. School has begun and the weather was cool and rainy for most of the last week, with that lovely wet pavement smell that makes you reach for a hoodie. Well, hello there, autumn, it’s nice to see you peeking around the corner. If I remember correctly, we’ll cycle through at least one more round of warm weather before the Pacific Northwest truly heads into its Hoa Hoa Hoa aesthetic.

There was some progress on various projects this week, but I think the girls and I caught a mild virus for 3-4 days that made us feel lethargic and headache-y. It’s one thing when I’m the only one feeling sluggish, and it’s a completely different thing when, one by one, all three of us experience the exact same symptoms in a cascading course of events. I used my sluggish days to work on the House & Holiday Plan because I could just sit in a chair and putter around my office desk and actually achieve something productive in spite of the raging headache I had.

Rachel’s Graduation Quilt

I did work on this for one 45-minute work session this week. My knee was twinging just a little bit afterwards. I’m going to experiment with this a little bit more in the next couple of weeks and see if it’s healing or needs some extra help. I once had “unexplained” hip pain that seemed to have come out of nowhere and I was getting really worried about it until a friend pointed out, four days later, that I’d slammed the side door of the van shut on myself at one of my kids’ sports practices, could that have been where it started? So I’m wondering if I did something to my knee and have just forgotten about it. Because it is getting better, as long as I respect it.

In-progress pic of foundation pieced quilt blocks.

But yeah, the pencil crayon tips of the quilt blocks are trimmed now. Yay.

Husband Christmas Socks

I finished knitting the heel flap! Time to turn the heel and then get into the wonky business of knitting the gusset. AND THEN it’s a much easier knit because the pattern is only knit on the top half of the foot and it’s just normal stockinette on the sole. Goes faster once we reach that stage.

Back-to-School

The Boy is back in the school building. It seems to be going fine. I already had to run a forgotten thing down to the school when it was forgotten at home, but I’ve decided to mentally give two free passes for that sort of thing per semester, so it’s acceptable.

Back-to-Home

Renaissance’s summer break BEGAN this past week, so she has no classes for almost the entire month of September. She asked me to help her plan a personal curriculum to work on during her break so she can practice some of the things she’d like to be better at. This week’s theme was flavor combinations and she has been baking up a storm all week making (tea-free) London Fog Custard Tarts, Lemon-Peach Almond Cupcakes, and Coconut Lime Tres Leches cake. I think the London Fog Tarts are one of my most favorite things that she’s ever made, OH MY GOODNESS they were so tasty.

London Fog Custard Tarts with caramel, earl grey whipped cream and a sprinkle of lavender buds on top.

House & Holiday Plan

Um, this thing has taken on a life of its own!

I didn’t expect such an enthusiastic response to my post about it, but online friends and IRL friends are clambering onto the wagon and it just brings me so much joy to be able to talk about this fun little obsession with so many people.

It’s weird; I can see the traffic that’s coming in on that post, but there’s not a lot of tangible signs that it’s popular, but then while I was at church today multiple women stopped me to gush about how much they love the idea of getting going with holiday cleaning and planning right now, and then they told me what they were up to in their homes for the past week.

I am very inspired by all the work these ladies are getting done in their own homes! And talking about Christmas prep in the halls between classes?! Yes, please! Always more of that!

Loving the Rain

We had some amazing days of rain this last week and it was lovely. You forget how awesome a drizzly day is until one finally shows up after weeks and weeks of sunshine. As luck would have it, that was also the day Renaissance was figuring out her London Fog flavor proportions, so the girls and I really leaned into the whole cozy-tea-while-watching-the-rain aesthetic and it was perfection.

Rain tapping on the windows, something delicious coming out of the oven, warm mugs in our hands while we laughed over something Rachel was enthusiastically over-explaining…it was a very good September afternoon.

A knitting mug full of London Fog tea with frothed milk on top, next to a bottle of Torani Lavender syrup

As much as I loved that rain, I do kindly request that it holds off until November, though. There’s a lot of fun outdoor stuff that I’d like to do in September and October, and it’s way more enjoyable when the sun is shining.

Please, Mother Nature, give us pleasant autumn weather. Just keep the rain tucked away for a little while longer…