Get Organized: Christmas Decorations- Part 2: Deconstructing The Tree

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If you have a toddler in the house like I do, you know that if you really love an ornament…it probably shouldn’t go on the tree, or, if it does, it is exiled to the top half so it is not in the “danger zone” reach of your little one.

However, when it comes to taking all of the ornaments down and putting them away, I sometime feel like my tree trimmings might be safer with my toddler than in a overcrowded cardboard box.

Here are some great ways to keep all the tree trimmings organized and safe!

Ornament Safe - Christmas Ornament Storage BoxFirst, separate out the breakables. These are not ornaments that you want in the bottom of your box. For those especially delicate ones I love the idea of this storage box!

The heaviest items should go on bottom, or items which are housed in their own boxes can go on the bottom as well.
Christmas Ornament Storage BoxSnapware 60621 Snap-N-Stack 3-Layer Ornament Box with Dividers
Opt for a tote which will keep out moisture and not cave under pressure if stored under other boxes and decorations.

To help keep glitter from being smudged off the ornament and to protect metal ornaments from scratching, either wrap individually in tissue paper or sandwich size Ziploc bags. Jewelry bags also are a great way to protect ornaments!

Remember to mark the year on any of your children’s ornaments that they may have made. Also put their age so you can remember how old they were or what grade they were in when they made it…trust me…you will forgot! 😉

Use a labeler to mark which strands of lights went were on the tree (same for garland). To keep them neat, wrap around Christmas shirt-size gift boxes. This will also let you store your gift boxes without taking up a lot of space.

Clean the tree skirt before putting away for the year. If washing seems unnecessary, at least use your vacuum attachment to get excess, glitter, pine needles and dust.

Rubbermaid 3P2600 Tree and Lawn Ornament KeeperIf you use a fake tree and its original box has seen better days, Rubbermaid has a great way to store the tree, which can be also used for large outdoor decor…
Deluxe Rolling Tree Storage Bag - 9'This fancier one is made by Dyno and even has wheels!

Although it may be a bit late for this year’s tree, if you use real trees, place a tree bag around the truck and hide under a tree skirt when you set your tree up next year. Then all you have to do is put the bag over the tree and it will save you from creating a pine needle trail to the door.


Hasta la vista until next year Oh Tannenbaum!

Previous in the series: Organizing Lights and Garland
Coming up Next: Wreath Storage Ideas





Get Organized: Christmas Decorations- Part 1: Lights and Garland

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Don’t be that neighbor…you know…the one who still has their holiday decorations up on Valentine’s day?

Instead use these tips and ideas to help you make the process of putting it all away a little less painless.

Brother PT1290 Home and Office Labeler
Ever wonder which strand of lights or garland went where the year before? Save the hassle and get out every organized mom’s best friend…the labeler. Mark each strand before taking it down and putting them away.

Creative and eco-friendly ways to keep light strings organized….
  • Paper Towel Tubes
  • Wrapping paper rolls
  • Large Metal Cans
  • Wide wooden dowel rods
  • Christmas shirt boxes (a great way to keep both gift boxes and lights organized!)
What other creative ideas do you have for storing lights?
Coming Up Next: Deconstructing the Tree

Christmas was fun…now what am I supposed to do with all of this stuff?

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Just as quickly as Christmas comes and goes, we find ourselves looking at a mass of new toys and clothes that need to be put away in drawers and closets which are already overflowing.

Here is a list of places that you can donate your unwanted items to help you clear out the clutter while helping someone in need.

Key organizations that accept donations:

Salvation Army: Accepts most any sort of household, clothing, toys or electronics donation. They have one of the highest ratios of received funds that go directly to help those in need, rather than organization administration costs.

AMVETS : Accepts toys/games, clothing, electronics, bedding, kitchen, bath and most other household goods to sell in their stores and suppor their mission to assist American Veterans (They will also pick up from your house).

Goodwill:
There are multiple drop-off locations nationwide. They take almost any sort of household or clothing donation. Electronics should be in working order.

Local Women’s Shelters: Women’s shelter’s can used almost any kind of donation since many times women who go to the shelters do not have the opportunity to leave with many personal posessions. Call your local churches, YWCA, and police stations for their help in finding out how and where to donate items to a women’s shelter near you. More info on how to donate to a women’s shelter


Homeless Shelters: Items accepted vary by shelter but common items are childrens toys, clothing (not only everyday clothes, but business apparell they could use for job interviews.) Click here for more links on how to donate to Homeless Shelters.

Animal Shelters: They can always use new sheets, towels, pet toys/beds, etc to help keep the homeless animals comfy and happy during their stay. More info on donating to animal shelters…

What to do with Old…

Electronics:
Many cities have their own recycling programs held once a year. Items with enough value may be worth listing on eBay or craigslist.org. Items that work but may not be worth the time investment to sell online can be donated to Goodwill or Salvation Army.

Furniture:
Most of the organizations listed can provide pickup for large objects. Also consider listing it on craiglist.org for free or to make some extra cash. Unless its extremely valuable antique selling furniture online may not be worth the time

Clothing
Most all organizations list take clothing (except for the animal shelters 😉 The Special Olympics has several bins in different parking lots that you can drop clothes off to anytime. Consignment shops are also a way to get cash out of nicer or brandname items. Some stores such as Once Upon a Child and Plato’s Closet buy used children’s and teens clothing outright.

Toys
The holidays always yield lots of toy drives, but if you don’t want to hold onto them for another 10 months then consider consignment stores or second hand childrens shops that buy toys. You can always sell them on craiglist and most all organization take toys as part of their donations

Books
Almost all organizations listed take books. You can also list book on half.com or eBay. Also try http://www.paperbackswap.com/

Crockpot Holiday Wassail Punch Recipe

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CROCKPOT HOLIDAY WASSAIL PUNCH

Ever wonder what people do when they go wassailing? Well, the truth is, as good as it may sound, wassailing is not all its cracked up to be…

According to Wikipedia…
“In the cider-producing counties in the South West of England (primarily Devon, Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire and Herefordshire) wassailing refers to a traditional ceremony that involves singing and drinking the health of trees in the hopes that they might better thrive. The purpose of wassailing is to awake the cider apple trees and to scare away evil spirits to ensure a good harvest of fruit in the Autumn.{“England In Particular”, Common Ground 2007} The ceremonies of each wassail vary from village to village but they generally all have the same core elements. A wassail King and Queen lead the song and/or a processional tune to be played/sung from one orchard to the next, the wassail Queen will then be lifted up into the boughs of the tree where she will place toast soaked in Wassail from the Clayen Cup as a gift to the tree spirits (and to show the fruits created the previous year). Then an incantation is usually recited such as

Here’s to thee, old apple tree, That blooms well, bears well. Hats full, caps full, Three bushel bags full, An’ all under one tree. Hurrah! Hurrah!

Wassail as a Beverage…

Wassail the beverage is a hot, mulled punch often associated with Yuletide. Historically, the drink was a mulled cider made with sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg and topped with slices of toast. Modern recipes begin with a base of wine, fruit juice, or mulled ale, sometimes with brandy or sherry added. apples or oranges, are often added to the mix. While the beverage typically served as “wassail” at modern holiday feasts with a medieval theme most closely resembles mulled cider, historical wassail drinks were completely different, more likely to be mulled beer or mead. Sugar, ale, ginger, nutmeg, and cinnamon would be placed in a bowl, heated, and topped with slices of toast as sops.”

So armed with a better understanding of was a wassel is – I went in search of a receipe and behold, I found a crock pot receipe for a wassaill on cooks.com

1 qt. apple juice

1 qt. orange juice

2 c. cranberry juice

2 tsp. lemon juice

1 can pineapple nectar

1 cup sugar

3-4 cinnamon sticks

8 whole allspice

Navel Orange Slices

Combine all ingredients in listed order to your crockpot (4 qt. or larger) and cook on low setting for about 4 hours or until heated to desired temperature. You may also cook it on high initially for an hour and reduce the heat to save time. This reheats well for 3 days.

Happy Wassailing Everyone!

Crock Pot Christmas Breakfast Casserole

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We enjoy a breakfast Casserole each Christmas morning and so when I found this recipe I thought it would be neat to try in the crock pot this year! Set your programmable coffee maker and all you need to do is wake up to breakfast and enjoy the Christmas morning!

Enjoy!

1 doz eggs, beaten
14 slices of bread
2 1/4 c milk
2 1/2 c cheddar cheese, grated
1 lb. sausage, cooked & drained
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. pepper

Lightly grease Crock Pot with butter. Cut bread into large squares. Layer bread, sausage, cheese in the Crock Pot. Beat eggs, milk, salt & pepper. Pour into Crock Pot mixture. Cook on Low for 8-10 hours.

Crockpot Monday! Sweet Potato Casserole

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Help give your oven some relief this Turkey day by using your crockpot!

Ingredients:

Makes 8 Servings

  • 2 (29 ounce) cans sweet potatoes, drained and mashed
  • 1/3 cup butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons white sugar
  • 2 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon orange juice
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 1/3 cup chopped pecans
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 teaspoons butter, melted

Directions:

Total Time: 4 hrs

1 Lightly grease a slow cooker. 2 In a large bowl, blend sweet potatoes, 1/3 cup butter, white sugar and 2 tablespoons brown sugar. Beat in orange juice, eggs and milk. Transfer this mixture to the prepared casserole dish. 3 In a small bowl, combine pecans, 1/3 cup brown sugar, flour and 2 tablespoons butter. Spread the mixture over the sweet potatoes. Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 3 to 4 hours.

Going Green on Black Friday: Steam Mops

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Steam Mops are Hot this Season!

There are alot of stores which will be featuring deals on steam mops…there are lots of brands and models to choose but they all work on the concept of steam heat which is used to break up dirt and kill germs. I bought a Haan Steamer last year for $100 and I love the idea of using less chemicals around the house. Steam is not only enviromentally friendly, but friendly on your wallet (and your lungs 😉

Here are your best bets for Steamers based on price:

(Again these are “rumored” prices based on “leaked” Black Friday ads)

Shark Steam Pocket Mop

Big Lots has the Shark Steam Mop for $59 ($40 off retail price). Kohl’s also has this model advertised in its flyer, but for $99, making this a good deal if you can get one for $59. I will also note that Big Lots wil not only be open early on Friday, but Thanksgiving day as well.

Kohl’s is selling a couple different models. As mentioned they are selling the Shark Pocket Mop, but for $99 (regularly $139 at Kohls

Shark 2-in-1 Vac then Steam

Kohl’s also has the Shark 2-in-1 Vac then Steam. I really like this idea! I always vacuum before steaming but being able to do both with the same cleaning tool would save dragging the sweeper around everytime I want to steam my floors.


Kohls is also selling the Shark Deluxe Steam Mop for $49, but if you can make it to Big Lots, your probably better offer getting the Steam Pocket mop for $10 more.

Target will have the Shark Light and Easy Steam Mop (reg $89) on sale for $49, again probably Big Lots is a better bet.

However, not to be outdone, Wal-mart will offer the Deluxe Shark Steam Mop for $36.

Comparable to the Shark Vac then Steam is the Bissell Steam and Sweep which Sears is rumored to be offering for $119. Use the $10 off $50 or more coupon in the ad to bring it to $109
For a really inexpensive way to start steamin’ Macy’s is offering the Bionair Steamer for $19.99 after rebate (Reg. $59.99)
True Value is *rumor* offering a similar model made by Dirt Devil for $39

Crockpot Green Bean Casserole!

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Save time on the green bean Casserole this Thanksgiving my making it in the crockpot!

You will need:

– 2 bags frozen green beans


– 1 can cream of mushroom soup


– 1/3 cp milk


– 1/4 tsp salt


– 1/4 tsp pepper


– 1 can french fried onions




Instructions:

Mix together. Sprinkle with half of the french fried onions.


Cover and cook on low for 5 to 6 hours. Top with remaining onions just before serving


Christmas Deal Alert!: Step2 Real Projects Workshop $51 + FREE Shipping!

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Step2 Real Projects WorkshopStep2 Real Projects Workshop $51 + FREE Shipping!
  • “Wood” pieces are made of durable floating foam
  • Interlocking notches and holes allow assembly of real projects
  • Electric drill, hammer, and saw increase realism
  • Spring-action vise, storage bins, and pull-out drawer

Crockpot Monday: Clam Chowder

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Crockpot Clam Chowder

Ingredients:



4 potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks


1 large onion, chopped


1 8 oz can chopped clams, drained


3 large celery stalks, chopped


3 cloves of garlic, minced


1 cup clam juice


1 tsp fresh thyme


1/4 tsp pepper


1 quart half-and-half cream


2 Tbs fresh parsley, chopped


2 Tbs of butter






Directions:


First saute the celery, onions, and garlic with butter in a skillet. Add all ingredients into the Crockpot and pour in the sauted mixture. Stir the ingredients around and cook on low for 8 hours for a very delicious New England clam chowder.