The Ornaments Are Ordered!

Today I went to my favorite local Hallmark store and pre-ordered Keepsake Ornaments for this year. Now I just have to go back to pick them up in July and October and that part of my Christmas shopping is complete. This year I am going to do a better job of keeping track of what I purchased for each person and of the series they are collecting. With 13 people receiving ornaments, I can't keep it all straight by memory any longer!

I think I heard the faint jingle of sleigh bells as I walked out of the store...

He is Risen!

The Resurrection

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so they could embalm him. Very early on Sunday morning, as the sun rose, they went to the tomb. They worried out loud to each other, "Who will roll back the stone from the tomb for us?"
 
Then they looked up, saw that it had been rolled back—it was a huge stone—and walked right in. They saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed all in white. They were completely taken aback, astonished.

He said, "Don't be afraid. I know you're looking for Jesus the Nazarene, the One they nailed on the cross. He's been raised up; he's here no longer. You can see for yourselves that the place is empty. Now—on your way. Tell his disciples and Peter that he is going on ahead of you to Galilee. You'll see him there, exactly as he said."
Mark 16:1-7 The Message

Let the Wrapping Begin!

See what I've been up to today? Wrapping Christmas gifts. I stumbled across a great buy last week for all of my girls and just couldn't resist getting this Gift Wrap Season started. It may also have had something to do with the Dream Book arriving last week! Anyway, as you can see, I've got seven gifts bought and wrapped. Actually the count is eight, one gift didn't make it into the photo.

Last year I chose one pattern of gift wrap for each family member. It looked cool under the tree, but it wasn't as much fun as I thought it would be. This year I'm going back to using multiple patterns for everyone. I use Santa patterns for all of the grandkids and then whatever for everyone else.

As I've stated before, I buy gifts starting in May (usually) and wrap them and apply a gift tag before storing them. I have a chart that keeps track of my budget and of the gifts I've purchased and wrapped. This way I don't forget what I've already purchased and I don't go over budget unless it's deliberate. Have you started any holiday preparations at your house? I'd enjoy hearing about them...

The Hallmark KOC Dream Book Arrived!

Well, it's officially Christmas season at my house now. Early Christmas season to be sure, but in my mind that counts. You see the Hallmark Keepsake Ornament Club Dream Book arrived on Friday. I am so excited. I've already been through it several times, marking all the ornaments I think I want as I go.

I also showed it to Jessica when she dropped by Friday afternoon. This weekend I will have some of my kids over to celebrate Easter and they can go through it then marking the ornaments that I can use as gift suggestions for them. I'm hoping to turn my order in to my local Hallmark store by May 1st. Then I will count the days until July 14 when I can go and pick them up.

I do have a bit of a concern though. I've bought so many ornaments the past few years that I'm not sure if I started some new series' last year or not. I think I'm going to get my ornaments out this month and make a little catalog of what I own so I'll know where I'm at. I also need to jot down in my Holiday Planner when I start a new series for a kid or grandkid.

Now that the Dream Book is here, the 2013 Cross-stitch Calendar shouldn't be far behind!