21 Days to a Simple Christmas: Day 3

Today is Day 3 of Money Saving Mom's 21 Days to a Simple Christmas Challenge.  On Day 1, I created a mission statement for the season.  (Mission statements remind me of college projects, not Christmas!)  You can read about it here.  On Day 2, I worked on a budget for Christmas gifts this year.  It's going to be a huge challenge to stick to a budget.  I may end up just budgeting per person; we'll see.  You can read about it here.

For Day 3, I created a list of gifts to give this year.  Nearly all are for family, and for the rest, I'm excited about making some homemade goodies!  I'm so tempted to spoil my little Baby President, but I have to keep reminding myself that he won't remember this Christmas and that he doesn't need anything.  I have a little more than half of my shopping left to do, and I will admit that I'm having trouble this year deciding what to give a few people.  And I'm not sure when I'll be able to get my shopping done.  There may be a lot of boxes arriving on my front porch in the next few weeks, I suppose.

How is your Christmas shopping going?  Just 20 days left to finish!

21 Days to a Simple Christmas: Day 2

Today is Day 2 of Money Saving Mom's Simple Christmas Challenge.  As I mentioned in Day 1, I'm seeking balance between simplicity and making the holidays extra special for Baby President's 1st Christmas.

The task for today is to create a budget for Christmas gifts.  I've been working on a feasible budget for my family in the last few months, but budgeting for Christmas is a whole different animal.  Money Saving Mom's suggestion is to start allocating gift money from the budget about 6 months before Christmas.  Too late for that, now!  But, instead of allocating funds from the budget ahead of time, I often purchase Christmas gifts throughout the year when I find fabulous deals.  Another suggestion from the e-book, Celebrating and Savoring a Simple Christmas is to use gift cards earned from places like Swagbucks.  I joined Swagbucks a few months ago and have earned enough for a single $5 giftcard from Amazon.  Not much, but everything adds up, right?  In addition, sometimes I take surveys through I-Say, and I'm planning to redeem some points from there for gift cards to add to the Christmas budget.

So, my Christmas budget is in the works, but I already have several gifts taken care of for this year!  And I'm on my way to a fantastic, yet simple Christmas.

21 Days to a Simple Christmas: Day 1

I'm taking part in Money Saving Mom's 21 Days to a Simple Christmas challenge.  Christmas is without a doubt my favorite holiday, and this is Baby President's very first Christmas, so I really want to make it special.  But, having a baby during grad school has been a huge challenge in terms of making progress on all of my papers and assignments.  In other words, I'm behind.  I've been tasked by my graduate committee to get caught up by January.  Yikes!  Thus, my participation in a challenge to help me and my family have an amazing, yet simple holiday.

Day One of the challenge is to create a mission statement.

This Christmas season, I want to remember what is important about Christmas - Jesus and family, and minimize the excess that comes with the season.  I want to make my first Christmas with my husband and son to be special without going overboard.

You can sign up for the challenge here, and don't forget to check out Money Saving Mom's newest book, Say Goodbye to Survival Mode.  I'm thrilled to be part of the launch team for the book, and will be reviewing it here on Harvey Ever After soon.

Winter Favorites {Five of Friday}

One word.  Snow.  As much as I was hoping that the snow would stay away until at least December, it's neat to get to have another first with Baby Prez.  His very first snow.  It's amazing to think that he's never seen snow before.  Now, I know that there are plenty of people in the world that have never seen snow, but nonetheless, I'm excited!  I love seeing and experiencing all of Baby President's firsts, and I will love all of the firsts for each little one that joins the Harvey family!

So, I'm taking my cue from Joanna, another Nebraska blogger, over at Making Mine with my favorites for snow!  Thanks for the inspiration, Joanna!

1. Cream Pea Coat, Orange Pea Coat, Houndstooth Scarf // 2. Baby Coat //       3. Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses // 4. Eggnog, Keep Calm Pillow //  5. Black, Grey, & Brown Boots

#1. Pea Coats

I love pea coats.  If it wasn't a completely ridiculous proposition, I'd have one in every color, every length, and every style.  I know, crazy.  My favorites are my orange lighter coat and my heavier cream pea coat.  They are awesome.  And, of course, I can't leave the house without my black and white houndstooth scarf or my official Oklahoma State tartan scarf.

#2. Infant Winter Coats

My son has the most adorable grey fleece winter coat and matching hat.  Seriously, I love dressing him up in it.  He's handsome, adorable, and cute all at the same time.  He also has a Oklahoma State stocking cap with tassels and everything. Baby clothes are just so much fun!  I only wish they grew with him.

#3.  Hershey's Candy Cane Kisses

Have you tried these?  Candy cane flavored white chocolate with teeny tiny pieces of candy cane.  They might be my kryptonite.  I'm pretty sure I could eat an entire bag in a day if I didn't stop myself.  Every Christmas season, I have to stock up on these since they are only around for a couple of months!

#4  Eggnog

Another amazing seasonal item!  I don't stock up on eggnog, but I certainly drink my fair share throughout the season.  This is my first year to try "real" eggnog thanks to Mr. Harvey.  I know, I've been living under a rock.  This year, in addition to eggnog, my local grocery store is also carrying flavored milks like snickerdoodle milk.  Tempting, but I'm really not sure about them.  I may have to try some before the end of the holiday season.

#5 Boots

Here in Nebraska, winter boots are a must.  And I love boots!  Two of my favorite pairs started to fall apart last winter, so I'm in the market for a new pair (or two)! Doesn't every girl need at least one pair of boots in each color of brown, black, and grey?


What are your favorite winter accessories?

10 Weekly Goals {11/18-11/25}

Last Week’s 10 Goals
1.	Catch up on HarveyEverAfter baby updates - still a couple weeks behind
2.	Put together blogging schedule/plan
3.	Menu plan & grocery shop for the next week
4.	Plan Christmas gifts - started
5.	Finish Baby President’s new room - 2nd coat of paint on (thanks to Mr. Harvey)
6.	Combat dog shedding by vacuuming at least every other day
7.	Try out speed cleaning for the next month
8.	Finish survey for 2nd year paper - in progress
9	Write a conference paper by November 18th December 7th - in progress (deadline extended)
10.	Grade exams

This Week’s 10 Goals
1.	Catch up on HarveyEverAfter baby updates
2.	Put together blogging schedule/plan
3.	Menu plan & grocery shop for the next week
4.	Plan Christmas gifts
5.	Finish Baby President’s new room
6.	Combat dog shedding by vacuuming at least every other day
7.	Try out speed cleaning for the next month
8.	Finish survey for 2nd year paper
9	Write a conference paper by December 7th
10.	Decorate for Christmas!!!! (I'm so excited for this!) Not many changes this week; I'm still working on many of my goals and some of them are continuous.  I'm hopeful and determined to make more progress this week!