How to Display Your Holiday Cards Quickly and Easily (and Cheaply!)

We may have a newborn baby around here, but we can't let everything slide, can we? 'Tis the season to receive endless stacks of holiday cards and yearly updates from people. And just what are you supposed to DO with all of that stuff? You're pretty much heartless if you toss it in the trash recycling, and you're just asking for a pile of STUFF if you keep it around. I mean, where do you put it?

Last year I just put them all in a bowl on our coffee table. That was nice, but it didn't really give us a chance to look at all the cards at once. And since most people these days put family pictures on the front of their cards, it's really nice to look over all our loved ones with a glance--and with said newborn, sometimes that's all I can spare at the moment!

Enter the quickest organization solution I think I have EVER come up with. Seriously, y'all, it took me two minutes to think of this, two minutes to run upstairs and grab the supplies, and ten minutes to put it up on the wall. All this while I was frantically praying that Junior would nap more than half an hour as he's been known to do around here.

If I can do it in those circumstances, I KNOW you can do it too!

Let me tell you how!

Creating a Birth Folder

As the third trimester begins and we gear up for final trips and preparations in anticipation of birth, there are fun things to do and not-so-fun things to do.

You might think compiling all the necessary paperwork for a hospital stay would fall into the not-so-fun category, and you might be right. But my system-loving, organizational self started dreaming up various systems with which to alleviate the tedium.

Behold, my (fun and colorful) end product:

Let's dive right in, shall we?

In which I create a Family Menu Board

Psst. Guess what? 

I made something in the last two weeks I've been MIA. I know a few friends who will be super happy that I've gone back to a few DIYs. 

I present: Our Family Menu Board!

In which I extol the virtues of my new planner.

Happy Mondays everyone! I can tell y'all that my Monday has been extremely happy, in part because of a new hairdo (I'll show ya later), but mostly because of this amazing new planner that came in the mail for me on Friday.

As some of you already know, about two weeks ago I spent an hour and a half researching all of my different planner options. As a tactile learner, I find it essential to keep myself organized with a paper planner rather than an electronic option. Also, I don't have a smart phone or a tablet, so a portable electronic option doesn't really exist for me.

I researched multiple options, and I eventually came up with three finalists. Disclaimer: I have not been compensated for any of these reviews. I'm just sharing with you what I love!

In which I complete my very first DIY project!

I have finally done it. I have finally become an official blogging woman. How have I accomplished such a thing? I have done so by initiating, constructing, and completing my first DIY project by my own strength and ingenuity. No help from the hubby here.

In which I describe my new ventures . . .

As I sit here typing this I'm still watching snow blow around outside. Our front window faces west, so the snow looks like it's just blowing sideways outside as the vicious wind whips down from the north. Also, we're alone out here, so there are no other buildings to block the wind. What does this all mean? Huge drifts that will threaten to blow over our freshly shoveled driveway every day. Hooray!

In other news, I have decided to take up a few things to keep myself busy this winter as I continue to navigate the waiting game that is trying to start a family. And, to give myself a little bit of a rush, I've decided to tell you in list form. Nothing makes me more calm than making lists. Well, maybe budgets. Or hourly calendars. I'm not a control-freak, really. I can stop whenever I want.