Black Friday Sale!

Codex Publishing is having a HUGE sale in conjunction with Currclick's annual Black Friday sale. You don't want to miss this great chance to stock up on The Tutor and classic book reprints!

ALL of the first editions of Volumes 1, 2, and 3 are 20% off! This sale will continue until all current stock is sold! Hurry on over to stock up before they're all gone! All of our products will be 50% off at CurrClick!

Coming January 15, 2010: Volumes 1 & 2 will be re-released with ALL-NEW, easy-to-use, comprehensive LESSON PLANS, indices, a Bible reading plan, and Bible verses for copywork, dictation, or memorization. Both volumes will continue to include CDs with the operas, classical music, hymns, and folksongs. They will also include six, full-color, quality artwork prints. The new price will be $29.95.

What to be Thankful For

What to be Thankful For

By Louis Bromfield

Oh, Lord, I thank You for the privilege and gift of living and a world filled with beauty and excitement and variety.

I thank You for the gift of loving and being loved, for the friendliness and understanding and beauty of the animals on the farm and in the forest and marshes, for the green tress, the sound of a waterfall, the darting beauty of the trout in the brook.

I thank You for the delights of music and children, of other men’s thoughts and conversations and their books to read by the fireside or in bed with the rain falling on the roof or the snow blowing past outside the window.

I thank You for the beauties of the four seasons and of the churches and the houses built by fellow men that stand throughout the centuries as monuments to man’s aspirations and sense of beauty.

I thank You for powers of mind, which find in the universe an endless and inexhaustible source of interest and fascination, for the understanding of so many elements that make life precious.

I thank You for all the senses You have bestowed upon me and for the delights that they bring me. I thank You for my body itself, which is so wonderful and delightful a mechanism.

I thank You for the smile on the face of a woman, for the touch of a friend’s hand, for the laughter of a child, the wagging tail of a dog and the touch of his cold nose against my face.

I thank You for all these things and many more, and above all I thank You for people with all their goodness and understanding which so far outweigh their vices, their envy, their deceits.

Thank You, God, for life itself, without which the universe would have no meaning.

This poem was recited every Thanksgiving as a prayer by my great-grandmother,
Pearl Constance Cramer La Shell

Be Happy with January's Credit Card Bill

Yes, it is possible to be happy when your credit card bills arrive in the mail after Christmas. Really. How? By not overspending in November and December! It really is possible to give gifts to people who are important to you without emptying your wallet.

First of all, make a list of everyone to whom you absolutely must give a gift. Discuss with your spouse and children to see if perhaps some people on the list could be "downgraded" to a card. Decide ahead of time with your spouse how much money you have to spend on gifts this year. If it helps, put that amount of cash in an envelope and only use it when you buy presents (I realize that's not practical for everyone though). Be careful to spend only the agreed amount.

Secondly, you may have to limit the number of gifts you give to each child (or parent, or spouse). Mary Beth Whalen wrote an amazing article featured on the From the Trenches of Motherhood blog last week. It's entitled "Easy Tips on How to Buy Christmas Gifts Without Blowing Your Budget." She introduces a nifty three gift concept as well as several other cost-cutting ideas.

Thirdly, consider making some Christmas presents this year. Every grandparent, aunt, and uncle loves handmade ornaments or pictures of the children in hand-decorated photo frames. I'm making a bunch of fleece scarves and hats for people on my list this year (thanks to TOS's Nancy Carter for the directions and ideas). Check out Kaboose, All Free Crafts, and Family Fun for more fun Christmas craft and gift ideas.

Now go flip through those Black Friday sale catalogs sitting on your coffee table! Drop me a note and tell me about the best bargain Christmas gift you find this season.

The Countdown Continues

Today's the last day! Six days until Thanksgiving! Thirty-five days until Christmas! Are you ready? I sure am! Well, I'm ready for today at least.

Today is our last day of school before having a week off at Thanksgiving. Yay! The kids aren't the only ones celebrating :-). I'm going to use next week to make sure my lesson plans for the next month are ready to go, the papers are sorted and put into the portfolios, and the desks are cleaned. Even organized homeschoolers relish a chance to have a little extra time to reorganize and refresh.

I thought I had bought everything I needed to make my share of the Thanksgiving feast, but when I got home from my super shopping trip yesterday, I realized I had forgotten to buy the creamed corn to make the corn casserole and whipped cream. Sigh. You know why I forgot those things? They somehow did not make it onto my shopping list. Even the kids know that if they want something, it has to go on the list or I don't buy it. I'm only as organized as my list! Moral of the story: make a list and check it twice before heading out to the store.

As far as the Christmas countdown, the answer is yes, I did print out my Christmas address labels and make my Christmas card list. I even have the cards already (bought at last year's Boxing Day sale). Some night when I'm watching TV instead of writing articles, I'll put the labels on the envelopes and start writing.

Q4U: What have you done this past week to prepare for any of your special countdown days?

Have an Organized Thanksgiving

10 Tips + a Bonus for An Organized Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is meant to be a time of remembrance, family and thanks, not a holiday of stress and chaos. Here are 10 easy ways to stay organized for an enjoyable, stress-free Thanksgiving Day:

1. Leave cooking and cleaning behind.
These days, many people opt to go out for Thanksgiving, instead of cooking and cleaning at home. If you're an extremely busy person, this may also work for you. If you don't want to miss the feeling of being at home, perhaps you might have the main course at a restaurant, and later have pie and coffee at home. In addition, lots of supermarkets and restaurants offer fully cooked Thanksgiving dinners. You simply pick everything up and place it on your table ready to be served, and if you must add a personal touch, make one special dish of your own.

2. Prepare for traveling.
If you're traveling this Thanksgiving, be sure to make your packing list well ahead of time. Check items off as you're putting them into your luggage. Bring this list with you and use it to repack when you're ready to return home. By the way, I usually suggest that you travel a few days before Thanksgiving and come back a few days after the Thanksgiving rush. Otherwise, you're going to spend a lot of time in airports, on the road and in line.

3. Let's talk turkey.
First, determine how much room you have in your freezer and refrigerator, and how many people you will be serving. Then, order your turkey. If you need more storage space, perhaps a neighbor or relative can help you out. Rather than defrosting a frozen turkey in water on Thanksgiving Day, defrost it a few days ahead in your refrigerator instead. This saves tons of time and is less messy.

4. Invite guests in a snap.
If you haven't already sent out invitations, you may consider simply calling possible guests instead. You won't have to spend a ton of time writing and mailing, and you can usually get an RSVP immediately.

5. Check your inventory.
Check your supply of chairs, tables, dishes, glasses, pots, pans, serving plates and utensils. Arrange to buy, rent or borrow anything you don't have.

6. Plan your meal.
Plan your meal from appetizers to dessert on a piece of paper. Make a list of all ingredients needed. Bring your list when you go shopping and check items off as you put them in your cart.

7. Cook ahead.
Make any meals that you can well ahead of time, and freeze them. On Thanksgiving Day, just defrost, heat and serve. You will save tons of time, plus you'll be able to join in the festivities without being stuck in the kitchen.

8. Get ready the night before.
You'll be happy you took care of a few things the night before. Set the table. Get the good silverware out of storage. Lay out your (and your kids') wardrobe.

9. Don't forget the important stuff.
Thanksgiving is a wonderful time to be thankful for health, family, friends and all that life has to offer. Some people choose to say grace. Others prefer to simply have a moment of silence before dinner and football. Still others like to make time to read a Thanksgiving Story or a poem. Make a list of the things you want to do to make the day a special one and reference your list so you don't forget them.

10. Get moving.
We all tend to put on more excess calories than usual on Thanksgiving Day. After the last piece of pie, why not go out with your family for a fun Thanksgiving walk. This promotes good health and family time simultaneously!

~ These tips are courtesy of Get Organized Now! ~

Bonus tip.
Remember to be thankful! Even those in the most trying circumstances can find something for which to be thankful. As Americans, we live in the richest country on earth and we are blessed beyond the majority of the world's population. Focus on your blessings, not on your wants this Thanksgiving. Be thinking ahead to what you want to share with your family and friends next week.