Christmas Decorating: Using What YOU Have and Leaving The FOMO Behind

photo from Decorators Warehouse

 I love decorating for Christmas.  You know that.  And usually I'm ok with my decorations.  Could I have more?  Sure....  Could some use updating?  Sure...  But this year, I started to get envious of other peoples decorations.  

YouTube is Great!  I love it.  I love it for exercise, for recipes, for decorating tips, and more.  I get inspiration from so many wonderful YouTubers.  But I noticed something.  I found some interior designers that were decorating for Christmas.  And oh boy, was it ever beautiful.  Then I started getting FOMO, also known as the fear of missing out.  

My decorations are not elaborate and they don't really match or "flow" from room to room.  My garland is sad looking.  I have a lot of "character" decorations that might not look very sophisticated.  My mind started to race on how I could correct this faux pas.  It seems that across the board with YouTube influencers, things are more glamorous  this year for decorating.  Trends are more minimal yet very grand looking.  I need new garland.  And I need large gold deer.  And I need white fluffy blankets.  I basically need all new stuff, because I don't have any of those things.

So I started to fill my Amazon cart with Christmas essentials.  And I looked at Michael's and Hobby Lobby to see what they had.  And I made a plan to do a tour of antique stores in the area to see what I could gather up to make it a very merry and glamorous Christmas.  Clearly, my stuff is not on trend.  And this needed to be fixed NOW.

Luckily I took a deep breath before checking out on my Amazon cart.  And I was actually too busy to go to any stores.  Did I really want to drop several hundred dollars on new decorations?

Yes.  Yes I did.  

But was that the best use of our family's finances?  No.  It is definitely not the best use of our family's finances.  

And let's face it, my reasons for wanting all new Christmas decorations aren't rooted in reality at all either.  What will next years trends be?  Will I like those too?  Will I need all new stuff again?  I do not have the room to store all these decorations, even if I did spend the money on them.  That would mean that something would have to go,  and was I willing to give up our decorations that have sweet family memories attached to them?  Would my family be ok with that?

It's so easy to see what other people have or are doing on social media and want it for yourself.  It all looks so wonderful.  And it's easy to forget that these people are making money off of it and most of the things they buy are written as a business expense or were given to them to influence us to purchase from a particular store or online retailer.  I am not a business nor am I an influencer and no one is going to "give" me anything.  I have to learn to watch these videos with appreciation, and not envy.  People who celebrate Christmas want their homes to look festive and cozy.  But that has NOTHING to do with the real reason we are celebrating Christmas.  And because all of this Christmas decorating starts earlier and earlier every year, there is more time to get anxious about what we have, what design aesthetic we are going for, and it gives us more time to spend, spend, spend.  When my parents were young, most people didn't decorate their homes or trees until Christmas Eve.  We have moved far past that tradition. One lady I watched (whose decorating was spectacular) started to decorate in September.  She decorated every room on her main level and changes out rugs, artwork, and furniture to match each years theme.  But she clarified that by saying that this is "her job".  This is not my job.  Trust me, no one would hire me to decorate anything... lol.

I stopped watching that particular YouTuber.  Even though her style is amazing, it wasn't something that I could emulate.  And there was very little that I could take and use as tips (except maybe going forward, try to make my rooms flow better together).

If you can watch these videos or read magazines and see the beauty and leave it there, then you are ahead of the game.  If like me, you struggle with FOMO or feel envious or start coveting all the things, it may be time to mute that content until you can view it through a grateful lens and  not allow it to become toxic.  

Another person that I watch went outside to gather dried flowers, grasses, and seed pods to spruce up her garland.  So I took Daisy with me, and we went out back and did the same.  Her garland looked amazing.  Mine looks a little funky.  I'm not sure I'm going to leave it this way through the Christmas holiday, but the good news here is that it cost me nothing to mess this up.  It's not glamorous, but it did look a little better.  And it was free.  

I'm going to get my decorations out in the next few days and I'm not going to look at them like they are not good enough.  I'm going to look at them with gratitude and try to carry that gratitude into every thing I do this season.  And maybe I'll stay off of social media a bit more and just enjoy what I have right in front of me. 

Advent hasn't even started yet.  We have a long way to go, and I want Jesus to be at the center of this season.  He's the one we are actually celebrating.  That's where I need my focus to be.  The beauty of the season is HIM.

We have a lot of flooding in the back, but I was still able to gather a few things.

Daisy was just happy to be outside

Still a work in progress

Something That Has Been On My Heart

 For a few years now, I've tried to come up with something I could do for employment that would fit into my main responsibilities as a homemaker.  I know my main job is taking care of my family and I'm happy with that (and usually that alone can be overwhelming).  First, I thought being a secretary for our church would be a good option.  It's not exactly full time, but it would be a enough and I could probably work it around M's school schedule.  I'm his "bus".  I drive him to and from school since he goes to a "non-public" school.  I really hoped that the position would open up. 

In my previous life, I was employed in inside sales and marketing and at one point I was a Marketing Assistant to the Marketing Manager. My strengths are keeping things organized, helping customers, and gate keeping.   I can put together an awesome trade show complete with a customer reception. I enjoy running an office.  And not to toot my own horn, but I'm pretty good at it.

When the job finally did open up, I was very excited.  And 2 days later I got the news that a close family member was diagnosed with an aggressive cancer.  That family member was going to need me.  This was not the time to apply for work outside the home.  I believe this was God telling me "This is not the job for you".  That was 2021.

And since then, I've tried to figure out if not THAT, then WHAT?  I pray.  I put it in Gods hands.  But I do try to research things. I have Linked In alerts for jobs that would fit my qualifications.  And so far, nothing has come up that would fit my "bus" schedule or that would be flexible for family members. 

Then last week, I was feeling really down about the results of the Ohio election.  And I kept praying and asking God for peace with all of this.  And one of my prayers was "God, please tell me what you are calling me to do"?  And then it struck me.  Not like a lightening bolt, or not like anything grandiose.  I just felt Him say "Right now, I'm not calling you to do anything.  I'm just calling you".  And there it was.  As much as I would like to find work outside the home and help contribute to the finances of this family, God wants me right where I'm at, taking care of these people He gave me, and He wants me to use that to bring me closer to Him.  He's not calling me to save our church, or make more money for vacations, or become a professional outside of the home again.  He's got me where He wants me, and He wants me to grow in my relationship with Him.  "I'm not calling you to do anything".  I'm just calling you".  Took me a few years to hear that.  But I heard it.  Finally.  

Maybe some day that will change.  Or maybe it won't.  For now, I will be content with where I'm at physically, and keep trying to move forward spiritually.  

Meal Planning 3-16-23 to 3-23-23: Feeding the Family

 Happy St. Patrick's Day!  I hope you had a good one.  We did our St. Patrick's Day dinner 3-18-23.  Even though our Bishop gave a dispensation for meat on St. Patrick's Friday in Lent, we decided to keep that Friday meatless.  And I was making a soup for soup supper at church, so I did creamy potato which was meatless too.  The boys came home for spring break on Friday.  It's so nice to have them home.  It's only for a week and I know that week will fly by.  At least we'll get to see them again in a few weeks for Easter.  This week I shopped at Aldi and Marc's.  I spent more than I wanted to, but I have two extra mouths to feed and I had a meal for soup supper.  This week I have a meal train meal for our church family.  I plan on making chili and gluten free corn bread.

This week's menu:

Thursday: Hamburger Casserole

Friday:  Creamy Potato Soup for church soup supper

Saturday:  Corned Beef, Mashed Potatoes, Cabbage, Sauerkraut, Swiss Cheese, and Rye Bread

Sunday:  Turkey Meatloaves, Baked Red Skins, and Vegetable

Monday:  (Meatless Monday for us, but meat for the college boys) Baked Chicken Thighs and Fettuccini Alfredo

Tuesday:  Taco Night (and chili for meal train meal)

Wednesday:  Hamburger, Hot Dogs, and Vegetables

Thursday:  Tater Tot Casserole

I'm going to try to shop at some salvage stores this week for groceries, but the problem with that is that you never know what you are going to get.  There are also some bulk stores by the salvage stores so I may check them out too.  I just really want to get our grocery budget down, but I don't want us to eat garbage either.  

I don't think I ever posted the Lent Tree:

Have a blessed week ahead!!

Merry Christmas

 

Wednesday Words

 

Menu Plan 12-2-22 to 12-8-22: Feeding the Family

 My Christmas prep has stalled.  I still haven't put up the tree in the basement.  I'm thinking that I may just leave it until the big boys come home.  They can do it if they want to.  I have a few gifts left to buy and I need to find something to wear to the husbands Christmas party next weekend.  I'm feeling the crunch.  But I've had some medical stuff to deal with (some mine, some other peoples) and I just haven't had the time.  This week's menu if using a lot of what I already have on hand.  And the boys come home at the end of the week so next week's menu will contain more "meat" meals, but I still have to find a way to keep this grocery budget under control.  I swear, money is just flying out of this house.  I am looking forward to them being here, but I'm not looking forward to feeding them - LOL>

Friday:  Baked Cod and French Fries

Saturday:  Homemade Pizza (it was really good, but there's a story behind this involving a face plant.  I'm not sharing here but it took the wind right out of my sails). I made pepperoni and sausage, and a white pizza with sausage, pepperoncini, and ricotta

Sunday:  Baked Chicken, potato or rice, and veg

Monday:  I'm not sure yet.  It's my birthday and I'm assuming that the husband will take care of this, but he hasn't said anything, so if he doesn't, it will be steaks on the grill.

Tuesday:  Slow cooker White Chicken Chili

Wednesday:  Turkey Tacos

Thursday:  Clean up

Second Sunday of Advent:

Have a blessed week ahead!! 

Menu Plan 11/28/22-12/1/22: Feeding the Family

 Post-Thanksgiving exhaustion has set in.  We had a wonderful day with family.  A few family members were under the weather and weren't able to make it, and they were surely missed.  But overall, it was a wonderful day.

Friday, we spent the day decorating for Christmas.  Most of the decorations are up, but I still have to do the tree in the basement.  I may get to it this week.  Or I may not.  I'm not going to stress over it.  If it were totally up to me, I'd skip it this year.  But I know the boys love having a tree down there too.  

Yesterday was the Ohio State/Michigan game.  The outcome wasn't what we hoped for.  But we had some family friends over and J had a few friends over and despite the loss, we had a really great day.  I made 6 pounds of taco meat, and we did walking tacos. I also made nachos fabuloso and 7-layer dip. 

Today was church and after that, we took the boys to brunch.  The big boys just left for college, and we wanted to fill them up before they left. I sent the oldest back with 5 pounds of ground beef and 5 pounds of chicken thighs.  He was also gifted lunch meat, cheese, and a loaf of bread.  The Middle left with the left-over taco meat (probably around 3 pounds), walking taco bags, corn chips, potato chips, and pepperoni.  

I miss them already. I will worry for the next four hours until they are safely back at college.  Mama's always worry.  

This week's meal plan starts tomorrow because we have been eating Thanksgiving leftovers and then yesterday was the game day taco fest.  We are all full from brunch so I think dinner tonight will be something light.  

This week's meal plan:

Monday:  Dirty rice with chicken sausage

Tuesday:  Chicken Tortilla Soup

Wednesday:  Quiche 

Thursday:  Clean up Day

Today is the first Sunday of Advent.  The Advent season has officially begun.  I have Christmas shopping to finish up and even though I ordered the Christmas cards weeks ago, I still have to get those out.  That is what I will be concentrating on for now.  Plus, cleaning... and laundry.   The boys will be home again in 2 weeks, and they'll be home for a month and half.  I will be counting down the days. 

Have a BLESSED week ahead!!

The First Sunday of Advent: Be watchful and ready from National Catholic Register

Wednesday Words: Thanksgiving Edition

 

All Souls Day

 

All Souls Day Prayer

Merciful Father,

On this day, we are called to remember those who have died,
Particularly those who have died in the past year,
And pray for their joyful reunion with you, their loving creator.
As your son taught us to call the stranger 
neighbor, our fallen are many—

Names we will never know,
Voices we have never heard,
In lands we may never visit,
Yet brothers and sisters all.
And so we pray.

For victims of war, caught in the crossfires of
conflicts we could not quell,
for soldiersand civilians,
adults and children, we pray …
Grant eternal rest, O Lord.

For those migrants who have died seeking a
haven where they hoped to find safety
and opportunity for themselves and for their families, we pray …
Grant eternal rest, O Lord.

For victims of hunger, denied their share in the
bounty you have placed before us, we pray …
Grant eternal rest, O Lord.

For victims of AIDS, Malaria, Ebola, and other infectious diseases,
who died before adequate care could reach them, we pray …
Grant eternal rest, O Lord.

For those refugees seeking asylum from war,
who died in a land that was not their home, we pray …
Grant eternal rest, O Lord.

For victims of emergencies and calamities everywhere,
who died amid chaos and confusion, we pray …
Grant eternal rest, O Lord.

Lord, as you command, we reach out to the fallen.
We call on you on behalf of those we could not reach this year.
You raised your son from the dead
that all may share in his joyful resurrection.

In Jesus' name, we pray …

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine,
Et lux perpetua luceat eis.
Requiescant in pace.

Amen  (from crs.org)

To find out more about All Souls Day, visit Catholic.org

-Menu Plan - 9/28/22 to 10/3/22: Feeding the Family

 I'm late on this for the week.  I had the meal plan done since Tuesday, but sometimes life gets in the way of posting.  

It has been a busy week, but a good one.  Friday, the little one had two friends sleep over.  Three 10 year olds is the most 10 olds I can handle for a sleep over.  They sure are active.  And one child kept insisting that they watch Scream.  Nice try child, but I don't let 10 year olds watch rate R movies at my house.  He actually got a little mad, but luckily the attitude changed quick enough.  Sorry, but this is not my first rodeo.

They had a nice time.  Saturday was a 10-year-old friends birthday party.  Sunday was Puppy Kindergarten and our neighborhood Trick or Treat.  Because we have teacher conferences tonight, we went to All Saints Day mass last night.  And after teacher conferences, there is basketball practice.  Whew!  It's a lot.

Trick or Treat was nice.  We actually got 25 kids this year.  Usually, we get 3-6 kids.  All of the kids aged up with my older boys.  But recently several new young families moved into the neighborhood.  It was so nice to see so many little ones. 

Halloween 2022

 

This week's menu:

Friday:  Take and Bake Aldi pizza

Saturday:  Baked chicken tacos

Sunday:  Tomato and Feta pasta (also known as Tick Tock pasta)

Monday:    Grilled turkey burgers and hot dogs with frozen fries

Tuesday:  Breakfast for dinner:  Bacon, egg, and cheese sammys and hash browns

Wednesday:  Greek Chicken Skillet

Thursday:  Clean up

Last week I shopped at our local discount store Marc's and then at Aldi.  Marc's has really good prices, but you get what they have so you can't be brand loyal.  This week I'm doing a Walmart pick up because the end of the week is VERY busy, but I made the mistake of looking at the Marc's flyer and many things that I have on my pickup are actually cheaper at Marc's.  It's painful, but I just can't add in another store this week.  Hopefully I can go back to Marc's next week.  I will try and post some of the things that I am saving on.

Last week Marc's had turkeys for 87 cents per pound.  They were Butterball or Jenni-O.  I got a Jenni-O because I needed a smaller one for frying and that was the smallest one I could find.  Aldi had Butterballs for $1.59 per pound.  Clearly, Marc's was the better deal.  

I also got my Christmas cards ordered.  We always do photo cards and this year I used Snapfish.  They have a code that will get you 70% off your cards.  Use code OCCRD70 to save.

Happy Feast of All Saints!!

Have a blessed week ahead!!  

Holy Week

 Yesterday, Palm Sunday, began Holy Week.  This is the holiest time of the year for Catholics (yes, even over Christmas time).

Have a wonderful and blessed Holy Week.

Five On Friday

 

Five Catholic Podcasts That I Listen To:

1.  Bible In A Year Podcast

2.  Girlfriends Podcast with Danielle Bean

3.  Catholic Momcast

4.  Catholic Answers Focus Podcast

5. Question of Faith Podcast

What are you listening to?  Share with me any of your favorite podcasts.  

Wednesday Words

 We are well into Lent.  How are you doing?  I know that I could use a reset and I need to reaffirm my Lenten affirmations.  I have gotten a bit off track.  How about you?

Wednesday Words

 

Wednesday Words

 

Wednesday Words

 

Wednesday Words

 

Wednesday Words

 

Wednesday Words

 

Wednesday Words