Plans for Rudy Day--January 2008!

[Frog Princess]

This will be my first Rudy Day, too- and i'm looking forward to it. I've already marked off all the Rudy Days in my diary & on the calendar to make sure I don't miss any.
I'd love to come along and join in the Rudy Day fun, Jackfrosty. All I need is someone to send me an air ticket so I can fly over from England...... :huh:
Oh well, a girl can dream!!!!!!

I've been planning what to do this month and so far I've got;
Get my notebook going properly- it's all shiny and new at the moment.
Make Christmas card lists
Make gift lists
Decide what craft projects I want/ need to do and list all the supplies I'll need. I'm planning to cross stitch a family tree sampler for my in-laws and I've designed most of it already, so that's kind of started.
Label up my gift bags. Last summer I found a pile of Christmas gift bags in town. Some are small, some a bit bigger- and they're lovely- thay have 3D embellishments on them and look fairly expensive. I feel smug- 'cos they only cost 15p for the little ones and 25p for the bigger ones. (not quite sure what that translates to in cents!). I have enough for a gift bag for each of my main family members and a few extras. I'm going to write the names on the tags- and then through the year buy and wrap gifts to put in each bag- so by Christmas they'll all be ready to go. (that's the theory, anyway!) I'm keeping 3 small ones back for hubby, and my son and daughter which I'll fill with little inexpensive gifts and then plan to put a goodie bag at their place at the dinner table on Christmas day as a surprise.

That should get me started, anyhow. looking forward to this! :grin:

 

[jackfrosty]

If I win the lotto-you're as good as here Frog Princess!
After all we live at the Squeeze More Inn!
Cathymac-I too am loving your plan ahead Rudy Days-could I get that organized? once again-a girl can dream! :love:

 

[Farmermom4]

Not sure yet what to do for Ruddy day this month, organized my notebook right after Christmas so I wouldn't forget anything!!!
Might work on my "mass" gift, every year I try to make a gift for friends we exchange with, that is more of a token gift rather than lots of money, and now that my big girls are on their own they get one of these also, usually some sort of a Christmas decoration. This years theme is Presents and Ornaments, I already have my paper, cards, tags, and newsletter paper, they either have ornaments or presents on them in a pastel color. My mass gift this year will be 4x4 blocks in three staggering heights painted and wrapped with ribbon to look like presents, in sets of three they are really cute on a table! I made a set for me a few years back and I love them! I need to make four sets of three so might get DH to cut them for me and start painting or might get started on my theme ornaments, don't know yet!
Will be wearing my Christmas socks and listening to Christmas music though!!! We have plenty of snow to keep in the Christmas spirit, that is for sure. :bigsnow:
Toni

 

[Christmaslvr]

My plans for January's Rudolph Day is to come up with a Christmas card idea and pull all the supplies needed and start making them. I've decided that I make too many cookies at Christmas time, I still have lots left! So I'm thinking about pulling my recipes and working on cutting the ingredients in half, that way I'll have the same variety only less of each. I don't have a 2008 calendar yet :slap: but I'll have one by then and I want to mark it up for this year's planning.

I don't usually shop this early, so I'll save that for starting this summer.

 

[cipalla]

IMAGINE WHAT WE COULD DO ON RUDDY DAY, AND THEN YET GREAT PUMPKIN DAY!
OH! MY, WE COULD GET SO MUCH DONE.
:bigsnow:

 

[jackfrosty]

If we could stop laughing and carrying on long enough! LOL! ink:

 

[cipalla]

OH THAT IS SO TRUE, YOU WOULD THINK WE WOULD WORK, BUT WE PROBABLY TALK AND GIGGLE SO MUCH! :rotflol:

 

[Gidget]

Greetings all,

I have several gift baskets planned for next Christmas for which I have a runniong list of contents. On the 25th I will go to the shops and see which Items I can secure. I will repeat exercise each month on the 25th until the baskets are complete.

Gidget :lucky:

 

[Cathymac]

Farmermomof4! Those stacked presents sound absolutely adorable! I'd love to see a picture of those! What sizes do you make them? I can ALMOST see them...just wondering about the size!

 

[oimom]

I need to put my nativities away
update my card list
start thinking/list of what to get the kids
use my peppermint bath stuff to relax afterwards

 

[Chrismaslady]

I plan to work on my card list
make a breakfast dish or two
bring the inventory closet up to date.
load more CD in the juke box stereo ( by the way does anyone kow is the a year round radio station on satellite XM)
Have a cup of Christmas tea
check the house for any decoration that got mix and put away my Dickens Village which I did not get put away last year but want to this year.
Also planning what card I want to make for Christmas next year.
Maybe do more too.

 

[SparkleNana]

:rudolph:
I am going to have something great (and easy) for dinner in the house on Rudy Day! So everybody can be happy and well fed.

And something special for dessert. After all, it IS a very special day.

 

[momof9]

my Rudy day list:

[] compile January's photos for the DVD
[] make all menus and grocery lists
[] decide on theme
[] watch a christmas movie
[] drink egg nog and gingerbread tea

 

[snowqueen]

I think I might work on my Christmas recipe notebook. While I'm organizing that stuff I'll listen to some Christmas music and after I'm done with the notebook, I'll watch a movie. Probably Borrowed Hearts which is one of my favorites. Dorene

 

[christmascreations]

Four more days til our First Rudy day this year....YAY!!!!

 

[Ahorsesoul]

I'll be wearing my t-shirt that I picked up at a garage sale for 25 cents. It red and someone sewed on beads in the shape of a Christmas tree. I have exercise class on Friday so I'm hoping people will ask about it so I can explain Rudolph day!

If they don't ask I'm having a t-shirt made with "Ask me about Rudolph Day!" across the back. lol

 

[FrostyShimmer]

I think I'll work on putting together my Christmas notebook. I'm going to try to make one that's a little more visually pleasing this year. I'm not very good at scrapbooking, etc, but I have a bunch of matching Christmas papers and novelties, so hopefully I can make something work.

Just a note about buying for In-laws; teaching DH a lesson is not always worth the outcome. My older bro is a procrastinator. DSIL decided not to buy for our parents one year to teach him a lesson. Her family got beautiful gifts. Only underscored that she did not think of our family as 'her family' too. Our parents were hurt -- not about not getting gifts, but to find out where they stood with her. They considered her their daughter. And it didn't 'cure' my bro of procrastinating. IMHO, it was lose-lose.

ackage:

About the idea of buying or not buying presents for inlaws --- of course, each family situation is different. I do buy and wrap thoughtful gifts for difficult relatives - on both sides of the family.. Just my personal choice. We all have different ways of doing celebrations - which is what makes this board so wonderful!!!

Just a note on my previous comment about not sending to my inlaws this year, so I don't come across as an ice queen.
I do have difficult relatives who I still buy for every year. Come to think of it, difficult relative is kind of an oxymoron. But I love them just the same.

I have two sets of in-laws. I still bought for the one set who I actually know, despite my husband's procrastination. They sent a gift for him, and none for me, but that doesn't really bother me. I don't think it was any kind of purposeful commentary on me, but rather what they've always done at Christmas for their son. They included me when they sent their Christmas card. They're nice people, and I feel like we should be sending them something, so I do.

The other set, however, I have only met once. Christmas cards, etc. are addressed solely to my husband, with no mention of me, and they made no qualms about trying to convince my husband not to marry me even though they'd never met me. He had almost no contact with them growing up and had no relationship with them until he got a good job, at which point they seemed to decide they wanted to maintain contact, especially when they needed something. My husband used to ask what they'd like, but the gifts they asked for became too pricey to be affordable, and they never sent anything back to him, not even a thankyou. Despite their asking for gifts that can be over $800 each, we've sent gifts we felt were reasonable for the last few years, and I think my husband has realized, sadly, what was going on. This year I kept asking him about sending the gifts and when he never got around to it, I decided I wasn't going to do it. I suppose, in a way, I felt it was probably a good way to break the pattern. They don't think we send them enough anyways, so there's no joy in doing it. Maybe from now on we'll simply send a card expressing our best wishes.

 

[jackfrosty]

I didn't think you were an ice queen! I think alot of people can relate to your predicament! Although in our area of the world today-ice queen or icicle would be reasonable! BRRRRRRRRRR! :bigsnow:

 

[SparkleNana]

I am really glad you said a little more about the situation with dh's relatives!!! I would NOT be sending them gifts either!!!!! You have tried repeatedly to include them -- and it has gotten you and your husband nowhere except frustrated!!! I would be doing exactly what you are planning to do in 2008.

I loved what you said about difficult relatives being an oxymoron! I know that I am very often the "difficult" one.

You were thinking out loud on this board - trying to decide what to do in a difficult, painful situation. That is one of the many beautiful purposes that this group of friends can provide. I apologize -- I wasn't supportive. I broke the cardinal rule of this group. I didn't "hear" what you were saying - which is that these relatives are causing your family pain and you are trying to figure out the best way to deal with it in the future.

I will try to "listen" to what is going on in the heart of the writer more carefully.
:grouphug:

 

[jkbb2]

I'm so sad!! :sad: I'm missing the first Rudy day of the year! I'll be flying back to Wisconsin with my FIL--he has been here a month and a half--my MIL fell and broke her hip in the beginning of February and she is his primary care taker. My SIL was 'unwilling' to help care for them so he flew back with me to the east coast and friends from their church have been helping to care for her. she is feeling like she can care for him once more so we are leaving Friday. it has been fun having him here but I know they miss each other. they have been married for 45 years and have never been apart this long. I guess there will be other Rudy days! :grin: