This Saturday was over way to quickly and I even was already out of the house at 7:50am. I am a night-owl so this time is early for me but I signed up for a class at 8:20am. My gym membership includes 8 classes per month and since I will already miss the Thanksgiving week I better make sure that I take those classes in time.
I spend a good chunk of my day playing with the Cricut again. I want to make a T-shirt for my daughter’s birthday and am going to use iron on vinyl for that. I did choose a picture she hopefully will like and had the Cricut do the cutting. I still need to weed it (that’s what removing the excess is called) and then put it on the T-shirt itself. I also finished up our calendars for next year and the holiday cards. Usually I make one with pictures of the kids and also give it to the grandparents. This year it hopefully comes in time so I can give it to my BIL when he comes to visit. Shipping packages to Europe has gotten so expensive in the last couple of years so this visit really helps on that front. It’s now harder to find good pictures to use. When they were little there were soooo many pictures, now I have to beg them to be allowed to take one of them and then in a lot they make funny faces. I still love the process though. Same goes for the holiday cards. Going through the pictures always reminds me what fun we had throughout the year and we really did make some good memories this year – first on our trip to Germany at the end of last year and then to New York in the spring and not to forget the roadtrip in the summer. I usually use Shutterfly. I already have all our dates saved (I add the family birthdays and special dates on the calendar already), so it saves a little time on that front. I have not looked at any other services in recent years. Maybe I should look around again? Not this year though since the order went out today.
We did end up going to the holiday lights event in Berkeley and seeing the lights was really fun. Most of the shops were already closed when we got there but we had dinner at a Mexican restaurant.
Oh, and my birthday present was picked up today and is now waiting in the garage until my actual birthday (the e-bike). I filled out a bunch of forms already to sign up for the warranty, to get the rebate our county offers when you buy an e-bike and to register it with the bike index what helps supposedly if it gets stolen (hopefully that never happens).
How is you weekend going so far? Do you make photo cards or calendars and do you have a favorite vendor to order from?
Home here and there 
You’ve been busy. I can you fit all that in one day…
I am also jealous you are so far ahead in your Holiday preparations. I have bought pens to write cards but that is about it. I really need to get going. The postal service said all international mail needs to be sent by end of November. Sigh….
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I am ahead now but somehow time always gets the better of me. I am only sending the cards this year. Packages have gotten so expensive to Europe that it just does not make sense.
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Oookay. I really need to get moving. It’s not like this is late, but the mistake I make is thinking that it’s “too early” to make Christmas preparations. Then suddenly it feels like it’s way too late and I’m way behind. I don’t do photo cards for the holidays (we used to, but it only leads to frustration nowadays, trying to get a photo) but I do send out cards.
I’m excited to start seeing holiday lights!
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I hear you on the photo issue! This was one of the easy years because we made sure to take some family shots on vacation. It feels far a way now but with Thanksgiving and all the pre-holiday events it also feels like time is flying….
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Oh, gosh you really did have a busy day, but managed to get a lot done too. I love getting bespoke Christmas cards done normally, but this year, we’re doing simple and cost saving. And Christmas will definitely be quieter this year too. My OH loss their father Dec 11 last year to cancer. And then, this year, we lost an aunt and an uncle.
The OH already wants us to put up our tree and lights. I said Dec 1st maybe or, next weekend.
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In years like yours it makes a lot of sense to keep it a quieter holiday. We always wait until the weekend after Thanksgiving to put up the tree. Living in Germany we had to wait until Christmas Eve. We had an advent wreath with four candles though. You light one more candle on each Sunday before Christmas Eve
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I refuse to think about Christmas right now. REFUSE. So, no, I haven’t started any holiday card ordering or anything. *sigh* I know I’ll regret this in December.
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Every single year it feels absolutely crazy to start this early but if I want to get the cards out in time to make it to family in Germany I have no choice.
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Lovely lights! I’m doing ok on my holiday planning. I’m definitely a planner, so that helps. I like it when my family says, 2 days before Christmas, “oh, I’d like X or Y for Christmas, if anyone asks.” As if all sane people haven’t finished their shopping. Sigh.
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I know exactly what you mean. My husband is one of those people who goes shopping on Christmas Eve if I leave him to his own devices.
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I am so intrigued by the Cricut. I’d love to own one but can’t really justify the expense right now. Do you use it often?
I hear you on how expensive postage has gotten the last few years and it makes me sad because I used to love putting packages together for my family. But with the restrictions on value of the contents, it’s really not worth it shipping anything overseas anymore.
I have not even thought or holiday cards yet.
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I feel similar about the Cricut. It was a present to my birthday last year and I use it not as often as I would like. Maybe if I had a crafting space and I could leave it out that would be different (same is true for my sewing machine). I just got into making iron on shirts which is really fun.
As for the packages: yes! I love to package everything up but with the shipping costs it just hurts. Online shopping it is.
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