Prep for Thanksgiving

Wow! Thanksgiving is in less than a week...time sure does fly. I love Thanksgiving and am excited for its arrival but there's always a little bit of sadness and pressure that comes along with it. My family and I live in two different cities and when most families pack their cars and head to their home towns to spend it with all their family I stay in my city and sometimes only spend it with my hubby. Hubby runs a top retail store so his busiest day of the year is always the day after Thanksgiving...BLACK FRIDAY. And because the holiday season is so important to the retail industry he is NEVER allowed to take time off of work between November and January. I would love to go back to my home town and spend the holidays with all my family but then that would mean leaving my love alone to spend the holidays by himself and I can't do that.

Every once in a while I'm lucky enough to have my family come down but this year they will be spending it at home. Although I won't be seeing my parents and family, hubby and I will still be amongst family (: and that's where a little bit of pressure comes from. Hubby has 3 girls, I have 3 "bonus" kids...I'm a step-mom and there a "little" bit of pressure that comes along with that. I know the girls have a mom, I'm not trying to be their mom...those are and never will be my intentions...but there is still a whole lot of pressure that comes along with my role. And to keep this blog short we'll stick to the pressure of Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is a great feast! Think of all the traditional food you have and the sides you look forward to having because aunt so and so makes it so good, grandma's pie is delicious, mom makes stuffing like this....

I know I have my favorites and well I'm still new to figuring out what I cook best in the kitchen. Sometimes I'm even scared to try my own concoction of a recipe I found online. I already have that pressure of making sure the meal we have tastes good but this year I'm lucky enough to have the pressure of having my dishes compared to the favorites of their mom's side. I try and take it all in with a grain of salt. I've developed this philosophy of learning and prepping myself with "bonus kids." I think to myself that my own kids that I someday look forward to having will be lucky that I've had all this prep and they will reap all the benefits of things I've learned before their arrival.

This Thanksgiving has its pressure but I'm blessed and thankful to be where I am and I'm sure as heck looking forward to a "hopefully" delicious feast. I've also come up with a plan to help take the pressure off of me. This year hubby will be making the turkey and the girls will be helping me with the sides and dessert. This way if it doesn't taste good, it wasn't just me that made it...they had a help in it as well ;)

Have you all heard of Pinterest? It’s a great website, if you haven’t done so yet…check it out! I was on there the other day and found some really yummy recipes I want to add to our Thanksgiving meal…who knows we might just find a traditional dish that will make it to many more of our Thanksgiving meals!

Time to SHARE!!!!

First up…rolls!

 These look so good!

Source: agodlyheritage.org via Misti on Pinterest

Next...a dessert I want to try! Mini Apple Pies...Mmm!

Source: littlebitfunky.com via Misti on Pinterest

These veggies look yummy!

Source: Uploaded by user via Tori on Pinterest

This drink looks like a must try as well :)

Source: whatkatieate.blogspot.com via Katie on Pinterest

Woo Hoo! Can't wait, I'm excited to see if these work out for us. What are you looking forward to this Thanksgiving?

Getting Organized with Apps to the Rescue!

After almost 4 yrs. of running a household, I think I’ve FINALLY figured out a key component to keeping my sanity…being organized or at least attempting to be organized :) There are so many things to stay on top of! I would love to share some responsibilities with the hubby but he is so different from me when it comes to getting things done. He is carefree and passive, if it gets done great and if it doesn't "no worries." Ha...I wish I could live life like that and for a while I did, but it just wasn’t working out for me. I needed a plan and all I can say is THANK YOU smart phone!

I use to rely on pen & paper as well as my memory to get me through many daily, weekly, and monthly tasks...umm yeah I have the worst memory in the world so I was struggling to accomplish "simple" tasks. I still struggle (procrastinate) daily, but thanks to a couple of apps I've downloaded, life is a little less stressful (Woo hoo!)! Get your phones ready, I'm here to share!

I take care of the bills in my household, so my all-time favorite app (aside from Facebook) is My Bills by Pageonce  

This app lets you sync your bank account and your bills so you have them all together right on your phone at your fingertips and its password protected. I am a very cautious person and was very hesitant because of all the info but after giving it a test drive, I 100% love this app!

Another great app that syncs anybody with a phone is your household together is Cozi Family Organizer by Cozi

This app is great because it lets you set up a family calendar that can be looked at any time of the day where ever you are. You can add as many family members as you'd like and keep track of everyone’s daily plans. Daily reminders can also be sent to your email or phone. Gosh this is great! There is also a centralized To Do list, shopping list, and journal. How great is that!? Definitely a must for a busy household or mom!

This next app is one I am still trying to wrap my hands around. I HATE cleaning and I somehow always "forget" household chores that need to get done. Funny thing is I also forget to open up this great app by dotnetideas called Chore Checklist

This app kindly reminds you of your daily, weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly chores...hooray :-/  Hopefully I'll start opening it as much as I open Facebook. It really is a useful app and helps put you on a routine.

I have so many great apps on my phone and just thought I could share some of my favorite organizing ones! Try them out and share some of your favorites with me too :)  Oh by the way I'm an Android girl but I'm sure iPhones have some comparable ones similar to these as well.

Intro to Session of Domesticate What?

Dishes, cleaning, washing, bills, cooking...what??? Where did all these tasks creep up from!? When I first got married (03/19/2010) I was in "newlywed bliss," I still am but a couple of months after the wedding I felt VERY overwhelmed! I have the most loving, supportive, understanding husband but the pressure I felt was that created by me. I wanted to be able to do EVERYTHING and do it effortlessly. I quickly came to the conclusion that I knew almost nothing about what it takes to run a household and keep your insanity. I without a doubt learned that it was either sink or swim time. Domestic What was the question and since then my life has been a Session in Progress! It's not always easy, I fail at task often, I've cried a river at times; but with the support and love of my hubby I'm learning the “ins” and “outs” of this happy household and I'm LOVING life!

This blog is my own little journal journey of domesticating myself :) Running a household can be very challenging so I’ve learned…but thus far I love the obstacles I’ve overcome. I have stories to tell and plenty of things to learn. Hopeful my journey can be a little inspiring to those in my shoes or at least let you know you’re not alone out there! Maybe you just need a good laugh…look no further I’m sure one of my posts will make you LOL as you say “what the heck???” At the same time, I am ALWAYS welcome to advice and learning more so please share any wisdom you have. DOMESTIC WHAT with some laughs is the question and SESSION is IN PROGRESS! ….Enjoy