Full Bellies, Tired Feet

It's Black Friday. The BIGGEST shopping day of the year! Yesterdays heart warming activities fading into memories as so many race up and down the aisles of our local department stores.

After being pinned between two shopping cars and my heals bruised...during LAST years shopping excursion, I opted to sleep in a bit, and take my chances AFTER the sun had already made an appearance.

The good news is, my heals are in good shape. The bad news? I missed a few good deals, as everything is gone or picked over. I'm okay with that. That just means more shopping for me, another day!

Did you rush out to meet the crowds this morning? What super great deals did you get? and, at what price? (Tells us your Black Friday War Stories)

For those of you that haven't made it back from the stores, yet...More power to ya! Shop on! Shop on, my Friend!

Happy Thanksgiving!

From our home to yours, all of us at The Motivation Station wish you and yours a Happy Thanksgiving...




Happy Cleaning...

Giving Thanks

Welcome to Wednesdays at The Motivation Station and Thank you so much for your visit. I would like to wish you and yours a most wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday.

Giving Thanks on a regular basis helps create an attitude of appreciation and gratitude. Often, when I feel my burdens of work, home, family, and friends become too heavy, I think of the abundance of which I am blessed.

When I think of the stress of my career working with the medically fragile and ill, I am reminded to be grateful for my own health and that of my family. I am also blessed to have a demanding job that is In Demand and provides my family with access to medical care and many other necessities and more than a few treats too.

When I am overwhelmed with all I have to do to maintain my household between cleaning, financial management, yard work, and decorating, I become aware that so many others have no place to call their own or care for.

When I am missing my time with my friends, I am thankful that I have friends to miss. I also realize that I need to nurture my friendships.

When my time is not my own because of shuttling my sons to baseball, show choir, or a sleep over, or getting up early to help my husband get ready for refereeing, I am blessed to have a family to care for and that cares for me. Also the realization that this time with our children is all too brief.

Whenever I am sad for those whom I have loved and lost, I am thankful that I had their love and light in my life and that is their gift to me and my family.

I am appreciative of you, dear Reader, for the gift of your time and sharing.
Please feel free to share something for which you are Thankful, that would be most appreciated.

Time to step it up a notch

As much as I love Thanksgiving, I also dread it when I realize Christmas is only 31 days away! Consider yourself kicked into gear! I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday weekend with your families!

Motivation Monday - Thanksgiving week is here!

How's that for motivation to get things finished up and ready for Thanksgiving? LOL! We're almost out of time. Let's get to it!

Wishing you all a fun and wonderful Thanksgiving!

Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!

Oh, did you hear me say Winner? It’s true, I did! Today we announce who the winner of the Holiday cards. No worries, I asked random.org to pull a number out…….First however lets take a look back at the week!

Martha (Menagerie), Frugal is the name of the game! If you didn’t already, you must read her idea for gifting to the masses. Not only is it clever and reasonable, but it made for good family time together. Brilliant I tell you, Brilliant!!

Tamy is gettin’ us ready for guests. How does one do that? By polishing up your finest silver, of course. It’s a good thing she showed us her secrets. Who would have known, it could be that easy? Not only that, but we got a sneak peak at her clean linen closet. *sigh* I suddenly have an urge to clean out my line closet. If you haven’t gotten that guest room, closet, or space ready….snap to it my friend. Times a wastin’

Martha (Sense of Humor), Survival. Survival of the non-shopper. The tricks? Shop early- both early in the year, as well as early in the morning (when the lines are the shortest), and make a list. Martha says she checks it twice. I wonder if I am deemed as naughty or nice?

Linda has gotten us all decorated for the holidays! Girl has got to put up with us crazy shoppers, the day after Thanksgiving? I usually drag myself out of bed and hit as many stores as possible, without getting killed. This year..the only one I am going to fight is my hubby for the laptop. I've discovered as many great sales ONLINE, as in store!

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Okay, I won’t make you wait any longer. Our winner of the Holiday Gift Card set is.....

BLUE VIOLET!

Come on down, you are our winner!

For the rest of you? A consolation prize (read: challenge). Because I have had an extremely week (Physically, emotionally and spiritually), your challeng is this: RELAX!!
I am a firm believer in allowing your body, mind and spirit a chance to rejuvenate…..

Do at least ONE thing -this weekend, just for yourself..because you can. Whether it’s take a long bath, read a good book, take that needed nap, or just simply sit, and just be…… Do IT! There is plenty to do, but you will never get it done if you don’t tend to your own needs, as well!

Have a GREAT weekend and I will see you Next Friday!

Thursdays With Linda: Holidays...

It's only 7 more days til Thanksgiving...
How's everyone doing...
Have all your lists prepared and all organized, I'm sure...
The house is tidy, the grocery shopping is done...
My grocery shopping is done, but my house could be a bit more tidy....
But then we still have 7 more days...
Remember to pencil in a day on the calendar to defrost the turkey...
Ours is 17lbs so I've marked the Sunday before Thanksgiving to move it from the freezer to the fridge...
It takes 1 day for every 5lbs of turkey...

Do you put up your Christmas tree on Thanksgiving and have your Christmas cards in the mail the day after Thanksgiving...
My goal is always to have the cards done by Thanksgiving but usually make it somewhere in the second week of December... but I'm determined to get them done by Thanksgiving weekend this year... but then I'll want to include pictures so that may delay it a bit...
We usually put up the artificial tree on Thanksgiving but take another week to decorate it as hubby likes to get all the outside decorations done on Thanksgiving day.... and then he spends a couple of weeks putting up the inside decorations and fine tuning everything...

However this year I've had hubby get all the inside decorations done first so we can enjoy them for the month of December...


Some of my snowman collection...




Nativity Scene...




Hubby runs lighted garland all through the family room, dining room, kitchen, to the front entrance way... and instead of giving away all the boys stuffed Christmas animals, hubby saved them to put up with the decorations....

I'm sure he's not done yet....
This Saturday we are going to put up the Christmas tree so that on Thanksgiving day we will all be together to decorate it... and then on the weekend he can start with the outside decorations...

How are you doing on your Christmas plans...
We have penciled in some fun days on the calendar: visiting the Christmas tree farm to enjoy the scenery, driving through the neighborhood Christmas lights, visiting the zoo for their Christmas light display, visit the antique stores, see The Christmas Carol with Jim Carrey and hubby and I are planning to go Christmas shopping Monday and Tuesday evening before Thanksgiving....

Who's planning on going shopping the day after Thanksgiving on Black Friday... Do you have a strategy... do you just pick one store or make a plan of attack and try to visit many...
This will be my 30th Christmas working retail... I will stay til midnight the night before Thanksgiving to ensure that the ad is set for Friday morning... Luckily we are still closed on Thanksgiving... I am waiting for the year that will change... Thanksgiving and Christmas are the only two days we are closed anymore... Then Friday morning we will open at 4am this year... I'm sure I will be there bright and early... however I work in shoes so we will not get busy til about 5am... whatever you do don't stand in the aisle as everyone runs to electronics first and then hardware/lawn and garden and then to the fashion side... where then it's every man for himself til noon when the morning sales come to an end... Our store's goal this year is just under a million dollars... I think our goal in shoes is around $70,000... gotta have your fashion boots, work boots and slippers...

Challenge: Now no ones stressing are they... there is no stressing allowed... Pick your priorities of what you would like to get done for the holidays and enjoy... We still have the whole month of December to enjoy the season whether you enjoy shopping and wrapping or just snuggling with a Christmas movie and some hot chocolate....

Challenge Update:
99 day challenge- I am still updating my purple notebook of all my goals for 2010...
Drawer- I'm afraid I did not get to any drawers this week, working retail this time of year means lots of hours...
Fitness- I'm getting in my 100 crunches as soon as I get home from work... only takes three minutes in between changing my clothes from work to joining the family for dinner...

Happy Cleaning...