Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holiday celebrations. It is a combination of things I love: I get to cook, eat, and host my family and friends. And best of all – tell God and hear others tell Him how grateful we are.

Here is my 2015 Top Ten list of Thanksgiving tips and ideas…

10. The week before Thanksgiving is the perfect time to clean out your refrigerator and freezer. You are going to need that space for the feast and leftovers. I typically plan our pre-Thanksgiving week menu to eat whatever is currently in the frig/freezer food. Sometimes there are some creative combinations…

9. If you are making a dish for the first time, or one you haven’t made in a long time, make it this week as a practice dry run. That way you will be confident when the big dinner arrives.

8. If you are hosting the dinner, layout the serving dishes that you plan to use a few days in advance. That way you will know what you have and what you might want to borrow.

7. Take pictures of the preparation and throughout the big day. Don’t worry about posting them anywhere. Just keep them, the good, the bad, the ugly, like the dozen uncooked yeast rolls that my dog pulled from the table before I got a chance to bake them, to savor during future holidays. (And if you must share just do a quick air drop to people in the house.)

6. Create a cooking schedule. I always do some cooking the weekend before Thanksgiving. (That’s why I need my freezer to be ready.) I start by making a list of everything we are having. Then I type the person who is making or bringing the item. For the things I will be preparing, I add the day I am planning to cook it. That way I can pace myself.

5. If you are a houseguest, ask how you can help. Men folk, maybe you can keep an eye on all the garage cans in the house and be the emptier/bag replacer. My favorite guests help clean the mountain of dishes from dinner. That is one of the best gifts.

4. Our dining room table isn’t big enough for all our guests to sit there. So we dress-up the kitchen table and add a cute table in the family room, so the football heads can watch the game while they enjoy the meal after we say grace. Each is decorated and set with plates and utensils that guests can carry through the buffet line.

3. Consider setting up the food buffet style. We sit the serving dishes around our kitchen countertops so folks can serve and get seconds easily. I try to make it attractive while self-sustaining once the eating begins.

2. Make it a priority to enjoy the process of cooking, cleaning, visiting, laughing, etc. Play music or listen to books on tape/CD while you cook and clean or pack if you are traveling. Watch Charlie Brown Thanksgiving. Make popcorn if you dare. Gather up some board games to play when dinner is over.

1. Starting today, tell God how grateful you are for His grace and mercy in your life. Be thankful and don’t stop. (Psalm 103:1-5)

Kitchen Table

Dining Room Setting with Bible Verse Card

“Read it!”

When my now 18-year-old son was about 2 years old, he loved it when my husband and I read to him. He was relentless then and he is a voracious reader now. Sometimes I would be reading to him and then get distracted and stop. He would say very sternly, “Read it!” And if I remained distracted, he would hit me with a cubby hand and say more slowly – reeaad it! (This was during the time of Jerry Seinfeld’s popular TV show, and thus we occasionally called our son, the book Nazi.)

As I think about the arrival of 2015, I want to do more reading this year. I have a number of books already identified (and started). Some of the books on my plan are items that I am reading again. I think this is a mark of a great book. You can read it over and over and get something out of it every time.

My daily Bible is one such book. I came across the “One Year” version in 1999 at a Women of Faith conference. Author and speaker Becky Tirabassi introduced the audience to this product, which allows readers to go through the entire Bible in a year.

There is a set of readings for each day that has a portion of Scripture from the Old Testament, New Testament, a Psalm and verses from Proverbs. This simple layout has been so beneficial to me, allowing me to see connections that I never saw before and giving me a simple process to read. I just brew my coffee and read while enjoying that time with God. My life is immeasurably better.

Another book I am planning to re-read, is called “The Hidden Art of Home Making” by Edith Schaeffer. It is a book that teaches readers the value of running a home and how we can use our homes to serve God and extend His kingdom.

A few weekends ago, I attended an open house CHRISTmas party. While there, I ran into a lady who had read the book that I wrote. She was very kind and said, “I loved the book and have reread portions of it often.” I was surprised… but totally delighted and honored to receive such a gracious compliment.

It is giving me the boldness to throw my own book into the ring for your reading consideration this year. Should you take this challenge, I believe you will be inspired to try a number of the tips and most importantly you will have a framework for managing your life. You will be positioned to have an even better life than you have right now.

May you do phenomenal things in 2015!

Kelly

You can purchase copies of “A Better Day, A Better Life: How to Thrive, One Day at a Time” at www.betterdaybetterlife.com. Copies of the “One Year Bible” and “The Art of Homemaking” can be secured at www.amazon.com and other booksellers.

Here's a tip to make your life a little better...

I recently discovered that I have fallen arches or what most people call very flat feet. 

They literally hurt when I don't have proper arch supports. Dr. Scholl's has come up with an excellent product. They are soft gel hidden arch support designed for women's shoes.

The soft clear silicone adheres inside of the shoe. 

They can be placed in sandals or flats and not be seen.

They work great when a regular orthotic doesn't work with your shoe's design. 

The price range is $4.50-$6.00 dollars. 

"Hidden Arches" can be found at your usual grocery, drug or mass merchandise store. 

If you have arch pain they are definitely worth a try. 

I suspect you will be quite pleased. 

Kelly