Posted by admin | Posted in Life of Simple Joy, giveaways | Posted on 01-11-2009
Tags: blog, Christmas, Christmas cards, extreme diva, family, gift set, giveaway, hat, jean ann duckworth, journal, simple joy, simplifying life, tee shirt, tote, women
A Life of Simple Joy offers women tips, information, advice and products to help them simplify their lives, helping them to reduce stress and increase joy. We are offering a fabulous Christmas of Simple Joy gift set for one winner. All other entries receive a copy of A Thanksgiving of Simple Joy e-book. Gift set items are shown at the end of this post
GIVEAWAY
Here’s your opportunity to win this gift set. To enter, leave a comment (200 words or less) offering your best tip to help other women simplify Thanksgiving. It might be an easier way to prepare, a simple but fabulous recipe, techniques for getting others to help get ready for the holiday, decorating ideas and more.
You can earn optional, additional entries by:
- Becoming a fan of Life of Simple Joy on Facebook. Leave a comment with your Facebook ID.
- Following me on Twitter (@lifeofsimplejoy) and tweeting about this giveaway. Leave a comment with the URL of your tweet. You may tweet once a day. Please leave a separate comment for each tweet.
- Putting a link for A Life of Simple Joy blog on your blog. Post a comment with your blog’s URL.
- Posting this giveaway on your blog with a link to this page. Leave a comment with a direct link to the post.
- Listing A Life of Simple Joy blog as one of your Favorites on Technorati. Leave a comment with your Technorati user name.Posting this giveaway on one of the sites listed below this post. Leave a comment with a link to the posting.
- Subscribing to A Life of Simple Joy blog via email or RSS. Leave a comment for each subscription method.
- Join our Life of Simple Joy social network.
- Subscribe to Simple Joy online magazine
One winner will be randomly selected from the qualified comments received by Monday, November 23, 2009, at 11:59 ET and notified Tuesday, November 24, 2009. Please leave an email address on one of your comments. Winners must respond within 72 hours or another winner will be drawn. U.S. residents only.
Thanks for the chance.
mogrill@comcast.net
enter me thanks
The best tip would to be prepare everything you can in advance. That way the day of is made so much easier.
We found the best way to simplify Thanksgiving and other holidays is to enlist everyone’s help. One family hosts and cooks the turkey and everyone else brings all the rest of the dishes. This makes things so much easier. I bring my famous mac and cheese but I cook it there. Some of my other relatives do this too. They do all the prep work at home but cook it at the host’s house. That way everything is fresh and hot.
My mother always makes a few dishes for Thanksgiving, and this helps a LOT. It started with her doing it voluntarily and me protesting, but later I came to depend on it, and I’m sure many mothers would want to do this!
Tell everyone two weeks ahead of time (or today!) that you’re hosting a fabulous buffet so everyone can taste everyone else’s specialty dishes they love or should try, and request that everyone bring a dish and be responsible for taking their dish home at the end of the day.
That makes food prep and clean-up a cinch. If you want, have a running list going via e-mail so everyone knows who is bringing what, and can contribute accordingly. Offer to supply the turkey, the beverages, and the house, lol. You’ll be glad that you did!
Besides making a few things in advance, if you have older children, ask them to help. They can help make the dressing or the gravy, so that you have time to work on that turkey.
Also, use a disposable tablecloth so that when all the dishes are put up and everyone is asleep in front of the television, all you have to do is grab a trash bag.
Don’t be afraid to ask for help.
Love using disposable tableclothes
My best tip is to keep the menu simple or make the main dish and have everyone else bring the sides. Thanks!
I like to prepare most of my dishes ahead of thanksgiving that way there is less fuss on thanksgiving…it makes it so much easier. Thankyou for the giveaway!
My sister would love this prize. Please accept my entry. Thank you.
Take a ten minute break occassionally and just breathe in and out thinking of a peaceful scene
Don’t do it all – have people help you. So much easier
First, I set REALISTIC expectations. I know I will do the best I can, and probably someone will still complain about something. That’s THEIR issue, not mine! Second, I make a list of what needs to be done and have family members choose which ones they want to do. That way, I’m not assigning them something that will make them grouchy. We just go around in a circle and each person gets to pick something off the list, then the next person, and so on until all items have been chosen. And third, I schedule a massage for me as soon as I can after the big holiday event. It’s my reward and way to stay sane. Luckily, my husband thinks it’s a terrific reward for me and has no issues with me doing that little treat for myself!
First off, don’t stress! Look for recipes that can be made ahead and frozen; even the dressing can be make ahead and kept in the fridge. If you’ve invited people to share the holiday have them bring the dessert. Set up your table the day before and them all you have to do is the turkey and mashed potatos.
My suggestion is to have you children help as much as possible at an early age. They enjoy taking part in the holiday traditions and the earlier they start the more they will want to contribute later on.
I tweeted: http://twitter.com/KerryBishop/statuses/5945815499
I try to make things simpler by not expecting too much of myself. I make simple foods that can be prepared ahead of time, I do lots of finger foods, I enlist the help of my family, and I try to remember the most important thing is the spirit of the holiday. Thanks so much!
My tip would be to relax and have fun! Make cooking fun by enlisting the kids for help and enjoying the time as a family.
Make sure you have everything prepared the night before and all you need to do is warm it up.
I have heard of people talking about cooking their turkey during the night times hours on a lower heat. Thank you
My tip is to prepare your turkey the day before and carve all the meat off of carcas. On Thanksgiving morning place it all in the crockpot and cover in gravy and heat on low. It keeps it all really moist.
i cook cakes,pies ,,whatever i can the day before that way i dont have my oven tied up and can cook others things that i need too
My best tip would to have everyone attending make their favorite dish or bring something along with them, even if it is only napkins, just to help out. A little goes a long way.
Make a plan a couple of weeks before Thanksgiving. Ask everyone to bring something so they all feel like they are helping. have an area for the kids to play. Take pictures so that next year you can all look at them. Don’t try a recipe you have never made before.
Life of Simple Joy Facebook fan
Susan Claus
We do a big thanksgiving for everyone and everyone contributes (even the kids can do something)…
My tip is to plan about a week before and make a menu out. Go shopping early to get everything you will need. Have everyone who is coming bring a different dish that will go with the turkey. Chop onions or anything you will need to clean the day before. You can also freeze pies ahead of time. You can also freeze certain side dishes. Set the table the day before and lay out the plates, silverware and napkins. Have kids help to clean the house and pick up.
facebook fan – gloria mckellar
http://twitter.com/kngmckellar/status/5982572857
follow and tweeted
email subscriber
http://kngmckellar-glorias.blogspot.com/2009/11/httpblogjeanannduckworthcomp264.html
blogged
my best tip is do not over stress,take it easy and enjoy a good meal with family or friends!
ardelong2(at)gmail(dot)com
Get everyone who are invited to your Thanksgiving dinner to fix something whether it is just a desert, main course, or and appitizer. We always have Thanksgiving dinner at my Great Grandmothers house the Sunday before Thanksgiving. This year we decided to help with a resturaunt who are giving people a free dinner who cannot afford one. I love helping others.
One simple but often overlooked tip is to create your menu with dishes that can be made ahead of time and either refrigerated or frozen until needed. This can save a LOT of time!!
I’m a fan on facebook
I follow you on twitter and tweeted here
http://twitter.com/tnshadylady/status/5996990093
blog link here under Blogs I Like
http://tnshadylady.blogspot.com/
giveaway blog link here
http://tnshadylady.blogspot.com/2009/11/life-of-simple-joy-november-giveaway.html
I faved you on technorati tnshadylady
I shared this on my facebook page
http://www.facebook.com/share.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fblog.jeanannduckworth.com%2F%3Fp%3D264&t=November%20Giveaway#/posted.php?id=100000054952234&success
I dugg your post on Digg tnshadylady
I stumbled your post tnshadylady
I get your rss feed
I subscribed to your email
I joined your social network
I subscribed to your magazine
Find products that are already prepped, chopped vegetables etc. and use them as much as possible. Also if someone asks if you need help say yes and put them to work!
A great way to simplify Thanksgiving is to have every one help. Divide the traditional food prep between the cooks such as one person bakes the turkey, etc. After eating divide the cleaning chores.