Deadlines and Holi-daze by Aileen Fish

I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I've managed to keep control of my holiday shopping and decorating while working toward several deadlines. I'm in shock, to be honest.

Now, I have to admit, the tree was still on the porch from last year. Yeah, along with anything else I put up last year. And the beautiful vintage ornaments you see came second hand only a week before the tree went up, so no digging through that scary, cobweb-ridden giant spider home known as a shed. I'm saving that for January, hopefully after a deep freeze.

I've done all my shopping online, except for some of the craft supplies my granddaughter and I will use next week to make a few more decorations. Planning well at department stores to take advantage of free shipping, and using Amazon Prime's free shipping wherever possible, it's silly not to shop online.

The other bit of planning I did was to forget about attempting to make Christmas cookies with my granddaughter this year. At three and a half, she only wants to eat the sprinkles and like the icing off cookies, so if I don't bring it up, she won't miss it. We're doing non-edible crafts...much easier to clean up, and won't mess with my diet!

Have you found ways to cope with stressful times? Or are you one of the lucky people who thrives on tight schedules? I'd love to hear your tips!

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USA Today Bestselling Author Aileen Fish is an avid quilter and auto racing fan who finds there aren't enough hours in a day/week/lifetime to stay up with her "to do" list. There is always another quilt or story begging to steal away attention from the others. Her books include The Bridgethorpe Brides series and the Small Town Sweethearts series.