I have my decorations, menu and tablescape all set for the Thanksgiving holiday.
All the fun stuff.
But what keeps me sane and able to enjoy the holiday is staying as organized as possible.
Here are some of my tips and methods to keep me organized so I can enjoy the season.
With my menu set I make a master shopping list.
I make sure to do the bulk of the shopping early in the week so I’m not scrambling on Wednesday | Thursday when I should be prepping, cooking & baking.
On Wednesday we simply pick up Mr. turkey and any miscellaneous last minute items.
I have all my recipes handy to make sure I don’t miss any ingredients, including appetizers, desserts and anything for left overs the next day (ie. turkey soup or club sandwiches, etc.).
Although many of the recipes I know by heart (or I’ve created); it’s still good to review as many as you can.
I also make notes every year to help me for the following year.
All the tablescape items have been selected but I also pull out all my serverware.
I make sure everything is clean and usable and label them with post its.
And although some of it might seem obvious it’s just calming to me to see everything lined up and labeled.
One less thing to think about.
It also helps everyone else who’s trying to help out with less guess work & less questions.
I also pull out the dishes for appetizers and desserts as well.
Some actually pull double duty for apps & dessert so they need to be cleaned in between which keeps things tiding up along the way.
To make the cleaning process easier and to keep everyone involved, I use these dish pans from the dollar store.
I label them and anyone can gather & place the items in the appropriate dish pan to soak.
This keeps everyone involved and it keeps my things safe from the dishwasher since unfortunately my dishwasher is not gentle enough to wash them.
These dish pans are the perfect size and contain everything neatly.
At the dollar store I also pick up these to go containers to send the guests home with left overs.
And, yes, I label these too.
Keeps me sane.
So I can be truly grateful to share this holiday with family & friends.
partying with:
inspire me please @ liz marie
fall into fall @ DIY by design
home and garden thursday @ a delightsome life
home sweet home @ the charm of home
treasure hunt thursday @ from my front porch to yours
share your cup thursday @ have a daily cup of mrs. olson
masterpiece monday @ boogie board cottage
making monday @ grace langdon art
inspire me mondays
motivational monday @ burlap & babies
amaze me mondays @ dwellings the heart of your home
motivate me monday @ keeping it simple
wow us wednesdays @ savvy southern style
I thought I was the only one with a notebook and lists for holiday organization!!!! I use post-its for the serving dishes! I love your methods and I can tell your table will be beautiful! We’ve had a last minute (last minute to me) change in the guest list so having my “map” is really helpful. I guess we know TWO people who will be having a relatively calm day. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!!
Lots of great tips! I do a lot of the same things, but have never thought of labeling my dishes. I pull them out and have them sitting on the counter ready to be filled, but I have daughters and daughter in laws asking what dish to use. I can see that labeling would eliminate that. Thanks for sharing with SYC. Wishing you a wonderful Thanksgiving!
hugs,
Jann
You look so organized! Thanks for sharing. Happy Thanksgiving!
lol tess! good to know i’m not alone and yes i’ve had a few changes myself. i’ve had menu changes, hence had to reprint my chalkboard menus. also had guest changes so my seating arrangement has changed. so being organized helps navigate these changes w/ less waves. hope you have a stressless & fabulous thanksgiving- MJ