Planning Notebook: Organizing Tabs

My planning book is starting to come together. It may seem a little odd thinking about Christmas so early, but consider this "planning stage".  There is much celebration to come!

Here are the organization tabs I came up with. They are sized to be pasted into a standard sized composition notebook using the "glue in" method (see instructions below).

This is what they look like:

Here is the PDF file if you'd like to use these for your own notebook. Follow the link to Scribd website then click the download button on the bar along the bottom of the page.
(I created these in PowerPoint, so if you want that version email me: alunt29 AT gmail DOT com )

You're welcome to use these how you want.

For the "Glue in" method you'll need:
3 sheets of white card stock paper
Scissors
Glue stick

-Print the PDF file out on card stock.
-Cut out around the red dashed-line.
-Decide roughly how you want the tabs to overlap and how many pages you want in each section.
-Slide the left edge of the paper along the top of a glue stick (see pic)

-Press edge into the crease of your notebook. Take care that there is only glue at the edge of the paper. -Close the book until glue has dried.

This secures your tab, yet keeps it free from the pages in the book, so if you need to move it to a different spot you could do so without much damage.

Happy Planning!

Planning Notebook: Fabric Covered Composition Book

I've been working on preparing my planning notebook for this Christmas season and here is what I came up with: a fabric cover for a composition notebook.

Cute with the covered button, don't ya think?

The red fabric says "hope" "peace" and "joy"

Side pockets allow the cover to easily slip on and off the notebook

I LOVE that it is reusable, so I can start with a new notebook next year using the same cover... OR I can choose to whip up a new one.


Some of the tutorials I looked at include: My Patchwork and V and Co. Pretty much I looked at their ideas and then made up my own thing as I went.

Now I am on the hunt for things to help organize my notebook.
To mark my different sections I want to use movable tabs OR I'm toying with the idea of using ribbon book marks.

To decorate, I have pictures of the Savior which I have cut out of old Ensign magazines. But I want a snazzy cover page, which really highlights the focus of Christmas and the purpose of this notebook... I'll let you know what I come up with.

Over at Christmas Your Way, they have some free printables that are super helpful in establishing structure to your different sections. You could scale down the size so you can paste pages, such as the calendar, into your notebook, OR just copy the general structure and hand-write your template in. I like to have the freedom of being able to personalize my notebook but also like having something to work off of.

This notebook is now set to start plugging in my plans for gift giving, budgeting, activities we want to do as a family, etc. But I also want this to be a place I can record spiritual experiences and impressions, so I'm making sure I have plenty of room for writing.

Time to Start Planning Again

It's been a long time since we've posted, but we are still here... and we're getting ready for a new Christmas season!


Have you caught the Christmas spirit yet? The bug caught me this morning as my iTunes randomly picked up some Christmas songs. I was busy reading, and didn't really take notice of the change in songs.

Then the Hallelujah Chorus came on. And I stopped.

Listening to the beautiful words of praise for our Lord and Savior really moved me.

The spirit in my home changed in an instant. Music is that powerful and I'm so excited to have these beautiful songs permeate my everyday. 

Music about Jesus Christ makes Christmas all the more special.  My goal is to sit and ponder on the words of often heard songs and really let the meaning sink in. A song a day sounds reasonable right? But of course my default song will be Hallelujah Chorus.

This week I'm working on putting my planning notebook together.  Have you started yours?

It's time to get started! Check out the left side bar for ideas :)
The important thing is to start writing now and get those planning juices going.

Peaceful Christmas

Source

It is so easy to be caught up in the commercial aspect of this time of year even if you try your best to avoid it. Often our intentions are well meaning and we are swept away without intending to overspend. Then we are faced with the nagging pressure or guilt etc., that robs us of the very feelings we were trying to create when we overspent.

One way to help bring peace to the season is by simply starting to keep a small Christmas planning notebook and dedicating a small portion of it to figuring out your budget. Check out the ideas for making a planner on this site. Once you have one, you will wonder how you managed without! Make your lists and check them twice. Spend spare moments thinking and plotting exactly where your money will be spent and the best ways to accomplish the intentional ways you wish to celebrate. Time spent now focusing on a deliberate plan will be a key part in having a more peaceful Christmas.

We have heard many lamenting the fact that due to economic times, this will be a lean Christmas. Maybe there is a blessing hidden here. It does not cost any money to sit around the table and play a game with our children. And taking a walk on a clear winter's night, looking at the stars and talking about the special star that appeared in the heavens long ago does not cost anything either. Many of the ideas on this sight cost little or no money. Small and simple things like these are the stuff that memories are made of and that bring us closer to each other.

Our family is going to try to focus more on these quiet joys this season.

One Week Until December 1st

I know this week is crazy with Thanksgiving and family gatherings. I also wanted to point out that there is only one week until the 1st of December. That means if you are planning on doing an advent calendar it's time to pin down at least what you are going to do for the first few nights if not the entire month. There are many different ideas for advent calendars on this site and others.

Personally I usually try and do an activity advent calendar for the kids and a scripture one for our family scripture study. I make a list in my notebook of activities and then the night before I can choose an activity that works with our schedule for the day and put it in the form of advent calendar I use (my mother uses Christmas socks, I use a Christmas house with doors and windows).

Skip To My Lou posted today another idea for a stocking advent calendar and commented in her post that "advent calendars are a wonderful way to prepare our hearts and be reminded daily how special this holiday is. If we want it can be a holiday to be savored, anticipated and enjoyed and not something we feel we must get through."

Planning can make or break an advent calendar so be sure to get a head start. If you have any ideas for activities to include please share!

Planning Notebook Pages

I came across today a darling blog that has designer pages you can download for your notebook (if you are doing the three ring binder route). Tricia-Rennea art and illustrations has calendars, project lists, menus, and weekly sheets for both December and November. She also has a lot of cute stuff not related to holiday planning. Check her out!