Tea Parties & Plans ...

Good Thursday morning, my friends! I hope your week's going well. :)

First up - in Planner Party news, I'm eager to hear from more of you and am very happy to share more planner posts, so if you have some thoughts or pics to share, please send them to me at:

bysunandcandle AT gmail DOT com

I have a bit more to share on the subject myself - in fact, I'm currently working on a post about my binder tabs ... but of course, mid-way through I decided to completely overhaul the whole thing. ;) So that post will be up soon, I hope! 

Now, about my next "party" ...

I was thinking it would be nice to bring back my Advent Tea Journal from last year ... and I'd love to have you all join me again! If you'd like to see how we "took tea" last year, here is a link to my Tea Journal (and here is a link to my Advent archives for good measure). This year I will follow a similar format: there will be a theme to each week, a topic to discuss. I will share my own thoughts and photos, and I invite you all to do the same, whether by e-mail or comment or by posting at your own blog and linking up ... :)

And just like last year I will begin with a Thanksgiving Tea! Join me here on Monday, November 23rd to share some afternoon refreshment and take a collective breath before the busy holiday week gets underway. Our Advent Teas will follow over the next four weeks and then there will be one final Christmas Tea before we conclude our party. :)

Here are the Tea dates and topics:

Thanksgiving Tea: Monday, November 23rd ~ "Simplifying the Season"

Advent Tea, #1: Monday, November 30th ~ "Gifts from the Heart"

Advent Tea, #2: Monday, December 7th ~ "O Christmas Tree"

Advent Tea, #3: Monday, December 14th ~ "Magic + Meaning" (Advent for children)

Advent Tea, #4: Monday, December 21st ~ "Welcoming Winter"

Christmas Tea: Monday, December 28th ~ "'Tis the Season!"

******

My friends, I welcome you to send me your thoughts on our weekly topics (along with photos if you care to share them) and if you blog, I hope you'll consider posting about our Teatime and sending me a link. I'll also collect comments as they post and add them into each post ... so there's a way for just about everyone to participate!

In the week leading up to each Tea I will post reminders (where, how and when to send things) and describe more fully each topic. And I'm going to try to make up a pretty Tea button of some sort ... but I haven't done that in a long time, so I hope I remember how! 

I think this will be such fun - a nice chance to pause and reflect on the season while indulging in a little teatime together. I'm hoping by organizing this all now I'm giving myself (and you!) some time to digest and think ahead ... I hope you'll join me if you can!

For now though ... well, Advent seems pretty far off ... it's a damp and dark (dare I say dreary?) day here. Very mid-November. Most of the leaves are gone (from the trees, that is ... there are plenty plastered to the wet ground). But December is just around the corner! I'm not one to rush things (and certainly not seasons) but there is prudence in getting things set, at least in your mind if not also on paper. Because as much as I don't like rushing I really don't like scrambling ... and that's what happens when I leave things to just happen without planning ahead! I want my seasons to be simple, yes - but also satisfying ... and that takes a little forethought, I think.

Well that's all for now, friends ... my little one's due to wake any moment. So I must be off ... but I thank you, as always, for stopping by and I will see you here again very soon!

❤

The FCS: Questions, Comments, Links

Hello there!

As most of you know, I've been posting about my "File Crate System" for several years now. I've tweaked the system now and again, but the basic "ingredients" have remained the same: one crate (or drawer), several hanging folders and a whole bunch of file folders (52 in my case, one for each week). Most years, there are planning sheets, too.

Well, I've noticed a few of my older FCS posts have been getting "pinned" or "liked" here and there on the internet, so I thought I'd post a link on my sidebar that will point readers - new and old alike - to my FCS archive in case they would like to read more on the topic. More recent posts explain the tweaks I've made and how I'm "working the system" these days.

:)

(And by the way, I sincerely thank whoever is doing all that pinning and liking!)

So, here it is, my ...

File Crate System Archive

If I had more time, or even a smidge of "tech" talent, I'd make a little button for the FCS link, but alas that's the best I can do for now. I may see what Bill can come up with ...

While I'm at it, here are links to similar archives, since these types of posts get linked to quite often:

Calendar & Planner Archive

Homekeeping Journal Archive

Now, if you have any questions or comments on any of these subjects, please leave it here (in the comments box below), and I will get back to you as soon as I can. Links are quite welcome, too! I love to "see" how others use the FCS, or just file folders in general. :)

Please note, though I tend to post once - sometimes twice - daily, I generally catch up on reader comments a couple of times a week. I truly don't mean to ignore anyone, so if your question slips through the cracks, please give me a holler!

As always, thanks so much for reading!

❤