list making

I'm a list maker. If it means anything to you, I fall off the edge of the 'J' criteria on the Myers-Briggs. I can make lists of things that make me a list maker if you want. Pook likes making lists, but his are things like The Characters in the Book Ordinary Boy, and U.S. Presidents. I make lots of lists on scraps of paper mostly as I drive. All my lists fall under the title To Do.

When I notice that my car/purse/desk is full of scraps of paper, I pull them together to make a Master List. Those feel especially good because I usually find things on the list that I've already done, so after I recopy them onto the Master List, I get to cross them off right away. (If you have to ask why I bother to write them at all, you just don't get us 'J' personalities.)

Christmas is Prime List Making Time. I need to:

• make a big order from Amazon
• make a small order from another, to remain unnamed, location
  
• make another Target run (or maybe W%##Mart even though I hate the place).
  
• The kids and I need to go to Michael's Crafts and then produce some cousin gifts.
  
• make a trip to the Post Office- just for Sister MD's family.

I made an Excel spreadsheet this year to keep track of past and present gift giving to extended family. I love it. I can keep the ideas they email to me available to look at in the future. If SisterInLaw dislikes vanilla and peach scents but likes candles and bathtub products but isn't getting any this year, I can remember the idea for another time. It also is supposed to remind me that there are lots of December birthdays in my family.

Ugh.... (I was temporarily off in La-La-Land making sure I'm prepared and now I need to add a second trip to the post office, and soon.) But back to my lists.

• Advent calendar (Ha! Just got it out and hung it up this morning! Does my computer have a check mark somewhere?)
• decorate house- one must do this slowly so CD doesn't freak out
• see if there are pansies anywhere in Atlanta that I can put in my backyard planter. I'll bet they're all gone and replaced by Christmas trees
• find place to cut tree this year- see if we have a free (ha!) weekend afternoon anywhere.

Now I'm starting to panic. I will stop this list making before I'm a mess. I'm going to unload some laundry and unwrap a pile of Hershey's kisses. I can bake a few pretzel candies right now.