* * * Update: Stephanie’s store is now Family Traditions! * * *

Like it or not, Thanksgiving is right around the corner!

My dear friend, Stephanie, owner of Dream Dinners in Lexington (Kentucky) is offering a great deal on a fabulous Thanksgiving spread—enough turkey and side dishes to feed 12 to 15 people! So, if you’re anything like me and prefer not to spend hours toiling away in the kitchen, you should definitely give Stephanie a call… she’ll “hook you up”!

If, on the other hand, you actually enjoy spending time in the kitchen preparing a traditional Thanksgiving feast for extended family and friends, you’ll find these tools helpful—Martha Stewart’s Thanksgiving Planner (5060 downloads) and Real Simple’s Thanksgiving Dinner Invitation (6844 downloads) .

Feeling disorganized or just need a little help? Jodie Watson, Founder and President of Supreme Organization and organizational expert from TLC’s Real Simple. Real Life. is working with Avery Dennison to help you take control of your professional and personal life with Do-It-Yourself Organization.

These organization tips, along with great products like Avery labels, will give you the knowledge, resources and confidence to get organized, so you can save time, gain peace of mind, and transform an ordinary project into something extraordinary. That’s the power of a great label.^™

On Friday, March 27th… Julie from Mom Two Ways is giving away a total of 5 copies of Mommy Grace: Erasing Your Mommy Guilt by Dr. Sheila Shuller Coleman. To enter the contest, add a comment to Julie’s blog. So easy!

Universally, mothers tend to feel they are not good enough at parenting and fear they are harming their children by not being perfect.

In Mommy Grace: Erasing Your Mommy Guilt, Sheila Schuller Coleman offers overwhelmed moms short but emotive stories of authentic motherhood from her own and others’ experiences—foibles and all—and offers comfort by showing how God makes up for human weakness with His own strength.

Because Sheila shares lessons learned the hard way by real moms rather than giving difficult instructions for better mothering, readers will leave the book feeling encouraged rather than lectured.

For every mom who feels she’s not quite up to the colossal job of parenting, Mommy Grace is full of hope and compassion.

Courtesy of The Organizing Team @ Organize.com:

This Mother’s Day, The Organizing Team at Organize.com wants to recognize the most organized woman you know.

Tell us about your mom, aunt, sister, co-worker, neighbor, or any other mother you know who is a champion over clutter. We want to hear all about her perfectly planned systems, strict routines, quirky habits and how she looks at organization with a positive and confident attitude.

We want to pamper one lucky lady this Mother’s Day so she can continue her quest for organization.

While her home and office are perfectly color coordinated with matching boxes and bins, she also finds time to rule the boardroom, pick up the dry cleaning, drop the kids off at practice, plan the next dinner party, read a good book, laugh with friends and still find time for herself because she aligns her goals and priorities to make organization a lifestyle.

The selected winner will receive a Mother’s Day Gift Basket filled with great Organize.com products valued at $350.

The deadline for submission is April 24th, 2009.

So what are you waiting for? Email us now and shine the spotlight on the most organized mom in your life.

Happy Organizing!

On Tuesday, June 10th, The Organizing Junkie is giving away a “real neat” menu planning system: the Hearty Meals for Hungry Families Starter Kit created by Lily On the Fly!

So, don’t delay… enter the contest today!

Family need something new to try? Use Lily’s meal cards and Plan On the Fly. Keep your Lily Meal Planning deck in your purse or glove compartment so you are always ready to shop “on the fly.”

It’s so easy to know what to buy. Just turn the cards over and Shop On the Fly. When you have time to stop by the store, simply use the color-coded meal deck to select the main dishes, side dishes and treats you would like to prepare. You can easily choose recipes right in the store as you think through your plans for the next few days, and see what is on sale!

Slide the chosen recipes into the magnetic card holder, then turn the holder over and you’ll see that a completely organized shopping list has been created for you. Follow the color coding straight down, and you’ll see the ingredients are organized in one of seven general grocery store areas. You can easily gather all the ingredients—on the fly!

Need to cook in the blink of an eye? Keep your recipes handy and Cook On the Fly. Once you’re back home, place your magnetic card holder on the refrigerator. You can easily locate the recipes when you are ready to make ’em, and your family has an easy reference to see “What’s for dinner?”

After preparing a meal, remove the card from the holder and place it back with your deck. No recipes left in the holder? It’s time to go back and Plan On the Fly.