To Refresh Your Memory: The Master List

*drumming fingers impatiently*

While I'm we're waiting for registration to open (July 1st!) for the next Crappy Day Present Exchange, I decided that I would explain how I organize the information I request from you, also know as: the Incredible Super-Mysterious Master List!

I was sure that there must be some sort of spreadsheet computer program...thing...that would do this but I didn't have hours and HOURS to figure THAT out was so excited to get started the first time that I got out a notebook, ruler, and pen and improvised.  That time, I used a regular, on-sale-for-$0.10-during-the-back-to-school-shopping notebook, but the other day I was shopping and I found THIS on clearance:

It is hard to tell in this pictures, but all of those things that look like big dots are flowers filled with glitter!

Now I have a Very Cool, Official Crappy Day Present Exchange Notebook!

Here is the empty Master List for a previous CDP Exchange:

The only downside to this beautiful, sparkly notebook is that the lines don't line up well across the spiral, so I put numbers on each side to help me see the correct line.

See! I actually USE all of the information that I ask you to email to me =)!

I use the abbreviations on the right to make notes in the rows across the list.

Here is the filled-in list from the first exchange:

(Identifying information blocked out or changed to keep the mystery alive protect the anonymity of those involved)
This is MUCH easier to see if you click on it!

I wrote each person's name in the row on the left, and then again in a column at the top.  In each person's row, I made notes about the other participants, and I shaded out any participant that wasn't available.  When I figured out an assignment, I would put a star in the row of the person who would be sending to that person and then shaded out the rest of the column. Once I had emailed an assignmnent to a person, I highlighted her name and the star in her row so I could easily see who I had emailed...this is harder to explain than I was expecting, but, somehow, it works for me!

*back to drumming fingers impatiently*

Example of a Crappy Day Package #11 (Updated At the End)

A Lovely, Lovely Person* sent a CDPackage to cheer me up and give me strength during these brutal relentless discouraging challenging days of motherhood!

Lots of cheerfully wrapped presents and a sweet card!

And

Bubble wrap!! (The children especially thank-you for this.)

Presents #1 and #2

#1: YUMMY! This had the PERFECT ratio of chocolate to pretzel.

#2: What a great idea! I'd never seen these before! It was a challenge for me to not use my hands for 20 minutes, but I finally did it, and it was quite pampering!

Presents #3 and #4

#3: How perfect! I miss Mister Rogers; he was so kind and wise. The world could use more people like him!

#4: Wonderful things for tired feet! I really enjoy socks that are heavenly-soft, and I am sad that one of these has gone missing, so the other one is on my lost-sock hanger =(.

Present #5

#5: There can never be too much delicious chocolate!! These were yummy!

Present #6 in 4 parts

#6: These are a very pleasant sweet-pea scent! Good timing too: I was almost out of the last CDP soap I enjoyed so much!

UPDATED:

Present #7

It had just been ONE OF THOSE DAYS. (Ian lost the privilege of SPEAKING early on in the day because his loud, angry voice was killing my spirit. I hurt my shoulder, which had JUST stopped hurting, again when I lifted the vacuum cleaner over the couch while we were deep cleaning the VERY HOT AND NO CEILING FAN IN SIGHT living room. I got hot and grumpy AGAIN when we were organizing the game/coloring book shelves, and the ONLY thing that made me feel better was ice cream. And on and on and on.) And I was TRYING to hang in there....and then I heard the sound of something crashing to the floor and shattering. And even then, I didn't get angry or start screaming, but when I discovered that a child had just broken ANOTHER one of the measuring cups I LOVE because they are beautiful and have all of my favorite colors from the dishes I finally picked out after 8 or 9 years of marriage, I thought I might have to cry, so I went to my room.

I hesitated to open this CDP because I was afraid of wasting it on a day in which there was NO HOPE. But, since it WAS a severely Crappy Day, I followed directions and opened it anyway, and the most amazing thing happened: as I saw what was in the package, my face smiled involuntarily, and the Crappiness that had been so oppressive mere MOMENTS before just dissapated in the face of this awesomeness:

A Baskin Robbins gift card wrapped in ice cream cone tissue paper!!!!!!!!

Thank you, Lovely Person, for helping me through some discouraging days!!

*******

*I will be keeping Crappy Day Present senders anonymous so that the sender doesn't have to worry that Person Q is going to see what they (the sender) sent me and possibly feel bad that their (Person Q's) package was not as fabulous as mine ;-). But if you don't worry as much as I do aren't worried about that, you are welcome to claim your package in the comments!