We had one of my favorite simple dinners last night. I roasted a chicken and made a loaf of homemade bread. I got the last of the lettuce from the garden and dinner was done. And it was delicious. There’s just something about adding warm bread fresh from the oven to make any meal special. […]
Continue readingI scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream. When my daughter started kindergarten, she learned this from a friend and we ended up hearing constantly for months. Whenever we asked her what she wanted to for snack, dinner, breakfast , you name it … we got the above… screamed out loud of course. […]
Continue readingIt’s getting down to the wire. In yesterday’s newsletter I mentioned next Wednesday was the day before Christmas Eve… and was promptly corrected that next Wednesday IS Christmas Eve – Yikes… I somehow thought I had an extra day to get things done. All the shopping is done (except for some last minute grocery stuff) […]
Continue readingI used to love the last last day before Christmas break. We wouldn’t do much work and have a little classroom party instead. Looking at my daughter’s schedule, they’ve expanded it to take up most of the last week of school. So far her days have been filled with Christmas play performances, class room parties […]
Continue readingOne of my favorite gifts to give to friends, teachers and the likes is homemade mixes in a jar. They are easy to customize for each person and always well received. A few years ago when I was working an office job, I made instant potato soup mix in jars and gave them to my […]
Continue readingThanks so much for your well wishes, good thoughts and prayers. Things are starting to look up and I’m read to rule out the flu. I think our daughter just has a bad cold and my shoulder is starting to feel better thanks to some rest yesterday. Today we start the week busier than ever. […]
Continue readingI hope you and your loved ones have a wonderful 3rd Advent Sunday. We’re all a bit under the weather. My daughter is feeling sick and we’re trying to figure out if she’s coming down with a cold or the flue. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers and let’s hope it’s just a […]
Continue readingBetween the cookies and other Christmas treats, we haven’t exactly been eating healthy the last few days. Ok, who am I kidding… we haven’t eaten all that clean since Thanksgiving. I’m feeling the pounds creeping on and my shoulder is starting to ache again… all good signs that I need to clean up my act […]
Continue readingIt’s getting cold down here in Dixie. Today I had to scratch ice from the windshield for the first time before taking my daughter to school. The cold weather has me adding more and more soups and stews to our weekly meal plans. Something that’s making a regular appearance these days is Chili. I mix […]
Continue readingThere’s a long tradition of canning in my family. My grandmother canned throughout the year. She canned beans, potatoes, tomatoes and soup throughout the summer, apple butter in the fall etc. My mom remembers her grandmothers and great aunts getting together throughout the year to can as well and many a meal were made from […]
Continue readingThe cookie plates I took to the neighbors that I told you about a few days ago were a huge hit. Sadly between making a few extra of those and all our incredible cookie eating skills, my large Christmas cookie tin is empty again as of last night. We took a vote after dinner last […]
Continue readingLet’s talk about convenience today. Compared to even a few short years ago, my life around the Holidays has gotten so much more convenient. I’m able to order gifts and have them shipped to my door. We can watch a huge library of Holiday movies whenever we choose without having to drive to the video […]
Continue readingWe’re getting closer and closer to Christmas Day. Yesterday I shared an idea with you on how to raise some extra money to buy presents for your loved ones. Today, I’d like to share a whole bunch of ideas for frugal gift ideas with you. A few years ago we talked about Christmas gifts in […]
Continue readingOne of my favorite things about Christmas is being able to give meaningful gifts to the people I love. Of course all that extra buying and making of things costs money, no matter how frugal I try to be. Since money is a little tight for us this year, and we happen to have too […]
Continue readingHappy St. Nicolas Day. We just got through having coffee and cake and I gifted my husband and daughter their annual St. Nikolaus socks. It’s a tradition with some families in Germany to give hand-knitted socks on December 6th. Up until last year, my dad got a pair each year from my Oma Inge (his […]
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