Countdown to a Stress Free Holiday: Day 27

November 29, 2011 By Leave a Comment

In all the days before the holiday, today is my least favorite.  It must be done but it’s a stressful and difficult task – creating a holiday budget!  The good news is that once you commit to a budget,  there are lots of easy and fun ways to stick to it and keep track of your budget and  gift list.

Whether you use a sheet of paper, an smart phone app, spreadsheet or accounting software, today is the day to make your holiday budget.  Try to include not just the gifts but also the baking supplies, holiday meal, decorations and wrapping supplies.

Once you’ve created your budget, the fun begins!  Now you can start shopping in earnest, finding items on sale and choosing what items you want to make for your friends and loved ones on your list.  While doing this task might create some stress, once it is done it is freeing  and  helpful as you now have a guide to follow on during your shopping.

Here’s a few tips to stretch your budget and/or even add to it:

1)  Craigslist.  Go out to your garage or into your kids rooms and find things to put on Craigslist. I bet you can easily find $100 worth of items that you can put on Craigslist.

2)  Save on wrapping  paper.  You can buy craft paper in both brown and white really cheap.  Roll it out on the table,  get some crayons and/or stamps and let the kids go wild.

3) Homemade Gifts.  Grandmothers, adoring Aunts and Uncles love homemade  gifts from the kids.  You can get mugs, bowls and many more things inexpensively at a craft store that the kids can decorate and give to loved ones.  Throw in some of their favorite candies and you’ve got an inexpensive gift they will  cherish.

I’d love to hear your ideas on how to stretch the budget especially for the holidays!  Take a minute to leave a comment.

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Gifts In A Jar – A Great Last Minute Christmas Present

October 4, 2011 By Leave a Comment

It’s almost Christmas. Don’t you hate that feeling when you realize you’ve forgotten someone? Or worse.. a neighbor swings by with a gift and you have nothing in return? If you’re like me, Gifts in a Jarthe last thing you’ll want to do is run out to the store to grab something. Traffic, crabby people .. and more money on the credit card? No thanks.

What if you could make a personal gift instead that your friends and family will love?

Usually when we hear homemade gift, we think of a lot of time and effort. What if you could whip up gifts in minutes — and they cost almost nothing? Here is idea for a great last minute Christmas present that you can literally put together Christmas Eve. Best of all, the recipient will love and actually use it.

So what is this big “Mystery Present”? It’s called a gift in a jar and the basic idea is to fill a decorated glass jar with a soup or baking mix. Mix together a hot chocolate mix out of cocoa powder, powdered creamer, sugar and some spices and fill the jar 3/4 of the way with it. Top it off with tiny marshmallows. Print a pretty label with directions on how to turn this mix into hot cocoa by simply adding some warm milk.

You an also mix the dry ingredients of your favorite bean chili recipe. Or instead of mixing the dry ingredients, layer them in the jar for an even more visually appealing gift. Don’t forget to add a card with the recipe and instructions on how to turn this mix into a yummy batch of chili.

The possibilities for gifts in a jar are endless.

Print a cute, personalized label and glue it on the front of the jar, like those on old-fashioned jam jars. Next, cut a piece of holiday fabric into a square that overlaps the lid of the jar by at least an inch. If you have a pair of fancy serrated scissors, use those to give the fabric a fancy edge. Center the fabric over the closed lid and secure it by tying a matching ribbon around it.

That’s it, your gift in a jar is ready.

Author Resource – For over 200 recipe ideas for all kinds of Gift in a Jar Recipes visit Living on a Dime and get started making those beautiful last minute Christmas Presents.

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Buy 2, Get 3rd Free for Geoffrey’s Birthday Sale at ToysRUs

September 19, 2011 By 1 Comment

It’s not often I write to tell you about sales, but this one is just too good to let go by without sharing with you.

ToysRUs is having a Buy 2, Get 3rd Free Sale for Geoffrey’s Birthday.  This offer ends September 24th and is In STORE ONLY.  However, you can get some nice discounts and get a jump on  your Christmas Shopping.

You’re going to have to do it anyway so why not buy the items on your list now when the price is lower so you’ll have extra money in your Christmas budget this year?

Save on Brands like:
Leapfrog
Squinkies
Fisher-Price
Playskool
Lego
Crayola
Barbie
as well as all video games over $19.99.

But what I’m MOST excited about are the FyrFlyz™.  Shaping up to be THE hot new toy this Christmas.  This is the thing you want to get before they sell out.  In fact, last weekend these awesome little things SOLD OUT at FAO Schwarz in New York City.

I promise you that you will be glad that you took advantage of this sale this week.  I know I’m going to head out and get some for stocking stuffers.

Don’t be one of those moms desperately looking for a toy in late December that they could have gotten for free in September.  Get out and get yours now and save yourself some money.

 

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Frugal Living: Christmas Shopping All Year Long

December 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

If you’re a last-minute shopper during the holiday season, you’ve no doubt fallen victim to sky-high prices of gift items. During the holidays, it’s a well-known fact that department stores and shop owners hike up their prices to take advantage of the high demand.

If you want to avoid spending huge amounts of money on items that aren’t that expensive in the first place, consider shopping off-season, particularly just after the holidays. During this time, prices go back to normal; many even go on sale, because the demand has passed and marketers still want to rake in profit. If you buy off-season, you can take advantage of all-time low prices and save a lot of money for your budget.

The apparent downside of this is you’ll be shopping for holiday gifts as early as January. If it’s unthinkable for you to do your holiday shopping in January, then you don’t have to shop for that sole reason. You can purchase items that can double as birthday gifts for friends and family, and you can even buy essential items you can use yourself.

However, if you think about it, shopping for holiday gifts in January and in the other early months of the year is actually convenient for both your time and budget. As long as you don’t plan on giving food items, you can start your holiday shopping as early as you want it to be. You don’t have to jostle with other last-minute shoppers. You don’t have to feel time-pressured. And the best thing is you also don’t have to feel the pain of having a sizable chunk cut off from your budget. You can just store the items in your closest and bring them out when the next holiday comes. You can simply sit back and enjoy wrapping the gifts while everyone else is stressfully running about in shops.

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Special Last Minute Gift Ideas and Remembering Why We Celebrate Christmas

December 20, 2010 By 1 Comment

There are two things going on this week: 1) we have a few gifts left to make, and 2) we have to remind ourselves why our family celebrates Christmas.

  1. Sure, the gifts have to be made, the menu has to be planned, we have to go to the grocery store, we have to plan our travels, there’s school programs to go to… the list seems endless.  Between Thanksgiving and New Years, my family hardly takes a breath.

All this stressing over a holiday takes its toll on everyone and everything, including the meaning of the holiday.  When we spend so much time rushing around getting things ready for our Christmas celebration, we end up not spending time with the ones we love.  What becomes of the celebration when we’re too busy to enjoy it?  Coping with holiday stress means more than getting by, it means finding the joy in the season again.

So, we’ll start by giving you a chance to wrap up your gifts easily.  I have a few homemade gift ideas suitable for special people in your life. They are fairly easy to make and I think you’ll enjoy making them as much as you will giving them.  Here they are:

Thumb-Body Loves You – Picture Frame

This is a totally cute picture for a young child to make for a grandparent, favorite aunt or uncle, or even for daddy or mommy.
Purchase wood frame, either new or used. It can be totally unpainted or already painted, as long as you can add your child’s thumb print in paint to the surface of the frame. Using acrylic craft paint, take a paint print of your child’s thumb and carefully press it on the surface of the frame. You may want to practice this a few times, and you’ll want to keep a wet paper towel handy just to wipe off the prints that don’t work right away. When you get one on the frame that you like, let it dry completely. Then go back with a Sharpie and draw dots for eyes and a smile. That’s all there is to it. You’ll want to take a Sharpie and write “Thumb-Body Loves You” along the edge of the frame. All it needs now is your smiling child’s picture.

You Always Have Time For Me – Picture Frame

This is a picture frame that lets someone special know that you appreciate the time they spend with you. Scrounge around flea markets for old watches that don’t work anymore; or maybe you have a few laying around. Once you have an assortment of watches, find a wooden picture frame that has a big enough surface to hold the watch faces. Glue your watches (just the faces, remove the bands) around your frame in an artful way. Put a special picture of your child or family in the frame. What a wonderful reminder to that special person that you know how important it is to spend time with people you love.

Milk Bath – Powdered Bath Soak

Using powdered milk, package in pretty color plastic bags (found with party supply stuff in goody bag section). Close with the matching twist tie, add pretty ribbon, flowers, etc. or raffia and seashells. Print instructions on a gift tag and tie it to the package. Optional: For a little larger gift, purchase a pretty tin or a cardboard craft box (found in craft stores). Purchase a small, natural bath sponge and put both the bag and the sponge inside the tin or box and tie with ribbon or raffia.

Now, let’s take a look at the reason we’re doing this. It’s time to relax and reflect on why you spend so much time creating the perfect gift, the perfect meal, and the perfect holiday for your family.

Christmas in my family is not only the time to show our family how much we love them, but to remember The One who loved us first, and best. During the hussle-bussle of all the preparation, stress can get us down and make us forget why we’re celebrating. In the midst of the holiday hub-bub, that’s when it’s most important to stop and think about why we’re doing all this.

When I take a few minutes each day, in between cooking, cleaning, shopping, decorating, and wrapping, to remember the Grace and Glory we were given this day, I feel better and I am able to appreciate the season, and my family, even more.

Blessings this Christmas and always.

Susanne – The Hillbilly Housewife

www.HillbillyHousewife.com

p.s. Some of the best times we have in our family during the Christmas season is when we gather around and sing songs. It’s always a lot of fun, and it’s even better when we know all the words.  I put a songbook together some time ago and thought you might like to use it with your own family:  http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/christmas-songs.pdf

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It’s O.K. To Eat Pizza On Christmas Day

December 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Really!!

It’s perfectly fine.

And it just might be what we have for Christmas Dinner 2010.  I’m O.K. with that.  ;-) because this year we decided to go simple.

There are no decorations outside (we live off a main road & no one can see them anyway).

Our tree is white with blue & white flickering lights.  It’s really pretty and reminds me of snow & cool weather.  There are no other decorations on the the tree.  We do have a small village set up and stockings hung but, alas, no chimney.

And pizza for dinner sounds just fine to me = more time to spend with my family.

It’s kinda sad….

Our local stores started decorating & stocking for Christmas before Halloween was even over.    The T.V. is filled with so much advertising that even my 3 yr old can tell me in great detail exactly what he wants from Santa….and every day, many times each day, I hear……” I want”.

Instead of purchasing a ton of presents that quickly lose their appeal as soon as the next brightly wrapped package appears we’ve decided to get a few gifts but spend more time with the kids.

And that has been the key to our more relaxed, simple Christmas Season.  We’ve made a choice to not participate in all the hoopla & hype that surrounds us.

We’ve decided to spend more time together as a family and to use our time and talents with others.  Instead of buying a gift & spending money we probably shouldn’t, we’ll be making homemade items to share with our loved ones.

To share the joy of giving to others with our children, we’ll be visiting local assisted living centers for hugs & Christmas carols as well as doing some work with the teens at our local homeless shelters.

This year won’t be about “what do I get?” instead it’ll be more about “what can I give?”

I’ve put down some ideas that might help you stress less & grow together as a family during the holiday season in an ebook called Creating Cherished Christmas Memories.   It’s only $7 and it just might give you some inspiration to create some Christmas memories for your own family.

P.S. What traditions does YOUR family have?  What fun things do you do as a family during the holidays?  What’s your favorite recipe to cook/bake/eat as a family?  I’d love to know.  Please share in the comments below and let your answers help others. ;-)

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Time Saving Holiday Cooking Ideas

December 13, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Last week I talked about making Cut Out Sugar Cookies ahead of time and putting them in the freezer. That way, when the kids are ready to decorate them, they don’t have to ‘patiently’ wait for the preparation. It’s a nice short cut to get right to the fun part.

But, no matter how well I plan ahead, there are still times when a quick batch of cookies is needed, and the freezer is empty.

When I’m surprised by a cookie request (at school, for instance) or any time I want to have decorated cookies fast, there’s another recipe I use that works well. I’ll share that recipe with you here:

Quick Sugar Cookies

  • 1/2 cup soft margarine or shortening
  • 1 cup white sugar
  • 1 medium egg
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/4 teaspoon almond flavoring (optional)
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1-1/2 cups flour
  • food coloring (optional)

In a medium sized bowl cream together the margarine or shortening and sugar. Beat it until it is smooth and fluffy. Add the egg, milk and vanilla, mixing well. Stir in the salt, baking powder and flour. Blend it all up until it makes a nice smooth dough. Drop the mixture by small spoonfuls onto an oiled cookie sheet. Bake at 375° for about 8 to 10 minutes.
If desired, you can color the dough with food coloring for holidays and you can also make icing and decorate.

This recipe is so easy to prepare, and since you don’t roll them out you save time. And, they are a circle shape after all, so they are all set to become decorated like tree ornaments. Simple as can be!

The freezer is my friend this time of year for more than cookies. I don’t want to be off in the kitchen cooking when everyone else is enjoying the festivities.

One time I really appreciate having food ready is on Christmas Eve.  A meal prepared ahead of time makes it easier to get an early start on bedtime, leaving plenty of time for reading stories.

Since we have a large meal on Christmas Day, we eat simply the night before. This year I already have containers full of Cauliflower Carrot Soup ready for us in the freezer. Along with the soup, I have frozen muffins ready to pop in the oven. Now, dinner can be ready fast without any preparation work involved. I simply start the soup warming on the stove, put the muffins in the oven, set the timer and walk away. I can join my family, and dinner will be ready without me fussing. This is all possible only because I planned ahead.

Of course, Christmas morning can be hectic and I don’t want to miss anything because I’m busy in the kitchen flipping eggs or pancakes. Instead I have found a few recipes that I like to make which are what I consider breakfast-in-a-pan. I prepare either a classic Overnight Breakfast Casserole the night before or a simple one-pan Oven Baked Pancake or Waffle.  These dishes are quick to throw together and you can leave the kitchen in minutes to enjoy the day with your family.

Even though I’m getting busier now, I have much more time now than I will in a few weeks. Taking an hour to prepare a meal or cookies today will save a lot of frustration during the holiday rush. I am determined not to miss any of the fun and laughter this holiday season because I’m in the kitchen cooking. I hope you’ll prepare ahead so you too can enjoy each moment with your family.

Warm regards,

Susanne – The Hillbilly Housewife

www.HillbillyHousewife.com

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Christmas Breakfast

December 13, 2010 By 1 Comment

We all have our favorite tried-and-true holiday recipes. Still, I’m always looking for special recipes to add to my list of choices for a holiday brunch or luncheon. The following two recipes can be made the day before and then baked for a delicious breakfast.

French Toast Soufflé
If you love French toast for breakfast or brunch, then you’ll love this baked version of French toast that turns an ordinary favorite into an easy-to-make soufflé!

14 to 16 slices hearty white bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 10 cups)
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, softened
8 large eggs
1 1/2 cups reduced-fat milk
2/3 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon Watkins Vanilla Extract
2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

1. Coat a 9″ x 13″ baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place the bread cubes in the baking dish.

2. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the eggs, beating well after each addition. Add the milk, half-and-half, maple syrup, and vanilla; mix until smooth. Pour the cream cheese mixture over the top of the bread cubes, cover, and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.

3. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the dish from the refrigerator and let stand for 20 minutes. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until set. Sprinkle the soufflé with confectioners’ sugar or warm maple syrup just before serving. Serves 6.

Holiday Sausage Rollups
This festive breakfast bake shapes up perfectly for any holiday. The sausage and veggie filling that bakes up in flaky crescent dough makes a rise ’n’ shine favorite! The crescent rolls make this a simply delicious pastry. 

1 (16-ounce) package spicy pork sausage 
1/2 of a medium-sized red bell pepper, diced
4 scallions (green onions), thinly sliced
2 (8-ounce) packages refrigerated crescent rolls

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. In a medium bowl, combine sausage, red pepper, and scallions; mix well.
2. Unroll one package of crescent rolls and press seams together to form one large rectangle; repeat with second package of crescent rolls.
3. Spread half of the sausage mixture evenly over each rectangle; starting from the narrow end, roll up jelly-roll style. Cut each roll into 8 equal slices and place cut-side down on a baking sheet to form a Christmas tree.
4. Bake 25 to 30 minutes, or until sausage is no longer pink and crust is golden. Serve warm. Serves 16.

Note
Prepare the night before.  Just cover it and pop it in the refrigerator. When morning comes, simply uncover, pop it in the oven, bake, and serve.

Merry Christmas!

Eleisia
www.NotJustVanilla.com

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Chocolate Mint Squares

December 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Bake this recipe for a decadent chocolate mint brownie for your Christmas cookie platter or tray.

Plate of Chocolate Mint SquaresChocolate Mint Squares

First Layer (Brownie Layer)
2 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup sifted all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly butter an 8-inch square baking dish.

In the top of a double boiler over hot water, melt chocolate and butter. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Add eggs and sugar; stir until well blended. Mix in flour until well blended.

Pour mixture into prepared baking dish and bake 20 minutes. Turn oven off and leave in oven for 5 additional minutes. Remove from oven and let cool on a wire cooling rack.

Second Layer (Mint Layer)
1 1/2 cups powdered (confectioners) sugar
3 tablespoons butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon Watkins Peppermint Extract
1 to 2 drops green food coloring (optional)

In a large bowl, cream powdered sugar, butter, and cream until light and fluffy. Blend in peppermint extract and food coloring. Spread on top of first layer (Brownie Layer). Refrigerate until chilled.

Third Layer (Chocolate Glaze)
3 (1-ounce) squares unsweetened chocolate
3 tablespoons butter

In a small, heavy saucepan over low heat, melt chocolate and butter; spread chocolate mixture onto top of second layer (Mint Layer). Refrigerate until well chilled. Just before serving, remove from refrigerator and cut into small squares.
Yields 2 dozen squares.

Merry Christmas!

Eleisia 
www.NotJustVanilla.com

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Vanilla-Chai Icebox Shortbread Cookies

December 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons Watkins Pumpkin Pie Spice
2 teaspoons Watkins Ground Ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon Watkins Vanilla Extract

Icing
1 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon Watkins Pure Vanilla Extract or Original Double Strength Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon water

In a large bowl, sift or whisk together flour, pumpkin pie spice, ginger, allspice and cardamom. Set aside.

Combine butter, sugar, honey and salt in a bowl. Using an electric mixer or wooden spoon, beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg yolks, one at a time, and beat until smooth. Stir in vanilla extract.

Add in flour-spice mixture, 1 cup at a time, blending until fully incorporated.

Divide the dough in half and transfer each half to a sheet of wax paper. Using the wax paper, shape into a 12-inch log, rectangle or square. Chill logs at least 2 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with an oven rack in the middle. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

With a sharp knife, cut logs into 1/8-inch-thick slices and arrange 1/2 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake until lightly browned around edges, about 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to racks to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together icing ingredients until smooth and transfer to a sealable plastic bag. Cut an 1/8-inch opening in one corner of bag. Arrange cookies as close together as possible on sheets of wax paper and drizzle icing decoratively across the tops. Makes 3-4 dozen cookies.

Recipe adapted from and photograph provided courtesy of Wisconsin Milk Marketing Board, Inc.

Tip
If you are baking for a cookie platter for family, guests, or co-workers, strive for a variety of recipes that contrast in shape, color and taste. Include at least one chocolate cookie, one with fruit or jam, one frosted or decorated cutout, one candy and one plain cookie such as a sugar cookie or shortbread.

Christmas Cookie Rules

  1. If you eat a Christmas cookie fresh out of the oven, it has no calories because everyone knows that the first cookie is the test and thus calorie free.
  2. Every time you eat a cookie while watching “Its a Wonderful life”, an angel gets its wings. Clarence!
  3. Cookies left for Santa must also be sampled; it just wouldnt do for old Saint Nick to eat a bad one!

 

Merry Christmas!

Eleisia
www.NotJustVanilla.com

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