I 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 […]
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Between 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 […]
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It’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 […]
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Good o’l fashioned chicken pot pie is always a favorite around here. And if you make it from scratch, it’s a very frugal meal. Get the cheapest cut of chicken you can and just cook it. I like getting a whole chicken, cook it in the crockpot and then use some of the meat for […]
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I’m a big fan of oatmeal raisin cookies and make them throughout the year. Sometimes I leave the raisins out, sometimes I use chopped apple instead. In December though, I take things to another level with these holiday spiced oatmeal cookies. The spices and nuts take this from a rather plain cookie to something really […]
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There’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 […]
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My daughter loves French toast, but I don’t like the fact that when I make it from scratch, everyone eats while I’m frying up the rest of the toast. This casserole version is the perfect solution. It’s also a lot less messy than making regular French toast. The recipe is from the Breakfast Casseroles Kindle […]
Continue readingI had a candle mishap a couple of days ago. I have a green candle in a tin that’s Christmas tree scented. I love to burn it this time of the year and had done just that. The smell was starting to get a little overwhelming though and it was time to blow it out. […]
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The 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 readingWinter is here and that means we’re eating a lot of soup. There’s just nothing better than coming home to a nice warm pot of soup. Just whip up some biscuits to go with it, make some toast, or dust of the bread maker and start some bread when you’re starting the soup in your […]
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Let’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 […]
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We’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 […]
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One 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 […]
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Many of you know that we are a culturally mixed household. My husband is from the South, I’m from Germany. Since getting married we have blended our two cultures as much as possible. Our Christmases growing up have been very different. Mine was less about presents and more about the spiritual and religious aspects of […]
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Happy 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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