Thanksgiving Dinner

We went to my sister's house for Thanksgiving Day. They live a little over 2 hours away from us so we don't get to see them all that often.

She and I shared the meal preparations. She made the ham, green beans, potatoes and a corn casserole (and hosted the event) and I brought dinner rolls, sausage stuffing with apples, cranberries and nuts, a sweet potato casserole, cranberry sauce (we like the jellied kind from a can!) and pecan and pumpkin pies for dessert. The stuffing and sweet potatoes were both dishes from my Dream Dinners adventure and both were very good. The meal was enjoyed by all!

My sister's family is getting ready to move to another house so we kept things very simple as many of their belongings are already packed up for the move!

It was a nice and relatively quiet Thanksgiving Day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Along with friend, family, turkey and stuffing, I hope you'll take at least a few minutes this weekend to remember God's incredible blessings to you this year!

Praise To God, Immortal Praise

Praise to God, immortal praise,
For the love that crowns our days;
Bounteous Source of every joy,
Let Thy praise our tongues employ.

For the blessing of the field,
For the stores the gardens yield,
For the joy which harvest bring,
Grateful praises now we sing.


Clouds that drop refreshing dews;
Suns that genial heat diffuse;
Flocks that whiten all the plain,
Yellow sheaves of ripened grain.


All that Spring with bounteous hand,
Scatters o'er the smiling land;
All that lib'ral Autumn pours
From her overflowing stores;


These great God, to Thee we owe,
Source whence all our blessings flow;
And for these our souls shall raise
Grateful vows and solemn praise. 

Written by Anna L. Barbauld, 1773

I will probably not be blogging much, if at all, the rest of the week in order to spend time enjoying the holiday! See you all back here on Monday!

I'm Thankful For Food!

I'm so thankful for the bounty of food that God has blessed us with. Even in leaner times, we still eat so well! Thank you, God!

Mrs. Meyer's Hand Soap

Mrs. Meyer's Lemon Verbena hand soap.

A little splurge that makes me smile! 

And certainly a step up from the dish soap I've had beside the bathroom sink ever since we've moved!

I'm Thankful That God is God

Today I'm praising God just for who He is!

Out And About

While you're out and about cruising around the blogosphere this weekend, here's a few worthwhile reads:

Using a hook book as inspiration for your writing at Savvy Blogging. My mom, a writer, has done this for years. She's always jotting things down!

Seven easy make-ahead appetizers for Thanksgiving Day lingering from Mom Advice. Yummy! The Spinach Stuffing Balls and the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip look amazing!

The Proverbs 31 Woman Is Your Model at Christian Homekeeper Network.

Self-Feeding at Cultivating Home. A great post on feeding yourself spiritually.

I'm Thankful For People Who Pray

Last night as my friend and I were doing our weekly Life Group (sharing what God has showed us from Scripture) by phone, I noticed that I was starting to have asthma-related wheezing.

As I finished praying, she asked if I was having trouble breathing. Apparently, she could hear it in my voice over the phone! When I replied that I was starting to wheeze, she immediately proceeded to pray for me right then that my lungs would be clear and that I'd be able to breathe properly.

This blessed me that she not only offered to pray but that she jumped in and prayed right then instead of putting it off. I know that God will bless her obedience!

And The Winner Is...

Me!

While set up at a  festival a few weeks back, I tasted a meatball and entered a giveaway at the Dream Dinners booth.

Imagine my surprise when they called me a few days later to say that I'd won their grand prize of three holiday side dishes!

Dream Dinners is one of those places where you can go and assemble your own freezer meals. Everything is chopped and prepped ahead and they even clean up the mess afterward! You make an appointment and select the menu items you wish to purchase and they set it all up in stations and you assemble your dishes.

Well, I love freezer cooking and the thought of no prep work or cleanup was very appealing to me! I was so very excited at the chance to try this out!

Because of the popularity of the holiday sides, some are already prepared and ready to take home. Of the three that I chose, the Savory Stuffing was the only one that needed to be assembled. The other two, Cheesy Mashed Potatoes and a Sweet Potato Bake were already bagged up and ready to throw into my freezer.

I was a little disappointed that I only got to make one but it was so much fun! Everything is chopped and prepped and labeled and handy and they have cool measuring cups and spoons. Clearly, I need a hobby. I gushed about Dream Dinner's awesomeness all the way home.

In my opinion, their regular menu items are a bit pricey for my budget and many items are fancier than what we eat on an everyday basis. But it is a wonderful convenience- no shopping or chopping-  and certainly fun to do!

Thank you Dream Dinners for this opportunity to make use of your services!

Christmas Is Coming: Apple Butter

 

Last year I discovered how to make crock pot apple butter**. It was so good that I decided to give small jars as Christmas gifts to my husband's family.

Well. The apple butter was  a hit at Christmas time! They loved it and I've already had several requests for more this year. In fact, my sister-in-law said that she would take a gallon of apple butter instead of any other gifts!

I figure that with buying apples at about $1 a pound and then purchasing jars, my cost for each jar is around $3.00. If you are able to use jars you already have on hand or find some for free, the cost would be even lower. Even better would be getting apples for free!

I usually make a label for each jar and then tie a simple raffia bow around the lids, but you could make these really cute with fabric or scrapbook paper. This would make a nice gift paired with a loaf of homemade bread or nestled in a basket with other canned goods such homemade pickles and other jams and jellies. 

This is a simple and delicious gift that's sure to please!

** I use a lot less sugar than the directions state-around 1/2 to 3/4 cup per crock pot full and it is still plenty sweet. It depends on your taste and the type of apples used.

**To can: Process jars in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. 

** If you don't wish to can the apple butter, it can be kept in the fridge for a long while or frozen. 

This post is linked to Life As Mom's Frugal Friday and Proverbs 31 Living's Handmade Christmas Carnival!

I'm Thankful For Beautiful Fall Leaves!

This fall has been such a pretty one! The leaves have been especially bright and colorful this year. I really like the red ones. These photos were taken while out on a walk around our neighborhood.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 19:1

 Red, yellow, green and brown

Leaves are floating to the ground.

We pile them up, oh so high!

Then we jump in,

My dog and I!

Let all creation rejoice before the LORD.

Psalm 96:13

 He has made everything beautiful in its time.

Ecclesiastes 3:11

What are you thankful for today?

Cranberry Pineapple Muffins

I really wanted to make some cranberry muffins this week but was bored at the thought of the same old cranberry pecan or cranberry orange varieties.

A quick flip through my favorite muffin cookbook, Mad About Muffins, led me to this recipe for cranberry pineapple muffins.  Not only did the combination sound interesting but I also had some crushed pineapple in the refrigerator waiting to be used up! Love when that happens!

These are so yummy! The pineapple and cranberry combo lend a sweet-tart flavor while the brown sugar on top adds a little crunch.

A perfect fall treat, these would be great served for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning!

Cranberry Pineapple Muffins

Makes one dozen muffins.

Ingredients:
1 cup whole fresh cranberries
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1/2 cup drained crushed pineapple
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour ( I successfully used whole wheat pastry flour.)
2/3 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 cup brown sugar

Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine the cranberries, egg, milk, butter and pineapple. In another bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir the flour mixture into the egg mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into greased muffin tins. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins are brown.

Enjoy!

I'm Thankful For You!

Today I'm thankful for you, my blog readers! Thank you so much for regularly stopping by to read my ramblings. I'm humbled that you choose to visit my house each day!

I do enjoy your comments! If you read here and have never left a comment before, would you please take the a minute to introduce yourself? I'd love to "meet" you!

A New Cath Kidston Catalog

I was so excited when the mailman brought a new Cath Kidston catalog this week. I love to sit down and look at the lovely pictures. Such a nice array of beautiful items and gorgeous colors.

After I'm done looking through them, I love to keep them in my pattern drawer as inspiration. The pictures make beautiful handmade cards, too. 

 

What simple pleasures are you  taking the time to enjoy today?

A Miscellaneous Freezer Cooking Day

Or Breakfast Foods and Bean Burritos!:-)

 I did another of my small freezer cooking sessions yesterday. My stash of breakfast and lunch foods were both nearly depleted so I did a combination of both!

I was feeling rather peaceful and unrushed yet I checked the clock to see how long this took me since my goal is to keep these small freezer cooking sessions to 2 hours or less.

Cooking and preparing all these foods  plus grinding two Tupperware cereal containers of flour took me right at 2 hours. This did not include cleanup!

The fruit of my labors:

• 11 bean burritos (directions below)
• 8 sausage biscuits (directions below)
• 8 unbaked biscuits (I used whole wheat pastry flour(soft white wheat) for the biscuits. They turn out much lighter than if using regular whole wheat flour(hard wheat).
• 1 dozen cranberry pineapple muffins (I'll be sharing this recipe soon. Fantastic!)

Bean Burritos

These burritos are super simple to assemble and freeze.  They are also very inexpensive and can be quickly heated in the microwave making them a nice convenience food to have on hand.

You will need:

• 1 can refried beans
• Salsa
• Shredded cheese
• Flour tortillas

Mix refried beans and salsa together. I probably use about 1/2 cup of salsa, maybe a bit more. You don't want it too runny, at least I don't!

Spread bean mixture on tortillas. Sprinkle with cheese. Roll up and place on waxed paper lined baking pan (or reuse a cereal bag like I do!). Freeze until solid and place in a freezer bag until ready to use.

When ready to use: Take out as many burritos as you want and heat them in the microwave until heated through. I usually cook 4 burritos in about 3 minutes, checking them often to be sure they don't overcook.

You can add meat, green chilies, really anything you want!

Sausage Biscuits

My husband loves it when I make sausage biscuits, which I freely admit isn't that often! They're pretty easy to make and I figure if you're going to make biscuits and fry sausage anyways, then you might as well make a big batch and only clean up once!

You will need:

• Biscuits- Use your favorite recipe or mine. Store-bought biscuits will work well too!
• Sausage- A 1 pound roll makes 8 patties for me.

Bake biscuits according to directions. Cook sausage patties and drain on paper towels. Let cool.

Slice biscuits in half and place one sausage patty in between. Bet you couldn't have figured that step out, huh!

Wrap each biscuit in plastic wrap and freeze in a gallon sized bag.

To use: Remove biscuits from bag. Again, duh! Allow biscuits to thaw for a little while if you have time.  Unwrap biscuits and wrap in a  paper towel and heat in microwave for about 1 minute or until heated through.

Enjoy!

Crayon Rolls In My Shop

Crayon rolls are in the shop!

I'm Thankful For A Productive Day!

Today I'm thankful for a productive day working around my home.

It was one of those days that I just enjoyed puttering around from one task to the next. I spent about 2 hours doing some freezer cooking, ground a bunch of wheat into flour, did some laundry, cleaned up, put things away, made and canned apple butter and just had a nice peaceful and productive day!

This Week's Menu Plan and To-Do List

This week will be busy but not as full as last week. Thank God for that!

On the to-do list this week:

1. Make apple butter. Didn't get to this last week.
2. Finish packing our shoe boxes for Operation Christmas Child.
3. Grocery shopping.
4. Small freezer cooking day- Haven't decided on a theme yet, maybe a conglomeration of lunch and breakfast since we've used almost everything from what I prepared before!
5. Sewing and listing stuff for sale in my Etsy shop.

On the menu this week: 

Breakfasts:
cinnamon french toast bread, fruit- 2x
cream of wheat-2x
baked oatmeal-2x

Lunches:
pizza pockets- (from freezer)I used purchased pie crusts for the dough instead of making my own.
savory hand pies (from freezer)
tomato soup, cheese and crackers
leftovers-2x
sandwiches

Suppers:
spaghetti, bread and butter
chili (from freezer), brown rice, cheese and sour cream
hashbrowns, sausage, applesauce, steamed carrots
beef vegetable soup(crockpot),  bread and butter-2x
sourdough waffles, scrambled eggs, smoothies

What are you eating and doing at your house this week?

I'm Thankful For The Baby I Care For

Today I'm so thankful for the baby girl that I care for during the week. It started as a temporary  gig but is stretching into a long-term arrangement instead, which I am so happy about!

She is 6 months old now and it has been so much fun to watch her grow and develop. She is pretty much sitting by herself now and was so pleased to sit right in the stroller like a big girl last week instead of her carseat. She loved being able to see!

She's such a happy girl and has found her voice. She squeals, trills and coos. Loudly.

I just love this little one and am so thankful that God has brought her into my life!

I'm Thankful For Etsy Sales!

I'm thankful for the recent sales in my Etsy shop. It's so exciting to see this little endeavor begin to bear fruit! The proceeds not only support my addiction hobby, but also help to add to the family income.

**Stay tuned! I have lots of  fun new items to list for sale which I'll begin this week.  I'll post here when I'm adding new stuff so you can take a look if you'd like!

I'm Thankful For Those Who Fight For My Freedom!

 Andy's grandfather (top) and Andy's dad (bottom) in their military days. This is the only picture we have of Andy's dad from that time period. Apparently it was a little warm in Vietnam!:-)

I'm thankful for all who are serving or have served in the military!

Thank you! It is only through your sacrifice that we are able to enjoy the freedom we have.

Happy Veterans Day!

**Andy wrote a very nice tribute on Veteran's Day last year which can be read here.

I'm Thankful For Dirty Dishes

 ...Dirty Dishes!

Thank God For Dirty Dishes

Author Unknown

Thank God for dirty dishes;
They have a tale to tell.
While others may go hungry,
We're eating very well
With home, health, and happiness,
I shouldn't want to fuss;
By the stack of evidence,
God's been very good to us.

I'm Thankful For What God Is Teaching Me

While on this journey of thankfulness, I'm reminded to be thankful for what God has been teaching me.

Our lives have been overhauled this past year it seems. God is changing us and molding us to be more like Him! This is exciting but not always fun!

At one point, I told a friend that I didn't realize that we were so messed up! She smiled and replied that it's not so much about how messed up we all are, but that God is using the toothbrush to clean out the cracks and crevices that may be hindering us from living the abundant life Jesus died to give us.

For me personally, He's teaching me to trust in Him rather than circumstances, people (including myself) and finances. He's bringing balance to me especially in the area of my task-oriented personality. He's growing my faith by answering prayer and providing in wonderful ways. 

A lot of teaching. A lot of learning to do. It's not always so pleasant. But still, I'm so thankful for His presence in my life and how He's making me into the person he created me to be!

Priorities During A Busy Time

What are your priorities during a very hectic and busy season?

Since I'm in one of those seasons right now, I spent a little time thinking it over last week and here's what I came up with.

Note: This is suitable for me, my family and my lifestyle. It will probably not work for you; adapt as needed!

Daily:

• Quiet time with God-usually 15-30 minutes.
• Sweeping and vacuuming floors.
• Meal prep-keep meals simple!
• Kitchen clean-up.
• Make bed.
• Keeping house generally neat.
•  Thirty minutes of exercise-this is usually a walk with dog and stroller in tow but it works and is a win-win for all of us!
• Childcare(if applicable).

Weekly/Bi-weekly:

• Clean clothes, towels and sheets.
• Keeping to my budget.
• General cleaning- kitchen, bathroom, floors.
• Two-hour freezer cooking session-this has helped tremendously to have some prep work done and food ready to pull out. This is beneficial for both time and budget!
• Stretching grocery trips to save time and money. 
• Planning and using my calendar!

When life gets hectic, how do you keep your priorities in order and still stay sane?

This Week's Menu Plan and To-Do List

This is a busy time of year for me so I'm keeping it super simple in the meal department so I can devote more time to other tasks.

Monday- Leftover spaghetti (made into a casserole), peas
Tuesday- Crockpot chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, steamed broccoli
Wednesday- Leftover spaghetti (made into a casserole),  peas
Thursday- Breakfast for dinner: waffles with blueberry fruit syrup, scrambled eggs
Friday- Baked potatoes with ground beef and cheese, pickles, steamed carrots
Saturday- Tomato soup, cheese melts

Breakfasts: hot cereal, eggs and toast, cold cereal, muffins, fruit
Lunches: leftovers, canned soup or freezer lunch options

This Week's To-Do List:
1. Make more apple butter.
2. Small freezer cooking day focusing on meats/main dishes.
    Being low on time and creative energy this week, my plan is to make a batch of meatballs, cook a crockpot chicken (and eat some Tuesday night), brown some ground beef and cook some rice to freeze.

3. Lots of sewing to sell at upcoming craft shows and in my Etsy shop.
4. Childcare.

What's going on in your home this week?

I'm Thankful For A Warm House

The past few days have been pretty chilly. Especially in the evenings and early mornings before the sun comes out!

 On Saturday, we were set up all day at an outdoor festival. It was not warm. For Southerners anyway! When we came home that evening, we were greeted by our nice warm house. It felt so good!

Funny, how when I'm home all day, I really don't think about it. But when I don't have that comfort for a while, it makes me think about how fortunate I am to have the blessing of a warm house.

So today, I'm thankful for one of those little things that we often take for granted: heat and/or a warm house. I am so blessed!

I'm Thankful For My Church Family

I'm thinking today about my church family and how thankful I am for them! They are a blessing that I don't want to take for granted as I know it is rare to be a part of such a  wonderful group of believers.

These folks are like family to us. We share life together each week. Sharing what God is teaching us through His Word, sharing our struggles, praying together and ministering to one another, eating a meal together.

I'm so thankful for these folks and the way we are all growing to be more like Christ!

I'm Thankful For Our Dog

 I'm thankful for my dog Rock. He is wonderful company for us, makes us laugh and is good at keeping me consistent with exercise!

Yes, he is just a dog. No, he does not have a soul. But still, he's a well-loved member of our family!

I came across this cute little poem a while back and decided to include it here.

-If you can start the day without caffeine...
-If you can get going without pep pills...
-If you can always be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains...
-If you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles...
-If you can eat the same food everyday and be grateful for it...
-If you can understand when your loved ones are too busy to give you any time...
-If you can overlook it when those you love take it out on you when, through no fault of yours, something goes wrong...
-If you can take criticism and blame without resentment...
-If you can ignore a friend's limited education and never correct them...
-If you can resist treating a rich friend better than a poor friend...
-If you can face the world without lies and deceit...
-If you can conquer tension without medical help...
-If you can relax without liquor...
-If you can sleep without the aid of drugs...
-If you can say honestly that deep in your heart you have no prejudice against creed, color, religion or politics...
-Then, my friend, you are almost as good as your dog.

Author Unknown

I'm Thankful For God's Provision

 In continuing this month's theme of thankfulness...

As I'm baking bread and cookies to sell today, I'm grateful for all the opportunities God gives me to make a little extra income.

Back in September, both my husband and I were impressed upon to pray for extra  income. And then God told us both the exact amount we were to pray for monthly. (Thankfully, it was the same!)  At first, I felt like the amount we were praying for was too large; surely we didn't need that much! Although I knew we could use it. As the month went along, God provided and at the end of the month we started to tally up the extra income and we were excited and humbled to see that God had provided the exact amount we had prayed for. Right down to the penny!

Not all of this was in cold hard cash. Some was in the form of gift cards, some in savings(things we ended up not needing to pay for or got at a better price), some were even in the form of winning blog giveaways.

We continued to pray the same for October and God came through again!  It has really been exciting to see how God is providing.

Sometimes I get a little frustrated with all the many ways I'm using to garner extra income- online surveys, baking bread and other goodies to sell, childcare, my etsy shop and setting up at craft shows, selling on ebay and using coupons to decrease expenses. Wouldn't it be easier to just have one thing that brings in more income than so many small avenues that are not always extra profitable?

Maybe so. But I know that God has led me to do all of these things during this season. He's using all of these small things plus a few other ways to provide and answer our prayers.  It grows my faith to see how He is working in giving us opportunities and  answering prayer as we are obedient to what He has called us to do!

As I was organizing our budget notebook at the beginning of January, I wrote this verse on the front: "And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus."  (Philippians 4:19) At the time, I had no idea how real this verse would become to us this year!

How has God directed you to pray specifically and how has He met your needs? What are you praying  for today?

I'm Thankful For A Paved Driveway

Throughout the month of November, I'll be sharing short little posts about things I'm thankful for! Instead of jumping right to Christmas, I want to take time to think about the many blessings I've been given by my wonderful Heavenly Father and cultivate a grateful and joyful spirit. I hope you'll join me by taking the time to comment about the blessings you have received!

It's raining today. Whenever it rains, I'm reminded how wonderful it is to have a paved driveway!

At our old house, the driveway was dirt. When it rained, it became very muddy and water would sit in the holes. The sidewalk would also flood in spots.  Now whoever comes into our home can walk up to the door on pavement. So much nicer and less messy!

What are you thankful for today?

Vote!

Today is Election Day! Make the effort to get out to the polls and let your voice be heard by voting.

"Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost." ~John Quincy Adams


We voted absentee a week ago since we are working at the polls all day today!

**I'll be back to regular posting soon. The past few days have been insanely hectic and the rest of the week looks just as busy. But I hope to be back with you soon!**

Burp Cloths

I wanted to make a baby gift for a friend and burp cloths came to mind! From what I've seen, one can never have too many!

At first, I thought I'd decorate some plain cloth diapers then decided to just use some cotton fabric I had on hand and use a soft and absorbent fabric for the backing.

These were so much fun to make and I think they turned out super cute!  I ended up making two sets- red and blue baseball theme for my friend's baby boy and a gender neutral gingham set to keep at my house for when I babysit. The little girl I'm currently caring for is quite the spitter so these will get used!  I used blue chenille/terrycloth for the backing on all of them.

What's your favorite baby gift to make and/or give?

Preparing For Winter: Washing Blankets

On a chilly day last week, I pulled out a blanket to snuggle up in.

Along with the warmth, I was greeted with a somewhat musty smell from being packed up all summer. Less than pleasant!

Today I  ran my pile of throw blankets through the laundry.

Fresh-smelling and clean. Ready for cooler days ahead!

Lunch Is In The Freezer!

From left to right: Pizza Pockets, Bean Burritos, Savory Hand Pies

From about 2 hours of work, my freezer now holds 11 pizza pockets, 10 bean burritos and 15 savory hand pies. I'm freezing all of these flat on cookie sheets and then will transfer them to freezer bags. A crock pot of chili is also waiting to be frozen in meal sized portions.

The savory hand pies were a new recipe from Southern Living magazine.  I ended up with 21 very small pies. They are so cute! We wanted to try them so we baked a few for lunch. They are delicious! So yummy! They reminded us of chicken pot pie. Yum! I recommend making these. Especially if you have leftovers from a meat and mashed potato dinner. I planned to make mashed potatoes for supper last night just so I'd have some mashed potatoes on hand for this recipe.These would be good with almost any kind of meat and veggie combo. The mashed potatoes and cream cheese added a nice creamy texture. I will probably make them bigger next time, though!

I must say how much I enjoyed working with store-bought pie dough! So much easier and less time-consuming than making my own. This may be the first time that I've purchased pie crusts. Can you believe it?

So far, this weekly small freezer cooking plan is working out really well for me! 

I'll be taking a break from freezer cooking next week because of other plans but will be back the next week doing a few main dishes and meats. Hope you'll join me then!

Small Freezer Cooking Day Plans- Lunches

I'm planning to do another small freezer cooking day today. This time, focusing on some ready-to-eat lunch options.

Investing a few hours in cooking today will save me lots of time and money later!

My freezer cooking plan for today:

• Pot of chili.
• Bean and cheese burritos- using refried beans.
• Pizza pockets -using store-bought pie crusts instead of making my own dough. 
• Savory hand pies- using chicken and peas instead of turkey and green beans.

This list shouldn't be too time-consuming being that I'm not preparing any kind of dough from scratch. Woohoo! However, I'm not as organized for today as I was for last week's cooking session, so time will tell!

I'll be back later with the results.

What are your favorite easy lunches?

How To Make A Simple Fruit Syrup- Vlog

Finally, as promised- the "How To Make Fruit Syrup" vlog we made last week. I've been wanting to try a cooking video and this seemed like a good recipe to try it out on!

Since we shot this video right in the middle of a freezer cooking session, this is real life, folks! No fixing up the kitchen to make it "video friendly." I did do a quick brushing of the hair and a quick check to be sure I didn't have boogers in my nose, though.

Enjoy the vlog!

For easy reference, here is the recipe for the fruit syrup:


Combine and bring to boil:
1 cup water
1 cup fruit (fresh or frozen)
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice


In separate bowl, mix 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 1/2 cup water. Stir into boiling liquid.

Lower heat and stir frequently, until mixture is thickened. When right consistency, add another cup of fruit.


Serve over pancakes or waffles.


**This recipe freezes well.

Snapshots Of My Life

Love these bunny slippers and the baby girl who wears them!

My first attempt at making a Pizza Braid. Yum! Ours was filled with ground beef, onions, green peppers, black olives, tomato sauce, spices and cheese.

A giant birthday cookie for a little friend.

Homemade Pumpkin Bread.

Christmas Is Coming: Princess Ballerina Skirt and Purse

Christmas is coming! In the coming weeks, I'll be sharing some of my homemade gifts, decorations and goodies. I like to make a lot of our gifts each year and I try to keep things fairly simple and frugal, as well.
                      ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The first handmade gift for this Christmas is a little girl's skirt with matching purse for our 6 year old niece. She's the princess of the family and loves ballet, dresses and all things pink, so when I saw this awesome princess/ballerina fabric, I knew I needed to make her a skirt!

The skirt came together quickly. I've made plenty of skirts for myself so I knew how to construct it although  I did consult an online tutorial (which unfortunately I cannot locate right now; I'll keep trying) for basic cutting instructions and adapted the measurements accordingly. I added my own touches with the pockets and band around the hem.

After the skirt was completed, I couldn't stop myself from  creating a matching purse. I tweaked this pouch pattern to make what I had in mind.

This gift was so much fun to sew and I'm pretty sure the Princess will approve!

Cost Breakdown:
Fabric: approximately $6.00, although I didn't use quite all of it.
Ribbon, button, elastic loop closure and lining fabric for purse were all from my stash.
About 2 hours of time for completing both projects.

What handmade gifts have you made or are planning to make for Christmas this year?

**This post is a part of Frugal Fridays and Proverbs 31 Living's Have A Handmade Christmas Carnival!

SALE In My Etsy Shop

I'm having a huge clearance sale in my Etsy shop, The Gingham Cottage, to move out older listings and make room for new ones!

Please take a look. I really want all of this stuff to go!!! Most items are half-price.

I will refund shipping on all local orders and will personally deliver your order to you for free.

Thank you!

Veggie Wraps with Olive Spread

This is an easy and yummy lunch option and one of our favorites!

Mix about 1/2 cup (or more) black olives with an 8 oz. block of cream cheese. (Sliced olives blend better than whole olives.)  Spread on tortillas or flatbread. Add your choice of chopped veggies and roll up and eat!

Some of our favorite veggies for this are:

• grated carrots
• chopped red onion
• chopped tomatoes
• chopped green pepper
• chopped cucumber

These can get a little messy if filled really full, so if we're taking these on the road, I'll usually just add grated carrots and then eat some cut-up veggies on the side.

I'm sure you could omit the olives should you care to and use plain or flavored cream cheese or even add other veggies to the filling. Shredded cheddar cheese or even meat could also be added. 

The sky's the limit!

Crispy Potato Cubes

Although these may look like croutons, they are not.

These are tasty, crispy potato cubes! My sister served these when we visited them about a month ago. Since then, I made these twice. Everyone I've served these to have devoured them!

I've never been good at making oven fries or potato wedges. But these I can do. They turn out crispy on the outside and soft on the inside every time.

The only changes that I would make to the recipe is the herbs and spices. I used what I had on hand- basil, oregano and garlic powder and it tasted great. I also found that it took around 45 minutes to bake.

 Enjoy! 

Crispy Potato Cubes- serves 4 
Recipe from Taste of Home

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 5 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 bay leaf

Directions

• In a large resealable plastic bag, combine the flour, salt, thyme, marjoram and pepper. Add potatoes; seal bag and shake to coat. Pour butter into a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish; stir in the garlic. Add potatoes and bay leaf.
• Cover and bake at 450° for 20 minutes. Uncover and stir; bake 15-20 minutes longer or until potatoes are lightly browned and tender. Discard bay leaf.

Dollar Store Birthday Gift

Needing a gift for a 6 year old Toy Story fanatic, I popped into Target to see if they would have anything to fit in my $5 budget.

They did not, which I was not surprised about, so I quickly drove down the street to The Dollar Tree.

It took a little searching through the whole store, but I was able to find a number of Toy Story themed items and narrowed down my selection to a 2 set pack of War and Go Fish! games, a puzzle, and a set of stamps.

Four dollars plus tax bought all three gift items plus a little basket to double as gift wrap and part of the gift.

Another point for the dollar store!

Breakfast Freezer Cooking Update

My small breakfast freezer cooking day went off without a hitch and was completed within about 3 hours this morning.

As with a lot of tasks, a few minutes of preparation can often make all the difference!

Premixed dry ingredients.

Last night's prep work included:

• Feeding my sourdough starter so it would be ready to go in the morning.
• Pureed peaches for oatmeal peach muffins.
• Making sure any frozen items(fruit, extra flour) were brought in from the freezer.
• Pre-mixing (and labeling!) dry ingredients for muffins and bread in bowls large enough for mixing. 
• Gathering all recipes needed.

It is also helpful to gather pans and mixing bowls needed. I forgot this time.



My order of operations:

1. Start Pilgrims' Bread and set aside to rise.
2. Make Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins.
3. Make Oatmeal Peach Muffins.
4. Shape bread dough into loaves and set aside to rise.
5. Wash dishes.
6. Mix waffle batter and begin making waffles.
7. Bake bread.
8. Finish waffles.
9. Make fruit syrup, including a vlog which will be coming soon!
10. Wash dishes. 

I was surprised at how quickly everything came together and it would've been even faster had I not decided at the last minute to do a video. :-) Premixing dry ingredients and doing the peach puree the night before was a smart move!

The fruits of my labors:

• 2 loaves Pilgrims' Bread.
• 1 dozen banana chocolate chip muffins.
• 1 dozen oatmeal peach muffins. New recipe, very yummy! Although next time, I'll make more than 12 muffins. They were way too big and therefore were very difficult to get out of the pan without breaking.
• A big stack of waffles! Approximately 4 meals worth.
• 3 containers of blueberry fruit syrup 

Next Tuesday, I'll be focusing  on cooking and freezing some easy lunch options. Anyone want to plan on joining me? (You can make whatever you like, not just lunches.)

**This post is part of Life As Mom's October Freezer Cooking Round-up!

Pilgrims' Bread

We love this crusty bread! The flavors of cornmeal and rye really set this bread apart from plain whole wheat bread.

This recipe is from the  Better Homes and Gardens  Homemade Bread Cookbook that I picked up at the thrift store for a dollar a few years ago. We've enjoyed many recipes from this book, including this one. I've made a few changes to the original recipe.

Pilgrims' Bread- makes 2 loaves

Ingredients:

1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups boiling water
1/4 cup olive oil
2 packages or tablespoons active dry yeast (SAF yeast is my favorite!)
1/2 cup warm water (110 degrees)
1/2 cup rye flour
2 and 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 and 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
8 teaspoons Vital Wheat Gluten, optional

Thoroughly combine cornmeal, brown sugar, and salt; stir gradually into boiling water. Stir in oil. Cool to lukewarm (about 30 minutes).

Soften yeast in the warm water; stir into cornmeal mixture. 

Add rye and whole wheat flours. Mix well. By hand, stir in enough unbleached white flour to make a moderately stiff dough.

Turn out onto a lightly floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic ( about 6 to 8 minutes).

Shape dough into ball. Place in lightly greased bowl, turning once to grease surface. Cover and let rise in warm place until double (about 1 hour). Punch dough down; turn out onto lightly floured surface and divide in half. 

Shape the dough into two loaves and place in greased 9x5x3 inch loaf pans. Cover and let rise until almost doubles (about 30 minutes).

Bake at 375 degrees about 45 minutes or until done. If bread seems to be browning too quickly, cap loosely with foil after the first 25 minutes or so.

Remove bread from pans to cool.

Enjoy!

Small Freezer Cooking Day- Breakfast

I've been contemplating my freezer cooking methods for a while and finally came to the conclusion that it might work better for me to do small theme cooking days rather than huge random freezer cooking marathons.

I personally prefer a few hours work to all day in the kitchen, if possible, and I think this will work a whole lot better in my little kitchen space with no dishwasher.

So I'm thinking of spending one morning or afternoon every week or two, freezer cooking with a short focused plan.  This week's theme is breakfast. Next week will be lunch.

I am in need of some quick breakfast and lunches and this should help!

Here's my breakfast freezer cooking plan for tomorrow:

• 2 batches sourdough waffles
• 1 batch (2 loaves) Pilgrim's Bread (We are in need of bread; will share this recipe soon. Sooo yummy!)
• 1 batch banana-chocolate chip muffins
• 1 batch oatmeal peach muffins (new recipe)
• 2 batches fruit syrup

I'm hoping with an early start and a little prep work tonight, this list will only take me a few hours and will be completed before noon tomorrow.

I'll update with the results tomorrow.

Anyone want to join me?:-)

This Week's To-Do List

Each week I have extra tasks other than my daily cooking and cleaning routine. I'm more intentional in accomplishing these things when they are written down! Typically, I try to keep my "extra tasks" to no more than five different things or one per week day since it's not so overwhelming that way, especially if the tasks are more time consuming.

1. Clean trash cans.

2. Hang stuff on wall in master bedroom.

3. Small freezer cooking day.

4. Start working on Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes.

5. Make baby gift.

What's on your list for the week? 

Menu Plan Monday

This week's theme is cheap and easy!

Monday
B- millet porridge with raisins, cinnamon and brown sugar, hard boiled eggs
L- veggie wraps, tomato soup, kiwi
S- leftover meatballs and baked potatoes, green beans

Tuesday
B- millet porridge (leftover from Monday), hard boiled eggs
L- popcorn, fruit, cheese
S- sausage, spinach and pasta soup (from freezer), homemade bread

Wednesday
B- cornmeal mush, cheese
L- leftovers
S- pizza braid, veggie plate, fresh pineapple

Thursday
B- cornmeal mush (leftover from Wednesday), cheese
L- leftovers
S- Monterrey beans with rice, fruit smoothie

Friday
B- muffins, fruit
L- leftover beans and rice
S- scrambled eggs, waffles

Saturday
B- cold cereal
L- whatever is left or something quick and easy from the pantry
S- beef and broccoli stir-fry, rice


What's cooking in your kitchen this week?

**This post is part of Menu Plan Mondays!

Wonderful Wins!

Several weeks ago, I won a Seventh Generation starter kit from a giveaway hosted by Coupon Cookin'.

It all arrived in 2 packages this week while we were away and I was so excited to open it all up and pull everything out when we returned home! Everything is a full-sized bottle or package.  I can't wait to give these natural cleaners a try.

Included were: a reusable shopping bag, roll of paper towels, laundry detergent, liquid fabric softener, dishwasher detergent, dish soap, glass cleaner, all-purpose cleaner, bathroom cleaner, multi-surface cleaner and disinfecting wipes.

About the same time, I also won a coupon for a FREE bag of chicken nuggets from The Homespun Heart.

Winning these giveaways has been a blessing to my family and I am so very very grateful!

Blog Housekeeping

While away this week, I've been taking advantage of not having quite as busy of a schedule as I usually keep up at home! Some of those moments have been used to work on my blog.

My post labels had been bothering me for quite some time. There were too many and I felt like they were "all over the place". I really wanted my labels to be more organized and concise and I finally had a few minutes to come up with categories. I was hoping for 10 categories but since I cover many different topics on my blog, I soon realized that I probably wasn't going to get away with less than 15. Unless, I just filed everything under 'misc.' :-)

I've ended up with 16 categories for now.

--Life
--Family
--Cooking
--Planning and Organizing (menu plans, to-do lists, organizing,etc.)
--Practicality (housekeeping tips)
--Homemaking
--Health and Nutrition
--Gardening and Preserving
--Creativity (sewing, crafting, making things)
--Walking with God
--Simplicity ( simple pleasures, living a simple life)
--Frugality (saving money, couponing, budgeting)
--Sharing (hospitality, gift giving, deals, links)
--Celebrations (holidays, seasonal stuff, special days)
--Extra Income (ideas for making money from home)
--Randomness (random stuff that doesn't fit anywhere else)

Bear with me. It will take a while to get through and relabel all of my posts! This has helped me to focus more on what my blog is truly about and hopefully, it will be easier for my readers to navigate as well.

I've been working on some handmade Christmas gifts while I've been away and interacting with family has helped me to come up with some good ideas for those that are hard to buy a gift for. I'll be starting a series of sorts titled "Christmas is Coming" where I will share some of the gifts and holiday ideas that I'll be making and using for this year. Due to family religiously reading and 'lurking' here, I will not be able to share every gift that I'm giving before Christmas but I'll do my best to share those that I can without spoiling the surprise! (Maybe I can share the rest after Christmas!) We aim to keep our Christmas gifts for extended family at $5 or less per person so most of what I share will fall into that price range. Most years, I'm struggling to complete all of my gifts up to the last minute so getting a head start this year will give me time to take photos and hopefully post about some of them!

I have many updates that I'd like to accomplish here but I'm taking baby steps and doing one thing at a time!

Thank you to all who take the time to read and comment here. Reading your feedback and thoughts makes my day!

Four Days Late

This song has been going through my head for the past few days. It's got such a wonderful message and is such an encouragement to me!

Just wanted to share this in hopes that it will bless you as much as it has blessed me.

At My Mother-In-Laws

We are in the middle of an almost two week stay at Andy's parents home, staying with his grandparents and great-aunt while his parents are away on a  much-needed vacation.

All things considered, it has been a  good week. Other than a few minor upsets, things have gone smoothly. We've had a successful trip to the pharmacy as well as a quick doctor visit for blood work. Andy's sister came with her three children to visit for 2 days during the kids' fall break from school, which was very fun!

I've been doing quite a bit of cooking while here. I love to cook and everyone has been happy to eat what I've prepared! Except for while our company was here, I cook only one meal a day for everyone and the rest of the time, they fix their own light meals.

What I've cooked this week:

--Baked fish, crispy potato cubes, steamed carrots
--Spaghetti with meatballs and spicy sausage, French bread, salad
--Crockpot veggie beef soup, wheat biscuits(Pillsbury)
--Sloppy joes on homemade rolls, potato chips, pickles, cheese, broccoli and fruit slaw(made by my sister-in-law)
--Crockpot Rotisserie-style chicken, mashed potatoes, gravy(made with broth from the chicken), green beans with mushrooms and bacon

I've also made my carrot cake that all of Andy's family loves! I'll have to share the recipe sometime soon.

The next few days should be pretty easy cooking-wise since we have plenty of leftovers in the fridge!

I brought my sewing machine along and hope to get some things sewed while here.  Andy's grandmother wanted me to help her with making some new covers for her pillows too, which should keep us busy!

I made a quick trip to CVS this week and was excited to use the coupon for $5 off any Halloween costumes, accessories or decor which printed from the little scanner at the front of the store. This included  all fall decorations so I was able to get some cute fall themed napkins and yummy smelling candles for free!

What are you up to this week?

Our 6th Anniversary Celebration

Before heading to Northwest Georgia to spend almost two weeks with Andy's grandparents and great-aunt, we spent one night in Atlanta to celebrate our anniversary. We had dinner at P.F. Chang's which was delicious!

 Banana Spring Rolls

That Blessed Arrangement

Celebrating 6 years of marriage today!

"Mawwiage...that bwessed awwangement.,a dweam within a dweam. "