Blogging Plans For 2011

I've been making some plans for the new year and one of the areas I've been looking at is blogging.

I really enjoy blogging and see it in part as a journal of our life journey as I record the small things that take place in our home and in my mind. And in doing so, my hope is that my humble writings are an encouragement to my readers to embrace where they're at right now and make the best of it!

A few changes I plan to implement here in the next few months and in 2011:

• Moving posts from The Gingham Cottage blog and an old cooking blog to this one. I'm beginning to realize that I'm more of a "one blog" girl, so you will be seeing some of those posts here soon.
• Setting up a Facebook fan page for readers who would like to follow my blog in this way. My husband has been encouraging me to do this for a while and I've resisted for various reasons. This will be rolling out within the next couple of weeks. How many of you are interested in this?
• Since I want to promote my Etsy shop more this year and grow my little business, I'll be sharing shop news and updates every week or two for those who are interested.
• I also have a few series in mind as well as some ongoing projects that I'll be blogging about through the year.

Thank you for choosing to visit and read here daily.  I appreciate it more than you know! And thank you to those who faithfully comment here. Your interaction makes blogging so much more fun!

Now I'd like to hear from you! As I make changes to my blog, what are some new features you might like to see? What are some topics you'd like more details on? What is it that you most like to read about here? Are there any improvements that I could make? What is that one burning question that you've been wanting to ask me? :-)

Your feedback will help me to make this blog better in 2011!

Christmas 2011: Christmas Card List

You might as well know that I am very bad with sending Christmas cards.

I send cards most years but I don't usually have a complete list and I'm always scrambling everywhere looking for addresses. And I forget half of the folks who faithfully send us cards.

This year, I had my husband print up a nice list of names and addresses for me. Of course, I didn't remember everyone. So as we received cards from those whose names weren't on this year's list, I went ahead and wrote the new names and addresses on my list for next year.

I'm looking forward to having my Christmas card list ready to go for 2011!

Now's The Time To Collect Your 2011 Calendars!

This time of year is when companies start handing out calendars in time for the New Year. I like this because it means that I likely won't need to purchase new calendars.

I've already collected several 2011 calendars and will probably get a couple more before it's all said and done. We only use 3 or 4 in our home so I'm pretty well set on the calendar front. :-)

Last year I signed up for a couple of free calendars that were posted as freebies on Money Saving Mom. If you aren't receiving any from local businesses, you may want to keep an eye out for some free ones that will be mailed to you.

Another way to get calendars inexpensively is to wait to purchase them until after January 1st. Most stores mark them down anywhere from 50-75% off. Calendar pictures make inexpensive wall art and are wonderful for making homemade cards and envelopes.

This is just a small way of saving money and using what I've been given!

Christmas Favorites

We just returned home yesterday from a wonderful Christmas visit with my husband's sister and her family in Lexington, Kentucky. We had planned to travel home on Sunday but because of winter weather, we postponed our drive home until Tuesday when the temperatures were just a bit higher. It turned out to be a wise decision as the majority of our drive was through the mountains and by yesterday, all but one stretch in Western North Carolina, was completely clear.

We all enjoyed the extra time spent together.  Kentucky, of course, had a white Christmas which is not unusual for them. Playing in the snow was fun and so was thrift shopping with my SIL as well as going out to eat at Culver's on Christmas Eve. Their children are so much fun and it was especially fun to witness their excitement on Christmas morning!

They were awake by 5:30 am and therefore, so were the rest of us! Our 7 year old nephew crept down the stairs with the flashlight at 6am telling us that it was time to get up! Then as he went back up he whispered apologetically, "I'm so sorry to disturb your sleeping!" So funny!

We were quite blessed with gifts this year and at the risk of appearing materialistic, I thought I'd share a few of my favorites! You'll probably notice right away that I love practical gifts!

Three boxes of canning jars from my husband's parents. This may be a not-so-subtle hint for future gifts for them. :-)

A cookbook from my parents. The recipes look wonderful!

A beautiful 'M' necklace from my husband.

A photo calendar of my nieces and nephews. They have given everyone in the family one of these since the kids were babies and we look forward to this gift every year!

A new game from my SIL. It is so much fun!

A much needed  kitchen rug from my husband.

A fancy-schmancy digital kitchen timer from my husband. Again, much needed as the one I was using was quite temperamental and would quit working on a whim. Not good when baking!

How was your Christmas? What were some of your favorite moments or gifts?

The Latest On My Mom

Since my last update, Mom has made a lot of improvements!

Her walking is going very well and she's able to walk with a walker and some with a cane. She's been able to take a few  small steps by herself already, too! They've also started her walking on stairs.

She still is not able to swallow so still has a feeding tube. They took out the nasal tube and replaced it with a stomach tube which she likes so much better and doesn't cause so much sore throat and sinus trouble for her.

Mom is scheduled to go home tomorrow! She was originally scheduled to be released Friday but it was moved up since she is doing so well. She will still have regular appointments for continued therapy to help with mobility as well as swallowing.

She's been in good spirits all through this with a determination to get better and has been willing to do whatever the doctors and therapists have told her to do.

We are grateful for the continued improvements and for the wonderful care she has received. She's mentioned several times what an excellent team of medical professionals she has had and how good they've been to her.

My mom's family is having their Christmas gathering on New Year's Day and she plans to attend. She volunteered to bring the ham the day before she had the stroke and is planning to carry out her commitment, although my grandmother (her mom) offered to cook the ham my dad purchased. My grandma is 89 and went through surgery for colon cancer this past summer. I tell you, I come from a line of strong and determined women!

Thank you for your continued prayers. They mean so much!

JOY Swap Continued!

 

Remember all the fun things Katie sent to me for the JOY swap? 

Well, if that wasn't already more than enough, I got a little package in the mail yesterday that contained this little book and a sweet thank you card. She'd ordered the book to include in my box but it didn't get to her in time. Wasn't that sweet of her to send it later!

The title of the book is Joy- A Godly Woman's Adornment by Lydia Brownback and looks like a wonderful read. I can't wait to sit down with it!

Thanks, Katie!

O Holy Night

O Holy Night

O Holy Night! The stars are brightly shining,
It is the night of the dear Saviour's birth.
Long lay the world in sin and error pining.
Till He appeared and the Spirit felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices,
For yonder breaks a new and glorious morn.
Fall on your knees! Oh, hear the angel voices!
O night divine, the night when Christ was born;
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!
O night, O Holy Night , O night divine!

Led by the light of faith serenely beaming,
With glowing hearts by His cradle we stand.
O'er the world a star is sweetly gleaming,
Now come the wisemen from out of the Orient land.
The King of kings lay thus lowly manger;
In all our trials born to be our friends.
He knows our need, our weakness is no stranger,
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!
Behold your King! Before him lowly bend!

Truly He taught us to love one another,
His law is love and His gospel is peace.
Chains he shall break, for the slave is our brother.
And in his name all oppression shall cease.
Sweet hymns of joy in grateful chorus raise we,
With all our hearts we praise His holy name.
Christ is the Lord! Then ever, ever praise we,
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
His power and glory ever more proclaim!
 
 Words written by Placide Cappeau de Roquemaure in 1847

Our family wishes you a very merry Christmas celebrating and worshiping the One who came so that we could live an abundant life!

Make Fun Gift Containers From The Recycling Bin!

One thing I really enjoy is making gift containers out of recycled items! I thought I'd show you a  few that I've done for Christmas this year. They are nothing fancy but it might spark some ideas if you're looking for some last minute wrapping ideas!

I've decorated all of these with scrapbook paper, wrapping paper and old Christmas cards.

Naturally, I don't save every box or container that comes into my house. That would be way too much! But I do keep a few choice items that I know I'll be able to use.

A round box that once held Brie.

A bucket that once held coconut oil. 

An oatmeal container. 

Dinner rolls packaged in a plastic salad box.

I found some links with other packaging ideas that I thought were fun!

I love these fun pop top gift cans. 

Creative gift card packaging. HT to Money Saving Mom.

What kind of recycled gift containers do you make? 

Christmas Is Coming: Simple Handmade Kid's Gift

I needed a simple gift that the baby girl I care for could help make for her Mommy and Daddy for Christmas.

She's 7 months old so my options were a bit limited, especially since I wanted something that was distinctly from her and not just a cute craft that I made. I couldn't exactly ask her to draw a picture for her Mom, you know.

Hand prints are a hit with every parent so we did a simple hand print using red paint. It took a few tries and thankfully, I'd removed her lovely white outfit before we started because paint was everywhere. Something tells me this little lady is going to love art projects in the not-so-distant future!

I used the front of a recycled photo frame card as the frame. We receive several of these every year and I always knew I'd be able to use them for something! I punched two holes in the top of the card and tied a little ribbon for hanging.

A simple, inexpensive and sweet little gift from a sweet little girl!

Christmas Is Coming: DIY Craft Kit

Our 9 year old niece loves arts and crafts. Ever since she was very young, she's loved making things.

The girl can go through craft supplies! One Christmas she received a couple of bottles of glue from one family member and a big pack of paper from another. She was thrilled!

Two years ago, we gave her a little craft box that I filled with a bunch of supplies including some fun patterned felt and her own bottle of tacky glue, among other things which I can't remember  right now. The cardboard box I used was one that had a little handle on the side and I stamped fun words and shapes on the sides and top. This was a big hit!

She's starting to do some simple hand sewing on some of the crafts that I've seen her working on so I thought I'd make her a craft kit this year that included a simple sewing project.

I immediately thought of these fun flower pins and barrettes and knew she could probably do these either by herself or with her mom or me. So I set out to make a little kit with all of the supplies ready for her to use.

To make this craft kit, I printed off instructions, pre-cut fabric circles from scraps of fabric and gathered all the supplies for each one which I assembled in individual sandwich bags. I then put everything together in a gallon-size bag. There are enough supplies to make 4 flower barrettes.

I didn't include a needle and thread or glue to attach the barrettes since I know her mom will have those items handy. 

My hope is that this will be a fun project for her to create and then share a couple of the finished products with her little sister or friends.

Cost for this project: $0 as I had everything on hand.
Time involved: about 20 minutes.

Christmas Is Coming: Homemade Bread

Sometimes I think too hard when trying to come up with ideas for Christmas gifts when something simple that I make all the time may be the perfect gift for the recipient.

This came to mind last week when I suddenly realized that a few family members would really love a loaf or two of my fresh homemade bread that they can eat right away or freeze and enjoy later.

My brother-in-law , the other one who does not like caramel corn, loves my wheat rolls. I made a batch of them for him this year and he seemed very happy with it. I packaged the rolls in  a recycled salad container.

A few other folks will be receiving fresh loaves of whole wheat bread along with jars of homemade peach jam and apple butter.

 I'll be baking the bread as close to the time of giving as possible so it is still very fresh and yummy! These types of gifts are inexpensive to make and use ingredients I already have on hand!

Pomegranates!

 

As part of their Twelve Days Of Christmas giveaways, Earth Fare offered 2 free pomegranates with any $5 purchase one day last week. 

Even though we didn't know how to cut and eat a pomegranate, we thought it would be fun to try anyways!  As soon as we got home, we googled "How to eat a pomegranate" and found this video.

All you do is cut off the stem on top and then score the sides in quarters and pull the sections apart. To eat, just pick out the red seeds and eat!  The juice does stain so be careful!

I cut the first one for lunch today and we barely got through one section each! These were big pomegranates and there is a lot of fruit in each one.

So yummy!

Did you know? 

Pomegranates are a wonderful source of  fiber and high in vitamin C and potassium. High in antioxidants, they are helpful in prevention of cancer and heart disease.

Christmas Is Coming: Homemade Watercolors and Story CDs

 

Homemade watercolor paints are a quick and inexpensive gift for a young child.  I packaged these in recycled baby food jars with black spray-painted lids. Another reason to keep black spray paint around!

The story CD that we gave to my nephew for his birthday this year was such a  big hit with he and his little sister that we made each of them another CD for Christmas this year.

They were thrilled with new CD's and their parents are probably happy with something new to listen to! 

We tried something new to these and added soft music in the background. And I must say, my voice is rather soothing. :-)

While making a CD does take a little time, the costs are very minimal since we already have blank CD's on hand and I read stories either from my stash or from the public library. 

This gift is especially nice if the children you are giving them to do not live close by!

In my experience, small children are the easiest group to make gifts for! What are your homemade or consumable gift ideas for the young ones in your life?

Another Mom Update!

I appreciate all of you leaving such sweet comments letting me know that you're praying for my mom! I don't have a lot of news since my last update except that they did move her to the rehab facility on Friday where she'll be for a week or two getting the therapy she needs.

She has been able to walk short distances with the use of a walker. She still has a feeding tube since she still is only able to eat a little without choking.

She had some tests this morning but I won't know the outcome until we talk to a family member sometime tonight.

Overall, it seems that she is making small and steady improvements towards recovery.

Thank you for your continued prayers. In addition to praying for her health and recovery, please pray for us as we make the decision as to whether or not and when I should fly to Oregon to visit and help with her. My mother-in-law wisely suggested that if I do go, it would be better to wait until she comes home so as to be of more practical help. The road from South Carolina to Oregon is a long one and it is hard to be so far away. I've struggled a little with "daughter guilt" especially when I heard that she would not be able to be home for Christmas.

Through the miracles of modern technology, we have been able to visit via Skype and while I am not there, it's been comforting to be able to see her face and note that other than what has been affected by the stroke, she is doing quite well and looks pretty good, too.

Preparing For Winter: Elderberry Syrup

One part of preparing for winter is getting ready for the inevitable flu and cold season!

I started making my own elderberry syrup last winter  and it is so nice to have on hand and use especially during the holidays when we aren't eating as healthfully and we're traveling all over the place and coming in contact with sickness.

We take a spoonful of elderberry syrup every day to help prevent and relieve sickness. When sick, I'll use  a spoonful every couple of hours. This can also be used as pancake syrup or to sweeten and flavor yogurt. The honey makes it very yummy!

I purchased a one pound bag of dried elderberries from Mountain Rose Herbs last year. One pound goes a long way! It's so quick and easy to make and way cheaper than purchasing elderberry syrup from the health food store. A similar product is Berry Well from Beeyoutiful which I love and have had very good success with.

Elderberries help to boost the immune system, among other things, which we can all use this time of year!

JOY Swap

Recently, I was able to participate in another of Monica and Carrie's Sister Shoebox swaps. The theme for this swap was JOY and my swap partner was Katie!

Katie was such a fun swap partner. We've been blogging buddies for a while now and she is a sweet and enthusiastic sister in Christ!

Here's what I sent to Katie:

• JOY To The World garland.
• Christmas CD with some of our favorite Christmas tunes to fill her home with sounds of JOY!
• Gift bags to bring JOY to others.
• Handmade JOY Christmas cards to tell others about the real reason for the season.
• Fun gingerbread cupcake liners and decorations and a big container of sprinkles for JOY in making memories with her 3 children!
• Bag of hot cocoa mix  and candy canes because it's a JOY  for her to make a special treat for her family.
• Cupcake print matching aprons for Katie and her 4 year old daughter because it's a JOY to work together!

What Katie sent to me: 

Wow! I was blown away with everything that Katie sent in my box. Everything was beautifully packaged and each item had a tag with a Scripture verse that included the word JOY with personal notes on the back of each one. It was so much fun to read and look at everything!

• A cookie mix and sprinkles.
• Candy cane cookie cutter.
• A bag of treats for the Cherished Dog.
• A clip board for post-it notes made from a coaster. So cute!
• Giradelli peppermint bark candy. One of my favorites!
• A sign that reads "The Joy Of Family."
• The Joy of Cooking cookbook.
• Recipe cards.
• Jingle bell wreath ornament.
• 2011 purse-size calendar/planner which she decorated with a music note and a verse.
• Decorated clip board with a snowflake background and a hymn sheet for Whiter Than Snow. I love this!

Katie was so creative with everything she sent and obviously  put a lot of effort into my box. I loved it and about couldn't stop looking at everything!

Thanks, Katie!

Thanks to Monica and Carrie for hosting the swap. Go to Carrie's blog to see other JOY swap participants!

Update On My Mom

Some improvements today:

She was able to have an MRI this morning because she is now able to lie flat. The MRI was able to locate the source of the stroke which is at the brain stem. This is why her balance was affected and she hasn't been able to walk.

She was able to eat a little today without choking which is a very good thing. Yesterday she could not swallow. 

She will be moved soon to a rehab facility where she'll be receiving therapy for a week or two. 

Grateful for a few answers and improvements tonight! Thanks for your prayers; please continue to pray for her healing.

Christmas Is Coming: Peach Jam

Another one of my homemade gifts for Christmas this year is jars of peach jam. They'll make a nice gift along with jars of my homemade apple butter.

When canning and freezing peaches this summer, I followed my mom's advice and went ahead and froze two quart of pureed peaches to make 2 batches of peach jam later.

 Later came this week when I finally got around to making the jam! As far as I can tell, it turned out great. It sure tastes yummy! Even though the pictures show the jam as a darker color, in reality it is a beautiful peach color. So pretty!

I followed the instructions from the Ball Blue Book Of Preserving. Two batches made 12 half-pint and 3 pint jars of jam-enough to share at Christmas with plenty for us to eat through the winter.

Peach or Pear Jam

Yield: about 8 half-pints.

1 quart finely chopped, pitted/cored, peeled peaches or pears- I poured the peaches in the blender and mostly pureed them with just a few small chunks of fruit still in it.
7 1/2 cups of sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 pouch liquid pectin

Combine fruit, sugar and lemon juice in a large saucepot. Bring slowly to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Stir in liquid pectin. Return to a rolling boil. Boil hard 1 minute, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat. Skim foam if necessary. ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece caps. Process 10 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Recipe variation: Add 1 teaspoon whole cloves, 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice and 1 cinnamon stick tied in a spice bag to jam during cooking. remove spice bag before filling jars.

Please Pray For My Mom

My mom ended up in the E.R. yesterday with signs of possibly having had a stroke. The CT scans came back clear but they kept her in the hospital overnight because she was not able to walk.

Today, they ran more tests. Still no sign of anything. But now she's having trouble swallowing so they're feeding her through I.V. Because of this, she'll be spending another night there.

Please join us in prayer for her healing and also that the doctors will be able to figure out what is going on. Overall, she's feeling fine,  her mind is clear, speech is good. Other than high blood pressure(which may have been triggered by having to go to the E.R.), her ailments are that she cannot swallow and her left leg isn't functioning.

While I know that I wouldn't be able to do anything to make the situation better, it is difficult to be clear across the country from her when something like this is going on. 

Thank you for your prayers!

Edited To Add: The doctors have concluded that she did indeed have a stroke. Not a severe one, though.  They are waiting for the swelling in her throat to go down so an MRI can be done. She will be in the hospital at least another day, if not longer. 

Right after I posted this, my brother texted us and said that the physical therapist was able to help her take a short walk down the hall with her using a walker. She is doing some better tonight than she was this morning. Praise the Lord!

Pillow Pet

He's on a pillow.

He's our pet.

He's a Pillow Pet!