Inexpensive Gifts for Those On A Budget!

Gap.com has this clutch, originally $39.50 for only $9.99! Plus, if you sign up to receive Gap.com emails you will receive additional savings! You can order anything from Gap, Banana Republic, or Old Navy and everything will ship for only $7-now that's a deal!

I have a certain someone on my list that may just get this clutch for Christmas!



This apron comes in several adorable colors. Ex Officio Mumz Buzz Off apron lets you grill outside or work in the garden without pesky, annoying biting insects. Buzz Off permethrin treatment is based on a natural compound found in chrysanthemums.Repels mosquitoes, ticks, ants, flies, chiggers and midges.

Original Price $24.00 Now on sale for only $6.36! (I may get one of these for myself!)

And don't forget to check out linens n things-in store-and on-line where everything is on sale! I am sad to see them go out of business, but I sure will enjoy all of the close-out savings!

Make a list and check it twice!

Have you had Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays go by where you realize that you didn't take time to enjoy the holiday. The whole time you were just hoping you would survive? Well let's get out of survival mode!

If you always struggle "getting it together" with the holidays, I am here to help you! I am going to start posting a few items that are extremely great deals to help you with your holiday shopping.

If you havn't read my first post, here are a few tips I included that you can follow to have a stress free, holiday to remember!

Now, a few tips that help me.

1.Start early!
We start Christmas shopping the day after Christmas. You can get the best deals this way.
2.Inventory what you have bought.
This is such a huge help. This also comes in handy when you forgot about a birthday gift and you can just get something from your stash.
3.Box it up!
When you buy something, go ahead and box it up with tissue and all. Boxes are much easier to stack and store. This will also protect your gifts. The time this saves is well worth the time it takes. Don't forget to label the box! (post-its or even write their name on the box)
4.Make a list.
Always carry a list with you of who still needs what. As Christmas nears you will have people on your list that you no longer need to buy for. This helps you not buy something you don't need and tells you exactly what you do need.


Here's your homework!
Make a list of all the people you need to buy a gift for and set a budget amount.
Take an inventory of all the gifts you have already bought.
That's it for today! Get your homework done!

I will be posting a great deal soon!

An award for me & an award for 6 of you!

I can't believe I won my first award! Thank you Susan! Check out Susan's blog over at http://betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com My favorite day is Tuesday when Susan hosts Tablescape Tuesday-you will see some of the most beautiful tablescapes you have ever seen!

The rules of the "Kreativ Blogger" Award are as follows:
Acknowledge the person who sent it to you.
Pick 6 people who deserve this award to tag.
List 6 things that you do value and 6 that you don't value!

So here we go:

6 Things I Value:
1. My sovereign God
2. Family
3. Friends
4. My church
5. Sassie-my beautiful wonderful cat
6. My home, my town, my neighborhood-these are 1 thing, right?

6 Things I Don't Value:
1. Drama
2. Slowpokers-this really is my fault due to my lack of patience
3. Bad drivers
4. The liberal media and their slanted/biased coverage-stole from Susan, but I couldn't agree more!
5. People who won't listen to others opinions because they know they are right
6. Weather above 75

I would like to give this award to the following blogs-thank you for welcoming me into the blogging world and for sharing such wonderful ideas!

http://hyperhomemaker.blogspot.com
http://sallyssalmagundi.blogspot.com
http://behindmyreddoor.blogspot.com
http://abbysweets.blogspot.com
http://susieshomemade.blogspot.com
http://ajanuaryday.blogspot.com

Thanks again Susan!
I hope everyone has an absolutely wonderfully fabulous day!

Cookies

I made Oatmeal/Cranberry/White Chocolate Cookies & Candy Corn the other day-when it starts getting cold I just want to bake!










I took the candy corn recipe from http://abbysweets.blogspot.com/
Her candy corn is beautiful! I didn't use a sifter and I think that made the "dough" harder to work with-still tastes great though!

I took the Oatmeal/Cranberry/White Chocolate Cookies recipe from Quaker Oats.com

Here it is:ingredients
2/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups Old Fashioned Quaker® Oats, uncooked
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
One 6-ounce package dried cranberries
2/3 cup white chocolate chunks or chips
preparation
1. Heat oven to 375°F.
2. In medium bowl, beat butter and sugar with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add eggs, mixing well. In separate bowl, combine oats, flour, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture in several additions, mixing well after each addition. Stir in dried cranberries and white chocolate chunks. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets.
3. Bake 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to wire rack. Cool completely. Store tightly covered.

Servings: 2-1/2 DOZEN

Christmas Card Etiquette

Sending Christmas cards is a tricky thing. Who do you send them to? Who don't you send them to? What if you get a card and you didn't send them one? What if you send a card and don't get one in return? I have asked myself these questions before and I have found a system that works for me. I hope it can work for you too!

Start early!

Start signing and addressing your cards now, (most of ours are done by now), this will help you alleviate 1 more thing you have to do during the holidays.

Send them before the holiday rush.

I send our Christmas cards the day before Thanksgiving. Most of my cards, the local ones at least, are then received the day after Thanksgiving.

Keep a tally.

To some Christmas cards are very important and when you get "cut" off the recipient list it isn't a good thing. For some Christmas cards aren't really a big deal, its just something else for them to do during the holidays. Keeping a tally of who you sent a card to and who sent you a card will help you "weed" through your long list of recipients.

Stick to your tally sheet!

Only sending cards to those who care to exchange cards with you will not only save you time and money, but for some it will be relieving. Some people feel pressure to get a card out to anyone who sent them one, but they really don't have the money or time to do so. Give them a break!

So here is your to do list:

1.Start signing & addressing those cards

(quick tip-don't seal them yet-you may choose to include something at the last minute-leave the door open!)

2.Start a tally sheet.

You can do this in excel, word, or simply on a piece of paper. I like to have 3 rows-name & address/sent card/received card. When you receive a card don't forget to put a little check mark under receive. If you receive a card from someone you didn't send a card to, just add them to the list and quickly send them one back!

3.Buy your holiday stamps.

Post offices are selling these now, or you can buy them online at www.usps.com Getting this done now really takes another thing off your plate during this busy season.

4. Relax! You are ready for the holidays!

Follow These Tips To Never Be Unprepared for Guests Again!

Are you ever afraid that people will just "pop" in on you? Do you always wait to clean the house until company comes over? Do you have friends and family that will just show up or call on their way? I think we all have these times and these people in our lives. Here are a few tips to live by to make sure you don't pull your hair out before your guests arrive!

1. Don't wait to clean until you have company
This sets a precedence that you only clean for your company. I have done this before, in fact, this used to be my "schedule". I would tell my husband that we should have people over more often because I would always clean for them. Well, this not only didn't make my husband happy, only cleaning for others, but it stressed me out. I would do a mad dash cleaning the whole house until they arrived-which left me sweaty, tired, and stressed.

2. Leave unused rooms "ready"
Everyone has rooms that aren't used daily. These rooms are set aside for your guests. I find that alot of people use these rooms as "catch alls". This causes unneeded stress. Having those formal living rooms and guest rooms ready, clean sheets, made beds, towels on the dresser, etc. will ensure that part of your home, the part your guests will use most, is ready at the drop of a hat.

3. Make a schedule
In our house we clean the bathrooms and floors once a week. We clean the kitchen and make our beds daily. Having a schedule reassures me in those freak out moments where I think, "our house is dirty and company is coming". With a schedule, I know when I cleaned what.

4. Leave a room like you found it
When we watch tv in our living room there are always pillows on the floor, throw blankets laying around, the laptop on the ottoman, drinks on the end tables,etc. If we take a minute to put everything back where it goes when we leave, we are not only ready for company, but we feel better. I find if I walk into a room that's a mess, it doesn't leave me with a good feeling but rather with a stressed one. These couple minutes will make you a happier, more prepared person.

5. Stock staple items
My husband and I eat the same thing for breakfast every morning. My in-laws like bagels, toast, english muffins, eggs,-a real breakfast. I make sure I always have muffin mix, extra cereal, lunch meat, crackers,jams, jellies, and of course apple butter. I also make sure I have extra toothbrushes, toothpaste, toilet paper, paper towels, etc. Knowing I have food and whatever my guests may need reassures me that I am prepared and that it is no big deal for guests to show up unannounced! This also alleviates those mad dashes to the store when you are already short on time.

6. Follow the 15min rule
Never have more than 15min worth of work undone. Now this doesn't include the dusting the baseboards, washing windows, etc. It includes the things that most people would see or catch, kitchen counter tops, clutter in the hallway, etc. With most guests you will get 15 minutes warning, with some you won't even get 15 seconds! We have had several guests in the last month and with some we had a day's notice, some came a day early, some came a day late, and then some just "popped" in unannounced.

7. Enjoy your guests!
Realize that you are lucky enough to have people that love you in your life and that want to come and stay with you-not everyone is so fortunate!

No Bake/Cow Pile Cookies

Most people call them no-bake cookies, my mam-maw, well she called them cow piles. Which, if you think about it they do resemble "cow piles".

I always hated the way they looked when you drop them with a spoon. They were hard to make consistent and look presentable.

My sister-in-law bought me the pampered chef scoop for Christmas and it is my new best friend. With this scoop I can tell you exactly how many cookies I can get out of each batch.

Mini muffin liners are the perfect size for this scoop.

Oh so Yummy!

Hurt Feelings @ Christmas Time

I read one of the best articles on www.organizedchristmas.com

Really, everyone has been there, you open a gift and realize you didn't buy your cousin Shirley as nice of a gift. Or, you open a gift and think, "great, now fake a smile", because you bought your Uncle Joe the perfect gift and he got you another ugly scarf from the dollar store.

I truly believe the best way to avoid conflict is through communication. This is a hard subject to talk about because everyone is emotionally invested in it. But, uncomfortable or not, it's a conversation you should have with your family NOW. Get it out of the way.

I already had the talk about Christmas budgets with my sister, sister in-law, brother in-law, and husband. I really feel like there shouldn't be hurt feelings this year, at least not as many anyway.

So-now is the time-talk to your family and understand where everyone is coming from. And don't forget to be honest. If you want to do homemade gifts, understand that not everyone is super crafty or that not everyone enjoys your homemade brownies in a jar. If your family wants to set a larger budget than you are comfortable with, speak up! Better to be honest and uncomfortable then to be in debt and stressed.

And one last tidbit-Share Christmas Wish Lists, this helps everyone out, including you!

Exterior Fall Photos

Our Living Room & Entryway

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We moved into our home a little over a year ago. We are still working on it and will continue to until we either die or move.

Tackle It Tuesday-CLR the tub-and everything else that has to get done!

The task today is to CLR your tub!

We have had guests for over a week now. They left this morning-so sheets, towels, and our laundry is yet to be done.

Tonights List

• take clean sheets out of dryer and make blue room and yellow room beds
• dry load of towels and put up
• wash load of our darks
• CLR the tub

If I get everything done I will be so happy. What is some motivation? Anything good come on tv on Tuesday night? We shall see!

Good news, I made a HUGE pot of chicken noodle soup for dinner yesterday so we can just have leftovers tonight-this leaves extra time for my "motivation", whatever that is going to be, LOL.

Time to stock up!

Fall is here and that means holidays are right around the corner. Which means lots of baking and lots of trips to the grocery store to buy all of those ingredients you only use this time of year. These trips can get really pricey. Start now buying those little things you know you'll need instead of waiting until the last minute when your already broke from the holidays.

Tonight I got pumpkin pie spice and a large bag of sugar. A small addition to the cost of my groceries.

Other items I will begin buying:
canned cream
powdered sugar
cocoa powder
shortening sticks
stick butter
flour
cool whip

Double Check to make sure you have enough pans, cookie sheets, etc. The last thing you want is to get ready to make your scrumptious special cookies and realize you left your best cookie sheet and Aunt Bertha's!

Not only will double checking your kitchen pantry help you spread out the cost of the holidays, but it will keep you prepared for when your husband comes home and says, "my staff party is tonight, you have something to bring right?"

My first post!

So here goes, my first post.

The past week has been filled with pre-holiday planning. I wanted to get out all of our Christmas gifts and do a final inventory and box everything up. This way we new where we were at and what we still needed to get. I decided before I put everything up I would go ahead and wrap it all and get that done. So, all of our gifts are finally boxed, wrapped, and inventoried. My goal this year-to finish all holiday gift shopping on the day after thanksgiving.

My goal is very doable. Now, our Christmas list is by far the largest Christmas list I have ever seen. We both have large families full of divorces, new marriages, and lots of children. Our list will continue to grow. So having all we have done is quite an accomplishment. I will share after Christmas our budget and the amount of people on our list.

Now, a few tips that help me.
1.Start early!
We start Christmas shopping the day after Christmas. You can get the best deals this way.
2.Inventory what you have bought.
This is such a huge help. This also comes in handy when you forgot about a birthday gift and
you can just get something from your stash.
3.Box it up!
When you buy something, go ahead and box it up with tissue and all. Boxes are much easier to
stack and store. This will also protect your gifts. The time this saves is well worth the time it
takes. Don't forget to label the box! (post-its or even write their name on the box)
4.Make a list.
Always carry a list with you of who still needs what. As Christmas nears you will have people
on your list that you no longer need to buy for. This helps you not buy something you don't
need and tells you exactly what you do need.

I hope you enjoyed my first post! Please subscribe and comment! I am quite needy :)