It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Now that we have had Thanksgiving (which is one of my favorite holidays by the way), I am ready to think about CHRISTmas.  I personally do not believe in doing anything for CHRISTmas before Thanksgiving.  I like to enjoy each holiday as it comes and focus on it as much as possible.  I have been doing the 1st Thessalonians 5:18 Challenge AKA the 30 Days of Thanksgiving Challenge which I will be sharing when I finish up.

Now to talk about CHRISTmas ideas.  I love to make each holiday really special for my kids.  With CHRISTmas, we like to make it last the whole month.  Each year, I sit down and plan out an activity for each day of the month.  This year I am hoping to put it all together in a neat format so the kids can open something or uncover something or pull out a paper that tells what we are doing somehow.  I am not sure about the presentation, but here are my ideas so far:

The #1 thing I am excited about is the Jesse Tree. This year we are going to be going through the Advent Jesse Tree book and each night the kids will unwrap a new ornament to go on the Jesse Tree. What a great way to keep focused on the real meaning of CHRISTmas.  I will share more about that as we go on.  Today I wrapped each ornament in a separate box.  The kids will love opening them and putting them on the tree each night.

Outside of that, we will be visiting family, see some church productions, go caroling with our church, do some outreach projects, go to Disney on Ice, go see different lights/decorations, go ice skating, make cookies, make ornaments, build a gingerbread house, have a Polar Express movie night, build a manger, act out the real CHRISTmas story, watch CHRISTmas movies, read CHRISTmas books, and make other CHRISTmas crafts.

I would love to hear what you are doing for CHRISTmas. :)

Candy Cane Sugar Cookies

Candy Cane Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 cup confectioner's sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla (or 1/2 tsp vanilla and 1/2 tsp peppermint extract)
1/4 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
Red food coloring

Directions:
Beat butter in mixer until blended.
Add sugar and mix until light and fluffy.
Add egg, vanilla, and salt and mix scrapping sides as needed.
Add flour and mix until done.
Divide dough in half and put white in container and into fridge.
Add red food coloring to the other half and mix until blended and right color.
Chill dough 20 minutes.
Divide each dough into 6 pieces and put on cookie sheet.
Chill dough 20 minutes.
Roll dough out into 12 inch strip.
Chill dough 20 minutes.
Twist dough into candy cane shapes.
Chill dough 1 hour.
Bake at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes until firm but not brown.
Let cool.

Snowball Tree Sugar Cookies

Snowball Tree Sugar Cookies

Ingredients:
1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
1 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
Green food coloring

Directions:
Beat butter in mixer on high for 30 seconds.
Add sugar and beat until combined scrapping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add milk and vanilla and beat until combined.
Add flour and beat until combined.
Remove 1/2 cup of the dough to use for tree base.
Add green food coloring to the rest and mix until well blended and the color you like.
Let doughs cool in the fridge to be easier to work with.
Roll green dough into small balls.
Put 4 balls, 3 balls, 2 balls, and 1 ball in order to make a tree and gently push together.
Add the base of the tree and gently push together.
Bake at 350 10 minutes on the middle rack and 2-4 minutes on the top rack.
Let cool.
You can drizzle with some icing and decorate to make them prettier. I am not that brave.

A Month of CHRISTmas

I love CHRISTmas!!! We celebrate CHRISTmas for an entire month. Here's what we do:

#1 - We are doing a Jesse Tree this year. Each day you read Scripture, pray, and make an ornament for the tree. This is new for us this year. I will be sharing as we go. Last year we did The Advent Event which was similar and we loved it. Keeping CHRIST in CHRISTmas is big to me. We enjoy winter stuff and Santa stuff, but CHRIST is the reason we celebrate this season.

#2 - We have at least one fun activity to do each day of the month. I was going to plan them out and have a way for Luke to pick one each day, but then thought it would be stressful if we couldn't do the thing on the sheet each day. Instead I have a major list of what I would like to do and some plugged in on specific days.

Here are some of the things we are doing:
December 1st - Make countdown to CHRISTmas
December 2nd - Make cookies for cookie swap
December 4th - Family CHRISTmas get together
December 6th or 8th - Jump house playdate
December 9th - Go to Children's Museum and see Santa at the mall
December 10th - CHRISTmas musical at church
December 11th - Family CHRISTmas get together
December 13th - Homeschool day at the museum
December 17th - Serve homeless people downtown
December 18th - CHRISTmas caroling with church
December 23rd - CHRISTmas Around the World party
December 24th - CHRISTmas at Meemaw's house
December 25th - Santa at our house, CHRISTmas at Granddad's, CHRISTmas at Grandma's

Also on the list:
Write letter to Santa (before December 9th)
Make homemade ornaments:
Reindeer handprint ornaments - http://pinterest.com/pin/212161832415270585/
Salt dough hand/footprint ornaments - http://homemadegrits.blogspot.com/2009/12/handmade-christmas-homemade-ornaments.html
Make gingerbread house from a kit
Make snowflakes out of popsicle sticks - http://crafts.preschoolrock.com/index.php/crafts/craft-stick-snowflake-winter-preschool-craft
Make snowflakes out of qtips - http://pinterest.com/pin/212161832415256276/
Make snowflakes out of gumdrops and kabob skewers - http://pinterest.com/pin/212161832415256273/
Make popsicle stick snowmen - http://pinterest.com/pin/212161832415256282/
Make marshmallow snowmen - http://happyhomefairy.com/2011/01/12/winter-craft-marshmallow-snowman/
Make handprint mittens - http://www.houseofbabypiranha.com/2010/11/christmas-crafts-handprint-mitten.html
Make a gift for Jesus
Have a birthday party for Jesus
Act out nativity
Go on a CHRISTmas light drive
Have CHRISTmas movie night with popcorn
Read CHRISTmas books each night
Polar Express - give out ticket, wear PJs, read story, drink hot cocoa - http://www.mrshappyhomemaker.com/2010/12/creamy-hot-cocoa-in-crockpot.html, do crafts, watch movie - http://www.cape.k12.mo.us/blanchard/hicks/reading%20pages/Polar%20Express.htm
CHRISTmas shop for various people

What are you doing with your kids for CHRISTmas?

Best of CHRISTmas Posts

Here is a post from this year first:

Preparing My Heart for CHRISTmas - http://organizedhomemaking.blogspot.com/2011/11/preparing-my-heart-for-christmas.html

Here are the best CHRISTmas posts from years' past:

Here is a list of links to posts on holiday baking:

Baking Tips - http://organizedhomemaking.blogspot.com/2011/11/baking-tips.html

Organized CHRISTmas Baking - http://organizedhomemaking.blogspot.com/2010/12/organized-christmas-baking.html

Favorite Cookie Recipes - http://organizedhomemaking.blogspot.com/2010/12/some-of-my-favorite-cookie-recipes.html

Paula Deen's Ooey Gooey Butter Cake Recipe - http://organizedhomemaking.blogspot.com/2010/02/paula-deens-ooey-gooey-butter-cake.html

Awesome Apple Pie Recipe - http://organizedhomemaking.blogspot.com/2010/01/awesome-apple-pie.html

Here is a list of how to organize various things for CHRISTmas:

Organized Present Giving - http://organizedhomemaking.blogspot.com/2010/12/organized-christmas-present-giving.html

Organized Traveling - http://organizedhomemaking.blogspot.com/2010/07/organized-vacationing.html

30 Days of Thankfulness Challenge - COMPLETE

Every year on Facebook, there is a challenge to do 30 Days of Thankfulness. I decided this year to put them all in a Word document so that I could keep it for years to come. I thought that I would share it with my readers. God has truly blessed me. This is just the tip of the iceberg.

Day 1 - I am thankful for my relationship with Jesus Christ. Although I have walked with him for over 8 years, I don't think I've ever been closer to Him than in the past year. He has revealed Himself to me in such a real way and shown me how much I need Him every hour. He gave His life for me. It is my prayer that I live my life for Him.

Day 2 - I am thankful for my husband who honors the Lord in everything he does, loves unconditionally, and works diligently to provide so that I can stay home with our kids. I am thankful that he understands my passions and lets me follow them. I am thankful that through all we have been through, the Lord just seems to strengthen us. I am thankful that my kids get to have him as their father, a responsibility and privilege he doesn't take lightly. I am thankful for his quiet strength, big heart, and sweet smile.

Day 3 - I am thankful for my son, Luke. His name means "bringer of light" and he is perfectly named. From the day he was born he has brought light into our life. It is my prayer that he takes the Light (Jesus) into the world and does great things for God's glory. Thank You, God, for gifting me with this awesome person. I can't wait to see what You do in his life.

Day 4 - I am thankful for my son, Nathan. His name means "he God has given," which is amazingly perfect for Him. I know that all children are gifts directly from God, but Nathan is most definitely special. He is my little miracle baby and being his mom has helped me get through the toughest time of my life to date. He brings so much happiness. My friend says he has double smiles. I think she is right. :)

Day 5 - I am thankful for my daughter, Alexis Faith. Her name means "defender of faith," and WOW! it is so accurate. Before my loss of her I would wonder, "Lord would I have faith if life wasn't so wonderful?" I now know that there is nothing we could go through in this life that God cannot get us through with our faith in Him. Alexis has shown me that life and memories can happen in just 35 weeks, that our love for our children isn't based on time, but depth, and that we should cherish every second and make the most of it all because we aren't promised anything.

Day 6 - I am thankful to be a stay-at-home wife, mom, homemaker, and homeschooler. This is definitely not the life I had planned 10 years ago when I was just dating Lee, but God has different and better plans for our lives. I love being able to pour into my children a Biblical foundation and motherly love. I love being able to make our home a place of fun, rest, and a safe place to land. I love being able to watch cartoons in PJs and snuggle. I love being able to teach Luke (and eventually our other children) Biblically, academically, and life skills. It is an amazing ministry and I am thankful that God has placed me here.

Day 7 - I am thankful for the 3 integral people who raised me, my mom, my grandma, and my grandpa. My mom taught me strength, courage, and perseverance. My grandma taught me self sacrificing commitment to family, confidence, and "a place for everything and everything in its place." My grandpa taught me integrity, hard work, and loyalty. It has always been my heart to make each one of them proud of me. This post in memory of my grandpa who went to be with Jesus November 7th, 2000.

Day 8 - I am thankful for my sister and her family. Growing up we drove each other crazy, but as adults, we are best friends. God definitely restored what the locusts had eaten. She is the best sister, friend, wife, and mom. I love my brother-in-law so much. He is the greatest BIL and uncle anyone could want for their kids. I love my neice and 2 nephews. Being an aunt to them is one of my greatest joys. I miss them all so much but am thankful that we can connect on trips and with technology.

Day 9 - I am thankful for my "little" brother. He is like a foot taller than me, but he is still my little brother. I am thankful for the man he is growing into everyday. I am thankful that he has found his wonderful fiance to share his life with. I am thankful that they love our children and look forward to the day (many many moons from now) that they bless our family with more kids.

Day 10 (A Little Early) - I am thankful for my church. A church is not a building, but the people inside. My church has some of the most amazing Godly, loving, serving people you will ever meet in your whole life. The hearts of the people are just amazing. With all we have been through in the past couple of years, it is so awesome to have people who have/are praying for us, sending us cards and words of encouragement, bring us meals, and just love on us so much. It is my heart to be able to pay it back and forward as much as possible. Specifically, I am thankful for our pastor who brings the whole word of God and nothing but the word of God to the pulpit. He stands for what he believes in and never apologizes for it. He is a true man of God in his pastor role, marriage, parenting, and all that he does. Every church needs a preacher like him. Specifically, I am thankful for my moms' group which is full of ladies who love the Lord, love their husbands, and love their kids. All of these women are walking examples of Deuteronomy 6. I am so thankful each time I am with them we encourage and edify one another. Wednesday night Bible study is one of the highlights of my week. I enjoy our dinners out and nights in at someone’s home. It is just an amazing group of women. These are women I have been praying to have in my life for years.ourage and edify one another. Wednesday night Bible study is one of the highlights of my week. I enjoy our dinners out and nights in at someone's home. It is just an amazing group of women. These are women I have been praying to have in my life for

Day 11 - I am thankful for our veterans who do what most couldn't and wouldn't do to defend and protect our country. Freedom isn't free. There is a price and I am thankful that they are willing to pay that price. I am thankful for their families who give up holidays, birthdays, and everydays with them so that we can have our safety and freedom. HAPPY VETERANS' DAY!!!

Day 12 - I am thankful for my mother and father-in-law who have taken me in ever since the very first time that I met them nearly 10 and 1/2 years ago. I am thankful for the Godly wisdom and love that they pour over our family. I am thankful that Becky prayed for me before I was even born. I am thankful that they love our kids and take them for the night so that Lee and I can have date nights. I am truly blessed with my in-laws.

Day 13 - I am thankful that I can come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16) because of Christ's death on the cross. I am thankful that God's compassion never fails and that His mercies are new everyday (Lamentations 3:22-23). I am thankful that if we confess our sins that He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse (1st John 1:9). I am thankful that as far as the east is from the west, He has removed our sins (Psalm 103:12). THANK YOU, JESUS, FOR TAKING MY SIN DEBT AND PAYING IT IN FULL ON THE CROSS. THANK YOU THAT ONE DAY I WILL HEAR "NOT GUILTY."

Day 14 - I am thankful for intercessory prayer.

Day 15 - Today I am thankful that after a week and some change of Luke waking up at 6:30am (an hour + earlier than normal) because of the time change, that after a few tricks, he woke up at 7:45am. I was able to get up at almost 7:30am and spend time with the Lord, get a shower, do my makeup, fix my hair, and get dressed before they needed me at 8:00am. I know this seems small, but getting up so early has been rough on all of us. THANK YOU, LORD!

Day 16 – (Part 1) I am thankful that even though I burnt the bacon which in turn burnt my overeasy eggs, that my toast wasn't burnt. I am also thankful that I have bacon and eggs to burn. So many people don't have any food.

Day 16 (Part 2 - after reading the news) - I am thankful that there will be a day when we will no longer hear stories of INNOCENT children being beaten, abused, molested, and/or murdered. "There will be a day with no more tears, no more pain, and no more fears. There will be a day when the burdens of this place will be no more...WE'LL SEE JESUS FACE TO FACE."

Day 17 - I am thankful for my homeschool co-op. It is awesome that Luke gets to do 2 classes a week outside of our regular school time to learn about things that fascinate him - building things and inventors. It is nice to be able to serve in various capacities and to have a bible study with homeschoolers to talk/learn about this journey of homeschooling. :)

Day 18 - I am thankful for MOMS' NIGHTS IN at various friends' homes. We get together at 8:00pm on the last Friday of each month in someone's home and share food, laughs, games, prayers, our hearts, and fellowship. It is the best group of gals in the world.

Day 19 - I am thankful for Papa John's when I don't feel up to cooking. Praying I feel better.

Day 20 - Today I am thankful for answered prayers and God's faithfulness. 2 years ago on Thanksgiving Day I miscarried our 2nd pregnancy. It was devastating to say the least. I went through a brief (thank God) period of being angry with God and feeling an injustice had been done. Sometime around the end of December or beginning of January, I went to the altar and surrendered my hurt, my pain, my selfishness, and my pride and completely gave my future (or lack thereof) children (biological or adopted) to the Lord. Within a month, I found out that I was pregnant again. God answered my prayers with Nathan. I have been struggling again (not with anger, but more with fear). Today my pastor reminded me that God is always faithful and that even at a crossroads or a crisis, He will go through everything with us. I know He is faithful and can’t wait to see what He does next.

Day 21 (Part 1) - I am thankful that God heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds (Psalm 147:3). So many people say that "Time heals all wounds." I disagree. Have you ever seen people that are still hurting, angry, or unforgiving 5, 10, 20, or even 50 years later? I truly believe that God is the only One who can completely heal the brokenhearted. I know that is true in my life. I am thankful that He heals my broken heart.

Day 21 (Part 2) - I am thankful for God's Word. For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. - Hebrews 4:12 - Also thankful that I live in a country where I am free to own my Bible, read my Bible, and share the truths of Scripture without fear of being arrested or worse.

Day 22 - I am thankful for my son, Luke. I know that I already shared my thankfulness for him on Day 3, but I am just reminded today how much God is working in his life. I am thankful that God is pulling him toward Himself more and more everyday. Hearing him pray is just awesome. I am thankful for his servant's heart and how much he loves his little brother and helps me out with Nathan and around the house. I am thankful that he works hard in school and is learning so much Biblically and academically. I am thankful for his energy and excitement about pretty much everything. I can't wait to see what God does with his life.

Day 23 - I am thankful that my mother-in-law and mom are cooking our Thanksgiving dinners and all I have to bring is apple pie. No stress, no mess. Get to enjoy the day with my boys in our PJs watching movies and playing. Tomorrow we get to eat with my in-laws and Friday with my side of the family. Can't wait to see everyone and eat that yummy food. :)

Day 24 - I am thankful for a day when everyone really stops to think about what they are thankful for. We have so much to be thankful for.

Day 25 - I am thankful for the excessive meal I am going to have tonight at my mom's house - turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole, stuffing, mac n cheese, green bean casserole, veggies, potato salad, deviled eggs, and a bunch of desserts. This is the meal that I wait all year for. :)

Day 26 - I am thankful for Yellow Butterflies, the ministry that God has placed in my heart to reach those who have lost babies to miscarriage, stillbirth, or infant loss. I am thankful that He has carried me through my own losses to be able to potentially help others. I am thankful that He is turning my pain into beauty. God truly is amazing in the ways that He works! I am thankful for all of those who support this ministry as well. :)

Day 27 - I am thankful that I got to hear 13 little kids make a joyful noise to the Lord and hear what they were thankful for. I am also thankful to friends for making instruments for us. What a clever idea. Working with children teaching them Scripture and how to praise the Lord is such a blessing. Children are a blessing from the Lord. I ♥ them!

Day 28 - I am thankful that our family is such an amazing team. We all work together to make things run smoothly. Lee is such an awesome provider and works hard, but when he is at home he gives his family 100%. No task is beneath him or not in his "job description." Luke helps me out so much with Nathan and household tasks. Nathan does his part by being super cute. ;) It is nice working together and having one another to count on. Thank You God for each one of them.

Day 29 - I am thankful for the trials of life. "We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance. And endurance develops strength of character, and character strengthens our confident hope of salvation. And this hope will not lead to disappointment. For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love." - Romans 5:3-5

Day 30 - I am thankful that even though I don't know what the next year(s) will bring, I know that God is in control, He works all things together (Romans 8:28), and He will be with me wherever I go (Joshua 1:9).

Eat at Home Challenge

We are on a tighter budget this year due to unforeseen medical expenses so I am challenging myself this month to eat at home more. Now I know a lot of you probably already do this, but we still eat out quite a bit even on a budget. My challenge for myself is to cut our estimated eating out budget down significantly this month so that we can put some of that money into CHRISTmas presents.

I decided to get together a list of 25 meals (we are eating at church 3 nights and I did it up until the 23rd) to have this month. Then I decided to go ahead and buy everything we would need for those meals. After doing all of the planning and shopping, I decided to go ahead and freezer prep/cook as much as I could to make life even easier the next 4 weeks since we will be so busy.

What I Did:
I prepped Salisbury Steak - I will only have to thaw and cook and add some rice and veggies.
I prepped Meatloaf - I will only have to thaw and cook and add some potatoes and veggies.
I cooked a pound of meat for Meaty Pizza - I will only have to thaw and toss on the pizza.
I cooked a pound of meat, peppers, and onions for Crockpot Lasagna - I will only have to thaw and toss into the lasagna in the crockpot.
I cooked 2 pounds of spaghetti sauce for Spaghetti and Baked Ziti - I will only have to make the pasta and toss in the sauce (add some cheese to the BZ).
I cooked 4 pounds of chicken for Chicken Pot Pie, Chicken Stuffing Pie, and BBQ Chicken Pizza - I will just have to put everything together and bake.
I prepped a bunch of different marinades for chicken - I will only have to thaw and bake and throw together with some rice and veggies.
I prepped a few pounds of plain chicken for a few other recipes.

I am super glad that I won't have too much to do. Most of these things will go in the crockpot or oven and require a few things. NICE.

I will update on how it goes.

I would love to hear your favorite ways to save time and money on recipes. Do you freezer cook, crockpot cook, and/or cook for the week? I would love to hear some great recipes. :)

No Black Friday Shopping for Me this Year

For the past 2 years I have been one of the crazy people (I mean that in the best way) that gets up early or stays up late and hits up Walmart for the deals to be had. The first year we got up and went around 2am and got in line for TVs. Last year we went before midnight and got in line for various outdoor play toys. We snatch up some other great deals while we are there.

This year I didn't do Black Friday because we were at home and I didn't have my mom and sister to go with. It is always more fun (and safer) to go with someone. I was a little bummed but quickly got over it when I was in my PJs and in bed for the night by 11pm and slept until 9am. Thanks kids!

I still hope to grab some good deals over the next few weeks (probably will be shopping on Cyber Monday). It is always nice to stretch those dollars as far as you can and bless your children. My husband and I make a budget and try our very best to stick to it. We generally pick one big item and then do smaller things as well.

I would love to hear from those who went Black Friday shopping and your experiences and what deals you got.

Preparing My Heart for CHRISTmas

I know that we haven't celebrated Thanksgiving and this post is not to jump over Thanksgiving. I LOVE THANKSGIVING as I said in my previous post. It seems like the hustle and bustle of CHRISTmas seems to start November 1st. We prepare our CHRISTmas present list (whether it be for presents we will be buying or ones that we desire for ourselves), cards we need to send, foods we are going to make. We fill in our calendar with what seems like a never ending list of activities. We get our homes all decorated. As we prepare our lists, our calendars, and our homes for CHRISTmas, let's not forget to prepare our hearts.

What in the world am I talking about? Well, CHRISTmas is the time of year when we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ and remember that the little baby in the manger was/is the Savior of the world. He is also the 33 year old man who lived a sinless life and died an unfair, unjust, unmerciful death on the cross to take away the sins of those who would believe in Him. He is also the King of Kings who sits at the right hand of God interceding on our behalf. And He is the Lord of Lords who is coming again. We think back on the past, are thankful for the present, and are hopeful for the future we have in Christ Jesus.

I will share a few things that we do in our home/family in case anyone is interested and I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR WHAT YOU DO IN YOURS.

#1 - We celebrate Advent for the 25 days of CHRISTmas. We use a very cute program called The Advent Event - http://theadventevent.com/index.php. *I did not get paid to endorse this program.* Each day you read a story working your way through the Bible and the kids color an ornament. Last year we just taped them across the wall in sequential order. It is a great way to show how Jesus is prevalent throughout the whole Bible. In the Old Testament people were waiting for Him and in the New Testament He arrives. We finish by talking about how we are waiting for Him to return again.

#2 - We get an Angel Tree child and shop for him/her. Before the twins were born we would just pick a child, but now we get one the age Alexis would have been and do it in memory of her. It is a sweet way to remember her and bless another child.

#3 - We go CHRISTmas caroling with our church. It is so fun to go with a big group and sing CHRISTmas songs and bless people. It is so much fun.

#4 - We go to our church's CHRISTmas musical.

#5 - We do a countdown to Santa. We draw a Santa and put the numbers on his beard. Then we glue a cotton ball each day to show how many days until he will be here.

#6 - This year we will write a letter to Santa since Luke knows how to write better.

#7 - We make homemade ornaments. The last 2 years we made dough ones and baked them and Luke painted them. It is really fun because he gets to make the dough and cookie cut and paint.

#8 - We make homemade cookies. I love to get Luke in the kitchen and bake batches of cookies. We have so much fun and make a mess but turn out some yummy cookies.

#9 - We make a gingerbread house. We use a kit and it is really easy and fun. You can find these on major sale after CHRISTmas.

#10 - We watch CHRISTmas movies and eat popcorn.

My goal this year is to have an activity to do every day until CHRISTmas. I am still coming up with more ideas.

I would love to hear things you do.

Preparing for Thanksgiving

I LOVE THANKSGIVING!!!! It is one of my favorite holidays. I love taking time out to really think about what I am thankful for and I am all about any holiday involving yummy food. As much as I love to cook and bake, I don't host Thanksgiving. We are going to my in-laws' house on Thanksgiving Day and my family's the day after. The only thing I will be making is homemade apple pie. Pretty easy.

I really like to take time to think about what I am thankful for. Each year, I write up a list of what I am thankful for to see God's provision that year as well as anything new that has happened. I love going back and reading them to see what awesome things God has done in my life. I encourage you to put to paper what you are thankful for as a way to sort of journal your life each year.

I also like to spend time with my family talking about what we are thankful for, not just on Thanksgiving, but the days leading up to it. It is a great way to really think about what we have and it cuts down on complaining about what we don't (or even things we do).

I would love to hear your Thanksgiving traditions.

What It's Really All About

I know that a lot of my posts are about cleaning, organizing, couponing, and household management, but that is just a small part of my homemaking.

My biggest goal of homemaking isn't to have the cleanest or most organized home, to save the most money, or to keep everything perfect, it's

CREATING A HOME THAT IS FULL OF LOVE, HAPPINESS, AND AWESOME MEMORIES.

I pray that when my children grow up they will look back on their childhood and remember all the awesome things we did on a daily basis as well as on specific holidays to make great memories. I try to keep my home clean and organized so that when we want to have fun events we can. I try to save money with couponing and other methods so that we have money to do fun things like vacations or spoil them on their birthdays and holidays.

One of my favorite holidays is Valentine's Day. I don't think of it as just a greeting card holiday or a time meant for lovers to have romantic time. I think of it as a special day to focus on how much we love each other: moms and dads, parents and kids, grandparents, friends, etc.

Here are our Valentine's Day traditions:

1) Luke (and the other children down the road) gets a Valentine bag or basket filled with fun little dollar items (candy, toys, pencils, cute little knick knacks).

2) We make homemade Valentine cards and other projects. This year Luke made cards for his cousins and friends and we put his handprints on paper and he wrote Happy Valentine's Day 2001 Love, Luke on them.

3) We make homemade heart-shaped sugar cookies and decorate them.

4) We have heart-shaped pancakes or waffles for breakfast and any other heart-shaped foods we can during the day.

What are your Valentine's Day traditions? Other holiday/birthday traditions?

Making Little Things Special

I love making holidays, events, and birthdays special. I can still remember my mom making heart shaped waffles for me on my birthday (my birthday is the day before Valentine's). I hope and pray my kids will one day look back and remember the special things we did for them on their birthdays and holidays.

My son, Luke, turned 5 this past weekend (yes I can't believe it). He loves pancakes (and all breakfast foods a lot). So I made pancakes using the recipe I shared earlier this week. I then took a cookie cutter in the shape of a 5 (I have cookie cutters for all holidays/seasons and the alphabet and numbers) and made him special pancakes. He loved them. Here they are:

It doesn't have to be something elaborate. This only took me an extra couple of minutes, but it was worth it to see his face.

Teaching Our Children About Thank You Notes

I think that thank you notes are so important. When someone gives you a gift or does something nice for you like bring a meal when you have a baby, I think it is so nice to send a thank you note. They don't have to be long drawn out paragraphs, just a couple of sentences. They don't have to be super deep, just something simple to say "Thanks."

I think it is really important to teach our children to write thank you notes. This year since Luke can write, I decided to have him help me. I pulled out some handwriting sheets and had him put the person's (or in this case persons') name(s) at the top and sign his name at the bottom. Then I filled in the message. As he gets older, he will be writing the notes all by himself.

The ironic thing is that our weekly Bible verse is "be thankful" (Colossians 3:15). It was nice to have a tangible way to teach him what thankfulness is and how to show it.

Here is one of the thank you notes we wrote:

Organized CHRISTmas Baking

I love CHRISTmas!!! It's my favorite time of year. I love celebrating Jesus' birth, playing Santa Claus for my kids, spending time with family, all of the decorating, the present giving, caroling, CHRISTmas programs, and of course, CHRISTmas baking.

I love to bake!!! It's so fun to pull out recipes, get out the mixer and supplies, and spend the day in the kitchen baking lots of yummy treats to share with others. As with anything, I have to be organized about it.

Here's how I CHRISTmas bake:

1 - I select all of the recipes I want to make and how many of each (ie batches).

2 - I compute how much of each ingredient I will need.

3 - I go through my cupboards, pantry, and fridge to see what I need at the store and make my list.

4 - I go shopping for all of the baking needs (I also stock up if I notice my baking cupboard is low on something since I love to bake randomly).

5 - I lay out all of my dry ingredients (flour, sugars, baking soda/powder, salt, spices), wet ingredients (butter - so it can soften, eggs, milk, molasses), and misc ingredients (peanut butter, chocolate chips, candies). I put my mixer on the main island. I get out some smaller mixing bowls, measuring cups/spoons, and baking sheets.

6 - I start with the recipes that need to be refrigerated (ie sugar cookie dough, peanut blossom dough) so that they can be in the refrigerator while I am making the other cookies.

7 - I use one set of measuring cups/spoons for dry ingredients and one for wet so I don't have to wash as much.

8 - I also like to keep a sink of hot soapy water to put stuff in as I go to make cleanup easier.

9 - I just work my way through my baking and clean as I go so there isn't a major mess to clean up at the end.

10 - I have a station for cookies to cool and be packaged.

It's just so much fun. I really enjoy letting Luke help me (if he wants to of course) and by being organized it keeps things running smoothly.

Organized CHRISTmas Present Giving

As everyone knows CHRISTmas can get so crazy, especially when we get too overwhelmed by all the presents, shopping, parties, and other ruckus that tends to happen this time of year. To combat the craziness, I try to really organize my CHRISTmas present giving. I usually start my shopping after Thanksgiving as I really like to focus on Thanksgiving before all the CHRISTmas stuff starts.

Lee and I sit down and write a list of all of the people we are going to be buying presents for. Then we come up with a budget for each person. Then we like to write down some ideas or things that each person likes or is into. I take my list with me when I shop and I write down everything I purchase for each person. That way I remember what I've bought (yes, if I don't write stuff down, I completely forget). I also keep a tally of how much I've spent so I can stick to my budget.

I try to have all of my shopping done by the week before CHRISTmas. I usually end up picking up a couple of things for Luke as he makes new requests every day (sometimes every hour). I like to wrap as I go as well so I don't end up with a massive pile of presents to wrap two days before CHRISTmas. Plus the presents look pretty under the tree.

I hope these tips have helped. I would love to hear how you organize your CHRISTmas present giving or if you just wing it. :)

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Organized Vacationing

I don't know about everyone else, but I know that for me a vacation is not truly a vacation. As a wife, mom, and homemaker, I spend hours preparing and packing for our trip, hours in the car keeping everyone sane (putting on movies, handing out snacks, and entertaining Luke), hours setting up shop for the week (putting away food, kitchen supplies, clothes, and toys), hours still cooking meals, cleaning up, and getting everyone whatever they need for each outing, hours cleaning up the place when we are done, hours in the car again, and then hours unpacking, doing laundry, and getting us ready for life when we get home. Does that sound familiar to any of you guys?

Well because I am so OCD and have to have order no matter where I am - home, hotel, or beach house - I have to be really organized. It does make things run a lot smoother and I do get a little more down time as the crew knows where everything is and can [sometimes] fend for themselves.

It all starts a few days before we leave for our vacation. I do all of the laundry and clean up the house. It makes things a lot easier when you have clothes to pack and a clean house to go through and get what you need. I also have a packing list on my computer that I print each time we go somewhere. I print it out the day we pack and tweak it. I add things that need to be packed in addition to all of our regular stuff. That saves me so much time and headache. There is nothing worse than getting somewhere and not having underwear or a toothbrush.

Then when it comes to packing, I use lots of different bags and bins. I like to organize things so that we can put bags or bins in their respective spot when we arrive at our destination. I use one bag for Luke's clothes and personal care items, one bag for my clothes and personal care items, one bag for Lee's clothes and personal care items, one bag for towels and sunscreen - my pool bag, one bag for beach toys as they get sandy and I like to keep them in a mesh bag to carry down to the beach, one bag for Luke's toys, one bin for dry food, one bin for kitchen needs, a big cooler for food when we get there, a small cooler for drinks in the car, and one bag for snacks and toys for the car. Yes, it seems like a lot, but it really isn't. It's more organized than cramming stuff in a bunch of bags.

I pack each area/bag/bin and bring it all to a certain spot so that Lee can load it all in the car. This way he sees how much we have and how he should load everything up. If you have stuff all over the house, you might have something heavy that ends up on top or have to take stuff out and reload. This saves time and frustration.

When we get to our destination, we can just put each person's bag where they are sleeping, they toys/entertainment in the area where we will be hanging out/playing, the beach/pool stuff near the door so we are ready to go at a moment's notice, and the food and kitchen stuff in the kitchen. It is really nice. It also makes it possible to not have to unpack as stuff is where you need it.

When we get done with our vacation, we just load everything back up, repack the car, and when we get home, we just put stuff back where it goes pretty efficiently. One note - when we are packing to come home, we pick a couple of suitcases to put all the dirty stuff in and one to put all of the clean stuff in (inevitably we pack too much). The dirty suitcases go to the laundry area and the clean suitcase is unpacked. Super easy.

I hope this helps. Enjoy your vacations. :)

Super Bowl Food

I love The Super Bowl and not for the obvious reasons: 1) the game (I don't care about football), 2) the commercials (most of them are for beer), 3) the half-time show (don't enjoy watching filth). I LOVE MAKING FOOD FOR MY GUYS. I enjoy eating it also.

This year we had a nice spread. We had everything from different chips and dips to buffalo bites to meatballs to sweet treats.

I served Grande tortilla chips with salsa and homemade queso dip (see below for the recipe) and plain potato chips with ranch dip.

I also served Tyson boneless buffalo bites and honey bites, bagel bites, meatballs (see recipe below), and Paula Deen's Ooey Gooey Butter Cake (see recipe below).

YUMMY! :)

Valentine's Day Gifts

I know that most of what you see on this blog is cleaning, cooking, laundry, organizing, and couponing, but that is just the logistics of my home. The heart of my home is to create an atmosphere that my family (especially my children) can create great memories. One of my favorite ways to make memories is by making holidays, even the little ones, special for everyone.

I like to cook special meals, give out treats, bake and decorate cookies, do crafts, and give small gifts. You can do all of these things without breaking the bank. I will be posting more on meals, treats, cookies, and crafts closer to or on Valentine's Day, but I thought I would share my gift idea for Luke (my 4 year old son) now, so if you like the ideas, you can get them before the holiday.

One of my favorite stores in the world is Target and one of my favorite spots in Target is The Dollar Spot. It's an area on one side of the store right as you walk in that has lots of small toys and other miscellaneous items for $1.00 - $2.50. I love that they usually have things related to the upcoming holiday.

Here's what I got for Valentine's Day for Luke:

- A cute gift bag (you can hardly find a plain gift bag for $1.00, so this is a great deal)

- A big heart-shaped lollipop

- A small box of jelly beans

- A Toy Story notebook

- Some Toy Story double-sided crayons to go with the notebook

All of this cost me $5.00 plus tax, but the excitement and happiness on his face Valentine's Day, and hopefully the memories these things will create for him, are priceless.

They had a ton of stuff for boys and girls of all ages there today. I would go before things get picked over. I hope this helps :)