Christmas is Around the Corner!

Christmas is just around the corner, and the little elves have been working quite a bit around here to prepare for the upcoming holiday.  This is what they have completed:

62 bottles of homemade wine (2 different flavors)

13 large bottles of homemade strawberry margaritas

52 bottles of homemade microbrew beer

Jars of applesauce & applie pie in a jar

Coming up in production:

Jam

Apple Butter
Crafts

How are you preparing for the Holidays?

25 Weeks 'Til Christmas: Week 4 Flower Barretts

This week's Christmas Craft idea was posted on someone's FaceBook page, and I cant believe how simple it looks to make these!  With 2 nieces of my own, I think this would make a great gift!

Every Monday through the week of Christmas will be a new homemade gift idea/project. Be sure to check them out! Happy Crafting!

So Thankful!

There is a chill in the air, and this is the time of year that I tend to reflect on the blessings in my life.  With it being Thanksgiving today, I wanted to list a few things I am thankful for.  They include:

• Renewed faith
• Incredible husband
• Awesome family
• Amusing animals
• Cozy home
• Stable employment

We dont deserve all that God has given us, but are so thankful to have our faith and each other.

I pray that you are having a great day with friends and family reflecting on some of the things you are thankful for.

Saving Money: Dry Cleaning

I work in a business casual office setting, so I own several cardigan sweaters and even a pair of pants that require dry clean only.  Instead of shying away from these items at the thrift store (where I purchase the majority of my clothing,) I have no problems snatching them up because I know I can wash them without having to go to the cleaners every time I wear them!

The simple trick:  Wash in cold water and line dry!

I drape my washed sweaters over a quilt rack that we have in front of the fireplace, and this works nicely.  My sweaters are generally dry within 24 hours.

I have not had a single issue with my sweaters or pants shrinking or the fibers changing texture by doing this.  The only inconvenience is that my sweaters sometimes get those little fuzz balls on them after a few washes, but we have this nifty little device that was less than $5 to get rid of them.

It has been my observation that many of the sweaters I’ve purchased from the thrift store are dry clean only.  I wonder if people were tired of paying the dry cleaning bill every month to get their clothes clean. 

25 Weeks 'Til christmas: Week 5: Snowman Soup

I found an awesome website that has alot of homemade gift ideas!  I will probably be posting several of their homemade gift ideas over the last few weeks of this series.

This week's homemade gift idea is Snowman Soup!

Source & Credits

Hop on over to Homemade Crafts Made Easy to get the adorable printable for this along with how to make this Snowman Soup!  I am thinking about making this for my nieces and nephews this Christmas.

Every Monday through the week of Christmas will be a new homemade gift idea/project. Be sure to check them out! Happy Crafting!

Thanksgiving 2011

Before Todd and I met, he would host Thanksgiving every year for his family. This year, for the first time since we’ve been together (5+ years,) we are having Thanksgiving at our house for his parents and my mom!

I enjoy having people over, but I tend to go overboard with the food. We have decided to keep things simple this year for Thanksgiving. This is what our menu will consist of:

• Turkey
• Mashed potatoes and gravy
• Stuffing
• Green bean casserole
• Corn
• Cranberry sauce (I don’t like – but his parents do)
• Deviled eggs (my mom is bringing)
• Relish tray (my mom is bringing)
• Biscuits
• Apple Pie using apple filling I made
• Pumpkin Pie (the in-laws are bringing)

There may be a couple of hors d’oeuvres, but not much more than that. Pretty simple! I am looking forward to spending time with family!!

What are your plans for Thanksgiving this year?