Black Friday Adventures

Christmas is NOT about the latest toys or getting a good bargain. My children won't be getting all the latest gadgets and we don't spend a lot of money. They always have a nice, but not "over the top" Christmas. They know that Christmas is about celebrating the birth of Christ, spending time together, and sharing with others (trying to keep the TV off as much as possible helps with this).

Surprisingly though, my mom and I have a tradition of shopping on Black Friday. Not so much because we're super eager shoppers trying to get bargains, but because it's so much fun to spend that time together. Usually by lunch time we are giggling together like a couple of school girls.

This year we met at Target a little after 6:00am (no 3:00am shopping for us). We got right in, but the store was PACKED! It was shoulder to shoulder, especially in the electronics section. We decided that nothing was worth that, so we looked around at the other areas of the store. Mom needed a few things for her dogs, so she picked those up and we headed to check out. The check out line snaked all along one whole side of the store! She decided she didn't need those things after all and we left Target (after going around the back of the store to try and get around the people waiting to check out).

We were so worn out after Target that we decided we needed Starbucks. :) I rarely go there (I can't justify spending that kind of money for coffee very often) so it was a special treat and I enjoyed every last drop of my skinny vanilla latte.

We then headed to Wal-Mart. By this time it was around 7:30 so I guess we missed all the crowd. We saw lots of smiling faces and didn't have any trouble finding what we wanted (I wasn't buying a TV or video game system so maybe that's why). Every check out lane was open and we were out of there in record time. I take back all those mean things I've said about shopping at Wal-Mart. :) Unfortunately I can't tell you about the good deals I got there because my kids might read it, but let's just say I'm almost done shopping for them.

Of course, I couldn't shop on Black Friday without hitting CVS. I got Aussie shampoo and conditioner, 2 bottles of Gatorade, Garnier Nutritioniste facial cleansing wipes, Colgate Total toothpaste, Maybelline Mineral Power foundation, Cover Girl powder, Sally Hansen nail polish, Loreal lip gloss, and a Hershey's chocolate bar all for about $9 and I earned over $28 in ECBs for next time.


Did you venture out for Black Friday?
You can find other Black Friday posts at Money Saving Mom.

Southern Pecan Pie

1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1/2 cup white corn syrup
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cup pecan halves or pieces

Ina bowl, slightly beat eggs and sugar, corn syrup, evaporated milk and vanilla. Blend well. Add pecans. (I usually save about half the pecans to arrange on top.)

Pour into unbaked 9" pie shell (You can find my pie crust recipe here). Bake in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for an additional 30 to 40 minutes or until filling is puffed in center and is well browned. Let pie cook before cutting. I probably could have let mine brown another 5 minutes or so, but it tasted just fine. :)

Baking Pies

Pecan Pie
We're having our Thanksgiving dinner at my mom's tomorrow and I'm taking my "famous" pecan pie. It's so good! I'll also be making broccoli and rice and cheese grits.

Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? What are your favorite Thanksgiving foods? I have to admit that I look forward to pecan pie all year. :)

Little Blessings

Living on one income has never been easy for us. There have been many times when I put pencil to paper and thought that there was no way we would be able to pay all the bills and still eat. But yet we've never missed a meal or a house payment. :) I have been truly amazed at how God has provided for us over the years, not only in the big things (like food to eat), but also in the little things.

In fact, if you look at us, you would never think "Wow! I bet money is tight for them!" The outfit I have on today is all brand name items and I spent a total of about $12 on it. All the pieces were either bought on clearance or at the thrift store and no one would ever know. Many of the our household items are either hand-me-downs from my parents or bought at garage sales, but who would know?

Last week, we were blessed yet again. A man that Mike works with just gave him a gorgeous cashmere top coat. He said it was too big for him. Mike came home in it and he looked fantastic! He had on his dress pants and tie and with that top coat on he looked just like Gregory Peck with a mustache. I couldn't help but gape at him. He really did look like a well dressed, old-fashioned movie star. Just my type! :) He even has the same cleft in his chin as Gregory Peck.

Portrait of Gregory Peck
I think I'll make some fudge or something for Mike to take to his co-worker as a thank you.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY (November 24th)...

Outside my window...It's cold (in the 30s), but gorgeous. The sun is shining and the sky is so blue!
I am thinking...That I'm so glad I worked out this morning. I should probably work out twice as much a usual with Thanksgiving coming up. :)
I am thankful for...Peter calling home last night. It was so good to hear his voice! He sounded cheerful and that made me very happy.
From the kitchen... Super simple beef macaroni for supper because Cindy is home sick today and as today was my day to grocery shop, the cupboards are rather bare.
I am wearing...Still in my workout clothes, black track pants and a dark blue Dallas Cowboys t-shirt. Good thing I don't work out in public!
I am creating...still knitting the brown scarf for Mike and also working on a Christmas card list.
I am going...to see if Greg can keep an eye on Cindy for me so I can at least run by the grocery store to get some milk and a few other essentials.
I am reading...Psalms and Barefoot Contessa Family Style.
I am hoping...that no one else gets sick.
I am hearing...Martha Stewart. Cindy is watching TV while I type and we are watching Martha Stewart cooking.
Around the house...washing sheets and bathmats and ironing.
One of my favorite things...being able to pamper one of my "babies" when they are sick.
A few plans for the rest of the week: Thanksgiving dinner at Mom's and our annual Black Friday shopping day. We don't actually do all that much shopping, but we enjoy the time together and we always go to Starbucks. I think this will be our 8th or 9th year in a row (I've lost track).
Here is picture thought I am sharing...

My stack of unread library books. I can't wait to dive in! :)
Read other Daybook entries at The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Laundry System

Laundry on a Clothesline
When my children were very young, I didn't really have any sort of a system for laundry. I just did loads when we ran out of clean clothes to wear. :) We were constantly searching through the laundry basket to find some item of clothing. I don't know that I saw the bottom of that basket for years. This, of course, resulted in lots of tension around the house when Peter needed a baseball uniform for the game in half an hour and it was crumpled up on the laundry room floor, or Mike needed his blue dress shirt to wear to work and it was wet and sour because I left it in the washer all night.

I was finally forced to change my ways when we put our first little house on the market. Cindy was a tiny baby and all seven of us were crammed into three bedrooms and 1300 square feet. I cleaned and de-cluttered like a madwoman for a week before the "for sale" sign went up (with lots of help from retrohousewife).

I soon came to realize that often realtors would only give 15 minutes notice (if that) before bringing clients by to see the house. I HAD to stay on top of things. The large laundry room was a great feature of the house and I wanted to show it off. That couldn't happen if they had to climb over a mountain of dirty clothes to even get in the door. :)

That was when I decided to get a system in place to make sure that my laundry stayed done. My goal was to keep the laundry done often enough that there was never a huge pile or laundry forgotten in the washer or dryer.

The first thing I did was to buy a larger laundry basket. Seven people make a lot of laundry and even if I did laundry every day, one of those tiny round baskets wasn't going to work. Next I had a talk with the kids. Everyone but Cindy was big enough to put their laundry in the basket every morning (even two year old Marcia). If their laundry was found anywhere but the basket...early bedtime.

I decided that with the size of our family, I needed to do laundry EVERY day to stay on top of it. I got into a routine of starting a load first thing in the morning (I still do this) and I also realized that I had to fold and put away the clean laundry immediately. No more piling load ofter load on the couch or my bed to fold "later". I had the kids help me listen for the buzz of the dryer and remind me to get the clothes out.

Once I got into the habit of doing laundry every day it was such a relief! It was amazing how it lessened the stress level in our house. No more frantic searching for matching socks, no more clean clothes left to wrinkle. I finally mastered the laundry and it was no longer mastering me!

Each aspect of housekeeping has to be planned and thought about. I guess my plan was hoping that if I ignored Mt. Washmore long enough it would go away. :) If you are in a laundry nightmare, I want to encourage you to learn from my mistakes. Sit down and work out your own laundry system. If you have lots of small children at home, as I did then, your system will of course be different than an empty nest couple or a couple with teenage children.

Let's conquer Mt. Washmore! :)

P.S. We sold the house in only four weeks and got our asking price.

Buttermilk Bread

If you've been reading here for long, you know that I love to make bread! There is just something so satisfying about it. The smell of fresh bread makes the whole atmosphere in my house cozy and welcoming. Mike even commented the other day that he lives in a bakery! :)

This bread is one of my favorites. The wheat germ gives it extra nutrition and the honey makes it a beautiful color.

2 Tablespoons dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water (110 to 115 degrees)
3 cups warm 1% buttermilk (it will look curdled when it's warm)
3/4 cup butter or stick margarine, melted and cooled
1/4 cup honey
3 teaspoons salt
1/2teaspoon baking soda
3/4 cup toasted wheat germ
9 to 10 cups all purpose flour

In a large mixing bowl (I use my Kitchen Aid), dissolve yeast in warm water. Add buttermilk, butter, honey, salt, baking soda, wheat germ and 4 cups flour; mix well. Gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto a heavily floured surface; knead until smooth and elastic, about 6 to 8 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until double, about 1 hour.

Punch dough down. turn onto a floured surface; divide into thirds. Divide each portion into thirds; shape each into a 12 inch rope. Braid three ropes; pinch ends to seal and tuck under. Place in a greased 9 x 5 x 3 inch loaf pan. Repeat with remaining dough.

Cover and let rise until doubled, about 45 minutes. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from pan onto wire racks. Makes 3 loaves.

Hostess Gift Idea

We have hosted Disciple Now weekends in our home several times over the years. The last group we hosted was college age young men. They were so sweet and polite.

They left us with such a sweet gift. They bought one of those Christian spiral flip calendars and each of them picked a day (maybe their birthdays?) and wrote a little thank you note. Now as we go through the year and I turn the pages on the calendar I come across notes that they wrote. It brings a smile to my face over and over and it's something that I will use year round.

This would be a fantastic hostess gift or Christmas gift. You could have your kids write little notes to Grandma for her to find throughout the year. She'll love it and it's inexpensive too! :)

Making Your Home A Haven: Inviting & Giving

This week has just flown by and it's been so much fun! I have so enjoyed participating in Making Your Home a Haven. It has been a huge motivator for me.

This morning after getting everyone up, dressed, fed and off to school, I sat down with a cup of coffee for my quiet time. My days just go so much better when I spend some time in the Word. Today I read Matthew 22, 23, and 24. It really reminded me that I want to always be in the mindset of waiting for the Lord's return.

I did a quick "swish" of each bathroom, more laundry, and some organizing in the girls' room. Today I listened to Big Band music as I worked. I love that we have satellite radio on our TV. I don't watch TV nearly as much as I listen to the radio.

Today's theme is inviting and giving so I decided to bake some pumpkin bread and share with my neighbors. I used up every bit of my flour on last night's pizza crust, so I had to make a quick run to the store first. I also got the ingredients to make "haystacks". They are Greg's favorite candy and I haven't made them in ages.

I spent the afternoon in the kitchen. Here are the haystacks. I usually lay them out on wax paper, but I was out. The foil worked just fine.


I made little tags for the mini loaves of pumpkin. I found a poem that Monica wrote and printed it one side. I printed "pumpkin bread" on the other side so they would know what they were getting. I didn't have any really cute fall themed paper, so I resorted to this bright orange.


I wrapped up the bread, tied the tags on with curly ribbon and put them in the basket. We waited until about 5:30 when we thought people would be home and the girls delivered the bread. Everyone was really sweet and seemed pleased to have the bread and the girls really had fun with it. I'm hoping to do this soon for the neighbors on the other side.

Bobby asked me why we were doing this and I told him that we want to be nice. He jokingly said "If you're nice people will think you're weird". Unfortunately that's probably true, but this time it worked out OK (at least I think it did). :)

We had "brupper" tonight. I made Belgian waffles, bacon, eggs, and orange juice. It was really good. I tried something new by baking the bacon (how's that for alliteration?) and it worked out well. It goes much faster than pan frying it or cooking in the microwave.

Hope you all had a wonderful day! Be sure to head over to The Homespun Heart to read more haven posts.

Making Your Home a Haven: Fun

This has been such a fun week! All day today I was thinking of the other ladies making their homes havens and how it seems like we are all working together. :)

I had my quiet time after getting the kids off to school. I sat at my kitchen table with a cup of coffee while the morning sun poured in through the windows. Today I read in Isaiah and Psalms. I prayed Psalm 4:8 for all my children, but especially for Peter as he serves in Iraq. His safety is, of course, always on my heart.

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety.

Today's haven focus is fun. What a great idea! I decided to try and get all my housework done before the kids got home so that we could focus on having fun. I turned on some Christmas music while I dusted, vacuumed, and did some laundry (yes...more laundry). :)


After school the kids did homework and we finished the display board for Cindy's science fair project.

I made home made pizza for supper.

Then the girls quickly showered and got into their PJs so we could have a family movie night. I spread a blanket in front of the TV and popped some popcorn. They were so excited because I almost never let them eat in the living room.

The kids are snuggled on the floor with blankets, pillows, and popcorn and I'm keeping half an eye on the movie while taking turns between knitting and typing.

I hope you all are having a great evening!

Be sure to head over to The Homespun Heart to see more haven posts.

Making Your Home a Haven: Cared For

I am really enjoying Making Your Home a Haven week. Be sure to head over to The Homespun Heart and see other Haven posts.

Today I had a nice quiet time in the Word after getting the kids off to school. I read several chapter in Romans (I just love Romans). The verses that stood out to me today are from Romans, Chapter 12.

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Everything that we do as wives, mothers and homemakers is in service to our Lord. We don't have to conform to anyone but Him. These verses remind me that I don't have to fall in with the culture around me.

I put on one of my gingham aprons (no shoes as usual), did my usual morning routine and 3 loads of laundry before meeting my mom for lunch. She's been so busy getting her house straightened out after moving that it was nice to spend a little time with her.

The theme for today is "cared for". One area where I have really fallen behind is ironing, so I decided to get some of that done today. I also cleaned my iron and ironing board cover. So much nicer. :)

After giving half the school district a ride home (good thing I have 8 seat belts), Cindy and I worked on her science fair project and I folded some laundry.

For supper I made beef enchiladas, Spanish rice, and corn.

We sat around the table for a long time after we had finished eating discussing all the funny things the kids did as babies and toddlers. Some of them were not especially funny at the time, like the time when my oldest son was about 2 years old and climbed up the shelves in the pantry, opened a bottle of vegetable oil and poured it out all over everything. It took several years before I could laugh at that one! :)

One more load of laundry to fold tonight and then I'm done for the day! It's so nice to see that empty laundry basket. I should have time to do a little knitting before heading to bed.

Hope you all had a good day.

Making Your Home a Haven: Clean

I am so thrilled that Monica has taken up hosting Making Your Home a Haven since Crystal at Biblical Womanhood has it on hold for now. It's such great motivation! I didn't participate yesterday because I wasn't feeling too well, but I'm doing much better today.

Today's haven focus was "clean". I'm still not 100% well and trying to play catch up so I didn't get much cleaning done. I did get quite a bit accomplished though.

I started my day with Matthew 11:30 on my mind:

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

We don't have to burden ourselves with the cares of this world. Christ invites our souls to rest and obtain peace and comfort in Him. What could be better?

I did my usual morning routine of getting the kids fed and off to school, starting laundry, doing breakfast dishes and making beds. No exercise today though...I didn't want to push myself too much. Then I headed off with one of my pre-planned menus (so I didn't have to take the time to plan one from scratch) for a MUCH needed grocery shopping trip.

I bought a ridiculous amount of groceries didn't I? My cart was rounded over. Some of this is care pack goodies for Peter.

I unloaded groceries, ate a quick lunch and tied on my cutest apron. Oh, and notice the cute brown socks to go with it! :) I don't know why, but I never wear shoes in the house.


I put a roast with carrots and potatoes in the crock pot and started some home made bread. Mike LOVES roast and we haven't had much meat with our meals lately. He'll be happy. :)


Then I finally got around to some cleaning. I didn't have much energy left, so I decided to clean my storm door and sweep my front porch (at least that makes for a good first impression)...
Before:

After:

And I cleaned and shined my sink:

I had just enough time to water my plants (everyone needs an aloe vera plant in their kitchen, right?) before school pick up.

Now here I sit taking a break while the bread is in the oven and the roast is smelling delicious as it simmers away.

Thank You Veterans!

Vietnam War Memorial, Washington DC

Sick Day

Breakfast in Bed
I am recovering from a nasty bought with a stomach virus. I was SO sick yesterday and spent the entire day in bed. I didn't even open a book or magazine, so that should tell you how bad I felt. :)

My sweet family was so precious! Mike couldn't quite get everyone dressed and to church without my help, but he did manage to make pancakes for everyone, and I am so proud of Marcia! Without my even asking (I was really too sick to even think of it), she did dishes, straightened the kitchen and dusted. She and Cindy also made me a sweet card. It was so funny because after the get well wishes they put in tiny letters at the bottom of the card "Daddy's not a very good cook!" :)

Mike took the girls to school for me and although I still feel very weak, I am feeling better and I've been able to keep some food down. I am so glad that I am a stay-at-home mom so that I can take my time and only do as much as I can today without being on anyone's time clock. Most of my friends who work outside the home only use their sick days for when the children are sick and just go on to work even if they feel horrible.