We had a good Christmas. I’m been sick in bed for about a week now with pneumonia so if you’ve missed me on the blog that’s why I haven’t been around. The first round of anti-biotics didn’t take so hopefully this next round will. I’ve been sick for 3 1/2 weeks now so I’m ready to be over it!
Hopefully in a day or two I will be back.
Tawra

I’ve got walking pneumonia so I won’t be going out for a day or two to take advantage of my favorite shopping day of the year but check out my article here on how to save big on gifts!
Tawra

Save Big During After Christmas Sales!

Merry Merry Christmas Everyone!

I’m not sure that there is any other day of the year that I love more than Christmas! Everything about it gives us a reason to celebrate. One of my favorite passages of scripture is Esther 9:22. It reminds me so much of Christmas. It tells how after God saved His people, He commanded them that, on a certain day every year, they were to celebrate what God had done for them.

He was very specific as to how they were to celebrate. They were to remember that on this day that their sorrow was to be turned to joy, and their mourning into a day of celebration. They were to have “days of feasting and joy and giving presents of food to one another and gifts to the poor.” At the end of verse 30, letters were sent “with words of goodwill and assurance” (Christmas cards?). I have always felt that because God saved me by sending His son on Christmas, that this was a perfect example of how I should celebrate His saving me.

So often there are those who say that because we have “days of feasting and joy and giving presents… and gifts to the poor”, that we have forgotten the real reason for Christmas. In response to that, I say I can’t help but to celebrate with joy and with the giving of gifts because I remember that reason so well.

On Christmas Day, God saved me and gave me eternal life. He did that by giving me the gift of His Son. As long as I live, I will never be able to understand the kind of love that God showed when He sacrificed His one and only Child so that I could have life. And all He asks is that we accept His gift and love His Child that He so willingly gave.

My son once asked me if I thought we would celebrate Christmas in Heaven. At first it caught me off guard, but then I knew the answer. We probably won’t celebrate Christmas as we know it because every day in Heaven will be like Christmas.

What is it we like so much about Christmas? Isn’t it the peace, the goodwill, kindness and feelings of joy that come at this time? As children, didn’t we love Christmas for that special gift we wanted for so long and, at last, received? Don’t we love it for the things that delight our senses like the lights, music and candy? And the best thing of all is getting together with those we love at Christmas. That, too, will be the best part of Heaven — that we will get to be with the One we love most and those we love best!

I don’t know what this Christmas Day brings you. You may be surrounded by your family or alone. Maybe you have lost someone you love dearly or have just had someone new and special born into your family. Whatever your life circumstances, try the best that you can, just for this one day, to set aside your sorrows and be joyful. I’m not asking you to rejoice in difficult life circumstances, but in the special gift of God’s Son and His love that He has given you.

You all have been so kind, thoughtful and encouraging to us this past year and some of you for several years. Thank you for your support and caring. I pray that God will give you all double what you have given us and that His blessing will be upon you and your family this coming year in every way: spiritually, physically, emotionally and financially.

Once again Merry Christmas to you all, thank you and God bless you!

Jill, Tawra and Mike
www.LivingOnADime.com

I know I said I wasn’t going to blog but I just couldn’t resist adding these great reader tips for Christmas ideas. Merry Christmas!! Tawra

Hi Tawra, I love your site, and your cookbook is the one I ALWAYS
use!!! My husband knows if I tell him to grab “my cookbook” that it’s
always yours, not any of the “Good Housekeeping” or “Betty Crocker”
ones!!!

I think it would be really fun if other families would post some of
their holiday traditions that maybe aren’t so typical, as sometimes
there are some really fun ones!!

Every year on Christmas Eve, we get together and play games. But
they’re not games like “Monopoly”, they’re games with a prize at the
end, like games you might play at a shower. Everyone has to bring two
“prizes” from the dollar store, gift wrapped, of course, and it is so
much fun!!!! At the very end, we play the dice game where you can
“steal” someone else’s prize, but we add a twist, you can also give
someone else a prize you very much don’t want or need, so it’s fun to
buy stupid things, too….
Carol

Hi! Speaking of easy,inexpensive Christmas or holiday cookies…I have a recipe for Fudge Crinkles,but any cake mix can be used,and the cookies are wonderful.

Fudge Crinkles

1 [18 1/4 oz]box Devils food cake mix
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
Confectioners’ sugar

-Preheat oven to 350º
-Break up any clumps in the dry cake mix.Stir together [no mixer]the cake mix,oil,and eggs,until a dough forms.
-Dust your hands with confectioners sugar,then shape dough into 1″ balls.
-Roll the balls in confectioners sugar,and place 2″ apart on ungreased or parchment lined cookie sheets.
-Bake for 8-1o minutes,or until center is just set,this is a chewy cookie.
-Remove from pans after a minute or two,and cool on wire racks.The original recipe I had said the recipe would make 30-48 cookies.I usually wind up with 29-30.

Notes:
You can use any box cake for this. I LOVE using spice-cake cake mix,and rolling the cookies in either coconut,or confectioners sugar with a little cinnamon in it.You are only limited by your imagination.Also,Valentines day is coming up,and there are strawberry [pink]cake mixes that you can use to make mucho cookies for classrooms.Also,the recipe is extremely child and beginner-cook friendly.You buy those box mixes when they go on sale,they are shelf stable in your home for a year to 18 months or more,so you can create,at a moments notice,with very little $$ outlay.
Thanks for a great newsletter

Greetings!

In your most recent newsletter you mentioned purchasing candy canes for next year. Another use for candy canes is a summer one - homemade peppermint ice cream. There is a company in Fort Worth that makes peppermint and my parents would purchase peppermints for Christmas and also purchase a large diameter peppermint to keep for summertime when they would use it to make delicious homemade peppermint ice cream. I am looking forward to doing that with my family this summer.

Thank you for the wonderful newsletter and great tips!

Blessings to you and your family and Merry Christmas!

Tamera

I hope everyone has a great Christmas!
I am sick with a cold and the kids are coming down with it now so I am going to be taking off and not blog until the 27th.

I hope everyone has a great holiday!

Tawra

From: tracy j.

Spa treatment. they have this in Hershey, PA and i learned it. you take a cup of dry milk and a cup of cocoa powder, add to bath for a chocolate spa treatment!

And God delivered to our door…almost!!

Well, our search is over. I have to admit it was really starting to stress me out. Not so much the looking but the amount of time it takes to look! We looked everywhere. E-bay, Craigslist, dealers, the newspaper ads, even driving by when they were in front of houses.

One night the kids and I got in the white car, in the rain and it was FREEZING to go look at one. It was a huge bomb and I was so mad. We froze our buns off for nothing! (Mike had the “good” car at work cause he was working late and we hadn’t planned on going anywhere.)

Anyway, we were both praying so hard to find one and find it quick. Well, I drove by the mechanics shop that’s at the end of our street. There it was right there in all it’s glory with a for sale sign on it!

It’s a 1998 Buick Century with 82,000 miles on it. It’s in really good shape. They were asking $3600 for it and I asked if they would take $3000 and he said yes! Yeah!!! It looks just like this one.

What’s funny is Mike was praying and he said “I would like to have something with a little color this time. Green would be nice.” It’s even green! God does give you the desires of your heart. It has heat and it’s green! LOL

The windows need to be fixed and that will be around $500 so that will be perfect! It’s right at blue book price so it’s not a great deal but not a bad deal either.

I am just so glad that’s over. I have a really bad cold that is in my muscles too (I can hardly move!) and so I was not wanting to mess with this again this week.

God answered our prayers and even delivered it our door….almost! LOL

Tawra

Just wanted to drop you a line and say hi, I am enjoying reading your newsletters even more than usual in the run up to Christmas. Reading the potluck turkey idea made me think of how we organise ourselves. We are ten in total,so we cant all fit into one house for the Christmas period, so we move from house to house each day. Christmas eve starts with a buffet and games or just chatting on our house. Christmas day is breakfast at our own houses and than off to lunch and the rest of the day at mums house. To spread the burden my sister will cook the turkey and we will collect it early afternoon from her oven.

We will each contribute to the side dishes and vegetables. We will have a supper of the cold meat from lunch with cheese, garlic bread and so on, later that evening. The next day we will meet up in the morning for a nice walk at the seaside or in the country. Afterwards we will have a cold lunch at my sister house. For the rest of the day we will play games or watch films together and maybe some more food from the lunch menu. All together very enjoyable but not too much work or cost for anyone.
Love and best wishes
Liz
http://lizzieshomeworld.blogspot.com/

WINTER EDUCATIONAL IDEAS FOR PRESCHOOLERS
Copyright (c) Deborah Taylor-Hough
Used with permission. All rights reserved.
http://brightkids.wordpress.com/

It’s always fun to use things in our children’s everyday lives to
spark discussion and easy educational activities. Since many
of us are currently in the midst of winter, this season can be a
great topic of “study” for our littlest ones.

Study time with preschoolers at home mainly consists of talking
and laughing with them, helping them notice the details of the
world around them. No pressure. Just a fun time spent in the
company of a loving adult.

To introduce the topic of “Winter,” ask your child what she knows
about the seasons. Is she aware of spring, summer, autumn and
winter? Does she know what the differences are between the
seasons in your local area?

Don’t lecture. Just make conversation and find out what she knows
already. Have her look out the window and tell you what she notices
about the trees, bushes, flowers and gardens. Are there leaves visible?
Buds? Flowers? Greenery? Bare branches? Brown stems?

Find a photo, or painting, or picture in a book of an obvious winter
scene. Ask your child if she knows what season it is in the picture.
What things tell her what time of year it is?

If she doesn’t know, point things out to her that will give clues: bare
branches, snow on the ground, no flowers, people in warm clothes,
etc. Hide the picture from view and have the child describe to you
in her own words what she saw in the picture. Encourage as much
detail as possible, but remember to keep it low-key and fun. This
process of orally telling back what she’s seen, helps cement the
image in her memory.

To suplement your discussion, enjoy together a winter-time picture
book such as Ezra Jack Keat’s ‘The Snowy Day’ or the Alaskan tale
‘Momma, Do You Love Me?’ by Barbara M. Joosse. You can browse
these books online at:

The Snowy Day
http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0670867330/simplepleasuresp/

Momma, Do You Love Me?
http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0811821315/simplepleasuresp/

Ask your child how people stay warm in the winter (warm clothes,
mittens, fireplaces, warm houses, etc.). Let her brainstorm for awhile.
Then ask how she thinks animals stay warm in winter (thick fur,
migrate to warmer climates, hibernate in caves, etc.).

Sometimes a preschool child might say things like, “Baby squirrels
snuggle up in a tree with a soft blanket to stay warm.” Ask her gently
if she’s ever seen a real squirrel with a blanket. Does she think that’s
how they’ll really stay warm in those cold, winter months? The line
between fantasy and reality in preschoolers is sometimes thin …
don’t harshly bring your child into reality, just gently coax her into
thinking about how things really happen in nature.

But just so you don’t think it all needs to be a serious dose of reality,
have some fun and brainstorm about “pretend” ways animals might
stay warm. For fun, read one of these wonderfully fun and beautifully
illustrated winter-time books by Jan Brett (one of my favorite children’s
illustrators):

The Mitten
http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0399231099/simplepleasuresp/

The Hat
http://amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0399231013/simplepleasuresp/

You can also visit Jan Brett’s website to print out coloring sheets and
other fun projects based on Brett’s lavishly illustrated children’s books:

http://www.janbrett.com/

For a fun activity, throw a collection of clothing and accessories into
a bag or suitcase. Without looking, have your child reach into the bag,
pull out a single clothing item and then tell you if the item they grabbed
is appropriate to wear in the winter. Have the child explain to you why
each item is — or isn’t — seasonally appropriate. Include a variety of
things in the bag such as: a warm hat, a pair of gloves or mittens, an
open-toed sandal, a swimsuit, summer shorts, a warm sweater, a
snow boot, a woolen scarf, a sleeveless top, etc.

Have your child finish the sentence, “Winter is …” For example: Winter
is … “cold”; winter is … “snowmen”; winter is … “mittens”; winter is …
“cocoa and marshmallows.” Consider writing down your child’s responses
(she’ll feel so official seeing her words written down on paper).

If you’re feeling particularly creative, you can even print out little “Winter
is …” booklets using clip-art found on your computer that coincides with
your child’s winter responses. Or have your child illustrate their own
home-made “Winter is … ” book. Or let her cut out winter photos from
magazines and newspapers, pasting them onto a large sheet of paper
as a “Winter is …” collage.

Have a wonderful time as you explore the glories of winter with your
preschooler!

SUBMITTED BY:
–Deborah Taylor-Hough (freelance writer and mother of three) is the
editor of the Bright-Kids and Simple Times e-newsletters. She’s also
the author of ‘A Simple Choice: A Practical Guide to Saving Your Time,
Money and Sanity,’ ‘Frugal Living For Dummies(r)’ and ‘Frozen Assets:
How to Cook for a Day and Eat for a Month.’ Visit Debi online at:
http://brightkids.wordpress.com/

Hi! I love your site.

I’d like to comment on Jill’s article about people who decide they can’t afford to give Christmas gifts anymore. I agree that “poor me” remarks like these seem to come from the oddest sources, including people with late model cars and luxurious homes. Most members of my extended family feel that $2 and $3 gifts are fine for the adults, and the kids and teens are happy with even small amounts of cash, batteries for their electronic gizmos or $5 fast food gift cards.

The grandparents and parents of these kids give them costlier items, such as toys and clothes, but other relatives are not expected to ‘match’ those gifts. We really do feel that it’s the thought that counts in the extended family, and I’m glad the kids are growing up learning that. And since adults really like to open packages, too, we can afford to include everyone by taking this frugal approach. I guess it takes a bit of nerve to respond to the folks who are asking to drop gift exchanges, but maybe one brave friend or relative will suggest that Christmas gifts can be limited to homemade or dollar store items, so everyone can have the fun of thinking of just the right thing for the right person.

One of your readers suggested candles, which I often give, and here is another popular idea in my family: Fill a clear sandwich bag (or a quart-sized bag) with practical items for a glove compartment or office desk. These items can include individual facial tissue packages, small notebooks, pens, clear tape, a few plastic bandages, first aid ointment from a dollar store, and hand wipes. Add a candy bar and a bow, and you’ve got a welcome gift.