Category: Simple Holidays

A Big Long List of Affordable Gift Ideas

This is a big long list of affordable gift ideas. That’s it–nothing fancy. Most of these gifts are under $10, and many are homemade. As more ideas pop into my busy brain, I’ll add them to the top of this list, so pin it or bookmark it and check back often. Please share your favorite ideas in the comments below, and I’ll add them to this list to keep it growing.

If I don’t tell you that some of these links are affiliate links, I could spend the next few Christmases in the big house. I don’t wanna go there, because of the food, so consider yourself alerted.

For more ideas, check out my Simple Gift Ideas board on Pinterest and my friend Stacy Makes Cents’ gift series on Facebook.

Enough chatter. Grab a cookie and let’s get this party started!

The Simple Homemaker's BIG looooong list of affordable gift ideas | Great ideas for everyone on your list, many homemade, and most under $10. The list keeps growing, so pin it and check back often!

  1. A “School in Progress – We can play later.” Sign to hang on a homeschooler’s front door.
  2. Picnic-of-the-month club–pick a day each month to picnic (indoors or out) with the recipient. Kids and (some) grandparents love this.
  3. Christmas ornaments–homemade or otherwise.
  4. Business cards–great for a budding entrepreneur and sometimes free for the cost of shipping.
  5. A cookbook from a favorite cooking show. My husband likes America’s Test Kitchen, and they have a Cooking School cookbook, which I’m sure he would love me to have.  To make it cheaper, watch for cooking magazine subscription sales instead.
  6. A “My husband rocks” T-shirt…or “My wife rocks” or “My dad rocks” or “My mom rocks” or a similar family boosting apparel item from Union 28…or make your own. Check the clearance section for cheaper options, or watch for sales.
  7. General household supplies gift basket, such as homemade cleaners and hand-knit washcloths. Store-bought is great, too. Include coupons for freebies.
  8. A supplies gift basket for a certain part of the house, such as the kitchen sink. Fill that one with dish soap, a hand-crocheted washcloth, a scrubby, dishwasher powder, a towel, and some homemade cleaner (as simple and affordable as diluted vinegar in a spray bottle).
  9. Laundry supplies, such as quarters for the laundromat, detergent, a stain bar, dryer balls, soap nuts, whatever fits that person’s laundry style.
  10. Homemade dog biscuits.
  11. Homemade citrus vinegar.
  12. A big ol’ basket of free samples, such as lotions, mini-coffees, teas, supplements…whatever the freebie sites offer.
  13. Free baby samples, including coupons. Sorry, you have to supply your own baby. 🙁
  14. A baby gift basket, containing diapers, homemade or store-bought washes, a picture of your family, and, again, no baby.
  15. A “free” nursing pillow, nursing cover-up, carseat cover, or baby-wearing sling. Use code SIMPLE2 for a savings of anywhere from $35 to $50. (You pay shipping.)
  16. 52 postcards addressed and stamped–you keep the postcards yourself and send one a week to the gift recipient.
  17. Cookies.
  18. Stationery, stamps, and a pen.
  19. Materials for a project to work on together, and then a schedules of dates when you will get together to work on it. This can be one project total or one project per month.
  20. Gift certificates for your time and help–put them in 12 separate envelopes to be opened one per month. This could include washing the car, spring cleaning, cooking a dinner, or lawn care, garden prep, winterizing the home, anything your recipient has trouble accomplishing.
  21. Coupon for cleaning house, either by you or by a professional.
  22. Car wash coupons.
  23. A food item you are known for, such as cookies, pie, or an ethnic food that represents your heritage.
  24. Gift certificates to help with the cost of living, such as hair cuts or groceries.
  25. Pay a bill that month, such as electric or trash pick-up.
  26. Take the recipients car in for an oil change and a wash, and fill it up with gas while you’re out.
  27. Gas card.
  28. Seeds or plant starts from your garden.
  29. Homemade pillow case.
  30. Herbal sleep pillow. There are simpler patterns–I know, because we made one–but I can’t find them.
  31. Coupon for shoveling their driveway all winter.
  32. Coupon for mowing their lawn once a week all summer.
  33. Mittens, hats, or scarves made out of wool sweaters.
  34. Hand-knit hats which can be made quickly and easily using a circular knitter.
  35. Fresh eggs if you have chickens.
  36. Fresh herbs or transplants if you have an herb garden.
  37. Homemade soap.
  38. Homemade candles.
  39. Homegrown honey if you have bees.
  40. Clove oranges.
  41. Homemade jelly, salsa, or pickles if you’re a canner.
  42. Gift certificate for a homemade dinner once a month or three times a year.
  43. Coffee mug with cocoa, coffee, or tea.
  44. Homemade sweetbread, like pumpkin or gingerbread.
  45. Care package of homemade cleaners.
  46. Homemade laundry soap.
  47. Soap nuts.
  48. Beef jerky–homemade or store-bought.
  49. Decorated glass bottles or jars.
  50. Homemade extracts, such as vanilla.
  51. Homemade seasonings, such as taco, Italian, pumpkin, all-purpose seasoning, and cajun spice mix.
  52. Homemade chocolate-covered almonds.
  53. The recipient’s favorite food or ingredient, such as a spice, kind of cheese, or container of honey.
  54. Picture frame with a family picture in it.
  55. Picture frame with a picture of you and the recipient together.
  56. Framed artwork from a member of the family.
  57. Dry erase boards made from picture frames with pretty paper behind the glass.
  58. Homemade lip balm.
  59. Homemade bath salts.
  60. Crocheted wash cloths or hot pads.
  61. Replacement towels and wash cloths.
  62. Restaurant.com gift certificate.
  63. Handmade ornaments.
  64. Hair doo-dads.
  65. Photo session gift certificate.
  66. Free babysitting gift certificate.
  67. Mixes in a jar.
  68. Homemade coffee creamer.
  69. Redbox gift cards.
  70. Flash drive filled with photos.
  71. Frozen homemade cookie dough.
  72. T-shirts with family pictures or children’s artwork ironed on.
  73. Homemade dog, horse, cat, or bird treats, depending on recipient’s pets.
  74. Homemade turtle chocolates.
  75. Homemade truffles.
  76. Gently used books.
  77. Lottery tickets.
  78. Date night basket–ingredients for a dinner, plus a movie on DVD or a Redbox giftcard.
  79. Movie tickets.
  80. Tickets to an event the recipient loves, such as the races or the theater.
  81. Reusable grocery bags full of goodies.
  82. Fresh bread.
  83. A can of nuts.
  84. Donation to a charity.
  85. Chocolate-covered pretzel sticks.
  86. Emergency crank flashlight.
  87. Emergency crank radio. (A little pricier, but a great gift!)
  88. Emergency car battery charger. (Also pricier, but a great idea for the drivers in your family.)
  89. First aid kit.
  90. Emergency seat belt cutter and window breaker.
  91. Homemade pancake mix in a jar with a bottle of maple syrup.
  92. Cookie mix with a cookie cutter.
  93. Homemade caramels.
  94. Homemade peanut brittle.
  95. Lip balm–homemade or store-bought.
  96. Pens, pencils, notepads, and a pencil sharpener.
  97. Lottery tickets.
  98. A CD of you reading a story.
  99. Homemade soup ingredients in a jar.
  100. Bowling coupon.
  101. Warm socks.
  102. Slippers.
  103. Can of Reddi-Whip. Oh yeah!
  104. Gift baskets from the store.
  105. Mug, loose tea, and a tea ball.
  106. Membership to your cookie-of-the-month club–deliver a different batch of cookies each month.
  107. Membership to your pie-of-the-month club…or cake, cupcakes, or dessert to cover everything.
  108. A favorite candy.
  109. Starbucks gift cards.
  110. Freezer meals.
  111. Gift certificate for a day of freezer cooking together.
  112.  Pjs.
  113. An evening of skits, readings, music, and sing-alongs, complete with handmade programs.
  114. Felted wool dryer balls.
  115. Handmade jewelry.
  116. A memory CD, where you share your favorite memories of the recipient.
  117. A family heritage CD, on which you share stories of Christmases long ago, particularly wonderful for the older generations to do for the younger.
  118. A recital on CD or DVD in which you record your children playing piano, reciting poetry, giving speeches, performing skits, or whatever else you can come up with. This is particularly wonderful for far-away relatives.
  119. Ingredients for a dessert or meal and a gift certificate to make it together.
  120. Supplies for a craft and a gift certificate to teach the craft.
  121. Yarn and patterns for a crocheter or knitter.
  122. Woodcarving book and tools to spark a new interest. Don’t forget a piece of wood.
  123. Homeschool books or supplies.
  124. Spa set, including a candle and either bubble bath, essential oil for the bath, or homemade bath salts.
  125. Your favorite recipes in a binder or a recipe box.
  126. Infinity scarf made from a T-shirt.
  127. Cloth napkins you can make from an old button-down shirt.
  128. Homemade sachets for undie drawers.
  129. Paint set to spark interest in painting.
  130. Eyeglasses repair kit.
  131. Lens cloth for glasses, cameras, and electronic screens.
  132. Small sewing kit for quick repairs. Make your own if you have most of the materials on hand. Otherwise, it’s cheaper to buy one.
  133. Hand warmers.
  134. Neck warmer.
  135. Car emblems or parts for an enthusiast.
  136. Ice scraper and a batch of homemade de-icer.
  137. An ebook. Learn how to give an ebook electronically or printed here.
  138. Homemade lip gloss–fruity or plain.
  139. Homemade dog treats or other-pet treats.
  140. First aid supplies or kit for dogs, cats, horses, chinchillas, iguanas, whatever!
  141. Herbal first aid kit.
  142. “Quiet please–Mama and baby are napping” to hang on the front door or bedroom door at naptime.
  143. Fire starter (flint), compass, and para cord bracelet for the adventurer in the family.
  144. Jack knife for a coming-of-age boy.
  145. Homemade sugar scrub. Or try this super simple peppermint sugar scrub.
  146. Retractable phone charger to keep pesky cords under control.
  147. Unique money, like two-dollar bills or silver dollars.
  148. Cord organizers to keep cords in place and accessible.
  149. An remote controlled light turner-offer-and-onner to control an outlet from afar.
  150. A kitten. My kids made me write that, but seriously, if you’re planning on a family pet, wouldn’t that make it the best Christmas EVER!

Special thanks to my readers, family, and brain for these great ideas. Also, special thanks to the Homemade Living Frugally fans for sharing their ideas on Facebook.

43 Relatively Useless Facts About Me and How They Apply to You

43 facts

Today I turn 43. Because I’m not really a cake fan and can’t fit 43 candles on a slice of pie without seriously messing that baby up, I’ve come up with a birthday alternative.

Many people ask about the blogger behind the blog. While I don’t generally like to talk about myself too much (I mostly do it to fill air space), I thought today I would let you all get to know me and mine a little bit better.

Since reading 43 relatively useless facts about me could get rather boring around number 12, and because my 43 years of highs and lows could prove a learning experience to some of you younglings, I’m listing 43 things that you can apply to life in general. This could either be really fun, or really twisted and lame. Either way, let’s launch this bad boy.

43 Things About Me and 43 Life Applications for You

  1. I eat the crusts on my sandwich first, because I never liked the dry wheaty crusts as a kid. Life app: save the best for last…or follow Mark Twain’s advice and eat the “frog” first so everything else tastes good in comparison.
  2. I sometimes eat my favorite things first, because if I save the best for last, it will be cold and not as good, or I might not have room for it, or I might choke on the “frog” and die before I can get to my favorite thing. Life app: be flexible about your life apps.
  3. When I was younger, as in 40, I saw two sleds near some carpeted stairs which ended at a doorway, and I figured that one of my kids would think indoor sledding was a brilliant idea, so I tested the indoor stair sledding idea to see how brilliant it really was. Yee haa! Bad idea. Ironically, when my kids heard me scream and found me at the bottom of the stairs, they said, “Did you really think that was a good idea?” Life app: not everything that looks like a good idea really is, although…that idea could have been brilliant if I had opened the door. That one needs a do over!
  4. I am a recovering hypochondriac. Life app: don’t waste your life worrying about losing your life, because if that’s how you’re living, your life is already lost.
  5. I have bad gums. Life app: floss.
  6. I used to want to be one of 12 children. I even tried to get a group of kids at church to pretend we were the Gilbreth family from the book Cheaper by the Dozen, but they said, “That’s weird.” So I went out and made my own Cheaper by the…Eight. Life app: be who you want to be within God’s guidelines, even if it’s weird. Keep that life app within reason. For example, resist your kleptomaniac tendencies.
  7. I am painfully shy, but I have worked hard since around 16 to not act on it. It is still a daily challenge for me, but I conquer it by thinking of the other person instead of my own discomfort. Life app: shyness is one of the highest forms of selfishness, so stop looking inward and think of others’ needs instead of your own fears. (That life app was from my Grandma. Thanks, Grandma!)
  8. I am a lot like my grandma. Life app: look at the people who come before you and learn from their experiences. It’ll save you time. Also, don’t forget to thank them.
  9. I work hard at not being hurt by the absence of a father in my life, cuz even at 43, a girl needs a daddy. Life app: if you have a dad, however imperfect, appreciate him! If you are a dad, connect with your kids no matter how old they are. And if you don’t have a dad in your life, forgive.
  10. I am paralyzed by clutter and busyness. It affects my mood, my productivity, my very existence. If it is in my control to get rid of clutter and keep a simple schedule, I do it, as evidenced by the trail of donations we leave around the country. If it isn’t, I live in a state of perpetual frustration, inefficiency, and self-beratement. Life app: simplify and declutter!
  11. My non-grammar-related pet peeve is people who ignore other people and instead stare at their cell phones. Life app: make eye contact.
  12. I don’t think people who try to act cool are cool, and neither do my daughters. Life app: be yourself…especially if you’re trying to impress my girls.
  13. I love popcorn, and so do my kids. We didn’t eat it for two years, however, because our oldest daughter can’t have it. Life app: put people first…even ahead of food. I almost can’t believe I said that.
  14. I have low blood sugar and need to eat often or I get strangely sick and cranky…heavy on the cranky. Life app: know your body, manage your conditions so they don’t manage you, and don’t use them as an excuse to be rude to the people around you. Also, if you see me at a potluck, let me go first. Ha ha…except I’m not joking.
  15. I started being afraid of growing old at around age eight. Life app: embrace life every step of the way.
  16. I always wanted to live on a horse farm, but I left the family farm, went to college, joined the choir, met my husband, and now I’m the wife of a traveling musician. That’s totally awesome, even though it’s not what I thought I wanted. Life app: be open to new awesomenesses…like that word I just made up. Here’s another life app: if you have a dream, pursue it–don’t just wait for it.
  17. I’m totally a homebody, but we live on the road full-time. Life app: be adaptable.
  18. I used to have my whole family on a strict diet for intestinal health, since one of my daughters has Crohn’s Disease. My plan was to eat whatever I wanted when I hit 90. Then my grandmother said, “I love eating, which is such a blessing at 86. My mother lost interest in food, but I still enjoy it.” Life app: why wait? Be happy now. (Of course, we still have to manage the dietary issues, so don’t think “happy” means whatever we want it to mean.)
  19. I like cherry soup. People tell me I’m weird. Life app: if you make something that you love and that everyone else thinks is weird (like my famous fried peanut butter and jelly eggs), that only means there’s more for you, so embrace your weirdness.
  20. I don’t drink coffee, because caffeine makes me talk really, really fast and think even faster, but in an oddly unproductive manner. It’s scary. Life app: don’t caffeinate me.
  21. When I was a kid I totally wanted a Whatchamacallit candy bar. One day someone gave me one. I was so excited that I saved it for months waiting for just the right moment to eat it. My dog’s right moment occurred before mine, and he ate it. I’ve never tasted a Whatchamacallit. Life app: enjoy the Whatchamacallits of life today and stop saving them for just the right moment.
  22. I always wanted an electric racetrack like my brothers had. One Christmas my husband got me one, but I was so tired from staying up too late wrapping Christmas presents that I fell asleep on the couch after the gift opening. My husband set up the track, played with it, left it there, and someone stepped on it and broke it. I kept it for several years, thinking I would repair it (stop laughing, brothers and husband), until a wiser me tossed it. Two life apps here: read my book about not driving yourself into a sleep-deprived stupor at Christmas (or any time), and don’t hold onto grudges and broken race tracks. Also, don’t play with other people’s Christmas presents.
  23. I wake up in the middle of the night panicking about my parenting. That only serves to rob me of my sleep and make me a tired, panicked, less useful mother. Life app: do the best you can, turn it over to God, and get a good night’s sleep. Your children will someday be imperfect parents themselves, and either they will understand you better, or they will think they’re far superior to you as parents, in which case you can quietly laugh at them, knowing how little they really know.
  24. Someone in college made me very self-conscious about my crooked teeth, which made me stop smiling, which made me less attractive. Life app taken straight from the 1982 film Little Orphan Annie: “You’re never fully dressed without a smile.” Just smile. Who cares about the crooked teeth!
  25. My then six-year-old son sold his cowboy hat at a garage sale for $2 because “It doesn’t fit, Mama, so I don’t want it anymore. It’s just gonna sit around and take up space.” I used to waste time wishing I had his hat back and replaying the garage sale in my mind. Also, I’m a recovering pack rat. Life app: listen to the wise boy who is doing what you taught him to do–get rid of clutter. Also, get the boy a hat that fits for his birthday.
  26. I used to ride my horse standing up when nobody was looking. Life app: don’t be stupid when nobody’s looking. Always have someone around when you’re being stupid, so they can 1) run and get help when you fall off, 2) tell you how stupid you are…in case you didn’t already know, and 3) take pictures.
  27. When my seventh baby was colicky, I gave up milk, eggs, wheat, and a whole host of other foods. The pediatrician said I should just put her on formula, because nobody would stick to that diet. I stuck to it for almost two years, and I’m currently on a total elimination diet for my eighth child. I tried to do this for myself in the past, but I never could. Doing it for them, however, I am driven. Life app: Find your motivation; it helps if your motivation is cute and smells milky sweet.
  28. When I was in kindergarten, I stood up while the schoolbus was in motion, lost my balance, fell down the front stairs and hit the door. The driver said, “That wouldn’t have happened if you had stayed seated while the bus was moving,” and I said, “That wouldn’t have happened if you weren’t driving too fast.” Life apps–there are three of them: 1) be accountable for your own actions, 2) don’t stand up while the bus is moving, and 3) perhaps most importantly for the preservation of life, don’t be smarmy to a beefy man named Wild Bill who has to put up with 60 disrespectful kids every day–yeah, that’s a good one.
  29. Some people start off really cute, then hit a geeky phase, and finally emerge from it graceful and well-composed. I seem to be stuck in the geeky time warp. Life app: embrace your inner geek…and your glasses and your frizzy hair and your high waters…or get contacts and hair cream and longer pants, but that’s kinda boring and expensive.
  30. I have a severe doctor/dentist phobia. Life app: if you know somebody with a doctor/dentist phobia, go with them. If it’s a spouse, schedule the appointments for them.
  31. I pick my battles. For example, sometimes during my my husband’s concerts, our daughter sings in bare feet and a tiara, because it makes her happy and that’s not the hill I want to die on. Life apps: pick your battles and swap the shoes for a tiara if it makes you smile.
  32. I battle negativity. I have several people in my life who also tend toward the negative, while I have found others who are positive, loving, and encouraging. The difference in how my family feels when we spend time with the negative, critical people versus the loving, encouraging people is unfathomable! Life app: be encouraging…but not an empty flatterer. 
  33. When we go someplace where there are huge crowds, we all wear matching hats so we can easily keep track of each other. Life app: if you go someplace where there are huge crowds, wear matching hats so you can easily keep track of each other.
  34. I don’t like labels. Even though I would technically be considered a baby-wearing, eclectic homeschooling, attachment parenting, extended nursing, semi-real foodie, full-time RVing conservative evangelical Christian missionary blogger and freelance writer, if I saw that label on someone, I would freak out and run away. Freak out! I’m just a person who does that stuff to a manageable degree because it works for my life. That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t love to eat a hot dog with you or that I wouldn’t hang out with you because you use a stroller and I have children hanging off all my limbs. Life app: don’t label people or yourself. It’s scary.
  35. I don’t use God-speak. I’m a Christian through-and-through, but when I hear God-speak, it scares me away. I can’t imagine what a non-Christian would feel like if I God-speaked ’em. Life app: be yourself. You’re far more likely to win people for Christ if they can see that we Christians are real people, too…and that we speak English.
  36. Sometimes I say lame or embarrassing things, and then I lie awake at night replaying the whole affair in my mind. Life app: don’t say lame or embarrassing things. Realistic life app: don’t sweat it. Everyone is lame and embarrassing sometimes. That’s merely a symptom of the incurable condition called “life,” and when you consider the alternative, which is not-life, life’s not all that bad.
  37. I have trouble following through on projects. For example, right about now I’m considering pretending I’m only 37, just so I don’t have to think of six more things to say about myself. Life app: don’t bite off more than you can chew. Learn your limitations and heed them.
  38. When I was a teen, it was like social death for your underwear band or your bra strap to show. Sometimes I start to approach young ladies to let them know that they forgot their shirt, just in case they didn’t know, or to offer to buy young men a belt to avoid that embarrassing pants-below-the-butt look in the future, but my children tell me I will be shot. Life app: sometimes our children know more than we do, so don’t be too proud to learn from them.
  39. Almost every time I pre-judge people, I eat crow. Life app: don’t pre-judge people…or else develop a liking for crow.
  40. I sometimes think my husband should have married someone who could sing better than I can, so he’d have a built-in background vocalist and duetist…rather than someone who makes up words like duetist, but get this–he’s happy with me despite my vocal nuances. Life app: don’t stress over what you’re not. Be what you are and be the best word-maker-upper you that you can be…unless you’re an idiot, in which case, you should read Proverbs.
  41. People at our concerts call me amazing because of our lifestyle. I’m not amazing. I’m an ordinary person serving an extraordinary God in out-of-the-ordinary ways, but that is all. Without Him, I’m nothing. Life app: be something–serve God.
  42. I’ve lost friends for sticking up for unborn children. Life app: do the right thing no matter what.
  43. I like chocolate, but it gives me…ahem…gas. So…sniff sniff…I don’t eat it. Life app: make sacrifices for the comfort of your family…but keep a chocolate stash in your undie drawer for when you’re home alone. (Those were tear sniffs, not whiff sniffs.)

There you go–43 useless facts about me, and 43 potentially useless life apps for you. It’s not as good as pie, but it’ll do.

 

Let’s Set Some Mostly Measurable, Manageable Goals for January

This post contains affiliate links and goals. Thought you ought to know.

I don’t like New Year’s resolutions, because, for example, let’s say you resolve to fit into that size smaller jeans and find out two weeks later that you’re pregnant–celebratory fail! Let’s say it’s super important to you to quit watching television, but then your grandfather invites you to spend every Saturday, Sunday, Monday and sometimes Thursday of football season watching games with him. Are you really going to say no? And why are there so many game days anyway? You just don’t know what the day is going to bring, much less the year.

I’ve tried resolutions. I’ve tried no resolutions. At the end of the year, there’s no difference. This year, I’m trying a new tactic. I’m setting mostly measurable, manageable monthly goals. Care to join me?

Since year-long resolutions to work for me (or most mere mortals), I'm setting mostly measurable, manageable monthly goals. Join me!

Here are the ridiculously obvious rules for my mostly measurable, manageable monthly goals:

  1. They should be mostly measurable, so “smile more” really doesn’t follow this rule…although I’m putting it on there anyway. Walk three times a week is measurable. See? Make more pie–not measurable; make a pie–totally measurable…and edible…hopefully.
  2. It’s manageable. No stressing…which would be a goal in and of itself if it were more measurable.
  3. It’s a monthly goal.

Don’t freak out when you see the length of this list. Most of the items are small things that I need to be more consistent about. Others are general areas of my life that need a little refocusing now that we’re heading back out on the road. Some are bigger tasks. None are radical. They are all written down or else, bam, I forget.

Here are my mostly measurable manageable monthly goals for January:

Family Habits

  • Breakfast Bible: finish reading Matthew aloud and begin Mark.
  • Monthly family manner: eye contact. There’s a post coming about this.
  • Monthly family home care habit: keeping our trailer entry clear–that means shoes must be put away and the hot spot on the coffee bar constantly extinguished or preferably never ignited.
  • Monthly character trait: practice finding the positives–something we began last year casually, but it needs to be a front-and-center practice. I’ll post on it, so ya get it, ‘kay?
  • Aim for two days a week that Hannah can eat every meal we eat with no changes. (Hannah has Crohn’s and is on a doctor-assisted healing diet. She loves days when she doesn’t have to cook a single meal for herself.)
  • Bedtime: Reinstate my beloved brush, Bible, books, blessings, and bed routine.
  • Continue annoying the world by starting everything in a list with the same letter–personally, this is my favorite goal. In fact, I almost made these mostly measurable manageable monthly milestones instead of goals, but I thought that was annoying the universe instead of just the world, so I backed off.
  • Prayer: somehow while stationary we got out of the habit of praying before meals, bed, and trips.

Family Fun

  • Have two game nights focused on the older group.
  • Have one game night focused on the younger group.
  • Have a party on my Grandpa’s birthday, January 29. Grandpa and I always celebrated our birthdays together. I loved having him for a birthday buddy. (Miss you, Grandpa!)
  • Take Judah’s five-month picture before he’s five months and 30 days old. Ahem.
  • Bake a lemon meringue pie. What?! Don’t judge.

Homeschooling

  • Learn 15 Spanish verbs. What?! Only 15? Yes, but learning means using, and by using 15 extra verbs regularly over the next month, we’ll be quite fluent…in 15 verbs.
  • Learn 15 new signs.
  • Write two letters each…including mama!
  • Read aloud The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain.
  • Teach two core cooking techniques. Blue checkmark
  • Begin one embroidery project with all interested double-digit kiddos–finish in February.
  • Work on one sewing project with Rebecca.
  • Reinstate weekly goal sessions and reviews with Hannah (19)–I love these one-on-one sessions and watching her grow as a writer in her writing business!
  • Find a testing center for Marissa’s CLEP on the road–I think we’ll be in Kansas when she’s ready for her next test. She’s aiming to have her bachelor’s shortly after turning 19; she is currently 17 and has 15 credits. More on that later.
  • Start new math levels with Elisabeth (15), Emily (12), and Elijah (10). (Like, hand them the new book–no biggie here.)
  • Focus daily on math for five minutes with Rebecca (7).
  • Select a fun course from SchoolhouseTeachers.com to enjoy with my four middles–Elisabeth, Emily, Elijah, and Rebecca. (See my review.)
  • Focus twice weekly on Schoolhouse Teacher’s Charlotte Mason preschool with Eliana (4)…just so I remember to focus on her.
  • Begin Slow and Steady, Get Me Ready with Judah (5 months) twice weekly…again, so I remember to focus on him.

Music Mission

  • Write January 2016 newsletter.
  • Finish 2015 thank you notes.
  • Hit the open road again on January 7–we were partially stationary to have our baby. Blue checkmark
  • Update subscriber list.

Health

  • Walk dog and self 15-20 minutes 3 days per week–not enough, you say? Better than nothing, I reply!
  • Start doing push-ups again as a family–I do them against the van instead of the ground to protect my sensitive joints, but hey, it’s better than nothing! I will do between one and three after walking. I know that’s not much, but I have joint issues and need my wrists to carry an 18-pound five-month old tub o’ love.
  • Reinstate the two-a-week treat limit in churches–church people love to spoil my kids, but they aren’t aware that the next church and the next and the next will do the same thing. Sometimes we hit four or five churches/special events a week, and it’s literally “spoiling” my kids’ and my hubby’s health and waistlines. Not mine, however, because I don’t eat them, thanks to being perpetually pregnant or nursing sensitive babies–ha ha! Blue checkmark
  • Add seven foods back into my diet. I’m on a total elimination diet for my nursing baby, and I’m currently up to five foods I can eat.
  • Find a supplement that works for my baby.
  • Make two family dessert night treats that Hannah can eat. (No dairy, grains, sugar, processed anything.) Blue checkmark
  • Continue food/symptom journal–ugh. Blue checkmark

Writing

  • Write four non-sponsored, non-review posts here…for you lovely people! This counts as one. Hooray!
  • Write three posts at The Travel Bags since our temporary stint as The Stationary Bags ends this week.
  • Find interview sources and rough out my article assignment for Pregnancy & Newborn magazine.
  • Send one pitch–to really rock the writing world I need to send out about one or two a day…but I’m good with one this month. Oh, look. I already sent it. Check!
  • Edit one chapter in my book–this is the biggie, since I have to delete a lot, and I’m not good at deleting…thus the length of this list. Wink wink.

Personal

  • Read Proverbs again.
  • Journal weekly. It’s a good start–nothing epic…just the little things.
  • Smile more. Totally measurable, right?
  • Practice finding the positives. (More about this later.)
  • Master three core cooking techniques from America’s Test Kitchen Cooking School Cookbook.
  • Scrap social media as often as possible. (I know, that’s blogger suicide, but it’s better for my family, thumb, brain, and eyes.)
  • Listen to The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up and see if she’s got anything on the Flylady, who rocks, by the way! Blue checkmark
  • Read Silas Marner by George Eliot. It’s one of my mom’s favorites, and, even though I was an English major back in the day, I’ve never read it.
  • Keep my computer and phone off from 9 to 9, unless it’s for school or people are sleeping or studying…or my sister-in-law or mom text me–hey, I’m human, and those gals are fun-to-me!
  • Check email daily, delete all new “unimportant” emails (after reading), and unsubscribe from all no-longer-valuable-to-me subscriptions that come in that day.
  • Take fewer pictures. Yup, fewer. This is, unfortunately, measurable, and I do have an accountability partner on this one. Hi, Honey! Nice dimples!

What are some of your goals for January?

Homemade Hot Cocoa Recipe

I don’t drink cocoa, because it gives me gas. I’m glad we cleared the air on that sensitive topic.

Snicker.

Moving on.

The thing I love about homemade hot cocoa is that it’s simple to put in the dairy or non-dairy products and sweeteners that you wish to meet everybody’s needs and preferences. Blah blah blah. What I really like is that it tastes so stinkin’ awesome!

Simply Delicious Hot Cocoa Recipes with Dairy-Free Alternatives

I’m giving you a basic recipe which is great as it is, because I’m all about simple, or it can be spruced up or adjusted. It’s your job to alter it to your needs and liking.

Homemade Hot Cocoa

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/3 to 3/4 cup sugar (to your liking) (I tend toward 1/2 cup, but most will choose more. My daughter uses honey.)
  • 1 pinch salt (optional–I use it because I look cool tossing a pinch of salt into a beverage)
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 3 cups milk (any kind–we use whole, coconut, or almond)
  • 1 cup cream or half-n-half (or an extra cup of milk)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)

Optional add-ins:

  • whipped cream
  • chocolate chips of any variety
  • cinnamon or cinnamon sticks
  • marshmallows
  • peppermint sticks or candy canes
  • coffee or espresso
  • peanut butter

Directions:

  1. Mix all dry ingredients together.
  2. Boil the water in a heavy saucepan.
  3. Dissolve the dry ingredients in the boiling water by whisking over medium heat for about two minutes–keep it to a simmer.
  4. Add the milk and heat it until it’s hot, whisking continually. Do not boil. Pay close attention, because milk burns faster than I lose my train of thought.
  5. Remove the deliciousness from the heat.
  6. Add the cream or half-n-half and the vanilla.
  7. Divide the sweet deliciousness between four mugs, unless your cocoa drinkers are little, in which case it might stretch into six or eight, especially if you fill half a mug with marshmallows.
  8. Add more cream to cool if needed…or just wait.

I know you’re asking “Why water? Can’t I just boil the milk? Can’t I just stir the powders into the milk? Can’t I just use the packets from Swiss Miss?”

Because a very hot liquid will dissolve the sugar. No, because it might curdle or burn. Yes, but it might be a little gritty. If you like Swiss Miss, drink Swiss Miss–it’s certainly easier, and you just can’t argue with tiny little marshmallows with their tiny marshmallow cuteness.

Related Recipes:

  • This Tres Leche Cocoa looks fantabulous! Oh, yummity yum yum yum!
  • Allergic to dairy? How about this oh-so-scrumptious Almond Hot Cocoa!
  • If you’re allergic to dairy and nuts, here’s a recipe for Coconut Milk Hot Chocolate. It is sweetened with honey, but you can use the sweetener of your choice, because America is great like that.
  • If you’re not allergic to anything or you’re allergic to everything and you want to die in complete bliss, you have to try this Whipped Hot Chocolate recipe.

Homeschool Helps:

For your science studies, answer the ever-fascinating question, “Where does chocolate come from?”

For your home economics class, learn this relevant skill which I hope you don’t need today: How to remove burned milk from a saucepan.

Here’s the boring printable version.

Homemade Hot Cocoa Recipe
Recipe Type: Beverage
Author: Christy, The Simple Homemaker
Prep time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 cups
This basic recipe can be adjusted to fit anybody’s needs or preferences. Don’t be afraid to experiment..a lot.
Ingredients
  • Main ingredients:
  • 1/3 cup cocoa powder
  • 1/3 to 3/4 cup sugar or other sweetener (to your liking)
  • 1 pinch salt (optional)
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 3 cups milk (any kind–we use whole, coconut, or almond)
  • 1 cup cream or half-n-half (or an extra cup of milk)
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla (optional)
  • Optional add-ins:
  • whipped cream
  • chocolate chips of any variety
  • cinnamon or cinnamon sticks
  • marshmallows
  • peppermint sticks or candy canes
  • coffee or espresso
  • peanut butter
Instructions
  1. Mix all dry ingredients together.
  2. Boil the water in a heavy saucepan.
  3. Dissolve the dry ingredients in the boiling water by whisking over medium heat for about two minutes–keep it to a simmer.
  4. Add the milk and heat it until it’s hot, whisking continually. Do not boil. Pay close attention, because milk burns faster than I lose my train of thought.
  5. Remove the deliciousness from the heat.
  6. Add the cream or half-n-half and the vanilla.
  7. Divide the sweet deliciousness between four mugs, unless your cocoa drinkers are little, in which case it might stretch into six or eight, especially if you fill half a mug with marshmallows.
  8. Add more cream to cool if needed…or just wait.

 

How to Thaw a Turkey (Even at the Last Minute)

How To Thaw a Turkey (Even at the Last Minute)

When it comes to thawing turkey, we’ve got your back with these guidelines garnered from Butterball and Cook’s Country:

How to Thaw a Turkey

If you have 3-5 days, follow this guide:

  1. Move the turkey from the freezer to the refrigerator.
  2. Leave it in the wrapping it came in.
  3. For some reason which I don’t know, Butterball says to thaw it breast side up.
  4. To keep it from leaking all over everything else in your fridge, place it in a large baking pan or tray.
  5. Allot a day for every four pounds of turkey. That means a twelve-pounder will take three days, a twenty-pounder will take five days, and, if you’re roasting Big Bird, you should probably start thawing in July.

How to Thaw a Turkey at the Last Minute

If you pulled the major oops and forgot about your turkey until the day before you need your bird (or the day of), follow this guide:

  1. Leave the bird in the wrapping.
  2. Plop the frozen bird in water. Make sure it is completely covered. You can use a cooler, a five-gallon bucket, the sink, or, hey, your bathtub. Changing the water frequently will speed up the process.
  3. This method requires an hour for two pounds, so, again, 12 pounds is 6 hours, 20 pounds is 10 hours, Big Bird is–you know, this roasted Big Bird talk is morbid and disgusting.

When your bird is thawed, you have two to four days to get it from thawed to cooked, so don’t get too distracted and forget about your bird.

Just so you know, the term “last minute” is figurative. If you literally forgot to thaw the turkey until the minute it was supposed to go in the oven, turn on the game, order pizza, and invite everyone back tomorrow. It will make a great story to tell your daughter-in-law when she forgets to thaw her turkey.

If you’re interested in a super juicy bird, don’t forget to brine your turkey.

Okay, this is your time to “shine.” What’s your best “forgot to thaw the bird” story? 

My story: I’ve never forgotten to thaw a bird, but I did set one inside the garage door when I came home from the grocery store and forgot it there…for days. Why didn’t I notice it? Apparently, I rarely used that door, and also it was a buy-one-get-one-free sale, so the other turkey was getting all the pre-Thanksgiving TLC. We smelled found it eventually.

Photo thanks: Tim Sackton (changes mine)

 

364 Days to Overwhelming Gratitude

My favorite holiday is so close I can almost smell it–creamy mashed potatoes with oodles of butter, my mom’s fresh potato rolls with oodles of butter, my daughter’s homemade stuffing with oodles of butter. Except this year, I can’t eat butter. Our baby has an allergy–we can’t figure out the culprit, but for now Mama is on an elimination diet which means Thanksgiving dinner is going to look more like turkey and green beans–no butter.

And that’s okay. I’m still super excited for Thanksgiving.

Why? Because it’s not about the food. It’s not even about the pie if you can believe I’m saying that. It’s about the thanks.

364 Days to Overwhelming Gratitude


Which brings us to Thanksgiving pet peeve number one:

Random Citizen: “I’m thankful for this and that and that and this.”

Great, but who gets your thanks, Random Citizen? The air? The fates? The universe? They don’t want your thanks and they certainly don’t deserve it. God does.

You knew there’d be a Thanksgiving pet peeve number two:

Even though I am running 26 Days of Thanksgiving in Photos on my Facebook page, I don’t like those “gimmicks.”

Why not? They’re great! You’re such a humbug. That’s why you named your son Ebenezer.

Chill–good grief. I don’t like them because they end. We focus on Thanksgiving for a day, perhaps a month, and then it bluntly ends like this sentence. Done. Bam. No more.

It’s time to reconcile both of those pet peeves.

Pastor Andrew Schroer who shepherds a friendly bilingual Christian church out in a li’l ol’ western town in Texas wrote a devotional journal called 364 Days of Thanksgiving. In it, Andy encourages us to:

  1. 364 Days of ThanksgivingBe thankful every day.
  2. Address our thanks to God.

I love it when something single-handedly (or single-pagedly) decimates my pet peeves, don’t you? Of course you do. It gets better.

364 Days of Thanksgiving is also a journal, providing space for you to write down one thing to be thankful for each day–even I can handle that. The trick is it has to be something different, so you can’t do this:

  • Day 1–cookies
  • Day 2–cookies
  • Day 3–cookies
  • Day 4–cookies
  • Day 5–cookies
  • Day 6–cookies

I’m not sure if you can do this:

  • Day 1–chocolate chip cookies without nuts
  • Day 2–chocolate chip cookies with nuts
  • Day 3–cookies after church
  • Day 4–Great Grandma’s molasses cookies
  • Day 5–getting the last cookie in the jar before Steve does
  • Day 6–secretly enjoying the cookie I hid in my sock drawer after everyone else went to bed

Probably not.

What about day 365? Dickens said we Americans had it backward (he actually said backwards with an S, being British) when we gripe all year and thank one day. He says we should thank 364 days and gripe one day. Andy one-ups good ol’ Dickens: on day 365 you sit down with the last cookie from your sock drawer and read over the entire journal showing how God (not the universe) has blessed you.

Do you see what’s happening here? By focusing on gratitude for an entire year, you become more grateful and more aware of your blessings. Instead of griping over the lack of oodles of butter, you rejoice over the potatoes. Gratitude becomes a habit, and you become a grateful dry potato eater instead of a disgruntled butter lover. It’s a beautiful transformation!

Andrew Schroer and his Beautiful Bride
Andy with his stunning bride, Clariza

While I might possibly still have your attention, know this: 364 Days of Thanksgiving is not filled with blank pages awaiting your thanks. Andy fills it with encouragement and the great stories (parables, really) that his parishioners expect to hear when he steps up to the pulpit.

Now, if you’re following along on our Twelve Weeks of a Simple Christmas missions, you could finish a huge chunk of your Christmas list with just this book. No lie…because I don’t lie…except that one time which is none of your business but which really makes me grateful for Jesus and forgiveness.

Buy 364 Days of Thanksgiving for your Kindle or in hold-it-in-your-hand-and-smell-the-pages format at Amazon (affiliate link) or as an ebook or hardcover book here. You can also find a related Bible study for groups and a sermon series for pastor’s here in both CD and downloadable formats.

You won’t be sorry; in fact, 364 days from now you’ll be overwhelmingly grateful.

 

Preserve a Memory for Mom (and Maybe Win $2500 in the Process)

This post contains affiliate links, meaning I make a commission if you order through these links. My policy is that I’ve gotta like a company a whole lot to tell you about them. Any profit I make at TSHM buys homeschool materials for my seven “road scholars.” If you don’t want me to profit, delete your cookies before purchasing. Mmmm…cookies.

Make a Book For and About Your Favorite Person (and maybe win $2500 in the process)



I’m always telling you to make everyday memories with your loved ones, to simplify your life so you have time to live your life, to prioritize people over possessions, over passions, even over popcorn and pie.

Today I’m sharing a company that can help you preserve some of those memories you create. Why now? Mother’s Day is just around the corner, Father’s Day and Grandparent’s Day are nipping at its heels, I’m sure your anniversary and a few birthdays are in there somewhere, and then, BAM, it’s Christmas!

The company I want to tell you about is called Blurb. I’ve been a Blurb affiliate for a while now, and I have always kinda sorta deleted all their emails as they came in. But then I saw a book that my cousin made through Blurb and wow-holy-cow was that ever gorgeous!

So I started paying attention to the Blurb emails, and wow-holy-cow-and-its-calf, those people are always having sales! They’re like Kohls!

Finally, I checked them out for myself, and wow-holy-herd-of-cattle, they are organized, user-friendly, and offer quality products.

What does this have to do with your Mama?

Mother’s Day and, BAM, Christmas are just around the corner. If your mama is anything like this mama, she doesn’t want stuff, except for maybe a new slotted spoon to replace the one small hands left behind in the sand dunes of Idaho where it masqueraded as a shovel for a day. Oh, and your mama wants chocolate, the 85% dark that doesn’t give her…ahem…aroma.

Why not give her a personalized book instead, like one of these:

  • Compile her favorite recipes and create a cookbook.
  • Gather memories from all her children and grandchildren with pictures and drawings.
  • Write a letter-book to her. It could be called, simply, “Dear Mom.”
  • Is she a poet or an artist or a great story teller? Gather her work into a book.
  • Make a photo album of something special to her–a wedding, a trip, time with you.
  • Select pictures of her favorite pet and write about him, or include blank lines for her to fill in.
  • Write a children’s book in which she is the star. Let your children illustrate it.
  • Put together a memory book of a missed loved one.

The sky is the limit. Well, actually, your imagination (with the creative help of Pinterest and Blurb) is the limit, which might be higher than the sky.

Remember, I said they’re always having a sale? Always may be a slight exaggeration, but only slight.

Here are the current Blurb deals:

  1. Save a whopping 15% on printed books through April 30. That’s soon, I know, and you’re busy making memories, so I’ll update this with new deals as soon as I hear about them.
  2. Save 30% on “My Favorite Person” books through May 31. If you write your own My Favorite Person book (why not Mom!) and enter it by the deadline (4/28 or 05/31, depending), you could win $2500.

Here’s a little video explaining the contest. Videos are fun, aren’t they? Make some popcorn.

Why are you still here? Go make your book…or popcorn..or both!

But first..what are your ideas for personalized books?