Saving Money on Christmas

So many people have money issues around this time of year and we are no exception. So here's a few tips on saving money over Christmas. 

-Save up during the year.  This seems like a no brainer, right? I know it's easier said than done when you are living paycheck to paycheck, but if you can even save $5 a paycheck through the year, that will give you a good head start on money for presents or extras during the holidays.  Many banks have a 'Christmas account' for this very reason.   Some people will buy the presents throughout the year and stash them somewhere. Either way you choose, it will make it so the entire amount isn't hitting you all at one time. 

-Take advantage of the sales.  While I have to admit, the sales seem to be getting worse each year,  you can still get some usefulness out of them.  We had our toy list and went shopping on Black Friday and Cyber Monday for the presents.   

-Consider Alternatives.  Instead of buying something brand new from Toys R Us or another store, check Ebay.  Keep an eye on Amazon sales-they had some great ones leading up to Black Friday this year.  Instead of buying the name brand, look for a different brand that is just as good. While I know this won't work with all the things (Transformers are huge in our house right now-got a good thing to buy an off brand, been there, done that), there are some things it will work with.  Instead of an iPod, consider Sony brand.  I have a Sony mp3 player and LOVE it-especially for 1/3 of the cost.  For computers or other electronics, consider looking for the equivalent in an up and coming brand (I bought a Toshiba computer YEARS ago before many people used them at a fraction of the cost they are now).   If somebody on your list loves crafts, wait for the sales at your favorite craft store, I'm told Hobby Lobby had some great sales store wide and JoAnn's always has SOMETHING on sale.  Also consider homemade gifts, depending on the gifts and what you have on hand, this might not always be cheaper-but it can definitely be more personalized! 

-Don't forget about the dollar stores!  While we didn't get the main gifts from the dollar stores, we are utilizing them for the stocking stuffers.  

-Don't underestimate the power of memories.  We didn't have a lot of presents when I was young. Christmas especially was never something my parents went all out on like my friend's families.. but I cherish the memories we made instead of the things we got.  Making cookies with mom, driving around looking at lights, singing Christmas carols, decorating the tree.... It's the little things they will remember, not the stuff. 

And most importantly (for your checkbook anyway)

-MAKE A BUDGET.  Decide on a number, whether it's an overall or per kid, decide how much you can afford to spend and choose the presents within that price. The past years we've done $20-$25 per kid, then a little more for us... For the most part, we are both in on finding the presents for each other. We are both practical people and want something we can use so it works for us.  Our stocking stuffers are the only surprise this year lol.   Next year we have decided we will make an overall budget (and save up during the year) and stay within that number.  The older kid toys do cost a little more, and babies or toddlers are just as satisfied with what nobody else is playing with after they get their new toys as they are with the box and wrapping paper.  


I hope these tips help somebody.  Have a Merry Christmas!

~Tabitha 

Christmas Stockings

Woohoo! Got two stockings done!  I started last January or February with Eva's, then went on to Andrew's. I'm now working on crosstitching the front part of Grace's.  We bought the fabric, which is just a Christmas red cotton for the backings when we bought the pattern book and Aida cloth. I did forget to buy red thread, but I have maroon, so figured it would work just fine. 

So here's how I did the stocking part of the stocking. 

Two down! Five to Go! 

 This is the outline to tell me what to cross stitch where.  I added 1/4 inch to it for seam allowance, which I didn't end up needing, so when I get Grace's down, I'll not do that. 

This is the finished crossstitched design.  I added a 1/4 inch seam allowance before I cut, with Grace's I'll add a half inch. 

I put my fabric and my aida cloth right sides together pinned and sewed all but the top edge.

 Then I took my zig zag scissors and trimmed the extra red fabric so there wasn't as much in the seams when I turned it right side out. 

 The back half of the stocking, I did a rolled hem to stop the fraying since my sewing machine doesn't do a zig zag stitch. 

 Then again I pinned the right sides together and sewed around the edge.  I added some lacy ribbon for the hook part for when I hang them. 

 I was using the edge of my foot on my machine to make sure the seam was even all the way around.

And here we are.  I did the hook backwards on Andrew's, but it should work just fine. 

Now all we need is command hooks to hang them on the wall. :) 

~Tabitha

Baby Sewing List

Since I'm about half way done with this pregnancy, I'd say it's about time I start on my sewing list.  

So here goes my list of what needs done at least, along with a few links I've saved on Pinterest for patterns. 

-Make the baby quilt.  I do have some material picked out for this, but I'm still on the the hunt through my scraps for more.  This is going to be my first real quilt I've made, so things could get a little interesting. 

-Make prefold diapers.  I have an awesome friend that sews (much more experience than I am, so she is helping me) she already made a bunch of diapers for me from this pattern..  This pattern will use up a lot of the old clothes we have sitting around that nobody wears anymore.  I already have the covers, but my diapers fell apart with Grace and the prefolds or flats fit a little newborn butt a lot easier than the All In Ones I currently use.  I'm shooting for 4 dozen, that will make sure I have around two days worth. 

-Make nursing pads.  For this, I'll either enlist the help of my friend, or take the stuff to my mom's.  Guess we'll see how the winter goes.. A zig zag stitch on a machine is a must, and as much as I love my old one, it just doesn't do the job.  I've got a pattern pinned, but I know I already have on printed out from Hillbilly Housewife blog that I love.  I made two dozen when I was pregnant with Grace, but they seem to have gone the way of socks in the dryer-nobody knows!!! So here's the basics... You want three layers of flannel, one layer of fleece.  Take a cereal bowl, lay the top side down and trace around it.. then make a pie shaped cut out of it (this will contour it and also give you scraps for stuffing homemade stuffed animals or a pillow).  You want to put all four pieces together and zig zag the 'pie' ends together first, make sure you get them all.  Then zig zag around the edge and you're good to go.  This may not seem like much, but I had to really leak to soak through.  I'm gonna make another two dozen of these, because I leak, and I can never have enough nursing pads. :) 

-Make Nursing Bras. Yes, you read that right. But no, I won't show you how lol.  I have attempted this, many times in fact and they never come out... So I'm sending this project to my friend.  Because she looked at the instructions and said 'oh that's easy'. LOL  So I'm buying regular, comfy bras, sending her my stretched out and broken nursing bras for the hardware and letting her deal with it lol!! Here's the pattern, though. 

-Make Nursing Tanks.  Call me crazy, but I'm going to try it anyway. lol  I have a ton of tank tops sitting in a box.. I much prefer to be covered and not have to worry about showing skin-really the only time I do layers constantly is when I'm nursing.  I have on boughten nursing tank and I LOVE it... So here's hoping.  It's really the same method as the nursing bra-except I'll have to buy a package of those fasteners. 

-Make Post Partum Pads.. Now, I do have some disposables that I will probably use the first few days, but I don't see them making it past there.  I LOVE my light days, and once I figured out what I was doing, they were easy peasy.  I already have a pattern cut out, just need to dig through the scraps and find the correct material (cotton, flannel and maybe a layer of fleece). Here's the pattern I'll be going off of as far as layers. 

A few things for fun, if I have  time and material. 

-Make cloth wipes.  I already use towels, but something is just cute about having 'fancy' wipes lol.  Yeah, I'm weird.  Here's a pattern. 

-Make some baby toys. Now this one, I have a little more time as baby won't need toys right away.. But I've been seeing this pattern for awhile and keep wanting to do it. 


That's everything on my Pinterest board, so that must be my whole list, right? LOL  I have to finish Christmas stockings before I try that though.  

Are you sewing anything right now? Let me know in the comments.

~Tabitha 

Coconut Popcorn Chicken

Coconut Popcorn Chicken

I found a recipe on Pinterest... so used that as a guideline and combined it with my previous recipe.. IT IS GOOD, let me tell ya.  The kids are leaving little to no leftovers.  Usually the package of 6 chicken breasts from Sam's gives us a gallon and a half of baggies of baked chicken, I barely have half a bag full after two days of cooking. :) 

I chopped the chicken into bite size pieces, then marinated. 

1/2 cup soy sauce

2 tablepsoons garlic powder

2 tablespoons onion powder

Then came my 'breading'.  

Half a bag of coconut flakes (about 2 cups)

2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons garlic

2 tablespoons onion

I ran out of coconut after about half of the chicken, so just used flour instead-still good! 

 All breaded and ready for oven!

Bake at 390 for about 16 minutes, turning halfway.  One pan, I didn't get the pieces separated enough so it took a few extra minutes. Just make sure you check it before you take it out if you are worried it isn't done. 

For freezing and reheating: I let the pans cool, then placed the whole pan in the freezer for 15 minuts to flash freeze.  Once they were cold, I dumped it in a ziploc bag and put back in the freezer. The first freezing makes sure they won't stick together.. To reheat, throw in the microwave for a few minutes or the oven for 10 minutes at 400. 

Shopping Trip 11/19 and A few Recipes

I cannot even begin to express how much I wish Aldi's was open... but it's not.. so Hyvee and Sam's is who I have to deal with.  I'm also grabbing a few things from our local store this time, because of the price.  And we are getting honey from a local beekeeper...because we need honey and local is best. :D 

I'm over budget for a few reasons this month... We need oxi clean for the laundry, my homemade stuff just isn't cutting it-so that's an extra $15.  We are taking advantage of HyVee's buy a ham get a turkey free deal, while it's a lot of meat for around $20-it's still an extra expense.   Of course the special Thanksgiving meal is costing a little more because I'm making things that aren't normal...and I want shrimp, and cinnamon rolls to eat while the parade is on.  We are also doing a small order from Azure Standard, so that's adding to it, too.  

So all things put together and I think I heard the checkbook gasp then fall down from fainting. 

We are trying more new recipes than normal.  A few venison roast recipes along with coconut shrimp with sauce and coconut popcorn chicken.  

I found both of the coconutty recipes on Pinterest, and they looked good. :D I've really been craving popcorn chicken lately, but I can't use the recipe we love because it calls for egg dip which Grace can't eat. But this coconut popcorn chicken sure sounds good. 

Baked Coconut Shrimp with Tropical Fruit Dipping Sauce
Original Recipe Found At Live Love Pasta
1 pound raw shrimp, peeled and deviened
1 cup cornstarch
2 egg whites
2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup orange marmalade
1/4 crushed pineapple 
juice of half a lime
Preheat oven to 375. Whip the whites into stiff peaks.  Set up an assembly line with raw shrimp, corn starch, egg whites and coconut. Dip the shrimp into the corn starch and coat well, egg whites then coconut. Place on a rack on a baking sheet and bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown. While baking whisk together the marmalade, lime juice and crushed pineapple. 

Now I am going to change this a little... The shrimp is just going to be coated in just coconut and the original recipe calls for peach-mango marmalade, but I did see a recipe using orange.  The rack under shrimp will help it get crispy all the way around and you won't have to worry about turning it.  

Popcorn Chicken
Original Recipe Found At Brittany Angell
2-3 cups Unsweetened Shredded Coconut Flakes
3 Tablespoons each of garlic and smoked paprika
1 pound meaty chicken pieces cut up
dash of salt
Preheat oven to 350
Cut the chicken. In a bowl combine the coconut flakes, spices and sat. A handful at a time, add the raw chicken to the coconut flake breading. Toss until each piece is well covered. 
Place breaded chicken on a dry baking sheet. (Do not coat with oil.) Place into oven and bake 45-55 minutes until chicken is cooked through and the breading is golden. Toss popcorn chicken a few times to make few it get crispy all the way around (or just use the baking rack).  

Another recipe... We always do ham for Thanksgiving-we just aren't turkey people. So I buy a bone in ham, throw it in the crock pot the night before to marinade with about a cup of vinegar, 1 cup of brown sugar and 1 cup of honey.  Put the crock in the pot the next morning as I'm making breakfast and it's done by lunch time leaving the stove and oven free to cook the rest of the meal.  

Hot Cocoa Mix!

'Tis the season for cocoa! Come on, you know you want some! :D 

My mom always made a dry mix when I was a kid, and now I'm making it, too. While I know there are healthier options to put in the mix than what I do, and I will let you in on the ones I know of, I prefer this. It's cheap, easy and yummy. 

(excuse the grater in the background, I was taking a break from shredding) One of those creamer containers is the acutal creamer, the other is what I use to store the cocoa mix

Hot Cocoa Dry Mix
5 cups powdered milk
1 1/2 cup creamer
1 cup powdered sugar
1 cup (1 8 oz container) of baking cocoa


Now obviously, you can forgo the powdered milk and just do the rest, heating up milk instead of water when you want a cup of cocoa.  I like the creamer (we usually keep plain, non dairy creamer in the house, so use that) because it adds a little flavor and thickness to it.  If you use baking cocoa, you want the sugar... I've never tried the Hershey cocoa powder, so don't know if that would be sweeter than the store brand?  In place of baking cocoa, you can also use carob powder.. This is what my mom uses as she's allergic to chocolate.   

Now, how much you use, depends on how strong you want your cocoa. It always takes me a few cups making it to remember how strong I want it...Then I have to readjust after hubby wants some because he likes it stronger lol. 

Something else going on around here. I'm shredding cheese, a ton of cheese it seems lol.  I bought a block of parmesan last month and since I'm making lasagna today, I had to get it shredded. Sore arm! And I still have mozarella and cheddar to shred! 

Enjoy your cocoa! 
~Tabitha 

Things Around Here and a Recipe!

To say we've been a little crazy around here is a severe understatement.  

The kids and I spent some extra time at my parents a few weekends ago.. Had lots of fun and made peppernuts-an old family recipe that is a blast to make with kids, trust me, you'll want the help. 

We brought a flu bug home, thankfully it was just the girls and I and only lasted a few days.  Then grocery shopping right after we got better.  My stomach has had a few issues recovering from that. 

I'm also combating morning sickness (Baby Hidalgo due in April! YAY).  So finding things I can eat lately are challenging.  My usualy remedies are not working this time and it's leaving me a little puzzled.  I'm usually fine eating what I'm craving and being done... But no, this baby decided that wasn't going to work. :p lol. So it seems my go-tos are pizza and tomato soup.  But hey, it works. I also have Morning-Ease herbal pills from SolarRay and Papaya Enzyme to help.  

The kids are back in the swing of school.  We are working our way through the alphabet, on letter J this week.  I'm trying to think of ways to make the letter writing fun for my five year old, he's not much of a writer.  I simplified from my original plans and we are incorporating chalk boards instead of doing everything on paper and playing some board games.  

I'm still working on Christmas stockings, have the cross stich part done on two, now I need to do the sewing part so they are ready to hang next month. We'll see if I can get another done before Christmas.   I have to make pajamas for the kids and slippers from the scraps of the fleece.  

We are working on establishing a cleaning routine, something I've never been great at it, but I think it will help my anxiety level if I can figure something out.  I'm trying to pick an area of the house and do that a day out of the week.. Plus the typical and daily laundry and dishes.  

The weather has turned colder here so we are wearing sweaters and not going outside as much (where'd my sanity go again?).  It's definitely cocoa and hot tea season.  YUMMY. :D  My favorite.  

Onto the promised recipe. This has been passed down for at least three generations on the German side of my family.  Trust me, you'll want kiddo help to make the cookies. :) Makes it go a lot faster and they'll have fun. 
Fair warning-the 'anise' flavoring is the same flavoring as black licorice.. Personally, I HATE black licorice but LOVE these cookies. Also, this recipe makes 3-4 GALLONS of bite size cookies. 


Peppernuts (Pfefferneusse) 
3 cups brown sugar
3 cups white sugar
2 eggs
1 scant tablespoon anise
1 cup shortening or butter
1 teaspoon each of ginger, cinnamon, cloves, coriander (or       cardamon), nutmeg
1 tablespoon baking powder 
About 5 lbs of flour

Soften shortening, cream in sugars, mix in the rest. Then add the flour. It will be almost as stiff as bread dough and require your hands to work in all the flour. You don't want it to stick to your hands, but more flour can be added and will be needed later-probably a cup or two.  
Chill for a couple of days.  
(Now comes the fun part, and the part where you want help!)  Roll out the dough and cut in small pieces.  How we do it, is we sprinkle flour on the table or cutting board-whatever you are using. Work a chunk of the dough soft (treat it like you would sugar cookie dough, get out a little at a time then put the rest back for a bit), roll it out like play dough in about 1/2 inch diameter 'strings'.  Take a table knife and cut in about 1/4 inch long bites.  
Bake at 375 about 10 minutes.  They will be brown on the outside but nice and soft on the inside.