Baking Traditions at my House

   I don't know how it is with your family, but our holiday's are filled with Food, Folks, and Fun! ( Sorry for the McDonald's tag line)  Lots and lots of food!  Think back on some of your holidays--they revolved around food didn't they?  See I told you!

  For example, it wouldn't be Thanksgiving at our house without Grandma's carrot cake or my homemade pumpkin pie!  I tried to take a short cut one year and bought frozen pies and you would have thought the world had come to and end! Geez....my kids were mad because the pies, and I quote "sucked".  We have never had store bought pumpkin pie on Thanksgiving again!! Lol!


  At Christmas time, we have KY stack cake (my favorite) that the recipe has been passed down thru the generations!  This is my year to make it with tutelage from my dear Momma! She is ever so particular about it!
 
Rum cake is another holiday favorite at my house.  It tastes and smells amazing due to the dark rum that it is made with.  If you want to send a cake to someone, this one ships well--the rum preserves it! This cake can be made early and placed in the freezer to save you time during the holidays!


  Then there is the  jam cake that is to die for!  My Momma likes to make it with blackberry jam, but I prefer it made with strawberry jam.  To make it even more delectable, she brushes wine on it for days before we are allowed to eat it!  Can you say HEAVENLY? 


  In the next few weeks I will be sharing some the recipes for our family baking traditions!  So start finding your own traditional baking recipes to share with us as well!

Traditional Holiday Blessings to you all,
Lisa

 
  
 

Rememberance of My Grandma

      Do you remember anything that your Granny did that brings back special memories?  I do!  One in particular was my Grandma's love of flowers.  She used to have rows of flowers in the garden and also in pots all over the house and yard. One particular container was an old galvanized wash tub that sat on a stump just outside of the back door.  Everytime you went in and out of that old wooden screen door( I can still hear the Thwack as it slammed) you saw the tub of Moss Roses she grew there. They were a beautiful mix of summer color that I haven't forgotten to this day.  She would plant the seeds very closely so the plethora of moss roses hung over the top of the tub.  I always loved those flowers.  Loved the quantity of beauty they encompassed, loved the variety of summer color they provided.  Great memories of my Grandma!  So in order to keep those sweet memories alive, I too have a galvanized container of moss roses!  I haven't found a huge wash tub for them yet, but just a galvanized bucket-my own small reminder of my Grandma! 












   I am sure Grandma is smiling down on my little bucket of moss roses right now!!
 Do you have any special reminders of loved ones in your yard?



Memorable Blessings to you all,
Lisa

The Dessert Buffet!

As many of you know, my DS#1 got married in September. I promised to show you pics of my contribution to the wedding so here they are!  

The happy couple!

The Dessert Buffet!

The Wedding Cake!  If you look closely at the back bottom of the brides dress is a cat.  They love their kitties!

Sandwich cookies on top right made by Brides Mother!  Decorated sugar cookies were made by my cousin Christina,!  Thanks for all of the help!

Cookies by Christina's Creations!

Well, what do you think?  I am so happy with how it turned out!

Blessings,
Lisa

My Portion of the Wedding Duties!

 

My son and his fiancé.

 Some of you may know my DS #1 is getting married on September 17th. As the Mother of the Groom, I don't have a ton to do but this is what I am responsible for:  The Rehearsal Dinner and the Wedding cake and dessert table at the reception. 
    That may not seem like much but it is a lot when you are trying to DIY to save money.  The rehearsal dinner will not be catered.  I am cooking!The menu will consist of:   Vegetable Lasagna, meat lasagna, fettuccini alfredo with grilled chicken, tossed salad, everything bread and butter, Caprese salad, assorted olives, a vegetable tray and fruit tray -both with dip, cake and cheesecake for dessert.


   The kids opted to just have the rehearsal dinner in the church basement to keep things simple.  There is a lovely kitchen at my disposal there so I am not worrying too much! Plus, I have recruited my daughters and son-in-law to help me that Friday!  Love that I can depend on my family!!!


   I have been dreaming of the dessert buffet for months now!  My cousin Christina has volunteered to help me with it!  Here is what we have planned:   Wedding cake of course, a carrot cake, apple pie, peach pie, raspberry tartlets with white chocolate. lemon tartlets with fresh raspberries, Apple pie filled cupcakes, iced sugar cookies in the shape of sunflowers, Oreo truffles, buckeyes, and a small chocolate fountain with strawberries, marshmallows, pretzels and cookies to dip in the chocolate.  Oh and I cannot forget the brides choice--mini cherry cheesecakes!  Yes, that is all and yes, I took over a weeks vacation in order to get it all done! 


    I do not know what I would do without Christina's help!  We have both been looking so forward to creating a yummy, beautiful dessert buffet!  Lots of work but mmm ,mmm, good!


I cannot wait to show you the pics after the wedding!  Wish me luck!


Sweet Blessings,
Lisa

Happy Anniversary To My DH!

 

 

Thirty years ago today, on the coldest day of the year, with 5 inches of snow on the ground, Tom and I were married!  It was so cold that day, the water meter at Tom's parent's house froze so they had to rent a hotel room to get dressed for the wedding in. I actually laughed through most of the ceremony because my little brother dropped the ring bearers pillow! Love you Tom! Thirty years, 4 children later and they said it wouldn't last!!
Blessings,
Lisa

Choosing to be Happy

    Lately I have been feeling like I need a change in my life. I have been in a depressing rut.  I have not been happy.

    This morning I read an article in good Housekeeping Magazine about how to live richer and happier.  I have been so worried about our money situation and just so obsessed about our financial future that I am not enjoying my life now.  The way I am going I won’t be enjoying life anytime soon. This has to stop!  I do not mean I want to stop my goal of increasing my income, but I have to start living in the present and for the future.  Worrying about it won’t help anything. I have to let go…… and let God!

  I have to concentrate on what I have, not what I don’t have.  “There are people with money and there are people who are rich.” Said Coco Chanel and this is so true!  I am rich!  I have the best family a girl could want!  I have a paid off car, a roof over my head and food in my belly.  I am rich.  I have great friends, I have a job with insurance, and I have God to look out for me. I am rich in everything that matters and I need to remember this and be  grateful.     

                                                                                                

  The article in Good Housekeeping also said that if we give we will receive.  Think about that.  Those who give to others, be it money, time, or love do get something back in return. They get a sense of accomplishment.  They get fulfillment. They often get love back in return.  What a blessing it is to help others! Random acts of kindness are wonderful ways to minister to others and minister to your soul.  Pay your blessings forward:  volunteer in the community, donate food to a food pantry, open the door for an elderly or handicapped person-Just do something for others. Wave at a neighbor, say hello to a stranger, be open to other’s needs, and remember a smile cost you nothing!

  If we concentrate on what we can do for others and what we are blessed with, we can enjoy a happier richer life! 

Grateful blessings to you all,

Lisa

Last Week's Frugal Accomplishments

     Last week I received a notice from our mortgage company that our escrow account was short thereby increasing our mortgage payment by $50 per month. Also, my health insurance rates went up by $ 70 per month. So I am having to be extremely frugal and am trying to cut costs where ever I can.      I packed my lunch last week. That can be a great savings-just takes a little forethought and planning!
       I bought several gifts for my family for birthdays and next Christmas at the 50% off sales after Christmas. I also found cookies reduced 50% and some Snickers (DH’s Favorite) as well.
       There was one loaf of frozen bread dough left in the freezer so instead of buying rolls for Christmas dinner, I baked that.
     I was able to use all of the Flex spending money for our meds this month. That is a relief—if you don’t use it you lose it!
      I picked up several semi boneless hams earlier in December that I planned on using for Christmas dinner, but I was able to save them because my sweet aunt gave me a whole ham and a huge beef roast for Christmas! Thanks Aunt Jane! I think I will be able to stretch the huge roast into 3-4 meals. Batch cooking here I come!
        I picked up a top at the Goodwill for $1.65 and it is so pretty! I also found an old wooden churn for $7.50—boy did I snatch it up quick! St. Vincent de Paul had all Christmas stuff for 25 cents each and I found a candy dish to give with candy for a small gift next year. I also found gently used books for my nieces and granddaughter for 25 cents apiece. I always give the girls books. I want them to be voracious readers like I am.
    I was given 12 of the new blue mason jars for Christmas Thank you Christina—Cannot wait to use them.
     We enjoyed bean soup (using the ham bone from the freezer to flavor it) for one supper and had enough left overs for several lunches.
     I had my son pick up my free turkey that my employers give us for Christmas. That makes 3 turkeys in the freezer!
      I gave homemade jelly to several people for Christmas! I love home canned goodies and I think others do too!
     I made a batch of laundry soap and scented it with Lavender essential oil. This is such a great money saver and so easy.
  We were given a gift card to a restaurant that we do not care for but it is my daughter’s boyfriend’s favorite, so DD is buying it from us. I want to use the money to build up my pantry a bit as I have been hitting it hard lately!
  I made a pot of French Onion soup for supper one night. My Mother had never had it and she really enjoyed it. Even with putting a slice of bread and cheese on top, it was a very cheap, but delicious meal!
   So what have you saved money on lately?
  Frugal Blessings,
  Lisa

This post shared on:http://frugallysustainable.com/2014/01/frugal-days-sustainable-ways-102/

An Apology and Next Years Goal

I would like to apologize for being missing is action for the last month. My Mother broke a rib Thanksgiving morning and has been living with me and my family. It has been a bit challenging and has taken a bit of time to get used to but we are managing! I also was in the hospital right before Christmas. I had some chest pain and was admitted for observation and testing. My stress test was positive so I had to have an angiogram. Turns out I have a small blockage but nothing to be too worried about for now. Just need to watch my diet and start to exercise more. Also need to stop stressing about everything! Easier said than done but I am trying. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! Our family sure did! Too much food and lots of fun! With the new year approaching, I have been going over our budget and surprise, surprise, our budget is being challenged! Several expenses are increasing. Our mortgage escrow has increased $50.00 per month and our health insurance has gone up $70 per month. Tom received a 1.5% raise in his SSD check but that is only $17.00 per month. I will not get my raise until April and that is usually about $16.00 per week. So our expenses have increased $120.00 per month and our income is only increasing $17.00 per month so we are in the whole over $100.00 per month. We do not have an extra $100.00 per month to spare! We are strapped as it is now and I have no idea how we are going to come up with that extra cash. So that brings me to my goal for 2014- Increase our income by $200 per month and reduce our expenses by $50.00 per month in order to survive financially and get our financial life moving in the right direction. I will be trying to get my Herb and Botanicals business off the ground, but I need to generate extra money starting in January. I will be researching how to come up with cash fast and will be sharing my successes and failures. I hope you will follow along on our journey to increase our income and reduce our expenses. We are pretty frugal but we need to tighten our belts even more than we have in the past. It is going to be an interesting year! How are you and your family dealing with increasing costs? Blessings to you all in the New Year, Lisa

Last Weeks Frugal Accomplishments

    Last week wasn’t a very frugal week for our family, although we made many memories!  Tom and I splurged on a date for ourselves.  We attended Flashdance at the  Aronoff in Cincy Saturday and then went to dinner.  The movie had many special memories for us during our dating days so the play was very dear to our hearts!  Tom very much appreciated the grey cut out sweatshirt ala Flashdance that I used to wear! Lol!!!  Truth be told, I still have it in my cedar chest!  Fun reliving old times!  I look at this as an investment into our marriage of almost 29 years instead of a great expense.   He only had one seizure during the play so I consider it a Win, Win!

   I did pack my lunch 3 days last week and I bought a salad from the cafeteria and made it last for 2 lunches—it was a large salad. 

  I Made 3 crockpot meals this using food from the pantry and freezer.  Went to the grocery and only bought milk, lunch meat, bread, fruit, and cheese.   Saving some of my budgeted grocery money for this week at our Meijer.  They are having the buy 10 for $10 and get the 11^th free sale.  I try to stock up on Tom’s pretzels and several other items I stock up on there during the sale.  They also have the pork tenderloins on sale for $1.79 per pound.  Cheaper than hamburger and yummy!!

   I made a table runner for my dining room table last Sunday morning.  It is simple but sweet.  I used part of a Moda charm pack and some navy fabric I had on hand.  My Mom gave me the batting to use in it and I have enough fabric squares left to make several more small projects. 

  I found several pieces of wool clothing at the St. Vincent de Paul and the Goodwill that I will be cutting up to make crafts with.  All pieces were half off so I got them very cheaply!  

   Last September when I made my apple butter, my Foley food mill broke.  So I had been pricing them online to try and find one at a reasonable cost.  I decided to wait and to try to borrow one from my Mother.  Guess what I found for half price at the Goodwill Saturday?  That’s right, a like new Foley food mill priced at $8 but on sale for $4!    I recognized a need and God brought it to me!  Thank you!  I was so happy with finding that food mill!  Little things in life I guess!

  What were you able to save money on this week?  I would love to hear from you in the comments section!

Frugal Blessings,

Lisa

 

 

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Fall Weekend Getaway

  My DH and I like to take our Mothers on a fall weekend getaway every year.  This year we chose to go to Jenny Wiley State Resort Park.  I was a little disappointed in the lack of color in the leaves but it was a wonderful trip anyway!  We were able to see the Jenny Wiley Story Play at the Mountain Arts Center.  That facility is truly a blessing to the community!  There was an art exhibit there that was awesome--so enjoyed that!  May Lodge is a very interesting building-very cool post and beam construction-and the employees were so sweet!  We had a very nice trip and I would recommend this lodge highly.  Here are some pics:

 

 

 

 

 Sorry for so many pics!

Have you had a getaway this Fall?

 

 

Gratituesday

  Last night I sat thinking about what I would write about for Gratituesday. Soon after, my DD#2  came into my room to tell me that our friends 18 year old daughter passed away.  She had been battling bone cancer for several years but recently she developed an infection that she just could not overcome.  I grieve for her parents......just could not imagine losing a child.  My heart just breaks for their loss.  So......I am so grateful to God for having been given the privilege of having my children happy and healthy.  I am so thankful, so very thankful that I have them and pray I never have to know the sorrow of losing a child. Thank you God.  Thank you so very much.

The four loves of my life!(Several Years ago)

 

Please remember the Shay family in your prayers; 

                                                    Grateful Blessings for you all,
                                                                         Lisa

Operation Homemade Christmas

 

         Earlier this year, I posted --that I wanted to have a “simple, homemade Christmas”.   In order to save money, simplify our holiday, and remember the true meaning of Christmas, I wanted to make most, if not all of our Christmas gifts.  I got off to a pretty good start-crocheted several doll blankies for my granddaughter and nieces, and crocheted a dish cloth for my cousin.  Then I had an emergency appendectomy and my plans went right out of the window!  I had complications and had a very rough time of it for quite a while and didn’t accomplish anything.  Nothing got done for my Project Homemade Christmas for months—zip, zilch, nada.  Therefore I am so very far behind on my gift making.  

      My jellies and jams are usually made by now so I think I will have to start to working on those first.  I make strawberry jam, grape jelly, apple jelly, zuchinni  jam and if I have time—apple butter to put in goody baskets for my friends and family.  I just love putting together homemade goodness to share with those who mean the most to me!  Gifts from the heart are the best aren’t they?

      I did order small wooden discs from Factory Direct Crafts to make snowball picture ornaments with.  I plan on painting them white, using a punch to punch a perfect round circle out of a pic, then Modge Podging onto wooden disc.  Then I plan on gluing Mica flakes to edges to look like snow. I think those will be my second project.    I have been taking pictures of loved ones all year with the intention of making these precious little ornies.   Many of my favorite ornaments on my tree have pictures of my family in/on them. 

Our newest family member Peyton will go on the tree this year!

 

   Framed pictures are a favorite gift to give as well.  I have been taking photos all year with this in mind also.  My children receive pics of mom and dad(or the Grandparents) most years!  If they are not appreciated so much now, one day they will realize the true value and hopefully will be thankful they have these photo mementos of us.  Appreciation increases with age doesn’t it?

Me and my Hubby!

My aunt and cousins!

    With these projects in mind, I hope to get caught up on my Project Homemade Christmas!

Have you started your Christmas crafting yet? Please share your progress in the comments section.

More Project Homemade Christmas to come! And I will be posting pics as I work on all of my projects.

Simple Handcrafted Blessings to you all,

Lisa