Whatever Happened to the Twelve Days of Christmas?

• She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
• She looketh well to the ways of her household

It's almost time to pack up the Christmas decorations, but I for one am not ready for it yet.
Back in the "olden days", the "Twelve Days of Christmas" was more than just a song--Advent may have started the four Sundays that preceded Christmas, but the actual season of Christmas ran from Christmas Day through Twelfth Night--January 5th, the day before the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6th. The tree and decorations went up on Christmas Eve and was taken down around the 6th.
These days trees and decorations go up the weekend after Thanksgiving, if not before, and by Christmas everyone is tired of looking at them. Maybe because I didn't get home until a week before Christmas, but I feel a little bit like I missed part of the season this year. My sweet son hung one of my wreaths and put some lights up on the porch railing, and got out all of our nativity sets before I got home, so things would look a little festive when we got there. He put the tree up and helped me decorate it around the 22nd or 23rd, so I got to enjoy it for a few days, but the time to pack it all up again and get the house back to "normal" before we leave is rapidly approaching, and I'm sure I'm ready yet.
In the meantime, let me share with you some of my favorite decorations from home...

 This is my newest nativity set--I should have put something next to it so you could see how tiny it really is--the stable is probably 3 inches high, the tallest of the figures maybe 1 1/2 inches. I think I bought this at Walgreens a couple of years ago.

This is an ornament of the three wise men--can't remember where it came from, we've had it for a couple of years.

This little cutie a Merry Miniatures set that came from Hallmark about 20 years ago


This is another favorite, we bought this at the Christmas Store at North Pole, Alaska three years ago.



I bought this glass set through the mail about 18 years ago, it's another inexpensive set.

Can't remember about this one

This one has a place in the back for a tea light candle

And last but not least, another of my favorites, these range in size from about two to eight inches tall. One of these days I'm going to make a stable setting to place these pieces in.
Hoping you enjoyed this little glimpse of a few of my favorite home decorations of the season. I should be back to more regular posting in another day or two.
Until next time...

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas to you and yours!

Wishing you a happy and joy-filled holiday

for you and for you family

Merry Christmas!

Candy Cane Reindeer

• She seeketh wool, and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands

Look! It's a reindeer...

No, not there....

THERE!

In fact....

...there's a whole herd of 'em!

Here in the South, we don't have reindeer running around, so we have to make our own.

To make some for yourself, you'll need:

• candy canes
• googly eyes
• green and/or brown chenille sticks
• little red or black pom poms (I couldn't find the small ones in the colors I needed so I bought a variety pack and picked out the ones I wanted)
• Glue (I dont use hot glue for these for two reasons--one, the little eyes and noses are so small, I know I'd end up burning my fingers, and two, I'm afraid the hot glue will melt the cellophane on the candy cane. So I use quick dry Tacky Glue, but school glue would probably do just as well)
• A pen or pencil to form the antlers

1. Take a chenille stick (I still call them pipe cleaners), fold in half, then twist around the top of the candy cane
2. Twist each end around a pen or pencil, corkscrew style, to form antlers
3. Put a drop of glue at the tip and add a pom pom for the nose. Let dry for a few minutes.
4. Use two small drops of glue and add the eyes.

I think it works better to put the antlers on first--they help to hold the candy cane up off the table while the glue for the nose and eyes has a chance to set. And if I did the features first, I'd probably end up knocking them off while I was working on the antlers.

I personally like the red noses with the green antlers--all Christmas colors and all Rudolph-y, then I do some with black noses with brown antlers--more like a "real" reindeer...

...don't you think?

Look how handsome (s)he looks...

Is this my best side...

...or is it this one?


Come closer.

I'm working on my curl


It's a reindeer maternity ward...



...assembly line style!

Just hanging with my homies...

This post it linked to:

Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash, Christmas Crafts Edition, hosted by Blue Eyed Blessings
Christmas Post Link-Up at Southern Domestic Goddess

Penny Pinching Party at The Thrifty Home

DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land

Until next time!

Doors of Welcome--December Installment

It's time for the December edition of Doors of Welcome, sponsored by Karen at Some Days are Diamonds.

For myself, I'm going home in three more days and I can hardly wait! I'll only have a week to settle in and get ready for the holiday, but it will be great to be back home among my own things and decorations, if only for a short time!

Meanwhile, I set myself a challenge to see what I could do to add a little Christmas cheer for the tidy sum of $20. So come on in and see what I found!



Because my door here is dark green to start with, I had hoped to find a thrifty wreath in either snowy white or berry red, but alas, it wasn't to be. It may not be a stand out against the dark door, but I was happy with the way everything turned out.

The wreath came from Dollar General for $3.50, and the bells, bird, and berries all came from Dollar Tree, Total cost, $8.50

This is the top of the armoire that holds the television--the little suitcase thingie is part of the regular apartment decorations and is the same one I used as part of my fall decorating.

These little houses are actually cardboard boxes, $1 each from Dollar Tree. The "roof" lifts off, and I plan to use these later as gift boxes for small items or "goodies" from the kitchen.

The "presents" are empty boxes, wrapped in newspaper, and inexpensive ribbon. The "greenery" on one gift was originally attached to one of the bells I used on the wreath.

I know a lot of people decry the use of gift bags, but I think that as long as you pick pretty ones they can add a spot of color to an empty corner and be useful at the same time. $1 from Dollar Tree.

I already blogged about the different versions of this centerpiece. This version was $2 for the charger, $1 for the berries, and maybe $.50 for the candy, on sale at CVS.

And last but not least--a couple of dollars worth of candy canes in a canister, and this cute little mini-lunchbox I got at Dollar Tree for $1--this is another piece that will probably end up doing double duty as a gift box for "goodies".

It's not a lot, but I smile every time I see each and every little touch of holiday cheer.

Be sure to visit Some Days are Diamonds--Karen is showcasing her beautiful home and lovely Christmas decorations, indoors and out. Then on the left hand sidebar of her blog is a list of all the other participants of Doors of Welcome. The are well worth visiting to see a variety of decorations, from simple to extravagant.

Thanks for visiting!

This post is also linked to:

Thrifty Thursday to Tales from Bloggeritaville

Penny Pinching Party at the Thrifty Home

Holiday Linky Friday at the Inspired Room

Frugal Friday at Life as Mom

Until next time...

Thrifty Centerpiece--Four Versions

• She worketh willingly with her hands
• She maketh herself (and her home) coverings of tapestry

I know it may seem like a bit of a stretch to use the "coverings of tapestry" verse to apply to home decor, but to me that verse is symbolic, even in clothing, of wearing (and making) clothing that's beautiful, or pretty, or becoming, but certainly attractive and appropriate to the occasion. I think the same principle can apply to making our homes attractive.
I'll be going home for the holidays on the 18th, where I'll have access to all of my "stuff" I've collected over the years. Meanwhile, I don't want to see all of the pretty decorations everywhere while I live in an apartment with none; neither do I want to spend a lot of money for decorations for a temporary home. So in keeping with the spirit of the season and my frugal thriftiness, I set myself a limit of $20 for all holiday decorations.
Here are four different versions of a simple and thrifty centerpiece.
First is the basic version. The red charger was $2 at Dollar General; the bowl is a vintage 1951 Homer Laughlin we found at a thrift store for $2. The candle is part of the permanent apartment decor, and the candy I got for almost nothing at CVS a few weeks back. I already had the bowl, so I count this as $2 in actual holiday specific spending.

Version # 2, I added a rolled up square of Christmas fabric I bought at Joann's--I think I got 6 pre-cut pieces for about $6, so estimate an additional $1 for the fabric. Total, $3

Version # 3--take off the fabric, add a couple of berry stems, also from Joann's, bought on clearance for $.50 each. Total, $3
Version #4--full and pretty--the greenery is a plain wreath from Dollar General, $3.50; the berries are the same ones as above, $.50 each from Joann's, and the bird, $1 from Dollar Tree. This still has the red charger underneath, although you can't really see it, but you could do the same thing on a plate. Total, $3.50; $5.50, if you count the charger.
What thrifty decorating are you doing this year? Be sure to come back tomorrow for the Doors of Welcome, December edition, where I'll show you my thrifty wreath I made for less than $10!
This post is linked to:
Three or more Tuesdays at the Gypsy's Corner
Christmas Tour of Homes at the Nester
DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land
Trash to Treasure Tuesday at Reinvented
Vintage Thingie Thursday at Coloradolady
Until next time...

Homemaker's Haven--Christmas is Coming Edition

• She looketh well to the ways of her household
• She worketh willingly with her hands
• All of her household are clothed in scarlet
• She maketh herself (and her home) coverings of tapestry
• The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her

It's been another up and down week around this household--I'm starting to wonder if there's really any other kind!

One thing I've learned about myself over the years is that I'm the kind of gal that likes to have a plan. It may not be carved in stone, and I may not follow it exactly, but when things don't go according to plan I tend to get out of sorts.

My plan for my holiday decorating, for one, has gone awry. The plan was to buy a few things from the dollar stores, and to supplement with holly branches and pine boughs cut from some wooded areas around our apartment complex and outside of town, and probably a few pine cones picked up at the same time. Good plan, right? But my husband, who would have been the cutter while I was the gatherer, has been working six and seven days a week; the weather has been rainy and dreary and not worth getting out in; then hubby got sick to boot, so guess what--no holly branches, no pine boughs, and no pine cones picked up. Everyone all over the blogosphere has been decorating and showing up their lovely homes and Christmas trees and mantles and everything else, and suddenly my dollar store decorating ideas seemed--well, not as pretty as those I've been seeing.

One day when the clouds had cleared off a bit, I finally ventured out to do a little shopping--I did my Mission Possible shopping at Walgreens, and I found myself sitting in the parking lot outside of Dollar Tree, feeling sorry for myself because I was alone and had no one to shop with and all I could afford were cheap decorations anyway and what was the point when we're going home on the 18th and then I'll have all the decorations I need anyway and besides it'll be my own decorations at home and these will be cheap looking anyway and, and, and...not quite the pity party on the order of last week but heading that direction! And then...I got ahold myself and thought, why not just go see what they have? And I did.

And not much later, I found myself --still alone--but singing "Jingle Bells" as I drove down the road.

Remember the 4 "P"'s that we talked about a few weeks ago? Well, another thing I've learned about myself is that sometimes the

• Pity comes from the
• Pressure that I
• Put on myself because of my
• Procrastination

Luckily, though, once I get out of my negative "P" cycle, I do okay. Maybe the

• Pressure
• Pushes this
• Person to
• Persevere

Sorry, I know it's kind of cheesy, but I could resist! But this week I

1. Made fudge--for the first time in years
2. Tried a brand new cookie recipe
3. Made some useful and attractive jar mixes for my gifts from the kitchen series--and decorated them, too!
4. Made a pretty wreath for my door (see my Doors of Welcome post tomorrow) for less than $10
5. Made a pretty and thrifty centerpiece for about $5
6. Finally opened up my ancient sewing machine and sewed up two of hubby's shirts that needed it--luckily my husband was home when I did this--as soon as I plugged in my machine it started running at what seemed like 90 miles an hour and wouldn't stop--we finally traced it to how it was plugged into the case--we had tried (unsuccessfully) to fit it into my vintage sewing machine table a while back, and apparently when we put it back into the case we plugged some things in backward. Oops. He's now (figuratively) clothed in scarlet--or at least shirts with no unraveled seams.
7. Took good care of my hubby while he finally rested and tried to recuperate from his head cold.

My goals for the week coming are:

1. Finish my candy making and what baking I can do ahead of time
2. Catch up on laundry to make it easier to pack later in the week
3. Make my packing list
4. Pack for home (!)
5. Order the final couple of small gifts that I still need and have them sent home
6. Clean out the fridge for being out of town
7. Work on my decorating and cooking posts for this week--while I still have high speed internet!

What are you doing to make your home a haven this week? Be sure to stop in at A High and Noble Calling and check out the other homemaker's haven posts.

Until next time...

Happy Hannukah

Happy Hannukah!

Now it was the Feast of Dedication in Jerusalem, and it was winter.

And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon's porch.

John 10:22-23

This is from last year's Hannukah--and I realized when I looked at the picture that I put the prayer book upside down--Hebrew is read right to left, not left to right--so excuse that error. (not that I read Hebrew--I "cheat" and read the transliteration") I wasn't thinking when I was setting this up for the picture.

In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

John 1:4-5

I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness.

John 12:45

Until next time...

Giveaway Alert

Just a note to my faithful readers--you may or may not be aware that I have a food blog, Secrets of a Southern Kitchen, where I share simple recipes for everyday foods.

This week at the Southern Kitchen there's a giveaway going on, sponsored by Bryan Foods. Two lucky winners will each receive a prize package with a bbq style apron and two products from the Bryan Food line-up--cocktail smokies and smoked sausage.

Right below the giveaway post I have four different posts showing step-by-step photos of quick and easy finger foods I made with their products--perfect for holiday parties and family gatherings, as well as recipe of sorts for red beans and rice with sausage.

Please click over and check it out--browse these recipes as well as the others, and be sure to enter the giveaway for a chance to win!

Until next time...

Homemaker's Haven--the Reaching Forward Edition

I'm running behind with this week's Homemaker's Haven post. I've had an up and down week all week, and, I'll admit it, a bit of a pity party for myself on a couple of days. Not that things were so bad, I just let myself get caught up in a downward spiral of "oh poor me". Do you ever have days or weeks like that?

I started off well--last Monday I did my Homemaker's Haven post, cleaned out the fridge, caught up on laundry, made a pot roast and generally got my week off to a good start. My plan was to do some shopping the next day--for the recipe/review posts for my food blog that I needed to do, and to start scouting out or gathering things for my budget holiday decorating that I mentioned last week. But as often happens with plans, things go awry in spite of our efforts--my husband made an appointment at the dealership to have some necessary maintenance work done on our vehicle-which meant no vehicle, no shopping for me. Okay, I can handle that. I decided not to start my Christmas baking yet--too early to keep it all without freezing, so that was postponed until late this week or early next week. Next, the weather got yucky--cold and damp and drizzly. I hadn't done any shopping yet, so I couldn't start decorating, or cooking or anything really creative. I got some news about an acquaintance that opened up a big can "what if's" and "if only I'd"--not bad news, just something that made me start to look at my own achievements--and lack thereof. My husband worked some extra hours last week, too, so I was alone most of the time-it was a snowball in the worst way! By the end of the week, I didn't even want to do anything fun or interesting or enriching. And so I didn't. And felt even worse.

I've been thinking for the last couple of days about where I went wrong--I started off well, but went downhill fast--each little thing built on the next--to paraphrase Song of Solomon--it's the little foxes that spoil the vine. I was also thinking about when the apostle Paul wrote (my paraphrase, again) "Those things I that I know to do, those things I don't do; and those things that I know I ought not to do, those things I do". Can I get a witness?!

But God is faithful and brings us encouragement and the good sense to know that His loving kindness is new every morning. And I think about some other words of the apostle Paul, found in Philippians, chapter three--"Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

Going up, anyone?

Until next time...

Homemaker's Haven

• She looketh well to the ways of her household...

It's time for this week's Homemaker's Haven, sponsored by Stephanie at a High and Noble Calling.

Last week was an easy week in some respects; we were out of town for several days, so my week consisted mostly of getting ready to leave and recouping after we got back.

Today I got a wonderful "prize" in the mail--remember a few weeks ago when I sang the praises of a wonderful organizer I used to have that was out of print? Stephanie had an old one that was barely used and offered to send it to me--and it came today! I can't wait to start using it--I'm sure I'll be the most organized gal on the block by the end of the week!

My goals for this week are:

1. Clean out the fridge--priority since it didn't get done last week
2. Catch up on laundry from the trip
3. Clip this week's coupons
4. Clean out my coupon binder--I know there are some expired/soon-to-expire ones lurking in there
5. Start my Christmas baking
6. Plan my menus
7. Work on two reviews and a giveaway for my food blog
8. Pack away my fall decorations
9. Get started in my new planner
10. Bible reading--Isaiah, chapters 40-68

My project for this week:

Start buying/making Christmas/Hanukkah decorations for the apartment--all on a budget of $20! I did pretty well for fall, but I did have some things from home to help. This will be a bit of a challenge, as all of my Christmas and Hanukkah stuff is in Louisiana. We'll be going home on the 18th, and we'll do most of our decorating there, but I don't want to postpone all of the holiday cheer until then. My goal is to see what I can get for cheap or free to make some cheery holiday decorations for my Doors of Welcome post, coming on the 15th, as well as a centerpiece for the table and a few other areas.

What are you doing this week to make your home a haven?

Until next time...

Advent 2009, Week 1

• She openeth her mouth with wisdom...

Advent has kind of eluded me the last few years; it almost snuck past me again, but I think I actually caught up with it this year

I wasn't raised with a tradition of observing Advent. It wasn't a tradition in my family, and the churches I attended, when I did attend, were not "Advent observant" if there is such a description. We celebrated Christmas and Easter in as much of a "non-secular" way as each congregation or individual family thought best. Although I had friends who attended more liturgical churches, the ceremony and formality seemed foreign to my experience. Fast forward to several years ago, when I was looking for ways to "celebrate the season" in a way that was more spiritually meaningful to me, without completely doing away with the traditions of Christmas that I'd grown up with that held their own place in my heart.

In a nutshell, Advent is celebrated, or observed, on each of the four Sundays leading up to Christmas, and Christmas Eve. Some years it all falls in December; some years, as it does this year, the first Sunday of Advent falls in November. The word "advent" simply means "coming" or "visitation". Just as Christmas is meant to be the celebration of the first advent, or coming, of Christ, the Messiah, the season of Advent is meant to remember the time leading up to the first advent, and to anticipate and prepare our hearts for the second advent yet to come.

There is no one right way to do Advent, any more than there's one right way to do Christmas or any other holiday. It generally involves a wreath with four candles, one to be lit for each of the four Sundays during the season, and often a fifth candle in the middle for Christmas Eve. Some traditions have all white candles, some have three purple candles and one pink candle, and one white candle. The years I did Advent, I made my own wreath, and used four different colored candles to represent different aspects of Christ--purple for His Kingship, blue for His Priesthood, red for His blood sacrifice, and white for His purity and holiness.

For more on the origins of Advent and ways to observe, from another who came to Advent observation later in life, read this excellent series of posts by Mark Roberts.

I don't do a formal observation of Advent every year, but taking the time to focus on the Advent season helps me to take a step back from the frenzy of busy-ness that tends to overwhelm us at this time of year, and to refocus on the spiritual meaning that should be behind it all.

I'll be sharing a little more about my personal thoughts and observations of advent later, but for now, let me leave you with these scriptures, from the 40th chapter of Isaiah:

• The voice of one crying in the wilderness: "Prepare the way of the Lord; Make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
• Every valley shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough places smooth
• The glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; For the mouth of the Lord has spoken."

In this Advent season, I intend to take some time to prepare my heart for the way of the Lord.

Until next time...

Happy Thanksgiving

• She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.
  

This post was originally posted 11-27-08; I enjoyed re-reading it, and hope you do as well--Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Holidays have a unique effect sometimes, of bringing out the best and the worst in us, and Thanksgiving is no exception.

The best because we do usually pause, however briefly, to reflect on those things that we're thankful for--our families, if we have one; our health, however precarious; the abundance of food that the majority of us have the means for--all of those things that we do, face it, take for granted much of the time.

Along with all of the thankfulness, though, can come lots of pressure, which translates into lots of stress. Whether we are hosting an elaborate family get-together, or whether we are the ones visiting extended family, the pressure is there, just in different ways.

If we are hosting, we feel the pressure of making sure we've remembered everything from the rolls to the cranberry sauce. We want the food to be just right, and of course the house needs to be spotless, here comes Aunt Sara two hours early and I haven't even had my shower yet, oh-lord-who-invited-this-many-people-do-I-have-enough-of-everything-will-you-make-those-kids-go-outside-will-everyone-just-BE-QUIET-SO-WE-CAN-GIVE-THANKS-BEFORE-WE-EAT!

You know what I mean.

If you are the one traveling, you still have pressure, just of a different sort. What clothes will I need to bring, not just for myself, but for the kids? Will it be warm enough for them to play outside and run off some of this energy? Do I need an extra jacket for everybody? Do I have enough toys/books/crayons to keep them occupied if it's too cold/wet/rainy for them to go outside? Did I forget anything? No, honey, I need the snacks loaded in the front of the car, not the trunk. Yes, the other ice chest can go in the back, it has my pies in it. Ok, kids, everybody load up. I-thought-I-told-you-to-go-before-we-left-honey-we-have-to-pull-over-why-are-you-driving-so-fast-no-kids-we-aren't-there-yet-here-we-are-oh-look-Aunt-Sara-is-already-here-too-oh-great-who-invited-them-NO-KIDS-NOT-GRANDMAS-BEST-DISHTOWELS-go-in-the-bedroom-and-play-just-eat-a-little-of-what-I-put-on-your-plate-WILL-YOU-ALL-JUST-GET-QUIET-SO-WE-CAN-GIVE-THANKS!

Whew!

Just remember this--sometimes we are nicer to strangers than we are to our own families. And vice versa. It's not that we don't all love each other-but we do often know each other so well that we forget hose common courtesies that we would offer to strangers.

If you haven't had your family dinner yet, take a deep breath, say a prayer of thankfulness, and try to speak kindly. And carry a big stick. (just kidding!)

And if you're reading this after yours is over, and it turned into another three-ring-circus with everybody mad at everybody else, remember this--forgiveness is divine. Literally.

Hoping you and yours have a blessed holiday, with just the right amount of family togetherness to leave you wanting more, and a few shopping bargains this weekend to help you out of your post-turkey-day-blues.

Until next time...

Homemaker's-- "Haven" or "Hovel"

• She looketh well to the ways of her household

It's time for another Homemaker's Haven post, where we set goals and seek some accountability for our efforts to fulfill them. This week Stephanie at A High and Noble Calling has a good post titled A Mary or Martha Thanksgiving, about keeping our priorities straight this busy holiday week.

Let me preface this next part by saying that I'm so glad I read the post this morning from Fishmama at Life as Mom about not comparing ourselves to others. She's been working on what she simply calls the "Get a Good Habit Going" challenge, where she works on one or two small things to get her routine in a better working order.

Do you ever have "one of those days"? I think I've had one of those weeks, which I've had before, but somehow it seems worse because I started off so well. I set my clock and got up just a bit earlier, I kept the television and the computer turned off, did some necessary shopping and cooking, but somehow slid back into mediocrity and worse. I did get to bed earlier some nights, not so early others. I set my clock anyway and got up and did my morning/daily routine about half the time, which is an improvement, but not as well as I had expected. I totally flubbed up the extra baking. One day I started and realized that while I had stocked up on most of the things I needed, I was missing a vital ingredient. So I switched gear and went a different direction, but I have burned or messed up in some way almost everything I've attempted, so I am taking a step back and regrouping! Today I have to run a couple of errands, catch up on laundry, and straighten the living room/dining room/kitchen; and then tonight and tomorrow I'll either get my baking done or throw that plan completely out the window, according to the results I get!

Last week's menu plan went pretty much as I'd planned, although not in the order I listed them. I made everything I'd listed except the pot roast, and I'll hold off on that until next week. This week we're planning on leaving bright and early Wednesday morning and won't be back until Saturday night, so the next two nights will be using up leftovers or making something quick and simple.

This week's goals are:

1. Clean out the fridge--besides the current leftovers which we'll use, there are some things "lurking" in the back that need to be thrown out.
2. Be sure laundry is caught up to simplify packing and traveling
3. Pick up and put away my "hot spots" on the coffee table and dining table
4. Pack
5. Do my baking--or not(!)
6. Take the time to keep myself mentally and spiritually grounded by spending some time with the Lord in prayer and reading my Word--holidays can be stressful, even when they go smoothly, which brings me to...
7. When the room gets hot and stuffy and the kids get loud, and there's no place to go to be alone--take a deep breath and go to my "happy place" and don't let the stress get to me--which is easier if I don't neglect #6

How have you done this week on making your home a haven?

Until next time...

This is My Frugal

• She looketh well to the ways of her household

There are a lot of bloggers who write about "being frugal", and it means something different to each one of them. Some are saving their way toward something big--like a trip, or a house, or to get out from under mountains of debt; some are desperately trying to keep food on the table and roof over their heads.

Most of us are somewhere in between.

Today, I'd like to share about my "frugal".

My frugal is not about making my own laundry detergent, cooking everything completely from scratch, buying all of our clothes and furniture at thrift shops, and never using anything disposable. I'm not making a statement about anyone who does any of those things, they're just not my frugal.

Since I starting shopping the sales, couponing, cooking more at home instead of "bringing home supper from town", thrifting, and just generally being more conscious of what I spend and why, I find that I'm able to get a lot of our household goods and groceries for what I call "free or frugal"--sometimes completely free (except for tax) or frugal--at a deep discount.

My frugal involves using these "free or frugal" ("ff") items as I go about my daily routine. I get up in the morning, and I brush my teeth with my ff toothbrush and my ff toothpaste. If I need more, there's plenty more in my stockpile stash. I wash my face with my ff brand name facial cleanser. In the shower, I have ff shampoo, ff conditioner, and ff body wash. My husband, who refuses to use body wash, uses ff bar soap. I put on my ff anti-perspirant, get dressed, do my hair, using my ff styling products if necessary (usually only if I'm going somewhere). I put on my ff facial moisturizer, ff foundation, ff blush, and ff mascara.

During the week, we usually eat hot or cold ff cereal for breakfast. On the weekends, one of us cooks breakfast--probably not something free, but bought on sale or with a coupon, so still frugal. My husband makes his lunch to take to work, using ff ingredients when possible. I do lunch at home, sometimes leftovers, sometimes I've made especially for my lunches (see my chicken and dumplings recipe on my food blog). Dinner is the same--made at home with ingredients that may not have been free, but were mostly bought on sale and/or with coupons, so still frugal. I don't cook everything single thing from scratch, but I do a lot from scratch, and the rest is usually along the lines of "semi-homemade".

If I do laundry or cleaning that day, I use my ff laundry soap and ff fabric softener, along with ff cleaning products that I may need.

I could go on, but you get the picture. I save money as I can, when I can. It helps us make ends meet while putting our son through college without building up new debt. It helps me be able to take some time as a stay-at-home wife, even though we never thought I'd be able to do so until well after our son graduated and all of our bills were paid off.

Are there still more ways we could cut back? Sure there are. I still use paper towels, and I don't usually re-use baggies or aluminum foil. I don't make my own laundry soap or shampoo, and right now we don't have a garden or raise our own meat. There are ways.

But for now, this is what we do. This is my frugal.

Related posts:

Mission Possible with Intent

Where I Get My Coupons, part 1

Where I Get My Coupons, part 2

How I Organize My Coupons

This post is linked to Frugal Friday at Life as Mom

Until next time...

Homemaker's Haven, 11/16

Welcome to this week's Homemaker's Haven , sponsored by Stephanie at A High and Noble Calling.

This week Stephanie has thrown down the gauntlet and given us some challenges to complete in five areas:

Begin Your day in God’s Word
*Challenge: Share what you have read in His word that has encouraged you today with others on your blog or in the comments.

I have some thoughts that have been swirling around in my head, bits and pieces of scripture, a sermon, and conversations with others, but it needs a separate post--hopefully to come later in the week, so stay tuned.

Complete Your Morning Routine
*Challenge: Share your morning routine on your blog and cross it out as you complete each item
My morning routine is (or should be) the following:

1. Get groomed and dressed for the day
2. Make bed
3. Make and eat breakfast
4. Start day's routine
5. Prayer and Bible reading/study

(I shared a couple of weeks ago why I think it works better for me on most days to get my day started before I have my prayer and Bible time. To be honest, sometimes it works better, as in I stay awake, but it can be counterproductive if I get distracted or sidetracked by my day--more on that later! :0) )

Have A Plan

*Challenge:Share your to-do list on your blog, cross each item off as you finish it.

1. Wash, dry, hang/fold one load of laundry
2. Cook bulk ground meat for this week's menu plan
3. Empty trash
4. Vacuum
5. Clip this week's coupons and work on coupon binder

What’s For Dinner?
*Challenge: Try to plan a menu out for this week and share it on your blog. Plan at least one meal that you can make from your pantry.

1. Chili for chili dogs
2. Spaghetti
3. Jambalaya
4. Chicken and dumplings
5. Homemade pizza or stuffed bread
6. Mexican cornbread
7. Pot roast

Complete a Project!

*Challenge: Choose a larger project to complete in your home today. Be sure to make it manageable. I find a large project is easier to complete if I set a goal of working on it for a set amount of time per day instead of trying to tackle it all at once (like my basement!).

My big project for this week is start goodie baskets for family we'll be seeing next week for Thanksgiving. We won't get a chance to see them again before Christmas, so that means doing some extensive baking this week and early next week. Watch my food blog, Secrets of a Southern Kitchen, I'll be sharing some recipes and pictures there.

Be sure to visit Stephanie and the other participants in this week's Homemaker's Haven challenge.

What have you done to make your home a haven lately?

Until next time...

Doors of Welcome--November Installment

Welcome to this month's installment of Doors of Welcome, sponsored by Karen at Some Days are Diamonds!

Welcome to my home-away-from-home! As you may recall if you visited for last month's Doors of Welcome, home for me is a small town in Louisiana; home-away-from-home is a corporate apartment in Georgia. We bring our clothes and a few personal possessions and that's about it for the most part. My seasonal decorations are a combination of a very few things I brought from home, and items I find around the apartment or at thrift shops and dollar stores.

To be honest with you, this month's Doors of Welcome kind of crept up on me--I knew it was coming, but for some reason I didn't realize until too late that it was coming so fast! And because my October decorations were more "fall" than Halloween, not much has changed.

This is what I had last month--simple, but full of bright and beautiful fall color. But because of the tremendous amount of rain we've had, the only thing left outdoors is...

....the wreath--isn't it pretty? I still love the simplicity of it, and the combination of berries, leaves, and pinecones. Don't stop there, though, this time I want to invite you inside, so come on in!

I didn't want the rest of it to be ruined by the damp, so I moved the rug from here...

to here--where we see the bright and cheery colors in the oh-so-bland kitchen every morning.

And I moved the suitcase/trunk box of leave and garlands from here...

to here, on top on the armoire that holds the television, dvd player, and internet stuff.

I do have the beginning of a centerpiece of sorts--some silk leaves in a jar, fall colored candles and some fake grain--I've been looking for a plate or charger or something to group it on, but I haven't had much luck with my thrifting lately, so this is as far as I've gotten.

I did buy a pumpkin, but instead of decorating with it...

...I cut it half, cleaned it out, and baked it...

...which helped me turn it into this, which ultimately became...

a pumpkin pie!

And now that you're here, pull up a chair and enjoy a piece of pie!

Next month I plan a fabulous (!) transformation, and no more orange and rust!

Thanks again to everyone who is visiting--please visit Karen by clicking on the link at the top of this post, or the "Doors of Welcome" picture on the left sidebar. She has all of the lovely participants on her sidebar, and I assure you they have some fabulous decor, well worth visiting!

Until next time...