December Daily Additions

I went out to do a little shopping last night, and picked up some cool items at Archivers, Hobby Lobby, & WalMart.  That Archivers is such a dangerous place!  The lady ahead of me in line spent $185.00!  I, on the other hand, spent $6.12.  Here's the stuff I got...and what I did with it!

These are the supplies I bought.  Green staples from Walmart.  Holly ribbon (out of shot) and Thickers from Hobby Lobby.  From Archivers, 3-12x12 papers, 1 pack Mini Christmas Bingo Cards from Jenni Bowlin Studio, & a crimson scallop card from The Paper Company (also out of shot).

I  love the Bingo cards.  I'll circle particular numbers on each one to represent a date during December.  They're just the right size. 

Here's what I ended up doing w/ all the goodies I bought.  I LOVE the Thickers too!  Ali Edwards recommended these when she demo-ed her Advent Cards.  (Did you see THOSE?  They're adorable.)  I made a lot of date markers with the thickers.  I'm only missing a few dates now...I think I'll look for the rest in my mail.  Working within a budget can really make you look outside the box!

You can see all of my December Daily pictures on my Flickr page.  Time to go put all my date-markers back in their correct spots. 

Frost on the Pumpkin!

Actually, there was a little more than frost on the pumpkin this morning...

Happy Saturday!  Today is definitely feeling fall-ish around here.  This morning we woke up to a yard filled with leaves, & each leaf was covered with a little snow - as were the rooftops!  I'm not sure I'm ready for this, are you?  Yesterday (yes, just yesterday) we finally broke down & turned the furnace on - so that is somewhat of a relief.  But, we still like to have lots of blankets around for snuggling.  We're big on snuggling around here.  During these fall/winter months, we're big on soup too.  So, I thought I'd share a recipe today.  It's basically my Gram's recipe for Chili.  Our family has altered it a little through the years, but I make it a LOT & always think of her when I do.

Gram's Chili
2 cups tomato juice (Gram used 1 med. can of tomatoes)
1 can tomato soup
1 T. dehydrated onion (Gram used 1 med. onion, chopped fine)
1 lb. ground round (cooked, & drained well)
1 tsp. chili powder
1 can kidney beans (drained & rinsed)
1 green pepper (chopped fine)
3 ribs of celery (chopped fine)
3 cups water
(Gram also used 1/4 lb bacon, cooked well & chopped fine)


I make this recipe in the crock pot so I can just forget about it and have a taa-daa! dinner.
  
Cook the ground round, drain well & combine w/ the rest of the ingredients.  Cover your crock pot, and cook on low all day, or on high for 1/2 the day.  I've been happiest with the all-day results.  The flavor is much better!  

Stay warm today... do some snuggling... eat soup (and think of my Gram if you make this recipe!)

Christmas Spirit

Every year we deal with the idea of the over-commercialization of Christmas.  You know - the stores that are stocked with Christmas items before Halloween is even over for goodness sake!  Our kids are always stunned by this - and quite frankly, it still surprises me as an adult.  I try to explain to them that stores sell things for people to get ready for Christmas, and therefore it has to be ahead of time.  Still, it seems early.

"It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air." ~W.T. Ellis

On the other side of the coin, certain members of my family tease me that I am “a little early” when I listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving.  I really believe that the spirit of Christmas comes from your heart.  As a Christian and a follower of Jesus Christ, I am truly celebrating Christmas year-round - just not in the outward fashion that we see all around us in November and December.

So, it's official.  I am in the Christmas spirit.  And yes, I started playing Christmas music at home yesterday.  If playing Christmas music in November is wrong, I don’t want to be right.

What's the first thing that YOU do to get in the Christmas spirit?

 Oh the collection... from Bing Crosby to Veggie Tales 

to Trans-Siberian Orchestra, and everything in between!

December Daily

Have you heard of the December Daily scrapbooking concept?  Ali Edwards (the creator of the concept) says this in the December 2010 issue of Scrapbooks Etc.:  "I began creating a special album each December to document and celebrate the everyday blessings leading up to Christmas Day."  Also, "This album is less about decoration and more about documentation.  Share simple stories and photos that get to the heart of what the holiday season is about for you and your family."

I have watched Ali's albums "from afar" via her website - and this year, I felt I was ready to tackle my own.  As much as I wanted to do a December Daily album, I knew I had to do it on a budget.  Ali encouraged me that if I was on a budget, I should "keep it simple!"  With that in mind, I did NOT head out to the store to buy, buy, buy.  Instead, I looked at things around me in a different way.  The MAIL has been an interesting source of TITLES like "BEAUTIFUL GIFTS," "BEST IN SNOW," "THE GREAT CHRISTMAS," and "TOYS."  Today, I stopped at Starbucks for a Peppermint Mocha, and received this cup holder (below) - another item I will add to my album.

Here are some TIPS if you're interested in doing a December Daily album:
* Ali has launched a Flickr photo group to showcase the albums/pages of all the people that participate in this project.  You'll find LOTS of inspiration here.
* Watch the #decdaily hashtag on Twitter to find out how other people are tackling this project.
* Check out Ali's own website to see what's new with her 2010 creation.

If you decide to try a December Daily album - I'd love to hear from you!  I find myself looking forward to December 1st, when I will complete my first page!  I'm so thankful for Ali, and creative people like her who give us these great ideas!

Professional vs. Personal (or both?!)

Did you ever sort of dread something -- and then it worked out SO GREAT?  Today, I took my daughter to her first physical therapy session.  (She injured her ankle this summer & it hasn't quite recovered.)  I'm not really sure what part I was dreading.  Probably the medical, insurance, unhappy-paying-lots-of-money part.  Really, God must tire of my whining.  But, off we went.  The only thing that was keeping me positive (besides my daughter with the sunny disposition) was the fact that when I called for the appointment, the voice on the other end of the line was SO NICE.  She was professional, but took the time to HEAR me, you know?  So, I wanted to make sure I touched base with HER, and could put a face to the name that I already knew.  Tanya.

We opted to go to a satellite office rather than downtown to the hospital.  #1 best idea.  Familiar area.  Easy in, easy out, no one-way streets to mess with my mind (is it just me?)  Easy & free parking, walked in the door & THERE was the office (in a rather large complex).  Nice.  The lady that greeted us was friendly & smiling, and I instantly knew - but I scanned her name badge just to be sure.  Yes.  Tanya.

Again, she was very professional, and so nice.  Now, here comes the good part.  At the end -- after we had made all of our future appointments & were getting ready to leave, I checked to see what we needed to pay.  Tanya checked our co-pay.  High.  Ooohhh.  That changed things.  Right away, Tanya called our therapist back to check to see if we could cut the number of appointments in half, and lengthen each appointment.  Yes, you read it right.  My new friend Tanya was TRYING TO SAVE ME MONEY!  The therapist (also a lovely lady, named Karen) was only too happy to help.

You know, there are people who do their jobs...they just do the job.

Then there are people who do their jobs professionally...they do the job well.

And then, there are people who take their job to the next level.  They do it so professionally, and yet so personally.

If everyone fell into the last category...I think our world would be a different place.  I don't know what kind of job you do.  I am a homemaker, a homeschooler, & a part-timer for KIDS at our church -- and I want to fall into the last category (above).  How about you?  There's no better season to start than in the season of joy & giving!

I'm hoping that somebody will bless YOU today, the way I've been blessed!  Then, you'll know exactly what I mean.