Christmas 2012 Ornament

I should have blogged earlier this week, but I got caught up in a craft project and I just couldn’t put it down.  I have been making Christmas ornaments out of grosgrain ribbon and beads.  The beads are in muted tones of pinks, creams, sage greens, bronze, and silver.  I have used brown, cream, pink, sage green and silver ribbons. 

Why are these ornaments on a cookie sheet?  I put them on these so that they will lay flat and I can easily put them up high enough so the dogs won't get to them.  Yes, I am constantly trying to keep things away from our puppy, Molly.  I should have straightened them out a little more for the picture, but I am not a photographer and didn't think about it.  

The cost of this project isn't too bad.  The beads cost $10 and the ribbon was around $1.50 a spool.  So I figure that when all is said and done I should be able to make around 30 to 40 ornaments for a total cost of $20.00. 

Of course these can be made out of Christmas plaid ribbon and children’s craft beads, but I wanted to go for something a little more elegant.  I found the picture of these on Pinterest.  I found the best directions on how to make these at  Sunshine Yellow Creative Stitching.

Now, if you decide to make this craft, don’t give up after one ornament.  I was on my third ornament before I really got the hang of it.  If you can sew a button, you can make this ornament.

Christmas is Over - Time to get back to Normal

In the midst of the Christmas unwrapping mess.

We had an enjoyable Christmas celebration and it is time to try to get back to normal - which means I need to be here at this blog posting.  Now when I say I "need", that means that I need to be here because I enjoy it. 

For Christmas I received some nice gifts from my family such as a faux fur scarf that easily wraps around my neck, a little beaded bag to hold my cell phone and a couple of Amazon gift cards.

I have been on Amazon trying to decide what I would buy with these gift cards.  There isn't a need to hurry on this but it is kind of fun to have some gift cards "to burn."  

I have been looking at some books on how to deconstruct clothing and such.  I'm not making any big decisions as of yet, but I am totally into taking jeans, as an example, and making them into tote bags, skirts or whatever.  Also I want to spend more time sewing and I could use a good sewing book. 

2012 is the year to finish painting and decorating the downstairs of our house.  This means the diningroom (I'm thinking of a rust color), the kitchen, the hallway, my son's bedroom and the guest bedroom which is the bedroom that our college girls will be living in. 

I want to sew all of the decor for these rooms and do it on a budget.  So I need ideas and have found that it is worth purchasing a good idea book, used of course.  I have about 6 on my wish list on Amazon and I will set them aside to look at in another week and make my choice. 

Retro Fabric I purchased - 2 yards only available

I want to use a 1960's retro decor for the girls' room.  They like that idea too.  So I have been on the hunt for 60's retro things.  I had a floor lamp given to me about 3 weeks ago and it is absolutely perfect.  I have found retro 60's fabric at Wal-mart that can be used for curtains and pillows and other items.  See the photo above.  I also need to come up with quilts or bedspreads and the budget is a low $100.  I set the budget as I feel it will be like a game or challenge to see what I can come up with. 

I have been scouring stores for clearance items and I have been to Goodwill.  I need bedding for the bunk beds and I am hoping that if I cannot find identical bedding that at least we can find complimentary bedding.  Or I can find a bedspread that can be remade into something else for the room. 

Lastly I have lost 3 lbs. since the beginning of the month which totally makes me smile.  Yes, smile.  I made healthy food choices through the Christmas weekend and I allowed myself some treats - in moderation. 

A gift I am giving

I found a perfect gift to give this year.  After an earlier post about the cost of gift giving and such, I am happy to post about a gift I am giving and it only cost $15.  This is one of those gifts that fit the budget and will also be a gift that the recipient will really enjoy and it is very useful.

One of the ladies at our church had a Janet basket and she carried everything in it she needed for church.  She had her Bible, her lessons for the Sunday School class she taught and many other items stored in it.  I really liked it. 

So I went to good ole Amazon and found one.  Here is what a Janet Basket looks like:

These baskets come in all sorts of pretty designs.  There are two sizes:  large and small.  I purchased the small Janet basket on Amazon about 1 month ago for $15 and at the time the vendor was offering free shipping.  The dimensions are 9 inches by 16 inches and it is about 10 inches in depth.  The frame is aluminum and the fabric is a very sturdy canvas.

Who will receive this gift?  My mother in law.  I know that this will be a gift that she will enjoy.  It can be used on Sundays to carry her Bible and other items to church or she can put her work related items in it and use it in her car.  It could double as a perfect craft carrier or could be used to take to the grocery store for light shopping trips.  There is a zipper pouch on the outside which is quite handy and the entire basket folds flat. 

So, I got a bargain gift that I know my mother-in-law will really like.  Now, if only I could receive the same thing. 

Time for a Talk about Christmas

I think I struck a nerve with some readers about my article on Christmas gift giving.  It is November 1st so perhaps it is time to bring family members together and have a discussion. 

We are in year 3 of a global financial crisis and in our community we are experiencing new layoffs.   Just when you think it is going to get better, it doesn't. 

It's time to sit down and talk to your families about Christmas.  This could be the year that we end the madness and start to really feel the Christmas spirit.  If you were to start with spending half of the amount you normally spend and give the other half to charity (if you can afford it), that would be a great start.  I remember one year I received a note saying that a certain amount of money was given in my name to Heifer International.  I honestly thought that was pretty cool. 

So here's the challenge for this month - schedule a time to talk with family members about their expectations of Christmas and about how your family can get in the mindset of true giving this year at Christmas and each year hereafter. 

Thinking Ahead to Stressful Gift Buying

I’ve been thinking about Christmas this week.  I always feel that once Halloween gets here, Thanksgiving flies by and then it is Christmas.  I can’t really explain it, but I don’t feel like doing Christmas.  I’m just not in the mood.  I could be in the mood come February though.  I am so pathetic.

Do you know what causes stress for me at Christmas time?  It’s not the cooking, baking, cleaning or decorating – it’s the gift buying.  I am at a loss as to what to get people for Christmas.   Homemade gifts aren’t appreciated by many people on my gift list.  I get so frustrated.  It’s the same thing every year. 

What do you buy extended family that have everything they could possibly want yet seem to demand a gift that is personalized to them and very thoughtful?    Some years I find the perfect gift but most of the time, I am at a total loss.  Does anyone else have this problem? 

Then I have to send my mother a gift (notice I said “have to”) when she hasn’t sent me or my husband a gift in probably 20 years.  One year she even called me to say that we had forgotten to renew her magazine subscription to a magazine that costs close to $90 per year.  We had decided that we couldn’t afford it and had told her so, but a couple of weeks after Christmas she called to say that she hadn’t received her magazine and we must have forgotten.  It was her way of manipulating us into caving and giving into her.   We didn’t.  We had given her something else. 

Honestly I just want it to stop.  I just want to give gifts to my husband and my children and daughter-in-law.  The rest of the family I would love to give a simple gift, a homemade gift would be wonderful.  But if I did, there would be a great deal of disappointment when the gift was opened and that prevents me from doing it. 

Perhaps I should just start making gifts and that could become my "tradition."  It is too late to make afghans or lengthy projects for this year, but I think I will begin this in 2012.  No, I definitely will do this.  There are many things I can sew or crochet that would make nice gifts and by planning ahead I could buy supplies when they are on sale. 

I've been wanting to make my own soap and my own beauty products such as lip balm.  Now I think I have my first goal for 2012 -- learn to make these items to give away as gifts.  I like it. 

I'm curious, if you have made your own gifts, what have you made?

Dinner Tonight - December 28th and Holiday Pretzel Recipe

For dinner tonight we had soft shell tacos, corn and seasoned rice.  Seemed like a nice meal combination as we are kind of tired of the holiday leftovers of ham.  As for dessert, we still have some of my holiday pretzels. 

Here is what the pretzels look like:

They are quite labor intensive but since I only make them at Christmas, they are a special treat.  Melt a bag of caramels with 1 tablespoon of water.  Dip pretzel rods in the caramel, about 4 at a time, and place on a cookie sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray.  Put the tray in the refrigerator for about 4 minutes.  This cools the caramel and allows you to "mold" the caramel around the pretzel.  After you mold the caramel to the pretzel, return the pretzels to the fridge.  I do this entire process at once. 

Then melt chocolate or almond bark.  After it has melted I let it cool down a bit.  If you dip the pretzels in the melted chocolate when it is quite hot, the chocolate will roll right off of the pretzel.  After it has cooled, but is still a liquid, dip the pretzels in the chocolate.  Place on a cookie sheet sprayed with cooking spray and then sprinkle the dipped pretzels with crushed M & M's.  Do about 3 at a time and put them in the freezer immediately.  I place mine on the back porch since it is usually below freezing when I am making them.  Then after they have solidified, drizzle the opposite chocolate or almond bark over the top.  So if you have dipped the pretzels in chocolate bark, drizzle them with the white almond bark and so on.

Yes, it takes time.  This year I made around 75 of these to give away as gifts and for our own holiday celebration.  I think this would also make a great gift for a special someone at Valentine's day especially if you use the Valentine colored M & M's. 

Merry Christmas

The ham is in the oven, the cheesy potatoes are in the crockpot.  The broccoli, bacon, raisin salad is chilling in the fridge.  The mixed vegetables are ready to steam, the rolls will be warmed in the oven soon.  I am getting ready to cut up fruit for a fruit salad and the Christmas cookies are in a tin ready to be put on a platter. 

It is a simple, easy Christmas feast that we will dine on around noon.  My in-laws are driving to our home as I write this -- they are on snowy roads and taking it slow. 

I am humbled at the comments from everyone one of you and wish all of you and your families a Merry Christmas.  May each of you experience a Christmas miracle this year. 

Merry Christmas from snowy Iowa.

I have much to share, but it will have to wait

I am very tired and am going to bed, but I wanted to take the time to wish everyone a Merry Christmas.  We will be celebrating Christmas beginning Christmas Eve when I will be preparing a light meal for our sons and daughter in law.  As to the light meal I am serving chicken and noodles, dinner rolls, crackers and cheese and some little smokies sausages in barbecue sauce.  For dessert we have the ever present Christmas cookies.  We will then go to our church to the Christmas Eve service and after we get home we will open our gifts.  Then I will be preparing a Christmas feast for us and my in laws.  Sooo -- I am a little overwhelmed right now and will get back to posting right after Christmas. 

I miss sharing my day to day life with everyone and will try to share on Christmas day in the evening or on the 26th. 

Blessings to everyone this Christmas season and I do hope that everyone has a wonderful Christmas and that you are able to spend time with the people you love. 

Busy with Christmas Preparations - Don't forget about Jacob

I'm busy with Christmas preparations and I will try to get a post in tomorrow.  I will update everyone on my budget killer grocery shopping trip last week and on a lot of goodies I have been making.  Tomorrow I need to deliver cookies and candies to the neighbors, bake some cut out sugar cookies for us and finish making one last Christmas present.

How is everyone else's Christmas preparations going?  While you are getting ready for Christmas, please don't forget about Elizabeth and her family over at Trenches of Mommyhood.  Her son, Jacob, is seriously ill and hospitalized with cancer.  She is posting about everyday as to how Jacob is doing and she is being very honest with her feelings.  She needs encouragement. 

I delivered our daughter prematurely several years ago.  Our daughter lived only 3 hours and I can still remember the trauma of that event and being hospitalized myself for almost a week.  My experience pales in comparison to what she and her family are facing.  Say a prayer for Jacob, Elizabeth and her husband and their other children also.  Their Christmas celebration has been turned upside down this year - they need courage and support. 

I'm Back -- Took a little break

I had a couple of busy days, mainly cleaning and sprucing up the house, so I haven't blogged for a few days.  Actually I intended to post something Saturday night, but I fell asleep.  Then yesterday we had church programs and an orchestra/choir concert to attend.  By the time we got home we settled in and watched the Survivor Finale episode. 

So here I am .... with 5 days to Christmas and I am just beginning my Christmas baking.  Yep.  I never bake until the week of Christmas.  Well, I shouldn't say never, as I actually started this tradition about 10 years ago.  I used to bake the first week of December and I would freeze the cookies.  Well, they were usually gone by Christmas day, which was a bummer.  I always like to serve Christmas cookies as the dessert for our Christmas meal. 

I can say something else about baking the week of Christmas, it makes the week of Christmas seem more special.  After all, it was only a couple of generations ago when the Christmas tree didn't even get put up until Christmas Eve and the baking was done a few days ahead of Christmas day.  Christmas seemed a lot more special whereas now we start putting up lights right after Halloween.  By the time Christmas arrives, I was getting a little too much Christmas.  That is why I started the Christmas baking the week of Christmas.  It works great for our family. 

Thankfully, it is freezing outside so I can store all of my cookies in tins on the back porch and they will keep well without having to make room in my freezer (which we all know doesn't have much extra room right now anyway).

Today I will begin the baking.  This year I am going to bake cookies to give away to my neighbors.  I have never done this before and I am ashamed to say that I don't know my neighbors or in many cases know them, but not very well.  I have decided to bake simple cookies along with a couple of Christmas type cookies. 

At the grocery store I snagged a great deal on Friday.  Here they are: 

These are Holiday Limited Edition Ziploc Containers.  They were on sale for only $1.25 for a package of two and I had coupons for $1.50 off two packages.  I only paid 50 cents per package or 25 cents per container.  I purchased 10 packages.  These will make great containers for the cookies I will be giving to my neighbors. 

Here is what I will be baking for our neighbors:

Tripple Chipper cookies - oatmeal cookie recipe with chocolate chips, peanut butter chips and white chips
Thumbprint cookies - I posted about those here.
Butterscotch bars - a simple brown sugar chewey cookie bar
Oatmeal Chocolate Caramel bars - these have a bottom layer of an oatmeal cookie crust, middle layer of caramel sauce and milk chocolate topped with additional oatmeal cookie dough
Snickerdoodles - a nice sugar, cinnamon cookie
Chocolate crinkles - a chocolatey cookie dough formed into balls and rolled in powdered sugar prior to baking
Brickle Bits Cookies - Heath toffee brickle bits stirred into a chocolate chip type cookie dough
White Chocolate, Macadamia/Cashew cookies - again, a chocolate chip type cookie dough with white chocolate chips and normally macadamia nuts but since I have both macadamia and cashew nuts that I need to use up, I will be putting both in the dough. 

I will have all of these finished by Wednesday and then I will package them up and deliver them on Thursday. 

On Tuesday evening, with my daughter in law's help, I will be making my semi-famous pretzel rods that have been dipped in caramel, then almond bark or chocolate, rolled in crushed M & M's candies and then drizzled with more almond bark or chocolate.

On Thursday I will be baking cut out sugar cookies and peanut butter blossom cookies for my family along with a cereal mix that is covered in almond bark and has pretzels and M & M's candies in it. 

I will definitely take pictures of everything when I am done and will post them. 

But - - I couldn't finish this post without a few of my recipes.  Here they are:

Chocolate Caramel Oatmeal Bars

2 1/4 cups flour, divided
2 cups quick cooking oats
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cold butter or margarine (yes, 3 sticks of butter)
2 cups milk chocolate chips
1 - 12 oz. jar - caramel ice cream topping (such as Smuckers)

In a bowl, combine 2 cups flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and salt.  Cut in butter until crumbly.  Set half aside for topping.  Press the remaining crumb mixture into a greased 9" x 13" baking pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.  Sprinkle with the chocolate chips.  Whisk the caramel topping and remaining 1/4 cup flour until smooth; drizzle over the chocolate chips.  Sprinkle with the reserved crumb mixture.  Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack for 2 hours before cutting.  Yield:  4 1/2 dozen.

White Chocolate Macadamia Nut Cookies 

( I only make this cookie for a very special occasion due to the cost of the nuts.  I am always on the lookout for any sales and when I see macadamia nuts, cashews or pecans on sale, I will buy them and store them in my freezer.  This is truly a cookie that I will only make at Christmas time or to give as a gift to a new mom.)

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter (yes, 3 sticks of unsalted butter)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
3 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
12 oz. white chocolate chips
6 oz. macadamia nuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Cream butter and the sugars.  Add the eggs, one at a time.  Mix in the vanilla extract.  In another bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Stir into the creamed mixture and fold in the white chocolate and nuts by hand.  Drop by tablespoons - about 8 to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake for 10 minutes, just until cookies turn golden.  Don't overbake.  Cool on the cookie sheet for 3 minutes and transfer to wire rack. 

Variations:  Can use pecans or cashews in place of the macadamia nuts.

Christmas Food Court Flash Mob

This is very uplifting.  The Hallelujah Chorus never sounded better.

Dinner Tonight - December 2nd and Christmas Cookies

Last night I caved and we had pancakes.  I'll save the cornmeal waffles for next Wednesday as it appears Wednesdays will be breakfast for dinner nights.

Tonight we are having spaghetti with meat sauce - my choice.  I took two loaves of cuban bread out of the oven a couple of minutes ago and these will be wonderful with a little butter on each slice.  We will be having a tossed salad of romaine lettuce, leaf lettuce, red and yellow peppers, red cabbage, carrots and a little onion. 

I don't have anything planned for dessert tonight as I need to bake some Christmas cookies for my husband to take to work tomorrow.  Each employee is to provide 2 dozen cookies for a customer appreciation time in the afternoon. I will be sure to bake a few extras for all of us to snack on later.  I am going to make thumbprint cookies with homemade strawberry jam in the center. 

Here is my recipe for Thumbprint cookies which I will be doubling.  This recipe was given to me by my 7th grade Home Economics teacher back in 1971.  Everytime I make these I think of her.

1/4 cup butter or margarine
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg, separated
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup finely chopped nuts

Cream the butter, shortening and the sugar.  Add the egg yolk.  Stir in the vanilla, flour and salt.  Shape dough into 1 inch balls.  Dip the cookie balls in the egg white and roll in the nuts.  Place on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Make an indentation in the center with your thumb.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  When cool, fill the center with jam or make an icing from confectioner's sugar, vanilla and some milk.  Tint with food coloring and then pour some of the icing in the centers of the cookies.  Another variation is to eliminate dipping the cookie balls into egg white and nuts and instead leave them plain, press a thumbprint in the center and bake.  Then fill with jam and drizzle a little confectioner sugar icing over the tops.  This is a good alternative when nuts are expensive. 

T Shirt Quilts

Around 18 years ago my husband sent 20 of his running T-shirts along with a twin sheet off to be made into a quilt.  This was some what of a new idea and he saw an advertisement in the back of one of his running magazines.  My thought was finally something we could do with his running shirts.

My husband has been a runner for around 40 years.  In the course of those 40 years he has run hundreds of races and received hundreds of T-shirts.  Last weekend we were cleaning out closets and he made a stack of T-shirts that he no longer wears and was going to donate them to Goodwill.  This is only 1/4th of those T-shirts.

I decided that instead of donating those T-shirts, I could make T-shirt quilts to give away to charities.  The only supplies I will need are twin sheets and lightweight batting.  I have plenty of thread and yarn on hand.

My plan is to take the front of the T-shirts and use those to make quilts for United Way or some other similar organization.  Not wanting to waste the backs of the T-shirts, I will take the plain backs and sew those into quilts to send to nursing homes or I am going to check to see if a Veteran's Hospital would like some quilts for the veterans who are hospitalized.  The reason that I would send the quilts with the plain T-shirt back on them to a V.A. Hospital is that I doubt if a veteran that has had a leg amputated would want a quilt that has running shirts on it. 

This is an easy project.  The quilt squares are 12 inches.  There are 4 squares in width and 5 squares in length.  It is simply a matter of sewing the squares together, pinning and basting the batting into place.  Then sew the sheet, (right sides together of course) to the batting and the front, turn the quilt inside out, baste the opening shut and then tie the quilt with yarn. 

The T-shirt quilt that my husband had made is lightweight and very soft and warm.  We have a more elaborate T-shirt quilt that his cross country runners gave him a few years ago.  It is beautiful.  The mom that put this quilt together did quite a professional job.  She even included some quilt squares with notes from the runners. 

I know my limitations so I am sticking to the simple version. 

If you have a lot of T-shirts and were like my husband - he wanted to save some of those T-shirts from his favorite races (one was the Chicago marathon) - this is quite a memory keeper and it is also very practical. 

These quilts would make great Christmas presents especially if you have a family member that has a lot of sports t- shirts such as volleyball, softball, baseball, football and so on.

First Time Ever - A Budget for Christmas Gift Giving

I remember January of this year and feeling low and regretful over the bills from Christmas.  We had spent too much money on Christmas and I was not happy. 

In years' past we didn't budget for Christmas spending.  We just spent what we wanted to spend and that was that.  I made a very good salary, so Christmas was simply a matter of asking family members what they wanted for Christmas, taking their list and buying what was on the list.  My husband and I would go shopping and get it all done in one day. 

Last year I was no longer working and bringing in an income, but we still went out and spent like we had in prior years.  We asked what everyone wanted, took a list and bought what was on the list.  I don't know what we were thinking last year, but I do remember regretting it come January.  Lesson learned. 

This year is different.  We're scaling back Christmas at our house.  I am putting up the Christmas tree, the navity set and the stockings and that is it.  We are also cutting back on our Christmas spending.

We have pared our Christmas budget by 60% of what it used to be (which tells you we were spending way too much money)  and everyone seems to be thinking the same thing - we have everything that we need and we have a few wants.  My husband and I sat down to talk about the budget and we made a list of items that we would like to buy our children, daughter in law, my mother and his parents.

We decided that we would spend $50 on each other and that was it.  Both of us agreed that we didn't need anything and that instead of spending a lot of money on each other just to fulfill the "Christmas lots of gifts under the tree rule," we would instead take our time and find either one thing or several small things for each other on a $50 budget.  The main thing was that these would be items that each of us would want to have.

When we looked at the list of gift ideas for our family, we added it up and realized that we could definitely do this on the budgeted amount we had set.  What is our budget?  It is $750.00.  We have some of the money saved up, and the rest will come from grocery savings and from my husband's paychecks in December.  I almost hesitated to post the amount as two things can be surmised:  That we had paid in the past close to $1,800.00 for Christmas and that $750.00 doesn't sound very frugal.

In discussing the budget, we still wanted to be able to do Christmas in a nice way for our children, yet it still won't be at the same level that it was done in the past.  Also we can afford the $750.00.  If we were going to have to put Christmas on a credit card and pay it off over several months, then we would reduce the budget.  The fact is that we can do this without going into debt and that is a good feeling.

Yesterday I picked up a couple of gifts and I walked out of the store feeling happy because I had a budget and I was staying within the budget.  This makes shopping for Christmas gifts a little merrier.

If dust bunnies were money, I'd be rich

We have a lot of woodwork in our old house and it always seems that wood attracts dust or perhaps dust is more noticeable on wood.  I have not deep cleaned my house in a long time.  There were so many outdoor projects that were clammering for my time this fall and I had to put off doing a proper cleaning of my house for weeks.  I did the "must do" projects such as cleaning bathrooms and the kitchen and I tidied up the rest of the house as best I could.  But, my house looked terrible and when people would stop by, I really didn't care and didn't get too embarrassed.  It was more important to get those outdoor projects done. 

Now that the cold weather has hit Iowa, the time to do "fall cleaning" has arrived in my house.  I decided to tackle two rooms at a time and yesterday I picked the diningroom and the hallway.  Well, I didn't get very far as it was quite a dusting job and I had some volunteer obligations to attend to.  I did get down on my knees and started to dust the mop boards which are about a foot high from the floor and then there is the woodwork that goes around all of the entryways, the pocket doors that stick out a little from the doorways (forever stuck), and of course the crown molding. 

This is a picture I took last year during Christmas.  It gives you an idea of some of the old woodwork in our house.  This is the view from our dining room into our living room.  Note the walls in the living room have been stripped of their wall paper and I need to do some plaster repair and painting.  Yes, we have lived with it looking like this for a long time.  Now I have to get to work and get this project done.

Which brings me to dust bunnies. I love the name - dust bunnies.  Perhaps if we called them dust rattlesnakes I would have gotten to this task sooner, but dust bunnies is a warm, fuzzy name.  I knew everything was dusty but when I got down on my hands and knees I really saw the herd of dust bunnies.

Normally I vacuum the hard wood floors about twice a week - that is the wood floors that are exposed around large area rugs.  However, vacuuming wasn't going to get the job done this time.  I was on my hands and knees with a dust rag and I shook the rag out several times.  I am a get down on your hands and knees kind of person in order to get the cleaning job done properly.  But it does come with its drawbacks.  When I am down on my hands and knees I seem to attract the attention of our dog and cat.  Our dog came over and stood next to me and was watching me the entire time.  Then she laid down next to me and rolled over on her back as if to tell me, "hey, you're down here so you might as well rub my tummy."  So I did rub her tummy and then I got her to move into the livingroom.

About that time I realized I had to leave to help with a kids club at church.  So, I am starting again today.

I am getting the house into shape this week and next week - but the week after Thanksgiving I will be patching plaster on the living room walls and starting to paint them.  I have warned my family that the only Christmas decoration that would be going up this year would be the Christmas tree.  I have a lot of painting to do along with removing wallpaper and restaining woodwork in several rooms downstairs and I need to get it done and best of all, I am motivated to get it done. 

This is a picture from last year.

This will be our only Christmas decoration up this year.

My family's response was that was fine as long as I did the Christmas baking too.  No problem, as I can hardly wait to bake and eat some of those annual homemade goodies.

Making My Favorite Preserves

Peach Pineapple Conserve

Yesterday I made my absolute favorite preserve, actually it is called Peach-Pineapple conserve and I have no idea why it is called conserve and not preserve.  Perhaps someone can tell me the difference some day.

I am about the only one in our family that likes it so I am making it only for me and for some gifts.  I love orange marmalade and I love peaches and pineapple.  This preserve is the best of both worlds and is very easy to make. 

Peach Pineapple Conserve

2 1/2 cups chopped fresh peaches
1 cup canned pineapple chunks, cut up (I have substituted 1 cup crushed pineapple that has been well drained with equal results)
2 cups sugar
Juice and rind of 1 orange

Heat water in a canner to boiling.  Wash the peaches.  Dip each peach in hot water in order to easily remove the peels.  Yes, I use the water that is boiling in the canner.  Chop the peaches to measure 2 1/2 cups.  Mix peaches, pineapple and sugar; add grated orange rind and juice.  Slowly bring to a boil, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves; cook rapidly until thick and clear; about 20 minutes, stirring frequently.  Pour boiling hot into sterilized jars and seal.  Place in canner and process for 5 minutes.  Remove and make sure the jars seal.

This yields approximately 4 - 8 oz. jars of preserves.

I have never found anything like this in a store.  Peaches are super cheap now and I always have pineapple in my pantry.  This recipe is fairly cheap to make.  You don't need any pectin to add to it which also keeps the expense down.

I have given jars of these preserves as Christmas gifts and everyone is always surprised by the flavor of this preserve.