Hello , Hi there and welcome to the next edition of the HBHW newsletter. It is starting to look a lot like Christmas around here (and yes, that song is playing in my head this morning). Most of the Christmas decorations are up and I have the lights on around my window and on the Christmas tree to bring a little cheer on a dark, foggy Wednesday morning here in South
Carolina.
We had a nice Thanksgiving with family and friends and used up most of our leftovers. There is some turkey left, but I'm starting to run out of ideas for making it taste different enough to keep my loved ones interested. After last nights turkey enchiladas, we decided to freeze
the rest to use in turkey soup later on this winter. How about you? Did you get creative with your turkey leftovers?
One of my favorite Holiday traditions is the Advent Calendar. My mom made one each year for me as a child and I've enjoyed sharing that
tradition with my daughter. This year, I thought I'd share it with you as well. Each day you will find a new Advent Calendar post on the HBHW
site.
You may find a special coupon code for that day, a free kindle book, or a downloadable recipe booklet. I hope you'll enjoy these little treats and posts as much as I enjoy putting them together for you each
morning.
I'd also like to invite you to join myself and Tracy Roberts from MomsInABlog.com over at www.HomemakersHutch.com. We just
wrapped up the December issue of our digital magazine and it's my favorite one yet. If you need a little inspiration along with some great frugal tips and recipes, you don't want to miss it.
In this issue I have a couple of tips to share with you that will make the Holiday season less
stressful and more enjoyable. Of course there are also some yummy recipes and a bit of inspiration.
Enjoy! |
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"“Let’s approach Christmas with an expectant hush, rather than a last-minute rush.”
- Anonymous
Featured Recipe of the Week |
From The "No Stress Gift Giving
On A Budget" eBook
• 4 1/2 c. sugar • 1 lg. can evaporated milk • 1/2 lb. butter • 1 1/2 bags chocolate chips • 1 (7 oz.) jar marshmallow creme • 1 tbsp. vanilla • Nuts (opt.)
Place sugar and evaporated milk into a medium size pot and bring to a boil.
Once milk comes to a boil add butter and boil for an additional 10 minutes. Remove pot from the heat and pour in
chocolate chips and stir until they are all melted then add marshmallow crème, vanilla extract and nuts (optional). Mix well.
Pour into a greased or sprayed pan and refrigerate. This recipe makes about five pounds.
Tip: All ingredients in this recipe are fairly inexpensive and the recipe will yield a lot. It makes a great gift for teachers, bus drivers, and anyone else you would like to send a little “Thank You!”
to.
A Few Related Recipes
You're welcome
to share the recipe on Pinterest, Facebook etc. I'm also sharing a lot of recipes on the HBHW Facebook page. Click on through to check it out. As always, likes, comments and shares
are much appreciated. :)
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Making Homemade Christmas gifts is one way to actually enjoy the process of gift-giving. Not only are homemade gifts and decorations frugal, they’re more fun!
We don’t have to rush out to the mall to shop for Christmas when we have
ideas for creating gifts right at home. Take time to enjoy your holiday season. Click on and download now to start planning your frugal AND fun Christmas. Order the Book on
Amazon |
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Wouldn't it be great to have access to a magazine, that’s packed full of hands-on advice, delicious recipes for things your family will actually eat and plenty of support from moms and homemakers just like you? http://www.HomemakersHutch.com It's a digital magazine we are putting together each month full of fun recipes, crafts and helpful tips and ideas. The December issue is packed full of over 50 pages of tips, ideas, recipes and articles on celebrating
Christmas. Here's what's you'll find in the December
issue: - Simple Christmas: How to Have More with Less and Cut the Stress!
- Frugal Living: Christmas Shopping All Year Long
- 25 Things I Want My Kids to Know About Christmas
- Teaching Children About The Meaning of Christmas
- Our Beer Can Christmas
- Being Kind is the Only Thing You Should NEVER Be Frugal With
- Goody Santa
Claus
- Creating Family Holiday Traditions
- It’s O.K. To Eat Pizza On Christmas Day
- All I Want for Christmas
- The Expectation of Christmas
- Christmas Cookie Swap
- How The Myth of Santa Claus Was Born
- Making A List And Checking It Twice –
- Christmas Shopping Strategy That Works
- Christmas Meal Plan – Do You Have One Yet?
- 16 Delicious Holiday Recipes
- Smoothie of the Month: Pecan Pie in a Glass
- Fun Crafts &
Activities for the Kids
- Homemade Gifts & Decorations
- Manage Holiday Stress with Essential Oils
- Holiday Themed Printables
Ready to give it a
try? Subscribe to Homemaker's Hutch for $5 a month. |
We're having a lot of fun talking about all things frugal and homemaking on Facebook. Join in the discussion at the Hillbilly Housewife Facebook page.
Be sure to like the page so you don't miss a thing. Here's just one of this week's topics. |
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Coping With Holiday Stress - Tips To Enjoy This Special Season
It’s so easy to get sidetracked by all the various to-do lists and worries this time of the year. No wonder you feel stressed out. Here are some simple tips for coping with holiday stress that will help you focus on what’s really important – Enjoying this special season with family and friends.
Trade Your Holiday Stressings For Christmas Blessings
When I talk with other moms about
their December plans, they’re usually all about Christmas. They have cookies to bake, decorations to set up, meals to plan, a house to clean, presents to buy, expectations they will never be able to meet. Sometimes these moms even tell me, “I can’t wait for this all to be over so I can relax!”
These activities may be part of a meaningful Christmas, but if that’s all Christmas has become for you, it may be time to reconsider your reasons for
celebrating.
Where is the joy of the season when you’re too exhausted to experience it?
Where is the pleasure in spending time with your family and loved ones when you’re too busy to sit and talk with them?
How can their be delight in giving your gifts when you know you spent more than you can afford on something?
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This year, instead of stressing about the holiday season and its accompanying expectations, I invite you to focus on the blessings of Christmas.
Whatever Christmas means in your home,make that the one focal point of all your planning and celebrations. It’s easy to be distracted by unrealistic expectations, the high costs of Christmas, and those things we do every year, even though we’re not really sure why. This
year, celebrate intentionally and with purpose.
For instance, in my family, Christmas is a celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth. If I can keep that one thought at the forefront of my plans, everything else fits into place. I remain focused throughout the season and our Christmas becomes focused, meaningful, relaxing, and satisfying.
This year, instead of getting caught up in the holiday stressings, take a deep break and let yourself enjoy your
Christmas blessings. Read the Rest Of Tip ( comment, share, bookmark etc.)
Featured Article of the Week |
Making A List And Checking It Twice – Christmas Shopping Strategy That Works
Have you started putting together your shopping list for Christmas? No? Are you like so many of the “shopping challenged” folks out there that just cross their fingers and hope they will get through the gift buying frenzy without spending too much money? I guarantee, you will spend money you don’t have if you don’t sit down and make a gift shopping list.
Lists are tedious, aren’t they. It’s much more fun to just go into the
beautifully decorated stores and be inspired by all the sparkle and glow and let your heart do the shopping, isn’t it.
However, it’s not so much fun when you don’t know how much you’ve spent until you get your credit card bill.
That doomsday feeling happens when you get all the packages home and realize that;
- you spent an unbelievable amount of money, and
- you didn’t get what you set out to
buy.
It’s time to change. You need a strategy. You need a list.
Every year you start out with some ideas about what you want to buy, and every year it comes down to the last few days and you begin the “panic buying.” Did I get enough? What about stocking stuffers?
To prevent the last minute panic that breaks the gift budget, start by developing your list. Here’s how:
If
there are a couple “big ticket” items on your list, that’s okay. That’s where we start. Subtract the cost of those items from your budget. Be as thorough as possible, using newspaper flyers or the internet to find out how much each item will cost.
Now list the stocking stuffers. Yes, those little items add up very quickly. One suggestion when the gift budget is extremely tight is to use bigger items as stocking stuffers. It’s cheaper to buy a bigger stocking than to try
to purchase a lot of additional little items to stuff a smaller stocking.
Once you have a comprehensive gift list together, stick it in your purse or glove compartment and get ready to shop. Now whether you shop all in one day or like to do a little bit each week, you’ve got a list from which to work. Check off items as you go and you are on your way!
With your gift list firmly in hand, you will be able to resist that impulse buying that the
stores count on during the Holidays. You can relax, knowing that you got Junior and Sissy what you wanted to get them, no more, no less, and the budget is still on track.
And you can breathe easier knowing that the January bills won’t harbor any big surprises! Read the rest of the article, comment, share and
bookmark. |
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Please don't forget to "Pin" these articles and posts when you head to the Hillbilly Housewife website to read more. It helps get the word out about the site and the newsletter. Thank you! |
A Little Something Inspirational...
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That's it from me for this week. I hope you and your family had a wonderful Thanksgiving and you put all those leftovers to good use.
I'm getting ready to dig through my recipes for a cinnamon roll one. My daughter is learning about antiquity in school this year and they are celebrating with a Greek and Roman Day at school on Friday. I got a note from her teacher yesterday requesting that
we sent in Cinnamon Rolls on Friday for the celebration. To be honest I don't know how they are a greek or roman food, but I'm always happy to bake. I might need to do a little research into the history of cinnamon rolls as well - right after I figure out how to make a toga :) Never a dull moment in this house...
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