To my readers:

Hello everyone!

I have been out of the blogging picture for a couple of months now.
It turns out that the demands I put on myself for this blog were just more than I could keep up with. Oops!
I've remedied that, though. I started a NEW blog. It's a little different, and (I think) a little more fun! I invite you to check it out, and follow if you like.
Please read my "Howdy" page. It tells why I am there and not here. ;-)
And please read my "My Banner" page for info on my fun new banner idea.

If you click the link, I'll take you there, now.

Earning My Cape

Thank you so much!

Make-it-Yourself Monday: Advent Calendar Christmas Tree Idea!

    OK, this isn't so much of a real post, as it is an idea that I just came up with. This is why I have no pictures or tutorials or anything. I literally just thought of it 2 minutes ago!

    My 4 year old wakes up every morning asking me if it is Christmas yet, so I thought I'd print out an Advent Calendar for her. I chose this one. (If you didn't click, it is a Christmas tree outline, with ornaments that you cut out and paste to the tree each day). This led to a train of thoughts that went something like this: "What if I made one from felt, and mounted it in some sort or frame or something.... or what if I made them magnetic, somehow....hmmm... Ooh! OOh!!! I GOT IT!!!..."

    I could get a small Christmas tree... the 1 foot tall ones that they sell at the dollar store (or craft store). Then I could get some of the tiny ornaments that they sell at the dollar, too. I could set up the tree on a shelf or something, and wrap each ornament in a tiny box or something, and number each one 1-25, then place all of the tiny presents under the tiny tree. Each day, one of the kids can choose the ornament with that day's date on it, and hang it on the tree!!! I sooo want to do this! I am not sure if it will happen this year, but I HAVE to remember it for next year!

Thoughts?

Make-it-Yourself Monday: Christmas CD or MP3 Playlist

   
    Ok, so this isn't a true Make -it-Yourself  post, but if you are into making MP3 player playlists and burning your own music CDs, you might want to check this out!

   Amazon.com is offering FREE Christmas music downloads! They add a new song each day, and if you miss a day, you can download it anytime until the promotion ends!

Click Here for FREE Christmas Music

Website Wednesday: NorthPole- Visit Santa's Workshop

  With the holiday season upon us, I wanted to share a site that my family really loves:

North Pole. Com

NorthPole is such a fun site. Kids can write a letter to Santa, then check back later for Santa's personalized response. There are recipes, stories, games and many other fun things to do!

Fun For Kids:

• Send Santa a letter and he’ll write you back
• Read stories about Santa, the elves, and the reindeer
• Disco Dancing Santa
• Print stories & color the pages
• Personalize a story with YOU as the star
• Christmas Countdown Calendar with fun activities
• Chat with Santa’s elves, Bonnie and Bif, through ElfChat℠
• Print a Good Deeds Calendar
• FREE wallpaper to download
• Visit the Elf Clubhouse for fun games to play
• Send holiday e-cards to your friends, family, and teachers
• NORAD’s Santa Tracker
  (Dec. 24th)

Activities For Parents:

• Christmas Countdown Calendar
• Birthday Card from Santa
• Recipes Galore!
• Good Deeds Calendar
• Personalized Stories
• Animated E-Cards

Teachers and Students:

• Basic Motor Skills
• Learning Letters
• Sound Recognition
• Christmas Countdown Calendar
• Learning Numbers
• Elf Pal Academy Diploma
• Stories to Read and Color
• Flashcards

Crafts:

• Ornaments
• Paper Dolls
• Stuffed Bear
• Reindeer Harness
• Memory Cards

    You and your kids could spend hours exploring all of the fun things to do at The North Pole! I know my family does!

Website Wednesday: Support Small Businesses!

    As the holidays are quickly approaching, I thought it would be nice to promote small businesses, home businesses and friends businesses. We will all be doing a ton of shopping over the next weeks, and I feel that it is important to forgo the big, multi-billion dollar corporate stores as much as we can, and support our local Mom & Pop shops... while they are still here. So many small businesses have been forced to shut down since the economy took a dive. It's been hard on everyone. It's been especially hard on smaller, locally owned stores and restaurants. It is so easy to run to Walmart and get a bunch of cheap junk... I know... I do this often. Too often. It's even easier to pop into McDonalds for a quick bite from the value menu. Given the choice, though, wouldn't it be nice to support the local sandwich shop (no, not Subway), or the independently owned used book store in town? It is so sad to see so many of these small, loved stores hang up their closed signs for good. I don't know about you, but these "cookie cutter" mini-malls are really getting on my nerves. I miss the small town feel and the warm hospitality of the small businesses. It is such a shame to see them dwindling away.

    I also like to support the small internet shops. Have you visited Etsy lately? There are some seriously talented people out there who make beautiful things that would make wonderful gifts.
Do you have an Etsy store or a web-based business? Do you have a friend who sells online? I would love for you to share the sites here! Together, we can help build and promote these small businesses.

    Here are some of my favorites:

DMC Jewelry

Piper Pixies Tutus

Watkins

Scrapbooks By Sam
Brooklyn Ella Couture

Thursday Review: Tillamook Cheese

    I love cheese. It's got to be one of my favorite food groups! What? It isn't it's own group? Well it SHOULD be! My family can go through a 2lb loaf in less than a week!
 

    My favorite brand of cheese is Tillamook. When I saw that they came out with a "new flavor" of their Monterey Jack Cheese, I was a bit worried. I mean, if it isn't broke, then don't fix it, right? Of course we bought it anyway, I mean, let's not get drastic here. I tasted it and it was GREAT! Just when you think something couldn't get better, somehow Tillamook made it happen! The cheese has a wonderful, creamy texture and the flavor is better than ever. I challenge you to put it up against any other Monterey Jack cheese and see for yourself! (I would do it myself, but I just don't want to waste the money buying the other stuff! I've been down that road and I KNOW Tillamook is better!)


    Even my eggs were happy that they were going to get some Tillamook Monterey Jack Cheese added to them!

This happened totally by accident, & I HAD to take a pic!

Oh, and don't limit yourself to just the Monterey cheese! Try Tillamook's other varieties, too! I Love the Medium Cheddar, and the Extra Sharp Aged Cheddar, too.
Check out their varieties and try them!


Overall Rating: ¢¢¢¢¢

Frugal Friday: Leftovers- Part 4

    Today for our Frugal Friday Leftovers Series, I would like to share with you some of my ideas for yummy uses for leftover ham. I love ham, because it goes great with something for every meal. Ham & eggs at breakfast, ham sandwiches at lunch, and a variety of yummy ham dinners. We sometimes buy a large "loaf" of cooked ham from the deli department, just so that we have some on hand.
Now, let's ask ourselves:

What Can I make With Leftover Ham?



• Flavor up your Potato Soup. Add cubes of ham to your potato soup for a burst of flavor.
• Ham and Grilled Cheese. Add a slice or two of ham to your grilled cheese sandwich.
• Fried Rice. Add some ham to your vegetable fried rice, to make it a complete lunch.
• Scalloped Potatoes. Add chunks of ham to your favorite scalloped potato recipe, top with cheese, and bake, for a delicious casserole meal.
• Ham and Eggs. Fry up some ham alongside your eggs for breakfast.
• More Ham and Eggs. Add cubes of ham to your omelets, fritatas, quiches, and scrambled eggs.
• Pizza Topping. Use ham as a topping for a homemade pizza.
• Breakfast Skillet. Cut up some leftover baked potatoes and cubes of ham. Dice an onion and saute it in oil until tender. Add the potato and ham and some spices of your choice. I like paprika, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Fry everything up together and top with cheese. Serve with salsa or Tabasco sauce, if desired.
• Make a "Stromboli". Use homemade or store-bought bread dough, and roll or press it out into an 8"x12" rectangle. Layer ham and cheese down the middle. Fold up sides and ends and seal. Place seam side down on a baking sheet,poke holes in the dough (for the yummy cheese to escape) and bake until golden. Slice and serve warm.
• Make a pot of Beans. Use the ham bone to add awesome flavor to a pot of beans. ***EXTRA TIP*** I like to make extra beans and use those leftovers, as well. You can use them for things like refried beans, use them in soups, make BBQ beans, and use them in chili.

What are some ways that you like to use leftover ham?