Dinner and Donations

Welcome to 2012!  I’m sure Bannon will agree with me when I say that we both wish you all a new year filled with health, happiness, and positivity!  I know I’m aiming for that for myself this year.  Eating better, cutting down on soda (my weakness is a can of Dr. Pepper!), and being more proactive!  That means finishing those lingering craft projects, cleaning and minimizing clutter, and blogging more!  I’m also hoping to read a new book a month-I love to read, but I tend to go back to my old favorites, so this is more about stepping out of my comfort zone.

Anyway, I got started to day on my goals by cleaning out my toiletry and cleaning stockpiles, and donating as much as possible to a local homeless shelter.  I’m taking a bundle this week to the Homeless Families Foundation.  Along with soap, shampoo, toothpaste, etc., I’ll be delivering crib sheets and blankets, as well as some kids books and games.  I like that they focus on providing stability to homeless families, but they place a very strong emphasis on giving children stability through educational programs, tutoring, and summer programs.  My little family of three may not be rich, but we are lucky that we can live a comfortable life, and we like to pay that forward.  If you live in the area, please take the time to look at their site, and see if it’s an organization you’d like to help.

I’ve also been spending my free time lately in the kitchen!  I did a guest blog post for my friend Bonnie at The Not So Modern Housewife, discussing the myriad mysteries of fudge-okay, mysterious to me, because that just seems to be how I work.  Please check out Bonnie's blog, and not just for the fudge.  She is an amazing wife, mother, chef, and homemaker, and I seriously want to be like her someday.  I also made birthday cakes from scratch (more on that another day), and I made a New Year’s Day dinner that, to be honest, surprised me by how good it was.  Pork and sauerkraut for people who don’t like sauerkraut, with garlic mashed potatoes and dill green beans.  I think it’s too good not to share, so here it is!

Pork and Sauerkraut for non-kraut lovers

32 oz. undrained sauerkraut

1.5 T sugar

1 12oz beer (something with body, you can go as stout as you like!)

2-3 lb. boneless pork roast

1-2 t. crushed garlic

Kosher salt, pepper, paprika to taste

Place the sauerkraut in a crock pot.  Sprinkle the sugar over it, then add the beer.  Lay the roast on top of the sauerkraut, fatty side up.  Rub the garlic over the surface of the roast, then sprinkle with salt, pepper, and paprika.  Cook on high heat for 6 hours.  This will give you meat so tender it falls apart.  And, as a non-kraut lover...I surprised myself and ate it.  I rewarded myself with chocolate.

Garlic Mashed Potatoes

1 5 lb bag potatoes

1 stick butter, softened

½ block of cream cheese, softened

Milk/half and half, as needed

2t. minced or crushed garlic

½ c. shredded cheddar cheese (fresh grates works best)

Salt and pepper to taste

Note:  peeling potatoes for this recipe is optional.  I usually just cut off the necessary bits and leave the rest.

Wash, peel if desired, and cut potatoes into quarters.  Boil until fork tender, about 20 minutes.  Turn the burner to low, drain the potatoes, then put them back into the pot.  Place the pot onto the low burner, then mash the potatoes with a hand masher.  After mashing, add butter, garlic, and cream cheese.  Mash a bit more, until ingredients are blended.  At this point, if you feel the potatoes need more moisture, add your milk or half and half.  Mix it in gradually until you feel it is the right consistency.  Once your potatoes are to your liking, stir in the cheese, salt, and pepper.  Seriously creamy and flavorful goodness!

For the green beans, I simply steamed them with 1 t. dill (dried, because I forgot to get fresh), salt, and pepper to taste.  Steam them for 8-10 minutes, or until fork-tender, then transfer them to a bowl and add butter.

I suspect this will be made again well before January 1, 2013!

...5 days left??

Ah, the Christmas/holiday rush.  It's caused me to lose sight of a lot of things this month (like blogging), but it's also helped me prioritize and determine what's really important to me this year.  After my traumatic Thanksgiving, which involved crying in bed during dinner, I've decided to focus on three things to help me enjoy my Christmas day.  This list may sound selfish, but I see it as an attempt to be honest with myself about my wants and needs this year.  It only has 3 items on it:

1.  To make sure Big Dude, Little Dude, and my momma have a great Christmas
2.  To make sure that other family and friends are given meaningful gifts they will enjoy, and to make sure they all know I love them
3.  To make sure I can get away with doing as little as possible on Christmas day.

This list, particularly #3, wouldn't be possible without my youngest sister and her husband stepping up and agreeing to host Christmas dinner this year.  BD and I have hosted the last couple of years, and while I generally love doing it, I'm rather burned out and would enjoy a break.

To make sure I can enforce #3, and thereby devoting more time to #1 and #2, I have created a master list of what needs to be done before the big day.  It is scheduled, with certain tasks falling on certain days.  It involves cleaning, last minute cards, baking cookies, getting laundry caught up, grocery shopping, last minute gifts, and anything else I can think of.  I'm scheduled to clean one room a day, and to touch it all up on Saturday morning.  It factors in taking the LD to COSI, and going to Dayton to visit BD's family.  My list started yesterday, and I am already behind on it.  :-)  So today will likely be a fun-filled day of errands and cleaning, but that's okay, because it will all be worth it on Sunday.

I have this fantasy that I'll wake up on Christmas morning after having gone to bed at a reasonable hour, happy in the knowledge that we're all snuggled up under clean sheets, in our dust-free rooms.  Upon awaking, the pre-set coffeepot will have coffee waiting for me, and I'll be able to quickly heat a nutritious, tasty breakfast I prepped the night before.  We'll all troop into the living room (sparkling clean, of course) in our matching Christmas jammies, and watch with delight as our revered LD opens his gifts.  We'll then watch "A Christmas Story" on repeat all day until it's time to go to my sister's.  We may take a nap and a shower somewhere in there.  We'll warm up the Duchess potatoes at my sister's place (again, made in advance), stuff ourselves silly on ham, rolls, and fudge, and watch more gift opening.  Then we'll all troop home to our still-clean house and curl up in bed for a well-deserved sleep.  I guess I'm going to have to count on elves or fairies to clean up the gift wrap and breakfast dishes.

Will all this happen?  No, probably not.  I'm going to consider myself ahead of the game if I get the bathroom mirror clean.  But, if I can stick to my schedule, I might actually get to watch that Christmas Story marathon.

Regardless of how unrealistic your expectations are, I cannot emphasize enough how helpful lists are at this time of year!  Don't have all your gifts yet?  Get that list together and hit the mall!  Still need to wrap? List all the packages you have to wrap, and feel a little more accomplished with every thing you cross off.    No clue what to serve for Christmas dinner?  List your menu, break it down further to list all the ingredients you need, and make a late-night run to your local grocery store.  Less crowded that way.  Whatever you celebrate, however you celebrate, just take a deep breath, start writing, and then start doing the things on your list.  It'll bring order to chaos.

Short but sweet...

...we suck at writing!  Well, we do lately.  Between Bannon and myself, we have had family illness/personal illness (ouch, staph infection!)/helping a parent move/working like a boss/taking kids to therapyschoolcubscouts/crazy holiday activities/I'm sure I forgot something else.  So, yes, we've totally dropped the ball on our Christmas organizing and pantry challenge posts.  But we're going out tomorrow to Costco and then for margaritas, so at least we've got our priorities in order.  I hope you all have your shopping done, and that you're getting things wrapped!  I'm focusing on getting things really, really clean for the holidays.  Have you heard the radio commercial where you're told that Santa judges you based on how clean your baseboards are?  I totally believe it.

Also, somewhere in all the holiday rush, please take some time to enjoy the season with your family, however you choose to celebrate it.  And please consider taking the time/money to help make someone else's season a little happier.  Times are tight for everyone, but a little giving can go a long way.  Drop some money in a collection bucket, donate a toy or some food, send something to a soldier who can't be home for Christmas (hi, Rob!  Your box goes out this weekend!), bake cookies for a neighbor...there are so many ways to share.  No matter what your spiritual beliefs are, showing kindness to others is a universal good.

Also, this is the picture the Big Dude and I are putting on our Christmas cards this year.  It's pretty damn cute, even if it is my own kid.  :-)

A Homemade Christmas For Those Who Aren't Martha

Bannon has abandoned us!!  Miss B. is off on a cruise, and is probably tipsy as I type this.  I'll be holding down the fort until she gets back and recuperates from her 10 day hangover.  So, without further ado...part two of Kerry's Christmas Extravaganza!

I was told the other day that there's less than 100 days left until Christmas.  Even though I've been preparing in bits and pieces since August, because I'm slightly insane, I still feel like I have more to do than I have time for.  So I began to comb through all the websites that I've bookmarked that offer homemade gift ideas, and I found a few good ideas for myself.  I also found a lot of good ideas that were too good to not share!  So here is a rundown of some of my favorites.  I hope you enjoy!  And don't worry about a skill level here-my issues with advanced crafts have been well documented.  I wouldn't ask any of you to do something that intimidates the hell out of me!

I have fallen in love with Not Martha.  As one might assume from the name, this refers to the fact that it isn't necessary to be Martha Stewart to pull off one of the crafts on the website.  There are nifty food ideas that make great gifts, such as pies and cobblers in jars.  There's a handy car kit that would be a useful gift for the newest driver in the family, instructions for homemade spa gifts (think bath bombs or lip balm), and my personal favorite, this dahlia brooch.  I think it may find it's way into my mother's stocking!

Tip Junkie has some great suggestions for younger kids.  There are ideas as simple as a homemade coloring book, or as ambitious as a homemade play kitchen that you make out of a bookshelf.  Other ideas include memory games, felt play food, a race car tote, or this adorable superhero cape and mask set that I hope to whip up for the Little Dude to go with his new Batman and Superman jammies.  And, while I don't have specific links, there are plenty of recipes available online for homemade play dough, paint, chalk, crayons, and so many things kids like.  You can never go wrong with a gift that lets a child create something new.

For tweens and teens, you do have to get a little more personal.  Some gifts are pretty gender-neutral.  A homemade fleece scarf in your teen's school/favorite sports team/Hogwart's house colors is an easy, useful gift.  A case for an iPod or iPhone tailored to a teen's tastes would also be a great gift.  But if your teen is picky, fear not!  There are tutorials out there for homemade purses, hair accessories, jewelry, wall art, blankets, journals, tote bags, and so much more.  Make google your friend.  And don't forget that kits you assemble yourself are always a good bet.  Fill a bucket of microwave popcorn with a DVD or two, and some theater candy.  A music lover might like some iTunes cards, a new set of headphone, and a t-shirt from their favorite band.  My niece is getting a cosmetics bag filled with nail polish, files, toe separators, body spray, lotion, lip gloss, and whatever else I think will tickle her fancy.  Best part is, it's inexpensive!

Something the BD and I do every year for our close friends and the adults in our family is to make a cookie and candy tray.  The one thing that we know we can count on from year to year is BD's fudge.  I know bragging on him makes me sound biased, but he makes seriously good fudge.  Perfect consistency, marvelous flavor, and it stores really well.  He found a website a couple of years ago that, while rather wordy, gives instructions on how to not screw up your fudge.  BD swears by it, and after having eaten quite a bit of fudge, I swear by it, too.  Check out Skaarup Fudge, and wow your family and friends!  And when you're ready to make some other candies, or some tasty baked goods, check out Tasty Kitchen.  It was created by my beloved Pioneer Woman, and it has yet to let me down.  And don't forget that homemade cookie or cocoa mix in a jar is always appreciated!

And, last but not least, here's a roundup of websites with lots of ideas that don't fall into one category.  Yes, even Martha made the list-she's taken pity on people like me and has some great craft and decoration ideas!
Better Homes and Gardens-this is a great general list, featuring gifts that would work for grandparents using children's art, soft toys for baby, cool desk supplies for the executive in your life, and even a little something for Fido.
Family Crafts-a lot of these would be ideal for a child who wants to make gifts, but it also has some of the classics, like the fleece blanket.  There's gifts on here for just about anyone, and if your dog wants a snuggie of it's own, you're in luck!
BHG Ornaments-if you need a gift for the office exchange, your neighbors, or for that person who seems to have it all, why not make a homemade ornament?  Easy tutorials and creative designs make for some beautiful ornaments!  We usually do a small exchange with my aunts and uncle, and I plan to make some of these to give.
A Very Martha Christmas-even though I tend to hold Martha Stewart up as some sort of unattainable pinnacle of domestic perfection, her website really does seem to have it all.  Gifts for different levels of crafters, homemade cards, decoration ideas, gift tags, and so much more.  Her site also has non-holiday specific crafts that can please even the pickiest person on your list.

So, now you're armed with ideas galore-get crafting!  I hope to post photos if I actually get to make any of these ideas of mine.  And I want to see what you're making, too!

Labor Day Weekend in Pictures

 Birthday celebration.

Garden harvest.

 Prepping tomatoes.

 Cooking salsa.

 Salsa done!

Birthday flowers and silly boys.

Yum.

Blueberry bread for breakfast this week.

Bannon

It's September!

You know what that means, right?

...111 days until Christmas!  Time for Kerry's guide to doing the holidays on the cheap without losing your mind in the process!  It's not particularly complex, and it's really just common sense, but it's amazing how many people leave it until the last minute.  Doing that costs you more, and not just in money.  It costs you time that you could be spending with family, it costs you in stress and anxiety, and it can even ruin your enjoyment of the holidays altogether.  Who wants to do that??  So, over the next few months, I'll be discussing a slower, kinder way of preparing for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve.

First thing on the list is making a list!  I try to have this done by September 1.  This list is the big list, and that's the list of gifts to give.  Write down everyone that you plan to give a gift to.  In my case, it's a pretty big list.  Between the Dude and I, we give gifts to 30 family members and friends, not including gifts we give to the Little Dude, or to each other.  If the dollar signs aren't popping up in front of your eyes by now, they should be.  It can be insanely expensive if I don't plan ahead.

Now that you have your list of people, start budgeting.  You can either take a fixed amount (you want to keep all gift giving below $400, for example) and divide it out among the people on your list, or you can the amount you want to gift first, then see how much you need.  How much do you want to spend on a spouse, your child, that cousin you feel obligated to give to because they send a meat and cheese box every year?  Be honest and realistic with yourself.  If you have no problem with putting it all on a credit card then paying it off with your income tax return, go for it.  But if (like me) you're on a tighter income, or you hate the idea of debt for the holidays, then be true to that.  I'll use my budget for an example again.  For the nieces, nephews, and other kids, I try to set a budget of $10 per child.  After we factor in all of the family and friends, as well as each other, our budget is usually around $400.  We also have 4 birthdays between now and the end of the year to consider, which bumps things up to around $500.

Once you know who you're buying for and how much you want to spend, think about each person.  What do they love, what interests them?  For instance, my nephews love Legos.  My mom adores going to Ohio Village for their Victorian Christmas, so we know that's her birthday gift.  Also, think outside the box.  Can you give a gift of time, or experience?  Can you make something?  Bannon, for example, makes some amazing jam every year, and gives it as gifts.  My Dude likes to make fudge and cookies, so every year he makes some to give to all of the adults on the list.  I plan to put my scrapbooking skills to use and make a framed display of the LD for his grandmas and great-grandma.  If you're tapped out on ideas, hit the internet!  A quick Google search for "homemade Christmas" will give you so many ideas, for all ages and interests.

So, now you've got your list, your budget, and you know what you need to buy.  Start shopping!  Start now, and ideally, you'll have already been doing some shopping.  I already have 2 of the LD's gifts bought, as well as gifts for 6 of the children on our list.  Shop sales and clearance aisles.  Check out Amazon and Target for daily deals and specials.  Speaking of Target, check their online coupons for discounts on clothes, household items, and toys.  Coupons.com will sometimes have printable coupons for DVDs.  Heartsy.com can have deep discounts on handcrafted items that can be wonderful gifts.  And if you have to stuff stockings, don't forget dollar stores, or Target's dollar section.  If you're lucky enough to have a Five Below in your area (Columbus readers, ours is by Easton!), check them out.  I've found Wii games, DVDs, shirts and tote bags from Hot Topic, craft kits...the list can go on, but everything in the store is $5 or less!

And since this weekend is also a holiday, I would be remiss if I didn't mention Labor day.  Enjoy the last long weekend of the summer!  The Little Dude is here to remind you to not drink and drive!

Must...sleep...

K. here, holding down the fort while B. is off on vacay.  I had all sorts of nice intentions for posting this weekend-I was going to update on the homemade preschool project, and do a cooking post (with pics!).  However, the reason for no posts, and the reason for my uncontrollable yawning, is because we helped my sister and her family move over the weekend.  They're now living just 2 buildings away from us.  It's a good thing that we all get along!  I'm very happy they're up here now.  It's a fresh start that they've needed for a while.

Anyhoo, the move gave me reason to be grateful for my wee stockpile, because they needed so many basics!  Paper towels, cleaning supplies, toothpaste, shampoo, trash bags, etc., etc.  I snuck in to their apartment Friday night (well, I didn't sneak, they gave us a key.) and stocked up their cabinets.  I put post it notes saying "Open Me!" all over the place, and apparently they had a great time the next day checking out all their loot.  I spent much of Saturday either watching all 5 kids (only 1 was mine!), or fetching things.  I fetched food, drinks, RCA gender converters, light bulbs, laundry, quarters for the laundry...it was a long, sweaty day, but it was worth it.

While I was staggering around the apartment today in a sleep-deprivation haze, I realized I do have something besides cooking and kids to blog about-Christmas!  I know, I know, too soon.  But I realized this year that, by shopping early and watching sales, I could get most of my gifts on the cheap.  I'm going to try to take it a bit further, and try to plan ahead for all of it.  The cleaning, the cards, the cooking, everything.  Hopefully, assuming that my innate slacktitude doesn't kill my idea before it can take off, I'll be posting a comprehensive plan in the next couple of months, just in time for the holiday season.  But I do have two tips for early gift shopping.  First, for all the kids on your list, now is the time that Target starts to clearance out toys.  It varies from store to store, but it seems to be around the end of July.  I've picked up a few things that way-for example, a board game for $3.  But what if you want something a little offbeat to give as a gift?  Where do you go when the stores fail you?  Try Heartsy!  It's like Groupon for Etsy.  It gives you deep discounts on a wide range of products, including bath and body, jewelry, clothing, toys, home decor, and food.  I blogged a while back about a gorgeous necklace and some fabulous shower scrub I was given for my birthday, and they were from Etsy sellers that were featured on Heartsy.  Check them out, and sign up for their emails.  If you become a VIP member, you'll get even better discounts!

Hope you all had great weekends, and here's to a week of taking it easy!