One week to go!

Can you believe this time next week many of us will be sitting down with family and/or friends for Christmas dinner. For most of us the presents will already have been opened, the wrapping paper thrown into garbage bags and then, me, mommy will be in the kitchen.

These last two months have been tight for us and I am finding myself looking for every way possible to stretch my dollar. If you don't know, in November a deer, crossing in front of us on the expressway decided in the pitch black of night to jump directly on the front end of our van. Rental fees, buying another vehicle, getting the van fixed, getting new plates for the new (er) van, and paying insurance for now two vehicles has left me shaking in my shoes...that is just me though, the ever growing frugal CFO of our family. So I have been looking for many ways to cut costs this month. As I also have year end expenses not to mention Christmas.

But, Christmas isn't about the presents is it? Christmas is about how much our Lord loves us...loves us enough to send us a Savior in the form a precious little baby. When the tabulator in my brain awakens me before dawn (crunching numbers)as it has this week I simply get up turn on KLOVE and listen to the music that enlightens my heart. It isn't long before I am humming and singing along and feeling uplifted.

Some things I am doing to stretch my food dollar...I have cleaned out my cupboards to see exactly what I have. Sometimes, things get pushed to the back or fall behind things...you would be surprise what you can find this way. We have thought we were out of paper towels for a week...NOT! I found a double pack hiding behind tall cereal boxes. And they have Christmas prints on them to boot. I was pretty proud of myself (ahhh, the simple things in life). So, while I was at it I wiped out the cupboard and got those tiny bits of rice and and flour and sugar out...now my cupboards are clean and organized and I can save a bit of money from not buying things I don't need.

We haven't gotten to our gingerbread house and I am not sure that we will now. I started the week with a scratchy throat. No wonder, our weather goes from 12 degrees to 54 degrees back to 24 degrees in only a couple days. I seemed to work through it but Brittany came home Tuesday night from her youth group Christmas party with a full blown sore throat and head cold. So, she has been downing the same thing I did...but still, she feels pretty rotten. I have been taking advantage to get things done that I haven't been doing again...like LAUNDRY!

I have worked out three days this week...yesterday I went all by myself and ran/walked on the elliptical machine for 30 minutes all while watching HGTV. That channel makes a half an hour go pretty darn fast. I am hoping that this jump on exercise will keep me from gaining that 5 lbs of holiday weight that every one says they do...I am not baking this year because my new working out makes me think about how I don't want to undo what I have just done. I need to go today...but I want to just stay home so bad. If I don't go ...I'll regret it because I am doing so well. So, at some point I will bundle myself up and go back by myself...maybe tomorrow Brittany will feel like going.

I made my menu for Christmas day...I found a delicious casserole. It sounds perfect for a nice dinner...we aren't huge ham eaters...or meat eaters even although we do like meat. I'll post my menu here soon just in case you want to try what I found. It really does look so good. My husband told me to just go easy and not work too hard. I am down with that!


I think that is all that is on my mind for now, just a bit of rambling for today...I hope you are all enjoying this Christmas(y) time of year.

Blessings!