Holiday Season Blessings

This year stands out to me as one of the best in a very long time.  I lost my dad in 2011 and my mom in 2015.   In between that time there was turmoil among family members which just made get-togethers somewhat uncomfortable and tense  We've also had 2 new grand kids during this time.   These last several years have had so much change.

Since then, we've, or at least I, have been trying to build some new traditions.  Something that is solid to look forward to every year in getting ready for such a hectic time of year.  From Thanksgiving through January we have many birthdays along with the holidays.  It's almost constant.

This year I feel we achieved the new traditions I craved and found a happy medium that everyone can enjoy.  It makes this time of year so much more enjoyable and I'm so glad we've finally got to this point.

Although I miss mom and dad terribly and the holidays will always

Shopping

I really hate going to the store to go shopping.  Anybody else with me here?  Just something about all those people, loud kids and adults, lack of manners, traffic and waiting in line.  I'm just not real good with any of it.  I've discovered shopping online is SOOOO much easier and makes me so much happier.

Did you know you can even buy groceries online?  Apparently, I'm a slow learner, but as long as I

Tomorrow will last FOREVER!!

My vacation starts Monday, so tomorrow will likely last FOREVER!!!

I get to pick up my grand-daughter, Z, tomorrow, so that will be fun.  We'll have a great time and laugh and it will be a great start for my vacation.  Her smiling face always makes it all good.  She's growing up so very fast and I haven't seen her in 2 weeks.  Each time I see her, she's just that much more grown up.  I don't remember it going so fast when my son was little.

My brakes have gone out too.  So my husband and brother are so kind as to change those for me tomorrow.  That will cost me a bit, but at least there's no labor (besides lunch and ice cream).  Can't complain, haven't had too much problem with that car and next month is my last payment.  YAY!!!

There's so many things I want to get done next week.  My list includes deep cleaning, you know, like windows, and Z's toy box, my closet:-).  I also want to get a mess of cooking done, to be frozen for supper and breakfast later.  And strangely I'd like to get some vacation type stuff done too (reading, web surfing and maybe a movie), how dare I, right?.  I'll see, I may pick and choose to get a little bit of everything in.

We aren't getting a lot of stuff bought for our little homestead, BUT....we are getting some of the necessary property work done which needs to be done first anyway, AND our biggest upcoming accomplishment is getting things paid off.  We are very close to being debt-free which, in my humble opinion, would be the important accomplishment in the long run.

I supposed I should get though the next week before I get into paying off everything over the next year or two.  Baby steps:-)  I guess I'll see what all I can get done over the next week then move on to bigger & better things.  There's not enough days to get everything on my list done since I continue to add to it constantly, but I can try.  Who knows...

Did you take your vacation yet?  What did you do, where did you go?

Til later!!

Peach Butter

Recently I read a post regarding peach butter.  It sounded so good, but I didn't have any peaches and by the time I got to the store, of course, I forgot about it. 

2 weeks ago I went to the meat locker for some meat and the farmer's market was out front, and guess what I found!!!!!   Peaches!!!!

So last week I got all motivated after work and made some peach butter.  It's actually very easy and takes no time at all.

Tricks for Home Cooked Food Fast

During the weekdays I leave my house at about 7:30 in the morning and don’t get home until about 6:30 that evening.  This doesn’t leave a lot of time to cook a meal when I get home.   Here’s a few tricks I’ve learned to make home cooked food fast.

On the weekends when I’m really motivated to cook, I’ll cook up a storm.  I’ll make big batches of something, have some for supper and freeze the rest, in meal size. for later.  Or I’ll make several meat loaves or hamburgers (sometimes both), have some for supper and freeze the rest for other nights.  Maybe cook a large ham and use a small portion and freeze the rest in batches for quick ham and beans.  I’m not always in the mood to cook, but when I am, I try to cook big.

In the last year I’ve learned to can meat.  This is a great time saver because there’s no thaw time.

5 Ideas That Have Helped Me Make Healthier Eating Choices

I’ve learned over time you don’t have to have a strict diet to make healthy eating choices. I most definitely don’t deprive myself because, for me, that only leads to binge eating.  But I have found a few little tricks that help me make better choices and I’ve even lost a few pounds along the way.  

Happy Mother's Day

Today is my first Mother’s Day without my mom.  She was my best friend. I was able to tell her anything.  We had breakfast almost every Saturday morning together for the last 30 years.  In the last 10 years or so I began to take care of her and my dad and their finances.  Then dad passed on 4 years ago.  We moved mom to town and continued on.