Santa is Finally Done!

Well I hope everyone is doing well today. It seems alot of us are having that yucky snow and ice storm this morning. I lucked out and didn't have school cancelled, thank goodness, I'm already dreading the 12 days off for Christmas vacation.

Here is one of the twenty projects I have going on. I can't seem to work on just one, depends on my mood and what I feel like doing. I finally got him finished last night, I'm just absolutely in love with him (don't tell my hubby). I was so afraid that I wasn't going to get him finished in time for Christmas, I've never made anything like this before but I really enjoyed it and I'm hooked, now I have to find another doll to make. I have him sitting in the rocking chair in the living room, hubby asked where I was going to put him, he's 40 inches tall, I said we'll have to buy him his own chair. Sorry if the picture is dark I tried moving him all over but the light just stinks today because it's so dark outside.

I have to see if I can get something done today Hope everyone stays warm and safe..

A Quick Note

http://primthymesblog.blogspot.com/2008/12/prmthymes-give-back-contest-giveaway.html

Sharon over at PrimThyme is having her first giveaway so go on over and tell her what your favorite time of year is but you better hurry you onlt have until December 20.

I know I haven't been here the last few days, I have been busy, busy just like everyone seems to be. I will be back tomorrow to post some photos of some things I have been working on.

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Can You Say Fudge

What a day it was yesterday! Every year I make 10 fudge & cookie trays to give out to some elderly people. So I had decided that when I woke the kids for school at 6am I would get started at least making fudge. I had 10 pans made by 7:30, that's when my mom call's and wants to go shopping, there goes getting anything done today.

I love my mom but after I spend a day with her she has me questioning my own thinking, so I don't usually get any thing done after that.

So while I'm waiting for her to show up I decide to start getting all the cookie ingredients together so it will easier for later and I don't make such a mess. Well we were gone most of the day trying to get her Christmas shopping done so by the time I got home it was time to start dinner. After dinner I started making all the cookies I am making 8 different kind of cookies, double & triple batches of each so I don't even want to think about how many cookies that really is.... Well needless to say I baked for 6 hours last night and will probably be doing that all day today. I'm suppose to deliver all of these tomorrow...

Today is the last day of deer season, Yeah all this hunting stuff can get put away . I know it's only a few times a year but it just like takes over the house, it's everywhere, in every room.
Only my husband Mike and my youngest son Andrew are hunting this year ( 2 out 5 thank goodness) and they haven't had any luck yet, I'm hoping Andrew will get one Mike is just trophy hunting, he wants the big one to mount and hang on the wall.

Well I guess I had better get started on those cookies, I have a santa doll I have been working on and really wanted to get him finished today so we'll see.

Have a great Day!

Shopping, Shopping and more Shopping

Hello friends! I hope everyone is doing well out there in blog land. Well I've been busy shopping and not for Christmas!

I am a couponer...

It all started 10 years ago when I used to read in the magazine's about women who would get all these groceries for nothing, I'd think yeah right! At that time I was a sahm and we have four children so who wouldn't love to save that kind of money. Well we bought our first computer and there I was for about 4 months searching and reading determined that I could do this. Well I did, the only things that I couldn't get cheap or free were milk and meat.

The deals aren't so great anymore the last few years so I have to be willing to stock up when I do get a deal, I try to get enough to last a year. Some coupons are only plentiful certain times of the year. I really only have Giant Eagle and Rite-Aid to rely on for shopping the other stores are over 20 miles away and have stricter coupon policies so not worth it to even drive to them.

I use to get any items I could even if we didn't use them I figured I would find someone that used or needed it and if not just donate the items but now I only get the things we use. I don't really have room to store the extra and you have to get creative with storage and that's a whole new subject. . I have helped out alot of friend's in time of need when they have hardship's happen and not have money for groceries, which is a great feeling. I had one friend that refused to let me help her, well after 2 months things are bad, shut off notices for utilities, repo notice for car. I told my husband I can't take it anymore, I bagged up about 10 bags of food, headed off to the store, bought some milk, bread, and some meat and went straight to her house and woke her up out of bed, she started crying the second she saw us standing at her door with all the groceries and of I cried but it is such a great feeling to do things like that for other people. Well I could talk about this stuff all day but I don't have alot of time today, I have to finish some more of those unfinished projects.

So this is what I got this week, now remember I don't get this amount of stuff every week it might be two or three weeks before I might get a deal on something else.

80 Knorr Side Dishes - .25 each
40 Lipton Soup - .58 each
40 Lipton Tea .09 each
60 Muir Glen Tomato Paste - free
60 Muir Glen Diced Tomato's & Sauce - free
(I'm thinking I might not have to can tomato's this next summer....)

My total was $46.80
of course this a picture of just some of it, not enough room for all of it.

Well I hope everyone has a great day and thank's for stopping to visit.

Janene at Primitive Lifestyle is having a giveaway to celebrate her 50th post, head on over and congratulate her.

Little Bit of This and That

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I made dinner for all of the family, all went well. We had a very nice day. Well I'm all decorated for Christmas and my shopping is all finished (even all wrapped), I didn't have alot of shopping left because I shop for Christmas through out the year. My husband would like to give out gift cards next year he thinks it would be easier and he says the kids are getting to old, I think that would be nice but then Christmas morning would be no fun. I think I get more excited than the kids, well now I do now that they think they are too old for all this.

Well I got some good/bad news..my son who is 19 announced he is joining the Air Force. I don't think that it is a bad thing his father, grandfather, great grandfathers and uncles have all served. I just think it's the mom in me, it's probably suppose to be natural that I worry and feel that I'm not going to be able to still look out for him having him far away from home. My oldest son moved out last year, only a mile down the road and I was a basket case. I shopped and shopped, made sure he had everything thing that I thought he would need and had his place all set up but he can come here or call me when ever he needs something. But this is different the feeling of helplessness, I know that I'm not going to be able to make sure everything is ok.
After spending the weekend finishing thanksgiving and Christmas I got to do work on some more crafts. I had been slowly working on a centerpiece for the table, I wanted to put a candle light in it but to hard to plug it in with it being on the table, wasn't sure about a battery operated one. Also had thought about a bow out of homespun but still not sure. it's just kinda one of those things that every time you look at it you think of something else to do to it.

I also got to try making grungy candles, I know that they don't look like everyone else's but I was happy with my first time, I really enjoyed that, can't wait to make some more. My husband even likes then he thinks they look neat.

Yesterday I spent all day making cinnamon rolls, don't they look yummy. My kids thought they were real. This is one project that I really enjoyed making.

Well I'm not really sure what I'm going to do today I have a couple of other things to finish up and need to do some cleaning. Hope everyone has a wonderful day!

Pumpkin Cake,Stitching and Candy Canes

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Well I'm going to post a few things today since I'm behind on everything but I'm determined to be caught up today. It's been a little overwhelming learning the blog thing, making all these crafts and reading everyone's wonderful blogs, oh and keeping up with the house chores...

I'm going to be making Thankgiving dinner for the family this year, I will be spending the morning making the pies and chopping onions and celery for stuffing and doing whatever else I can do ahead of time and hoping to finish another stitching (discovered this from a few new friends) I've finished one and almost done with one, I'm making them into pillows for Christmas. I've also been making the grungy candy canes, I just love these, made 58 of these.

Oh and I had to make a pumpkin cake for all the guys to tide them over til the big day, they just love this and ask me to make it all the time.
Pumpkin Cake

2 cups sugar

11/4 vegetable oil

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 cups canned pumpkin

4 eggs

2 cups flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350.Grease and flour a 12x18 inch pan. I like to use a bundt pan, if you do it will take longer to cook.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
In a large bowl combine sugar and oil. Blend in vanilla and pumpkin, then beat in eggs one at a time. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in nuts. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool.
The wonderful thing about this recipe is you can add whatever spices you like, I add 2tsp.allspice and cut the oil in have and use applesauce. I like to frost with cream cheese frosting .

Snow, Snow and more Snow!

Well woke up this morning to a lake effect snow warnings, they are calling for up to 10 inches by tomorrow afternoon and could have up to 3 ft by the end of the weekend. I know this should be no suprise to me living along Lake Erie, it's just it's too early to be getting all this snow. Hey, maybe that means winter will end early, yah right.....

There are going to be so grumpy men in my house the next few days, my husband and two sons work outside, in fact my son Brandon plows snow so I guess he'll be a busy guy...

I know I've been behind on updating but I've been a busy girl. Have still been doing alot of reading on learning this blog thing, trying to find a picture for my header, not having much luck.

I have some pictures to post (ok not right now just found out batteries are dead, gotta charge them) of the projects that have been keeping me busy the last few days, thanks to all the crafty things that I have found reading everyones blogs.

Well today I have to bake bread for the week, I don't buy bread from the store it is cheaper and healthier this way, also making bread crumbs and stuffing cubes.

New to Blogging

Ok now that I've figured a few things out I will give this a try. I've always been a subscriber of Country Sampler magazine and had discovered the forums over there looking for things to do since I'm off work for awhile, so last week I discover stitchen and a few projects to do and then I decide to see what this blog thing is about, and have been reading, reading, reading and reading ever since, one leads to 20 more and tons of crafty ideas, all you ladies are really talented, I've always been into country decor but I didn't know I could make all these things and not have to buy them, that's going to be even more fun.....

We are currently looking for a old farmhouse to buy, something I've wanted for a really long time, hopefully by spring. Looks like I might need that bigger house after all with all these projects and ideas I have found. My poor dear hubby is going to be "thrilled " about more projects, no really he's such a good sport and I love him..

I just wanted to say hello and please bare with me on this blog thing. I thought it would be fun to do and I'm not having much luck figuring it all out, the only fun is reading everyone else's and seeing all the cool things you've done .