After spending nearly a week in Wisconsin and "Christmasing" with family and friends, we are now back home in Indiana. Pictures to come shortly.

We had one surprise while in Wisconsin. My brother Brett and his wife Natasha were expecting their 2nd child in early February. Well... this little fella had something else in mind and decided to show up early. So I now have a new nephew, albeit a small one - only 5 pounds and spending his days in the NICU for now. But we were able to visit and meet the little man.

New life and hope for the future - what Christmas is truly all about!

I am not a crafty person, but this was one craft I could handle - a wreath made out of a coat hanger and candy! It's really that easy. Tie candy onto a coat hanger that you've bent into a circle. When you're done, put a bow on it. That's it. You're done!

Tip #1: if you're thinking of making this next year, check out the sales on candy immediately following Halloween.

Tip #2: be as creative as you want to be with this; you could use one color wrapped candy (like white and red swirl wrapped peppermints and then a big red bow) for a very simple Christmasy look. I used candies that weren't Christmas colors, so it could remain up after the holidays.

Tip #3: watch this video tutorial to see the specifics of this craft, then tweak it to fit your style and the materials you have to work with.

I'm excited to give this away as a Christmas gift to a special someone!

Works for me!

Christmas week is here!! Do you know what you'll be having for meals this week? We have a short week, as we head to Wisconsin and stay with at my mom's Thursday through next Tuesday. Yeah for a break from planning and preparing meals! So I will only be planning meals for 3 nights this week (and some take-along sandwiches and finger foods for the trip).

• Slow cooker rice and pork chops
• Smoked sausage coins, french fries, mixed fruit cups
  
• Breakfast for supper (waffles or pancakes, scrambled eggs)

My dear friend Kate and her family will be joining us on Tuesday night for supper (they are originally from the area but now live in California, back visiting Indiana for the holidays). Then before we know it, Christmas will be here!

If you're at a loss for what to make this week, check out www.orgjunkie.com for hundreds of meal plans and recipes posted as part of Menu Plan Monday!

I am not a man. But my husband is :-) and he is a big fan of Todd Wilson, aka The Family Man!

It's been a while since I've blogged about it, but I have snagged some great deals at CVS in recent weeks.

This picture shows my purchases from CVS's Black Friday Sale (which I only do because CVS starts their Black Friday sales on Thanksgiving Day, so I can get the good deals at 8:00 am Thursday without having to get up early and fight any crowds on Friday). All of the above items cost me a total of around $5.00 and I walked away with $14 in Extra Care Bucks (like a gift card to use at CVS in the future). It's almost like being paid to shop there and take these items from them! 4 candy bars, 2 razors, 2 shampoos, 2 hair gels, 1 body wash, 1 ipod earphones, 2 lotions, 3 toothpastes, 2 deodorants... yes, $5!

One thing I love about CVS is their Rain Check policy. If any regularly-carried item is sold out, you can get a rain check THAT NEVER EXPIRES! Recently I used a rain check from many months ago that I coupled with coupons to get 12 Glade candles for free!

This week CVS has just a couple of good deals. You can check them out here. I was able to pick up Christmas tissue paper, bows and gift tags for around $1.00 out-of-pocket.

If you are brand new to shopping at CVS and are wondering how to save major money shopping there, go here for a quick tutorial.

But whether you shop at CVS or not, be encouraged! There are deals out there and legitimate ways to save money on everyday items you already use! How motivated are you to find those deals?!

Is it just me or are the days flying by even faster than usual?! Here it is the start of a new week once again. My weeks always run smoother if I have a menu plan. A few minutes of thought now saves major time and mental energy later! So here is what we'll be eating this week:

• Breakfast for supper (scrambled eggs, waffles/pancakes)
• Homemade beef and noodles
  
• Ham / green beans / onion skillet
• Smoked sausage and french fries
  
• Sliced turkey, mashed potatoes, gravy, homemade biscuits
  
• Crispy country chicken, potato wedges
  
• Herbed tuna sandwiches
  

We have been on a self-imposed "how low can we cut our food budget" challenge! So far, so good! Our food budget for December is $300, which is already lower than usual for us (our food budget includes any expenses for eating out - which is extremely rare for us - as well as Christmas baking ingredients, diapers, toiletries, cleaning supplies, over-the-counter meds, etc.) But we're trying to get by on even less this month. We have taken inventory of everything in our freezer and our pantry. Then we're finding creative ways to use what we have without having to buy additional items. My husband also made a quick trip to the grocery store on Friday and found "manager's special" milk for $1 per gallon and some meat for less than $1 per pound. Good finds!

How about you? Do you plan a menu for your week? Does it help you? If you need more menu planning ideas, check out www.orgjunkie.com for hundreds of other menu plans posted each Monday.

But my daughter too is in on this fun - many wonderful towers were created this week!

This picture was classic behavior for my son. I planned to do a craft with my daughter so I had my hot glue gun out (not plugged in). My son found, took it and wandered the house looking for something to do with it. He found a small bead near our Christmas tree that had fallen off a homemade ornament. He proceeded to try to glue it to the carpet, over and over again. Anything that looks like a tool is a magnet for my son!

One of the best Christmas traditions is that of Christmas baking, which includes the decorating of Christmas cookies!

My son and Leah's son are just a few months apart in age, so it was fun to catch them playing together during their visit.

I'm looking forward to seeing some other friends during the upcoming holidays. My good friend Kate (and her family) will be visiting from California. And my family will be traveling to Wisconsin to spend time with extended family and friends up there. More and more every year I seem to enjoy the reconnecting part of the holidays. Family, friends, fun - a great combination!

Wow, can it really be Monday already?! The weekend went by very quickly. But Monday is indeed here again, so at our house that means a plan for how meals will play out this week.

• Potato Soup
  
• Tater Tot Casserole
  
• Homemade spaghetti, side of cheese bread
  
• Breakfast for supper (fried potatoes, waffles or pancakes)
• Crockpot Porkloin, mixed veggies on the side
  
• Baked potatoes with cubed ham, cheese, sour cream, etc. for toppings
  
• Church Christmas Banquet on Saturday night!

That's it! A simple way to make the week run MUCH smoother!

It is the little moments during our days that make up our years and our lives. Here are some snapshots into my life this week.

My husband took this picture of my son and me playing the piano. I am not a great pianist, but I sure do love to play Christmas carols. My son enjoys plunking away with me and singing his little heart out. The way he says "Jee-tuh" for Jesus is sweetness to my soul.

Here's my daughter peeking out a hole in a box she decorated as a little house. She loves to color and draw these days.

Here's my son, who hopped into a laundry basket. He's all smiles.

:-)

Lastly, my daughter - the big 6 year old. She amazes me with the things she says and does.

Happy Friday, everyone! We're hoping for the first snow of the season to fall this weekend and make for some snow fun. Whatever your weather, make your weekend a good one!

It's the start of another month, which means a Budget Committee Meeting is needed at our house. My hubby and I find one evening at the start of the month to review the previous month's spending and look at the month ahead. This meeting doesn't have to be lengthy, but it's important for both husband and wife to be on the same page with how "our" money is divided up. The budget reflects our values. And if we disagree on how to spend it or what to buy, then we need to talk through those things until we come to an agreement.

I keep our budget on an Excel spreadsheet that I created. I plug in figures from our online bank account statements and receipts. I keep track of how we spend everything. We know where it all goes.

Dave Ramsey says that budgeting is telling your money what to do. This is so true. Otherwise, it just slips through your fingers. The budget tells it exactly where to go. Every dollar spent on paper before it's really spent.

If you find that you don't have enough money left at the end of the month, I strongly encourage to start budgeting, tracking down where the money goes. Then become intentional about how you're going to spend it from this point forward. If you need help, go to www.crown.org or www.daveramsey.com for loads of advice and tips.

Budgeting - works for us!

Exciting times these are - my son is turning 2 this week!

As always, time just goes by too quickly. A baby one day seems to be a toddler the next. So many of those first milestones are already behind us with this little guy who just isn't so little any more.






These are some of my son's 2-year portraits.

















:-)











This last one is the one we liked for ordering reprints. It's so him!

Happy Birthday, Little Man!

We sure love you!