Thrifty Thursday

Another quick post... seems to be the nature of my life lately.

I have been going through all this week's sale ads and have been keeping a close eye on my frugal bloggers.  It's beginning to be "that" time of year.  Holiday gift shopping and holiday baking and food shopping.

Our local stores are running sales on turkeys (77¢ per pound), and sales on spices, flour, sugars, canned fruits and vegetables, special chocolates and the "better" deli meats and cheeses.

I found online coupons for dollars off on some family dvds/blu-ray sets.  You know there will be Black Friday ads for movies and I plan to keep these handy for then.  

If we don't want these particular titles, I'll donate them to the local charity gift drives.  I bought the toys months ago for Stuff the Cruiser drive that will be coming up soon.

Many of my favorite on-line clothing stores are holding 40% off sales right now.  And all the big toy catalogs have come in the mail.

I know alot of you are waiting for Black Friday or December to start your gift buying but let me tell you.... in past years I've found the best deals are Now.  You just have to take the time to look for them, compare prices and watch for extra helps like coupons or free shipping.

I hope I've inspired you to go search for the best prices now.  Let's try for a happy holiday season but spend less than in past years.  I have my budget, do You?

And speaking of shopping.... remember I'm holding a Amazon gift card to celebrate my 4th blogiversary!  (I'd tell you the amount of the gift card but the site I use to get them is funky tonight.  It will be a "significant" amount, I promise!)   Just comment on any post starting with  THIS ONE and ending on 11:59 p.m. Nov. 8th.  Since I moderate commments I get your messages sent to my inbox and I'll randomly select a winner from that list.  If you don't comment, you can't win!  

Hugs,

Kay~

** Oh, for the good old days when people would stop Christmas shopping when they ran out of money.  ~Author Unknown

I hate Halloween

There I said it! 

It's October 1st and I despise, dislike, abhore, loathe, detest, HATE the celebration of that so-called "holiday" of Halloween!

Don't give me that worn out argument that it's all in fun for the kids.  Nope.... I won't buy it.   Since when is it fun, (amusing, pleasurable, jolly, relaxing, agreeable, enjoyable...) to decorate with witches, skulls, blood and gore, bats, and other hideous creatures and objects?

Are horrifying and terrifying scenes & sounds from films cause for merriment and gladness?

Shall we teach our children to dress up as the Celts did to either placate or copy the evil spirits and shall we have our children beg for treats as those in Europe who begged in exchange for prayers for the dead?

Do we really think we should be celebrating a day set aside from it's earliest beginnings as an agrarian fertility and ancestral honoring festival;

A day where it was believed the barrier between the living and the dead was raised & they came together to feast;

And should we continue to celebrate the custom of giving not only food offerings to the "Land Spirits" (as the dead ancestors were called), but also "life-renewing blood" offering from the slaughter of livestock so to protect the home from malignant "fairy" influences. (fairy here means a spirit);

Is not God's creation of the earth enough?  Do we need to celebrate a day when part of the observance was for the High King to 're-create the world';

Should we participate in a day that included worship of the Land-Goddess and other divinities, all with ties to "the multiform Provider on whom we all depend, who must, like all things, replenish herself through alternating periods of action and repose, and who touches -- as we all must -- darkness and death to find the source of true renewal."


And you say the celebrating of Halloween is innocent fun.... Really??

Comments will remain open as long as we have an adult, mature dialog.


(** All my argument points came from this article: "Samhain: Season of Death & Renewal" by Alexei Kondrateiv
Copyright © 1997 Alexei Kondratiev
All Rights Reserved
May be reposted as long as the above attribution and copyright notice are retained
http://www.imbas.org/articles/samhain.html  
Please give credit to this site if you use any of their information.)

Peacefully,
Kay

**  "Avoid every kind of evil" (NIV—I Thessalonians 5:22)   
**  “Now the [Holy] Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (KJV 1 Timothy 4:1)

Sunday Stills

It was a foggy day. Now it's a freezing mist/drizzle evening. Winter in Nebraska....







But despite the cold and snow, there is still a little happiness and color in our lives.




Hugs
K~

I'm not giving up my

MERRY CHRISTMAS

joy to anyone.

But if I know of someone that celebrates another holiday
during this time of year, I will be glad to wish them
whatever holiday they want.
Just tell me what it is and I'll shout it to the world
and wish you a grand celebration.

More holiday preparations - Baking

Susan Branch artwork

First... if anyone knows where my recipe for banana bread is, please tell me! I was all geared up to make a couple of loaves and now it's gone missing. I know I just saw it last week. This is why I should never clean for company. I put things away and instantly lose them.

Anyway....

it's a gloomy, wet, cold, grey day here on the prairie. The perfect day for staying inside with the stereo on, making something yummy & comforting.

The Honey-Wheatberry Bread is doing it's initial sponge while I type this.
This is now our every-day, most perfect bread. Whole grain, honey, not too sweet, just enough substance to let you know you are eating "real" bread. Good crust without being so hard you *Have* to have a spread on it. It makes the best toast.

The recipe makes 2 loaves as written but my KA mixer really prefers we only make one loaf at a time. I usually cook up the as-written wheat berries a day before I plan to make bread. I keep half in the fridge for baking day and freeze half for the next time.

I am back to making bread & doughs by hand & in the KA because my Zoh ABM pan finally froze up and quit working. I refuse to pay over $50 for a pan (plus shipping) and have been watching for one on Ebay and at the thrift stores. They are still very popular but my time will come. And really, making bread with the KA is not that hard. I just can't dump the ingredients in and leave.

Speaking of baking.... the holidays are fast approaching! I went to my first hometown store open house on Saturday at the Hallmark store. With the weather being all wintery, I'm getting in the mood. I'd like a little sunny, golden Autumn for Thanksgiving Day yet too.

I told you last time about my Holiday Control Journal (HCJ) and showed you photos of my recipes. This past week's sale flyer from one of my favorite grocery stores was all about holiday baking!! I wait for this sale every year. All their McCormick seasonings were 50% off. I stocked up for for the next year. And not just baking spices, but their herb and flavorings too.
They also had flour on sale. It wasn't my usual Unbleached Gold Medal but the regular all-purpose. I'll watch for the Unbleached to go on sale too. I prefer it but cookies made with the bleached kind will work. I'll add some of my milled flour to add some nutrients.
Butter was on sale so I got 8 pounds. 2 unsalted for baking and the rest for daily use.
Not really a baking ingredient, but whipped topping, pasta, and shredded cheeses were also on sale. Good sales for comfort meals & holiday dishes.
I saved $46.80 using my store priviledge card!
And have 6¢ off per gallon of gas that is good for 30 days.
So I stocked up on holiday ingredients, saved some major money and have a future savings on gas. That is a great shopping trip!

While I was in the store, I was able to ask the produce workers how to cook Turban Squash. My BFF gave me several & I wasn't sure what to do with them or if they were even edible. The store had a display of Turbans so I asked. I found it is just like cooking a big acorn squash. Guess what I'm having for dinner this week.

Unfortunately in my excitement on finding out that information I forgot to get pecans and walnuts from the bulk bins.
I find they are fresher there than in the pound packages from the shelf.

I also picked up some Watkins vanilla over the weekend and canned pumpkin last week. I've checked the pantry shelves and barring some really unusual ingredients; I think I'm ready to start baking for the holidays.

Here's a photo from last year to show you what I'm looking forward to:

Starting from slightly past 12:00 is Pumpkin Bread, Peanut Butter Star cookies, Chocolate Crinkles, Jam Thumbprints, Scotcharoos, Sugar Cookies, Easy Fudge and Candy Cane Cookies in the middle. I also made Chex Party Mix.
It's the start of the plan for this year.

I'm off to work on that bread and keep hunting for the Banana Bread recipe.

Stay warm everyone!
Hugs,
Kay~

––Susan Branch artwork

That Ole Holiday Feeling....

"We've got that holiday feeling
That happy holiday feeling
Our favorite holiday of the year..."

(The Caroling Corner)

I know... I know... It's barely November and I want to talk about the holidays!! (you exclaim)

Bear with me Dear Readers.... look at the ticker on the sidebar...there are less than 60 days until Christmas! Only 23 until Thanksgiving.

If you are like me, the weather has been delightful (not frightful) and it feels like late September instead of early November. If I let my heart rule instead of my head, I'll just sit back with a cuppa cider and watch the leaves drift down and daydream. I won't even remember the holidays are right around the corner.

And then I'll be running about in crazy circles in a few weeks. Especially when I add in that our workload at the office will be picking up ALOT in the next week or so.

I need to start planning now. I need to get organized now. (stop hiding those giggles... I can see you.... It could happen... I could get organized... maybe... somehow... with help.... **sigh**)


So... what to do? How do "we" get organized for the upcoming holiday season? I have several ideas and helps.

1. Go to this Flylady page and download (in your preferred format) her holiday Control Journal. I use it to help me keep all my ideas and planning in one spot. (Note to self-- Find your Holiday Control Journal!!)

2. While you are at the Flylady site, go here and print out Leanne's gravy recipe. Seriously good! (scroll down past making the turkey, etc) I could not make gravy for anything. It's a running joke in my family. Wall-paper paste or water this year? But the past several holidays I have not had to defend myself. I found this recipe and now my turkey gravy is Outstanding!! (thanks Leanne)

3. Another idea is to go to Cindy's Porch for some frugal holiday ideas. Doing and not spending. Great advice, especially the ways things have been this year!


Ok... found my Holiday Control Journal! (schwoo~~) Here's a few photos:

My control journal and my favorite cookbook. (the squiggle on the CJ is to hide the name of our banking institution. Recycling an old notebook.)


Inside you will find articles I've printed or torn from magazines. Notice the Flylady sheets from her site. And that blue folder... more on that in a moment.

Two pages from the Flylady Control Journal just to show you what they are like.
(again squiggles to protect the innocent & hide last year's gift list.)

5. Ok, remember that blue folder. Inside are the rest of my holiday recipes. Some tried & true and some that might be someday. There are a few recipes in my everyday recipe boxes that I make all year long, but I know where to find them. These are the just for the holidays.

Here's another example of a holiday journal.... one of my Xanga subscribers shared her's this week.

I just read the forecast for this week and SNOW!! is in the forecast for Thursday night and Friday!! Um.... not sure I'm ready for THAT indication of the holiday season.

Until later....
HUGS,
Kay~
**"the weather outside is frightful and fire is so delightful; and since we've no place to go..... Let's go Sew, Let's go Sew, Let's go Sew"
~~paraphrase by D. Feit (my friend)

PS We did vote today. I'm not watching any of the returns and will sleep peacefully tonight. Tomorrow is soon enough to start celebrating or praying harder.

PPS. I started a major overhaul of my sewing room. Photos of the final outcome later.