Country Heart and Home
Christmas
We had a really nice Christmas. My friend Hope made me a wreath and gave it to me the Sunday before Christmas:
Santa came to Emily's classroom a few days before Christmas:
On Christmas Eve, we went to Dave's sister's house to celebrate with his family. The kids got to exchange gifts and play, and they all had a blast. Dave's mom wanted a picture of all of her grandkids together, so we thought it would be funny to hand them all a beer or a wine cooler. LOL
When we got home on Christmas Eve, the kids had pajamas to open so they could wear them for Santa:
Christmas morning, we opened our gifts and then Dave's mom came over to see what the kids got and give them more gifts. Then we went to my mom and dad's house to open more gifts and eat. It was a good day. Here is the mother's ring Dave got me:
Cameron and his PSP, which is the only thing he really wanted:
Emily holding her Cabbage Patch Kid, sitting in her new chair:
Christmas cookies
My friend Patty asked me to make her some chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies, but she said she would have to pay me later. I gave them to her for Christmas! Here are her chocolate chip cookies:
And her sugar cookies:
These are the chocolate chip cookies I made for my family:
And the peanut blossoms:
And the spritz cookies:
The buckeye balls I made--they are Dave's favorite candy. Cameron calls them "buck eyeballs"
Yes, I did make sugar cookies for us. Here are the kids decorating them:
the generous wife
Don't assume that you understand your husband. When he speaks, really listen and, if there is any room for doubt, ask a question or two so that he has ample opportunity to make himself plain.The most basic of all human needs is the need to understand and be understood. The best way to understand people is to listen to them. Ralph Nichols
Copyright © 2001-2008 Lori J. Byerly
All Rights Reserved
http://www.the-generous-wife.com
the coming year
7 anti-aging miracle foods
Add the following seven super foods to your shopping cart and you just might unlock the key to longevity. Sue Moores, MS, RD, spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association, explains how these foods delay the onset of aging and the risk of age-related disease.
Yogurt
Dairy is often difficult to digest, but gentler yogurt is an easy way to get the calcium you need -- and more. One serving a day delivers a dose of healthy probiotics -- "good" bacteria that helps promote a balanced intestinal environment. "As we age," Moores says, "we can lose bacteria in our intestine, making it more difficult to prevent digestive diseases." The probiotics found in yogurt, namely acidophilus, serve as a natural defense against potentially harmful organisms. But all yogurt is not created equal: Read the container's nutrition label to ensure that the brand you choose contains active cultures.
Serving size: 1 cup
Calorie count: 138
Quick tip: Opt for plain, lower-fat yogurt, because the flavored varieties frequently contain added sugar.
Salmon
As the anti-aging ambassador of marine cuisine, salmon has omega-3 fatty acids, essential fats that reduce inflammation in the body, warding off a laundry list of age-related ailments: arthritis, heart disease, high blood pressure, and more. Plus, "fish is brain food," proclaims Moores. Its oils have been shown to strengthen memory performance and decrease the slowing of mental faculties as we get older.
Serving size: 3-4 ounces
Calorie count: about 150
Quick tip: Toss canned salmon over salad as you would with tuna.
Blueberries
For a fruit that is often marginalized to muffins, we are sorely overlooking this power berry. Blueberries are another essential "brain food," because they consist of loads of phytonutrients, or plant chemicals, recently touted for their role in preventing age-related neurological disorders. Moores advises, however, to head straight to the source -- consuming dietary supplements in place of the pure berry is not guaranteed to provide you with as many of its benefits, not to mention the fruit's tasty pleasures!
Serving size: 1/2 cup
Calorie count: 40
Quick tip: You can profit from blueberries year-round: There is no significant difference in the nutritional content of fresh, dried, or frozen berries.
Red Beans
All beans are gold mines of age-defying nutrients, but research shows that red beans hoard the greatest amount of antioxidants -- key components in the quest for prolonged youth. These substances, such as vitamins D, E, and A, are believed to repair damaged cells in the body, and in doing so might avert the development of Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's, and cancer. Red beans are also packed with another longevity champion -- folic acid -- a dementia preventative.
Serving size: 1/2 cup
Calorie count: 310
Quick tip: Opt for dried beans to get the most out of this legume; canned beans often contain too much salt.
Flax Seed
It has been estimated that 30 to 40 percent of all cancers can be prevented by lifestyle and dietary measures alone, and flax is the gastronomic superstar of deterrence. The seed also promotes youthful, supple skin because of its high concentration of oils that, like salmon's omega-3s, lower the amount of inflammation in the body.
Serving size: 2 tablespoons
Calorie count: 118
Quick tip: Sprinkle your daily serving of ground flax over cereal or oatmeal for an easy breakfast supplement.
Quinoa
"We tend not to eat as much when we consume foods that are high in fiber," says Moores, because they fill us up with fewer calories. The result? Consistently ingesting less helps us maintain a healthy weight and decreases our chances of developing diabetes. Light and fluffy quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) has the dynamite nutritional content of the healthiest grains, but it is actually a plant seed, and it's jam-packed with protein, iron, B vitamins, and minerals, too.
Serving size: 1/4 cup
Calorie count: about 159
Quick tip: Instead of cooking quinoa in water, use low-sodium vegetable broth -- it will impart a rich flavor without adding fat.
Kale
Although often passed over in favor of its cousin cabbage, kale's crisp, dark leaves are bursting with micronutrients, potassium, and carotenoids, all essential for lowering risks of heart disease and even cataracts. Low-calorie kale is also calcium-rich, and its high concentration of vitamin A has been linked with a reduced incidence of cancer.
Serving size: 1 hearty cup
Calorie count: about 34
Quick tip: Combine steamed kale with something sweet, such as lightly sauteed onions, to offset its slightly bitter taste.
TIPS
Alka Seltzer...it's not just for colds anymore! Drop twoAlka Seltzer tablets into the toilet bowl, wait twenty
minutes, then brush and flush. The citric acid and
effervescent action clean vitreous China.
Sprinkle some baking soda into your vacuum bag to help
reduce musty/pet smells being spread throughout your house
when vacuuming.
don't throw your money away
Don't Throw Your Money Awayby S. L. Simmons
Five easy tips to save $590 on your food budget this year
Would you like to help the planet and save an easy $590 this
year? It's not a gimmick. Many families can save an easy $590
without even having to give up their lattes from Starbucks,
turn down the heat, or ride their bikes to work. All it takes
is a little better menu planning.
According to research from the University of Arizona, the
average American family throws out nearly $600 in food
annually, often due to good intentions but poor follow
through. Research shows that most food shopping is done on the
weekends, when shoppers are fresh and well rested. With good
intentions to eat healthy, they buy an assortment of fresh
fruits and vegetables with plans to make healthy foods,
perhaps a fresh fruit salad and green salad with dinner each
weeknight. Then Monday comes and brutal reality strikes. The
enthusiastic, health conscious shoppers from the weekend come
home from work tired, hungry and cranky, order carry out
pizzas with garlic fries and the family soda special, and
forget about the tasty fresh produce sitting forlornly in the
crisper. Or maybe they don't forget about the produce. They
may even feel guilty about it. But they order the pizza, soda
and garlic fries just the same. By the end of the week, the
fruits and vegetables, wilted and spoiled, are tossed in the
trash. Then the weekend comes, and the tired, fast food
aficionados are once again transformed into the enthusiastic,
health conscious, well-intentioned grocery shoppers, and the
vicious cycle repeats.
If the above description matches what goes on in your
household, how can you stop this cycle of produce and budget
abuse and save money on your food expenses this year? Try the
tips below.
1. Buy canned, frozen or dried fruits and vegetables instead
of fresh. Sure, fresh produce tastes great and is highly
nutritious, but be a realist. If your family is throwing out
perishable food regularly, then cut back on how much fresh
food you buy each week. Buy fruits and vegetables that will
keep until you really have the time to prepare and eat them.
Frozen mangos and frozen strawberries placed in a blender with
some apple juice makes a tasty, healthy smoothie.
2. Grocery shop several times a week and just buy enough fresh
food for a few days at a time. In my family, we have found
that it is less complex to plan two to three days out than it
is to plan for a whole week. Plus shopping more often makes it
easier to know what is in the fridge and be able to use up
leftovers before they spoil.
3. Get a slow cooker and make your meals in the morning before
you go to work or get tired out from doing housework and
taking care of the kids. With slow cookers, you can start
baked potatoes, baked apples, baked winter squash and a wide
variety of soups and casseroles with fresh vegetables in the
morning and come home later in the day to a house filled with
great aromas. A healthy meal will be waiting for you and your
family.
4. Plan your meals in advance and only buy what you need to
make those meals. For easy weekday meal ideas, I like to buy
cookbooks with dishes you can make with three to five
ingredients. I've learned to avoid cookbooks that have
"simple," "fast" or "easy" in the titles. What is simple, fast
and easy for someone who loves to cook and whose only job is
to write cookbooks for a living often means meals you can make
in under an hour or two. I'm more into what can I make that is
healthy in 15 minutes or less. Simple is a relative term often
abused by cookbook authors, but three ingredients is three
ingredients.
5. Buy fruits and vegetables with long shelf lives to keep on
hand for those times when you find you do have the time and
energy to prepare and cook fresh produce. These include
apples, potatoes, onions, carrots, cabbage and winter squash.
Diced onions and root vegetables, tossed with a little olive
oil and roasted in the oven, make a great side dish in about
10 minutes of prep and 25 minutes of baking time. Sliced
carrots, onions and cabbage stir fried in a wok with a little
sesame oil is another simple and healthy side for a quick week
night meal.
If you can reduce waste and save $600 from your food bill each
year, in twenty-five years, you will have saved $15,000 (or
more if you invest your savings each year and let the interest
compound).
_________________________
S. L. Simmons is a frugal mom of two who enjoys finding
creative ways to live simply and inexpensively. Visit her web
site at http://www.alwaysfrugal.com/frugal-living.html for
more tips on saving money, household budgeting and living
frugally.
Copyright 2008 Always Frugal. Reprinted with permission.
Take the Next Step:
- Can you use an extra $600 this year? Me too. So let's try
the above tips and save money on our food expenses this year.
hair care on the cheap
Hair Care on the Cheapby Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
Maintain a great style that's easy on your wallet
Shampoo and hair styling products go right down the drain
along with the money you spent on them. And doesn't it seem
like yesterday that your kids all had haircuts? Now they're
looking shaggy already! The following tips can help you can
maintain a great style that's easy on your wallet.
If you like expensive brands of hair care products, scan the
weekly flyers for Rite Aid and Walgreens. Both drug store
chains often promote free-after-rebate sales on premium
shampoo and other hair care products. You can also apply
manufacturer coupons towards them and, in essence, get paid to
purchase your items at these stores. Instead of spending the
approximate $30 on shampoo and hair care products for my
family annually, I'm paid an average of $6 per year. Both
chains let you enter receipts online so there's no need to
clip UPC symbols or mail in anything.
Instead of springing for premium or salon brands, try out a
less expensive one. A top sales representative for Nexxus once
told me privately that if you can't afford her products to use
Suave's line. When I can't score rebate shampoo and
conditioner, I've also found that White Rain shampoo or
conditioner, $.75 for a 16.5-ounce bottle at Dollar General,
does a good job at cleaning and conditioning my hair.
Some dollar stores accept manufacturer's coupons. Familiarize
yourself with the brands they carry and use coupons
accordingly for deep discounts on good brands.
As another strategy, send away for free shampoo samples (see
sites below). Even if you have a favorite brand, several
stylists have told me that occasionally switching shampoos
will rev up your hair.
Don't over-use products. Many people over age 30 do not need
to wash their hair daily. In fact, doing so can damage hair
and dry out the scalp. Try skipping a day and see how it goes.
Reduce the amount of shampoo and styling products you apply to
your hair. Would a smaller dab of gel work just as well?
Consider re-purposing less expensive products to do the job of
a more expensive one. Marlene, a mom of three girls in
Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania, uses diluted conditioner in a
spray bottle for her children's de-tangler instead of
purchasing pre-made de-tangler. A few pennies' worth of
conditioner is a far cry from the usual $3.69 for Johnson's No
More Tangles.
Marlene's dad, another thrifty consumer, uses petroleum jelly
as a styling aid. He's in his 70's and has a beautiful head of
hair. I'm not sure that the petroleum jelly can take credit,
but at least it doesn't seem to damage his hair.
Many hair styling smoothers and leave-in conditioners are very
concentrated and if you dispense a small amount in your hands
and thin it out with water, it works even better than full
strength.
Without question, hair coloring, straightening and perms at
salons cost more than doing it yourself at home; however,
going au natural has become in vogue. Many top stylists urge
their clients to work with, not against, their natural texture
and color.
Consider all the celebrities sporting silver locks, such as
George Clooney and Jamie Lee Curtis. With proper care, gray
can be great. Since it's often dryer and coarser than the
pigmented hair it replaced, it's important to condition gray
hair more often and to treat it gently. Go easy with chemicals
to straighten or curl it and skip tight hair accessories or
braids.
Your haircut can determine how much styling product you use
and how often you'll need a haircut. Consult with your stylist
as to what type of cut would complement your looks and require
little maintenance. If you can go eight weeks between haircuts
instead of the prescribed six, you'll save.
Complex cuts can also be difficult for less expensive salons
to achieve because their stylists often have fewer years of
experience. By switching from an inverted bob with a stacked
back to a simpler, one-level bob, which the lower-priced salon
can easily handle, I save about $150 annually (six $25
haircuts per year compared with six $50 haircuts).
During the summertime, I sometimes skip a few cuts since I put
my hair up in ponytails and buns so much anyway. The extra
length makes it easier to secure.
If you live in a larger city, consider surrendering your locks
to a beauty school student. Many schools give free haircuts to
allow their students practice on live clients. And don't
worry. They're carefully supervised by an instructor, so
you're sure to get a great look.
Ready to lose some major length? Some salons offer free or
discounted haircuts if you donate the hair to organizations
such as Locks of Love, which makes hairpieces for cancer
patients.
Learning to cut your own hair and that of your family's can
also reap a big savings. Again, simple styles will help out
here. Invest in a good set of haircutting shears and clippers
to keep your girls' and boys' hair looking neat. A $60
haircutting set will easily pay for itself within six months
for most families. And perhaps your savvy with the shears will
increase until you're cutting your spouse's hair, too.
great advice
a baby's hug
This is the most heartwarming story I have read in a long time. I just wanted to share it with you!
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~ A Baby's Hug ~
Suddenly a very old smelly man and a very young baby consummated their love and kinship. Erik in an act of total trust, love, and submission laid his tiny head upon the man's ragged shoulder. The man's eyes closed, and I saw tears hover beneath his lashes. His aged hands full of grime, pain, and hard labor, cradled my baby's bottom and stroked his back. No two beings have ever loved so deeply for so short a time.
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