by kathilipp | Nov 24, 2014 | Christmas, Podcast, tips and ideas |
WHAT TYPE OF BLACK FRIDAY SHOPPER ARE YOU? The one that’s standing at the store door chanting “open… open… open” at 4 am… or the kind that stays home and drinks coffee while the rest of the crazy people are, well, being crazy.
Whatever type of shopper you are, we have the tools and tips you need to rock your shopping list this Black Friday. Shellie Deringer from www.savingwithshellie.com gives you loads of expert advice on everything from finding the best deals to sticking to your budget.
Find out:
- How to do your holiday shopping on a realistic budget.
- Where to get the best deals for your family?
- What are the best deals for this Black Friday for everyone on your list?
- How do you know if something is a really good deal?
- And much more…
Listen in, and then click here to find Saving with Shellie’s best shopping deals for Black Friday to get your shopping done fast and within your budget.
There’s lots of deals to be found on Saving with Shellie!
Shellie Deringer founded SavingWithShellie.com in January 2009 as a resource for moms struggling to reconcile their pre-baby lifestyle with post-baby budget busters. Shellie works to show moms that by shopping diligently and purposefully, they can afford the quality brands they love without exceeding their budget. Saving money isn’t about sacrificing quality for price or sacrificing precious time to save a few pennies. You can be a brand loyalist without breaking the bank.
by kathilipp | Nov 19, 2014 | Christmas, The "What's for dinner?" Project, tips and ideas, Uncategorized |
Yikes! It’s almost time to cook the holiday turkey!
Do you have turkey-phobia?
It can seem like a daunting task to make the perfect turkey, but I promise you, it isn’t. Try my turkey recipe and follow my instructions, and you’ll have a table full of guests licking their fingers and begging for more. But beware, this turkey is so good, there may not be any leftovers for turkey sandwiches.
Kathi's Brined Turkey
-
1
gallon
water - cold
-
1
cup
sea salt
-
1
tablespoon
crushed dried rosemary
-
1
tablespoon
dried sage
-
1
tablespoon
dried thyme
-
1
bottle dry white wine
-
3
oranges
cut in half
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In a large garbage bag, combine the all the ingredients.
-
Wash and dry your turkey. Make sure you have removed the innards. Place the turkey, breast down, into the brine. Make sure that the cavity gets filled. Place the bag in a roasting pan and in the refrigerator overnight, turning once.
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Remove the turkey carefully draining off the excess brine and pat dry. Discard excess brine.
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Cook the turkey as desired reserving the drippings for gravy. Keep in mind that brined turkeys cook 20 to 30 minutes faster so watch the temperature gauge.
by kathilipp | Nov 5, 2014 | Christmas, Uncategorized |
Is it possible to avoid conflict during the Holidays? I think so!
But the time to start thinking about it is now – not when you start threatening your husband with a spontaneous trip to your moms house because you just can’t stand his mom anymore.
All of these strategies, (bathed in prayer and a whole lot of grace and some extra dark chocolate thrown in for good measure,) will help this be the most peaceful holiday season since the time you and your husband got snowed in and couldn’t travel to be with family.
Here are a few tips:
Have the conflict early. Most of the conflict that families experience is because we are trying to avoid conflict early on. We hope that things will “Just work out.” And that everyone will, “Just be cool.” If there is a hard conversation that needs to be had about how your father-in-law talks to your kids, or how much your adult daughter drinks at the family gathering, the time to have those hard conversations is November 5th – not November 27th.
Take the “Plans” approach. My stepdaughter, Amanda, just got engaged this week. We could not be more thrilled and it’s kind of hard to contain our excitement about planning. So when she called me to talk wedding plans, I said, “Hey, if you don’t want to get together and talk weddings, I totally understand. You’ve got a lot of people you’re trying to please.” Then she told me something that made my burst with pride. She said, “Actually, I’m doing the same thing you and dad do. I’m saying, ‘Here are the plans I’ve made. If you’re able to join us for ________, that’s great. If not, we totally understand.’ She said that it’s taken so much of the pressure off of trying to make everyone happy, and giving people a choice.
I love it. She is behaving in a totally healthy way, not giving her control over to other people, and not feeling like she needs to control others either.
Know the Rule of Three. In engineering, there is an old saying; “You can have it better, cheaper, and faster. Pick two out of three.” And it’s true. How could you have a product delivered with better quality, made cheaper, and ahead of schedule? It might be possible, but you’ll kill the engineer in the process.
Roger and I have adopted a similar motto for family celebrations; “You can celebrate on the right day, you can have the whole family together, or you can have people be happy about it. Pick two out of three.”
With blended families and in-law relationships (heck, even if your son is dating a girl!), holidays not only put stress on you and husband, but on your kids as well. They are charged with keeping loyalties, keeping the peace, and keeping things from blowing up.
We realized early on in our marriage that there were two things that were important: Having everyone together, and everyone being as happy (as possible) about it. The date? That really didn’t matter to either of us. Often, we celebrate on a different date. We are having Thanksgiving on the actual day this year, but we are celebrating Christmas on the 26th when all the kids can be here. On the 25th? Church and then jammies all day.
Budget. If money is one of the biggest stressors, then the weeks leading up to Christmas are the Hot Zone times on the calendar for conflict. Come up with your budget now so that everyone’s expectations will line up.
Ask. Ask your family what traditions are important, and which ones have run their course. All the kids love the Starbucks and Christmas light night, but are over the matching pajamas on Christmas morning? Kill the PJs and keep the lights.
by kathilipp | Nov 4, 2014 | Christmas, Podcast |
Peaceful. Connected. Meaningful.
Those are all words that should describe the Christmas season, but do they? So often we get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of the season and lose sight of what really matters. We want to help you change that. This week, Kathi and Erin will:
• Give you simple, meaningful ideas on how to get rid of what doesn’t matter during the holidays so you can focus on what does.
• Share fun shopping tips, easy decorating ideas and even a few photo mishaps to help you realize that the holidays can be so much more than a time of hurried frenzy.
• Give you 21 days of simple projects that will give you the simple tools and organizational strategies you need to make this holiday season peaceful, connected, meaningful and much more.
Listen in, and then click the sign up button below in the resources section to subscribe to Kathi’s 21 Days to Organize Your Christmas Project. Plus, download our freebie list of shopping ideas that will help you find the perfect, budget-friendly gift for everyone on your list (scroll down to the Download section for the list).
FREE DOWNLOAD
We promised you a list of our favorite simple (no major crafting ability required) and inexpensive yet totally thoughtful gift ideas. Check them out here and let us know which ideas you’ll be using this Christmas!
Erin MacPherson lives in Austin, Texas with her husband Cameron, her sons Joey and Will and her daughter Kate. She is the author of “The Christian Mama’s Guide Series“, a staff writer for Dun & Bradstreet and a freelancer for publications like Thriving Family Magazine, MOPS MomSense, FamilyLife Magazine, Daily Guideposts and BEMag. She blogs about her life, her kids and her faith at ChristianMamasGuide.com.
by kathilipp | Nov 3, 2014 | Christmas, The Get Organized Project |
Okay, so I know it’s just now the first of November, and we’ve still got Thanksgiving to celebrate…which we will! We’re so thankful for everyone of you and thankful for so many blessings in our lives!
BUT, Christmas will be here before you know it. Think about it. Church musicals, Progressive dinners, and family gatherings will start to fill up your December calendar before November is even halfway through. This can be an exhausting time of year, (and if you contract the lovely stomach flu that tends to go around during the Holidays, that adds to the “joy”) but it doesn’t have to be.
That’s why we’ve decided to do a Christmas Challenge this year. We want to help you get ready for the joyous season so you won’t be too overwhelmed to remember the REASON for the season.
So if you missed my Quick Start post last week, check it out!
And make sure to sign up for the 21 Day Organize Your Christmas Challenge!
Photo of woman: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Shopping_g379-Christmas_Shopping_p38370.html
by kathilipp | Oct 16, 2014 | Christmas, The Get Organized Project |
It’s almost Christmas. I know you don’t want to hear it, but it’s true and procrastinating about it will not only stress you out, but will cause you to miss the beauty of the season. (Trust me I’m talking to myself here too!) So what are we gals going to do about it? I for one would like to enjoy Christmas this year without a ton of stress. I’d like to focus on Jesus, you know, the reason for the season. This month we are going to focus on 3 areas to Quick Start our Christmas. Then, on November 3, we will begin the 21 Day Organize Your Christmas Challenge.
Quick Start Tip #1: Start your gift list now – with amounts to spend.
Gift giving can truly be the most stressful part of Christmas and it really should be one of the most enjoyable! With tight budgets, picky gift receivers, and Pinterest perfect pressure, it’s tempting to put gifting off for the last minute. For all of those reasons, this seems like the most logical place to start. A gift giving plan will give you focus and help you stick to the budget.
Start by brainstorming all the people that you normally buy gifts for:
- Family
- Friends
- Service people
- Neighbors
- Coworkers
- Teachers
This is also a great time to talk about expectations with those who are on your list.
Several years ago we let our kids know, early on, that our Christmases were going to start looking different. With four kids and not a lot of money, we needed to focus more on family and faith and less on finding the perfect gift. We now give each kid three gifts: Something to wear, something for fun, and something growth (education, spiritual growth.) We have a budget for each kid and stick to it. We used to spend hours opening gifts and getting unwrapping fatigue. Now, the gift portion of our time is small, but the games and talking part of the holiday are what everyone look forward to.
Maybe there are a few people on your list that are on there out of obligation.
What about having a conversation with them about redoing Christmas – instead of buying another body wash gift set for each other, what if you took that money and went to lunch together in January, or went in on a goat for a family through World Vision? Make new traditions with those you love.
Quick Start Tip #2: Grab a Calendar and Firm Up Where and Who
Plan where you will be spending your time – and with whom.
We have a blended family, so trying to share our kids with multiple other families has gotten complicated over the years. Even without a blended family, extended family and all of their extended family can make for some complicated planning. Talk early and often about plans for the holidays. Last year we had everyone on Christmas. This year, we will be hosting the big Thanksgiving feast, and will celebrate Christmas on a different day. Flexibility and early planning with keep you from tears.
Quick Start Tip #3: Sign up for the 21 Days to Organize Your Christmas Challenge
Starting November 3rd, I will be taking you through three weeks of Christmas prep. This is absolutely free – my gift! A few minutes every day, in November, will help you have the most peaceful and Christ-centered Christmas possible. Join me and hundreds of other women for simple ideas to pull off the best Christmas ever.
