Monday list and our family Christmas party

Good morning everyone,  

I’m feeling the need to get back to my organized habits so I made a pretty to do list for this week.  

As always,  it’s just notebook paper on a clipboard, decorated with rubber stamps.  It hangs in my kitchen where it’s easy to keep track of and check off tasks as they get done.  

For several reasons,  we were finally able to celebrate Christmas with our family party.  It was in our home Friday night, 15 adults and 8 children. 

To make it easier,  we tried having the meal catered.  I ordered it from Chipotle and it turned out to be a great decision.  I selected a meal for 20, which is the smallest size meal they cater, and I upgraded it to 3 meats instead of the standard 2.  

It included everything we needed- rice, beans, meats, chips, tortillas and shells, so many toppings along with the warming stands, utensils, bowls,  instructions.....they even included matches for the Sterno heaters.  

The food was all delicious.  

Clean up was easy and there were a few leftovers that we enjoyed for the next few days.  

Yes it was more expensive to have takeout than scratch cooking but for the price, it was worth it to us to be able to enjoy our family party instead of being busy and tired with cooking.  We won’t do it every family meal but for big events like this,  we will have catering again.  

It was busy, fun party and I took only a very few photos.  

Here are our 3youngest grands enjoying the fresh fruit tray that my brother and his girlfriend brought.   

RJ is 1,  Charlie and Jackson are 2.  

Eating fruit is fun, especially when you have a fork in each hand like Charlie or get to use the tongs like Jackson.  

Lots of sewing -gift bags and curtains

Hello everyone, 

I had a good size stack of Christmas themed fabric, so for the last few weeks,  I’ve been sewing up reusable, fabric gift sacks, to wrap future Christmas gifts in.  

I used only fabric and trim I already had.  

They are assorted sizes, since some of my fabric was scraps, I let the fabric decide what size each bag should big,  

I think there are 27 finished bags, from small to extra large.  

When I put gifts in them,  I will tie them shut with ribbon or twine.  

Tuesday morning,  this is what our breakfast nook and..........

Living room looked like.    

I started with these older Waverly Vintage rose tablecloths.  

And by Wednesday evening, the rooms like this..........

I used the Vintage Rose to make curtains, a short table runner and 2 bench covers.  

The new prints on the wall were free printables found via Pinterest.  

The dining room got a new curtain, sewn with a huge length of sheer fabric.  (Most of my fabric stash was gifted to me, either from my mom, from some friends and some from my Dad’s yardsale purchases.  I’m guessing this sheer fabric was in a fabric lot my Dad bought) 

It was kind of pain to sew with but it made such a full curtain that it is fairly private even though the fabric is sheer.  

In the living Room,  the big white tree was packed away.  The heavy curtains were swapped out for the muslin ones that were hanging in the dining room.   

I added a table top white tree with winter themed ornaments

We still have wrapped presents, because for several reasons, our big family Christmas will be here this weekend.  

While I was swapping things around,  I put these 2 pictures that my mother embroidered about 60 years ago in the Living room.   The deer and horses are all satin stitch with embroidery floss and just beautiful. 

Little Ducky is just fine.  He’s grown a little but not much so I’m guessing he may be a small dog even when full grown.  

He is very fond of his toys and amazes us that he already plays fetch with that big taggie ball.  

My father in law thinks we should of named him “two socks” 

Digital coupon deals, cooking and sewing

Hello everyone, 

I went to Dollar General today and did some super simple digital coupons deals.  The coupons can be added to your account either on their webpage or the Dollar General app.  When you check out, just put your cell phone number in the keypad and the coupons subtract, no paper or clipping needed.  

We needed both vitamins and trash bags so I made sure to go this Saturday, when there was a $5/25 Coupon.  

I found this deal, spelled out by Greg, the Coupon Dude (his blog is on my sidebar) and I did it just as he said.  

My total cash spent was $13.71

And I submitted my receipt on the CheckOut51 app and got back $4 for the Centrum vitamins.  

If you have a Dollar General near you and you need household supplies,  I think DG is the best place to get good and easy deals.  

Last night for supper, we had traditional crunchy tacos and a homemade chocolate pie.  

I don’t normally make pie, let alone 2 pies in 1 week, but 2 pie-crazy grandsons were here that evening and I thought I’d just make  second one.  

This one approved! And the other one did too but I didn’t get his photo.  Grandpa liked the pie too.  

Sewing

Ducky got a second fleece sweater, inspired by another grandson who is crazy about Captain America. 

I’m not sure Ducky loves it.  He seems to be saying “ are the kind of owner that is going to dress me up in silly costumes” 

I also sewed up 4 pillow shams for my son from a quilt with a hole in it.  

See the hole?  

Make it do, wear it out, use it up or do without.  

Baking, cleaning, sewing

Good evening everyone 

I’ve done very little baking this holiday season except for Christmas cookies.  

My husband mentioned he would like some pie.  There were still 6 Homemade crusts in the freezer made around Thanksgiving.  So I thawed out 2 and used the last 2 cans of cherry pie filling in the pantry and baked 1 cherry pie.  

I’m so glad I baked it on a foil covered cookie sheet.  That bubbled over juice would of been a mess in the bottom of the oven.  

Below are AFTER photos of the laundry room clean up.  

All the cabinets were wiped down with wood cleaner and the appliances got spray cleaner and Majic Eraser as needed. 

The clothespins were just loose in the black chicken rack on the wall.  I had a few extra mugs so I filled them with clothespins and 3 of them just fit on that little shelf.  

We have an assortment of lightbulbs,  once I removed them from their packages, they all fit in one basket.  

I laid down the spray cans which makes them easy to see what’s there and they are held in place with a heavy bag of craft rocks.  

Baskets of candles for emergencies

Brown paper sacks and jigsaw puzzles

Cleaning rags and clothes hangers 

This cabinet got some much needed new shelf paper 

And so did the drawer-

  I bought the Zote soap quite awhile ago.  I don’t like homemade laundry detergent so I’m not sure what I’ll do it with it.  

The other side for the laundry room- the clothespin bag on the wall is used as a trash can,  I put a plastic store bag inside and put dryer lint, etc in there.  There is no room on the floor for a regular trash can as this laundry room is narrow and a pass through from our garage into the rest of our home. 

And that’s our laundry room,  all 15 or so square feet of it.  It’s not big but I’m very thankful to have it ❤️

It’s so cold here! Ducky needed a sweater so I sewed up a super quick and simple one with a fleece scrap.  It’s just a tube, one seam on the underside that I finished off flat, and 2 slits for his front legs.  The bag end is rounded off so it doesn’t get in his way when he’s doing his business.  

End of the year catch up

Hello everyone, I didn’t Blog much in December but that seems to be almost the norm for a lot of bloggers like me.  I’m still here and we’re all fine.  

I am still shopping at CVS.  In fact, one of my plans is to shop for everything a lot more carefully.  

This is what I bought early this Sunday morning, on our way to church....

Before the total was a lot, about $130 ish.  

I had a few coupons, some extracarebucks from previous weeks,  some coupons from the CVS red box and 2 emailed coupons, a $10/60 and 30% off non sale items.  

After all deductions, I paid $32 in cash and got back $32 in Extracarebucks (that was just a coincidence the amounts were the same. ) 

One very easy deal for every CVS card holder is to get the $3.99 toothpaste Coupon from the CVS app and load it to your CVS card.  It makes a tube 100% free. 

Some other careful shopping was how I spent $70 in birthday money.  (My Birthday was a few days before Christmas and I turned 60 😱) 

I shopped sales and used coupons as well as a military discount at Rack Room Shoes.  

The sandals and boots were both originally $69 a pair. 

At Bath and Body Works, the big candles were in sale for $10 and I used a $10/40 Coupon. 

The double wall water bottle is from Walmart and was just $4.94

And I have $5 left

We are having really cold weather right now,  like most of North America, and the boots are really keeping my feet warm and cozy.  

With the New Year,  I have plans to do several home projects, like organizing.  

These are before photos of my laundry room.  I cleaned it all up Wednesday but haven’t had a chance to take after photos yet because.......

......my husband was out of town, 2 grandsons came to stay for a couple days,  we had an impromptu birthday party for my dad and............

We adopted a new puppy.  A friend posts him on Facebook.  He was found in the country and his owners couldn’t be found.  We suspect he was dumped off. 

She told me he was a sweetheart, but her parents couldn’t keep him because they were getting ready to downsize to a motor home.  

So I got him because he looks like a perfect pup for our home.  

He’s been to the Vet.  He weighed 7 pounds, could  be 6 weeks to 9 weeks old,  may be schnauzer or wire hair terrior and some mutt. He had worms and was treated for those and for his first puppy shot like a trooper. 

He’s eating great and doing good with house training.  He was around 5 grandchildren at one time and their noise and noisy toys didn’t bother him a bit.    

 our new puppy Ducky 

So,  I’ll take the laundry room after photos soon and Hopefully lots other before and after was January goes on.  

I’ll update my 100 day sewing challenge too. 

Goodbye for the last time in 2017.