There are many things I love about the pioneers and how they celebrated Christmas. One, it wasn’t all about the latest and greatest gift. Second, the church Christmas program was the highlight for many families, which focused on Jesus (Need more focus on Jesus in your Christmas? Have You Written Your Letter? Dear Jesus, All I Want for Christmas). Third, special treats and the focus of today’s post, is a cookie exchange.
All photos used with Permission
This time of year, we’re inundated with references to Santa Claus. As a Christian, I like to keep Christ front and center in my mind and my children’s. However, I can’t shield them from the story of Santa, but I can turn it back towards Jesus.
The real St. Nick was a man who shared his wealth with those who needed it. But in today’s society, that part seems to have been lost in the tales.
There is one thing that I believe as Christian’s we should copy from the many Santa Claus traditions. Most of you will remember either writing Santa a letter or hearing about other children who did. Last year my son wrote a letter to Santa in school.
I thought about all the gifts we receive at Christmas, and how so many of them (especially with children) get carried out in the trash the following year. Either broken, out grown, or plain not wanted. Continue reading
Come on over to the Homestead, choose your rocking chair…a glass of tea and sit a spell! Continue reading
When I spied this Merry Christmas Banner in a photo on my friend Amanda Dykes Facebook page I instantly fell in love. If you hadn’t noticed, I have a things for books, re-purposing, and Christmas. This project is the perfect marriage.
I invited her to share it with my readers and she graciously wrote up this tutorial so you can make yours. Plus, we have some extra fun free things involving books at the bottom of this post.
Let me introduce you to my talented friend.
Amanda here: Simple trimmings warm my heart in December. A little touch here, a sprig of berries there… vignettes sprinkled throughout to warm the home.
One of the things I love about a simple style of decorating like this, is its ease and affordability.
The hanging pine cone bouquet, for example, which you can read more about in Melissa’s new release, Pioneering Today: A Homemade Christmas.
Here’s what the banner looks like over your mantel. Doesn’t it make you want to sing a carol or two? Continue reading
I confess, I get a little zing whenever I score an awesome deal. I’m a frugal shopper and I rarely purchase anything unless it’s deeply discounted. Well, you can’t get much lower than 75% off, right?
I’m super excited to share this Flash Cyber Monday sale with you from our affiliate partner Bundle of the Week on their e-book bundle, Celebrating Christmas, featuring my new book, Pioneering Today-A Homemade Christmas.
On Monday, 12/2 we’re bringing back our Christmas bundles for just 24 hours each as part of our Cyber Monday Flash Sale!
This bundle offers a collection of ebooks to help you celebrate a simple Christmas with traditional activities, homemade gifts, healthy recipes and a devotional for the advent season. Save more than 75% as you rediscover and focus on the true meaning of Christmas! Continue reading
When you hear the word hay manger what comes to mind? Yep, Baby Jesus was what I thought of too. As we herald in the month of December, I’m so grateful for the gift Jesus gave us when He came down to heaven to be born as a baby in a lowly manger.
The sound of cattle mooing was His lullaby the first night He spent on earth. I’m treated to our cattle mooing daily, but it brings new significance when I remember the birth of my Savior.
And speaking of hay mangers, if you have cattle, you may want to know how to build a horn friendly hay manger for almost free. You’re in luck, it’s featured in our hop today.
Come on over to the Homestead, choose your rocking chair…a glass of tea and sit a spell! Continue reading
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and there is going to be a whole lot of baking and cooking in America’s kitchens, if you haven’t started already. I made and froze all of my pie crusts (my great-grandmothers flaky pastry crust is amazing) ahead of time last week, so I only have to thaw them for an hour or two on the counter while I work on the rest of my meal. Anyone else love those little tricks that save you time later on?
Or if you only have one oven and no room for more pies, try my No Bake Pumpkin Cream Pie. It’s a cross between a cheesecake and a mousse, and I dare say, it’s better than regular pumpkin pie and no cooking time!
Another popular item on the Thanksgiving table is green bean casserole. Green beans are one of my favorite vegetables. Part of the reason is my grandparents brought their heirloom Tarheel green bean seed with them across the country in the 1940′s when they moved to Washington state. My family has faithfully saved the seed every year and it is the only green bean we eat. This year we canned 80 jars of the little green beauties.
I try to make sure that all of the food that graces our table is GMO free, organic, and home grown whenever possible. Kind of like the Amish… I used to use those cans of condensed soup without any thought. Until I started to investigate my food and what chemicals, pesticides, and GMO’s do to our bodies.
Now I cringe when I see cans of condensed soup listed in recipes. They’re filled with GMO ingredients, soy, soy, and more soy, artificial food coloring, and canola oil to name a few of the not healthy ingredients.
Don’t panic if you’ve used them or can’t bear to not fix your favorite casseroles. I’ve got ya covered. Did you know how easy and quick it is to make the real deal? It only takes about ten minutes and your dish will be all the tastier for it, I promise.
Green bean casserole calls for cream of mushroom soup, so that’s the variation we’ll use today. One thing I like to do is make a double batch. You can freeze one half to use in later casseroles or to save time on busy nights.
I’m sharing my recipe over on Not Quite Amish Living so hop on over for the recipe!
As parents, one of the things I worry about most, is if my children are soaking in the values I try to instill in them. Easy as is to tell them do as I say, not as I do, it doesn’t work that way, especially with kids.
When I see my kids model some of my least favorite traits, I vow to do better. I often times think God uses their behavior to show my areas I’m lacking and to convict me. I think He knew being a parent is just as much a learning experience for the adults as it is for the children, maybe more so for the parent.
I have a confession to make. I yell at my children sometimes. Not constantly, but when I lose my patience, I raise my voice. It’s not something I’m proud of, quite the opposite in fact. I recently read this article The Important Thing About Yelling and felt conviction. Continue reading
With the holidays practically here, I’ll be doing extra baking. I love knowing how to make my own sugars because when you live quite a ways from the nearest store, some good old fashioned know how is a must.
And pie baking is something I do a lot of this time of year. We’re having a pie potluck after church today and I’m bringing two, a peanut butter and apple pie. For Thanksgiving, I’m making my no bake pumpkin cream pie (link is listed in the articles below) and a peach pie. Good thing I froze four pie crusts earlier this week to cut down on the prep time. You’ll find that recipe and tutorial below too. So happy pie making!
Come on over to the Homestead, choose your rocking chair…a glass of tea and sit a spell! Continue reading
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The holiday’s can often be overwhelming and tempting to take short cuts in the kitchen for quick, unhealthy store bought processed foods. In today’s episode we’ll discuss:
Resources: Great-grandma’s flaky pastry crust in 15 minutes, best place for bulk organic non-GMO herbs and spices from our affiliate partner Mountain Rose Herbs, How to can apple pie filling, 5 tips to beat holiday stress in the kitchen, Molasses Sugar Cookie Recipe, Ginger Cream Cookie Recipe.
Disclosure: Some of the links on this site are affiliate links. If you click on them and make a purchase I receive a small portion back, it doesn’t cost you anymore and it helps me keep the contents of this blog free for everyone. I only affiliate with companies and products I personally use. I will not endorse a product or company without having tried them.
I'm ready for my bonus gift!
