Last night I made a last minute decision to go Christmas shopping, and I’m so glad I did! I slogged through the torrential downpour, battled the high winds…and had the stores practically to myself!

I went to the Christmas Tree Shoppe in Foxboro, Ma first. I had seen a few items in the flier that I was interested in. An hour later I walked out with a full cart, and great deals! I finished up the shopping for my oldest, and mostly finished for the two younger. A couple quick clicks online will finish them up. I also got some great deals on the gift for my mother. I decided to go with a “pampering” theme this year. I found a fabulous bath robe that is so soft and warm, spa socks, a wire head massage, a hair wrap, and a great monogrammed tote bag. All for about $26! I’ll add a gift certificate to her salon for a facial and I think that will make a nice gift.

The CTS also had an incredible deal on books for my daughter. She is just getting into the Magic Treehouse series. They had hundreds of them for only $3 each! I picked her up a bunch. I also got 12 heavy ceramic loaf pans decorated in christmas scenes. They are perfect for mini loaves, and freezable to boot! I’ll be doing plenty of baking this week. They will make great hostess and “surprise guests” gifts.

I’d write about the great deal for my husband but he reads these silly little notes so I’ll abstain for now

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In the coming year I’ll be experiencing some big changes in my life. I’ll be paying off the rest of our debt…!!!!….and leaving my current full time job. I’ll be joining the ranks of stay at home moms again, something I look forward to. My plan is also to start my own business by the end of next year. Obviously I’ll be doing the ground work all year, between drafting business models and raising capital…

One of the best tools I think a small business owner can have is a solid website. Even before the business itself is launched, a clean detailed website can aid in everything from drawing investors to loan procurement. I don’t think I’ll be able to attain those goals with a basic WYSIWYG site (what you see is what you get), so I’ll be going with a professional website builder. I want my website to start off basic and clean, and as I get closer to the opening I want it to grow with multiple functions. I’ll also want it to have a mobile function, so people can have easy access on a mobile phone. I think that is very important in today’s mobile culture.

If you have a small business, make a new website a new year priority.

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At least where I am. I feel like the snow is hitting everywhere BUT the east coast of Massachusetts! Maine has snow…Pennsylvania has snow…the midwest got clobbered. but all we are getting is a bone chilling wind.

My sister is home for the week from Arizona, and I know she would like nothing more than a big ol’ Nor’ easter. To be perfectly honest, I wouldn’t mind one either. As long as the office is closed, and my kids’ are counted among the local school closings, of course. It would suck if we had a big storm and I had to sit at the office while no one showed up for their appointments!

Speaking of school closings, how do you prefer to find out? Personally I like staying in bed and peeking at my iPhone every few minutes. Now that I have a teenager who has figured out that they list it on the news I don’t really have to get up. He’ll spread the word soon enough.

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I don’t normally eat a large breakfast. It’s mainly a bowl of oatmeal or a small egg sandwich for me. This weekend I broke out an old standby for the crowd I was cooking for. It got rave reviews, so I thought I’d share it here.

Caveat: It it a time consuming dish, so good for a lazy Saturday morning when you don’t have anywhere to be for awhile!

Depending on how many people you are cooking for, use anywhere between 5-8 large potatoes. I recommend 1 potato per adult and 1/2 per kid. That seems about right for portions.

1 large onion, chopped- I prefer the spanish yellow, but whichever you use is fine.
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
salt
pepper
Large potatoes (see note above)

Using a large stock pot, set to boil water (about 2/3 the way up). Wash potatoes, cut into 1-2 inch pieces. You want nice big chunks so they don’t fall apart. I leave the skins on, but you can peel them if you want.
Add potatoes to the boiling water, and cook for 5-8 minutes until just tender. Do not over cook! Meanwhile, add a turn or two of olive oil to a large skillet. Like…the biggest skillet you have. If you have to make two batches, reserve some of the onion and garlic. Warm the olive oil, add the onion and garlic and simmer until softened.
This is the important part! Drain the potatoes into a colander. SHAKE the colander around a bit. You want to abrade the sides of the potatoes, kind of scrape them up a bit.
Add the potatoes to the skillet, in batches if you must. Try not to have piles, you want a flat layer. Add more olive oil as needed to keep the potatoes sizzling. Turn as necessary, until all are golden brown. Salt and pepper to taste!

The shaking in the colander is really key for crispy potatoes. I’ve never had a soggy batch with this method!

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I would like to take this opportunity to remind my readers how important it is to give to others this season. With the cold weather advancing (it SNOWED this morning!) and food banks stretched to their limits, every little bit helps.

I practice what I preach, of course. Every time I go food shopping, I look for buy one get one or two free items, keep only what my family needs, and donate the rest. I will also take advantage of coupons, even when it isn’t something I need. For example, when I come across coupons for a free can of cat food, or a small bag of dog food, I will use the coupon to buy it. It costs me nothing, and I figure every little bit helps. Animal food, old blankets, and hand towels get donated to the local animal shelter. They have never once turned down any donation.

I also take the opportunity to get entertainment from my donations. My favorite way to do this is to get inexpensive fleece blankets from Christmas Tree Shops or Walgreens. Usually they are too thin to provide any real warmth to someone, but I place two different colors together, cut strips along the edges and tie the two blankets together. It provides me with a little craft entertainment, and it makes a donated blanket that much warmer for someone.

Please make an effort to donate time, money, and/or goods this holiday season. There are so many that need help. If you find a way to fit it into your lifestyle you can do a lot of good!

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If you have read my blog this year, you may recall that both my husband and I revisited our insurance needs. I was able to get a great rate, while my husband was able to increase his amount while staying close to the same monthly payment.

I want to remind everyone how important life insurance is. Even if you are single, or married without children, if you have any kind of debt you should have insurance. (Better IMHO to not have the debt!)

I highly recommend finding a good insurance agent. Ask your family and friends who they use. Be sure to choose an agent who is willing to sit down and explain EVERYTHING. If you feel pushed to one type of insurance over another, walk away. Your agent should work for you, not just look for a commission. If you are generally healthy, and young, you can look online to get a quote. Try your existing insurance companies (auto, home) you may get a good deal with an umbrella plan. You can also look into sites such as Wholesaleinsurance.net. Be sure to do your homework and look for consumer complaints and comments before doing any business with an online company.

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MMmmmmm….

This recipe was sent to me by a friend, and man are they ever good.

Preheat oven to 375

Cream together:

1 cup butter or shortening (I use butter flavored shortening)
1 cup sugar

Add and mix well:

1 cup cooked pumpkin
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla

Sift together and then add to above mixture:

2 cups flour
1 tsp powder
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice

Stir in:

1 1/2 to 2 cups chocolate chips
(OR, you can do chopped nuts or raisins etc etc)

Drop cookies onto cookie sheet and cook 12-15 min (it usually takes 12 in my oven).

Enjoy!

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The year I finally get the camera I’ve been dreaming of for YEARS!

We’ve worked it into the budget and everything, so it’s practically a done deal. The camera in question is the queen of digital cameras, The Canon Rebel DSLR.

Now I am getting one of the older models, I just can’t justify spending nearly a thousand dollars on a camera when I am an amateur photographer.
My dear hubs wanted me to have the best, but I told him that when we are completely debt free and I have all the technical aspects of photography under my belt, then it would be okay to make that kind of purchase.

Me so excited!

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I have quite the gift list this year. Mind you, these are gifts for other people, not for myself. I’ve given up on that list.

The items requested have been very interesting. Some items I would never have guessed were a want/need. Some are extravagant, some are very inexpensive, and some will cost nothing but my time.

My parent’s have requested all of the above. My dad, who is notoriously hard to buy for, actually had an honest to goodness LIST this year. Along with his favorite type of socks? A new fishing lure, yard gloves, and one of an assortment of rifle scopes…

I didn’t even know my dad hunted. Apparently it has become a hobby?

Methinks this will be a very interesting Christmas time.

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I was discussing with my husband this morning retail’s tendency to rush the seasons as much as possible. They start the back to school sales in June. They put out Halloween candy in August. They put out a few token thanksgiving decorations, and overwhelm them with three rows of Christmas decorations.

My husband is guilty of doing this as well. He is counting down the days until Halloween. Not because he is excited about taking the kids out, but because he feels as soon as Halloween is over he can get on to his favorite time of the year. Me? Not so much. I’m one of hose sappy sentimental fools who feels like her kids are growing up too fast, and I want to savor every childhood moment in slow motion. If he had his way it would hop from Halloween to thanksgiving day, give a couple days for shopping and then straight on to Christmas eve. Sheesh.

Personally, I need the break between Halloween (the chocolate bonanza), Thanksgiving (the pie bonanza), and Christmas (the dinner party bonanza). Either that or I need to invest in the strongest fat burner I can find, so that my weight loss this year doesn’t get sabotaged.

This time of year I really struggle. You would think with the harvest of delicious veggies, I wouldn’t have a single problem with my weight. The opposite it true! Every delicious veggie is smothered in cream sauces, or mixed with heavy pastas, or absolutely covered in cheese. mmmm. Cheeeeeese.

Gone are the days of grilled veggies. Now I have to restrain myself from sucking up the butter sauce with a straw.

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