Baking Season

The Holiday Season seems to be so short this year.  There are only 26 days between Thanksgiving and Christmas. This has put me in a betwixt and between state. I want to start baking but it's still too early. I want to start decorating for Christmas, but Thanksgiving isn't here yet. I have been able to get a few gifts purchased and hopefully will be able to get the majority done on Black Friday.

My chocolate covered cherries are done and in the fridge.  But most of the things I want to bake will not last for month unless I freeze them and with 2 deer in the freezer, I am limited on freezer space.  I think I will mix up a couple of batches of cookie dough and get them in the freezer, since it will not hurt to squish them in small spaces.

My baking list this year is as follows:
  Icebox cookies
  Sugar cookies
  Chocolate covered cherries
  Fudge
  Rolo Pretzel Turtles
  Oatmeal Raisin Cookies (Bug cookies)
  Peanut Brittle
  Cornflake Cookies
  Wedding Cookies
  Cheese Straws

April I will be getting together to do some baking but you can only do so much in a day. So I will have to start getting some of it done, soon.

Hope you baking season is coming together.
Mae

Holidays-Fast Approaching

I don’t know how it is sneaking up on me so fast. Usually by now I have at least figured out what I am buying and have bought a few gifts. But this year, I am already behind.  And there just isn’t as much time between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. I have my Christmas budget all figured out and my menu for Thanksgiving and Christmas planned.  But even the days that we are getting together with extended family hasn’t been planned. But it’s all alright, because it will all come together. 

April and I have narrowed down a weekend for our “Annual Baking” day.  And I have come up with some easy, cute semi-homemade things to go with the regular items on our baking list. Like these Nutter Butter Reindeer from Pinterest.  

These Grinch Kabobs will be on the menu for Christmas Eve when we usually just do appetizers and finger foods.

There are so many things left to do before the kids come home and so I really need to get busy. Tonight we will be grinding deer meat into hamburger. Greg has killed his second deer this year and he hopes to get at least one more doe for the freezer. We hope to thin them out so our garden stands a chance next year. I am thankful that we have all this meat in the freezer.

This weekend April and I are taking a trip to the outlet mall, with my sisters-in law, and going to a craft show before that. Hopefully we can knock out some Christmas shopping on Saturday. 

I am trying really hard to get all of my physical shopping done by December 1st. I may still have to do some online shopping but I don't want to HAVE to go shopping after that.  I also want to get a lot of my cookie dough made and frozen before actual baking day.  I want to be able to enjoy the month of December and not be stressed out by having a lot of things hanging over my head.  This is a time to celebrate our Savior's birth and that is hard to do when there are so many things to be done.

Have a great day!

Mae

Decluttering

I don't know why it always happens in the Fall instead of Spring, but I always get the cleaning out & decluttering bug in the Fall. I guess it's because I know the holidays are coming and there will be more things coming into the house. I have had a few things sitting around that I haven't used in quite a while so I am getting rid of them.  I took a load to Good Will on Sunday. And plan to take another load this coming weekend.

I have also found that selling some of the items that I want to get rid of on Facebook is proving to be pretty easy.  It's much better than setting up a yard sale. You just take a picture of your item, post it on a local Buy/Sale/Trade page and wait for people to respond. The things I have sold on Facebook, have brought me more money than if I had had a yard sale.  Now I know I probably could have sold some of the little things that I took to Good Will at a yard sale, but they would have probably only brought $0.25 and I have made enough money selling the things on Facebook to cover those little things that I donated to Good Will.

This time of year every penny counts and the tax deduction that I will get from the donations will cover anything that I didn't make on those little things. Some people will want to barter with you and that's good. I would barter, too if I saw something I wanted. It seems easier to barter when you aren't face to face with someone. 

If you are trying to declutter and make a few bucks along the way, give the Facebook groups a try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Have a great day!
Mae