Frugal Mom December News: 

In this issue...

Delicious & Frugal Recipes

• Lemon Bars for the holidays

• Bizza (yes, you read that right!)
• Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies

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Articles

• 10 Tips for Taking Great Holiday Pictures
• The Gift

Review

• My Handwork Studio's Kit of the Month Club

Frugal Mom Blog

• November highlights

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Lemon Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cup flour plus 2 T flour
• 1 cup sugar, divided
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 3 T lemon juice

Instructions:

1. In small bowl combine 1 1/3 cups flour, 1/4 cup sugar, and 1/2 c. butter. 
2. Beat at low speed  2 - 3 minutes until mixture is crumbly. 
3. Press on bottom of 8" square baking pan.
4. Bake crust for 15 minutes at 350 degrees, until edges are lightly browned.
5. Meanwhile while crust is cooking, in small bowl combine 3/4 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 2 T flour, 1/4 tsp. baking powder, and 3 T lemon juice.
6. Beat at low speed until it is mixed. 
7. Pour lemon mixture over hot crust.
8. Return to oven for 20 minutes, or until filling is set.
9. Sprinkle top with powdered sugar.

Bizza - This recipe is a favorite of ours, and my kids love making themselves!

Ingredients:

• 5 packages of refrigerator biscuits
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce
• 2 cups mozzarella cheese
• pizza toppings

Instructions:

• Open tube of biscuits, separate, and tear each biscuit into quarters.
• In large bowl, toss the biscuits with spaghetti sauce.
• Grease the bottom and sides of a 9 x 12 baking dish.
• Put the biscuits in the bottom of dish.  Top with pizza toppings and mozzarella cheese.
• Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes, or until cheese is browned.

Old Fashioned Oatmeal Cookies

Ingredients:

• 3 cups quick-oats
• 2 cups packed brown sugar
• 1 cup margarine
• 2 eggs
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 cups raisins

Instructions:

1. In large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except flour and raisins.  Beat on low for 2 minutes.
2. Add flour & beat until well mixed.
3. Add raisins & mix by hand.
4. Place rounded teaspoonfuls of dough onto greased cookie sheet, 2" apart.
5. Bake 8 - 10 minutes at 375 degrees.

 

10 Tips for Taking Great Holiday Pictures

1. Get your camera ready the night before.  Make sure your batteries are charged, and your memory stick has lots of room on it.

2. Let everyone take turns taking pictures - you'll be surprised at the creative shots your kids come up with.  And with lots of photographers behind the lens, no one person is left out of all the pictures. 

3. Take more than one shot of memorable moments - it is always a good idea to have back-up pictures just in case the first picture doesn't turn out.

4. Think of the day or event in terms of a timeline, and take pictures from start to finish.  This will give you a great plan for scrapbooking, or sharing pictures online with family.

5. Use the red eye feature on your camera.  If your camera doesn't have a red eye feature, discourage subjects from looking directly at the camera.  They can either turn their head away from you, or focus on your shoulder rather than the camera.

6. Look for opportunities to take candid pictures.  Candid pictures capture the mood and emotion of the shot better than poses and forced smiles.

7. Take a group photo using your camera's timer and a tripod. 

8. If your kids are on the floor opening presents, get on the floor with them so the camera lens is eye to eye.

9. Zoom in tight to your subjects, ridding the shot of as much background as possible.  Of course there will be times when you'll want the entire tree in the shot so we know it is Christmas, but keep in mind, less background is better.

10. Rule of thirds - one of the most popular rules of photography.  Picture a tic tac toe board. Anything important in your picture should either sit on one of these lines, or the intersection of these lines. Some cameras have a grid you can view while taking pictures to help align your important elements along the lines.

The Gift

by Darlene Arechederra

Christmas at last! I stretched lazily, savoring the moment. Today would be busy. I had an hour’s journey ahead of me and still needed to load up the car. My family was counting on me to be there by ten.

I flipped the switch on the coffeemaker and made my way over to plug in the tree. And just for a moment, I stood back to enjoy it.

From under the tree I grabbed the gifts that would head south with me. I’d best not forget any.

I restacked the few gifts remaining down on the tree skirt. Then paused…

Something wasn’t quite right.

Hmmm…

Beneath the tree was a small, blue box.

I didn’t recognize it. It had no tag. It was weightless, wrapped in dark blue paper.

Each side of the box contained a message, each handwritten in white ink:

* Cannot be bought.
* Cannot be sold.
* Must be shared.
* Handle with TLC.

Double-Hmmm…

Curiosity got the best of me. I felt like a kid again as I made short work of removing the wrapping.

Nothing there!

I moved closer, peering into the bottom. Yes, there it was! It took my breath away, and for a brief moment time stood still for me.

For, tucked inside that tiny box were memories of years past. Warm and vivid Christmas memories with my family out at my grandparents’ old log cabin.

Grandma and Grandpa were in their 80’s when I said goodbye to them a few years ago. At times, their lives were not easy. But they were always filled with love and gratitude for their many children and grandchildren.

Their log cabin was a special, magical place for me. At mealtime, about 15 (of 68) small cousins and I squeezed onto the huge, picnic-style benches at the table. Yes, we had a crew!

I was fascinated by the texture of the white clay walls in the kitchen. I had the habit of running my fingers over the wall behind me as I sat at the bench.

Imagine the scrumptious dishes lovingly prepared by eleven aunts and uncles. I do believe we had every mouth-watering dish imaginable.

Fresh water from the well sat heating on the cookstove as we ate. It was toasty and ready for dishes after mealtime. Yes, there were quite a few dishes to do.

The cabin was filled with kids, laughter and music. Grownups, lanterns and wood stoves, too. Family everywhere. And even as we cousins grew older, there was always room for our (boy/girl) friends.

We had no electricity. No television to entertain us. The big screens weren’t even dreamed about at that point.

No phones ringing off the hook, either.

And you know what?

We had everything we could want. We had each other. We had food, laughter, and a warm room full of love.

It was something to be in the main room! The pot belly stove was faithful in churning out its heat. We never worried about being cold.

Pictures, mementos and souvenirs graced the shelving that ran the entire length of two walls. And below them hung colorful stockings and greeting cards.

Grandpa, along with many of my aunts and uncles, was musically inclined. Needless to say, there was always music after the meal. Music and singing. Out came the fiddle, the accordion, the guitars. And from one corner of the room came music from the piano.

The Christmas tree had its own place in the room. Beneath it were the gifts that Grandma had lovingly wrapped. Grandma always had a gift for each of her grandchildren. (Can you imagine 60 plus gifts for grandkids, plus gifts for your children?)

Gifts were pretty different back then. We didn’t spend thousands buying gifts, nor did we charge them.

But these gifts under my grandparents’ tree were special. They weren’t just gifts. Oh, no.

They were Million Dollar Gifts, because *Grandma* gave them to us.

Ever so gently, I closed the small box, reflecting on the treasure I held in my hands.

It’s *The Gift* of unforgettable, beautiful memories.

This year, rather than fancy gifts that will soon be forgotten, offer your loved ones a memory. One that can live on through the generations.

I wish for you that room full of love I knew as a child in my grandparents’ log cabin.

 

Review:  My Handwork Studio's Kit of the Month Club

Moms – how often do you hear the words “I’m bored” from your kids? More often than you would like I’m sure. What if you solved your child’s boredom with a unique craft project your child could do every month? One that didn’t require you taking her to the craft store every Saturday for supplies? A craft she could learn to do on her own, without your help? Moms across the country will rejoice next month as their kids receive a new Kit of the Month from My Handwork Studio.

Recently I had the pleasure of reviewing a Kit of the Month from My Handwork Studio. Not only did I feel like a kid again when it arrived in the mail, but I was impressed with how inviting it looked, and couldn’t wait to get started. My kit came complete with all the supplies needed for making a finger knitted scarf, as well as a cute USB bracelet.

I plugged the bracelet into the USB port on my computer, and discovered it contained information to complete the scarf: a high quality video, as well as a printable instruction sheet; all presented on a beautiful interface. Devon and Hannah were the adorable girls on the video who gave a very thorough demonstration on how to make 2 variations of the finger knitted scarf.

My Impressions:

Pros:

• Quality supplies. In my kit I received 2 skeins of super thick & vibrantly colored yarn, a darning needle, and paillettes (colorful discs).
  
• High quality & professional instructional video.
  
• Complete instructions.
  
• Nothing additional to buy – the kit includes everything needed.
  
• Unique crafts.
  
• The high-tech aspect of the kit and community will appeal to kids today.
• A great way for kids to build a craft closet.

Cons:

• The price of $19.95 per month may be prohibitive for some.
• Seems to be primarily for girls.

Overall, I am extremely impressed with My Handwork Studio’s Craft Kit of the Month. The quality of everything from the packaging to the supplies is top notch, and I feel it is worth the price of $19.95 per month. The crafts are unique, so if your kids are tired of doing the same crafts over and over again, they will love the Craft Kit of the Month. The kids will also love the free online community where they can create their own studio character, learn crafts, and play games.

For more information, please visit My Handwork Studio.
 

Frugal Mom Blog

November was the 2nd month of our blog, and we had a lot of great topics!  Here are some highlights:

• CVS Savings 101:  Would you like to purchase everything for half price, sometimes getting items completely free?  Nancy lets us in on the secret to saving money at CVS with their ECB program.
• Casserole Creations:  Learn the secret to making great casseroles, and try our new recipes.
• Leftover Wizardry:  Amy Dacyczyn, the author of the Tightwad Gazette, gives great ideas on making the most of leftovers.
• No Phishing:  Learn about phishing and ways to protect your identity and personal information.
• WAH:  Mystery Shopper:  Mystery shopping is a great way for a stay at home mom to earn a little extra cash.  Learn all about it, and how you can become a mystery shopper.
• 6 Ways to Lower Your Heat Bill:  Winter and cold weather is here.  Learn 6 way that you can work towards lowering your heat bill.
• How to Budget Your Money:  This is a two part series that teaches you how to budget your money.  It comes with a spreadsheet for keeping your budget, that is very easy to use.
• WAH as a Copywriter:  Basically, if you can write a simple letter, you can be a copywriter.