Ideas for Christmas: Christmas Wish List

                                       

I come from a family with four grown up kids, three sets of grandparents, cousins, Godchildren, uncles, aunts...

You get the idea.  Last year we decided to try out Christmas Wish List.  It is a free website that you can put your wish list up along with others in your family.  Your family has to sign up (for free) for a group number and then when each individual makes a list, they will be asked for that group number.  It has been a wonderful blessing to us to know what some of our relatives that we may not know as well want.  My favorite thing about Christmas Wish List is when you want to purchase a gift for someone off of the list, it will mark the gift off their list (the person who it is for will not see this).  We have been very happy with it as a way to simplify our shopping process.  Try it out!

http://christmaswishlist.net/

Organizing Ideas: Kid's Puzzles

In an attempt to organize our downstairs playroom, I have been looking for ideas to make storing toys easier.  One of the challenges I have is storing my 5 year old's puzzles.  It seems like the boxes are always smashed up, the pieces get mixed up, and they don't stack well on the shelf.  I came up with the idea to label the pieces and store them in a Ziploc bag.  So here's what I did:

I cut out the picture from the front of the box and counted the pieces to make sure they were all there.

I labeled the back of the picture and each piece with a number so I could easily tell which puzzle the pieces that I find behind chairs, in the couch cushions, and in sock drawers belong to.

I stored each puzzle in a Ziploc slider bag that would be easy for little hands to open and close.

What do you think?  We'll see if it works...

Salsa Chicken

This is one of our family's favorite easy meals.  All you have to do is dump the ingredients in your crock pot, set the time, and shred the chicken right before eating.  The best part is that the leftovers freeze so well and you have another dinner ready to go for another night.  This recipe is from http://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/.


Crockpot Salsa Chicken

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1-8oz. can tomato sauce
1 cup salsa
1 envelope taco seasoning
1 tsp. cumin

(I doubled the recipe so I would have leftovers to freeze.)

Combine all ingredients in crockpot and cook on low for 8 hours or until done.  Shred chicken and serve with tortillas, sour cream, and cheese, or whatever you like with your tacos.

Freeze leftovers for another meal!

Yummo!

Indroducing Myself...

Hi!  I'm Kate, a Christian, wife to a Second Lieutenant in the US Army Reserve, mommy to two little girls (and one more on the way!), and a pet lover.  I have been reading blogs for fun for the last couple of years and I have worked up the courage to start my own!  Here are a few things I am interested in writing about:

Cooking: freezer cooking, recipes, frugal meals, canning/preserving

Crafts: children's crafts, simple sewing projects, holiday crafts

The Mommy Experience: funny stories, birth stories, problems/solutions

Homemaking: cleaning schedules, gardening, managing a home

Frugal Living: thrifty fun, couponing, reusing/repurposing, garage sales

Anything else I find interesting!

I hope you will stop by often to visit!