Black Friday Tips

It's late but I figure I can pass on wisdom for next year.

(1) Get a Thursday paper, scan the ads and decide who has the best deals.
(2) Make sure you have a babysitter because dragging kids around isn't enjoyable for you or them.
(3) Eat breakfast, though if not hungry toss a snack in a zippie and keep it with you.
(4) Carry cash/credit cards in your front pocket, purses are easily stolen when your distracted.
(5) Don't overlook stores in strip malls. I hit a Bealls Outlet and got 75% off any clearanced items, so I basically paid 1/4 of the original price tag.
(6) Don't shop off your list, buy only what you need, call your husband/wife to get second opinions.
(7) Do buy ahead in clothing for your children, generally children will gain 2 inches each year.
(8) If buying ahead, remember what season it will be for a particular age. No one can wear sweat pants in a FL summer.
(9) Don't underestimate Black Friday shoppers, they *will* steal your purse, shopping cart, and items right out of your shopping cart.
(10) Don't hit the mall, all the young people go there and it's so much worse around holidays
(11) If you plan on hitting Target or Walmart, plan to walk, wait and walk some more
(12) Keep a list of what family members enjoy, that way if you can't find one item you had hoped for, you can fall back on another one.
(13) Don't buy toys if they aren't age appropriate.
(14) Be nice! Your a sinner and salvation was needed for you. So, remember kindness and patience are Godly and go a long way.
(15) Don't shop for other people. If they aren't with you, don't take a laundry list of "to buy" things, because you will have enough of a time finding your own stuff much less theirs.
(16) Your goal is frugality, so don't hit food vendors or soda machines because your spending money when your trying to save it.
(17) Walkie-Talkies are a lifesaver if you have a set, that way you can communicate with your friend/family/spouse on one end while they hit the other.
(18) If you haven't seen Aunt Betsy sporting a neon green parka, then she probably wouldn't want one even if it were 90% off.
(19) Kids have enough toys given to them throughout the year, rear them up to enjoy Christmas as a time of celebrating Christ, spending time with family and enjoying the gift of giving. I promise you they *really* don't need a Wii but most American kids could use a bicycle, books or a jump rope.
(20) If you don't find a specific item(s) at one store, move on and don't waste time.
(21) If 3 gifts worked for Jesus, it can work for each of your children. :-)
(22) Don't underestimate church rummage sales, I've found brand new, in the box items for $1 or $2 but would have paid $15-$20 even on sale during Black Friday.
(23) Pack a few bottles of water to rehydrate you throughout the day.
(24) A huge percentage of gifts are thrown out, given to rummage sales (thanks by the way!), or sit on a shelf until it's thrown out or given away, so be about 99% sure that gift your buying will be used. If Aunt Suzie is diabetic, she doesn't need Triple Chocolate Brownie Mix in a Reindeer Bag.
(25) Stores that are not popular (like Pier 1, Circuit City, K-Mart, etc) and usually don't have alot of cars in the parking lot on normal days, are *great* to hit on Black Friday and in the coming weeks. While most people are hitting Walmart, Target, and the Mall, you can check out the deals in the less visited stores.

Jessie Tree

I stumbled upon another bloggers website in an attempt to find new traditions to start with our young ones only to behold an interesting tradition known as the "Jesse Tree". I think this is a wonderful way to incorporate daily scripture verses with the children and truly gives one the opportunity to put CHRIST back in Christmas.

The Jesse Tree is very simple, each night you read a section of scripture and place an ornament on your tree that encompasses the bulk of the story. Now, if you are in a different season with older children you can incorporate asking a question that relates to that particular section or simply, "How does the gospel tie into this story in the bible?". Afterwards, you can say a prayer in regards to what you've read and what you hope the Lord will sow in and of that feeding of scripture.

Now, some websites will suggest buying a new, little 2 foot faux Christmas tree to hang your ornaments on but, I'm frugal (see:CHEAP) so I decided to use the Christmas tree I already had and just give my current ornaments to a family member. I then made a dandy little trip over to Michaels with a nice "20% OFF Entire Order" coupon to pick up my little ornaments.

Here's the run down of the Topic & Ornament:
Day 1 - Jesse Tree Tradition - Wooden Tree ornament
Day 2 - Creation - Globe or Dove
Day 3 - The Fall - Apple or Snake
Day 4 - The Flood - Ark, Boat or Rainbow
Day 5 - Promise to Abraham - Tent or Camel
Day 6 - Abraham & Sarah - Craddle or Preggie Mom Silhouette
Day 7 - Abraham & Isaac - Ram
Day 8 - Jacob's Dream - Ladder
Day 9 - Joseph - Coat of Colors
Day 10 - Ten Commandments - Tablet or Ten Commandments
Day 11 - Rahab's Rope - Tuft of Rope or Red Ribbon
Day 12 - Ruth & Naomi - Wheat Stalk
Day 13 - King David - Crown or Harp
Day 14 - Queen Esther - Scepter or Feminine Crown
Day 15 - Isaiah & Prophets - Watchtower, Lighthouse or Fire
Day 16 - Elijah & Prophets of Baal - Rocks or Fire
Day 17 - Passover - Door frame with red paint smeared or Lamb
Day 18 - Birthplace of Jesus - Silhouette of Bethlehem
Day 19 - Daniel & the Lions - Lion
Day 20 - Zechariah and Elizabeth - Angel
Day 21 - John the Baptist - Waves or a Splotch of Water
Day 22 - Mary - Heart
Day 23 - Joseph - Hammer or Tools
Day 24 - Trek to Bethlehem - Sandals, feet print or camel
Day 25 - Birth of Christ - Star or Nativity Scene

Unfortunetly, I didn't know every single solitary story so I had a hard time coming up with substitutes or finding the perfect size ornament. I still have a few more things to pick up but I will try my best to post the pictures of my ornaments for reference. Or, go HERE and you can browse other sites to give you ideas about the Jesse Tree.

On a side note, you can remove or add certain stories if you have a really hard time finding that perfect ornament.

In the spirit of the season

I love reading blogs and occasionally find a poem or two that really captures a Proverbs 31 woman and today I've found one that I would like to share.

-------------------------------------------------------

If I decorate my house perfectly with plaid bows,
strands of twinkling lights and shiny balls,
but do not show love to my family,
I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen,
baking dozens of Christmas cookies,
preparing gourmet meals and arranging
a beautifully adorned table at mealtime:
but do not show love to my family,
I'm just another cook.

If I work at a soup kitchen,
carol in the nursing home,
and give all that I have to charity;
but do not show love to my family,
it profits me nothing.

If I trim the spruce with shimmering angels
and crocheted snowflakes,
attend a myriad of holiday parties
and sing in the choir's cantata
but do not focus on Christ,
I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child.
Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the spouse.
Love is kind, though harried and tired.
Love does not envy another's home
that has coordinated Christmas china and table linens.

Love does not yell at the kids to get out of the way,
but is thankful they are there to be in the way.
Love does not give only to those who are able
to give in return; but rejoices in giving
to those who cannot.

Love bears all things,
believes all things,
hopes all things, and endures all things.
Love never fails.

Video games will break,
pearl necklaces will be lost,
golf clubs will rust,
but giving the gift of love will endure.

Hallelujah! Glory to God! I've done it!

After trying numerous rice milk recipes, I've finally done it! This is the best recipe out of them all, and though it's not thick like our Pacific Natural Foods Vanilla Rice Milk it's stilll pretty darn good and would make an excellent vegan hot cocoa. After having recipes that suggest using all kinds of interesting (see: weird) ingredients I've finally got something that I only hope my children are willing to drink.

Vanilla Rice Milk

1 c. cooked rice (must be warm, cold doesn't work well)
4 c. hot water (distilled is best)
1-2 cinnamon sticks
2 T. canola Oil
1/4 tsp sea salt
3 T cane sugar (use whatever suits your families budget)
1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

Heat water with cinnamon sticks until it's simmering nicely. Add all ingredients, excluding cinnamon sticks to a blender. Because the mixture is hot, you will need to loosen the center cap to allow hot air to expel out while blending. Place hot towel over lid of blender, hold down lid firmly (I didn't use the towel the first time and the whole lid popped off and made a mess, so be sure to allow the hot air to escape), and liquefy until mixture resembles a slurry but no more. You don't want this to be smooth. If your making a huge batch you can sit this aside in a large jar to steep, otherwise leave in blender for about 25-30 minutes. Strain with cheese cloth or a small strainer into a clean glass jar. You want to store this in a glass jar due to the milk keeping pretty hot even after 30 minutes and it might melt some plastic containers.

Feel free to experiment and add nutmeg, allspice, cocoa, powdered cinnamon or anything to create your own yummy concoction. I've seen some recipes suggesting the addition of protein powder, kelp and powdered vitamins/minerals so you can test these on small batches to see if the taste is still as good. We tried using plain vegan rice protein powder and it was horrid stuff but maybe you will be able to "stomach" it.

Enjoy!