Saturday Seven

1)  It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!  The tree is up and Christmas music plays most of the day.  And we (actually Jacob) have only broken three ornaments so far this year!  The kids are really excited about Christmas this year, so we're looking forward to a lot of funI'm thinking wrapped presents under the tree are going to be a challenge for the first time.  Jacob, aka mini-destructor of all things, can tear up jack in two seconds flat.  Seriously, the child's guardian angel works overtime....he might even have two or three. 

2)  My sister and I went shopping on Black Friday.  Since we're both expecting in January, it was quite the sight to see.  I thought we did pretty well.....we were at the stores at five in the morning and shopped until about two that afternoon.  And if we had a dollar for all the comments....we could have paid for our Christmas purchases!  I did manage to get over half of my shopping done, which was great for me considering I'm the most indecisive person I know.  I think....well....no.....maybe my mom is.

3)  We're counting down to January 2, 2010!  That's the date we've scheduled for our new baby boy to arrive!  It's hard to believe I'll have a newborn again....ooh, I can't wait!  All the tinyness of an infant.....so sweet!

4) As of now we still haven't decided on a name for the baby!  We've managed to narrow it down but nothing definite.  We had Noah Jackson picked out last time, but after he was born we decided on Jacob Andrew.  So maybe we'll wait to see what the baby looks like before we decide for certain!  The kids are telling everyone we're naming him James, like the engine on Thomas and Friends.  I'm pretty sure it won't be James, but you never know.  I tell the kids it's going to be Sir Topham Hat, to which they wrinkle their nose and laugh hysterically.  (Sorry if you're not familiar with the characters on Thomas....get you some three and four year olds and you'll know all about the Island of Sodor.)

5)  I've had my fill of Pigeon Forge for the year!  Last month we went for a few days with Austin's parents and had a wonderful time.  Our cabin was nice and we had beautiful weather.  We have season passes to Dollywood so that was fun.  It's funny to experience the change from riding all the roller coasters and doing my own thing to standing outside the ride where the pigs go round and round at one mile an hour, snapping pictures with my camera.  Or the fact I was a little scared on the ferris wheel thinking about how horrible it would be if the thing broke.

6)  We came home from our mini-vacation on Monday and on Wednesday I left for Pigeon Forge (again....told you I'd had enough) with my mom and sister and the kids.  We attempted shopping on Thursday, which didn't turn out so well with tired, grumpy children. (And a tired, sick-with-a-cold me.)  We were getting ready to try it again on Friday morning when we heard a knock on our cabin door.  Who could it be???  My wonderful husband!  He had gotten up early and drove three hours to pick up the kids for me!  Isn't he the greatest?  He took the kids home with him and I had a relaxed day of shopping!  It was such a wonderful treat for me and so incredibly thoughtful of him!

7)  Looks like it's only gonna be Saturday Six today because I've gotta run and get ready to go shopping with my family!  Pray for us...shopping on a Saturday with Christmas crowds...shot nerves are sure to come.  :)

Freebie Friday

A few great freebies to share with you this week!

-  Go to christianaudio.com to download a free copy of John Piper's book Desiring God.

-  Need some new Thanksgiving recipes?  Go here to access the October/November edition of  Taste of Home magazine.  I love this magazine!  There are always tons of great recipes.

-  Get 50 free photo cards, along with free shipping, at Freebies 4 Mom!  The coupon code expires November 30, so you still have time to order.  I can't wait to get some cute pics of the kids for our Christmas card! 

-  Although this offer isn't entirely free, you can go here to order return address labels for the holidays!  You get 140 labels for free...just pay shipping and handling.  (Click the red letter Holiday under the Home and Family Category)  I've already received mine and they are too cute!  It only cost me a little over $3 for shipping.  Well worth it!

-  Sign up for free samples of:

     Dove Calming Night Body Wash and Body Lotion 

     Aveeno Nourish+ Hair Care

     Huggies Little Movers

     Kotex Overnight Pads with Wings
    

Easy Cooking Ideas

Spending my time standing over a hot stove is not my idea of fun. I'm always looking for ways to minimize my time in the kitchen, so when I read about the concept of cooking ahead, or freezer cooking, or baking days, (you get the idea) that sounded like something that would work for me. Cook a lot on a given day and freeze for later. Fantastic!

One simple thing I've started doing is, on the days we have pancakes, cook up the extra pancake batter and freeze the pancakes for another morning. Sometimes I double my recipe just to put extra in the freezer.

The same works with waffles. They freeze wonderfully and all you have to do is pop them in the microwave for a quick breakfast! And, since they're homemade with whole-wheat flour, it's relatively healthy! Much healthier than the frozen or boxed mixes.

Another great time saver is to buy meat in bulk, cook it up at one time, and divide it into portion sizes conducive to your recipes. It's even better when you can get meat reduced for quick sale at your local supermarket. Kroger is great about marking down their meat for quick sale.

Just last week I put two packs of chicken into the crock pot, added some seasonings, and cooked it on low all day. That evening I chunked up the chicken, divided it into several two cup portions, and stuck it in sandwich bags to freeze. Today I used the chicken broth to make homemade cream of chicken soup! How easy is that? It took me about ten minutes to get the chicken from the crock pot to the freezer and about fifteen minutes to make three cups of soup (about two can's worth)!

I also love to make up a batch of muffins to freeze for a quick breakfast or snack. One of our favorite is Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins. Yum! Kroger usually has ripe bananas marked down to 29 cents a pound, so that makes for an inexpensive ingredient!

I recently found a recipe for Freezer Mashed Potatoes that looked delicious. Since I had some potatoes that needed to be used, I peeled and quartered the potatoes and threw them in the crock pot this afternoon. That took me less than ten minutes! Tonight, when the potatoes are through cooking and I finish the recipe, I'll have two 8x8 pans of potatoes ready for the freezer!

My plans are to have a major baking day (or two) before the baby gets here. That way, my freezer will be nice and full of meals or parts of meals so I can spend less time in kitchen and more time with my family! And since I'll have four littles five and under come January, I'm guessing I'll need all the time-saving help I can get!

*Image from Allposters.com