New Year!

The start of a new year is always incentive for setting new financial goals. Have you looked at the church's resources on being financially prudent lately? Go here to find timely and knowledgeable advice on how to live within your means. There is even an online financial course and financial calculator. Part of provident living is managing our resources wisely!

Hot Chocolate Mix

Here's a yummy hot chocolate mix to enjoy during this cold weather! My mom used to make it during Christmas time when I was growing up. It uses powdered milk, and might be a good way to use some up if you need to cycle through some in your food storage! It also could be a great neighbor/friend gift when packaged in a cute container.

Hot Chocolate Mix
1 box (10 and 2/3 cups) powdered milk
1 6 oz. jar powdered non-dairy creamer
2 cups powdered sugar
1 16 oz. container instant chocolate drink mix (like Nestle)

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix thoroughly. Store in an airtight container and use within six months. Makes 17 cups.
Mix 3 heaping tablespoons to one cup hot water.
Enjoy!

Pflugerville Holiday Parade

I'm sure you've noticed the signs up around town. The 4th Annual Holiday Stroll is this Saturday, December 12th. There are events all day, culminating in a parade at 6pm (watch for our cub scouts!) and a tree lighting with carols. Most of the events are free, but there is a $1 admission to the children's area. Click here if you'd like more information.

Below is the announcement from the town:

It's Holiday Stroll time again. This year is Pflugerville's 4th annual event and
the Schedule is bursting with shopping, kids activities, antique cars and cycles all topped off with the Christmas Parade and Community Tree Lighting.

Shopping and Vendor Booths
10 am - 8 pm
Kid's Activities and Entertainment
10 am - 6 pm
Santa Pictures
10 am - 4 pm
Car and Cycle Show
2 pm - 4:30 pm
Lighted Christmas Parade
6:00 pm
Community Holiday Tree Lighting and Carols
Immediately following the parade.

Trail of Lights

Here in Austin we have a wonderful light show at Zilker Park. There is a 1/2 mile pedestrian walk lined with scenes depicted in lights, Santa's house, Santa's post office, and entertainment by community groups each night.

To save on energy costs this year, it will run for one week only! Don't miss it, Dec 13th -Dec 21st from 6-10pm each night. Entry is free, and parking has been reduced to $10 per car.

Here is the link to this year's events at Zilker if you'd like more info.

Christmas Ideas

These are some ideas I got from a book my mom gave me one Christmas called Christmas Joy by Susan Branch. I plan on doing some of these things myself this year. Hopefully, you’ll be inspired too.

Decking the Halls

Use lots of candles – fat, thin, short and tall – everywhere. Set white votives in a bowl of coarse salt for “candles in the snow”. Hollow out apples and put in candles.

Sugared fruit: a very elegant and old-fashioned decoration or centerpiece – the fruit looks frosted and icy. Dip plums, red grapes, peaches, apples, etc. into egg white and roll in sugar. Put in a pretty bowl.

Bowls of pinecones, apples, pomegranates, cranberries, holly, cinnamon bundles, whole nuts in their shells, tangerines and oranges studded with cloves. Simmer cloves, citrus peel, ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg for good smells.

Tape your Christmas cards around a doorway, window, or mirror.

A pumpkin cut with stars all over and lit with a candle is another fun porch light.

Hang pictures of friends and family from previous Christmases on your refrigerator with little magnets. Set out the photo album to encourage remembrance. Set up framed pictures of family, especially those unable to be present.

Tie ribbon around the dog’s neck, put a bell on the cat, dress up your children, put on a cute apron, put jingle bells on the baby’s shoes.

Christmas is for Children

On the first day of Christmas vacation, let your child choose the dinner menu. Make this a Christmas tradition.

Start a hope chest for boys and girls. Put in Great Grandma’s hand embroidered dish towels, Aunt Mary’s famous sugar cookie recipe, add a sterling silver place setting each year. Put in their baby books, keepsakes, photos and momentos. Have fun.

Have a special Christmas party just for children. Make decorations, take flowers to a convalescent home and sing some carols, eat cake and cookies, make a candy house, read a Christmas story and play pin the star to the tree. Scavenger hunts are great for older children.

Give something to charity every year and discuss it all with your children.

Make a photo album especially for your child for a Christmas present. Star him, his friends, his pets, him on vacation – include cartoons, quotes, newspaper headlines, and a big “I love you.”

Read them a Christmas story, one chapter each night – to end the day in a relaxing family atmosphere.

Enroll your child in your own personal Treat-of-the-Month Club. Make a little coupon that promises one special homemade treat a month.

Fun Christmas Cookies

Christmas Wreaths

Ingredients:
36 lg. marshmallows
½ cup butter
½ tsp. vanilla
¼ tsp. green food coloring
3 ½ cups cornflakes
1 pkg. candy redhots

Over medium heat, melt marshmallows and butter together. Stir in vanilla and food coloring. Fold in cornflakes and mix well. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper. Working quickly with buttered fingers, form into little wreaths. Decorate with candies. They will firm up as they cool. Makes about 24.

Reuse Jars!

Here's a way I have found to re-purpose the perfectly good glass jars from peanut butter, spaghetti sauce, applesauce and other foods that I often throw away. What about transforming them into holiday goody containers?
Take for example this molasses jar:

Rinse, peel off label (might have to scrub a bit!), and run it through the dishwasher.
Find some Christmas-y srapbook paper, then cut the paper to size, a circle about aninch larger than the lid. Then fold the paper up and around the lid while hot gluing into place.


So now your lid looks like this


Ta Da!


So don't throw away a good glass jar - reuse it, make something fun, and save yourself some money!

Use The Friend!

Did you know that on www.lds.org they have cataloged every issue of the children's magazine "The Friend" back to 1971?? If, like me, you're looking for some Christmas fun on a tight budget, I recommend looking at the December issues - they are packed with great and inexpensive ideas for decorations and gifts! They also have digital versions of the magazine back to 2001, with a feature in those issues called "Christmas Workshop" that is full of fun stuff. Here's how to access them: go to www.lds.org and up at the top click on "Gospel Library", then the pop up menu, select "Magazines"; that will take you to a new page where you will see all four magazines the Church offers; click on picture of "The Friend" magazine. This will take you to The Friend's main page where you can either look at digital versions of the magazine by clicking on the link on the right side of the page under "View Magazines", or you can look on the left hand side of the page for the "Past Issues" link. Want to see a sample of the Christmas Workshop feature in the digital version of one of the past issues? Click here and then look on the left hand menu for "Christmas Workshop" and click!