Skip to main content

It's a "Do the best you can with what you got!" kind of Christmas!!

I have been a very bad girl this year and have not posted in weeks!!! I will post Christmas day for my big "Journey to Milfhood's weight-loss challenge" reveal with a before and after photo. You can find out on Tuesday if I meet my goal or not.

 Life continues to be cRaZy but good. I am blessed to be in one piece, to have my gorgeous sons and to have a job that is sometimes hectic but always fun and rewarding.

 Chris asked for a BIG ticket item this year....a LAPTOP. At first he wanted an ipad but then he decided a good laptop, with windows 8 of course, would be better so he could use it for homework as well as gaming. This would put a pretty big dent in my Christmas budget!!I do not charge things for Christmas. I figure if I cannot pay cash for it, I cannot afford it. I started this at about 25 because I did not want to be $40,000 in debt like many in the baby boomer generation. It works well for me because it also helps me prioritize and budget well for the holidays.

We'll, a laptop cost a little more than I was planning on spending. Last year I got Greg a netbook and those are much cheaper even for a good quality one and he has made good use of it. I know Chris will do the same and he is a great kid so, I decided to get him what he asked for. This put a BIG dent in my FIXED Christmas butget. This means that I have had to cut expenses in other places to stay within my Christmas and regular budget. I totally think it is worth it but I have to be a little more creative than normal.

I am calling this my “Do the best you can with what you got Christmas.”  Since Christmas is really about the birth of Christ and not all this other crap I think it is kind of fitting. Here are a few of the treats I made for Christmas with the food I had in my pantry.

Fudge with Powdered sugar
I make fudge every year! When making cookies that had powdered sugar in them I noticed a recipe for making fudge. I decided to try it as not to waste the big bag of powdered sugar I had. It was easy.
I melted a bag of chocolate, 1/2 cup of milk and 1/2 cup of butter in a pot.


















 I put 4 cups of powdered sugar in a bowl




















Poured chocolate mixture over powdered sugar and mixed.
 Put mixed well and put in fridge for 2 hours.



















Whala!!!! It came out pretty good. I was suprised.





Caramel Chex Mix
I wanted some more yummy treats but didn’t want to go buy more stuff. I had all these ingredients lying around. The half a bag of caramel was a bag I misplaced at Halloween and found under my bed I have been snaking on it but had enough left to make these yummy treats.  This recipe was adapted from the Chex cereal box.






















Added 2 tbs butter and 2 tbs milk to the caramel



















Melt and stir



Pour mixture over 6 cups chex and mix in a large bowl.
Microwave 3 minutes mixing after each minute.
Lay flat on wax paper or use a silpat like me J



















I covered half with Almond bark I had laying around. And left the other half plain.






















 
These are my boys NEW favorite treat!!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Three is Perfect for ME!!!

Really it is!!! You would think that after 14 years of raising two sons by myself people would stop asking me things like; "Are you EVER going to get remarried?" "Don't you want more kids?" "Don't you get lonely?" "Don't you want to "you know" again?' " You’re pretty cute, nice, fun insert other complementary words here, why are you still single?" I think this last one may be implying that there must be something WRONG with me but I will assume people just think I am so awesome that they are amazed I haven't been snatched up. I could go on forever with the enormous list of questions people ask me, all relating to my choice to be single. Don't get me wrong, I am finally open to the idea of dating someone great IF that is what God has in store for me but he would have to be pretty freaking amazing!!!! Why? Because I LOVE my little family of three.  God blessed me with two amazi...
3 comments
Read more

An awesome first day of school, FINALLY

This morning was amazing. When I woke up at 6:15 am the shower in the first bathroom was already running. I could hear the sound of water dripping and teeth being brushed in the other bathroom. Chris emerged from the bathroom already dressed his cloths matched and everything. I made breakfast while my other son got himself dressed and ready for the day. This may not seem like a big deal to you but I remember a time when it was just me in the morning literally dragging my little boys into the shower, nagging them to brush their teeth (sometimes pinning them down) and arguing with them about their cloths. You try convincing a 5 year old that while that florescent stripped shirt his Grandma gave him may be his favorite shirt EVER he can't wear it to school. Weather your kids like school are not, the first day can be really stressful for any parent. It can be just a little bit harder when you are the only one trying to do everything. If your still feeling a little over...
2 comments
Read more

Weight Loss Challenge: Week EIGHT UPDATE

For the third week in a row I have maintained my 9 pound weight-loss . This would be great if I only wanted to lose 9 pounds. The good thing here is that my daily activity and food intake are good enough to balance and maintain any additional weight-loss which means I have established some good habits. I am keeping my calories at a reasonable amount and my intake though out the day is pretty balanced. Here are some of my typical breakfast recipes . Natures Path Organic Instant oatmeal with 1 tsp. Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Hot Cocoa= 254 Calories I was not too hungry this morning and when I wanted to eat more a few hours later I had a banana. You could easily add fruit, milk or juice to beef up this breakfast. Shakes and smoothies are a staple in my diet. They are yummy and quick!!! Here are two different recipes I use regularly: 1 cup of Almond Milk 2 scoops Visalus Shake mix (I think any protein powder will do) 1/4 cup Mixed berries (sometimes I do as much...
2 comments
Read more