Santa Saves at Target, and So Can You

I have been approached by guest bloggers more times than I can count, and have always declined. I feel as if my readers come here to read my various ramblings, and find out what's going on up here on the mountain top. However, when Aimee from DIY Darlin' approached me, I asked her to send along what she had in mind, because I thought it was something that would interest many of you. Let's face it, I'm all about how to save money, not just at the holidays but all year long....that's how I managed to cut my budget wayyyy down, after all! 

So let's hop on over and see what Aimee's tips are for saving money at Target! 

Grateful, Thankful, Blessed

It's hard to believe it's only November and we've had snow more than once already!

Last Thursday's storm dumped over a foot of snow on our little mountain top. 

Bourbon Vanilla Cranberry Sauce - and Giving Thanks

As we get ready for the celebration of thanks tomorrow, I want to take a moment and thank all my wonderful readers for taking time out of their lives to check in with me regularly.

Busy as a Bee

Did you know that Deborah means BEE in Hebrew? 

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And that I'm allergic to bees? Well, wasps and yellow jackets anyway...we haven't tested it on bees yet, thankfully!

And I have a postcard on my fridge that is covered in bees?

And my older daughter loves the symbol of the bee?

And both of my daughters love honey but I can't stomach it at all? The smell makes my stomach turn instantly. 

Are you wondering where I'm going with all this?

I'm just trying to tell you that I've been as busy as a bee all weekend.....which is really nothing unusual for me! There are always a million things to do around here!

But I've missed being here and sharing with all my blogland friends! So I wanted to come by and give you a littler recap of what's been going on in my busy bee life.

This was a rare 4 day weekend for me, which I am so very grateful for. Thanksgiving was absolutely fabulous - my sister and brother in law are the best hosts and we always have such a fun time when all 7 of the cousins get together! Such a wacky bunch they are, but my sisters and I get such a kick out of watching them all interact together. The youngest cousin is 8 and the oldest 25 (but acts like 8!) So you can just imagine the goofiness when they are all together!

Friday was HOT here on the mountain top - it was weird weather, topping out about 60 or so, probably more in the sun. 

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I tell you, it was tough to get motivated to start decorating for Christmas!! But we put on some nice Christmas music on Pandora and browsed around for some inspirational images online and got started. 

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I would love to share some photos with you but apparently my camera is away on vacation right now. Ahem. No comment. 

I'll give you just a tiny sneak peek:

Remember when I bought this? It has the prime location on the tree this year, front and center!

So, the inside of the house is nearly done....I have a bunch of boxes of Christmas decor I haven't used in years that I need to look through and figure out what to keep, what to toss. That will get started today. 

And the outside? I don't really know. I don't like ladders....not even stepstools. I have zero sense of balance. 

I remember painting the hallway in my apartment in the city a number of years back and was on the 3rd step of the stepstool and fell completely backwards with my head landing in the paint roller tray....which of course was full of paint. 

Yup. That's me. The original spazzmatazz. 

So I tend to stay on the ground whenever possible. 

Whatever I do to decorate outside will be easy peasy. And idiot proof. 

Aside from decorating the inside on Friday (which WIPED ME OUT!) it's been non stop around here. Saturday was the last farmer's market/holiday market of the year - see you in May! It was lovely - live music, beer tastings from a brand new local brewery, tons of baked goods, the last produce of the season (mushrooms, garlic, onions, potatoes) and lots of preserved goods. Also local beef, pork, and chicken from two different farms - all organic, grass fed. Wreaths, paintings and photographs from local artists, pottery, hand made soaps and jewelry - you name it! Great day! 

Some of those potatoes, mushrooms, garlic, onions and beef went into a beef stew last night - mmmmmmm - leftovers went home with my sweetie for his lunch today as well as another meal for two that I popped into the freezer. That will be a treat on a snowy mountain evening!

I used this recipe from Once Upon A Chef as a base...only with half as much wine, no water, twice as much broth. And some crushed tomatoes instead of tomato paste....about a cup....because they were already open. It was GOOD!!!!

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I also made turkey stock from the Thanksgiving turkey carcass that my sister sent home with me. Same general idea as the chicken broth - just obviously replacing the chicken carcass with the turkey. I only used about half the carcass - the other half is in the freezer for another batch. I started it yesterday around 4 pm and it needs to go at least 24 hours - I'll strain it sometime either this evening or tomorrow morning. 

And the final ripened batch of the giant tomato harvest is on the stove simmering right now, in my easy peasy tomato onion butter sauce. 

I have to admit - I'm kind of glad to be tackling the last of the tomatoes....after all we've been using fresh tomatoes in a million meals since about July! On the other hand, I'm kind of sad, too - supermarket tomatoes just don't compare. Not even close. 

But it's time at this point to have a little break from dealing with the garden harvest.....it was a long, busy season. 

And a long, busy weekend. 

Mountain Mama needs a nap. 

The Thankful Home

A few days ago I told you about a 7 day thankfulness challenge my daughter wrote about on her blog.

Her sweet words stuck with me as reminder to look around and appreciate the little things we take for granted on any given day. 

This morning I walked out of my bedroom bright and early....the dogs were squeaking to get out and it's Monday morning and I didn't sleep well.....but the sun was shining through the front windows and the house was cozy and warm and all was well with my world. 

And I started thinking about how lucky I am. 

Although things can get a little overwhelming when I don't have enough time off work I'm thankful that I have a job that I like and a boss I adore. 

The firewood tower is almost empty which means I need to bring in wood before work....but I'm so thankful for my beautiful fireplace that keeps my house lovely and warm. 

And strong legs and arms to carry loads of wood up a flight of stairs. I'm grateful for the exercise. 

The laundry that's piled up in my master closet right now means I have plenty of warm clothes to wear. 

And the pantry that I organized yesterday means I have lots of food to prepare for the people I love. 

The linen closet I also worked on yesterday is stocked with paper goods, toiletries, table linens, and fluffy clean towels all of which make my home cozy and efficient. It's the simple everyday things such as this that make me feel at peace in my life. 

The dog hair that I'm constantly vacuuming up means I have two wonderful little furbabies that I love sharing my life and home. And my furniture, which apparently is theirs. 

What about those puppy toys that I pick up ten times a day and throw back in the toy basket? I'm so thankful for those little furry brats - they wake me up at the crack of dawn because they just want Mommy to be able to enjoy a glorious sunrise!

The mess my daughters made downstairs over the weekend reminds me how thankful I am to be able to spend quality time with my two beautiful daughters on a regular basis. Someday I'll be an empty nester and I'll miss their silliness and their busy lives and their messes. 

I won't miss them waking me up in the wee hours when they come home, though. Nope. Mommy needs her sleep!

I am so very thankful for the sweet man that came into my life when I was going through a painful divorce and kept me sane and gave me strength. His strong shoulders supported me through many challenging times over the past 5 years and although we don't live together we do have a committed relationship and I consider him my partner.

My sister will be hosting Thanksgiving once again this year and my other sister will travel from Boston with her little family to join us. The only thing missing will be my parents, who are in Florida for the winter and no longer travel back for the holidays. I am eternally grateful for my wonderful family - we are so blessed.

And I am ever so thankful for the many people who have been stopping by my humble little blog. I feel as if I have a bunch of wonderful new friends and I love reading every one of your comments! They inspire me to keep sharing my thoughts and my simple little life with the folks in Blogland.

I am a truly lucky woman. 

Giving Thanks....and a Thankgsiving Recipe

My younger daughter posted a beautiful reminder last night about taking time each day to be grateful for the little things in your life. She's a sweet and gentle soul and her post made me think about the many, many blessings we have in each day....blessings that are found in the simplest moments. 

I'm writing this post while I have my lunch....leftovers from a wonderful meal last night - roast chicken with mashed potatoes, carrots and green beans that I grew in my veggie garden, and cranberry sauce I made last Thanksgiving and froze in tiny containers to enjoy all throughout the year. 

It's such a little thing but I am so grateful for the good food on my plate and the sunshine outside my office window on this glorious day. 

And I'm sharing my all time favorite Cranberry Sauce recipe with you. 

Because I am grateful for you, my friends in Blogland, and your visits and sweet comments each day. 

Thank you. 

(Note: This photo was taken in my rental house last Thanksgiving, prior to moving to my new home. Excuse the iPhone quality.)

I made this on Thanksgiving morning while I was also making breakfast for my family. This is soooooo easy to make....and miles ahead of any cranberry sauce you will EVER buy in a store. Seriously. 

Even if you aren't hosting Thanksgiving dinner you can make this and enjoy it all year with roast chicken, turkey sandwiches, etc. Or bring it to Thanksgiving dinner....like I do! It also freezes beautifully - I freeze it in these tiny disposable Glad Mini Round containers and then stuff them all into a large ziploc bag, and pull one out in the morning to thaw before dinner. 

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Here we go:

Bourbon Vanilla Cranberry Sauce

1 bag of fresh cranberries from the produce section in your supermarket

1 cup of sugar

1 cup of water 

2 tbs of bourbon (I use cherry bourbon)

1 tbs of vanilla extract (not the cheap imitation stuff - use the real thing)

Mix all together in a saucepan and simmer on low for about a half hour until the cranberries have burst and are starting to break down. Remove from heat and let cool before placing into containers to freeze. 

Sauce will thicken significantly as it cools. 

Another easy-peasy recipe!!

Enjoy, my friends. 

And have a happy weekend!

The Thanksgiving Table

We have a long standing tradition in my family that my sister hosts Thanksgiving and I host Christmas. It's been this way for 25 years now!

Which means I don't have a lot of Thanksgiving decor around my house. I decorate for fall/harvest rather than specifically Halloween or Thanksgiving. 

The nice thing about that is the decorations go up in September and just stay up until my daughter comes home for Thanksgiving.

Then it's time for Christmas decorating! We always do it the weekend she's home for Thanksgiving because she's not back again until Christmas. 

Anyway, I digress. 

Even though I don't host Thanksgiving dinner I absolutely love some of the beautiful table settings I find out there online. I have always been drawn to warm colors in my home which lends itself well to fall decorating....there's just something about fall, am I right? 

Here are some of my favorites from around the globe:

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As usual my tastes are all over the place! The nice thing is that any of these could be used for any fall dinner party, not just Thanksgiving. 

Which one is your favorite?

Happy Weekend, Friends!!