Dabbling Divas

Archive for the ‘Family’ Category

Do you know how much you spend on groceries each week? Each month? Well the government has an idea as to how much the “average American family” spends. There is an online calculator to try out here. I calculated mine and it was almost $900 a month!! I have NEVER spent $900 a month to my knowledge. Try it out. How much do they think you should spend? Leave a comment and check out our discussion boards.

My kids love Snickerdoodles and they are easy to make so it’s a good recipe they can help out with. It’s great for all these cold days that we’ve been having and they are so yummy fresh out of the oven.

Snickerdoodles Recipe

1 cup Crisco
1 ½ cups sugar
2 eggs
2 ¾ cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 tsp cream of tartar

Also:
2 tsp sugar
2 tsp cinnamon

* If more sugar/cinnamon is needed for rolling, just be sure to mix with a 50/50 ratio.

Directions: Mix Crisco and sugar well in a large bowl. Add eggs. Mix again.
In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cream of tartar.
Pour the flour mixture into the Crisco mixture and mix well.Chill for one hour.

Roll into balls about the size of a small superball.
Combine the 2 tsp sugar and 2 tsp cinnamon in a small bowl. Roll the cookie dough balls in the sugar and cinnamon. Shake off excess coating. Make more sugar/cinnamon mixture as needed.

Bake 8 to 12 minutes on an ungreased cookie sheet at 400 degrees.

Find more great recipes on our message board or post your own!

I know, I know, it’s not quite Fall yet and I’m talking about the holidays. But do you remember last year? How about the year before? Picture it: Christmas is a week
away and you’re still gift shopping. Or how about the DAY BEFORE and you still haven’t found the new toy that Suzie or Tom just has to have. Then there are the relatives. You bounce from one house to the next in constant chaos. Someone isn’t getting their present because you were in such a rush you left it at home and you don’t have time to go back because you were suppose to bring the dessert and you forgot so you have to swing by the grocery store to pick up a bakery pie or cake or cookies. Christmas morning comes and your dreams of smiles and happy faces and a restful day turn into exhaustion from staying up all night trying to FIND all of the presents you purchased. The kids tear open the presents and then proceed to whine because it wasn’t exactly what they wanted. Your neat tears because once again Christmas has flown by and you haven’t spent any quality time with your kids and your husband because you’re always behind. And the traditions that you wanted to start with your family have once again fallen by the wayside because you were just ‘too busy’. It makes me want to cry just thinking about it, because I have been that mom year after year.

Well, no more. The best way to create peaceful, loving holidays is in the planning. The best way to do that is with a Holiday Planner.

You’ll need: a three ring binder, dividers, looseleaf notebook paper,pen,envelope,and a calender.Feel free to decorate your notebook however you want!

Devise a plan. Write down what makes the holiday special to you. Ask your husband and kids the same and write it down.

Start planning your kids Halloween costume now. That gives you plenty of time to look for what they want and not just whats left over the week before Halloween.

Make a list of all those that you need gifts for. Don’t forget teachers! If you want to make gifts for anyone write it down beside their name.

Now whip out the calender and write down all of the obligations that you know you have. Sports practice, dance practice, school functions, family parties, etc. When that is done I want you to pencil in gift shopping time, if you’re making gifts determine how long each will take and write in ‘appointments’ with yourself to work on them. Also look at what type of traditions you want to do and write them in.

Other sections in your planner should include: meal planning, recipes, budget, decorating, entertaining, and holiday cards. Others could be: cookie/baking recipes, craft instructions, websites, cleaning for company, music, stories, movies. You can have sections for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Year’s, or any other holidays you celebrate.
The holidays should be a time to celebrate and spend time with our families. If we plan ahead then things can go a lot smoother.

Share your opinions with us on the message board