A More Effective Elf on the Shelf

When I first heard the story of the Elf on the Shelf my kids were already grown and gone.  I'm still hoping my grand kids will get an elf of their own soon.  Maybe my kids think their kids might be a bit freaked out about an elf keeping watch over them because none of them have acquired one yet.

I love seeing all the mischief these elves get into from the pictures that families are pinning about their own elves on Pinterest and I'll even admit I have my own board set up on Pinterest just for Elf on the Shelf pins.  The funniest picture I've seen so far showed up on my daughters Facebook wall Friday night.  Evidentally, someone needed a more effective Elf this year.  I'm not certain where this Elf on the Shelf came from or what model he is or even whose family he belongs to but I wanted to share it.  Maybe you'll think it's as hilarious as I do.  I believe it was originally posted on Facebook by Ami Clark Gibson so it maybe this is their elf.

Super Easy Cranberry Walnut Pie

Want to make an easy pie?  This Cranberry Walnut Pie doesn't have very many ingredients and comes out perfectly every time.  It's tart and sweet and it's one of my favorites.  Plus, you don't spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

Just place the cranberries and walnuts in a pie shell....

Sprinkle the brown sugar over the top.... 

Mix together in a bowl the flour, one egg, the sugar and the melted butter..... 

Pour the mixture over the pie...... 

Spread it around toward the edges...... 

And bake in a 350 degree oven for 45 - 50 minutes.....  

Fresh Cranberry Relish

Thanksgiving is just about here and I was looking for a new recipe for Cranberry Relish Salad to try this year on Pinterest but I couldn't find any I liked so decided to post the one my mom always made.  I've made it every Thanksgiving since I've been cooking it so maybe I shouldn't try to look for a new recipe and just think of this one as a family tradition.

Fresh Cranberry Relish

1 package (3 oz.) raspberry jello
1 cup boiling water
1 cup cold water
1 package (12 oz.) fresh cranberries, ground
1 cup chopped apple
1/4 cup chopped walnut
1 cup orange rind (or use whole orange)
3 tablespoons sugar

In bowl dissolve jello with boiling water, add cold water.  Chill until it begins to thicken.  Grind cranberries, orange rind, chop apple.  Stir in sugar and chopped nuts.  Add to thickened jello.  Spoon into mold or pretty dish.  Chill until set.

Makes 1 quart        Serves 12

The Drought in Indiana

This drought is making me sad.  I should be canning tomatoes at this time of year.  Instead, I'm coaxing only a few vegetables out of the garden at a time.  Just about enough to put in a salad for lunch.  What are you doing to survive the heat and conserve water?  I've taken to plugging up the bathtub when I shower in the morning and then using the water in the evening to water some trees and grass outside and houseplants inside.  So far, they seem to be doing fine.  I haven't seen any damage from the soap or shampoo yet.  I also practice 'If's yellow, let it mellow.....If it's brown, flush it down.'  But then I try to only use the bathroom in my bedroom so people aren't grossed out if they stop by unexpectedly.

Prices for groceries are going to go up since the corn is in such bad shape.  We've already stocked up on chicken feed for our chickens, fully expecting the price per bag will go up soon.  We are down about 10 inches of rain in the Indianapolis area.  It's going to take a lot of rain before we can catch up.

Who Has Time for Blogging?

It's so easy to neglect this blog.  Not that I don't think about what to write about all the time, but time is really flying and it's not easy to find computer time.  Maybe a couple posts a month is what I need to concentrate on and set my goals there instead of attempting to blog as often as most people do.  I don't know how many of you have found Pinterest.com but it's my new favorite place to be.  It has boards where you can 'pin' your interests and share your things with other and you can follow boards or other people who have the same interests as you.  If you'd like an invite, send me your email address and I'll send you an invite you so you can join in.  Just when I think I've 'pinned' all my favorite things, someone posts something new and amusing for me to try and I've gotten so many awesome ideas.  We've had some glorious winter weather in Indiana this year.  It was in the 50's, then we even had some days where we experienced 70's and 80's which makes my mind wander toward gardening and planning what should be started indoors and when.  There are so many websites pinned on Pinterest for gardening that I'm like a kid in a candy store!  It's still too early to plant anything outside, because even this morning we had frost again.  That doesn't mean the garden can't be in the planning stages.  The soil has been tilled and each year I seem to add a few more square feet.  I think I'll try some corn this year!  I have enough room to plant a few rows which is needed for cross pollination.  Last year I added blooming flowers around the boarders of the garden and it helped tremendously with attracting bees.

After mowing the back lawn today, I decided to go through the drafts on here that hadn't been published yet and just get them out here!  No since having them sit unpublished for no one to see.  That's why you'll see lots of entries for today and I apologize for that if it bothers you.  Now that I'm all caught up again, I'm going to go catch up on Pinterest!  :)

Scanner Personalities

Have you ever heard of a scanner personality?  How about Renaissance Souls?  Or Polymaths, Jacks and Jills of all trades?  I think that's me!  I really think I'm a scanner personality.  EVERYTHING interests me.  I didn't know there was a name for that until recently, but when I heard about it, I thought, wow, finally a description that fits me!  I even found out there are other scanner personalities out there and there are actually resources for people like us who can't stay focused on just one thing.  One of the better books to start with is by Barbara Sher called Refuse to Choose!  Amazing!

Few And Far Between

I don't know how all you bloggers keep this up. I have very little free time to write my thoughts down, although I can think of a thousand things I'll like to write about. As soon as Spring rolled around and we started to thaw out around here, I was busy planting my organic seeds inside to get a good start on the garden. I've been fascinated with the sustainable lifestyle and have been recycling, reusing, composting, and trying to grow more of my own food. It's a gradual process, not something you can just wake up and say today you'll live off the land, or go totally green. I had to do some research first and figure out what I could recycle in my area, then sign up for curbside pickup. I had to learn what I could put in the compost bin and make sure it was balanced equally with brown and green product. A few years ago I never grew anything in a garden. My sister in Ohio came to visit and said just dig a hole and stick a darned tomato plant in the ground, will you please?!?!  She actually dug the hole, but I did purchase the tomato plants and stuck them in the hole she dug for me.  After a few weeks, I was amazed the darn things actually grew tomatoes! Not only that, but the following year the tomatoes I had left on ground after a freeze reseeded and I had more plants!! I'm telling you this so you know how far I've come; from being totally ignorant of growing food to working at where I am today by growing most of my groceries. I love it, but I must admit it IS time consuming....which is why I haven't had time to blog often.

Milestone Stickers

I might not have mentioned that my daughter, Stephanie, is expecting another girl in July.  I'm really going to buy these adorable 'Sticky Bellies' for her (and we grandma's) as reminders to take pictures of the new addition every month.  They are milestone stickers for your favorite belly!  Aren't they they sweetest little things?  Check out the website!
Sticky Bellies - Milestone Stickers for your favorite bellies!

Pinterest!! Why Didn't I Know About This Before?!?

I recently found out about Pinterest and I'm totally addicted.  I'm a visusal person anyway, as I think most of us are, so Pinterest really interested me right off the bat.  All the bookmarks on my computer I'm now able to 'pin' to a board on pinterest.  It's free and it if you haven't been on there yet, check it out.  Anything and everything is out there.  You have to have an invite, but if one of your friends is on there, just have them email you your invite and you're in!  If you don't know anyone, just drop me a note here and I would be glad to sent you an invite.  I found out some people on eBay are selling Pinterest invites from anywhere from $1.99 on up.  That's crazy!  It's FREE people.  Please don't pay someone to send you an invite.  I'll do it for free!!  If you want to follow me and my boards, here's my link:  http://pinterest.com/debbieatkins/
I have lots of interest....so hold on to your hats!

Getting Ready for the Super Bowl

February was an exciting month!  Indianapolis hosted the Super Bowl and the entire city has been gearing up for this huge even for a long time.  In October I volunteered to help clean up one of our parks with the Super Bowl Host Committee.  We raked and bagged leaves, refreshed the playground mulch, from tree line we pulled out a ditched television, a car bumper, and a bunch of other trash and left the park looking beautiful!

January Finances

January is a great time to review your finances and make sure you're on the right track.  The most important thing to do is know what you owe, the balances, and the interest rate you're paying.  I'm not going to list a bunch of websites, because there are a ton of them out there, but Dave Ramsey is my hero.  Most people have heard of him by now but if not, you can find videos of him on Youtube and also view his website at www.daveramsey.com.  Sometimes, after you get all your debt listed it's quite a shock.  Don't give up.  First and foremost is to save $1,000.00 up as quickly as possible for emergencies and then everything else gets thrown toward your debt, paying off the smallest debt first with as much money on it as you can afford, and continue to make the minimum payments on your other bills.  When the first one is paid off, you take the payment money you now have from the paid off debt and apply it to the next largest one and so on.  I have a great spreadsheet for you to use but I can't get it to post here, so if you'd like a copy, let me know and I'll email it to you.  I have a great spreadsheet for you to use but I can't get it to post here, so if you'd like a copy, let me know and I'll email it to you.  It's a super simple one to use.  Then get motivated and get those debts paid off so your money can work for you instead of for someone else.