Holidays on a Budget: Advent Paper Chain

Advent calendars are used in many households. I remember my Grandma bringing one candy-filled, beautifully illustrated calendar for each of us every year. She always bought them at the Exchange, and they were filled with tiny, delicious German chocolates. Mmmmmm. Having a little one around, we've opted for a more visual countdown to Christmas, a paper chain. Easy to make, colorful, and economical. You can have each of the children make a chain for...

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Pecan Pie

Recipe time again. Tonight I'm going to share with you our pecan pie, a favorite for Thanksgiving and any other special occasions. I've even been asked to make this instead of a birthday cake! You will need: 3 eggs 1 C brown sugar. (The secret to a rich, crusty pie.) 1 C corn syrup. (The kind of corn syrup you use in your kitchen is not the same thing as HFCS, calm down. ;-) ) 2 Tablespoons butter, melted. (NOT margarine, pie is not a time to...

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Daughter moves to "big city"

Guest post written by my buddy Aldo Mays My daughter is moving into the big city. Well, the South’s big city. Being from the rural part of Georgia, Atlanta feels like the biggest city in the world. Obviously there are a lot of bigger cities, but this is the biggest one close to my family. I am surprised she wanted to move there. In the country, there is always a feeling of peace and I have never felt in danger. The city seems like a completely different feel. I am worried about my daughter’s Atlanta Home Security. I worry about her...

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Liven Things Up With Houseplants

Like so many homes during this gloomy-weather time of year, the Disheveled Household needs some livening up. What better way to brighten a room, or a whole house, than with house plants? A house plant can keep a little green, or a bit of color in your house when the skies outside are grey. The wind has ripped all the colorful leaves off the trees here already, so I was thinking bringing some colored plants inside would be nice. It'd also be a great...

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Shout-Out Saturday: The Mama of Mojo

This week, hop on over and visit my dear friend Kayla at The Mama of Mojo. From her make-up posts, to her updates on her ADORABLE boys, Kayla rocks my socks! ...

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Thawing Out Your Turkey

Here's a handy chart for approximate thawing times for turkey, by pound. This is just a jumping off point, every bird, and refrigerator is different, and your times may slightly vary.   Times approximate Remember to always store/thaw your raw meats on the bottom-most shelf, and in a protective container to prevent cross-contamination...

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Pumpkin Pie Spice

Tonight is when I take stock of everything I need for Thanksgiving in the pantry, so I can go to the store tomorrow and stock up on non-perishables. One thing I need, but DON'T buy is pumpkin pie spice. I use this delicious mix: 3 Tablespoons ground cinnamon 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg 2 teaspoons ground ginger 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves 1 teaspoon allspice Whisk together with a fork and store in a small jar.&nb...

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Craft Tutorial: T-shirt Infinity Scarf

Infinity scarfs are cute, versatile, and easily adapted to wear the ways you like. Even as a necklace! Here's how to throw one together, I made one for myself from one of Hubby's old torn up shirts, as well as one for The Princess from one of big brother's shirts WHILE I made dinner. First grab your shirt. I totally didn't think about picture taking until I was a bit through the process, but you know what it looks like to grab a shirt. =-D You will...

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Shout-out Saturday

This week I want to send a special shout-out to Kim, at One Nutty Mama. We originally "met" because of Farmville, and she quickly became one of my most favorite mommy-blogger buddies! A real sweetheart, with adorable kiddos. She also sells Scentsy, and is the reason for my love of it! =-D...

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C & H 1001 Cookie Starter

I came across  this C & H website on one of my coupons recently. http://www.chsugar.com/cookiestarter/ What a great time saving idea, or for spur-of-the moment cookies! They also have a Facebook, so fans can help them reach that 1001 recipes. There are 17 on the site to get you started though, so I think I'll whip up a batch of starter for my boys to experiment with!...

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Easy-Peasy Decorating

Lately I've been seeing spray-painted jars for decorating crop up all over the place. And then, someone had the great idea to spray the INSIDES of the jars for a more polished look. I wanted to try this out, but also wanted a jar or two that I could use for multiple decorating uses. I decided to paint mine gold. Perfect for Autumn decorating, and can seamlessly move on into Christmas, then maybe even Valentine's and St. Patrick's with the right...

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Homemade Cocoa Mix

We've adapted the "Hot Cocoa Mix" from HillbillyHousewife.com, and it is delicious, and handy to have this time of year. The directions call for whisking together everything in a bowl, but I find my method dissolves much easier. What you will need: 4 cups instant milk 2 cups of sugar (I also make a version for Hubby with Splenda...) 1 cup powdered creamer 1 cup cocoa powder (the kind used in baking) 1 box INSTANT vanilla pudding....

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Thankful Tree

My friend Shannon posted on her Facebook something she was doing with her brood. She's a home-schooler of many, and always has the best ideas. I told her I was going to steal this one! We made a rough trunk out of recycling the brown paper that comes in the boxes that were shipped to us. We live ruraly, and order things we can't get locally, which is a lot. I save the paper for arts & crafts. I wanted it to stay pretty well, but we rent...

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A Special Shout-out For a Sweet Mommy

My dear friend Stephine has a blog I'd like to share with you. DearSilas.org is dedicated to the loss and memory of her little angel, as well as the long road to healing her broken heart. It was also going to be a bit of a TTC blog, with big brother Silas helping along the way, but Stephine just surprisingly, but excitedly announced they are expecti...

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Make Your Own Taco Seasoning Mix

Still waiting on my cord (of course...) so today here's a quick mix for homemade taco seasoning. Whisk in a bowl: 1 Tablespoon dried minced onion 1 Tablespoon ground cumin. (Here at the DisheveledHousehold, we're cumin lovers, so I use 2)  1 teaspoon salt 2 teaspoons chili powder, or to taste. 1 teaspoon garlic powder 1 teaspoon onion powder 1 teaspoon paprika 1 teaspoon cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper seasoning 1/4 teaspoon...

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NaBloPoMo 2011 Is Off to a Rocky Start

Ok, a crappy start. =-( I had some really pretty pictures, of some really pretty Autumn decorations on my laptop...but you know...my plug decided to quit working. The little-black-box-thingie decided it was done. D-O-N-E done. We looked it up while trying to find one to order, and apparently this model kinda just goes when it gets older. Many people who own this laptop are on their 2nd-4th plug. Thanks Gateway. =-/ Thank goodness for Hubby's computer, his know-how, and the smarts to order me one as a customer of his company. I didn't think of...

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NaBloPoMo 2011

National Blog Posting Month is once again here. It begins slow and easy, with a cuppa on a lovely afternoon. Here we are recuperating from having Halloween on a school night and preparing for a possible Autumn snowstorm. Many of you are still stuck in the mess of a Nor'Easter snow storm last week. One of my closest friends is still without power, and freezing her buns off. Lots of warm thoughts go out to all of you, and wishes for power to return...

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