Ruth Soukup's Blog, page 122

Poppyseed Cake with Crunchy Glaze

Those of you with December birthdays already know this truth I am about to share: December birthdays are the pits!  My poor husband has dealt with this his whole life.  In fact, when we had kids he was bound and determined to make sure their birthdays did not fall anywhere close to Christmas.

And quite frankly, being the spouse or parent of a December birthday is no easy task either.  There is already so much to do without having to add more presents and yet another obligation into the mix!  Luckily for me, my husband hates gifts and only ever wants one simple thing for his birthday: A poppyseed cake with crunchy glaze.

Thus, every year for the past ten years I have baked him a poppyseed cake.  And until this year, every year I have FAILED miserably at making the glaze crunchy.  No matter how what I tried–milk, water, meringue powder, different kinds of sugar–or what instructions I searched for on Google, I couldn’t get the glaze to set hard like he really wanted.

And then this year, for the first time ever, he oh-so-casually mentioned something about his mom boiling the water for the glaze.  Ten years people, and not once did he think to share with me that crucial little detail!  In any case, apparently the trick to a crunchy glaze is boiled water and a whole lot of powdered sugar.  So now you know.  Just in case your crazy wonderful Czech husband has a craving for some obscure dessert you have no idea to make.

Here is what you need:

For Cake:
1 cup butter, softened, plus more for greasing pan
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 can Solo Ground Poppy Seed Filling
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
For Glaze:
1/4 cup water
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon meringue powder (optional)
 

Step 1: Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a Bundt pan; set aside.

Step 2: Separate eggs into two small bowls; set aside.

Step 3:  Beat butter and sugar in large bowl fitted with paddle attachment until light and fluffy.

Step 4: Add poppy seed filling and beat until blended.  Add in egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

Step 5: Add vanilla and sour cream and beat until just blended.

Step 6: Mix in baking soda and salt.  Add flour, a half-cup at a time, beating well after each addition.

Step 7: Beat egg whites in separate bowl with electric mixer until stiff peaks form.  If you have a hand mixer, you can use this; I always just use my KitchenAid fitted with the whisk attachment and hold the glass (non-KitchenAid) bowl in place.  It seems to work just fine!

Step 8: Fold beaten egg whites into batter.  Spread evenly into prepared pan.

Step 9: Bake approximately 1 hour, until knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool completely on rack.

Step 10: After cake has cooled,  bring 1/4 cup water to a boil in small saucepan.  Slowly add powdered sugar, whisking well, until mixture reaches a smooth glaze consistency.  Add in meringue powder and remove from heat.

Step 11:  Keep stirring with whisk, as glaze will cool and harden fairly quickly.  Transfer glaze to liquid measuring cup or small pitcher, if desired, then drizzle over cake.

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Recipe: Poppyseed Cake With Crunchy Glaze

Summary: This scrumptious cake contains a Poppy Seed Filling.

Ingredients

For Cake:
1 cup butter, softened, plus more for greasing pan
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 can Solo Ground Poppy Seed Filling
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
For Glaze:
1/4 cup water
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon meringue powder (optional)



Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a Bundt pan; set aside.
Separate eggs into two small bowls; set aside.
Beat butter and sugar in large bowl fitted with paddle attachment until light and fluffy.
Add poppy seed filling and beat until blended. Add in egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
Add vanilla and sour cream and beat until just blended.
Mix in baking soda and salt. Add flour, a half-cup at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat egg whites in separate bowl with electric mixer until stiff peaks form. If you have a hand mixer, you can use this; I always just use my Kitchen Aid fitted with the whisk attachment and hold the glass (non-Kitchen Aid) bowl in place. It seems to work just fine!
Fold beaten egg whites into batter. Spread evenly into prepared pan.
Bake approximately 1 hour, until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely on rack.
After cake has cooled, bring 1/4 cup water to a boil in small saucepan. Slowly add powdered sugar, whisking well, until mixture reaches a smooth glaze consistency. Add in meringue powder and remove from heat.
Keep stirring with whisk, as glaze will cool and harden fairly quickly. Transfer glaze to liquid measuring cup or small pitcher, if desired, then drizzle over cake.

Preparation time: 30-35 minute(s)

Cooking time: 1 hour

Number of servings (yield): 12

 

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Do you have a December birthday?  How do you make it special?

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DIY Cozy Chevron Minky Throw

Doesn’t the month of January just make you want to curl up under a blanket with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate?  When I started working on my office a few months ago I decided that a cozy throw was a necessity.  Inspired my my daughters’ special blankys, which they have both had since they were born, I wanted something super soft and cozy that would keep me warm on the chilliest mornings.

I found some soft white minky fabric on Amazon and decided to pair it with some pretty aqua chevron fabric that I already had on hand.  A few straight lines and less than an hour later I had the perfect cozy throw!

Here is what you need:

2 yards soft minky fabric
2 yards chevron fabric
sharp scissors
stick pins
thread
sewing machine

 

Step 1: Lay out minky fabric, soft side up, on large flat surface or floor.Spread out chevron fabric overtop of minky fabric, right side down.  Line up fabric against corner and 2 straight edges.

Step 2:  Trim excess fabric so that the two pieces are the same size.

Step 3: Carefully pin fabric together all the way around.

Step 4: Carefully sew along all four edges with a one inch margin, leaving a 12 inch opening along one side.

Step 5: Turn throw right-side out through opening.

Step 6: Pin opening closed and sew along all four sides, leaving a 1/2″ margin.

 

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How do you stay cozy during the cold winter months?

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Weekend Wandering

Our first Weekend Wandering of the new year, and I don’t know about the rest of you but I am still having a little trouble getting out of my pajamas after such a relaxing holiday break.  I’m determined to get back into a good routine…..starting tomorrow, of course!  In the meantime I am going to fully enjoy one last day of laziness and live vicariously through all of YOUR great ideas!  Here are just a few of the posts I loved this week:

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I can’t wait to try this Mostaccioli Bake from The First Year Blog. I know my noodle-loving family would devour it!  Doesn’t it look delicious?

And speaking of delicious, these Cream Cheese Stuffed Mushrooms from This Silly Girl’s Life look absolutely amazing too.  Mmmmm….mushrooms….

I just love shortbread and these Shortbread Cookies from Simple Joys look like a breeze to make!

I just love the idea of Resuable Paper Towels! These ones by The Seasoned Homemaker look so easy to make, and are absolutely adorable!

I’m loving these Personalized Champaigne Glasses from The Real Thing with the Coake Family. She made these ones for New Year’s Eve, but they would be great for a birthday, wedding or anniversary celebration too!

The Wonderful Jar from Sew Like My Mom reminds us of all the wonderful things that happened throughout the year. My girls would so enjoy doing this!

A Life in the Balance shows you how easy it is to Freeze Broccoli and Other Veggies. What a great way to preserve your garden harvest!

Have you seen this 52 Week Money Saving Challenge from Creative Couponing? I love this idea and you could use it to save up for practically anything!

If you still need to set goals for 2014, you should definitely read 3 Reasons You Should Be Setting Goals This Year from Creative Savings. It even comes with a FREE Goal Setting Workseheet!

Finally, having a natural home birth for my second daughter was one of the best experience of my life, and sometimes I wish for another baby just for a chance to do it again.  Someday I’ll have to share my own home birth story on this blog, but in the meantime I love how the Frugal Farm Wife explains how it can be a more frugal option!

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What did you love this week?

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Imperfect Weakness

Have you ever been embarrassed?  I don’t mean doing something embarrassing, like tripping over your own feet or having a piece of toilet paper stuck to your shoe –I think we’ve all had a few cringe-worthy moments we’d like to forget–but have you ever been intentionally put down or mocked by someone else?

A few months ago I attended a conference where I was deliberately and very publicly humiliated by two of the speakers.  These guys were both strangers, but one was a blogger  who I had read and admired for some time.  In fact, I had actually been really excited when they sat next to me at dinner the first night of the conference.  At the table we had enjoyed a lively, somewhat heated discussion about blogging, a subject we were all clearly passionate about.  It ended by agreeing to disagree.

Or so I thought.

Until, of course, one of them chose his moment on stage as an opportunity to call me out and viciously mock my ideas.  It wasn’t a debate, and I had little choice other than to sit there and listen to him make fun of me.  I found out later that he and his friend had carefully plotted this chance to make me look like a fool.

At first I was mortified.

And then I was angry.

But then, as I calmed down and the initial sting of embarrassment faded away, I began to feel sorry for both of them.

You see, these two guys seized an opportunity to put me down when they were already holding all the cards.  I was nothing to them.  Not only wasn’t I speaking, I was basically a nobody at this conference.  They were the ones everyone was there to see.

Humiliating me only made them small.

On the flight home I replayed the scene at dinner over and over again in my head.  I wondered what I could’ve done differently.  I had genuinely tried to be helpful, to share a few tips that had worked really well for me, and in the end, I was scorned for it. The advice I gave them was sound, and it might have actually helped them, but they were more interested in proving they were right than learning something new.  Ultimately I decided that I wouldn’t have changed a thing.

Even more importantly, however, I realized that I don’t want to be small.

I don’t want to live my life being petty or mean-spirited, arrogant or smug, jealous or insecure.  I don’t want my life to be about putting others down so that I can feel big.  If that means I am vulnerable to criticism or that people will take advantage of me or even call me a fool, then so be it.

On the back of my napkin I wrote down five reminders to myself:

Be humble.
Be generous
Be kind.
Be encouraging.
Be forgiving.

It wasn’t so much a set of goals as it was a creed, a motto for how to live my life, a list of the five characteristics I most want to display to everyone I come across, five words I want to embody this year and every year.  I wish I could say it was original material, but the reality is that it comes from a source so much bigger than me.

Because the hard truth, that truth I don’t always want to admit, is that I am small.

I am often petty and jealous and mean-spirited and insecure.  I too can be arrogant and smug.  When it comes right down to it, I am deeply flawed and hopelessly weak.  Quite frankly, I am a mess.  We all are.

We are nothing without Grace.

In my morning devotions over the past few months, the one verse I keep coming back to over and over again has been 2 Corinthians 12:9:  “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness.”

Our weakness, our flaws, and our insecurities are nothing more than God’s opportunity to shine.  All that we do, all that we are, anything we might manage to accomplish in this life, comes from him and can only be for him.  It is never about what I can do, but about what HE can do through me.  I am imperfectly weak, but he is strong.

And it is because of that grace that I am deeply humbled, knowing nothing I could ever do compares to the gift I have already been given.  It is because of that grace that I will strive to be generous and kind, if only to share just a tiny piece of the generosity and kindness that has been shown to me.  It is because of that grace that I want to be encouraging, to show the path out of despair that I have found.  Finally, it is because of that grace that I can forgive just as I have been forgiven.  Even those that mock me.

His power is made perfect in my weakness.  That grace is good enough for me.

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Have you ever had someone embarrass you?  What did you do?

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Thrifty Thursday {Week 41}

 

Happy New Year my Thrifty Thursday friends!  I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas break, and I wish you all much health and happiness for 2014!  I don’t know about you but I just love the promise that a new year brings!  There is nothing quite as motivating as a fresh start, and I am especially excited to see all your ideas & tips for cleaning, organizing, & saving money, which are three of my big goals this year!

If you haven’t already, I invite you to join over 5,000 LWSL readers in our private Living Well Spending Less Facebook group, where we have committed to a No-Spend Challenge this January, using the guidelines laid out in this 31 Days of Living Well & Spending Zero series.  It is so fun and motivating to have such a great support group of like-minded friends, and this very active group is FULL of amazing ideas!  Also, if you are participating in the challenge, be sure to use the hashtags #31days #livingwellspendingzero and #LWSZ when sharing on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

Here are the most clicked links from last week:

1. Crazy Coupon Girl {My 5 Favorite Things from ALDI}

2. A Cultivated Nest {Use Your Dishwasher for More Than Washing Dishes!}

3. Carmel Moments {7 Ways to Bless Your Husband}

4. Taylor Made Ranch {How Will I Provide Christmas?}

5. Not Your Mainstream Mama {Our Journey to Become Debt Free – Month 10}

6. Purposely Frugal {10 Ways to Cut Back on Non-Food Grocery Items}

7. Living in the Green {Favorite Frugal Websites}

8. Raining Hot Coupons {Copycat Panera Broccoli Cheddar Soup}

9. Creative Home Keeper {Goal Planning Workbook}

10. A Worker at Home {8 Things in the Second Trimester}

Never linked up to a party before? Here’s how:

Scroll down, find the little blue “Add your Link” Button and click on that.
Follow the instructions on the next page – add a great image of your project and an interesting title. Make sure you link to the direct page of your budget friendly post – not the main page of your blog!
Try to visit at least a few other blogs at the party. Be sure to leave a comment to let them know you stopped by!
Please link back to this post somehow. There are badges available here; a simple text link is just fine too.

Feel free to tweet about Thrifty Thursday so others can join the fun, and don’t forget to check back here Sunday morning to see which posts have been featured this week!

Finally, if this is your first time here I also invite you to check out my eBook, How to Blog for Profit (Without Selling Your Soul).  It has more than 90 five-star reviews on Amazon, and it is an awesome resource if you are interested in building your blog, getting more traffic, or learning how to monetize.

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5 Surefire Ways to Get Your Budget Back on Track

I don’t know about the rest of you, but I might have gone a just a little bit nuts with my spending over the holidays.  I’d like to blame the fact that Thanksgiving was late this year, which meant I was pressed for time and then overspent because I was in a hurry, but the truth is that I just wasn’t as careful as I should’ve been.  And once I got rolling on that spending path, I couldn’t seem to stop!  Has that ever happened to you?

Now that Christmas has come and gone, I am eager to get our budget back on track!  Luckily (or not so luckily, depending on how you look at it!), I’ve been down this road before and I know that these 5 ideas are a surefire way to get that money mojo back:

1.  Freeze your spending.

Once you’ve gotten into the “spend” mode, it can sometimes be hard to stop, even when you know you should.  If you spent too much this Christmas then the first thing you need to do is STOP spending money!  Resist the temptation any way you can.  The LWSL 31 Days of Living Well & Spending Zero Challenge has some fun ideas to help you make it through the entire month, and another great way to ensure success is to team up with others who are taking on the same challenge in order to hold each other accountable.

If you are interested in doing a No-Spend Month this January along with me and thousands of other LWSL readers, be sure to join the private LWSL Facebook Group (this is different than the main LWSL Facebook page) for great discussions, creative ideas, and LOTS of moral support.

2. Save on Food

If you haven’t yet dared venture into the world of coupons, there is no better time to start.  It is a great way to save hundreds of dollars on your grocery bill each month–money that could be used to pay off credit card bills or help pay for other needed items–and although it can seem a little daunting at first, it doesn’t have to be!

I wrote my 8 week Beginner’s Guide to Coupons series to break down the whole process into easy-to-follow baby steps.  It tells you everything you need to know, from exactly where to find coupons to how to organize them and how to match them to store sales.  Read it here to start saving big on your groceries!  Another great resource for learning to use coupons is my friend Kasey Trenum’s awesome book, Couponing For the Rest of Us.  (Right now through January 4th you can get the Kindle version for just $1.99)

If coupons still seem too overwhelming, try these simple tips for cutting your grocery bill in half.  It is amazing how small things like stocking up on sale items and changing the way you meal plan can make a huge difference.  A meal-planning service like eMeals, which allows you to pick a meal plan based on the store sales at your favorite grocery store, makes this super easy! (Plus save 15% when you use promo code LWSL15OFF.)

3.  Donate items for a tax write-off

Spend some time cleaning out your closets and clearing the kids’ rooms of unused clothing, household items, and toys to donate to a local charity.  You’ll be able to help others in the process and get a receipt that you can then use to claim on your tax return.  It’s a win-win!  Be sure all the items you choose to donate are still working, free of stains, and in good condition.

4.  Return or sell the things that you don’t need

If you received any gifts that you know you don’t need or won’t use, don’t feel bad about returning the item or exchanging it for something you do need.  If a return isn’t possible, consider donating the item, or passing it along to someone who will be able to use it.

If you have larger items to get rid of, such as furniture, strollers, bikes, appliances, electronics, etc., you may want to consider selling them to earn some extra cash.   For some great tips on how to sell your stuff on Craigslist, eBay, or Facebook, check out this post.

5.  Tell your money where to go

If your budget seems to be spiraling out of control, then it is time to crack down and find out exactly where your money is going, then make a plan and set a budget for going forward. This is also a good time to check your credit rating.  In fact, if you have a Discover card, you can actually check it for free right on your monthly statement.

My husband and I love using Dave Ramsey’s budgeting tools, and his Total Money Makeover is a super-motivating read that will give you a clear place to start if you are feeling overwhelmed.  Another great option to get you started is my Beginner’s Guide to Savings, which is an 8-week series on setting up a budget.  It includes lots of tips for finding ways to save money in all aspects of your life, as well as free budget-planning worksheets and weekly assignments.

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How do you plan on getting your budget back on track this year?

This post was written as part of the  Discover Preferred Blogger Program. All opinions are mine. Discover believes in giving their customers the best service possible. They are building their company by listening to consumers and developing products and programs to help them get the most for their money. Beyond credit cards, Discover banking and payments offer rewarding products backed by the same commitment to high-quality service that they’ve had from the start.

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A Christmas Wish

As I prepare to spend the next week celebrating the holidays with my family and friends, I wanted to also take a few moments to wish you all a merry Christmas as well.  It has been a busy, crazy, and overall incredible year here at Living Well Spending Less, and to finish up the year, I thought it would be fun to do a quick recap of this year’s milestones:

January started with some important lessons in homeschooling, where I figured out I had been doing it all wrong.  The girls and I  learned how to embroider, which was fun, and I also discovered I wasn’t exactly Superwoman.

In February we learned how to make homemade butter in a stand mixer and I also shared my ongoing struggle to get my kids to clean their room, along with the battle strategies that have worked for me.

March was dedicated to some serious spring cleaning, and I shared my recipes for ten green & thrifty homemade cleaners.  I also celebrated my 35th birthday….when did I get so old?

April was a busy month!  We had fun decorating for spring with moss wreaths & ombre vases made from supplies purchased at the dollar store.  I also shared why I *gasp* don’t always use coupons!

The month of May started (literally) with a bang when we were in a very serious car accident.  Thankfully we all walked away without a scratch!  God is good! Later in the month I pared my closet down to just 40 hangers, a move I haven’t once regretted!

In June I shared some lessons from our Greatest Generation as well as several projects from my daughter’s big mermaid-themed birthday party, including a tutorial for the very cool sandcastle cake!

In July we made the decision to stop homeschooling.  It was a really hard choice to make at the time, but we couldn’t be happier with the school they are now attending.

We started August on the road in the midst of a 29-day, 4,000 mile road trip.  I also shared how I get my kids to eat their vegetables, and the vintage secrets I have learned for staying clutter-free forever!

September marked one year since I took my kids’ toys away!  I answered some questions and posted an update of how that decision has continued to impact our lives. I also published my first eBook, How to Blog for Profit (Without Selling Your Soul).

In October, Edie and I hosted 31 Days of Less & More.  It was a very thought-provoking month!

November was a fun month, with a huge giveaway and a new Handmade Holidays series.  I also shared 5 practical ways to make money online!

And now it is already December, where we’ve been busy speed cleaning for the holidays in order to have more time for making peppermint marshmallows and white peppermint hot chocolate!

From my family to yours, I wish you all a wonderful and blessed Christmas and a happy and healthy 2014. Thank you so much for reading and for helping to make this community what it is.

xoxo, Ruth

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What was your favorite memory this year?

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Pretty Post-it Notes

This year I am beyond thrilled to introduce you to a revamped series here at LWSL called Handmade Holidays!  In past years I have shared my own holiday gift ideas, but this year I thought it would be fun to get some inspiration elsewhere.  I asked eight of my favorite up-and-coming bloggers to share a simple and frugal handmade gift idea.  I was so blown away by all the amazing ideas they came up with, and I think you will be too.  Each Monday, from now until Christmas, one of these talented women will be sharing their gift idea.  Please be sure to welcome them here to LWSL, and to take the time to check out their blogs.  You will be so glad you did!

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This is a guest post from Kalyn Brooke of Creative Savings

Last minute gifts are a necessity.

As much as we can prep and plan to our hearts content, there’s always at least one person we’ve forgotten on our list. But even if you’ve managed to squeak by with an amazing memory, there’s always the dreaded feeling when someone else gives a gift that you weren’t planning to buy for at all. That can be really awkward!

These pretty post-it gifts are truly a last-minute life-saver, and if you make a bunch ahead of time, you’ll always have a few on hand to give whenever the need arises. They make great stocking stuffers, perfect {inexpensive} gifts for co-workers, and are the best quick fix for last-minute party gifts.

Most of the supplies are probably in your craft drawer right now!

Here is what you need:

regular sized post-it notes
card stock
patterned paper
credit card, or tool with a hard edge
pencil
ruler
adhesive
velcro strips or dots
paper cutter
embellishments
 

Step 1: Trim card stock to an 8″ x 3-1/8″ rectangle

Step 2: Trim patterned paper to an 8″ x 2-3/4″ rectangle, then glue to the center of the card stock.

Step 3: Using a pencil and a ruler, lightly mark lengthwise from the top of the card stock – 2″, 2 -1/2″, 5-5/8″, and 6-1/8″. Fold on the marks and use a credit card to help make a crease. Run credit card along edge of the fold to flatten.

Step 4: Adhere post-it pad into the center of the fold marks, and embellish the cover as desired.

Step 5: Add velcro strips or dots to the edge of the post-it cover, where cover folds over to close. Tie with a pretty ribbon and gift to all your friends!

This would also make a great end-of-year teacher’s gift. I know they can never have too many post-it notes!

 

 

Kalyn Brooke is a full-time writer and blogger, living in beautiful Southwest Florida with her news photographer husband, and one super adorable bunny, named Twix. She’s passionate about small budgets, and gives a fresh perspective on frugal living at CreativeSavingsBlog.com. Kalyn’s favorite things include making to-do lists, eating quality ice cream, and reading through the increasingly large stack of books on her nightstand.

 

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What are your go-to last minute gifts?

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Weekend Wandering

Happy Sunday everyone!  My family & I have been enjoying some R&R aboard the Carnival Victory this weekend.  I was a little nervous about going away right before Christmas but it has been so nice to just chill for a few days.  Living in Florida makes cruising a super easy & budget-friendly vacation choice, but I have to say that the service & food onboard this ship has seriously been the best we have ever experienced on any cruise line.  High marks to Carnival!

Luckily for me there is internet available onboard so I still enjoyed popping in to Thrifty Thursday to check out your posts, and there was so much great stuff to see!  Here are just a few of the posts I loved this week:

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This Easy Homemade Salted Caramel Recipe from Frugal Coupon Living looks delicious! What a simple last minute gift too.

These Chocolate Mint Nanaimo Bars from Spend with Pennies remind me of my sister who has a serious weakness for both mint AND Nanaimo bars.  Don’t they look amazing?

I love homemade Chex mix but I’ve never actually tried making it before.  This Slow Cooker Chex Mix from Growing Up Gabel makes it look pretty easy!

This DIY Christmas Play Dough from CincyShopper would make a great stocking stuffer!  I love the cute labels!

Capturing that perfect Christmas morning picture can be tricky. I love these Quick Tips for More Creative Holiday Photos from Kleinworth & Co.

This Homemade Vaseline and Tinted Lip Gloss from Cheap Recipe Blog would make great stocking stuffers as well!

These Christmas Stockings from Front Forty Farm are so cute!  I can’t believe she made them from thrifted sweaters!

Finally, I loved these Virtually Free Wrapping Ideas from Lemon Grove Blog!  She has some great ideas to add some pizazz to your packages during those last minute wrapping sessions.

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What did you love this week?

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‘Twas the Weekend Before Christmas….

I don’t know how this December has been for your family, but life in the Soukup household has been a just a little hectic lately!t  Thank goodness I’ve got my husband around to keep me sane!  About six months ago he found a great price on a 4-day Carnival cruise out of Miami, departing on December 19th.  Quite frankly I thought the timing was insane, but he assured me it would be great.   It will be fun to get away right before Christmas, he said, there’s always so much to do.  It will be nice to just relax.  

I really hate to admit it, but he was totally right.  And now that I’m suddenly feeling a whole lot more laid back, I thought it would be a good idea to take a step back and share a few of the random things that have been bouncing around in my brain for the last few months & give you all a little life update.  I apologize in advance for the hodge podge.  Have a fantastic last weekend before Christmas!

Saying Goodbye

My sister-in-law Linda lost her long battle with cancer in October.  She was Chuck’s only sibling and it is hard to believe that she is really gone.   Linda was an amazing Auntie to my girls and Christmas this year will be very different without her there to spoil them.  I am heartbroken that she won’t be here to see them grow up, that she won’t get to celebrate as they graduate from high school or cry tears of joy as they walk down the aisle.  She won’t get to see them follow in her footsteps or be there to help them up when they stumble, and there will always be a hole in our hearts because she’s not there.  Even so, I am very grateful for the legacy she left them, and so glad they got to know her as long as they did.  She was a fighter and fought cancer with more courage and dignity than most people could ever hope for, and we miss her a lot.

Exciting News

I don’t think I’ve really mentioned it yet here at LWSL, but behind the scenes I have been writing my first traditionally published book!  My manuscript is due January 31st, so if I suddenly disappear for a few weeks in January, you will know why!  The working title is Living Well, Spending Less: 12 Secrets of the Good Life.  It is being published by Zondervan, a Christian publishing division of Harper Collins.

Friends, can I just tell you that I am so, so, so, soooooooo excited about this project?  The book covers a lot of the same themes I write about here on LWSL–goal setting, decluttering, household, & money saving tips–but in much more depth, and each chapter ends with a personal challenge.  The most surprising part of this publishing process is how slowly everything moves!  Although my manuscript is due at the end of January, the book won’t actually be in bookstores until January 2015!  I would SO appreciate your prayers as I work to meet my deadline!

 

Connecting on Facebook

Do you “like” Living Well Spending Less on Facebook?  If not you are missing out on some awesome conversations!  Just in the past week or two we’ve had discussions about difficult relatives, healthy crock pot meal ideas, and dealing with chronic disorganization, just to name a few!  Join the LWSL community on Facebook for access to exclusive deals, reader questions, post updates, and more.  Plus, over the next month I will be asking for your thoughts on topics related to my book and you might just see one of YOUR answers in print next year!

 

No-Spend Challenge

I have had quite a few people ask about doing a no-spend month  in January.  If this is something you are interested in, I invite you to join the private LWSL Facebook Group (this is different from the main LWSL Facebook Page) to get support and encouragement from others planning to participate in the 31 Days of Living Well & Spending Zero challenge next month.  This is a great way to start your financial year off right, especially if you happened to spend a little too much over the holidays!

On Sale!

Finally, I just wanted to let you all know that my eBook, How to Blog for Profit (Without Selling Your Soul) will be on sale this weekend, starting today at noon, for just $1.99!  It would make a great gift for any budding entrepreneurs or bloggers on your list (or just a great gift for yourself!) It is only available in Kindle format, but if you don’t have a Kindle you can download the free Kindle reading app for any smart phone, tablet, or computer.

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What have you been up to lately?

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