Cheryl's Cookbook is Being Given Away in a Drawing on America's Grandma Website

America's Grandma Kay Swatkowski has a drawing giveaway for Cheryl's new cookbook if you leave a recipe on Kay's site - http://www.americangrandma.com/2011/12/29/soups-on-cookbook-giveaway/

Leave a recipe as a comment to win...

 (This is a great marketing tool that Kay Swatkowski is using.  Good job Kay.  Kay is my good friend and writing student.  Look around on her blog!

- http://www.americangrandma.com/2011/12/29/soups-on-cookbook-giveaway/

Mom's 2012 New Year's Resolutions One Month Later

January 1st: “My children and I will learn Modern Hebrew this year.”
February 1st: “My children and I will weekly eat one dozen bagels with lox.”

January 1st: “I will get the kids the pet they’ve always wanted.”
February 1st: “I will buy a collar and a leash for my chia plant.”

January 1st: “I will make only home-made yogurt from only organic ingredients.”
February 1st: “I will allow my children only two Gogurts in their mouth at a time.”

January 1st: "I will take my children to a museum once a month."
February 1st: "I will show my kids where I ate super chili dogs in high school.”

January 1st: "I will make sure my children eat multi-grain fiber filled items at each meal."
February 1st: "I will store my bag of Krispy Kreme doughnuts next to a bottle of Metamucil.”

January 1st: "I will feature a Van Gogh each month on our coffee table."
February 1st: "I will fill up our Van at The Stop and Go.”

January 1st: "We will never eat food in the car in 2012."
February 1st: "We will quit using our gas grill in the car in 2012."

Not me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to MyCharmingKids; her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.  Click here

No! Not Me! I am not thinking about these things on this December Monday

No! Not Me!...while everyone is rushing through the doors chasing bargains the day after Thanksgiving, this mommy is thinking about how can she recover from a broken hip in time for Christmas Eve.

No! Not Me!...while everyone else is taking three months to find the most popular toy, this mommy is still trying to remember where she hid last year’s most popular toy.

No! Not Me!...while everyone is taking pictures at the kids' church Christmas musical, this mommy hopes they don’t take one of her because she’s wearing two different colors of shoes (the dog has hidden one of each).

No! Not Me!...while everyone else is sporting those great red Santa hats, this mommy remembers wearing one last year and causing a multiple car fender bender because she was mistaken for a stoplight.

No! Not Me!...while everyone else is using the Advent calendar to count down to Christmas, this mommy is counting down to December 26 (and the full body mud spa treatment she promised herself).

No! Not Me!...while everyone else is wearing Christmas sweaters, this mommy knows that they actually make you look like a mobile Christmas bulletin board.

No! Not Me!...while everyone is trading fruit cakes, if this mommy says yes to one more Christmas party where they are yodeling Jingle Bells, she's going to become a fruitcake.

No! Not Me!..while everyone is opening presents Christmas Eve, this mommy is wondering if anyone will notice that to hide the taste, she basted the burned turkey with green jello.

No! Not Me!...while everyone else knows Santa is real, this mommy knows he isn't, but if he was, he'd be in charge of cleaning up the wrapping paper.  

Check out my new cookbook for real:  Creative Slow Cooker Meals by Cheryl Moeller

  Not Me’s!

Jazz for Cows, Who Would have Thought....

Book Review - "Baby Saves Christmas" by Cheryl Moeller and Melissa Moeller Briggs

 A book review by Read On Read Now
 
A story of simple Christmas joys, "Baby Saves Christmas" by Cheryl Moeller and Melissa Moeller Briggs will fill children and their families with hope as many face a financially difficult Christmas season.

Charmingly told from the point of view of grandma and grandpa's small dog Baby, the story begins as these grandparents face the reality that they will not have enough money to buy their grandchildren Christmas gifts. With all 21 grandchildren coming for Christmas, they try to hold on to their faith that God will provide what they need. Eventually they find that with a little creativity and the help of their family, friends and a special Baby, they can give their grandchildren the best Christmas ever. Click here to read on.

Not Me! Monday!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to MyCharmingKids; her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.  Click here


Not me!  I don't know about you but I don't have a large family and here's some ways to know if you do or not...



Not me!  The combined mileage on my cars is 1,000,000 miles (and I haven’t left my suburb in seven years).

Not me!  No one invites us over for Sunday dinner (unless it’s for a fast).

Not me!  I have a laundromat in my basement (it’s open all night and I still can’t find an empty machine).

Not me!  Holidays are always at my house (Santa has to use a “wide load” sleigh and 16 reindeer to haul everything down to me).

Not me!  My monthly grocery store receipt is 4 figures (the commodities market rallies every time I go shopping).

Not me!  I am happy to get my oldest daughter's hand-me-downs.

Not me !  As long as I book it by the fourth of July, I am guaranteed a reserved table at my favorite restaurant for my whole family for Valentine’s Day.

Not me!  I use a whole box of oatmeal to make breakfast (and that’s for the younger kids and newborns).

Not me !  My driveway looks like a used car lot (my husband, Bob, wears a plaid sport coat and has to check with his manager before handing me the keys).

  Not Me’s!

ELF-SERVE not Self-serve - What Mommy is thinking about in December…

ELF-SERVE



What Mommy is thinking about in December…
...while everyone is rushing through the doors chasing bargains the day after Thanksgiving, mommy is thinking about how can she recover from a broken hip in time for Christmas Eve.

...while everyone else is taking three months to find the most popular toy, mommy is still trying to remember where she hid last year’s most popular toy.

...while everyone is taking pictures at the kids' church Christmas musical, mommy hopes they don’t take one of her because she’s wearing two different colors of shoes (the dog has hidden one of each).

...while everyone else is sporting those great red Santa hats, mommy remembers wearing one last year and causing a multiple car fender bender because she was mistaken for a stoplight.

...while everyone else is using the Advent calendar to count down to Christmas, mommy is counting down to December 26 (and the full body mud spa treatment she promised herself).

...while everyone else is wearing Christmas sweaters, mommy knows that they actually make you look like a mobile Christmas bulletin board.

...while everyone is trading fruit cakes, if mommy says yes to one more Christmas party where they are yodeling Jingle Bells, she's going to become a fruitcake.

...while everyone is opening presents Christmas Eve, mommy is wondering if anyone will notice that to hide the taste, she basted the burned turkey with green jello.

...while everyone else knows Santa is real, mommy knows he isn't, but if he was, he'd be in charge of cleaning up the wrapping paper.

Have a Merry Celebration of Christ’s Birth!




Want to read a great Christmas story to your children or grandchildren?

Check out Baby Saves Christmas by Cheryl Moeller and Melissa Moeller Briggs, Juvenile ficition that you won't want to put down!

(illustrated by Susan R. Smith)

Buy here today.
http://www.amazon.com/Baby-Saves-Christmas-ebook/dp/B005XPAVLA/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1323987934&sr=1-1

The Night Before Christmas According to Mom

Twas the night before Christmas,
And all through the house,
The children were sleeping,
Even my spouse.

I was searching for the stockings, I looked under a chair,
But under the cushion found rippled potato chips there.

The children had not wanted to go to their beds,
As visions of Easy Bake Ovens danced in their heads,
Exhausted I closed my eyes and soon fell asleep,
Till rudely awakened by the sounds of BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!



The relatives made it here hurray after all,
Now it would truly be a complete Christmas ball,
The children were awakened, and with them hubby Steve,
by Grandpa Alexander and Grandma Eve.

As the hot cocoa that night so generously flowed,
I noticed something under the sink that seemed rather old,
It was the stockings I had sought for hidden inside a container.
Only they had been used last week as a handy spaghetti strainer.

Free Holiday Gifts Frugal Frugal Frugal

FREE
25 Days of Free Holiday Music at Amazon.com.
Visit Amazon.com every day through Christmas, and you’ll find a new piece of holiday music to download for free.
(Aditional place to go on Amazon to download free holiday music.)

 Also, FREE Christmas Country Music - use this free code
You can download 10 country holiday songs free on iTunes. You’ll need to use promo code “RJ699FX49WN4” to get the deal, but it’ll load automatically if iTunes is already installed on your computer & you click through from the People Country Special site. The code expires on December 31, 2011. Here are the songs:

• Randy Travis, O Holy Night
• Steel Magnolia, It’s Christmas Time
• Phil Vassar, What Child Is This
• Skaggs Family, Christmas Time’s A Coming
• Joey + Rory, Remember Me
• Carter’s Chord, Up On The House Top
• Jacob Lyda, Tis the Season To Be Lonesome
• Mandy Barnett, This Time of Year
• Attwater, All I Want For Christmas Is You
• Andy Gibson, The Christmas Song
• You can download 10 country holiday songs free on iTunes.

Not Me! Monday!

 Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to MyCharmingKids; her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.  Click here

NOT me.  I did not lock us out of the house last night.  And, I had not just checked and made sure every other door was closed and locked shut.  

It was going to be a perfect Christmas childhood memory.  I drove the kids through our neighborhood looking at Christmas lights, listening to Christmas music, and eating Christmas snacks.  It was a perfect moment until we got back home to find no, not me, not a locked house.

Not me!  I did not have the wrong keys with!  I did not have every avenue into the house locked up tight!  I did not.  I did not.

I did not try to pry a front window open that was unlocked.  Not me to the sound of cracking glass!

I did not think of breaking a window.  Not me!  Not during the coldest night of the winter!  

Not me!  I did not finally figure out the lock was not that tight on my own room's window and push with a baseball bat on the window frame while standing on my grandson's new motorized army preschool jeep.  I did not scare the neighbors.  Not me!

I did not think I would not have a Not Me for this week, knowing full well that I could not go a week much less a day without having a Not Me! experience.

  Not Me’s!

Free Holidays Gift From Shutterfly

‎101 FREE 4x6 prints on Shutterly. Enter promo code at checkout
J5D4-3AA0-1U0S-GXMPRS unitl December 12.
You can get 101 of 1 print or 101 different prints. You pay for shipping unless your order is over $50. 101 Free Shutterly Prints Click Here

Free Holiday Gift

Free completely Free
CVS: Free 8×10 Kodak Photo Collage (Facebook offer)
Click on the “Like” button on the Kodak Facebook Page to get print a coupon for a free 8×10 Photo Collage at CVS or two other pharmacies (Drug Mart and Bartell Pharmacies).

You can print this at the Kodak Picture Kiosk. Up to $6.99 value and no shipping as you will be picking it up in store.
This coupon is good through December 11, 2011.

Free or Nearly Free Holiday Gifts Frugal Frugal Frugal

Artscow.com Print Deal
We just did this (50 free prints) with our son and daughter-in-law's wedding pictures.  We are going to get 50 a month for the newlyweds until we have all 250 pictures from their wedding.  The first batch for last month has already arrived and they are beautiful!  We got the matte finish.  The happy newlyweds were delighted with the quality.  I think postage was about $7 for 50 4x6 prints.  We are glad we took advantage of this opportunity.
This is ongoing.  We are going to get 50 prints a month every month until we have the ones we want.

Artscow.com also have a special of free shipping until December 9 on orders over $15 which is a good deal, except of course these prints are free so they would not qualify.  But here is the code if you want to try it on something   FREESHIP15  (Expires December 9, 2011)

Also, at any given point you can only use one code at a time on artscow.com

Here are some more details:  Click here

Terms and Conditions for Free 1200 Prints.

Terms and Conditions for Free 1200 Prints.

Details of this promotion:

1. Offer applies to new registrants only
2. Please use the credits between the start time and expire time
3. 100 free 4x6 and 50 free 5x7 print credits can be used per month.
4. The decision of ArtsCow.com on all matters or queries concerning the Promotion shall be final.
5. One use per household. *Only the first new register can entitle to enjoy this promotion offer in the network place.
6. Promotion details may change at any time without notice
7. Valid on orders placed and shipped within the globe only
8. Shipping fees are not included
9. All credits issued will not be deleted except repeated registrants
10. ArtsCow.com reserves the right to terminate this offer at any time without notice

How to use the free photo prints and other photo gift credits:

1. Login your ArtsCow account
2. Create a new album
3. Upload your photos to the album
4. Place the photo prints order
5. The free photo print credits will be auto applied.
6. Enter Billing/Shipping Information.
7. Check out by Paypal or Credit Card.

Frugal Free for Holiday Christmas Shopping Lunch or Dinner - Subways offer Several 6 inch Subs during December for $2

From Subway!

December is Customer Appreciation Month at SUBWAY® restaurants! We’re thanking our customers for being such big fans by offering the regular 6-inch Cold Cut Combo or Meatball Marinara for just $2 each! This special offer is only available during December - so hurry in! Prices and Participation may vary. US only. Prices Higher in Alaska and Hawaii. Additional charge for Extras. Plus taxes where applicable. Click here

This Christmas... Give Jesus

This Christmas... Give Jesus.

As Advent begins... We shall deeply miss this year not receiving our advent calendar from our friend and seminary professor/mentor Dr. Harold Burgess.  He was a great writer and speaker.  

They always sent their Christmas greeting at the end of November with an advent calendar.
This year we approach advent with expectation and waiting that we will see Dr. B again in heaven some day. http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/kentucky/obituary.aspx?n=harold-william-burgess&pid=149815274 

This Christmas... Give Jesus.

This Christmas... Give Jesus

The Search for Our Advent Calendar: 

We went in search of an Advent Calendar for our family devotions this month.  Little did we know we were on almost an uphill search something akin to the geographical exploration of Dr. Livingston in southern and central Africa in the mid 1880s.  We could only find advent calendars with windows that opened to chocolate reindeer, red and green gummy worms, and Bart Simpson. 

Dr. Livingston believed the Nile River source was in the wrong spot.  But, many other things he was right about.  Regardless of the good he did with his map making, his heart eventually changed to an eternal perspective.  Dr. Livingston's life changed and he began to see his exploration for the purpose not of making maps, but making disciples. It was when he went on his Zambezi expedition that his spirit turned from the good to the Best. 

Not that we don't like chocolate and gummy worms, but we wanted an Advent calendar where every window opened to Scripture and then finally on December 24th to Jesus!

Our long expedition ended when we finally found several possibilities at Christian bookstores, Hallmark Stores, and Hallmark brands at Walgreens (including one that also featured chocolate pieces).

Go out today and find your's.  Then, thank the stores that carry Christian Advent calendars and buy several extras for friends and family.

This Christmas... Give Jesus

This Christmas... Give Jesus

Bad News (Greed)...  Good News (Jesus)

Bad News... Greed is an Insatiable Monster/Good News...  Being Thankful to Jesus is the Answer

Bad News:  Greed is the jealous hunger to obtain more than we need at any cost.

Good News:  The Biblical cure for greed is a life of continual thanksgiving to God.

Bad News:  Greed will never allow you to know true peace or contentment.

Good News:  Jesus tells us to focus on all we have been given rather than all we lack.

Bad News:  Enough is never enough when greed infects you.  Greed is ultimately based on a lack of faith in God's provision.

Good News   Jesus says He is more than enough, so acknowledge and trust that.

Bad News:   Greed is driven by the lie that the things of the world can satisfy our hearts.

Good News   Thanksgiving to Jesus sets us free to enjoy all we have without comparison or complaint.

 This Christmas...  Give Jesus

(Jesus said to them) "Watch out! Be on guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:15

Free or Nearly Free Christmas Gifts

Help! Mom's Stuck on Spin Cycle and four of the Moellers' other Kindle books are only $0.99 cents.  If you don't have a Kindle Reader you can get a free app on your PC or iphone.  Also, you can gift someone a gift card on amazon.com for as low as $0.99 and they will email it for free to your recipient.  So, then your friend or family member can use it to buy anything on Kindle or Amazon, including the Moeller's Kindle books.  So, even $1 could buy a Kindle book and $4 could buy 4 Kindle books. Click here

Everyone is a mom or has had a mom, so this Kindle book of Cheryl's comedy is sure to make  everyone laugh. Click here

                                               Click here for Moeller's $0.99 cents Kindle books

                                           Click here for Moeller's $0.99 cents Kindle books

Free or Nearly Free Holiday Gifts Frugal Frugal Frugal

Free or Nearly Free Holiday Gifts Frugal Frugal Frugal

New FREE offer starting today - Free or nearly free - get $10 off ($10 off code is WCUD-7EU7-J205-ET4A9D) any item including sale items. A magnet for $5 is now free. Photo books, calendars, etc. would only be $1. Browse on their their site. You have to pay for shipping, unless you order more than $50 then it is free. But at these prices your total will not be $50. :) $10 off code is WCUD-7EU7-J205-ET4A9D Until December 7, but start now some of these projects take a little time to do but are well worth your efforts. http://www.shutterfly.com/

Free Cyber Monday Giveaway from Two of my Writing and Publishing Conference Students/Friends

Free Cyber Monday Special Offer from my friends (and Writing and Publishing Conference students) at Loves Pockets  Linda Schwert and Sania Hamilton...  They are offering three free gift tags today, Cyber Monday, November 28, only.  They have excellent Christian cards with a button or extra item on each one also for sale and several are on specials.  Linda has been a card writer/maker for Dayspring and Hallmark in the past.  And, now with friend Sania, they have created their own Christian card company.  I love their products.   Enjoy their free Cyber Monday Special and get to know their site.  This is the instructions on their site.  For our 3 FREE Christmas Tags, go to our Contact Us page on our site and type your home address in the Comment section.*   * One set per household. You will receive the tags 5 to 7 days after your order.       http://www.lovespockets.com/

                                                      Sania and Linda, Lovespockets

Baby Saves Christmas written by mother-daughter duo Cheryl Moeller and Melissa Moeller Briggs

                                       Buy Now on Kindle

Mama's Christmas List

                           10 Gifts Mom Wants for Christmas.... 
                                                                                 What mom really gets...

1.  What mom wants for Christmas?  Christmas breakfast tea served on a real silver tray.  Brilliant.

What mom really gets...  A sryupy Styrofoam plate from McDonald's thrown at the back of her head from her crying one year old.  .

2.  What mom wants for Christmas?  Month long spa candlelight massage and jaccuzzi.  Splendid.

What mom really gets...  A hosing down by the neighbor's exotic elephant's trunk.

3.  What mom wants for Christmas?  Sitting around doing nothing.  Unscheduled. 

What mom really gets...  Free time... She can dream, can't she?

4.  What mom wants for Christmas?  Extra large gift certificate to a mom bookstore and leisurely weeks to read.  Bookworm.

What mom really gets...  All pre-owned books with 3-d popups that either moo, boo, or coo.

5.  What mom wants for Christmas?  A chick flick DVD.  Classic English literature come to life.  Pride and Prejudice.

What mom really gets...  55 seasons of the Deadliest Catch. 

6.  What mom wants for Christmas?  A 14 carat diamond necklace.  Sparkly.

What mom really gets...  14 carrots compliments of  Winn Dixie.


7.  What mom wants for Christmas?  LED lights so Christmas decorations can be environmentally friendly.   Going Green.

What mom really gets...  Blinking lights from the tow truck that is hauling her stalled car to the garage.

8.  What mom wants for Christmas?  A hand bell choir musical rendition of the Little Drummer Boy.  Pa rum pum pum pum.

What mom really gets...  Three sons beating incessantly on three drums given to them by their diabolical aunts and uncles.



9.  What mom wants for Christmas?  10,000 festive lights in the backyard on trees large and small.  Twinkly.

What mom really gets...  One used birthday candle left in the utility drawer encrusted with dog hair and molded bread crumbs.


===================================================== 

What mama wants; mama don't get.  But, mom is still sending her letter to Santa.

Free or Nearly Free Holiday Gifts Frugal Frugal Frugal

FREE FREE FREE FREE FREE
Walgreens Free 8x10 collage picture or 8x10 picture through Friday, November 25.
Order online and then pick up for free at your Walgreens store. Click here

I am Thankful for Parents who Celebrated a Traditional God-honoring Thanksgiving

We are mourning the loss of my father, Rev. Roy Webster,  this month.  He was a Tennessee boy but ministered from 1949-1996 in the Midwest.  

My dad went home to be with his Lord and Savior last Sunday morning. He loved to go to church and last Sunday he walked into the presence of the Lord during the Sunday morning worship hour.

He told me when I was ten years old that he wanted to make it to 80 and he passed away at 81 3/4 years. God blessed him with a long life. 

He loved football and senior year his team at Clinton High School, Clinton, TN were undefeated.



He was a young WWII Vet because he joined the U.S. Army at 14 years of age. He rode on a bus from TN on a unpaved dirt road (common in 1944) all the way to TX. The army thought he was 18. He envied his older brothers serving our country and he decided to join them. 

 While some in Hollywood boast of being married 61 days, my dad was married for 61 years mid-century (August 25, 1950) mid-America (to a Michigan girl), the love of his life Gladys Windquist, he met at Owosso Bible College in Owosso, Michigan.








They were married 61 years and here they are
at their 25th wedding anniversary party in Flint,
Michigan








He never turned on a computer, but he had more friends than most of us will ever hope to have on Facebook. He never met a person that he did not like.

My dad really did love his mom (and dad), baseball (and football), and apple pie. Oh yes, and automobiles.

He loved wining the grandfather with the most grandchildren on Father’s Day for several years in a row.

And, then to know that he had 2 great-grandsons.

He spent the last decade of his life, calling and talking with members of his former churches that he was not sure of their salvation. He would present the Gospel and give them a chance once again to respond to the claims of Christ. And, he kept calling them until they trusted in Christ as their Lord and Savior.


Raised in the hills of TN, he was blessed to minister in east Michigan where many southerners had come up to work in the hey day of the car industry. When he retired in 1996 from the pastorate, he wanted nothing more than to go back to his people in Tennessee. And, that is from where last Sunday morning, he went to be with the Lord, among the twiggy dogwod trees, soft biscuits with sweet honey, good old southern gospel quartet singing, and his people. Now he is singing with his much loved family members and friends who went on before him.

By daughter Cheryl Webster Moeller
http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/knoxnews/obituary.aspx?n=roy-b-webster&pid=154621497

Thanksgiving Postcard from God Devotional

 

It was 10:00 a.m. the day before Thanksgiving. In just a few hours the doors to our inner-city church would open, and we would host our urban neighbors, many of whom were Native Americans, to a free Thanksgiving dinner.

We were making last-minute preparations when we heard a loud knock at the front door. Another interruption, we thought as we trudged toward the door. When we opened the door, we were greeted by two delivery men from Sears.

"Will you sign for this?" one of the men asked as he shoved a clipboard our way.

"Sure, what is it?"

"A freezer," he answered.

"We didn't order a freezer."

"Someone did," he said. With that, he and his burly partner pushed past us and wheeled a full-length deep freeze up the steep steps and into our church.

As we studied the invoice, we discovered a sister church, New Hope Church in Crystal, MN, had purchased the appliance for us. That's strange, we thought. They never told us it was coming.

Our minds returned to the Thanksgiving dinner. Within a few hours, the first flakes of snow started coming down. In Minnesota in late November, that can mean anything from a dusting to three-foot snow drifts. On this particular day, it meant the worst. By 4:00 p.m., the flakes had turned into a major-league blizzard. The timing couldn't have been worse. By that late hour, all the food for our dinner had been prepared—a dozen turkeys, nearly a hundred pounds of mashed potatoes, and scores of piping-hot pies.

But we had no one to eat any of it. All our food and effort was about to go to waste.

That's when we remembered the gift we had received only hours earlier. We wrapped the food and carried it upstairs to our new storage freezer. One week later we held the postponed dinner and served a hot Thanksgiving meal to a church packed with grateful neighbors and needy friends.

Looking back, we realize we received more than an appliance from a department store that day. We received a postcard from God.

What's a postcard from God? It's one of those providential, serendipitous events that appear in our lives, marriage and family—a reminder that God has not forgotten us. For us, it's like receiving a short note that reads, "Dear Cheryl and Bob, I was thinking of you today. Just thought I'd let you know. Love, Your heavenly Father."

The ways in which he sends these timely postcards are as unpredictable as they are amazing. The net effect seems always the same: to encourage and strengthen us, often when we need it the most.

Piles of unwanted junk mail are delivered daily. As catalogs, sales brochures, newspapers, and a host of other materials accumulate on our desks, our goal is to dispose of the piles as quickly as possible. In the same way, our lives, our marriages, our families, and schedules can become cluttered with carpools, shopping, taking care of kids, exercising, committee meetings, weekly deadlines, and urgent calls to make. Our goal can become simply to get through the day.

In the midst of sorting through such clutter, it's easy to overlook the simple notes our heavenly Father sends to remind us of his love. When we take the time to sort through "coincidences" of my life, we discover simple but much-needed messages reminding us, "I love you. I haven't forgotten you."

Signed, Your God.



By Cheryl and Bob Moeller

Now, also on Kindle by Momlaughs (Cheryl Moeller) - Creative Slow Cooker Meals: Use Two Slow Cookers for Tasty & Easy Dinners

Pre-Order Creative Slow Cooker Meals:  Use Two Slow Cookers for Tasty & Easy Dinners

Or, on Kindle

From the celebrated coauthor of The Marriage Miracle comes a new kind of cookbook and a new attitude toward planning meals. With an eye toward the whole menu, not just part of it, columnist Cheryl Moeller teaches cooks to use two crockpots to easily create healthy, homemade dinners .
Don’t worry about your dinner being reduced to a mushy stew. Each of the more than 200 recipes has been taste-tested at Cheryl’s table. Join the Moeller family as you dig into:

• Harvest-time Halibut Chowder
• Salmon and Gingered Carrots
• Mediterranean Rice Pilaf
• Indian Chicken Curry
• Apricot-Pistachio Bread
• Shrimp Creole
• Rhubarb Crisp

… and many more! Perfect for the frazzled mom who never has enough time in the day, Creative Slow-Cooker Meals gives readers more time around the table with delicious, healthy, frugal, and easy meals!

From the Author

Using two slow cookers to make dinner gave me back my life and it can do the same for you.  This plan is just perfect for a frazzled mom with no time in her day.  It also works for my single friends that just want to cook once a week.  In my book I not only give you perfect recipes, but I also plan your entire dinner menu.  I'm a wife, mom, sister, daughter, granddaughter, cousin, niece, aunt, and friend just like you.  I can't make more time in my day; it just doesn't exist.  But, I can use Creative Slow-Cooker Meals to solve my dinner dilemma early in the day.        Momlaughs (Cheryl Moeller)


A perfect Christmas present for all the adults on your list -
1.  Pre-order  Creative Slow Cooker Meals:  Use Two Slow Cookers for Tasty & Easy Dinners
2.  Buy them one or two crockpots (they need two).
(You can print out the info on  Creative Slow Cooker Meals:  Use Two Slow Cookers for Tasty & Easy Dinners and stick it in a Christmas card in the crockpot to show them they will be receiving in January.)

Free or Nearly Free Holiday Gifts Day #3 Frugal Frugal Frugal

Free or Nearly Free Christmas gift day #3. Free 8x10 Canvas Picture (made with your photo) but you do have to pay the $14.96 shipping. Lisa Jungheim and I have both ordered these in the past and we were very happy with the finished gift. The nice thing is that you don't have to buy a frame - the photo gift is on canvas with a thin wooden frame behind it, that it's stretched over, so it hangs perfectly on the wall with that. I found average on the internet for this product was about $30 plus paid shipping. They claim their product is worth $44.99 plus paid shipping. So, you are getting a free wall canvas 8x10 and then just have to pay the shipping. It makes a nice gift and you can ship it right to someone else or yourself. Also, if you make completely separate orders, you can order/buy more than one. I don't know when this special ends, so seize the day.  

Some photos I am going to use - these are only the photos NOT made up on the canvas yet.

 

 

More Free Stuff Day #2

FREE or Nearly FREE Gifts for the Holidays from Momlaughs. Today's free gift is an E-Cookbook for the holidays. It's free just for you from The Barn Door: Seeing the World Through Midwestern Eyes, one of the 15 sites that carries Cheryl's monthly columns. The blog is one of a kind midwest reading for people who love the midwest and all it has to offer from MN to OH! Enjoy the free e-cookbook as a gift from the writers of The Barn Door. 

Free Stuff for the Holidays

A beautiful website is offering a free $30 off code for their website until Sunday, November 13.


The free $30 off code is H2SHOLIDAY.

You do have to pay for the shipping for each gift separately.  It varies from about $6 to $12, depending on large the gift.

We were able to buy several things shipped to the same address, but we had to pay the shipping for each item separately.  But, this is a great value.

If you buy something for under $30, your gift will be free plus you pay for shipping.
If you buy something for over $30, then apply the $30, pay the rest plus you pay for the shipping.

This is high quality gifts similar to the quality of Hallmark.  I know because my friend Lisa Jungheim and I have ordered various items for people on our Christmas lists.  Here's part of Lisa's Christmas list recipients.

 



 

• Books
• •Calendars
• •Cards
• •Decor
• •Gift Cards
• •Memory Keepers
• •Prompt Me!™
• •Recipe

Cheryl and Lisa highly suggest it.
Click here to start shopping and don't forget to use the free code:  H2SHOLIDAY.  Click here

I'm Chillin' While I'm Grillin'

Marinate your boneless, skinless, chicken breasts during the day
in one cup of olive oil, 1/4 C. balsamic vinegar, and 1/4 cup sugar.
Sprinkle with oregano and garlic.

Place your chicken on a low temperature grill.

Open a 16 oz. can of Bush's grilling baked beans.
Please put them on the grill in the can with the lid off.

Open a 16 oz. can of artichokes and leave the water in.
Please put them on the grill in the can with the lid off.
Drain, only when cooked, before serving.

Corny Cornbread.
If your grill has an upper rack, it's best to cook the corn
bread there. Spray PAM really well on a cast iron skillet
or use two 9 in cake pans stacked on top of each other (to
make the pan thicker.)
1 3/4 C. cornmeal
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
2 TB sugar (optional)

Mix and then add:

2 eggs
2 C. buttermilk
1 can of corn, drained (optional)

Mix but only until everthing is combined (don't overmix)

Bake on low grill with the grill cover closed for about
20 minutes. Watch it carefully.

Get Read for Cheryl's New Cookbook that can be preordered now.

Frugal Gifts

Maybe you don't have as much money as you did last year to spend on gift giving? Did you know the best gifts are homemade gifts? Maybe we need to be reminded of
that this year? Share your heart with others on a deeper level this year through homemade, personalized gifts for everyone on your list.

During the Great Depression, everyone HAD to use their ingenuity to create gifts conveying their heartfelt love. Here's some ideas to get you thinking. You could even make a couple of these homemade gifts for each person on your list.

10 Free or Nearly Free Christmas Gifts to Make & Give
Maybe you don't have as much money as you did last year to spend on gift giving? Did you know that truly the best gifts are homemade? Maybe we need to be reminded this year. Share your heart with others on a deeper level this year through homemade, personalized gifts for everyone on your list.

During the Great Depression, everyone HAD to use their ingenuity to create gifts conveying their heartfelt love. Here's some ideas to get you thinking now, during the Great Recession. You could even make a couple of these homemade gifts for each person on your list.

1. Know a child learning Spanish? Save several sizes of clean tin cans with unique labels in Spanish, with any jagged points bent safely down. Fill with slightly used pens, sharpened pencils, paintbrushes, markers, and dried flowers. These make great decorative storage for your el esponol student's desk or dresser top.

2. Write a letter to your child, niece, or nephew telling them how excited you were before they were born, about their upcoming birth. You could even frame the letter, for a gift, showing your anticipated love.

3. Print out your favorite Bible verse as a small poster. Add a label at the bottom that reads, "Mom's Legacy Bible Verse" or "Dad's Legacy Bible Verse." Others, including your children, love to know what's on your heart and in your head. Share yourself with them at this level and they will cherish your gift.

4. Give a gift of a picture of you and the gift recipient. Write at the bottom of the frame, "You are Loved." It could be Grandpa/Grandson, Mom/Dad/You, Daughter/Mother.

5. "I love you all year long." Write a letter about the year just ending. Make it twelve paragraphs long for each month. Tell the person just how much they meant to you each month of 2008, including a special memory from each month and a canister of homemade granola (granola takes a long time to eat)!

6. "What I'm going to Change, to Love you More." Write a card to those on your list, with something that you intend to change/improve, with God's help, about yourself, in your life this year. Make it something that will make you an easier person to live with. (Now, that will be a welcomed surprise gift to the recipient, a gift that keeps on giving all year!)

7. Shine everyone's shoes for Christmas morning. Under the tree, have everyone's shoes lined up looking brand new. It's an act of service that will be appreciated. Or, give another act of service, such as car detailing. "Borrow" someone's car a day or two before Christmas and detail it for them by hand for a Christmas morning surprise.

8. Give a gift of your professional services. Maybe you are a teacher and could offer to tutor. Maybe you are an accountant and could offer tax services as a gift. How about a plumber, carpenter, or electrician for some home repair services? Perhaps you are a great writer and could help a family member with an updated resume.
Perhaps, you have nice handwriting and can address envelopes as a gift.

9. Regift books you have already read. Wrapping it up beautifully, adding a small letter, detailing why this book was special to you and why you want to bless them by sharing it.

10. Give each person on your list, a souvenir of your life or heirloom. Give them something of your's, that they would enjoy having. Clean it up, fix it up, and wrap it up.

Ten Fantastic Frugal Homemade Fall, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah and Christmas Gifts

1. Christmas Candy Crunch Ice Cream Topping


Chocolate Candy Crunch Ice Cream Topping
1 stick butter
1/4 c. cocoa
1/2 c. milk (use regular milk)
2 c. sugar
1 tbsp. vanilla
1/2 c. peanut butter
3 c. oats
Boil butter, cocoa, milk, sugar, vanilla and peanut butter for 1 ½ minutes. Add oats and mix well. Spoon out onto wax paper. Let sit out over night on your counter. Crumble slightly and place in jars. Include a little card that says, “Cocoa Candy Crunch Ice Cream Topping” Best kept in refrigerator.

Or you can make:

Peanut Butter Christmas Candy Ice Cream Topping
2 cup sugar
1 stick butter
1/2 cup milk (use regular milk)
3 cup quick oatmeal
3/4 cup peanut butter
1 Tbsps. vanilla
Boil butter, milk, sugar, vanilla and peanut butter for 1 ½ minutes. Add oats and mix well. Spoon out onto wax paper. Let sit out over night on your counter. Crumble slightly and place in jars. Include a little card that says, “Peanut Butter Candy Crunch Ice Cream Topping” Best kept in refrigerator

2. “Lemon Pie” Ice Cream Topping

6 Tbsps. Butter
1 cup sugar
4 Tbsps. lemon juice
2 beaten eggs
Melt butter. Take off heat; add sugar, lemon juice and beaten eggs. (The eggs must be beaten very well or they may curdle). Then put back on heat, cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until thickened. Cool. Pour sauce over ice cream. Include this on a tag: “Lemon Pie” Ice Cream Topping
Do not heat in this jar. Keep this jar in the refrigerator. Will keep fresh for one week in the refrigerator.
3. German Chocolate Ice Cream Topping

1 c. evaporated milk
1 c. sugar
3 egg yolks
½ c. butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/3 c. coconut
1 c. pecans
Combine evaporated milk, sugar, egg yolks, butter and vanilla in small saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until thick, about 12 minutes. Cool slightly. Stir in coconut and pecans.
Include Tag that says: “German Chocolate” Ice Cream Topping. Serve Hot or Cold on Ice Cream. Do not heat in this jar. Keep this jar in the refrigerator. Will keep fresh for one week in the refrigerator.

4. M & M’s Hot Cocoa

Hanukkah Theme Craft
“Single Hot Chocolate Gift Bags”
Supplies:
See-through Hanukkah decorated party bag
or see-through plain party bag, Hanukkah stickers to decorate
Box of packets of hot chocolate mix
Royal blue (color of the Israeli flag) M&M’s
White M&M’s

Using one see through party bag, open and pour in six dry hot chocolate packets.
Add twenty white M&M’s and twenty royal blue M&M’s
Tie bag closed with a silver twist tie and arrange a small driedel in the closed twist tie as the package décor. Write on a gift tag: Happy Hanukkah! Mix with boiling hot water. Serves three!

5. Caramel Apple Hot Cider

Combine dry Apple Hot Cider Mix and wrapped Kraft Caramels (unwrapped). Place this mixture (dry cider mix and unwrapped caramels) in a cute see-through jar with a cute lid or cover with ribbon. Wrapped up with a cute mug, this makes a great fall gift.

6. Christmas Bread in a jar

Zuc – coconut quick bread dough with a few maraschino cherries mixed in.
Spray a wide mouth Ball jar with non-stick cooking spray. Then, fill it half full, but no more than half full. Now, you must place all the jars you have
filled on a cookie sheet (the jars should not be touching). Don’t put more than 6 – 8 on one cookie sheet. The jars must be placed on a cooking sheet or they will crack up in the oven. Bake for 20 – 30 minutes, depending on the size of the jar. Then seal with the lid while the jars are still hot and put the whole top on. Decorate with a cute piece of material. Add a tag: Christmas Bread in a jar. Keep refrigerated. Use within one week.


Recipe for Zuc – Coconut Bread

3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 tsps. Vanilla
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs, beaten
1 cup shredded coconut or shredded flaked coconut
2 cups raw unpeeled grated zucchini
1 cup of maraschino cherries, drained and cut (optional)


Mix together the first nine ingredients. Then fold in the coconut and zucchini.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes to 30 to 40, depending on the size of Ball jar that you use. Whether it’s a big or small Bar jar, just make sure it’s wide mouth.


7. Children’s Handprints

As a cute grandma or mom gift you can buy some fabric, and cut with patterned scissors. Then have each of your kids put their handprint and write their own name (if they can) and then date it - all in fabric paint. You can do it any size - and any fabric. So you can do it as a tablecloth, table runner, doilies size, or as a wall hanging. It's especially clever as a grandma gift if you get all the grandkids in on it - not just your
own.

8. Placemats for grandparents

“Leaf Placemats”
These are placements Grandpa and Grandma will love. This is a good craft project to do when the leaves are changing in the fall with your children. Find and collect some colorful fresh leaves on the ground around your neighborhood. Take a picture of your preschooler near a tree. Write on a small index card the Bible verse - Hebrews 13:5b - God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Cut four pieces of wax paper about 16 inches long. Lay two pieces of wax paper, wax side up, on your work table. Situate several colorful leaves on the paper right side up, leaving at least a one inch border around every side of the wax paper. Situate the Bible Verse card and the photograph of the preschooler near the tree right side up, also. Lay the other piece of wax paper upside down so the wax is touching the leaves. Make sure the two pieces of paper are the same size and match up or cut accordingly. (You need an adult to help with this part.) With a hot iron but a light touch, quickly iron the two pieces of wax paper together.)


9. Penguins on Ice (as an appetizer or a gift). Arrive at your holiday party with a tray of these cute little Penguins for the guests or the hostess gift. For the tray, use a mirror to pretend like it's a skating rink for the penguins.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Cream-Cheese-Penguins/Detail.aspx

10. Buttons, Buttons, Buttons The big thing for Christmas gifts this year is buttons, buttons, buttons. Hot glue gun buttons to barrettes, flip-flops, magnets and cardboard (frame in a cute picture frame).

Two Free E-Cookbooks by Gold Medal and Betty Crocker.

FREE
Cupcakes and Cakes e-cookbook by Betty Crocker

FREE
Whole Wheat Cooking e-cookbook by Gold Medal

20 Things I’ve Learned from Raising Six Children

1) Salt, pepper and milk are not fish food.
2) It's a bad thing when your child calls from camp and asks if it's a bad thing if one foot is bigger than the other.
3) If you mow the lawn with the basement windows open – the carbon monoxide detector will go off.
4) The ceiling fan doesn’t hold more than a 40 pound child and is not a substitute for taking your child to Great America.
5) Two kids cannot sit on top of the refrigerator but one can.
6) A 10-year-old cannot run a mile without shoes but he can run a ½ mile.
7) A mother with three sons doesn’t have that many friends who are mothers of all girls when the sons are young. The mother has more friends who are mothers of all girls when they reach high school age.
8) You get invited over less to friends and family’s houses for Sunday dinner when you have six kids.
9) When the nurse says, "even though the white count is as high as Mononucleosis – it’s only E coli," you shouldn’t be happy.
10) Finger painting is a good hobby.
11) Finger painting the front door is not a good hobby.
12) Green marker and a new couch don’t mix.
13) Black marker and a new loveseat also don’t mix.
14) The backyard swimming pool is not a bubble bath.
15) Pool filters do not like bubbles.
16) A dog who has been fed two packages of hot dogs can throw up twice his body weight.
17) Being hit with a marble from the second floor hurts more than being hit by a marble from the first floor.
18) The Easy Bake oven does not bake cookies fast enough for a family of eight.
19) “I hope you didn't forget I put the cell phone on the roof of the car” is not a good thing to hear when you are going 60 mph on the toll way.
20) A good sense of humor will get you through most problems in life.

By Cheryl, Momlaughs
I have decided that I can laugh or cry and I have decided to laugh my way through motherhood.

Visit Cheryl's Kindle Store and Buy Now!

 Cheryl's Kindle Books and Blogs