Frugal Friday: 10% off or Free Shipping at Christianbook.com

I love shopping at Christian Book Distributers (CBD). I did the majority of my Christmas shopping online through their webiste this year. Through January 3rd, they have Free Shipping on all orders over $35. I would encourage you to check out all they have to offer: books, DVDs, toys, and gifts of all sorts. They have clearance prices on many things right now too. What a great way to get ahead on gift shopping for 2012 at super prices!

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Get Free Shipping: Just place an order of $35.00 or more before 11:59 PM EST on Tuesday January 3, 2012, enter promotion code 375550, and choose standard shipping. Terms and conditions: Cannot be combined with any other offers. Applies to U.S. delivery addresses only. Applies to standard shipping only. Cannot be used on orders already placed, or on backorders. Order must total at least $35.00, excluding shipping fees or taxes, in order to qualify for this offer. Offer expires at 11:59 PM Eastern Standard Time on January 3, 2012.

-OR-

Take an extra 10% off our already low prices Use promotion code 375553 on orders of $35.00 or more, and receive 10% off your entire order! This offer is good through 11:59 PM EST on Tuesday January 3, 2012. **These promotions can not be combined

Christmas Trivia

It's beginning to look like Christmas around here. After some unseasonable warmer than average temperatures, we had a light snow yesterday and today. It was perfect, just enough to dust the ground and look pretty floating down from the sky but not enough to stay on the roads. Since, the subject of the last post was Christmas songs, I'll post Mike's trivia question that he came up with this year and see if anyone knows the answer...

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Who is Parson Brown? (In the song "Winter Wonderland" the lyrics go..."In the meadow, we can build a snowman, and pretend that he is Parson Brown...")

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Ha, funny, huh, how many times we've heard that song and really don't know what they are talking about...at least I know I had no idea...

Favorite Christmas Songs

So, my brother-in-law asked us at Thanksgiving to go around the table and tell everyone what our favorite Christmas song was. It was very hard to pick just one. Since then, I've been trying to remember all of those wonderful Christmas songs that I love to listen to but often get forgotten (I seem to hear the same songs over and over on the radio). As I pulled out my CDs for this Christmas season, I made a list of my favorites, including the ones that are not quite as well-known. So, here's my compilation so far (not necessarily in any order), some classical, traditional, hymns, carols, others contemporary/worship, mostly likely at least a few that you aren't familiar with...check out any that you aren't familiar with on www.youtube.com, maybe you'll find a new favorite:

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Come Thou Long Expected Jesus

Joyful, Joyful We Adore Thee (Ode to Joy)

O Holy Night

O Come, O Come Emmanuel

Christmas Offering

Angels We Have Heard On High

Mary, Did you Know

Carol of the Bells

The Gift

When Love Came Down (Point of Grace)

O Come All Ye Faithful

Christmas Canon

Let There Be Light (Point of Grace)

Breath of Heaven

In the First Light

Little Town (Point of Grace)

For Unto Us

Hallelujah Chorus from Handel's Messiah

All is Well

Emmaneul (Chris Tomlin)

My Soul Magnifies the Lord (Chris Tomlin)

Joy to the World/Unspeakable Joy (Chris Tomlin)

Glory in the Highest (Chris Tomlin)

Light of the World (Chris Tomlin)

Winter Snow (Chris Tomlin)

Born That We May Have Life (Chris Tomlin)

Jesus, Born on this Day (Mariah Carey)

Jesus, Oh What a Wonderful Child (Mariah Carey)

What Child is This

Hope is Born Again (Jim Brickman/Point of Grace)

Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring

Angels from the Realms of Glory

Hark! The Herald Angels Sing

The First Noel

O Little Town of Bethlehem (especially verse 4)

Silent Night (especially verse 2 & 3)

I also enjoy singing all of the verses of each of the carols...the additional verses are some of my favorites.

Anyone with other favorites?

A few favorites are listed on the Play list below. (I can only get 9 on there at a time) Enjoy! (You can still listen while viewing other sites if you minimize the window and they will keep playing)

Meal Planner Monday: Gingerbread Pancakes with Lemon Butter Sauce

Last December, we had gingerbread pancakes with warm lemon butter sauce at a bed and breakfast we stayed at in Ashland, OH. Very festive and oh, soooo yummy! The smell of these spices in breakfast pancakes on Christmas morning or on a snowy December day really warms up the home. Personally, I think the lemon butter sauce works better with them than maple syrup, but maybe that's just me. I searched the internet for a recipe that sounded good and this is what I ended up with. I made them this morning. Mike said he like plain pancakes better but he ate 8 of them, so I guess they were pretty good.

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Gingerbread Pancakes (from Taste of Home)

* I made half of the recipe and still had a lot (maybe 24 or so)

3/4 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cup packed brown sugar

6 eggs

1 1/2 cup molasses

6 cups all-purpose flour

4 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 Tbsp ginger

1 Tbsp cinnamon

2 1/4 tsp salt

3/4 tsp allspice

4 cups milk

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time. Add molasses. Add dry ingredients alternately with milk.

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Lemon Butter Sauce (Mom's recipe)

Mix together:

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp cornstarch

Stir in: 2 cups water

Boil 1 minute.

Add:

1/4 butter

2 tsp lemon juice

Lemon rind

Frugal Friday: Crafty Christmas Ideas

I was looking around on the internet today for a crafty Christmas idea and a new Christmas picture for the background of my blog. I came across these sites...

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You Seriously Made That!? (I love these nativity silouettes! No ideas for how to use them exactly yet)

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Country Living Crafts and Simple Projects

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The 36th Avenue Handmade Gifts Under $5

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And, of course from Money Saving Mom

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Oh, here's one more...Gifts in a Jar eBook free download from Heavenly Homemakers...I think I'm going to try the Simmer Pot in a Jar on p. 17

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I know the ideas out there are endless. I think I'll be posting some pictures of some of my recent projects (such as the pumpkin spice sugar scrub, snowflake busy bags, and pom-poms and pinchers busy bag) soon now that they are no longer "surprises". I also have been inspired to try some hair accessories after I received a very cool headband from my sister, Julie, for Christmas. Seeing new things inspires me. There's still time for another homemade Christmas gift...

***WARNING: You may lose track of time when you start clicking around***

Frugal Friday: More Inexpensive Thanksgiving Ideas

More great Thanksgiving ideas here... I don't know if all of the offers from last year are still available or not, but it appears so. Be sure to check out the "Scripture Adventures"!

A Season of Thanksgiving: Counting Your Blessings

One of the reasons why I love this time of year is that it reminds me to have a spirit of gratefulness. I saw this tool for writing down or journaling our gratitude. We've done something similar before. It can be used in various ways (some ideas are listed on the website) and I wanted to pass it along because I love the ideas and the artwork. I thought was so kind of them to make it available for free since it probably took some time to design (of course you will need to use your color ink to make them look nice). If you wanted to be really frugal, you could still use the ideas by handwriting on some index cards or maybe something else. Click here to download the printable "Gratitude Journal"

----Ephesians 5:19-20

"Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ."