Blogmas 2023: 12/24

 Here it is Christmas Eve and the last day of Blogmas.  I hope you've enjoyed a peek at our simple holiday this year.

In yesterday's post, I left you with the promise of a question ...

A question, that I hope, will bring a smile to your face ... 

I've had this sweatshirt for several years, and every time I wear it, I get lots of comments!  My hubby gets a kick out of me wearing it and with a twinkle in his eyes always, always with a resounding tone in his voice says ... YES!  

I'd like to close out this year's Blogmas, by saying ...

Merry Christmas to each and every one of you!

Why I do Blogmas: 

 

It's no secret that I love everything about Christmas!  From the day after Thanksgiving till the last box of Christmas decor is packed away and put back in storage for the next year, I love every bit of it!   My husband and I are senior citizens who generally spend the holiday season alone.  While we do have lots of very good friends and our church family nearby, all of our children live far, far away and have children of their own to make holiday memories with within their own homes.  They are very thoughtful to include us in as much as possible via technology and we are so grateful to them for going beyond the extra mile to include us.   

I started doing Blogmas because I had a choice, either lose myself in sorrow over what I could not change or embrace the love I have for the season and share it with others.   I chose to share my joy in the journey not only with my children and grandchildren long-distance, but with others who love the season as I do and who just might find themselves spending the holidays alone as well. I hope in some small way you get a glimpse of holiday joy through these Blogmas posts and that it spills over into your life this holiday season!

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

Follow me on Instagram HERE!

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Blogmas 2023: 12/22

 Yesterday I shared what our 'Christmas Fudge' looked like shortly after being made, today I'm sharing what it looks like packaged up and ready to start delivering to our friends and neighbors ...

Hubby did the delivering and came home with ...

a fully cooked pork loin

a bottle of family made BBQ sauce 

candied pecans

and a chocolate pound cake

YUM!  YUM!

Why I do Blogmas: 

 

It's no secret that I love everything about Christmas!  From the day after Thanksgiving till the last box of Christmas decor is packed away and put back in storage for the next year, I love every bit of it!   My husband and I are senior citizens who generally spend the holiday season alone.  While we do have lots of very good friends and our church family nearby, all of our children live far, far away and have children of their own to make holiday memories with within their own homes.  They are very thoughtful to include us in as much as possible via technology and we are so grateful to them for going beyond the extra mile to include us.   

I started doing Blogmas because I had a choice, either lose myself in sorrow over what I could not change or embrace the love I have for the season and share it with others.   I chose to share my joy in the journey not only with my children and grandchildren long-distance, but with others who love the season as I do and who just might find themselves spending the holidays alone as well. I hope in some small way you get a glimpse of holiday joy through these Blogmas posts and that it spills over into your life this holiday season!

Meet you back here tomorrow!

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

~ sharing my home and my faith ~

Follow me on Instagram HERE!

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Blogmas 2023: 12/21

 Today hubby made his fudge!!!

My role is taste-tester ... he does everything else himself from start to finish ... well, maybe not the cleanup!!!

Yes, it tastes as good as it looks!

This is what we package up and give to neighbors, friends and church families for Christmas!  Let me just add that it is very sought after!!!

Why I do Blogmas: 

 

It's no secret that I love everything about Christmas!  From the day after Thanksgiving till the last box of Christmas decor is packed away and put back in storage for the next year, I love every bit of it!   My husband and I are senior citizens who generally spend the holiday season alone.  While we do have lots of very good friends and our church family nearby, all of our children live far, far away and have children of their own to make holiday memories with within their own homes.  They are very thoughtful to include us in as much as possible via technology and we are so grateful to them for going beyond the extra mile to include us.   

I started doing Blogmas because I had a choice, either lose myself in sorrow over what I could not change or embrace the love I have for the season and share it with others.   I chose to share my joy in the journey not only with my children and grandchildren long-distance, but with others who love the season as I do and who just might find themselves spending the holidays alone as well. I hope in some small way you get a glimpse of holiday joy through these Blogmas posts and that it spills over into your life this holiday season!

Meet you back here tomorrow!

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

~ sharing my home and my faith ~

Follow me on Instagram HERE!

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Blogmas 2023: 12/20

We are in count down mode with Christmas now ... 5 days to go!!!

In our little community, there are a few families, ours is one, that bake home-made goodies and share with each other.  Today, hubby and I were sitting in our living room when we heard a car horn blowing.  Hubby went to the door, and it was one of our 'goodie exchanging' friends delivering their home-made goodies!

Look at the variety!  Yum!!!

Hubby started on our treats today, I'll share more about that later in the week!

Why I do Blogmas: 

 

It's no secret that I love everything about Christmas!  From the day after Thanksgiving till the last box of Christmas decor is packed away and put back in storage for the next year, I love every bit of it!   My husband and I are senior citizens who generally spend the holiday season alone.  While we do have lots of very good friends and our church family nearby, all of our children live far, far away and have children of their own to make holiday memories with within their own homes.  They are very thoughtful to include us in as much as possible via technology and we are so grateful to them for going beyond the extra mile to include us.   

I started doing Blogmas because I had a choice, either lose myself in sorrow over what I could not change or embrace the love I have for the season and share it with others.   I chose to share my joy in the journey not only with my children and grandchildren long-distance, but with others who love the season as I do and who just might find themselves spending the holidays alone as well. I hope in some small way you get a glimpse of holiday joy through these Blogmas posts and that it spills over into your life this holiday season!

Meet you back here tomorrow!

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

~ sharing my home and my faith ~

Follow me on Instagram HERE!

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Blogmas 2023: 12/19

 Christmas is less than a week away ... can you believe it!!!  With that thought in mind, I did some of this today ...

I did some wrapping ... these gifts are for the tweens/teens in a Bible class that I teach.  The Happy Holidays bag behind the gift shown is full.

Tip:  this is an easy way to wrap round gifts!  All you need is tissue paper (I used 4 sheets per gift), ribbon (this is a great use for 'recycled' ribbon from Christmas' past) and a jingle bell.  (I also used tape and scissors.)

I can't tell you what's in the gift until after Christmas, if you want to know, remind me then and I'll reveal the contents.

Why I do Blogmas: 

 

It's no secret that I love everything about Christmas!  From the day after Thanksgiving till the last box of Christmas decor is packed away and put back in storage for the next year, I love every bit of it!   My husband and I are senior citizens who generally spend the holiday season alone.  While we do have lots of very good friends and our church family nearby, all of our children live far, far away and have children of their own to make holiday memories with within their own homes.  They are very thoughtful to include us in as much as possible via technology and we are so grateful to them for going beyond the extra mile to include us.   

I started doing Blogmas because I had a choice, either lose myself in sorrow over what I could not change or embrace the love I have for the season and share it with others.   I chose to share my joy in the journey not only with my children and grandchildren long-distance, but with others who love the season as I do and who just might find themselves spending the holidays alone as well. I hope in some small way you get a glimpse of holiday joy through these Blogmas posts and that it spills over into your life this holiday season!

Meet you back here tomorrow!

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

~ sharing my home and my faith ~

Follow me on Instagram HERE!

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Blogmas 2023: 12/18

Today's Blogmas post finds me hunkered down inside while a tropical storm rages outside!  Yikes!  If we were still in hurricane season, it would be given a name and classified as a hurricane!!!

We woke up to it yesterday, it lasted all day, all night and into this morning!  Torrential rain, gusting winds, weather warning after weather warning, flooding, wind whistling around the house ... it's lasted close to 48 hours!  

One of the things I did, besides watching the weather, was to pull out my 'to-do' planner for 2024 and place a Christmas sticker on the 25th of each month.  This is just a sweet little reminder to keep working on gifts, whether making them or purchasing them, or something Christmas related all year long.

Do you see my little 'max' sticker on the 25th?  I had some Grinch stickers left over from a project and decided to use those as my Christmas sticker reminder each month.  This planner came from Hobby Lobby for $14.99 and it's perfect for a 'to-do' planner!

Are you wondering what a 'to-do' planner is?  I unintentionally started using this method last year and I have to tell you it has been my most effective use of a planner that I've ever used.  To my knowledge, I've not seen anyone else using this method. Have I got your curiosity up?  Good!  I'll give a full explanation on what it is and how I use it during the week between Christmas and the new year.

Why I do Blogmas: 

 

It's no secret that I love everything about Christmas!  From the day after Thanksgiving till the last box of Christmas decor is packed away and put back in storage for the next year, I love every bit of it!   My husband and I are senior citizens who generally spend the holiday season alone.  While we do have lots of very good friends and our church family nearby, all of our children live far, far away and have children of their own to make holiday memories with within their own homes.  They are very thoughtful to include us in as much as possible via technology and we are so grateful to them for going beyond the extra mile to include us.   

I started doing Blogmas because I had a choice, either lose myself in sorrow over what I could not change or embrace the love I have for the season and share it with others.   I chose to share my joy in the journey not only with my children and grandchildren long-distance, but with others who love the season as I do and who just might find themselves spending the holidays alone as well. I hope in some small way you get a glimpse of holiday joy through these Blogmas posts and that it spills over into your life this holiday season!

Meet you back here tomorrow!

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

~ sharing my home and my faith ~

Follow me on Instagram HERE!

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Blogmas 2023: 12/17

 I was able to mark another item off my Christmas bucket list last night ...

I got to watch Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer on TV!  It's one of my favorite Christmas shows and I look forward to it every year!

After Rudolph was over, Frosty the Snowman came on and you just gotta know that I watched it too!

As I've mentioned before, I have a kid's heart when it comes to Christmas!

Why I do Blogmas: 

 

It's no secret that I love everything about Christmas!  From the day after Thanksgiving till the last box of Christmas decor is packed away and put back in storage for the next year, I love every bit of it!   My husband and I are senior citizens who generally spend the holiday season alone.  While we do have lots of very good friends and our church family nearby, all of our children live far, far away and have children of their own to make holiday memories with within their own homes.  They are very thoughtful to include us in as much as possible via technology and we are so grateful to them for going beyond the extra mile to include us.   

I started doing Blogmas because I had a choice, either lose myself in sorrow over what I could not change or embrace the love I have for the season and share it with others.   I chose to share my joy in the journey not only with my children and grandchildren long-distance, but with others who love the season as I do and who just might find themselves spending the holidays alone as well. I hope in some small way you get a glimpse of holiday joy through these Blogmas posts and that it spills over into your life this holiday season!

Meet you back here tomorrow!

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

~ sharing my home and my faith ~

Follow me on Instagram HERE!

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Blogmas 2023: 12/16

Today's Blogmas post has me enjoying a free Christmas cross stitch pattern by Shannon Christine Designs over on Instagram.  

Did I mention that it was FREE!  

Have I mentioned before that Christmas doesn't have to cost a lot of money?

Have I mentioned before that holiday decor doesn't have to cost a lot of money?

This is just a small shot of the completed design, to get the pattern and instructions, follow the link above.

Wouldn't this be cute made into an ornament or a mini pillow ... an idea and pattern that is definitely going in my Christmas 2024 ideas folder!

Thank you Shannon Christine Designs for your generosity!

Why I do Blogmas:  

It's no secret that I love everything about Christmas!  From the day after Thanksgiving till the last box of Christmas decor is packed away and put back in storage for the next year, I love every bit of it!   My husband and I are senior citizens who generally spend the holiday season alone.  While we do have lots of very good friends and our church family nearby, all of our children live far, far away and have children of their own to make holiday memories with within their own homes.  They are very thoughtful to include us in as much as possible via technology and we are so grateful to them for going beyond the extra mile to include us.   

I started doing Blogmas because I had a choice, either lose myself in sorrow over what I could not change or embrace the love I have for the season and share it with others.   I chose to share my joy in the journey not only with my children and grandchildren long-distance, but with others who love the season as I do and who just might find themselves spending the holidays alone as well. I hope in some small way you get a glimpse of holiday joy through these Blogmas posts and that it spills over into your life this holiday season!

Meet you back here tomorrow!

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

Follow me on Instagram HERE!

~ sharing my home and my faith ~

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Blogmas 2023: 12/15

Today's Blogmas post has me thinking and making plans for Christmas 2024!!! Yes, you read that right, we are ready for 2023 except for a small amount of baking and there are just so many good gift inspirations being shared now that I decided to start gathering ideas for Christmas 2024!!!

I'm making notes, gathering patterns and making plans ... Christmas 2024, here I come!

This teacup and saucer normally sit on a dresser in my home, so when it came time to decorate that area for Christmas, instead of packing the cup and saucer away, I just added this little cross stitch pillow and some jingle bells.  When Christmas is over, I'll pack away the bells and cross stitch pillow with the other Christmas stuff and go back to enjoying the beauty of the teacup on its own.

When you live in a small house, you learn to work with foundational pieces, such as this teacup and saucer and the grapevine wreaths that hang on my doors!  When space is an issue, you learn to get creative!

(This mooey cross stitch pattern is a free one that I got HERE.)

  Why I do Blogmas:  

It's no secret that I love everything about Christmas!  From the day after Thanksgiving till the last box of Christmas decor is packed away and put back in storage for the next year, I love every bit of it!   My husband and I are senior citizens who generally spend the holiday season alone.  While we do have lots of very good friends and our church family nearby, all of our children live far, far away and have children of their own to make holiday memories with within their own homes.  They are very thoughtful to include us in as much as possible via technology and we are so grateful to them for going beyond the extra mile to include us.   

I started doing Blogmas because I had a choice, either lose myself in sorrow over what I could not change or embrace the love I have for the season and share it with others.   I chose to share my joy in the journey not only with my children and grandchildren long-distance, but with others who love the season as I do and who just might find themselves spending the holidays alone as well. I hope in some small way you get a glimpse of holiday joy through these Blogmas posts and that it spills over into your life this holiday season!

Meet you back here tomorrow!

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

~ sharing my home and my faith ~

Follow me on Instagram HERE!

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.

Blogmas 2023: 12/14

We've been waiting for a time when we could drive around in a nearby town and look at the Christmas lights ... we did that last night ...

The 12 Days of Christmas were a sight to see, I couldn't get all the 'days' in one picture, but you get the gist of it in this picture ...

10 Lords a leaping ...

11 pipers piping ...

12 drummers drumming ...

As we drove slowly through the display, we sang the song ... out loud and with gusto!

Right around the corner was this display, it was beautiful!

We drove through neighborhoods, down main street and all through town.  There were so many decorations and displays.   I took several pictures, but in order to protect the location and privacy of the displayers, I'm not going to show more.

We really enjoyed our Christmas lights sightseeing drive, it's another thing we can mark off our Christmas bucket list for 2023.

 Why I do Blogmas:  

It's no secret that I love everything about Christmas!  From the day after Thanksgiving till the last box of Christmas decor is packed away and put back in storage for the next year, I love every bit of it!   My husband and I are senior citizens who generally spend the holiday season alone.  While we do have lots of very good friends and our church family nearby, all of our children live far, far away and have children of their own to make holiday memories with within their own homes.  They are very thoughtful to include us in as much as possible via technology and we are so grateful to them for going beyond the extra mile to include us.   

I started doing Blogmas because I had a choice, either lose myself in sorrow over what I could not change or embrace the love I have for the season and share it with others.   I chose to share my joy in the journey not only with my children and grandchildren long-distance, but with others who love the season as I do and who just might find themselves spending the holidays alone as well. I hope in some small way you get a glimpse of holiday joy through these Blogmas posts and that it spills over into your life this holiday season!

Meet you back here tomorrow!

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry

~ sharing my home and my faith ~

Follow me on Instagram HERE!

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

Sharing 43 years' experience of frugal, prudent living and pantry building 

My second blog:  From This Heart of Mine, where I share my love for God and His Word through my personal Bibe study.  Physical preparedness is important, but not near as important as spiritual preparedness.  Ladies, join me over at From This Heart of Mine and study God's Word with me.

You can view my privacy policy HERE.

Thank you for using my Amazon affiliate link when placing your Amazon orders. I earn a small percentage that doesn't increase what you pay, and it helps me keep my pantry well-stocked! 

Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links.  This means that if you click on the link and place an order, etc I earn a small fee at no increased cost to you. Thank you for your support through these means.