Can you believe it?

The kids and I were in Target this morning picking up a few odds and ends. When what to my wandering eye should appear, but ..... VALENTINE'S!!

Yes!! In the dollar section of Target they had already put out V-day goodies. I was completely in shock. It's December 20th. It's not even Christmas folks! As I pondered this, I thought, "Well... ok ... Target is whacky again. Someone is being a little bit hasty."

When I got home and sorted through the mail, there was an ad from Family Christian Stores with .... you guessed it .... Valentine's cards!!

Are you ready for ..... not Christmas, but Valentine's Day??

Cheap Christmas Decorations E-Book

If you're like me, I'm always looking for cheaper ways to do anything and everything.

When we started homeschooling, I had no idea that we would be ushered into a world of frugal and cost-conscious families. What a blessing!

Here's the latest resource that I found - a little 17 page e-book with lots of simple, easy, and "why didn't I think of that" ideas for decorating for Christmas. If you're like the Dreifusses, we are STILL decorating for Christmas, even though its the 14th. We hope to finish all of it up this weekend.

Anyway, here's the link to Kathleen Wilson's book.

Let me know what you think!!

Christian ways to Reduce Stress

Here is a great list to keep in mind, especially during the holidays!

CHRISTIAN WAYS TO REDUCE STRESS


1. Pray.

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say "no" to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and unclutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many.)

8. Allow extra time to do things and to get to places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxiety . If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it.

12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13. Have backups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14 K.M.S. (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the Kid in You everyday.

16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.

17. Get enough rest.

18. Eat right.

19. Get organized so everything has its place.

20. Listen to a tape while driving that can help improve your quality of life.

21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.

22. Every day, find time to be alone.

23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until it's time to go to bed to try and pray.

24. Make friends with Godly people.

25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.

26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus."

27. Laugh.

28. Laugh some more!

29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.

30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).

31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

32. Sit on your ego.

33. Talk less; listen more.

34 Slow down .

35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

36 . Every night before bed, think of one thing you're grateful for that you've never been grateful for before.

37. Never borrow from the future. If you worry about what may happen tomorrow and it doesn't happen, you have worried in vain. Even if it does happen, you have to worry twice.

Holidays on TV

I'm totally a Christmas special junkie. I can listen to the 24-hr. Christmas radio station day after day and never get tired of it. I have tons of Christmas CDs. I LOVE CHRISTMAS!

So, to kick off my posts about Christmas, I thought that I would share with you this great link to find all of the great specials on TV and cable.

Just click here!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

One of My Favorite Things

Sorry for the delay in posting. I still have lots of posts in my head that need to make their way on to the Web.

This week, Oprah is doing her "Favorite Things" show. Well, let me share with you today one of my favorite things .... Glad Steamer Bags.

Around our house, we try to eat LOTS of veggies. It's not uncommon for us to have at least two veggies at dinner. That's a lot of cooking separate from the main dish. Yes, I saw the commercial and bought a package of them. Now, I'm hooked. In minutes, I have steamed potatoes, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, etc. They are just as soft (if not softer) then on the stove and take about 60% less time. Not to mention that there is NO clean up. You just toss the bag. (Note: It's at this point that the environmentalist in me cringes, but I'm already addicted)

This morning, we steamed a few apples and sprinkled them with cinnamon to make a kind of apple pie dessert. YUMMY!

The Glad website even has a mini-cookbook that you can print out for ideas.

Enjoy!!

Halloween at the Dreifuss'

Here's a quick peek at Halloween at the Dreifuss' house. Our kids didn't dress up because we fully expected to be in Texas for my grandmother's memorial service this week.

Anyway, Emily Anne and Logan gave out Playdough to the neighborhood kids and we made cookies to celebrate. Yesterday afternoon Emily Anne told me, "But Mom, I was supposed to dress up as a spider!" And I said," You were?" (It was the first I had heard of it.) She replied, "Yes! The itsy bitsy teeny weeny spider!" Of course! Who knew! That would have been super cute!

Anyway, we made milk jug jack o'lanterns for luminarias and of course, carved a pumpkin to complete our festivities. Maybe next year we'll go full out on the costumes.

It could be you!

After living in Florida for a few years, the concept that everything you have can be gone in a moment is never far from your mind. When I watch the news today of the California wildfires, it is that mindset realized.

Do you and your family have a plan?

Every Tuesday, I'm going to walk us through an easy, step by step disaster preparation challenge.

To start, bookmark the American Red Cross website.

Our first week's challenge is to make an emergency plan. Click here for the ARC guide to what your plan should include.

So, let's get started!!

Meet Daisy the IPOD!

It's a momentous day !!!!

Today, in a combination belated Sweetest Day and early birthday, I received my very own ..... IPOD !!

You have to understand that for the past 15 months, I have been pining for one. Bert got his and ever since, the line, "No, we can't listen to that, Daddy has his IPOD" has been a common refrain.

I dream of listening to my own Christmas mix, overdosing on podcasts, and jamming to my hymns while folding laundry. I'm in heaven - and it's all thanks to my over-the-top stellar husband and my thoughtful mother-in-law who celebrated my birthday early.

Have you gotten into podcasts yet? Oh my goodness. They are fabulous! My favorites are John Piper's sermon (we're still listening through his Roman series that lasted over 7 years), also the Dave Ramsey podcast, Family Life and Focus on the Family. Did you know that even NPR comes in a podcast form? How cool?

So, my question today for you is what Podcasts do you listen to?

Ideas for Blog

I had this idea that I could rotate a set of topics on my Blog so that there would be lots of variety, lots of discussion, etc. (Thus, a reason to read it.)

So, here are some of the topics that I have brainstormed thus far --

* Mission Mail - In college, I wrote a weekly email which was a devotional of sorts. This would be along the same lines.

* Update on the young-uns - Of course, since our family reads this, I am obligated to provide the latest accomplishments of our kids and pictures

* Go Green - How we can each save the planet one choice at a time

* Current Events/Culture, etc - This would be stripped right out of the headlines (which I know a bit too well).

* Echo - A day where I pose a question for your response and for us to share as a sort of community

* Once Upon a Family - ideas for your family for upcoming holiday, teaching values to your children, and preserving your family heritage

Those are some of my initial thoughts - let me know what you think!

Weekend Events

We have had a FULL weekend to say the least. Friday night and most of Saturday, we had our church's leadership Conference.

I took a seminar led by Cheryl Scanlan on time (and life) management. Cheryl is also the lady that has led my Christian life coaching group. I can't rave about her enough to the world. You will never find anyone who is so free in Christ, nor who challenges you more to be free yourself. I'll be sharing tomorrow my first baby step from the seminar.

I wanted to put up some pictures from our trip afterwards to the Pumpkin Patch. The weather was gorgeous, though the sun was VERY bright. (You will notice lots of squinting eyes in the pics.) Hope you enjoy!

Why don't YOU RSVP?

WHY DOESN'T ANYONE RSVP ANYMORE??

Currently, I'm planning a church event and I have a 20 person range (either 20 people or maybe 40 or maybe more) will be coming. Do you know how hard that is to plan for?

WHAT IS THE PROBLEM? Why doesn't anyone RSVP anymore? It doesn't take very long to say, "Yes" or "No" or "I'm not sure but put me as a maybe".

Are we just THAT busy? Are we just noncommittal? Can we not be honest with a hostess?

In my humble opinion, it is just plain rude NOT to RSVP. It is a slap in the face of someone who cares enough to invite you to their event.

I'm ready to hear from you about why you haven't RSVP'd in the past?

And if you have something that you haven't RSVP'd for .... stop reading this and go let that person know if you're coming or not!!

A new start

Well, here I am starting a Blog.

I've always wondered how all these Moms have time to write in their Blogs everyday and put all these great pictures and thoughts. Well, I'm going to try my hand at it.
Maybe just because I have all of these thoughts and ideas in my head and I need to vent them a bit. Safely.

So be on the lookout for updates and pics of the family, especially the little cute ones and a few of my own thoughts on life. I'll try to post at least once a week so there's always new content. :)

So, here's a new Blog for you to read. Let me know if you are out there ....