by Jamie Jeffers | Dec 2, 2015 | Holidays
December is a month that can be overwhelming for many of us. There’s the rush of the holidays, with the new year looming. School is wrapping up for a long break (that usually means extra tests and projects). There are concerts and plays to attend, parties that require gifts and goodies, family traditions to celebrate, and in our home a few birthdays to pay special attention to (lest they be lost in the madness!).
It’s easy to feel defeated by the load. It’s tempting to spend your time napping since you can never get it all done anyway!
But before you pull the covers over your head, let’s put together a plan.
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Nov 30, 2015 | Goals
*this post contains affiliate links
I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and a nice relaxing weekend!
We had a great Thanksgiving day. Then I was able to find some good deals and get a good start to my Christmas shopping over the weekend.
Here’s how we did on the goals last week:
Home and Barn
Clean, clean, clean in prep for an easy Thanksgiving (although we are travelling, not hosting) and also so we can start Christmas decorating on Black Friday- Move goats into a different pen and do some repairs
Bathroom project! (Even baby steps are moving us towards our goal)
Money/Frugal Goals
Be very picky about my Christmas shopping This wasn’t a SMART goal, but I feel good about how it went.Earn 250 Swagbucks I was able to cash in for a $25 Amazon gift card! FYI, the $25 is cheaper than the other denominations of Amazon cards.
Family Goals
Enjoy our favorite Thanksgiving and Christmas season traditions togetherPrepare a Jesse tree for Advent (I’ve wanted to do this for several years!)Work on the Baby’s First Christmas stocking (that should have been done 2 years ago…whoops!!)
Blog Goals
Continue to grow Twitter accountWrite a Thanksgiving post
Personal Goals
- Daily Bible readings
- 6 Burpees on 5 days
- Finish reading Better Than Before and blog about it
- Eat 5 fruits and/or veggies per day
New goals for the week:
Home/Barn
- Deck the halls!
- Declutter 5 bags of stuff
Money/Frugal Goals 
Family Goals
- Jesse tree for Advent
- Finish Baby’s First Christmas stocking (We use these to celebrate St. Nick Day each year.)
- Make cookies
Blog Goals
- Grow Twitter account to 300
- Get a week ahead on posts
Personal Goals
- Daily Bible readings
- exercise 4 times
- Finish reading Better Than Before and blog about it
- Eat 5 fruits and/or veggies per day
That’s where we are this week! How will you spend your hours this week? Is there anything you still want to accomplish in 2015?
by Jamie Jeffers | Nov 26, 2015 | Holidays
Today is Thanksgiving, and my list of blessings is long.
I am most grateful for the Lord for giving me the gift of life and blessing me every single day. I am grateful for my family, the reasons that I do every thing that I do! I am grateful for my friends who have shared so many things with me and helped me out when I needed it with an ear to talk to, a ride for a child, and so much more.
I’m grateful for all of my readers! I would have no reason to blog without you.
I truly hope you have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving Day today.
~Jamie
by Jamie Jeffers | Nov 25, 2015 | Happiness & Giving, Holidays
I admire the fact that my nieces and nephews don’t actually roll their eyes in annoyance when they’re asked “How’s school?” by adults for the 20th time. If you ask a kid that question and expect anything other than “Good” for an answer, you’re fooling yourself!
Meanwhile, the dinner conversation is turning into a precarious area. You just know there will be a brawl at the first mention of Donald Clinton.
There’s only one thing that can fix these problems.
A good laugh!
Keep these up your sleeve to bring a festive mood to your Thanksgiving meal!
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Nov 23, 2015 | Meal Plans
Happy Thanksgiving Week, everyone! Hope you have a blessed time spent with family and friends.
If you are still putting together Thanksgiving ideas, be sure to check out these 10 Amazing Side Dishes for Your Thanksgiving Pot Luck.
You also might enjoy seeing our family’s Thanksgiving menu with a great recipe for a super moist turkey.
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Nov 23, 2015 | Goals
I had great plans for last week. However, lurking germs had totally different plans! Not much you can do when your little ones are fighting a stomach bug. So several of our plans had to be laid aside.
I’m just thankful that it was only a minor stomach bug since there are so many parents out there worried about far worse things happening in their children’s lives!
So not a whole lot of things got checked off of my list. And since it’s going to be a short holiday kind of week, I’m not even going to move all of those things to this week. We’re going to focus on food, family, and gratitude!
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Nov 20, 2015 | Ways We Saved This Week
TGI 5 Ways We’ve Saved Money This Week Friday!
I’m so happy you feel the same way.
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Nov 19, 2015 | Holidays, Recipe
Jump to Recipe
Not long after getting married, my Hubby and I started celebrating Practice Thanksgiving.
What’s Practice Thanksgiving?
It’s a family tradition that we made up.
But there were good reasons for us to celebrate this tradition. And I think you might want to adopt a Practice Thanksgiving for your family, too.
Here’s why.
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Nov 18, 2015 | Happiness & Giving, Holidays, Parenting & Household Tips
Finding the perfect gifts for parents who have everything is challenging. Thankfully, you can just grab something from this easy list!
It’s time to go shopping, and you know you have to find something special.
The trouble is figuring out what to get as gifts for parents who have everything!
Sure, they might tell you not to buy them anything, but it doesn’t seem right. I mean, how can you show up empty handed for the people who gave you life?
Don’t worry, I’ve got you covered.
They’ll love these gift ideas! (And they probably don’t already have 5 of them in their attic.)
What Do You Buy As Gifts for Parents Who Have Everything?
Let’s look at some suggestions that won’t add clutter, but can be appreciated by most people.
(more…)
by Jamie Jeffers | Nov 17, 2015 | Debt, Happiness & Giving, Saving Money
*this post contains affiliate links
While I like to blog about frugal ways to raise a family, I have a guilty little secret.
My name is Jamie, and I have a fast food problem.
(more…)
I'm Jamie, and I want to help you afford a beautiful life with your family. 
