Make It Yourself Gift Ideas ~ Handmade Christmas

Money tight? I feel you. With six months left until Christmas, many of us have more time than money. I can remember a few Christmas Eves when I was up until the wee hours making doll dresses for my girls. 

 If you're feeling the money crunch more than the time crunch, here are a few ideas for homemade gifts. 

Remember: 

• Christmas is about Jesus
• Christmas is about people not gifts
• Being thrifty is no indication of your love and care for the recipient.
• Use what you have on hand as much as possible. 

Now for the ideas:

Paper Craft

~ greeting cards 

~ decorate recipe cards

From the Needles

~ tribbles
~ dishcloths
~ aprons
~ mittens
~ doll clothes
~ skirt
~ tablet stand
~ camera bean bag
~ key chain
~ Christmas stockings
~ hair baubles
~ casserole hot pad
~ drawstring bags
~ kitchen curtains
~ tote bag
~ pillow cases
~ ornaments
~ crocheted chains for hair ribbons
~ tea towels
~ doilies
~ pacifier clip
~ accessory bag
~ earbud pouch
~ baby bib
~ tea wallet
~ shawl
~ slippers
~ socks
~ cape
~ camera strap
~ Bible cover
~ mug rug
~ tissue holder

Crafted
~ arrow holder (quiver)
~ CD holder for car
~ strap for guitar
~ ornaments
~ magnets
~ candles
~ soap
~ coasters

From the Kitchen
~ cookies
~ homemade vanilla
~ recipe scrapbook with photos or on large cards
~ bread
~ quick breads
~ homemade mixes

Acts of Service
~ all clothes ironed
~ clean out car
~ babysitting


Be creative! Your imagination and ingenuity can make a thrifty budget stretch far!

Happy Christmasing!

Laura

Thoughts on Sixty

Me at three

My sixtieth birthday bothered me more than other milestone birthdays. It is strange to realize that even though I've always thought of old as 30 years older than my current age, I'm on the cusp. Confidentially, it helps that I have friends that a few years older than I am. I've been watching as they gracefully meet the challenges that our sixties bring. Some of those challenges are ones that have blindsided them.

Maybe that is why I've felt bothered. My fifties rather blindsided me.

My fifties decade was punctuated by breast cancer, Covid, children flying the nest, moving to a new home, financial burdens, and strained relationships that are now healed. All very difficult things. BUT GOD.

God prepared me for the decade by helping me to be immersed in the Word. I started using YouVersion, now Bible.com, to listen through the Bible in 2011. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God." Romans 10:17. It was my friend, Deb in Florida, that originally challenged me to one of their reading plans. I had no idea that I would get addicted to listening to the Word! It became a big deal for me to read or listen ahead of the plan. I guess it's probably similar to a dopamine hit. God used that to transform my thinking. 

Why did this make a difference? Oh that's probably a blog post in itself.

Most importantly, when a wrong thought came into my head or was spoken to me, I immediately had scripture, even if it was a fragment, that popped into my head to refute it. 

I never went through the why me stage of mourning my cancer; because, "It rains on the just and the unjust," Matthew 5:45. The first moment I had the thought, that verse immediately and automatically course corrected my thinking. Thank you Jesus!

This is what it means to be "transformed by the renewing of your mind". Romans 12:2

You know the strangest thing about turning sixty? It bothered me a lot until...

I woke up on my birthday feeling free and happy! A new decade! A new start! I am so blessed to begin another year—especially after my fifties. That was over a month ago, and I still like being sixty.

God is so good to me. That will never change. Now, what shall I do next?

May God bless you all!

Laura

My birthday post

You may enjoy:

• A Little Randomness 1998
• Homeschooling— If God Leads You to It, He'll Lead You Through It
• Ripples on the River

Happy Lately #2

Hi y'all! 

Here are some things that are making me happy lately.

Early morning Bible reading on the patio.

I finished my Christmas socks.

I wove in all the zillions of yarn ends on my socks. Finishing made me happy.

This dog bone pillow supports and comforts my neck while riding in our car.

We have a new hummingbird feeder. We moved it under a tree with flower baskets on either side.

I enjoy listening to my Bible.com app morning and night.

What's been making you happy Lately?

Please talk back!

~smile~

Blessed, 

Laura 

* If you make an Amazon purchase within 24 hours of using one of my links, I receive a tiny sum for sharing with you. There is no cost to you. It's just one way to support me. 

Goodreads:    Laura Lane 2025 Goal 60 books ~ 30 Finished so far
Ravelry:         HarvestLaneLaura
Facebook:     Harvest Lane Cottage
Instagram:    @lauraofharvestlane

Make Do Chicken Lentil Stew

    It's been a tight month here at the cottage. Whenever we are short on money, it's made up out of the food budget. That's just the way it is when you live on a shoestring budget. 

    So I've been getting creative in the kitchen— using things up and making do. Cooking from scratch is key. I've been using our small budget for fill in things that we need like onions and potatoes and butter.

    This is a chicken lentil stew that I made earlier this week. My husband really liked it, and he insisted that I write down how I made it. This isn't so much a recipe but the method I used to put it all together. You may not like lentils, but hang in here with me. There are options. 

    I had two chicken legs in the freezer. I put them in the slow cooker with some dried minced onions, salt and pepper. I covered it all with boiling water from my electric kettle (I love it so much, I bought a second for a gift.); then, I cooked it all on high until I had a nice broth and cooked chicken. 

    Okay, here's where the creativity began. I chopped three stalks of celery, an onion, and several carrots and sauted them in a bit of butter in my electric skillet. I found some sliced okra in the freezer and put in about a cup. After the onion was done, I spooned the broth into the skillet and set the chicken aside to cool. I knew I needed more bulk. My choices were potatoes, barley, rice, lentils, or noodles. I chose lentils, because they are nutritious, and I had some I needed to use up. 

    Next, I opened the spice cabinet. I chose garlic powder, Italian seasoning, more salt and pepper, and a bit of turmeric. Interestingly enough, when it was done, the primary flavor we tasted was rosemary.

    I simmered it all, adding a bit more boiling water as needed, until the lentils were soft. The carrots and celery were still just a bit firm, but they were done through. Meanwhile, I deboned the chicken and added it to the stew. 

Delicious!

Now, do I expect you to do it like this? No. Absolutely not. I'm sharing this to show you that you can start with something as simple as a couple of frozen chicken legs and end up with a delicious soup or stew by just adding in whatever ingredients you have on hand. 

What do you have in your freezer, fridge or cupboard? The options are endless if you don't hold yourself to a recipe. 

When times are tough, it's all about possibility thinking. What can you do with what you have? That's what I'm doing. I invite you to pray and ask God to help you do the same. 

Have a wonderful week my frugal friends!

Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

P.S. Tonight I'll stir fry cabbage a neighbor gave us with some hamburger and onions. It's comfort food for us, because it's something I made for the kids when they were growing up. We can do this thing together. 

Do you have any simple meals that you make when times are tough? 

Let's learn from each other and encourage each other. God always provides.

 

Happy Lately #1

Hi y'all! 

Here are some things that are making me happy lately.

Visits from my son's Paco

Sewing projects

for my Etsy store reopening September 1st

Finished projects 

Knitting scrappy socks

Starting my 60's

with a new mug

Portable fans to help with heat and humidity 

I LOVE this one.

This fast, sturdy USB-C charger

Listening to scripture first thing in the morning and last thing at night using Bible.com app

What's been making you happy Lately?

Please talk back!

~smile~

Blessed, 

Laura 

* If you make an Amazon purchase within 24 hours of using one of my links, I receive a tiny sum for sharing with you. There is no cost to you. It's just one way to support me. 

Oh Dear! What Should I Do?

 Oh dear, what should I do? To paraphrase Robert Burns, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." Just a few days ago, I shared my summer reading plans. It was just long enough to keep me busy all summer. Now, I find that the first book, Dead Sea Rising, by Jerry B. Jenkins has a sequel! I really want to know what's going to happen! I can read the sequel without paying anything extra on Everand.com, but I'm trying to hold off and read some of my other books. What do you think I should do?

Amazon Link

  Tracy commented on the post that she recently read an old Margery Allingham "Campion" book and thought it very good. She didn't mention the name, but I looked it up and found the first one, The Crime at Black Dudley. It's an old detective who-done-it story. Now I want to read it, too! 

Amazon Affiliate Link

  Oh, what shall I do? There's no end to interesting books to read and listen to. Do you think I should add these to the summer reading list, or shall I save them for my autumn list?

  On a newsy note, I finished a zipper bag for my Etsy shop that I plan to reopen Labor Day weekend. It's been on hold for a few years. I'm experimenting with projects to decide what I enjoy making most and researching to determine what might be best to stock up with. Do you have any suggestions?

  So many things to read, listen to, ponder about, and sew! Oh, don't forget sock knitting, too. I'm always knitting socks!

Blessings from the Cottage,

Laura