Chocolate is known worldwide. It is thought the Mayans made the first hot chocolate drink over 2000 years ago. The Aztecs had a hot chocolate vision that was bitter and spicy with chilies. The Spanish version replaces the chilies with black pepper. Explorers brought cocoa to Europe, where it became popular. At first, hot cocoa…
If I could only choose one tradition or one cookie to bake, this would be it! You see, for the longest time, I had this vague memory of delicious candy cane cookies that my mom used to make when I was little. I could almost taste the cookies, but I couldn't find the recipe. A…
The following post is from Emily of Live Renewed: 8 Reasons I Avoid Going Shopping Foregoing shopping appeals to both my frugal and my green sensibilities. One of the biggest changes I have made over the past 4 years of my frugally green journey is that I don’t shop recreationally anymore. In my previous lifestyle,…
When I came across these DIY scrabble ornaments, I knew right away that I'd be making them this year! You see, every year, we give our girls a special ornament to add to their collection. These are packed away in individual tins after Christmas so that they have their very own ornaments to put…
The following post is from Jason & Jennifer Bruce of New Season Design: Get organized and keep track of your stuff with these fun labels in a variety of designs. Whether you're looking for a generic "property of" label or specifically for book labels, we've got you covered. These print on Avery Mailing Label 8163 (or…
Although we haven't done one in a couple of years, one of the most popular gifts we've given our parents and grandparents were these handprint calendars. With 4 little ones and 8 sets of grandparents/great-grandparents, they became a little too time-consuming to keep up with every year, but I think we'll probably do them again…
Are these not the cutest cards? Inspired by Martha Stewart, my mom and I had a lot of fun brainstorming our own designs and digging through our "button box" to find the perfect buttons. Every family should have a button box! Ours originally belonged to my Italian great-grandma, Mary Cicero, who gave it to my…
The following post is from Lisa of Working Naked: Have you ever quit a job, worked with certain clients, or quit a sport or hobby because it took too much time and was no longer fun? If so, does that make you a quitter? Not necessarily. There’s a difference between quitting and being a quitter.…
The following post is from Jeff of My Super-Charged Life: Several years ago, I found a job working for a small consulting company. I was a young, enterprising fellow and I thought I’d found a gem of an opportunity. I was getting in on the ground floor of what I believed was a company on…
I've mentioned before that I had three junior high and high school teachers who each contributed to my success with their negativity rather than encouragement. Instead of building me up, like teachers are supposed to, they really did the opposite, both to my face and behind my back. Lately, I've been thinking a lot about…