Homemade Christmas Gifts And More - Review

Kindle Exclusive

Once again, Susanne, the Hillbilly Housewife has done it.  She has compiled a trove of frugal Christmas gift ideas, old and new, into one handy volume.  At only $2.99, this Kindle exclusive will save you hundreds of dollars on Christmas gifts, not to mention hours of shopping and stress.  

With some inexpensive yet up to date packaging - ideas included in book - cookies, coffee mixes and bath goodies become coveted gifts for family and friends.  The best part is, these don't take all year to make.  In just a couple of sessions, you can easily assemble several bath and body gifts or baked gifts and homemade mixes.  Crocheted and sewn gifts may take a bit longer, but not much if you keep it simple.  Susanne has all kinds of ideas there, too.  There are even simple gifts for kids to make and receive.

I was very happy with the recipe section for baked gifts and mixes, and also the gift basket ideas, but a little disappointed in the handmade section.  There are lots of ideas for handmade gifts, but no directions for any specific crocheted, knitted or sewn gifts, although links to other sites are included.  Also, I would have hoped for a little more in the section of gifts children can make.  That drawback pointed out, I still love the book for the price, and have plenty of other resources for kid stuff.  

I have given many of these gifts myself over the years, yet having it all there in front of me reminded me of how easy and inexpensive gift giving can be, and gave me some inspiration for those on my list this year.

For lots of frugal tips and recipes for low cost home cooking from scratch, see Susanne's website http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/.

To purchase Homemade Christmas Gifts and More, Frugal Christmas Gift Ideas for the Whole Family, (c) 2012 by Susanne B. Myers, visit Amazon.

It's Christmas Time in the City

I just got back to the homestead from visiting my family in the Big City.  It was a particularly enjoyable visit, and for once I wasn't quite ready to come home.  This trip, I was able to appreciate the little pockets of respite in an otherwise dingy, expensive, lonely city life. 

I sat outside my son's apartment, watching him play basketball with his little brother, and admired the palm trees, stretching up above the rooftop of the complex, swaying and rustling in the chilly breeze, waves of green against the blue of the sky.  I took delight in watching the Christmas decorations going up in mom and dad's neighborhood; twinkling lights, inflated, lit-up snowmen, front yard Nativity scenes.  I soaked up some last autumn rays of sunlight on a strategically placed patio nook with southern exposure at my parents' house.  Over the years the old neighborhood has gone from plain and drab to green and well tended, with colorful flower beds, not restricted to the edges of the houses, but creatively scattered throughout front yards.

As much as I basked in the comfort and love of my family, there were those moments when I knew I must eventually return home to my own life, where the background noises come from the chicken coop and the paddocks and a wild indian of a boy, not from constant traffic and electronic buzz.  The early morning aroma is from the barnyard and the juniper trees, and not that peculiar big city odor of mingling garbage and sewage.  And the blankets of stars in the darkness before dawn, outnumber the streetlights ten billion to one.