December 18, 2012

Healthy Homemade Granola Gifts-in-a-Jar!

granola gifts

Guest Post by Kelly of The Nourishing Home Everyone loves wholesome homemade granola! Besides being a much healthier option than commercial breakfast cereals, homemade granola’s crunchy sweetness makes it the perfect topping for creamy treats like yogurt, oatmeal and ice cream. And one of my personal favorites is to use homemade granola to create incredibly delicious and healthy homemade granola bars. So whether it’s simply combined with some crispy nuts and dried fruits – or all layered up in a mason jar ready to be transformed [...]

Filed Under: Holidays, Real Food, Recipes Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 20 Comments
December 14, 2012

Holiday Lattes in the Crock Pot {with Free Printables!}

Holiday-Lattes in the Crock Pot at KeeperoftheHome.org

By Rachel, Contributing Writer There is something about this time of the year that makes us love having a hot beverage treat to warm our hands and indulge our taste buds. I think Starbucks and McDonald's may be the ones responsible for that craze, but who knows the amount of sugar and artificial ingredients that are in those! If you are really curious, take a look into this research! The favorites seem to be the gingerbread latte, eggnog latte, peppermint mocha and then the pumpkin spice latte. These [...]

Filed Under: Do it yourself, Frugality, Holidays, Homemade, Recipes, Seasonal eating Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , 22 Comments
December 12, 2012

What Our Children Are Teaching Us About Being Givers

What Our Children Are Teaching Us About Being Givers

By Crystal Paine, Contributing Writer Ten years ago, when my husband and I were first married, frugality was a must. If we didn't pinch pennies, we couldn't survive -- or at least not without racking up a serious amount of debt and financial trouble down the road. So we pinched pennies, did without, and prayed that we'd make it until the next paycheck came in. Times were lean, but God was always faithful. As our income increased, there was the temptation to also increase our [...]

Filed Under: Children, Faith and encouragement, Family life, Good stewardship, Holidays Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , 20 Comments
December 11, 2012

10+ Homemade Gifts for {Almost} Everyone on Your List

10 Homemade Gifts for Almost Everyone on Your List at KeeperoftheHome.org

By Erin, Contributing Writer With just a few weeks until Christmas, the shopping season is in full swing, and the stores are jam-packed with people vying for the latest gadget for their loved ones. But what if you're like me--and don't like shopping, especially with so many crowds? No need to despair! You can take care of your Christmas list with one of these homemade gifts from the comfort of your own home. Here are my top 10 homemade gift ideas for almost everyone on [...]

Filed Under: Do it yourself, Frugality, Holidays, Homemade, Homemade skincare and beauty Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 12 Comments
November 28, 2012

The 3-Gift Christmas

3-gift-christmas

Written by Stacy Myers, Contributing Writer When our first daughter was born, we gave great thought to how we would celebrate Christmas. It was our desire to make sure she knew the REASON for the Christmas season. We didn’t want her growing up thinking Christmas was about Dora and Diego toys or stuffing yourself full of candy until you couldn’t zip up your pants. Because of that, we set out to make sure we fill our Christmas with family traditions that make Christ the main focus. We [...]

Filed Under: Children, Faith and encouragement, Family life, Holidays, Mothering Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , 99 Comments
October 31, 2012

DIY Hall Tree

diy-hall-tree

Written by Stacy Myers, Contributing Writer When we bought our new home, it didn’t come with a coat closet. Bummer. We did have the Jesus closet, but alas, He’s gone somewhere else (thank you, yard sale!). But a girl just has to have somewhere to hang her coat and purse. Laying a purse on the floor is just begging a toddler to reach in and play with your dental floss…or make “notes” on your checks. Being a HUGE advocate of all things Pinterest, I set off [...]

Filed Under: Do it yourself, Frugality, Good stewardship, Homemade, Sustainability Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , 21 Comments
October 23, 2012

Homemade Cocoa Body Scrub and Body Butter

Homemade Cocoa Body Scrub and Body Butter at KeeperoftheHome.org

Written by Brandy, Contributing Writer It's getting to be that time of year again when I sometimes like to smell a little bit festive.  Ya know...aside from the ordinary scent of oatmeal, honey, and whatever my toddler ate for lunch.  As the gift-giving season approaches, too, I'm glad to have these two fantastic recipes for making the most delicious-smelling body scrub and body butter ever! I've already made my own batch, of course, and I need to go get some more half-pint mason jars so [...]

Filed Under: Frugality, Homemade, Homemade skincare and beauty, Natural living Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , 39 Comments
August 17, 2012

5 Frugal Ways to Stock Up on Chemical Free Fruits and Vegetables to Preserve

vegetables

Written by Diana, Contributing Writer Just like clockwork, late summer comes knocking with an explosion of fresh vegetables. This is a typical late summer harvest at my urban homestead.  I do my best to use as much as I can in dishes and the rest I try to put up for the winter. Jars of salsa, enchilada sauce, peppers, and relish line my pantries while I wait to soon be inundated by apples, pears, and grapes. I'm blessed to have most of what I preserve [...]

Filed Under: Frugality, Preserving Food, Real, whole food Tagged With: , , , , , , , 25 Comments