Recipe For Leftovers

Since the Christmas feast has ended the only question that remains is what to do with all the left overs. By now we are all turkey-ed and ham-ed out but we may still have a bunch of it left.

You may have already made ham salad or turkey salad. You have probably had ham for breakfast on biscuits or a sandwich for lunch. Well enough said about stuff we have done. Let's get to the recipe.

Ham Croissant Casserole

Ingredients
3 Large Croissants (5 inch size)
8 oz. cooked ham
1 1/4 cups swiss cheese
6 eggs
1 cup half and half
2 Tablespoons honey
1 Tablespoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

• 1. Spray 10-inch glass deep-dish pie plate with cooking spray. Cut croissants in half lengthwise; cut each half into 5 pieces. Place pieces in pie plate. Sprinkle with ham and cheese.
• 2. In large bowl, beat eggs, half-and-half, honey, mustard, salt, pepper and nutmeg with whisk.
• 3. Pour egg mixture over ingredients in pie plate; press croissant pieces into egg mixture to moisten completely. Cover tightly with foil; refrigerate at least 8 hours but no longer than 24 hours.
• 4. Heat oven to 325°F. Bake casserole covered 35 minutes. Uncover; bake 25 to 30 minutes longer or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

I found this recipe in an old Southern Living Christmas magazine. It has become one of my favorite drinks to have for breakfast instead of the usual orange juice. It's called Brunch Punch, doesn't it sound fun and happy, plus it is really good?

Brunch Punch

1- 46 oz. can pineapple juice, chilled
3 cups orange juice, chilled
2 cups cranberry juice, chilled
3/4 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup lime juice

Stir everything together and serve immediately, or cover and chill 2-24 hours. Be sure and give it another stir before serving because the powdered sugar will settle to the bottom.

Now all you have to do is add some hash browns, maybe some fresh fruit and "ta-da" breakfast or Sunday brunch is served.

Here's hoping you will enjoy adding a couple of new recipes to your folder. May your New Year be bright and prosperous. Plus remember to stay "Thrifty" in all your resolutions.

Last Minute Decorating!

Christmas is just a very few days away and it might be time to take a deep breath in order to remember "It's a wonderful life." Many of us will watch this Christmas classic again this year so we can see exactly what it is like to forget the really important things we have right in front of us.

That being said I wanted to share one last minute decoration. This could be a gift for that someone who just loves Christmas. I saw this on Pinterest, my go to place for good ideas. Then just last week while visiting Joann, I saw this cutie hanging on their wall for $39.99. Oh dear, time to get busy being a Thrifty Sissy.

Here's Joann's cutie!

So off to gather the supplies to make this cutie. One very gold frame missing the back from the Goodwill Outlet. Cost $.50. One roll of ribbon from Joann's after Christmas sale last year. Cost $.50. One set of bells we have been using as an ornament on the tree for the past few years. Cost zero. Then there is that Christmas pick which came from Hobby Lobby's 50% off sale last year $.89. Oh, I almost forget the pipe cleaner to gather all of the things together and attach them to the frame. Cost zero. Total cost of this Joann imitator $1.89.

Now for the unveiling of the imitator!!!! Ta Dah!!!

Just remember it's never too late to pull a "thrifty cutie" together with things you have on hand. This looks really good on the door to garage which was bare of anything "Christmasie." Enjoy your wonderful life this week and look around at all the people who are gifts to you straight from the heart of God.

Merry Christmas to Y'all!!

Christmas Card Idea!

It's terrific Tuesday, welcome to Thrifty Sissy!

Let's get our jingle on while we talk about Christmas cards. What's a person to do with all the beautiful Christmas cards we receive? They are special to us because our friends and neighbors took a moment from their busy schedule to send us a reminder to enjoy this special season.

Ideas abound from clipping those cards onto a garland, a wreath or setting them on any flat surface like the mantle or end table. Some people have even taped them to the door frame. Let's think outside the box for a moment. What about using those 5 X 7 picture frames you have around the house? Christmas cards will fit perfectly in them.

 Now all you have to do is place them around your house. This a real "thrifty" decorating idea. Total cost ... zero. You just gotta love thrifty especially when it is cute, too.

I hope all of you have a blessed week as we prepare our hearts and minds for the celebration of the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Holly Jolly Christmas House Tour

Oh! It's that wonderful time of the year. Thanks so much for stopping by for our Holly Jolly House Tour. I hope you will grab a cup of your favorite coffee or hot chocolate as you sip and see our home.

The silver tin angels welcome you in the front door along with some plaid deco mesh ribbon hanging on the winter greenery. It was really an accident that the plaid ribbon ended up looking like it was gathered around the mirror. It was originally tied to a wreath last year and became a redo this year.

As you enter the dining room you will see the Goodwill Outlet lighted swag on the mirror and three candleholders rescued from a garage sale (Thrifty Honey painted them white), sporting some striped ribbon for the Holly Jolly Christmas. A little greenery placed around them with some big ornaments adds color and dimension. On the other end of the credenza is a white tray with some Christmas mugs, ornaments and a framed Christmas print.

Moving on into the kitchen you just have to add a little joy to the top of the fridge. A couple of wooden trees, a gift and of course who can resist a snowman. Plus candy canes are always in order for this time of year.

The kitchen table is where all the important things take place so out with the white tablecloth and red placemats. What would Christmas be without the reindeer? Many years have seen these four reindeer plates on a table at our house. Lots of greenery covers a multitude of problems so that's what is surrounding the hurricane vase full of red and green ornaments. Then there is that chandelier you must put a garland and some candy canes with red polka dot bows to add to the festivity. LOL!

Any little area gets some sort of attention during this time of year. This cookie cutter tree is on the bar that separates the kitchen from the living room.

Now to the crown jewel ... the tree. We've had this tree for at least eight years and it still looks good with a little fluffing. Decorating it is such a special time seeing the ornaments from years past as we reminisce about where they came from or who gave them to us.

The last part of the tour is the mantel. This is a special part of our house for me. For many years we didn't have a mantel and I used a faux mantel with some of those silly plastic logs that had a light behind them to look like they were burning. Now that we have the real thing it gets special treatment. By adding a few Christmas books, a homemade Noel banner to the greenery and ornaments you've got it merry and bright.

Thanks for stopping by our Holly Jolly Christmas Tour. Be blessed with your home as you make it special for your family. While Christmas trees, candy canes and fun decorations are important don't forget to celebrate the real reason for the season ... Jesus.

"Make Do" Christmas Decor

Well, aren't we all beginning to get in that holly jolly mood. I've got a couple of make do decorations to share with you. The first one is a scraggily Dollar General (cheap tree), left from a couple of years ago, with a Goodwill Outlet wreath added to the bottom to fill in the empty space. Not bad for a $.50 fix.

The second one is a real make do creation. A month ago I was helping someone move and they were throwing out this old bench. Enter ... a Pinterest idea. The board with letters and a wreath spelling JOY. Thrifty Honey helped get the bench apart (what a man). You all know that barn wood or distressed wood is priceless for projects. Then I got the letters from Hobby Lobby 1/2 off. Total for the letters 10.99. The red paint was free from Lowe's Valspar give away last year. Of course the wreath is from the Outlet ($.50.) The ribbon was a leftover remake from Christmas past. Total for the Joy board $11.49.

I hope these ideas spur you on to see the thrifty possibilities in old stuff you already own as well as things people are throwing away. Free is always best for a "Thrifty Sissy."

Have a wonderful week and remember to stay "Thrifty."

Christmas Thrifty!!

Hello, welcome to all things thrifty.

Today's post is about combining some new items with the old stuff to give it a different spin. I just started my Christmas decorating this past weekend. I was determined to find places for the all the decorations I snagged at the Goodwill Outlet. If you will remember at the Outlet you pay by the pound only $.79 for home decor.

The first picture is a greenery swag. It even has battery powered lights. All I had to do was fluff the greenery a bit, add a bow made out of the roll of ribbon from the Outlet and hang it up. Final cost $2.00.

This is the first year I have decorated the inside of the antique hutch. Those snowmen are from the Outlet as well as the wooden box with all of it's decorations. ( See previous post about the box) Those plates came from Dollar General a few years ago. The books and candles were leftovers from Christmas past.

That little red truck on the top shelf came from a yard sale. I thought I over paid for it at $7.00 but when I compared it to the one I really liked at Target that was $20.00 I felt pretty thrifty. While Target is one of my favorite places to shop they can be a little pricey but you can get some great ideas! 

This little number combines a couple of ideas from Pinterest. The sled with the wreath on it and that little black tub with the birch logs, lights and greenery. I had the sled. The wreath and ribbon came from the Outlet as well as the black tub. Our neighbor cut down their birch tree so I brought a couple of limbs home for Thrifty Honey to cut so they would fit in the tub. Don't pass up something you can use even if someone else has thrown it out. LOL! Total cost for this project $4.00.  

Here's hoping as you begin your decorating for this wonderful season you will be inspired to look at the things you have in a completely different way. Total cost for all these new decorations $13.00. Oh, and don't forget to stay merry, happy and Thrifty during this season.

The Power of a List!

Morning to all you thrifty folks!

It's shopping. cooking, baking, wrapping time along with all the parties, kid's school plays, plus the out of town guests and family get togethers. Even writing all those things down overwhelms me. How's a person to get it all done and keep up so you don't miss any activities?

Enter the list! Oh the power of a list! Yeah, I know we might take a minute or two and write down what we need from the grocery store but this time of year everything begins to amp up. We really need to remind ourself of the power of a list. While we might believe we can remember everything why would we take a chance?

While there are plenty of cute little notepads to make your lists on you can use an old notebook or a piece of copy paper. The main thing is to make your list so you can keep up. I can't tell you how many times I didn't make a list of things needed for a recipe and when I got ready to make my special dish I was missing something. That's really bad especially if you have a lot of the ingredients already mixed up. LOL. I'm determined to not be caught short or miss a single thing this year.

Remember the power of a list ... it's your best friend.

Christmas Decor! Thrifty of Course!

Well its's Marvelous Monday!

We all know Christmas is just a very few weeks ahead. So we might as well catch up with the retailers who have had decorations out for how long? LOL

Now you all know I like a bargain and for me one of the best places to get one is at the Goodwill Outlet over on Berry Avenue in Nashville, where they sell things by the pound. They are in the Christmas mode too since a lot of the buggies they brought out for the "diggers" had Christmas stuff in them. So this Thrifty Sissy jumped in with both feet and did I get some good stuff or what?

I had visited one of the florist shops in our little town just a few days earlier and saw a really neat little wooden box with a handle filled with greenery, ribbon and berries. The price was way past thrifty ... $49.00. So when I saw a similar little wooden box. a roll of plaid ribbon, some greenery and a berry bush in the Outlet buggies, I grabbed them. When I checked out with my bargains I found out the Outlet has reduced the price per pound on all housewares from $1.39 to $.79.

Wow! The total for all the goodies I bagged was $3.00. When I got home I rummaged though the box of odd ornaments and found three red dot Christmas balls and added them to the little box decoration. Now I realize it is not an exact replica but it is close enough to get the place of honor in the front hall.

Here is picture of the original Christmas box.

Shh! Don't tell my secret. Here are the items I snagged at the Outlet.

So are you ready for the Thrifty Sissy reveal?

Really this is nothing more than sticking some greenery in the box, adding the berries and the ornaments then sticking a ribbon into the box. So maybe this will give you some ideas for your own thrifty version of something cute you have seen. After all it's never to late to get ready for Christmas.  

Have a very thrifty day!

Calendars! Planners! ... Keeping it Together

Good day to everyone!

I guess you have already started to see the 2016 calendars and planners in some of the stores. As we get closer to the end of the year they will flood every store and kiosk in the mall. Some calendar designers are trying to get a leg up. They are putting out the next year's calendars in June of the current year.

Here's the thing. If you see a planner or calendar you like in June you had better get it because it will be gone by the time you need it. I saw one at Target in June and went ahead and bought it so I could get in the new calendar rhythm.

It took me a about an hour or so to get all the stuff transferred from my old calendar/planner over to the new one but now I'm on track. You may be someone who uses your iPhone calendar instead of a paper one. But a couple of years ago I got burned really bad doing that. My phone messed up and I could not retrieve any of my appointments or special plans. Wow! That's a wake-up call when you don't have a clue when your doctor or dentist appointments are scheduled. Plus you have made commitments to other people and you are totally in the dark about them. So this girl got back to paper really quick.

My favorite calendar is one where you can see the entire month at one glance and then the following pages are sectioned into weeks with plenty of room to write reminders and a to do list. I also put flyers or event notices in the front of the month in which they are happening. That way I have all the information about them right at my fingertips. With a calendar/planner like that I only have to keep up with one thing. I don't know if you have any problem remembering things you need to do or not but I do. I can be in one room and think of something then before I can get into the next room I can't remember what it was I was going to do.

I leave my calendar/planner open on the kitchen counter. I kind of call it my control center. We all know most important things happen in the kitchen. LOL. So when I pass by it I look to see what's on the schedule today. I take a quick look at the entire month on Sunday night so I can see what's in store for me. This helps me get things together before I race out the door. Most of the time I go ahead and put those the things I will need in the car so I don't get halfway to where I'm going and realize something I need is back at the house. This may sound silly to you but it works for me so I'm just passing along info hoping it might be of some help to you.

This is my new mid-year calendar/planner. I don't know what else to call it. At least now I'm on the new calendar schedule.

If you are not a calendar girl I hope this will inspire you to become one. Every girl needs to have her act together and a calendar is a great place to start.

Happy calendar day to y'all!!

Candy Corn Pennant

Good Morning to All!

A few weeks ago I saw the cutest pennant that had fabric painted to look like candy corn. I thought well surely I can do something similar. I had some canvas fabric leftover from another project but I didn't have any of the right paint colors. I ended up at Hobby Lobby buying the three colors needed. I also had some leftover fall-ish, pumpkin fabric that I cut into strips to fill in the spots between the candy corn. I also found some burlap and 1/4 inch orange ribbon in the fabric basket to use as what I like to call "fluff."

Well you can't make a candy corn shape without a pattern so I just sketched one out on a old manila envelop. Then I traced the pattern onto the canvas. I should have used pencil instead of pen- a big mistake but the paint pretty much covers the trace marks up. After I painted each area of the candy corn I cut them out and hot glued them onto the orange/white twine. Then I added the strips of burlap, ribbon and fall-ish fabric in between the corn.

Total cost for the candy corn pennant $6.00. Given that the one I saw was $16.00, I think that is pretty thrifty. The main idea I hope you see from this project is to just give it your best try. I surely am no artist but if I give myself permission to fail it tends to take a lot of the pressure off. I'm sure you have scraps of fabric, ribbon and maybe even some leftover paint you could use to get crafty.

It's craft sale time all over our area so when you see something you like just take a minute or two and check out how it's made. You may really be surprised when you see how simple some things are made. So get your thrifty self out there and make something cute.

I hope all of you have a wonderful week and stay "Thrifty."