Christmas is only 1 week away and all those family parties, company pot lucks and church functions are haunting me in the search for the perfect cookie, dip or side dish that is quick and of course cheap because that is the only word my budget recognizes right now.

Cheap Family Meals just wrapped up a week of Holiday Dishes that fit any budget. They are all simple to prepare and inexpensive, even for a large group gathering.

Here is a quick list of the YUMMY Holiday Recipes featured on the site:
(just click on the name to open the recipe in a new window)

Side Dishes:

• Macaroni and Cheese in the Crockpot (perfect for a hot pot luck dish)
• Asian Mandarin Salad
• Hot Vegetable Toss

Dips:

• Chicken Dip
• 7 Layer Mexican Dip
• Easy Sunset Dip
• Creamy Ranch Dip

Desserts:

• Pumpkin Cake
• Shortbread Cookies
• Chunky Monkey Bites

You have got to check out Cheap Family Meals for all you last minute Holiday Get Together. And to help recover from the Christmas Spending Cheap Family Meals is dedicating this week to Cheap Family Meals that are $5 or less to prepare. I think all of our budgets can use a little relief right now!

No reindeer today Santa came to visit the children of my neighborhood on top of a firetruck. Sirens a blaring and all. Each year our Fire Department loads Santa on a fire truck and zips him through the neighborhoods waving and throwing out bags of yummy treats to all the kids.

Santa didn’t make it directly down our street this year much to the kids disappointment but my husband the storm chaser kick in and quickly became a Santa chaser. He was able to track Santa down a few blocks away and the kids got to see Santa up close and of course get their bag of yummy treats. Now the kids sit and sip a cup of hot cocoa as it is so cold and snack on their treats. You can see and hear their little imaginations take flight as they discuss with each other their wishes for Christmas, their curiosity about where the reindeer are and of course the fact that Christmas is only 12 days away and they just cannot contain their excitement.

We are so blessed to live in one of the greatest communities.  I can honestly say we cannot afford to live here, it really is beyond our financial means, but I couldn’t imagine living anywhere else. What kind of Holiday traditions does your community, church or neighborhood hold. I would love to hear about it. Leave a comment or send me an email.  Money is tight this year but the memories we create are priceless and better than anything else they last forever.  Happy Holidays -MommyMachelle
[ad#ad-6]

My daughters top ten was the #1 search on my site for the last week so I thought it deserved it’s own category on MommyMachelle.  Kourtnee is of course elated and has agreed to share these important facts with us on a weekly basis. So here we go another top ten facts my teenager finds interesting.

Kourtnee’s Top Ten Most Interesting Facts:

#1-The human body can survive longer without food than without sleep. While starvation takes a few weeks you would die after about 10 days without sleep.

#2-With more than 250,000 sweat glands each, your feet are among the most perspiring parts of the body. In one day, each foot can produce more than a pint of sweat! (Now she knows why her feet are so stinky!!)

#3-The 57 on Heinz ketchup bottles represents the number of varieties of pickles the company once had.

#4-Karaoke means “empty orchestra” in Japanese.

#5-1 in 5,000 north Atlantic lobsters are born bright blue.

#6-You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching TV.

#7-Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least 6 feet (2 m) away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush. (I’m sure the dentist also recommends my 3 year old stop putting the toothbrush in the toilet.)

#8-A car that shifts manually gets 2 miles more per gallon of gas than a car with automatic shift.

#9-Children grow faster in the springtime.

#10-On average, there are 178 sesame seeds on each McDonald’s Big Mac bun.

Thanks for the contribution Kourtnee, you have outdone yourself yet again!
[ad#ad-6]