As I tried to figure out how to still spread holiday cheer, it dawned on me the most meaningful presents I’d received weren’t things that could be purchased at a mall: the black-and-white picture of our son, Justen, in an antique frame; a rosebush my friend Barbara helped me plant in our backyard; a series of Bible verses my friend Katie put in bright yellow frames; my grandmother’s recipe box my mom gave me after Grandma Edna passed away.

I realized then, I, too could come up with thoughtful gifts yet stay within our Christmas budget. Here are 20 inexpensive gift ideas that convey the love of Christ in a special way to others:

1. Now You’re Cookin’. People constantly look for new dishes to put on their table. Why not compile the recipes you’re famous for into a hand-made cookbook? For an extra treat, add a jar of homemade salsa to inspire the future cook.
2. Two-for-Two. Last Christmas, my friend Kimberly, who lives 400 miles away, gave me a one-year devotional with this note: “I bought two copies of this book—one for me and one for you. Even though we live apart, we’ll always be on the same page.”
3. Double It Up. Always get double prints when developing film. When I leaf through my pictures at the drug store, I mentally decide who gets the second print of my favorite snaps. I recently came across a great picture of my mom and daughter. While still at the drugstore, I found a frame for it. Instantly, I had the perfect Christmas gift for my hard-to-buy-for mom.
4. Memory Makers. Here’s another way to use double prints: Take a selection of pictures and slip them into a memory book to send to faraway relatives.
5. Coupon Craze. My friend Tokoshi is a genius at flower arranging. As a gift to me, she printed coupons redeemable for floral arranging lessons taught by her. She put the coupons in a bag with floral scissors and a list of other items I needed to bring to “school”. Whether your coupons are to teach your niece to bake or your mom to scuba dive, you’ll be giving two gifts in one: the lessons and your time.
6. This Is Your Life. When my friend Linda turned 50, her best friend gave her the issue of Life magazine from the week she was born. This inexpensive gift she scooped up at an antique store was the hit of the party.
7. Letter Brigade. My friend Bill wanted to give his wife, Patti, something special while staying within their newlywed budget. On the sly, Bill contacted Patti’s closest friends and relatives and asked them to write letters to her about why she’s special to them. Bill had the letters mailed to his office, then wrapped them up to give Patti on Christmas.
8. Reading Room. For your child’s teacher, try an age-appropriate book signed by your child to add to the in-class library.
9. The Gift of Paper. Give your child’s teacher a gift certificate to your local bookstore, coffee shop, or café, along with a note of appreciation. In Proverbs 12:25, it says, “An anxious heart weighs a man down, but a kind word cheers him up.”
10. Game Time. Age-appropriate games are great to play in the classroom on rainy days.
11. Trinkets for Teachers. Disposable cameras, blank videotapes, roller-ball pens, note cards, and stamps are often expenses that come out of the teacher’s pocket.
12. Subscribe Today. Do you have a budding shutterbug in the family? Show your support for your child’s passion by giving him a subscription to a photography magazine. Buy the current issue off the newsstand and wrap it up with a few rolls of film.
13. Custom Costuming. Stretch your children’s imaginations. Decorate a box to hold cast-off uniforms, jewelry, hats, and shoes to create a treasure chest of dress-up clothes.
14. Play It Again. Make a recording of yourself reading your child’s favorite book so he can hear it over and over. This gift will be appreciated by your child as well as the baby sitter!
15. Auto Shop. For the car lover, grab a bucket and fill it with car-care items: chamois, wheel cleaner, glass cleaner, leather conditioner, and an air freshener. Many of these items can be purchased in “trial size” bottles at an auto parts shop. (If you’re lucky, you may get your car cleaned, too.)
16. Personal Shopper for Dad. Offer to shop for the women in your dad’s life. If your father’s anything like mine, this is the best gift you can give him—and your mom!
17. Total Control. A master remote control will let your guy have reign over the stereo, DVD player, VCR, TV, and surround sound all at once. There are many remotes that will do the job for under $20.
18. Family Field trip. Give a family membership to a local museum or zoo. Be sure to find out what special events and benefits exist for members: a special newsletter for kids, members-only hours, discounts on programs and at the gift shop.
19. Cherished Moments. Last Christmas, my friend Vikki received a “Memory Jar” from her friend Dawn just before Dawn moved out of state. On pieces of paper Dawn wrote her favorite memories they’d shared and put them in a decorative jar. Now, even though they’re apart, they keep filling the jar by adding things they continue to remember or new memories they make on trips to visit each other.
20. Baby Blessing. When our kids were young, our neighbors prepaid our baby sitter for five hours. We had a wonderful night out, and our kids had a great night in with their favorite baby sitter. If you’re short on cash, do the baby-sitting yourself.

With a little prayer, creativity, and thoughtful planning, you’ll have a gift that will be both lovingly given and joyfully received.

20 Gifts that Are More Thought than Bought

The irony? Some of the first people who answered were my friends on Facebook – one of my biggest time suckers if I’m not careful. (Anyone else? Or am I alone in this?)

I know you are going to expect me to say things like “Give up 30 minutes of TV,” and for some of us, that may be required, but I also know that your 60 minutes of Glee may be the only real downtime that you have. (And by downtime, I mean watching Glee, folding laundry, paying bills on your laptop and packing kids school lunches in the next room…)

So here are a few things that have been working for me lately. (As technology changes, so does my list of how to save time.)

1. Getting Groceries Delivered  When I’m on deadline for writing a book, and showering suddenly becomes optional, I go to my saved list on Safeway.com and have my groceries delivered to me. Sometimes I get coupons in my e-mail for free delivery, and sometimes it costs me around $7. But, if $7 can be traded for a shower, I’m on board. Another variation on this is to swap off with a neighbor for that mid-week Oh no we are out of milk and peanut butter. Be sure to give detailed lists so it doesn’t create more problems than it’s worth.
2. Making the Kids Do It  OK, if your child is 18 months, skip this tip. Wait – no! Read it! Be planning in advance when your kids can take over certain chores – dishes, garbage, vacuuming, sweeping and mopping. Training ‘em early, train ‘em young, train ‘em often…
3. Limit Computer Time  I am now trying to give myself a two hour window each night where I don’t get on the computer for work, play or Facebook.  When 90% of your job is on your HP laptop, that can be a challenge, but I have found that if I know I am going to have a definite end to my work day, I tend to get more things finished than if I fool myself into believing I have all night.
4. Make an Appointment with Your TV  Remember when we were growing up and we knew we had to be home on Thursday nights because that was the night that The Cosby Show was on (OK, maybe it was just me who had a thing for Heathcliff…)? Now I never know what night anything is on because our TIVO is recording something, every moment of the day. How great – I can watch anytime I want. The problem? I can watch anytime I want. I am setting aside some time to watch the shows I really love (Modern Family, Kell on Earth, 30 Rock etc.) and shutting off the TV so I don’t watch hours of Dateline on ID. (OK, if I am sick in bed with a cold I will have an ID marathon…)
5. Nighttime Routines Setting the coffee the night before, putting out my walk-the-dog tennies, packing up my bag to put by the front door the night before, all of these little items not only get me out the door faster in the morning, but they let me sleep better the night before as I don’t wake up every three minutes thinking to myself “Wait, did I remember to…?”

Q4U – What is the best time-saving tip you have been using lately? Please share your wisdom in the comments below. I would love to put together a resource of all the best ideas – won’t you contribute your brilliance?

5 Ways To Get More Time for the Important Stuff (and no, I am not going to get on you about watching TV – much…)

I has been a long week. I have had the flu and after feeling super-yucky for a while, I came home after a speaking engagement on Thursday and (if I were living in a Jane Austin novel,) took to my bed.

I will announce the winners of the Husband Mini-Project on Wednesday. (I will let my super-assistant Sunnie handle the details – otherwise I will start sending out books to people randomly.)

It the meanwhile, I would love to spend this week sharing and collecting great slow cooker recipes. This is so the time of year to be dragging out the Crockpot!  Plus, if you share a recipe that I love, it may be included in my upcoming book, The “What’s for Dinner?” Project.

So please, share your best slow cooker recipes with me and check back each day for something new and yummy.

Here is the first recipe from my agent Rachelle Gardner (if you are interested at all in writing, be sure to check out her award-winning blog.)

Salsa Tri-tip Sandwiches

1 bottle beer (can be non-alcoholic)
1 jar salsa (mild to hot, your choice)
2-3 lbs tri-tip roast
Sandwich rolls
Mayo

Put the tri-tip in a crock pot and cover with beer and salsa. Cook for about 6-7 hours on low. To serve, slice it thinly or shred with a fork, put on sandwich rolls with mayo. Use the extra sauce in the crock pot for dipping (as “au jus”). Easy and the whole family loves it!

If you don’t have a crock pot, you can put the meat, beer and salsa in a baking dish, cover and bake in 400 oven for about 3 hours.

Crocktoberfest and Finishing Up the Mini-Project

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours, 15 minutes

Ingredients:
•3 lbs. bone-in chicken thighs, skin removed
•14 oz. can diced tomatoes with Italian seasoning
•6 oz. can tomato paste
•1 cup chicken broth
•1 onion, sliced
•4 cloves garlic, minced
•1 cup sliced mushrooms
•1/2 cup dry red wine
•1 tsp. dried Italian seasoning
•1/8 tsp. pepper
•1/2 tsp. salt
•2 Tbsp. cornstarch
•3 Tbsp. water
Preparation:
Put all ingredients except cornstarch and water in your slow cooker. Cover and cook on low 6-7 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked and tender.
For a thicker sauce, combine cornstarch and water in small bowl and mix well with a fork to remove lumps. Stir into slowcooker; cover and cook on low 15-20 minutes until thickened. Serve with hot cooked pasta, if desired. 6 servings

Crocktoberfest Day #3 Chicken Cacciatore

I guess I am hunkering down for winter – here is my second recipe in a row that is for the crock and is all about the beef…

And who can blame me – I made the tri-tip on Monday and let it simmer all day in the slow cooker. It was the warmest, coziest day I’ve had in a long time. There is just something about the smell of dinner in the pot in the late afternoon that is a very good thing…

SLOW COOKER BEEF STROGANOFF

2 lbs. beef (round, sirloin or stew meat)
2 med. onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 sm. can mushrooms
2 1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 c. bouillon
3 tbsp. tomato paste
1 1/2 c. sour cream mixed with 4 tbsp. flour
Brown beef; add onions, garlic and mushrooms. Sauté until onions are golden brown. Put in crock pot with the remaining ingredients. Stir thoroughly. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Serve over pasta or rice.

Please share your favorite crock recipes here. Who knows – you may be included in my next book, The “What’s for Dinner?” Project.

Crocktoberfest Day 2 SLOW COOKER BEEF STROGANOFF