Over Christmas Break, our family enjoyed using up a few restaurant gift cards we had been sitting on for a while. One was to Olive Garden — a place our pasta-loving kids have never been before.
We’re not big on kids’ meals because they usually don’t have great options and don’t fill our kids up, so instead, we often order multiple adult meals for everyone to split.
Everyone feasted on salmon, 2 types of lasagna, chicken fettuccini, 5-cheese ziti, chicken parmigiana, and of course… unlimited salad and breadsticks. We tried a little of everything until we were stuffed (with plenty to take home).
I wasn’t paying much attention to the cost of each meal when we ordered, but I was pleasantly surprised when we got our bill and saw it was a whopping $0.10 less than our gift card! We couldn’t have planned it better if we tried!
A “free” family night out and a night off from cooking were a couple of my favorite things over break. I’m sharing several more favorites below.
Favorite Moment = Roller Skating
My mom took a bunch of the grandkids to a roller skating rink over Christmas break — and I went too.
I used actual roller skates (not rollerblades) and had so much fun.
I was a little unsteady the first few times around the rink, but I guess it’s like riding a bike — you just don’t forget! The kids all had fun with their cousins too. 🛼
Favorite Routine = One Small Change
For the last 15 Januarys, I’ve committed to one or two small changes in an effort to improve my health (physical, mental, and/or spiritual).
NOTE –> I shared my 2025 update and my 2026 small change last week.
I’ve been thinking a lot about these small changes and how overwhelming it would have felt to even think about all these changes 15 years ago. I never would have thought I could have done it all.
However, one little change each year (all year, until it became an easy-to-do habit) has made the difference. It does feel like a lot of extra work in the beginning, but then it becomes a habit that I integrate into my life without much thought or effort.
Then the next year, I do it all over again.
Don’t underestimate the power of one small change, compounded over time… you might not get anywhere quickly, but you’ll eventually get there if you stick with it!
I’ve come a long way in 15 years — and if I can do it, you can too!
RELATED READING: How one small change can transform your life.
Favorite Food = Home-Canned Applesauce
We ate our last jar of home-canned applesauce at the end of October… and for the first time in my entire life (at least that I can remember), I purchased store-bought applesauce.
It was terrible.
Dave said I was being dramatic (never!), but if you’ve ever done a taste-test between store-bought sauce and deliciously pink home-canned applesauce made with a variety of fresh-from-the-orchard apples… there is no comparison.
I didn’t realize how much I disliked store-bought applesauce until I actually bought it and tried it. Needless to say, Christmas break couldn’t come soon enough (that’s when I always do my applesauce canning.)
It took the better part of a day, but the kids actually helped quite a bit, and now we’re stocked with 42 quarts (which should last us another year).
Here’s my entire process… it’s a little overwhelming, but also fun and rewarding.
Also, here’s a single-batch stove-top recipe for chunky cinnamon applesauce. I often make this for holidays or special occasions. It’s faster and easier, but you only make one pot.
Favorite Convenience = Self-Checkouts
I know some people absolutely hate self-checkouts, but they honestly save me so much time.
Not only can I check out super fast, but I can also make sure all my items ring up at the correct prices, and I can bag them according to how I will put them away (some items go in the pantry, others in the fridge, others in the deep freezer, others in the outbuilding, etc.)
I’ve been using the self-checkouts at Aldi and Meijer for a long time, and I was happy to find that our local Costco recently added self-checkouts too.
A bit of a learning curve, but my preference every time, no questions!
What about you? Do you love them? Hate them? Or sort of indifferent?
RELATED READING: My Month-Long Aldi Shopping Experiment
Favorite Book = A White Bird Flying
Last month, I shared a fairly old book I enjoyed, A Lantern in Hand, by Bess Streeter Aldrich. Well, thanks to many of your suggestions, I read the sequel, A White Bird Flying, over Christmas break (along with several other books).
It was just as good of a read, and I enjoyed following the original main character’s granddaughter (after the grandmother’s death in the first book).
Probably not a win for everyone, but I loved both books!
READ THE BOOK: A White Bird Flying
Favorite Thought to Ponder = College
Over the last 2 months, I have received an oddly high number of emails from readers asking what we think we might do for our kids for college. (Short answer = we have no idea yet).
During that same timeframe, I had 2 friends randomly tell me about the choices they are leaning towards for their current high school students (these were completely separate events, I didn’t ask, and we weren’t discussing college or careers).
And then… I recently listened to one of my regular podcasts about homemaking, and the guest was the founder of DegreeFree.com — a resource for 16 to 20-year-olds who might be wondering what to do next.
All of this talk about college, careers, and various post-high-school options has been swirling around in my head for a month or so… and while I probably should feel a bit overwhelmed by it all, I’m actually really excited.
There are so many options for our soon-to-be-college-and-career-age kids, and they aren’t necessarily getting the pressure I got to “go to college” as the default.
Obviously, college will be the necessary path for many, but not for everyone… and I’m excited to see the skills and interests of my kids develop over the next several years, and hopefully be able to help them navigate their many options.
I definitely don’t have any answers, but I’ve enjoyed hearing from many of you and doing a little online research. If you have thoughts (or real-life experiences), feel free to leave them in the comments. I know many other readers would like to read what other families are doing and why (be kind, there are no “right” answers). 😉
RELATED READING: Why we don’t have college funds for our kids.
Favorite Winter Hobby = Knitting
I only know how to knit basic dishcloths… and I usually only do it in the wintertime, but I really enjoy knitting when I make the time to do it.
I ordered more of my favorite Sugar n’ Cream yarn over Christmas break and got to work making a new batch of kitchen dishcloths for myself.
NOTE: Here’s a YouTube tutorial on how to make the exact dishcloths I make. Also, here’s a link to purchase the same dishcloths on Etsy for only $3.5o (not sure how she can sell them that cheaply!)
Clara bought a beginner crochet kit (used on Marketplace) with some of her Christmas money, so now I’m finding patterns to crochet dishcloths. It seems pretty simple, so maybe we’ll learn together, and she can be my new dishcloth maker!
RELATED READING: How to have a hobby when you don’t have the time.
Favorite Decor = Vintage Calendar
I found this vintage wooden “calendar” at an antique store many years ago. I’ve had it displayed on one of our windowsills ever since, and the start of a new year feels like a good time to highlight this fun old-fashioned calendar!
I love the look of it, and the kids love sliding the “windows” to the correct day/date.
You can find these pretty easily on Etsy or Ebay… and I can’t imagine it would be too difficult to make one if you were handy!
RELATED READING: My Favorite Farmhouse Paint Colors
Favorite Recipe = English Muffin Bread
Over the busy fall months, I resorted to buying English Muffins for our homemade Egg Sandwiches… but I’m committed to making this easy and delicious English Muffin Bread in the new year again.
This is a recipe I’ve been making for many years (from Dave’s mom), and it literally tastes exactly like an English Muffin (only better!)
I now use mostly whole grains and often ferment the dough overnight… but the original recipe is absolutely delicious!
TRY THE RECIPE: English Muffin Bread.
Favorite Quote
“Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can.” (Arthur Ashe)
This is a great quote for the start of a new year… and something I need to remind myself of ALLLLLL the time. I’m a detail person, and I like to have all the details figured out before I start, but sometimes, you just need to get started and see where things go.
Maybe you can’t do exactly what you want to do or in exactly the way you want to do it… but just start with what you have and do what you can.
Don’t let obstacles and excuses prevent you from doing what you want to do (and yes, I’m preaching to myself here too!)
I actually wrote an entire blog post about this several years ago — if you’re interested!
Favorite Archived Post = S.I.M.P.L.I.F.Y.
Several years ago, using the acronym S.I.M.P.L.I.F.Y., I created an 8-step program to help you clear the clutter from your home and life.
I also created a free printable to remind you of the 8 steps… perfect for the start of another new year!
Read the full posts here: SIMPLIFY – 8 Steps to a Clutter-free Home.
That’s all for this month. 😆
If you’re interested, you may scroll through all my Favorite Things posts HERE!
Jude Ledebuhr says
FYI, I subscribe to: da*********@************40.com & in today’s email was this article which reminded me of you “Ten frugal living tips from the 1950”
Jude Ledebuhr
Rochester MN
Andrea says
fun! I love some good frugal-living tips 🙂
Christina says
This has to be Terry Hall! We did this with our kids and had a blast! I love it!
Andrea says
it’s not! We went to GR Skate b/c they had a good deal over Christmas break 🙂
Linda Logan says
I love the Arthur Ashe quote you used. Another favorite Arthur Ashe quote of mine is:
I accepted the fact that as much as I want to lead others, and love to be around other people, in some essential way, I am something of a loner.
Arthur Ashe
Andrea says
haha — yes, I can totally relate to this (introvert here!)
Michelle says
Roller skating is one of my favorite childhood memories! I’ll hear an old song on the radio & that’s what I think of ❤️
Andrea says
it was a very fun afternoon — and I think my kids were shocked with how well I could skate! 🙂
Meghan says
Yes to dining “family style” at Olive Garden! My family of 5 did this in Italy because truthfully you never really know what you are going to get. We didn’t want anyone to be stuck with something that didn’t meet their expectations so we started ordering a bunch of dishes and sharing! We need to do this in American restaurants too – thanks for the reminder!
We have one child in college, one in high school, and one in elementary. We always thought we had a plan, but it really depends on what is happening when your child graduates. We have enough money in a college savings plan to pay for each child’s tuition (not room and board) at a public university. We planned for our son to live at home (we have 3 big universities within 30 minutes of our home) or pay his own way to live on campus. We realized, however, that it would be best for him to live on campus for his own personal growth, but he is super frugal and because of our income he can’t get grants or subsidized loans. We have the ability to pay for his room and board, so we do. Even with the tuition money we have set aside for the rest of the kids, they may get a huge scholarship and not use all of it. Then what? Do we write them a check? All that to say, even with a plan, you don’t really know what will happen.
Andrea says
Thanks for this, Meghan — I’m getting so many different perspectives today. I love it!
I agree about living on campus, it can be a great opportunity for growth, so I’m glad you son can have that chance.
I recently read an interesting article that mentioned if you waits to go to college until they are 25 years old, they can apply for grants without needing to share their parents income (because they are off your tax info by then). The article was saying that if kids worked for 5-6 years after high school to save up money and get some real-life real-job experience, then went to college at 25, they’d get significantly more grant money and have so much more in savings to pay their own way. They’d also likely have a better idea of what they actually want a degree in, versus when they are 18 and have no idea what they want in life.
Definitely counter-cultural, but an interesting idea to consider for those families who otherwise wouldn’t qualify for grant money.
Meghan says
That’s a really interesting perspective. My first reaction as a mom is fear that life, marriage, and kids would happen and the person may never have a “right time” to attend college. But then, I used to work with non traditional students, and they were generally more focused and dedicated than those who went to college right out of high school.
June says
We did not start college funds for our kids. We both had 90,000 student debt together when we were done college, so all of our money went to paying that off. Now we are focused on retirement. I have one kid so far who wants to go to college, so we will see what happens. We are committed to figuring it out with him together. But we have also encouraged him to apply to a couple colleges that offer free tuition to families under certain income level.
Andrea says
thanks for your perspective, June.
Yes, the amount of college debt some parents have prohibits them from helping their kids with college. I know many people with kids in high school who are still paying off their own student loands from 25 years prior. I know there are tons of scholarships and financial aide options, so good job navigating that with your son!
Leanne says
we were able to start saving for college from the very beginning…. we started a 529b account with a gold coin that a patient gifted me when I was a 27 year old nurse!! (I love to remind my boys that!)…
My oldest son, who hates school, decided to forgo college. He did a trades program in high school and now works as a machinist; his ultimate plan is becoming a police officer and, here in Indiana, most of our local police forces do not require a college degree!
my youngest son has homeschooled through his high school years…because of this, he’s graduating a year early 🙂 he works as well! For his senior year, he enrolled in our local community college’s high school transitional program… when he graduates in May, he will have several prerequisites done for the nursing program…
on that note, I received a 4 year nursing degree, but encouraged him to only get his associates in nursing! we are so desperate for nurses, that almost every hospital system I know will pay for further education for nurses, whether they want to get their bsn or masters… he can get to work faster, save money, and use the hospitals’ funds…
I would encourage anyone going into healthcare to get on with a hospital system that offers education funds…I know several young people, who hire into lower paying positions, who are getting nursing degrees, radiology degrees, and other types of certifications that will eventually lead to hire paying careers…
Hope this helps someone out!!
Happy New Year, Andrea!!
Andrea says
This excellent advice — and I know it can be trusted coming from you, Leanne!
Thanks for sharing your kiddos’ situations with those of us who are a few years behind you 🙂
Kara says
Wednesday’s are my favorite – new posts from Andrea! I would also be interested in your “tweaked” English muffin loaf recipe. I grew up with my mom making it and love it, but I’m newer to fresh milled flour this last year and would love to make it with a trusted adjusted recipe with FMF. Thanks, Andrea!
Andrea says
Hi Kara!
Thanks for your kind words — Wednesday are my favorite day too b/c I get all kinds of nice comments and emails 🙂
I just responded to the other question about using freshly milled flour, but I’ll leave it under your comment too, so you can get an email!
If you want to do whole grains with no other alterations, just swap 50% – 60% of the all-purpose flour with freshly milled flour and make the rest of the recipe as-is. That’s what I’d recommend doing to start with. You can see how you like it and then adjust from there to get closer to 100% freshly milled flour. When I use 100% freshly milled, I often throw in 1 Tbs. of wheat gluten and 1 Tbs. of soy or sunflower lecithin (in place of a bit of flour) to help soften the dough a bit.
Jen says
I make your English Muffin Bread ALL the time and give it as gifts with my homemade jam. It is ALWAYS a hit! Happy New Year to the Dekkers!
Andrea says
yay — so glad you’ve been enjoying it ALL these years. I’m excited to get back in the routine of making it again (crazy how fast you get used to store bought when it’s so easy!)
Melodie says
I love reading your blog each week!
For the English muffin bread, you referenced using whole grains. Can you share that version? I mostly grind all of our flour and am always looking for recipes others have tweaked! Thank you!
Andrea says
Hi Melodie!
If you want to do whole grains with no other alterations, just swap 50% – 60% of the all-purpose flour with freshly milled flour and make the rest of the recipe as-is. That’s what I’d recommend doing to start with. You can see how you like it and then adjust from there to get closer to 100% freshly milled flour. When I use 100% freshly milled, I often throw in 1 Tbs. of wheat gluten and 1 Tbs. of soy or sunflower lecithin (in place of a bit of flour) to help soften the dough a bit.
Donna Marie says
Your blog is so inspiring!!! It is also uplifting too! Happy New Year!!!
Andrea says
Thank you Donna Marie!
Happy New Year!
Patty says
I LOVE self checkout! Have you tried “shop and scan” at Meijer? This is next level self checkout and has been a game changer for me.
Andrea says
I’ve thought about the shop and scan so many times… but I”ve never done it. I know my mom has though — so if she can do it, I definitely can too. Maybe that should be something I figure our in 2026! LOL!
Patsy Y Dodgson says
Happy new year, Andrea, and thank you. I look forward to Wednesdays. Patsy
Andrea says
Thanks so much Patsy!