I love to look around my local swap shops and transfer stations for great free items.  I am the kind of person who will go to the dump on a Saturday to see what is good enough for me to take home rather than for me to drop off.  It may seem odd to think that a person would actually like going to the dump, but most of the people I know do the same as I do.  Believe it or not you can get some great stuff, and best of all, it’s FREE.  I have seen people get Bicycles, Tables, Books, Machinery, Computers, Furniture, Kids Toys and so much more.  I could list everything I have gotten from my local dump, but it would be a very long list!

A couple of Summers ago I got a great find at my local swap shop.  Someone had dropped of an antique dresser.  As soon as I set my eyes on it, I grabbed it!  Not only was it in fabulous condition, but it was my style.  I am drawn to antique furniture and items, I just love it.  When I got it home I turned it into a diaper changing station.  All I had to do was give it a nice wipe down, get a few new knobs and put my changing pad on top, and voila, a great looking diaper changing station with lots of storage.

It has been used as a changing table for the past year and a half and it was now time to move it to my daughters room and use it as a dresser, but it needed a little updating.  I had lots of paint from previous projects, so I painted it a nice antique white and then I painted the knobs with purple and pink dots.  It fits perfectly in my daughters room and I think it look great.  Best of all it only cost me a few dollars for some wooden knobs, and I had a great looking dresser.

Below is the before and after photo of the dresser.

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I always get excited when I am at the grocery store and I notice Eggnog for sale.  I know that this means the Holidays are upon us and the taste of Eggnog is one to remember.  Do you ever wonder why Eggnog is only sold around Christmas…I do.  I did some reading online and found that Eggnog seems to be a winter beverage and only a few select stores will carry it year round.  The most popular times of year to drink Eggnog of course are Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.

Eggnog is made of: milk (or cream) , sugar, nutmeg, and eggs.  traditional modern Eggnog does not contain raw eggs.  Many people like to make mixed drinks using alcohol and Eggnog.  My husband prefers his eggnog with a splash of milk.  I prefer my Eggnog thick and creamy right out of the jug.

With the Holidays upon us I figured I would share some yummy Eggnog recipes I found while doing some research online. Enjoy!

The “Best” Eggnog (Make your own!)

Recipe from Teenyblessings.wordpress.com

4 beaten egg yolks
2 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup whipping cream
Ground nutmeg

Mix the egg yolks, milk, and sugar in a large saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture gets slightly sticky. Remove from heat. Submerge pan in sink or bowl of ice water and stir for 2 minutes. If you wish, stir in whipping cream, 2 tablespoons bourbon, 2 tablespoons rum, and vanilla. Chill for at least 4 hours. Sprinkle each glass with nutmeg.

Eggnog Bread Recipe

Recipe from: Egg-nog.info

3 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 beaten egg
1 3/4 cup canned or dairy egg nog
1/2 cup cooking oil
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup sifted powdered sugar
2 to 3 teaspoon egg nog

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Combine the egg, eggnog and oil; add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until combined. Stir in the nuts and raisins. Turn into a greased 9×5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 60 to 70 minutes. Cover with foil after 50 minutes if bread browns too quickly. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove bread from pan; cool on a wire rack. Wrap bread; store overnight. To serve, stir together powdered sugar and enough eggnog to make of drizzling consistency. Drizzle over bread.

Makes one loaf. 16 servings.

Eggnog Cheesecake

Recipe from: Eggnogworld.com

Crust:
1 cup Graham Cracker Crumbs
1/4 cup Sugar
1/4 tsp Ground Nutmeg
1/4 c Butter, melted

Filling:
1 Env. Unflavored Gelatin
1/4 c Cold Water
8 oz Cream Cheese, Softened
1/4 cup Sugar
1 cup Eggnog
1 cup Whipping Cream, Whipped
1 tsp of vanilla

Directions:
Combine crumbs, sugar, nutmeg and butter; press onto bottom of 9-inch springform pan.

Soften gelatin in water; stir over low heat until dissolved. Combine cream cheese and sugar, at medium speed on electric mixer until well blended. Gradually add gelatin and eggnog, mixing until blended. Chill until slightly thickened; fold in whipped cream. Pour over crust; chill until firm and ready to serve.

Garnish with nutmeg if desired.

Eggnog French Toast

Recipe from: Allrecipes.com

2 eggs, beaten slightly
1 1/2 cups eggnog
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
12 slices French bread

Whisk the eggs. eggnog, cinnamon, and pumpkin pie spice together in a mixing bowl until well blended. Pour the mixture into a shallow dish.
Preheat an electric skillet to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C). Lightly grease the skillet.
Dip one slice of bread at a time into the eggnog mixture, being sure to coat each side of the bread thoroughly.
Place the prepared bread slices into the preheated skillet, and cook, turning once, until golden brown on each side. Place cooked slices on a serving plate and cover with foil to keep warm until all French toast is cooked.

Serve immediately.

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It is that time of year again here in the Northeast, time to start a fire in a wood stove, fireplace or even in the backyard.  We have a wood stove in our home which we have used for the past 2 winters and it has saved us hundreds of dollars.  We would keep a fire going all day and turn the heat down during the day and turn the heat up at night.  Doing this really did save us from buying hundreds of gallons of oil and is a great idea for anyone who has the time.  My husband would chop wood when he had time and stack it on the deck so it was near the door.  We got our wood for free by going to family land and cutting down tree’s that were dead and in need of cutting.  Ask some of your friends and family if they have any dead trees they need to get rid of in their backyard, you may be surprised at how much wood you can get for little work and for free.  Even if you have to buy wood, it will still cost less money than buying oil or gas all winter.

When building a fire in a fireplace or in an outside fire pit you will need to start the fire with something.  Some of the best fire starters are free.  You can use lint from your dryer, pine cones, shingles, newspaper, junk mail and more.  You can buy fire starter blocks from the local supermarket or garden store, but they really are not as good as a free fire starter and they certainly cost more money.

If you plan on having some fires this winter, make some hot cocoa, curl up in a nice warm blanket and watch some TV or read a nice book.  Doing this is one of the best things you can do this winter, you will be so comfy and relaxed.

Here are some neat ideas for starting your fires this winter: ( FYI: Lint is very flammable.)

Walk around your yard and collect pine cones to use as fire starters this fall.  Send the kids out to collect the pine cones too.

Wrap your pine cones with lint or dip them in recycled candle wax and then use as fire starter.

Place lint in the center of a toilet paper roll and use as fire starter.

Place pine cones into an egg carton to use as fire starter.

Use leftover shingles, or old shingles as fire starter.

Use very dry bark as a fire starter.

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