The Thrifty Homemaker

Deconstructed Stuffed Peppers Recipe

2012-04-27T10:30:00.000-07:00

Today on the meal planner was Stuffed Peppers, but as I was driving home, I didn't want to wait an hour and a half for dinner. It was already getting late so I decided to make a deconstructed version of stuffed peppers.

To start off, you need 2-3 peppers. I used 2 huge peppers, but depending on pepper size and family size, you might want more. I sauteed them in oil and some garlic. I let mine cook for about 5-7 minutes. You want them to be nice and soft.

I didn't take a picture of the next step because its pretty easy - add in some ground beef and cook the beef. Pretty simple! I also diced up a tomato and added it after the beef was cooked. When I make stupped peppers, I always use taco seasoning (1/2 a baggie). It adds good flavor and it convinced Andrew, who never liked stuffed peppers before, to be a fan. So, add it in while cooking the beef and tomatoes.

Once your beef is cooked, pour about 2-3cups of tomato juice. It might seem like a lot at the time, but remember, the longer you let this simmer and cook, the more it will reduce.

Add cheddar cheese, about 1-2 cups (our family loves some cheese) and let simmer. I added the cheese before the juice, but really... either way works!

I let mine simmer for 15 minutes or so, as the mashed potatoes finished cooking and the table was set. Total hit! I loved it and Andrew said he enjoyed this way more than regular stuffed peppers.

Now, is it thrifty? Before adding, I would think NOT, but we will see. Remember, these prices are my local prices and what I bought the items for.
1 lb ground beef - $3.07
2 green peppers - $1
2-3 cups of tomato juice - $.50
1 tomato - $.25 approx
1/2 bag of taco seasoning - $.25
2 cups of cheddar cheese - $.25 (we buy in bulk)

Total cost - $5.32
Not bad! The cost of mashed potatoes is about $1 as I buy when on sale.
Notes - green peppers go on sale from $.50-$.67 here. They freeze great. Usually I slice then freeze for stir frys, fajitas, etc. This is the perfect opportunity to use up frozen green peppers.
The total for this meal is about $6.32, which is high for me as I strive for $5 dinners BUT it also provides leftovers for a full lunch for Andrew, so its a dinner and a lunch. Prices are going to vary place to place - I think we live in a lower cost of living area and I know our grocery prices are lower than the national average usually.

I hope you enjoy this. If you try it, be sure to let me know if your family enjoyed it as well as we did!

School - Kickin It Home Style

2012-04-26T16:33:00.003-07:00

Andrew and I are pretty solid in our decision to homeschool, but we still have over a year before she would enter preschool so things could change. But lately, I have noticed that Caelyn is super bored at home. She needs something more and whenever I would engage her in learning, she would eat it up. By learning, I don't mean the normal singing ABCs or reading books. I had bought her a workbook for tracing and she went crazy over it.

So, now that student teaching is done I decided I have plenty of time do some Tot School. I got the idea from many great homeschooling blogs like 1+1+1=1
We started this week with doing the letter A. I got some great printables from the above linked blog. Today we started on working with some crafts. She enjoyed crafts way more than I thought! We spent over an hour working on crafts.

Caelyn is totally into birds. So, while reading a magazine, I saw this great picture of baby birds. So, I glued it on a sheet of construction paper, cut up some yarn and she had some more pompoms.. I put the glue down and we began. The whole time I talked to her about nests and baby birds (what I know about birds - Mom needs to brush up on some learning herself!) We talked about how she watches birds in the front yard finding worms for their babies. She really enjoyed making a nest!

I love these! We have a dry erase board in the kitchen. I found these and scoped them up! Perfect! I write the letter out that we are focusing on, along with some words associated with the letter A. At this age, its more learning in context. She can do a worksheet, but the attention span doesn't last forever. We talk about letters, words, and pictures she knows already. I write out letters and tell her what they are.

That faces tells you she is having a good time! ;-)

Another crafty favorite we have right now! These are foam stick on letters. The back is sticky. She picks whatever she wants and we talk about the letter she picked and the color. She put down the purple E then a few other letters. She picked up the green E and she said "Green E, Purple E" and pointed at the purple one. I was so proud! This picture was for daddy - or so she said.

I wish this picture would rotate, but I will show it again later. This is our felt board I made. I covered an unused cork board in some felt. I went to WalMart and bought a ton of felt sheets. I am in the process of cutting out tons of different things for the board. Today, we did patterns and she loved it. I would make a pattern and ask her what shape came next. We played this for at least 20 minutes. She totally enjoyed it and it was an easy craft for me to make which I will explain later!

School is a little over an hour, at least today. I finish whenever she wants. Throughout the day, learning always continues. She really enjoys flashcards throughout the day of pictures. I am thinking of more crafts to make everyday and ways to engage her in learning. Not every child would enjoy this, but she seems to eat it up and is excited for school tomorrow which is going to involve a collage making from magazine clippings and some more writing and tracing.

Parmesan Chicken with Bow Ties

2012-04-19T16:20:00.000-07:00

(Image Credit)

I generally try to keep all of our dinners around $5 total, which is quite a challenge especially with grocery prices continuing to rise. The most recent copy of All You magazine features 38 recipes for no more than $1 per serving. Perfect! I suggest if you haven't picked up a copy that you do so ASAP!

Wednesday nights are pasta nights. We do themed nights to help me with meal planning. When I was meal planning, I flipped through the magazine and saw this dish. Perfect for pasta wednesdays! Andrew, my picky eater, was fairly skeptical, but it turned out delicious.

Did Parmesan Chicken with Bow Ties turn out to be a recipe that cost me $5 on less? Lets figure it out...
1 box of pasta - FREE! (I hate to pay for pasta. If you pair a coupon and a sale on pasta, you usually can get it for free - at least at Kroger!)
1 can of diced tomatoes - $.56 (thanks Aldi's!)
1/2 bag of frozen broccoli florets - $.53
1 chicken breast (might need more, but this breast was huge and I butterflied it - we all had a nice amount of chicken) - $1
1/2 cup of parmesan cheese - $.50
salt and pepper - pennies!

Grand total for me - $2.59. If the pasta wasn't free for you, then $3.59 - a bargain!

Did I mention as Andrew was eating it, he goes... Ok, so this isn't bad at all! I didn't think so ;-) I paired with some Baked Cinnamon Apples for dessert and I promise, no one left the table hungry! When paired with my cost of dinner and the dessert, I still hit $4.59 - thrifty mama won that dinner!

Baked Cinnamon Apples

2012-04-18T15:51:00.003-07:00

What does a pregnant mom do when she has 8 apples sitting in the fridge going back? Makes cinnamon apples - duh!
Somehow with miscommunication, we overbought apples. We usually prefer Granny Smith apples anyway. These are regular, red delicious apples. So, I had a few extra I knew would only last another day or two. I started thinking about the cinnamon apples I eat at Smokey Bones.... sigh.... But we were just there, its 30 miles away, and costs like $50 for our date nights there and I just wasn't into spending more money right now. So... Why not make it myself?

Baked Cinnamon Apples:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp cinnamon
2 tbsp butter, melted
6-8 apples, peeled, cored, and diced

Preheat your oven at 350 degrees. Peel, core, slice and dice those apples! I usually slice the slices in half. Make sense?! Hope so!
Mix the sugars and cinnamon into a bowl. You'll need a baking dish. Brush it with some of the melted butter. Then toss the apples in the cinnamon/sugars mixture. Pour the remaining butter over top then pop it in the oven for 30 minutes. Its definitely best served warm and we add another sprinkle of powdered sugar before eating.

So delicious and yummy! It makes enough for 2 nights of desserts.

Break down of costs?
6-8 apples (roughly a bag) - $3
sugars, cinnamon, butter - we buy all in bulk so I will say no more than - $1

so total of $4 tops, if all ingredients are already on hand, thats $2 per night for us for a yummy treat - fairly cheap and yummy and way cheaper than going to Smokey bones and getting an order for all of us!

(I wrote this recipe down a long time, I am sure I found it from a website, but who knows which one it was, hence no credit link!)

28 Weeks!

2012-04-17T18:35:00.004-07:00

28 weeks yesterday! Yay! Officially the 3rd trimester! 12 weeks to go and our little boy will be in our arms.

I had my OB appointment yesterday. I had a Rhogam shot and my glucose test, so lets hope for good results for that test!

*Weight Gain: 4 lbs total! Since my last appointment three weeks ago, I gained 2 lbs!

*Next Appointment: April 30th will be my 30 week check up. It will also be the last ultrasound that they measure my cervix! At this point, I have made it this far and we feel confident. (Cone biospy over a year ago could weaken my cervix, causing it to shorten too soon.)

*Sleeping: I sleep well, just having to make frequent bathroom trips gets old after awhile. Oh and 3am seems to be his time to dance because I wake up almost every night at 3am to him going wild!

*Any Problems?: My stomach seems to actually feel heavy. I was walking in the backyard and lifted my stomach up and it made a world of difference! Does this mean I need one of those belly bands? I hope not!

*Movement: He is an active monkey and is doing kicks, flips, and tumbles.

*Favorite moment: at my 28 week appointment, we tried to get a good 4D photo (she tried last week too during my routine ultrasounds) and he was not working with us. But, he was sucking his thumb and it was so precious to watch!

Spring Photos - A Peak!

2012-04-11T19:21:00.003-07:00

27 Weeks With Number 2!

2012-04-09T19:13:00.004-07:00

I kinda cheated - I took this yesterday, but I figured... eh, I won't change literally overnight, so its all good.

Since I'm back to blogging, I want to do an update weekly!
*Weight Gain: last time we checked, which was two weeks ago, I had only gained 1.5lbs, but I figure I must have gained another 2lbs by now. I was steadily losing weight and Brayden was gaining, so I was glad to see an increase in numbers.
* Next Appointment: Next week, the 16th, is my 28th week appointment. I get ultrasounds every two weeks for my cervix issues (I had a biospy which could potentially cause it to be weaker and shorten prematurely). I will get an ultrasound, my 2nd Rhogam shot for this pregnancy, and glucose test. Fun!
*Sleeping: I am sleeping pretty well, minus having to pee like every 2-3 hours. Joy!
*Any Problems?: No problems, just starting to actually FEEL pregnant. Bending over is harder, I need to take things slower, lifting needs to be done with my legs, not back..
*Movement: Oh, he finds my bladder and kicks the crap out of it. He is a mover, pretty frequently, and has a set schedule most days.

All in all, this pregnancy is pretty amazing. I had minimal sickness, I'm not gaining too much weight... Overall, life and pregnancy is feeling good. 13 more weeks til we meet our little man! I can't wait to see his face and squeeze him!

Happy Easter - 2012!!

2012-04-08T19:39:00.006-07:00

Happy Easter all! I hope everyone else had a fabulous day like we did! It started off with just the Caebug and I. Andrew worked :( and because of a large amount of call offs, he was unable to get done early, like he had hoped :(.
But.. We started off the day. She dug into her basket which included two dvds - Team Umizoomi and Max & Ruby, a gardening set, sidewalk chalk, some crayons, and a coloring book. She also got a swing! Plus candy. Duh.
She dug into the candy ASAP which of course resulted in a sugar high!

After awhile, we made our way to Andrew's parents house. They enjoyed watching her dig into their basket at their home - including lots of goodies as well :). Then, Pap Joe hid Easter eggs outside and we went out for an Easter egg hunt!

As a kid, I never did Easter egg hunts every year, but I think its so much fun and she had a BLAST. I think we created a new tradition.

We had such a nice time, despite Andrew missing out on it all. After we spent time with them, we were off to my parents house. They gave her some more goodies and presents, like an awesome bug catching net (my kid is a bug fanatic).

It was my Dad's and Grandma's birthdays today! They decided that they wanted to go to Olive Garden for dinner, so off we went. It was a lovely meal. Caelyn was so good - despite her having to stay seated for soo long (about 2 hours). She ate very well - it was just an overall good dinner out.

Plus, there was birthday cake... and who doesn't love birthday cake?!

Afterwards, we went to Andrew's grandma's house and met up with him and the rest of their family. We all relaxed and talked and enjoyed time together. Then.. we came home and she crashed!
Easter is a very tiring holiday ;-)

I hope your day was fabulous! Ours sure was.

Tomorrow is the last day of my break :( then I have 8 more days of teaching before my student teaching is finished and I am so ready to be done! So excited! Tomorrow is going to be full of things that need to get done!

A Vacation Is All I Needed

2012-04-07T20:52:00.003-07:00

Oh boy.. I sometimes pull a disappearing act and I did it again. I sometimes forget that I love to blog and I get distracted with everyday life. But lately, I've been feeling that drawing to going back to blogging and wanting to expand - wanting to expand into things I love such as gardening, home decorating, and my favorite - saving money, oh plus that little thing called parenting :)

But.. I wanted to give you all an update on how we are over here in this world.

Andrew and I are doing great. I don't think I ever updated this but in the beginning of September, we got engaged :) - my ring is perfect and lovely. Our wedding date - well its always up in the air, but I will explain why very soon ;-)

Caelyn is 26 months old - *cry* - my baby is growing into this little person all her own. On a daily basis, I am in awe of the wonderful things she does and says.
She is just as stubborn as I am, not that I expected anything less. She is beyond smart, loves to play, loves the outdoors, and her parents :).

Today, we went to the annual Easter Egg Hunt at the Pottery Addition Volunteer Fire Department - Andrew recently became the new Assistant Chief. She had a blast!

She played on 'Daddy's Truck' for awhile and later this evening, he took her back over because she had such a blast playing on the truck - future firefighter? Maybe!

We bought a home! I will give you a tour soon :) Its a 3 bedroom home sitting on just over an acre of land. Currently, we are in the middle of adding an addition/sunroom area/family area over top of the garge, so it will look a bit different.

We had a lot of reasons to move. Our other home was just too small, it was a box basically. It was beside a bar and who wants that? Weekends were a nightmare... Plus this leads to one of the biggest announcements....

Our family is expanding as well!

That is right :) We are expecting! This is why our wedding is currently up in the air. We found out at the end of October, right when I found the dress of my dreams - God works in funny ways, right?

My due date is July 9th, 2012 and we are expecting a little BOY - Brayden Joseph. We are so excited. A bigger home was definitely needed for our growing family and we are so happy to welcome him into our home and grow as a family. I can't wait to see Caelyn meet him! I get teary eyed thinking of it.

In this picture, I am 26 weeks 3 days.

So, that is why is going on in the Hayes' house.

I am happy to be blogging again. I want to document the rest of this pregnancy.

I have been student teaching since the end of January. My last day in the classroom is April 19th and I am so ready. Student teaching has confirmed that...

- I am meant to be a SAHM - at least for awhile

- We will soooooo homeschool ;-)

- Teaching is definitely one of the hardest, yet most rewarding careers one could pick.

I know, some people cannot believe I have student loan debt but want to be a SAHM and thats right, I darn do. Andrew recently picked up a second job at Lowe's - its seasonal but we hope it'll become a part time job afterwards or I will apply for subbing after i graduate... I just am meant to stay home, as much as possible! Its God's calling for me.

Happy Easter! I will be back tomorrow evening with some lovely photos from our day ;-)

Penne Frittata with Thyme

2011-09-15T11:06:00.000-07:00

No picture! Sorry :( I sometimes suck at taking pictures when cooking, especially since this was an unplanned dinner.

Thursday evening, Andrew and I were watching Giada at Home and watched her make this meal. We both were like hmmmm.. this looks delicious! So, we changed our mind - no chicken fried steaks for us!
This is the original recipe from Giada

What did we do different?
Well.. we didn't add no lemon zest because I forgot lol. We both really enjoyed it. We used a whole box of penne but next time I think we are going to try to cut this in half. He asked me to put it on the next menu I make! Oh and we didn't have whipping cream - milk works fine!
We also decided next time, it needs some sharp cheddar cheese instead of just the pecorino that we used.

So.. the directions on the website.. But lets figure out if this is thrifty or not, shall we?

6 eggs - $.50 (Kroger eggs are often $1 per dozen)
1/4 cup milk - $.15 approx
Pasta - free (never pay for it with coupons!)
Parsley - Free for me because it came from grandparents garden
Thyme - $.20 (dried)
Pecorino - $2
Salt and pepper - $.04

Total - $2.89

When I add sharp cheddar, it will jump up the price a bit, but this was delicious!

Chicken and Yellow Rice

2011-09-11T09:44:00.001-07:00

This is another very easy recipe that I love and want to share with you. The picture isn't the best - it was taken quickly on my iPhone, but it is what it is!

The first thing you want to do is take a whole chicken and boil that baby!
I boil them for like 1-2 hours usually, mostly because I have a bad memory and just tend to forget it is in there, but that's what I do.

Once it is boiled, I debone the chicken. Put as much chicken as you want into a separate bowl. The rest put into baggies to be frozen for another meal. At this point, take the carcass and boil it down for awhile longer and make some yummy broth - season it and such. Freeze!

Ok.. so once you do that, you need a bag of yellow rice with saffron. You can find this is in a yellow bag in your local grocery store. It ranges from $1-$1.50, depending on the size and brand.

Follow the directions on the back of the rice bag. It takes about 15-20 minutes usually to make it. After about 15 minutes, I put the chicken into the rice and let it cook until the rice is tender.

That is it! Seriously, it is delicious and we all get seconds. I usually pair with corn bread muffins (either homemade or a jiffy box) and some veggie.

The price for this very easy meal?

Whole chicken - $5 (but half of the meat is for this meal and half for another meal so... the actual price is..)... $2.50 (won't even take out the amount of money I save by saving the homemade broth!
Saffron rice - $1.50
Jiffy box mix - $.49
Half of a bag of frozen veggies - $.50

Total price of this very yummy meal? - $4.99

It could technically be lower since I get about two cans worth of broth from it - each can at the store ranges from $.60-$1. Now use that other half of the meat for another yellow meal!

Meal Plan 8/6- 8/21

2011-09-08T19:15:00.000-07:00

Ok so I am a bit behind on writing on my meal plans, but here they are. I went grocery shopping yesterday.. but I had things for Tuesday for dinner. Monday we were at Andrew's company's picnic.

8/6 - Chicken with yellow rice, corn and corn muffins
8/7 - Breakfast for dinner: bacon, eggs and home fries
8/8 - we had country fried steak planned, but while watching Giada at Home, we decided to try her Penne Frittatta with Thyme and it was delicious! Meatless at that so its a cheap new option for us.
8/9 - Chicken and dumplings (leftover chicken from 8/6)
8/10 - Bacon Cheeseburger Casserole
8/11 - Leftovers evening/sandwich night.
8/12 - Pasta with Clam Sauce
8/13 - Crock Pot - Chicken with Mushroom Gravy and mashed potatoes
8/14 - Baked Chicken Croissants (so yummy! Can't wait to post this recipe!!) and French Fries
8/15 - Easy Chicken Bake
8/16 - Caesar Chicken Pasta
8/17 - I bought a Velveeta Skillet Dinner so Andrew can make it - I am sure I will work.
8/18 - Tator Tot Casserole
8/19 - Pork Roast with some kind of potato
8/20 - Chicken Stir Fry and Rice
8/21 - Spaghetti

I buy some frozen veggies and a few cans of veggies so a majority of meals are paired with a veggie. Snacks are a bunch of fruit I bought, toast with apple butter, goldfish crackers, and yogurt. I bought some sweet potatoes to use so Andrew could try them. I am deciding if I want to make french fries with them, mash them, or make chips. Hm.

Sometimes I Wonder Why...

2011-09-05T20:45:00.000-07:00

I did tell you that I would rarely mention Robert and I still plan on not mentioning him much, but today is not one of those days.
Some nights, I stay up late looking through photos online. There is something about flipping through pictures in "albums" on Facebook that makes me smile and cry at the same time. It is seeing 19 months of Caelyn's life flip by in a few minutes and realizing just how much she has changed in this period of time.
During the flipping of pictures, I am bound to come across photos online of Robert. His most recent picture with Caelyn was on Easter 2011, so just about 4 months ago. This is the last photo I have of them together and I am pretty sure it will be the last - permanently.
More days than not, I am at ease with the fact that he has made the decision to not be in Caelyn's life. Who am I to make that decision for him? I am her mother and that fact will never change; I know that I will never leave her side. But, I am in no position to convince him that her having a step-father and a biological father is not a terrible thing. This is his reason behind leaving - that she deserves one father that is always there for her, not two. I am still baffled by this because millions of children are raised with two fathers and come out totally normal. But, I couldn't convince him of this.
I haven't spoken to him since the end of July and will not unless 100% necessary. I do not plan on seeing him, unless necessary - which it will be one day.
I began having problems with him ditching her in the beginning of May - him lying to get out of babysitting, saying he would pick her up yet not doing so, etc. His last visit with her was on June 5. I remember it well. I worked and he had her. I left and told him I was stopping at Andrew's house, which I was about to move into, to drop off paint then I would be up to pick her up. He said no and that he was close to Andrew's home and would drop her off there. When he showed up, he said she was being Satan. He left her and that was the last time he has seen her.
How can a father do that? How can a father not see his child in 3 months?
I sometimes wonder when I am alone if he thinks about her. If she pops into his mind and if he ever wonders what she is doing then. I hope so.
He told us that he wants to give up parental rights and will allow Andrew to adopt her once we are married. We are planning on moving forward with that plan. I wonder if he will change his mind when we move forward with it. There is so much unknown and I hate that, because I like to have all the cards out in front of me. I wonder if his future marriage with his girl won't work out and if that will spur him to want to make contact. We hope by that time that we have had time to work the adoption out.
Most of all, I hope that he realizes that the decision will be permanent. He couldn't decide in 6 years that he wants to be a father to her again because he will have no ties to her except for blood relations and she will have no clue to who he is.

I do my best to not worry, stress, or think about it or him. Sometimes though, the thoughts make their way into my mind. I can't help but wonder. I just pray that God has a smooth plan ahead for us. And that Andrew's pager would stop going off right now. Amen.

Turkey Roll Ups

2011-09-01T20:18:00.001-07:00

I came across the recipe on diaperswappers, so it is not mine to claim! This was actually very easy to make. The preparation time is about 10 minutes and I loved that.

You need a pound of ground turkey
1 package of stuffing
1 can of turkey gravy
seasoning

Preheat your oven at 350

I started off by spreading the ground turkey out on wax paper that was on a baking sheet.
I cooked the stuffing which takes about 5 minutes, so do it while you spread out the ground turkey. Once it was spread out, I seasoned it with garlic powder, onion powder, seasoned salt, and pepper - but this is your meal so use whatever you want!

Once your stuffing is cooked, spread it across the top of the ground turkey as evenly as possible.

Now.... here comes the fun part! Use the wax paper to roll it together. If you just lift the wax paper, it is very easy to do this - slowly
It will look like this....
Pinch the sides closed.
You will want to bake it for an hour at 350. After 45 minutes, take half of a can of turkey gravy and drizzle over top. Save the rest of the gravy for spreading over top when eating.

This was delicious! We all, including Caelyn, had second helpings. This was definitely a good meal and there was even enough for lunch tomorrow for Andrew!

Serve with some kind of potato - mashed, garlic, whatever floats your potato boat!

Look at that swirl of stuffing yumminess!

So, time for a price breakdown to see if this meal was thrifty or not.

1 lb of ground turkey - $2.87
generic stuffing - $1.16
1 can of turkey gravy - $.97

If you serve with mashed potatoes.. that is about 6-8 potatoes for us, so about $1, plus some butter or margarine or whatever you use!!) - about $.25 and some milk about another $.25

The total of this meal, including mashed potatoes is $6.50
Now, this is not as cheap as I like, but if I had thought about it, I bet there are coupons for perdue ground turkey, stuffing and turkey gravy. But still, it is plenty cheap especially because it is a full lunch for Andrew tomorrow so no price tomorrow for lunch!

Make this for dinner and I bet it'll be a hit! Let me know if you do!

School.....Again!

2011-08-31T19:48:00.000-07:00

I started school... again! It is my last year at Franciscan University. I graduated May 2012 and I can do this.

I need to often remind myself that I can do this because my classes are not easy this semester and I think I might die from the amount of typing I will be doing... Or at least I will lose my fingertips.

Sounds fun right?

I am just ready to be finished. This is my 5th, yes 5th, year at Franciscan and I just feel defeated sometimes because I didn't graduate on time. Sometimes I wonder why I am doing this at all because my goal is not to teach, but to stay at home and raise my children. I believe God calls me to that. Sure, I want to teach, but I want to teach my children first, then children that are not mine. I feel in my heart that is what I am supposed to do with my life. If I have the choice, I will homeschool my children so I am often faced with... why are you in school? Why are you so in debt for an education you won't be using for awhile? And sometimes, I don't know that answer.

I am tired of hearing people say that being a SAHM is something that won't happen. Why? In a year if Andrew stays at this job and is no longer considered an extra, he can have overtime every and he will make a lot more money. Or, if he gets a firefighting job, he will be making more money. We know how to stretch a dollar and how to live on a budget. I will do so in order to stay home with my children because I believe it is so important.
I am tired of dreading having to tell people that I want to be a SAHM because somehow, in today's society, it is looked down upon. Somehow, in the span of the last few decades, a person's worth is judged by their income and job status rather than their character and the type of person they are. It is repulsive to me. Our children are our future and there is nothing wrong with wanting to stay home and raise those children.

I, thankfully, am at a school that a lot of women attend and were homeschooled and had SAHMs. They understand my feelings and share the same desires as I. We are receiving an education because of our love for learning and because it will better us as a human being.

I can do this. I have a year left and I will do good.

Or, lets hope I will!

19 Months Old!!

2011-08-28T09:47:00.000-07:00

My little princess is 19 months old today! Holy cow, has timed flown by!!

She is growing and learning with leaps and bounds. This is such a fun (and difficult) age. Something that excites me sooo much is seeing her love for reading, as noted in both of these photos! Currently, she is sitting in front of our bookcase reading out loud (well gibberish but she understands her own self). Its precious and I am so glad that all of our reading to her and encouraging her to read books has paid off.

She runs everywhere. I don't think walking is possible anymore.
She understands so much now. She loves to be a big helper and throw things in the trash for us when asked. She has her own little "chores" such as filling the dogs bowl with food, helping Mommy dust, and picking up her clothes off of the floor and putting them into the dirty hamper.

I think its so important to do things with her such as this. Don't let anyone tell you that they can't because they can AND they find it fun!

What really excites us is her ever-growing vocabulary! Watch out! And don't say anything if you don't want it repeated!
Lately, she has been telling me that things are mean: Mommy is mean, PapPap is mean, Ni-Ni (bedtime, naptime) is mean AND bad lol.
She likes to watch Buddy go outside and will tell me that he is outside and going potty.

There are so many more but it is just exciting to watch her learn! This month has just reminded me how much of a blessing motherhood is!

Sausage Gravy with Biscuits

2011-08-24T20:01:00.000-07:00

I'm pretty sure that gravy and biscuits are in their own separate food category of awesomeness. Nothing screams down home cooking like waking up to some gravy and biscuits, whether it has sausage or not.

Making sausage gravy and biscuits is easy. You will find a million different recipes to try, but I think the best, by far, is the kind that has milk gravy. You can buy the gravy in a can or in those packets that you mix with something and it becomes gravy. While I'm sure its good, its not as good as homemade gravy. So, let me teach you!

If you are going to make sausage gravy, you clearly start off by browning your sausage. If you are just making the gravy, I suggest using some kind of animal grease - bacon grease, sausage grease, because it gives it that special gravy flavor, but using butter, lard, or shortening works as well.

Once you brown your sausage or melt whatever you're going to use, you need to make a roux. All you need to do is add a heaping tablespoon or two or three until no more flour can be mixed in thoroughly. This basically makes the grease thick. Its how your milk is going to thicken.
This is what it will start to look like but this clearly has no sausage in it. I just wanted to give you an idea of what to look for. You want to let it brown for a few moments.
Then comes the milk! When making sausage gravy, I just pour enough milk to cover all of the sausage, usually amounting to about 4 cups, but if you are just making the gravy, then 2-3 cups should be good depending on the amount you are cooking for!

So, you add in your milk. Add some seasoning. For just gravy, I use a heavy hand and super season it, but my normal seasons are garlic powder, onion powder, lots and lots of pepper, and maybe some seasoned salt. For just gravy, I add some Worcestershire sauce.

Bring it to a boil, stirring to make sure it doesn't stick, then turn it down and let it thicken up to your likening!

Make your biscuits however you make them, whether its from a can, a frozen bag, or homemade! Buttermilk biscuits are the best though.

So, is sausage gravy and biscuits thrifty? Lets find out...
I buy sausage from my local meat market and I usually buy the packets of loose sausage for $1.90 for a lb.
3 tablespoons of flour... maybe $.10 since I buy the 25lb of flour.
3-4 cups of milk... the price of milk is ridiculous but I will say that it is about $.80-$1 depending on the current price of milk.
Seasons.. well we will say the total for the seasonings are $.50 - if you buy the large containers of seasoning its even cheaper!
Then biscuits.. a can is $1.50 here for 10 biscuits. The price would clearly be cheaper to make the biscuits, but we will go with this price..

Total price ends up being $4.80 - thrifty? I think so! And it makes a large amount and feeds all of us plus usually some for leftovers or for Buddy!

Just milk gravy and sausage would be cheaper.
A tablespoon or two of butter would probably be about $.56 and you don't use sausage so... the total price would be $3.46.

Grilled Pizza Pockets

2011-08-24T18:23:00.000-07:00

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On the meal plan, I listed grilled pizza pockets as tonight's dinner and that is what we had!

Now, ours didn't turn out nearly as pretty as the one in the picture. In fact, one fell apart.. but despite that, it was still yummy. Andrew wants more things inside next time, so I think I will double the crust recipe so I can stuff it even more.

Now, my prices are a bit different than 5 Dollar Dinners - where I got the recipe. Oh, and if you have never checked out their website, please do! I love it and I will be linking back to it a lot because a lot of their recipes are awesome and thrifty.

So, lets break this down and figure out how much our dinner really cost us.

3 Corn on the cob ($.30 each) - $.90
1 box of Jiffy pizza crust - $.50
a handful of mozzarella cheese - $.50 approx.
Ragu pizza sauce ($1.14) but we only used half of the jar so - $.57
Pepperoni ($2.50) but once again we used half of the bag so - $1.25

Andrew also made himself 4 hot dogs so that is $.98 (1.97 for the whole package)

Our meal total cost us $4.70 - try and get a meal for that at a restaurant!

Meal Plan 8/23-9/7

2011-08-23T20:44:00.000-07:00

I decided recently to keep myself on check with the grocery budget and to show that a smaller grocery budget does not mean the same old, boring, cheap dinners.

Now.. my meal planning strategy is pretty simple. I don't plan out breakfasts and lunches. I do keep track of how much bacon and sausage we have on hand because Monday & Tuesdays (Andrew's days off) I make nice breakfasts. Usually we have pancakes and bacon one day and sausage gravy with biscuits another day. Some times, I switch it up. On other days, Caelyn and I have oatmeal, toast with apple butter and some kind of fruit, scrambled eggs, etc.

Lunches are sometimes leftovers, Mrs. Grass soup, PB& J (or Nutella!) sandwiches, and almost always a fruit.

Dinner is my major meal planning. Being a mom, a worker, and a full-time student is hard enough without having to guess every night on what to make for dinner. It takes me about an hour usually to plan out the menu and there are always new and different recipes I get from searching the internet!

Tuesday (today) 8/23 - Gnocchis, salad, and fresh Italian bread from our local Italian grocery store!!
8/24 - Grilled pizza pockets and corn on the cob
8/25 - Sloppy joes & tator tots
8/26 - Velveeta skillet meal (I will be working so this is Andrew and Caelyn)
8/27 - Grilled Cheese and soup (another night I am working)
8/28 - Hot dogs and Italian french fries (I am working)
8/29 - Brisket, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob
8/30 - Chicken Salad with french fries on top
8/31 - Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken and Noodles
9/1 - Turkey Rolls Ups & Mashed Potatoes with Gravy
9/2 - Easy Chicken Bake
9/3 - Chicken with Yellow Rice, Corn on the Cob, and Corn Muffins
9/4 - Caesar Chicken Pasta
9/5 - Trip to Kennywood for Andrew's work so nothing planned
9/6 - Cowboy BBQ Beans and Beef
9/7 - Breakfast for dinner

Idk my exact grocery shopping day yet since my school schedule isn't totally decided, but I will grocery shop either the 4th or 5th I think.

A lot of these recipes we love and some are new. I hope to be posting some recipes up soon as we make them.

My budget every two week is $125 and our trip to Wal-Mart was $99. So, I am $26 under the budget. Yayyy!

Now.. the nights that Andrew stays and hangs out with Caelyn while I work are usually easy meals. He works so I know he won't enjoy cooking some crazy meal. I leave easy ideas or maybe there is enough leftovers for him to make that. It works out well for us.

Oh and as for leftovers, usually they go to lunch with him. This really cuts down on grocery costs! I buy less lunch meat because of it and I feel like we are really cutting down on wasting food since if they don't go with him, they may get lost in the abyss that is our fridge!

Homemade Apple Butter in the CrockPot

2011-08-17T21:09:00.001-07:00

Recently, my family and I went up to Sugarcreek aka Amish country and I purchased a jar of apple butter. It reminded me of how much I loveeee apple butter! But, I'm not about to constantly pay $2-3 a jar to have apple butter.
So, when my grandparents asked me to go a local orchard, I went with them and purchased a peck of apples. It isn't totally apple season yet, but this is the perfect practice I need to develop the perfect apple butter recipe.
You are going to need around 20 apples. This is such a simple recipe and you can tweak it however you like! If you like a stronger cinnamon taste, add more. If you like it sweeter, add more sugar, etc. This is your apple world, so dive right in!

The beginning part is the most tedious. It involves peeling and coring multiple apples (don't throw them away! Look up uses for them besides composting!). It took me 30 minutes to fill up the crockpot. You will want to leave a few extra to add later on or maybe your crockpot is larger than mine. I didn't use the entire peck of apples.

So, anyway, dice up the apples and throw them all in the crockpot. I added about 2 cups of water and 1/2 cup apple juice. Start off with 1 tsp cinnamon and 1 tsp cloves and 1 cup sugar. In the end, I added about a total of 3 cups sugar. But, I suggest to you to slowly add the sugar and cinnamon.
Now.. the secret ingredient... red hot candy! I added about 6 because I like apple butter that has a strong cinnamon flavor.
Now, trust me! This hint came from my grandma who used to help my aunt make apple butter in a copper kettle to sell at the local apple festivals. She does know what she is talking about!

So.. add it all in and turn that crockpot on low. You and your crockpot are about to develop a strong bond for the next 18-24hours. I started it in the afternoon and slowly added more apples as the butter cooked down. Then, I went to bed. It is important to keep the lid on when you aren't stirring. I stirred like once every 30 minutes, tasting to decide if I wanted to add a bit more sugar, cinnamon or cloves.

Andrew stirred it at 5:30 when he went to work then I stirred it when I woke up. I let it cook even more. Finally, about 22 hours later, I decided it was done.
It will stay on the spoon in a nice clump. I spooned most if into a blender and pulsed for a few moments, put back in and spooned it back again and pulsed it again.
And..... this is the result.

Beautiful... creamy.. yummy.. apple butter!

Now, the next step is canning. Prepare the cans as you normally would then fill the jars with 1/4 headspace. Use a water bather and boil for 10 minutes.

Ta-da!! 6 beautiful jars of homemade apple butter! It was super simple and yummy!

What is a Thrifty Homemaker?

2011-08-16T20:33:00.000-07:00

I renamed the blog and some of you might wonder why, although the name can give you hints.

Like many people, Andrew and I live paycheck to paycheck. While it is fairly common, it is also quite difficult. Andrew is having a harder time adjusting because he is so used to have smaller bills and extra left, while I am very used to not having extra to spend on haircuts, video games, or anything else.

Thats where the thrifty homemaker comes into play. I am still learning. Andrew works hard for his money and I do too. Stretching our dollars is sooooo important! One of the easiest places that a homemaker can stretch the budget is the grocery bill. If you pay attention like I do, you will notice that the grocery prices lately are rising and it is quite sad. When you pair the higher grocery prices, to lower coupon prices and stricter coupon rules in most stores (Thanks Extreme Couponing!!), it makes it even harder to keep the grocery bill down.

Part of my goal for this blog is now to start blogging about thrifty meals and recipes. Another great way to stretch the grocery budget is to cook from scratch. This is because a pantry full of the basics can make so many amazing things. The sky is the limit.

Remember: Almost anything you can buy in the stores, you can create at home.

The key is figuring out the price to make vs the price to buy. Some people completely don't care about the price to make because they are in it to make sure that their families don't eat the chemicals and that is totally respectable. I try to be the same way, but it doesn't always happen!

Another way to save money is canning! I am so happy to say that I am a beginner in the canning world. I can't wait to start sharing my recipes and experiences with everyone. When canning is going to come into huge play will be next summer when Andrew and I plant our first garden.

Thriftiness is learning how to stretch the budget, but still providing your family with wonderful meals, a beautiful home, and a great life.

I have so many ideas to blog about and I can't wait to show you what goes on in this little mind of mine!

My Rather Long Absence

2011-08-15T21:31:00.000-07:00

Friends! I have been gone for awhile! Close to 3 months. I have missed blogging so much, so I am glad to return.
Shall I explain my absence?
You see, I tried to continue blogging around Robert and I split up, but it was quite difficult. I needed some time.
So, I stopped blogging and went on with my life. During this time period, Andrew and I moved in together, along with Caelyn, in June. For some people, they may freak and say that is so soon to move in together, but we are so happy! I guess maybe Andrew was right when he said we were meant to be together.. way back in high school!

So, Caelyn and I moved in with him and it has been wonderful.
Onto Robert... You won't see me mentioning him much in any future blog posts, except for random times because... he is not in Caelyn's life. I am sure I will post my feelings on this later, but it is extremely difficult. He himself has made this decision despite me begging for him to be in her life. He has told me that once Andrew and I marry, he wants to give up parental rights and allow Andrew to adopt Caelyn.
Oh well.. It is impossible to change his mind once it is set.

Meet Buddy!
We got him on the 4th of July. He was 14 months old. We love him! He is Caelyn's partner in crime, he is our second child, and the biggest baby ever! He is such an amazing addition to our family! We are truly blessed to have found such a perfect dog for our family.

Here is our first baby, the most precious one!

Caelyn is 18, almost 19, months old. She has an ever-growing vocabulary. She is just amazing! She cracks Andrew and I up on a daily basis and is such a loving little child.

I start school, my last year, on the 30th of this month and I am soooo dreading it!

But.. last year and I can do it.

Now, onto blogging... the name of this blog will probably change, who knows. I do plan on switching directions for it slightly. I plan on doing a lot of posting on budgets, cheap but yummy recipes (I love cooking even more lately!!), my ever-growing faith, and relationship/family life. I have many ideas and I hope to really work and expand this blog to its full potential.

Flats Challenge Day 1

2011-05-24T08:09:00.000-07:00

Well yesterday started the Flats & Handwashing Challenge and we accomplished our first day totally fine!

I wasn't feeling any type of fancy folds, even though I know how to do them just fine. Since yesterday was major laundry dry, I just picked to padfold and we went through 6 diapers. Totally normal for us. For nighttime, I padfolded two flats with a preemie prefold in the middle of them under a Bummis SWW!

With the challenge, you can only have 5 covers.. too bad my covers aren't dry right now because its chilly out and its just not drying fast in my bathroom. I actually used 5 covers, I have no idea why I did that. I just did. So I am using a Thirsties cover until they dry.

I love this challenge. Handwashing is totally easy to do!
First, I run water in the tub and rinse the flats.. just run water over and wring them out. Then, I put some water in the tub, stop the drain and put some Tide in the water and let them sit a bit.. move them in circles a bit. Then, drain the water and rise again. Probably took me like 10 minutes total. Hanging to dry is the hardest for me because my bathroom is tiny. If it was nice out, they would be on the line and they dry super fast in the wind.

As I was washing the diapers last night, I was reminded of this article I read lately that stated that since the economy has gone down, parents are having a terrible time affording diapers. People actually reuse disposable diapers. I find it sickening. I understand that times are tough.. but in my eyes, parenting comes with responsibility. Even if you don't want to cloth diaper and don't want to have to handwash the diapers.. we have a responsibility that comes with parenting. Disposable diapers are a luxury if you can afford to use them, if not, then they shouldn't even be a option. The responsibility of a parent is to diaper the child in a proper way. I am sure doctors would say that it is unsanitary to reuse disposable diapers and the rashes that will come from it will probably be painful for the baby. I can afford disposable diapers, but I don't like them. They smell like chemicals, they give rashes, they are terrible for the environment, and cost too much for something that gets thrown away.
I hope that someone who reads this or any of the other blogs that are linking up for the challenge and realize their are alternatives.

A set of flats, 12, is about $30, depending on where you get them from. But, some of the best flats are flour sacks that you can get at Target or Walmart, or the ikea burp cloths are huge and often used as diapers. Receiving blankets are commonly used, I have used them. The burp cloths that are given at the hospital to use, at least in my area, are cloth diapers. Covers can be cheap, especially previously used. Amazon sells Dappi covers which are very cheap.
We are parents have a responsibility. Diapering is one of them.

We are onto our second day, so I will update later!

Sweet Springtime!

2011-05-22T22:15:00.001-07:00

How can that face just not make you smile?!
This weekend was so much fun! Friday I worked, but Saturday turned out to be totally beautiful. Andrew was in a wedding, but Caelyn & I went down to his parents house to spend the day with his mother. Their backyard is paradise for children.. a swing set, so much room to play, bushes to play in, plus toys. Yup, my girl loved her time!

She has a sandbox there.. And my girl just loves to play in the sand. Its more that she likes to scoop it and throw it everywhere. But, its enjoyable and I just love to watch her.

Her favorite thing to do is swing! Donna, Andrew's mother, found this cute dolphin swing at the flee market for like $1!! They put it on their wooden swing set that his father and grandfather built when he was a kiddo.
At parks, she hates swings. I think that the sides make her feel insecure. But this thing provides hours of play. She can swing all day if someone will push her.
They have a little dog named Gracie and her and Caelyn are best friends. She "throws" the stick and tennis ball for her and Gracie follows Caelyn wherever she goes in the yard.
I just know that this summer is going to be sooo much fun for us. Last summer, she couldn't crawl yet, but now.. she is a ball of energy and fun. I guess I better get used to being outside because this girl from the time she wakes up wants to run outside and play.
This is the back back of their yard.. with Andrew's dad's barn in the back. They have a nice piece of land and she just likes to be able to wander around.

She is amazed by God's creation - nature. Everything just fascinates her. The trees, birds, flowers, and bushes are just fun to her. She loves to investigate and I find it so exciting to watch her learn. Her excitement when she points and says tree and is correct is just amazing. Her excitement is contagious. Our day went so fast, 6 hours outside flies by!

The Yummiest Pancakes!

2011-05-20T14:00:00.000-07:00

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Now that school is out.. I have been way into cooking again more. Before, it was hard to get up and make a full breakfast and get ready for class.

I have a box of pancake mix sitting in my cabinet never touched, but when I was looking through a new website I found, My Wooden Spoon, I found a recipe for Old Fashioned Homemade Pancakes!

Oh, be still my heart, these are delicious!

The recipe is:
1 egg
1 cup flour
3/4 cup milk (I use a bit more, closer to 1cup because I like it to be a bit thinner)
1 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp oil (I use veg oil or canola oil)
1/2 tsp salt

I cook them on my family sized griddle - an awesome Christmas present from my parents! - and set it on 300 degrees. Once they bubble up, I flip and they are done pretty quickly.

I like to add a few chocolate chips!

Lately, I have been doubling the recipe, making them all.. and then what we don't eat.. I put on a cookie sheet, freeze and them into a ziploc bag. Then, pop them into the toaster and they are a quick breakfast. I can't imagine buying the premade kind at the store! This is saving so much money, but yet, they are so much better than the ones there!

I like to pair with some bacon from our local meat market. Oh the bacon there can make you drool! It is amazing