Frugal and simple living

The school year is winding down

2013-05-15T20:53:00.000-04:00

That means busy days! Tomorrow is Erica's last day before finals. She doesn't have to go to finals with her grades and attendance so she won't go back until Wednesday. That is the true last day and optional in my book since there is nothing going on. But she is going to go ahead and go mostly to socialize. She has been an honors student all year again this year and has managed perfect attendance! She makes us very proud.

Tomorrow I am taking Erica to school in the morning to go to her awards ceremony. Since it is right after school starts we are taking all of her teachers and her principal flowers. We went to the thrift store tonight and picked up several pretty drinking glasses to use as vases. Also when we bought the flowers they gave us enough of the !foam sheets and bags to hold water on the flowers when we broke them up. If you have flowers to give check for the nice glasses. They are often cheaper than vases and a small bouquet fits nicely in them. For tonight the small bouquets are made and sitting in their foam wraps in large vases. In the morning we will put the plastic bags on them, grab the vases and be ready to go. One other thing we did tonight since they never give enough is make our own flower fresh. I use 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of sugar per quart of water. This helps flowers last longer, because tap water is not acidic enough for cut flowers. It makes a huge difference in how long they last. Erica doesn't know it yet, but a dozen roses and some carnations are set back in a vase for the office to deliver special to her tomorrow. I hope she loves them. She has earned a treat!

So spring has finally sprung I think

2013-05-07T10:47:00.000-04:00

The weather is finally warming up. With tons of help from the family, the garden is mostly planted. I am so lucky that we consider working together an important value, because there is no way with my Fibromyalgia that I could do it myself. The only thing left to plant is the carrots, and those will be going in within the next few days. The radishes have already popped up and the spinach is trying. All of the other stuff we planted from starts and they are doing well. We can't wait to have some yummy salads and stir frys!

This Sunday we are taking Erica to the Reds game. This is the one for which she was awarded two free tickets for her grades and any others at half price. We only bought one extra ticket this year, as it is only Erica, Beloved and I going. She is really looking forward to it. She is also counting down the days until school is out. She really only has a short time left. She only has two weeks after this week, but one of those weeks she won't go most of the week as her grades and attendance allow her to opt out of finals. She has worked hard to get 100% attendance this year and has achieved it. There were a couple of days I know she would have liked to stay at home and rest, but since she was never really sick this year I allowed her to choose to go. She has done so well this year at setting a goal and sticking to it. She is also counting down to church camp. The first three weeks are in June and will be the weeks she is working. She is still looking forward to it, as she enjoys just being there and doesn't really care what she is doing! I know though that even with working there will be some time for fun for her.

More good news for Beloved

2013-04-23T00:34:00.000-04:00

Well we think so anyway. He has been driving the "big truck" for a year and a half now. He was recently moved into a new truck. Today he was asked to be a trainer for newbies! He is a little bit unsure of it, he really doesn't want his truck damaged and that could happen as some of these new drivers have just gotten their CDL. It is also a huge responsibility guiding new drivers and doing his best to tell the bosses how they are doing. Beloved is very fair, but also very compassionate so if he has to tell the bosses that someone just can't cut it, that will be a struggle for him because he knows it is someones paycheck. Beloved does not take such things lightly. Everyone that he "trains" will have passed all the tests and have their CDL, but many will have no experience past the schooling to get the license. When Beloved was at that stage, he would tell everyone he knew "just enough to be dangerous". Add to that any truck driver who is opposed to taking direction or advice from an "old timer" or someone who has been doing it longer then they have really probably shouldn't be in the truck.

Trucking is a tough job, with a very high turnover rate. Many just can't take being away from their families so long and for good reason, it is hard. It is hard on the driver and spouse. It is hard on the children. Schedules are loose and change constantly. The family of a truck driver is constantly changing schedules to meet the schedules of the driver in the family. It can be frustrating to trainers to train people and see them gone in weeks or a few months. Beloveds trainer was surprised Beloved made it past the first year, because it is just such a huge adjustment when you have a family.

On my side of things, I am trying to remember when Beloved started. His trainer was so great with him. Money was tight because beloved had been unemployed and although he didn't have money to spare, he had fuel points and wouldn't allow Beloved to be hungry. He allowed Beloved to use his fridge and microwave in the truck when needed. I as a wife going through this plan to try to pass on the kindness. I often cook "planned overs" for Beloved to take on the road. When Beloved tells me that his trainee is having tough financial times, I may cook enough "planned overs" for two. We learned when we did foster care that it doesn't take that much more to cook for one more. I like to think that being able to put an extra plate at the table is a skill I have refined well in our home. Even if that plate is the next night in the Semi.

I am asking for prayers for Beloved on his new endeavor. I know he has his reservations, but I also know he will be a wonderful trainer.

Home canning baked beans

2013-04-13T17:51:00.000-04:00

I tried a new first the other day. I home canned baked beans the other day. I had never done it before, but in the summer we love to have things on hand to just grill a quick something to eat. Baked beans fit the bill well because they can be eaten warmed up or cold. Often in the summer one can get baked beans on sale pretty reasonable and even pork and beans sometimes. The pork and beans, we like when I put them in a pan and warm them up with some homemade BBQ sauce. So trying to can my own may be cheaper and easier. I did six quarts the other day with four pounds of great northern beans. I am not however thrilled with the recipe I used. They taste like they still need something. For that reason I am not going to share the recipe yet. I will share one, but only after it has passed the taste test for our family. Of course everyone has slightly different tastes, but I only like to share the recipes we really like.

Hubby is getting all set up into yet another new semi. He got it last weekend and is still working on getting things arranged. It is a much newer one than he has had before, and it had a brand new engine put in it just before he got it. It has low miles for a semi at only 197000 miles. Not many really considering many of these trucks put on a million or more miles their lifetime. He loves the smoother ride in his new truck! It also has a built in fridge so he didn't have to put his in there. He now only turns on the inverter in the evenings when he is ready to turn on the microwave and the television. The fridge doesn't run down the battery over just his 34 hour restart, so he is able to leave groceries in it instead of pulling them all out and putting them back in every time he parks the truck and isn't with it.

What a whrilwind lately!

2013-04-09T21:03:00.001-04:00

I have been running like crazy it seems. Spring has spring, and it is about time! I thought it would never get here. Although I hear we may have another cold front coming our way. Not what I wanted to hear. Beloved just has not had time at home to till up the garden. I began to think that it wouldn't dry up enough to get it done and when it did, I began to think I couldn't find anyone who wanted the job. I finally posted a notice at the small local grocery store that I was look for someone and within two days I had someone here to do it at a very fair price. Now I just need time when my chronic pain is not so bad to actually get things lined up and get some planting done.

Erica's passport came but there was an error on it so it had to be sent back to be fixed. Glad we applied for it plenty early! It could have been very disappointing otherwise. However at the camp on a retreat last Saturday they informed me the rules had changed and she could go without one, but I feel better this way knowing there will be no issues.

I had a great time at the women's retreat. It was only 24 hours, but it was a great time with other women. We had great meals and great speakers and just some great fellowship time together. It is the first time I have ever gone, and am looking forward to going again.

An easy yummy dinner!

2013-03-30T18:55:00.000-04:00

Bzz agent sent us coupons for another campaign. It was for a Kroger dinner. We had pork tenderloin, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes and crescent rolls. We also had chocolate cake for dessert. They were all Kroger brand. The mashed potatoes and the mac and cheese were very easy just heat them up in the microwave. The pork tenderloin, I browned on all sides in my big cast iron skillet, rolled it in ground up stuffing mix and back into the skillet in the oven it went for half an hour or so until it was done. Overall, the dinner was very yummy. I thought the potatoes had to much butter but the rest of the family didn't think so. I normally would not purchase the pre-made potatoes and macaroni, but it was a blessing the other night since I am having a bad fibro flare and the pain has been relentless. Given that I was very blessed to have such an easy dinner to make that night. I would buy these items again as the flavor was good and it was so easy. Great for a busy night or just a night when mom needs a break. We of course tried the items free since it was a Bzzcampaign.

A free ebook to offer you!

2013-03-21T22:12:00.000-04:00

I have not read this book yet, however it is free for Kindle on Amazon. I have downloaded it. I may start reading it later tonight. If you have another devise you may want to check to see if it is free for you. The link here is for Kindle, the paperback is $6.00 but the ebook is free.

A book review

2013-03-21T00:22:00.000-04:00

I have never done a book review before, but it is a feature I want to add to my blog. I love to read and although there is never enough time for reading, I do find it is something I can do on days when my fibromyalgia leaves me being able to do little else. I also find I enjoy doing it when I can't sleep at night to calm my thoughts until I feel I can fall asleep.

A friend recently introduced me to a new genre. She enjoys and introduced me to historical novels. In fact she is writing one now and I hope to someday review her book here, but publishing can take a long time so I fear it will be quite awhile. She introduced me to some books. and I just finished reading one of them. The book is Maggie's Journey. It is a romance, but also somewhat of a mystery. Maggie has just turned 18 and has a lot to sort out in her life. She has to really think about all of her relationships, including her relationship with God. I was sad the book ended even though I loved the ending. I am going to read the other books by this author, some of them are part of the series that includes Maggie's Journey. I am going to include a link here, so you can take a look at it. If you like Christian novels, I highly suggest it as it will leave you wanting more.

The book is available for kindle as well as paperback!

I really wish it felt like spring

2013-03-18T23:53:00.000-04:00

In Ohio this year, it seems that spring will never come. I am anxious to get my garden started, but it keeps being cold, snowy, rainy and wet. I am ready to have the guy come and till up my garden. Every year as I do the garden I learn new things and try new things. Last year, we had very good luck using straw as a weed barrier and this year the straw will get tilled into the soil. I am not sure if I will be adding more straw this year or not, as Beloved saw a neat trick on the internet using pallets. And his boss has told him to take as many of them as he wants from behind the building! Here is a website with pictures that describes the process. I am planning to do mine differently. Typically I do not like the weed barriers you can put down, because once weeds start to grow up, they hold the barrier down and it can be hard to pull up the next year. This year, we are going to staple it to the bottom of the pallets and plant in the normal garden soil. From what I can see, many people fill the pallets with soil, but since we have a good garden bed going, and I am mainly looking to cut the weeds back since my Fibro makes it very hard to keep up with the weeds, I am going to try this. We have already brought home some pallets and need one more truck bed full to get the whole garden. I may however bring a few extras to try the vertical gardening I saw on another site for flowers and herbs it just looked so pretty! There is also a way to do potatoes, I am not sure if I am going to try that one yet or not, however it is tempting. I would do it a bit differently than shown, because I am mostly interested in growing the small new potatoes since Beloved loves those with green beans and bacon. I likely won't get to try everything this year, but for sure I will keep you all posted on what I do try and what works and what doesn't.

I am almost done with my latest quilt! I still have to quilt it. With my fibromyalgia, it can take me much longer than it sometimes takes others due to my pain and lack of energy. When I do have energy, the things to keep the house running have to come first of course. Quilts are a wonder gift I love to give to friends and family so I try to star early each year in order to give them as Christmas gifts.

You may also notice the new Amazon.com search bar here on my blog. Please use it if you are looking to purchase things online. I am hoping to make a little bit of money from it in order to fund trying new things and sharing them with you! I love to learn and as I learn you can as well, because I never try new things without telling you about them here! I know that they often have free ebooks for Kindle and I will try to share them with you as I find them! I know that I am not the only one who loves to read!

I haven't been around much lately

2013-03-10T22:31:00.001-04:00

But I hope that changes soon. I have been in the process of fighting with Samsung to get my computer sent in to be fixed on warranty. It took a month with many phone calls, texts and emails to finally get them to send a label to take it. Without the label they wouldn't have even looked at it. I doubt I will ever buy another one of their products again, just because it was so hard to get this done. So they have had my computer for a week now and I hope it is coming home soon. I have been using others in the house, but I can't always get them when I am ready to blog. I have also been using a lot of my computer time working on writing a manuscript. Today I finally gave it to Beloved to read. I am not sure how soon it will be published, because I am considering assisted self publishing and that is going to mean I need to save up some money. I have a company in mind that I think I will be working with on it. I also want to find a couple of other people to read it before I submit it for editing and such. I am sure there are small things that need fixed and I am hoping allowing a couple of people to read it will help me as they give input. I of course had looked over it myself, but since I wrote it I feel apt to miss something.

The weather here has been awesome the last two days. In the sixties, but windy. It is supposed to rain again. At this point I am tired of rain and snow, I am tired of the mud! But since we were in drought last year we do need the moisture I think at this point any more we get will just run off.

The coke deal is awesome. It is five 12 packs for $15 but with the $5 ECB back, it makes them $2 each. But imagine my surprise when I got there and found .75 cent off coupons on some of mine. I only found four with coupons, but that made my diet coke five 12 packs for $7!!!! They also have some jelly beans that are free after ECB. Some years they have a free Easter item every week leading into Easter. Of course you pay for it and get your ECB back, but that is like cash just use it before it expires!

I am looking forward to going to a Ladies only retreat on April 5th and 6th at our church camp. This will be the first time I go to one, but I have wanted to for the last several years, things just didn't work out. If I enjoy it I may try to go to the fall one. I never really leave my family and do this sort of thing, this will be a first for me so I am really looking forward to it, all of the other ladies in our church really seem to enjoy them.

Wow it's been busy around here!

2013-02-18T13:52:00.002-05:00

It has been a whirlwind of activity lately here, so I haven't posted near as much as I would like. Erica had a sleepover last night since there was no school today, and now they have gone down the block to the other girls house. I was very surprised at how quiet they were. I did hear laughing and giggling off and on, but it wasn't loud enough to be a problem. And I did give up the living room TV for them to use netflix on it, but that wasn't an issue either. I was glad to see them having fun together that could in no way get them into any trouble. As with all parents of teens, there is just so much to worry about these days.

For those of you who have been playing with the bread recipe, it will soon be time to add more to our recipe to make a totally different bread! I highly suggest at this point you pick up so Vital Wheat Gluten. It is in the baking aisle. Look near the yeast and if not there look with the flour. I also like dough enhancer, but I have to mail order it here. If you find it at your store and want to pick it up that is fine. It is not a must have. The Vital Wheat Gluten however is necessary if you want to use other flours and grains in your breads.

Bread making for beginners

2013-02-06T11:25:00.000-05:00

Bread making is not only a great way to stretch a dollar, it is a great way to add some control over the health of your family. It is however a skill that many were not taught growing up and I have heard from many that they are afraid to try.

One thing that seems to intimidate many people is the yeast. The idea that many people seem to have is that yeast is hard to work with and easy to kill. While you can kill yeast, it is not as easy as you may think. So lets talk a little bit about yeast first. Yeast is a living thing. It is actually classified in the fungi family. Most bread recipes call for just a bit of sugar, because yeast feeds off of the sugars. It also needs some time and a warm environment to grow. They turn the sugars into carbon dioxide and that creates the holes we see in bread and makes it rise. When we put warm (not hot) water or milk in the bread, that gives the moisture needed for the recipe and also the warmth needed for the yeast. When I first started making bread, everyone warned me that water temperature is "very important". Well that is intimidating and while it is important, I found that there was not just on black and white line on temperature, there really is a pretty gray window (Thank goodness for that).

So if temperature is so important how do I know I have it right? Well I will tell you what not to do! Don't go out and spend money on a special thermometer to take your water's temperature as if it was sick! Your finger is the perfect took for this job. Put a bowl or pan in your sink and run the hot water for a minute into the bowl or pan. When it feels as warm as you would use to put the baby in the bath, grab your measuring cup put it under the facet and get your water! Stick your finger back in your measuring cup to be sure the water didn't get super hot, but it should be fine and ready to use for your bread. Ok, why the pan or bowl? Well you would have wasted a gallon or two of water waiting for it to get warm. Don't throw it out. Use it to wash your dishes as you make bread or use it to water plants. Anything but don't waste it!

Now that you have your warm water, put it in your mixing bowl (or the bowl of your mixer) with the sugar and yeast. If it is instant yeast, you can go right on with your recipe if it is not instant yeast, you need to let it proof. When it has foamy bubbles on top of the water, it is proofed and ready to go on. It's all that simple nothing to fear! Proofing yeast has another important step. Yeast can die in storage. By proofing it, we know that has not happened. Always check the expiration date on your yeast and it helps to store it in the freezer. But even if the date is not up, it can go bad. Dead yeast will not make a nice fluffy loaf of bread, it will make a brick.

Now that we have the yeast out of the way, I have a great beginner recipe. It comes from a site with tons of recipes, but for now I am going to assume you have never made a loaf of bread before. If you have, keep this recipe anyway, I have some great ideas to expand on it. If you are new to bread making, go ahead and make this one a couple of times to get your feet wet. It will get you past any fears you have. And, shape is not such a big deal. If you have a meat thermometer in your kitchen, cook this one until the middle is between 190 and 200 degrees. Make a round loaf, make a french shaped loaf, just make it!

Here is the recipe use the generic recipe on this link. The page also has great information for you. http://www.thefreshloaf.com/lessons/yourfirstloaf

The coupon blog postings!!!

2013-01-29T20:23:00.001-05:00

I think I have the last of the coupon postings up for this week on the couponing blog. The last two weeks have been such awesome sale weeks, some of them may be things you want to pick up even if you don't have any coupons saved up yet.

Most likely, next week will be a slower sales week. If that proves to be the case I am going to use it to showcase making home made breads! If you have not yet asked for your invite, it isn't to late. All posts stay up there, only the sales ones can get somewhat outdated. If you hang out over there with me, gather up your favorite bread recipe if you have one. I may touch on bread making on this blog a bit next week, however it will be much more in depth over there if my plans work out right.

I think bread making is something that every wife and mother should learn. Perhaps husbands should also, never know when something could happen and roles need to change. It is remarkably easy to learn and isn't as time consuming as you may think!

I normally don't allow being picky

2013-01-29T15:03:00.000-05:00

I normally don't allow my daughter to be picky over food. One place I have caved on this is some meats, including steak. Meat isn't cheap and I just don't see the point in forcing her to eat meats she doesn't like I had this problem solved to a point, when my store got Boca brats in and at a great price and I filled the freezer. Worked wonderful....Until we ran out. I was excited when as part of Bzzagent we got a coupon for Morningstar Farms veggie burgers for free to try and tell everyone about. I love having something in the freezer to throw on the grill with the steaks or whatever other meat I am grilling that Erica chooses not to eat. I was afraid to try these at full price, so I am thrilled we got to try them out. She enjoyed them, and I will be buying her more in the future. I am thinking I could do anything with these I would with a hamburger patty, so they will be very versatile. <img src="http://img.bzzagent.com/image/morningstar.jpg?Type=activity&Activity=7368929400&Campaign=5354578095&Uid=277702&

New sales this week!!!

2013-01-27T02:31:00.000-05:00

Kroger is listing the same buy ten get $5 off this week. But this week coupons came out that make this sale better yet again!!!! If you have not submitted to be on the private blog, please do as it can save you a ton!!!

Renee, You ask wonderful questions, and my daughter's middle name is Renee! I love your input and questions and even though I have to work and be creative to answer them, I wish all my readers were so open!!! Together we can help each other!!! I am still looking for answers for you, and hope my other readers will jump in with help also! If you find answers elsewhere, please share them with us.

Frugal living

2013-01-22T20:29:00.000-05:00

So I wanted to talk a little more about frugal living. It will likely be a series of posts that I write that will show how the ordinary person can be more frugal. What are the advantages? Well for one thing it allows me to be at home where my husband likes me to be. He would never tell me I can't work outside the home, but he sure prefers I don't. He likes me here being able to deal with things as they come up and have a hot meal waiting for him when he gets home. Call him old fashioned, he is and that is part of the reason I married him! There are other advantages also. I can save lots of money by being frugal. There are so many ways to save and once you really start looking for those ways, you find you have not used them well enough. I am hoping to share some of the ideas I use with you, and hopefully that way we can always help each other.

One thing I do very often is hang my laundry out to dry. We do own a dryer and even if I want to I can't use it. Long story there involving my son fixing the washer and somehow in the process breaking the dryer LOL. That is family life! I even hang my laundry out in the winter if it is dry enough. We had a very warm weekend last weekend and I did tons of laundry and it didn't all get completely dry. So what was still damp was put on hangers and hung over the shower rod in the main bathroom. While they are there, we all use the other shower. Sometimes I can't put it out at all and need to do a little. In that case, I can do a smaller load and get it on the shower rod. I have no way of knowing exactly what I am saving, but I know I am saving some and every little bit adds up.

Another thing that I do is make as much as I can from scratch. I make my own "Bisquick" and my own pancake mix. I make my pancake mix in four pound batches, and it is super easy to whip up pancakes! Many of the things we buy pre-made can be made easy and much cheaper. There are recipes out there for the flavored rice mixes also along with many other things. Now when I can get these items free or nearly so with coupons, I often will pick them up but I don't become dependent upon them coming from the store! Blogs are a great place to find and share recipes and many of the blogs I read have some great ones.

Along with making things from scratch is home processing. This can be anything from freezing to canning items, and learning how to preserve your foods can be priceless. I also use freezing and canning to my benefit on a night I may be busy or if I have to be gone or I am ill. Being able to pull something from the pantry or freezer can be a life saver. Tonight for instance I made chicken and noodles (and a few dumplings for those who like them this house is split there.) I had the chicken home canned from when I bought it on sale. I deboned it (very easy after it is cooked) and threw the chicken and the broth in the pan with other canned chicken broth bought at rock bottom sale prices and water. I made the noodles and and dumplings and cooked it all as normal. I cut off a lot of stove time (when I had to babysit it) and time letting the chicken cool to pull apart to turn it into a quick dinner.

Also with tonight's dinner I didn't use the normal frozen mixed veggies I normally would. I had a bag of broccoli, carrots and cauliflower half empty in the freezer and I used that instead. Many people wouldn't think to do this, but they needed used, and my family is totally used to me making these switch outs. It saves money by using something that may otherwise go to waste, and it keeps me from running to the store for one item. Those quick runs to the store for one thing often turn into a cart full of things that were unplanned and expensive. If you are saying "yuck" to this it is for two reasons. One, you haven't even tried it and two, it is just different than what most people would normally do. Sometimes you have to throw "normal" out the window.

Once you start learning to do things homemade, the possibilities are endless. You can make your own breakfast burritos and sandwiches easy. You normally pay big money if you buy those pre-made. Just think about the money you spend on things and how could you do it homemade. The more skills you learn while doing homemade the more money you can save doing it.

Some great deals this week!

2013-01-20T20:22:00.000-05:00

There are some awesome grocery deals this week if you have a Kroger affiliate near you. I posted them on the couponing blog, if you don't yet have an invite just send me an email. With your email address and a little about yourself I will invite you to that blog!

Beloved rolled out again for yet another week of work. I really don't like roll out day, it often seems so depressing. The one day of week he is home, goes so darn fast. I really wish it could be at least two days, but when you get paid by the mile you drive you just can't afford to sit around at home!

Truckers and truckers wives

2013-01-19T02:14:00.001-05:00

I am working on recipes! Does your trucker use a lunchbox oven? Do you have recipes you have used for one? If so, I want to chat with you. Please do not leave recipes here. I am hoping to put them in a book! Just leave a comment with the name of your recipe for the lunchbox oven. If I have one similar, we will work together to make it work. I will send you a message asking for your recipe! Just leave a comment with the name of your recipe and your email address. Your information will remain confidential, unless of course I use your recipe and you will receive credit! These recipes are ONLY for the lunchbox oven. I may ask for other recipes in a different post!

Erica is excited and I did a huge purge!

2013-01-14T17:27:00.003-05:00

Erica is thrilled today! I got the email today that she got accepted to help at church camp to help pay for the two travel trips she wants to go on! She will be helping three weeks in a row, and I don't have to go pick her up for the one day in between each session! She is allowed to stay in the ladies volunteer dorm straight through. I need to check and make sure they will feed her that day, I am sure they will. She also will go to church on Sundays with one of the adult volunteers (or a van full if they choose to do it that way it is up to the adults I suppose). I am so glad she gets to spend so much time at church camp. She loves it there, and she always learns a ton. It does put a little bit of a damper on her swimming this summer, because I really am not sure I want to pay for a pool pass since she will be gone so much. I am sure though we will figure it all out!

I am excited because I managed to purge this house last week. It wasn't easy, in fact my Fibro is still on fire, but it so needed done. And I am not sure I am finished but I have to quit until my pain settles down. I am sure if I really dug through my bedroom closet, I would find more stuff to get rid of. I finished that chore just in time, because Friday we found out that Beloved has to change semi's again. He broke a belt the other day leaving, so right to the yard he went to get it changed. They told him something was wrong with the fan, and it would be at least the next day before it was fixed so he left it and took another tractor. Then the decided it was something with the heads and the liner. They are still looking, but either way it is either going to be at least a month, or they are not going to fix it at all due to cost and the miles on it. So they went ahead and had him move completely out of it, because they wanted him in the 13 speed that was open, as not all the drivers know how to drive it. So part of his stuff is in his new truck, and a bunch is in my dining room waiting for the weekend to get organized in there. He sure is missing his TV and Microwave so I know he will be quick to get those in this weekend. I really hope we are done changing trucks for awhile, it is always a huge job. He doesn't even have all of his bedding in it yet, because he is going to ask at the shop for a new mattress. I told him to do that before I completely set us his bed.

Tonight for dinner I am making scalloped potato casserole and home made fresh bread. I am putting off starting it though, because Beloved loves his bread hot from the oven. I am going to put off putting that in the oven until he is close to home so it will still be nice and warm. That will be a real treat for him!

It must be one of those scientific laws

2013-01-07T18:21:00.000-05:00

There really must be some law that says more will be broke in the household than you can ever hope to fix, and if you do try to fix it something will still go wrong. I try so hard with hubby driving for a living to fix things when they are broke instead of piling everything on top of him the few times he is home. Some days it doesn't seem to work at all. Either I fix it and it isn't fixed correctly, or I fix it and something else ends up broken as soon as it is fixed. It is like a merry-go-round that never seems to stop. So for tonight, I give up and poor hubby is going to have to put this kitchen drawer that I fixed after it fell apart back where it goes. I just can't seem to get it in. I likely could get it in if I took off the roller on the back, but then I would have to crawl under the cabinet and somehow put it back on. I really hope it doesn't come to that. I looked at another drawer to see what I was doing wrong. I wanted to pull it out so I could see what angle etc. I needed to put it back in and it didn't even want to come out. Oh why must it always be the simple stuff that seems hard? Well I suppose I will quit my whining that isn't going to help it any.

On to more American Made things. This one is a product that I love. It is Lodge cast iron. For a few years after I first got married, I stayed away from cast iron due to the fact I thought it was hard to clean. Turned out it is super easy and I just didn't know what I was doing before. so 20 years ago, my mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I told her a cast iron skillet. She bought me a smaller one that doesn't see much use. But Granny bought me a nice big one! 20 years later, I am still using "old faithful". It has been on gas stoves, electric stoves, the grill, the campfire. Beloved bought me a new one a few years ago and I am ashamed to say I have yet to use it once. I just don't want to do a new one lol. Old faithful has one problem, she is a little thin in the middle of the pan so things like to puddle there. But she is still non-stick and easy to clean. My son was going to buy himself one for when he moves out (is he really ever gonna do that?) and I promised him old faithful when he does. Secretly, I would rather give him the new one lol, but I know that old faithful will never leave him hanging. Then, I will have to start working with "new faithful". I don't even like the sound of it!!!!!

Anyway if you are looking for some cookware that will last you years and is made in America I suggest Lodge. There are other brands and I don't know where they are made, but they are not as heavy duty. Also avoid cast iron that has handles of wood or some other "heat proof" handle. These will not hold up nearly as well as something that is cast in one piece. I had to buy the lid for my large skillet separately, but it was worth it. Cast iron is not all that expensive, especially when you consider the life it will have. So here is the link, Lodge cast iron. You can buy it many places and locally may be much cheaper when you consider the shipping. Some will tell you that cast iron has other benefits such as adding iron to your food to keep you from getting low on it. I have no idea if that is true or not, so I won't say that it is. Things like that don't matter to me, mostly because the benefits that I do know of are enough to keep me happy.

Ok, someone is wondering do I use any non-stick skillets? Yes I do, two of them. One small one for when I am making eggs for breakfast burritos and such. Another bigger one when I am doing something like fried potatoes. They don't see much use, but they are handy to have around.

Buying American made and supporting small business

2013-01-03T15:35:00.000-05:00

This year I am making an effort to make most of the goods I buy American made. I am not sure it is possible to go totally American made, due to the fact that so much of what we use and consume is made in other countries, including a lot of our groceries that are on the store shelves! But I am making an effort to buy American when I can. I am not against other countries, but I am for our friends and neighbors jobs that pay a wage a person can live on.

I am also going to be making more of an effort to purchase items from small businesses when I can rather than just going to a huge chain store for everything. Right now, I have my eye on a birthday gift I want to get my daughter soon. I know the store owner of the Etsy store and I know she lives here in the good old USA, and makes these herself so I will be killing two birds with one stone! These necklaces are awesome! Just click the link to see them and then the item for a better description!

Erica is very excited right now, as we paid the deposit on her church camp trip to Canada! She is so excited. She is hoping to go to camp twice this year, but we have to see how many weeks they let her work first. She has another travel camp in mind. She absolutly loves church camp, and always learns something so I don't mind her going at all. She would work there all summer if they let her, even though the free weeks she earns must be used this year and can't be carried over. She really doesn't even care about that, she just wants to be there. As a helper, things will be a little different. The weeks she helps, the devotions and prayer time will be with the whole staff rather than just her camp group. I am thinking that may be an even bigger learning lesson for her. She will also be paired with an adult staff member to be her mentor for the time she is working. I am so excited to see if she gets to work and for how long. We mailed her paperwork for "Teens N Training" on the first day we could (Jan 2nd), because they only take 40 teens total for the program. She can't wait to hear back.

Why pay to get rid of your trash?

2012-12-29T23:44:00.001-05:00

Ok well maybe the title is a little deceiving. We do have a trash company and we do throw away trash. But then there is the "trash" that isn't really trash after all. Some of that, we get paid to deal with differently! Most of us know that we can take our aluminum cans in and get paid for them. Last time I went a couple of months ago, they were selling for 60 cents a pound and I had ten pounds. A quick easy six bucks that went into our "in a pinch jar". But I found out while I was there, that they also take vegetable (and whatever else cans) that are made of a steel mix of materials. Most of us call them tin cans. I forgot to ask what the going price was that day (and these prices do change), but since I drive near the recycle plant once a week anyway, and since we use a lot of tin cans I have been saving them. I need to go soon and get rid of the stuff but will wait until the weather is a little better. I would say I have to go with several bags every three months or so. In the summer when I walk at the park, I look for aluminum cans there as well. Sometimes I can find a bin full of them. Now if your city puts out actual recycle bins you need to ask before taking, because otherwise it could be considered theft.

Tin cans are however much easier to come by in this house. We generally use several a day. Yes, I do a lot of my own canning but my small garden can't keep up with us. Even if I had space for a bigger garden, my chronic pain wouldn't allow me to properly care for it, some days I can't properly care for my tiny one. But today, I took my coupons and bought 87 cans of tomatoes (stewed, whole peeled, diced) for .09 cents a can after sale and coupon. And we will use them! It is nice to know that I can get a little of that back on top of that. Also tonight I have my 18 quart roaster filled with chili. We will eat it tomorrow night, and I will can some quarts for home and some pints for Beloved to take out on the truck with him. For this, I bought the big cans of tomatoes at Sams (for about twice the price of one small can) and they of course go there as well. If you want to do this with your tin cans ask if your recycling center takes them (and they likely do). Also be aware that you have to rinse them out and take the labels off of them. Not a big deal I save a few up from cooking and after I wash dishes I throw them in the leftover dish water to soak off the labels and swish them around for a good rinse. Then I just take them to the back patio and place them in the bag. Some people will swear it isn't worth it. I say that a penny saved is a penny earned and all those pennies add up. Sometimes the kids will forget and I have to rescue a can from the trash. I remind them it is money and take it out!

Merry Christmas

2012-12-23T16:56:00.002-05:00

I just wanted to take this chance before the cooking got crazy to say Merry Christmas. Although I have cut our menu way down this year I will be busy in the kitchen tomorrow and spending time with my wonderful Beloved and children. I cut our menu to lasagna and french bread and a salad. I will also be serving pies so I have to bake those. I cut our menu because my Fibro just makes it to hard to stand in the kitchen for so many hours, but we will still have a nice dinner. We are also trying a french toast casserole for breakfast on Christmas morning. I have never made it before, but have heard it is yummy and it is easy enough. It will be made and put in the fridge overnight and into the oven when we wake up. It may become a new holiday tradition for us, I will let you know later.

I hope you all have a wonderful time with your families and loved ones. I also hope that you remember why we celebrate Christmas. Jesus was a huge gift given to us all. If not for his life, and then death to fulfill earlier promises in the Bible, we wouldn't have a chance. We are all sinners and therefore would go to Hell where we surely belong, because we can't be perfect. But God with all his love and mercy sent us his son to die for our sins and now we may be cleansed with his blood. If you don't have a relationship with our Lord and Savior, I hope you begin one as it is the most promising relationship you will ever find!

Christmas is coming!

2012-12-18T18:29:00.000-05:00

It is official it is almost here. Erica gets out of school an hour early tomorrow to begin her "winter break". Why can't we call it what it is and say "Christmas Vacation"? Or what about all this Happy Holidays crud? It will always be Merry Christmas around here. Sure maybe I say it to you and you are Jewish. Well then when I say Merry Christmas you say Happy Hanukkah and both of us can have our right to believe in our holiday. Next question why do people who are atheist or agnostic (don't believe in God or Satan) celebrate Christmas? Christmas is a time we celebrate God and Jesus, so if you don't believe why do Christmas? Just never understood that one. Of course those same people do Easter. Umm if you are atheist or agnostic, shouldn't you not believe in Jesus so how can you celebrate that he rose again from the tomb? It isn't like Labor day, or Memorial day or what most consider Halloween (as few people consider it evil but some do) where we all have a day off of labor and we all celebrate those who have gone before us. I am not one to judge at all of course, I just wonder why people celebrate things they don't believe in. It would be like me celebrating Hanukkah, I am not against it but I am not Jewish I would feel like a fish out of water setting up the candles in my home. Just sayin'.

On the other hand we are ready for Christmas. It has gotten much easier since we cut down the number of gifts to three per person (as Jesus received) and a stocking (just for fun). I can remember before we started doing Christmas this way, and our kids were no happier either was anyone else. Now instead of focusing on how much I can spend on you and how do I impress you, we put a lot more thought into it. If you live in my home and you ask for it, you are likely to get it. For instance my son wanted/needed a new tool box this year, not a rollaway, a small one. So that is what he is getting and he knows it. He knows it because he told us that was what he really wanted and when I found one in our price range and thought he would like I showed it to him online. He approved it so that is one of his gifts. Sure he doesn't have as much surprise, but he doesn't know any others. Well he does know one of his birthday gifts (12/20) because he needed a new blanket for his bed so I got it as part of his birthday. Well he came home with one the other day and I had to tell him to take it back and get his money back lol. Not that he doesn't have other blankets, he likes that type the best though. We just feel now that this way we all get what we most want/need (usually at least one of both and many times they are a want and a need) and we don't waste nearly as much money this way.

Then we get into the whole Santa thing. Yes my kids had Santa and no he isn't real. But I see nothing wrong with children having make believe fun. When they got old enough to ask, we told them the truth that no Santa does not fly around the world in a sleigh and give every child toys, but Santa is real. Did you make a donation to Toys For Tots or another agency to help a child this year? Did you give food to a food pantry so they could help someone else this year? Then I believe you were Santa. I try to encourage my kids to be Santa in some way every Christmas season. Not only does God call us to help each other, but it just feels good to help others! Sure we don't always have a ton of extra money for this cause so we do what we can. And it helps that I start early buying gifts for my family when I see a clearance sale or something like that. And some years I do a lot of handmade gifts.

At the end of the day, I just think that since we cut back on the "fluff" around Christmas, it is less stressful and more enjoyable for our family and we get a few more minutes on that special day to remember what it is really about and thank God for the precious gift he gave us.

Please send prayers

2012-12-14T19:36:00.002-05:00

So much hurt after the school shootings in CT. Words cannot begin to express my sadness, so I can't imagine how bad the parents are hurting. I am still against further gun control, I still believe that criminals and mental cases will still find guns or will find another way to horrify the rest of us. I am just horribly sad that our world seems to see these things more and more. Parents of lost children, I am crying for you and with you.