Living Frugally

Busy times

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Wed, 25 Mar 2009 14:10:00 +0000

I am slowly learning that I can't do it all. I'm not sure how most home school mothers do it. I want to write here so bad, but with homeschooling and trying to keep up with the house, there doesn't seem to be enough time to do it all. I'm trying to keep my focus on God and my children and it seems like that is all we have time for sometimes.

To add another kink in things, Jonathan and I have decided that we are going to open our home up to adopting again. We have no clue how long this will take or when the Lord will move on it, but we clearly heard the Lord telling us that we need to get things rolling again. People have told me I'm crazy, but we don't care. We have room for more. There is always love to share, why not!

Thank you, thank you, whoever you are!

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 03:22:00 +0000

I have a bit of a funny story to tell you about something which I thought was trash. Nicole was cleaning out the mail today and asked me if everything she had was trash. I said yes, as I was flipping though it and then stuck to the bottom of my Ready Made magazine which I was keeping was an envelope from the Home Shopping Network, I thought it was junk and was about to throw it away, when something told me to open it, I'm pretty sure it was God.

I opened it and their was a credit card sized card in it, I handed to Jonathan and said what on Earth is this. He looked it over, it was a $100 gift card with no strings attached.

I decided that I would check out hsn.com and I thought I would maybe be able to get one nice item to spoil or family, but I was truly blessed to find several really nice clearance items which we will use.

Here is what I did:

Hamilton Beach Gelato Ice Cream Maker Price: $45.95
Wolfgang Puck Bistro Panini Duet with Grill Bags Clearance Price: $29.90
Wolfgang Puck Bistro Panini Maker Plate Set (has flat grill surface and waffle iron) Clearance Price: $9.90
Cameron's 17" Cedar Baking Plank Clearance Price: $19.90

Total was $105.65
Shipping was $27.80
For a total of 133.45

Now if you are not totally impressed that I was able to get all of this for $33.45 then you must be a thrifty queen just like me. I got on swagbucks and searched for hsn promotional codes and was able to find $15 off $45 for new customers which I was able to use. So I ended up paying $18.45 for all 4 items. I tried to use a $25 off $100 kitchen item purchase, but for some reason none of the items applied to that code, but hey I am so excited about my new items which will help me around the kitchen. I can't wait to make homemade waffles!

I have no clue who sent the gift card and I'm pretty sure that it wasn't just a promotion for hsn because usually those are $100 of X amount. Thank you, thank you so much if you are reading this, thank you! And thank you Jesus for telling me to open the envelope, this was such a surprise and blessing.

For now I will leave you with what Miss Nicole says: "I'm excited for some ice cream and waffles and maybe even some grill cheese sandwiches"

What I've written lately

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:42:00 +0000

I've been busy finishing up some post over at Frugal WAHM's Talk Radio and Mommies With Cents. You can find an awesome recipe for hazel nut scones and tips on organizing your freezer over at Frugal WAHM's Talk Radio. You can find the conclusion to my series on buying in bulk over at Mommies With Cents.

I hope you find something in them that is helpful. I know I'm terrible at updating here and I keep promising that I will update. I'm trying to figure out exactly what I want to do. I don't know what my readers would think, but I toying with the idea of just using this blog for telling stories about our journey to being frugal and living for Christ, and then directing you guys to my actual informational post which I will share on the other two blogs I write for. Do you have any preferences?

A blessing to my heart!

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 04:41:00 +0000

This came from my 2 year old Mercy while she was pretending to have a phone conversation: - "Hello Jesus. How are you Jesus? I love you Jesus. Have a good day Jesus. I love you Jesus. Good-bye Jesus."

I don't even have words to express how happy this makes me feel.

I also walked in on my 3 toddlers the other day (while we where on vacation). I heard Jaquale say - "Angel give me your hand, Angel give Mercy other hand." Then at the same moment all 3 of them started singing, "Jesus, Jesus, Jesus... Jesus, Jesus, Jesus..."

I not sure what else to think, other than we must be doing something right!

Long and enjoyed trip!

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Wed, 07 Jan 2009 19:53:00 +0000

After a long trip from Kansas to Ohio I think I am actually ready to start doing some writing again. The trip went well and we didn't have any major problems.... well except for diapers.

I bought a box of diapers from Toys R Us the day after Thanksgiving sale. Evidently, they are not actually good diapers! Every single diaper we used from Toys R Us they either pooped or peed out. I kid you not, I am not exaggerating. I have never had such a problem with diapers before. Our three year old was in a different type of diapers because he is in a larger size and not once did he have issues.

We stopped on the way up in St. Louis and went to the Science Museum and the Magic house, both of which I would highly recommend to anyone who is going though St. Louis. We then made our way to Ohio where we went to cousin Kate's wedding and got to spend time with family.

On the way home we stopped at the St. Louis arch and Westward expansion museum. They are actually in the same place. The children enjoyed them greatly!

We did eat out at Bob Evans and it is a restaurant that I would highly recommend. I had never eaten there before the trip, because the closest one to us is a hour away, but let me tell you a little about our experience. We arrived after visiting the Arch, but before the arch we had been in the car for 6 hours. We came in with 4 fussy little ones with dirty diapers, the first thing after we checked in, we ran to the bath room and changed all the diapers. They had our seats ready before we were even done. The manager came out and greeted us and asked us if we would like some crackers, she could see that the babies were all tired and fussy.

Once our waiter made it to the table, she talked to all the children, took our drink order (which where all waters) and then told us she would be back with rolls and some banana bread. I was totally amazed by this and it was wonderful. She then took our order. While we were waiting for our food we had several other staff members come out and talk with us.

The food was wonderful. I decided at the end of the meal that I would buy a pie, something I don't usually do, but it looked good and for the most part the children had been really well behaved thought out the trip. The total bill including dinner, dessert for 8 and an $11.50 tip was $66. When I check out they asked me how many children I had. I told them 6 plus a 13 year old and they gave me 7 free kids meal tickets and told me I could use them all at once. It looks like we will be making a trip to KC to eat at Bob Evens in the near future.

Just a quick hello

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 01:59:00 +0000

Now that the holidays are coming to an end I have one more commitment and then it is my hopes that I can start blogging again. I'll be leaving for a wedding later this week and once we get back I'm hoping things will slow down and I'll be able to get back to writing. Behaviors have settled with my daughter which is a good thing.

Christmas was good, but my children got entirely too much stuff thanks to grandmothers who love them so much. I've been working on cleaning the house so that when I get home I'll be coming home to a clean house rather than coming home to a mess.

Make it at home Monday - Christmas decorations.

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 20:18:00 +0000

The first year we had a Christmas tree I went out an bought a bunch of cheap Christmas decorations and they didn't last. This is not the way to be frugal. This year I decided that we are going to start from scratch and make our own and hopefully in a couple years we will have a nice stash of decorations.

This year we started with paper chains and popcorn chains. I had garland and bought 3 boxes of candy canes. This is what we have decorated our Christmas tree with. I honestly believe this is one of the most beautiful Christmas trees we have had.

What are you doing to decorate your house this year for Christmas? Any frugal tips for fun crafts for the children?

I didn't realize...

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 18:13:00 +0000

...how much time and effort it was going to take for me to homeschool the children. I'm still around and I'm still working on writing some post, but it amazes me on how little time I actually have to sit down and write. For all of you homeschooling bloggers out there you totally have my respect!

Magazine Christmas Tree

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 17:54:00 +0000

I don't usually do posts like this, but I thought this was the coolest idea to make Christmas trees out of old magazines. Make sure you check out this post on Just Like Martha's Blog. It's a really cute idea. When I get it finished I'll make sure to post a picture here. What a fun craft!

My Story Chapter 8.1

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Shortly after our trip to Montana we moved into our current home. We stepped out in faith and moved before my husband had a job and before our current house sold because we found a home in our price range, that we really liked, and it had already been sold once and had fallen through. I know it wasn't the best financial move on our part, but if the children where going to stay with us we need to make some changes. We needed more room. We lived in a 3 bed room house with 6 children and with foster care regulation we would have to put Mercy and Angel upstairs (out of our room at 18 months) for the room to big enough for all of the girls. I don't think I could ever sleep with them being so far away from me at night. With in a month of our move Jonathan received a job offer and our house sold for $15,000 more than we bought it for. This was a huge relief as we where able to pay off a huge chunk of our debt.

The home we moved into was a 5 bedroom 2 story with a unfinished basement which could possibly be finished later. God blessed us with a wonderful home and lots of room to spare.

Most Recent posts elsewhere

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Sat, 06 Dec 2008 12:00:00 +0000

I haven't had time to do much writing lately. You can find my latest post on Frugal WAHMs Talk Radio

Frugal Freezer Friday - What to do with Turkey

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 12:00:00 +0000

I cooked up two turkeys the day after Thanksgiving because we celebrated Thanksgiving with family and I didn't have to fix our own turkey. I would have only fixed 1, but the turkeys I picked up were smaller, so they both fit into my roaster oven. So far I have turned our turkey in to 26 meals and I'm not even done.

I've made the filling for 4 pot pies, I've made 6 cream of turkey and spinach soups, which I actually use over rice or pasta. I've also made 6 meals of cream of turkey and broccoli soup and 10 cream of mushroom soup with turkey broth, which I will combine with hamburger to make beef stroganoff, which is one of hubby's favorite dishes. Here is my cream soup recipe.

I have enough meat left that I planning on making some turkey salad for sandwiches, some meat for a few casseroles, and maybe even some turkey enchiladas. Here is a website with lost of fun turkey recipes.

What is your favorite turkey recipe? Could you easily turn it into a freezer meal so that you can treat your family later? It always amazes me how far you can stretch a turkey!

Working out the budget for next year.

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Wed, 03 Dec 2008 12:00:00 +0000

With the end of the year approaching it is time to take a good look at our budget for next year and see how we can better work it to allow us to save money.

This year our monthly budget was $400 for food and $100 for the buying coop that we are in. I've decided that this year our budget is going to be $500 for food, toiletries and buyer coop. This is a little bit of a cut in the budget, but I also get a lot of our toiletries on in our food budget. It just means that I'll have to watch all of my shopping in one budget rather than 2.

They only things that I've decided that wont be included in this budget will be animal food and supplies and diapers. I wish I could fit diapers into that budget, but I don't think I can buy 4 babies worth of diapers and still keep it at $500.

I'm also actually planning to have $6000/year budget rather than actually sticking to $500 per month. The reason I am doing this is because I usually only go shopping 1-2 times per month during the colder months. Last year my budget during the winter was actually around $300 a month, while during the summer months when we could get out more it was closer to $400.

Another reason I'm going to be a little more flexible is because it allows me to stock up on items like turkey around Thanksgiving and corned beef around St. Patrick's Day, without putting too much strain on the budget.

Today sit down for a few minutes and evaluate your budget for next year, what changes can you make to your budget to help you save money?

Make it at home Monday - Turkey leftovers.

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:00:00 +0000

I know some of this information is a little late for Thanksgiving, but make sure to check out this post because it will give you some ideas for how to use up left over turkey.

My Story 7.2

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0000

The day that I receive that call from my confidential intermediary I also received a call from my biological mom. For some reason the call didn't go though, but I did receive a message from her. I was so terrified that I wrote her an email saying that I wanted to talk with her, but that I was scared, so we kept it to internet conversations for a little while until we got to know each other a little better. When I say a little better I guess I mean 3-4 emails in a matter of a couple hours, but you would be amazed what you can learn about someone in such a shore amount of time.

After our initial phone conversation we spent many hours talking on the phone while I would go out and walk. We learned a lot about each other, it was amazing how in someways we where very much a like and at the same time very different. We like a lot of the same foods. We have a lot of the same talents: drawing, writing poetry and cooking just to name a few.

In the end of July my biological step grandfather died and so Jonathan took off for a trip down to Montana just 3 short months after the our first phone conversation. It was a very fast trip, but it was nice to get to met my biological family. I came away thankful for them as they are wonderful wonderful people, and thankful for the life they gave me. God worked everything out for good. I now have them and I have may husband and family which I wouldn't have had if my mom wouldn't have given me up for adoption.

We are hoping that come spring we will be able to take a trip to see them again.

A witness and blessing to my soul

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0000

This song became a blessing to me the other day. My oldest daughter Nicole likes this song and has taught my little talker to sing this song. So I have 3 running around and dancing everytime they hear it. "I Pray, I Pray".

The other day my youngest daughter was singing "Jeeesus! Jeeesus!" at the top of her lungs the other and I have no clue what song she got it from, but my heart just melted listening to my baby girl sing to Jesus. That has to be such a blessing to Him to hear such a young heart sing out in praise.

The lesson I've learned here is they soak up things that you would never think. I never thought my just two year old daughter would be singing "Jesus, Jesus"! What a blessing.

I hope you guys have a wonderful week. I'll be taking a couple days off for thanks giving.

Miss Nicole and Chistmas pictures

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Miss Nicole posted an entry over on 7 growing Up last week. She is my oldest and is very helpful around the house and with her younger siblings. You can read her post here. My next big task is going to be to get Emmanuel to write a post.

Yesterday we decided to get Christmas pictures taken. I'm excited about getting to put together another pictures collage. You can read about my idea here.

Pet question for my frugal readers

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0000

I have a question for everyone. Last week my siamese lover boy cat was diagnosed with a urinary infection and the vet put him on a special food. This special food is $14.99 for a 4lb bag. Now I don't know about you, but there is not much that I will pay $3.75/lb for. I wouldn't think too much about the cost of the food, but my blue eyed kitty is only 1 of 4 cats, I can't afford to feed all of them this food.

Do you guys have any suggestion on either a natural preventative or on how to find a good quality, cheaper alternative food source for him?

This is so hard! Any advice?

My Story Chapter 7.1

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Let me take a step back and go on a little rabbit trail elsewhere. When we found out that I was pregnant with Mercy, Jonathan asked me to finish the paper work so that we could find out about my birth parents. I procrastinated and procrastinated until finally one day after Mercy was born, Jonathan filled out the paper work, put his foot down and made me sign the paper work. He even wrote the check, addressed the envelope, and put it in the mail.

Now it would be only a matter of time before the state of Wyoming would assign me a confidential intermediary and only a short time after this that when I would be given the opportunity to find out about my biological family. I was truly terrified about the whole situation. What if my family was dead? Or worse what if they didn't want to have anything to do with me?

April 24th 2007 I receive a call from my confidential intermediary. She told me that she had found my birth mom in Montana. I was given her phone number, address and was told that I had two siblings, a girl (18) and a boy (14). She called my cell phone but some how I had missed her call, so I set up an account on one of the poetry sites which she belonged to and sent put a comment on one of her poems. We talked online for a while and then we decided to call each other.

That day I got online and searched her name on Google. I know, I'm silly, but I wanted to learn as much about her a s possible. I found out that she loves writing poetry, drawing and that she was a Christian (based on some of her poetry).

Been busy, no post elsewhere this week.

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Sat, 22 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0000

I've been busy with family this week no post elsewhere this week. I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Freezer organization help?

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0000

I don't have anything really excited planned for today, so I thought I would ask you guys for your advice. I've been fairly spoiled when it comes to our ability to store food. We have 2 refrigerators and 2 deep freeze, but I'm running in to the problem of keeping them organized.

How do you guys keep your freezers organized? Do you have any advice? My problem is that we have some many people and keeping them all disciplined enough to keep a list and mark things off and add things to it when we add to it seems impossible. Another problem is getting them to put things in the right freezer rather than just plopping it wherever they find room is another problem for me.

Do you have any advice?

Introducing Alisa

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Alisa posted her first post in our other blog called 7 Growing up. You can read here post here. Make sure to go over and welcome her into the blogging world.

Growing with Proverbs (1:21-33)

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0000

The last part of chapter 1 in Proverbs is about the call of wisdom. I like to think of it as wisdom personified. What would wisdom be like if it were a person? One question I would like you and your children to think about as you read though the last part of chapter 1 is: Does wisdom sound like God? How and in what ways?

20 Wisdom calls aloud outside;

She raises her voice in the open squares.

21 She cries out in the chief concourses,[a]

At the openings of the gates in the city

She speaks her words:

22 “ How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?

For scorners delight in their scorning,

And fools hate knowledge.

23 Turn at my rebuke;

Surely I will pour out my spirit on you;

I will make my words known to you.

24 Because I have called and you refused,

I have stretched out my hand and no one regarded,

25 Because you disdained all my counsel,

And would have none of my rebuke,

26 I also will laugh at your calamity;

I will mock when your terror comes,

27 When your terror comes like a storm,

And your destruction comes like a whirlwind,

When distress and anguish come upon you.

28 “ Then they will call on me, but I will not answer;

They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.

29 Because they hated knowledge

And did not choose the fear of the LORD,

30 They would have none of my counsel

And despised my every rebuke.

31 Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way,

And be filled to the full with their own fancies.

32 For the turning away of the simple will slay them,

And the complacency of fools will destroy them;

33 But whoever listens to me will dwell safely,

And will be secure, without fear of evil.”

This whole section of proverbs makes a good memory section if you have older children. This section of scripture tells us a lot about God's character as God is the ultimate authority on wisdom. For younger children work on memorizing verse 33: “But whoever listens to me will dwell safely, and will be secure, without fear of evil.”

The words this week. Which are attributes of God? Are they things that God allows? Are they good or bad? Some of these words may sound bad, but if they are attributes of our Father or God allows them, then then are a good thing. This may be something that is hard for your children to understand, but that is okay. The more they understand about God, the easier it will be for them to get a good understanding.

Review words: Wisdom, Simple Knowledge, Despise

Delight

Great pleasure, joy

Someone or something that gives great pleasure or enjoyment.

Scorn

To treat someone of something as worthless or bad

Hate

To dislike very much: detest

Rebuke

A harsh criticism; To criticise harshly; to reprove (taken from wiktionary.org)

Spirit

Beings without physical bodies

That part of a human being that controls thinking and feeling as distinguished from the physical body person's mood or state of mind

Enthusiasm courage; or pep

Refuse

To be not willing to do somethings

To decline to accept; turn down

To decline to give

Disdain

A feeling of mild contempt; scorn

Calamity

Something that causes great misfortune and suffering; disaster

Destruction

The act of destroying

Heavy or serious harm

Distress

Great grief or suffering; misery; sorrow

Serious danger or trouble

Anguish

Very great pain or suffering of body or mind

Diligent

Working hard; careful; industrious

Complacent

Pleased with oneself; satisfied; contented

Secure

Free from danger or the change of loss; safe

Strongly fastened; not likely to fall or break

Free from fear or worry

Blog Awards

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0000

I'm sorry I am just now getting around to this, but things have been a little busy. I was given the "I love Your Blog" Award presented by Quests of a MSFIT

It is now my job to pass this on to 7 of my favorite blogger.

Please make sure that if I have awarded you, that you make sure to pass it on to 7 of your favorites. Leave them a comment so they know you are giving them the award.

If you ladies have already been awarded, consider it that you are really loved, but you don't need to pass it along again.

Be Productive

Chasing Cheerios

A Year of CrockPotting

The Finer Things in Life

The life of my KSDS dog!

To Know Him

Fun Foods on a Budget

I was also given "The Marie Antoinette, Real Person Award" by momstheword

I would like to pass this one along to:

Growing Blooms

Make and Do

Lentils and Rice

Stings my heart

Frugal Upstate

The Pioneer Woman Cooks

Jane 4 Girls $800 Annual Budget

Again - It is now my job to pass this on to 7 of my favorite blogger. I picked different blogs for this award. I love reading so many blogs!

Please make sure that if I have awarded you, that you make sure to pass it on to 7 of your favorites. Leave them a comment so they know you are giving them the award.

If you ladies have already been awarded, consider it that you are really loved, but you don't need to pass it along again.

I realize that many of you who I have given these awards probably don't even know I exist, but that's okay. I love reading you, thank you for all of the wonderful information and good reading!

Make it at Home Monday - Salsa!

noreply@blogger.com (JadeMerie) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Chips and salsa is one of my favorite appetizers, but buying salsa at the store can get expensive and the cheap stuff is never any good, so why not make your own salsa. Salsa is easy to make and extremely customizable!

The basic ingrediants you will need are

Tomatoes

Seasonings (garlic, cilantro, salt pepper)

Here is a simple salsa recipe, but it is wonderful!

Optional

Onions

Peppers (depends on how spicy you want your salsa on what type you'll want to pick)

At All Recipes you can also find a great article on how to play around with your salsa and how to mix it up a little!

One last fun resource come from New Mexico State University. This site offers information on how to can your own salsa.

Play around, have fun, and if you come up with an awesome salsa recipe, make sure to come back to share it with us.