Southern Seven

Cheat Meal Day

2012-01-07T19:55:00.000-06:00

I get a cheat meal each week so today was my day! I didn't plan for it so just got lazy tonight and decided it would be cheat meal. I didn't get real bad I had a salad with grilled Greek chicken, boiled egg, cucumber, tomato, Ranch, bacon bits, cheddar cheese. I also had 8 white chocolate with peppermint kisses to polish off what has been on my counter all week. I have thought every day that I would just have one, but every day told myself I would not give in and save it for my cheat meal.

I didn't exercise today. It was raining which brought on a headache all day. So, tomorrow would have been an off day and I will go walk or do something tomorrow to get in today's workout. I am learning to make it a priority and not let it get totally pushed off my schedule. It really helps me to think of my big goal and that it has been broken down into bites and this is what portion I "have" to get done this week or today. I will weigh Monday morning and get to see if anything is changing yet. Well, I KNOW there are changes I can feel them. I have more cardio endurance after just one week. I feel I am not as dependant on sugar.... hope I didn't kill that with my kisses tonight! I feel I am making working out a habit. My muscles have been sore. So, whether the scale shows it or not there are changes going on.

Cleaning up in the new year

2012-01-02T20:13:00.001-06:00

Today we did a lot of work on the house! We got all the Christmas decorations back in the attic. Then, I was cleaning the kitchen and had my husband take off the handle on the stove so I could clean the vent behind it. I took a toothbrush to every crevice in the door of the oven and microwave. I cleaned all the appliances, counters, cabinets, the drawers in the island, and the stove top. We then dusted and vacuumed everything downstairs, even under the cushions in the front room sectional and family room couch and love seat. It feels so clean!

I have my food plan for the week and went to Sams and got the food I need. I have a new blog for weight loss and have posted my menu for the week on it here. I am doing the Eat Clean plan, which is really just whole foods, complex carbs instead of simple carbs, and eating protein to build muscle. I hope this time I can stick with it! I am entering the Clean Eating (magazine) contest. Winner gets a trip to Toronto for your photo shoot and $3000.00, which I really don't know if that is enough to have my before photo published in a magazine! But, if I could win by losing weight I might as well be paid for it :)

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T15:45:00.000-06:00

I've neglected this blog so badly! I kind of lost my desire to do any projects and feel like I just survived the last part of 2011. I am excited for a new year and new beginnings. I have a lot of projects I would like to do on the house in the coming year. I plan to use our income tax refund to redo our family room. Our furniture is 11 years old and in sad shape. We've been here 5 years so the house needs a lot of touch up painting and I need to freshen a lot of areas. Looking on Pinterest (my link is here)these are just a few projects I'd like to do.

Make some coasters

Make a canvas print with out beach photo. AND take a new family picture to make into a canvas.

As I lose weight refashion my clothes. This is a refashioned tee. Isn't it cute?

Buy a cell phone case... love this one! you can find it here

A grocery bag dispenser

I have big goals for 2012 in my personal life. I am looking forward to getting healthier and start participating instead of watching all the activities with the kids. Here's to a great year!

Frugal things done lately

2011-10-19T05:00:00.003-05:00

I've been mainly eating out of the pantry and freezer for three weeks. I ran by Publix for the last day of their sale to pick up some bagels. I love to have these on hand for a quick breakfast or an in between snack for my many teens that live in my house. They were buy one get one free so they came up to $.95 a bag. I got 4 plain and 3 cinnamon raisin and also some cream cheese. I bought honey butter the other day for my daughter to put on them.

I haven't done a lot of garage sales this year. I don't really know why because we've always gone every Saturday. I guess I got to the point where I have so much stuff and it is hard to find teen clothes and I just haven't gone. Well, we went Saturday. It was a pretty good day. I got this package of kitchen towels and dishrags for $3. I cannot have enough. I seriously have at least 10 in each load per day. We grab them to wipe up everything instead of paper towels.

I got three pair of athletic pants for my 12 year old. Only two are pictured because the other pair, which were navy, were already worn. They were $.50 each.

I went to Walmart and when we got home the kids put up groceries. I later looked and we had ribs and brisket. I called and Walmart cannot restock the items and so I got free meat! I made this recipe. They were very good! I used peas we had in the freezer. The last of the potatoes that were going bad and the last of cheese to make scalloped potatoes. I got the tomato in an Amish village for $.79 a lb.

I put a dry rub on the brisket and baked it in a roasting pan. After it cooks an hour you turn the temp down and add beef broth to the pan. It was OK but not great so I will not link the recipe. I used butter beans and corn from the freezer that I put up this summer.

I have a whole turkey thawing in the refrigerator and am going to roast it and make up some meals using turkey instead of chicken like turkey pot pie, turkey enchiladas, turkey and rice soup, and turkey king ranch casserole. That was a big item to get out of the freezer.

I have used a lot of my cooked chicken, all the cooked or frozen hamburger, broccoli, used a lot of flour to make cinnamon rolls, pancakes, and biscuits. I still have a lot of flour! Trying hard to use it all and restock. I've used 2 cans of milk that are expired and have 2 or 3 more. I have added it half with regular milk in pancake, cinnamon roll, and biscuit mixes. I have a partial jar of chunky peanut butter to use to make peanut butter cookies.

We have 6 opened jars of peanut butter! I have taken the new unopened jars out of the main pantry so they can't open another one. I think I will also take a few of the opened ones out because they are all almost full. That is so irritating. I bought 6 jars at Sams. I've heard the price was going up for two months on the boards. With it being said on Newsweek and the main evening news shows I knew I better get some more. Sams had not raised their price, but there were many empty boxes in the place. I had to crawl under the shelf to the very back to get some. I may go back and get a few more.

An Aldis opened in Huntsville so my daughter picked me up 8 carton of eggs that were $.45 a carton. I am going to make up muffin tin quiches with ham or sausage. I think I will make some breakfast burritos, also. I am having a hard time using them now that I got them. I need to make a quiche for supper and tuna fish, and deviled eggs and let my husband take them for a snack.

I got green peppers at the Amish village 3/$1. I picked up 6 and cut 4 in strips and froze them for fajitas and peppers and onions.

I know I can go another week with cooking from my freezer. My meal plan is:
Wed- turkey pot pie
Thurs- quiche
Friday- turkey enchiladas
Sat- chicken stir fry (have a stir fry kit from Sam's I need to use)
Sun- turkey and rice soup
Mon- Red beans and rice ( bought smoked sausage at Sam's for $2 a lb)
Tue- turkey king ranch casserole
Wed- black bean soup

hopefully I can eat up some of the free boxed vegetables I have in the freezer in the pot pie and with enchiladas and the casserole. I can add any leftovers to the turkey and rice soup.

Amish Community in Ethridge, TN

2011-10-18T10:38:00.000-05:00

We had a opportunity to go to Ethridge, TN and visit an Amish community for a field trip. It is about an hour and twenty minutes from us, southwest of Nashville.

We rode horse drawn buggies from farm to farm within the community. Out of respect we were unable to take photos. Each home puts a sign at the road listing what they have for sale. The would either have a small building like a concession stand or it would be on their porch. Each had jams, salsas, pickled okra, peanut brittle, fudge, baskets, pumpkins, vegetables, and some had wooden toys. The prices were great. I got three small pumpkins for $.50 each. At Walmart they were around $2. I got a butternut squash to try for $.50, some peanut butter fudge, green peppers 3/$1, tomatoes $.79 a lb. The peppers smell amazing, and the tomatoes were vine ripened and juicy looking.

We covertly took these photos going down the highway on the way home.

We giggled at this! She is drinking a McDonalds drink. We tried to guess whether they went through the drive through with their buggy or parked in the parking lot. Both are just funny.

Things we learned:
Amish are from the Switzerland area and of German decent... a lot of photos depict them from Holland since they are Dutch. The Germans were called Deutch, and it does not mean they are from Holland.

No photos. They will get mad and run you off if you try to take a photo. (Didn't have to learn that personally, our guide made it very clear not to do it and how offensive it was)

They start school at age 6 and go through 8th grade or their 14th birthday. No one goes further than that, they then work... the boys with their father and the girls with their mother.

No one can join the Amish order, you have to be born into it. If you leave the home you are shunned and your parents may never speak to you again. You cannot marry outside of the Amish either.

They go to the doctor and chiropractor in town, they do not have an Amish doctor. They do practice home treatment and remedies when they can.

The only rubber tired vehicle they are permitted to ride in is a bus. So, if they need to travel they take their horse carriage to Nashville and catch the bus there.

They bathe once a week.

They speak Pennsylvania Dutch in the home until they go to school. In school they learn English. They speak German (Pennsylvania Dutch) to each other, but know English to converse with us.

Everyone who is not Amish is English because of the language we speak. If a French person moved or lived near them they would still be English. Not sure how true or far that one goes.

Many English people live within the community. They will never be a part of the Amish community.

There are 300 Amish families in Etheridge, TN. They are broken into 12 church groups.

They do not have a church building. They take turns hosting services at each other's farm. The host feeds the church that day and they go get benches for everyone to sit on.

When we would drive up to a farm and get out to shop their wares Amish children would come to look at us. I think we all were as much a "show" to them as they are to us. All were barefoot, the boys in hats and little dark suits and the girls in their dark dresses and bonnets. The little boys looked like little men.

Boys start going with their father each day to work around age 2. They are given jobs to do and quickly learn how to work.

At age 14 a boy/girl can be hired out... sometimes to English people to help build fences or preserve the garden. All money goes to the parents until the child is 18 or 21 I forget which.

Horses can pull a cart and poop while walking at the same time!

Horse poop really really stinks... pee-you.

Ham and Potatoes, Cooking Dry Beans

2011-10-03T09:27:00.000-05:00

I promise my blog is not becomming all about food! I guess it has been a big part of my focus lately as I try to clean out the house and eat up some stuff. I did go through the boys clothes. My 11 year old tried on all the clothes from my 13 year old and found a lot of winter shirts. They are built totally different so he can't ever wear his pants and some of the shirts he says he will not wear so I put them in a box to put in the attic to sell later. Their closet has a lot more room now.

I made two more weeks of menu plan to eat out of the freezer and pantry. I will have to pick up bread, chips, milk, eggs, and fresh fruit but other than that we are pretty good on meat and I have a lot of frozen vegetables I need to use up.

I had one more ham steak. I bought them at Sams. They were in a four pack and have been really good to cook up and add to potatoes and eggs. I browned it this morning.

What I didn't use for breakfast I chopped and put on a baking pan to flash freeze. I know, this pan is well used and ugly, but it does the job. I let it freeze about an hour or two then will put in a zip top bag. I freeze it this way so when I put it in a bag it won't freeze together. Then, when I want some all I have to do is grab a handful. I add it to eggs, potatoes, beans, soups, whatever!

I had potatoes from supper a couple of nights ago. I had made Ranch potatoes for supper. I cut potatoes in wedges and drizzle with olive oil, then sprinkle on dry Ranch dressing. Bake that for about 35 minutes at 375. Save the extras for making this. I diced the potatoe wedges and put in a skillet that I had sprayed. I let that heat up and brown the outside of the potatoes a little. I then added in some of the chopped ham. My husband made an egg to go with his, but the rest of us ate it alone. Sometimes I cook it with onions and sometimes I add cheddar cheese to the top.

My husband requested chili for supper. I was out of cooked beans so let some red beans and white beans soak overnight. I also took out two containers of homemade chicken broth out of the freezer to cook the beans in. This morning I put on the beans in a crock pot. I added the container of chicken broth and then filled it the rest of the way with water to cover the beans. I added in the small amount of ham fat and the bone that was on the ham steak. I am cooking on low about 6 hours. I will add some onion flakes ( I only have one onion left so am trying to save it) and salt later after they cook about an hour.

When the beans are cooked I will put one cup portions in ziploc bags and freeze. I take out what I need to add to soups, casseroles, etc. later.

Chicken Salad, Cheese Baked Tomatoes, and Apple Cobbleer

2011-09-26T18:27:00.001-05:00

I had a friend come over for lunch today and wanted to have something I could pretty much make ahead and get out when she got here. I love my chicken salad. I can't have bread so I serve it over lettuce, but it is so good on toasted bread. I sprinkled both sides of chicken breasts with Greek seasoning and baked it about 25 minutes in the oven. It is also good to grill it for added flavor. I then shred into small bites and let cool. Add salt, pepper, and mayonnaise. I chopped some grapes and added that in. I toasted pecan halves and then chopped and sprinkled on top.

These tomatoes were awesome! I sliced them and added mozzarella, drizzled on olive oil, then made a mixture of Parmesan, oregano, salt and pepper and sprinkled that on top. Bake for about 15 minutes.

I made a peach cobbler with my home canned peaches. I mixed the peaches with cinnamon and sugar. Then I made a topping with oats, butter, and a spoonful of brown sugar. I mixed it until it was crumbly and added it to the top. I chopped pecans and added them. Bake 375 degrees for 35 minutes.

Clean out the Freezer and Pantry Challenge

2011-09-26T06:19:00.003-05:00

My freezers are so disorganized that I don't even know anymore what I have so I keep buying stuff so I "know" I have it. And, my pantry is full of a lot of items I can't have since having to go gluten-free so I want to use them up.... things like cream of chicken and mushroom soups, rice a roni, and a lot of flour. My family can have them so I thought I would make some casseroles with the soups and package them up for my husband to take to lunch. My teen boys are eating a lot so I just need to add the rice a roni to meals at lunch time to fill them up. (By the way, I have about 40 cans each of cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup. I have about 20 boxes of Rice A Roni that I got for about $.30 each.)

Looking only on a few shelves of my freezer I have come up with some meals to prepare this week without having to buy a lot from the store.

Today I have a friend coming for lunch. I thawed a bag that had two chicken breasts in it and baked it in the oven with Greek seasoning on it. I then a chicken salad with it mixing it with mayonnaise, salt, pepper, and some sliced grapes. I will toast some pecans today to sprinkle on top of mine and add in if she likes them. I plan for her to do a sandwich or salad with it and I will have mine on a salad. I have two Roma tomatoes that I need to use. I am going to slice them and then bake topped with mozzarella, Parmesan, and oregano. I have carrot sticks and Ranch dressing. I may steam some edamamme. And then for dessert I am using a home canned jar of peaches that I put up last year. I will add some cinnamon sugar to the peaches and put them in individual ramekins, then top with my gluten free oats, some oat flour mixed with butter and a little brown sugar and crumbled on top. All of this was items I had without going out for anything like I normally would do.

Some of the other menu items using what I have are:

pancakes, biscuits, and cinnamon rolls for breakfast. I have one and a half ham steaks that I cooked and diced that I can add into omelets, ham cup quiches baked in muffin cups, and scrambled eggs. I have 2 lbs. of breakfast sausage to make sausage biscuits, have with eggs, etc. I have a lot of certified gluten free oats that I got from Amazon. I don't really like oatmeal for cereal, but want to try some oatmeal bars and homemade granola. There are about 5 waffles and 2 omelets in the freezer to eat.

I have a few frozen soups in individual containers so I am going to eat them a couple of times this week. Beef fajita served over rice. Pizza on grilled yellow squash. Ham and peanut butter sandwiches for the family. Tuna salad and sandwiches. Black bean soup. Ramen and grilled cheese.

Suppers will be a Chicken stir fry kit from Sams- not gluten free so I am going to make it for the family and let my husband take leftovers for lunch. It is a huge bag so I will only make a portion of it. King Ranch chicken casserole. Tacos. Have 5 hamburger patties preformed. Shepherd Pie. I have a bag kit for a breakfast skillet which has potatoes, sausage, onion, black beans, corn, and you add eggs to it. I will make that one night for supper instead of a breakfast. A chicken and rice casserole.

I have home canned apples and peaches from last year so I will make some crisps with those. I have boxes of gelatin and can make parfaits with gelatin and cool whip. I have boxes of jello pudding to eat. I have apples, grapes, strawberries and oranges. I have frozen yogurt to make smoothies with. I add in frozen strawberries and bananas with a little milk. If I make some granola I can sprinkle that on top. I want to make some oatmeal peanut butter cookies. I have a partial jar of chunky peanut butter no one is eating and that would be perfect to use up in the cookies.

I will need to buy milk, bread, eggs, sour cream, tomatoes, a green pepper, and chips for the kids. Other than buying the coupon items for the week, that is all I can think of that I need.

I don't think this cleans out a lot of stuff so plan to organize as I go and plan to continue on into the next week thinking up meals to use up more of the cooked chicken and other items.

For I Know The Plans I Have For You

2011-09-19T03:31:00.001-05:00

Jeremiah 29:11 is my life verse. It spoke to me early on in my walk with Jesus and is what I bring up every time I walk through uncertain times. It reminds me that God is for me and has a plan for me. No matter what the circumstances look like at the time, His ways are to prosper me, to keep me from harm, to give me a hope, and a future. I just have to trust Him. To believe He really does love me and want what is best for me.

Today is the day that 25 years ago I buried my Mama. I was a young girl, right at my 18th birthday. I graduated high school 4 months earlier and was working in a dental office. I came home from work and found her lying on the kitchen floor. She had been having problems breathing for a few weeks. Every time she walked a short distance she was out of breath. She went to the doctor and he told her she was overweight and dismissed her. She said she had been overweight for awhile and felt something else was wrong, but had no answers. Her problem was that blood clots had traveled from her legs and settled in her lungs, blocking off her airway.

I knelt down to check her vitals so that I could start CPR, but she murmured, "I am okay," when I grabbed her wrist. She wasn't okay. I called the paramedics and they came. They thought she was hyperventilating and were being stern with her to calm down and breathe into a bag they placed over her mouth. I tried to tell them she had been having problems and wasn't hyperventilating. That is the hardest part of my story... to have the memories stuck within my mind of watching my Mama suffocate, to struggle to breathe. I still remember the look in her eyes, the sounds of her struggling. The wouldn't let me in the ambulance so I followed behind. When we got to the hospital they came out a couple of times and told me to call some family to be with me. One time the nurse said it didn't look good. I thought she meant she was very sick, not death. It took over an hour for family to arrive. The longest hour of my life as I sat alone waiting. They took us to a room and told us that she had died in the ambulance and they worked on her an hour and couldn't revive her.Wow, in an instant she was gone. My life was changed. Over night I went from being a teenager to an adult, having to care for myself and a home. I no longer had a Mama.

The part of my story that gives me hope is that when this happened I was able to see God's hand in my life for one of the first times I can remember being aware of in a real way. I immediately was able to see how he had prepared me for two years to take care of myself. It started when I was in 11th grade taking my 2nd year of accounting. A lady came to the door and asked my teacher if she had anyone who would work well in a pediatric dental office. My teacher chose me and asked me to come outside the room and they asked if I would be interested in going on the interview. My Mama wasn't thrilled with me working but finally agreed to let me go- probably thinking I wouldn't get the job. I was hired that day and for the rest of the year and next got out of school after lunch and worked each afternoon. I was hired to work up front answering phones, filing charts, and helping out. Being a young girl the kids loved me and so were often found sitting in my lap while they waited their turn. In two weeks they brought me to the back to sit with them while we waited for their mouth to get numb. I began my training as a dental assistant and within the month was fully assisting the doctor.

My precious God had provided for me. My Mama's death was a surprise to me, but not to Him. He had been working in my life for years to prepare me. I had a hope. So, I don't choose to remember my Mama lying on the floor struggling for her last breath. I remember how she told me daily she loved me. Me, the bratty teenager that rolled my eyes, stood stiff for hugs, talked back, thought she knew it all. Me! Her last words were, "I love you," that morning as I left for work. Just like God she loved me with an everlasting love, no matter what I did. She was much more outgoing that I am. She had an infectuous personality and heart for other people. She was always happy and fun to be around. I've missed much, but have so much to look forward to one day in Heaven.

Ham steak with friend potatoes and onions

2011-09-17T16:59:00.000-05:00

I've been married 23 years and have never made ham steaks. I was at Sams and all their baking hams had a gluten glaze so I found a package with four hamsteaks in it. I have eaten them, just have never made them. I cooked it in a skillet with a tiny bit of bacon grease. It took about 5 minutes per side. For the potatoes I sauteed an onion then added the diced potatoes. I let that cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes. I then added a lid and turned it down to almost low and let it continue to cook for another 5-8 minutes. A very quick meal! I didn't have everyone eating or it would not have fed us to just eat it as is. If I had everyone I would add about 6 eggs with a touch of milk to the potatoes and then dice the ham and stir in. Then bake that for about 15-20 minutes.

What to do with the foyer????

2011-09-15T11:23:00.000-05:00

This is my foyer. It is a really big room and has two story walls and an angle wall where the stairs go up and turn, splitting into one going up to a catwalk for the upstairs rooms, and a staircase going down into the kitchen and family room area. We turned the dining room into a bedroom so I moved our dining table and buffet and an old antique dresser that belonged to my great-grandmother in the foyer. This photo doesn't show the size of the room, that table is pretty big, seating eight comfortably.

I have this wall going up the stairs that is two story. Because it is so tall it just looks like a big blank blob of beige. I have toyed with the idea of putting a wall of frames here. What do you think? I am scared it will look cluttered instead.

This is the buffet that goes with the table. I think I am going to paint it and am looking at a gray color. It is an antique, but needs refinishing. The table has some damage on one of the legs and the top is worn and scratched.

This wall is really hard to figure out what to do with it. I don't like it at all. I want a couple of large florals or Italian landscapes or something, but I can't find what I want. I also want a very large floral arrangement with a red flower added in. I also would like to make a burlap or other floor length tablecloth.

I think I am going to paint all the interior doors a light gray, but I am not sure. I like the look of painted doors with the white trim.

I need something on the sidelights. The morning sun is horrendous and is really bad on my table. It comes in the upper window as well as the sidelights. I have thought about a faux burlap panel. I have also looked at some of the window films at Lowes and am not sure about them.

The wall. So, what do you think.... wall of frames or not? Any other ideas?

These are some inspiration photos of walls of frames. I have collected a lot and some are black some are brown and some have a light patina. I don't want all black since my furniture and accessories I plan to do have more of a country French color scheme. I think the mixture will blend better. I plan to pick up more frames and continue to add to it when I find them cheap.

The one above is a mixture of frame colors. This house was Coastal Living or one of the other magazines. It belongs to Judy Cullbreth and is located in Fairhope, AL. I worked with her mother, Grace at the dentist I worked for from 11th grade until after I graduated.

These are some of the painted pieces that I like. This is what I am looking at to paint my table and buffet.

The one above and below has the doors in a gray tone that I am looking at painting my interior doors. I like the one with more blue in it on the chest above to paint the buffet and table. I actually may refinish the table in wood tone, and just paint the buffet, or the other way around.

I like the colors below. Would love two prints like that for my awkward wall behind the table. Mix that with a large arrangement with red in it on the table. It gives an idea of the painted furniture with colors I am using.

I am planning on painting the banisters black like this.

Smoked Sausage and Broccoli

2011-09-15T09:05:00.000-05:00

This is an extremely quick meal to put together. I use frozen broccoli and steam it in a double boiler. While it is cooking slice smoked sausage and broil until browned and heated through, turning once. My family makes spaghetti noodles, but since I can't have gluten I eat mine without the noodles. Mix in enough Italian dressing to coat everything. If you eat it with the noodles put it all in a large bowl and mix the dressing into it all.

Cowboy Caviar

2011-09-14T05:31:00.001-05:00

I have had many versions of Cowboy Caviar, but used my friend Ginger's recipe for this one. I do not have any cooked black beans or I would have added them to this.

1 can (or equivalent cooked from dry) black eyed peas
1 can (or equivalent cooked) white shoe peg corn
1 can Rotel tomatoes
small bottle Italian dressing
3 Tbsp (or 1 package) dry Ranch dressing mix

Stir all together and let sit in refrigerator until needed. This is better if prepared up to four hours ahead so flavors can marinate together. I added the whole bottle of Italian and ended up draining the liquid out, so next time I would add about 3/4 of the bottle and see if that is wet enough, adding more as needed.

English lesson:
Marinade is a noun and marinate is a verb.
Marinate the chicken in a marinade made from soy sauce, lemon, and garlic.

Sangria Punch and Book Swap Party

2011-09-13T21:10:00.001-05:00

Tonight I had the ladies from our home school group over Mom's Night Out and a book swap. I found the idea for the centerpiece off Pinterest. You use a can to put the flowers in. Cover the can with pencils, holding them in place with a rubberband. Then tie a ribbon around them to cover the rubberband. (I had moved the ribbon to show the ladies and didn't put it back) I used some of the kids' books stacked on the table with the centerpiece.

We drew numbers and picked a book from the pile. Only one other woman brought four books and I had three so we had enough for everyone, but I don't think they were really interested in the books. I think home school moms are just too busy to read for pleasure. Oh well :)

I made a sangria punch that was really good. This photo is from the Kraft site along with the recipe.

4 cups cranberry fruit punch
1 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp lime juice
3/4 cup dry mix Country Time lemonade or pink lemonade (I used pink)
3 cups club soda- I used ginger ale
2 oranges sliced
2 limes sliced

Mix cranberry punch, orange juice, lime juice, and lemonade mix and refrigerate until ready to use. Right before serving add ginger ale and sliced fruit. Serve over ice. This would be really good mixed in iced tea. This recipe makes 8 servings. I doubled it.

My battery was dead so I didn't get photos of the table with food or the people. This is what was left of the punch. Everyone said it was very good. Definitely a keeper.

you is kind, you is smart, you is important

2011-09-12T05:00:00.002-05:00

This Saturday I went to a women's retreat. The woman giving the devotional mentioned The Help and my mind could not stop thinking that in a group of women that size somewhere sitting amongst all of us was little Mae Mobley. For those who have not read the book or seen the movie she is the daughter of the character Elizabeth. Elizabeth is worried about her home and impressing her socialite friends and just doesn't take the time to take care of her daughter. She leaves all the care and nurturing to her maid, Aibileen, never holding or encouaging little Mae Mobley. Aibileen decides to use the time she has to instill in Mae Mobley she is special by repeating over and over to her You is kind, You is smart, You is important. It breaks your heart to see that her own mother doesn't speak words of encouragement or pick her up to soothe her and show her she loves her.

Everyone of us is similar to one of the characters in a certain degree. Are you a Mae Mobley? Someone who didn't recieve a lot of nurturing in your past? Do you hunger for just a small morsel of attention? Do you desire love and care from someone unable to give it?

Or, are you an Elizabeth (top right in lavendar dress)? For whatever reason she doesn't know how to nurture her children. Maybe she is just a product of a mother that was just like her so she just doesn't know. She spent her time sewing and trying to keep up and impress her socialite friends, hiding a scrape on the table, sewing slipcovers to make her furniture better, trying to make clothes. Her focus is off. She is looking at the wrong thing to make her feel important, and searching for approval from her friends.

Poor, poor Celia! She grew up poor and ends up marrying the well to do Johnny, who just happens to be the ex-boyfriend of Hilly. That alone was enough for her to be an outcast, but the girl is vulumptuous and wears tight and flashy clothing. She didn't ever learn how a lady dresses and is seen as someone who is not as good and a threat. She is so starved for friends that she makes a fool of herself trying to work herself into the group. She has a lot to learn about how to cook and clean and is so afraid that her husband will not see her as deserving, so she pretends she has done it all. You can't help but care for her, I am sure there are a lot of Celias out there. We all can be in situations where we don't feel worthy, craving both friendship and to know our husbands find us worthy.

Oh my, next is Minny Jackson... the mouth of the south. Minny is like a corked bottle that has been shaken and is ready to explode. When that cork pops she says whatever has crossed her mind without thinking of the consequenses. She is abused by her husband, overwhelmed with being a working mom and having to come home tired and take care of her home. She is harsh to her kids, probably trying so hard to live under the abuse and fear of her husband that she can't let down the walls she's built.around herself. But, the girl can cook, oh can she cook! And she knows how to clean and is good at that part of her job.

Aibileen. Although she has suffered much she doesn't close herself off to seeing the need to nurture the children she cares for. She tries to instill a sense of worth in them. She doesn't react to unjustices, but contemplates the consequenses and meaures how to react, usually stuffing her pain so that she doesn't lose her job or as a way to protect little Mae Mobley. Aibileen risks much to let her voice be heard, but in reality she has lost so much and has just tried to keep going that she probably felt she didn't really have that much more she could lose. I just can't imagine standing quiet, but strong, when someone is demeaning you to your face. Such character!

Hilly Holbrook... strong willed, determined, spiteful, domineering. She thinks her ideas are the best, and will move mountains to get what she wants. People are afraid to be on her wrong side because she will turn her focus on you and work to make your life miserable if you go against her. She has a lot of power and uses it to control people and situations.

And then there is Skeeter, part of the "in" group. Skeeter comes home from college with a dream to be a writer. Her eyes are opened to how the maids are treated and she misses her maid that raised her and loved her. She grows a strength to stand up against Hilly's strong personality, to make her own life despite what her mother desires for her. She doesn't need the affirmation of a man to feel important. Skeeter is a quiet strength and gives the maids a voice.

So, which character are you most like? Are you insecure, unable to control your mouth, wanting to control everything and everyone, a quiet strength trying to care for others, or a little girl that just desires someone to love and care for her. God knows everything you have felt. He weeps for you. He loves you. He thinks you are special and loves you very much. He's whispering: You are kind, You are Smart, You are important! ... and that's no two slice Hilly chocolate pie!

A Day to Remember

2011-09-11T05:00:00.002-05:00

Friendship of Women

2011-09-10T05:00:00.009-05:00

(Pinterest photo)

Today I am going to a day long women's retreat. I am excited to get together with some other women and dig into God's word as well as just have some time to laugh and have fun. I have four ladies riding with me, so that is always a lot of fun.

Two weeks in Germany: Fussen, Germany

2011-09-09T05:08:00.000-05:00

We drove down to Fussen, Germany, which is on the Austrian border. As you get close you begin to see the Alps come into view and they are so gorgeous. We did the Romantic Road for the lower part driving through countryside seeing barns and cows and villages with painted murals on all the buildings. Fussen is the highest point in Bovaria.

Neuschwanstein Castle is the castle used as inspiration for Cinderella's Castle at Disney World. This is the side from the parking area at the base of the castles. We didn't see this one since there was a 3 hour wait for the English speaking tour.

It was built by King Ludwig II. It is located on a hill above his childhood summer home, Hohenschwangau Castle. The castle is in view of his childhood home.

This is Hohenschwangau Castle. We did tour it and I honestly wondered if it would be worth it. Since we had driven all that way we did, and I am so glad we did. It was amazing inside. Rick Steves tour book said it was the more elaborately decorated casle of the two. Every ceiling had intricate woodwork with beautiful murals. The craftsmanship of all the woodwork and attention to details is awe inspiring. I wish it could have been photographed.

We took the carriage up to the castle and then walked back down.

View from the castle terrace. The grounds had fountains and breath taking views.

The Forggensee is a man-made lake which was built to prevent flooding. It is the catchment area for all the melting snow in the spring. After the middle of October the lake is drained ready for the next spring melt.

Right down the road there is a luge park. We were expecting an elevated track and this was really more of a kid ride but it was a lot of fun. It was only 10 euro for 6 rides and you could share the pass, so we each took 3 rides.

We didn't have a lot of time, as we had to drive back to Landstuhl which was 3.5 hours away, but we wanted to say we went to Austria so we drove over the border to a small town. It was about 7 miles from Fussen to the town in Austria. Not long IF there isn't a festival going on.

Fall is in the air

2011-09-08T09:06:00.000-05:00

Tropical storm Lee came through and brought some much needed rain as well as the most amazing temperatures. We have had highs in the mid 60's to 70's this week. Absolutely wonderful! Makes me want to get out all my fall clothes, boots, cardigans, sweaters.

(all photos from Pinterest- checkout my boards!)

One of my goals is to lose enough weight by Christmas so I can get a rockin pair of boots like the ones above. See... right now my calves are too large for boots. I have a pair of dressy ones but they are really really snug.

Can I have a bad day, please?

2011-09-07T18:55:00.000-05:00

Today has just been horrible.

Seems that everything I touch falls apart.

It started by waking up to kids fighting through a bathroom door. One was getting ready for school and was taking the last little debbie. The other took it and ran upstairs and looked himself into the bath. Door banging and threats getting louder and louder and I knew I had to intervene.

I let my frustration and fear of leaving the kids alone stop me from going to exercise. I said I would do it later, after we finished school. I didn't.

Last night I was trying to change the settings to enlarge blog photos. I managed to totally delete my custom blog header and template. It is now converted back to the basic blogger template. Makes me sick.

The toilet quit flushing. I forgot about it yesterday so when I tried to flush it this morning I remembered. I was able to reattach the chain and get it working again.

When I turned on the washing machine water started leaking out of the front door. I let it sit most of the day and finally googled it to see if I could fix it. I cleaned the gunk off the inner seal and it is still leaking, but not too bad. I put a towel under it and just let it go.

All day my stomach has been hurting and upset. Somehow I have been glutened. Meaning, I have somehow gotten gluten in something I ate, which I cannot have. So bad upset that I had the kids walk to church across an extremely busy road.

So, today I've pretty much sat and tried to calm my tummy. I haven't cleaned. I haven't checked the kids schoolwork. I didn't cook supper. I have vegged and slightly complained :) I guess I can earn an occasional day like this, but it sure doesn't help me reach my goals. I looked on Pinterest and this is what stuck with me this evening.

I am trying to learn to get up and go even when I don't feel like it. Even when it's cold. Even when it's hot. Even when I have a busy day and a late start. Even when I am a little under the weather. I may have to modify my workout, but a 10 minute walk always makes me feel better than doing nothing. These old habits are hard to break.

Decorating the Family Room

2011-09-07T05:38:00.001-05:00

I am ready to redecorate our family room. I put together this inspiration board planning to slipcover my sofa and loveseat. My current sofa and loveseat were bought 11 years ago. With a family of seven constantly on them they are just wearing out. I was planning on just slipcovering them, but my husband would rather we just replace them. I don't want to just buy something cheap since we are on them all the time so I might have to wait until next spring and use income tax money if we go that route.

I have a print over the sofa very similar to the one in this board. I have two chunky candlesticks on the mantle I could paint red like in the photo. I have a leather wing chair and also the leather chair above with an ottoman. I have a scrolled rooster I would like to paint similar to the one in the photo. I would love to find a rug that doesn't cost a fortune. Below are some of the items I have taken photos of while out shopping. They were taken with my phone so aren't the best quality.

This is the fabric I love to make panels for the family room and cafe curtains for the window over my sink in the kitchen.

I am leaning towards a dark camel sofa set. I think I would like to slipcover them in an off white. I would love to hear comments from people who have actually had white slipcovers. It scares me, but everyone says they love them.

test enlarging photo

2011-09-06T20:05:00.002-05:00

On the River

2011-09-06T15:21:00.000-05:00

Buying a boat was the best thing we could have ever done for our family. We go out on the Tennessee River as often as we can. The kids are getting really good at knee boarding, skiing, tubing, and our newest purchase... wakeboarding.

Our newest game is what the kids call battle-tubing. We hook up two tubes and they try to knock the other one off their tube. They will jump from one to another while going and then fight. They have so much fun!

Ahhh, I am a summer girl at heart. I love all the seasons but summer is my favorite. I love the water.

Eating Clean

2011-09-05T11:41:00.001-05:00

Have you heard of eating clean? I picked up a book at Sams Club probably a year ago called the Eat Clean Diet by Tosca Reno.

What amazed me is that Tosca was over 40 and at almost 200 lbs when she woke up. She was me!!! She began to eat a clean diet and work out with weights and looks amazing now. A clean diet is pretty much whole foods that aren't processed. So, you eat meat, veggies, potatoes, rice, fruit, etc. You don't eat stuff that has all the additives and has been packaged in a mix. I cook at home most nights anyway, and since I have been eating gluten free it fits right in. They even have a magazine called Clean Eating that I get and noticed most of the recipes are gluten free, just because they stay away from white pastas and eat more protein/veggie type meals. It is not a low carb diet. You can eat brown rice, potatoes, and whole wheat pastas. They say what you eat is way more important than your exercise in shaping your body. And it pushes weights over cardio, because we have to shape the muscles.

Tosca is a regular writer in Oxygen magazine. It is a fitness magazine. I've been picking it up for inspiration. It is so easy to give up and believe you can't change after so many years. I know I am scared that after five kids and being overweight my skin will sag, that it will not produce the results I want. But, they highlight women, many over 40, who have done it! And they look amazing. I want it!

I have started today. With it being Labor Day and we had to be somewhere at 10:00. I didn't get up to exercise early. I plan to do my Firm DVD later today. I have craved horrible stuff since I woke up, but am determined to fuel my body with what it needs and quit giving in to the cravings for what will only produce more cravings. I am weighing and measuring and need to take some before photos.

Why is losing weight so hard?

2011-09-04T17:52:00.000-05:00

hi, my name is holly. i like chocolate. and chips. and i chase it all down with diet dr pepper. whew! glad that is out. somewhere along the way i gave up. it's sad because i never had a weight problem growing up. not until after my fifth child did i start having a problem. i got tired and i gave up!

i've watched all the biggest loser seasons- getting inspired to see really overweight people, people larger than me, do it. usually i watch with a plate of brownies planning to start the next day. always tomorrow. always again on monday. i'll go a few days, sometimes even a couple of weeks, only to get sick, hot, cold, it rains, hair is doing too bad to go out and be seen kind of day.... whatever to give me a reason. excuse.

i run from cameras. we've been blessed to go on wonderful vacations and have a boat so we are always out on the water. i threaten them if i show up in a photo i will kill them. a long time ago i realized that my life is passing by because i can't ski, kneeboard, and do a lot of fun things fat. i don't have a lot of photos of my mom. she died right at my 18th birthday and i hate that i don't have memories preserved of her in photos. guess what? my kids will say the same thing. i am always behind the camera, void of any evidence that i exist.

today is a new day. i know i will have days i fail. but, it is time to take each day and do a little more until i finally reach BEYOND what i think i can accomplish. i want to live, not just exist. i want to enjoy doing things on the boat with my family. i grew up on the water and love all those things. i want to push my body to feel stronger and have endurance. i want to mold it into what it was meant to be. strong. toned. alive! i look in the mirror and that small voice tells me that i am a liar and will not be able to do this, but ACTUALLY I CAN!

Barbeque Ribs- gluten free

2011-08-25T17:55:00.002-05:00

I soaked the ribs in 1/2 of a 2 liter bottle of Coke from morning until suppertime. This tenderizes the meat. While grilling dip the ribs into the coke everytime you turn them. I let them cook on a med-low heat about 6 minutes between dipping in the Coke and turning. The grill was flaming and some of them got a little blackened, only adding to the carmelized taste.

When they are browned on the outside and pretty much cooked through take off the grill and place in a baking dish lined with aluminum foil. The only commercial bbq sauce I can use that is gluten free is Sweet Baby Ray's Sauce. I poured some in a bowl and added dry onion flakes, and a large spoon of brown sugar. Pour over the ribs and completely cover with the sauce.

Cover pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Turn ribs over and cover with sauce. Cook uncovered for 30 minutes.

They were very tender and you could cut through them with a fork. They had a good flavor, but I think next time I will add one or two tablespoons of mustard to the sauce and pour fresh coke into the pan to cook them in. I think the mustard will add a little zing to the sauce.

Two Weeks in Germany: Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Germany

2011-08-24T05:49:00.001-05:00

Rothenburg was one of my favorite cities we visited. It is a must see place if you are in Germany. It is the oldest Medieval walled city in Germany. The castle was destroyed in an earthquake in 1356 and the stones were used to build the city wall to fortify the city. It is filled with shops, restaurants, museums, hotels and is so fun to walk and get a real feel for life in Medieval times.

You can climb stairs and walk along the city wall and see the city from there.

We paid to climb stairs up into the tower. I thought I would die it was such a climb, but once up there you have panoramic views of the city and it is gorgeous.

This is the spot called the fork in the road.

Rothenburg is known for it's Christmas Market. Christmas items all year round. We have a coo-coo clock from another trip, but I would have loved to get another one!

I think the alleyways are so charming. Flowers on balconies. The patina of the old paint. The colorful doors and shutters. All the fun details like unique shutter holders, or wood carvings over the doors, the beautiful stained glass or bottle glass windows.

It rained a lot in Germany. Do not leave home without an umbrella or raincoat.

I wasn't crazy about my gluten free meal in Rothenburg. It was chicken and vegetables cooked in a sauce that had a very strong red pepper taste. It was okay, but not my favorite.

The church is supposed to have a drop of Jesus' blood on the altar inside, so it was a place of pilgrimage.

Along the inside of the city wall they have espalliered fruit trees.

Two Weeks in Germany: Worms, Germany

2011-08-22T16:07:00.004-05:00

The Bridge Tower going into Worms, Germany
Legend of the dragon:
A beautiful girl was captured by a dragon and everyone that tried to rescue her was yummy dragon food. A young blacksmith made a steel jacket covered with sharp knives and went to say hello to the dragon. The dragon ate him at once, but choked from all the knives and puffed out his last smoke filled breath. The brave blacksmith married the girl and they named the place after the greusome dragon, or wurm. Since it is pronounced worm in German the place began to be called Worms.

City wall

Dragons are used throughout the city in statues and many other places. It was fun to find them.

relics in the museum. There were many dating waaay back.

The St Peters Cathedral dates back to the 600s AD. That blows my mind how intricate and ornate the carvings are. It is filled with beautiful murals, stained glass, sculptures and so much for the eye to see.

Martin Luther Memorial

This memorial was unveiled in 1868. Isn't that just crazy to think about? It tells the story of The Reformation. The Diet of Worms was held in 1521. Martin Luther was brought to Worms to recant his thesis. He refused. An edict was issued calling him a heretic making it a crime to read or possess his writings. They planned to arrest him. He hid out at Wurtburg Castle. While there he translated the Bible into German.

Two Weeks in Germany- Mainz, Germany

2011-08-21T06:15:00.005-05:00

It is incredible for me to see the history of the European cities! Mainz was first established by the Romans in the 1st century BC. BC... that is before Christ! My mind cannot imagine it. Mainz is also the birthplace of Johannas Gutenberg who invented the printing press with movable type. It has a large shopping area with beautiful old buildings. There are streets of clothing stores, restaurants, banks, and even a grocery store. It is a walking district and most people walk or ride bicycles.

We stayed at the Hilton on the Rhine River. This is the view from our hotel room. Beautiful!

The Promenade along the Rhine River. Such a pretty area to stroll. Everyone in Germany lives outside. They walk and bike everywhere. In the rain.

Some of the buildings near our hotel along the river.

One of our first nights in Mainz we went to the Market Square and ate at Figaros. I have to eat gluten free so I told our waiter. They were very accomidating and the chef made me a wonderful steak, scalloped potatoes, broccoli and salad. It was all wonderful. On the steak is pictured herb butter, which was so good.

One day I went to the Market Square and it was filled with fruit and flower stalls. Everyone rode their bikes and carried their shopping bags or baskets to buy their fruit and vegetables for the week.

Travel Wardrobe for Germany

2011-07-16T11:21:00.004-05:00

today i celebrate my 23rd anniversary. to celebrate my husband and i are going to germany. i am so excited. i've been getting my wardrobe together trying to have what i need without taking too much.

i have a red dress that travels well. it can be worn with my red polka dot flip flops or dressier with red wedge heeled shoes. i then have basic white pants and shorts, as well as olive shorts, jeans, and blue and white seersucker shorts. i kept the tops plain so they mix with all the bottoms. i have a gray top with rosettes, navy flutter sleeve tee, red top, white top, and not shown but i have a coral/orange top. i am taking a navy blue cardigan that has a ruffle edge and self belt. i am making some fabric flower brooches to wear to dress things up but can also use them clipped to a necklace or the cardigan belt. i am taking my tennis shoes, red wedge heels, red polka dot flip flops, red flats with fabric rosette on the toe, and navy/red plaid loafers. i found a mustard yellow backpack purse to carry my camera and purse essentials in. i will take two scarves which are pashminas- one is green and one is white. they are fabulous. you can use them to add a pop of color but they are really big when opened and i use them as a lightweight blanket or shawl when it is cool. i thought i would keep them in my bag and can use them to sit on since i am taking white pants.

now to get my house spotlessly clean. we have grandparents coming to stay at our home while we are gone and watch the kids. i can't wait... one more week. i get to go with my favorite person in the world. happy anniversary to the best guy in the world.

Canning Salsa and Tomatoes

2011-06-22T12:32:00.004-05:00

I have a lot of tomatoes.A LOT of tomatoes!

I wanted to can some salsa. Since I am now gluten free I have to watch what they put into store bought salsa, canned tomato sauce, and stuff like that. So I want to find a great salsa, pasta sauce, and tomato sauce recipe so I can just can my own.

The first recipe I tried is from Belle Adorn. It claims to be the "best salsa recipe for canning" and had a lot of great comments saying it was the best salsa they had eaten so I was hopeful. It is pretty good, but my version was not hot enough. I seeded the jalapenos and would leave the seeds in next time for a little more heat.

This is a photo of the tomatoes after I blanched them and removed the skins.

Belle Adorn Recipe:

about 30 medium tomatoes, skinned and chopped

10 cups chopped onions

2 green peppers (didn't use b/c we don't like)

2 red peppers (didn't use b/c we don't like)

10 cloves garlic, chopped

1 cup jalapenos

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups vinegar

8 tsp pickeling salt

2 tsp black pepper

2 large cans (12 0z each) tomato paste

cilantro- 1/2 bunch if desired

Put all, except cilantro, into a pot on the stove and cook for one and a half hours. At the end put in the cilantro. Jar and process 35 minutes for pints, 45 minutes for quarts. Yeilds 17 pints (I got 13 pints)

I also canned 7 quarts of tomatoes

To can tomaotes heat water in a pot. Blanch and prepare tomatoes. I cut in half or quarters to fit into the jar. Add 2 TBSP lemon juice and 1 tsp pickleing salt to each jar. Fill with hot water to 1/2 inch headspace. Process for 35 minutes.

Then: I tried a second salsa recipe which made 6 pints. This one is from Get Rich Slowly.

8 cups tomatoes, peeled and chopped

2 1/2 cups yellow onions, chopped

1 cup jalapeno, chopped (I left the seeds in this batch)

1 can chili peppers- recipe calls for Chipotle peppers but all I could find was basic chili peppers

6 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 tsp cumin

2 tsp black pepper

1/3 cup vinegar

2 TBSP canning salt

15 oz tomato sauce

12 oz tomato paste

juice of 1 lime

1/4 cup cilantro

In non aluminum pot mix everything except the lime and cilantro. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in lime juice and cilantro. Process for 15 minutes.

I like this recipe better because it had more heat with the jalapeno seeds and had the cumin flavor.

Graduation

2011-05-20T19:07:00.002-05:00

My second baby has graduated... sniff sniff. Where did the time go?

I am very proud of my son. He is allowing God to reign in his life and I just like the young man that he has become.

Still makes me sad to see these milestones pass, knowing he will one day leave my home.

Isn''t he handsome?

Way to go! I love you and know you will have many opportunities in the future that are going to bring many blessings to you and our family. So proud of you and what a great kid you are.

Alabama tornados

2011-05-03T06:35:00.003-05:00

Our area was hit on Wednesday April 29Th by the tornadoes that came through Alabama. It was a long day beginning with tornado sirens going off around 5:30 AM and continuing on and off throughout the day, all the way until around 5 PM. We had multiple waves of cells come in with torrential downpours. My front yard was underwater and we gained a creek in the back yard where water flowed down the elevation in the yard. All day the sirens went off with each cell and tornadoes were being spotted all around us, heading our way. Around 4 PM our electricity went off. All the transmission lines were destroyed so most of upper AL was without power, knowing it would be probably a minimum of 5 days to get lines back up.

Since we knew it would be days we decided to get up early and head to Nashville, TN, about 90 miles north of us, so that we could look for a generator to keep our freezer food from spoiling. We went to Sams and Walmart and got extra water, peanut butter crackers, goldfish crackers, peanut bars, large package of hot dogs, hamburger patties, extra batteries, eggs, ham, 2 large gas containers, 2 large water containers, chips, beenie weenies, spaghettios, Lara bars, and cash. We first bought a 1500 watt generator for $200 minus 10% because my husband asked if they were giving a discount to AL residents and the guy gave him one! Always ask! Later, we ran into my husband's boss and he told us about a place that had 5000 watt generators for $450 so we got that one. We sold the smaller one to friends. We made sure to fill our tank and also the gas containers before heading home and also ate a meal in TN.

Having a generator was great. I was able to use food from the freezer and keep stuff cold which gave us many more options over canned food. We used our grill and a camp stove and pretty much camped in luxury for a few days. We had friends over, the kids had friends spend the night, we made a campfire for smores each night, family went to clean debris on two different days, and hung out together. The devastation is horrible. One church member lost his daughter in the storm that hit the University of Alabama. Our church assisted another member's parents sift through debris and clean up who survived a direct hit which destroyed their home. The dad was in the bathtub and the mom and sister in a closet. The mom and sister were sucked out and redeposited somewhere else injuring them with multiple broken bones. A family from our old church lost their home. A coworker of my husband had his house moved off the foundation about 20 feet and the roof torn off. Our former pastor of 11 years in Florida is now in Tuscaloosa. His church was heavily damaged and his wife is in 3rd week of chemo/radiation. Many many people that have lost all they have and it is heart breaking. The beauty is how our community has come together to help one another. People will give all they have to assist others. The gas stations and grocery stores opened using generators to operate. The utility workers have worked around the clock to bring life back to our community. We had church Sunday without power or lights. It was so great to come together to love one another and thank God for our safety and pray for all the ones affected.

I had just bought a peculator the week before. I don't drink coffee, so it was odd that I bought it. My husband loves me. We used it to heat water for tea also. I had a set of camp pots and pans I bought at a garage sale and had never used. They are really good to have. I always pick up candles at garage sales, even the wonky ones. They are great to have. I keep an extra propane tank for the grill at all times and small ones for the camp stove. We couldn't go long without electricity, though. Using the grill to cook uses a lot of gas and we would be in trouble if we had to do it an extended time.

We had hot dogs, hamburgers, grilled chicken, grilled pork loin, roasted potatoes, corn, sauteed onions, green beans, and even a peach cobbler using my home canned peaches and a gluten free batter. I had a hard time having anything gluten free when the family ate sandwiches, spaghettios, and such. I tried each flavor of Lara bars and am going to get a couple of boxes from Sams to keep on hand. I also need to can some gluten free soups and stews.

The solar yard lights work to bring in at night or recharge AA batteries. Our favorite lighting was stand up lanterns. Candles didn't put off as much light and the kids seemed to play with them. I worried about leaving a room with one lit for fear they would catch the house on fire. I have an oil lamp that I never got out. I also have head lights I didn't get out. I found that my kids really messed around with the matches and lighter sticks. I put them on the bar so I would know where they were and when I got up at 3 AM couldn't find them. I sat a flashlight, all I could find, on my shoulder to light a book to read. I will still buy candles at garage sales because they are so cheap and good to set around. If I was unable to keep batteries in our lanterns they would be very useful. We like to light them for regular use also, so they are worth keeping.

The first night it was storming after we lost electricity and the tornadoes had passed us. We couldn't use the grill or camp stove. We had no way to heat anything. I am going to get a box of the heat packs that soldiers use to heat their MREs. I have also seen where you make a table stove that uses a hanger bent with legs and a surface to hold a pot. You place 3 tea light candles under the pot to heat food.

I think all in all we had food, water, gas, a way to cook, light and all we needed to survive a few weeks without power. The generator was a bonus. If I didn't find one I was planning to can some of the freezer stuff using our turkey fryer. May have worked and may not have, I haven't tried that. I have a few things I want to try or do now. I have not pressure canned and want to make up some soups, canned meat, canned beans, canned broth. I want to try the tea light stove. And I have wanted to make a solar oven with the boys for awhile. That would have been fun to try to cook some meals in a solar oven. I also want to make some sun tea by paining a milk carton black to help absorb the heat of the sun. It is all kind of fun...except for the major loss to many.

Gluten Free Brownies

2011-04-08T05:47:00.007-05:00

This is my 4th month eating gluten free. I feel so much better! My 11 year old son makes these brownies for me and they really hit the spot when i want... NEED some chocolate.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease 8"X8" pan.

In saucepan melt 1/2 cup butter. Add 1/4 cup cocoa powder. Whisk.

Mix in 1 cup brown sugar,1 tsp. vanilla and 2 eggs.

Stir in 1/4 cup cornstarch and 1/2 tsp. salt.

Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips or reeses peanut butter chips (YUM!)

Stir in chopped pecans or walnuts if desired... i desire.

Pour into prepared pan and bake 30-35 minutes.

These are so good. You bite into chunks of chocolate chips (i use milk chocolate instead of semi sweet) or the reeses and they are so good after they cool back to solid chunks instead of melty chips. I am joining in a recipe link for gluten free recipes at Heavenly Homemakers. go take a lookie around. come on... even if you aren't gluten free the food can be good. EDIT: I had someone make these and comment they came out gooey. They are a very moist brownie rather than cake like. Since my son always makes them, I forgot to mention that. I think he cooks them longer than the directions. They are very gooey until they cool. I used to like just from the oven brownies and these are not good that way. After they cool they are still very moist, but not as gooey as when warm. I am so sorry I forgot to mention that! I have not tried to make any with alternative flours- we made this recipe because I had all the ingredients and was dying for something chocolate- I was still just trying gluten free and didn't want to invest in the expensive alternative flours.

What I've been doing

2011-03-25T06:57:00.003-05:00

We have a friend from Florida that is staying with us for awhile. He is retiring from the military and took a job here so is staying with us while they wait for their home to sell. He has been here two weeks and it has been good to hold me accountable to cook supper. I don't feel I can just say I am tired and go get hamburgers or pizza. I also have tried to stretch our food budget to feed an additional person and have been more careful to plan and use leftovers and stuff.

I bought 2 large packages of chicken legs and 2 large packages of split breasts. I seasoned the legs with a spice blend of onion and garlic that I picked up free awhile back. I didn't feel like taking the skin off all the meat so after that one package I just boiled up the breasts and second package of legs and put up the meat. I got about 8 containers of broth. Since I am eating gluten free I can no longer use the chicken bouillon cubes or powder so I have to be careful to make my own broth and freeze or can.

I used one package of the meat I put up to make a gluten free tortilla casserole. It was 2 cans of Rotel tomato mixed with taco seasoning. I layered corn tortillas, the chicken/Rotel mixture, cheddar and mozzarella.

Today I am making red beans and rice. I have put the recipe on here a couple of times. I can't wait until supper! I need to make some sweet cornbread muffins to go with it.

I still have not made up a lot of items with my flour. I bought a lot of 5# flour at Walmart for $1.28 lb and froze it. It needs to be used so that I can buy a bunch of fresh flour. I have been planning on making up biscuits, pancakes, waffles, french bread, rolls, cinnamon rolls, peanut butter cookies (to use the last of the jar of Peter Pan peanut butter the kids won't eat). I made some of these items but still have about 30 lbs of flour left.

I finally used the last two boxes of Betty Crocker au gratin potatoes. I got these free or very cheap with coupons and I can't have them because they have gluten and we don't like them very much. Still working on about 8 cans of canned milk that are close to expiration. I used one for the milk in the boxed potatoe mix last night. I was going to use the rest when I made up biscuits and pancakes.

My husband and I looked at the laundry room last night and he is planning on putting me in some shelves for food. I have a long rod for hanging clothes and we decided to add a double rod to use more vertical space. That would give me enough room to the right of that for him to make some shelves. I want some cereal box heighth and then a lot of canning jar heighth. I would like to leave room on the floor for gamma sealed buckets of grains.

My second child graduates and starts college this fall. We somehow need to get a car for him to drive. He can't take my car every day. We have been working around everything for two years and it is just getting too tough. We had the third car as a "family" car but my daughter was going to college and working so it just didn't work out for him to ever use it. Our kids pay for their own college above what scholorships cover. My son has been offered a partial scholorship to the university in town. So, he will be working to pay tuition above that. In the midst of trying to save and put up money we know this is something we need to try to help with. The good part is that today is annual reviews where my husband works so we find out what his raise will be. He was offered another job last fall so this company matched that and his boss said that at annual review they would give him a cash bonus- they gave him a very good raise to match the other offer so could not go any higher at that time. Hopefully the bonus will buy a very old car???? I don't know, I don't expect much, and we don't know what to expect.

Stocking Up

2011-03-20T18:09:00.002-05:00

i am struggling a little with fear. they are making 1000 cuts within the group my husband works for, supposedly 500 this year and 500 next year. this past thursday 80 people in Huntsville were cut off from computer access and then called friday morning to tell them not to come to work. no two week notice. scary.

my husband feels his job is okay, but you never know. and seeing how quickly it can happen and without notice is not a happy place for me. the planner.

i have always shopped sales and stocked groceries. i try to buy at the best price i can and put up as much as i can so i can spend less, but also have what i need without running to the store so much. i have a lot of food, but i need to get more.

what i am really worried about is money. a couple of months without an income and we'd have food from what is in my pantry and freezer but we couldn't pay our house payment very long. we'd be in trouble. we had a good emergency fund but used it to put on a roof and do some other things. so... my job is to lay up as much cash as we can for a "what if" situation.

we were planning on putting up a fence with our income tax return. we decided to put that off and just put that money in savings.
i am extending our garden from four 4X8 raised beds to seven plus a bed 2' wide that extends behind all the beds on the back side. so it will be like 2'X34'.
i also hope we can get a couple of fruit trees in before it is too late to plant them.
my husband will work all the overtime he can and we will just put that over into savings
i have been very lax lately with coupon shopping. i was tired of it and took a month break. i am back on board.
i won't be buying non-necessary items, even if very cheap at garage sales.
i have a LOT of material. i need to sew up some items to sell.
i am being careful to use leftovers. i have saved about 8 bags of bread end pieces in the freezer and this week will make an overnight breakfast casserole with them. i am saving all my little bits of vegetables and rice for a soup.
i am going to go room by room through my house and have a garage sale very soon and get rid of everything i don't need.
i just used our vision coverage and got a pair of glasses and prescription sunglasses. i am not due until june for an exam, but our coverage would pay starting january 1 for new glasses. i don't know if the people laid off this week were immediately cut off from medical coverage or not. i know there is cobra insurance for them but i wouldn't be able to pay $1000 a month for insurance if we lost a job. i would feed and house my family first. so, i am not putting off any medical care and keeping prescriptions bought ahead.

i don't want to make it sound like i am freaking out or really living in fear. i trust the One who is my provider. i just feel i have a responsibility to do what i can. we have a wonderful job that provides way more than our needs so it is rediculous we are so close to homelessness without a job. we could cash out retirement funds and be good for awhile if it was the last choice- it would kill me to pay all the early withdrawal penalties! it has been awhile since we have HAD to watch our penneys, but i am thankful for the lean years that taught me the skills to do it.

Gardening in Zone 7- January

2011-01-29T05:00:00.000-06:00

(photo April 2007)

Here in north Alabama we have a very long growing season. I hope to learn more this year on how to extend the season with hoop houses and plastic so that I can grow some lettuces and other things year round.

In January in zone 7 you can plant:

spinach
Irish potatoes
letttuce
onion
English peas
sugar snap peas
asparagus
cabbage
carrots

In February we can plant:

broccoli
kale

We have had so much snow that it was impossible to get out and plant anything. This week is nice and sunny in the 50's so it will be a great time to get out and plant some things. I will direct seed the peas, carrots, and potato eyes and start seeds in cotainers for lettuce, spinach and broccoli. I will let those seedlings grow a little before putting them in the garden.

I am excited to get the garden going again. It is so much fun to see things grow and have fresh food to eat.

Valentine Card Idea

2011-01-28T10:53:00.003-06:00

Money Saving Mom is sharing a special deal on having cards printed right now. I thought the cards were the coolest thing ever and had to share it. You take a photo of your kid with their hand outstretched and then cut a slit and insert the suckers. Awesome idea!

Decorating the frugal way

2011-01-28T09:44:00.002-06:00

This is how my family room looks now. Well, minus the Christmas tree and stockings since it is the end of January! I bought the couch and loveseat in 2002 when we moved into our house in Florida. My dad owned La-Z-Boy so my sofas, recliners, end tables and coffee tables are all from La-Z-Boy. Everything else is garage sale ro thrift store. The courtains are tapestry panels, four of them, that were in a box I picked up off the side of the road. Yes, they were someone's trash. The rug is a $10 garage sale find. The globes and books and decorative pieces are all garage sale. I am so tired of it!

When I bought it all, the Tuscan look was very popular. Everything was beige, brown, and blah. I am finding that I really like some color. I want this room to be fresher, more fun. I was looking on Craigslist and found the picture below. I think it looks very Ballard or Pottery Barnish. The pricetag is still on it for $200 from Kirklands and she said she paid $129.00. I got it for $30.00.

I actually bought it for my foyer, which is another room in deep need of some decorating. It is too big for the wall. I was not expecting it to be this large. This photo shows just how big it is, my fireplace is pretty big in itself. I have been living with it to make sure it is "right" for the room and am loving it! It makes me happy to look at it. If the kids are very very quiet I can imagine sitting in a comfy chair outside with a glass of tea and a good book. Oh, and I am eating gluten, too since it is my dream.

I am going to make some off white slipcovers for the couch and loveseat to freshen them up until I can afford new ones. I also want to make some new curtains and pillows. I will keep my eye out for a new rug, but they are awefully expensive so will have to keep my fingers crossed. I am also thinking of repainting my lamps a fresh color. I have already redone them once here.

Eating from the pantry

2011-01-19T13:46:00.004-06:00

I looked in my freezers and made a list of what all I had. I am working on getting more food stored when I find sales so I would like to clean out and inventory what I have. I would like to use up some of the older items so that I can start fresh with new meat and vegetables. I am going to try to use up all I can through the end of the month, but I will continue to buy all the almost free coupon deals through the month. I don't plan on purchasing any meat or vegetables unless I see a really good deal. I hope that I can get by with buying eggs, milk, fruit, and bread.

This is my meals that I have planned using what I have:

I have 7 lbs of hamburger

spaghetti

tater tot casserole

hamburger goulash

burgers

hamburger helper

hamburger vegetable soup

spaghetti

I have 8 bags of cooked chicken

chicken and white bean soup

chicken taco

chicken pot pie

chicken and rice soup

tortilla chicken casserole

king ranch chicken casserole

chicken and rice bake

chicken taco

I have two bags of chicken breasts- each with 7 breasts

chicken marsala

bbq chicken

One whole turkey

baked turkey

turkey shepherds pie

turkey tetrizinni

turkey noodle soup with white beans

Miscellaneous items I have

bag roast beef- make a stew over rice

2 burritos/1/4 bags of fajita meat, 2 corndogs- pull out all of these and eat it up one meal

bag meatballs- make Wedding meatball soup

lentil burritos

butterbeans and cornbread- add any other vegetables that are left overs

quiche- add in any leftovers

So, this meal plan will take me through February 14th. I may go further if we have leftovers or cereal nights. So, my goal is to only spend $50 through the end of the month on groceries.

Reversible Nursing Cover

2011-01-19T11:06:00.003-06:00

One of my high school friends asked me to make her a nursing cover. The beautiful part of this story is that she was unable to have children so she has adopted two very beautiful girls from China. After all this time she came up pregnant and will be giving birth to her third girl very soon. I am so excited for them and can't wait to see their new addition.

I used this tutorial to make the cover. What I hate is that I had to use my old machine and the darn thing is not feeding the material through. I cleaned it and it was better, but still not right. I had to tug from behind to get the fabric to move and not bunch up. So, my stitches were wonky on the top where the boning goes and the boning kept pushing my fabric to the side while I tugged from behind and tried to get it straight. I sewed another row and tried to pick out the very wonky seam line, but it was too small of stitches and I couldn't get them out. Other than MY machine problems this was very easy to make and took about two hours to do.

I hope my friend has many many enjoyable moments relaxing in a chair nursing her baby. There is nothing better than just watching their sweet little faces and cuddling with them as they nurse.

Laundry Room Before and After

2011-01-18T17:37:00.004-06:00

Beware! It was really bad!!! Look at your own risk. (before)
(after) I use the racks for drying clothes

(before)

(after)

(before)

(after)

(before)

(after)

(before)

(after)

my shoe bag for organizing different items

the battery organizer behind the door

Bloom

2011-01-13T22:46:00.003-06:00

Facebook is a wonderful thing. It has brought people into my life and let me get to know them on a more personal level. You can learn more about a person in one week of Facebook posts than sitting beside them in church for a year. Funny how that is. One thing that has really bugged me is how negative people are. There are many that go from one crisis to another. It is always too hot, too cold, too wet, too boring, too stressful..... it goes on and on from one thing to another. It touches me in a place deep down and I want to just grab them and shake them and wake them from mindless way they walk through life.

I remember the topic of one of my first women's retreats was being either a balcony person or a basement person. The meaning was that you are one or the other, you either bring people down or you lift them up. Some people so naturally lighten your day when you see them. The others can make a good day seem awful. I hope that I am a balcony person, I really try anyway. One of the things people tell me often is that I am always cheerful and happy. One friend even said I reminder her of Champaign- she explained that it is associated with happy occasions, it is bubbly, it tickles. I love that comparison! Thank goodness it wasn't that I needed to be corked or that I was ready to explode or something.

My life has not always been easy. I have some things that I have been through that hurt very much. The one thing I never let happen was for any one of them to define who I am, to immobilize me, or to rob me of my joy. In the midst of the storm you can still find joy- not for the storm, but because you believe the storm will end. I knew each time I had to take what I had and move forward. Thank goodness for my Jesus and knowing He was my hope and had a plan for my future. I believed that I would grow and be a little more like Him on the other side.

My point is that we all have choices to make every day and very few are going to be perfect days. What can you do today to take what you have been given and make something of it? When it rains find some fun inside activity to do or get out there and stomp in the puddles. You know the saying When life gives you lemons make lemonade- well it is so true. I always look at road blocks as a challenge. When the electricity goes out don't sit and complain, get out games and fire up the grill. When we've moved I search the new area and make a list of fun things to do in that area. I look at it as an adventure. We once went on a business trip with my husband. We booked a hotel suite months in advance but arrived in Michigan to find a new owner and no room. We spent six weeks in a hotel room so small it had two beds, a dresser, a microwave, and a table with two chairs. We had them bring in two cribs and you couldn't walk around the beds. I took it as a challenge to cook meals in there using our crock pot and the microwave. We had 7 people in that room and I was home schooling during the trip. I could complain or I could do what I could to make it work. Whereever God takes you and whatever circumstances you have... bloom... bloom where you are planted!

Emergency Preparedness

2011-01-12T15:59:00.005-06:00

We have had two snow storms in Alabama in the last month which is just amazing! Anytime we get any snow it is such a treat. Because it is so rare people in our area aren't always the best at being prepared to handle being stuck at home a few days. I grew up along the Alabama coast so we had hurricanes and tropical storms every year. It was normal to keep some food and supplies stocked up for power outages. In north Alabama we have a lot of tornados so we really need to keep supplies to weather these storms also. So what do we need to have ready?

flashlights and batteries- I have a wind up flashlight in the car and rechargeable batteries for the inside flashlights.
lanterns- mine has full light or a night light setting
oil lamps- oil, extra wicks
lighters and matches
wood
tarps
duct tape
extra gas tank for the grill
campstove and fuel
battery operated radio
phone that plugs in the wall- not a cordless phone
charcoal
water- when we know a storm is approaching we fill every container we can find with water. This time I filled my large crock pot also. Fill a bathtub for washing water. You can use the water from your water heater in an emergency.
canned food
snacks- granola bars, chips, crackers, peanuts- everyone gets the munchies
a can opener
blankets/sleeping bags
candles- I pick up all candles at garage sales usually for 10-50 cents. I really like the large pillar candles. You can set them on small plates or in glass cups.
coffee purculator for campstove
ski bibs, ski boots or at least rubber rain boots- I put our stuff in the attic that we used on a trip to Michigan in 1998. What fit my oldest in 1998 was floodwaters on my youngest this year. My husband had two sets of boots and pants so my 18 yr old son was able to use a pair of those. I will be keeping my eyes out for stuff at garage sales and thrift stores to store away.
knit caps, knit gloves, ski gloves, scarves, ear warmers
snow shovel
rock salt to melt ice
all prescription medicines- don't let them get too low
cash
rubbermaid box and toilet plunger- if you need to wash clothes make a hole in the top of the lid and insert plunger. Aggitate the plunger to wash the clothes.
keep your gas tank at least half full, top it off when you know a storm is coming
copies of important papers
pet food

In your car:

blanket(s)
space blankets
flashlight and batteries
maps- our GPS would not work most of the way home from our trip to Georgia
cell phone charger
First aid Kit with medicines
cash- including some change
extra socks, knit caps, knit gloves
ponchos
work gloves
Leatherman type knife
folding shovel
jumper cables
tow rope
tire flat fix in a can
duct tape
flares
window chalk- you can write "Need Help" on the window
notebook and pen/pencil
handwarmers
coffee can with candle and lighter
snacks: Peanut butter crackers, trail mix, water, granola bars, protein bars, gum
umbrella
ALWAYS take a jacket, even if it is only mildly cold. It gets very cold when standing on the side of the road or walking when cars pass you by.

When you know a storm is coming:

Get gas
Get any non parishable foods you are low on
Fill containers with water
Everyone bathe- may not be able to for a few days
Wash clothes, sheets, towels
Clean up- make sure your bathrooms and kitchen are clean, vacuum
Put up items in the yard- pots, bikes, etc.
Get cash
Get out a flashlight or lantern so you know where it is

The more you have prepared ahead of time the less you have to do. If you have food, cash, and emergency supplies ready in a special place you won't be the one in the store fighting for the last loaf of bread or sitting in a gas line.

Snowcream Recipe

2011-01-10T14:50:00.002-06:00

We put out large bowls to catch fresh snow and made icecream with the snow. It was so good.

8 cups snow

1 - 5 oz can evaporated milk, then fill the measuring cup up the rest of the way with regular milk until it reached a cup

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

I blended together with a whisk until it was the right consistency. Add more snow if it is not thick enough, more milk if it is too thick.

Snow Day

2011-01-10T13:06:00.008-06:00

We got 8.5 inches of snow on our patio table. I have heard people in our area with measurements up to 10 inches, so I don't know the official reading, but we got some good snow! Out of school, out of work. We used our knee board and tube from our boat and went to the hill next to our house for some tubing and kneeboard sledding. Lots of fun!

It is in times like these when I am overwhelmed with just how wonderful my life is!

2011-01-06T10:43:00.011-06:00

The assignment: Show your top 10 photos of 2010 on I Should be Folding Laundry. Our computer crashed and all I have is photos from October, but I want to join in so I will use those. One of my New Year's Goals is to better my photography skills, so I hope to join in and learn more each week.
We went to Helen, GA after Christmas and my dad was able to come for the day to visit with us. So, I am including a photo that has included him in it.

Christmas morning we woke up to a white Christmas! The big deal... it is in Alabama. Such a wonderful Christmas gift.

The view out my front window of my Japanese Maple tree covered in snow.

Two great nieces all ready for Christmas. Little Emma on the right will not smile for a picture and I kindof got a smile!

These two Down Syndrome people have acted out a skit at the last two Women's Banquet at our church. They are just awesome and you can see the joy of God flow out of them as they act out the song. If you don't cry you are hardened.

My candy tree that I did with the boys for the Women's Banquet. It was such a hit with everyone. Definitely have to do this again.

I took a bunch of photos of my kids. I love the lighting of this one where the light was more on one side and kind of clouded the left side. I am sure pure photographers cringe and would tell you all the equipment or techniques I need, but for now I love it. Let me live in denial or stupidity for awhile longer.

These are our first ever carved pumpkins. We don't celebrate Halloween so it has never happened. They had a good time getting the goo out and creating what they wanted.

I caught he working the Fall Festival.

Homecoming photo of Cameron and his date. I embarrassed my whole family by lying on the ground for this. The things we do to get a shot.

Check out more photos at I Should Be Folding Laundry. If you are interested in improving your photo skills she has a weekly link up with different assignments.

How to feed your family on very little money

2011-01-06T06:32:00.002-06:00

I had a reader ask me for ways to feed her family when she is out of a job and has a very limited food budget. When we first started our family I wanted to stay home and had to really find ways to stretch our budget. I had $35 a week to feed three people. Then, when we moved to Alabama from Florida four years ago our home in Florida did not sell for 15 months and I again had to really stretch our food budget. That time I was feeding seven people, two being teenagers, for $300 a month.

One of the first things I would say is that cutting coupons and looking for the loss leader and marked down items is key. I get many items for free when combining coupons and sale items each week. You can provide more meat when you search for marked down meat and prepare or freeze it before the expiration date. Make it your job to economize and find deals. The payoff of what you save if you break it down in an hourly rate is really high. It can even become addicting!

Where to find coupons

Organizing your coupons

Get more food for less money

Next, I buy as much as I can of a sale item. If I see a large package of pork chops or chicken for a low price I go ahead and buy it and cook ahead for future meals. Chicken can be grilled, baked, or boiled for meat to add to casseroles. If I grill or bake it I then flash freeze individual pieces and then place them in a ziploc or use my food saver to freeze them in. Flash freezing them keeps them seperated so you can take out one or the whole bag of pieces to cook. I brown extra ground beef and freeze portions in 1 lb quantities. I grill porkchops and freeze them. I dice ham to add to dishes. If I chop onions for a meal I go ahead and chop and extra one and freeze the extra. It saves me time later when I need diced onion in a dish.

Cooking Ahead

I have been slowly learning to garden. We built 4- 8'X4' garden beds and I have been trying to reduce our budget by growing as much as I can. The food is so much better that I almost cannot eat a store tomato. You know what is sprayed on (or NOT!) and can really save a lot of money.

Now, the main ways I saved money cooking

I save all the little bits of green beans, carrots, corn, broccoli, rice, noodles, tomato or beef sauces, meat that are left at the end of a meal. Not the ones off our plates, but the little bit that was left in the pot. Most people think it is not enough for anyone so they throw it out. Get a jar or plastic container and put this, plus all the cooking liquid in the jar and freeze it. Keep adding to it. When you have enough thaw it and make a soup out of it. You may need to add some chicken broth or tomato sauce to have enough liquid.
Save all the bread heels or any bread that is getting dry in a bag in the freezer. You can either make croutons, bread crumbs, or a breakfast casserole with it.
I reduce the amount of hamburger meat in dishes. Instead of 1 lb. reduce it to 3/4 lb. or even 1/2 lb. When we were really tight I started doing this and adding beans. I add a cup of black beans to tacos; pinto or kidney beans to chili, burritos, Mexican dishes.
Serve casseroles, stirfries, and noodle dishes instead of seperate meat, vegetable, and starch dishes. You can stretch two chicken breasts to feed seven people if it is served over spaghetti noodles in Chicken Tetrizinni or in a stir fry dish. Some great chicken recipes are chicken pot pie, pasta salad, chicken roll ups in flour tortillas, chicken quesadillas, fajitas, chicken and rice soup, chicken enchiladas, chicken noodle casserole, chicken and rice casserole, chicken noodle soup, chicken and dumplings (use the cheap biscuit dough to roll out for dumplings), grilled chicken over salad greens, chicken salad sandwich.
Baked potatoes, pasta, rice, and beans are great fillers. You can bake a bunch of potatoes and freeze extras. They are a great base to add leftover chili, taco, broccoli and cheese, chicken fajita mixes. We stretch chili by serving it over a bed of rice. Add rice to bean burritos, serve red beans and rice, serve fajita mixes and stir fries over rice. Cook up a pot of beans and freeze 1 cup portions. Add to soups, beef mixtures, make black bean soup, burritos, chicken and white bean soup, black and white bean chili with corn, taco soup, ham bean soup. Just look on the internet for ideas of how to serve beans, there are many recipes.
Eggs are a great stretcher. We often had eggs and bacon or sausage for supper. Make a quiche and add in some ham,sausage, or meat pieces and any leftover vegetables. Use your leftover spaghetti noodles and make a frittata adding eggs and leftover pieces of meat and vegetables. Eggs mixed with a biscuit mix and some cooked sausage make a great breakfast casserole.
Don't throw away leftovers. I have already mentioned using them to make a soup and adding to quiche, but you can add to casseroles, stirfries, quesadilla, use as a pizza topper, make a flour tortilla roll up, to top a salad.

I will try to work on a post that has some more specific recipes, but hopefully this will be a start

Stretching Your Money

2011-01-05T16:53:00.004-06:00

1. oil lamp and oil $1

2. Wilton pans- 4 for $1

3. bike for $15

4. desk $10, lamp $2, computer $20, cork board frame $2

I have been frugal for so long that many things I do are second nature and I don't even realize they are not normal for other people. First, I would like to make it clear that there is a very big difference between being frugal and cheap. Being frugal is making thought out purchases for quality items. Some people confuse that with cheap people who steal ketchup packets from restaurants or sneak into people's garbage for stuff. I have picked up items on the side of the road for bulk pick up, but wouldn't go into someone's garbage can for anything. Also, there are people who take stuff just because it is free and they really do not have a use for it. It ends up cluttering up their home, taking their time, and is not a benefit to their lives.

One of my favorite Saturday activities is going to garage sales. I find so many things and it has become unwise for me to spend full retail on items I can find for such deals. I get clothes that are name brand, from nice homes, and they look brand new. Some need some love in the way of a coat of paint, but most are perfect the way they are.

So, I thought I would share some of the items I look for secondhand.

picture frames- I am collecting all I can to make a frame wall going up my stairs.

candles- even melting ones can be used when the lights are out

clothes, winter gear, snow boots/pants

decor items

oil lamps, lanterns, flashlights

white dishes- I love to find pitchers, platters, bowls, and more to add to my collection

dishes- I look for colorful dishes to mix in for different tablesettings. I also look for platters, single plates, or bowls that I can use when I make a food dish for someone else. You don't have to get the dish back.

tupperware containers

pyrex, corningware, and baking pans

jewelry pieces- they add so much to your outfits

totes and backpacks- I always have extra backpacks for the kids.

extra phone chargers, cell phones, etc- we try to keep one back up phone around. We can never make it through our plan without something happening to atleast one phone.

books and magazines- I especially love to find great cookbooks

furniture pieces- think outside the box and imagine it painted a different color

table linens and curtains

fabric for sewing- it may be a moo-moo for a 500 lb woman with a great print. Look at things with an eye that it can be cut and redone. Sheets are a great source!

baskets and containers

games, puzzles, toys

Cooking with Beans

2011-01-05T14:42:00.008-06:00

One of the biggest money stretchers to our food budget is beans and rice. I keep all kinds of beans on hand because they are so versitile and can add volume to a soup or stovetop dish. I buy dry black, white, red, and pinto beans for their price and will cook a whole lb. of beans and package them in individual portions and freeze. That way they are ready to use in many ways. I try to keep a few varieties of canned beans on hand for those times when I have not soaked or cooked up any. My goal this year is to pressure can some beans so I get the best price.

A few of my favorite recipes are white and black bean chili. It is a vegetarian dish so really stretches the budget.

No southern person goes a week without seeing a butterbean or having peas for supper. I think our peas (black eyed, pink eyed purple hull) are really beans and it was just a southern phrase to call them peas. They have the texture of beans. You cook them in water enough to cover them adding in either some bacon strips or a spoonful of bacon grease to season them. I always add a ham bone to my butterbeans. They produce a liquid that is golden with cornbread or rice.

Some of my other favorite meals with beans are:

Red beans and rice
Ranch chicken with corn and black beans on salad
Black bean soup
Burritos with mexican filling (meatless meal)
Chicken soup with white beans
Bean and rice burritos
Chili
I add black beans to my taco filling to stretch it
Southern Caviar by Pioneer Woman
Ham and bean soup
Taco soup

I am joining in the Bean Recipe Exchange at Homestead Revival.

2011 Resolutions!

2010-12-31T14:43:00.002-06:00

I love having a fresh start. A time to refocus and make new goals to improve and make your life better. So, I am listing my goals for 2011.

Lose 75 lbs
Read some old classics.
Learn to water ski
Use up my material in crafts and sewing
Go on a mission trip
Learn Spanish
Increase emergency fund
Improve photography skills
Remodel the kids bathroom
Improve cake decorating skills
Can items from the garden
Bake bread
Quilt for the first time
Run a 5K
Do Algebra I again
Spend daily time in prayer and Bible study
Swim 32 laps again
Wear a size 6 again (okay, secret goal is a size 4 again)
Buy a pair of rockin boots-( calves are too big right now)
Grow more in the garden- plant fruit trees

Helen, Ga day 2

2010-12-30T05:00:00.000-06:00

Along the road leading into Helen from Atlanta there is a grist mill and winery. We went to tour them and look around a little. We eat grits all the time but have never had fresh ground grits. They taste totally different than store bought grits! We bought a big bag to take home and we also bought some porridge mix. I have never had porridge. It is a mixture of white and yellow grits, rice, and ground wheat cooked and then it had suger, brown sugar, butter and salt to flavor it and it was SO good.

Helen, GA

2010-12-28T17:18:00.007-06:00

About an hour and a half north-east of Atlanta is a little town called Helen, Ga. It has been transformed into a German village. We spent a few days visiting and had a great time. It is built along the Chatahoochie River and in the summer canoeing and tubing are big events in Helen.

We ate at the Bavarian Inn for lunch and let the kids try some authentic German food.

This shop had the most beautiful artwork around the window and doorway.

This was a large pretzel that we had for an appetizer. It was flown from Munich.

Ladies Banquet Tables

2010-12-16T04:31:00.003-06:00

We had our annual Ladie's Banquet and there were some beautiful tables. I love the creativity and uniqueness that different women bring to their tables. Hopefully these photos will inspire you.

I am linking my post to the Tablescape Thursday party at Between Naps on the Porch.

Gingerbread house

2010-12-15T05:11:00.005-06:00

We always buy a kit to make our house each year.
I would be screaming if I had to make my own gingerbread.
So much easier to just buy it and put it together.
The hard part is keeping it for a month.
It slowly disappears.

Have to add a little Alabama decor.

Roll Tide!!!

Candy Christmas Tree

2010-12-10T13:19:00.004-06:00

A year ago we went to a little Dutch village in Solvang, California. In the window of the bakery they had candy trees. I took a photo because they were so cute. Then, at Christmas last year Rhoda did a post on making them and I knew I had to make it. We had our ladie's banquet at church and I finally had the chance to make it with my boys. You can see my table here. I used it as the centerpiece on my table that I decorated.

I used a cone that I bought at Hobby Lobby. They have styrophome but they were around $14.00 and I hated to spend that. I found a cardboard material cone in the Christmas decoration aisle. Cover the cone with royal icing and then place the candies on.

Royal Icing Recipe

4 cups (1 lb) confectioners sugar

3 Tbsp meringue powder (found in the cake decorating aisle with Wilton products)

6 Tbsp warm water

Beat all the ingredients about 6 minutes until a peak forms. You can add water if you get it too stiff, or confectioners sugar if it is too runny. The candy will slide off if it is not stiff enough. Keep your bowl of icing covered with a damp towel so it does not dry out. Start at the bottom of the cone and work your way up, but only spread on small sections of icing so it does not dry out on you.

Christmas trees

2010-12-09T15:22:00.009-06:00

I want a 12 or 15 foot tree for my foyer when we can afford one. Until then, I put up my 8 foot tree on top of my foyer table. I used lime green and red ornaments for a fun look. It is so happy.

I used our old train set and a couple of dolls my girls have received as gifts over the years under the tree.

This small tree is on the buffet in the foyer.

I put a small tree on the sewing desk in the nook in my bedroom. I used some old ornaments from when I put a full size tree up in our Florida house. I found the pink berry picks at a garage sale. They have a great patina on them.

I made the turquoise bead tree with a strand of beaded garland we had. I used a styraphome form and hot glued it around and around and around for hours!

This tree is in the upper hallway. We had one of these growing up that sat on the dining room table. I got rid of it when Mama died and everytime I saw them it was a big part of memories for me, so when I saw one at a garage sale I bought it. It is missing the top star. If you see a star let me know!

My tree is not finished in this photo, but this is our family room tree. It has all the kids ornaments. They each get a new ornament each year. Usually they put a small tree in their room but this year only one kid wanted a personal tree so they are all on this tree. And, the kids decorated it.

It is full of handmade ornaments the kids have made.

and photo ornaments we got from church.

I get the mom award for letting them be all jumbled together and not redoing the tree, right?

I am linking to Coastal Charm's Christmas Open House

and

and Sarah at Thrifty Decor Chick

Christmas tea table

2010-12-09T14:26:00.005-06:00

Tonight we have our annual ladies banquet. Different women decorate tables, so they are all different. This year my theme centers around a candy cone tree I made with the boys. I took a lot of photos so enjoy!

I have my Christmas dishes on a red charger. My main plate is the same pattern as the coffee cup. I then have used a set of reindeer plates on top of that.

The tree is a cone covered with royal icing and candy pieces. Rhoda at Southern Hospitality shared the recipe for the royal icing last year on her blog if you would like to try it. I will try to post a how to later this week also.

I found the nutcrackers at Dollar General for $.75 each. I used a few of my ornaments placed under the cake stand. The snowflake ornaments placed around the table came in a big box of different kinds of ornaments from Sams. I love the snowflake ones, they seem to just stand out where ever I have put them.

Lovin my candy tree.

The napkin rings are gumdrop nutcracker men that I got at Dollar General.

To see some of the tables from last year go here. and here.

I am linking my tablescape with Tablescape Thursday at Between Naps on the Porch. Be sure to check out the other wonderful tablescapes on her post.

Christmas around the house

2010-12-08T04:21:00.012-06:00

Today I am linking to some parties! The Nesters

and Rhoda's Christmas Vignette Party

and Between Naps on the Porch's Holiday Home party.

My front living room is brown and turquoise so I added turquoise touches to bring in some sparkle.

I opened the blinds to get more light in and Mack had the best time looking out the front window. He makes sure noone walks down our street without him telling them about it.

I added a clip on ornament to my curio cabinet in the front room.

My foyer tree.

In my bedroom I have a nook that I use for sewing and an extra computer.

In my bedroom

The pillow is my daughter's old sweater that I wrapped around a pillow. I haven't even sewn it yet.

The kids take turns adding an ornament to the banner each night as we count down until Christmas.

This is in the upper hall.

This table and mirror are also in the upper hall.

M y kitchen window

we will add gumdrops to the tree as a project later this month.

the gingerbread house is slowly disappearing.

my reindeer plates

they are so cute!

my everyday Christmas plates

we eat off them every meal after Thanksgiving by candlelight

even if it is Burger King

my buffet in the foyer

my great grandmother's dresser in the foyer

my foyer tree

I used a train set and some old dolls under my foyer tree. I want a 12 or 15 foot tree when we can afford one.

The kids wrote down activities they want to do this month and we put them on the card holder. As we do the activity we take the card down. Slowly we are getting Christmas cards to put up in their place.

Thrift store trees

2010-12-01T04:00:00.001-06:00

I found these trees at a thrift store for $1 each. I have been thinking of adding a collection of trees to the top of my bookshelves in the family room.
I found this vase at another thrift store. It is really pretty. It was also $1.

I filled the vase with newspaper and set one of the small trees inside it. It is beginning to look like Pottery Barn stuff.

I added bows.

Yes, my tree is still unfinished but this shows the thrift store trees on the bookshelf. I love the room lit by tree lights!

I am joining in Finding Fabulous' Frugalistic Friday post. Go check out all the other frugal decorating projects.

December Fun Times List

2010-11-30T17:25:00.002-06:00

since noone sends me christmas cards we are using our card tree to put things we would like to do this month.

things like make hot chocolate, game night, look at christmas lights.

hopefully it will help us be more focused on family activities.

they want to remove the card when we do the activity so i really need some christmas cards to keep it from being empty. don't make me have to buy my own.

Decorating the tree

2010-11-30T14:08:00.003-06:00

It isn't finished... I need to buy a star and it needs a skirt and I need hooks to hang all the red ornaments. The kids each get an ornament each year and they put all of them on this tree. They usually have a tree in their room, but all of them decided they don't want a tree in their room anymore. They are so weird.

Cutting down the Christmas Tree

2010-11-29T13:10:00.005-06:00

On Saturday we went to a tree farm to cut down our Christmas tree. I have never done that before so it was a nice experience to get to choose our own this year.

Back over the mountain home and we had a beautiful sunset.

Thanksgiving Meal

2010-11-26T17:31:00.003-06:00

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! Mine was wonderful. I didn't do much after cooking and eating, just enjoyed being home with my family. My husband fried two turkeys and I made sweet potato casserole, southern peas, corn, dressing, green bean casserole, and heated up some Sister Shubert rolls. We also had the pecan cheesecake pie that I posted about earlier. It was delicious.

Thanksgiving just isn't right without dressing. For non southerners it isn't stuffing or really the same as a stuffing mixture. Southern dressing is totally different and we wait all year for it. It is so good!

Fried to perfection! It was nice a moist and had such a good flavor.

Grocery deals

2010-11-26T16:18:00.003-06:00

Publix
6 Cheeze Its $1.64 ea- (2) $1 off 3 Q= $1.31 each
Jif $2.93- .55 Yellow Adv Q= $2.38
6 Campbells Soup $1.19- $.50 double Q= $.19
2 Blue Diamond almonds $1.59- $.50 double Q= $.59
5 Pedigree Dentastix $1.89- $1Q= $.89
7 Suave Mens Shampoo clearanced to $.75- one $.50 double Q
2 Suave conditioners clearanced to $1.19 ea
2 Theraflu $3.50- $2Q= $1.50
4 Martha White muffins $.80 ea- (2) $.55/2Q= $.52 ea
3 Pedigree Good Bites treats $3-$2= $1
2 Chex $1.67- $.50 doubleQ= $.67ea
2 Bugles $1.67- $.50 double Q= $.67 ea

Total=$34.40

Rite Aid
Got 2 Be styler $4.99-$4.99= free
Phillips ear buds $4.99-$4.99= free
2 Hershey bars $.50 ea- $1/2 UP reward= both free
Vaseline Intensive Care lotion $2.99-$2 UP= $.99
Gillette shave cream $1.99- $1 Up= $.99
Fleece blanket $1.99-$1 UP= $.99
Contact Solution $7.99-$.799= Free
3 Ludens cough drops $.99 ea (my favorite)

I used gift cards from transferring prescriptions to pay

CVS
Colgate toothpaste $3.99-$3.99 ECB- $1 Q= made $1
3Herbal Essence shampoo $3.99-$.399- $.50 Q= Made $.50
2Renpure Organics conditioner $4.99-$4.99= both free
2 Carmex lip balm $.99- $.99 ECB= both free
10 Reeses $.79-$.79 ea= all free
King size trix $1.59-$1.59 = free (not in photo, was in mine and Caitlyn's bellies)
Advil $.99- $.99= Free
2 LA hair stylers $2.99-$2.99= both free
4 Listerine pocket packs $2.99-$2.99= all free
Gillette deoderant/old Spice Deoderant $4-$4-$2Q= made $2
Phillips earbuds in photo below $6.99-$6.99= free
I rolled the ECBs to pay and did two different transactions

Walgreens
blah blah blah- I got it all free or some they paid me to buy when I used a coupon. I rolled the Register Rewards and paid very little out of pocket.

Pecan Cheesecake Pie

2010-11-24T19:43:00.002-06:00

Southern Living Pecan Cheesecake Pie

This pie is better in a deep dish pie pan as the comments said it overflowed the regular pie plates.

1 refrigerated pie crust

8 oz cream cheese, room temperature

1 egg

1/4 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Beat all ingredients with a mixer on medium speed until creamy. Pour into pie shell.

Chop 1 1/4 cup pecans and pour over cream cheese mixture.

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

Whisk ingredients together and pour over pecans.

Place pie pan on baking sheet and bake at 350 degree preheated oven for 50-55 minutes. My pie was still very jiggly so I put aluminum foil on the top and baked an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack for 1 hour. Serve or cover and chill for up to two days.

Christmas tree topper

2010-11-14T19:07:00.003-06:00

I am breaking all rules and decided to go ahead and decorate the foyer for Christmas. I am going to leave the family room/ kitchen area until after Thanksgiving, but I have so much to do on my staircase and foyer tree that I wanted to get it out of the way. It is an old tree I am using in here, but the first time to put up a tree in the foyer in this house. I want a 15 foot tree but that will have to wait until next year. I don't have ornament hooks so am not finished with the decorating, but did the topper and sash around the tree. I am so happy with the polka dots and lime green and red. Love, love, love.

Chicken casserole

2010-11-12T19:23:00.002-06:00

Tonight I tweeked another recipe I saw and made a really good casserole. You will need:
2- boxes chicken flavored rice a roni type mix
2 cups cooked chicken, cubed
1 can whole kernel corn, drained
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 oz cream cheese

In a large skillet saute rice mix in butter per package directions. Add the water and seasoning packet per package directions. While rice is sauteeing place cubed chicken in a 9X13 baking dish. Pour rice and water mixture over the chicken. Then add corn and soup. Stir well to incorporate the soup into the water mixture. Bake at 350 about 35 minutes or until water is absorbed and rice is cooked through. Cut cream cheese into small cubes and stir into chicken dish to melt the cheese and blend it in. This was so good.

Fall photos of the kids

2010-11-01T12:01:00.002-05:00

Homemade vegetable beef soup

2010-11-01T11:49:00.003-05:00

I made a roast with potatoes and carrots in the crock pot yesterday. I am always left with a little piece of roast that is not enough to feed us another meal so I always make soup with it. I pour all the juice from the crock pot into a large pot. I add a can of petite diced tomatoes or tomato puree, corn, butterbeans, green beans, or really whatever I have around. I add all juices from either the can or the cooking liquid if I am using leftover vegetables from the refrigerator. If I am using frozen vegetables I add a little water. I tear the roast into small pieces and chop the potatoes and carrots into smaller pieces also. Let this simmer about 20-30 minutes.

Brownie trifle

2010-10-23T15:06:00.003-05:00

This is one of my go-to desserts to bring places. It is so easy to make and everyone always loves it.

Brownie Trifle
1 box Brownie mix- or your favorite prepared recipe
large box chocolate Jello pudding- prepared
large container whipped cream
2 Butterfinger candy bars

Break the brownies into pieces and cover the bottom of the trifle dish. Put a layer of chocolate pudding on top of the brownies. Add a layer of whipped cream. Hit the Butterfinger with a rolling pin while still sealed in the wrapper. Crumble on top. Repeat layers. Chill until ready to serve.

Corn Chowder

2010-10-22T20:21:00.002-05:00

Corn Chowder

4 large potatoes, diced

1 med onion, diced

6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

3 cups creamed corn

2 cups water

salt and pepper

1/4 cup heavy cream or 2 cups half and half

Cook bacon in skillet. Remove and crumble, set aside. In the remaining grease add potatoes and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Add 2 cups water and stir, scraping all stuff off the bottom of the skillet. Add creamed corn, salt, pepper. Lower heat to low and cover. Cook for 20 minutes until potatoes are cooked through. Heat cream in microwave and add to soup. Stir and let thicken a few minutes. Serve in bowl with a garnish of bacon pieces.