What does a typical Friday look like at your house? Today we have tomatoes and okra to can (soup starter!), piano and violin practice, lessons to teach, school work to complete, big laundry day--washing all bed linens today, floors to vacuum and mop and some other major cleaning that will most likely not get completed until tomorrow.
Outdoor projects need to be completed, fall garden needs to be started, lesson plans and copies made for the upcoming weeks, a calendar needs to be revised as several of the children will be involved in a film shoot for Jeff in September which will take up two weeks, building materials need to be purchased, books read, boo-boos kissed, snuggles given, food prepared.....
Just a normal Friday around here!! LOL! How does your Friday look?
Family
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cooking. Show all posts
Friday, August 12, 2011
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Essentials--Oregano
In the past two years we have been experimenting with growing our own herbs. We have had peppermint and spearmint for several years and have enjoyed hot mint teas and iced tea. Last year we added many more herbs to our garden: sage, thyme, lemon balm and oregano. This year we have gone even further with chives, stevia, rosemary, apple mint, chocolate mint, sweet mint and another mint that I can't recall right now! One great benefit to these herbs is that they are all perennials!! Only one purchase last for years and years!
I thought I would share how we are using some of these herbs in the next few weeks. Today we'll look at oregano. We all know oregano is terrific for Italian dishes like spaghetti, lasagna and pizzas, but it is also good used fresh in green salads. It can also be added to bread doughs for a wonderful herbed bread or pizza crust.
Oregano also has a few medicinal uses that we hope to test as needed. You can use the fresh leaves to make an infusion (think tea) that is claimed to help headaches, menstrual cramps, insomnia and aid in digestion. Adding leaves to bathwater may ease aching muscles and hot compresses made with a very strong infusion can help clean and reduce the swelling of cuts and wounds. In medieval times, oregano was strewn on the floor along with the rushes to help mask the smells of rotting food and unsanitary living conditions.
This week I began harvesting some of our oregano that was growing like crazy and dehydrated it. I washed the cut stems and let dry on a towel then placed on the racks of the dehydrator. After it was dry I was easily able to pull the dried leaves from the stems and gently crush them into a bowl. I now have about 1/2 a cup of home-grown dried oregano to store for winter use. I will be drying lots more in the future...it's a simple way to preserve for year 'round use.
Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Quit Spending Even More!
Do it yourself!
Haircuts- For many, many years I have cut everyone's hair in my family. When my older girls started making money babysitting they used some of their money for professional hair cuts. There was also a time when life was completely overwhelming me (having a baby at 44 just might do that to you....or maybe not!) and I took the boys in for hair cuts as well. Jeff generally goes to a barber now who has a ministry of fostering children, so Jeff feels like he is contributing to that ministry. Devin pretty much does all four boys hair now and does Kaelan's as well. You should spend a few bucks to invest in quality hair cutting scissors and trimmer. Devin and I both get our hair professionally done. Devin pays for her own and goes every other month or so, while I go 2-3 times a year.
Remodeling- Jeff has totally gutted and remodeled two of our bathrooms through the years. For our latest remodel, he did hire plumbers to put in a new spot for the toilet and custom build and tile the shower. The cost though, even with that work hired out was only around $3000.
Reduce paper use!
I quit using paper napkins years ago and replaced them with inexpensive cloth napkins and even cute bandanas purchased on clearance at Hobby Lobby. We generally tie them on the back of the chair to use for the next meal and I toss them into the wash each day. They are very light and don't take up much space in the wash.
I have also quit using paper towels. I have found lots of dish towels and clothes on clearance and stock up when I find great prices. I keep worn-out bath towels to clean up messy spills.
At times I have used cloth diapers for my babies. I really wanted to go all cloth for Caedmon, but Jeff didn't want to invest that much money into diapers that would most likely only be used for one child. Caedmon is still in diapers, but is working on potty training and is wearing training pants a good bit of the day.
Bulk cooking!
It is very rare that we prepare food for only one meal at a time. Last week we grilled steaks (a gift from my mom) for an evening meal. Monday night I sliced the leftover steaks and we ate them on top of or as a side to our salads from the garden. We cooked way too much food for our gathering Saturday night, so we were able to take a good bit of it with us as our contribution to a meal with friends on Sunday night and shared some as well with a single young man. There was still enough for another meal of the grilled chicken, but we were a little tired of it so, into the freezer it went for a meal next week.
Last night we had a meal of beef enchiladas that I simply pulled from the freezer. In early May we prepared several pans of enchiladas at one time. I just line up the casserole dishes and assemble. I only had to use one pan to cook up the meat mixture and one bowl to grate up the cheese for four meals.
Right now I have Jordan grilling out about 30 hamburgers. Yes, it is still morning, but it will be in the upper nineties when dinner time rolls around. It is much cooler now to grill and we will have plenty of burgers for tonight's dinner with one or two more hamburger dinners for the freezer.
Devin made a large batch of blueberry biscuits for breakfast this morning. We ate half and I will freeze the rest for next week. She regularly mixes up large batches of our favorite chocolate chip cookie dough. She uses a cookie dough scoop to make small scoops, places them on a cookie sheet, flash freezes them and then bags them up for later use. Cooking in bulk is a time and money saver!
Cut the cable or satellite on your TV!
We haven't had either for many, many years. I won't get into the trash, etc that comes in to our homes via TV.
Switch phone plans!
We don't have caller ID and all the other extras on our home phone. We have even considered dropping the home phone line, but sometimes cell phone coverage out here can be a problem.
I don't have a cell phone for myself. When I am away from home I borrow either Jordan's or Devin's phone or, if Jeff is home I will take his. Devin and Jordan each purchased their own phones and pay their portion of the cell phone bill. Jeff and Devin are both self-employed and their phones and usage are tax deductible.
Re-purpose and re-use!
Re-decorating my home usually means moving one item into another spot or rearranging the furniture. I generally try to use what I have instead of having to buy something new that will quickly lose its luster in my big, busy household.
Reuse gift bags and tissue paper for Christmas, birthday and baby shower gifts. My children know to look in the storage cabinet in my bedroom for an assortment of gift bags. It's fun to see the same bags reappear year after year!
I know I will think of several more ideas as I go through the day, but maybe these tips will inspire you to save some money for your family as well. Remember our goal is always to be good stewards of the blessings that God has given to us whether it be material blessings, talents and gifts or simply our time! Please share YOUR favorite ideas for being good stewards of what God has given you.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Quit Spending
That really would be an easy way to start saving some money, wouldn't it? However, in today's world it is almost impossible not to spend money. There are many ways that we can spend less, though, and our family has been brainstorming ways that we can save a few bucks here and there. I thought I would share a few of those ideas with you today.
-Stay at home!
Sounds simple, doesn't it? But no matter how much I desire to have every one at home all the time, it just isn't possible. Jeff must travel to work each day and, as we are a two car family with four drivers, at least three days a week he must come home for lunch to pick up Jordan. Jordan works with his dad so they at least are together while away from home!! ; ) That means, though, that Jeff is able to eat at home on those days, so it does offset his eating away from home expenses. For years I packed his lunch daily, but he really likes to get out of the office and see some blue sky and greenery instead of the four walls of his office. He usually comes home even on days that Jordan doesn't work so he can visit with us, but every week usually brings a business contact that he has lunch with or he meets with one or two men and lunches with them.
I try to combine my shopping and errand trips all in one day. We live out from town, so a trip in usually takes 15-30 minutes depending on where we are going. During the school year our "town day" is on Tuesday which is when we have piano lessons, so we also do our library stop, health food store, Sam's and grocery store run all on the same day. This means I must be prepared with lists of needed items, but it is a great help to get it all done in one day. During the summer we don't have piano lessons and we drop the library stops. (we have MANY books at home) I am then able to make a shopping trip every 2-3 weeks instead.
Devin combines all of her violin students into one day. It makes a long day, but she is also able to run any errands she needs to take care of on that one day. She also has one day a week that she tutors another homeschool family's children.
Shopping online is another way to stay at home. Most of our curriculum and book purchases are done online as is most of our Christmas and birthday shopping. I generally try to get book purchases and gift shopping done when I find great clearance sales on products we love.
Instead of going to the movies we subscribe to Netflix. For just $10 a month we get great movies sent to our mailbox! I can't imagine how much it would cost for us (8 at home) to see a movie!!
Create restaurant style meals at home. Jeff and I love to have an evening out at a restaurant every other month or so, but for the last few years we have generally been disappointed as I have learned to cook so many of our favorite restaurant style meals at home. Pasta meals are really very easy to replicate and we love our homemade pizzas. We regularly have some fantastic Mexican meals with enchiladas, fajitas, chimichangas, rice, beans and all the trimmings. Chinese food can also be made cheaply and well at home. We still go out occasionally, but it is becoming a rare occurrence.
-Buy in bulk!
We have been buying in bulk for years, but have recently upped our food storage so that we can make fewer trips to town. If I have a large stock to choose from I don't have to make purchases as frequently which saves gas and/or shipping and gives me more options for meals. What do I buy in bulk?
canned goods
grains
flours
sugar
honey
beans
oils
produce
toiletry products
and so much more!
-Homemade
Learn to cook from scratch instead of buying mixes, canned soups or bread products. It is cheaper and healthier for you. Make large batches of soups and sauces and either freeze or can them. Make a double batch of muffins, pancakes, biscuits or waffles for two meals instead of just one. Homemade cookies, cakes, pies and ice cream are so much better than the store bought versions!
Make homemade cleaning solutions and laundry detergent.
Learn to sew simple projects and make repairs to clothing.
Make homemade popsicles with reusable popsicle trays or paper cups and unsweetened juices.
Learn how to can, freeze and dehydrate foods for food storage.
-Start a garden
There is definitely some money involved in getting started, but there are so many ways to garden frugally. Jeff and the boys go to a friend's house every year and bring back a large load of manure from his barn to add to our compost bin. Our raised beds were built from either scrap lumber or from landscape blocks that we purchased on clearance many years ago. We save scraps, rake up leaves and grass clippings to add to our compost.
We have been eating lettuce from our garden now for about 2 months. I paid about $4 for heirloom lettuce seeds. That is the price that I would have paid for one box of spinach from Sam's which would have lasted one week. We will be eating tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, squash and much more from our garden this summer. It has taken a good bit of work, but we count that as character training!! For us and the children!
-Take care of what you have!
Maintain your car properly. Make sure you change the oil when it is due, use the correct gas, go the speed limit and all those other things that will prolong the life of your vehicle.
Promptly take care of home maintenance projects. That leaky faucet is not going to suddenly stop leaking and will cause more damage if left alone. Been there, done that!!
Take care of your clothing. Treat stains promptly and sort your clothes according to color. Use the correct temperature. We have outside clothes and shoes and town clothes and shoes for the younger children. Have work clothes and boots for those who work outside and aprons for those who spend lots of time doing kitchen work.
Have a method for storing toys, games, puzzles and curriculum. My youngest children have some of the same toys, games, puzzles, curriculum and manipulatives that my older girls had 25 years ago! My grandchildren come over and put together the same puzzles that their mommy had!
Save clothes for the next child. My children have always worn hand me down and even though Jordan and Caedmon are 16 years apart, Caedmon does have some clothes that have been handed down through all four boys!
-Decrease use of electricity, propane or natural gas!
Hang clothes on the clothesline. If you don't have a clothesline you can purchase a drying rack cheaply and hang some articles of clothing to dry on hangars hung in doorways or on shower curtains.
Fill the sink with dishwater rather than letting the water run while you wash dishes.
Turn the water off while shaving or brushing teeth.
We do not have central air conditioning and have 5 window units. During the night we only run the units in the bedroom. During the day we run the two ACs in the living areas and in the boys' room. We use a fan to move the air from the boys room into the living areas as well.
Keep lights turned off.
Cook outdoors on the grill or set up a table on the porch or deck to cook outside in your crock pot. This will help keep the house cooler.
Cook more than one meal at a time. Eat one/freeze one!
-Don't pay full price for anything if possible!
Search out clearance racks. Almost all of our clothing comes from clearance racks. I never buy clothing unless it is on sale (usually at least half off), clearance or buy one get one half off.
My strawberry plants were purchased on clearance last year as were many of my perennial herbs. I also have three knock out rose bushes purchased on clearance and some salvia as well. A very little amount of TLC and they are doing great!
Most of my meat purchases are from the reduced section in my grocers meat market. I also buy lots of my produce this way as well.
-Homeschooling!
Yes, I really think homeschooling our children has saved us lots of money through the years. Yes, we spend money for books and other materials, but in the long run I know we have saved. Here are some tips to save money while homeschooling.
Use unit studies....teach them all the same topic at the same, but at different levels.
Use curriculum that can be adapted to a wide age span.....i.e. The Natural Speller and more.
Use curriculum that can be passed down. My six year old is using the same math program that three of his older siblings used.
Use curriculum that can be reproduced.
So what are some ways that you use to save money in these days of the disappearing dollar? Have you tried to cut back your spending? I would love to hear some ideas from you!
-Stay at home!
Sounds simple, doesn't it? But no matter how much I desire to have every one at home all the time, it just isn't possible. Jeff must travel to work each day and, as we are a two car family with four drivers, at least three days a week he must come home for lunch to pick up Jordan. Jordan works with his dad so they at least are together while away from home!! ; ) That means, though, that Jeff is able to eat at home on those days, so it does offset his eating away from home expenses. For years I packed his lunch daily, but he really likes to get out of the office and see some blue sky and greenery instead of the four walls of his office. He usually comes home even on days that Jordan doesn't work so he can visit with us, but every week usually brings a business contact that he has lunch with or he meets with one or two men and lunches with them.
I try to combine my shopping and errand trips all in one day. We live out from town, so a trip in usually takes 15-30 minutes depending on where we are going. During the school year our "town day" is on Tuesday which is when we have piano lessons, so we also do our library stop, health food store, Sam's and grocery store run all on the same day. This means I must be prepared with lists of needed items, but it is a great help to get it all done in one day. During the summer we don't have piano lessons and we drop the library stops. (we have MANY books at home) I am then able to make a shopping trip every 2-3 weeks instead.
Devin combines all of her violin students into one day. It makes a long day, but she is also able to run any errands she needs to take care of on that one day. She also has one day a week that she tutors another homeschool family's children.
Shopping online is another way to stay at home. Most of our curriculum and book purchases are done online as is most of our Christmas and birthday shopping. I generally try to get book purchases and gift shopping done when I find great clearance sales on products we love.
Instead of going to the movies we subscribe to Netflix. For just $10 a month we get great movies sent to our mailbox! I can't imagine how much it would cost for us (8 at home) to see a movie!!
Create restaurant style meals at home. Jeff and I love to have an evening out at a restaurant every other month or so, but for the last few years we have generally been disappointed as I have learned to cook so many of our favorite restaurant style meals at home. Pasta meals are really very easy to replicate and we love our homemade pizzas. We regularly have some fantastic Mexican meals with enchiladas, fajitas, chimichangas, rice, beans and all the trimmings. Chinese food can also be made cheaply and well at home. We still go out occasionally, but it is becoming a rare occurrence.
-Buy in bulk!
We have been buying in bulk for years, but have recently upped our food storage so that we can make fewer trips to town. If I have a large stock to choose from I don't have to make purchases as frequently which saves gas and/or shipping and gives me more options for meals. What do I buy in bulk?
canned goods
grains
flours
sugar
honey
beans
oils
produce
toiletry products
and so much more!
-Homemade
Learn to cook from scratch instead of buying mixes, canned soups or bread products. It is cheaper and healthier for you. Make large batches of soups and sauces and either freeze or can them. Make a double batch of muffins, pancakes, biscuits or waffles for two meals instead of just one. Homemade cookies, cakes, pies and ice cream are so much better than the store bought versions!
Make homemade cleaning solutions and laundry detergent.
Learn to sew simple projects and make repairs to clothing.
Make homemade popsicles with reusable popsicle trays or paper cups and unsweetened juices.
Learn how to can, freeze and dehydrate foods for food storage.
-Start a garden
There is definitely some money involved in getting started, but there are so many ways to garden frugally. Jeff and the boys go to a friend's house every year and bring back a large load of manure from his barn to add to our compost bin. Our raised beds were built from either scrap lumber or from landscape blocks that we purchased on clearance many years ago. We save scraps, rake up leaves and grass clippings to add to our compost.
We have been eating lettuce from our garden now for about 2 months. I paid about $4 for heirloom lettuce seeds. That is the price that I would have paid for one box of spinach from Sam's which would have lasted one week. We will be eating tomatoes, cucumbers, peas, squash and much more from our garden this summer. It has taken a good bit of work, but we count that as character training!! For us and the children!
-Take care of what you have!
Maintain your car properly. Make sure you change the oil when it is due, use the correct gas, go the speed limit and all those other things that will prolong the life of your vehicle.
Promptly take care of home maintenance projects. That leaky faucet is not going to suddenly stop leaking and will cause more damage if left alone. Been there, done that!!
Take care of your clothing. Treat stains promptly and sort your clothes according to color. Use the correct temperature. We have outside clothes and shoes and town clothes and shoes for the younger children. Have work clothes and boots for those who work outside and aprons for those who spend lots of time doing kitchen work.
Have a method for storing toys, games, puzzles and curriculum. My youngest children have some of the same toys, games, puzzles, curriculum and manipulatives that my older girls had 25 years ago! My grandchildren come over and put together the same puzzles that their mommy had!
Save clothes for the next child. My children have always worn hand me down and even though Jordan and Caedmon are 16 years apart, Caedmon does have some clothes that have been handed down through all four boys!
-Decrease use of electricity, propane or natural gas!
Hang clothes on the clothesline. If you don't have a clothesline you can purchase a drying rack cheaply and hang some articles of clothing to dry on hangars hung in doorways or on shower curtains.
Fill the sink with dishwater rather than letting the water run while you wash dishes.
Turn the water off while shaving or brushing teeth.
We do not have central air conditioning and have 5 window units. During the night we only run the units in the bedroom. During the day we run the two ACs in the living areas and in the boys' room. We use a fan to move the air from the boys room into the living areas as well.
Keep lights turned off.
Cook outdoors on the grill or set up a table on the porch or deck to cook outside in your crock pot. This will help keep the house cooler.
Cook more than one meal at a time. Eat one/freeze one!
-Don't pay full price for anything if possible!
Search out clearance racks. Almost all of our clothing comes from clearance racks. I never buy clothing unless it is on sale (usually at least half off), clearance or buy one get one half off.
My strawberry plants were purchased on clearance last year as were many of my perennial herbs. I also have three knock out rose bushes purchased on clearance and some salvia as well. A very little amount of TLC and they are doing great!
Most of my meat purchases are from the reduced section in my grocers meat market. I also buy lots of my produce this way as well.
-Homeschooling!
Yes, I really think homeschooling our children has saved us lots of money through the years. Yes, we spend money for books and other materials, but in the long run I know we have saved. Here are some tips to save money while homeschooling.
Use unit studies....teach them all the same topic at the same, but at different levels.
Use curriculum that can be adapted to a wide age span.....i.e. The Natural Speller and more.
Use curriculum that can be passed down. My six year old is using the same math program that three of his older siblings used.
Use curriculum that can be reproduced.
So what are some ways that you use to save money in these days of the disappearing dollar? Have you tried to cut back your spending? I would love to hear some ideas from you!
Friday, June 3, 2011
Feeding a Large Crowd
Tomorrow we are having a big bunch of young adults and a few more "mature" couples over for a cookout. We thought about grilling burgers, but chicken was MUCH cheaper than ground meat for burgers and then you would need all the burger trimmings as well.
Our menu includes grilled chicken,grilled sausage, vidalia onions, mushrooms, green beans, corn on the cob, potato salad and homemade rolls I am also thinking of throwing together Jeff's favorite broccoli salad and a green salad with a couple of homemade salad dressings. We'll also be enjoying a couple of fruit cobblers, brownies and a variety of homemade ice cream.
I think I'll post a few pics with recipes for some of these foods next week. The cobblers are so good and I use the same recipe that my Mamaw used! What are some of YOUR favorite crowd pleasing recipes? Please share in the comments!!
Our menu includes grilled chicken,grilled sausage, vidalia onions, mushrooms, green beans, corn on the cob, potato salad and homemade rolls I am also thinking of throwing together Jeff's favorite broccoli salad and a green salad with a couple of homemade salad dressings. We'll also be enjoying a couple of fruit cobblers, brownies and a variety of homemade ice cream.
I think I'll post a few pics with recipes for some of these foods next week. The cobblers are so good and I use the same recipe that my Mamaw used! What are some of YOUR favorite crowd pleasing recipes? Please share in the comments!!
Monday, May 16, 2011
Use It Up!
Don't forget about my giveaway here!! Victoria Botkin's Curriculum Advice may be just what you need!
Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without! That's a wise old adage that many of our grandparents or great-grandparents learned as children. However, through the years as convenience foods became more available, homemaking skills decreased, and moms joined the work force it seems that many of us today have no idea how to live or even want to live by this adage.
It is so easy to hop in the car for a fast food dinner, ask hubby to stop by Walmart on his way home from work for that single ingredient we left off our shopping list earlier in the week, or make a quick run to pick up a few necessary items for a project that if we had planned more carefully, could have been picked up when we were out for other reasons.
With gas prices inching up even as I type and the cost of groceries and other products going up right with the gasoline, it is even more important for my family to make wise decisions concerning where our money goes. I thought I would share some of our ideas on saving money and energy today.
USE IT UP! I am working hard to be more creative in using up our leftovers. Through the years I have saved bits of meat and vegetables to make homemade soups, but now I am saving even more and freezing them. When the container is full I then make a big pot of soup. I did this last week and made so much that I was able to share a large amount with a family who just celebrated the birth of their newest member and froze some for my married daughter to take home with her. We also had 2 meals off of this soup made with ingredients that many folks would have thrown out!
I have shared before about how I cook chickens: I bake two whole chickens at a time and freeze one for another day. That saves much time and energy, but after we have cut the meat from the chicken I then use the carcass to make a rich flavorful broth. I put the carcass in a big pot and cover it with filtered water. Add a splash or two of organic apple cider vinegar, garlic cloves, a couple of carrots, a quartered onion and some salt and pepper and I can create some fabulous recipes using this broth as a base. I also use chicken breasts in the same way after we cut the meat from the bone for chicken strips or whatever we are cooking. I used to freeze this broth, but am now canning it which makes it even easier and quicker to use.
One roast can become several meals as I divide it in half after cooking. I serve one portion and freeze the other with the juices for another meal. This week we had a smaller roast and we used the leftovers to make wonderful hot open-faced roast beef sandwiches.
WEAR IT OUT! Hand-me-down clothing has always been a budget saver for my large family. Most of my younger boys wardrobes consist of hand-me-downs---even those from their oldest brother who is 12+ years older! I have purchased a handful of clearance rack items each year to give them a few fresh pieces to have as well.
Jackson has grown so much recently that he was ready for a larger bike. Did we go out and buy one? No, just headed out to the barn where there was a bike in just the size he needed. Jackson's outgrown bike will be just right for Caedmon in the next year or two. We'll just need to add a new tire and put the training wheels back on.
Toys and school items? Yes, my little man and the grandchildren play with toys and puzzles that my oldest daughter played with over 25 years ago! And they are not worn out yet! I also have many manipulatives and handmade educational games that I made for my oldest daughter 23 years ago. In fact, we even have some shaped crayons in our crayon bucket that she received as gifts when she was two years old! She is now 27! We also try to use as much of our curriculum as possible with all the children. There are workbooks that we have that are reproducible that I have been using for over 20 years.
MAKE DO! Learn how to substitute ingredients in the kitchen. If you don't have one particular ingredient for a meal use another one that will work just as well or be creative and come up with your own recipe.
We have been making the raised beds for our garden from wood recycled from a deck that the boys dismantled two years ago. When only small pieces were left, Jordan began making planters. We used logs from our woods to make another needed bed or two as well.
If I have curriculum that is not fitting the learning style of one particular child, I find ways to tweak it to fit by adding in simple hands-on activities, changing the location of our lessons, or finding free materials from the internet.
Instead of buying mixes and instant foods, make your own!! Grow and preserve as much of our own food as you can.
DO WITHOUT! I think this will probably be the hardest thing to do! We are taught that we deserve anything we want and only the best. But really, we need to practice self-discipline and realize that there are many things that we can simply do without! Do we really need a new pair of shoes or a new outfit for Easter this year? Won't the same outfit we wore last year do and will anyone really notice or even care? Is that junk food or soda really necessary? Can we drink water for more of our meals instead of tea? Can we stay at home and play a game instead of using gas to head to the park? There are so many things that we can simply do without that will not really be sacrificing all that much and will probably be much better for us. We are trying to do without running the air conditioner more often. We are hanging out the laundry....hanging our clothing out on the clothesline does take more time, but it gets me outside and saves much money as we aren't using the dryer as much. Turning out lights when they are not really needed. Keeping electronics turned off and unplugged when not in use can also save money.
Stay at home more often when it is not necessary to travel. Create a day or afternoon for all of your shopping, music lessons, and library trips. It may make your day a little longer, but you will save money and time in the long run.
There are so many ways that we can use it up, wear it out, make do or do without. What are some changes that your family is making as we face these more challenging economic times? Maybe this is the way your family has chosen to live regardless of the world's economic situation. I would love to get some new money saving ideas from you!
Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without! That's a wise old adage that many of our grandparents or great-grandparents learned as children. However, through the years as convenience foods became more available, homemaking skills decreased, and moms joined the work force it seems that many of us today have no idea how to live or even want to live by this adage.
It is so easy to hop in the car for a fast food dinner, ask hubby to stop by Walmart on his way home from work for that single ingredient we left off our shopping list earlier in the week, or make a quick run to pick up a few necessary items for a project that if we had planned more carefully, could have been picked up when we were out for other reasons.
With gas prices inching up even as I type and the cost of groceries and other products going up right with the gasoline, it is even more important for my family to make wise decisions concerning where our money goes. I thought I would share some of our ideas on saving money and energy today.
USE IT UP! I am working hard to be more creative in using up our leftovers. Through the years I have saved bits of meat and vegetables to make homemade soups, but now I am saving even more and freezing them. When the container is full I then make a big pot of soup. I did this last week and made so much that I was able to share a large amount with a family who just celebrated the birth of their newest member and froze some for my married daughter to take home with her. We also had 2 meals off of this soup made with ingredients that many folks would have thrown out!
I have shared before about how I cook chickens: I bake two whole chickens at a time and freeze one for another day. That saves much time and energy, but after we have cut the meat from the chicken I then use the carcass to make a rich flavorful broth. I put the carcass in a big pot and cover it with filtered water. Add a splash or two of organic apple cider vinegar, garlic cloves, a couple of carrots, a quartered onion and some salt and pepper and I can create some fabulous recipes using this broth as a base. I also use chicken breasts in the same way after we cut the meat from the bone for chicken strips or whatever we are cooking. I used to freeze this broth, but am now canning it which makes it even easier and quicker to use.
One roast can become several meals as I divide it in half after cooking. I serve one portion and freeze the other with the juices for another meal. This week we had a smaller roast and we used the leftovers to make wonderful hot open-faced roast beef sandwiches.
WEAR IT OUT! Hand-me-down clothing has always been a budget saver for my large family. Most of my younger boys wardrobes consist of hand-me-downs---even those from their oldest brother who is 12+ years older! I have purchased a handful of clearance rack items each year to give them a few fresh pieces to have as well.
Jackson has grown so much recently that he was ready for a larger bike. Did we go out and buy one? No, just headed out to the barn where there was a bike in just the size he needed. Jackson's outgrown bike will be just right for Caedmon in the next year or two. We'll just need to add a new tire and put the training wheels back on.
Toys and school items? Yes, my little man and the grandchildren play with toys and puzzles that my oldest daughter played with over 25 years ago! And they are not worn out yet! I also have many manipulatives and handmade educational games that I made for my oldest daughter 23 years ago. In fact, we even have some shaped crayons in our crayon bucket that she received as gifts when she was two years old! She is now 27! We also try to use as much of our curriculum as possible with all the children. There are workbooks that we have that are reproducible that I have been using for over 20 years.
MAKE DO! Learn how to substitute ingredients in the kitchen. If you don't have one particular ingredient for a meal use another one that will work just as well or be creative and come up with your own recipe.
We have been making the raised beds for our garden from wood recycled from a deck that the boys dismantled two years ago. When only small pieces were left, Jordan began making planters. We used logs from our woods to make another needed bed or two as well.
If I have curriculum that is not fitting the learning style of one particular child, I find ways to tweak it to fit by adding in simple hands-on activities, changing the location of our lessons, or finding free materials from the internet.
Instead of buying mixes and instant foods, make your own!! Grow and preserve as much of our own food as you can.
DO WITHOUT! I think this will probably be the hardest thing to do! We are taught that we deserve anything we want and only the best. But really, we need to practice self-discipline and realize that there are many things that we can simply do without! Do we really need a new pair of shoes or a new outfit for Easter this year? Won't the same outfit we wore last year do and will anyone really notice or even care? Is that junk food or soda really necessary? Can we drink water for more of our meals instead of tea? Can we stay at home and play a game instead of using gas to head to the park? There are so many things that we can simply do without that will not really be sacrificing all that much and will probably be much better for us. We are trying to do without running the air conditioner more often. We are hanging out the laundry....hanging our clothing out on the clothesline does take more time, but it gets me outside and saves much money as we aren't using the dryer as much. Turning out lights when they are not really needed. Keeping electronics turned off and unplugged when not in use can also save money.
Stay at home more often when it is not necessary to travel. Create a day or afternoon for all of your shopping, music lessons, and library trips. It may make your day a little longer, but you will save money and time in the long run.
There are so many ways that we can use it up, wear it out, make do or do without. What are some changes that your family is making as we face these more challenging economic times? Maybe this is the way your family has chosen to live regardless of the world's economic situation. I would love to get some new money saving ideas from you!
Linked over at Titus 2sday
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Linking up at Raising Homemakers |
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Learning Adventures with Dad
Jeff recently took Aaron, Kaelan and Jackson on an overnight camping trip at the state part just a mile from our house. The boys and Jeff have been camping several times with former Contenders for the Faith group, but Kaelan has missed out on those adventures and has only gone a couple of times.
Kaelan made a list of all the items that they would need to take plus a shopping list of foods for her dad to purchase. The day of the camping trip found them hustling to gather up sleeping bags, pillows, tackle and rods for fishing, filling jugs with water, loading the tents and many other needed items. With the exception of hooking the boat to the truck and shopping for the groceries, they did most of the planning and the work. Planning, packing, organizing, building fires, cooking, boating and fishing....all great learning activities.
I thought I would let Jackson tell you about their camping adventures today. Jackson used the pictures to tell me what happened.
In this picture, I (Jackson) was chopping wood for the fire.
I was still chopping wood when I saw Dad come up to take a picture.
So I stopped and smiled for him!
Aaron and Kaelan were boating.
I was fishing with a stick because my pole wasn't ready yet. It was tangled and Dad had to untangle it.
Kaelan and Aaron love boating.
I am drinking coffee. (not a every day thing, I assure you!)
I was still drinking coffee.
Aaron and Kaelan are cooking breakfast.
Dad took a picture of Aaron cooking breakfast.
Aaron is flipping the pancake on Kaelan's plate.
I am drinking coffee because I like coffee.
Friday, April 8, 2011
Wrapping Up the Week
This has been a good week on many levels. I was able to sit down with Kaelan on Sunday afternoon to go over her school work from last week and make out lesson plans for the next two weeks. Yesterday we were able to go over everything from this week and with the exception of our science lesson we are on target. Aaron is also on target for this week with the exception of those dreaded science lessons. Hopefully today he can finish up his study guide and be ready to take his test on Monday instead of today. Jackson's new math curriculum came in yesterday and he is eager to get started. We may go ahead and do several pages this morning as it will mainly be review. Jordan is studying independently with the exception of history that we do together as a family. Aside from history and literature, most of his studies are interest led. Thankful that his interests are sound...economics, photography, writing and homesteading.
We have been able to keep up with our Bible and history studies this week which have included beginning several new books. We read one chapter of Proverbs each morning and one or two chapters of the Psalms. It is a joy for me to have my children gather in the den and enjoy reading and learning together. Kaelan's and Aaron's copywork this week has come from our reading in Call of Duty: The Sterling Nobility of Robert E. Lee by J. Steven Wilkins.
-Lee's favorite hymn was How Firm a Foundation (today they will copy all stanzas and last night we sang it in family worship
-I would rather see you unlettered and unnoticed, of virtuous in practice as well as theory, than see you the equal in glory to the great Washington. Henry "Lighthorse Harry" Lee to his sons
-You cannot be a true man until you learn to obey. R. E. Lee
-Obedience to lawful authority is the foundation of manly character. R. E. Lee
-Never marry unless you can do so into a family that will enable your children to feel proud of both sides of the house. R. E. Lee's advice to J. B. Hood
-"Charity should begin at home." So says _. No, charity should have no beginning or ending. R.E. Lee
-Fame which does not result from good actions and achievements for the good of the whole people is not to be desired. Nero had fame.....Who envies him? R.E. Lee
-Hold to your purity and virtue. They will sustain you in every calamity. R.E. Lee
This week in the kitchen I was able to put several main dishes in the freezer, made and froze several pounds of butter, learned to make cultured sour cream and mozzarella cheese. My new canner came in yesterday and I am eager to learn how to can milk and other foods using the pressure canner. It's a little intimidating to me!
The weather has warmed up considerably (high's in the upper 80's this weekend) so more plants can go outside. Hopefully the extra table full of plants in my dining room can be put away this weekend. ; )
Kaelan, Aaron and Jackson worked extra hard on school work yesterday so they wouldn't have as much to do today. They are planning a tent camping trip with their Dad tonight. They have made lists, hooked the boat up to the truck, got out tents, sleeping bags, fishing poles and flash lights. I think all they need now is to load up on food and cooking utensils. All that to only go 1 1/2 miles from home! We have a wonderful state park with a lake just around the next bend! Jordan has decided he prefers his own bed now and will be the "man of the house" while the others enjoy sleeping on the hard ground and cooking over an open fire.
Devin has been painting up a storm and is considering selling some of her canvases. She made a door hanging for our front door with a "C" on it and has painted many canvases with crosses. Perhaps I can post pictures of her work later.
Caedmon's potty training has been put on hold as he seems to have a stomach bug this week. Disposable diapers handle THAT much better than the training pants. ; )
That pretty much sums up our week around here. What's been going on in your home?
We have been able to keep up with our Bible and history studies this week which have included beginning several new books. We read one chapter of Proverbs each morning and one or two chapters of the Psalms. It is a joy for me to have my children gather in the den and enjoy reading and learning together. Kaelan's and Aaron's copywork this week has come from our reading in Call of Duty: The Sterling Nobility of Robert E. Lee by J. Steven Wilkins.
-Lee's favorite hymn was How Firm a Foundation (today they will copy all stanzas and last night we sang it in family worship
-I would rather see you unlettered and unnoticed, of virtuous in practice as well as theory, than see you the equal in glory to the great Washington. Henry "Lighthorse Harry" Lee to his sons
-You cannot be a true man until you learn to obey. R. E. Lee
-Obedience to lawful authority is the foundation of manly character. R. E. Lee
-Never marry unless you can do so into a family that will enable your children to feel proud of both sides of the house. R. E. Lee's advice to J. B. Hood
-"Charity should begin at home." So says _. No, charity should have no beginning or ending. R.E. Lee
-Fame which does not result from good actions and achievements for the good of the whole people is not to be desired. Nero had fame.....Who envies him? R.E. Lee
-Hold to your purity and virtue. They will sustain you in every calamity. R.E. Lee
This week in the kitchen I was able to put several main dishes in the freezer, made and froze several pounds of butter, learned to make cultured sour cream and mozzarella cheese. My new canner came in yesterday and I am eager to learn how to can milk and other foods using the pressure canner. It's a little intimidating to me!
The weather has warmed up considerably (high's in the upper 80's this weekend) so more plants can go outside. Hopefully the extra table full of plants in my dining room can be put away this weekend. ; )
Kaelan, Aaron and Jackson worked extra hard on school work yesterday so they wouldn't have as much to do today. They are planning a tent camping trip with their Dad tonight. They have made lists, hooked the boat up to the truck, got out tents, sleeping bags, fishing poles and flash lights. I think all they need now is to load up on food and cooking utensils. All that to only go 1 1/2 miles from home! We have a wonderful state park with a lake just around the next bend! Jordan has decided he prefers his own bed now and will be the "man of the house" while the others enjoy sleeping on the hard ground and cooking over an open fire.
Devin has been painting up a storm and is considering selling some of her canvases. She made a door hanging for our front door with a "C" on it and has painted many canvases with crosses. Perhaps I can post pictures of her work later.
Caedmon's potty training has been put on hold as he seems to have a stomach bug this week. Disposable diapers handle THAT much better than the training pants. ; )
That pretty much sums up our week around here. What's been going on in your home?
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Keeping Up with Myself
Some days I feel like I am passing myself coming and going!! Trying to keep up with all the cooking, cleaning and schooling of a "normal" day and adding in milk production as well is keeping me hopping like a bunny rabbit. There are several areas in the cleaning arena that are falling through the cracks these last few weeks, but in evaluating the other areas I am seeing progress. I suppose I can't keep up all the plates I have spinning up to speed every day.
I have been able to clean out a freezer and reorganize it and start filling it up with homemade frozen dinners for the next few weeks: two lasagnas, beef enchiladas, BBQ pork for sandwiches and lots of soup are ready to go.
We had a small store in the area to have great prices on some meat, so my big freezer is full of pork loins and chicken breasts that I will be able to feed my family with for the next several months.
We are increasing our school work now as the garden work is mainly done and we just wait for the plants to start producing. Raised beds mean little to no weeds, but we still need many more beds made for the huge number of seedlings that still reside in my dining room. But, building beds is not my job! LOL!
Milk production is a learning process. I finally found a local source for rennet, so the next couple of days you will find me in the kitchen experimenting with mozzarella cheese. I hope to make enough for our pizzas on Friday night. I am making butter (at least a pound) every day, buttermilk, ricotta, and yogurt weekly. It's like having a science lab in the kitchen!
Now the little boys are waiting to start the day with a book, then I will do our group studies with all of the children at the table. Then, just maybe, I'll get a quick bath, do some laundry, get lunch, finish up school and make cheese before time to start dinner.....just maybe!
I have been able to clean out a freezer and reorganize it and start filling it up with homemade frozen dinners for the next few weeks: two lasagnas, beef enchiladas, BBQ pork for sandwiches and lots of soup are ready to go.
We had a small store in the area to have great prices on some meat, so my big freezer is full of pork loins and chicken breasts that I will be able to feed my family with for the next several months.
We are increasing our school work now as the garden work is mainly done and we just wait for the plants to start producing. Raised beds mean little to no weeds, but we still need many more beds made for the huge number of seedlings that still reside in my dining room. But, building beds is not my job! LOL!
Milk production is a learning process. I finally found a local source for rennet, so the next couple of days you will find me in the kitchen experimenting with mozzarella cheese. I hope to make enough for our pizzas on Friday night. I am making butter (at least a pound) every day, buttermilk, ricotta, and yogurt weekly. It's like having a science lab in the kitchen!
Now the little boys are waiting to start the day with a book, then I will do our group studies with all of the children at the table. Then, just maybe, I'll get a quick bath, do some laundry, get lunch, finish up school and make cheese before time to start dinner.....just maybe!
Monday, April 4, 2011
What Are You Doing With All That Milk?
Yes, just what AM I doing with all that milk? Aside from using it to cook with and the occasional glass to drink, I am :
-making delicious cultured buttermilk and butter. I put about a quart of cultured cream (meaning it has set out at room temperature for about 24 hours and then refrigerated for a short time) into my Bosch bowl with the wire whips. I set the dial to one and let it run for about 10-15 minutes. When I take off the lid I see lots of clumped butter. I simply strain off the buttermilk and then press the butter to get all the milk out of it as well. I put some cold water in the bowl and continue pressing the butter to release all the milk. I pour off the water and continue the process until the water is almost clear. Then I put the butter into a container and add it to my freezer.
-making yogurt. This has not been going very well with the fresh milk. I had been making yogurt in my crock pot with store bought milk and was successful with that, but it doesn't seem to work as well with fresh milk. I have also heated the milk on the stove, mixed with yogurt and put into quart jars and incubated them in the dehydrator. It took a very long time for the yogurt to thicken this way which made my yogurt VERY tart. I hope to try the cooler method this week. We'll see how that turns out!
- I decided to make the four quarts of yogurt into yogurt cheese that could be sweetened to counter the tartness. Yummy!! This has a cream cheese like consistency and we have used it to top oven pancakes and this weekend I made my traditional blueberry/cream cheese pies using the yogurt cheese and making homemade pie filling instead of buying a can from the store. Oh, my! This pie is wonderful!
-made ricotta cheese....kinda/sorta. Following the directions in Nourishing Traditions for cream cheese, I set out two gallons of milk to clabber. After two days the whey was one the bottom of the jars and the milk was a jiggly mass of curds. I poured this through a strainer lined with an old pillow case and as I had a lot, I finally poured it all into another old pillow case and suspended it for several hours over a large pot to continue removing the whey. When I dumped it all out I wasn't sure what I had created! It didn't look at all like cream cheese, but more like very large curd cottage cheese. I decided to put it in my Bosch and mixed it up with a little (very little buttermilk) and added some salt. We finally decided I had made cottage cheese, but mixing it up made it look and taste like ricotta. I used it to make two pans of lasagna for the freezer and today I will use the remainder to make two pans of enchiladas that call for cottage cheese in the recipe.
-What am I doing with the whey? Dumping it. I know, such a waste, but I have so much milk that I am using it to soak my grains for baked goods and I don't know that I will use any for lacto fermenting vegetables as Caedmon is allergic to dairy and I don't want to add any to our vegetables. I may try lacto fermenting some salsa this summer as Caedmon is also allergic to tomatoes. Freezing the whey right now is not an option as my freezers are "whey" too full!
-I made a pint of French Sour Cream from Nourishing Traditions this weekend. I haven't tasted it yet, so have no idea whether or not this worked. You simply take a pint of fresh cream, add a tablespoon of buttermilk and let it sit out for 20-24 hours then refrigerate. I'll try it out tonight on our enchiladas!
-This week I should get my canner in the mail. I want to try to can the milk for future baking. I have heard canning it does change the taste, but it is still good to cook with.
-I also hope to order rennet online so we can make mozzarella cheese.
-Do you have any other ideas of what I can do with this bounty of milk?
-I am going to really try NOT to mention milk on this blog again this
week....but don't hold me to it!
-making delicious cultured buttermilk and butter. I put about a quart of cultured cream (meaning it has set out at room temperature for about 24 hours and then refrigerated for a short time) into my Bosch bowl with the wire whips. I set the dial to one and let it run for about 10-15 minutes. When I take off the lid I see lots of clumped butter. I simply strain off the buttermilk and then press the butter to get all the milk out of it as well. I put some cold water in the bowl and continue pressing the butter to release all the milk. I pour off the water and continue the process until the water is almost clear. Then I put the butter into a container and add it to my freezer.
-making yogurt. This has not been going very well with the fresh milk. I had been making yogurt in my crock pot with store bought milk and was successful with that, but it doesn't seem to work as well with fresh milk. I have also heated the milk on the stove, mixed with yogurt and put into quart jars and incubated them in the dehydrator. It took a very long time for the yogurt to thicken this way which made my yogurt VERY tart. I hope to try the cooler method this week. We'll see how that turns out!
- I decided to make the four quarts of yogurt into yogurt cheese that could be sweetened to counter the tartness. Yummy!! This has a cream cheese like consistency and we have used it to top oven pancakes and this weekend I made my traditional blueberry/cream cheese pies using the yogurt cheese and making homemade pie filling instead of buying a can from the store. Oh, my! This pie is wonderful!
-made ricotta cheese....kinda/sorta. Following the directions in Nourishing Traditions for cream cheese, I set out two gallons of milk to clabber. After two days the whey was one the bottom of the jars and the milk was a jiggly mass of curds. I poured this through a strainer lined with an old pillow case and as I had a lot, I finally poured it all into another old pillow case and suspended it for several hours over a large pot to continue removing the whey. When I dumped it all out I wasn't sure what I had created! It didn't look at all like cream cheese, but more like very large curd cottage cheese. I decided to put it in my Bosch and mixed it up with a little (very little buttermilk) and added some salt. We finally decided I had made cottage cheese, but mixing it up made it look and taste like ricotta. I used it to make two pans of lasagna for the freezer and today I will use the remainder to make two pans of enchiladas that call for cottage cheese in the recipe.
-What am I doing with the whey? Dumping it. I know, such a waste, but I have so much milk that I am using it to soak my grains for baked goods and I don't know that I will use any for lacto fermenting vegetables as Caedmon is allergic to dairy and I don't want to add any to our vegetables. I may try lacto fermenting some salsa this summer as Caedmon is also allergic to tomatoes. Freezing the whey right now is not an option as my freezers are "whey" too full!
-I made a pint of French Sour Cream from Nourishing Traditions this weekend. I haven't tasted it yet, so have no idea whether or not this worked. You simply take a pint of fresh cream, add a tablespoon of buttermilk and let it sit out for 20-24 hours then refrigerate. I'll try it out tonight on our enchiladas!
-This week I should get my canner in the mail. I want to try to can the milk for future baking. I have heard canning it does change the taste, but it is still good to cook with.
-I also hope to order rennet online so we can make mozzarella cheese.
-Do you have any other ideas of what I can do with this bounty of milk?
-I am going to really try NOT to mention milk on this blog again this
week....but don't hold me to it!
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| Linking up today over at homesteadrevival.com. |
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Got Milk? Recipes Needed!
I told you last week that we've got milk...lots of it. I am making butter and buttermilk, yogurt and yogurt cheese and hope to try my hand at cream cheese and mozzarella later this week. I am using the milk to soak our fresh ground wheat the night before mixing and baking it into fresh bread. The texture is very much improved from either the soaking or the milk. Normally we use water, but this is much better.
The buttermilk is going into large quantities of biscuits and pancakes. This week we'll be making lots of buttermilk pies and pound cakes to share and for the freezer.
Even with all that we are doing, we still have lots of milk....and we rarely drink it! Maybe if I get some Ovaltine the kids would drink it. ; ) Anyway, here is where you come in! I need recipes for buttermilk and milk and maybe even some tips in making butter, cheese or yogurt. Oh! How about some ice cream recipes! That would be great as we approach warmer weather.
I can't wait to see the recipes you all share here. Just look below and you will find Mr. Linky. Just click and follow the directions to link up from your own blog or leave me a note in the comment section. And if you are in the neighborhood stop by for a glass of milk and a slice of home baked bread with fresh butter and jam.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Dehydrating Carrots
Jeff got me a dehydrator for Christmas this year. I know, we are so romantic, but really, I don't do frou-frou! I am mostly all about practicality, and I actually asked for the dehydrator.
I have been making granola, but that's about it so far. Until last night. I usually buy a five pound bag of carrots from Sam's every other week, but I decided to start buying two bags and dehydrating one for our long-term storage.
I diced up all five pounds and put them on waxed paper on all five racks of the dehydrator. After about 7-8 hours THIS is what I had.
The whole process was rather easy. I cut the ends, scrapped and diced the carrots. They were then blanched for about 3 minutes, before I spread them out on the dehydrator trays. I slept while they were in the dehydrator! Then this morning I took them out and weighed them. Five pounds of carrots became.......6 ounces of dehydrated carrots. Amazing! I hope to keep on with the carrots, but also do potatoes and onions and maybe even a few more veggies. I can toss a hand full of the dehydrated food into the soup pot for a very simple meal.
Have you tried dehydrating? I will be doing yogurt in the dehydrator this afternoon. I found the recipe in Nourishing Traditions. I hope to do 4 quarts. I'll let you know how that turns out next week!
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| homesteadrevival.blogspot.com |
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Got Milk?
I've got lots of it! One and a half quarts of yogurt, half a quart of whey, a quart of buttermilk, a half gallon of cream, almost 4 gallons of milk and some fresh butter in the fridge! And we are making all kinds of dairy products! I skim the milk after it sits in the fridge for a day. This morning from 2 1/2 gallons of milk I got half a gallon of cream. I will let the cream sit out for 24 hours to culture and then will make butter and buttermilk with it tomorrow morning. I make yogurt in the crockpot and then drain the yogurt in a coffee filter lined colander which gives me a bowlful of whey and a much thicker, creamier yogurt.
So, what are we doing with all these dairy products? The yogurt pictured here is now being further strained to make yogurt cheese which is similar to cream cheese. The whey is being saved for my neighbor/friend's chickens. I used a quart of buttermilk to make pancakes this morning and they were terrific! The 1/2 gallon of cream will make about a pound of butter and a quart of buttermilk. We also love buttermilk biscuits, pies, pound cake and a chocolate sheet cake with icing also made from buttermilk.
I am now soaking my fresh ground wheat in milk before using it to make my bread products. I have dough rising right now that soaked all night. It looks terrific. We are also going to try to make mozzarella cheese on Friday and maybe try another cheese or two in the near future. I am also doing some research into canning milk and butter. We'll see! It sure is a blessing! Do you have fresh milk? What do you do with it?
Jeff commented that lately my blog has been full of homemaking posts which he said filled the "Busy Hands" part of the title, but where were the "Busy Minds"? I assure you we are doing school at least 4 days a week, but we are using our minds to learn more about gardening, dairying and food storage methods in our spare (and not so spare) time.
Proverbs 24:30-34
I went by the field of a lazy man,
And by the vineyard of the man devoid of understanding;
And there it was, all overgrown with thorns;
Its surface was covered with nettles;
Its stone wall was broken down.
When I saw it, I considered it well;
I looked on it and received instruction:
A little sleep, a little slumber,
A little folding of the hands to rest;
So shall your poverty come like a prowler,
And your need like an armed man.
Find more simple posts today at GNOWFGLINS.
Friday, March 18, 2011
Ahh! The Simple Life of a Stay at Home Homeschooling Mom
Now, I truly believe that God has called me to this life I lead. He has given Jeff and I the desire to have children (and quite a few at that!), to homeschool them and to lead a very productive life. But, really, it is anything but simple!!
Simple is transferring that laundry from washer to dryer (which I do more often than not). Not taking the time to hang them out!
Simple is buying those boxes of extruder pressed cereal. Not making your own granola!
Simple is whacking a tube of biscuits on the counter. Not making homemade biscuits a couple of times a week!
Simple is stopping by the bread store for a few loaves of bread. Not grinding your own wheat to make up four loaves that will be gone in less than 2 days!
Simple is sending those kids to school for 8 hours a day. Not being with them 24/7 and teaching and instructing them in the way they should go!
Simple is going out to eat or stopping for take-out a few times a week. Not cooking 2-3 meals a day from scratch!
No, I don't work outside the home. In fact, I try to stay at home as much as possible. I know that if you work outside the home you don't have time to do all that I do. But please, don't think the life of a stay at home homeschooling mom is simple, 'cause it just isn't so! I feel so blessed to spend this time working and learning with my children. Learning, exploring and creating as God leads. It is a very blessed life, but it's anything but simple.
This is my list of things that I need to accomplish today.
-
-dust and vacuum master bedroom
-scrub, vacuum and mop master bath
-tidy the schoolroom and den
-s
-make applesauce in the slow cooker
-
-make a big pot of vegetable pilaf for lunch--decided not to do this after I cleaned out the fridge. There is plenty of soup and we made a broccoli salad to go with the bread.
-do math and phonics with Jackson and go over the other children's school work
And did I mention my mother-in-law will be here in just a few hours? And my oldest daughter with her three children?
So I will take breaks to rock the baby, walk outside with grandmother and the little guys and hopefully take some pictures. I'm sure there will be lots of chasing, hugging and loving on little ones in addition to the above list. Today will be a very busy day. But it will also be a very blessed day. Even if it's not so simple!
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Musings from the Grocery Store and Some Frugal Kitchen Tips
Yesterday afternoon I took a little grocery shopping trip by myself. I usually have at least a couple of children with me as we shop on piano lesson day, but piano lessons were out for spring break.
Which takes me to my first musing---apparently EVERYONE is out for spring break and decided to do some shopping as well. Both of the Kroger stores and Sam's were very busy! Sam's looked like the week before Christmas. I suppose as it was a dreary, cool and windy day there wasn't much else to do outside the home. Thankful was I that we did not take off and my children were at home finishing up some school work. Right, children? You did finish it, didn't you?
Musing number two-There were a lot of grandparents with grandchildren out shopping. I had noticed one particular little boy who looked to be about 6 who was following grandma around with tears in his eyes. I was headed out the door and had to stop for a moment as this little guy was in my path, chasing a gumball that escaped the machine. His grandmother was trying to hurry him up. I told her, "Don't worry about it. I have a 6 year old just like him at home." And gave her what I hoped was a pleasant smile. She responded within her grandson's hearing, " I wish I didn't have him." I sincerely hope she meant that she wished she didn't have him with her at the grocery store, however, that is not what she said and I am sure the little guy heard her. Grandma, I am sure little guy wished you didn't have him, either. How sad is that? Mom and dad are working. Little guy is out of school for spring break and it's too wet and cool outside and he has to go grocery shopping with a grandma who would rather not have him.
Musing number three-Increased prices don't seem to have any effect on some folks shopping habits. I'm a nosy shopper and folks are still buying lots of junk food and sodas. I also saw several folks leave the grocery store with only one partially-filled bag. With the high cost of food and gas, I would think that people would be leaving off the junk and instead of going to the store every other day or so, saving the shopping for once a week, every other week or once a month and buying more. Just think of the time and gas savings alone!
Musing number four- Already alluded to above, but prices are going up! I have been carefully watching butter prices and the butter jumped up a couple of dollars for the four pound bundle at Sam's in just two weeks. There were other price increases as well, but the butter was much more drastic.
Musing number five--I think stocking up on staples and canned goods is a good idea. Yes, I do.
Enough of the musing and on to a few tips for frugal dining.
-When I bake a whole chicken for dinner I bake two. We eat one and the other is carefully wrapped and put in the freezer.
-After we have eaten dinner from a chicken, I put the whole leftover chicken in the crockpot and cover with filtered water. I then add some chopped celery, onion, garlic, carrots or whatever I have along with a dash of apple cider vinegar. I cook on low all night. In the morning I strain the broth out and pick the meat from the carcass. I can then make a pot of soup adding fresh vegetables and seasoninsg or I can bag the chicken up for another meal and freeze it and I freeze the broth to use for soups, gravies and casseroles.
-Turkeys will soon be on sale for the Easter holiday. I usually stock up on them AFTER the holidays when I find them at reduced prices. This weekend I baked a turkey that I had purchased reduced afer Christmas for our Sunday dinner. We had company for dinner and still had a good bit of turkey left over. Yesterday I put the turkey carcass in my large stockpot and covered it with water. I added peppercorns, onions, garlic and a 1/4 cup of apple cider vinegar. The vinegar helps get all the nutrients from the bones. I brought it to a boil and then let it simmer all day. After dinner last night I strained off the broth and picked the bones. I now have 4 bags with 2 cups of shredded turkey in each and 20 cups of fabulously rich turkey stock. Turkey salad, casseroles and pot pies will be made with this and the stock will be used to make my veggie rice pilaf that I make frequently and some will be used to make dressing for our Easter dinner. I think I paid about 7 dollars for that turkey! Twelve people ate dinner on Sunday and we will have parts of at least 6 meals with the rest of that turkey. Frugality is fun!!
-My last tip is really easy. When we prepare the evening meal, we generally make enough to have leftovers for lunch the next day. Last night I used about 2 1/2 pounds of ground chuck and made hamburger steaks with mushroom gravy. I bought mushrooms reduced to 50 cents a box yesterday, so we will be eating lots of mushrooms this week. I think I got about 14 steaks out of the meat and we had rice and butter beans with this along with my homemade bread. Several of us will be able to eat this again for lunch today. So easy to take just a couple of extra minutes to save lots of time later!
And there you have today's musings and tips! I would love for you to share some frugal shopping or cooking tips with me. Do you have some great tips on saving money and time in the kitchen?
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Simply Saturday
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-c
-make a few pans of cinnamon rolls
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-lesson plans
What does a typical Saturday look like at your house? It's not so simple, is it?
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Making Granola-Large Family Style
We were totally out of granola and as that is a favorite breakfast and snack dish in our home, Kaelan and I set out to remedy the situation.
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| 24 cups of rolled oats |
I find a large metal bowl indispensable for preparing mega-batches of food.
Kaelan measures out the oils (olive and coconut), the honey, vanilla, maple flavoring, and cinnamon.
We find heating it in the microwave helps us mix the ingredients easier.
Pouring the honey/oil mixture over the oatmeal.
Trying to get every last drop!
Now to mix it all up.
I added a little more honey.
Thoroughly mixed
A close up--Kaelan couldn't resist sneaking a few bites.
Spreading the mixture out on wax paper lined racks for the dehydrator.
My hand...the only shot you will see of me in this post!
Almost finished!
The dehydrator is ready to go!
a countertop full of granola
2 1/2 gallons of granola ready to eat! The smaller canister has crushed walnuts and dried blueberries added. Yummy!
Granola-from Sue Gregg's More Than Breakfasts
Each recipe makes 8 cups. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Blend together in a large measuring cup:
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
2 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon
2 t maple flavoring
Each recipe makes 8 cups. Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Blend together in a large measuring cup:
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil or coconut oil
2 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon
2 t maple flavoring
In a large mixing bowl, mix:
8 cups of regular oats
1/4 cup of protein powder (I use rice protein powder from the health food store)
Pour honey-oil mixture over oat mixture until coated thoroughly.
Spread evenly in two 9 x 12 baking pans or rimmed cookie sheets.
Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Let cool and store in a tightly closed container in refrigerator or freezer.
I always triple this recipe and I add dried blueberries and crushed walnuts to a third of the cooled mixture. This granola is great cold and served with milk or heated in the microwave with milk. Some of my kids eat it dry. I now make this in my food dehydrator and it is even better than before!
Also linked to The Nourishing Gourmet
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