Learning in the Kitchen

One of the many blessings of having daughters is teaching them their way around the kitchen.  I have three daughters:  our oldest is 27, married and is expecting a fourth child in a few months, our next daughter is 23, at home and teaching or tutoring outside the home two days a week and our youngest daughter is 12...still at home as well. ; )

All of my girls (and my boys to some extent) have been free to experiment in the kitchen from a pretty young age and for the most part we have really enjoyed the "experiments" they have shared with the family.  While there most certainly have been some failures from time to time, our girls have really become accomplished cooks.  However, this didn't happen magically.  From the time they are young my children help in the kitchen and are slowly given responsiblities as they become more adept.  Making toast (no toaster needed) and scrambling eggs soon turns into making homemade breads and entire meals and experimenting with developing their own style of cooking and their own recipes.  Little by little the children have been able to take over more and more responsibility in the kitchen and, I have to admit, there are some days that I don't step foot in there!

My youngest daughter has taken on a new task of providing an easy to eat dessert for our Sunday luncheons at church.  Each week she prepares a simple cookie, brownie or cinnamon roll bite to share with the other families.  This past week she made these wonderful sugar cookies and I thought I would share the recipe with you today.  Perhaps you have a young aspiring cook in your home who would love to get in the kitchen to make a special treat for dessert this week.

Kaelan's Sugar Cookies 


2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 t. cream of tartar
1/2 t. baking soda
1 t. vanilla
1/4 t. salt
1 egg
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup shortening

In a large mixing bowl (or use your Bosch with the cookie paddles) beat shortening, powdered sugar, egg and vanilla at low speed for about 30 seconds to blend well.  Mix at high speed for a minute until light and fluffy while scraping the sides of the bowl.  Add a little flour at a hime and mix at a low setting until well mixed.  Use a small cookie scoop or a teaspoon to drop the dough onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Leave 2 inches around each cookie.  Flatten the cookies with the bottom of a drinking glass that has been lightly greased on the bottom and then dipped in sugar.  Bake in a preheated oven for 10-12 minutes or slightly less if you desire a soft cookie.  Remove from cookie sheets and cool on racks.  Kaelan added fall colored sprinkles to her cookies before baking.

raisinghomemakers.com

Kitchen Help

I knew she could do it...and she knew it even more.  Kaelan (12) has been telling me that she is ready for more responsibility in the kitchen, but....well, um,  we have one of those narrow galley-style kitchens and if there are more than two people in there at the same time?  I start getting a little stressed and feel a little squished!!  And she is my fifth child and I seem to be getting lazy in the training of responsibilities with the younger children.  Bad momma!!  But, yesterday, even though my kitchen was crammed full of produce bags and boxes, cartons of canning jars and so much more, Kaelan got in there and made bread for this week.  I have fallen behind in the bread making department as of late and Jeff has noticed....and he let me know that he noticed.

Kaelan ground the wheat and made a double batch of bread dough which means there was enough dough for four loaves.  Which would be great except I only have 2 loaf pans now after Caedmon accidentally broke the third one.  So, she made 2 loaves, a large pan of rolls and a braided bread as well.  And no, I don't have pictures.  Why?  Because we devoured the first loaf as soon as it came out of the oven.  It was well-matched with a jar of freshly prepared strawberry jam.  The rolls soon disappeared at dinner.  I won't tell you how many Lauren, my oldest married daughter, ate.  She has missed out on much of my great milk experiments and decided to make up for it last night....with a tub of butter!  As small as she is it won't matter and as she and her husband own two gyms, whatever she gains from her indulgence will quickly be worked off.

Kaelan also made a batch of Caedmon's special wheat-free, dairy-free, egg-free cookies and a big bowl of fruit salad with strawberries and blueberries from our own backyard and peaches and watermelon from the local produce market.  Her nephews greatly enjoyed their snack bowls yesterday afternoon and the rest is for breakfast this morning.

Today she is planning on making our cinnamon rolls for Sunday which will be frozen.  She is also planning on sending some home with Lauren and sending some with my sister who will stop by here tonight and travel up to my other sister's home tomorrow  (which is where my sorely-missed Devin is staying this week).

Last night mashed potatoes were on the menu...for 10 people!  Aaron was in charge of peeling potatoes, but these younger men (I called them young men and Chase quickly let me know he was not a man, but a boy!) asked to help out.  I was hesitant to give them a knife, so they took turns using the potato peeler.  Half of Chase's potatoes wound up in the garbage can carefully scraped away, but I think allowing young children to help out makes them more eager to do real work when they are older.  Now if I could just get them excited about cleaning up the mess!

Soon-to-be four Grandson Chase and soon-to-be seven son Jackson

And this is my newest kitchen gadget...an old Corelle stove-top coffee percolator!  I have really disliked having to clean out the reservoir of the automatic drip coffee maker...especially when I find all kinds of yuckies coming out in the cleaning vinegar solution.  My mom found several of these Corelle pieces and picked up a few.  Now the coffee maker has been tossed out and we are enjoying percolator coffee.  The coffee takes a little longer to perc than drip, but it is stronger (which means we can use less coffee) and stays much hotter than the drip coffee.  And I now have a little more counter space which is a good thing!

    

hiphomeschoolmoms.com

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?

Preparedness Challenge

Check out what others are doing at
homesteadrevival.blogspot.com

This week for the preparedness challenge, my family:

-made enough granola to last about 3 weeks

This canister holds two gallons.

-bought extra boxes of borax and washing soda to keep on hand to make laundry detergent
-bought extra bleach, toilet paper, epsom salts, vinegar and baking soda
-filled used water bottles with tap water and a few drops of bleach to replace what we used last weekend when we didn't have water
-made and froze about 5 pounds of cultured butter
-made about 5 quarts of  cultured butter milk
-learned how to make yogurt cheese and ricotta
-dried 2 pounds of mushrooms

One quart jar of mushrooms

-made 8 pints of applesauce

-organized and inventoried our food storage that is not in the kitchen
-ordered math curriculum for my 6 year old for the next 3 years ; )
-bought a dozen pint size canning jars
-bought lots of freezer bags, plastic wrap and aluminum foil
-got three more icing buckets from Kroger---I would love to have about 40....I need 34 more!!
-made another 4 x 12 raised bed
-researched pigs......and chickens.....some more. Just need to bite the bullet and do it!
-replaced a blueberry bush

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.

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!

homesteadrevival.blogspot.com

What's in Your Pantry? Part Two: Food Storage

Check out part 1 here.

I have had some questions regarding how I store all that food, so I thought I would devote this post to giving some answers.  I don't have a food pantry in my home.  We just have regular old kitchen cabinets, but they can hold a lot if we are creative.

In this lower cabinet I store my oils and baking goods along with canned jellies and my crockpots.  I will be taking the jellies out this week and moving them to a lower cabinet in my dining room that currently holds our cd and cassette collection.   That will free up a good bit of space in this cabinet and I can then fill the buckets below with pasta or dehydrated foods that will keep for a long time.

I got these food grade buckets free at the Kroger bakery.  They tell me they are having lots of people asking for them now!  I hope to get about fifty of them eventually.  In the last two weeks I scored 9 so I need to up my search.  The smaller round buckets I think will fit very well under Jordan's twin bed.  I could probably store 20-30 buckets under there with oats, wheat, corn, pasta, dehydrated foods, sugar, etc.  Again, I have to get creative with storage.  We don't even have a coat or linen closet in this house.  The four boys have a large closet that easily contains all of their hanging clothes and shoes.  There is still a lot of floor space and I store bottled water there.

This other cabinet holds my canned goods.  Tuna, chicken, beans, sauces, olives, evaporated milk and tomato paste are all on the top.  On the bottom are large cans of tomato puree and green beans, LOTS of ketchup, honey, mayonaise, canned corn, tomato sauce, rotel, cream soups, various small bottles of condiments and lemon juice for our "homemade"  lemonade.  It is easy to see what I am almost out of...English peas, corn, lemon juice, etc and I can really stock up on more green beans.  We generally eat one of those large cans in 2-3 meals. 

This cabinet used to hold boxed cereals and crackers, but we have gotten away from using those.  The upper shelf contains our stash of nebulizer medications, hot air popcorn popper, seed sprouting tray, and kitchen scales.  Middle shelf holds some small containers of dried dates, mushrooms and sage, Caedmon's gluten free, egg free, dairy free snacks and pastas and boxes of wheat pasta.

The bottom holds our electric tortilla press, a few clearance bottles of maple flavoring, a large assortment of medicinal, herbal and plain tea and five bags of grits.

Our galley kitchen is designed with a small eating area which is way too small for my large family.  We have a large deep freezer against the wall and this medium sized table.  On top of the table I have canisters filled with sugar, flour, white rice, brown rice, oats, pasta, tea and some gluten free flours.  There is generally a basket of fruit or vegetables there as well.  The forty gallon buckets under here contain wheat, white flour, white sugar, oats, popcorn and dried beans.

These items really need to find another home!  Here against the wall I have 45 pound buckets of grains, 50 pound bags of wheat and oats and a 50 pound bag of red potatoes.  If I can get enough of the smaller buckets, these big bags will be repackage there.

Another storage area that I didn't take a picture of uses underbed storage boxes.  I think I can store 6 bags of grits in one small underbed box.  A larger box contains 3 25 pound bags of basmati brown rice and there are several other boxes containing toiletries and more.  I have purchase bed risers from Bed Bath and Beyond to raise one queen sized bed up in order to store underneath it.  

New garbage cans are great for storing paper goods such as toilet paper, paper towels and feminine supplies.  These can be kept in an outdoor storage area. 

The cabinets above the stove and refrigerator spot and another small cabinet need to be cleaned out and reorganized.  The will then be able to hold the empty canning supplies and the spices for cooking.  My upper cabinets have lots of space above them where I keep my large cooking pots and home canned goods.

I would love to have a room devoted to food storage, but for us that is not possible.  Our Mississippi summers are so very hot and humid I don't think it would be wise to store our food in the garage.  We have thought about digging out a gulley near our backyard area and  burying a 'pod' there to use as a cellar and as a storm shelter.  Heavy metal shelves all around the pod would provide lots of storage and it should stay relatively cool if it is buried in dirt.  

Hope that answers some questions and I would love to hear about your food storage ideas.

homesteadrevival.blogspot.com

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.

Dreaming

Sometimes when I am doing the dishes with one of the children, they really open up and start talking...telling me their hopes and dreams.  Today one son was telling me about some writing ideas he has and we discussed how to make them actually happen.  He has always had a wonderful imagination and is using it in his writing.  Then he went on to some gardening ideas he has that will be blessings to all of us:  a feast for both the stomach, the eyes and the soul.   Both of us are more than ready for some homegrown tomatoes and basil.

As we were finishing up I was wiping down some cabinets and started thinking about our little kitchen remodeling project that I would like to soon get underway.  I thought about adding some chalkboard paint to some of the cabinets where  I could write the breakfast menu on one, lunch on another and dinner on yet another cabinet.

Then it occurred to me that I could paint the inside of the cabinet door with magnetic paint and put needed recipes for the menus on them.  The breakfast menu on the front with recipes needed to make the dishes on the back of the door.  How handy would that be?

Then I started looking at the track lighting and had visions of changing that up as well.  The track lights could be moved to the hallway to highlight the children's photography and art work.  What a nice display that would make!

I would like to install mounted lights under the upper cabinets to light up the countertops and I am thinking about some old school house looking pendant lighting for the ceiling.  It would probably take 3-4 lights, but I think it would look very neat.

So, what are you dreaming about today?  A writing project, gardening, remodeling or just a relaxing day at the beach?

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.

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

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

http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2011/03/pennywise-platter-thursday-33.html/pennywiseplatter-11

linkybuttonpic.jpg

Menu Plan Feb. 21-27

This week I am doing things slightly different.  I have a small freezer full of prepared foods such as vegetable soup, spaghetti sauce, broccoli soup, lots of pinto and white beans, shredded chicken, half a turkey and a casserole or two.  I also have a large freezer full of fruits and vegetables put up during the summer.  This week I am going to create meals from what I already have cooked and from the fruits and veggies that I have put up.  Both freezers need to be cleaned out and inventoried and I need to use up the food in there in the next few months to prepare for this year's produce.

We will most likely have the following meals:

-veggie soup with turkey salad sandwiches
-white beans with ham bits topped with cheddar cheese and corn bread
-spaghetti
-beef pot pie (I think there is one in there!)
-turkey and rice soup
-corn on the cob, stewed potatoes, yellow squash, okra and green beans
-grilled burgers
-chicken and cheese quesadillas
-cheesy bean dip with corn tortillas
-homemade pizzas
-baked potatoes and broccoli soup

Hopefully this will clear out the small freezer and we can start putting together some other meals in the next couple of weeks.  What a blessing it is to pull out a meal that is either fully prepared or takes very little prep time straight from my freezer in the mornings!

While we will be eating mostly prepared foods this week there are several kitchen projects that need to be tackled this week.  We will attempt to make the following:

-granola--we are almost out!!
-strawberry fruit leathers (Roll Ups) from the strawberries in the freezer
-strawberry bread
-scones
-bagels
-hamburger buns
-bread
-blueberry coffee cake
-blueberry pound cake

Busy and Blessed

It has been another busy week here at Busy Hands Busy Minds.  My sister was working in our area this week and stayed with us two nights.  We enjoyed having dinner together Monday and Tuesday nights and the kids had lots of fun playing games with her.

Lauren came with her children and spent one night with us as well.  That is always a sweet time watching the little ones play and getting in a hug or two as well.  Here are pictures of Ashtyn Claire and Eli from the other day.  Apparently Chase was too busy to get his picture made.  Poor quality due to pulling them off of Devin's Facebook!

My first granddaughter...Ashtyn Claire

Grandson Elisha Jeffrey will be two years old in just a few weeks!

Uncle Caedmon and Ashtyn Claire

We have been eating "around the world" this week.  It wasn't intentional, but Monday night Devin prepared a couple of wonderful Italian pasta dishes for our Valentine dinner.  Tuesday Tracy treated us with Chinese takeout.  Wednesday night we had a cheap US dinner of pinto beans and cornbread.  Last night was a Middle Eastern theme with shish-ka-bobs, rice pilaf, flat bread and different spreads.  Tonight we will have Mexican with chicken enchiladas, beef nachos and rice.  We do like a varied diet around here and so enjoy good foods from all around the world.

Have any of you noticed the prices of foods going up in your area?  Yesterday I needed to do some grocery shopping.  We have two bank accounts as Jeff has a home business as well as his work with American Family Association, so he rolled money from one account to another so that I could shop.  He told me how much he was putting in so I needed to be careful not to go over that amount.  It was a generous amount, but we do a lot of food storage and I always buy much more than we need for the week. I knew my purchases for food storage would be limited.  I checked the Kroger sale ads and only found a few items that I wanted to purchase and I needed a couple of items for our menu for the rest of the week that are not available as Sam's which is where I do most of my shopping these days.

At Kroger I noticed produce prices were up!  A package of three colored bell peppers was over $6!!  I generally buy them in the six pack at Sam's and was eager to see how much their cost went up.  At Sam's 6 peppers were around $7.  A better deal than Kroger for sure, but still about $1 higher than 2-3 weeks ago.  Butter at Kroger was over $4 a pound.  At Sam's 4 pounds were a little over $8.  I have been buying reduced milk at Kroger for $1.25 per gallon, but yesterdays milk was reduced to $2.  I still stocked up, but that is a substantial increase.

Do you buy reduced foods for your family?  I have been for our entire married life!  For an example of items that I find reduced I will tell you about our Middle Eastern dinner last night.  I made shish-ka-bobs using reduced ground pork to make meatballs.  I included mushrooms that I found reduced yesterday, onions, bell peppers and canned pineapple chunks.  I made a wonderful rice pilaf that was chock full of veggies including organic celery that I purchased reduced.  It also included grated carrots and cabbage, onions, garlic and a 32 oz. box of chicken broth that I purchased reduced.  We made our homemade flat bread recipe and spread it with roasted garlic and had a Greek yogurt dip and hummus which were both purchased at reduced prices.  I cooked so much food that we have plenty for lunch today!  There is no telling how much money I have saved through the years buying foods at reduced prices.  It really pays to look around your grocery store for those little stickers on reduced foods!  I always feel so blessed to have found such great deals on good food.


 The warm weather we have been having has gotten Jordan itching to be outside.  He has used up all of our scrap wood making several new raised beds and even scrounged up enough smaller scraps to make a planter box.  He thinks he can find enough wood to make one more planter box and then we will have to break down and buy more wood.

From the top

Side view

Raised bed garden on top of carpet remnants to keep weeds out

Last night I was just wiped out!  Cleaning, schooling, shopping and coming home to put away all the food, plus cooking a big dinner last night just wore me out. I also think my iron levels are low as I keep a glass of ice nearby to chomp on all day long.  Not good!   I was looking forward to going into my nice clean bedroom, lying in the bed and watching my last Net Flix interest...BBC series Larkrise to Candleford.  Jackson, however, was really wanting me to lie down with him and Caedmon as they went to sleep.  I have been doing this as I am trying to get them to go to bed earlier and Caedmon just recently became Jackson's bed partner.  Usually we snuggle up with Caedmon on my shoulder and Jackson holding my hand.  So sweet!!  Last night Caedmon went to bed earlier and I was just going to send Jack to bed without me.  I really felt the need to be alone!  Jackson really wanted me, though, so as soon as Jeff finished some recording he was doing Jackson and I crawled in my bed and watched the next episode of Larkrise on Jeff's big computer screen.  Jackson had the biggest smile across his face!   As we snuggled and watch the movie he told me he was having the greatest time!  Later he told me how much he loved me and held my hand.  Then before the hour was up he was softly snoring.  Later, Jeff carried him to his own bed.  This morning he awoke with a smile on his face, gave me a huge hug and told me again how much fun he had last night.  Special times with a special little man.