I won't be posting for awhile. The new phone won't be on until the 1st of the month and I'm going to be so busy enjoying getting settled into my new home that I probably won't even really miss it much. The Lord has been so good to us!!!!
Until sometime soon after the 1st....
Friday, February 24, 2006
Thursday, February 23, 2006
I'm just too blessed to sleep
I've tossed and turned and tried and tried and there is just not going to be much sleep in my near future. I'm too happy and too excited and have too many plans to make and too many things to thank the Lord for!!! Everytime I close my eyes I see all the wonderful blessings that He has given me and my family and how far He has brought us in the past year or so and it just makes my heart leap and my eyes well up and I can't stop grinning from ear to ear ( even though it feels like my cheeks are going to crack). I said it in church tonight and I'll say it again....I'm beginning to feel just a bit spoiled with all these blessings just raining down on me lately! It also makes me so keenly aware of just how awfully undeserving of all of this goodness I am. Sometimes you just want to open your arms up and shout to the sky ...."I don't know why you love me this way but THANK YOU!!!".....which is fairly close to what I've been doing for about 36 hours now....only a little quieter than I want to so I don't wake the rest of my family.
I'm so very very thankful for the home that the Lord has provided for us to move to and I just had to thank Him publicly for that in church last night but it goes so much deeper than that. Some things are just too big for me to put into words and I know that if I had tried to I would have just melted into a blubbering mess. I'm so glad that the Lord brought us here and that He has restored my marriage and healed so many hurts that I had carried for so long....I will never get over all that the Lord has done for my relationship with Troy! I'm so thankful to see my kids growing and learning of the Lord everyday and to see them desire the things that God wills for their lives and to turn away from the things that the world throws at them everyday.
I'm thankful for all of that and a zillion and twenty other things that blogger couldn't hold if I sat here and typed them all out. But it washed over me tonight as I walked into church with my family to worship the Lord who has blessed us so that I am most thankful right this moment (other than for my salvation and my family) for my church family!!! When I was down on my knees in tears and torn apart with fear and worry begging God to help me He sent them to me and me to them. The Lord has blessed me through my church and church family so many times in so many different ways that I couldn't tell it all if I tried. I want so badly to somehow be worthy of that blessing and return it in some way......though I know that I can't, there would be no way to. I want in a million different ways to be able to explain just how much that particular blessing means to me but words totally fail me every time I try.
As the kids and I drove yesterday (or the day before...sleep deprivation does strange things to time) looking for a place to move to it was so odd. I have never been an attached kind of person, I was always ready to pack up and move on a moments notice to anywhere for as far back as I can remember. In fact it used to really bug Troy that I just never seemed able to stay still in one place for very long at all and was ALWAYS looking for the next stop, always restless and always ready to go on. As the kids and I got farther away from where we are situated now in relation to church and our church family I began to panic. All I could think was "this is just too far".....and it would only have been a 30 minute drive! To feel so attached to places and people is so foreign to me that I just have no idea how to take it.....only to see it as an extension of the Lord's blessings on my life and know that He is good and He is in control. I'm sure that when it is time for me to move on the Lord will put the urge in me to go and until then I am surely going to enjoy staying put where I've been put!
I was thinking earlier (instead of sleeping *sigh*) that when I was a little girl I used to think that my daddy could do anything and it used to boggle my little mind when he would come along and effortlessly do something that I had been struggling with.....like getting a board nailed into place or some such thing. When I was a little girl I thought my daddy could do anything to take care of me and protect me. I soon found out as I got older that my daddy was only human and had a great many failings as we all do. It is such an awesome thing to wonder over though that our Heavenly Father will NEVER fail!! He will always provide for me and take care of me and He will never let me down or leave me.....not only will he come along and take care of the little things but the big ones too. AIN'T GOD GOOD!!!!!
I'm so very very thankful for the home that the Lord has provided for us to move to and I just had to thank Him publicly for that in church last night but it goes so much deeper than that. Some things are just too big for me to put into words and I know that if I had tried to I would have just melted into a blubbering mess. I'm so glad that the Lord brought us here and that He has restored my marriage and healed so many hurts that I had carried for so long....I will never get over all that the Lord has done for my relationship with Troy! I'm so thankful to see my kids growing and learning of the Lord everyday and to see them desire the things that God wills for their lives and to turn away from the things that the world throws at them everyday.
I'm thankful for all of that and a zillion and twenty other things that blogger couldn't hold if I sat here and typed them all out. But it washed over me tonight as I walked into church with my family to worship the Lord who has blessed us so that I am most thankful right this moment (other than for my salvation and my family) for my church family!!! When I was down on my knees in tears and torn apart with fear and worry begging God to help me He sent them to me and me to them. The Lord has blessed me through my church and church family so many times in so many different ways that I couldn't tell it all if I tried. I want so badly to somehow be worthy of that blessing and return it in some way......though I know that I can't, there would be no way to. I want in a million different ways to be able to explain just how much that particular blessing means to me but words totally fail me every time I try.
As the kids and I drove yesterday (or the day before...sleep deprivation does strange things to time) looking for a place to move to it was so odd. I have never been an attached kind of person, I was always ready to pack up and move on a moments notice to anywhere for as far back as I can remember. In fact it used to really bug Troy that I just never seemed able to stay still in one place for very long at all and was ALWAYS looking for the next stop, always restless and always ready to go on. As the kids and I got farther away from where we are situated now in relation to church and our church family I began to panic. All I could think was "this is just too far".....and it would only have been a 30 minute drive! To feel so attached to places and people is so foreign to me that I just have no idea how to take it.....only to see it as an extension of the Lord's blessings on my life and know that He is good and He is in control. I'm sure that when it is time for me to move on the Lord will put the urge in me to go and until then I am surely going to enjoy staying put where I've been put!
I was thinking earlier (instead of sleeping *sigh*) that when I was a little girl I used to think that my daddy could do anything and it used to boggle my little mind when he would come along and effortlessly do something that I had been struggling with.....like getting a board nailed into place or some such thing. When I was a little girl I thought my daddy could do anything to take care of me and protect me. I soon found out as I got older that my daddy was only human and had a great many failings as we all do. It is such an awesome thing to wonder over though that our Heavenly Father will NEVER fail!! He will always provide for me and take care of me and He will never let me down or leave me.....not only will he come along and take care of the little things but the big ones too. AIN'T GOD GOOD!!!!!
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
OH LORD YOU'VE BEEN SO GOOD!!!
Oh my!! There is just so much to catch up on that I have no real idea where to start. I have been shouting all over the place since about 4:30 this afternoon and I have no idea when I'll stop. We are moving!!!!! The Lord has blessed us so much more than I even knew to ask Him to and it came as a huge surprise to me today but we have found a wonderful new home to move to and we get to move in less than 2 weeks!!!!
We have lived out here for nearly a year now and the entire time (except for the first 10 days) we have been living in a not so nice mobile home park with some very untrustworthy neighbors. The Lord has blessed us and protected us the whole time we've been here there were very few really bad issues and only once was there anything really horrible to fuss over or complain about but we really haven't been too happy here and have felt horribly confined. The kids haven't even really been able to play outside since there is quite a bit of drug related activity going on most of the time and several violent episodes have taken place just yards from my front door. We really didn't think we could afford to move though so we just tried to make the best of a bad situation and stay in prayer that the Lord would provide us with a way to get a better place to live.
Before we moved out here we nearly always (except for an excruciating year in Oklahoma City) lived in the country and had mostly four legged neighbors with a very limited vocabulary....think MOOOO. The culture shock of moving from that kind of environment to the place we live in now was enough to shake me up quite a bit. When you add to that the fact that rent is quite a bit higher here than what we were used to seeing and the income isn't it almost felt hopeless a few times, but we knew that the Lord would provide and He sure did!
The kids and I were driving around today looking at places to rent and getting more discouraged by the minute after seeing what was available in our price range. We put over a hundred miles on the Jeep today and burned more gas than what I wanted to but oh well, it was a pretty day to be outside so I just kept on driving. I ended up driving down a road that I had driven past several times already and then I saw it!! The perfect house for us right now. My heart beat probably tripled as soon as I saw it but I managed to stop the Jeep before jumping out and running to write down the number on the 'for rent' sign in the yard. When I got out of the Jeep all I could hear was the singing of frogs....no thumping stereos, no screaming neighbors, no car engines revving, no doors slamming, nothing but frogs. I just wanted to stand right there and listen to the frogs sing and not even go back to this tiny little trailer house with all the racket and neighbor noise.....but I did. I got in the Jeep and prayed all the way home, asking the Lord to please just give me a certain answer on that house today and that if it wasn't His will for us to have it that he would just give me peace that there was a better place waiting for us.....I also prayed that it be a very specific price and have several very specific features and that the Landlord would love dogs.
The challenge then was to work up the courage to actually call and talk to the landlord of this wonderful new utopia and see if there was any way at all that we could possibly ever afford to live in such peace and quiet. First I had to call a friend that I had seen earlier in my travels and make sure that my eyes weren't deceiving me and that it truly had been her I had seen out travelling in the wilds of the wooded road ways too......it was in fact my friend and as it happens her wonderful new home was provided today too!!! After frantically and quite loudly explaining to her what I was doing running round the countryside instead of hiding in my tiny home working on school with the kids I also explained that I was now beside myself with fear over calling the owner of the home I found. I was so afraid that there was no way we could afford the home or that the owner wouldn't allow pets that I was ready to resign myself to staying here rather than deal with the dissapointment of hearing someone else say that to me on the phone. My sweet friend rather sternly says...." NO, you can't have the house.....there now you've practiced so CALL already".....and I did.
When I first called the landlady definitely did NOT give me that price and as I was getting ready to thank her for her time and get off of the phone to go have a good cry over the perfect home being lost to me she says..."well, I don't owe a dime on that house and I may consider lowering the rent for the right family" and then launches into a really detailed conversation about the house during which she dropped the rent $50 a month. The landlady went on to describe every single one of the features that I had prayed for and THEN she asked me if I had pets......I took in a very long deep breath and quietly described my two dogs and indoor kitty. The lady on the phone just chuckled and went on to tell me all about her dog who she loves very much and would never consider denying a renter , especially one with children, the privledge of such a wonderful friend. Well, that was all sweet and wonderful and laa teee da, but I really didn't think my hubby would be too happy if I killed his budget on this house either so again I was trying to get off the phone and the landlady said something about it being family property and that her dad had built that house when she was young. For some reason that made me pause and blurt out "so you wouldn't consider selling it any time soon either?" I really didn't want to consider moving only to turn around and move again next year and when I told her that she said "hon, if you want that house after you take your husband to see it I'll let you rent it for ___) " She dropped the rent another $100, a total of $150 a month less than what she originally wanted for rent. THE EXACT AMOUNT I HAD ASKED THE LORD FOR IT TO BE!!!!!!
So how could I say no to the perfect house with everything we wanted for exactly what we can afford? I didn't and that's why we are moving in on the 3rd of March. AIN'T GOD GOOD!!
We have lived out here for nearly a year now and the entire time (except for the first 10 days) we have been living in a not so nice mobile home park with some very untrustworthy neighbors. The Lord has blessed us and protected us the whole time we've been here there were very few really bad issues and only once was there anything really horrible to fuss over or complain about but we really haven't been too happy here and have felt horribly confined. The kids haven't even really been able to play outside since there is quite a bit of drug related activity going on most of the time and several violent episodes have taken place just yards from my front door. We really didn't think we could afford to move though so we just tried to make the best of a bad situation and stay in prayer that the Lord would provide us with a way to get a better place to live.
Before we moved out here we nearly always (except for an excruciating year in Oklahoma City) lived in the country and had mostly four legged neighbors with a very limited vocabulary....think MOOOO. The culture shock of moving from that kind of environment to the place we live in now was enough to shake me up quite a bit. When you add to that the fact that rent is quite a bit higher here than what we were used to seeing and the income isn't it almost felt hopeless a few times, but we knew that the Lord would provide and He sure did!
The kids and I were driving around today looking at places to rent and getting more discouraged by the minute after seeing what was available in our price range. We put over a hundred miles on the Jeep today and burned more gas than what I wanted to but oh well, it was a pretty day to be outside so I just kept on driving. I ended up driving down a road that I had driven past several times already and then I saw it!! The perfect house for us right now. My heart beat probably tripled as soon as I saw it but I managed to stop the Jeep before jumping out and running to write down the number on the 'for rent' sign in the yard. When I got out of the Jeep all I could hear was the singing of frogs....no thumping stereos, no screaming neighbors, no car engines revving, no doors slamming, nothing but frogs. I just wanted to stand right there and listen to the frogs sing and not even go back to this tiny little trailer house with all the racket and neighbor noise.....but I did. I got in the Jeep and prayed all the way home, asking the Lord to please just give me a certain answer on that house today and that if it wasn't His will for us to have it that he would just give me peace that there was a better place waiting for us.....I also prayed that it be a very specific price and have several very specific features and that the Landlord would love dogs.
The challenge then was to work up the courage to actually call and talk to the landlord of this wonderful new utopia and see if there was any way at all that we could possibly ever afford to live in such peace and quiet. First I had to call a friend that I had seen earlier in my travels and make sure that my eyes weren't deceiving me and that it truly had been her I had seen out travelling in the wilds of the wooded road ways too......it was in fact my friend and as it happens her wonderful new home was provided today too!!! After frantically and quite loudly explaining to her what I was doing running round the countryside instead of hiding in my tiny home working on school with the kids I also explained that I was now beside myself with fear over calling the owner of the home I found. I was so afraid that there was no way we could afford the home or that the owner wouldn't allow pets that I was ready to resign myself to staying here rather than deal with the dissapointment of hearing someone else say that to me on the phone. My sweet friend rather sternly says...." NO, you can't have the house.....there now you've practiced so CALL already".....and I did.
When I first called the landlady definitely did NOT give me that price and as I was getting ready to thank her for her time and get off of the phone to go have a good cry over the perfect home being lost to me she says..."well, I don't owe a dime on that house and I may consider lowering the rent for the right family" and then launches into a really detailed conversation about the house during which she dropped the rent $50 a month. The landlady went on to describe every single one of the features that I had prayed for and THEN she asked me if I had pets......I took in a very long deep breath and quietly described my two dogs and indoor kitty. The lady on the phone just chuckled and went on to tell me all about her dog who she loves very much and would never consider denying a renter , especially one with children, the privledge of such a wonderful friend. Well, that was all sweet and wonderful and laa teee da, but I really didn't think my hubby would be too happy if I killed his budget on this house either so again I was trying to get off the phone and the landlady said something about it being family property and that her dad had built that house when she was young. For some reason that made me pause and blurt out "so you wouldn't consider selling it any time soon either?" I really didn't want to consider moving only to turn around and move again next year and when I told her that she said "hon, if you want that house after you take your husband to see it I'll let you rent it for ___) " She dropped the rent another $100, a total of $150 a month less than what she originally wanted for rent. THE EXACT AMOUNT I HAD ASKED THE LORD FOR IT TO BE!!!!!!
So how could I say no to the perfect house with everything we wanted for exactly what we can afford? I didn't and that's why we are moving in on the 3rd of March. AIN'T GOD GOOD!!
Monday, February 13, 2006
It won't hurt I promise
I said I would post more about saving money so here we go. There are lots of painless ways to save a little here and a little there but it all adds up fairly quickly. I know a bunch of ya'll already do most of this stuff but just because I feel like it I'll list off a few things here.
Laundry:
Never ever use the 'recommended' amount of anything. I can buy a bottle of fabric softener and make it last at least twice as many loads (usually a bunch more) than the bottle says it will. We were on a downy kick there for awhile, the bottle said it would last for 52 loads....long about the 4th bottle the kids decided to turn it into a game and made a mark on the jug every time I used it....we ended up getting 247 loads out of that bottle. Laundry detergent is the same way....I use a little less than 1/4 of the recommended amount.
Wash the clothes in cold water and rinse in cold water.....the colors won't fade as much and they really do get just as clean as they do in the warm water. The only reason for washing clothes in warm is to get the soap to dissolve....I just keep a quart jar by the washer and fill it half full of hot water and throw my soap in there then dump that into the washer.
If you can bear to do it you can save a gob of money by hanging your clothes out on the line to dry instead of running the dryer. If you really think that it is just a grotesque amount of manual labor you can still save a bit of money by running the clothes through an extra spin in the washer before you toss them into the 220 volt energy bill murderer.
Don't waste your money on fancy schmancy stain removers either. I took an empty spray bottle and added 1/4 cup of dish soap (use a clear one or dawn, some of the others stain) you can use laundry soap instead of dish liquid but I've had better results with the dish liquid, 1/4 cup of alcohol and filled it the rest of the way with water. When someone here takes off something that has a potential stain we spray it with that, rub a little and toss it in the laundry bucket til wash day.
When I get a bunch of stuff that just looks extra grungy, dingy, or has a stain that I think I might have a really hard time with I splurge on a washer full of hot water (if the fabric can take it) a full amount of Biz bleach and a full amount of laundry soap.....let that all sit in the washer overnight or in a bucket up to two days then wash as usual and dry. The only stain I have ever had that not work on was this really weird kind of paint that Troy used to work with....and I've never had it to fade the colors either.
Kitchen:
The same principle applies to kitchen cleaning products as laundry. The people who make up those instructions are in it for the money....it benefits them to tell you to use more than you actually need ( think shampoo, rinse, repeat....did they really think no one would ever catch on?) I used to use a hand soap pump dispenser for the kids to add dish soap to the sink, otherwise they would just stand there with the bottle upside down and squeeze until they got bored. I use alot less dishwasher soap than they say to....I only fill one cup about 3/4 full and put a couple of tablespoons of baking soda in the other one.
You can use a pump spray bottle and put oil in it to oil pans with. You will use less oil and save yourself the money and chemical exposure over the nasty stuff in the can.
Use your leftovers!!!! It might take a little creative thinking but that is still good food. If you have an aversion to eating what you have already served one time, then turn it into something else. Leftover veggies can be frozen for soups or to put in pot pies or casseroles.....I'll post some recipes soon but just envision those leftover peas and carrots as nickels and dimes as you see them going into the garbage....maybe that will at least make some folks pause before they throw out perfectly good food. Leftover almost anything can be turned into something else good to eat. We don't buy lunchmeat or other lunch type stuff, we all eat leftovers for lunch. I do occasionally make a lunch dish for us but it is always something that I can cook for less than $2 and feed us all plenty...today I made stir fried rice with peas and carrots (the rice and veggies were leftover) I added a can of tuna and lots of butter....we ate it for lunch and the two servings that were left will go to work with Troy for him to eat this week, so for 50 cents I fed all of us more than once.
When you turn the oven on to bake something make it worth the money and bake an oven full of stuff all at the same time. When I have meat in the oven I also have rolls and a cake or cobbler and more often than not I'll have a loaf or two of bread to go in too. This summer the kids and I are going to experiment with a solar oven....there are plenty of plans for building them to be had for free on the web and you can't beat free for cooking energy.
One of the biggest money wasters on the grocery bill is ready to eat cereal....I may as well paint myself green and go by grinch for saying it but it is truly a horrible waste. ( I secretly am in love with Lucky Charms but shhhhh) It is best reserved on the grocery budget for a snack food or treat. My three kids can easily eat an entire box of cereal for breakfast and I just thought it was plain crazy to spend $2 or $3 a day for 3 people to eat one meal and then come crying hungry an hour later because their sugar buzz was shot and they needed something real to fill up on. We started making our own version of instant oatmeal and that seems to work out really well..... in a big canister mix up a container of the quick cooking oats, 1 to 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar, 1 cup of instant milk powder and shake til it's mixed up. Leave a measuring cup in the canister for the kids to use and it's one cup of mix to 3/4 cup of boiling water from the tea kettle (more water for creamier oats or less if you like it lumpy)....the kids can add raisins or apple chunks, or a small amount of syrup or cinnamon, Jared has even been known to throw a glob of peanut butter in his but then he's kind of weird in the mornings. They are rarely hungry before lunch and mornings go a lot smoother now....not to mention that we don't have fights over who gets the last bowl of the sugary junk or the special toy surprise anymore either. Sometimes me and Tae will spend an afternoon cooking pancakes or waffles too and they can heat those up for breakfast really easily. Jared will make himself a nuclear scrambled egg and turn that into a breakfast sandwich sometimes but no one else is that energetic before food in the morning.
Odds and ends:
You can save yourself a lot of money shopping by using the pantry principle....make a list of the things you need to have on hand all the time. Include everything from cleaning supplies to cold medicines to toilet paper and shampoo and groceries. Print out a master list of these things and before your shopping trips or trips out of the house to do errands take that extra minute or two and check the cabinets and closets and diaper bags and school supplies and all that jazz and make sure you get what you need when you are out an about. You'll save not only the extra money that gets dropped at the store just because you had to make the unexpected unplanned trip but you'll save the gas money you would have spent running back and forth for the one or two little items that would only have cost a buck or two on their own. You'll also save yourself the time and frustration of having to drag out all the kids and buckle everyone in and make sure they all have on shoes and matching socks and hair combed and respectable looking when they would all have been just as content playing at home in their mismatched socks.
Turn the heat down at night. Most of us sleep better if the room is a bit cooler than it is during the day because our body temperatures naturally drop when we are sleeping. I'm fortunate enough to have a hubby who doesn't mind getting up and turning the heater up a bit and then waking up the rest of the family but once upon a time we had wood heat and hubby wasn't home at wake up time so I had to drag my sleepy self out of my warm cozy comforter covered bed and trudge down to the freezing cold basement to start a fire before I woke the kids up so I really appreciate him getting up and warming up the house for us. It will save a bunch of money for you though to turn your heat down at night even if it's only a few degrees.
Combine trips to save on gas money. If you shop on Wednesday try to do your banking and all the rest of your errands on that day too. Fewer trips mean less gas, but also less wear and tear on the vehicle which means that tires need replaced less often, oil changes are less frequent (don't buy into the every three months no matter what nonsense) etc. It also means that you are less likely to run out of time to cook a meal and cave in to the urge to splurge on take out or delivery.
Give up soda!!!! A bottle of pop will cost you about a buck, but when you stop and think of what the phosphoric acid in the soda is doing to your teeth and bones that buck multiplies really quickly. Diet soda is every bit as bad for you as regular if not worse....the sugar is the least of the enemies in that can or bottle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
There, I promised to post more about saving money and I did. I also dared everyone to do at least 5 things this week to save money and then to give half of what they saved to missions this Sunday. Now I dare you to let me know what you are doing to save money!! Either email me or leave a comment (if blogger will let you). My curiosity will be killing me. I'll post this week about what new stuff we are going to do to save money around here.
Laundry:
Never ever use the 'recommended' amount of anything. I can buy a bottle of fabric softener and make it last at least twice as many loads (usually a bunch more) than the bottle says it will. We were on a downy kick there for awhile, the bottle said it would last for 52 loads....long about the 4th bottle the kids decided to turn it into a game and made a mark on the jug every time I used it....we ended up getting 247 loads out of that bottle. Laundry detergent is the same way....I use a little less than 1/4 of the recommended amount.
Wash the clothes in cold water and rinse in cold water.....the colors won't fade as much and they really do get just as clean as they do in the warm water. The only reason for washing clothes in warm is to get the soap to dissolve....I just keep a quart jar by the washer and fill it half full of hot water and throw my soap in there then dump that into the washer.
If you can bear to do it you can save a gob of money by hanging your clothes out on the line to dry instead of running the dryer. If you really think that it is just a grotesque amount of manual labor you can still save a bit of money by running the clothes through an extra spin in the washer before you toss them into the 220 volt energy bill murderer.
Don't waste your money on fancy schmancy stain removers either. I took an empty spray bottle and added 1/4 cup of dish soap (use a clear one or dawn, some of the others stain) you can use laundry soap instead of dish liquid but I've had better results with the dish liquid, 1/4 cup of alcohol and filled it the rest of the way with water. When someone here takes off something that has a potential stain we spray it with that, rub a little and toss it in the laundry bucket til wash day.
When I get a bunch of stuff that just looks extra grungy, dingy, or has a stain that I think I might have a really hard time with I splurge on a washer full of hot water (if the fabric can take it) a full amount of Biz bleach and a full amount of laundry soap.....let that all sit in the washer overnight or in a bucket up to two days then wash as usual and dry. The only stain I have ever had that not work on was this really weird kind of paint that Troy used to work with....and I've never had it to fade the colors either.
Kitchen:
The same principle applies to kitchen cleaning products as laundry. The people who make up those instructions are in it for the money....it benefits them to tell you to use more than you actually need ( think shampoo, rinse, repeat....did they really think no one would ever catch on?) I used to use a hand soap pump dispenser for the kids to add dish soap to the sink, otherwise they would just stand there with the bottle upside down and squeeze until they got bored. I use alot less dishwasher soap than they say to....I only fill one cup about 3/4 full and put a couple of tablespoons of baking soda in the other one.
You can use a pump spray bottle and put oil in it to oil pans with. You will use less oil and save yourself the money and chemical exposure over the nasty stuff in the can.
Use your leftovers!!!! It might take a little creative thinking but that is still good food. If you have an aversion to eating what you have already served one time, then turn it into something else. Leftover veggies can be frozen for soups or to put in pot pies or casseroles.....I'll post some recipes soon but just envision those leftover peas and carrots as nickels and dimes as you see them going into the garbage....maybe that will at least make some folks pause before they throw out perfectly good food. Leftover almost anything can be turned into something else good to eat. We don't buy lunchmeat or other lunch type stuff, we all eat leftovers for lunch. I do occasionally make a lunch dish for us but it is always something that I can cook for less than $2 and feed us all plenty...today I made stir fried rice with peas and carrots (the rice and veggies were leftover) I added a can of tuna and lots of butter....we ate it for lunch and the two servings that were left will go to work with Troy for him to eat this week, so for 50 cents I fed all of us more than once.
When you turn the oven on to bake something make it worth the money and bake an oven full of stuff all at the same time. When I have meat in the oven I also have rolls and a cake or cobbler and more often than not I'll have a loaf or two of bread to go in too. This summer the kids and I are going to experiment with a solar oven....there are plenty of plans for building them to be had for free on the web and you can't beat free for cooking energy.
One of the biggest money wasters on the grocery bill is ready to eat cereal....I may as well paint myself green and go by grinch for saying it but it is truly a horrible waste. ( I secretly am in love with Lucky Charms but shhhhh) It is best reserved on the grocery budget for a snack food or treat. My three kids can easily eat an entire box of cereal for breakfast and I just thought it was plain crazy to spend $2 or $3 a day for 3 people to eat one meal and then come crying hungry an hour later because their sugar buzz was shot and they needed something real to fill up on. We started making our own version of instant oatmeal and that seems to work out really well..... in a big canister mix up a container of the quick cooking oats, 1 to 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar, 1 cup of instant milk powder and shake til it's mixed up. Leave a measuring cup in the canister for the kids to use and it's one cup of mix to 3/4 cup of boiling water from the tea kettle (more water for creamier oats or less if you like it lumpy)....the kids can add raisins or apple chunks, or a small amount of syrup or cinnamon, Jared has even been known to throw a glob of peanut butter in his but then he's kind of weird in the mornings. They are rarely hungry before lunch and mornings go a lot smoother now....not to mention that we don't have fights over who gets the last bowl of the sugary junk or the special toy surprise anymore either. Sometimes me and Tae will spend an afternoon cooking pancakes or waffles too and they can heat those up for breakfast really easily. Jared will make himself a nuclear scrambled egg and turn that into a breakfast sandwich sometimes but no one else is that energetic before food in the morning.
Odds and ends:
You can save yourself a lot of money shopping by using the pantry principle....make a list of the things you need to have on hand all the time. Include everything from cleaning supplies to cold medicines to toilet paper and shampoo and groceries. Print out a master list of these things and before your shopping trips or trips out of the house to do errands take that extra minute or two and check the cabinets and closets and diaper bags and school supplies and all that jazz and make sure you get what you need when you are out an about. You'll save not only the extra money that gets dropped at the store just because you had to make the unexpected unplanned trip but you'll save the gas money you would have spent running back and forth for the one or two little items that would only have cost a buck or two on their own. You'll also save yourself the time and frustration of having to drag out all the kids and buckle everyone in and make sure they all have on shoes and matching socks and hair combed and respectable looking when they would all have been just as content playing at home in their mismatched socks.
Turn the heat down at night. Most of us sleep better if the room is a bit cooler than it is during the day because our body temperatures naturally drop when we are sleeping. I'm fortunate enough to have a hubby who doesn't mind getting up and turning the heater up a bit and then waking up the rest of the family but once upon a time we had wood heat and hubby wasn't home at wake up time so I had to drag my sleepy self out of my warm cozy comforter covered bed and trudge down to the freezing cold basement to start a fire before I woke the kids up so I really appreciate him getting up and warming up the house for us. It will save a bunch of money for you though to turn your heat down at night even if it's only a few degrees.
Combine trips to save on gas money. If you shop on Wednesday try to do your banking and all the rest of your errands on that day too. Fewer trips mean less gas, but also less wear and tear on the vehicle which means that tires need replaced less often, oil changes are less frequent (don't buy into the every three months no matter what nonsense) etc. It also means that you are less likely to run out of time to cook a meal and cave in to the urge to splurge on take out or delivery.
Give up soda!!!! A bottle of pop will cost you about a buck, but when you stop and think of what the phosphoric acid in the soda is doing to your teeth and bones that buck multiplies really quickly. Diet soda is every bit as bad for you as regular if not worse....the sugar is the least of the enemies in that can or bottle.
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There, I promised to post more about saving money and I did. I also dared everyone to do at least 5 things this week to save money and then to give half of what they saved to missions this Sunday. Now I dare you to let me know what you are doing to save money!! Either email me or leave a comment (if blogger will let you). My curiosity will be killing me. I'll post this week about what new stuff we are going to do to save money around here.
pulling it all together step two: Resources
This post is not going to come out exactly the way that I want it to but I guess it really doesn't matter how it comes out as long as it makes sense to me. This blog is something that I started so that I could keep track of what is going on in my family.....a place for me to record and watch the changes that are taking place in life from a more distanced perspective than I can get any other way. The blog ended up being so much more than that and I am glad that folks who know me are enjoying reading and laughing at me but it has also become very dear to my family. I had no idea that they all wanted to have me chit chatting in written form but it turns out that they all do.
Anyway, before I get all rambly and forget what I'm supposed to be posting about..... Getting my life organized! I used to have a job.....lots of them in fact and I was always good at whatever I set out to do. I guess when I had to stop working outside the home I just didn't really see the value in *this* job the way that I should have. THIS job is the most important one that I've ever had and for the life of me I just can't figure out why or how I could have so easily back burnered any part of it for so long. It's just sinful the condition that I allowed my home and my family to fall into because I was neglecting the work that the Lord laid out for me and tending to the never ending requests of the world that gets along just fine without me anyway. What is the title of *this* job you ask? Well, it certainly isn't housewife, or homemaker, or homeschooling mama, or mother, or any such simply stated thing as that....and definitely NOT any such ridiculous thing as domestic diva or diva of any kind! I have decided that I will call myself the assisant manager of the Thompson Service Group. I just love the way that sounds and it gives me such a sense of duty!
Why go through all the hassle of trying to give myself a title? Well, because I got sick to death of the way the world wanted to demean me for doing what the Lord has called us women/mommies/wives to do. I got sick of seeing that snarling lip curling disgusted wrinkled nose ahh haa expression every time I had to fill out a form for the doctor's or wherever. The world has corrupted the title of homemaker, housewife, homeschooling mother, etc and replaced it with images of couch holding down, soap opera addicted, bon bon eating, lazy, whiny, useless females and I refuse to participate in such futile and degrading imagery. Besides all that....who says that I can't make my job a little more fun? ;-)
Anyway....(see how easily I get sidetracked)....I knew things were so far gone that it was going to take some major work to get things at home back on track. Basically we have had to rebuild our lives from the ground up in the past year. The first step was to define my priorities.....(see my earlier post on priorities if you missed it http://jeanniet.blogspot.com/2006/01/pulling-it-all-together-step-one.html ). Once that was done I had to evaluate my resources and see how those could be best used to accomplish my goals. I deal with a medical condition that means I'm frequently ill...sometimes for days at a time so managing all of my resources is extra important.
When I sat down to figure out how on earth I was going to go from living in what looked like a perpetual yard sale to a real home that was comfortable, clean and easy to live in I had to figure out what I could use to make that happen. My resource list ended up looking roughly like this.
1) God
Just like with my priorities....He is also my most important resource. I have learned that everything from dealing with schooling to scrubbing a floor is just easier if I ask the Lord to bless what I'm doing. A harder lesson to learn is to *listen* to His guidance too....but I'll write more about that another time though. With the Lord's help I have been able to get more done in just a few months with my home and my family that I would have thought was possible just a short time ago. We all need to use the power that God has provided for us in our lives all the time.
2) Time
My time is so much more precious to me than it used to be. I have always been kind of a meany about how I spend my time but I have gotten even worse about it since I got sick. We all only have the time here on earth that the Lord has alloted for us and that's it.....we don't get do-overs and we can't wind our clocks backwards. It is so important to use our time wisely! I'm so angry with myself for all the time I have wasted over the years with the tv, or doing other things that are totally unproductive and don't add one thing to my life or the kingdom of God. I am working really hard to make the kids understand that one of the worst things to waste is time.....no matter what you can't ever get it back.
I don't believe in scheduling for the most part because I think it can be counter productive. We go for a very loose kind of what comes first and then, and then and then kind of scheduling.....that way there is always time for changes in our plans if some better use for that time comes up. We also do more than one thing at a time as often as possible.....we have lots of great family time while cleaning the house, we have math lessons while cooking and shopping and lots of other places, we also use the divide and conquer approach to most of our chores and with 5 of us that makes it all go faster.
I have found that if I spend a few minutes thinking things through and planning then I don't have to waste so much time spinning my wheels trying to think on the fly about how to get things done. I spend the last few minutes of each day before prayer time planning what really *has* to be done the next day and doing whatever can be done in advance to prepare for that......like throwing the meat for the next days meals in the fridge to thaw, or making my shopping list for my errand day, or gathering all the stuff I need to patch the boys jeans the night before etc.
The other big time management tool around here is a plain old kitchen timer....we set it for fifteen minutes three times a day and that is our run and get it done time. We all brain storm for a minute or two about what needs done....any kid above the age of 2 can participate, they all know of at least one thing that needs done in the house or yard...set the timer and run!!! My kids used to think it was a game....now they know better but they still think it's fun.
The best time management techniques are so individual to each person's needs that you will just have to give it alot of thought and decide what works best for you. Also know that it will change over the years. When the kids were babies and I didn't have much time that I was carrying at least one other person I had to make use of nap times and find ways to use the time I was up during the night with them......I did alot of laundry in the middle of the night and a lot of baking too. What works best one day may suddenly change.....like when Troy went from working nights and all of our activites took place during the evenings to when he went to day shift and now we function on a more normal schedule. The bottom line is that time is a very precious resource.
3)Energy
I have to keep in mind that my energy and the energy of my family is not an endless supply. We all have to rest and recharge sometimes (though I often treat myself like this rule doesn't exist to the point of collapse). I try not to schedule big projects or lots of errands on Mondays because we just need to spend those days getting ready for the rest of the week and getting things at home caught up from the weekends. If we do have big projects coming up I will rearrange other things so I don't overtax any of our energy stores. I'm sure there really is no need to go on about this particular resource but I just wanted to mention where I've ranked it in my list of resources and remind myself not to overtax such a limited and (for me) fragile resource.
4) Finances
Boy could I get on a rant about how wasteful so many folks are about their money!! It is a limited resource people. We women who are charged with running our homes and teaching our children should be setting a good example for the kids about how to be good stewards of the money our husband earns. We should never be caught whining about the things we want or complaining that our husbands don't buy us this and that! If you are the person in your home taking care of paying the bills and such you should consider that as an opportunity to bring your husband honor by being thrifty and saving him as much money as possible......you should consider it an opportunity to glorify your heavenly Father by setting aside whatever extra money you can to help in doing His work. If you are the one taking care of the bills don't you dare even consider keeping your husband's tithe out for some silly material thing that your flesh desires!!!! I could go on about the importance of tithing but that isn't my place, I'll just say that stealing from God will never ever benefit you or your family and leave it at that. I have heard many women say that they can't afford to tithe.....let me tell you, we live on less than $2000 a month net pay and there is absolutey no way on this planet that we could ever afford not to tithe!
Those little rants spoken.....if you think about it there are so many ways that we could all save money if we simply thought about it. Plan your grocery budget carefully, plan your budget carefully, teach your children to plan their spending by planning yours. I'll post more later on this thought because it has really been on my heart lately but I know that if you think about it you can find at least 5 ways to save money this week.....I double dog dare you!!!! Even better, I triple dog dare you to do that and then take half of what you save and give it to missions this Sunday!! I then super duper triple dirty dog dare you to make this kind of behavior a habit!!!!!!
5) Outside resources
These are resources that you wouldn't plan on every day and are usually reserved for big things or sudden things that might be considered emergencies. They can range from friends who are willing to take care of your kids if you are really really sick or have to leave them for some other reason to emergency resources for financial needs. I won't share my list here but you get the idea.
Now you all have an idea of where I started in my journey to get my life and home and family more organized and running efficiently. Once I had an idea of what my priorities were and my resources were it was a pretty simple matter to break it all down into a plan of attack and deal with the mess I had let my life become. I almost wish I had taken pictures of things before so I could post the before and after pictures but even that would only give a glimpse of what has changed visibly in my family. The real stuff you can see but wouldn't detect unless you have known us for quite awhile. The real stuff is the stuff that we are not the stuff that we have.....and it is the stuff that the Lord has been fixing for us since we surrendered all of who and what we are to Him. God is so sweet to us!!!
Anyway, before I get all rambly and forget what I'm supposed to be posting about..... Getting my life organized! I used to have a job.....lots of them in fact and I was always good at whatever I set out to do. I guess when I had to stop working outside the home I just didn't really see the value in *this* job the way that I should have. THIS job is the most important one that I've ever had and for the life of me I just can't figure out why or how I could have so easily back burnered any part of it for so long. It's just sinful the condition that I allowed my home and my family to fall into because I was neglecting the work that the Lord laid out for me and tending to the never ending requests of the world that gets along just fine without me anyway. What is the title of *this* job you ask? Well, it certainly isn't housewife, or homemaker, or homeschooling mama, or mother, or any such simply stated thing as that....and definitely NOT any such ridiculous thing as domestic diva or diva of any kind! I have decided that I will call myself the assisant manager of the Thompson Service Group. I just love the way that sounds and it gives me such a sense of duty!
Why go through all the hassle of trying to give myself a title? Well, because I got sick to death of the way the world wanted to demean me for doing what the Lord has called us women/mommies/wives to do. I got sick of seeing that snarling lip curling disgusted wrinkled nose ahh haa expression every time I had to fill out a form for the doctor's or wherever. The world has corrupted the title of homemaker, housewife, homeschooling mother, etc and replaced it with images of couch holding down, soap opera addicted, bon bon eating, lazy, whiny, useless females and I refuse to participate in such futile and degrading imagery. Besides all that....who says that I can't make my job a little more fun? ;-)
Anyway....(see how easily I get sidetracked)....I knew things were so far gone that it was going to take some major work to get things at home back on track. Basically we have had to rebuild our lives from the ground up in the past year. The first step was to define my priorities.....(see my earlier post on priorities if you missed it http://jeanniet.blogspot.com/2006/01/pulling-it-all-together-step-one.html ). Once that was done I had to evaluate my resources and see how those could be best used to accomplish my goals. I deal with a medical condition that means I'm frequently ill...sometimes for days at a time so managing all of my resources is extra important.
When I sat down to figure out how on earth I was going to go from living in what looked like a perpetual yard sale to a real home that was comfortable, clean and easy to live in I had to figure out what I could use to make that happen. My resource list ended up looking roughly like this.
1) God
Just like with my priorities....He is also my most important resource. I have learned that everything from dealing with schooling to scrubbing a floor is just easier if I ask the Lord to bless what I'm doing. A harder lesson to learn is to *listen* to His guidance too....but I'll write more about that another time though. With the Lord's help I have been able to get more done in just a few months with my home and my family that I would have thought was possible just a short time ago. We all need to use the power that God has provided for us in our lives all the time.
2) Time
My time is so much more precious to me than it used to be. I have always been kind of a meany about how I spend my time but I have gotten even worse about it since I got sick. We all only have the time here on earth that the Lord has alloted for us and that's it.....we don't get do-overs and we can't wind our clocks backwards. It is so important to use our time wisely! I'm so angry with myself for all the time I have wasted over the years with the tv, or doing other things that are totally unproductive and don't add one thing to my life or the kingdom of God. I am working really hard to make the kids understand that one of the worst things to waste is time.....no matter what you can't ever get it back.
I don't believe in scheduling for the most part because I think it can be counter productive. We go for a very loose kind of what comes first and then, and then and then kind of scheduling.....that way there is always time for changes in our plans if some better use for that time comes up. We also do more than one thing at a time as often as possible.....we have lots of great family time while cleaning the house, we have math lessons while cooking and shopping and lots of other places, we also use the divide and conquer approach to most of our chores and with 5 of us that makes it all go faster.
I have found that if I spend a few minutes thinking things through and planning then I don't have to waste so much time spinning my wheels trying to think on the fly about how to get things done. I spend the last few minutes of each day before prayer time planning what really *has* to be done the next day and doing whatever can be done in advance to prepare for that......like throwing the meat for the next days meals in the fridge to thaw, or making my shopping list for my errand day, or gathering all the stuff I need to patch the boys jeans the night before etc.
The other big time management tool around here is a plain old kitchen timer....we set it for fifteen minutes three times a day and that is our run and get it done time. We all brain storm for a minute or two about what needs done....any kid above the age of 2 can participate, they all know of at least one thing that needs done in the house or yard...set the timer and run!!! My kids used to think it was a game....now they know better but they still think it's fun.
The best time management techniques are so individual to each person's needs that you will just have to give it alot of thought and decide what works best for you. Also know that it will change over the years. When the kids were babies and I didn't have much time that I was carrying at least one other person I had to make use of nap times and find ways to use the time I was up during the night with them......I did alot of laundry in the middle of the night and a lot of baking too. What works best one day may suddenly change.....like when Troy went from working nights and all of our activites took place during the evenings to when he went to day shift and now we function on a more normal schedule. The bottom line is that time is a very precious resource.
3)Energy
I have to keep in mind that my energy and the energy of my family is not an endless supply. We all have to rest and recharge sometimes (though I often treat myself like this rule doesn't exist to the point of collapse). I try not to schedule big projects or lots of errands on Mondays because we just need to spend those days getting ready for the rest of the week and getting things at home caught up from the weekends. If we do have big projects coming up I will rearrange other things so I don't overtax any of our energy stores. I'm sure there really is no need to go on about this particular resource but I just wanted to mention where I've ranked it in my list of resources and remind myself not to overtax such a limited and (for me) fragile resource.
4) Finances
Boy could I get on a rant about how wasteful so many folks are about their money!! It is a limited resource people. We women who are charged with running our homes and teaching our children should be setting a good example for the kids about how to be good stewards of the money our husband earns. We should never be caught whining about the things we want or complaining that our husbands don't buy us this and that! If you are the person in your home taking care of paying the bills and such you should consider that as an opportunity to bring your husband honor by being thrifty and saving him as much money as possible......you should consider it an opportunity to glorify your heavenly Father by setting aside whatever extra money you can to help in doing His work. If you are the one taking care of the bills don't you dare even consider keeping your husband's tithe out for some silly material thing that your flesh desires!!!! I could go on about the importance of tithing but that isn't my place, I'll just say that stealing from God will never ever benefit you or your family and leave it at that. I have heard many women say that they can't afford to tithe.....let me tell you, we live on less than $2000 a month net pay and there is absolutey no way on this planet that we could ever afford not to tithe!
Those little rants spoken.....if you think about it there are so many ways that we could all save money if we simply thought about it. Plan your grocery budget carefully, plan your budget carefully, teach your children to plan their spending by planning yours. I'll post more later on this thought because it has really been on my heart lately but I know that if you think about it you can find at least 5 ways to save money this week.....I double dog dare you!!!! Even better, I triple dog dare you to do that and then take half of what you save and give it to missions this Sunday!! I then super duper triple dirty dog dare you to make this kind of behavior a habit!!!!!!
5) Outside resources
These are resources that you wouldn't plan on every day and are usually reserved for big things or sudden things that might be considered emergencies. They can range from friends who are willing to take care of your kids if you are really really sick or have to leave them for some other reason to emergency resources for financial needs. I won't share my list here but you get the idea.
Now you all have an idea of where I started in my journey to get my life and home and family more organized and running efficiently. Once I had an idea of what my priorities were and my resources were it was a pretty simple matter to break it all down into a plan of attack and deal with the mess I had let my life become. I almost wish I had taken pictures of things before so I could post the before and after pictures but even that would only give a glimpse of what has changed visibly in my family. The real stuff you can see but wouldn't detect unless you have known us for quite awhile. The real stuff is the stuff that we are not the stuff that we have.....and it is the stuff that the Lord has been fixing for us since we surrendered all of who and what we are to Him. God is so sweet to us!!!
Friday, February 10, 2006
another recipe or two
I have to take Tae to the dentist today so I'll just add whatever I have time to before we have to go. Some folks who know me have made special requests for certain recipes so those are the ones I will put up first. Keep asking for the ones ya'll want and I'll make sure they get posted.
Fake out NOT fillet mignon
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
3 Tbsp steak sauce...A1 or Heinz 57 (the hillbilly housewife has a great steak sauce recipe on her site)
1 envelope onion soup mix (2 for $1 at aldi's)
2 slices bread torn into itty bitty bits
1/2 c bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
bacon strips to wrap patties in (can substitute turkey or beef bacon)
Sgoosh all but the bacon together in a big bowl and shape into patties. Wrap with bacon and secure with a toothpick (make sure to take it out before eating so ya don't skewer your tongue). These are best made on a charcoal grill, but can be cooked on the stove or in the oven and I know a lady who even made them in her crock pot and threw a can of cream of mushroom soup in over the top of it and served them with noodles. It's a great way to stretch your meat budget and still make your family feel like they are eating good.
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The Super Cheater take it easy casserole
Meat...
You can use chicken pieces with or without the bones and skin (season with salt and pepper and just a tiny little bit of sage), or you can use hamburger crumbled or pattied(salt, pepper, garlic onion), or I have used leftover turkey (sage and thyme) or ham or pork chops or roast (salt and pepper and a very light sprinkle of paprika). I have never tried it with deer meat just because. Use enough to cover the bottom of your casserole dish...I use a 3qt rectangle.
A veggie or two....
I usually use green beans because I like em and they are cheap but you can use whatever you want to.
Swiss cheese slices...
Again I'm cheap so I get the fake swiss slice singles at aldi. You can use whatever kind of cheese you want I just like swiss flavor for this recipe.
Cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup..
The cheapest kind you can find. For red meat I always use the mushroom and toss in a sprinkle or two of worchestershire or steak sauce. For chicken I just make some cream of chicken from boullion cubes.
Cheap box stuffing mix or leftover stuffing or leftover mashed potatoes...
Get a little creative here and finish the dish out however you want. I have used the stuffing for all of the meats I have used and the potatoes too...my family ate it both ways. One time for kicks I used a head of cabbage that I had sitting in the fridge and shredded it up on top....it actually turned out really good and I would keep doing that except that I'm the only person here who likes cabbage so I don't get to have it very often. I have used noodles but when you do that you have to add more liquid and rice doesn't really blend in very well or add much flavor. When I use potatoes I add just a bit of dill to them and it really makes the meal!!
Layer meat, then veggie, then soup, then cheese then stuffing or potatoes or whatever. Baking time is really depending on what kind of stuff you put in there so go by how long it takes to get the meat thoroughly cooked.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'll try to get more on later....today is my busiest running aroundest day of the week so it may not be for a day or two but I'll try to write a recipe for my meatloaf ( love ya Jessi george).
Fake out NOT fillet mignon
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground turkey
3 Tbsp steak sauce...A1 or Heinz 57 (the hillbilly housewife has a great steak sauce recipe on her site)
1 envelope onion soup mix (2 for $1 at aldi's)
2 slices bread torn into itty bitty bits
1/2 c bread crumbs
salt and pepper to taste
bacon strips to wrap patties in (can substitute turkey or beef bacon)
Sgoosh all but the bacon together in a big bowl and shape into patties. Wrap with bacon and secure with a toothpick (make sure to take it out before eating so ya don't skewer your tongue). These are best made on a charcoal grill, but can be cooked on the stove or in the oven and I know a lady who even made them in her crock pot and threw a can of cream of mushroom soup in over the top of it and served them with noodles. It's a great way to stretch your meat budget and still make your family feel like they are eating good.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Super Cheater take it easy casserole
Meat...
You can use chicken pieces with or without the bones and skin (season with salt and pepper and just a tiny little bit of sage), or you can use hamburger crumbled or pattied(salt, pepper, garlic onion), or I have used leftover turkey (sage and thyme) or ham or pork chops or roast (salt and pepper and a very light sprinkle of paprika). I have never tried it with deer meat just because. Use enough to cover the bottom of your casserole dish...I use a 3qt rectangle.
A veggie or two....
I usually use green beans because I like em and they are cheap but you can use whatever you want to.
Swiss cheese slices...
Again I'm cheap so I get the fake swiss slice singles at aldi. You can use whatever kind of cheese you want I just like swiss flavor for this recipe.
Cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup..
The cheapest kind you can find. For red meat I always use the mushroom and toss in a sprinkle or two of worchestershire or steak sauce. For chicken I just make some cream of chicken from boullion cubes.
Cheap box stuffing mix or leftover stuffing or leftover mashed potatoes...
Get a little creative here and finish the dish out however you want. I have used the stuffing for all of the meats I have used and the potatoes too...my family ate it both ways. One time for kicks I used a head of cabbage that I had sitting in the fridge and shredded it up on top....it actually turned out really good and I would keep doing that except that I'm the only person here who likes cabbage so I don't get to have it very often. I have used noodles but when you do that you have to add more liquid and rice doesn't really blend in very well or add much flavor. When I use potatoes I add just a bit of dill to them and it really makes the meal!!
Layer meat, then veggie, then soup, then cheese then stuffing or potatoes or whatever. Baking time is really depending on what kind of stuff you put in there so go by how long it takes to get the meat thoroughly cooked.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'll try to get more on later....today is my busiest running aroundest day of the week so it may not be for a day or two but I'll try to write a recipe for my meatloaf ( love ya Jessi george).
Thursday, February 09, 2006
What's your hillbilly name?
| Your Hillbilly Name Is... |
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Hillbilly Name Generator
I saw this on a friend's blog and being the little hillbilly that I am I couldn't resist. (I am not really liking the name it gave me though).
Thoughts on the Bible
I recently had a discussion/debate with someone I love very much about the Bible. She is of the opinion that the contents of the Bible are debatable and that other historical texts have to be read to be able to understand the Bible at all. Maybe that's her opinion and maybe she just loves to debate things....I'm not sure which it is but I don't feel the need to argue the facts or make a point with my friends and loved ones. The conversation did get me to thinking though...once I stopped being mad about having called someone to share my good news only to be goaded into an argument. Why do people who don't read the bible always want to argue about the contents of it? And why do people who aren't born again christians always want to argue about what is and isn't "christian"?
I believe that the King James Bible is God's perfectly preserved word. I believe that ALL other versions of the Bible are corrupt and not useful for a person wanting to grow in knowledge or understanding of the Lord. I love my Bible and the time I spend in that book every day is like food and water for my soul. Without time in God's word I grow nothing but feeble, weak and more vulnerable to the stumbling blocks the world throws at all of God's people. I have learned the hard way how important it is to lean on the truths that we can't find anywhere but in the KING JAMES BIBLE. So today I thought I would share a couple of my favorite quotes about the bible with you.
"I am always suspicious of profound explanations of Scripture, explanations that require a scholar or philosopher to understand them. The Bible is a plain man's book (Matthew 11:25). In at least ninety-nine cases in a hundred the meaning of Scripture lies on the surface--the meaning that any simple minded man, woman, or child who really wants to know and obey the truth would see in it." R.A. Torrey
"If God is a reality and the soul is a reality, and you are an immortal being, what are you doing with your Bible shut! "-Johnson
"The existence of the Bible, as a Book for the people, is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced. Every attempt to belittle it is a crime against humanity." --Immanuel Kant
"All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this Book.... All things most desirable for man's welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it." --Abraham Lincoln
"I am profitably engaged reading the Bible. Take all of this Book upon reason that you can, and the balance on faith, and you will live and die a better man." --Abraham Lincoln
Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them. --Unknown
"If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instruction and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity." --Daniel Webster
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Revelation 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. 20 ¶ He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.(KJV)
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I won't belabor the Bible version debate here but for some wonderful reading materials on the subject you can go to www.avpublications.com and order any of the materials there. I have read a few of the books available on the site and they were of great help to me in understanding more clearly why the KJB is the only REAL Bible.
For the NIV readers (like I used to be) try this test http://www.bible-truth.org/NIVtest.html
Okay....nuff said.
I believe that the King James Bible is God's perfectly preserved word. I believe that ALL other versions of the Bible are corrupt and not useful for a person wanting to grow in knowledge or understanding of the Lord. I love my Bible and the time I spend in that book every day is like food and water for my soul. Without time in God's word I grow nothing but feeble, weak and more vulnerable to the stumbling blocks the world throws at all of God's people. I have learned the hard way how important it is to lean on the truths that we can't find anywhere but in the KING JAMES BIBLE. So today I thought I would share a couple of my favorite quotes about the bible with you.
"I am always suspicious of profound explanations of Scripture, explanations that require a scholar or philosopher to understand them. The Bible is a plain man's book (Matthew 11:25). In at least ninety-nine cases in a hundred the meaning of Scripture lies on the surface--the meaning that any simple minded man, woman, or child who really wants to know and obey the truth would see in it." R.A. Torrey
"If God is a reality and the soul is a reality, and you are an immortal being, what are you doing with your Bible shut! "-Johnson
"The existence of the Bible, as a Book for the people, is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced. Every attempt to belittle it is a crime against humanity." --Immanuel Kant
"All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this Book.... All things most desirable for man's welfare, here and hereafter, are to be found portrayed in it." --Abraham Lincoln
"I am profitably engaged reading the Bible. Take all of this Book upon reason that you can, and the balance on faith, and you will live and die a better man." --Abraham Lincoln
Men do not reject the Bible because it contradicts itself, but because it contradicts them. --Unknown
"If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instruction and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity." --Daniel Webster
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Revelation 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: 19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. 20 ¶ He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus. 21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.(KJV)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I won't belabor the Bible version debate here but for some wonderful reading materials on the subject you can go to www.avpublications.com and order any of the materials there. I have read a few of the books available on the site and they were of great help to me in understanding more clearly why the KJB is the only REAL Bible.
For the NIV readers (like I used to be) try this test http://www.bible-truth.org/NIVtest.html
Okay....nuff said.
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
a couple of recipes
I know I'm late in doing this....forgive me please? I usually don't even have a recipe when I cook things because I cook off the top of my head so much....but the kids getting older and Jess having the baby and Josh living so far away and all of them wanting my cooking down in writing to follow on their own later has inspired me to get busy and figure out how to communicate cooking. Anyway.....I'll type in the ones I have time for while waiting for Troy to get home and add to them as I can.
A couple of things to note. I don't write recipes well and I don't explain things very well....probably why I never bother to write down recipes. I ALWAYS substitute things and leave things out here and there....teaching Tae to cook has been really hard and Jess totally gave up doing anything other than just watching me to learn a long time ago. Stuff like chicken broth.....I almost always have in the freezer from cooking chicken and that's what I will use, if I don't have it I'll use the cheapo cube bouillon ....never ever the canned stuff I'm just too cheap to even want to see if it's worth it. We also use powdered milk for cooking and sometimes canned milk....when I use powdered milk to make gravy or a thick sauce I add a bit of butter to it and some extra powder so it tastes better.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Missouri Hillbilly style Sweet and Sour Chicken (in other words the quickest cheapest way I could figure)
1lb of chicken, pull off the skin and cut it into pieces. Leave the bone in(it'll take longer to cook) or take it out...it's your call.
1Tbsp oil.... I'm not picky and don't care so I use vegetable or olive or peanut or whatever.
1 garlic clove....haha you thought that was too simple for me to add anything- I use garlic already chopped up in a jar and I probably use the equivalent of 2 cloves cuz I love garlic.
1 cup green pepper strips.... sometimes I skip these, but if we have them I use em.
3Tbsp. vinegar
3Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/4 c chicken bouillon or broth
1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ginger....sometimes I use a bit more than that or fresh ginger for better taste
1-8oz can pineapple chunks in juice
enough corn starch to make a smooth paste with water...total volume about 1/4-1/3 cup
1pkg. stir fry veggies....whatever kind you like best or fresh veggies cut up
Saute chicken in oil till browned (if yours is bone in and not cut up small you may have to parboil it or prebake depending on the size of your pieces). Add garlic and veggies and stir fry 2-4 minutes. Add bouillon, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar ginger and pineapple with juice. Then I mix in the corn starch until the mixture starts to thicken a bit but not quite gravy thickness.....it will thicken as it simmers for a few minutes and you may not use all of the corn starch paste. Serve hot over cooked rice.
I have also made this with ground turkey and leftover turkey from thanksgiving and left over pork chops or pork roast and it still fed us all just fine. I usually double the recipe because my sons think they need to eat like grown men who haven't been fed in a week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorta Kinda almost a little like Swedish Meatballs
1 lb ground beef and 1 lb ground turkey I usually mix this stuff half and half with most of my dishes because I don't like the flavor of the ground turkey alone...you could use all of one or the other if you want to.
2 Slices of bread, torn up into itty bitty pieces
1/2 - 1 cup bread crumbs no I'm not crazy it adds better texture and they hold together better but if you don't want to use them just don't
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp garlic powder
scant sprinkle of pepper
even scanter sprinkle of sage
Sgoosh all of this together in a big bowl with your hands. Yes, it has to be with your hands or it won't taste right don't ask me why.....i don't make the rules of what makes food good I just do what grandma whacked me with a spoon for skipping cuz I thought it was gross when I was a kid. Roll them into little or big or medium sized balls and then you can either brown them up in a skillet on the stove....my favorite method since the grease leaping from the pan and landing on my wrist making a really awesome sizzle sound while I scream and dance around in front of the stove is such great and free entertainment for my family.....or you can just toss them in the oven to brown up....either way it'll take ya about 20-30 minutes and no you can't turn off the heat and run for the burn cream either you have to wait until after supper. Besides, while the meatballs are cooking you have to make yourself boil egg noodles to serve them on no matter how many times you think you may die if you get within firing range of the skillet....come on lady, be brave you have a hungry family to feed sheesh ya crybaby.
Now to get ready to make the gravy:
1/2 cup of the fat from cooking the meatballs
1/3 cup of flour
3 cups of beef broth
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dillweed
1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)
Now after the meatballs are cooked.....no not the burn cream yet....drain them on some paper towels ....or if you are like me and you are allergic to spending money on paper that you throw away that never touches anything you can't speak of out loud then get some newspaper and throw a dishtowel over it and use that. While that is going on you have to get really brave and drain some of the hot fat from making the meatballs into a HEAT RESISTANT ...yes Jessi that means metal or glass measuring cup. You will need 1/2 cup of fat, discard whatever is left unless you have some special thing to do with leftover hamburger fat (I really don't want to know). If you used all turkey or something and don't have enough fat you can make up the difference with bacon fat or plain old butter or shortening or whatever is grease.
Heat up your fat in a semi large pan. When it is good and hot stir in the flour making sure to get out the lumps. When it is smooth and hot then stir in the beef broth ....ya'll know how I feel about the chicken broth...same goes for beef. Then stir in the milk....you will have to add the liquid a little at a time and keep stirring to not get lumps (Jess just keep trying and your gravy will stop looking like cottage cheese I promise). Add your spices as it cooks Bring it to a boil and then turn it down just enough to keep it from scorching and keep stirring until it is gravy thick....I say it that way cuz not everyone likes gravy that stays on the spoon upside down (Josh). Toss your meatballs back into the gravy and scoop a big mess of it out onto your noodles and it's supper. It smells so yummy that by now your stomach is growling and you forgot all about the burn cream.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, that's it for today I have to round the kids up to go to church. Troy still hasn't made it home either so I have to track him down and see what he wants me to do. Ya'll have a great night.
disclaimer: the above recipes are written poorly and their performance in your kitchen is 100% your own fault, doing and liability. The author of the above post claims absolutely no responsibility for anything ever....especially not as related to writing down recipes or other such cooking advice. Entertainment factor is based on my own personal household experiences and the fact that my family is very easy to entertain (see dripping faucet post)and should not be attempted without proper thought, education, protection and above all else PRAYER.
A couple of things to note. I don't write recipes well and I don't explain things very well....probably why I never bother to write down recipes. I ALWAYS substitute things and leave things out here and there....teaching Tae to cook has been really hard and Jess totally gave up doing anything other than just watching me to learn a long time ago. Stuff like chicken broth.....I almost always have in the freezer from cooking chicken and that's what I will use, if I don't have it I'll use the cheapo cube bouillon ....never ever the canned stuff I'm just too cheap to even want to see if it's worth it. We also use powdered milk for cooking and sometimes canned milk....when I use powdered milk to make gravy or a thick sauce I add a bit of butter to it and some extra powder so it tastes better.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Missouri Hillbilly style Sweet and Sour Chicken (in other words the quickest cheapest way I could figure)
1lb of chicken, pull off the skin and cut it into pieces. Leave the bone in(it'll take longer to cook) or take it out...it's your call.
1Tbsp oil.... I'm not picky and don't care so I use vegetable or olive or peanut or whatever.
1 garlic clove....haha you thought that was too simple for me to add anything- I use garlic already chopped up in a jar and I probably use the equivalent of 2 cloves cuz I love garlic.
1 cup green pepper strips.... sometimes I skip these, but if we have them I use em.
3Tbsp. vinegar
3Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/4 c chicken bouillon or broth
1/2 c soy sauce
1/2 tsp. ginger....sometimes I use a bit more than that or fresh ginger for better taste
1-8oz can pineapple chunks in juice
enough corn starch to make a smooth paste with water...total volume about 1/4-1/3 cup
1pkg. stir fry veggies....whatever kind you like best or fresh veggies cut up
Saute chicken in oil till browned (if yours is bone in and not cut up small you may have to parboil it or prebake depending on the size of your pieces). Add garlic and veggies and stir fry 2-4 minutes. Add bouillon, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar ginger and pineapple with juice. Then I mix in the corn starch until the mixture starts to thicken a bit but not quite gravy thickness.....it will thicken as it simmers for a few minutes and you may not use all of the corn starch paste. Serve hot over cooked rice.
I have also made this with ground turkey and leftover turkey from thanksgiving and left over pork chops or pork roast and it still fed us all just fine. I usually double the recipe because my sons think they need to eat like grown men who haven't been fed in a week.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sorta Kinda almost a little like Swedish Meatballs
1 lb ground beef and 1 lb ground turkey I usually mix this stuff half and half with most of my dishes because I don't like the flavor of the ground turkey alone...you could use all of one or the other if you want to.
2 Slices of bread, torn up into itty bitty pieces
1/2 - 1 cup bread crumbs no I'm not crazy it adds better texture and they hold together better but if you don't want to use them just don't
1/3 cup milk
1 egg
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp garlic powder
scant sprinkle of pepper
even scanter sprinkle of sage
Sgoosh all of this together in a big bowl with your hands. Yes, it has to be with your hands or it won't taste right don't ask me why.....i don't make the rules of what makes food good I just do what grandma whacked me with a spoon for skipping cuz I thought it was gross when I was a kid. Roll them into little or big or medium sized balls and then you can either brown them up in a skillet on the stove....my favorite method since the grease leaping from the pan and landing on my wrist making a really awesome sizzle sound while I scream and dance around in front of the stove is such great and free entertainment for my family.....or you can just toss them in the oven to brown up....either way it'll take ya about 20-30 minutes and no you can't turn off the heat and run for the burn cream either you have to wait until after supper. Besides, while the meatballs are cooking you have to make yourself boil egg noodles to serve them on no matter how many times you think you may die if you get within firing range of the skillet....come on lady, be brave you have a hungry family to feed sheesh ya crybaby.
Now to get ready to make the gravy:
1/2 cup of the fat from cooking the meatballs
1/3 cup of flour
3 cups of beef broth
1 1/2 cups of milk
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon dillweed
1/8 teaspoon salt (optional)
Now after the meatballs are cooked.....no not the burn cream yet....drain them on some paper towels ....or if you are like me and you are allergic to spending money on paper that you throw away that never touches anything you can't speak of out loud then get some newspaper and throw a dishtowel over it and use that. While that is going on you have to get really brave and drain some of the hot fat from making the meatballs into a HEAT RESISTANT ...yes Jessi that means metal or glass measuring cup. You will need 1/2 cup of fat, discard whatever is left unless you have some special thing to do with leftover hamburger fat (I really don't want to know). If you used all turkey or something and don't have enough fat you can make up the difference with bacon fat or plain old butter or shortening or whatever is grease.
Heat up your fat in a semi large pan. When it is good and hot stir in the flour making sure to get out the lumps. When it is smooth and hot then stir in the beef broth ....ya'll know how I feel about the chicken broth...same goes for beef. Then stir in the milk....you will have to add the liquid a little at a time and keep stirring to not get lumps (Jess just keep trying and your gravy will stop looking like cottage cheese I promise). Add your spices as it cooks Bring it to a boil and then turn it down just enough to keep it from scorching and keep stirring until it is gravy thick....I say it that way cuz not everyone likes gravy that stays on the spoon upside down (Josh). Toss your meatballs back into the gravy and scoop a big mess of it out onto your noodles and it's supper. It smells so yummy that by now your stomach is growling and you forgot all about the burn cream.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Okay, that's it for today I have to round the kids up to go to church. Troy still hasn't made it home either so I have to track him down and see what he wants me to do. Ya'll have a great night.
disclaimer: the above recipes are written poorly and their performance in your kitchen is 100% your own fault, doing and liability. The author of the above post claims absolutely no responsibility for anything ever....especially not as related to writing down recipes or other such cooking advice. Entertainment factor is based on my own personal household experiences and the fact that my family is very easy to entertain (see dripping faucet post)and should not be attempted without proper thought, education, protection and above all else PRAYER.
Mama's little tattletales
I'm learning more and more as the years go by in my childrens' lives that there are certain things you just can't take their word on.....ever. I had to take both of the boys to the dentist this morning...Tae goes on Friday. Well Caleb, who swears every single night at bedtime that he has brushed his teeth "real real good", has 12...yup that's TWELVE cavities. I was talking with the hygenist (the dentist never bothered to speak to me) and told her that since he has learned the trick of licking the slightly moistened toothpaste tainted toothbrush I have a hard time telling if he has really brushed or not. She gave me some really handy little red pills for the kids to dissolve in their mouths. The pills stain their teeth and they have to really brush and really brush again to get the coloring off.....taaa daaaa my new best friend. I introduced my new little best friends to both of the boys as my little tattletales who will tell me whether or not they have brushed correctly. If your kids are having problems brushing correctly or if you just want a tool to help train their techniques these can be bought at most pharmacies.....I was told that you can buy a large box of them at the WalMart pharmacy for around $3 but to be careful because some pharmacies want to seriously overcharge for them. They are made by the Butler company and sold under the GUM label as Red Cote dental dislosing tablets. When I think of how much fillings cost I will gladly fork over the $3 a box until I'm satisfied that he is doing his part.
On to other things. I finally got to see a picture of my little honey Bella. She is just beautiful....as her name would imply and I sure am a proud grandmama. I sat here staring at her picture on the monitor for the longest time. She looks so much like her mommy that it sure does take me back a lot more years than I would like to admit. I can't wait to get to go see her. So far mom and baby are both doing very well and we are all praying that Jess will get saved and raise our little Bella up in the Lord.
I'm still working out how to word my next post on pulling it all together. Since I got the priorities post out, the next one will be on resources as soon as I get it all straight in my mind. I've also got a couple of recipes I need to get posted as soon as I get a chance to sit down and type them out.....they are tested in my own kitchen with a couple of picky eaters and went over well and cost very little to make. I'll try to get them on later on today. Until then I have laundry to fold and kids to catch up on schoolwork with.....
On to other things. I finally got to see a picture of my little honey Bella. She is just beautiful....as her name would imply and I sure am a proud grandmama. I sat here staring at her picture on the monitor for the longest time. She looks so much like her mommy that it sure does take me back a lot more years than I would like to admit. I can't wait to get to go see her. So far mom and baby are both doing very well and we are all praying that Jess will get saved and raise our little Bella up in the Lord.
I'm still working out how to word my next post on pulling it all together. Since I got the priorities post out, the next one will be on resources as soon as I get it all straight in my mind. I've also got a couple of recipes I need to get posted as soon as I get a chance to sit down and type them out.....they are tested in my own kitchen with a couple of picky eaters and went over well and cost very little to make. I'll try to get them on later on today. Until then I have laundry to fold and kids to catch up on schoolwork with.....
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