Country Living For Us

KitchenAid Giveaway from 3 Kids and Us!

2010-11-29T11:08:00.000-06:00

3 Kids and Us and KitchenAid want to make your holiday wish come true and offer you the chance to win a brand new KitchenAid Artisan Stand Mixer (link underlined words to http://3kidsandus.com/2010/kitchenaid-giveaway), in your choice of over 20 colors, valued at $349.99!
(feel free to snag the giveaway image from above to insert in your post here)
Enter the KitchenAid Stand Mixer Giveaway (link underlined words to http://3kidsandus.com/2010/kitchenaid-giveaway/) and check out the Homemade Holiday Feast recipes (link underlined words to http://3kidsandus.com/homemade-holiday-feast/)that show all the ways the KitchenAid Stand Mixer and attachments can be used to create unique family dishes and save you counter space with one appliance that can be converted to meet your every need.

Yummy Breakfast Recipes that warm your heart and home...

2010-11-07T08:51:00.003-06:00

Crispy Hashbrown Casserole

Ingredients-

20-oz pkg frozen shredded hashbrowns, thawed

3/4 c margarine melted and divided

1 t salt

1/4 t pepper

1/2 chopped onion

10 3/4oz can cream of chicken soup

2 c sour cream

2 c shredded cheddar cheese

2 c crushed corn flakes

Combine potatoes, 1/2 cup margarine, salt, pepper, onion, soup, sour cream and cheese together; mix well. Spread into a lightly buttered 13"x9" baking pan and set aside. Toss remaining margarine and corn flakes together and sprinkle on top. Bake at 350 degrees for 45mins.

Serves 10-12 and goes great with bacon and eggs!

Ham & Cheese Cups

Ingredients-

2 c self rising flour

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 c mayonnaise

1 c milk

1/2 c diced cooked ham

1/2 c shredded cheddar cheese

Combine flour and baking soda together and set aside. Mix remaining ingredients together and add to flour mixture. Fill greased muffin tins 2/3 full and bake at 425 degrees for 16-18 minutes. Makes 12

Overnight Raisin-nut Oatmeal

Ingredients

1/4 c brown sugar

1 t melted butter

1/4 t salt

1/2 t cinnamon

1 c quick cooking oats

1 c apple, peeled and minced

1/2 c raisins

1/2 c chopped nuts

4- 1/2 c milk

Place all ingredients into a greased slow cooker and mix well. Set on low heat overnight, about 8-9hrs and spoon into bowls to serve!

Serves 4

2010-11-07T08:43:00.003-06:00

Blue Jean Book Bag

Crystal Miller

This is a pretty easy sewing project. It is a cute book bag made from an old pair of blue jeans. You can see a picture of the finished project here:

http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/bluejeanbookbag.htm

What you will need:

A pair of old jeans A cotton belt (instructions to make one follow) or a silk type scarf would work too

Step #1 Take a pair of jeans and zip up the front of them and turn them inside out. With a tape measure, measure about 3 inches down from the crotch and make a mark. Using a ruler draw a line across the leg at that mark. Do the same for the other leg. Now cut the legs off at the line.

Step #2 Now fold the jeans matching the side seams. This would be just as if you were going to sew a pleat in them down the front and back. Sew each leg closed 1 inch from the cut edge. Trim the seam to about a ½ inch.

Step #3 Turn the jeans right side out now and you have a little bag! Now you can thread a scarf or cotton belt through the loops and tie or sew the “handles” together. You can also decorate the outside pockets with lace or a hanky in the pocket. Do any decorating or creating on your bag to make it truly yours!

Cotton Belt (for Blue Jean Book Bag)

What you will need:

Cotton fabric of your choice, length of fabric to be your choice

Step #1 After you determine how long you want your handle to be cut out a strip of fabric that is this long, plus about 2 inches for hem. If you need to you can cut out shorter strips and then sew them together. Your strips will need to be 4 inches wide x “your determined length”.

Step #2 Now take your strip of fabric and iron it half the longest direction. On the short ends of the strip fold them up so the finished belt will not have any raw edges.

Step #3 After you iron it open it up and fold each side of the strip to meet the center of the crease left by the iron. Now refold this in the center and iron the strip again.

Step #4 Sew the strip closed. You now have a long belt to thread through the belt loops of your book bag. You can sew the ends closed by overlapping them about 2 inches and sewing them together.

About the Author:

Crystal Miller (mailto:crystal@thefamilyhomestead.com) is

A mother of 8 children and enjoys her God given role as wife, homemaker and mother! She has a homemaking and country Living web site called The Family Homestead http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/ <http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/> and has a free monthly newsletter called Homestead Happenings. You will find sign up information on her website.

Saving Money in the Kitchen by Crystal Miller

2010-10-26T13:18:00.002-05:00

Saving Money in the Kitchen

Crystal Miller

Over the past few months I have watched the prices in the grocery store climb higher. This has made me have to stop and reevaluate our current eating and spending habits and see where I can trim the budget. I thought I would share a few of the tips that I have been incorporating into our budget.

First off years ago I started keeping a price book. I checked the prices at the different stores I shop to see who had the better price on napkins, pasta, hamburger, milk, eggs, etc.. Soon I had this price list memorized pretty well. I knew what store had the best price on which items. The only thing to remember is to recheck this list periodically. One of the first things I did was to re-check these prices to make sure they were still a good deal and not take them for granted. Another thing I have been doing is to stop buying or buy less of very expensive items. When I saw mozzarella cheese rise higher and higher, we took a break from pizza and lasagna. This was the same with the cheddar cheese although I did not see it jump as high as the mozzarella cheese. So with the cheddar I looked at how much we had been using and determined to use half this amount. I simply did not make as many meals with cheddar cheese in them as I had and I cautiously used the cheese on other meals. I watched butter climb to over $2.50 per pound at Costco and this was the least expensive price I could find. We don’t eat margarine so instead I limited our butter use to a certain amount per week and we stopped baking foods that called for butter. We also used things like cream cheese on our toast or pancakes instead of butter. Olive oil was also about half the price (per pound) as butter. So when I did bake I would choose things like cakes and quick breads that used oil, or muffins that did not require any fat in them.

As meat prices have climbed I have been serving more soups, breads, beans and whole grains. I usually will serve a couple of bean based meals a week and this has increased to more. My meals are basic and simple and the ingredients inexpensive. I think of the meat in the meal as flavoring, not the main component of the meal. I can make a pot of chili bean soup with 1 pound of hamburger in it and that will feed my family dinner one night and the leftovers will be lunch the next day. I stretch my meals by using my meat in sauces and gravies that are served over brown rice or whole wheat pasta. This also stretches the meat, adds great flavor and served with the whole grains makes a satisfying meal.

I also have tried to determine how much I want to spend per day to feed my family. I have then worked to find out how much each meal is costing us. For instance the chili bean soup served with a pan of cornbread will cost me about $5. Not bad for feeding a family of my size. I also have breakfast meals and lunch meals to consider for my daily cost. In the end I have some meals that are under budget and I have meals that sometimes are over budget. It becomes a matter of working towards an average cost. But I know the more low cost meals I serve in a month the better the average costs will be.

Finally remember to be conscious and be aware. Don’t just throw items into the shopping cart. Buy your foods with a plan. Know what you are spending each week, know what items are costing you and be prepared to make changes in the way you cook and the foods you buy.

Here are a couple of my low cost recipes that help out the monthly food budget at our house!

Crystal’s Chili Bean Soup Crystal Miller

Heat 2 T. oil in large soup pot.

Chop up and add:

1 onion

1/2 a green pepper, optional

Cook until the onion is soft.

Then add:

3 cups small red beans

12 cups water

1 Tablespoon salt

Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Stir

occasionally. After beans are soft add:

1 Tablespoon chili powder (more if you like it spicy.. less

if you don’t!)

1 can Rotel tomatoes with green chilies (this brand of

tomatoes is usually found with the other tomatoes at your

local grocery store)

Cornbread

Crystal Miller

1 ¼ cups whole wheat pastry flour

¾ cup finely ground cornmeal or corn flour (I grind my own

to a coarse corn flour)

2 T fructose or Sucanat or sugar

2 t baking powder

½ t salt

1 cup milk or buttermilk

¼ cup olive oil

1 egg

Heat oven to 400. Grease or spray an 8 or 9 inch pan. Mix

milk, oil and egg until well blended. In separate bowl mix

dry ingredients and add to liquid and stir until moistened.

Pour batter into pan and bake 20 to 25 minutes or until

golden brown. I double this recipe and bake in a 9x13 pan

for 25 minutes (need to check, it could 30minutes).

About the Author:

Crystal Miller ( mailto:crystal@thefamilyhomestead.com ) is

a mother of 8 children and enjoys her God given role as

wife, homemaker and mother! She has a homemaking and

country living web site called The Family Homestead

http://www.thefamilyhomestead/. <http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/> com and has a free monthly

newsletter called Homestead Happenings. You will find

Win your own Silhouette from Blue Cricket Designs Blog!!!!

2010-09-27T13:27:00.003-05:00

That's right my dears! Your eyes do not deceive you! The generous folks from Silhouette are here to make a crafters dream come true!

About a month ago I had a very magical delivery day! A beautiful new toys was dropped on my doorstep and ever since then I've been discovering more and more reasons why I love my new Silhouette!

I have always wanted a craft cutting machine but the expense of all the cartridges always scared me away! Silhouette is different then other craft cutters and works with your PC! Digital images are already included and others can be bought individually from their online store! So no more expensive cartridges that are full of designs but you only like a small percentage of them! This way allows you to pay for only what you want! And guess what....they giveaway free design downloads every week!

Remember my Lunch Time Love Notes project? The silhouette made making those sweet little notes so simple and easy!

And I fell in love with the idea of making my own stencils! Once again the Silhouette made it all possible!

There are endless things this little machine can do and the best part is that it's only limited to your imagination! Scrapbookers aren't the only ones who can have fun! I for one am not a scrapbooker but I still get plenty of use and have endless ideas on what I want to create next!

Free make your own Bath and Beauty products e-book!

2010-09-22T09:02:00.004-05:00

Download this free E-Book from I’m a Frugal Girl.

Freebie - Ebook full of School Time recipes! from One Frugal Foodie

2010-09-05T09:42:00.002-05:00

One Frugal Foodie is offering a free ebook called “Smart School Time Recipes.” It is full of wonderful whole foods recipes for you and your kids!

The recipes are kid-friendly (and adult-friendly!), easy, and delicious. The chapters include:

Morning Muffin Mania
Sensational Smoothies
Easy Freezin’ Waffles, Pancakes, and French Toast
More Smart Starts
Dips, Fillings, and Spreads
Soups and Stews
Salad-Style
More Lunchbox Love
Sweet Snackin’
Craving Cookies
Essential Extras

Busy Busy Busy.....

2010-09-01T20:03:00.003-05:00

It has been so busy around here lately! Doctors visits for all 5 kids, including trips to the dentist and eye doctor for 3 of them as well. Still busy working on the addition and hoping to have it done this weekend!!! Me and my husband will FINALLY have a bedroom down stairs, which means room switches for almost everyone. My oldest daughter will move into our old room, and finally have a room of her own, the two oldest boys will stay in their room but will finally be getting it re done! And my two littlest ones will move into their own NEW room downstairs next to mine and my husbands new room! We have beautiful teak wood flooring, a dark moss/olive green colored walls and one wall will be faux brick that goes wonderfully with the green on the walls. On that wall will be a fake fireplace, with the fake logs that look like they are burning, and the rest of the room with be done in a somewhat Rustic French Country theme......large plaid prints, large florals, and solids!!! I am SO excited!

Please today is the 1st of September which means it is what I consider FALL!!!!!! My FAVORITE time of year and I will be sharing tons and tons of FRUGAL decorating ideas very soon!

14 years of Marriage today....

2010-08-15T10:04:00.004-05:00

Yep, today! Hard to believe that 14yrs ago today me and my husband were married. We were married at the lake where we first met, under a Gazebo :) I didn't wear a fancy dress, I didn't even have a dress actually! I had on a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, and so did he! I didn't have a bouquet of flowers either, just our love! His mom, brother, aunt, and cousin were there along with our oldest son Matthew who was 2 days shy of being a month old. Who would have known that when I walked up to Matt at that lake in March of 1995 that we would spend the rest of our lives together! Never before had I walked up to a boy and talked to him first, and at 14 I certaintly didn't know it was my destiny, but it was, it had already been written by the hand of God long before I was born :) So today I give thanks to God, and to my wonderful husband for the last 14 years of marriage.

I don't have any secrets of how to make marriage work, it is full of compassion, compromise, caring, forgiveness, understanding, love, even anger at times. But somehow it all seems to work out :) I can say that at times I look back our road was bumpy and at times it seemed as though we were on totally different roads, but in the end those roads merged back together and smoothed out along the way. I am sure there will be more times where there are bumps in our way, big or small, and we will get over those too. Just takes a little work, compromise, love and understanding!

We now have 5 wonderful children, and hope to have more ;) And I hope that we have another great 14+ yrs.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY MATT! I LOVE YOU VERY MUCH!

Sharing an article by Crystal Miller on Time Management....

2010-08-13T18:57:00.001-05:00

Time Management
By Crystal Miller

My husband said to me the other day, "I wish there were 26

Hours in our day, then I could get everything accomplished!"

I had to laugh because I myself had those thoughts; if we

Just had more time we could accomplish much more or at the

Very least we could actually get enough sleep! ~smile~.

Well since we have no chance to increase the hours in our

Day we have to evaluate the time we have and how well we are

Using it. We need to ask ourselves, are we being the best

Steward possible of our time? Are we valuing our hours as a

Vital resource and using them as wisely as possible?

With the 24 hours that we do have in a day we know that many

Of those hours are already claimed. We need to sleep, eat,

Shower, relax, spend time with family and husband etc. After

These hours are subtracted what we have left is what we have

To work with each day.

To make the most out of each day begin to view your time

Differently. More time won't suddenly appear but being

Conscious of how our time is used during the day will help

Us to streamline and make better decision. I will share a

Few of my time management tips that I use and maybe it will

Help you in your goal towards better time management!

Become more efficient with your time. Take time to examine

How you do things and your methods and see if they can be

Altered to be time friendly. Can you do more than one thing

At one time? Can you combine trips and have only one or two

Days out of the house a week to run errands? Cook a double

Portion of a meal and freeze one for another day, wipe down

Your bathroom sink and counters at the same time in the

Morning that you are getting yourself dressed.

Train your children to help you. In the long run this will

Be one of the biggest time management helps to you. By the

Time my children are 10 to 12 years old they are completely

Responsible for their own rooms, their laundry, their sheets

And they have regularly assigned chores to do each day. Keep

Everyone on a routine and hold them accountable for their

Daily jobs. Do your chores at the same time as they are

Working to help increase moral and make sure everyone is

Staying focused. Don't forget to turn on some music while

You work! It does add to the enjoyment of what you are

Doing.

Be aware of things that rob your time. Over commitment to

Outside responsibilities is a biggie! Keep a list of some of

The more important goals you have and refer to this when you

Are asked to participate in something. It may be a simple

Reminder to you of your priorities and it will allow you to

see if a commitment made will be in keeping with these

Goals.

The telephone is another time robber. I don't have a message

Machine. The reason I don't have one is basically I don't

Have enough time to spend calling people back. If someone

Needs me they will have to spend the time calling me and

Catching me at home. Plus there is always email! Obviously

That method won't work for everyone but it works well for

Me. Unplugging the phone is another way to not allow time on

The phone to take up too much of your day.

Yet another time robber is too many activities for your

Children. I once had a key chain that referred to mom as the

"taxi driver". After awhile I got rid of this key chain.

~smile~ I did not want to be a taxi driver for my children.

I decided it was more important to help them learn to be

Content with more time at home.

Routines are my best time management tool. A routine helps

Keep your day on track. If you want to learn to manage your

Time effectively then a routine is a critical key to being

Able to follow through with your daily tasks. There is a

Difference between a strict schedule and a routine. A

Routine is a set daily habit of accomplishing your household

Tasks. Plan your daily routines to work for you. Don't

Compare how someone else manages their day. Work to find

What will accommodate your life.

Have a minimum amount that must get done daily and train

Your children to know what this expectation is. My children

Know that before anyone goes to bed the dishes are to be

done, the floors are swept, vacuumed and washed (that may be

more than most people would do but living in the country

with a houseful of kids means that our floors require a lot

of attention), the bathroom is wiped down and in order,

laundry is going each day, the clutter is picked up.

One last thought on managing your time is to be reasonable

about how much can be accomplished in your life. Keep your

priorities in order and remember that neither you nor I are

super-moms! We are just women with a heart for our mission

in life to love and care for our families. Don't take on

more than you can handle, don't expect more from yourself

than is reasonable. Work on those priorities that have the

greatest importance in your life. There may be another time

and season for other things you may desire to do or

accomplish.

Obviously time management is a proactive work! The day will

go by no matter what. The question to ask ourselves is; did

we use the time as well as we should have? Is there room for

improvement in the way we use our time? Are my expectations

on myself to high for my season in life? Keep your

priorities straight and make changes to your routine to help

you use your time as wisely as possible.

Copyright: Crystal Miller, 2005

About the Author:

Crystal Miller ( mailto:crystal@thefamilyhomestead.com) is

a mother of 8 children and enjoys her God given role as

wife, homemaker and mother! She has a homemaking and country

living web site called The Family Homestead

http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com

and has a free

monthly newsletter called Homestead Happenings. You will

find sign up information on her website.

Homeschooling......are you ready yet?

2010-08-07T20:00:00.003-05:00

For any of you who said no well I can join the crowd! This was a sort of last minute decision and I will be home schooling my 3 oldest children, DS 14 9th grade, DD 12 7th grade and DS 8 3rd grade! Plus I will have DD 2yrs old and DS 8mths old to contend with as well! I am super excited and have been fluttering around like a busy bee joining groups, finding sites, scouring ebay for books etc! I feel so blessed to be able to finally do this :)

Will post more later as I am getting dinner on the table, the guys had a late fishing trip :)

Marriage.....I had to share something I read today!

2010-08-03T08:33:00.005-05:00

MARRIAGE

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.

Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly.

She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why?

I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company.

She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane.

When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day.

She requested that every day for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife's divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside
The door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me.

On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily.

Suddenly it hit me... She had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy.

I drove to office.... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind...I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart.

Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.

At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead.
My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we pushed thru with the divorce.-- At least, in the eyes of our son--- I'm a loving husband....

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

If you don't share this, nothing will happen to you.

If you do, you just might save a marriage.
Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

A CHRIST-CENTERED MARRIAGE IS A MARRIAGE THAT IS SURE TO LAST A LIFETIME.

So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate. Matthew 19:6

Children and allowances..... Yes or No?

2010-07-26T08:30:00.005-05:00

As a mom I often hear my kids talking about how other children get allowances. My children how ever do NOT get one, so that leads to the question of should children get an allowance or not?

My oldest 3 children are 8, 12, and 14 so they do like to have money to spend as all kids do. But I have noticed that they don't want to do anything to get that money! They have been given chores and told if they want allowance then they have to do those items in order to get "paid". But then I thought why should they get paid for doing things that they should already be doing? I mean the children should help the parents around the house right? This is something that me and my husband struggle with and probably always will seeing as how my youngest children at just 2yrs and the other is 7mths old :) I did recieve an allowance when I was growing up, $2.50 a wk, and let me tell you I earned every penny! I dusted, ironed, did dishes every night, swept the floors, mopped floors, and also during the summer I got up early, 6am, and helped pick and can etc everything we grew in our large garden! So boy did I ever earn my $2.50!

I however do not think children should get paid for watching tv, playing video games, or hanging out with their friends, which is all my kids seem to want to do now a days. I live in a small town, population approx 6,000, and the other childrens habits have definitely rubbed off onto my children. Before we moved in town my kids had no problem doing their "chores", now all I hear is how so and so doesn't have to do chores and they get $20 a week.

So I figured out my reasons of why my kids don't and probably won't get an allowance

1. giving 3 children even $5 a week would be a stretch to our budget

2. They don't do anything to earn an allowance

3. They waste money when they do get even $1 (on silly things like noise making putty!)

4. They will never learn "work ethic"

SO with all of that said I am going to work on a chore chart and assign prices to each chore and then proceed to hand them their chore folders that will contain chores for each day. If they feel the need to earn money after working for it then the chore chart will be there for them :)

With a note to let them know that they will only be paid if the "job" is done all of the way. Not by sweeping the floor and pushing all of the trash into a corner, because that job is NOT done!

Hopefully this will work...... time will tell :)

Back from my "new baby" break :)

2010-07-17T09:21:00.003-05:00

Well I am FINALLY back.... I took 7mths off to bond and spend time with the new baby and to help my little Miss Emma adjust to having a little baby around the house :)

We recently returned home from a trip to NC, where I am from, and my how times change.... but more on that later :)

I plan on doing alot of new things here on my blog....now that I finally have the time. My poor little blog page has been so neglected so its time to devote some time to it daily from now on!

I hope everyones summer is going well! Today is my oldest sons birthday, he is 14 so I am off to spend the day with him :)

New Years Menu...a Southern Tradition!

2009-12-31T12:02:00.000-06:00

Well being from North Carolina I grew up with a traditional New Years Eve meal!

Black Eye Peas, Turnip or Collard Greens and Cornbread! It just wasn't right to bring in the New Year without those 3 things on the menu! Black eye peas represent good health and the greens represent money and well you just have to have cornbread with those two things :) I cheat and make cornbread from the packages at the store, my cornbread just doesn't turn out all that good if I try to make homemade corn bread!

You can buy canned black eye peas or make your own from dried peas (which is what we do for the sake of saving a bit of money). Greens can be made many different ways as well. Below are my two recipes I use for both items...

Black Eye Peas

1 onion chopped and sauted

1 teaspoon of minced garlic

1 teaspoon of salt

2 cups of dried peas

8 cups of water

1 ham hock or fat back

After you saute the onions and garlic add peas and water, Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Turn off and let sit for 1 hour. Then cook on medium low heat for 3 hours. If the peas start to dry out, add boiling water to the pot *Cold water will make the peas crack an turn to mush.

Southern Greens

How to Wash Collard Greens

Fill clean sink 2/3 full with cold water. Immerse greens, in batches, in water; swish greens gently to remove any grit.

Makes: 12 servings, about 2/3 cup each

3 pounds fresh collard greens

12 slices Bacon, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups water

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper

WASH collard greens, removing all grit. Remove and discard hard stems. Place greens together in small bunches; roll up. Cut crosswise into wide strips; set aside.

COOK bacon in large skillet on medium heat to desired crispness. Remove bacon from skillet with slotted spoon, reserving 3 tablespoons of the drippings in skillet. Set bacon aside. Add onion and garlic to drippings; cook and stir until tender.

ADD greens, water, sugar, salt and crushed red pepper to skillet. Reduce heat to low; simmer 45 minutes to 1 hour or until greens are tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in bacon.

Our new little one arrived....early!

2009-12-31T11:19:00.000-06:00

Isaac made his arrival 5wks early but he is doing very well! He was taken to St Louis Cardinal Glennon Hospital after he was born where he spent almost a week. He was able to come home on Christmas Day though and has been doing wonderful! He is now up to 7lbs which is AWESOME for a little preemie born 5wks early! We are so blessed to have him, and our other 4 children!

New Years Resolutions?

2009-12-31T11:15:00.002-06:00

Ok so of course I want to lose weight (I just had a baby) we definitely need to save money (who doesn't lol) and more of the other "typical" New Years Resolutions.... But you wanna know what mine are?

1. BE MORE RELAXED

2. Quit trying to make my house look like one from magazine pages!

3. HAVE FUN with my kids more

4. Make my home welcoming by decorating it with things we love, not whats in "style"

5. Remember to be more grateful for what I do have and not envious of what I don't have!

I think these are pretty simple resolutions, though we do plan to pay off bills, save more money and I plan to tone back up. I am not making those things a "focus" for me, they will happen when they happen :)

Twas' a country Christmas Eve....

2009-12-16T14:21:00.001-06:00

The pond was froze over & so was the branch.

The snow was piled up belly-deep to a mule.

The kids were all home on vacation from school,

And happier young folks you never did see-

Just all sprawled around a-watchin' TV.

Then suddenly, some time around 8 o'clock,

There came a surprise that gave them a shock!

The power went off, the TV went dead!

When Grandpa came in from out in the shed

With an armload of wood, the house was all dark.

"Just what I expected," they heard him remark.

"Them power line wires must be down from the snow.

Seems sorta like times on the ranch long ago."

"I'll hunt up some candles," said Mom. "With their light,

And the fireplace, I reckon we'll make out all right."

The teen-agers all seemed enveloped in gloom.

Then Grandpa came back from a trip to his room,

Uncased his old fiddle & started to play

That old Christmas song about bells on a sleigh.

Mom started to sing, & 1st thing they knew

Both Pop & the kids were all singing it, too.

They sang Christmas carols, they sang "Holy Night,"

Their eyes all a-shine in the ruddy firelight.

They played some charades Mom recalled from her youth,

And Pop read a passage from God's Book of Truth.

They stayed up till midnight-and, would you believe,

The youngsters agreed 'twas a fine Christmas Eve.

Grandpa rose early, some time before dawn;

And when the kids wakened, the power was on.

"The power company sure got the line repaired quick,"

Said Grandpa - & no one suspected his trick.

Last night, for the sake of some old-fashioned fun,

He had pulled the main switch - the old Son-of-a-Gun!

-anonymous

Simplifying Christmas.... Day 7 Simple Gift Ideas

2009-12-09T08:22:00.012-06:00

Heart of a Mommy's Blog... Check it out here!

This has been such a fun journey and it was started by Heart of a Mommys Blog so be sure to check out her posts as well as those linked through the MeMe she is hosting!

Well I will be honest, this year as of Christmas day I will officially be 36 wks pregnant and I have not made many gifts at all! I have been on bed rest with pre-term labor since 20 weeks so that has not allowed me much time to be up and around getting supplies etc to make any gifts. So this year my gift giving will be a bit more complicated than usual :( but I am still going to do my best to be "simple" about my gifts. I really don't like the comment of "we can't afford it" because even if we offer our time there is always SOMETHING we can afford for every person/family on our list's. Even if we just make a pan of brownies or cookies I am sure they will appreciate it, I know I personally LOVE getting homemade gifts!

Here are a few simple gift giving ideas I have used or seen over the years-

1- Make up your own gift baskets. These can be so simple to make up! Grab a couple of cheap baskets throughout the year from thrift stores or yard sales and store them for closer to Christmas time. Or you could even pick up a few of the cookie tins that many thrift stores have.... I know ours has TONS of them for only 10 cent each! You could add crackers, pop corn, hot chocolate, coffee, cheese, fruits, nuts, homemade goodies etc! The list is endless as to what you can make up!

2- Do you sew? Well if so the possibilites are ENDLESS as to the awesome gifts you can make! I have found tons of FREE craft/sewing ideas online... just Google whatever you are looking for and more than likely you can find a free pattern out there somewhere online for it :)

3- Gifts in a Jar anyone... this one, for me, takes a bit of planning ahead of time. I don't like to use jars that have been used by someone else for sanitation issues so I buy new jars if I plan on doing this. Well I have found that the best time of year to buy jars is around gardening time. Here at our local farm supply place I can get 12 of them for $4.49 if I keep an eye on their sales paper they send out. This is a quick easy gift and you can always pretty up the jars! Add a piece of material to the top of the jar and tie it with some raffia or ribbon. Or you can even go all out and print out a label for your jars and add those along with a large bow, and a small kitchen utensil (often found at $1 stores!). Again Google can help us out here as there are TONS and TONS of Gift in a Jar Recipes... check out this site for Gifts from Your Kitchen I have it set as one of my homepages when IE starts on my computer :)

4- Homemade toys for kids.... these are so much fun to make, no matter what you end up making! You can again find tons and tons of free patterns and ideas online for homemade "toys" for kids! One thing that is fun, easy and 2 gifts in one are I Spy blankets! You can buy lots of different already cut quilt squares now on ebay, or even buy the material and cut them yourself. But all it takes is some 5in quilt squares and some batting (or even 2 layers of flannel for the middle) and a little sewing know how. These little lap quilts are great for long trips because parents can tell the kids things to look for and they can search right there on their own little quilt... Here is a kit a friend of mine recently bought on ebay to give you an idea of the type of fabrics that are used to make them.

Gift giving can be really simple, we don't have to spend $50 per person to make a gift be "thoughtful" or "meaningful" to the receiver.

Be sure to hop over to Heart of a Mommys blog and join the Meme and share a link to your posts!!! We would LOVE to see all of your Simplifying Christmas ideas!

Simplifying Christmas....Simple Family traditions...

2009-12-07T16:19:00.000-06:00

Day 6 of Simplifying Christmas...following along with the meme started on Heart of a Mommy's Blog

What are some of your simple family traditions? Now that my kids are getting older some of the things they found "So Fun" when they were little are getting a bit boring to them :( So I try to think of new and exciting things each year to keep them excited about the holidays. Some of our Christmas traditions are

Our Christmas traditions start out with the parade welcoming Santa into town. And next with the first Saturday of December when the kids get to go to the church and have Breakfast with Santa :) They serve pancakes and orange juice, the have craft tables set up and the kids get to talk to Santa.

Then the following day, the first Sunday of December we put out our table top nativity set. I have one of those cheap little round tables from the Dollar General store that I drape a red table cloth over and we set the nativity scene on that table in the corner of the dining room.

They are very simple traditions, and hopefully we will add some more to our Christmas season here...but what we do is definitely simple :)

On Christmas Eve the kids get to open one gift, and they always know that it will be PJ's :)

On Christmas Day in order to make the unwrapping of gifts take a little longer (great for families like ours who do not get each child lots of gifts) we play a game using a deck of cards. My husband shuffles the cards very well and then each child gets to draw a card. The person with the highest card gets to open a present, but the person with the lowest card can say if they get a big or little present to open :) We started this one year when we did not have many gifts and the kids LOVED it and request it every year.
We don't have many food based family traditions I guess... I do let the kids make Chrismtas cookies each year all on their own, even though they do make quite a mess lol! We have done that every year now since we have moved into our house we live in now so thats probably the only real food based tradition we do. I bake alot in the winter time as it is, and all 3 of the older kids love to make a mess in the kitchen :)
Here is a picture of them from their first year making cookies...

and let me just say my how they have grown from them until now!

Busy getting ready for the holiday...

2009-12-04T16:00:00.002-06:00

Heart of a Mommy's Blog Be sure to check out her Simplifying Christmas Meme she is hosting! It's an AWESOME IDEA!!!!!! and We are definitely going with that in our home this year! So be sure to check back every day for new posts about Simplifying Christmas

So I have been thinking about some more simple ways to celebrate Christmas here at our home. And my main focus right now is getting a tree and getting it decorated :) I do put up a Christmas Tree every year as all 4 of the kids enjoy a tree and they are all still young. This year we are doing a Candy Land theme for Christmas!

It is so simple and so SWEET! We are getting a tree for free from an old closed down Christmas Tree farm, we just have to do some looking to find one thats the right size and full enough. It will probably resemble the Charlie Brown Christmas tree LOL but that is perfectly ok with us :)

Tonight me and my husband are going to browse some stores to see what items we can find that are needful items for the kids. Needful items are socks, under wear, PJ's, clothing etc not toys or other things that will be forgotten after 10mins of play ;) Plus it's nice for us to be able to get out for a bit, though we are taking E (my 18mth old) with us. She is stuck to her mommy like glue lately, which is just fine with me because I know one day she won't want to even hug me... just part of them growing up. And with Isaacs arrival date, Jan 23rd, getting closer and closer this may be one of the few times I am able to get out before he makes his arrival :)

Now back to my simple Christmas plans.....

I found some styrofoam balls in my craft stash along with some popsicle sticks so those will be turned into lollipop ornaments (pics coming soon!) and I also found a walmart bag full of mardi gras beads someone gave us that will be turned into Christmas tree bead garland. I picked up some bright colored candy canes to hang on the tree, for decoration as well as treats for the kids. For along the walk way I plan to make some lollipops out of styrofoam and wooden dowels, and I will be sharing that craft as well this coming Monday so be sure to keep an eye out! This Saturday is another traditonal day for our family as we go to the Breakfast with Santa at our local church. This year they are taking canned items for the food pantry and each of the kids will take in two cans of food to donate. As part of another family tradtion this coming Sunday we will be putting up the table top nativity set, we do this each year on the first Sunday of December. It is nothing fancy, just a simple nativity set, but then again the place where Jesus was born was nothing fancy either :)

Blessings to everyone and I wish you a wonderful Weekend! I will be back tomorrow with more on our Simple Christmas!

Simplifying Christmas....

2009-11-23T11:51:00.000-06:00

Heart of A Mommy's Blog

I saw the link to this in the Econobusters Newsletter from "Molly Green" and I had to go take a look! Well with 4 kids I am ALL ABOUT making Christmas easy for us! I think Christmas, like most other holidays, should be about family and traditions but with 4 kids who "want" things. I remember when I was younger my stocking had an apple, orange, some nuts, a candy cane and a pair of gloves :) I was delighted with those things.... and I loved the handmade doll I got when I was 4 and her handmade clothes and blanket. And the next year I got a "barbie" doll house my grandpa made his self and it was furnished with all handmade wooden furniture he made as well. My grandma sewed curtains for all of the rooms along with cushions for all of the furniture and sheets etc! It was the BEST Christmas present EVER!!!!!!!!!!!! I loved to get homemade Christmas presents when I was younger.... but to some people now-a-days seem to turn their noses up at homemade Christmas presents. Granted I am 29 I would still love to get a homemade doll LOL!

So with that said I thought that joining in on the Simplifying Christmas idea would be PERFECT for us!

Be sure to check out the link below the picture above so you too can sign up to join!

Well my hubby had his week vacation...and now I am back :)

2009-11-23T10:50:00.001-06:00

Well my husband M had his week long winter vacation :) We didn't go anywhere but instead stayed home so he could work on the addition. Our home has come a LONG LONG way from being the very 80's looking home we bought in February 2006. No longer are the walls covered in paneling and wall paper with colors of blue and mauve. Long gone are the gold fixtures in the bath room and the very very tiny kitchen that meant the dining room would have to house our stove and fridge. And once the addition is done we will have 4 bedrooms instead of just 2, and with baby #5 on the way we DEFINITELY need those 2 extra bedrooms! Not to mention that the oldest 3 kids will be upstairs and me and my hubby and the 2 little ones will be done stairs in the new part of the house. AND the best part..... I will FINALLY get to have a regular full size washer and dryer! I have been here with a very small stacked one piece apartment style washer and dryer combo and oh how nice it will be to finally be able to do a whole load of laundry at once! And the best part of all of what we have accomplished is knowing that we did IT ALL ourselves! I knew a bit about wood working since my grandpa owned his own business when I was growing up, and I spent pretty much every summer going to work with him when I was little. And the demolition part was easy too! I mean I had no problem ripping out paneling, walls, flooring etc. But when it came to hanging new drywall, taping and mudding it and sanding I was scared to death! Not to mention plumbing, laminate wood floor installation, carpet installation and more. And I learned quickly how to figure out the square foot of any space as well (who knew it was SO easy to figure out LOL)

And once the addition is done my oldest daughter B will have her VERY OWN ROOM complete with her very own Queen size bed! She is only 11 but has pretty much always had to share a room with one of her brothers so this will be an extra special occasion for her as well! Once me and my hubby get moved out of that room I am going to block it off so that she can't see it until I am completely done re-decorating it so that she has a TOTALLY new room! We have already added new drywall, paint, carpet and new ceilings so I will just have to make it personalized for her. It has been a long adventure but a fun one! I will post some pictures later once I get them uploaded :)

And as so many of us know Thanksgiving is drawing very near... today I made sure to get the turkey out so it could thaw out and I decided on my menu. It will just be me, my husband and our 4 kids so I don't have to cook a whole lot because otherwise I would have left overs for a month! But there are some of us that like corn pudding and some who don't so that leads to 2 different corn dishes...and so on :)

~Our Thanksgiving Menu~

Turkey (of course)

Stuffing

Gravy

Mashed Potatoes

Green Beans cooked with bacon and onions

Corn Pudding

Whole Kernel corn

Sweet Yeast Rolls

Pumpkin Pie

Apple Crisp

Yummy milk to drink

We are going out this coming weekend to find a tree to put up for Christmas so that I have time to put away all of the Fall - Thanksgiving decor. Which is a whole other topic...but let me say I am having a VERY hard time deciding on Christmas decor! ALL of ours got ruined last year due to water leaking into the large tote I had it all stored in. The kids had been in the storage room and knocked the lid off and a bad wind storm led to some loose shingles and well you pretty much know the rest :(

So this year I have to get new everything!

Well its almost 11am and my time is up here on the computer. I have some things to get done....I really think I got LESS done last week with my husband home than I normally do so I have to play catch up this week.... Of course Thanksgiving is already going to make it hectic so it will be VERY busy!

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

~Brandi~

Decorating on a Shoestring Budget

2009-11-05T14:14:00.000-06:00

Decorating on a Shoestring Budget is a post I found on Econobusters website/blog and oh honey it is just the most addorable laundry area! Please click on the link above to head over and take a look!
She did a wonderful job!

WOW! Walmart has Halloween things marked down 75%

2009-11-05T07:10:00.000-06:00

This is our house decorated for Halloween!

So I went to Walmart yesterday to do some grocery shopping and I was surprised to see their Halloween items marked down to 75% off already! They didn't have much along the lines of candy left, but I did manage to get some of the bags of the pumpkins, that remind me of candy corn :) Our local school doesn't have Halloween parties, but instead Fall Festivals the second week of November so I will be sending the pumpkins with my son for his class. I didn't need to buy any candy anyway as I had bought 2 walmart bags full to hand out to Trick Or Treaters and well living on a dead end street has its dis advantages because we only got 4 visitors the whole night :(

A friend of mine picked up 8 costumes for my little Miss E so that she can play dress up. So for those who don't celebrate Halloween they still have some VERY cute costumes that your little ones can use as dress up clothes! I know alot of people don't think of this, but I called and ask her and well all together she bought 27 costumes to use as dress up outfits LOL! They had doctors, princesses, lady bugs, pumpkins and more so check out the Halloween aisle for some super cheap dress up clothes!

Carving our Jack O Lantern Mr Z, Miss B, and Miss E in her TuTu

Raindy Days Weather....and the flu :(

2009-10-29T23:09:00.000-06:00

Well the weather here has been rain rain and more rain! It has rained all week, sometimes a slow drizzle and other times a steady down pour. The kids are tired of being cooped up in the house all week as well as the fact that we have not been able to do much regarding outdoor activities either. We were supposed to go on a Nature Walk/Fall Scavenger Hunt as well as gather leaves for leaf rubbings, but with so much rain we haven't been able to do any of that. I did manage to find some great sites with some printable lap book activities and coloring pages for them as well as some fall stationary for writing practice.

I also found this lovely blog Frugal Family Fun Blog with a great idea to make an awesome Autumn Tree Suncatcher craft! All you need is some clear contact paper, tissue paper, construction paper, scissors, and your creativity! She has TONS of frugal crafting ideas on her blog and my kids have picked out a few already that we plan to make :)

I am still not back to feeling 100% while dealing with the H1N1 flu, and I am sure being pregnant makes it a little harder for me to get rid of the "flu bug" that is hanging on tight! Emma is not feeling well either, so I have been trying to make her feel comfy, which means she gets to lay on mommys lap pretty much all day :)

Sweet Blessing Bum Genius Cloth Diaper Giveaway at Econobusters!

2009-10-22T08:16:00.003-05:00

As many know I am all about being GREEN! And I have baby #5 on the way so I was DELIGHTED to see this giveaway in the Econobusters Newsletter! Be sure to check it out, you could win a 3 pack of Bum Genius Diapers!

http://www.econobusters.com/?p=3077

I love this time of year!

2009-10-20T00:28:00.004-05:00

I am not sure what it is about this time of year but I would be completely happy if it stayed like this year round! They have a movie on Disney channel on TV called Halloweentown, well I wish I could find Autumntown and move there LOL! I love the colors, the smells, the sights of the leaves changing just every thing! I mean who can resist a smile when you see the beauty of the changing colors on trees, and grinning jack o lanterns on front porches paired with jolly scare crows! Alot of people are re charged by Spring but not me, Fall is my time of year. It seems to really perk me up way more than any other time of year. I don't think it has much to do with the idea of the holidays that will follow, because well those are just stressful if you ask me.

I love to go walk around stores and look at the interesting pumpkins and gourds, all of the beautiful mums in their glorious colors, oh and lets not forget the lanes at stores that have all of the Fall tableware! Oh I could just live on that lane alone :) Just the other day I was out our local farm/builing supply store here in town, ughhhh we were buying shingles for the addition we are building, anyway back to happy thoughts! Ok well they had yellow mums for .99 each, yes thats all!!!! They were 6 in pots so it was a pretty good price....only problem is that I personally do not like the yellow ones because you have to constantly dead head them, otherwise they aren't so pretty, so I didn't get any of them. I did however think of a cute idea, which I *might* try this year. They have TONS and TONS of pumpkins for sale at the store here for only $1.99 ea and they are quite big! So I was looking at them wondering how I could use a few of them to decorate besides the typical carved pumpkin way. Well I thought about cutting the top off, digging out the insides and just plopping a potted mum inside of it! Now granted I am sure I am NOT the first person to think of this idea....I haven't seen it done, yet that is, so I might give it a try this year, maybe closer to Thanksgiving, or atleast after the price of mums go down some.

I have to get my little Emma up and ready for our day now, but I will post some Frugal Fall Decorating ideas in a bit. She has a doctors appt. today at 10am, so NO FUN at all because she has to get immunizations :(

Time Wasters for Women?

2009-10-14T16:22:00.000-05:00

We as women, wifes and mothers have so many things to do during the day. What can you think of that is a "time waster" for you? Maybe it's Tv, the computer/internet, the telephone? For me it tends to be all 3 at times, and I admit that sadly :( What could we be doing with that time? What joy could we be bringing into our families life?

That is going to be my focus from now on. Identifying the "time wasters" in my life and slowly but surely getting rid of them! It may be hard, but I know I can do it :)

Daily Scripture

2009-08-10T14:36:00.005-05:00

Are you crafty?

2009-07-12T08:22:00.004-05:00

Have you been looking for a great place online to sell your items? Well then look no more! Check out ArtFire it's the place to sell your homemade crafts!
Register on ArtFire.com

The Knack(SM) - Where Kids Discover(SM) - Wood Letter on Canvas

2009-07-05T00:43:00.001-05:00

The Knack(SM) - Where Kids Discover(SM) - Wood Letter on Canvas

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Getting ready for the 4th of July!

2009-07-03T15:38:00.008-05:00

The pillow in the picture above is super easy to make and I will be featuring how to make that one, plus other holiday pillow wraps very soon!

HAPPY 4TH of JULY! well ok not quite yet lol :)

Sorry I have been away this week... I have been getting ready for a few things I would like to share with you all. I am also happy to announce that my camera will be back home today! YAY!!!!!!

1- I am going to college starting this Fall and I had to take my placement test to find out what level classes I should start out in plus meet with the counselor and the financial aid person. I am VERY excited to be going back to school and nervous all at once! My first day of class will be August 24th so I still have a ways before I actually start school.

2- I found out back in May that I was expecting baby #5 but wanted to wait until I heard the heart beat and knew things were going well before I shared it with everyone. SO baby #5 will be making his or her arrival to our family in January. This will be our last baby as my body is just not able to handle being pregnant anymore, and this time will be pusing the envelope so to say.

3- July is a VERY activity busy month for us, we have 3 birthdays to celebrate, our BIG 4th of July plans and my husband always takes his vacation in July.

So coming up we have my mother in laws significant others birthday, not sure how old he will be, but its on July 8th. My 29th birthday is on July 10th, and my oldest son, Matthew, will be 13 on July 17th!

Now about our 4th of July Celebration! It's not big compared to some celebrations I have been to by any means! Me and the kids make decorations and I make TONS of patriotic themed foods :) This year I thought for a while about what drink to make that everyone would enjoy and here is my idea.

4th of July Blast Lemonade!

1 container of pre-sweetened lemonade drink mix or

20 lemons for juicing and sugar to sweeten

pre made red (strawberry is the best) and blue kool aid poured intostar shaped (or regular shaped) ice cube trays and frozen

The night before- make up your kool aid in red and blue. Pour it into the

Make your lemonade to your own preference, we all like it differently, and I actually do prefer all fresh squeezed! Make up your lemonade in your pitchers and get your ice cubes popped out of the trays (I leave mine in a bowl in the freezer until ready to serve)

To serve- Pour your lemonade into glasses (I use clear plastic glasses with red and blue stars all over them) Add in 2 red and 2 blue ice cubes and garnish however you would like. You can add a sprig of mint and a thin slice of lemon to the edge of the glass if you would like.

These drinks are SO festive looking, and well they taste great too!

I will be back tomorrow to add pictures of my 4th of July celebration meal!

We are having burgers, hot dogs, homemade potatoe salad, pasta salad, cole slaw, chips, baked beans, apple pie, cherry cheese cake, strawberry shortcakes and of course our 4th of July Blast drinks!

Later in the evening before we go to watch fireworks we will have a weine roast for the kids and make smores! YUM!!!!!!!!!!

Wish Upon a Hero

2009-07-03T15:36:00.001-05:00

Wish Upon a Hero

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Well before I could post again...

2009-06-30T11:38:00.000-05:00

Before I got the chance to post the rest of my video for yogurt making my camera officially died! I have tried to charge it and NOTHING :( I have no clue what is wrong with it, but I am just heart broken. I have had my digital camera for a while now, well so long that the words are all rubbed off of it, and I just dont know what I will do without it....

It will be missed.... alot!

Menu Monday

2009-06-29T10:38:00.000-05:00

This weeks menu will be pretty simple as I have 2 appointments at the college 2 eves this week. Monday (today) I have my Compass testing and have to leave home at 5pm and then Thursday I have an appt at 6pm with a guidance counselor to get my test results from my testing and also set up a few things. OH and I also have my first doctors appt. on Thursday with my obstetrician.

MONDAY

Breakfast- Cheerios with fresh sliced strawberries and Orange Juice

Lunch- Bologna and Cheese sandwiches, Cheese puffs and homemade strawberry yogurt

Dinner- Crock Pot Sloppy Joes, tater tots and mac n cheese

TUESDAY

Breakfast- French Toast and scrambeled eggs

Lunch- PB&J sandwiches, celery sticks, homemade strawberry yogurt

Dinner- Spaghetti, Green Beans and Garlic Bread

More to come in a bit... I have to go look through my cabinets to see what we have!

Be back in just a bit!

~Brandi~

The start of my "living" kitchen...

2009-06-28T16:50:00.000-05:00

Well I have started turning my kitchen into a "living" kitchen! What is that? LOL!

Well the first thing I am starting with that will live in my kitchen is a Yogurt starter so that I can make my own yogurt. I have added a video of the first step of the process and will list the supplies that you will need as well.

Supplies to make your yogurt starter

Large 6qt crock pot
8 cups of whole milk (approx 1/2 a gallon) Pasteurized and Homogenized is fine, but do not use ultra-pasteurized.
1/2 C of plain full fat yogurt from the store. After you make this first batch of yogurt you can use the yogurt from your own homemade yogurt for this ingredient.

HOW TO MAKE IT

1. Pour the milk into a crock pot, and turn the crock pot on low. Leave it alone for 2 1/2 hours, cooking on low.

2. Turn the crock pot off, leaving the cover on, and let the milk sit for 3 hours.

3. Mix the yogurt starter into the milk thats still in your crock pot.

4. Put the lid on the crock pot, and then fold and put a heavy bath towel over the crock pot to insulate in the leftover heat (leave the crock pot turned off), and go to bed.

5. The next morning, you will have yogurt ready for storing in your crock pot. Home made yogurt is thinner than store-bought so the consistency will be a bit different

6. Pour the yogurt into a container, or clean sterilized canning jars, and put it into the fridge. Let the yogurt cool down to the fridge temp.

You can chop up some fruit and put it in the blender with the yogurt for a few seconds if you prefer. You can also sprinkle some of your home made granola on top of it as well :) (I will be adding a recipe for homemade granola very soon)

Here is the 1st part of the video on making your own yogurt-

Wanted to share a freebie site...

2009-06-28T07:04:00.000-05:00

Being a mom of soon to be 5 children, and not to mention being a mom on a budget I LOVE freebies! Hey who doesn't? So I thought I would share a site that I really enjoy with you all. I have had alot of luck with this site as they keep their freebie listings up to date as far as dead links etc.

Thunder FAP freebies (just click on the word freebies)

Sorry I am so behind on posts....

2009-06-26T20:42:00.000-05:00

Where does the time go to?

I have been so busy around the house lately that I haven't been online much to blog. The kids got a new pool, so that took about 3 days to put up because we had to get the area ready, plus get the chemicals balanced etc. Plus I went a de-cluttering spree, which isn't done yet, and I got rid of a van load of stuff we didn't need. Plus it has just been too hot for the kids to go outside so I have spent aot of time thinking of things for them to do inside.

My husband is taking vacation in July, the 10th through the 19th, so we went today to check out camping sites so we could pick the one that we want to camp in for a couple of days. We are also going to go to the Science Museum, St. Louis City Museum, Transportation Museum and the St. Louis Zoo while my husband is on vacation... so that will be a busy 9 days :)

This coming week I will be posting recipes for Yougurt as well as how to make your own cream cheese, butter and Peac Upside Down Cake (like in the picture above) YUM-E!

I should also be ready to start a new batch of Kefir this coming week so I will post information on Kefir as well. It is a very healthy "drink" to make... and my kids LOVE it.

I must get back to playing with the baby as she is letting me know she does NOT like to be ignored.

Have a Great Evening HUGS

Free Dunkin Donuts Coffee Sample!

2009-06-14T19:57:00.000-05:00

Ok so many who know me know I am a COFFEE lover! Well I found a free Dunkin Donuts Coffee Sample HERE!

Menu Planning Monday!

2009-06-08T15:45:00.000-05:00

Since today is Monday I always get my menus planned out on this day. It makes the rest of the week SO much easier! I don't plan the weekends until Thursday or Friday because I never know for sure what our plans will be.

Snacks for the week will be- rice pudding, pop corn, muffins, banana nut bread, home made donuts and/or fruit and veggies.

BREAKFAST

Tuesday- Cream of Wheat with Sausage Links

Wednesday- Baked Oatmeal

Thursday- Breakfast Casserole

Friday- Scrambled eggs and Sausage

LUNCH

Tuesday- Grilled Ham and Cheese Sandwiches Cucumber slices with ranch dressing

Wednesday- Roast Beef and gravy with mashed potatoes and corn as a side

Thursday- Raviolli and green beans

Friday- Left Overs from the weeks dinner

DINNER

Tuesday- Spaghetti, garlic bread and green beans

Wednesday- Baked Chicken, Stove top stuffing, corn, velvetta shells and cheese, homemade biscuits and apple cobbler.

Thursday- Kids Cook Night (they are still deciding on their menu)

Friday- Sub sandwiches, chocolate pudding, chips and 7 layer salad

Welcome to my new blog!

2009-06-05T14:06:00.000-05:00

Well I finally decided to start a blog! I know I am so far behind the ages it seems... I will introduce myself first :)

My name is Brandi, I am 28 and a SAHM to 4 children with #5 coming in January 2010. I have a 13yr old, 11yr old, 7yr old and a 1yr old so as you can imagine I am quite busy with them. I am going to try to make my blog look a little better, and have to figure out how to add a new template... and hope to get that done soon!

I am so excited to get to share my life as a stay at home mom and wife with all of you. Not to mention sharing my home making tips, recipes, cleaning tips and more!

Thank you all for reading!

~Brandi~