Still missing....

On July 4th, a new article came out about my cousin Melissa. Please read it & continue to pray for justice for our family. Here is the link:

Melissa Sue Flores

Mix it up!

Last time I posted, it was about saving money by menu planning. Today I'm posting about saving money & TIME by making up quick & easy mixes. There are lots of ways to do this, but I've focused mainly on breakfast items. I am not a morning person, so any way I can make things easier is great. All you have to do, is spend a few minutes mixing your dry ingredients into plastic bags. And don't forget to label them! Here are a couple yummy links you might want to try: Multi Grain Blueberry Pancakes & Basic Pancakes. Muffins are another great make ahead mix item. I personally like these. I also have Baked Oatmeal as a mix. Here is my recipe:

1 1/2 cups seven grain rolled cereal blend
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 (heaping) teaspoons cinnamon
1 cup total of dried cherries & dried cranberries
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 handful of chocolate chunks
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2-3 eggs

1. Combine dry ingredients in an ungreased 8x8 pan.
2. In a small bowl, mix together remaining ingredients.
3. Pour wet over dry & mix thoroughly.
4. Bake @ 350* for 40 minutes.

A blueberry story....

This is where I spent 2 hours this morning

picking 8 quarts of these
while my children played in the van because they didn't want to help.

Do you menu plan?

We are a one income family & my husband gets paid once a month. Needless to say, we have a tight grocery budget. One of the ways I've recently incorported frugality into our life, is to menu plan. I sit down once a week and plan what we will eat for dinner. Sometimes I even plan 2-3 weeks at a time. I look at the grocery store ad to see what's on sale, then go to my freezer & pantry to see what in there, & this time of year, I look at what's fresh from my CSA, my garden or at the farm market. Once I know what's on sale and what I have on hand, I start making a list of what I'll need for each meal. So, what does my menu look like? Here's a sample:

(I started this week on Tuesday with an easy meal, because I was out of town for the holiday.)

T ~ grilled cheese & tomato soup with applesauce
W ~ black bean chili w/ gluten free cornbread & fruit
> peach** cobbler for dessert <
R ~ grilled chicken & asparagus* & pears**
F ~ spinach* lasagna & salad* w/ pears**
Sa ~ country sweet chicken pizza w/ broccoli & onions
Su ~ hamburgers*** & macaroni salad w/ peaches**
M ~ cajun rubbed pork chops*** w/ roasted potatoes & onions &
applesauce.

I actually did another week & a half, but I figured you'd get the picture.
What do the * represent?
* = something from the CSA
** = something I preserved last year
*** = meat that I purchased in bulk straight from a farmer. (We buy 1/2 a pig & 1/4 beefalo ~ another way to save money.)

So, that is my menu planning strategy. I hang my completed menu on the fridge so I can readily see it. I just use a spiral notebook, but there are some worksheets that may help you plan easily. They can be found here. I also try to take out the meat I'm using to thaw in the fridge once I get things planned. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment & I'll try to answer your inquiry. Happy Meal Planning!

Does this make me famous?

My friend Stephanie linked my blog to hers. Does that make me famous? LOL! I've linked other people's blogs to mine, but I've never been on the receiving end before! And all because of a recipe from a different blog!

Eating Better ~ Recipe Review 2

So, I decided to try a another recipe from the cookbook Deceptively Delicious. This time I tried the Peanut Butter & Banana Muffins. These muffins are made with either carrot or cauliflower puree. I chose the later. Cauliflower is an excellent source of vitamin C & is one of the veggies that help fight cancer. Plus, I love it ~ raw, steamed, roasted ~ anyway you please! Now I love it with peanut butter! I don't think I'm allowed to share the recipe, but it's easy & straight forward. The muffins are yummy & they melt in your mouth. They seem to be a little on the crumbly side, though, so you'll want to have a plate or napkin nearby. If you'd like to try the recipe, you can borrow my book or check it out at the library.

Happy Birthday To My Firstborn!

Today is Ian's 5th birthday! I cannot believe how the time has flown! God made me move out of my comfort zone when He blessed us with a boy ~ what was I going to do with a boy?!? I've learned to look at bugs, dig in the dirt & spend time with the cows at the farm; not to mention that I can name most of the different kinds of tractors! It has been a joy to watch him grow & learn. I can't believe he'll be starting kindergarten this fall! Anyway! Here are some pics to look at:

May 4, 2005

May 2006

May 2007

May 2008

(for the record, he asked for pink frosting!)

May 2009

May 2010

It's a special day!

Happy Birthday Mom! Love you so much! Thanks for all you've done, do & will do! (Happy Earth Day, too!)

Addison's 2 Yr Checkup

Everything looks great for Addison. She's 26 lbs & 35 1/4 in. The dr. said she's tall for her age, ranging in the 90th percentile. I think she's going to be built like her daddy. Tall & thin, which is just fine.

Happy Birthday Baby!

Today is our baby girl's 2nd birthday! Happy Birthday Addison! Love you so much!

March 2010

March 2009

March 2, 2008Thank you God for this beautiful blessing!

2 months?

Really? It's been almost 2 months since I posted? What have we been doing?

For the most part we've been preschooling, going to church and visiting with family. We went to visit my grandma in Potsdam in January to celebrate Christmas with her. I love seeing her & the way her face lights up when my kids charge into the room! We don't get to visit nearly enough. Please pray for her, as we have been noticing early signs of dementia. Her mother died from Alzheimer's 14 years ago, so it's probably hereditary. We also just passed the 3 year mark for my missing cousin, Melissa. There had seemed to be some recent findings in her case, but nothing has come of it so far. My aunt Bobbi has cancer again, as well. It started in her colon, moved to her liver & now is in her lung & colon again. We're praying they caught it all early, but it does mean more surgeries & chemo. Maybe radiation, too. She's still working on obtaining health insurance as well. My cousin Denise, just had a (big!) beautiful baby boy named Trent! We're so excited for her, Craig & their likewise beautiful girls.

Also, Keith & I have been facilitating a run through of Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover with our ABF at church. It's been a great process. We have learned a lot about our finances, and have been able to help our group work through theirs as well. Personally we're about to embark on Baby Step #2!

We've also been thinking about Kindergarten for Ian (I KNOW!!!). It's coming up fast! We have really enjoyed sending him to St. Paul's Lutheran in Batavia for preschool & have decided to continue sending him there next year. He had "visit Kindergarten day" this past Wednesday & he was so excited. It seems that most of his current class will be joining him again in the fall. We also ran into some friends who are also thinking about sending their son to SPL. I'll post a picture of VKD. (Ian's in the back left corner; green shirt.)

60

Happy 60th Birthday to my Dad! Love you MOSTEST!

Darn Computer!

We finally got a (semi) new computer. Our old one had a wierd virus & was hard to fix, so my parents gifted their old one to us. This one is working beautifully, or so I thought. Apparently, I cannot upload photos to facebook for some reason. It keeps saying "cannot find page". Any ideas why?

New Year!

Happy 2010 to all! I missed the ushering in of the year, with the whole ball drop thing. I was sick & sleeping, so I hope it was a wonderful thing for those of you who made it til midnight. Blessings for what God will bring you this year. Make it count.