Homesteader wanna be

foodie shopping & Father's Day gifts

Before the rains came thundering in today the kids and I made a trek to the Amish Store. It’s been 2 months since our last trip and it could have waited a couple of weeks except for some necessary items for Father’s Day.

Here’s what we bought:

Regular Purchases:
1 lb. Farmer’s Cheese $3.22
2- 1 lb. pkgs. Butter @ $1.79 each
2- 10 oz. pkgs Smok~y Links @ $1.39 each
6 lbs Cheddar Cheese $12.62
Throat Coat Tea $4.49
Bigelow’s Lemon Tea $2.19
2 lbs. Whipped Topping Mix $3.79
.5 lb. Cheddease Powder $2.18
2 Cans Soup @ 55 cents each (Cheddar & Split Pea)
1.5 lbs. Dried Cherries $6.73
Total Regular Purchases: $42.68

Non-Grocery Purchases:
Cabin Crunch Snack Mix $5.64 (Father’s Day- Dad-in-law)
2 lbs. Vanilla Ice Cream mix $7.34 (Mr. Steady- Father’s Day)
1 lb. Dutch Chocolate Ice Cream mix $3.69 (Mr. Steady- Father’s Day)
19 oz. Apple BBQ Sauce $2.89 (My Dad- Father’s Day)
Toothpaste- for kids $1.50
Battery operated toothbrush (for Mr. C) $1.50
Flower hankie (gift for niece) 49 cents
3 wooden word blocks (gifts) @ $1.49 each
2 card making kits (1 gift- 1 for kids) @ $1.59 each
Total Non-Grocery Purchases: $30.70
plus tax: $.78 = $31.48

Splurge Purchases:
3 cartons of Chocolate Milk @ 35 cents each
1 pkg cowtails candy 49 cents
1 pkg. 8 in. baked pizza crusts (4 crusts) $1.99
5 lbs. Cooked Bacon Crumbles $24.95
Total Splurge Purchases: $28.48
Total Spent: $102.64
Total Spent on Groceries: $71.16

Today’s grocery purchases came from the Squirrel Fund- shopping at the Amish Store is one of the main reasons I started the Squirrel Fund.
Some day I will price calculate what the price difference is between purchasing 1 lb. of cooked & crumbled bacon vs. doing it myself- but for now, this is a splurge Mr. Steady and I both agree on; we love to add bacon to so many different recipes. The milk, candy & pizza crusts were purchased for the kiddos- worthy splurges for such great helpers (and cheap splurges too!).
As you can see, I did my Father’s Day shopping at the Amish Store. Guys are so hard to buy for, at least in the frugal sense. I find it best to stick to foodie items. We don’t do big over the top gifts for Father’s Day here- mostly try to stay in the $10 price range.
However:
The kids bought Mr. Steady an ice cream maker (he’s really been wanting one) and so we had to purchase some ice cream mixes to go with it. Wow, are those things expensive! But who can resist such wonderful homemade ice cream!
Not me!

Question on food storage

The Fridge and finding my happy place

When life gives you lemons . . . .

Making lemonade from lemons.
It seems our problem just may be that the freezer froze and created large amounts of “snow” that may or may not have created frozen blockage that may or may not be preventing cool/cold air to get to the fridge below.
So- everything is out of the freezer and Mr. Steady is using my handiest kitchen gadget- the Pampered Chef scraper, to clean out the “snow”.
Reminder: This MAY work . . . .
and then again, it may not.
Praying.
Now to the lemonade part- The kids took the “snow” outside for a snowball fight. Not only that but they decided to put on winter coats.
Mr. Conductor looked adorable in his winter coat, too-small scarf, yellow rain boots and shorts. What an ensemble.
They had a blast and they all provided me with some much needed laughter to lighten the load.
Sigh.

You never know what you will find

You never know what you will find when you buy a used item.  I bought a dog collar on E-bay.  It came in a big blue I look over the item, interesting.  I look for directions and I find a bunch of old bank papers, savings accounts, money market and deposit slips.   I was able to call the seller and we talked.  He was so shocked that it had that stuff in the box, but happy too.  To find out his dad hid stuff. It was neat to talk to him.  I am mailing him a package with all the bank stuff to him.   I have asked him to call me when he gets the package so I know it got there safe.

You never know what you will find, mj

My fridge is registering at 60 degrees

Went to town and this is what I bought

Splurge Purchases:
1 pkg String Cheese $2.49
8 oz. Fresh Mozzarella $2.49
1 box Chewy Granola Bars $1.79
1 box Fruit & Grain Bars $1.89
100 ct. Freezer Pops $3.59 (that works out to 4 cents each)
Whipped Cream (in can) $1.39
64 oz. Cran-Raspberry Juice $2.29
Total spent on splurge purchases: $15.93
Total spent @ Aldi’s: $53.85

Total spent on Groceries @ Aldi’s: $48.63

Not a whole lot of what was purchased this trip was necessary to feed us this week- just items I had put on the list as being needed the next time we went to Aldi’s. Example: When we run out of ketchup in the fridge and I pull the “reserve” ketchup from the pantry, I write “Ketchup” on the Aldi’s Grocery list. This was our second trip to Aldi’s this month and I’m pretty sure we can make it through the rest of the month without going again.
The granola and fruit & grain bars are to take with us on softball game nites when the kids get the munchies. I’ve done the baked goods route before (oatmeal cookies or muffins) but have found myself feeding half the spectators when we do this- it seems that bringing homemade goodies draws everyone out while giving the kids a granola bar to satisfy their hunger pains doesn’t. [Not that I’m against sharing yummy homemade goodies but there never seems to be enough to go around and someone gets left out!]
Something else of note: since “retiring” I find myself baking a lot more and so I find myself in need of sugar and flour a lot more . . . . I am contemplating purchasing larger quantities and storing them in clean 5 gallon buckets. Is this a good idea?
Something else I’ve been pondering on- juice costs. If my kiddos are eating apples and strawberries and watermelon and such- I’m wondering if we can forgo juice at some meals. And besides- some of that “juice” isn’t really juice- only about 2% juice. The lemonade mixes have a quite a bit of sugar in them- not much better than Kool-aid. Mr. Steady and I are thinking we can have flavored water—water flavored with mint from the garden or limes or lemons (from the store) instead. We have decided we should try to have flavored water with at least 2 meals a week to start with and eventually increase it to 3 then 4 meals.
We’re looking to cut costs but also be healthier in the process.

Prayer needed 3x's over, what a weekend

I need to ask for prayer for for 3 family members.  We went my mom-in-laws birthday party at the lake on  a house boat.  We were to go out Saturday but because she broke her arm we rushed out on Friday.  We get there and we find out that Shannon's brother Mike is hurt.  I helped take care of him Friday night.  Saturday morning Mike is taken to the hospital , guess what to find out Mike broke his neck!!  We are waiting to see if he needs surgery. Then we get home and find out our nephew Justin who was sick the whole time has pneumonia.

I am asking for prayer for Darlene mom-in-law, broken arm.               Mike for his broken neck and for Justin for his pneumonia.

Next blog On seeing my father and Gods blessing.

God Bless, mj

Daily loaded with Benefits

Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits! Psalm 68:19

It’s glorious out today!
Just yesterday a friend asked me how “the resting” is going. I took a moment to think and told her quite truthfully that it is going quite well. I am learning to be still and enjoy simple things.
Like morning devotions with the kids.
Prayer rocks (post coming).
Sitting on a blanket in the shade with kids and books.
Going to the park.
Longer, deeper quiet times.
Finding days where I don’t feel at all pulled in to get on the computer or online.
And so much more.
One other thing I’ve learned, even though it’s only been a few weeks since I quit . . . . I’ve found that right now I simply cannot multi-task to the level I once could. Handling days with more than a couple activities or trying to do 3 or 4 things at once swamps me with heavy overwhelming-ness. It tires me physically and emotionally. I have prayed about this and thought on it and I do believe that God has shown me that this is no longer necessary- I don’t have to do it and so he’s making it so I really don’t want to do it! He’s released me from the need to be constantly active in so many different ways and is teaching me how to “simply be” and because I have so much to learn He’s made it so it gives me a headache if I try and kick the speed up a notch or two.
When I first realized this it annoyed me. It was a pride thing- I took pride in doing and accomplishing so many different things at a time and doing it all well. I enjoyed and was energized from the challenges . . . . and now . . . .
Not so much.
I quickly got past the annoyance when I admitted the pride and asked God to forgive me for it and deliver me from it!
Now, I make adjustments as necessary- even on the fly. When I begin to feel swamped and overwhelmed, I re-evaluate what I’m doing and make changes. Sometimes that means saying No to a good thing- like going to the beach for the day with friends. Sometimes, I tell the family I need an hour of quiet time and I take it!
That’s been hardest- taking the time for those quiet moments God has made necessary for me. At first, I had a lot of guilt to overcome- overachiever guilt Mr. Steady often calls it- the guilt I felt that I needed the quiet time, that I should be doing anything but taking time away from all the things I need to be doing.
I am glad I talked with Mr. Steady about this when it was first bothering me. His response was that there wasn’t much of anything in my life that couldn’t wait or be put on hold for 60 minutes. Even supper. Besides, he stated, everyone would benefit from the momma being in a better frame of mind after a bit of a respite.
Such a smart, steady man.
So I continue to learn what this new normal is for me.
Eight years in ministry and the habits I formed within it is harder to “walk away from” than I thought.
However, I am enjoying these new challenges of learning to slow down and do less in more time . . . .
So opposite of what I’ve done for so long.
A good opposite.
This week I plan to tackle “the storage room” in bits and pieces.
Even in fits and starts.
I’ll concentrate on cleaning out one corner.
15 minutes at a time.
And if I only do one 15 minute segment in one day . . . .
I will be proud of what I accomplished.

Menu Plan June 15-21

Weekly Menu with Daily Costs

Notes: Our plans are up in the air for Father’s Day- so I really don’t know what my menu plan is for that day . . . . goes against the grain for me not to have a plan but I’m trying to be okay with it and be flexible. Also- we now have a Farmer’s Market in our little town on Friday evenings. I took a bit from the Squirrel Fund and we all biked down to the market last Friday nite. Our purchases: Cream Cheese Iced Cinnamon Rolls, cinnamon roll bread and a large bunch of Romaine lettuce; all for $8. PLUS- we’ve been blessed with strawberries- for free . . . . some from my parents and some from my brother (brother’s are homegrown).
Note also that I've added links to some recipes again- I got out of the habit and am trying to do better . . . . .

Monday
B: Iced Cinnamon Rolls
L: Diner Dinner
D: Salsa Beef Skillet dinner, salad
Dessert: @ my parents
Daily Cost: $4.32
Tuesday –Mr. Steady Softball nite
B: Iced Cinnamon Rolls (leftover)
L: Deluxe grilled cheese sandwiches, chips, pickle spears
D: Aunt Florence’s Casserole
Dessert: none
Daily Cost: $6.52
Wednesday
B: Oatmeal with fresh strawberries & brown sugar
L: Turkey & cheese wraps, chips
D: Pork chops with Mr. Steady’s favorite sauce, green beans, biscuits
Dessert: h’made ice cream sandwiches
Daily Cost: $7.24 [Note: pork chops-freebie]
Thursday
B: Choice: cereal or yogurt
L: chef salad or hot dog (for Mr. C)
D: Peppy Macaroni, salad
Dessert:  Root beer floats
Daily Cost: $7.55
Friday
B:  French Toast w/strawberries
L: diner dinner
D:  BLTs
Daily Cost: $4.26
Saturday
B: Daddy cook (eggs, bacon, toast, country potatoes)
L: Leftover Smorgasbord
D: with friends
Daily Cost: $3.00
Sunday – Father’s Day
B: Raspberry Cream Cheese Coffee Cake
L: No idea- I am budgeting $10
D: lunch leftovers
Daily Cost: $14.00
Beverages for the week:
Cherry Lemonade, Limeade, Milk (2.5 gal), Water, mint water
Cost: $6.79
Snacks for the week:
popsicles, Oreos, fruit, cinnamon bread
Approx. Cost: $3.39
Weekly Total: $57.07
~~ Don’t forget to check out the yummy menu ideas every Monday over at The Organizing Junkie’s blog. You just might find your next favorite family recipe!