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Thank you Lord for all our dirty laundry. When I wash them, I am reminded that you have been good enough to have provided me with a washing machine. There are many people in the world who still have to do laundry in the closest stream using rocks. Thanks you also for dirty, greasy work clothes. It means that you have provided me with a hard working husband who provides well for our family. I also thank you for food splattered aprons, which reminds me you have provided us with healthy food for our family to eat. I’m especially thankful for the muddy and dirty play clothes, it shows me that I have two healthy and hearty boys who are growing up to be real men some day. I thank you for everything Father, the good and the bad, the fun and the not-so-fun…because I know that you hand is in all things and everything works for Your glory! Amen!
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. ~1Thessalonians 5:18
This was sent to me by email and thought it was too good not to post!
Heavenly Father, Help us remember that the jerk who cut us off in traffic last night is a single mother who worked nine hours that day and is rushing home to cook dinner, help with homework, do the laundry and spend a few precious moments with her children.
Help us to remember that the pierced, tattooed, disinterested young man who can’t make change correctly is a worried 19-year-old college student, balancing his apprehension over final exams with his fear of not getting his student loans for next semester.
Remind us, Lord, that the scary looking bum, begging for money in the same spot every day (who really ought to get a job!) is a slave to addictions that we can only imagine in our worst nightmares.
Help us to remember that the old couple walking annoyingly slow through the store aisles and blocking our shopping progress are savoring this moment, knowing that, based on the biopsy report she got back last week, this will be the last year that they go shopping together.
Heavenly Father, remind us each day that, of all the gifts you give us, the greatest gift is love. It is not enough to share that love with those we hold dear. Open our hearts not to just those who are close to us, but to all humanity.. Let us be slow to judge and quick to forgive, show patience, empathy and love. Matt 5:44, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; “
6 center cut pork chop
2 eggs scrambled
1 stick butter, melted (raw or organic)
For the Crusting:
8 oz. grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. onion powder
2 tbsp. parsley flakes
2 tbsp. dried chopped onion
1/2 tbsp. each sea salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a ziplock bag, combine all the ingredients for the crusting. Combine well. In a bowl, scramble 2 egg. Melt the butter and put into the bottom of a baking dish. Dip each pork chop into the egg and then put in the ziplock bag with the crusting mix. Shake well to cover each pork chop. Place pork chops in the baking dish. Coat each pork chop the same way. Put baking dish in the oven and cook for 30-40 minutes. I cooked for 4o minutes and it was too long, but mine weren’t really thick, so watch and adjust your cooking time
Dehydrating leftovers is a great way to preserve them. It makes them easily portable and requires no refrigeration, which makes them great for camping, hunting, etc. We’ve started dehydrating nearly all of our leftovers and then vacuum sealing them into bags. My husband often takes them to work this way, as well as on fishing, hunting & camping trips. It’s much cheaper than purchasing dehydrated “camping” food from the outdoors store. He recently made a huge batch of refried beans. First, he ground the beans in my grain grinder and then cooked them in water until they were the consistency of what refried beans should be. He then spread the beans out on the dehydrator trays and let dry. The then put them in vacuum bags and he keeps them in his camp bag. He also did the same with ground beef. He cooked it and then dried it in the dehydrator. Now he’s all set when he goes camping/fishing for a quick and easy meal. There’s pretty much nothing that can’t be dehydrated!
Marty and Colt made a lot of headway on our milking barn this weekend. They built the entire framework from scratch our of plywood and have covered 2 sides and the roof with red tin. Marty got the front door put in as well, although the sides with the front & back doors haven’t been sided yet. Here’s a picture of it, before the front door was put on…my camera batteries died before I could get a picture of it with the door. I’m so proud of my hunny and son!
Thursday was Colt’s 16th birthday and I got a picture of the 2 of us together. I hadn’t realized he’d gotten this much taller than me!
Then last weekend Marty was clipping his hair and this is how he came out of the bathroom….
With a mohawk with a superman curl in the front!! Thankfully, he was just playing around and he went back in the bathroom and trimmed the rest of it off, as well as trimmed his beard. I can never let than man be alone with clippers again…hehehe!
Old T-shirts make great cleaning cloths. I cut them up and store them with my cleaning supplies.
Flannel sheets & shirts make great cleaning cloths as well, you can also use them to make things like diapers, homemade pads, and so much more.
I save all the buttons and notions from off any clothes that are in too bad of shape to pass along. This is a great way to save buttons, zippers, snaps, etc. I use these items on other things that I sew or craft. For example, if you lose a button on a shirt and can’t find a matching replacement, you can use these saved buttons to replace all the buttons on a shirt so they all match.
I use old sheets to make things like napkins and cloth grocery bags. You can often find these at garage sales for pennies on the dollar.
Cut squares out of clothing made out of cotton fabrics or flannel to make into a quilt. Use an old or garage sale purchased sheet for the backing. These are perfect for camping, extra bedding or for picnics or car use.
Have a pair of jeans with holes in the knees? Turn it into a skirt by cutting off the legs and adding material to make a tiered skirt.
I save all the denim I can find and when I have enough, I’ll make a quilt. It will make a pretty scrappy style quilt.
Save some of your kid’s old clothes and make a special memory quilt with them.
Save T-shirts from different trips or school events, you know the ones with the graphic on the front that gives the event name and date. Take the fronts and sew together to make a quilt. This is a great gift for a graduate.
Extra socks make great dust cloths, just slip them over your hand and dust!
2 tbsp. Parsley Flakes
1 tbsp. Ground Marjoram
2 tsp. Ground Rosemary
1 tsp. Onion Salt
1 tbsp. Ground Ginger
1 tsp. Ground Sage
1 tbsp. Ground Oregano
1 tbsp. Ground Thyme
1 tsp. Garlic Salt
1 tbsp. Celery Salt
1 tsp. Pepper
1 tbsp. Paprika
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and blend well. Spoon mixture into a small airtight container and label as Chicken Coating Mix. Store in a cool dry place and use within 6 months. Makes about 1/2 Cup of mix.
Oven-Fried Chicken:
Combine 1-1/2 t of mix
3/4 cups Unbleached Flour
1/4 cup Instant Non-fat dry milk
2 t sugar
1/2 t salt
2/3 cup of hot water
2 T vegetable oil in a medium bowl.
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. (220 degrees C.). Dip cut up fryer (2 1/2 to 3 lbs total weight) chicken in the batter that has been well blended. Place coated chicken pieces on a baking sheet and bake uncovered 40 to 50 minutes, until golden brown and tender
One of the easiest and most frugal things I have done recently is stopped buying commercial cleaning products. I have found that I only really need 4 inexpensive products to do the majority of the cleaning around my house. They are:
White vinegar
Hydrogen Peroxide
Baking Soda
A good organic/natural dish soap
With these 4 items I can clean just about anything. Add to this a homemade wood cleaner and homemade laundry detergent and I’m set.
The white vinegar is great for cleaning glass, stainless steel, and for cutting grease. I keep a spray bottle full of vinegar and I use it like I’d use 409 or Windex. This stuff seriously does great. The smell does dissipate after time, but if it really bothers you, you can add some essential oils to it to help make it smell better. I also use it in the washing machine as a fabric softener.
I put the hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle as well. I use it to disinfect things. This stuff is natural and non-toxic and beats Lysol at disinfecting! Plus it MUCH cheaper than Lysol. I can get a big bottle of it at Wal-Mart for $0.98; you can’t get Lysol for that at all! I spray it on toilet seats, counter-tops, cutting boards. It doesn’t produce the noxious fumes that bleach and Lysol produces.
The Baking soda, I use for scrubbing. I use it to clean sinks, stovetops, bathtubs, toilets, etc. Plus when you mix it with the vinegar it foams up to really clean. It’s great for keeping the tub, sinks and toilets nice and white. It’s safe to use on nearly any type of surface, as it doesn’t scratch them. It’s also great for using in the washing machine to help take out smells in clothing and for stain removal.
The organic/natural dish detergent is used for any really stubborn grease. I also use it on kitchen and bathroom floors when they get really dirty. This is my “heavy duty” cleaning product.
With these 4 products, I can clean my entire house for the most part and save money doing it. Not only that, but these products are all natural and non-toxic, so I don’t have to worry about my family being exposed to potentially hazardous things!
“Happy Birthday” means much more
Than have a happy day.
Within these words lie lots of things
I never get to say.
It means I love you first of all,
Then thanks for all you do.
It means you mean a lot to me,
And that I’m proud of you.
Happy Birthday Colt!! I love you so much and I really am proud of the young man you’ve become.
(Now for the embarrassing pictures…lol!)
Colt age 6 weeks (May 1993)
Colt at 7 months (November 1993)
Colt about 18 months old (1994)
Colt Age 4 (1997) after fishing with Daddy & Grandpa
Colt age 5 (April 1998), this was after his 5th birthday party.
Colt age 5 (Oct. 1998)
Colt age 15 (November 2008)
I am often asked how I can dress my family on nearly nothing. We really don’t spend much on clothing at all and that really helps out our budget. But just how do I keep 2 growing boys and a husband who’s hard on clothing dressed? Here are my strategies.
1. Hand-me-downs – I never turn them down! I often get clothing for my youngest from my sister-in-law, Kathy. Her son is just a few years older than Riley and she gives me my nephew’s clothing. I also get hand-me-downs from my Mom occasionally for me and my parents also give T-shirts quite often to Marty that he can wear to work.
2. Freecycle – Before I even step into a store, I post a “Want” list to my local Freecycle. Quite often I can get things through there. I also keep my eyes open for items posted that I may need. It never hurts to ask and quite often I am surprised at the quality that I get through Freecycle. Several years ago, we were able to get a brand new winter coat for Colt this way, as well as some new jeans and shirts.
3. Garage Sales – This is by far one of the best sources of inexpensive clothing. I buy nearly ALL my clothing there. I can generally get things for $0.25 – $3.00 per piece. I do best at garage sales for myself and for my youngest, Riley. Colt is kind of in between sizes right now. He’s just a tad too big for the largest boys clothing and a tad too small for a men’s small. Nearly every weekend, I come home with at least 1-2 pieces of clothing for someone in the family this way.
4. Thrift Stores – This is the next inexpensive way to purchase clothing. We have 2 thrift stores in town, but they are open odd hours and only 1 day per week (and not on the same day), so, I don’t make it to them often. But when I do, I can generally get clothing pretty cheaply. Most times, I spend between $3 – $7 here. A bit more expensive, but still beats paying retail.
5. Make Your Own – If you can sew, then making your own clothing is an inexpensive option. Well, it CAN be…you just have to be careful how much you spend on fabric…LOL! I often hit the sales at JoAnn’s and Wal-Mart. With careful fabric shopping this can save you money. Especially on items that are hard to find or really expensive. For example, jumpers can be really hard to find in retail stores and if you purchase them custom made they can cost $40 or more. Making them yourself will save you money.
6. Consignment Stores/Ebay – I put these together, because I’ve found that the prices, at least in our area, are about the same. Consignment stores are great, especially for kids clothing. I had a friend who use to own a children’s consignment store and I’d go get all of Riley’s clothing there. Then when I was done with them, I would take them back and get store credit for them. This allowed me to just trade clothing and not have to spend any out-of-pocket money. Most consignment stores will let you bring in clothing and instead of paying you money give you store credit, often more credit than they would have paid you in cash. Ebay is a good option, but you have to really watch it. The shipping costs can really ad on to your cost.
7. Outlet Stores – We live close to an outlet mall and this can be a really good option. I’ve found that I can get, for example, Osh Kosh jeans for Riley at the same price as Wal-Mart jeans. The Osh Kosh jeans hold up MUCH better and they have a better resale value than Wal-Mart jeans. I can easily resale them on Ebay or at a consignment store. Also, their end of season sales are fantastic. I can often find name brand clothing on clearance for $1-$5, brand new! This is the BEST time to shop outlet stores!
8. Retail Stores – I try to only shop retail stores for clothing when there are sales. Just last weekend, I bought a nice dress shirt at Wal-Mart for Colt for $1 on clearance. The only time I will pay full price on an item is when I need it and can’t find it anywhere else cheaper.
Well, these are the ways that I save money on clothing my family. I hope these ideas help you as well!
