Cooking in stages

If I want to stretch my grocery budget then it's necessary to cook from scratch which means time spent in the kitchen. The closer I get to 60 years old the less I'm enjoying all day cooking marathons. As a result I'm finding it helpful to do the heavier workload in the mornings and to stretch out my cooking over the day or week. I like to keep the sit down jobs for the afternoon so I'll work in the office or on my sewing projects.

When my children were home I used to do Once a Month Cooking. I'd make up my monthly menu of dinner meals and then spend a day or two cooking and freezing meals. It was so nice to just pull a dinner out of the freezer and just add a salad and veggie. This way of cooking came in very handy when we were homeschooling and running a home business.

I've started cooking lunch/dinner for my children and their families once a month. We've wanted to do this for years but all we did was talk about it. So now it's on the calendar. I've chosen to do the cooking to give my girls a break.  So cooking as much ahead of time comes in very handy.

My camellias are in bloom!

Here was this month's menu. Mind you ... this is not how we normally eat but it makes my husband happy to splurge once a month.

Ham
Make ahead mashed potatoes
Smothered Green Beans
Strawberry Pretzel Salad
Mom's bean dish
Fresh baked bread (from bakery)
Chocolate chip cookies
German Chocolate Cake
Ice Cream (from store)

Our  beautiful fence that my son and his family built for us! A huge thank you to each of you!

I knew that I wouldn't be able to spend time cooking on Saturday since my son and his family were rebuilding our backyard fence. So I split up the cooking and baking over the week which made it possible to help with the fence work AND go to church on Sunday morning AND have dinner ready for the family after church (I took a nap on Monday! *SMILE*

Here is how I spread out the cooking over the week:

Monday: Baked the cake and then froze it. I'll frost it later in the week.
Tuesday: Mixed the ketchup and other wet ingredients for the bean dish and stored in fridge.
Wednesday: Made the chocolate chip dough, rolled in balls and froze them.
Friday:  Assembled the "Make Ahead Potatoes" which can stay in the fridge up to 3 days. Fried the pound of bacon (saved 1/2 for the green beans), hamburger and onion for the bean dish. Baked the pretzel crust for the jello salad.
Saturday: Finished assembling the jello salad. Baked the chocolate chip cookies. Cooked the frosting and frosted the cake and then wrapped it well in Seran wrap.
Sunday: Sauteed the green beans, added the rest of the ingredients including the bacon. Baked the ham. Heated up all the ingredients for the bean dish and put in the crock pot to keep warm. Pulled out the Make Ahead Potatoes an hour before they were going in the oven (so I wouldn't crack the glass) and then baked 30 minutes before the meal.

All the weekly preps made the dinner on Sunday so much easier.

Relaxing, full tummies & messiness! Priceless!

***
Here are a few highlights of the week:

1. I trim as many of my trees as I can to save money. This week I started trimming the Crepe Myrtles. I trim a little at a time over a period of a week so that I don't end up with bad neck pain. It works great! I also trimmed my rose bushes and cut back a few of the other flower plants. I need to research how to trim back the berry and grape bushes.

2. The collard greens and spinach seedlings were ready to plant. A friend gave us some big cement blocks that we used to  line one of our garden plots. I placed one of our 4 x 6 glass window frames on top of the blocks to make a mini green house over the collard greens and spinach.

3.  My husband doesn't care for the sugar free pancake syrups in the store. This morning I made a sugar free fruit syrup for our pancakes. He liked the fruit syrup even though he doesn't like my low carb pancakes. :-) . Tomorrow morning I'll try a new recipe that hopefully he will like. (update: He said they were better but still not the same as high carb pancakes.) I keep trying and sometimes I find a winner!

Sugar Free Fruit Pancake Syrup

1 cup water
1/2 c. Erythritol
1/4 tsp. Stevia
2 cups fruit (I used frozen blackberries, blueberry, raspberry)
1/2 tsp. glucomanni powder

Boil water and dissolve Erythritol. Mix in fruit and boil 10 minutes.

 Add glucomanni in a little water and whisk into mixture. Simmer
10 more minutes until thickened. 

4.  A friend saved her meat and veggie scraps for me. What a sweetie! I'm using them to make dog food. 

5.  The weather has been nice enough that I can hang clothes on the line. If I get them hung first thing in the morning then they are dry by dinner time. 

6.  I made a big pot of ham and veggie soup. I used bits of ham from Sunday's dinner and threw in cabbage, Swiss chard, celery, onions, garlic and carrots. I added chicken bouillon to taste and some pepper. It didn't need much else. I love soup!

7. Another friend gave me a box of canning jars! Thank you, thank you! Canning season is right around the corner. I have been picking up Sugar Free pectin on sale for jam. Next month I'll start buying a few boxes of canning lids each month. It's easier on the pocketbook to buy a few each paycheck rather than all at once.   

8.  I saved the fence boards we replaced on the backyard fence. There are so many things you can do with old fence boards from lining a wall to making furniture or bird houses for gifts. 

9. I purchased quite a few cloth hankies a few years back when our income started to drop. I also saved a Kleenex box to store a few cloth hankies in next to my bed. I carry a hankie in my purse and keep them in my bedroom drawer and in the office. Anytime I can use cloth and rewash instead of a disposable it saves me money. 

10.  I purchased a computer diagnostic tool for our particular vehicle. It cost around $39. We had a 'check engine' light go on and with this tool we were able to look up the code to see what was wrong. It was something that could be easily fixed at home and saved us an expensive trip to an auto mechanic. 

Thank you ladies for your advice on inexpensive moisturizers last week. Since I had coconut oil in the house I went ahead and started using it on my skin. So far I'm lovin' it! Thanks again!

Did you ladies enjoy your week? Did you do anything new and frugal? 

Blessed to be home!

Georgene

• 

Making Money at Home!

 I've been blessed with quite a few paid projects I can do in my own home. I am so thankful!  I finished 2 of the smaller projects this week.

It's hard to believe I don't have to work outside my home for the time being. I've been home most of our married life until the recession and then my husband's disability changed our financial situation. I only worked part time and was thankful for the jobs the Lord provided but my heart always longed to be home. It's hard on a woman to work outside the home but sometimes a necessity.  Things could change but it looks hopeful that I won't have to work outside my home in the near future. That is important to my husband and I. We both know from experience that our home is more peaceful when I'm not under the stress of outside work. So I continue to do my part by saving and stretching our income. Laine taught me years ago to consider it my part time job.

Our first and only cauliflower this year! It was huge!

Here are the paid jobs I'm working on now from my own home:

~ 2 microwave Neck Rolls (finished)
~ A bag for a wheelchair (finished)
~ Apron
~ Kitchen Aide Cover
~ Editing a dissertation
~ Organizing a ladies receipts for taxes
~ Took in the seams on a family member's pants (finished)

There are so many things a wife can do to make money from home if that is her desire. Some women enjoy working outside the home. Each family must make it's own decision.  But, if you truly want to be home you may be able to find ways to make money without leaving your house. Working from home may save you gas money, clothing expense, child care, lunch expenses and any fast food expenses from being too tired to cook.

Over my years as a homemaker I have done a long list of jobs such as:

• Sewed doll clothes and sold them at a beauty shop.
• Babysitting (Before and after childcare along with full and part time sitting)
• Foster care
• Typing
• Ironing
• I tested Crewel kits
• Sewing Projects
• Addressed envelopes
• I ran a used curriculum bookstore from our home for 10 years
• Managed a group of duplexes while receiving free rent in exchange. I also made money on the side by cleaning and painting them. 

I still strongly believe the best way to make money at home is to stretch the money that is already coming in. 

***

Here are just a few things I did at home this week: 

1.  A penny saved is a penny earned and that is one way I look at mending. If I can make our clothes last longer then it saves money (or a penny) because I don't have to buy new ones. I mended a hole in my  husband's sock and also mended some sweat pants.

2.  I finished cracking the pecans that were given to me months ago. I'm so thankful for any kind of free nuts because they are so expensive in the stores. I'll use them in my daughter in love's cake this weekend along with the German chocolate I found at an outlet for a dollar. I stocked up on a few boxes and put them in the freezer.

Sweet peas and cabbage

3. I like to collect new recipes. I was given this recipe for Salsbury Steak from a helpful gal over at Low Carb Friends. We liked it.  I was short one patty for a second meal so next time I'll make thinner patties. It's fast and easy to make.

4. I was so busy during December that I didn't make a menu. My grocery budget suffered because of it. So, I spent a half an hour making a 2 week dinner menu tonight. I went through my freezer to see what meat I had on hand and checked my pantry and freezer for vegetables on hand.

5. I froze the gizzard and neck from the turkey I cooked in December. I boiled them this week and I'm chopping a little every day to put in my dog's food. She loves it!

6. I saw a recipe using a bag of broccoli slaw and it reminded me of coleslaw so I made my own version. It was yummy! I've tried all kinds of recipes for coleslaw dressing but these days I just use 1 cup of mayo, 1 tbsp. sweetener (I use Erythritol) and 1 tbsp. vinegar. I added a few cranberries and pecans to the slaw.

 Broccoli slaw 

1 bag of broccoli slaw
1 cup mayo
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp sugar of Erythritol (or sugar)
Handful of dried cranberries
Handful of salted sunflower seeds or pecans or pistachios

Mix the vinegar and sugar into the mayo and then mix in the slaw. Add cranberries and nuts.

Here is another recipe I made this week. It's a keeper! I think we'd really like it on the grill, too. 

Chipotle Chicken

This chicken was very good and very spicy! My husband really liked it!

1 medium can of Chipotle peppers in Adobe
1 can of water
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt (Kosher salt if you have it)
5 pounds of drumsticks (I used chicken legs and thighs)

Blend peppers and water and seasonings. Use 1/2 of the mixture and freeze the rest for another time or use some in your mayo for sandwiches. Marinate an hour to overnight. (I marinated overnight). Grill or bake on a tin foiled rack in a pan at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until done. Rotate half way through.

Lettuce is so easy to grow and so inexpensive if grown by seed!

7.  Savemart was giving away free flowers today. I was blessed with a dozen red roses! Each day is full of God's little gifts to us if we choose to see.

8. Washed my own car and paid myself $8 instead of the car wash. I really dread washing the car in the winter months but the weather has been pretty mild this week so it wasn't too bad. I've never timed it but I can't imagine it taking any longer than 15 minutes. Pretty good pay for the time invested.

9. I haven't been to the thrift store in a few months so I stopped in this week and found a winter and summer  blouse. I had a 25% off coupon. I paid $5.23 total for 2 blouses. I can't see the sense in buying new clothes to wear around the house for everyday when I can find them so inexpensively at the thrift store.

10. Things I didn't throw away:

• Saved rubber bands off of the free flowers
• Plastic salad bag (washed and reuse as a baggie)
• Plastic wrap over mushrooms (reused as seran on sauteed mushrooms)
• Mayonnaise jar (Use to drain grease from a roast in before throwing in the garbage)
• Plastic shopping bags (reused as a garbage can liner)

That's it for this week. My son and daughter in love will be here tomorrow to help us rebuild our fence that is falling apart in the backyard. YAY! 

So I have a question to ask you ladies. What do you use as an inexpensive (but effective) facial cleanser and moisturizer? I need some ideas. I used to pay $50 for the kit at Bath and Body Works but I don't want to spend that kind of money again. 

Blessed to be home,

Georgene

A Baby Shower Devotional and Priorities

I hope you don't mind if I take a small detour today and share a devotional I'll be giving at a baby shower this weekend. I've often wondered if you think that I live and breathe to stretch a penny. It must seem like it at times since that is the focus of this blog.  There have been seasons when frugality had a greater focus because it was essential that I learn all I could to stretch our downsized paycheck. Today I try to see being thrifty in the same light as I would a part time job and I pray that it never ranks above loving God and others.

So it delights my heart to be able to share something else this week. :-) My money saving week is posted at the end!

 Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord,
 the fruit of the womb a reward.
 Psalm 127:3

We are all so excited for you, Jenny, and ready to meet your baby. I haven't known you very long but long enough to know that God's Word is important to you because I've heard you quote Scripture many times in our Bible study class. Praise God for mothers who know and love God's Word.

You have been blessed Jenny with a life that has been woven inside you by the very hand of God. Your baby is being fearfully and wonderfully made. All of his days are written in God's book before he even takes his first breath. Imagine this! There is an eternal, living soul created inside you.  God says that children are a heritage of the Lord and the fruit of the womb a reward in Psalm 127:3. God has abundantly blessed you with not one but FIVE blessings! Praise God for His goodness!

As Christian mothers we often hope that our parenting will positively effect the outcome of our children. We hope that if we are consistently patient and understanding or if we can teach them enough scripture then we can love these babies into the kingdom of God.  But, it doesn't take long into our parenting to realize that we fail the test daily. Although we are filled with such love and delight in these darlings beyond anything we could have ever imagined we acknowledge that the daily training can be physically and mentally exhausting. Our patience is tried by sleepless nights when our babies are young and possible sleepless nights again when they are teens. A mother's day is filled with fat little chubby squeezes and slobbery kisses but along with those joys come the endless mounds of laundry, dishes, runny noses and a million questions. If we put our hope in our parenting then we will soon become discouraged. But oh what hope we find when our trust and confidence is built on Jesus who calls Himself the author and the finisher of our faith and of our children.

If we are graded on a curve and compare ourselves to other mothers we will always find those who are more patient and consistent in their training than we are. If we compare our children to other children we will surely find those who follow harder after Christ. Most importantly, if we are graded instead on an absolute scale of God’s law—as I believe scripture teaches—we fall short 100% of the time. Even our best efforts at parenting are as filthy rags, dare I say it, a dirty diaper.

The knowledge of our imperfect parenting does not mean that we throw up our arms in despair and say 'why even try?' It means we put first things first when we acknowledge we can do nothing apart from Him as it says in John 15:5.  That is why Jesus came to die in our place and give us His perfect record of obedience... because we could never obey the law perfectly to satisfy God's holy requirements.  What hope that brings because now my eyes are firmly placed on the only One who can really change a child's heart ... Jesus! 

There are many examples in Scripture of parents who BY FAITH put their trust in an all sovereign, wise and powerful God to do what no parent could!

By faith Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. Hebrews 11:7

By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king’s edict. Hebrews 11:23

By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future. Hebrews 11:20

Children will humble us and bring us to our knees so that the Lord’s power can be displayed in our very weakness.  There is hope as we read 2 Corinthians 12:9:

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me."

It has been said that, “We will parent imperfectly, our children will make their own choices, and God will mysteriously and wondrously use it all to advance his kingdom and for His glory.” 

Providentially, Jenny, our Lord will be there for you in the wonderful opportunity He has given you and your husband to train up this child in the power of His strength and His love.  And please know that you have our support and prayers. May God bless you!
 

Here are a few things I did this week in my home to stretch our income. I'll also post my typical frugal day here! 

~ Since I shared a baby devotional with you I thought I'd share the nursing covers I made. These are fun to make! They take 1 yard of material plus an 1/8 of a yard if you want a contrasting color at the bottom. I bought a package of baby washcloths at the dollar store and sewed one into the corner to wipe babies mouth. I found the boning at Joann's. I used a 40 % coupon which helped with the cost of this project making it very affordable.  I used this tutorial:

              Nursing Cover Tutorial

~ I have been freezing bits and pieces of vegetables since this summer. Some veggies were leftovers from our garden that I didn't want to can and some have been smidgeons leftover from our dinners. The shelf is too full. So my goal this week has been to start clearing out that shelf. I threw about 1/3 of the veggies into a soup this week. I defrosted some pumpkin and added it to my chili. I also used a bag of Spicy Tomato Sauce for the chili.  

~ I was given approximately 7 boxes of material. Most was older material and not suited for clothing but would make nice quilts. Since I already have 3 quilts that need to be finished I didn't save those pieces but passed them on to the church for their Mexico missions. I saved 3 large pieces of polyester to use as protective coverings for chairs in my office (where Miss Sassy has been filing her claws! uh hem!) and quite a few nice cotton pieces to make everyday aprons. My aprons are terribly stained! The material was a huge blessing!

~ I was also given more greeting cards. I will glean through them saving teh ones I think I'll use and then pass the other on to bless someone else. I love to send cards.

~ I am still harvesting Swiss chard, broccoli and kale from our garden. These will likely become winter staples because they are easy to grow, take very little water and last a long time. I tried growing a winter garden when we lived in the 'barn' but it was a flop. I'm glad we didn't give up. Vegetable prices continue to climb and we are saving money by growing veggies by seed. I use the Swiss chard in my eggs and soups and salads. The kale is tough so I only use it in soups.  

~ I tried something new in my chicken vegetable soup this week. I found a recipe on All Recipes that added 1/2 cup peanut butter to the soup. It made a wonderful addition and you could not detect it was peanut butter. 

~ I found 'One Second Needles' at the dollar store this week. Sometimes I'm amazed at what I find there. I bought a few for gifts (and one for me!). 

~ I've been composting through the winter. My quick mind did not realize the compost was not breaking down. I read an article that said the compost does not heat up enough to break down the compost during winter months so I'll wait until the weather heats up before I start again. 

~ What I didn't throw away this week in order to stretch my pennies:

• Baggie that I froze LC muffins in. (washed to reuse)
• Sunflower seed plastic bag (washed to reuse)
• Twisty ties (I save these to reuse with above plastic bag)
• Toilet paper cardboard tubes (tore up for compost)
• Twine on a gift card (reuse to tie plants)
• Tea bags (reuse 3 to make one cup of tea)
• Old 2013 calendar (used blank pages for scrap paper)

So how did your week go? Did you learn anything new this week? 

Blessed to be home!

Georgene

The New Year and new beginnings!

I still can't imagine that 2013 has come and gone! I thought the years would slow down once I became middle aged but I find quite the opposite.  It's true that our days are like a vapor.. here today and gone tomorrow.

What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.  James 4:14 ESV

I like new beginnings. I like Mondays. I like the start of a new diet (okay.. well.. not so much!). And I like the New Year.

I am a "see how much you can cram into one day" kind of gal. I think I learned this from my mother. Sometimes I'm happy with that approach to life but the older I get the less I'm caring for it. Plus, it doesn't leave any margins for unexpected happenings. So, I decided to take a closer look at my housekeeping  and 'life' schedule and to see where my time is going. 

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Ephesians 5:15-16

So, I pulled out a piece of paper and started writing down every task I do in one week. I also made a list of bi-weekly and monthly tasks. I made sure to give each task an appropriate time slot so I can evaluate if I have any 'free' time left over. I don't! :=)

My daughter in love surprised us with a visit! 

This task calendar has already been helpful. I had a decision to make on whether to take on another responsibility but after my husband looked at my calendar he decided it wouldn't be wise. 

I enjoy working. I struggle at making time to rest or do what I enjoy. So, one of my goals this year is to take time each day to do something I enjoy. For me that would be writing and reading. 

I  really need the Lord's wisdom to know how to order my days. 

***                           ***                                ***                       

Here are a few things going on in my home this week: 

1. I've been looking for a nice gift to make for a few baby showers. I like the gift idea I found.  It's a nursing cover. I sure wish I had one when I was a young mother. Instead, we used a receiving blanket. I'll show a picture of it soon.

My girls!

2.  I thought I needed to buy more storage containers to fit under my bed. But, instead I started looking in my drawers and realized that I could get rid of enough unused clothes to prevent purchasing the storage containers. We've lived here a year and a half and I've managed to still accumulate more STUFF. I'm hopeless! 

3. I have a cat who is a glutton. He really is! He thinks about food all day long.  I had to buy a treat ball for his cat food because if I leave out a bowl of food he will eat the entire bowl and end up at the vet. Ask me how I know?!? He started having problems with loose stools again. Most likely he found something to eat on his outdoor excursions that made him sick. I remembered the vet said to give him pumpkin. Well, I have a LOT of canned pumpkin  so I've been putting a small cube in his wet food in the mornings.  It worked! The vet said pumpkin could also be used for constipation, too.

4. A friend brought canning jars, lids and lots of fabric. Yep! You remember right! I got rid of a lot of fabric last year and here I am taking more fabric. There is no hope for me! :-) Anyway, I'm just keeping a small amount and will pass the rest on to someone in need. 

5. I made 6 loaves of bread this week. Baking and cooking from scratch saves me so much money!

6. I keep noticing my brand of toilet paper on sale but I've never figured out what I pay per roll normally. So this week I took the time to calculate and then wrote it down in my price book. 

7. I've heard that Walmart matches sale prices from other ads. I already found out the hard way that they do not match discount store prices. I happened to have a sale ad in my purse from another grocery store. I had a few items I wanted to pick up on the way home. Walmart matched the sales price and I didn't have to make another stop. 

Grands spending the night. They are getting so big!

8.  I made a batch of waffles for my mom. We no longer eat these waffles because we are low carbing but I thought I'd post the recipe for you gals. 

Waffles

2 cups white flour (You can also use 1 c. white flour and 1 c. whole wheat)
4 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
1/4 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups milk
1/3 cup oil
Mix together. Grease waffle iron. Bake waffles for 5 minutes in a belgium waffle iron or until golden brown. They freeze great! 

9. The dollar store was out of saran wrap so I bought a box of plastic covers. They remind me of shower caps except for bowls. :-) They came in small, medium and large. At first I thought it was a frivolous purchase but I was in need of saran wrap. But, I think they are going to last longer than the saran wrap because they are easy to wash and dry. I rarely washed and dried the saran wrap in the roll. 

10. What I saved this week:

• celery and carrot trims (compost)
• Chicken drippings (broth)
• Coleslaw bag (reuse as baggie)
• Turkey neck (soup)
• Turkey carcass (soup)
• Low carb tortilla package (reuse as baggie)
• Seran wrap covers (washed and resused)
• Tea bags (3 used tea bags make 1 cup of tea)

December was such a busy month. How are you gals doing? Have you caught your breath yet? 

Blessed to be home!

Georgene

ObamaCare and my budget!

Just when I think I have my budget figured out.... life happens!

I received news this week that I must apply for Covered California (ObamaCare) before I can reapply for my current county insurance. Gulp! I decided to call so I could talk to a representative. Long story short is that I cannot stay with my current health care plan which had a very good plan. After a lot of prayer, investigating and talking with several insurance specialists I decided (with fear and trepidation) on a plan through Kaiser. It will cost $1 a month with a $5,000 deductible, 3 office visits a year at $60 a visit and no help with prescriptions. It's not a good plan but it's what I could afford now. Thankfully I don't have any medical issues and I'm not using prescriptions.

We had a good crop of broccoli!

No sence whining about it. It is what it is. Our family could not afford any kind of insurance when our children were growing up. God blessed us with good health during those years. While the insurance plan I've chosen is terrible in comparison to the one I had previously, it's 100% better than having nothing. I will choose to be thankful and work harder on keeping healthy.  God has always taken good care of us.

***

I finally conquered my Christmas preparations so I was able to get back to my frugal ways this week. *wink* 

1. We've had nearly 2 weeks of 30 degree weather. I decided to buy some Long John's to wear under our clothes and night clothes instead of turning up the heat. Okay, well we did turn up the heat once. :-) I'm finding that wearing several layers of clothes is a big key to keeping warm in an old house. 

2.  I saved the packages the Long John's came in. I cut them open and used the inside instead of Seran wrap to let the Mounds Balls dry. 

This is the first time I've grown swiss chard. I've used it in our eggs and soups. 

3.  I found some adorable Christmas ornaments I want to make for gifts next year. It's never too early to plan. Take a peek. Aren't they adorable? I hope to start in January.

Names of Christ Ornaments

4. I have an 8 year supply of discounted Christmas wrappings that has slowly been dwindling.  I hope to hit the dollar stores the day after Christmas when the wrappings, tissue paper and gift bags are half off @ .50! I did find some tissue paper for .50 each this week.

5.  What I didn't throw away this week:

• Celery and carrot peels (homemade dog food)
• Broth from baked chicken (homemade soup)
• Envelope (to store vegetable seeds)
• Bubble packaging (to use for future packaging)
• Sandwich baggie (washed/dried to resuse)
• Rubber bands (radishes)
• Cake mix plastic bag (washed and used as a baggie)
• Bread flour bag (I cut it open and will reuse it as packaging to ship small gifts)
• Bacon grease (I put it in a small container to use instead of oil to scramble eggs). 

6. I cut back on sending Christmas cards this year. The pennies will only stretch so far. I also didn't do all my normal baking, either.  I can't believe how much baking ingredients have increased plus it's a big temptation to have sweets in the house. I know that staying away from sugar plays a big role in keeping healthy.

Butter lettuce, spinach, curled leaf and several other lettuces to be harvested in February. 

7.  Ham's are on sale this month so I've bought a couple to freeze because it's cheap meat at .99 a pound. The butcher told me that the shank does not have as much meat as the butt so I paid $1.29 a pound for one of them. Still a great deal!

8. I've been keeping a pot of soup in the fridge for lunches but hubby occasionally wants a sandwich so I made a couple loaves of wheat bread.

9.  I've been saving meat scraps, bones and vegetable scraps for a month to make dog food. It really helps to stretch the dog food and it doesn't cost me a thing because I make it from food that would normally be thrown away.

10. This is a trick that saves time more than money. I use Seran wrap (or a recycle bag) to line a measuring cup when using Crisco. Once I measure it I can throw away the Seran wrap and the cup is still clean.


I hope you and your family have a blessed Christmas this year! We have so much to be thankful for because  of the greatest gift ever given.... Jesus Christ.

For God so loved the world, that he GAVE his only Son, that WHOSOEVER believes in him should not perish BUT have eternal life.   John 3:16 ESV

Blessed by His grace,

Georgene

That You May Believe

THAT YOU MAY BELIEVE

 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. —John 20: 30– 31

 I feel so strongly that among those of us who have grown up in church and who can recite the great doctrines of our faith in our sleep and who yawn through the Apostles Creed— that among us something must be done to help us once more feel the awe, the fear, the astonishment, the wonder of the Son of God, begotten by the Father from all eternity, reflecting all the glory of God, being the very image of his person, through whom all things were created, upholding the universe by the word of his power. You can read every fairy tale that was ever written, every mystery thriller, every ghost story, and you will never find anything so shocking, so strange, so weird and so spellbinding as the story of the incarnation of the Son of God. How dead we are! How callous and unfeeling to his glory and his story! How often have I had to repent and say, “God, I am sorry that the stories men have made up stir my emotions, my awe and wonder and admiration and joy, more than your own true story.”

 The space thrillers of our day, like Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, can do this great good for us: they can humble us and bring us to repentance, by showing us that we really are capable of some of the wonder and awe and amazement that we so seldom feel when we contemplate the eternal God and the cosmic Christ and a real living contact between them and us in Jesus of Nazareth. When Jesus said, “For this I have come into the world,” he said something as crazy and weird and strange and eerie as any statement in science fiction that you have ever read (John 18: 37). O, how I pray for a breaking forth of the Spirit of God upon me and upon you.

 I pray for the Holy Spirit to break into my experience in a frightening way, to wake me up to the unimaginable reality of God. One of these days lightning is going to fill the sky from the rising of the sun to its setting, and there is going to appear in the clouds one like a son of man with his mighty angels in flaming fire. And we will see him clearly. And whether from terror or sheer excitement, we will tremble and we will wonder how, how we ever lived so long with such a domesticated, harmless Christ. These things are written that you might believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God who came into the world. Really believe.

John Piper. Good News of Great Joy: Daily Readings for Advent (Kindle Locations 606-613). Desiring God.

(Picture: Permission granted from posters.com)

Perfectionism and frugality!

We're on the countdown to Christmas! Are you ready? I'm using every spare moment to finish the last of my homemade gifts. We had a family member fall and break his hip this week so our focus shifted.. as well it should!  I continue to set perfectionism (pride?) aside as I look at my dusty furniture and smudgy floors. I'm keeping up with the meals, dishes and laundry. The rest will wait for me. *smile* 

Oftentimes at this time of year we forget who is the true giver of gifts! Yes, our husbands work to bring home a paycheck. But, do we thank God for providing the health needed to earn that money? Or who blesses the company they work for so there is money to pay their salary? I stopped today and thanked God that even though my husband is disabled and is no longer able to work -- still the Lord has provided gifts through the many years he tirelessly worked for his family. God  is my provider. 

Two of the nicest guys I know! (My son in love and my son (on the right)

 I'm still doing my normal frugal duties but there is just not enough time to add any extras to share with you this week.  I decided to share a story I wrote several years ago on my neglected Xanga blog. I hope this story encourages you as much as it encouraged me! 

92 Bananas (I mean SOCKS!)

I was sharing this story with my girls today.

I really wanted to purchase a few pairs of socks this summer to wear with my tennis shoes. I had two pairs that didn’t make it to wash day so I’d end up wearing my thick socks which were hot.  No big deal!  I  was tempted many times to pick up a package but kept putting it off thinking that I’d just make do with what I had. And I did.

I shared this ‘want’ with no one.

A few weeks ago my sister handed me a bag. As I opened the bag I was overwhelmed. Can you guess what I found?  You guessed it!   A bag full of socks! Not just a few but probably close to 20 pairs. All colors and kinds. My dresser drawer is now crammed packed with socks!

My heart was overwhelmed.. again.. with the knowledge of God’s tender care for me!  “Thank you, Lord, for noticing even my smallest ‘wants’!”

Immediately I was reminded of a story I read several years ago called, Evidence Not Seen. It was the story of Darlene Diebler Rose who was a missionary to Papua New Guinea. She was taken captive during World War 11 by the Japenese.

Darlene was in solitary confinement at one point of her captivity. She was only fed white rice oftentimes with rocks in it. She was malnourished and her body was suffering from dysentery and malaria. One day she wished for some fresh air so she managed to pull herself up to the top of the cell where there was a small opening. As she looked outside she saw a prisoner sneak over to the fence where someone handed her a bunch of bananas. Darlene’s mouth began to water. Oh, how she wished for just one banana. Just one! As she lowered herself down from the window she knelt down and prayed for just one banana. Just one, Lord! Just one! She started imaging how the Lord would answer this prayer but since the guards were the only one’s allowed to open her cell door she soon concluded that her chances for just one banana were slim.

Within a short period of time the door opened and there stood a commander from another prison camp where she had stayed. Plans were being made for her execution. He asked her what message she would want to send back to the prisoners at camp who were asking about her.

She told him to tell them that she was alright because she was still trusting in Jesus.

Tears came to the commander’s eyes. He then turned to the two guards and began speaking to them in a low voice. She was sure that he was telling them the salvation story which she had shared with him after she was informed of her husband’s death.

Soon they left.  Darlene suddenly realized that she had forgotten to bow to the guards. Oh, she was so frightened! Why hadn’t she remembered? Why hadn’t the Lord reminded her?  She would surely now be beaten again! She couldn’t bare another beating. Suddenly, she heard footsteps and braced herself. The door opened and a guard entered. And guess what he brought with him? Not ONE but 92 bananas! 92!!

Many of us are experiencing leaner times than we’re used to (we’re still so abundantly blessed) but we continue to serve a God who is able to do exceedingly and abundantly beyond what we ask or even IMAGINE!

Jehovah Jireh.. our Provider!

Ephesians 3:20 “Now unto Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power that works in us..”

Georgene Girouard
September 25, 2009
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Isn't God good?! 

I've made and continue to make such lovely acquaintances and friends through this blog. Thank you for your friendship. I look forward to reading what you are doing in your home each week as I know others have said they do, too! If you have time we'd love to hear how God is providing for you this Christmas!