Look Mom no tooth!!!

Our resident Laura Ingalls, came home from swimming at Grandma's house and surprised us all by having a hole where her amazingly loose tooth had been. To be honest I can't believe that she didn't swallow the darn thing in her sleep, it was THAT loose!!!

I was so excited when she showed me I said, "Shannon Wow you lost your tooth!!" Looking up at me with her toothless grin she says ever so seriously.... " No mama I didn't lose it, it's in daddy's pocket." Any more sweet and I would be the one loosing teeth!

So today I tell her we need to snap a picture so we can E Mail Grandma Cassel and show her. She says OK... runs out of the room, because she has to get ready for her photo shoot... (her sisters really need to cut back on Americas Next Top Model) and comes out of her bedroom in the bonnet, again with the sweet 5 year old thing...

I am just going to drink this all in because I know all to soon this sweet little thing is going to be abducted and some alien lifeform will take her place when she is about 13 and will not bring her back to us until she is will into her 20's.

180 Days Gone!

Yes, another school year done!

The kitchen is closed until August.... I don't know why California hasn't got the memo that school shouldn't start until September but they really need to get on the bus... I hear all the time that we need to cut school spending, well cooling a school for the month of AUGUST has to cost a pretty penny!

It's not going to change so I will stop complaining right now and start enjoying my sumer vacation.

What do I have planed for this summer you ask? Well... we are going to garden, can, raise a couple of pigs for the freezer and get ready for the winter...

We are still feeling the crunch of the "GREAT RECESSION" and it doesn't look like its going to get better any time soon so the only thing we can do is save as much money as we can, while we can make it. The best way to do that is to grow your own food so you don't have to give that money to the grocery stores... Thats another rant.... 4 bags of groceries for 100 bucks!!!

So we have got a garden going and this week I will add some more plants. The chickens are laying tons of eggs, and I even have a hen who is sitting on 6 eggs. I think all the boys from that hatch will go in the freezer.

I was planing on going to the auction this week and pick up a couple of feeder hogs. Between the pigs and the chickens we should have all the extra zucchini ate up. That alone is supper exciting!!! I wont have to beg family, neighbors, and perfect strangers to take that squash off my hands!

OK. so now I have to go. I will post pictures of our summer......

Best Pasta Salad I Have Ever Made.....

That is a huge title to live up to because I have made a LOT of pasta salads, but this one had the whole family LOVING IT!!! And if that wasn't enough it was super simple to make.

Here is what I did....

Marys Best Pasta Salad

1 lb Penni Pasta (or what ever pasta you have on hand)

1 green bell pepper 1/2 inch chop

1 red bell pepper 1/2 inch chop

1/2 red onion chopped

1 jar marinated artichoke hearts (dump in the whole thing juice and all)

1 large avocado 1/2 inch dice

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Cook pasta and drain. Put everything in a bowl and dress with your favorite Italian dressing or use this one...

Let it cool for a while and enjoy!!!

Our House Dressing:

2 T. Ketchup

3/4 c. Vegetable Oil

3 T. Vinegar

2 T. Sugar

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 t. poppy seeds

put it all in a jar and shake shake shake..... ( tell me your not singing that song???)

Elk Brown Stew

1 1/2 pounds Elk cubes for stew (you can use beef)

Flour about 1 cup

Salt and pepper to your taste

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 cups tomato juice

1 1/2 cups water

4 small onions, quartered

1 1/2 cups diced potatoes

3 medium carrots, diced

3/4 cup diced celery

Dredge meat in seasoned flour. Heat oil and garlic in electric skillet at 400°. Add meat and brown well. Turn heat control down until pilot light goes out. Add paprika, allspice, sugar, lemon juice, Worcestershire sauce, tomato juice and water. Cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender. Stir occasionally, adding more water if necessary. Add onions, potatoes, carrots and celery. Cover and cook 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Okay this is the basic recipe..... Now for the changes I made for today's dinner because I cant follow the same recipe all the time....

Today I doubled the basic recipe. I also added 1 medium onion because thats all I had, I didn't add celery because I am out. I added 1 1/2 cups red wine and 1 can of diced tomatoes, because I can. Also I added all the vegetables at one time after I added the tomato sauce, and dialed the heat down to warm so it can cook all day. Why you ask??? Just because it makes the house smell wonderful and I can sneak a taste now and then. Thats all.

Now we must move on to something sweet........

Once A Year Posting......

How in the world did a whole year pass by and I didn't post one new thing???

Could it be the new High Schooler? Maybe it was the Middle School Middle Child? (that is a whole topic in itself!) Perhaps its the Preschooler.... It cold be "Honey could you do_________, for me" list that is ever growing. Or maybe it's the fact that I have to volunteer any free days I have....

I need to fix this Once a Year Posting. I will work on it and get back to you....

See you next February!

LOL

Happy Valentines Day Eve.

I use to look forward to this holiday in the hopes of a secret admirer sending me flowers or chocolates. Even a card slipped under a door, but then I grew up and married a man who for the last 19 years has forgot this holiday even exists. The first few years I was devastated, the next few I was just mad, and now I have zero expectations that anything romantic will occur on this day and its just a fun time for the kids. It works for me.

This year since times are tight I had to get creative with my Valentines for the kids. I came up with this cute Idea. I found the cute little bear you see above on a google search. Then I printed it off on pink paper and attached a small dollar box of chocolates with a cute little valentine message for each kid. Total cost for the project $3.oo. I had a Walmart gift card with a 4 dollar balance so all in all it cost me nothing. I like that!!!

Another Month

I am amazed at how fast January went by! Life gets busy and time flies by without us even taking notice until its gone.

We have been very busy with the girls and Basketball Season. We have had a tournament every weekend this entire month. Needless to say one of us (the resedent 4 yr. old) have had enough and have firmly stated that they will stay with Aunt Kim and go to no more games!

Hubby has had no luck on the job front. There is just nothing out there! A few times he has went to places that said he was a day late.... Spring will be here soon enough and we will be back in the hay business and having no free time. I keep thinking, if we can make it through this winter, then we should be able to save enough money this summer to get us through next winter and if a winter jobs comes around next year it will just make it less tight financially.

Our grocery bill has went from 70-100 dollars a week down to 20! I have been able to do this using the WIC Program, and the meat we grew or hunted. That is a nice feeling.

I am trying to focus on all the things we have instead of what we are doing without. There are lots more people out there that are doing it well on much less. So I am counting my blessings!!!

January went by in a blur, I am going to try and make an effort to find something everyday in February to take notice of. Slow things down a bit and enjoy this life.

Christmas Vacation Is Over....

Today was the first day back to school for almost all of us here on the farm. I had to go back to work, Jesse and Boo went back to school. Shannon stayed home with daddy. She is feeling much better (Sick since Dec 26th) but I am a big fan of an extra day of rest once you feel better. My mom use to do that for us, and I really think it works.

I also started to get back on track with my eating and start this year off on a healthy new foot. I have a huge Sugar Detox headache, but like my daddy use to tell me at 5am building fence after coming home wayyyy after curfew.... YOU WANT TO DANCE YOUNG LADY, YOU HAVE TO PAY THE FIDDLER!

Well I have danced with Fudge, Cookies, Chips, Dip, and loads of other none healthy foods since Thanksgiving. Now its time to pay the fiddler.

On a lighter note...

On a happier note the girls are getting along so well it makes me wonder what they are up to?? Last night Jesse actually invited Boo to go into her room to listen to music and do each others nails…. Who are these people and what have they done with my kids?

$20.00 to my name and no payday until January, 30th

Breaks down, that’s five dollars a week. I did go to the WIC office to see if we could participate in the program and thank goodness we qualify. I got my first set of vouchers good from 12/30 – 1/11 here is what we get.

WIC Food Package

Milk- 3 gallons + 1 Quart
2 loaves 100% whole wheat bread, whole wheat tortillas or corn tortillas
36 oz cereal
1 dozen eggs
1 lb. cheese
1 lb beans or 18 oz. jar Peanut Butter
2 -64 oz 100% Juice frozen or bottled
$6.00 Voucher for fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables

With a little creativity I think I can make this last the month. I have powdered milk in the freezer, so if I make 50/50 milk (half gallon fresh milk mixed with half a gallon re-constituted powder milk) I can get 2 gallons from 1 gallon of fresh that will make 6 gallons for the month that will be little more than a gallon a week.

Since all the kids eat breakfast and lunch at school I think I will get it in tortillas so that I can make tacos, enchiladas, and other Mexican favorites the whole family loves.

I think I can get the most out of that $6.00 vegetable voucher if I am smart. I can get canned vegetables. Tomatoes, green beans and corn are pretty affordable. Cabbage, onions, carrots and celery are good staples that are usually at an affordable price. I did read that you can go over on your vegetable voucher and pay the difference with cash.

Making a dozen eggs and a pound of cheese stretch a month is going to be hard. I guess we just wont use as much as we use to. That is all we can do.

I checked the propane tank, we are at 30% it’s a bit low but if we only use it for hot water and cooking we should get by. I just need to make sure that we can get fuel in February.

Happy New Year!

2010... What will this new year bring us?

I really don't know but it is starting out a little tougher than years past. I hear in the news that the recession is coming to an end, and that a better tomorrow is just around the corner. I know that things will get better, its just a matter of when???

Right now we are trying to live on $850.00 dollars a month and its not working to well. Hubby is trying to find work, and not having to much luck in that area. He had found a few odd jobs here and there, enough to keep the "Wolves" away but its getting scary.

I said in a previous post that I had to come up with a plan. So far this is what I have came up with.

1. Keep the Faith! I will remember that " The will of God, will not take us anywhere that the Grace of God, can not keep us!"

2. Get organized! Going through "Junk Drawers" and cupboards and putting things back in there proper places will save us all time and money. If we know where the items are that we need we will not think we need to buy them.

3. Save where I can.

If anyone has any tips that will help feel free to post away.

Another Christmas done and gone...

The once glorious tree gleaming with twinkling lights, silver and gold ball, and carefully placed ornaments, is now looking a bit worse for ware. It is resembling a middle aged man who is thinning on top, a bit to round in the middle, and is grasping desperately to resemble his former glory.

My children, who only 48 hrs. ago where chaneling the arc angel himself, have now slipped back to there former selves who have gone deaf to my requests to dump the trash or take kitchen scraps out to the chickens.

The 3 yr old who was working so hard at staying on the "Nice List" has came down with a bug of some kind, and is making everyone in ear shot suffer right along with her.... If Shannon isn't feeling good, aint no one feeling good!!!

25 days of "Peace on Earth, good will to man" and with little to no fan fair it is all placed neatly (or not so neatly) in the box under the bed to rest for 358 days, and we are launched back to the real world of a sluggish economy, bill's that must be paid, and to much month and not enough money.

The job market is not good, we are now trying to live on a fourth of what is needed to make bills. I am going to see if we can get back on WIC. That was a big help last year, I hope we can do it again.

I am working on a plan.... I will post it once I get it all figured out...stay tuned for more "Feeling the Pinch" tips and ideas I am working on.

Recaping 2009

Yes, it's that time of year again…Garlands on the mantel...Cookies in the oven...Voices raised in joyous song...Isn't Christmas wonderful? Granted I have yet to set foot in a department store, or fight to find a parking spot at the mall. All the same I am filled with a wonderful feeling of Christmas Cheer! Maybe it's because the house is filled with the excitement of the season that only a 3 year old trying so hard to stay on the Nice List can bring. Or it could be the "Christmas Cheer" that is making my eggnog so wonderfully delicious!

I thought it would be nice to recap the 2009 year and so we start out in January with a cruise to Mexico! They don't call it a "Fun Ship" because there is nothing to do, that's for sure! Everyone had a good time. It was on this ship that we came to realize it might be a good idea to put Shannon into Pre-School where she could play with kids her own age. She was very upset to find not everyone "Minds Her" the way her mom and dad do.

For the next few months we where totally occupied with Basketball season, 4-H Projects, the County Fair and Softball. Jessica had a good basketball season, no broken bones, twisted ankles, or jammed finger to report. However we had lots of bruises, and Jessica is sure that every referee in the county is out to get her.

Both girls took animals to the fair this year. Jessica took a hog and Becca took a lamb. I even entered a few items myself. We all did well bring home blue ribbons, and lots of dirty clothes. During the year I took a job with a local high school filling in for there cafeteria cook while she recovered from surgery. I had lots of fun and really enjoyed the work.

Soon enough summer came and we where knee deep in the hay season and my darling husband was super busy with everything he has to do to get the hay off the fields. What better time for the girls and I to go on a Road Trip! We packed up the Ol' 4 Runner and headed north!

We made our way up I-5 and found ourselves at the Forest Edge Bed and Breakfast, aka my sister in laws house. I highly recommend the Alexander Suite, it is wonderful! While we where up there Jessica had her 14th birthday. What better way to say “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” than a day trip to Forks, Washington to see if we could find any vampires or werewolves. Sadly we didn't run into Edward Cullen or Jacob Black, but we did see some beautiful sights in the Olympic Rain Forest.

In August summer vacation was coming to an end and I got a phone call asking if I would be interested in a permanent position at the school I was working at earlier in the year as the manager of the kitchens and cook for the high school. I said yes, and joined the ranks of working moms across the nation. I really enjoy the job, I get to cook for 100 hungry kids everyday!

In October, my darling hubby was able to go on a Deer & Elk hunt in Idaho. He had a successful hunt and filled both tags.

Which brings us here at the holidays once again, and the start of another basketball season. Both Jessica and Becca are playing this year. Our schedule is a bit crazy but we are enjoying ourselves all the same!

Well that about sums up our year. My eggnog is almost gone and I think I have occupied enough of your time.

We would like to wish you the very best for the New Year. May you be blessed with good health and lots of happy memories to share the next time we are together!

Back To The Real World.

It has been quite a while since our Washington Trip. We had a great time! I posted pictures on facebook and that is about as far as I got. The girls and I had a great time!

One of the best pictures was snapped on the first night. We stopped at my folks place and mom had made an awesome dinner for us. The cousins got to catch up. They hadn't seen each other all summer so there was lots to tell...

Now that Summer Vacation is over and the kids are back to school I thought life would slow back down and I would get caught up on some long neglected chores around the house that I had been putting off. Not going to happen......

Why you might ask???

Well the high school that I was subbing in the kitchen for called me shortly after we got back from Washington and asked me if I would like to apply for that job permanently. My hubby and I had talked about this, and what would I do if a position came up full time. We had decided that if it came with a family health insurance package and retirement program that would benefit the family and working outside the home would be worth it.

So long story short I took the job and started working the middle of August. The plus side of it is I am home by 3pm. I have all the same holidays off as the kids, I get summers off, we have an awesome health care package, Hubby and I will be able to retire and not depend on Social Security.

The bad side, (and its not really that bad) little miss Shannon is in preschool from 8 am - 2:00 pm, she is learning lots and has loads of fun. She gets to paint, write her name, learn all the wonderful things you need to know before you start kindergarten. I am lucky, I know her teacher at the center and everyone that works there. She is surrounded by people who truly care about her but I guess I have Mothers guilt, for not doing for her the same things I did for her sisters.

So now the Stay at Home Mom, has ventured out into the working world. So far its going ok. I have yet to learn time management skills when it comes to household chores. I am hoping that this Labor Day holiday I can get the house in order and WE as a family can keep it running smooth.

I will let you know how that works out.....

P.S. I tryed adding the pics to this post but it didn't work to well, sorry.

I linked some pics. from Facebook.

VACATION!!!

Port Orchard Wa.

Once upon a time a long long time ago, before the Great Recession of 2008- AKA Tough Econimic Times, AKA Sorry girls mom and dad have no money for fun stuff. You get the point. Back to my story....

The girls and I would take a road trip up to Port Orchard Washington to visit Aunt Suzanne, Uncle Monte, Christopher and Alex ( we fondly call them The Barbarians of The North) We have not done this trip for 2 year. But that all ends today!!!! We are off on our grand adventure in 6 hours! We have lots to do to get ready, but the one I am most excited about is we are getting a NEW CAMERA!!!! That means I will be able to let you all get a better glimps of the goings on here on the farm.

So off I go, I will be back in a few weeks with lots of stories and pictures to share.

You thought I was kidding....

I have been working on my dresser.... This is how it has looked for the past 7 months... Scary, I am not proud, but it is what it is.... 

It took me little less than an hour but what a difference!!! 

The Lazy Days Of Summer, Yeah Right!!!

Hello my adoring followers! LOL I am back from the land of "The Job That Didn't End!" 

I took a temporary job in October at a school cafeteria that was only to last six weeks and I ended up staying for the whole school year! I loved it, but I think my kids missed out on having mom at home. We managed to get to all the games, 4-H meetings, and lodes of other events we had going on, but it was hectic to say the least!  

Now school is out for summer, my temporary job has ended and I am slowly putting the house back together!

Who knew that a house could get so cluttered? 

                                                   

For the last 7 month the best I can say about the house is . "It's tidy enough not to kill someone." It is possible that it could seriously injure or perhaps maim an individual from a falling stack of half folded laundry, or blind an unsuspecting someone by a falling ceiling fan dust glob. 

Now I need to get the girls to rally and help me tidy up, I think bribery and blackmail are in order. I also am not afraid of resorting to the occasional threat of great bodily injury, or severe butt trauma if they do not help out!!!  

I am desperate! and desperate times call for desperate measures!!!!

Did I mention I am desperate??? 

                                                         

I need to work on my time management skills. I don't know how people find the time to work, keep the house tidy, animals feed, kids to all there appointments, games, practices, school... And still have time to Facebook, Blog, and all the wonderful things the WWW has to offer.  I cant even post here on a regular basis... 

I will try to be better, but who am I kidding. I will still have weeks... no months between posts. 

This April is again quite busy, we have softball, 4-H, school, and the hay is ready! Yeahhh! 

We had a wonderful Easter! We had a small group of 40, twenty of them where kids! We had a great egg hunt! Even a prize egg for the adults! Not your run of the mill prize candy egg, no we had a lottery ticket filled egg!  It was fun to see the adults looking just as hard for there egg as the kids where. 

The 4-H project animals are doing well. We have 30 days till fair so its down to the final push for getting them "Fair Ready" We also had to turn in fair entry forms today. I got the kids all filled out and thought I would give it a go as well and entered a few things. Apricot and Blackberry Jam, Chocolate Cake, Apple Pie, Berry Pie, and my grandmas white bread. I will let you know how we all do... I could even take a picture or two if I remember to bring my camera and charge the batteries. 

Well I had better get to my TO DO list. 

Have a wonderful day! 

Update April 14, 2009: 

I have been doing this $35.00 a week challange since Feb. and it has saved me so much money! I have to say it is not easy feeding a family of 6 (3 adults and 3 kids) but it can be done. There is nothing gormet about the meals I

have came up with, but they are satifying. I think my saving grace has been the freezer that was well stocked going into winter.

I think there would be no way of doing this if I had to buy meat every week. So my #1 tip would

be to stock your freezer when you get the chance! It pays for itself in the long run!

Week 2 of my $35.00 a week grocery budget...

I just got back from the grocery store. I didn't go to my beloved WINCO this week.

I took a gamble and went to FOOD MAXX. I don't like the selection, or should I say the lack of selection that

Food Maxx offers, but when I got into WINCO parking lot and couldn't find a parking space and I wasn't getting anything

special I would go to the other store. I did pretty well, I did get my WIC so I got:

WIC

3 Gallons milk
2 lbs cheese
2 dozen eggs
2 boxes cold cereal
1 jar peanut butter
3 frozen apple juice

WEEKLY SHOPPING

10 lbs potatoes

3 heads lettuce

3 lbs. onions

1 bunch celery

2 bunches of green onions

2 lbs. grapes

1 box strawberries

2 lbs Italian sausage links

16 oz. cottage cheese

1 lb box lasagna noodles

12 oz bag frozen spinach

1 16 oz can spaghetti sauce

1 store brand Oreo cookie ( want to try a recipe this week, if I can keep everyone out of the cookies)

TOTAL$ 34.45

On the menu this week will be:

Breakfast is toast and eggs, cold cereal, oatmeal, or pancakes on the weekends. Lunch is always the same.

• Monday
  

Roast chicken with potatoes and carrots

Green salad

Canned Fruit

• Tuesday
  

Leftover Lasagna or tacos???

• Wednesday
  

Chicken and Green Chili Enchiladas

Green Salad

Fruit

• Thursday
  

Irish Stew with Soda bread

• Friday
  

Leftovers

• Saturday
  

4-H Dinner

• Sunday
  

BBQ Pork Ribs

Macaroni salad

Fruit salad

Rolls

Sunday Night Dinner

DINNER MENU 

****

Chicken Fried Steak 

Mashed Potatoes and Gravy 

Mixed Vegetables 

Green Salad with Homemade Ranch Dressing 

Home Canned Pickled Beets 

Grandma's Chocolate Crazy Cake 

****

~COST OF DINNER~

Chuck Steak 4.50

Potatoes .56

Mixed Veg .83

Salad 1.18

Dressing .85 (weeks worth of dressing)

Beets 0.00

Cake 1.38

Total Cost: 

$2.00 per person 

This dinner was for 5 people so total cost was $10.00

This kinda blows the thought that you can eat out cheaper than cooking at home.  A family of 5 can't even eat at Fast Food for under ten dollars anymore. 

Grandma's Chocolate Crazy Cake 

This super easy recipe came from my Grandma Cassel, a very busy mother of 9 children. 

1 1/2 Cups Flour 

1 Cup Sugar 

3 Tablespoons Cocoa Powder 

1 teaspoon Baking Soda 

1/2 teaspoon Salt 

5-6 Tablespoons Oil 

1 Tablespoon Vinegar 

1 teaspoon Vanilla 

1 Cup Water

Get your ingredients ready.

Pre-Heat oven to 350* F 

Spray baking pan (9x13) with non-stick spray. 

In mixing bowl mix first 5 ingredients. 

Add wet ingredients, mix together until you have a nice batter. 

Pour into baking pan. 

Bake for 30 min. or so. 

Let cool, frost if you wish, but the cake is wonderful just by itself.  

Enjoy!