2011 Goals

Here are the 2011 goals.

2011 Goals

Make more of my own food (breads, muffins etc)
Preserve more of the garden bounty
Dehydrate more food from garden and herbs (dehydrator on wishlist at Amazon.com & saving up my Amazon codes for one)
Do more work with Herbs – I have Lavender for some potpourri
Do volunteer work
Coupon more wisely for our home, donations and gifts
Sew/craft more
Continue to blog
Get out of the house more for walks (even if just to walk up to the carry out with Greg)

Some are repeats from last year because they needed improvements.

Blessings and may you and your family have a Blessed New year.

Laura

2010 Resolution review

Its that time of year again, what to do about the coming new year? I guess I have to start with a review of my 2010 goals

make your own bread - did but not on a regular basis.
dehydrate some food - didn't do unless you count the parsley and celery leaves
Can more food(pressure canning) - well I did can.preserve more food but no pressure canning.
Cooking more from scratch - I've done this and I hope that I have made us happier, healthier people.
expand the garden(it will almost double) - yep did that and it will grow again this year
grow & use herbs - grew 2 different ones Chives (which I do use) and Lavender (that I didn't use)
buy local (looking for a co-op for next summer)- couldn't find a co-op since we don't drive but I did buy more from the Farmers Market.
Improve my blog - I keep trying I may have to hire my son or my nephew to change anything :)
Do some volunteer work - didn't do the amount that I wanted to
Organize a home diary - its an on-going work in progress but put it this way if our home is blown away by a tornado I have an emergency bag packed that I stuff my purse in and grab with me. Greg laughs at me when they mention Tornado watch and I grab the bag and put it in the bathroom but hey I am prepared.

So I guess I did pretty good, I'm happy with what I did.

Come back tomorrow and hopefully I will figure out what to do for 2011.

Blessings, Laura

Christmas with Greg, Sam, AJ, Kelly and Tom

Some of my gifts the kids gave me a new grocery cart, this one has a security shelf that will put a shelf between my bags and the open air.


Tom's gift a new t-shirt called Ghostbusters. I used a gift certificate that earned from one of my reward programs and paid like $3 for it. It was a hit.


The new couple shot - he tickled me just as Kelly took the picture.

My candy dish brought out the fun of the party. What do you get when you eat a handful of sour candy?

Only a face a mother could love :)


Its been my tradition to enjoy a special Christmas get together with my very special people. This year I served finger foods (that I must have missed taking a picture of), a deli tray with ham and turkey with cheeses and crackers, homemade brownies, macaroni salad, deviled eggs, and a beef and onion cheeseball. And at Greg's suggestion I served the sausage stars that I had made for dinner the night before.

I hope that your Christmas was as nice as mine.

Blessings, Laura

Recipe review

Country Woman Christmas 1999
Savory Onion Cornbread (page 19)

Ingredients
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1/4 cup butter or margarine
1 egg
1 cup cream style corn
1/3 cup milk
2 drops hot pepper sauce
1 package (8 1/2 oz) corn bread/muffin mix AKA Jiffy mix
1 cup[ (8 oz) sour cream
1 cup (4 oz) shredded cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp dill weed

Directions
saute onions and butter until soft, set aside.
In bowl, mix egg, corn, milk, pepper sauce. Add muffin mix and mix until just mixed. Pour into greased 8 inch square pan.
Combine sour cream, 1/2 cup of cheese, salt, dill and sauteed onions
Spoon over the bread mix.
Bake in 425 oven for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.
Serve warm and serves 9.



Results and my changes
Pretty good but kind of strange with the topping. I used 4 drops of hot sauce and you could not taste it. I didn't have dill weed so I used dill seed. I suggest you leave this cool for 5 minutes - I didn't and I was hungry and my topping did not set up so it was messy. Good but messy :) and it went so well with my yummy chili

So what can you buy with 50 cents?

I bought a new microwave.

I paid 50 cents cash and $65.95 in Amazon gift codes. I like to turn in my reward program points for Amazon gift codes. So I had 3 codes (2 worth $5 from Swagbucks and one worth $10 from Freeride). Then Coinstar (the green change counting machine) ran a deal if you turned in $40 in coins (or dollars) you got a $10 code for your choice of like 10 different places. One of them happened to be Amazon.com. We had been saving our change in a big Planters plastic canister for a couple of years plus we added some extra change to make sure we were at $40.

Just a mere 4 days before this started we found out that we needed a new microwave. So here is what 50 cents bought us.

Blessings

Friday - this is on my mind

We hung up for outside Christmas lights. And we have changes for 2011 in mind already.

Blessings, Laura

Big brown (UPS) brought

me a little brown box.


I just received my Christmas gift from Quadreaders Club a really nice tin of cashews!!!


Thank you for reading now I'm off to work with stops at Walgreen's and Rite aid first. Blessings

Frugal bee today

Today has been a very frugal day for me. First I am sitting around the house in the dark. I am only turning on lights when I need to read something or like now when I need to be able to see my keyboard.

Tonight I have an Eastern Star meeting and I volunteered for refreshments. Pumpkin bars made with a marked down Halloween cake mix, a free can of pumpkin and free walnuts. Granted I paid for the remaining ingredients but not much just a couple eggs, some milk and spices.


Then for the same meeting we are collecting toys, gloves and hats for lower income families. So knowing this was coming up 3 weeks ago when they (the games) were on sale at work I bought 5 different games, used my employee discount (gotta love that!) and then mailed in the rebate for them.

The gloves were bought on sale for 49 cents a pair at KMart.

Trying to think of more ways to be frugal tomorrow.
Blessings and thank you for reading.

November freebies

November free stuff
Garnier Fructis anti-dandruff sample
15 stick pack of Extra gum
2 free cans Whiska cat food
trial size Tide
2 cans Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
1 doz eggs (meat market)
Kroger coupons - Free doz eggs coupon
10 first class stamps (Quadreaders)
Barilla pasta coupons (including one for a free box) from Vocalpoint
$10 gc from Mypoints for Walmart
$3 Pinecone payment
2 cans Campbell's Chicken noodle soup
4 bottles Honest Abe Tea
4 boxes of pasta
Box Ritz crackers
roll of Scotch painters tape
sample Tom's toothpaste
$30 Settlement check Danactive
sample of Dove shampoo & conditioner
$1.50 Kandoo coupon
No Nonsense sock (1 pair)
coupon roak
Free Kroger Big K 2 liter coupon
2 Renuizit adj room freshners (Facebook coupon)
chuck roast (store sale BOGO)
coupon free bag of vegetable chips
sample bag of Purina One catfood
sample Vaselline lotion
5 pound bag of potatoes

This is on my mind Friday

I'm planning my holiday baking.

500 pound food pantry challenge - final donation

Here is the final list of what I turned in

12.6oz Pantene conditioner
2 – 42 count Pull Up wipes
2 – 2.6 oz Degree Deodorant
7 Reach toothbrushes
5 Reach floss
15 trial size various health & beauty items
1 – 8ct Walgreen’s tampons
4 - 11 oz Gain dish detergent
9 ct Tampax tampons
4 Reach dental floss
40 ct Tampas tampons
2 (8 ct) Quaker Hearty oatmeal
2 - 13 oz boxes of cereal
2 cans chicken noodle soup
2 Oral B toothbrushes
1 Reach toothbrush
2 packets Star Kist Tuna
42 ct Cottonelle Wipes
Boudreaux’s baby kisses
16 ct Poise pads
3 cans Campbells’ chicken noodle soup
3 boxes Ronzoni pasta

I didn't have a final weight total. When I saw that I was not doing as well as I hoped I didn't bother buying a scale. I am a little disappointed that I didn't do better but I'll just turn around and keep gathering for this months donation.

Blessings

First snow of 2010/2011 season

When I left work last night we had a few big fluffy flakes as I walked across the parking lot and then it ended. But when we woke up this morning there was actually white stuff on the ground. Actually you see it better on the neighbors black car.


A view of the field behind our place


The garden, while it sleeps, is collecting future ground water to grow big strong vegetables next summer.


Ok I'm ready for Spring the rest of the snow can just float over us and land somewhere else.
Blessings