A Little Christmas Decorating

Frugal Recipes

Last month I sent out an email to various friends who have a reputation of seeking to provide frugally, nutritious meals for their families. I asked them to send me a favorite recipe, then I cut and pasted the collection into a document and sent a copy out to everyone who participated. The response was great! Some where frugal and some were just FAST. And most ladies sent me more than one of their favorites. Here is a delicious soup recipe. I added more broth and our family of 6 ate it for two nights with some left for lunches. No turkey required! I used stewed beef.

I will post other recipes from the collection as our family tries them. Each of the girls will be choosing one recipe to make over the next 2 weeks.

Beef Barley Soup LauraLee B.

1 1/2 lbs ground beef (or stew beef cubed)
1 med. onion - chopped
1 tbsp oil
6 cups beef broth
1 cup pearl barley
4 med. carrots - sliced
1 tsp. dried thyme
1/2 tsp. dried marjoram
1/4 tsp. dried rosemary
1/4 tsp. pepper
2 tbsp. dried parsley
salt to taste

Prepare onions, carrots and stew beef if used. In a large pot brown meat with the onion in oil. Add broth, barley, carrots and spices, bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 30 min. or until meat is cooked and the carrots are at the desired tenderness. Add parsley just before serving. Serves 10. Enjoy!

You Live in Upstate NY.....

Here's a list that we've been laughing about all week

You live in Upstate NY:

If you consider it a sport to gather your food by drilling through 36 inches of ice and sitting there all day hoping that the food will swim by, you might live in Upstate New York.

If you're proud that your region makes the national news 96 nights a year because Saranac Lake is the coldest spot in the nation, and Syracuse gets more snow than any other major city in the US.

You might live in Upstate NY:

If your local Dairy Queen is closed from October through May.

You might live in Upstate New York :
If you get 131 inches of snow in a week and you comment that 'winter's finally here.

You might live near Oswego in Upstate New York:

If you instinctively walk like a penguin for six months out of the year, you might live, bundled up, in Upstate New York.

If someone in a Home Depot store offers you assistance, and they don't work there, you might live in Upstate NY.

If your dad's suntan stops at a line curving around the middle of his forehead, you might live in Upstate New York.

If you have worn shorts and a parka on the same day, you might live in Upstate New York

.If you have had a lengthy phone conversation with someone who dialed a wrong number, you might live in Upstate New York.

YOU KNOW YOU ARE A TRUE UPSTATE NEW YORKER WHEN:'

Vacation' means going south past Syracuse for the weekend.You measure distance in hours.

You know several people who have hit a deer - more than once.

You often switch from 'heat' to 'A/C' in the same day and back again.

You can drive 65 mph through 2 feet of snow during a raging blizzard without flinching.

You install security lights on your house and garage and leave both unlocked.

You carry jumper cables in your car and your girlfriend/wife knows how to use them.

You design your kid's Halloween costume to fit over a snowsuit.

Driving is better in the winter because the potholes are filled with snow.

You know all 4 seasons: almost winter, winter, still winter, and road construction.

You can identify a southern or eastern accent.Down South to you means Corning .

Your neighbor throws a party to celebrate his new shed.

You go out for a fish fry every Friday.

Your 4th of July picnic was moved indoors due to frost.

You have more miles on your snow blower than your car.

You find 10 degrees 'a little chilly.' And 55 is shorts weather.

You actually understand these jokes, and you forward them to all your Upstate New York friends and to those who used to live here and left(chickens).

What I'm Thankful For

My first thought was that I am thankful that I am not hosting Thanksgiving dinner after being sick for several days. But here is the real list that I was inspired to write after reading

Hannah's blog:~living in a land of plenty
~ living in a land where even those who do not claim to love God still have the common grace to do good for others (like food pantries and soup kitchens)

~ my Rubies in the Rough and watching them grow in wisdom and knowlege

~ my parents in NC are having a house full of people with whom they will enjoy the day

~my Uncle Charlie is spending Thanksgiving at my parents house because God saw fit to heal his body

~a loving husband who cares to meet my needs physically, emotionally and spirtually

~sweet suprises (this is from a book that I used to read to my little girls about doing something sweet for someone who's not expecting it)

~Carissa's homeschool graduation and spending the day being enveloped with the joy of choosing the homeschool path

~watching my 9 year old choose to read

~friends who inspire me to do right

~Elizabeth Elliot, Martha Peace, and Edith Schaffer who have written books that inspire me to do right

I need to stop.... thank you for reading

Sometimes It's Worth Getting Sick

Especially when the sentiment comes from your husband who knows that yellow roses are your favorite.

The Next Generation Steps Up

It's not been a good week- Mom in bed with the flu. Caroline stepped up to the plate today and made the rolls for tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner at my in-law's house. I'm hoping that I will be able to enjoy the rolls around the the table with everyone else.

Last Day of Fall Co-op

Abby's cake decorating class

I am so glad this class can take place somewhere other than my dining room.

Then I went waaayyy outside of my comfort zone, helping with "Ooey Gooey Fun." Fifteen 3-5 year olds making a mess and having a great time!

An early Christmas gift......

YEAH!!!

On Being a Lady

The ladies in our house will occasionally pick from the bookshelf, How to be a Lady, a Contemporary Guide to Common Courtesy. Sometimes it gives us a good laugh and sometimes it pricks our conscience. Here are some entries:

~A lady doesn't talk during a performance, a sermon, or a lecture.

~A lady should never ask if she looks fat in something.

~A lady does not whine.

~A lady does not dump the contents of her purse on the table for all to see.

~A lady doesn't wear white shoes before Easter nor after Labor Day.

(see girls, it's actually in print!)

~A lady donates the clothing she no longer wears to those less fortunate than she.

~A lady lets the gentlemen friends in her life know she appreciates their behavior toward her.

More to come.

Sometimes I'm Reminded.....

....what a joy it is when a gracious heart brings you a sweet surprise. A good lesson for tonight.

Then a daughter bakes Dad his favorite surprise.

Friday Co-op

When you come to Homeschool Co-op you never know what you'll go home with.

There is usually a box or two of clothes, shoes, books, magazines, housewares, etc.... Homeschooling mom's are some of the most sharing and generous people on the planet. We're all in this together.

Sometimes you go home with extra children in your van who will be spending the day and sometimes you go home with less children than you came with.

Yesterday, in a moment of weakness and temporary insanity, I agreed to go home with a new member of the household.

Meet Essie, the "Esther Bunny." No box is able to contain this bunny. Right now she is living in a dog crate big enough for a golden retriever. Time for a crash course on rabbit keeping.

Spoiled already?

Happy Adoption Day Alice....

........and congratulations to the rest of the family. Here is a video of the event covered by the local news: http://www.9wsyr.com/news/national/default.aspx?articleID=248717

This past Sunday evening, Tom and I finished the book, Tying the Knot Tighter, by Martha Peace and John Crotts. We have been reading a chapter a week on Sunday afternoons when we arrive home from church . Some weeks went by without reading, especially when company visited, but for the most part we were able to be consistent. Every chapter concludes with questions for the wife and husband to openly discuss. I can not say that each week was pleasant. With a chapter entitled, "The Wife Sets the Tone in the Home," you know some of the discussion is going to sting. But we made a pack on the first week- we would not use the time as a venting session and we would remember that we both have each others good-will at heart. What wife can be offended when she has a husband like mine who is continually telling her how much he loves and appreciates her?
I have learned many new things about my husband in the past few months. With the constant changes that take place in our lives and family, a natural consequence will be changes in our marriage too. We have grown together through the reading of this book and have resolved to repair the areas that need fixing.

A Bridge Instead of a Wall

They say a wife and husband bit by bit,

Can rear between their lives a mighty wall,

So thick they can not talk with ease through it,

Nor can they see across, it stands so tall!

Its nearness frightens them but each alone

Is powerless to tear its bulk away,

And each, dejected, wishes he had known

For such a wall, some magic thing to say.

So let us build with master art, my dear,

A bridge of faith between you life and mine,

A bridge of tenderness and very near

A bridge of understanding, strong and fine-

Till we have formed so many lovely ties

There never will be room for walls to rise!

Author Unknown

I Need a New......

My parents bought us our first microwave oven on our first Christmas together. If lasted 22 years!!!! It was a sad day when we put that microwave on the curb. It had been moved to six different homes. It saw the invention of microwave popcorn. I even stored my Pampered Chef stoneware on top of it. (Don't do this, it is not supposed to be good for your microwave)

But, it eventually died and we bought a new one with Christmas money two years ago. How long did it last? Not quite 2 years!!!!! I did not feel that we should go out right away and buy a new one. I just didn't feel right about it. Well, I feel right about it now. I have to remember to put out the frozen meat the night before. And, for a family that eats all leftovers, this has been an adjustment.

So, any advice on buying a new microwave oven for the family on a budget? I have tried Craig's List and E-bay unsuccessfully. I'm sure the perfect microwave is out there waiting for a family that has 4 boxes of popcorn ready to be eaten.

I have not been pleased with the fall centerpiece on my table this year. I've been to a number of craft fairs looking for one, not to mention Michaels, TJ Maxx, Macy's, etc..... Then I found these ideas on Tip Junkie. I have hope that I may come up with something before Christmas.

26 Is My Magic Number

Canning and freezing was pretty sparse for me this year. My garden was for immediate consumption only. I keep a mental number of putting up 26 quarts as a minimum for my family's eating. That would make a quart of corn, a quart of beans, a quart of applesauce, etc... for every 2 weeks in the year. Of course, the aim is above that for company and church dinners, but 26 is my mental minimum.

We have been able to can applesauce these past few days. I haven't made it to 26 quarts yet.

We also tried grape juice for the first time. When the jars were counted, there were 26 quarts!

She's Voting For the First Time Today

The 18-year-old is voting today (not the baby). My daughter and so many of her friends are voting for the first time. I have felt the need to apologize to them for over this past year. When I voted for the first time there was no question- Reagan! (For those of you who have been wondering how old I really am, that narrows it down within a eight year period since Reagan had two terms)

What will this new generation of voters be telling their grandchildren about the 2008 election? Our prayer is that they will be able to say that it was a time of wickedness, but God is His goodness changed the hearts of men.

PRAY!

Excerpt From a Devotional by Elizabeth Elliot

Emily, wife of America's first foreign missionary, Adoniram Judson, wrote home from Moulmein, Burma, in January 1847:
"This taking care of teething babies, and teaching natives to darn stockings and talking English back end foremost . . . in order to get an eatable dinner, is really a very odd sort of business for Fanny Forester [her pen name--she was a well-known New England writer before marrying Judson].... But I begin to get reconciled to my minute cares." She was ambitious for "higher and better things," but was enabled to learn that "the person who would do great things well must practice daily on little ones; and she who would have the assistance of the Almighty in important acts, must be daily and hourly accustomed to consult His will in the minor affairs of life."