how cheap can you be :)

it is a constant mission to save money around our home, how 'bout yours? same goal? i thought as much.... but it's hard, why am i subconsciously drawn to the more expensive items?! a strict budget is hard and the decision to live debt-free and below our means is a daily adventure is self-control.

about two years ago my Man wanted to take over the money-managing for our family, and you know, i wasn't so happy about it. even though i knew i wasn't doing the very best job saving or budgeting, i felt like if he came in and took over i'd lose some sort of "power".... stupid, huh? we never argued over money and everything got paid (for the most part) and we had more than enough money to blow on whatever we wanted, but because we weren't on the same page as far as saving or investing or spending and without any real goals, it just wasn't working.

so i submitted to his leadership, prayed for God to give me heart to follow and that He'd give my Man much wisdom and discernment to manage the money that God blessed us with.....

and that made all the difference!

in order for me to stay home full-time there was going to have to be sacrifce (i've written about sacrifice/charity here), to be able to be used by the Lord in new capacities and give like never before, it would mean paying off doctors bills quicker, paying off those credit cards and not using them again and downsizing every area of our life.... and being open to my Man's leading and the Lord's each step of the way.

and since we've done (with God's good grace) those things, and we absolutely have taken to the teachings of dave ramsey & the total money makeover, i'd like to say that budgeting and saving money and just sometimes going without has become second-nature by now, but it's not, not even close.... is living below your means easy for your family? or do you even budget?

i spent a lot of time at the beginning of the year cataloging groceries prices from about 5 local grocers,

just so i'd have a more exact idea about what was really a sale when the weekly ads came out; plus i have become addicted to couponing!! seriously, it is a personal mission to save as much as possible with my ad prices and coupons. and this isn't easy, comparing prices, figuring is this coupon really a better deal at this store because they double or at this store with a lower original price, and so on. that reminds me i probably need to catalog prices again, you know, just to make sure things are still about the same and i'm not missin' a deal :)

what makes me really proud is to same that i have cut my bi-weekly grocery budget 110.00 so far! that's an extra 220.00 each month, that for some reason hasn't necessarily ended up in our savings account due to doctor's visits, car repairs, flooded houses, and summer utility bills....

and there's another place i'm trying to cut: energy costs. and this seems about impossible!! but i have grown to love my inherited clothesline that came with our new home!

i thought i would struggle with crunchy, stiff clothes (which i loathe!) but i have taken to another money-saving tip!! instead of using all those costly stain removers and fabric softeners in our washer, simply pour in about a 1/3 cup of plain white vinegar in with your detergent, and i also use a bit more in my fabric softner dispenser. once it's rinsed out and dried, you don't smell any vinegar at all, promise! but all my sheets and towels are just right and fluffy as i'm taken 'em off the line. perfect!!

and not only do i enjoy baking, it is a money-saver!! baking cookies, biscuits for dinner, brownies, pizza crusts and the like from scratch is better for you and much more efficient on my grocery dollars.

example: my homemade drop biscuits are a bajillion times better than any store biscuits from a can and so easy:

2 cups flour (one unbleached white and one whole wheat)

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

combine and then using a pastry cutter or a sturdy fork work in a 1/2 stick of real butter (and don't melt or soften it, the cold butter is perfect and melts beautifully while cooking in the oven, yum!). once it's all crumbly stir in 1 cup milk and you're done!!!

have your oven pre-heated to 450, and just drop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, it makes about 7-9 biscuits depending on how big you like your biscuits :), and 12 minutes later you're in biscuit heaven!

this recipe is quick, healthy (for a biscuit) and super cheap!!

okay, i know there are other ways we have been pinching pennies, but i want your input and ideas, or at least help me feel better and let me know that you struggle to control your spending and it's not just me :).... please.....

so a happy friday to you and have an amazing weekend; if you stop by tomorrow evening i'll have some thoughts about remembering 9/11, should be interesting or at least i think so :)

be blessed

Cast your burden on the Lord; and He will sustain you.... Psalm 55.22

a peek into my week...

i know, i know, it's only been forever since i last posted.... sorry.... we get busy around here and i literally go days on end without opening my laptop. i am totally determined to not let this happen anymore, even if all i'm writing about is what i made for dinner and the strange dreams i had the night before :) maybe y'all can help interpret some of them, because the dreams have been getting weird! i need to drink some calming green tea before bed or something!

has it been raining for like two weeks where you're at? i swear i am done with rain!! this is just one of the reasons why....

yes, after two days of record rainfall last week, we had about 3 feet of water under our home, a backed-up sewer system and me have a little stress-attack! you can understand, right? when you have five people in the house and the toliets won't flush, well i'll just let your imagination and nose go from there.

but 97.50 for a plumber to work 20 minutes and fix the problem (and oh my goodness! that is a career path i am thankful i never considered!! gross, gross, gross!!!) and 84.00 for a sump pump, we were on the road to getting everything back to normal by last friday afternoon. and we were incredibly thankful for my brother (in-law) who hauled over a HUGE pump from his work to get the water out from under the house much faster!! and the mammoth puppy and Big 'K' had the time of their lives playing in the water that was leaving the house and now flooding the yard!

i promise that the water wasn't contaminated or anything, but it made a terribly muddy mess of my already soggy yard and my neighbor wasn't exactly please that the run off was puddling up her yard (again) too.... but what can ya do?!

what else?..... oh! my babe, Masta 'P', is just days away from his first jr. high football game!! we are soooooooo excited and pumped for him! he's had 2 1/2 hour practices every day after school, so he's ready. and he got the jersey number that he had desperately been praying he'd get....

my other brother (in-law) is the number 1 high school running back in the state (he holds 5 state records! but he's in college now... i digress, sorry) and 32 was his number, and 'P' really wanted to have that number in jr. high and in high school, too. and we were all really excited, too! it was an affirmation to him but me as well, that nothing we pray and give to God is too small or insignificant; if it's important to us and something that's on our heart, the Lord is so faithful to hear us...

i love to bake from scratch. mostly i want to control what is going into our food, but baking/cooking is theraputic to me, is it that way for you? my bestie (ms.s) teases me about making my pizza crusts from scratch, like when i say "it's really not that hard or a big deal" and she says "well not if your martha stewart!" so i just decide to take the sideways compliment and go on about my day :)

so since 'K' and i are together all day with nothin' but time to learn, read, play, frolic, shop, clean... ahem, i got a little sidetracked.... we bake together quite a bit

he was so happy to wear mama's apron, and i am glad i snapped a pic real quick because in no time flat he was trying to yank it off with extreme prejudice! we were whipping up some sugar cookies, which are really awesome and soft, but i need to create some sweet glaze or something to drizzle over the top.... just thinking out loud :)

my glorious Girlie is doing so outstanding at her (new) school. third grade is splendid and she is making several close friends and if i haven't said it before, we just are so giddy about her teacher and what a blessing she is!

as we walk to school in the mornings, we walk right past a locally owned donut & coffee shop, and it smells incredible, delectible, scrumpitous!! so i got us out the door just a little earlier than normal this week and surprised Girlie with a little detour into the shop for a donut (or two). she smiling from ear to ear and loved the treat!

don't you just love surprising your kiddos with special treats like this? my kiddos treasure the most simple memories like this and the moments of talking over a sprinkle donut.... i love 'em

i've had several orders of Jewelry Portraits (from my design business, Flooded By Grace Designs) and they've been custom orders and that has been truly a treat for me to create them!

here's one i did for a little girl who needed a portrait for her growing necklace & earring collection plus something to hold her beautiful hair bows...

it was a double stack of frames with gorgeous satin ribbon and buttons flowing from the bottom to clip hair bows on.... i loved it and lil' Girlie was a bit more than jealous for it! i am still working on my website, it's a much longer process than i anticipated, plus i'm trying to get my inventory (jewelry portraits and such) built up and ready for orders, but customers can always make a custom order request... just sayin' :) if you're interested just drop me a note!

and before all the sogginess, 'K' and i have enjoyed some cooler, fall-like days at the park...
...isn't he just beautiful?! wow...

and he was racing just as fast as he can up and down the ramp on the equipment. amazingly he didn't bite the dust... praise the Lord :)

"peek-a-boo, mama!!!"

okay, so this is a peek of what's going on in my world.... i promise, cross my heart to be back tomorrow with something profound to say.... or at least something amusing to say :)

love ya!

be blessed!

and then there were two...

has it seriously been over a week since i wrote last?! wow! how lame can i get?! please do NOT answer that, really don't....

i have a totally good excuse for not writing: it was the first week of school!!! this has been huge! Mr.'P' is now officially in junior high and playing football (whoa!) and lil' Lou-Woo Girlie started third grade at a new school here in our quiet town, Fly Over Country, USA (she's brilliant!) and this has been quite the adjustment for Big 'K' to do preschool each day at home and no bubba or sissy... then there were just the two of us....

the evening before school started, i stole the big kids after dinner for a special treat

did you know that it's the little things that kids remember? the little walks down the street and seemingly simple conversations, the snuggles and holding of little hands are the moments that they remember, not the gifts or pricey gadgets. i know this because my posse would tell you that one of the best times ever was eating ice cream at sonic when they crawled through the moon roof and ate on the roof of the truck. and this was like 2 or 3 years ago. crazy, huh? so i drove 'P' and Girlie to sonic for 99 cent sundaes (yum-o!!) and i let them create another memorable moment :) on the roof of the truck in their pj's...

and i'd like to say that i got a picture of my eldest before i was allowed to walk halfway to the junior high with him, but then i'd be a liar instead of a completely forgetful and silly mama who has broken her streak of first-day-of-school pictures.... however that walk to school on monday was magnificent! i was so excited that he let me walk with him and i was kicking myself after i quickly hugged him and gave his fuzzy head a rub that i forgot my sunglasses to cover my teary eyes as i headed back to get my Girlie ready for school, too.

she wanted to walk to school, as well. this is the first time we've ever lived close enough to do this and it is apparently the coolest thing ever to walk to school!! (giggle) so after much careful preparation, she adorned herself (with some primping assistance from mama) with her most favorite new outfit and i strapped 'K' into the stroller and headed off to third grade...

i'm so a fan of this super adorable frilly, sequined skirt.... kinda want one of my own... seriously

so we headed inside..... it was an anxious moment for her, i could see her biting the bottom lip a little and so i reminded her how incredibly kind, smart, sweet, caring, fun, beautiful she is as we walked the new halls to her class. might i add she has the most amazing teacher this year, it is sure to be a wonderful success. and after five days, it is almost being to feel normal and not new... and this mama is overly relieved for God's grace in giving the right teacher and class, everything

you noticed the fabulously gorgeous school bag my daughter was carrying, didn't you? i thought so, i could sense your envy from here (hee, hee)...

yep, i made it for her.... and wow, it was one of the most frustrating projects i've taken on as of late. i wanted to throw my sewing machine about 6 minutes into the whole dang process, but after i shed a couple tears of frustration one night i persevered and came out with what she believes to be the "most beautiful bag i've ever seen, mama"... ya, that made it worthwhile

Big 'K' and i are working on the letter 'A' this week, 'A' sounds and 'A' words, also on concepts of big and small, short and tall and his very favorite: cutting on the lines!!

i am trying to finish a couple 'jewelry frames' that were ordered, and one is completed and the other is going to be done by the end of tomorrow if it kills me!! okay, it won't kill me but no one may get fed until i finish :) and i have about 5 more frames to complete so i can officially open my etsy webstore for Flooded By Grace Designs (lots of Yay!!!)

so do you forgive me for ignoring y'all?

oh, good!!! now it is bedtime for this mama who is worn out and in need of about 14 hours of straight sleep.... i do realize i'll only get about 6 but a girl can dream, right?!

be blessed.....

what's cooking?!

so i've been tweeting about my oatmeal cookie obsession lately (if you don't follow me on twitter, just click on the link on the right sidebar) and the obsession has yet to subside... yep, at 10am this morning i was whipping up another batch.

hey! don't judge me! it's oatmeal, people! it's heart healthy and whole grains are very, very good for you.

anyway.... since i have been completely lazy on sharing our weekly menus and new recipes with you (bad mama blogger....), i thought that i would give you my super fabulous oatmeal cookie recipe, well it's my mama's but she won't mind at all if i share with you :)

preheat your oven to 350 degrees (i almost always forget to do this, so i eat way too much cookie dough while i wait for my ancient oven to heat up)

you'll need:

2 sticks of butter (softened) and yes to make them incredibly delicious it must be real butter

cream butter with 1C brown sugar and 1/2C sugar (i use organic raw sugar but granulated is fine, too). once you've creamed those together and taken a couple tastes, just to be sure :), then add 1tsp pure vanilla, mix some more. then grab 2 eggs from your chicken coop out back or the fridge, whatever :) and beat those in (one at a time) with your butter/sugar mixture.

good so far? great...

in a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients: 1 1/2C flour (i use half unbleached white and half whole wheat), 1tsp baking soda, 1tsp cinnamon and a pinch more for good measure, and 1/2tsp of salt.... stir it all together

now stir in the dry ingredients, about 1 cup at a time... oh hold on i have to take a bit of my cookie, oh that was good.... into the butter/sugar/egg. your dough will be nice and thick but it is of course missing something: oatmeal!! now just using my spatula or wooden spoon i stir in 3C of oatmeal (i do not prefer the quick cooking oats, i like the big old fashioned oats, i love the texture it adds to my cookies

yea! you've done it!! now just plop down some of this amazing mixture on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, okay you don't have to use the parchment paper, but i do and it's my recipe, to there :) bake at 350 for about 8 minutes, and viola! you have the most amazing oatmeal cookies this side of the mississippi!!

now i have been experimenting with little additions to my cookie dough such as white chocolate chips or walnuts or even dried cranberries.... and while all of those are yum-o, i still just love this simple recipe without all the bells and whistles. and for all you freaks who ruin a perfectly wonderful oatmeal cookie by adding raisins (YUCK, YUCK, YUCK!!), i don't want you're commentary about how you added raisins and it was fantastic, gross :)

okay, i am off to clean up the kitchen after feeding five children (yes i had two extras today) this colorful, yummy, and simple lunch....

some all natural vanilla yogurt, with honey wheat pretezel, slices of nectarines and a drizzle of raw honey..... yum, yum, yum... enough said :)

my belief is: if it looks colorful and appealing to the eye, then the posse is more likely to eat it without any complaining

and the hot dogs are actually turkey dogs without any preservatives or anything artifical, organic mac-n-cheese (so good), grape tomates and baby carrots with cottage cheese... easy, cheap, and so healthy i can hardly contain myself!!

be blessed today!! let me know how you liked the cookies.... i'm off to put the toddler down for a nap (praise the Lord!) and then i have like a million jewelry portraits to create...

Not Me! Monday

do you feel shamed for eating five, no two, okay five oatmeals cookies for a snack while blogging before bed? is a mountain of clothes spilling out of the laundry and yet you just keep walking over it like it's not there? don't fret, my dear! Not Me! Monday was born out of the brillant mind of Mrs.MckMama as a way to air our less than perfect mom/wife moments and live to tell about it... you can link up and join the party at her blog by clicking here.....

okay, where to begin....

i did not spend last weekend completely obsessed with reading new moon because if i didn't find out what happened with bella and edward i might conbust! nope, i am a total grown-up and wouldn't allow myself to get so caught up in a silly book... ahem...

i seriously needed to get to the grocery store last week and i would never torture my children plus my niece and nephew by dragging all five of them to FOUR different stores. i am always super fun mama and would not dream of threatening telling them to just be good for a little bit longer. and no way ever was it my teenage son that i had to get on to (repeatedly) for chasing his little brother up and down (and up and down, up and down...) the aisles of the store, he is always the model child teen and would never require me to impose potential embarassment if he didn't stop chasing Big 'K' all over the place!!!

and certainly i did not find a stray kitten in my truck just this morning! as i was heading out the door at 7am to run by the store before going to lil' Girlie's school to take muffins for a teacher breakfast, i definitely did not hear any faint meowing but just dismiss it and start the truck anyway. and then after running to the store and then back home (cause i forgot something) i did not hear more manic meowing this time. and if i had heard this i didn't start searching for the tortured kitty, only to follow the cries to be coming from under my truck. i did not immediately get a horrible sick feeling in my tummy with the thought of mangled kitty in my engine.... so i did not cautiously open the hood searching for said kitty.....

and i did not find this cutie kitty stuck back in the corner of the tahoe's engine... nope...

so what say you?! what haven't you done this week :)

and don't forget to enter my twilight contest!! click here.... i'm going to close comments at 6pm CST tonight

be blessed y'all!!

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. proverbs 3.5-6