Happenings….

You all thought I dropped off the face of the earth, didn’t you? Not exactly, but I have been busy and I haven’t stopped to think about blogging in several weeks. Since there have been some people asking if I’m still blogging…I guess I need to get on the ball!

So…what have we been doing? Well…

VBS – Loads of fun! What a blessing to our little church that we had 55 children with us for the week and 7 professions of faith! God is Good!!!

Gardening – Not exactly what I had planned, but it’s doing good! The fence was necessary to keep out the pesky groundhog and rabbits. I normally do rows, but with the fence I thought to do “patches”. Next year…rows.

Green Beans

Red Beets

Tomatoes – 8 Romas, 1 Pink German, 1 Tomatillos, 2 Beef Steak, 1 Cherry

ZucchiniLike I said…not exactly what I had in mind…but it’s doing well. Before we got the fence fixed the groundhog had a feast of my cucumbers & yellow squash.By the time we could replant, the greenhouse was out of all their plants! It’s much too late to start them from seeds, so we’ll have to settle for what we have. I’m going to plant more beets and beans where the cantaloupe and watermelon plants died off.

And a little bit of prettiness…

Kids, kids, kids – schools out, so we’re spending loads of time outside. We’re also working on some homemaking skills with the girls. Sammi is able to cook meals and baked good on her own and Chrissy is an awesome bread maker!

I can’t promise much more until we get back from Vacation next week…but there will be tons of pictures! If I get a chance I’ll post a few while we’re gone…my friend has one of those new mini laptops and I’m dying to play with it

Happy Summer!

MIA!

No I have not abandoned you all! We’ve had many projects going on over the last few weeks and I haven’t had time to even think of a decent post! It’s suppose to be nice weather tomorrow, so I’ll be out taking pictures of what we’ve been working on to share.

What’s in the works for this next week?

• My to-do list for the summer – I need accountabliltiy!
• Kitchen Tip Tuesday – freezing veggies
• Garage Sale hints & tips
• Shopping Deals and Steals
• Summer Recipes
• New Products I’m trying

I look forward to getting back into the swing of thing! Starting with Menu Planning Monday (Sunday night).

Check out Huge Neutrogena Moneymaker at CVS

Awesome deal posted at The Thrifty Mama! Check it out:
Huge Neutrogena Moneymaker at CVS + My Trip Last Night

Kitchen Tip Tuesday – Pesky Ants!

Tis’ the season…or at least in this area it is! For reasons that escape me, when the weather warms up, the ants find their way to my cupboards and counters! With 3 kids of my own and the 3 others I have around most of the time…crumbs are inevitable. Here is a great article on environmentally friendly ant repellent.

For more great Kitchen Tips visit Tammy’s Recipes every Tuesday

Kitchen Tip Tuesday

A few months ago I was introduced to the Tip Nut website. What a plethora of information! I haven’t made it through even half of the  posts, but I’m always finding new and not-so-new ways to help my household run more smoothly.

I really enjoyed this section on Vintage Household Tips. While, I couldn’t find too many that applied to modern day homemaking – it was interesting to read how things were done when my Grandmothers were keeping house with a house full of kids!

For more Kitchen Tips visit Tammy’s Recipes every Tuesday

Organizing Coupons

My “couponing buddie” and I are on a mission to reorganize our stash! We’ve realized that our shopping trips would go a lot smoother if we had a better organization system. I’ve tried different methods in the past, but I think we finallly hit on one that will be perfect!

Jaime over at I’m a Money Magnet did a series a few months ago about her method. My favorite tip from this is Stapling your stack of coupons BEFORE you cut them out! It makes so much sense and is so easy to do.

Part 1 HERE – clipping tips

Part 2 HERE - organizing your stash

MPM – May 4th

I haven’t really stuck with a menu over the last few weeks and I’ve noticed a definite change! For one, I’m much more uptight when I don’t have a plan for meal AND the biggest “ouch” is that I tend to spend more at the grocery store! Both of which I know~and try to help others understand! Guess I need to start practicing what I’m preaching Okay~ Back to Menu Planning!!!

Breakfasts: choosing from

• Cereal
• Oatmeal
• Toast
• Yogurt
• Eggs
• English Muffins
• Fruit

Lunch:

• Monday – Ramen Noodles & Fruit ( I know~super unhealthy, but they’re cheap and my kids love them!)
• Tuesday – PB & J Sandwich & yogurt
• Wednesday – leftovers
• Thursday – Pizza Roll-ups & raw veggies
• Friday – Grilled Cheese & Tomato Soup w/crackers
• Saturday – Hot Dogs & Macaroni and Cheese
• Sunday – Mother’s Day!

Supper:

• Monday – Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes & Buttered Corn w/ biscuits & Salad
• Tuesday – Baked Ham, Parsley Potatoes & Green Beans
• Wednesday – Spaghetti w/ Leftover Meatloaf (cut up) in Sauce, Garlic Bread & Salad
• Thursday – Ham & Bean Soup, Biscuits & Salad
• Friday – Pizza, Salad & Bread Sticks
• Saturday – leftovers
• Sunday – Mothers Day!

A pretty easy week! Have a blessed week and don’t forget to check out Orgjunkie.com for more recipes!

Wordless Wednesday

Fun Visitor!

On Sunday we had a friend visit for dinner. We had a wonderful visit and she brought some really neat things for the kids to look through. She homeschooled her children (now grown) and knew we were going to homeschool…so she brought a mini-science lesson with her!

The Pottery was BEAUTIFUL! Our friend’s daughter makes these and more. To see more samples visit her website : Michelle Schissler

Easter Pictures