I have not totally abandoned my readers, but I have been praying and thinking a lot about either cutting back some from this blog or simply stopping it all together. I have realized that it is taking up way more of my time then I should let it take up. I have been trying to work out a schedule so that I am only allowing myself certain times of the day to work on it. 

I have been receiving comments and emails from readers telling me that they like what they are seeing and have been able to benefit some from reading. I will try to continue the Dillons deals on Wednesdays and a few of the best deals I find throughout the week as well as some encouraging words, but the time I have spent in the past will have to be cut back some so that I am able to fulfill my job as wife and mother first. I hope you will all understand. 

In the meantime here is a great link to a Christmas ornament project that a reader sent me. 
Thanks Sarah!
I am working on getting feed burner on my blog. I am not sure what I am doing so I would love to know how many of you have subscribed to this blog?

I am also wondering what topics you would like me to research and post about? Is there anything I used to do that you miss or anything different that I have yet to touch on? What keeps you coming back? I would like to make sure and post about things that are helpful and interesting to you. Thanks for the help.

John 3:16
"For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life."

This is the only thing we should remember about Christmas. It is so hard to remember through all the other holiday events we have planned. Try to remember the true reason we celebrate.

If you have been looking for a way to work from home for any length of time I am sure that you have at least looked into transcription in some form or another. I have worked as a medical transcriptionist myself so I can tell you that this is something that can be done. The only problem seems to be that most of the time when you think of transcription you think about medical transcription and you probably do not feel like you have the qualifications it would take to get started in this field. 

There is hope for you if you have no formal medical training. Have you ever considered working as a legal or general transcriptionist? If you are able to type at a reasonable rate and you have a good grasp of grammar and punctuation this may be something that you could consider, but there is still the problem of needing some training and how to find your first job. 

I have discovered that the blog Transcription Talks offers a down loadable training course called Transcription 101, that is significantly cheaper then any other training course I have seen. Believe me when I say that I have researched this subject. The rates I found usually ranged in the $1000's and you still had no guarantee of a job. I myself paid a local woman about $400 to train me. I ended up working as a medical transcriptionist for her until her business folded. I loved it and I earned back my start up cost very quickly. 

Normally I would not advocate paying anyone for an at home job opportunity, but this is more like an investment in your education. I cannot guarantee that you will find a job after you have finished, but you will at least have the no how and it may work to your advantage. The cost of Transcription 101 is only $30! I wish I had known about this when I first started. You can go here to read more about it. Right now you can email the author and she will send you the first chapter for free so you can check it out and decided what you think.

You can also try Violet's College Fund.  She has a ton of ideas on how to get started in this field and what companies are hiring. 
I went with Madison's class on a field trip to see the play The Gingerbread man this morning. When we got home we decided to make some real gingerbread men. After I got them in the oven I had to take a phone call. When I came back into the kitchen this is what I found. 
She had the spoon and the bowl on the floor just helping herself. I guess it's a good thing her brother was napping or he would have been right in there with her. 
Today we made cranberry wreaths and cornucopias. I am hopeful that by the end of the week we will have the tree up and decorated. It has been such a busy week that we have not had a free evening with my husband home to put it up. 

To make this cornucopia you will need some brown paper or a paper bag. Trace a 12"-14 " bowl and cut out the circle. You will then cut the circle in half. Each half circle is then folded into a cone and taped or stapled. I then cut a small hole in either side and attached a piece of raffia for a handle. I would have preferred twine, but raffia is what I found. I then placed a holiday pick inside. This is not quite as nice as I had hoped, but it will still look OK on the tree. You can cut a scallop edge on each one if you like. I am planning to make about a dozen for the tree. 

These cranberry wreaths are very easy. Just string some cranberries on a piece of thread and tie off at the end. I am also planning to use these on the tree.

Tomorrow we will be stringing popcorn. I may not post pictures because we all have seen this done before. 

Are you wondering why I decided to go for all homemade and mostly edible tree ornaments this year? Cost was one factor, but the biggest one was my 13 month old, Jack. I figured if he got them off of the tree and destroyed them he will not be ruining my nice ornaments. They will be at the top of the tree. 

I will let you know how the homemade star topper goes when we have a chance to get it made. 


Unfortunately there are not too many great deals at Dillons this week. Please someone let me know if there are any that I did not see. I am doing this while I am rather tired so I may have missed some. 

8 HOURS ONLY DECEMBER 4th 4pm-MIDNIGHT

There are numerous 10/$10 items, but most of them are Kroger brand so there are not any coupons to use with them. Here is what I was able to match up...

M&M's 14 oz $1.68
-$1/1 from 11/16 RP
Final $.68

Nestle Jingles 12 oz $1.68
-$1/2 Here
Final $2.36 for 2 or $1.18 each

Healthy Choice Canned Soup 10/$10
-$1/3 from 10/26 SS
Final $2 for 3 or $.67 each

REGULAR WEEKLY DEALS

Tyson Boneless Skinless Chicken BOGO

Kroger Cheese 33% off
There was a shortcuts coupon

Honey Nut Cheerios $2.99
-$1/1 here
Final $1.99

Cottonelle 4 pk $.99
-$.50/1 here and here
Final $.49

There were a few other items that had coupon match ups, but they were still not great deals. Hopefully next week will look better.


I managed to get 2 more ornament projects finished today. We are going for mostly homemade ornaments this year. I have no idea if it will all turn out the way I want it to. Today I dried orange slices in the oven and made cinnamon ornaments.

To make the orange slices you lay cut slices on a cookies sheet. (Cut them much thinner then I did) You then dry them for 4 hours on your ovens lowest setting, around 170 degrees. After 4 hours you flip them over and then check them every hour. They are finished when they are still slightly moist. This way they will retain their orange color. They will finish drying as they cool

To make the cinnamon ornaments you will need to combine 1 cup of cinnamon and 3/4 cup of store bought applesauce (homemade is to watery). The dough will be stiff. Roll it out between wax paper to about 1/4" thickness. You can then cut them into your desired shape and lay them out to dry for several days. Make sure to put a hole in them so you can hang them. I found that a straw makes a great tool for this. After they have dried you can decorate them or leave them plain.

Another tip about the cinnamon ornaments-Make sure your children know not to eat the dough, and make sure they keep their fingers away from their eyes. I had to constantly remind my daughter today.

Tomorrow I am hoping to show you the cornucopias we are working on. I thought they would be finished today, but who would have thought it would be so hard to find fake holly this time of the year. I have plans to try one more store tomorrow.

If you are interested in seeing where I have been getting some of my ideas you can go here for some inspiration of your own. I am also planning to have Madison help me string popcorn and make mini cranberry wreaths for the tree. I think I will see if my husband can make a star for the top using some sticks from the yard and then paint it gold.

If you go here you can send 3 of your friends a $10 Restaurant.com gift certificate. You can send it to 3 friends everyday between now and December 25. This is a great promotion and really easy to do. Do you have anyone on your Christmas list who might enjoy this?
I have been considering lately starting an emergency stockpile of food. You can never predict what is going to happen in the future. Hopefully this is something I will never need, but it never hurts to be prepared. If you missed the guest post at Money Saving Mom yesterday about this subject I would highly recommend you read it. It is much better written and more detailed then I could give you.
I did not get quite as much accomplished today as I had hoped. Jack was very cranky and cried most of the day. I thought I would show you the few things I managed to get done. Tomorrow I am hoping to give you some web sites and recipes for tons of do it yourself Christmas decor as well as some examples of what we are planning. I also hope to get some cleaning supply recipes posted.
I found these out in the garden today. I planted them last April!

Dinner on a budget. Pot roast, broccoli, homemade bread, sweet potatoes, and carrots.

This is a really cheap and elegant way to decorate. The tangerines cost about $1.69, the cloves were $2.00 (only used 1/2 container), free branches, and a pretty bowl.





***Update-This deal works for anyone. I had it shipped to my house and I got 75 prints plus 30 Christmas cards for about $2.50.***

This is a great deal. If you go to this link
here from Money Saving Methods you can learn how to get 30 free holiday picture cards shipped to CVS for at grand total of $.48! I wish I had a CVS near me. I think I will have to see if I can find a way to get this to work anyway.

Stay tuned later today as I post about my adventures in making my own laundry soap. I have also started making some of my Christmas decorations. 
Right now you can go here and sign up for a free Schick Quatrro Titanium razor. I saw this on another blog yesterday and then on another one today. So I decided I needed to pass it along. Razors are my favorite freebie.

Save Up to 50% -- $5 Flat-Rate Shipping!
I thought I would pass this on to anyone who would like to buy any Christmas gifts from the Vision Forum. I know that I have many of their books and cds on my Amazon wish list. Maybe I should pass this on to my family as well. They are also offering a $5 flat rate shipping for any order.
 


I went grocery shopping today knowing that I needed to only buy essentials and the things I needed for making laundry soap (I still need washing soda) and decorating for Christmas. I went to Aldi's, Target, and Dillons. I am hoping to do a post on our homemade Christmas decorations soon.

The produce I bought is not organic, but sometimes you just have to take what you can get.

Dillons

Gallon Organic Milk $6.19
-$.55 coupon
Total $5.19

Whole Cloves $2.02

Cottonelle 4pk $.99
Cellfire coupon $.50
Total $.49

Fels Naptha Soap $1.29

Total spent $9.62

Aldis

3lb Gala apples $2.69

3lb Granny Smith Apples $1.99

8oz Mushrooms $.99 

3lb Tangerines $1.69

3lb Oranges $1.99

Total Spent $9.94

Target

Borax $2.99

Broccoli $2.29
-$1 coupon
Total $1.29

Marshmellows $.89 (Splurge for a treat for a family get together tonight)

Plain whole milk organic yogurt $3.39
-$1 coupon
Total $2.29

Box of organic tube yogurts $3.19
-$1 coupon
Total $2.19

Total minus tax $9.65  (I had some things for my mother on the same receipt) 

Total for the day $29.21


I went into Walgreens last night to pick up a couple of things for my mother to use as Christmas gifts. I hit the jackpot on Glade scented oil candles and flamless candles. Both of these items are on sale for $3.99 this week. 

Scented oil candles $3.99 x 2
Used BOGO coupon
-$2/1 coupon
Total for 2 $2 or $1 each

Flamless Candle $3.99
-$3/1 coupon from recent insert
Send in for $2 ES rebate
Total- I made $1 after rebate!

Since I do not have a reader Q&A planned for this Monday I thought I would let you in on my experiment of making my own cleaning supplies and personal care items such as shampoo, conditioner, and deodorant. 

Why would I even bother with this? Well for two reasons-price and health. Most cleaning supplies, shampoos and other toiletries are very expensive. Even when I can get them free I feel uneasy using them due to all the man made chemicals in them. I have been doing a lot of research this last year and many of the chemicals in our shampoo and body washes are carcinogens. I read in a book recently that baby shampoo used a chemical to numb a babies eyes and that is why it is considered tear free. They can no longer feel the chemicals burning their little eyes! I don't know about you, but that is not something I want to use on my children. Their tiny bodies can not handle the amount of chemical residue that is left behind. A lot of the diseases and hyperactivity that has become so common today has been linked to some of these chemicals. I will try to find some of these articles and link to them when I have more time. 

I think that anyone wanting to save money and quit their jobs to stay at home with their kids may be interested in learning how to do some of these things simply because it is cheaper. I recently read a post on Common Sense With Money about homemade laundry soap and how it only cost $.01 per load to use. That is much cheaper and safer then even the cheapest premade soap you can get. 

Here is a list of what I plan to make in the next week or so. I will keep you updated...
Laundry soap
Fabric softener
Deodorant
Shampoo
Conditioner
Liquid soap
Lotion
Tooth paste
Facial cleanser
All purpose cleaner
Glass cleaner
Furniture polish


I have a lot of food that I have stockpiled from all of the sales the past several weeks. My husband and I decided that it is time we started to use most of it and not buy as many groceries the next couple of weeks. I started this last week and only had to buy a couple of things such as milk, eggs, and cheese. This week I should only need to buy a little bit of fruit and milk. 

We have also decided that I have let my couponing and deal hunting get in the way of our whole food diet. I am going to try and see if I can continue to eat whole and/or organic with coupons and still remain within budget. I will let you know how things go. I am learning how important it is to eat with the seasons not only for nutrition, but also for budgeting.

Monday
Breakfast-Soaked oatmeal, fruit
Lunch-Millet,boiled eggs, corn
Dinner-Beef roast, sweet potatoes, homemade rolls

Tuesday
Breakfast-Homemade toast, eggs
Lunch-Beef roast, rolls, broccoli
Dinner-Crock pot chicken, acorn squash, pasta

Wednesday
Breakfast-Toast, plain whole milk yogurt with honey, fruit
Lunch-Home canned applesauce, chicken strips, veggie
Dinner-Bean and chicken burritos with homemade tortillas, veggie

Thursday
Breakfast-Soaked oatmeal, fruit
Lunch-Organic french fries, beef roast, fruit 
Dinner-Chicken and bean soup, veggie, and rolls

Friday
Breakfast-Moms group
Lunch-Tuna salad, fruit
Dinner-Pumpkin pancakes, eggs, fruit

Saturday
Breakfast-French toast or dutch pancake, fruit
Lunch-Chicken strips, egg noodles, veggie
Dinner-Soup and rolls

Sunday
Breakfast-Cereal and fruit
Lunch-Family lunch
Dinner-Chicken, rice, and veggie
Since most of my readers are women I feel comfortable asking this question. I have been trying to find a homeopathic or natural alternative to ibuprofen or stronger medication to control my cramps every month. I also tend to have terrible PMS. I am not sure how my family is able stand me some months. 

My cramps have been so bad in the past that I have been in the ER for a demerol shot. My Dr. has tried birth control, but I refuse to take it for several reasons. The only things that seems to work are ibuprofen, moist heating pads, and if I am too out of control Lortab. I hate to continue to take these medications. They make me sick for several days after my cylce not to mention what they are doing to my body. At one point I had severe heartburn and reflux due to the ibuprofen. 

Any suggestions you may have would be greatly appreciated. I went to Green Acres yesterday and they suggested either cramp bark, Vytex, or one other thing that they were out of. I think I will have to just start trying some things to see what works. 

Have a great Saturday. I am headed to an out of town baby shower and will be back later this afternoon. 
Glade is running a new catalina deal until December 28. I have not had a chance to check out the prices of some of these items yet, but with all the Glade coupons around right now there has to be some way to make this a good deal. Note this does not start until next Friday, but that should give me some time to come up with a good deal.

Buy any Glade Plugins Air Freshener or Glade Candle product bewteen 12/5-12/28 get...

Buy 3 get $2 catalina
Buy 4 get $3 catalina
Buy 5 get $4 catalina

My game plan so far is to buy the Angel Whispers scented oil candle holder regularly priced at my Dillons for $4.99. I will use 2 BOGO coupons and 2 $2/1 blinkie coupons. 

Hopefully it will look like this...
4 candle holders $4.99 x 4= $19.96
-2 BOGO
-2 $2/1
Total $5.98 for 4 candle holders
-$3 catalina 
Final cost with catalina $2.98 or $.75 each!



Sorry I have been playing hookie this week. My husband has been off since Wednesday and we have had 3 family gatherings. I plan to get back to my regular posting schedule this next week. Thanks for hanging in there.

I was in Walmart yesterday and snagged some really great Black Friday deals, but they paid me to take a few items. Here is the scoop...

Arm and Hammer baking soda is $.46 each
Use $1/2 Here
Final $-.08 for 2

Goodie Ouchless Poneytail holders regular price $1.42
Use $2/1 here
Final $-.58 each!


I noticed today that Dave Ramsey has a Thanksgiving special running on many of his books and cds for $10 each. That is a great deal. I think I may get a couple of books to give as Christmas gifts. I have to say that after reading Total Money Makeover my ideas about money and how I handle it changed drastically. I would highly recommend you look into this investment.

Psalm 100:4-5

"Enter his gates with Thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise is name. For the Lord is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.


It is the time of year when we should remember all the things we are thankful for. Here is my list of things that I am thankful for in the last year...


I have an incredible family

We have plenty of food

My husband is employed

We have a beautiful house

We discovered how to pay off debt and we have actually paid off some things!

I am free to worship the Lord and go to church (I am reading Tortured For Christ)

Both of my parents are in good health

My grandfather accepted Christ before his passing in January

I have a Father in heaven who is watching over me and taking care of all my needs


Praise the Lord for his continued faithfulness in our live. Verse 5 says that his faithfulness continues through the generations. This is why I believe it is so important to be at home training our children. They are the next generation. They will be teaching the next generation, our grandchildren. I don't know about you,but I want to be sure that my children are teaching my grandchildren about the Bible and all that the Lord has done for us.


If you would like to make a list of the things you are thankful for this year feel free to leave your name and link to your post below. Have a blessed Sunday.


Lindsay has a great article posted today on how to be content despite our circumstances. She always has such great words of wisdom. I would highly recommend you read this article.

Next week I plan to get back on track with the Transition To Home Series and Work at Home Job ideas. I feel like I have gotten a little off track in the last week or so. Since this will be a holiday week I can not say how much I will be around, but I will do my best to answer questions.
Happy Thanksgiving.
I decided to do a little coupon shopping without the kids on Friday. I came home with a ton of veggies. My cabinets and freezer are full! I am determined to only get bare essentials the next 2 weeks. All of this came from Dillons (Kroger) and Walmart.

Dillons

1 Idahoan potato $1.00
-$.40 coupon
Total $.20

14 Boxes Green Giant Veggies
I used various printable and insert coupons
Stacked with 1 ecoupon
Total I am not sure

2 bags Birds Eye Veggies $2.00
- two $.35/1
Total $.60 for both

2 bags Birds Eye Veggies $2.00
-$1.00/1
Total $1.00 for both

Colgate Toothpaste $2.06
-$.75/1 coupon
-$1/1 Cellfire coupon
Total $.06

Baking Soda $.65

Betty Crocker Frosting $1.69
-$.50/1 coupon
-$.55 ecoupon
Total $.14

No Yolk Noodles $1.55
-$.50/1
Total $.55

Total around $9 (I had a few items on my receipt that I bought for my mother)

Walmart

2 Boxes Kashi Bars $2.97
- two $2/1 coupons
Total $2

2 bags Gold Medal Whole Wheat Flour $2.76
- two $1/1 coupons
Total $3.52

1 Kotex Liners $1
-$1/1
Total FREE

2 Goodie Ouchless Ponytail Holders $1.46
- two $2/1 coupons
Total $1.08 OVERAGE!

3 bags Green Giant Steamer $1
- three $1/1 coupons
Total FREE

Total Spent around $4.30

Total for the day about $14!

Total saved with coupons and sales around $52
It appears that Dr Pepper will have coupons on its website for 24 hours this Sunday for a FREE 20 oz Dr Pepper. Go here to check it out.
Apparently this deal is not working. I have heard from at least 2 people that the ES coupon is for the $14.99 spinbrush that is not on sale. Sorry about the confusion.

Crest Spinbrush is on sale this week for $4.99. You can use the December Easy Saver coupons from Walgreens this weekend. There is $3 off coupon for Crest Spinbrush. When you stack it with this $2 coupon here it will be FREE.
Today is Recipe Thursday. I think I am in a fall recipe mood. Everything seems to have pumpkin in it. Today I am planning to make pumpkin pie with my daughter. I have found one of the easiest recipes for pie crust that I have ever tried. To make it even simpler to do I make it in my food processor. It is a matter of adding the ingredients and turning it on. What could be easier? I often make several of these and freeze them for quiche or something else later.

Easy Pie Crust-Makes 2 crusts

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter
1/2 cup cold water

Put everything in a food processor and blend until a ball forms. Roll out and place in a pie pan. Fill with desired filling. Cook as directed for your particular pie.

The original recipe can be found here.


If you would like to participate in Recipe Thursday please leave your name and a short description of your recipe with a direct link to your recipe in your blog below. I am looking forward to seeing what everyone comes up with.



Thanks to Money Saving Mom for letting us know about this great deal. From November 21-23 you can use this coupon here to get a free pastry with any 20 oz drink purchase. I plan to buy an Italian soda. They are one of my favorite drinks and they are much cheaper then coffee. I think we may have to have a family night at the book store this weekend.
The deals are not as great as they have been the last 2 weeks, but there are a few. I think they are trying to push the frozen veggies.

Birdseye Steamfresh Frozen Veggies $1.00
-$.35 from 10/12
Final $.30

Green Giant Boxed Veggies $1.00
-$.50/2 ecoupon
-$.60/2 here
Final $.25 each when you buy 2

Kroger Frozen Vegetables $1.00

Betty Crocker Frosting $1.50
-$.50 from 11/16 insert
-$.55 ecoupon
Final FREE

Wheat Thins $1.98
-$1/2 Here
Final $1.50 each when you buy 2

Kroger Cheese 3/$5
-$.45 Ecoupon
Final $1.22

Ritz 2/$5
-$1/2 here
Final $2 each when you buy 2

Kraft Cheese 2/$5
-$1/2 from 11/16 RP
Final $2 each when you buy 2

Tennessee Pride Roll, Cooked Link, Patty 2/$6
-$1/1 from 11/16 RP
Final $2 each

Pillsbury Crescents $1.77
-$.35 here same as in my side bar
-$.50 ecoupon
Final $.07

Sweet Rolls $1.77
-$1/1 here or $1.25/1 here
Final $.77 or $.52

Pillsbury Grands Biscuits $1.77
-$.50/1 here
Final $.77

Philadelphia Cream Cheese 4/$5
-$.50/2 from 11/2 SS
Final $.75 each when you buy 2

Pillsbury Dinner Rolls $1.99
-$.50/1 Here or Here
Final $.99

Rhoades Rolls $3.49
-$.50/1 from 11/9 SS
Final $2.49

Heinz Gravy 10/$10
-$1/3 Here
Final $.67 each when you buy 3

Uncle Ben's Rice $1.77
-$1/1 from 11/16 RP
Final $.77

McCormick Grinders 10/$10
-$.25 from 11/16 inert
Final $.50

Cucumbers and Green Onions $.69 each

Sweet Potatoes $.44 lb

Celery $.88 each

Kroger Potatoes 5 lb bags BOGO

Kroger Canned Vegetables 2/$1

I had something print out on my receipt the other day that told me about another catalina deal. I am assuming this would be at all Kroger/Dillons stores. I have not had a chance to figure out a good deal for this yet. Let me know if you come up with anything.

This deal is good for any Crest or Oral B product.

Buy 2 or more totaling $10 get $2 catalina
Buy 2 or more totaling $20 get $4 catalina

This deal is good from 11/2/08-1/03/09


I love organics, can you tell. Earthbound Farms will give you $1.75 in coupons and a free guide to buying organic when you take their short quiz. It took me just a couple of minutes and I actually learned some things.



Do you have a giveaway going on your blog? Well that is the topic of todays carnival. If you would like to list your giveaway here I would love to have you join in. Unfortunalty I do not have anything this week, but maybe next week.

Grains Pictures, Images and Photos


I have had several readers asking why I would mention soaking flour before cooking muffins. I guess maybe I should clarify why I believe in soaking your grains before you cook with them. One very good book that explains this in more detail is Nourishing Traditions by Sallon Fallon.

Basically by soaking your flour, oatmeal, or any other grain you are breaking down the phytates and making it more digestible as well as helping your body to use the nutrients in the grain better. Most grains need to be soaked overnight using either buttermilk, kefir, yogurt, or lemon juice. Grains should be soaked at room temperature on the counter. It takes a little more effort to remember to do this ahead of time, but it is so much better for you nutrition wise.

If you are interested in a really great article that explains soaking grains better then I can I would encourage you to visit Passionate Homemaking. Lindsay does an excellent job of giving you the why and how to soaking grains. Her site is full of frugal ways to live a more natural life.
Jack had a runny nose and was trying to blow it by himself
Well, I realize it is rather late to be posting this, but I figure we can continue it tomorrow. I finally got Mr Linky to work. YEAH!

If you would like to participate in Mommy Tip Tuesday leave a link to your site with your mommy tip of the week.

Here is mine...
To help our 3 year old start to grasp the idea of save, spend, give with her money we decided to use 3 Pringles cans. (Guess who ate most of the chips?) We let her decorate 3 pieces of construction paper and then I labeled them Save, Spend, Give (tithe). We then put the pieces of paper on each can.

Each week she is given $.50 and we help her put her money in the correct can. She loves it and really looks forward to getting her money out of her tithe can to take to church. She also cleaned out her spending money one day when she wanted to buy some bubblegum.

So far it seems to be working.

What is your mommy tip?

This is an excellent bread that I make whenever I don't have time to make a bread that I have to knead. Especially since I dropped my bread maker and shattered the glass dome.

2 1/4 teaspoons yeast
2 Tablespoons sugar or honey
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups warm water
2 cups all purpose bread flour
2 cups whole wheat flour
I often add oats, millet, or any other seeds I have around

Combine the yeast, sugar, water, and salt and let set 10 minutes.
Add in the flours and stir until well mixed.
Place dough in a well greased bowl and cover with a towel. Let rise for 1 1/2 hours.
Shape into 2 loaves and place on a cookie sheet.
Cook 375 for 30 minutes

I was thinking about posting my recipes from the things I baked today. Since I had a reader request them, I think I will go ahead and do that tonight.


Banana, Apple, Carrot Muffins

This is a recipe that I found and tweaked to make it a bit healthier. One of these day I am going to remember to soak the flour before hand. These are a great way to get some fruits and veggie down picky eaters. My daughter loves them and actually asks for carrot muffins to take for preschool snack.


If you are interested in the original recipe you can find it here.


1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour

1-2 Tablespoons ground flax seed

3/4 cup of sugar (I use half this amount. I hate to use it at all. I think I will try honey)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

2 eggs

2 ripe bananas, mashed

1 cup shredded carrot

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1/2 cup oats
1/4 cup millet


Mix the above ingredients together and spoon into muffin pan.

Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes

Quick and easy


Cranberry Pumpkin Scones
These did not turn out nearly as pretty as they usually do since I ran out of baking soda.


1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 cup all purpose flour (Just to help make them softer)

1/4 cup sugar or honey

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cloves

1/4 cup butter (no substitutes) cut up

1/2 cup pumpkin

1/2 cup applesauce

1/3 cup chopped walnuts (I leave these out)

1/3 cup dried cranberries (Today I used fresh chopped up)

1 Tablespoon brown sugar


1.) Combine flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and spices.

2.) Cut in the butter until it resembles fine crumbs.

3.) Add pumpkin, applesauce, nuts, and cranberries, stir just until moistened.

4.) Transfer dough to a greased cookie sheet and pat down into an 8 inch circle.

5.) Use a knife to cut dough into 8 wedges, do NOT separate wedges.

6.) Sprinkle with brown sugar

7.) Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes


Tomorrow I think I may post my recipe for peasant bread. It is a no knead yeast bread that is so good. Not to mention that it is really easy to make. I really miss my bread maker.


I promised I would do a post on today's grocery trip. I went to Aldi's and Dillons. I had not planned to buy quite so much, but some of the prices were so good, I decided to stock up for the next several months. You should see my pantry, fridge, and both freezers. I think I need to start buying only basics the next several weeks.

Dillons...

New York Croutons $1.89
-.50 coupon
Total $.89

Gold Medal Flour $1.99
-$1 coupon
Total $.99

Cage Free Eggs $2.69 (I splurge on good eggs)

Daisy Sour Cream $1
-$.50 coupon
Free

Light Bulbs $.89

Garlic $.40

Bananas $1.32

Pinto Beans $1

Kidney Beans $1

2 bags of rice $2

Local Wheat Flour $2.65

2 King's Hawaiian Rolls $.99 each
- two $1 coupons
Total FREE

Total before coupons and sales $24.37
Total after $14.88

Aldi's...

3lb Granny Smith Apples $1.99

4 Grapefruit $1.56

2 lb Grapes $2.68

Celery $.59

9 lbs onions $2.97

3 Acorn Squash $2.97

2 lbs Cranberries $1.98

12lb Sweet Potatoes $3.96

Total $19.88

I sold some of the sweet potatoes and onions to my mom. I am planning to go back and buy some cheese at Dillons that I forgot to buy. Madison asked for some this evening and reminded me.

Well putting your days goals up for everyone to see sure does keep one motivated. I managed to get to everything except the kids craft cabinet. I hope to have the laundry washed by tonight so I can fold it tomorrow. I decided to have Madison watch Veggie Tales while I slept on the couch instead of finishing. Needless to say I will now have to redo my general pickup of the house. Oh well such is the life of a mother. At least she let me nap.





Jack and Maddie helping

Finished apple, banana, carrot muffins and pumpkin cranberry scones

I guess I will add this to tomorrow's list.

Well I am not nearly as far down my list as I had planned to be. So far I have groceries and the laundry half way washed and dried. I went shopping at Aldi's and Dillons. I spent around $35. I will do a post of the specifics a little later, but I will tell you I got 12 lbs of sweet potatoes, 3 lbs of apple, 9 lbs of onions, 3 squash, and 10 lbs of flour. Plus a lot more. Here are some pictures.





Mt. Laundry. This includes all sheets, towels, and clothes for the week. Hopefully I can have an after picture by the end of the day.

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