These are the easiest tortillas I have ever made. Lately I have been making them several times a week. The recipe is from http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/. Lindsay has a wealth of information on healthy eating. She recommends soaking your grains first. I would usually do it if I could remember ahead of time. I am going to post the recipe without the soaking step, but if you are interested in how and why to soak grains head on over to Passionate Homemaking.

3 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup warm water
1/4 cup oil (I use olive or coconut)

1.) Combine dry ingredients. Add the water and oil.
2.) Mix well and then knead until the dough is workable, but not too stiff. You may need to add a little more flour.
3.) Let stand for 10 minutes.
4.) Divide into 8 balls and let stand another 10 minutes.
5.) Roll out on a floured surface. The thinner the better. (Lindsay recommends thicker. I guess you will have to do what works for you.)
6.) Heat a skillet to medium high heat and toast each side of the tortillas. About 20-30 seconds per side. Keep tortillas warm under a towel while cooking the rest. Once they cool down they can get a little stiff.

For great pictures of how these are made visit Lindsays site at http://www.passionatehomemaking.com/

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This is probably not one of my healthiest recipes, but it is such a nice treat on a really hot day like today. It is close to 100 degrees here today. This pie is really simple and cheap to make. This recipe is from The Pampered Chef Delightful Desserts.

Crust (I use a store bought graham cracker crust)
51 Vanilla wafers, divided
3 tablespoons butter

Filling
2 cups vanilla ice cream, softened
1 can (16 ounces) frozen pink lemonade, thawed (3/4 cup)
1 container whipped topping, thawed, divided

Garnish (optional)
Lemon slices (edges dipped in pink sugar)
Pink sugar crystals
Mint Leaves


1.) Crush vanilla wafers in a plastic bag. Add melted butter and mix well. Press into bottom of a deep pie pan. Line edge of the pie pan with the remaining wafers.

2.) For filling, combine ice cream and lemonade concentrate and beat until smooth. Fold in 3 cups of the whipped topping. Pour into prepared pie pan. Freeze at least 3 hours.

3.) Garnish or decorate as you want.

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I love all of the fresh fruits and vegetables that I am getting from my garden as well as my mother-in-laws garden. I wish we could have them all year long. I also wish that they were not so expensive to buy in the store. My husband and I decided that we needed to start a larger garden for next year to help with the grocery budget. The one problem we have is the start up cost of a garden. We are planning a square foot garden this year http://www.squarefootgardening.com/ . (You should really check out this site) To help save on the cost of seeds I am trying to save a set of seeds from each vegetable that I prepare for my family. Some seeds are really easy to save, especially squash. I am sure that there are a few that I will still have to buy next year, but hopefully my preplanning will help some. The best part about these seeds is they are FREE!

I usually just take the seeds out of whatever I am preparing and wash them well and then let them drain. I then take them outside to dry in the sun for at least 12 hours. I then put them in bags and label them with the type of seed they are as well as the month and year I packed them. I hope that by spring I will have a nice assortment of seeds to choose from.

What do you do to help save money in the garden?

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Money Saving Mom had a tip for a free sample of Colby's Kettle Corn last week. I decided to go ahead and email my info to the company not really expecting much more then a small sample. This morning I received a large box from Fed Ex. I had no idea what I had ordered, and my husband had not mentioned ordering anything. My curiosity was peaked to say the least. I opened it up and found my "sample" of kettle corn. It was four full sized bags of Colby's Kettle Corn! There were four different flavors...original, cinnamon sugar, chili cheese, and white chocolate with mint. I am really excited to try them. I will post a picture of what I received as soon as I figure out how to download it off the camera.

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My husband had the day off a couple of weeks ago. At the end of the day he said,"I think being at home with you and the kids was more WORK then being at work."

I am so thankful for a husband who understands that being a SAHM does not always mean sitting around and watching soap operas eatin candy.

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I am planning to write a series in the next couple of days on what steps you need to take to successfully quit your job and stay home. I am really excited about it. If there is anything that anyone would particularly like me to discuss I would love some input. I want to make sure that I am hitting on the areas that concern you most. I can remember daydreaming about the day I could quit my job and stay home. I never thought it would happen, but it did. God had plans for me and he has plans for you too.

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I received a coupon in the mail this weekend for a FREE 13 oz bottle of Country Bob's All Purpose Sauce. I love it when I can get something at the grocery store for free.

I also found a coupon in a recent insert for a free bottle of Cascade Crystal Clear Rinse Agent!

Has anyone else received any of these coupons? Has anyone seen any great deals that I have missed lately.

I plan to start posting my weekly shopping trips and the deals that I have found. I try to keep my weekly grocery bill t0 $75. I am often able to keep it much lower. Since I try to buy mostly organic and whole foods my bill tends to be a bit higher then some of the other blogs that I read.

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This is a recipe that my mother-in-law gave me this weekend. She knows that I am always on the lookout for vegetarian meals to help with the grocery budget. She said that her family really liked it. I am planning to give it a try this weekend. I will let you know what we thought.

Here is the recipe...This only makes 3, so if you have a large family you may need to double it.

1 can black beans drained and rinsed
1 Tablespoon sour cream
1 Tablespoon salsa
1 clove garlic minced
1/2 Tablespoon red onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1 Tablespoon water
3/4 cup shredded cheese
1/2 avocado
3 tortillas

1.) Combine all ingredients except for the cheese and avocado. Puree in a food processor.
2.) Preheat a grill or skillet. Spread mixture on torillas and top with avocado and cheese. Fold quesadilla and grill until toasted.


Add a salad or a veggie and you have a quick and easy meal. I especially like it because it is healthy yet cheap to make. You can make it even better for you by making your own tortillas. I have a really easy recipe for this that I will post later.

********Update, my husband LOVED these! They were really easy and frugal. It took longer to make the tortillas then to mix up the quesadilla ingredients.*********

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Since this bog is a new adventure for me I am interested in knowing what kind of things would be helpful for you the reader for me to write about. Please leave comments below. I really want to make sure that I am writing about things that you want to hear about. Thank you

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You have made your decision to try and make the transition from work to home and you are so excited that you tell all of your family and friends. Many will be excited for you and be very supportive, but unfortunately there will also be those who are not quite so supportive. They may not come out and and say it, but they are unsure if you will really make it and they often do not want to see you hurt when you fail.

Do not listen to these people. Only you can take charge of your own life and what happens to you and your family. Only you know what your family needs, and that is a wife and mother at home taking care of them. Hopefully by this point in your journey you have discussed things with your husband and he is on board with you. If he is not OK with your decision then this may not be the right time, keep praying. The Lord knows the desires of your heart and he will work on your husband's heart.

You can make this huge step of faith with the Lord's help. Remember not to let anything that others say get in the way of your dream. Often those who are negative are those who wish they could be in your shoes and don't know any other way to express themselves. Pray for them and just let them know that this is a decision that you and your spouse have made together. If they are still negative you may have to distance yourself from them for awhile. Make sure to surround yourself with positive people. "What you think about you bring about." This is one of my favorite quotes. Put up pictures, Bible verses, and quotes all over your house so that you have something to focus on to help you reach your goal. Now go ahead and put your plan into action.

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I am starting this blog in hopes that I can touch as many mothers as possible and help them to realize their dreams of becoming a stay at home mom. I am not going to say that it will be easy and that there will not be struggles along the way, but it will be well worth it when you can wake up in every morning and realize that you don't have to hurry up and get the kids ready to go to the babysitter and that you will be home to enjoy them everyday.



I have had so many mother's ask me how I an afford to stay home with my kids and still make ends meet. I tell them that it is only by the grace of God, planning, sacrifice, and more planning. Due to the number of woman wanting to know what they can do to begin their own journey home I decided along with my husband that the Lord was prompting me to use teaching moms as my ministry.



In this blog I plan to share how to start and keep on a budget, recipes, menus, work at home ideas, and so much more as the Lord leads. Thank you so much for visiting my blog. I pray that the Lord will bless you and your decision to learn how to leave the workplace forever and take your place as a keeper of the home. I believe that this is what God intended for ever mother to do. Even if you are already at home with your kids I pray that this site will be an encouragement to you. Please feel free to contact me if you have questions, comments, prayer, or just need some advice. I would love hear from you.



Lorrie

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