Tasty Tuesday

School Lunches

I do not buy school lunches. At our school they are about $2.75 and with two kiddos eating 5 lunches a week that is about $27.50 a week. OUCH!! So I thought I would find some ways to spice up their lunch boxes this year.

Banana Sushi

The Kraft foods website also has a lunchbox sulutions spot. It even has a section on lunch box jokes!

I think this looks fun too.

Remember presentation is very important to some kids.

Mom's Lunchbox Cheat Sheet

( from the Kraft site!!)

Place a frozen juice box in your kids’ lunchbox. – it’ll keep the food chilled and will be thawed by lunchtime.

Go for variety. Make sandwiches using whole grain tortillas, bagels or pitas.

Pack antibacterial wet wipes so your kids can clean their hands before and after eating.

Add grated veggies to sandwiches and wraps for crunch – your kids won’t notice they’re eating something that’s good for them!

Use small resealable bags to pack dressings. Kids can open one corner and simply squeeze onto salad, then discard.

Get dipping! Pack salsa, hummus, yogurt or salad dressing for your little ones to dunk their sandwich, veggies or fruit into.

Make bite-sized and mini versions of regular foods like sandwiches. They work well for small appetites and are more likely to be eaten.

Add a quick note to say good luck on a test or “I love you” – it will brighten your child’s day.

Water Storage Myth and Fact

For the real water storage low down I must refer you to another blog. I can not compete with the entry here.

Not Just For Storing is a great blog ran by an incredible gal in Arizona ( my homeland LOL!!) ENJOY!! And get you some water storage!!

Sunday

Family.

We all have one. It may not be the cookie cutter family we think everyone else has but it is there. Family is a bond unlike any other. No matter what, we are bound to each other. If we live worthily we have the awesome opportunity of becoming an eternal family. You can move, quit talking, even pass on and yet you are still family.

Friends come and go. Some build relationships that are just as strong as those of family. We live in neighborhoods and attend church. Those bonds form another family. One in which we serve and love each other. We rejoice and morn together. In this day and age many of us do not live as close to our natural families and these bonds help fill in those gaps. Some of us do not come from close and supportive families so in some ways our church families help to fill those needs as well.

In reality we really are one huge family. Sure there will always be an Uncle Ed every one thinks is a little off or that crazy Grandma Sally who has to pinch our cheeks, and there will always be that favorite cousin you can tell anything too. They may not look like the ones you grew up with, but they are there. Best friends become sisters, and golf partners feel more like bothers. A visiting teacher can be the “mom” you are missing. A bishop can easily become that wise “dad” we all need.

Look around you and see what is there. Sometimes I look around at my friends; some are old enough to be my parents other barely reach my knees! They all fill in those little spots that are missing in my life. I see mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, and nieces, and nephews. I see a family. The faces may not be the same color, they eyes are not the ones I see in my mirror. I do however see hearts that rejoice in the gospel with me. I hear voices that sing the same songs of praise. I see hands that serve along with mine. I see a family.

Tasty Tuesday

Canning Beans

Last week I learned a new skill! Go Me!! I learned how to can green beans. My mother in law came over and taught me the ways of canning.

We started with about 11 pounds of fresh beans.

We spent a good while snapping the ends off.

Then I had to put them in the jars, add hot water, a little salt, and then lid them. They cooked in a pressure cooker for 20 mins. and then cooled.

Here is the final product !! I have mixed feelings about eating them. On one hand I can't wait on the other they look so pretty and I don't want to ruin them. LOL!!!

Oh and we tried a new way so yummy melon this past week as well. It is called a yellow doll. It taste like a popsicle.
It has a few seeds but they are all in the center and super easy to scoop out. My kids went gaga over this melon it was just so dang good!! If you get a chance be sure to try one.

Money Monday

Cash Only Please

Last week we spontaneously went "cash only". We withdrew the amount of money we had to spend and used cash all week. It was fun to pay with cash. Remember how you felt when you were a kid and you got to buy your own stuff? The joy of being "grown up". LOL!! It was fun. We stuck to it and even had money left over!!!!

We did not do the envelope system but we might try that next after we get used to this whole cash thing.

Honeyville Grain SALE!!

SUMMARY: Honeyville is celebrating 58 Years in business! 10% OFF YOUR ENTIRE ORDER* from Thursday, August 6, 2009 thru Tuesday, August 11, 2009 at 6:00PM PST. Simply enter the coupon code HONEY58 during checkout. Act now! Take a look at the WHAT'S NEW category for all of the great new items that we're rolling out including Freeze Dried Broccoli, Dehydrated Green Onions, and Old Fashioned Lemonade in the Long Term Storage Can. http://store.honeyvillegrain.com

P.S. The price of Milk and Egg products, including our Powdered Whole Eggs, is at a historically low level. Take advantage of these low prices, paired with the coupon code to really cash in on the savings.

Thrifty Thursday

Job Swaps

A great way to save cash and still get the job done is a job swap.
We had some trees that needed to come down, plus some libming up to get done. We have a friend who used to do that for a living (still does as a side job) that needed a room in his shop built. So we help him do our trees and Hubby helped him build the room in his shop.

A friend of mine teaches music lessons from her home. This said friend HATES to clean bathrooms. She had a student who was low on funds. Guess what they did? Yup. Said friend gets clean bathrooms and student gets misic lessons.

What a great way to share our talents and save our cash!!

This can work great with babysitting as well. :)

Canning Instrustions.......

How to Make Homemade Canned Peaches, Plums, Pears, Plums, Nectarines and Cherries

Here is a great how to complete with photos and detailed instructions.

I think I will be using this when I do pears this fall.

Link

Sara over at Learning the Frugal Life gets the credit with finding these great instrution. Go check out her peaches. They look awesome!

Wednesday

UPDATES!!!

First here are a few pictures of the goodies we have harvested from our little garden. The heat wave has been causing sadness on everything but the tomatoes so I hope to gave a great harvest photo of them one day!!

I knoe these carrots look small. They are fingerling carrots. They are so crisp and perfect!

My kids think this is the coolest way to eat carrots! So rustic and bugs bunny-ish.

These babies never make it into the house. I can usually pick a handful for the Hubby's lunch every other day or so. Then my father in law likes to eat them too!! I can't walk by with out picky one or two, or five. LOL!!

I can now cross making jam off my want to do list. I made Jam for the very first time with my mother in law back in mid-July. I will be making atleast double that amount next year. Yummy!!

See that little one in front? The Hubby finished that off over a weekend! This is not going to last as long as I had hoped. LOL!!

Tasty Tuesday

Great recipe site to check out!!!

Perkins good eats

This is not a daily blog, but a personal recipe book. This is good 'ole home cooking with a modern and easy twist. Most post have pictures too!!

Here are a few I can't wait to try:

Polynesian skillet

chicken enchiladas

Thank you Kirsten for the great site referral!!!! Your sister ROCKS for getting all of these wonderful recipes rounded up!