Our little vacation

We are home after a 10 trip to Idaho and Utah. We visit family and mixed in a little fun. AND we paid cash for 90% of our trip!! About 5% went on debit and one hotel night(5%) went on a credit card that will be paid off next payday. Not bad!!!


Where all did we go you ask? Okay maybe you didn't but I will tell you anyway. LOL! We traveled 11 to 12 hours over to Twin Falls. The Hubbies sister lives there. We call her house our favorite hotel. And really it is. She spoils us! We woke up to Swedish pancakes. Then packed a picnic lunch complete with homemade chocolate chip cookies and went to the City of Rocks for a day of hiking and fun. We came home to Fettuccine Alfredo with an amazing homemade sauce. The next day we woke up to scrambled eggs, orange juice, and homemade muffins. Dang she is awesome!

So we left there and moved on down to Utah. We stopped in to the Hubbies brother's house in Tremonten for lunch. Yum! Hot dogs, chips and chocolate cupcakes! After lunch we moved on to Salt Lake City. The Hubby had Shiloh points to use so we got two connecting rooms for 2 nights. NICE!!! We are talking over $600 in hotel for FREE!!! Plus the hotel and free breakfast and a pool! So breakfast was free except the tip. We had the same server both mornings. He was great!! We used no gas traveling around town due to the cool Trax system and everything is really with in walking distance. Saturday night we went over to the Gateway Mall and ate at the food court and I did a little birthday shopping for my self! (So did not save money on that) Them we went and rode the Trax back to the hotel. Off to bed. Sunday we toured Temple Square and the Church History museum (they have a whole floor for kids to play and run free). Then we hit the JB's for a wonderful lunch and a wonderful server who fixed Bubba's sunglasses. Yah she got a nice tip! Then we hit the pool! My little men might be half fish. LOL!! Monday we went to see the front of the Salt Lake Temple and see the Joseph Smith Building. The we packed up and headed south!

We headed down to Richfield and stayed the night in the Comfort Inn there. Very nice plus a pool and a free breakfast. We had to pay for these rooms but they were a great value. Tuesday morning we headed down to Cove Fort (about 45 mins away). This is home to Fort Willden as well. I am a Willden(well my grandma is)!! YUP got me some family history. It was fun.

After we had lunch we headed back up to Richfield (I was born there) for some groceries and then over the mountains to Koosherem to see the famous and well loved Grandma Bonnie. We just played and helped out for a couple days. I said a most teary good-bye on Thursday and we headed off again.

So Thursday we headed up to Manti to see the Manti Temple. It is soooo pretty. Then back up to Twin Falls. Were we were greeted by a BBQ dinner. Told you we were spoiled. Friday we went to Shoshone Falls, and the us adults went to a session at the Twin Falls temple. What an incredible place. WOW!! Such beauty. After that we took the kids to Gertie's pizza place. YUM!! We then took the kids back to see the temple. It is a both a tribute to our Heavenly Father and to the beautiful land around Twin Falls that he created.

Sadly Saturday morning found us packing up and heading on our way back to Washington and to cloudy skies. But oh to sleep in our own bed!

Apple Trees

Here is the apple tree we got for our birthdays. A columnar tree grows like a column not big and bushy.

One bonus of a columnar tree is that they grow compactly to the trunk. They are great for a small property. However when ever you buy fruit trees remember that you generally need two. You must have a pollinator.

All About Apples Explore this site. It has a list of all apple varieties. You can look up a local apple nursery and so much more.

WOW where have I been!

No where fun or out of the ordinary that is for sure. I have been sick and busy and then sick some more. Oh joy!

So here is the first of a few little updates.

THE GARDEN

My garden is having a heck of a time getting started. The Washington weather is crappy right now. We have a few days of near 70 sunny days so we plant. Then we have wind, rain, hail and freezes so everything dies. JOY!!!!

However I have 4 squares of snappy peas planted and sprouting. I have one head of lettuce growing and 3 others that will barely send up sprouts. LOL! All three of my tomatoes look good. ALL of the seeds I started indoors have died. I will try again next year. Oh and my strawberries have have blossoms. I can't wait!! Plus I bought and planted 4 more starts.

My Hubby's mom and dad bought us an apple tree for our birthday so now all we need to get is one more so it can pollinate and get them planted!

I feel like I need to go takes pictures for all of this. The weather literally has been changing by the hour this week. So frustrating!! So if we get a suuny spot vs. a hail spot I will run out!

I made a blog list LOL!!

http://bsnprogram.com/2010/top-50-blogs-to-help-you-live-healthy/

I am #22. TOO COOL!!

WhatEver Wednesday

Goals Update

See my goals

So I have been working out 5 days a week for an hour plus. I have lost a little over four pounds and one inch off my waist. GO ME!!

I filed our taxes last night. We will be paying off our Tahoe in February, paying off Lowe's while it is still interest free, and putting a hefty amount into our emergency fund.

We will also be doing some major food storage shopping as well with tax money.

I have made some progress on my spiritual side but not as much as I would like. So I will try to get more focus on that this coming month.

How are your goals doing? Keep at it! :)

Tasty Tuesday

Cook Books

If you are like me you collect recipes from every source. Magazines, newspapers, hand written scraps from your friends house, Internet print out, and everywhere else. LOL!

Well here is my solution: Make your own cook book.

First you will need a few things. I had most of these around my house when I made mine.

• A 3-ring binder - 3" would be great and a clear pocket on the front is handy too.



• Page protectors - easy to keep clean!



• Left over craft paper and stickers if you want



• computer paper

I made a cover for mine to match my kitchen color and added a little title.

Then I made dividers labeling the section. Hints and tips, breakfast, breads, soups and salads, main dishes, kids favorites, pasta, cookies, deserts, and cake decorating ideas.

Next start adding you recipes. I have a mix of magazine cut outs ( I LOVE pictures.),

printed out pages,

and hand written. Some of the are on odd ball scraps so I just glue them to a piece of paper first.

A couple of hints here.

If you are printing from a blog: cut and paste to word or whatever program you use. Also include the name of the blog/site you printed from. This makes for easy referencing if you need help or more information about that recipe.

When dealing with hand written recipes, be sure to write who you got the recipe from or what book you copied from.


Also a binder with an inside pocket is nice. Sometimes you want to try a recipe before you add it or you simply don't have time to add it yet.

Are you lucky enough to have a spot to stand this baby up? Make sure to label the spine.

These make great gifts. I made one for my sister one year. It had red and white checked paper and I found some cute little ant stickers. Very Cute!! You can make it so individualized it's insane!!

Remember to think about Christmas, mother's Day, and birthdays. You could even make a smaller Blank Family Recipes Favorites. Make one for each sibling ! Or you could make one for a missionary, collage student, or newly weds.

New Years Resolutions

rowan said...
Tel us if you have any new years resolutions. Go on - try something outrageous
 
Okay well hum (these are not in order of importance)....

1. Lose wieght.  We got a Wii as our Christmas present this year and my game was the Wii fit plus.  LOVE IT!!  I plan to work out an hour a day, 4-5 days a week.  Plus when the weather is nice I plan to walk to pick up the two older kids from school.  My little boys will love it and will get some more exercise.  This is the year I lose the baby wieght!!
2.  Focus more on spiritual things. Prayer, family home evening, scripture reading, and my calling.  I know my life is so much better when I take advatage of these blessings.
3. Kick some MAJOR debt butt !!! We will pay of our Tahoe this year thus freeing up some major cash to throw into savings and onto other debts.  Plus we get paid weekly this gives us 4-5 "extra" paychecks a year.  Onto debt they go!!
4. Visit my Grandma.  This will hamper our debt goal alitlle but it has been 3+ years since I have seen her and we miss her dearly.
5. Get my 3 month supply up to snuff (again), add to my basic year supply, and finally fill my 50 gal water barrel(that we have had 4 years grrr).

Well I am sure there are more to come as the year progresses.  Those are just the ones that come to me right now.

Money Monday

Kid Speak

What I have talked about this far about what to expect under our tree Christmas morning.

Money is tighter this year for us. We are trying to get out off debt and be better prepared for what ever may come. As a result our Christmas gift budget is much smaller and *GASP* all cash.

So for this year (and those to come) I told my kids that Santa has been asked to only bring stalkings. I explained to them that we have been very blessed to have all of the wonderful things we do have. I told them that Santa would then be able to give more to those kids who really needed it. They agreed.

We are getting a pretty cool family present but that will be it. They will be happy enough I am sure.

As for presents between my kids...i think we will go for some semi-homemade gifts. My kids LOVE to be crafty so this will turn out great. I will post when we start working on them.

Whatever Wednesday

Back into the swing of things.

Well school is in full swing, fair is over, summer produce is done so I now have time to breath...and blog!

Post to watch for:

Where to store those #10 cans!

5 ways to use your food storage and save on groceries.

Quick school morning breakfast ideas.

Decorating for the holidays on a budget.

Whatever Wednesday

This blog is about Provident Living, and as you know there is more to PL than food storage and money. So Wednesdays are kind of like mental health days for me. I can brag about my newest PL conquest or vent about my struggles.

This week my struggles are longer than my conquests! Sad but true. I strive, eternally, to figure out and stick with a budget. This is the largest thorn in my side. We don't just throw money around but I am weak and have a hard time saying no to picking up dinner, or throwing the budget out the window for sales. GRRR!! One day it will all click but for now I continue the struggle. Any advice? Seriously people I could use it.

As far as conquest........I finally got the laundry folded and the kitchen counters clean. OH PL conquest........sadly nothing to report this week. Boo-Hoo!!

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.

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.

Money Monday

Over the last month or so we have done a brief overview of the church's All Is Safely Gathered In pamphlet. As we have done so, I hope that some of you have implemented or improved your money management practices.

I finally worked up the courage to do a budget. Not just my bills this time. I budgeted for everything I thought I would need to. I also set my budget under what we really bring home. I wanted to be able to set some aside in savings.

I have yet to get the courage up to add up all the numbers and see how well (BAD) we did. Thursday is the big day for me to get that done. So I am a little afraid. LOL!! I am going to do it though. One day we will get it figured out. As long as I am actively working on it I will make progress.

As you work on your budget remember that they do evolve. Debt go away (hopefully) and other expenses rear their ugly heads. So we need to review and revamp often.