Our Anniversary!

Looking forward to 2008

No offense to the majority of the people out there....but I am so glad that Christmas is over. LOL

For some that might not realize, I do not celebrate Christmas. Yes, I AM a Christian, but do not believe that celebrating Christmas is biblically based, so I do not celebrate it. My husband does, so it makes things interesting. We have a good balance, but that does not mean that I am not relieved once the 25th comes and goes. LOL

Now, I am gearing up for 2008! Some of my plans/goals are to 1.) Increase my hours with the school system and with the Senior care place; 2.) Build up my pantry again/more. I used it a bit this past couple of months...need to get that going again; 3.) Get a bigger garden going, so I have more to can, thus helping reach my #2 goal. Also, a goal I have for the fall of 2008 is to have a full-time job with the school system as a teaching assistant. I would love to have the same schedule (for the most part) as my children.

What are some of your plans for 2008? Care to share?

Forgot to post about my candy making.....

Okay... so these are the ones that turned out....

My peppermint bark was beautiful (forgot to take a pic)...and tasted good also. My chocolate covered pretzels were another hit! I bought some more candy coating to make some more...I WILL get a picture of those when I get them done. I promise.

Now....for the ones that did NOT turn out:

That new fudge recipe that I tried. I have no idea what I did wrong, but here is an example of how it turned out. (both recipes that I tried looked very similar, so I will only post one of the pictures)



I think I will just go back to my old version of making fudge...on the stove top and alot of waiting and watching. LOL

Candy making...

Okay, there is just something about the cold weather of this time of year....plus the sale prices of baking items, that make me want to bake and candy make! LOL

Last night I tried a new microwave fudge recipe. I used some clearance priced bags of hearshy's mint chips....a can of Aldi's brand of evaporated milk, a dash of vanilla.... Not bad, price-wise!

I hope the will turn out. hehehe They (I made two batches) seemed a bit too "runny" to me, but I have never made fudge this way...so I am not sure if that was right or not. LOL

They seem to have set up, and I hope to cut them into squares later. (I hope to take pictures later!)

I have some "candy" coating that I hope to make some peppermint bark later.

What are some "tried and true" EASY candy recipes that you use?

Dinner for Thursday....12-13-07

Dinner for Thursday will be ham and bean soup. This is one of my "frugal dinners". hehehe

I will be using about 30 cents worth of beans (bulk buy), and leftover ham from dinner the other day. Through together some homemade corn bread and you have yourself one fine meal!

What is your favorite "frugal dinner"?

Changes going on....

I have cancelled my website for now. Just felt that is was just now a good way for spent my money at this time.

I might re-establish it in the future.... especially if I can find a more inexpensive way to host it. hehehe

Just thought I would let everyone know the "why" if they go to the website and see the "no longer exists" heading at the top. LOL

Changes happening in life.....

Well, school will not be an option this Spring. Between cost and other financial items coming up soon.... DH and I felt that it would not be very prudent at this time to have me in school full time.

I hope to be able to take a course or two either this summer or next fall. We will have to wait and see what happens.

I am also trying to get a job with the school system as a teaching assistant. That is my ultimate goal, but until then, I am going to be working with a company that provides non-medical care for seniors in their homes.

Taking advantage of the special "sales" this time of year

Okay, I have already been able to take advantage of some rather "sweet" deals so far this "holiday" season.

I have been able to re-stock my flour supply with Pillsbury brand bread flour to the tune of $.69 for 5 lb. bags. My Aldi's has reduced the price of sugar to $.99 for a 5 lb. bag, and their eggs are currently $.69 a dozen. The cheapest by far of any other place around here!

I am not sure if I am going to get the price on butter that I have in the past ($.99 a lb.), but I have been able to get it for $1.89 a lb at Aldi's and $1.99 a lb at Walmart....so, although I would love a "great" sale...I can at least get a decent price at those two places.

So, am I the ONLY one that loves the sales for these items this time of year?

Getting back to frugal "basics"!

Okay, I have been lazy! I admit it. I have just not felt like "doing" anything that took the extra effort to save money!

Okay... I take that back.... I have been making lunches and baking cookies, but other than that... not much else lately!

Menus have NOT been made in months... which usually means EXTRA trips to the grocery store each week! Not only am I spenind extra money on groceries, but also in gas.

I will plan a menu for next week (monday is already planned, bean soup and cornbread).. plus start making the effort to save anyway I can!

Do you find yourself in "ruts" like this also? If so, how to do you get out of it?

Part of what I have doing the last couple of days....

There are some of the peppers I have pickled, jalapeno and banana pepper rings. Also some extra hot habanero jam and Jalapeno jelly.

I have some more peppers brining and will try my hand at some jalapeno relish, but have to buy some cukes for that.

Been keeping me busy....


**I have not forgotten my "tagging"...working on that.

Menu funk!

Yes, I said it! I am in a menu funk! Nothing sounds good lately! I feel as if I fix the same things over and over!

The weird part....it has now gotten colder, so I can make soups and stews.....but am I motivated? NO!

I really need to get my cookbooks out. I also have a TON of crockpot recipes to go through. (Thanks Kayla!)

What do you do when you get in a "menu funk"? Or is it just something that I go through? LOL

**Other than having no voice, nothing exciting is going on here currently.**

Arrr!!!

My pirate name is:

Iron Mary Kidd

A pirate's life isn't easy; it takes a tough person. That's okay with you, though, since you a tough person. Even though you're not always the traditional swaggering gallant, your steadiness and planning make you a fine, reliable pirate. Arr!

Get your own pirate name from piratequiz.com.
part of the fidius.org network

Guess who is going to college???

Well, if you guessed me...you are correct! LOL

I took my placement testing on Tuesday, but will not learn my results until I go to new student orientation on November 27th. (Have I ever mentioned how I am not the moost patient of people!)

The reading portion seemed easy, but the math...well, hopefully I did not completely bottom out on that one! LOL

I am going to study to be a teacher! Who would have thunk it!!

Besides making some rather major life decisions... not alot has been happening. This past weekend was the Maryland Renaissance Festival. I will post pictures once I get them onto the computer.

Oh... some friends of our kids were in two different car accidents this weekend! The first was on Friday... DS's girlfriend flipped her truck. She walked away with only some bruises, but her truck was totaled. (Yes, she was VERY fortunate!)

Then Sunday on our way back from the festival, we get a call that DD's good friend had been in a very serious accident and was thrown through the windshield of her car. She was not as fortunate as the other friend, but she is alive. She broke her neck and had to have surgery. So far, things are looking good, but it will be a long recovery for her. We are hoping and praying that she will continue to improve. So far, she is not showing any signs of paralysis....we hope that also continues.

Oh....I had a slight fender bender on Monday, but it was all cosmetic and no injuries, but boy, did it shake me up!

Wow...my "value" has increased recently.....

My blog is worth $28,227.00.
How much is your blog worth?

The last time I did this....about 6 months ago, it was only about $6,000.00.

Are having pets truly for "frugal" people????

I have had people tell me that if I was truly frugal, I would not have pets! The first few times I heard this....I was at a loss for words. (Yes, it does happen on occasions! hehehe)

But since then, I have thought about this often. Usually after a vet visit OR buying a big bag of food.

Yes, pets cost money to own (or at least they SHOULD). There is the cost of vet visits to keep them healthy, the cost of food and other items that keep them healthy and happy.

But there are other things to consider about owning a pet, besides the cost involved.

Are you an animal lover? Is the idea of NOT having a pet of some sort abhorrent to you?

Is the cost of owning that pet offset by the love and companionship they give you?

These are things that I look at when I am re-considering pet ownership. I beleive that kids benefit greatly from owning a pet. The experience of caring for another living creature and also the real issue of dealing with death are for their good, in the long run.

Currently at my house we have several pets. We currently have 3 hamsters, 1 cat (which my 17 year old pays for...since it is his) and one puppy.

The biggest expense comes from the puppy. She is 4 1/2 months old, so we are dealing with all the vet bills that come with a "baby" animal. Soon, we will be dealing with the expense of having her fixed, but balance that with the cost we would incur if she had a litter of puppies! Believe me, having her fixed is cheaper in the long run! LOL

After all the initial vet bills, we will only need to take her once a year for a checkup and boosters. Her food bill is still uncertain. LOL I have never had a dog that will be as large as she will be, so I might have to make allowances for her food costs. (She is a black lab/golden retriever mix)

There is one thing that can not be calculated with dollar signs, and that is companionship! I have this giant puppy that wants to be a lap dog! She is already becoming protective of the kids, which out in a semi-rural area is PRICELESS! I send her out back with the kids and feel safe that I will hear if anything unusual happens.

So, after all that rambling... let me just say that YES, this frugal mom can have a pet and they do NOT have to be a "money pit" or an "extravagance"! At least, not in this One Frugal Mom's opinion!

I used my pressure canner today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Can you believe it?! Does this thing look like it belongs in a sceince lab???



close up of the lid:



I beleive I will dub it "the beast"... (I know, naming it! LOLOLOL)

Here is the chicken broth I canned today:


Here are some pictures of other items I have canned since I started this adventure (pickles, peppers, garlic and habenero jam):

I have a webring! LOLOLOL

I started a webring for either blogs OR websites!

If you are interested, go to the bottom of this page and click on the "join" button. Only this blog and my website are on it at the moment, but I hope that will change soon!

Excessive bumper stickers!

Have you ever been driving down the road and come up behind a vehicle that has multiple bumper stickers?

I don't mean the simple "my child is a honor student" kind of thing....but all those political/protect issue type ones. Do I really care who you voted for in 1996? (or whatever was an election year)

I really don't care if you are wiccan/pro-choice/anti-choice/democrat/republican...etc. etc.! All I want you to do is to safely drive your vehicle to where ever your destination is!

I wonder how many accidents are caused by people paying too much attention to the bumper stickers on vehicle instead of paying attention to their own driving?

I will never understand the need to advertise all your personal agendas on the back of a car!

So, what did you do today? Well, funny you should ask.....

I spent the first half of the day watching basketballs filled with water shot from a pressure cannon! LOL

Then...I got to ride on a four-wheeler for the first time in my life to head out in the field to watch said basketballs land almost a mile away from where they started!

Huh? You are thinking.. here is the background...

My sweetie plays poker with some people he met here in town, and one of the guys participates in something called "Punkinchunkin". This is usually done WITH pumpkins, but since he is just practicing and getting his cannon geared up for the competition in November, he uses basketballs filled with water.

He also shot a bowling ball, but we could never find where that landed.

I also got to ride on a 4-wheeler for the first time. Now that was an experience! Okay, thankfully, I wore pants that day or I would have never done it. hehehe The man driving the machine was not my husband, so first it felt weird to get on behind him. LOL (sweetie was riding behind another guy on another one)... Then I tried to only hold on by the bars on the back of the 4-wheeler... let's just say, that I got over my qualms about holding onto a man other than my husband REALLY quick! Otherwise, I would have fallen off! That is not what you want to happen on one of those things at 40 MPH!

So... we all had fun, I kidded with sweetie that we are "officially country" now! (and that is not in a bad way....so do not take it that way!) The kids had fun in the corn fields and are a dirty, dirty mess. Ian was alittle bummed because he did NOT get to ride on the 4-wheeler, but he will get over that disappointment.

We hope to be able to go up to Delaware when the competition happens...it is not very far and sweetie seems to want to go... :-)

It has been rather hectic and stressful lately....

Wow, it has been twelve days since I last posted! And that was a vent that I decided was better left untold. LOL

Since the beginning of this month, we have buried 2 hamsters, my cat has gone missing...oh and my 19 year old step-daughter decided to move out AGAIN. (oh and did not go about it in a very nice fashion either)

Yeah, just a little stressful. hehehe

On a brighter note, I have made several batches of wonderful Habanero Jam and Pickled Garlic! I hope to at some point make some apple jelly I have been planning everyday for over a week to do. One day, it WILL get done!

On an even brighter note.... I am now the proud owner of an All American Pressure Canner! My wonderful DH told me to buy one! Gave me a budget and said "either get the one you want, or I will buy one and then you just get what you get!" Goodness, I LOVE that man!

I hope to use my canner soon, but will be starting with simple items first. That giant looks like it should be in a labrotory instead of my kitchen.

So, please forgive me for being away.... I will try to do better.