Its the End of Summer!

How did it get here so quickly? Today is the last day of summer. The garden is bare, except for the potatoes which need to be dug. Most of the food is put up (still have pumpkins to can). Time just seems to fly.

Course the normal stuff is happening. School has started for the oldest married daughter. Youngest will be heading out soon to start her culinary career. Just like the turn of the seasons, the life cycle is moving right along. The married daughter will be having our first grandchild sometime in May. As my Aunt says, "Its a good thing she is a multi- tasker!" as she will be doing finals, presenting her Honor's Thesis, performing her Senior Recital, graduating from college and having a baby all in the same month! :)

We can't know yet if its a boy or a girl, but I am quilt planning like crazy for this little one. In the meantime, in the last month I have bound 2 quilts, a table runner, a wall hanging, and pieced the younger daughters new quilt. When I have nothing to bind I have been crocheting too. Its almost like the nesting instinct when you are about to go into labor, I just feel like I have to be creative non-stop. I am not sure where this is coming from. Previously I would have told you I hate piecing and binding, but now I am wishing for something to bind every evening. So I am getting out my Double Wedding Ring quilt, which my Mom made for me, and I am going to work on that. It should be good for a couple of weeks of binding as it has a scalloped edge. I have some Christmas stuff in the works too, so its a busy needlework time.

We have had such a nice month food-wise. With the double order of Angelfood last month we haven't hardly had to go to the grocery store except for milk and lettuce. This month we are doing the bigger box option and it will be nearly the same. I forsee purchasing some meat this time, because I am hungry for some things that usually don't appear in the menu. But still, we are keeping our grocery bill much lower than it was a year ago this time, and more than 50% lower than 2 years ago this time. So I feel like we are making progress.

Last weekend was the Daughters of The King women's retreat. We always hold it at the Cathedral Domain, a wonderful camp on the top of a mountain. Everything is so real there. The air is cleaner, the grass and trees are deep green, the food is amazing, and the company is comforting. Spending time occasionally with women who have true hearts for Jesus is like quenching a deep thirst. Very satisfying. I am trying to be a better daughter, following through on my commitment to a life of prayer and service, but I fall miserably short most of the time.

We ran out of dishwasher soap the other day. Fortunately I had found a recipe online for making your own at home! Its one tablespoon of Borax and one tablespoon of baking soda per load. You can also use white vinegar in the "jet dry" rinse container. Its amazing how well it works. I happened to have Borax because I make my own clothes washing detergent (which also works really well). So now I have a plastic container made up of just dishwasher soap. I am going to the Dollar Tree and get another set of measuring spoons so that the ones I cook with are not always needing to be washed because they are being used to measure detergent!

Labor Day

Having a full freezer has been such a great thing :) I know I should be making a menu, but I have enough of just about everything to do me for the month, and I am enjoying saying....Hmmm I feel like having chicken/beef/pork tonight. Plus we are doing well with the balanced diet.

Due to my insomnia the doctor wants me to stop drinking caffeine. When he told me I just about cried. Literally. Though I cannot claim taste doesn't matter to me, primarily I drink caffeine for the "stay awake" effect, and to chase away the "lack of caffeine headache". So, I am trying to wean myself down from drinking too much of it. He, the doctor, tells me that anything consumed after noon is going to affect my sleep. That may be taking it a bit far, but I have moved more to water, and Crystal Light type stuff, the rare soda and less tea everyday. Those things, along with Ambien (pure golden stuff, IMHO) have let me get some rest. Its been wonderful.

Today I went out poking around the stores with my Mom. We live right here in the same town, and we don't see each other as often as we should. Even though I am 47 years old I think we are both still learning how to be Mother and Grown up Daughter :) We are doing well though.

Tonight we probably should be grilling out. Labor Day brings up those kind of thoughts huh? But I didn't want to clean the grill, and I was out and about so I didn't get the hamburger out early enough to thaw for tonight. So instead, using hamburger I already cooked and froze in portions, we are having sloppy joes, on Poor Man's Rolls , glazed carrots, roasted potatoes and seasoned broiled zucchini slices. Should be a yummy dinner, with plenty left over for lunch tomorrow. The bread machine is working away on a new loaf of bread even as I type.

Full Freezer

Thanks to the Angel Food order the freezer is full. That is a good feeling. So, with plenty of food for the month its time for some pre-planning. Yesterday I baked 4 kinds of muffins (for breakfasts), the Amish Friendship Bread, and a loaf of sandwich bread. Because the bread machine doesn't make large loaves of bread I will have to bake a new loaf every 3 or 4 days.

Speaking of the baking of bread, I recently learned a bit of science behind the process. Check out the handout for bread. You may have to scroll down a bit. If I make whole wheat bread I will definitely follow her suggestions for dough enhancers. There is a LOT to learn about self-sufficiency and working in the kitchen from this website. Check it out!

I have a big bag of apples and I am going to attempt apple butter in the crock pot today. I just love apple butter, and I think that would be a great thing to have when the snow flies, I am going to get out a liner for the CP and see how it works. I will probably do that on Thursday as I will be doing some part time work Tuesday and Wednesday. I think I want something easy for dinner those two nights, possibly in the crock pot. Once I have a menu today I will update this post.

Angelfood for September

There is a new offering from Angel Food Ministries in the month of September. Named the "Bountiful Blessing Box" it is 24 items for $41. This is an additional offering, not replacing the Signature Box which is 17-18 items for $31. I think this is going to be well worth the investment. There are 3 of us at home right now and I think we can eat diner for 14 days, plus lunch for Hubby for 8, just on the $41 box!

It includes:
28 oz. Fully Cooked Pot Roast (Pot Roast in Gravy with Red Wedge Potatoes, Carrots, Celery and Pearl Onions)
3 lbs. Family Tray Pack Split Chicken Breast
28 oz. Fully Cooked Broccoli, Rice and Chicken with Cheese Dinner Entree
8 ct. Bean and Cheese Burritos
1.5 lb. Hamburger Patties (4 x 6 oz)
1.5 lb. Center Cut boneless Pork chops (6x4 oz)
1.5 lb. Breaded Chicken Breast Nuggests
1 lb. Lean Ground Beef
1 lb. All Beef Sausage (liked smoked sausage)
1 lb. Crunchy Breaded Fish Wedges
1 lb. French Cut Green Beans
1 lb. Garden Pease
1 lb. Sliced Carrots
1 lb. Whole Kernel Corn
1 lb. Broccoli Florets
1 lb. Cauliflower Florets
24 oz. Natural Cut French Fries
1 lb. Pasta
25 oz. Pasta Sauce
6 oz. Corn Bread Stuffing Mix
5.5 Pancake Mix
32 oz. 2% Shelf Stable Milk
1 Dozen Eggs
6 ct. Fried Apple Pie Sticks

All this for $41! I will have to do some research to see if the Fruit and Veggie box is cost effective. The only item in the box I haven't ever purchased is the avocado, and we should try something new now and again. If the grocery store can't beat the price I will probably order that as well.

August 23-28

Well, due to out of whack medication my organization has gone out the window this month. Its kept me either dragging my knuckles or super charged. When I drag I sleep, and when I'm charged up I clean. So far I have a clean kitchen and a mostly clean living room. We have company coming on Thursday, so I want it all cleaned up and presentable.

In the meantime we have to eat, so here's the menu:

Dinners:

Chicken and dumplings (includes peas and carrots)
Taco hamburger Helper, salad
Oven-fried pork chops, au gratin potatoes, broccoli
Chicken pot-pie
Steak, dill potato salad, corn on the cob
Pizza -homemade crust and sauce, salad
BBQ chicken pie with cornbread crust, green beans, pineapple crumble


Angel Food arrives on Saturday. We ordered 2 boxes so we will have an abundance of meat and frozen veggies.

Lunches will be:

Leftovers, Ramen, salad, tuna croquettes, pasta salad, and pb&j

Breakfast will be eggs, oatmeal, grits, waffles, or whatever we scrounge up

Menu 15 - 21

Sunday August 15

Crockpot Chicken, Green beans, Yellow Squash and Onion Casserole

Monday August 16

We will be travelling during the day at lunch time, so this is an eating out day.
Dinner will be Pork Chops, Baked Potatoes, and Broccoli

Tuesday August 17

Left over Chicken, Dill Potato Salad, Corn on the Cob

Wednesday August 18

Steak, Rice with Peas and Carrots, Homemade Bread

Thursday August 19

Chef Salad for the Daughter
Hamburger Helper and Salad for Hubby and I

Friday August 20

Pizza night

Saturday August 21

Breakfast for Dinner: Pancakes, Eggs, Bacon, Fruit Salad



Tonight was Friday so it was pizza night. We ordered in though because I spent my day at the quilt shop. It was nice to be some place that was not home, and to do something creative for a change. Plus I needed to get my sewing machine looked at. It is old, but should hold up for a little longer. When its broken I may not have one for a while. In the meantime I am trying to finish up some of my UFO's.

Bread Baking

I have a bread machine and that is the only way I bake bread. I would love to have a heavy duty mixer with bread paddles, and counter space to knead dough, but its just not happening in this place. I have to admit I am still trying to figure out how baking it at home is cheaper than buying it at the store (store brand is usually $1 a loaf). But it does taste better, and if I can find a decent sandwich bread then I will drag out the bread machine more often.

Today I am baking a "rebel" bread. I call it that because the instructions say to ignore the recommendations of your bread machine maker and add the ingredients in the order they are listed. GASP! Ignore the rules? Well, there is a little bit of rebel in all of us :) The recipe comes from Allrecipes.com and is named Best Bread machine Bread Recipe.

I'll post tomorrow and let you know if its going to be "the one".