Months: 9, Weeks: 40

That is how long I have been on my zero day challenge!! Part of me is pretty proud of myself and part of me is a little discouraged with myself. I say this because I think I have made a pretty good start to my list - but then I think I should have more done already.

Today I am going to spend a little time telling you what I have been doing, what is in the works etc. I am trying to get back into the swing of posting to my stamping/crafty blog. Because it has been hard for me to post weekly to it, I changed the guidelines to that particular line item. My goals is to post 143 times prior to the deadline instead of weekly. It will balance out to be the same number of posts. I did post today.

Over my upcoming vacation I am planning to do either scrapbook or make some christmas or upcoming birthday cards. Speaking of birthday cards - I have changed the guidelines to be something more realistic. Instead of 15, I have changed it to 5 (Matt and Kids) - they are what are most important to me. If I make other birthday cards - yeah for me! There is not reason to stress myself over cards that very few appreciate!

Family Game/Movie night is still a hit here - it tends to be more movies than games - but I think over all it equals out. Geocaching is awesome and great exercise. We have gone out twice and found caches both times. The girls are excited to do this more and I enjoy it too. It can get frustrating when you walk in circles and the darn tootin cache is litterly right under your nose. We have placed a trackable cache in memory of Papaw! The girls hope to see it travel to every state as they would have loved to travel with him. It will be great to see where Rocky the Raccoon ends up next. He has been picked up from the cache we put him in and he is on his way to a new location!

Speaking of traveling - in June we are planning a vacation to the UP of Michigan for a camping trip. We are also new owers of a permanent campsite in Andover Ohio and we will be spending a lot of time there this summer - we can not wait!

Going Green - This has been a topic of conversation in our house lately. This is because we are hoping to sell this house and build a new one in about 5 years. We are going to look into building a 'Green' home. I am going to looking to grant/gov't programs to see if there is funding for such projects. We have heard that there was. To become more environmently friendly home and eat healthier we are now raising our own chickens for eggs (less packaging and better quality eggs) and have a great start to a garden (no chemicals, better fruits and veggies)! We have 7 hens and 1 rooster we believe. The girls love them and they are so tame - they love when we go in the coop to visit. In the garden we have planted so far - strawberries, potatoes, lettuce, onions, beans, squash, zuchinni, tomatoes, broccoli and cucumbers. I still plan to add pumpkin, watermelon, honey dew, cantalope and pickling cucumbers!

Date nights - they are coming together and Matt and I have enjoyed our time together - some nights is just us staying up until the wee hours watching movies! Its great! I will be glad for more time with him once all these projects are completed....but are you ever done with projects?

I am almost done purging for the yard sale - we are tentatively scheduled for June! I can not wait to get this stuff out of the house!! I belive the twins rooms is almost done and what is left is our bedroom. I was going to do the kitchen - but then it turned out that most of the 'extra' went to the camper - it is nice that we have found a use for it and we did not have to buy too much additional things! I have two flower bed by my patio. We pulled up the plants in the one and moved them to the other as there was little in both. One is now a garden and the other is full of flowers. I am so glad that we have one decent flower bed going. We are working on the beds in the front of the house and we will be done!!!

Are you bored yet? Well I have posted a 'missing persons' add on Facebook for my bioligical father - here. I got a response from a lady and she says she knows him - its a long story and now after her messaging me she has never told me anything about him. I am bummed - I feel so close. I will keep bugging this person until she either gives me a response or tells me to hit the road.
Becoming more Frugal is a big thing for me - I want me money to go as far as possible. Coupon clipping is a big thing around here (for me) - I love the weeks where I am saving about $90 or more! I have also done surveys and look for free things online that we as a family can use. I love finding coupons for free things!

Lastly, I am thinking it will be hard to do any Aflec paperwork - my job has switched them out with another company. But I am looking into that. And some of those books that have been collecting dust are getting read - that 9 hour ride to Michigan should help me with that!

Please see my pictures below:

These are our Hens - the Rooster is in there too - but I can not pick him out from the photo.
Their names are Ashley (black hen) Cheesecake (white hen) Rocky and Bullwinkle (gray/black hens) Chocolate, Brownie, Carmel and Praliene (are the red hens/rooster).

These are the 3 BIG pigs....they eat everything....We didn't name them.

This is our new camper - its getting a make over right now.

The potatoes are poking out.

The Garden - some plants are doing well - some have about drowned with all the rain that we have been getting.

Madelyns Giant Cabbage - its for a scholarship programs that she is growing it for.

The new flower bed - with very beat down plants - hopefully in a few weeks I can get a better photo.

The girls are getting excited - we have made our tradeable items for Geo-Caching. We made 14 ceramic tile magnants (for details on that go to http://www.stampingwithbettyboop.blogspot.com/). So we have 3 spots to locate - once Matt figures out the best GPS for us we are going to go on our excursion - I will be sure to take photos.

We also have started 2 more things on the list - Melaluca-nizing the home and Going Green - since these two things are the same. I purchased the Sol-u-mel all purpose cleaner, the fabric softener, diswashing detergent and Mela-gel. Let me tell you - so far so good. The fabric softener smells good, works good, and you use very little. The Sol-u-mel in full strength removes the permanant marker that has been on my kitchen table forever!! I also cleaned my bathroom with the Sol-u-mel - the sinks, counters, tub, toliet and shower - the soap scum, grime you name it - this stuff removed it! Since it is not a harsh product I did not gag the whole time while using it - no sneezing either!!! The dishwashing detergent also seems to be working well - and you use half the amount that a regular store brand. Lastly, the Mela-gel - an anticeptic gel - is AWESOME! Brooke got stung by a bee we think and she was screaming to the point of not breating - that gel was put right on the stink and she was perfect. The swelling went down in a very minimal amount of time and she didn't seem to be bothered by anyone touching the spot. That is awesome!

The quilt and camper projects have been at a standstill with all of the family events we have been doing together - the fair, air show, starting school etc. As soon we get back to these projects I should have something to update you on!

Lastly, I think we finished up with the last of the potatoes - so I wanted to share how I processed all of it for freezing:

Mashed potatoes: I decided to do homestyle potatoes because I did not have to peel them - so I washed and cut up a large pot of potatoes - boiled until ready. Once I drained the potatoes I poured them into a large bowl - I mashed the potatoes to the partly lumpy stage mainly because I made so much of them. I added milk and mixed well. Then I separated the potatoes into gallon sized ziplock bags. Smooched them flat getting as much air out as possible. I made 3 ziplock bags of potatoes and the store nicely in the freezer. To prepare to eat - I thawed the potatoes, poured into a bowl - microwaved for about 10 minutes - added seasoning,butter and milk - mixed well with a mixer and well-la yummy mashed potatoes.

French Fries/hashbrowns/potato wedges etc.: wash and peel potatoes if desired - cut into fries - blanch fries in boiling water for about 5 minutes - once they are well drained place in a single layer on a cooking sheet. I put them into the freezer for about 1-2 hours. Then I pour them into ziplock bag. Pre-freezing in a single layer allows you to take and cook what you need and they are not stuck together. If they do start to stick you are able to tap the bag on the counter to break them up. You can cook these potatoes as desired.

I have seasoned fries made up too - after they were blanched, drained I pour the seasoning over the potatoes on the cookie sheets before putting in the freezer. When ready to use - throw into the over at 350 to bake for about 20-30 minutes.

A quick update!

I have been pretty busy like normal. But I have my mom set up on a waiting list for low income housing and a meeting with Social Security - tomorrow I will take her to get signed up etc. I placed my first Melaluca order to start the process of Melaluca-nizing my home - I got fabric softener, dishwasher detergent and some SolUMel oh and some Mela-gel. Brooke got stung/bit by something on Saturday and that gel took the sting out right of her hand. She calmed in seconds. I also have 2 of the 3 colors cut for Grace's quilt. I am thinking at the rate that I am moving I may be able to make each girl a quilt for their birthdays. Since, they have been watching the process I am going to try to find a way to dress it up so they will still be surprised when they get them. Matt has also made a lot of progress on the camper. The entire lid to the pop up has been reframed and put back together - now he is working on the front end of it where there was some damage. Lastly, I shot a gun this past weekend. It was a small handgun - forgive me for not knowing what it was but Matt is going to teach me to use his shotgun as well. I did hit the target even got a 'kill' shot on the sheet - I promise to get some of this stuff photographed to show all of you!

Another busy weekend…but I am starting to feel that I am accomplishing some of the things that I have set out to do.

*helped Matt when possible with the camper
*spent time with my mom
*started a quilt
*made laundry soap
*planned 2 wks worth of meals for a more organized shopping trip
*use more of my potatoes
*used my over ripe bananas before they hit the trash

On Friday, I thought it was Grace’s preschool orientation – well I get there (dressed nicely and with make up on J ) to find out that orientation was this coming up Thursday! Duh – I need to pay more attention! Well – I already had plans to pick up my mom to come to my house for the weekend. I helped her apply for social security, section 8 etc. So we went and picked her up a little earlier.

On Saturday, we all swam together and the Babies and I cheered Matt through the ‘fixer upper’ part of this camper process. I also made homemade french-fries to go with our dinner Saturday night.

On Sunday, I finally got out the hambones from the freezer and made a pot of Bean and Ham soup and Ham and Potato soup. I sent the majority of the Potato soup home with my mom so she would have something to eat, as I have no clue what she actually has. I made a loaf of banana bread, planned my dinner menus for 2 wks and made laundry soap concentrate that will make 10 gallons of detergent. I also started cutting the fabric for my first quilt - I will post the photos as I make a little more progress.

I wanted to crunch the $$ value of what the savings would be to our family. We typically buy a 92 (but in theory is really about 56 loads on average) load container of tide for around $20 every month. (about 36 cents a load)

Borax 3.36
Soda 2.16
2 bars of Dove Burst soap 2.97

This equates to $3.51 per 10 gallons of detergent (160 loads) = just around 2 cents per load…So the bottom line is we went from spending $20 a month to about an average of $1.17 a month for laundry detergent for a $14.04 a year to wash our laundry based on regular usage. I think that is AWESOME!

Laundry Soap Recipe
The Dry Version: (Thanks Wendy for sending this me!)
1 bar Fels Naptha Soap, finely grated1 cup Washing Soda1 cup Borax
Mix well and store in an airtight plastic container.
Use 2 tablespoons per full load

The Liquid Version:
1 bar Fels Naptha Soap, finely grated, 1 cup Washing Soda, 1 cup Borax
Grate soap into a small saucepan. Cover with hot water. Cook over medium low heat, stirring continually, until the soap completely dissolves. Put washing soda and borax in a 5 gallon bucket. Pour in the hot, melted soap mixture. Stir well, until all the powder is dissolved. Fill the bucket to the top with more hot tap water. Stir, cover securely, and let set overnight. The next morning, stir the mixture. Mix equal amounts of soap concentrate and water in a dispenser container. Shake before using. Use 1 cup per load.

**I used 2 bars of soap for the smell and suds factor - I could not find the Fels Naptha so I hope this works - from what I read it should.

Today, I decided to make homemade Salisbury Steak – something we typically buy prepackaged. It turned out wonderful! Here is the recipe:
1 (10.5 ounce) can condensed French onion soup
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ketchup
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, mix together 1/3 cup condensed French onion soup with ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, salt and black pepper. Shape into 6 oval patties.
2. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown both sides of patties. Pour off excess fat.
3. In a small bowl, blend flour and remaining soup until smooth. Mix in ketchup, water, Worcestershire sauce and mustard powder. Pour over meat in skillet. Cover, and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
I doubled the sauce, kept the ketchup amount the same. I also could not find this onion soup so I used dry onion soup mix and 10 oz of water (in addition to the ¼ cup water) Then I added dry beef onion soup mix to the gravy mixture. The kids loved it. After I fried them up in the pan I baked them in the over at 350 for 1 hour.

Lastly, I made the best chocolate chip cookies! I have been reading a lot about cookies to find the best combination of ingredients and I think I found it for my cookie recipe of the month! Here is the recipe:

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups butter, softened
1 1/2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
2 cups chopped walnuts (optional)

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Sift together the flour and baking soda, set aside.
2. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, brown sugar, and white sugar. Beat in the instant pudding mix until blended. Stir in the eggs and vanilla. Blend in the flour mixture. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips and nuts. Drop cookies by rounded spoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven. Edges should be golden brown.

Frugality is the practice of # acquiring goods and services in a restrained manner, and # resourcefully using already owned economic goods and services, to # achieve a longer term goal.

We try to do things to save money etc. As do many American’s I am sure. We shop at BJ’s, Aldi’s and Save A Lot for 50% of our grocery purchases. We then buy our meat from a butcher to save money as well. I make my own baby food to provide not only healthy meals to the babies, but it also saves us a lot of money.

On Monday I bought a 50 lb bag of potatoes from the Amish stand up the road from me. I buy many things in bulk with all good intentions of making it worth my while – but recently I have been finding the fresh produce going to waste before I get to it. Now that isn’t very frugal is it? Well this 50 lb bag of potatoes is not going to waste. I sorted through the bag and pulled out all of the smaller potatoes and put them in a bucket for steaming, I have another bucket of medium potatoes perfect for mashed potatoes. Then I started to peel and cut. I have 1 zip lock bag of fries, 1 of hash browns and 1 of seasoned steak fries. I still have 1/3 of the bag left so I hope to do more tomorrow. If I calculate correctly I should have 9-12 bags of frozen potatoes plus the two buckets of potatoes that I have separated.

I will watch the Amish stand’s in the near future for peppers and onions – I will precut all of that and freeze it – then use it as I need through out the winter.

Oh – I forgot to mention in last nights post! We got our camper – it was a great deal – it cost us $46 (2 clambake tickets)!!! It is an older model pop up. It needs a few structural type repairs which Matt has all the wood to fix any of the framing issues. Then he will see what types of mechanical things that need fixed. I will be updating the interior. Matt will be replacing the floors – its 1970’s brown! Ugh!! I will post photos once we start the revamp project!