Giving. . .Child Hunger

I told you earlier about my kids participating in the 30 hour famine for World Vision.  I would like to share a link to their site.  We are raising money for child hunger.   Here is a link to the website www.30hourfamine.org  our church is Christ Moravian Church.   Our youth is trying to go without food for 30 hours in support of all of those kids that go without food all over the world.   Our kids will get plenty of fluids and they do eat but in very small amounts similar to what children in other countries consume on a daily basis.  Our kids are learning about other countries and their customs and how their children live.
I know before we started participating in the 30 hour famine my kids did not know what famine was or what being hungry felt like.  I am so glad our church started this fundraiser because it introduced my kids to the world around them.   There are other churches in our area that have fundraisers that help bring awareness to how others, less fortunate than us, live.  One church, a dear friend attended, had their youth spend a day and night outside with nothing more than a box for shelter and water to drink for 24 hours.
You can also check out the World Vision website www.worldvision.org   My kids do not easily go without food for 30 minutes much less 30 hours and I am sure mine are not the only ones.   This is a good program for a good cause, please check it out.

Good News and Garden Goodness. . .

I know today is supposed to be about a recipe, I will get to that.  Good news,  my dear hubby will be back at work in 2 1/2 more weeks.  Very thankful the company he works for has been understanding and willing to work with him as he has been recovering.  We saw his surgeon today and he was very pleased with his progress.  He has been working very hard at home and at physical therapy to increase his stability and strength in his leg.  He has been very determined throughout this ordeal.  I am very thankful for everyone who has been praying for him and has offered us help during this time.  
From the garden I bring fresh onions on the grill.  Our local meat market had a special on steak so this past week we had steak on the grill.   We had some spring onions that were about the size of a small tomato.  I cut them and put butter on them and some garlic powder and fresh sage leaves.  I wrapped them in foil and put them on the grill.  These are so sweet off the grill.  I also recommend finding a local meat market for your needs.  You cannot beat fresh, and knowing where your meat was raised.  Everything that is going on in this world today it is much safer to grow your own or buy local.  

I would love to have cows although, I am not sure if I raised one that I could take it to slaughter. That is the whole reason my dad did not let my sister and I have cows or pigs.  He knew we would name them and they would never go to slaughter.  We raised horses, it was still hard when he decided he wanted to sell one of them.   At least we knew when we sold one of the horses it was not going to be eaten.  

Warning, Proud Mama

So proud of my family.  Big T completed Confirmation and took his first Communion yesterday.   My mom, dad, sister, and niece came to share in this special time.  I am so thankful and blessed to have such a supportive family.  After Church we went to see Sprat in his double header.  Great way to spend a gorgeous Sunday afternoon.   Sprat's team won both games and he had some pretty  impressive plays. 
My hubby is improving every day and we are hopeful his surgeon will release him to go back to work in the coming weeks.  He still has to wear his brace when he is out of the house and on uneven ground.  He is able to drive now and that is a huge step in a positive direction. 
This Memorial weekend we are thankful for many things:  family,  blessings,  and all of those that gave their lives for our freedom.    My dad, Mark's dad and several uncles all proudly served  in the military.  Today we honor them and all of those that did not make it home.

A Little More Tightwaddery. . .

So a funny thing happened late last week as I was doing laundry.  I had just finished a load for the kids and put everything in the dryer and turned it on, and silence.  Silence is not really what you want to hear after you have loaded all of your kids clothes in the dryer for at least a 40 minute cycle. You can imagine the panic I was feeling, I called my appliance guy and they had already closed.   Yes, I have an appliance repair guy, everyone should.  You never know when things like this will happen.
With a load full of wet clothes I began  hanging and draping all over the house.  I took somethings outside and hung them over the rail on the back deck.  Thank goodness it was breezy and sunny so most everything dried pretty quick.  This made me think I might need a clothes line of some sort.  My sister has a neat one that is a pole in the ground that opens kind of like an umbrella so that you can hang clothes on it.  When you are not using it you can fold it down, this would be ideal.  I remember my mom hanging most everything on the line to dry.  The only thing I did not like being dried on the line were my blue jeans, they would be terribly stiff.
Two points to this story:  1.  have a home repairs envelope in your envelope system.  This envelope would be strictly for any repairs for your home, like a dryer or your AC.  Fund it every pay period with what ever you feel is adequate and fits your budget.   My dryer repair did not affect our weekly budget because I had my envelope.  2.  It occurred to me that a clothes line would save some money and energy during the warmer months.  I may have to look into this, I will just have to be careful where I put it, I do not want to create a bird hang out.
With the larger washers now on the market, they say as long as you can close the lid it can all be washed.  That is not the case with a dryer.  Amy, of the Tightwad Gazette, says that smaller loads for a dryer are actually more efficient.  This is not the first time that two things that are supposed to work together are contradictory.   I have now started washing smaller loads, actually mine are now probably more like regular loads, so that they will dry quicker.
Stay tuned for more from the Frugal Zealot, as I read her book again I pick up on more I want to share with you.

Save Money with Homemade. . .

Remember how I told you I read everything, from newsletters to magazines, novels, text books (depending on the time of year), anything dealing with finance, and how to articles.  You know how much I love Dave Ramsey, well he recommends certain books and one that he had suggested was "The Complete Tightwad Gazette," by Amy Dacyczyn A.K.A the Frugal Zealot.  I have had this one for several years and I decided I would read it again.   I always thought I was a tightwad but she makes me look like a spend thrift.  Keep in mind the first copyright of this book was 1992 and I am not sure if it is still being published.  I found my copy at our used bookstore. If you have not been to a used bookstore I highly recommend it.  I have tried to get my sister to open her own used bookstore for many years.  I know everyone thinks print is a dead technology but some of us still like the feel of a "real" book in their hands.  Our used bookstore has such a great variety, they even have text books for those trying to save on school costs.
Mrs. Dacyczyn takes tightwaddery to a whole new level, like I said she makes me look like a little leaguer.   She does have really good tips on how to save money cooking from scratch.   I am going to share a couple recipes that she had in her book for some seasonings and one for soft pretzel dough.
Soft  pretzel dough
1 pkg yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp salt
4 cups flour
1 egg beaten

Combine yeast, water, sugar, and salt in a large bowl.  Stir in flour knead on table until dough is smooth.  Shape into pretzel use water to stick it together, place on cookie sheet and brush with egg wash and sprinkle with salt.  You could sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar if you are wanting something sweet.
Bake 15 minutes at 425

Here are some seasoning mixes:
Seasoned Salt
5 tbsp salt
3 tbsp pepper
2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp onion powder
1/2 tbsp garlic powder
mix all together and store in an air tight container, glass preferably.

Taco Seasoning
6 tbsp chili powder
4 1/2 tsp cumin
5 tsp paprika
3 tsp onion powder
2 1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/8 to 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
mix together and store in air tight container.  This is stronger than store bought so add a little then taste and add more if needed.

Until we eat again. . .

The Low Down on Prepaid Phone Service. . .

I found these on my CNET app on my prepaid phone.   When I finally went to a true smart phone I looked around at the best plans and service and I went with a prepaid plan.  I get a lot more bang for my buck thanks to my good friend Jennifer.   I was spending almost $80 per month before I switched. I cut my bill in half and have unlimited everything, you cannot beat that plan.  T-Mobile has gone 100% no contract now.   Several of the big name companies are now running smaller prepaid companies too.  Sprint runs Boost and Virgin Mobile, AT&T runs Cricket Wireless, and T-Mobile has Metro PCS and GoSmart.   There are even small prepaid companies that donate a portion of your bill each month to charities that you specify.  I think that is rather cool.  Giv Mobile donates 8% of your bill each month to a wide range of charities that you get to pick from.  Kajeet is a Sprint based company that is for kids.  This company is taping into the kid cell phone market.  With a Kajeet smart phone a parent has online parental controls that allows you to monitor who you child is talking and texting.  They are also the only carrier to offer online Internet filters where you can block certain websites from your child's phone.  These particular plans are a little more expensive.   TracFone  operates under:  Net 10, Simple Mobile, and StraightTalk.  They operate on T-Mobile and AT&T networks.
I personally like the prepaid service, it is cheaper and you are not locked into anything.  The service is just as good if not better, I know my service improved when I left Sprint and went with my prepaid service.  Some of these I mentioned may not be available in every area but they are definitely worth looking into.

Exciting Week Ahead. . .

This week is going to be a dilly.  The hubbs has therapy, the kids are winding down with school, Sprat has a double header and Big T is getting ready for Conformation.  If you are not familiar with Conformation, it is the class the kids take when they are at an age of recognition, when they know what it means to sin.  Big T's class has been very cool, they are not only teaching the Bible, they are teaching the Moravian Church history.  Big T had a power point presentation to go over this past week to prepare for his class on Sunday.  I reviewed it with him and I knew some of the points but there were  a few that I did not know.  I always say we can learn new things all the time and this is no different.  The history of the Moravian Church is fascinating.
The hubbs grew up in our Church and I began attending when were dating and I joined a few years after we were married.  I was raised in a Baptist Church and the Moravians are not much different than the Baptist.   The Baptist dedicate infants and Moravians practice infant Baptism, Baptist baptize at the age of recognition and Moravians practice Confirmation.   I really like that our Church is teaching the history of Moravians, when I first met my hubby he told me he was Moravian and I thought he said Mormon.  He had to explain exactly what the Moravians were and what they believed.  
This is going to be an exciting time for our family.  Big T will be confirmed and then take his first Holy Communion.  

More on Dave. . .

I told you when I started this, that you would probably get tired of me saying, "Dave says," or "According to Dave" and such.  I follow most of Dave's principles  which in reality follow God's principles.  Dave said, you could get a PhD in finance simply by reading Proverbs.   At that point we were in the middle of reading Psalms with the kids, so I decided that after Psalms we would read Proverbs.   In all my years of reading the Bible, I had never really sat down and read the book of Proverbs.  You know, you read a verse here and there relating to a specific sermon or a Bible study but you do not sit down and read every verse.   After Dave's class we read Proverbs.
One of the things that impressed me most about Dave Ramsey is,  he incorporates the Bible and God into his financial lessons.  I have read a couple different books on finance by different people and so far, not one of them does that.  Dave not only talks about saving money but he also talks about giving, stewardship. Not many financial gurus would even think of discussing stewardship much less devote a whole section of their financial class to the subject.    He encourages you to give to charities and to the Church.  His big point at the end of his lesson is that could you imagine the good that can be done if we were all out of debt and could give freely to those in need.   Cool idea.

He talks about the things that our grandparents used to say, "the more you give the more you will receive."  
Several years ago we were doing a stewardship series at Church and I was asked to give my testimony.  I was terrified and yet very excited about getting to share how God had blessed our family.  I am very passionate about how God has worked in our lives.  We were only supposed to do a two minute talk, when I had finished writing down what was on my heart I had about a 15 minute talk.  I did trim it down, I did not want to drive anyone away.  The hubbs and I talked about what I would say, so I had his approval.  I shared some very personal things about our first few years of marriage and how we struggled and strained with money some days.  My point to my talk was that even though we struggled we still gave to our Church.  Money always found us just when we needed it and I believe it did because we gave and had faith.  We are after all, mere managers of what God has given us.  

Thursday Looking Up. . .

Took my billy goat aka the hubbs to the barber today for a trim.  My hubby has never had a beard before but, since his fall he has not shaved and he now has quite the beard.  I always laughed because he is the hairless wonder.  He had 12 hairs on his chest and bless his heart when he went in the hospital they hooked up the heart monitor and they put the sticky tabs on 8 of his 12 hairs.  Needless to say those went bye bye when we pulled those pesky tabs off.   He said he was growing this beard to prove to himself and me that he could grow one.  His barber trimmed him up nicely and he does not look as scruffy as he did.  He was beginning to look like Grisly Adams.
I love my hubby very much and each day he does something to drive my completely crazy and then the next he will do something that makes me realize how much I really love and appreciate him.   I did not feel very well earlier this week, tummy troubles, and he was so sweet and fixed me an egg tortilla for lunch, he also fixed me a pancake for supper that night too.   Not to mention, that day he had to feed the kids and take care of them too.
I can hear him in the kitchen now regaling Sprat with world history to help him study for his quiz tomorrow.  My hubby knows more than most professors that hold PhD's in world history.  He reads everything and has always read about history and watched anything on TV about history he loves it.
As he is teaching world history in the kitchen he is also preparing dinner.  Ahhh, what a man.

Little Things for the Kiddos. . .

The end of the school year is fast approaching and some will be preparing one for college, some will be preparing for a Wedding, and some will be preparing for a new high school student.  Ahhh, the varying times of our lives as parents.  Each of these a big milestone for your child and for yourself.
I am just trying to keep my kiddos focused on school and school work.   I do think about these other milestones I mentioned and I think about all the things I need to teach  my kids before they go off on their own.
There are so many little things you can do now to share with your kids when they graduate high school.  One thing I have been doing for my boys is writing them little notes about things that happen in their lives or if I think of something I think they should know about a particular situation they are struggling with, then I also enclose a little money with it.  I seal it in an envelope and write the month and year that it was sealed.  I think I will give these to them when they graduate high school or college I have not really decided yet.  No matter when I give these to them they will be getting notes from me at all different times in their lives along with a little cash.  I usually enclose between $10 and $20 in each envelope.   This is not my idea, I borrowed it from somewhere else but I cannot remember where.  I have seen it on Pinterest but I started doing this before Pinterest existed.  Where ever I picked this up it said do one note a year.  I have done a couple a year, just whenever the mood has hit me or if something happened that I felt I needed to write on.  
I am not sure how much my boys will appreciate their mother's words or the extra cash but I feel good that I have done this for them.   I hope they will take my words to heart.

Mother's Day Celebrations

Spent the weekend with my favorite fellas, watching my boys play ball.  I guess I am still a field mom.  Watched the oldest make a double play by himself.    Watched him make another double play and an amazing last out of an inning.  They lost but, a great game and they had fun.   Big T had an exciting game too, he stole second and tried to break an ankle in the process.  He stuck it out and played hard the rest of the game, the other team was more worried about him than we were.   

Enjoyed a beautiful Church service with my oldest singing with the choir.  Our services are usually quite touching, especially at holidays.  I should preface this part with the fact that Big T and I got into a tiff over him wearing dress pants to Church.  He wanted to wear jeans which I normally do not mind, but for Mother's Day I thought he should wear dress pants.  He looked quite handsome in his dress pants and shirt.   While we were sitting listening to the children's message before the sermon,  Big T and I both a little teary, he grabbed my hand and leaned in and said; "I love you mommy, even though you made me wear these pants."  I do love my kids they always know how to make me laugh.  

Finally Friday. . .

Another crazy week behind us and a crazy weekend ahead of us.   The other day I was trying to get my house back to some semblance of normalcy and I found an old journal from when I was finishing up the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University class back in July of 2012.  During this time we were trying to refinance our house to get the great rates they were offering then.  The hubbs and I both had pristine credit and almost no debt due to our Dave Ramsey plan.  We were getting the run around from one bank and so I called one of my friends in the banking business and her reply was priceless.  I told her what was going on and all she said was bring me your papers and I will see what I can do.  We had been jumping through hoops for this one bank for 2 1/2 months and she got it done with a lower interest rate in less than 30 days.  Love her dearly, she was a life saver.
My point to this story is, shop around anytime you are looking for a loan of any sort.   Find out what they require up front and what the turn around time is for the paper work and what their time line is for your approval.  If you know someone in the business talk with them, I would probably still be waiting for the first bank to get around to our approval if I had not called my friend.
As I am reading back over my journal of what was going on in our lives I realize how God has worked through so much for us.  During this particular time of refinancing and getting out of debt my dear hubby was also facing a company wide layoff.   This was the third time in a few years that he survived and was not laid off.  I give full credit to the good Lord above for getting us through that ordeal.  We are a single income family and I do believe that God watches over us each and every day and I see it more clearly reading over my old journals.  I began writing in a journal when I participated in my first Gemeinschaft ( geh-mine-shaft) Bible study in 2009.  Gemeinschaft is a small group Bible study of the Moravian Church designed to provide an intentional and disciplined program that will enable people of faith to grow and experience God's saving grace and power in our lives.  I still journal and read my daily text and Bible daily thanks in part to the routine that I began during Gemeinschaft. 
When you journal and write your prayers down or write down things that are troubling you that you are asking God for help with you can look back and see how he responded.  

I know I have gone in all different directions today with this post but, I write what is on my heart and some days my heart is all over the place.  

Family Funnies. . . Mom Babbles. . .

I got my Mother's Day gift on Monday.  My hubby never gives me gifts early, NEVER.  He decided to celebrate on Monday since our weekend would be all about baseball.  We went out to eat at a favorite little place we all enjoy as a family and he gave me a beautiful amethyst necklace to wear that night.  He was very pleased with what he had picked out, as was I.  I was a little surprised  since he had not had the opportunity to do any shopping since he fell.   I am very surprised he gave it to me early, he never does that.   He prides himself on making me wait for gifts, he loves to tease me with them.  Needless to say, he surprised me all the way around.  My family drives me crazy but, I do love them dearly.  

The hubbs is getting around better now, my classes are over, and I feel much more relaxed.  Now to get my house cleaned up and back to somewhat normal.  It is funny how a house can get turned completely upside down is such a short time.   Mine is most definitely upside down.   The kids rooms are staying more organized in fact, Big T went to his room last night because he said he wanted to organize his things.  I had to laugh because that is one thing our family is not, we are not organized at all.   You can all breathe a sigh of relief he is not sick, he was organizing his toys.  He has a table in his room that he has all of his army men set up on in a battle.  He was re-arranging them in a new battle.  

My husband was telling the boys stories of his youth and how he used to play when he was growing up.  He told them about how he and his friends would set up battles with their army men and throw rocks at them and shoot them with a bb gun.  How he would strap them to bottle rockets and send them flying.   Big T piped up and said, that is why the army men at memaws' have holes in them and have burn marks.  I had heard most of the stories, the kids were amazed at their daddy and how he could occupy his time.   I had to laugh, this is where our dinner conversations go some nights.  

Big T has been going through "family life" at school during health class.  This is the class where they learn more in depth about the birds and the bees.   He has not said a whole lot about the class.  I picked him up at school the other day, and when he got in the car I asked him how his day was just like I do every day.  His reply is what threw me.  He said, mom I feel so sorry for one of my friends.  He seemed very sad about what ever the friend was going through.  I said, I am sorry what is going on?  I was expecting maybe they had experienced a death in the family or something.  Big T replied, my friend (Sue) got her period.  I am so glad I was at a stop sign when he said that, I just about fell out.  I said, do what?  He repeated that she had gotten her period.  I said, how do you know about that?  He simply said, I have taken "family life" mom, I know all about it.  By this time we were home and getting out of the car.  He hugged me and kissed me on the cheek and said, "I am sorry you had to go through that mom."   Gotta love that kid.  He will make some young lady a great husband some day, some day far in the future.  

Hang on and stay tuned, raising these boys is going to be very interesting.  

Whacky Wednesday. . .

We are eating pizza tonight but I would like to share a recipe with you of a favorite zucchini casserole.   This one is in honor of our garden that is growing and will hopefully produce some fabulous zucchini.
Here is what you will need:
2-3 medium zucchini chopped
1 can green chillis chopped or
1-2 fresh jalapeno peppers chopped
1 medium onion chopped
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 box jiffy corn muffin mix
2 egg beaten
Dash or two of texas pete

Mix your zucchini,  chilis or peppers, onion, dash of Pete.  Add your eggs and muffin mix then add the cheese.   Spoon into casserole dish and bake at 350 for at least 60 minutes or until bubbly and browning.  You can also add some extra cheese on top toward the end of baking.  I made 6 of these last year and froze them.  If you want to freeze them bake for 30 minutes and let cool completely,  then cover with plastic wrap and cover with foil and freeze.  I have one left in my freezer and we are eating it tomorrow.
Here is a shot of our garden with a huge thank you again to my brother-in-law for getting it going.

Always Learning. . .

I am always learning something new.  I read all the time; magazines, blogs, books, news feeds, tech websites, even Facebook.  I have found I am always learning something new, especially when it comes to the ever changing world of technology.   My classes have finally finished up for this semester but my education never ends.   Technology is ever changing and we, as consumers of technology, need to stay up to date so we can stay ahead of the bad guys.  

One very simple thing to remember is, if you are shopping and you are going to be entering your credit card information, look for the https:// in your browser window before the web address.  If the https:// is not there you are not on a secure site and your credit card information is not safe.    

Here is another gem I would like to pass along to you.  If you work for a company that supplies you with a computer, phone, or other mobile device you should know that company is well within their rights to know every website you visit and they may even read your emails.   I would also wager they have gps on them so they know where they are at all times.  You may say that is an invasion of privacy and it may very well be but, the company has every right to protect their investment and their proprietary information.   

Looking at Colleges. . .

We went to the parent meeting last week to see what our kids have to do to apply to college.  This was the basic when to start looking and when to take the PSAT, SAT, and the ACT tests.   We got the break down on what test scores they are accepting and how much it costs per year.   It was quite eye opening since this will be my first experience getting one of my own ready to go off to college.   Everything has changed since I graduated, in the dark ages, as my kids would say.
They are encouraging the kids to do everything earlier than when I was gearing up to go.  They also are offering more advanced courses than when I was in school.   I never went on a college tour either. My brother graduated from the Citadel so we visited there for parent weekends and my sister graduated from NC State so we visited there various times of the year.   I knew I did not want to go into the military and NC State was too big for me, so I ended up at Campbell University.    I loved my science classes so I graduated with a BS in biology.  The hubbs also majored in biology and minored in chemistry at Elon.   We both love science and neither of our kids really like science.   Not sure what either of my boys would like to do when they grow up, if they grow up.  I am pretty sure it will not have anything to do with science, unless it is geology. 
I hope they will both find something they can earn money doing that they enjoy.  My dad always says,  if you enjoy what you are doing you will never work a day in your life.