What was for dinner? The no power edition

That is my clothes line. Thanks to snow, ice, hail, freezing rain, and every kind of cold precipitation known to man, we were without power for a few days this week. It was like camping in the house. 

Cooking was done with the Coleman cook stove. Propane lights were pulled out of storage. Sleeping bags were spread in front of the fireplace. Gallons of hot chocolate were consumed. 

All in all it wasn't horrible, just a little inconvenient. We stayed fairly warm with the help of the fireplace and a kerosene heater.  I rather enjoyed the quiet of the house. We read a lot of books, and the kids played in the snow. Luckily, I had just gone to the grocery store on Monday. We moved food outside to store in an unused freezer. Our big freezer is also outside, so there was no problem keeping that food frozen. 

Meals this week were pretty normal, though I did do some extra cooking at lunch, to make soups to help keep us warm from the inside out. 

Saturday & Sunday we were visiting with family and friends in Ohio. 

Monday:  Bean and Cheese Tostadas

Though I did not make the tostadas from scratch, I did fry them using purchased corn tortillas. They were so good. Tim has declared that I am no longer allowed to buy taco or tostada shells. 

Tuesday: Baked Potato Bar

This is a family favorite that we have not had for awhile. It always is a little different depending what we have on hand. This week it included baked potatoes, broccoli, bacon, cheese, and sour cream. 

Wednesday: (*)Venison Stir Fry

We woke up without power. I already had a couple of small roasts defrosted. With no oven, cutting them up for a stir fry seemed the best choice. This stir fry included ginger, cabbage, carrots, and broccoli. 

Thursday: Friends to the rescue

Friends, with power, invited us over for hot soup, sandwiches, and showers. 

Friday: Spaghetti and (*)Tomato sauce

The power came back on right as I was dishing up dinner. I was so excited I think I did a little dance right there in from of the cook stove. 

What was for dinner at your house this week?

Be sure to check to some great carnivals this week.
Festival of Frugality
The Homesteading Carnival
Make it from Scratch

Doing the Happy Dance

I love my dishwasher....

I love central heat....

I love brewed coffee....

and my stove, electric lights, refrigerator, microwave, and of course my computer.

Little things you so appreciate after being without power for about 50 hours!

What was for dinner?

This week was a clean out the stockpile kind of week. Money was tight this week, and we are visiting my husband's family over the weekend. I was putting off the grocery store trip until we get back, and making do with what we already have on hand. Here is what we ate for dinner this past week.

Saturday: Lasagna (*venison, tomato sauce,) Garlic and Dried Tomato Bread
I did not have the ricotta cheese on hand, but picked it up on a quick stop to get milk. 

Sunday: Leftover Lasagna

Monday: (*)Venison roast, sweet potatoes, (*)corn

Tuesday: Cabbage soup made with the leftover venison, stock and corn.

Wednesday: (*)Roasted rabbit, rice, (*)green beans

Thursday:  Goulash (*venison, tomato sauce)

Friday: Noodle soup made with leftover rabbit and stock. 

What was for dinner at your house this week?

Planning Changes: Income

Cutting expenses is relatively easy. When we did away with cable years ago, we really didn't miss it. Replacing our very old car with a slightly less old car instead a new one, no big deal. Buying at thrift stores, an adventure. Shopping sales with coupons, a challenge. Cooking from scratch, something I enjoy. Not going out to eat...ok you've got me there. That I do miss, but most cuts to our expenses have been relatively painless. 

Increasing our income, now, that is a tough one. Tough because the choices are limited by our set of skills and experience. Tough because it hits at what we value the most, our family time. But that is where we are at. We need to increase our income. 

My husband has a decent job that he enjoys. A second job may be an option for him, but it would have to be some sort of seasonal work. Perhaps the census work that anonymous mentioned would be a good fit.  During his busy season there is no time for a second job. 

We have animals. We have a large garden. Selling some of the things we raise has been suggested. This is something we will be doing on a small scale. Selling rabbits, eggs, and goats is something we can easily do without much more time or money invested. (As a side for those of you wondering about the cows or pigs. They are owned by my parents, and not ours to sell.) Up until now we have only been using our animals for our own consumption.  I don't expect to make much money on the animals, but if we can at least cover the cost of feed and put a few bucks in our pocket, it is a step in the right direction.

As for selling produce, last year we ventured into this a little. The kids (with quite a bit of help) picked and sold blackberries from the wild bushes on our property. I only put out the word to one small circle of friends, and we sold 26 quarts. We could have sold more if we would have gotten them picked. I need to plan my time better this summer. 

Though we do a lot of gardening, we really do not produce much excess. Our gardens feed ten. (My family, my parents, and my niece and nephew who visit on a regular basis.) As of right now, we do not have any other cleared land to expand our gardens. I am still planning the garden, but am considering what can be planted to save space, and produce an excess that could be sold via word of mouth.

There are some other work from home options I'm considering. I already do some freelance writing, and was given the opportunity to do more. I would love to be able to just write from home, but it doesn't pay enough to meet the need we have. 

I have provided childcare before, and it is something I am considering again. As a twist to this, it has been suggested that I could homeschool other children in my home. I'd have to double check our state laws about that, but it does sound like a great idea. I live in an out of the way place, so that may make it a little more difficult, but I think I will put the word out in a few places and see what happens. 

What I really think is going to happen though is that I will get a part time job in the evenings or on the weekends. This will eliminate child care costs that would be incurred if I were working full time during the day. This will require some super organization, time management, and pitching in by myself and the rest of the family, but I think we are up for it. Getting out of the house alone, even if it is to go to work, doesn't sound too bad to this homeschooling mom. I've even thought how nice it would be to do my grocery shopping before or after work, without the kids. 

So the next question is what job to look for? It has to offer enough flexibility to meet the hours I am available, and it needs to pay well enough to make it worth my drive. I am seriously leaning toward waiting tables. Waiting tables has been good to me over the years. I started waiting tables in high school. It paid my living expenses through college. It got us through our first year of marriage when Tim was in college, and helped make ends meet when I was substitute teaching. 

It isn't a glamorous job. It can be physically demanding, and let's face it, there can be some very rude people out there. The hours I am available are the busiest, and it has worked for me before. On average it pays better than retail, and I can't think of many other options. Now that we've pretty much decided what needs to happen, I need to get out there and find the job. 

In the meantime, we are trying to generate some quick income to ease some of the pressure. We have a vehicle we are selling, well we have been trying to sell for some time now, but are going to try a little harder to actually get it sold to pay off some debt. I will be cleaning out closets and listing things on ebay.  The taxes will get done, and the return will go first to get our emergency fund account back to where it should be, and then to debt.  And though I feel a little strange about it, I did add a donate button to my sidebar since it was suggested to me. We also will be researching the possibility of a short sale of our rental home. I was not aware of this option until a reader at Smart Spending mentioned it. Thanks O-wood. I'm not sure we will qualify, but it is worth some research. 

It is frustrating to try so hard for so many years, cutting expenses, yet the debt is not shrinking. Something has to change. Increasing our income, difficult as it may be, must happen. Thank you for your support and encouragement. 

Ouch!

My readers here are all so nice. Thanks! 

When Karen shared a bit about my post, Something has to change,  over at MSN Money not all the commenters had kind or encouraging words to share. Don't worry my feelings didn't get hurt. I have thick skin. 

But it does make me appreciate you all the more!

Family Movie Favorites

Earlier this month I posted a little about Family Movie Nights. (By the way we rented the movie that I posted about then. It was disappointing.) I mentioned the difficulty of finding movies that whole family will enjoy. There were many good suggestions. Charity asked for a list of our favorite family movies. 

I've been thinking about it which ones I'd put on my list, and then it occurred to me that it might be better if we made the list as a family. So, I posed the question to each family member, "What are your two favorite movies that we watch as a family." Below are their responses.

Vivian (soon to be three)

Toy Story

"Watch it?"

The two year old doesn't have much to say about why she likes the movies, just that she does. I'll second this vote though."

Little Brown Bear Gets Up Early

"I watch Brown Bear."

We hear this repeatedly every day. I have to say she loves it, but it makes the rest of us a little crazy.

Nolan (4)

Kung Fu Panda
"Because it is so funny. The tiger bounces off his belly. Boing! Doo Dah!"

. . . and other sound effects I have no idea how to spell.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 

"I liked it when the ants went in his mouth and ate him."

Am I really posting this stuff? Personally, I liked the earlier movies better.

Lydia (7)
George of the Jungle

"It is so stupid it is funny."

I agree with the stupid part anyway. 

Aladdin

"I like the flying carpet. Jasmine doesn't marry a prince because she doesn't want to marry a prince."

Oh boy are we in trouble! 

Kellen (10)

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian

"It has a lot of action. I liked the book too."

I like Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe too. 

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix

"A lot of action. A lot of fighting. Mom won't let the little kids watch Lord of the Rings. This will do"

Harry Potter is pushing the limits of a for the whole family.  

The Dad

Back to the Future - The Complete Trilogy

"I like science fiction. These are good for the whole family."

This is one of those movies you saw as a kid and can't wait to see with your kids. Then there is all this language you didn't remember in it. Still, it is pretty mild compared to much of what is out there.  

Shrek 2 (Widescreen Edition)

"The movie spoofs have you laughing non stop beginning to end."

Love all these movies. 

The Mom (me)

My Dog Skip

I'm a sucker for movies in historical settings. This is a great story of a boy growing up during WWII. 

Horatio Hornblower
Did I mention that I like historical movies? This one follows the adventures of a British naval officer. There is plenty of action, bravery, good moral values, and very little objectionable material. 

October Sky
Why do I get three picks? Well this is my blog!
A coal miner's son defies the odds, builds a rocket, and wins the national science fair. It is a good story. And yes another historical setting. I can't help myself.

There you have it the favorite movie picks from my family. I can't say that I'd put all of these on my recommendations for the best family movies, but this is the list straight from the mouths of babes and their parents. 

The One Bite Rule

I had to laugh a little at my husband last night. I was laughing with him. (I think anyway.) I made cabbage soup for dinner last night. Tim took a couple bites, and then with a surprised look says, "This is really good."

To appreciate this you have to understand that when we got married there were a long list of foods that Tim did not like, and a good sized list of things he had never tried. The classic family story to attest to this happened when we were dating.  We went to a nice seafood restaurant for lunch one day. Tim ordered a hamburger. He had never tried seafood. 

Luckily for me, he is a pretty easy going and adventurous guy. I kept cooking a wide variety of food, and he kept trying them. Fourteen years later, the list of foods he does not like, or has not tried has dwindled considerably. Some things on that list he would even say he now likes such as coleslaw, seafood, and peas. 

Not all husbands are so accommodating, but the point here is that tastes change and the taste for some food items comes over time. Even if your husband is set in his ways, your children do not have to be. One technique that we've used to try to keep our kids from becoming picky eaters is the one bite rule. 

It is very simple really. Everyone gets a serving of every dish that is served for dinner. They do not have to clean their plate, but they do have to try one bite of everything they have been served. Occasionally a child will dig in their heals and resist trying an item, but after you hold your ground a time or two, they do try their one bite with out much fuss. 

It works too. Tomatoes are a food that many kids (not to mention adults) are not fond of. When my now ten year old was younger, he did not like them. We continued to serve them to him, and asked him only to take one bite. After a time of doing this, one day we served him a salad without any tomato. He looked at us and asked, "Where is my tomato?" I can't say that he loves tomatoes now, but he does like them in salad and on sandwiches. 

Introducing our children to a wide variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables, helps to develop healthy eating patterns. It also helps us, as moms, to be able to cook meals the whole family enjoys without worrying about catering to a house full of picky eaters. The one bite rule works for me. 

Planning Changes: Expenses

In Something has to Change, I shared with you the financial frustrations we've had recently, and the realization that we need to make some changes. I do so appreciate your comments and encouragement. I was feeling rather hopeless about our finances when I wrote that post. Putting it out there, talking it through, and getting some feedback gave me a new energy to tackle the beast called debt. 

Many of you suggested the resources of Dave Ramsey. We are familiar with his concepts. My husband listens to him on talk radio, and of course many blogs I read refer to him. We checked into a class being offered by a nearby church. The price of materials was more than we are willing to pay, but I will be looking for his book on my next trip to the library. 

Shuffling some of the debt was also suggested. We have done that in the past, but almost all the credit card debt is at low rates. It is something that we are still watching though. This suggestion did give me another idea. 

Regular readers have read about the duplex we still own about four hours from here. Long story short, we are upside down in that house. When it is fully rented we make a small profit. We've had a hard time keeping both units rented. When they are not both rented, it is a drain on our budget. Repairs throw the budget for a loop, and basically that whole situation has become a huge stress.

We've decided to treat the rental as a business. We are going to open another checking (free one) for that property. There will be three accounts for that house then, the mortgage, line of credit and checking. The line of credit can be used when needed to cover expenses for that house. It doesn't get rid of the problems or the debt from that house, but it will take the up and downs of it out of our monthly budget. That will save me a lot of stress. 

Several others suggested cutting expenses. This would also be my first advice to anyone in a financial crunch. There usually is a lot of room to cut discretionary spending, food budgets, and services. But as some long time readers confirmed we have cut and cut and cut again. We really are  pretty much are down to the basics here. But, even so, there still are a few more things to cut. 

We cancelled our trash service. We have considered sharing a trash service with my parents for some time. All food scraps go to the animals. Paper is shredded and used as animal bedding. Metal is sold for scrap. Plastic is recycled. Cardboard is burned. That leaves very little trash left. Between the two house we only take out one trash can. My parents offered to pay for the trash, and we cancelled ours. Savings: $19 a month. $228 a year. 

We will be switching my cell service to my parent's plan. They can add my line for $10 a month. Already on the lowest plan available, I am paying $45. I use too many minutes for prepaid. Tim's phone is paid for by work. We have no land line. Savings: $35 a month. $420 a year. 

Other cuts we are considering included the XM radio. To many this may seem a no brainer for the chopping block, but for someone who is on the road the better part of the work week in remote areas, the XM becomes pretty important. Cutting it is still under consideration. The potential savings is about $250 a year. 

I am also looking closely at our homeschooling activities. We are involved in two regular activities. Neither is very expensive, and we will continue these activities. In addition to those activities, there are field trips, get togethers, classes, and cultural activities that pop up on the radar every week. Most of these also are inexpensive, but they do add up. There is also the consideration of just being too busy. Busyness comes at a cost also. I need to put myself on a time and money budget for these activities. 

Cutting expenses is the first place to start in a financial crunch. We've cut and stretched, and still the ends do not meet. Something has to change on the income side. More on those plans later this week. 

Of interest to those of you in similar places or those trying to avoid getting in this predicament, the Carnival of Debt Reduction is up at No Debt Plan. 

What was for dinner?

With the holidays and all I let this feature kind of slip by the way side. I think I finally am back to some semblence of normal and am ready to bring this back again. I've also decided to change this from a Friday feature to Saturdays.

"What was for dinner?" is where I share what we had for dinner the past week. I'm not a menu planner. I know some of you swear by it, and that is wonderful. But for me it seems to work better to keep cupboards stocked with the basics, the ingredients to some of our favorites, and items found marked down. I pull out of the freezer a package or two of meat at a time, and take it from there. 

This is how it all came together this week:

Saturday: (L) Homemade stuffing, *green beans. 

The stuffing was made because I cleaned out the freezer and found a ton of bread heels that I had saved. I also had quite a bit of venison broth that had not yet been canned. Stuffing was the perfect way to use both. 

Sunday: *Deer Chops, (L)Stuffing, *Corn, ginger cookies

Monday: Clean out the Refrigerator - Leftovers 

Tuesday: Birthday party food, Pizza

Wednesday: Spaghetti, *Homemade sauce with sausage, (L) ice cream sundaes

Thursday: French Toast

Friday: *Venison sloppy joe, coleslaw, baked potatoes 

*raised here, (L) leftovers

Want to share what your family had for dinner this week?

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The $40 Birthday Party

Lydia celebrated her seventh birthday this week. Lydia is my party girl. She is very social and likes to do things up. Last year we had a Tea Party. We were able to keep the cost of that fairly low by doing everything ourselves, but we did put a lot of time into the party. This year we decided to keep it simple. Cheap too. In fact, the whole party cost about $40. Here is how we did it. 

We kept the invitation list small. Three of her friends came, but of course with their siblings, a parent, and our family there were over twenty people here. 

We chose a time between meals; 3:00. Lydia picked out the menu. She wanted pigs in a blanket, Kool-Aid, and an ice cream sundae bar for dessert. I thought it might be a good idea to throw some fruits and veggies in there. So, we also had a vegetable tray and a fruit bowl. The total food cost was $31.

We minimized the disposable. We pulled out the cute glass party plates and their matching cups. Paper napkins were used, but were something I already had on hand.  It really does not take long to throw dishes in the dishwasher, and brings a big savings to your party budget. 

We kept the activities simple. The plan was to make flowers from pipe cleaners. I spent $3 at the Dollar Tree for pipe cleaners. They are still unopened. The girls just wanted to play. They stayed in Lydia's room the whole time playing doll house and Barbies. Who am I to break up the fun to do a craft? 

The Dollar Tree was our friend for treat bags. We went to the Dollar Tree looking for treat bag items. What we found were ready made surprise bags for a buck. The catch is you don't know what is in them.  I had never gotten these before. I picked up five surprise bags, pencils, and stickers figuring I could make all that work for the 8 treat bags I needed for all the children that would be at the party. I spent $8 for these items. 

The surprise bags were great, and had I known I would have just picked up eight of the surprise bags. The kids decorated brown lunch bags for treat bags. They personalized each one putting the guests name on the bag and drawing pictures of things the guests like. We then sorted out the loot, added some candy left from the kids Christmas stash, and had our treat bags. 

Grand total for the party $39, or $42 is you count the pipe cleaners we didn't use. The party girl and her guests had a lot of fun. The parents enjoyed sitting around and chatting. I enjoyed creating a special memory for my little girl without spending a fortune. 

Looking for more frugal ideas? Head to Frugal Fridays. 

Dryer Lint Fire Starters

Recently I've taken a little bit of flack for a post I wrote a year ago; 13 Ways to Use Dryer Lint. After responding to the commenter, I remembered that I have used lint to line the bottom of the tires I planted potatoes in, but mostly I save my dryer lint to make fire starters. Hat tip to Butterfly Mama where I first saw the idea of making fire starters from dyer lint. 

Dryer lint fire starters work wonderfully. Using one or two of them will get dry firewood burning easily and quickly. It is much better than trying to get a fire going with newspaper, and much cheaper than the starter logs you can buy at the store. 

The starters are very easy to make, and free, using items that might other wise end up in the trash.  All you need is some dryer lint, cardboard egg cartons, and candles (or melts) you are no longer using. 

First melt your wax. For this set of fire starters I used an old Christmas candle in a crock. I was able to melt the wax by heating the crock in simmering water. If you are melting melts, tapers or other candles without their own container, simply melt them using a rinsed out food can in simmering water. 

This candle had a cinnamon scent. The house smelled so good while it was melting! The starters also put off a bit of the scent when they are used. 

While your wax it melting, pack as much lint as you can into the spot where the eggs go in the carton.  Wax scrapes off the counter pretty easily, but if you prefer, set the carton on some newspaper or an old cookie sheet for any wax that is spilled or soaks through the cardboard. When the wax is melted pour it over the lint soaking the lint thouroughly.

Allow the starters to cool until the wax is firm again. When you are ready to start a fire break off one or two sections, arrange a few small logs around and over the starter, and light. Snuggle up to your honey and enjoy the fire!

Dyer lint fire starters work for me. See Works for Me Wednesday for more great ideas and tips.  

Awards

Apologies, I have been neglectful of recognizing awards that have been given to Stop the Ride. Time to rectify that. 

The Lemonade Stand award was given by Wretha at Wretha's Adventures Living 100% Off Grid.  This award recognizes blogs that show gratitude or a great attitude. 

Thanks to the Frugal Momma for "heart" award. It is always good to be loved! 

The Brillante Award comes fro Y-2K Hippie  and also from Laura Williams' Musings. I guess that makes me doubly brilliant. 

Thank you all for the recognition. It is appreciated even if I've been tardy in acknowledging it. 

Something has to Change

This summer we squeaked our way through our normal and expected financial crunch. It is never fun, but it is expected. We prepare the best we can and hunker down. This summer was particularly tight, draining our savings. Finally, in the fall, the income picked up again and we had a little breathing room. Then Wham!

We took hits from every side. We lost a renter, had bizarre plumbing issues, household appliances revolted, and of course there was Christmas. Without having time to rebuild our savings, you can guess where we took many of these hits; in our credit card balances. 

I spent the months before Christmas very angry and frustrated about our financial situation. Over the last six years we have cut back. We make do and go without. We clip coupons, raise our own food, and buy used. I do not mind this life style, but the lack of progress to getting out of debt is downright disheartening.  

Then I had to face an ugly truth. We've been in denial. Even when we feel like there is a little breathing room in the budget, we are falling behind in our debts. There is this rather large elephant in the room called Student Loans that we are trying to ignore. 

Our student loan payments are roughly the same as our house payment, and growing. Student loans are oh so easy to rack up. We did not borrow wisely. Student loans are also so easy to put into forbearance. We qualify for an economic hardship forbearance, and we have been using it. 

It is not a wise choice. The interest on the loans continues to be charged and capitalized. The payments do not have to be made, but the principal balance is ever growing, ever becoming the crushing weight of more debt. We can not go on like this. 

So, the next question is where is that money going to come from? Even if we were only making minimum payments on our other debt, there would not be enough to pay the student loan. Cutting expenses would be the next logical step. We have already cut and cut, and though I can think of a few small things they do not come even close to meeting the monthly requirement of the loan. 

The next place to turn is to try to increase our income. My husband has a decent paying job that he loves. He would consider switching jobs for better pay, but what is out there? Not much, especially right now. Should he take a second job? He already is teaching a class once a week during the school year, and is looking at taking on a few private students too. His time is stretched, especially in the fall, and there is a small farm to help care for. 

Should I go back to work? Let's put aside that I feel very strongly about being home for my children, and that homeschooling is the best option for our family. Going back to my previous career would require a few college classes (and more student loans)  first. I would be working the same hours as my husband, requiring us to pay for childcare for two, even if we put the others into public school. 

Could I work in the evenings? Perhaps I could work in retail or restaurant  on the weekends or evenings when my husband was home. The pay would not be as much, but we would avoid childcare costs. I'm not sure that I could keep our expenses as low if I were working. Would I still have time for all the coupon and sale shopping? Would I have the energy to cook everything from scratch? Would I be able to tend to a large garden? After gas and the clothing I would need for work, would we really come out ahead?

Could I work from home? Doing what? I am not sure. Writing (much to my surprise) seems to be the direction I've been heading the last few years. Pursuing that, or anything else from home, would require a lot more thought, planning, and time on my part. Would it pay off?

Then there is bankruptcy,  an option I never thought I would consider let alone  mention publicly. It has come up several times in our discussions about finances. I know it is not an easy fix. There are consequences. It would not take away the student loans. They will remain, but perhaps with out the other debt we could actually pay off the student loans. I'm not so worried about my credit score, but I do feel responsible for our debts and do not take bankruptcy lightly. 

These are hard times. As I said in a previous post, no one likes hard times. I am no exception. My emotions have ranged from anger to depression while trying to think through this situation. But hard times do force change. There are no easy answers, and every choice has consequences I do not like. Though I am not sure how, I do know at this point something has to change. 

Project Orange Thumb

We saw it last year, and I believe we will see it again this year. Gardening is becoming more and more popular. Even those who are not able to garden on their own land are getting creative and pooling together to find community garden spots. Quick off the top of my head, I can think of three people I know who participated in community gardens last year. It is a wonderful idea.

Apparently, Fiskars agrees. For the seventh year they are sponsoring Project Orange Thumb grant. This grant awards $1500 is Fiskars gardening tools and $800 in garden related goods to community gardens in the U.S., Canada and Australia. You'll just need the dirt, the labor, and some seeds! What a great way to make your existing community garden project better, or to get a new one started.

Groups that encourage community gardening, sustainable agriculture, gardening education, or community beautification are encouraged to apply. If you already participate in a community garden, please be sure to let you group know, and get your application started. If you've been thinking about starting a community gardening project, what a great incentive to get it going!

Don't wait too long. The application deadline is February 17, 2009.

Guilty as Charged

Today President-elect Obama's speech was on while I was waiting for Kellen at the orthodontist. I will confess to not listening closely, as I was distracted by other things. I probably should find it online to give it a closer listen, but what I caught was what I expected; a lot of deficit spending.

This isn't a political blog, and I don't intend it to be. I'll just say that I do like the idea of people working for the tax payer money they get, and I like some of work project ideas mentioned. An extra $1000 in my extremely lean budget sure sounds nice right about now. I just wonder about the efficiency of us the government to create work, and how more deficit spending can be a long term fix.

What really caught my attention was one of the commentators afterward. I did not catch who this was and really only heard one thing he said. Basically he said that Americans are only buying what they need right now, and that they need to start spending to get this economy going. It is not a new statement, but every time I hear it, my stomach turns.

I understand the concept. When we don't spend stores can't stay open. It all trickles down from there to shipping companies, middle men and manufactures. I get that. Maybe if they would state that Americans who have lots of money in the bank need to spend it, I could digest it a little better. I'd rather hear something like Americans who have lots of money in the bank need to invest it is worthwhile causes and businesses. Instead we are told to spend, spend, spend, to keep our culture of consumerism alive.

I am guilty as charged. I am only buying what I need. Partly because that is all I have to spend right now, but even if I get a nice fat check financed by the American tax payers, I still will only be buying what I need. I will be using that money to pay off debt, and if I buy anything, it will be things to help provide for our needs, like garden items.

No one likes to suffer. No one likes hard times, but those are the times that we learn and grow. Most of all, those are the times when we change. Is a system that depends on the acculumation f stuff regardless of our bank balance, really what we need? Do we really need to figure out how to maintain the status quo, or do we need to figure out how to change it?

Family Movie Night

Family movie nights are something we always enjoy. In the winter, with it being cold and dark outside long before the children are ready for bed, family movie nights are regular events. Thanks to the free Redbox codes that Amy provides, our family movie nights have settled into a fairly regular Monday night event.

Sometimes we lay a picnic blanket out and eat dinner while we watch the movie. Other times we all snuggle up on the couch. "Snuggle" is literal here with all six of us on one couch. The hardest part about family movie night is picking the movie.

It can be quite a challenge to pick a movie that all the children ranging from 10 to 2 will enjoy. The ten year old boy wants action, sci-fi, and nothing to do with anything that might appear to be kids movie. The six year old girl wants Barbie movies with princesses and flowers. Of course, the four year old and two year old must be able to enjoy the movie, and not be scared by it. It sometimes seems an impossible task, and I haven't even mentioned that the movie has to meet the standards of Tim and me.

I am of the opinion that ratings mean just about nil when choosing a movie for the family. Alright I'll concede that they are a beginning point, but there is so much more to consider than the obvious graphic sex, language, and violence content. What does the movie imply even if it does not actually show the deed? What message does the movie send?

We are especially careful about movies that imply that adults are idiots, kids have everything all figured out, and it is funny when they are disrespectful to adults. Don't my children do that well enough on their own without a movie to reinforce it?!

I'll get down off my soap box now.

It is my pleasure to share with you the trailer for a movie that will make into our family movie night line up; All Roads Lead Home The Movie It will soon be out on DVD. The trailer had me choking up a bit. You've been warned.




What are some of your favorite movies for family movie night? I'm always on the look out for wholesome and entertaining flicks.

Wall Stickers at the Dollar Tree

Kellen (10) and Lydia (6) used their own money to buy presents for the family this year. Needless to say their budget was tiny, minuscule in fact. As in the Dollar Tree is our friend. I tried to steer them clear of the junk toys, and actually they did really well finding decent presents there.

They found books, art supplies, dish towels, beef jerky, and more, all for a buck. After the dust has settled, I have to say my favorite of The Dollar Tree finds was the wall stickers. They have a decent assortment of wall decals there. Lydia grabbed a sheet of butterflies for my niece (13,) and when Lydia wasn't looking I grabbed two sheets of flowers for her and her sister.

My girls loved them and went to work on their walls. The stickers are easy to put on, and more importantly to take off. What they did was cute, but quite honestly hard to see since they put them at floor level, and let's just say we haven't seen much of the floor since before Christmas. But yesterday I saw my niece's room.

She did a great job decorating her walls and door with the decals. It is very pretty and girly. It added a lot to the room. How can you beat that for a buck?

Works-For-Me

Spring on the Mind

My Christmas tree is still up, and all I can think about is spring. I have chicks and seeds on the brain. I spent a bit of time shopping for chicks online over the weekend. I checked out three hatcheries, Ridgway, Meyer, and McMurray. McMurray is the best know of those, but the other two are closer for me and less expensive. I know the chicks could survive the shipment from Iowa, but coming from Ohio seems like a better bet to me.

I'm going to stick with my Buff Orpingtons. I like their gentle demeanor. I briefly considered getting some meat birds, but I think I will get a straight run (males and females) of the Buffs and use the males for meat. The birds are a lot cheaper that way.

I've also been thinking seeds and garden. I already ordered some strawberries, blueberries and asparagus. They will be here the end of March. I have until then to figure out where we will be putting them and getting the beds ready.

We have some seeds for this year, and I need to get some of them started if they are going to make it into this year's garden. We have plans to turn a unused garden tub into a seed starter. Hopefully we will get to that this week or weekend, and I will share it with you.

I've also been drooling, um I mean browsing the catalogs. The Baker Creek catalog is just beautiful this year. I've spent a lot of time in the catalog since it came in the mail. I'm not sure what all we are going to plant, but I've really got an itch to plant a wider variety of vegetables this year. Now I just need to figure out how to make it work in the space we have, and/or if we should make another space. Cleared space is at a premium when you live in the woods.

I have a question about cover crops for you readers. We have used rye grass for a cover crop the last two years. We till it under in the spring and it does what is supposed to, but does anyone use hairy vetch? The catalog says that if mowed at the right time it will die and create a natural mulch. I think it would be great to do so, and then only till the rows instead of the whole garden.

The catalog also says the plant is perennial if allowed to set seed. So, I'm guessing, that it could also become yet another pesky weed if not mowed at the right time. Just wondering if anyone had tried using it.

So, anyone else out there have spring on the mind? What are your plans and ideas?

I'm Still Here

Happy New Year everyone! I hope your holiday week was a good one. Mine was good, but incredibily busy. Hence the lack of posting. We have family here this weekend too.

Posting and "What was for dinner?" will be back to normal next week, but I did want to drop in here quick to wish you a Happy New Year. Have a great weekend!