What was for dinner?

It was another busy week here. Dinners this week were quick and easy. Here is what we made by cooking with what is in the pantry.

Saturday: Salmon patties, potato salad and grapes.

Sunday: (*)Ham, scalloped potatoes, (*)green beans, cornbread
My brother and his kids were here. We ate dinner with them and my parents.

Monday: (*)Pork and beans.
I learned from this dinner not to use my soup bones in the beans in the crock pot. I guess I should have cooked the meat separately. It had a lot of little bones. We had to pick them out.

Tuesday: Pizza
Kellen (10) made dinner on Tuesday. I had to work Tuesday night, and ran out of time during the day to make dinner. Our Financial Peace class is Tuesday, and Tim didn't have time to make dinner before that. Kellen was more than happy to help.

I had a ready made crust that I had picked up at Kroger for almost nothing. My mom supervised the cooking part. She told me she came out into the kitchen when Kellen was trying to do the crust. He had opened it and formed it all into a ball. That is what he knows. He didn't realize that you could just unroll the crust from the tube. The figured out how to fix it, and said the pizza was pretty good. 

Wednesday: Papaw feeds the kids.
I was working again, and our church was having a bowling night. Tim met my parents at the bowling alley. My dad fed the kids before they went.

Thursday: (*)Pork chops, (*)corn, carrots, biscuits.
I did not have to work Thursday. It was nice to have a night to cook a good dinner.

Friday: Dinner at a friends.
I took Chocolate Amish friendship bread.

Have a good weekend everyone!

The Great Potato Experiement Year Two

Last year we tried growing potatoes in tires. 

It didn't work out so well. 

Because I really want it to work, and because I am just a tad bit hard headed we are trying it again this year. I really want it to work because it saves labor and it saves space. We are making a few adjustments and trying it again.

We moved the tires to a location that gets more sun. In the bottom tire we placed rocks for drainage and filled the tires about half full with compost. We set the potato pieces (that had been cut and left out to dry a few  days) into the compost, and covered them with leaves. When the plants are about eight inches tall, another tire will be added, and all but two or three inches of the plant will be covered with leaves or soil. Last year we used partially rotted manure. It did not drain well. This year we will use a lighter fill. That process will be repeated until there are four tires stacked. 

The twist this year is that we also planted two rows of potatoes the old fashioned way. There are six tires planted with 18 potato pieces, and two rows planted with 44 potato pieces. They are planted right next to each other. 

Any guesses at which method will be the better producer? I'll be rooting for the ones in the tires. 

What was for dinner? - It is all a blur

This week was a blur. This past week was a busy one. I worked three days and the days I didn't work, we had other activities scheduled. We are still getting adjusted to me working in the evenings.  It was a little rocky at points this week.  

The nights I work I've been getting dinner ready for the family before I leave. Though my husband is perfectly capable of putting together dinner for everyone, but he has other farm chores to attend to. It has really worked out nicely to make dinner right after the kids and I finish lunch. I make something that can be put in the crock pot or easily reheated. Then the mess of lunch and dinner prep can be cleaned up all at the same time. 

With the adjustment and the busyness I forgot to keep my ongoing list of dinners.  Here is my best guess at what was for dinner in this week that was a blur. I worked Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

Saturday: (*) Grilled Pork Chops, (*) Corn, Boiled Potatoes

Sunday: (*) Ham, Pancakes

Monday: Tuna and Noodles

This was actually a lunch during the week, but I just can't remember what was for dinner!

Tuesday: Fend for Yourself

The kids and I had a late lunch.  I had a duck in the crock pot, but at dinner time we weren't very hungry. We all snacked on leftovers, or a ate a little of the duck. It was a grazing meal. 

Wednesday: Duck and Broccoli Casserole

I mixed what was left of the duck, the drippings, rice and broccoli together for a casserole. 

Thursday: (*) Venison and (*)Sausage Meatloaf, (*)Green Beans, Baked Potatoes.  

Friday: Breakfast for Dinner

(*) Sausage, (*) Bacon, Fried Potatoes, (*) Eggs

(*) homegrown

This week is just as busy, but I am keeping my list of dinners this week! :) Have a great weekend everyone!  

Baby Step One

This week we began Financial Peace University. The first week of class introduced the baby steps and talked about the importance of savings. The importance of savings is included in several of the baby steps, but first things first, baby step one, creating an emergency fund.

Creating an emergency fund was an idea that Tim and I resisted for a long time. Logically, it doesn't make much sense to have money sitting in the bank practically earning nothing when you have debt that is continually costing you in the form of interest charges. About two years ago we decided that logic was keeping us in debt as we continually used our credit cards to meet "unexpected" expenses. I shared a bit about our change of heart in Limited Resources and Hard Choices, but the way Dave Ramsey explains it in the video was exactly our experience. 

He tells a story about a couple who receives a credit card in the mail. They decide not to use it, but instead of throwing the thing away, they keep it, just in case of an emergency. Soon the car needs repaired, and that certainly qualifies as an emergency. The repair goes on the credit card. Then school is just about to start, and the kids need clothes. Pull out the plastic again. A few months later, Christmas. Now how could that be here all ready? The credit card balance keeps creeping up as does the amount of interest being paid out every month. It really makes more sense to have cash in reserve to pay for those "unexpected" expenses. 

Dave Ramsey recommends starting with $1000 emergency fund. Obviously, that amount of money is not going to cover any large emergency or unexpected expense, but it is a place to start. A larger emergency fund is created later, after the credit cards are paid off. 

We double that amount. We keep a higher emergency fund to cover our drop in income during the summer. With the high gas prices and one unexpected expense after another last summer, that amount was not even enough. This year we are keeping a little more in the emergency fund.   

Our Baby Step One is almost complete. We recently sold a car, and the majority of that money went to funding our emergency fund. We will top it off with our tax return. Then it is on to step two, paying off all the debt except the house. That step will not be completed so quickly or easily, but we are taking a deep breath and digging in for the battle! 

Photo credit: icopythat

$2 Coupon for Snuggle

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What was for dinner? - The back to work edition

This week I officially entered the work force again after a seven year hiatus. I took a server job at Cracker Barrel. It is not exactly my dream part time job, but it is something I know that can generate a decent amount of money for the hours I can work. I have a couple more things in the works, but this will do for now. 

I was a little nervous about adding another thing to our busy schedules. Perhaps, it is a little early to tell, but week one went smoothly. And even though I was going to work, to sit through some of the most boring training I've ever had, it was refreshing for me to get away from the responsibilities at home for a few hours. We will see how I feel about it a few months from now. 

So for dinner this week;

Saturday: Leftover 

Sunday: Grilled (*) Pork Chops, Garlic & Rosemary Potatoes, (*)Green Beans

Monday: (*)Venison and Noodles

This is a quick and easy to make dish using Canned Stew Meat. 

Tuesday: Spaghetti with (*)Venison and (*)Sausage Sauce

I worked Tuesday night. I got the sauce in the crock pot and all Tim had to do was boil noodles. 

Wednesday: (*) Venison Garlic, Ginger Stir Fry, Rice

My stir fries vary greatly depending on what vegetables we have on hand. This one had cabbage, broccoli, carrots, and celery. 

Thursday: Bean and (*) Bacon Soup, Cornbread

This was also prepared before I went to work. Tim just had to heat it up. 

Friday: Potluck dinner at a friends'.

(*) homegrown

The Wii Fund

Sometimes a mom just has to brag about her kids. 

Good friends of ours have a Wii. When we are there we (as in everyone, adults and kids) end up playing it. I'm not much of a video game fan, but I have to admit to liking the Wii. I like the interaction that you have when you play the Wii sports. Wii fit makes exercising fun, and exercise and fun are two words I almost never use in the same sentence. If we were going to buy a game system, this is the one I would buy. But we are not buying anything extra right now. 

My kids really want a Wii, but they have not begged or whined for it. They did request it for Christmas. We told them it was highly unlikely, and they seemed to understand that. Instead of crying about it, they got together and made a plan to purchase their own. 

They created a Wii fund. They even created a chart to track their progress. They pooled all their piggy banks, and Christmas money to kick off their savings. Since then, they have added birthday money, searched the house for loose change, and rolled coins from our coin jar. Most recently, they received a large contribution from Grandma and Grandpa. G+G, as the kids call them, have a giraffe bank where they deposit their loose change. Grandma took it to the bank for the kids. There was $75 there! With that latest addition, the kids are over 60% of their goal. 

Would I buy a Wii for them if I could? Yes. If we had the money I probably would, but I am kind of glad that we aren't able to buy it.  They are learning some valuable lessons. Some lessons that Tim and I should have learned long ago. They are learning about delayed gratification. They are saving with a goal in mind. They are working together. It may take awhile for them to reach the goal, but I know once they do they will really appreciate that Wii. I'm so proud of them!

Living Off Grid. - A Crazy Idea?

When we first moved to our home in the woods, and decided to live with a measure or self sufficiency, my husband would occasionally bring up living off grid. Though we most certainly are on grid now, he would express a desire to go off grid when we build our house. I dismissed it as a crazy idea, but is it? 

Living off grid does not mean living like the Amish without electric. It means generating your own electric, usually using wind or solar power. Depending on the situation it can mean doing with a lot less electrical power. For a glimpse of someone lives off grid, check out Wretha's Adventures Living 100% Off Grid. 

There have been a couple of events that have made me rethink the idea of living off grid. The ice and wind storms left us with out power several times this winter. It is then that you realize how truly dependent you are on electric, and on the electic company to restore your life to normal. I don't like that feeling. 

If you are generating your own electric, there certainly will be times when the electric goes out for what ever reason. The difference in living off grid is in the control. You are the one fixing it. If living off grid means less dependency on electric, it also means that doing without electric would be less of a disruption. 

What really has me thinking is a rate increase being requested by our electric company. The increase has not been approved yet, but they are seeking an increase of 44% implemented over three years. This rate increase is solely to cover their increased cost due to fuel prices and environmental regulations. 44%! Maybe off grid living isn't such a crazy idea. 

We may not be ready to go off grid just yet, but it sure is looking more appealing all the time. If that rate increase goes into effect, we will have to look hard at our electrical consumption, and options to decrease it. 

Image credit: Mariusza Petelicki

What was for dinner?

It feels like spring, and I couldn't be more thrilled! The kids played outside almost all day yesterday. We took a ton of stuff out of our house for a consignment sale, and Tim sold our Subaru! It is so nice to have good news to share!

This is what we had for dinner this week:

Saturday: (*)Bacon -n- (*)Eggs

Breakfast for dinner is always fun, not to mention economical. 

Sunday: Chickpea and Spinach Soup

Tried this for the first time. It was wonderful!

Monday: Bean Dip and Chips

We have fallen in love with homemade tortilla chips. Well, not exactly homemade, but home fried. I buy the corn tortillas at Aldi, 2 pounds for $1.19. Then cut them in quarters and fry in a little oil. So much better than chips out of the bag!

Tuesday: Spaghetti

Wednesday: (*)Grilled Pork Chops, Baked Potatoes, Broccoli

Thursday: Birthday girl's choice - Pizza & cake. 

The cake pretty much was a disaster. Tim took pictures. I'm choosing not to share them! The pizza was good though. 

Friday: Mexican Lasagna

Using the corn tortillas that didn't get fried on Monday. Not exactly like this recipe, and not in the crock pot either, but close. 

(*) Homegrown

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Financial Peace

In discussing the changes we are trying to make to our finances, many readers have recommended Financial Peace by Dave Ramsey and the accompanying program Financial Peace University.  Dave Ramsey is a familiar name in this house. I frequently run into his concepts in blog reading, and my husband often listens to his radio program. His ideas are simple common sense. I like simple. 

We were interested in taking his classes, but were put off by the cost which is close to $100.  We felt since we were already familiar with his concepts, and didn't have an extra $100 lying around, that it was not a good idea. We did decide to get the book from the library, and consider the class further.

Our library carries an older version of the book, but the basic concepts remain. The book is easy to read, entertaining, and encouraging. I enjoyed reading it, but as suspected there was little in the book that was new to us. That is not to say that reading it was not worthwhile. 

The concepts are not new, but obviously they are also not things that we have been putting into practice either. All these concepts about money just kind of flat around in your head. The book puts it all together into one big picture. Dave Ramsey's personal story is a huge encouragement that things are not hopeless, and we can make a turn around in our finances. Newly encouraged with basic concepts fresh in our minds, it is time to put those things into action. We need a plan, and we need accountability. These are the things we are hoping to accomplish in the classes. 

While reading the book, our church began talking about offering a small group for Financial Peace University. Someone offered to provide childcare during the group meetings. Many people offered to pay for the classes. How can we refuse that? 

The introductory video was played at church last Sunday. The classes start in about two weeks. I think it will be very good for us.