food preservation, Menu plans, Watching my pennies

August, 2017, $100 Grocery Challenge and Menu Plan

August 15, 2017 Becky 16 Comments

August is a month of plenty for me. My garden is growing rapidly, fruit is available everywhere, and my freezers are getting fuller and fuller each week. I’ve decided to see if I can be more purposeful in utilizing the food I have on hand, rather than buying more. So, I’ve decided to do a $100/month grocery challenge. It should be quite easy to do, with the abundance of food on hand, and because I was gone for 1/3 of the month. We took quite a bit of food with us, not knowing if there would be things I could eat, and we used some of it, but there were foods I could have much of the time, so I brought a bunch of mine home with me. For several days, I enjoyed authentic Mexican food, cooked by the ladies of the church where we were helping! Yum!!!

My brother-in-law asked them all about the ingredients, etc., as he is fluent in Spanish, and I ate the foods that I could. Much of it was corn-based, which is not a problem for me. I did not get sick at all from those daily lunch meals. Amazing. Eating fast food on the way home—a different story. It never seems to agree with me, even when I try to be careful.

After returning from my trip to Mexico, I went to the store and spent $47 on things like milk, etc. So, that leaves me with $53 for the rest of the month. I may not even need to spend it all–I’ll see. I know I’m good for the rest of this week, for sure.

I will use the remaining grocery budget to buy apples and pears to process. I’m completely out of applesauce, and have been for quite a while, so I want to can quite a few jars. I don’t need very many pears, but want to do a few, and would like to make some fruit cocktail from peaches, pears, grapes and maraschino cherries. Sometimes, I put pineapple in it as well, and usually buy a large can and add it in. I hope to get some Elberta peaches from my sister to can, when they ripen.

Here’s what I’m planning to serve this week:

Sunday: Sandwiches: We used up sandwich meat from our trip for our noon meal. We wanted to finish the meat and cheese up rapidly so it wouldn’t spoil. It was well-iced the entire time, but still….

Monday: Spaghetti. I pulled ground pork from the freezer and browned it with onions and celery. I used 1/2 of it for spaghetti sauce. There is a lot of sauce left over. I served it with sautéed purple beans I picked from the garden. They turn green when I cook them. I added garlic to them at the last minute–yum! I also put out cut up cucumbers from the garden. There is enough sauce to freeze some for next week, plus eat leftovers for lunch.

Tuesday: Chili. Patsy is starving for chili, and asked me to make some. I put pinto beans on to soak yesterday, and will use the rest of the pork I browned to make chili in the crock pot. I see that there is lettuce in the garden, and I hope to cut some and have salad as well. I could not get to everything yesterday and there is much to do in the garden! However, we are gaining on the laundry:) I will make a big batch and freeze some for next week. I soaked a LOT of beans, so will cook up some plain as well to use later in the week, or next week.

Wednesday: Chicken. I plan to roast a whole chicken. The weather is much cooler this week. If Rob gets a bee in his bonnet, he may barbecue it, though, but I’m in the mood for roasted chicken, and then I can boil the carcass and get some broth. I’ll do green beans again, as they are prolific in the garden, salad, and potatoes. I think there are new potatoes ready out there, too, and I may start digging some up. If not, I can buy a bag. Potatoes are not a budget-buster:)

Thursday: Chicken-rice soup. I bought celery and carrots and have onions from the garden. I can use the broth from Wednesday, and add rice from the pantry. We like it simple. I may make zucchini muffins if I get time, as there are SO many of those in the garden.

Friday: Taco Salad. I will pick lettuce and tomatoes from the garden, and use some hamburger from the freezer.

Saturday: Leftovers.

Sunday: Family Sunday Dinner–BBQ at our house this week. I have both chicken drumsticks and steaks in the freezer, plus green beans, salad, potatoes–all from the garden. If I think of anything else we could want, people usually bring things, and I can ask them to grab something.

Breakfasts: I got some English muffins at the store, have a few yogurts, plus the usual cereal, oatmeal, toast, etc. people like to eat around here. I have quite a few eggs in the fridge, and eat them frequently. Sometimes I make breakfast burritos for the kids, and do have a few tortillas left that really need to be used.

Lunches: Leftovers or sandwiches. I bought a package of lunchmeat as part of the shopping I did and also have tuna in the pantry. Peanut butter is Patsy’s favorite, so she can have that with our home-made jam. Sometimes, I add a salad to the mix.

Snacks and drinks: There is a lot of fruit right now. I’ve been picking a few peaches from the tree in the back yard, plus I can get some more from my sister. My strawberries gave me about a cup yesterday, and the raspberries look like they are going to produce soon. Once I make applesauce I will save some out to eat fresh, and that will go over well. We had popcorn last night, and can have it again. There are quite a few snacks left over from our trip, as well, which will be especially handy if we go on picnics.

I bought some milk on Sunday when I shopped, can make lemonade from the bottle of lemon juice, and have several drinks left over from the trip. I’ve been drinking a lot of water lately, and there’s always plenty of that! I have a few sodas, too, plus 3 2-litre bottles.

Mission trip

Mexico Mission Trip, 2017–Safely Home

August 14, 2017 Becky 17 Comments

What a wild week! I feel like I’ve gone from one end of the world to the other in the last few days. We came in, all safe and sound, a little before 10 p.m. last night. During the night, it rained! The climate change from lush, green Oregon to dry, dusty Mexico created quite a contrast.

As I’ve already mentioned in the first post, the first day, I ended up staying at the base with a sick boy. He ended up quite sick, and even needed antibiotics, but then recovered quickly once he got them. Thank goodness for Gail, my sister, who knew what he needed (she’s a n.p.) and Ron, my brother-in-law, who is proficient in Spanish. So, that day, I had extra time and some wifi. All I had to do that afternoon was make brownies for snack time, and clean the kitchen, along with giving him ice, cool cloths, etc. Also, we chatted a lot. He ended up being a delightful kid, who had the best attitude possible for one who so longed to be with the other kids. By the next morning, he joined the group and did what he could, sleeping in the van with Rob, who ran the air conditioner, for a lot of Monday and Tuesday whenever he needed to.

The team went out and had their first contact with the people we were there to minister with. They had a church service with them, and ran an abbreviated VBS.

The next morning, we all went out to the worksite bright and early. I felt happy to be no longer sitting around. Instead, I was given the job of digging up the rocks and dirt with some others. Yikes! We were supposed to fill in all the holes ( there were many, and they were deep), in what was going to become a parking lot. We were never able to finish that, but got a long ways. Talk about a contrast of activities! It felt great to do something physical after riding in the car for 3 days.

We also moved cinder blocks. There was a group of men who were building the church walls with them, held together with concrete. The progress was slow and steady and led by a stone mason. Each block was painstakingly placed in its exact place, all lined up in perfect order. During the week, it was exciting to see the building getting taller! They have a ways to go, though, and will keep working hard, as they did before we came to help.

A lot of sandy gravel was screened so it could be used for concrete. There were 2 wheelbarrows and 4 shovels for all of us to share for both projects, and all the concrete was mixed by hand, using water brought from somewhere.

Then, beams were delivered and laid out and needed painting. They had to be prepped with some kind of lacquer, then painted, both on the front and the back. There were a lot of them! I never ended up painting because I was given different jobs on those days, but my sister did for one day!

The church that we were assigned to help has a building in a nearby town that they rent. They have been working hard to build this church so they can have their own facility. It was very gratifying to work side-by-side with them, and help them make a big leap of progress during the week we were there.

Every morning, we divided into 2 groups. Some of us worked on the new church building, side by side with the church members. In the afternoons, we did VBS. In the evenings, we usually went to the beach, except Wednesday, when we did a special youth outreach. During that service, our kids had prepared a skit, which they performed, music, and testimonies. It was concluded with some games, including a contest between one of their youth and one of ours to see who could drink a Coke the fastest, and then which could eat a orange in one bite. You’d never believe how well those simple games went over, but everyone loves them. There was a question and answer time where the youth could all ask questions of each other, using a translator. After that time, the next day, the regular church attenders and our kids were really bonded and started having a great time together on the work site. Some of their youth even came down to play on the beach with our kids that evening.

Rob ended up being the errand boy, as he has on other trips in the past. He delights in that role, and it doesn’t phase him at all that he does not speak one work of Spanish. So, every day, he shopped for things that were needed–such as more water, extra t.p., and so on. It got a little more interesting when he was asked to find S’more ingredients (he found chocolate, pink and white marshmallows, and some kind of cookie that would do), marbles (he did charades at several stores, and finally found them a couple of days later), and more! So, when asked for glue–he knew right where to go–the office supply store. On that day, I was the errand-girl with him, so got to try to explain to the lady in the store that I needed strong glue……anyway, we got the glue, but it was pretty funny–all those charades!

Things are different there. There are many little shops for different things, along with many, many little markets sprinkled throughout the town. There are also grocery stores that are similar to ours here in the U.S. There are taco stands on many corners.

Each morning, part of the group joined up with church members to go out through the neighborhoods. During those walks, people were invited to the church service on Wednesday, prayed with if they wanted prayer, given tracts if they wanted them, etc. The children were invited to the daily VBS, which was held each afternoon. I enjoyed those walks and seeing the people and the sights. Some people even invited us in to their houses to pray for them–it was very special. I did that for 2 mornings. Each group had to have one of our adults, one or two from the local church, and at least one guy. So, I was the “adult from our group” twice. I was paired with non-English speaking people both times, and I do not speak Spanish. But, we found a way to communicate. I did not take pictures during that time. I mean, would you want a group of people you did not know, from Mexico or anywhere else, coming up to, or inside of, your house and snapping photos? Me either. So, I didn’t. But, I sure enjoyed myself. The people we got to know during the week were delighted to have us take pictures with them.

Each day at noon, we went back to the rented church facility, where the ladies of the church had prepared us extremely yummy, authentic Mexican food.

They were instructed how to make food that would not make us sick, and no one got sick from the food, including myself. My brother-in-law would find out if any food had gluten in it, tell us, and Gail and I would happily munch away! Each day, we had some kind of freshly squeezed juice as well! YUM!!

This is Ja’Ana’s best friend, Angel, holding one of the happy participants of the VBS with her craft.

Ron did a lot of translating. Since he grew up in Bolivia, he is very good at it! Alissa and Ja’Ana both did music, as well as all the other projects.

Patsy helped out wherever she could.

Of course, Ja’Ana found a baby to hold. That is not the baby’s mama in the background, that woman is one of 2 who set up tables so they could sell blankets and other souvenirs to our kids. The baby’s mama actually attended VBS with her 4 children, and seemed as interested as they were in all of it!

Alissa is holding up the puppet curtain, and I believe Ja’Ana is back there, holding up one of the puppets.

VBS each day included games, crafts, a snack, Bible verse memory, Bible story (in a movie, in Spanish), a puppet show (pre-recorded in Spanish), and songs. It went very well. Gail had rounded up lots of prizes and all the kids got a prize each day. At the end of the week, they got rewards for memorizing their Bible verses. Some kids memorized all 5 of the Bible verses, and they got even more prizes on the last day for their hard work. they were very happy with them:)

We drove down to the beach several times. It’s only about a mile from the compound. The missionaries had some surfboards, and the kids had a ball playing with them. Angel even got up on one a couple of times, after lots of trying! One of the girls from our group had planned her baptism to be done in the ocean in Mexico. I thought that was a great idea. She will never forget that!

The base is beautiful. As I mentioned, there is space for 4 groups to be there working at the same time. Each has its separate area, including kitchen and bathrooms and sleeping areas, but they come together for the training at the beginning of the week and at the end. Each team is sent to a different church, but all groups have a work project, VBS, and services, etc.–all the things we did in different towns.

Thursday night, there was a meeting for all the groups who were there, for debriefing. Of course, each night, our teens and youth pastor and leaders led our own team time as well, so Thursday was a late night.

On Friday, it was time to say good-bye and head towards home.

We stopped in LaBufadora, a tourist spot on the coast near Ensenada, so the kids could shop. We ate in a restaurant–tacos again–amazingly wonderful! And, $1.50 each. For any kind you wanted.

Again, thanks to Ron for finding us safe food we could enjoy!

That night, we slept in Los Angeles. The next morning (I can hardly believe it was yesterday) we were on the road at 5:30 a.m. We drove straight home. It worked well. Nothing broke, the kids were motivated to make short stops, the van that could travel faster than the rigs pulling little trailers went ahead and ordered pizzas from Costco and the kids got to eat them in the parking lot……and so on. We arrived a little before 10 p.m. last night. Boy were we tired today. Rob and I both slept all afternoon after church and are ready to hit the sack again pretty soon. We are so pleased with how the trip went. Not only are we pleased with what we were able to accomplish, it makes us happy to expose the teens to another culture, another way of life, and to mission work! I feel like we really encouraged the local church there as well. Their pastors were so thankful and said our presence really motivated their youth to come and work together with ours. That warms my heart, because it is going to be so much more significant to them since they put in so much sweat equity, too. It was an amazing trip, and we are so glad we went. I loved to see how the teens grew so much as individuals during the week. They did many things they didn’t know they could do, and thrived while doing it! As always, the people made it worth it to us–both the ones we were with, and the ones that were already living down there.

Mission trip

Mexico Missions Trip-2017-Sunday

August 6, 2017 Becky 14 Comments

We have arrived. Safely and in one piece. Praise God. The journey down was filled with both challenges and blessings. On day one, we all got off to a good start. We did not quite make the 6 am start we had hoped for, but were off and running before 7. The vans were loaded, the luggage tied down in the trailer, and the kids all loaded up. The weather was very warm, but we all had air conditioning, so were not suffering at all. Our van was filled with charming young ladies, and we started to get to know the ones that were new to us. It was fun!

When we got to our lunch stop, we had a picnic and then crossed this bridge. It is in Redding, California, and it was around 109 degrees. We walked across it anyway and had a singing and prayer time on the other side. It was very meaningful, but we were all glad to get back into the vans. I had to laugh to hear all the teens exclaiming how excited they were to get BACK into the vans:)

We spent the night in Sacramento, California. The capitol building is beautiful at twilight.

Day 2 was the rough one. We got a great start, but as soon as we hit Los Angeles, there were a series of wrecks and road construction delays that caused us to slow way, way down, even though it was early afternoon. We crept along, starting and stopping, and continued to San Diego. It was backed up the entire way. So, 2 vans (ours included) stopped and started along for around 5-6 hours, down the freeways (we tried 2 different routes and both got delayed the same amount). But, we finally made it. One of the other vehicles had a mechanical problem (brake issues) and had to pull off. The other 2 vehicles went back to rescue them, as they had empty seats. The blessing was that they found a mechanic shop that had workers with time to work on it, stayed overtime, and skipped their dinner to fix it. And, by then, the traffic had cleared out somewhat, so they made good time. The day was long for everyone. We were so thankful that every one was safe, and that this was the night we had a hotel to stay in. After nice showers, and comfortable beds, we were off again, bright and not quite so early to cross the border.

The drive was lovely. We drove along the coast down to Ensenada and saw beaches like this along the way. There were also many lovely coastline views, from the top of cliffs, and along the winding roads. At Ensenada, many of the leaders took the kids down to the beach for a short time. A few of us went to Costco to get the rest of the supplies that we needed. My brother-in-law stayed with the vehicles that were hitched to the trailers with our luggage, because he is fluent in Spanish and could ask anyone who was interested in our things to move right along. When we came back from Costco, he was laying in the shade on top of the luggage trailer, and looked quite comfortable.

Last night and today, we have had orientation meetings, with lots of instruction from the missionary who lives here on the base. There are 4 groups here. One is from Canada, 2 from Oregon, and one from California. Each group has their own separate housing/cooking/ etc., but we were trained together. Once we knew all the “do’s” and “don’ts” we were ready to serve.

Right now, most of our group is out on their first ministry adventure–inviting people to a special church service, a meal with the church, a service, and a mini VBS for kids. Rob has been driving around this afternoon gathering and delivering supplies that we need, such as t.p. and paper towels. We thought they were provided here, but we were supposed to bring them… Gatorade for the poor boy who had a rough night being sick, more ice for coolers…..things like that. He’s been shuttling kids to the work site, and now has delivered all those things back to the base and headed back to the church we are partnering with. Shopping in Mexico without knowing Spanish is not daunting to him. He loves it! I am spending time with the young man. I think he’s feeling a little better, but is not all the way better in my mind, yet. I am baking brownies for snack tonight, and was able to catch a little wifi from the base. I trust he will be better soon, but we didn’t want him off the base today, or left here alone. As if! So, I’ve had a nice time getting to know him a bit, and hopefully he’s as comfortable as he can be. I’m looking forward to tomorrow, and so is he. We both have high hopes that we will both get to join in the action tomorrow!

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food preservation, Garden

Off on a Trip and Garden Update-Aug. 2, 2017

August 2, 2017 Becky 6 Comments

It’s a little hard to see, but the green onions have successfully dropped seeds and new, little baby green onions are popping up all over the place. They are in a good spot, and will be my fall crop. I also have several baby watermelons forming. I’m very excited since I cannot remember getting any the last few times I tried. I guess they like this heat wave:) We’ll see if they ripen. The cucumbers are going crazy so I’ve made quite a few dill pickles. The tomatoes are just starting to ripen. I’ll have lots when I get back.

Because we are leaving tomorrow, and will be gone for several days, we worked hard in the garden yesterday morning. The lawn was mowed, the place where the old beans were tilled up was re-planted with lettuce, spinach, basil, cilantro and snow peas. I also planted some old kale seeds. Lovana likes kale, and it may come up and give her some. Because it is so hot right now–over 100 and 90’s predicted for the “cool down”– those seeds will have to be watered twice a day and may not germinate. But, I’m sure some will, and Lovana and the automatic sprinkler system will take care of the watering while we are away. She is staying home and keeping house.

We’ve been packing like crazy. I need to take quite a bit of food, for my special eating needs, so have quite a few items in bins. I will eat what I can from the group meals, but out of my cooler and bins for the rest. We have purchased what we needed, got extensive work done on the van, got the air conditioner fixed for the second time after Rob drove down 5 hours of washboard roads on his recent sponsorship of the youth rafting trip and some connections jolted loose, packed our clothes, and otherwise done what we could do to make the trip safe and productive. Now, the rest is up to the Lord to keep us safe and lead us into the work He wants us to do.

We will be going to a place about 4 hours south of the border, on the Baja, and will be partnering with a mission organization there. We will do whatever they need done, including VBS for kids, helping with services, a youth outreach, possible putting on a roof somewhere, and ??? Rob and I will help with the cooking for the 28 teens and 10 adults (my numbers may be a little bit off–we’ll know at 5:30 am tomorrow–we are not in charge so don’t have exact info). We will also participate in whatever spots we are needed. The teens have been preparing and will do much of the things like leading singing, puppet shows, crafts with kids, etc. and we will help and support them in their endeavors.

I may be able to post updates, and I may not. It depends on my internet access or lack thereof. In any case, I should have a lot of nice pictures when I get back!

Saving Money, Summer Fun With Kids

Saving Money and Weekly Update–July 30, 2017

July 30, 2017 Becky 10 Comments

This week, we did a lot of hiking up at Silver Falls State Park. We had quite a bit of work to do here at home, so we worked hard, then took off Monday afternoon and camped a few days, and came home Friday morning and started in at home again. We went hiking every day we were there, except Friday. Some days, we went on shorter trails, and went several miles on other days. It was fun, good exercise, and gorgeous. There are 10 waterfalls in the area, and we hiked to 8 or 9 of them over the course of the week. We also did the 1 mile nature trail around the campground.

This campground was not near any towns, and we did not have full hook-ups, so I cooked every meal from the camper or on the fire. Not having full hook-ups meant that we showered in the communal bathrooms, used a lot of paper plates, and did a lot of cooking and dish washing outside. They had a place to dump our tanks on the way down, when we were finished camping, but we had to be careful while we were there. I took leftover roast beef from last Sunday’s dinner and made hash one day. I took lots of garden produce, and other leftovers and only bought a few things like milk before we went. I also took the opportunity to use many items from the camper pantry (under the bench seat and cupboards) that had been in there for a while.

Rosalie brought Harnet and Danait up for a day. We hiked, swam, and roasted hot dogs and marshmallows for S’Mores. It was really a fun day.

Little Danait took to Rob like a duck to water, especially when he took her into the water:) He is at work when we visit them, so she did not know him until this day. We all enjoyed her. She is so cute, and reminds us so much of Ja’Ana when she was little.

Gail brought Jake up on Wednesday and he stayed until Friday. He had a ball, collecting pine cones, hitting things with sticks, roasting marshmallows, hiking and playing Legos.

Patsy, Lovana, Jake and I even did a 5-mile hike. Lovana carried him for part of it, but he hiked many miles. Go, Lovana!!! Go, Jake!!! It was fun.

There are so many amazing waterfalls there. I think we saw 9 out of the 10 during our many hikes while we were there. Then, it was back to reality!

In 2 sessions, I made 4 quarts and 6 pints of dill pickles, total. My dill has not done very well this year, but I got just enough. I’m hoping it grows as fast as the cucumbers are growing. Because it is not plentiful this year, I added a few dill seeds to each jar to make sure they will be “dilly” enough. I also added the last of the jalepenos I got last week in a big bag, marked down to $2. I was glad to finish them up, and like the mildly spicy flavor in my pickles. I made jalepeno poppers one day from a bunch of them that needed to be used immediately, and saved the best ones for pickles.

We got 15 more pints of beans yesterday. 3 rows of plants are finished, and were pulled out. I have way more beans frozen and canned than I need, but have more coming along. So, we are eating fresh beans a lot. It is a great problem to have!

Rob went and picked some peaches from my sister’s farm. I will freeze these. We love smoothies and peach cobblers in the winter time, and I’m out.

I hit a wonderful sales rack at Macy’s and got t-shirts for $5.99, with and additional 20 percent off, which made them under $5. I got several. I also got the girls some things they needed, all marked down. I don’t shop often, so I had a fairly long list. I was delighted to get the girls socks for around a dollar a pair from another clearance bin. I grabbed lots!

Rob, Ja’Ana, Patsy and I will be leaving later this week for a mission trip to Mexico. Our van will be filled with teen-agers, as this is a high school trip and we are drivers and sponsors. Lovana is staying home this time and taking care of things around the house and garden. We will be gone 10 days and there are no laundry facilities. I am organizing the clothing so that we have enough for the entire time. I don’t mind if people wear the same outer clothing more than once. Underwear and socks…….that’s a different story! We need a lot! We have also been gathering a few convenience foods to take. There will be food, of course, but as a severely gluten-free person, who also is diabetic, I have to have different food at times. I anticipate eating from my cooler at times when others are having things I cannot have. We have a very busy week ahead, preserving foods, gardening, packing the rest of the things we need, and some appointments.

And, last, but not least, Rob performed a wedding ceremony yesterday. This wedding was for a young man that we have known and loved for many years. So, Rob had rehearsal Friday night, and the wedding yesterday afternoon. It was not boring and went off without a hitch. Rob dressed as requested, in Converse, jeans, suspenders and a blue shirt. I will post pictures in a few days, after the bride and groom and their family have had a chance to post first.

food preservation, Saving Money

Saving Money and Weekly Update–July 23, 2017

July 23, 2017 Becky 6 Comments

I got a big bag of very ripe bananas for $2 at the store and had my most excellent helpers cut and bag them for the freezer. We will make smoothies from them. Each day that Jake stays with me I have him do one “helpful” chore and one “fun” chore. This was definitely the fun one–he loved cutting with the knife! Because it was a table knife, it was low-stress for me, as well. After all, there is no wrong way to cut a banana chunk as long as it’s safe!!

I worked a lot this week. Most of my family was gone until Thursday so I had the time to devote. I also tried to do a few fun things with Patsy alone after Jake went home, so one evening I looked on the internet and found a blueberry patch that wasn’t far away and we went blueberry picking. We got 4 lbs., and they were only $1/lb. Sadly, the crop was almost gone, or we would have picked more. I did freeze a few of them, and several baggies from our bush. I harvested and froze a few more raspberries and some more Marion berries from our bushes.

I canned green beans.

I kept my niece and nephew all night last Sunday, and took them and Patsy to the zoo Monday, using my zoo pass. I took food for us to eat at lunch, and clearly announced ahead of time what I was planning to buy for them (a shaved ice or a soda) and declared that if anyone wanted more, they should bring their own money. It worked well.

They knew they were getting a treat, and could choose which they wanted, and it took away the anxiety for them.

As part of the summer reading program, we attended a Lego party at the library. Jake was given a baggie of Legos to build with. There were also tables where wheels, baseplates or specialty pieces could be procured. After the kids finished building their creation, there was a librarian with a microphone and the child could describe what they built, and place their item in a place of honor on a table.

He enjoyed himself.

Another day, I took a stale loaf of cheap white bread, and let them feed the ducks at a park. Imagine our surprise when some nutria showed up for their share!

There was 1 mama and 5 or 6 babies.

There was also a trip to a park one day. You can’t beat the swings! I noticed a splash pad there. We might do that another day, when we are prepared with bathing suits.

I bought several items of clothing and shoes for the girls. I don’t buy a ton of things at the beginning of the school year. Instead, I buy them things all year long when they need them. It had been a long, long time since I had purchased shoes for them, so I was delighted to get the shoes they needed off of the clearance rack, which worked out to at least 1/2 price. Patsy got 3 tops for 1/2 off the lowest marked clearance price (gotta love Fred Meyers), and Ja’Ana got shorts and capris for around $12 each. I was also able to get them each a p.j. set. We are heading out for a mission trip before too long, and I wanted them to have something that was decent, matched, no holes, fit well, etc. for the trip. We will be sleeping in churches part of the time and at the mission compound, the restrooms are across a courtyard, so they may be seen in these p.j.’s if they have to take a “walk” during the night. The sale was excellent, so that helped. I got them each a $2 pair of flip flops for showers, etc. Rob got J a couple of skirts for the trip at Goodwill. I still have a few things to get Patsy before school starts, but I think I’m about ready for the upcoming trip.

The garden is full of produce. Early this morning, I slipped outside to pick a few beans for our family Sunday dinner, which I hosted today. Well, one “bean” let to another, and I ended up with 2-1/2 gallon ziplock bags of yellow and green beans. I gave 1 to my sister, we ate the 1/2, and my aunt and I quickly snapped, blanched and froze the other bag for her freezer. Rob and I got 14 pints and 2 quarts frozen Thursday, so I didn’t need them. She ended up with several one-cup portions. It was great to find a use for them! I also cut lettuce and picked a few cucumbers and snow peas.

It was a very busy week, but we got a lot done, which is awesome!

food preservation, Garden

Canning Green Beans and a Garden Update

July 19, 2017 Becky 20 Comments

This morning, I got up early and started picking beans. I got SO many, just like I was hoping to. At 9, my mom and aunt showed up to help, with Jake and Michaela in tow. While out in the garden, I took the opportunity to pick a few cucumbers, snow peas, zucchini. Things are coming along nicely.

The bucket is full of beans, and the other veggies are just resting on top. I had no time today for anything else, but tomorrow I’m going to see if there are enough cukes for a couple jars of pickles.

My pollination issue has been resolved:) There are probably about 15-20 zucchinis forming!

These are Carmen peppers. They are a sweet pepper, and are the first to turn red at my house. I usually grow them from seed, and was delighted to find a few plants of that variety that I could buy. They’re not ready yet, but are coming along.

Some of the seeds I planted for the late summer garden are up. The bush peas are up, and the snow peas are just starting to poke up. Beets are up like crazy, but the pole peas are nonexistent. The seeds may have been too old. I will plant a few more things after these beans are done and pulled out, like yet another row of lettuce. The little cabbage plants are starting to take off. Right now the garden is full.

Before he left for camp, Rob set up this camp stove for me to use in the outside covered porch and got me a full tank of propane. This house came with a flat-top stove, which is not recommended for canning on. So, I’m learning to can a different way–outside, and with propane instead of electricity. There was a lot of juggling things around, scurrying in and out of the house setting up things, and generally figuring out the new way of doing things.

My snapping crew kept snapping steadily while I washed jars, filled them, added 1/2 teaspoon salt, filled with water, put on lids and rings and began processing. Then I put my mother on a chair in front of the canner to keep it at a steady 11 pounds of pressure. She had to continually adjust the propane level to keep the pressure consistent for 25 minutes for quarts and 20 minutes for pints. We always watch it the entire time. It’s the safest way.

Michaela and Patsy helped snap and then Michaela helped Grandma by timing the length of time needed with her phone.

Aunt Janet kept snapping. All morning long. Jake asked to go to the Dollar Store to get the prize he had earned by doing his daily activities. All morning long.

By lunch time, we had them all snapped and into jars. By 1 o’clock, we had 2 loads cooked and cooling. After a quick lunch, we all dispersed to our respective errands and I finished canning them when I got back. From the Dollar Store. (We also did a library activity, and some other things, so I didn’t actually finish until about 8:30 pm)

At the end of the day, I have 21 quarts and 17 pints, all cooling on a table outside. I’ll let them cool all night and wash and put them away tomorrow. I am very pleased with the amount we got. I could not have done it without all my helpers. I’m so thankful for their help. It was a long, satisfying day.

Saving Money, Uncategorized

Saving Money and Weekly Update–July 16, 2017

July 17, 2017 Becky 10 Comments

Sometimes, part of saving money is earning money. It was time for me to roll up my sleeves and get back to work after being on vacation for over a week. Because Rob, Lovana and Ja’Ana went to high school church camp on Thursday, and Patsy was at camp until Friday, I had some extra time to devote to Jake. So, I’ve worked over 8 hours for the past 5 days. Patsy joined in when she got home. This is the two of them in front of the largest Black Cottonwood tree in the nation. It’s at Mission Bottom State Park.

It was a good thing I had spare time, because his mom and dad had a huge job in front of them, along with my sister going to work several days. (Brother-in-law is a college professor, so is off for the summer–but he was gone an entire day, helping transport the youth to camp, and worked on the project all day, every day). They were told only a few days ago that the contractors were showing up Monday morning for a huge remodel they have had planned for quite some time. It was “we are not sure when we’ll start”—then “actually, we’ll be there Monday at 8.” So, their entire kitchen had to be emptied. And, the family room. And the living room. And the dining room. But, wait. The garage had to be totally cleaned so that there was somewhere to put it all. And, a little kitchen and living area set up out there for them to use during the remodel. What a job!!! They have been working every spare minute since they found out. When they left my house around 3 today, they were going home to tackle it and finish it–no matter how long it takes. I kept both Michaela and Jake for the night tonight. We are heading for the zoo first thing in the morning.

I’m planning another post on how I’ve kept Jake busy while helping him learn. We’ve been working on handling money, reading, chores, and more. We’ve done too many things to put down here right now, but one highlight was a classic car show we happened upon. It was in a church parking lot and was entirely free. He LOVED it! The purple one was his favorite.

So did Patsy. I was so glad we stopped.

We had a family BBQ today, here at my house. I bought a $1, 2-litre container of seltzer water, and Patsy made lemonade from bottled lemon juice, sugar and water. We got some Bugles for $1, and a package of Paw-shaped Cheetos for under $2 at Winco. I made lettuce salad, since I have so much growing in the garden. I also made garlic green beans from the beans I picked. Others brought fruit salad, potato salad and ice cream. I barbecued. Yes, me. Rob is not here. Amazingly, it turned out! Because I don’t barbecue, as a rule, I checked it too many times, so it took longer than usual, because I was lifting the lid too frequently. At least nothing burned. I did a package of drumsticks, with just Lowrie’s seasoning salt on them. I marinated 3 chicken breasts in home-make teriyaki sauce. Last, I bought a bag of frozen, easy-peel shrimp and made kabobs with them. I put home-canned peach-mango salsa on them for about an hour and barbequed them for only about 5-6 minutes. Of course, there were a few hot dogs for Michaela. I purposely made extra and sent it home with people. Even with all that meat and shrimp, I was well under $20 for my part. That gives me a huge sense of satisfaction. It tasted great, we had a great time of visiting, and we could hardly have fed 2 people at a restaurant for what I spent.

Although we were celebrating birthdays, we decided to keep it simple and not have cake. We enjoyed ice cream, a true summer treat. Since lots of the family members are away right now, it was a smaller-than-usual crowd, but we had a really nice time visiting.

My mom liked her gift. We all went together on it to get her what she wanted. (It’s an overnight bag).

I harvested some green beans from the garden. I had hoped to can on Saturday, but there weren’t enough ready. We have it planned for Tuesday. My mom and aunt, Michaela, Jake, Patsy and myself can all be here Tuesday morning. It’s a tradition in our family to have bean-snapping parties. I can remember many times in my childhood with my grandmas, sisters, my children, and myself all snapping and canning like crazy all day long. It is always more fun to do big jobs together. I will not have enough ripe beans for an all-day party, neither do I have a family large enough to eat that many beans anymore. So, I planted fewer beans than I used to. We should still have lots of fun.

I also harvested and used zucchini, cilantro, green onions, lettuce, broccoli (or should I say Lovana ate it–oh wait, I got about 6 tiny flowerets–she ate the rest–I’m talking all the broccoli from 5 bushes) That’s getting to be a family joke. I really don’t mind. I mean, come on, the girl’s eating veggies! I got a few snow peas, too, from the new planting that’s just starting. A few of the new seeds I recently planted are popping up now. I hoed and weeded in the garden.

We have been going to the summer reading programs at the library. So far, we’ve checked out books, gone to the movie “Sing,” watched a juggler, and received several prizes including a ticket for ice cream, a Trail Blazer game, a fair ticket, a ticket for a free book at the party at the end of the program, a bookmark, and a child’s meal at Izzy’s with purchase of an adult meal. Both Patsy and Jake have also received tickets for their efforts and may win another prize, but also may not–there are a few raffled prizes available.

He got to “plant” a flower for his efforts in the summer reading program. I hope your week went as well as mine did!

Garden, Gluten free, recipes, Watching my pennies

Gluten-Free Cashew Chicken

July 13, 2017 Becky 17 Comments

I found the recipe for cashew chicken that I promised to post. I made it for dinner tonight and remembered why I loved it so much. So, here’s to Jeannie–cashew chicken over rice

I started with a recipe from Taste of Home, and have changed it up over the years. Here’s what I did today. This recipe is very flexible.

Mix: 2 cups chicken or turkey broth

1/4 cup cornstarch

3 Tablespoons gluten-free soy sauce (we buy it by the gallon at Cash and Carry)

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

Stir those ingredients together, and set aside. This is the sauce that gives the stir-fry a great flavor. Stir it one more time right before pouring it over the veggie/meat mixture.

Cut up vegetables and chicken and put into bowls, piles on a cutting board, whatever you want. It just works better to have it all cut up before you start. You can vary the veggies according to what you can grow, or get on sale. Today I used:

2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into very small pieces (Mine were diced into about 1/4-1/3 inch pieces)

1/2 medium onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

Celery sliced thinnly (today it was the center of a stalk that needed used, other times I might use 2-3 sticks)

4 large mushrooms

1 cup snow peas ( I would have liked 2 cups in there, but that’s what I had today)

1 bunch broccoli, cut into flowerets (it was 1 medium-sized bunch) I also cut the stem into small pieces and added that in.

2 cloves garlic, minced

I put a small bit of oil into a frying pan and cooked the chicken and onion for about 4-5 minutes, until the chicken was looking almost done. Then, I added a little more liquid (some of the mix I made above, or plain broth. If you use the mix, take from the top so you don’t get any cornstarch at this point.) Then, I added the veggies in the order of hardest first, and softest (or anything that needed to stay crisper)last. So, today I had carrots, celery, broccoli, mushrooms, snow peas and minced garlic. If you have a different assortment, it will work. Others I like in there are zucchini and summer squash, peas, and bean sprouts, to name a few. The sauce is very important and it gives any veggies that great flavor. I let it cook for a bit, stirring often. After the veggies were crisp, but getting tender, I poured in the mixture. I continued cooking and frequently stirring until the mixture thickened. I did not let the veggies get very soft, just crisp-tender, because that is how my family likes them.

I made white rice to go with this, and it sopped up the marvelous sauce nicely. I sprinkled some cashews on top of each portion after it was plated. This would have been enough for 4 normal people, but 3 of us very hungry people ate it all. It would be easy to stretch this, by adding more veggies. It is tasty and healthy.

Saving Money

Saving Money–Weekly Update–July 9, 2017

July 10, 2017 Becky 24 Comments

This week, we enjoyed a brief visit from our niece, Rachel, who has been in Ireland for several months. She headed back yesterday, and made it safely. We will miss her (again) but are so happy she gets this opportunity. She is on a YWAM (Youth With a Mission) base in Ireland, doing an Arts and Media track. During her time there, she did many things including training, traveling to SE Asia with her group and, among other things, helped make a video for a donut shop, and did a peace walk along the border of Ireland. The walk was over 200 miles long. It was very interesting to hear of her adventures. I don’t even begin to pretend to know all the things she did–our time was too short. But, we did have a lovely family barbecue in her honor. It was so much nicer to eat here at our house, vs. a restaurant. There was so much more time to talk. Rob barbecued both chicken and steak. People brought things to share. Yum!

One of my orchids bloomed. The bloom is small, but beautiful. I have another one that looks like it may bloom in time, as well.

Patsy made a bouquet to liven up our outdoor living area for the barbecue. Our flowers are blooming well in the flowerbeds and the garden is growing madly. We have tried to trim off the spent blooms to keep the blossoms coming. We are also watering frequently because it’s been pretty warm. Thankfully, we have a well for watering, so it doesn’t cost much.

I have cooked many things this week. I made lasagna, chicken soup, tacos, barbecued chicken and steak, and lots and lots of salad. I froze a lasagna for later, and also individual servings of both the lasagna and soup for both Rob and I next week. We had lasagna one day, and tacos another day, then had the leftovers of both today after church. I cut up a cauliflower and a lot of carrots to make it easy to cook them at mealtime. I am thinking I will do that more in the fall when I’m working a lot into the evenings because it made it so easy. I made the sauce for the lasagna from home-canned tomato products, frozen hamburger and a bunch of Swiss Chard I picked from the garden. I had Patsy make apple crisp from some home-canned apple pie filling. I am still working on using the remaining items that I have in my canning cupboard.

Rob is taking the camper to help with high school camp, starting on Thursday. I will be home because Patsy goes to camp tomorrow and returns Friday. So, I want him to have a couple of small things frozen in the camper that he can just warm up if it’s not convenient for him to go over for the evening meal on any evening. He has to park about 2-3 blocks away from the group, because that’s where the camper can be hooked up with electricity, water and sewer. This is adventure camp, and the kids will be rafting, rock climbing, and more. He will be transporting them to the top of the rafting course, and picking them up at the bottom and things like that. He will also be helping in the kitchen as needed. He will NOT be suffering in his air-conditioned camper or in his own camper bed, at night, as the teens will be camping in a school field in tents. In fact, he is taking his fishing pole, and hopes to fish a bit while taking the kids their lunches, etc., or after he drops them off, or when he picks them up…….or all of the above;)

The garden is producing a lot of lettuce and we are trying to eat it most days. We have used both of the zucchini the bushes have produced. There are lots of little ones forming, but I am having some pollination issues, so some are not growing. We are getting a little broccoli every few days. The snow peas are done now, and I pulled the bushes. I have a small baggie of snow peas still in the fridge, and there is another short row that is blooming so I won’t be out for long. The green beans are making little beans–it will only be a few days now until I eat some. I will also can a lot soon. The 3 tiny tomatoes were eaten with tacos today. I was able to plant more seeds in all of the blank spots that opened up when I pulled out the peas and bolting lettuce. I figure that anything that can get ripe in 8 weeks will be ready in mid-September.

I’ve been able to take the opportunity this week to get a few things done that were hanging over my head. I am now done grading and scoring all of the home-shool work from the past year. I turn the grades in on Tuesday, and the girls will take a test. Then, I will be able to get busy planning next year’s work. I’ve done a lot of yard work and weeding in the garden. We mowed the lawn. (It was a group effort. Patsy and I took turns pushing the lawn mower on the easy parts and dumping clippings, Rob moved things out of the way, and did the tricky parts). I used the clippings to mulch the blackberries and one area in the flowerbed. I’ve done a bit of organizing and sorting in the house, although there is much more I had hoped to do. I may get a little more done this week, but since Jake is coming back from his family vacation tomorrow so I’ll be back to work, and the green beans are going to need to be canned before long, I will do what I can do. I plan to take a small area each day and see if I can get it organized. The garage is next on my list. It’s become a dumping ground again and the food shelves have been stirred into disarray by hungry bears (I’m sure that’s who did it!)

We did quite a few more things this week, like visit Harnet, celebrate the 4th, and enjoy the garden. How did your week go?

Becky at Home

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Off on a Trip and Garden Update-Aug. 2, 2017

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Saving Money and Weekly Update–July 30, 2017

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Saving Money and Weekly Update–July 23, 2017

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Canning Green Beans and a Garden Update

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Saving Money and Weekly Update–July 16, 2017

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Gluten-Free Cashew Chicken

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Saving Money–Weekly Update–July 9, 2017

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Making My Home A Haven

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Making My Home A Haven