And now it's time for a break....

I know, it seems that I just came back from quite a long blogging break. But we were packing and moving then so it really wasn't much of a break. But now I really need one. After being down most of this week with a pretty good whopper of a bladder and kidney infection and being away from my kids while I took care of myself, I realized that I need to get my priorities in order. Isn't that how it usually works for all of us? :o) Blogging is just not on my to do or my "desire" to do list right now so it will go on the back burner for now.

I do have lots of good recipes and ideas in my archives so make sure you check all of those out. And this is not a good bye, just a see you later.

Until then~
Happy Cooking, Happy Couponing, and Happy Mommying!
Caroline

Something to Pray about this week...

http://sgbcmodesto.com/Dylan/

Dylan and his family attend my parent's Church. I have known Dylan's mom on and off for about 13 years. What an amazing family!

Check out their blog (the link is above) and please remember to pray for Dylan and his family.
~Caroline

A New Post

I have been doing good having new posts every Monday/ Wednesday/ and Friday! But, alas, I am now running behind on my posts. So this is my new post for today!
Hopefully I will have time this weekend to get ahead again and be back on track.
~Caroline

Piano

We got a piano and it has a story!
My great-great grandfather bought it for my Grandma when my mom was a little girl. So my mom grew up with the piano.
Then my Grandma gave it to my mom when I was a little girl. So I grew up with it. Then it went back to my Grandma's house when my parent's moved after I got married.
Now that we are in our own house we got the Piano. So my girls will grow up with it! Emma already knows that when she grows up and gets married and has children she will get the piano. To which she replies, "and then I will give it to my kids and they will give it to their kids." To which I reply, "that would be the plan." The she reminds that she does not plan on ever getting married because she wants to be a missionary! The kid deserves the piano no matter what :o)

What's in the Freezer??!!??

Another list (along with "Le Menu") that I always have on my fridge is my "What's in the Freezer" list.

We have 2 full refrigerators plus a chest freezer and most of the time there is always food in all of them. Hubby uses one of the full fridge/freezers for his work samples and stuff, but occasionally I will throw some of my stuff in there as well.

I am forever forgetting what is in the freezer and going out and buying more of an item that I already have because I didn't know it was already there! Ugh. Not very fugal :o)

So I finally started taking inventory of my freezers and keeping the list on my fridge. Seems pretty simple? It is! I usually re-do the inventory every other month as I don't always remember to add to my list what I just added to the freezer :o) Here is what my "freezer" list looks like:

I break the list into groups: meats, desserts, breakfasts, sides, etc... This way if I need a side dish for a meal I can just go to "sides" and see what I have in my freezer that will work. Same goes for the meat. Before I go to the grocery store I can check my list and see what meats I already have in the fridge and make a "Le Menu" from those meats!

Happy Freezing!

~Caroline

Meal Planning!!!?????!!!

I don't do meal planning. At least not in the sense that most people do. I don't make out a little chart every week that states what we will be having for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. I don't think it is a bad thing to do that. I wish I could do that. I think that people who are able to have that in their lives our truly blessed :o) My palette, however, will not let me do that. I have tried. Oh, I have tried many times to type out that weekly menu so pretty on my computer and then print it out and then displayed it proudly upon my fridge. Do you know what happened? No? My palette would see what was for dinner that night and so, "nope, my dear, that does not sound good to me and I don't want to experience that flavor tonight". I had to listen to it. So I would end up making something else and then my weekly menu would be all washed out. It was a sad thing but I have now learned to cope with it.


I no longer make a weekly plan. Instead I make "Le Menu". It looks something like this:

All this is is a list of all the meals I have already prepared in the freezer or I have all the stuff to make it from scratch. This way, every morning I just look at the "Le Menu" see what my palette is thinking and we decide on that night's dinner then. After I prepare the meal I simple cross it off from my list so I know it is no longer available.

I usually have lunches and breakfasts listed on there as well so I don't have to think about what we have for them either.

This idea has worked well for me and my family. If you are struggling with getting a weekly menu on the fridge give this a try and see if it works for you :o)

Happy Cooking!~Caroline

Selling Avon

Clipping coupons and shopping frugally is not the only way I save money around here. Ten years ago, right after I had Gillian, I started selling Avon. Originally it just gave me something to do. My mother-in-law bought a lot of Avon and told me that if I started selling it she would buy from me. Seemed pretty easy, so I signed up thinking that she would be my only customer and I would just get a nice discount.

Ten years later.....I never made Avon out to be a "business". My primary job in life is to be a wife and a mother and everything else is just extracurricular. All of my customers are either family or friends. People that I see on a normal basis so that I don't have to spend much time delivering my orders. I have about 5 regular customers and 5 who order occasionally. But that is all that I need to pay for the things that I order from Avon. See how that works?

I spend and average of 1 hour a month putting my orders together and getting the product in my customers' hands. That then allows me to buy all of my makeup, cleansers, lotions, and more at a cost of $0.

I am not on a sales pitch here whatsoever, folks. All I am saying is that there are many other opportunities out there to be frugal and to save your family money and they don't take a chunk of your time either. Of course, before you go signing up for anything, make sure that you and your hubby discuss it and that it would benefit your family.

Happy Frugalitarianism :o)
~Caroline

(one of my customers and she's also my sister!)