September Meal Plan

This month I grabbed 3 cookbooks that I have brought to the lake house and decided to try to plan our monthly meal plan based on those. 

I wrote down 20 meals - mostly from these cookbooks - trying to use things I knew I had on hand so to keep my grocery purchases low.  Side dishes will consist of whatever is still coming in from the garden and what we have preserved or purchased in bulk.  I've missed my crock pot lately, so one cookbook was my crock pot cookbook - perfect for game nights!

1.  Curried Chicken Salad
2.  Red Beans & Rice
3.  Arroz Con Pollo
4.  Baked Herb Chicken Breasts
5.  Chicken Tikka with Naan
6.  Dah Lentils
7.  Cavatelli
8.  Pork Roast Grilled
9.  Pork Chops with Mashed Potatoes
10.  Greco
11.  Chili
12.  Beef Fajitas
13.  Baked Fish
14.  American Favorite Pot Roast
15.  Chicken Sandwiches
16.  Pork Chops & Potatoes
17.  Cantonese Sweet & Sour Pork
18.  Fisherman's Catch Chowder
19.  Salmon & Potato Casserole
20.  Black Bean & Potato Soup

Twenty meals isn't quite a complete list, but some meals will be leftovers (maybe once a week), some will be breakfast suppers and hopefully one or 2 nights of Little Caesars.  :)

Call Me Crazy

I did something a bit crazy today.  I hesitate telling you because you will probably think I'm nuts.

A few hours ago I was setting up for our adoption yard sale tomorrow.  I was wearing flip flops and suddenly felt stinging bites all over my left foot.  I looked down to see hundreds of ants on my foot - so much that there were more ants than skin showing.  Of course I went nuts...screaming, hollering, kicking, slapping, dancing to get them off.  I went into the house and was frantically thinking of what I needed to do, as the stinging on my foot intensified.

Then I remembered this article I read a few years ago.  Crazy to think of this, but I did.  (I call that the Holy Spirit whispers.)  Just yesterday I noticed this plant (weed), plantain, growing on the grass between our chicken coop and house.

I ran to the backyard with my 3 year old following.  I picked leaves and being the country girl I am but the not-quite-extreme country girl as in the article, I wadded up the leaves in my hands, spit a few times on them, keeping rubbing and smeared them all over my foot.  I did this 5 times as my Little Peanut kept running back down the hill to grab more leaves for me.  Almost instantly the pain stopped and then I saw the little red bumps start to disappear.  Amazing!!

I might be crazy to do that, but hey, it worked and I promise the Fish Sticks are having a plantain lesson tomorrow when I wander the yard with them.  As many times as they get bug boo-boos, plantain is worth learning about.  So who's going to do it next??

Garden Supper

 We have been eating garden produce for months now and I never tire of it.  Tonight we had BBQ pork loin that had been cooking in the crock pot all day, watermelon, honeydew melon and cantaloupe (all from our garden) and a Turkish-like salad of bell peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers chopped (all from our garden) and seasoned with sea salt, pepper, fresh lemon juice and olive oil.  Many of us add feta cheese to it, but I keep it on the side because 2 Fish Sticks are not keen on feta.  Add pickled okra, refrigerator bread and butter pickles and refrigerator sweet pickles and you have one good meal and all I paid for was the pork loin!

Have you considered gardening?  It's worth it!

Herbal Order

I've been a bit out of pocket with posting because I have been working on fund raising for our adoption.  This past week I opened my first Etsy shop, co-hosted a 2 day garage sale and participated in a children's consignment store.  Did I mentioned I also started filling out applications for grants?  So in the midst of all that, I didn't shop with coupons last week or even look at ads.

I did order from Bulk Herb Store though and wanted to show you what I got.  About once a year I place an order and try to place it with a friend to help with shipping costs.

Nettle Leaf - most of my herbal remedies call for Nettle, so it is always good to have around with cold season fast approaching.  Nettle has been proven to help with diarrhea, hemorrhoids, colon health, eczema and much more, plus it's full of rich vitamins!

Cinnamon - We use lots of cinnamon whether it be for cooking, baking or herbal remedies;  cinnamon is a good thing to have on hand. We add it to smoothies also.  It can be a tonic to the entire body.  It helps fight colds, chills and can kill a variety of illness-causing bacteria.

Ginger Root - I love Ginger Tea most of all.  Ginger is great for upset stomachs, digestive and circulatory problems.  It is great for nausea and motion sickness too.

Activated Charcoal - This is the first time I have purchased this.  It has been an anti-poison remedy for centuries.  It works as an absorbent of toxins in the digestive system, relieves gasses, eliminates fungi, viruses and bacteria and promotes recovery from food poisoning.  My kiddos have had a skin virus called Mulluscum.  It's harmless but makes small bumps on your skin that can irritate and form heads like acne.  Our pediatrician says there is no remedy and usually they go away within a couple of years!  YUCK!  That's a long time.  I read recently that a paste of activated charcoal mixed with raw honey can rid your body of this irritating virus.  I'm game to try it.

Jasmine Green Tea - I tried this a few years ago before I really got hooked on unsweet, herbal tea.  It tasted like flowers to me and I passed on future orders of this tea.  I've decided to give it another try.  Certainly I can get used to drinking flowers when it's so good for me??  It's rich in fluoride, can combat stomach and skin cancers and is a great way to boost your immune system.  An increase in consumption significantly improved the odds of survival of breast and ovarian cancer in patients also.  Sounds like a smart thing to me.

Creamy Pumpkin Pie Tea - I bought this last winter and absolutely loved it.  I added a few drops of stevia and some cream to the hot tea and it was like drinking yummy pumpkin pie.  It was perfect for cold, winter mornings.  It's made with red rooibos tea, cinnamon chips, orange peel, ginger root and cloves.  YUM!

If you want to learn more about herbs or order some, click on my family blog on the right and order from my button there.  You can search their site for all kinds of good articles and home remedies.  It's a great place to start and this company is what got me started on my herbal remedy adventure 9 years ago! 

Help Support 3 Kiddos Come Home

Hey Friends,

We have paired up with our good friends, who are also adopting internationally, for a fund raising garage sale.  So if you happen to live in the Nashville area, come by and see what we have.

The Craigslist listing is found here.  Thanks!

http://nashville.craigslist.org/gms/3224616599.html

My First Etsy Shop

I have a big announcement to make.  I have opened my very first Etsy shop.  For those of you out there who don't know what Etsy is, it is a place to sell your handmade goods.  My shop is called Fish Sticks For Africa.  I opened a shop in order to help raise funds for our adoption of twin boys from Africa.

It would make me so happy if you would spread the word to your friends and family through Facebook (which I don't do), Twitter or email.

I made a few sling bags out of blue jeans and they are listed individually.  If they sell well, then I will make more.  My daughter LOVES hers to hold her Kindle Fire.

The main item is my t-shirts.  I applique them by cutting out the t-shirt and adding a backing knit fabric.  I started by making one for our school last year, reading GCA.  Then recently I tried one of the country of Africa with our country marked with a hand sewn heart.  I have been stocking up on adult, youth and children's t-shirts at discounted prices so that I can make these to order.  I am in the process of making some for our cousins with the cut-out of Turkey and trying a sample shirt of Tennessee with a heart on Nashville.

Please pass my etsy link on and help us bring our boys home.  Thanks a ton!!

 http://www.etsy.com/shop/FishSticksforAfrica?ele=shop_open

Expected Short - Took Too Long

Went to Walgreens today.  Had a few problems and it ended up taking me 5 times as long as it should have.  The Scope was $3 each and you get $3 RR when you buy 2.  I had 2 coupons for 75 cents off making them $1.25 each.  They had mislabeled the sign on the Scope, putting the deal sign on a much larger Scope, which of course did not ring up correctly so I caught that and we had it corrected.  The Omega Smart supplements were on sale for $10 and get a $10 RR making it FREE.  It didn't print and so I waited for the manager to get a form for me to fill out and mail in with a copy of  my receipt in order for Walgreens to mail me a $10 gift card.  I also purchased a Good 'N Natural bar for $1.29 and this Sunday's paper had a coupon for a free bar.  I wish I had more than one coupon, but it's not in the photo because it was my lunch.  :)  The total on these 4 items was $2.50 + a lot of trouble.  Guess it's par for the course.

I also saw that they had summer clearance items.  Since we frequent the lake and my mom's pool each summer, I always stock up on clearance items for the following year.  I grabbed a few swimming rings, arm floaties, water balloons and goggles all at super prices - 80% off.  I also purchased t-shirts for $2 each.  I am stocking up for a fundraiser idea I have for our adoption.  The tees rung up at $2.50 each and since I was getting 10, it was worth it to me to say something once again to the clerk.  I'm sure she was glad when I left.

I'm skipping CVS this week.  Didn't see anything that really struck me for a trip to the store.  Hope your couponing this week takes shorter than mine did.  :)

Couponing Can Build Community

I grew up in a big city.  When I got married, I went to the same Kroger every week.  I thought maybe one day someone would notice me as a regular and call me by name, just like in Mayberry, but it never happened.

When I moved to my small community 10 years ago, I went to the drive-through of the bank.  The teller said, "Hey, your husband just came through a minute ago," and then called me by name.  I had to pick my jaw off the floor of my car!  How did she know?  Well, the same teller still knows me and gives me 12 green apple lollipops (2 for each Fish Stick) every time I drive through her window.  I LOVE IT!!!  There's just something wonderful about feeling a part of a small community.

As a couponer, I visit the same Walgreens and CVS just about every week.  Sometimes I will go to other ones that I pass on errands, but for the most part, they see me coming every Wednesday.  I noticed that my CVS manager hasn't been at my store this summer.  I saw him from a distance with his family at Chick Fila on August 1st though.

My Little Guy needed his passport renewed (We keep all Fish Stick passports updated.) and I had to drive to Nashville in an area of town where I rarely go so I could take care of it at this particular post office that does passports.  I ran into the local CVS there to have his passport photo made.  There was my old CVS manager.  I told him I missed him and asked him if he got transferred.  He did, and now drove a long distance to this new store.  Then, without warning, he shared with me something tender that brought tears to my eyes.  His 13 year old son (same age as my son) was diagnosed with cancer on July 3 and it's aggressive.  I told him I would pray for them and when I got home, I looked up their CaringBridge site.  You can see their story here.  I didn't know that they knew the Lord until I read the posts about their son.  So take a quick look at the site for me, say a prayer for healing for this young teenager and a prayer for Carl and Liberty as they endure a trial that I pray I never will be asked to endure as a parent.

As silly as it sounds, being a regular shopper, in my case through couponing, can be a blessing in ways you might not expect.  I know God orchestrated me to go to that CVS half way across town to spread the word about this young boy who needs our prayers!

Grilling Side Dishes

 On Independence Day my mom served a super appetizer and I knew I had to try it on my own.  She said she found the recipe in the newspaper.

First slice green tomatoes and marinate them in equal parts of olive old and balsamic vinegar and sprinkle them with coarse/kosher salt.

 While it's marinating, slice fresh mozzarella and have whole basil leaves ready.  Thank goodness I had a basil plant this year.  I've never bought fresh mozzarella but it was worth the $3!

 Lay marinated green tomatoes on grill and grill on both side until soft but not mushy.  Lay a basil leaf on each slice.

Lay the cheese over the basil leaf and grill just a tad bit to melt the cheese slightly.  Absolutely delicious!  I didn't take a pretty picture of them on the plate because they were gone by the time I got my camera ready!!

Walgreens Freebies

This week at Walgreens, you can get several items for free without any coupons.

The Carmex lotion was $4.99 with $4 in RR making it 99 cents.
The tampons were $1.50 with $1.50 back in RR making it FREE.
The ReNew Life 3 Day Diet Start was $10 with $10 back in RR making it FREE.
The Lanacane with Aloe Spray was $6 with $6 back in RR making it FREE.

Go grab these deals this week!

CVS

Got some good deals at CVS this past week.  Children's Allegra was $9.99 with a $2 off coupon, making it $7.99.  Puffs were 88 cents and I had a 25 cents off coupon for each one making them 63 cents each.  Playtex was spend $25 and get $10 back in ECBs.  I got 4 boxes of Playtex that totaled about $26.  I used 2 different coupons that totaled $7.  After ECBs I got each box for $2.25.  The 2 big boxes had a free offer for a $45 cosmetic bag by just mailing in the 2 UPC codes (which I did).  I messed up on the Dove deodorant a little.  Faithful Provisions listed the deal as get $5 ECB when you purchase 2 Dove deodorants for 2 for $7.  The actual deal was purchase 4 deodorants and get $5 ECB.  I did have a coupon for $2 off Dove deodorant so although I did not get the $5 ECB, I did get them for $1.50 each.  Had I known, I probably wouldn't have purchased them.  Live and learn.  Still got some good deals.

Summer Break Down

Being a mom of 6 kids isn't always easy.  Honestly, being a mom isn't always easy no matter how many kids you have.  I'll be the first to tell you that our life is not blog-perfect.  You know blog-perfect...all the kids are smiling, helpful and kind while the house has clean floors, cleared counter tops and Mama is always smiling with her fashionable ensemble and perfect make-up.  I'll be the first to tell you that although I don't want anyone to assume that life is perfect in the Fish House, the purpose of my family blog is not to air our dirty laundry.  I print our family blog yearly to replace my scrapbooking days of old.  There's many things I wouldn't want to print and read for generations to come.

On the flip side, I know it's important that we as mothers don't ever assume that any one's blog life is an indication that life is perfect.  We all have a messy house sometimes.  We all are culprits of feeding our family Fruit Loops for supper when we are in survival mode.  We all lose our tempers and raise our voices or say things that we shouldn't.  We all dishonor our husbands in one way or another by taking the horse by the reins.

So on that note, I will tell you that last week was rough for me.  Over half of the Fish Sticks were not obeying AT ALL and when you add a messy house and a long To Do list to that equation, this Mama was about to lose it.  And I did lose it.  As I was disciplining 2 highly emotional and disobedient Fish Sticks, I just broke down in tears crying.  Crying for their sinful behavior.  Crying for my inadequacies as their mother.  Crying because, like I Dream of Jeanie, I wanted to blink hard, fling my head-top pony tail and fix it all.  Now the Fish Sticks don't see me cry much.  Some of the reason is because I'm not a big crier in general and partly because I try not to cry in front of them.  Well, it got their attention and apologies came fast.  I was grateful for quick repentance (even though it really came from my own emotional state) but there still came the questions of "What am I doing wrong?".

Some of you might say "Nothing.  All children disobey and it's just a process of training them."  While that may be well and true, I believe it's always wise for we as parents to evaluate ourselves first.  It certainly is easier for us to fix our own behavior than to fix the behavior of others.  And so I prayed and asked the Lord to reveal to me my shortcomings as a mother.  I heard instantly from Him and knew He hit the nail on the head.  I have spent my summer with all 6 kids home 24/7 running and gunning to VBS, swim lessons, lake weekends, celebrations, cousin time, family reunions, etc. but living as a drill sergeant in order to keep order.  Instead of being a mother who smiles and enjoys the fun activities of the summer, I have shouted commands, lectured and made charts and lists that need daily review.  I realized that I haven't laughed with my kids much.  I haven't hugged and kissed them enough.  I haven't seen the things they do right and praise them for it.  I've corrected using negative words instead of instructed using positive words.  Yuck!  I'm surprised they would even want to be around me.

So the next morning was different.  It started with lots of smiles, lots of jokes, lots of tickles and lots of hugs and kisses.  My goal now is to compliment every Fish Stick for SOMETHING daily - even the ones that praising comes harder.  I always ask my kids when they cry, "Who are you crying for?"  Is it for YOURSELF?  If so, knock it off and shift your thoughts to someone else.  If it's for someone else, then minister and serve them.  So friends, who are you crying for? 

Deals of the Week

 Did some couponing today at Walgreens and Kroger.  Walgreens has a deal with Suave products.  Buy $10 worth and get $3 in RR.  The shampoo and conditioner were $1 each and in Sunday's PG insert there were many Suave coupons.  Remember that if it specifies a particular shampoo on the coupon, many times it will work for other types of shampoos of the same name brand.  I was able to use a variety of shampoo coupons and get $3 off in coupons.  The total for 10 bottles was $4!  The fish oil supplement was $15 with a MIR through Walgreens for $15, making them free.  The tomato sauce was purchased using an in ad coupon for 39 cents each.  Listerine was $2.99 with a $1 RR and I had a coupon in Sunday's paper for $1 off making it 99 cents.  Allegra was $6.99 with a $2 off coupon in Sunday's paper and a $5 MIR from Sunday's paper so it will be free also.  Remember My Man is in great need of Children's Allegra to manage his allergies so it was on sale also for $9.99 and I had another $2 off coupon so it was $7.99.  Just stocking up for the next allergy season. 

 I got some school things at both Walgreens and Kroger.  I don't really need it anymore, but wanted to stock up.  Many times mid year the teachers send out a plea for school supplies.  I love to sew simple aprons with pockets for birthday gifts for the Fish Stick friends and fill the pockets with the school supplies that I had stocked up on in the late summer.

Kroger had many of their Kellogg's cereals for $1.99.  There were multiple coupons for Kellogg's cereal in the Red Plum from 7/8.  Many of them were for 50 cents which doubled or a couple were for $1 off 2.  Most of them did not match up with the photo on the coupon but they all worked at the register so most of these were only $1 a piece!!!  The Ragu was $1 and there is a 50 cent off 2 coupon that doubled in Sunday's paper making them all 50 cents each.

Canning

 My MIL taught me to can my first year of marriage when I came to her house and she was preserving her garden vegetables.  Little did I know that years later, I would have my own garden with vegetables to can myself.  Canning vegetables is nothing to shy away from.  Even if you don't have a garden, buying homegrown vegetables at a good price and preserving them is a smart thing to do. I have a friend here who is a grandma.  She spent years working in her garden but now prefers to drive 1 hour to the closest Amish community weekly all summer.  She buys large quantities of their produce at an excellent price and preserves them herself without the backbreaking work with manning her own garden.

I was going to do a tutorial on canning but realized there are so many good ones out there, that I won't try to compete.  Basically, you will need a pressure canner like this one. I think I got mine at Walmart 10 years ago for about $30.

 These are a few tools that I didn't start out with but have found VERY helpful:  funnel, strainer, can grabber (that would be my own redneck term - not sure what it's really called).  They don't cost much either.  Of course you will need canning jars with lids too.  They run about $1 a can regular priced.

 After cooking the vegetables (in this case, green beans) for just a few minutes (each veggie is different so check a chart on line to see how long), then place them in hot jars, add cooking water to about 1/2" of top, add 1 tsp. canning salt and seal with lid.

 Charts on line will also tell you how long to can them, as will your canner handbook with directions on pressure canning.  Tomatoes are acidic and don't have to be pressure canned.  You can just cover them with water (called a water bath) and can them that way.  It's a tad bit easier.

Canning is a beautiful thing.  At the time it might seen tedious and you might feel you have better things you should be doing, but when the winter comes and you open one of your cans of summer, garden vegetables, well....there's just nothing better tasting!