Today is a workshop day at my school and we have a state science meeting... so we have some great displays and a former high school friend from Wildlife Encounters is here with some of his animals that he travels with and educates students with. We also have an indoor planetarium... haven't had the pleasure yet, but hoping to get in today to see it.
Last nights entertainment was brought to me via the Toy Auction... every year a local hall has a toy auction every Thursday night and there are a number of things that can be bid on, from toys to food items, from auto supplies to clothing. One of the best things about the auction you can get some stuff reasonably cheap, but the funnest is the people watching... I swear you would think we were inside a circus with the outfits(or lack of) these people come in wearing.. There was this guy in front of me who's fruit of the looms just didn't cut it, if I had some wall putty I would have filled that crack!!! What the Hell is all I have to say. My group of friends that go and I laugh, are loud and have a good time.
Canning and couponing are on the agenda this weekend.. gonna try to squeeze in an orchard visit then 3 day weekend involving canning and more canning... apples are on the menu.. left a message with a local farm stand to see if they had any tomatoes left to attempt a few more tomato items( Angie's tomato soup and definitely salsa). Maybe next year I will try my hand at ketchup(catsup) whatever way you spell it, my daughters go through this condiment like it was water and I would love to can my own and get one more item off my grocery list...my version will be all natural veggies with no added preservative crap... but alas it will have to wait until next year.
Happy Freaky Friday
Melissa
Friday, October 11, 2013
Wonderful Wednesday
I am an advisor for the graduating class of 2017 and this week is our Spirit Week... Today's theme was Western Wednesday and after school we are decorating our spirit hall... Themes for halls this year included Romance(ours), Comedy, Horror and Action. So my class has decided we are going to do cheesy tunnel of love.. and the end of our hallway will be the Chapel of love!!! I know I know cheesy, but I think it will be fun.
With Valentine's day so far away, there was no chance of us finding any cupids.. so the Google searches revealed some nice cut outs we are going to use..We have cut out hearts and come have cheesy pick up lines. I can not wait to see it finished and just laugh at the fun we are going to have. Streamers, fake church at the end, flowers, red everything.. what could be better??? thank goodness we can not bring any kind of water items.. 2nd floor does not hold water well..
Tonight will continue my canning adventure!! Tonight will be some apple pie filling and I have learned that 1 inch of head space is never enough, I have had to go to 1.5-2" only because of the expansion I do not need it to pop out of the lid again(First time canning pie filling last year). I think I will try to go picking this weekend if the orchard is open and finish more apple pie filling and apple sauce.. then the final leg will be apple jelly.. Thanks Angie from http://bigredcouch.com/journal/ she has definitely opened my eyes with some great recipes to can and helped me become more self sufficient with great canning tips/recipes and excellent advice. I love to look at my canning rack and see what I have put up this year and what I do not need to buy!!! I definitely can do more and are in the process of planning next years garden to harvest more.. Gonna have to try turnips and who knows what else..
Have a happy canning/couponing day!!
Melissa
With Valentine's day so far away, there was no chance of us finding any cupids.. so the Google searches revealed some nice cut outs we are going to use..We have cut out hearts and come have cheesy pick up lines. I can not wait to see it finished and just laugh at the fun we are going to have. Streamers, fake church at the end, flowers, red everything.. what could be better??? thank goodness we can not bring any kind of water items.. 2nd floor does not hold water well..
Tonight will continue my canning adventure!! Tonight will be some apple pie filling and I have learned that 1 inch of head space is never enough, I have had to go to 1.5-2" only because of the expansion I do not need it to pop out of the lid again(First time canning pie filling last year). I think I will try to go picking this weekend if the orchard is open and finish more apple pie filling and apple sauce.. then the final leg will be apple jelly.. Thanks Angie from http://bigredcouch.com/journal/ she has definitely opened my eyes with some great recipes to can and helped me become more self sufficient with great canning tips/recipes and excellent advice. I love to look at my canning rack and see what I have put up this year and what I do not need to buy!!! I definitely can do more and are in the process of planning next years garden to harvest more.. Gonna have to try turnips and who knows what else..
Have a happy canning/couponing day!!
Melissa
Monday, October 7, 2013
Homesteading
I know quite a few people who are homesteaders and have the ability to grow and stow.. which is great.. I try to grow what I can, stow what I can, but I do not have the ability to have animals more than chickens(yet).. I will tell you that I am in complete awe of people who have the ability to raise their own meat and dairy.. I am learning the art of cheese-making(December for a class woohooo excited) and hoping to learn how to make soap.. heck home-made soap last longer than store bought, plus it will have better benefits.. The more I learn the more self sufficient I will become!! The more I can make the less I am dependent upon big stores...Heck I might have to find a local farmer who I can barter with... Canning services for meat.. hmmmm could be something there... now to find the farmer..
I love to coupon and it definitely saves me money.. I love to grow a garden because it gives me the ability to can all that yummy-ness and put it up for winter months and months where the paychecks do not stretch... Who doesn't like fresh tomatoes from the garden in salsa, spaghetti sauce or just over elbow noodles??? I love baking apple pies with the apples of the season!! of course pears in lite syrup are yummy too.. and who doesn't love pickles or applesauce?? My oldest daughter always grabs a quart or two when she is home.. man I need to get more made if she continues at this pace... I grabbed tons of green beans and put them up along with some yummy carrots... the only veggie I didn't get was corn.. but its ok.. if I have to force myself to buy 1 veggie all winter I guess I can suffer with corn.. Potatoes I have gotten from a local farmer who sells them for 20$$ for a 50 lb bag.. and some of those are going into jars this week for the winter season as even if they are in my cool basement, they never seem to last long enough before the sprout begins.
Preserving food is not hard to do at all.. Yes it can take time, but it is so worth it when you are finished and you have that food item to use instead of a store bought item!!! I always practice and use safe canning guides.. Botulism is nothing to play around with... Pressure Canning and Water-bath Canning are the 2 tried and true ways to preserve your harvest... Now you are probably thinking oh my god not the pressure canner I have heard horror stories of how my grandmothers grandmother blew up her kitchen.. Well not so true these days.. Yes a pressure canner is a piece of equipment that must be respected as with all equipment, but with proper use, you will never have an explosion. I have 2 pressure canners, one Presto (from Walmart) and one All American Canner, made in the USA and it is pricey, both I use regularly and both are different.. my All American has no gasket, it is a metal to metal seal with 6 pieces that hold the lid in place. My Presto has a gasket and it twists to lock into place. Both can hold 7 quarts at one time and that is what I mostly do. Each has its own water requirements, but both work with a weighted system for pressure regulation. If you live around my area and ever want to learn sometime time.. just give me a holler I am sure I will be canning something and will show you the process.. and if you want to learn more about safe practices here is the site I swear by.. of course its a government site, but they have tested and certify that if you follow the guidelines correctly your food will be safe for consumption. http://nchfp.uga.edu/ The National Center for home food preservation... You can actually download the entire book as a pdf.. heck print it double sided, hole punch it and put it into a 3-ring binder for your reference.
New to canning start small.. try jelly, apple sauce, try anything that used water bath canning.. then start slowly with pressure canning and viola you are a canner and starting your homestead. Grow it and Stow it.. one of the Facebook Pages I follow always says Grow it Stow it.. and he is right.. the more you grow(or purchase from local farmer) and the more you stow the healthier your family will be and the less dependent you will be on box stores when the Crap hits the fan.. Again if you ever want a hand, have a question ask me!! If I can not find the answer I have good resources and good friends who do!!!
Couponing and Canning.. two of my favorite food things.. Hooking and spinning, crocheting and knitting a few of my favorite crafts!!! I still keep trying to talk my husband into a few small animals like goats/sheep.. heck even pigs.. but alas I do not have a barn type shed for their housing.. hmmm guess I am gonna have to learn to build... can not be too difficult.. Watch out you-tube.. I just may come visiting for some helpful ideas.
Happy Homesteading!!
Melissa :)
I love to coupon and it definitely saves me money.. I love to grow a garden because it gives me the ability to can all that yummy-ness and put it up for winter months and months where the paychecks do not stretch... Who doesn't like fresh tomatoes from the garden in salsa, spaghetti sauce or just over elbow noodles??? I love baking apple pies with the apples of the season!! of course pears in lite syrup are yummy too.. and who doesn't love pickles or applesauce?? My oldest daughter always grabs a quart or two when she is home.. man I need to get more made if she continues at this pace... I grabbed tons of green beans and put them up along with some yummy carrots... the only veggie I didn't get was corn.. but its ok.. if I have to force myself to buy 1 veggie all winter I guess I can suffer with corn.. Potatoes I have gotten from a local farmer who sells them for 20$$ for a 50 lb bag.. and some of those are going into jars this week for the winter season as even if they are in my cool basement, they never seem to last long enough before the sprout begins.
Preserving food is not hard to do at all.. Yes it can take time, but it is so worth it when you are finished and you have that food item to use instead of a store bought item!!! I always practice and use safe canning guides.. Botulism is nothing to play around with... Pressure Canning and Water-bath Canning are the 2 tried and true ways to preserve your harvest... Now you are probably thinking oh my god not the pressure canner I have heard horror stories of how my grandmothers grandmother blew up her kitchen.. Well not so true these days.. Yes a pressure canner is a piece of equipment that must be respected as with all equipment, but with proper use, you will never have an explosion. I have 2 pressure canners, one Presto (from Walmart) and one All American Canner, made in the USA and it is pricey, both I use regularly and both are different.. my All American has no gasket, it is a metal to metal seal with 6 pieces that hold the lid in place. My Presto has a gasket and it twists to lock into place. Both can hold 7 quarts at one time and that is what I mostly do. Each has its own water requirements, but both work with a weighted system for pressure regulation. If you live around my area and ever want to learn sometime time.. just give me a holler I am sure I will be canning something and will show you the process.. and if you want to learn more about safe practices here is the site I swear by.. of course its a government site, but they have tested and certify that if you follow the guidelines correctly your food will be safe for consumption. http://nchfp.uga.edu/ The National Center for home food preservation... You can actually download the entire book as a pdf.. heck print it double sided, hole punch it and put it into a 3-ring binder for your reference.
New to canning start small.. try jelly, apple sauce, try anything that used water bath canning.. then start slowly with pressure canning and viola you are a canner and starting your homestead. Grow it and Stow it.. one of the Facebook Pages I follow always says Grow it Stow it.. and he is right.. the more you grow(or purchase from local farmer) and the more you stow the healthier your family will be and the less dependent you will be on box stores when the Crap hits the fan.. Again if you ever want a hand, have a question ask me!! If I can not find the answer I have good resources and good friends who do!!!
Couponing and Canning.. two of my favorite food things.. Hooking and spinning, crocheting and knitting a few of my favorite crafts!!! I still keep trying to talk my husband into a few small animals like goats/sheep.. heck even pigs.. but alas I do not have a barn type shed for their housing.. hmmm guess I am gonna have to learn to build... can not be too difficult.. Watch out you-tube.. I just may come visiting for some helpful ideas.
Happy Homesteading!!
Melissa :)
Sunday, October 6, 2013
Todays chat
Coupons!!!! I know I know some of you are like get real Melissa.. but tell you what.. with the government in shut down(for who knows how long) will you be able to get things for your family if you loose more than half your income??? Jen and I have taught a lot of people how to coupon and I still am in awe of what I see people drop big $$ at the grocery stores... I know it can be a bit time consuming depending on the sale.. but saving almost 70% is worth it!!! Hell if I save 50%% I am happy.. that is less money that I have to give to a conglomerate and more in my family's pocket..
Take the current sale at shaws..GM cereal(lucky charms, cheerios, etc) are on sale for 1.88 each... I had coupons for both I paid less than .30 a box.. normal price on those bad boys was 2.99 I will take that any day of the week. I even stocked up on Hamburger helper..Why not when normal price is over 2$$ and I got it for .38 I may not eat it but once in a while as a quick busy night meal, but for that price its worth it! I was able to score 4 boxes of cheerios, 4 boxes of lucky charms, 12 boxes of hamburger helper, 3 pound butter( on sale 3/5$$) 12 grands jr biscuits, bananas and strawberries all for under 30$$ I saved over 67% ... Now will I eat all those biscuits.. before they expire.. YES.. they do not expire until January and with the cold weather coming.. a lot of stews and soups are on the menu.. cut them into thirds, roll them in sugar and cinnamon and butter, quick easy monkey bread...
The biggest thing I hear is "there are never any coupons for anything I use".. OK Seriously. I have seen coupons for everything from butt paste to hemorrhoid cream, from toothpaste to toe nail fungus and everything in between. There are things I never pay money for.. that list is different for most, but my big ones are shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, razors some food products and heck some times if I am paying attention toilet paper.. do you use any of that stuff??? I don't know about you, but I brush my teeth at least 1 time per day...deodorize every day, shower every other...I know you are saying, Yeah but I use xyz brand.. Ok I hear ya.. but there are coupons for those!! I am only loyal brand to 2 items.. I must have Miracle Whip and I must have Diet Pepsi... everything else doesn't matter... to me coupons have allowed me to break my brand loyalty.. Hell to be honest here, my only loyal brand before coupons was the store brand..
Sales always cycle around.. if you watch any of the ads for local drugstore/pharmacies you will see they all basically have the same deals.. each offer a "reward" with purchase, sale price that "Can not be beat" and other gimmicks to get you in the door.
Stick with me and I will show you how to get it cheap or free!!! :)
Coupon on!! Melissa
Take the current sale at shaws..GM cereal(lucky charms, cheerios, etc) are on sale for 1.88 each... I had coupons for both I paid less than .30 a box.. normal price on those bad boys was 2.99 I will take that any day of the week. I even stocked up on Hamburger helper..Why not when normal price is over 2$$ and I got it for .38 I may not eat it but once in a while as a quick busy night meal, but for that price its worth it! I was able to score 4 boxes of cheerios, 4 boxes of lucky charms, 12 boxes of hamburger helper, 3 pound butter( on sale 3/5$$) 12 grands jr biscuits, bananas and strawberries all for under 30$$ I saved over 67% ... Now will I eat all those biscuits.. before they expire.. YES.. they do not expire until January and with the cold weather coming.. a lot of stews and soups are on the menu.. cut them into thirds, roll them in sugar and cinnamon and butter, quick easy monkey bread...
The biggest thing I hear is "there are never any coupons for anything I use".. OK Seriously. I have seen coupons for everything from butt paste to hemorrhoid cream, from toothpaste to toe nail fungus and everything in between. There are things I never pay money for.. that list is different for most, but my big ones are shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, razors some food products and heck some times if I am paying attention toilet paper.. do you use any of that stuff??? I don't know about you, but I brush my teeth at least 1 time per day...deodorize every day, shower every other...I know you are saying, Yeah but I use xyz brand.. Ok I hear ya.. but there are coupons for those!! I am only loyal brand to 2 items.. I must have Miracle Whip and I must have Diet Pepsi... everything else doesn't matter... to me coupons have allowed me to break my brand loyalty.. Hell to be honest here, my only loyal brand before coupons was the store brand..
Sales always cycle around.. if you watch any of the ads for local drugstore/pharmacies you will see they all basically have the same deals.. each offer a "reward" with purchase, sale price that "Can not be beat" and other gimmicks to get you in the door.
Stick with me and I will show you how to get it cheap or free!!! :)
Coupon on!! Melissa
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Schools out
Today is officially the last day of school at the school I work at, I have 5 days left until I am officially done for the summer...Ok not completely done as I will put in 7 days from July-September, but the majority will be over!! I look forward to a summer of gardening, canning, spinning, couponing and just plain relaxing!!!
Hope to get blogging more each day!!
Until then Be Good!!
Hope to get blogging more each day!!
Until then Be Good!!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Craziness indeed
I do not know how many of you have ever been to a toy auction, but I will tell you that you will see everyone from every walk of life... And I mean EVERY walk of life.
My local toy auction happens on Thursday nights at Crystal Falls in Chelsea. It usually costs 2$$ to get it and the auction starts at 6pm and usually gets over around 930ish.. Now as the season progresses closer to Christmas the auction will run later each week. The bummer is you are not allowed to bring it outside food(with the exception of drinks) so you have to buy it there... they do have sandwiches, hot dogs, chips and soda if you feel the need to munch.
Every week has different items, the most popular will come back every week or so, but the funniest and funnest is the grab bags... The grab bags are 1$$ a bag and you can not peek into them. The person whose bag contains either Bob's license or a raffle ticket gets to claim the prize. In years past I have seen the prize be 100$$ or higher, most times it is an item or two that were a big hit and he wants to give them away. Grab bags can have anything inside them, last week we got Salley Hansen nail polish, Revlon make up, Loreal face products and my friend got those instant nail polish strips. Stocking stuffer's for a buck.. you got it!!!
As of today there are 68 days until Christmas!!! I know I know, shut up woman, but its true.. Start now with some killer sales, toy auction deals, homemade goodies and crazy coupon deals. I have a dozen or so projects under way and I love giving and receiving homemade/handmade goodies. Yes I know some things can be purchased, but if you put the love and time into making it, it makes it that more special.. Christmas is not the getting for me... its the giving!!! If you are thinking I would love to make something... anything but have no ideas, check out Pinterest!!! They have tons of ideas, tips and tricks to help you become the crafty person you have always wanted to become.
Happy Thursday
My local toy auction happens on Thursday nights at Crystal Falls in Chelsea. It usually costs 2$$ to get it and the auction starts at 6pm and usually gets over around 930ish.. Now as the season progresses closer to Christmas the auction will run later each week. The bummer is you are not allowed to bring it outside food(with the exception of drinks) so you have to buy it there... they do have sandwiches, hot dogs, chips and soda if you feel the need to munch.
Every week has different items, the most popular will come back every week or so, but the funniest and funnest is the grab bags... The grab bags are 1$$ a bag and you can not peek into them. The person whose bag contains either Bob's license or a raffle ticket gets to claim the prize. In years past I have seen the prize be 100$$ or higher, most times it is an item or two that were a big hit and he wants to give them away. Grab bags can have anything inside them, last week we got Salley Hansen nail polish, Revlon make up, Loreal face products and my friend got those instant nail polish strips. Stocking stuffer's for a buck.. you got it!!!
As of today there are 68 days until Christmas!!! I know I know, shut up woman, but its true.. Start now with some killer sales, toy auction deals, homemade goodies and crazy coupon deals. I have a dozen or so projects under way and I love giving and receiving homemade/handmade goodies. Yes I know some things can be purchased, but if you put the love and time into making it, it makes it that more special.. Christmas is not the getting for me... its the giving!!! If you are thinking I would love to make something... anything but have no ideas, check out Pinterest!!! They have tons of ideas, tips and tricks to help you become the crafty person you have always wanted to become.
Happy Thursday
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Holiday preparing
Ok so this is not my typical couponing post, but one of my favorite and most requested Christmas gifts is my crocheted pot scrubbers... Easy to make and safe to use on all types of surfaces. I love to use these on my stoneware, cooked on stains, and the things that need just a little extra oomph to get clean. The great thing is you can throw them into the washer, they are cheap enough to make so you could throw it away.
Ok now that I have rambled a bit I will get to sharing...
Items needed :
size K crochet hook
netting(in your choice of color) Available at Walmart
what I do with the netting is lay it out long ways, fold it in half and keep folding so it is easier to cut.
You need to cut 1 inch strips and tie the ends together...basically you are turning the netting into net yarn.
Once you get a few strips tied together you are ready to start!!
Terms: dc = double crochet
sc = single crochet
sl st = slip stitch
Guage is not important for this scrubber.
Make 2
Round 1: Chain 4, join to form a ring.
Round 2: Chain 3(counts as a first dc now and thru out). 13 dc in ring join with a sl st in 3rd chain. (14 dc)
Round 3: Chain 3, dc in same stitch, work 2dc in each dc around, join with sl st in 3rd chain.(28 dc)
If you want a medium sized pot scrubber finish off and repeat pattern for second scrubber.
(large) Round 4: Chain 3, dc in same stitch, * dc in next stitch, 2 dc in next stitch* repeat ** around join with sl st in 3rd chain (42 dc).
Repeat rounds 1-3(4) but do not finish off, place the back of the first piece of scrubber against working one(basically you are putting them back to back). Working thru both pieces sc in each dc around, join with sl st and finish off.
Now you have my favorite and most requested Christmas gift...
Note: When you come to the knot, I like to push mine to the back, so after you have joined the 2 pieces they are in the middle and not visible.
Ok now that I have rambled a bit I will get to sharing...
Items needed :
size K crochet hook
netting(in your choice of color) Available at Walmart
what I do with the netting is lay it out long ways, fold it in half and keep folding so it is easier to cut.
You need to cut 1 inch strips and tie the ends together...basically you are turning the netting into net yarn.
Once you get a few strips tied together you are ready to start!!
Terms: dc = double crochet
sc = single crochet
sl st = slip stitch
Guage is not important for this scrubber.
Make 2
Round 1: Chain 4, join to form a ring.
Round 2: Chain 3(counts as a first dc now and thru out). 13 dc in ring join with a sl st in 3rd chain. (14 dc)
Round 3: Chain 3, dc in same stitch, work 2dc in each dc around, join with sl st in 3rd chain.(28 dc)
If you want a medium sized pot scrubber finish off and repeat pattern for second scrubber.
(large) Round 4: Chain 3, dc in same stitch, * dc in next stitch, 2 dc in next stitch* repeat ** around join with sl st in 3rd chain (42 dc).
Repeat rounds 1-3(4) but do not finish off, place the back of the first piece of scrubber against working one(basically you are putting them back to back). Working thru both pieces sc in each dc around, join with sl st and finish off.
Now you have my favorite and most requested Christmas gift...
Note: When you come to the knot, I like to push mine to the back, so after you have joined the 2 pieces they are in the middle and not visible.
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