What the What?

Time literally flew by!

Doug and I with our youngest, Brady

Our youngest with his firstborn, Harper!

So excited for a new year, a new decade of finding ways to cut costs, to spend less and enjoy life on what I am given and now on what I wish I had!

Holiday Seasons!

Belated Halloween Pix

Aren't these all adorable?

Sadly I haven't learned how to download Instagram pix to my phone but hopefully I'll have our New York grandchildren's Halloween pictures soon! Yes I know it's almost Thanksgiving but time flies by so you get the pictures when you get the pictures! 😉

I am still working on the Family History room and I  have moved all of the photo albums and baby books to shelves down there. My goal is to go to the Family History Center each Thursday for a couple of hours and get my disorganized stuff into some form of order. Thank you Becky and Brian for the Office Depot gift card.  Yesterday I picked up red, blue and yellow file folders and have put families together with husbands in the blue file, wives in the red and children in the yellow. Into these folders will go birth and death certificates, pictures and all other information that I can gather. I'm very excited!

Families are everything and having this room dedicated to searching out our ancestors makes me very happy and feeling very blessed!

Family History

Getting it Set Up!

My family history file cabinet!

My desk to work from!

My inspiration!

And more inspiration!

One of my goals for retirement was to work on family history. I knew I needed a spot specifically for family history because when I tried to do it in my office, everything was in disarray!

So the back corner bedroom became the family history room. I brought down a file cabinet from my office and have placed what work I have done inside. I also put up family pictures to inspire me and will put more up as well. And finally this relief society craft project which explains why I do family history. Truly because family is everything!  

I hope to move our photo albums and pictures into this room as well so that everything is together. I love this room and I enjoy what happens here!

Getting Ready!

This Should Make Wrapping Easier!

I am ready now with everything but presents! I dragged a table from the furnace room into the library and set it up. I then attached our wrapping paper holder to the table. Dad made me this holder years ago and it's been such a blessing. As you can see I have ribbon on the top rung and bows on top of it all. Down below I have Christmas bags, tissue paper, gift tags and gift boxes. And of course there's scissors and tape. I remember years ago attending a Relief Society class where our Stake President's wife taught us her tips and tricks for making this part of the season easier. It was from her that we got the idea for the wrapping paper holder. She also recommended a heavy duty tape dispenser which makes getting tape a one-handed job! Brilliant! I'm excited to start wrapping whatever needs to be wrapped now! Let it all begin!!!

Trying to Catch Up!

FAMILIES ARE MY JOY!

I don't know why I haven't posted more pictures each week! But  here's a compilation of some awfully cute people!

Our area has certainly entered the Fall season. There was a very heavy frost on the front lawn this morning and it was still there when we left for Costco at 9:45 AM. Brrrrr!!!!

I have determined not to buy items that I can make for pennies on the dollar here at home. Today I made some wonderful french bread to go along with our Poor Man's Lasagna dinner on Thursday. And tomorrow I will make some tortillas for chicken fajitas on Wednesday! And I will share a new English muffin recipe I saw demonstrated on one of my favorite vlogs, Living Traditions Homestead as soon as I try it this week. I'm hoping to use them for English muffin pizzas on Friday. 

I will be picking up a couple more turkeys from Winco as soon as I reorganize our meat freezer to make room. I'm planning to cook a turkey about every 4 months so 3 should work. I have some wonderful leftover turkey recipes that I plan to use and you just can't beat the price during this holiday season!

Has anyone tried those amazing granola bars yet? Just let me say that I have made a couple more batches since I posted it and yes they are addicting! And knowing what's in them makes me so happy!

That's it for today but I hope tomorrow finds us all saving a dollar here and a dollar there!

Happy Halloween!

Isn't she the cutest little punkin?

Today is our ward Harvest Party and I am running around the house gathering items for the Young Women's spooky laboratory! We'll start with dinner, have the activities and end with the Trunk or Treat. I think I'll let dad hand out candy at the trunk or treat so I can help clean up the Relief Society room where our activities will be. It should all be lots of fun!

I cannot even believe that November starts this week! WHAT! I will tell you that here at home the weather has decided to be super cold. When I woke up at 4:30 AM it was 15 degrees and then at 7:00 PM it was 13 degrees! Holy Hannah! Makes me very grateful for the blessings of a working furnace and a warm home!

For my saving money portion yesterday I went to get my flu shot and afterwards went to Cash & Carry. I picked up a gallon of mayonnaise, #10 cans of pizza sauce and ketchup, mini peppers, yeast and a gallon of white vinegar. The prices are really good there and everything added up to under $30 and these items will last quite a while. (Except the mini peppers which I bought to dip into my homemade hummus) I love saving money, I love being frugal, I love making do with what we have!!

Making Money When You're Not Employed!

Some people just radiate style and confidence! 

Isn't this the best picture of a boy who knows he has what it takes? Love this!

Now let me get to the title of this post. Because we decided that I would retire to prevent further injuring my back and that I would wait a couple more years before I collect Social Security in order to receive more each month., (I still don't totally get it but dad knows so I'm good) I am no longer receiving a paycheck. Who knew that when you stopped working, they stopped paying? LOL!

But I want you to know that even though I am home I am earning money in a variety of ways. 

1. I am able to make everything from scratch now because I have the time to do so. When I plan the weeks menu I see if there is anything that I can make from ingredients we have and do it.
2. Again, because I have the time now I can see what is in the pantry and freezer and food storage room and use those items instead of running to the store! 
3. I have more time to search out recipes that use up what we have stored and canned and have in the freezer!
4. I am more intentional about what I spend our money on. And the money that I saved once I knew I would retire is there for those things that we deem necessary.

There are many more reasons but I just wanted to share a few to show that just because I am no longer bringing in an income I am still contributing to our household. And every stay at home mom, or retired person or anyone unable to work out of the home but still wants to be a contributing member of the family, can. 

Finally, I want to share a recipe that I found at Brooklyn Farm Girl. These granola bars are so incredibly delicious and addicting and yet so easy to make. You have got to try them!

Chocolate Chip Granola Bars

2 cups quick cooking oats

1 cup crispy rice cereal

1/3 cup salted butter

1/4 cup light brown sugar

1/4 cup honey

1 tsp vanilla

3 T mini chocolate chips (I used regular size)

Put parchment paper in a 8x8 pan. Let paper over hang sides. You could also spray the pan with cooking spray. Mix oats and cereal together in a large bowl. In a small saucepan melt butter, brown sugar and honey on med-hi heat until melted. Once it begins to bubble put heat on lo and stir for 2 minutes. Remove from stove and put in vanilla. Pour mixture over oats and cereal and stir well, really well. Put mixture into prepared pan and push down with another layer of parchment paper. Take at least a minute to a  minute and a half to make sure it's pushed in firmly. You can sprinkle chocolate chips over it, cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge for at least 2 hours. Take out, cut into bars and enjoy!

A microwave option is to put butter, honey and brown sugar in microwave bowl and heat on high for 1 minute. Remove and stir until butter is melted and then return to microwave for another 1 1/2 minutes on high! Remove and stir in vanilla. Oh my goodness these are good. I think I'm going to go eat one! 

Staying Healthy by Eating Healthy

Today was a day of baking bread and making flour tortillas for fajitas! Because of my continuous stomach issues I am trying to avoid processed foods. The tortillas were so easy to make and I cooked them on my crepe maker. Here's the easy peasy recipe:

Flour Tortillas

3 cups flour

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1 cup warm water (pour in a little at a time while mixing, I didn't use all the water)

Mix all the ingredients until a ball forms. Take about 1/4 cup worth of dough and roll out. Cook on a flat skillet or use a crepe make like I did. 

See what I mean by easy?  I'm not going to lie, cooking from scratch is definitely time-consuming. I could have bought the tortillas but when they're so easy peasy and take only about 10 minutes to mix and throw on the griddle I can take the time. I hope you try this recipe and I challenge you to see what other food items you can make from scratch. It's worth it to know what you're putting in your body!

And here's a throwback photo in honor of the Halloween season! Looking so cute Maran! 

What To Do When You're Done Canning!

Canning Water

I have added 34 jars to my collection of bottled water in the last couple of days. I have saved my large mouth jars because I just bought 40 pounds of chicken and will be canning that tomorrow and Saturday. But it is one of the best ideas that I found online to keep my empty jars full of water. It makes sense for two reasons: I have a good supply of water for storage and it keeps my jars clean and bug free. Thank goodness I enjoy canning, even just bottled water.

Good Days!

Little Red and Me!

This picture is such a great reminder of sunny weather and a beautiful place to hike! And a great time with dad and Zach!

Mondays like today are my favorite! I made a list of things to do and got it all done! I started a crock pot of potato soup, made some amazing dinner rolls and made 2 loafs of french bread. We're having spaghetti on Thursday and I wanted to make my own french bread to go along with it. I'll freeze one loaf for next week. Do you realize that french bread is just flour, water, yeast, sugar and salt? It took me 10 minutes to mix the ingredients and the rest of the time was just waiting for it all to rise. It feels good to make everything from scratch and it tastes so good! It's truly worth the extra effort to make it yourself!

Going Shopping!

The Kindness of Others!

One of dad's coworker's bought these cute outfits for the triplets and Becky shared back pictures of them. The friend of dad's is named Julie and calls our little Julie her namesake! On Julie's outfit was a little J pin! That was so sweet of her! And they look adorable!

Yesterday was payday and I actually went out today and bought ground beef. It was $2.99 a pound for the 93/7 type of beef. I bought about 10 pounds worth.  I remember buying beef when you kids were little and paying .99 a pound. I do wonder how young families are making their dollars stretch with food prices being what they are. But I imagine you all are doing what we did, a lot of casseroles, not a lot of processed and packaged food and being smart at the grocery store. When I got the meat home I packaged it in 12 oz. portions and I have 17 containers in the freezer now to pull out and use in sauces and casseroles. That makes me happy!

What Do You Do?

Our Little Miracle!

Such a blessing to have happen to our family! We feel such gratitude to our Father in Heaven for the successful surgery that happened to Lacey! We continue to pray for a quick and painless recovery!

Yesterday I went to watch 2 of my young women play softball over at Salk. One was on the JV team and the other plays Varsity. While I was there I saw two teachers that I used to work with. It was great to see them but what I thought was interesting was that both asked me, 'what do you do now?' And to be perfectly honest I stammered and stuttered to answer. To one I said in jest, 'absolutely nothing' and to the other I rattled off a list of things that I have been doing such as visiting family, going to the temple and gardening. But as I later thought about it I was mad at myself for feeling defensive about being retired and wanting to justify my being at home! It was how I felt when I was a stay-at-home mom. Surely I was doing more than running a household and raising a family? (Sarcasm intended)

So I have come up with my answer should I find myself asked again and I'm sure I will be. I will reply that 'every day is different and I look at what needs to be done that day and what the Lord will prompt me to do'. 

For instance, today I made my to-do list (which I do every day) and thought 'I am going to get a lot done today'. And while I did get a lot done, there were a number of things I didn't get done. Because there were texts to send out about our combined activity tomorrow and some of my chores took longer to do and the Relief Society bulletin board materials that I needed to collect took about 2 hours instead of the 1 hour I had allotted it. So on tomorrow's to-do list I will add canning tomatoes, putting up the bulletin board and finding a new cross stitch pattern to begin. And that's okay. My days are mine and I fill them as I see fit and you know what? 

That makes me very, very happy!

Catching Up!

Some photos from our latest trip to Lehi!

It was a great trip and I was so grateful to be there for the triplets blessing! 

The night before we left for home I began to have symptoms of diverticulitis and it followed me home. Today, one week later I am finally feeling better. Wow! If I ever needed a wake up call to begin my healthy eating regimen, this was it! I did about 36 hours of a clear liquid diet to begin the healing and now I am watching every bite that enters my mouth. I haven't had any sugar or fried food in the last week and for me that's nigh on miraculous! I am snacking on fruits and veggies and I am very mindful of what goes in to this highly susceptible body of mine. I want to live a healthy life and I believe that means whole foods and very little processed food. As Michael Pollan says, 'if it came from a plant, eat it. If it was made in a plant, don't.' Wise words. 

How did I save money this week? 

Well, I haven't gone shopping, I don't have the energy yet to go shopping so we have been eating what's in the house! Yay! 

Dad replaced the curling iron I left at Becky's with a $2.00 thrift store one that is a conair and works better than my old one.

I love saving money and I love figuring out how to not spend it when emergencies seem to crop up. A good way to live in my book

Using What We've Got!

This is the washing table that Dad built for me. Nothing fancy-schmancy but it will be great to use when we harvest our potatoes. I'll lay the veggies on the wire and wash from above and beneath. I got the idea from a vlog I follow called 'Sow the Land'. Dad used leftover wood and some leftover chicken wire we had from when he reinforced the coop. 

Another idea I want to share is buying meat. I was toying with the idea of buying a 1/4 or 1/8 side of meat (pork or beef) from a local meat store but then I remembered something. Dad and I have discussed our meat storage and we thought 'why not buy in bulk when the grocery stores have it on sale'? No it's not organic or grass fed but our budget right now doesn't allow for us to spend over $4.00 a lb. for meat. So I bought 4 good sized roasts and 8 packages of pork chops from Yoke's and Rosauers. They were no more than $2.99 a lb. and the chops from Yoke's were $1.49 a lb! As the holidays approach I will pick up hams and turkeys to add to our meat storage. I spent about $75.00 and the meat will last us for about 4 meals each. How you ask? As a main entree, in hash, in soup, casseroles and often times I add the leftover meat to scrambled eggs. So we can maybe get 32 meals out of this meat! Yay!

Saving Money in Oh so Many Ways!

This was a picture of the twins Becky sent me on their #2 birthday! 

How did we save money this week? I must admit I did spend a bit more than usual on food. It was my turn to host Book Club on Thursday and it felt like a cheese and crackers day! So I bought 1 lb. blocks of Monterrey Jack, Medium Cheddar and Colby! A bit of a splurge but buying it all at Winco helped a lot!

Yesterday Dad made me a washing center. This will come in handy every time we harvest carrots, potatoes, peppers or anything that's covered with dirt. It's a table that has chicken fencing as it's table top. And it's about waist high. I'll try to get a picture next time! I'll put my produce on top and hose everything clean and the water will run back into the ground. I've seen versions of these on my homesteading vlogs and I knew dad could whip something up! 

I also harvested herbs from my raised bed herb harden out back. I have sage drying in the house, I dehydrated thyme and put all the leaves in a jar and I flash froze chive to use throughout the winter. All spices are better when they're your own homegrown herbs.

We have started putting buckets under the gutters of our house where the rain runs off. I'm using it to water my plants. We're on the lookout for a pretty big bucket that dad can insert a spigot into and we can harvest water all year long! 

It makes me happy to reuse and also be creative with what the Lord has blessed us with! I hope you had a great money-saving week also!!!

A Quick Update!

Dad and his deals!

This is a Belgian Waffler made by Toastmaster. I've been wanting a Belgian waffle maker since this past summer. Becky and Brian have one and they are the most delicious treat to have for dinner! But I knew I didn't want to spend a lot of money on one. Dad found this one at a thrift store of course. Not sure how much he paid but I doubt it was more than a few dollars. That's just how we roll. I tried it using some of the leftover sourdough pancake mix from last night's dinner. Yum! This is going to be a great addition to our home. And now I can finally get rid of the poor pancake/waffle maker that we've had for about 20 years. It was a good buy but it no longer holds together well and the poor griddle is in bad shape. You don't have to have everything brand new and there's something about getting a good product for next to nothing!

Focusing on Important Things!

Families are Our Focus!

While I was in Utah Dad got the pictures of all our grandchildren into the window frame. I think we need another window frame, don't you? And he updated our Grand-kids board as well. I love looking at these beautiful children and knowing that we are an eternal family! Families are the Mitchell's focus for sure!

We are harvesting the produce from our garden. Yesterday I got 8 pints of carrots and today I canned 7 pints of tomatoes. Tonight while I'm at young women's dad will be picking corn. I'd like to get that canned before the weekends up. It's good to see the jars on the shelf. It makes me happy! I'm hoping to get our garlic planted also and dad will be moving the peach tree over by the apple tree. Lots to do but I love it all!

Weekend in Utah!

So much fun with family!

So big!

She is a ham!

Ready for church!

Let's eat cake!

Tyler loves Daniel Tiger!

Ivy is wearing the latest Elmo look!

We should have bought 2 of these!

She prefers that you draw on her pad!

Thanks for the help Aunt Elisa!

This is heaven!