Will the Rain Ever Stop?

Thank goodness for cute grand babies to cheer us up on these dark and gloomy and extremely wet days!

We are having an unseasonably chilly and wet spring here in the Pacific Northwest! And it looks like more rain tomorrow! I'm so glad I went out early this morning for my walk! 

My bush beans must be molding underground because out of about 40 seeds I see one coming up! I'll be waiting a few days to plant again and see if I have better luck with the 3rd round! 

I can only hope that the warmth and sunshine are just around the corner and that my peppers and tomatoes can then begin to grow!

Today's money-saving activity was to hang my laundry on the indoor rack instead of using the dryer. It's the little things that make the difference.

So Excited for Emi!

I love this picture of a beautiful smile!

I have never been sorry that we needed to provide braces for 5 of our 6 children! And now as I look at their amazing adult smiles I would do it all again in a heartbeat! Emi, you are going to love the results of having braces! And I am so grateful for our children who are giving their children the opportunity to have healthy and gorgeous smiles!

I made 3 fabric masks for dad and I. Two for dad to use at work and one for me! We don't wear them often but when dad goes back to the office he will be required to wear a mask there. And I need one for my Costco runs. I found a YouTube video by Jenni Doan on how to whip up a mask in no time flat. I can make one now in less than half an hour. The side you put against your face is made of flannel and the other side is any cotton material of your choice. I actually made one for dad out of the cute car/fire truck material I used for Tyler's apron. I made another more 'adult' one for those days dad may have meetings. Although knowing your dad he will wear the car one more often! Super cheap since I used what materials I had at home.

What a Sweet Family!

It was a chilly and damp weekend, again! Our gardens really need the sun to start growing but we can't get a consistent week of sunshine at all! My poor little peppers and tomatoes cannot seem to get started. Here's hoping for sunshine and heat!

Today I am saving money by having homemade tomato soup and toasted cheese sandwiches for dinner. I made the soup out of our canned tomatoes awhile back, bagged it in freezer bags and now it's available whenever we need a quick meal. And the sandwiches will be made on homemade bread. I would love to be making our own cheese to go with this. Maybe one day!

Such a Beauty!

I love this sweet baby Harper!

Am I the only one who feels a need to plant as much food as I can this season? From watching many of the homestead blogs I follow I know that I am definitely not the only one! So many people are planting more, buying more animals for their own food consumption and clearing more land for even more food planting. We don't have a lot of space in our backyard that gets a decent amount of sunshine but yesterday I planted more beans and carrots in a small area that once held a sandbox. There isn't an inch of space that we haven't planted something and I love that!!!

It's just a feeling we have to plant more and more but so often those feelings turn out to be correct!

She's so pretty and joyful!

It's been a peaceful two days because I banned myself from Facebook and all news outlets. The world may be going to heck in a hand basket but I needed a break from all the ugly. I'll return but I will not allow the uglies to erase the good and the beautiful in the world! Like my granddaughter Kayla!

How did I save money today? I made and canned more chicken broth. When I learned how easy it was to make my own I became addicted to keeping my pantry stocked with this deliciousness! I learned on The Freedom Homestead vlog how to make it. Check them out on YouTube! I love her comment about how 'it looks like I'm cooking garbage'! All it took was a chicken carcass, leftover veggie scraps that I froze,  some garlic and whatever spices I have on hand with water to cover it all in a crock pot! Then I let it cook on low overnight. In the morning I drained all the healthy broth into a pot, heated it up and processed it for 20 minutes in a pressure canner! I got 7 beautiful pints and it's delicious! 

Hooray for Sunshine!

Of course 60 degrees is swimming pool weather!!!

It doesn't matter if it's 80 degrees or 90 or 60! A swimming pool means fun for kids!

My money saving tip for Monday was to use up the rice from our stir fry meal a few days ago. I had canned quart jars of soup a while back and when you cook it up you throw in some pasta or rice. I'm telling you the soup was awesome! And we didn't have to throw away the left over rice because I let it go bad. Score!

The soup is a Chicken Soup recipe out of my Amish Canning Cookbook! I highly recommend this book if you are serious about canning! I got it on Amazon!

Still Saving!

Somebody's getting big!

Harper sure enjoyed her time in the bouncer toy! Isn't she adorable? 

So how did I save on the Sabbath yesterday, since we don't shop anyways? I saved money by pulling out some frozen chopped ham out of our meat freezer to make a great Ham and Potato Bake. We had the ham for Easter dinner and I froze the leftovers in 2 cup containers to use for future meals. It's all about using our leftovers wisely and not being wasteful! It was a wonderful dinner that was also a frugal meal! And the side dish was a salad made with home grown lettuce, kale and radishes!

Ham & Potato Bake

Saute' 2 Tbls chopped onion in 1/4 cup butter. Blend in 1/4 cup flour, 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp dry mustard and a dash of pepper. Gradually add 1 and 1/2 cups milk; cook, stirring constantly until thickened. Add 1 and 1/2 cups cheddar cheese; stir until melted. Toss 6 cups cooked sliced potatoes and leftover ham in cheese sauce. Pour into casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees!