Saving to be a Daddy.. at the Lemonade Stand

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There was so much cuteness happening here I could hardly stand it.  

My little men and there first entrepreneurial adventure. Nana Bartlett had a garage sale and so graciously let these two handsome boys set up shop in her driveway. 

Spencer got caught the stomach flu the first day, but Jackson did his mom and dad proud and ran the stand on his own. When he was asked by the neighbor lady what he was going to do with all of his money he said, "Save for church, save to be a daddy, and buy a gun." 

 A beautiful little princess decided to offer her cuteness services to the cause. She grabbed her chair and parked it right in front of the table. Glasses of lemonade were flying off the table.

Justin and I learned some valuable parenting tips from this lemonade stand too. We talked about how we earned quite a bit of cash when we were kids, but when we got married we didn't have much to show for it. That money was gone... long gone. Gone to purchase drum sets, or clothing, or golf clubs or to the movies or whatever our little hearts desires were. We talked about how much money kids receive throughout their childhood. From birthdays, working, memorizing scripture, getting good grades, and completing other milestones.
Our hope is that our boys will be preparing to be daddies, even at this young age, and that they can learn to put off their own desires and begin to think about their families even now. What a gift they will be able to give their wife one day when they walk down the isle, financial sound, ready to provide for their family.

So we made a plan to help them save the largest percent of their money for the future.

The cash total $48. We divided that between the two of them.
Jack: $24
Spencer: $24

10% went to church. 70% went in a saving account "to be a daddy". 20% was given to them for something that they could enjoy.
$2.40 Church
$16.80 Daddy Fund
$4.80 For something special (quite possibly a gun or tractor)

Right now... all our boys want to do is be like their dad. It was the best moment ever, to see that look on their faces when they were able to start working and doing something toward being more like their dad!

Two Pregnant Mommas

Pin It Maria and I are two weeks apart. 32 and 34 weeks this week. Yesterday we decided to do a doctor appointment and shopping trip marathon. The day ended with a stop at Sam's Club and a van door that would barely close.

 We were quite proud that we managed the exhaustion of the day so well. However, we might be soaking our feet and slipping in and out of mini comas today. It was well worth it!

There is nothing like a sister.

Asparagus... You Have No Idea

Pin It 25 pounds... 25 pounds.

When I asked my husband WHY?, he said, "I thought that is what everyone was getting." Bless that generous man. He doesn't spare any cost when it comes to me.

I can just picture it now, "25 pounds for my beautiful wife! Only the best for her."

Little did he know that I have no history with asparagus. I have grilled them once or twice, but that was the extent of my knowledge.

I didn't hear great things either about freezing or canning. So... I hopped in the car and delivered about half of my loot to friends, family, strangers I met on the road... anyone who would whittle my pile down for me. That still left me with about 15 pounds.

Here is all the asparagus knowledge I have acquired in the last few days. What is the saying? "Necessity is the mother of all learning." Very true. My 15 pounds of asparagus have brought me mountains of new knowledge and I know longer fear what my hubby may bring me home next.

Freezing Asparagus

I decided to go ahead and freeze some of the asparagus. I had so much that there was really no other options... and it was super easy.

Pots of hot water ready!

Asparagus washed and the bottoms snipped off

Then I blanched the asparagus for 1 minute. I read a ton of different information, but it looked like people blanched anywhere from 1-5 minutes. Frozen asparagus already tend to be mushy so I wanted to have it cook the least amount of time possible.

Then I put it in ice water in my sink. I dried it really good and put it in freezer bags. DONE. Very easy. If it does turn out mushy, I don't mind, because I will just use it... in my asparagus soup. That is the next on the list. Oh... my goodness... amazing.

Asparagus Soup

This is one of my new favorite soups (not my hubby's... he wouldn't even try it. We are still fighting about it). It calls for 3 pounds of asparagus. That is a lot.

I had to weigh it on my bathroom scale.

Recipe:

3 pounds of asparagus
8 cups chicken stock
4 T. butter
1 C. onion
1 T. minced garlic
1/2 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1 1/2 c. Heavy cream of half and half
1/2 flour

• First break off all the tips and save them for later

• Cook onion and garlic in butter for three minutes. Add salt and pepper

• Add asparagus pieces minus the tips and stock and let it simmer until the asparagus is tender 10-15 minutes

• Remove from heat and transfer the mixture to a blender. Here is the trick. You can't put much in the blender because when you hit BLEND it doubles in size. The burn on my arm and soup on the cupboards across the room was the hard way to learn that lesson. Please air on the cautious side

The left is how much I started with. The right it what it looks like when blending.

• Then I put it all the blended soup back in the pot. I mixed the cream with about 1/4 to 1/2 c. flour. It has to be mixed together very well... NO CLUMPS. I brought that to a boil for about 1 minute and added the tips. Then I let it simmer for 5 minutes or until the soup thickened and the tips were soft.
• That is it! It was so good and I am sure very good for you with three pounds of asparagus blended up.

A jar for my Father-in-law

The Fridge

We had a ton of people over that week and we served asparagus to everyone. To keep it fresh I snipped about 1/2 inch off the bottom and stuck it in water in my fridge. It can last up to two weeks that way and still stay very fresh. I must of had about 5 pounds in there.

When our guests came I snipped off the rest of the woody stem and put the whole asparagus in a frying pan with about 4 T of butter (spare no expense on the butter), garlic salt and pepper. I cook them on low for about 5 minutes until they are slightly soft and then cover them with Parmesan cheese.

I might ASK for 25 pound next year if my husband decides to call before putting in his order. I am no longer scared.

Can You Pray For Me Mom?

Pin It It was 10:30 and I set my alarm for 12:00. I had to get the cinnamon rolls out to rise so they would be ready to go in the oven at 6:00 a.m. Midnight came and went, cinnamon rolls rose beautifully, but a little man woke up at 4:00 throwing up. I couldn't hear him because the fan was going in my room. Thank goodness, God gives us moms intuition. I walked in right as he finished up.

Throw up on the ladder, floor, rug, Jack's bed, the comforter, the dresser, window and I am sure some hidden places that I haven't found yet.

In that moment... God gave me a special gift. I was so tired. I knew we had a long and early day ahead of us, not to mention, a mountain of clean up and laundry that needed to happen right then. As I walked Spencer to the couch he said, "Mom can you pray for me tomorrow?"


"I can pray for you right now buddy."


The pure joy of seeing your children walk with the Lord. The excitement of a mom having a child realize they should talk to the Lord first if they are sick or hurting or in trouble.

The throw up didn't stop. A little treat that happened about every 45 minutes and a few poop filled PJ's and underwear thrown in there. 

It didn't matter because that sweet memory is so fresh in my mind. Just a few minutes ago after another stomach wrenching vomit he ask for prayer again.

Thank you Lord that they are gaining understanding and that the faith of my children is strengthening my faith.

May Days (Daze)

Pin It I should be picking up right now, maybe scraping the rice crispy treat droppings of my floor. BUT... I am too tired. My feet are on fire. Literally, FIRE. I have to soak them at night, in the tub, in ice cold water before I can fall asleep.

I have hidden from my blog for the last week because I know I don't have the time to write anything that would make a bit of sense. I had high hopes for this month. At the beginning it looked quite open and carefree and now it has turned into a whirlwind of events. I secretly like the busyness (because it keeps my mind off my growing belly), but I still complain to my husband about how tired and overworked I am just because I want him to say I am a superhero. He does not say it... he just looks at me with his "your crazy" expression and moves on. Love ya Babe.

Really... in the last week

•  My hubby brought home 25 pounds of asparagus for me to somehow "put up" (do you have any idea what 25 pounds of asparagus looks like?)
• Justin was studying, took, and passed his Real Estate Brokers test (Great job Babe!). 
• The garden shed in getting a face lift
• The front of the house is tore up
• Three rental houses need to be cleaned
• We are doing a garage sale with my in-laws this weekend and the boys are selling baked goods (bless their little hearts, they love to help with the prep, but it is slow going)
• It is warm... so I feel like if I don't hang my laundry on the line I will go to Frugal Mom Hell, which must be a real place because my cloths are hangin' on the line
• My flowers... my beautiful flowers... will freeze or die if I leave them unattended

AND...My babies... my beautiful three babies... are growing up and needing to be cuddled and disciplined and snuggled and showered (that is not happening enough) and corrected and taught and smiled at and so much more.

It is crazy here, but this summer is looking so very sweet!

Snack Plates

Pin It I can't remember which book I read this in or it could have been one of my sisters who let me in on this little secret, but the snack plate has become a lunch staple at our house. We eat it at least twice a week for lunch.

It is very simple. I do a meat, cheese and a fruit. It is a great way to get rid of any leftovers and the kids like it. If they are lucky they get cracker, but they are not usually very lucky.

Here are a couple popular snack plate combos at our house:

• lunch meat, string cheese, apples
• cooked chicken, cheese slice, banana
• cubed ham, shredded cheese, pears

I also like to use leftover broccoli, green beans, salad, or a boiled egg.

To add to the ease of the snack plate, throw a paper plate in there. A clean up dream come true.

Super Easy Homemade Laundry Soap

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This has to be the best way I have saved money this year. It is so much cheaper then buying soap and it really only takes about 15 minutes. With the amount of laundry we have been doing this year I was in major need of a laundry soap makeover.
I found all of the ingredients at my local Wal-mart right in the laundry section.
This is what you need:

1/3 bar Fels Naptha

1/2 c. washing soda

1/2 Borax powder

a pail or bucket about 2 gallon size

* I do a double batch in the bucket you see and it fills it right to the top. It is a 5 gallon bucket.

This is what you do: 

Grate the Fels naptha into a pot ( I just use my cheese grater). Add 6 cups of water to the pot and heat it until the soap melts. 

(You can see some of the soap is still not dissolved yet here.)

Add the Borax and washing soda. Stir until it is dissolved and then remove from heat.

Pour 4 cups of hot water into your bucket and then add the soap mixture and stir.

Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups (22 cups) of water and stir.

Let is sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. I read somewhere that it would be like an egg drop soup constancy and that is a good way to describe it. The lady I got the recipe from (http://www.thefamilyhomestead.com/laundrysoap.htm ) said that it worked out to be .71 a batch. That is insane. I usually spent around $10 a month for the same thing.

A couple more things:

1. You use a 1/2 cup per load

2. If you want it less watery and more gel constancy you can use 1/2 bar of Fels Naptha. 

3. This will get the clothes clean, but there are little to no suds. That is just how it works... that is all I can tell you.

4. If you want some more smell then the Fels Naptha gives you can add some essential oil or fragrance oil. These are found in the laundry isle too.

5. I do a double batch because I found this big bucket and then I can make it 1/2 as often.

Just give it a try. It is so easy and cheap.

If you are too scared to try it you can come over and make it with me next time. Then we can sit and have coffee!

10 Weapons of a Stay- At- Home Mom

Pin It A classic day at home... I wake up at six, but can't seem to shower until nap time at 2:00. I seem to squeeze by with little showering, little primping, little personal shopping and, overall, very low personal hygiene. How is it possible that complete strangers can stop by my home and don't feel like they have entered a morgue instead of smelling my Santa Fe Chicken in the crock pot?

These are my weapons to cheat the system and appear presentable and operational when really... I am no where near it. Some common things that most people think are a must... are not for us ladies who have no one, but the Lord, who  might see us in a day. However, there is that lingering fear that a visitor could pop in at any time are these are my secrets to keep us looking like we have some sort of organization when really that may be far from true.

1. Bra - we know they were made to wear everyday, but for some reason getting naked and putting it on is the last thing we want to do in the morning. If I can fight through this hatred early on, I can kick some serious butt throughout the day.
2. Cook - have something cooking. If your unannounced visitor smells cookies or dinner that my take their mind of the mess they see on the floor.
3. Eyeliner - You could have had less than 2 hours of interrupted sleep last night, but if the eyeliner is on they may be able to see the whites of your eyes.
4. The Rat- this also might be known as teasing your hair, but among the 7 girls in my family... we would RAT those long locks. A couple swipes of the comb around the crown of your head and the grease and bedhead you have acquired in the last four days of no showering will quickly disappear.
5. Jeans - Some other stay-at-home moms may not agree, but if I have jeans on (not my cozy, ever giving waistline, black yoga pants) I can get the job done. If I leave on any stretchy pants I want to eat breakfast and drink coffee until noon (maybe longer).
6. Teeth - Brush. Very simple. A loving gesture for the uninvited guest.
7. Respectful and Obedient Kids - we train for this a lot at our house. A visitor is a treat and we should all be excited and give them our full attention. The kids answer questions directed to them and, hopefully (this is still a work in progress) don't interrupt. If your kids are sweet and well behaved a visitor might leave thinking, "Well, at least, those kids are a joy to be around. She could use a house-cleaner though."
8. A Understanding Husband - "Babe, the carpet guy is going to be there in five to pick up a check." God love you, my man. All I needed was those five minutes of prep time and this place went from the relaxation station to boot camp.
9. Smile - If all else fails and none of the previous weapons were available before someone stops in... a joyful heart for the home and family God has given you might just be the only thing that they remember!
10. The Plan - If the plan was to pay bills this morning and your pastor's wife stopped in with a book to find you in the middle of disciplining a VERY unruly child, beef stroganof on your zip-up, and dirty underwear in the entryway, then don't feel bad. You wanted to pay the bills and you did. If she stopped in and you are just being lazy and have no plan for the day, then do better tomorrow. I try to do the 9-noon-5 plan. Those are my checkpoint times. By 9:00 I try to have everyone dressed, fed and presentable. By noon we start a pick up and get things tidy before naps. At 5:00 we do another pick up before dad gets home. If you stop in at 8:30... well, we are doing our best. Have a little grace!