PREACHER COOKIES!!!!!

Well if you have any idea what I'm talking about then you are probably wanting one with a tall cold glass of milk. I am a coffee lover but I have to have milk with these cookies. I have been trying for years to make them from all sorts of recipes and it always ends in a mess. Usually they are too runny and I can't get them off of the wax paper then I have to store them in the fridge so they don't melt. Well not anymore. I'm here to give you the most wonderful recipe and so easy and cheap. (not to mention melt in your mouth good) A very dear lady who is closer to family than she is a friend gave me a cookbook. Actually she gave all the girls in our family the same book. It is recipes from Pleasant Hill Baptist Church and the recipe is called Mammaw Blanche's Preacher Cookies. I don't want to offend or upset anyone so I won't mention the lady's name that submitted this recipe.(even though they totally rock!)

1. 1/4 cup of milk
2. 1/4 cup of butter
3. 1/4 cup of cocoa
4. 1/4 cup of peanut butter
5. 1 cup of sugar
6. 1 3/4 cups of oatmeal

Mix together milk, sugar, butter, and cocoa in a saucepan. Bring to a boil and boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter and oats until well blended. Drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper and cool to set. Store in airtight container.

I recycle cereal bags instead of buying wax paper. It works great and I feel like at least I got a second use out or it before throwing it away. It only takes like 5 minutes for these to set up and you probably don't have to worry with the airtight container because these are addictive. My boys can almost swallow them whole. Well hope you like the recipe as much as my family does. This is a great one to get the kids to help you with.

Another month withour dryer sheets...

Well as you know I have chosen not to buy anymore dryer sheets. I almost did on numerous occasions but after standing there in the middle of the grocery store isle I was overcome with guilt. I have guilt issues you see, over everything. (my husband thinks I should see a shrink but come on in today's society people don't feel enough guilt) So anyway I thought to myself (most likely out loud) why spend 4 dollars on dryer sheets that are filled with chemicals and one more thing that's going to ruin the environment? I mean come on that's a gallon of milk for Pete's sake! Then I counter that guilt with the fact that if I buy a name brand dryer sheet I can cut them in half and they would last longer, but the whole environment thing is still there lurking in the background. It's talking to me asking me if a dryer sheet is really needed. Is it a need or a want? I thought you were going green, buying less, living more? I heard all this in my head running around and bumping into my skull. I walked away. I got home and decided to come up with a better idea for the dryer. The soap idea was making a mess with soap dust. I haven't tried cheaper soap yet, which I will when it goes on sale. I have a couple of tennis balls that I use and I have added a rock that is oval shaped and smooth which I put in the sock that previously contained the soap. I then double socked it so it wouldn't chip the inside of my dryer and GOOD NIGHT IRENE! I have a winner. I also try to hang out as much a possible and with fall coming it gets things dry pretty quick out there so I should be in business. I just pray that whoever reads this can make sense of my whole guilt talk. As my brother says you shouldn't worry when you hear me talking to myself, only worry if I start answering myself. Have a great day.

Sausage gravy. Take a ride on the gravy train...

Well as you all know I am from the south. You can't live below D.C. and not love gravy and biscuits. There is nothing in the world greater than to sit down to sausage gravy, biscuits, a couple of fried eggs, sliced tomatoes, and a cup of coffee. Talk about sticking to your ribs.(and abs, hips, thighs....) Anyway it is very easy and my hubby and boys love it. So without further hesitation here we have it.

1. 1/2 pound sausage browned and crumbled
2. milk I normally use powdered milk that I like to keep in fridge just for cooking.
3. Va. best seasoned flour or any kind and add salt and pepper to taste
4. Bacon grease or margarine
5. Biscuits those directions on a previous blog

So obviously you brown your sausage and crumble it all up. I do that as I am frying it. When done remove it and add about 2 tablespoons of grease to your pan. When it has melted add the seasoned flour and take a spatula and spread around until you have a paste. If still allot of extra grease then add more flour and if you add too much flour you can always add more grease. This is not rocket science. Do not feel stressed. Moving the flour around until it gets browned but not burnt is your next job. Then add milk. On a regular sized frying pan I usually add around 1 qt. of milk. Turn the heat up and take a whisk and keep it moving until your gravy comes to a hard boil. Do not let it stick to the bottom of the pan it will burn. Since I mainly use nonstick pans my mom bought me a whisk at the dollar store to make my gravy.(she was tired of watching me use a rubber spatula) When your gravy starts to thicken pretty good turn the heat off and wait on the biscuits. You can't beat this on the weekend or for dinner and talk about a cheap meal that will feed the whole family. You can substitute the sausage with hamburger, turkey burger, deer meat canned or ground. You can even omit the meat and just make the gravy on your bacon grease. Just as with the biscuits the more you make this the easier it gets and better it tastes. Good Luck.

My great Kroper deals for the week..

Well krogers had general mills cereal on sale 2 for $4.oo and I had one coupon for $1.50 off of three boxes and $1.00 of of a box of cheerios. So I got 4 boxes of cereal for $1.50. I can hardly believe it myself. Since I started spending less I have refused to pay more than $1.50 for a box of cereal so I really made a great buy. The next purchase was 8 gerber graduates pasta pickups and 2 gerber graduates veggie crackers. I had two .75 cent off coupons. I also purchased two gerber graduates meals which I also had a .75 cent off coupon. When I checked out they gave me a $5.oo off of my next purchase and I have a mail in rebate to get $5.00 back by mail. I hope that helps someone. I also got turkey breast on sale for .99 cents per pound. I mean come on is that cheap or what? Have you got any special deals to talk about? I almost forgot I got a fill up for $3.70 per gallon when most other places around here were $3.99. Ofcourse that was with my kroger card. Have a great weekend.

Humpday!!!! How many children do you want?

In case you have your mind in the gutter I am referring to the middle of the week and my sleep deprived mind won't let me spell wednessday right. Is it one s or two? Anyway I was up with a coughing baby last night and I get up a six thirty to get my oldest on the bus. I have been sitting here and reading about people with lots of children and I love the idea of always having little ones running around and into something. The question is can I handle it. Awhile ago I would have said no way are you crazy then we had our beautiful daughter and I thought well maybe. However we are financially challenged. I am not living on welfare and I cut corners and costs where ever I can. I want to live simply and love much. I believe that will be my new motto. The question is how does one decide how many children to have. Do you add up the cost or the profit? (and by profit I mean another child to love) If I were to have a fourth child that would mean buying a van and eventually adding onto our house because we love where we live. (perfect spot for kids to run around and whoop and holler) I can look at my messy unorganized house and the green beans waiting to be snapped and canned and the tomatoes waiting to be made into sauce and then still say well maybe one more child. I know some people that wanted to know if I knew what caused it when I got pregnant with my third child and the answer is yes. I know some people that thought I would go completely nuts when I decided not to go back to work, they thought that I needed that outlet to define who I am. At first I thought I can't do this and then I realized that this is the best thing I will ever do in my life. The only thing that will matter when I am dead and gone is what kind of human beings I have left behind. It won't matter that I couldn't afford a new car, or pricey clothes only that my children are good people. I want them to grow up and remember the time they spent with me learning to read or bake or even crack open an egg on their own. I want them to remember the love and know that I am home for them when they get off the bus and I am here with them when they are sick or scared. When I was growing up my mom was always home and all four of us knew she would be there when we got home and we always had someone to go on school trips with us or load us all up during the summer time and spend the day at the creek with a cooler full of drinks and bologna. We were taught to do chores and help the family. (without getting an allowance) we were poor but we never did without. My parents didn't have much money but on birthdays and at Christmas they were sure to get the one special thing we wanted. I want my kids to grow up like that. I want them to know that life is full of hard work. I want them to be proud of themselves the first time they cook a meal, mow the yard, or sew something. I want my daughter to know that there is no shame in being a stay at home wife and mother. I want my boys to be proud of who they are and not feel the need to fit in with everyone else. Anyway how would you decide how many kids?

How to keep youngins occupied.

Well at two thirty in the afternoon my 5 year old and his best buddy get off the bus in front of my house. The same house that my 4 year old has been sitting in front of on and off most of the day waiting for the older two so he'll have more testosterone running around wild and screaming free. The first week or two really of school went crazy, I am a mother of three and never in my five years of mothering did I ever really need to keep three pups from tearing in the trash. I know they aren't wild hounds running around trying to find the next best thing to get into, but I'm not sure they know that. I had to enforce the timeout chair which is in the kitchen, who ever is not in timeout is not allowed in the kitchen. It is working perfectly. My evil plan is foolproof!! (just kidding, but that is how a child in trouble sees you) My boys used to just play, help out a bit, and play some more, maybe if it's really hot out watch a little t.v. in the evenings and then go outside with dad and mess around in the garden. They had a great summer and now are having a hard time dealing with sharing an extra person in the evenings. My dear sweet husband said "you need to keep them on a regular activity like school does in the evenings" so I tried getting them to color, reading to them, and getting them to play soccer. It;s not going to happen when they are all hyped up from being in school all day and home all day waiting so I had to think outside the box. The box being my thirty year old female brain. I had to come up with something they like and that would hold their attention for more that 5 minutes.

1. I tell them to run up the front yard and race down. Easy enough for about 10 minutes.
2. They ride their wagon down the driveway!!! That is even fun for an adult trust me on this.
3. They ride their bid dump trucks down the yard or driveway. The only way that would work for an adult is to use 2 of them as skates. I do not recommend that idea to adults.
4. I save plastic jars that mayo or peanut butter came out of and they use them for catching bugs.
5. They use shovels for digging in the dirt and finding worms. Great for the compost!!
6. They have picnics on the porch but they call them parties because boys are to cool for picnics you big sissy.
7. They like to pick veggies out of the garden and on a rare occasion have been known to sit still long enough to snap some beans.
8. I've been saving dish washing bottles of syrup bottles and washing them and filling them with water and playing water tag. First I chase them all around the yard trying to spray them and then pass the bottle on to the next tagger.
9. With the same bottles I have them water plants or clean their trucks or bikes.
10. I give each boy 4 squares of tp and barely stick it into his waistband and they play tp tag, or flag tag and you have to grab the persons tp. the one with the most tp wins.

Well that's it for now as I come up with other ways to spend you afternoon with a house full of youngins I'll let you know and if you have any ideas to send my way I would be ever so thankful. God bless and have a great weekend.

Making do or maybe it's making due.

I was just sitting here thinking, which scares me because I can ponder some crazy stuff. I always have to ask my husband some crazy questions and then sometimes look them up to find out the how or why to answer my own silly musings. Anyway to get back on track I was thinking about making do, otherwise learning how to make do with what you have. I am on a mission everyday to reuse and recycle and save money and the energy it would take to load up the kids and head into town. My grandma is 88 years old and lived through the depression, she is who taught me this saying "you have to make do". Of course her making do was a lot harder than mine will ever be, but there is alot to learn from our grandparents and elderly neighbors or friends. For instance they know what it's like to have youngins that are sick and the green beans are in, they know that those beans must be picked, snapped, and canned or they're lost. They can tell you how they had to ration sugar, flour, lamp oil. How they had grow the vegetables they ate and if they were lucky they had a pig or beef to put up for winter. My grandma still has chickens for the eggs, which is something that she's passed onto my sister. They love to watch their chickens peckin around the yard and I must say that after you've had a fresh free range egg you will never want another store bought one. My grandparents generation didn't sit around all day complaining about not having any money, they worked hard to provide for their family and they made do. I guess I've just been rambling on but basically I've been making do for almost a year now and I feel blessed to have my grandma still alive and using that saying. So before you think you have to have something just look around and see if you can make do. Good luck.

How many gallons of milk is that?

Well as I've typed to the whole wide world, I am cutting corners everywhere in order to be a stay at home mom, and wife. I use to buy what I wanted with out ever really worrying about it, after all it's only money. Then when you don't have money you realize there is more to life than money. For instance I put my son on the bus every morning with an I love you and I'll see you this afternoon. I think it makes him feel better knowing I'm here waiting on him. As you all know the average price of a gallon of whole milk is around $4.38 give or take a little. We go through on average around a gallon every two days and that's if no one is having chocolate milk and afternoon snacks of cereal. I was going out to the store with my sis yesterday and was talking about my husbands way of spending money and my way of spending money. We look at things totally different. I told her if he wants to buy pizza for instance I measure the price in milk. Say a twenty dollar pizza will buy 5 gallons of milk I know it'll be a little more than that I'm just giving a rough estimate here. If I see something I like or maybe a new outfit for one of the kids I stop and weigh it out. #1 how many gallons of milk will that buy? and #2 do we really need it? Almost 100% of the time I put it back because milk is always more important than looking cute. So if you are like me and trying to cut back I suggest comparing your purchases to something you buy weekly. I know that when I compare my purchases to milk it puts a whole new light on need and want, it makes it easier for me to say no I am not buying that I'll save my money for milk. Hope you can make since out of this and I pray it helps at least one person save some money.

COUPONS ROCK!!!!

Last night my boys were in bed and asleep by 7:30 and my hubby went to bed around 8:00 so it was just me and the taterbug princess up clipping coupons. I was clipping and sorting and she was throwing paper in the air like confetti and laughing. I would love to have her excitement over all the little things in life. I was checking out http://m.dealseekingmom.com Wow talk about one amazing lady. She has everything listed the sales at walmart and you can even click and print most of the coupons for the sale. You have got to check this out. I also love to check out www.moneysavingmom.com Also more sales and coupons. I am lucky enough to have a mother in law who saves me her coupons, because for the past 2 months I haven't paid over .40 cents for name brand dishwashing liquid, or toothpaste, I even got a package of always pads last week for .16 cents. In todays economy who can't afford to take 30 minutes a week and clip coupons and look at the adds, if you don't have time then check out these sights it's all laid out for you. Iknow, Iknow, time is money but you should look at this way TIME SAVES MONEY! Well I have housework to and kids to tend to, all the while I shall be anticipating my friday night out with my sister and my big money saving trip to walmart and cvs. Hope everyone has a great friday and God Bless.

More about cloth diapering

I have been trying my best to totally break my dependency on trow away diapers. Boy is it tough! As I have typed before I really didn't have enough cloth diapers to last more than one day at a time, so I ordered some diaper pins and have been useing them like a mad women. I also started taking the recieving blankets and forlding them into triangles and putting one of her diaper liners on the inside of that and pinning them on. They work as good as anything else and baby girl could care less what whe tinkles in. I want to sew them somehow so they look a little better and are more fitted around the legs and maybe a better liner. If you have any ideas or have done this yourself please help! I still like store bought diapers at bedtime however, I read somewhere about fleece being a great liner because it pulls the pee away or wicks it if that sounds any better. Again if anyone has any ideas on a good night time cloth diaper please feel free to inform me. Well this is a great way to make do and recycle.

YUMMY SUPPER!!!

Well I cooked a pot of pinto beans which is not something I usually do during the summer, however my 5 year old loves his brown beans so why not. I then cut up the taters out of my husbands garden and fried until golden brown, almost as good as my grandma's. Then I sliced some squash and half a onion and sauted in butter. You know what they say butter makes it better. I loved it!!! It was almost a free meal, I had $1.80 worth of ham for the beans, the beans were free from my grandma, the onion was given to me, and the taters and squash were homegrown. We all ate good and still leftovers for lunch. Does anyone else have any super cheap meals that rock? Even if it's an old standby for you it may make some of us very happy. Hope you all have a great wed.

Saving Money with the Wind!!!!!

My dear sweetheart of a husband set me up a clothesline yesterday. He had some wood that someone had given him after they tore something down. So not only are we being frugal we are also being green, it's weird how that sort of goes hand in hand. So anyway he built it yesterday and he has to pick up some concrete or something to make the posts stay still after I hang clothes on it and the kids decide to play clothesline climbing or something of the sort. I had one at our old house and I love love love the smell of out blankets and sheets after being hung in the fresh country air. I can hardly wait to use it. Sometimes it rocks to be domesticated. I find pleasure in just doing the small things around the house. Anyway I am going to keep a check on my electric bill and pray this makes a huge difference. Hope everyone is having a great Labor day weekend.