This looks like the place....

**peering in through the cobwebs and dust bunnies**   I think this is the place?  Looks like it.  Same old blue "wallpaper" and photo of my flowerbed and look there's my list of wonderful followers and my list of favorite bloggers.  Yes, this is my Blog Home!

Ah Puffins... I hope you all found plenty to keep you occupied for the past 10 months while I was off being "too busy!"

I've missed you all so very much, but something had to give in my life and unfortunately it was this special place of writing and musing.  A girl can only do so much without imploding and I did plenty of that anyway.

I won't try to catch you all up on the past months today. Just wanted to come clean up the place a little and let you know I hope to be much more regular in my posting.
Instead I'll close with a note I wrote to my dear friend Terri (of Gentle Living blog fame) just today.  I think it sums up my life right now very well.

"Terri Dear,
I just now had time to read this message (Easter Sunday 2012) and you never cease to amaze me with your wisdom.  Through your revelation of how you had no more dreams anymore, I see myself and I am grieving.  I'm too busy, I'm too tired, somedays I barely am holding on-- it's only through the grace of God & the faith He gives me that I'm not a puddle on the floor.
I am looking ahead to a busy spring/summer/fall and even ahead to the holidays of 2012 and dread each and every "busy moment" that i know is coming.
All I want is time for myself to just 'be' and to recover from a past year of working full-time, peri-menopause, BIG stresses within my life and at work and cracks in my Christian walk.

But I have hope and faith.  I know I am not alone in this journey as a maturing woman.  I have my Heavenly Father and dear lady friends who truly understand.

And just as you saw the wisdom in writing again, I too, in the past few weeks, have missed my blogging days and plan to begin again.
Funny how God works things together like this...."

As always there is coffee in the maker and goodies on the counter.  Pour a cup and make yourself at home.  I hope this will be a cozy place for us all to rest and recharge.

Hugs
Kay~
**"You cannot persevere unless there is a trial in your life.  There can
be no victories without battles; there can be no peaks without valleys.
If you want the blessing, you must be prepared to carry the burden and
fight the battle."
~Warren W. Wiersbe~

More Frugal Fun at the Grocery Store

Hi everyone!  I hope you are all keeping warm these cold days & nights?  We’re doing fine here on the Prairie Farm.  Our new windows still are amazing in the way they keep out the cold drafts!  But now we can really feel the lack of good insulation in  the living room and kitchen walls.  Brrr~~ 

I’ve been continuing with my 7-9 hours of sleep per night and I’m trying to get in at least 3 times of sewing/quilting each week.  Just today I downloaded some audio books into iTunes to put on my MP3 player when I’m doing handwork.  Currently I’m listening to “Enchanted April.” 
I’m also trying to read a little every evening.  And I am watching at least a little tv with my Farmer (his favorite form of relaxation) or play some Kinect bowling and not spend as much time on the computer.

With the start of a new year, the economic news and some changes in our farming practices, I’ve been thinking of more ways I can save money.     

One way, is by playing the coupon, loss-leader game at the grocery/discount stores.  Last month, I saved $27.37 by getting the loss-leaders, price matching and coupons. 

Some examples:
Loss-leader Sales
Hormel Thick-cut bacon, less than $3 per pound.
Betty Crocker Family-sized Brownie Mix, 89¢  (woo hoo!)
Store brand Dry Roasted Peanuts, $1.69
Crystal Farms shredded cheeses, 8oz, $1.39 (great price, so I got a lot!)

Coupons
Hershey’s candy bars, BOGOFree:  saved $1.48 and got 2 FREE!
Ziplock sandwich bags: $1.00 off 2 packages
Contact solution 2-pack: $4.00 off pack
Rayovac D Batteries, 6-pack: $1.00 off multi-pack


Price-matching
Russet baking potatoes: 59¢ per pound, saved $1.11 on 3.6#
Land O Lakes Milk, 1/2 gal: $1.39, saved $1.20 on 2 and $1.00 C on 2 containers
Crest toothpaste, 6.4 oz: 99¢, saved 40¢, $1.00 C (FREE!)
Old Orchard frozen all juice: $1.00, saved 48¢ on 4
Orowheat Bread: $1.99, saved 50¢
Hefty garbage bags: $5.99, saved 90¢ PM and $1.00 C

I saved $4.59 in price matching and $11.95 in coupons alone!

During last month we took the opportunity of a little extra in the budget funds to stock up on pantry staples.  We purchased that $1.39 cheese, unbleached flour, sugars, ziplock bags and toilet paper.  All items I can store for several months and they will be available for leaner times later this year.

On Monday this week as I mentally took stock of my pantries before the “Major Winter Storm” set upon us. I decided we were stocked up except for Half-n-Half for my coffee.  So, I did a little price-matching on sale items that would be going off-sale on Tuesday.   I got the following: Yoplait yogurt for 50¢ each and with a 40¢ off on 6 coupon
Era laundry soup, 96 loads, price-matched for $8.69 (Very good price, normally I pay $10.88)
Fresh asparagus (regularly $2.94#) price-matched at $1.79#
Heinz Ketchup, 40oz, $1.69 (was on sale for $1.98)
Pepsi products, 12-packs, $2.50, regularly $3.98 and I was able to get the “throw backs” made with real sugar for this price.

That was a savings of $10.08 on price-matching and coupons.  Plus I saved the ads for the Era and Pepsi products and will get more before those ads expire.  Of course the store I price-match at **cough** (wal-mart) **cough** has a tendency to pull items with too large of a price difference off the shelf and then say they are “out.” 
It pays to check all the ads as the Era was at a big box “lumber” store and the Pepsi at a higher-end discount store (did that make sense?? )

(oh, and guess what one thing I forgot to pick up at the store... yes, the Half-n-Half!! >_<  )

And while I’ve been doing a bit of grocery shopping, at the same time, I’m shopping my pantry and freezer too.  Our chest freezer is almost bare!  We bought a hog from a co-worker and our beef goes in to be butchered in 2 weeks, so we want to eat all the remaining meat.  Right now I have 3 packages of pork chops, 3# of sausage, 4# of ground beef and 3 packages of short ribs, plus several chickens, some fish, 1# of bacon and a few packages of leftover spiral ham.  My upright freezer is full of cheese, some easy lunch items (ravioli, chicken strips) and frozen fruit, veggies and chicken odds and ends to make stock.
Our pantry has a nice variety yet and I want to use up the canned goods I bought last fall and start to bring in some new stock.

Also I’ve been buying a few more staples in bulk, such as Real Maple Syrup, EVOO and vanilla at the natural foods store.  I get my eggs there from the bulk cartons too.  I filled 2 containers of EVOO (5.46#) for $8.49#.  Seems high but this is cold-expressed oil and always tastes fresh.
I also got a little over an ounce of crystalized ginger for $1.17 ($14.59#)  The same amount (or less) in the small jars at the grocery stores was over $7!  I’ll be going back soon for more eggs and I need cayenne pepper.  I’m eager to see the price difference on that!

I know this is a long post with a lot of numbers.  I didn’t write it to brag, but to encourage you to read the ads, cut the coupons, read the saving blogs and start cutting that grocery budget.  Create a pantry (even a small one) and start saving for a small chest freezer. 
Remember that “Mega Winter Storm”.... a friend of ours in Missouri shared a photo of the empty bread aisle at his local Wal-mart.  I read several other friends status updates on needing to go get “supplies” just a day after the storm passed here. 
I’m not belittling anyone, but just want to pass on some peace of mind.  If your pantries are well-stocked with easy to prepare foods and the ingredients to make staples (like bread), you won’t have to worry about being snowed- or iced-in. Then you can concentrate on filling water jugs, maintaining an alternate heat source and light sources. 

Just a little wisdom, I’ve learned through the years, living on the Farm.


And just in case anyone is looking at those candy bars, brownie mixes, soda with a critical eye... what can I say... it’s mid-Winter and my Farmer has a sweet-tooth. 

Stay warm and safe, my Puffins!

Hugs
K~

**Thrift comes too late when you find it at the bottom of your purse.  ~Seneca

Grain Prices are going up and grocery store healthy eating suggestions go down

A healthy salad of "Mock Tuna Fish" (Garbanzo Beans), with lettuce, tomato and whole-grain crackers.

So, I’ve been thinking of more healthy eating around here in the Prairie Farmhouse and noticing that I get frustrated at a certain grocery store’s ad every week.  They promote “healthy” eating and while they do have organic foods in their ads, at least 50% (if not more) of the sale items are not just processed foods but JUNK foods.  Candy, soda, chips, sugared cereals, desserts. 

One of their “healthy dinner” ideas was tuna noodle casserole and some veggie.  Ok, I’ll grant you that was healthy, but really... what child these days willingly eats Tuna & Noodles??  And with tuna being offered there for $1 for one can.... Sheesh!  That seemed rather expensive. 
Deli roasted whole chickens go on sale for $4.99.  You could use the one-two cups in a noodle casserole, still have plenty of meat for sandwiches or tacos or another casserole and the bones for soup/stock.  The classic “Rubber Chicken” (it stretches and stretches for several meals.)  $5 of tuna would give you, just tuna.  Tuna sandwiches  and tuna-noodles and what else??  I personally can’t think of too many dishes I’d make with tuna (at least ones that Farmer-dear would actually eat!)

I shouldn’t complain, because I’m thankful my favorite grocery stores do have sales on “ingredients” from time to time. Especially right before the holidays.  I try to stock up on baking ingredients, herbs & spices, canned goods.   With a full pantry, our good home-raised beef, the local pork and organic chickens we buy from the producers, I am able to keep our grocery list smaller and look for those items found around the exterior aisles of the store.  The produce, dairy and loss leaders.

Dairy items that have been on sale lately:  yogurt and cheese.
Some better prices in produce:  citrus and potatoes

Another suggestion for you, dear Puffins... consider stocking up on Flour, Sugar, Cornmeal, Dry Cereals.  You may have not noticed but the grain commodity prices have been extremely high lately!  As farmers/grain producers, we are not complaining, but as consumers I wonder what the fallout from $13 beans, $6 corn and $7 wheat will be?! 

I have my 2 unopened 60# bags of milling wheat here, but I need to stock up on unbleached white flour for cookies.  I’m not sure of my oatmeal or cornmeal (which I could mill from popcorn) and I haven’t kept track of rice prices but that is another item I should keep in bulk.  I also wonder with grain being so high, will this cause meat and dairy prices to go up?  Grain is livestock feed too.

My Whisper Mill and white winter wheat berries for milling.

I don’t mean to cause panic, but it is food for thought and something you may want to discuss as a family.

Now that the busy time of the holidays is waning for me again, I need to get back into baking our bread and cooking more from scratch.  We’ve weeded out most of the processed foods from the house (well, Farmer will have a few “treats” around...) and he’s been very good about trying some new recipes that he was sure he wouldn’t like.  “Dirty Rice” was tolerable, but “Healthy Oven-Fried Chicken” was a hit. 

Healthy foods- Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Almonds, Hard Cheese, Herbs and Garlic...also known as Pesto!

And in the interest of our health, we’ve been eating at least 3-5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day.  A Vit D supplement, plenty of filtered water and new this year, 7-9 hours of sleep each night.  We can’t stop the aging process, but we can do all we can to maintain our health.

What are you doing in the healthy cooking, eating or maintaining health areas of your life?  I’d love to know.

Hugs
K~

I hate Halloween

There I said it! 

It's October 1st and I despise, dislike, abhore, loathe, detest, HATE the celebration of that so-called "holiday" of Halloween!

Don't give me that worn out argument that it's all in fun for the kids.  Nope.... I won't buy it.   Since when is it fun, (amusing, pleasurable, jolly, relaxing, agreeable, enjoyable...) to decorate with witches, skulls, blood and gore, bats, and other hideous creatures and objects?

Are horrifying and terrifying scenes & sounds from films cause for merriment and gladness?

Shall we teach our children to dress up as the Celts did to either placate or copy the evil spirits and shall we have our children beg for treats as those in Europe who begged in exchange for prayers for the dead?

Do we really think we should be celebrating a day set aside from it's earliest beginnings as an agrarian fertility and ancestral honoring festival;

A day where it was believed the barrier between the living and the dead was raised & they came together to feast;

And should we continue to celebrate the custom of giving not only food offerings to the "Land Spirits" (as the dead ancestors were called), but also "life-renewing blood" offering from the slaughter of livestock so to protect the home from malignant "fairy" influences. (fairy here means a spirit);

Is not God's creation of the earth enough?  Do we need to celebrate a day when part of the observance was for the High King to 're-create the world';

Should we participate in a day that included worship of the Land-Goddess and other divinities, all with ties to "the multiform Provider on whom we all depend, who must, like all things, replenish herself through alternating periods of action and repose, and who touches -- as we all must -- darkness and death to find the source of true renewal."


And you say the celebrating of Halloween is innocent fun.... Really??

Comments will remain open as long as we have an adult, mature dialog.


(** All my argument points came from this article: "Samhain: Season of Death & Renewal" by Alexei Kondrateiv
Copyright © 1997 Alexei Kondratiev
All Rights Reserved
May be reposted as long as the above attribution and copyright notice are retained
http://www.imbas.org/articles/samhain.html  
Please give credit to this site if you use any of their information.)

Peacefully,
Kay

**  "Avoid every kind of evil" (NIV—I Thessalonians 5:22)   
**  “Now the [Holy] Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils” (KJV 1 Timothy 4:1)