Bloggy Goodness

Do you remember the Dog Days of Summer a couple weeks ago where Mrs. Dryer hosted a Mr. Linky for giveaways?

Well, one of the MANY participants was my dear bloggy friend Mrs. Momrn2 over at My Quiet Corner. And I was shocked when she posted this, that I won!

She sent of this wonderful gift package:

And I confess, I copied the picture from her site because my camera is fussing and does not want to sinc to the computer.

Thank you so much for the wonderful present, I love it, and especially appreciate the gift of quiet! Please know that I am trying to find the top of my precious roll top desk so that I can return to my favorite place for quiet times!

End of Season Berries

It seems like each summer the strawberry season ends long before I am ready.

This past weekend I picked up 4 one pound boxes of strawberries that looked delicious! Yet they were very tart and started to get soft rather fast. Yes, it is the end of the strawberry season. Plus I had approximately two pounds of strawberries in the fridge that our neighbors could not finish and passed on to us (they do not have a secondary freezer while we do).

So I started going through my mind of things I could do with these berries seeing they were not good for eating.

We often do the following with berries that are still good, just past their prime, or are tart.

1. Freeze cleaned sliced berries in 6 cup packages for jam making during the winter.
2. Freeze cleaned sliced berries in 2 cup packages for syrup over our waffles and pancakes.
3. Make jam.
4. Prepare syrup and freeze it.

I did number 4 yesterday.

First I sorted the berries and tossed any that had touches of mold or rot on them.

Then I sliced the cleaned berries into a sauce pan.

I added about half a cup of water to ensure the would not burn to the bottom and put them over medium heat.

I added enough sugar to get the sweetness I desired. I confess I added more than I would normally like to as the berries were very tart.

Once the mixture reached a boil I kept it at a low boil for about 10 minutes to make a nice deep red sauce, and to break up the berries a bit.

Then I added approximately 1-2 tbsp of corn starch mixed with water to thicken it and simmered a bit longer (if it is not thick enough you can add touch more using the same method.)

Once the syrup was a nice thickness I removed it from the heat and let it cool. Because it was close to supper time I popped the syrup into the fridge, and will freeze it in zip top bags that have the right amount for one breakfast in each bag.

And I have made good use of my end of season, very tart and slightly soft berries.


Just a reminder, our survey / contest ends tomorrow and we would love your opinion!

Who me? Surely you jest!

I am very late in posting these wonderful honors, between Mr. Pear bringing home a bug from Mexico on his last business trip (and sharing it) and the chaos of a new project at work for him, and running our contest last week, I am woefully behind in important bloggy business.

Mrs. Joyful Days honored me with two awards:

The Creative Blogger Award is for those who bring unique and creative elements to their blogs. For those who incorporate art, music, creative writing, photo's, and other beautiful visual effects into their website. For those who put a unique spin on things and come up with new ideas. This award is for the artsy, the funky, the inventor, and even the rebel. This award is for those creative individuals who stand out from the crowd.

The Thoughtful Blogger Award is for those who answer blog comments, emails, and make their visitors feel at home on their blogs. For the people who take others' feelings into consideration before speaking out and who are kind and courteous. Also for all of those bloggers who spend so much of their time helping other bloggers design, improve, and fix their sites. This award is for those generous bloggers who think of others.

She said that:

Mrs. Pear--I want to be her when I grow up. Even though I am already considerably older than her. She is tidy and organized and a sweet mommy. She is willing to help those challenged in the menu planning and freezer meals in the kitchen. She pre-blogs before moving and leaves a cool study for her readers. She said if I come to visit I can be Miss Pear's sister and she will adopt me. Oh will I eat well...

So I did what any woman would do - I cried! Her sweet spirit is always a blessing to me, particularly on that when she provided much needed encouragement! Then, of course, I realized that it was probably a good thing she could not see the pile of laundry I had yet to fold!

Oh, and if you are wondering, the Bible study she is referring to can be found here.

As for passing this one on, well, I could not possibly keep the list under 10, so for fear of leaving some very sweet women out, I will just say that if you see me popping over and commenting, please know that I mean you!


So if that were not shocking enough! Mrs. Alexandra and Mrs. Revee both blessed me with the


This is described as:

This is the start of a new meme - the Frugal Subversive Award. I am giving my award to three bloggers who consistently turn their backs on consumerism to live frugally in a creative and authentic way. These bloggers have made me think in innovative ways about my own life and how I can make a difference making, reusing, and just saying "no" to mindless spending.

If you are given an award and want to take part in this meme, you can in turn select three other bloggers who have inspired you to be a frugal subversive. Passing the rules on with the award will make it easier for everyone to participate. Congratulations on the award. I hope it helps you spread awareness near and far.

There are only two thoughts I can get my mind around:

1. How ironic this is because I read both sites for just this reason, along with encourangement about homeschooling of course!

2. And secondly, that maybe I am doing better at this frugality business than I thought.

I just blog about what is going on, and what I am doing. As a family in Southern California living in the second most expensive part of the entire country, this takes a dedication by the whole family! The fact that thrift shops down here are usually the stuff that could not sell at garage sales because they were in such poor condition makes it even harder! So often I am left feeling such a beginner in the area of frugality! So these two sweet ladies encouraged me tremendously!

Along with reading these two wonderful blogs, and I think tag backs are probably not allowed! I also recommend:

Kim at Life in a Shoe, Frugal Hacks, and Shoelaces

Crystal at Biblical Womanhood

Tammy at Tammy's Recipes and blog

in addition to the wonderful blogs that they posted about!

For Better or For Worse

I love this comic strip - it is a Canadian one that I grew up with. I feel like I grew up with Michael and Elizabeth! And I read this comic strip almost like a visit from old friends. It often curbs my homesickness when I crave all things Canadian!

Poutine anyone?

Any ways, today's was particularly funny as I just made a special lunch party of BBQ cheeseburgers with a side of coleslaw, and cake with berries and whip cream. The sundays were our special Sunday treat yesterday....

http://www.fborfw.com/strip_fix/archives/002632.php

Oh, and please don't blame me of this comic strip becomes a regular stop for you!

P.S. Bonus points if you can comment on what poutine is!

Some of you have read of my devotion to Crayola Crayons. It is right up there with my devotion to my specific brand of coffee (which thankfully goes on sale!) So you can imagine my glee when I read the Target flier for this week and read the following:

Crayola 64 pack (with sharpener) 2 for $3

We picked up 2 of these when they were on this same deal a couple weeks ago for our goddaughter and her sister for Christmas. If you need a special Christmas gift or back to school crayons might I recommend a trip to Target this week? Afterall, nothing says cool to the under 8 set than this stylish box of crayons - at least that was true when I was in Grade 3!

Menu Plan Monday - August 13

Our special event of a contest / survey continues until Wednesday and we would love it if you would participate!

Saturday

Breakfast - Cinnamon Buns
Lunch - Out
Supper - Snacks - we were still full from lunch

Sunday

Breakfast - Toast and Cereal
Lunch - Quesadillas
Supper - Chicken with Honey, garlic and orange (freezer); beans; garlic bread

Monday

Breakfast** - Cereal
Lunch - Hamburgers, Coleslaw, cake with whip cream and berries (company for lunch)
Supper - Asian Beef Kabobs and grilled veg

Tuesday

Breakfast - waffles (freezer)
Lunch - Chicken Packets with veggies
Supper - Cinnamon Apple French Toast

Wednesday

Breakfast - Cereal
Lunch - Tuna Sandwiches
Supper - Garden Supper Casserole ~


Thursday

Breakfast - Granola and Yogurt
Lunch - Chicken Packets with veggies
Supper - Lime Grilled Chicken with Rice and Veg

Friday

Breakfast - cereal
Lunch - Grilled Cheese Sandwiches (with cream cheese) and fruit
Supper - Pizza Rice Casserole ~

Saturday

Breakfast - Overnight French Toast
Lunch -
Supper -

Breads
3 Four Bread~
Winnipeg Rye Bread if I can ever track down cracked rye!
Oatmeal Bread


Cookies
Oatmeal Raisin

Loaves and Muffins
Raisin Muffins
Apple Loaf ~
Orange Loaf ~

Other
Lemon Pie
Brownies
English Muffins~
Hamburger Buns

~ from the More with Less Cookbook (can be found on my sidebar if you want to check it out).
** During the week it is just Miss Pear and I for lunch, so we eat some strange lunches....

Tis the season to stock up!

Ah yes, the back to school sales, the time for all us thrifty shoppers to stock up on supplies.

We all pick up the school supplies we need for a while, but might I add a couple small items for you to be watching for? Items I have picked up and stashed away?

Cold and Flu Season Supplies

- Gatorade is the best price it will be during the summer, and doctors recommend it for flus. When I was outragously sick with the worst stomach flu I have ever had, my doctor recommended half Gatorade, half water. Miss Pear's pediatrician recommended this same combination when she had a violent virus and refused the pedialite (but who could blame her!)

- Headache remedies - I just picked up Motrin at CVS with extra bucks and coupons to roll more extra bucks, and will be picking up Tylenol too. While these will go on sale during cold and flu season, I prefer to not have to run to the store and take my chances when were are sick! (By the way, if you are not doing ECB's at CVS and would like to, this week is a great time to start, or start again!)

- I am keeping my eye out for other stuff too as I am certain there will be more sales, but these are the two I know that I have to scoop up!

Christmas Shopping

Yup, you read that right, as part of my Fall stock up, I am doing Christmas shopping. If you have little ones on your list, this is the time to pick up crayons, pencil crayons and markers for Christmas gifts, and paper! I have the start of the gift for our goddaughter and her sister started, each will get a 64 box of Crayolas with sharpener and 4 Disney Princess crayons which cost me $2.50 total for each girl so far. I will add a picture book for the youngest, and a couple chapter books for the oldest, and will come in at about $15 each.

With the college sales happening I have picked up sheets for Christmas presents to! 450 thread count top sheet, fitted sheet and 4 pillow cases for $40 at Target a couple weeks ago. I know, I should have mentioned this then! But the point is, if you have people on your lists who would like linens or house items, now is the time to shop for them!

Bible Study Supplies

Okay, this one may sound weird. But we are often so focused on getting school supplies that we forget about our own needs! If you like to take notes while you study (which I highly recommend), now is the time to pick up note books, pens and pencils!

If you will be joining us in one of the wonderful Bible studies available in the fall (we love BSF as it is excellent, and for the whole family) think about what you need and pick it up too!

Clothes

There are some excellent deals to be had on clothing right now! We were at a local outlet mall this past weekend, and the sales were phenominal! We picked up a BabyGap long sleeved, just out in all the stores, dinosaur long sleeved shirt for our nephew for $5 (for Christmas) and some stuff for Miss Pear too!


Happy Shopping - as long as it is on sale :-)

P.S. If you would like to check out our survey and contest, click here!

FIF - Summer Fruit Salad

We now resume our regular blogging seeing as all the contest questions are posted (you can still join us!)

So to celebrate I am sharing with you my favorite fruit salad that I make year round, that is inexpensive flexible, and every one is convinced I add jello to because it is nice and thick. I was given a copy of this much sought after recipe at my bridal shower by my Mother-in-Law as it is a favorite of my husband's.

Summer Fruit Salad
do not drain anything!

1 x 10 0z can mandarin oranges
1 x 14 oz can pineapple tidbits
1 cup each fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries and strawberries
1 cup grapes
2 bananas
2 kiwi fruit if you can get them

1 cup peaches if available

Place all ingredients in a large bowl, mix, and enjoy.


We freeze fresh berries now so that we can have this in the winter! But you can always just buy frozen in the winter too. However, this is a great way to deal with those end of the season berries that were not as flavorful as you would like!

Question 11 - Your Story

Our contest is closed, and so are the comments. If you would still like to answer the questions we would love to have your answers emailed to mrs.pear (at) cox.net. Thank you.

As our last question in this series, I would like to know about you!

What is your story? Have you always worked at home? Did you work outside the home until you got married? Had children? When did you come home from the work world? If you have not, what is the big thing stopping you if that is what you would really like to do? Basically we are elaborating on the first questions! So many of you touched on wonderful stories and experiences, and we would love to hear them! Even include glimpses into your families thought process during the transition! If you have always been home, what made you decide that, what tools did your parents give you to facilitate that?

We would like to understand you better, and we certainly understand about obstacles to coming home! In fact we are writing for just that reason! :-)

This is the last official post in the contest series until we announce the winners. We are leaving the contest open until Wednesday evening. Our plan is to draw the winners Wednesday evening and then email and post on Thursday afternoon! (When Miss Pear naps!)

Bonus Question: Schedules

Our contest is closed, and so are the comments. If you would still like to answer the questions we would love to have your answers emailed to mrs.pear (at) cox.net. Thank you.

In many of the answers a common theme of schedules has come up! So for our Bonus question:

Please share a rough outline of your daily and weekly schedules!

For example Monday is Downstairs Cleaning Day, Tuesday is Upstairs, Wednesday is Kitchen day......

And Daily - well, I am working on this one, so please share your ideas with me!

This seems to be such a critical area that I would like to be able to mock up some good examples for my readers, and really need your help!

Question 10 - Home Management

Our contest is closed, and so are the comments. If you would still like to answer the questions we would love to have your answers emailed to mrs.pear (at) cox.net. Thank you.

Dear Ladies, thank you so much for your candor and your thoughtfulness in answering my questions! We are nearing the end of the survey, there are only two more questions after this one! While this question has been touched on in the answers to other questions, it is important enough that it deserves to be asked in its own right!

What are your best tips on home management, and what source do you rely on for sharpening your skills or learning more?

Question 9 - Frugal Sources

Our contest is closed, and so are the comments. If you would still like to answer the questions we would love to have your answers emailed to mrs.pear (at) cox.net. Thank you.

One thing I could not find is good resources on saving money! I figured that this should not be rocket science, but it certainly felt like it! So:

What sources do you consider the definitive guide on frugal living that are both practical and realistic?

Thank you so much for all your wonderful responses! They are helping tremendously!

As with your best frugal tips in question 8, we will compile a list of recommended sources and post them in the coming weeks!

Question 8 - All about the budget

Our contest is closed, and so are the comments. If you would still like to answer the questions we would love to have your answers emailed to mrs.pear (at) cox.net. Thank you.

It seems like a big part of me returning home has been adjusting to 1 income, and making that one income go as far as possible! I have definitely found some tips along the way!

So for today's question:

What are your top 5 tips on saving money?

I just wrote about one of my secret weapons this week, although I guess it is not much of a secret of I just blabbed!

The next questions are often about sources and tips - I will be compiling these in the weeks to come and posting them, so don't worry about having to get all the ideas and sources down before I hide comments!

Question 7 - A Word of Advice

Our contest is closed, and so are the comments. If you would still like to answer the questions we would love to have your answers emailed to mrs.pear (at) cox.net. Thank you.

Our last question for today!

What is the absolute best advice you have for a woman who is leaving a full time (likely professional) job to be home full time?

I am thrilled to hear that I am not the only "highly educated" woman who decided to take the promotion of coming home full time!

EBook Review: Secrets to Supermarket Savings

I love being a homemaker - a stay at home wife and mother, keeper at home, whatever you want to call it - Queen of our Home (according to my husband). And I do not want to have to return to work! Living in Southern California this takes serious work and commitment to our decision.

Part of this dedication involves wisely spending what we have, not spending what we don't have, and deciding exactly what is a want and what is a need, and often making the wants wait, or doing without. Another part of this is doing some writing which we hope to be able to publish, hence the contest this week.

One thing I have been working hard on is saving money wherever we can.

Looking at the budgetary lines that I was responsible for using wisely I was left with three lines:

Groceries
Household need
Library

I had a good handle on the library needs, and stayed within budget, often letting the amount accumulate so that I might purchase sets of favorites to save money, and using the County Library as well! (While it may seem strange the library is a budgetary item, we are a household of voracious readers! This keeps us in check!)

However, I was at a loss as to how I could save on my household needs (toiletries, medicines, cleaners, etc) and groceries. Already I was doing most of our own baking because of food allergies!

Then came Crystal's blog series about supermarket savings. I read each post carefully, printed each one out and put it in my household binder, and referred to it regularly as I did my weekly planning. Then I took the plunge: Combining my groceries and household purchases under just my grocery money. Could I do it? Crystal sure made me feel like I could! And in the very first month of trying I not only met the goal, I had a little bit of money left over, and a nice full pantry!

When I had the privilege of reading this e-book I was shocked. It was even better than the blog series! It takes the reader from the planning stages of a menu right through to shopping! As I read the ebook I found even more ways to save money! Again, I printed it off and put it in my household binder! I still refer to it a couple times of month, rereading it just to sharpen my memory of what I am looking for!

If you would like to save money in your household and grocery budgets while still eating healthy and having the blessing of a pantry to help you, this is the book for you. It also helps you get organized in your kitchen and meal planning as well providing wonderful examples of her shopping trips which just serve to give great confidence that you can indeed to this too!



Crystal is having a sale on this wonderful e-book, along with everything else at her store this week.

Secrets to Supermarket Savings is regularly priced at $7.97, however this week it is on sale for $3.99, plus if you enter the code "savemore" at checkout you will receive an additional 10% off your order.

Of course, as an affiliate of hers I would appreciate it of you would click through my site to hers!