Real Life gets in the way!

Hello all:


Real life has got in the way! I have not been able to blog for a while now. I have had a family emergency. I have had to travel unplanned across the country to be with family and help everyone deal with what life has put in the way. I have been away from home for a while now. I will be way for at least another 2 weeks or so I am hoping for 2 weeks but it can be longer. I will get things back on track when I return home, get my own home back in order after being away for so long. 


I wish you all well! 

I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving.

Spiritual Idea Oct Integrity

Spiritual idea: Now we all can be more Spiritual in our own ways. Everyone has the right to choose how they believe. I do not want to preach to anyone! So my Spiritual Ideas will be ways to be better people that can even fall in to the category of being a good human being and being a productive person in not only your own life, but the lives of other around you. I thought one way of becoming a better person I will touch on the topics of values. I will cover a new value for each month.

 We all know what values are, we all have grown up learning the difference between right and wrong. We get our values from our parents, school, friends, neighbors, church, media, books, and well in all reality we get our values from all over. What we each individually choose to embrace and add to our personal lives and what means to each of us, is what defines us as individuals, and the people we choose to become.

This month I will cove the value of INTEGRITY. So what is Integrity? Integrity implies honesty, fairness, ethics, and moral character. This also means that you maintain your good name and your character in everything that you do. This means you have basic values and that you are consistent in your values and the things you do. You are not wishy washy in things. If you have integrity you will not be pushed or talked in to doing something you know is wrong or something you would never do. You will not fall into peer pressure and go with all the rest when you know what you are doing is correct in your values and standards.

 

Integrity goes hand in hand with many other values. If you have integrity, you will do the right thing no matter if people are watching you or not. You will be constant in all things that you do.

 Here are a few Quotes on INTEGRITY

"If you have integrity, nothing else matters.  If you don't have integrity, nothing else matters."  Alan Simpson

“Integrity is what we do, what we say, and what we say we do” Don Galer

“Have the courage to say no. Have the courage to face the truth. Do the right thing because it is right. These are the magic keys to living your life with integrity.” W. Clement Stone

Quote of theMonth Oct

"Never leave that till tomorrow which you can do today." —Benjamin Franklin

Preparedness Question Oct

This months Preparedness Question is brought to you by the Fire Prevention week. I wanted to touch on this subject because it is fire prevention week. 

Do you know what Fire district you live in? Do you know what are the dangers of wild fire in your area? Do you know what the fire danger is today in your area? Do you know when is your wild fire season?

Test your smoke alarms in the home. Change the batteries in your smoke detectors. Run a fire drill with your family. Check the fire extinguishers in the home. 

Whats for dinner Oct

This week menu is what we had:

Saturday : Beef roast, potatoes, carrots, and biscuits

Sunday: Italian marinated chicken breasts, green salad, rice, peaches

Monday: Homemade Vegetable beef soup (made with left over roast) I added Potatoes, carrots, celery, canned corn, and peas. Cornbread

Tuesday: Pork chops, mashed potatoes, green beans, and Mandarin oranges

Wednesday: Brats, Roasted vegetables Potatoes, carrots, onion, Rolls, Cottage cheese, and sliced apples

Thursday: Homemade Fried Chicken, Rice, green beans, and baked apples

Friday: Spaghetti, Green Salad, garlic bread

We buy what is on sale and we may eat a lot of the same types of items in any given week. We do eat a lot of potatoes, and rice in our home. The two favorite canned vegetables in the home are green beans, and corn. The favorite canned fruit is peaches and mandarin oranges. You will see a lot of these on my menus.

I also made banana muffins, apple crisp, and a cake for the week for deserts.   

Garden Idea Oct

This is a great time of year to clean up the yard and put away all summer items. This is also the time of year that you will want to clean up the last of the harvest and get the garden area ready for the winter.  

 Depending on your temperatures and your zones you may of already had your first frost. Now if you live in areas that have not had their first frost, keep your eye on the weather and stretch your growing season as long as you can. Root vegetables, last of the tomatoes and pumpkins and squashes will be going until the frost.

This is also fire prevention month and you will want to clear away all debris from around your house, rake up all leaves, pine needles, and dead bushes, tree limbs, etc. 

Nutritional Idea Oct

As Fall is here and this month is Halloween, Harvest Parties and fun things to do for the whole family.

This is a great time to remember and to be sure to serve a great nutritious meal before heading out for the evenings activities. Make a fun meal themed around Harvest, Halloween, Fall. 

This time of year, apples, pears, pumpkins, squash, stews, cider etc are a good place to start. 

You can do a simple internet search and find some fun and new recipes to try. be sure to have something that will fill you up. Be sure to eat fruits and vegetables, a starch and a protein. In the cooler nights eating a stew, chili, casserole, or soup will warm you up before heading out. 

Take a thermos filled with hot chocolate or apple cider to warm up while out in the cool nights. just do not forget the cups! 

Here are a few fun recipes I found on the net! 

Mummy-Face Pizzas 

What You Need

1 plain bagel (3-1/2 inch), cut in half

2 Tbsp. pizza sauce

2 Kraft Singles Mozzarella Cheese Slice

4 slices black olives

Make It

HEAT oven to 400ºF.
SPREAD bagel halves with sauce. Cut cheese into thin strips; place in random criss-cross fashion on tops of bagels to resemble mummy bandages. Trim ends with kitchen shears. Add olives for the eyes.
PLACE on baking sheet.
BAKE 5 min. or until bagels are crisp and cheese is melted.

http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/recipes/mummy-face-pizzas-114042.aspx 

  Hot Dog Mummies

Feast your eyes, if you dare, on these Hot Dog Mummies. They're the perfect energy food before an evening of collecting candy.

Ingredients

• 1 11-ounce can of refrigerator breadsticks
• 1 12-pack of hot dogs

• Yellow mustard

Instructions

1. For each mummy, separate one breadstick from the roll and use kitchen shears or a knife to slice it in half lengthwise to create two thinner strips.
   
2. Wrap one strip at a time snugly around the hot dog. Depending on the size of the hot dog, you may not need all of both strips. Leave about 1/2 inch of hot dog exposed for the face area and continue wrapping the top of the hot dog.
   
3. Bake the mummies on a cookie sheet at 350º for 15 to 18 minutes or until the breadstick wrapping is golden brown.
   
4. Remove the mummies from the oven and cool them for 5 minutes. Add yellow mustard eyes just before serving. Makes 12 mummies.
   

http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/halloween-recipes/halloween-dinners/hot-dog-mummies-715031/

Mummy Meatloaf 

Before heading out with your kids for a night of trick-or-treating, put a chilling spin on some classic comfort foods. Serve our Mummy Meatloaf and a side of cheesy swamp creatures, and your little tricksters won't be able to stop ogling their food! (Or will it be ogling them?)

Ingredients

• Meatloaf from your favorite recipe (ours used about 2 pounds of meat)
• American cheese

• Olive slices

Instructions

1. Make your favorite meatloaf recipe and shape the loaf to resemble a mummy's body with crossed arms. Bake the loaf until it's cooked through.
   
2. Let it rest about 3 minutes, then lay 1-inch-wide strips of American cheese across the body as shown, leaving a narrow space on the head for the olive slice eyes. Trim any overhanging cheese with scissors and return the mummy to the still-warm oven to slightly melt the cheese, about 1 minute.
   
   http://familyfun.go.com/halloween/halloween-recipes/halloween-dinners/mummy-meatloaf-929692/
   
   
   

   Swamp Creatures

   
   Create a spooky Halloween supper with these cheesy critters, the perfect accompaniment for our Mummy Meatloaf.

Ingredients

• Macaroni and cheese
• Sautéed spinach

• Olive slices

Instructions

1. Mix up a batch of macaroni and cheese, then spoon it into greased muffin cups and bake until firm, about 25 minutes.
   
2. Let the creatures rest for about 10 minutes, then gently remove them from the tins. Place them upside down on a swamp of sautéed spinach and add olive slice eyes.
   

http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/swamp-creatures-929705/

Frugal Idea Oct

It’s pumpkin season, and many people have the tradition of visiting the pumpkin patch. Whether selecting the perfect pumpkin for carving jack-o’-lanterns or decorating them un-carved, selecting one is simple. Look for a pumpkin that has good weight, a stem that isn’t cut too short to ensure that it’s not decaying, stands well for display, and doesn’t show any visible softness or bruises.

Although all varieties can be fun to display, not all pumpkins are ideal for cooking. If you’re interested in cooking pumpkin, look for smaller pie pumpkins that weigh about four pounds because they are sweeter and less stringy. A four-pound pumpkin should yield about 1-1/2 cups of cooked, mashed pumpkin.

The following are ways to enjoy your pumpkin.

DECORATION: Painting pumpkins can be less messy and less risky than carving for young children, and there are no concerns that your pumpkin might not last long before rotting. You can embellish them by using markers, stencils, acrylic paints, glue, stickers, sequins, buttons, glitter and yarn. Kids can even decoupage pumpkins by using decoupage sealer and magazine cutouts. Mini-pumpkin gourds are cute when a piece of floral foam is hot glued to the top and lollipops are inserted into the foam. Hollowed-out larger pumpkins make pretty vases for flowers and can be used as a cooler for bottles of soft drinks, or you can place a jar or plastic container inside and fill with treats.

COOKED: You can cook and puree pumpkin and use it in various recipes that call for canned pumpkin and even some squash recipes.

STEAMED: Cut the pumpkin in half, and remove seeds and stringy pulp. Cut into small chunks, peel, and steam for 45 minutes.

MICROWAVED: Cut it in half, scoop out the inside, and microwave for six to eight minutes or until tender.

BAKED: Cut in half, scoop out, place on a baking sheet, and bake at 350 F for around 45 minutes or until tender. Once removed from the oven, scrape the cooked pumpkin out to separate it from the peel, and mash or puree.

BOILED: Prepare same as you would for steamed pumpkin, but immerse directly into salted water and boil 25 to 30 minutes or until tender.

Cooked pumpkin can be frozen and stored in freezer-safe containers for six months or refrigerated for up to four days.

DON’T TOSS THE SEEDS: The seeds can be toasted and enjoyed as a sweet or salty snack. Simply remove as much pulp as you can, and decide whether you’d like to bake, pan-roast, or microwave your seeds. Once they’re roasted, you can add flavors such as seasoned salt, cinnamon and sugar, cayenne pepper, soy sauce, celery salt, Worcestershire sauce or garlic salt.

BAKED: Using 2 cups of pumpkin seeds, toss seeds in a bowl with 3 teaspoons of melted butter or olive oil, spread a single layer on a baking sheet, sprinkle lightly with seasoning of choice, and bake in a 300 F oven for 40 minutes or until toasted golden brown. You can add more seasoning after they’re roasted.

STOVETOP: Pan-roast pumpkin seeds by adding 1 cup at a time in a skillet with heat on medium. Stir them frequently, and continue heating until they puff up and are brown. Remove from heat and season.

MICROWAVED: Using a glass dish, microwave seeds in 1-cup increments. Start with 1 cup of seeds tossed in the glass dish with 2 teaspoons of oil, and microwave a minute at a time until crispy. Season after cooked.

Pumpkin Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

3 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 cup shortening

1-1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup cooked pumpkin

3/4 cup milk

2 eggs

Preheat oven to 350 F. Sift first seven ingredients together, and set aside. In a large bowl, cream shortening and sugar together, add the pumpkin and milk, and mix well. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition. Gradually add the sifted ingredients.

Bake in a greased and floured pan: two loaf pans, 50 to 55 minutes; 13-by-9-inch pan, 30 to 35 minutes; Bundt pan, 55 to 65 minutes; muffin tin, 20 to 25 minutes.

Buget 101 Oct

We all want to save money and still have fun for Halloween. This year give away pencils, stickers, temporary tattoos, party favors, etc. Instead of giving away candy to trick or treaters.  Do you know about how many trick or treaters you get every year? Do you live in an area where you get a lot of little monsters at your door? Do you live in an area where you only get a few little goblins? Halloween is fun for kids and for adults. You can get other things other than candy to give away and still have fun.

Non Food Item Oct

Many people own electric can openers. When the power goes out they do not work. You will need a manual can opener. Many cans now days have pull tops on top of the cans. There are still many cans that do not have that and you will need a can opener to open them up. There are many types and kinds of can openers and brands to buy.

Get one for your kitchen, one for your 72 hour kit, and one as a back up and put in your food storage area. 

Pet Idea Oct

Pets and Halloween

Most people all  love Halloween and we need to think of the pets as well and how they will react to all the extra visitors at the door. We need to keep our pets safe and still have fun.

Loud noises like the doorbell going off, children screaming, music blasting, more cars, and extra visitors at the front door can be bad for some animals. Keep pets safe by keeping them away from the main area of the house, put them in a room with a closed door, so they can chill out and there is no danger to them running out the door, or having them over react to the excitement of the night.

If you plan on taking your pet out with you for the night while treat or treating with the kids, them keep the pet on a short leash, make sure they have their pet ID tags, and even put glow in the dark tape on the leash, collar, etc  so people can see them in the dark.  Event he most gentle pet can get spooked by kids, and adults in costumes, and all the extra cars. 

Make sure you talk with your children not to share their stash of candy with the family pet, Fido and Fluffy do not need candy, as most will make them sick.

Be sure to be careful with lit candles, Jack O Lanterns. Pets and even children can knock them over and you can have a fire. Keep flammables out of reach of children and Pets. Cats go places they should not and even high shelves are not always safe. 

If a pet wears a costume, make sure it is not constricting, causing your pet to trip, or blocking its vision. Do not force a pet to wear a costume if it demonstrates discomfort. All of the above can cause undue stress and possibly cause aggression in even the nicest dog, goldfish, or iguana.

As you will be having all kinds of extra people coming into your yard, and up to your door. This is a night to put all outdoor pets inside. Not only for the safety of your neighbors and the little monsters that will be coming to visit you, but  for the pet itself. There are many people that will pull pranks, jokes and cause mischief and your pet could be teased, stolen, tortured, and even killed.  Be extra watchful if you own a black cat or even a black dog! Even with the joys of Halloween there is a dark side to some people.  We personally  have owned many a black cats and we owned black lab dogs for many years. The week before and after Halloween I would make sure the Cats and the Dogs were well watched and or kept inside and let out only under close supervision. We lived in the county and the animals would just out into the yard. The 2 weeks around Halloween The pets were kept close and on Oct 30-Nov 1 the animals were stuck in the house; well other than going out and going potty on leashes.

Check out the following link for more ideas. 

http://www.aspca.org/pet-care/pet-care-tips/halloween-safety-tips.aspx 

Physical Fitness Idea

We all know that we need to work out weekly if not daily. We all know to eat right, but sometimes these are the hardest things to do.

Try this for a week Choose an activity to do, like walking, dancing, weights, etc. No matter what activity you choose, you can do it all at once, or divide it into two or three parts during the day. If you divide it up, each part should be at least 10 minutes long. 

Just pick something you like to do.  

Pick something that YOU WILL DO! 

Every little thing you do to eat better, to exercise, will make your life better! 

Random Idea Sept

This is something to remember: Be sure to wash all fresh fruit and vegetables before eating. This includes melons, salad, carrots and potatoes. 

I know this is a pretty basic idea but you just never know who has touched or exactly where your fresh furits and vegetables have come from. People touch the produce before they buy, and you may not see them touching it, but where has their hands been? I personally have seen produce dropped on the floor at stores and customers have just put it back on the shelves; The floors are dirty, people walk on them. Fruits and vegetables come from farms, and are transported. It is just good common sense to wash things before you prepare them to eat.

Random Idea Wash your food before you eat it.

Family Time Sept

Make dinner as a family:

Everyone can vote on what to have for dinner. Have everyone do or help with some part of the dinner. Set the table, cook together , eat and clean up together as a family.

Even just making a dessert as a family and spending time together is all that matters. 

FS Goal Setting and Making a Plan

When it comes to Food Storage most people do not know where to start, how to start or even do not know why to start. Food Storage is just a larger pantry and it can help you save money in the long run. Here is something I wrote in 2008 on this topic and a few more current ideas added in as well.

Goal setting and making a plan can be hard for some and really easy for others. Start by writing down what you want to do. For example you want to get through until pay day with out running to the store every few days. Make a list of everything you will need for 2 weeks. This not only includes food, but toilet paper, deodorant, shampoo, laundry soap, dog/cat food as examples. Make a general meal plan/menu. Right down what you need for breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks.

Know what your family uses in 2 weeks/or even a month for different items. Buy enough to get you through for 2 weeks for starters, then go out a month. I have learned over the years to go shopping once a month and what my family needs to get through that month. How much toilet paper does you family go through in a week? For my family it is a 24 pack for a month. Now that is as long as school is in and people are only
home for a few hours in the morning and evening. When it is vacation time (summer or winter break) we use 36-48 rolls a month.So take things like that in to consideration.

How much milk does your family go through in a day? My house it is about a gallon every two weeks. We are not big milk drinkers. So I only need to 2 gallons for a month. But we do go through a lot of cheese, a 2lb loaf a week very easily.

You can start to make a list, write things on the calendar, use your day planner if you have one. In my house if we write it on the calendar, it gets done. For starters to see how much milk you go through, write down on the calendar, or where ever Monday used 1 gallon up, Wednesday used 1 gallon, Friday used up 2 gallons. Well I think you get the picture. Add up what you use in a week. Easy math a gallon a day is 14 gallons in 2 weeks. A gallon every other day is 7 gallons. Of course it is hard to have 14 gallons of milk in the fridge at one time, but you can buy 3-4 gallons at a time. You can even mix dry milk and mix your regular milk to stretch it so you will have to go to the store less. (if you do this at night while no one is watching, they will never know!) You can also freeze milk, just pour some milk out in to a pitcher or another milk jug, put the lid back on, date and store in the freezer. You then can remove the milk the night before you need it and put it in the fridge. (again no one would know). These are some ideas to help you store some milk, so you would then have to go to the store less, just for milk.

The key is finding a way to get organized and find a way to make a plan on how much of what to buy.
All families are different and all families work differently. What works for me and my family may not work for yours.

Set your goals but do not go over board because you will become over whelmed and not  complete it. Start small, master that and work on from there. You can always learn from the small things and succeed at that and build on to more challenging and more harder things. One thing you do not want to do is say I want my 1 year storage this year but you have no idea where to start or have never really done food storage. It is a Great goal! But start smaller. I want one months worth of food storage. Even that for some is way over board. Then start even smaller. I want one weeks worth of food storage.

Start with your lists, see how much of what you use, then you will know how much you need to buy for one week, a month, to even a year. You do not have to buy it all at once, who really has the money to do that. Most people have to budget out money not only for regular food shopping, but food storage items too. Start small even one can of something extra is better than nothing at all. Set a goal and make a plan!

Right now with the cost of food and everything else going up, people being out of work, and budgets are tight. It is really important to know where every last penny is going. when you make a list and go shopping for groceries every two weeks, to even once a month; If you can to this, you will save money. how many times have you or a family member ran to the store for something and ended up buying other items? Did you forget the one item you went to the store for? A lot of people do. You can end up impulse buying, every time you enter the store. If you say well it is only a few dollars, all those dollars add up. Make a menu, make a list, make a plan, and save money. Good luck!

Food Storage Recipes Sept Oats

Today is a day to share Food Storage Recipes. Now Food Storage is anything you have have in your pantry, cupboards, etc on a regular basis. Sometime we buy things that we know we need to have but really do not know how to use that ingredient. Today I will post some Oatmeal recipes. A really good source is the companies that make and sell oatmeal. Here is a link www.quakeroats.com . Now just go to your favorite producer of the Oats you purchase and see what recipes they have. Of course there are generally recipes on the packages to try also.

This is a great time of year to buy and use Apples. Here is arecipe using both:

OATMEAL APPLE CRISP
3 C. sliced apples, (Yellow Delicious, Granny Smith, Gala, Honey Crisp)
3 Tbsp. flour
1/4 C. sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. water
1/2 C. rolled oats
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 C. butter
1/3 C. brown sugar
Combine apples, flour, 1/4 cup sugar, cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. salt and water. Place in a greased casserole dish (I doubled the recipe to fill the 9 x 13 pan).
Cut the remaining ingredients together with a pastry blender and sprinkle over the top of the apple mixture in pan. Bake 35 minutes in 375 degree oven.

Oatmeal Bread - By Hand
Ingredients: 5-3/4 to 6-1/4 cups all-purpose flour, 2-1/2 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked) 1/4 cup granulated sugar, Two 1/4-ounce packages (about 4- 1/2 teaspoons) quick-rising
yeast, 2-1/2 teaspoons salt, 1-1/2 cups water, 1-1/4 low-fat milk, 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) margarine or butter. Preparation Steps: In large bowl, combine 3 cups flour, oats, sugar, yeast and salt; mix well. In small saucepan, heat water, milk and margarine until very warm (120ºF to 130ºF).

Add to flour mixture. Blend on low speed of electric mixer until dry ingredients are moistened. Increase to medium speed; beat 3 minutes. By hand, gradually stir in enough remaining flour to make a stiff dough.
Turn dough out onto lightly floured surface. Knead 5 to 8 minutes or until smooth and elastic. Shape dough into ball; place in greased bowl, turning once. Cover; let rise in warm place 30 minutes or until doubled
in size. Punch down dough. Cover; let rest 10 minutes. Divide dough in half; shape to form loaves. Place in two greased 8 x 4 or 9 x 5-inch loaf pans. Cover; let rise in warm place 15 minutes or until nearly doubled in
size. Heat oven to 375ºF. Bake 45 to 50 minutes or until dark golden brown. Remove from pans to wire
rack. Cool completely before slicing. Cook Tips and Variations: If desired, brush tops of loaves lightly with melted margarine or butter and sprinkle with additional oats after placing in pans. 2 Loaves

Chewy Chocolate No-Bakes
1 cup (6 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate chips, 5 tablespoons margarine or butter, 16 large marshmallows, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 2 cups Quaker® Oats (quick or old fashioned, uncooked).1 cup (any combination of) raisins, diced dried mixed fruit, shredded coconut, miniature marshmallows or chopped nuts.
In large saucepan melt chocolate chips, margarine and large marshmallows over low heat, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Stir in vanilla. Stir in oats and remaining ingredients.
Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper. Cover and refrigerate 2 to 3 hours. Let stand at room temperature about 15 minutes before serving. Store tightly covered in refrigerator. 3 dozen

So here are a few Recipes i use all the time for using my Oats in my food Storage. A simple way to use Oatmeal is use it and it is not just a breakfast food. by a few key strokes you can be find great recipes on the net and using Oatmeal, Oats, and the like in your daily cooking.

72 Hour Kit Idea Sept

Hopefully you already have your 72 hour kit ready to go! If so then this is the time of year to update the clothing in the kits. As the kids have gone back to school and new clothes have been bought, time to rotate the clothes in the kits as well. 

We all not only kids either grow, lose weight, gain weight.

Have everyone try on their clothes, and remove the ones that do not fit and add clothes that do fit. Shoes need to be looked at also. Do not forget the socks, jackets, and hats.