Why I Have Poison Ivy…

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Before

After

Our new home has a jungle for a front yard (and back yard.)  So much of it is beautiful flowering plants gone wild.  Most of the front yard is a lovely shade loving ground cover that blooms all over in purple flowers.  The beauty is spoiled by all sorts of volunteer trees etc. popping up through.  So late last week, while Darren was at work, I grabbed my trimmers and went to work.

One of the weeds spoiling the yard was a very long, healthy vine.  I grabbed it and pulled it out, but I’m not positive I got the root.  I was busy congratulating myself when I saw the tell-tale 3 leaf pattern on the vine.  One of the leaves looked suscpiciously like a mitten.  Oh, dear.  “Leaves of 3, leave them be.”  I ran in the house and scrubbed my hands all the way to the elbow.  I thought about washing my face…but here’s the stupid part.  I had just put on a lovely smokey eye with charcoal gray and gold and I wanted DH to see it.  So I didn’t wash my face.  So now, I have poison ivy all over my face and not anywhere else.  Oh vanity!

I have much work left to do in the yard, but it’s fun satisfying work. I’m planning to remove the rest of the feeble evergreen bushes and replace them with shade loving varities.  Then I’d like to paint my shutters and front door dark gray while repainting the trim white to freshen it up.

I have lots of plans for the back too!  Hopefuly within the next 2 weeks that will mean clearing this spot:

For these:

I was so excited when Aldi had them on sale for $30 each!  Since I’m wood challenged, this was a great deal for me :).

P.S.  I’m thinking about taking the fake railing thing down off the top of the front porch.  What do you think?

 

Homemade Chicken Nuggets

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It’s hard to believe Grocery Shrink Plus is already in it’s 5th week!  If you haven’t signed up yet you are missing out.  We’ve been trying all sorts of new recipes and tecniques.  It’s so much fun!  And I’m really loving the facebook group.  It’s so fun to see the photos of everyone’s family and food.  The ladies are so encouraging!  I love to see little notes like this one:

We’re really enjoying these recipes, Angela!  Everything is so easy to make, healthy, and delicious.  I feel so much more organized in the kitchen as well. Thank you so much!–Stephanie

With Grocery Shrink Plus, everything is laid out for you.  I hope this is freeing.  Freeing enough that you can relax and let your kids help you in the kitchen.  The day we made chicken nuggets, little Brandon stopped in to help.  I was surprised how good at it he was! Read more…

The Twins

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I’ve been haunting craigslist for a china hutch for the dining room. Nothing seemed quite right until I saw a matching pair. I called immediately and found out that the price I thought was “each” was for “both!” But also that they had sold just a few minutes before. Bummer.

I mentioned the bummer a few times over the next few days and Darren urged me to “get over it.” Not long later, I saw the very same cabinets pop up on craigslist again.  The lady that bought them only needed one and was selling the twin.

I took a risk and called her pleading with her to consider selling both.  As it happened a minor crisis that occurred after she bought the cabinets made her a willing seller. So here they both sit in my dining room

The table is a folding church style banquet table and seats 10. It was hiding in the basement when we bought the house. I cleaned it up and bought a rental style table cloth for it from Amazon. It is perfect for us!

The chairs are another craigslist find. They were salvaged from an old restaurant and are really sturdy, but most impotant to me, they match (each other).  They are mission style and the cabinets are French country, but some darling slips covers will have the styles melding in no time.

I’d like to paint the room pale turquoise above the chair rail and white below. Crown molding and higher base boards would be lovely. I’ve seen those things on Craigslist too.

As a side note the menus are coming along swimmingly. We now have a lively facebook group where we can discuss the recipes and make new friends. It’s not too late to sign up for this week’s menu with the mini lesson of artisan bread in 5 minutes a day. And the next week will focus on making and using homemade mixes.  Here’s a picture of the breakfast bars from this morning’s breakfast.

More Paint

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I’ve been shopping my house for things to use in the rooms I am remodeling first.  Here’s a $5 garage sale mirror that used to be gold.  I spray painted it dark brown with black flecks for my sewing room in my old house.

The brown doesn’t look good in any room in our new house.  The filagree on the frame coordinates well with Heidi’s new bedspread.  So I painted the mirror silver. (That stuff on the mirror isn’t paint.  It’s leftovers from Grant playing with the “other baby.”  It cleaned off just fine, lol.)

I felt so fickle painting the mirror again.  But I do love it.  It’s hanging up now and we have ideas for more wall art for Heidi’s room.  When we finished the first round of decorating for Heidi, I wouldn’t let her see any of it.  Then we made her cover her eyes and see the room finished all at once.

She had to share her room with her brothers that whole time and it was a big deal to her to get her own space for the first time in her life.  She’s 12! I’ve almost always had my own room–so I can’t imagine!  We filmed her reaction–and it is so precious.  At first it felt too precious to share–but I’m warming up to the idea.

Changing the subject…Tomorrow is my first ever chat with the Grocery Shrink Plus subscribers. I’m nervous and excited at the same time!~We’ll be on the phone together live from 1-2 central time..talking about all things frugal and family.  Only those who subscribed to the meal plan get to be on the call.  I plan to have some sort of bonus every month for those who are subscribed–old and new!  I just wanted you to know that while the meal plan is awesome–subscribers get way more than that.  I wouldn’t be happy unless you are blown away at how much you receive for just $1.25 a week.   I’m cheap….but I’d pay for this :).

About Presentation

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When we’re going frugal with food, simple presentation can make a few cents look like a hundred bucks.  My father-in-law taught me this trick for serving organges.  It’s fast,  looks awesome and is easy to eat too.  Here they are paird with Monday’s Grocery Shrink Plus breakfast:  Toad in the Hole.

To make it, slide your knife between the flesh and the peeling vertically.  Like this:

 

Then slowly rotate the fruit as you move the knife up and down slightly.  When you are done, you should have a nice flat disc of skin left on the bottom but a perfectly peeled fruit on top.

We just pick them up and eat them by biting out the fruit from the sides.  Grapefruits work great this way too.

 

 

Grocery Shrink Plus is Coming!

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My inbox is full of emails that say something like:  “It’s Friday, is everything okay?  Did I miss my menu’s?”

I’m so excited it’s Friday!  And the menu’s are finsihed.  I’m just proofreading everything and they will go out at noon.  If you don’t have them by 2pm or so, then check your spam folder and email me.  (This also means that if you sign up before noon, you’ll still get your first menu and the bonus!)

This has been a huge labor of love for me.  Did you know that I don’t have an assistant? That means when you write me, I read it :).  There’s no one between us.  Sometimes that means I miss an email–so if you don’t hear from me write again.  But that also means I appreciate it when you are gentle with me.  There’s no filter on the emails and as hard as I try to have a tough skin, I really don’t.  A rude comment will have me out of sorts for far too long.

If you happen to find an error in the menu’s I do want to know.  But be kind; be gentle.  I’m someone’s mama too :).  And know I spent hours and hours each day this week to get ready for this one moment.  I’m excited about it, but my excitement is tempered by the knowledge that I’m only human.

Only 2 Days Left–Plus Bonus!

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I’m working feverishly on finishing the complete menu plan for Grocery Shrink Plus.  It mails out Friday and it is fantastic!    I know there are a few of you who want to join our group of action takers, but also want to make certain it’s good stewardship too.  For you, I’ve attached a sample day’s menu.  You can see what type of recipes I’ll be sharing with you, plus how I’ve set up the action plan for the day.  And if you need special accomodations for dairy free or gluten free–you can see how I handled that too.

March Menu Plan Sample

Will it be healthy?  Will it be tasty?  Will my family eat it?  Is there enough food that my menfolk will be satisfied?  I think so…but you can see for yourself.  Download the free sample (click above) and check it out.

Sign up here: Grocery Shrink Plus

The menu plan this week is awesome…but rest assured they will get better as time goes on.  And the menu is just part of what you are subscribing to.  I’ll also send you a cover letter with frugal tips for the week and talk you through how I save the most money.

I’ll be sharing for you the information I’ve kept off my blog and out of the free newsletter, because I was saving it for the ladies who were willing to invest in themselves to learn it.

And those who subscribe by Midnight Thursday will receive a BONUS!!!!

The bonus is a free Q&A phone chat with me (plus a playback to play over and over at your leisure.) You’ll have a chance to ask anything and have me answer live.  Besides answering your questions I’ll give my own advice on how to cook for picky eaters and blanacing time in the kitchen with the rest of our busy lives.  Can’t wait to visit with you there!  All subscribers will get an email with details about the call and a chance to submit your questions ahead of time.  That way if you can’t make the call you’ll still here your answer on the replay.

Grocery Shrink Plus isn’t for everyone. It’s not for you if you have egg allergies; are a vegetarian; or if you can’t stand the idea of getting help with your menus.

Grocery Shrink Plus is perfect for you if you feel overwhelmed when it comes to menu planning, grocery shopping, or cooking. Or if you are looking for new healthy recipes.  It’s also for you if you feel like you should be spending less on your groceries but can’t figure out how to do it.

 

Announcing Grocery Shrink Plus!

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I am excited to announce a brand new service!

Grocery Shrink Plus

Have you liked reading my menu ideas for the week in my newsletter, but been frustrated that there are no recipes to go with them?

When you subscribe to Grocery Shrink Plus, you will be emailed an expanded menu including breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for the week. The plan includes recipes plus an action plan for each day to help the week’s cooking go smoothly.

The menu’s are based on the pantry method of shopping, so you can save the most money while cooking nutritous meals for your family. I will include a master pantry list for the week which details the items that should be in your pantry, plus a list of items that are perishable or not commonly in a pantry for you to gather in preparaton for the week.
The menu’s are sent out on Friday, March 9th so you can use the weekend to shop for any needed food for the coming week. The first meal on the menu is for Sunday the 11th. Sunday’s meal is designed so much of the prep can be done the night before. Then, your lunch will cook while you are at church :).

The meals include variations for those on gluten free diets, or those who must avoid dairy products. There is not a vegitarian option at this time.
The recipes are pre-calcuated to serve families of 2, 4, 8, and 12 members and often cooking time is shortened by using “planned-overs” as meal starters for another day.
The first Grocery Shrink Plus menu plan is scheduled to come out on Friday and has my mouth watering! I’m excited because this is pushing me to a new level of planning that will bless my family as well. Don’t miss the first issue. Sign up now! At only $5 a month, it’s an affordable way to simplify your life. Just click here.

 

March Menu Printable

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Thanks to everyone who took part in the survey already. Your suggestions have helped me a ton! It’s not too late to take the survey–you can do that here. Here’s a free printable for you to plan your March menu. Click here to download the pdf.

 

I need your opinion

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Will you take a few minutes and answer the 8 questions below? Also if you have any additional comments about Grocery Shrink Plus, you can add them as a comment to the post. Your survey comments are private the website comments are not :).

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