Gardens for Small Spaces

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If you have a porch, balcony, deck or patio, it’s possible to have a vegetable garden–even if you don’t have any yard space.  Our yard is so small that I grow my vegetables in flower beds.  I don’t even want to take up enough space for a square foot garden, because I want to leave as much as possible for the children to play.  Here’s a photo of my garden space:

I know many of you have even less space than I do, and it’s amazing what can be grown in containers!  Here’s are a couple if inspirational youtube videos.  The one change I would make is to use Mel Barthalowmew’s mix of 1/3 compost, 1/3 coarse vermiculite, and 1/3 peat moss instead of soil.


Another interesting small space idea is growing potatoes in a container garden!  This is something I’d really like to try.  Diane from Lovetolearn.net has great instructions here.

It’s time to start seeds indoors

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As you can imagine, a great way to save on food costs is to keep a small garden.  The Grocery Shrink Ebook has charts in it to tell you how much of each type of plant to grow to be completely self sufficient for the year.  But even just a salad garden will help.   If you are short on space, stay tuned.  We’ll talk about your options another day.

My favorite place to shop for seeds is Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds.  All their seeds are heirloom which means you can save them from this year’s plants to grow again next year.  The company is run by a young homeschooled family, and they’ve grown the company from a small Missouri based company to stores in California and on the East Coast.  I also like to buy from our local bulk seed store,  Antoines.  They have a great selection (most are heirloom), good prices, and they weigh everything on antique balance scales.  I love it!  They are also a great resource for herbs and spices.  They have an online order form, but the best experience is to visit their store in Independence, MO.

I’m not a seed starting genious, but I have friends who are!  They all use a method similar to the step by step tutorial here.  My cousin, Rachael, has a black metal shop shelf with aquarium lights strapped to the underside of the shelves.  She makes gorgeous plants in that.   If you can start your own seeds, you’ll save a bundle, but even if you’re like me and have decided to buy plants from those more capable, you’ll still save.

I realize that I have readers from several different countries and planting zones, but if your growing season is roughly April through mid-October, then start your seeds now!

15 Minute Meals

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Note:  This post is full of links to more information.  Try right clicking on the link and selecting “open in new tab” so you can come back to the original article easily when you are ready.

Everyone has days that are packed so full you don’t have time to cook a decent meal.  The normal solution is to grab some fast food.  I’ve done it when we could afford it, but it wasn’t the healthiest alternative.  We’ve already talked about some mixes to have on hand for viable alternatives to eating out.  And there are some easy recipes that come together in about 15 minutes if you keep the right pantry ingredients on hand. 

When I’m stressed, I can usually get a main dish on the table, but sides dishes are another story.  I found some coping strategies that help me fill our table in no time. 

It helps to have a lettuce salad always prepared and ready to put on the table.  Check out this post for how to make it last:

Other fast side dishes I keep on hand are:  frozen veggies (just warm to serve), cottage cheese, home canned unsweetened applesauce, pineapple in juice, and whole wheat day old buns kept in the freezer (butter, sprinkle with garlic salt and parmesean or mozzarella and broil for 2 minutes for fast garlic bread.)

Here are some main dish pantry meals I always have on hand for a fast meal:

Spaghetti (just whole wheat pasta and jarred sauce.  Warm and serve.)

Tacos (I keep homemade taco seasoning ready to go, shredded cheese, lettuce, tortillas (in the freezer), and salsa.)  It’s just brown and season the meat, warm the tortillas throw everything on the table and eat!.)

Grilled Burritos:  When my freezer is filled with sale priced or homemade tortillas, there are lots of options!  I also keep canned refried beans on hand for emergencies, though like to make my own.  Here’s a post about how to make these yummy burritos fast.

Mackerel Patties:  Inexpensive but super healthy canned fish star in this fast dish!  There’s even a how to video at the post here.

While dinner is often the eating out monster, breakfast can be tough too.  Click here to read about how to make perpetual breakfast batters to always be ready to cook and eat on the run.

And if you are partial to Egg McMuffin Sandwiches, you’ll love the 90 second breakfast recipe here.

What to do with….

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…a  whole chicken.

When working with mom’s one of the first easy changes to make is to buy a whole chicken for things like chicken soup, casseroles, and salads instead of boneless skinless chicken breasts.  Chicken breasts average $5.99 a lb but can be found at Costco in 10 lb bags for $2 each.  And occasionally go on sale for less than that at the regular store.  I buy chicken breasts at these low prices, but cook them like a steak since they are one of our more expensive meats.

Whole chickens on the other hand can be found at Aldi every day for $.79 a lb and go on sale for $.59 a lb!  When I’m going to cut up a chicken for enchiladas, casseroles, or cold chicken salad anyway, I use the most affordable meat on the market.  A whole chicken is easy to deal with, and there are 3 different ways to cook it.  The first, boiling it, is one of my favorites because it also yields 4 quarts of yummy chicken broth to use in recipes.  If you prefer you can roast it in the oven or the slow cooker, and when adding root vegetables to the pot, you end up with a one dish meal.  In the picture above, I roasted 3 chickens at once so I could freeze the meat for fast meal solutions later.

Whole chicken with Broth

16 cups of water

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons garlic salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 onion, chopped fine (Or 1 Tablespoon onion powder)

2 ribs of celery, chopped fine (Or one teaspon celery seed)

1 whole chicken (Thawed and the gible bag removed from the inside.)

Combine all in a large stock pot and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer for about 3 hours.  Use a slotted spoon to remove the chicken to a platter to cool.  Strain the broth and set in the fridge when cool.  Usually by this point quite a bit of water has cooked out of the broth, so I add more to get back to 16 cups.  Once the broth has chilled, the fat will harden on the top and you can remove it easil if you prefer to cook with fat free broth.  Then ladle the broth into freezer jars and freeze in recipe size portions for future use.

When the chicken has cooled, gather two large bowls.  Use your fingers to separate the meat from the bones.  I put the bones, skin, and other unwanted parts in one bowl, and the meat in the other.  Then coarsely chop the meat and place 2 cup portions into freezer bags and freeze.

Roast Chicken

There are lots of different herb variations for roasting a chicken. I previously shared one of my favorites here.  (There’s also a lovely lemon rub recipe in the Slow and Savory cookbook.)  In the link above, I showed how to cook 3 chickens at once, but if you prefer to do one and make it a meal.  Also add 2 peeled whole carrots, 1.5 peeled potatoes, 2 ribs of celery cut into 1 inch pieces, and a sliced onion to the roasting pan.  Follow the same cooking instructions as in the link.

Slow Cooker Chicken

Follow the preparation instructions above, then cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. 

Update:  I boiled a chicken today that was 5.06 lbs.  I got a gallon of broth and 6 cups of cubed meat.  The meat weighed 1 lb 15 oz and the bones and skin weighed 1 lb 5 oz  which means 1 lb 12 oz of the chicken was moisture that went into the broth.  I haven’t cooked and weighed chicken breasts yet, but let’s pretend they would have the same amount of moisture loss:

5 lbs of chicken breasts at $2 a lb would cost $10 with a net result of 3 lbs 4 oz of meat and a final price of $3.08 a lb

5lb of whole chicken at $.79 a lb cost $3.95 with a net result of 1 lb 15 oz of meat and a final price of $2.03 a lb.  At $.59 a lb for the whole chicken it’s $1.52 a lb

It’s worth it to pay for the extra bones and skin (it makes a healthier broth) because the net result is still less expensive meat.  The least expensive I have seen boneless skinless chicken breasts was $1 a lb.  The price of the actual meat becomes $1.65 a lb.  It is still less expensive to buy a whole chicken at $.59 a lb, but barely so at that point.

Emergecy Meal Mixes

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Life happens. There are times when just thinking about cooking a meal is stressful.  Or the non-cooking adult has to cook or resort to fast food.  Having a few of these homemade mixes on hand can help.  When you make these mixes yourself, you can use wholesome herbs, and whole grain ingredients.  You know there’s no msg or other preservatives.  You can control the sodium, fat, and sugar content.  To make it even better, these mixes are inexpensive and fast to throw together for the times when life happens.

Handi Spaghetti

8 oz broken spaghetti noodles (brown rice or whole wheat based pasta works great.)

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

2 teaspoons parsley

1 teaspoon basil

1 teaspon ground fennel (optional)

Mix these ingredients in a quart sized baggie.  To prepare bring 4 cups of tomato sauce and 3 cups of water to a boil.  Add 1 lb of browned and drained hamburger or ground turkey and the contents of the bag.  Simmer for 20-25 minutes or until the noodles are tender.  While you wait, warm up some green beans, tear some lettuce into a salad, and set the table.  (Variation:  If you can your own tomatoes, you can puree 2 quarts of tomatoes in a blender until completely smooth and use instead of tomato sauce and water.)

Bread Machine Mix

4 cups of flour (half white and half wheat if desired, or all wheat)

1 teaspon salt

2 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons butter

1 Tablespoon of yeast

Combine flour, sugar, and salt.  Cut in butter until very fine.  Stir in yeast. Package in a quart jar or quart sized baggie. Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.  To use Place 1 3/4 cups warm water in the bread machine.  Add mix and run dough cycle.  This will make 2: 14-15 inch pizza crusts, 2 loaves of bread, one large loaf of Italian style bread, cinnamon rolls, bagels, or dinner rolls.  I like to plop this in the machine in the morning and delay the dough cycle so that the dough will be ready right at prep time for dinner.

Pizza crust:  Divide dough into 2 balls.  Roll out on prepared pans.  Let rise for 15 minutes.  Top with sauce, toppings, and cheese.  Bake at 415 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is golden on the top.

Bread:  divide dough into 2 balls, place into greased loaf pans.  Let rise Let rise until double 30 minutes-1 hour.  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

Dinner Rolls:  Divide dough into 24 pieces, shape into rolls.  Let rise until double 30 minutes-1 hour and Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.  Or divide into 2 balls, roll each ball into a circle 1/4 inch thick.  Cut each circle into 12 wedges and roll up crescent roll style.  Let rise and bake at 350 degrees fro 15-20 minutes. 

Bagels:  Divide dough into 10 pieces.  Roll each piece into a ball and poke your finger through the center to create a large hole.  Set on a floured counter to rest for 1 minutes.  Boil 2 quarts of water and 1 Tablespoon of sugar in a stock pot.  Boil each bagel for 1 minute on each side.  Drain on a dish towel.  Bush with beaten egg (optional) and sprinkle with seeds (poppy or sesame, chopped sunflower seeds, or a combination).  Bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes.

Cinnamon rolls:  Divide dough into 2 balls.  Roll each ball ina rectangle 8″ x 15″.   Or about 1/4 inch thick.  Spread each with 4 oz cream cheese or butter.  Sprinkle with 1/4 cup brown sugar combined with 1 teaspoon cinnamon.  Roll up making it as long as possible.  Use dental floss to cut each log into 12 pieces and place in a greased 9 x 13 pan.  Let rise for 1 hour and bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until golden brown on the top.  Frost with a powdered sugar and milk drizzle if desired.

(Non-sour) French style bread:  Turn the whole piece of dough onto a well-floured (or use cornmeal) pizza slide.  Without punching it down, gently stretch it into a long loaf, tucking the edges to the underside so that the top is smooth.  Let rest for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.  Place a bakers stone on the top rack of your oven and a broiler pan on the bottom rack.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  When the oven is preheated, brush the top of the loaf with water, then sprinkle with parmesan cheese or seeds if desired.  Use a serrated knife to cut 5 slits across the top of the loaf.  Slide the loaf onto the preheated stone and quickly pour one cup of water into the broiler pan.  Shut the door immediately to trap the steam.  Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a nice dark crust has formed.  Transfer to a cooling rack and cool before slicing.

Skillet Lasagna

This is the recipe that started the Grocery Shrink Blog!  And you can get it here.

Fettucini Alfredo Mix

8 oz Fettucini, broken into pieces (whole grain pasta works fine)

2 T flour 
2 T powdered instant skim milk
1/2 t basil 
1 t lemon pepper
1/2 t garlic powder 
1 t salt
1/2 C parmesean cheese

Mix all in a quart bag.  To prepare.  Pour mix into a skillet with 2 cups of water and 2 cups of milk.  Stir well until all the powders are blended and noodles are well moistened.  Bring just to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until noodles are tender.  Remove from heat and allow to cool for 3-5 minutes.  Sauce will thicken as it cools.  If you like, stir in sauteed vegtables, cooked chicken cubes, turkey sausage, or shrimp.

Taco Seasoning

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1 teaspoon sugar (optional)
2 teaspoons garlic salt and pepper (or 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon dried minced garlic, 1/4 teastpoon pepper, and 1/4 teaspoon parsley)
2 teaspoons cumin 
1 Tablespoons chili powder
1 Tablespoon dried onion flakes
1/2 teaspoon Mexican oregano

Mix together 1 pound browned and drained ground beef, 1/4 cup water and mix. Cook and stirr until hot and bubbly.

Leftover Stew Mix

 When we have leftover bits of beef, gravy, or vegetables (with cooking liquid) I put them in a large container in the freezer  and add to it as the leftovers appear.  Our container is a washed 4 lb yogurt container from Costco, but use what you have.  When 2 containers are full, I thaw out the contents put it in the slow cooker with 2 cups of tomato sauce and enough water to make it soupy and cook it all day.  The last 20-25 minutes, I add the contents of this mix for a wholesome barley beef stew.

2 Tablespoons dried mince onion

1 teaspoon garlic salt

1 teaspoon dried parsley

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 bay leaves

1 cup pearl barley

(Note:  pull out the bay leaves and put them in the slow cooker at the beginning.  Wait to add the rest until the end or the barley will absorb all the liquid and flavor and make a mess of your stew.)

Convincing your family

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Are you excited about making better buying choices, but afraid what your family will say if you do?

One mother wrote me repentant that she had allowed her children to be accustomed to meals of pop tarts, fruit loops, chicken nuggets, and chips.  She was afraid that making the right choices financially and healthfully would create mutiny among her tiny charges.  What should she do?

I think taking the gentle but firm approach is appropriate.  I would sit them down and first apologize like this, “Children, I have something I need to say sorry for.  I love you very much and would never do something to hurt you on purpose.  But I recently learned that I have been feeding you foods that won’t help you grow as strong and healthy as you should.  Can you forgive me for buying unhealthy foods? pause for response The good news is that healthy foods will cost us less money so that we can provide better for you in other areas.  We also get to start a new adventure trying out new healthy foods!  I have made a snack for us to try that will help you grow big and strong.  Let’s go try it together!”

If your children are very young, you might start a small “I tried a new food” chart.  If they take a bite of something new (or something they didn’t used to like) at dinner or for a snack, they can put a sticker on the chart.  Studies have shown that children need to be offered a food 12 times before tasting it on their own.  Usually the first response is an aversion to the the fact that the food is new, not the food itself.

Some kid friendly snacks are:  apples and peanut butter; fresh bread and jam; whole wheat cheese quesadillas (these are literally just 1/4 cup of shredded cheese inside a folded tortilla and microwaved for 20-30 seconds); frozen berry and yogurt smoothies; and unsweetened round cereal (like cherrios) on a string (we use dental floss and make necklaces or bracelets for a snack to go.) 

What about our husbands?  No matter how old we get, we still have a some of our child-likeness left.  And if our husbands are used to certain “treats” around it might not go over well if they disappear over night.  My husband loves things like Nutter-Butters, Pop-Tarts, Captain Crunch, Pizza Rolls, and Ice Cream.  But we sat down together as 2 adults and talked about what our family would have to sacrifice to afford these items on a regular basis.  He agreed it wasn’t worth it.  When our budget allows he gets a small “food allowance” for his treats.  He keeps them at work or in his car just for him.  They aren’t around to tempt the kids, but he still gets his occasional treat.  We are both happy.

What you decide to buy and not buy is a very personal decision.  It’s great to have family dialogue about it and work together to find healthy solutions for your snack and quick meal needs.  Tomorrow’s post will help with more quick but helathy food ideas!

Necessities First

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It makes me feel powerless when I see families trapped in poverty by poor choices.  I have a good friend living in poverty with no vehicle, minimal furniture, and no bank account.  He has a steady job, but is living a life by the feel good moment.  He spends his cash on cigarettes, fast food, and convenience store treats and then has nothing when a real need comes along.  I want to tell him, “Set aside your cash for necessities in labeled envelopes, then if money is left over, you can buy a treat.”  But he doesn’t see a need for change. 

I know another family, living a cleaner life.  They don’t buy cigarettes or alcohol, but spend little bits here and there, because they “needed a treat.”  Or “it takes too long to get a book from the library.”  Or “it was a decent price for this time of year.” At the end of the month they aren’t sure how to pay their looming bills.  All their extra indulgences adds up to hundreds a month–thousands a year, yet they don’t quite see where the money has gone. 

If you have to justifiy the purchase, then there’s a good chance you shouldn’t buy it.

Don’t think that I walk around juding everyone’s choices in their shopping carts!  I want you to have lots of good things. And I want you to have them when having them brings only good things to you.

When you are building a budget, plan for necessities first.  This means basic food, necessary clothing, shelter, utilities, basic phone, and gasoline.  If there’s money left over you can apply it to things that make your quality of life better.

Within the basic categories, think again about necessities first.  This applies especially to the food and clothing areas.  Next month, we’ll talk about clothing, so for now let’s focus on groceries.  Spend your money on nutritionally dense, life giving foods first.  This would exclude soda, gum, candy, pop tarts (sorry dear), crackers, cookies, chips, and dips.  I’m not saying that you can’t ever have these items, I just saying, wait.  After you have purchased what is necessary to live a healthy life, and you have money left over, buy a treat if that’s what you want to do.

 

Sometimes healthy foods are these treats that I’m talking about.  Strawberries are out of season right now.  They range in price from $5 to $2.50 a lb (on sale)  in my area.  They just don’t make the list for my basic foods at this price.  If I wait until April, I can buy berries for $1 a lb.  It would be silly to spend my limited money on expensive berries now and then not be able to afford enough basic food to make it within the budget to the end of the month.  But after i have purchased all our necessary foods and I have enough left over for fresh berries, then why not?

Making this shift requires us to stop acting like a “princess” and start acting like a daughter of the King of Kings. 

And sometimes this means bringing our family along for the journey.  Tune in tomorrow for ideas to switching the family to a healthy frugal lifestyle. 

Take it, or leave it?

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When I see a really good deal, my heart starts beating faster.  My palms get sweaty, and my brain gets a little foggy.  I think thoughts like:  “How many should I buy?  Should I pick some up for a friend?  How many can I get without making people stare?  Maybe I should grab a second shopping cart.  Ooh, do they come in all flavors, sizes and colors? 

This is how I can waste a bunch of money, getting a ton a great deals that we don’t need, won’t use, and can’t store.

Instead I should ask myself:  Is it healthful?  Do I love it?  Do I need it?  Can I use it?  Will it require maintenance (like ironing)?  Will it help me reach my goals?  Will I have to store it?  How long will it keep?  Do I have anything to wear with it (or cook with it)?  Should I leave it for someone who needs it more?

Last week, for example, CVS had a double coupon opportunity that would allow me to get many bags of bite size butterfingers for free!  Yep, free.  I have to work hard at keeping my weight normal and sugar makes the entire family feel horrible after we indulge.  It would have been a waste of time and gas for me to even try to snag a bag or two.  It was not healthful or necessary.

Stores are full of “good deals” that we don’t need to take advantage of.  Lunchables often go on sale for half price.  I pass them by, because I can throw a more healthful and filling lunch together for much less than that.  Frozen hash brown potatoes go on sale for $1 a lb occasionally.  This is a really great price for them, but I pass them by.  I can get 10 lbs of potatoes for $1 on sale.  That’s 10% of the best price for frozen hash brown potatoes.  They are more healthy, can be shredded to use as hashbrowns plus have a limitless number of other possibilties.

 

I once found a clearance rack full of girl’s pastelle cotton blouses full of adorable ruffles for just $3 each, brand new with tags!  I bought one in every color and in sizes to wear now and grow into.  They wore them once (then decided knit tops were more comfortable) and after washing, each blouse was a wrinkled mess.  All those ruffles made ironing tedious.  I was more than happy to put them in the next garage sale, but the great bargain turned out to be a waste of money and time.

I’m speaking to myself as much as anyone here, but a great bargain is no time to panic or to spend more than you should.  Think it over carefully, leave some for someone else, and if you totally miss it, another one will come along.

Step 4: Know How to Spot a Good Deal

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Sale flyers can be deceiving.  One of our local stores stamps a low price guarantee on some of their items in their sale flyer.  This means that on this day in this area of the country, you shouldn’t be able to find a lower price.  But the week before or two weeks after, the price could be significantly lower.  So how do you know if a sale is really a good deal?

Keep a price book.

This is usually a temporary project.  After you write down prices and look them up a few times, you will begin to memorize what a good deal is and no longer need to keep the notebook.  If you feel like inflation is creeping in, you can start a new price book to get your barings on what sale prices are again.

The easiest way to keep a price book is to save your grocery receipts.  Write in a notebook the items you frequently buy and their prices from the receipt.  Then watch the ads to see what the prices do.  When you find a lower price, write it down next to the old price.  You might want to note the store you saw the price in too.

Pretty soon, you’ll be looking through the ads and see a low price guarantee and laugh–or you might find a super great sale (like 10 lbs of potatoes for $1, whole chickens for $.59 a lb, or boneless skinless chicken breasts for $.99 a lb and run out and stock up!) 

Image source: recordinglibrary.org

When reading an ad, the best values are usually on the front and back of the ad.  They’ll sneak some special sales on the inside, but most of them aren’t great deals there.  Knowing what prices are normal and which ones are amazing, will help you shrink your grocery bills. 

It’s my goal to buy enough of the items we use most when they are at their lowest price ever, that I don’t have to buy them again until they are priced that low again.  Imagine a pantry full of healthy low cost foods that you can built a limitless variety of meals from.  I have one, and you can too!

I’ve always been a bargain shopper, but my grocery bill used to be double what it is today.  Tomorrow I’ll tell you how to know which deals to grab and which deals to turn away no matter how great a value they are.

We interrupt this blog…

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. . . To remind you that Valentine’s Day is coming!!!  But don’t worry, you don’t have to spend a fortune to make the day special.  Here are some recipes, tutorials and activity ideas to get your creative juices flowing. 

Click the photos to go to the tutorials

Gorgeous Paper Flowers even a Child Can Make from Divine Party Concepts.

Look at this Adorable Tic tac toe game tutorial from Roots and Wings!

What litle girl wouldn't squeal with delight to find one of these hairclips wrapped up in her lunch on Valentine's Day? Thank you Creations by Kara for this great tutorial.

We ate our last authentic thin mint today and thought we would have to wait until next year for more until 101 Cookbooks came through with this from scratch recipe. Yay! But don't worry cute little girlscout friend, I will still buy from you.

Imagine your thin mints cut with a heart cutter and dipped only half in chocoate.   Adorable! 

Eat Good 4 Life has this amazing Pretzel tutorial. They have a natural heart shape, even more so with a good pinch at the bottom. I'm thinking these would make a fantastic Valentine morning breakfast.

Family Fun has done it agian. I rarely buy hotdogs but picked some Turkey dogs up on the $.65 special this week for our Valentine lunch. My kids will be so excited!

 

I've always wanted to try making English Muffins. I can't think of a better time to try! Thanks again Family Fun.

 

These look fast and easy. I think my mom has some mini canes leftover from our Christmas celebration.

Here's an adorable basket from Jennifer Meyer. I plan to have the kids make their own smaller versions in the morning and I will fill them with little treats to put by their place at lunch.

Stop reading here Darren!  For celebrating with Daddy, I’d like to set the dinner table with the paper roses the kids have made earlier in the day.  We are making heart shaped mini meatloaves and mashed potatoes with steamed green beans, lettuce salad, and strawberry pretzel salad for dinner, with heart shaped cheddar biscuits on the side.    It is our family club night at church so we will be home late.  I’d love to have my bedroom clean by Valentine’s day so I can put fresh sheets, rose petals, and wrapped chocolates on the bed, but I’ll try not to be too disappointed if I don’t get it all done.  And thankfully Darren is appreciative even if only a small amount gets accomplished.