Wordless Wednesday

Dinner's on the table.

Super-Second Hand Finds

We've been shopping second hand and garage sales for at least 10 years now. I remember back about 5 years ago, our Sunday afternoon "family time" would be to head to Goodwill after church to find some great deals. All 5 members of this household wore clothing supplied almost soley from thrift stores or yard sales. Whenever we would pull into the parking lot, our van would be among two or three other cars there. But in the last year we've begun to have difficulty finding a parking spot! Thankfully, even with all those other people shopping there, we are still able to find a good deal now and then (even with the steep increase of thrift-store prices!!).

Our latest booty:

Spankin' New Pampered Chef 9x13 Stoneware baking dish. New: $46.00. Paid: $3.99.

Brand New Keds (womens size 7.5) for Saige: New: $25.99. Paid: $2.99.

Nice Eddie Bauer Jeans for myself: New:$59.50. Paid: $5.99.

So on average, thrift store prices are roughly 10% of the retail, non-sale price. Pretty good if you ask me!

I did buy some other things as well, such as a nice pair of Mudd boots, brand new Bitten jeans, a cute skirt for Saige, a wooden slotted spoon and a couple of little plastic toys to make the ladies happy. None of those items could be found "new" on the web, thus no price comparison :). I'm still thrilled about the purchases none the less!

I Heart Crochet

It's been a while since I've gotten out the old hook & yarn. My heart was stolen for a little bit by long legged shiny things that go by the name of knitting needles. There is room in my life for those glittering twins, but after spending an hour with my old friend the hook today...I realized how much I missed it. Crochet.

A little peek at what my afternoon consisted of: Creating a matching hat for a sweet little "feeties" outfit. The heart meant much more than a embellishment to adorn that hat. It was a reminder. A reminder that crochet was and is my first yarnie love.

Long Island Cheese Pumpkins

Funny name, great pumpkins! Named for their resemblance to a "wheel of cheese", perhaps you all have seen these flat, buff-colored pumpkins, perhaps you haven't. At any rate, I want to encourage you to buy one if you come across one, or purchase seeds to grow your own next year.

They have a wonderfully smooth, non-stringy textured flesh which is a beautiful deep orange in color. Their seeds are (in my humble opinion) superior in munching quality to a jack-o-lantern's. And they deliver in the pumpkin-taste test when put into pies or baked goods! Easy to grow, beautiful to look at, reigning in taste and texture, these guys are the prince-of-all-pumpkins!

These and more, agree. We ended up with 17 cheeses from just two plants. Each one weighs between 10-13 lbs and yields approx. 1 cup of puree' per pound. Even after giving a few away, we are going to have plenty of pumpkin to satisfy our needs over the next few months. The cheeses are great keepers too, when kept in ideal conditions (cool, dry, dark place) they can last until spring!

Menu: Oct. 26th-Nov. 8th

We were blessed with 1/2 cow and a whole pig from my dear in-laws. So the freezers are full and menu planning will be a breeze with all this meat on hand!

DINNERS:

-Chili & Cornbread
-Sloppy Joes, Roasted Potatoes, veggies
-Pork Chops, Roasted Potatoes, Spaghetti squash
-Lentil Rice Tacos
-Pepperoni Pizza
-Winter Squash Soup, Bread
-Chalupa & fixin's
-Breakfast Burritos
-Spaghetti, veggies, bread
-Cabbage, Bacon & Noodles
-Potato Chowder, Bread
-Tuna Cheese Melts, veggie
-Hamburger & Rice, baked buttercup squash, bread
-Zucchini Pancakes

LUNCHES:

-Leftovers
-Tuna or PBJ sandwiches
-Quesadillas

BREAKFASTS:

-Quinoa Pudding
-Oatmeal
-Toast & Eggs
-Peanut Butter Toast
-Kefir Smoothies

SNACKS:

-Pumpkin Bread
-Applesauce & Cheese Sticks
-Dried Fruit & Pumpkin Seeds
-Cookies & Milk

A Little Fall Inside

It's very fallish outside and I just can't help but decorate for my favorite time of year. Usually I'd have everything out a month ago, but taking our trip put it off. We don't own much in the way of fall decor, but this year we brought home a large variety of winter squash from the produce stand we worked at. How neat that our decor is also a menu item ;).

Menu Plan Monday 10/12-10/26

Well we are back from our week-long vacation and I am so ready to get back into the routine of life around here. First things first and that means getting a menu made up. It's amazing how much smoother life goes when there are menus made.

DINNERS:

-Chicken & Quinoa, veggies, bread
-Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes, veggies, bread
-Pepperoni Pizza
-BBQ Beef sandwiches, roasted potatoes, veggie
-Lentil Rice Tacos
-Chili & Cornbread
-Quinoa & Black Beans, chips & tortillas
-Taco Salad
-Chili Cheese Potatoes
-Chicken Tacos
-Potato Soup, bread
-Roast Beef w/potatoes & carrots, bread
-Tuna Melts, veggies
-Sloppy Joes, veggies
-Leftovers

LUNCHES:

-Leftovers
-Tuna sands
-PBJ sands
-Turkey & Cheese sands
-Grilled Cheese & Tomato soup
-Quesadillas

BREAKFASTS:
-French Toast
-Peanut Butter Toast & fruit
-Eggs & Toast
-Pancakes
-Muffins
-Oatmeal

SNACKS:

-Pumpkin Bread
-Banana Bread
-Applesauce, crackers & cheese
-Cookies & Milk
-Crackers & Peanut Butter

I Will Be Back...

Yes, one of these days I'll get back to my bloggin' time :). But right now the abundant harvest beckons. Our days are filled with working at a local produce stand and canning during spare time.

We leave on family vacation the first week in October and then we start school right after that. So when will I be back, who knows for sure, but I will return :)

And when I do there will be lots of pictures and information about:

~Working at a locally-grown produce stand

~Canning my eye-balls out
~Family vacation
~New budget & debt information
~Weight-Loss
~Our 12th Wedding Anniversary
~This year's curriculum choices
~Soapmaking & Holiday Bazaars

Enjoy the Indian Summer and we'll see ya in the Fall!

Snaggle-Tooth

If she knew I titled this post with that name, she would not be a happy girl. But take a look at these pictures...what else could I have named it?

She only lost one tooth here, but because of the other one being so loose it caused a very large space to occur. This snaggle-toothed...uni-toothed...whatever you want to call it...look only lasted a couple days, but thankfully we got pictures to commemorate!

The day after the above photos were taken, Ry's smile revealed that ever-so-cute toothless grin :)

Eh...What's Up Doc?

Enjoying carrots straight from the garden.