Canned my first batch of strawberry jam & Salsa!

I had had a wonderful trip to our local Farmers Market this past weekend! I bought such a wonderful bunch of fresh locally grown produce! Well yesterday we made strawberry jam & salsa from it & canned it! I was so happy & wanted to share :)

There are many recipes out there. I used this recipe (a bit modified from others out there, due to dietary needs of my family)

• 4 pints strawberries (5 cups crushed)
• 1/2 tsp. margarine
• 1 package pectin (1-3/4 oz.)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar

Preparation -
Wash the strawberries and remove the hulls. Chop and crush the berries in a food processor or by hand. In a large pot, measure 5 cups of crushed strawberries. Stir in the margarine and pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Stir the sugar into the strawberry mixture. Bring to a full, rolling boil again. Boil 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; skim off the foam. Ladle the jam into clean jars to 1/4" from the top. Wipe the rims. Cover the jars with the caps, then screw on the bands. Place the jars in a canner with just enough water to cover jars. Process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes. Makes 4-1/2 pints

The jam turned out wonderful.

Now for the salsa :)  My wonderful husband was wonderful enough to prepare this for me :)

Although my husband is a good cook, I wasn't standing over his shoulder while he was preparing the salsa, so I don't know the exact measurements of everything :(

Roughly he used (sorry the measurements aren't there & I might be missing some of his ingredients):

• 2 baskets super hot peppers, long chilies red & green (they were sooo much hotter at the Farmers Market than at the store)
• An onion/garlic hybrid (farmers market)
• lemon juice
• Cumin

(This is where I picked it up)

Preparation -
Combine all the ingredients in a stockpot. Mix well and bring to a boil. Cook on a low boil, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Ladle the hot salsa mixture into pint size canning jars (about 16 pints), leaving 1/2" headspace. Wipe the rims. Place caps on the jars and adjust the lids. Process in a boiling water bath canner for 20 minutes. Remove from the canner to cool. Label and store in a cool, dark space. Refrigerate after opening.

I went shopping Last night....

... for groceries. I got a little off track on my blogging lately. My husband & my Mom have been remodeling the bathroom this past week :) (kinda a b-day gift, i just turn 25 on the 19th).

Anywho, I went to buy groceries last night & wanted to share my meal plan. I only did Mon-Fri for two weeks (instead of 1 week), reason being, things come up & sometimes we grab a bite to eat in town (& that way I can move a meal to the weekend without having any waste).

Ok, here it goes :
 Week 1:


Monday
Breakfast: Cereal
Snack Grapes
Lunch PB&J
Snack Strawberries
Dinner Chicken?
Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Snack : Oranges
Lunch: Sandwich
Snack: watermelon
Dinner: Goulash
Wednesday
Breakfast: cereal
Snack : Grapes
Lunch: Light nigh dinner left-overs
Snack: Oranges
Dinner Pasta
Thursday
Breakfast: Breakfast burritos
Snack : Watermelon
Lunch: Mac & cheese
Snack: pudding
Dinner: BBQ
Friday
Breakfast: Cereal
Snack ; Grapes
Lunch: Grilled cheese
Snack: Goldfish crackers
Dinner: chicken?


Week 2:
Monday
Breakfast: Cereal
Snack : Grapes
Lunch Grilled Cheese
Snack: oranges
Dinner: Tacos
Tuesday
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Snack : Oranges
Lunch: Sandwich
Snack: Apples & caramel
Dinner: Burritos
Wednesday
Breakfast: Potatoes & chorizo
Snack :  Animal crackers
Lunch: PB&J
Snack: Strawberries
Dinner: Butter pasta & Gravy meat
Thursday
Breakfast: French Toast
Snack : Goldfish crackers
Lunch: Mac & cheese
Snack: Cantaloupe
Dinner: Crock pot Swiss Chicken
Friday
Breakfast: Cereal 
Snack: Grapes
Lunch: last night dinner left-overs
Snack: Circle cheese
Dinner: Chicken enchiladas






Yup, two weeks worth of groceries/meals...now for the part that most people dread... What was the cost at the register? Please keep in mind, my household has a minimum of 5 people (Me, my husband & our 3 children) BUT can be up to 8 PEOPLE (my mom, my [youngest] sister, and my nephew) also have dinner with us often.

......drum roll....

.....$54.57!

I was so happy :) That's about $27.29 per week!

How was I able to get all those meals for so cheap?
I took an inventory of what was already in my pantry & freezer, made my meal plan from that, then found the ingredients I needed.

Here is a glance at what my grocery list looked like last night:


GROCERY LIST

Have
Chicken
Ground beef
Hamburger patties
Butter
Eggs
Chorizo
Pudding
Caramel
Potatoes
Cereal
Oatmeal
Peanut Butter & Jelly (mixed)
Tortillas (corn & flour)
Enchilada sauce
Taco seasoning
Vanilla
Cinnamon
Cheese (sliced, block & shredded - American, Cheddar, Swiss)
Bread
Pasta





Need
Apples
Cantaloupe
Grapes
Oranges
Strawberries
Watermelon
Mac & Cheese
Goldfish crackers
Taco shells
Sandwich meat
Animal crackers
Cream-of-Chicken
Chicken broth
“Circle cheese”

Busy Busy Week :)

I haven't added anything  the past couple of days because I have been a little busy around the house. I finally got around to making my own home-made laundry soap, dryer sheets & cloth napkins :)

Homemade Liquid Laundry Soap- Front or top load machine- best value

4  Cups - hot tap water
1  Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½ Cup Borax

- Grate bar of soap and add to saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium-low heat until soap dissolves and is melted.

-Fill a 5 gallon bucket half full of hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and Borax. Stir well until all powder is dissolved. Fill bucket to top with more hot water. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

-Stir and fill a used, clean, laundry soap dispenser half full with soap and then fill rest of way with water. Shake before each use. (will gel)

-Optional: You can add 10-15 drops of essential oil per 2 gallons. Add once soap has cooled. Ideas: lavender, rosemary, tea tree oil.

-Yield: Liquid soap recipe makes 10 gallons.

-Top Load Machine- 5/8 Cup per load (Approx. 180 loads)

-Front Load Machines- ¼ Cup per load (Approx. 640 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

Powdered Laundry Detergent - Top load machine

1   Fels-Naptha soap bar
1  Cup - Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda*
½  Cup Borax

-Grate soap or break into pieces and process in a food processor until powdered. Mix all ingredients. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons. Yields: 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

*Arm & Hammer "Super Washing Soda" - in some stores or may be purchased online here (at Meijer.com). Baking Soda will not work, nor will Arm & Hammer Detergent - It must be sodium carbonate!!

TIPS FOR LAUNDRY SOAP: We use Fels-Naptha  bar soap in the homemade soap recipes, but you can use Ivory, Sunlight, Kirk's Hardwater Castile or Zote bars. Don't use heavily perfumed soaps. We buy Fels-Naptha by the case from our local grocer or online. Washing Soda and Borax can often be found on the laundry or cleaning aisle. Recipe cost approx. $2 per batch.

Inexpensive Fabric Softener Recipes

Recipe #1
1  Cup White Vinegar
Add vinegar to rinse cycle. Works great. Removes residue and odors. Also helps to keep washing machine and hoses fresh and clean too.

Recipe #2

1  Container of Name Brand Fabric Softener
4  Inexpensive sponges, cut in half

Pour entire container of softener into a 5 gallon bucket. Fill empty softener container with water twice. (2 parts water to 1 part softener) Add sponges to softener/water mixture. When ready to use wring out extra mixture from one sponge and add to the dryer as you would a dryer sheet. 

I  found these wonderful & very useful recipes at http://www.duggarfamily.com/recipes.html.

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My cloth napkins were made from a spare piece of cloth I had laying around.

Generally, you would want to look for a fabric that has good absorbency (luckily the cloth I had laying around does). Next measure the desired size. A good tip is to get all the measurements BEFORE cutting ;)

Try to pick measurements that will minimize waste. My fabric was only 10 inches wide\, so I made 10X10 squares, but if it had been 11 inches wide I would've made 11X11 squares to minimize waste. Likewise, if I had fabric 18 inches wide, i would've made 9X9 squares (2 rows). 

Next sew the edges to prevent fraying.

Use. And wash :)

This is a great opportunity to express your creativity. These cloth napkins are meant to be longer lasting than the disposable paper towels. If you were willing to spend an extra $1-2 for the cute print paper towels that would be thrown away, why not invest an extra $1-2 per yard for cloth napkins that you plan on keeping for awhile? Buy the bold prints, daring colors, or any other color/style that is pleasing to YOU :)

Marriage

I saw this & wanted to share ... idk who originally wrote it, but a friend shared it with me & I wanted to share w/ everyone here reading my blogs. It's a real sad story, so grab a tissue.

Quote:
 

When I got home that night as my wife served dinner, I held her hand and said, I've got something to tell you. She sat down and ate quietly. Again I observed the hurt in her eyes.

Suddenly I didn't know how to open my mouth. But I had to let her know what I was thinking. I want a divorce. I raised the topic calmly.

She didn't seem to be annoyed by my words, instead she asked me softly, why?

I avoided her question. This made her angry. She threw away the chopsticks and shouted at me, you are not a man! That night, we didn't talk to each other. She was weeping. I knew she wanted to find out what had happened to our marriage. But I could hardly give her a satisfactory answer; she had lost my heart to Jane. I didn't love her anymore. I just pitied her!

With a deep sense of guilt, I drafted a divorce agreement which stated that she could own our house, our car, and 30% stake of my company.

She glanced at it and then tore it into pieces. The woman who had spent ten years of her life with me had become a stranger. I felt sorry for her wasted time, resources and energy but I could not take back what I had said for I loved Jane so dearly. Finally she cried loudly in front of me, which was what I had expected to see. To me her cry was actually a kind of release. The idea of divorce which had obsessed me for several weeks seemed to be firmer and clearer now.

The next day, I came back home very late and found her writing something at the table. I didn't have supper but went straight to sleep and fell asleep very fast because I was tired after an eventful day with Jane.

When I woke up, she was still there at the table writing. I just did not care so I turned over and was asleep again.

In the morning she presented her divorce conditions: she didn't want anything from me, but needed a month's notice before the divorce. She requested that in that one month we both struggle to live as normal a life as possible. Her reasons were simple: our son had his exams in a month's time and she didn't want to disrupt him with our broken marriage.

This was agreeable to me. But she had something more, she asked me to recall how I had carried her into out bridal room on our wedding day.

She requested that every day for the month's duration I carry her out of our bedroom to the front door ever morning. I thought she was going crazy. Just to make our last days together bearable I accepted her odd request.

I told Jane about my wife's divorce conditions. . She laughed loudly and thought it was absurd. No matter what tricks she applies, she has to face the divorce, she said scornfully.

My wife and I hadn't had any body contact since my divorce intention was explicitly expressed. So when I carried her out on the first day, we both appeared clumsy. Our son clapped behind us, daddy is holding mommy in his arms. His words brought me a sense of pain. From the bedroom to the sitting room, then to the door, I walked over ten meters with her in my arms. She closed her eyes and said softly; don't tell our son about the divorce. I nodded, feeling somewhat upset. I put her down outside
the door. She went to wait for the bus to work. I drove alone to the office.

On the second day, both of us acted much more easily. She leaned on my chest. I could smell the fragrance of her blouse. I realized that I hadn't looked at this woman carefully for a long time. I realized she was not young any more. There were fine wrinkles on her face, her hair was graying! Our marriage had taken its toll on her. For a minute I wondered what I had done to her.

On the fourth day, when I lifted her up, I felt a sense of intimacy returning. This was the woman who had given ten years of her life to me.

On the fifth and sixth day, I realized that our sense of intimacy was growing again. I didn't tell Jane about this. It became easier to carry her as the month slipped by. Perhaps the everyday workout made me stronger.

She was choosing what to wear one morning. She tried on quite a few dresses but could not find a suitable one. Then she sighed, all my dresses have grown bigger. I suddenly realized that she had grown so thin, that was the reason why I could carry her more easily.

Suddenly it hit me... she had buried so much pain and bitterness in her heart. Subconsciously I reached out and touched her head.

Our son came in at the moment and said, Dad, it's time to carry mom out. To him, seeing his father carrying his mother out had become an essential part of his life. My wife gestured to our son to come closer and hugged him tightly. I turned my face away because I was afraid I might change my mind at this last minute. I then held her in my arms, walking from the bedroom, through the sitting room, to the hallway. Her hand surrounded my neck softly and naturally. I held her body tightly; it was just like our wedding day.

But her much lighter weight made me sad. On the last day, when I held her in my arms I could hardly move a step. Our son had gone to school. I held her tightly and said, I hadn't noticed that our life lacked intimacy.

I drove to office.... jumped out of the car swiftly without locking the door. I was afraid any delay would make me change my mind...I walked upstairs. Jane opened the door and I said to her, Sorry, Jane, I do not want the divorce anymore.

She looked at me, astonished, and then touched my forehead. Do you have a fever? She said. I moved her hand off my head. Sorry, Jane, I said, I won't divorce. My marriage life was boring probably because she and I didn't value the details of our lives, not because we didn't love each other anymore. Now I realize that since I carried her into my home on our wedding day I am supposed to hold her until death do us apart.

Jane seemed to suddenly wake up. She gave me a loud slap and then slammed the door and burst into tears. I walked downstairs and drove away.

At the floral shop on the way, I ordered a bouquet of flowers for my wife. The salesgirl asked me what to write on the card. I smiled and wrote, I'll carry you out every morning until death do us apart.

That evening I arrived home, flowers in my hands, a smile on my face, I run up stairs, only to find my wife in the bed - dead.
My wife had been fighting CANCER for months and I was so busy with Jane to even notice. She knew that she would die soon and she wanted to save me from the whatever negative reaction from our son, in case we push thru with the divorce.-- At least, in the eyes of our son--- I'm a loving husband....

The small details of your lives are what really matter in a relationship. It is not the mansion, the car, property, the money in the bank. These create an environment conducive for happiness but cannot give happiness in themselves. So find time to be your spouse's friend and do those little things for each other that build intimacy. Do have a real happy marriage!

If you don't share this, nothing will happen to you.

If you do, you just might save a marriage.
Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up.

 Here was/is my weekly food plan menu for this week. I made it for Thursday (of last week) to Wednesday (of this week). I'm a little late posting it, but then again I just started this blog.

I try to make breakfast quick. With 3 young kids, sometimes getting out the front door is a big accomplishment. So breakfast tends to be real simple in my home. I try to push for fruits more than anything for snacks in my home. I believe that fruit snacks will benefit them more than "junk food snacks" in the long run. Don't get me wrong, they still get chips, ice cream & cakes, but those are more once-in-a-while foods that I don't "plan", I'll add it on the day I serve it, but it won't be on my menu plan.  I try to keep lunch light. Summer + Texas = less stove time the better. Now come winter, I might do some stove top lunches on here :)  Dinner is always the biggest meal here (especially in the winter to heat up the house & in the summer evening when I can bear the kitchen heat)


Thursday:
Breakfast: Oatmeal
Snack: Pudding
Lunch: Grilled Cheese
Snack:Bananas
Dinner:Fajitas

Friday:

Breakfast: Oatmeal

Snack: Oranges

Lunch: Sandwiches

Snack: Cheese-balls

Dinner:Hamburgers

Saturday: 

Breakfast: Omelets

Snack: Animal Crackers

Lunch: PB&J

Snack: Strawberries

Dinner: Butter pasta & meat gravy

Sunday:

Breakfast: Cereal

Snack: Goldfish

Lunch: Mac & cheese

Snack: Cantaloupe

Dinner: Crockpot Swiss Chicken

Monday:

Breakfast: French Toast

Snack: Apples & caramel dipping sauce

Lunch: PB & banana sandwiches

Snack: Fruit salad

Dinner: Chicken enchiladas

Tuesday:

Breakfast: Potatoes & chorizo

Snack: Cheese-balls

Lunch:Homemade pizza

Snack: Grapes

Dinner: Tacos

Wednesday:

Breakfast: Breakfast Burritos

Snack: Grapes

Lunch: Quesadillas

Snack: Mystery Fruit ( I buy lots of fruit each week, today is whatever hasn't been eaten yet, thus "Mystery    Fruit")

Dinner: Crock Pot Italian Chicken & Poatoes

Home Management Binder

This is my first blog, so bear with me :)

As a stay-at home-mom, I have a lot of responsibilities to help me better manage my time (& keep my sanity) I use a Home Management Binder.

I found having a Home Management Binder (HMB for short) is very useful. It helps me remember all my "to-do's", appointments, phone numbers (having children I have experienced the "Mommy look I turned your phone into a boat! See?") so a paper back-up is nice to have. My HMB is still a work in progress, so please bear with me. Also I have "mini-HMB's" that I will also discuss.

My Master HMB:
It has my EVERYTHING & it is pretty bulky (Big 3-inch Binder). It has dividers to help me find everything easily.

1. Phone Numbers - every number I need. From friends & family, to Dr's (especially, my daughters specialists), therapists (again for my daughter), OAG (child support), even my lawyer's phone number. I have it in a chart with 4 columns; one for the contacts Name, one for the Phone Number, another for their Address, and another for their e-mail address (very useful).
2. Family - a copy of everyone's SSN, birth certificate, my divorce decree, my marriage certificate, and any other super important family documents.
3. School - a copy of school schedules/ homeschool schedule on a weekly basis. Home school sites. My college information
4. Home Management - Chore List! Daily  Chores, weekly chores, monthly chores. Home made cleaners list
5. Meals & Menus - Past weekly menu list (I have another smaller one dedicated to the kitchen)
6. Money & Finance - Bill list, Bank Statements, Important receipts (the ones that you would be in a bad situation if you couldn't find it)
7. Health & Wellness - Medication dosage charts, health insurance information.
8. Calender - Year-at-a-Glance, Monthly. Where my family's important dates are all written down so I don't forget.

Quick/Condensed HMB
Some sections were cut out because I don't need it everyday, but other than that it is very similar to my Master HMB, but must skinner (1-inch). This is the one I use daily. At the end of the month, it's contents get dumped into my Master HMB & I start over the next month (mainly from 2nd & 4th sections).

1. Contacts - same as above
2. Calender - Current Month & current week ONLY
3. Medical - Health chart per family member (Name, SSN, Date of Birth, Insurance provider, Insurance Number, Emergency Contact, Emergency Contact's Number, Medical History which includes past surgeries & date, Medications w/ Dosage Prescribing Dr  Date prescribed & comments about medicine, Medication allergies w/ date discovered about allergy & comments, Other allergies w/ reactions & medication usually taken for it, And Other diagnoses w/ Diagnosing Dr Date diagnosed Resolved or not Treatment & Comments). It's a lot, I know. But when formated (it can be done easily on a home computer w/o internet connection) it is about 2 pages worth of info but well worth it. And current insurance cards.
4. Money & finance - Bills for the month. (it's nice to line up what bills to pay w/ each payday so things don't feel so overwhelming

Medical Management Binders

This one is mainly for my daughter. She is disabled & has a TON of medical information. Six months worth of medical documents = a whole 3 inch binder by itself! So I keep her bare necessities in my other two binders, but the bulk of her information is in here. I take it with me whenever she goes to see her specialists, or an ER visit, or even to her Pedi. Not all sections will apply to every child, feel free to modify if you want to make one too :)

1. Personal Information - Health Chart (see above). Summary of birth (or disability).
2. Important Phone Numbers and Addresses - Parents Information ( good to have in the contacts in case you leave the binder w/ a babysitter), Dr's, specialists, therapists, Pediatrician
3. Care Plan & Schedule - If there is a long medication list (my daughter was on 6 different ones, some repeatedly throughout the day), here is a good place to put it! I put a "daily calender" (listing all the hours of the day) and filled in what was going on each hour;wake-up time, eating times, medication (if so, which one & what amount), therapy (if so, with which therapist & what was/will be focused on), rest time/quiet time, bath time, story time, bedtime.
4. Therapies & Developmental progress - therapists & goals & progress
5. Calender- write down all appointments, also use to match up to Condensed HMB's calender 
6. Health history & Evaluation - More in depth version of the health chart. Copies of hospital paperwork & from visits with specialists.
7. Important Documents - Immunization cards, information on how to use medical equipment & care for Mic-Key button & central-line (my daughter had a feeding pump & a central line & a Mic-Key button) 
8. List of Specially Trained "Respite" Babysitters - good babysitters (or if you have a special needs child, babysitters who are also trained to know administer medications properly/work machines properly)
9. Useful Articles/Information - related Documents to child's disability, or health articles

Kitchen Binder

I haven't gotten this one completed yet, but here is the basic outline that I'm looking at:

1. Current weekly menu - Breakfast, morning snack, lunch, afternoon snack, dinner. For Monday thru Sunday. i might through in recipes for the meals for the current week in here too
2. Crock pot recipes - It's summer time & HOT.  The crock pot makes my kitchen less hot than the stove & oven.
3. Casseroles - I love making casseroles. So this section should get pretty full by itself too.
4. Dinner - Other dinner ideas that don't fit into the previous two sections
5. Dessert - I love dessert. Need i say more?
6. To try - This section is for all those yummy looking dishes that i see in magazines, but have yet to try. Once I try them (& if my family likes them) then they will make their way into another section. if my family decides the recipe really isn't their style, well, i tried & it can go. It's also a good motivation to get rid of those magazines that I tend to hold on too because "oh, i can't toss it yet - I haven't tried the recipe yet". So I get to keep the recipe & toss (or give away) the rest.

Well, that's pretty much it for my HMB's.

They also have a paperless version. My favorite is cozi.com.  But you can also make your own (like with Microsoft Works Processor, or OneNote.