A "Tru" friend.....brought 'Truvia'!

I had a wonderful surprise today! A special friend from church arrived at my doorstep with a belated birthday surprise for me. She reads the blog, and read how I gave up coffee and stevia because the stevia was just too expensive...so in my little goodie bag, she put a book on friendships, a bag of Starbucks morning blend....and a box of 'Truvia'!!! Stevia sweetener! I got tears in my eyes at her thoughtfulness and generosity....thank you, Viv!!! Can't wait to try it!

I may save it for a special "coffee day" a week! Boy, would that make my gift last! Maybe make a special gluten free baked good for breakfast to go with it...scones, muffins or coffee cake sounds good to me!

I've actually been ok, drinking tea and honey in the mornings. Feel fine...no headache or anything...I"m still getting caffeine. At $1.95 for a large box of tea bags and $1.25 for honey at Aldi's.....I'm still saving money.....and you can bet that I'm going to make Viv's gift to me last! LOL

Gotta run...bought 2 bushels of tomatoes at the farmers market yesterday, today I"m making tons of salsa to freeze, tomorrow and Friday, I'll be canning. Want to make some "apple syrup" tonight for pancakes tomorrow. Read somewhere, to take unsweetened apple juice, I'll be adding honey, vanilla and a touch of cinnamon, cook it down to a syrup and use that on pancakes instead of maple syrup. I've also found a recipe for using Aldi's frozen, unsweetened strawberries, and I'll be using a little Truvia to sweeten, and making my own jam whenever I need it. Smuckers Simply Fruit costs almost $4 a small jar, and we love jam on biscuits, toast, pb & j.....finding lots of substitutions for expensive items that we can make ourselves.

Vivian...if you are reading this, "Thank you" from the bottum of my heart!!!! You are a sweet, generous friend!

Being gluten free AND frugal...it CAN be done!

I've been thinking a lot about this lately, and today it all came together. As my little ones would say "I made a new friend" last night...and while we were talking about living healthy, natural AND gluten free, it helped me organize my thought a little bit.

Today, we made a 23 lb turkey...talk about frugal! What a lot of meals we'll be getting out of that! But, I made over 10 quarts of cream turkey gravy and am freezing tons of it....since it is thickened with cornstarch, it is gluten free , and will be perfect for any recipe that calls for "cream of ....soup"! Add celery, and I have cream of celery soup...the same with mushrooms. I will be needing a lot of crockpot meals starting soon due to the children's activities starting back up again soon, so this will really come in handy!

One of the things that has saved us the most money eating gluten free, is having an electric grain mill. I do have a hand mill, but will probably only use it if necessary...as it makes my rice very gritty/grainy. We go to asian markets and buy huge bags of sweet rice to grind, tapioca starch and rice noodles, and order sweet brown rice, millet, navy beans, buckwheat and quinoa from a natural foods co-op....sometimes, we'll also go to Trader Joe's and stock up on GF pasta and GF frozen waffles (these, at $2.00 a box are great to have around!).

Once a month or so, I'll grind my grains and store them in big containers in my freezer...then I have them handy to bake with. We'll bake muffins, make gf pancakes, and sweet breads for breakfasts and lunches....we'll make gf (what I call) flatbread for toast or sandwiches, and biscuits to have with soups or stews. Buying my grains in bulk really saves a lot of money, and with my grain mill...I don't have to buy any mixes...my mill grinds so finely. I can also change the degree of fineness , to very coarse and make cornmeal as well.

The brand of grain mill that I recommend is called the K-Tec grain mill. It is the only mill (that I am aware of ) made in the USA, and grinds the finest as well. I have many friends who have mills and their's don't grind quite as finely. It is VERY loud, but saving so much money...it's worth it, I think! I've also had great customer service from them as well. I don't know how to link on this computer, but if you search for K-Tec Kitchen Mill you'll find it.

So...that is mainly how I save money gluten free...hardly any cereal, no mixes or pre-made things (except pasta and occasionally waffles)...we'll have tacos...and use corn shells. I just pre-ordered a cookbook and can't wait to get it that is all crockpot, and all gluten free! You can check it out

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

Along the left side you can check out the recipes in alphabetical order, too. I'm off to have some dessert my oldest daughter made today...and maybe a game of Uno with the little ones. Have a blessed Sabbath! ~Sue~

New blog background...

Sounds silly, I know, but that last background was too bright for me...ok for summer, but I AM longing for FALL!!! This is called "warm cider"....sounded and looks perfect to me! ~Sue~

When living "frugally" is hard....

Sigh....today, I made the 'executive' decision (as my daughter said) to quit buying Stevia to use for sweetening. It is just too expensive for our budget (which is tightening weekly, it seems)...so along with no stevia, I decided I cannot drink my coffee in the morning without sweetener, and can't use sugar (it aggravates my fibromyalgia), so we will be drinking hot tea with honey in the mornings. ($1.25 for honey and $1.95 for a big box of tea bags at Aldi's...very, frugal)

I know, why can' t I just drink my coffee without sweetener? Well...I think coffee is bitter and nasty without it. I do, however, have to have something hot in the mornings...and unfortunately, I need caffeine, too. LOL So, today, as I was going thru my freezers, fridge and pantry to see what I already had, and planning menus, I arrived at Aldi's with the intention of doing a very limited, frugal shopping trip.

I have to say, anyone wanting to save money and still eat healthy needs to find the nearest Aldi's!!! I know...it isn't organic, but the Lord knows I can't afford organic, and I trust Him for our health...so I am able to make healthy choices for our family by shopping there.

Also, since the cost of organic soaps is prohibitive as well, I've switched to good old Ivory soap! I use it to make laundry detergent, to bathe with and as hand soap.

One way that we've practiced creative frugality for years is to roast a whole chicken or a whole turkey and have many meals, many quarts of homemade broth...I even have a 23lb turkey defrosting now. (hubby thinks I'm crazy to make a whole turkey in August!)...but I can't wait!

I had a moment of feeling sorry for myself today when I decided not to buy stevia anymore...and planning meatless meals (while trying to balance protein), snacks for 4 children....and I just thought..."It's just too hard...I can't do this...I'll just go back to the way we lived before God convicted me to try to live more naturally and healthy"....oh, but it goes against everything I now know to be the way God wants us to live!!! But...after my 'pity party', I sat on the deck for a minute, prayed and just "listened"....and know that what He calls us to, He will equip us for...and my strength is not in my own efforts, but in His help and guidance....(deep breath)...ok, I CAN do this. But, only day by day....searching for His will and depending on His strength...for THAT particular day. I can do no less.

He also reminded me of His abundant provision for our family! Even recently, we were given bags of clothes from 2 different friends, whose children had outgrown them....in one was a winter coat, clothes and a warm bathrobe for Anna (which she needed), and in Ronnie's was again, a winter coat, flannel shirts and jeans..that fit! Again....God met all of our needs...He IS faithful to provide all that we need. We can trust Him.

So....when living "creatively frugal" is hard...and it will be hard sometimes, we can trust our heavenly Father to provide, guide and remind us of His love and provision for us...His promises are true! Praise God!!!! ~Sue~

Two Movie Reviews

I NEED TO BLOG OR MY MOTHER AND SISTER WILL TAKE OVER! LOL, just kidding... but still I noticed I haven;t posted in a while! So here I go: Hannah Montana The Movie and Inkheart. (Excerpts from Plugged In Online movie reviews)

As much as my sister groaned and rolled her eyes throughout this movie, I kind of enjoyed it. Meghan is incredulous that I could even watch it, despite the fact that I don't like Miley Cyrus. I thought it was a well written movie :) (Meghan doesn't like when I say that) Here are the pros and cons of the movie.

PROS:

1. She loves her family as she comes to see her primadonna style behavior

2. She learns that lying never works out in the long run (as she is running back and forth between a Hannah Dinner and a Miley date with a very handsome cowboy and the cowboy gets fed up with the constant coming and going.)

3. The Climb and Butterfly Fly Away are two very good songs. One is inspirational and the other is one she sings to her dad.

4. Hoedown Throwdown is just so fun!

CONS:

1. Skirts are a bit skimpy, but that is it

2. She lies and sometimes gets away with it.

3. The fame goes to her head and her manager agrees with her attitude.

ALL IN ALL:

I like this movie, but wouldn't watch it all the time. It is squeaky clean, not even an "Oh-My God" in sight.

Inkheart

We all watched this, myself with trepidations. I had no trouble watching it, I wasn't sure about the littles. They watched it with no problem and liked it.Mo Folchart and his young daughter Meggie travel from bookstore to bookstore, buying and repairing rare books. Meggie is less interested in all the dusty old novels, however, than she is in the adventures held within their pages.
Enter a mysterious scarred man called Dustfinger. And enter the fact that Meggie's dad has a secret magical ability he's been hiding from her. Suddenly boredom turns into awe and wonder as she discovers that her very own father is a silvertongue—a person who can, by reading a story aloud, import its characters into our world.

PROS:

Mo dreams of reuniting his own family. He is a loving and protective dad. And he'll do nearly anything to bring his wife back into the real world. In fact, the only thing he won't risk in that endeavor is Meggie's well-being. When Meggie is attacked, for instance, Mo is willing to sacrifice himself to save her. (And more but this is the main good part!)

Cons:

Dustfinger is battered and tossed around by Capricorn's crew. We see him later with a bloodied nose. Mo is knocked unconscious. A magical storm batters people. Dustfinger and Farid set a castle on fire. A tapestry depicts a man impaled upon a sword. Men are swept away in a malevolent twister. One of Capricorn's peons is a silvertongue with a stutter. This man can only partially read someone out of a book. He's mocked for his efforts. And as a result of his lack of clarity, the "half read" characters have deformities and/or words tattooed on their skin.

ALL IN ALL:

Great movie. Wouldn't reccommend it for little viewers though. (Use discretion)

HOPE YOU LIKED MY REVIEWS. IF YOU HAVE SEEN THESE, COMMENT!

Sometimes "Plan B" is better....

Today was supposed to be a special "family day"....we were planning on going to the beach at Presque Isle for the day, then stop for dinner on the way home, but with the weather calling for thunderstorms, we decided we'd go to the beach at Morainne State park and go to Living Treasures, too...well, it was clouding up, but we packed up the trusty old suburban anyway, hoping they would be wrong (it didn't even start to rain here until 8pm!)....we packed up the cooler, extra icewater, chairs, towels, swimsuits and a quilt, and headed north. We weren't on the road 45 minutes when the skys opened up and it poured! We looked in the direction of the lake and it was dark, cloudy and raining...so we turned around and headed to "Plan B"....we went to the Science Center for the day! We have a family pass, so it was free...and we already had food...so off we went! It was around 2pm our time....the clock on the left showing Moscow, Russia time and the clock on the right showing Tokyo, Japan time...I thought this was cool!
Everyone had a great time, but I think the one who enjoyed it the most was Ronnie...he LOVED it! Here he is making 'clouds' and blowing them around...while Anna helped. (or posed for the picture...she is good at posing!)

Ron enjoyed it a lot, too...here he is helping Ronnie with circuits and wiring. (of which Ron knows a lot about)
Anna the artist....using dot paints to decorate her fish
They were working on plumbing...connecting tubes with pvc joints and redirecting the water...Ronnie was fascinated! If it wasn't so very crowded today, we would have stayed even longer! Can't wait to come when everyone else is back in school!

The highlight was the robotics room. Ronnie is already designing his robot....he loved getting his picture taken with R2D2 from Star Wars!
And my favorite, C3P0! They even had the robot from the tv show "Lost in Space"! It kept shouting "Warning! Warning Will Robinson!" (I used to love that show!)
Even our big girls had a great time....whenever they are together they have a good time!
We ended up (with multiple coupons!) at a little resteraunt by our house called "Pepperoni's"...they call themselves a "unique family pizzaria"...and they were! Very clean, old italian music playing (yes, Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin)...and the food....it was wonderful! We hardly ever go out to dinner...with 6 of us, it would just cost too much, but with our coupons....it was a special treat!

After our wonderful meal, we all came home, relaxed and then rented on demand the movie "Inkheart" with Brendan Frasier....it was great! A movie all of our family enjoyed....we still have time to go to the beach this summer as a family, but for us today...'Plan B' was the best plan for our family! A very frugal, but fun memory making day! ~Sue~

Chicken Bucket Chicken...a 70's tradition continues...

I think our family lives a unique lifestyle compared to the average family these days...in many different ways. One way, is that we are surrounded by lots of family...immediate and extended...and we get together frequently. Today, we continued a tradition that started in the 1970's....when my mother got an electric chicken fryer/pressure cooker and started making "chicken bucket chicken"...and I always requested this for my birthday. So, today, we made the 1 hour drive east, picked up my niece and headed to my mom's house! (sigh...)today, she passed the torch to me...and I learned how to make this treat. Below, you will see my beautiful (but wacky) mother holding up the booklet for her fryer. (anyone remember those Pepsodent commercials?)

We used thighs, legs and wings...so here is the chicken seasoned, and dredged in cornstarch...to make it gluten free, we can use only cornstarch and/or rice flour seasoned with season salt and pepper.

Now....my mom told me all the 'secrets' that she has learned over the years...but here is a batch frying up golden brown....for 3 minutes, then you put the lid on and pressure fry them for 10 more minutes, release the steam, carefully lift the lid...and gingerly take the hot chicken out to keep warm in the oven....usually we do a batch of potatoes in here, too...so good and crispy, but today it was....

corn on the cob! Sweet and juicy...didn't even need potatoes! We had my mother's famous (to us) coleslaw as well.

Here is the finished product...golden and crispy! One of my sisters came over for dinner with us, tomorrow I'll see my other sister, then we'll meet up again for a picnic on Saturday with my Dad and Step-mom....where my sister will take Sara over night to spend some time with her cousin, Tina. Never a dull moment around here!
(Huge sigh....) This is my requested birthday cake every year...and this year it is my last as there is NO WAY to make this gluten free. It is a pistachio cake and the frosting is heavy whipping cream and pistachio pudding...it is green, rich, moist, sweet and creamy...and not to be duplicated. It WAS really good, as usual. The rest is for Ron to finish.

Well...another year, another batch of 'chicken bucket chicken'! (Jolyn (who remembers this from our childhood years) and Dayna (my highly foodie friend)....when you come to Pittsburgh, I promise to make it for you!) Goodnight and God bless! ~Sue~

Summer birthday celebrations.....

The month of August, in our family, only has 3 birthdays in it...as opposed to July that has 8...so today was a smaller celebration! Yesterday was my 44th birthday...and it was wonderful! Very relaxed...Meghan made brunch, everyone gave me beautiful presents and cards, then Sara made dinner...in the evening, the girls and I went to our church's parent/youth group meeting. Very quiet birthday for me...which I liked, very much! (especially as today was particularly busy!) After church today, we all went over my sister, Lori's house, to celebrate my birthday, my step-mom, Maryellen's birthday and my nephew, Tommy's birthday...it was a very simple celebration....my sister got Kentucky fried chicken (not healthy, I know...but YUM!), and we had homemade potato salad, coleslaw, cucumbers in sourcream, and hot homemade biscuits...a typical American summertime picnic! My wonderful step-mom, Maryellen and I...we were particularly grateful to have her here today, as she just got out of the hospital on Thursday and is still recovering from pneumonia.
My sweet nephew, Tommy turns 15 this week! Can't believe he is that old already! All of these cousins seem to be growing up so fast!

Except these ones....I'm so very, very happy that we still have little ones to enjoy! Ronnie, Anna, Ty and a couple of the neighbor children had a blast under the sprinkler today...Ty really liked putting his hand in my icewater, then drinking from it, and since it was so cold...he would let it dribble out onto his chubby little belly....and giggle! So cute!
The beautiful picture frame that Meghan got for me...it is hard to tell, but it is a real soft green with cream.
The plaque that Sara got for me a long with a jar candle....I've wanted a visual reminder for us and to help the little ones remember these as well.

My wonderful husband, got me a new chair and ottoman for "my corner of the world"! I had seen this at an antique/consignment store and remarked to the girls how nice it would look in my livingroom....well, Ron went after working all night yesterday, checked it out and brought it home for me! It is so very comfortable, and completely matches the two recliners that we have as well....he laughed at me today, told me he loves me, and shook his head that what he called 'second hand' furniture could make me so happy! I told him, I've never wanted diamonds or jewelery....it doesn't take a lot to make me happy! The only thing I need to get now, is a few parts for a mystery gift that was bestowed on me by very dear friends....as soon as I have them, I will take pictures of this long wanted, special gift! So....our birthday weekend was quiet and simple...just the way I like it! ~Sue~