I Think I'm Growing Salmonella In My Kitchen.....

If I counted correctly, here are my 33 cracked eggs

Why do I have a tray of cracked eggs in my kitchen you ask? Well, you can thank Granny Miller for that one. Granny said that years ago (the pioneer type of years ago), that people didn't have those fancy "jiffy" pots and such that you see at the garden center. People just "made due" with what they had.

I have come to the understanding that I like to do things the hard way. I'm not sure if my husband has rubbed off on me or if I have always been this way. I think that it gives me the appreciation of knowing that I made it through whatever it was. I also like doing things the old fashioned way too- just because I do.

Back to eggs. Cracked egg shells are perfect little containers to hold potting soil. Potting soil is a perfect medium for holding a germinating seed and later a plant. See where I'm going here? Hey, I can save some money by not buying those little growing pots at the garden center. My only expense will be a single bag of potting soil (which I need to go buy very soon). Anyway, my plan is to plant some of my "homestead" tomato seeds to give them a head start for the garden. My ultimate goal is to save some major money in the pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, and maybe even the ketchup department come the end of the summer. I may be counting my chickens before they hatch but if things turn out well enough, I'll have some tomatoes to play around with in the grocery department at my house.

Don't you just love this lone green egg?
(Green eggs taste better, by the way- on that note, they are probably good with ham too)

I have obtained my egg collection almost free of charge too. I have this wonderful friend that I used to work with in my other life (before children) that supplies me with her excess eggs. "K" , my friend, loves to fool with chickens. Every week or so, through a family networked delivery system (she gives them to my sister, my sister gives them to my mother, my mother calls and says, "come get your eggs"), I am blessed with one, two, three, or even sometimes, four dozen eggs. Considering "vegan" eggs in the grocery store are $3.00-$4.00 a dozen (Chickens should not eat other chickens in their diet- that is why I eat vegan eggs), "K" is saving me lots of money and I am grateful! (Mental note: make "K" another quilt this year).

I am determined to learn to "plant by the signs" as so many of my ancestors did so, as soon as I figure out all of this zodiac, moon stuff, I'll be ready to plant my tomato seeds. (Any advice would be appreciated in this area) When I do, rest assured, you will be the first to know about it. It will be fun to see if I still have a green thumb or if my thumb has turned black.

I can't help to think though..... my empty egg shells (although they have been washed out) may be incubating salmonella. To be safe, I'm washing my hands a lot when I deal with them and have kept the kids away. Maybe this paranoia is justified, maybe I'm over reacting. Do you think the pioneers worried about salmonella? What do you think?

Economically Responsible and Eco Friendly Etsy "Splurges" That I would Love to Make

Hand Cranked Socks
From Shady Side Farm

Cotton Washcloth/Dishcloth Set
From RachelsAprons

Bamboo Scarf
From Mountaineer Country

The Economy is on every one's minds lately. With that being said, I have been thinking a lot of how my family lives day to day and the things that we might need to change to survive these tough times.

As a stay at home mom, my job is to do the best I can with what we have to make sure that my family has all the things that it needs and to make the money, that my hard working husband earns, to stretch as far as possible. Lately, I have been drawn to websites such as Granny Miller, Money Saving Mom, and Lots of Kids. These sites have led me to countless other sites in which I have found all kinds of information that I feel, as a responsible wife and mother, should be used to make the best of what we have.

Since I sell sewn items on Etsy, I have come across some shops that just stick out in my mind as shops that sell products that people really can "use". It is easy to shop and buy something you just "want" but it is responsible to buy something that you need and will use often.

The pictures above show some items that I feel are "good" for the pocket book and are well worth the money spent- (not to mention they are all good for the environment as they are made of all or partly natural materials). These are just a few items from these great shops so make sure and visit them and look around and support some of my fellow home school Etsy families.

Combatting The Economy- A Mother's Way

Busy Bee Change Purse

I have been thinking a lot about how to save money. Actually, not just lately, I have been for a few years now. I don't know of anyone that I come in contact with that isn't concerned about the rising prices on just about everything and the looming fear of loosing jobs in this troubled time.

I am among those that are fortunate enough to be able to stay home with my children and hold down the fort. Sometimes, it feels like that fort is being attacked from all directions and it is easy to become discouraged. As a homemaker, it is my job to make the best with what we have and stretch those pennies. As time has went by, I have discovered very like minded individuals across this country that are trying to do the same. I thought that it would be good to pass on this list of helpful websites and blogs that have helped me here and there over the years and a few things that we have done to save some money.

You might have already read my tutorial on how to make homemade cloth napkins. I know what you are thinking, that is something tiny as far as saving money. But, hey, every little bit adds up. If you think hard enough, you will come up with a lot of things that you could do to save some cash for a rainy day.

• One major thing that we have found is that if you can buy and store anything in bulk, you will save a lot. Buying in bulk may not be cost effective or even practical for small families but for our family of 6, it is practical- very practical. In our society, we have all kinds of options available for buying in bulk. Most people don't have to drive far to find a Costco, BJ's (I miss BJ's- they are closing), or Sam's Club (all here in the southeastern United States). I'm sure you could add more to the list from where you live. The main thing to remember is that if you shop at a large warehouse store, do you shop there enough to justify the membership fees? Our local BJ's Wholesale Club practically knew us by sight as we visited almost every week. So, our membership fee made sense to us. Had we only shopped there once or twice a year, the membership fee would be a waste of money.

• If you have a large family, take advantage of Food Co-ops. Years ago, I thought food co-ops were groups of paranoid people that were afraid of food sold in retail stores. I pictured everyone wearing flip flops and long hair. Why I thought that, I have no idea but I have changed my perspective of people buying from co-ops. As a matter of fact, I am now one of those that buy from a food co-op about once a year. I can't find a good co-op on my side of the states so I buy my wheat from Azure Standard. They are awesome as far as a tremendous variety of products available at a reasonable price. I would buy more from them but I can't justify the expensive shipping fees that they charge to get my product shipped all the way from Oregon.

• Take advantage of your local farmer's markets and stands. My great uncle farmed all of his life and sold his produce to neighbors, friends, and the local grocery store (back in the 60's and 70's- stores bought from local farmers from the trunk of their car). Why, you don't travel far down any street in the summer time and not see a sign posted telling you of produce for sale somewhere nearby. Right off of the top of my head, I can think of a farm up the street from me and a huge barn that sells fruits and vegetables in the summer time not more than 5 minutes from my house. You will see that buying local is not only good for the local economy, the food tastes better as it is fresher- not to mention the better nutrition that you will get from that locally farmed food.

• Don't stick to just one grocery store to buy all of your food. Shop around. Look at sales papers. Check grocery web sites. If you are coupon savvy- which I am not-, clip, print, trade, and save coupons. I won't go into the coupon thing but I'll list some great sites to help you get started if that is your thing.

• Plant a garden. You would be surprised as to how a few extra vegetables coming into the house makes a difference on a grocery budget. We still are eating off of the corn on the cob that we put up last summer. it has made a difference in helping to save money. I have free corn- the grocery store has corn that is sometimes over $1.00 an ear! Two of my kids can eat three ears a piece. Add that up and you will see that it would cost me over $10.00 just to buy corn on the cob for one meal from the grocery store!

• If you are crafty and can justify the cost of supplies, make something to sell on the side. I opened an etsy shop to sell baby quilts online and things just kind of grew from there. A person does have to put down ground rules before venturing into a business. Establish how much you want to spend on materials and keep an eye on your profit. If you are going "in the hole" by running your business, then it is just not worth it. I had a monetary goal to make every month from the sales in my shop and so far (this month not included), I have reached that goal. Keeping an eye on the big picture is a must as far as determining if something is worthwhile to pursue or not.

Having said way more than I had intended to, here is a list of helpful places that can help you save some money, eat healthier, maybe make some money, and overall, combat the scary economy.


The Family Homestead - My most favorite site in the world. Crystal Miller led me on an adventure in homemaking and I have learned so much from her.

The Nourishing Gourmet - Recipes and information on feeding your family nourishing foods

Janes 4 girls $800.00 annual budget- Where a single mom of three feeds her family on only $800.00 a year. She shows step by step and purchase by purchase as to how and what she gets using sales, coupons, rebates, and other freebies. (this is a great site but is slow to load on my computer)

Money Saving Mom- Advice and information on stretching the grocery budget, recipes, encouragement, coupons, and freebie deals. She also lets you know of the weekly CVS deals and has a link on how to play the CVS game and get free stuff from CVS.

A Year of Crockpotting - An awesome blog where one lady makes a dish in her crock pot everyday of the year.

Hillbilly Housewife - Recipes and information on feeding your family frugally.

SueGregg- Recipes and information on healthy eating- check out the blender waffle recipe- they are the best things you will ever put in your mouth- (except chocolate.....)

Heavenly Homemakers - One woman's daily musings on how she feeds her family healthy and nutritious meals- has lots of recipes and information.

Passionate Homemaking - An encouraging site for healthy recipes and products that you can make yourself (ie: homemade deodorant).

Organizing Junkie - Just what it says- helps you to become more organized and offers tips and information for running your household.

Azure Standard- A Food Co-op in Oregon that has almost any natural food that you could think of.

Whole Foods Market- My most favorite grocery store in the world. Shop there and you will see why I say that.

Etsy - One of the most popular places online to sell hand made items

This list could go on and on. I just wanted to give you somewhere to start if you are looking to save some money this year. It takes some work but after awhile, saving becomes second nature.

Please feel free to let me know of your favorite sites to combat the economy in the comments. I love finding new places to learn more.....

And for those of you that were expecting some silliness-
I promise that I will be back to my old self again soon.
I'm off to see what's outside my windows -
but first, I need some chocolate ......