I am a HUGE fan of those super cool hand stamped necklaces on Etsy that have all your children's names on them...however, I am not a fan of the price because by the time you add all the names I need...I can't afford it! lol.  Always the do-it-yourself kind I figured that there had to be a way I could make one...so the hunt began...and I learned that it isn't that hard, but boy could this be an expensive hobby if I let it!

This past Christmas I asked for a metal stamping kit, they sell them at Hobby Lobby for around $20-$25, but use a 40% coupon and you have it!  My only complaint is that this one did not come with any numbers...(like I said this could be an expensive hobby...just think of all the fonts and sizes!)

So, here is what I used...Metal stamping kit, some blank metal tags to work with, jewelry pliars, a rusty hammer I found in the barn (rust is optional), a small slab of metal I found in the garage, and a clean cotton cloth since I am hammering on a bumpy surface.

Some of the metal tags I used had small jump rings so I removed those before hammering.

Disclaimer, these blank tags are cheap, so they are best used for practicing though as you can see from the "Hope" necklace I did get a wearable piece out of using them, however, I hope to get comfortable enough to order some solid sterling silver tags to make necklaces out of.  I just opt not to practice on expensive blanks.

After I was done playing around with the blanks, I used a black sharpie to get some color into the letter grooves, you do need to wipe it off pretty quickly though so it doesn't dry or it becomes difficult to wipe off.

  Then just add a ball chain or leather cord and you are all set!

  So there you have it, and the possibilities are limitless!  Not crafty?  Message me in the comments section and I will sell you one of these for a very reasonable price.

I found these crazy little summer squash twins today.

Super yummy, super easy!

  All I did was chop up the potatoes in large chunks, chop up an onion (I prefer to use red onions but for the set of pics above I was out of red onions) chop 2-3 cloves of garlic and drizzle olive oil over the whole mess...oh salt and pepper to taste.  Bake at 375 occasionally stirring around so as not to let the potatoes stick to the bottom.  It is ready when a fork easliy pierces the red potatoes (about an hour).
  Yummy and fun too!  Who doesn't like to eat pretty colors!

   I want my sons blinded.  No, I don't mean visually impaired, but blinded to what the world wants them to see.  I want them blinded to what popular culture says is beautiful, sexy, and normal.  I want them blinded to sexually graphic images in video games, on billboards, in magazines.  I want them to be kept from seeing women as objects and instead taught to see through filtered eyes that can recognize the difference between sexuality and humanity.
   God created us all differently.  Men, and boys for that matter are very suseptible to thier sense of sight and what they allow to enter through that sense.  Anyone remember that little bible ditty "Be Careful little eyes what you see..."  There is a reason for that.  We are raising sons in a world filled with a constant imagery.  Images of scantily clad women selling everything from beer to toothpaste.  Images of heroines in video games and comics wearing scarcely more than band-aids.  If we are not careful we are teaching our sons that women and girls are to be objectified as objects, not as human beings.  This is not what I want for my sons.  One day I want my sons to have beautiful wives and amazing relationships, but I want them to appreciate those beautiful women and not objectify them.  I want my sons to be gentlemen.  I want them to appreciate the feminine body for what God made it for, which by the way is not to sell Budweiser products.  I want to teach my sons that women are of amazing value and should be appreciated for all of their talents, not just for the fact that they can turn heads.
    I also want my sons kept innocent.  I overheard two 6th grade boys the other day talking about a girl that was "hot" and discussing the appropriations of her physique.  Tell me please, what 12 year old has any business discussing these matters?  I know I sound old fashioned, that is exactly my intent.  I do not believe that we are moving towards the greater good in what we are teaching our sons and allowing them to be exposed to.  Yes, I said allowing.  We allow more in our homes than we realize.  Men and boys will always be tempted with their eyes but we as mothers and fathers also need to be aware of what we are allowing when we provide them with games, movies and comics that may contain eye candy.
    Let us then allow our boys to be boys.  Let’s allow them to rough house, to get dirty, to learn to work hard, and play hard.  But above all to still be children.  Let’s teach them to hold open doors for all women.  Let’s bring back the teachings of gentlemen that would stand when a lady entered a room, to not use any questionable language for fear of offense.  Let us raise a generation of boys that a generation of girls will be thankful for.  Let us raise the boys who will treat our generation of daughters as ladies, and expect them to be so. So, to my future daughter in laws, you are welcome, because I want to raise my sons to be respectful of you and to appreciate more than just your outer beauty.

   It's a buzz word.  You see and hear it everywhere.  Organic fruit, vegetables, cotton, shampoo, pet food, etc.  What exactly does it all mean?  In a nutshell most food used to be relatively organic.  Back several generations you just grew your food or usually you knew the farmer who did.  You didn't have such things as GMOs (genetically modified organisms) or harmful pesticides that we have today.  You just grew and ate clean food.  Unfortunately, that is no longer the case and as demand has required, many farmers have opted to use methods to keep up with the supply and demand without loosing crops to pests and or diseases, hence the strong pesticides and GMO crops.  Most commercial farmers either completely cover their crops in pesticides to prevent bug damage or they buy GMO seed that prevents bugs from eating the crops because the bugs eat the crop and die...hmmm something I want to eat, how about you? You can read more about GMO's here.  Growing an organic garden means not using pesticides or harmful chemicals.  
   So if a person is not using extra stuff (pesticides, chemicals, etc) why does the food cost more?  Because, there are very real pests who will decimate your garden in a flash.  Trust me and read my article here for a good laugh.  An organic gardener has to be on top of it checking the garden daily for signs of pests and garden issues as well as often handpicking bugs/worms...yuck.  And then there is loss, when you don't spray a garden with pesticides or Sevin dust or other junk you loose plants.  Bugs eat them up and ruin your bounty. (I have a long standing fued with cut worms).
    But the good news is that with an organic garden your kids can do this:

Eat straight from the garden without worry.  My 2 y/o's favorite thing to do...garden snacks!  You wouldn't want them doing this if you used Sevin dust or any other commercial pesticide would you?  Me either.

  Search for a weed killer that works and is organic...is there such a thing?  I think so...This is super exclusive stuff here, it is a fantastic broad leaf weed killer and mixed with the secret ingredient **salt** it will kill all living green things (ie. best to use in cracks of the driveway when mixed with salt but not so much on the weeds in the lawn as the salt will kill all the grass too).  So what is this magic secret ingredient that works so well but is safe enough for my 2 year old to spray on the lawn himself?  (heck, he could drink it if he really wanted to...but he won't, cause that's just gross!)

  Drumroll please...the secret is...VINEGAR.  Can you believe it? Who knew.  I mixed 2 parts vinegar with one part water (ie 2 cups vinegar 1 cup water) and put it in a spray bottle.  When I was done murdering the broadleaf weeds in the yard I then added 3 tablespoons of salt, swirled it around the bottle and sprayed it on the cracks in the driveway...worked like a charm.  Just remember if you add salt, you will kill your lawn (for some reason the vinegar doesn't kill plain old grass).

Now go make  your yard smell like paint-dying easter eggs!

The kids and I were so excited to find our sugar baby watermelons growing, they are about the size of a softball now.

Our cantelopes are looking good too!  What fun to go out into the backyard and watch this amazing process as the fruit grows and ripens!  If you have never grown melons it is truly amazing how quickly the enlarge...

One of the reasons I wanted all heirloom open-pollinated seeds was so that when my plants were finished this year, I could save the seeds thus cutting down on the cost of subsequent gardens.  Here is some dill I harvested and when the dill was done I let it go to seed to save for next year.

Many plants flower before going to seed so when my dill was winding down you see these pretty yellow flower-like sprigs popping up.

This next picture is of the dill after the pretty yellow flowers began to die and dry out.

after the flower completely dies and is dry you are left with next year's seed.  Here are my dill seeds for either use in the spice cupboard (dill pickles) or starting next year's dill harvest.  NOTE: Always be sure that the seeds are completely dry before storing in an airtight container- otherwise they may rot and mold.

This little guy decided to join my toddler for an afternoon swim.

   Our cucumbers are in full swing but we eat them so quickly there is hardly enough to even think about canning.  Here is one of the adult's favorite things to do with them.  Fresh Cucumber salad.  Sometimes I use tomatoes in it, sometimes not, just depending on what I have available. I use the following:
     2-3 cucumbers
     1 sliced onion
     salt & pepper
     cider vinegar (you can use regular if you don't have cider vinegar)
     water
this time I also used dill seeds.

    In the spirit of my other series, "The way grandma used to..." That I post on fridays, I wanted to include a post for homemade chicken broth or bone broth.  This is so easy to make and when done this way it is why our grandmothers used to say that Chicken soup was good for sickness, but only when the bone marrow is in the broth like as with a method such as this.

   First I take a chicken that has been well enjoyed...We had baked chicken for dinner the other night and this is all that was left after we vultures were done!

   If this is not a project you want to do immediately after dinner you can refrigerate it until the following day to start.  I take the bones and then some carrots, onions and celery (I have actually made it without the veggie trio and it is still fine but tastes better with them) and chop the veggies.

   I then take the chicken bones, the chopped veggies and put them in a large stock pot with at least 15-20 cups of water.  I add a generous helping of salt and pepper, and then I bring the brew to a rolling boil and then turn to a simmer and cover.  I do this for 24-36 hours and just let the pot simmer on the back burner all that time until the bone breaks down and is really soft which is where all the good stuff comes from.  NOTE: just be sure to check your broth every little bit to be sure it still has plenty of water, if not, add more and salt and pepper as needed.

   After at least 24 hours pull out a strainer and a bowl and prepare to strain the bones/mushy veggies out of the liquid.

   Then I freeze the broth and use as needed, You can use quart ziplock bags or plastic containers, even glass mason jars will work.  But, hands down my favorite method is to use my silicone mini loaf pan and make chicken broth cubes.

After several hours you have nice chicken broth cubes.  I like that they stack well in a freezer bag and I can pull 1-2 out to use as needed!

    My daughter and I got out of the car at a local store and just ahead of us were two very pretty young ladies.  The first thing I noticed was that their long tanned legs were fully exposed up to almost the underwear line.  Both had on very revealing tank tops, I mean it is hot out right?  Both young (likely 14 year old) girls were very mature physically and it was made quite apparent by the low cut tanks.  The girls appeared to be friends with one of the girl's mother having driven them and accompanying them into the store.  They were laughing and chatting and I don't even think they noticed the 40ish aged man oogling them as they walked by, or the inability of the male stockboy to look them in the eyes as he directed them to what they were looking for.  
   I felt myself wondering what was the mother thinking?  I don't mean I was wondering in an angry judgemental way, but more in a concerned, friendly manner.  Was she too overburdened with her daily goings on to mind what her daughter wore out in public?  Was she too unobservant to see that the girls were getting attention from much older men?  Was she concerned that if she put her foot down about what her daughter wore that she would cause her daughter anguish with peers if the daughter was not allowed to dress just like everyone else?
    I believe we are failing our daughters.  We, as a generation of parents, relatives, teachers and friends are failing our daughters by letting them believe the lie that they are pretty only as far as what can be seen with the eye.  That they are beautiful, when they are dressed in popular style and when they can turn heads with their appearance.  
    Yes, these girls were pretty and they were head turners, but they would have been that way even had they been dressed more modestly.  They would have likely turned a few heads for their beautiful long hair and eyelashes, their clear youthful skin, the pretty sprinkling of freckles across one of the girls' cheeks.  Those would have caused anyone to think, what pretty young ladies, not necessarily what was likely running through the 40ish man's mind by the way he was looking at them.
   We don't tell our daughters why they need to be modest.  We don't tell our daughters that putting all their assets on display is cheating themselves.   Let me clarify, I am not suggesting that our girls wear burkas or amish attire (though my husband may suggest that...lol) They can look trendy and cute without showing off everything.  I am well aware that starting at about age 7 with my girls I had a difficult time finding skirts that were long enough, shorts that were appropriate, and still making them look cute.  However, that is not an excuse for me as a mom, I do have to look harder but it is possible to find more modest clothing (Old Navy and Gap have bermuda shorts and Kohls carries tons of maxi skirts and dresses).
   Let's stop worrying that our daughters will not be happy if they are made to look different (less scantily clad) then some of thier peers, maybe they will start a new trend.  Let's stop trying to be their friends when it comes to being shopping companions, and let's be their guardians.  Just give it a thought as you prepare for back-to-school or fall shopping.  What message is the clothing we buy our daughters sending?  Are we failing them?

And what about our sons?  Read here for my thoughts on them...

It was a calm day in our household until I heard it..."JUST TURN THE LOCK THE OTHER WAY!!!"  I was not overly impressed, we have had similar situations in the past, and I am not a first time mother so I wasn't running at break-neck speed.  But then I saw the pitiful eye on the other side of the bathroom door, the little voice that said...mommy...

He locked himself in the bathroom, I think just because it is fun to turn the knob and play with the lock, hopefully this won't happen again soon because it did take almost 15 minutes to get him out, that doorknob was stubborn!

Big sisters to the rescue (yes mom was busy getting the camera as it was kinda priceless!

Ahhh, happy to be free!

Nope, never a dull moment in this house...

Our family loves to go on vacation, the beach is one of our favorite destinations but we usually opt for an every other year family vacation as it can get a bit pricey.  This is an off year for our family and in the years we don't go on vacation we try to do something fun a few times during the summer, we love to just make memories.  Hubby got a wild idea to rent a boat and go out on the lake near Whitewater Indiana for the day...I protested as I was concerned about it being really expensive, but turns out it was an awesome idea.  We rented a pontoon boat for 4 hours and it only cost $100 for that rental.   The boat was very spacious (it seats 14) and in great shape and the rental marina was great to work with!  Couple all that up with some packed drinks and lunches and it was a pretty economical "Stay-cation" in my book!

It was an absolutely beautiful day, 75 degrees, sunny, I mean just look at those clouds!

Here is the lot of us ready to cruise out!

We cruised on the lake and it was clean and beautiful.  Look who got to drive!

It was an awesome day, and all the kids were worn out after we were done.  We finished off the day with pizza back home and a viewing of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe.

     "Going Green," it's a concept that we hear about daily, but it's not a new one. The difference is that in our current times it is trendy, but back in grandma and great grandma's day it was out of neccesity.
     My grandmother was born in 1930, the start of the Great Depression.  The Great Depression lasted from 1929-1939 and was a time when everyone had to "Reduce, Re-Use & Recycle."  Not a new concept, just for different reasons.  I am so very blessed that my grandmother is still alive and I can ask her things about her childhood, she is also an amazing historian and has documented much of our family history as well as stories from her own growing up.  I have always seen grandma being a diligent steward of all that is given her.  She doesn't waste anything.  She has always been frugal, but not in a tight sense, as she is one of the most generous women you will meet.  I have been blessed to learn so many frugal tricks from her that have helped my family out.
   For instance, an article of clothing like a man's old shirt has so many uses beyond being worn.  When grandma's father (a farmer) had clothes that were worn out they were just re-purposed.  After clothing can no longer be mended (a novel concept as by today's standards we just dispose of things) it is given a new life.  (Check out Etsy and you will see site after site of re-purposed items)  An old shirt becomes a handy rag for washing down windows, a strip of that shirt can be used to tie up tomato plants in the garden, and the buttons would be removed and saved for some other sewing project.  Grandma always had a button jar (an old mason jar full of various buttons) that I thought was fascinating.  The funny thing is that without even realizing it I started a small one with the random buttons that come attached in a small little baggie to clothing when you buy a new dress shirt.  I don't know why, but I just felt like the buttons belonged in a little jar.  They are kinda pretty.
   I also learned that a meal can be re-purposed many times over.  These days we are quick to dispose of leftovers but we throw out and waste so much.  For instance, when you serve a baked chicken (I know most people just buy chicken breasts but I swear there really is more to a chicken than breast meat) you pick off the remainder of the meat after the meal and it can be a small beginning to a single serve chicken salad, or save it for a chicken soup made from bone broth you make with the leftover chicken bones (soo good for you, and better than store bought chicken broth with way too many additives).  
   Kitchen items can be re-used too.  You know that ziplock bag that you just but a couple of cookies in but then they were eaten too fast?  It can actually be washed and rinsed out and re-used. The glass jars that your grocery store food comes in?  They make great containers for all sorts of things, (nails in the garage, cotton swabs in the bathroom, etc).  I use lemon essential oil in my water and needed a glass water bottle for it, but the store prices to buy a glass water bottle were ridiculous ($20-$30) so I just purchased a $1.50 fancy lemonade beverage in a glass bottle with a metal lid and then when I was through, I ran it through the dishwasher, and violia!  I now have a glass water bottle.
      
   

When our grandparents and great grandparents were going through the Great Depression, they saved everything, you never knew if you were going to get more of anything.  Though I am not suggesting taking this to the extreme, as we don't want to move in the direction of  hoarding, a little dose of re-purposing items can be a HUGE money saver.  Take a moment and go ask grandma, or if you are lucky enough to have great grandma still around, ask her.  What did they re-purpose?  Leave notes for me in the comment section as I would love to read about it!

P.S. if you don't know how to make your own chicken broth, I will post on that this weekend, HUGE money saver and that is how chicken broth was made when you heard the old adage about chicken soup being a great remedy for being sick!

   We all know that grocery prices are through the roof these days, and being a one income family of 7 can prove challenging in the budget department.  Especially, because we like to eat clean and organic whenever possible.  I am very thankful for our abundant garden that produces almost all of our veggies for summer and thoughout the year.
   If you were ever curious to know what it looks like to feed a large family, here is a peek.  I have found over and over that when I do not plan our meals way in advance, I spend exponentially more at the grocery, bust our budget and wind up with missing ingredients.  So, for us anyway, organization is key.  I have started a new way of doing things as weekly menu planning was becoming such a chore.  I decided I would do a monthly dinner menu plan and then since I go to the grocery biweekly I would just pick 10 meals to make sure I had ingredients for and that would be our menu for the two week period. 
    Before you ask, yes, I can do simple math and I realize that 20 meals worth of planned food is not an entire month's worth but for the other meals we either eat leftovers, make a quick homemade pizza, or re-purpose one of the meals I have planned (ie Baked chicken and veggies can be re-purposed into Chicken and Noodle soup with leftovers and I bake a loaf of bread since I keep flour and baking ingredients on hands at all times).
   The other challenge is that we have a fantastic church family and we also like to invite people to dinner after church on Sundays because that is way easier and less costly than going out to eat.  So the meals with astericks beside them are meals I can stretch to make on a Sunday for company to share with us.  
   So what kinda budget does this look like?  Well, we don't purchase meat at the grocery as we raise our own chicken and purchase a 1/2 a cow and 1/2 hog yearly (seperate budget as those are yearly expenses we plan for).  I do find that purchasing meat this way is a HUGE price saver and the meat is so much better tasting and better for us as we raise our food or I purchase locally from friends and family.  We just fill our deep freeze and then I know my meat for the year is set and I don't have to deal with price fluctuations in the meat department.
    That leaves us with fresh fruit to purchase, dairy products, and other incidentals.  I usually shop the perimeter of the store so that I avoid the processed foods in the middle.  We then are left with a budget of about $360 for the month for groceries.   So I am spending $180 bi weekly or $90 a week at the grocery.   I do allow another $100 monthly for toiletries, diapers, paper products and cleaning supplies.  
     This is what July's meals look like for us... so far I have been sticking to this way of doing things and it seems to be working well.   Would love to hear your comments in the comments section or other ways you are saving when feeding a large family!  
 

  Chili

  Chicken Curry & Naan

  Man Pie

  Pizza

**Fajitas

  Tomato Basil Chicken

  Salmon Patties

**Sausage & Zucchini Bake

**Brats & Potato Salad

  Beef BBQ Sandwiches

     No, I am not referring to the movie, but the southern delicacy that everyone was talking about afterwards.  I honestly had not tried fried green tomatoes until about 6 years ago, just really wasn't quite sure what to do.  But, now I am hooked and every tomato season we have this delicious dish a few times before the tomatoes start to ripen to that ruby red.  
    It really doesn't matter what tomato breed you use but I would suggest using a very large and firm breed (ie no Romas or Cherry tomatoes here).

   For this recipe you need:
     Green Tomatoes
     Olive oil
     Flour (add a dash of salt & pepper)
     Corn meal (optional- I was currently out)
     Milk (just a splash)
     Eggs

Simply start by slicing the firm green tomato.  Ideally, the tomato should be firm, but not rock hard.

Next put your flour in a bowl (I don't measure but I guess it is  1-2 cups.  If you are also using cornmeal (makes them crunchier) I would use 1 1/2 cups flour and 1/2 cup cornmeal.  Add your dash of salt & pepper.

   Set the tomatoes in and fry 1-3 minutes per side.  Pull them out and... Viola!  It's crispy, tangy, and definately southern.

Enjoy!

That's almost 10 lbs of fresh produce she's got there!  The carrots barely made it in the house as she was ready to eat them fresh in the garden.

   I have to share something I find amazing...I have been weighing and keeping track of the produce coming out of my garden.  I enjoy bringing in each basket of produce and cataloging how many pounds of each crop I am bringing in.  This is the first year I have done this and I so wish that I had done this in previous years as it is a real eye-opener!
   I spent $160 putting in the garden this year.  That was for the purchase of my heirloom seeds, seedling trays, potting soil,  and plants for the seedlings I accidentally killed while trying to get them some sun (left the tomatoes out overnight when the temp dipped to 38 degrees...oops!)
   We are just starting into full swing gardening season as the tomatoes are not yet ripe (there will be lots of those) and the main crops I have harvested are cucumbers, green beans, zucchini, squash, tomatillos, and some peppers.  I would say I am not even at the halfway point of harvesting yet and so far I have gotten 90.2 pounds of organic produce!!!  This is all off our 40 x 15 garden that is surrounded by 10 round raised beds made from truck tires.  I cannot imagine how much that would have cost to purchase at retail prices, can't wait to get a final total at the end of the growing season!