More baby steps...

I have really been pleased with the results of making 

homemade laundry detergent.

After using the detergent exclusively for four months now,

 I truly believe that I will always make it.

It works and I love it.  

I am ready to move on and make another change!

I've been wanting to try homemade "windex".

I've always used Wal-Mart brand Great Value Glass Cleaner.

The homemade recipe calls for 1 part vinegar to every 5 parts water.

Now Mr. H. does NOT like the smell of vinegar.

He has an aversion to it.  

He loves to eat the pickles and pickled okra that I make,

but he doesn't like to be around when I am making them 

because of the vinegar smell in the kitchen.

So I was a little concerned that the smell might bother him.

I mixed up 1/2 cup vinegar with 2 1/2 cups water.

~the test~

I decided to clean the glass on our storm door.

Our storm door that is right next to Mr. H.'s home office,
I might add. ;-)

I was more than a little bit doubtful of the effectiveness of the vinegar and water.

But, boy, let me tell you.  It did work well.

I might even go so far as to say it worked better than my Great Value.

I think Mr. H. could tell I was cleaning the door,

 but he didn't look up or say anything about smelling vinegar.

He even went out that door a few minutes later and didn't notice anything.

I think you can smell the vinegar, which I don't mind at all,

as you are cleaning, but within a minute or two the smell is gone.

After I use up this last bottle of Great Value glass cleaner I have in my cleaning closet,

I believe I'll continue to use the homemade.

And of course, for the cost run down -

Original Windex Glass Cleaner 32 oz. (at Wal-Mart)

$2.87

Great Value Original Glass Cleaner 32 oz. (at Wal-Mart)

$0.99 

Homemade Vinegar and Water Glass Cleaner 32 oz.

$0.15

Great Value Distilled White Vinegar 64 oz. $1.18

for 32 oz. of homemade cleaner I will need 8 oz. of vinegar

Another change for the healthier, the safer and the cheaper...

bring on the next homemade cleaner!!  Stay tuned. :-)

Menu Plan Monday

Supper Menus
August 22nd-27th

Monday
favorite individual meatloaves, mashed potatoes, homestyle macaroni and cheese, homestyle green beans, buttered corn, glazed baby carrots, salad greens and creamy sweet dressing, fluffy dinner rolls
Tuesday
homemade pizza, olive garden salad
Wednesday
braided sandwich loaves, chips and ranch dip
Thursday
homemade burritos, tortilla chips and salsa
Friday
out for supper
Saturday
hamburgers, baked beans, potato salad
repeat of Thursday's meal because we liked it so much!

~another summer salad~

I tried out another new salad recipe tonight -

Southwest Pasta Salad

 from Our Best Bites.

It was very tasty.

And, it's a make ahead recipe, 

which I love during the summer time!

School Days, School Days...

Dear old Golden Rule days,

Reading and 'riting and 'rithmetic,

Taught to the tune of the hick'ry stick.

You were my queen in calico,

I was your bashful, barefoot beau.

And you wrote on my slate, "I love you so,"

When we were a couple 'o kids.

Ahhhh, school days!

New school supplies!

Coloring pages
(who remembers the smell of the purple mimeographed ones??),
pearl pink erasers,

perfectly sharpened pencils,
chalkboards,

 and brand new crayons. :-)

New clothes,

the promise of fall,

football games and bonfires...

I've always loved back to school. :-)

We've had different traditions over the years.

We've public schooled, 

home schooled for four years,

and we're back to public school now.

I have a 6th grader in intermediate school

and a 9th grader starting high school this year!

Exciting times ahead.

A special breakfast and first day pictures 

are traditions we always have no matter where we are going to school.

And for some reason when we were homeschooling,

we always liked to have Frito pie for first day lunch!

The year the children went back to public school

I made this banner to celebrate!

Happy back to school and happy fall -  it's just around the corner!

I'm linking up today at Kelly's Korner
for Show Us Your Life Friday - Back to School

Also linked to Back to School Traditions Link Up.

.:preparing farm fresh eggs:.

Favorite Breakfast Eggs
serves 3-4

1 tablespoon butter
6 fresh eggs
2 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons freshly grated parmesan cheese
a sprinkle of rosemary
salt and pepper to taste

Melt butter in skillet. Add eggs and milk. Scramble with a wire whisk. Add cheese, rosemary, and seasonings. Cook until done and enjoy! So easy, so delish!

~trying out some new salads this week~

First up was tonight's 

Asian Wonton Salad 

from Our Best Bites .

The salad is topped with a sweet asian dressing.

Every single time I make homemade dressing,

I wonder...

why do I ever buy salad dressing at the grocery???

Homemade is so much better,

so much easier really, 

(I rarely even have to buy a special ingredient - 

it's all in my pantry already)

so much better for you,

and...so much cheaper!

I left the chicken out of the recipe, 

because I wanted it vegetarian for me,

and I served the family

chicken egg rolls and fried rice.

Because as we all know,

if I served just a salad for supper...

well, it just wouldn't be pretty. ;-)

Menu Plan Monday

Supper Menus
August 15th-20th

Monday
spaghetti and meatballs, caesar salad
Tuesday
asian wonton salad, fried rice, egg rolls
Wednesday
swiss steak, mashed potatoes, dinner rolls
Thursday
southwest pasta salad, bean and cheese burritos, taquitos, tortilla chips, picante sauce, guacamole
Friday
out for supper
Saturday
bbq ribs, potato salad, pinto beans 

S'mores...in a jar!

Did you know that August 10th is 

National S'mores Day? :-) 

How about celebrating this year with some 

S'mores in a Jar?

In a one quart mason jar layer -

1 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs

1 1/2 cups of chocolate chips

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Use a cute ribbon to tie on the instructions.

Yummy!

Campfire s'mores goodness...

in a jar!

Linked up to Jam Hands Recipe Sharing Monday 3.

Bakin' with Blueberries

Fresh Blueberry Cobbler
6-8 servings

2 1/2 cups fresh blueberries
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon flour
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1 3/4 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
6 tablespoons white sugar
5 tablespoons butter
1 cup milk
2 teaspoons sugar
1 pinch ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease an 8 inch square baking dish. Place blueberries into baking dish, and mix with vanilla and lemon juice. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of flour, then stir in 1 tablespoon melted butter. Set aside. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 3/4 cups of flour, baking powder, and 6 tablespoons sugar. Cut in 5 tablespoons butter until it is in small pieces. Make a well in the center, and quickly stir in the milk. Mix just until moistened. Cover, and let batter rest for 10 minutes. Spoon batter over blueberries. Mix together cinnamon and 2 teaspoons sugar; sprinkle over top. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving. Enjoy warm with a dollop of ice cream!

Learn about blueberries here -

Blueberries 
Pick your own blueberries here -
Pick Your Own Blueberries 

Soul Surfer

Bible Quiz Day 80

Answer to question 79 - Felix (Acts 24:25)

Question 80 - When __________ baptized Jesus, the spirit descended in the the shape of a __________.

Menu Plan Monday

Supper Menus 
August 8th-13th

Monday
homemade pizza
Tuesday
fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn on the cob, fried okra, dinner rolls, blueberry cobbler
Wednesday
sassy tailgate sandwiches, potato chips, carrots and celery with ranch dip
Thursday
baked potatoes with toppings
Friday
four cheese baked ziti, roasted pepper salad
Saturday
out for anniversary 

Daisy is 4!

My Daisy girl turned 4 years old today.

She is just the best little dog,

with the sweetest temperament.  

I am so thankful to have her.

I certainly don't know what I'd do without her. :-)

Happy birthday Daisy! 

Chuy's Jalapeno Ranch Dip

Chuy's Jalapeno Ranch Dip
feeds a crowd

8 ounces mayonaise
24 ounces sour cream
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup tomatillo salsa
1 handful of cilantro
3 ranch dressing packets
1/2 cup pickled jalapenos

Combine all ingredients in a blender; process until smooth.

Awhile back I had never eaten at a Chuy's Mexican food restaurant, but had heard the jalapeno ranch dip there was very good. Then I tried a friend's homemade version and loved it! When our new Chuy's opened here in town, I couldn't wait to go and try the jalapeno dip. Guess what?? I thought my friend's was better! :-) This is her recipe. I've made it twice now, and to scale it down a bit to serve just our family, I used 1 packet of ranch, 1/4 cup jalapenos and 1/4 of the other listed ingredients.  

Linked up with Jam Hands Recipe Sharing Monday 3.

Bible Quiz Day 79

Answer to question 78 - Agrippa (Acts 26:28)

Question 79 - __________ said to Paul, "When I have a convenient season I will call for thee."

~my best parenting advice~

Today I'm linking up at Kelly's Korner

for Show Us Your Life "Parenting Advice".

When my children were small I had this quote hanging near my rocking chair -

"Cleaning and scrubbing can wait 'til tomorrow,

For babies grow up, I've learned to my sorrow.

So settle down cobwebs, dust go to sleep,

I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep!"

Against the advice of almost everyone I knew, I rocked both of my babies to sleep every-single-night until they hopped out of my lap on their own.  I have never regretted this and I remember just plugging my ears when others told me not to, that they needed to "learn" to go to sleep on their own.  Guess what?  They did learn!  When THEY thought they were too old to be rocked by Momma. ;-)

During that time I did do my cleaning and scrubbing,

but I worked it in around rocking, playing games (lots of games!), trips to the park and to the library, reading stories, playing in the backyard, homeschooling, having play dates, and hosting children's parties (lots of parties!).  Oh, how I loved the 10 and under years.  My motto back then was - ENJOY! :-)

Now, I have a tween and a teen...and most days I truly feel like I have absolutely no idea what I am doing!  Maybe when they graduate college, I might have some parenting advice for these years.

A good sign to hang right now would be -

"Keep calm and carry on!"

My motto now is - SURVIVE! ;-)

and to always remember...

"Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord." Psalms 127:3


...and could it be just a coincidence, or my subliminal thought process, that the pic I chose for this post of my tween and teen covers up their mouths?? ;-)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ~Pie~

What a neat idea!

The recipe can be found here.

You might also like

chocolate chip cookie dough truffles.

It's time for a hen party! ;-)

Today the chickens are one year old!

Happy birthday Loretta, Tammy, Dolly, 

Emmy Lou and Jenna Rae!

Today they go from being pullets to officially being hens. :-)

I'm still gathering between 3 and 5 eggs every day. 

Miss Dolly is still sweet.

Miss Loretta is still the one to do everything first,

including now being the first to peck at me!

She's even drawn blood once or twice...

I am threatening the stew pot!

I know most people view chickens as just yard birds 

and eggs as just something that appear in cartons 

on their grocery shelf 

and they don't ever think one more thing of it.

But to me, raising chickens has been a very rewarding,

very educational experience and I am so  thankful for it.

It's made me think about a simple little thing like an egg.

And what a wonderful, amazing thing it really is.

I plan to add three more chicks to the flock next spring.

Can't wait! :-)

~roses to remember~

I am hoping these pretty pink roses

will bring a smile to a friend's face and remind her that she is loved.

She has dealt with more physical pain in the past few years

than most of us will feel in a lifetime.

I kept out one blossom to keep on my counter.

So I will think of her when I see it.

And remember to pray for her.

I think I am going to do that from now on.

Whenever I give someone flowers.