raspberry jam

I picked these raspberries from my 3 year old bushes. Then I made them into jam! Oh, it is so yummy!

oooh...yummy!

I just found this amazing recipe for Popeye Corn. It is so easy and so very delish!

1 10 oz. bag frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 16 oz. bag frozen corn
3/4 cup sour cream { I used about 1/2 cup ranch}
3/4 t salt
1/2 t hot sauce { I didn't have, I used buffalo sauce}

Combine ingredients in a 1 1/2 qt microwave dish. Microwave on high for 5 minutes. Stir; cook 2-3 minutes more or until heated through. I also had a small jar of pimentos that I needed to use, so I added those to the mix as well. It was so yummy, even my son's friends wanted seconds!

frugal ways to spend a summer day, with kids

So many of my kids' friends are going on vacation or to theme parks. We really try to avoid extra spending. I hate to use the term "staycation", but that's pretty much what we do. I keep all of my change,in a jar, and every summer we use that to go on one big adventure. Since I try to shop with cash only, the change can add up. The jar last summer was about $90! I have two jars, one for a summer adventure and one for a winter one. It really helps!

So for some ideas:
*go to a park {or in our case, a skatepark} and take a picnic
*go to the free movies or bowling- this year the "free" activities are actually costing about $1 per child, but still not too bad!
*go hiking, with a lunch
*go to city parks with fountains in the ground, this is cheaper than going swimming{free!} and the kids still get just as wet!
*play board games in front of the fan, with homemade treats
*laying in the shade with a book and some cool treats
*check your local library for free events, our actually sponsors free tickets to local museums!
*we like to go to Sonic between 2-4pm for drink happy hour. All drinks are half price. My kids love the slushies. You can ride your bike there, if you are close to one.
*you can't beat sports in the front yard, wait til it cools down a little, and run the sprinklers as well. You need to water anyway!
*most roller skating rinks have special deals
*you can go to the zoo, just buy a membership. It's usually about the same price as tickets for a family, but you can go all year!

early school clothes shopping

We were in the mall and discovered that my son's favorite skate shop was having a clothing sale. Normally shirts go for $20-$30 each and pants/shorts can easliy cost $40 and up! We bought 3 shirts and 2 pairs of pants for $80! That's an awesome deal. I know that in August that the clothes are not that cheap. We've looked before.

I usually hunt thrift stores to find his beloved skate shirts and usually find some at $2-$4 each.{they are a bit worn, but he likes them} I have even found some skate brand shorts for $7 each, but they didn't fit him. So, getting brand new clothes with the "right" logo on them has him pretty excited for high school to start! You have to look good your first year!

July goals

I have a running list of things to do that never seems to end. I have decided to try to break it down into monthly goals, hoping to get caught up!

July goals:

*save $500 for family trip
*add to savings account, hopefully $200
*NO impulse buying, shop with cash and a list
*stay on budget in all areas {I have a breakdown of how much can be spent for what}
*clean outbuildings and purge LOTS of stuff
*harvest herbs and freeze
*5 yard projects

weeds, weeds and more weeds

I am happy to say that I am just about caught up on weeds. We have a 1 acre property with a few gardens. To say that weed pulling is a part time job is not a joke! If I take 20-30 minutes a day, for 4-5 days a week, to pull weeds then I can keep up. We have a veggie garden, a perennial garden, hegdges and 4 flower gardens. I also have the children's garden{playground} which is half grass{under swingset} and half mulch.{under trampoline}

If it goes for a while, or we get LOTS of rain, I can easily fill one yard bag with weeds...from each garden! On the other hand, if I keep up with the weeds, I can fill one bag per week.

For the walk ways and in the mulch, I use straight vinegar. I buy it in gallon jugs at Sam's Club and use a garden sprayer to spread it. On a very hot and sunny day, the weeds will be wilted by dinnertime and gone by the next morning.

I just have the veggie garden left to clean up, and then it's just maintenance for the rest of the season! Yay! I'd much rather enjoy summer instead of working at the weeds.

What a weekend

The 4th of July was rained out. Not just a little sprinkle. It was a hard, angry, lightning and thunder filled rainstorm with tornado warnings. And flash flood warnings. No fireworks for us! Many places set off firework dispays on the third, but we wanted to go on the actual holiday. Silly us!

I have been picking raspberries in the garden today. Tomorrow, I will be making raspberry jam! Yum! I really need to get to harvesting the herbs soon. I plan to freeze many of them. I am still using basil that I froze last year! I have enough for maybe one or two more recipes. Not a bad harvest!

I have never canned, but I hope to learn this year. I'm very excited! We're going to the flea market this weekend. I will be looking for canning equipment, as well as many other items. I keep a running list of things I'd like to have as well as need. I then hit thrift stores or flea markets, to find the best deals. It takes patience to shop this way, but it saves so much money! Plus, it is so much fun to search. Almost like a game.