Menu Plan: Jan. 24

I know that my menu plan posts are pretty boring but they are important. Menu plans are important to me because they not only hold me accountable but they also keep my husband informed. He loves being able to just jump on my website during the day, while he's at work, and check to see what we are going to be eating for dinner.

So now I ask you... Why are menu plans online important to you and your family? Do they hold you accountable?

I am only going to be putting breakfasts and dinners, lunches are pretty up in the air due to left overs and being on the run a lot.

Sunday, Jan. 24
Daddy's dirty eggs, sausage, biscuits
leftovers

Monday, Jan. 25
banana bread
corn dog muffins, oven fries, corn, pears

Tuesday, Jan. 26
baked oatmeal
coconut chicken, mashed potatoes, broccoli

Wednesday, Jan. 27
hot cereal
homemade pizza

Thursday, Jan. 28
banana bread
chicken enchiladas, chips and salsa

Friday, Jan. 29
breakfast cake
salmon patties, macaroni and cheese

Saturday, Jan. 30
hotcakes and sausage
apple chicken stir-fry
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* This is linked to Menu Plan Monday.

Sourdough: Day 3

I have to been honest, day number three is extremely uneventful but I feel like I need to show you step by step anyway because that's what I would need.

There have been a few wonderful ladies acquire about where to go jars at this time of year. I, really and truthfully, go around and let people (especially little cute old women) that I am looking for jars, I look on ebay and Craiglist and I also find them at Meijers (Meijer is a grocery chain in Ohio). Beyond those, I have no idea. Laura also says that you can use a glass bowl. You could try that instead of using recycle spaghetti jars.

Now until day three!

This is what my sourdough start looks like on day 3. Laura said that she did not have a lot of brown liquid at the top but as you can see, I had quite a bit.

The next step once again is pour brown liquid off.

Once again, just like yesterday, you pour your sourdough mixture into a clean jar or bowl.

You then add another cup of water and another cup of your flour mixture.

I took a picture of my mixing because this was the first day when I felt like it was harder to mix. You really have to make sure that you are stirring it all together and until completely blended.

Tie the rubber band and cloth back around top and put back in its warm little hiding spot!

I welcome you to come back for Day 4!

Food Flops and an Emergency Fund!

Now I couldn't  help but think about our recent debt repayment flops when this incident happened (Plus it's just really funny and I wouldn't be a good little blogging buddy if I didn't share it with you!):

I have been on a conquest to start making our foods all from scratch and not processed. I happened upon my first food flop this week. I was trying to make my own yogurt and somehow I made something the resembled soured cottage cheese. My poor husband is always the guinea pig (Hey! I'm not dummy!). Here are the pictures to document:

"Honey, this doesn't look like yogurt..."

And being the good wife I am.... I started chanting.... "EAT IT! EAT! EAT IT!"

And being the good husband he is (or just trying to get me to hush...), he....

TRIED IT!!

And he says "ARE YOU TRYING TO KILL ME?!?"

Now that I gave you a little comedy relief, I want to share with you just how this pertains to paying off debt.

Sometimes, we have the best intentions. We come up with a budget and we chart our course to repaying debt. Then something comes up. Something always comes up... What do you do if you have cut up all your credit cards?

The next step in the Road to Financial Freedom is saving money for a rainy day. Dave Ramsey calls is your umbrella on a rainy day. He says to save $1000 fast or $500 if you have a family income of less than $25,000/year.

An example in my life is my van tires. We just paid a ton of money to get new tires for my van about two months ago. Andy comes in tonight and says, "Why is your van tire totally flat?"

It ended up that I drove over a screw. Ack!!

If we didn't have money in our emergency savings account, we would have had to open a credit card, get a loan or another method to pay the tire people. All of those are detrimental in paying off debt.

So next step... save for a rainy day as fast as you can!!

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*This post is liked to Frugal Fridays!

I Need Your Help!

*PLEASE if you don't normally comment PLEASE leave one with ideas and your opinions!*

I am part of the Women's Ministry leadership team at my church. I have been feeling God speaking to my heart as I have been writing the Women Blessing Women series and unfortunately or fortunately, whatever it might be, He is convicting me.

Jodi, why do you have such good words but your actions are few?

Thus where my idea came from. We have not done a Holiday Bazaar in a long time. I have come up with an idea and I would like some input from y'all:

I would like to call the bazaar The Crafts for Christ Holiday Bazaar.

All money we make would be going to the Benevolence Fund at our church to help families in the community through hard economical and financial times.

I want to start a group for SAH women to gather every third Tuesday at our church for Crafts for Christ. You don't have to work on crafts if crafts isn't your thing, support and fellowship are just as important in my opinion! Also it would be great if some of my SAH friends would join us!

Now for your help! I would love to know...

If you came to a Holiday bazaar, what crafts/ideas would you be interested in? If you live in our area, what crafts/ideas/ways could we get you to come and fellowship/help/support, whatever it may be, on Crafts for Christ Tuesday?

I appreciate your input! Thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are truly a blessing to me...

Sourdough: Day 2

Welcome to Sourdough: Day 2! If you missed it, here is Day 1.

Here is what the sourdough looked like after 24 hours. You need to pour off the brown liquid and transfer sourdough mixture to a clean glass jar or bowl.

Add 1 cup of your flour choice and 1 cup of water to the mixture in the new jar.

 Mix

Re-secure cloth and rubber band

Find a nice warm home for your sourdough starter. We barely heat our house so I put mine on the furnace that runs about twice a day but is semi-warm all the time.

Come on back for Day 3 tomorrow!

How Cool!?!?

My wonderful hubby has his own blog now! If you are really interested, sort of interested or just bored, head on over and check it out! He's so cute!

With Words Like Bullets

Andy is an incredible man with an incredible heart. You'd be crazy not to go and read his thoughts!

Mason Jars and Sourdough

I love jars. I know you remember just how much I love jars.  I love that you can use them for almost anything.

One new way we have been using jars around our house is by putting leftovers in them. They secure and keep your food fresh while being clear so you can see what is in them.. Isn't that just too cool?!

It never ceases to amaze me that good products, such as Mason jars, have been around for so long.

Generations and generations of my family have used Mason jars. I have made it my personal conquest to find the oldest jars possible. Look at the ones above-aren't those just so beautiful? Yeah, they need cleaned up again but do you know how many uses there are for these babies?

Well the reason for my talking yet again about how much I love jars is that I began to make my own sourdough this week. I used Laura's recipe and instructions. These instructions are GREAT but I have to tell you, they should make a book called "Sourdough for Dummies". I was so worried about beginning this adventure. Therefore, I decided to document my days of sourdough making for you!

Now I have to warn you, this was one of the few days that I have been in a good mood of late... Be warned... I am a goober... :)

The Birth of My Sourdough: Day 1 

(If you are interested in step one of making

sourdough here is Laura's Day 1)

Most people feel like this when starting sourdough. I know I did. My friends told me how hard it was and I totally went for it. Now y'all I have proclaimed honesty and openness on this blog and this might turn out to be a total flop but we will see together, won't we?

But "Put a Smile on Your Face and Make the World a better place..." Okay, back to semi-seriousness. This is me after I decided to take the the dough dive! (I told you I was a goober. I even think my own jokes are funny!) Isn't Dylan just a great photographer?!?

Here are the ingredients you will need: 1 cup whole wheat or rye flour, jar or bowl, one cup water, stirring spoon, rubber band or tie, and Laura says cheese cloth, I didn't have cheese cloth so I used a cloth napkin.

Pour in flour and by pour in flour, I mean actually IN the jar....

 

Okay that's better..... :) Now while you're on roll add the water to the flour and stir.

Last step put on the cloth on over rim of jar and tightly secure with the rubber band. Now I had the thought of doing sourdough with cheese cloth nativities for Christmas next year? Think that thoughts a winner? Just kidding...

Come back tomorrow for The Birth of My Sourdough: Day 2!

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*This post is linked to Things I Love Thursday!