"Chicken Fried Rice" and Seasoned Green Beans

3 cups cooked brown rice

1/2 cup chicken broth
2 T olive oil
1 medium chopped onion
1/3 cup chopped bell pepper
HEAT IN LARGE PAN.

TOSS IN:
2 1/2 cups or so of diced cooked chicken
1 1/2 cups or so green peas
1/4 cup soy sauce
HEAT, STIRRING.

BEAT 3 EGGS.
Push back rice mix in the pan leaving approx. one-third of the pan available for the well-beaten eggs. Dump eggs in the area, allow them to cook while stirring as needed until mostly cooked. Mix in with the rice and heat through until eggs are done and mix is hot. Serve with extra soy sauce.

This meal is nice and frugal. Cost approx. $5 to feed 8 and it's quick and easy if you have precooked chicken and rice (from freezer or earlier in your day).
**********************************
Served here with corn and seasoned green beans.
Have I told you how I like my green beans?
Ok, here goes:
SEASONED GREEN BEANS:
1 bag frozen green beans (my favorite is flat pole beans-yummy)
1/2 small onion, sliced
1/4 cup leftover (from freezer) chopped turkey bacon
1/2 t minced garlic (opt)
fresh ground black pepper
3/4 cup water

Heat water to boil. Toss in onions, garlic (opt), black pepper, and green beans. Toss and add the turkey bacon. Cook until tender. Salt to taste.

You can also reduce water to 1/2 cup and cook until water is almost gone, then add 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil and cook several more minutes. Very Yummy!

Baking Day......

I wrote yesterday about the upcoming Bake Sale on Saturday and how I was preparing. Well, today was my baking day and I had some real fun with some fairly simple cakes! Would you like to see???!!!???

Great! You know how much I love to share! :-)

********************************************************************************

First we made some super cool, TYE-DYED CUPCAKES!

These are so pretty and fun. Not to mention, easy!

Just take your normal yellow cake batter and spoon it out into cups, color, and drop 1 spoon at a time into your baking cups! I made some without paper liners(in the silicone pan) and some with the liners from my metal pans. They were too pretty to frost! I couldn't bring myself to cover up the colors! Please click on the picture to get a better look--especially those colors!

I think there were 2 dozen in all.

Now here is a cake that I couldn't resist! PEANUT BUTTER CAKE WITH PEANUT BUTTER FROSTING! Have I told you all how much I love peanut butter? This cake had a few extra steps but well worth it --hey, it's peanut butter!

AHH, and here we have our favorite! It's BLACK COCOA CAKE WITH BUTTERCREAM FROSTING! Have I told you all how much I love chocolate? ;-) This cake is really easy and my kids helped and could not believe this cake actually has vinegar in it!

Oh and would you look at these!

These are called, "DIED AND GONE TO HEAVEN CUPCAKES WITH COFFEE FROSTING". Have I told you all how much I love coffee, especially when its with chocolate? Ok, Ok, so I happen to love all these sweets. Ok, Ok, so I happen to love sweets period. My only hope is that, someone else will love these too! lol

I think I ended up with a dozen and a half of these. No, I don't know what happen to the rest. Huh? Fingers crossed? What?

Oh, this one smelled so good! I gave one of my boys the choice of how this one would be flavored! I mixed up a basic batter and gave him about 3 choices and he picked this; SPICE CAKE WITH CARAMEL FROSTING! I love the buttery frosting on this cake. It's hard to stop eating!

I had put 2 loaves of homemade FRENCH BREAD in my freezer from my last batch to take along as well.

I had also packaged up some CITRUS ZEST COOKIES to toss in that I made yesterday! My kids are still munching on these today and I'm tickled at how much they like them!

We had so much fun!

********************************************************

The $$$ raised is for a Mission Trip. My oldest DS will be going again this year and they will be returning to Arizona. They will be working with another church there, doing outreach and hosting a VBS. The area is primarily Hispanic and there are many children to reach with the Gospel. The church is small and they were told that last year they could not have held VBS if not for this group. 7 children gave their heart to the Lord last year as a result of this Mission Team's work there. Praise the Lord!

CITRUS ZEST COOKIES

A Bake Sale is coming up -so tonight I started making my plans for my 'home' baking for a couple of days; as I will need the biggest part of my day tomorrow TO BAKE! Don't get me wrong, I'd rather be baking than many other things- I'm just trying to plan ahead so my oven will be free! So tonight I made WHOLE WHEAT ORANGE COOKIES, WHOLE WHEAT LEMON COOKIES, and I also made some LEMON POPPY SEED MUFFINS since I had extra lemons. The top pic is the orange ones and the one just below is the lemon. My kids thought they were grand!

RECIPE:
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter
CREAM UNTIL FLUFFY.
BEAT IN;
1 egg
1/4 t almond extract
1/2 t vanilla
BLEND UNTIL THOROUGHLY MIXED.
THEN ADD;
1/4 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 1/4 t baking powder
1/2 t nutmeg
zest from one citrus fruit (lemon, orange, or lime)
2 cups whole wheat flour
MIX WELL.
SCOOP BY TEASPOONS AND ROLL INTO A BALL. ROLL EACH BALL INTO:
2 T regular sugar
PLACE ON LIGHTLY GREASED COOKIE SHEET AND BAKE AT 375 FOR 7 TO 9 MINUTES.
COOL SLIGHTLY BEFORE REMOVING FROM PAN.

And my normal Poppy Seed Muffins can be found here: http://momsfrugal.blogspot.com/2008/02/poppy-seed-muffins-half-wheat.html

However these had 1/2 cup lemon zest and juice in them and a little milk in the place of yogurt.

*My frugal tip here: toss the rest of your citrus fruits in a jar of vinegar and steep for several days, maybe even a week. Makes a nice all-pupose cleaner when strained and diluted with a bit of water!

Turkey BLT

This was a quick and frugal lunch.
Butterball has $1 coupons right now, so the turkey bacon can be bought for around a $1!
Lettuce and spinach was about $1 for the amount here.
A tomato can be bought for .50 and mayo and dressing are pennies!
Bread from the bread store= about .60.
We had leftover Choco-Wheat Cake: http://momsfrugal.blogspot.com/2008/04/choco-wheat-cake-with-white-icing.html
Total cost approx. $3.25!

A Nutty Snack- I mean seedy, well, seedy and nutty

This is a great snack if you still have a bit of a wait until the next meal time!

Whole grain waffles, toasted, with a little peanut butter and sunflower seeds.

Easy, quick, and they loved it!

*****

My youngest has asked for these for breakfast(everyday) since I fixed them for a snack!

A Frugal Lunch with Leftover Beans

Quesadillas stuffed with onions, diced turkey ham, and cheese and leftover pinto beans served with salsa! My kind of lunch!

COST?

About;

.75 worth of diced turkey ham

pennies for chopped onions

$1 worth of cheese

$1 worth of tortillas

leftover beans and salsa=pennies

Sounds pretty frugal, huh?

Dessert was Potato Candy: http://momsfrugal.blogspot.com/2008/02/potato-candy.html

HOMEMADE DOGGIE TREATS

We made some of these tonight-mostly for fun, but also for our dogs and our friend's dogs.

They were easy to make and after the dough was mixed and separated, I just let them go with the cookie cutters.

Here's what we used to make them:

2 cups of leftover chicken broth from the freezer

2 cups all purpose flour

3 cups (approx) wheat flour (this was leftover store-bought from when I ran out of wheat berries), more for kneading and rolling

1/4 cup milk powder

1 teaspoon yeast

Dissolve the yeast in the warmed chicken broth. Blend in milk powder and flours, 1 cup at a time. Once you have a workable dough, divide between kids :-) and let them roll and cut out shapes. Place on VERY lightly greased baking sheets. Allow to rise 45 minutes to an hour in a warm kitchen. Bake at 300 for approx. 50 minutes.

Save some and give some! Makes it all the more fun!

By the way, my kids tasted of them and said they were yucky but all of our dogs loved them!

For more Works-for-Me Wednesday click here: http://rocksinmydryer.typepad.com/shannon/

Kitchen Tip/Frugal Tip

This may be an old idea to some but its something that I've been doing lately to keep meals light, since the weather has been so hot and it also keeps the meals frugal!

I've been trying to base several meals a week around the BREAD, instead of the meat.

Examples: pita bread sandwiches, buns with meat/TVP patties, bread bowls with Hoppin' John, Onion Flatbread with soup and a salad, sweet 7 grain muffins with savory soups, cheese tortillas stuffed with beans, pita stuffed with beans and cheese, French Bread spun into Meatball Subs, French Bread turned into pizza bread, etc.

For more KITCHEN TIPS and RECIPES,

visit:http://tammysrecipes.com/

GRATITUESDAY!

This week I am grateful for so many things! As I have read of the tragedy in Laura's family, its made me more grateful for the lack of tragedy in my own. Please pray for Laura, the host of Gratituesday, and her family as they deal with loss and grief.

Two specific things I would like to share are;

1) Several weeks ago, I was having a No Good Terrible Bad Day! I couldn't get the four big boys to stop talking long enough to get their work done. ...My DD was complaining through EVERY step of homework- "Do we have to? Can I just do one page? How come he don't have to...? Why..?" I was tired of being Miss Patient Mom, giving the 'its wrong to grumble and complain' speech and I finally said, "If you continue to disobey by complaining, you will have to be punished." Well, that temporarily did the trick.

Then it was time to move on to 'the baby' of the bunch. And for the first time ever, a not-so-nice thought ran through my mind as I was teaching him phonics and he was laying in the floor, rolling this way and that. And shamefully, I will confess it to you- my thought was; "I don't want to teach another child how to read. I'm tired." As quick as I thought it, I couldn't believe it, because I honestly am one of 'those' who would love to have a million kids in my house- but I felt terrible and straightened myself up. ............Which brings me to this past Monday, yesterday. Oh Moms, let me tell you....that little boy has taken flight to reading and this is what he read from the reader: God made man. God made men. Man did sin. Sin made man sad.

Praise the Lord!!!!!! I'm so thankful that God touched that child and allowed Him to learn to read so easily! OH what a day! And, he read the next page to me, then went and sat in his chair trying to read the rest of the book!

2) I share this with you, because I know most of you have younger kiddies and you wonder about what's coming, and almost feel as though it never will. Well, one of my older sons, while being a little pressed by a peer told them "No, my Mom wouldn't let me do that and I would never think of going against her rules." And of course I said; "You said WHAT?" Just so I could hear him say it again. -lol- I was so tickled, as you can imagine, that my 'rules' had actually meant something on this issue to this kid! I'm not bragging here, only trying to encourage you. This kid, and myself, are not perfect. .....The next day, he was in trouble for giving me an attitude over his homework assignment, so much so, that I had to send him to his room until he was ready to come back and follow this: Phil 2:14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings !

(This was one of those toddlers who often wanted to 'win the battle' and he still can be that way as you can see above. However, this stubbornness can be turned for good in their hearts. This child could not easily be persuaded that His God is not real. He's stubborn about that! And I'm grateful!)

If I could share anything more, it would be to simply encourage you other Moms out there! Hard work does pay off! And you really can reap what you sow! Don't give up-hangest thou in there!

To read more Gratituesday posts and/or to let Laura know that you will be praying for her and her family, please visit: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/blog/?&MMN_position=4:4

Meatballs( --for Meatball Subs)

MEATBALLS
2lbs ground turkey (or lean beef)
  2 eggs

1 T Worcestershire sauce opt (or fish sauce opt)

  2/3 cup ketchup, tomato sauce, or spaghetti sauce

1 t basil

1 t oregano

1 1/1 t garlic powder

1 medium onion, chopped fine

  1 cup quick oats and/or bread crumbs

Mix together and place on cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 22-25 minutes, until juices run clear and meat has browned.

Heat 2 cups spaghetti sauce and add half the meatballs for sandwiches.
(Freeze the other half for another meal later!)

-I usually make in bulk, freeze then reheat in Homemade Spaghetti Sauce for these sandwiches. It averages out to about $2.25 per meal for my whole family for the meat.-

SUPER EASY AND SO YUMMY!

Served topped with Parmesan and Mozzarella cheese.

 Tip: If using meatballs for non-Italian dishes, leave out the basil and oregano.
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For the bread, I often use my Four Loaves of French Bread recipe, slicing them up in different sizes so the kids wouldn't have such a tough time with them. I also had lots of leftovers.

Today's Lunch

Egg Salad and Romaine Lettuce on Pita

(mashed boiled eggs, light mayo, mustard, chopped onions, salt and pepper)

with pickles, celery, carrots and dip.

I used Tammy's Pita recipe, which I doubled, found here: http://tammysrecipes.com/whole_wheat_pita_pockets

Our dessert was a Pumpkin Oat Wedge, but my pic didn't work!

*This lunch was about $1.75 to $2.25 to feed us all!

Today's Snack Bowl

Here was the kid's snack today:

popcorn with little cups of homemade granola! Yummy!

Here's my recipe for Granola that I make on the stove top: http://momsfrugal.blogspot.com/2008/02/homemade-granola.html

Crazy Clotheslines...and mine for Peggie

I did a search and found all kinds of really neat clotheslines and really neat ways to hang them, but I think mine is the best!;-)

One hook is on the corner of the house and the other is on the porch -and it has pulleys!

Monday's Menu

MONDAY: (L)Egg Salad Sandwich, carrot and celery sticks, wheat cake with blueberry sauce
(S)Turkey Meatball Sub on homemade French Bread and Salad
TUESDAY:(L) Tuna SaladLettuce Sandwich, cup o' soup
(S)Beans, Squash, Kale greens, Corn, cornbread
WEDNESDAY: (L)Turkey Ham and Cheese Quesadillas, cup o' beans with salsa
(S)Chicken Quesadillas, cup o' beans with salsa, Cinnamon Wheat Cake
THURSDAY: (L)Turkey BLT and Salad, leftover cake and juice pops
(S)Chicken Noodles w/ sauce, freezer veggies
FRIDAY: (L)Fried Rice, green beans, Blueberry Muffins
(S)Turkey Polish Sausage Black Beans and Rice, Wheat Bread
SATURDAY: (L)Potatoes w/ Turkey Polish Sausage in the Crock, freezer veggie, Wheat bread
(S)Turkey patties, rice or pasta, freezer veggies

More menu plans at: http://orgjunkie.com/

MAKING YOUR OWN CLEANERS

Yesterday was spent doing much of the 'odds and ends' sort of jobs around here.

-the pulleys and clothesline was strung (then I rushed to wash some sheets to string out on it!)

-laundry detergent was made*using 1 bar of Ivory(grated), 1 cup soda, 1 cup Borax and a pot full of boiling water

-hand soap was made- scraps of bar soap approx equal to one bar of soap, dissolved in 3 to 4 cups boiling hot water --Bottles were filled and the rest stored in the old gallon container

-(all-purpose) lemon-vinegar spray was put into bottles* a quart of vinegar with the remainder of a lemon rind, steeped for days--then fill up with warm water

************************************************************************************

Here's a neat site with some other recipes: http://squeegeeclean.net/supplies.aspx

Here's one I found that sounded good, but I haven't tried it yet.

Glass cleaner: 1/4 cup vinegar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1 quart of war water

How much is a (frugal) clothesline? Well, this one here, with mounts and pulleys, was $5.50!
-Bought at Big Lots- Pretty neat!

Bean and Cheese Pita Sandwiches

These are so easy, quick, and frugal.

The pita bread seen here is homemade, so it's just pennies but you can buy it at the store for $2 or so.

The recipe I used is here: http://tammysrecipes.com/whole_wheat_pita_pockets

The inside is chili flavored pinto and red beans. You can buy them canned and pre-flavored or flavor your own home-cooked with a little chili powder. Top with some good cheese and there you go!

I've read that if you combine a bean/legume and a grain that it makes for a complete protein.

*Seen here with a little leftover potato salad. Recipe on this post: http://momsfrugal.blogspot.com/2008/02/another-frugal-lunch-from-cooking.html

You could serve your whole family for less than $2 if you made it all from scratch.

Frugal Friday Tip

This is one of the best investments that we've ever made!

We have 5 boys and 1 girl and we cut all the boys hair with this (DH too!).

They are easy to use. Before buying this, I had done a few botched jobs but they get great haircuts every time with this and it saves so much $$$$ every year!

The Flow Bee is around $50. That's less than one round of hair cuts here!

For more Frugal Tips visit:

http://www.biblicalwomanhoodonline.com/2008/05/frugal-friday-getting-best-deal-on.html

SALMON AND TUNA SALAD SPREAD

1 CAN SALMON, DRAINED WITH BONES REMOVED

2 CANS TUNA, DRAINED

1 CUP PLAIN YOGURT

1 TABLESPOON LEMON JUICE

1 TABLESPOON OF HORSERADISH

1 1/2 TABLESPOONS DILL

2 CHOPPED GREEN ONIONS

3 TABLESPOONS MINCED YELLOW ONION

MIX AND SERVE ON A SANDWICH OR AS A SPREAD, OR JUST SCOOP ON A LEAF OF LETTUCE AND SERVE.

*SEEN HERE WITH POTATO SALAD (RECIPE HERE: http://momsfrugal.blogspot.com/2008/02/another-frugal-lunch-from-cooking.html)

AND ONION FLAT BREAD, RECIPE HERE: http://momsfrugal.blogspot.com/2008/05/onion-flatbread.html.

*THE COST OF THIS LUNCH WAS UNDER $4!

Onion Rosemary Focaccia Bread

THIS IS NICE WITH A SALAD OR SOUP, OR ANY LIGHT LUNCH!

DISSOLVE:

4 1/2 TEASPOONS OF YEAST IN

2 CUPS WARM WATER

MIX IN:

1 TEASPOON SALT

1/4 CUP OIL

3 CUPS WHITE FLOUR

3 CUPS WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR

MIX AND KNEAD WELL.

LET RISE UNTIL DOUBLED. PUNCH DOWN.

KNEAD UNTIL ALL AIR BUBBLES ARE GONE.

DIVIDE AND PRESS DOUGH OUT INTO TWO LARGE BAKING SHEETS.

LEAVE THE RIPPLES FROM YOUR FINGERS. (Opt. BASTE WITH OLIVE OIL BEFORE) SPRINKLE WITH ONIONS AND ROSEMARY.
(Can also use minced garlic, basil, black pepper, Parmesan, etc)

ALLOW TO RISE JUST UNTIL ALMOST DOUBLED.

BAKE AT 400 FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES UNTIL EDGES BEGIN TO TURN GOLDEN.

GINGERBREAD CAKE

MY PICTURES AREN'T THE GREATEST BUT THIS CAKE IS WELL WORTH A TRY!

1 CUP WHEAT FLOUR
1 CUP ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
2/3 CUP SUGAR
3 TEASPOONS BAKING SODA
1 TEASPOON CINNAMON
1 TEASPOON GINGER
1 TEASPOON ALLSPICE
1 1/2 CUPS UNSWEETENED APPLESAUCE
3/4 CUP MOLASSES
2 EGGS

MIX DRY INGREDIENTS. MIX WET INGREDIENTS AND ADD TO DRY MIX.

BAKE IN 9X13 AT 400 FOR 30 MINUTES.


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FROSTING
1/2 STICK BUTTER
1/3 CUP SHORTENING
2 TABLESPOONS VANILLA
2 CUPS POWDERED SUGAR
-IF NECESSARY, 1 OR 2 TEASPOONS OF MILK.

CREAM THE FATS, ADD SUGAR AND VANILLA. MIX WELL UNTIL CREAMY.

SHREDDED CHICKEN SANDWICHES

THESE  ARE A BIG HIT AT MY HOUSE!

You can use Buttermilk Buns for these if you like.

I didn't use the bun recipe this time, but rather my dough for 4 Loaves of French Bread.

The reason? So I could make lots of buns!

My crew ate 14 buns and I had two small loaves left for supper.

The recipe for French Bread is super easy and after rising, you simply pinch off pieces of dough a little bigger than a gold ball. Roll them around in your hands until smooth. Flatten slightly and place on lightly greased pan. I coated them with a little non-stick butter flavored spray, or egg white, and sprinkled on some sesame seeds. Let them rise until almost double, about 40 minutes. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes. 

For the chicken-
I use 2 to 3 cups (from the freezer).
I bring about 1/2 cup water to boil, along with some bouillon cubes, or chicken broth, toss in the chicken and steam til heated through. Salt and pepper. 


Serve with mustard and cheese. 

(My kids say these taste like Arby's roast beef with ketchup ;-)

TRIPLE BERRY MUFFINS

1 CUP ALL PURPOSE FLOUR

1 CUP WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR

1/2 CUP SUGAR

1 TEASPOON BAKING POWDER

1/2 TEASPOON BAKING SODA

1 CUP LOW FAT BUTTERMILK

2 TABLESPOONS MELTED BUTTER

1 LIGHTLY BEATEN EGG

1 TEASPOON VANILLA

*1 CUP CHOPPED FRESH OR FROZEN BERRIES (HERE I USED A FROZEN BERRY MEDLEY)

MIX DRY INGREDIENTS.

MAKE A WELL IN THE CENTER MIXING WE INGREDIENTS, SAVING MELTED BUTTER FOR LAST.

*YOU MAY FOLD IN YOUR BERRIES IF YOU WISH BUT I PREFER TO SPOON A TABLESPOON OF BATTER IN MY MUFFIN CUPS, THEN DIVIDE THE BERRIES INTO THE CUPS AND TOP WITH THE REMAINING BATTER.

BAKE AT 400 FOR ABOUT 25 MINUTES, UNTIL GOLDEN.

NOTE: YOU MAY USE THE SAME BATTER FOR ANY FRUIT OF CHOICE!

Tonight's Supper

Tonight for supper we had Enchilada Bake and leftover French Bread from lunch, sliced and grilled.

http://momsfrugal.blogspot.com/2008/04/enchilada-bake.html

http://momsfrugal.blogspot.com/2008/04/french-bread-4-loaves.html

For dessert, we had Cherry Crisp: http://momsfrugal.blogspot.com/2008/05/fruit-crisp-recipe-and-tip.html

This meal was fast, easy and cost about $6 to feed all 8 of us.

My Kids and Their Imagination

Anyone wanna guess?!?!

This is my money bucket.

We toss our change in here....but the kids make withdrawals far more than we make deposits!

My older children often have more cash on had than my younger....so my younger come to the bucket to even things up a bit. (However, this does not even things up for me. And just in case you are following along....watch who ends up with most of the money. :-)

But yes, sometimes, even the bigger kids want to take out a withdrawal.

Sometimes, if they want a pretty big sum, they do some odd jobs but other times I tell them how much that they can get. Ten pennies or one nickel, whatever.

This is where it gets interesting...the tale of what becomes of the money.

These bigger kiddies of mine host their own yard sales! Yes, crazy, but true.

They have so much fun, and the toys get rotated, so it works out to be a pretty good deal.

My kids have learned to count money this way!
My little ones have learned addition and subtraction this way.

Fun and learning--a great combination!

A GREAT HOMESCHOOL RESOURCE SITE:

THIS LADY HAD PUT TOGETHER A LARGE NUMBER OF HOMESCHOOL RESOURCES.

ALOT ARE LINKS TO FREE HOMESCHOOL TEACHING AIDS. WORKSHEETS, UNIT STUDIES, ETC.

HERE'S ONE LINK TO HER PAGE FOR MATH RESOURCES THAT'S BEEN A GREAT BLESSING TO ME PERSONALLY:http://glimpseofsonshine.blogspot.com/2008/05/math-resources.html

I WAS ABLE TO PRINT EVERY WORK SHEET THAT WILL BE NECESSARY FOR MONTHS OF SCHOOL WORK FOR MY PREK AND 1ST.

HERE'S ONE WITH A LIST OF CHARACTER LESSONS: http://glimpseofsonshine.blogspot.com/2007/12/charactervalues-study-resources.html

AND THERE'S SO MUCH MORE!!

THINKING OF HOMESCHOOLING ON A TIGHT BUDGET- WELL HER SITE IS A GOOD PLACE TO START!

Gratituesday!

..... I've got, so much to thank Him for, I've got- so much (sing along with me if you know the words) to praise Him for -Well you see, He has been so good to me....

:-)

I truly have much to be thankful for this week.

The one thing I want to share with you this week is ...sorta...well, .....we just gotta keep it quiet..between us gals/moms! I wouldn't want to embarrass my youngens(and they usually don't look at my blog unless I am showing them something) ....but one of them made a very firm and strong 'act' towards the Lord twice in the past couple of weeks. I was so amazed and thankful and yes, a little proud--but of him! All of my children have prayed for salvation and a couple of them are -how can I say this- pretty open about the Lord. This particular one is a bit quiet, so this was a VERY precious thing to see. (I would love to share more with you, but I know you all know how he would feel, even a year from now, so for the sake of his faith and his trust in me.....I won't tell all and if he reads this next week, he'll likely say; "which one of us is she talking about?";-)

It is so joyful to see your child make an 'act' towards God without prompting. That my dears, is fruit! Precious it is!

Philemon 4:17 .... but I desire fruit that may abound to your account.

To share a story about what you are grateful for, please visit: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/blog/?&MMN_position=4:4

Oh, one more thing I'm grateful for....Laura, I was finally able to sign up for your Newsletter by using a yahoo account! Yippee! The confirmation email just wouldn't come through my regular addy, but thank you so much for your willingness to try to help me. You're a blessing!

ICING/FROSTING TIP

AN OLD TIP FOR ICING/FROSTING YOUR CAKE:

USE A CUP OF WATER TO DIP YOUR SPATULA OR KNIFE IN WHILE ICING YOUR CAKE TO KEEP IT NICE AND SMOOTH. IT WILL SPREAD BETTER AND YOU'LL BE LESS LIKELY TO TEAR THE CAKE!

:-)

FOR MORE KITCHEN TIPS, VISIT: http://tammysrecipes.com/

OATMEAL WHEAT PANCAKES

4cups whole wheat flour

2 1/2 tablespoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup brown sugar

3 cups (leftover) cooked oatmeal

3 jumbo yard eggs

2 cups buttermilk

2 cups milk

1/3 cup oil or butter

1/2 cup applesauce

1 tablespoon vanilla

MIX DRY INGREDIENTS. MAKE A WELL IN THE CENTER A MIX WET INGREDIENTS; MIX ALL.

REMEMBER MY FAMILY SIZE! THIS IS ENOUGH FOR 8 HUNGRY PEOPLE PLUS A FEW LEFTOVER TO FREEZE! HALF THE RECIPE FOR 4 TO 6.