Making My Home A Haven: Clean

Today's assignment was to clean.

But since I did more cleaning than tidying yesterday, I decided to do a little tidying today.

On my list for today:
-care for my childcare kids
-vacuum and sweep
-water plants
-do a couple of small tidying projects
-rake front walkway
-clean out closet/piles in bedroom

I fixed baked oatmeal with cranberries for breakfast. Yum! This can be mixed in only a few minutes then I baked it while I showered and dressed.

Before the kids arrived, I did some general cleanup around the house, including vacuuming and sweeping, disinfecting doorknobs, etc. with Clorox wipes(I am not usually OC with germs but since we've had some sickness here, I wanted to take precautions!), watering the plants and raked the walkway.

I find myself to be very occupied during the time that my childcare kids are here. Once both of them arrive, I pretty much play with and supervise them exclusively while they are awake.

My morning with the kids consisted of reading, playing and supervising. One of the boys is now being potty-trained so that requires flexibility and consistency on my part to make sure that he is making trips to the bathroom every little while.

The boys were very restless this morning so I bundled them up and loaded them in the wagon. We walked to the park and stopped at the ball field. I closed the gates to the field and let them run to their heart's content. They loved it and I was feeling pretty pleased with myself until they both figured out how to open the gates and make a run for it. So I loaded them back into the wagon and we went home for lunch.

After lunch, they watched their favorite TV show-Super Why! and then I put them down for their naps. I quickly checked my email and then went to the kitchen to clean up the lunch mess and emptied and filled the dishwasher. I had forgotten to start dinner earlier, so I went ahead and soaked a couple of cups of pinto beans for bean burritos. I usually make this in the crock pot but since I hadn't planned ahead, I had to improvise. I also took a package of tortillas out of the freezer to thaw.

For my tidying projects, I put away a suitcase filled with a bunch of toys I was switching out. This all went into the shed along with some empty boxes that may come in handy for Christmas. I spent a few minutes in the shed putting the toys into the proper tote and stacking the suitcases.

After I came back in, I remembered that I needed to also put my canner and canning supplies away so I made another trip out to the shed. Having these things put away makes some extra space in the house!

Next I cleaned off my dryer which seems to be a catch-all. I took everything off and wiped it down then sorted and decided what needed to stay. I have to store some things on the dryer for the time-being; it's just hard keeping it neat and orderly looking! I swapped out some baskets from another area and I think it looks much nicer now!
Before:

After:


After this was done, I spent a few minutes straightening a few more shelves in my laundry room/pantry.

The boys were still sleeping soundly and since Andy was home again today(although feeling a whole lot better!)and could listen for the boys, I ran outside to do some raking. In about 15 minutes time, I had about half of the front yard raked.

Evidently, the fresh air did the boys good this morning since they both took really good naps with one sleeping over 3 hours! I finally woke him up and gave them both a snack. After snack, they played with stamps at the table until one left. I read stories to the other one until his mommy came a little later.

I had planned to work on my closet while the beans were cooking but we ended up working on some other things instead. Andy has signed up with a new part-time business venture and his first show is this Saturday. We set up a table and figured out a basic layout of the products so we'll be ready! I assisted with the table cloth and making a pleasing arrangement.:-)

After this, the beans were cooked. I scooped some out into a bowl and mashed them with some salt, garlic powder and cumin. I served the beans with tortillas, cheese, sour cream and salsa. I'd brought some leftover taco shells and meat home from Monday night's leadership meeting so I served them alongside the burritos. Obviously, Andy's appetite was back that he could appreciate Mexican food! He was excited about the "combo" meal.:-)

After dinner cleanup, I worked on blogging a bit then watched a little of NCIS. Around 9:30 it was time for bed!

Thanks to Monica for hosting this week's Making Your Home A Haven!

Making My Home A Haven:Tidy

I was excited to join in with Monica's Making My Home A Haven week. My home could really use the help right now!

On my list for today was:
-laundry
-clean bathroom
-clean kitchen
-clean out my closet
-catch up on my Bible study from last week

My husband woke up sick about 3 am. I had trouble going back to sleep after that. He was pretty sick so I made the executive decision to not have my childcare boys come today. (This is the first time I have had to cancel, but I didn't want the boys to be exposed to the flu and I wanted him to be able to rest.)

My schedule was off with Andy being home sick from work. I ran to the store to get him some more medicine and ginger ale.

What I got done today was:
-laundry
-cleaned bathroom and kitchen(both were pretty bad!)
-took a nap(I was so tired!)
-caught up on my Bible study
-made chicken soup for Andy

The closet will just have to wait. It really needs to be done and it has bothered me something awful! It'll get done another time.:-)

I'm really glad to have the bathroom and kitchen cleaned, especially the floors! That will have to count as my tidying project for the day.

Supper tonight is homemade chicken soup for Andy and I'll be eating at our weekly church leadership meeting.

I'm looking forward to what Monica will share with us tomorrow!

Menu Plan Monday

Here's what we're eating this week:

Sunday
B-toast and cheese
L-eat with our church fellowship. I took pumpkin and banana bread to share.
D-homemade eggrolls, ice cream

Monday
B-eggs, toast
L-leftovers
D-homemade chicken soup(Andy is sick!)

Tuesday
B-baked oatmeal
L-leftovers
D-bean burritos with salsa, sour cream and cheese; steamed veggies

Wednesday
B-baked oatmeal
L-leftovers
D-macaroni and cheese; steamed veggies

Thursday
B-fruit smoothies, bagels
L-leftovers
D-BBQ chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans

Friday
B-banana-oat pancakes
L-leftovers
D-homemade pizza, applesauce, carrot sticks

Saturday
B-egg and cheese bagels
L-leftover pizza or sandwiches
D-eat out

For more menu planning inspiration, please visit Organizing Junkie!

Super Savings Saturday: Triple Coupon Days

At our house we open cans,
We have to open many cans.
And that is why we have a Zans.

A Zans for cans is very good.
Have you a Zans for cans?
You should!

-Dr. Suess ;One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish

Well, we don't open a lot of cans or have a Zans, but we do like to stack all 33 of our cans in pyramids and take pictures of them!

Harris Teeter is running their triple coupon days this weekend(Thursday through Sunday), so I ran out with my very full coupon binder to snag some deals. As soon as I entered the store, I got that rush of adrenaline that often accompanies my super coupon shopping!

Harris Teeter's regular prices are a bit high, but I was able to match some sales and coupons and come up with some pretty good bargains.

I was able to get everything in the picture(including 3 Breyer's YoCrunch yogurts that had already been eaten) for a total of $34.70. Since my before coupon total was $144.44, that means I saved 75%!

Much of this will be donated. I think I can spare a few cans of soup, Veg-all and toothpaste. :-) I was almost out of Kleenex, so I got as many as I had coupons for to hold me over until the next good sale. The Healthy Choice paninis were free with the purchase of two Healthy Choice soups which I also had coupons for.

Except for using one internet coupon, all 36 coupons that I used were from the Sunday papers. I usually buy 3 papers each week and then a friend gives me the coupons from theirs. This makes for a lot of coupons! But for triple coupon sales, it's helpful to have plenty of coupons to choose from and not just one week's worth!

Thanks to Crystal for hosting Super Savings Saturday and for running the awesome Money Saving Mom blog where I learn to save oodles of money on groceries each month!

Post-Election Thoughts

As glad as I am to finally have this election over with, I have very mixed feelings over the president who was elected.

As most of my blog readers can probably pick up, we are very conservative-minded Christians. On Tuesday, we voted that way as well. No candidate or president is perfect but we cast our votes for the one whom we felt best lined up with the conservative values that mean so much to us.

The sanctity of human life...Traditional marriage... National security... Lower taxes.

I spent a lot of time in prayer for this election and have a peace over God's ultimate sovereignty in all of this. This is the first presidential election that I have followed so closely and frankly, it really scared me!

My hope is not in this country or my president. My hope is in Jesus Christ.

I don't believe that God has removed His hand of blessing from America with this election, but rather that He has allowed it in order to carry out His plan.

But what should be my response to this election?

We have had several people coming to us panicking and asking "What do we do now?" This led me to compile a short list of encouraging Scriptures to meditate on and believe in. I know there are many more that could be listed here; these are just a few that I came across.(Feel free to add your favorite Scriptures in the comments!)

John 16:33: "...in me you may have peace. In this world you may have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."

John 14:1:" Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me."

Psalm 91:9,10: "If you make the Most High your dwelling-- even the LORD, who is my refuge--then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent."

Psalm 4:8: "I will lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, O LORD, make me dwell in safety."

Joshua 1:9:"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go."

Psalm 39:7:""But now, Lord, what do I look for? My hope is in you."

Jeremiah 29:11:"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Lamentations 3:21-23:"Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness."

Romans 15:13:"May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit."

Hebrews 10:23:"Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful."

This is a time for Bible-believing Christians to snap out of our complacency and truly rely and trust in the power of God. This is not the time for panic! We need to stop playing around, stand up for what we believe in and pray, pray, pray for our nation. Romans 13:11 says, " "The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed."

While I don't believe that America is going to cease to exist with President Obama at the lead, our nation as a whole has forgotten God and the wonderful principles this country was founded upon. This is a frightening place for our country to be.

My next response as a believer is to fulfill my Scriptural responsibility by praying for our new leader. I will respect his authority and support him in prayer, even if I do not agree with his stand on many of the major issues. Romans 13:1:"Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God."

I praise God that He is still on the throne and in control of everything! Even in these uncertain times, I can trust and believe in a God who never ever changes.

Feel free to add your thoughts in the comments section. No matter what your view on the election, please keep your words kind and God-honoring. I reserve the right to delete any comment that I feel does not add to the wholesome content that I strive to present on my blog. Thank you!

Works For Me Wednesday-The Toy Edition

This week's Works-for-me-Wednesday is a themed toy edition. What kind of toys will not end up in the yard sale pile soon after they are opened?

I'm not a mom, so I can't speak from that perspective. But I'll share some of the things that our nieces and nephews love for gifts.

Both my sister and sister-in-law are rather picky about the toys that come into their homes, so I often ask for recommendations for Christmas gifts. I want to give the kids gifts that they and their parents will love!

Here's the good gift ideas that they've given me in the past few years:

1)Books. My sister-in-law told me that she doesn't get rid of books. I try to pick out classics or books pertaining to subjects that the kids are interested in.

2)Craft supplies. Our oldest niece especially loves crafts. So extra supplies are helpful for her. Paper, packs of foam, glue, beads, stickers, etc.

3)Consumable items. These are things that get used up and don't hang around taking up space. They can include art and craft supplies but also things like bubble bath, favorite snack foods,etc. We gave our 3 year old niece a bottle of "Princess" bubble bath for Christmas last year. She was beyond thrilled!

4)Little People toys. All the kids love these and have continued to play with them past the toddler years. Best of all, these toys last and last through multiple kids.

5)Handmade Items. I am the resident apron-maker for the girls, sewing them new and bigger ones every couple of years. Last year, crayon pouches were a big hit!

What are gifts that your kids really love?

For more toy-themed posts, please visit Rocks In My Dryer.

Every Vote Matters!

At our house, even the dog has an opinion about the election! Today, he's barking 4 McCain.

So whoever you are, I hope you got out to cast your vote today!

*This was the best picture we could get of Rock's bandana. It's hard to keep a hyper-active dog still for a photo shoot!

Fireproof: Have You Seen It?

We went to see the movie Fireproof this weekend.

If you haven't seen it, you need to go!

We loved it!

This movie was made by the same folks who did Facing The Giants(which I also highly recommend). Fireproof is about marriage and has a strong Biblical message throughout. The story is gripping and very real to life.

It was so wonderful to be able to view such an edifying film at the movie theater.

You've got to see this movie!

If you've seen it, what did you think of Fireproof?

Menu Plan Monday

Here's a quick and easy menu for this week!

Sunday
B-toast
L-potluck with our church fellowship. I took gingered carrots and a loaf of homemade bread.
D-popcorn

Monday
To do- write this week's menu(done!), make dessert for tonight.
B-oatmeal with chopped apples
L-leftovers brought home yesterday
D-eat at meeting. I'm bringing dessert. I'm thinking perhaps some apple pie bars?

Tuesday
To do: thaw spaghetti sauce.
B-pumpkin muffins(in freezer), sliced apples
L-leftovers
D-spaghetti, steamed veggies

Wednesday
To do: make wheat rolls
B-oatmeal with raisins
L-leftovers
D-sloppy joes on homemade wheat rolls, sliced pepper and celery

Thursday
To do:order milk and eggs, write next week's menu plan and grocery list
B-eggs, wheat rolls, sliced apples
L-leftovers
D-stir fry or beans served with brown rice

Friday
To do: grocery shop
B-oatmeal with dried fruit
L-leftovers
D-salmon patties, wheat rolls, green beans

Saturday
To do: Make food for tomorrow.
B-pumpkin muffins, fruit(whatever we have after grocery trip!)
L-leftovers
D-pancakes, scrambled eggs

For more menu planning inspiration, visit Organizing Junkie!

I Think I Can...Can Applesauce!

I thought I'd share a few pictures of my applesauce-making with you.

We got 2 bushels of seconds when we were in the mountains several weeks ago. These are perfect for applesauce because we grind it all up anyways. Who care what the apples looked like?

I don't peel my apples for applesauce. Not only do the peelings add fiber but I think they give a better flavor and definitely a nicer color. I had several different varieties of cooking apples to use and I could tell which batches had more of the red apples because the color was slightly pinker! After cranking the apples through the Foley Mill, you cannot tell that some of the peelings got through as well.

Canning applesauce isn't hard to do but does take some time. I consider it well worth the effort. Homemade is so much better than the store-bought! And the house smells so yummy!

I had our dinner(White Chicken Chili) cooking in the crock pot that you see in the picture above. That turned out great; I was too tired to cook once I finished and there was apple peelings and stickiness everywhere!

My reward for an afternoon of work! Sixteen quart of applesauce plus I made an extra batch to eat fresh. I still have almost a bushel of apples left and I'd like to have at least 20 quart in all. ( Last year, I canned only 10 quart and we had it all eaten by February!)

I'd also like to make a batch or two of apple butter and also try drying some apples if I can get to it yet this fall!

'Almost Free' Omaha Steaks Meat

We were able to order some of this meat last night -20 burgers for $1.98! We followed the excellent instructions here and it worked!

I don't know if it's still working today, but it's worth a try!

My husband is especially pumped up about this deal!:-)

Edited to add: We just received an email stating that 2 offers cannot be combined for this deal so our order of 8 burgers will be shipped without the 12 free ones. I've read that some orders are being canceled. Oh well..you win some and you lose some!:-)

A Bit Under The Weather

We've been a bit under the weather the past few days with what I imagine as the first colds of the season! We're definitely feeling a whole lot better now that we've had some extra rest and I've loaded up on supplements.

I used this time to try out my new bottle of Berry Well. While I didn't experience the near-instant relief that I've read about, I did feel better when I took it regularly along with Echinacea and Bromelain Sinus-Ease, both of which almost always work well for me. Plus, Berry Well tastes really really good! I can't stand any cough syrups or liquid meds because they taste so nasty, so this was a pleasant surprise!

I spent the first day of my cold both sneezing and wheezing, so I drank lots of Yogi Breathe Deep tea to help with my asthma symptoms.

Otherwise, we drank lots of water and ate plenty of homemade soup and chicken broth.

Oh, it's good to feel better again!

Autumn Centerpiece

Before cooking and eating beautiful produce, use them for a simple and pretty seasonal centerpiece!

Yard Sale Saturday

We set out to go to a bunch of yard sales this past Saturday. We hadn't been for a while so it was really fun!


I found a nice selection of fun things to bring home. One of the first sales we went to was a moving sale where the prices were amazing! I got the village(17 pieces) pictured above (The Cat's Meow) for $1. It looks really cute on the mantle!

Other fun finds-
2 baskets- 25 cents each
white summer shirt- 50 cents
black slides(for next summer)-$2
beautiful Tasha Tudor book-50 cents
Madeline book-25 cents
Veggie Tales coloring and sticker book(new)- 50 cents
large roaster with lid-50 cents
2 wooden puzzles(one Melissa & Doug) -$1 each
brand new box of favor boxes(100 count)- $1 (I'm sure I can find some cute ways to use these for tiny gifts!)
brand new box of 5 small spools of ribbon in pinks and browns-$1

Here in the South, yard sales continue on into November and a few in December or January. If you've been to yard sales recently, what fun things or great deals did you find?

Grocery Report

As a follow-up to this post, I decided to share my progress in getting back into using coupons and being a bit more pro-active in looking for great deals on groceries.

I share all of this with a bit of hesitation as I feel that sometimes posts such as these can breed feelings of inadequacy, discontent, negative competition and even pride among us women. I know that many women post their deals and grocery lists regularly and I have also done a little of that in the past. I have learned a lot through posts like this, but I also do not want anyone to feel that they are just not making it as a wife or mother if they don't spend as little as so -and- so on a blog somewhere. Each family has specific needs and circumstances to take into consideration, so each homemaker must do what works for her!

I'm going to try posting about my shopping trips for a few weeks and see how it goes. I think this will keep me a bit more accountable as I get back on track with more careful menu planning, staying within my budget and getting the most for my money in order to stock my pantry and give to others.

My grocery budget these days is $250 a month for two people. (This includes a lot of sharing food/ meals with others as well.) I usually spend $150 at the beginning of the month and then $100 for the second shopping trip. We try to eat lots of fruits, vegetables and whole grains and buy some organics as we can so that's why the amount may seem a bit higher for two people. We would like to be able to switch to mostly local organic meats but still haven't made that step. Hopefully soon! We do go to a local dairy about once a month and purchase raw milk for $5 a gallon and fresh eggs for $2 a dozen. Both are worth their weight in gold and the price really isn't that much different than the conventional milk and eggs sold on the supermarket. I wasn't able to get out there this week so I just picked up two dozen regular eggs at Aldis.

My grocery budget also includes all personal care items, paper products and dog food.

For six months last year, I had a $100 monthly grocery budget while we saved extra money to get us through a rough spot financially. This was possible because of a very well-stocked pantry and freezer and also because the garden was very successful during this time.

Currently, I am able to spend a larger amount on groceries. Eating for health is becoming more important to me as well. (I'm still taking baby steps towards this and will probably never be too extreme!) I'm also trying to restock my pantry so that we will be prepared during a tough time as I was last year and to have plenty to share.


I had $100 to spend for this two week period. This is what I bought:

Food Lion
2 pounds red grapes 99 cents a pound =$2.02 (Sale)
3 packages chicken thighs(approx. 15 pounds in all) $8.63-approx. 60 cents a pound (Reduced for quick sale)
Small package of lamb chops $2.15 (Reduced for quick sale)

Total- $12.93


Super Bi-Lo
Fiber One cereal $1.00 (sale+coupon)
2- 5 lb. bags unbleached flour $5.00(sale)
1 pound bag kidney beans $1.89
1 pound bag chickpeas $1.69
2 boxes Green Giant veggies $1.00(sale+coupon)
1 bag Green Giant Steamers veggies FREE (sale + coupon)
Organic celery $1.69 (sale)
1 pound bag organic carrots $1.29
1 pound kale $1.46
1 acorn squash($.99 lb.) $1.87(sale)

Total-$16.08

Aldi
2 bags spinach $3.98
Green Peppers $1.49
Roma tomatoes $1.29
Very green bananas $1.13
3 pounds butter $6.57
2 cans mushrooms $.98
1 pound bag frozen berries $2.89
2-8 oz. mozzarella cheese $3.98
1 pound sausage $1.99
3 bags frozen veggies $2.97
1 pound bacon $2.69
Canola oil $2.79
1 can black olives $.99
2 dozen eggs $2.70
Garlic powder $1.09
Cottage cheese $2.29
Sour cream $.99

Total $41.22

Petsmart(not pictured)
48 pound bag of dog food $18.99
1 bag doggie treats $2.09
Dog collar $5.94 (I would normally not use the grocery money to purchase this but rather take out of the dog category of savings. He needed a new collar and it was just as easy to pay for it out of the same fund as his food.)

Total $28.91

Grand Total for 2 weeks worth of groceries- $99.14

As you'll notice, I only had a few coupons to use this week. Hopefully that will change as I add to my collection! Also we had a fairly significant amount of pantry basics already on hand so I focused mostly on getting fresh produce.

If you're wondering about fresh produce keeping for 2 weeks, my general rule of thumb is that we eat fresh salads the first week, and rely mostly on cooked or frozen veggies the next.

I had chicken breasts on my list at yet another store(on our way) that were on sale for $1.78 a pound. But when we spotted the marked down chicken thighs at Food Lion, we bought those instead, getting a much better deal at $.60 cents a pound and being able to buy more this way. I also splurged on the package of lamb that was marked down instead of getting a package of Johnsonville sausages like I had originally planned. Flexibility is a good trait if you are a frugal shopper!

This week I probably won't be doing much shopping. So far, none of the CVS deals have jumped out at me as something I really need so unless that changes, I won't be shopping there this week. My out of pocket total at CVS is usually under $2, so that comes out of our loose change that's leftover every month.

My next grocery report will be in probably 2 weeks.

In the meantime, happy shopping or not shopping -whatever fits your lifestyle and budget!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: Simple Apple Recipe

(Kitchen Tip Tuesdays is up a day early, so I'm going ahead and posting it now!)

With fresh apples in abundance, I've been trying to come up with a few new ways to use them. I found this easy recipe for Sauteed Apples and Bacon in the Joy of Cooking. I'm glad I tried it! It was simply delicious and went great with our pancakes for Saturday night supper. I will definitely be making this again. It would be wonderful as a side dish to really any kind of meat.

Sauteed Apples and Bacon

Peel and core:
Tart cooking apples
Cut in cubes, about 4 cups in all.

Saute in a heavy skillet:
8 slices bacon

Remove bacon when crisp. Keep hot. Leave about 2 tablespoons of fat in the skillet. Add:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I left this out. There was plenty of oil in the pan in my opinion!)

Add the apples. Saute uncovered over high heat until translucent. Sprinkle with:
2 tablespoons white or brown sugar
I also added a sprinkling of cinnamon.

Place the apples on a hot platter. Surround them with the bacon.

Garnish with parsley if desired.

Serves 4.


Please visit Tammy's Recipes for more kitchen tips!

Menu Plan Monday

Last week, I played the "How far can you stretch a hunk of beef?" game.

This week, I'm doing the same thing with chicken. I'll be roasting two chickens on Tuesday and then eating off of one most of the week. Most of the second chicken will be chopped up to freeze for easy prep later.

Without further adieu, here's what's cooking at Mary Ann's House this week:

Sunday
B-leftover pancakes from Saturday night
L- I took an apple spinach salad and a homemade apple pie for lunch with our home fellowship.
D-Nachos while watching the Redskins game.

Monday
To do: Make pizza, thaw chickens, mix baked oatmeal for tomorrow.
B-pancakes
L-leftover beefy veggie soup
D-Church leadership meeting. I'm making homemade pizza.

Tuesday
To do: prepare chicken and veggies for tonight, debone chicken and measure into freezing containers.
B-baked oatmeal
L-leftover pizza or soup
D- roast chicken, potatoes and carrots; salad

Wednesday
To do: Make biscuits for tonight plus extra batch to freeze, cook chicken bones for broth.
B-baked oatmeal
L-leftovers
D-chicken a la king( a new Taste of Home recipe but substituting chicken for the turkey in the original recipe), fresh biscuits, salad

Thursday
To do: Divide broth into portions to freeze and use the rest of week, make a batch of rolls.
B-eggs, leftover biscuits, fruit
L-leftovers
D-chicken salad on wheat rolls, cut-up veggies, fresh fruit

Friday
To do: Bake a batch of muffins or quick bread, thaw beans for chili, write menu for next week.
B-fruit and yogurt smoothies, peanut butter toast
L-leftovers
D-white bean chicken chili with cheese and sour cream, tortilla chips, salad

Saturday
To do: Prepare food for Sunday.
B-cottage cheese, fruit, toast
L-leftovers
D-?? leftovers or something quick since we're going away in the evening

For more menu inspiration, please visit Organizing Junkie!

Coupons, Coupons

After about a year of either little or no couponing, I've decided it's time to get back into it. With rising costs, it has become harder to squeeze everything on my grocery list into the budget. I worked hard at couponing and bargain hunting last spring and summer. Then when I started doing full-time childcare, it just seemed to take too much time when the only time for grocery shopping ended up being in the evenings when I was extra tired and the marked down items were already taken. I've still used a few coupons each trip and of course, my eye is trained to spot the best deal from a mile away.:-) But still it seems that I could possibly do better with adding more coupons into the mix again.

I was buying 3 Sunday papers each week for the coupons but I let that go by the wayside about 2 months ago. I plan to start buying the papers again as well as checking with some friends who get the Sunday papers to see if they use their coupons. Following my sister's advice, I cut the coupons together in stacks. This saves time in cutting and organizing!

I've found that using a binder to organize my coupons is the best for me. I use baseball card sheets and most coupons fit well into those. Some have to be folded to fit but that doesn't bother me. It's so easy to see at a glance what I have rather than shuffling through envelopes. I was using a regular notebook binder until I could find a zippered one. I found one at a yard sale for 25 cents! So now I just need to transfer everything into it. What I like about the zippered binder is that I can keep a small pair of scissors, multiple sales fliers and pens inside and they won't fly out.

We don't eat many processed foods. A lot of the coupons seem to be for more processed food items. I plan to go ahead and buy these items if they are really inexpensive. Some things will be good for stocking our pantry and others I will donate. I'll keep my eyes open for good coupons for organics and meats and produce. There are a few out there; since I have used them before! Money Saving Mom is an invaluable resource for all kinds of grocery coupons and deals. I still want to eat relatively healthy(as we do now) but still be a good steward of what God has given us. I cook with a lot of less expensive ingredients such as beans, rice, pasta, frozen veggies, canned tomatoes, etc. I plan to continue with that and add some coupon savings in order to add to the pantry.

I also want to get back into going to CVS and Walgreens regularly. Lately, I've been hitting CVS about once a month and Walgreens less than that. I was getting tired of Walgreens as they often were out of whatever sale items I had gone in for. I've noticed lately that they are better stocked and there are also three Walgreens stores in the area now instead of only one. By going to CVS even just once a month, I would get the free(after ECB's) items which would often be donated. By being more intentional, hopefully, I can get the free items plus get personal care items that we regularly use at a better price by watching the sales.

With gas prices as high as they are, I really have no intention of driving all over creation to save a few cents. So I'm going to see how I can do with the couponing by just going twice a month like usual (choosing two or three stores with the best deals) and then making a CVS and Walgreens run on a weekly basis if the sales are particularly good. CVS and Walgreens are conveniently located a block away from each other and only 5 minutes from my house. Another option is going to CVS on the way home from church on Sunday since there is one on the way.

I've already scoured the sales ads and have come up with a tentative game plan for this weekend's grocery trip. I'll keep you posted on how it goes and what works for me!

I'm excited to get back into the coupon game!

Menu Plan...Thursday???

With being gone for the weekend and having guests the weekend before, I've been really lax about the menu plan. I've written one up or followed one in my head; I just haven't taken the time to post it here.

Here is this week's simple dinner plan. I cooked up a roast beef in the crockpot on Tuesday. I used a new recipe for a marinade and it was super yummy! So for the next few days, we're having "Rubber Roast Beef". How far can a hunk of meat stretch??

Tuesday- crock pot roast beef, mashed potatoes, steamed carrots

Wednesday-beef and noodles, steamed peas and corn

Thursday-Shepherd's Pie using leftover potatoes, meat and veggies, bread and butter, baked apples(?)

Friday- crock pot beef vegetable soup, corn muffins

Saturday-pancakes, sausage or bacon

Lunches this week are roast beef leftovers and ham sandwiches.

Breakfasts are a combination of the usuals-toast, scrambled eggs, cold cereal, apple slices and oatmeal.

Our Weekend

For our anniversary, we spent the weekend at a cottage in Western North Carolina. I don't think the leaves were at their peak for color but it was still quite beautiful.

We stayed in the same place where we went last year. Maybe we'll go again next year, too! We do really like it there. The picture above is the view of the lake and woods from the cottage. The cottage is on private property next to our hosts' home. The cottage is divided into two private suites which include a small kitchen and living and dining areas. It is private and so quiet but within easy driving distance of various attractions.

We are not big into tourist traps or extreme sports so we like the quiet of a more rural area. We were able to go to the fall festival at the John C. Campbell Folk School. It was so cool! What a neat place. Many many craft booths and demonstrations. There were handmade baskets, wooden bowls,quilts, paintings, soaps, honey and beeswax candles, pottery, wood carving, etc. So many wonderful things to see! We spent a good 3-4 hours there just walking around checking everything out.

We had such a nice time just spending quiet time away from our normal schedules. I read several books while my husband enjoyed the wonders of more than basic cable.:-)

On our way home on Monday, we stopped in Hendersonville, North Carolina and bought apples. I got four big bags of seconds for $3 a bag which will be used primarily for applesauce and maybe some apple butter. Then we got two regular bags of apples for eating at $6 a bag. So guess what I'll be doing this weekend? :-) I also got 3 cute pumpkins. Right now they are serving as decorations for my mantle; next they will be cooked and put into yummy baked goods!

I've been playing catch-up from a couple of hectic weeks. Soon this blog will be back to regular programming, I hope!

I've Been Tagged And Awarded!

My friend Gail has been busy awarding and tagging me (and others!) the past couple of weeks. Thanks, Gail!

First off, she awarded me the BFF(Blogging Friends Forever) award. Now doesn't that sound like junior high!;-)

The Blogging Friends Forever Rules are:
1. Pass along to five people and five people only.
2. Four have to be dedicated followers of your blog.
3. One has to be someone new, or recently new to your blog, or live in another part of the world.
4. You must link back to whoever gave you the 'Blogging Friends Forever' award.

I'm having a hard time thinking of 5 dedicated followers of this blog(who comment so I know they're here!) who haven't done this one already. I pick Kathryn, Monica, Arlene and DarcyLee and you!

Next, she tagged me to tell 6 random quirks about myself.
For this one, I'm tagging anyone who wants to do this!

Ummm, random quirks. I think I've done this one at least once before but I'll list some stuff again! I have enough quirks to go around.
1) I love tissues. I often have one in my hand. My husband teases me about the wadded tissues under my pillow at night, too. I guess tissues are my security.:-)

2)When driving, I'll all of a sudden panic that I've left my keys at home. Duh! You're driving right? You had to have your keys!

3)I'll ask my husband if he's had enough to eat before he's hardly had time to take a bite.

4)I like to keep the remotes in the T.V. cabinet. Instead of where we are sitting like normal people would do.

5)I love sour and tart flavors. Plain yogurt, Sour Patch Kids, lemons, etc.

6) I'm notorious for grabbing the car door handle just as my husband hits the unlock button. Then the door doesn't unlock! I think that "Quick Draw" is what he calls me.

Please share your quirks(family friendly please!) with the rest of us!

I Still Do

Today we celebrate our 4th wedding anniversary. Happy anniversary, sweetie!

If you'd like to see more wedding photos, go here. Enjoy!

Fall Cleaning

With the cooler weather came a small burst of energy and a desire to spruce things up around the house!

I didn't get much spring cleaning done this year so the house has been in dire need of a little deeper cleaning. I don't know if I'll get a whole "fall cleaning " done or not. Regardless of that, I've been pulling furniture and appliances out and cleaning behind them. A little extra scrubbing, dusting and decluttering goes a long way!

My childcare kids have changed to part-time in the last couple of months so I now have an extra day free each week. I sometimes need to run errands on that day but I'm trying to simplify errand running so I can stay home most weeks and work on projects here.

I was feeling quite energetic this weekend so I was able to get a number of things accomplished:

-cleaned out the trashcans(long overdue!)

-dusted the ceiling fans

-deep-cleaned the bathroom

-rearranged the living room and dusted and cleaned behind furniture

-straightened bookshelves

-swapped some pieces of furniture between several rooms for a new look and hopefully better use

-sorted toys and packed up the ones that aren't being played with- I try to keep the toys to a minimum; I've found they only play with certain favorites. Between outside play and planned activities, they are never bored!

-rearranged part of the bedroom-dusted, scrubbed and washed linens

-pulled tomato plants out of the garden; hope to plant some fall seeds today!

-organized kid's art supplies in plastic totes; I finally found a place in the dining room to store them. It will be so nice to have everything close by when we want to use them!

-washed down all chairs including the booster seats(gross!)

Am I the only one who itches to get everything cleaned and ready for cooler weather as soon as fall hits?

Futon Blessings

Remember this futon? We didn't end up getting it after all. We would've had to drive several hours to pick it up plus it needed some repairs. We weren't sure it would be worth the gas money. So we kept thinking about buying a futon to double as a couch and spare bed for guests.

We were planning to buy a futon this past Saturday. We'd found a really nice one and had the money in hand to purchase it. Saturday morning, Andy left early to take the car in for maintenance. As soon as he left, the phone rang. It was a friend from our church. "I have the futon loaded up", he said, and I'll be at your house in 20 minutes." What?!? I remember talking about buying a futon and he mentioned that he had an extra. But then we never heard anything back from him about it.

So our friend brought us a futon! We did end up purchasing a new thicker mattress for it to make it more comfortable, but it was nice not to have to purchase the whole thing. It looks quite nice and has doubled the seating area in our living room.

Andy's parents are coming this weekend so we got this just in time!

What a blessing!

I'll Pray For You

How many times have you told someone,"I'll pray for you"?

And how many times have you forgotten?

I know I've forgotten to pray for specific requests often. After I promised that I would.

I've been thinking on this a lot recently. A friend of ours said that she never promises to pray for someone anymore because she will almost always forget! The best way she said is to pray for them right then and there.

Next, she tells them that she will continue to lift them up in prayer as the Holy Spirit reminds her. How freeing is that?!? I'm not talking about avoidance here, just to be clear, but rather having a pure heart that is in tune to hearing the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

I know it also helps me to have a list of prayer requests in my notebook that I can quickly jot down when they come to mind or are spoken. For this to be effective, however, you need to be sure and open your notebook or have your list nearby during your prayer time!

Whenever someone pops into my mind(especially someone I haven't seen or even thought of in a long while), I try to make a point to pray for them at that moment. I know the Holy Spirit is reminding and prompting me to pray in those times.

At one time, we used a prayer jar which really was a teapot filled with slips of paper with friends and family members names. Each morning we would pull a name out of the jar and pray for that person/family. We loved this but somehow that ritual got thrown by the wayside and we don't do it anymore. I realize that I do want to bring that back. I'll have to talk to my husband about that today!

I have a lot of room to grow in the area of intercessory prayer. It is so important but something that we or at least I tend to rush through!

"Moreover, as for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way." 1 Samuel 12:23

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

"...The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective." James 5:16

"I thank my God every time I remember you." Philippians 1:3

Please share your thoughts on prayer!

Works For Me Wednesday: Extra Books = Extra Bucks

I listed a stack of books on Half.com last week and I've already sold four of them. Yeah!

Half.com is a part of eBay. To sell books, after creating an account, you just type in the ISBN number and follow instructions for writing a description and picking a price. Once it's up for sale, you just wait until you get an email stating that you've made a sale. All you have to do then is ship the book(s). Half.com pays you directly according to their pay schedule.

I've sold books this way off and on for years, starting in college. I would buy the books I needed this way; there are often much better prices than the campus bookstore! Then after a semester or two, I'd sell them again to make money to purchase the next semester's textbooks.

Ok, so I'm not making hundreds of dollars each month by selling books this way.(You could if you had lots of popular items to sell, I guess!) But every little bit counts. This would be a great way to make a little extra Christmas money or to help pay for a weekend away. This can be a great avenue to bumping your savings account up a bit too.

I make some extra money for only about 15 minutes of my time, declutter my bookshelves and let someone else enjoy a great book at an excellent price!

That works for me!

Kitchen Tip Tuesday: When Life Gives You Basil...

...Make pesto!

My two basil plants have really produced this year. I've snipped it liberally into many different dishes. I've made chicken pasta salad with basil-walnut mayo. We've eaten pesto on pasta, pizza and even mixed into eggs. Yum!

I've wanted to try freezing some of my bounty and had heard that pesto freezes well. So one day last week, I whirred up a big batch in my food processor. What looked like a whole lot of basil turned out to be only 3 recipes/bowls of pesto!

I usually just add basil, garlic, parmesan cheese, walnuts and olive oil to taste when I make pesto. This time, I followed the recipe in my Joy of Cooking. I decreased the amount of oil that was called for. It still was pretty oily after it set a couple of days in the fridge since the recipe stated to cover the top with a thin layer of olive oil in addition to the oil in the recipe. Next time, I'll decrease the oil in the recipe even more to account for the oil that's put on top.I put the pesto on pizza and it was very oily into the crust but mixed with pasta, I probably wouldn't have noticed it as much. So all I can say is try it for yourself and see how you like it!

Other than the amount of olive oil, this pesto recipe has a delicious flavor.
Pesto from Joy of Cooking

In a food processor, mix 1 1/2 cups fresh basil leaves, 2 cloves garlic, 1/4 cup pine nuts, walnuts or almonds(I use walnuts).
Puree then add about 3/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese. When really thick add 3/4 cup olive oil(I used only 1/2 cup and will decrease it further next time), adding slowly and letting the food processor mix it in until a good consistency. Pour a film of olive oil over the top and cover to refrigerate or freeze.

Enjoy!


For more kitchen tips, please visit Tammy's Recipes.

Menu Plan Monday

I planned this week's menu completely off what I had on hand. Even though it was time to grocery shop this weekend, I opted to buy extras to stock my somewhat depleted pantry and freezer instead. I did buy fresh salad greens, veggies and some fruit for this week though. Otherwise, I used this opportunity to buy a few extras to store away and use up a few things hiding in the back of my freezer!

This is a simple simple meal plan week. I am running pretty low on meat; I bought a little this weekend to tide us over until the big grocery trip at the beginning of October. So it's not a very meat-heavy menu; but should fill us up all the same!

Breakfasts(served with fruit)
-waffles(2x)
-eggs and toast(2x)
-baked oatmeal(2x)
-pumpkin bread; smoothies (1x)

Lunches(any combination of the following usually served with a piece of fruit and veggies)
-leftovers
-split pea soup(frozen from dinner leftovers last week)
-salad
-hard-boiled eggs

Dinners(usually served with steamed veggies or a salad)
1)popcorn/fruit
2)church leadership meeting-I usually take something to share-not sure what though!
3)three bean chili chowder; corn muffins
4)turkey salad sandwiches(maybe pita bread if I can get some made)
5)one dish chicken and rice(I saute some onions, celery, mushrooms and garlic in a little oil. Then add some cooked and chopped chicken. Add water/chicken broth and uncooked rice. Cook altogether following rice instructions. We love this easy meal!)
6)tuna pasta salad
7)grits with cheese; sausage; fruit smoothies

Happy menu planning! Visit Organizing Junkie for more menu plans.

Living Simply Saturdays-Easy Weekend Meals

I'm excited to be able to join in with Stephanie's new carnival-Living Simply Saturdays!

Like a lot of ladies in the blog-o-sphere lately,the topic of simplifying has been in my heart, mind and home. I really have no desire to live such a hectic life in order to keep up with the Jones'. My husband and I have always enjoyed a more simple life,but I still find the "more more" mentality creeping in when I'm not looking! As a result, I find myself constantly praying and asking God to help us restructure our lives to be in tune with His and to simplify our lives so that we can better focus on Him and relationships with people.

One little way I've been simplifying our lives recently is to have really easy meals on the weekends. This allows more time for us to work on projects and do stuff together on Saturdays and just relax and be together on Sundays.

My husband likes it when I take it easier on the weekends. He says, "I have 2 days off. Why shouldn't you have a little break as well?" I love that considerate man! :-)

On Saturdays we usually eat leftovers for lunch and occasionally we will eat out for breakfast/brunch. Then for dinner we have something simple like breakfast foods or hot dogs or a homemade pizza that's been frozen and just needs to be baked.

Sundays is our day to meet and fellowship with other believers. We are part of a Home Fellowship where we all share in a potluck-style meal for lunch. I often take something that's in the crock pot or something pretty easy that I've been able to make on Saturday or even Friday if possible.

On Sunday nights, we're usually not too terribly hungry because we've had a large noon meal. I've started making grilled cheese, salads, sandwiches or wraps, tortilla chips and veggies with hummus or sometimes just popcorn with some cheese and fruit.

Growing up, our usual Sunday night fare was popcorn with home-canned grape juice and sliced apples. We children would be able to fix it ourselves while Mom and Dad rested. Now I see the beauty of the simplicity of such a simple meal on a day when not much physical work is done. Quick to prepare and requires minimal clean-up.

Now, some weeks, I may feel like making something to eat on the weekends that requires a bit more time in the kitchen.This fall will find us keeping up with the Redskins and eating snacks in front of the T.V. For the most part, I'm quite content to enjoy simplifying weekend meals for time spent doing other tasks or occasionally simply doing nothing at all.

For more simple posts, please visit Keeper Of The Home.

Menu Plan Mondays

Another week, another week of menus!

Last week was busy, but fairly uneventful so my menu plan sailed right along as it was supposed to. The only change was swapping Saturday's hot dogs to Sunday(yesterday). We worked with another church this past weekend by helping with music. They graciously provided pizza for all of us after set-up on Saturday evening.

I make a menu to have a plan for the week. The plan isn't set in stone but rather acts as a guide so we know what we're eating each day. Often, I will swap meals out onto different days depending on schedules.Occasionally, I'll fix something totally different or try a new recipe if I'm in the mood. I still keep to my menu pretty much and it's much better than not having a plan at all!

Another advantage to having a plan is being able to look forward to certain meals. We love to eat so being able to look ahead to what we're having for the next meal is a highlight!:-)

After a busy weekend, I just scribbled out a quick menu this morning! I'm still in a menu plan writers block of sorts, so I just wrote down the first things that came to my mind based on what I've got in the pantry and freezer. It's simple and it works!

Sunday
B-waffles, cottage cheese
L-eat out at our favorite Chinese restaurant with friends
D-hot dogs, buns, pretzels and dip, chocolate cookies

Monday
To do: thaw chicken for tomorrow, make large batch of pancake batter
B-toast, yogurt,apple slices
L-leftover hot dogs
D-church leadership meeting

Tuesday
B-pancakes
L-not sure yet!
D-chicken and tomato risotto, salad

Wednesday
To do: thaw chicken and Spanish rice for tomorrow
B-grits, cheese, apple slices
L-leftovers
D-split pea soup, homemade bread

Thursday
To do: menu plan for next week, make grocery list
B-eggs, toast
L-leftovers
D-chicken fajitas, Spanish rice(frozen)

Friday
B-pancakes
L-leftovers
D-salmon patties, homemade bread, steamed veggies

Saturday
To do: grocery shop, fix food for tomorrow
B-toast, fruit
L-leftovers
D-birthday party

For more menu plan fun, please visit Organizing Junkie!

Recycled Magazine Gift Bows

When I saw this tutorial online via Tip Nut, I knew I would have to try making some of these bows!

What a great way to use magazine pages instead of simply throwing the magazines into the recycling bin! These are really fast and easy to do. I've found it is a wonderful craft to work on while watching TV in the evening.

It's pretty addicting, so watch out!

Works For Me Wednesday-The Backwards Edition!

Today is a Backwards Edition of Works For Me Wednesday. This means instead of me telling you all about my latest bright idea; you get to give me advice and answers to one of my questions. I know you're excited about that!

I'm planning to purchase a grain mill before long. I have my eye on the Nutri-mill about which I've read some good reviews. I don't have my heart set on this one however, and I'm continuing to compare between brands and types of electric mills.

If you have or have had a grain mill or know someone who does, tell me about it.

What kind of grain mill do you have? Would you recommend it to a grain mill newbie?:-) What features do you like/dislike? Please tell!

Thanks!

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays: Drying Salad Greens

Maybe I'm the last one to actually try this... But this past weekend, I finally took to heart what I've read in oodles of articles and household hints books and tried spinning my lettuce leaves in the washing machine to get them dry.

It worked wonderfully.

If you're like me and don't own a salad spinner, here's how you do it. After washing lettuce, put salad greens in a large bag. I used a clean pillowcase and knotted it closed at the top. Place bag of greens in the washer and set to the final spin. Let spin. It's good to stand nearby so you don't forget about the lettuce. Also so your husband can come talk to you and, with raised eyebrow, see you remove lettuce from a pillowcase.:-)

I've always dreaded buying the lettuce that wasn't pre-washed and cut. Now I know it can be done in only a few minutes without lettuce laying on the kitchen counters being hand-blotted dry!

For more kitchen tips, please visit Tammy's blog!

Menu Plan Mondays

Happy September and Labor Day!

Last week's menu went pretty much as planned. As usual, I swapped a meal out here and there. Sometimes that just happens!

On Wednesday, I really felt like trying a new recipe, so I made a Western Beef Casserole from the What Would Jesus Eat? cookbook. This was a concoction of ground beef(I used turkey), cooked beans, rice, tomatoes and cheese on top. It was good although not that great in my opinion. It could've used a whole lot more spices even though I added more than what the recipe called for. It made a big pan so we ate it for lunches most of the rest of the week. We found that it was quite tasty with some salsa and sour cream on top and would be good in burritos.

My neighbor gave me 4 eggplants from her garden as well as some tomatoes and pears they grew. How sweet of her! For Saturday night, I sliced the smallest eggplant and fried it until browned. Then I layered eggplant, marinara sauce and mozzarella cheese on sub rolls. I broiled them until melted and bubbly, then put the also browned sub roll tops on. Yummy Eggplant Subs! Very simple and extremely tasty!

For this week, I'm using up the rest of the eggplant. I'm focusing on keeping the menu pretty simple too. I was feeling a bit of "menu plan block" so I just started filling things in. That's when it's helpful to have the ingredients for your favorite meals on hand! My husband is so easy to please, that he is happy with about anything I plan (and cook). As long as there's some meat and a little variety, he's a happy camper.

Have a great week!

Sunday
B-Breakfast potluck with our house church fellowship. I made orange ginger scones and a basket of hard-boiled eggs to share.
D-wraps with cream cheese and olive spread and various veggies

Monday
To do: salad prep, thaw ground beef for tomorrow, bake cookies, make pesto to freeze
B-egg burritos, apple slices
L-leftover sausage gravy and biscuits, bananas, carrot sticks and cherry tomatoes
D-Dinner with friends. I'm taking a salad.

Tuesday
To do: make a pot of spaghetti sauce for tonight's casserole and to freeze
B-leftover scones, fruit and yogurt smoothies
L-egg salad on croissants
D-Cheesy Eggplant Bake(I'm making this up as I go!), salad

Wednesday
To do: mix dry ingredients for muffins(make 4 batches of mix for easy prep later), assemble soup, thaw chicken for tomorrow.
B-grits, cheese,apple slices
L-leftovers
D-turkey rice soup(using turkey, rice and broth from the freezer), corn muffins

Thursday
To do: make tabouli, make spice mix for chicken, cut chicken in chunks
B-waffles, fruit
L-leftovers
D-Israeli Spice chicken chunks, tabouli, steamed veggies

Friday
To do:make pizza crusts(freeze one), bake bread
B-omelets, toast, fruit
L-leftovers
D-pesto pizza, fresh veggie sticks with dip

Saturday
B-cereal, milk, fruit
L-leftovers
D-hot dogs, pretzels, fresh veggie sticks with dip

For more inspiration, please visit Menu Planning Mondays!

Orange Ginger Scones

This is one of our favorite Sunday breakfast recipes. This scone is mild tasting and would go well with a cup of tea. I first made these scones as a newlywed and was delighted with their success.

Later on, I was whining to my mom about how I couldn't make good biscuits. Her reply was this, "If you can make scones, you can make biscuits. A scone is really a glorified biscuit." She gave me pointers on following her biscuit recipe and with some trial and error, I have had pretty good success with those too.

I tell you all that to say that even if you've never made biscuits or scones, these are perfect for a beginner to make!

Orange Ginger Scones from Taste of Home
2 cups flour(I have used half whole wheat pastry flour with good results.)
4 T. sugar, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup cold butter
1 egg
3/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 teaspoons grated orange peel(I also sometimes put in a spoonful of orange juice concentrate.)

Combine flour, 2 T. sugar, baking powder, ginger, salt, and baking soda. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

Combine egg, sour cream, and orange peel; add to crumb mixture and stir until soft dough forms. Turn onto a floured surface;knead 5-6 times. Divide dough in half. Pat each portion into a 7 inch circle; cut each into 6 wedges.

Separate wedges and place 1 inch apart on ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with remaining sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for 10-12 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes 1 dozen scones.

Enjoy!