Frugal Friday-Free Babysiting Co-Op

Like most young girls, my first "job" was to provide babysitting services for several neighborhood families. I happily received .50 cents per hour, the going rate. Now I hear of girls making $6-$10 per hour (or more)!! I scarcely understand how parents can afford to have an evening out!

Do the math: Four to five hour date: Babysitter=$40-$50, Dinner $20-$30, Movie $16, easily totaling $80-$100 for one date of dinner and a movie!!! Costs could vary depending on the activity of the evening and how frugal and creative you are. But, any way you look at it, when paying a babysitter you are shelling out a fair chunk of change for a few hours away from home and your normal responsibilities.

Here is where working together with a few trustworthy friends could save you hundreds of dollars each year in child care costs AND allow you to run errands or go on more frequent outings with your hubby!

Because we live 1,200 miles away from family, we didn't have grandparents close-by to spoil our kids every few weeks. One of the helpful things we did when the girls were young was to join a Baby Sitting Co-Op with some other ladies from our church. When I needed child care, I had an instant listing of women I knew and trusted to provide care while I was away. Here's how it worked:

All members placed their names, children's names and ages and home contact information on a list. When someone needed babysitting services, you could chose from the list of women and start calling to see who was available to watch your kids during the time you needed. You would then take your children to this friend's home and go on to your outing. I usually chose women with children the age of our kids so they could have a "Play Day". Upon returning, I would then "pay" the friend with coupons for the amount of time I was away.

The coupon system was very simple... poster board cut into "tickets", one color for a 30 minute payment and another color for one hour payment. (This was back before personal computers...now the coordinator could easily make up the coupons on the computer with the name of the Co-Op and the time value of the coupon.) The more "jobs" you accepted to babysit for other families, the more coupons you would earn. The more coupons you collected meant more free outings for you! If you ran out of coupons, you would need to do some more babysitting to reimburse your account. It is really quite simple! It's a nice break for Mom's to be able to run errands or a great way go out with hubby without breaking the bank!

Frugal Fridays is sponsored by: http://www.biblicalwomanhoodonline.com/blog.htm
Image credits: www.google.com/images

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Baking Bread....yummmmm!

Yesterday I made up three loaves of a tasty bread recipe I took from one of my cookbooks:

Luby’s Recipe Collection Cookbook

One loaf was devoured within hours of emerging from the oven as none of us could resist the smell and taste of freshly baked whole grain bread!! This bread makes GREAT toast for breakfast as well. Warm bread topped with butter is just too hard to resist!
I purchase wheat berries from a local supplier and grind my own flour. I can also make my own cracked wheat with these berries using a Kitchen Aid grain mill.

Cracked Wheat Bread
3/4 c. & 1 T. warm distilled water (110 degrees)
2 T. active dry yeast
2 t. granulated sugar
2 1/2 c. distilled water
1 1/3 c. cracked wheat
1/2 c. & 2 T. each: butter & honey
2 1/2 t. salt
2 extra-large eggs, lightly beaten
4 c. whole wheat flour
4 c. all-purpose flour
Vegetable oil

In a small bowl, mix warm water, yeast & sugar. Set aside. In medium saucepan, combine remaining 2 1/2 c. water and cracked wheat. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and add butter, honey, and salt, stirring until butter melts. Remove from heat and let stand until completely cooled. In large mixing bowl, mix egg and reserved yeast mixture. Stir in cracked wheat mixture. Add flours. Using dough hook of electric mixer, beat on medium speed until dough begins to pull away from side of bowl. Lightly grease top of dough with oil. Cover loosely and let rise in warm place 30 minutes or until doubled in size. Lightly grease three 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 loaf pans. Punch down dough and shape to form loaf. Place in pan. Let rise in warm place 1 hour. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake 25 minutes or until top is golden brown and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Makes 3 loaves. Tip: Cracked wheat is made from whole wheat berries that have been cracked to a medium coarseness. You can find it at most health food stores and at many supermarkets. Store cracked wheat in the freezer).

Recipe Credit: Luby's Recipe Collection Cookbook, pg. 93

Photo source: personal portfolio

HAPPY SPRING!!!

Psalm 118:24 This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.

Ok, so it has officially been spring for one week now and we sure are enjoying the beautiful weather. Brad and I ate dinner on the patio the past few nights and lingered to talk, listen to the birds and just to enjoy the evening.

We worked in the flower beds over the weekend and have restored our own corner of beauty to God's creation! I'm sorry to say our yard and flower beds have been sadly neglected these past several months. So, after a weekend of weeding, planting and mulching... we are now ready to officially welcome spring and Resurrection Sunday; a day of new beginnings!! What a joy to look out and see a large selection of "happy" flowers!

It was too nice to stay indoors all day, so this morning I grabbed my camera and went out to play around capturing some sites in our flower beds! In celebration, I thought I'd let you take a peek!

Our azealas look beautiful this year!

So far this year, the deer have not discovered this little gem of a rose bush!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

These two pictures show two of many flowering plants that a dear friend planted in our front beds the week I had to put our two faithful dogs to sleep. It was a bright spot for me during a difficult time! Thanks Glenda!

Our bougainvillea died out last winter, but we enjoyed their color so much that we purchased new ones over the weekend. Thought we'd give them another try!

I updated some of the potted plants on our back porch. I love to keep a lot of color out there as we can see this area from several rooms inside the house.

Happy Spring to each of you, and may you remember to praise the Creator as well as His Creation!

Photo Source: Personal Portfolio

Edible Flowers

I just ran across this interesting article posted at Better Homes & Gardens.com Thought I'd pass it along for your use!

Edible Flowers
Most flowers taste like their scent, with a slight sweetness, but do you know which flowers are safe to use with food?

Garnishing with Edible Flowers

You may have seen pretty flowers used as a garnish or mixed with baby lettuces in a spring salad, but have you ever wondered which flowers are safe to use with food and which should be avoided?

Edible flowers from your own organic garden (or that of someone you trust) are a fine choice, as are those that come packaged in the fresh-herb section of the supermarket. However, never eat flowers from a florist, a nursery, or a garden shop. The same rule applies to flowers you find growing along a road or in a park.

You'll want to be certain that the flowers you use with food have not been sprayed with herbicides or chemically treated. And make sure the flowers are edible even if you use them only as a garnish.

See the list of edible flowers below.
Apple blossoms
Bee balm
Carnations
Chamomile
Chive flowers
Dianthus
Geranium leaves
Hollyhocks
Impatiens
Lavender
Lilacs
Nasturtiums
Pansies
Rose petals
Sage blossoms
Snapdragons
Violets

Pet Care: Flea Control

I recently ran across some interesting ideas on controlling flea infestation on your pets that I thought I'd share. Although we don't have need of this idea any longer and can't verify it's validity, it sounds like a more workable and inexpensive solution compared to the commonly used pesticides. Let me know if you have tried this method of flea control and what your results are!


Newspaper-Saturday, March 17, 2007
by Dr. Michael Fox, The Animal Doctor

Reader Comment: One year, there was a flea infestation in our area. A friend told me that if I rubbed my dog's coat and skin with olive oil, the fleas and itching would go away. I tried it, and the constant itching and fleas disappeared as if by magic. M.M., in NY

Comment from Dr. Fox: Thanks for the very simple and surprising anti flea treatment - cheap and harmless, indeed. And, no doubt, the dog's coat has a nice shine.

Olives contain several botanical compounds that are beneficial to the skin, hair and immune system when ingested, and , like most plants, they may contain mild insect repellents that are harmless when ingested in moderate amounts.

It would seem that a mild solution of liquid dish soap and water, scented shampoo and Avon's "Skin So Soft" really do repel fleas, and they are so much safer than the expensive flea-and-tick repelling pills, sprays, dips and drop-on drugs so widely marketed.

Anyone who advocates the routine use of these insecticidal drugs as flea prevention for indoor cats and dogs (especially in regions where there is a flea-and and tick-free cold season) should have his or her head examined.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Note from Diane: If you choose to use preventative medications, Consumer Reports claims that the online pet web site, http://www.kvvet.com/ had the best prices on flea and tick preventives like Biospot and Heartgard. I do not have experience with this company-but I thought I'd pass it on for the the pet owners out there.

Great Links for Images!!

Thanks SO MUCH to Haus Frau at Lula's Hardt for sharing her links to wonderful sources for images. What a great resource!

Cherry Pie Recipe

This recipe came from a sweet friend (thanks Carol T.) who, unfortunately I don't get to see much any more. It has become our favorite Cherry Pie recipe. Of course it wouln't be complete without at least one large scoop of Blue Bell Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream!! Enjoy!

Cherry Pie

1 Prepared Pie Crust (see recipe below)

2 (16oz) cans pitted tart cherries
1 c. sugar
3 T. quick-cooking tapioca
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. almond extract
1/8 t. red food coloring
Drain cherries well, reserving 3/4 c. juice. Combine sugar, tapioca, salt and cinnamon; stir in reserved cherry juice, cherries, vanilla, almond and food coloring. Let stand while preparing pastry. Use a 9” or 10” pie plate and bake at 375 degrees for about an hour or until crust is lightly browned.

Crust from Joy Of Cooking Recipe Book:

Joy of Cooking Basic Pie Dough
2 c. all purpose flour, sifted
1 t. salt
2/3 c. Crisco & 2 T. chilled butter (or use ¾ c. butter flavored Crisco)
5 T. water
Sift flour and salt together. Combine Crisco and butter. Cut 1/3 c. Crisco/butter mixture into flour mixture with a pastry blender or work in lightly with tips of your fingers until it has the grain of cornmeal. Cut the remaining half coarsely into the dough until it is pea size. Sprinkle dough with water. Blend water lightly into dough. You may life ingredients with a fork, allowing moisture to spread. If needed, add just enough water to hold ingredients together. When you can gather the dough up into a tidy ball, stop handling it. Makes a double crust, 9” or a single crust pie with generous lattice. **NOTE: If the filling for the pie is to be juicy, first brush the bottom crust lightly with the white of an egg, melted butter, or a light sprinkling of flour. Any of these will keep the crust from becoming soggy. From: Joy of Cooking Cookbook, page 588-589.

Check out this site for Frugal Ideas!

I keep meaning to mention this...be sure to stop over and say "Hi" to Erin and Micah on their new blog, Frugal Living Journal, dedicated to frugal living. It's worth the visit!

New Recipe Books! Fondue & Bread...

Anyone that knows me knows I'm a sucker for collecting (and trying) new recipes. It's especially fun when those recipes come in the form of a new book for my collection. I try to be very cautious about purchasing another recipe book as I can get so many nice recipes to try for free. However, every once in awhile I meet a book or two that really wants to come home with me. It happened the other night...

I was innocently looking through the bargain book table at the local book store. Then it happened. Two books literally jumped into my arms and begged me to take them home and experiment on their tantalizing recipes within. After much consideration... I decided to adopt these two books, saving them from their unappreciated spot on the bargain table. I admit it (head hanging low) they both played into my particular weaknesses; excellent full page color photography of what awaits me should I venture each recipe and two of my favorite topics: Breads & Fondue.

Brad and I were introduced to the fun of fondue by some friends on New Years Eve back in 1978. We are the YOUNG couple in the back row, left side.

We got our first taste of what fun it can be to spend a leisurely evening around the table, preparing, cooking and eating a meal seasoned with a heavy dose of relaxing conversation. My parents gave us our first fondue pot, retrieved from a storage box of things they never used. It was a nice stainless steel pot with a black stand and stainless drip plate underneath. Dad fixed it up by replacing the missing knob on the pot's lid. The next item I purchased was a set of 4 individual mini butter warmers for dipping bread and vegetables. Over the years we have added to our collection of fondue pots and accessories, mainly from garage sales and thrift shops. I pass by the aluminum lime green and bright orange pots of old and stick with the stainless steel for stocks and ceramic for cheese or dessert fondues.

We have hosted many fondue parties over the years and only once had a guest that didn't quite appreciate the finer points of dining AND cooking your own meal around a table. Dear Sister Doris (rest her soul) spent the entire meal in utter frustration and couldn't understand that the other members of our group (a Bible Study) might actually be enjoying the process. Sister Doris wasn't one that enjoyed fussing in the kitchen and to her; the quicker a meal was prepared and eaten the better off everyone was. And yes, in her outspoken way, she made that perfectly clear through the entire meal. We just all smiled and loved her anyways. Happily, it did not deter us from continuing on in the art of fondue. In fact, it has become a family tradition to enjoy a lavish fondue dinner each Christmas Eve for the past 8 or 9 years. We all look forward to it!

Christmas Eve, 2004

Brad and I, Christmas Eve, 2006

The girls and I enjoy pulling out our best table decor for our

Traditional Christmas Eve Fondue Dinner, 2006

I am hoping this new fondue recipe book will award us with a few new great recipes to add to our repertoire! The title of our new book is: "Fondue: Delicious Recipes for Easy Entertaining" by Lorraine Turner. I'm especially anxious to try out a few of the cheese fondue recipes in preparation of our next big fondue session! I hope the recipes taste as good as the photographs look!!

Our second book adoption is titled: "100 Great Breads" by Paul Hollywood. I love baking bread, especially using freshly ground grains. (We own a Whisper Mill grain/flour mill) I admit that I don't bake near as much as I used to since there are only 2 (sometimes 3) of us here. Mainly because we would eat the entire loaf in one setting. Nothing like fresh bread hot out of the oven! But, I would like to get back to making bread at least 2 or 3 times a month. This book may just be the inspiration I need! The recipes are much simpler than many of other wonderful bread cookbooks. So, there you have it! As I wade my way through these cookbooks and find "winner" status recipes, I'll let you know! Bon Appetite!!

Hand Write Those Thank You Notes...

Thanks to Mrs. B. for her wonderful post on the importance of hand-writing thank you notes! This is one of the consistent habits I would like to build into my life, each and every time a note of gratitude is called for. I appreciate her timely reminder. Also, check out what Emily Post has to say on this topic as well!

Laundry Matters

I was nosing around the blogosphere a bit yesterday and ran across another fun article over at Tammy's Recipes on line drying your laundry and the outdoor clothesline. (Also, check out another site for those wishing ideas on home organization: organize your laundry room with The Lazy Organizer.) Tammy's post brought back sweet memories of the first home we purchased in Ohio in 1979. It had a nice big yard and a large and sturdy clothes line. I used to get such enjoyment from hanging our laundry out to dry, feeling very frugal and "wifey" (my catch word meaning "excelling in all things in the art of homemaking"). When we moved to Texas a few years later, our new yard was much smaller and the Texas sun much hotter. Somehow I had the feeling that if I hung laundry out to dry in the Texas sun... the life span of our wardrobe would be shortened by about 95%!! I made a few feeble attempts on a makeshift outdoor line, but the use of it never became a habit. Oh, but Tammy's photos of her laundry hanging out to dry gave me the same nostalgic flutterings I get when we drive through Amish farm country in Northern Ohio and witness the site of line after line of neatly arranged garments fluttering in the breeze. There is something very basic and wonderful about the practice. I'm not so sure it would translate quite the same here in Texas. For example; right now spring is bursting in the air... and I mean literally BURSTING! Anything left outside for more than 5 minutes will quickly become covered in a fine yellow dusting of pollen. It's on our cars, porches, driveways, front door... you name it! So, I guess I can't think of anything worse for those allergy sufferers in our home (namely DH) to have his very garments drenched in the stuff!! But, the thought of hanging laundry out to dry was a nice idea while it lasted. Actually, this plague of pollen will subside within the next several weeks... and then we only have to worry about the Texas sun burning holes in our neatly arranged line of clothing. That is, of course, if in fact our neighborhood deed restriction committee would even allow the use of a clothes line in the first place. (Note to self... check into rules on clothes lines) So, until I settle pending issues of reinstating the use of an outdoor clothesline, I will continue on with my practice of hanging stuff up to dry in our (new) laundry room. Since we don't have basements here in Texas, washer and dryers are normally either in: #1) a closet in the house, #2) the garage, #3) or in a room somewhat dedicated and set aside for "utilitarian" type processes. We now (for the first time in our married life) fall under door #3! When we remodeled last year, we reconfigured an area between our garage and kitchen and designed an actual laundry/utility room. It has become one of my favorite rooms in the house (2nd only to our new family room). It's small...but serves our purposes just fine and it has been a blessing to have a place where we can get from the kitchen to the garage without having to move baskets of laundry in various stages of entering or exiting the cleaning process. I also appreciate the priviledge of being able to keep our laundry cleaning here at home instead of doing the whole "laundromat scene" as I have done at various times in the past. (however, I always thought the laundromat had the advantage of being able to run numerous load at the same time and get everything completed at one time... I still vote for the home laundry center :-) Anyways, we have a clothes rack on the wall that works nicely as a place to hang clothes directly out of the washer or dryer. We also purchased a new front loading washer and dryer and I have noticed how much drier the clothes are when they come out of the high speed spin cycle on the washer. So, this has naturally cut down the dry time required. One of the other features of this room that I enjoy is the ceiling fan we installed to help with air movement. We keep our home pretty cool in the winter and warm in the summer to help cut utility bills, so the ceiling fans do a lot to help with comfort levels and air movement. The wall rack that I hang clothes up to dry on is located directly under the ceiling fan... it is one more way to help these clothes dry quickly. So, thanks for visiting with me today on laundry issues. You know, upkeep of our wardrobe and (especially) ironing may seem one of those "mundane" tasks that haunt the homemaker... but I try and keep in mind using this chore as a way I can bless my husband. I heard Elizabeth Elliot say, years ago, that each item of clothing handled or every garment ironed can be used as a reminder to pray for the person that wears it. I need to keep that in mind next time I look with bewilderment at my growing pile of shirts to be ironed. Will today be the day I bless the person or curse the pile?

Back to "normal"...whatever that is

The house seems quiet now that Mom & Dad have returned to the cold, snowy north country. We sure enjoyed spending the past 3 weeks with them!! I think it was hard for them to leave the warm, sunny spring weather we are having and return to the ice and snow of Ohio. Here, our azaleas are beginning to bloom and the Bradford pear trees are ablaze with white flowers. During their stay we didn't do a lot of running around, but we did manage to have a few special things to attend each week. Aside from enjoying several nice meals at our favorite restaurants, I think we had a few outings worth mentioning. Friday night auctions were a big hit for our group of 8. The second week Mom, Dad, Erin, Micah, and Brad & I all purchased items at such savings we are still in awe. Another fun outing was a BBQ dinner we attended at our church. The entertainment for the evening was Dr. Gene Howard, a John Wayne "impersonator". He looked like John, talked like John and did a great job of giving a patriotic and inspirational presentation after dinner. Since my Dad is an avid John Wayne fan... it was especially fun to attend this event with him. I took my camera and had fun capturing a few pictures during the evening:

The rest of our time together was spent visiting, eating, enjoying the family hanging out together, eating, watching movies (especially enjoyed the 2005 BBC adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel; Bleak House), eating, I did a pumpernickel bread bake off trying 3 recipes to vote on...more eating, Dad made his famous apple pie...more eating, we worked on odd house projects-actually finished up the fireplace!!, Mom, Erin & I went to lunch (eating ;-) and shopping , Dad and I made some progress on family history stories; I asked him questions and he shared memories as we recorded the whole process. Oh yeah, can't forget our 102 trips to Lowe's. :-) Anyways, it was wonderful to have them here and we're trying to talk them into "wintering" in Texas when the cold winds blow up north. Brad and I both feel very priviledged because of the Christian heritage we have been blessed with and cherish each time we have the opportunity to spend time with family.

Another Great Movie... THE ULTIMATE GIFT

This weekend's movie date was another great experience. Our family went to see the movie, The Ultimate Gift. "Every happening, great or small, is a parable by which God speaks to us. The art of life is to get the message."
Upon his grandfather's death, the main character, Jason, is offered several gifts through his grandfather's will. The movie covers the process Jason goes through and the choices he makes whether or not to receive these life lessons. The movie looks at the gifts of: work, money, friends, learning, problems, laughter, dreams, giving, gratitude, a perfect day and love. Granted, this movie is not without fault, even so, we really enjoyed it and felt the producers did a great job of delivering the message of what is truly important in life. The spiritual lessons are subtle, but the thread is there and the movie was a refreshing change from normal Hollywood fare. Well done and very inspirational. Go see it!!
Here are a few comments from recent reviews:
"An inspirational tearjerker...complete with the unwavering message that good is, as it should be, its own reward."- Baltimore Sun
"Wholesome, family-oriented fare for those interested in instilling old-fashioned values in their kids."- Black Star News
"Imparts positive messages about gratitude, forgiveness, family and altruism."- The Catholic News Service
"Uplifting and positive...challenges the audience to recognize that each of us has that ultimate gift available to us."- The Georgia Bulletin
"The movie bathes its characters in faith, hope and, eventually, charity."- St. Petersburg Times
"Another winner...could be described as a spiritual training film."- Chicago Sun-Times
"Tailor-made for a family...The Ultimate Gift is worth receiving."- Scripps Howard

A "Must See"...Amazing Grace!!

Make a date for this weekend and go see the movie AMAZING GRACE. We went to see it last weekend and thoroughly enjoyed the well done film on the life of William Wilberfource. "Elected to the House of Commons at the age of 21, and on his way to a successful political career, Wilberforce, over the course of two decades, took on the English establishment and persuaded those in power to end the inhumane trade of slavery." This movie is a MUST SEE!!! Check it out at: AMAZING GRACE. You can check out movie times and locations from this web site.