psalm 33:22

may your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, as we put our hope in you

~type to you soon~

photo credit: flipping easy

okra fritters

yesterday the okra plants were bursting with okra to make fritters. i used paula deen's recipe found HERE and i added a little sweet paprika to the flour mixture as well. i think that you could substitute your favorite salt mix to the flour and get a very similar result. the fritters were yummy, everyone ate them, just a nice change to mix up lunch a little bit.
i sliced the okra.
buttermilk bath before dousing in the flour breading

i fried the okra in small batches so i did not have to use so much oil. i also think that the okra cooks more evenly in small batches. unless you have a deep fryer, then big batch away!

i let the fritters "drain" on a baking rack for a few minutes after i salted them to get rid of the excess oil. they were really yummy. i highly recommend them if you get a chance to get some okra.

~type to you soon~

mr.dc's laundry room redo

this laundry room is one of our friends. she bid on a 5 hours certificate for mr. dc's help around her house at a silent auction that our school hosts each year. the following are picture of the final product. i am amazed at the difference and amazed at just how blessed mr. dc is.
that little molding will have knobs to hang towels or wet things from.

all cabinetry and moldings designed and built by mr. dc

its hard to get over the before and after. so much more efficient use of space and beauty in one room. i think mr. dc did a great job. what do you think?

~type to you soon~

ps...i am cracking up right now because my father-in-law who sometimes can't figure out how to send an email just asked to be mr. dc's friend on facebook. you might have to know him to think this is funny...but it really is.

Lots of AWESOME Cheapies

Kroger
Philadelphia Cream Cheese, 5-8 oz., FREE
Spaghetti O’s, 14.75-15 oz., FREE
Quaker Quakes Rice Snacks, 3-3.6 oz., FREE
Dannon Yogurt, 4-6 pk., FREE
Boulder Canyon Chips, 5 oz., FREE
Speedstick Men’s Deodorant FREE
Suave Deodorant FREE
Soft Soap Hand Soap FREE
Scotch Brite or O-Cel-O Scrub Sponge, 1 ct., FREE
Speed Stick, Lady Speed Stick or Teen Spirit Deodorant FREE
Crest Toothpaste, 6.4 oz, or Oral-B Toothbrush, 1 ct, FREE
Oxford Portfolio, 2 pockets, 15¢ ea
Red Gold Tomatoes, 14.5 oz., 21¢
Idahoan Potatoes 24¢
Cesar Bistro Dog Food 24¢
Crayola Crayons, 24 ct, 25¢ ea
Kraft Easy Mac or Velveeta Shells and Cheese Cups, 2-2.5 oz, 33¢
Paper Mate Write Bros. Pens, 10 ct, 34¢ ea
Krusteaz Muffin, Cookie or Pancake Mix 49¢
Rice Krispies Treats, 8 ct, 49¢
Dixie Plates, 20-45 ct., 49¢
Welch’s 100% Grape Juice, 25.4-64 oz, or Sparkling Juice 49¢
Wheatables Crackers 49¢
Del Monte Fruit Cups or Chillers 49¢
Tombstone Pizza, 16-29.5 oz, 49¢
Green Giant Valley Fresh Steamers Vegetables, 12 oz, 49¢
Turkey Hill Tea, half gallon, 48¢
Advil Pain Reliever, 20-24 ct, or Motrin PM Pain Reliever, 20 ct, 50¢
Gatorade or G2, 32 oz, 50¢
Dove or Degree Deodorant, 2.6-3 oz, 50¢
Caress or Lever 2000 Soap, 2 bars, 50¢
Santa Cruz Lemonade or Sparkling Lemonade, 25.4-32 oz, 50¢
Scotch Command Hooks or Packaging Tape, 1-6 ct, 50¢
Scotch Brite Sponges or Scour Pads, 2-6 ct, 50¢
Big K Soft Drinks, 2 liter, 58¢ ea
Temptations Cat Treats 66¢
Met-Rx Protein Bar 67¢
Kroger Medium Eggs dozen 68¢
Kroger Barbecue Sauce, 18 oz, 68¢ ea
Michelina’s Entree 68¢
Kraft Miracle Whip or Mayo, 22-30 oz, 69¢
Smart Water, liter, or Vitamin Water, 20 oz, 75¢
Pepsi Soft Drinks, 2 liter, 79¢
Palmolive Dish Soap, 20 oz., 79¢
Rice a Roni or Pasta Roni 79¢
Kraft or Sargento Cheese, 5-8 oz., 88¢
Garden of Eatin’ Tortilla Chips 88¢
Kroger Pasta, 16 oz, 88¢ ea
Kroger Salad Dressing, 16 oz, 88¢ ea
Q-Tips, 375 ct., 90¢
Kellogg’s Cereal, 12-20 oz, 98¢
Kroger Saltines, 15-16 oz, 98¢
Snyder’s Pretzels or Pieces 99¢
Act II Popcorn, 6 pk, 99¢
Jell-O Pudding or Gelatin, 6 pk, 99¢
Quaker Chewy Granola Bars, 8-10 ct, 99¢
Oscar Mayer Deli Creations 99¢Lysol Cleaners 99¢
Amp or Monster Energy Drinks $1
Chips Ahoy Cookies, 10.2-15.25 oz, $1
L’Oreal Vive or Studio Shampoo, Conditioner or Styler, 1.7-13 oz, $1
Band-Aids $1
Stayfree Pads, 16-24 ct., $1
Arefree Liners, 16-46 ct., $1
Gwaltney Great Dogs or Bologna, 16 oz, $1 ea
Head of Lettuce $1
Kroger Cottage Cheese, Sour Cream or Dip, 12-16 oz, $1
Fuze or Propel $1
Crayola Classic Markers, 10 ct, $1 ea

I think that I am going to have to go back for round two at kroger. I missed some of these deals. Thanks Southern Savers.

~type to you soon~

cheapest school supplies

HERE is a very thorough list of school supplies and prices for quite a few stores. this list shows the cheapest place to buy different items.
~type to you soon~

thanks southern savers

zinnias and the blue beauty

i started zinnia seeds in the early spring this year. i have never successfully had any flowers live that i have started but would you look at these.

when i put them in the ground they were a little smaller than a spaghetti noodle cut in half, very small and did not look like they would make it if i mild wind blew. but they did!!!! they just started really doing well about a week ago so i might need to start them earlier next year if i really want them to be ready when everyone else is planting flowers but i am thrilled at the success.

also on a side note would you look at the blue beauty...finally found a spot that the hydrangea likes and it is thriving. might have to do with the water that i have been using:) found out that hydrangeas really like water. very helpful hint. i am going to plant 2 more in the fall if i can find a good deal on some. i am starting to feel a little confidence considering the plant has survived over a month. if you have not read about my previous struggles with hydrangeas you can HERE.

what have you started from seed that has done really well?

~type to you soon~

school supply planning

it has been a while since i posted a money saving tip. this week starts the mega sales on school supplies. what i have found in regard to saving money on supplies is patience. if time allows you, don't go to one store on one day and buy everything. you will end up paying too much for your items. the items that are great deals this week are:

CVS:

scissors 99 cents with a 99 cent ECB (limit one) FREE

pens 99 cents with a 99 cent ECB (limit one) FREE

Walgreens:

Crayola Markers(10 pack) 99 cents

Composition books 79 cents

3 subjects notebooks 79 cents

Filler paper 2/$1

8 pocket folders for $1

Flexible ruler 29 cents

Mechanical pencils(10 ct.) 39 cents

Index cards are really cheap too but i don't remember how much in paid

Walmart:

Crayola Crayons 25 cents

Elmers Glue Sticks (2 ct.) 25 cents

Elmers Glue 25 cents

Plastic School box 60 cents

i am not suggesting that you go to all of these stores. just be patient and try to make it to one. walmart does have some of the same deals as walgreens not included in my list above. try to make it to one store and then make it a point to go each week for the next few weeks to check the deals of the week. you will be able to get quite a few free things at CVS. walgreens will rotate through and end up having most of the things that you need cheap during one of the weeks. walmart will have some things dirt cheap and other things pricey so that it all balances out for the store, so watch out. don't over pay, if you use walmart for the cheap items it is GREAT! let me know when you run across some great deals! also another tip...look through last years school items. you may not need to buy all the items. your child's scissors or ruler from last year might still be in great shape.

~type to you soon~

gigi's cupcakes

we visited gigi's when we went on a road trip to visit a friend last week. let me just say...oh my. it was a child's fantasy (and an adults too)! my cupcake is the hostess knock off in the top left corner, my zillion times better than a hostess and i love hostess. the orange ones top my list of favorite childhood treats. these cupcakes however were mounded with icing, except mine, it was drenched in chocolate ganache. YUM! i have heard of and seen so many of these little cupcakeries popping up all around. what a fun business. probably would not be too beneficial for the waist line though:) do you have a cupcake shop near you? have a great saturday.

~type to you soon~

stockpiling the freezer

***the columns across the top are VARIETY, FLAVOR AND TEXTURE, SALADS AND EATING, SAUCE, PIES, BAKING, AND FREEZING***

this is a chart that was hanging on the wall at the orchard that we like to visit. i just love the rippled corners. you can tell it has had many years of use but contains such great information. if you are planning on preserving or freezing any type of apples while they are at their peak this is the chart to use. i can't wait for the apples to ripen on my in-laws tree and for our trees to grow large enough to produce a large crop. we LOVE apples! if you are going to plant apples trees this is also a wonderful chart to consult to determine what type of trees to plant. if your family is a big sauce family plant a tree(s) that are excellent for sauce.
here are the beans that i picked out of the garden. i will definitely be planting beans every year. they are huge producers in a very limited space. this amount of beans which frozen filled 4 gallon sized freezer bags, came off of around 7 plants. our family does not eat beans often so this will feed us for a while and i plan on giving some to a friend too. what are you freezing or preserving right now?

btw...right now, this week is a great time to freeze blueberries. they are really cheap at kroger and freeze great for pancakes, baking, smoothies, or popping in your mouth for a snack. frozen blueberries are great!

~type to you soon~

sweet amelia

some precious friends (family:) are having sweet amelia in a few weeks. we could not resist making amelia some fun goodies.

~type to you soon~