Frugality

Sorry I haven't written in awhile, but have been busy with getting ready for state inspection in November, fall cleaning (state inspection) paperwork (state inspection and taxes stuff) and general busy stuff. I am teaching AWANA - Sparks director again this year (love it) and I help with the kids for Brenda on Wednesdays also. So- ya... busy.

But with all of that, I am usually fasinated by information on being thrifty... so I can spend my money where I want to.. not in things I do not care about! There are so many ways to consciously spend your money and save on things that we usually think we have to buy... bread? coffees? Laundry soaps etc.

Our clan has successfully been making our own laundry soaps with great success and coming to prefer our version than the commercial version. The recipe is on later posts. I have discovered a new way around using dryer sheets... which we still hung on to.

Speaking of the dryer-you don't have to buy dryer sheets. I bought a huge bottle of the cheapest fabric softener I could find about 2 years ago (less than $2 for the bottle) I bought some sponges from the dollar store (4 per pkg) and cut two of them up into 8 pieces each. I soak the pieces of sponge in a mixture of about 1 part softener to 8 parts water. When I throw my laundry in the dryer I squeeze out a sponge until it is just damp and throw it in with the laundry. When I fold the laundry I take the dry sponge and throw it back in the mixture. I've read that some folks like to put their mix in a spray bottle and either spray it on a washcloth and throw it in, or else just spray it onto the laundry.

This was taken from a blog that a ran into.

Also we have been making our own breads... They freeze well, and we love what we can do with our trusty Kitchen Aids. So- within about 10 minutes of mixing up the ingrediants in our mixers, a hour of raising... shaping into what ever shapes we want, another hour of raising, and then off into the oven for baking. Wow it makes the house smell great! You get great bread for so much less than the specialty breads at the store. Plus- no high fructose corn syrup etc.... (yeah- commercial on corn syrup - we do know how bad it is for you and why... and when its in EVERYTHING it is not "in moderation"!!)

Here is a potato bread recipe that makes great bread in huge quanities, so you can freeze for later in the week or keep dough in frige so you can use up during the week.

Potato Refrigerator Dough (Makes 4 dozen rolls, 3 medium loaves or 3 braids )
Ingredients:2 packages (5 tsp.) active dry or fast-acting yeast*
1 1/2 cup warm (105-115° F.) water
1 cup lukewarm (95-105° F.) mashed potatoes
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2/3 cup margarine, butter or vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp. Salt
7 to 7 1/2 cups all purpose or bread flour (may be part whole-wheat flour), divided
*If using active dry yeast, dissolve in 1/2 cup of the warm water until it foams. If using fast-rising yeast, use warmer water - 120-130° F. and simply stir the yeast and water into the other ingredients plus half the flour (see steps 1 and 2).**May be made from 1 1/3 cups boiling water and 1 cup instant potatoes. Cool to 105° F. before adding to the yeast mixture.

Method:1. Combine the dissolved yeast and remaining 1 cup water or the fast-rising yeast with all the water and remaining ingredients except the flour.2. Mix in 3 1/2 cups of the flour with an electric mixer or beating by hand. Beat for 3 minutes.3. Mix in additional flour with dough hooks or by hand until the dough forms a rough dough ball.4. Turn onto a floured counter and knead by hand or with the mixer's dough hooks until smooth and elastic - about 5 to 8 minutes.5. Place in a greased or sprayed bowl, turning dough so greased side is up. Cover bowl with sealing lid or plastic wrap. (you may want to spray it so it doesn't stick)6. Place in the refrigerator. Punch down when doubled (about 30 minutes for fast-acting, 45 minutes to an hour for active dry yeast).
Keep dough refrigerated for up to 4 days, punching down if doubled in size. About two hours before baking, shape dough into desired rolls, loaves or braids. Place in greased pans and cover with sprayed or greased plastic wrap. Let rise until doubled, about 1 ½ hours.
Bake at 375° F. according to directions for type of roll or loaf prepared.

Rolls: Divide dough into 4 pieces. Divide and shape each piece into a dozen rolls. Cover shaped rolls with greased plastic wrap and let double in size. Bake at 375 degrees F. for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden.

Loaves: Shape into three medium loaves and place in greased 8 1/2-inch loaf pans. Cover with a greased plastic wrap and let rise until above the edge of the pan. Bake at 350 degrees F., 25 to 35 minutes.

Braid: Divide dough into three pieces. Divide each of these again into three pieces and roll pieces into three smooth ropes of dough, about 15 inches long. Braid each set of three dough ropes, pinching the ends and tucking them under. Place on a greased baking sheet, cover and let double in size. Bake at 350 degrees F. for 25 minutes or until golden. Optional egg wash - Beat 1 large egg + 1 tablespoon cold water. Brush on just before baking.

Pecan Caramel Roll: Shape 1/4 of the dough into 12 smoothly rounded dough pieces. Prepare Glaze and spread in the bottom of a greased 8-inch round or square pan or bottoms of 12 medium muffin cups.

Caramel roll glaze:2 tablespoons butter or margarine1/2 cup brown sugar1/4 cup honey1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts- Place in microwaveable bowl. Bring just to a boil.- Pour into greased, 8-inch baking pan or 12 medium muffin tins.- Cool before topping with yeast dough.Cover the dough pieces with greased plastic wrap. Let double in size and bake at 375° F. until golden, about 12 to 15 minutes. Immediately turn onto a plate and cool.Nutritional Analysis:For 1 of 48 rolls or slices of bread (each is 1.5 oz.)Calories: 124 Protein: 3 g Carbohydrates: 21 gDietary Fiber: 1 g Total fat: 3 gCholesterol: 8 mgSodium: 94 mg Potassium: 60 mg% Calories from:Carbohydrate: 69% Fat: 22%Protein: 9%

Trying to keep up

It has been a crazy busy summer, short because the weather was so cool this year. Looks like fall will be a cool one also. I love summer so much, but fall has its own desires. The crisp mornings, the sun breaking through the mist as it lifts off the hills and the irridescent colors of the leaves. Yes, fall has its own claim. All the kids are settling down into their own families, Jason and Brenda are doing great, Brenda working on post full time, Jason working with heating and airconditioning. The kids are growing quickly and I get to watch them once a week. I look forward to it, I get to spend time with Jacob and his entertaining ways. Jessica is just plain sweet, hardly ever cries and has the sweetest little smiles for you all day long.

I miss Travis, Barb and kids. I am thankful for the blogs as I get a glimpse of their little lives and get to enjoy them from a distance. I get to listen to Briana's college tales and that is fun, and now Danny has added a blog, hopefully we get to read his antics often. I love keeping up with the rest of the family and their blogs, it keeps us close! Thanks guys for taking the time to blog, we love reading your "stuff"!