Reminder . . .

A double batch of Potato Biscuits does NOT fit in my Kitchen Aid.

I didn't have enough all-purpose flour, so I used half all-purpose flour and half whole wheat flour.

They turned out just as yummy as the regular all-purpose flour and just as soft, and maybe a bit more healthy :)

My freezer is now full of biscuits.

I got what I wanted for Christmas!

After a year of serving in Iraq, our son is home safe!

Our son, Caleb, joined the Army when he was just 17 years old. He was the youngest to graduate in his Basic Training Unit at Ft. Leonard Wood, MO. From there he trained for Cannon Crew Member at Ft. Sill, OK and is stationed at Ft. Hood, TX.

Shortly after his AIT training, he learned he would be going to Iraq. Last Christmas he was not able to be with us as he was preparing for his journey. I did get to travel to Ft. Hood to visit him.

He was in Iraq from January 2009 through December 2009 with a short leave in August.

While in Iraq Caleb earned a Action Combat Badge.

Combat Action Badge is awarded to soldiers who is personally present and actively engaging or being engaged by the enemy, and performing satisfactorily.

It's so good to to hear his music and just know he's around. Even seeing the toilet seat up is kinda fun (for now).

Also, visits with our daughter is nice. We see her now and then and it's always fun. It's nice to have both the kids home :).

Caleb has leave for a couple of weeks, then will return to Ft. Hood.

I'm taking the rest of this week off my blog (gonna spend more time with my kids) .....see you in 2010.

"Leftover" Christmas Cards

Christmas is over and time to take down the Christmas cards. Do you save yours? I always save them, but not always sure what to do with them.

Sometimes I add them to our reading corner for the toddlers to 'read' during the Christmas season, I've made simple toddler puzzles out of them, and we've used them for other crafts over the years.

This year I cut parts of old cards and attached them to a print-out "card" I copied on the green paper. The other card is made by my sister-in-law who used a few images from other cards and a stamp to put together a beautiful scene. She printed a nice sentiment and attached all of it to a blank card. (I always look forward to her cards--thanks)

Another idea we have done in years past is to make "to/from" gift tags out of our old Christmas cards. This is a fun project. We used the blank backs of Christmas cards to attach little scenes we had cut from Christmas cards as the decoration. We made so many two years in a row, we are still using them 8-years later!! I still have plenty more, too.

So, as you take down your Christmas decor, consider stashing your cards somewhere where you will come across them later. Maybe over a long weekend or some time off you want to be creative you could make tags, cards, or toddler puzzles for next year?

If you can't stand to let go of the cards and want to read them year after year, then consider Containing Your Cards.

Rice Cooker Sweet Potato Risotto

After Thanksgiving I had a lot of sweet potatoes leftover and sweet potatoes with rice sounded great. I searched for some sort of recipe and found lots of recipes for Sweet Potato Risotto, all with a few ingredients I didn't have on-hand, lol. I decided to make something with things I did have on-hand.....

Rice Cooker Sweet Potato Risotto

2 cups Arborio rice (uncooked) -- I'm sure any rice would work.

1 can vegetable broth and enough water added to make 4 cups liquid

1 tsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. nutmeg

1 tsp. Italian seasoning

1 Tbs. minced onion

1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

1 to 1 1/2 cups finely chopped, cooked sweet potatoes

Place all ingredients in the rice cooker and turn on. Done when the rice cooker turns off :)

It turned out yummy! I will definitely make this again.

Cranberry Beef

Thank you, A Year of Slow Cooking, for this wonderful recipe:

Easy Cranberry Beef

2-3 pounds stew meat

1 can whole berry cranberry sauce

1-2 Tablespoons minced onion

1/4 cup soy sauce

Place the meat in the slow cooker, sprinkle with minced onion, then the soy sauce. Spread cranberry sauce over all. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours, or on high for 5-6.

Delicious~ There wasn't but a hint of sweetness and it was very delicious. I was happy there was lots leftover for future meals.

I Challenged Myself to Stay Out of Wal*Mart

A child care provider's income is inconsistent and usually not a lot. I have to keep my costs low. I stick to a tight budget. My grocery budget is our only flexible expense. Sometimes I have to stretch it very, very thin.

What a difference a year makes! Up until June of 2008 my weekly shopping routine was to go thrift store shopping, go to Wal*Mart (which was NOT a Super Center) and pick up cleaning supplies, health and beauty items, diapers, paper products, etc., then go to a grocery store to get the weekly groceries.

In June of 2008 Wal*Mart moved from the end of town to a new Super Center eight miles out of our town. I live on the opposite end of where they moved it, so I'm up to a 24 mile round-trip. With the climbing gas prices, it was no longer a quick run or on my way to thrift stores. I was certain the Super Center prices and variety would make up for the cost of driving out there.

It was lots of fun shopping in a new, big store! The household items, health & beauty, hardware, electronics, pets, etc. departments contained pretty much the same items as in the old store and the same prices, too. The new grocery section was fun to shop in. The prices are good on just about any packaged item, frozen item, dairy, and more. They have more variety and brands I haven't seen before.

Although I really enjoyed shopping there, it was hard for me to justify spending that much in gas money every week. I reorganized my budget to make it a monthly trip to Wal*Mart. That was half our monthly grocery budget for a once-a-month trip to Wal*Mart for groceries and paper products, health items, pet items, etc. The other half of our budget was spread over three or four weeks of going to a more local to me grocery store and getting milk, produce, etc. that we needed for the week.

I shopped like that for several months and made it work. I became more and more unhappy about it though because each month I would shop I would notice Wal*Mart was out of an item I used to buy there all the time and I would never see it again, the prices kept creeping up, and the last straw was when the big box of Parent's Choice diapers were shrunk down to 10-20 less diapers in the box and the price stayed the same.

My mindset until then was that I would keep my grocery spending low if I bought non-food items at Wal*Mart, but with all the changes, would I?

Earlier this spring, I decided to see if I could make my budget work without a Wal*Mart run. Could I actually stay in my budget by shopping elsewhere? There were many years in my life when I believed I could not live without Wal*Mart. Well, if it doesn't work out, I can take my 24-mile round trip any time I need to.

I think May was the last regular trip to Wal*Mart and I was on my way to find discount prices elsewhere. To my surprise, it wasn't that hard! One of my biggest expenses is diapers and I started with that.

I can find comparable generic diapers at Walgreens, Kmart or Smith's (Kroger), but found I can get Luvs for the same price per diaper through Amazon.com or Diapers.com. They all offer free shipping with a $50 order (some sites less). So now, diapers, Huggies baby wipes (comes to about the same price I can buy them at the store), baby powder, diaper cream and other supplies are delivered right to my doorstep for the same price as going to a store and buying the same amount of diapers and wipes.

I've found many grocery-type items at Amazon.com and have ordered several from Nestle Quick to shampoo. The trick is to look for items that are offered for free shipping for orders over $25, then order at least $25 worth of items.

So what about the other items I would buy at Wal*Mart? It's not hard to catch toothpaste on sale or deodorant in a clearance rack or something. Our Smith's store has a clearance rack that I regularly go though. I've found pet items, baby formula, toiletries, and other items for good prices. Sometimes you have to be a little flexible with your brands and such. Also shopping at our Family Dollar store for laundry soap and dish soap has helped. Reading the store fliers weekly and taking advantage of the loss leaders is a great strategy.

Over-all, I went six months without going to Wal*Mart at all! I didn't miss it or wish I could go. Didn't even think about it. I spend a few more minutes a week reading the sale papers and spend a little extra money if there's something I use all the time on sale and stock-up. I'm very happy with my new shopping routine.

What got me to go to Wal*Mart after six months? Camera shopping :). After looking online and calling around to stores, Wal*Mart had the best price, so for that, we took the trip. Also, I did go to the Black Friday sale (but well after they had opened--somewhere around 9am) and didn't buy much.

So, I've learned I CAN live without Wal*Mart. I think I've learned a new way to use Wal*Mart--to my advantage.

Serving Size

How much is a serving size? Have you ever read the label and figured it out, or if you're like me, you just put some in a bowl or eat out of the bag and don't care much about a serving size.

Well, lately, I've been on a quest to eat healthier and to pay more attention to how much a serving size is. When I bring groceries home, I portion out some items into single servings so I can grab and go throughout the week.

The two examples I have here are applesauce and pretzels. Did you know 18 mini pretzels is one serving? I didn't know. That doesn't sound like much and it doesn't look like much when you portion it out.

But, I'm learning that it IS enough. So, instead of grabbing the bag and eating mindlessly in front of the TV until I'm stuffed, I now grab one portion and stop eating when it's gone.

It's made a huge difference. I'm able to maintain my weight and eat the foods I love in a controlled way. I don't feel deprived, but feel in control.

As I go throughout the day I often don't have enough time to count out 18 pretzels or measure a half cup of applesauce. Having it all ready to go is the key.

This post is linked to:

• Simple Saturday at tHe KrAzy kItChEn
• Simply Made Sunday at Raising Itty-Bitty Bookworms

Pizza Crust

Remember when I made Pie Plate Pizza? I made several pizza crust dough balls and put them in the freezer.

Well, a few days ago, hubby wanted to make pizza. I reminded him of the dough I tossed in the freezer.

He put it in the microwave on defrost for a bit, then used it as normal.

He said it was easy to work with and came out great!

Make ahead pizza dough is well worth the effort!

This post is being linked to:

Food On Fridays at Ann Kroeker’s

Family Recipe Fridays at Vanderbilt Wife

Recipe Swap at The Grocery Cart Challenge

Friday Feasts at Mom Trends

Foodie Friday at Designs By Gollum

Freezer Food Friday at What A Crock!

Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life As A Mom

Healthy Helpings at tHe KrAzy kItChEn