Katydid won our Sweet Blossom Pattern. Congratulations! Giving away stuff is so much fun, that I've decided to do it a lot more often. My next prize is HUGE! Well, okay, it's tiny, but it's very valuable. Stay tuned for the announcement.
It’s Giveaway Day!
It's giveaway day at SewMamaSew, and I'm so happy to be partcipating. Thank you for popping over to check out my giveaway. I hope you will stay awhile and poke around. The main focus of this blog is saving money and it includes tasty recipes, sewing projects and lots of other goodies. I have a very popular weekly newsletter that you can sign up for at www.groceryshrink.com It is free and spam free too. Just for signing up I'll send you my favorite homemade cleaning recipes. They are tried and true, will save you a bundle in cash and are healthy for your family too.
I had planned the lovely things I would make and giveaway, but life happened to me again. So I hope you don't mind that I am giving away a sewing pattern that I made myself and sell over at my shop www.blesseddesigns.net/store This pattern is our #1 seller and is fabulous for nursing, but just as lovely if you are not. It includes pieces for a sleep bra, nightgown, cami, and tummy cover (which makes a nice curvy tube top too.) It is sized for cups A-C, but has simple instructions to make a full bust adjustment for our well-blessed mamas. It is soft with no hardware, but the fabric is designed to cradle you like an underwire. It is a printed pattern with full size pieces on large heavy paper.
To enter, leave a comment. I'd love to hear a frugal thing you do or an area you wish you could cut back. I will choose a winner on Sunday night at 8pm by random number generator and notify her by email. Good luck! I hope you win.
Make an Online Grocery List
Matthew and Patty Williams have created an online Grocery List tool for you. Simply type in the item, the price from a past receipt, grocery ad, or your price book and the quantity and it will add it all up for you! I can see this helping Darren when he needs to do the store run for me. I can easily show him the price he needs to look for and where to find it in the store.
You can make your own grocery list here: http://www.grocerylistwizard.com/
Michelle’s Mother’s Day Corsage
One of the Grocery Shrink members, Michelle sent this awesome note to the members only group and I thought you might like to read it. The suggestions she talks about came from my weekly newsletter which is free! You can sign up for your own copy at www.groceryshrink.com.
"Hi, everyone! Thanks to Angela's suggestions I was able to stick to my budget and honor my mom and mother-in-law this year. The email with gift ideas for Mothers Day got me thinking that I really could make corsages this year instead of buying them from a florist. With a ½ dozen roses from Aldi ($3.99) and a pot of ivy from Wal-mart I was able to create my own for about $1.50 each….waaaay less than the $20 each we usually spend! I even recycled ribbon for the bow from my 25th wedding anniversary gift from my husband. I think the handmade corsages meant more to my moms than any fancy one from the past. They both wore them to church and received lots of compliments. I’ve posted a pic on the site; I think I’ve started a new tradition! Thank you Angela for your inspiration (and the You Tube video helped!)"
Great Job, Michelle! That corsage is professional looking.
Apron Given Away!
Jamie is our lucky Apron winner! Here is her lovely picture in the prize apron with her orange vinegar and blue shop towel. She's a true Grocery Shrink girl!
![DSC08653[1]](/images/6a00e5549125f7883301156fa0e241970c-pi.jpg "DSC08653[1]")
Burned sandwich saved!
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I was making grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner last night and got an important business phone call. I grabbed the phone and ran up to my office, completely forgetting about the sandwiches. When I returned they were horribly burned. I was about to throw them away, sick about the wasted cheese, when I had an idea! I carefully peeled off the burned half of the sandwich, encouraging the cheese to stick to the other piece of bread. Then I slapped the two cheesy pieces together making 1 unburned sandwich from the 2 burned ones. Perfect! I've tried the old scraping the burned toast with a knife bit, but it never worked well for me. We could always still taste the burned flavor and it the charred crumbs still sticking to the bread would get down in our lungs. This was much better!
Field Trip to the State Capitol
A bill hit the floor today in our state legislature that would adversely affect the homeschooling rights of parents in Missouri. We were afraid making a simple phone call would be too little too late, so we loaded up the car and headed off to Jefferson City, MO. I'm embarrassed to say I'd never been there before and it was only 2 1/2 hours away. Everything was beautiful! Security at the capitol building was nearly nonexistant and we were able to walk around freely and go to see our representatives and senators. The House was in open session and we were able to watch debate on the floor. We are planning a trip to return when we will have more time to enjoy the city.
Sign over the South entrance to the Capitol Building
Main Entrance
Governor's Mansion
House in open session. Check out the huge stacks of paper. Some of the Reps. were really young!
Wow! What a turnout! Everyone was so orderly and well-mannered too. We entered the building and made one lap on the 3rd floor just to let our Senators and Representatives know we were there. Our lobbiest said, now all he has to do when questionable legislature comes up is say, "Remember what happened last time? Do you really want all those people back here?"
Scripture carved inside the capitol
WWII Pamphalet encouraging everyone to get into the war effort by saving their waste fats for gunpowder.
Another WWII pamphalet. What if the whole nation banded together today to support our troops during war time like they did then?
Dandelion Green Salad
Dandelion greens have never been my favorite, but it appears I have been gathering them too late! I found a recipe over at Tammy's recipes for a salad that looks promising. She suggests gathering the greens before the flower appears. So you will need to start early in the spring and be observant. I'm very encouraged to at least find someone who actually likes this stuff.
If the flowers have already appeared, try my fritter recipe in the previous post. And here's a link to the recipe for the dressing that makes this great! http://www.tammysrecipes.com/dandelion_salad_vinegar_oil_dressing
Other delicious weeds
(Are you getting my free weekly newsletter full of motivation and fruagl tips? If not, go sign up at www.groceryshrink.com Did I mention it was free?–Spam free too!)
If nothing else, I hope through this post to make you think twice before spraying poision on your yard to kill all those lovely free foods out there. Some wild edibles are downright gross and some are delicious. Here's just a sampling of some free foods I have tried and found tasty and have growing in my yard right now! Before gathering wild edibles, be sure you have identified them correctly and that they have not been treated with yard chemicals. You can also check with your local extension center or conservation department for more information on wild edibles specific to your area. If you are in or near Missouri a great book available from the Missouri Conservation Department is Wild Edibles of Missouri by Jan Phillips.
(Note: Any sudden change in diet can cause a temporary digestive upset. To avoid this start with a small serving of wild edibles and then gradually increase the amount in your diet.)
Plantain (not to be confused with the banana like fruit or the Plantain Lily AKA Hosta): There are 11 different varieties common to Missouri and when small and tender make a delicious and nutritious mild lettuce. They can also be gently steamed as a potherb.
Violets–I've always enjoyed violet flowers but just learned yesterday that the leaves are also edible. They make a lovely mild lettuce (had a violet salad yesterday–yum!) and when the flowers are added to the salad it is breathtaking. Pansys and Violas (JohnnyJump-ups and look like miniature pansys) are relatives of the violet and also edible in the same ways, but have a stronger flavor.
Clover–comes in red or white. The flowers are delicious and beautiful in salads and also make a nourishing tea. The leaves, even though they are small, are also a nice lettuce.
Dandelions: The greens are nutrious for salads or potherbs, but to be honest they are so bitter I can't choke them down. I would have to be literally starving to make it work. On the other hand, the yellow flowers are fabulous fried up like okra. It is a rare treat for us since I don't fry much anymore, but here's my recipe. The flowers need to be picked fresh and used right away. They wilt quickly. The best way is to make up the batter, then go and get the flowers. (A perfect job for kids.) The flowers can also be crumbled up into pancake batter as a nutritional additive.
Batter:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt**
1 tsp vegetable oil
2 eggs
Rinse the blossoms and pat dry. Dip in batter and deep fry at 400 degrees until golden, turning once. Drain on paper towels and lightly salt.
Freezing Lamb’s Quarter for Winter Use
Lamb’s Quarter is not only free and tasty, but it is one of the most nutritious vegetables you can eat. Here’s a breakdown of the nutrition from http://www.herbalremediesinfo.com/lambsquarter.html
One cup of raw lamb’s quarter leaves contains:
~ 80 mg of Vitamin C
~ 11,600 IU of Vitamin A
~ 72 mg of Phosphorus
~ 309 mg of Calcium
as well as good amounts of
~ Thiamin
~ Riboflavin
~ Niacin and
~ Iron
In the following video learn how easy and fast it is to prepare lamb’s quarter for freezing to add nutrition to your winter diet. It’s best preprared early in the season when the stems and leaves are tender.