French Onion Soup

I have found a great french onion soup recipe that I think solves my problems for going out and paying $$$ for it in a restaurant.

And it's done in a crockpot :)

I didn't come up with the recipe. It's from Taste of Home, my favorite recipes which have never let me down.

French Onion Soup

1 large sweet onion, thinly sliced (about 4 cups) - I used Vadalia Onions
1/4 cup butter, cubed
2 cans (14 1/2 oz. each) beef broth- I used beef stock
2 T sherry or additional beef broth - I used Sherry cooking wine
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 slices French bread
4 slices provolone cheese


1- Place onion and butter in a 1 1/2 qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or union onion is tender. Stir in the broth, sherry and pepper. Cover and cook 2-3 hours longer or until heated through.

2- Ladle soup into oven proof bowls. Top each with a slice of toast and cheese. Broil 4-6 in. from the heat for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings

Frugality

It's evident that our family doesn't win with the Monopoly Contest at McDonald's except for those horrible fries (only good when seering hot and and untouchable) or the disgusting fruit smoothies that I can make better at home for half the fat. But so far, no $5000 gift cards for Walmart that would do great for our food and basic needs for quite a while.

And then there's the fact that our savings is gone. And then O'Malley decided this week going out and dealing with it like a man ended him up in the "hospital". And then there is of course, the unexpected expenses of having the furnace cleaned and checked, the front door being blown open and broken off of its frame. So, one starts thinking about where the money is going to come from and soon, you realize the stuff you have been saving because, "Aunt Fiona" had it or the "find" you just had to have seems to start looking really good at seeing how much it would appraise for on the, "Antiques Roadshow". Or perhaps a yard sale sounds great on Black Friday.

I went to the grocery today and knowing I had only cash and found some items that needed returning for a credit made it do-able today on very little. I was very stressed and worried that I would have to put back things that I "really needed" and found that wasn't so as I only bought things "I really needed" with a bit left over. And I had cut down the list earlier that morning and grabbed coupons from the internet websites and the paper. I have found a couple of the magazines, one called, "All You" has coupons in every issue and is a great magazine for cheap. Great articles and such. This week in Price Chopper is double manufacturer coupons too. So today when I came home, I felt thrilled that I was able to spend very little for the week and have a bit leftover for the several gallons of milk we drink or cook with. I used to think I had to go with a big budgeted amount and couldn't carry cash as it was a control issue. It only caused guilt. Now I see many of these families who look to be struggling or look like those who use assistance and you just want to be a nosey and ask if they really need all those cases of soda, fillet mignon, or boxes of cereal.

Another thing I have noticed is, how many cleaners do you really need to clean a house? For many years, I have come conclusion that the liquid cleaners such as Lysol and Pine-sol are such a money pit. I have found Dawn dish and a green square brillo pad cleans a tub and shower stall spotless. Dawn is a great grease cutter. After scrubbing the areas with Dawn such as the bathroom or mopping the floor, I do a bleach rinse. For windex, I am going to white vinegar. It's cheap and works great. Please keep in mind, I am only stating this is what I do. There are so many other wonderful ideas out there I'm sure. But I am finding the less the better. But I have to admit, toilet cleaner is a must. Gain products for laundry are just something I don't do without. I will buy cheap sandwich bags before I give up my Gain. It's like getting cheap toilet paper (as Steven about that). But you have admit there are the generics/store brands that work just as well as the name brand and much cheaper. But then again, there are just some generic or store brands that should have been redesigned or left alone and only the name brand will do. For instance: Kraft 2% cheese. There's just no substitutes.

Not only during these tough economic times is it tough for us, but so many. My neighbor was just laid-off and I wonder if they are doing ok. They have 5 children and go to private schools. I know many whose husbands are just getting back to work and having to drive double the miles than they used to. It's times like these I'm so thankful for frugal websites, food storage, and having a husband that is one who uses the practice of using a budget and doesn't have the liberal mentality. We both grew up working for our needs from an early age and have been able to go back to those principles that were ingrained into us. And we hope those principles are rubbing off on our sons.

Now on coupons. Coupons are must to make it during these economic hard times. I know, they do take time to sort through, clip and put in your purse. Or, in your coupon caddy. I, myself, and a few other friends use a 3-ring binder that is labeled with dividers labeled: baked goods, cereals, and etc. with the baseball card holders. Then in the binder is notebook paper for the grocery list. It is a time saver and a great conversation starter. And I get a lot of looks. I didn't certainly think of it. A good friend introduced me to it. I know, you have heard of the, "coupon queens" who save hundreds of dollars per week and pay only $20 for $300 worth of food. But I am not one to just buy the product because I have a coupon for it. I found then that I came home with junk and food that I wondered why I bought it and then found it wasn't a savings at all. I would say that I save about anywhere from $3 to $10 per week. I have even saved $25 one week and it really made my day. But I found that was per luck. But still a little saved adds up. So to say the least, I know there are plenty other coupon clippers out there who know better tricks of the trade than me and I am willing to learn. And it is great if you go to more than one store. I was at Walmart today and saw a 5# bag of red potatoes for $3.27. Price Chopper this week has 5# red potatoes for $1.48. So, I know where I will be going tomorrow morning. One thing I found today was that I can get the Betty Crocker cookie pouches that only require butter and an egg for $1.58 and is quite a bit cheaper than if I had bought the chocolate chips and more brown sugar. And I'm only out a dozen cookies. Goodbye to Chips Ahoy. As for popsicles, I buy the cheapies. And the boys prefer them.

I'm open to hearing how you handle the economy in your household.

Off to comfort a cat who is traumatized by the having to wear the cone of shame and restricted from the outdoors for 2 weeks. Do cats loose their voices after 2 hours of howling to go out?

The Life of Jacob

Welcome to the world of a 3rd Grader. Jacob is loving life for the most part. He has a wonderful teacher this year. He is working very hard this year. He finds 3rd grade academically a bit challenging but for the most part doesn't have to have too much help. His favorite classes are art, computer and gym. He loves it on Wednesday because he has computer and library and I am there at library for his class.

Jacob received his Bear rank in August. In December, when he turns 10, he will become a Webelo.

Jacob still loves his Legos. He really wants to work for Lego when he is old enough. He still loves to draw, to dig in the dirt and create his own models of roads, buildings and other things to do with construction, architecture and anything with a computer. Steven and I are encouraging his interests.

Jacob is becoming more independent with cooking snacks in the microwave for himself. He loves to help others and loves the sense of accomplishment after he does service for others. He still has his mischievous, fun humor that will leave you cracking up in a moment. And he doesn't miss a trick. Jacob adores Michael and he has a great time being with him.

Michael- Officially A Teenager of 13

Michael just turned 13. He now has braces and about a year to go. He is about to go into phase 2 of his dental work. Phase 2 will be working on the bite.

Michael is having a great year with 6th grade. His counselors at school find him fun and delightful. One counselor stated he wishes there were more kids like Michael who are the happy-go-lucky, comfortable with themselves, and seemingly happy. Sixth grade is a tougher year but Michael is handling it extremely well. He is holding a solid "B" average. He is still playing the alto sax (even though he would like to quit). Michael is taking an art class after school. The art teacher is wonderful and Michael has taken really well to her. Steven and I are encouraging him to follow his interest. Michael loves drawing characters of Pokemon and other cartoon characters. He and Jacob have more Legos than they know what to do with. But they are able to build whatever they desire. Knights Kingdom and Minataurs are his big love right now with Legos.
Michael is also into computers, Wii, and anything with computers. Maybe another engineer in the making?

Michael is great with Jacob and responsible watching him when I need to step out for a bit. Michael loves little kids and is helpful. Scouting has helped Michael grow this year so much. Michael went to Scout camp this past summer for a week. He learned archery, leather work, basketry, finger printing, first aid, and environmental science. It was a hot week but with encouragement from his Dad (who is the Scoutmaster) and other leaders, he did a great job. Michael didn't complain. He learned by examples of the other boys how to manage his time better and loved being with kids his age.

Dad

Steven is being very busy between the honey do list, keeping his "girls" (bees) happy and preparing them for winter, getting his 2nd load of honey, work, church, family, and the other things that creep up. Somewhere, Steven manages to fix things during a crisis, keep me grounded during a crisis, and still have a smile on his face.

Bose is still keeping Steven employed and thankfully too. He is so busy and that is a total blessing. Steven loves his job and so it looks like we will be here and plan to go no where.

Steven also is finding he is busy tutoring a 6th grader in math and other subjects if needed. He is great with the youth at church, and has fun skunking Michael in Pokemon and Jacob at Wii.

Mom

It's been a while in writing in the blog. The garden is done. It was a bit of success. Being the first year, there are things that I will not do again next year and things that were a success that I will expand upon. I know that age is catching up on my ability to handle being in the garden. I love it but after being working the dirt and weeds, I pay for it for a few days. So, more square foot gardening next year.

It has turned cold and is now November 1st. I am happy to be inside cooking, baking and finding projects that don't cost money. As for most, money is very tight. Thank goodness for the things I have that don't take any money or if they do, very little. Cross-stitch is one of them. I really want to concentrate back to music. I haven't played the piano and violin like I really want to play. And of course, the housework is never done. Not a time to be board, that for sure.

Along with working around the house, I have been volunteering at Jacob's school in the library. I do anything from helping the other volunteers when they need it, helping the librarian when she needs, putting books away, putting books in order, crowd control, and reading to the children. I am at Jacob's library time which makes his day.

It's a Square Foot World...

Since we've been in Massachusetts we (mostly Tracy) have tried to put in a garden along side of our house, and have had limited results. Last year I picked up a book called Square Foot Gardening. It looked like something new to try, so this year we did just that.

There are a few key tenets with square foot gardening:

• The planting area is in a raised box, partitioned off into (you guessed it) square foot sections
• You use a special soil mix
• You don't "saturation plant" the seeds - sometimes there is only one plant per section (based on how much space that plant needs).

The theory is that by focusing on quality and not quantity, you get better results with less work (and you get world peace and lose weight in the process). We'll see...

We decided to put in three 3x3 boxes. Here they are painted (courtesy of Jacob and Tracy):

Next we had to make the special Mel's Mix, which is equal parts of peat moss, compost, and vermiculite. You don't use dirt with this system. Here we are mixing them together:

We put down some weed barrier to keep the weeds from coming up:

The boxes are filled with the special mix. On one of the boxes you see the beginnings of a trellis (we are planting some climbing plants):

And here are the boxes with (some of the) plants. We still need to plant a few more. Notice the nylon trellis netting on the right hand box. I can't tell you how hard it was to find trellis netting!

So we'll see if we have any better luck this year than in past years.

If you are interested in Square Foot Gardening, you can buy the book, and there is also a website dedicated to the system.

Brothers and Best Friends

Michael and Jacob are constantly reminded that they are not only brothers but should also try to be best friends. And for the most part, they are. Yep, on occasion, they get on each others nerves and there are unkind words or one will irritate the other and vice-versa. But, if there is someone who hurts or picks on one of them, the other is there to protect and defend.

Michael and Jacob were enjoying Mom throwing the frisbee from the front porch. They would run after the frisbee and the tackle each other into a laughing and giggling fit of laughter. Mom just managed to get them to stop two seconds for this shot. And Mom happened to get the camera on the right setting.

Thanks Michael and Jacob for being awesome boys!

Tracy has a Green Thumb

Tracy has a green thumb. Me, not so much. I can do cacti, and I have a potted fir tree that is in intensive care.
If it weren't for her, all we'd have outside is grass. And bees.

Jacob and Daddy

It is a rare treat for the boys to get to sit on the mower with Steven. We do not let the boys help Daddy mow the lawn as it is just too dangerous. But once in a while, Steven will let one of the boys drive the mower when it is not in mowing position and drive it around the yard and park it in the garage. Today was the day for Jacob. And oh, what a smile!

Jacob has grown tall this spring. He is 55" tall and going through clothes as fast as I can buy them. Summer can't come fast enough for Jacob either. Spring Break has been a complete joy for him. Jacob has learned so much this year in 2nd grade. And is so ready for 3rd grade, at least in the ability part. Jacob is working very hard learning cursive on his own, loves reading, and is working on his belt loop achievements for Scouts.

Jacob's latest like are cows. We hope to visit a dairy soon. Jacob really loves the whole farm experience. I am hoping to take him to farms this summer for him to experience milking a cow and seeing how a farm works. He loves John Deere but loves the big equipment like the combines and those types of machinery. And he still loves dirt. Think farming is in his nature?

Stay tuned for more about Jacob's adventures.

Michael's New Look

Michael has a new look! He got his braces today. Steven took a before braces picture and a during braces picture.

Poor Michael is afraid to eat anything. Every thing he goes to put in his mouth is the question, "Can I eat this?" He is finding he doesn't like the wax to protect the rough spots of the brackets or bands hitting his jaw (which we will go to the Ortho and have taken care of).

The procedure of braces these days sure has changed since the days of Mom having braces. I had the bands around every tooth and had the wire poking me in the jaw with balls of wax wadded in my jaw to keep my jaw from hurting. I also didn't get pretty, different colored bands of my choice (Michael chose red and black bands), or the cool flossers, rechargable toothbrushes, or the paper of what you can't eat done in a rhyming poem.

Michael stated he is the only boy and second person in his team at school to have braces. And he was able to comfort a couple of kids at school who thought they are going to have holes drilled in their teeth when they get their braces.

There are a few things Michael will have to give up for a while which are his favorites are: ribs on the bone, pizza crust, corn on the cob, Laffy Taffy, Air Heads and Star Burst. Mom knows the trick around the corn on the cob. But he is excited of the beautiful smile he will have.

Our little boy is growing up. Today as Michael and I were out doing errands after getting his braces on, I realized he has grown taller in the last few month and is up to my mouth. Steven and I are looking forward to the exciting things Michael will be experiencing this summer. Scout Camp, going into 6th grade, expanding his interests, and helping out at home as he is doing more and more without much "bargaining". Michael had to clean his room on Saturday, and I figured I would get the usual bulking. I didn't. Michael cleaned his room, he vacuumed, and even dusted. Michael is very good with watching Jacob if I need to run a quick errand. He's also a great secretary and dependable when I have messages.

And so, another chapter begins in the life of Michael.

Sun Worshiper, Sort Of...

Today the temperature got up into the 80's. One of our cats decided to go out and do some sun bathing...

She lasted maybe 10 minutes in the sun, and then came back in the house for shade! :-)

I always know it is spring when I see the swans on the pond near my house. Near my house is a pond called, Mosquito Pond (nice name, huh?) I first spotted the swans' return on, Saturday, the 6th, as I was going to the grocery. I was so frustrated as I didn't have the camera with me. Saturday, the swans did this same pose but they actually came close together and made the heart shape with their heads and necks. This picture is from the Thursday, the 11th. I thought the swans were going to do the pose again of the heart. But they turned right as I got this shot (I'll take what I can get and keep trying 'til I get the pose I saw, Saturday).

On Thursday, the 11th, the boys and I had been out running errands (they were out for in-service). As we were coming home, we passed the pond which is on the turn we take to get home. We squealed with delight and all insisted that we go get the camera and return to the pond to watch the swans. Michael and Jacob each took turns taking pictures (and trying to keep Jacob from falling in the pond- a repeat of when he was 3).

I haven't figured if the swans have a particular time and routine daily but will start setting certain times to see. I can go by the pond after I take Jacob to school and from school. I am eager as the weather gets warmer to getting more pictures.

Along with the swans on Thursday, were common mergansers but they were staying far away to the point even the telephoto lense wouldn't capture them. I think we even saw a common loon. We will keep watching to see.

Michael has found an interest to watching the birds in our backyard. So, it maybe a time to get a scope to get a better look. I'm hoping this interest will stay so we can do a hobby together. And hopefully, Jacob will come along as well. Plans this summer are to go birding at the sanctuaries. Is there a belt loop for birding?

More to come...

Spring Is Here To Me

I came home from being out about 2pm, from being out with my good friend, Sherry. We had enjoyed a morning of roaming clear to Northboro, to the fabric store, the Christmas Tree Shoppe (oh my goodness- I could have bought everything in there) and to a couple of other places. It was warm enough in the van to have the windows open and still sweat. According to my very loved temperature gauge in the van, it was 47. It made me wonder if Steven's bees were taking a chance to enjoy some Spring weather. Sure enough, they were. Along with taking pictures of the bees, I walked around the yard to see what else I would see on this wonderful, wonderful, Spring day. Checking out why my bird bath was tipping so far in the mud revealed the ground was very soft and next to it revealed the bulbs that I had planted last fall. I went all around the yard and I saw tulips and daffodils buds peeping their tips greeting us with a reminder that Spring is truly around the corner. I saw buds on the trees at Jacob's school and was, I must say, thrilled. I looked at my forsythia bush and only saw tiny buds. But it lets me know the winter wasn't too nasty. We have really had a pretty mild winter. It may be doing the winter thing of going out like a lion and coming in like a lamb, there is hope. So, hang in there dear friends. It may seem like a cruel joke today to have this snow and rain mixture with the high winds. Our cat, O'Malley, is really feeling very confused today as well. He was loving the fact he could roam without having to watch where he stepped so he wouldn't get snow on and in his paws. But today, he has been looking longingly out the windows and growling if you tried to give any sympathy to him. But I guess one thing we will have to endure are the winds as it is March and more rain for April.

Meanwhile, it is time to be thinking of what you might want to grow in your garden this year (and don't forget to re-pot your indoor plants). May 1st is the last frost date this year for our area. Steven and I are doing square foot gardening this year. I am having hope we will have a decent garden this year with not having to use the poor soil that our yard has. I am looking forward to planting in the square foot boxes and not having to deal with weeds or less weeds. The first thing we have to do is determine how much vermiculite, peat moss, and compost we need, build the boxes, and get the plants. Steven and I have already determined how many boxes and what/how many plants we will need. I have had no luck with seeds but since you directly plant the seeds in the boxes, I won't have to deal with starting them. We are also going to be reading about how to plant in the way that will provide vegetables throughout the summer without a break. For instance, growing lettuce all summer.

I am thrilled Steven has taken an interest in gardening. All the years we have been married and able to raise a garden, Steven has not been too interested. But I wonder with the past few years of seeing my discouragement with a poor garden, he took pity and is going to teach me with his ability to read and totally understand a concept and join me in an endeavor. Possibly it also has something to do with the helping the bees too. But with us each having one of these interests, we have joined together as a team and I think it will be fun. I don't know if Michael and Jacob will show much interest. But they will be involved in the process. I think Jacob will have a great time doing it as long as there is a dirt pile as compensation. He and his friends talked about literally trying to dig to China, last year. They built deep volcanoes and were able to jump down into their holes that resembled fox holes. I'll have to get pictures this year of their endeavors.

A Delayed Christmas Present...

For Christmas Tracy got me a Home Depot gift card. But I had a hard time finding something to buy. I didn't need any small tools that the card would pay for; but the card wouldn't pay for more expensive tools I maybe wanted.

Then this weekend I thought of something I could use which was in the price range. So I present to you:

My new garage florescent light!!

Yea, I know - kinda lame. But in the garage, where I do some woodwork-type stuff (when the car isn't there), the only lights are a couple of CFL bulbs high in the rafters. I mounted this light low enough that it is overhead when I am doing some work. There is a pull-chain I use to turn it on and off. Woo-hoo!

Merry Christmas to me!!!

My latest craze

My favorite song lately- And the video is quite cute...

Lyrics | Michael Buble lyrics - Haven't Met You Yet lyrics


It's a good song to dance to while cleaning house.

Happy New Year 2010!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Happy New Year! We have sure enjoyed our Christmas break. Unfortunately, it is ending too soon. It's times like this I really cherish. We all had a great Christmas. Michael and Jacob got all the Lego's a child could ever want. Steven got money mostly(what else do you get a guy who has it all?) And I didn't have any expectations so I didn't have my heart set on anything. But I got plenty of cool things including a knitting kit (don't expect a sweater or potholder anytime soon). But Steven is teaching me how. Steven has so many talents! And lots of patience!

It has been so nice to sleep in most mornings until 9 or 10am. That will be a real kicker when January 4th, at 6am, comes. It has been great to veg out and do whatever we wanted for the most part. Michael and Jacob had friends over to play. No strict schedule has been enforced but will start again tomorrow night, the 2th.

While everyone has been home, we have been doing some cleaning and everyone has been jumping into help. And for the most part, without any complaint. That's a nice treat! We have had a family movie night and watched the new, "Star Trek". Yeh, we are a boring family. We did go to Burlington Mall on the 28th, and had Chick-Fil-A, for dinner and went to the Lego store. That was a real treat for us. Chick-Fil-A is a restaurant that we had in Georgia. It serves the best chicken strips, soups, sandwiches, cheesecake, and ice milk ice cream.

For New Years Eve, we just stayed home and watched the ball drop on TV, from NYC. There is no way we even wanted to be out in a crowd of a million people and in the frigid cold, not even in Boston or Worcester. The boys were happy to be on the Wii, making noise with the noise makers, and eating wonderful ribs sent from Steven's brother, Ryan, from Cincinnati. If you have never tasted Montgomery Inn ribs with their famous sauce, you are missing out on a lot. Even Jacob tried the ribs (without the sauce) and said they were so good. They were also happy to be eating Laffy Taffy's and telling jokes that came from the wrappers.

Tonight, the 1st, at church, we had a fun night with Jacob meeting his new teacher for his Pri-
mary class this year. He is in the 9 year old class. Still the same classmates, just a new teacher and new lessons. There was pizza, veggies w/ dip, and cookies for dinner there. On December 9th, his birthday, Jacob earned his Wolf rank in Cub Scouts. Jacob has grown so tall this past year. He is in heaven with his Lego's.



Michael is no longer in Primary. He turned 12 in October and is Young Men's now. It seems so weird this year not seeing Michael move up in Primary. Michael earned his Tenderfoot rank in Boy Scouts, on December 30th. Makes me know the boys are growing up so fast. It won't be long until Michael is taller than I am. Michael is doing so well playing the alto sax in the school band. He still wants to play the drums.


The Christmas decorations come down tomorrow, the 2nd. Had enough of green and red around the house. We are tired of all the boxes of lights, and ornaments hanging around. It's time to have a house looking clean and get rid of the clutter. I will start working on that tomorrow. I worked on more of the organization of things today. The coupon binder used weekly was in need of some cleaning up so when Steven went to the store, he wouldn't be ambushed with expired coupons. I also put tabs in the binder so it is easier for him to find the categories. I also found more recipes for my recipe box. I love collecting recipes. I got new cookbooks for Christmas. And have already tried a fun recipe out of one of the books. One of my hopes this new year is to cook more from scratch and be better at not going out to eat so much. That is one of my downfalls.

I'm looking forward to the new lessons at church this year. The book in Relief Society is more on the gospel principles and I'm excited to see what the new theme of our Relief Society is this year. I'm excited to help the boys learn more on the lesson from the new Primary theme this year, "I Feel My Savior's Love". With that theme, I am excited with the format of the book to teach Family Home Evening lesson from it.

I don't know if we will travel much this year. That won't be happening until this spring anyway. But there is so much to see up here in New England. Michael and Jacob often ask about going to the ocean, especially up in Maine. Maine is such a beautiful state. We are definitely going back to Scituate and Plymouth. Gotta go to Cupcake Charlie's for their wonderful cupcakes. With the family sort of homebodies, we are bound to be found here painting the inside of the house and fixing things up around there. The outside light fixtures are rusted shut so they must be replaced. There will be new garden beds, new plants, and hopefully we can get the brown hive of bees up and going again. And hopefully honey from our hives this year.

May you all have a prosperous New Year!