Kolache with Grandma

Every event with my mother’s side of the family included Grandmother’s Kolaches. Filled with poppy seeds or apricots, their sweet dough always fills my mind with memories.

Fiesta Salsa Recipe

It was 9:20 pm Saturday night and I was walking to the garden, again, aided by a head lamp, with scissors and a measuring cup. Because I wanted to make salsa that morning. Here is how my Saturday actually went. I had to hit the farmer’s market before I could start. I needed a few

Pantry challenge – week 6

Ooops. An entire week went by and I didn’t record anything. I’ve also slipped up in the spending realm. Not that I’ve over spent. Oddly enough, both the kids summer community ed classes were canceled at the last minute so I requested the money be refunded to my card, which left us with a surplus.

Pantry challenge – week 5

In May we spent $185.89 on groceries. We spent $110.62 on farm supply out of our standard budget. These line items are much lower than previous months – wahoo! The husband sold a piece of farm equipment, so he had income to install more fencing for our goats/sheep and fix my tiller. Another win. Money

Pantry Challenge – Week 4

We went to Ruby’s Pantry in Isanti this past Saturday. We came home with 2 laundry baskets worth of groceries. It was out of this that we made Monday dinner for my parents who are in town from Missouri. Monday Dinner: Chicken breasts, garlic mashed potatoes, and asparagus (I need to remember to visit the

Pantry Challenge – Week 3

Monday dinner: BBQ pork on rye bread. I acknowledge that our meals are not always the most balanced, but this is only dinner, and often other meals fill in our dietary requirements, plus I do not always list everything we are eating. We had a family meeting this past weekend to discuss how paychecks work

Pantry Challenge – Week 2

Monday dinner: leftover roast chicken, random grabs – Monday evening we have ballet, so often we grab something to munch on our way out the door, I provided the roast chicken, but everything else was up for grabs. Monday was hard. I spoke with Turbo Tax and Bank of America. Found out I really do

Pantry challenge – week 1

Well we survived the first week of no spending. We did need to buy shoes for the hubby and the boy child. I also picked up some split peas to make soup from the leftover ham in the fridge. So not completely spend-free, but much better than other months. Almost immediately after making the decision

Budget Cuts

Exciting development for us – we have finally reached the threshold of not qualifying for assistance. The wonderful dreaded point where suddenly we are on our own financially. No medical assistance for the kids. No help through the hospitals to pay for medical bills. A boost in income that leads to a downfall in income.