how to save money

How we save money. lots of changes have happened for our family over the last year. We have started making our own bread. Even things like pizza crust which we have found we like even more. We stopped using paper towels and are using clothe napkins. we started making our own laundry soap 10 galons for less than $2. you read that right. we have started making our own hand soap and the best is the dish washer soap which we LOVE. they are discussing ways to save money on riggsfamilyblog.com. jump over and visit them

zucchini bread

I just love the name of it. Jump over and find some new fun recipes
I found a new blog, have I said how much I love blogging.

I have never made it before. A friend asked if I could and I am always up for a challange. It was honestly quite easy. My friend Becky who always comes to my baking rescue gave me her recipe.
1 1/2 cup AP flour
1 t. cinnamon
1/2 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1 cup shredded unpeeled zucchini
1/4 cup oil
1 egg
1/4 t. shredded lemon peel
1/2 cup cup chopped walnuts

Mix flour, cinnamon, soda, salt, b. powder and nutmeg.

In another bowl combine sugar, zucchini, oil, egg and lemon peel, mix
well. Add flour mixture; stir till just combined. Stir in walnuts.
Pour into greased 8 x 4 x 2 inch loaf pan
Bake 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes

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I found this on another army wives blog. stop by and check out her adoption journey.
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Not Me Monday

There are wonderful praises at MckMamma, I encourage you to head over and read about them.
What a wonderful week. So many things happened or were said at my house. I love my life and all the silly things that happen with it.
First, I did not let my son make brownies just because I wanted him to learn to cook. I also did not stay out of the kitchen while he did so. Michael was not so excited to make them that he used steak sauce instead of vanilla because he was not paying attention.
I did not leave my house the other day in a nice but dirty shirt because I always look at myself in the mirror before leaving my house. I most certainly did not then go into 2 stores knowing there was food on my shirt. ooh did I say food, surely not because I would never drop food on my shirt.
Friday night our boys went on a camp out and I enjoyed one too. I did not do this buy allowing the girls to watch movies in there room. I did not and would not go to bed with my oldest still awake only to realize they had hit the auto replay button and she stayed up until the wee hours of the night watching movie.
speaking of my oldest daughter this was not what she said to me after coming home from a children's museum.
faith: I met a boy who told me, that his heart had a hole in it until he saw me and now that he saw me it is closed but if he does not see me he will have another hole
me: WHAT and WHAT
Faith: he is going to call me, and he gave me his number it is in my pocket
me: WHAT AND DOUBLE WHAT
okay, after looking at the number I realized it was a family we knew. but still how would a 9 year old know how to talk like this.
My son turned 13 this week and we most certainly did not forget to pick up the money my MIL wired to him. It has been over a week. I know how much he is looking forward to it and I would never forget about it.
I have been on a cleaning streak recently and I am not sure if I told you but last week I most certainly did not take a metal took scraper (from the dentist) to my kitchen ade to get the little areas. I most certainly did not laugh when I saw my husband pulled out his drimmel to clean out stove. I promise our kitchen is not that dirty but I have really been into getting all the little areas.
I am a healthy mom and would never give my kids soda, my husband and I are most certainly not addicted to soda, there is not a running joke that the girls sneak and drink DH's soda. So my precious baby did not come up with a plan and then take the label off of a root beer bottle from Friday night (she would never be able to do this because I would never let 3 girls drink a whole bottle of soda) and tape it to a can of diet Pepsi in hopes that we would not catch on that she was drinking someone else's soda. And because she was so cute I most certainly did not allow her to drink that soda for breakfast.
On Saturday morning when dad was not home to make his Saturday morning pancakes I did not let the girls eat left over pizza for breakfast just because it was easy.
I have been on a cleaning organizing frenzy this week and this did not remind me that our dog should have been to the groomer a month (or 2) ago. So I made the appointment and then I did not make Robert take the dog in because I did not want the lecture. I would never do this. He then did not take a cute little red headed daughter in who would talk constantly so they would not have time to fuss at him.
This week was out last co op before the move and I was kinda emotional. Hope did not help me through it by having the best prayer request ever. Her prayer request was sincere and deep it would never be that "everyone looks cute". Not my child, my child would never say things like this.
I love our moms night out with our homeschool group. I look forward to it all week. So this month this event did not happen.
leave later than normal to get there which would make me late (and everyone knows how I get if I am late)
stop for gas and to pick up dinner
arrive at said house at 6:18, should have been there at 6pm
as soon as I pulled into the driveway (way out in the country and down a LONG driveway) I realized there was only one car and I must be in the wrong driveway.
this is not what happened when I realized I was in the wrong driveway.
I did not get out of my car to ask the strange house for directions
I did not run back to my house because there was a boxer in the driveway and he came towards me.
I did not then call DH in tears and say I do not know what to do because I can not turn around and I am in a strange driveway (please let me say the house was beautiful and completely lit up)
After rob told me to just back out of the drive way these were not some of the words that came out of my mouth
NO, I will hit there dog, what if I kill the dog, what if they come out with a gun, sobbing, please tell me what to do this dog is walking around the van, please call the police and tell them to help me, sobbing, calling a friend who should be there.
at this point I am thinking that maybe I should have pulled into the driveway across the street. the whole time I am sure DH is laughing at me or wondering if I have lost my mind.
so finally I decide that he can check my e mail to see if I have the ladies phone number because she could call her neighbors. so I try to give DH my laptop password.
My laptop password is not 2 LONG words that he could not spell. so I had to text him the words while watching this dog that in my brain could jump through locked doors (by the way the dog is NOT jumping on my van or growling or showing teeth)
To end this I will just say, my DH did not call me back and say honey you are not late you are early which explains why there was only one car in the driveway. I did not call the lady and realize I was at the right house and that the dog is so sweat that I took several chances to rub on him. I think the homeowner may have thought I was nuts when I called and asked if I was setting in her driveway.
I did not walk into moms night with a smile on my face laughing at what just happened.
Thanks for listening , I really need you ladies to let me know all the things that went crazy in your life so I do not feel like I am the only homeschooling nut.

Saturdays

I love Saturdays. The boys went camping with boyscouts last night. So this morning was a little quieter. I fed the girls left over pizza for breakfast (gulp) and if that bothers you, you may not want to read the next sentence. Grace got a can of diet pepsi and then took a wrapper off a bottle of root beer and taped it to the can. I guess she thought I would allow root beer. I love Saturdays because we do not have school or a real schedual. I decided to take advantage of it. So this is how my day went
play on computer
feed kids
play on computer
straighten kitchen
re fill all soap dispensers
clean off top of fridge-yuck i do not know where all the dust came from
clean out under the sink
play on the computer
hope straightened livingroom
faith started cleaning out van
forgot faith was going to sci quest with a friend so she had to rush to get ready
play on the computer
put away laundry
straighten my room
play on the computer
faith came home and had this to tell me
"MOM, THIS BOY TOLD ME THAT THERE HAS BEEN A HOLE IN HIS HEART SINCE HE SAW ME AND IT IS CLOSED NOW. BUT IF HE DOES NOT SEE ME AGAIN IT WILL COME BACK"
all i could say was WHAT????????????/
then she said
"OH, I GAVE HIM MY NUMBER AND HE IS GOING TO CALL AND I HAVE HIS NUMBER IN MY POCKET"
again I replied with WHAT????????
honestly after I saw the number I realized we know the family and have not seen them in a long time.
okay on with my day,
rob and michael came home
played on the computer
a friends kids came over
cooked dinner for tonight and tomorrow
made chocolate lava cake for dessert
straighted office and packed up all my craft stuff, the movers could come tomorrow and it would be ready
talked to kids.
ate dessert, talked to kids
straightened (well coached rob as he did) our bedroom closet
in all we got rid of 3 bags of stuff today, not bad but I would love for it to have been 6 bags
unloaded and loaded dishwasher
had kids straighten up
friend's kids left
my babies are taking a showers and then bed time for everyone including me

Have I said I love Saturdays. We have alot to do before the move and it is going to be a slow process.