If you want to be frugal try these! A.K.A. "Save a Buck Sunday"

One of my favorite books is the Tightwad Gazette. If you don't own it and you are striving to be frugal you must own this book. It is awesome! One suggestion that it has is using TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) as a meat substitute. I have wanted to try it for some time but have not had the courage to do so, until tonight! My SIL was over and we were trying the Millet I had made and then I brought out the TVP. We soaked it and then she so bravely tasted it first, it was not bad at all! We both agreed that it could easily serve as a meat sub in many dishes. Not that I am against using meat, I'm just always looking for ways to save a buck. It is about a dollar a pound and it is much healthier than actual meat. Less fat more fiber etc... I must add that she has texture issues and still liked it! We were trying it with a little seasonings etc... I think it will be much better in an actual recipe. If anyone would like to share your experiences I'd love to hear!


Now on to the Millet. This is a grain that is similar to wheat, yet is gluten free! Yipee! It reminds me of cous cous. It is prepared like you would prepare rice. Tonight I tried it with butter. Thats as far as I got. I am going to look for some good recipes to use it in. Once again very cheap. One bag cost $.99 at Cao Nguyen (Asian food store off Classen). I know it is possible to make a flat bread with it so I will be researching that. I'm starting to get tired of corn tortillas! I have yet to make a good gluten-free bread, even though I have a great recipe for one. I have a strange fear of making bread for some reason???

By the way, I have an idea of starting a "Save a Buck Sunday" post. Basically you would post a frugal idea that you have and use, on Sundays. Similar to the "Random Thoughts Thursday", "Flashback Friday", etc... join in if you'd like!

So blessed

Today was a great day! It all started with me actually being on time and leaving the house to be on time to church. We had a wonderful lesson focusing on reaching out to others. Oh, how I need to do this more. I often have great intentions of reaching out but do not always follow through... fear of rejection I presume. One more thing to add to my prayer list.

The service ended with my 10 year old nephew going forward to be baptized. What a special day for this Brown family. It seems like only yesterday he was born...just five days after my own son.

The afternoon was spent doing a few household chores and a nap of course. Following dinner we played several rounds of Apples to Apples with the family. Then welcomed David's family over for some Wii/Guitar Hero action. David did not get up from those drums for a couple of hours. He can really rock out! We keep telling him to join a band and relive his glory days :) Anyone needing a drummer let me know...

As I sit here yawning I am feeling so blessed to have such a wonderful family. Good night.

They say , "There is a special place in heaven for the mother of three boys"

But what about the mother of one boy? I have to assume that there will be a special place for me too. ;) My little boy can sure give me a run for my money to say the least. But God never fails me. As I reflected on the the challenges that can come with parenting, I picked up a kids devo book sitting next to me and opened to the page "When you face a trial".

You will face all kinds of trouble. When you do, think of it as pure joy. Your faith will be put to the test. You know that when that happens it will produce in you the strength to continue.~James 1:2-3.

This scripture came at the perfect time. After a few rough days I needed this encouragement.

Although he can be a challenge at times he can also be a blessing in sooooo many ways. This little guy, getting bigger by the day, is very quick witted when least expected. He loves his little sister dearly and often calls her "honey", while trying to help her with something. He still likes to be "put to bed" with a prayer and a late night "talk". He does his chores. He loves to go to Bible class and school. Not to mention he has done very well academically. He has patience beyond measure, like his dad. :) He is honest and reliable. We love him very much!!!!

One other exciting tidbit that we are so thrilled about is his ability to mow the grass :). I know dad was elated that this day arrived so I included a pic of him in action! We love you Davis!

Schools Out for Summer

Oh how I have longed for this day!!! I had a pretty good year at Crooked Oak, but it was short lived. I will be teaching in Mustang next year. Turns out Crooked Oak did not have it in the budget to keep a few Sped teachers, so... last hired first to go. I am so grateful to have a position in Mustang. Once again God never fails me.

I have been away from blogging for the last month or so. I'm looking forward to catching up. I've enjoyed reading blogs just haven't had much time to do my own writing.

I am looking forward to spending much needed time with my kids this summer. We are also hosting a new student from Japan. So far she is great! No big trips planned, except a few camps and camping trips. Oh and we will be preparing our house to sell sometime this summer, more on that later...

Random Thoughts thursday, almost missed it!

I coached MS Cheer this year, we are having try-outs tomorrow ... it will be a long day, I can barely watch some of them.

I hate that I have zero time to plan or actually cook something gluten-free, I can't wait for summer!

On that note my job was eliminated, looking for a new position... who ever heard of special education jobs being cut???

There are at least 3 piles of CLEAN clothes I need to re-fold and put up, why am I on here??? Maybe because I was at work for 10 hours today...

I've been listening to the neighbor boy do tricks on his skateboard for the last hour, not far from my bedroom window

I have a hard time being random...

What a boring post

I have a new appreciation for the OKC Memorial Marathon

Although I did NOT run a marathon or even a half marathon this weekend, I feel as if I have been running all weekend.

Friday consisted of attending CR at our church and then a late night at SB with a few friends.

Saturday started out w/ 2 bball games for my son then on to the OKC Arts Festival. I always enjoy attending this event for the food, atmosphere, music, and of course the art! My favorite artist is the woman who "paints" using an ink pad and her fingerprints to create beautiful paintings.

On to the Hartman's for a wonderful dinner. Their backyard is amazing! and the weather was perfect.

I was not sure what to expect when I agreed to sign up to attend the OKC Memorial Kid's Marathon this morning, at 7am. It was so much better than I ever expected! After finishing that, my son and I headed over to the finish line. We were able to watch numerous runners finish the 1/2 marathon. I saw several faces I knew, and had fun embarrassing Davis as I cheered on a few friends who finished. We also had the privilege of seeing several of the 26.2 er's! I actually fought back tears watching all of these runners. It takes such hard work and dedication to accomplish a race, no matter what distance it is. I know, I used to be a runner back in the day... just finishing was all I cared about. I was so inspired... enough to train in the next year?... perhaps. Davis is interested too, so we shall see.

I encourage anyone who knows someone racing or who just wants to have a fun and memorable experience, go to a race and watch, better yet volunteer! It is so much fun!

A memorable Saturday

Today started out as many Saturday's do for us. My son had 2 basketball games this morning. Following the games we ate lunch with our family. That is always enjoyable. We are very open around each other which makes for a wild and crazy time. Sometimes we get some looks, but we just chuckle.

Following lunch we headed home. I was dreading doing the laundry that has piled up since our dryer is not working (getting fixed Monday). I had already loaded 4 baskets of clothes in to my van, in hopes that I would make it to the laundromat sometime today. Sophie and David fell asleep on the couch and Davis and I headed to Walmart. After that stop I mentioned we would be going to do the laundry... he wanted to be taken home. I offered to get some ice cream if he would come to help. Little did he know we would be there over three hours.

I grew up going to the laundromat, nothing new to me. For him,however, it was all new. He ended up loading washers, loading dryers, checking for damp clothes, transferring damp clothes, folding, and loading the HEAVY baskets back in to the van. I was sooooo impressed. It was a very creative way for us to bond, even though it took a little bribing. It would have been much harder without him. At the end when I was sorting and matching socks I encouraged him to sit down and rest. He was kind enough to say " you haven't taken a break so I shouldn't take a break". If you know my little son he is typically dry and matter of fact, this was one of the sweetest things he has said to me in a long time. I never anticipated what I felt or experienced today. It was a very special time.

It is so amazing what happens when people work together side by side for a common goal. It provides so many different opportunities to grow closer. As touched as I was I am not sure I will ever be able to get him to go again :)

Tomorrow we have the chore of putting all those clothes away, work never ends....