Life of a working mom: February 2013

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Daily goals- Thursday, February 28, 2013

Today's the last day in February 1/6 of the year is gone. Tomorrow I'm going to look through my yearly goals and see how I am doing on them. I know sticking to grocery budget is not going very well, I'm $50.70 over each month I might have to adjust budget to something more reasonable. I also have not hit the gym so I'm going to have to start getting onto that goal too! How are you doing with your yearly goals?
Today's goals
1. Stop at the Acme and get the cereal deal two cans of cream of broccoli for dinner
2. Work- From 8 AM until 6 PM
3. Library- What a my little ones have a class and I would like to get my new book gone girl by Jillian Flynn
4. Make dinner- Tonight we are having broccoli and beef stirfry beef fried rice and egg rolls
5. Figure out Facebook new link.

Today is another busy day. I'm excited for this weekend when it's my dirty house and my garden that I have to focus on. Did you already make your weekend plans? What are they?

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Gardening tip- organically kill weeds

I have read this tip over and over again. It is to use vinegar to kill the weeds!

I have used this to kill weeds, I just up vinegar in a water bottle. They I just spray it on your weeds and they die. You might have to spray the plant once or twice but it does kill it. Just don't get your good plants!

Do you have any tips you would like to share? Let me know :) Follow all my adventures on Facebook PA

Daily goals- Wednesday, February 27, 2013

I'm was so excited have a nice spring day but it's raining here. :( Even though it's raining my girls (chicken) tried to escape this morning from the coop. I look like this crazy chicken lady to chasing after my chicks.
Today's goal
1. Work- From 8 AM until 6 PM
2. Plants my pansy seeds.
3. Make chicken marsala for dinner
4. Share last nights dinner recipe reviews and it was so good!
5. Play on the Wii with my family- We are in the need for some fun family time.

Last night after dance my little complaining about her toe. I look at it and it was infected :( Because she decided to bite her toenails giving herself an ingrown toenail and infection. Therefore me and hubby had so much fun trying to hold her down and push the puss out and start to put peroxide on it. Let's just say it took until 12 o'clock last night to bed, so I'm in a wonderful mood today. Praying that my little one are in a good that we can have a fun day.
Being a working mom or any type of mom never ends! Hope you have a great day

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

My white strawberry sprouted!

Today I counted 8 white strawberry spouts. I'm so excited!

They are the very tiny green dots in the pictures!!

Winter meatloaf recipe

I have two different recipes one for some and fall and one for winter. Here is the winter one.

Here is what you need,
1 lb of ground beef
1/2 lb of ground turkey
1 box of stove top
1 egg
2oz of cheesy melt

In a large bowl add the two ground meats.

Add the egg

Add the stove top

Mix them together

Made a log and put it in the meatloaf pan. Then make a slice down the middle not all the way though.

Add the cheese in the slice.

Cover the cheese with the meat

Put the tomato paste on top

Cook it at 350* for 35-45 minutes until the meat is done

Then it is ready to be served! Mine is going home with me.

What are you cooking for dinner?

Gardening Tip - getting toxins and metals out of the soil

I was reading "101 Organic Gardening Tips - Life Tips Book Series" by Sheri Ann Richerson. This book is full of many amazing tips. When you test your soil and find out there are toxins and metals in the soil there are plants that can help you take out the bad stuff and put back in the good stuff.

What are they? They are sunflowers and radishes! They best part, is I'm planning on planting both this year but I don't have toxins and metals in my soil.

Do you have any tip on garden you would like to share?

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Daily goal - Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Yesterday was sick day. I had an ache body. Even my little ones were off and not feeling 100%. So we took it easy yesterday.
Today's goals
1. Work 9am-6pm
2. Make dinner - mmm meatloaf and twice baked potatoes
3. Take cass to dance -8-9. While she is at dance run to the mall and grab her new jeans and hubby is going to get his hair cut.
4. Work on blog at naptime- this way I'm not rushing though it tonight
5. Read- I want to start "101 tips for Organic Gardening" it sounds so helpful.

I have a busy day, but hoping to get up my winter meatloaf post! What are you doing today? What are your goals? Let me know! :)

Monday, February 25, 2013

Gardening- 8 weeks before my last frost - planting cauliflower

This is a plant I debated planting. The cauliflower this year because we don't eat it that often. Don't get me worng we enjoy it, but not sure if it was worth the garden.

After think about I decide to go ahead and plant some I will find somewhere to plant them.

I planted them like all my other seed and now they under there grow light.

What are you growing in your garden? Did you plant anything you just not sure you are going to use?

Weekly Menu- February 25- March 3

Feb 25 -◦ Monday
Cereal (Breakfast)
Chicken Noodle Soup (Lunch)
Grilled Steak (Dinner)
Mash Potatoes (Dinner)
Corn (Dinner)

Feb 26 -◦ Tuesday
Bagel With Cream Cheese (Breakfast)
Spagetties Os (Lunch)
Red Pepper (Lunch)
Grapes (Lunch)
Meatloaf (Dinner)
Twice Baked Potatoes (Dinner)
Green Beans (Dinner)

Feb 27 -◦ Wednesday
Blueberry French Toast (Breakfast)
Pizza (Lunch)
Apple (Lunch)
Broccoli (Lunch)
Chicken marsel (Dinner)
Noddles (Dinner)
Mix Veggies (Dinner)

Feb 28 -◦ Thursday
Bagel With Cream Cheese (Breakfast)
Bologna Sandwich (Lunch)
Red Pepper (Lunch)
Apple (Lunch)
Leftover (Dinner)

Mar 01 -◦ Friday
Cereal (Breakfast)
Mac And Cheese W/ Hotdogs And Mix Veggies (Lunch)
Banana (Lunch)
Egg Rolls (Dinner)
Beef And Broc (Dinner)
Rice With Beef (Dinner)

Mar 02 -◦ Saturday
Cereal (Breakfast)
Leftovers (Lunch)
Leftover (Dinner)

Mar 03 -◦ Sunday
Cereal (Breakfast)
Leftover (Lunch)
Salibury Steak (Dinner)

Mmmmm this week menu sounds so good! What are you cooking this week?

Gardening Tip ~ Don't over Plant

This tip is a hard one for most gardeners; don’t over plant the starter seed. You don't ever want to plant a whole pack of seeds, unless you are sure you have the space. If you do and don’t have the space you will have to kill some seeds.

To avoid doing this you should have a garden plan made, and know how many of each plant you want. Also plant 1-2 seed per container it help you know how many seedlings you are going to have, because counting by two is easier.

What do I do if I over plant? I sell what I need to make up the cost of seeds, and then I give the rest away.

How do you make sure you done over plant?

Daily Goals ~ Monday February 25, 2013

Yesterday we knocked out a lot of stuff. We moved wood, weeded a garden bed, and build 1/2 of a shed. The day went fast. Lesson learn though, long days outside means crockpot cooking inside!

Todays Goals
1. Work 9-2
2. Run to the bank and post office
3. Make dinner
4. Make weekly meu
5.Relax
I did a lot yesterday, therefore I don't want o over work my body today. What are you up to today?

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Gardening~ 8 weeks before my last frost - Weekly Goals

According to my book Week-by-Week Vegetable Gardener’s Handbook,there are many goals for this week. I going to be busy this week. I'm going to add a goal of my own too.

Weekly goals
1. Uncover - strawberries and garlic that look like they are growing
2. Transplant- any plants that are showing their true leaves in to bigger containers
3. Asparagus - plant new crowns in the gardening and fertilize the older ones
4. Horseradish- plant new roots in the garden, dig roots and barest young leaves
5. Parsnip- plant outside in the soil as soon as it is workable.
6. Plant- Shasta Daisy seeds and Petunia seeds indoors

This is what is going on in my garden for this week. What are you doing? Let me know.

Follow the other Weeks Before Last FrostWeekly goals with the links below.
Gardening 20 Weeks Before My Last Frost- Weekly Goals
Gardening 19 Weeks Before My Last Frost- Weekly Goals
Gardening 18 Weeks Before my Last Frost
Gardening 17 Weeks Before My Last Frost Weekly Goals
Gardening~ Weeks 16 and Weeks 15 before My Last Frost - Weekly Goals
Gardening~ 14 Weeks before Average Date of Last Frost
Gardening~ 13 & 12 Weeks before Average Date of Last Frost
Gardening~ 11 Weeks before Average Date of Last Frost
Gardening ~ 10 weeks until my last frost - Weekly Goals
Gardening ~ 9 weeks until my last frost ~ Weekly Goals

Helping Hubby

We decide that we want to get a new shed. Hubby got most of it done, but need my help putting up the corners. It is 1/2 away up, he is going to finish the rest on Wednesday. What do you think? Did we do good?

Outside work - moving wood

We have a wood stove. I love the wood stove but it is work. We got 3 quarts dropped two weeks ago. The weather has made it so hard to move it rain, snow or just cold have made it hard for us to move it. Today it took sometime to move some of it.

There was about 2 1/2 left to move. I got to work, I ended up using my little ones quad.

I got a helper with this too, but I think it was only so she could ride her quad. Lol she was a huge help.

We moved about 1/2 a quart of wood today! It is going to take us 4 more days to move the rest. Hope weather keeps up!

The wood stove is a great investment, it is all we use to warm our home. It does take work we are putting wood on every 1-2 hour everyday.

The basement is warm though. I hope one day we will have enough land that we can farm our land for our own wood.

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Gardening- My Day in the Garden

Today we spent 3 hours out in the yard to day. Our yard needs a lot of TLC, so we will be spend as much time as we can to get out there and working on it. (Oh sorry about the picture, had to pull it off Facebook, my pictures didn't save.)

I spend time pulling weeds and moving wood out of my garden box. I also turned the soil with my hoe. I do this so the little weed seeds start to grow.

I also had some little helpers, helping me in the garden box. They were find all my weeds and eating them. Lol

I also had someone want to help, but he isn't the biggest helper. He would rather just eat the stuff, therefore he can't be in the garden.

Here is the finish project! A nice clean garden area. My carrots, radish and beets are going to be planted here I can't wait!

How your garden coming along? Follow all my adventures on Facebook PA Gardeners

Gardening tip- plant though out the season

Make good use of your gardening area! I know your think how, so am I. Here is a great way to do it.

Plant kohlrabi in the bed first. Then after it is harvest, plant green beans. After you harvest that plant your winter cold crop lettuce or kohlrabi again.

By doing that you have used your 1 spot and grow 3 different things.

I have not done it yet, I'm going to give it a try this year though!

Do you plant more then one thing in you boxes a year? If not what do you grow?

Daily Goals - Sunday, February 24, 2013

Yesterday we did a lot of running around. Hubby and I decided that we are only running to Wawa today to get the newspaper. After that we are home, for the day. We also agree only one day of running on our days off. We spent all Friday running and all Saturday running around.

Today Goals
1. Get newspaper - I want to grab my newspapers for my coupons. I'm planning on hitting Wawa but I might go to Walmart they are cheaper there.
2. Move Wood- it is suppose to be 47* out, not perfect weather. It is good enough to do some outside work in, and not freeze. We have about 2 1/2 quarts of wood to move.
3. Clean house- tonight I want to work on cleaning the house. It is a mess. I'm thinking if all 3 of use do it together it will be clean a lot quicker.
4. Write my menu, weekly goals- I have been doing great on them.
5. Make dinner - we were going to have leftover but there are much leftovers.

Busy day today, but I know I can knock everything out. What are your daily goals? What are you doing today? Let me know :)

Saturday, February 23, 2013

Making apple chips

I love making homemade apple chips and I'm making a tray of pineapple chips too!

While I was in Lancaster yesterday, we stopped and got about 19 apples and 1 pineapple for only $2.00. They are a little bruised, that why they were so cheap. I decide there, I would cut the bruised part out and dry them for snack for Cass.

Here is what you need to make your own apple chips;
Apples
1/4 Lemon or lime juice
Water

You first add the lime juice to the bowl.

Then you add the water to the bowl, about 3 cups.

Then I cut off the bruised part of the pineapple.

After that I sliced the pineapple and but it on the drying tray. I use a fruit dryer, it is easier for me then using our oven. Also hubby is planning on building me a solar one this year! I can't wait.

I cut up the apples next. Now I cut a little skin off, but leave most on. It depend on your taste it you leave it on or not.

I put them in the lime water mix, and let them soak as I cut more apple. This helps them not turn brown and kills anything that was on them.

I put them on the dryer rack and up them on the dryer.

I add cinnamon to the last 3 trays. Cinnamon is very good for you and will give an apple pie taste. But only add a little when dried a little goes along way.

After I fill all my trays, I turn the dry on it will take about 12-24 hours to dry them. Cass can't wait, she has already decide she was taking them to school this week.

I still had 5 apple left over! Maybe apple bread this week, I'll have to see what everyone wants.

The bruised apples will go to the chicks. They will love this!

I did not give my cores parts to the chicks, I know apple seeds are poisons, and I don't want to poison them or us after eating there eggs. To the compost they went. I will post later on what I did with the lime water mixture. I'll just saying we didn't waste anything. :)

How do you save your food? Do you dry your fruits and veggies, or canning them, or cook with them, or freeze them?