July 2014

Book Review: A Stitch and a Prayer, by Eva Gibson

Hello again, savvy savers! Today finds us with yet another awesome book review, and this time A Stitch and a Prayer, by Eva Gibson.

Historical fiction fans will delight in this pioneer period setting! This book centers on Florence, a pioneer woman, abandoned by her husband, while pregnant, and dealing with a chronic, debilitating chronic illness. Despite her personal struggles, Florence pours her frustrations into the creation of a beautiful quilt. As with all the Quilts of Love books I have read, A Stitch and a Prayer presents solid values in its characters personal identity. For as Florence struggles to live on her own, all the while keeping steadfast in her faith in God and in her husband. The Tree of Life quilt that Florence is creating offers beautiful symbolism to both Florence and her story.

Florence’s story shifts as she meets a new suitor, for whom she agrees to marry, and later when her fiancé returns from the Klondike gold rush in 1897, Florence Harms sets about building a new life in her new marriage, despite her continued side effects of her illness. She and her young husband, Will, work tirelessly to clear the land around their Northwest cabin, content with their modest, God-fearing lives. But when a stranger comes knocking at their door, Florence suddenly senses a restlessness in Will’s spirit that she had never seen before. When he leaves her with only a note that tells her he will return before their baby’s birth, she is devastated, and the illness that stiffened her joints returns. Counting the days until Will walks back through her door, Florence busies herself with a Tree of Life quilt displaying a map of the farm they call home. Doubts claw at her heart as Florence struggles to believe Will’s promise to return to her.

Will her labor of love-and faith in God—sustain her as she waits to see her beloved once again? You will have to read this book to find out!

To purchase a copy of this book, click here!

In compliance with FTC regulation, I hereby disclaim that I received a free copy of the book from LitFuse Publishing, in exchange for my review. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions of this book, its author, and publisher, are that of my own. Also, the review also contains a link in this post, which is my referral link. Read my disclosure policy here.

Making More out of Monday Meals: How To Make Smoked Chicken Stock!

Hello again, savvy savers! For this weeks Making More out of Monday Meals series post, I want to share with you one of my favorite ways to both save money as well as prepare for cold-weather soups, stews, and gravies, and that is with my Homemade Smoked Chicken Stock recipe. Also, please note that when I go about making stock it is generally an impromptu cooking session, and most always follows a generally blanching session for freezable veggies and fruit. In this case, this session followed both the 4th of July Holiday, in which my husband smoked whole free-range chickens for the family, and also coincided with a 10/$10.00 Winn-Dixie produce sale on baby carrots; keep in mind that even though the taste of the infused water will vary depending on which vegetables, or even fruit, are used, all will generally work just as well!

To begin, I retained the water from three to four batches of blanched carrots, to the side on my stovetop. I brought the water to a medium-high heat, and then added the remnants of a whole rubbed, smoked chicken. Once my carrots were prepped and put away, I then removed my pot from the burner, and let it cook; this takes about twenty minutes. Then, I added my smoked chicken to the carrot-infused water, and as the rub on the chicken contained seas salt, curry, pepper, bay leaves, and garlic, no other seasonings are needed. I turn the temperature to medium high and let the stock simmer for forty-five minutes. At forty-five minutes, I add more reserved carrot-infused blanching water to the pot and then let the stock reduce by a forth; this will take an additional forty-five minutes.

The stock at this point will be done, and you will need to turn off the burner and let the stock sit uncovered, for one hour. At this point, strain the stock in a colander or over cheesecloth. I generally freeze my stock in labeled tupperware containers, and use the stock within six months to the date of freeze. This stock is both sweet and savory, and rivals any stock commercially purchased, hands down! I strongly encourage you all to try your hand at making your own stock at home!

Here’s to saving!

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Weekly Reflections: Highs And Lows From This Week & Weekly Goals For The Week Ahead, 7/13-7/19!

Hello again, savvy savers! I wanted to end my weekly posts by bring the week to a close with a post about the reflections on this past week.

The highs for the week:

Losing two pounds.
Trying to expand my family!
The ongoing repurposing of two rooms in my home.
Continuing a daily devotional.

My lows for the week:

Preparing for a new life without being a caretaker to a family living with dementia, who has gone to live with relatives; seeing a relative seemingly disappear in plain sight in truly frustrating, and through continued prayer, I hope to make it through this difficult time. As I have been a working in the clerical field, as well as being a caretaker, it will be a transition to become a wife and family, without this role in tact as I have been a caretaker the entirety of my marriage. Though this is a needed transition, change can be difficult, travel expensive, and feelings are still the hardest casualty of all!

My quote for the week:

All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his. -Unknown

My inspiration for the week:

Being able to recycle 90% of my weekly trash!

My humor for the week:

Catching myself singing out loud, being caught doing so, and not even caring!

Goals For The Coming Week:

Lose 1 pound, organize my insurance records, organize my will, walk the dogs 1/2 mile a day, have all blog assignments done on time, finish four product and boxed subscription reviews, oil paint for a few hours, take one hour for myself each night, and sleep 7 hours nightly!

Happy Sunday!

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Housewife Hacks: Remove Shoe Scuffs With Banana Peels!

Good evening, savvy savers! For this weeks Housewifes Hack Series Post, I wanted to share with you a quick, go-to cleaning secret in my home. The way I remove scuff marks off of light colored leather shoes, is with the inside of banana peels! Just rub the inside of the peels on scuff marks, let sit for two minutes, rub in, and then wipe away any residue! This tried-and-true method was handed down to me by my mother, and will surely come in handy as people are switching out their winter boots for Summer flats, espadrilles, and sandals!

Please note, peels can still be composted after using them to remove scuffs, as well. Here’s to natural cleaning methods!

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Tutorial Tuesday: How To Organize Your Electronic Supply Drawer!

Hello again, savvy savers! Today finds us with another great tutorial! For this weeks Tutorial Tuesday, I want to show you the quickest and easiest way I have found to organize on the massive amounts of electronic accessories, cords, do-dads, and the like in my home. If your stash is anything like mine, it is the archeological record of the past half decade of trends, fads, and all things techy, and without a proper means to store them, many simply end up in a drawer! Well no longer! I tackled my drawer last night, and here’s how:

First, I sought to disassemble this pile into groups; things that can be used in one area, things that can be donated via Freecycle to another pile, and things that can be recycled (things without lithium batteries) to another area. Also consider, used phones can be donated to drop boxes at local military bases for troops, or re-sold at boxes and stations in malls across the country.

Next, I amassed my tools. I used plastic bins on hand from the Dollar Tree and cardboard tubes from toilet paper and paper towels, removed of paper remnants and trimmed to the size of the boxes; trimming can be recycled. I then take each set of cards, headphones, and cables, and place them into their own tube slot. Rubber keyboards can also be rolled into tubes. Remotes can be placed in separate tubes as well. There will be a small area of room at the end of each bin which can be used for cd-rom storage as well. I also used a separate bin to store bulky headphones; the ends of headphones can be secured with breadties.

And there you have it! Voila, organized electronic storage that now takes up less than 1/3 the amount of room as before! Pretty nifty in my book! If you have an electronics organization idea you would like to share, I would love to hear about it below in the comment section of this post!

Here’s to a de-cluttered home!

Hanging Pet Cage Organizer!

Hello again, savvy savers! Today finds us with another awesome organizational idea, and this time my Hanging Pet Cage Organizer!

I came up with the idea to hang an plastic magazine organizer on the side of my husband’s pet’s cage, to help with storage for hammocks, treat sticks, treat bags, and small toys. The organizer is the same color as the cage, does not distract the family from viewing the pet in the den, and makes getting to much needed supplies, quick and easy!

To attach the unit, I simply screwed the organizer onto the same hook that holds Juju’s wheel to her cage; doing so did not cause the cage wheel to stop spinning as a result, as most pet wheels have internal spinning agents and not external ones. The magazine rack cost $1.00 at Walmart, and is an awesome way to keep Juju happy, healthy, and well organized!

Here’s to organization!

Beauty On A Budget: Homemade Nail Polish Remover!

Calling all my frugal fashionistas! For this weeks Beauty On A Budget Series I want to discuss one of my favorite ways to save money on cosmetics, and that with my homemade Nail Polish Remover!

What so cool about this remover? It’s made of just one tablespoon lemon juice, 1/4 cup white vinegar, and a 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch! That’s it! This blend is natural, easy on hands, is acetone-free, and works just as well as any commercial brand. I can make a 20 ounce bottle, a years worth of remover for $0.50! I polish my nails weekly, and find that one bottles lasts nearly a year, and compared to the $12.00 I spent annually in previous years, this is a beauty secret I will be continuing! As this product is acetone-free, there is no peeling as well. I keep my remover in the fridge in the warmer months to prevent the starch from separating, and its good to go on all fronts! Be sure to try this method for removing nail polish, and see how awesome saving money can be! Enjoy!

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