A Simpler Time

Times are tough. They have been for a long time. Husbands are still losing jobs. Mothers are having to work part-time. It is more expensive to eat, to drive, to just live. People are losing hope.

Is there a way out of such a mess?

Yes, and it is not to spend our way out as some would like us to believe. The way out is to take inspiration from the past, from a simpler time. In order to move forward we must go back.

Back to a time of homegrown homemade meals, gently used clothing, line dried linens, walks around the block, front porch chats with neighbors, children catching fireflies, fixing things ourselves, and providing for our families without debt.

Many websites, blogs, and books abound that can teach us these forgotten arts. Read them. Enjoy them. Take that knowledge and apply it to your own life. You and your family will be much happier for it.

Learning from the past will help us all to improve our lives. Give us hope through these tough times, and help us all succeed in our journey through life. 


Linking with.....
Clever Chicks Blog Hop
 Homemaking Party

Sugar High

I've been looking all over for sugar cubes and much to my dismay not having any success.  When I saw the wonderful tutorial at Nifty Thrifty Things for making these dainty little sugar cubes I was ecstatic. I just thought they were the sweetest little things. I wanted to gather my friends and have a real lady's tea. Instead I came up with this easy cinnamon and brown sugar variation.

Ingredients

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg

water

Directions

Stir sugar, brown sugar, and cinnamon mixing thoroughly. Add a few drops of water while mixing till mixture starts to stick together when pressed. Fill chosen *molds and let air dry overnight.

* You can use ice cube trays or candy molds. I used Wilton Candy Mold - Stars . I have also seen cute silicon ice cube trays at the Dollar Tree that would be perfect for this project.

Pinterest 10 in 10 Week One Success

  While looking through my pins this week I came across these adorable little rolls of fabric tape. I've seen them popping up at all the craft stores and wanted to take some home with me. I just could not justify the expense no matter how hard I tried.

  As soon as I read this  how-to and learned how easy and inexpensive it was to make the tape, I raided my fabric stash and went to work making yards upon yards of the stuff.

  The timing was perfect to use this project as my first in my Pinterest 10 in 10. If your interested you can read about my self imposed challenge here.

To get started, you will need a variety of fabric,double sided tape, and scissors.

Attach one side of the tape to the back side of a piece of fabric.

Cut the fabric a half an inch or so around the tape. This makes it a little more manageable when trimming up.

Now, cut a straight edge along the tapes edge. Use crinkle cut craft scissors for a nice crinkle edge.

That's it.

 

 Wrap those lovely bits of tape around wooden spools for an amazing vintage look and enjoy!

Meal Plan Monday

A meal plan is a simple and economical way to insure my family eats healthy well rounded meals.

For Breakfast

Daily - Choice of oatmeal, cold cereal( while my stockpile last, then I will not be purchasing this anytime soon.), scrambled eggs, or bagel and cream cheese.

For Lunch

Daily - Choice of grapes and cheese, leftovers, or fruit smoothies.

For Dinner

Monday - Leftover chili and biscuits

Tuesday - Scrambled eggs, cheesy fried potatoes, and grapes

Wednesday - Spaghetti and garlic bread 

Thursday - Fried chicken, mac-n-cheese, and corn

Friday - Clean out the fridge night

Saturday - Hamburger's with all the fixings, homemade fries, and pickle chunks

Sunday - Baked whole chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, cranberry, and biscuits