There are so many different ways to live a frugal  lifestyle. . . this is a great place to learn new things and encourage one another! Below you can share the link to a post on your own blog, share a little about your frugal life and encourage others. Be sure to come back each Friday and link-up to this great community of frugal followers!

If you get my Friday newsletter, you most likely read Midge’s question about my favorite appetizer to serve at parties (if you don’t get my FREE newsletter be sure and subscribe via the sticky note in the upper right corner). Read below to see my response.  Molly

Dear Midge,

I have to admit, I used to enjoy making appetizers or fancy hors d’oeuvres more before having children. This is ONLY because it seems I had more time and I needed less of them! Now whenever I bring food to a party I find myself thinking quantity over appearance- LOL! One of my favorite appetizers to make (or bring to a party) are chicken wings. Who doesn’t love chicken wings? It’s a fairly inexpensive food to purchase and prepare and they’re yummy (and messy!). It’s true chicken wings aren’t very fancy but they’re almost always a hit! You can choose many different flavors and sauces to coat your wings, what about GARLIC AND PARMESAN? BUFFALO CHICKEN WINGS are one of my personal favorites! Maybe you’d like to try baking your wings, HERE’S a yummy recipe. Looking for something a bit different? ROASTED ASIAN CHICKEN WINGS may be your new favorite.

Ok, I know that was a bit of a chicken wing rabbit trail. . . I’m back to thinking about your love for different kinds of dips. Have you ever tried serving them in a bread bowl? Check out THIS RECIPE, you could totally do this and impress the crowd! Remember that punch bowl you bought last year when we were garage sale shopping? A pretty and tasty punch is sure to steal the show! Check out THESE YUMMY PUNCH RECIPES.

Now I’m thinking we need to plan a family get-together so we can make some of these foods! Grab your calendar. . .

Love ya, Molly

To share a link to your post about frugal living, use the Linky below. But first. . .

1. We’d love for you to share your links that include anything  related to DIY projects, saving money, frugal living, made from scratch cooking, cleaning products, sustainable living, gardening, organic, and anything else related to homemaking! You can also  include your struggles while trying to live a frugal lifestyle (like  Midge!)! Show us about how you are thriving while surviving on a smaller budget!

2. Please, no link-ups to giveaways or blog topics in which you are just selling a product.

3. Link directly to your frugal post, not to your home page.

4. Grab our linky graphic (from the sidebar) and put it on your blog or on your linky post.

5. If a linked up post does not meet the above guidelines, it will  be removed.

6. If you link-up, please click on other’s links as well. Our frugal followers have a lot to share!

Living frugally means living, learning, and growing from each other. We can’t wait to see what you are going to share (to see other blogs who have linked up, click the link below)!   Ready, set, link!

CLICK HERE TO LINK-UP!

There are so many different ways to live a frugal  lifestyle. . . this is a great place to learn new things and encourage one another! Below you can share the link to a post on your own blog, share a little about your frugal life and encourage others. Be sure to come back each Friday and link-up to this great community of frugal followers!

If you get my Friday newsletter, you most likely read Midge’s question about her gift giving idea for Mother’s Day (if you don’t get my FREE newsletter be sure and subscribe via the sticky note in the upper right corner). Read below to see my response.  Molly

Dear Midge,

What a great idea to write little love notes to your daughter! Notes of your hopes and dreams for her throughout the years is such a sweet keepsake. . . my mind automatically went to a little book/journal where you can write a small note each year. Maybe something along the lines of “This year you blessed me as a mother by….”

What a great gift to give your child when she is grown and how special to look back on those memories. I think choosing a small book/ journal may hold up better than individual notes but if you do choose to go with individual slips of paper, you could maybe place those in a scrapbook later on. That would be a neat look too!

If you do ever come across a heart shaped rock, you could add it to your handwritten “Mama notes.” This is such a neat idea, I may need to go in search of supplies and do this myself!

Happy Mother’s Day!

Love ya, Molly

To share a link to your post about frugal living, use the Linky below. But first. . .

1. We’d love for you to share your links that include anything  related to DIY projects, saving money, frugal living, made from scratch cooking, cleaning products, sustainable living, gardening, organic, and anything else related to homemaking! You can also  include your struggles while trying to live a frugal lifestyle (like  Midge!)! Show us about how you are thriving while surviving on a smaller budget!

2. Please, no link-ups to giveaways or blog topics in which you are just selling a product.

3. Link directly to your frugal post, not to your home page.

4. Grab our linky graphic (from the sidebar) and put it on your blog or on your linky post.

5. If a linked up post does not meet the above guidelines, it will  be removed.

6. If you link-up, please click on other’s links as well. Our frugal followers have a lot to share!

Living frugally means living, learning, and growing from each other. We can’t wait to see what you are going to share (to see other blogs who have linked up, click the link below)!   Ready, set, link!

CLICK HERE TO LINK-UP!

Guest Blog by: Midge

Yeast has always seemed like a strange ingredient to me. It seems as if there are so many rules regarding the use of yeast . . .  my brain rises just thinking about it. When I have added it to my bread machine, the requirement stated that the yeast must not touch the water when adding all of the ingredients. So, I put the water into the bread bowl then added the dry ingredients. Lastly, I introduced the yeast by making a small indentation in the flour then pouring the yeast into it like a cup. I do this every time without truly understanding why.

Recently, my husband and I were finally able to purchase a KitchenAid stand mixer. I have wanted to buy one for quite some time.  But, the cost has always been prohibitive. We saved our money, found a great deal, and made the investment. The biggest benefit of this mixer so far has been the variety of food items which I can now create.

The dough hook became quite handy when I tried my hand at making made-from-scratch pizza dough this past weekend. It was amazingly easy and came out better than any other dough I have tried in the past. Here is the simple, yummy recipe I used: BASIC KITCHENAID PIZZA DOUGH.

The one thing which, once again, seemed to catch my attention was the yeast. This recipe called for adding the yeast to the warm water directly and waiting until the yeast was “creamy”. Okay, this is a brand new idea for me. “Creamy yeast”? Yeast already seemed a bit odd to me especially when it “static clings” its little particles together. Yeast is a live fungus – um, ew. But, the yeast did indeed get creamy and I continued on with the project.

While I was letting it rise – for TWO hours- I began to think about yeast in the Bible. I am always brought back to the story of Passover.  The Israelites were going to be delivered out of the Egyptian hands of slavery. They were told to bake bread but not to use yeast because they needed to be able to leave at a moment’s notice. And now, I know why- yeast needs lots of time to make the bread rise.

This week is the time of Passover and today we mark the celebration in the Christian church of the Last Supper. Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with His disciples and washed their feet in a true example of servanthood.  He celebrated God’s deliverance of Israel from the Egyptians just before He would lead God’s deliverance of Jews and Gentiles in His ultimate sacrifice on the cross and resurrection three days later.

So, next time you make your dough, ponder the yeast. You never know where those thoughts may take you…

Happy Easter!  He is risen!

More on: YEAST, YEAST SCIENCE , and PASSOVER HISTORY AND DETAILS

If you get my Friday newsletter, you most likely read Midge’s question about a chic, Easter brunch on a dime (if you don’t get my FREE newsletter be sure and subscribe via the sticky note in the upper right corner). Read below to read my fun (and frugal!) ideas. Molly

Dear Midge,

You had my attention at the word “chic.” Immediately my mind went to the “shabby chic” method of decorating, I’ve loved that look for years! So for once, I’m going to chat about decorating FIRST. . . before food. I know, it surprised me too.

Decorating your home doesn’t have to be expensive, creativity can go a long way! Shabby chic (in my opinion) is all about taking what you have and reusing it to make your space beautiful. When it comes to Easter and decorating your home, why not start with an Easter wreath on your front door? THIS SITE has 9 easy, DIY Easter wreath & garland ideas. There are kid friendly wreath ideas here as well as some sophisticated (chic) ideas. What are your thoughts on this shabby chic, EASTER WREATH?

Looking for some Easter themed decor to use as a center piece for the table or for around the house? Check out THIS SITE, you’ll find many Easter-inspired crafts there using eggs as the main attraction. THIS EGG SHELL ART is one of my favorites. While I think it would take some time and patience to complete this project, how beautiful would these be in a small bowl as an Easter decoration?

Now. . . on to chic, brunch ideas. One of my favorite things to say is “be fabulously frugal!” That statement is the exact thing that came to mind when I saw THIS SITE and all of the yummy, (and cute!) Easter brunch ideas.  If you scroll down the page a bit (#18 and #19), you’ll come across certain foods that may be on your mind.

Sometimes the kiddos in your group may enjoy tried-and-true recipes such as: pancakes, french toast, breakfast sausage (did you know you can make your own?), fruit cups and/or donuts, muffins and yummy, quick breads. THIS SITE has some simple yet scrumptious recipes for a beautiful brunch.

Happy planning!

Love, Molly

If you get my Friday newsletter, you most likely read Midge’s question about a simple way to explain the St. Patrick’s Day holiday (if you don’t get my FREE newsletter be sure and subscribe via the sticky note in the upper right corner). Read below to read my thoughts! Molly

Dear Midge,

I think a simple explanation followed by a fun craft is definitely the way to go! Just use your own words to describe who St. Patrick was and what he did. Simply put he was the man who brought Christianity to Ireland. Ireland chose the Shamrock as their national flower because St. Patrick used it to describe the Holy Trinity when explaining the foundation of Christianity to the people. St. Patrick’s Day has become associated with anything Irish: the colors green and gold, luck and shamrocks. As far as leprechauns, rainbows and a pot of gold. . . well, you’ll have to decide how you want to approach that.

I found THIS NEAT SITE that provides all sorts of St. Patrick’s Day activities. Take your pick and get the glue sticks ready!

Love ya, Molly

Guest Blog by: Midge

Before my mother became a newlywed, she decided to make an elaborate, special meal for my father. After all, the old English Proverb, “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach”, seemed applicable. Cooking for her husband to be would be a good way to show off her culinary skills. She found a recipe which included a simple list of ingredients as well as an orange powdered drink mix which tasted similar to the Tang drink mix I used to drink as a child (they were called funny face drink mixes). It was Duck a l’Orange (or Duck a la Tang) and she knew it would be a sure way to woo my father’s taste buds.

The thing about trying out recipes for the first time is that they sometimes don’t work out the way you expected. Using the drink mix seemed like a clever inexpensive idea yet whomever had written this recipe down must have forgotten an additional ingredient or two! The presentation was beautiful and the taste was out of this world inedible! The good news is my father and mother still got married (even after this culinary fiasco) but, when pressed, will share that this meal was one of the worst in their entire married life.

To honor my parents, who will be having their 45^th wedding anniversary this September, I decided to prepare Duck a l’orange (without using Tang!) for my husband’s Valentine’s Day dinner. I found this Duck a l’Orange recipe and was hopeful my experience would turn out a bit different than my parents.

Since buying the duck was a bit on the expensive side ($18 for a VERY skinny duck), I tried to save money by selecting a recipe which would not require purchasing extra ingredients. I was able to find most of the ingredients in my cupboard and refrigerator, although I did end up buying a few odds and ends at the store, like peach preserves and sage leaves. Amazingly, I had mango chutney in the refrigerator from a past recipe this Christmas.

Cooking the duck was a bit easier than I expected. I sprinkled the seasonings onto the duck, according to the directions, cut into the skin as required and stuffed the inside of the duck full of apple slices. Cooking duck was similar to cooking a chicken but the meat is a deeper color which made me pause for a moment and freak out a bit inside (What had I got myself into!). The recipe also states you could cook it for less time for a rare duck ~ rare duck? I am not really a rare meat eating kind of gal, so I cooked it for the ultimate length of time just to be on the safe side.

The sauce came next and required some red wine. This was also one of the purchases I had to make at the store. I actually had to ask the clerk at the grocery store to recommend the type of wine to buy in order to make this sauce. She shared there was also a red cooking wine you could use as a replacement.

When the duck was done cooking, I think it shrunk. Seriously, there was just not a lot of meat on this skinny duck! I thought I would be cutting into a nice succulent piece of meat and have plenty to share with my husband plus bountiful leftovers. Nice try Midge! But nope, it was definitely not the case! It was also very tough to cut and I believe in my effort to ensure it was not “rare”, I most likely overcooked it. It then became a tough, skinny duck which you definitely did not want to mess with!

The Skinny Tough Looking Duck ~ Look out! You won’t want to mess with this duck!

While our first taste of the duck meat was just “so so”, the addition of the orange sauce was PURE decadence. I felt like I was eating a meal at a fancy restaurant in the midst of waiters in suits and ties with a lady in the corner singing opera music. Okay, maybe I took that analogy too far! But, it was wonderful!

Mom and Dad ~ You guys are coming over to my house in September for some Duck a l’Orange!!  And if you would like, I will serve you up some Tang to drink just for a walk down memory lane.

What is the fanciest meal that you have ever tried to make? Did it turn out well? Have you ever had to throw out a complete meal because it was awful? I know I have had to a time or two!

You don’t have to spend a lot of money to say “I love you!” There are simple, creative ways to show loved ones how much they are appreciated without spending a lot of money.

Do you know the history of Valentine’s Day?

There are many stories and legends surrounding the story behind Saint Valentine. Valentine was known to be a Catholic priest who was performing secret marriages without Emperor Claudius II’s approval.

When the emperor found out, he had Valentine put to death on February 14th 269 AD. The night before his death, Valentine sent a note to his loved one and signed it, “From Your Valentine.” Over 200 hundred years later, Pope Galasius instituted the celebration of Valentines Day in 496 AD to commemorate the day that St. Valentine was martyred.

Practical Ways to Say ” I Love You”

Give your loved one a special gift without spending a lot of money. Here are a few ideas:

• Buy a set of candles, bubble bath, or potpourri.
• Bring home dinner and a movie.
• Arrange for a babysitter,  for your children to go to Grandma’s house or somewhere else for the night.
• Forgo eating out: save money and cook dinner at home.
• Clean the kitchen after cooking dinner for your wife.
• Bring home your spouse’s favorite ice cream.
• Leave post it notes with words of love and affection in various spots throughout the house.

Red and Pink Construction Paper and Doilie Heart Valentines

Those who were born in the 1970s or before might remember creating simple Valentines from red and pink construction paper, paper heart doilies, and remnants of lace, foil, tissue paper, or whatever was on hand.

School children made Valentine boxes from recycled shoe boxes or a grocery paper sack. Wives wrote love notes to their husbands and stuck them on his pillow, the bathroom mirror, or in his lunch sack with his sandwich. Husbands may have arranged to take wives to a movie or out to dinner so she could have a night off from her domestic duties.

Why not get back to those days of yesteryear when things were more simple? Let’s be sure to remember that it is the thought that counts.

There are thousands of trinkets and cute little gifts that are available and can purchased from local retail chains. However, gifts from the heart may be more graciously received and treasured for years to come. Why not give a gift that comes straight from the heart?

Do you have a creative way to show loved ones you care? Do you like to prepare a special dish or dessert that says, “I Love you?”

If you get my Friday newsletter, you most likely read Midge’s question about simple ways to show love to others this Valentine’s Day (if you don’t get my FREE newsletter be sure and subscribe via the sticky note in the upper right corner). Read below to find out some of my ideas! Molly

Dear Midge,

My mind always goes to the practical things, here are a few ideas that came to mind:

• bake a few batches of cookies and leave on your neighbor’s doorstep with a kind note
• shovel out a neighbor or elderly person’s driveway/sidewalks
• have your children make homemade cards, deliver to a local nursing home and hand out to the residents
• bring a dinner (or some freezer meals) to an elderly shut in, single mom or a family who has a new baby

The gift or gesture doesn’t need to be big, sometimes the smallest things mean the most. Pick a person or people and try to determine something that might help them or that they might enjoy. Happy imagining!

Love ya, Molly

Guest Blog by: Midge

I have the hardest time finding fun crafts for my toddler to do! She tends to still want to put things in her mouth and so that fact alone has limited some of our projects. I finally decided to let her paint with pudding which ended up being a blast and I did not have to worry about those little pudding fingers ending up in her mouth!

I searched the internet and Pinterest (of course)  for some fun, frugal ideas for wee ones to do this Valentine’s Day. I listed my favorite project first. I think this project sounds like the most fun and I can use pudding instead of paint too. Of course, maybe I should make vanilla pudding then add a bit of red food coloring. Do you think it might stain little fingers?

Here are some of my favorite ideas:

#1 Favorite ~ From Messy Preschool Art to Gift Worthy Heart!

Other Fun Ideas ~

Intriguing Sensory Idea for Preschool Valentine’s Craft

Card Ideas

Cute Preschool Party Ideas

Hand Print Craft

Cute Valentine Bug

Heart Tree ~ Looks Fun for older ones!

Let me know if you tried one of these ideas or share your favorite Preschool Valentine’s Day Craft here! Hope your preschool craft time is great and messy too ~ Midge

If you get my Friday newsletter, you most likely read Midge’s question about my favorite Valentine’s Day treat for children (if you don’t get my FREE newsletter be sure and subscribe via the sticky note in the upper right corner). Read below to find out what I like to make for my children! Molly

Dear Midge,

It has become a tradition that I make a heart shaped cake for my children on Valentine’s Day! I have changed it up some as the years have gone by. Sometimes I bake one large cake and sometimes I make individual, small cakes. If you’ve never made these cute little cakes, you can find DIRECTIONS HERE for a large cake and HERE for mini cakes. If you don’t want to make the cake(s) from scratch you can use a box mix. The secret to the little cakes is a heart-shaped cookie cutter. Shhhh!!!

Of course you can add any type of frosting, sprinkles, colored sugar or whatever kind of decorations strike your fancy. One of my favorite years was when I used CHOCOLATE GANACHE for a topping! Yum! If you’ve never made ganache, give it a whirl!

I hope this gives you an idea for something fun, frugal AND fabulous! I’ve got the cookie cutter(s) if you’d like to borrow them- happy baking!

Love ya, Molly