September's Contest and Giveaway! {the details}

During the month of September, I am focusing on building the Modern Girl's Guide! Not only will I be introducing a five part series- The Working Girl's Guide to Proverbs 31- but I will also be doing a giveaway! The goal is to reach 100 followers, both here on the blog and on Facebook, but the giveaway still stands, even if I don't reach the goal! Nice and easy!

To enter the contest, you must become a follower here on the blog, and then like The Modern Girl's Guide on Facebook. For additional entries (increase your chances of winning!), leave a comment on each of the five posts in Working Girl's Guide series. There will be a post each Saturday in September, so keep your eyes open!

So, that's one entry for liking The Modern Girl's Guide on Facebook AND following the blog, and up to five additional entries for commenting on each post in The Working Girl's Guide Series. If you already follow the blog, and you already like us on Facebook, then you are automatically entered! Just make sure you do both things!

The prize: your choice of a Scentsy Plug In! I will tally the entries and pick a winner RANDOMLY (promise!). The contest will close at midnight, Saturday, September 29th, Eastern Standard Time. Then I will announce the winner on the blog the following Monday. You will have 3 days to message me claiming your prize, and choosing your Scentsy Plug In! Another winner will be chosen if you have not claimed your prize in 3 days. I will verify that the winner has followed the blog and likes The Modern Girl's Guide on Facebook. Additional comments/entries are not required to win, they just increase your chances!

Note: Your prize must be shipped to an address in the US; no international shipping!

Thanks so much for reading The Modern Girl's Guide to Proverbs 31! I am looking forward to getting to know you all better throughout September; I hope you enjoy the upcoming series!

The Working Girl's Guide to Proverbs 31 {an introduction}

I am excited to introduce this five week series for those of us who are out there in the workforce everyday. (Ladies who are full time wives and moms, or those who work at home- keep reading on! You are welcome as well; we will be talking about lots of useful things that everyone can apply!) 

I believe that it is reflected in Scripture that our home, whatever that looks like, is to be our top priority as women. Sometimes making your home a priority means bringing in a second income. In this economy and culture, that is very often the case. Some people and groups of people believe very adamantly that the role of a woman/wife/mother is to be at home full time. That's ok, if you believe that. Or if you don't. Or even if you are somewhere in between!

I think God lays it on some hearts to be at home full time, and some to work any number of hours, for a variety of reasons. I also strongly believe that just because you are at home full time does not mean you are building up your home. And vice versa: just because you are at work does not mean you build your home or make it a priority any less! 

The truth is, homemaking is hard work. Period. 

Somewhere, you will make sacrifices. You might have to sacrifice that extra income to be at home full time. You might have to sacrifice your time in order to be at work all day. And if you can stay at home without struggling financially, you may have to sacrifice having your spouse around more because he is working a lot for that income! Still some could stay at home without struggling, but prefer to continue in their career- and that's fine, too! So you see, no one has the perfect, ideal situation with tons of time for work, cleaning, cooking, husbands, children, and themselves. Everyone is struggling somewhere with their role as a woman, or wife, or mother. The female role is forever being defined and redefined. 

This five part series is going to be geared toward organizing your home, managing your time, and forgiving yourself for the things that take a back burner. (And we will talk about which things should take a back burner!) I will be sharing time saving, stress-reducing ideas, and ways to get more done in less time. Oh, and I will be preaching to myself, and learning along with you- I'm definitely not an expert! 

Finally, during September, I am making a focused effort to promote The Modern Girl's Guide! My goal is to reach 100 followers, both here on the blog and on Facebook. At the end of the 5 weeks of Saturdays, I will be choosing a random winner for a special giveaway, whether the goal is reached or not! Prize, entry, and contest details to be announced! 

I am so glad to have you join me, and I hope you keep reading The Modern Girl's Guide for all things homemaking!

What's On The Menu {8/26-9/1}

Here is what we are eating this week! I am super excited about my sister coming to visit me from Florida, and bringing with her our other sister's baby, who I have not seen in about 10 months! We have a fantastic week planned, and I am looking forward to cooking for my family!

Sunday- Eggplant parmesan, sausage and spaghetti Or get horribly sick and do nothing, make nothing, eat nothing. Poor hubs had PB & J. :)

Monday- Hubs has band; I'm eating leftovers. :) And then hopefully doing my freezer cooking!

Tuesday- Small group- We are bringing toppings for subs- Yay for using up garden tomatoes!

Wednesday- Freezer Lasagna Casserole (eating quick, then going to pick up the sister at the airport!) Think I will make a small eggplant parm on the side this night- we really have to use it before it rots!

Thursday- Chicken and lemon-garlic green beans with red potatoes

Friday- Chicken enchilada stuffed zucchini boats (Never did get to these last week!)

Saturday- Homemade pizza

Breakfasts- Pancakes and bacon, oatmeal and fruit, French toast and potatoes, zucchini bread

Lunches- Lunchmeat sandwiches and fruit, grilled cheese and soup, leftovers, salads

Make Ahead/Freezer Cooking- I confess, I did not blanch, chop, and freeze my tomatoes- so I really need to do that before they go bad! Same with shredding and freezing my zucchini. That's my main goal this week, because I am getting ready for company!




Linking up at: Money Saving Mom

Farmer's Market Trip= salsa and sauce

A couple of weeks ago, hubs and I headed out in the drizzling rain to go up to the local farmer's market. It's close enough to walk, but we were being babies about the weather. :)

Can I just say it is super easy to spend all of your money at the market??? I remind myself that I am supporting local farmers when I realize I am all out of my cash stash that I brought. It goes quick!

We did get some meat and dairy, so that ate into our little farmer's market budget quickly. So worth it! We bought this really yummy mozzarella filled pizza sausage from Green Vista Farms, and some drinkable yogurt from another grass fed farm. We were leery at first, but yum!!!!!

We brought home this beautiful haul, and got out everything to make tomato sauce and salsa. Some of this stuff is from the garden, too. I snapped the picture after we got out everything for cooking.

Then hubs made this beautiful, yummy salsa.(That's him in the background looking up recipes.) He has the patience to chop everything very tiny. My salsa would be a lot chunkier. I made some tomato basil sauce, and we ate it with our yummy, sustainably raised pizza sausage. De.licious.



Linking up at: Gastronomical Sovereignty, Sew Chatty, Skip to My Lou, Ninth Street Notions, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Frugally Sustainable, A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa, A Diamond in the Stuff,

make it. {don't buy it}

If you get on Pinterest for any length of time, you are likely to go down the DIY road. In fact, I just announced to my husband that everything someone could ever want was on Pinterest and it is the greatest place on earth. (I might need help!)

I am attempting to see which products are worth forgoing the coupon scene, and switching to the homemade version. I am not one to make everything from scratch, if I like the store bought version better. For example, I tried several DIY ideas for wet Swiffer pads- the washcloth version, the cut up fabric, etc. At the end of the day, I just really love buying them in the box. I don't like the trouble of making my own, or the results that I get. I know some people like them, I just think it's too much work. I like the convenience of Swiffer.

However, I discovered that I do love homemade fabric softener. Some folks think it smells to much like the vinegar that's in it, but I actually like that. The vinegar has been good for my towels. I've made it before, and so this attempt was a refill for me. I don't think I'll be going back to the store bought version. I really like the more natural, mild smell of this DIY. I used this recipe from One Good Thing by Jillee.

All it took was 3 cups of vinegar (I got a huge container at Buehler's for $2.50), 3 cups of water, and 2 cups of hair conditioner (about $1.00 or less for V05).

Mix it up, and you're done. So simple.

This made 6 jars (a great use for upcycling spaghetti sauce jars!), that held 2 cups each. That lasts in our house for a month or two. If you have kids, I might double the recipe. :) 

I also tried this recipe for homemade Febreeze. I've never made this before, so I'll have to let you know how I like it. I'll admit, I am skeptical. It was very easy and very inexpensive, so I hope I'm blown away. :)

This called for 1/8 cup of fabric softener ($4.99 at Geyer's), 2 tbsp. of baking soda (.59 at Aldi), and water to fill a spray bottle (I used a 16 oz. bottle, $1.00 at ACE Hardware).  I do not recommend using the homemade softener for this, as vinegar and baking soda don't mix. :) At these amounts for the ingredients, I could probably make countless batches of this. Bringing my grand total to $6.58 for dozens of bottles of Febreeze.

Do you make or buy your household cleaning products? What do you think is more cost effective?





{Linking up at:}

Sew Chatty, Skip to My Lou, Ninth Street Notions, Mad in Crafts, A Bowl Full of Lemons, A Diamond in the Stuff, Not Just a Housewife, Sugar Bee Crafts, Time Warp Wife
Crystal & Co., Ginger Snap Crafts,Trendy Treehouse, It's Overflowing
Women Living Well, Raising Homemakers,We Are THAT Family,Fireflies and Jellybeans,
Handy Man, Crafty Woman,Someday Crafts,Southern Lovely
52 Mantels, Delightful Order , Frugally Sustainable, Live Renewed,

{urban homestead}

I read this great article from A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa about the movement of urban homesteading. I thought she presented beautifully the balance between this busy life, living simply, and being good stewards of what God has given us. Check it out, I think you'll like it as much as I did!

What's on the Menu {8/19-8/25}

Here's what we're eating this week! I need to try to incorporate some garden goodness into the plan, since my fridge has been taken over my zucchini and tomatoes!

Sunday- Freezer Friendly Lasagna Casserole and garlic bread (We never got to it last week!)

Monday- Leftovers for me, and either leftovers or the drive through for hubs on the way to band practice.  :)

Tuesday- Small group...not sure yet what we are supposed to bring!

Wednesday- Friends are coming over for a camping planning meeting! Pretty excited! We are going to have Tator Tot Casserole.

Thursday- Chicken Enchilada Zucchini Boats and cilantro- lime rice

Friday- Homemade pizza and salad

Saturday- Sausage and chicken on the grill, roasted potatoes

Items to make ahead: Blanch, chop, and freeze tomatoes from the garden so that I can save up enough to make a big batch of sauce to can! Also, chop and freeze garden bell peppers. Make some more whole wheat rosemary pizza crust to freeze and have on hand.

{Linking up at:}

Money Saving Mom

Money Mondays: Saving up.

I hate saving money. Or maybe I'm just not very good at it. When I have an idea (or a whim), I kind of want it right then. It's bratty, I know. It usually doesn't pose that much of a problem, because I rarely want things that are going to cost a large chunk of money. I'm more of a nickel and dimer.

So when our computer finally bit it, after a few years of nursing the poor thing along, we decided not to finance a new one, but to save up. It's hard for me to save, and it is hard for me to be offline. Thankfully, I work in front of a computer all day, so things like online bill paying didn't suffer. Also, I have full browsing on my smart phone. Ok, I didn't really have to struggle much at all. The point is not that I made great sacrifice here, but that I did it. Well, we did. But for me, it was an accomplishment.

We overestimated on purpose for what we wanted to save, and when the back to school deals on laptops started coming out, we were able to score one for way under what we had saved. So far under, in fact, that my husband used what was left get a charcoal grill and smoker that he has been waiting for. And what's left from that will go toward a Spanish class that we can hopefully get enrolled in for fall.

It is exciting for me to have something that we bought free and clear. I tend to give up on saving up. Also, it showed me just how much I really can squirrel away when I really want something. It honestly didn't even pinch our budget that much. Which tells me that I have room for improvement in my budgeting and spending! Our goals starting with the "second half" of our month are a higher giving amount, continued "squirrelling away" until we reach a certain number, and for me, a better grocery budget.

It's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it. I hope to keep working toward having that kind of discipline in more areas of my life!

What's on the Menu {August 12- 18}

I am trying to incorporate a lot from the garden, since it is doing so well. That's awesome, in theory, but it does add a lot more food prep time. The whole "seed to the table" philosophy is no joke! It's no wonder that a woman's life in the old days, or even in some cultures now, revolved around meal preparation! Some days I feel like that's me! Even if my hunting and gathering takes place at Giant Eagle. :)

So here's what we're eating this week:

Sunday: We ate some homemade salsa, compliments of my talented hubby, with chips, and snacked on leftovers. We had a heavy lunch so we weren't that hungry. And we have no children. I will remember with fondness the days where I ate chips for dinner around 8pm, as soon as I start having little ones. :)

Monday: Hubby has band practice, and so he'll grab something on the road after work. I taught after work and got home late, and ate warmed up pizza in front of the computer. Not much of a meal plan so far, eh?

Tuesday: We have small group on Tuesdays, and I am supposed to bring some sort of fruit dish. A great reason to do a little "research" on Pinterest later.

Wednesday: Baked tilapia, cilantro rice, grilled eggplant with tomatoes and feta

Thursday: Crockpot Italian chicken with potatoes and carrots

Friday: My friend Ashley is holding a Scentsy party at my place, and so I will be providing some appetizers and drinks. Hubs is fleeing the scene, and staying far far away from a house full of ladies buying pretty smelly things. I'm not sure what he'll eat. :)

Saturday: Lasagna Casserole, garlic bread, salad

Freezer/Make Ahead Items: I HAVE to chop up and freeze the banana peppers from our garden before they go bad. I will. I must. Also, shred and freeze that massive amounts of zucchini. Also, figure out something to do with our cucumbers. (Only one plant next year, I promise! They're everywhere!)

So, this is obviously not much of a cooking week for me! I am trying to let go of having guilt feelings during a busy week, and go with it. Enjoy this time in our lives where routine isn't all important. It's hard for a girl like me. :)




Linking up at: Money Saving Mom

little house in Ohio.

I've been busy with what I like to think of as preserving our harvest this week. In reality, it is probably 25% our garden success, and 75% grocery store produce to supplement. Because what seems like an awful lot of peppers and tomatoes isn't really when you start cooking it down. :)

On Monday, I had the opportunity to work at home. I had beautiful visions of working all day in half hour increments and slowly cleaning my house and doing my freezer cooking. In reality, I spent my day here:

Yes, that is an enormous pile of laundry to be folded. No, I didn't even get to that. The state database that I use for work  is the bane of my existence, and usually keeps me from doing a long list of important things while I am at my desk at work. I wanted to see if working at home would help that problem by allowing me to just concentrate. Nope. It sucks anywhere I go. I think I should come to terms with my loathing of that particular system.

Anyway, I did manage to make this for dinner:





I am so proud of this pizza because it is so very whole: homemade rosemary crust (with rosemary from our garden), homemade pasta sauce (with half store bought and half garden tomatoes, and basil from our garden), and topped with fresh mozzarella, basil (garden), and cherry tomatoes (garden). It was so yummy!

The rest of the week was spent doing a little cleaning and cooking after work each day, except for a church meeting on Tuesday and coffee with a friend on Wednesday. I am almost finished working through the huge box of organic apples that the hubs brought home. I turned them into 5 quarts of sliced apples (ready to turn into apple pie filling this fall!) and 2 pints of apple butter. I have one more "layer" of apples from the box to go. Ideas????? Below are a couple of pictures of my canning success. I hope. We'll know for sure in a few months!

That was pretty much how my week went! I am finding out that preserving food  is an ongoing process! No end in sight! 



abundance.

I was briefly watching the news the other day, and they were talking about the drought across America, and how it will soon affect food distribution. It's incredible to me that there are millions of people starving because of a real food crisis, as in, there isn't ANY food, but we choose to pay attention as soon as our grocery store prices may hike up. That's when we take notice of starvation.

But anyway, I don't want to rant on and on about the American attitude. I really want to talk about food. I read this article, which I thought really explained the chain of events that the drought will cause. What amazes me is that the solution to the problem that the government has laid out here was to a) throw money at it, and bail governments out of what could be a global food crisis, and b) genetically modify our food even more to withstand floods and droughts. This is an incredible contrast to the way the people handled drought, flood, and famine in the Bible. Repent, pray for rain, and settle in with your storehouses for some famine. And pray some more.

This has motivated me not just to try learning more things like canning, but also to start focusing on things like eating and buying local. I am not an expert in agriculture or economics by any stretch of the imagination, but if you think about it, the Midwest of America having a drought is going to cause a global food crisis. One region of one country. And do you know why? The corn and the soybean crop aren't prospering. Two of the ingredients that go into pretty much every processed food out there. And this will affect our beloved beef and dairy industry, because our cows are fed with corn. Which is bad for them, and bad for us. Can I just say yay for the farmers who grass feed their cows? Sustainable farming is called sustainable farming for a reason. Because the other way is not, in fact, sustainable. You will eventually have a global food crisis. Again, this is the simple version. I do not know all that there is to know about farming and food distribution around the world. And I am not downplaying the impact it will have on the world's truly hungry. I am saying we should be conscious of our food choices.We are so accustomed to going to the store and getting absolutely ANYTHING that we could imagine or desire. Wow. We won't know how to survive if we have a food shortage.

Our garden is doing very well this year, minus one annoying groundhog that is eating our tomatoes at an alarming rate. In older, simpler times, this would mean a good year for us. Also, we could just shoot the groundhog. And probably eat that, too. We wouldn't be relying on corn growing in Indiana to feed the cows in Wisconsin, so that we could have meat here in Ohio. We would either have a cow, buy meat from someone who had cows, or eat something different. We would not have a crisis based on another part of the world, or even of our country. The thought of how far we have come in our "progress" blows me away.

So, anyway, that is my tangent about food. I'm sure there are many more intelligent and informative things to be read about it, from many perspectives. I hope you do read about it, and share your thoughts. I hope to read more as well, and continue to make small changes in my life to decrease my reliance on the crops not faring well in the Midwest. I'd really love to read some opinions from sustainable farmers. In the meantime, let's pray for rain for these farmers with failing crops!

apple butter and small accomplishments.

So hubs brought me home 40 lbs. of organic apples yesterday. For $2! What a steal! He works at a produce distributor, and so he can get the "seconds" for practically nothing. Most of them are fine to eat, just have a spot here or there, so they get left out of the store orders. And even the ones that are a little spotty or over ripe are perfect for cooking. I hope that what doesn't get purchased by employees doesn't get thrown away! What a waste that would be!

Anyway, here are my apples....there are so many!!!! I started on a crock pot of apple butter, but that only used up like one layer. I am thinking of applesauce, apple pie, apple jelly, and frozen apples for cooking later.

I took Friday off of work, and on Monday, I am working from home to do an enormous stack of data entry that I want to plow through without being interrupted. Seriously, it's huge. I have really been enjoying this long weekend and focusing on my home, food, and my hubs. It's like a mini wife-cation. :) I know it might be silly, but I always feel so much better and ready to start the work week when I have a clean house, groceries, and something that I got done that I wanted to do. And I literally sleep better knowing the living room is vacuumed. Hubby thinks that it's in my head, and that it doesn't actually affect my sleep. But I'm sure he's wrong. :) Small accomplishments recharge me and motivate me to keep it going. I'm one of the few nutty people who think being exhausted at the end of a day off from doing all of "my" stuff instead of work stuff is awesome. Am I alone?

I'll let you know how the apple butter turns out!

Linking up at: A Little Bit of Spain in Iowa

Hopefully I am back to stay.

I got motivated to start blogging again, after settling after our move. Then our computer bit it. {Of course, backing up my pictures and documents was something I had procrastinated  on.} So, we decided to wait and save up to pay cash for a new one. It was hard, but worth it. And so, I come to you on my new laptop, with my new wi-fi hookup, feeling very up to date and techy, indeed. :)

I hope I am back to stay- blogging just got a whole lot easier with this laptop, let me tell you! I function a lot better when I can multitask!

I had the day off of work, and I spent it doing the wifey, housy stuff I want to do, but don't really have time to do. We have a pretty healthy garden going, so with peppers, tomatoes, and zucchini flowing in, I had a lot of freezer prep and preserving to do.

These are pictures of our garden about 3-4 weeks ago; it is a lot bigger now!

I bought about 10 lbs. of peaches clearanced out at Buehler's for $4, and needed to use them up right away. I decided on sliced, flash frozen for half of the peaches, and made the rest into crock pot peach butter. And it is delicious! The jar in this picture is what I set aside to go ahead and eat instead of can. I also froze 8 cups of zucchini, a bag of whole cherry tomatoes, and diced apples.

And, speaking of canning, this is my first time ever trying it! I used Ashley English's book, Homemade Living: Canning and Preserving with Ashley English. It was really helpful, with big, easy to follow pictures and instructions. I made tomato basil pasta sauce and then the peach butter for canning. The sauce only made 1 medium and one small jar! I definitely thought it would be more! The peach butter made 2 small jars for canning, plus the small jar I kept aside for the fridge.

That was my day! I love my job, and I know I would get bored fast being at home alone all day, but I absolutely LOVED how much I got done today by powering through and focusing on my home. I hardly ever get to do that!



Linking Up at:

Skip to My Lou , Sew Chatty , A Bowl Full of Lemons, Time Warp Wife