Have you ever collected a houseful of laundry and sorted surmounting loads preparing to tackle a week's worth of wash at once and began to pour your first measure of detergent only to discover a trickle of drops...! "Oh, yeah", you remember, "I was supposed to restock this last week."  

This was my story last weekend. Sigh... But no need to put off laundry or make a mad dash to the store to spend money that is not in my budget this week!  I've found a homemade laundry detergent recipe that I like even better upon second try. And I especially like that it took me less than 30 minutes to put together. 
Here are a few ingredients to keep on hand in your laundry cabinet...

For as long as I can remember, summer time has been spelled T-O-M-A-T-O-E-S! All my born days, my Daddy and uncles have carried on the family tradition of growing tomatoes in their gardens continuing to toss around tips of the trade to perfect the art. And after a few years of trying myself, I have come to believe whole-heartedly that growing tomatoes is an art, especially in our Carolina clay during 100* summers that rarely see a drop of rain. 

“I see you wore white too!” came the familiar voice of a dear friend as I followed her down the steps of the church building while the anticipation of the third day of Vacation Bible School propelled cars steadily around the parking lot and groups of children bolted to the playground with complete abandon.

“Before I left the house, I realized today would be paint day in the craft time and of course I had chosen to wear white, but by the time I realized, I was too settled to find something else to wear. So we’ll just have to be careful while helping the kids today,” she said with a laugh as we reached the end of the stairs.

“Well, I had no idea, but white does seem to be a magnet for anything colorful and messy doesn’t it? I’m sure it will be fine. At least we are not the ones making the crafts,” I responded as we parted ways in the parking lot with a smile, a raised eyebrow, and wishful thinking. But there was a sneaking suspicion lingering about my mind that the subject of this conversation had not ended when the words concluded? Yet this brief humor disappeared from my thoughts as quickly as other conversations came to take its place. 

Have you ever decided to make tacos for dinner as a fall-back only to realize you don't have a taco seasoning packet in your pantry as you thought you did? That has happened to me more than once. Or maybe you remember all the obvious ingredients at the store and forget that unique spice that makes tacos taste like tacos.  I'm so glad a friend told me about a seasoning recipe in a mutual cookbook that keeps me stocked and ready for Mexican cuisine on a moment's notice. The page is dogeared and well-used. 

I have been planning on enchiladas for about three days now and having to put it off. Luckily I checked my spices today and realized I'm low. So maybe now I'll have all the ingredients to make them tomorrow. Just how life goes sometimes! 
So, if you need to add Mexican seasoning to your pantry and don't want to spend another dollar at the store for what you already own in your cabinet, mix up this combo in less than 5 minutes.  You'll be ready for tacos any night of the week. 

Add to ground beef as you would a packaged taco seasoning. Brown meat. Rinse/drain and return to pan. Add 2/3 cup of water and 2-3 Tbsp. seasoning to taste. Simmer until most water has evaporated. 

Long have I had a dream to make our own bread, not only to cut down on weekly expense but to give my family the best quality and nutrition bread can offer. Fresh, homemade bread certainly is no comparison to store-bought but if you're looking for 100% whole wheat sandwich bread, it takes a little tweaking. My stock of homemade croutons and bread crumbs multiplied rapidly for a while with one loaf after another that was less than perfect. Then one day I read a post on a blog that spoke on dough conditioners for whole wheat flour. That was the turning point in my bread-making journey. 
Because wheat flour is more coarse than white flour, it breaks down the yeast pockets and therefore produces a dense textured bread. I have made many a loaf of dense bread... not my ideal. But I kept at it and eventually found that perfect combination that not only works consistently every time but is light and delicious like our favorite store breads. Best yet, it is 100% whole white wheat and packed with wholesome goodness that I can feel good about feeding to my family.  

Paula Deen met Ree Drummond on my lunch table today. Paula Deen, you should know. But have you met Ree Drummond yet? She has been dubbed in my family the Paula Deen of the west for her love of butter.  Sometimes I sensor her recipes with light butter or just try out the originals for kicks.  She's called the Pioneer Woman on her blog and the Food Network. She is my newest favorite chef to follow! If you haven't discovered her ranch-style recipes, let me recommend you make hers your next blog to visit. 

As for our household, how many times to I ask myself... "What's for lunch?"  I have found that in order for me to serve up a decent meal for lunch for myself and my little growing girly, I have to have a plan. And once I have a plan, that usually encourages me start in time to actually eat at lunch time. Today, I put extra time into this scrumptious meal meaning to make enough for us to eat off of in the days to come when I am not in the kitchen. Next time I will know to make a double batch.

The Pioneer Woman's BBQ Comfort Meatballs
Y'all, this is just about the most delicious thing I ever put in my mouth. This could be the meal! I won't kid you, the prep time is long though not a bit difficult... or maybe it was just long for me because a little person was calling my name throughout the entire process, absent-mindedly playing too close to hot things, and continuously needing a diaper change, a bandaid, a hug, a drink, a dish to wash, a towel to dry her soaking wet shirt, a new shirt... We eventually did get to bake and eat our lunch. I had sworn off frying in a skillet with kids in the kitchen and the browning part of this recipe was a close resemblance in heat and perimeter protection. But we managed and it was more than worth it! Next time you plan to make meatloaf, make these instead!

I threw a pound of frozen green beans in a covered 2 qt. dish, added 2-3 Tbsp. water, a sliver of butter, 1/4 tsp. ham bouillon and heated in the microwave 4 minutes. Stop and stir adding salt and pepper. Heat another 5 minutes and you have a delicious, fast, and flavorful side to accompany the other more time consuming attention grabbers.  Little Bit couldn't resist eating my photo objects. Why take pictures, Mama? Let's eat! 

If you ever find yourself wondering what to make for lunch and have a bit of time to put something together, remember these delicious recipes. If you don't have time but can think ahead, make the meatballs ahead of time to eat on them later (if you don't eat them all while they're cooling). They reheat well if there's any left. This may be our lunch and dinner on our next busy day. 

Hello Mamas! Have I got a wonderful recipe for you! If you have babies in diapers, then you can appreciate the dragging-my-feet feeling of drudgery I feel every time I realize I have to spend more money on diapers and wet wipes that YES! make my life more convenient BUT are still thrown away. I definitely don't mind the throwing away part, but I do mind the lots of money part. SO! I am always happy to try new options to cut the spending on necessities that can be done more cheaply. Cause let's face it. Those little bottoms must be wiped and clean. But does it really matter to them how much we pay for the tools of cleanliness? And what do WE care about? Their health first of course! And how much moola is left for food after paying for the goods to care for their little tooshies! So if there is an option that is first healthy and secondly cheap, then praise God for innovation and good old fashioned homemade goods! Let's go!

"Mama's 'pants' pretty!" says two year old Gracelynn when she "works" with Mama out in the garden. My "pants" were not always so pretty though. In fact, just a year or two ago I quickly claimed having a black thumb when it came to gardening. But I have found that there is one thing that will eventually turn a black thumb green over the course of time - determination or stick-to-it-tiveness. Oh I have had plenty of discouraging moments and "breaks" to keep me from giving up all together.  But eventually, after finding many things that do not work, you'll find something that does. I've had a few successes this year that make me think my thumb is finally turning grey-green. There's hope.

This winter while visiting my family in Tennessee, we traveled to the nearby Amish Store and stocked up on goodies like dried spices, green bean chips, gummy butterflies, and a few rada knives. My aunt had given us a paring knife for Christmas the year before that quickly became the only knife in the kitchen we wanted to use. So, I had planned to pick up a few more to relieve that one tired knife.  There were many more types than I expected. Then my uncle held up this funny looking thing that reminded me of a jig saw or something. He promised that I would love this Tomato Knife as much as I love tomatoes which is an awful lot! He was right! This is the best knife for not only tomatoes but any fruit or veggie with a smooth skin.
The good news is that you don't have to find an Amish Store near you to get one of these handy kitchen tools. Amazon carries Rada knives and probably other locations online too.