Creative Homemaker

My kids and I built these shelves after only one day of planning and one day of building.

I found this at the local thrift store and brought her home with me. I'm not good with anything other than dating the machine. Can anyone tell me what model she is and how I can get parts. Thanks!!

Here's another quick review from the Durrant Family Cookbook, A Home-Cooked Heritage. I believe this recipe originally came from the back of the Cream of Wheat container, but I have done research on the web and I can't seem to find any evidence of that. Maybe it's just lost to everyone but we Durrants who have the cookbook. So, here is our family-favorite breakfast. It was originally published in the dessert section of the Durrant Cookbook because of the name pudding, but it's really hot cereal. POWERHOUSE PUDDING 8 c. milk (I use 8 c. water and 2-3 c. powdered milk) 1 tsp salt. 1 c. Instant Cream of Wheat 4 eggs, beaten Bring milk and salt to a boil. Slowly sprinkle in Cream of Wheat, stirring constantly. Keep stirring over medium heat for 1 minute. Remove from heat. Beat a little of the hot cream of wheat into the beaten eggs. Return egg mixture to pan, stir and cook 1 minute more. Add your choice of flavoring and serve hot or chilled. VA...

I'm frugal. Some may call me down right cheap. That's ok.  When you have a family as big as ours you have to find ways to be creative.  When Bear bought me a new washer and dryer set, we stocked up on Arm and Hammer liquid laundry detergent. I like it, it works and it's pretty cheap too. But this month, our budget took a major hit.  Big Blue, my '98 Suburban blew the engine. She was very sick.  So, her new heart is costing us this month's grocery budget and then some.  I had to find ways of cutting corners. We have been living off our food storage this month and doing without the "fun stuff" in order to pay for the "heart" transplant. I thought that since my laundry detergent supply was getting low I would save my pennies and buy the ingredients to make my own. I've done this before, and made the liquid kind but I really didn't care for the gloppy goop that I came up with.  I have no place in my laundry room for a large 5 gallon ...

http://kristygriffard.blogspot.com/2012/07/meridian-speedway-fundraiser.html The quilt was made by my sister Sylvia and me in memory of my brother Gordon who recently died of Leukemia. The money goes to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. My neice Kristy and my brother Brian are training to run in the City of Trees Marathon on October 14 th . The  goal is $4500 for our team ($1500 X 3) and they are at almost $1500 right now. The quilt my sister Sylvia and I created is now being auctioned. Contact my neice Kristy at the above link, if you are interested.  Tickets are $1. You don't need to be present to win, nor do you need to attend to purchase tickets.

I find myself wishing a lot lately.  Wishing I were thinner, wishing my foot didn't hurt, wishing it wouldn't rain so much, wishing the laundry was finished--and would stay that way. I wish that summer was here already, wishing the kids were better at doing their schoolwork. The thing I most wish is that were moving. Not necessarily packing and driving to a new place, but that we knew the direction God has planned for us--that we were actually going places, heading in a new direction. God isn't finished with us here yet and I think that is what irritates me.  I think in my own feeble mind that I have learned all I can here and it's time to move on.  I long to be settled. I long to be able to plant an apple tree and see it grow from a young sapling to a productive tree.  I long to plan and design a home that will be comfortable with my things in their places. I'm ready, but God says wait.  God has said that for a while now and I get so impatient just wait...

Years ago, when I started this blog I made up this persona, Skinny Girl.  She lives inside of me and has even made herself public for a while after the birth of Robbie. I've managed to subdue her and keep her quiet with copious amounts of chocolate cake, pies and very little activity. I'm surprised at how easy it was to shut her up. She's been screaming for a few months and I can't ignore her any longer. She occasionally rears her skinny little head and crabs at me to take a hike--or a walk--whatever; the message is the same to me. I don't like Fat Girl either. She's annoying.  She whines about aches and pains and bi-focals and tendonitis. I'm tired of hearing how her clothes don't fit right, how the bathroom scales show larger numbers during "that time of the month." So, in order to shut them both up, and thereby create a bit more sanity inside my head, I have tried to take long walks along our bike path, but I've developed foot p...