The Blessings we receive!

Sep 24, 2008 by pearsonsprogress    1 Comment     Posted under: Blogroll

Remember the last posting where I said it would an interesting week because we had so few vegetables? Well, here is what our neighbor, Juan brought to us  yesterday. Click on the image to enlarge.

WOW,eh? chard, lettuce, tomatoes, eggplant,  and peppers.  The Lord is so generous to us!

Yesterday I made Kolache, pronounced: Ko-latch-ee (a treat from former Czechoslovakia), using the jams I have made.

These will serve as breakfasts for us and for guests when they drop in.

Here are some good ideas from an internet site:

Not Just One, but Ten Ways to Save

1. Bring your own pop to work instead of using the machine. √-don’t buy soda in machines, rarely at the market unless we have guests.
2. Combine several errands and save it in gas.√- do this already!
3. Give up a convenience item like bag salad, cleaning wipes, or snack packs.√-don’t buy these
4. Eat leftovers for lunch.√- check! We do this!
5. Hang a load of wash.√- we do this… no choice, we don’t have a dryer
6. Rent a movie instead of going to the theater.√- we have our own DVD’s from gifts & I have also purchased some on special. We don’t go to the theater.
7. Play with the kids at the park instead of going to an attraction that charges entrance fees.√- doesn’t apply
8. Repair something instead of replacing it.√- John is very handy. Our dishwasher won’t drain now… we are hoping for a cheap solution.
9. Make what you need instead of buying it (cookies, home decor, birthday cards or gifts).√- probably all but making are own gifts…
10. Buy a used item instead of a new one.√-not buying at all!

Do you have any that would benefit us all?

Our food budget and saving anyway I can!

Sep 21, 2008 by pearsonsprogress    No Comments    Posted under: Blogroll, Grocery Challenge

My blessings for this week: I am so humbled by the Lords goodness and generosity in my life!

Between the high cost of European living, the bad exchange rate, the expenses of our ministry, and upcoming commitments I am looking for ways to make every cent count. I depend on the Lord to inspire me and teach me.

I would challenge anyone to write down and take note of what comes in their lives. It’s a blessed exercise.

• Our kids Anita and Neil, sent us a bag of goodies with a friend of ours who visited them in France. We especially liked the kids drawings.
• Our friend Joye, sent a a fun box of really useful items. I immediately, changed my toothbrush to the new one, took the soaps she sent and the hand-soap (it’s really neat stuff that comes out foamy! Wild eh?) with us to the village. She included office goodies and things I have to buy but hate spending cash on! These items will save a bundle and extend my grocery funds. Love it!
  
• We were walking in the village yesterday and an old guy was kind enough to give us a bottle of wine for cooking that he made. It’s quite cloudy but I will find a use for it!
• Ana gave me a canister of diet malt and 2 “diet/health teas” which she just couldn’t stomach. I thought I could drink the diet malt/substitute but it tasted SO BAD that I had to chase it with a handful of peanuts to take the taste out of my mouth!! HAHAHA. She did warn me. The teas taste”ok”. We have this guy in our church (Swiss) who sold this stuff to them (it is a German product). We had Ana and Angel for pizza last week and we had plenty of good laughs over this! That’s a blessing!
• A friend of ours who wrote a book sent it to us! I’ll have to write my review of it when I’m finished.
• Our friends Inigo and Elena, brought us cookies and a sachet from France!
• our neighbor Juan, in San Martin brought us a bucket of figs.
  

I was able to make 5 jars of fig conserve (with nuts).

My menus for this week:

* this week will be interesting as I don’t intend to spend anything! I am out of all fresh vegetables except for lettuce. I also am using the lettuce from the pots I planted here in the village. I have 4 small potatoes in the fridge for the soup. I will market on Monday the 29th. I will spend up to 15 euros…less if I can!

Monday-1st plate: lentil soup & bread, 2nd plate: pork chops with mushroom gravy, rice, salad

Tuesday-1st plate: potato-cheese soup & bread, 2nd plate: tacos with ground beef, Mexican rice, salad

Wednesday-1st plate: lentil soup & bread, 2nd plate: hamburger patties, pasta with tomato sauce, peas

Thursday-1st plate: cream of tomato soup (homemade from last summers tomatoes) & bread, 2nd plate: chicken legs, polenta, canned peas (i just found in the cupboard)

Friday-1st plate: potato-cheese soup & bread, 2nd plate: German sausages, leftover Mexican rice, salad

Saturday- We leave the village today and head back to Madrid. I’ll pack a lunch as usual: grilled cheese sandwiches, is on the menu to hold us over until we get home. We rarely eat out and we just want to get back, unpack and settle in again.

Sunday-We’ll be in Madrid today so after church I will serve the roasted whole (30% off) that was baking while at church. 1st plate: leftover tomato soup, reinvented with some Thai curry spice, 2nd plate: Roasted chicken, macaroni and cheese, brussel sprouts (in the freezer).

For breakfasts, John eats leftovers or I make a couple of batches of pancakes that he eats for several days. Last week I made two batches, one regular and one with nuts. These are good with my homemade jams. I have been eating a Special K bar each morning that our Jesseka sent to me. They “hold me over” and are easy since I am not a big breakfast eater.

For suppers, we eat a sandwich, or an egg with toast, or a salad.

How does my garden grow?

Victory gardens, also called war gardens or food gardens for defense, were vegetable, fruit and herbgardens planted at private residences in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom during World War I & World War II to reduce the pressure on the public food supply brought on by the war effort. In addition to indirectly aiding the war effort these gardens were also considered a civil “morale booster” — in that gardeners could feel empowered by their contribution of labour and rewarded by the produce grown. Making victory gardens became a part of daily life on the home front.

I’m away from my little garden (MY VICTORY GARDEN) I planted in Madrid, but I did set the water timer to water every 8 hours for 3 mins. I’m enjoying watching them grow. I planted some cilantro seeds that my folks sent to me and the lettuce is in too. I am trying for plant a few lettuce seeds every week so I will not have to buy any more at the market. I figure I need 1 head of lettuce every 4 days.  At the average price of $1.24 USD (.89 euro cents) that comes to (if my figures are correct) $112.14 USD per year  savings! Just on lettuce! While here in the village, I have started some more broccoli plants in some egg cartons as well as a pot of lettuce.

Back in Madrid again!

Sep 9, 2008 by pearsonsprogress    1 Comment     Posted under: Blogroll, Grocery Challenge, Spain

We arrived back to Madrid to a whirlwind of activities and news. One of the ladies in our church had 2 of her sisters die in one week. Then the news of Evelyn who died from ovarian cancer at the age of 33. Apparently she didn’t know she had it and when she finally went to the hospital, she lasted just a short while. She and Rufus had just adopted a little boy, also from Nigeria this past year. We went to the funeral and the sealing of the tomb on Saturday. Our church has been going through some real losses these past couple of weeks.

As I mentioned in our prayerletter, we had friends over for meals both Friday and Sunday. We are also having a pizza night with 2 other families in the church this weekend.

The ‘ol grocery budget took a “hit” this week and I spent around 85€. I did get quite a bit of chicken for 30% off and depending upon how many guests we have for meals, will determine what I spend the next couple of weeks.  The pizza cheese accounts for 20€ of what was spent.   My goal still remains: reduce, reduce, reduce! We have gone to at least 2 “meatless” meals a week which seems so effortless to us because we really like beans.

I’ve planted my “winter garden” in our 10′ x 22′ piece of dirt in the yard. Daughters Rebekah and Bobbie sent me some great seeds, and they are in the ground. I brushed the dust off of the water timer and will install that in the next few days. I’m using up every last bit of fertilizer, potting soil and seeds that I have around the house, including seeds from the year 2000 and hoping for the best. My Mom, said that she sent me some seeds also and I am especially looking forward to the cilantro seeds. I bought 1 bunch of cilantro last week for 2,35€! Now that is just not right! I would have skipped it except we had guests for Mexican food and what would Mexican food be without cilantro??!! Anyway, I am looking at what I need, planting what I can, and praying for the Lord to bless, supply, and give me creativity. It’s very exciting for me to see how He answers my prayers.

Because I have been sharing about this area in our lives, I have heard from many friends and family who also are experiencing God’s blessings and watching HIM work! Can we ever get tired of hearing about His work in and for us?

Blessings last week:

1. A box of treats from kids, Jesseka and Greg.This was very fun for us!
2. A package from kids Rebekah and Dave. Amazing!
3. A letter with seeds from kids, Bobbie and Ron. They are in the ground!
4. A package with sauce mixes from sister Sue!
5. Several letters with encouraging news… especially from kids, John and Cheri!
6. A jar of Kiwi jam… get this: I made fig jam and gave a jar to my friend Ana at church, and she, brought ME a jar of Kiwi jam! What fun!
7. I prayed for some marked-down meat (30%) at the market and I was able to get several packages of chicken wings, legs, thighs and 1 whole chicken. I wanted the breasts but they were not on special so I passed.
8. 4 kilos of tomatoes before we left the village.

Here are some photos of my freshly planted garden. Click on the photo to enlarge. It’s very exciting for me. The tree is a pomegranate  with fruit on it.

What I have planted:

1. lettuce- at .79 cents a head (cheapest price) I should save a bundle
2. potatoes
3. winter onions
4. spinach
5. Fava beans (haba here)
6. chard
7. beets
8. carrots
9. radishes
10. brussel sprouts
11. broccoli
12. cauliflower
13. peas
14. garlic

On another note, John and I also set the alarm to get  up last week at 4am (we go to bed at about 12-1am) to listen to Govenor Sarah Palin speak at the Republican National Convention (via FOX NEWS). We are very impressed with her and she seems to be a no-nonsense kinda gal. We will be voting absentee-ballot this November. Did any of you hear it? Your thoughts?