Tomorrow is the 4th, our Independence Day.  We will be having so much fun getting together with friends and families for picnics and fireworks. As I have said on other holidays please take a moment to remember and remind or teach your children what this day stands for. Remember the prices that were paid by soldiers and civilians alike to gain our independence which we so often take for granted.

Remember the leaders who fought bravely beside their men. Who spoke bold, strong words to encourage them not worrying if what they said would be politically correct. Who didn’t straddle the fence with their words and actions so they would look good to others but bravely stood for what was right.

I am so shocked at times how little so many adults and children alike know about our American history. I think of what led up to that first Independence Day and how soldiers fought in bitter cold winters at times with no shoes, coats or even a blanket to wrap in at night. Of how they had little and at times no rations and often had to go find food for themselves. They were told they were fighting a losing war but with faith and courage kept fighting anyway even with the odds against them so that not only their future heirs but people from other countries could have freedom.

I at times am ashamed for the past couple of generations who take all of this for granted. What has happened to that strong heritage where when things happen we bravely go on not whining or having a pity party? We whine about every little thing that goes wrong in our life and moan and groan because we can’t go on vacation this year because money is tight or my child can’t play football because we are having to live on one income. I can’t afford a brand new car, bigger house, or big screen TV

What would you have done in that war for independence? Fight bravely or give up at the first little bit of resistance and make excuses why you couldn’t fight?

I am so grateful and proud to be an American. Some of you have heard me say this before so bare with me. My grandfather came here from Greece as a young man. The greatest day of his life was when he received his American citizenship. He worked very hard for it. He learned English, studied American history and government and knew more about it then most Americans who were born here. He even had his last name changed so it sounded more American.

To be an American was an honor and a privilege. It was a responsibility too. My grandfather was very strong in working in his community so much so that the day of his funeral they closed all of the stores and schools in town so everyone could go to it.

I compare that to so many people coming to America now who refuse to do none of the above, who insist on flying the flag of the country they have come from, not learning English but wanting all the privileges that come with being an American citizen and none of the responsibilities.

It would be the same as being on a losing team in the NFL and begging a winning team (and one that makes more money) to take them on. They finally do. On the day of the first big game the team comes running out on to the field. There stands the new player in his old team’s jersey, he hasn’t learned any of the new team’s plays, and keeps running touchdowns for the other team. What would the fans and other players think of a player doing that? He would be booed off of the field and probably bodily removed.

I’m not saying we should toss people out or even boo them but that Americans and new immigrants to please start being proud to be an American. Not in a self righteous way but in a grateful and resposible way.

I heard a song this morning at the grocery store. I was thinking how blessed  I was to be able to live where I can wander around an air conditioned store full of huge amounts of good food to pick and choose from when this song came started playing. I think it says it all;

This is my country land of my birth.

This is my country grandest on earth.

I pledge thee my allegiance,

America the bold.

For this is my country to have and to hold.

Jill

There is so much more you can do with jams and jellies then just spreading them on toast. Here is a list of a few of those.

Roll a peeled banana in strawberry jam then sprinkle with nuts or granola. Freeze for a quick cool dessert or snack anytime.

Add a some peach, apricot or pineapple preserves to cooked carrots.

Don’t have fruit for smoothies add some preserves or jam to them.

In place of sugar for your hot tea add 1-2 tsp. of peach or apricot jam.

Add some raspberry jam to apple juice or applesauce.

Spread any ho hum coffee cake with jam to kick it up a notch.

Stir orange marmalade, apricot, strawberry, peach or raspberry into a fruit salad for a glaze.

Jill

As most of you know I LOVE my Swagbucks. I have been doing this for a couple of months and I just love their rewards program. Every time you search you can earn a few points. They have some great Amazon gift cards for just 45 points, Target and Lowe’s gift cards that you can earn too. Well now you can earn $5 from Paypal!

If you have a blog, website or a lot friends they have a wonderful referral program where you can earn even more points quicker!

They said “We understand that these are tough economic times, and for those things that Amazon codes can’t assist with (i.e. car payments, gas bills, phone bills, etc..etc.), the Swag Bucks PayPal option can. We hope that you will take advantage of this great new offer. If you are a new member include the registration code CASHISKING when you sign up and they will be given 5 Swag Bucks to start. The code expires on July 6th at 12pm PST.

If you haven’t signed up for Swagbucks yet. Go here and use this code CASHISKING to get started with 5  points!!

BTW, there is a glitch in their program and it will tell you that you only received 3 points to get started but if you look in the top right corner you will see 5 are there. They told me they are working on getting it fixed but it will take a few days.

Tawra

From: Virginia
Hi, First of all, I would like to say I really
enjoy receiving your Newsletter and reading your
blog. I’ve been absorbing all the GRREAT info
about living frugally and responsibly. My
question pertains on affording to have a baby. I
live in South Florida, where everything seems to
cost more, and the cost of delivering a baby
naturally costs between $10,000 - $12,000
(without any complications). I have medical
insurance but it doesn’t cover maternity, so how
in the world is anyone able to afford just having
a baby let alone raising it? I read that your
OOP expenses were only $4000 - $5000 for Jack,
how did you manage that? Thanks.

We have self pay insurance through blue cross and blue shield for the baby and Medicare for me and that is our portion. One thing about affording 10-12K for dellivery is that people seem to have no problem paying that and then some for a car but are horrified to have to pay that for their child.
It is a matter of priorities. We had to pay 7K for our daughter and we had insurance. For us we pay our medical expenses instead of driving a new car.

BTW, 10-12K seems to be the going rate across the country for baby deliveries. That was the cost in Idaho and the cost here in Kansas for ours.

Tawra

Here are just a few tips for your 4th of July picnics.

It’s hot. Keep it simple. We often love to take our fanciest desserts or dishes to a potluck but if you can’t get something elaborate done don’t worry. Hands down when ever I go to a potluck it is the simple dishes that disappear first. Even something as easy as a platter of sliced tomatoes layered with sliced cucumbers on a bed of lettuce will look and taste lovely on a hot summer day or a plate of fruit lined up in rows on a pretty platter will disappear quickly. If you have some whipped topping to use as a dip for it great if not don’t worry they will eat it anyway.

A pan full of brownies or a pile of rice krispy treats never last either. Of course plain old chunks of cold watermelon and cantaloupe are a must for the 4th.

To save on the expensive of soft drinks, serve cold sweetened ice tea or lemonade instead. One thing to remember when making tea, lemonade or kool aid is to be sure to not at as much water as the recipe calls because if you are going to add ice later it will dilute down. There is nothing worse then a watery tasting drink. Of course you can freeze some of the drink itself to use for ice later and that will help with the dilution.

Add 1-2 tsp. of mint apple jelly to your ice tea for something different.

Add any of the following to lemonade for a  cool and refreshing drink:

1/4-1/2 cup cranberry juice

1/4-1/2 cup cherry juice

1-2 tsp. of cool aid powder, strawberry, cherry, raspberry, lime or punch.

Jill

For my holidays I usually like to keep things simple like always having hot dogs, hamburgers, baked beans, corn on the cob and potato salad for the Fourth but even I every once in awhile like to “eat out of the box” and try something different. How about some kabobs this year for a change.

We all know about them but I don’t think a lot of us fix them that often. We really should. They are so simple and easy and you can have most of it all prepared the day before.

The recipe below you can BBQ on the grill but you don’t have to BBQ all kabobs. If you have a couple of pieces of meat like chicken, hot dogs or steak left from grilling make them into “cold kabobs” the next day. Layer your already cooked meat with fresh veggies or fruit. These would be great to wrap and take on a picnic in place of a sandwich.

Use chunks of melon, strawberries, pineapple (you can use canned), and if served right away apples or bananas. For veggies use small onions, green and red peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, broccoli or cauliflower.  Also if you are serving immediately you could add cubes of cheese. The possibilities are endless.

For something fun and different have a kabob bar and let everyone make up their own.

Use 2 skewers holding about 1/2 an inch apart  to thread your items on because this will help to keep them from turning around on the skewers.

If BBQing then soak skewers for 30 mins. in water.

When cooking keep all the pieces of everything cut as close to the same size as you can.

Prepare as much as you can the day before to make your life easier the next day.

BBQ Chicken Kabobs

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1 1/2 in. chunks

2 cups pineapple, chunks

1 green pepper, 1 1/2 in chunks

1 red pepper, 1 1/2 in chunks

Place all of these on the skewers.

Brush with equal parts BBQ sauce and concentrated orange juice that have been mixed.

Cook on medium high grill until chicken is done about 8-10 minutes. Brush occasionally with sauce.

Makes 4

Jill

He was up eating for 24 hours yesterday and I’m worn out! He was eating about every 2-3 hours for a couple of days and he is still breastfeeding but honestly I’m worn out! (So far today we’ve gone every 3 hours so keep your fingers crossed) Of course the 3 other kids have strep and ear infections and we’ve been to the doc 3 times in 5 days so that really hasn’t help matters!

We did have my friend Jeanette and Emily bring in a couple of meals, then a reader from MO called and ordered us Pizza last night. It was so funny because we have never ordered pizza and the kids thought that was the coolest thing to have it delivered! (Thanks Elaine!)
Then our realtor and loan officer said they would bring us over dinner. God knew exactly when we would need meals and this week is it!!

Mom is over helping with laundry so that is a big help. With both me and the baby soaking everything we are going through more clothes. I did switch from Huggies to Luvs diapers for him so hopefully that will help. I forgot how much I hate Huggies. They just leak horribly!

Mike is working extra hours at the tv stations this next month so he isn’t home as much. It looks like the baby will cost us around $4,000-$5,000 in our out of pocket costs so we are very thankful for the extra hours of work!

The WONDERFUL NEWS is that I’ve lost 30 pounds in 2 weeks! Yes, I know that 15 of it is baby and accessories but I need some incentive so I’m counting that. ☺ Only 5 lbs. left before I’m at the pre-baby weight.

I am still on the diabetic diet. My blood sugars are fine after eating but still around 95 for fasting. I’m not sure what that means but I go back to the diabetic doctor in 4 weeks so I will ask then.

My blood pressure is finally down. In the next few days I should be up and around again, if I can get him to stop eating. ☺

I still have yet to find “joy” in breastfeeding. As I was doing a little research and I found out that part of my problem is I think I have too much milk. I didn’t know that could be a problem since you always here about not enough.

I am going to try and see if I get myself to stop producing so much by trying to have him hold off longer between feedings and try to go 2-3 hours instead of every hour and only feeding on one side each every 2 hours instead of both. He has totally soaked diapers so he is eating enough.

I am trying to appreciate the fact that he is eating well but I am constantly soaked, my boobs hurt horribly from being so full, he chokes and gags every time he eats because it’s coming out so fast etc.

I do hate to start him on formula since he is eating so well and we had allergies with 2 others but I’m not sure I will be able to physically keep doing this. Maybe in a couple of days I will dry up some and it will get better.

That’s about all around here.

Tawra

BTW, a lot of people have mentioned pumping. I don’t have a pump right now. I might look on craigslist and see if there is one for cheap. It’s $60 a month to rent one and for that price I could just do formula. That might help some to get a bottle for dad or nan now and then and give me a break. I have to say though it is hard to sleep when you hurt so bad from them not eating so I’m not sure that would be much help or not.

I can’t believe the Fourth is already here. It feels like I just put up my Christmas decorations last week. Well for many of you you may have just put them up last week. HA!HA! Anyway I was thinking (I know that always gets me in trouble) for something fun this year you might try having an old fashion 4th. Instead of just spending the day sitting around BBQing and waiting for fire works why not have some things to do like gunny sack races, rope pulls, wheelbarrel races or just a good old fashion water balloon fight.

If you are some place where you can tie a gunny sack stuffed with straw in a tree for the kids (and adults) to swing on. Or if nothing more sit and have a watermelon seed spitting contest. I know we usually think of apple bobbing for Halloween but it would for the Fourth and would help keep everyone cool.

Have a few fun silly inexpensive little prizes to give away or even a simple blue ribbon.

Jill

I was “putting my face on” this morning and did some things that I thought you might find interesting. First I was putting on my foundation. Some of you like the thicker foundation for it’s good coverage but often have trouble getting it to rub on proper. The secret  to putting on any foundation and getting it to look even and smooth is to mix it with a little moisturizer.

I put a small dot (half the size of a pea) of moisturizer on my hand and then a dot of my foundation and mix them together. I do have a clean little jar that I sometimes will mix up foundation and moisturizer in so it is ready to use and don’t have to do it on my hand each day.

I rarely use sunscreen. Now before you have a heart attack I always use foundation that has a good SPF in it and a moisturizer that has a good one too. That way I can save on having to buy sunscreen for my face and save on the extra step of putting it on.

I do however use sunscreen for times when I will be going to something  where I will be outside all day long, something like camping, or 4th of July picnic.

For years I had the oiliest skin known to man. I finally discovered that if I used an oil control moisturizer under my oil control foundation it really helped control the oil. If I used the foundation alone it didn’t seem to work as well.

For those of you who don’t like anything as heavy you might try a mineral foundation.

I next put on my mascara. When you use your mascara don’t pump the brush up and down several times in the tube. First, all this does is pump air into the tube and causes it to dry out faster. Second think about what you are doing. How many of you do this pumping to try and get more mascara on the brush only to proceed to have to scrape it off on the edge of the tube because there is too much?

Just pushing the brush back in the tube when you are done and then drawing it back out gives you all that you need on the brush to use. Also you don’t need to spend extra to buy one of the new mascaras that has a bent brush in it. For years before they ever made such a thing I have been gently bending and adding a slight curve to my mascara brush. They are very easy to gently bend. It gives you a really nice curl to your lashes without having to use an eyelash curler (I hate using them anyway and really don’t have time too).

One other beauty tip that Tawra just discovered. Her 10 year old daughter was having the worst time with her hair being oily all of the time. Tawra then figured out that she was using a shampoo that was a shampoo and conditioner in one. By changing over to a shampoo for oily hair with no conditioners in it it has made all the difference in the world. No more oily hair.

One thing I did use when I was younger and had excessively oily hair was  lemon juice or vinegar to rinse my hair. It really does work well. Lemon juice is best for blonds because it also helps to bring out their highlights and vinegar for brunettes. Although you can use either no matter what your hair color.

Now if I could find something that truly works for dry skin I would be a happy camper. I have tried almost everything on the market and nothing really works. At one time I did use 1/4-1/2 cup of apple cider in my baths and that was probably the best of anything I tried. But I don’t take baths often any more so I can’t use it.

I had to stop taking baths for several different reasons. First they use 10 times more water then showers so I couldn’t afford it. Second after I got sick with my CFS hot baths made me weaker and would leave me drained. I remember the first time I tried a hot tub. After 5 mins I almost couldn’t get myself out and was to weak to move the rest of the day. What a bummer.

Well I hope this gave you all a couple of tips or ideas that you maybe can use in the never ending pursuit of getting more beautiful. :)

Jill

Well, today is mom’s 28th birthday, again!

Happy Birthday!!!!