• Life and Family

    Why Kids Should be in 4-H

    Early this fall, I started a new temporary job. It is with our local Cooperative Extension Service. I am there to learn about computer programs and other office skills, but I have really enjoyed learning about all the things CES offers such as 4-H. I have heard people talk of the Extension office, but never knew what that meant. The Extension Agents provide non-formal education and learning activities to people throughout the country – farmers and other residents of rural communities as well as people living in urban areas. They do this in many ways through programs for both adults and children. One of the programs for kids is 4-H.…

  • Cooking

    Yummy Fruit Salad

    My husband loves Chinese food, but I can’t stand it. I have tried going to different restaurants several times over the years to please him. On one of these trips, there was very little that I would eat, but there was a simple fruit salad. That is pretty much what I ate that night. It was sweet but very lightly sweet and I wanted to recreate that taste. I came up with a very simple recipe that has been a huge hit at every event I have ever taken it to. It is great for summer barbecues, Christmas parties, baby showers, weddings, or any other type of get together. The…

  • Painted Christmas Ornament
    Crafts,  Holidays

    Painted Christmas Ornaments

    This post contains affiliate links, please see the disclosure policy for more details. Every year our church makes personalized Christmas ornaments for all the kids. I usually am the one who comes up with what kind of ornaments we make. I was in Dollar Tree one day and noticed that they had started putting out their Christmas items. There were some clear plastic ornaments that intrigued me with all the possibilities. I bought a bunch of them and then started researching ways to decorate them. I found a lot of different ways and styles of decorating the ornaments. Most of them included painting the outside of the ornament, but I didn’t like…

  • French Toast
    Cooking

    Flavored French Toast

    My family loves french toast. We have it for supper quite often because it is an easy, filling, and inexpensive meal that pleases everyone. I grew up eating french toast with peanut butter spread on it along with syrup and that is how I still eat it. Everyone is always surprised and do not think that peanut butter on french toast would be good, but it is, it is really good. Everyone in the family eats it this way except Devin because he is allergic to peanuts and peanut products. We put cinnamon sugar on his now, but for years he just ate it plain with syrup. French toast is…

  • Cheesy Eggs and Ham
    Cooking

    Cheesy Eggs and Ham

    My husband loves eggs, almost any kind. I like making cheesy eggs and ham because I can make them for one, two or the entire family all at once and they are oh, so good. I fix 2-3 eggs per person, depending on what else I am going to serve with them. Sometimes I fix home fries or hash browns, other times just toast. Start by getting everything ready. The eggs are the last thing you want to cook. They are quick and easy and only take a few minutes to prepare. Break the eggs into a bowl and add salt and pepper. I like to use Land of Frost…

  • How to Organize Cooking Utensils
    Organizing

    How to Organize Cooking Utensils

    As I have mentioned before, my kitchen is an older one and doesn’t have a lot of space. I try to organize and make my kitchen easier to use. I have a very limited amount of drawer space in this house. After purging my utensils and rearranging them, even putting some in the silverware drawer, I still have trouble finding what I need easily. I have seen a lot of kitchen doors fixed up all fancy with chalkboard paint and shapes traced on the doors. I do not do fancy organization, I just want things to be easy to find, grab, use and replace. I finally remembered to buy some…

  • Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes
    Cooking

    Easy Oven Roasted Potatoes

    I love potatoes of all kinds but onion flavored oven roasted potatoes are one of my favorites. They are easy to make but take about an hour to cook. This doesn’t usually work  for me since I am not good at planning ahead. But occasionally I do think ahead enough to cook these for supper. They are inexpensive, easy and oh so tasty! I usually like to use russet potatoes for roasting and baking. If I am feeding the entire family, I make a large pan of potatoes (probably about 10 medium-large potatoes),  but only use about 5-6 potatoes if it is just the 3 of us. I cut the potatoes…

  • Easy Slow Cooker Chicken
    Cooking

    Slow Cooker Chicken

    Since school started back, Devin is home for supper again most nights. After he gets done with football practice, he is ready for a big filling supper. I have missed cooking big suppers. They are actually easier for me since that is what I am used to. My husband likes a variety of items at each meal which is hard to do when you are only cooking for 2 or 3. I end up with a lot of leftovers when there are only 2-3 eating. I bought some chicken legs and thighs on sale a month or so ago but I didn’t separate them out before I froze them. I…

  • Get Organized for a Great School Year
    Organizing

    Get Organized for a Great School Year

    Are you ready for the kids to go back to school? Do you have to go back to school? It doesn’t matter who goes to school, your kids, you as a student, you as a teacher, your spouse or even grandchildren. The beginning of the school year affects almost everyone in some way. Getting organized can help you have a more successful school year. Back to School! Our school year has already started, it started a week early this year. I wasn’t ready and the kids really weren’t but it started none the less. On top of them starting school, I started a new job the same day, so it…