Of Recipes, Budgets, Children and Home

There are some things that money can't buy. And as parents (and/or wives, or husbands) we try to make sure our home is filled with these. We give away our love, time, energy, and encouragement freely. And it's always nice to find that a little of that "free stuff" goes full circle and comes back to us again.

This is the first of what I hope will be many, many posts. I have many ideas to share, and plan to write daily. Much of what I have to say will not be new to many of you, but I hope you'll always be able to find something here that IS useful.

For those of you on a budget, (and who isn't these days?) I have lots of tricks I've learned for saving money. Although my husband and I have rotated responsibilites through the years, we've been determined to have one of us at home pretty much full time. We know our goals, and are aware of our parenting style and our short comings, so for us, keeping one parent at home full time just seemed like the way to go. It's a life we love, but it's led to some pretty creative budgeting!

We have four bright, active children ages 10 - 19. Before they were born we considered the idea of homeschooling, but we just really weren't sure what was best. We considered what the one and only school system in our entire county had to offer. (I had taught there previously.) We considered long bus rides. We considered our family values. We considered their social, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual development. We considered our huge network of family and friends. Still, we weren't entirely sure what was best for them--all things considered. As the oldest ones began to reach school age, we sent them off. They had some great experiences, but in time we knew. We really did want to give home schooling a try. Our oldest attended public school up until 6th grade. She's now a sophomore in college. On the other end of the spectum is our youngest who has never attended a "real school."

In the process, we've learned lots of things about homeschooling--like where to find resources, how to promote social and intellectual development, and yes, how to get into college without a traditional diploma. We are still learning! I realize that home schooling doesn't fit every family's circumstances, but if it fits yours, you're welcome to check here periodically to see if any of our experiences can be of help.

My final thought today is about food. My husband and I both come from a long line of people for whom one of life's biggest joys is sharing a meal with family and friends. We look for healthy foods, crowd pleasing foods, and foods that fit our budget. Since I'm new at writing a blog and I'm still not sure how it all works (or how it's all going to look on here when I'm finished!), I'm going to share one of my shortest, simplest recipes. My teenage son loves this one for breakfast and requests it often, even though he doesn't really like apple butter. Because of our family's size, I double the recipe and use a 9x13 inch pan.

Apple Butter Bars

1-1/4 Cup flour

3/4 Cup butter or margarine--cut in pieces

1 Cup packed brown sugar

1-1/4 Cup quick cooking oats

3/4 Cup apple butter*

In a large bowl mix flour & sugar. Cut in butter until mixture resembles course crumbs. Stir in oats until well blended. Press 1/2 of mixture firmly in a greased 8" squre pan to form a compact layer. Spread apple butter almost to the edges. Sprinkle remaining oat mixture over the apple butter. Press firmly, but carefully. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven about 40 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool and cut into 2" squares.

* You might wish to experiment with various pie fillings.


Have a Great Day!