Thursday, February 26, 2009

The Best Cinnamon Roll Recipe


I LOVE this recipe for Cinnamon Rolls. It makes tender, sweet rolls. I like them frosted with cream cheese frosting. I hope you like them.

1/2 c. warm water
2 pkgs. yeast
2 T. sugar
1 small pkg. instant vanilla pudding,
mixed with two cups milk
1/2 c. Margarine, melted
2 eggs
1 1/2 t. salt
6 c. flour, plus two later

filling (can double this if you like a lot of filling):
1 c. butter
2 c. brown sugar
4-6 t. cinnamon

Dissolve sugar and yeast in water; set aside. In large bowl mix pudding as directed. Add melted margarine,eggs, and salt. Mix well. Blend in yeast mix. Gradually add flour. Knead dough while adding another 1 to 1 1/2 c. more flour. Knead until smooth. Cover and let rise in well greased bowl. Let rise until double, punch down and roll out on floured surface approximately 34x21 inches. Spread with butter. Top with brown sugar and cinnamon. Add nuts and raisins if wanted. Roll tightly and cut with string (or dental floss) into
3/4" slices.place in greased pan 2 inches apart. Let rise until double. Bake at 350 for 15-20 min.

(this picture is off of the internet- not a picture of my baking)

Monday, February 23, 2009

Angel Food Ministries


This sounds like a really neat program. Angel Food Ministries sells a box of food for $30. The retail value of the box is usually between $60- $72 dollars. This is first quality food boxed up and ready for pick up. There is no paperwork to fill out. Anyone can participate. You just show up and pick up what you want. They accept food stamps. To find the nearest host site near you click here and then type in your zip code. I know that they have host sites in Midland, Odessa, and Gardendale. For more information call: 1-888-918-3745

The March menu includes enough food to feed a family of four for a week. The box includes vegetables, side dishes, pasta,etc. The meats included are: 1.5 lb. Ribeye Steaks (4 x 6 oz.),3 lb. Split Chicken Breast,1.5 lb. Country Fried Steak Patties (6 x 4 oz),1 lb. Package 80/20 Ground Beef,1 lb. Fully Cooked Meatballs,1 lb. Mild Italian Sausage, and 12 oz. Deli Sliced Ham

If you purchase one of the menu boxes you can also purchase additional boxes of either meat or fruits and vegies such as the produce listed below:

MARCH SPECIAL #6
Fresh Fruit and Veggie Box $22.00

contains:

3 lb. No. 1 Premium Idaho Baking Potatoes
3 lb. No. 1 Premium North Carolina Sweet Potatoes
1 head Premium Florida Green Cabbage
1 lb. Premium California Carrots (cello-packed)
2 lb. Premium Western Grown Yellow Onions
2 pack Premium Fresh Jumbo Garlic (2 pack tube)
1 Large Premium Sweet Cantaloupe
3 lb. Premium Tree-ripened Valencia Oranges
4 each Premium Tree-ripened Honey Tangerines
4 Large Premium Washington State Granny Smith Apples
3 lb. Large Premium Washington State Fuji Apples
1 each Premium Tree-ripened Mango

If you prefer prepackaged, nutritionally balanced meals that are ready to heat and eat. They offer ten meals for $28 dollars. These are especially nice for seniors that don't feel like cooking.

AND they offer a meal box that meets the needs of those that are allergic to many foods and need a special menu.

It sounds like such a wonderful program- thanks to the sister from Big Lake who shared this information with me!

Help Budgeting


If you need help managing your money you might want to read The Money Makeover by Dave Ramsey(try your library). He is pictured above on the cover of his Money Makeover Workbook. He has lots of good ideas!

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Help us Help you

We would love to have you contribute to this site!!

If you have a tip on financial management, getting out of debt, living within a budget, inexpensive recipes, gardening, or on purchasing, storing, and using your food storage let us know.

If you see a great deal around town or online share it with us.

Are you putting together a bulk order for some great stuff on sale and want to spread the word- drop us a note.

Are you trying to sell something or looking to buy something? Tell us and we'll get the word out.

Just send an email to: txsisters@gmail.com

Thanks!!

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

New Information on the Church Website

The church has added to their provident living section. There are so many wonderful tips, helps and counsel. They even offer five online lessons entitled Peace in Your Hearts: Managing Financial Resources Wisely.

Financial Calculator

Have you seen the new financial calculator at lds.org? It is so cool! One thing you can do is type in a debt amount and your monthly payment and calculate how long it will take to pay off the debt. You can see how much you are paying in interest. You can see how much you'll save if you pay an extra five dollars a month. There is a large list of ways you can use the calculator- it's fun!

Blogs About People Who Got Out of Debt

Here are a few articles about how people got out of debt. The list was originally posted on The Pleasures of Homemaking blog. I didn't get to read them all, but there seem to be lots of good ideas- and if they can do it- we can do it!

Some of these articles are by women who wanted to stay home with their children and were looking for a way to be able to do that- please don't be offended if you are in a situation where you work. These are just individuals sharing their ideas. Thanks.


Getting out of a $70,000 debt in four years

Miserly Moms, making family finances work on one income

The Dollar Stretcher- How we got out of debt

Counting the Cost frugal success stories.

Mommy Savers, debt elimination success stories.

Monday, February 16, 2009

Online Deals


There are many websites that can help you find great deals when shopping on the internet. One of the them is called Pinching Your Pennies. They will send you an email once or twice a week letting you know of some of the fantastic deals online. Don't forget though- it's not a great deal if you don't need it :0)

Sunday, February 8, 2009

President Faust

Another wonderful article, this one from President Faust, entitled, "The Blessings We Receive as We Meet The Challenges of Economic Stress". Just click on the title to read the article. He mentioned several blessings that come from financial adversity. A few blessings that he mentioned were:learning to trust the Lord, patience, and families learning to work together.

He also listed six ways to keep from being overcome by financial stress.

Monday, February 2, 2009

Time to Plant Peas

Mark has been helping the kids get their gardens started. First they put paper towels on a plate, then they put down a layer of pea seeds, then they put down another layer of paper towels, and then they filled the plate with water. The idea is to keep the seeds moist until they begin to grow. After about four days they will have "tails".


Now they are ready to plant in the garden. Our kids love eating fresh peas right off of the vine. We use a sweet snap pea so you can even eat the pods.... yummy!