Learning to Sew

Well...tomorrow is the day. I am learning to sew. It may seem like a small thing, but it actually is really exciting for me. I took industrial arts instead of home ec in school, but have found recently that domestic things actually interest me. Today my friend and I went to the local fabric store and picked up a simple pattern, material and notions. Tomorrow, another friend is bringing over her sewing machine and show me how to begin sewing. Wish me luck!!!!

Saving Money

I have been on a quest the past few months to become more frugal and save more money when shopping. It is a little time consuming to cut coupons, compare adds and plan the trips, but man is it worth it! Last Friday night I drove 15 miles south of my home to the nearest Kroger's. My savings on my total bill was 43%. Simply by going online and viewing adds and having my coupons ready, I was able to get almost 150.00 worth of groceries for around 80.00.

Moral to the story, take the extra time it takes to look through the adds and make a plan before going shopping, it is worth it.

Crock Pot Beef Stew

This week in Indiana is going to be terribly cold. Here is a great recipe for a winter day. You can either put it on the night before or early in the morning before you head out to work.

2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 cups beef broth
3 potatoes, diced
4 carrots, sliced
1 stalk celery, chopped


Place meat in slow cooker. In a small bowl mix together the flour, salt, and pepper; pour over meat, and stir to coat meat with flour mixture. Stir in the garlic, paprika, Worcestershire sauce, onion, beef broth, potatoes, carrots, and celery.
Cover, and cook on Low setting for 10 to 12 hours.