bless the Lord oh my soul :)

Benjamin "Buddy" turns 4

Frugal Living

(sorry about the weird text/color issues with this post - I'm too lazy to fix it)

So - We're in Law School, and don't have a regular income, and only have X amt in savings, and are really quite in a tricky spot ("tricky" is the word I use with my 3 year old when I want to be honest but don't want to give off a negative vibe!) I know - It was our decision to come, we knew the #'s, my dad told me it didn't make sense on paper - But that's not the point of the story :)

The Point is. God said "come to law school", and specifically "Go to Regent", so we came.  We came, and his blessings have not stopped overflowing! So, yeah, we got unpacked and found out we were getting less in student loans than we thought - a lot less. And yeah, I wasted a lot of time pre-move  - getting excited for a Trader Joes to be semi-close and going all organic on my family...and yes, I wouldn't have sold my cloth diapers so early if I knew Violet was going to stay so tiny and still be in diapers for the first 8 months we were here...But seriously people, our cup runs over!

God is providing in so many ways...

• Generous(understatement) family and friends.  
• Hand-me-downs for my kids from sweet Anna back in Ames, and my neighbors daughter Sophie who is exactly one year older than Violet and has clothes in the exact season and size as her little self.  
• Two hair cut "clients" who pay me in lbs of Starbucks coffee...:)
• The lady behind me in a thrift store who didn't want me to use my bank card for a $.77 purchase, so she bought Violet some flip flops. And speaking of Thrift stores - There are TONS here!  We've been able to set up our home with 
• a $20 table, 
• a $7 coffee table, 
• a $40 sleigh bed(We bought this before the news about the smaller loan amount!), 
• $2 pants for me, 
• $4 suit coat for Joel, 
• $.50 books for B & V, 
• amazing rain boots to deal with the requent puddles on our sidewalk, and the Thrift list goes on and on and on.(We "pop some tags" often with much less than $20 in our pocket;) 

In food news...I don't get to do frequent trips to Trader Joes, or Harris Teeter, but... I do live down the hall from a dear woman who opens up her home multiple times a month for a Pantry of overflow from area grocery stores and restaurants.  This post was inspired by a tasty dish I made last night, and when I thought about God's provision of ingredients, I burst with gratitude of his love for me, and how He gives me more than I can ask or think. 

And this my friends, is how one makes a delicious meal from pantry items.:)

*NOTE: One also succeeds at frugal living by knowing that having success in a meal that you substitute ALL but 2 ingredients is about a 1 in 4 chance...good luck :)
*Unrelated NOTE: My children might be running around outside now singing "10,000 Reasons" at the top of their lungs...and my husband is rocking it in a law competition, and my mom is coming next week...I'm kind of on a "lots to be thankful for" high. :)

Here's the recipe (and a "few" alterations/substitutes) :)
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/chicken_spaghet/

Ingredients

• 2 cups Cooked Chicken (seasoned chicken from Chipolte)
• 3 cups Dry Spaghetti, Broken Into Two Inch Pieces
• 2 cans Cream Of Mushroom Soup (I have a phobia of canned cream of chicken soup, so here is my substitute:http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/477573 )
• 2 cups Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese  (omitt)
• 1/4 cup Finely Diced Green Pepper (I didn't have one, so I left it out)
• 1/4 cup Finely Diced Onion ( I did part green onion part yellow onion)
• 1 jar (4 Ounce) Diced Pimentos, Drained (subbed for a jar of  marinated roasted peppers)
• 2 cups Reserved Chicken Broth From Pot ( since I used the premade chicken I had no broth so I used boulion cubes)
• 1 teaspoon Lawry's Seasoned Salt (omitt) 
• 1/8 teaspoon (to 1/4 Teaspoon) Cayenne Pepper (omitt)
•  Salt And Pepper, to taste (omitt)
• 1 cup Additional Grated Sharp Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Cook 1 cut up fryer and pick out the meat to make two cups. Cook spaghetti in same chicken broth until al dente. Do not overcook. When spaghetti is cooked, combine with remaining ingredients except additional 1 cup sharp cheddar.

Place mixture in casserole pan and top with remaining sharp cheddar. Cover and freeze up to six months, cover and refrigerate up to two days, or bake immediately: 350 degrees for 45 minutes until bubbly. (If the cheese on top starts to get too cooked, cover with foil).