Whole Wheat Bread

BONNIE’S WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

   

     

This has got to be the all-time BEST and CHEAPEST whole wheat bread – EVER.                            

I got this recipe from my dear friend Bonnie.  She swears it is a recipe EVERY body should have because the 5 ingredients are staples in your Food Storage that have long shelf lives. 

Ingredients:

3 ¼ cups very warm water

2/3 c firmly packed brown sugar

4 tsp salt

8-10 c flour

2 large Tablespoons Yeast

 The 1st thing I do to make this bread even better is to grind my wheat.  Now I'm starting with FRESHLY GROUND WHOLE WHEAT THAT IS HOT AND SMELLS SOOOO GOOD.  

Directions:

·       In 4 cup measuring cup fill with very warm water. 

Sprinkle in yeast.

(I give my yeast a quick ½ stir, then sprinkle 1 teaspoon of sugar over the top)

·       While you are waiting for the yeast to activate in the water, sift together 4 cups of flour and the salt.  Add the brown sugar and stir til the sugar & flour are combined.

·       If you are using a Kitchen-Aid Mixer, put the dry ingredients into the bowl and turn on lowest setting for 30 seconds.  Turn the mixer to the next level (#2) & slowly and gradually add your yeast water. 

·       Add the next 3 cups of flour very slowly or it will fly out of the bowl.

·       Add the next 2 cups  by eyeballing the dough.  If it looks too wet, add 1 cups at a time.  If it looks too dry don’t add both cups. 

·       After about 10 minutes the dough should be smooth & elastic.

If you are kneading by hand, add all the ingredients together & knead for about 10 minutes.

·       Turn it out into a greased bowl.  Give it a quarter of a turn, then turn it upside down. 

·       Put a sheet of waxed paper over the top & then lay a dishtowel on top of the waxed paper.

When the dough is double in size, give it a good punch in the center.

·       Take it out of the bowl & divide it in half.  Flatten out each half with your palms until you’ve got all the air bubbles out.

·       Shape each half into a greased bread pan. 

·       Using a pastry brush, paint it with melted butter. 

When it has risen to above the top, put it in the oven & bake at 375 degrees for about 30 minutes.  My oven runs hot, so you’ll have to go by how it smells & looks.  If you are in the other room & you suddenly can smell your bread & it is golden brown on the top, it is most likely done. 

Super yummy with a slab of butter & a dollop of honey.  Mmmm. 

SAVING MONEY

     I am starting a new blog.  I think I'm going to call it The Frugal Bugle.  Silly, I know, but it was something my 85 year old mother-in-law thought up.  She told me I was so frugal and when I wrote my family newsletters I should name the newsletters The Frugal Bugle.  For me, I liked The Leavitt Lodge - since I am a Leavitt and my home seems to lodge my kids or grandkids when they want to visit.

     I live, breath and sleep "saving money".  I read blogs, Pinterest, Facebook, The Wisdom Journal, Suze Orman, Dave Ramsey, providentliving.org, homemaking manuels, make-it-from-scratch books, and... the most inspiring...is the voices from those people who have first hand accounts of living as a child through the Great Depression in 1929.
     So, if you are interested you can go on my new blog

                   saveanicklesaveadime.blogspot.com

and learn a trick every single day at how to shave lots of dollars off your budget :)

See you there!!!

I LOVE FALL

     There are many things that I love besides my wonderful husband, children & grandchildren.  I love Pinterest.  I love Facebook.  I love the internet.  I love that I'm a Mormon.  I love writing and I love Fall - even here in Southern California where our high this week is 86 degrees.
     The changing of the season paid no mind that it was 96 degrees when it made it's debut.  In fact, I didn't even know when the 1st day of Fall was, but ironically while Barry & I had our breakfast I could almost smell something different in the air - something that spoke of the few pine trees that still dot this valley.  A few years back construction went crazy building more houses than occupants and many of our tree filled lots disappeared - some hills were leveled.  With them some of our beautiful old, traditional Pine and Eucalyptus trees fell to the ground & became someones firewood.

Eucalyptus and Pine Trees are to me are Gods gifts
        A Eucalyptus tree is on the left.  In the picture on the right are 3 pine trees.  These 3 trees literally cover my my friend, Charlene's house.

     When my children were small, we'd go around town picking up baskets of pine cones for our Fall decorations.  Now my grandkids would be lucky to fill one basket.

A lone pine cone from the tree in Charlene's front yard.

     But, today, I opted to go to JO-ANNs  Fabrics & pay $2.50 for a bag of mini, scented pine cones for my wicker cornucopia - or Horn-of-Plenty - a yard-sale find.

My wicker, Cornucopia stuffed with my mini scented pine cones

                                 
     While out shopping, I stopped at Cardenas Markets for their rock-bottom prices on some of their produce (last month I snagged yellow onions for .10c a pound).  While stocking up on their sale items I saw a mexican squash that resembled a pumpkin.  I paid $5.00 for it.

Calabaza (a mexican squash).  Still don't know what I'm going to do with it, but for now, unopened, it's my most expensive Fall decoration

Hope you find a lot of sales this fall season... hope you pick a lot of pine-cones... hope you have a fun Halloween... hope you find 31 ways to save money!!!
See you soon,
Nancy
   

COOKING AT THE LEAVITT LODGE, or just enjoying a meal

It's been pretty busy these past 3 months.  Most boxes have been unpacked, my "office" is semi-organized, and the guest room nearly completed.  Almost everyday one of the kids or grandkids come over to visit, go swimming and/or spend the night and sometimes go to church with us.  More often than not, when anyone pops in I am usually in the kitchen, behind the counter stirring, mixing, canning, bagging, or something of that nature.   

Silly picture of me.  Just home from church, got my apron on & I'm ready  for dinner

     Although I am not the worlds greatest cook, I do a pretty darn good job at food preparation and storage since we buy in bulk.  When someone comes over they usually meander to the kitchen as well - either cooking, eating or snacking. 
     I've been asked a lot if making most of my own foods saves me more than if I couponed.  Yes, but, its a lot of hard work, yet well worth every minute, for sure.   I really think every thing I know about making from "scratch" I learned from my dear Aunt Florence.  One of the first things she taught me was how to make bread.

      My homemade bread costs me $1.31 for two loaves of bread.  Heres the breakdown: .45c/lb wheat; 3.9 oz @ 1.48/lb dry milk = .36c; 3.2 oz brown sugar @ .61c/lb = .12c; .20c oil; .18c yeast:  TOTAL COST OF HOMEMADE BREAD $1.31.  That's .61c a loaf.  I'd  say that's pretty darned cost effective!!

     And then, there were the bananas on sale.  Well, more than on sale - there were a few that were marked down from the sale.  I asked the produce man if he had any he could mark down & he said, "Come back at noon".  So, we did.  And look at what we got:

72 lbs of bananas for a total of $12.00.  That's .16c a pound (actually almost .17c a pound)

After spending 4+ hours peeling, mashing & vacuum sealing we got this:

64 cups ready for the freezer & 8 lbs ready to eat!

     My step-son Sam & wife Stephanie came to visit for the first time.  Stephanie immediately found her way around my kitchen and taught me how to make the most delicious mouth watering Taco Meat I have ever tasted and the best Spanish Rice EVER.  She said "I don't use measurements.  Just add to taste".  I said, "Well, how much do you know to add to at least taste it?  Half teaspoon?  One teaspoon???"  She said, "Well," then rolled her eyes upwards to give it a thought, inhaled, then matter-of-factly answered, "about a half.  Maybe one teaspoon.  Just depends.  Thats the way my mom taught me and she was taught by her mom".  The formula for most great handed-down recipes.  Then she added her seasonings, stirred, added more here, a little there & finally dinner was served.  

Stephanie making Spanish Rice

     What really stood out about Stephanie is how she said she never buys season packets.  Never has, never will.  Her mother never bought them either.  She said "Garlic powder, cumin, tomato sauce, onion, salt & pepper, oregano.  That's about all you need for Taco Meat & Spanish Rice"  I like that.  And, she said its all freezable!!  I like that even better!

     And my step-daughter Jessie spent 2 weeks with us and let me tell you, she is no stranger to a kitchen.

                                       

                                                                                Jessie making Guacamole

Jessie whipped up a bowl of Guacamole in no time at all & it was oh-my-goodness- GOOD.  Oh my, to say the least.  Not only did we waddle away from the table, I got three GREAT recipes to add  to our Leavitt Lodge Cookbook.                                                      

... and Spice Cake  

    Even the granddaughters love to cook at the Leavitt Lodge 

And, when it's time for dinner we always have someone around to feed.  

Grandpa is having fun.  Happy 4th!!!

     In my kitchen there are no fancy shelves, no expensive cupboads, nothing from Lowels or Home Depot (except the plank I used for my shelf - on the left, painted white). But, what I do have is a nice work space that works just fine for me (heck, my grandma didn't even have running water or gas stove).  The canisters are metal that I picked up at a yard sale for a buck.  The buckets hold my Wheat, Oats, Dry Milk, Dry Potatoes and White Flour.  What you see on the left is my refrigerator decorated in "Grandkid Art".  There was a  freestanding pantry shelf  when we moved in, but the door fell off.  So, I painted it white & nailed some apple print cotton fabric to make it less boring.  On the top shelf is a turntable I picked up for a couple bucks at a yard sale.  The jars hold all my spices (we buy in bulk).  If you look real hard, you can see my rolling pins (on a rack I got for .50c at a yard sale) & hanging on the side of the cupboard are my measuring cups (on the left) and sifter (on the right).

     We're not fancy here at our little Leavitt Lodge.  We are comfortable and we hope everyone who comes is comfortable.  We enjoy our family & they seem to enjoy us.  I tell everyone who enters to make themselves at home, put their feet up & relax because before long, someone will be cooking. :)

 
 
 
   

   

HOMEMADE DISHWASHER DETERGENT

     

     Can you tell which glass was washed with Homemade Dishwasher Detergent?  Washing dishes by hand is our preferred method, but since I now have a dishwasher & have had a lot of company I have taken advantage of the time I save by letting my dishwasher do the work.  However, we have an old dishwasher and very hard water that you can't even drink, & when I ran the dishwasher for the 1st time I looked at my glasses and thought that maybe the old relic needed to be ran a few times to clean it out.  Each time company came I had a sink full of dishes that needed washing - each time they came out dingy or cloudy looking.  I surmised it was my detergent - Palmolive - that was a lot cheaper than Cascade.  We refused to pay $10 bucks for a better detergent so I went to work in search of Homemade Dishwasher Detergent & what-do-you-know -- not only was homemade cheaper, but our glasses came out cleaner.  The proof is in the pudding, we say.  (By-the-way, our Homemade is on the left.  Palmolive is on the right!)

     Lets compare the costs: 

           Cascade Powdered Fresh Scent 75 ounces - $10.75 - 28 loads = .38c per load

           Cascade Gel Lemon Scent 75 ounces - $8.75 - 28 loads = .31c per load

           Palmolive® eco+ gel 75 ounce detergent – $3.79 – 28 loads = .14c per load

           Homemade powder 24 ounce detergent – $2.28 – 48 loads = $0.05 per load

     Now, lets look at the initial cost which is what you are going to have to invest to get you started:

These are the ingredients you'll need:

1 – 55 ounce box of Arm & Hammer® Super Washing Soda = $2.19 (or .63c an ounce)

1 – 76 ounce box of 20 Mule Team® Borax = $4.29

1 – 48 ounce box of coarse Kosher Salt = $1.99

1 – 5 pound container of food-grade Citric Acid = $19.00   (Online at soap.com)  If you do not use some form of citric acid you may see a cloudy residue.

1 – gallon of White Vinegar = $3.79

I have pictured Baking Soda (at .49c a lb at Winco) because most recipes call for Baking Soda rather than Super Washing Soda.  (I have not tried Baking Soda yet, but will on my next batch because it is cheaper) 

Once you buy all your ingredients (hopefully on sale with a coupon & do not scrimp on brand name with the Borax or Washing Soda - brand is very important here), follow the recipe below for your Dishwasher Detergent.

In a bowl or pail mix:

• 1 cup of 20 Mule Team Borax
• 1 cup of Super Washing Soda OR 1 cup of Baking Soda (not both)
• 1/2 cup Citric Acid (I used Fruit Fresh because I had it on hand)
• 1/2 cup Kosher Salt (I used what I had on hand - Sea Salt)

 Mix it all up & pour it into a mason jar or whatever you have on hand.

The finished product with a bottle of vinegar for the rinse

 Use 2 Tablespoons per load.  Fill the rinse compartment with the Vinegar.   

                  

Thats it!  Easy and cheap!!

      

Easter

    Happy Easter to you!  We know this is really a fun time & even we love the Easter Bunny and coloring eggs too - feasting on bunny chocolates and cream Easter eggs and all, but after our children finish up their goodies and smile thinking about how nice it was to have the Easter Bunny come visit, what do we say when they look at us - with the hint of chocolate still on their faces - and ask “why do we celebrate Easter?.  Let us turn to our children and tell them……  Easter was meant to have us remember the resurrection of our Savior, for after three days, his lifeless body laid entombed, after hanging from the cross, in agony, for hours, before giving up his spirit and died. Then administering angels appeared as His spirit was joined to His mortal body, He rose, being no more mortal but Immortal, Eternal, Pure and Divine. This is why we should celebrate Easter, for it is a time of new life and an assurance, that we, one day, like our Savior, will be rejoined with the elements that once were our body and be now made new, perfect in form but no longer mortal but now immortal.

      This Easter weekend, April 6, 7 & 8, turn to mormon.org/easter or  facebook.com/mormon  to find out more about how we, at the Leavitt Lodge, celebrate this special day.  

Happy Easter,

Nancy & Barry Leavitt

     

Moving In

MOVING IN

and before putting away

Too many boxes

     Oh boy.  Although loading and unloading the truck was pretty organized (we had 10 men counting my husband and my 2 teenage grandsons) once we got the boxes inside I had to think about where I wanted everything.  My husband believed that if I wrote "KITCHEN" on all the kitchen boxes and "FRONT ROOM" on all the front room boxes, etc. they would automatically be placed in their designated rooms and magically unpack themselves like Bewitched.  No, I told him.  I had to unpack each box one by one and decide where it was going to find a new home after I wiped down every shelf in every cupboard (this house did not come pre-cleaned).

The Dining Area

First of all, I said to myself, lets get the table cleared and some chairs out so we can eat or sit - or both.  Never mind about the rocking chair.









Next was making my kitchen look warm and welcoming - like an invitation to supper.

My new kitchen!  Bigger and better!!

     By the afternoon we were pooped.  I mean, we were nearly literally wiped out.  Our backs hurt, my calves hurt, I ate junk all day (donuts, pizza and sodas for the movers) and my head hurt.  But, my sweet husband had spotted a yard sale on his way in that was just around the corner from us & wanted me to walk over to see it.  Not wanting to miss a good deal if we saw one, we drug our dragging heels over to the yard sale and whadyaknow?  There was this amazing sofa and love seat that just happened to be $50.00 and it just happened to match my over-stuffed chair!  What  a deal.  We introduced ourselves to the seller & explained we were just simply exhausted and would try to find someone with a truck to come and load it for us.  Amazingly, the seller got her husband and two sons to roll our purchase over to us on dolly's - one at a time - bring them in the house & set them where I wanted them.  Now, THAT'S a good deal!!

Chair

Sofa and Love Seat

 Same texture, same design, slightly   different color - just slightly, but good   enough for us.

Packing Day Has Started

Karsyn helping carry in empty boxes

     

     Bringing in empty boxes from wherever we can get them may be time consuming as well as tedious, but a whole lot cheaper than buying them.  
     This is not our first move but, now that we are grandparents, our muscles don't work as well as they used to and our bones crack & creek when we bend.  And, no, we are not in our 70's.  Having to deal with arthritis is really a pain in the behind, but as long as we stay semi-active I'm not in too much pain.  However, moving this time around has really got me down.  Thank goodness for grandkids!
     Is there an efficient way to packing?  Something that the younger crowd has discovered in this past decade?  I looked online to read some ideas:  emove.com says to buy moving supplies (such as marking pens, bubble wrap, newspapers & packing tape) and keep lists.  As for buying anything, packing tape is going to be it for us, since we buy everything else in bulk & have an endless supply of pens & bubble wrap and the newspapers are free from my neighbor.  Another site said to get only medium size boxes.  You will have more boxes, but they will be easier to carry.  I agree on that one since we have a year's supply of food storage to haul.  Everyone had the same message, but different angle which made the job seem like it's going to be easier, but truth be told, any way you move is the same old story.  Pack, throw out stuff you've been keeping for years hoping you'll need it someday (like my size 6 pencil skirt & matching jacket), pack, lift, use dolly's, use volunteer help, unload boxes and then spend unlimited day and nighttime hours unpacking and putting away, and throwing out more of the stuff you thought you wanted to keep but changed your mind after you moved (still keeping my size 6 pencil skirt - someday...).
     Today we are going to inspect our new home one last time before the big moving day on March 10.
Until then I'll be busy packing, throwing out and packing some more.  Once the apartment has been emptied, I'll go in with my homemade cleaners & get it spic and span!

Not My Farmhouse, but...

     The Leavitt Lodge is moving.  It's not my farmhouse, but it'll do - for now.  It does have 1 grapefruit and two orange trees, plus a small spot for my Swiss Chard and Tomatoes.  No place for chickens, but for now, it will be country at its best! 

     The front yard is maintenance free - great for Barry.  The backyard is brick with 1 grapefruit and 2 orange trees (we've already picked oranges and made fresh squeezed orange juice - soo sweet!).  I'll be so happy to have a bedroom and bathroom for the grandkids when they stay.  The kitchen is double my kitchen space - super great for all my canning and food storage.  Even has an island and dishwasher - yeah!  Dining area has a built-in hutch with country glass doors - I love it!  The front room is so big I'm afraid my furniture is going to look like Tinker Toys.  Once we've moved in I'll be ready to put my thinking cap on & decide on what country colors would look best.  Any ideas?  I tend to lean toward the colors of an Autumn afternoon - you know, Butternut Squash, Pumpkin Pie, Cinnamon Toast - and especially  Hot, Homemade Wheat Bread.  

     Hopefully, in our California Room I'll be able to get my Leavitt Lodge General Store up and running.  First on the agenda are our Homemade Soaps.  Looks like we'll be starting with "Apple Cider", "Apple's n' Oats" and "Apple Jelly" Soaps along with the favorite "Oats n' Honey".  These soaps are bar bath soaps - pure, natural & gentle.  We'll be putting them in "Snow-Line Orchards" (www.snow-line.com)  for Opening Day plus you will be able order online (watch for more info in a few months).   Our rag dolls, "Apple Annie and Apple Jack" will be arriving by Christmas!  (stay tuned).

A Quartet

     When the girls come over to Grandma's its like having a quartet in my tiny living room.  Karsyn, Madison, Anna and Allie.  All they need are a few instruments and then I'd have a String Quartet.  For the most part, they usually don't come over all at once - mainly just Karsyn or Karsyn and Anna.  Or, just Anna.  Sometimes Anna and Allie.  Sometimes Anna and Karsyn.  Sometimes Anna and Madison.  Or just Madison.  Sometimes Madison and Karsyn.  Sometimes just Allie.  But, however they arrive or however long they stay it's music to our ears because when they start singing it's like hearing little angels sing.  Barry always says, "Grandma, I think I hear an angel singing, do you?"  I answer, "Yes Grandpa, I hear it, but it's Karsyn (or Maddy, or Anna).  She sounds just like an angel."  Their sweet little voices sing songs they've heard on the radio or from words and melodies they've made up themselves.  They sing while they play, they sing in the car, they sing while they help me work, sing while they're rocking their dollies and sing while holding little Allie.  

     Having the girls over is more than them coming to visit and play and sing.  For me, having them over is making memories.  Those cherished memories I had when visiting my grandma.  When I went to visit my Grandma I remember her house being neat and tidy and there was a smell that comforted me.  I don't know if it was food or from the way she cleaned, but it made me feel warm inside.  When I went to visit my other grandma in Yucaipa - who we called Nona - I remember the quiet nights and listening to the crickets.  I remember the hot summer days and the freedom of playing outside because, to me, as a little girl, at Nona's there was lots of outside - a vast, expansive backyard with rows and rows of fruit trees - and cousins my age who'd come over and we'd roll down the hill together to see who made it to the bottom first.  Those were the days.

     When the girls come over I want them to have experiences that will stay in their memories a lifetime like I had.  Right outside our apartment is a nice large grassy area that rolls down and up again just enough for the kids to play.  On occasion we pack a lunch in my wicker basket and picnic outside under the large shade trees on this grassy area.  After we've eaten, Grandpa and I end up playing Mother May I or Red Light-Green Light, even Simon Says.  Its really fun to watch Grandpa play Simon Says when one of the girls are Simon.

     Inside our apartment when the girls visit, I usually put them to work, though.  I let them grind wheat, help make bread, cookies or pies.  I even have showed them how to reconstitute dry milk (which I LOVE more than regular milk and now they LOVE it too!).   What is so beautiful about these little girls is that they LOVE to help Grandma anyway they can.  They are always eager to wash the dishes, sweep a floor, run a vacuum, clean the sliding glass door, or whatever I need them to do.  They love to say the pray over our meal, play Boggle with Grandpa, write letters to my mother (their great-grandma) and watch Pollyanna for the umteenth times.  And, they love to sing.

     When Barry's little granddaughter Addison comes to visit we will have five little girls singing like little angels.  Would we call them Quintets?

Nancy

Homemade Salsa

MILD SALSA

5 quarts for $5.27

     

    I have to say this is the best salsa I have ever had.  Neither my husband nor myself like anything spicy and when I got this recipe from my dear friend Rachel Richardson who is 80 yrs old, I was a little apprehensive since the ingredients included 1 or 2 diced jalapeno.  So, I kept the jalapeno out.   When I was done, I gave my husband a bite.  His eyes got big, his eyebrows were raised & his head was bobbing up & down.  My first thought was, "Honey, it shouldn't be hot!", but I didn't have a chance to because once he swallowed he said, "This is a HOMERUN!!"  I guess he liked it.  

     For a total cost of $5.27 I made 5 quarts & canned them.  Here's the breakdown:

   4 lbs of Tomatoes @ .12c each (4 pounds for $1.00 @  www.cardenasmarkets.com) 

   2 Onions @ .10c each (on sale 5 pounds for $1.00 @  www.cardenasmarkets.com)

   2 Bell Peppers .33c (on sale 3 for $1.00 @ www.cardenasmarkets.com)

   1 or 2 diced Jalapeno

   1 small can Ortega Chile's - I bought a large can & used 1/3 of the can. (reg price $4.99 @ www.staterbros.com)

   1/2 c. Apple Cider Vinegar (I don't know the cost of this - I get mine at my www.snow-line.com)

   2 scant Tbsp. salt

   Garlic Salt 

   1 cup chopped Cilantro (.25 a bunch) - added after other ingredients have been boiled about 10 min.

     Bring all ingredients (except Cilantro) to a boil.  Boil for 10 minutes. 

     Pour into sterilized quart jars.

     Process in a pressure canner/cooker for 15 minutes at 12 pounds of pressure.

   

   

Canning Bell Peppers

     Monday morning I saw Bell Peppers on sale at Cardenas for 3 for $1.00.  Since that is a very good price I bought 20 Bell Peppers (19 lbs).  I looked online to see how to freeze them and I found a great website called http://www.pickyourown.org.  So, after washing my Bell Peppers I cut the tops off each one, popping out the little center of each top so I could use most all of the Bell Pepper.  

     Next, I took the membrane inside the Bell Pepper.  

      I sliced the Bell Peppers, then chopped the sliced into nice little cubes.

     Then I put them in bags & used my vacuum sealer to suck out all the air.  Its hard to see in this picture that there isn't any air in these bags.  By vacuum sealing them they will keep for up to 8 months in my freezer.  They should last me quite a while.
     By the time I was finished I had 14 cups of Bell Peppers.  By storing them in 1 cup portions, I can take out a cup & put it in the fridge.  When I need a some Bell Pepper for our omelets or our Mexican Night or Italian Night I'll have them!
     By the way, http://www.pickyourown.org really is a GREAT website.  They have helped me with canning apples and carrots.  I'll be using them a lot as our Leavitt Lodge Farm gets bigger :) .
     Tomorrow, I'll be canning Salsa since I found big tomatoes on sale for 4 lbs for $1.00.  I'll post a great recipe from an 80 year old friend.

Nancy

A Humble Beginning

Life on the Dirt Farm, Lebanon, Missouri, about 1932

     Eighty eight years ago (1924) my father and his twin brother - the first in 7 children - were born in Kansas City, Missouri.  Within 4 years two more children were added and the family moved to Pontiac, Michigan where my grandfather secured a job working in a car factory.  As a mother and homemaker, my grandmother had everything she needed to care for her family - running water, a bathroom, lights, an ice box (in those days they didn't have refrigerators), a gas stove & gas heating.  Even a trip to the market was convenient since they lived in town.  But, like most people during that era, everything that they hoped for and dreamed about suddenly came to a screeching halt on October 29, 1929, the day the stock market crashed.

     During the next few months a decision had to be made when the car factory closed.  All around there was mayhem - banks were either foreclosing on mortgages or closing the doors on themselves, people were losing their jobs and their homes. With a family to feed and no prospect of employment, my grandpa packed up his family in his Buick and drove 700 miles to Lebanon, Missouri where his parents lived as sharecroppers.  Shortly upon arrival, my grandpa leased seven acres people called "The Dirt Farm".  Leaving all the comforts & conveniences of a modern home in the city, they now faced life with only an old carriage barn and a borrowed horse drawn plow.  

     With the help of his father and is 3 brothers, my grandpa worked from sun up to sun down converting the barn into a home, expanding one wall for a sleeping area, installing a cast iron cookstove and adding a floor.  My grandma cooked on the woodburning stove, got water from the well and went outside to use the toilet.  Once a week water was drawn and heated and poured into a tub in the house and everyone took their turn bathing in the same water.  In town the grain and seed were purchased and with every sack of grain you got a free baby chick, but those chicks, my grandpa insisted, had to be raised to sell, not to eat.  The boys fished, caught rabbits and frogs for dinner.  Once a week my grandma baked loaves of bread, washed clothes on a scrub board,  worked in the garden and sent her boys to school three miles away with clean shirts, a pencil and a dinner bucket.  Soon, a makeshift barn was constructed and a cow and a couple of hogs were added from either purchase or trade (most probably trade) and my grandpa set out on foot into town to work repairing car radiators for either a pay or trade.  Sometimes he only made a dollar and then he would walk home again, but a dollar was a lot more than most people could get their hands on and if someone else needed it, he would give him half.  By 1933 15 million americans were out of work and my grandmother had another baby.  Yet, life on the dirt farm continued and for my father and his brothers it was an adventure. By late 1936 and another baby, my grandparents left the farm life and drove out to California where their offspring's offspring remain today.

     What does this all have to do with my blog?  Well, for starters it was the inspiration for my trek down frugal lane.  My grandparents life had been inbred in me as I grew up hearing my dad tell about his life on the farm.  As an adult I researched my family history and discovered that many of my ancestors challenges were not unlike our own today.  With this information, I decided that life in my tiny apartment with regular visits from the 5 nearby grandchildren is really no different than life in a one room renovated carriage barn with 6 children (we at least have 2 bedrooms):  Our garden is out back (in a community garden plot); the laundry has to be hauled to wash (about 40 yards from our apartment); we have little money to spend and in order to save we have to make everything from scratch (including grinding wheat & baking bread).  We have an advantage though, we have a bathroom inside, running water, a gas stove, heating & electricity, plus a grocery store nearby.

     Do we still want to find my ten acres?  We do.  Will I blog about it during our search?  I will.  Will I continue to share with those interested how we can manage to overcome todays economic conditions?  I will. And, hopefully, there will be something I've written to inspire just one person in their life.

Until then.... God bless you.

Nancy

Its a Slow Crawl

     Working toward our goal of moving from this tiny apartment to living on our own land is a slow crawl toward our goal.  Especially since we started with a dream and no money.  I feel like the people in the days of Moses when they lingered in the desert for 40 years.  Are we going to give up?  Nope.  Will we ever achieve our dream?  I don't know.  Will we find happiness along the way? We will.
     Last night I was reading about the life of George Albert Smith.  For those of you who know us, we are Mormons and in our lessons at church we learn about the lives & lessons of the Presidents of our church.  In case you don't know, our church is not called the Mormon Church, it is called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the presidents of our church are known to us as Prophets, Seers & Revelators.  This means that they are the mouthpiece for the Lord to guide His people - just like Moses in the desert who was also a Prophet, Seer & Revelator, otherwise the people could not have been lead out of bondage & through the parting of the Red Sea.
     Anyway, I was reading about George Albert Smith & something he said really stood out.  George Albert Smith was born in 1870.  His father & grandfather were stalwart men in the church - very strong members who fulfilled their callings & served the Lord.  George Albert Smith was no different.  Long before he was called to the Presidency of the church - when he was just 22 yrs old - he met the woman he was going to marry.  He told her, "If you are interested in marrying someone for money it would not be me because I have long ago decided that I will not devote myself or my life or my time in making money but toward serving the Lord and toward helping His children in this world."  That didn't mean he wasn't going to work to support his family - what it meant was that his main focus was to serve the Lord first.
     When I read that I thought of Barry & I and wondered how we could live our lives with the same devotion.  I thought of our children & grandchildren & how busy our lives are & how we spend every day from morning to night keeping our tiny apartment organized as we work with the things we have: furniture, clothing, necessities, food storage, crafts, seasonal, ebay business, books, movies, paperwork, etc. etc. etc. & I realized that we should want for nothing else.  If we just took one day & set it aside for service to the Lord how much happiness could we bring to others?
     Maybe our main focus should be on service & put buying land on the back burner.  Maybe serving & searching for land could work simultaneously.  I don't know.  I know that when you serve others, the Lord blesses you with what you need & as you continue to do all that He has ask you to do He will bless you with the desires of your heart.  For Barry & I our desire is to have our children with us as we travel through this earths journey & the hearafter.  Our desire on this earth is to serve others in their needs.  It is to own land that we can expand on & then leave a legacy for our children after we've left this life.
     Buying land is still a hope - a dream - a vision - for us.  Its not so that we can sit upon a hill & show off what we have, but to be able to better live a provident life, one where we are as self-reliant as we possibly can be, one where we can avoid the myriad of manufactured goods, where we can give back to the earth what we've taken from it, where we can feel the sun on our backs as we work the ground, smell the unpolluted air as we hang our clothes on the line, hear the sounds of birds chirping, cows mooing, pigs grunting, or the serenade of the crickets in the evening when we sit outside under the moonlight in awe at the vast expansion of the great & wonderful universe, and when our lives are over & our earthly missions completed, we will have left a piece of Gods green earth to our children so that they too can have their own hopes & dreams & visions.  But, to get their, its a slow crawl.

Thank you

     Thank you my five friends for following our Leavitt Lodge blog.  I hope you find any information that we share useful in some way.  Please, comment if you'd like or email if you'd like.  We'd love to hear from you!

Nancy & Barry

The Leavitt Lodge Newsletter

     Today our newsletters go out.  Eighteen this month.  We started off with seven (7 children) with the first month last May.  By June we thought we'd send one to both Barry & my mothers to keep them updated with our family.  In July & August Barry & I were in St. George, Utah so I added my dear, caring Aunt Shirley to our list.  By September, I thought (hoped) my wonderful sister (Sis) might be interested, so we sent one to her as well.  October came & my loving cousin Ronda said she heard about my newsletters & wanted one.  November I sent an additional to my sweet niece & for December since it was the Christmas month, I thought  my brother would like one.  So, here it is, January & I just thought that I might as well send out 18 & see how it goes.

     I also write a newsletter for the Relief Society in our Ward at church - we make 50 copies & pass them out once a month.  Most of what I've written on my family newsletter is the same on the one for R.S. minus the family news & photos.

     So, here's to those of you who are so kindly following our journey at the Leavitt Lodge.  Here's some insight into who we are, what we believe & how we handle life, including our great and wonderful experience gained by those hard to learn lessons in life.

Part One:

Here in our little Leavitt Lodge we celebrated our 1 year wedding anniversary December 4^th with great appreciation for one another.  We surmised that getting remarried later in life has its perks because we’ve discovered things we wished we had learned when we were younger.  One of the main things (& this comes from age & maturity) is to put the other person first:   

We’d like to share with you some of those things we learned:

1.      Always be sensitive to each other’s feelings.

2.      Always communicate.  Ask, “Are you saying ___?”, before you react.  Say, “I’m hurt because ___” when you feel deprived or cheated or ignored.

3.      Hold hands when wherever you go.

4.     Tell yourself your most important job is to make the other happy.  When you do that, you’ll see that happiness comes back to you tenfold.

5.      Serve the other before you serve yourself.

     Being in love is more than attraction, more than having things in common, more than walking the same road together.  Being in love is all those things, of course, plus a commitment to stay in love, to understand each other, giving help, encouraging & supporting each the other in all that you do, sacrificing your own wants, forgiving when forgiveness is hard to come by & taking time out when the pressure gets to much.   We know that as you do those things love will continue to abound & happiness will continue to grow.

 

     Be each other’s present this year & every year after that.