LadyD Books: June 2015

Pinch Like You Mean It! 101 Ways to Spend Less Money Now

Amazon Snippet

Pinch Like You Mean It! is all about ways to spend less money. Why give so much of your hard-earned money away by spending it? Get 101 free tips on how to spend less right now. Topics include duct tape and other cheap repairs, how to get furniture for almost free, what steps to take in a financial emergency, and many tips on practical ways to spend less money every day.

Pinch Like You Mean It! 101 Ways to Spend Less Money Now

The Friday #56

The house I recently bought came with all sorts of building material, for projects that never got started: stacks of landscape timbers, rolls of fencing, bags of potting soil, a shelf kit, a water fountain kit, and much more.

My Review

I'm a huge fan of watching where your money goes and keeping a budget. Having more doesn't make you happy and living beyond your means can cause major problems. The author has come up with a solution that works for him and offers his experiences in saving money to readers. The book contains 101 practical ways to spend less money. I have already incorporated many of his common sense ideas with my own country lifestyle but no matter where you live, or the amount of money you have, practical sense is found within the pages. It's a good read and easy to apply many of the principles for learning ways to spend less money and live a frugal lifestyle. Don't spend it unless you really need it!

4/5 stars! Recommend to friends.

About The Author

Dr. Penny Pincher has a Ph.D. in engineering and lives and works in eastern Iowa with his wife and two sons. In 2013, Dr. Penny Pincher founded Penny Pincher Journal, a blog about saving money every day. His hobbies include drinking great coffee, annoying his family, riding his cheapcycle (cheap bicycle), and saving money every day. You can visit his blog, Penny Pincher Journal

Pinch Like You Mean It! 101 Ways to Spend Less Money Now

Have you found some ways in which you can cut back? For me as a piano teacher and grandma of five, it's watching how many trips I make to the Dollar Store!

Happy Reading!

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." C. S. Lewis
© copyright 2015 – All rights reserved
LadyD Books

Review: Home Canning Step by Step Guide

Living on 2 1/2 acres out in the country is a wonderful lifestyle and rewarding opportunity to grow much of our own food. I am so thankful for this experience and feel so blessed. I just finished reading a book on canning this week and thought I'd share it with my readers.

Here's What The Book Is About

This guide is intended to provide you with the essential information to make your first small jars in a safe and enjoyable way. It will guide you through all stages from preparation to storage of your products.

You will discover the principles of conservation for different types of food, the benefits of home canning, the recommended methods as well as the ones to avoid.

Then you will learn the two proper methods of treatment: the boiling water bath and the pressure canning methods. You will find a list of essential equipment and the detailed steps for a successful canning experience.

Finally you will gain some hands on experience with our easy and delicious recipes.

This guide does not claim to be scientific or complete. We simply want to give you the tools you need to get into the fun activity of preparing your home preserves.

Book Content Inside

12 recipes that will allow you to practice the canning techniques. They are divided into three levels of complexity:

Level 1 = easy. The recipes are very simple. You can focus on techniques for canning without too much worry about the recipe itself.
Recipe # 1 - Apple sauce with a touch of nutmeg and vanilla (boiling water method)
Recipe # 2 - Canned Pears (boiling water method)
Recipe # 3 - Canned fresh tomatoes (pressure canning method)
Recipe # 4 - Canned Carrots (pressure canning method)

2 = medium level. The recipes are a little more elaborate. There are more steps before moving on to canning.
Recipe # 5 - Tangerine marmalade (boiling water method)
Recipe # 6 – Pork Cretons à la JeBouffe (pressure canning method)
Recipe # 7 - Quick and Tasty Green Ketchup (boiling water method)
Recipe # 8 - Marinara Sauce (pressure canning method)

Level 3 = complex. The recipes are longer and more complex. There are more steps before moving on to canning.
Recipe # 9 - Plum jam with cinnamon (boiling water method)
Recipe # 10 - Nectarine Chutney (pressure canning method)
Recipe # 11 - Cherries and Raspberries Spread (boiling water method)
Recipe # 12 - Kedjenou chicken (pressure canning method)

The Friday 56

By following these recipes step by step, we guarantee the success of your first home preserves.

I pretty much peel and chop apples in a dutch oven over the stove, adding some water and lemon juice. Boil down till soft and add some sugar. When it's the right consistency, then I fill the jars and process in pressure canner for 8 mins. Many times I just freeze homemade applesauce in quart bags.

How about you? Oh, here's a recipe from the book:

Applesauce Sauce with a touch of nutmeg and vanilla

Production: 10 - 1/2 pint jars

Preparation: 30 minutes

Cooking: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

Apples - 10 lbs.

Sugar - 1 cup

Nutmeg - 1 teaspoon

Vanilla Extract - 1/4 cup

Steps:

1. Prepare a large bowl of cold water and add the lemon juice to it.

2. Peel, core and slice apples. Place in water.

3. Remove the apples from the bowl and drain.

4. In a large pot, cook the apples over medium heat for 3-4 mins.

5. When the apples start to disgorge their juice, increase heat to high.

6. Stir regularly until apples are tender.

7. To produce an apple sauce, put everything in a blender or food processor to create a puree.

8. Add sugar, nutmeg, and vanilla. Simmer for more than 2 mins. to dissolve the sugar.

9. Pour into jars, close and process.

15 mins. in a boiling water bath or 8 mins. of pressure canning under 6 lbs. of pressure.

My Thoughts

Basic information for those who are new to canning and it's a quick read. Not too much new here for me but I thought I'd try the Quick and Tasty Green Ketchup recipe. Photos to go with the fruit recipes would have been nice to see here. 3/4 stars.

Our garden is really cranking out the zucchini and chard this year... How does your garden grow?

JeBouffe Home Canning Step by Step Guide (second edition) Revised and Expanded

“You can’t get a cup of tea big enough or a book long enough to suit me." C. S. Lewis
© copyright 2015 – All rights reserved
LadyD Books

Review: Bedtime Devotions with Jesus

Devotions with Jesus: LadyD Books Review

About the Book

Trustworthy devotional moms and dads can use to make bedtime family time, faith time.

After the busyness of the day is done, before your child nods off to sleep, snuggle up to read God's Word and daily reminders about how much He loves and takes care of us. Bedtime Devotions with Jesus is a collection of prayers and devotions written by pastors, pastor's wives, children's ministers, and other church leaders. In this book are valuable lessons on such topics as thankfulness, obedience, trusting God, being kind, loving others, and many more. God's Word comes alive using simple language, and the devotions are featured with delightful illustrations of teddy bears. This book will teach children ages 4-8 the value and joy of spending time with God every day.

Each devotional includes a scripture, a brief devotional reading, a prayer, and a meaningful takeaway that helps children build a strong foundation of faith. This is the first children's book in the hugely popular MyDaily™ Devotional line. Devotionals for adults in the MyDaily series have sold more than 173,000 copies.

Bedtime Devotions with Jesus: My Daily Devotional for Kids

The Friday #56

"Has your mom or dad ever asked you to do something? Did you listen to what they said and do what they asked?"

Book Review

What a wonderful devotional for kids! It's just right for my older grandson who loves to read about God, while the younger grandchildren listen to how God takes care of them. With complex topics addressed such as obedience, trusting God and being kind, you'll appreciate that the words are simple to understand. Plus, the children will enjoy the delightful teddy bear illustrations. I especially love the design layout that provides 52 weeks of devotions with five per week, plus one for the weekend. The book endnotes contain the scriptural references, along with author credits from various churches. I love to plant seeds of God's word into the minds and heart of my little grandchildren. What a powerful investment within the pages of this beautiful hardcover devotional. I highly recommend this one to friends for home and church library.

5/5 stars!

I received this book from BookLookBloggers. So very thankful!

Illustration from Bedtime devotions with Jesus

Illustration credit: TommyNelson

The Book Nook

Personal Note (My favorite selection)

I Am a Special Gift

"Grandchildren are the reward of old people." Proverbs 17:6

Old people love their grandchildren because they make them feel young. God has a special way to make old people feel happy. He gives them grandchildren, just like you. Grandparents pinch your cheeks and show people your pictures and love you so much because you are their very special gift from God. God does not just love you when you are young. He never stops loving you.

Dear God, thank You for making me a special gift to my grandparents. Please tell my grandparents that You love them, and I will too.

You are a reward from God.

Page sample: My Daily Devotional for Kids

Page layout credit: TommyNelson

About the Author

Dr. Johnny Hunt is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church of Woodstock, Georgia. He is a sought after speaker who holds conferences each year for men, senior adults, and youth. He is the president of Timothy Barnabas Ministry designed to encourage pastors and their wives. Devotionals by Johnny Hunt include The One Year Devotional Prayer Book, The One Year Devotional Prayer Book Vol. 2, Pathway to Discipleship, and Walk Through the Word.

Bedtime Devotions with Jesus: My Daily Devotional for Kids

Happy Reading!

The Working Chicken: Happy and Healthy

Book Description

A short, sweet, and self-sufficient guide to keeping chickens as part of a rural or urban homestead.

Learn everything you need to know to get started on your poultry adventure with these quick answers to your frequently asked questions. The Working Chicken begins by helping you choose the perfect flock for your family, then explains how to feed and house your new pets. Finally, the book's permaculture twist ensures that your chickens will not only be happy and healthy, they'll also keep your family healthy too.

Friday #56

Although mash can get lost in the grass and require you to buy more feeding pellets, some people believe that hunting mash in the grass gives chickens something to do and cuts down on pecking.

The Working Chicken: Learn everything you need to know to become a backyard egg and meat producer in 30 minutes or less!

My Review

Relevant and useful guide to something you just might want to do someday. It's for the beginner rancher and the professional farmer. The author walks you through the steps of purchasing the best breeds. I've had chickens before when my children were young. What I especially like about the book is the section on how to keep chickens alive through the summer and winter months. The book is well organized, sharing information on how much space is required for chickens, along with maintaining a productive flock by culling old hens and extra roosters. I appreciate the knowledge and experience Anna has shared with us here.

4/5 stars.

About the Author

Anna Hess dreamed about moving back to the land ever since her parents dragged her off their family farm at the age of eight. She worked as a field biologist and nonprofit organizer before acquiring fifty-eight acres and a husband, then quit her job to homestead full time. She admits that real farm life involves a lot more hard work than her childhood memories entailed, but the reality is much more fulfilling and she loves pigging out on sun-warmed strawberries and experimenting with no-till gardening, mushroom propagation, and chicken pasturing.

She also enjoys writing about the adventures, both on her blog at WaldenEffect.org, and in her books. Her first paperback, The Weekend Homesteader, helped thousands of homesteaders-to-be find ways to fit their dreams into the hours leftover from a full-time job. In addition, a heaping handful of ebooks on Amazon serve a similar purpose.

The Working Chicken: Learn everything you need to know to become a backyard egg and meat producer in 30 minutes or less!