My husband and I, as well as our oldest four kids, have gone through the Financial Peace University. To say that it paid for itself is an understatement.

Click here to see!

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Dave Ramsey Material On Sale

A couple weeks ago, we enjoyed hamburgers made with homemade buns. They were fabulous! The recipe used was from the Tightwad Gazette for Cuban Bread.

This a quick yeast bread. It takes half the time than normal yeast breads and it is super easy!

Ingredients
5-6 cups flour
2 T. dry yeast
2 T. sugar
1 T. salt
2 c. hot tap water
1 T. sesame seeds, oats, or poppy seeds (optional)

1. Mix 4 cups of the flour with the yeast, sugar, and salt.
   
2. Pour in hot water and beat 100 strokes, or 3 minutes with a mixer.
   
3. Stir in the remaining flour until the dough is no longer sticky.
   
4. Knead 8 minutes.
   
5. Place the dough in a greased bowl and cover with damp towel.
   
6. Let rise 15 minutes.
7. Punch down.
   
8. Divide into 2 pieces, shape into loaves and place on baking sheet.
   
9. Cut an X 1/2 inch deep on top with sharp knife.
   
10. Brush with water and sprinkle with oats.
    
11. Place on the middle shelf of a cold oven.
    
12. Place a cake pan of hot water on the lowest shelf.
    
13. Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake 40-50 minutes until deep golden brown.

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Homemade Hamburger Buns

Thursday, October 16th, Sears is having a huge clearance sale. Basically everything that you wear, clothes, jewelry, handbags, hats, kids clothes etc. will be marked down to 9.99 and below. Some items will even be .99!! From past sales she usually found most items for around 3.99.

This would be a fantastic time to check out items for Kidvantage!

Get there early!

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Big Sale At Sears!

Now don’t kick yourself too hard if you didn’t know about this before. It’s one of the best kept secrets around these days.

Some stores/states require you keep the receipt. Be sure to find out when you go in and sign up. One state we lived in did require one to bring the receipt back in with the garment. The state we live in currently, does not.

After $100 has been spent on the Kidvantage program, you receive a coupon, attached to the bottom of the receipt, for 15 percent off your next purchase.

Since they use your telephone as reference when you go in, even grandma could use this plan.  My mother-in-law would use my Kidvantage number when she made purchases and received the discount. We rarely new clothes.

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Let’s Talk Kidvantage

This coming Monday, September 29, homeschool parents will be able to pick up a complimentary tall size (12 fl. oz.) cup of Pike Place Roast from Starbucks.

This promotion is part of Starbucks “Great Start for Great Teachers” promotion, and is now open to all teachers.

HSLDA continues to state their appreciation that homeschoolers may participate and give the below evidence to be presented when taking advantage of this special:

Any one item on the following list should be accepted by Starbucks:

• Home School Legal Defense Association membership card.
• Membership card from a state homeschooling organization.
• Notification from a school district or state government recognizing compliance with compulsory attendance.
• Paperwork submitted showing intent to establish a homeschool program.
• Paperwork showing the establishment of a private school.

If you don’t have one of the items on this list be creative and try to provide other proof of homeschooling.

Please note: the final decision about whether to accept proof of homeschooling resides with Starbucks.

They also remind members to go print copies of their membership cards at their site. (See link above)

Enjoy your coffee while serving your family today!

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Starbucks Coffee For Home Educators

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Use For Junk Mail Envelopes

A bowlful of peaches

Paring peaches

Lemon Meningue Pies!

Birthday girl!

Great job!

Tiger Salamander

Emily

Tessila

Curious deer

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I wanted to share with you about Motivated Moms planners. I have heard of these before, but had not purchased it. I know… I’m cheap. $8 for a planner seemed like a lot. Ha! It really isn’t, though, at least not for this planner.  AND…. it’s half off because the year is half over! So, if you are interested in taking a peek at her other items, this may be the time to give them a spin. Then you’ll know if you want to go back and spend the extra $4 later.

She has check off boxes for daily and weekly tasks. They rotate week to week.  These are a great starter kit for anyone wanting to jump start their daily schedule.

Some items she has are:

• Full Size Planner
• Half Size PlannerFull Size Planner with Bible Reading Schedule (I wish I had tried this one out)
• Half Size Planner
• Half Size Planner with Bible Reading Schedule

Let me know if you end up purchasing one of these that I don’t have. I’d like to know what you think… or if you already have one that I don’t have, would love to hear.

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Motivated Moms Planner

http://rochester100.com/index.jsp?action=show_teacher

Filling out that form got me to wondering…. Do you have a name for your homeschool? If so, what is it? Ours is Home of Higher Learning. I’d love to hear yours!

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A Nice Free Find

Let me spend a few minutes sharing about Azure. Maybe you’ve never considered using something like this for your groceries and other items.

I have been a member of Azure Standard since the mid 1990′s. They are out of Eastern Oregon, but truck their products all over and ship UPS to just about anywhere.

Some of the items I like to buy are pop corn, herbs and spices for the kitchen, baking powder, liquid aminos, oats, honey, etc.

Azure requires that you telephone them and set up an account, which requires that you pay for your first purchase BEFORE they ship it. After you have established a relationship with them, they will let you pay for your merchandise after you receive it, which is nice, because sometimes an item is out of stock and did not come out on the truck. If you have prepaid, you will be credited.

If you order on your own, you must have an order that totals $550, minimum; but if you order in a group, your individual order must be $50, minimum. In some areas, there is a three percent shipping fee for the truck. If you order via UPS, that’s a whole ‘nuther ball game.

I have a Yahoo Group, in which I coordinate our drop point. There are about 21 families in my co-op.  Not everyone orders each month. As a matter of fact, since Azure recently raised the minimum for the group to $550, we plan on ordering less. I digress.  I use the Yahoo Group calendar feature to send out reminders when the upcoming deadline is for ordering. I also communicate the coordinating of when we will be meeting the truck to get our merchandise.

It only takes moments for the truck to unload. Often, they drop at homes in residential areas, businesses, or in a parking lot. It is recommended that if you need to use a parking lot for your drop point, that you ask permission from the lot owner first.  The driver calls ahead of time and lets you know when he will be there.

I doubt if I have covered everything you might want to know about Azure Standard.  This link is a great place to read about getting started with Azure from their website. One of the first things that must be done is to find out if they deliver in your area and if there is already an established drop point.

Tomorrow, I will share with you some of the items I really like and use often. If you have questions, please feel free to ask and I can address them.

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Azure Standard Co-Op