Thank you Mrs. Welborn

Aly and her beau went to the peach orchard this weekend and picked some lovely fresh peaches which she later transformed into delicious cobbler.  Watching Aly work her magic in the kitchen took me back to a time long ago...

When I was a young girl, there was a huge white farm-style house with a pristine lawn and white picket fence, just down the road from us.  I was fascinated by it, and one spring day, I took it upon myself to meet the occupant.  Peeking through the fence, I saw a gray-haired lady working in the flower bed and called out to her in the cheeriest voice I could muster.  She opened the gate, invited me in with a big grandmotherly hug, and we became instant friends.  

Mrs. Welborn had a large strawberry patch behind her house and I earned lots of quarters picking berries every June.  I spent many hours, helping her with her yard work, and afterwards, we’d retire to the squeaky white glider on her porch.  There she served up good old-fashioned conversation and an endless supply of ice cold lemonade in bright aluminum tumblers.  
She was an excellent cook and would occasionally invite me into her kitchen to sample a slice of one of her homemade pies.  My favorite was her chocolate pie, so one day I asked her for the recipe. Mom and I have been making it ever since, and it’s a must at every holiday meal at the Sykes house.  
Looking back, I’m not sure how much Mrs. Welborn really needed my help, but I certainly needed her.  Mrs. Welborn happily spent hour after hour investing in me, a little girl who had no grandmother living close by.  She taught me a little about gardening, how to pick the perfect strawberry, and how to make my now “famous” Iron Skillet Chocolate Pie.  


Thank you to all the "Mrs. Welborns" out there. Your kindness, your generosity and the memories you help create will always be remembered. 


Who would you love to go back and say thank you to?

Iron Skillet Chocolate Pie

pie

1 baked pie shell

1 cup sugar

2 tbsp flour

3 tbsp cocoa

2 tbsp butter

3 egg yolks (reserve whites for meringue)

1 cup milk

vanilla to taste

Mix sugar, flour and cocoa in a small mixing bowl.  Melt butter in an iron skillet over medium/low heat.  Stir in sugar mixture till well blended.  In a separate bowl, beat eggs yolks, add milk and blend well.  Add the egg and milk mixture to the sugar mixture in the skillet a little at a time, stirring constantly.  cook slowly while stirring until thick.  Remove from heat, add vanilla and allow to cool slightly before pouring into a baked pie shell.

meringue

reserved egg whites

1/8 tsp cream of tartar

2 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Beat egg whites with hand mixer on high until stiff white peaks form.  Add cream of tartar and sugar.  Top pie with meringue and bake for 8 minutes at 400 or until golden brown.  Allow pie to cool before serving.

Money for Nothing and Soap for Free

 

I've always been wary of those coupon ladies.  You know the ones.  They show up on your local talk show, a little too chirpy, wearing their appliqued sweaters, standing before tables that are groaning beneath a boat load of grocery items and vowing that they only paid .29 for the whole lot.  I envisioned them sitting at their kitchen tables, cackling fiendishly as they slashed their way through endless mounds of coupon inserts and sale flyers-- sort of  Edward Scissorhands meets A&E's Hoarders.  But then I became one of those coupon ladies, and quite by accident. 

My buddy Gwen called one afternoon and asked if I had any plans for the following evening.  Immediately I envisioned a glorious girls night out that would hopefully include pedicures, a movie and some impossibly decadent dessert.  Quickly I assured her I had nothing at all on the calendar.  "Great!" she said, "there's this couponing thing at a local church..." and then--The. World. Went. Dark.  "Um, okay, sounds like fun," I lied.

Let me assure you dear readers, had this been ANYONE besides my friend Gwen, I'd have found a way to weasel out.  But she is incredibly sweet, and fun to be with and the two of us rarely do anything without the guys.  SO, I kept my word and the next evening we turned up at the church just as things were getting started.

Sure enough, front and center stood a huge table loaded up with five gazillion items and I knew it was only a matter of time till some lady in a cat sweater and ankle socks tottered out and told us how she managed to buy 63 blocks of Velveeta for $1.00-- WRONG!  Soon a young, attractive, professional woman in a red blazer welcomed us and started right in on a presentation that included handouts and a power point. Turns out couponing has gone chic and tech! Two hours later I emerged, a grinning convert with a shiny new binder full of handouts.  Thank you Gwen!

The next few nights I was glued to the computer, gleaning as much info as I could.  I was amazed to find that there are actually people out there who will match up current coupons with current sales. Score! All I have to do is clip a few coupons, or print them out online, then surf over to their websites and they've done the homework for me.  I LOVE THESE PEOPLE!

I started out slowly, saving 30 or 40 % and that just whetted my appetite.  HELLO there were people out there saving 75% even 90% and I couldn't let them get ahead of me!  No siree, Bob--not me and my crazy I'M THE ONE YOU WANT ON YOUR TEAM FOR GAME NIGHT competitive nature.

Now I've found my groove and I am regularly saving 60+% on our grocery and household items.  A few weeks ago I scored 4 bottles of Purex detergent for FREE, absolutely FREE!  Just yesterday, 5 bottles of Snuggle fabric softener--also FREE!  UH-MAY-ZING! My time investment is probably a couple hours a week, but with the savings, I don't have to feel guilty about the occasional girls night out--complete with pedicures, a movie and a decadent dessert. Okay maybe I'll still feel guilty about the decadent dessert...but still, AMAZING!

PS:  One of the most rewarding benefits of this lifestyle is the ability to share your abundance! Many times I can pick up items for FREE or just a few cents. It's so much easier to give more to local food banks, family, friends, neighbors or anyone who might need a helping hand. WHAT A BLESSING!!!

Here's a photo of a recent purchase

All this stuff, plus 8 Glade candles that aren't pictured 

PAID:   50.82   RETAIL:  176.56  SAVED:  71%

That's pretty good folks, and I'm not even hardcore like some of these people.  You can do this!  So, if you're ready to drink the old couponing kool-aid, here are some of my VERY FAVE links to get you started.  

Make sure to check out the sections that explain the lingo AND find out what YOUR local store couponing policies are.


Also, PLEASE don't be a piggy and "wipe out" the shelves when you find a great deal, be considerate of your fellow savers!