Back To School Without Breaking the Bank

Hello everyone. I just wanted to share with you another article I wrote for FUSION magazine. It's very timely considering that school is starting back. In fact, in my area, Tax Free days start tomorrow, which is another great way to save. Here's to another great school year.

*If you are unable to view the article in this post, please click here*

Ya'll - I'm Published!

Last year, around August, I was contacted by a magazine and asked to write an article for their quarterly publication. To say that I was thrilled is an understatement. It was a total God thing because He somehow orchestrated the right people to be in the right meeting at the right time discussing the right topic and miraculously my name came up. I've since been asked to write for them a few more times and they have been so fantastic and lovely to work with. It's also been a great outlet for me as I love to write and this has given me a good excuse to get to use a thesaurus. Oh how I love the thesaurus. I know, I'm a nerd. Granted, I just had to use spell check to fix "thesarus." I love words but spelling them is a whole other story. :)

Anyhoo, I digress.

In case you've never heard of FUSION, they are a devotional magazine for adults published by Randall House and it's distributed in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada. The magazine is part of the D6 curriculum that my church uses. I love the D6 program because it is consistent across the board, meaning that I am studying the same themes that my 5-year-old is learning about in her Sunday School class. It's really neat to hear her take on the same subject and it makes it super easy to discuss Biblical principles together.

Because there is such a big lead time in the publishing world, my article has just been released but this is a perfect time to share it. In the article, I give some ideas for how to have a fantastic and fun summer without breaking the bank. We are seriously counting down the last few days of school over here. Bring on summer fun!!! So, without further ado, please check out my very first published article....

Summer Family Fun on a Budget

(can I just tell you how cool it is to see my name in print! squee!!!)

RECIPE: Loaded Potato Soup

Here's another favorite at our house. We actually had it tonight. YUM!

Photo By Real Mom Kitchen

LOADED POTATO SOUP

2 large baking potatoes 1/3 cup butter 1/3 cup flour 3 cups milk 1/2 t. salt

1/4 t. pepper 2 green onions, chopped 6 slices bacon 1-1/2 cups cheddar cheese 1/2 cup sour cream

Peel and chop potatoes into small pieces. Boil in water until tender. Set aside. Cook bacon, drain and crumble. Set aside. In a dutch oven, melt butter and whisk in flour. When combined, pour in milk. Stir over high heat until a roux is formed. Reduce to low-medium heat. Add salt, pepper, onions, bacon, cheese and half of the potato chunks. Mash the remaining potatoes and add to the mixture. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in sour cream. Garnish with extra onions, bacon, cheese, and sour cream if desired. Serves 4. Can be doubled.