In our area right now, it is a good time to buy potatoes and squash and pumpkins. They are all reasonably priced. Most of the time, you can buy the big bags of potatoes for cheaper per pound than the smaller bags.

I used to use my front closed in porch for like a second refrigerator in the winter. I would store milk out there. Then, for a cool place for potatoes, I used my laundry room off the kitchen. I have a pantry back there, too. But in your home, you probably have places to store potatoes where they won’t spoil. I have my root cellar, too, and I put much of my home canned things down there. And also, at times, I used the cake mixes. They make the big cakes and, in a pinch, they worked well for us.

But, Mothers, if you can really discipline yourselves to getting up early and making pancakes or oatmeal for the family, this will make ‘em happy and save on the grocery bill. And then, after breakfast, just start your bread for the day.

When the hamburger was high priced, I would buy ground turkey and mix it with ground beef. I used this mixture for chili and beef soups and many casseroles. I would take my big cast iron dutch oven and put a few pounds of ground turkey in it and hamburger. I would fry it up and add onions and spices. After it was done and cooled, I would package this in small packages for the freezer. Ground turkey is so cheap, and I think you can buy it by the box cheaper.

Also, many years ago, I got a second hand freezer. When this went out a few years back, it was like losing an old friend. It was huge and I could store gallons of milk in it. I used to pray when I went into the grocery store and I would ask the Lord to show me the buys. And a lot of time, I would happen upon dairy products that were almost outdated. I would buy it all up and bring it home and freeze it. Well, many times the kids would drink the milk up before the date was up. I made a lot of yogurt and used it in place of sour cream or buttermilk, or we just ate it with fruit. So, when the cream was on sale, I would buy it up for 25¢ a half pint and make yogurt with it. I made it in a big stone crock. David just loved it with a bit of sugar on the top … it was rich and thick. I made cream cheese with it, too.

But, ya know, if you can just get up early and start your baking early, before you start school, then this is a good thing. I would have my children pretty much underway for school about 10:00 am. I got them up at 6:00 and they had chores to do and had to get dressed and cleaned up. And then, by 7:30, we had devotions together and sometimes we did history together in the lower grades. Then I would help them with some things like math and usually, by 10:00, I was back to the kichen. The children had to keep the living room and dining room vacuumed; they took turns. And their beds had to be made before we started school. I rarely did dishes as they had to do them; they took turns.

But I had to cook and bake or we wouldn’t have had any meals. And I never wanted my children to think that we didn’t have the food they needed. I mean, sometimes the children made cookies or helped with the cooking, but I was the one who mainly did the cooking and baking. And as the children got older and were in high school, I had to study to keep up with them. But I had to put my heart into the kitchen and into praying to stay ahead of the meals. If I got low on milk for the children, I would mix the whole milk with instant, half and half. They didn’t know the difference unless they saw me mix it. So I did a lot of this on the sly. I made loads of bread puddings for desserts, and cake puddings from leftover cake.

And, ya know, when the children are being schooled at home, you have to give them three good meals a day. It isn’t like when they went to public school where they get a hot lunch … heck, some mothers send their children for breakfast, too. (Well, if ya have to, I guess its better than nothing.) But if your familiy is all home all day, then you gotta really cook or go broke on buying mixes.

I think, too, what the Lord is telling me to say is that I cooked on purpose. It wasn’t something I did once in a while or off the cuff. It was what I mainly did to put food on the table. I gleaned and rummaged and prayed for food for the family. It was my occupation. See, if Papa and me were out doing errands with the children on a Saturday or whatever, we didn’t have the option to go to the McDonalds on the way home. So on a Saturday morning, I was up early before we left with the family, and I had soup goin’ for when we got back home.

One big meal the family loved was this. I took my big turkey roaster and filled it with vegetables and fried hamburger and tomato soup, and I would cook it on low all night. The children would smell it in the night and could harldy wait to eat it for noon lunch. I would turn if off the next morning, but then I would heat it up just before we ate it. I always felt such satisfaction as I had things made ahead for my family to eat. I mean, I could have complained and came home to a cold house and stove and said, “Well, if we could just go to McDonalds once in while it would be nice.” But I didn’t want to complain. I figured Papa was doing his best to support us and I wanted to do my part, too. I wanted my children to depend on Mother for what they ate. I didn’t let my children hang at the Quick Trip. When they got hungry, they thought of Mother and home and what was going on at home.

Once I made a huge batch of vegetables with macaroni and fried meat, herbs and tomato soup. Johnny’s wife says she will never forget that meal. I made it when she came to visit, before they were married, and I had so little to cook with. (Most of the children were still home.) But Christine still remembers that meal — it was wholesome and good and brought the family together in love and happiness. It was a warm meal, prayed over and put together with joy. Christine would sneak in the kitchen and eat it when no one was lookin’. Well, I had made plenty, so I didn’t care. Christine is a skinny lil thing, cute as a button, and the mother of my first grandson, Romeo Paul.

But good food and plenty of it is a blessing to a family. It’s worth the work and prayer. Papa has never turned anyone away from our table. He just figures Mama has made enough to go around. And this was a burden I kept to myself. I just never wanted my family to think we didn’t have enough food for what we needed.

With all the other hardships a family goes through, they deserve at the end of the day to have a warm meal and a cheerful and happy mother to put it on the table … whatever it takes, dear Mothers. If ya need to go to the library and get some back to the land cookbooks, then do it. But don’t serve your family with a stingy hand or naggy mouth. Serve them with gladness and prosperity in your heart.

When I didn’t have milk for the children, I gave them “fancy water” out of my best crystal glass pitcher. All it is … was water with ice in it. But I served it with love to a family that took first place in my heart. Papa prayed over it and thanked the Lord for it. And the children thought they were served an expensive beverage. It’s all in the presentation, Dear hearts.

Serve your family as you would the Lord, with a Joyful heart, and the family will receive your ministry with Joy and gladness, peace and a warm contentment.

My children loved applesauce when they were young. I used to buy it in one of those big restaurant cans. I would make applesauce cakes and, also, I would make little buns with a scoop of applesauce in them and sugar and cinnamon on the top, like a kolache.

When the children were all home, I would always set my table with side dishes of a bowl of stewed fruit and a fresh vegetable, along with the cooked vegetable, and then the meat and potatoes. And then, usually, I had a homemade bread of some kind, either cornbread or biscuits or a yeast bread. Mostly, every day I made a homemade soup, too.

For the family meal that we had together, I made a big meal, then the children and I ate leftovers when Jim was at work. But, ya know, we had six children, and if one didn’t like something, the other ones did. But I made most meals to cater to what Jim liked, as he was the bread winner and holding this shootin’ match together. Then, if a few of the kids didn’t like something I had made, they could fill up on soup with the stewed fruit and bread.

When I first began to homeschool, I had the four children home all day. Then Christian was still in public school and Jimmy in the Navy. So I had children with all sorts of schedules. Jimmy came home often on leave at first. So I tried to always have soup on the stove for the children that maybe missed the family meal. Of course, we had many meals to welcome Jimmy home everytime he came home. We were all so proud of Jimmy and still are. But, boy, it was always a cat and mouse game, trying to keep everyone fed and on their way, and often the children would bring friends home for a meal.

After I would get my children up for homeschool and get some major household chores done with their help, I would then have school with them, usually by 7:30. After I got school started, then I was in the kitchen cookin’ and bakin’. We didn’t eat out or get carry out foods, and what I made is what we ate, so I was always busy in the kitchen every morning.

In the winter, the morning baking was just a good schedule for me and would work well into the the spring. But the summers would be so hot, and so, often I would do my major baking at night, after the children were in bed and the house had cooled down. And, too, the children wouldn’t eat near as much in the summer. I would, then, for summer fix at least two kinds of Jello as a side dish. Often the children liked just plain jello with nothing in it. And often, as another side dish, I would make a couple different kinds of the packaged puddings.

I tried to have a bountiful table for the family. The Lord had given me so many miracles, and I just tried to make each meal a celebration. Even if we were low on groceries, I just didn’t confess the negative. I have heard mothers scream at their children and tell them not to eat much, as they don’t have the money to feed them. That kills me inside to hear that, and I would never tell my children such a thing. I would, maybe, tell my oldest daughter that I was low on groceries to let her know that we needed to pray. But, ya know, I would just make biscuts and gravy, and put on some fruit, and make the table look nice with a candle and some sort of centerpiece.

Little children are hungry and they want to eat until they are full. And they want a treat like homemade cookies or cupcakes.

It is 6:30 a.m. and I am frying hamburger to make vegetable soup for lunch at noon. I am frying about three pounds of hamburger and will make the soup in my big turkey roaster that can hold a 25 pound turkey. It covers two burners on top of the stove, so it’s big.

Last week, I was visiting with our David, age 22, on the phone. He said, “Mom, Steve wants to talk to you.” Steve is David’s friend and they share the apartment.

So Steve gets on the phone. “Mrs. Hultquist? Can you make me some soup if I bring over the meat and vegetables? Because you are a, um, stay at home Mom. Or, um … aaaa … what do ya call it? Um, you are a … um, a homemaker? And you know how to make homemade soup?” I am laughing to myself and letting this poor kid stumble around and try to describe who my sons said I was. So I said I would see what I could do. So I asked Jim about it, and he laughed over Steven, as we always do.

Anyway, long story “short,” I asked the boys over for dinner today of vegetable soup. I will make enough for the boys to bring some back home. They want to take it in their lunch for next week.

Then last night, Dan called to tell us that his car is running again. I invited Dan, age 20, for soup, too. Well, he has to work but asked me to save him some for when he comes over Sunday. I will have plenty for whoever wants some.

I am making the broth this morning and then later, after school with Mary, Jim will take me to the store and I will get some vegetables. I have potatoes but need to buy celery, cabbage and carrots. This morning before I go to the store, I will just make the broth. I will drain the hamburger and add water to the soup pot. I will cut up onions and put in the herbs (garlic, black pepper, marjoram from my garden, parsley, basil, etc.) and some beef bullion cubes. I have a few tomatoes left from the garden and green peppers … I will add them. And maybe one or two hot peppers from the garden, too. (I am drying these, as I had so many this year.)

I had made a big pan of breadsticks yesterday, so I will have them on the table, too. Also, we have some banana bread, left from Mary’s baking, for dessert. I suppose we will have iced tea to drink and milk.

But it will be an event. “Anywhere Steven is turns into an event.”

The kids tell Steven, “My Mom knows that you are trying to get one over on her and she acts like she believes you but she doesn’t.” I am going to wear my apron today and do it up good. Steven’s eyes will be big as saucers.

Mary Elisabeth has been a real riot lately. She said really shyly the other day, “Mom, ya know how I always bring Brandon some of your baking? Well, I tell him I made it. That raspberry cobbler you made? I told him I went out and picked the raspberries in the backyard myself and made the cobbler myself.”

I said. “Mary Elisabeth, you quit lyin’ to that poor kid. It isn’t that hard for you to bake.” So she made the bananna bread 2 days ago. She made 3 big loaves and it was delicious. And she said Brandon ate a whole loaf in one sitting. I told her that she shouldn’t lie about her baking and it’s my cooking that he will be marrying her for.

Mary loves to decorate and would rather clean than cook. But she is a really good cook and baker.

Well, anyway, I do try my best to show my children a stay at home wife and mother. Hopefully, my boys will marry homemakers and later mothers whose hearts stay home with my grandbabies.