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sometimes i misjudge our budget & overspend (because as we all know, to be human is to not be perfect).

such was the case for april. by mid april, i had about $50 left for groceries (oops!) & about two weeks left to make that money stretch. thankfully, in those moments, i often feel a surge of creativity.

i opened up our freezer & started digging. ahhh… the frozen turkey purchased post-thanksgiving on major sale. 

with a bit of encouragement  & instruction from my foodie friends, i cooked that baby right up.

so in honor of #MaySpendingFreeze, i thought i’d share how i made our dollars stretch & used up that turkey for a delicious week of meals! 

1. homemade broth

once i roasted my turkey & pulled off the meat (to be stored in a container in the fridge), i placed all the bones in my crockpot along with fresh sage, salt & pepper. i covered the bones & herb mixture with water. i put my crockpot on low & allowed it to simmer overnight. in the morning, we woke up to a delicious smell! i drained my golden broth & poured it into large-mouth mason jars to be used for soups & stews.

2. jambalaya

using the pulled turkey meat & broth, i made a delicious jambalaya! i used this recipe, substituting the chicken breast for turkey & omitting the shrimp. 

3. turkey quesadillas

i love using leftover protein at the end of the week to make quesadillas. a mixture of vegetables, meat, cheese & tortillas on the stovetop makes for the perfect sunday dinner!

4. turkey pineapple lettuce wraps

as recommended by a friend, i combined pineapple & turkey meat to make a delicious lettuce wrap paired perfectly with salsa & tortilla chips. i made up our recipe as i cooked, but this recipe is a close fit to our dinner. 

5. fresh grilled turkey salad

for lunch most days, we harvested fresh salad greens from the garden & topped them with a homemade salad dressing & grilled turkey. it made for a delicious lunch & one that could also serve as a balanced dinner option!

3. exterior house painting

 this was one of our more expensive projects, but it made a huge impact. we painted the old & outdated brick on our home! see here for details & instruction. 

6. kitchen remodel

 right when we moved in, we remodeled our kitchen for about $300. one of the biggest upgrade? our painted cabinets! i blogged about it in full detail here. 

7. cheery dresser

 i found this dresser at a yard sale for $65. with two sample cans of paint & spray paint for the pulls, i turned this beaten up old dresser into a happy piece perfect for our bedroom. 

8. paper flowers

 i was originally inspired by ashley to create these paper flowers, but all good ideas are, of course, originally inspired by martha. get the full tutorial here. 

9. our mantel

 this was an empty wall when we moved in so we utilized the space a little more effectively by putting in a faux mantelpiece. luke gathered extra pallet pieces from our pallet wall & nailed them in to the bottom for added texture. this project cost us less than $200 & it’s one of my favorite parts of our home. 

 last august, we opened up our home & farm to ten amazing women for an intimate half-day canning & preserving workshop. 

this workshop had been on my heart & mind for years so when the day arrived, i was absolutely giddy that my dreams were really coming true. it was on that day, sharing stories & processing tomatoes in the kitchen with my fellow sisters, that i realized…

“yes. this was what i was uniquely made to do. bring women together & soak up the goodness of life.” 

the workshop was an incredible success! lesley of recipe for crazy joined me in the kitchen & together we shared in the art of canning with the girls. 

after canning a batch of delicious homegrown tomato sauce, we hit the road in hogshead’s volkswagen bus for an afternoon of junkin’! we went picking & filled up that bus with the best rusty & chippy finds. friends, it was glorious!

friends, we are opening our farm back up again in august for a TWO DAY workshop & retreat! oh my heart, YAY!

early saturday morning, ten of us will gather in my home around the farmhouse table as i teach the basics of water bath canning. we will put on cute vintage aprons & harvest woven baskets full of vine ripe tomatoes from our garden.

in the kitchen & step-by-step, i will guide you through the process of chopping, processing & canning roasted homegrown garlic tomato sauce. in my farmhouse kitchen we will produce several jars of tomatoes sauce, one of which you will take home.

once we’ve finished a homegrown lunch on the back porch, hogshead’s 1970s volkswagen van will pick up & take us to prairie grove for a little junkin’! 

we will stop by one of my favorite spots, daisies & olives, where i find the very best rusty, chippy, vintage pieces! daisies & olives will greet us with drinks & dessert while we dig up good pieces for our cozy homes. oh lordy, it’s going to be good!

that evening, we will enjoy brick oven pizzas in town & then head back to the farm for a bonfire with s’mores, laughter & good conversation.

here’s where i am shaking in excitement…

so many of you wanted to attend our little workshop on the farm last year, but couldn’t quite figure out the logistics of travel & lodging.

after dreaming some big dreams, we are making magic happen on the farm!

for the gals choosing the overnight package, we we are partnering up with my good friends at wanderlust adventure & will be hosting you on the farm in a 1978 airstream named minnie pearl! (!!!)

girls, we absolutely cannot wait to pamper you. you will enjoy full amenities in your little airstream along with the sound of farm life as you wake up in our beautiful pastures! 

once you awake, we will enjoy brunch at my favorite little spot & then head back for an afternoon of crafting our hearts out!