Money-saving tips

So, last Saturday, Jared got an elk! He bought a tag for a spike [young male] elk, and was drawn out for a cow elk as well.

**don't worry- elk have their babies in the spring, and by fall the calves are weaned and ready to be on their own. if the cow elk he shot did have a baby, it is plenty old enough to feed itself.**

Anyway, he gutted it where he shot it, then brought the carcass home, and skinned it in the garage. He packed the inside of the animal with ice, rolled it up in a tarp, and stored it in the garage until he got a chance to butcher it and wrap up the meat. Tonight was spent grinding up the tougher cuts of meat to make elk burger and elk sausage. And, since elk is a very lean meat [and if you try to fry ground elk, you will end up with charcoal], he ground up some bacon to mix into the elk so we could fry it and eat the results. We now have a freezer full of arm and rump roasts, steaks, ground elk burger, and elk sausage. If you don't factor in the rifle, ammunition, and frustration from previous unsuccessful hunts [ha ha ha], we ended up with 150 pounds of meat for $35- the price of the tag.

On a completely unrelated topic, Morgen and Hyrum are enjoying their soccer games. M's team has not won any games, but they are getting much better at defense :). H's team has won every game but one, and H is improving- he will mostly watch the ball now, instead of playing with the net or laying on the grass and counting bugs. Walker has grown again- his head is level with my eyes. I taught another art class today at his school [it's once a month, all day long], and took him out for lunch. We were walking down the hall, and I looked over at him, and suddenly felt very short. When did this happen?! He was just a little squirt a few days ago...

Gratitude List:
* Good books- too many, actually- that are sitting on my dresser waiting for me to read them.
* A steady income, and a husband who enjoys his job.
* We are debt-free!!! [I know I already shared this, but every day I get excited about it all over again ;)]
* Jared is back home! [except for when he's out hunting elk]
* Podcasts of my church's semiannual general conference, so I can listen to uplifting messages wherever I am.
* My faith in God, and His Son, Jesus Christ.
* A freezer filled completely full of meat.
* 3 healthy kids I get to raise.
* Jared knows how to fix leaky washer hoses. Even when the leaks are because somebody poked them with a thumb tack.
* Wonderful friends who are loving and supportive.
* My new neighborhood is a beautiful place, even with the snow we've gotten over the last week.
* My family
* Jared