The Gift

I know I already posted a video, but I really like this one as well.

I heard on the news that over the Thanksgiving weekend Americans spent over 2 billion dollars on online and store purchases. (I contributed to that.)  Anyway, I think we sometimes get so caught up in the getting and giving of stuff that we lose sight of what is most important.  

Christmas should be a time of truly caring for and loving others- not just a list of items to be obtained.

This season should be one of joy and peace and happiness. We are celebrating life and unconditional love.

God's gift to the world

Christmas Giving

The Reason Behind Christmas

Amide all the shopping it's nice to remember what Christmas is really about and that the best gifts we are able to give are the ones that require only our time and thoughtfulness.

Emergency Preparedness: Car

This month we decided to get stuff for our car.
In our trunk we already have: a small first aid kit, toilet paper, an extra blanket, tire gauge, rags, extra container of water and a case of water bottles, extra container of motor oil, spare tire with jack, and jumper cables- all of which we have used.

On the website DMV.org I found this post: 

Outdoor Lodge recommends the following list of items:

• Flashlights and extra batteries.

• A folding camping (Army) shovel.

• Jumper cables (8-12 feet long).

• Set of tire chains. Know how to install these beforehand.

• Fuses. There are several types, so make sure you have the right ones for your car.

• Tools: pliers, flat and Phillips-head screwdrivers, and an adjustable wrench.

• Wool blanket.

• All the necessary fluids for your car, including 2 quarts of motor oil, brake fluid, power-steering fluid (if applicable), automatic transmission fluid (if applicable), a gallon of water, and a gallon of antifreeze. Also include a funnel, and keep a few rags handy in case of spills.

• Fire extinguisher.

• Road flares.

• Gloves, wool socks, and a pair of boots.

• Electrical and duct tape.

• WD-40.

• Knife.

• Bright cloth or emergency road sign to display in your window in case of trouble.

Other items to consider are:

• Non-perishable food items and a can opener

• Rain gear

• Extra clothes

• Folding chair(s)

• Pillows

• Sleeping bags

• Snacks

• Books and games

• Toilet paper

http://www.dmv.org/how-to-guides/emergency-kit.php

Other items I have seen from other websites are:

• cell phone charger
• cat litter (great for adding traction in winter- I have also used this!)
• windshield scrapper (I thought this was a given- in winter it is an essential everyday tool- unless your found of scrapping your windshield with a credit card)
• foam tire sealant
• tow straps

Read more: http://www.bankrate.com/finance/auto/20-must-haves-in-your-car-emergency-kit-1.aspx#ixzz3F5we0tMP

Once again with such a long list, we plan on getting just a few things at once and slowly building our car emergency kit.  Safe driving to you!

Caramel Dip

So, caramel apples is a favorite October treat.  Well, where I live caramel is only sold in large expensive bags.

I thought of making my own but I did not have cream like many recipes call for.  I tried making some without it and butchered the recipe.

I know placing a can of sweeten condensed milk in a crock pot, covering it with water, and cooking it on low for 8 hours works. You can also boil it on the stove- always keeping it covered with water- for three to four hours.

Anyway, between failed recipes and limited time, no caramel apples in October.  We then received several apples for free and how to get dipping caramel crept into my mind again.  I did not want to wait 3-4 hours, constantly watching my stove.  I just wanted caramel and I did not want to run to the store, nor spend the money, for cream.

I then thought, "Wait a minute! I have half a dozen recipes for caramel popcorn. Surely one of those would work."

And it did!

Here is the recipe I based my caramel on:

Mixture1 1/4 cup brown sugar1/2 C corn syrup1/2 c Margarine1/2 can sweetened condensed milkDash of Salt

I halved the recipe (should have cut it in fourth) and did not cook it as long as I wanted caramel that was thinner for dipping.

Afterwards we had so much caramel left over, we made a small batch of sticky caramel popcorn.  Lots of treats. Just what everyone wants after Halloween, right?

Moving

We just moved for the third time this year!  Thank you summer job and my husband's new career.  Good thing we saved our boxes.

I posted ways to keep moving cheaper. (Ex: boxes from grocery store)

Our last move was only 20 miles so we were able to borrow a trailer and friends' trucks to move stuff instead of renting a moving truck. That saved money.

Moving so often has also helped us dejunk. That saves space in the next home as well as time packing/unpacking and the stress of moving and finding a place for unwanted stuff.

Here is another post from a fellow blogger with other moving ideas.

10 Cheapskate Moving Tips and Tricks from The Craft Patch

I liked to add to their "Use old paper as packing material" that we use old plastic grocery sacks to pack our breakables in.

Pumpkin Bars

I love the fall for a few reasons.  The summer heat is fading, leaves are falling, and pumpkins are here.

Yes one of my favorite activities is raking leaves, and playing in them, the crunch, the smell, the bugs, yup great.

And I love eating pumpkin.  Last year I posted pumpkin muffins- a year long treat at our house.  This one, however, I only make in the fall. Like popcorn balls at Christmas or sugar cookies come Valentines Day, it's one of those special treats that has a special time of year.

Cream Cheese Pumpkin Bars

4 eggs

2 cups flour

1 2/3 cup sugar

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup cooking oil

1 tsp. salt

1 (16 oz.) can pumpkin

1 tsp. baking soda

Beat eggs, pumpkin, sugar and oil in a large mixing bowl until light and fluffy. 

Mix dry ingredients together. 

Add to pumpkin mixture a little at a time and mix thoroughly. 

Spread in ungreased 15x10x1 inch jelly roll pan. 

Bake at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Cool and frost. 

Cream Cheese Icing for Pumpkin Bars:

 4 oz. cream cheese

 1 tsp. vanilla 

1/2 cup butter 

2 cups powdered sugar 

Cream softened cream cheese and butter.

Add vanilla. 

Add powdered sugar a little at a time, beating well, until smooth.

Sorry no picture of these, we ate almost all of them before I thought about a picture. So good!

Cornbread

My aunt, who is from the south, told me we didn't have the right kind of corn meal up here to get real true cornbread, so we may be missing out on "real" cornbread, but I have found an amazing recipe that I (in my non-southern ignorance) really enjoyed. I  aquired this recipe from a Colonial Days celebration at an Elementary school.

Corn Bread
Heat Oven to 350.
Oil (not cooking spray) a 9 X 13 pan- heat in oven
In a bowl add:

• 3 Cups flour
• 1 1/2 Cups sugar
• 1 Cup corn meal
• 2 T baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

In a larger bowl add:

• 6 T butter
• 2 1/2 Cups evaporated milk (or buttermilk)
• 2/3 Cup oil
• 4 eggs

Add dry ingredients and mix until blended. It can be lumpy

Carefully pour into the hot pan and bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.

Butter

Not that this is a money saver, but it is fun to try.

1 pint heavy cream
pinch salt

Pour in a quart size jar, with tight lid. Seal well.
Shake, shake, shake, roll, dance, whatever until the butter has separated from the buttermilk.  20 minutes or so.  Enjoy homemade butter!

For the buttermilk, you can make yogurt, bread, or cornbread.

Halloween Food

Found these on one of my favorite blogs. (Okay, I only follow three.)  But they look delicious.  Going to try them out.

BONES




Super easy.  All it is is marshmallows stuck on the ends of pretzels and dipped in almond bark.

For more pictures and the actual directions click here: 
http://thecraftpatch.blogspot.com/2012/10/halloween-spooky-dinner-2012.html#.VC61U2ddWSE


Also on the same page  you will find deviled eggs with olive spiders.




And chocolate strawberry ghost- Although I'm not sure of the price or quality of strawberries this time of year.  If you want to try it out it could be a fun experiment.




HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Emergency Preparedness: Financial Reserve

Emergency Preparedness: Financial Reserve

Not all disasters are natural disasters or ones that effect entire neighborhoods.  Some just affect your family.  When hard times hit it is comforting to know you can pay your bills and feed your family.

Way back when I began this blog it was because we knew our money was going to be tight for a few months.  As it turned out we needed our finical reserve to stretch for more than a year.

I have heard the recommendation of putting 10% of your income into savings every month for emergencies.

Dave Ramsey suggest getting a 1,000 dollar emergency fund, paying off all debt, if you have any, and then building your savings to a 3-6 month fund.

When the financial storms come you will also be surprised at all the things you are able to cut out of your budget.  You are simply able to live on less.

I've know people that have been out of work for months.  What a comfort for those that have- and a nightmare for those who don't have- a financial reserve. And you avoid more debt.

This isn't something you build up in one month- it happens over the course of many months.  Being consistent and aware of your money is the key.

Savings is worth it.

Pizza Sauce

I like making homemade pizza, but my sauce was always too runny or too thick.  Recently I discovered the perfect consistency and the perfect amount of sauce for my pizza is to combined one can of tomato sauce with one can of tomato paste.

Now if I can just get the seasonings to perfection, then I'd have a full recipe to post on here.

Food Storage

Where I live we have what is called Case Lot Sales.  Around here people love to store food and case lot sales are a way to buy several months worth of canned goods at a discount price.  I love having food on hand, it's great when needing a quick meal, when you can't just run to the store every day (nearest one from me is 20 miles), or for security in an emergency.  When my husband didn't find a permanent job right after graduating college, it was good to know that at least we would not starve.  Between that and a financial reserve we were able to save ourselves a lot of stress and worry.

I realize most places don't have case lots, but canned goods and other frequently used items do go on sale.  I have a list of things we go through quickly- chocolate chips anyone? When they go one sale, we buy. We also store hygiene and other commonly used products.  Seriously, toilet paper is one thing I want to have plenty of!

Whether you buy food storage slowly as things come on sale or stock up at the once or twice a year sales, things we use everyday are always good to have extra of.  I recommend stocking up on at least a three month supply of items you use regularly and rotating your stock so it does not go bad.


What if you don't have the space???

Be creative.  Some people use long term food storage as a base for a bed. I use all my storage, even the wheat, so I keep it in a more accessible place...our closet.  We also have our cupboards full and an extra shelf in our kitchen. I look forward to when baby comes all we'll need to run to the store for is the perishable items- milk, eggs, cheese, fruit/veggies.

Happy Savings!

Syrup

I love my thick buttermilk syrup, but I also wanted something for those morning when I just wanted pancakes from the freezer and no cooking involved.  My problem was my syrup is best fresh and other syrups I've tried have been runny.

Here is a common recipe on the internet

1 cup water
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp maple flavoring.

Boil for 5 mins. Stir constantly

I added about a 1/2 cup corn syrup to make it thicker and boiled it for just a bit longer.  I was satisfied that it was thicker than sugary water and similar to a store bought version. (Although store bought isn't all that good.)

I will be experimenting more with syrups later.  It is always surprising how much sugar (or fat) goes into many of the things we eat without much thought.  Making things from scratch makes you more aware of that- and me more conscious of my syrup consumption.

Confession: I Buy Brand Name Products

There are those brand named foods that until I get around to experimenting with making them myself I will continue to stock up on when they are on sale.  In my opinion, Bull's Eye BBQ sauce is the best and no knock off version has ever come close to its tasty goodness. However, I wait until a sale before stocking up.

My husband likes a certain kind of soap, okay, I'll get it.  Keeping husband happy is way more important than a few pennies saved.

I have also found certain brands just work better than others.  A good brand of dish soap last us much longer than a cheap brand. Ironically, the name brand stuff ends up saving us money in the long run.  Once again sales and coupons can often be found for these products.

Cinnamon And Sugar

I once saw in the spiced section of a store a premixed cinnamon and sugar.  That was almost as laughable to me as jelly and peanut butter in the same jar.

I have heard a ratio of 4:1 sugar to cinnamon but I like a lot of cinnamon.  I probably do 1/4 cup sugar to 1 1/2 TBSP cinnamon.

Simply put the mix a container with lid, cover, and shake.  Tada!

And MORE Date Ideas

Can you tell I think proper dating is important? Sure hope this gives my brother and other single siblings plenty of ideas... not that they check my blog ever.

Anyways...

Perhaps, like most of us, you don't live in the middle of nowhere, here are a few more date ideas that can be done if you actually live in civilization. Also, check around your local town for ideas. 

• Be a tourist in your own town, go to sites and events unique to where you live.
• Go to the library and read children's books
• Feed ducks!
• Corn maze
• Hay ride
• Take a community class together
• Candy store! OR cupcake shop
• Go to a high school play
• The $100,000 date- go to the mall, furniture store, or local toy store, bring a notebook and record all of your “purchases” No car lots allowed.  You'd be surprised how hard it can be to spend that much in a night. Afterwards pick up pizza or other cheap dinner.
• Comedy club
• Go window shopping- old book stores, antique shops, or a specialized hobby store.
• Go-karts
• Miniature golf or bowling - clique dates
• Snowshoeing
• Racquetball- or any kind of sport
• Badminton
• Shooting range
• Archery range
• Laser Tag
• I can't recommend paintballing, it hurts!
• Visit an Arcade
• Zoo
• Aquarium
• Aviary
• Wildlife refuge
• Local sports event- little league baseball?
• Roller skating
• Carnival
• Fun centers in my area have inflatable bounce toys- giant slides and what not, some have a room full of trampolines
• Obstacle course
• Fishing
• Canoeing or other water activities

Any more ideas???

More Date Ideas

What if you live in the middle of nowhere??? Can you still date?

First off, I sure hope you're not single if you live somewhere like pictured above, it's hard to find a spouse in a barren wasteland.  Of course, it can be done, and I believe married couples, regardless of where they live, should continue to date.  Here is a list of ideas that, depending on the season, can be done almost anywhere:

Some of these may repeat from last (or next) post but they are fun to do again!

Check what is allowed in your area- for example I know sledding/ice blocking are ban in some parks.

• Hiking
• Sledding
• Ice blocking
• Frisbee or other appropriate activities for the park- just going to swing in fun.
• Picnics
• Card/board games- you can learn a lot from playing Curses.
• Cabbage Bowling!- let me explain: 10 cans of soda are the bowling pins, and I bet you can guess what you use as a bowling ball. Just make sure you don't stand too close when the pins get hit. (And have extra pins, just in case.)
• Roast marshmallows or starburst
• Feed ducks!... wait, we don't have any of those where I live, sigh.
• Fly kites
• Make homemade ice-cream
• Pumpkin carving
• Dying eggs
• Making and decorating gingerbread cookies
• Build santa's workshop with graham crackers, frosting and a wide variety of sweet treats
• Make a meal together
• Never done it but I like the idea of getting two cheap remote cars and racing them against each other.
• Origami- or paper airplanes
• Play darts
• Get out the crayons and coloring books
• Fingerpainting or pudding Pictionary
• Bike ride
• Bake cookies together
• Snowshoeing
• Design dream house
• Star gazing

Okay, I'm sure others of you out in internet land have better ideas.  Feel free to comment.

Batteries

So many things need batteries these days, and they can be expensive.  I think about being prepared for emergencies, I want all my flashlights working and since my toddler loves to play with them, extra batteries is one thing we have.

Harbor Freight is the cheapest place I have found them.  We waited for a good sale and stocked up on the sizes we use most.  However, we just saw a coupon they printed for free batteries.  24 FREE AA or AAA batteries no purchase required.  Can't get better than that.

It is probably in store only. I know the coupon can be found online as well. One I saw expired in the middle of September and one at the end of 2014.

Yeah for savings!


They also have coupons for free:
tarps
flashlights
head lamps
tape measures
and other tools

Water Balloon Volleyball

Summer may be ending but there is still time to have fun. Besides I missed most of summer and need to cram all the fun I can in before the cold weather comes.

For water balloon volleyball you need at least four people, a towel per every two people and lots and lots and lots of water balloons.  You also need a place to play.  I have seen this played in a volleyball sand area or just a large grass area.

To play:

Divide players into two equal teams.  Two people stretch out a towel  between them, each holding one of the corners.  This is the net you will be catching the balloon in.

One pair starts with a water balloon on their towel and using the towel and team work, they fling it to the other team.

The other team tries to catch the balloon. (Note even catching a balloon does not grantee it won't pop.) 

If the balloon does not pop, fling it back to the other team.

Score can be kept like Volleyball or by how many successful, un-popped, catches a team makes.

MORE ADVANCE PLAY:
Have each team start with a balloon, or more, and get balloons flying all over.
Also you can hang a sheet between the two team so they can not see when the other team flings their balloon.

Ideas to Help the Tuna Fish Sandwich

Growing up a tuna sandwich was tuna mixed with mayo slapped on some bread.  I have since discovered it does not have to be so boring or tasteless.

I have learned adding things to the tuna really helps it out. Besides Miracle Whip some of my favorite spices to add are:
garlic
onion
salt
pepper
ranch dressing

Other things to add:
pickles
lettuce
celery

I like the crunch these add.

However, one of my favorite ways to prepare a tuna sandwich is to mix the Miracle Whip and tuna with peeled and diced apples. Serve it on toasted bread.  This makes it a sweeter sandwich and you still get the crunch.

An easy lunch for the kids on a hot summer day. 

Emergency - First Aid Kit

I guess by default we build up our first aid kit during the month of June.  We are now stocked with bandages, medical scissors, tweezers, gauze, anti-bacterial solution, etc.

I suggest starting with a basic first aid kit- these can be purchased or put together yourself. We have one for both the car and one for the home. Slowly we add things to it. List for good first aid kits can be found on several sites online. Avoid getting overwhelmed by the extensiveness of some list.  You don't have to have it all at once.

Things That Matter Most

Never ending to do list intermingled with constant distractions.  So many activities calling for our time.  A rush to accomplish even a fraction of all we feel must be done.  Running around in a sort of daze focused on tasks to be completed. A sort of tunnel vision to what else may be happening around us or other people who pass us by.

Being pregnant and recovering from two major surgeries I have had to let a lot of things go.  Dusting is not as important as changing a diaper. And reading to my daughter is worth more of my time than TV, social media, or shopping.  Mid afternoon naps are a pretty high priority as well.

In the hospital I read the book Tuesday's With Morrie by Mitch Albom.  It was odd reading about a man who was dying while I was in a hospital recovering. It gives you an interesting perspective on life. The book has a lot of wonderful truths about living and I would highly recommend reading it.

One of the things that stood out most was when Morrie found out he was dying, so many things did not matter any more.  Stuff was just stuff.  He, through out his life, had focused on family and helping others. He had friends and family through his final days on earth and was an influence for good for thousands of people both through his illness and through out his entire life.  He never tried to keep up with the Jones for he knew happiness could not be found in fancy cars, bigger homes, or worldly possessions. Joy comes from a life well lived. A life full of service to others.

This has been a great time to reflect on the things that really matter, the things that last longer than what money buys.

Recently this has been my toddlers favorite Youtube video. Moments That Matter Most: 

And Life Continues

Earlier I wrote about being sick. That was due to morning sickness.  I left the hospital about a week ago due to a perforated appendix. After two weeks in the hospital and two surgeries there is a long recovery to go. Posting is going to slow down.

Here is one thing I have learned: Family is the most important thing you have.
I would have never survived June without my extended family from babysitting, visiting, nights slept in the hospital, and all the emotional support. Plus helping pack and move and clean and all the cooked meals from the morning sickness days. Thank you!

Family is the greatest treasure you have. Family is more important than all the fine things in the world.  I believe that family relationships are to be cherished and in them we experience are greatest joys. Family relationships can last forever, even into the eternities.

Families Can Be Together Forever Video

Homemade Peanut Butter

Okay this post was a long time coming. I made this back in February.

This was another one of those things I was super excited to try until I found out how it actually cost more, not to mention all the time and dirty dishes, than just buying it at the store.  In fact, the week after I bought a pound of peanuts to try this recipe, the 32 oz (2 lb) jars of peanut butter went on sale for the exact same price of the peanuts.  How bitter!

Out of annoyance I did not buy the peanut butter nor did I make my own.  Of course we go through a lot of peanut butter at my house and it wasn't too long before we ran out of peanut butter and my toddler really wanted some. (Side note- I just found out peanut butter on a spoon can be a choking hazard for toddlers, oops. We've been doing peanut butter with raisins for a long time now.  Oh well, not like I can do anything about it now.)

Back to making peanut butter.  I figured it was the best time to make the peanut butter.  How hard could it be put some peanuts, oil, a little salt in a blender and blend and blend and blend.  My poor food processor (yes I tried it with that to) could barely take it.  Once it started smelling funny I tried a real blender, thus you get my opinion of making peanut butter in a food processor versus a blender too.   Luck you!

First the recipe

Homemade Peanut Butter

• 2 cups peanuts
• 1 tablespoon oil (peanut is recommended, I used whatever I had- no way I was going to spend more than I had too for my already too expensive peanut butter.)
• Some salt
• Honey if you want it sweeter.

If you want crunchy peanut butter I would recommend and food processor.  If you want creamy a real blender works better.

Put it in the kitchen appliance of your choice (toaster not recommended) and blend, blend, blend.  At first is is lumpy, and then it becomes more liquidy.  It takes about five minutes so prepared to stand and watch the amazing process of grinding a solid into a liquid.  Awesome, science.

After it is runny, place it in a jar of your choice, cover and store in the refrigerator.  It will firm up a little. Then eat!  It doesn't store as long as the stuff with preservatives in it of course, but it taste very similar.

My Conclusion- that was a pain to make.  If I lived somewhere where peanuts (and peanut oil) were three or four times cheaper than peanut butter itself it would be worth it. Or if I loved peanut butter and was in a country where they don't sell peanut butter (I'm thinking of you, Jacob) then I would be all for making my own peanut butter.  It's also a cool thing to know how to do, although not as cool as making your own brown sugar.  In the end, why dirty dishes and stand for five minutes holding the blenders lid on if going to the store is faster and cheaper.  Now I'm sad I missed that sale.

Cost of Children

I always get upset when I read the estimated cost of raising children.  The numbers are outrageously high.  I always thought, " Are they surveying people who are buying designer clothes, new cars, and world vacations for their children?"

Here is an awesome article by Linda and Richard Eyre that puts it in better words than I ever could.  They even point out in the long run a child may actually save a couple money.


http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865585372/Does-a-child-really-cost-that-much

Emergency Preparedness

Everything in May fell by the wayside so we missed a month that we'll have to make up.

We could say shelter was our thing of the month as we already have a tent and sleeping bags.
Also emergency blankets, fire starters, rain ponchos to keep dry with- these could also go with shelter.

In an emergency it's most likely that you will NOT find yourself in the wild defending off bears.  It is more likely you will be in a place with crumbled buildings, broken roads, and lots of other people.  Meaning when disaster strikes we don't all get transported to the nearest remote place, we are near our residence with all the other people who live near by.  Most likely a church, school, or large building will become your temporary aboded.

That is why I still recommend a tent and sleeping gear, you will want privacy and will probably be sleeping on a hard floor. Just a thought to keep in mind when planning shelter.  Also, keep it lightweight and compact, you may be moved more than once.

Homemade Paint With Water Pages

Remember those books that all you needed was water to paint a picture.  I know they are still around although harder to find.  Anyway...

I heard that if you dap the homemade watercolor paint onto a coloring page and let it dry, that all you (or your kid) will need is a little water to make a colorful picture.

You can also use watercolor pencils to do the same thing.

Homemade Water Colors

I found a fun recipe for water color paint that was two activities in one. What I liked about it is my toddler could both help make the paint and paint with it after it dried.  (Can't vouch for how washable it is though.)

The recipie was from this site:  http://www.themakeyourownzone.com

HOMEMADE WATERCOLOR PAINTS

Ingredients:

• 4 Tablespoons Baking Soda

• 2 Tablespoons White Vinegar

• 1/2 Teaspoon Light Corn Syrup

• 2 Tablespoons  Corn Starch

For tinting your paints you will also need:

• Food Coloring

• Toothpicks

• Ice Cube Tray or Muffin Tin

1.  Measure baking soda into a small bowl

2.  Add the vinegar and stir. Kid will love watching it fizz!

3.  Next, add  light corn syrup and  corn starch. Mix well.  Mixture should be about the consistency of Elmers glue.

4.  Pour the mixture into the sections of your container. 

5.   Add whatever drops of food coloring you want and then stir using a toothpick until the color is evenly distributed. (Have separate toothpicks for light and dark colors.)

6.  Let harden for a day or two before use. Use like normal water color- Wet and Paint.

Toddler helped mix and the colors got a little skewed. She still loved it anyway.

\

Decluttering

One of the most tedious task when moving is what to keep and what to get rid of.  I once heard this advice:

When decluttering ask yourself two questions:

1. Is this item still useful?

or

2. Does this item add beauty to my home?

If the answer is no, get rid of it. 

I'd like to add a third question to be asked

3. Do I have a place for it?

  For us, when we moved to a smaller apartment, we got rid of our second set of couches.  Were they still useful?  Yes, but we had no place for them.  That goes the same for knick-knacks. Can they add beauty? Yes, but when they become more cumbersome than beautiful it is time to weed out the least favorites.

I have found clutter is so hard to clean!  There is no place for it all.  Getting rid of stuff actually makes life easier! Awesome!

Blown Budgets

In May I discovered two things that ruin a well kept budget really quick.
Moving- Expensive
Being Sick- Who wants to keep a budget?

Try being sick while moving.  I bet your only goal would be survival.

If someone is looking at just beginning a budget or starting to keep one again you only need to google budget to find a million sites with budget sheets and tips.

My suggestions:
Find something that works for you.
Keep it simple- The easier it is to work with, the more likely someone is to stick with it. Some people like computer programs or apps they can have on their phone.  I just use Excel. Some go good old fasion route of paper and pencil.

I based my budget off of this temple
Family Budget Worksheet


Here is a great pamphlet on spending money wisely:
One For the Money

Break Time

Between moving and other things, I'm taking a month or so off.  Will post more then.

Moving?

How to Make Moving Cheaper

As every person who moves knows, you need boxes, sometimes a lot of boxes.  It's amazing how much junk one can accumulate!

Anyway, the other day I was at Lowes and noticed moving boxes for sell.  The small boxes were around $.75 a piece.  Two days later I went to the grocery store just after it opened for the day and noticed, as the employees busily restocked shelves, there were empty boxes on almost every aisle. "Can I have some of those?" I asked an employee in the produce section.  I left the store that day with more boxes than groceries.

• If you give your local grocery store advanced notice they sometimes will save boxes for you.
• My sister also tipped that schools can be a good place to ask if you have connections. As she said, "Lunch Ladies empty a lot of boxes." 

Money Moment-Credit Card Interest

  

I love the convenience of a credit card.* It is so much more convenient to swipe the card when getting gas than to go inside to pay.  Online shopping is another one of those things.  Yes, I use a credit card.  However, I have never paid interest.

When I use my card, it goes on the budget as money spent for the month.  Before the month ends I go to the bank's convenient online banking website and pay the card off in full.  A credit card is a tool to help save time at the register not an excuse to spend more money than you make in a month.

*If your card is constantly pounding interest out of you, I suggest switching to a debit card.  For either card, make sure the money is in your account before you run off and spend!

No Bake Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bites

Originally the recipe I found called these "No-Bake Energy Bites" which is just a fancy way of making a cookie sound healthier than it really is.  These are really good and super easy.

No-Bake Bites
1 C oatmeal
2/3 C coconut shredded
1/2 C peanut butter
1/2 C flax seed or wheat germ
1/2 C chocolate chips (optional)
1/3 C honey
1 tsp vanilla

Mix it all in a bowl and chill for 30 minutes.  Once chilled roll into balls.  Makes 15-20 one inch balls. Store in the refrigerator.

Peanut Butter Rice Crispies

I love these!  Maybe even more than popcorn.

Over medium heat bring to a small boil:
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups peanut butter

Quickly pour over:

6 cups of rice krispies (we have used chex as well)

Mix.  Place in a greased 9 X 13 pan and allow to cool.

(Some recipes say to first mix it in a bowl and transfer to the pan after. I like to avoid dished and extra steps, so I mix it directly in the pan.)

Once cooled melt:
1-2 cups chocolate chips

Spread over rice krispies.

I melt my chocolate in the microwave. I cook it about 45 seconds, stir, 15 stir. And another 15 after that until melted.  I also like to put a little peanut butter in the chocolate chips. I think it helps melt them faster and gives it a good taste.

Cool, cut into small squares and enjoy.


I know, so not healthy!  But really, really, good!

Cheesy Popcorn

Super easy and not too bad for you!

Cheesy Popcorn
Pop 1/2 cup of popcorn
Pour on a little butter/ margarine so that the cheese will stick
Sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese all over it!  Eat up!

This was so good I caught my daughter licking the bowl!

And then it became a hat. Run away!

Old Red Stain on the Carpet.

When my parents found an old red stain on the carpet in my brother's bedroom, I was super excited. I know how insensitive. However, that meant I could try some homemade stain remover ideas and on someone elses carpet.

I have heard of 4 things that can work:

1. Ammonia (Windex has this in it)- spray it on, place a rag over the stain and essentially iron it from the carpet to the rag.
2. Vinegar and water 1:4 ratio spray, sit, blot, spray, sit, blot.  Rubbing can make a stain spread.
3. Rubbing alcohol- same principle as either one above.
4. Hydrogen peroxide- can "bleach" so be careful.

There may be more, however the stain was only so big, therefore, these are the ones we tried.  All except for ammonia, I hate the smell.

The hydrogen peroxide began to take it up immediately, no sitting and waiting needed.  However, my mom, understandably, did not want to risk getting the carpet bleached- there'd be no fixing that.  Because rubbing alcohol is more expensive than vinegar we first soaked it in vinegar and then blotted and then ironed.  It began to come up, but the vinegar (or rag) left a residue on the iron that flaked off once the iron cooled.  The stain also did not come up immediately.  The process probably is going to need to be repeated a few times, but it is looking a lot better.

Overall, all three worked on the old red stain.  I'd probably do hydrogen peroxide for a light carpet and dilute with water afterwards.  However, I'm no stain expert so if you got a stain, you decided.  Personally, Fels-Naptha is my favorite stain remover of all time.

Kids Can (and Should) Work

One of the greatest ways to love our children is to teach them skills they will need in order to succeed as adults. I believe children, even young children, should learn to work.

I am a mom, not a slave to clean up after everyone in my house. Sometimes I feel I spend my whole day cleaning and the house is still a mess. I know it won't always be this way; I have a little helper in training.

My toddler is not even two yet and she helps with laundry- she separates the socks from the rest of the clean load. She also puts her own clothes away. Someday I might have her fold them, for now she does what she can. Toddlers can do a lot more things than we give them credit for. My daughter puts her own dishes away (we put hers in a lower cupboard so she can do this) and she is learning to set and clean off the table. From the time she was walking she was Mommy's Helper.  She helps wipe up spills she makes and when crayon ends up on the wall, you can guess who gets to help me scrub it off.

Children are capable, but we must allow them the time to learn.  Work makes them responsible.

I love this old article on delegating work to children- Delegating Work and Responsibility to Children, LDS Ensign.  I particularly love the section about Our Attitudes and Methods.

Not every child is ready for the same amount of work. I started small to let her experience success. She carried one or two washcloths to the bathroom, now she brings me all of them. While she is still at the age she loves to help I will gladly let her splash in dish water or uncoordinatedly swing a child size broom. Does it take time? Yes.  Will the effort be worth it? Yes.

Someday she will do more than dump dish water all over the counters, push a toy vacuum, or sweep her broom around the kitchen (often sending dirt in the wrong direction).

Does it take work to teach a child to work? Yes. But then again, motherhood isn't about a sparkling clean house, it's more about raising children who are able to take care of themselves.

Double the Rice

We had the opportunity to get brown rice for very cheap.  I hear its healthier than white so I bought it.  Well, here is some things I did not know.  Because it has more moister in it, it has a shorter shelf life, much shorter than white.  You'd think that might make it cook faster, turns out it takes about three times as long. So, now I have this rice that needs eaten and I don't want to have should be quick meals slowed by the eternally slow cooking rice.  That's one reason I cook a lot at once and eat rice twice.

The first night we might do something like Chicken Fajitas with rice and beans and the second night we will eat Ham Fried Rice.

When I buy ham all cubed and nice like that it usually means we had/or will be having homemade pizza in the near future.

Truth be told, I don't really follow a set recipe for either of these meals.

Chicken Fajita
Cook chicken a little bit of oil- cut into strips.
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
1 medium onion
cut peppers into strips (I have onion pre-chopped in my freezer, but you can cut it into strips too.)
Saute it all together.
Add a can of black beans (rinsed and drained)
Add 2 cups of cooked rice

Add a little soy sauce and heat through beans and rice.

While heating add spices (I add some while cooking chicken)
garlic
onion
ginger
cayenne pepper
season salt

Whatever you'd like- I just throw stuff in. Sometimes I add a can of Campbell's Golden Mushroom Soup.  Sorry, that's not a set recipe. It one of those things that changes every time I make it based on how I feel or what we have at the time.

Once heated I serve in a tortilla.


Fried Rice

This one is a little more organized.

4 cups rice
bag of peas and carrots (thawed)
1/4 cup dehydrated onion (estimated)
ham
soy sauce
onion
garlic
turmeric
any other spice you'd like to throw in
1 beaten egg

Heat rice
Throw in the peas and carrots, stir
Add onion, ham, soy sauce, and spices, stir until heated through.
Once heated slowly add egg in the center of rice while stirring until all egg is cooked.

If you want this to be easier, instead of all the spices and onion you can add a packet of dry onion soup mix.