my money saving tips (part 1)

I consider myself to be a pretty thrifty person.  No, we don't use reusable toilet paper or anything like that.  I'm sure I could do more to save money, for example, I do not "coupon".  First of all, because I don't feel that I have the time to commit to it.  And secondly, I know myself well enough to know that I am a sucker for a bargain.  If there is a bargain, then I will find a way to justify buying it.  So I don't coupon so that I don't expose myself to all of those awesome deals that I am perfectly content without having.  Sort of like a person with a food addiction going to a buffet and ordering the salad bar only.  Just don't go to the buffet.  I hate buffets.  Anywho, I went through a phase in college where if it was under $10 then I would buy it!  But age has taught me that if it hangs in the closet with the tags, or if I wear it one time and hate it, then the bargain is off.  Yes, I clip coupons here and there and shop sales, but these are a few of my more creative finds!

Day and Night Diapers - Everyone knows that diapers are pricey, but necessary.  I have found that the Target Up&Up brand work really well, and are HALF the price of Pampers.  I use Up&Up during the day (which is the bulk of the diapers anyway) and use Pampers Baby Dry for the nights.

Dollar General - There are a few things that I always get at $$ General - swim diapers ($5 compared to $8),   pregnancy tests ($1 compared to $7), cards ($1 or less compared to $3+), wrapping paper, gift bags, tin pans (for taking meals to other people)....

Book Sets - This has been baby shower season for sure.  One thing I found at Sam's was a set of 3 big touch and feel board books for $11.  I separated them and included one in each gift that I gave.

Gift Tags - I made my own little gift tags for these shower gifts, rather than buying cards.  With 10+ gifts it really does add up.  I use my scrap booking stuff and they are really cute and personal.

Hair Cut - So far I have been able to get away with giving Little Man hair cuts.  People seem surprised when I tell them that I cut it myself, so I guess that's a good sign!  I cut it every 2-3 weeks and it would cost me probably $10 to take him somewhere, plus the hassle of scheduling.

Put up Apples - We have an apple tree in our backyard.  It is a pain, but I put up apples when it produces.  I peel, dice, and separate them into 3 cup freezer bags.  I can pull out a bag and add a few ingredients that I always have on hand to make a yummy apple crisp.  It is my dessert of choice when I am taking meals to new parents - no caffeine, nice size (8x8), and inexpensive!

Garden - Unfortunately we did little more than break even with our garden this year.  A big hail storm prevented the abundance of vegetables that I was hoping to share with all our friends. We did get 2 zucchini and a couple batches of brushetta, spaghetti sauce, and pico.

Mpix - A photographer friend of mine told me about this little secret called mpix.com.  That is where I have all of our professional pictures printed.  Great quality and super inexpensive (an 8x10 for $1.99!!!).  The trick is finding a photographer that will sell you the CD of pics without charging you $300.  So far so good.

Frontline - A must have for any dog owner, but so pricey.  I recently found an equivalent to Frontline at Wal-Mart.  The brand is Adams and we haven't had any problems with fleas or ticks.  And believe me, Copper would find them with as much as she's in the "country".  It is 1/3 of the cost - $5 per month.



What do you do to save money?!    

mexicana grill

I love to make new recipes.  But I sometimes get in a funk because it is hard to find healthy beef recipes that peek my interest.  After a lead from a friend, I tried a Chipotle inspired dinner last night.  It got an 8 out of 10 from Corey (probably the highest score he's ever given to something other than dessert!).  And I definitely overate, so it passed for me too.  That means it will go on a recipe card and into my rotation!

I thought I would share the recipes in case you're in the mood for a little mexicana!


Barbacoa Beef

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2010/04/barbacoa-beef.html


Cilantro Lime Rice

http://www.skinnytaste.com/2009/03/chipotle-cilantro-lime-rice-4-pts.html


Pico

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/pico_de_gallo_a/

enough already

I will admit that I am a conflict avoider.  A peace maker.  A drama hater.  I hate debating.  Although it isn't all bad, it is something that I have had to work on in marriage because some conflict is healthier than none.  


It has been impossible to miss the headlines regarding Chick-Fil-A.  But I've pretty much stopped there.  I don't read all the articles with opposing views.  I accidently catch a blurp on the news or a facebook comment.  Some call it apathy.  But for me, I have zero confidence that the media is going to give me a fair story.  Read one article and get one opinion.  Read a different article and you are told that everything you already read was a lie.  Blah Blah Blah.  It's all drama.  What it boils down to for me is that I do not believe that it is my job to pass judgement on another person.  And I sure as heck am not going to make a case based on the media.


For some reason I decided to read this article regarding the situation.  Maybe because a friend posted it and I trusted the source?  I don't know.  But I found myself enjoying the perspective.


http://jenhatmaker.com/blog/2012/07/27/in-the-basement

a grateful heart

My life is so full.  I have been thinking lately about my thankful heart.  Just this week I have been blessed with:


-A kinesiologist who is a Christian and can get me back in working order in two appointments.  This is the third time that I have had herniated discs in my lower back (all since giving birth).  And oh my, is it not only painful but debilitating.  Talk about a reminder of how weak we really are.  I am thankful that this time wasn't nearly as severe, maybe because I am in better shape.  But it is so humbling to be 32 and gimping around like a crazy old lady.    I am beyond thankful that I found this dr shortly before it happened the first time and he is not only an amazing doctor but an amazing Christian.  He and Corey have both seen how much pain I have been in and have had such caring hearts.


-A mother and mother in law that stepped up and offered to take Little Man for a few days so I could recover.  Although this time has been easier because I don't have to carry him everywhere, a 2 year old doesn't allow much laying horizontal time.  Laying horizontal means jungle gym to him!  He has had a blast on his mini vacation and I have a feeling there was a little spoiling going on!


-A husband that I enjoy spending time with!  It was a treat for us also to have some time together.  Although it wasn't under ideal circumstances because I couldn't paint the town or work in the yard; but we did get to go out to dinner to a place we wouldn't take Little Man.  And last night we played cards.  Good times!


-A son (that I really miss right now) that I get to stay home with and watch him learn and grow.  He amazes me every day.  He is interested in the concept of Over / Under right now.  Especially when we are driving Under a bridge or Over a bridge.  He is also recognizing some letters already.  I had no idea to expect it at this age, then several weeks ago he brought me a letter from the fridge and said 'P' (and he was right!) and did the same thing with 'I' and 'O'.  At that point I realized that he is really interested in letters.  His favorites are B, I, O, P, C, L.  He likes to have his name on the fridge, so while I am cooking I will have him find the letters of his name.  The 'W' (double-u) is confusing and he usually brings me a 'U'!  And he usually calls the 'X' a cross!  He is also saying 'What's this?' a lot.  He wanted to know what the staples were called that held his book together the other day!  Their curious little minds amaze me!  I am beyond grateful for the time that I have with my healthy boy that I get to love on every day!  I realize that it is a gift.

no tears

I am so sad that I feel like I could throw up.  Can't say that I have ever felt this way before.  I don't even have tears.


Clinging to the verse:

"Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance."  James 1:2

let's have a ball

One of Lawrence's top loves in life are balls.  So we decided to have a ball themed party for him in the park.  One of the most important makings of a good party is good cake.  I made his basketball cake and personally I thought it was delish.  The recipe came from a friend who got it from rosebakes.com (the wedding cake recipe).  Seriously, the cake has a cup of sour cream in it.  There is nothing else that needs to be said.

I also thought it would be fun to have cake balls decorated as..... balls!  I read some different blogs on how to make these little balls of fun.  Here are my best tips after one time at bat.

Cake Balls 101:

- I used a red velvet cake mix.  Bake, cool, crumble in a bowl.  Then add a container of vanilla frosting (I used about 3/4+ of the container b/c I wanted them to be cakish; you can add the whole thing if you want them gooey).   

- I also made some oreo flavored balls (1 package of oreos, 1 pkg cream cheese). 

- I used a cookie drop to make the balls and then put them in the FREEZER.  Very important step in order to keep little crumbles out of your dips.

- The footballs I dipped in melted semi-sweet chocolate chips (I used Ghiradilli brand).  These were over the top sweet in my opinion.  But hey, they looked cute, and sometimes that's all that matters.

- I used vanilla almond bark for the baseball/soccer balls.  I honestly haven't spent much time perfecting my skills with almond bark.  In the past I just glopped it on and it tasted good and looked just ok.  I spent a little more time on it this time.  I found that melting it in the microwave (not the stove or double boiler) worked best.  I did 1/2 the package at a time and melted it for 1 minute, stirred, 10 seconds, and it was about right.  I used a plastic fork and broke out the middle spokes so I had a little tool for my ball to sit on.  The technique that worked best for me was to spoon the bark over the ball then dip the bottom in the bowl and scoop it back up with my fork.  This helped the bark stay smooth and clean. 

- I used red decorating gel for the baseballs.  It worked alright and was cute.  It stayed goopy so it was a little messy.  But messy is ok at a party.

- I didn't trust myself to use black gel to make hexagons, so I found little candy toppers that were soccer balls (Wilton brand in the cake decorating aisle).

- The cake and oreo balls with almond bark were fabulous and I would totally make them again!

The rest of our goodies -- all round like balls!



Here is Lawrence camped out by the cheese balls  :)  He hadn't ever had one (for good reason) before this moment.  He made his way up the table and Grandpa served him up a few.  The kid would not touch anything else.  Not even kidding.  He wouldn't even try one bite of the cake that I made for him!!!  There's something addicting in those little balls of nothingness.

What else shows up to a party in the park?  The WIND!!!  So I made table weights because I knew that there was a 99.9999% chance it would be windy in Kansas.



I used Easter egg balls from Dollar General.  Then tied a safety pin to one end of a ribbon and a washer to the other end.  Filled the balls with washers and nuts and rocks, and pinned them to the tablecloths!  Next time I would probably super glue them shut b/c the kids opened them.  It had crossed my mind but I wanted the option to reuse my supplies.

More table weights.  I also used the ball eggs as party favors and put stickers inside.

Games are always fun for a party.  The ball pit was a hit.  At one point there were probably 5 kids in the pool at once!

I got the ball pit balls at Target and the inflatable balls from Oriental Trading.  After I used the inflatable balls in the pit, I gave them as party favors as well.



We also had a tunnel.  And a basketball goal.  And a football toss through a hula hoop.

Little Man is still rather meticulous.  Every little shred of paper had to go to the trash can.  One bitty piece at a time.  Love his little personality!

He had to blow out his candles several times.  It's your day -- live it up on cheese balls and candles!

I love our little family!



birthday blessings

Our little man celebrated a big birthday this week.  And that makes me the mother of a TWO year old!  I can't even believe that that is possible.  Let the fun begin!

Here are some thoughts that are memorable to Corey and I.  Hopefully one day he will enjoy reading it.  Who am I kidding -- maybe his wife will appreciate it someday!!!

Dear Lawrence,


You have lit up our life over the last two years!  Your father and I are so proud of the sweet little gentleman you are becoming.  Whenever I meet someone new, you are right beside me holding out your hand to offer them a shake.  And if it's not a handshake then it is a hug.  You are willing to give hugs to anyone who lets you get close enough!  You love being around people and you are still a proficient observer; usually one of the quieter ones of the bunch until you get warm, but not missing a single detail.  Yet quick to interact with any adult who offers some attention.  And you are oh so independent!  I remind myself everyday that this will be a strong quality for you to have...someday.


You are a very verbal child and usually more cautious in the physical realm.  It is common for you to sit at the top of a slide multiple times without ever going down.  I recently made a list of all of the words that you use regularly and I lost track around 115.  You say 'mommy' almost constantly while we are in the car or shopping and follow it up with whatever you recognize.  You have to make sure that I also see everything that your little eyes see!  You amaze me!  Another popular phrase that I hear a lot is 'thank  you'.  I hand you anything and you always say 'thank you'.  And you continue to say it repeatedly until I recognize your kind words.  I also tried to teach you to say 'no, thank you' as opposed to a whine and a scrunched up nose.  You quickly turned this into a very assertive nod of the head while verbally saying 'thank you'.  Even during your fits and cries when you don't like what I have to say, you respond with a 'no, thank you'.  Being the verbal AND independent little man that you are, another popular word is 'mine'.  And oh how it makes my spine crawl.  Your translation of the word mine is:  I can do it all by myself, this is my ____, you gave this to me, I always sit here, I don't need any help, I want that.....  Not your sweetest term, but part of being two I suppose.  I prefer when I tell you 'I love you' and you respond with 'bunches bunches bunches bunches!'  I guess you have heard me say that a time or two!  



Although you say 'mommy' continually, you are still very much a daddy's boy!  Daddy is the first thing you ask for when I get you up in the mornings.  And when I tell you that daddy is at work, you show me how he drives to work.  You love to "drive" with daddy in his tractor or truck.  Anything that dad is working on, you are right beside him being a big helper.  Your other favorite activities as a new two year old are playing on your rock pile, driving and loading your blue truck, chasing bubbles, playing with any ball you can find, or just being outside.


The Lord has big plans for you, Lawrence!  You make mommy's heart happy and full. We love you, son!


Love,


Mom and Dad