Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Wordless Wednesday-Pretty good stuff


"Belle's of Ireland"-I always forget what they are and think I should pull them but wait just long enough to see the gorgeous delicate blooms and realize they aren't weeds. Picture taken by Dirkey 4-30-08

Hannah comes home today!!! This is hopefully the last time this little peanut will ever be in a hospital gown!

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Update on the Peanut

She is still in the hospital they are keeping her overnight again.

Monday, April 28, 2008

Family Farm Fun Day!




So I grew up in the woods, my parents had a good amount of land that was surrounded by trees. I've mowed our field with a tractor, we've had guinea hens, chickens, pigs, goats, sheep, ducks, bunnies, quail, etc. We milked our goats, collected our eggs straight from the chickens, ate alot of our "Pets". Its pretty much safe to say I grew up a hick and I liked it. I really do feel bad for the kids that didn't have those experiences because it really did give me an interesting upbringing. So a few years ago when we saw that a farm around us was having a Family Farm Fun Day we were all about it; my dad , my brother and I all went over to check out the antique tractors, the hit and miss motors and the Jersey Jerry Apple guy. Needless to say that experience left us wanting more, my brother called me on Saturday morning to let me know that Family Farm Fun Day (FFFD) was that day! The hubs and I were all over it and met up with my parents and my brother and his wife for a day of Farm Fun.
And let me tell you, there was a great amount of Family Fun to be had!

As close as it gets to heaven on earth for my dad



My brother showing the proper hand warming technique so as not to startle the cow while milking


"Jersey Jerry" explaining the evolution of the apple peeler/corer/slicer, it was pretty interesting to see the prototypes to my Pampered Chef model.


"PigMan" trying to sell my brother a pig.. mmmm bacon


Steam Engine Tractors


I bought yarn from this Alpaca, I call her Gertie


Crop Dusters:


Shout out to my Sister


Parade of people using tractors as wheelchairs




Not only was this guy using his as a wheelchair but he was also tilling the driveway.


It was a good day of being with the family and learning some things. I love going to those types of things with my dad because he really likes all things farm related and he's very knowledgeable about almost everything. Its like going with your own personal tour guide.

CVS'in

So I feel like I'm getting better at this. This week I paid .57 cents out of pocket and got 26.98 in rebates. I have to go back to get another monitor and some soft soap I have one of the smaller size and one of the larger size I can still get.

Here's the Breakdown from today:
2 Blood Glucose Monitors @19.99 =39.98-39.98 in coupons=Free
2 Lint Brushes @2.5=5-2 coupons =$3
4 Post it Tags @2.5=10-$6 in Coupons=$4
3 Big Soleil @5.99=17.97-$6 in Coupons=11.97
2 Palmoliv Dish Detergent @ 1.39 BOGO=1.39-.25 in coupons=1.14
2 All Small and Mighty Dish Detergents 32oz @6.49 BOGO= 6.49-1.50 in coupons=4.99
2 Maybelline Mineral Powder Makeup @8.99 BOGO=8.99-$4 in coupons=4.99
Also used a $4 off $20 coupon
Total without coupons just with CVS sales is 97.81
Total of coupons 63.73
Adjusted Total 34.08
I used 32.97 in extra care bucks somehow it ended up I owed .57 cents out of pocket
and I earned 26.98

Tonight I'm going back for:
1 Softsoap spa radiant @4.99
1 Softsoap spa radiant $5.49-$1 Coupon=4.49
1 Blood Glucose Monitor @19.99-$19.99 coupon=Free
I should be paying about .50c out of pocket after ECB's and getting 10.48 in ECBS back.

Sunday, April 27, 2008

Poor Peanut

(pic of Hannah taken by Dirkey on 3/02/08)

So I was all ready to post today about yesterday's shenanigans at the Family Farm Fun Fest then we went to, but we found out our niece Hannah went into the ER at CHOP (Children's Hospital of Pennsylvania). We found out at around noon and waited until they had a room to come up and see them. It seems that our poor peanut of a niece has a Urinary Tract Infection, an Ear Infection and Pnuemonia. Poor thing has been sick for about 15 days and this was the third trip to the ER this week, finally they admitted her and are working on getting her better! I give major kuddo's to my SIL for persevering and advocating for Hannah, as I'm sure many mom's would be disuaded after two trips to the ER.
So I would appreciate all prayers for Hannah and her worried mom and dad.
Thanks,
Dirkey

PS Family Farm Fun Day update will be tomorrow for those waiting with baited breath.

Friday, April 25, 2008

Photo Hunters-Funny Signs





This is one of our favorite signs, its found down the shore by my sisters house. The hubs and I cracked up the first time we saw it; yes we are THAT mature! :)
Enjoy!

Frugal Friday-I'm a Diva! (cup user)

Dirkey

Yes, its true. I use a Diva Cup.

I've heard it all on the Internet how unsure people are of the Diva cup and I've been there and overcome it. There are many reasons that I use my Diva cup, um, monthly. Mostly, to be honest, its for the environment but a big part is the money I'm saving.
As Mama K has said frugality often goes hand in hand with being environmentally friendly, and the Diva cup is one way I'm trying to be responsible with my own environmental footprint.

According to my Google searches: A normal female's
average flow is 5 days
average number of years you have your period-39
Number of times you menstruate in a year-11.5
Days in your lifetime with your period-2242.50
Hours in your lifetime with your period-53,820
According to this;
You would use approximately 13,455 tampons/pads
for a pack of twenty you would use 673 boxes of tampons at $3,155.20 plus whatever pantyliners and pads you would need to purchase.

With the Diva cup you would use 1 cup, which I hear you can use for about 10 years for 32 bucks each it would be 130 bucks for a lifetime of protection. I will be supplementing this with Mama Cloth as soon as my order gets in, but even there the cost isn't that significant. It sure beats having to run out to the drug store when you run out, also you can wear these for 12 hours between changes so its very convenient for working and sleeping. To top it all off you get a cool pin.

This weeks participators:
Trace
is rocking the menu planning and thinking ahead for dinners for the week!
Shelly has been saving some cash on her Cell Phone Bills and taking some crazy cute pics of her little boy!
Mama K the only person I know who got hungry watching Supersize Me; makes it personal and talks about how she avoids the drive-thru line.
Kitten Mom just bought her new house and has been making some frugal changes as well!


Join in the fun, grab the code below and post your own frugal ideas!




ha ha I just got this email
On Apr 25, 2008, at 8:17 AM, the hubs wrote:
It’s a little embarrassing when I pull up a website and I’m confronted with a huge picture of a diva cup at work.

-just found out that I didn't think up the Frugal Friday first-the original is at Biblical Womanhood

Thursday, April 24, 2008

Reminder

Don't forget tomorrow is Frugal Friday!
Get your posts ready, I'm excited to read everyones hints on simple living and using their money wisely!

Weekly Weigh in

So I lost two this week! Yeah :)
So excited :)
I've been rocking the raw fruits and veggies all week.
I'm feeling a raw food detox is coming on.

Spring!




Wednesday, April 23, 2008

Common Household Cleaners

In keeping with the frugal/green theme that I have going I thought I would share an email that Trace sent to me. In my day to day cleaning I use alot of vinegar and baking soda, that will generally get most of the cleaning done. I do take the mineral oil to my wooden furniture (this helps a great deal if you have any scratches on your furniture too!). I haven't tried the toothpaste or the rubbing alcohol but do have a tip to add. If you have stickers on windows you can remove the sticky bottom stuff with a little elbow grease and lemon extract. The old owners of our house put stickers on our fridge that I will be removing in this manner.
Without further ado:

White Vinegar
A natural disinfectant and deodorizer, white vinegar can be used as an
all-purpose cleaner on most surfaces around your home. Try mixing a solution
of half water and half vinegar in a spray bottle, and use it to cut grease
and remove mildew and other stains from all your bathroom and kitchen
surfaces. Vinegar can also be used as an effective and hypoallergenic fabric
softener; add 1/2 cup to every load during the rinse cycle.
-I use this stuff full strength EVERYWHERE! I keep a spray bottle in the kitchen and all bathrooms, for about $1 a gallon you can't beat it! I found when using it to clean glass it was streaky if not full strength.

Baking Soda

Baking soda has already earned its reputation as a great natural deodorizer,
but did you know it can also be used as a gentle and effective household
scouring agent? For instance, to treat hardened stains on easily scratched
surfaces like stovetops or refrigerator shelves, try sprinkling baking
powder directly on top of the stain and scrub with a damp sponge until clean
You can also use baking soda to deodorize and remove some of the buildup
from a dishwasher's interior; simply pour a cup of it into the machine and
run the rinse cycle.
Another thing I buy in bulk, a good trick I use with my toilets is to pour 1 cup of baking soda and 1 cup of vinegar right in the bowl, and let it sizzle while I clean the rest of the bathroom. A quick swish with the toilet brush and it sparkles!! (think this might have been a Down-To-Earth Trick)

Lemon Juice
This natural disinfectant and bleaching agent has a variety of uses both in
and out of the kitchen. To sterilize wooden cutting boards, rub the cut side
of a lemon half over the entire surface of the board, then rinse with hot
water. If you need to tackle a stain (on clothing or another surface), try
mixing lemon juice with baking soda to make a paste and apply it to the spot
wipe away after 10 minutes. Due to its highly acidic nature, lemon juice
can even be used to dissolve soap scum, hard water deposits, mold and mildew
Plus, even the peel can be put to good use; grinding the peel of an entire
lemon through a garbage disposal will freshen its blades and the drain below
Lovely kitchen fragrance when you put it in the garbage disposal as well :)

Borax
Valued for its deodorizing and disinfectant properties, Borax (sodium
borate) is an excellent multipurpose cleaner that's especially well suited
to cleaning painted and wallpapered surfaces. For an effective floor and
wall cleaning solution, mix 1/3 cup of Borax into 1 gallon of warm water,
then add one tsp of liquid dish soap. To use the substance as a tile grout
cleaner, combine 1/4 cup of Borax with 1/2 cup of baking soda and 1 spoonful
of hot water to form a paste; apply to the grout, scrub and rinse thoroughly
Borax can most likely be found in the cleaning aisle of your local
supermarket.

Washing Soda
Available in the laundry aisle of most supermarkets, washing soda not only
boosts the power of regular laundry detergent (add ½ cup to each load of
laundry along with your regular detergent), it can also be safely used to
clean bathroom and kitchen surfaces, cookware, plastic appliances and
concrete floors. (Do not use this substance on fiberglass or aluminum
surfaces, as it may cause discoloration. ) Simply dissolve 1/3 cup of washing
soda into a gallon of warm water, and apply to the desired surface with
either a sponge or scrubbing brush as appropriate.

Isopropyl Alcohol

Who knew this medicine-cabinet staple could have so many practical uses
around the house? Use it to disinfect and clean grime from often-handled
phones, computer keyboards, doorknobs and switch plates, as well as to
remove dust from decorative candles (alcohol won't ruin the wick, as water
might). Rubbing alcohol is also effective at combating fresh ink stains on
clothing or carpets; try using a soaked cotton ball to blot away the spots.
(Isopropyl alcohol may not be safe to use on all materials; do a test on a
discreet area of the item before tackling larger stains.)

Cornstarch

An excellent oil absorber, cornstarch can be mixed with water to form a
paste to clean grease from stovetops, vent hoods, cabinetry and other grease
magnets around the kitchen. You can also use cornstarch to deodorize and
refresh carpeting; sprinkle a liberal amount over rugs or carpets and wait
20 minutes before vacuuming away.

Mineral Oil

Put down the Pledge! This all-natural substance can be used to give all your
furniture a good shine; use it straight, or add a few drops of essential oil
or lemon juice to add a pleasant scent. You can also use mineral oil to
rehydrate wooden cutting boards and prevent splits and cracks, which can
harbor dangerous bacteria. Simply use a clean cloth to rub the oil into the
board, working in the direction of the grain; let it absorb for several
minutes, then wipe off excess oil with a clean, dry cloth.

Coarse Salt

This natural abrasive is ideal for scouring dried- or burned-on food from
your cookware; it's also an effective polishing agent for copper pots and
pans: Just sprinkle salt on the cut side of a lemon half and rub on the
copper surface until shiny. You can also use salt to clean up fresh spills
in the oven; sprinkle some on stains to absorb grease and moisture, then
wipe off with a damp cloth.

Toothpaste
Good for more than polishing up your pearly whites, toothpaste can also be
used to remove tarnish and restore shine to silver. Discover a water stain
on your wooden coffee table? Dab a bit of toothpaste on the spot, allow it
to dry, then wipe away to eliminate the mark.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Earth Day Winner!

So Marine Corps Nomads was declared winner by my esteemed judge

If you haven't already check out her blog do so she is a homeschooling mother to munchkin and wife to a wonderful marine who is currently deployed.

Check out all the participants for some beautiful spring shots!! All the new life and green definitely made me smile and proved as a source of inspiration with my garden this year!! :)
Thanks for participating!!!
Happy Earth Day!

Monday, April 21, 2008

Joy in the small things-An Earth Day Contest

One of my very favorite things about our house is the tree in the front yard. It is a cherry blossom tree, a melodramatic one at that.
It doesn't even show its first buds until other trees are in full bloom, no it creates an atmosphere of delightful anticipation like a Christmas in April waiting for it to bloom. For the past two weeks I have run outside every morning to check its progress and see if it had bloomed yet, well Saturday it did. I smiled so bright and so wide the neighbors must have thought I was batty, but it is just gorgeous!!!

About the contest:
1.)I would like you to take a picture of something in nature that brings you joy. The picture should be taken outside showing some aspect of the season.
2.)Post the picture on your blog linking back to this contest
3.)Comment on this post with a link to your blog

I will choose the winner on April 22nd at 8pm EST from the applicants.
The winner will receive a reusable bag, a Burts Bee's gift set, and various other eco-friendly fills!

Interesting Article on the Frugality Trend

Check it out

Sunday, April 20, 2008

Did I say something was wrong?

I don't know about you but I get excited about things. If something is working for me I want to tell the whole world, just in case it might work for them and help them. Such is the case right now with living simply and frugality. The hubs and I have worked really hard at establishing a strict budget that leaves a large portion to go straight to savings and an equally large portion to be an extra payment to our mortgage. We realize that right now we are in a position that we might not always be, with two incomes coming into the house. Our prayer is that by being diligent with our income now we might be able to attain some of the goals we established for ourselves; possibly going to a one income family and also paying off our mortgage in record time. This is exciting to me those are two things that I really desire so I'm more than willing to make some sacrifices to achieve them. As with most things I try to make it into a game, what can I do to achieve my goals in a fun way. Most recently I've started couponing and working the deals at my local grocery stores and pharmacy's. We find ourselves with a couple extra (reusable) bags of personal care items, medicines and food every trip without even using up all of our modest food budget. These extra's are to pass along to other people that might need them, to send to a clinic in Haiti, to give to a womans shelter, to give to friends and family. I find great joy in having this surplus to give.
I save a great amount of money by making most of my food from scratch, which I love!!! The hubs and I are also trying our hands at gardening this year to try and bring some awesome organic produce to our plates. I look forward to using gardening as a part of our entertainment as well.
Well the thing that is frustrating is that the minute you say something about using coupons or saving money, people think that you are destitute. I've had people just look at me and kind of shrug their shoulders and say things will get better stick it out. Its hard to explain to them that things are wonderful at our house, we only have one debt (our mortgage) that we are working on paying off. We aren't under the burden of credit card debts or car payments, we don't fight over money because we have a system established on how we deal with it. Granted our cars aren't brand new and we usually don't go out and spend a great deal of money on things without planning and saving for them; but WE are fine with that. Reguardless we have a good life and I wouldn't change it for the world. I wish that more people would find the joy in this freedom and in being financially responsible.
I guess thats one of the reasons I blog is to find that community that "gets" it. That realizes that I'm not trying to make them feel bad for what they are or aren't doing, but just trying to show them what works for me. I love going around and reading everyone else's blog and seeing what they are doing and seeing if it works for us. Its a wonderful learning tool that I'm so happy that I've found.

Friday, April 18, 2008

Photo Hunters Thirteen


A flower with 13 petals taken by Dirkey in Michigan 6/28/06

Frugal-Organics

If you're like me you try to incorporate as much organic into your shopping trips as you can and just work the prices in by cutting out excess meats and desserts. Well you might be having some fillet paired with creme brule this week (or at least a ckicken cutlet and frozen yogurt) cause Shoprite has a booklet at the registers for Earth Day called Go Organic. If you have one near you grab like 10 of them as they have tons of manufacturers coupons in them for organic milk and products that don't expire till August! Yeah!

Frugal Week 1

Dirkey

So for my first post for Frugal Friday, I'd like to tell you about dinner last night.
We were invited over Jason's brothers house to order Chinese. I was thinking on the way home that I already have all the ingredients for my old standby Chicken and Broccoli so there was no need for us to buy from the Chinese place and to make this the second time we ordered out this week! Since my SIL and I get along well I knew she wouldn't be thrown off by me bringing some food from home to save some cash! I got home and chopped up some Chicken into the tiny strips you get and the broccoli and threw them in the steamer and got to the sauce. The sauce I used was just a veggie/soy base that was in the freezer already from a previous recipe. I threw some sesame oil in a pot and simmered some garlic for a few minutes then put the base I already had in with some shredded ginger. I let this simmer for about 10 minutes then strained out any veggies, garlic and ginger out. After I had just a brown gravy I added a few teaspoons of cornstarch till it got to the right consistancy. It was sooo good and I was super proud of myself for making one of my take out standby's. Since we already had the ingredients we saved about 15 dollars on the cost of take out for the night!

If you don't know where to start in making some of your favorite take out foods you can google some easy recipes, I found one on Rachel Ray's website for Orange-Cashew Chicken with Broccoli . I know I would order that if it was on the menu!

This weeks participators
Mama K tells us how she scores with her Produce budget
Trace has been boosting her bank account by making food plans and pizza.

and one of my fav reads Down To Earth posted some great tips on Frugal living today

Click the link above to find out about Frugal Friday and join in on the fun! :)

Frugal Friday!

Dirkey

So a huge interest of mine currently is frugality and trying to maximize the money we have and saving as much as we possibly can. Lately I've been reminded of the story of Joseph in the Bible, where the Pharoah made him second in command and made him in charge of keeping the people of Egypt from starving during the years of famine. Joseph made a plan during the years of plenty to carry his people through the years of scant. The story just impresses on me the need for frugality that no matter how much you have that you should not use more than you need. In our country there is a great emphasis on having things, the best houses, cars, clothes, jewelry, etc and sometimes its hard to step back and ask yourself if you really need these things. Well thats what this frugal friday is about, its about those moments where you step back and start thinking of things you could change. What I would like is for people start blogging every Friday about the steps they are taking towards frugality however small they may be. I have friends who are starting herb gardens, making their own bathroom cleaners, one friends husband is even forsaking his beloved cheese in his ham and cheese sandwhich until the weekends to save some money; its all about the small steps. Small steps added together add up to a big change.


How to participate:
1. Take the button code below and put at the top of your frugal friday post
2. Leave a comment letting us know that you are participating on my FF Post.
From there I will make a list letting people know what you are up to and linking to your blog.

If you don't have a blog, you can always leave comments letting us know how you are cutting costs!







If you are on Google Reader, you will actually have to click over to my blog to get the code. :)

Update 4/25/08, I just found out that Biblical womanhood already does a frugal friday!
I guess great minds think alike. I'm going to keep going with this one as well to get more people thinking about frugality.
Check out the original at Biblical Womanhood

Thursday, April 17, 2008

Poor Jason


I felt like I had taken this last night.

Weight Update

So this week I lost another 1, but I also feel like I had a breakthrough with this whole weight loss thing. My mindset has completely changed on it and I haven't been putting myself down for letting get so far but I've been excited for getting it off. I have my weigh in with kitten mom for tomorrow morning, can I get another last minute pound off so I can lose 2 this week? Heres to hoping.
So today if I was at my goal weight it would be an Anne Taylor day and I would want to wear.

This outfit
I'm going to start saving up for some nice clothes. :)

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

CVS'ing and Walgreen'ing Week 2

Well I certainly made up for my lackluster savings in week 1 this week! I even came home and prayed to see if I had done something wrong for getting so much for free! It happened twice that I ended up with more money than I went in with at CVS and Walgreens, still can't figure that out but I know that I'm just taking advantage to sales they offer everyone and combining it with coupons that the manufacturers give away.
I brought home a ton of Sunsilk and Loreal products, 3 tubes of toothpaste, about 15 beauty products for a lady's glamour night I'm planning, a blood/sugar tester, 2 things of Benefiber, a toothbrush, some air fresheners, a makeup brush, and MUCH MUCH MORE ( I totally feel like a commercial now!). I brought it all home for less than $3 out of pocket and I now have $30 in ECB, $10 Register Rewards, $14.99 Rebate, and $8 rebate on their way to me.
Also I worked the coupons into my normal grocery shopping and maximized my budget! I brought home so much more than I usually do. I still walked away with $20 extra in my grocery budget which we used $10 of for a pizza night and I'm saving the extra $10 to add to this weeks budget.
I'm excited to use the surplus to bless others and to store up in our house for times of need. One of my friends started a bunch of clinics in Haiti so I will be putting together a box to bless them with personal care, medicines and anything else they might need. I'm also going to be saving some of the things we wouldn't normally use to bless some of our friends and family that have sacrificed to be SAHM's, just to show we support them and know its not always easy but its definitely worth it. Its exciting to me to be able to bless those around me with the surplus that the Lord has given me. There have been many times the Lord has used others to bless me when I have been in need so it makes me so happy to be able to bless others back!

Some days are just plain weird

Just to warn you, I'm in a rambling mood so this post might end up being a whole lot of nothing but..
This morning I was driving into work and I'm slowing down to a traffic light and out from behind a tree jumped a wild turkey. He kind of ran in circles a bit then crossed the road and ran into the trees. I almost ran into him, it was right around the place where I ran into a family of ducks too (shudder, I'll have to retell that story after I stop having the nightmares). I was seriously wondering if I had some bad yougurt for breakfast but nope it was a wild turkey in the middle of the good size town I work in. I was entirely too stunned to reach for my camera until the turkey was pretty far into the lawn of the house on the other side of the road so no photographic evidence.
Speaking of yogurt I'm in luv with the Greek yogurt Fage, mmm its almost sour creamy
but in a good way. Amazing if you put some honey in it and it really only has two ingredients, if you want to know what those are go buy it lazies I can't tell you everything. I tried to find another yogurt that could inspire such feelings inside of me as Fage but within my coupon book (seriously its 2 bucks a pop!) and got two subs to try this week. First up was Stoneybrook Farms "Greek" yogurt, Oiyos, and I'm pretty sure Stoneybrook farms isn't in Greece and Fage is sent directly from this wonderful yogurt producing land. First off there was a few more ingredients in the Oiyos and it kind of creeped me out not sure why it wasn't disgusting but didn't have the same amazingness that my Fage has. The second replacement was Yo-Plus for digestive health, cause you know I'm worried about my digestive health. This stuff was decent but still didn't hold a candle to my fav as it was flavored and not greek. Next step is to get a yogurt maker, ok well next step is to talk the hubby into getting a yogurt maker. I have a ridiculous amount of kitchen gadgets so it might be a tough sell but I don't want to deal with the whole keeping the yogurt at 110 degrees for 10-12 hour thing that the recipes call for cause my oven doesn't go down that far and I'm fairly sure that I would be up all night worrying about the yogurt temperature and if there is one thing that I really don't need to be worrying about it is yogurt temperatures. Maybe if I make him some pizzelles with my never been used Pizzelle maker he will give in.
Speaking of unused kitchen gadgets I found an awesome recipe for Cocoa Ice Cream, I'm going to make it sometime soon like as soon as my half and half defrosts which require s me remembering to take it out of the freezer. I have friends coming over on Sat that seems like the perfect time to break out the cocoa ice cream. Hmmm maybe I'll make cones out of pizzelles, ok this is just coming together pretty well. That would kill about 10 birds with one stone as I haven't used the pizzelle maker since I bought it and its been awhile for the ice cream maker. Also I think I referenced my cocoa powder stockpile going on. Seriously if the world ran out of cocoa I don't thing the hubs would have to worry about lacking any cocoa-ey goodness for about 3 years.
Mmm so last night I made lemon custard and it was sooo good.
Dirkeys Custard of Goodness (yes I can call it mine cause I totally deviated from the recipe I casually glanced at, I'm such a deviant).
Ingredients
2 cups 2% milk
1/2 cup 1/2 and 1/2 (thats alot of halfs)
1/2 cup sugar
zest of one lemon
4 eggs
1/3 tsp lemon extract
Bring the zest, milk and half and half to a boil, then let rest for 30 minutes
Preheat oven to 325, then mix eggs and milk with a wisk, add in the strained milk mixture slowly with a wisk, seriously wisk the crap out of it, at the very end add in the lemon extract and mix well. If you are fancy skim the bubbles off of the top, I like the bubbles so they stay with mine. Take a oblong baking dish and line the bottom with paper towels and put custard dishes in. Fill custard dishes with the custard mixture (I filled 6). Lastly fill the baking dish with hot water up to about halfway up the custard dishes (I used a funnel so I didn't get water in the custard dishes). Bake for 40 minutes remove and cool on a wire cooling rack or wherever you cool things. Can store up to two days.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Why I'll Never Get a Tattoo

Because I got this last Thursday and took it out today. Yeah I'm that fickle. I did really like it but the hubs didn't and it halfway fell out last night and I had to repierce it and after I repierced it I realized that it was a pain in the butt and I didn't want to repierce it again so I took it out. Yes I pierced my nose for 112 hours.

Thursday, April 10, 2008

Wow!

This really makes me want to watch American Idol, this is how they ended the show last night.

Tuesday, April 08, 2008

CVS-Week 1


CVS-Week 1
I'm all flushed from my very first trip to CVS to work the extra care bucks program. There is still alot I need to learn, honestly and shamedly this is the first time I've EVER USED coupons!!! I am a pretty cheap person but I've just never quite grasped the concept. I'm still working on it as you will see below from the breakdown. Most of the stuff I normally wouldn't buy but I can use; the baby stuff will be given to my niece for her twins. We were able to start out this week as we amassed enough leftovers from a banquet for work that we didn't need to grocery shop this week. So I spent a total of 67.97 and received 20 ECB so effectively I spent $47.97 and received the items below; without Sales I would have spent $110.33. Not too bad for a beginner but I want to work up to where we can get most everything for free like the other smarties that I read.
Here is what I bought
Deal 1-Buy $25 in Baby Items get $10 ECB
CVS-Baby Wipes Reg price 2.99 SALE 2.50
CVS- Cotton Swap Reg Price 3.99 SALE 2.99
(2) Huggies Jumbo Pack Reg Price 2@11.49 SALE 2@8.99
JJ Shea Butter Baby Wash Reg Price 4.29 SALE 2.99
I paid 26.46 without the sales it would have been 34.25

Deal 2-Buy $10 in Febreeze get 5 ECB
Febreeze Candle Reg Price 7.99 Sale 6.99 plus 2 Coupon
2 Febreeze Noticables Reg Price 2@7.99 Sale 2@6.99 plus 6.99 Coupon
I paid 11.98 without coupons and sale it would have been 23.97
If I had to do over I probably wouldn't have gotten the candle and saved $4 cause I would have still had over $10 in Febreeze before Coupons.

Deal 3- Buy 1 Excedrin get 1ECB
2 Excedrin Migrains Reg Price 2@4.79 Sale 2@1.99 Plus 2-2 Coupons
I got .02 cents back without coupons and sale would have been 9.58

Deal 4-Gillette Fusion-Buy 1 Get 3 ECB
Gillette Fusion 9.99- plus 2 coupon
I paid 7.99 without coupons and sale would have been 9.99 razor
If I had to do over I probably wouldn't have gotten this either.

General Sales
Crest 2 for 5 used $1 Coupon 2-$4 Reg Price 5.98
Gillette Razors 2 sets of razors Reg Price $17.98 Sale 13.48 plus $4 coupons Paid $9.48
Oral B Toothbrush Reg Price 3.99 SALE 2.99 Coupon $1 Paid $1.99


Hopefully as I progress I will get better at this.

She's Crafty



Ten points for anyone who can quote the next 5 words of the song from my blog title. Seriously though I am a frequent reader of Down-To-Earth, a very simple blog about simple living. I've been trying to change my lifestyle to be less consumer driven and find more joy in the simple things in life. We've been baking our own bread, making more of our gifts to others, gardening, doing more handcrafts, etc. Well Down to Earth has all these swaps, I've been in her apron swap and now her shopping tote swap. I'm a beginner sewer so sometimes I feel bad for the peeps getting my stuff but the only way to get better is to do. I made a bag with crazy long handles to kind of sling across your body while you shop. My swap partner Mary likes retro type fabrics so I used a funky fabric that seemed quite 70-esque to me.
I also added a liner which I was pretty proud of.

Whatcha think?

I just got mine yesterday and she made me two awesome totes and some produce and bulk food bags made out of thrift store curtains! What an awesome idea, I'm totally going to make some more!! I'll put up pictures tomorrow of those as I had to charge my camera last night.

Monday, April 07, 2008

New Obsession

I heart Flickr.
Everyone should join and be friends with me, extra points for anyone who can guess my name on Flickr :)
I left my laptop on for extended periods this weekend uploading pics from eons ago. In the 4 days I've been a pro-account owner I've uploaded 2700 pictures. Yes, I'm a bit obsessive. :) I found pictures from the day that Mama K told us that she was preggers with the precious little peanut, pics of Jase and my first date, the days I met two of my nieces in the hospital.
Go, Stalk me, and please leave me comments cause my insecure self needs them. Ok don't really stalk me just look at my pictures, I know there are weirdo's out there who would be all "Yeah she asked me to stalk her". For the record, I do not want to see anyone following me around Whole Foods seeing what kind of fruits and veggies I buy just cause I asked you to look at my pictures.
here

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

New Lungs!!

Tricia is getting new lungs as I type, please pray!
Link 3 posts below

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

April is Here

That means my new masthead is as well :)
Check it out and let me know what you think?!
Also trying to think of some fun April Fools Day things to do.
I have a fun one for Schmoop tonight, if I have enough time.