Making My Own Luck

Saving Money Challenge and Goals For Next Week

2012-01-27T00:30:00.000-08:00

Where did this month go? Spring will be here before we know it -- although here in DC winter has barely started -- I shouldn't complain.

Here's what I've been up to as part of the 2012 Money Saving Challenge:

I dried all of our jeans downstairs on my line after I washed them. There wasn't room for DD's bibs, so I dried those on the oven handle upstairs.
I made buns for our BBQ pulled pork dinner on Monday. Of course I doubled the recipe so we'll have plenty for our BBQ turkey dinner next week.
I made two batches of pizza dough. We ate one last night and will eat the other one in two weeks. I like to use pizza dough within two weeks for freshness. Even in the freezer I don't think it does very well after that. If I want to keep it for more than two weeks I'll par bake it and freeze it like that.
Soap.com sent me a coupon code for $10 off any order. Since they have free shipping at $39 it was worth my while to get my tide, downy wrinkle relaxer, ivory soap and a few other things there. I don't know if I got the lowest prices ever, but it saved me a trip to Target.
I worked from home twice this week.
We've been watching movies from the library this week.
I made homemade tater tots for DD.

My goals for last week:

~~Walk 4x swim 1x~~
Get all of my handwritten pages typed up for the contest, and start on the proposal. (I'm getting there)
~~Make pizza dough, pizza sauce and rolls for the freezer.~~
Finish making Valentine's wreath for the front door. (Haven't touched this)

Next week I'll be focusing on the writing contest I want to enter. I'm really getting close, which is exciting! I also want to keep up the walking and swimming. After next week I hope I'll get to the wreath!

Busy Bag Swap Review

2012-01-26T00:00:00.000-08:00

I've been meaning to post about the busy bag swap I took part in through Kidlet Occupation last year, but then it was holiday time, and I got busy, and I forgot, and etc.

My son LOVES these bags. It's been a couple of months now and he still asks to do an "activity" every night.

I was afraid the swapping experience would be like several cookie swaps I've been to where I spend 3 days crafting amazing gingerbread men only to get slice and bakes and stale krispie cream doughnuts in return (I know I'm not the only one this has happened to.) It wasn't like that though! There have been no duds in all of the 30 bags we got.

Check out the Kidlet Occupation website if you're looking for educational activities for your young kids (just click on the picture, above).

Groundhog Day Decorations

2012-01-25T00:30:00.000-08:00

My DH loves Groundhog Day -- the holiday, not the movie. I don't know why. He just really looks forward to it, and spends the day celebrating by holding up our fat cat and looking for his shadow.

I decided to surprise him with some decorations for our fireplace. Nothing fancy -- just a banner made from string, construction paper, and coffee filters. I started with this template for the groundhog couple, and built on the theme by making snowflakes and flowers from coffee filters.

This is a goofy waste of time, I know. But DH and the kids loved it.

Linked to: Works For Me Wednesday, Life As Mom

Walking in Cumberland, MD

2012-01-24T00:30:00.001-08:00

We spent a frosty Sunday afternoon exploring Cumberland, MD. I can't wait to go back in the Spring. What a great city for walking!

Salmon Cakes With Corn Salsa

2012-01-24T00:30:00.000-08:00

My husband is a big, big fan of salmon cakes. I'm not a fish eater, but even the kids will eat these, so they must be okay. This recipe makes 5 cakes, so if you have a bigger family that I do, you might want to double it.

Salmon Cakes
1 can salmon, bones removed
1 egg, beaten
1/3 cup cracker crumbs
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 t dried basil
1/3 C cornmeal

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl until combined. Shape into 5 equal patties. Place corn meal in a shallow dish. Coat each cake with cornmeal. Cook on a non-stick griddle or frying pan until crisp on the outside and cooked through, about 7 minutes on each side. If you don't have a big enough pan to do them all at once, put the cooked patties in a 200 degree oven on a cookie sheet while you cook the rest.

Super Easy Corn Salsa
4 cups corn, either fresh or frozen
1/2 cup finely chopped cucumber
1/4 cup finely chopped green pepper
1/4 cup Italian dressing (bottled or homemade)

Combine all ingredients and chill for at least 20 minutes before serving. Leftovers make a great lunch mixed with rice for a salad.

Cheese Sauce For The Freezer

2012-01-23T01:30:00.000-08:00

Just because I like to cook from scratch doesn't mean I like to start from scratch. I've been using the Tightwad Gazette cream soup mix as a base for a yummy cheese sauce -- just add the amount of water recommended and heat it up on the stove. When it starts to get thick, add a cup or so of cheddar cheese and stir until melted. I cool the sauce and freeze it in ice cube trays.

It's quick to toss a few of these with hot cooked pasta to make mac n cheese -- and even easier than making the boxed stuff. These also make a good sauce for steamed veggies when you're feeding reluctant eaters.

Linked to: Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life As Mom

Wintry Mix

2012-01-22T11:00:00.000-08:00

It's pretty if you don't have to commute.

This Week's Menu

2012-01-21T05:38:00.000-08:00

Whew, I'm back. No more talk of illness; it's time to make the doughnuts, or won tons or whatever.
Sat -- Appetizer feast! Turkey won tons, Rice balls (I use this recipe without the sauce), salad, dipping sauces
Sun -- Spaghetti, sausage, salad and garlic bread
Mon -- Pulled pork, moomie's buns, corn
Tue -- Tomato soup with barley and sausage, bread
Wed -- Burritos, yellow rice, salad
Thu -- Take out
Fri -- Homemade pizza, salad

Breakfasts -- Oatmeal, smoothies, toast, granola bars
Lunches -- Salad, leftovers, cheese and crackers

Bulk cooking projects -- Pita bread, banana bread, moomie's buns, ~~turkey soup~~, ~~BBQ style turkey~~, Pizza hut clone crust (x2), cream of leftover soup, ~~turkey pot pie~~, chicken a la king
(Note: this is a list for the month, not this week. I'll cross things off as I go).

Linked to: Menu Plan Monday

Shopping This Week

2012-01-21T03:41:00.000-08:00

Blogger is funky this morning. It keeps rotating my photo no matter what I do, and it has me writing in a weird font. Just know, it's not you, it's not me, it's them.

Anyway, the I've been taking part in the Pantry Challenge at Good Cheap Eats this month, and I actually had about $80 extra and space in my cabinet to buy all of the above. Score!

What are you paying for dried beans lately? By the pound at the grocery store they're around $1.50. At BJs they're $1.30 a pound for black beans and $1.40 a pound for pinto beans. Pretty soon the price of beans per pound is going to be equal to what we were paying for meat last year! I guess that's not a fair comparison though since bean bulk up when you cook them.

Here's the specifics:

3 lbs bananas $1.49

4 lbs basmanti brown rice $4.99

1 gallon organic apple juice $3.99

12 Italian chicken sausages $9.99

2 loaves honey wheat bread $3.99

18 eggs $3.59 - $.75 mc = $2.84

120 Finish dw tabs = $14.99 - $4 BJs coupon - $2.15 mc = $8.84 (Thanks Precious)

3 lbs honey $7.49

10 lb Pinto beans $13.99

10 lb black beans $12.99

4 lb lentils $4.99

Total with tax = $78.03

The dreaded wintry mix has hit the DC area this morning, so it's a good time to be locked inside with 24 pounds of dried beans. I think soup is on order for today!

Note to self: I should have known the forecast contained something dire when almost all the bread was gone at noon yesterday. I wonder how efficient one would be in predicting the weather forecast solely from watching what people are buying at the store?

I also got a nice purse and a pair of dockers from Goodwill for $5.98 each.

So, it will be a good weekend. We're all home, we've got beans, and I got a novel, a British mini series and a Ken Burns documentary from the library. I hope you all have a good one too!

Saving Money Challenge -- Ideas For Vegetarian Meals & Goals For Next Week

2012-01-20T00:30:00.000-08:00

I didn't do a darn thing this week except go to work and sit on my couch. While sitting, I did run across a number of new frugal things to try.

I know a lot of us are trying to cut back on meat consumption, either for health reasons, or budget reasons, or a combination of reasons. I've been doing some research this week, and I found some pretty cool options for new vegetarian meals to try out on my family.

And here's a another list of garden resources.

The free paper cutting templates on this site are too cool. I think I'm going to do a few for my kids.

Cinnamon roll baked oatmeal. Need I say more?

And my goals for next week, copied from last week:

Walk 4x swim 1x
Get all of my handwritten pages typed up for the contest, and start on the proposal.
Make pizza dough, pizza sauce and rolls for the freezer.
Finish making Valentine's wreath for the front door.

Pantry Challenge Update

2012-01-19T02:37:00.000-08:00

You guys, I am so grateful for my full freezer and organized pantry. They saved us this week. It was so nice to park my kitchen binder next to me on the couch and tell DH exactly where he could find whatever he needed to stick in the oven and make dinner.

We've been enjoying eating more vegetables too -- well at least 3 of us are. DS has been into watching Caillou, who does not like vegetables. What a bad influence. The solution to this problem seems to be letting DS chop up the vegetables with a butter knife.

I haven't been able to make any of the quick breads I have planned because the whole family has been eating all of our organic fruit from the delivery service before I can even think about cooking with it. That's not a complaint!

So, before I got SARS/ebola/stomach flu/hand foot mouth disease I made this beautiful bird, above. We had a couple of days and nights of turkey dinner, chef salads with turkey, turkey salad (subbed for chicken in this recipe). Then I took all of the leftovers and froze some plain, made soup, made turkey pot pie (one pie fed us for most of this week for which we were very grateful), and made some sort of BBQ turkey concoction for the crockpot which I will post if it's successful.

Moving forward, we are totally out of beans. But guess what? Because we cleared out the odds and ends I now have space for some if I want to buy them in bulk. Hooray!

This is one of my favorite cook books, and I used it last night to help plan my meals and freezer cooking for February. Know what? With a few bags of beans, it's totally do-able to keep this going. I'll post more about my conclusions next week, but for now, let's just say the pantry challenge has been a success in this household, and a good spring board for better eating and smarter shopping in the new year.

Oatmeal -- It's Not Just For Breakfast Any More!

2012-01-17T12:36:00.000-08:00

I'm still recovering from the plague, but I did make it out of bed long enough to take advantage of a pretty good deal on oatmeal at Giant this week. They have the old fashioned oats on sale 2/$5 and if you buy 8 of them you get a $7 catalina. It's not the free oatmeal I got in 2009, but it's not a terrible deal. In honor of that, I'm bumping up this post from 2009.

This winter, I’ve been able to get free or close to it oatmeal at Harris Teeter and Safeway almost every week thanks to sales and coupons. I like to eat it plain for breakfast, but there are a million other uses for oatmeal beyond breakfast! Below are ten of my favorites:

Breads & Breakfast Treats
For a good PB&J and breakfast bread, try my Blueberry Oatmeal Bread.

I love the Old-Fashioned Oatmeal from cookstr. I make it overnight in my crockpot. I love to add raisins which I cook right along with the oats.

These Breakfast Cookies from Prudence Pennywise sound great. Buying pre-made boxes of breakfast cookies at the store can cost a mint, so these are a great savings.

Having guests? I posted about my oatmeal bar which was a big hit!

Sweets & Other Goodies

Prudence Pennywise comes through again with her Irish Oatmeal Cupcakes with Broiled Brown Sugar. The best part about these is you can use leftover cooked oatmeal that you happen to have lurking in your fridge.
Granola is a great use of oatmeal. I like this one from Cooking Light because you make it on the stove top. I use it as a guide only, adding whatever fruits and nuts I have on hand.

Savory Uses

Ever since this summer, I’ve been using oatmeal in my meatloaf in place of bread crumbs. Try it in your favorite recipe!

I’ve not made these, but Cooking Light’s Oatmeal-Crusted Chicken Tenders will make it to my menu soon. I bet you could even make a bunch and freeze them!

Last month, I made my son some oatmeal soup. It sounds weird, but it is surprising comfort food! This recipe is similar to the one I used.

These Vegan Baked Oatmeal Patties sound like a great side to tomato soup.

Any other great ideas for oatmeal?

Linked to Life As Mom

This Month's Organic Gardening

2012-01-16T17:51:00.000-08:00

I've been enjoying my issue of Organic Gardening this month. Here are some links to my favorite articles.

Solutions for food deserts

Yummy Spinach Recipes

They also have some pretty cool free downloads.

Just thought I'd share in case you're in planning mode like I am.

Possible Menu Plan For This Week

2012-01-15T03:22:00.000-08:00

This is my possible menu plan because I have been sick all weekend and up for much cooking. DH and the kids have been living off cereal and egg salad while I sit on the couch and shiver and moan. So, if I start feeling human again here's what I have planned.

Side note: I'm so glad I made my menu in advance so it will be a turn key effort to get all of this stuff out of the freezer.

Sun -- Turkey pot pie (made using leftover turkey, frozen veggies, my cream soup mix, a bit of broth made from the turkey bones, and a pie crust frozen at Christmas time), salad
Mon -- Chili and cornbread
Tue -- Crockpot Chicken Cacciatore over pasta
Wed -- Salmon cakes, rice, peas
Thu -- Take out
Fri -- Scrambled eggs, fruit

Breakfasts -- Quick breads, cereal, oatmeal
Lunches -- Salads and leftovers

Bulk cooking projects -- Pita bread, banana bread, moomie's buns, ~~turkey soup~~, ~~BBQ style turkey~~, Pizza hut clone crust (x2), cream of leftover soup, ~~turkey pot pie~~, chicken a la king
(Note: this is a list for the month, not this week. I'll cross things off as I go).

Linked to: Menu Plan Monday

Saving Money Challenge and Goals For Next Week

2012-01-13T02:45:00.000-08:00

I know I said I was busy at work last week, but this week showed me what busy really is. So, my money saving pursuits were really more like I was too busy to spend any money type of things. Here's what I've been up to:

My one month free trial of Netflix was over so I canceled it. I'm happy to order what I want from the library.
While I was placing videos on hold from the library I saw they now have audio books that are compatible with the iPod, so I canceled my audible.com subscription too. Between those two things, I saved $25 a month or $300 a year.
I checked in on the consignment store and they sent me a check for $24. That's not terrible, but I'll do much better at the mom to mom sale in the Spring.
I roasted my turkey and put a bunch of meals in the freezer. I'll post separately about that when I talk about the pantry challenge.
I haven't been to the pool this week, but I did walk 5x.
I almost have the first three chapters of my book typed to enter in this contest. The deadline is Feb. 1st. I hope I make it.
I worked from home one day which saves $14 on parking and train fair. Working from home once a week can save me $728 a year. That's huge!
I've been reading through a stack of library books as tall as my three year old.

Here are my goals for next week:

My goals for next week:

Walk 4x swim 1x
Get all of my handwritten pages typed up for the contest, and start on the proposal.
Make pizza dough, pizza sauce and rolls for the freezer.
Finish making Valentine's wreath for the front door.

Cooking Luck Raw: My Home Office

2012-01-11T12:25:00.000-08:00

Okay, I'm about to show you something that might shock you. It's my home office/guest room, and it's a mess. You can't even call it a room -- it's storage.

This room is at the very end of our house, and it seems like things just get shifted there when they don't fit anywhere else. We need a room like that really -- we don't have much built in storage for things like out of use baby gates, suitcases, my DH's gigantic electronic thingy that converts cassette tapes to MP3s...

I'm a person of average intelligence. I should be able to make this home office work for me and my storage needs.

There's no reason why I can't find a way to may my storage pretty.
I need an open space for crafting and sewing if I'm going to meet my goal of crafting and sewing.
We don't watch the TV in here. It should go.
We need a new closet door.
Rather than make piles of stuff for a yard sale I'll never have, I should just bring it to Goodwill.
A place to work in my home office may not be a bad idea. At the very least I need an organized space for supplies and paperwork.

Okay, there's a glimpse of the messiest part of my house, and a list of my goals. Let's see what happens...

Linked to: Home Goals @ The Nester

January Booking It

2012-01-10T00:30:00.000-08:00

I've been writing up a storm, but I still managed to read a few books here and there. Here are my favorites.

I liked this book because I like all books about remodeling falling down old houses. As a bonus, it answered the question, "What do men do when they disappear to Home Depot for hours?". I won't spoil it for you.

I loved this book, which I actually listened to on a long night of baking cookies back in December. Honestly, I was up until 2 a.m. that morning making food for our partyand it passed very quickly because I was so interested in this book. It's a really brainy book that makes you think about how we might be stopping our kids from reaching their potential just by not having the right resources or having the bad luck to let them be born in the wrong month. Read this book; just do it.

I liked this book too. It's a time travel book involving the JFK assassination, so obviously it was fiction. I could tell, though, as I was reading it that Stephen King did a tremendous amount of research when he was writing this book.

The premise of this book is that you should have something hand made in every room. Many of these projects are beyond my sewing skills, but I like the idea of it.

Linked to: Life As Mom

Deals & Inexpensive Ideas For The Garden

2012-01-09T02:45:00.000-08:00

Tis the season for dreaming of Spring and looking at garden catalogues. I thought I'd pull together some of the offers and deals I'm seeing.

The Cook's Garden is offering free shipping for orders over $50 with the code FREESHIP7, and will send a free packet of arugula seeds for orders over $30.

Burpee will throw in will throw in all-natural, organic plant food for $30 orders made by March 31, 2012.

Money Saving Mom reported that Gardens Alive is one again attaching a $25/$25 coupon to their catalogues. I've done this deal before and their lettuce seeds aren't bad.

Gurney's has a Today's Deals sections on their website and sometimes you can snag something good.

Craftster has a forum on exterior decor that I love to get ideas from. Many of the projects include materials I already have on hand.

The Garden Junk forum at Garden Web is another source for using found materials.

Also check out the Garden For Less Page on The Prudent Homemaker for more tips.

What did I miss? How are you planning to grow more with less this year?

Linked to: Frugal Friday

Saving Money Challenge, Thoughts on the Pantry Challenge, and Goals For Next Week

2012-01-08T03:11:00.000-08:00

I normally don't have weeks at work where I am pulling my hair out, but unfortunately this was one of those weeks. Hopefully things will soon return back to normal, but in the meantime my grand plans of super frugality and grocery store domination have been scaled back! In fact, this is all the grocery shopping I got done this week. Do you think that clearance paper looks to Christmasy? I was thinking I could use it for kids' birthday parties. The apples were on clearance for $.59 a pound so I bought 6 pounds for crockpot applesauce. It will go well with our turkey dinner. The prices for milk and butter were crazy nuts, but I didn't have time to go to Trader Joe's.

Last weekend, I spent a lot of time organizing my pantry and my downstairs cleaning goods stockpile. I do much better when I can see at a glance what I have. This inspired me to make mocha quick bread and granola bars for the freezer.

I brought my lunch to work all week, except for one day when I worked at home and I didn't have to bring my lunch anywhere. Actually, that day I was so busy I forgot to eat which was not a good thing. I also took long walks with a friend 3 days this week. DS and I are going to go swimming this weekend using our city pool pass.

When I'm not trying to save a buck or working, I've been pushing myself to get ready to enter this contest, which has a deadline of Feb. 1st. Wish me luck, would you?

My goals for next week:

Walk 4x swim 1x
Get all of my handwritten pages typed up for the contest
Cook a turkey and make freezer meals
Sign up for the spring consignment sale & call the consignment store I am selling with now to see how I did. Make arrangements to pick up what didn't sell.

This Week's Menu

2012-01-07T11:00:00.000-08:00

I have a meal plan, but today is a bit up in the air. Our dishwasher is scheduled to be delivered between 6 and 9 PM today so it kind of throws a wrench in our dinner plans. We're trying to get it done earlier in the day -- they're going to call us if they can. If not my ideal back up plan would be to make the meatloaf earlier in the day and heat it up at dinner time and eat off paper plates (we need to have the sink and the dishwasher clear). My other back up plan is to switch take out night to tonight and then have meatloaf of Thursday. In that case I'd have to remember to freeze the green beans I got from our produce delivery. Decisions, decisions. It will all be worth it if the dishwasher gets delivered. We've been limping along with a broken one for years, and we're excited!

Tomorrow I want to spend the day cooking a turkey and making freezer meals with the leftovers.

Sat -- Meatloaf, rice, green beans
Sun -- Roasted turkey, carrots, stuffing
Mon -- Hawaiian chicken, rice (we finally cooked this last week, and liked it so much we're having the 2nd pan this week!)
Tue -- Turkey and wild rice soup, rolls
Wed -- Breaded pork chops, peas & scalloped potatoes
Thu -- Take out!
Fri -- Homemade pizza, salad

Breakfasts -- Quick breads, cereal, oatmeal
Lunches -- Salads and leftovers

Bulk cooking projects -- Pita bread, banana bread, moomie's buns, turkey soup, BBQ style turkey, Pizza hut clone crust (x2), cream of leftover soup, turkey pot pie, chicken a la king
(Note: this is a list for the month, not this week. I'll cross things off as I go).
You can see I haven't gotten very far yet.

Linked to: Menu Plan Monday , Good Cheap Eats Pantry Challenge

Grocery Sales At Amazon

2012-01-07T02:53:00.000-08:00

I was just looking through my email and saw that amazon.com has some pretty good deals on groceries through subscribe and save going on right now. I thought some of you might want to know.

Annie's brand products are all 30% off, makingAnnie's Homegrown Classic Macaroni and Cheeseonly $1.30 a box after subscribe and save.

My husband loves the Lipton Pyramid Tea Bagsand the vanilla caramel truffle ones are only $2.22 a box after subscribe and save discounts. These are $3.99 a box at my stores, and I haven't seen coupons in ages.

Granola Bars For Grown Ups

2012-01-06T00:00:00.000-08:00

When I first saw this recipe in the paper, I tried it right away because I had everything on hand. Even better, the bars tasted good, and they actually held their shape enough to be cut into bars. A common problem I have with making my own granola bars is that they fall apart the second I try to cut them.

This recipe is my updated version, using ingredients that are a little more grown up. I double the recipe and freeze individually wrapped squares so I can grab one and put it in my lunch.

It's usually a little pricey to make granola bars, but I'm willing to pay more if I can control the ingredients. To cut costs a little I buy almonds in bulk at BJs, white chocolate and sweetened condensed milk when it's on sale from Christmas to Easter, and when Nutty Guys has a Groupon available I always buy it so I can order some of their dried blueberries.

Grown Up Granola Bars

2 C rolled oats
1/2 C wheat germ
1 C sliced almonds
1/3 C white chocolate chips
1/2 C dried blueberries
1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Prepare a 9x9 pan by lining it with foil and then spraying the foil with cooking spray.

Mix all of the ingredients in a medium bowl. Turn mixture into the pan and pat it down. Bake about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.

To cut, pull bars out of the pan by lifting the foil, and place them on a large cutting board. Remove the foil. Cut into squares. Store in an airtight container, or freeze.

Linked to: Frugal Fridays

Cafe Mocha Quick Bread With Coffee Cream Glaze

2012-01-05T01:58:00.000-08:00

See that little jar of espresso powder? It cost me $5 at the Italian grocery store near my work, and I justified it by comparing the cost to one latte at Starbucks. I've fallen in love. At the beginning of our relationship, I used it only for drinks like pumpkin spice lattes, but recently I've branched out and have been using it in baked goods as well.

When the 10 am after breakfast crash hits, this bread is just the thing. I freeze it by the slice so that I can always have a piece at work.

Cafe Mocha Quick Bread With Coffee Cream Glaze

1 egg
1/2 C butter, softened
1/2 C brown sugar
1/2 C granulated sugar
2 t espresso powder
2/3 C vanilla yogurt
1 t vanilla
2 C flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 C semi-sweet chocolate chips

Grease and flour a large bread pan. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Use an electric mixer to beat together first 7 ingredients until blended. Combine the next 4 ingredients, and then stir them into the wet ingredients. Don't over mix. Fold in the chocolate chips.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, and bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

Allow the bread to cool for 15 minutes and then remove it from the pan. Let it cool completely before glazing.

Coffee Cream Glaze

1-2 t cream (half and half or milk would also work)
1/2 t espresso powder
1/3 C powdered sugar

Stir together all ingredients until combined and smooth. Pour over the cooled bread.

Linked to: Life As Mom

The Harbinger of Spring

2012-01-04T00:00:00.000-08:00

Winter isn't even really here yet, but the seed catalogues are coming, and I'm dreaming of Spring!

Making My Own Condiments

2012-01-03T01:00:00.000-08:00

When I was cleaning out my fridge the other day, I realized how much we had come to rely on homemade condiments. Here are some of our favorites (so far):

BBQ sauce from Frugal Makes Cents
Vanilla Syrup
Apple butter (apples cooked with cinnamon and a bit of sugar in the crockpot on low forever)

And for drinks we love the hot chocolate mix from Tammy's Recipes.

What's in your fridge? Has anyone ever make ketchup? What about relish? These are two things on my list for this year.

A Bit More About The Groceries & Pantry Challenge

2012-01-02T01:00:00.000-08:00

I posted a brief outline of my grocery shopping goals last week, but I wanted to expand on them a little more.

Basically I want to spend no more than $75 a week on all groceries, hba, cleaners, paper goods and cat food. (This total does not include take out once per week and diapers which I order from amazon.com -- Fisher-Price Happy Days & Happy Nights Baby Diapers.) With that $75 I want to purchase all organic or hormone free dairy products and at least 50% (more when possible) organic fruits and veggies. I also want to stick to more natural, nitrite free, processed meats.

This is not going to be easy for us. $75 doesn't go as far as it used to.

How I'm planning on getting this done:

Have a small box of organic produce delivered every other week.
Buy pantry staples in bulk and cook a lot more from scratch.
Keep meals simple.
Re-start my price book.
Keep a running inventory of everything in my pantry and freezers.

This week I'll get my produce plus what I bought above. I bought my dairy, a pound of ground beef, and some all natural turkey kielbasa from Trader Joe's. Everything else came from Giant. I was amazed at how fast the money went.

This isn't a pantry challenge per se, but an organization process that will help me be intentional about what I buy and what I make with it.

First Menu Plan of 2012

2012-01-01T05:09:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! We had a feast of kielbasa, homemade egg noodles, cheddar ale bread (similar to this recipe), and corn. We're not big drinkers, so we enjoyed some fresh lemonade with dinner. It was a treat!

I'm going to try to include a running list of my freezer cooking projects with my menus each week, and check them off as I go.

Sun -- Pork roast, carrots, baked potatoes
Mon -- Burlattas, Spanish rice, peas
Tue -- Hawaiian chicken, rice (this one keeps getting bumped)
Wed -- Pork fried rice (using leftovers from the pork roast)
Thu -- Take out
Fri -- Scrambled eggs, toast, fruit

Breakfasts -- Quick breads, cereal, oatmeal
Lunches -- Salads and leftovers

Bulk cooking projects -- Pita bread, banana bread, moomie's buns, turkey soup, BBQ style turkey, Pizza hut clone crust (x2), cream of leftover soup, turkey pot pie, chicken a la king
(Note: this is a list for the month, not this week. I'll cross things off as I go).

Linked to: Menu Plan Monday

2011 -- The Year That Was

2011-12-31T03:30:00.000-08:00

A graphical representation of the year 2011 on my blog. Happy New Year!

created at TagCrowd.com

2012 Savings & Personal Goals

2011-12-30T05:29:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again! Time to clean house, re-asses everything, and make a plan for next year.

Here are my goals from last year:

Use the smallest amount possible from savings during unpaid maternity leave
Save $700 to paint the outside of the house
Save $500 for more seating downstairs
Save $500 for a new dishwasher

We met them all except for the new dishwasher, which we hope to get this weekend.

For 2012, my financial goals are:

Keep grocery spending to $75 a week including household products and cat food and litter

Purchase only organic dairy products, and 50% organic fruits and vegetables

Increase 401(k) contributions by 4%

Save for 2012 vacation to Vermont and 2014 vacation to Santa Fe

Increase emergency fund by 50%

Earn enough on textbroker and through other paid writing assignments to pay for summer crop share

For 2012, my personal goals are:

Enter this contest
Blog 6 times a week, including weekly menus and money saving challenge posts
Walk 3x and swim 1x per week
Learn to make cheese
Learn to sew so that I can make these for Christmas next year
Write 4 letters a week -- in this digital world I have some elderly friends that are getting left behind. I got so many comments on our hand written Christmas cards that I'm making it a goal to reach out more via snail mail in the year 2012.

Of course I have reading and learning goals too, which I'll post next week.

Cookie Monster Cupcakes

2011-12-29T02:28:00.000-08:00

I made these really easy cupcakes for DD's birthday. Her nickname has been Cookie Monster since she was about 2 days old, so it was easy to decide on her cake!

For 6 cupcakes, I used:

6 cooked cupcakes, frosted with white frosting. I used a mix, but my homemade cupcakes would have worked just as well.
1/4 cup granulated sugar, tinted blue
White chocolate disks and chocolate chips to make the eyes
3 chocolate chip cookies, broken in half

Simply roll the frosted cupcakes in the blue sugar so that they're fully covered. Make the eyes by using a dab of frosting to "glue" to chocolate chips to the white chocolate disks, and stick them into the cupcakes. Use the half cookie as the mouth.

All of the kids enjoyed these cupcakes, including the 5'11" one I married!

Linked to: Frugal Friday at Life As Mom

Why I Am The Way I Am

2011-12-28T01:00:00.000-08:00

When there was a call for guest posts at 4 Hats and Frugal I was happy to to my bit while Amiyrah is away serving our country.

If you were ever wondering what the reason is behind my frugal madness you can read it here.

Simple Fruit Tart

2011-12-27T06:02:00.000-08:00

Normally, I would buy a dessert for Christmas dinner without batting an eye, but in the spirit of frugality and everything at the store tasting like cardboard anyway, I decided I could make my own.

The key: we ALWAYS have a fruit tart on Christmas. ALWAYS.

I don't know why I have been so intimidated by this. I followed this recipe, and it was super simple. The best part was, I was able to make it early in the day and forget about it.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-12-26T02:41:00.000-08:00

I had to think about if for a while, but yes, today actually is Monday. I guess that means it is time for a menu plan! I'm tempted to just forget it, since it is a holiday week and all...but that's when trouble would set in.

Mon -- Hiking all day, we'll grab something when we're on our way back from the mountains.
Tue -- DD's first birthday -- spaghetti, sauce and sausage with salad and bread, cookie monster cupcakes
Wed -- Barley and beef soup with rolls
Thu -- Hawaiian Chicken, rice
Fri -- Pizza hut clone pizza and salad

Breakfasts -- Oatmeal, cereal, toast
Lunches -- Salads, leftovers

Linked to: Menu Plan Monday

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T09:26:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas! Our house is trashed with Christmas debris. The kids did well this year!

The rib roast is in the oven and the fruit tart is chilling.

Hope your days are merry & bright!

Saving Money This Week & Goals For Next Week

2011-12-23T03:05:00.001-08:00

Whew, we made it! One more day of work, and then it will be pajama time! I've been cooking up a storm for the freezer this week, and plan on doing more next week. There's nothing like entering a new year with a full freezer, I say.

Here's the specifics of my money saving progress this week:

Netflix sent me an offer for a free month of membership. Ever watch a movie and then realize at the end that you've seen it before? That's what I did last weekend. At least it was free.
As I mentioned, I've been freezer cooking -- sweet and sour chicken, Italian chicken, burritos, spicy rice balls and some black beans are all in the deep freeze.
I've been crunching some numbers and planning for next year.

Next week I'll:

Walk & swim
Write
Cook
Relax

Quick Homemade Gift For Baby

2011-12-23T01:00:00.000-08:00

I made this as a stocking stuffer for DD. It was as simple as it looked. I pinned together felt circles and stuffed them with filling from an old pillow. The feet and antennas are all free hand. I made sure to sew the button eyes on really tight so the baby doesn't pull them off and choke.

It looks very homemade, but I intentionally picked a character that gives itself to that kind of look.
This would also make a great homemade baby shower gift paired with the book The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Homemade Gifts For Men

2011-12-22T09:07:00.000-08:00

I searched and searched for something to make DH for Christmas that wasn't food. I finally found this tutorial for making home made leaf bags. You all know DH and I spend every waking hour in the summer doing yard work, so this gift was a no-brainer.

Here it is all spread out:

I'm not a great sewer, but this was super simple, even for me. I used heavy embroidery floss and an upholstery repair needle to do the stitching.

If you're looking for more homemade gifts for men, check out this slide show.

More Natural Christmas Decorations

2011-12-22T01:00:00.000-08:00

This isn't my house -- I wish. I snapped a pic at a Christmas tree farm as inspiration for next year. I love the magnolia leaves as a backdrop for the fruit.

Last Minute Homemade Gifts

2011-12-21T00:30:00.000-08:00

I made caramel popcorn for my Dad -- a huge crunch and munch fan. It took about 15 minutes to assemble the ingredients, and 3/4 cups of popcorn kernels to make this. This is pretty easy. You just boil the caramel ingredients for about 5 minutes and stir it once. You do have to bake it for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.

Since this recipe involves pans of molten sugar boiling for long periods of time, I wouldn't make it with children.

I made this vanilla syrup for our Milk & Cookies Party, but I think it would make a great gift, especially paired with a pound of coffee and a recipe for vanilla lattes.

Linked to: Works For Me Wednesday

My Guide To A Christmas Carol

2011-12-20T01:30:00.000-08:00

My DH and I love A Christmas Carol, and we watch many versions every year. Here are a few of my favorites:

The George C. Scott version is my very favorite. The humor is subtle, the carols are wonderful and old fashioned and the story is just right. This is our go-to Christmas movie when we want to sit down and get in the spirit.

The Patrick Stewart version is pretty good as well, but they go a bit over the top with the story. We understand Scrooge is stingy and mean -- we don't need 10,000 examples of it. It gets in the way of the story.

Scrooged is my favorite modern version of A Christmas Carol. It's so 1980's. I love it.

Muppets are big this year. What better way to introduce your kids to this story than through our favorite green guy?

Last Minute Homemade Christmas Card

2011-12-19T00:30:00.000-08:00

We have a tradition in our immediate family that we all buy each other cards -- or we did before they started charging $5 a piece for them.
This year, I decided I would make one for DH with a little help from the kids. I made the penguins by tracing their feet on black construction paper, the snow mountain is made from left over foam, and the snowflakes are made from aluminum foil. DS colored on the inside, and I wrote the message.

I'm pleased with the result -- I wish I had started doing this years ago.

Week Before Christmas Meal Plan

2011-12-18T05:41:00.000-08:00

One week until the big day! I'm having so much fun this weekend doing all of the things I enjoy about the Christmas season -- making gifts, wrapping presents, writing cards, watching specials on TV while drinking hot cocoa. I've also been working on getting some meals together for the freezer -- HT had b/s chicken on sale for $2.50 a pound, which suddenly seems like a bargain. I'm busy, but in a good way!

Here's the plan for the week:

Sun -- Grilled or baked chicken with asparagus risotto and garlic bread
Mon -- Hawaiian short ribs with rice (never made this last week)
Tue -- Chicken tacos with Spanish rice and toppings
Wed -- Mac n cheese, apple sauce, salad
Thu -- Spicy rice balls, spring rolls, salad
Fri -- Carry out

Breakfasts -- Yogurt, toast, quick breads
Lunches -- Leftovers, salad, PB&J

Saving Money This Week & Goals For Next Week

2011-12-15T17:07:00.001-08:00

It's been nice to get back to reality this week. It was stressful to have all of our big holiday commitments in one week, but now that they're over we can concentrate on the fun stuff. I feel like the little cabbage plant above: I've made it through the hard times, now I'm coming out from under three feet of snow to see the sun. I know I shouldn't describe two weeks of parties and social obligations as hard times, but for a high heels adverse introvert like me they wear me out much faster than, say, two weeks of gardening or deep cleaning would do.

Here's what I've been up to this week to keep some money in our pockets:

I still has apples left from when I bought 20 pounds of last month. They were starting to go a little bad, so I made crockpot applesauce with the rest.
My visa card (which I use mostly for work) has a rewards program, so I turned in this year's points to get some gift cards for my DH's stocking and for groceries at Target.
I managed to read a book on Linked In and report on it to my boss. I got brownie points for doing that, and I beefed up my own profile in the process.
I'm almost done with the gift I'm making for DD and have my plans ready for DH's gift. I also have an ornament in mind to make for DS.
We needed a baby-sitter last weekend. Rather than paying someone, I traded with another couple. I'll watch their kids next week.

Here are my goals for next week:

This one is obvious, but I need to finish making all my Christmas gifts.
Finish going through the old toys to make room for new ones. I'll sell what we no longer need at a Spring consignment sale.
I have wine, cream, half and half and candy left over from the party. I have to do something with those before they go bad. Maybe chicken pot pies, chicken a la king and corn bread for the freezer.
Write for a 1/2 hour each day. Keep trying to type up what I've already written.
Walk 3x, swim 1x.

2011 Milk & Cookies Party Recap

2011-12-14T18:58:00.000-08:00

Sorry you couldn't make it to our milk & cookies party. Instead, I thought I'd post some pictures and the links to the recipes.

The Decor: Mostly retro 1970's hand me downs with fresh flowers and greenery.

The drinks: Milk, of course, plus 2 types of punch, and soda.

The food:
Cookies! (Plus a few types of candy) Here are the recipes:
Brownie biscotti
Heath Bar Peanut Butter Cookies
Almond Roca
White chocolate macadamia nut
Peanut butter hazelnut brownies
Lemon Meringue Cookies
Dutch Jam Cookies
Toll house cookies
Sugar cookies (slice & bake -- I'm only human)
Christmas Cream Cookies
Make ahead pinwheels
Peppermint Fudge (subbed candy canes for the starlight candies)
Peppermint Meringues
Coconut Meringues
Christmas strawberries
Pumpkin caramels
Caramel popcorn

Plus:
A fruit tray with apple brickle dip
Veggies and store bought hummus
Pizza dip (left out the pepperoni)
Game Day Dip

It was a very use what you have type of party with mason jars, dinner plates and more hand me downs holding the food.

A great time was had by all. I wish you could have been there!

Linked to: The Nesting Place

Christmas Party Fruit Punch

2011-12-14T02:25:00.000-08:00

This year I decided that the least expensive way to servedrinks was to make two bowls of punch. Ialso had milk and soda on hand, but punch was what most people went for (they calledit old fashioned – I guess punch is retro now).

I picked recipes that I had at least some ingredients for andcould be made mostly ahead. I made twotypes – one for upstairs and one for downstairs – parents of small kids weremostly downstairs watching their off spring and I figured they would bethirsty. Grown-ups were upstairs talkingabout sports, the stock market and the failure of our city to pick up leaveswhen they say they will. They werethirsty too.

Both punches I chose were non-alcoholic, but could easily bespiked.

Vanilla Punch

The first one used this syrup as a base. I mixed one cup of it with 2 liters of gingerale and a half a bag of ice, and it was pretty tasty. There was a ton of syrup left over, but itkeeps for a while in the fridge. I see afew experiments making my own vanilla lattes in my future.

The second one was more of a tradition fruit punch. I consulted a few recipes and changed thingsup a bit to use what I had on hand.

Fruit Punch

In a large container, mix and then freeze:
4 C cranberry juice

4 C pineapple juice

12 oz frozen lemonade

12 oz frozen orange juice

3 C frozen strawberries and blueberries

1 large lime, thinly sliced into wedges

A few hours before you’re ready to party, place the frozenjuice mixture in a punch bowl with about a half a bag of ice cubes. Pour 2 liters of ginger ale over the top(pour slowly). You can add another 2liters of ginger ale if you start to run low – the juice mixture should stillbe melting and it won’t dilute your punch at all.

My Hair May Smell Like Ranch Dressing, But It Looks Darn Good

2011-12-13T02:20:00.000-08:00

I have a commitment to using more natural hair care productsfor a variety of reasons – cost, the environment, my hair looks better, and thedesire to reduce my entire grocery list to only vinegar, baking soda, and oatmealare just a few. After my last hair cutthough, for some weird reason my home made shampoo and conditioner were leavingmy hair a bit crispy.

Not to be deterred, two hours before a party for theshareholders of my husband’s employer, I decided to google homemade deepconditioner treatments. I’m not surehow natural mayonnaise is, but I had some on hand and my husband won’t eat thebrand I bought.

Following the instructions I saw on a few websites, Imicrowaved the mayonnaise for a minute then applied it to my dry hair. I wrapped my hair in a towel, and thenwrapped the towel in a plastic bag. Ilet the whole thing sit for 30 minutes.

The only problem was it took three washes with real liveherbal essences shampoo to get the grease and the smell out of my hair. This kind of defeated the whole use what youhave hair care routine – but at least it eliminated a trip to Target.

I’ll tell you it did work. Next time I’ll do it on a day when I don’t have anywhere to go,though. There’s a very special form ofpanic that comes from doing something really bad to your hair in the hours thatlead up to meeting some important people.

Linked to: Frugal Tuesday Tip

This Week's Goals

2011-12-12T18:02:00.000-08:00

As I've complained about endlessly on this blog, I spent many, many hours last week baking cookies for our Holiday Cookie Party. This week, I'm a little more relaxed, but I still have a lot of cleaning up and getting ready for Christmas to do. I don't have any pressing deadlines like I did last week though, so I can move at a bit of a slower pace -- and sleep and take care of myself.

Here are my goals for this week:

Get to bed by 10 pm every night.
Wash and put away all platters from the party. Package all left over cookies and give away.
Work on Christmas cards.
Walk 3x and swim once.
Write for a 1/2 hour each day & type at least 20,000 words.
Make appointments for annual check ups for next year.
Finish home made present for DD.

2011-12-12T01:00:00.000-08:00

Well, the cookie party is over, but the people still want to eat. I'm switching take out to tonight since I still have a lot of clean up from the party. After that, it is business as usual. I still have a few meals left in my freezer, so we'll be using those.

Monday -- Take out
Tuesday -- Stuffed cabbage
Wednesday -- Mac n Cheese
Thursday -- Hawaiian short ribs, rice
Friday -- My company party. Dad & the kids will have leftovers.

Linked to I'm An Organizing Junkie.

Hello TV, I Have Missed You

2011-12-11T18:12:00.001-08:00

I'm sitting with my feet up and enjoying some tea. The TV is on for the first time in a week. The party was great, but I'm happy all the work is done.

What To Do With Those Candy Canes

2011-12-09T20:12:00.001-08:00

Am I the only one with a million unwanted candy canes around? Here's two recipes I made for my cookie party that helped use them up:

Peppermint Fudge (subbed candy canes for the starlight candies) -- Bonus, this recipe uses mini marshmallows which are 1/3 of the price of marshmallow creme

Peppermint Meringues -- Super addicting

(Note: Coupons.com has a coupon for Willy Wonka candy canes. You can use my affiliate link to Print Free Coupons.)

Linked to: Life As Mom

Book Review -- The Money Saving Mom's Budget

2011-12-08T05:23:00.000-08:00

I was excited to be chosen to review the new book by Crystal Paine, The Money Saving Mom's Budget: Slash Your Spending, Pay Down Your Debt, Streamline Your Life, and Save Thousands a Year.

This book was just the right length, and was broken down into easy to read, easy to accomplish sections that even a space cadet like me could follow. The book is based on Crystal's 7 Rules For Financial Success:

Set big goals and break them down into bite size pieces
Streamline your life and cut the clutter
Set up a realistic, workable budget
Take the cash-only challenge
Use coupons
Never pay retail
Choose contentment

See what she does there? She doesn't even mention money or budgets until the third rule. That's why I think following the steps in this book would be great for anyone who has a New Year's resolution to get their finances under control in 2012.

Readers of Crystal's blog will find some familiar content, but having the material all in one place makes this a good book to have on your shelf in my opinion. This book doesn't come out until January 10, 2012, but is available for pre-order on Amazon. You can also pre-order it for your kindle here.

Disclosure: I received a review copy of this book, but the opinions are all mine. Links to Amazon.com are my affiliate links.

Good Intentions

2011-12-07T20:00:00.000-08:00

Well, I swear I set it up to post re-runs throughout the week, not all at once. Oh well, you know what they say about good intentions...

I've been busy baking (hint: if you bake brownies in your PJs you will have sweet dreams because the smell will linger in your clothes).

Here's my cookie list so far:
Brownie biscotti
Heath Bar Peanut Butter Cookies
Almond Roca
White chocolate macadamia nut
Peanut butter hazelnut brownies
Lemon Meringue Cookies
Dutch Jam Cookies

Book Review For Rescession Gardening

2011-12-07T01:30:00.000-08:00

I read The Food Lover's Garden by Angelo Pellegrini every Spring, and this year it seems to be especially fitting for the mood of our country. Pellegrini came to the United States as a young child. He was born into poverty in Italy, and found a richer life here, but never really adjusted to our fast food way of eating. The Food Lover's Garden has a great description of how he turned his suburban Seattle front lawn into a veggie garden so that he would not be dependent on the prices and selection found in his grocery store. He also includes great tips for successfully growing all of his favorite herbs and veggies. Even though this book was written over fifty years ago, if you compared it to the recently popular Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and Plenty you'd never know it.

Image from Barnes & Noble

What I Make From Scratch vs What I Don't

2011-12-06T17:03:00.000-08:00

Ask 10 different people and you'll get 10 different lists of what they consider convenience foods and what they don't. Here's my list.

What I Make:

Bread, including bagels and pita bread
Pie crusts
Most cookies, cakes and other sweets (work functions get boxed most of the time)
Pizza crust
Beans (by this I mean I cook them from dried rather than buying the cans)
Granola

What I Don't Make:

I don't can my own tomatoes
8 out of 10 times I will use bullion cubes rather than home made stock
Granola bars
Cereal
BBQ Sauce
Baked beans

What do you make or what don't you make? Please leave a comment letting me know.

Garden Economy

2011-12-06T14:46:00.000-08:00

This is a re-post from 2010. It's that time of year again!

Granted, one may say; but does it pay? The economy of a kitchen garden is often questioned by people who have little knowledge of what produce costs and no idea how much can be grown on a small plot of land. Typical of such is a man in our neighborhood I call Uncle Harry for no better reason than he looks as if he might be Uncle Harry to the world. He is a realtor who owns much land hereabout and walks around a great deal, stopping by property he owns and land he would like to own and wondering all the while which of the many deals he has plotted is ready for execution. He is a fattish, hearty man of affairs who habitually thinks big. He passed by one day while I was setting out cabbage plants. "What the hell are you doing on this fine day?" he asked. And when I told him he said, "Hell, it don't pay. For a couple of bucks you can buy enough cabbage to fatten a steer. Seed, fertilizer, water, labor - you add all these up and you're losing dough. Get wise. Go play golf." I told him I thought he was right, and that made him very happy. "Hell, yes," he said. "It don't pay."

~ From The Food Lover's Garden by Angelo M. Pellegrini

Growing a garden to take care of some of your family's produce needs is often listed in those articles that tell you how to save thousands each year (you know, the ones that have helpful tips like brew your own coffee and bring your lunch, as if you haven't been doing that for years.) I sometimes wonder though if it really does save that much money, especially for a first year gardener.

I think the real savings come in the second year of gardening and beyond. With any luck you don't need to do a lot of additional work to your soil, you have a pretty good idea of what works in your area, and you have all of the tools on hand.

For example, consider my herb garden. I seem to have hit upon the perfect spot for growing Mediterranean herbs along the side of my house. I've kept it going for four years now and I had about 4 huge harvests like the one pictured above last year. All of those herbs were cleaned, chopped and frozen and I've been using them all winter. I have no doubt that the market value of those herbs would have paid for all of my other plants combined. The best part was all of those herbs are perennial in this region so I just had to give them a drink each week or so and away they grew.

Now, let's go back in time. Four years ago I decided that the area along my kitchen steps would be the perfect spot for my herb garden. Lucky for me, the previous owner had left some pavers that made for a nice border but it was a day's worth of back breaking work to haul them over to the site, arrange them and get them level. Next, I had to bring in soil. I didn't have a compost bin yet, so I had to purchase that. Then, I had to pay about $4 a pop per plant. I was lucky if I broke even that year.

So, if you think you're going to reduce your grocery budget to $6 a week for a family of 12 by gardening this summer when you haven't even broken land yet, think again. It's no get rich quick scheme. But, the next summer if you keep it up you may just start to see a difference.

This post is linked to Frugal Friday on Life As Mom.

Running Diary of My Cooking Weekend

2011-12-06T09:00:00.000-08:00

Thu PM -- I have a lot to do around the house this weekend, I definitely will not be spending my time in the kitchen. My first priority needs to be selling the treadmill. I shouldn't even be looking at what other people are planning on cooking.

Oh, but wait. BS chicken breast is on sale for $1.66 a pound this week at Harris Teeter. I should stock up. It will just take me a few minutes to freeze it in some marinade -- I know I bought a lot of salad dressing this summer.

Fri PM -- Go to the store. Purchase chicken, a bag of onions, and some milk. We don't even need cat food this week, we have that much food already at home. Throw some apples in the cart too. Oh, and some of those soup things I like. Nothing else though. Well, maybe just a few more things...

Sat 5:45 AM -- Cat wakes me up by staring at me intently and sending me mind images of tuna fish. I get up and feed him. After that I go straight to the computer and work on my Craigslist posts -- I really, really need that treadmill gone before I can execute my vision for a cozy Nantucket style family room.

7:06 AM -- Thought son would sleep in but he's up at 7 as usual. He runs right to the potty. I let him go without a diaper and set the timer for 15 minutes. I'm hoping for no accidents today -- I still haven't done the laundry from our Ohio trip.

8:00 AM -- DH is off to work, son is fed and cat is asleep. Perfect, I'll clean out the pantry. DS pees on the floor.

9:00 AM -- Everything is out of the cupboard an on the counter. Wow, we have a lot of food. Maybe I should cook just a few things for the freezer to make it easier to use it up.

9:30 AM -- I took all of the food out of the pantry so I should be able to fit it back in. I'm finding it difficult though. A little cherub yells from the bathroom "I'm peeing Mama!". I run in to see he has unrolled the entire roll of toilet paper. Time to go outside.
2 PM -- DH is working late again. But on the plus side DS peed in the potty twice and has been fed lunch. I even managed to feed myself. Bonus. DH finally comes home and announces he will be doing yard work. Look outside to see that he has chopped all of the flowers off of my hydrangea bush and is working on my basil plant. Run outside and rescue plants from the compost.

3 PM -- DH says we should just give the treadmill away. I agree -- I've been trying to sell it for months and it seems like there are no buyers out there. Check my email -- a nice lady wrote and asked if I would take $50 off if she came and picked it up that afternoon. Sold! As the lady and her husband are leaving she says "Thanks for not being a serial killer." Ditto lady.

4 PM -- Make pesto and chop some other basil. RIP basil plant, you were the biggest I ever grew. There, that used up the pine nuts and Parmesan cheese at least.

Sun 5:35 AM -- Cat wakes me up by running one whisker up and down my arm. I take the hint and get up. All is quiet and I decide to clean out the freezers. Wow, I have a lot of food. Decide to make ham and bean soup and pumpkin muffins.

7:45 AM -- DH and DS float up the stairs on their noses like Scooby Doo, following the aroma of muffins. I've made two kinds -- pumpkin from last Fall's pumpkin stash and mixed berry from a mix I found in the back of the pantry which used up my a-bit-old milk just fine. I also have soup simmering. I could get into this. It's raining and the food smells good.

11 AM -- In short order I have baked chicken, two kinds of soup, apple sauce and muffins all over the kitchen. DH takes DS for a walk so I can clean up. I decide to call my Mom and take a shower instead. DH comes back and asks if I want Vietnamese for lunch. I can no longer face the kitchen so off we go. The dishes can wait.

2 PM -- We're back and it's time to clean up. DH sees I am busy and decides to take over the furniture placement in the family room. He turns it into a man cave type space. He seems happy with it; good-bye Nantucket style family room retreat.

3 PM -- DH has unearthed a random cookbook. I flip through it. Apple chicken sounds good, I'll make that for dinner, times three so I can freeze some. Thank goodness we liked it because it sure did make a lot.

7:30 PM -- The last of the dishes are done, dinner is made and all perishables are in the fridge awaiting packaging for the freezer. In total, on my no cook weekend, I made:

Pumpkin muffins
Berry muffins
Basil pesto
Chopped basil
Sweet & sour chicken
Pumpkin & sausage soup
Apple chicken
Ham & bean soup
Apple sauce

I'd call that a success! Just don't ask me about the laundry.

Make Ahead Crumb Pie

2011-12-06T02:28:00.000-08:00

I made this pie back in March but only just got around to cooking it this week. It was a great addition to my freezer stash, so I thought I'd share the recipe. It's a good thing to be able to pull out a home made pie and give the family such a treat on a random Monday night!

Fruit Crumb Pie (Make Ahead)

1 pre-baked pie shell

3/4 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

pinch of salt

6 T unsalted butter, cut into small cubes

1/2 C sliced almonds

4 cup fruit pie filling (I've used cherries and strawberries, but I bet peaches or apples would be good too)

To prepare the topping, mix the flour sugar and salt in a large bowl. Cut in the butter using two knives or a pastry cutter to resemble coarse crumbs. Stir in the almonds and set aside.

Place the fruit in the cooled pie shell and cover completely with the topping.

You can freeze this pie unbaked or cook it right away. To cook right away, bake at 375 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the topping is brown. To cook from frozen, keep it covered in foil and bake at 375 for 1 1/2 hours. Remove the foil and bake another 30 minutes or until the topping is browned. You could also defrost the pie and bake as fresh.

Linked to Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life as Mom

Sicilian Beef Soup

2011-12-06T01:01:00.000-08:00

The chicken in my menu plan was cancelled due to the storm -- it appears all of Northern Virginia had the same idea for a snowy Sunday Superbowl chicken because there wasn't one to be had. No problem, I'm adaptable. I bought a nice enough beef roast that did the trick. The only issue was we had just had vegetable beef soup a week or so ago and I needed something to do with the leftovers. I consulted the Quick From Scratch Italian Cookbook (pictured above) that I got recently from paperbackswap.com. The Sicilian Meatball Soup caught my eye, and with a few modifications I was able to create a hearty soup for dinner using my leftover beef.

Sicilian Beef Soup

1 T olive oil
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
3 cloves garlic peeled and chopped
8 cups chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes, in juice
3 cups diced cooked beef
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary (or 1/2 t dried)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (or 1 t dried)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup uncooked pasta shells or other small pasta
Grated Parmesan cheese for serving (optional)

In the bottom of a large soup pan, heat the olive oil. Add the carrots, onions and garlic and cook until lightly brown. Add the broth and tomatoes and stir. Add the remaining ingredients except the pasta. Bring to a boil and then turn the heat down to simmer. Simmer the soup for 45 minutes or until the carrots are just tender. Add the pasta and continue to cook until it is tender. Serve with cheese if desired.

Life As Mom is throwing a potluck today for URS! Click on over to see what everyone else has cooking up!

Tin Can Bank

2011-12-05T03:05:00.000-08:00

"You must take an empty condensed milk can and wash it well."

"A can...?"

"Cut off the top neatly. Cut strips into the can the length of your finger. Let each strip be so wide." She measured two inches with her fingers. "Bend the strips backward. The can will look like a clumsy star. Make a slit at the top. Then nail the can, a nail in each strip, in the darkest corner of your closet. Each day put five cents in it. In three years you will have a small fortune, fifty dollars..."

"Five cents a day. It seems so little. But where is it to come from? We haven't enough now, and with another mouth to feed..."

"You must do it this: You go to the green grocer's and ask how much are carrots in the bunch. The man will say three cents. You will look about until you see another bunch, not so fresh, not so large. You will say: May I have this damaged bunch for two cents? Speak strongly and it shall be yours for two cents. That is a penny saved that you put in the star bank..."

"Will it work, this savings?"

"I swear by the Holy Mother it will."

~From A Tree Grows in Brooklyn By Betty Smith

I was so taken by this passage the year I was pregnant with my son, that when I read it on the metro I ran home and emptied a tin of cookies into a bag just so I could start his bank. I didn't cut the can since it had a lid, and my DH talked me out of nailing it into our hardwood floors, but we've been faithfully adding change every time we think of it (and sometimes whole dollars when a kind elderly friend of his mails him one for his birthday).

I'm so glad I have the bank now. He's at an age where he's starting to ask for things. I never thought I would be the type of Mom who would want to jump into the car the minute my son bats his eyes at me and says "Mama, let's go to the store and get M&Ms", but I'll admit I find it hard to resist. I'm hoping that by having this little bit of change in a can I can teach him to use money and what it means to pay for something.

This post is linked to Booking It In December at Life as Mom.

Leftovers and Re-runs

2011-12-04T18:04:00.001-08:00

I'm recycling some old posts this week. I only have 6 days left before the party! When I come back I'll share all of the details!

This Week's Menu Plan

2011-12-03T05:54:00.000-08:00

No time for chit chat; I've got cookies to bake!

Sat -- Lasagna, garlic bread, salad
Sun -- Pot roast with veggies
Mon -- Sweet potato chili over rice
Tue -- Sweet & spicy tacos, rice, toppings
Wed -- Oatmeal & eggs if we're hungry after a Christmas party we're going to
Thu -- Carry out!
Fri -- Vegetable beef soup with barley, corn bread

Breakfasts -- Yogurt, oatmeal, cereal
Lunches -- PB&J, salads, leftovers

Linked to Menu Plan Monday

Saving Money Challenge & Goals

2011-12-02T05:29:00.000-08:00

Happy December!

What a crazy, busy month. We have a lot of fun stuff planned, and we'll have to pay extra attention to how we're spending our money and time.

Here's how we've been saving money:

On my Black Friday hunt for reduced priced turkeys I found diapers on clearance instead. $3 packs of Luvs with no coupons involved? Yes, please.
DD has been sick, which is sad, but each time we go to the doctor I ask for an itemized receipt so I can submit it to my FSA. If you have an FSA, make sure you check on your balance so you can use it all up (and if you used yours up months ago, look to see what you spent it on and figure out of you need a higher withholding next year).
I did do some Black Friday shopping, mostly at kohls.com. On Cyber Monday I turned around and used my Kohl's Cash to get some badly needed linens for the house with free shipping. The only store I went to was CVS for the free Electrasol and $.99 iPod ear buds. I used a CVS gift card for that.
I'm working on making gifts, decorations and goodies for our party when I can. This is something I need to devote more time to next week, but I've made a start at least.
This week, I've written as much as I can (sick baby excuse again), read a book about budgeting and started a book my boss gave me on networking.
I sent in my box for the busy bags swap and I am eagerly awaiting getting our activities. How fun!
I brought DS to his first movie last weekend -- I purposely picked a theatre where kids three and under are free. Full disclosure -- I loved the Muppets way more than he did!

Here are my goals for next week:

Finish book from boss and email him a synopsis with actions items I think we can incorporate into our line of work
Finish making gift for DD
Make and freeze as much cookie dough as humanly possible
Walk 3x and write 5x

Gifts For The History Lover

2011-12-01T05:30:00.000-08:00

If you can find a good quality used copy of The Century, narrated by Peter Jennings, snatch it up for the history lover on your Christmas list. This CD set was released in 1998 and is full of primary source history recordings from the 20th century. Perfect for long road trips, this set won't let you down.

This CD is simply recordings of old fashioned machinery and other noise makers from the early 1900's, but it is strangely addictive. Even my 3 year old DS loves to listen to it.

This is a reality show from BBC, but I think most history lovers will like it. The modern family is sent back in time to live in 1940's London. They're real enough so that you can relate to their struggles, but they're not so obnoxious that you can't stand to watch them for another second.

Note: Clicking on these pictures will take you to my affiliate links on amazon.com. I always appreciate anyone using my links, but I don't hold it against you if you shop around to find the best price first!

When Life Gives You Lemons

2011-11-30T06:28:00.000-08:00

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade, or if that fails, make natural Christmas decorations.
I was inspired by this article from Organic Gardening to dehydrate some citrus fruits, so I was thrilled when I found a tray on the produce clearance rack for $.50.

I dehydrated my fruit at 135 degrees for 12 hours, but the article also gives instructions for oven drying them.

I'll string some, and I'm also planning to experiment with making gift tags with dried fruit and cinnamon sticks.

I also found this article from Real Simple an inspiration for decorating with food.

Linked to: Works For Me Wednesday, Frugal Friday

Get The Gift of the Magi Free For Your Kindle

2011-11-29T05:56:00.001-08:00

One dollar and eighty-seven cents. That was all. And sixty cents of it was in pennies. Pennies saved one and two at a time by bulldozing the grocer and the vegetable man and the butcher until one's cheeks burned with the silent imputation of parsimony that such close dealing implied.
From The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

Right now amazon.com has The Gift of the Magi free for kindles. This is one of my favorite Christmas stories and if you haven't read it before I highly recommend it.

Frugal Thanksgiving Fun

2011-11-29T05:35:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago I took advantage of a Groupon to Mt. Vernon, the home of George Washington. We were planning on using it in the Spring, but when the temperature reads 70 degrees on Thanksgiving weekend you take advantage.

It turns out Thanksgiving is a great time to visit Mt.Vernon because for six weeks each November and December the third floor of the mansion is open. They also had all of the Christmas trees up, and we got to see them building the Mt. Vernon gingerbread house.

If you're visiting Washington, DC with kids, I'd add Mt. Vernon to your list. The house tour itself is short and efficient -- and very doable for our kids -- 3 and almost 1. Outside there is plenty of green space to run around, and friendly farm animals. My favorite part, of course, was visiting the gardens. Mt. Vernon also has a great view of the river and plenty of chairs to sit in and watch it go by.

We're so lucky to have so much history in our back yard!

Goals For Next Week

2011-11-28T02:55:00.001-08:00

This is the only picture of Thanksgiving dinner I managed to take!

I've had a good week for saving money -- but I forgot to write anything down or blog about it! Sometimes you just have to live life, you know? Anyway, assume frugal living and Black Friday (cyber) deals abounded.

Here are my goals for next week:

Figure out menu for our scaled back, smaller guest list Milk and Cookies party we decided to hold
Work on Christmas gift for DD
Write for a 1/2 hour every day
Clean out home office

Menu Plan Monday

2011-11-28T02:26:00.001-08:00

It has been a while since I've actually posted for Menu Plan Monday at orgjunkie on a Monday! Here we go:

Monday -- Salsa beef, rice, corn
Tuesday -- Mac n cheese skillet with beef, green beans
Wednesday -- Sweet and sour beans, rice
Thursday -- Take out!
Friday -- Cabbage rolls, rice

Breakfast -- Oatmeal, toast, fruit
Lunch -- Salads, leftovers, PB&J

Peas For The Edible Landscape

2011-11-27T05:51:00.000-08:00

I've never been able to get peas to grow in my backyard farm in the Spring -- I think our typical four weeks of cold rain followed by scorching 90 degree drought ruins most of my chances for early crops. I decided to try in the Fall this year and I've been so pleased with my luck growing Golden India Edible Pod Peas. The blue flowers and yellow pods are a beautiful addition to my Fall garden and I'm excited to make fresh stir fry in November!

Mac And Cheese 4 Ways

2011-11-25T05:29:00.000-08:00

I realize the last thing a normal person may want to think about today is cooking more food, but if you're crazy like me you might be thinking to do some more cooking while all your kitchen stuff is out anyway.
Here's how I made four dinners worth of mac and cheese in a little under an hour:

First, I made my basic mac n cheese recipe times four. (Pasta and cheese have been on sale at Giant every week for the past month or so. This was meant to be.)

1) I made mac n cheese skillet using this recipe as an inspiration
2) I made a casserole with cooked sausage and ground beef mixed into the pasta
3) Same as before only I subbed kielbasa for the sausage and beef
4) The last one I made just plain

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T02:48:00.000-08:00

You can get anything you want at Alice's restaurant (excepting Alice). La da da da da.

Thanksgiving Menu

2011-11-22T02:19:00.001-08:00

I realized that I never posted my from-the-pantry except for mushrooms and carrots Thanksgiving menu. I know it's a little late, but here it is in case it can help someone still scrambling around (or maybe for next year?)

Emeril's Turkey Roulade
Slow Cooker Stuffing (if you make this read the comments for tips)
Quick and Easy Dinner Rolls
Green beans
Carrots
Pumpkin Pie

Update: forgot the cranberry sauce. I'm the only one who'll eat it, but I can't have Thanksgiving without it.
I'm going rouge this year and skipping the mashed potatoes!

Next Year

2011-11-21T18:07:00.001-08:00

We're working on a big project at work that requires about 75 boxes be kept in my office, and various and sundry people coming in and out all day to add to the boxes or take things out. It's a bit strange, and it requires that my office be open and accessible at all times. Even so, I had to shut my door and take a minute to myself when I got to the end of this audio book today.

This book is about baseball, but it's not really. It's about the ups and downs of life, and how loving a team plays into that.

I got some bad news from home this weekend, and as my Dad told me what was going on he also ruminated about the Sox's dismal chances for next year, about the departure of the manager and the GM, about the terrible ownership, about the players jumping ship.

When we love a team we take their fates seriously and tie their failures and successes into all of the major events in our lives. I will always cherish the summer of 2004, and the time watching the Sox while planning my wedding. In 2007, I somehow tied the Red Sox and their second title with the fate of my little boy who was only eight weeks gestation when I watched Jonathan Papplebon hug Tek in victory from a little hotel room in Costa Rica. I knew then that everything was going to be alright.

So, when my Dad called this weekend, it was through tears that we went through the familiar territory of the trades, the prospects and our chances for next year. Because, we love our team, and that's what we do; that's how we go on.

I loved this book about Doris Kearns Goodwin and her love of the Brooklyn Dodgers in the 1950's. I choked up when she found her way back after the death of her mother with her love of the game. I shook my head when the Dodgers moved and she eventually decided to become a fan again -- of the Boston Red Sox.

Linked To: Life as Mom

This Week's Menu Plan

2011-11-19T02:43:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving! Now, what are we going to eat the rest of the week? It takes some thought, right? For us, chicken is out because my DH goes on poultry over load. I prefer lighter meals around the big day for obvious, gluttonous reasons. I'm thinking it's going to be a good week for soups and salads.

I'm also doing a mini pantry challenge of sorts, just because the grocery stores have been crazy lately. I'm over it. I will need to pick up lettuce, carrots and mushrooms, but after that I don't plan on setting foot in a store again until Black Friday is over.

Sat -- Crock pot post roast with carrots and potatoes
Sun -- Home made mac n cheese with peas
Mon -- Beef and barley soup with squash and kale, rolls
Tue -- Take out Tuesday! (I plan on doing most of my Thanksgiving prep this day)
Wed -- Big salads with hard boiled eggs, nuts and veggies
Thu -- The big day! I'll post my menu soon
Fri -- Leftovers, of course!

Breakfasts -- Oatmeal, fruit, toast, yogurt
Lunches -- Salads, leftovers

Linked to: Menu Plan Monday

Saving Money Challenge & Goals For Next Week

2011-11-18T02:46:00.000-08:00

As I think I mentioned before, we left our Fall mini vacation a day early which gave me a whole afternoon of unscheduled time in which I got a whole bunch of things done. I'm happy to say that momentum carried through the rest of the week, and despite a very tricky situation at work, I managed to have a very productive and satisfying week.

Here's what I've been up to for the money saving challenge:

For our trip to Lancaster, PA we stayed in at the Homewood Suites, which is where we always try to stay when we have to stay in a hotel. It's an all suite hotel, but I don't find the prices to be that much more than regular hotel rooms. When you add in the fact that they serve a full breakfast seven days a week, and a light dinner Monday through Thursday we come out ahead. Plus the rooms have a pretty nice kitchen so we can always throw quick meals together. We also did other frugal things like filling up our tank with gas purchased at $.90 off a gallon due to gas points from Giant, and when we did eat out we ate at a family style restaurant where kids under 4 ate free (including pie a la mode, oh yeah). Although my kids ate so much fried chicken and noodles they may revise that policy.

A local produce stand is offering 10 pounds of apples for $7.50 -- I'm going to get 20 pounds. I see apple sauce in my future!

Our kitchen at work is under construction. My friend and I have been cashing in our gift cards, coupons and everything else we can think of to eat out this week. It always helps to have friends who aren't afraid to be frugal!

We're trying to decide if we can pull off our usual Christmas party. I'm working on a budget.

I was selected to take part in the latest busy bag swap from Kidlet Occupation, so I'm working on that. Once I'm done I'm going back to my Christmas gifts

Here are my goals for next week:

Freezer cooking: apple sauce, apple bread, pizza dough and mac and cheese.

Write for a 1/2 hour each day.

Walk 2-3 miles each day & swim once.

Do not turn into a crazy person while cooking Thanksgiving dinner.

Baby, It's Cold Outside

2011-11-17T17:54:00.000-08:00

Doesn't this picture of Lake Erie just make you want to drink a gallon of hot chocolate?

The Price of a Cup of Flour

2011-11-16T02:17:00.000-08:00

You all know that I have had various starts and failures with my price book. It's a frugal skill that I haven't been able to develop. One thing I do like to keep in mind though is the price per use of my raw baking goods like flour, sugar, eggs, oil and butter. Since prices have gone up quite a bit sine last year at this time (when I last calculated them), I needed to do some figuring. Here's where I am for Northern Virginia in the year 2011. These are all based on the lowest prices at Giant, Safeway or Harris Teeter without coupons. I usually buy generic for these items unless there is a sale that makes name brand less. How do these compare to prices in your area?

Flour (I only buy unbleached) -- $.04 a cup

Sugar (granulated) -- $.26 a cup (up almost $.10 from last year)

Eggs -- $.17 each

Oil (canola) -- $.50 a cup (it was $.41 a cup last year)

Butter -- $.75 a stick (Up a quarter a stick from last year -- still hoping for a better sale though)

You can see that sugar, oil and butter are going to be my limiting factors as far as Holiday baking this year. I'm hoping a great sale closer to Christmas will bring these prices down a bit and I'll be able to stock up for the year.

Made Up Holidays

2011-11-15T18:16:00.000-08:00

Today was Clean Out The Fridge Day. I celebrated, but it was purely by accident. Did you clean out your fridge today?

Working Ahead

2011-11-15T02:58:00.000-08:00

I'm trying to get organized this week, can you tell?

As part of my organization, I was cleaning up the stack of books next to my bed and I ran across a few self help books for stay at home moms. I think these books are full of tips that most working moms figure out on their own after a while, so I wouldn't recommend most of them. I did see a pretty simple rule in one of them though:

Spend the night getting ready for the morning. In the morning, get ready for night time.

I was curious what you all do to work ahead. Here's a few things I do:

If we're having rice for dinner the next night I always try to make it the night before while I'm cleaning up from dinner. Brown rice takes forever to cook, and frankly if it's not done ahead, we're stuck with boil in bag.

I lay out a week's worth of clothes for myself and the kids on Sunday nights.

You all know I love my crockpot! I only make things that take 10 hours so I can start them in the morning before work.

I always try to keep the sink clean because it makes a last minute spaghetti dinner so much easier when I don't have to move a bunch of things out of the sink in order to drain the pasta.

The Easiest Tip I Know For A Minimalist Wardrobe

2011-11-14T01:44:00.000-08:00

I try to keep my wardrobe lean for a variety of reasons -- frugality being the main one. Spending time laying out my clothes for the week is the number one thing I do that keeps the "I have nothing to wear" blues away.

This Week's Menu

2011-11-13T17:28:00.000-08:00

We're just back from a short trip to Lancaster, PA so this week's plan will be based heavily on food from the freezer. We ended up leaving a day early since none of us felt very well by this morning. It was a bummer, but it did give us a bonus day with absolutely no to-do list or plans. I took advantage by finally visiting the city pool and signing up for a swim pass, and by making a spaghetti dinner for my family. It was a good day.

Sun -- Spaghetti, meatballs, salad, garlic bread
Mon -- Beans and rice, salad
Tue -- Pizza and salad
Wed -- BLTs, cole slaw, roasted potato wedges
Thu -- Take out Thursday!
Fri -- Stuffed cabbage, noodles

Breakfasts -- Oatmeal, pears, salad
Lunches -- Soup, salad, leftovers, PB&J

Linked to: Menu Plan Monday

Saving Money Challenge This Week And Goals For Next Week

2011-11-12T13:56:00.000-08:00

After all my whining last week, I got back on my horse, and had a much better week. Honestly, I'm a nicer person when I'm getting stuff done. Here's what I did to reach my goals this week:

I did a ton of freezer cooking, including prepping the whole chicken above for the crockpot before sticking it in the deep freeze (for more complete lists of my cooking click here).

I wrote two articles for textbroker.com.

I got some felt for a gift I'm making for DD's Christmas (on sale for 5/$1 from Michael's).

We worked a lot this past weekend on winterizing the yard including raking, trimming, planting the rest of what needed to be planted and just generally cleaning up. As part of this big clean up I got all of the Halloween stuff put away, the pumpkins composted and the scare crow dismantled.

I purchased most of the groceries I need for Thanksgiving as part of my regular grocery shopping last week. That will save me from buying things at full price at the last minute.

I worked on my novel for a 1/2 hour every day.

I've started walking pretty regularly with a friend at work. I never did get that pool pass I've been talking about, but at least walking is free!

Here are my goals for next week. It's going to be a busy week at work, so I'm keeping my list short:

Figure out a way to bring lunch to work every day even though our kitchen will be under construction (so no fridge or microwave).

Finish reading library books so that I can return them on time.

Finalize Thanksgiving plans and make a plan for making a few things ahead of time.

Why Is Mr. Darcy So Great?

2011-11-11T10:23:00.000-08:00

Yes, that picture is a board book version of Pride & Prejudice. You know what I'll be ordering for my little girl next time I get an amazon gift card!

I love Pride & Prejudice. I love Emma. I love Jane Eyre. I know I'm not alone.

Do you ever wonder why though? I did, so I googled it.

I didn't find much in my five minute search except this article, directed at men, that told them why Mr. Darcy is no threat to them. Apparently guys hate Mr. Darcy, and all other "chick lit" because it sets women up to expect unrealistic things from men. But, as the article correctly points out, Mr. Darcy is kind of a jerk through most of P&P, Knightley is bossy and critical in Emma, and Edward Rochester from Jane Eyre is a basically a psycho by today's standards.

Yet, we love them. We buy board books featuring them for our kids. Why?

I think it comes down to the tension between the characters in these books. Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte are masters at building tension throughout their books, and do it without having to resort to sex, violence or foul language. It's really impressive by today's standards, right?

But, I have to wonder, do these marriages last? Mr. Darcy comes around, but poor Elizabeth must have had to walk on eggshells whenever her parents came to visit. It must have made for a very tense family Michaelmas. Forget Edward Rochester; could you ever trust a man who locked his first wife in the attic?

Maybe that's why Jane and Charlotte ended these books at the wedding.

If you can't tell, I'm still on my Jane Austen kick and this month I re-read Pride And Prejudice.

I also read:

This book was really interesting, and I don't even like to run. It's full of strange characters and was written well enough to keep me up past my bed time.

This book was not that great...I checked it out of the library because it said Middlefield, which is near where I went to college. That was the high point.

A Few More Things For The Freezer

2011-11-10T00:33:00.000-08:00

I had some time to put a few more things in the freezer the other day. I'm sharing in case anyone loves freezer cooking like I do.

I made this Bacon-Wrapped BBQ Chicken a few weeks ago x2 when B/S chicken was on sale. We ate one pan right away for Sunday dinner, and I froze one pan. I froze it without baking. I defrosted it and cooked it in my crockpot this Sunday and it worked beautifully. This one's going to be added to my freezer cooking rotation!

I finally tried Frugal Upstate's Pizza Hut Clone crust this week, and we loved it! We ate one Monday night, and I par baked one and froze it.

I decided to throw together some home made noodles to freeze along size my home made chicken noodle soup.

Frugality and The Art of Procrastination and Other Crazy Things I've Been Doing

2011-11-09T01:00:00.000-08:00

Frugality and the Art of Procrastination
I've been putting off buying sneakers for ever. That's not a good thing since I walk between 7 and 10 miles each day. But, I'm very brand loyal to Merrels and Merrels are expensive -- like close to $100 which makes my frugal heart cry. Finally, Plum District had a deal on name brand shoes and I got them for about $60! (That's my referral link, BTW).

I was so happy to have saved $40 even though it wasn't really through any bargain hunting on my part -- just dumb luck. Still, $40! Score!

Something Weird

I read this book last week and it convinced me to try eating salad for breakfast. I can't remember why the book told me to do this, or what the benefits would be, but for some reason I decided I had to try it. I've been at it all of one days so far, and it's kind of weird to eat salad for breakfast. The jury's still out.

Something Even Weirder
The Modern Mrs. Darcy convinced me to use baking soda and vinegar instead of shampoo and conditioner to deal with my fading highlights. My hair was a bit greasy for a few days, but other than that it's never looked or behaved better. Forget good hair days, I've had good hair weeks! I'm loving this. Goodbye shopping for shampoo and conditioner!

Crazy Coupon Lady Sighting

2011-11-08T01:16:00.000-08:00

For a variety of reasons, I haven't been shopping like I used to. At first I felt guilty for missing out on all of the great sales, but then I decided the sales aren't that great any more. It saves me tons of time, and has really freed me from all of the running around I used to do.

So, I aim for a big shop once a month, and pick up little things like milk and produce as needed, about once a week.

This week was the week for a big shop. It was also super double coupons week at Harris Teeter. Enter crazy coupon lady.

I first ran into her and her lovely angel children by the shopping carts where two of the three were fighting over the last of the child sized carts. Like fist fighting.

One of the girls must have won because the other was immediately busy pulling the helium balloons from the holder at the font and letting them go out the door. HT is nice enough to provide these for free for kids, but I don't think that was what they had in mind.

I ran into them next by the condiments where crazy coupon lady was busy clearing the shelf of ketchup.

"We need soy sauce!" She screamed. "Who can find the soy sauce????????!!!!!!!!!!!!"

Off she flew with her middle child pushing the child cart almost straight into me. My life flashed before my eyes.

I saw her again by the seasonal stuff. Her spawns were busy pulling down the display of stuffed dogs and throwing them every where. C.C.L. was looking through her coupon binder.

"Let's get some miiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiilllllllllllllllllllllllllllllkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Off they went to grab all the smart source milk they could.

Next time I saw them they were in the medicine aisle, where the two older girls were fighting again and C.C.L. was looking through her coupons. One girl went flying into a display of clif bars and knocked the whole thing over. C.C.L. looked up, uninterested, and said "Seriously? You just knocked that over?" and went back to her coupons.

I swung back around that way on my way to the registers and the clif bars and one of the girls were still on the floor. The girl was screaming.

Of course they got behind me in line. The girl was still screaming. I got pulled to another line, and the last I saw of her she was arguing about coupon policies and the kids were decimating the free cookie selection.

For all I know, this lady wasn't a crazy coupon lady and was just having a bad day. Something tells me though, she's one of the ones giving us a bad name!

In Season Freezing

2011-11-07T01:04:00.000-08:00

The crop share I took part in this Fall ended last week, but I still have a ton of veggies around. I had to use them up, so I made several soups for the freezer.

A cream soup made from celery,leftover broccoli, cream soup mix, and some cooked chicken. I packaged this up in 1 1/2 C containers for lunches.

A vegetable soup made with kale, winter squash, tomatoes, and barley. I made it with plenty of broth so that when I have leftover turkey or chicken I can add it for a quick dinner.

Chicken noodle soup with acorn squash, celery and tons of herbs from the garden -- minus the noodles (I don't like to freeze noodles in broth). I'll make noodles and freeze them with the soup base so I can defrost them both at the same time and re-heat.

That's four dinners and 3 lunches made from things I had on hand!

With An Extra Hour You Can...

2011-11-06T13:29:00.000-08:00

I think most of us turn back our clocks this weekend...giving us an extra hour of weekend! Here's a list of things you can do with your extra hour:

Calculate how much money you'll need for retirement

Walk to the grocery store instead of driving

Make enough hot chocolate mix to last you through the winter

Write someone a letter instead of sending an email (or text, or message on facebook)

Finally fold all of your kids' socks instead of digging through a basket for them every morning. (Maybe that's just me?)

Inventory your freezer or pantry

Catch up on organizing your photos or baby books

See if you can caulk any of your windows or doors

What are you going to do?

This Week's Menu

2011-11-05T09:11:00.000-07:00

Here's my menu for this week. Let's hope I stick to it. You can see I'm keeping things pretty simple until I get back in my frugal zone.

Sat -- Lasagna, garlic bread, salad
Sun -- Bacon Wrapped Apple BBQ Chicken, mashed potatoes, corn
Mon -- Soup & Bread
Tue -- Beans & Rice
Wed -- Chef salad & rolls

Thu -- Scrambled Eggs & toast, fruit
Fri -- We have plans to eat out

Breakfasts -- Toast, oatmeal, yogurt, cheese and crackers
Lunches -- Salads, leftovers, PB&J

Linked to: Menu Plan Monday

Money Saving Challenge Failure and Goals For Next Week

2011-11-04T08:56:00.001-07:00

This was a pretty rough week, you guys. Between having friends over and Halloween it passed in a blur. Plus, both kids were cranky, DH and I were sick and the cat vomited all over the floor one night when we were an hour late feeding him. I am overwhelmed at work, and said some things in a meeting I probably shouldn't have. We ordered pizza for dinner on Monday night.

I'm moving on. Here are my goals for next week:

Put away the Halloween costumes and decorations.

Write for a 1/2 hour every day (I did manage to keep up with this one last week).

Make scones, muffins, pizza dough, and pinto beans for the freezer. Also make crackers and trail mix (or maybe granola).

Design Christmas card & get it printed.

50 Shopping Days Until Christmas!

2011-11-04T06:01:00.000-07:00

I was so happy to see my home made gift for my son posted on Money Saving Mom today!

If you're visiting from there, welcome! I'll be posting more ideas for home made gifts as they come up.

By the way, if you want some yummy cookie recipes, here's a list of my favories that I make every year. This is my most popular post of all time!

An Idea I'm Totally Going To Steal From My Neighbor If We Ever Move

2011-11-02T11:50:00.001-07:00

My neighbor had a great idea this Halloween -- she gave out little toys with one piece of candy to each child. The toys were gently used and inexpensive -- think goody bag fillers and McDonald's toys. I know I have a ton of that stuff, and she has three boys so she must have an infinite amount.

I have always admired this family for the fact that they only have one small trash can (and a ton of recycling) on trash day. I can see now that they are very intentional and smart about what they allow in, and what they take out of the home!

Pillsbury Rookie Bake-Off Challenge

2011-11-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

Pilsbury, through My Blog Spark, sent me an email about their Rookie Bake-Off Challenge. How fun! You can enter weekly for a chance to win $500!

Visit BakeOff.com each week to find out what the challenge is, and vote on and try the 5 doable recipes they have posted.

The rules seem pretty simple -- prep time must be under 30 minutes, and you can only use 5 ingredients including one Pillsbury refridgerated dough product.

Good luck!

Halloween Hangover

2011-11-01T08:24:00.000-07:00

Happy 11-1-11 day! I'm feeling a bit under the weather after all of the festivities last night. I don't drink, but I'm feeling like I did last night. Perhaps I did and I just don't remember? Perhaps I should start so a simple 6:30 pm romp around the neighborhood while carrying a grouchy lady bug and dragging an exuberant monkey does not totally wipe me out the next day?

Either way, I'm just trying to make it through the day and taking comfort in the fact that dinner is already made!

Happy Halloween Pumpkin Heads!

2011-10-31T00:12:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! Be safe, and don't eat too much candy!

My Take On The Pumpkin Spice Latte

2011-10-30T00:01:00.000-07:00

It seems like there have been a ton of recipes for pumpkin spice lattes floating around. I've tried a few, but in the end I came up with my own recipe.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

2 C 2% milk
3 rounded teaspoons espresso powder brewed in 1 C boiling water
1 t vanilla extract
4 t raw sugar
1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
1 t pumpkin puree

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, and cook over medium heat until hot. Stir briskly with a whisk to create foam.

Linked to: Frugal Friday at Life As Mom

Our Menu Plan This Week

2011-10-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween! We're expecting cold rain on the big night, so I have to fill my peeps up with a warm and hearty dinner! Aside from that we have a busy week with friends coming over, work meetings, and other crazy things.

Sat -- Ribs with BBQ sauce from the crockpot, mashed potatoes, carrots

Sun -- Friends coming over for beef stew, quick & easy dinner rolls, apple cider floats, sugar cookies
Mon -- Chili, corn muffins, candy
Tue -- Chef salads with left over corn muffins and dinner rolls (DS will get an assortment of the toppings -- ham, cheese, hard boiled eggs, etc.)
Wed -- Tacos, rice and toppings
Thu -- Take out!
Fri -- Apple BBQ chicken, egg noodles, carrots

Breakfasts -- Oatmeal, muffins, scones
Lunches -- Salads, leftovers, PB&J

Linked to: orgjunkie.com.

Possible Free Lettuce At Giant!

2011-10-29T02:49:00.000-07:00

I got free lettuce at Giant last night!

Sign in to your online Giant account here, and look under "My Exclusive Offers -- eStatement Offers". See if you have an offer for $1 off Dole Lettuce.

Bags of Dole Classic Lettuce are 10/$10 this week -- meaning you can get one bag free!

Saving Money This Week & Goals For Next Week

2011-10-28T14:27:00.000-07:00

The forecast is calling for possible snow on Saturday -- that's right, snow! I love snow, but not in October before I've harvested my herbs and celery! You know what I'll be doing tonight. (No, I never did harvest my herbs liked I wanted to last week. It looks like I don't have a choice now!). Here's what I did manage to get done:

I made breakfast cookies, stuffed cabbage (recipe to come next week), and black beans for the freezer.

I worked from home one day.

I submitted one article to textbroker.com (I would have done more, but they didn't have any available).

I used a coupon code (FIEND) to get 25% off underwear for my DS at Children's Place.

I wrote for a 1/2 hour to 45 minutes each day on the novel I've been working on.

I made a Christmas gift for my son, and submitted the tutorial as a guest post on another blog. I'll post it here if it's not accepted.

I found the hand sanitizer above on clearance and picked it up to pair with home baked goodies for teacher gifts.

I took pictures of the kids in their costumes and sent them around to the relatives. Instead of buying cards, I had DS draw pictures of pumpkins.

I made a scarecrow with DS using stuff we have around the house.

Here are my goals for next week:

Write for at least 1/2 hour each day & submit three articles to textbroker.com.

Make plans for a frugal get away some time before Thanksgiving.

Gather materials for home made gifts for kids.

Bring a batch of clothes to the consignment store.

Make muffins, scones and pinto beans for the freezer.

Making My Own Luck

Saving Money Challenge and Goals For Next Week

Busy Bag Swap Review

Groundhog Day Decorations

Walking in Cumberland, MD

Salmon Cakes With Corn Salsa

Cheese Sauce For The Freezer

Wintry Mix

This Week's Menu

Shopping This Week

Saving Money Challenge -- Ideas For Vegetarian Meals & Goals For Next Week

Pantry Challenge Update

Oatmeal -- It's Not Just For Breakfast Any More!

This Month's Organic Gardening

Possible Menu Plan For This Week

Saving Money Challenge and Goals For Next Week

Cooking Luck Raw: My Home Office

January Booking It

Deals & Inexpensive Ideas For The Garden

Saving Money Challenge, Thoughts on the Pantry Challenge, and Goals For Next Week

This Week's Menu

Grocery Sales At Amazon

Granola Bars For Grown Ups

Cafe Mocha Quick Bread With Coffee Cream Glaze

The Harbinger of Spring

Making My Own Condiments

A Bit More About The Groceries & Pantry Challenge

First Menu Plan of 2012

2011 -- The Year That Was

Top 10 From 2011 and 2012 Reading Goals

2012 Savings & Personal Goals

Cookie Monster Cupcakes

Why I Am The Way I Am

Simple Fruit Tart

Menu Plan Monday

Merry Christmas

Saving Money This Week & Goals For Next Week

Quick Homemade Gift For Baby

Homemade Gifts For Men

More Natural Christmas Decorations

Last Minute Homemade Gifts

My Guide To A Christmas Carol

Last Minute Homemade Christmas Card

Week Before Christmas Meal Plan

Saving Money This Week & Goals For Next Week

2011 Milk & Cookies Party Recap

Christmas Party Fruit Punch

My Hair May Smell Like Ranch Dressing, But It Looks Darn Good

This Week's Goals

Hello TV, I Have Missed You

What To Do With Those Candy Canes

Book Review -- The Money Saving Mom's Budget

Good Intentions

Book Review For Rescession Gardening

What I Make From Scratch vs What I Don't

Garden Economy

Running Diary of My Cooking Weekend

Make Ahead Crumb Pie

Sicilian Beef Soup

Tin Can Bank

Leftovers and Re-runs

This Week's Menu Plan

Saving Money Challenge & Goals

Gifts For The History Lover

When Life Gives You Lemons

Get The Gift of the Magi Free For Your Kindle

Frugal Thanksgiving Fun

Goals For Next Week

Menu Plan Monday

Peas For The Edible Landscape

Mac And Cheese 4 Ways

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Menu

Next Year

This Week's Menu Plan

Saving Money Challenge & Goals For Next Week

Baby, It's Cold Outside

The Price of a Cup of Flour

Made Up Holidays

Working Ahead