etsy

So... I opened a shop... on etsy.

Right now I sell fleece hats for kids (mostly babies). Who knows if it will fly, I figured it was fun and worth a try. (not rhyming intentionally... it's 10:30 and that's LATE in my book!)

Check it out: http://www.plumbean.etsy.com/

hands

Baby Girl is figuring out her hands these days. Her amazement at learning that she can touch and grab and feel makes me smile.

I love her wonder.

I love her determination.

I love that she is still unsure and awkward.

I love that she is learning.

So thankful.

such a sweet idea!

Please take a moment to check this out. Rocks in my Dryer has a much better post about this than I could ever write... so head over there for more info.

reduce REUSE recycle

Over at Simple Mom the discussion today is about reusable grocery bags and asks what other readers reuse as well. This discussion so nicely fits into Thrifty Green Thursday theme over at Green Baby Guide.

And so, in one post I answer both questions: What do we resuse? How do we save the planet and a little money?

Wow.... it's already a productive day.

We reuse ziploc bags.

We typically don't use that many sandwich bags, just use tupperware for that kind of thing. But we can go through some freezer bags! So unless there was meat in the bag or something with oil I turn the bag inside out, give it a good scrubbing with some soap and water and then hang it neatly on my spatulas in the jar by the stove. Once dry, I roll it up and stick it back in the box.

the great pumpkin(s)

Jon had to work this morning cleaning up from the conference that was here this weekend and when I got home from church he had two pumpkins sitting on our kitchen counter (leftovers from decorations).

You would have thought he gave me the moon.
I have really been wanting to try cooking and pureeing and freezing my own pumpkin to use for pies and baking, etc. but an extra pumpkin or two just wasn’t in the food budget lately. So today was my chance!

This is what I did:
1. Cut the pumpkins in half.

2. Scooped out the goop and seeds and rinsed and saved the seeds (they are drying for 48 hours and then we’re going to make this with them).

3. Placed one half of the pumpkin cut side down on a cookie sheet and baked at 350 for 1 hour. And yes there were two pumpkins, which means 4 half pumpkins, which means I cooked pumpkin for four hours straight… STRIKE 1.

4. After cooking I scooped out the good stuff and beat it with my mixer. Then I strained the liquid through a cloth so it wasn’t too watery… that was REALLY a mess. STRIKE 2.

5. Next I measured out 1 and 3/4 cups of pumpkin into freezer bags. (apparently that’s how much is in a can of pumpkin) I also did a few bags with 1 cup in them because that’s how much a pumpkin pancake recipe calls for!

All in all we got about 8 cans of pumpkin… that’s it. STRIKE 3.

We won’t be buying pumpkins to make our own puree anytime soon. BUT if free pumpkins find their way to us like they did today, it was a fun experiment!

oatmeal alternative

Since we’re not 100% sure yet whether or not Baby Girl likes it when I have dairy, I’ve been staying away from my typical cereal breakfast in the mornings.

I’ve been trying to eat oatmeal… trying is the operative word there…I have decided that I just can’t do it. I can’t eat the stuff. I have gone through spurts where I’ve liked it, and even posted about it… but the stark reality is…I STRONGLY dislike it.

But it’s healthy I rationalize to myself… and it’s cheap… and it’s filling… so many positives, but I can’t do it.

So a few days ago I started looking up other ways to incorporate oats into my breakfast in as healthy a way as possible. I ran across this recipe for Banana Oatmeal Breakfast Bars. Just made them tonight, had a little taste and these are yummy!

Plus…. it’s only 1/2 c. of brown sugar for the whole 9×13 pan, 3 bananas and no oil or milk. That rates as a pretty healthy breakfast in my book!

keeping our duvet cover in place- wfmw

So I’m not really the biggest Martha Stewart fan. I mean, I just can’t get excited about someone who goes to jail, gets out, and is instantly famous and loved , there are some issues there for sure. However, I think this idea came from her website… so I must give credit where credit is due… and it WORKS!

Our duvet was always falling down inside the cover. Each morning I’d make the bed and go to pull up the duvet and my hand would just grab the cover… plus, that thing is heavy! so any effort to actually move it back into place just didn’t happen.

I started searching and found this idea: I sewed a strip of grosgrain ribbon (by hand with doubled over thread so it’d be really strong) into each corner of the duvet cover, then I used the ribbon to tie around each corner of the duvet.

Works like a charm! I’ve had it like this for a few months now and it is working out great, it definitely works for me. For other tips that work check out Works for Me Wednesday over at Rocks in my Dryer.

cool summer meal- wfmw

One of Jon’s grads gave us this recipe so I can take no credit. We ate it for lunch AND dinner yesterday. When it’s 100 degrees out (in early June…. and I’m pregnant!) cool meals like this are NEEDED so this definitely works for me! Check out Rocks in my Dryer for more WFMW tips!

1 head of lettuce (I used Iceberg from Aldi)

1 lb. of ground meat (I used already browned ground beef from the freezer, I don’t think it was quite a pound. I would also try this with Aldi’s ground turkey)

2 C of shredded cheddar cheese (didn’t use quite this much)

1 bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos’s (crushed)-(I used the Aldi brand and that worked fine

Tomatoes (amount as desired, I used one container of grape tomatoes, halved)

Creamy Italian dressing (Ranch can be used as well… that’s what we used yesterday)

Then just mix it all together. Here are some other notes:Let the ground meat cool before adding it to the salad and strain it well.Don’t crush the chips too much and add them shortly before mixing (they can get soggy quickly).When adding the salad dressing, add about half the bottle first and then continue to add as desired.

I mixed up a big bowl of this at lunch with just the meat, cheese, lettuce and tomato and then put what we would eat for lunch in a smaller bowl and added doritos and ranch. Then I did the same thing for dinner so that the doritos wouldn’t get mushy. We still have leftovers.

This would be really good for a potluck because it makes a lot. I think next time I would probably just halve the recipe and maybe even freeze the rest of the doritos to use another time to spread it out.

Let me know if you like or if you have other cool summer meals!

thank you super coupon mom

This is the best thing ever… a spreadsheet to keep track of and figure out CVS ecb deals. I LOVE this! Check it out here and while you’re there be sure to leave a comment to thank Jen!

http://jenfit.blogspot.com/2008/06/my-contribution-to-my-fellow-cvsers.html

parm garlic bread

So this is a great thing… I mix up all the ingredients, set it on the counter, and by dinner time the butter is softened and it can be mixed and spread on your choice of bread.

The recipe calls for a loaf of French bread, but I’ve used it on leftover hoagie rolls, hamburger buns, plain bread, etc. Also, since there’s just two of us I have mixed up some and kept it in the fridge for a few days and used it to make individual toast at several different meals. So… without further ado…

1/3 c. softened margarine or butter
1/4 c. parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, minced (I’ve also used garlic powder)
1 t. dried basil
Loaf of French bread, halved lengthwise
Mix first four ingredients well. Spread on bread. Lay open face on a baking sheet and broil until browned to your liking.

Super easy and good!

super easy chicken parm

This came from a recipe my sister got at a wedding shower.

6 chicken breasts (I just used about 3 and cut them into strips)
1 jar marinara sauce (I used Aldi’s brand)
6 T. parmesan cheese
1 1/2 c. mozzerella

Spray a 9×13 pan with cooking spray. Pour in sauce and stir in 4 T. parmesan cheese. Add chicken, turn to coat both sides. Cook, covered, in 375 oven for about 30 minutes (that’s how long it took with the chicken cut into strips). Remove and sprinkle with remaining 2 T. of parmesan and mozzerella (I just had a cheese blend that I sprinkled on top since we didn’t have mozzerella on hand). Cook for another 5 minutes or so until cheese is melted. Serve over pasta.

Like I said, I only used 3 breasts, so I sort of eyed the amounts and adjusted accordingly and it worked out fine. Definitely didn’t have to be an exact science. Also, I got everything ready before church and just stuck it in the oven when we got back which worked out well.

moving in

After much deliberation I am closing down my wordpress blog and starting over here on blogger... whew... I've got to stick with one or the other so this is IT! I'm copying a few of my favorite posts from my old blog here on this new one so they'll all be neatly in one place.