everyday wylie

embroidery projects

2011-08-16T21:39:00.004-04:00

I've been doing lots of embroidery lately and Jon has encouraged me to post pictures online for future reference... so here we go!

Love this cute puffer jacket!
This is the top of a cooler, I love this new font!
These bags are baby gifts, the girl I did them for is going to add some cute fabric flowers to them. I'm totally stealing this idea! This is also a new font, it's my new favorite I think, called "strawberry."
Dress for a birthday present. The girl I did this for asked for dots around the letter, I'd never done this before but I had fun playing around with my software to draw and digitize a dot and I will definitely be doing this again!

chocolate goodness

2010-02-17T19:28:00.003-05:00

I found this recipe over a year ago on Blissfully Domestic but never got around to making it. My little sister made it this past weekend and commented on how good and easy it was, so I tried it last night.

AMAZING!!!! You probably have everything in your pantry already and it whips up really fast! My one tip is to let it cool some before serving. I ate some almost immediately over some vanilla ice cream and the fudgy saucy part was really thin, after a while it got fudgier which was nice. It also does pretty well to reheat in the microwave which works nicely.

Chocolate Cobbler

1 C self Rising Flour
3/4 C sugar
2 T Cocoa
1/2 C Milk
1 tsp Vanilla
2 T Vegetable Oil
3/4 C Brown Sugar
1/4 C Cocoa
1 3/4 C hot tap water
1 C chopped pecans (optional)

Mix together flour, sugar, and cocoa.
Add milk, vanilla, oil, and nuts. Mix well.
Pour into greased 8×8 inch pan.
Mix 3/4 C brown sugar and 1/4 C cocoa together. Sprinkle over batter.
Very slowly pour the hot tap water over the dry mixture and batter.
Bake in 350 oven for 40 to 45 minutes.

homemade pita bread

2010-01-29T14:12:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I made hummus which of course meant I needed pita bread to go with it.

That was this morning's project. I used this recipe.

I don't think I'll use it again.... next time I want to find one with whole wheat flour. I also want to do better letting my oven preheat all the way (I'm really bad about that but this recipe needs it). And I think I'd like a recipe that calls for a little honey or sugar. So all that being said...if you are a pita maker and have a good recipe please let me know!

Making pita bread was super easy and very quick to do as far as breads go. So this is something I'll try again.

My pitas didn't really puff much at all and certainly nothing close to the beautiful puffiness of the picture of the recipe I was following.... oh well!

It was an interesting experiment.

blanket stitch tutorial

2010-01-28T10:12:00.005-05:00

Mollie asked how to blanket stitch and I'm actually working on a receiving blanket for the baby (just in case it's a boy!) right now so that is great timing. I took a few pictures while I was working on it this morning. It' SO easy.

This blanket stitch is for the edge of an actual blanket. If you want to blanket stitch around an applique on a shirt like I did for the Valentine's shirt then check out these instructions.

Doing this for a baby blanket is so easy and it's a nice handwork project to have going because it doesn't take much thought and you can kind of pick it up whenever. I just buy a piece of flannel that seems a good size for a blanket... nothing exact. And then I get 2 things of coordinating DMC thread. First you'll need to wash and dry the fabric. Then loosely baste the edges, turning them down about 1/4 an inch and then another 1/4 an inch so you have a clean edge. Then you start the blanket stitch.

1. From the back insert the needle up through the edge of the fold and pull thread through.

2. From the front insert the needle a little ways to the right just below the fold of the hem that you basted. (just try to keep this even so all your stitches are spaced the same distance apart)

3. From the back you'll be reinserting the needle just at the top edge of the hem so that you just catch the fabric.

4. Wrap your thread around the needle from back to front and hold with your thumb as you pull the needle and thread through.

5. Then you just repeat that all the way around.
6. At the corners I usually do three stitches entering at the same point but coming out on each side and at the tip of the corner to anchor.

7. Remove the basting when you're done.

super EASY playdough recipe

2010-01-27T14:14:00.004-05:00

We made this up this morning in under 10 minutes with things we already had in the pantry. I highly recommend!!

Kool-Aid Play Dough

1 cup flour
1 cup water
1/2 cup salt
3 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 package Kool-Aid Mix (any flavor of unsweetened)
1 tablespoon cooking oil

Mix dry ingredients together in a large saucepan. Slowly add water mixed with oil and stir over medium heat until mixture thickens to dough. Turn out onto a heatproof bread board or counter top and knead until cool enough for children to handle. Dough will be the color of the Kool-Aid mix and will smell like the Kool-Aid mix. (Can be stored in a tightly covered container for up to six months) (This site had other recipes too!)

Valentine's applique

2010-01-27T09:59:00.006-05:00

I have been itching to applique something for Baby Girl and Valentine's seemed a perfect opportunity.

Mary Catherine gave me some places to look to get ideas and I combined two (from Etsy) for this shirt.

It was a super fun and really quick project. It would have been faster if I had machine stitched to applique, but I thought the blanket stitch was a cute detail.

what kids can do

2010-01-23T19:50:00.003-05:00

I have been AMAZED recently at what Baby Girl can do (she's almost 18 months). Very regularly I think to myself how we as a society belittles kids by expecting so little of them and not giving them opportunities to grow into. A couple days ago I actually felt like I had a conversation with my child... crazy!

Here are some things I have learned she can do:

1. clean up toys
2. put things "in"- i.e. "Can you help Mama put the wipes in the basket?" They may be a mess, but they are in the basket.
3. cook- she has helped me bake on several occasions and can dump ingredients into the bowl
4. listen to reading without pictures- the Bible and poems for example
5. take things places- i.e. "Can you please go put your coat in your room?"
6. follow directions... this is so amazing to me because it means she actually understands what I am saying, even if she can't verbally respond

Maybe this isn't news to most people but with this being child number one it really is incredible to me.

favorite blogs: Lynn's Kitchen Adventures

2010-01-23T19:43:00.003-05:00

So it's been six months since I last posted on here... OOPS! I just kind of unintentionally took a blogging hiatus. However, in the last few weeks I have had several things that I've thought... "hmm, that would be fun to post about." So I'm back.

To kick off my return, here's my new favorite blog!

Lynn's Kitchen Adventures.

1. NORMAL family friendly recipes
2. pictures of EVERY dish
3. lots of cooking from scratch (=frugal!)
4. easy to navigate and browse categories

Love it.

favorite blogs: Health Begins with Mom

2009-07-20T14:11:00.004-04:00

This is a new to me blog that I LOVE, Health Begins with Mom! Sadly (but happily for her family!) she is taking a sabbatical from blogging for a bit to get school started back up with her kiddos. The archives are still fantastic though and I am already looking forward to her return.

Amy Ellen discusses all aspects of family health. Currently I'm working on making our eating habits more healthful and have found great ideas and resources on her site. I must say that some of the ideas are impossible for our family to implement because of cost, but the general idea of being a mom and wife and keeping my home in a way that promotes health in our family I am totally on board with!

I also emailed her with a question and received a truly thoughtful and personal response. So nice!

I highly recommend Health Begins with Mom!

peanut butter granola

2009-07-17T09:26:00.003-04:00

We love granola around here! Jon likes to eat it like cereal and I prefer it over yogurt. This stuff however, I can just eat straight from the jar... like candy! Unfortunately I have issues with taking pictures of food that I make... we always eat things before I think to take a picture! This time is no exception. But here's the recipe:
Peanut Butter Granola
Mix:
3 cups oats
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts
1/2 cup coconut
2 Tbls. sesame seeds
Cook in sauce pan until smooth:
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup butter
1 Tbls. light corn syrup (I use honey)
1/4 tsp. salt
Stir both mixes together. Spread onto a lightly greased pan (I use jelly roll). Bake for 20 minutes at 350 degrees, stirring after 10 minutes. (Watch closely, mine was getting very dark at the end of 20 minutes).

who needs a pool

2009-07-17T05:04:00.001-04:00

While we love going to various local pools with friends some of them cost, a membership would definitely cost, and it takes time, energy and gas to load up in the car to go somewhere.

Since we are in an apartment and don't have pool access I came up with this fun way for Baby Girl to splash around on a hot day:

1. Take a plastic storage bin and fill it with just enough water that it's not too heavy to carry outside.

2. Throw in a few toys.

3. Set it outside in the shade and put the baby in the tub!

We did this for a full hour!

She doesn't look too thrilled in the picture, so if you're not convinced that this is fun check out this video:

I know it looks very dangerous that she's standing up in this thing... I was holding on to it the whole time so she wouldn't knock it over!

For more fun and frugal tips head on over to Life as Mom.

best bib ever!

2009-07-14T20:36:00.005-04:00

A friend at church recommended this bib to me, it's Parents brand and I found it at Wal-Mart for about $5. (Apparently her daughter dumped a whole bowl of soup in this thing and it caught every drop. We haven't gone so far in our testing but thus far it is worth every penny!

Here's how it works:

You snap the pocket together.

The pocket sticks out so it catches everything (except for bits of rice and peas and noodles that fly through the air in odd directions).

Once finished you unsnap the bib to wipe it clean without having to dig in the pocket!

Brilliant!

This certainly works for me. Check out We are THAT Family for more Works for Me tips!

P.S. I am not a fan of the pattern... they could have made this a little cuter especially since I really didn't like this movie.... but... this bib is so good I can overlook that!

blessings of frugal living

2009-07-13T12:45:00.003-04:00

While there are many blessings to living frugally (less "stuff," more quiet, healthier eating, focused stewardship, etc.) here is a picture of how our errands today played out:

1st stop- Post Office= Martha Stewart Living magazine, Parents magazine (both free subscriptions found online)

2nd stop- CVS= razor for Jon and tylenol (we MADE $0.60)

3rd stop- Staples= two (500 count) reams of printer paper, pretty pens (yay!), 2 rolls scotch tape, photo paper (after rebate we will have MADE $0.06)

What a blessing that with a little time and forethought we came away from our errands with more in our pocket than when we left home. And all for things we need or can use!

Many thanks to www.southernsavers.com and www.moneysavingmom.com for making me aware of such great deals!

monday menu- eating from the freezer edition

2009-07-13T05:18:00.000-04:00

We are trying to clean out the freezer and pantry... it's going to take while. Here's how we're starting:

Monday- soft tacos (with kit that was the penny item at Publix a while back) with taco meat (freezer), spanish rice (freezer)

Tuesday- $2 Moe's Burritos... Sorry... I think this a local thing :o(

Wednesday- Quesadillas with rice and beans(freezer) using up the leftovers from Monday (and yes I did check with my husband to make sure he was okay with Mexican three nights running... he was... he eats anything... I'm blessed)

Thursday- Homemade pizza (sauce in freezer) with peppers (freezer), onions, and fresh basil

Friday- Clean out the Fridge

Saturday- Broccoli Stir Fry (freezer) with rice and homemade bread (freezer)

Sunday- Jon has something with work... I'll probably have cereal :o)

Check out Organizing Junkie for more meal plans.

wedding gift idea

2009-07-10T05:02:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow I am going to a shower for my future sister-in-law and had spent a while trying to think of a meaningful gift. Since we are in a bit of a budget pinch right now it needed to also be inexpensive.

I thought about the things I use in my home on a daily basis and (after asking the bride-to-be a few subtle questions to see if this would suit) I decided to create a recipe binder for her like the one I use every day.

I used to use a recipe box and that was... a disaster. My binder however is a joy to use! I hope it is for her as well!

Here's what you'll need:
- LARGE 3-ring binder (I think this one is 2.5-3 inches?)
- at least a 50 pack of page protectors
- sticky tab inserts for your categories
- a piece of cardstock for each category
- coordinating scrapbook paper for outside of notebook

I used the scrapbook paper and odds and ends of scrapbooking supplies that I had to create the cover, spine and back of the book.

I typed up the various categories and put those in the tab inserts. Going in order I stuck the tab inserts at varied intervals along the TOP of a piece of cardstock. Then I put the cardstock in a page protector (it doesn't work to use regular tab dividers because they won't stick out past the page protectors!). Lastly I printed out my own copies of recipes and added those to the binder.

Here are a few other tips for the binders:

- you can use page protectors with photo slots to hold recipe cards that you don't want to throw away. In my binder I have several of these because they are in the handwriting of someone special or were given to me at a special occasion.

- tear out recipes from magazines and slide them in a page protector

- make sure you give the bride some extra card stock and tab dividers if they want to adjust the categories

- keep it clean and organized

- make it pretty, you (or the recipient) will be more likely to use something that looks nice!

Read more frugal tips at Life as MOM.

staycationing is the thing

2009-07-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

Vacation with...

NO travel

NO packing

NO unpacking

NO excessive laundry pile-up... wait that happens anyway...

LOTS of family time

LOTS of relaxing

LOTS of exploring where we live

This has got to be my new favorite thing!

We staycationed from last Friday through Tuesday and it was AMAZING! I have never felt so relaxed in my life! This is what we did/ didn't do:

1. Didn't put pressure on ourselves to "do." Friday we just vegged and didn't feel guilty as if we were missing out on a new experience or place to explore.

2. Did make our meals special. We went out to one nice dinner and cooked other foods that are special to us.

3. Didn't try to keep up with the house completely. While I kept up with laudry and dishes we didn't worry about vacumming or bathroom cleaning or dusting or the like. This was vacation after all!

4. Did do something fun each day! Saturday we had a family photo shoot (compliments of a friend who is starting a photography business). Sunday we went swimming. Monday we went swimming and blueberry picking. Tuesday we went on the lake with friends.

5. Didn't spend a lot of money. Our dinner out was with an 80% off Restaurant.com gift card. Swimming was free. Blueberry picking cost but works into our food budget.

6. Did enjoy just being together. While Baby Girl was sleeping we watched some movies, read out loud to each other and just enjoyed the calm and quiet.

And now I don't feel like I need a vacation from vacation!!

For other money saving tips check out Frugal Fridays over at Life as Mom.

monday menu- back in the saddle

2009-06-29T05:00:00.000-04:00

Well... after skipping several weeks I'm finally back to more consistent and thorough meal planning. No excuses... I just wasn't on my game!

Here's this week's plan:

Monday- Steak quesadillas (using leftover london broil) and apples with peanut butter

Tuesday- BBQ chicken pizza and carrot sticks with ranch dressing

Wednesday- Eggs, sausage and grits

Thursday- Omlettes and muffins

Friday- Sunday- out of town for the 4th!

Is that lame to have two breakfast nights in a row?!? This was completely intentional as we don't want to have any leftovers hanging around over the long weekend and breakfast for dinner is one of the easiest ways to ensure that! It helps that we both really enjoy breakfast dinners :o) And hopefully is a great reminder that it doesn't always have to be fancy!

hoodie towel

2009-06-28T20:39:00.004-04:00

Our pastor's wife made one these for a friend recently and I LOVED it! I went out the next week and made my own for a shower gift and am making another soon for Baby Girl's first birthday! I should have taken step by step pictures... I'll do that next time!

Basically though....

1. Buy a towel and washcloth (TJ Maxx and Ross have nice thick ones much cheaper than Wal-Mart or Target in my opinion).

2. Choose some sort of decoration. If it's a print towel this wouldn't be totally necessary. You could do a strip of grosgrain across the hood or, like I did, applique a strip of fabric across the hood and then applique initials on the back.

3. Sew! This is going to have to come in a separate post with pictures... I tried to type it out and it doesn't make much sense to me unless you can see it! If you're desperate leave me a message and we can have a quick lesson!

The thing I really love about this as a gift is that it can be used for a long time! Baby Girl isn't even a year and has already outgrown her baby towels. This will last her for years!

Sadly... Blogger is (yet again) making my pictures flip! GRRRRR!!! I wanted you to see the adorable dalmatian print monogram on the back of this fire engine red hoodie!

Sorry for the odd angle!

i make bows -- and they're for sale

2009-06-28T19:40:00.005-04:00

After beginning by making hairbows for my daughter I decided to branch out into selling bows as well. Below are a few samples of types of bows that I make. I am happy to make custom bows to order as well.

All bows are attached to 1 and 3/4 inch alligator clips and are partially lined with ribbon which helps the bows stay in your little girl's hair. All ends are sealed to prevent fraying.

Please contact me at teamwylie (at) gmail (dot) com to place an order! Shipping is usually $1.00 per order.

Green and Rainbow are the Classic Bow- $2.50 each
Lavender is the Looped Bow style- $2.50 each

Black Polka Dot and Aqua and Pink Strip are other examples of the Classic Bow.
Hot Pink Ladybug Bow- $3.50

Dragonfly/Butterlfy Bow- $3.50

Flat Ribbon Clip- $2.00

Custom Creative Bow/Clip- price varies
If you have a particular dress or outfit you wish to match and want something truly unique I would be happy to create something. This clip is made of dusty pink leather and an off-white rosette.

Please contact me at teamwylie (at) gmail (dot) com to place an order!

favorite blogs: The Green Baby Guide

2009-06-16T09:40:00.004-04:00

I think I'm somewhat teal... not quite green yet but not blue either... I'm sort of a green wannabe...

The Green Baby Guide has been a great inspiration to me in this quest of greening.

Joy and Rebecca regularly post about relevant and doable ideas related to having a baby and living more environmentally friendly. I think I went back and read every post in their archives before Baby Girl was born and learned so much. They are super down-to-earth and really focus on living simply and not just on green for green's sake.

Typically they host a blog carnival every Thursday called, Thrifty Green Thursday where readers share tips for saving money and living green but this carnival is on break for the summer.

I highly recommend that you take a peek at their fabulous blog!!

kids don't need fancy toys

2009-05-29T06:14:00.001-04:00

Shiny. Easy to hold. Make noise when you hit it... what is there not to love?!
If you need more proof:

*** Please note that if torn metal pie plates can have sharp edges! It took Baby Girl several weeks to damage this one enough that I felt like it needed to be thrown out.***

For more Frugal Friday tips check out Life as Mom!

ribbons, barettes and bows... oh my!

2009-05-28T06:00:00.000-04:00

Baby Girl finally has enough hair to put bows in it and I am quickly becoming one of those moms who puts a bow in her daughters hair all the time... I mean ALL the time... like occasionally even when she's in her PJs. Shhh... don't tell!

She's just so cute I can't stand it!

First I taught myself how to make the bows. After many attempts I've finally got the hang of it.

Then I started losing bows... multiple bows... gone... sad.

I needed a way to keep them all in one place. I took a cute scrapbooking tag, an extra bit of ribbon and some double sided tape. I added Baby Girl's intials with stickers and that was it!

It turned out cute, but more importantly, it's practical and hanging in her closet it's easy for the bows to make their way home.

*** On a side note.... I am selling baby hairbows for $2.50 each if you're interested.***

baby "splat mat"

2009-05-27T06:00:00.001-04:00

In our apartment our baby's high chair sits on carpet... not good! Since Baby Girl is now tackling finger foods this is really not good! I started searching online for a mat to put under her high chair to make clean-up easier.

$44

$26

$35

WHAT??! For a piece of plastic or oilcloth!! I was in shock.

While shopping one day my Mom ran across this vinyl tablecloth for $4.99.

It was cute, not the typical red and white check or floral patterns that you usually see.

It was cheap.

It was HUGE... I could cover the whole dining area floor if I wanted to with this thing.

Instead I cut it down to an appropriate size.

Then I hemmed it with a zigzag stitch all the way around.

Done... that was it! It works great! It isn't quite as heavy-duty as oilcloth would be... but I have so much table cloth left that whenever this mat wears out I can make another one very quickly and easily!

On a side note... I also made a bib to match! (Though it's way too big and probably won't really fit Baby Girl until she's 5... or 9... oh well!

For more Works for Me tips check out... We are THAT Family!

black beans and rice

2009-05-26T10:30:00.003-04:00

Yum! We love this recipe. It's great all by itself with cornbread or as a side to a Mexican feast with friends!

1 onion, chopped

1 T. oil

1/2 tsp. oregano

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can black beans

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 cup rice

In large saucepan saute onions in oil until soft. Drain tomatoes and beans reserving liquid! Add water to this liquid to equal 2 cups. Add this liquid and all other ingredients to pan. Bring to a boil and then let mixture simmer about 20 minutes or until rice is done. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

We love topping our rice and beans with sour cream and/or grated cheese.

over 250 pieces of fruit

2009-05-08T05:45:00.002-04:00

What do you do with over 250 pieces of fruit?

Especially when you have two days to get rid of it before you leave town!

My husband works on a college campus. At the end of each semester parents can pay (big bucks) to send an "exam care pack" to their student. An outside company takes these orders, sends the boxes to the university and a student organization my husband works with is responsible for distributing them. Here's the rub... many students never come to pick up their box.

First of all this makes me sad for the parents who send the boxes.

Secondly this makes me sad because of the extravagant waste!

Thankfully much of the prepackaged candy, cookies, chips, etc. can be saved and given out to student workers and kids at camps this summer.

But the fruit... the fruit!!! It makes me cringe.

I willingly took on the task of doing something about it all. There were over 250 green and red apples and oranges. Some were already going bad. I had to act fast.... what to do?

1. Give it- this is obvious but harder than you might think. Because we live on a college campus and all the students are gone, we have no neighbors... I've been passing as much as I can off to the housekeeping staff. I've also called several friends who are swinging by on their way home from work to pick some up. And we made a few special deliveries earlier today.

2. Eat it- this is obvious too. We're having some folks over for lunch between graduation ceremonies tomorrow... guess what we'll be serving?

3. Juice it- I'm planning to take a lot of the oranges home to my parents' house this weekend and will borrow their juicer.

4. Puree it- Applesauce anyone? Baby Girl LOVES applesauce... this might be enough to make her never want to see the stuff again! I'll be making this at my parents' since they have an apple corer/peeler/slicer thing and I am not about to tackle this by hand!

5. Freeze it- I never knew you could freeze apples! I'm going to slice and freeze most of the green apples to use in pies, for baked apples, apple cake, etc. down the road. I'm looking forward to giving some of these goodies away as well when I'll be in town to bake.

While I hate that the students didn't get these boxes I'm very thankful this fruit isn't going to be left to rot and then chunked in a dumpster!

We may not all have 250 pieces of fruit dumped in our laps, but we can all do our part to not let food go to waste!

For other frugal tips check out Frugal Fridays over at Life as Mom!

WFMW- baby scrapbook

2009-05-06T06:00:00.000-04:00

My aunt, a talented and creative scrapbooker made this book for us before Baby Girl was born. Knowing that I'm not altogether a "traditional" person, she created a scrapbook for us in non-traditional colors with a double-page spread for each month of the first year of our Baby-to-be's life.

It has turned out to be one of my favorite things ever!

Each double page spread has a decorated page on the left (minimal decorations) and the right side has a calendar for that particular month.

All I have to do is jot little notes on the calendar about things that happen and throw a few favorite pictures from the month on the facing page and we have a beautiful album of Baby Girl's first year!

This book is so liberating for me as I can easily find time to jot down little things that happen each day. I include momentous milestones, like her first tooth, as well as everyday happenings (i.e. we played outside today in the beautiful weather, or took a walk to visit Daddy at work).

Also, I've realized that as long as I keep up with writing in the calendar, the pictures can fall into place later (I'm really behind on printing my pictures!).

This method of keeping track of Baby Girl's first year definitely works for me! It would make a great gift to an expecting mom, or you could make one up for yourself before baby is born.

For other works for me tips check out We are THAT Family.

favorite blogs: Southern Savers

2009-05-04T21:03:00.004-04:00

Southern Savers is THE blog for great grocery and pharmacy deals if you live in the south. Which we do.

Jenny does an amazing job listing deals at local stores and matching coupons. I appreciate this blog so much because I don't waste my time skimming posts to find deals relevant to me. Typically, all of her posts (except for a few grocery stores we don't have nearby) are helpful.

There is also a link to the 2009 Coupon Inserts Schedule, as well as previews of coupons for each week. This is very helpful to me as someone who just buys the Sunday paper for the coupons!

The website is super organized, easy to follow and easy to use. I highly recommend!

monday menu

2009-05-04T06:45:00.000-04:00

We're on a mission to really use the food in our freezer and pantry instead of just continually stocking and still just eating what we want.... yes, we're cheats like that. So... here's the plan:

Monday- BBQ sandwiches (BBQ and buns from freezer), au gratin potatoes (mix from the Sav Mor sale)

Tuesday- Stir fry with london broil meat (from freezer) over rice

Wednesday- Black beans and rice and homemade bread (I think I have more cans of black beans than I will ever be able to cook in my pantry!)

Thursday- Refrigerator Magic

Friday- Our to dinner to celebrate my little sister's college graduation!

Saturday and Sunday- Out of town

Check out Organizing Junkie for more meal plans that are way more helpful than this and actually include recipes... maybe I'll get to that one of these days!

freezing chicken stock

2009-05-01T06:45:00.000-04:00

I recently learned about the merits of chicken stock. And have made batches twice in the last few months. I love the idea of not wasting the chicken carcass and boiling out all the nutrients possible!

Here's what I do:

- boil the chicken then take it out of the pot and take the meat off the bone

- put the bones back in the pot

- add a whole onion, quartered, skin and all

- add carrots and celery (I save the ends of these in the freezer until I make stock that way I am not wasting a perfectly good carrot)

- add some whole peppercorns

- add a little salt (I know, I know... not super healthy but I love it)

- add some bay leaves

Then just let it all boil... and boil and boil.

Drain well using a wire mesh strainer.

Pour the stock into pitchers and put in the fridge overnight.

Next day, skim the fat off the top.

Then... here's the best part... I pour approximately 1 cup of stock into plastic cups on a cookie sheet. Then I put the cookie sheet in the freezer. Once frozen I pop out the stock and store the chunks in freezer bags.

It's so helpful to not have to use a freezer bag for every cup of stock I want to freeze and it's very easy to just take out however many "cups" I need for a recipe.

Check out Life as Mom for more Frugal Friday tips!!

favorite blogs: Having Fun at Home

2009-04-29T16:03:00.003-04:00

This is, hands down my favorite blog of all: Having Fun at Home. The entire site is dedicated to simple, inexpensive and creative ways to have fun and help kids learn.

Because Katey, the writer, has a toddler, most of the ideas are for this age. This is perfect for me since Baby Girl is fast approaching toddlerdom! I have saved almost all of her ideas to use in the not to distant future.

I really appreciate that the ideas are so simple and can usually be done with things you already have around the house. Katey also does a great job of posting regularly (I have no idea how she keeps coming up with this stuff!)

Here are a few ideas I can't wait to try:
Play Soups
Magnetic Flower Arranging
Magnet Letter Game
Pickle Jar Lanterns (this isn't a toddler thing but I love it!)

I highly recommend browsing her site for more fun ideas.

love this

2009-04-24T06:59:00.000-04:00

"As the psalmist said, joy cometh in the morning (Ps. 30:5, KJV), but the very anticipation invites it into our night." (Stepping Up, Beth Moore)

Not feeling the joy lately? It's coming in the morning, long for it!

book review: Elijah of Buxton

2009-04-23T07:08:00.000-04:00

My 2009 Book List gets a BIG thumbs down. Not that the books aren't good... it's just that I haven't read them!

I got half way through The Reason for God and skimmed Total Money Makeover. Does that count? I'm thinking not.

Recently though, a friend (who teaches Early Childhood Ed/Reading) lent me Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis which has won both the Newberry Medal and the Coretta Scott King Award. It's technically considered young adult fiction... a favorite genre of mine, and this book did not disappoint!

Elijah is the twelve year old, born-free, son of former slaves. His family lives in the very real community of Buxton in Southern Ontario, Canada, a town specifically for escaped and freed slaves. The book follows Elijah in his day to day life, the mishaps he gets into with his friend Cooter, time at school, and interactions with others in Buxton. Though Elijah is labeled a "fra-gile" boy, at the end of the story he realizes that love and hope and determination can overcome his fear as he helps a family of slaves who had escaped but were recaptured.

The more I think on this book the more I like it.

I really enjoyed it while I was reading, as I was laughing one minute and in tears the next. But the overarching lessons and history that this book imparts are much further reaching.

- The community of Buxton is built around the townspeople helping one another. Elijah truly is depicted with a spirit of generosity and helpfulness.

- Historically the book is very real. Curtis does not shy away from harshness or horror of slavery, but at the same time, as this is a young adult book, he handles to topic in a manner suitable for young readers

- Self-sacrifice is a theme I see throughout. Mr. Leroy's sacrifice for his family, Elijah's sacrifice to try to help the recaptured slave family, the town's sacrifice of personal wealth for the good and betterment of everyone else, etc.

I highly recommend this book to young readers and older readers alike. This would be a great book for a parent and child to read together and discuss.

WFMW- shopping list organization

2009-04-22T08:50:00.004-04:00

It's not beautiful... I'll give you that, but this system of organizing my shopping list works for me!

All I've done here is cut off the front cover of an old three ring binder, the kind that has the clear plastic pocket on the front.

On the clear plastic side I keep my price list (which I keep track of on an excel document with really small type).

I use a large pad with sticky on the top on the other side to keep my regular grocery list (for example, here I was using some prescription pad I got free somewhere).

Any stores I am using coupons at (CVS, KMart, Rite Aid, etc.) but am not buying a TON of stuff at I write the list on a small post-it note, paperclip the coupons together and stick them down in the pocket.

I usually put my small calculator and a pen in the front pocket as well.

I love having everything in one place and it's nice to have a firm surface to make additional notes on or to cross things out on my list I as I put them in the buggy... I can't shop without crossing things off... it just doesn't work.

It's not glamorous by any stretch of the imagination, but this system works for me. Check out We are THAT Family for other WFMW tips!

favorite blogs: the series

2009-04-21T13:54:00.004-04:00

In the next few weeks I'm planning to start a series highlighting my favorite blogs.

This is mainly because I have people ask me often what I read and it's helpful to say, "check out my blog I've highlighted my favorites."

Look for this series starting soon!

cloth diaper update: prefolds

2009-04-21T07:00:00.000-04:00

A while back I wrote about my experience with cloth diapers.

I then updated with my thoughts on how solid poo affected my feelings about cloth diapers.

In the past few months I decided to purchas some prefolds and covers to inexpensively increase our stash in the hopes of not using our Bum Genius diapers as much in order to prolong their lives.

I've learned that I LOVE PREFOLDS!

Who would have ever thought it?!

When we first decided to cloth diaper and I began researching all my options I was way too hesitant to try prefolds. They just seemed too complicated to me. But in some ways I have decided they are actually simpler:

- Prefolds are less bulky when traveling. Because they are flat and you don't have to have a ton of covers they fold up very nicely.

- Less laundry. Because covers don't have to be washed after every use this really cuts down on the amount of laundry.

- Prefolds dry more quickly. I hang the covers and they dry in no time on the line the prefolds themselves fluff up quickly in the dryer.

- No leaks! So far we have not had a single leak while using prefolds.

We have tried several different versions of diapers and covers and our preference at this time is:

- Chinese prefolds for day

- Kissaluvs contours for night

- Snappis to fasten

- Thirsties covers (these are by FAR my favorite)

For our next child I'll continue to add prefolds to our stash.

I only wish I knew "then" what I know now!

monday menu

2009-04-20T05:45:00.001-04:00

We're back safe and sound from a nice weekend away (albeit with allergies driving us CRAZY).

Here's the plan for this week:

Monday- hamburger helper, green peas, homemade bread (I cannot believe I am posting on the internet that I'm making hamburger helper for dinner... it was practically free with coupons awhile back)

Tuesday- tuna patties and butter/garlic green beans

Wednesday- spaghetti and marinara with shrimp, green beans and homemade italian bread with dipping sauce

Thursday- black beans and rice with corn muffins (this may change if my mom's in town as I'm not sure if she will like black beans and rice... just let me know mom!)

Friday- homemade pizza

Saturday- Refrigerator Magic or Split Pea Soup and muffins (I have been dying to try this soup so I may make it anyway and then just have lots of leftovers at the beginning of the next week)

Sunday- potluck lunch at church- I'll be taking cupcakes and possibly black beans and rice if we don't eat that on Thursday... I just found out about the potluck today so no plans are totally set yet

amazing tuna patties

2009-04-19T21:24:00.004-04:00

My aunt gave me this recipe and it has become a staple in our meal planning. Jon absolutely loves it... and so do I! Most of the ingredients are things you probably already have on hand.

1 pkg. (6 oz.) chicken flavored stuffing mix
2 can tuna, drained and flaked
1 cup shredded cheddar (I usually cut this back a tad)
1/2 cup shredded carrots
1/3 cup mayo
2 Tbls. sweet relish
3/4 cup water

Mix all. Cover and refrigerate for at least 10 minutes. Using about 1/3 cup of mixture make into patties. Fry on a skillet over medium heat (spray pan with cooking spray! as they easily stick). Cook about 3 minutes on each side. Serve immediately.

A few thoughts:

- You can also use chicken for this recipe (my mom made this and used one chicken breast to make the recipe)

- This mix up great in a stand mixer and that is much less messy. Otherwise it is helpful to mix with your hands.

- Since the mix has to sit in the fridge for at least 10 minutes this means you can easily mix all this up early in the day when it is convenient and let it set in the fridge until time to cook them up at dinner. Very handy.

- All of these ingredients can be found at Aldi (that makes it an A+ recipe in my book!)

WFMW- "homemade" salsa

2009-04-14T21:38:00.005-04:00

In my mind it is impossible to beat homemade salsa... but if the tomatoes aren't super ripe it's no good, so for us it's usually not an option except in the summer. It's also somewhat of an ordeal to dice all the ingredients. This recipe is a great compromise between fresh homemade salsa and store-bought.

Our friends the Snipes brought this to our Mexican-style Easter lunch on Sunday and it was a huge hit. They were gracious enough to leave us a bowl of the leftovers... but I forgot to snap a picture until after it was all gone! It's just that good.

1 can Rotel

1 can italian style diced tomatoes

finely diced onion (to taste)

minced garlic (to taste)

salt (recommend going light on the salt and tasting before adding too much)

That's it. Seriously... that's all there is to it!

Since I'm a self-proclaimed Aldi-aholic and I don't believe they carry the italian style diced tomatoes I will probably try to make this with regular diced tomatoes and add some basil, oregano, italian seasoning, etc. It's at least worth a try.

Check out We are THAT Family for more Works for me Wednesday tips.

monday menu

2009-04-13T06:45:00.000-04:00

This is somewhat of a short week for us as we'll be heading out of town on Thursday.

Monday- leftover chicken enchiladas from Easter lunch (yes we had Mexican food for Easter)

Tuesday- $2 burritos from Moe's ***

Wednesday- pancakes and bacon

Thursday through Sunday we'll be out of town- we're taking White Chicken Chili, Herb Sticks and Cinnamon Rolls to contribute for the weekend.

*** Yes folks... Moe's has $2 burritos one Tuesday each month! Even the "Homewrecker"... the most massive burrito ever... is only two bucks. It comes with chips and salsa. Check with your local store to see if they offer a deal like this!!! It makes a quick weeknight dinner or a cheap date night!***

free Easter basket

2009-04-10T13:36:00.012-04:00

Yes I know the picture is sideways... anyone have ideas on how to fix this?!?!

It's possible to go all out for Easter baskets. I remember a friend in high school who got a new pair of (name brand) jeans for Easter one year. I was jealous. Now I'm just confused... I mean seriously... even if you roll them up real tight jeans can't even fit in an Easter basket!

Since Easter is most definitely not about the basket or the candy or the bunny we wanted to make sure that was not our focus so we're keeping the gifts simple... and in that we are also keeping it free.

The basket was mine when I was little. The "grass" is cut up tissue paper (I'm thinking she'll find this part most intriguing). As participants over at Paperback Swap I found two new to us board books (Runaway Bunny and Good Dog, Carl). Then I used some of a leftover giftcard at Belk to buy a pack of ruffly socks (which I already have determined are probably going to be exchanged for a bigger size).

Most importantly we're looking forward to talking to Baby Girl (even though she won't have a clue at this point what we're saying) about the real gift of Easter, the risen Christ!

Easter lunch

2009-04-10T09:51:00.007-04:00

Since we saw my family last weekend and will see Jon's next we are opting for Easter at home this year which I must say I'm looking forward to.

For a while I debated cooking a huge, traditional Easter lunch... ham and all. Then I looked at the food budget and quickly changed gears. Here are our plans for a simple Easter lunch.

We're having three other couples over after church to celebrate with us. We're eating.... drumroll please... enchiladas. Yes folks, we're having a Mexican themed Easter lunch. I'll be cooking two kinds, chicken and bean. One couple is bringing a salad, another an appetizer and another dessert. I'll probably cook up some rice and beans as an extra side.

I borrowed a table cloth and napkins in a pretty springy blue last weekend and for a centerpiece will use my hurricane filled with hand-sewn eggs my Mom has made for me over the years.

It's simple, it's frugal, I'm using a lot of what I have on hand and am not being shy to ask guests to bring a dish to share.

More importantly by not messing with the fuss of a huge meal we can spend the day focusing on what really matters, celebrating the risen Christ!

Check back later to see the free Easter basket I am creating for my daughter and head over to Life as Mom for more Frugal Friday tips!

WFMW- best rolls EVER

2009-04-08T07:11:00.005-04:00

Sure they have an "official" name... but for our purposes they are... the best rolls EVER (don't forget to capitalize).

This recipe comes from a long time family friend (and I'm wondering why I just found out about it this weekend!!).

My favorite part is that the dough is refrigerated and you can pinch off just what you need to use each night. What a great way to have hot bread with dinner that I didn't have to actually make that day. Okay... maybe my favorite part is how yummy they are too.

Have I talked these up too much. Just try them for yourself. (Sorry there are no pictures of the finished product... they were eaten... by someone).

2 (1/4 oz) envelopes active dry yeast (or 2 Tbls.)

1 c. warm water

1 c. shortening (I didn't say they were good for you... they just taste good!)

1 c. sugar (see note above)

1 tsp. salt

1 c. boiling water

2 eggs

6 c. AP flour

Combine yeast and warm water in 2 c. liquid measuring cup; let stand 5 minutes.

Place shortening, sugar and salt in mixing bowl. Add boiling water; beat at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Add eggs and yeast mixture, beating at low speed until blended; gradually beat in flour. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Shape into 1 inch balls; place 3 balls in each greased muffin cup. (I used a little flour on the counter and my hands while doing this).

Cover and let rise in warm place, free from drafts, 45 minutes or until doubled in size. (I let mine rise several hours)

Bake at 350 for 12 minutes or until lightly browned (don't let them get too brown and crispy! They should be very soft.)

Eat. Preferrably with butter... lots of butter.

Check out We are THAT Family for more Works for Me Wednesday tips!!

Or look at my previous Wednesday Works ideas.

do it yourself

2009-04-03T07:00:00.000-04:00

My frugal lesson for the week is DIY (Do It Yourself!). We recently discovered that our car's left rear brake light AND turn signal were out. Jon was busy with work and classes all week and wasn't going to have a good chance to look into it and I really wanted to relieve him of the burden to do so.... so I tackled the car issue myself!

At first thought I reasoned... it must be a short... if it's BOTH lights they wouldn't have both burned out at once, right? I called our mechanic (who is exceptional and very honest) who recommended trying to replace the bulb first on my own before bringing it in to the shop. It would be easier and cheaper they said...

Off to the autoparts store. I walked in... baby on hip... and explained my problem. They looked up what kind of bulb our car required in the computer... and the grand total was $6.09! News to me that the turn signal and the brake light are the same bulb! I also got them to show me which screws to undo to get to the old bulb.

Later that day Baby Girl and I trekked out to the car (we live on a college campus and don't have parking close by). I sat her on a blanket in the back so she could watch me while I worked.

I must say... it was rather anticlimatic. Within a few mintues it was fixed! Just like that!

Jon was thrilled and I have so much more confidence now to try fixing things on my own that I previously may not have tackled.

This post is in conjunction with Frugal Friday over at Life as Mom. Check out Jessica's blog for more Frugal tips and to share tips of your own!

happenstance recycling

2009-04-02T10:34:00.004-04:00

Here's my Thrifty Green Thursday tip for the week. Check out Green Baby Guide for more tips!

At first glance "happenstance" recycling might not seem very green... we should be intentional about recycling! We do that too... don't fret... but we also recycle by chance.

We don't buy canned sodas in our house. Ever. We drink them occasionally when we're out but we don't buy them.

We have realized however that lots of other people buy them and leave their cans random places. Such as the ground, the trash, in bushes, etc.

So whenever we're out we just keep our eyes open. We pick up a can here and a can there and bring them home, crush them and put them in a bin. It takes a long time to fill up the bin, but we're not in any rush.

Once the bin is full we take it to our local recycling center where it's contents usually net us around 4 bucks... that's the thrifty part. (So after one and a half bins it pays for one meal at our local Japanese express place.)

The tortoise or the hare? We're definitely the tortoise but we're doing our part.

take a look

2009-03-14T13:42:00.002-04:00

While I'm taking a brief blogging hiatus... which should really start within the next hour or so after Jon gets off work... feel free to browse this website, Lindsay Lane.

A friend of mine from college has her own line of stationary, invitations, announcements, etc. They are super original and she has a great selection!

Enjoy!

hitting the trail

2009-03-13T16:22:00.004-04:00

I've invented the best trail mix ever! Before I go tooting my own horn too much... I must admit it was completely an accident.

We recently did Sav Mor where I stocked up on tons of dark chocolate chips and craisins. Then Jon has ended up with lots of odd packages of snack foods through his work. I felt like some trail mix so I used what we had:

Craisins

Dark chocolate chips

Pretzels

Peanuts

Sunflower seeds

Addictive! I'm eating some right now actually.

This new recipe is especially timely as we're hitting the trail for vacation tomorrow. Don't expect too many posts this week!

wfmw- 10 minutes.... or 15

2009-03-11T11:51:00.003-04:00

I had heardof this before but never tried it. Today I did and it is amazing... it WORKS!!

Recently I've taken up smocking, my first project is Baby Girl's Easter dress. And I really wanted to smock this morning... but there were lots of little things that needed to be done.

So I set my kitchen timer for 10 minutes and got quickly to work. It is amazing what you can do in 10 minutes when you set your mind to it!

1. Fed my bread starter.

2. Washed a few dishes.

3. Wiped out the sink.

4. Folded a load of laundry.

THEN.... I was so motivated by what I got done I set the timer for another 5 minutes and I...

5. Put away the folded laundry.

6. Stuck a few things in the suitcases for our upcoming trip.

7. Emptied the bathroom trash.

8. Went to the bathroom (sorry if tmi)

9. Dried the dishes... well... I had two things left when the timer went off... so it took more like 5 minutes and 30 seconds.

10. While I was running back and forth doing all this I did some general pick up of a few things that were lying around.

WOW! I am so impressed with myself! Now I can happily sit down and smock without feeling guilty for leaving things undone around the house.

I think I could become quite competitive with myself.

What works for you? Check out Works for Me Wednesday at We Are THAT Family for more great tips and to post your own ideas!

just ask

2009-03-06T09:17:00.004-05:00

Here's my latest and greatest frugal knowledge to pass on.

Ask.... just ask.

I will give you two scenarios to illustrate.

#1- I was buying a bag of coffee beans at Dunkin Donuts. As the cashier rang up the bag I jokingly said, "Hey, want to a throw a free donut in with that?" She said, "Sure what kind do you want." Free donut... so yummy!

#2- Jon threw away the charger for his bluetooth... yes I did say threw away. He asked me to call about getting a new one. When the operator asked what happened to the charger and I told him it had been thrown away, he didn't even hesitate, "One moment and I'll get your address to send you a new one." This sounded like a scam to me, "How much is that going to cost?" I queried. "It's free of charge, this time only." (in other words don't throw away useful electronic pieces in the future) Free charger... Jon is so happy!

I'm not saying we should try to mooch off of people all the time and beg for free stuff, but sometimes just asking can help you save.

For more Frugal Friday tips head over to Biblical Womanhood.

wfmw- pretty packages

2009-02-28T20:06:00.006-05:00

This is for the Greatest Tip Edition of Works for Me Wednesdays, hosted by We Are THAT Family.

I don't know that this is my greatest tip ever... but my greatest tips are things like....

- Don't spend what you don't have.

- Make your own chicken stock.

- Homemade laundry detergent.

These are the sort of things that everyone does. I'm hoping while this isn't the greatest, it's at least different and sort of great.

I always struggle when sending a gift in the mail.

Do I wrap in cute paper and then wrap in brown paper?

That seems like so much extra packaging and sort of blah...

Here's my new thing.

I took a large leftover gift bag from when Baby Girl was born (we have oodles of cute bags) and I cut off the bottom and the top edge with the handles. This left me with a large rectangular piece of bag. I folded the bag in half and used a zigzag stitch on my machine to sew up three sides, including the end that was folded in half.

I addressed the envelope while flat, put the gifts inside and then taped up the other end. If it wasn't too full I probably would have tried to sew the 4th side just to make it look cuter, but it worked out just fine.

To me this is a festive way to reuse old gift bags and send something fun in the mail!

monday menu

2009-02-28T19:59:00.003-05:00

Here is this week's plan:

Monday- Refrigerator Magic (Jon has class this night so I usually aim for leftovers here)

Tuesday- Turkey burgers and baked beans (beans are in the freezer)

Wednesday- jambalaya with sausage and corn muffins (the jambalaya is from the Sav Mor sale last weekend!!!!)

Thursday- Refrigerator Magic (another class night!)

Friday- Fellowship Dinner- we're taking homemade italian bread with olive oil for dipping and a dessert... maybe a pound cake with blueberry sauce if I'm up to it

Saturday- homemade pizza and carrot sticks

Sunday- oatmeal pancakes and bacon

Head over to Organizing Junkie for more menus!

bowl shower caps

2009-02-26T14:56:00.000-05:00

Upon opening my stocking this past Christmas I saw some plastic things with elastic. "Ohh, a shower cap?!" I said. (I actually sort of needed one of those for those days when there is no time to wash my hair.) My mom laughed.... not a shower cap, these were reusable bowl covers. "Ahh," I said, "interesting..."

Despite my initial skepticism...

These things rock!

They come in a set of 6 different sizes and work just like... well... just like a shower cap.

I literally use them at least once a day and it has been great not to fall back to saran wrap every time I turn around. The picture shows my veggies and broth which I prepped early in the day for chicken pot pie covered in their cute "caps" and ready to go.

For other thrifty green tips check out the Green Baby Guide's Thrifty Green Thursday.

we did Sav Mor

2009-02-23T18:44:00.004-05:00

I finally did it! There was a Sav Mor sidewalk sale this past weekend and I made it up to Greenville to go with my sister Rebekah. Our Mom and Dad were in town spending the night with her so they came along for the exicitement and to help out.

It was an overwhelming experience.

The sign on the way in warning that Sav Mor was not responsible for any injuries incurred definitely set the tone.

We arrived at 8:30am and were already late. There were rows upon rows of boxes of food and people were already two and three deep all the way around waiting. We grabbed our banana boxes and scouted out a good place to wait.

While we waited I listened. Lots of people were talking strategy, "Are you going for that box of granola bars?" "No?, okay great, thanks" and "You go and grab that box and bring it to the side and we'll sort through." It was intense.

At 9:00am instructions were given and a whistle was blown.

I felt like a chicken with my head cut off! There were people running everywhere! I managed to get a lot in my box and made it to the side where I left my box with my mom, sorted through the box my dad had gotten and then I headed back into the fray for more goods.

I paid $7 on the way out and was back in the car on my way out of the parking lot by 9:15am. That was fast.

Rebekah and I headed to her house where we unloaded the food. (the picture is of both of our boxes) We sorted and divided things up. It definitely helped to go with someone so that we each got multiples of items and then were able to share with each other.

I think I'm most excited about the Hershey's dark chocolate chips which I more than likely will just eat plain when I need a chocolate fix.

I'll definitely try this again, though every other week would make my pantry explode!

the poop is real

2009-02-19T09:07:00.006-05:00

Solid foods change everything!

A little while back I wrote a glowing review of my love for cloth diapers and how they work so well for us and I skipped and sang and wrote poetry about my wonderful bumGenius friends.....

Then Baby Girl tried carrots. "It" was orange. The she tried sweet potatoes, and avocado and peas and "it" got worse.

There have been a couple of diaper changes where I have literally said out loud, "What was I thinking?!?!"

A friend had mentioned using Viva paper towels (they're so soft they're almost clothlike) as a liner in the diaper and then flushing the residual "stuff." Last night (while watching LOST) I cut a whole roll in half and now have a neat stack of liners.

We'll see if this changes anything. Right now I am tempted to breastfeed exclusively until she is potty trained.

I might spend some time swagbucking some info on what to do about this unfortunate turn of events. Though I should probably just be thankful that everything is still moving on through.

I've posted this on the Thrifty Green Thursday carnival over at Green Baby Guide because I need help from some other cloth diapering mamas!! Any tips?!?!

this is super helpful!

2009-02-19T09:02:00.004-05:00

Look what I just found HERE!

It's the schedule of coupon inserts for the whole year! For those of us that buy Sunday papers from the little metal boxes this is really helpful.

Maybe you've seen this already, but it was new to me.

If only I had found this out before buying this past Sunday's paper which had no inserts. *sigh*

roasted cauliflower recipe

2009-02-13T14:58:00.004-05:00

A friend recently gave me this recipe and we tried it the other night.

I loved it! Jon wasn't so sure about it going into it, "I don't know that I prefer cauliflower..." were his exact words, but he ended up giving me the go ahead to make it again (which is good b/c I think one head of cauliflower will last the two of us 3 more meals!)

Here it is:

Preheat oven to 425.

Paint a jelly roll pan with olive oil. Slice cauliflower in 1/4 inch thick slices and place on pan in single layer.

Drizzle with remainder of 1 Tbsp. of olive oil (if you're only doing part of a head of cauliflower you won't need this much oil).

Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. of salt (we used ground sea salt) and 1/4 tep. of fresh ground pepper.

Bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes. (I think ours went 20 minutes but our oven cooks a little hot).

This was a great new/different side dish for us that is healthy to boot!

baby girl's new playpen- wfmw

2009-02-11T08:37:00.004-05:00

My daughter is 6 months old and she is not quite sitting up totally on her own yet. I mean... she sits on her own but then she will randomly decide to arch her back and throw her head backwards. That's Challenge #1. She spends a lot of time on the floor surrounded by the boppy or pillows.

Enter Challenge #2... any toys I put on the floor for her to play with she inevitably pushes away from herself and then falls over trying to get to them.

I accidentally stumbled across this fantastic idea.

Nice, huh? It keeps her sitting up and keeps her toys right within her reach! It won't last for much longer but it works for me right now.

Caution: I have now learned that if she's barefoot her toes can kind of get caught in the holes so a blanket over the holes is helpful in that situation.

For more tips check out Works for Me Wednesday over at Rocks in my Dryer.

My 2009 Book List

2009-02-02T14:48:00.003-05:00

I have been inspired by Passionate Homemaking to plan out what books I hope to read this year in an effort to hold myself accountable to getting this done! (I've also stolen a few books from her list which sounded excellent.) In no particular order, here is my list:

Non-fiction

The Hidden Art of Homemaking- Edith Schaeffer

Homeschooling: The Early Years- Linda Dobson (yes I know my daughter is only 6 months old, this is something we're considering and I'm curious!)

Teach them Diligently- Louis Priolo

The Prodigal God- Tim Keller

The Reason for God- Tim Keller

Serve God, Save the Planet- Matthew Sleeth

Total Money Makeover- Dave Ramsey (I've been meaning to read this for months, now that it's on the list I guess I have to do it!)

Fiction

Eragon- Christopher Paolini

The Octavian Nothing Books I and II- M.T. Anderson

The Jane Austen Book Club- Karen Fowler

Possibly a few Laura Ingalls Wilder or L.M. Montgomery books

(If you can't tell I love kids/young adult fiction... I realized that other day that a lot of the fiction books I have gotten recently are things I either read for the first time in middle school or should have read around that age: The Hatchet books, Narnia series, Dark is Rising series, Holes, etc....)

I'll try to post a review as I finish each book.

First up.... The Reason for God.

monday menu: short week

2009-02-02T11:33:00.004-05:00

Jon is off to a conference and Baby Girl and I are headed to my parents' house later this week so this is a short week of meals. Here goes:

Monday- sloppy joes and leftover cabbage/ramen salad- this is a big deal for me... I have hardly eaten any tomatoe based foods since I realized it made Baby Girl spit up more. But she's 6 months old now and we're just going to give it a whirl and she how she handles it. I am praying she does well... for her sake... and b/c not cooking with tomatoes cuts out a lot of possible foods!!

Tuesday- Whatever Soup and homemade bread... literally... whatever I throw in it is what we'll eat.

Wednesday- Refrigerator Magic- aka clean out the fridge

Thursday- I'm out of town and Jon will do further Refrigerator Magic or eat whatever he scrounges up... I know, I know, I'm a horrible wife to not leave him a well-balanced meal in the freezer to eat while I'm gone... but seriously... this man LOVES Refrigerator Magic and tells me so EVERYtime we clean out the fridge. If you know him in real life you understand this completely!

Friday- we're both out of town

Saturday- still gone

Sunday- as we'll just be getting back we'll probably have egg sandwiches and grits for dinner.

Sorry for the boring week! I promise more excitement next week!

baby gift tutorial

2009-01-30T09:41:00.007-05:00

I noticed that Baby Girl liked to play with the tags on toys, often more than the toys themselves. I mentioned this and my Aunt Kay (who is herself a super crafty and frugal gourmet) said she had seen ribbons sewed and looped around a bit of fleece and how cute it was.

Using some remnants of fleece, scraps of ribbon (and scavenging some ribbon scraps from my mom as well) and some advice from my mom (as I have very limited sewing experience)... this is what we came up with. I made one for Baby Girl and then wrote this tutorial as I made the second one for a gift.

I love that this is a personal gift that is creative and that (potentially) is free if you have the fabric and ribbon on hand.

Step 1: Cut out two pieces of fleece. Mine was about 10"x13" (it doesn't have to be any exact size)

Step 2: Select some bits of ribbon that you like. About a dozen is what I used. Cut them all to roughly 6 inches in length. (again this is not exact)

Step 3: Lay one piece of fleece right side up. Lay your ribbons out where you want them then pin them with the loop facing to the inside. Then go back and baste the ribbons in place.

Step 4: Lay the other piece of fleece on top (right side down) and pin the two together.

Step 5: Sew around the edges being sure to leave a space of 4-5 inches open so that you can turn it right side out. Since my space was over one of the ribbons I sewed the ribbon to one side only so that it would stay in place when I flipped it. After sewing, trim all the loose ends of ribbon, the edges and cut the corners at an angle.

Step 6: Flip it right side out. Pull the corners out. Use a needle and thread to close up the opening. I just whip stitched it closed (thankfully fleece is kind of fluffy so it's very forgiving if your stitches aren't pretty- like mine!).

Step 7: Sew once again around the edge of the blankie to give it a finished look and so it will lay flat.
That's it! Told you it was easy.

Any ideas for names for this little creation?

If you have a machine or want to put some money into this it would be cute to get one piece of fleece monogrammed before piecing this together and would look very professional.

For more frugal ideas check out Frugal Friday over at Biblical Womanhood!

the wylie home: my kitchen rug

2009-01-25T19:17:00.004-05:00

Welcome Back to my home!

Here is something else about my home that I really love and appreciate... my kitchen rug.

We bought this rug at Tuesday Morning about... 3 years ago. When we bought it, it wasn't anything special, just a neutral color rug to go in front of our kitchen sink.

You can't really tell from the picture, but it's made of a loopy cotton thick yarn type of stuff. Right when it comes out of the dryer I could honestly stand on this rug and wash dishes all day (shh... don't tell!).

It really is the little things that we can be thankful for that bring comfort every day.

monday menu

2009-01-25T18:58:00.004-05:00

Here we go... This is my menu plan for the week.

I also have to give a shout-out to a meal we made this past week (that I didn't post the plan for)- turkey burgers. They were fantastic, Jon couldn't get over the fact that there was hardly any fat in the pan after we fried them. It's nice to feel healthy while eating a burger!

Monday- unfried chinese rice, homemade bread, celery sticks with peanut butter. This was a hit from a couple weeks ago, so we'll try it again!

Tuesday- out to dinner with a gift card! Hooray! Mom is in town to watch Baby Girl :o)

Wednesday- I'm almost scared to admit this... we're having fried chicken piece things... ugh... I'm not looking forward to this actually. We bought an Angel Food Ministries Food Box a while back, mainly to see if the food was worth the money- it wasn't. It included breaded dark meat chicken chunks that are supposed to be deep fried. I can't figure out if it's safe to bake them or not!!! But we're not about to let food go to waste... so we'll see....

Thursday- egyptian rice and lentils, homemade bread and green peas

Friday- potluck with friends from church- it's a Mexican theme and we're taking taco salad

Saturday- leftovers

Sunday- this is still TBD... we're having another potluck for lunch with our Sunday School class. The way those usually go we may just have a bowl of cereal for dinner!

Check out orgjunkie for more menu plans!

exercising at home

2009-01-23T09:19:00.006-05:00

After Baby Girl was born (almost 6 months ago) I kept thinking about getting back into exercising... thinking is the operative word there. We walked a good bit, but then it got cold and one or both of us would have the sniffles and the timing just wasn't right... can you tell I'm good at coming up with excuses?

The gym on-campus is actually very reasonable, but that's just not a luxury we're willing to pay for right now.

My solution has been fitness DVDs.

I checked a few out from the library, I dug out a pilates one from a drawer, I borrowed from friends.

Here is what I like about this exercise option:

1. The variety keeps things interesting and has helped me figure out what I do and don't enjoy.

2. I can exercise in my pj's.

3. My living room is never crowded with people trying to use different machines.

4. Baby Girl can nap or play in the exersaucer while I get fit.

5. Occasionally one might be able to convince one's husband to participate in something like Fit Pregnancy: Get your body back after baby, if one's husband is a very good sport and very sure in his manhood.

6. It's cheap! I have yet to buy a DVD (save the pilates one I bought several years ago).

For other frugal tips check out Frugal Friday over at Biblical Womanhood.

politics...

2009-01-21T13:03:00.005-05:00

I'm not much of a political type person at all... I mean AT ALL. I just get really frustrated and cynical about the whole process: the hateful ads on both sides, the empty rhetoric, the enormous amounts of money that are spent on ridiculous things, and the way the pendulum swings back and forth... no one is ever happy.

However, given yesterday's events I feel that I can't go without commenting.

First off let me say clearly that I did NOT vote for Barack Obama, I will never support a candidate that is pro-abortion (check this blog post out- by Randy Alcorn, an author I really like).

Yesterday though, was an historic event. I count it a blessing that we live in a country where the transfer of power happens so smoothly and democracy is so clearly evident. I think it's wonderful that we now have an African-American president (though I would have preferred someone a bit more... conservative).

Here's my problem:

To many, to most perhaps, the chanting crowds yesterday in Washington were inspiring. To me... they were terrifying. I have never so clearly seen a people, a nation, so evidently hanging all their hopes on the shoulders of one man... and he is that... a mere man.

What will happen when he fails?... and fail he will... we all do.

What will happen when the economy continues to suffer?

What will happen when dreams aren't fully realized?

My only hope and prayer is that this hope that is now so misplaced will turn to the only One who is worthy of a nation's hope and trust.

"O Israel, hope in the LORD; For with the LORD there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption." Psalm 130:7

cheap nasal decongestant

2009-01-16T09:02:00.003-05:00

So I've been sick lately... ugh...

Medicine costs can really add up which makes being sick costly, on top of feeling bad!

Yesterday though, I made a discovery... Aldi sells medicine. I usually skip that aisle in Aldi because I get most toiletries for free at CVS, but yesterday was a different story.

I found the nasal decongestant... "compare to Sudafed PE, 18 tablets, active ingredient: 10 mg of phenyl blah blah" Yep... this was the same stuff that I had bought at Bi-Lo several days before and paid $4.19 for their generic. But no price was listed here at Aldi... I wondered how it would compare.

At the register I had the check-out lady check the price for me... $1.79... WHAT?!?!

I will never buy medicine anywhere else... AMAZING!

Check out Biblical Womanhood for more Frugal Friday tips.

the wylie home: small whisk bowl

2009-01-15T09:52:00.004-05:00

I love pottery. When I was little my mom collected it and I remember thinking... "yeah, yeah... pottery... who cares..."

Now I am a collector myself. I love the varied colors and imperfections and uniqueness of it! By far, my favorite piece is this small whisk bowl that I received from my mom at a wedding shower.

This bowl is perfect for:

- beating an egg or two for scrambled eggs

- making sauces (like cheese sauce for broccoli)

- melting butter

- mixing dressings

- and mixing any other small amount of anything!

I use it several times a week. (and if this says anything, when I told Jon about this series I was doing this was the first item he recommended... he loves it too!)

Everytime I wash it I get to read on the bottom where my mom wrote, "I love you Emily! MOM 7/15/2005" That's probably the best part about it!

Take a moment today and appreciate something small that you love to use in your home.

settlers- wfmw

2009-01-14T08:43:00.000-05:00

Board games definitely work for me....and....this game ROCKS!

Jon and I were introduced to Settlers of Catan (aka, "Settlers") 3 years ago when we were living in VA. We have been playing it ever since.

Settlers is a German-made game and has won both the German and US Awards for board game of the year (1995 and 1996). The game has actually been around a while but is just now really gaining in popularity.

It is a little complicated so it helps to have someone who has played before explain it to you, rather than just trying to read the instructions.

In a nutshell this is how it works:

1. The goal is to be the first one to get 10 points.

2. You get points by building settlements, cities and doing a few other things.

3. You build things by collecting "resource" cards (wheat, sheep, wood, brick, ore)

4. You have a chance to get resources every time each player rolls the dice.

5. You can trade resources with other players (this can get intense!)

6. There are lots of other aspects to the game: ports, the robber, development cards.... etc.

My advice is to ask around, as I'm pretty sure you could find someone who has the game and could try it out.

Check out Rocks in my Dryer for more Works for me Wednesday tips.

we eat weird

2009-01-08T20:09:00.008-05:00

Believe me, we have never been the type to eat out multiple times a week (we're more the once a month kind of folks), but within the confines of Wal-Mart and Kroger we didn't limit ourselves too much when it came to food.

If we felt like having guacamole then we made it, even if avocadoes cost $1.19 each.

If we (okay, okay if I) wanted ice cream, I bought the flavor I wanted, even if it wasn't on sale.

If we wanted meat with a meal, we had meat with the meal.

Etc, etc. We just weren't super careful.

Then our budget situation changed drastically (but that's another story) and we had to reevaluate.

So now we eat... well... weird.

1. We eat what we have. I am slowly but surely learning the art of "creating" food.

2. We eat random meals. If we have carrots and pizza and cold cereal then that's what we eat. (Okay, that's exaggerating a bit... we're not that weird! We did do french fries and cereal one night though... that was pre-baby and we're trying to be healthier now)

3. We're not picky. I am so thankful to have a husband who is truly happy to eat pretty much anything. This makes me more willing to try things out and use what we have.

4. We shop better than we used to... Aldi, sales, coupons... you probably do all that too.

5. We take whatever we can get for free. Case in point- Jon's work had a deli bring in sandwiches for lunch and they brought in sliced onions (which no one ate). They were going to trash them but Jon brought them home a whole big styrofoam takeout container of them. We sauteed them in a little seasoned salt and put them on nachos with cheese and a can of diced tomatoes... they were fantastic!

It works for us and it certainly is frugal.

For more frugal tips check out Biblical Womanhood's Frugal Fridays.

capital one

2009-01-07T15:00:00.000-05:00

No I'm not being paid for this... well actually sort of I am... not paid to blog about a credit card company, but... go ahead, just read about it.

We really like our Capital One credit card!!!

We don't belong to the club that pays cash for everything... we're the ones who use our credit card for everything. But before you pass out or leave me a mean comment... let me explain.

Our Capital One card gives us 1% cash back on most purchases and 5% on a few others. That means for every $100 we spend we get $1. That may not sound like much, but when you pay for everything on the card it adds up... roughly to about $200 per year, give or take.

To increase this number we have both been known to pay for business expenses on our card and then wait for reimbursement (as long as we have the money to cover the immediate charge, of course!), simply because we can get cash back.

We completely pay off our credit card each month so we never pay interest. That means the Capital One folks actually pay us to use their card.

Some folks I have talked to who use a certain cash only plan (which will remain nameless), don't understand how this works. One well-meaning lady informed me that I must be confused because credit card companies are evil and would never give money away and I really should switch to a cash only system. She was sure I was somehow being scammed.

I don't spend what I don't have, I save, I am not in debt and I get paid to make everyday purchases... that works for me!

Check out Rocks in My Dryer for more Works for Me Wednesday tips.

** Disclaimer: I am fully aware that some people find credit cards to be a stumbling block to their spending habits. You know yourself, a cashback card doesn't matter if you don't pay it off each month. **

the wylie home: exersaucer

2009-01-06T14:12:00.007-05:00

While I was planning to include this item in my series on things I love and appreciate in my home, I didn't intend for it to have the place of honor as the first post... until today.

Today I learned something... mommies don't get to take sick days.

I am battling a nasty cold which has me more exhausted than anything else. So now, more than ever, I appreciate our exersaucer. Baby Girl has lived in this thing for the past day and half.

I got this at a consignment sale for $20 and it has already been worth every penny. I love that Baby Girl can entertain herself sitting in it and she really gets into all the toys. I can also pull this into the kitchen when I cook, or over near the sofa if I'm folding clothes.

So right now, especially, the exersaucer is one of my favorite things in the wylie home!

monday menu- the i'm sick and surviving version

2009-01-05T13:54:00.005-05:00

I had high hopes... I always have high hopes and last night they came crashing down around me when I finally caught the nasty cold Jon has had for the past several days. So now... just take a gander at 3 slow cooker meals in one week! If that doesn't make it easy on me I don't know what will.

On a totally random aside I was super excited to find this blog- A Year of Crockpotting. I'm not ready to use my slow cooker for 365 days straight, but the recipes look good and are well organized.

Monday- Jon has to work, I'm eating whatever I feel like, probably a smoothie, an egg sandwich and an apple with peanut butter

Tuesday- Egyptian lentils and rice in the slow cooker with cooked carrots and homemade bread (this is a new recipe, I'll post it if it's good)

Wednesday- French toast and bacon

Thursday- Emily's Special Soup (i.e. whatever I throw in the slow cooker that sounds good to me... so far this has worked out well... though I realize one day disaster could strike) and homemade bread.

Friday- Leftovers

Saturday- My family will be in town to celebrate Christmas since we haven't had a chance to get together with them due to our different kind of Christmas. We're going out somewhere!

Sunday- This is a toss up... we might still be eating leftovers, if they're all gone I'll probably try another new recipe- Unfried Chinese Rice in the slow cooker with all sorts of bits of stuff in it.

new year, new series

2009-01-02T09:08:00.010-05:00

I have been mulling over this series for a while and am excited to finally start posting.

Welcome to.... the wylie home

I live everyday in my home.

Some days I only leave these walls for a walk, other days I don't make it outside at all. When I look around I realize that everything I have surrounding me each day is here for a reason.

I want to be thankful.

This series focuses on the things in my home that I love. Please know that my emphasis is not on having stuff, but on appreciating the small blessings of everyday items in my home.

Each post will focus on one item, or maybe even an "idea," that is part of my home and I'll tell you what I appreciate about it and/or how it blesses me or helps me in my daily life.

More than anything this is a great way for me to reflect on appreciating my home and the blessings I have instead of feeling the pressure and urge from society to buy and do and have more.

No promises on how often I'll post, I'm planning to take this as it comes.

A word about my logo... this is our cat Finn hanging out in a box while we were packing to move last year. He's probably one of my favorite "things" in our home

so he gets the place of honor on the logo!

green goals in 2009

2009-01-01T20:23:00.004-05:00

I was encouraged by this post over at Green Baby Guide to formalize my greening goals for the coming year. These are things I have been thinking about and working towards for a while, but there's something to be said for putting this all into writing.

Some of these things may seem very common sense, but I'm recording them more for my own reference than anything else.

1. Switch to eco-friendly (and kid and pet friendly) household cleaners. I'm using up my stash of the nasty stuff now (I can't waste it!) and will use this post to make my own when they're gone.

2. Walk and use the bus more. Once the weather warms up we'll walk to church, but I also plan to start using the bus for visits to the library and for grocery store runs for just a few items.

3. Buy used. We're going to do a better job frequenting thrift shops and craigslist for needed items.

4. Use the dishwasher and don't pre-rinse! I am bad about rinsing before I put in the dishwasher and that wastes a ton of water! Since I feel the need to pre-clean just a little, I'll run a cup of water and use that water to lightly clean dishes before putting them in the dishwasher. It's a compromise.

5. Be intentional. This is really vague... but I really just want to be more thoughtful about everything that I do. Like really thinking before I throw things away if there are other possible uses and being more creative in how I live to reduce my mark on the environment.

We'll see how it goes...

a different kind of Christmas

2008-12-30T21:01:00.006-05:00

I've been absent from the blogging world going on almost 2 weeks now.

While we were planning to leave on the 19th for the Christmas holidays with both of our families our plans were changed by a phone call from Jon's mom on the 17th. His dad, who has been battling cancer for over 4 years was in the ICU.

We left the next day.

After lots of prayers, and waiting, and ups and downs and not knowing... Jon's dad passed away on Christmas Day.

We like to think that he made it in time for the Big Birthday Celebration in heaven.

The past week and a half has radically changed my perspective on Christmas. Tradition has always been really important to me. I love the sights and smells and tastes of Christmas... the very feel of the season brings me such joy.

But I've realized there is a big difference in feeling like it's Christmas

and knowing that it's Christmas.

It's just as much Christmas when you're home as when you're in the hospital,

just as much when you're laughing as when you're crying,

just as much when you're together as when you're alone,

and really... when I think about it... it's just as much Christmas on December 25th as it is on October 14th and February 3rd and July 8th and August 29th....... because we're not celebrating the tradition or the sights and smells and tastes, we're celebrating the Person.

And He is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow.

Merry Christmas friends.

variety with sourdough starter

2008-12-17T09:33:00.006-05:00

My MIL gave me some sourdough starter which I was at first reluctant to keep up with.

However, I love it!! I've learned that it can be used in lots of different ways and the bread makes great gifts.

You have to have a sourdough starter to use these (I have never actually made the starter before) but ask around and there's a good chance someone you know knows someone who has an aunt who has some starter they could share.

This is what I do with it:

1. I don't follow the instructions to feed the starter every 2-3 days. I have waited up to two weeks to feed it and it's been fine. This is very freeing!

2. I have made muffins with the dough. Put a little blob in your muffins tins and they rise faster and cook faster than the bread. These freeze great and it's easy to pull out a few for dinner for the two of us.

3. Gifts- folks really seems to like this bread. I make big loaves and mini loaves to give away to people at different times. It's a big hit and shh... easy and inexpensive!

4. Cinnamon Rolls- this is my big triumph in the area of sourdough bread. I made these last Saturday and not to toot my own horn, but they are amazing! Jon agrees and he doesn't usually get super excited about food.

5. Cinnamon Swirl Bread- I'm making this today for the first time. I just spread the dough out, put some butter, brown sugard and cinnamon on it, rolled it up and plopped the lump in the pan. We'll see how it turns out... I have high hopes.

If anyone uses their sourdough starter for other things I'd love to get more ideas!

Sourdough starter works for me... check out Rocks in My Dryer for more Works for Me Wednesday tips!

#5 the goose is getting fat: i love these cookies!

2008-12-15T07:51:00.006-05:00

Well this is the last post in my Christmas series, the goose is getting fat. It was supposed to be about celebrating with friends and family... but this morning I am in the process of making cookies and they are SO cute and SO yummy I've opted to share about these instead!

They are Classic Spritz Cookies. Here's the catch... you have to have a cookie press to make them. There are a lot of different presses out there, but mine is the one that Pampered Chef makes (it was a gift last Christmas).

To use a cookie press you stuff the "gun" with dough, put a special shapped disc on the end (my set came with lots of flowers, a pumpkin, butterfly, clover, wreath, tree, leaf, etc) and squeeze the trigger while pressing down on the cookie sheet. The press shoots out just the right amount of dough for each cookie in the right shape.

Side note: if you still need a gift for someone and they like to bake, or can't bake well, or like cookies, etc... this is a great gift! I have used mine a lot in the past year.

Here's the recipe:

3 sticks of butter (yummmmm)

1 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

3.5 cups of flour

That's IT!

You mix it up (it's thick... don't burn out the motor on your handheld mixer... mind starts to smell like it's burning sometimes). Then you "shoot" the cookies onto the cookie sheet. Bake at 350 for 8 minutes... then check them... bake a little longer... check again... bake a few more seconds... take them out. (this is how all the women in my family make cookies... it's a surefire way to make sure they don't burn!)

I love these cookies because:

1. They look pretty and are festive! I used green food coloring and sprinkles this time to make my trees and wreaths.

2. They are easy!

3. They are not super sweet... this is good and bad... it's easy to eat a lot of them because of this.

4. One recipe makes 77 cookies! Eat two right out of the oven and that leaves you with 75 beautiful cookies (yay... I can subtract!)

So if you have a cookie press, drag it out of the cupboard and fire it up. If you don't, find a friend to borrow one to see how you like it. I've also seen them at yard sales.

I'm telling you... with these things the goose'll get fat real fast!

Happy Christmas!

monday menu

2008-12-15T07:45:00.003-05:00

Well... here it is. The week before Christmas menu plan and then I'll be out for about a week and half since our moms will be planning the menus while we're visiting family... niiiice!

Monday- leftover turkey noodle veggie soup and homemade bread (yes I invented it and yes it's pretty tasty)

Tuesday- cheeseburger meatloaf, green beans, mashed taters and homemade bread (we're having friends over)

Wednesday- making zucchini casserole for a potluck

Thursday- majorly cleaning out fridge since we leave on Friday after lunch for holiday travels!

Wow... what an easy week!

#4 the goose is getting fat: our family Christmas story

2008-12-14T11:30:00.003-05:00

As today is Sunday this will be a brief post. More than anything I’d like to share the idea behind our family Christmas story and leave it with you to do what you will with it.

Christmas of 2004, right after we were engaged, Jon took the time to go through the Bible and pulled out many references to Christ’s birth from the Old Testament as well as the full story of Jesus’ coming from the New Testament. He used all these verses to tell the story of Christmas to me on Christmas Eve.

It was such a special gift and is now a tradition for us to read through all these verses as a family each Christmas Eve.

This year, and he won’t read this post so I can say it, Jon is getting a scrapbook for Christmas so that we can go through and make the story an actual book to read to Baby Girl as she gets older.

I love that our family is able to take some time each Christmas Eve to really reflect on the real meaning of Christmas, not just on the part about Jesus being born in a manger, but also the fact that His coming was foretold long ago and that the Lord used so many different people throughout scripture to bring His purposes about.

And He's still working out that plan today.

Happy Christmas!

#3 the goose is getting fat: baby's first Christmas

2008-12-13T11:25:00.000-05:00

She’ll be almost 5 months old this year at Christmas. So of course, Baby Girl has no idea about all the excitement surrounding this wonderful time of the year.

I’ve been singing Christmas songs to her all the time. And we daily look at the tree and “talk” about the ornaments. We also regularly play with the nativity set my mom got her, with lots of emphasis on Baby Jesus… but I know of course that she doesn’t get it.

Then there’s the issue of gifts. She’s not going to remember anything about this Christmas or the gifts so I’ve really struggled with what we should spend money on and what we should refrain from this year. In the end we’ve decided to keep it simple. She’s getting one toy, a book, a stool I painted (more for me to sit on while I give her baths than anything else at this point), a fleece hat from my etsy store, and Steve Green’s Hide ‘em in your Heart Bible verse CDs. All but the hat and stool were bought with gift cards we’ve been given.

In reality I know giving her these things ends up being more about me wanting to give her something, than her really needing/wanting anything.

So what is this Christmas really about for her, even if she doesn’t know it…

She is a loved little girl. Being the only grandchild on both sides, grandparents, aunts and uncles can’t wait to get their hands on her.

It’s probably the only Christmas she’ll spend with her Papa (Jon’s dad) who is in the later stages of cancer.

She makes me look at Christmas differently as I try to talk through and explain to her the meaning of the season and our family traditions

She reminds me of Christ. When I look at her I am reminded that Jesus came as a baby. He was hungry, and wet his diapers, and couldn’t sit up or hold onto things. He made funny noises and faces and cried. He became helpless so that we could have life. I am so thankful that Baby Girl is teaching me this lesson in the most real way I could have imagined.

This is what I want to tell her her first Christmas was all about.

my cloth diaper experience

2008-12-12T08:59:00.005-05:00

I've had several friends ask about our experience with cloth diapers. So instead of retyping the info over and over I thought I would create a post about this and then can just direct people there instead!

Brilliant... what can I say?

We LOVE using cloth! Initially we opted to go the cloth route because it was cheaper and that was reason enough for us. But the more I use them and the more I see how many we use and recognize how many disposables we'd be putting in the landfills, I like them for other reasons too.

Because we were new at this we did what I call "cloth diaper cheating," we used pocket diapers. The fit and use is so much like disposables. When people say, "Wow... you use cloth?!" I always say, "Yeah... but we sort of cheat because it's super easy!". Below in bullet form are my thoughts....

We started with about 10 diapers, a variety of different kinds: BumGenius 3.0, Fuzzi Bunz, Happy Heiny's, Haute Pockets and Mommy's Touch. Our idea was to see what we liked best and then order more of that particular kind.

We have found that the velcro close ones are the best for us. Jon really struggles to use the snappy ones, I agree they are more awkward, but I can see how they will probably last the longest.

We used disposables for a good solid month after Baby Girl was born. I don't care what size they say cloth should fit, our girl was 8lbs. 5oz. and the cloth ones were huge on her. Plus it was nice to not worry about extra laundry there at the beginning.

USE THE RIGHT DETERGENT! We didn't... I tried to use our homemade detergent on the diapers and it did not work. It actually made them repel watery substances (i.e. pee and liquidy poop). Disaster. Once we got them stripped and working we started using Arm and Hammer Sensitive Skin and it's been great.

Our favorites are the BumGenus diapers. We bought 12 more of those and then later 3 more because they were on a terrific sale. I love that they are one size (more money savings) and that they come with the newborn insert... helps majorly with fit!

Once we phase out the few sized diapers that we have I think we'll have a total of 23 diapers.

I do laundry about every 1.5 days.

For the first 4 months I used disposables anytime we went out in public. I was so nervous about dealing with cloth while on the go. But it is no big deal at all! I just use a gallon ziploc bag to put the dirties in. No need for a fancy wet bag... though they are cute.

I think that is really about it! Please leave a comment or email me at everydaywylie (at) gmail (dot) com if you have any questions!

*** Update: I now have also included my thoughts on what happens when the kiddo starts to try solid foods and how that affects my affinity for cloth diapers. In all fairness you should read it too. ***

*** ADDITIONAL UPDATE: I have now ALSO posted some further thoughts on using pre-folds now that I've added a few of those to my stash. Check it out. ***

#2 the goose is getting fat: no Christmas card?!

2008-12-11T19:37:00.005-05:00

This post is doing double duty. It is for my current series and for Frugal Fridays over at Biblical Womanhood. To catch up on my past posts for The Goose is Getting Fat series check out the intro and day 1.

I had it all planned out. Baby Girl was going to wear the Christmas dress my mom smocked, red and white gingham with little lambs… adorable. Jon was going to wear his red and white polka dot bow tie… snazzy. And I was going to wear my black wrap dress… slimming. The photo would be taken by the old historic home near where we live. I had browsed several websites looking for the perfect photo card to complement the picture. I was READY.

Then I did the math…

Even with free shipping on Snapfish, even with a few free prints, it was going to cost how much?! And postage… we’re nearing $.50/card y’all for postage alone.

It’s not that I don’t love everyone on my Christmas card list $.50 worth… it’s that all those cents eventually add up to a good many dollars.

So… we’ll still take the picture because I thought way too long and hard about it not to! But there will be no card this year.

Instead we’ll be emailing out our Christmas wishes. Okay I know that’s probably chintzy, but it’s the best we can do this year, and I think most folks these days understand. The good news is that instead of a generic, “Merry Christmas,” or worse, “Happy Holidays,” we’ll be able to say something meaningful… inspiring… joy inducing…

Okay, so I’m not that great of a writer, but we’re going to put some heart into it at least!

#1 the goose is getting fat- simple decorations

2008-12-10T13:58:00.010-05:00

We’re in an apartment first of all, so there is no room to store, or even places to put lots of decorations. Here are our simple, but in my mind, festive items of holiday flare.

Small tree- This whopping three footer was passed on by some friends and is a perfect size for our apartment. It’s easy to store, easy to put up and doesn’t use half as many lights as a larger tree. It also makes us thoughtfully consider which ornaments will make it on the tree (it will fall over if we put them all on)

Centerpiece- This hurricane vase is a versatile centerpiece year round. With some (plastic—shhh) ornaments from the Dollar Tree and curled bit of sparkly star wire stuff… it’s all we need.

Nativity- Christmas decorations wouldn’t be complete without our nativity. This Willow Tree one was given to me by my parents when I graduated from college (now if that’s not a really great graduation gift I don’t know what is!).

Family pieces- My Gran, who is no longer with us, was an amazing crafter and HUGE fan of Christmas. I don’t think anyone, even us kids, got more excited on Christmas morning than she did. As long as I can remember she made dolls and santas and snowmen and angels to sell at craft fairs. We’re so happy to have some of her beautiful crafts in our home and it’s so special to pull them out each year in memory of her.

Everything that we have out for Christmas either has meaning for us, or serves a purpose in our home. We don't have tons of lights or greenery or candles or wreaths, but our simple reminders of the season are just right for us!

Stay tuned tomorrow for Part 2 of the series: No Christmas Card?!

the goose is getting fat series

2008-12-10T13:35:00.002-05:00

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat.

Please put a penny in the old man's hat.

If you haven't got a penny, a ha'penny will do.

If you haven't got a ha'penny a farthing will do.

If you haven't got a farthing then God Bless You.

As Christmas is approaching I've decided to start a series on what we are doing to prepare for this blessed season... in a simple and inexpensive way. The farthings are few and far between in our home as they are in so many others.

So... I really have no idea how much a farthing is... but the point is... we don't have a ton of extra to spend on Christmas this year.

So for the next 5 days I hope you'll enjoy our plans and ideas for the holidays.

Thursday- Simple Decoration Ideas

Friday- No Christmas Card?!

Saturday- Baby's First Christmas

Sunday- Our Family Christmas Story

Monday- Celebrating with Friends and Family

See you tomorrow!

easy italian bread appetizer

2008-12-10T12:33:00.003-05:00

Last night we hosted my sister and her boyfriend for dinner during exams. We had homemade pizza and green beans... nothing fancy... but I needed something else.

We really enjoying dipping bread in olive oil and spices and have these spices in the pantry for doing so, but I really still didn't have a good italian bread recipe. So I improvised.

Early in the afternoon I made a batch of pizza dough!

1 packet yeast (or 1 Tbls.)

1 c. warm water

2 Tbls. olive oil

1 Tbls. sugar

1 tsp. salt

2 c. flour

I added some basil, oregano, garlic powder and italian seasoning for extra flavor. Let it rise 1 hour. Then formed 4 little loaves, put them on a greased and cornmealed cookie sheet and let them rise about another hour. Baked at 425 for... I don't remember... just watch them.

Then right before dinner I sliced the bread, wrapped it in tinfoil and heated in the oven on 350. We had the olive oil and spices mix, garlic butter and marinara for dipping. It was a hit and super easy and inexpensive.

We'll be having this again!

103

2008-12-10T07:17:00.000-05:00

That's how many "to be read" posts I had accumulated in my bloglines account. There are SO many great ideas out there and I just kept saving and saving them with no way to actually use them.

So the other night I took a deep breath and dove right in.

I made a catalog of ideas. And that's what I called it, "Catalog of Ideas."

There are categories for food, kids, crafts, home and other.

Now bloglines is empty, I have some nicely sorted ideas to go back to, and I've highlighted some stuff I want to try ASAP.

One of the first on the list to try is the Best Pumpkin Bread Ever which I will make using some of my fresh cooked and frozen pumpkin.

Head over to Rocks in my Dryer for more Works for Me Wednesday ideas.

monday menu on tuesday

2008-12-09T09:37:00.002-05:00

See Organizing Junkie for more ideas! A little late this week since my mom was in town yesterday. Here's our plan for the week:

Monday- hubs had dinner with work, Mom and I ate a salad that she brought and a frozen chicken tetrazinni I had.

Tuesday- sister and boyfriend are coming over for homemade pizza, green beans, breadsticks and cookies (it's their exam week right now)

Wednesday- we're hosting a potluck here for a few of hubs colleagues, I'm making Company Chicken (if it's good I'll post the recipe) and homemade bread

Thursday- Clean out the fridge!

Friday- BBQ ribs (from the Angel Food Ministry box) and sweet potato fries and maybe something green... collards?

Saturday- macaroni chicken soup and homemade bread

Sunday- french toast and bacon

christmas comes early

2008-12-06T09:04:00.004-05:00

This year my sisters and I, along with the special men in our lives, decided to forego gifts to each other and go in together to get things for a Christmas child and then celebrate together with a potluck.

We had a lot fun, got some great stuff for a little 4 year old girl, enjoyed some yummy food and games.

I made an eye of round roast. I think I should have left the oven on 200 or so b/c it wasn't quite done... our oven doesn't hold heat too well. But other than that it was great!

Bek brought these amazing soy sauce green beans. (I'll also plug her great blog... go say hi!)

Bethy brought apple dumplings. Yum!

We also learned a new card game... 21 (not blackjack... it's different). I especially liked it because you can play, but still talk at the same time.

brown paper packages

2008-12-05T14:20:00.006-05:00

I can't take full credit. This idea really began with my husband who refused to buy gift wrap as to him is was a completely unecessary expenditure. I on the other hand LOVE gifts.

I love finding just the right gift and the anticipation and the surprise and watching loved ones open them. So to me... gift wrap was a necessary expense.

So we compromised.

I buy a roll of brown craft paper at Michael's (using my 40% off coupon). Then I wait until pretty ribbons go on sale (and/or use another 40% off from another week). I use the same brown paper to wrap every gift and then use different bows to make them fun and interesting. This works really well the rest of the year too as brown paper can also be used for any other occasion. I've even used it for weddings with lots of white tulle and it's beautiful!

It's nice not to have multiple rolls of paper floating around and I enjoy the pretty ribbons. I will probably end up making some little tags for them as well but just haven't gotten to that point yet!

For other fabulous Frugal Friday ideas check out Biblical Womanhood.

Happy wrapping.

baby exercises- wfmw

2008-12-03T11:42:00.003-05:00

This post is a part of Works for Me Wednesday, hosted over at Rocks in My Dryer. Check it out for more great tips.

I have a 4 month old baby. It's starting to get colder out. Her morning feeding coincides with the one TV workout that I could do. Hmmm.... exercising??? It's really hard to fit it in at this point in my life.

Never fear! There is an answer... exercising with baby. Good for you, fun for baby.

Disclaimer: I don't know the technical terms for this stuff... this is just what I do. Also... be careful! You know yourself, you know your baby... be smart.

1. Baby in the Air- hold baby under arms. Slowly lift baby in air and say, "up, up, up, up," then slowly lower baby and say, "down, down, down, down." Do this a few times. You'll feel the burn.

2. Baby Crunches- lay on your back on the floor. Sit baby on your lower tummy and hold onto her! Pull legs off floor so your knees are kind of on either side of your baby's head. Do crunches. My girl loves this because my face comes up close to her when I crunch.

3. Baby Burn Squats- hold the baby while you do squats. Whew... these will wear you out!

4. Running to the Rescue- My girl won't go to sleep without her paci and at this point she spits it out all the time. So I have to keep putting it back in her mouth to get her to go to sleep. (this is another issue in and of itself) However, I run up and down the hall everytime I do this. Silly maybe... but I like to think of it as one or two extra calories burned.

5. Shower Pushups (without baby)- My only alone time these days seems to be in the shower. So this is a great chance to exercise too. Be careful you don't slip! I just put my hands on the back of the shower wall, keep my feet about 1-2 feet away from the back wall and do pushups.

Burn, baby, burn.

monday menu

2008-12-01T14:47:00.003-05:00

So I thought I'd give the whole Menu Planning Monday a go, as hosted over at Organizing Junkie. I'll kind of comment on some of the rationale as to why we're eating what. Maybe you're not interested but... oh well!

Here goes:

Monday... that's tonight...- chicken, veggie and rice soup in the crockpot and homemade bread (it smells yummy already!) Using up random freezer veggie bits. We'll eat on this for lunches all week.

Tuesday- veggies for dinner- mashed potatoes (they're about to go bad and need to be used), glazed carrots, fried okra and homemade bread

Wednesday- NY strip steaks and leftover veggies from night before, along with... you guessed it... homemade bread. These steaks came in the angel food ministry box we bought and split with friends. We were curious if it was a good deal or not. Maybe I'll do a post on that later.

Thursday- is supposed to be CORN (Clean Out Refrigerator Night... kudos to HomeEc101.com for this acronym... I love it) however, if the fridge is already clean I have a mini Chicken Tetrazinni in the freezer we can have.

Friday- roast with gravy and rice. We're having a potluck with my sisters and their significant others and then going shopping for our Christmas child together... so this is my contribution... along with homemade bread of course.

Saturday- leftovers from Friday... hopefully... that's the hard thing about planning leftovers into the menu! I hope there will be some!

Sunday- french toast and bacon. We make our french toast with homemade sourdoughbread and it's AMAZING. Give it a try.

etsy

2008-11-30T22:25:00.005-05:00

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

2008-11-23T21:37:00.003-05:00

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!

2008-11-21T15:24:00.003-05:00

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

2008-11-20T07:35:00.002-05:00

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)

2008-11-15T22:02:00.002-05:00

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

2008-11-15T21:59:00.000-05:00

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

2008-11-15T21:56:00.001-05:00

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

2008-11-15T21:53:00.001-05:00

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

2008-11-15T21:51:00.001-05:00

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

2008-11-15T21:49:00.000-05:00

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

2008-11-15T21:47:00.000-05:00

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.