best bib ever!

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!

baby "splat mat"

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!

WFMW- shopping list organization

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!

WFMW- "homemade" salsa

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.

WFMW- best rolls EVER

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.

wfmw- 10 minutes.... or 15

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!

wfmw- pretty packages

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!

baby girl's new playpen- wfmw

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.

settlers- wfmw

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.

capital one

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. **

variety with sourdough starter

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!

103

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.

baby exercises- wfmw

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.

keeping our duvet cover in place- wfmw

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

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

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

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

cool summer meal- wfmw

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

1 head of lettuce (I used Iceberg from Aldi)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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