Be creative, mix it up

For a while, I was making all kinds of treat dishes using two plates with a candlestick in between them, (like this) and I still love those, don't get me wrong. I like to give them as wedding gifts, or birthday gifts because they're so personalized to fit the recipient's style. But for one of my husband's cousins who is a little on the funky side, I thought I'd try something different. I used a cup thing in the middle instead, and I think it turned out really cute. I gave it to her with a bag of chips and a jar of dip as one of her shower gifts. The plates and center glass cost me less than $1.50, and it's cute and personalized. Can't get more budget friendly than that!

White spray paint & a $3 shelf

Just what I needed!

Better late than never..

It's only been a year and a half since I've posted... I don't really have a good excuse.. Except I'll try and say that I did have my 3rd child 7 months ago.. and we moved a year ago.. yeah, ok, nothing that should've kept me away for 18 months. Anyways, I have still been trying to craft, and I'll be trying to catch up a little over the next few weeks, and then update you on my most current projects. Anyone out there who's still with me, thanks for hanging on!!! ha! I AM ALIVE!!

Foodie Friday - Freezer Meals - Do it with a group!

It's still Friday.. 2 hours left. =)

This week, my mother-in-law, and sister-in-laws got together and we made freezer meals. We each brought 3 recipes, and the ingredients for our own (minus the meat, which my MIL graciously provided, thanks Becky!), so total we put together 60 meals, 12 for each of us!

It worked out great because not only do we now have 12 oven-ready meals for those days when we don't have time, or don't know what to make, but also the preparation was TONS easier than trying to do it alone. I've tried doing some freezer meals by myself, or even just cooking and shredding meat, and storing it in the freezer for emergencies, but doing it with 4 other ladies was the way to go!! It was awesome because we all worked together. There was a couple people cooking, one doing dishes and replenishing bowls, measuring cups, etc, one prepping for the next meal, one wrapping them up, and then we'd just help out wherever we were needed. That saved us so much time than doing all the prep, cooking, bagging, and cleanup by ourselves!

I had a great time, and now I also have some fun new meals that I wouldn't have made otherwise, and it only took a few hours. I suggest finding a few other ladies, neighbors, sisters, or family members, and take an afternoon doing freezer meals, it will be WAY worth your time!

The Meals We Made:

Chicken Enchiladas

Lasagna

Poor Man's Filet Minon

Chicken Caesar Casserole

Tomato Basil Soup

Chicken Fingers

Turkey and Corn Tortellini Soup

Crescent Sandwiches

BBQ Pork Chops

Crock Pot Roast and Veggies

Spinach Manicotti

Crunchy Chicken Pesto

YUMMM!

Make your own Laundry Detergent = Save some $$

Here is a recipe that my mom has been using to make her own laundry detergent. The cost per load comes out to $.03c ! That was enough to convince me! As soon as my current bottle is gone (it's almost there), I'm going to try my own as well. She says it works great and doesn't leave any suds in the washer, and also you can reduce or even eliminate using softeners as well.

The recipe she's been using is for liquid detergent, but I also have a powdered detergent recipe, but the dry recipe comes out to be $.15c per load, as opposed to the $.03c. I'll include both.

Liquid Laundry Detergent:

3 pints Water

1/3 bar Fels Naptha Soap, grated

1/2 cup Washing Soda (Arm and Hammer - NOT baking soda)

1/2 cup "20 Mule Team Borax"

2 Gallon bucket to mix it in

1 Quart hot water

Mix Fels Naptha soap in a saucepan with 3 pints hot water and heat on low until dissolved. Stir in Washing Soda and Borax. Stir until thickened and remove from heat. Add 1 quart hot water to 2 gallon bucket. Add soap mixture and mix well. Fill bucket completely with additional hot water and mix well. Set aside for 24 hours or until mixture thickens. You may add additional HOT water if the mixture becomes too thick. Mix well before each use (a dowel works well) Use 1/2 cup of mixture per load. Makes 64 loads.

Here's a pic of the finished product.

Powdered Laundry Detergent:

1 cup grated Fels Naptha soap

1/2 cup "20 mule team Borax"

1/2 cup Washing Soda

Mix together and store in airtight container or bag. For light or small loads, use 1 TBSP. For normal loads, use 2 TBSP. For heavy loads, use 3 TBSP.

For larger batch: Grate 6 bars of Fels Naptha soap and then add 3 cups of washing soda, and 3 cups of "20 mule team Borax". Mix well and store in covered container.

Make sure you keep the detergent tightly sealed, and kept away from small children!

Foodie Friday - Sandwich Thins

One of my new favorite things EVER is Oroweat Whole Wheat Sandwich Thins. (click on the link to see recipes and ideas, or nutrition information on the Oroweat website) They also come in Multi-Grain. I buy them at Smith's and use them for turkey burgers, egg sandwiches, etc. They're thin but they're sturdy and super soft, that's why they work great for burgers as well as sandwiches, and they taste great! They are even a lot healthier than a single piece of whole wheat bread, as far as calories, fat, and carbs go, for the whole bun, top and bottom! For those of you that do weight watchers, they're only 1 point! They score big in my book, I eat at LEAST one every day, if not more.. I love them! Try them!

Modest Princess Party!

PBJ: Post By Julie

We had a lot of fun last Halloween, but it made me stop and think……..about princesses.

Ok, so maybe I’m a little obsessed with princesses. I believe that every little girl is a princess in training, and that imagination and role-play is very important for a child. When a girl feels beautiful and special, that confidence and grace can be developed and hopefully find a permanent place in her personality and life. Being beautiful on the inside is more important than what’s on the outside, and as parents and grandparents, we have the opportunity to teach our little ones about who they are and what is expected of them. Helping a child learn to act like a princess, being good and kind, strong and assertive, honest and hard-working, is great practice for being happy in real life. That’s my philosophy.

My granddaughter wanted to be a “yellow” princess last year, so of course I was more than happy to make her a dress to match her aunt (my other daughter), who sometimes makes princess appearances at birthday parties. (This pic was taken after my daughter had cut her hair to donate to make wigs for cancer patients)

Anyway, my daughter played ‘Belle’ in her high school musical several years ago. It was a magical time when she was transformed from an ordinary teenager (already sweet and kind) to a beautiful princess whose appearance and charm seemed to draw people to her like a magnet. At a ‘meet and greet’ opportunity before a matinee performance, dozens of children couldn’t take their eyes off her! They were fascinated by the ‘real’ princess that was talking to them, posing for pictures, and giving them hugs. My sister-in-law’s granddaughters had come to the event and their excitement was evident. One of the little girls asked her mother, “Do you think Belle knows we are related?” and another said “I know what I’m going to tell my class at show and tell next week!” Isn’t that cute? Just being related to a ‘Princess’ made these girls feel special!

Appearing at Princess Parties has taught my girls how important it is to use good manners, good grammar and be a good example all the time because little ones are always watching and listening!

My youngest daughter appears at the parties as Cinderella and is elegant and charming as well. This was a simple dress I made for a dance a few years ago, (not the best photo, sorry) but I have fabric for a more authentic, Disney style dress that I’m planning to make.

If you have little girls now, just be aware that big girls like to be princesses too! I have four daughters and for each formal high school dance they attended, it was quite the challenge to find a dress that was modest, attractive and budget friendly. It takes patience and creativity to put things together, but it’s well worth the effort. When a girl really feels like a princess, she will act the part.

My younger daughters have benefited the most from our ‘dress collection’ because their older sisters handed down their dresses, and my interest in altering dresses happened to coincide with their high school years. I like to find pretty dresses that need a little work. Many come strapless or with spaghetti straps which is unacceptable at our house, so we try to match fabric for easy sleeves, or figure out another solution to make it modest. Shawl’s don’t cut it!

My next post will be on the dresses I’ve found and altered to make appropriate for my girls. I only have one daughter still in high school, so there are only a few formal dances left, but I hope to continue making “princess” dresses for other girls in my area so they can feel special too!