Ten Things {I’m Willing to Pay More For}

Tags

B&BW, Crisco, favorite products, Lists, Neutrogena, splurge items, ten things

Most of the time I like to think that I’m pretty frugal.
I coupon, do the whole drugstore game thing, and stick to my budget pretty religiously, but I’ve learned as I’ve gotten older (and older. and older.) that there are a few things that are just worth the extra money.
Here are my top ten splurge-worthy items.

• Crisco sticks.  I don’t use much shortening, but I’ve always, ALWAYS hated getting that greasy goop on my hands, and it’s pretty much impossible to not get on your hands when scooping it out of the can.  Bless you, Crisco, for thinking of shortening sticks.  I don’t care if it costs me triple, I’ll still buy them just for the convenience of it.    
• Clinique mascara.  I don’t buy this because of allergic reactions or brand loyalty or anything.  I buy it purely out of vanity because my eyelashes are ridiculously pathetic and this is the only stuff that even halfway works.  I make a bottle last about six months, though, so I don’t feel too guilty about it.  
• B&BW Wallflower refills.  Love these bad boys, and they make my house smell so good.  I just make sure to stock up when they’re on a really good sale. 
• Mod Podge.  Nothing works quite like it.  I’ve seen DIY “recipes” for it, but I don’t see how they could possibly work as well, especially as a sealant.  I’m not quite sure how I lived without this stuff for so long. 
• Puffs with Vicks.  Not exactly a huge splurge, but when I’m sick my nose wants Vicks-infused tissue.  :)   
• Dove Dark Chocolate with Raspberry.   I don’t buy this very often because of my perpetual diet (that does me no good), and also because I find it ridiculous to pay over $4 for a bag of chocolates, but they’re so stinkin good that I occasionally give in during a moment of weakness.  And it’s so worth it when I do…    
• Johnson’s Bedtime Bath.  Because it makes my stinky little kids smell angelic again.  For a little while.  
• Earthbound Farms baby carrots.  I’ve probably eaten my body weight several times over in baby carrots the last few years, and no matter how much Jerm doesn’t believe me, the organic carrots dooo (Nacho!) taste better.  
• Dawn dish soap.  I stockpiled about ninety bottles of Gain dish soap when it first came out, because (A) I had coupons, (B) it smelled good, and (C) it was made by the same company so I figured it would work just as well.  WRONG!  But it does smell good.  They should just combine the smell of Gain and the de-greasing abilities of Dawn to make the perfect dish soap. (P.S. Anybody need some Gain?)  ;)
•  Neutrogena Acne Control Scrub.  Hello, wasn’t this supposed to be a teenager thing?  I have more skin problems now that I’ve had kids than I ever had as an adolescent.  I’ve used several high-end cleansers, tried the oil-cleansing method (gross!), and quit scrubbing my face completely, none of which did anything except convince me to go back to Neutrogena.  Love this stuff.  

So there you go; sometimes it’s worth it to pay just a little more.

Are there any items/brands that you’re willing to splurge on?  Share.

Re-useable Swiffer Sweeper Cloths

Tags

DIY swiffer cloths, green cleaning, re-useable swiffer cloths tutorial

I love my Swiffer Sweeper, but I hate buying the cloths.  Seems like kind of a waste so I end up using my broom more often than not.

I do buy the wet cloths, because I have an aversion to mops.  They’re just disgusting and we don’t get along, so I’ve resigned myself to buying the wet cloths.

The dry cloths not so much.

So here’s what I came up with for a re-useable cloth that can be dumped in the washer after each use.

Supplies: 

• 12″ x 6″ piece of fleece
  
• 12″ x 6″ piece of knit fabric (an old t-shirt would probably work well)
• (2) 8″ x 6″ pieces of knit fabric

 

Fold the 6×8 pieces in half, and lay on top of the fleece with raw edges matches (forming the pockets) as shown.

 

Lay the 12×6 knit piece on top of that and pin.  I didn’t photograph this step, but make sure you pin down the pockets so they don’t move while you’re sewing.

Sew all the way around the edges, leaving a small opening to turn right side out.

 

Turn right side out, then top stitch all the way around, making sure to stitch the opening closed.

 

Pop onto your Swiffer and you’re ready to roll.

 

And my floors obviously need it….

I made several of these, and for some reason this one turned out a little big. Huh. Must be thanks to my notoriously un-even seam allowances.

Where is the eye roll emoticon when you need it?!

 

 

 

Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths,  The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations, I Heart Naptime

Project Simplify: Week Three (PILES!)

Tags

decluttering, Project Simplify, simplifying, spring cleaning

I’m been mentally shying away from this weeks task ever since I read the list at the beginning of the month.
Piles and I are arch-enemies.
We have epic battles ALL the time. (And I’m not going to mention who is the victor most often.)
Wretched, wretched piles.

Here we go…

First up, this giant, huge, mind-numbing pile in my garage. I picked up this beat-up, wretched beast of a cabinet from the side of the road to store all the girls art supplies, crafts, and school stuff in. My intention was to eventually re-finish it, but I’m not entirely sure it’d be worth the time and effort.
Still, although the bottom two drawers won’t push in all the way, some of the hardware is missing (which I’ll remedy if I can ever remember I need knobs when I’m at Lowes), and it’s very scuffed up, it IS useable, and I think it’ll serve its purpose (for a while, anyway).
We just kind of shoved it in the garage and I haven’t thought about it since, except to stack stuff on top of it that either has no home or that I no longer want/use.

You know, just because it’s handy.

Let me present: the monstrosity.

Pretty wretched, right?
It was a good feeling to finally just deal with it because it’s been one of those little nagging projects that’s always floating around in the back of my head.
I separated the pile of to-get-rid-of items and pulled out all the kid clothes that I can give away to take down to my sisters this weekend. Luckily her kids are super teensy-tiny so I always have someone to give stuff to when my giantesses outgrown everything in their closet.

The “get-rid-of” pile. Be-gone from me.

I soaked the monstrosity in Lysol, scrubbed the whole thing out, and actually put the art/craft/school stuff in its new home!
It doesn’t take much to get me excited, apparently.

And BONUS – it transformed the closet of doom from this….

….to this! Two piles with one blow! ;)

I still have a big stack of frames that I don’t know what to do with, because I’ve been waiting to spray paint them for a gallery wall for ages, but the weather just hasn’t been cooperating lately. So technically this stack was just relocated.

The monstrosity after cleaning and purging. The books are my some of my yearly reading goals so the pile diminishes every month as they’re read and donated/traded/re-shelved.

The second (and third) piles were the bedside tables in our bedroom. Jeremy’s is the worst, but to be fair he has many, many less piles in the house than I do. His main issue was the weekly magazines that he’s subscribed to and never has time to read. (I signed him up for them and have been kicking myself for my stupidity ever since…why would I willingly bring MORE clutter into my house?!?)

He gave me the okay to dump the entire stack in the recycle bin and after I wiped the table down and put a few other things in their places it looked much better.

My side wasn’t quite as bad, but I had a few too many books sitting around and an awesome collection of dust bunnies.

Got rid of those bad boys, questioned why I have no less than four journal type things that I feel MUST be on my bedside table (it probably goes back to my journal obsession), and called it good.

I promise these were the only real piles in my house. I sometimes question why I participate in this challenge where I have to show public proof of how messy my house is.
I always picture Amber gasping in horror and vowing never to visit my home. :)

Such are the mysteries of life.
I don’t know why I do it.

Maybe someday I’ll run a perfectly organized, perfectly clean household, but for now I just clean up the messes as best I can in between projects and creations and school and exploding glitter glue.

I guess I can live with that.

Deals & Steals: Crowdtap

Tags

brand representatives, Crowdtap, deal, hosted parties, sample opportunities

It’s been a while since I’ve posted about the fun deals, so today I thought I’d share about Crowdtap.
So here’s the basic idea: Crowdtap collaborates with other brands to get consumer feedback. You complete quick one-click surveys and participate in guided discussions about products, services, and brands – and earn points for doing so. These points can be redeemed for Amazon gift cards, which I’ve got to admit, is the biggest draw for me. Gotta feed my book addiction!

In addition to the points you earn for completing daily activities, you also have the opportunity to be chosen for Sample Share opportunities and even Hosted Party opportunities (kind of like House Party).

The best part about the Hosted Parties is that they’re usually offered from Old Navy, and you get free clothing vouchers for you and your friends if you’re selected! Last year I was accepted into an Old Navy party and scored a free dress for both me and Ang. Sweet!
(There are also a lot of offers for Verizon users – new phones, gadgets, etc. to test if you’re interested in being a brand representative.)

I’m currently involved in 2 different Sample Shares for Woolite and Cottonelle.

This is actually the second time Woolite has sent me a great box full of detergent samples to share with friends and family. I didn’t know before I received their products that Woolite isn’t just for delicate clothing, but can be used for everything. They also guarantee that their detergent will keep your clothing looking new for longer. Gotta love that. :)

The second Sample Share is from Cottonelle and they sent a HUGE box full of goodies to share with a couple of friends.
I got an 18-ct double roll pack of Cottonelle clean care toilet paper and 2 4-ct double roll packs to share, PLUS 3 packs of their flushable wipes tubs. Pretty awesome, huh?
We’re especially loving this campaign because I’ve been buying the super-cheap tp for a long time.

See how exciting toilet paper can be?

So…if you’re interested in joining click here.

Ten Things {I Need to Write In}

Tags

books, journals, Lists, ten things

I have this weakness for journals.
My heart often whispers that I need new ones even as my brain shouts that I don’t use the twenty-nine I already own often enough.

There’s just something perfect and inspiring about all those blank pages.
Especially when they come with a cute cover.

Here are ten that I don’t own (yet), but think are wonderful.

#1 – Because every journal lover needs at least one that is beautifully leather-bound.

#2 – The majority of my journaling falls more into the category of list-making. I adore lists.
And I’m pretty sure that I need a record of every book I’ve ever read. Unfortunately I’m a little behind on that. My adolescent years alone would fill up four or five of these bad boys.
The Book Lovers Journal: My Personal Reading Record

#3 – I want this one based purely on the cuteness factor. Yes, I know owls are a fad. I’m okay with fads as long as they’re as adorable as this one.

Check out the pages! EEK!  I think I love the inside even more than the outside.

#4 – Again with the lists. Just in case you didn’t believe me.
Listography Journal: My Life in Lists
My Listography: My Amazing Life in Lists (this is the children’s version)

#5 – So this isn’t your typical journal, but I still love it.
Even though I can’t draw worth a hoot. I especially love the random number. Awesome.
642 Things to Draw

#6 – I adore the idea of a guided journal. I don’t know if I would follow it, but I’d sure like to try.
Q and A a Day: A Five Year Journal

#7 – I’ve been counting down the days until my girls are old enough to start a mother/daughter journal. I may stick to plain composition notebooks, but this one looks awfully cute….
Just between Us: A No-Stress, No-Rules Journal for Girls and their Moms

#8 – Because, hello, who doesn’t need to keep a gratitude journal?!
I’m in love with this.
Gratitude: a Journal

# 9 – I think it’s probably obvious by now that I have a serious crush on art journals. (It’s one of my 40 Things to accomplish before I’m 40, too.)
So it’s probably no surprise that this journal makes my list.
Art Doodle Love

#10 – I’m about a chapter away from finishing The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, and although it hasn’t been my favorite book of all time, I do like her one line journal idea. And what do you know? They made a journal based on just that idea. It seems like I should be able to handle one line a day, right?  I’m not in love with the cover, though, so I don’t know if I would buy it or not.
The Happiness Project One Sentence Journal

Maybe someday I’ll share the ones already on my shelf. ;)

{this moment}

Tags

bluebonnets, kids in bluebonnets, photo, SouleMama, Texas springtime, this moment

{this moment} – A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.
~SouleMama~

Un-paper Towels

Tags

green living, tutorials, un-paper towels

Remember how one of my “before 40″ goals was to stop using paper towels and make a re-useable variety?
Well, I finally forced myself to get them made. They were really easy to crank out, which makes me wonder why I drug my feet on this for so long.
(Maybe because the thought was lurking in the back of my mind that it would create more laundry…)

Despite the dreaded laundry pile, I like the idea of going paper-less for a few reasons:

1. Less waste.  I’m not a die-hard environmentalist or anything, but I do think we should each do our part in recycling as much as possible and cutting back on waste where we can.  (I also believe in the community trash pick-up day, ahem, Jerm.  But that’s another story for another day…)
2. They save money.  Obviously, they negate the need to buy paper products.  Self-explanatory.
3. They’re pretty!  Hello!

These are seriously super easy to make.  You’ll need the following:

• 1 yard terry cloth
• 1 yard cotton or soft flannel (I used flannel)
• Velcro or snaps, whichever you prefer
• Sewing machine, scissors, thread, etc.

I cut my squares 10″x10″ and was able to get a dozen from 1 yard of fabric.

With right sides together sew all the way around the square, leaving a small opening to turn right side out.

Turn out, iron flat, and top stitch around the entire square, making sure to close the opening at the same time.

I sewed a squiggly line in the center of each square to help hold them together in the wash.

Add snaps (or velcro).  I chose snaps, because I was concerned that velcro would eventually not stick after being washed a few times.  Add snaps to each end of the square, matching the pieces so they’ll snap together (hopefully the photo helps make sense of this step).

Roll up and enjoy your pretties!  I rolled mine around an old paper towel roll and hung them up on my dispenser.  Love them!

(I’ve got to admit, I don’t know what I was thinking buying light-colored fabric.  My brain must have been on vacation that day; I’m sure they’ll be awful looking in no time.  Ah well.  You win some, you lose some.

Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths,  The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations, I Heart Naptime

Project Simplify: Week Two (That Pesky Closet)

Tags

cleaning, de-cluttering, organizing, Project Simplify, spring cleaning

So it’s week two, and the next task for Project Simplify is: That Pesky Closet.
Well, that’s no problem for this house; all of our closets are pesky and semi-disastrous.
There’s the front room closet, which I’m pretty sure I’ve tackled every single year during Project Simplify, and which always, always needs re-organization. Seems like no matter how hard I try to keep it cleaned out, I fail. It’s just a clutter magnet. It’s that one place where everything that doesn’t have a home gets dumped at the end of the day.

But guess what?
I didn’t work on that closet this year.
Well, not for this challenge, anyway.

The spots (yep, plural) I chose were (cue ominous music)….the girls closets.
They desperately needed it, and hopefully the cleaning/purging/organizing will help keep me sane.

So, here’s Susannah’s closet. And this is her version of clean. EEEK!

I swear, I fold all of her clothes and this is what she does with them when I hand them over to put away.
We sifted through all of her stuff, took out what she’d outgrown (pretty much everything), and replaced them with things that fit. I will eventually take my wedding dress out of the poor girls closet, but for now it’s got to stay.
We hung up all of her shirts, too, so hopefully everything else will fit in the drawers a little better now.

Madeline’s closet was basically the same. Dig out what didn’t fit, replaced with the next size, hung up everything we could, and re-organized so she could reach everything.
I need to buy more hangers to make room for her skirts, which are just stacked in a pile right now.
Since I had more of my stuff stacked on the shelf in her closet too, I took that out (and piled it in my closet).
Good plan, right?

I’m sooo happy to have their closets more manageable and am ready to move on to the dreaded PILES for next week. Oh, the piles…

***In completely unrelated news, I started a Facebook page for the blog, so if you like to connect via social media, please do.***

Tuesday Letter

Tags

Humor, Joel Osteen, Kids, letter, Nacho Libre, yard sales

Dear husband and father-in-law, since we had such a killer time at that giant yard sale on Saturday, maybe we should make it a WEEKLY TRADITION.  ;)  Dear Madeline, if I didn’t very clearly remember giving birth to you, I’d think you weren’t my kid.  I can’t believe you like june bugs enough to pick them up and LET THEM CRAWL ON YOU.  gwoss.  Dear husband (again), I forgive you (like that fat girl on Nacho Libre) for weed whacking my poor peony.  Also for throwing the entire twenty feet of garden hose on top of my orange tree.  Despite all that, you’re an okay guy. Dear Caleb, that sign (you know which one) is all glittered and sparkly and gigantic, just waiting to come down next week.  Dear Susannah, you were just a little off when I asked you to quote your verse and you replied “Everybody just be happy and nice!”  Joel Osteen would probably like it, though.

Brown Butter Blondies

Tags

baking, blondie recipe, brown butter blondies, recipes

I haven’t posted a recipe in a long time, and I’ve been meaning to post a killer blondie recipe FOREVER, so I figured it was about time to get it done.

I love bar recipes because they’re  practically fool-proof (which is a good thing for fools like me) and they’re QUICK. Just throw the ingredients together and slap em in a pan.

This was the first blondie recipe I ever remember trying and I think I dug it out of some random cookbook that I probably don’t even own anymore, but boy are they GOOD.
Seriously.
I don’t think I’ve even made brownies since I discovered this recipe.
THAT good.

Brown Butter Blondies

• 10 TBSP Unsalted Butter
• 1 Egg
• 1 Cup Brown Sugar, packed
• 1/4 Cup White Sugar
• 2 tsp Vanilla
• 1 1/4 Cups Flour
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 1 1/4 Cups Shredded Coconut (Sweetened)
• 1 1/4 Cups M&M’s

In a saucepan, heat the butter over medium heat until it browns (don’t let it burn!).
Let it cool for a few minutes, then mix together with the sugars.
Stir in the egg, vanilla, salt, flour, and coconut until well combined.
The original recipe called for chocolate chips, but I substituted M&M’s the first time around and now we’re hooked. I’ve used peanut, peanut butter, and most recently, coconut M&M’s (they were by FAR the best!).
So, add in the M&M’s.
Press into greased 9×9 pan and drop a few M&M’s on the top.
Bake at 350 for 25 minutes.
Let cool completely before slicing.

They’re the perfect balance between chewy and crunchy and gooey. I could probably eat the whole pan by myself.

Parties I link to: Craft-O-Maniac, Sew Can Do, Sew Chatty, C.R.A.F.T., Making the World Cuter, Skip to My Lou, Chef In Training, Confessions of a Stay at Home Mom, A Bowl Full of Lemons, Sugar Bee Crafts, Funky Polkadot Giraffe, Todays Creative Blog, Tip Junkie, Mandy’s Recipe Box, My Girlish Whims, Handy Man, Crafty Woman, Sew Much Ado, Ginger Snap Crafts, Southern Lovely, House of Hepworths,  The Crafty Blog Stalker, A Glimpse Inside, Delicate Construction, Tidy Mom, Thirty Handmade Days, Tatertots and Jello, Flamingo Toes, Six Sisters Stuff, Naptime Creations, I Heart Naptime