Dollar Store Crafts and more

So I just wanted to show you this cute craft that I did for Claire. I got the frame on the left at Dollar Tree and painted it and added the paper, letter and flower and voila! I made one for Jan and Kirst too. Sometimes I just can't see the potential in dollar store stuff but I really do try! It is a fun store. Visit yours and see what you can make!

Here are also some good websites for ideas:

www.howaboutorange.blogspot.com
http://joysofhome.blogspot.com
www.synergymom.blogspot.com

Easy Peasy Cookies

These cookies are sooooo easy!

1 Cake mix
1/3 C oil
2 eggs

Mix, roll into balls and bake at 350 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Don't overbake.

After I got them out of the oven I put an Andes mint or a shell chocolate on each one. They would also be good with peanut butter cups or chocolate kisses or anything you want! I think I will probably use this recipe when I make homemade oreos because it is easier and has less fat!

Wipes

Just a quick tip for today. Buy the big pack of wipes and separate them into 3 ziplock bags. Then stash one in each area of the house where you tend to need to wipe bums. Mine are: my bedroom, the kids' bedroom and the living room. (I actually usually buy Parent's Choice brand with 3 reclosable bags. Either way, it works!)

Something Different for Dinner

Ready for something different for dinner? Well, last night for meal group (see post from January 10) I made McMuffins. They are really easy: TOASTED English muffins, scrambled eggs, sausage or ham and cheese (I used American cheese singles). Be sure to toast the English muffins (they are not very good plain). I bought Canadian bacon that I usually use on pizza for the ham because they are just the right size. Enjoy!

How to Shop at Thrift Stores

Now, it's no secret that I like to shop at DI, in fact most of these posts mention getting something at the DI, and many more will. So I thought I would research this topic and share some tips with you.

There are some great reasons to shop at thrift stores. 1. It's cheap, 2. It's fun!, 3. It supports non profit organizations, and 4. It's a way to "go green," although not as glamorous as others, that some of us have been doing for years!

Some tips for successful thrift store shopping (found in articles and my own experience)

1. Go often. You will probably not find exactly what you are looking for on the one time you happen to go. Which leads to number 2:

2. Realize that you may not find exactly what you need right now. I usually find stuff that I can use in the future, like clothes that will fit my kids next year or a wall hanging that I love but I'm not sure where I will put it right now. Don't give up hope if you are looking for something specific. I was looking for a certain kind of dresser and went to DI time after time and didn't find one until one random day. This is the dresser in the picture above. I think it was worth the time I waited for it because I bought it for $10 instead of $150 or more! So, I just paid myself $140 for going to the DI! P.S. The top drawer was missing. Solution: Use the top space as a cubby for blankets and diapers or some cute baskets. Everything on top of the dresser was purchased at DI too!

3. Be creative and open minded. I really should have taken a picture of these before I re-vamped them. They were pretty hideous, dark wood, circa 1973 with ugly pictures pasted on them. When I saw them, I snatched them up. Sometimes in the past, I have passed things up because they didn't look exactly how I wanted them. This is not a good way to be. If you know you can make it look better, try it out. Even if the finished product isn't what you had in mind, you are only out a few bucks. But I'm pretty happy with how mine turned out.

4. Look for costumes and accessories. You can find great halloween costumes and great purses, belts etc for a fraction of their regular cost.

5. Only buy what you need and/or love. It can be easy to get bogged down with "stuff" just because it was only a dollar.

Happy Hunting!

A not so fun tip

Okay, today's tip comes in three parts. Two are not so fun and one is (picture above goes with the third tip.) My first tip is Go To the DENTIST! If you even suspect that you may have a cavity and even if it looks teeny tiny on the top of your tooth....GO. This comes after round 2 of a root canal yesterday. Round 1 was on New Years Eve, followed by a Lortab hangover (note to self: never again take Lortab). Round 2 was yesterday and was NOT FUN. So, there you have it.

Next tip: get your furnace checked out this winter. Especially if you live in an old house. A very old house. That hasn't had a new furnace since 1932. (okay, I don't really know when it was put in but it was a long time ago, hence we are staying at my mom's for a few days). (also, I know those were run-on sentences. Sorry.)


Tip number 3. This is a fun one! Yeah!
So, a few years ago my sister, Fawn, told me about a meal group that she did where she and a few friends took turns making dinner for the others. Each friend was assigned a night of the week and on that night made 4 other dishes and took them to each other, thus having to only cook once during the weekdays. I decided to try it. My friends, Angela and Tera tried it with me and we all LOVE it. I totally missed doing it when I lived in Price and now have started up again since moving back.

Here's how it works:
Pick 2 or 3 friends that have similar family sizes to yours (Fawn did the group with 4 other friends and had a meal brought each night. I think this is a bit much and so did she. I think that you and 2 friends is optimal.) Your friends should also live pretty close to you.

Each of you pick a day of the week that is good for you.

Each person buys 2 glass pans (preferably with lids). Depending on your family sizes, you will want to adjust how big your pans are. Fawn's friends all had families of 4 and 5 kids and so they used 9x13 inch pans. In my group, our children are small and we only have 2 that eat table food so we 8x8 or 9x9. You also need 2 tupperware containers. The person with the first day of the week takes 3 of the pans and 3 tupperware containers, person number 2 takes 2 and person number 3 takes 1 of each (this is so that you have the right number of containers to make your meal on your night.)

Get together once every 3 months and make a calendar and write down meal ideas for our days. This is just so that you don't end up having 3 hamburger dishes in the same week, for example.

We try to stay pretty simple with our meals most of the time. Some things we have made:
spaghetti, chicken enchiladas, hamburgers, sloppy joes, chicken divan, ham and cheese crepes, etc. We also do one side dish, such as: a vegetable, fruit, garlic bread, green or macaroni salad, etc.

So an example week looks like this
Tuesday: Tera Sloppy Joes and green beans
Wednesday: Angela chicken enchiladas and corn
Thursday: Janell ham and cheese crepes and fresh fruit

If any of you hate trying to think of something to make every night and then have the ingredients and time to make it, this may work for you. If you have more questions, put them in the comments and I'll try to answer them.

Chocolate Pretzels and Fresh Limes

Chocolate Pretzels

Pretzel Rods (I found mine at Dollar Tree)
Almond bark or
Milk chocolate
Toppings: Score bar, Andes mints, other candy bars chopped into very small pieces, colored sugar, sprinkles etc

Melt the almond bark or chocolate in a double boiler or the microwave. Dip pretzels in and spread the chocolate up the pretzel with a spoon. Set on wax paper or tin foil. Sprinkle toppings over the chocolate (don't roll the pretzel in the toppings because the chocolate will drip off). You can also melt carmel and cover pretzels in it, allow it to harden and then dip it in chocolate. Make sure to SPRAY the tin foil with nonstick spray before you put the carmel ones on it!

Thanks to a recipe from Keiauni, we made these pretty fresh limes the other night at my Pampered Chef party and they were a hit! Just put ice and Sprite into clear cups, add some marachino cherry juice and squeeze limes into the drink. Add the limes and cherries. So pretty at Christmastime!