Those Angry Birds

Okay...so seriously..what is the obsession with Angry Birds.  I ask this because I myself seem to waste time away by flinging those silly little birds trying to destroy those little green pig like things.  Over and over again I catapulting those birds away instead of doing something meaningful or useful.  And let's not forget the bird plushies that are now making their way into out local stores.  Angry Birds are everywhere. 

Have a great Sunday all...off to go get E and A ready for church...wish me luck.

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Another Try

Let's try this again.  A few things have changed that will let me have more computer time on a regular basis.  Very happy about that as well as some other changes that have or getting ready to take place that will destress my life big time.  Restoring some peace to this household.    All I can say, it's been a crazy last 4 months..I can't even believe the summer is at an end.  I had a lot of high hopes for this summer, but I guess there is always next.  Have I mentioned that I REALLY dislike winter..yup can't stand it.  I would be perfectly happy to live someplace that didn't experience a real winter, no cold, no snow, no ice...perfect.

Shop news..Things have picked up.  I did get a few blankets and burp cloths listed  I also listed a few other things that I had been sitting on.  Who know baby food jars would be a huge seller, I've sold 64 so far with another 24 pre-ordered.  I am waiting on a response from a lady in Singapore that is interested in a crocheted baby blanket as well as waiting on the final details and completion of an order for 50 cloths.  All this with Christmas shopping just around the bend. 

At home, I have been working on a few projects.  I will post pictures of these as they are completed.

1. Spice jars...using of course...wait for it...baby food jars.  I ordered small chalkboard labels (pictured to the left) from this etsy shop  http://www.etsy.com/shop/LetsTalkChalk and have painted and modge podged the lids.  I haven't add the spices yet (been dragging my feet on that one) but I really can't wait to have it all done. 

2. A hair stuff/jewelry box for E...it's a 4 drawer chest that I am painting bright pink and each drawer will be a different color. I hope she will love it.

3. Getting rid of a lot of "convenience" type food and replace with homemade.  I will go more into this in future posts.  I will share my take of creating convenience mixes and such at home.  I picked up an eBook from The Hillbilly Housewife  http://www.hillbillyhousewife.com/  that has tons of recipes for these items too.  Next post I will share more on this in the next post. 

I hope everyone has a great rest of the day.  Right now I have a sink full of dishes to wash, some chicken enchiladas to make, and sheets to hang on the line. Hope to talk to you all soon.

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Hello Again

Does anyone remember that movie?  I use to love it...in fact I think I might have it in my box of VHS's buried somewhere in the dungeon (aka the basement). 

So, I'm back for a quick hello.  I don't have a lot of computer time right now.  We only have 1 laptop and DH is starting his second book, so my computer time equal a couple quick stolen moments or when he isn't home. 

It's been an amazing last month or two.  God has been raining down blessings upon blessing on us, which has been wonderful.  Although, he has always provided for us, it's been wonderful to not have to worry about where things are going to come from and when they are going to show up.  One off the wall thing, was a serger was purchased for me.  It's been at least a month now and I'm still extremely excited about this.  I will be offering receiving blankets (some with crocheted edges, some without), burp cloths, baby wash cloths, "un" paper towels, and who knows what else. 

So....I tried to add pictures...and it didn't work.....grrrrrr   I will have to get into this and figure out how to upload pictures for you all, but not today.

Anyways...some sales of interest this week.  Aldi has salad mix for .69, mushrooms for .49 (I picked up a bunch of these to slice and freeze), cucumbers for .29 and I think cherry tomatoes for .69. 

That's all I've got for you today.  Well that's not true...I was going to post a favorite throw together meal of mine but....since I can't get the pictures to work..it will wait.  I was a good girl and took pictures last night (although I didn't make it very well, it still looked pretty...lol).

Hope you all have a blessed day, night..week...

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Just Another Manic Monday

Okay, so maybe it's not a manic Monday.  Actually it's a very laid back relaxing Monday.  Seems like I've spent the past month go go going.  Not fun.  I long to spend more time at home but it seems there is always something calling me out. Anyways...off of that subject.  It's been a fairly productive morning...sitting here now with A on my chest sleeping and E playing with my hair.  I have also managed to clean the bathroom so far. Oh oh oh...I found the best cleaning product.  Kaboom...AMAZING...it does exactly what the commerical says...I am in love.  I have been trying to switch over to more natural cleaners...but wow...seriously...you can't beat this stuff.  Spray it on, a couple minutes wipe it off and you have a super clean tub.  Yup..love it. 

Speaking of cleaning...do you have any tips for cleaning more naturally?  I have been using vinegar and water for everything (except the bathtub..lol) with a little essential oil in it.  It works great but the smell can still get to be a bit much when I go on an all day cleaning rampage. 

My menu for this week has gotten all messed up so I will post that later in the week.  Also...I know right off the top of my head that you can get super cheap Peter Pan peanut butter this week.  It's $1.67 and there is a .50/1 coupon that can be printed.  Also there is a Meijer Mealbox for $1.00/3.  We go through peanut butter like crazy so it's good to be able to stock up at less than $1.00 each.

Well all...have a great day.  Stay safe.  Now..I think I might run off and make some Peanut Butter Oatmeal Cookies.

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A Sunny Tuesday or maybe The Quest for Shoes

Good Morning everyone.  It looks to be a sunny Tuesday out, which is such an improvement over yesterday.  I know rain is essential..but yuck.  I was crazy enough to venture out yesterday as well.  Not quite sure what I was thinking.  I went searching for shoes, which for some reason for me is never an easy task.  Like most woman, I really do love shoes, but my need to be practical always wins out.  Do I really need those super cute little healed ankle boots?  No matter how cute they are..not really, especially since I rarely dive into the world of heels anymore.  I really do miss them...I love heels..but again..not practical in my jeans and t-shirts mommy world. The only time I get out of that mode is for church on Sunday..then it's jeans and a nice shirt, and even then heels aren't practical when the occasional need to chase a 3 year old comes into play. I did find an really cute pair of black and gray plaid but they don't fit at all...so back to the store they go, and the quest continues.   

So, as promised, the menu for this week...I will start with this past Sunday
 Sunday - Breakfast sandwiches on homemade English Muffins
 Monday - Skipped...E had her first birthday party to go to
 Tuesday - Garlic Chicken and Noodle
 Wednesday - Steak Stir Fry
 Thursday - Chicken Cor'Don Blue and Baked Potato (Aldi has them for .99 each which to me is a good price, definitely cheaper than I can make them)
 Friday - Hot Dogs and Mac and Cheese
 Saturday - Taco's

I also had Baked Potato Soup on the menu...but I think that one will get thrown out this week. 

So..that's it for today.  I haven't even started  to work on a grocery/coupon list for this week...I will try to post later in the week when I get it together. 

 Enjoy the sunshine while it's here. 

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I'm Back....I think???

Yup...that says it..I'm back...I think..maybe????  In case you haven't noticed I've changed the name of the blog and we are going to go in a whole other direction.  How about instead of my shop (which is set on vacation indefinitely at this point), we talk for real?  I will share life things...from our monthly dinner plans, shopping lists, recipes, E's crazy antics, A's sweet nature, my crazy ideas and everything in between. 

So, where have I been this past year?  It's been a ride that is for sure.  We started working full time ministry, we got pregnant and had baby A (who is almost 3 months now) and I guess a bunch of other stuff in between. 

At this moment I am cherishing the precious few moments of quiet I have everyday.  Everyone is sleeping...well except A who is multi-tasking eating and sleeping.  I'm looking at my pile of work on the other couch calling my name...April's menu, so recipes, recipe book, and magazines are scattered all over while I strive to achieve the balance of new recipes, old favorites and of course the tolerated. On the menu for tonight? Pizza Empanadas. 



Yup..that totally is not my picture, grabbed it from a recipe, but hey...it sure looks yummy right?

So...I think I'm going to get back with my menu planning.  I will share what I come up with later in the week (hopefully).

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Cheap-O Meal

Many of you already know that I am a coupon person, while I haven’t mastered it yet, I do the best I can right now.  So with that, I tend to laugh at commercials and advertisements that talk about meals at ONLY $2.00 a serving.  I started thinking about how much does it really cost to make meals from our normal rotation.  Since there are so many people hurting right now, I thought it might be fun to break down some of these meals to their true (or almost true) costs and give the recipe.
We will start with what we had last night, very simple and very cheap
Chicken and Rice
1.5 cups of rice (3/4 of a one pound bag at 1.29)  .96
2 Chicken Thighs (cooked and shredded) (1/2 of 1 package on clearance at 1.78)  .89
3 Cups Chicken Broth (3/4 of a 32 ounce container 2.09)  1.56
2 Tbsp Margarine (32 Tbsp in box at .69)  .04
1.2 an onion (diced) (I have no idea how much I paid for a bag or how many were in the bag so I’m just assigning a value until I have to buy onions again)  .25
Salt and Pepper (any rounding that was done above would cover the cost of this)
Melt butter, then sauté onion and rice in large pan (with lid) until rice has browned, pour in chicken stock, bring to a boil, cook for 15 – 20 mins (until done).  Mix in shredded chicken, salt and pepper. 
I served this with 1/2 a bag of corn  which I got free this past weekend..Kroger had it on sale for 1.00 and combined with a .50/1 coupon that doubled..free and 1 Tbsp of margarine for .02
Entire meal  3.72 which counting it as 4 servings (there are 3 of us but dh eats a ton so the rice was really more than 4..we did toss some as I undercooked ours so it was kind of yucky) 
A total of .93 per serving
I hope that helps some people.  If you would like to continue to see article like this, please let a comment below, so I know people are interested.

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New Community

Hi Everyone.  I just wanted to let everyone know about a great new community that was suggested to me yesterday.  My Craft Corner...it's a great group.  A ton of people all talking and sharing ideas.  It's an easy to use site and the people really are wonderful and very welcoming...not at all clichey as many of these type's of places can be.  I urge you, to check it out.  It's free.  http://www.mycraftcorner.com/  tell them funnyface sent you when you sign up.

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Just a Quickie

Hi Everyone.  WoW..I'm a deadbeat as I really don't have anything to say today.  I am homebound today, which is great for creative time, but I'm getting a little stir crazy.  DH has to take my car when the weather turns nasty since his doesn't hand the snow/ice at all. 

With being trapped however, I have managed to get 4 new listings up with new products.   I hope you like.

 

 

Child Size Bath Puff, Lazy Daisy        Facial Bath Puff, Lazy Daisy

 

         

4 Inch Facial Scrubbies, Lazy Daisy     

2 Inch Cotton Ball Replacements, Lazy Daisy

 

Thank you for looking

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Happy New Year

Hello 2010.  I wish everyone a happy, healthy and blessed 2010.  May all your goals/resolutions and dreams for the new year come true. 

For me as I mentally review 2009, it was a rough year with great heartache and sorrow but with that was an equal amount of pure joy and excitement.  I could never wish a year away (although it sounds good) because then I would be wishing away all the positives along with the negative and wishing away a year of growth in many ways.  For 2010 my goal is simple..to be better..a better wife, a better mother, a better friend..gernerally better at everything.  To set clear goals for each day, to work smarter not harder, to spend more time with daughter and less time doing pointless activities, to set my schedule in a way that allows me to get things done in all areas of my life. My prayer for the new year is that God would bless us with another baby very quickly, to not have the months of hope and disapoint that tends to go with trying. Overall,through everything, I really just want to be positive light to those around me, to affect peoples lives for the positive, that people will see Christ's love through me. 

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A Quick Note

Hi all...sorry..it's been almost a month.  A lot has happened again. We moved into the new house a little over a week ago, so it was a crazy week trying to make the house liveable for family coming in for Christmas.  I will post pictures of the finished project as soon as we are done setting everything up..it might take a little while since there are quite a few things we need to get.

On another sad note..a couple days after my last post we lost the baby.  So, it's been a very sad time for me however having this house to finish so we could move in and now all the work that still lays ahead has helped. We have picked ourselves back up and are trying again..DH is actually the one really pushing for it..which is a little odd...I think this has actually helped him get over his fear of the whole process and realize how fragile of a process it really is and how each baby is a blessed miracle.

I'm hoping to get back into the full swing of things after the New Year..some new things to look forward to..facial puffs, child size bath puffs, reusable cotton balls, and facial scrubbies. Of course we will be keeping up with all the original bath puffs and dish cloths as well. 

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Rough Couple of Weeks

So..last time I wrote I was super excited about the new house.  My mom was here for almost a week and we got a ton accomplished..but there was still so much to do.  Then on the 20th, we got some awesome news but it threw a huge halt on everything painting wise.  I’m pregnant..it was a planned surprise..we have been trying but I guess you never expect it to be that month..or at least I don’t.  So..the last couple weeks have been filled with tons of stress trying to find people to help finish up the house..with only a little success.  So now we are 1 hopefully 2 weeks out from moving (we prefer the 2 but our current landlord might want us out in 1) and have 2 bedrooms and 1 bath and some cutting in and trim to do.  BUT let’s add another level to all of this.  Eager to get the Doctor process underway I go in for the pregnancy blood test to get receive results that my numbers weren’t high enough and I needed to retake the test..great..not problem..retake the test last Wednesday but because of the Holiday I didn’t get the results until Tuesday afternoon this week..they didn’t double..had to go in and take another test this past Wed..the doubled but in a week they should have been A LOT higher...yikes..so they bring me in for an Ultra Sound yesterday to find out what was going on, very thankful they didn’t make me wait and just fit me in.  Go in..have to talk to the midwife first because the nurses could tell I’m a wreck..she pretty much prepares me that I’m miscarrying..go in for the ultra sound..first thing she announces..there’s a HEARTBEAT!!!  I just started sobbing on the table (not that I hadn’t been all day) and luckily dh was able to make it while I was in there and the technician was wonderful enough to show him the baby and let him hear it as well.   HUGE amounts of stress for nothing..I understand that they do the numbers because that’s the earliest indication that something is wrong..but wow. So I am very very thankful that we have a healthy baby developing..and I am due on July 31st.  :)

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Pictures of the New House

I went through and took pictures of the new house.  Very exciting.  I will post pictures room by room as I am work on them otherwise I would end up clogging up this whole post with so many pictures. 
To start here are the pictures of the original Dining Room/Living Room.  We have accomplished a lot already.  All of the wallpaper has been removed and a subfloor was put down since the existing hardwood was in horrible shape and the carpet would not even lay well on it.  We are going to start priming and painting today.  The colors for the room are Vanilla Brandy with Weeping Willow accent walls.  I’m not going to tell you the actual colors..you will just have to wait and see ;).  Hopefully will be posting pictures of the completed area (minus carpet which is being installed on the 30th) within a few days. 
Enjoy…
Dining Room
Living Room
Fireplace that Unfortunately does not work.

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A New to Us House

I’m really excited about a new project I am undertaking.  We have decided that we are going to move into a different house. We are renters..for now..so it’s easy.  The house we live in right now is very nice..only about 4 or 5 years old.  Huge compared to what we came from..very nice neighborhood..very nice neighbors..in fact there was 4 other young families from our church around us. But..there are a couple of downfalls.  1. and the most influential..all of this comes with a larger price tags..rent while not high is stretching us a little to far and keep us from being able to do anything and enjoy some fun things.  2. no back yard..well a landing strip of a back yard which is controlled by the association so no baby pool and not leaving the little slide out so summer fun was a bummer for us just because of the pain of pulling things out every time we wanted to go out many times for just a few minutes.

So..anyways..the house are moving into is OLD and needs a TON of work.  It’s a duplex house..which is a down fall..but the rent makes up for it..almost half of what we are paying now..YAY.  So..what’s the new and big project..um..the house needs a lot of work and guess who is going to be doing some of it..or a lot of it..at least doesn’t need a strong male or to be professionally done.  I have wall paper to remove, 8 rooms plus a stairway and hallway to paint, cabinetry to paint and a ton of cleaning.  Okay..so maybe not a TON of work for me..but did I mention that all this needs to be done with my 2 yr old in tow and as quickly as possible so that we are moving at the latest by mid December..add on top of that Christmas shopping, Thanksgiving, and my shop which I really hoping picks up very soon.  The really fun thing about all of this is..I get to pick out the paint colors, we get to do whatever we want to the house as long as it increases the value of the house.  Oh and the majority of everything in the house will be new..carpets, floors, windows, vanities..lighting and the list goes on and on.  The one big downfall is..is tiny kitchen and I love to cook.but even that is fixable with a couple extra pieces in there.

So, I am very excited about all of this..I will be taking pictures of the new place tomorrow and posting them soon and I really hope you will follow along with this project with me.

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45 Days to Christmas - Random Etsy Search – Red Apple

So, I thought it might be fun with the holiday season baring down on to post some Etsy finds.  Hopefully this will help to give you some ideas for your holiday shopping. I also started my search around page 20 for items that have been lost in the shuffle.

For this search I used the term “red apple”. I am planning on putting together a gift basket using some homemade canned apple pie filling, some crumble/crisp topping in a jar, and some random other apple items.

Here is a few items that I found – click on title to be brought the item listing or go to the shop using the shop link. 

Apple Jacket – Hand knit red - www.jacquelineknits.etsy.com

$14.00

4 oz Apple Spice Soy Upcycled Jar Candle – www.chicearth.etsy.com

$5.00

Travel Lunch Set – Mini Bag, Petit Sandwich Bag with Napkin – www.Evelynfields.etsy.com

$16.50

Apple Birdhouse Gourd – www.houseofgourds.etsy.com

$32.00

1/4 Pound Dried Red Apple Slices – www.layla.etsy.com

$4.25

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Halloween

I thought I would post a couple Halloween pictures.  This was the first year we have taken DD trick or treating.  It was super cute.  She is very shy so it was hard getting her to say anything walking up to the doors until she figured out what was going on.  Then she would walk down the street saying treat..treat..treat..  When we would get up to the door there was a 50/50 chance that she would say anything, she would however reach right into the candy bowl, even when people were handing her the candy.  Luckily everyone people seemed to think she was cute enough, not to care.  It was a fun time while it lasted and she is excited for her “purse” of treats.

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Busy Busy Busy

I have been frantically working the last week or so on my first consignment deal, which I am super excited about.  You will find us at Dreaming Tree Studio’s in Kentucky.  Their grand opening is November 4th.  I’m really hoping for good things from this.  I am sending out 10 bath puffs and 10 soap savers today.  If these are successful I will be adding washcloths and possibly facial scrubbies (once I get the pattern worked out) as well.  We are very excited and hoping to have more consignment deals in the future.  Here are the bath puffs, I was going to take a picture of all the soap savers as well, however, dh ran out the door this morning, taking the camera with him.  Oh, and I finally found a shop to do tags for me at a very reasonable price.  She is awesome to work with.  http://www.jerseygirlgraphics.etsy.com/ 
 
Another item I have been working on like crazy is a custom order blanket.  It’s turning out very nice and I am more than 2/3 done.  I am hoping to be able to finish it this week or early next week.  I’m thinking about creating a listing for a custom/create your own blanket.  I’m going to list out prices by foot/color..for example.  $8.00 a foot for 1 color plus a trim color..$10.00 a foot for 2 colors..and so on. Not sure how to list it just yet though.
 
I am also excited to have won a custom order for crochet squares.  I will be creating 50 squares for her using her pattern for half of them.  She will then turn it into a blanket.  I’m hoping if this turns out well to be able to do more work for her down the line. 

So, it has been a busy week.

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Wordless Wednesday

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E’s Birthday – Part 3 – The Party

Trying to blow out the candle

More Cake

The start of presents

Middle of presents..she love clothes

She loves her babies highchair

*****Her Actual Birthday*****

Playing with Playdoh in her new booster seat

Wiping her hands after even more cake

Rearranging her presents

actually opening presents (I think that’s the first time she really did it herself)

End  day of the..my attempt to capture the t-shirt, however if just never worked..she moves too fast.

 

That is is..thanks for looking..I will plaque you no longer with my DD’s birthday. 

Quick note about the shop, my mom made this really neat table runner..it will work for Halloween and fall. 

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E’s Birthday – Part 2 – The Cake

So..this is what happens when you turn your back on a two year old within reaching distance of the cake.  Completely unaware that she had noticed the cake, and that she could reach it if she moved her chair, I turned my focus on cleaning off the top of the refrigerator.  Bad move mama.  I turned around to see her chewing on something..my heart stops a for a moment because I don’t know what..and then I see it..the hole that was impossible to cover up. 

Believe or not, that is not the end of the saga.  The next day, after I had disastrously decorate the cakes (went the easy way of using store bought frosting..what a mess)..had one of the cakes sitting in the refrigerator..turned around to grab something off the counter to put in the fridge..and what happens..ANOTHER HOLE..she decided to taste test AGAIN..had a big old handful of frosting and cake the she was licking off her fingers.  UGH!!!  I know it’s my own fault for turning my back but I didn’t realize again that she would grab it in the literally 2 seconds I turned my back.  The positive note is that it was the same cake as the other hidden hole and of course it creates a great story and the grandparents loved it.  I tried to take a picture of “the cake” however the picture did not turn out.  You can kind of make out a little bit of the whole on the bottom right wing.

Here is the other cake that was not tasted ahead of time

 

Keep an eye out for part 3..loads of pictures of the actual event.

Okay, so on a quick side note, you may have noticed that I am posting less often.  I pulled back from being on the computer so much last week (or at least tried).  I’m going to be working on stepping back a little, spending more time creating and more focused time with E.

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