I thought Betty had them.

What botton?

Spices! I can take those bottles anymore.

My spice cabinet has always been a space of uncontrol and clutter. All those bottles and containers of different sizes.

I got inspired by how pretty the farm chicks spice drawer was that I had to make mine pretty too.

http://thefarmchicks.typepad.com/farmchicks/2009/01/happy-little-spice-drawer.html

I will say, I do like the eclectic look. I am having a hard time to display ecletic without clutter, so for now my house is clutter. I am beginning to understand that decluttering my house may be a several year adventure, before I get it to where I really want it. I do believe that it will be beautiful and cozy and darling.

So I have soooo much stuff, I was on a mission last night to use what I have. Hmm, what will I do? I have plenty of Mason jars and in the garage. I had left over half pint jars. So they were my first pick of coolness. I pulled all the spices and seasonings out of the cupboard and went to town organizing by volume. I did use some tupperware snack containers for my smaller stuff. I used wide mouth jars because they stack very easily.

So I scavangered the house for all my jars, yes I keep glass. I love glass jars and bottle. I keep spaghetti jars, pickle jars, applesauce, and jam. Oh, I have cherry jars and starbucks iced mocha jars, baby food jars, get the picture. SO the heart to heart I had with my self is, use what you have, it takes up space and you are saving it to use it.

I used white return labels from staples and a felt blue pen for my labels, nothing fancy. My handwritting has changed so much. My writting is now with intent all the time so show y children how to form letters. Then with sunday school for K5 and 1st graders, I make them trace verses, so I try to make sure I am writting properly for them, well it has carried over in my everyday life.

SO I started with a new garbage bag and whala, full of empty spice jars. By the time I was done from all those smells, I felt like I had went on a exotic adventure at my kitchen table.

So I love my cupboard. It looks so clean and uncluttered with it all in there. Just fresh! Send me a link to your spices.

Back to bulk cooking - Ground Beef

So I have lavished in the bulk cooking but have not been very excited about spending the day in the kitchen with the children creating craziness. So I mucked up the courage to start again. My aim is/was a total of 12 meals. I spent right at $150 for the 12, not near the savings I got last time. But I was ready for something different. I say is/was because there is a good possibility I will be getting more than 3 meals from each dinner.

My meals:

3 - Lazy Lasagna

3 - Cabbage rolls

2 - Wings and coleslaw and french fries

2 - Enchilada casseroles

1 - Tacos

1 - Nachos

So this time I am cooking in shifts. First order of action cook the 10 pounds of ground beef. Yes even a 4 year old can do it, well until the DVD starts playing. I used my electric skillet for this because it is the biggest pan in the house and my sad little stove, sniffle, sniffle is having some aging problems. That will be for another time.

So I cooked all 10 pounds.

Then I strained all of it in a strainer in a pot and moved it to a measuring cup. For gross approximation, 2 1/5 cups cooked is 1 pound.

From here, I measured 3 pounds into 2 bags, one for cabbage rolls and one for lasagna I also cooked 4 pounds total with taco seasoning for the nachos, tacos, and enchiladas.

Taco Seasoning, go in bulk or make your own. I buy in bulk.

So tonight, I took the remaining taco meat and layered it on chips, cheese, onions, tomatoes, and green chili. MMMMMmmmmm!

So tomorrow, I should be making the cabbage rolls and then the lasagna, the wings, enchiladas.

Laundry Detergent Recipe

I grabbed this recipe from the duggars' website. I have been using thi detergent for about 4-6 months. It works great and I see no need to go back to purchasing detergent. I have washed my husbands dirt clothes and cloth diapers with great success.

Here are the ingredients.
4 Cups hot water
1 bar Ivory soap
1 cup washing soda
1/2 cup borax

Here is a picture of the ingredient, so when you go to the store, you know what to look for. I have heard that you can Call Arm and Hammer and they will tell you the closest store that sells the washing soda.

3 bars of Ivory @dollar store $1
box of borax about $4
box of Washing soda about $3

step 1: Grate ivory bar and mix with 4 cups of hot water on medium until dissolved.

step 2: Fill 5 gal bucket with hot water. add dissolved soap, borax, and soda. Stir until fully disolved. Fill the bucket up to top with more hot water.

Stir, cover and let sit over night. This is a high concentrated and is actually 10 gallons of laundry detergent. Fill you jugs for washing with half detergent and half water. (i.e., It is easier to pour in the washing machine from a smaller container than to spoon it out with each load from the bucket.)

To Use!

Front end loader: 1/4 cup detergent (640 loads)

Top Loader: 5/8 cup detergent (180 loads)

So for the initial investment $8 plus the bucket&lid. You have more than enough for anywhere between 1,320 to 540 loads, depending on your washer. Also, for a $1 more on ivory, you can do 3 more batches.

The detergent is watery and looks like watery milk. But it works great

Bottons from the swarm

Ha! Tracy C. I GOT YOUR BOTTONS!

Blog junkie!

Hi, My name is Trish, and I am a blog junkie. Have been for about 9 months. No I am not actively keeping up with who is doing what on facebook. No, I come the neighbor hood of blogs, peaking through their windows to see what they are making.

What makes me think I am a blog junkie?
Well, how about the fact that it is 2:58 am and I am browsing through quilting blogs! Just added 4 new blogs to my favorites. On the computer, not blog. I will get them there soon.

So I lay in bed thinking about all the things I could be doing, not sleeping. SO I think, well let me check the upcoming sales. Jo-Anns is doing the 5 for $5 simplicity patterns, lets look at the simplicity patterns on sale. There we go into, lets look at the sewing blogs. Ewww, look at that quilt. Hmm, lets follow this lead. 10 blogs later! When is morning coming, I just want to sew!

Have I told you that I live in a 2 bedroom house with my 3 kids and husband. I sew in a corner of my bedroom. My husband often chases me to bed and tells me to sleep, for some reason he believes he can not sleep unless I am there. Ohh brother. So I have slipped out of my bed tonight to be here. Filling myself with inspiration and motivation to create. I want to inventory my fabrics to begin a first quilt in years. No, I have to wait until morning, ie, when he leaves to start. So by the time it comes along, I will be exhausted from combing the blogs.

Hmm, I will lay and wait for him to leave in the morning. Images of florals and gingham will dance through my head, free stitching with the feed dog down, whirling circles of joy. I have a good idea of the quilt that I am going to make. I hope to do it as a 6 week class.

Ohh I am rambiling. Oh, I also have another blog. Ohh, did I just say I have 2 blogs. yah! Well the other one is for my paper crafting and upcoming classes. www.puntagordastamps.blogspot.com

hmm, where is that diet?

I know no postings of the food journals. Well I have not been on plan for a while. I am still journalling, but I am emberassed by it. I have not been eating much. No I am not starving myself. I usually pride myself in trying to eat as much as possible and still be under my points. Well, I am not sure what happened, prayer maybe, my stomach shrunk.

No not the belly fat, but the actual stomach. I get full instantly and I am good. So I have been nibbling all day long, but my calories are very little. So I might have shredded wheat (minis) 1 serving 3 points. So I eat one here and there, but just one serving for the whole day. A little yogurt for 2 points. Then the sandwich with whitewheat bread 2 slices, 1 point with oscar meat 1 point 4 slices. So I might eat that until 3 pm, so I would be at 7 points. Then I might have a yogurt again before dinner, now I am at 9 points. Well, then I have 16 points for dinner. Well I am just not hungry. So I will have the meal and eat a bunch of vegetables. Opps, I might have 4 to 10 points left. Not good. But I feel alright. Could be stress.

Monkey Cloning!

These were a request. A friend of mine had one made by her grandmother and has an eager nephew trying to take possession of it. In hope to calm the storm, she requested a clone to be made and had another pair of socks that matched.

This was my first sock monkey attempt. I love him. I was amazed at how easy it was. I did hav a hang up with stitching on the stretch stitch position. My machine kept trying to eat the knitt.

I think I might make a few more, as I find some interesting socks.

Journal Day 6

Food Journal - Day 5

Subway is the Chicken Terriaky, no idea how to spell. No the misspelling that runs through out my blog is really typos. I have a hard time typing on a laptop keyboard compared to a desktop. Hey I got 3 kids, I don't feel like fixing them!

Food Journal - Day 3 &4

I hope you canmake this out. Day 3 was the day we went to the CHA expo in Orlando. I did well on it. I made a back up sandwhich, 2 slices white wheat (1 point) and 2 slices oscar myers sub meat pack from sams (1point) and mustard. A good fill for 2 points. So I had my coffee, forgot breakfast as I drove the 2 hours. Everyone wanted to eat McDonalds. I got a diet coke and pulled out my 2 point sandwich. NO SHAME IN LOW CALories. Had a 100 calorie snack pack in the expo. Then we went to earl of Sandwich in Downtown Disney. I ate theCobb salad and 1/2 soup. I have no idea the values on those and they were probably not the best choice, but I felt comfortable that they were a good choice.

Now this is why I do not use my extra 35 points each week. I know I will end up in a situation that I will not be able to calc th points. So I try to eat low for the other parts of the day and then know my 35will buffer anything I go over.

Food Journal - Day 2

Forget typing! What was I thinking! I know not as detailed as before!

Grocery deals 8-2-09

I made the rounds tonight, instead of Monday! Met a few couponers (hello, if you made it here! It was nice meeting you). You know, got to talk to anyone who doesn't ask for me to wipe there but and has a vocabulary larger than Sesame Street. Even if they are frantically walking away form me.

So I went to Walmart, CVS, and Publix in that order.
Walmart
Eggo waffles, 1.50 each, $1/2 coupon, qty:2 for a total of $2
Kellog fruit snack, $2 each, $1/2 coupon, 2, total $3
Scrubbing Bubbles $2 each, $.75/1, 1, total $1.25

I am not listing them all but the good ones. I did find the 42 count flushable pull up wipes for $1.68, I used the $3/2 coupon and got 2 for $0.18 each! Yes you heard that right! Props to www.southernsavers.com for that one.

The Swiffer Mop Jet starter kit was advertised as $18, I brought Tagets ad, where it was $17. But the store was selling it for $16.50, I then used a $2 off coupon and it has coupons totaling $5 .

Keebler stripped cookies are $1.99 in Target's ad and there is a $1/2 coupon. I had walmart compare prices from their $2.99 price and used the coupon, so they were $1.50 each.

Totals here were $64.43, out the door. I used $18.50 in coupons and had them price compare $2 off.

CVS
Betty Crocker's Warm delights 2/$3 and I had $.50/1 coupon, got 2 for a $1 each
Milk gallon, $2.79 plus Reward $1
Venus Razor $8.99 and a $2/1 coupon, so $6.99 with Reward $3

Now I am going back in and getting 4 more warm delights with my coupons and I am spending $0! I know, "why in the world would you buy these if you are on a diet?". Well folks, I do not eat them! I save them for care packages for sick friends. I little chocolate love, for whenever they need it.

Publix!
Everything was purchased with a coupon, even the magazine.

Keebler 100 cal packs, BOGO 3.19,$1/2 coupon, $1.10 each
Yoplait trix yogurt packs, BOGO $2.87, $.4/1, $1.03 each
Fantastick Cleaner, BOGO 2.89, $.75/1, $1.25 each
Poptarts, BOGO 2.45, $1/2, $1.23 each
Kellogs Cereal Frosted Flakes, BOGO 3.99, $1/2, $1.50 each
Betty Crocker Brownies, BOGO $2.63, $.75/2, $.85 each

Total out the door $27.59, $12.10 coupons, Sales savings $34.14!

$104.43, more than usual, way more. but I got some real good stuff, treats that I never fill my house with and I probably will not be buying much more of them.

I need to go back to Publix for the BOGO on Nature Valley 24 ct at $5.49.
Winn-Dixie, Special K blueberry, BOGO 4.79, $1/1 coupon, $1.39 each
Dollar General! Kleenex 3 pack, $2.50, $.50/1, $2 each. (this s good, DG boxes are smaller, but the coupon shoud work)

Ouch, I am inching into my extra good stuff $$, I am going to keep it small next Sunday.