Thankful Thursday

Today I am very thankful for, of all things, Home Depot. To be more specific, my husband's employer. If he were not employed, we would be in such bad shape. I don't even want to imagine what life would be like. So, I am so thankful the Lord brought him this job that he loves and is such a good fit. He answered so many prayers and has blessed us so much! God is so good!

I am always happy that DH is working, but I suppose I took it for granted. Then today, my 59 year old stepfather was fired without warning from a position he's been in for years. He and my mom were blindside by this and their world is now spinning. I told them to pray. I'll pray. I'll ask others to pray for them. God will bring him the right opportunity if they just have faith. Again, God is good!

So, today I urge you to be thankful for things that you might take for granted. I know that's what I've been doing all day long.

Have A Blessed Evening,

Huge Savings Event - Today Only

Have you heard the awesome news? TODAY ONLY you can get an incredible ebook package from MoneySavingMom.com--over $100 worth of money-saving ebooks, homemaking helps, and encouragement for only $5.97! Crystal has been such a huge inspiration to me along my frugal journey! I can't believe she's offering such a great price and I'd highly recommend you run over here and check it out.

What makes this deal so good is that this ebook package includes the ecourse Supermarket Savings 101--this course alone is worth much more than $5.97 and will teach you how to drastically reduce your grocery bill. It is truly very helpful and one of the best frugal resources around! If high fuel and food costs are discouraging you and leaving you strapped for cash, you definitely need to buy this ecourse. You'll learn how to cut your grocery bill by up to 50% or more and have fun saving money at the same time!

Go here to read more about this huge sale! Hurry, though, the price goes up tomorrow--get this money-saving ebook package at a ridiculously low price while you can!

Crock Pot Baking

I love to bake. It's something I really enjoy and think I do fairly well. I express love to my family with ooey gooey goodness from the oven. But, we've not had a oven in a month and a half. What's a girl to do?

I figured out how to bake in my crock pot. I've made banana bread, wheat bread, a few quick bread mixes, and muffins so far. A loaf pan or the aluminum foil muffin tins fit great in my oval shaped crockery. I just had to experiment with the times to figure out how long each thing takes to cook. The end result is really good and it doesn't heat the house up as badly as regular baking.

I also discovered several crock pot desserts the family has grown quite fond of. Not exactly "baked" but yummy just the same! Here are a few of our favorites:

Crock Pot Apple Pie

Cherry Chocolate Crock Pot Dessert

Crock Pot Dump Cake

So, I can still bake, sort of. It nices to bve able to give some sweetness to my loved ones. You might give it a try!

Click the button at the top there for more great kitchen tips over at Tammy's Recipes!

Tackle It Tuesday - Poo Happens

Warning: This tackle is not for the easily nauseated!

I went to bed with all sorts of grand plans. I had so much I wanted to get accomplished today and blissfully thought that I would. I don't think I'll make plans anymore.

3:54am I hear a high pitched awful dog howl. I grab my robe, trot to the front room, open the door, and there it was...poo. Dixie must have been feeling a little sick to her stomach and had an accident all over her kennel. My first thought is to get her outside, so I open her door, leash her up, and she shakes poo all over the living room and me. Yuck! I get her outside, drag the kennel out and wash it, hose down the dog, drag kennel back in, put dog up, mop the living room floor, vow to burn my clothes, and take a shower. About the time I get dried off and redressed, this scenario repeats itself. I suppose I should mention at this point that we do not have a fenced yard. We walk Dixie on a leash, she lives in the house with us, and sleeps in her kennel...which had worked great until now. After round two, I pack dh's lunch, make coffee, get dh out of bed, start a load of laundry, and grab meat out of the freezer to defrost. Then I deal with the pooh problem 5 more times in an hour.

The vet tells me not to worry, give her Pedialyte, keep her hydrated and cool. Dixie drinks this stuff about like my kids do, not well. At the moment, poor Dixie is laying at my feet snoozing. She looks like she feels awful. Poor baby.

So, my tackle today has been mopping the front half of the living room and the entryway/dining room seven times. I have bathed seven times. Three loads of laundry have been washed and hung out. My next project is trying to get the awful smell out of the front part of the house. It's BAD and I'm not sure why as the "mess" is all cleaned up. If I can just accomplish that, I'll be happy. At the moment, petting my precious fur baby, trying to make her feel better is all that is important.

I'll tackle all the things I intended to do today, tomorrow. Why? Because poo happens.

Happy tackling everyone!

P.S. Check out my first giveaway here!

Why I Love Blog Carnivals

I just love blog carnivals! New blogs, new friends, fun & prizes! What's not to love?

I don't blog hop regularly. I have a handful of blogs I read and that's it. I love carnivals because I get to discover blogs I never would have found otherwise. Some of my favorite reads are blogs I found via carnival. So far I've already discovered a few that I know are going to be lasting favorites through the Bloggy Giveaway Carnival.

I love making new friends. Honestly, I was amazed at the amount of online pals I made when I started blogging. It has been great for me, as I know very few people in the town we've moved to. I literally leave my house once a week to grocery shop, so I am sort of friend deprived. Online pals keep me from losing my mind. I've learned things from others, gotten great ideas, been given great advice, found outstanding recipes, and have found lifelong friends via blogging. I hope I meet some great new buddies during this carnival!

Then there is just the fun aspect of it all. Who doesn't love prizes? I love that anticipation feeling you get when entering giveaways. It's so fun and sure beats housework!

I am also thrilled to be finding so many mom ran businesses. I have vowed to buy as many handmade things as possible as Christmas gifts. I like the idea of helping mom run businesses as well as handmade things just rock! Homemade things are generally much more thoughtful than random "stuff". I love the sentimental aspect and the fun of browsing for that perfect gift for each person.I have found several gifts I plan to buy already, thanks to this carnival.

So, my house will be a mess and Ashley will probably play too many video games, but that's okay. Mom can goof off every once in awhile right? Plus, I might actually win something this time around. But, even if I don't, I'll have some great new blogs to follow and just maybe a few new friends.

My First Giveaway

In honor of The Bloggy Giveaways Quarterly Giveaway Carnival, I am having my first giveaway. The prize is The Couponizer!

It includes:
The Couponizer™ - wire bound booklet
Your Guide to Smart Savings
CoupStacker - presorting mat
Shopping List
CoupTracker - record monthly savings
Scissors
Carrying Bag

This is great for all the coupon shoppers out there, from the seasoned to the newbie.

Entering is simple. Just leave me a comment and you are entered. If you subscribe to my feed, blog about this giveaway with a link back to here, or add me to your blog roll, you'll earn 5 more entries. If you did all of the above you'd have 16 chances to win!

I will draw a winner on August 4th. Please be sure you leave me a way to contact you. I will contact the winner on August 4th and they will have three days to respond. If I have not heard from them by then. a new winner will be drawn.

Giveaway is open to both bloggers and nonbloggers. USA residents only.

Click here or the button at the top of the post to see all the great giveaways at the carnival!

Fabulous Jewelry Giveaway

Fairy Tale Jewels is having a Fabulous GIVEAWAY for a $100.00 Gift Certificate to fairytalejewels.com. Head over to Bunny Chic Boutique to enter and get all the info. There are really beautiful pieces over there. Go check it out!

Menu Plan Monday

Sorry this is all squished together. I couldn't get it to post the way I wanted it to :-(

Here is our menu for this week. Hopefully, it will be as big of a hit as last week's. The Crockpot Thai Chicken was a huge hit here!

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Monday: Shipwreck, I found the recipe in the Fix It & Forget it cookbook. It sounds yummy. We are having a tossed salad and rolls with this.

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Tuesday: Seven Layer Taco Salad - Found this over at Tammy's Recipes and I can't wait to try it! I've been craving salads lately.

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Wednesday: Our Family Favourite Crock Pot Chili - I discovered this on Recipezaar when I was researching OAMC. We really like it. I'll probably make a double batch.

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Thursday: Cold Rice Mozzarella Ham Salad - Another new recipe. I think it sounds good, but I'm not sure how the rest of the family will feel. Time will tell. I plan to serve a fruit salad with this.

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Friday: Frito Pie - This is always a hit! We'll make it with Wednesday's chili leftovers. Yum!

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Saturday: Barbecue Ranch Chicken Salad - This sounds so good!

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Sunday: Slow-Cooked Pepper Steak We really like this recipe!

Ebay

I sold my very first item on Ebay this week. It seems that this is going to be the best way to use the kids' outgrown clothes to help finance new school clothes. I have a lot to learn though if I'm going to keep doing this.

I am in the process of learning more about figuring shipping expenses, writing really good descriptions, taking the best pics, and all the other things one needs to know when selling on Ebay. I've read some great posts on other blogs about the subject. It seems Ebay selling is a big thing with today's moms. I'd love to hear about your Ebay selling experiences.

So, my question now is, what about buying on Ebay? Is it a good idea? Both kids need some new things for school. They grow so fast! Would I be better off going to garage sales? Any input/ advice would be greatly appreciated.

Also, if you have an Ebay Store or current auction going on, leave me a link so I can check out your goodies!

Eating Out at Home - Coffee Shop Style

I believe that I've mentioned before that I love coffee. Before I embraced frugality, Starbucks was a very bad habit of mine. After realizing how insane it was for me to shell out that kind of cash on coffee, I decided to start making my own. I tried lots of recipes, and intended to try many more. But, I found some favorites pretty early on and have stuck with those. Here are my favorites as well as a one that I haven't gotten around to making yet. Enjoy!

German Style Eiskaffee This is hands down my favorite homemade iced coffee drink! Better than a coffee shop in my opinion.

Cinnamon Mocha Coffee Wonderful hot coffee!

Irish Coffee- I love this stuff! Just mix 1 1/2 ounces Bailey's Irish Cream into one cup of good quality (hot) coffee. Top with a good sized dollop of whipped cream. I like to use the whipped cream in a can, lots of it.

Kiddo Coffee- The kids love this and it's so simple! I mix about 1/4 cup coffee, a teaspoon of sugar, then fill the mug up with milk. It's great for the times they want to have a cup with mama.

Pumpkin Spice Latte II This has been in my favorites for ages and I still haven't gotten round to making it. It looks divine! The "real deal" is my favorite coffee drink ever!

Coffee Cake- I found this recipe in my grandma's recipe box.


Crumb Topping

1 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar , packed
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped pecan, optional

Combine all ingredients in bowl and mix thoroughly. Set aside.


Cake

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/3 cup milk
Dash of salt


In a large bowl, cream together butter, brown sugar and sugar with an electric mixer until fluffy. Mix in the vanilla and eggs. Mix flour, salt, and baking powder together in a separate bowl. Slowly mixture into the sugar mixture. Add milk and mix thoroughly. Pour into a greased 9x13 cake pan, then top with topping mixture.


Bake for 45 to 60 minutes, depending on how brown you like it, at 325. Cool and serve.

Update on Stolen Post

The thief has struck again! This time, much to my amusement, they reposted my post from yesterday about their theft. I laughed and laughed. But, I really do wish they'd stop!

Waitin' On A Woman

I love Brad Paisley. What's not to love? He is handsome, is amazing with a guitar, is a terrific singer, and writes the kind of songs that melt a girl's heart. His songs make me think, "Gosh I hope that's the kind of love Dan has for me". He is one of my favorite male artist.

Although I love country music, I rarely watch music videos. I'm not sure why, I just don't. I just happened to catch the video for Waitin' On A Woman the other day and I just loved it! It's a very emotional video for me, I needed a hankie, although it isn't sad. The best part is, it has Andy Griffith in it! I hadn't seen him in anything in years, so I loved it! If you are a country music fan, I urge you to go here and check it out. It's a great song.

Help! My Posts Keep Getting Stolen!

This is the third time this has happened! I keep getting emails like this. It is always the same "person" reposting my content. Does anyone know what I can do about this? Any advice would be greatly appreciated. The "person" doing this is Piggy Palace Good Times Society.

Works For Me Wednesday - All things Kool Aid

Kool Aid. It stains. Clothes, carpet, furniture, even your kids. I am not a huge fan, but alas the kids are. So, here is my Kool Aid edition of WFMW.

First, I dilute Kool Aid way more than the instructions say to. I use one cup of sugar and mix it into a gallon of water in a jug. My kids have never complained about this.

I recently discovered that toothpaste will remove that lovely Kool Aid mustache from around the kiddos mouths. This is great because it prevents me scrubbing their skin off. Much simpler to wipe with some Colgate, lol.

Kool Aid stains clothes. I've had great success using my "everything stain remover" that I keep in my laundry room. All you do is mix equal parts water, vinegar, and dish soap. I keep it in a recycled Sunsilk 24/7 creme bottle, but any squeeze bottle would do. Just squeeze some out and work into stained area. Let set a few minutes, then flush with water. I've used this on juice and wine stains as well.

As for the dreaded Kool Aid stain on the carpet, I've had the most luck with the iron it up method. Spray the stain liberally with water, cover with an old towel, then iron the towel. The stain will transfer to the towel. It works on old stains as well as new.

Last but not least, here is a recipe my grandma made when I was little. Yummy Kool Aid pie!

1 graham cracker crust
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1 envelope unsweetened Kool Aid - any flavor, we like strawberry
8 ounces frozen whipped topping, thawed
Mix sweetened condensed milk, Kool Aid and Cool Whip. Blend well. Pour into crust. Refrigerate. Let chill for 3 hours, then serve.

Click the logo above for more WFMW tips at Rocks in my Dryer!

Insomnia Ramblings

I cannot get to sleep. Again. Insomnia seems to be plaguing me ever since the move. Maybe it's because there is always so much to be done. I feel like all I do is go, go, go!

But, what am I really accomplishing? Not a whole lot. I mean, yes the unpacking and decorating and settling in need to be done. Along with the cooking and cleaning and laundry. But, I never get it all done. I feel like I am not a good enough wife or mom; because if I was the house would've magically transformed itself into perfection by now. The sane side of me realizes that there is probably a year or more worth of remodeling work to be done here. But, the housewifely side just wants it to be done and to be home already.

So, I lay in bed and think about all the things that need doing. Worse yet, it's beginning to rub off on Ashley! That cannot happen! Especially with school right around the corner. So, this week instead of trying to very quietly putter around the house, I am making myself stay in my room. I only got out of bed tonight because I seemed to be bothering Dan and I had to go to the potty. For some reason I feel like if I just lay there long enough I'll finally drift off. Great theory, I drifted off after 4am this morning after being in bed by a little after 10 last night.

As a result, I feel like a zombie until about noon. Getting up to see Dan off to work at about 5:30 is a trip on less than two hours sleep. Coffee is my friend! So, my I suppose stress induced insomnia is causing me to be less productive, thus more stressed. It's a vicious circle! Does anyone have any advice on how to get out of this awful cycle? I am a tired, cranky, desperate woman!

Tackle It Tuesday - The Bathroom Cabinet

One of the things I love most about this house is this awesome cabinet unit in the bathroom.



Within the first week of being here, I had arranged and organized my HBA stockpile just the way I'd always wanted to. It was perfect! Finally room for all of it and it's all easy to find! My bubble was burst when DH suggested we might want to keep towels and wash cloths in the cabinet as well. Well, that had never even crossed my mind, I was so in awe of my stockpile storage. I felt so silly!

So today, that is what I worked on. I think I did pretty well. Here is the shelf area.

And here are the drawers.
The top drawer is empty at the moment. I can't figure out what to put there or in the upper cabinet sections, as they are so hard to access. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

As for the bathroom itself, it's coming along nicely. Here is a before pic - And here is a pic of the new floor -

It's coming along, finally! To see what others are tackling, click the Tackle it Tuesday logo above.

Creamer Concoctions

I love coffee. I love flavored coffee creamers. Flavored creamers can be quite costly, and I don't do quite costly. So, I've been experimenting with making my own. I took a recipe my mom had and used it as a base.

Here is Mom's recipe-
1 cup non dairy coffee creamer
1-1/4 tsp. almond extract
1-1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 cup powdered sugar

Place all ingredients in a quart size Ziploc bag or a jar with a screw on lid. You want something that will close securely. Then just shake it all up until it's mixed thoroughly. Add about a tablespoon per cup of coffee.

Now this is good, but I've been playing with it a bit:
I've tried replacing the almond extract with coconut, both with and without the cinnamon.
I've done rum extract instead of almond.
I've used peppermint extract and replaced the cinnamon with cocoa.

It's been fun trying all the different combos out! So, by using Mom's recipe as a base, I've come up with several "keeper" concoctions and have lots more ideas to try.

Try it yourself and let me know what you come up with!

For more great kitchen tips, click the pick above to check out Tammy's Recipes!

Menu Plan Monday

Click the pic below for more yummy menu plans! We are still operating with out a stove/oven. My equipment at the moment is an electric skillet, an electric griddle, the crock pot, a deep fryer, microwave, and the grill or smoker outside. It's not too bad because it is way to hot for me to want to heat up the kitchen anyway. I've been sticking the crock pot in the back porch area when I use it to keep it's heat out of the house.

This week, I combed through the recipes I'd saved from the Internet into my very unorganized recipe folder. I found several family favorites, as well as some I'd been meaning to try for months. You will see that I'm a big fan of Recipezaar and have my favorite chefs there. So, here is my menu for the week. I tried to add more fruits and veggies than we have been eating. I hope ya'll enjoy!

Monday: Easy Crock Pot BBQ Chicken served on buns for BBQ sandwiches. Potato chips and raw veggies on the side. Melon and Peach Salad on the side or as dessert.

Tuesday: Fancy Pants, Cheesy Potatoes, and asparagus. Fruity jello for dessert.

Wednesday: Thai Chicken (Crock Pot), Microwave Lemon Garlic Broccoli, and brown rice.

Thursday: Marvelous Monte Cristo Salad

Friday: Spicy and Tender Crock Pot Pork Chops, Tossed Salad With Mandarin Oranges

Saturday: Easy Grilled Lime Chicken, Shredded Zucchini, Corn With Green Chilies and for dessert we have a cake I baked and froze before the move. I'm really hoping it froze well. Here's the recipe Cinnamon Sprinkle Cake. I've made the cake before and know that it is fantastic fresh! It comes from Tammy's Recipes, one of my absolute favorite websites. You might want to check it out.

Eating Out At Home - Steak and Ale Style

Tonight's Eating Out At Home menu was inspired by this yummy recipe Donna, one of my readers, sent me earlier in the week. I haven't eaten at Steak & Ale in years, but this was my favorite entree. The restaurant serves it with rice pilaf and your choice of salad, so I've included links to tried and true recipes for both rice pilaf and an excellent wedge salad. And for dessert, try some fantastic french silk pie. Enjoy!

Steak and Ale Hawaiian Chicken

Ingredients:
6 boneless, skinless chicken breast
2 cups pineapple juice
2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoon sugar

Instructions:
In a bowl combine all ingredients except for chicken. Stir. Using a fork, poke about 5-8 sets of holes in each chicken breast. Put chicken in marinade, making sure it is covered in the mixture. Add more pineapple juice if necessary. Cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. Grill as you normally grill chicken. Top with grilled, sliced pineapple if desired.

Rice Pilaf My kids really like this recipe.

Iceberg Wedge Blue Cheese Bacon & Tomato Salad So refreshing during the hot summer!

French Silk Pie This is just so smooth and chocolaty. I am not that great at pies, but this one was easy enough for even me.

Wordless Wednesday ~ Beautiful Lengths Donation

As I posted earlier, I cut off 11 inches of hair over the weekend to donate to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program. I love that my hair can go to a good cause and I can be cooler. Here are my "after" pics.

Check out 5 Minutes for Mom to see more Wordless Wednesday pics.

Totally Toddler, The Only Stain Remover You'll Ever Need

Have you ever heard of Totally Toddler? Totally Toddler Nursery Stain Remover is the best laundry prewash, stain, and odor remover I've ever used. I started using the spray over 10 years ago, after a friend had a baby. Their whole household swore it was a magic stain remover. After my first few uses, I realized it truly was a great stain remover, but it wasn't until my own kids came along that I realized how extraordinary it really is! In my 12 years of motherhood, I've successfully used Totally Toddler to:

• Remove the worst stain and odors from cloth diapers
• Remove spit up stains on everything from burp cloths to silk blouses
• Remove blood, chocolate and even ink from numerous fabrics and surfaces
• Get rid of a red Kool Aid stain on an off white carpet
• And, my personal favorite, it removed a permanent marker stain from a light pink blouse that had already been through the dryer once!

Totally Toddler really is the best stain remover I've ever used! When it got the permanent ink out of my blouse I was amazed! It is by far my favorite laundry treatment product.

Unfortunately, I can no longer find it in my area, so when I go to places that carry it, I stock up. You can purchase Totally Toddler at Toys R Us, Babies R Us, and Burlington Coat Factory in the Baby Depot section. It can also be purchased from several retailers online.

In an effort to get more stores to carry Totally Toddler their website has a letter you can print out and take to your favorite retailer. When you do this you receive a coupon for a free bottle! Click here for more details.

So, I urge you to try Totally Toddler. I know you will be happy with the results.

SAVING is good.

Beautiful Lengths

We spent the weekend visiting with my in laws. At some point, I mentioned wanting to get my hair cut. Less than an hour later, I had 11 inches less hair. My sister-in-law Tammy had told me about Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program and it didn't take me long to decide to participate. They make real hair wigs for women battling cancer. I urge you to please go to their site to learn more about this terrific program. They only require your pony tail be 8 inches long, but we cut mine longer to compensate for how much it curls up when dry and to achieve the style my mother-in-law wanted me to have. My new do looks great and I am thrilled to be helping such a worthy cause. I can't wait to grow my hair out and do it again!

Click here for the requirements for donating hair.

I will post the pics later, in my Wordless Wednesday post.

Celebrity Babies and the Fans Who Love Them

There is a ton of hoopla surrounding the birth of the Jolie Pitt twins, much like there was when big sister Shiloh was born. I had somehow escaped this news until today; I guess I live under a rock. I'll admit that I was curious about the new star babies, so I read a few articles to figure out what there (sure to be strange) names were. Curiosity satisfied, I decided to go on about my business.

Then, I came across an article about fans sending baby gifts to their favorite expecting celebs. What? You read that correctly, Mrs. Average Housewife sending a hand knitted sweater to Brad and Angie. Now, I understand that people can get really attached to celebrities, but this struck me as ludicrous. The celebs just end up donating these things, which is of course what they should do. But, why do people feel the need to send it in the first place? I just do not understand. If you want so badly to celebrate a birth and bless a child, why not donate these things directly to charity?

For the crafty sort who knit, crochet, etc.. you might want to check out The Warm Up America Foundation, Project Linus, or Guideposts Knit for Kids.

For those of us who are not so crafty, most women and children's' shelters are thrilled to accept donations of infants/children's items. Diapers, bottles, formula, clothes, and all sorts of things are often needed at shelters.

So, instead of packing up a layette for your fave celeb's new bundle of joy, think about passing that gift along to an infant who truly needs it. You'll be glad you did.

Eating Out At Home - Chili's Style

I've posted before about our practice of making our favorite restaurant foods at home.We enjoy the same yummy food for a fraction of the cost! This post and the recipes I'd posted along with it have gotten such a huge response that I decided to make them a regular Friday post. I hope ya'll enjoy it.

Today I am craving Chili's, so here are a few of our make at home versions of their yummy food.

Chili's Shanghai Wings with Wasabi Ranch Dipping Sauce - A friend sent me this in an email and it's wonderful!

2 chicken breast fillets
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 egg
1 cup milk
4 to 8 cups vegetable oil (for deep fat frying)

Ginger Citrus Sauce:
1 1/4 cups water
1 tablespoon corn starch
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Wasabi Ranch:
1/2 cup Hidden Valley Ranch bottled salad dressing
2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/2 teaspoon powdered wasabi

Slice each chicken breast into 6 pieces. Combine flour, salt, peppers and paprika in a medium bowl. In another small bowl, whisk together egg and milk.

One or two at a time, dip each piece of chicken into the egg mixture, then into the breading blend; then repeat the process so that each piece of chicken is double-coated. When all chicken pieces have been breaded, arrange them on a plate and chill for 15 minutes.

Preheat 4 to 8 cups of canola oil in a deep fat fryer to 375 degrees.

Ginger Citrus Sauce:
As the chicken is resting, make the ginger-citrus sauce by dissolving the corn starch in the water. Pour the water into a medium saucepan along with the rest of the sauce ingredients and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat. When the sauce begins to bubble, reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes or until thick. Remove the sauce from the heat and let it cool a bit.

Wasabi Ranch:Make the wasabi-ranch dressing while your ginger-citrus sauce is simmering. Simply whisk together the ranch dressing, buttermilk, prepared horseradish, powdered wasabi, and green food coloring in a small bowl. Cover and chill this until the wings are done.

When the chicken has rested and you're ready to cook, lower the boneless wings into the oil and fry for 5 to 6 minutes or until each piece is browned. Depending on the size of your fryer, you may want to fry the chicken in batches so that the chicken isn't too crowded in there. When chicken pieces are done frying, remove them to a draining rack or a plate lined with a couple paper towels.

When all the chicken is fried, place the pieces into a covered container such as a large jar with a lid. Pour the Ginger-citrus Sauce over the chicken in the container, cover it up, and then gently shake everything around until each piece of chicken is coated with sauce

Cajun Chicken Pasta

Chili's Spicy Garlic & Lime Shrimp - One of my very favorite foods!

Chili's Paradise Pie - This came in the same email. Thanks to Mel for sharing these!

Cookie Layer:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1 Tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Crust Layer:
6 Tbsp (3/4 stick) butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 1/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Cinnamon Butter:
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened
3 Tbsp granulated sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

To Serve:
vanilla ice cream
chocolate syrup
caramel syrup - ice cream topping
chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Grease baking sheet with butter or margarine.

To make cookie layer:
Combine flour, baking soda and baking powder in medium bowl.
In a separate large bowl, beat butter and sugar. Continue beating about 30 seconds or until mixture turns light in color. Add egg, milk and vanilla extract; beat until smooth.
Slowly fold dry mixture into the wet mixture. Beat well. Mix in coconut flakes. Set aside.

To make crust layer:
Melt butter in medium bowl. Add sugar and stir 30 seconds. Add graham cracker crumbs; mix well. Press this mixture into bottom of a 9-inch square baking dish or pan.
Sprinkle cup of chocolate chips evenly over graham cracker crust. Press cookie dough into dish, covering chocolate chips. Sprinkle chopped walnuts over dough, then press in.
Bake 40-45 minutes or until edges become light and brown.

Cinnamon Butter Directions:
Cream together butter, sugar and cinnamon in small bowl with a electric mixture on high speed.
Heat small skillet over medium heat. When hot, remove from heat, then add about 1 Tbsp cinnamon butter to the pan. It should quickly melt and sizzle.
Slice the hot pie into 9 pieces and place one slice into hot skillet till warmed; repeat with other pieces.

Serving Instructions: Place a scoop of ice cream on top of each slice of "pie". Drizzle chocolate and caramel syrup over each slice of dessert and then sprinkle chopped walnuts on top.

Hope you enjoy!

Yikes! Yellow Jackets!

While doing laundry yesterday, I was stung many, many times by yellow jackets. They had made their nest in a laundry room window that I was silly enough to open. That'll teach me not to pay attention. Anyway, it hurt, A LOT. Adding to my misery was the fact that the first aid kit is still packed somewhere. Anyway, I found several remedies online, all of which were made with things I had laying about the house. Some ideas to relieve the pain:

Dab ammonia on the sting.

Make a paste of meat tenderizer and water, then dab on stings.

Make a paste of baking soda and water, then apply to stings.

Rub tobacco on the stings.

Pat some diluted bleach on the stings.

Now I'll admit some of these suggestions sound painful. I ended up washing the stings in cold water with antibacterial soap. I then applied ice packs. After the initial pain and swelling had went down, I made the baking soda paste and used it. It worked quite nicely. Today I still have some itching, but the baking soda mixture is helping with that.

NOTE: If you are allergic to such stings or start having a systemic reaction, seek medical help immediately. I am very allergic, so I took two Benadryl the minute I got back in the house.

Also, I learned that unlike bees, yellow jackets DO NOT lose their stingers, so they can sting you multiple times.

I just thought I'd pass this tidbit of information along. It is the time of year for picnics and BBQs, so these pesky insects will be out and about more. I was happy to have so quick, in a pinch remedies for those times you don't have the pain relieving anti-itch spray handy.

GDA at Texas Kroger Stores This Week

I just glanced at the sales ad and am very impressed by what I see. They have a promo going on with select P & G products, buy three get $3 off, limit of three rewards per transaction. The things I immediately see are:

Herbal Essences shampoo and /or conditioner 2/$5
If you buy six = $15
-$6 for sale = $9
Then use 3 of the $3/2 coupons from the P & G insert and your total would be $0! I love free shampoo!

Secret Deodorant is $2.39
Buy 3 = $7.17
-$3 for sale = 4.17
Use 3 of the .50 off from Sunday insert, they will double, so new total will be $1.17 OOP for 3. Not bad!

There are some other great deals to be had here on shaving gels, Old Spice deodorant, and lots of other P & G items. Pampers are included for those of you with little ones. Check out everything in the sales ad online at Kroger.com.

I just wanted to pass along the good deals. Happy shopping.

Wordless Wednesday

My beautiful little girl! Thanks so much to Abby for these amazing pics! Check out more of her work here.

My Girl



For more Wordless Wednesday fun click here and/or here.

Laundry Madness!

I am so thankful for Tackle It Tuesday! Sometimes I feel that I'm all alone in my house working struggles. It's nice to know I'm not the only one!

Today I tackled laundry! We moved three weeks ago and have not had a washing machine the whole time. I've been making weekly trips to the laundry mat, but there is always more washing than I had the time and money to finish. So, we got a hand me down washing machine yesterday and the washing party began today. It's nice to know Dan has clean clothes to wear to work tomorrow. And I love hanging laundry up on the line! It smells so good when you bring it in! So, I did as much laundry as I could and made a pretty good dent in ti. Hopefully there will be clear skies tomorrow so I can get more done.

Our hand me down washer.

My grandmother had helped me get the laundry room in order last week. It was a wreck! It is outside the house, attached to the garage. Nanny hung the cutest vinyl table cloths on the walls as a cheap, washable wallpaper alternative. There is a matching one on the folding table in there. I think it made the room a lot more cheerful!

The view inside laundry room. Note the ancient water heater.

My clever Nanny's work!

What Would You Do?

If you quite suddenly lost $500 in monthly income, what would you do? Would you be able to survive? This is the question facing one of my dear friends. This is not an extravagant family; in fact they are impressively frugal. So, today I've been pondering this question, as an already frugal person, what else could I do to trim that much cash off our budget. The neighbors have discussed giving up the satellite tv, the living room furniture payment, and the second car.

Personally, I've had to find ways to save money since I'm not working. My frugality allows me to be a stay at home mom. Things that have helped us are:

Hard Core Coupon Usage - I've been told that I am obsessed

Built a Stockpile - I am back to square one on this one after the move :-(

Completely Changed the Way We Shop - I am no longer brand loyal to anything! If I can get something for just pennies or free, I buy it. There is always somewhere to donate things to. I will not step foot into a store without a list. Also, my binder goes with me even on trips to run in and grab milk...you never know when you'll have the perfect q's for an unadvertised deal.

WAY Less Eating Out - Now eating out is a rare treat for us. I've learned to make quite a few of our favorite restaurant meals at home. We eat out while staying in.

CVS - This wonderful little store has saved us SO much money. I do not pay for any type of health/beauty supply anymore. This is a savings of hundreds of dollars annually. Not only that, but I get other things the family needs as well, without paying a dime. I am so thankful for CVS and the ECB program. If you'd like more info on this, just email me.

Everything else is just how we've always lived. We don't rent movies unless it's a Redbox freebie. We do not go to the movies, instead we play board games with the kids. We travel very little, be it out of town or just to and from the store...saving on gas is a big concern. We shop at garage sales as much as possible. I cook from scratch and menu plan. That's about it.

I am always looking for ways to be more frugal. Often, I find a hint I never would have thought of alone. There are lots of things I want to experiment with as well; like once a month cooking, to see if it would save us more.

So, I ask you, if you suddenly had $500 less a month how would you get by? Could you do it? Please share any tips, comments, experience you may have. I can't wait to see what ya'll do to live frugally!

Menu Plan Monday

As you know from my previous post, we are completely gutting and remodeling the kitchen, so cooking has been quite challenging. I'll admit we've been eating a lot of sandwiches and Banquet dinners, which is not the kind of stuff I want to feed my family really often. So, this week I wanted to cook real food at home. My options are a crock pot, microwave, electric griddle, and a waffle/sandwich maker.

I am using the crock pot exclusively this week. Having run out of crock pot inspiration, I turned to the Internet for some new recipes. I discovered the most wonderful blog, A Year of Crockpotting , which chronicles one woman's new year's resolution of using her crock pot all year. It's a great blog and very inspiring! So, quite a few of these recipes came from there.

Monday: Crock Pot Fried Chicken

Tuesday: Unstuffed Cabbage - I've made this forever. It's simply cabbage roll ingredients made with shredded cabbage rather than whole leaves. Less fuss, same yummy flavor.

Wednesday: Chicken Tacos

Thursday: Crock Pot Hamburgers I never would have thought of this in a million years!

We are going out of town over the weekend, so this is it for the week. I'll probably be doing more crock pot recipes next week.

I'd love it if you'd share your favorite crock pot and microwave recipes with me! One can never have too many yummy recipes and I love trying new ones!

Click here for more Menu Plan Monday yumminess!

Down Home

This song pretty much describes the little town we've moved to. Although we weren't born and raised here, the town has embraced as though we'd been here forever. The neighbors have been amazing! We haven't been here even 3 weeks yet, but we already have a standing Friday night card date. And everyone you meet in the grocery store or just out and about are so friendly! I've never lived anywhere quite like this before. I can see myself calling this home, and I haven't felt at home in years.

Down Home

Silly Saturday Night Fun

I had the best time with my husband last night! He was tweaking his blog, building a playlist to add to it. We basically played "name that tune" with him selecting songs and me guessing what they were. We did this for hours! It might sound silly, but we really enjoyed ourselves. We discovered songs we'd never even heard of before (did you know Johnny Cash sang a song about the General Lee from The Dukes of Hazzard?) and sang along to all sorts of stuff. I gave him a hard time about combing through tons of Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, and Bob Wills....13 years ago the boy did not do country music, especially the old stuff. Anyway, a night of song snippets, chocolate milk, and pbj sandwiches made a fantastic "date" night for us. I guess I am a really cheap date, lol.

Our Newest Family Member

This is Annabelle, the 2 year old Persian mix we rescued from the local animal shelter. She is an expert mouser and a complete joy to have around! I've wanted a cat for ages now and knew we'd find the right one at the shelter, even if it took awhile. I walked past her 5 or 6 times; they had her in a bottom cage and she was hiding in the corner. She'd been there a week when we got her, which completely shocked me as she is the most beautiful cat I've ever seen! Anyway, she's found her forever home now!