Practically Pink

Suprise and Goodbye

2008-05-18T00:05:00.003-04:00

I do believe that my blogging days are over...or I will be going on a seriously long hiatus!

My life is so full right now that I do not have a great deal of time to be online anymore.
I decided to begin guitar lessons and those are going well and so playing the guitar is filling up a good deal of time. Also my son seems to be extremely needy right now and in serious need of my time and discipline. I am thinking things are only going to get more intense with him because....

We are adopting a baby! The baby is due September 15 (just 4 days before my son's birthday). My husband and I have really had a difficult time picking a name but I believe we've settled on one (after many changes and hemming and hawing). We are over the moon with excitement.
In order to adopt the baby we will have to have another home study and so I'm trying to ready the house: garage sale, painting, organizing, deep cleaning.
I also have some family projects that require great time commitments.

So right now my family and home really needs me. I haven't been feeling great physically for the last month and so getting something accomplished each day is not going as well as I'd like. I'm having bloodwork done next week to see if there might be a problem.

So I will say goodbye "for now"

Love to all

Passion

2008-03-15T19:12:00.004-04:00

So my last post was a bit down in the dumps wasn't it? I was definitely going through something mentally/emotionally and soon afterwards I suffered an anxiety attack that lasted several hours. The last couple of days I've been feeling much better and I think I know what's been missing.

I am completely fufilled in being a homemaker. I take my job seriously and I'm good at it. I don't make any money at it and I certainly don't gain any notoriety but my husband reminds me almost daily how thankful he is that I do what I do. I see good fruits in my son (even though we have our difficulties) and I've never been more at ease.

There is one thing that bothers me about my life but it's not going to change anytime soon and I'm not comfortable sharing it with anyone but God - so don't ask.

I do know now that I have a desire to get back on stage and also even challenge myself with creating music in some way (which seems far fetched and makes me uncomfortable).

For now, I'll continue to be creative with my knitting and I'll just need to continue to be patient and wait for an opportunity to come along in which I can stretch my acting muscles again. It's all so painful though. My husband understands...he considers his art to be painful too, but it's all he wants to do - what is it that is blocking us from enjoying what we feel passionate about?

I'm still not sure if I'm really thinking at all. I sure do hope I can hear the music in my head one day again - that beautiful background music that plays throughout my days and behind my thoughts and memories.

Let Me In On The Secret

2008-03-10T20:26:00.002-04:00

I am a little confused these days. I am strong in my faith. I am happy to be a Christian, wife, and mother. I am a daughter, friend, bread baker, penny pincher, introvert, knitter, organizer, dreamer.

I am all these things but....who am I really? I don't know. Does something need to define me? Do I need to define myself? I don't know what to write anymore. I am not sure if I am even thinking at all.

I don't even feel together enough to feel dull. Haven't you felt dull sometimes? It's like a hazy feeling, a cloud sitting over your brain.
To me...feeling dull right now would be good because I actually feel numb and confused.

Something is definitely missing. The music inside my head has stopped playing. I feel very strange and distant. I don't know what to do.

I'm Sorry!

2008-01-27T18:10:00.000-05:00

I haven't posted in awhile, I'm BUSY! I've got my hands full with a 3 yr. old, taxes, business stuff, household stuff and a really intense Bible reading plan. I have a strong feeling that this year is going to be very fruitful and very filled and hectic. I expect that I'm not going to have a great deal of time to spend on the computer. My family needs me, my house needs me and somewhere along the lines the Lord may bring us another child. I figure if that's the case I'm pretty much done for ha ha!

I would like to have more time to update here but I'm not sweating it because my life is so full and rich - I have to live and go and do and be. I've got the bull by the horns...WHEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

2008 Aspirations

2008-01-07T21:50:00.000-05:00

I don't make resolutions because I try to live everyday as my best. I also don't like setting myself up to fail which happens all to often with New Year resolutions.

I do have a few items I'd like to concentrate as the year goes on, things that I have been planning on making a priority. This is going to be one busy and great year!

1. Read through the Bible.
I was reading over at Brandy's site that she had joined a group that was reading the Bible in 90 days. I don't know what group this is but it sparked my interest and I searched online for a reading breakdown and found one. I had been wanting to start a plan (not just because it was the beginning of the year) and I think this one fits in with my life right now. It's a lot of reading each day but I read when I eat my meals (physical and spiritual food).

2. Organize Pictures - Online & Hard Copies
I have pictures and pictures and pictures that I have never organized for years! I have box upon box upon bin upon drawer of pictures. Now that I have a son I want to make some scrapbooks for him and get everything organized and copied and filed and and and...
This job is not for the weak of heart. I anticipate starting this in February and it will probably take me all year.

3. Fill My Craft Store With New Knits
I have some new patterns and colors that I'd like to use in my "2008 Line" if you will. I am trying some new patterns out to see how they will work. I haven't perfected the new hat I want to feature. I would like to add some baby/toddler knitwear.

4. Foster Care
I am taking Foster Care training and we plan on having another home study done in the hopes of finding a child to adopt (which leads to #5).

5. Organize Playroom/Schoolroom and Garage
I need to have an organized and properly functioning home if the state is coming in to evaluate us and if we are going to have more children. This must be done S-O-O-N!

All of my aspirations will be worked on while doing a good bit of traveling back home often, raising my son, caring for my husband and home and I also plan to have a large yard sale in early summer.

Oh yes! I will be busy!

New Year's Sale

2008-01-01T11:02:00.000-05:00

As promised I'm having a huge sale at my Craft Store. Every single item has been reduced by 50% and this sale is for one week only. If you didn't get one of my hats, scarves, stockings or pouches under your Christmas tree this year then now is the time to shop! I will not offer such savings again for 2008.

On the horizon in my store for 2008:

* Multi-colored hats & scarves
* Baby & Toddler knitwear

Thanks for stopping by and HAPPY NEW YEAR from PINKOLOGY!

Magical Holiday Home

2007-12-31T13:17:00.000-05:00

We have spent a great deal of time over the last several months readying our homes and selves for Thanksgiving, Christmas & New Year and now it's all drawing to a close.

Because of the way I schedule my time and the use I get out of my Holiday Notebook I had myself a wonderful Christmas. Habit is the best friend to an organizational junkie like me.

Anyway, I wanted to give a grand "HELLO" to all the people who are visiting me from Magical Holiday Home.

I was unaware that things seem to be shutting down at Organized Christmas and Holiday Grand Plan. It seems folks are making their way to MagicalHolidayHome.com and so I will set up my pink lawnchair over there for awhile to check things out.

I need to do some reading up on it but there is a program called JumpStart January that I will join (if it's what I think it is, I was planning on doing it all along, just on my own).

Join me in my adventures won't you?

I don't do resolutions but I've got some goals to reach for this year which I'll share in another post. So cop a squat on my pink sofa over here and lets have some pink hot chocolate and chat awhile.

Talk atcha soon!

Wrapping Up 2007

2007-12-28T10:27:00.000-05:00

I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas this year. 2007 has not been without some trials but I've got to say it's been pretty nice! I had a major change in my life just last January and it has made my year the best I've experienced healthwise since I was a teenager!

In January 2008 my husband and I will be going through an 8 week course for the foster care system in hopes of finding another child to adopt.
The "baby" will most likely be starting preschool. Originally I was not sure I wanted to do it, but since he has no siblings and no friends his age in our neighborhood I think it's a good thing for him to go. He craves some friends and more learning than what I think I am providing. He's so smart and he has been begging me to go to school. So, my 3 year old is now a man!

Here are some helpful tips from OrganizedChristmas.com for your New Year.

I decided to do major spring cleaning this year (normally I follow a monthly cleaning schedule and then do major cleaning in the fall). I feel like we never really settled in when we moved two years ago and I still have things in the garage that haven't been unpacked. It's time to claim this home for ourselves instead of letting our clutter claim it for us. We are planning to have a garage sale early summer and I want a lot of things to go. I need my garage for several things other than a holding place for C-R-A-P!
I'll be following the same schedule as the Holiday Grand Plan to accomplish this.

I took a quick peek at OrganizedHome.com today and found out that there have been a few changes around there and one change is that for 2007 there was a new cleaning plan called Holiday + Houseworks. I think I'll read up on that and decide if I want to follow that plan for fall 2008 or stick with the HGP.

But for now I just need to do the clean up from Christmas and that will take me several days as I have hurt my back again and I'm not moving too quickly these days!

Happy New Year everyone, may 2008 be full of promise and hope!

P.S. In a couple of days I will announce a huge sale in my craft store. It's time to make room for my "2008 line" which I will be getting started on as soon as I can!

Last Week of Sale!

2007-12-18T15:42:00.000-05:00

There is just one week left on the sale at my craft shop, so stop on over!

Pinkology Hand Knits and Tartans

Don't forget, if you don't see exactly what you want in my craft store, just let me know, I can do custom knit orders. Right now in my craft store I'm running a special sale:
Order two or more items and receive $5.00 off your order!
AND
From now until Christmas when you order one of my hats or scarves you will receive a FREE matching change purse. The winds of change are headed your way so be ready!

Merry Christmas from Posybeary (the official Teddy Bear of Pinkology!)

Frugal Friday: Cold Remedies

2007-12-14T08:20:00.000-05:00

Hello all, I'M SICK! And so today I'm going to share with you what I do to help out with the sickies. Although when you are in the middle of the height of the worst of it, it seems nothing will help, that's when I try to sleep. But when I'm awake here is what I've been doing...

1. Steam shower: I get the shower hotter than I can stand it and let the steam take over the bathroom for a minute, then I reduce the heat and hop in - lingering and breathing.

2. Wasabi: Spices tend to unclog the nose (even for a short while). I have Wasabi Almonds that I eat. You can add some spices to your food and it should help.

3. Gargle: My throat is on fire! Gargling with salt water can help as well as some tea with honey. Honey can also be given to your child (tsp only) about 45 mins before bedtime and it will help calm their cough and allow them to sleep a little better through the night (my son is sick too). It can cause them to get a little rambunctious shortly after taking it (as I can attest to), but it will coat their throat and help them get through the night.

4. Mints: I really really don't like cough drops. They are just foul! So how about a peppermint instead?

5. Liquids: Don't forget that when your body is sick you need to keep it hydrated, drink plenty of water (my husband prefers Gingerale when he's sick), tea, soup, eat jello and fruit popsicles

Don't forget to get plenty of rest, your body is working hard to fight off the infection. And as for me...well I'm going to be on the couch all morning resting.

Sale Sale Sale!

2007-12-09T20:43:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to let you know that I have several items on sale right now, not only in my craft store but also on Ebay.

So if you need some Christmas ideas, won't you take a look at some of my items?

Pinkology Hand Knits and Tartans
Pinkology on Ebay

Don't forget, if you don't see exactly what you want in my craft store, just let me know, I can do custom knit orders. Right now in my craft store I'm running a special sale:
Order two or more items and receive $5.00 off your order!

From now until Christmas when you order one of my hats or scarves you will receive a FREE matching change purse. The winds of change are headed your way so be ready!

Thanks so much and I hope you are enjoying a jolly season of cheer, family and friends!

Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah from Posybeary (the official Teddy Bear of Pinkology!)

Holiday Grand Plan Week 16

2007-12-09T20:35:00.000-05:00

Maintenance Week

Friends, if you've been following the plan (even half-heartedly) then you are well on your way and enjoying this holiday season just as I am. Things are a breeze now! I'm finishing up a special Christmas present that the folks in my family get every year - a calendar of special pictures of my son!

I hope you enjoyed it, we've put in so much work - now is the time to relax!

This morning my son and I made sugar cookies (even though we are both sick).
I hope you like the picture of us having just rolled out of bed and still in our jammies!

Frugal Friday: Baby It's Cold Outside!

2007-12-06T20:52:00.000-05:00

Last year I discovered that my house has way too many windows and in the winter that translates to a lot of lost heat and cold rooms (you should just go stand in the Florida room for a minute Brrrr).

I have the heat set at 70 right now but I'd like to try and lower that (I already received one gas bill that was way too high). I should have done this earlier but I figure better late than never.

So tomorrow evening I'll go to the hardware store and get some plastic to put up over the windows. I'm going to have to figure out how much plastic I'll need to cover all of them.
Here's a video from DIY to show you how to do it.

Holiday Grand Plan Week 15

2007-12-05T12:11:00.000-05:00

Finish Up Week

Well the holidays are a busy time aren't they? So busy for me that I can't get a blog up on time!

The presents are wrapped (besides one special project that I'm working on) and delivered, the Christmas cards have gone out and I just have a couple odds and ends to finish up this week.

The rest is just daily/weekly maintenance!

Today it began snowing, the first snow of the season. It's not really laying, just sort of making everything wet but it's nice to see!

Frugal Friday: Step Back

2007-11-30T08:43:00.000-05:00

It’s my opinion that not only should we be frugal with our money by stretching it, and our possessions by making them last, but we should also be frugal with our time. As a full time homemaker and small business owner, I am amazed to find that I am busier now than I was when I worked full time outside of the home, and I was darn busy then!

The bottom line is our time is precious, no matter how we spend it, no matter our walk of life. So take some time and step back from the craziness!

And don’t worry, frugality is meant to be a help not a hindrance. You may find it easy to get frustrated or overwhelmed because you simply can’t do it all or be as frugal as the next person. Do what you can, even I don’t practice extreme frugality, I simply don’t have the time!

Holiday Grand Plan Week 14

2007-11-27T09:21:00.000-05:00

Holiday Decor

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I know I did! But that's a story for another day.
Usually the day after Thanksgiving is when I start dragging out the Christmas decorations. I'm almost finished putting things up now and then I need to put the decor boxes back into the garage.
It's a time of traveling, visiting and parties for me but next week things should slow down slightly until Christmas weekend.

Now I'm concentrating on wrapping and mailing (all my shopping is done)!

Frugal Friday: soup Soup SOUP!

2007-11-15T21:01:00.000-05:00

Take the chill off with some wonderful soups, I bet you've never heard of some of these! I can't wait to try the Southwestern Chicken Soup

Is there anything more frugal that a big pot of soup and maybe a slice of bread?

I'll be traveling each weekend for the next three weeks so I may not get Frugal Friday posts done for a couple weeks.

Happy Holidays!

Holiday Grand Plan Week 12

2007-11-12T09:43:00.000-05:00

Attic/Storage

In my house I have a nice walk up attic but there isn't much room to store anything - which I'm actually grateful for. I grew up with a very messy pack ratty mother who never gets rid of anything. The attic in her house has about 3 generations worth of crud in it. Don't let this happen to you!

The only things allowed in my attic are baby clothes, infant toys and packing materials. Everything is neatly organized in tubs and quite frankly I only go up there once or twice a year. Nothing needs to be done up there so this week I will continue working in the garage and also I need to keep working on my son's new room project.

The next 3 weekends will be spent travelling and visiting family - the Holiday's have begun!

Winter Season Special

2007-11-09T11:55:00.001-05:00

Now through Christmas if you purchase one of my hand knit items you will receive a free matching change purse.

If you purchase two or more of my items you will receive $5.00 off your order and I will combine shipping costs.

I'm also adding tartan stockings and pouches.

Please visit my online shop to see everything available!

Apology

2007-11-09T08:36:00.000-05:00

Please accept my apology, I just saw an ad at the top of my blog that I don't feel is appropriate. If you saw it you probably know what I'm referring to. I'm not sure how to go about changing it, I'll look into my Goodle Ads account and see if I can get it filtered.

The Craft Fair Gone Wrong

2007-11-09T07:57:00.000-05:00

At the very last minute I decided to enter my knits in a local craft fair last weekend. Now, from the title of this blog post I'm sure you can gather that things didn't go so well but I do want to say that it was a great learning experience and all in all, I did have fun.
I enjoyed getting to know my craft neighbors and seeing what sort of things people were doing. It was interesting to me to see what sold...my knits not being one of them.
Initially I was told that there was only going to be one other crafter there who did crochet/knit. But when I got there I saw there were 4 other crafters doing what I do and wouldn't you know it....my booth was all the way at the back, the very last stop that people would come to to see my knitting. I firmly believe that my location greatly hampered sales as I was not only in the very back (of the last room) but I was also in a room where the lighting was terrible and you could not see the true colors of my yarn (as I'm sure you can tell from the picture).
I have to believe that location was my downfall because I was getting wonderful comments on my items such as, "These are beautiful...so soft...wonderful workmanship...decent pricing...very cute."
I engaged my potential customers, they asked me how I did certain stitches and I even had a hat going on my circular needles because believe it or not some people didn't believe I made everything that was on my tables.

I didn't sell my first item (a hat) until about 3 hours into the fair, then maybe an hour later a little boy bought a change purse from me for his mom. About 30 minutes later he came back and bought two more...he was my best customer of the day. I didn't sell anything else the rest of the day and I was $30 away from breaking even.

A couple of people took my business card stating they were interested in custom orders (mainly for their little children). As it turns out my email and website that are on the business cards are not working. I knew this going into it but I thought they would be up by now, so I don't know if those people have tried to contact me (at least I did have my phone number on my card!) or not.

I am working on creating some new items and I'm thinking about doing the fair again next year but I'm going to have to insist on being in the first better lit room, if I can't get a spot there then I don't think it will be worth my time and effort to go back.

I learned a lot, I did most things right and a couple of things wrong. It was a financial disaster but it was an accomplishment in that I did it, I went out by myself, set up "shop" and was proactive in trying to sell my wares so I think I did indeed come out ahead!

Frugal Friday: 27 Cleaning Tips & Tricks

2007-11-09T07:43:00.000-05:00

I get a great deal of enjoyment out of a magazine called Real Simple. Now, I don't have a subscription so I read some of their things online and whenever I go to my MIL's house I take a look at her magazines since she does have a subscription.

Anyhow, today I'm directing you to their website to read about some cleaning tips and tricks...one of the tips is downright funny ..."dust only as high as your tallest friend...", now that's a tip I can live with!

Read more here

These tips are meant to help save you precious time and not necessarily money. I try my best to keep a good balance of spending in both areas.

Take care!

Holiday Grand Plan Week 11

2007-11-04T14:46:00.000-05:00

Garage/Storage

I know your dreading it...so am I!
But I do have something in my favor during Garage Week. A few weekends ago I had a yard sale and cleaned a little "junk" out of the place. I am still tripping over the clothes that didn't sell, the old couch and bed that my husband refuses to get rid off and the tools that are littering the workbench, but at least I have some room to move around in there! Eventually the garage will be my son and husband's art studio (along with storage for household decorations, tools, camping equipment, sports and summer equipment and extra food and paper products).

You should be coming to the end of your homemade gift making (not including baking). I probably wouldn't start any other large projects and expect to finish them in time. I am knitting my last scarf and then I have the picture calendars to work on then I'm officially finished with my homemade gifts. After that I will see if I have time to make some additional knit gifts for my husband and son.

You can now get your Holiday Stamps from the Post Office. Although there are different ones to choose from I personally will be getting Holiday Knits as that fits me too a "T"!

Alright, better git to gittin'!

Holiday Grand Plan Week 10

2007-10-29T15:17:00.000-04:00

Family Room

For a lot of people the living room and family room are one in the same. I am one of those people however, I am taking on a fairly large project of moving a few rooms around. My son is moving into a different bedroom. His old bedroom is becoming the toy/craft/schoolroom. The living room is just overrun with the boy's toys that I've decided they are going upstairs. He'll be allowed to bring down 1-2 toys at a time and if he wants a different one he'll have to ask!
I will be having some people visit during this week so I've got to get this done. I also need to get my floor cleaned. It's a mess and my son has decided that my living room carpet is his toilet!

I went to the Post Office last week and asked when they were going to release the Holiday Knits stamps and the said probably the first week in November. They seem late this year and not on their original timetable of early October. So there ya have it. Maybe we'll be able to get them next week.

Now...onward!

Holiday Grand Plan Notebook

2007-10-24T16:59:00.000-04:00

Many visitors are coming to this blog to take a gander at my Holiday Grand Plan Notebook from last year. I thought that I would update ya'll and show you what my new binder looks like and how I'm using it through the summer, fall and winter season.
Here we go!
Isn't that binder Pretty In Pink?

Opening the cover and on the left we have my return address mailing labels that I ordered earlier in the year when I got a special free deal. Of course they are turned over for the sake of privacy.
On the right is my schedule for this week that tells me what area of my house I'll be cleaning, what events are happening this week and what Christmas planning I need to concentrate on.

The section after my 14 week schedule is my Christmas Card List and I use this regularly throughout the year as I do not have the list computerized (a task for another day).
Unh Unh UHHHH! No peeky!

The next and most accessed section of my notebook is the Gift Section. I use it almost daily and it's so helpful in keeping organized. As I think I mentioned on my blog before, last year I gave hand knit winter hats to the ladies in my family. This year I decided to give them all matching change purses, so I looked up the list from last year to see what color hat I gave to each person and now I've completed all the matching change purses.
Here are the pages in my gift section...

Internet Order Tracker (this list has grown since taking the picture)

Gift Closet Inventory (probably my least used page but should I do away with it? I tend not to forget what exactly I have).
No peeky again - too much info is listed for sneaky family members.

Gifts To Make (this list is much longer now and I'm not worried about sneaky family seeing this one - Surprise! You're getting a scarf!)

Master Gift List (this is the largest section where I list each person and their individual gifts and how much they cost which helps for budgeting). You can see that I highlight certain columns - those are the action columns and I check them off as they are done - this is so helpful that it makes me giddy!

Copies
All my regularly used pages I keep a blank page to copy from.

Menu Planner
I'm normally hosting Thanksgiving but not this year so this section is not getting used at all. It probably will next year though.

Recipes
Only a few tried and true recipes go here

Receipts
Always keep your receipts! You never know when you will need them. I keep them nice and neat in an envelope marked for each year. I tend to save the receipts from the previous year only.

Misc.
In the back section of my notebook I keep fun items that I may utilize again in the future such as this Reindeer Poop poem and also an invitation to an annual party my husband and I use to host. Once we truly get settled into our house and establish some roots here we may reinstate our annual North Pole Party. Elf Poker anyone?

Here is a small cookbook that Mil gave me, I keep this in the back pocket of my folder to access when needed. I'll probably use it next year when we host Thanksgiving again.

Well I certainly hope that you enjoyed this tour of my new HGP Notebook. After 6 years of using my old one I figured I needed a new one for the next 6 years! Over time my notebook has become very streamlined and you can see there aren't many sections. I like to keep it simple, it's much easier to stay organized that way and it truly helps in having a wonderful Thanksgiving and Christmas for this family.

**Don't forget to visit my old HGP Notebook to see just how much (or how little) I've changed it up over the past year.**
Thanks for stopping by!

Holiday Grand Plan Week 9

2007-10-21T17:21:00.000-04:00

Pantry/Closets

So if you didn't quite finish up in the kitchen you still have this week to work in that hub of the home. If you are anything like me though and you actually keep your pantry in fairly decent order then you may not have much to do so you can focus on areas you weren't able to focus on last week.
Still no word on when those holiday stamps are to be out. They were supposed to come out the beginning of October. I will probably have to make a trip to the post office this week so I'll ask about them.

Have you been working on Christmas cards?

This year I will not be hosting Thanksgiving dinner but I will be attending two family dinners - one the week before Thanksgiving and one actually ON Thanksgiving, God willing. So I am not in the drivers seat for this one. Sometimes it's nice to simply be a passenger.

Frugal Friday: Chilli

2007-10-19T07:49:00.000-04:00

To me, there is nothing better than a hot bowl of chilli on a fall evening, and what a low cost meal!

To go vegetarian here is all you need:

INGREDIENTS:
2-3 (15-16 oz.) cans of kidney beans, drained
1 can (12 oz.) tomato paste
1 onion, chopped
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chili powder (more if desired - yes lots more!)
2 cups water

PREPARATION:
1. Combine all of the ingredients in a large pot; and simmer for at least 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Serve with sour cream, cheese, salsa, crackers or your topping of choice.

I also like to add some meat and since I need all the lean protein I can get I typically add chicken to this mix for a Chicken Chilli

Holiday Grand Plan Week 8

2007-10-15T10:45:00.000-04:00

Kitchen Week

I think that out of all the weeks on the HGP - this is the mother of all. THE KITCHEN.
If you don't do anything else then please get in your kitchen for a thorough cleaning. For a great deal of people this is the heart of the home.
Not only do we make our meals here but we discuss plans, mail sits around to be sorted, phonebooks, backpacks and lunch boxes make their home on the counters and floors.

Do it for yourself, your family, your health, your sanity and get into that kitchen and clean it up! Move appliances, be ruthless with the leftover containers in your fridge. Scrub those fruit and veggie drawers and my goodness WHAT is that mystery meat wrapped in foil in the back of your freezer?

We are setting the stage for our holiday cooking and baking. Take the time now to get your tools in order.
And please, for all that is good and holy: DON'T FORGET THE PANTRY!

P.S. Holiday stamps are not available yet, I'll let you know when they are but in the meantime why not work on a letter to your family and start addressing Christmas cards. Starting now I'll work on about 5 cards a day.

Frugal Friday: Hosting Dinner

2007-10-12T05:45:00.000-04:00

The winds are changing and autumn is beginning to fall upon us. Now is the time for cozying up with some hot meals.

If you like going out to dinner with friends why not try your hand at hosting a dinner "party" on the cheap! You'll save money and your friends will be pleased that you went to all that trouble just for them.

Let me show you how to do it southern style and honey it doesn't have to be fancy just to impress anyone, you can entertain frugally with my Chilli Soup menu.

A couple of weeks ago I hosted dinner for my family and a family of four (2 were children) and I didn't spend much extra than I would have for just feeding my family (with a few leftovers of course).
We had a great time and the soup warmed our bellies - well let's just get past all this chit chat and get to the cookin'!

Menu:
Chilli Soup
Ham Biscuits
Bessie Green's Pound Cake

Recipes:

Chilli Soup
1 pound hamburger (I usually use a little more because my man likes it meaty)
1 onion, chopped (again, more to taste if you like)
1 green pepper, chopped
1 pkg Taco mix

Brown meat, onions and pepper. Add taco mix and the amount of water called for on the pkg. Simmer 15 minutes.

ADD:
1 can Cream of Tomato soup
1 can Golden Mushroom soup
1 can Beef Broth
1 can water
1 large can Baked Beans

Season with salt, pepper and Tabasco. Serve hot with a spoonful of sour cream.

Ham Biscuits
1 3/4 cups Self Rising flour (Southern Biscuit, Martha White....make sure it's made in the South)
1 cup (8 oz) whipping cream
Virginia Country Ham

Put flour in bowl; pour whipping cream in the middle. Mix with a fork until just wet. Place on a floured counter or board...don't let the dough get too dry.
Cut with biscuit cutter and bake at 450 for 9 minutes.

Slice and butter lightly while warm. Fill with thick cut ham.
Remember - the key to good biscuits is to handle them as little as possible in the dough stage.
You can freeze these biscuits until you are ready to use them. Reheat in 325 oven until warmed through.

Bessie Green's Pound Cake
3 cups sugar (or splenda)
1/2 pound butter
1/3 cup Crisco
5 eggs
1 cup whole milk (I actually use powdered milk)
3 cups flour, sifted
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 Tablespoon lemon flavoring

Cream sugar, butter and shortening. Add eggs one at a time. Stir in milk and flavoring. Add flour and baking powder. Bake in 350 oven (in a bundt or loaf pan) for approx. 1 hour and 10 minutes.

If you try these recipes won't you please let me know how it turned out? This meal is a favorite around my house (but alas I don't eat pound cake anymore - but boy oh boy is this good).

For drinks you can serve Southern Sweet Tea, I think that rounds this meal out perfectly.

Holiday Grand Plan Week 7

2007-10-07T09:35:00.000-04:00

Guest Room

You are bound to have some overnight guests at some point if you are the type that likes to entertain. Let's get the guest room clean and be finished with it. In fact just close the door to the guest room so that you aren't tempted to go in and mess it up with junk. If you have critters running around your house then closing the door to the guest room will help keep down the fur and dander.

Perhaps you could finish this room within a couple of days and then go back and work on any areas that you would like to spend more time on.

How are those handmade gifts coming? I've got three scarves and some change purses done. I have a few hats, one more scarf, a teddy bear, and more change purses to knit. When I complete those then I will take a look at making some knits for my guys.

*Master Gift List*
The master gift list is to me an invaluable form and I refer to my lists several times a week as I make gifts or purchases. Make sure to print out several copies for your notebook. These are extremely good to keep and look back on from year to year.
Example: Last year I made knit hats for the ladies in my family. This year I decided to make matching scarves or change purses. I looked back at my list from last year to see which color yarn I used on the hats. Bingo! I don't have to waste my time on guessing, I just look at last year's list.

Until Next Time

2007-10-05T07:28:00.000-04:00

There will be no Frugal Friday post today as I'm on the road.
I did however leave a comment on Biblical Womanhood in regards to Crystal's post about window shopping.
Yes sometimes it's easier to stay home and not window shop (for those of you who have a hard time controlling the wallet). But window shopping is precisely how my husband and I SAVE money.

Hmmmm curioser and curioser.....

Holiday Grand Plan Week 6

2007-09-30T15:44:00.000-04:00

Week 6: Kids Room

I really need to do a lot more work in my son's room this week but I won't be here!
We have a major toy and clothing overhaul to make. And when I say "we", I mean "me" because of course nobody else will do it!
I will just have to make a little extra time in the coming weeks to take care of this one. But you can keep the torch going. Get in there and do it, you'll feel better once you have. If your children are old enough then enlist their help. Do you have enough "stuff" that you can put into a garage sale? Weather is nice and perhaps people will be out looking for Christmas gifts. What a great way to make a few extra dollars for your gift fund.

Now is also the time to check/change your smoke detectors and work on Halloween/Fall Harvest costumes if you celebrate this.

How is your gift shopping/making coming?

So far I've made knit items for two family members and I have a few gifts coming in here and there from catalogs.

By the way, you can save up to 20% with Lillian Vernon this week if you have signed up for their e-newsletter. I just ordered several items for gift giving today with this deal. It really pays to sign up for e-news from your favorite companies - then sit back and wait for the offers. I typically earmark what I like in their catalogs and then wait for an offer - then order. I try never to pay "full price" for anything. When you do your shopping year around you save yourself money and stress!

Let me know if any of you are doing the HGP this year and how it's working for you.

Frugal Friday: Baking Soda Uses

2007-09-28T07:41:00.000-04:00

We previously talked about Vinegar, now let's go over another product that is used around my house for cleaning, baking, odor control...the list goes on.

Here's just one tip for cleaning with baking soda. My kitchen sink gets really grimy (don't they all). So every once in awhile I bring out the baking soda (that I once again buy in bulk) and sprinkle some in the sink. Then I pour lemon juice over top and watch it bubble and fizz! I let this "paste" sit a few minutes and then I rinse with hot water. Most of the grime comes off with just a rinse but I use a rag or "greenie weenie" to get the rest off with just a light once over.
I've also found this concoction to be very useful in cleaning the shower. I was using Comet and all sorts of other chemicals to do the job but this worked just as well and with no offensive odors.

Take a look at some more uses for baking soda.

Holiday Grand Plan Week 5

2007-09-24T05:20:00.000-04:00

Master Bathroom

Did you finish up all you wanted to in the Master Bedroom? I certainly didn't. But that's okay - I at least got started and that's more than I can say for the rest of the year! My schedule has just gotten unbelievable and I've had to majorly scale back this year (this on top of my son and I getting very sick).
But that is ALRIGHT! There's another chance to get this house ship shape with the Spring Cleaning Grand Plan.

So if you are not finished in that bedroom, clean up whatever mess you drug out from your closets or underneath your bed and then walk away and move on to your bathroom.

You'll also want to work on your linen closets AND do a wardrobe checklist for your children. This will give you a head start for next week because we'll then be working in the children's rooms (and since I'll be on the road again next week I need all the help I can get). My family is already asking me what my son needs in the way of clothing and I can't tell them anything yet because I've not gone through his clothes or tried anything on him from last fall.

Keep working 1 hr a day on homemade gifts, try to buy some gifts off your list.

On the horizon: Holiday Stamps will be coming out in early October with a theme very near and dear to my heart.
Also, have you thought about having a baking day or weekend? I'm not sure if I'm going to do any baking at all this year due to my very restricted diet. But when I was baking I picked the first weekend in November and made several batches of cookie dough to roll and freeze along with my Pumpkin Butter.

Frugal Friday: Plastic Grocery Bags

2007-09-21T07:51:00.000-04:00

What are you going to do with all those plastic grocery bags you accumlate every week?

A lot of stores now have recycling bins for you to put your extras in - that's always a good option.

I use mine for kitty litter, dirty diapers, bathroom trash can liners and sometimes my husband takes his lunch to work in them.

Did you know you could also crochet with them? Now that's my kind of recycling!

Here are 10 more plastic bag uses from Real Simple.

Happy 3rd Birthday!

2007-09-19T08:48:00.000-04:00

My son has turned 3 years old today!
We are having a small party for him this weekend at my in-laws. It's going to be hectic for several reasons but I'm going to try and focus on having fun and making a few memories.

I went to the store yesterday to pick up some specific party supplies and the shelves were empty! I'm running out of time here! FRANTIC PANIC - whoa slow down. It's going to be OK!
Does anyone have any tylenol?

Holiday Grand Plan Week 4

2007-09-17T08:34:00.001-04:00

I really can't believe it's week 4 already on the HGP.

Let's get into that Master Bedroom.

My major tasks here is to get the fan and high ceilings cleaned and to clean out/rearrange the closet. I've lived with a messy closet for over a year now and it's time to do something about it!

It's really time to start getting gifts (if you haven't already) and making items. Buying gifts now makes it easy on the wallet, I try to buy one or two items each paycheck.
I like to buy gifts over the internet because I despise going out shopping unless I'm with my husband and it's not easy to coordinate that due to his schedule. I sign up for emails with companies I regularly buy from and then I wait until they offer me coupons or free shipping. My goal is never to pay full price.

So here is a handy dandy form to track all of your internet orders.

Also you should check out My Simon to help you find the best price for your item.

Frugal Friday: Vinegar Uses

2007-09-13T21:47:00.000-04:00

An old friend of mine flipped her lid when I told her I used vinegar as one of my main cleaning agents. She said, "It doesn't clean or disinfect, you've got to use something stronger!"

Well I've never given into what she said because I simply don't believe it.
I mix equal parts of vinegar and water and keep it in a spray bottle under my kitchen sink and another bottle of it in my cleaning bucket. I use this general purpose cleaner in every room of my house.

Visit Vinegar Tips to get totally overwhelmed with ways to use this product that should have a spot in every home. I haven't read all the tips yet but I bet there will be some I haven't thought of.
I think I'll start here.

I love that it's nontoxic - good for me, my family and my pets. It even gets rid of fruit flies which I always have a problem with...well problem no more!

Thanks Vinegar Tips!

Holiday Grand Plan Week 3

2007-09-10T19:28:00.001-04:00

This week we are in the entryway. I don't know about you but my entryway is small so there's not a lot of work to be done here. I'll also clean out the coat closet but I tend to keep it pretty organized throughout the year. I will switch out the summer shoes for winter and break out the winter coats, hats etc...
This is also the week that I like to put out my fall decorations (of which I do not have much - just a wreath and some pumpkin scented candles - a few other things).

If you are planning on making homemade gifts for this holiday season then you should be getting your materials together now (depending on what you are making).
I am going to try to make some knit items, I have all the yarn I need as well as some patterns. Try to work at least 1 hr a day on these gifts - the time is going to slip away from you so if you can get started now you are giving yourself a great head start to a great season of giving.

I haven't forgotten to put up pictures of my HGP binder, I'm just been really knocked off trail by the icky sickys.

Sick

2007-09-07T07:54:00.000-04:00

Please forgive me for not posting but right now I'm very sick and I'm also taking care of my mother for awhile, the dust just hasn't settled yet in this busy time.
HGP post coming on Sunday.

In the meantime - play some Frogger

Holiday Grand Plan Week 2

2007-09-01T14:34:00.000-04:00

Holiday Grand Plan Week 2: Question Week

It's question week at the HGP and I have a few of questions for you:

1. Do you know what you are doing?
2. Are there dust bunnies under your bed, in the bathroom and all over those hard wood floors?
3. Do you know where your children are?

What does this have to do with the Holiday Grand Plan? Absolutely nothing but if you answered:
1. Absolutely not
2. Dust BUNNIES? More like dust ELEPHANTS
3. They were here a few hours ago.....hmmmm

Then welcome to my world, hop onto my boat and grab an oar, we'll steer through this thing together. HA!

Alright so you'll be cleaning in the Living Room this week, continue making lists, finish up that binder if you haven't already and buy a few extra items that you will need on hand for the end of the year.

If you didn't get them last year then think about ordering your address labels and Christmas cards now. If you don't order them then just keep an eye out in the stores, Christmas items are already being put out.
What I do is purchase Christmas cards just after Christmas each year on sale. This year I ordered return address labels from Vistaprint just for the cost of shipping. Normally I just write addresses (terrible handwriting though) or print envelopes out on my printer.

So how did things go with cleaning your front porch and list week last week? Did you figure out you have a ton to do around the house? Cut that list in half, it'll never all get done anyhow, no since in beating yourself up about it!

Coming up next is an inside look to my new HGP notebook!

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Waffles

2007-08-30T11:34:00.000-04:00

These come out pretty heavy but quite good. I have mine with a little sugar free butter flavored syrup and MMMM MMMM!

Whole Wheat Peanut Butter Waffles

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
4 tsp. baking powder
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 1/2 TBSP Splenda Granular (instead of sugar)
2 eggs, beaten
2 1/4 cups milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
Cooking Spray

Combine first 8 ingredients and mix until smooth. Preheat waffle iron and when it's hot spray surface lightly with cooking spray.
Fill medium size ladle with batter and pour it onto the waffle iron. Cook until the waffle is golden brown.

EASY!!!

P.S. due to my overwhelming business there will be no Frugal Friday post this week as I'm focusing on other areas.

Knit Knack Kit - HELP!

2007-08-29T08:38:00.000-04:00

I have the Knit Knack Kit (very good product for beginner knitters) however I am missing one of the pattern cards and I need it quick!

Does anybody have this kit or the cards? I need the pattern for the baby booties - this is for a baby shower gift that's coming up in 2 weeks.

Can anyone help? I've tried searching for the pattern online but I can't seem to find it.

What An Honor

2007-08-27T09:03:00.000-04:00

I want to take a moment out of such a busy day and say THANK YOU to the folks over at Organized Christmas and Holiday Grand Plan.

I found out quite by accident that I am featured on their home page. They posted a link to my christmas notebook from last year.
I consider this an honor and quite frankly I'll be bragging to all my friends and family about this one for - well let's face it - years to come.

If you are visiting from the link on Holiday Grand Plan then welcome - I'm a stay at home mom that loves organization and we all need a little organization around the holidays but don't go overboard - keep it simple, sweetie.
Like I always say - simply planning leads to planning simply - and it's all about the plan - SIMPLE!

Alright does that sound corny? Methinks it does but it's my catchphrase from now on and you'd better not swipe it.

Stay tuned because by the end of the week I should have a brand new binder online for your viewing pleasure. Won't you come along for the ride?

Also coming up in the next day or two is a wonderful healthy waffle recipe.

Holiday Grand Plan Week 1

2007-08-26T12:43:00.000-04:00

Well folks - we have begun and I'm off with a bang!

This week we begin the Holiday Grand Plan with List Week.
We are also supposed to work on cleaning up our Front Porch however right now it's just too dang hot and I can't remember the last time I worked the front porch the very first week.
I've been doing the HGP since 2000 and I frequently switch my weeks around.

This year I have major travel plans which will affect the next two months. In total I'll be missing at least 4 weeks out of the plan SOOOOOO.....

This week I'm starting with the living room and the entry/foyer. I'm combining weeks 2 and 3 and working as fast as I can.

Week 1 is my favorite because I get to make lists galore! I'm about halfway finished setting my notebook up for this year and I've already begun working on some homemade knit gifts.

Speaking of knitting (and why wouldn't we be) something big happened last night and it may lead to a big sale and the realization of a dream I've had for about a year now. I'll provide some more details once I can. It's very exciting but it means I won't be getting much sleep this fall - I am going to be one busy mama.

Well I'm off - I'm working on about 5 hours sleep - I made a huge breakfast, did a load of laundry, cleaned up, mowed the lawn and now I have to knit, clean, get groceries. I have a feeling I'm going to run on empty!

P.S. Here is a link to last year's notebook you can view online. Once I get my notebook set up for this year (it will be much the same) I'll put some pictures up.

Frugal Friday: Olive Oil Uses

2007-08-24T15:56:00.000-04:00

I buy Olive Oil in bulk and keep it in a dark place in my pantry.
I ran out of furniture polish several months ago and didn't care to buy any more so I dabbed a bit of the oil onto a cloth and polished my wooden furniture with it.
Voila!

Here now is a link with 10 household uses for Olive Oil.
Enjoy!

Never Dull

2007-08-21T08:26:00.000-04:00

I am gearing up to head into a very busy season of life over the next month or two.
September is always hectic with my son's birthday, my anniversary, Scottish Festival, Holiday Grand Plan.

But this year there's an extra challenge added to the mix. During the next month and a half I will be dividing my time between VA and MD to help care for my mom. She has Alzheimer's and her regular "caretaker" is having some surgery so I'll be stepping in. The biggest challenge is the difficulty my mom and I have in getting along. She can only take me for a couple of days and I can only take her for a few days longer. I just have to laugh at it though.

HGP starts on Aug 26 and this year I'm not really concerning myself with the Holidays. We don't have money to buy gifts and truthfully I'm not in a gift giving or Christmas celebrating kind of mood. It doesn't seem to matter in the grand scheme of things to me. I'll put decorations up because of my husband and son but if it were just down to me I'd rather not. Bah Humbug!
I'm still going to participate in the plan though because of it's cleaning schedule.

I've got a big yard project in the works and as soon as I get started I'll share the plan and pictures. I want to put in a garden but I don't want to do a lot of work, with a toddler it's difficult to find the time to tend to a garden and a huge yard so I'm going to start small and easy.

I've completed 2 knit hats in each color of yarn that I have and I've now begun to make matching scarves. I'm working very hard on my knits, I hope I can sell them. As Christmas gifts I'm going to try and make some coffee cozies and drink coasters with some leftover yarn. It shouldn't cost me anything but time. As soon as I get one of those made I'll post a picture.

Well I must be off, a house full of duties awaits me!

Haircut

2007-08-13T17:51:00.000-04:00

I'm not feeling so hot today and I did not sleep well last night. I have a great deal of "things" to get done in the next 2-3 days so I'm taking it easy this evening.

I got my hair cut quite short today. I couldn't go to my regular hairdresser so I went to a place down the street. I took in a picture of what I wanted and what I got was considerably different! Although it's not at all what I was going for it's still nice especially in this summer heat. I think I'll let it grow out a bit. It has a lot of layers in it and if I grow it out just a tad I think it will look a bit shaggy and fun.

I've been knitting away still and I got a brand new color of yarn in. I have to get some pictures of it. The hat I made out of it looks like it's camouflage!

Frugal Preparedness: Water

2007-08-10T07:43:00.000-04:00

I am the type of gal that likes to prepare for emergencies and the most important thing I can have in my emergency arsenal is water.
Now I do buy bottled water when I can get an excellent deal as it's handy to keep in the car or in a survival bag.
But for long term heavy duty storage I like to use large juice containers (and they have a handy handle for easy transport).

You must properly clean the juice jug and then disinfect the water.

Let's go!

Here are the tools I'm starting out with. A just emptied juice jug, dish soap, bleach and an eyedropper

Fill the juice jug 2/3 of the way full with water and then add a tad of dish soap

Now shake shake shake! Let the bottle sit a couple of minutes and then shake some more. I do the shake shake shake dance a total of 3 times

Let's not waste all that water. I poor the water (and soap!) on my plants outside. The soap will not harm anything.
By the way - when watering your outdoor plants in the summertime, make sure you water either in the morning or evening as if you water in the afternoon it will evaporate to quickly.

Be sure to thoroughly rinse your container, let the water run until all the soap is out. Just to be on the safe side I dump the water out again and then fill it back up.

Now it's time to disinfect and prepare it for proper long term storage. This is a gallon jug so with your eyedropper (be careful with your clothes, you may want to use gloves) add 4 drops of bleach.

As you can see it's simple and quick to reuse a good sturdy container and add to your emergency preparedness.
Waste Not Want Not and Always Be Prepared!

Bits and Tads

2007-08-09T09:29:00.000-04:00

I've got a post brewing already for tomorrow's Frugal Friday post, I hope some folks will get some use out of the tip.

I've been doing some research online and while I can't share the details of the situation yet, I found something that's not so good and I'm not sure what to do about it. It involves me personally and I decided to go see a lawyer about it. I have a consultation next week and I'm very nervous about it. I have the feeling that if I decided to do something about this situation I would be on the losing end.
It's not the end of the world type deal - it's a trademarking issue. It's something I should have taken care of several years ago but never had the money to do so. Now it looks like somebody could have taken it to use for their own. Actually it looks like several people have taken it.

Hmmmm, maybe I should just cut my losses - in 100 years will anyone care? In a biblical world view does it really matter to me? I'll wait to see what the lawyer says before I make any decisions.

Yesterday was the hottest day of the year in my neck of the woods, today doesn't feel any cooler and I have to venture out to a couple of stores. I'd better take some water along for me and the kiddo!

Product & Company Review: Those Shirts

2007-08-07T15:30:00.000-04:00

I purchased a T-Shirt about two months ago from "Those Shirts". I will not directly link to them because I'm giving them enough publicity as it is and they do not deserve it.

Their "faq" states shipping time is about a week (2-3 days processing, and 2-3 days shipping time - they ship via priority mail).
I was hoping to take the shirt on vacation with me and so I ordered it slightly more than a week before I was to leave.
Date ordered: June 15

Vacation time comes and no t-shirt. Not even a notice of shipment.
Once I did get the shirt it was 2 weeks since I had ordered it, so double the time they stated it would take.
Date Received: June 29

I tried the shirt on, I ordered an x-large and the tag stated it was x-large but it was so big on me, it was the same size as a 2X. And then - the worst happened. The shirt stained my undergarments, my furniture and my SKIN! It was a red shirt and so I looked as if I were a lobster. How embarassing! I've never had clothing stain my skin.

I decided that things were just not going right with this transaction and I was unhappy with the product so I took the company up on their full refund offer - no questions asked.
Well they may not have asked but I sure told them! I sent them an email explaining the situation and to find out how exactly to go about returning the item.
Return email sent: July 4

A week went by with no reply to my email so I emailed again. This time I did receive a reply right away but with a curt answer of: "Sorry about that - instructions for refunds are on your packing slip and on our Contact Us page..."
Return email sent & received: July 12

So now I have to go and do the work for myself, they finally took the time to respond to me but they couldn't just mention in the email their refund instructions? How hard is that? I knew the return instructions were on the website and my packing slip but I wasn't going to take any chances, things already weren't going well.

The next day I returned the item and I used Priority Mail with Delivery Conf. just so I could know for sure that they received the shirt back. It was delivered to them on July 16. Along with the shirt I sent a note asking them to contact me telling me when I would receive the refund.
Nothing.....

On August 5 I had to waste more of my time and email them once again! I stated:
"Well my bad shopping experience with this company seems to get worse. I've had to contact you numerous times now.
I sent the shirt back and it was delivered to you on July 16. I asked to be notified of when I would receive my full refund but I haven't heard anything and I've not received my money back.
Do you treat all of your customers this way? "
I made sure to include the delivery confirmation number in the email so there would be no mistake.

Late that night on August 5 I received this reply: "Your refund has been processed. Have a nice day."

Well lah dee dah. They sure did give me a refund (well I am out the $5 for the return shipping). They offered no apology and do you know what? I'm willing to bet they weren't going to give me a refund if I hadn't pressed them for it. They were going to see if they could let it go and maybe I'd forget all about it.

So - my experience with this company is bad product, even worse customer service, shipping slower than stated and just one big headache!

This is just one opinion but I'm not going to be quiet about it. I felt so strongly about this one that I had to let others know. Be forewarned!

Recipe: Cottage Cheese Pancakes

2007-08-07T10:30:00.000-04:00

So apparently my cooking capabilities are on the decline. My fiasco from last night carried over to this morning.
I made Cottage Cheese Pancakes and either they burned or I couldn't cook them enough. Can someone please help me find my inner Rachel Ray? Maybe she's on vacation. I was able to rescue enough of these delicious yummies to feed the fam this morning.

Anyway I thought I'd share the recipe. I follow a strict high protein diet and these cheesy "pancakes" are a meal fit for even the pickiest in my family. Both my husband and my sister like them and I mean that's saying something!

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

1/2 medium onion, chopped
1 TBSP butter
1 egg
1/2 cup cottage cheese
2 TBSP flour
salt
pepper

Saute the onion in the butter until golden...allow to cool in pan.
In a small bowl, beat egg slightly, blend in cottage cheese, flour, salt and pepper, add onion butter mixture.
Heat nonstick skillet, spray with Pam and place 1/4 cup scoops of batter and spread into small pancakes. Cook until browned...flip and cook until lightly brown on other side.

You will have to cook awhile on the first side before you attempt to flip otherwise you'll get a gooey cheesy mess.

I like sugar free syrup or tabasco on mine. The onions in this really make it that much better.
Double the recipe to serve a family of 4, add some fruit to round out the meal.

Let me know if any of you try it, I'd like to know what you think.

Later today I'll be posting a product and company review for a company called "Those Shirts."

Sometimes Ya Got It

2007-08-06T19:15:00.000-04:00

And sometimes you don't. Take for instance me...and today. I just "don't got it".

My son was having quite a difficult time in obeying today. It ended up with him having to go to bed early because there was just nothing else to be done.

Before I put him to bed I did give him dinner which leads me to the next headache.
I overcooked the asparagus (which is the only thing my son specifically asked me for tonight). My son said, "This is really not good. Ew"
Then the Chicken in Dijon-Orange sauce was undercooked. I can't manage to figure that one out. Anyway after standing in the kitchen for over an hour at that point I decided to break out the Lunchables.

The evening has ended now with me having to write a "nastygram" to one of my clients because he hasn't paid me yet for the work I did on his site. He's notorious for not paying and he is one of the reasons I have had to institute a late payment policy. I am considering changing the 2% charge to either a 5% or 10% late payment charge because the 2% just seems to be a bit of a joke.

By the way, the nastygram wasn't nasty at all and a rather nice reminder. Now I'll have to give him another 2 weeks to pay up.

To be quite honest I am feeling a bit drowned these days, like I can't quite get my head above water. But I'll get through it, we all do. And that's the long and the short of it!

Picture Post: Go Spot Go

2007-08-03T15:09:00.000-04:00

Joanna had asked me a question about removing stains and so I thought I'd do a picture post to help out.

We start out with our ingredients and you can find the recipe here

And now we'll pick a spot on the carpet. Here is where my dog puked. GROSS. It has been there a few days because it's behind a door where I wouldn't readily see it.

Want a closer look at that nasty stain?

Pour on the remover but be careful, a lot of this goes a long way and will foam up quite a bit once you get scrubbing. Let solution sit for a couple of minutes on the stain.

Okay now get scrubbing. Scrub in each and every direction, don't be afraid to really press into it.

Sop up the moisture with a clean dry rag

Here's what it looks like now. Let this dry some more.

And now here we have the formerly stained area after it's been vacuumed.

I also cleaned an area that my son had gotten some playdough on. It had dried and I couldn't get it up easily. I used the spot remover solution and here is the before and after.

I hope this post helps and now you know that a homemade solution that doesn't have nasty fumes or harsh chemicals can clean every bit as good as what you can find in the store!

Note to Joanna

2007-08-03T13:20:00.000-04:00

Update to the stain remover post below

Joanna, thanks for your comment. It always amazes me that people put carpeting in a dining area or bathroom for that matter (and don't get me started on putting wallpaper in a bathroom ah but I'll save that for another post).

I'm going to do a picture post for you this afternoon so you can see how I go about getting the stain out and so you can see just how well this stain remover works - and at a fraction of the cost of commercial spot removers!

Stay tuned - the post should be up by this evening.

Homemade Spot Cleaner

2007-08-03T08:20:00.000-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows that I am an animal lover and I always have a menagerie roaming about in my house.
With one dog, two cats, and a toddler, my carpet gets disturbingly mungy.
The best commercial carpet cleaner I have found is Woolite's Oxy Deep. However the smell of that cleaner bothers my husband's sensitive smell.

On my neverending quest to find frugal and natural alternatives I've found my own homemade carpet cleaner and has been tested and approved by me!
This recipe comes courtesy of Karen Logan in her book Clean House, Clean Planet.

Go Spot Go Stain Remover

Ingredients: Liquid dishwwashing detergent (not soap). I use Ivory.
Glycerine (found it at the craft store in the cake decorating section).
Water

Be sure to use a clear, not colored, liquid dishwashing detergent.

What Else You'll Need: a 16-oz squirt or spray bottle.

How to Make: Mix 1/4 cup liquid detergent with 1/4 cup glycerine and 1.5 cups of water. Pour into a squirt or spray-bottle.

How to Use: This "wet spotter" is especially good for ballpoint ink, marker, newsprint, coffee, tea, juice, jams, bbq sauce, and mustard as well as those nasty carpet spills.
Glycerine has natural stain removing qualities: it makes that stain so slippery that it just has to rinse out. With tougher stains, you won't always get all of the stain out, but with a little bit of knuckle rubbing you'll get at least 50% of it out. You can use this on upholstery as well. Be forewarned: this formula can take a lot of rinsing to get out, so don't squirt on too much. A little goes a long way. Do not use handwashing liquid soap for this recipe because it can set sugar and fruit stains. Use a regular liquid hand-dishwashing detergent such as the kind at your kitchen sink.

Commercial Brand (Shout) vs. Go Spot Go (22-oz. spot remover): $2.67 vs. $1.62.
Using about 1/4 cup liquid detergent will cost you 14 cents; 1/4 cup glycerin, about $1.48. You'll save $1.05 each time you refill the bottle!

To Mountain Mama

2007-08-03T08:03:00.000-04:00

Dear Musings of A Mountain Mama,
You may never see this but I enjoy reading your blog. I see now that you've set it to invitation only and I was wondering if I might be invited by you.
No hard feelings if I'm not but I genuinely enjoy reading your posts.

Thanks!
Pink

Troubles Are The Noneiest

2007-08-02T11:04:00.000-04:00

My son and I enjoy watching Noggin together and one of the songs on that network goes: "Days are the sunniest, jokes are the funniest, troubles are the noneiest everywhere I go."

That's sort of how I feel today. I am in the midst of a great deal of family drama...
Mom's got Alzheimers, I'm trying to reestablish a relationship with my Dad and so far he's unwilling, my Uncle has about a month to live, my aunt is bedridden with diabetes, my sister is in the middle of a divorce....AY!

Despite all this I feel at peace. I know there isn't a thing I can do other than walk through each day and that's comforting.

Before I sign off to do some web work I just had to mention a sweet deal I got today on Ebay.
I generally use just one type of yarn for most of my knitting, it is the softest yarn I've ever come across. It regularly costs 5.99 at Joann Fabrics and I try to wait until it goes on sale for $4.99.
Well today I got 8 skeins of a rare beautiful blue color in this particular yarn for a total of $13.31 and that includes shipping. If I had ordered the same from Joann's (which I can't because this color is not currently being made) it would have cost me about $60.00

Over the last few weeks I've ordered over 60 skeins of this yarn between Ebay and Joann's. I think I'm addicted.

Winter Hat Winner!

2007-07-27T11:23:00.001-04:00

Congratulations Linda SS!

You are the winner for the giveaway today, thanks for entering. I truly hope you enjoy it and get much use out of it. If you are so inclined why don't you take a picture of yourself in the hat once you receive it? I'd love to see!

Here is how we went about choosing the winner...

Jeremiah was the official picker

A big THANK YOU to everyone who entered and had such kind words. I am not a very crafty person but I taught myself how to knit some years ago and I positively love it. I enjoyed this giveaway so much that I'm thinking about putting another knit item up to giveaway the first of next month. Won't you please keep in touch and enter again?

Keep checking over at the Outlet for new pictures of my work to be added soon!

Still Time To Enter!

2007-07-27T07:28:00.000-04:00

There is still time to enter my Winter Hat Giveaway.

I am thrilled at the response! At 11:00 a.m. EST I will be drawing the winning entrant out of the hat and announce it shortly after and by noon today.

Good Luck!

Winter Hat Giveaway

2007-07-25T11:21:00.000-04:00

Is it Christmas in July?
No but about now is the time I start turning my attention to the winter season and thinking about what to give folks for Christmas.

I'm giving away one of my beautiful warm Winter Hats in deep purple. The hat is approx. 9 inches in length and you can fold the brim over or leave it straight. It's ribbed and therefore will fit comfortably. It's lightweight but you won't believe how warm and soft it is! For the winning entrant I will also pay for your shipping!

Giveaway Terms:

1. Comment to enter.
2. Winner will be chosen Friday, July 27 and announced by noon.
3. Shipping is to U.S. only.
4. Make sure to include a way for me to contact you through your blog or email. Do not post your mailing address or phone number in the comment section.

Thank you to all who enter the giveaway.

**Update** I had to close comments due to spamming

Why The Anger & Hatred?

2007-05-29T20:26:00.000-04:00

I've been sitting here for several minutes, not sure where to start, unsure of what words to choose. I am greatly saddened by what I've witnessed today.

Well over a decade ago I attended a conference in which a speaker discussed theories on creationism. He offered up possibilities on why science and creationism go hand in hand. He was intelligent, well spoken, humble yet firm in his beliefs and I agreed with much he had to say.
Even though I was a teenager at that time I was already firmly planted in my religious beliefs and there was no doubt in my mind that my world was created by GOD.

I had been taught in school however that I arrived here through evolutionary means. As a small child being exposed to this way of thinking - I just couldn't imagine it to be true, it was as if I knew, even then.

During that conference I was eager to hear what this speaker had to say and it made so much sense to me. Convicted to tell everyone I could with this information in hand I wrote a note to this speaker. I handed it to one of my chaperone's and she had the courage to give it to the speaker. How she ever got his attention and time I will never know. Well I must tell you, I was honored when the speaker read my note to the entire audience just after an intermission. In the note I promised that I would take this information to my public high school and make a firm stand for the belief that God created the world in six literal days. It wouldn't be easy but I would do my own research and formulate a speech to be given in my speech class. I kept my word and did just that. As I gave that speech in front of my peers I made sure to pay attention to the reaction I would get. Most of my classmates tuned me out from the simple boredom that comes along with being imprisoned in a brick building for 8 hours a day. There was one student who seemed to be interested in what I had to say and one student who just shook her head at me.

Come on back to the future with me now and I will explain what all this is about.
The speaker at that conference was Ken Ham of Answers in Genesis.

When I found out last year that he planned to open a museum dedicated to the creation account I was certainly excited to find out how it would come to be. Yesterday the museum opened to the public and I for one will be happy to take my family there for a visit.

Today I turned on my TV to find a group of people angered and protesting the opening.
I cannot for the life of me understand why people would PROTEST the opening of this museum. I mean people were out picketing this place. WHY? If you don't like it, just don't go and ignore it. Is it really that big of a deal that you have to go out with picket signs? That's unfathomable to me. Is the mere existance of this place hurting anyone?

The best that I can understand is that a lot of people are upset about this place and the use of the word "museum". What? You are upset about a word that means:
"a place where objects are exhibited". What else would you have it called?
Well I just can't understand the tiff over that one, if anyone would care to explain it I will gladly listen and take the information you provide into consideration.

I also watched a video about it in which a woman was was just plain rude, had nothing factual to say and she couldn't back up her argument because it was non-existant. She was just angry that someone had a different viewpoint from her NON-viewpoint. She wrote a book called "Nothing" because that's exactly what she believes. If she doesn't believe in anything, why is she so upset if others do believe in something?
She also was misinformed about something that's in the Bible. She could only act a fool when it was trying to be explained to her that dinosaurs are mentioned in the Bible (and in more than one place with great description).

I am not trying to be demeaning to this woman, she is entitled to her own thoughts but it just seemed to me that she clearly didn't have a viewpoint. She had no bite behind her bark and I just couldn't make sense of it. Perhaps if she did have some bite I would sit up and take notice, then research and test it to come to a conclusion the way I do with everything else. Perhaps I should take a gander at her book to see what thoughts she presents there. That being said, I will always believe, it's written on my heart and is something that can't be erased.
I do believe that TRUTH is more than "to each his own" but I will not condemn someone for not believing, that's not my job. You can make up your own mind, believe or don't. I guess I just don't understand why some folks are so up in arms about it and so filled with what appears to be hatred.

Here is a link to that video of Ken Ham and the "Nothing" lady (I'm sorry I don't remember her name) on the opening of the Creation Museum
Video

And here is the link to the Creation Museum if you'd like to know more:
Link

I'll leave you with one question. Where you there?

Job 11:7-9

Update On Insurance Issue

2007-05-26T20:00:00.000-04:00

Thank you to those who have prayed, offered encouragement and advice.

Our total medical bills have come to over $50,000!
Some medical offices are allowing us to use payment plans, the hospital has cut my bill in half and I am now filling out a charity application to see if they will reduce even more of the cost. I have continued to have even more problems with my insurance (they are claiming I was not covered under my husband's policy at my most recent dr. appt. - WHAT?)

Currently we are looking at about the $15-$20,ooo range.
Even though that's still a little out of our reach the Lord has been so kind to us. We've been able to pick up website maintenance contracts with two of our website clients and we have one more big client that came to us over a year ago who is just now ready to have us develop his company site.
I have started a direct mail marketing campain in my zip code and I prayed over all the people I will be contacting - I prayed that my efforts would be fruitful. It will be interesting to see if I get any new clients that way.

I am also going to try and mass produce the knit hats that I love to make and try to peddle them to some stores in the area for the fall/winter season.

I may have a part time work at home job opportunity by this fall as well. If I can just keep my feelers out there maybe I can have this paid off within 2 years and get this burden off of our shoulders.

I'm going to post a few ebay auctions tomorrow evening, you can check here to see when they're up, all funds received will go to paying off this medical bill.

Thanks again!

Please Help

2007-03-09T09:10:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I found out that my insurance company isn't going to pay for the surgery I had back in January. Well they are going to pay only $7,500. My surgery cost $20,000 and then I had a few complications that landed me back in the hospital twice so the figures are going to be closer to about $30,000. I feel I have been misled and misinformed by both the insurance company and my surgical group. I am currently doing all I can to fight it but I have a feeling I will be on the losing end. I am also going to see what I can do to get my costs reduced as I was completely unaware that anything like this would happen.

I am asking for your help today. Even if I do get my costs reduced I will still have to pay quite a bit of money. We do have some money in savings but it will not come close to covering this debt. I am NOT asking you for money!
My husband has asked that I get a job (I'm currently a stay at home wife and mother). I asked him if he would give me a little time to try and find a job working from home before automatically going out the home for work. I do not wish to put my son in daycare and I have strong faith that God will see us through this and provide what we need.

If you or anyone you know is looking for help in your business that I could possibly do from home on my computer will you please contact me at: amanda @ macnidermedia . com (you must remove all the spaces, naturally).

Here are some of my details:

I currently own and operate a small web design business with my husband. It does not bring in enough cash flow to be of any help in this case as we currently do not have any new customers. If you or someone you know needs a professional website please take a look at our portfolio at:
http://www.macnidermedia.com/portfolio.asp.
I can also send you a brochure for a serious inquiry.
My husband is the webdesigner and a very talented artist and also does charicatures. He was even one of those people that did your charicature at Busch Gardens when he was a teenager!

Before I was a mother I worked for two well known television networks as executive secretary and office manager. I currently type 70 wpm. I enjoy typing and database work. My hours at home are very flexible.
I used to be a nursing assistant and medical technician and so I have a working knowledge of medical terms. I am highly organized and extremely dependable and would be happy to supply several references from former bosses.

As an aside, I know that winter is fading and spring is on it's way but I make beautiful and cozy knit winter hats made out of wool. The yarn I use is soft and fuzzy and wonderful to the touch. If you'd like one or would like to get a head start on your Christmas shopping would you please consider ordering one from me? I have several different colors, I'll post samples of color shortly but in the meantime here is a picture of a completed hat in tan:
http://photos1.blogger.com/blogger/3642/1257/1600/IMG_6440.jpg

The hat costs $15.00 and shipping to US only is $4.50 (Priority Mail)

Dear readers, thank you for any help or leads you may be able to provide. Please join me in my prayer as I completely turn this burden over to God.

Dandelion Recipes

2007-03-02T07:42:00.000-05:00

What could a frugal heart love more than going right out in your own backyard and foraging for food that is just there in the ground. You didn't plant it or care for it, it's just there naturally.

I remember my grandmother telling me that Dandelions could be eaten and I know she mentioned something about Dandelion Wine.

When picking Dandelions to eat make sure they are free from insecticides and steer clear from those growing near well traveled roads.

Frittered blossoms

Pick fully opened blossoms, the bigger the better. Trim stems very close to the heads. Soak in cold salt water for two or three hours. Rinse under cold running water and drain.
You'll need:
One inch of oil in heavy pan
1 and 1/2 cups of finely crushed cracker crumbs Make an egg batter:
2 tablespoons of milk
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon parsley
1 tablespoon grated parmesan cheese
Roll drained blossoms in cracker crumbs, then in the egg batter, then cracker crumbs again. Fry in hot oil until golden brown, drain and serve warm. These taste a little like mushrooms.

Dandelion Jelly

This golden clear, delicate tasting jelly is glorious with biscuits and gravy on the first snowy morning of the year.
You'll need:
Quart of fresh, bright dandelion flowers
2 tablespoons of lemon juice
5 1/2 cups of sugar
1 package (1 3/4 oz) powdered pectin
paraffin
Using enamel or stainless steel pan, boil the flowers in 2 quarts of water for 3 to 5 minutes, cool, and strain, pressing the liquid out of the flowers gently. Measure 3 cups of the liquid, add the lemon juice and pectin. Put into a deep jelly kettle and bring to a boil, then add sugar and stir to mix well. Stir and boil for 2 1/2 minutes, or until mixture sheets from a wooden spoon, pour into jelly glasses and seal with melted paraffin when cool .

Dandelion "Coffee"

This really isn't coffee, but it's an interesting hot drink that's easy to make once you've dug the dandelion roots. Scrub the roots well and trim away broken ends and hair roots. Place in a shallow baking pan and bake at 250 - 275 degrees until lightly browned. Cool and grate, grind or put them in a cloth and crush with a hammer.
Pour a cup of boiling water over a scant tablespoon of the crushed root. Let it set for a few minutes, then strain. Add honey, sugar and/or lemon.
Where the plants have had plenty of water the taproot will be fat and comparatively short, but if you're digging in a dry area, the root will be long and thin and much harder to harvest.

Thanks to About.com's Frugal Living

Slowly But Surely

2007-02-23T22:44:00.000-05:00

I have been lacking in my updates here but for good reason! I had my surgery almost 5 weeks ago and have since been to the E.R. and admitted back into the hospital twice since then due to surgery complications. Whoooo boy! I am in some pain but I am feeling better these days.
I am still not able to pick my son up or lift much of anything but I'm back to the basic household duties.

I have so many ideas in the works and I'm raring to get going on them but I just don't know where I will find the time.
The web design company that my husband and I operate has been quite successful lately and I devote a lot of time to maintaining our business. We are a small operation and we don't really advertise, we work mainly on word of mouth. But I have designed business cards, letterhead, brochures and postcards to take us to the next level. It has all paid off and we landed a large contract that we just finished up.
Yearly invoices, monthly maintenance, bookeeping and account managing really takes up a large portion of my time.

I'm wondering if my other projects will come to fruition and how I will find the time.

I've gotta tell ya, time may not always be on my side but I'm so happy to be a wife and mama. I'm busier now than I ever was when I worked outside the home. I'm busier and happier

Home Briefly

2007-02-04T03:45:00.000-05:00

I made it through my surgery, the surgery itself went very well but my healing has been slightly difficult thus far. It is currently almost 4 in the morning and I've been up for almost 2 hours. Sleeping at night is difficult and I can only sleep in one position on my back which is terribly uncomfortable. Most nights I cannot sleep but in two hour increments.

I came home 3 days after my surgery only to end up back in the ER 4 hours later with severe abdominal pain. After a series of tests and another 5 days in the hospital the doctors still don't know what happened to cause such pain. The only thing they could find was that my livery enzymes and white blood cell count were elevated.

I am so happy to be home but I'm leaving on Monday to finish out my healing with my in-laws who have been caring for my son. I cannot lift my son for the next month or so. I'm not sure how long I'll be gone but for a week at least.

I cannot wait to get back to caring for my family and home!

Hiatus

2007-01-15T08:20:00.000-05:00

I will be taking a hiatus from the blogosphere for a little while. In one week I'll be having major surgery. I'll be in the hospital for a few days and it will take me approximately six weeks to recover.
I've had several minor outpatient surgeries but none so big as this. I'm told that I'll be in a lot of pain but I'm praying that I won't and that I'd be a model patient. I'll be getting an epidural for the first time, my doctor said that the epidural doesn't work on 10% of patients, I pray I'm not one of the 10% (I'm not pregnant, that's just the method my doctor uses for pain control).
I will update again as soon as I can.

A Very Merry Christmas

2006-12-22T09:43:00.000-05:00

Greetings!

We've been working very hard since the end of August on the Holiday Grand Plan and now the time has come to finish wrapping those gifts, finish the baking and enjoy your family.

Already this morning I've got one batch of my special Pecan muffins made and two more are baking in the oven. I will take some over to my neighbor and the rest will be for the big breakfast on Christmas morning with my family.

Just remember - you think you have so much to do (and you're right) but there will always be one more thing and one more thing and.....STOP! Now is the time to celebrate.

So Merry Christmas, I hope this year was great for you, I know it was for me. God bless you!

What I wanted for Christmas

Jeremiah's adoption is final!

Coming Soon

2006-12-01T11:13:00.000-05:00

Merry Christmas, Friends!
These items and more will be available soon on our new website which will be unveiled shortly. We will be offering tartan pouches as you see here and also stockings, hats and other items as we expand. Keep Watching!

Frugal Friday

2006-12-01T09:17:00.000-05:00

Today I'm joining in with Frugal Fridays which is hosted by Biblical Womanhood

There is no doubt going to be a plethora of information on the net this season about Christmas. Cheap gifts, reuse that wrapping paper, bring the outside in with pinecones and holly etc. etc...

I could join in too and I most likely will however today I want to talk to you about your prescriptions. More to the point let's discuss those prescription bottles. I know you have some in your junk drawer that read, "no refill" but you just didn't throw it away. If you are not going to get rid of that bottle I'd like to share a few practical uses for it once it's been thoroughly rinsed out. Ready? Here we go!

Reusing Prescription Pill Bottles (please disenfect them first):

1. Store spice mixes: I store mulling spices and sticky chicken rub (boy is that sticky chicken rub good on Turkey too!)

2. Lotions for travelling in your purse or gym bag. I have to put lotion on after I get out of the pool at the gym.

3. Coins for emergency phone calls, toll roads or vending machines.

4. Knitting and Sewing Notions: I can knit just about anywhere, I have a purse that my MIL gave me that substitutes as my knitting bag, I can keep my tape measure, compact scissors, rings and stitch holders in the bottle!

5. Donate them: Call and see if any of your local veterinarians could reuse them for animal medications.

6. Sort screws and nails in them. I have my own toolkit and it's easier to keep some screws and nails handy instead of rooting through my husband's tool bucket.

7. Salad Dressing: Put your salad dressing in a bottle to take with your packed lunch to work or a picnic.

8. Store seeds for next year's planting.

9. No need to buy fancy herb and seasoning containers at the store!

10. Store matches in them for camping to keep them from getting wet.

This list could keep going and going. Do you have an ideas? Share by commenting!

Have a great weekend!

Page View

2006-12-01T08:59:00.000-05:00

If your page view is a bit askew as is mine I just want to say that I'm aware of it and I have no idea why my sidebar is all the way at the bottom of the page.

Holiday Grand Plan Week 14

2006-11-28T20:09:00.000-05:00

Holiday Decor Week

As my dad used to say, "Whoa Nellie!" The last couple of weeks have been a frenzy!
My Thanksgiving was wonderful, I worked very hard but I also had a truly nice time. I think next year I'm going to ask my Aunt and her family if they'd like to join us. She would add some spice to the mix!

Saturday we went to my grandmother-in-law's 90th birthday party. Today I went to Williamsburg to get my son who'd been having vacation at Camp RaRa.

Between all that I've been trying to keep up with the house and decorate for Christmas. Most of my decorating is done, the tree is up and I'm working on Christmas cards. I still have about 1/3 of the decorating to do. Now that we live in a different house I have to figure out where to place our treasures. I may also put some lights up outside which I haven't done in decades.

So get those decorations out of the garage, down from the attic and up from the basement, it's time to spread a little cheer.

Also, if you are mailing presents, make sure to get those packaged up this week and send them next week to avoid delays. Also, don't stand in the line at the Post Office, schedule a freepickup!

Now I must rush off, I've got to work some more on my Christmas cards. I'm going to try and get them out by Thursday.

I'll leave you with my favorite lines from A Charlie Brown Christmas.... (I just adore that show and there are so many great lines really)

Lucy Van Pelt: I know how you feel about all this Christmas business, getting depressed and all that. It happens to me every year. I never get what I really want. I always get a lot of stupid toys or a bicycle or clothes or something like that.

Charlie Brown: What is it you want?

Lucy Van Pelt: Real estate.

Happy Thanksgiving

2006-11-23T10:03:00.000-05:00

Things are busy in my house and I imagine they are in yours. My husband and son are now waiting at the airport for my sister-in-law to arrive. The rest of the in-laws are driving and should begin arriving at 12:00. I've already run a load of dishes and I have another to go. Gravy, pies, corn, appetizers, and cranberry sauce are made. Turkey is in the oven (although hubby forgot to turn it ON)!

I'm going to finish vacuuming and get myself together then I'll start on the potatoes, vegetables and stuffing.

Have a wonderful day and be kind to your family.

Holiday Grand Plan Week 13

2006-11-20T17:27:00.000-05:00

Dining Room and Deadline Week

Can you believe it? We've been working on the HGP for 13 weeks now and we've arrived at Thanksgiving!
Hopefully you feel a little more ready for the holidays and hopefully your house is just a little cleaner and ready to put up some Christmas decorations next week.

Are you like me and hosting a large family for Thanksgiving dinner? The last week I've been working on my menu plan and trying out a few recipes to see if they are good enough to make the cut. Two recipes were a definite but one got the ole heave ho.

I'm so glad the dining room was saved for this week, sometimes it acts as the junk room (SHAME) and right now it's filled with decorations and Thanksgiving prep items.

I've been working my fanny off tidying up the rest of the house, giving it a good once more over so that things are tidy and clean not only for my guests but for the decorating I will do starting this weekend. Then, believe it or not I will get to do some relaxing the month of December. My house will be clean, decorations up and most of my Christmas gifts have been made or bought.

So I'll spend my December wrapping gifts, driving around at night looking at Christmas lights, attending a few parties and sipping hot chocolate.

If you haven't done so, this weekend get your Christmas cards and holiday stamps. Start addressing them five at a time until they are finished. Are you in the middle of making a gift? If you don't think you can finish it within the next week put it away for next year. There's enough to do and fun to be had!

Holiday Grand Plan Week 12

2006-11-12T16:54:00.000-05:00

Attic/Storage
Wow we've been at this for three months now! Do you feel a little more at ease about celebrating the holidays this year? I do. I'm almost finished with buying gifts for Christmas and I only have one more gift to make by hand which is a quilt for my son.
Christmas cards have been bought and holiday stamps are on the way. Now I'm working on my Thanksgiving menu.

We've come a long way and it's getting about time to celebrate!

So this week we're in the attic and I'll tell you a secret. I am NOT going up there!
I have a walk-up attic which is so nice but it has almost zero storage space. It's actually blocked off so that I can't move around. There is only one small stepping spot and the only thing up there are some tubs of my sons clothes which I just put up there when I cleaned the nursery.

I have a three bedroom house and I cleaned the master bath several weeks ago but where's the time to clean the other two bathrooms? Now is the time! I'll also use this week to do a little more cleaning in my living room.

Next week of course is the dining room and I'll be looking forward to hosting my family for Thanksgiving dinner. I'm going to try out a couple of new recipes this week to see if they'll be suitable for next week.

Do you have a favorite Thanksgiving dish?

Adoption Finalized!!

2006-11-08T10:00:00.000-05:00

So here is the good news I've been waiting a couple of days to share (I wanted to tell the family first)!

Mama and Jeremiah have been very sick with colds the last few days but we received something in the mail to perk us right up!

Jeremiah is officially our son (as of last week but we didn't know), the adoption process is over, we've received the Final Order of Adoption and now we are just waiting on his new birth certificate that will reflect his new name!

After five years of praying for a child and after two years of walking the course of adoption we are now a family in the eyes of the law. Of course we always were a family in the eyes of God!

Now presenting Master Jeremiah in all his glory...we know who runs this family.

Thank you everyone. You know what you did, I know what you did, one day Jeremiah will know what you did but most importantly - God knows what you did and He is smiling down from Heaven!!

Delight thyself also in the LORD; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Ps. 37: 4

Vote For Jeremiah!

2006-11-07T20:15:00.000-05:00

After being sick for about 4 days I'm feeling much better now. I went to a doctor appt. early this morning and then went to the polls to cast my vote!
I was under the impression that we would be using a computer to vote with but we actually had a piece of paper and we had to fill in the bubbles next to our candidates name - just like we were taking a test in school.

Once again I am happy to have gone to vote alongside my husband. Jeremiah voted too! He voted yes to the amendment that states: Mom should bring back the Blueberry Buckle!

Holiday Grand Plan Week 11

2006-11-06T09:27:00.000-05:00

Garage/Storage Week

A couple of days after my son and I got back from our travels we came down with a nasty cold. Today is my first day of moving off the bed or couch. I'm praying I feel much better tomorrow because not only is it election day but I have an important doctor appointment all the way across town.

So needless to say there won't be much cleaning done around here!

My garage is in need of help, it is packed to the gills with items and furniture we've not unpacked yet. I will have to do a little work in there because all of our Christmas decorations are in there, right in the middle of all the mess.

Lately I feel like I don't have much together so I'm just trying to concentrate on being a good wife and mom.

We have some excellent news as of today but nobody in the family knows about it yet. I'll reveal all once I speak with the family!

You're Kidding Me!

2006-11-03T09:02:00.000-05:00

Ok ok ok.

So the big family emergency didn't end all that well. Alright, it ended very badly. Now the situation is an even bigger burden on my heart and mind. I'm giving it over to God and I'm preparing myself for losing something that I use to consider an important part of me. I'm sure everyone has "been there, done that."

Remember those 10 venetian blinds I have to get cleaned? Well neither my husband nor I can figure out how to get them down in order to wash them. I absolutely cannot clean each one by hand - no time for anything other than a good rinse with the hose. My husband said, "Just move onto the next project."

So I'm taking his advice and they won't get cleaned (oh it hurts to say that). My carpet will also not be getting steam cleaned until spring so I'm just going to spot clean as best I can and hope that nobody notices all the horrible gray stains.

My husband and I run a website company and we are having problems with our hosting. If we have problems that means all of our clients have problems. YIKES! We are having to move every client over to a new host and learn how to use the new tools.
I'm praying this situation gets resolved soon because we are on a 30 day deadline with our biggest client yet and we are a week behind in their development because of our hosting issue.

Here's a bit of good news: I've managed to get up at 6:00 am for the past two days!

Holiday Grand Plan Week 10

2006-10-30T18:17:00.000-05:00

Family Room

Boy am I in trouble! I'm away from home right now and I have been since last Friday. I'm dealing with a big family emergency and it's pretty emotionally draining, I don't know how the situation will work out.

The family room is going to be a hard one for me because I will only have a few days in there and for me there is actually two rooms to clean, the living room and florida room. I have ten venetian blinds to clean and my carpet in there is a mess! I'm going to have to steam clean it.
I still have the coat closet and the kitchen floor to clean from previous weeks.
Also I will have to clean the downstairs bath, guest bath and clean the office again as it's gotten pretty bad. It feels like crunch time!

Oh well, at least my husband prepares for and cooks the ENTIRE Thanksgiving dinner (that's an inside joke for MIL by the way and so completetly not true).

Do you carve a pumpkin? Check out this experiment on preserving carved pumpkins

Holiday Grand Plan Week 9

2006-10-19T08:50:00.000-04:00

Closet/Pantry Week

I'm putting up the next HGP installment early because I will be out of town for the next several days.

When I said this was a busy season for me, I probably should have kept my mouth shut. It just keeps getting busier and busier, I don't know how much more I can squeeze in!

I'm travelling to three different cities in Virginia and North Carolina over the next 6 days which of course means time that I won't get to spend working on the house.
The good news is that I've made great headway in the kitchen this week. All that's left to do is clean out the fridge, clean the eat in part of the kitchen, sweep and hand mop the floors (which is no easy task here).

With next week being Closet/Pantry week I'll be able to afford a little time off. The pantry is in very good shape because I clean it out once a month or so. The only closet in my house that needs help is the coat closet and I can take care of that in an afternoon.

The week after next is the week to work in the Family Room and I have my concerns. I will once again be out of town until possibly Nov. 6 which leaves me with zero time for that weeks plans and cleaning. And let me tell you the family room is going to be a pretty large chore. Ah well, I'll just do what I can and it will all work out just like this week has!

Can you believe we are heading into the last days of October already? The leaves are turning and falling, I'm going to have to get outside and rake!

Now is the time to think about sending packages or at least getting your mailing supplies together.

Holiday Grand Plan Week 8

2006-10-15T10:44:00.000-04:00

Kitchen Week

Can you believe we've been working on the HGP for two months now? Hopefully you're a little closer to having a peaceful, organized and clean holiday season!

We're in the Kitchen this week and let me share with you - this could not have come at a worse time and here's why...

1. My mom's in the hospital and she really needs me however I live 3 hours away, my car is in the shop, the doctors aren't sure if she's contagious and so I would not be able to take my toddler but my husband has to go to work so he wouldn't be able to stay home with him.

2. I have a very important doctor appt. tomorrow that will take up a great deal of time.

3. I didn't finish the guest room from last week.

4. I have to pack for a big trip next week.

My kitchen is pretty big and it needs a very thorough cleaning. I just don't feel like I have it in me this week to complete. So here is what I'll do.
I'm going to take each day as it comes and do what I can.
The stove and countertops need the most attention. Then the appliances, then the floor. My cupboards are in pretty good shape so I won't worry about that.

Whew, wish me well this week as I try to get everything checked off my list!

Children Of Destruction

2006-10-13T09:47:00.000-04:00

Just look at what my son did to his mattress during what was supposed to be his naptime the other day.
This was a "Wait until your Father sees this" moment!

Holiday Grand Plan Week 7

2006-10-08T20:04:00.000-04:00

Guest Room

Now be honest, did you finish up in the kids room last week? Did you really finish up? I didn't! In fact I had to leave a lot of my deep cleaning for today.
Here's what's been left undone:
1. Venetian Blinds
2. Try on all clothes for inventory
3. Put away all old clothes and toys

Even though I have a few things left unfinished, I did accomplish a lot in the nursery. I am one step closer to a great holiday season. Every item you cross off your list now is one thing you won't have to do during what can be a hectic December. If you don't finish, it's ok, you'll probably never finish!

So tomorrow I will jump head first into cleaning the guest room. I have a little organizing to do in there too but not much. I'll clean the sheets and quilt, flip the mattress clean the blinds, organize the closet and drawers. Then I'll do some deep cleaning. My aim is to make the room cozy for my guests. It's also where I keep extra blankets, and some extra craft supplies. I'm going to make up a basket for my guests with towels and washcloths, perfume, deodorant, and soaps. I'll take a picture of it to post once I do.

Have you gotten your christmas cards together yet? How is your address book looking, do you need to update some addresses? This week I'll be working on computerizing my address list so that I can print out address labels in a pretty red font for the envelopes.

Get inspired with 103 ways to get ready for Christmas: Schedule Your Guests!

Christmas Gift Ideas

2006-10-02T08:50:00.000-04:00

Bethany asks if I have some ideas for Christmas gifts.
I, like you am always looking for new and creative gifts to give to my family and friends. I have no ordinary family...they are extremely intelligent, creative and sometimes a bit off the wall. So gift giving can be a challenge for me. No ordinary pair of socks will do. And if you are giving socks, make sure you buy about twelve pair and wrap each pair separately just as the matriarch of our family would do.

With my ecclectic family in mind I've set out to finding unique gifts and over the past two years I've upped my game and here are some of my ideas:

Replacements, LTD
Two years ago I gave each of the ladies in the family a cup and saucer from this company. Each china piece had the name of the lady as the china pattern. Does anyone in your family have an uncommon name? Search anyway, you never know what you'll find!
Example: My name is Amanda and here are a couple of different china patterns in my name:
http://www.replacements.com/webquote/GRIAMA.htm
http://www.replacements.com/webquote/L__AMA.htm

The website is a bit difficult to navigate and understand but customer service is top notch. I bought a teacup for my mother-in-law when it arrived I knew right away that it just wouldn't do. So I sent it back for a full refund and purchased another pattern instead.

Catalog Shopping
I do a lot of my shopping in the comfort of my own home early in the year from catalogs and the internet. Sign up for their newsletters or free catalog and they'll send you notices about free shipping, money off coupons and new products. I find something I like and I wait until there's a big sale. That's what shopping early will afford you.
Some of my favorite catalogs are:
The Lakeside Collection
Personal Creations
Betty's Attic
The Lighter Side
Restoration Hardware

What's Cookin'?
I think it's a good idea to give some kitchen gifts, usually people need a tool or new pot holders or bakeware for their kitchen. I like to visit Williams Sonoma. Even though it is expensive I will maybe only get one thing and they do have such unique items like wonderful spices and mixes that you can't find in a grocery store. During the holidays they also usually have samples to try and hot chocolate to drink if you go to the actual store.

Get Crafty
Yes, we do a lot of buying in our family but the way I was raised if you made something that came from the heart it was the most special and so growing up we mostly gave handmade gifts. Painting and decorating wood pieces used to be my favorite thing to do. Now, I enjoy knitting mostly. I have many people to knit for so I choose something I can make in just a few days and mass produce it. This year I'll be knitting these wonderfully warm and soft wool hats. I have several different colors and have made four hats already and I'm working on my 5th.

I will also be making my son a quilt, even though I have zero quilting skills. I purchased a quilt kit from Walmart made by O'Lipfa. I tried finding this online to link to but I couldn't find it. I found it in the craft section of Walmart where they have the latch hook kits. Just a few quick stitches on my sewing machine and I'm done!
I also suggest giving something made from the kitchen as well. Do you make a fabulous chocolate chip cookie? Or perhaps you make your own butters and jams. A container of your homemade preserves is a great gift.

Checking The List
As it gets closer to Christmas my family begins making it known what they'd like to receive or what they need. So I make sure to get a couple of things from their list as well. My family is pretty web savvy and we utilize online forums on our family website to put up a list. We also link to pictures so that we can see the item and purchase the correct one. Sort of like a gift registry.

So I've bought from catalogs and online and got some great deals, I've given some handmade gifts, and I've given a couple of things off their Christmas list which makes for some well rounded gift giving.

Holiday Grand Plan Week 6

2006-10-02T00:27:00.000-04:00

Kids Room

Ah, the children's room. Up until last year I denoted this week as make-up week. I did not have any children and so I would focus on another room or finish up things in other areas I couldn't get to in weeks past.

But not this year. I have my work cut out for me but the good news is I've been keeping up pretty well in this area. Since we moved I've been slowly putting away clothes that no longer fit my son and storing them in plastic tubs that I get for cheap at Walmart. I pick the clothes that are in the best shape and store them in our walk up attic for future children or donation. I've also begun going through toys and some of them will meet the same end by the time I'm finished this week. For some of you this is going to be a big week, you may have toys everywhere and when you go through the back of the closet you'll be amazed at what you'll find. Let's clear out the old to make way for the new that will arrive at Christmas.

This week in addition to the deep cleaning and organizing I'll be going over his clothes, toys and I'll also make a list of the new clothes he'll need for the fall and winter. I don't think he'll need much thanks to RaRa who buys him practically everything he needs.

If you take your children trick or treating or to a harvest party, have you thought about their costumes yet?

Long Live The Scots

2006-09-28T09:25:00.000-04:00

I'll be out of town for the next three days so the next HGP installment might be a little late.
Today I'll be planning and packing for our trip. The weekend will be very busy with a doctor appointment, a Scottish festival, an art festival, my anniversary.

So while I'm away how about a game of battleship?

Battle Ship

Holiday Grand Plan Week 5

2006-09-24T19:16:00.000-04:00

Master Bathroom

I for one had a busy and stressful week last week. Time was not on my side and I was unable to finish up my major cleaning in the Master Bedroom. Not to worry though, I was able to get a few of the larger items done such as cleaning the blinds, fan, baseboards and end tables. I still need to work on my clothes and I have a piece of furniture to move into the room. I'm also going to try and change some furniture around and come up with some temporary decorations.

Since we are still basically working in the master I'm not sweating it. I plan on starting on the bathroom tomorrow by working on the shower tiles (which aren't bad at all because I maintain them as well as I can during the year). I just have a few tiles that look a little moldy so I'll zap them with the bleach pen and it comes right off. I will take a few days to finish up the master bath and then towards the end of the week I'll go back to work on the bedroom.

This is also the week to take an inventory of your clothing which is something I really need to do. Most of my clothes are full of holes so it looks like I will have to set aside a little money to buy some wardrobe staples.

Continue on with your gift list and purchase 1/8th of items. Keep working one hour a day on your homemade gifts. I frequently work 1-3 hours on these and so if there's a day I can't get to them I'm not behind.

Check It Out!

2006-09-20T16:02:00.000-04:00

I have a couple of items up for sale over at the Outlet so be sure to check them out.

Also take a look at this cute knit hat I made. I made it out of some scrap yarn and discovered it was just big enough to fit my two yr. old.

You Are Dazed, Bewildered....

2006-09-20T12:34:00.001-04:00

Whenver strange things would occur the phrase often heard around our house growing up was, "There must be a full moon out tonight."

Well today I've had my fair share of strange happenings but there's no full moon.
There will however be an annular eclipse of the sun (visible only in South America) on Friday the 22nd.

The day started off with the cable television going haywire. The box keeps coming on and off, flashing the time, then saying "boot" then going off.

Next my son's electric piano would stop playing if it was upright but if you tilt it slightly on it's side it plays fine.

Also our telephone is working just fine but the window where it flashes how many messages we have is blank (even though I know for a fact there are two messages on there).

And to finish out the day I have two different clients saying that we told them a specific thing regarding different projects that we never said or agreed to. Unfortunately I think we may lose some clients and money. One of the clients is making very very strange claims and I've been questioning myself all morning, "Did I really say that? When did this happen? Have I had some sort of brain lapse? Is there really such a thing as the twilight zone? Because if there is I think I've been hurled into it.

I just have to laugh at what's been going on today. Has anyone else experienced strange days like the one I'm having?

P.S. I tried uploading this post already and it won't go through. The control panel keeps flashing "0%"

Knitting Projects

2006-09-17T15:34:00.000-04:00

Here is a pic of my latest knitting projects. Knitting is a wonderful pastime and so very relaxing. I never thought I'd be able to do this in a million years, but what a wonderful skill to have. What you see here are several hats, some with matching mittens and a beautiful bias scarf.

Holiday Grand Plan Week 4

2006-09-17T14:35:00.000-04:00

Master Bedroom Week

This week we are working in our Master Bedrooms. I plan on focusing on clothes. We created a temporary solution to our clothing storage when we moved in but now it's time to change it and also put away summer clothes since we have a very narrow closet.

As far as Holiday Planning goes, if you've made your TO BUY list then buy 1/8th of the gifts on that list. If you order through the internet don't forget to mark them down on the Internet Order Tracker.
When you bring your wares home make sure you put them in a place designated for Christmas gifts so that you won't forget you have them when you are ready to wrap.

Speaking of wrapping...do you like to wrap your presents as you get them or do you do most of your wrapping all at once?

What To Do Now That He's Two?

2006-09-15T08:43:00.000-04:00

My son is turning two soon and we are having a small birthday party for him this weekend. He doesn't know any little children here in our new city so it will just be a small gathering of our family.

I was considering throwing a Wiggles themed party but I received a great catalog in the mail with themed party supplies and it didn't have the Wiggles. But it did have a construction theme. The baby is really into tractors and cement trucks and dump trucks so it was perfect.
I ordered the basic kit for 8 people and it came with a tablecloth, balloons, plates, cups, plasticware, and placemats. I also ordered a few extra special things to decorate with. I'll take pictures of everything and post it next week.
I found some closely matching party hats at the dollar store.

I'm keeping the menu simple and I'm working around things I already have on hand. Of course there will be cake which I'll make from scratch. Since the party is in the late afternoon I'm going to serve a meal of chicken fingers, baked fries (with my super secret special spice) and maybe a fruit platter or simply some red grapes. Mil is making her fresh spinach and strawberry salad.

I'll probably bake the cakes tonight so they'll cool and then frost them tomorrow. That will give me the rest of the day to prepare the other foods and decorate the dining room. Today I'm making out my grocery list and cleaning the house so everything is fresh for our guests.

When Big Daddy gets home from work we are going to PetSmart to get the fish for the baby's first fishtank, we'll probably pick up a mylar balloon and get the needed groceries. Big Daddy is taking the baby to the zoo tomorrow morning so that I can concentrate on party preparations.

I'm happy that we are keeping the party small this year because our family has been through quite a bit of stress over the year, we've had a lot going on and I don't think a huge party for a "cranky" toddler would help matters!

I'm sure we'll have fun tomorrow, look out for pictures and also the next installment of the Holiday Grand Plan coming soon!

Holiday Grand Plan Week 3

2006-09-12T08:02:00.000-04:00

Entry/Foyer Week

We are done with the questions and the list making, we've begun thinking about what party's we'll go to and ones we'll host. We've even begun buying and making gifts.

We have more holiday prep and this week we are deep cleaning our entry ways.

You'll notice under holiday prep that we should make and freeze one holiday meal. If you're anything like me this will not get done. I typically do not have it together enough to do this. I did this once and the meal just didn't turn out so great. Maybe I should give this another shot. We'll see.

Do any of you have good, simple and relatively cheap meal recipes that freeze well?

Perfectionistic Behavior

2006-09-06T09:36:00.000-04:00

There are times that we get overwhelmed. In fact, it's overwhelming how overwhelmed we can feel. But how much of that do we do to ourselves?

My husband frequently tells me that I put too much pressure on myself. And I know that to be true. If I'm putting too much pressure on myself, maybe I'm doing the same thing to my family.

It's wonderful to have schedules and methods but we need to remain flexible. I'm telling myself this as much as anyone else.

Sometimes I'm just so tired that I have to take a break and then I feel guilty and I torture myself all day long about it. Why should I cause myself to feel guilty for not being a machine?

I've seen a trend where most perfectionistic people have messy or upturned lives and are riddled with anxiety. You'd think it be exactly the opposite. But the "need" for perfection often ends up with nothing getting done because it can't be done perfectly - and then that person is driven to depression. It's happened to those I know, it's happened to me.

Recognizing it is key to turning it around.

Taken from wikipedia: In its pathological form, perfectionism can be very damaging. It can take the form of procrastination when it is used to postpone tasks ("I can't start my project until I know the 'right' way to do it.")

This is how I've felt in the past.

Perfectionism is a risk factor for obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders, and clinical depression. I have dealt with all of these and so has my mother.

We can never be perfect, only one before us has been so.

Has anyone else dealt with this? What practical (not perfect) suggestions would you give for moving away from such behavior?

Holiday Grand Plan Week 2

2006-09-03T17:08:00.000-04:00

Question Week
Truth be told, I don't really participate in the questions but I can see how they would be beneficial. Sometimes we have to really take a look at the things we do in the name of "Christmas" and why we do them.

The area of the house to clean is the living room. In my house there is a formal living room as well as a family room. We turned the formal living room (as it is rather small for such) into our home office.
I've made great strides in the last few weeks as far as the office goes but it still needs work. I think if I have one more good go of it, I can have the office of my dreams - ORGANIZED, CLEAN and FUNCTIONAL. This is as good a week as any.
Here we go!

I've almost completed my Christmas card list and made a great christmas gift list. I've begun making some homemade gifts, I feel well on my way to a peaceful and enjoyable season.

Bullfrog 2005 (1 yr)

September

2006-09-01T09:17:00.000-04:00

And so here we are.
September, that lovely month yet I walk into it cautiously.
It's a wonderful month that kicks off a very busy season for my family yet I know I'm walking straight into Fall and that's always a hurdle in my life. I'm that summer beach bum and when I know that my beach days are dwindling I get a little depressed.

To combat this I arm myself with several things.

1. The promises of God - He loves me and I am his child. I need nothing more, not even the summer.

2. The many events that take place starting in September help me to keep my mind off of myself and sadness (which are really self-centered).

3. The joy in the hope for a bright new year with my family.

My September will shape up in the following way:

1. Holiday Grand Plan
2. Court date - and no, I didn't break any laws
3. Well baby checkup
4. Trip to Mil's for hair appt and cleaning
5. Baby's birthday
6. My wedding anniversary
7. Scottish Festival
8. Finish unpacking guest room and craft room
9. Fall decorations
10.Family Picture Project

By the way. I keep my fall decorations very simple. I'm not an experienced or very good decorator so I just do a couple of things to set the mood in the house during this time of year.

I made a wreath with a painting of pumpkins and I took some fabric leaves that I bought at Big Lots and hot glued them around the wreath. This hangs on the door.
I spruce up the dining room table with a pretty cream colored tablecloth that I bought for nearly nothing. I put out the pasta bowls that Sil gave me because they are a beautiful orange which reminds me of the leaves. I then spread out some fabric leaves across the table. Mil gave me a few pumpkin scented candles so those will be set out this year as well.

And that's it. Simple yet fun. I really only decorate from September - Jan 1. I don't have any spring or summer decorations at this time.

Once I get the decorations out I'll take a picture probably of my fall table and post it, I really enjoy it. I think that's something I can get done this weekend.

I'm off now to take care of the practical things in my practically pink world.
Enjoy the weekend everyone! And don't forget, I'll post again next week with the next installment of the Holiday Grand Plan!

Pinkology's HGP Notebook

2006-08-31T16:38:00.000-04:00

**2007 Update: Please visit my new HGP Notebook for 2007!**

I've got my Holiday Grand Plan notebook completely together now and I thought I'd give you a peak. The pictures aren't that great but I'll explain each one so that you get a good idea of what I'm doing.

Onward!
Front cover - I just thought this was a pretty binder

Weekly To Do
This is my big Holiday to do list for this week. Look closely and you'll see some spots where I've used white out. I recycle this list year after year and just change the date and a few other notes.
This list tells me which area of the house I'll be deep cleaning and includes several areas of Holiday Prep for me to work on.

Front Porch
This week my deep cleaning area is the Front Porch, here are my instructions and tips. Every year I never seem to get to these front porch duties until the weekend. So when it happened this year I didn't worry. As long as I get to it by the weekend I'm still on target!

Christmas Card List
The next section is my Christmas Card list full of addresses and phone numbers. I won't show you that section since I doubt my friends and family would want their addresses shown here. Instead let's look at a nice picture of my cat, Angus.

Gifts
The next portion of my notebook is the gift section. It starts out with my Gift Closet Inventory (not shown). And if my husband is reading this, I may say, "Gift Closet" but that doesn't mean it's in a closet. It might be under your side of the bed. Then again it might not.

As I purchase or make things throughout the year I can put them away in my "gift closet" and around this time of year take an inventory and think about who I'd like to give these too. This way I never lose anything and when I'm ready to wrap I have them in one place.

Master Gift List
Here is where I list out my gift recipients and what they will receive. I have columns where I check off when I make it, buy it, wrap it, mail it. I also include the cost of each item to keep track of my spending. I highlight each space that I will have to check off in the future. Once all my highlighted spaces are checked off, it's time for Christmas!

Gifts To Make
Here is where I make note of things that I will be making and to who they will go to.

Order Tracker
I order several gifts online, I don't really like going out to shop and I'd rather browse from home mostly. So here is where I keep track of my orders and how much they cost. I also note when I order them and when I receive them.

Menu Planner
The tradition of having Thanksgiving at our house is only a couple of years old (we try to spend different occasions at each family member's house). It's one that I treasure though. My husband loves to make the turkey and sweet potatoes. I like making sides and dessert and fixing up the table.
This is the page where I note the menu and who will make what. I even note which serving dish we will use for each item.

Extras
In the back pocket I keep a few extra things such as: A pretty Christmas card I sent out in the past, I enjoy looking at it. Instructions on freezing different types of cookies. Templates for some gifts I like to give.

So that is the tour of my Holiday Grand Plan notebook. The Organized Christmas website has many more printable forms you can use for your own situation. This is my sixth year using the plan and after so many years I have figured out which forms I need and which I don't. Simply planning leads to planning simply.

A simple and organized Christmas season is a good one!

**2007 Update: Please visit my new HGP Notebook for 2007!**

Holiday Grand Plan Week 1

2006-08-29T08:36:00.000-04:00

It's been over a month since I've posted and I tell you, I've been a maniac! I'm afraid things are only going to be busier for me from here on out until the end of the year!

I just returned from a long vacation to my mom's house. The trip was good and I was able to catch up with several friends and family members, one of which I hadn't seen in 16 years! Jeremiah learned Bawlamarese.
Also click here and scroll to the very bottom of the page to listen to a message from Bawlamar Hon.
Fun times.

Yesterday and today are unpacking, settling back in and quick clean days.

Sunday marked Week 1 of the wonderful Holiday Grand Plan

This week is List Week. I bought a new 3 ring binder to put my plan notebook together in since my last one is falling apart after 5 years of rigorous use. So this week I'm putting the new binder together with all my papers and schedules and lists. Last night I updated my christmas card list and today I'll begin making my master gift list, internet order tracker list, gifts to make list, and either today or tomorrow I'll take a gift closet inventory.

You may think I'm a bit loopy for starting to plan for the holidays so early but I assure you, this is an efficient, time and money saving way to prepare for what will surely be a busy season.

So follow along in my adventure and consider joining me!