Storage Wars

Look in what used to be my dining room and you'll see hundreds of plastic bags laying around, some in piles and some just thrown on the floor.  I'm going to turn them into plarn for my crochet projects, but right now I have a storage problem.  When I finally get around to cutting up all those bags, I will still have a storage problem.  And, it isn't my only storage problem.  I have potatoes that I just canned that need to be put up.  I have yarn, I have lots of stuff that needs to be put away.  My goal for February is to come up with unique storage solutions and to get some of those bags cut up.

Update on Recipes

At the beginning of the month, I said that my goal for the year is to cook different recipes, never cooking the same thing twice.  Well, it's almost the end of January, and so far, I have managed to stay on track.  I have also made 4 new recipes this month. 

My favorite by far is French Toast Casserole.  The recipe is from Bon Appetit, Y'All: Recipes and Stories from Three Generations of Southern Cooking by Virginia Willis.

French Toast Casserole

4 tablespoons butter, melted

3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

1 loaf brioche or challah bread, sliced into 1 1/2 inch slices - I used challah (egg bread)

8 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup whole milk

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Pinch of salt

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Pure Maple Syrup

• Combine the melted butter and sugar in the bottom of a baking dish.
• Make a nice even layer of the mixture to cover the entire area.
• Arrange the bread slices on top, squeezing them in place.
• Whisk the eggs, add all the remaining ingredients except the pecans.
• Pour over the bread, letting it soak in.
• Top with pecans and cover with plastic wrap.
• Keep refrigerated for at least 3 hours or up to 12 hours - I refrigerated it for 5 hrs.
• Set out at room temperature for 20 minutes before popping into a hot oven set to 350 degrees.
• Bake until lightly browned and set, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Remove and slightly cook if you can wait a few minutes.
• Serve hot or warm with sorghum, cane or maple syrup - It didn't need any syrup.
• Serves 8

Check this out!

This is such a cool idea.  When I saw it, I knew that I had to make one of my own.  So I did, and here it is!

An Alternative to Swiffer Sheets

If you're like me, you have a Swiffer Sweeper, or some variation, in your cleaning arsenal.  I have to admit that I like my Sweeper; it's easy to use and it works!  I'm less enthusiastic about the sheets; I'm always having to buy new sheets and it's just more waste.  I've tried recycling the used sheets in my compost pile, but I'm not thrilled with the results.  So, I have two problems - the cost of replacement sheets and how to dispose of the used sheets.  

While browsing the internet, I came up with a great solution - I made my own Sweeper covers.  I got the pattern from www.favecrafts.com.  I'm including the pattern, along with pictures of my home-made sweeper covers below.  This is an easy crochet pattern.

Instructions:

Main piece:

Chain 37.

1st Row: (RS). 1 sc in 2nd chain from hook.  1 sc in each chain across.  Turn.  36 sc.

**2nd Row:  Ch 1.  Working in back loop only of each sc, 1 sc in each sc across.  Turn.

Repeat last row until work from beginning measures 4 inches (10 cm).  Fasten off.**

Sides (make 2)

Chain 12.

1st Row: (RS). 1 sc in 2nd chain from hook.  1 sc in each chain across.  Turn.  11 sc.

Repeat from ** to ** as for Main Piece.

Join Sides to Main Piece: Place 1 side at each end of Main Piece and pin outer edges together.  With RS facing, join yarn with slip stitch in any corner.  Chain 1.  Work 1 row of sc around outer edge (through both thicknesses of Side and Main Piece at each end), working 3 sc in each corner.  Join with slip stitch to first sc.  Fasten off.

 

Unconditional Love

I spent the weekend with my daughter and her fiancee doing a little shopping and a little wedding planning.  When I got home this evening, my two dogs, Ruby and Chopper, were waiting for me.  What a welcome home!  It amazes me how much these two animals mean to me, and even more, how much I mean to them.  They love me unconditionally; I mean, no matter how bad my day has been, they're always at the front door to greet me.  I have a favorite chair that I sit in and somehow, one or both of them manages to squeeze in beside me.  They love me if I'm grumpy or tired or smelly from working out in my yard.  I don't have to dress to impress them and they're always there for me.  What a wonderful gift from God!

My Life thru a "magnet-fying" glass

I was preparing dinner and I went to get  milk out of my refrigerator when I realized something.  My refrigerator is covered with magnets and in those magnets is a part of my life's history.  My very first magnet, a girl holding a rolling pin with the words "Wendy's Kitchen" on it - I received it as a wedding gift along with a cookbook and a box of spices.  "Mike's Kitchen" used to be next to it, until Mike left and took his magnet with him.  There's a small cross-stitch house with the word "Welcome" that I made for a grandmother and which I took back after her death.  Bittersweet memories.

There are pictures of my daughter when she played soccer and a note that says "I love you mom" from my now grown-up daughter.  My son is in the military; he bought me an "Army Mom" magnet which goes with the "Support our Soldiers" and the "I Love My Soldier" magnets.

There are magnets from places I've visited like Providence Canyon, GA and the Utz Potato Chip Factory in Hanover, PA.  There are magnets that I've received as gifts from far-off places that I've only dreamed about, like Hawaii and Italy.  There are business card magnets for pizza, the vet, the electric company, and the doctor (on the side of the fridge).  Magnets which reaffirm my faith are scattered throughout the other magnets on my refrigerator.  My newest magnet I received as a Christmas gift - "I love my granddog".

And there are shoes!  I love ANYTHING in the shape of a shoe and over the years, I've collected quite a few shoe magnets.  Again, some of them I've bought myself and some of them are from friends and families.

Amazing isn't it, how such a small thing can bring back such powerful memories of your life.

 

21-Gun Salute

My son is in the Army and is currently stationed in Afghanistan.  He's on his third deployment and will be home in July, just in time for his 21st birthday.  I've decided to make him a quilt.  I want to incorporate items from his sister, his aunts, his grandparents, and his childhood.  I've never made a quilt before, so I'm going to make it a simple block pattern.  Over the next few weeks, I'll be gathering my materials and cutting out the blocks.  Stay tuned!

Lists

I am a list maker.  I have a to-do list at home, a to-do list at work, a list of monthly bills (aka my budget), a list of goals for 2011, and on and on.  So how do I manage my lists?  I decided that the easiest way was to create a book of lists.  Well, actually, I have a couple of books of lists.  Lists that change, like my to-do lists, I keep in a composition notebook that I can put in my purse and carry with me.  I also jot down phone numbers or other bits of info that I might need to have at my fingertips.  I just recently got a smart phone, and so far, it's smarter than me.  I'm still a paper and pencil kind of girl.

My other lists go in a binder on a shelf by my desk.  The lists in this book change too, depending on what interests me at the time.  My lists include my goals for 2011, a list of projects that I want to complete, a list of basic pantry supplies (which really helped to set up my pantry), a list of basic first aid supplies, a list of important information for my family, etc.

My most important list is what I half jokingly call "My Book of All Knowledge".  In a small, spiral notebook I have a list with all my user names and passwords for my computer.  I keep this notebook in a safe place so that I don't lose this information.  I can't tell you how many times this list has saved me, especially when I visit a website that I haven't been to in some time.  I know that my computer can save this information, but I'm not comfortable with that, even though I'm the only one with access to my computer.

I know that making lists is a part of who I am, but like anything else, the key is knowing how to manage my lists.  I've found a system that works for me.

Paper, Paper Everywhere.

Is there a secret to dealing with all the paper in our lives?  EMNUQKA9T4CQ - Is there a secret code that will make all the paper erupt into flames?  I spent a good amount of time in 2010 trying to tame my own paper monster; I had almost 25 years of paperwork to sort through and organize.  Twenty-Five Years!!  But when I was finished, it all went into 3 drawers of a filing cabinet with room to spare and I learned which papers I really need to keep and which ones I can toss.

I recommend three items if you're serious about taming your own paper monster - a fireproof storage box or safe to store important papers, a cross-cut shredder, and a file cabinet.

Fireproof Storage Box - this is where I keep my social security card, my passport, a copy of my will, my marriage and birth certificate, my divorce decree, a copy of my children's birth certificates, my insurance policies, and titles/deeds for automobiles and property.

File Cabinet - In one drawer of my file cabinet, I have my bank statements and mortgage statements.  In another drawer, I have my tax returns and supporting documents.  In the third drawer, I have the owners manuals and receipts for my household items, such as my refrigerator.

I also have a small file cabinet in my office where I file craft projects that I want to work on, travel information for vacations, and miscellaneous household tips and articles.

I went through all the papers and drawings that I had saved over the years from my children, sorted them, and put them into two boxes, one for my son and one for my daughter, which I will give to them when they finally settle down.

Everything else I either recycled or shredded, then recycled.  All the magazines that were piled up, I took to my church which distributes them to local hospital waiting rooms.  I sorted through all of my grocery coupons and took any expired coupons and any coupons that I won't use and sent them to military bases overseas that don't have access to coupons.  If you'd like to get more information on this program, go to www.ocpnet.org.

To keep my papers under control, I sort through my mail when I come home - bills are filed until they are paid.  Junk mail either gets recycled immediately or shredded.  Bills such as electricity, phone, etc. are shredded when I get confirmation that they have been paid.  Any information that I might need for my taxes, I file in an accordion folder.

Getting your papers organized isn't easy, but it is so worth it.  Next on my agenda - recipes!

Caps For Good

So a few days ago I mentioned that I was crocheting baby caps for "Save the Children".  I decided that I was going to crochet ten caps.

I used two different patterns.  For the crocheted baby earflap style cap, I used directions for a cap designed by Noreen Crone-Findlay, which was originally featured on her blog, www.hankeringforyarn.com.  The other pattern I downloaded from www.GoodGoes.org/caps.  Below are pictures of the caps that I crocheted.  Both designs were simple to crochet, using scraps of yarn that I had left over from other projects.  Crocheting these caps is an easy way to make a difference.

Dinner - Just 4 Ingredients

I got this recipe from my mom.  If you like cheeseburgers and fries, you're gonna love this recipe.  There are just 4 ingredients!

Cheeseburger & Fries Casserole

2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed golden mushroom soup, undiluted
1 can (10-3/4 ounces) condensed cheddar cheese soup, undiluted
1 package (20 ounces) frozen crinkle-cut French Fries

In a skillet, brown the beef; drain.  Stir in the soups.  Pour into a greased 13" x 9" x 2" baking dish.  Arrange French Fries on top.  Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 50 - 55 minutes or until the fries are golden brown.  Makes 6 - 8 servings.

Ten minutes before it's finished cooking, you can add 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese and sprinkle with real bacon bits for added flavor.  Cook until done.

There you have it - an easy, tasty dinner.  Enjoy!

A New Recipe (Almost) Every Day

So, I'm sitting here tonight wondering what I'm going to make for dinner tomorrow night.  I am trying to cook more this year and so far, I think that I've cooked every night; of course, this is only the 5th of January, so I don't have much to brag about.

I haven't cooked any gourmet meals - let's see, what have I cooked?  I used the leftover ham from Christmas to make a large pot of pinto beans, I've made chuckwagon patties with rice-a-roni and broccoli.  By the way, what's really in a chuckwagon patty?  I don't know, but I confess to liking them.  I made hot italian sausages with homemade onion rings, and tonight, black beans with rice.  I made some wonderful homemade bread with my bread machine - one of the BEST birthday presents I've ever gotten.  This year though, I'd like to try a few new recipes.  I have so many recipe books that I know that I can cook something different every night or two and never have to eat the same thing twice (except for left-overs).  I have a recipe for cactus that I'd really like to try and I can get the cactus from my own backyard.

I'm going to challenge myself to NOT cooking the same thing twice this year.  I'll have to make a list to keep track of my recipes.  Wow, now I'm excited!  I can't wait to look through all my recipes to find out what's for dinner tomorrow. 

Living on the Edge

We like living on the edge don't we?  We like the thrill of temptation.  We like to see how close we can get without getting burned.  We like to push the envelope.  But when we cross the line, we lose our discipline and our purpose.  Staying on track requires discipline.  A friend once said, "do not violate your conscience." 

One of my goals for 2011 -  to "take one step away from that which tempts me and to take one step closer to God."

A New Year, A New Beginning

Starting a new year always makes me want to start over with a clean sweep.  I started out my new year by washing my car inside and out.  I didn't have any car wash soap, so I made my own.  I mixed Dawn dish washing liquid with laundry soap and borax in a large bucket of hot water.  Adding borax eliminates the necessity of wiping your car down after rinsing.  It leaves the car sparkling clean without any streaks.  

So my first frugal tip is to make your own car wash soap with items you already have on hand.  If you don't have borax, you can get it at Walmart.  Here's the recipe:

1 cup liquid dish detergent (I use Dawn)

12 tbs. of powder laundry detergent (use a capful of liquid detergent in a pinch)

1/4 cup of borax

1 large bucket of hot water

I just got a raise at work and as of January 1st, my social security withholding dropped 2%.  I need to figure out what I'm going to do with the extra money.  To help me manage my money, I have a written monthly budget.  I don't carry cash, which makes it easier to avoid temptations like stopping for coffee or to grab a candy bar.  I tithe first before I write any other checks.  I know some folks are not part of a church community, but if you are, I strongly encourage you to tithe regularly.  Second, I pay myself; I save a set amount each month to build up my emergency fund.  My goal is to have three months salary set aside; currently, I have two months saved.  I contribute each month to my Roth IRA.  I'm trying to finish paying off my debt, around $3,000, so any extra money I have goes toward my debt.  I should have the debt payed off by June.  By the way, I do all of this as a single woman, making a little over $30,000 a year.  It can be done, it just takes discipline and baby steps.  You can do this.