House to Home Makeover revisited & Tuesday's Tip

OK On the old blog I talked about making my house into a home. The entryway has been decluttered and I've been waiting to decorate it since I could decide what to do. Well this weekend I painted the words "Live, Love, Laugh" over the washer/dryer and hung up some lavender from my garden to dry.

The only thing left for the entryway is to find a way to hide the central air unit that is the very first thing you see when you come in the door. Yuck! I'm thinking maybe a curtain??

Also over at Tammy's Recipes she is doing Tuesday's Kitchen Tip. So my tip for today is to make up a large batch of cinnamon sugar and store it in an air tight container or mason jar. Now you have ready made cinnamon sugar for making snickerdoodles, sprinkling on warm flour tortillas, or whatever else you want to use it for.

MTC,
MrsB

CJ and the Boppy

Here's my show and tell.

This is CJ on Monday on his 2 month birthday sitting in his Boppy pillow that I bought for $1 at a yard sale last weekend. :-)

See more Show & Tells at There's No place Like Home.

MrsB

Making Bathtime easy

Giving CJ a bath was a struggle trying to hold him while he was wet, supporting his neck, and trying to wash him until I came up with this solution. I lay a handtowel in the bottom of the bathtub and turn the water on warm. I don't put the stopper in the tub I just let the water run. Then I lay CJ on the towel and now I can give him his bath hassle-free. Normally he would scream the entire time I was giving him a bath but now he enjoys bathtime.

Check out more WFMW tips at Rocks In My Dryer

MTC,
MrsB

Special Mocha Cupcakes

My mom made the best cupcakes the other day using a recipe from a recent Taste of Home magazine. But she didn't put any icing on the top. They were *so* good and so moist!! You didn't need any icing. I'm going to try making it into a cake and also a mix for Christmas gifts.


Special Mocha Cupcakes

1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 cup cold brewed coffee
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3 teaspoons cider vinegar
3 teaspoons vanilla extract

MOCHA FROSTING:
3 tablespoons milk chocolate chips
3 tablespoons semisweet chocolate chips
1/3 cup butter, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1 to 2 tablespoons brewed coffee
1/2 cup chocolate sprinkles

In a small mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In a small bowl, whisk the eggs, coffee, oil, vinegar and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients; mix well. Fill paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pan to a wire rack to cool.For frosting, in a small microwave-safe mixing bowl, melt chips; stir until smooth. Add butter; beat until blended. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar and coffee. Pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Top with sprinkles; gently press down. Yield: 1 dozen.

We're back

OK So I've decided to move us back to Blogger. Please update your bookmarks. :-) I moved a few of the most recent posts from our old home over here. But you can read the rest at http://www.clearblogs.com/MrsB

Thanks!
MrsB

2 weeks worth of menu plans

I actually made up a menu plan and have been sticking to it! yay! I wrote out everything I would need to make each thing and went shopping for all the things I needed.

Monday 3/14/07 Leftover roast, potatoes and carrots
Tuesday 3/15/07 Sausage & Roasted Garlic Pasta Sauce w/ pasta & Salad
Wednesday 3/16/07 Giddy-up PorkChops, Basil Green Beans, leftover cabbage & potatoes
Thursday 3/17/07 Italian Chicken, Candied Carrots, Salad
Friday 3/18/07 Chicken Quesadillas, Spanish Rice
Saturday 3/19/07 ate out
Sunday 3/20/07 ate at mama's
Monday 3/21/07 Swiss Steak
Tuesday 3/22/07 Maple-glazed chicken & skinny Mashed Potatoes
Wednesday 3/23/07 Sloppy Joes & Chips
Thursday 3/24/07 Sandwiches & Salad
Friday 3/25/07 Crockpot Pizza
Saturday 3/26/07 Broccoli & Beef
Sunday 3/27/07 ???

This is everything you need for the menu plan.
Shopping List
----------------------
Pork Chops
Salsa
Brown Sugar
Soy Sauce
Can of green beans
basil, onion, garlic, salt, pepper
Olive Oil
_
Chicken Breasts
Itailan Dressing
Flour
Butter
salt, pepper
Carrots
Cinnamon
Sugar
-
Chicken
Flour Tortillas
Taco Sauce
Cheese
Taco Seasoning
Tomato Sauce
Rice
-
Round Steak
tomato sauce
onion
potatoes
carrots
-
Chicken
Maple syrup
butter
lemon juice
potatoes
chicken broth
white pepper
-
ground beef
onion
tomato sauce
ketchup
salt, pepper, chili powder
chips
-
bread
deli meat
sliced cheese
salad fixens
-
Egg Noodles
ground beef or sausage
onions
pizza sauce
cheese
pepperoni (optional)
-
Stew Beef Meat
oil
garlic
onion
beef broth
Soy Sauce
Broccoli

Here's the recipes for the Giddy-up Park Chops, Basil Green Beans and Swiss Steak.
Giddy-up Pork Chops *These are SOOOOOO delicious!!!! And the sauce is awesome! I'm going to try it on chicken next time.*
6 boneless pork chops
1/2 cup Salsa
1/2 cup Brown Sugar
1 tsp Soy Sauce
Brown pork chops in a pan. Combine salsa, sugar, and soy sauce and heat in microwave for 20-30 seconds. Pour salsa mixture over pork chops and bake at 325* for about 45minutes or until chops are tender.
Basil Green Beans

Can of Green Beans
tsp garlic powder
tsp onion powder
tsp basil
salt and pepper
drizzle of olive oil
Add seasonings and oil to beans and simmer for 10 minutes.
Swiss Steak

Round Steak
4 carrots
2-4 potatoes
Onion
8oz tomato sauce
Chop up carrots, potatoes & onions. Put round steak and vegetables in an oven proof pan. Pour tomato sauce over meat & veggies. Cook in 350* oven until done.


Here's the results so far from the May No Spend Challenge. The stars indicate the days I didn't spend any un-nessecary money.May No Spend Challenge
May 1 *
May 2 *
May 3 * ($14.61 Wal-Mart groceries, $15.98 Piggly Wiggly groceries)
May 4 *
May 5 X ($4.07 gas station 2 drinks and snacks, $6 Air Show 2 drinks, $9 Arby's supper. ***Made $20 at family yard sale)
May 6 *
May 7 *
May 8 *
May 9 X ($1.38 bookstore Mother's Day, $14.61 Piggly Wiggly, $36.58 Wal-Mart, $18.61 Goody's Gift Card)
May 10 X ($6.85 Piggly Wiggly, $8.90 Dollar General (Mother's Day, gift closet, birthday party)
May 11 X ($9.07 Dollar General)
May 12 X ($13 Walden Books mother's day)
May 13 *
May 14 X ($20.82 Snapfish pics of CJ)
May 15 *
May 16 X ($56.68 Wal-Mart groceries, $3.22 Dollar General, $4.25 Food Lion flowers, $4 movie rental)
May 17 *
May 18 *
May19 X ($5 breakfast, $8 yard sale, $23.87 Golden Corral, $24 Wal-Mart (chicken, baby needs) ***Made $48 at yard sale)
May 20 *
May 21 *

Non-Necessaties: $111.18 ($24.43 mother's day $2.28 gift closet $15.31 dh's b-day party, $32.87 eatting out)
Groceries: $136.09
Profit: $68 yard sales

MTC,
MrsB

Itsy Bitsy Teeny Weeny Boppy

I planted some oregano, thyme, rosemary and lavender seeds a couple of weeks ago. I used tin cans that had veggie and tomato sauce in them as my planters (except my lavender which is in a mt. dew bottle cause I ran out of cans) and lined them up in my kitchen window sill. Well this morning much to my surprise and happiness was 4 tiny lavender plants, 3 tiny oregano and a can full of thyme! They're so cute! I can't wait till they are big enough to plant outside. My calla lillies from last year are coming up beautifully too!
I went to a yard sale saturday morning and got a ton of clothes for CJ, a cd for CJ, 3 pairs of shoes, 2 pairs of jeans, a coat, 2 swaddlers, and 8 pairs of socks all for $7. But my big find was a perfect condition BOPPY PILLOW FOR $1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Those things are like $40 new and I've been wanting one so bad. I had to try really hard to hide my excitement as I asked the lady how much she wanted for it. LOL

MTC,
MrsB

Mother's Day and Grocery Totals

Mother's Day and Groceries
This is my first Mother's Day. And it was wonderful. I got a gorgeous bouquet of yellow roses, battery charger for my camera and a cookbook from my dh and son, a Willow Tree Angel of a mother and an infant from my mom and a turtle garden statue from my step-mom. Everything about my baby is so awesome. I didn't know it was possible to love someome as much as I love my son. Don't get me wrong I love my husband with all my heart. But when its actually YOUR child its so powerful. I just keep looking at him and thinking "wow! *I* had him. I did that." To me babies and having a baby is the most amazing miracle ever. Looking into my baby's eyes or feeling his tiny hand grip my finger tugs at my heart strings. Last night CJ was lying on the couch with his daddy. When he saw me walk into the room he reached out like he wanted me to pick him up and all I could think was *this* is why I went through with such a hard pregnancy. Everyday of the hyperemesis I just kept thinking I'm doing this for my baby and in the end it will be worth it. And believe me, every since IV and all the weeks spent in the hospital is totally worth it. Sleepless nights, nursing sessions that seem to last for hours, and those fussy times when it seems like there is nothing you can do to make your baby happy can make you feel hopeless. But then the tiny smiles and tiny fingers wrapped around yours will literally bring tears to your eyes. Before you're a mom you don't think that gestures so small could mean so much. Its like hey he wants me because *I* am his mom!
You definitely become a much stronger person once you go from being yourself to being a mom. Its not all roses and sunshine of course as any mom will tell you. So I'm so glad that I have such a wonderful support system in my husband, mom, step-dad, sister and brother. I'm so thankful to have them.

I got a great deal on Hot Wheels the other day at the Dollar General. They were 38cents each!! So I bought 6 for my "gift closet". And I got 2 breastfeeding books from my aunt. Anyway, its been awhile since I listed my grocery totals so I've got all my receipts for the month here in front of me so that I can finally put them up here.

Wal-Mart 5-9-07
Clay pots 3x 87c
Lettuce 1.38
Coffee 2.44
bag of chips 2x 1.00
5# russet potatoes 2.00
gallon water 2x 64c
potting soil 1.96
hummingbird feeder 2.48
foam cups 1.18
120ct napkins 87c
cake mix 2x 88c
ground chuck 3.04
cucumber 50c
canola oil 1.88
12pk can drinks 2x 2.18
2liter drink 64c
Kool-Aid 7x 20c
snack cakes 2.50
Total: $36.58

Piggly Wiggly 5-9-07
frozen pizza 2x 50c
8pk hamburger buns 1.09
4pk smoked sausage 1.49
1# turkey sausage 1.59
I got 3 packs of beef, but I can't remember or tell from the recipe what they were. But they were 2.43, 3.25 and 3.47 (this one was a roast I do know)
Total: 14.61

Bookstore 5-9-07
Total: 1.38

Goody's 5-9-07
I took back 2 outfits from a baby shower for a total of $18.79 Then I got 3 different outfits for CJ for $18.61 (all on sale.) **Not included in the final totals below**

Piggly Wiggly 5-10-07
Pork Tenderlion Tips 3.04
Family Pack Tip Steak 2.87
1# mild sausage 2x 1.99
4# sugar 2x 1.50
Total: 12.89

Dollar General 5-10-07
Hot Wheels 6x 38c
health & beauty 1.00
gift bag 2x 1.50
cookies 1.00
20oz drink 1.10
Total: 8.90

Dollar General 5-11-07
Candles 50c
2liter Pepsi 4x 1.00
2liter Mt Dew 4x 1.00
Total 9.07

Bookstore 5-12-07
Total: 13.00


Non-Necessaties: $42.02 ($24.43 mother's day $2.28 gift closet $15.31 dh's b-day party)
Groceries: $54.41 This seems like alot but I've gotten *alot* of meat that was on sale which is where my main expense is.

**I wrote this last night while I was nursing CJ so ignore any typos. lol Thanks!**
MTC,
MrsB