Spare Change or My Two Cents

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real.

2011-04-28T04:23:00.000-07:00

Happy Easter!This is my pretty picture, but also my real one. Note that Jack is not wearing the dress shirt I searched every store in the greater Fitchburg area to find and Ann has lost her bow and her shoes, and John lost his beard! Oops. And of course, Jack is not looking. He is busy escaping.

Can you believe how much they've grown since last year??

Pretty, Happy, Funny, Real.

2011-04-22T10:21:00.000-07:00

I know I am late joining the linky party, but I had stomach flu and had a very difficult time getting the button to work, Thanks, Leila for the tutorial! I was using the older editor...

Pretty Girl: dancing while she eats

Happy Siblings: enjoying each other's company

Funny Fashion Sense: fresh from the bath

Real Boy

Three Feet Deep in Snow

2011-02-01T04:58:00.000-08:00

Ever since our second big snow in December, Jack has not been able to play outside. The snow was fun the first time, we made snow angles and snow balls and half-hearted snow men. After that it came up past his knees and he informed me from his position, unable to move from the drift in which I had dropped him, that he did "not like this." Since then the snow has only increased.

Earlier this week, in desperate need of milk and laundry detergent I packed the kids into their snow suits and shoved their puffy snow-suited selves down into the straps of their car seats. I then spent about fifteen fruitless minutes trying to back out of the freshly shoveled driveway, as Jack commented curiously on my efforts. That is about when he noticed the backyard: heaps and drifts and piles of snow with the top six inches of fence sticking out in some places and not in others. "Oh no!" he said, "The backyard is Broken!"

A Soy Free, Dairy Free Diet

2010-11-22T09:46:00.000-08:00

So, one of the things that has kept me away from my blog for the last several months is learning to eat Soy and Dairy free.

You see, when Ann was about three months old, so back in April sometime, we discovered that she has a dairy and soy allergy. Since then we have learned that this is not so unusual for a baby. And hopefully is something that she will outgrow. In the mean time we have been very happy that, with an altered diet, I have been able to keep nursing her.

One thing that was very hard about this transition was that it came very suddenly with little or no direction. We noticed some unsettling symptoms in our baby, called the doctor and left a message and a couple of hours later got a call back from the nurse saying that it was "probably a dairy allergy so try eating dairy and soy free and call back in a few days if that doesn't work." There did not seem to be any understanding of how that shook my world. What?? No milk? No cheese? No ice cream?? No butter??? Doesn't that seem a little extreme?! Surely there is another option? Or shouldn't we at least make sure this is the problem first?? Imagine my surprise when I found that every cheese or butter substitute in the grocery store was made from soy! I spent a long time one day reading the ingredients on every package in the dairy isle...and everything else on my list too.

Another issue was that while there is a lot of information on how to eat dairy free there was very little available on how to eat soy free at the same time. I did find this website (or really my mother did) and the coconut curry is delicious!

So my intention is to make this the first of a series on the subject. This way, if I ever have to do this again I won't have to re-invent the wheel, and perhaps some stranger, who is hungry and scared to eat for fear of hurting her sweet little nurser, will find it useful as well!

So for now, if you're interested, check out that website, and I'll add some more recipes and substitutions and such later on!

Slip-covers: Inspired by the wonderful Mary Rosaleen!

2010-11-17T05:45:00.000-08:00

So, I made these two slip covers for some REALLY ugly, horrible scratchy poly-somethin pillows I had. Aren't they cute? I'm not sure I'm quite sold on the red patch on the one, but I love the ruffle on the other. And it was sooo quick and easy. I did it during nap time and was done before the kids got up!

The Yellow (which I got from Ikea and love; it's so bright and cheery!) and green I already had, I'm discussing the other two.

(for some reason I can't rotate this picture...tilt your head.)

Adding the ruffle was the hardest part. I guess there might have been an easier way of doing it, but I just pinned the fabric first at the ends of the ruffle to the first layer of the cover and then in the middle and then in the two middles and then in the 4 corners, etc. till it was stable enough to sandwich the second layer (or other side) of the cover on top and sew.

See, so here is what the cover looks like inside out. It's one square piece of fabric and two rectangles that are slightly larger than the square so that they overlap in the back. So fast and easy!

Weren't they so ugly before...I'm almost embarrassed to show you...

Borax: a treatise on cheap effective detergent

2010-11-16T15:52:00.000-08:00

I try to buy the cheapest laundry detergent that I can. Because we use a lot of it around here. But I also have small children who don't just wear their clothes. They get them DIRTY. So I need a detergent that will CLEAN.

So I've been buying cheap detergent (was using Arm and Hammer till my daughter was allergic to it, now using All Free and Clear) and adding a scoop of Oxyclean to every load. This works pretty well, but Oxyclean is expensive too! So shouldn't I make it simpler and just buy the expensive detergent (Tide!) and skip the booster?

Enter Auntie Leila, who suggested that I substitute Borax for Oxyclean. At $2 per box as compared to $10 for Oxyclean it is a definite savings and I am here to tell you that it works!

That being said, I still think Oxyclean is best for soaking out pesky stains. Like when Ann crawled through the mud in her white tights and turtleneck, I soaked in Borax to little or no effect whereas the Oxyclean did the trick.

And while we are on the subject of detergent, let's move to the kitchen. I've been using liquid soap (just about the cheapest: Palmolive Eccosomethingorother) in my dishwasher, because I figured that if the soap didn't have to spend time dissolving it would spend more time cleaning and that should be a good thing. Last week a dear friend suggested I try the powder instead (again about the cheapest available: Cascade) and low and behold, it works so much better! Yay! cleaner dishes!

The catechistic method In practice

2010-11-04T07:39:00.000-07:00

I remember in college people sneering at the use of the catechistic method as something outdated at best, barbaric, ridiculous, and sinister at worst.

I have never felt that way about it. I like the method. There is simply no substitution for memory by route. Sometimes, when push comes to shove, you need something safe, something memorized, something familiar to fall back on. This is why children love reading the same board book 8 million times every night and why we, as adults, love reading our children the same books our parents read to us. We know them. They are ours. They are safe, comfortable, lovely. As my father reminds us so often, the philosopher says, "there is pleasure in repetition."

So, we've started using this method with Jack:

It began on his birthday in May, as I wound up and down the isles in Wal-mart:
"Jack, how old are you?"
"Two!"

(With his arm thrown confidently in the air, presenting his two sausage fingers)

And continued:
"What is your name?"
"Jack!"
"what is your last name?"
"TriLOlo!"

(Always with great enthusiasm, and, unless he's strapped down, a hop, skip or a jump. Because he's a boy and everything comes with a bounce.)

And my favorite:
"Who made you?"
"God!"
"And why did God make you?"
"Because Him LOVES me!"

Said with such utter enthusiasm! I don't know if he loves this one the most because I do, or if it is because he realizes the awesomeness of it in some way, but he likes to ask me back:

"Mamma, Who made you??"
and I say, "God!"
and he says "Why did Him make you?!"
and I say, "because he loves me!
and he says, "Him loves YOU!"

And we are happy, and it is good. Because we know that it is true, we know that it is right. I enjoy that Jack knows and he enjoys that he knows and he enjoys that I enjoy that he knows. And yes, this is very sinister.

75 watts of light therapy

2010-02-09T08:48:00.000-08:00

For some reason, the ONLY new light bulb left in our house when the bathroom light burned out last night was 75 watts. Why we had a bulb of such outrageous wattage? I have no idea. But our bathroom is VERY bright. Despite the fact that I can now see EVERY TEENY TINY bit of dust or dirt, it is rather pleasant. It's kind of like being at the beach. In my bathroom.

It's Just a Dog

2009-10-30T07:40:00.000-07:00

This video that my husband showed me on Hulu reminded me of Mary's recent post Dog Mania.

I have an excellent OB...

2009-10-30T05:43:00.000-07:00

he is a world famous Catholic man. Very gentle and kind and loves his job. He occasionally has to leave town to go give a talk at the Vatican or some such nonsense and when that happens in the month that you're baby is due it kind of stinks, but unless he's out of town he delivers all of his own babies.

Like the rest of us, however, he has his days. Like Tuesday.

I went in for my regular monthly appointment and he looked at my chart and said "Let's see, you weigh (insert a very reasonable weight here) today...and how much did you weigh last time...Oh, (an even more modest figure)...and that was...Oh! Only three weeks ago! Wow!" And I sat there. Feeling fat and sheepish, but trying to look composed and unconcerned.

Next we discussed the Swine Flu, listened to the babies heart beat and then I mentioned having some back pain. So he took a look at my back and got very excited about demonstrating what he found. He stood in front of me and said, "See, your hip is kind of turned in like this and then your back is over compensating like this and so then one shoulder is higher like this!" Unfortunately I was not forward thinking enough to take a picture of what he looked like at this point, but insert a mental image of the Hunchback of Notre Damn. Thanks.

"And your ankle hurts too? Let's take a look." He moved my ankle this way and that, pressed it here and pressed it there and his comment: "My, you do have very large feet for a lady, don't you?"

Strike three! I'm going home! If I can manage it, fat, hunchbacked and swell-footed...

If you need fabric in a hurry...

2009-10-30T05:20:00.000-07:00

I ordered some from The Attic Window Quilt Shoppe on Monday and it arrived on Wednesday! I was so surprised. Unfortunately, they do not seem to sell much by way of notions.

Kids!!

2009-10-22T06:37:00.000-07:00

I read this little story today (a conversation with a young boy), and it was hysterical, so I thought I'd pass it on.

http://keeponspinning.wordpress.com/

Fabric Swap

2009-10-06T06:24:00.001-07:00

Have you all made it over to Like Mother, Like Daughter to check out the fabric swap??

I have met some lovely Internet people there, and one woman offered to send me fabric from Queensland!

Swiffer Update

2009-09-14T13:52:00.000-07:00

So, having Swiffered under my sofa, and around my rugs, and under the radiators (hehehe) I am sorry to report that the store brand Swiffer wet pads simply don't measure up. They are a pathetic imitation of the original. It's funny, you would think to look at them that whoever designed them had never actually seen a Swiffer pad. Anyway, my vote is to spend the extra $1.50 and get the real thing which fits the mop better, is wetter, smells better and has little ridges that pick up dirt and a little ruffer strip on one edge.

I have a confession...

2009-09-14T06:28:00.000-07:00

I bought another mop. And no, it is not to replace my lovely roller mop. I still love that, and my kitchen and bathroom floors have never been cleaner. In general. Not right now. Right now I should be mopping them.

My NEW purchase is a Swiffer Sweeper. And I feel a little sheepish about it. I have always turned my nose up at Swiffers. Aren't they for...well, you know, Fake cleaning?

But here is the thing: For the last several weeks I have been feeling guilty about my upstairs bedroom floors because since I've lived here (just under a year) I have NEVER mopped them. I do sweep them regularly, but the idea of carrying a mop and bucket up the stairs and mopping around and under all that furniture: beds, rockers, cribs, dressers, etc. was just plain daunting. Last weekend, my in-laws were here helping up scrape wallpaper and plaster the master bedroom which caused copious amounts of dust to be tracked all over the upstairs. Since this project will not be finished for some time, I have plaster footprints to look forward to for weeks to come. As we were looking at the mess and discussing the mop and bucket, my mother-in-law suggested a Swiffer. And that is when it dawned on me. Yes! a Swiffer is ridiculous in the kitchen, but it is just about perfect for wooden bedroom floors!

I bought said Swiffer on Saturday evening (for $10, I didn't realize they were so inexpensive! and I bought 12 replacement, store brand, wet pads for $3.50. I will let you know if I notice a difference.) and had to really fight the temptation to do unnecessary servile labor all day Sunday! This morning I got right on it and was really delighted by how it worked. It was so easy to get all the way under the bed and dresser in the guest room picking up all those little dust bunnies which scamper away from the straw broom. Unfortunately, it works less well in the nursery since that floor is what you might call "distressed" with a coat of red paint slapped on top. I am afraid no mop would work that well in there since the floor is so uneven. However, the Swiffer did get up the fine layer of dust that was settled under the crib, so that was good. I then moved on to the construction zone clearing a dust free path from the door to my dresser, so that I could retrieve my clothes without tracking up the other floors. Yes, I am well pleased.

I think I might go Swiffer under the sofa...This pregnant lady is enjoying her new cleaning supplies!! :P

Today...

2009-08-19T11:30:00.000-07:00

I am 38% of the way through my pregnancy and it is 95 degrees outside. I am not sure which of these facts is making it SOOO hard for me to keep my eyes open!

The Stroller Dilema

2009-08-15T15:17:00.000-07:00

Having spent more time than I care to admit thinking this question over. I have decided that it is time to share it with the broader public.

Are you ready? ?

**How many strollers does one growing family need?**

You see, I have an umbrella stroller in each car trunk (of which there are two) one of which has a bum wheel (very annoying). I also have a more heavy duty stroller that lives on the porch and is used primarily for exploring the neighborhood. I ALSO have a universal infant seat carrier which is currently living way back in the closet under the stairs, obviously obsolete for my current needs, but with an infant on the way I can't make up my mind to get rid of it.

Now for those of you who can't believe that one crazy woman would actually BUY 4 strollers in 15 months, don't worry! I only paid a total of about $60 for all of them combined. So far, so good, but the problem is that once the new baby comes I'm going to want a DOUBLE stroller right? Should that replace one or two or three that I already have? Or just add to my already surprisingly large collection?

Part of me was thinking that if I found a double stroller I could get rid of the infant seat carrier because you can carry an infant seat in a double stroller, right? Would I want to do that? Is it even safe? What if I wanted to go out sometimes with JUST the infant? Would the double stroller seam cumbersome? Should a double stroller replace the stroller on the porch, assuming that the baby will always join in the neighborhood jaunts? What about the umbrella strollers? Are they pretty well useless with two?

Honestly, at this point I am tempted to keep my eyes out for a nice inexpensive-to-free double stroller AND keep all my other four, but that makes part of me feel acquisitive and selfish, bogged down in strollers! Could one possibly really NEED 5 strollers???

Help! What do you suggest?!

Flying Bananas!! Oh My!

2009-07-31T10:58:00.000-07:00

Do you remember my post about how cool it is that you can freeze your old bananas till you're ready to use them?

Well I've gone overboard. My freezer is so full of bananas that I can't open the door without getting pelted, whacked or even showered in frozen bananas!

I think it's time for some serious baking!

I love my new mop

2009-07-28T16:08:00.001-07:00

So I thought I would share. I grew up with roller mops. I still remember having mopping races across our dining room kitchen combo. It was great fun. The dining room had a huge table down the middle, at the end of the table was a chimney and on the other side of the chimney (in the kitchen now) was a wood stove. So the rooms were split right down the center. We had two mops and two buckets and we'd race down our respective sides. One girl I raced got very clever and stole my mop to try to get an edge, but she and the two mops ended up in a tangled heap!

Anyway, last week I decided that it was time to buy a mop so I went to the mop isle at Target and spent some time comparing allllll the various types of mops and all the various brands of the various types. Jack thought this was boring but I plied him with crackers. I was determined to make a wise decision. In the end I chose this one. It was one of the two cheaper roller mops and of those two had the rougher sponge, an important feature with babies afoot.

I finally found energy to use it...yesterday? it feels like it was weeks ago, but I'm pretty sure it was just yesterday. I loved it. I enjoyed it. It was easy. My floor is clean; my mop is clean; there were no puddles and all the food stuck under Jack's high chair is history (except the new food from today of course). I am a happy woman and a satisfied customer!

yumm!

2009-06-15T16:44:00.000-07:00

Oh My gosh! I just made the best homemade pizza ever!

Have you ever tried slicing a fresh tomato and putting that down instead of/with the tomato sauce you usually use? it is fantastic!

Add some cheese, a little left over bacon bacon (I know that doesn't happen naturally, but it can be planned for!) some sliced red bell pepper and onions and that is one tasty treat!

My husband brags on my homemade pizza to the point that it is almost embarrassing. So go ahead, try it out on your husband, I bet he'll love it too!

Lilly Water

2009-05-19T11:56:00.001-07:00

My water tastes like Lillies. It's delicious, exotic, unexpected!

Last night I set a pitcher of water on the side board right beneath two lovely white Lilly blossoms. I believe the pollen must have dropped off in the night, leaving me a taste of heaven.

Do you think this is bad for my allergies?

Gunge Pot

2009-05-06T06:23:00.001-07:00

When we moved into our house in November we had to buy a refrigerator. John's kind parents decided that they would like that to be their house warming gift to us. We were to buy a fridge and they would reimburse us. I found this task of refrigerator shopping a little daunting. With 8 million models out there how was I to know what to look for? I decided a $5 membership to Consumer Reports was altogether worth it.

I, oh so responsibly, researched all of the different models in our price range, at all the different store in our area. I read all of the customer reviews and looked at all the different features rated by Consumer Reports, and even watched their video on how they test refrigerators and freezers (pretty interesting, by the way!). In the end I picked a nice big, simple, Kenmore, with none of the fancy options, except an ice maker, which one day perhaps we'll get hooked up. I hate ice trays. The predominant complaint about this fridge was that it was noisy, but as Consumer Reports rated it well for noise, I decided to ignor this. The only models that ranked higher were luxury models WELL outside our price range.

I like the fridge, it is nice and big and clean and bright, and we haven't had any problems with it. And really folks, it's not noisy. It sounds like a refrigerator sometimes, but I don't notice it.

The PROBLEM is what I have decided to refer to as the Gunge Pot. The owner's manual refers to it as the "non-removable drip pan." You see, when a freezer is defrosted a lot of moisture and gunge drips down a little drain and into the a drip pan. In MOST refrigerators this is a convenience. The pan keeps said gunge from dripping all over your kitchen floor. When you finish defrosting you simply remove the little vent at the bottom front of the unit and remove the drip pan for a good scrub.

However, with this particular Kenmore, and I have subsequently learned there are some Frigidaire models like this too, the drip pan is non-removable, and really for all practical purposes non-accessible! I could not fit my sponge toting hand in to wipe it out. I was horrified and disbelieving. I HAD to fit my hand in. I tried again, from the front and from the back and only succeeded in obtaining a small scratch on one side of my hand and a small bruise on the other.

Don't panic; Run to google. SOMEONE must have encountered this problem before (even though those noise obsessed twits on Consumer Reports hadn't!) and solved it. Right? Wrong. I found many outraged Q&A type conversations about what the heck the stupid "engineers" who designed these tragically flawed fridges were thinking. But no satisfactory solutions. One person recommended removing excess fluid with a turkey baster!! That is just sad.

Anyway, my gallant husband has attacked our gunge pot with a long handled brush and plenty of bleach and that seems to be the best we can manage. One person advised inserting a smaller pan inside the non-removable one as a make shift REMOVABLE drip pan. So now begins the search for a not too big and not too small and not too deep but not too shallow pan that I can fit under my fridge to make up for the hopeless incompetence of the stupid Kenmore "engineers."

Sigh. This post is meant, not simply as a whining session, but as something educational. For any of you out there going out to buy your very first refrigerator. Check the drip pan. If it's not removable, move on!

Another Fridge story

Shamed

2009-05-03T06:09:00.000-07:00

John: Where are all our glasses??

Me: In the cupboard!

It didn't even occur to him to look there...

Of Banana Bread

2009-04-21T09:11:00.000-07:00

Banana Bread is one of my favorite things. Especially when it's made with bran and whole wheat flour it is wholesome and sweet and appropriate for breakfast, snacks, desserts, or, my favorite, with a cup of tea.

I have learned two things about banana bread that I think are worth sharing. You know how your bananas never go bad in the necessary group of 4? At least mine never do. I always end up with 2-3 soft bananas which is just not enough. I used to hide the last 4 bananas to ensure that I would have the right number, but then I learned this trick.

Are you ready???

...One can freeze them.

Now if I don't have enough bananas, or even if it's just not a good time for bread making, I stick them in the freezer! Sometimes I accumulate quite a stock before I pull them out to use. Then I just sit them on the counter in a dish (they get pretty runny, so a dish is necessary) and wait for them to get soft. Once they thaw they slip quite easily out of their skins and ta-da! You're ready to go!

Trick number two: if you don't want to wait till you have 4 bananas, try making up the lack with applesauce. I tried this recently and it worked like a charm. The bread did not taste apple-y, but it was nice and moist and sweet.

Now, a little bonus:

I use the generic raisin bran which comes with a slightly different recipe, but I found this one on the Kellogg's website which ought to be just as good! (let me know if it's not ;))

It works!

2009-03-06T17:56:00.000-08:00

You know that trick of putting your paint brushes in the freezer when you're done painting if you don't have time to wash it out right away, or if you are going to pick up again with the same color at a later date?

Well I have a story: On Christmas Eve we were DESPERATE to have the nurserypainted before our company came so that everyone would have a place to sleep. So, we painted allll day finishing just in time for me to hop in the shower before Midnight Mass (we're talking Midnight Mass AT Midnight). That of course left no time for paint brush washing and so I wrapped the brushes in plastic wrap and stuck them in the freezer.

I am a little embarrassed to admit that it was not till TODAY that I pulled said brushes OUT of the freezer to find out how they had fared. But I was excited to find that they thawed and washed up perfectly. Except the one that was dried out when I put it in there. I guess that was wishful thinking.

Now I wish I had taken pictures for you.

FACT

2009-03-06T17:48:00.000-08:00

Did you know that Pedialyte costs over $5 for a TINY bottle? Did you further know that it is only good for two days once you open it?

Weeks of upset baby stomach and several bottles of Pedialyte (mostly down the drain) later, I find out from the doctor (note the reliable source) that Gatorade at half strength works just as well, AND its WAY yummier (I said that part, not the Dr.), and about a million times cheaper.

Dumb Pedialyte.

Comfort Food

2009-01-26T11:02:00.000-08:00

Where I grew up, we bring food. When someone is sick, or injured or has a baby or looses a loved one, we bring food. People queue up to make meals. I remember when my mother gave birth to my youngest sister at age 47 people brought so many meals my and my other teenage siblings felt a little silly (but when didn't we?). I remember when my good friend lost a family member to cancer. People brought meals for months and months, through the whole ordeal. When I have a friend who is tired or down I say, come on over for a cup of tea, a slice of banana bread, some biscuits and honey, wine and chocolate, cookies, or better yet the dough right out of the mixing bowl. It's comfort food and I think everyone needs it.

I started thinking about this the other day because at this point in my life so many of my friends and much of my family are scattered around the country. It is difficult, from this distance, to bring them food when they are unwell. I can call them and pray for them and send them funny emails or cards, but really I want to show up on their doorstep with a meal. A tangible, edible comfort. I was thinking that perhaps this instinct, practical as it may be is a little too practical, it misses the big picture. Those prayers are are really more important that the pot of soup, right? And yet it does not feel that way.

Trying to make sense of this persistent feeling, I started thinking about the life of Christ and realized that he understood this urge. How many times do we see him eating with his friends? Eating with sinners? Preparing wine for the wedding feast? Multiplying the loaves and the fishes? The last supper?? Feeding the hungry. And this food was not just a physical good. It IS a spiritual good. It is comfort food. It is soul food.

Now I just need to figure out how to mail this lasagna...

No, but really, there are lots of foods you can mail. Cookies, banana bread, chocolate (it usually doesn't melt), brownies, what else???

What do you send to friends and family when they are down? Any other ideas?

Unusual Beautiful Life

2009-01-26T10:58:00.001-08:00

A friend sent me this link and I thought I would share it with you all. Just something pretty and unusual to look at.

I think it is socially/politically pertinent right now as well. How many of these people are too unusual, too poor, etc. to be allowed to live?

Do you ever feel like God is buttering you up??

2009-01-19T08:52:00.000-08:00

I do. Ever since we moved into this new house (that I love) He's been working His way down my wish list. "You wish you had a dishwasher? Well here you go, here is a free, working dishwasher, delivered to your home, manual and all. "

"Oh? You'd like a chest freezer? Would this one do? Just go pick it up from the neighbors, if you don't mind!"

"And while you're there, didn't you say you wanted a wood stove? Would this beautiful antique work for you?"

"More seating for the living room? How about a bent wood rocker? (once again, free with delivery!)"

"Hm, and island for the kitchen? Do you think this huge piece of butcher block would work?"

"What to use for legs? What about that solid chest of drawers that you have to move to install the dish washer?"

"You would like a kitchen hutch? How about two? Rock Maple, early American reproduction, just happened to belong to your husbands much beloved grandmother? (once again delivered to your door, and this time installed to prevent tipping should anyone feel the need to climb up to that attractive little cookie jar)"

He has not delivered a washing machine to my door step, but totally out of the blue I received a check in the mail that should cover it, and if I play my cards right a dryer too!

So, what do you think I should ask for next? Do you think a car would be too much? ;) Maybe I should just say THANK YOU LORD.

Also, thank you to all those he's been working through, Krista, Craig, Ron, Jan, Monica, Chris, and Joan!

Do you know about...

2009-01-16T18:00:00.000-08:00

Digital Post-it Notes?!
I love them and use them all the time. This guy who used to date a friend of mine downloaded a free version for me years ago. This guy actually told me exactly which computer I should buy and walked me through the entire process. Then when it came he set it up for me just because he enjoyed it. A few of these computer lover types fell into my life in college and I don't know where I would have ended up without them.

Anyway, if you haven't already you may want to try the post-its. There are still free versions out there...

Building 19
I just found out about this place. I was in the market for a living room rug and had looked at ALL of the local stores. I went about 6 other places before finally making a trek up to NH to check out Building 19 and it was well worth the effort. So much so that I went back up the next day and bought a second rug for the dining room and still came out very close to within budget!

They have a lot more than just rugs, and someday I will explore it all, but I think pretty much it is like a Marshall's or a TJ Max only HUGE.

Decorating Made Easy and Cheap!

2009-01-16T17:34:00.000-08:00

A dear friend of mine (soon to be married!) sent me a house warming gift that I have been mulling over and enjoying for some time now. It is a book called Use What You Have Decorating, by Lauri Ward. It boasts that you can re-do your whole house in ONE hour, "using the space you have, the things you like, and the budget you choose."

Now, for those of us whose "decorating budget" is non-existent and further don't already have lots of nice things, this method is slightly less effective. However, I have found this book quite useful.

Basically I think she offers a set of rules and guidelines to help you achieve what you want and might possibly stumble into a few years from now after many, many failed attempts. You know how sometimes you walk into a room and say...hmm, this just doesn't quite work, and you might be able to rearrange for a while and try different scenarios till you find something that does work? Well, this book is pretty much a list of all of the things that your room needs to "work", so now when I walk into a room I can say what it is that doesn't work and perhaps even see a solution before I move the furniture 15 times.

I think I have made many improvements around my house. I have two corner cabinets and a china cupboard all with exposed shelves and I was really at a loss as to how to make them look decorated instead of just used. They still aren't perfect, but I don't go cross-eyed staring at them anymore! (sorry I didn't take before and after pics!)

I do disagree with some of her "rules". Like I don't always think that any wall that is less than 36'' has to be left bare. And in general I would allow for a LOT more art work on the walls than she would. But I do see what she means about people (myself included) hanging everything on the walls about five inches too high.

Anyway, I had fun at my parent's house the other night rearranging their front rooms. They have TONS of furniture that they have inherited from different sides of the family or picked up different places over the years and have never really figured out quite how to make it all work in their current house. I am sure my solution was imperfect, but I had fun, I think the rooms look much homier and more usable and my parents appreciated my efforts!

Anyway, this book (and blog!) is worth a look!

Two Projects have been Completed!

2009-01-14T04:29:00.000-08:00

ONE
Remember The Wedding Quilt??

I actually finished it before we moved, but I'm sure you know what moving is like and will kindly excuse my not blogging it yet!

Anyway, I love how it came out. I got a little carried away washing out the marker and faded some of the notes. I guess the ink was not QUITE as permanent as I was thinking. Luckily you can still read them all.

Notice the binding? I have done a couple of these bias bindings now and I think I've finally gotten the hang of it!

Also you can see the quilting there...right?

TWO
And in this post I showed you a sneak peak of the nursery...After scraping two layers of wall paper off the bare dry wall (disappointed that the dry wall had not been sealed pre-papering, delighted that it was dry wall rather than plaster!)

repairing the numerous gouges we had made during the scraping process, sanding, washing, priming (three times! I should have gone straight for the Kilz!), three coats of ceiling paint, two coats of wall paint, two coats of trim paint, and one coat of floor paint (ok, it should have had two!) my dear, patient (I'm not that easy to work with) husband and I finally finished the nursery.

Isn't it sweet? Notice the Madona of the streets? I love that one.

Now for the list of things that aren't really quite done:
The arm of the rocker needs repairing (my dear says this weekend!)
The radiator needs to be taken off and painted
The wall behind the radiator needs to be scraped and painted
The floor needs a second coat of paint
There are these sweet little nursery rhyme prints that Mary gave me that I want to frame and hang.
And I want to get a fragment of carpet for the floor to make it a little cosier for crawling practice.

Wow, that list is longer than I thought...maybe if I make the font smaller...

Now for the list of things that aren't really quite done:
The arm of the rocker needs repairing (my dear says this weekend!)
The radiator needs to be taken off and painted
The wall behind the radiator needs to be scraped and painted
The floor needs a second coat of paint
There are these sweet little nursery rhyme prints that Mary gave me that I want to frame and hang.
And I want to get a fragment of carpet for the floor to make it a little cosier for crawling practice.

Ah yes, much better.

I have to share these, because I love them:

2008-12-10T09:45:00.000-08:00

I find that I often have a bit of chicken left after dinner and really the left over chicken breast never tastes as good the next day. It gets a little dry and forlorn you know? So I decided that I needed a chicken casserole recipe that I could make without planning for. That means only ingredients that I have in my house on a regular basis. I found this recipe online (I forget where) and I love it. Now I try to plan for chicken leftovers!

Easy Chicken Casserole (is what I call it)

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups soft bread cubes (2 to 3 slices) (something else to do with your bread heels)
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup cooked vegetables (peas, green beans, mixed, etc.) (we like it with peas!)
2 tablespoons chopped onion
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups milk
1 1/2 cups cooked cubed chicken
1 large tomato, sliced (I have left the tomato out and used all sorts of canned tomatoes)

PREPARATION:

Combine bread cubes with melted butter and cheese; arrange half of mixture in a buttered 1 1/2-quart casserole. Spread vegetables over the bread mixture.

Sauté chopped onion in remaining 3 tablespoons butter until tender.

Blend in flour and seasonings; cook, stirring, until flour is blended into butter. Gradually add milk, stirring and cooking until thickened and bubbling. Stir in cooked cubed chicken. Pour chicken in sauce over the vegetables in casserole; arrange tomatoes slices over sauce then top with remaining bread mixture. Bake at 325° for 25 to 30 minutes, until hot and bubbly and lightly browned.

Next: I thought, when I got married, that hamburgers were just ground beef formed into patties. My husband informed me that that was NOT the case. As a surprise for him one day I decided to find a RECIPE for hamburgers and I loved this one* (You might want to check out the site it came from. This guy KNOWS his burgers!)

BASIC BURGER

1lb/500g ground beef
1 half onion grated or finely chopped
½ tsp pinches ground coriander
½ tsp pinches paprika powder
a little pepper, fresh ground is better
a little salt
1 hand fresh bread crumbs
1 egg lightly beaten
1 quarter beef stock block dissolved in a quarter cup water

*I have never been completely pleased with a restaurant burger since I started making these, I just thought I would warn you because that is a little sad.

Getting Ready for Baby Jesus

2008-12-10T09:40:00.001-08:00

This one is for you Liz!

2008-11-21T18:34:00.001-08:00

Chicken thighs, after baking for over 4 hours. Oops.

Please Excuse Me

2008-11-21T17:53:00.000-08:00

I have not written a blog post in over a month, which coming so soon after I began this endeavour, bodes ill for the future of my blog. However, I have THOUGHT about blogging. In fact I have several posts all planned out. I just haven't been quite organized enough to gather all the things together that I would need to write said posts. Things like my camera, my computer and Internet access have been missing lately. What? Why? How? could anything so horrible happen to a dedicated blogger like me?

Well actually, it hasn't been horrible at all. All of the upheaval has been due to the fact that we found a new home. We packed up our sweet little cottage

(This picture didn't come out exactly as I had hoped. It was a lovely fall sunset...)

and joined the big people! I thought this would be relatively little trouble. We've only been married just over a year. I was used to moving all my stuff around the country on a regular basis for school. I knew that we had somewhat more stuff but surely not THAT much more stuff. While I am still sure that our move was very little trouble relative to many people out there, it was WAY more trouble than I imagined it to be.

However, with tons of help from friends and family, we are now here, and very nearly moved in. I have found my computer and my camera, and even obtained Internet access. So now, I would like to show you my new home! Just a couple pictures for now.

First is My kitchen, isn't it cute and cosy in a retro sort of way??

Notice the gas stove?? Isn't it amazing?? I love it! The burner flames are huge and easily adjustable and you can get them really really low without it going out. The broiler is all spiffy clean like I've never seen a broiler before and it slides out with such well oiled ease: it makes my heart glad.

This HUGE, sparkly, white, double-sided porcelain sink. This is truly one of the best parts of my new home.

The bright, sunny living room. It is a tad messy, but I like these pictures anyway.

And here is just a hint of what I've been working on...I'll tell you all about THAT later.

You Can Read My Latest Column

2008-10-16T04:43:00.000-07:00

Spare Me!

Free Books and a little Intellectual Homework

2008-10-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

All on your schedule!

I have been reviewing books for the Catholic Company's Book Reviewer program for a couple of months now. My second review comes out tomorrow on The Contrarian's Review. They are looking for more people who would be interested in the project, so head on over and check it out!

I'm not the only one...

2008-10-14T10:52:00.000-07:00

Who has questions and advice about diapers. See Danielle Bean's Coffee Talk Tuesday

What's the Deal with Diapers??

2008-10-10T08:22:00.000-07:00

I have a constant sense of guilt about using name brand diapers. It just doesn't seem to fit in with all of my attempts at a frugal lifestyle. But here's the thing. The store brands leak. Period. I want them to be as good. I want them to at least be usable. But in addition to being not as soft, not as flexible not as sturdy (like the little sticky tabs rip off when you try to use them!) they just don't hold up to your average baby mess.

Every time I go buy diapers I find myself in a moral quandary. The name brand diapers are actually fully twice as expensive. Now and then I give in to the temptation to save half my money and buy a package of store brand diapers. Maybe they weren't really that bad. Maybe now that he's a different shape they will work better. I try to convince myself. But it's not true. They are BAD. They don't work, and my baby ends up covered in his own waste, and I end up way more laundry to wash, some of which will never be clean again. And so I pay double for Huggies. (I was buying Pampers, but they support Unicef with God only knows what.)

The other option of course would be cloth diapers, but I have heard, that the cost of cloth diapers is actually comparable because of extra laundering costs. I try my best to believe that, even though it is very hard.

Any ideas? I'm sure many of you have pondered this topic as well.

Catch Up Number One: My Wedding Quilt

2008-09-30T23:44:00.001-07:00

I have decided that to start with I need to catch you up on some of my better ideas from the last year or so. Not only does this mean that you get the benefit of my marvelous ideas, it also means I get some content on this so far empty sight.

So, for the first of these I would like to tell you about My Wedding Quilt. Which, although it is an idea I had about a year and a half ago, is still in progress!

I got married last summer and my parents hosted the reception at their house. This is a lovely, romantic, intimate and CRAZY thing to do. In my case it meant that my last semester of school was periodically interrupted by emails about colossally important details such as salt shakers (ooo!). I do believe that there are people out there who would have been interested and delighted to choose salt shakers for their lovely barn (did I mention it was in a barn?) wedding. I wasn't really one of them.

All that nonsense aside.

One decision that I was quite pleased with was My Wedding Quilt. I decided that I would make twenty quilt squares each of which would act as a center piece for one table. During the reception I would have people sign the square at their table and after the wedding (at my leisure!) I would sew the squares into My Wedding Quilt. Unfortunately I did not take pictures of the step by step process, but I will illustrate as much as possible as I go.

For my quilt I chose a traditional autograph quilt pattern (there are many to choose from). I used fabrics that would match the rest of the decor of my wedding, mostly blues, yellows and whites, but spiced up with some bright pinks. I bought some fabric for the project and filled in with various leftovers from my small stash.

This is what each block would look like:

See how they make pretty stars when they're pieced together:

After assembling the blocks (with tons of much appreciated help from friends!), I ironed the blocks to slightly smaller squares of wax paper (to make them stiff) and then folded the edge of the block around the back of the paper, secured with scotch tape. This gave the block a neat finished look.

Each of these blocks was placed in the center of a table, and each table was provided with a Pigma Micron Waterproof fabric pen, which I purchased in bulk from ebay.

At the reception we made an announcement explaining the idea of the quilt and inviting people to sign. Almost everyone did sign; some people several times (thank you Philip and Rosie!). Some people simply signed their names, which was what I was expecting, but many people wrote little notes too, things they liked about the wedding, well wishes, blessings, doodles, quotes, etc. I love reading through, laughing and remembering. I especially love where some of my younger guests signed their scrawling signatures!

After the wedding, once I had gotten at least somewhat moved in to my new house, I quickly sewed the blocks together, and added a border. Thank you Leila for suggesting the scrappy looking border that I LOVE.

The next step was to decide how to quilt the thing. This is where things slowed down. The trick was to find a way of quilting it that would go with the overall look of the quilt and not interfere with the autographs. My brilliant (???) decision (after MONTHS of hemming and hawing) was to quilt a circle around each autograph and then to cover the rest with overlapping circles.

I love the way this looks. It is awesome and so dense it gives the quilt "that great crunchy feeling". However, after countless countless hours and HOURS and HOURS I am still quilting. I believe I have about 4/5ths complete at this point.

To guide me through this complicated pattern, I found a little embroidery hoop (about 2.5 inches in diameter) (thank you Sarah) which I used as a pattern and to the circles on with a washable marker. I first tested the washability of the marker on a scrap of fabric, BUT I did not test to see if it would still wash out after sitting for months and months (here's hoping!!).

Once I finish quilting (rolls eyes) I will bind it, using a bias binding and then I will wash it to remove (with any luck) all of the bright blue circles (although some people have said they like them...) and then hang it on a wall?? I had thought it would go on a guest bed, but it is twin sized and our guest bed is full. Besides I am not sure if, after all of this work, I will ever want it USED.

Cheap to fail

2008-09-30T22:45:00.000-07:00

I have hesitated to start a blog, despite my itch to do so, because I believe people who have successful blogs are people who are high energy and good at doing lots of things. I don't think of myself as high energy and I'm ok at doing things. However, I have decided to risk it. After all, where is the shame in a failed blog? Abandoned somewhere out in cyber space!

Wish me luck!