A Place For A Coffee Cup

When funds are not plentiful we tend to shop at home, looking through what we have and asking if it's being used the best that it can be where it's at.  We also try to find a way to make it ourselves which often means some work but it's rewarding, right?  Fresh baked bread, homemade granola, a skirt, pajamas and maybe a coffee table?

Justin came across an abundance of pallets at his work and if you do a google search or are a fellow Pinterest addict then you know that pallets can be made into nearly any kind of furniture.  So being the handy guy that Justin is, he made a coffee table for our living room.  We needed a punch of color, naturally we chose red, it's a color we lean toward pretty consistently.  Blue is our favorite color but right now we have a lot of blue happening so we needed a pop, something to break it up.  We needed some functionality; a place for books, some games and maybe a picnic for movie night.

This picture was the inspiration piece:

with a little more of this:

 we found the casters at the Katy Antique Mall, 4 for a $1. 

We still need to get a piece of glass cut for but it is so useful already!  We have some trays inside the openings to hold games.  The trays are in need of some TLC so it gave me an extra project, yeah!

No Spend January-Week 1

It is nearly impossible to NOT spend anything when you have kids or...are breathing. I mean I can say NO to the big stuff but when the milk and eggs are gone on the SECOND day of the no spend month what's a mom to do.

I went to Save Mart, not as pretty so I won't be tempted by pretty things but I got a good deal on milk and eggs.

• $7.39 (2 gallons of milk, 2 dozen eggs)
• Mid-Week grocery stop...$13.39

It's been kind of a joke in the house lately about this "no spend" idea.

Justin said, "Maybe we could change it to No Spend February?"

• Gas for the gas guzzling SUV: $25.01

We have eaten pancakes all week for breakfast (much to Caeden's delight!) and had PB and honey (Costco purchase WAY back in November and we aren't even halfway through!) for most lunches so we aren't lacking and we still have options in the pantry and freezer!


Justin needs new tires. :)


Maisie our bright dog may have swallowed a needle that was attached to a string of popcorn...she left the button at the end. So far she is fine but we can't find that dang needle anywhere, just the button. So we watch her, hoping it just got kicked under the couch.

So to wrap up week one I would have to say, WOW.


This is hard. But worth it.


I am reading Your Money Or Your Life (Simple Mom Book Club) and it is rocking my world and I am only on chapter 1! More on that later...this one is long enough. :)

WFMW: Felt Food :)

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Maleiah needed food for her kitchen, I looked online and found a few sites where people were selling felt food. For the breakfast meal they wanted $20.00. I couldn't see spending $60.00+++for a days worth of play food so I asked my friend Amanda (my pretend sister) if she thought we could make some, I would come up with the ideas and do the cutting and she would help with the sewing. We made a good team and here is the "fruit", mainly vegetables of our labor.

MENU

Breakfast (Eggs-Sunny Side Up, Bacon, Pancakes and an Orange)

Lunch (Cheese Sandwich)

Pizza

For the more health conscious: Pizza with Salad

Dinner (Spaghetti)

Dinner (Spinach Ravioli's, Fish and Carrots)

Total Cost of Food: $14.00

I love this stuff! And we still have a few more things we can make...cookies, burgers, french fries...Maleiah likes flipping the pancakes the best. :)

Was This A Good Idea?

No Spend January....

What was I thinking?

I was thinking that I really want to pay off our debt and have money in our savings account. I was thinking that I really am servant to the lender and we miss out on so much because our money is going elsewhere. But in January? November and December are the worst months for work, there are 3 weeks that Justin doesn't work the whole week and in the midst of that are 3 birthdays and Christmas. All of that was paid with cash this year (Yeah! High Five!) but still we are recovering as we do every year. So January is a tough month as we catch up.

And today we spent $140.00 for unplanned medical appointments.

I did not expect this to be easy, and just as when we ask for patience the Lord provides by giving us oppurtunities for patience, this will be no different. He will challenge me in this area and I have a choice. Do I fold? Nope. I know that the Lord will provide and He is always faithful. This is an oppurtunity for my faith wings to grow. Grow wings! Grow!

Kitchen Remodeling

on a small scale....

This used to be a Pottery Barn workbench....then my friend Amanda saved it from a thrift store and created a kitchen for her two children. She passed it on to us for Maleiah and Justin and I remodeled it further. It used to be red and brown, Justin painted it black and white which matches our kitchen perfectly. We didn't really plan it like that but it was the paint we had in the garage. When we brought it in we had a good laugh. :)

I really wanted to think out of the box for adding to it and so I went to the Home Depot and kept my eyes open for inexpensive ways to dress it up.

We used corner moulding pieces for the burners, a pipe for the faucet and we got a package of hot and cold knobs for the sink. My friend already had the bowl for the sink. We added some hooks to the side for pot holders, towels and such. We used wooden knobs for the stove as well and I labeled them: off, lo, med, high.

I am so happy with how it turned out and I think Maleiah will enjoy many years of play with it!

Cash Only Christmas

As I sat looking at our tree last night surrounded by toys I was filled with excitement for the morning. This Christmas was different for us because we knew work would be tight and we planned ahead for the first time ever. We actually had all our shopping done for the kids before Thanksgiving! We also decided that Justin and I would not exchange gifts which for me, honestly was tough in the beginning. But as Christmas came nearer I grew to like this new idea. My parents have done it for years although I never really understood it...that dang selfishness seed lives in me and I am not going to lie...

I really like recieving.

This year has been so different for me though, I loved giving and creating, I loved that nothing went on the credit card for the first time in my life. I loved watching my kids open their gifts and then I realized

...that was my gift.

It wasn't purchased but it just was and my heart is filled with gratitude.

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

I made these yummy biscuits for Christmas dinner at my in-laws house. My father-in-law said he wanted some biscuits and requested something along the lines of the Pillsbury type. I found these on Recipe Zaar and they worked out great! We even had a few in the morning with our breakfast casserole and fruit salad. :)

Southern Buttermilk Biscuits

• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the board (if you can get White Lily flour, your biscuits will be even better)


• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda


• 1 tablespoon baking powder (use one without aluminum)


• 1 teaspoon kosher salt or salt


• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, very cold


• 3/4 cup buttermilk (approx.)
  

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees F.


2. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl, or in the bowl of a food processor.


3. Cut the butter into chunks and cut into the flour until it resembles course meal.


4. If using a food processor, just pulse a few times until this consistency is achieved.


5. Add the buttermilk and mix JUST until combined.


6. If it appears on the dry side, add a bit more buttermilk.


7. Turn the dough out onto a floured board.


8. Gently, gently PAT (do NOT roll with a rolling pin) the dough out until it's about 1/2" thick.


9. Use a round cutter to cut into rounds.


10. You can gently knead the scraps together and make a few more, but they will not be anywhere near as good as the first ones.


11. Place the biscuits on a cookie sheet- if you like soft sides, put them touching each other.
    If you like"crusty" sides, put them about 1 inch apart- these will not rise as high as the biscuits put close together.


12. Bake for about 10-12 minutes- the biscuits will be a beautiful light golden brown on top and bottom.


13. Do not overbake.
    

Notes: The key to real biscuits is not in the ingredients, but in the handling of the dough. The dough must be handled as little as possible or you will have tough biscuits. I have found that a food processor produces superior biscuits, because the ingredients stay colder and there's less chance of overmixing.

You also must pat the dough out with your hands, lightly.

Rolling with a rolling pin is a guaranteed way to overstimulate the gluten, resulting in a tougher biscuit. You can make these biscuits, cut them, put them on cookie sheets and freeze them for up to a month. When you want fresh biscuits, simply place them frozen on the cookie sheet and bake at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes.

Blackberry Picking

The end of the summer found us picking blackberries at a small lake near our home. The boys go fishing there sometimes and Justin's friend told us about the stash of blackberries for FREE picking. We froze some for smoothies and cobblers and we made freezer jam with the rest! The jam is awesome and we are inspired to start our picking earlier next year and stock that freezer!
After the picking, since they were already pretty sticky we decided, why not give them ice cream?

Happy Summer Nights!

FREE Books!

I recently found my new favorite place to visit! Our public school purchasing warehouse gives away there surplus books. Every Tuesday and Thursday from 7-3 you can go and DIG through boxes and boxes of textbooks and library books. It is so much fun and is giving me tons of resources for home schooling. Here are my finds so far....

Our Thanksgiving Table

This year I didn't think about how I would set the table until the morning of Thanksgiving. I had no festive napkins or anything and so I stared and hoped for inspiration. I was very pleased with the end result.

I had these bamboo placemats in the garage, my friend gave them to me a few years ago and I thought they were very woodsy looking so that meant we would use as much nature as we could to set the table. :)
I had some gift tags and found a leaf stamp that I used years ago for cards. I had a brown ink pad and I found a bag of the ribbon stashed in my scrapbooking stuff.
The lanterns on the table were up in the closet and the pumpkins were in the front yard. I made the Giving Thanks journal this year and we plan to record all the things that God has done for us each year. It will be a testimony of his goodness and history for our children.
Just another view of the table...
The turkey...he is yummy. :)

I was very glad to whip something up and I thought it was very simple and pretty. I didn't spend any money on it either. I used black napkins that I had leftover from Caeden's pirate party.

December Menu

Sticky Sesame Chicken, Broccoli and Rice
Spanish Chicken & Rice Wraps
Pita Pizza & Salad~2
Meatloaf, Lemon Pepper Carrots and Salad
Asian Hoisin Ribs & Rice
Clam Chowder in a Bread Bowl~2
Turkey Pot Pie & Salad~2
Chicken Lasagna, Bread & Salad
Corn Chowder, Bread and Salad
Turkey Soup
Tuna Casserole & Salad
Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese
Chicken Stir-Fry & Rice
Spaghetti with Meatballs, Salad & Rosemary Bread
Pancakes & Fruit
Chili & Cornbread
Zesty Chicken & Potatoes with Salad
Chimichangas, Mexican Rice & Salad
Christmas Dinner: Ham, green bean casserole, stuffing, potatoes and rolls.

The ham will give us leftovers for sandwiches, Farmers Breakfast Casserole & for freezing. I will post links to recipes that I have.

Today Caeden is home from school. We have all been sick and I just wanted him home. Maleiah is down for her morning nap and I am puttering around ....

To Do List

• Laundry
• Kitchen
• Caeden's Bedroom
• Sweep Floors
• Call Utilities

We are in a financial crunch right now...Justin is only getting half a paycheck, work has been slow and we have lots of bills to pay and Christmas coming. Overall we need to be pinching pennies anyway and this is just a huge reminder as to why. So I am reading up on ways to save...I will share what I find. Right now we are...

• Turning out lights when not in use
• Unplugging appliances and such that are not being used.
• Dressing warmer
• Putting quilts on the beds
• Using up freezer meals and eating less meats.
• Making some gifts for Christmas and using discount stores.
• Driving less=using less gas
• Using the library for entertainment