Day 1 of my new journey!

SO MUCH has gone on since I last posted, it would take too much time to tell it all.  Let's just say that this past Saturday I was able to walk in my college graduation ceremony- I was able to complete my Bachelor's Degree in 18 months, I got a job about 7 months ago (part time, but is there ever enough money?  lol), my oldest will be a senior in 3 weeks, I will also have a freshman and a 7th grader (all girls!)  See how beautiful they are?

This our church directory picture we just took a month ago!  

So, I joined this site- influenster.com where I can try out products, write reviews and blog about what they give us!  I figured I might as well pick this back up!  I know my old blog can still be reached, but I cannot edit it anymore :(  This is the only one I have available to me now.... so I guess I will start again!

I love frugal things, I really need to get back to couponing, I have become sulfite allergic in the last 2 years, so I am currently switching shampoos to help alleviate some of the reactions I am having (sodium laurel/laureth sulfate is in most shampoos!), not to mention my food allergies have gotten worse as well. 

I have tried just about all shampoos at Sally Beauty (I think all of them actually) and my hair is really fried from coloring and perming.  I just got the Sally version of the Wen product, and am currently trying it out.

I must say that I like the smell, it is a bit minty, and I have no problems with it not lathering like most shampoos.  In the 2 times I have used it my hair does not look greasy, it looks quite clean.  From the video reviews of Wen, people saw instant results with the first use.  My hair must be really fried because using the Sally version my hair is still pretty straw-like feeling, though the second wash today seems to feel slightly better.  I think I have used  1/3 of the bottle in 2 "washes" though!  YIKES!  I can't spend $12/week on this stuff!  I have a family!  I have tried the Argon oil, the Brazilian Kertain shampoo/conditioner, I have tried Ion, loreal Sulfite free shampoos, and my hair still feels fried. I hope this works at least to get my hair back to some semblance of health!

I also got a "volumizing leave in" spray from the same brand and my hair seems much thicker and I really like how it feels!  That may be the found gem!

Well, I look forward to posting more, it will be a little on product reviews, menus, money saving tips, etc! 

Beginning of the year thoughts and things....

Well, It is Jan 2, 2012!  :)  According to some, the world will end Dec 21, 2012!  My birthday is 12/12/12 this year, so I am going to PARTAY!  LOL

We ended 2011 with a bang, our church had called a new pastor who gave AMAZING messages, and he was ready to dig in and help grow the church.  Well, after 2 months he decided he was unable to implement the changes he was hoping for so quickly, and left.  :(  Of course there was some drama leading up to it, so it made for a really rough week before Christmas.  The kids were behaving like NUTS and so they almost didn't get Santa or parent gifts!  They straightened out enough in 2 days that they were able to get a good bit of what was planned for them.  I have homework, I have a good bit of it done, but still have 2.5 chapters to read.... AND we joined the YMCA Dec 30th!  :)  Yay!  another thing on my plate!

Well, I have figured out (after sleeping for 3 days straight , I am figuring it was due to exhaustion) that I need to cut back on some things, so that I can focus on what is most important.  I started that with quitting one of my jobs, and probably will quit the other one so I can focus on schoolwork while the kids are at school.  I want their time with me to be quality, so it has been really hard for me to focus even a bit on schoolwork while they have been on break!  I never did watch the 8.5 hrs of videos we were supposed to!  Other things may have to go as well, we will just see.  I have noticed the last couple months I am just antsy all the time, worried about where we are supposed to be next, when, whom are we picking up, etc, and if we don't have anything to do I have a dreaded feeling I am forgetting something!  I need to stop living like this!  I am supposed to be living with joy, not dread.  This year that is my focus.

Which brings me to my resolutions.  I decided to keep it simple this year, and just focus on 3 (but they're big ones!)
1. Focus on my school work
2. focus on my house ( household and family)
3. focus on my health.

Today my oldest and I have to go work a Vandy game so we can put money in her Fair Share account.  I think this will be the last one I do, as it is has severely dipped into my studying/health/family time.  Everyone is at the Y today- except me!  :(  I have put off doing my studying, and now I have to pay for it!  yuck.  I hate having to be responsible!  We have to leave in 2 hrs or less to get to her school, so I will be going to pick her up soon.....

The tips of my ring and somewhat my middle finger have felt like for about 2 weeks now that I burnt them on something, but the sensation isn't going away, and my skin isn't peeling in that area. Will have to have that checked out..... from what I can tell it can be as benign as a tweaked nerve from the elbow, to carpel tunnel, to MS.  Will keep an eye on it, and if it really starts to bug me, I will go in just for that, but hoping for another reason so I don't look like a goof!  ;)

Well, that's my update for today..... would love to hear what your resolutions are going to be!

A little crafty fun today!

I really do like easy crafts!  I do!  :)  and this one was the SIMPLEST I have done!  :)  I was wandering through goodwill today and found 2!!! wire paper holders for the desk.  I immediately saw them on the wall with earrings hanging on them!  It's all about looking at things in a new and different way!  I thought that the drywall screws we had leftover would work well to hang it, so my total investment per jewlery hanger was $2.99 (too bad it wasn't the 1/2 price tag!  ;) )

Here's what I gathered to hang it:

Then it was a matter of just holding it up the wall where I wanted it, pushing with the screwdriver so I knew where to put the screws, then I put the hanger down, screwed in the screws- leaving about 1/2- 1/4" out so the hanger can catch on it, and then hang it up.  Total time?  5 min!  or less!

Final product?

Please disregard the beautiful pictures my daughter has drawn on the wall!  ;)   I WILL need to get some S hooks so we can hang the necklaces, and the closed hook earrings don't do well, but the plain post earrings can go on the edge so you can put the back on it, or just take it off the wall to put them on there... it's not that hard to put up and down.....

Thank you to my new obsession! LOL

Just wanted to give a shout out to my newest obsession that a DEAR Dear friend of mine (do you sense the sarcasam? This is such a good timewaster site!) introduced me to....Pinterest!  Oh MY is that site so much FUN!  If I do HALF the things I've pinned, my life is going to be WAY COOL!  :)  There are so  many crafts, recipes, organizational stuff, sayings, just tons of stuff on there!  :)

What crafts have I tried?  Infinity scarves with tshirsts, headbands with tshirts, some recipes (including breakfast this morning).  Yeah, not much right now, but I am in the "gathering" stage... gathering tons of ideas and then I will choose some to do weekly1  I really do want to try them, I pinned them afterall.... ;)

So, if you haven't gotten to Pinterest yet, go to www.pinterest.com and check it out.  Ask a friend to invite you, that's the easiest way to get on there quickly!

I do want to also direct you to my other blog I had for a long time, it has TONS of great information on it about living frugally!  :)  www.frugalmadre.blogspot.com  It has great tips, great sites I like for saving money and buying things cheap, and menus and recipes as well!

Swedish Nutmeg Cookies

So, they aren't QUITE like Grandma made them, but this is my easy peasy take on them......

The original recipe calls for adding 1/4-1/2 tsp nutmeg into sugar cookie dough as you are making it.  You can do this method.

However.....

If you get slice and bake or pre-made sugar cookies, you can get a similar effect by sprinkling nutmeg on top of the cookies.

The most important thing... DON'T forget to add sugar to the top of the cookie!  That's what makes it a sugar cookie!

My oldest came up with a great idea without even knowing it a while back..... we had bought glass salt and pepper shakers at Goodwill for $1, and when we got home, one of the lids was so corroded it had to be thrown away, so we had a lopsided set.  She had a friend stay the night and they were going to have coffee in the morning, so she put sugar in the remaining one for the coffee- it didn't work well.  BUT, the half filled sugar shaker has been hanging around my kitchen since then... waiting for a great job......

Today when I got my stove, it was pressed into duty!  I sprinkled some nutmeg on top of my cookies, then turned around and went "AH HA!"  Grabbed that half filled salt/sugar shaker, and MAN did it work like a CHARM!!!!

Yes, the two cookies look a bit darker, it is just shadow.....But the sugar worked out well!  You could do this with any color sugar you want!  I can't wait for Christmas!  I may go buy out some salt and pepper shakers now!  ;)

wow! what a year it has been!

SO So many changes went on this year, I could hardly keep up with myself!  :)  I decided right at the beginning of the year (February?) to go back to school, found a great program, had to take a couple CLEP Tests, a couple entrance tests, all the while working 40 hrs a week most weeks and doing all the things the kids needed to do!  So, I completely forgot about this blog!  :(

 I started back to school in September (BSIT, Bachelors of Science in IT - computers), and it has been a reall eye opener for the whole family.  I started a second job babysitting working in conjunction with substituting, but don't seem to be doing much of it this school year :(  We have been really tight financially, but know that in May 2013 I graduate and will be able to get a great job and be able to help out the family in a big way..... eye on the prize!

On a side note I discovered Pinterest!  :)  I have only been on it a week, but MAN has it gotten my old creative juices flowing again!  :)  So, you may see some things on here that I will pin so I don't forget that I did them!  (you know how that old memory works, right?)

I got a new stove today- I have been without an oven for 5 weeks now.... was looking for that "great deal" and finally found a "black friday" deal the sunday before..... It was supposed to be delivered yesterday from 2-6, and it got delivered today about 12:30/1pm!  UGH!  BUT it's here and now I can start making all those amazing dishes I have been pinning!  :)  First thing I made was simple stuff... a box cake and some nutmeg cookies... will post more about those in a few....  Let's just say, the cake said 32-36 min and it was done well before that!  :)

So, we have been busy around here, my 15 yo daughter's band went to nationals- they got 10th out of 20 overall, 2nd for music, and 3rd for drumline!  :)  I was so proud!    My 13 yo is in the Beta Club, and Student Council, etc.  She's a busy girl too!  My 11 yo is a busy girl too, but right now she doesn't do nearly as much as the others.....

Well, the natives are getting restless for me to bake some more!  :) 

3 days without posting!

Funny how getting back to school will derail some ideas, huh?  LOL I have been keeping up with the picture taking, though! 

It was a sweet surprise to wake up to a white yard and road... the roads are clear again, but snow was not predicted until monday.... LOL 

So, I have been working all morning on finding new recipes ( or old ones I have bookmarked and haven't used) to use and try.  Trying to work on getting my allergens out of my diet, especially gluten this year, so this takes a bit of work on my part.  No more easy grab and go stuff, make a menu, stick with it kinda stuff....

So, here's what I have come up with  (with links)  I just number the menu so I don't feel I have to do any certain recipe on a certain day, but rather have a choice of items to choose from.....

1. Slow cooked oriental Pork Chops ( www.food.com/17953 )

     serve with brown rice and broccoli

2. Yet another Chili (and Chili spice mix) (www.food.com/47393 )

    (I am going to nix the beans because I am allergic and add frozen corn instead, use corn starch instead of flour)

    serve with cornbread (family), veggies and dip

3.Country Salisbury Steak (www.food.com/285040 )
   ( will use homemade gravy using cornstarch or arrowroot to thicken)  Even though this uses stovetop, I am still going to use it until I can find a recipe and the guts to make gluten free bread.
    Serve with Mashed potatoes (and mashed sweet potatoes for me and whoever else wants them), and
    Harvard Beets ( www.food.com/119540 )

4. Taco taters (www.food.com/282554 )
    using Homemade taco seasoning packet replacement (www.food.com/154235 )

5. Stuart Anderson's Black Angus Baked Potato Soup (www.food.com/105920 )
   using cornstarch instead of flour for thickening, may use rice or soy milk instead of regular due to dairy allergy/intolerance

6.Bourbon Chicken Wings  ( www.food.com/148454 )
   Will make these as prescribed (no apple juice as I am allergic to apples)  will use with chicken breast instead of wings or pork chops
   Serve with Polenta and asparagus

7.  Ground Beef Curry( www.food.com/149440 )
      will not use the apricot jam- again, I'm allergic
      Serve with Brown Rice and Broccoli with butter and Parmesan (salt and pepper too)

8  Taco Party Wings (www.food.com/101794 )
     will use for chicken breasts
     Serve with Gluten free mac and cheese (homemade sauce, rice noodles) and greenbeans
     Will use taco seasoning recipe from earlier in the menu.....