Making Cooley Stuff

Easy Closet Organization

2014-07-07T17:52:00.002-07:00

I know I'm several weeks late with this post, but you could still effectively organize and declutter your closet using this method. I can't remember where I originally heard about this. I tried it once or twice before, but I haven't done it every season because of being pregnant, busy, apathetic, etc. Here's what you do:

At the beginning of the season (ideally twice per year, once for spring/summer and once for fall/winter) take all of your hangers and turn them backwards in your closet like so:

Then go about your normal business getting dressed every day, washing clothes, and hanging them back in your closet. When it gets near the end of the season, you should notice a few (or maybe several) things that are still turned backwards. This makes it blatantly obvious what you are and are not wearing. By the end of the season, get rid of whatever is still turned backwards. If it's getting close to the end of the season and you just can't bear to part with something that is turned backwards, wear it. The rule is that you must get rid of it if you have not worn it. This is a really easy way to organize and get rid of stuff you don't need.

Pizza Stir-Fry

2014-01-10T18:26:00.000-08:00

I came up with this recipe a few months ago, and it has quickly become a staple meal in our household. It's low carb and grain free. I make it at least every other week. It is my husband's favorite meal, and he asks for it frequently. Even our picky daughter eats it happily with no complaints. And I must admit, it's to die for.
I saw a recipe on another blog for pizza stir fry sometime last year. I tried it, and frankly I did not like it. Then months later, the thought crossed my mind again and I realized how I could make it better. When I say it's unbelievably good, I'm not just saying it. I literally could not believe how good it was. Here is my recipe.

Pizza Stir-Fry

2 6 oz boxes breakfast sausage links, cut up into small pieces

1/2 package pepperoni, cut up into small pieces

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup organic pizza sauce

1 cup mozzarella cheese

Coconut oil

Start by melting a healthy amount of coconut oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the peppers and onions and cook for 3-5 minutes. Add the sausage and pepperoni and stir-fry until heated through. Add pizza sauce and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Dish up and sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top.

(If you don't have one of these I highly recommend getting one. Not just for this recipe, but if you ever chop vegetables for stir fries, casseroles, crock pot freezer meals, or anything, this is a HUGE time saver. It also can chop meat, cheese, etc. But I don't need to go on and on about it, these babies sell themselves.)

Oh, and the good thing about this recipe is that you don't have to follow it exactly. You can use a little more or a little less of any of the ingredients, and you can add or subtract things to your liking. If you like mushrooms on pizza, you can add mushrooms, and so on, and so on. I promise you won't even miss the bread.

Marshmallows for Sore Throat Relief

2013-03-21T18:06:00.002-07:00

I recently discovered this little gem... Not long ago I woke up with a sore throat, which was the first sign of my 3rd cold of the season (2nd cold within 6 weeks)... ugh! I happened to remember seeing something online awhile back about eating marshmallows to relieve a sore throat. I just happened to have some on hand. I didn't really expect much, but to my surprise, they made my sore throat completely disappear! I'm not sure what it is that makes them work, but they certainly do.

Eat a couple handfuls and your throat will feel so much better! It feels like soft, tiny, fluffy little pillows cushioning your throat as you swallow them. Don't believe me? Just give it a try next time you or your child has a sore throat!

How to Save Money on Groceries Without Using Coupons

2013-03-03T14:36:00.004-08:00

I used to do the whole couponing thing. I definitely wouldn't call what I did Extreme Couponing, but I was pretty into it. I would go out on Sundays and buy X newspapers, and then go through them and cut out any and all coupons that I had any small chance of using. I would spend hours cutting out and organizing the coupons. Then I would scour through weekly grocery store ads and coupon match sites just to find the best deals. That was only the beginning. There was so much planning, organizing, and time involved. And you know what I ended up with? A huge stockpile of items that I didn't need. Not to mention 90% of the items that have coupons are pre-packaged, processed foods that no one really should be eating. Now, two years later, I find myself going through that stockpile and throwing out almost everything. OK, so I did use some of the stuff I bought. But it wasn't nearly worth all of the time and effort I put into it. I am a full time working mom, and frankly, while I do want to save money, I have much better things to do. So, over the past year or so, I have come up with a hassle-free method of saving money while grocery shopping. It takes very little time and planning, and I feel so great after coming home with a trunkful of groceries for around $60 knowing I didn't waste any time. Wanna know how I do it?

1.) BUDGET

I know it's easier said than done, but trust me, setting a budget and sticking to it will save you a LOT of money. I highly recommend using CASH ONLY for groceries. Decide how much you will spend each month, and take the cash out of the bank at the beginning of the month. Put it in an envelope and don't use any more than what is in that envelope. I had been doing this for several months when I realized that I was left with very little money for my last grocery trip of the month. So I started dividing my grocery budget by 4, and making that my weekly grocery budget. That way you can balance out your money for the month much better. You're a lot more likely to be more careful with your money when you know you only have $X to spend on that particular grocery trip.

2.) USE A GROCERY LIST APP

If you have a Smart Phone, get a grocery list app!!!! This is by far the best app I have downloaded since I have had my phone. I use Out of Milk for Android. Not only does it help with organizing your lists, it also allows you to enter the price and quantity of the items you are buying. I always make sure to enter the prices and quantities of everything I buy, that way I know almost exactly what my total will be when I get to the checkout. Otherwise, I could go over my budget, and I would have to choose whether to put some things back and be embarrassed, or just go ahead and buy the extra items just to save face.

3.) SHOP AT A DISCOUNT STORE

This is a big change that has saved us a lot of money. Once we changed grocery stores, we started paying 30-40% less every week. And this is without the use of any coupons. Around here, we have Aldi, which has been a total lifesaver. I really wish I would have started shopping there sooner. When I was younger, someone told me that Aldi was a store that sold the garbage that other grocery stores threw away. I guess I didn't have any reason not to believe it at the time. I found out when I was much older that this is not true at all. Aldi carries mostly their own store brand, and then they have a few items that are overstock from other stores. Their store brand is high quality, and most items taste the same or better than the name brand. (The only thing we didn't really like from Aldi was their cereal, but we don't eat that kind of stuff anymore anyway.) When I first started shopping there, I only went once every couple of months to stock up on non-perishables. But when I realized how much money it was saving us, I started shopping there every week for our full grocery list. Shopping at a store like Aldi does take a very small amount of extra work and planning ahead, but all you have to do is remember three things: (1) Bring a quarter. (2) Bring cash and (3) Bring your own bags. Not hard to do at all! Especially if you are using cash only for groceries anyway. Oh, and you do have to bag your own groceries. But that isn't a big deal to me. They have a counter set up for people to bag groceries, and since you are using your own, durable, reusable grocery bags, you can fit a lot more into each bag. It sure beats tracking down and cutting out coupons every week!

4.) PLAN MEALS

This is probably a given, but there are still a lot of people that don't do it. I use my own weekly menu planner which has helped a lot over the past year. It makes it really easy to see what our meal options are at a glance, and put together our weekly meal plan quickly. Go through each meal/recipe and add the ingredients to your grocery list. Then remember to think about what you will need for breakfasts, lunches, and snacks, and add those items too. At one point, I found that I was forgetting about things like snacks and lunches, and then I had to run out to the grocery store mid-week, causing me to spend extra money. Also think ahead about what you have planned for the week. Do you have to make cookies for a bake sale? A picnic or potluck dinner? Do as much planning ahead as possible. It will make your life easier.

5.) DOUBLE CHECK YOUR LIST

This is another small and simple task that takes very little time, but can save you a lot of money. After you have finished making your list, go through and see what you can delete. There are probably a few things that you notice right off the bat that you don't really need. Then take it a step further. Take your list to your pantry and freezer and check to see if you already have some of the items on hand. I always find at least 2 things I can cross off the list by doing this. This saves at least a few dollars, and maybe more depending on the cost of the items. And by doing it every week, it will save you a few hundred dollars per year.

Closet Organization: Easy Wrapping Paper Storage

2013-02-18T18:12:00.000-08:00

I mentioned in my last post that I am on a spring cleaning/organizing/nesting kick right now. It's amazing how much unneeded junk you find in your house once you start going through closets, drawers and cabinets. I can't believe how much space we have been wasting just from storing old papers, empty boxes, broken stuff, and stuff we haven't used since we got married (nearly 8 years ago!) Anyway, once you sort out what you actually need from the junk, it can be fun to get everything organized and put away neatly. One thing I still needed to keep in my hallway closet was wrapping paper. But my wrapping paper collection looked a little something like this:

The rolls kept falling on the floor and getting tangled up and/or smashed by other things in the closet (usually the vacuum cleaner). I did have a large plastic wrapping paper organizer, but the wrapping paper never fit in it very well, plus it took up a LOT of space. So I came up with this genius (if I do say so myself) idea to keep my wrapping paper neatly organized in the same place, and it takes up only inches of space:

I just measured the side of my closet and bought 2 inexpensive tension rods which are easily installed with no nails or screws. Now all of my wrapping paper is in one place. It will stay neatly on one side of the closet and won't get in the way of anything else. And there is room for plenty more, so I can stock up the next time there's an end-of-season sale. I was pretty proud of myself for thinking of it! You could also store wrapping paper the same way on the closet ceiling. Anyway, I am making some good progress on my hallway closet. It's not completely finished yet, but it's close. I forgot to take "before" pictures to show how far it's come, but I will still share the "after" pictures when I'm done. ;)

Organizing the Never Ending Mail Pile

2013-02-13T10:58:00.000-08:00

Wow... has it really been 2 months since I've posted? Sorry about that... I guess I'll chalk it up to the winter blahs, some unexpected events, and the fact that I was in my first trimester of pregnancy. Yep, we are expecting #2 this August! Now that I'm safely in my second trimester, the nesting instincts are starting to set in, and I have been doing a lot of organizing and cleaning. I have been trying to clear out our spare bedroom, which will of course be the baby's bedroom. What I have found out about clearing out one room is that you end up having to clean out and reorganize the entire house, just to make room for the extra stuff from that one room. So, one thing leads to another, and the entire house gets cleaned and reorganized.

This organizing project is not directly related to clearing out the baby's room, but it's something I think most of us struggle with: the never ending mail/paper pile. I have tried to get this under control for years and I always fail.

(This is not all of it)

First I tried the file cabinet method. I bought a file cabinet with the intent of filing away each piece of mail/paper immediately. Well, that never happened. Then I got this smaller, desktop sized file box thinking I could just keep the important paperwork in there.

This worked slightly better, but I found that if I put something important in there that needed to be dealt with (like a bill) I would forget about it. Out of sight, out of mind. So I accepted that the mail pile was something that I definitely needed. But then, I found that even within the mail pile, things were getting lost and forgotten. And I knew that there had to be a better way of organizing it so that it didn't look so messy. So, I implemented two things:

One, I started using binder clips so that I could put like things together. For example, I clipped all of my bills together. If I get another one, I can just add it to the rest. That way, none of them get lost and I will have all of them together where I can see them and not forget about them. I also clipped all of our tax paperwork together, all of my daughter's preschool papers together, etc. You get the idea.

Two, I put what was left of the pile in this basket that I already had. It is just the right size to hold the mail pile, and it also holds it upright so I can easily go through it and see what is there.

So I am hoping that this method will work well for me and that I can keep up with it. It certainly seems easier and more doable. How do you control your mail pile? I would love to hear in the comments below...

2 Minute DIY Infinity Scarf

2012-12-08T08:44:00.001-08:00

This project is so fast, easy and inexpensive, you will feel bad for not making it sooner! I know I did! I am actually being pretty generous by saying it takes 2 minutes to make. It will only take that long if you take your time making it. All you need is an old, seamless t shirt (preferably size L or larger) and a good pair of scissors. Make sure the t shirt does not have any seams. This would not work well if you use a shirt with seams. If you want a specific color scarf, check out your local thrift store. They should have every shade of every color of t shirt. Also keep an eye out for cool patters like this purple tie-dyed one I found at Goodwill.

Step One:

Cut the bottom hem off of the t shirt, then cut across underneath the sleeves, making sure to also cut underneath any wording or designs.

Step Two:

Find a partner and play tug-of-war with the scarf until it is stretched out to the max. If you don't have a partner, you can loop the bottom of the scarf around your foot and then stretch it over your head with your arms.

DONE!

That had to be one of the easiest projects I have done yet!

I plan to look for more cool t shirt patterns the next time I go out thrift store shopping. These scarfs are too cool and too easy not to make!

Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

2012-12-08T08:20:00.001-08:00

This is a wonderful, healthy alternative to a potato casserole. I grew up eating this as a hash brown casserole, but since I ditched the high-carb diet, I replaced the potatoes with cauliflower, making it a delicious vegetable side dish.

You will need:

2 10 oz packages of frozen cauliflower

2 cups sour cream

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

1 stick of melted butter (real butter only!)

1 can cream of chicken soup (I make my own)

1/2 cup chopped onions

Salt and pepper

Let the cauliflower thaw just a little. Cut it into small, hash brown-sized pieces. Spray a 9x13 pan (or two 8x8 pans) with cooking spray. Pour the cauliflower into the bottom of the pan.

Meanwhile, mix all of the other ingredients together in a bowl. Pour them over the cauliflower. Place the pan in a 350 degree oven and bake for one hour.

Let cool, then serve!

This is a hearty, delicious, cheesy side dish that goes great with fish, steak, or pork chops.

Low Carb Tacos

2012-11-27T15:12:00.000-08:00

Before we went on this low-carb, grain-free diet, we ate tacos every Friday. Needless to say, our family really loves tacos. So we have been missing our Friday taco nights. I got this idea from one of my low-carb cookbooks. It does take some time since you have to make the taco shells one at a time, so make sure you either make them ahead of time or leave yourself plenty of time to make dinner.

You will need LOTS of shredded cheese (about 1/4 cup for each shell), coconut oil, a nonstick skillet (about 6-8 inches), a good quality spatula, and a spoon.

Also, you will need to get a taco shell-cooling station ready before you start. You'll need a tray or rimmed baking sheet, a sturdy book (the spine should be an inch or so thick) and aluminum foil. Cover the tray with aluminum foil. Then set the book up on the tray as shown. Cover the book with aluminum foil. And I mean cover it well. You don't want grease dripping all over it. You'll end up with a mess and a ruined book.

Start heating your oil in the skillet on medium to medium high heat. Once the skillet is good and hot, drop about 1/4 cup of shredded cheese in.

Once the cheese starts to get brown on the bottom, flip it over. I found that it really helps to put the spatula in one hand, and a wooden spoon in the other hand to help get the cheese on the spatula.

Let it cook on the other side for a few minutes. Then it's ready to take out of the skillet. Using your spatula and spoon (careful not to touch the cheese!) drape the fried cheese circle over your aluminum foil-covered book.

Let it dry/cool for at least 5 minutes. The cheese will harden into a taco shell shape as it cools. You can start making the next shell while the first one cools.

Once the shells are cooled off, start adding taco fillings as you would with regular tacos.

I made us 3 taco shells each, but it turns out they are really filling so we probably could have done with 2 each. I was really pleased with the way these turned out! They were really tasty. I thought the shells tasted a little like Cheezit crackers. Either way, they were great and I will be making them again!

Homemade Double Down Sandwiches

2012-11-25T19:56:00.002-08:00

I have been wanting to try a double down sandwich from KFC for a long time now. But, every time I go there and ask for a grilled Double Down sandwich they either tell me they can't make it or they give me some other excuse why I can't order it (even though it is on their menu). The fried version just isn't healthy enough for me. Too many carbs and it's not grain free. I figured even if I could manage to order one, I could make my own cheaper and much healthier version of the sandwich. Turns out, I was right!

All you need are some chicken breasts (I used the cutlets), bacon, and cheese.

First, you will need to flatten the chicken breasts. This is the fun part! Put them on some kind of tray or rimmed baking sheet. You will want to cover them with something so the raw chicken juice doesn't splatter all over the place. I used parchment paper, but I'm sure you could use wax paper, plastic wrap, or maybe even aluminum foil. Pound them down very thin with a meat hammer (this is a great way to take out your daily frustrations!)

I found that once I flattened the chicken cutlets, they were a little on the large side, so I cut each of them in half. Bake them in the oven for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees.

While the chicken is cooking, fry up the bacon on the stove.

Once the chicken is done, place a piece of cheese on one side of each chicken "bread."

Put one or two slices of bacon on each sandwich. Put the other piece of chicken "bread" on each sandwich. The result is a very healthy, high protein, carb-free sandwich that is also very filling. These were very tasty and I have added this recipe to our regulars!

Water Saving Tip

2012-11-12T19:25:00.000-08:00

Not long ago I mentioned that I have been trying to find new ways to save money. For example, I recently posted about making reusable tissues. There are a lot of small things you can do that can add up to a lot of savings. This is a super easy tip that I had heard of before, but never really got around to doing it. I saw it again on Extreme Cheapskates and I decided to go ahead and try it out. They say it saves $8 per month and $100 per year. Multiply that by the number of toilets you have in your house and that is your yearly savings. So according to those calculations, I can save up to $200 just by using this simple trick. It may not be a whole lot in the span of a year, but wouldn't you rather keep that money than give it to the water company? I sure would!

All you need is a brick or large rock. Chances are you already have one around your house somewhere. If not, Home Depot sells them for $0.49 each. Take the top off your toilet tank. Place the brick inside (make sure to put it away from the mechanisms, otherwise it could knock them out of place, causing the toilet to not work properly). Put the top back on. That's it.

The brick in the toilet tank takes the place of the extra water, causing the toilet to use less water per flush, which saves water, and that saves you money.

Low Carb Pumpkin Sausage Soup

2012-11-11T15:21:00.000-08:00

This is one of my favorite new recipes. I originally found the recipe here, but I adapted it a bit. This recipe is low carb, sugar free, dairy free, grain free and gluten free. The original recipe calls for mushrooms, but I'm not a fan of mushrooms, so I left them out, but I added a few other veggies. Also the original recipe is made on the stove, but I adapted it for a crock pot.

Ingredients:

1 lb mild pork sausage

4 cups (1 32 oz carton) chicken broth

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree

1/2 medium onion, chopped

1 green pepper cut into small pieces

1 cup carrots, chopped

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp Italian seasoning

salt and pepper

Cook the sausage in a pan and drain off the fat, if any. Add chopped onions. Pour into crock pot. Add all other ingredients and stir. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

I have made this twice already and I absolutely love it! I could make it every week. I get excited when I make this, not only because it's a crock pot recipe that I don't have to worry about making, but also because it's delicious and super healthy. It makes about 8 1-cup servings, but trust me, you will probably eat at least 2 servings! And we always have a ton left over. It tastes great when you reheat it the next day. Let me know if you try it and what you think of it!

Easy Carpet Stain Remover

2012-11-11T09:52:00.001-08:00

Our house doesn't have a lot of carpet. In fact, it is all hardwood floors except for our spare bedroom. Last week I was working on cleaning up and organizing our spare bedroom, and I found this stain underneath a basket full of craft supplies:

No one knows what it is or where it came from. It wasn't there when I put the basket there a year or two ago, and all that was in the basket is yarn. So anyway, I thought I remembered seeing a pin on Pinterest about removing carpet stains. Sure enough, I was right. I followed this link to find an easy recipe for a miracle carpet cleaner using things that most everyone already has in their house.

All you need is a small bowl/container, hydrogen peroxide, blue Dawn dish detergent, and an old toothbrush or other scrub brush.

I poured a little bit of peroxide into a bowl, and then squirted some Dawn in. I used an old toothbrush to mix it up, and then I started scrubbing at the stain. It didn't even take much scrubbing; the stain came out almost instantly. I scrubbed for an extra long time just to make sure I got it good and clean. Then I took a rag and some hot water and washed the soap out of the carpet. Here is what it looks like now:

Not too shabby, huh? So remember this for the future: Don't spend money on rug shampoos or for professional carpet cleaning when you can get stains out so easily (and cheaply) by yourself.

Reusable Tissues

2012-10-30T14:54:00.002-07:00

I have been really inspired by Extreme Cheapskates on TLC. Of course, a lot of the stuff people do on that show is just a little crazy, but then again that's why I like that kind of show. There was one woman on the show who, instead of buying toilet paper, cut squares out of fabric and kept them in her bathroom where the toilet paper would go. She had her family use the "reusable toilet paper" and then throw it in a bucket next to the toilet so it could be washed and reused. While I can't bring myself to do that (I have more of a problem with the bucket of used t.p. sitting next to the toilet than with the reusable t.p. itself) it did inspire me to come up with this idea for reusable tissues. And yes, I have heard of handkerchiefs so I know I didn't actually come up with the idea of reusable tissues. I wouldn't exactly call these "handkerchiefs" but you'll see why.

What you will need:

Old t-shirts or other cotton fabric

Scissors

Ruler

Empty wipes container

Our thrift store has t-shirts as cheap as $0.09, so I went hunting for some. I only found 3 this time, but the price was right so I bought them. BTW, I decided to stick with the same color. I have some old t-shirt rags that I use for cleaning, and I didn't want to get the tissues mixed up with the same scraps I use for cleaning.

Then you will need to cut the t-shirts into squares. A regular tissue is 8 in x 8in. I found that 8 x 8 inch squares didn't fit so well in my wipes container, so I cut them down to 8 x 7. They don't have to be exact, you're just going to blow your nose on them anyway.

I got about a dozen tissues out of each t-shirt. Plus I had a couple of other small scraps of cotton that I cut up. So I ended up with about 40 tissues. Fold each one in half and put them in a stack.

Then take a regular wipes container (or other container of a similar size)

And decorate it however you want. I covered mine with mod podge and some denim scraps from jeans I had cut off at the beginning of the summer.

Put your stack of tissues inside the container.

And now you have a box of tissues that you can wash and reuse, for less than the price of a disposable box of tissues! These are even better than regular tissues because they won't tear, and they are thicker so you won't need to use as many. You could even make multiple boxes and keep them around your house like you would with regular tissues. Just use them, throw them in the laundry, wash, fold, and put back in the container. I know tissues don't cost a lot, and most people only use them when they're sick, so it may not save a whole ton of money, but no matter how small the amount, I would rather keep it than waste it on something you're going to throw away.

You may also like: Save Unused Napkins from Restaurants

Low Carb Pumpkin Pie

2012-10-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

Now that Thanksgiving is fast approaching, I have been getting a little nervous. I have been nervous because you can't have Thanksgiving without pumpkin pie, but I can't have pumpkin pie now that I gave up carbs, grains and sugar. But thankfully (no pun intended) I found this recipe on Pinterest, and I tweaked it a bit. Not only is it low carb and sugar free, it is also grain free, dairy free, Paleo-approved, and gluten free.

Just to warn you, it is a crust-free pie. But I don't miss the crust. To be honest, I always throw the crust out anyway. Here are your ingredients (I also wanted to mention that I had each and every one of these ingredients in my fridge/pantry and didn't have to go out to the store to buy any of them.)

1 15 oz can pumpkin

1 1/2 cup coconut milk

3 eggs

2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

3/4 cup stevia

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Put all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Pour into a greased pie pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a knife inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Slice and serve with a spoonful or 4 of whipped cream. Yumm!!!

**I was going to take more pictures of my delicious pie, but it didn't look very picture-perfect on my plate. But that's ok, I got at least one picture of it, and the taste makes up for lack of pretty pictures.**

DIY Scarf Organizer

2012-10-25T17:24:00.001-07:00

I have been collecting more and more scarves lately. I finally acquired enough scarves that I was in need of something on which to hang them. First I found this scarf organizer at Bed Bath and Beyond, but I didn't need it bad enough to spend $8 on it. Then I found a DIY scarf organizer on Pinterest using a hanger and shower curtain rings. That would mean I have to go out and buy shower curtain rings. Yeah, that wasn't gonna happen. So I created my own cheap (free) version of the DIY scarf organizer.

Start with a hanger. Find one that has the little hangy-hooks on each side as pictured.

Then you'll need a few rubber bands.

First, stretch a rubber band horizontally from one of the hangy-hooks to the other.

Then start stretching the other rubber bands across the hanger vertically, lining them up evenly.

Take your scarves and loop them through the holes. Hang and store. That's it.

OK, so I know I'm being kind of cheap here, but it wasn't something that I wanted to spend money on, so I found a way to make something to fit my needs for free. Isn't that what being frugal is all about? ;)

Fruit Cup Halloween Treats

2012-10-21T19:48:00.001-07:00

One day last week, we had to bring the snack for Angie's preschool class. I remembered seeing something on Pinterest awhile back that I knew would be cute and easy. I actually saw the idea here, but it's so easy that directions really aren't necessary. All you need are those little fruit cup packages (anything orange will work, but I used mandarin oranges) and a black sharpie.

Simply draw faces on the tops of the fruit cups. I wanted to make all of them look different, so I just looked up "jack-o-lantern faces" on Google Images to get some ideas. Here is what I came up with:

A really cute, easy, healthy Halloween-themed snack that kids love. It was the perfect snack for a class of 3 year olds!

Candy Corn Paper Clip Earrings

2012-10-16T17:39:00.000-07:00

These are a really cute, easy, inexpensive fall craft. I originally got the idea for paper clip earrings from Evie S., but I put a fall twist on them and made them into candy corns. All you need are:

2 paperclips

Embroidery floss in orange, yellow and white

Glue stick

Earring hooks

Jump rings

Open up the paperclips to make triangle shapes.

Next you will need to wrap the embroidery floss around the paperclips. First, apply some glue to the paperclip with a glue stick. I find that a glue stick works well because it makes the thread stick without making a big mess. Wrap white floss around the top part of the paperclip, and yellow around the bottom as shown:

Once the paperclip is wrapped all the way around, apply more glue to the sides, and start wrapping all the way around the earring (from side to side of the triangle). Start at the top with white thread and wrap 1/3 of the triangle, then switch to orange thread. Wrap the middle 1/3 of the triangle, then switch to yellow until you have reached the bottom, gluing all the way. You may need to use a needle to hide the ends of the thread inside. Then attach the earring hooks with jump rings.

And that's it. Really quick, easy and cheap. It's an easy way to make a cute pair of fall earrings to wear. It would also be a fun craft to make with little girls.

BTW, if you haven't already, be sure to follow my page via Google Friend Connect or follow on Facebook!

You may also like: Fruit Cup Halloween Treats or Dip-Dyed Candy Corn Shirt

Homemade Beef Jerky

2012-09-22T14:51:00.000-07:00

Recently I have discovered Wellness Mama and have really been enjoying her blog. It's extremely informative and eye-opening. I have mentioned in the past how I have struggled with weight and other health issues such as PCOS and insulin resistance. I have always thought that the reason it's so hard to lose weight and be healthy in general is that there are so many different theories out there regarding what is healthy and what isn't. Her blog doesn't necessarily follow the norm of what we've been told is healthy all these years, but after reading the facts and the reasoning behind the theories, it makes perfect sense to me. Personally, I have been doing what "they" say is healthy for years now, and it's not working. Therefore, our house is going grain-free. In addition, we are beginning to change the products we use to natural and chemical-free.

That being said, I will be posting a lot more healthy, low-carb, grain-free recipes as well as recipes for DIY natural health and beauty and cleaning products. This is one recipe that I got from Wellness Mama. Here is the original link.

I have always been pretty picky about beef jerky, mostly because it's hard to find a brand/flavor that I like. Recently I discovered Simms Beef Jerky, which you can buy at Aldi. Not only is it moist and delicious, but it has a wonderful sweet flavor to it. But even at Aldi's prices, the cost adds up quickly. Plus, it contains additives and extra sugar and carbs that I don't need. The thought of making my own beef jerky had crossed my mind before, but I had no idea it was this easy.

Here is what you'll need:

Ground beef (preferably 20% fat or less)

Spices of your choice

Baking sheet with a rim

Large mixing bowl

Put the ground beef in a bowl. Add whatever spices you want. Using clean hands, mix the meat with the spices. (I used some of my homemade taco seasoning in this batch)

Next, line your baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray it with cooking spray. Spread the meat over the baking sheet. You can use a rolling pin for this step, but it's not necessary.

Use a knife or pizza cutter to cut into pieces (this will make it easier to break into pieces when it's done)

Set your oven on its lowest setting. Mine is 200 degrees. Put the baking sheet with the meat on it in the oven. In about an hour, it will look like this:

But don't get too excited, it still has a long way to go. Cooking times vary based on the temperature you are cooking at and how much meat you are cooking. Mine took about 6-8 hours to cook at 200 degrees. Did I mention you will want to do this when you're not planning to leave the house? It's a good idea to check it often so you don't overcook it. Also, you will need to flip it about halfway through. Plus, if you see any grease/fat accumulate on the baking sheet, it will need to be drained.

Once your beef jerky is done, let it sit on the baking sheet to cool. It will also dry out a little more as it cools. Then, break into pieces and enjoy!

Dip-Dyed Candy Corn Shirt

2012-09-18T18:53:00.000-07:00

This idea was a long time in the making. I actually first thought of this last fall... I thought, Gee it would be nice to have a fall-themed shirt to wear to fall events, such as Trunk or Treat at our church, HallZOOween at the Zoo, etc. But then I got too busy and didn't get around to making one. My original thought was to buy 3 similar shirts in orange, yellow, and white, and then cut them up and sew them back together to make one shirt. But while I can sew, it's not my strong point, and I came up with this idea instead which seemed much easier (not to mention cheaper).

This was not my first experience using fabric dye (see some of my other projects here and here). But it was my first experience with dip-dying. The only difference is that you have to be creative and find a way to hang the shirt in a way that only the part you want dyed hangs down in the dye bath.

Here is what I started out with:

One $6 cotton shirt and 2 $2.29 boxes of fabric dye in yellow and orange. That's a total cost of $10.58, which is much better than $18 (what my original idea would have costed).

You will also need a plastic container larger than 3 gallons, plastic gloves, salt, and a large spoon that you can designate for projects such as these. It helps to have several large disposable plastic containers. I used gallon jugs.

Start by placing your large plastic container in a utility sink or other area that you don't mind getting dirty or possibly dying another color. Add 1 cup of salt and the yellow dye packet to the gallon jug. Then add 4 cups of very hot water and mix well. Add to the large plastic container. Then add 2 more gallons of very hot tap water. Use the spoon and mix well.

Hang your shirt so that the bottom 2/3 hangs in the dye bath. (Don't mind my icky basement sink).

Use the spoon to stir the dye bath. Try to keep the fabric moving around as much as possible so that it dyes evenly. After 10 minutes, remove the shirt and dump out the dye bath. Put on your rubber gloves and rinse the shirt out until the water runs clear. Be careful only to rinse the part of the shirt that has been dyed, otherwise you may accidentally dye the top part of the shirt too. Once the shirt has been rinsed thoroughly, run it through the washer on regular cycle with warm water.

Then, you are going to repeat the steps to create the second dye bath with the orange dye. Mix the dye up the same way, with 1 cup of salt and 4 cups of hot water, and add 2 more gallons of hot water. This time, hang your shirt so that the bottom 1/3 hangs in the dye bath.

Again, stir the dye bath to keep the fabric moving. This time, you will need to keep the shirt in the dye for 30 minutes. Then, dump out the dye bath and rinse the shirt until the water runs clear.

Then you will need to wash the shirt again. To avoid bleeding the orange dye onto the rest of your shirt, hang your shirt so only the bottom 1/3 hangs in the washer. Let it hang that way until your washer requires you to close it to go any further. Then take it off the hanger and let the washer run through the cycle.

Hang up your shirt to dry. You are now done. What a cute shirt to wear to trick or treat, apple picking, hayrides, etc! You can also use this same technique on a child's shirt or dress. My only problem is I accidentally bought a shirt that was at least one size too big. Whoops. Oh well, better too big than too small.

Apple Cider Vinegar Astringent

2012-09-08T10:11:00.001-07:00

I tried this out about a week or so ago, and it works so well, I had to share it. I am always skeptical when I see new and different skin treatments because it seems like when I try something new, it's mediocre at best. I have had lifelong skin issues, mostly due to having PCOS. Sometimes it's worse than others, but I have always had problems with oily skin, breakouts, and red splotchiness. I originally saw this on a pin on Pinterest which I can't find now, but it's so easy I remembered how to make it off the top of my head.

You mix 1 part apple cider vinegar with 4 parts water. I use the raw, unfiltered kind of apple cider vinegar, which you should be able to find in the Organic/Health food section of the grocery store. I'm not sure if it would still work as well with the regular kind.

You can use just about any kind of bottle to keep it in, as long as it has a small-ish screw-on lid. I looked in my bathroom closet and saw that I had 2 bottles of rubbing alcohol open, so I just poured what was left of one into the other. Then I removed the labels with a hair dryer, cleaned and dried the bottle, and poured the ACV and water in with a funnel. Then I labeled the bottle.

I have been using it twice a day. I give it a good shake before using it, then I put some on a cotton round and apply to my face. I could tell a difference as soon as I started using it. My face felt really soft and clean. And then within a few days, I could tell even bigger differences. My face is no longer breaking out, and even the red splotches are fading. Trust me, this stuff works wonders! And, on top of that, it's non toxic, and it's super cheap. What more can you ask for?

Bean Bag Chair Yarn Storage

2012-09-03T19:40:00.000-07:00

I was inspired to create yarn storage out of a bean bag chair cover by this post that I recently saw on Pinterest. The post suggests using an empty bean bag chair cover to store stuffed animals. Well, Angie already has a really good place to store hers, so I really couldn't use the idea.... or could I?

A few days after seeing that pin on Pinterest, this idea popped into my head. I remembered my mess of a craft room (which, I am slowly and steadily converting into an organized space... but there is still a huge pile of random craft supplies and Hobby Lobby bags on the floor) and particularly the trash bag in which I store most of my yarn.

I don't know what made me think to put my yarn in there, but why not? Seems like yarn would be less lumpy than stuffed animals... and it satisfies a need for storage as well as seating. Not to mention it's super cool that I have a great place to keep all of my yarn now and no one will ever know it's there! I found this bean bag chair cover at Bed Bath and Beyond (which, oddly enough, appears to be the same one from the post about the stuffed animal storage)

I opened up the zipper, and one by one I put each piece of my yarn collection inside.

Then I closed it up and neatly placed it in the corner.

So excited about this! How cool is it that all of my yarn is now out of the way AND out of sight? And I have a cute little bean bag chair in the corner that I or Angie can sit in, and only I need to know that it's filled with yarn. Plus all of my yarn can be easily accessed with a simple pull of a zipper!

Weight-Loss Wednesday: 3-Day Diet

2012-08-22T11:04:00.001-07:00

I recently found the 3-Day diet on Pinterest. At first, I was really excited. Then I was really frightened. There is no way I can do this, I told myself. The more I looked at it, the more I realized that it's very, very little food. Much less than I eat in a day. Then I thought about how I feel physically ill when I'm hungry, and that made me think that I couldn't do it even more so. But then again I thought, it's only 3 days. I was really skeptical, mostly because of my past history with diets. But I decided to bite the bullet and try it. I kept a diary of my experience and I also took pictures of all of the meals, which you will find below.

According to the original link, this diet is based on chemical breakdown. You must eat exactly what is listed. Nothing more, nothing less. It was created by a military person in order to lose pounds/get in shape quickly. Personally, I don't really have a reason to have to lose pounds quickly, other than the fact that I have been dieting and exercising religiously for the past year and a half with little to no results and I'm desperate to find something that works. Anyway, the diet is safe and can be repeated after a 4-day break. It doesn't say that exercise is required, but I am sure it doesn't hurt. I exercised each day of the diet, but I just made sure not to overdo it. I walked on my treadmill for 30 minutes each day at a medium-fast pace. With the small amount of food you will be eating, you may not have a whole lot of energy to exercise.
A note about water: it is the only thing you are allowed to drink on this diet (other than coffee or tea on day one if desired). I recommend drinking at least a gallon of water each day. It helps somewhat with the hunger. Not to mention it's very good for you.

Any other questions, please REFER TO THE ORIGINAL LINK. Thanks!

THE RULES:
No eating between meals
No substitutions
No seasonings other than salt and pepper

THE DIET:
Day 1:
BREAKFAST--1/2 GRAPEFRUIT, 1 SLICE TOAST,
2 TBS. PEANUT BUTTER, COFFEE OR TEA

LUNCH--1/2 CUP TUNA, 1 SLICE TOAST, COFFEE OR TEA

DINNER--2 SLICES ANY TYPE OF MEAT (ABOUT 3
OZ), 1 CUP GREEN BEANS, 1/2 BANANA, 1 SMALL
APPLE, 1 CUP VANILLA ICE CREAM

Day 2:
BREAKFAST--1 EGG, 1 SLICE TOAST, 1/2 BANANA

LUNCH--1 CUP COTTAGE CHEESE (OR 1 SLICE
CHEDDAR CHEESE), 1 HARD BOILED EGG, 5
SALTINE CRACKERS

DINNER--2 HOT DOGS, (no buns), 1 CUP BROCCOLI,
1/2 CUP CARROTS, 1/2 BANANA, 1/2 CUP VANILLA ICE CREAM

Day 3:
BREAKFAST--5 SALTINE CRACKERS, 1 SLICE CHEDDAR
CHEESE, 1 SMALL APPLE

LUNCH--1 HARD BOILED EGG, 1 SLICE TOAST

DINNER--1 CUP TUNA, 1/2 BANANA, 1 CUP VANILLA ICE CREAM

My Experience on the 3-Day Diet
Day 1:
I put off eating breakfast for as long as possible. I ate my breakfast at 11:00. It was actually a fairly satisfying breakfast. Half of a grapefruit... this was the first time I had ever eaten grapefruit without any kind of sweetener on top, but hey, it wasn't bad. 2 tbsp of peanut butter was actually too much for one piece of toast though. But I still slathered it on there and ate it since the diet says to eat everything on the list exactly as it's written.

Then 2:00 rolled around and it was lunchtime... ok, that was disappointing. A piece of toast with tuna on top. Yes, it's edible, but really, is that all?

Then came the most challenging part of the day. The 5 hours between lunch and dinner. I did manage to exercise for 30 minutes during my lunch break...since I didn't have to spend a lot of time eating anyway. I was EXTREMELY hungry the entire time. Then I started feeling very weak, shaky, and lightheaded. But I just kept telling myself that eating was not an option. Nope, not until dinner time. Ahhhhh... dinner. Even though it was almost all healthy food, I was sooooo happy to eat it. And look at that plate of food, it's actually quite a bit of food to eat for being on such a strict diet. I guess they're making up for the agonizing afternoon of nothing. And you get to eat ice cream too! Honestly, I felt pretty guilty about the ice cream. But hey, the diet says you have to eat it, and who am I to disobey the diet? Okay, okay, I'm lying a little bit here. As you can see, that is broccoli on my plate, not green beans like the diet says. I am sure that just about everyone will have at least one thing on the list that they absolutely cannot tolerate. For me, that thing was green beans. Surprisingly, I liked everything else on the list (except for coffee and tea, but luckily that was optional).

Oh, and another note about today: I had no problem whatsoever drinking the gallon of water that I put in the fridge the night before. I just drank the water whenever I felt hungry (which was pretty much constantly). I really don't know whether or not it helped because I was still extremely hungry, but maybe I would have felt worse if I didn't drink it, who knows. If I could describe the first day of this diet in one word, it would be KILLER.

Day 2:
I woke up feeling okay today. I really wasn't going to weigh myself, but I saw the scale sitting there and I just did it. Boy, was I glad I did. I lost SIX, count them, SIX pounds in that first day. When I first read about this diet and it said you can lose up to 10 pounds in 3 days, I was very skeptical. I thought, if normal people can lose 10 pounds, maybe I could lose 2 or 3. It's better than nothing. Because diets normally don't have the same effect on me that they do on others. But it was very refreshing and encouraging to know that all of the agony I went through yesterday paid off. I am still skeptical about how the rest of this diet is going to go... will I continue to lose more weight? And will I be able to keep it off? I guess we will see. You have to understand my past history with diets and why I don't trust them.
Anywho... breakfast this morning was okay. It was about the same amount of food as yesterday.

Lunch was actually a little more food than yesterday. And since it was a high-protien lunch, it made it a little easier to make it to dinner time. (I said a little easier... still not easy though). I do like cottage cheese... I know not everyone does, but I like it. I don't usually eat a whole cup of it at a time though. It's one of those foods that I can only take in small amounts. So one cup was a bit difficult to choke down, but I did it.

I again walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes today. I made it to dinner... to be honest, I was a bit irritable by dinner time due to the lack of food. But I made it. And dinner actually wasn't too bad tonight. Plenty of fruits and vegetables, hot dogs and ice cream, yum!

Day 3:
I went ahead and weighed myself this morning since I had such good results yesterday. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea. I weighed one pound more than I did yesterday morning. Even after starving myself all day. I have no idea how that happened. Even if you take into account the "water weight" from drinking a whole gallon of water in one day, it seems like I should not have weighed one pound more first thing in the morning. But oh well... we will see what the final results are tomorrow morning. I have to say today was easier than Day 1 but harder than Day 2. Because the allowed food today, well, it stinks. It is much less quantity than the first 2 days. And in my opinion, it was less quality too. The only meal I actually enjoyed today was breakfast.

Lunch was kind of a joke... one hard boiled egg and one dry piece of toast? Are you kidding me?

But guess what... I did it. I managed to eat only the food that was allowed today (not to mention ALL THREE DAYS of the diet). I almost gave in at dinner time tonight. I started to think... I made it this far, eating a regular dinner isn't going to make a difference now. Plus I wasn't looking forward to eating all of that dry tuna. I love tuna, but this diet was the first time I have ever eaten it plain with nothing else mixed it. Let's just say I like it better as casserole or salad.

The bottom line is... I really did not think I was going to be able to do this diet. BUT I DID!! And if I can do it, believe me, ANYONE can. I still don't know how I managed to do this for 3 days, let alone 3 hours. I endured extreme hunger pains, weakness, shakiness, diziness, and a persistent headache due to food withdrawal. I honestly felt like I was going to die that first day. I knew I would feel better if I ate, but I reached deep inside myself and found willpower and strength that I didn't know I had. I decided that I wasn't going to give in. Because I realized something... hunger is a bully. It tells me to eat, or else it's going to beat me up and make me feel crappy. And I have been giving into that bully for years and years now. I finally realized that I don't have to give into my bully. I can stand up to it and say NO. I know more than anyone, it's much easier said than done. This was one of the toughest things I have had to do. But it is possible.
Now I know what I am capable of. I was able to complete the 3-day diet successfully. And by the end of 3 days, I LOST 9 POUNDS. How satisfying is that? I plan to keep repeating the diet as directed (3 days on, 4 days off) to keep losing weight. Hopefully it will continue to work, as I have a lot more weight to lose. But I am very happy with the results of this diet. It gave me hope that there is something that will work for me. It gave me a boost of confidence and self esteem. And it left me 9 pounds lighter. ;)

DIY Foaming Hand Soap

2012-08-19T15:21:00.000-07:00

I recently shared a post on how to make your own liquid hand soap. This is another twist on cheap and easy soap making. I actually had heard about this idea quite awhile ago, but just never tried it. I guess maybe I was skeptical about how well it would work. I also tend to prefer the liquid soap to the foaming soap. But anyway, I had several empty foaming soap dispensers that I had saved up, and instead of throwing them away, I decided to give this a try.

This method costs only pennies more than the other method, but it is much quicker and easier. All you need is an empty foaming soap dispenser, a small amount of liquid dish detergent, and running water.
Fill the soap dispenser with about 1 inch of liquid dish detergent.

Fill it up the rest of the way with water. Put the lid back on. Don't shake it up, but gently tilt it from side to side to mix the soap and water together.

That's all. Your foaming hand soap is ready to use. As I mentioned, I was skeptical as to whether this would work, but it works just fine. I can't tell the difference between this soap and the kind that originally came in the soap dispenser.

Also, I figured out the cost. You use about $0.10 worth of dish detergent, so these cost about 10 cents per bottle. This cost can vary based on what brand of dish detergent you buy, if you buy it on sale, if you use coupons, etc. Still way better than $2-3+ per bottle at the store.

***UPDATE 8/22/12*** After using my homemade foaming handsoap for a few days, I noticed that it can make your hands a bit dry. I came up with a solution to this problem: Use Dawn Hand Renewal dish soap. This may raise the cost per bottle of soap a bit, but I was happy to find that my grocery store carries a store brand of Dawn Hand Renewal, and it only costs $0.30 more than the kind I normally buy.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana French Toast Sandwiches

2012-08-18T13:45:00.002-07:00

This idea popped into my head as I was making Angie a peanut butter banana sandwich the other day. I thought, this would be really good with a few chocolate chips mixed in. And then I thought, it would be even better if it were grilled so the chocolate chips melted. And then I took it one step further and thought, why not make it French toast on the outside too? And so the chocolate peanut butter banana French toast sandwich was born.

All you need is:

Bread

Peanut butter

2 eggs

chocolate chips

1 banana

1/2 cup milk (I substituted almond milk because it's what I had)

First, crack your eggs into a shallow bowl. Add the milk and stir.

Set the bowl aside. Now it's time to make your sandwiches. (While you are making the sandwiches, it's a good time to heat up your griddle on the stove. Set on medium heat and spray with cooking spray.)

Spread a thin layer of peanut butter on both pieces of bread. Slice the banana into very thin slices and place over the peanut butter. Sprinkle some chocolate chips on top.

Put the second piece of bread on top of the one with the bananas and chocolate chips, peanut butter side down. Carefully dip the sandwich in the milk and egg mixture (both sides) and place on the heated griddle.

Cook evenly on both sides. Repeat this process for as many sandwiches as you need.

Sprinkle powdered sugar on top.

This can be eaten as a sandwich, or with a knife and fork. You can put syrup on top if desired, but it really doesn't need it. This makes a delightful Saturday morning breakfast (I know it did for us!)