If you do stuff, stuff gets done.......

If you do stuff, stuff gets done.......

Thursday, August 23, 2012

this week.......


Hello everyone
this week we are getting used to a new work schedule for Nina and a new preschool schedule for Elizabeth.  So far,  thinks are going as smoothly as possible.  

I've done a little sewing- 
hemmed a pair of khaki pants for John
hemmed some sleep shorts for Jimmy
and I made 2 more fabric keychain thingies

this long one is for Nina
I don't think she is really going to wear it around her neck but she likes them big so she can easily find it in her purse

I've been using the wrist size one with keys on it and really like how it keeps my keys handy when I am out.
The bandana print one is for Amanda
3 of my 4 grands spent the day with me Tuesday.
Braeden is 6 weeks old- isn't he such a big boy to be so young?
Elizabeth and Gavin both took turns sitting in Braeden's carseat and bounce chair
even though their heads and feet extended off the ends.
Sweet silly toddlers!  
I have a long to-do list for this morning - 
a little yardwork
a walk with Theo, our sweet dog
cleaning the floors and bathrooms
doing some laundry
making 2 desserts for the weekend (my in-laws are coming to town)

 I also hope to work on a colorful paper pennant banner to put in the baby-playroom.  

But none of that is going to get done while I sit here at this laptop.

What are you doing to today?  I hope we all get lots done!  

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Homemade Glass Cleaner



I may be the last thrifty homemaker to try making glass cleaner and this is probably not news to many of you but I finally tried making some spray cleaner.  2 bottles of Windex type cleaner both ran out about the same time as I had just done some shopping.  I did not want to go shopping just to buy cleaner so I looked online to see what recipes had good reviews and used ingredients I had.

I tried this one and am really happy with it.  

Homemade Glass Cleaner

  • 1/4 c. rubbing alcohol
  • 1/4 c. white vinegar
  • 1 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 2 c. warm water- I heated mine in the microwave not till boiling but really hot
  • and a drop of blue food coloring to make it look like Windex- optional! 
Combine everything in your  spray bottle  then shake well. 
Shake well before every use. The cornstarch could settle in the bottom of the bottle and the bottle might not spray right if the cornstarch clogs it.  
I wrote SHAKE on the bottle just to remind the user to do that.
I also reused some empty Windex bottles but I know purist natural people would never do that.  


This cleans just as well as Windex with no streaks.  
The only draw back is the scent of vinegar and alcohol does smell as fresh as real Windex.  
The homemade costs just pennies and Windex is at least $2 so I think I will stay with the homemade.


I am still using homemade spray starch too and very happy with it too

Friday, August 17, 2012

wow Staples!

this is what 90 rolls of toilet paper, 
a dozen rolls of paper towels, 
9 boxes of Puffs 
and 1 bag of Starbucks coffee looks like!

I placed that order Weds. afternoon and it was delivered Thursday morning.  

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Lots of saving and doing today


Grand daughter Elizabeth spent the day with me again today. 
While she ate breakfast,  I paid 2 bills online - I love our bank's free internet bill pay system!  


Then we went to the bank for some cash.
We made one stop at a grocer and got some frozen veggies that were on sale.
I got breaded okra and whole green beans.
Peas, corn and mixes veggies are often on sale but not the fancier ones like these were today
 for just $1 and $1.29 a bag so I stocked up on them.  


I cut up 2 cantaloupe and 1 huge pineapple
all are delicious!




Staples mailed me some coupons yesterday and I already had $40 in  Staples Rewards from ink cartridge recycling so this seemed like a good time to do a Staples order.  They offered free shipping on orders over $45,
$10 off $75 orders and a free bag of Starbucks coffee with a $75 order.
Staples allows stacking of Rewards and different coupons.
So with some careful ordering,  I spent just enough to us both coupons and my Rewards.
I was also careful to buy only things we need and use.


Item 1Qty.Subtotal
QUILTED NORTHERN SOFT N S
Item No.: 852192 Price: $15.99/each
Expected Delivery: 08/16/2012 by Staples Courier
3$47.97
Item 2Qty.Subtotal
BRAWNY 2-PLY PREMIUM PERF
Item No.: 852190 Price: $16.99/each
Expected Delivery: 08/16/2012 by Staples Courier
1$16.99
Item 3Qty.Subtotal
PUFFS BSC 3PK FAMILY 200
Item No.: 445267 Price: $5.99/each
Expected Delivery: 08/16/2012 by Staples Courier
3$17.97
Item 4Qty.Subtotal
STARBUCKS 1LB GROUND VERO
Item No.: 500527 Price: $12.99/each
Expected Delivery: 08/16/2012 by Staples Courier
1$12.99
Subtotal:$95.92
Delivery:FREE
Coupon1:-$12.99
Coupon2:-$10.00
Coupon3:-$20.00
Coupon4:-$20.00
Coupon5:-$6.00
Tax:$2.36
Total:$29.29

I'll be getting 90 rolls of toilet paper, 12 rolls of paper towels,  9 giant boxes of Puffs and a free bag of Starbucks ground coffee for just $29!


Ruffled Key Chain
 Daughter Nina requested I sew a key chain bracelet for her with the tutorial on a really cute blog Sugar Bee  that is new to me but Nina has been reading.  My stash had plenty of fabric for Nina to choose from but I did not have the same key holder metal part as SugarBee used.  I found some spring snaps in the leather department for Hobby Lobby.  
But I have looked online at other tutorials for similar key wrist bands and one of them used some handbag clips from Joanns,  I think I would like them better and I am going to look for them when I have time.  
being a hand model is harder than it looks!  

It will hold your keys on your wrist so your hands are still free
and hopefully wearing keys might prevent losing them.  

I hope you all had a nice day too!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Where has Rhonda been? long and rambling post here to catch up


Just a little busy.
baby Andie stayed with us for 10 days while her parents went to Sturgis. 
My parents came and stayed with us too so they could have some extended time with their great grands.
One of my brothers visited 2 different days and brought his girlfriend.
My other brother came too,  he stayed 2 days and brought his dog.  
Our children all came over too as much as they could.  

It was lots of fun but I was busy with meals for everyone and Baby Andie did not sleep quite as good here as she does at home.  







 








The grands are all doing great!
Little Andie is 5 months and looks big and is strong for her age.  
She certainly does not look like a premmie anymore.

Braeden just had his 1 month birthday and has grown from about 7 pounds to almost 10 pounds.  
I am very thankful for these 4 healthy, thriving and sweet children.  


National Smores Day 
It was National Smores Day last week so John and Nina brought the ingredients and prepared Smores Cookies that day.  They are a Pinterest recipe (of course!)  have a graham cracker crust that bakes and is topped with a marshmallow and chocolate.  
 They are delicious! 
 But a little hard to remove from the pan.  Next time,  I think they will use paper cup liners in the mini cupcake pans.  



The Heat!  
It has been another HOT record breaking summer.  

We had a stretch of about 7 days with temps over 110 -there were lots of fires in our state,  
one very bad one was just 1.5 miles from our home
We still need rain but are thankful the weather is cooler for now.






You may of seen this photo taken in my town,  
saying that it is so hot here, 
that the streetlights are melting.
Well,  it has been really hot but not that hot.

This streetlight melted because it was right beside a dumpster that caught fire,
 not because of the hot weather.


Funny "journalists" , huh?


Feeding everyone
It was too hot to turn on the oven so I used my crockpots most evenings for supper.
I have a 3 quart and a 5 quart crockpot. 

I made baked potatoes in one of them twice.
One meal was salsa chicken.
Another meal was a beef roast.
Also beef stroganoff type dish served on rice.

The favorite meal of all was a beef roast seasoned with taco seasoning and Rotel, cooked till very tender and  shredded in the small crockpot with refried beans cooked in the bigger crockpot.  
Another meal was reheated ribs from the freezer - son Bobby was a barbecue contest a few months ago and he prepared several trial runs of brisket and ribs - so it was nice to have that meat cooked and ready to heat during a busy time.  

  


Nap Time 






Granddaughter Elizabeth napping at our house.
The quilt she is covered up with is the last piece of patchwork my grandmother made,  I think Grandma was about 95 when she hand pieced it,   her eyes just got too bad for her see to do anymore handwork.
Grandma gave it to me and I quilted it.  It is just about the right size for a toddler bed.  

I think it is really sweet that Elizabeth is using a quilt from her great great grandmother.  


If you got this far,  
I will be back this evening to answer comments
It was really fun to see so many comments last week even though I did not have time to answer them then.


Saturday, August 4, 2012

a new Home Sweet Home

Hello everyone
I was busy last week,  doing more cleaning out and organizing,  getting ready for a busy week to come.  
No blog-worthy pictures on my camera but these pictures from my son's new apartment are worth sharing.  


one view of the kitchen- no upper cabinets at all but several open shelves and racks for hanging towels or using clips to hang things like pots and pans
those round windows are one of my favorite features- there are 4 them on that wall.

more of the kitchen
the microwave is built in below the counter top
this looks into the dining room area

more of the living room

Living room

that upper border is made of reclaimed wood with lots of different finishes- really looks nice.

there is a built in coat rack and huge chalkboard you can't see in this picture
the doors for the entry, bedroom and the bathroom

The bedroom has a big walk-in closet that also houses the stacked washer-dryer combo.


I will get some more pictures when he gets it decorated- right now it is full of boxes and bubble-wrapped furniture.  

Monday, July 30, 2012

Frugal doings in July

July has not really seemed like a frugal month with the air conditioner running almost non-stop
and the prices of everything at the store going up .
Still.....
There were some frugal doings though.  
I've dried  many loads of laundry outside.  I really prefer to finish in the dryer but it is so hot,   I just hate to turn on the clothes dryer.
Most loads are drying outside in about 30 minutes - that is probably faster too.

and you tell I am not running up the water bill by doing much outdoor watering either......

 produce
raised by Gavin and Braeden's other grandparents
 it was as delicious as it looks too!

Hand-me-down playhouse that Nina got from another family at church.  They passed it on to us as their children have outgrown it and it was passed to them from another family.
Gavin and Elizabeth are already enjoying it and little Andie says she will be playing in it with them as soon as she can.

I was hoping to find one at a yard sale this summer so I am really happy to have one given to us.  

One of two piles of flower bed pavers we got from a neighbor who was getting rid of them.  

this is one of 3 rose bushes we bought at Aldi 2 springs ago.
It has bloomed like this 3 times,  more than 50 pretty yellow roses each time.
I think the bushes were $3.97.

Several months ago 
I bought 3 different scents of aromatherapy lotions and body sprays at Bath and Body Works,  
I really like 2 of them and noticed that they were 1/2 gone already.  
Since I don't like the 3rd scent and Bath and Body Works has a satisfaction guarantee,  
I returned  that unliked lotion and spray and traded them for a scent I will use.  
 It was a very easy transaction and I am really glad I did it.  


Theo likes a new brand of dog treats called Waggin Train.  
The small bags sell for about $2 and their was a recent news paper coupon on Waggin Train treats for $3 off 2 packs.  
I've already used the coupons from my papers and ordered a dozen more coupons from an Ebay dealer for just about $1.  
I don't seem to use a large number of coupons anymore but when there is a coupon deal like that good on items we use,  I like to look on Ebay for additional coupons.  

We went to Texas for a short trip and I stayed at my parents for a couple days. 
I helped my mom do some cleaning out of her clothes and craft supplies.  
We put a lot of her castoffs in their garage sale and organized everything she did keep. 
 I brought home 4 storage tubs of her unwanted and extra fabric and quilt supplies.

Mom and I also wear the same size shoes.  
She cannot wear the styles she used to so I brought home dozens of pairs of nice shoes and boots.  

I cooked all meals at home this month except for meals we ate on the road.
I really think most eating out is over-rated.  and way too salty!


I continue to clean out cabinets and closets and have another growing pile of stuff to give away 
If none of my friends or family take it all,  
I will be offering it on our local facebook "free" site or taking it to a thrift store.

how about you?  Has July been kind or harsh to your bank account?  


Sunday, July 29, 2012

Happy Birthday Jeff~

My husband's birthday was the same day as the Olympic opening ceremonies so Nina baked his cake with an Olympic theme.
Isn't it great?
She use edible paper and her silhouette machine to make the decorations.
The sports emblems are Jeff's favorite Olympic events.  

All our children and grands were at Nina and John's Saturday evening for a birthday party for Jeff.

Gavin thinks Aunt Nina's cakes are the best part of birthdays.
Elizabeth likes the present opening part the best.

Grandpa Jeff thinks having all his children and grandchildren together at one time is the best.  

And Zerbie, the worlds largest and sweetest Doberrnan,  thinks sitting on the couch
 just like the other guests is the best.