A couple of different versions, but all family history...
1) We went to the temple the day before I lost my job. Since then, I have spent some more time on family search and ancestry trying to get names ready since I'm all out of female endowments! We have a large stack for baptisms, which our ward is doing March 13, and a good pile of sealings to do. Just need to get down there together again. I was able to spend some time researching my Dad's uncle Philip's middle name since we just have the first initial. So far I haven't had any luck finding it, but it was so cool when I asked my Dad about it and he said, "Get on there and see what you can find" and I could! Why not me? I have time!
2) Updating our personal history. I started two blog posts a long time ago. The first was about our Temple Sealing and a little explanation since how we did it was a little confusing even for members of the Church. The second has pictures and videos from when we told our families about the baby coming. But both remain unfinished...until now. I have time to work on the technical issues of uploading the videos that wouldn't work before and caused me to give up and I have time to upload pictures and write a clear explanation and edit it until it's right.
What a great thing for a snowy Monday morning!
Monday, February 9, 2015
Sunday, February 8, 2015
A little design inspiration
I was messing around with my app playing with ideas for a baby announcement and then I came across this idea when I was looking for free templates online. It's not free, but it is quite inexpensive in terms of printing.
http://lilyjanestationery.typepad.com/justlovely/2011/01/diy-glassine-birth-announcements.html
The supplies needed are cheap in bulk- available on Amazon for less than 9.00 per 100. Then you'd just have to print the photos which we have done many times through Shutterfly deals without ever paying them a cent.
Now, the thing is I was originally looking for a digital version to post on facebook and instagram, and this wouldn't actually work for that. Whereas you can take a digital image and print 4 on one piece of card stock and throw those in the mail. Then you only have to pay for the paper, envelopes and stamps.
Here is an example of what I was able to find on Shutterfly, and an example of how I could make it myself and have it printed on photo paper- size would be adjustable, just the image would be square.
http://lilyjanestationery.typepad.com/justlovely/2011/01/diy-glassine-birth-announcements.html
The supplies needed are cheap in bulk- available on Amazon for less than 9.00 per 100. Then you'd just have to print the photos which we have done many times through Shutterfly deals without ever paying them a cent.
Now, the thing is I was originally looking for a digital version to post on facebook and instagram, and this wouldn't actually work for that. Whereas you can take a digital image and print 4 on one piece of card stock and throw those in the mail. Then you only have to pay for the paper, envelopes and stamps.
Here is an example of what I was able to find on Shutterfly, and an example of how I could make it myself and have it printed on photo paper- size would be adjustable, just the image would be square.
The proportions are quite different now that I'm looking at them side by side, but that's easy to fix.
To get the look, I used a picture that is similar to the one in the example above. Stacey is already excited to practice her newborn photography on our baby, so that part will be professional and free. They were over here tonight talking about blankets that we have that are perfect and the natural light in the living room. So, I'm thinking we'll go with the digital and print them at walgreens for like 10 cents each for the ones we want to mail, and then post the file online for everyone else.
Post Edit: I think I would change "proud" to either "tickled" or "adoring" or something like that.
Wall Art
A while back I saw this cute wall hanging at Hobby Lobby and thought to myself, "That would be just right, for a girl. Just enough to make that spot in her room special, but not over the top."
I've been adamant about the baby not having her "own room" since she is not going to be exclusively sleeping in there, her clothes and diapers will live in the laundry room and it is first and foremost her Dad's study. But I'm ok with mounting a couple of shelves I've had for 4 years still in their packaging and putting up one or two sweet things on the wall. That's it, though. Just her little corner.
This is what I saw:
I've been adamant about the baby not having her "own room" since she is not going to be exclusively sleeping in there, her clothes and diapers will live in the laundry room and it is first and foremost her Dad's study. But I'm ok with mounting a couple of shelves I've had for 4 years still in their packaging and putting up one or two sweet things on the wall. That's it, though. Just her little corner.
This is what I saw:
The green color is the same as the walls in her room and the salmon is a lovely contrast color. I like the little gold accent background and it was a nice size. A few weeks ago when I was back there looking for a mirror I tried to find it again but it's gone. Not on the website either. :(
And then...I thought I might see what I could do about making it myself. Here's the rough draft:
I'm still working on tweeking the pink color and I just noticed the little dot between the two olive branches, so I'll go back and fix that. What's crazy is I could have this printed on canvas and it would be nearly identical, but it would be cheaper (basically free) to just try printing it at home and put it in a frame if it turns out halfway decent.
Saturday, February 7, 2015
Homemade Bread
I love to make bread, so I actually have three kinds of flour on hand, a large jar of yeast, and all the important fixings for this to be cost effective over purchasing loaves of wheat bread from the store. I recognize that to start out, it would be an investment for some. I also recognize that it would be even more cost effective if I had wheat bins that I ground into flour, but again, this is the very first stage of this process.
This is how I am choosing to "do without" buying bread.
I've made this recipe twice now and I've loved it both times. It gets eaten up and doesn't go bad. I got it from my friend Andrea Wells and it is written from her perspective. It has a few steps and takes several hours, but I've been able to get chores done and even run errands as it is in progress so it fits into the day instead of taking up the whole of it. I use one cup of whole wheat flour and 3-4 white. Last time I used bread flour and it took almost 1.5 cups more than when I used All-Purpose. Something to consider.
Here's the recipe:
2 cups warm water
Enjoy!
This is how I am choosing to "do without" buying bread.
I've made this recipe twice now and I've loved it both times. It gets eaten up and doesn't go bad. I got it from my friend Andrea Wells and it is written from her perspective. It has a few steps and takes several hours, but I've been able to get chores done and even run errands as it is in progress so it fits into the day instead of taking up the whole of it. I use one cup of whole wheat flour and 3-4 white. Last time I used bread flour and it took almost 1.5 cups more than when I used All-Purpose. Something to consider.
Here's the recipe:
2 cups warm water
1/2 cup milk
Just less than 1/4 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp Yeast
*Mix water, milk and sugar. Sprinkle yeast over surface and let sit until dissolved (~5 min)
1 Tbsp Oil (I use vegetable oil, but canola oil or olive oil probably work fine too)
1 Tbsp Salt
*Mix in oil and salt
5-6 Cups of All Purpose Flour (this recipe works with wheat flour as well, though I think you need a little less flour if you use wheat flour)
*Stir in 3 cups of flour. Knead in remaining flour (leave out last cup and knead in until your dough is only slightly sticky). Knead for a few minutes.
*Cover and let it rise for 1 hour (until about double).
*Knead the air out of the dough, cover and let sit for 45 minutes.
*Knead the air out again and shape into loaves (makes 2 loaves)
*Place in greased bread pans and rub a small amount of oil on the top of each loaf.
*Let rise for 30 minutes. After those 30 minutes, heat oven to 365 degrees.
*Once oven is hot, bake loaves in center of oven for 30-33 minutes, or until tops of loaves are browned.
Saving on Groceries
*** I chose the "wear it out" label for this post because I was wearing out all the available options and resources to come to these conclusions. And me. It wore me out, too!***
Coupons have long been a source guilt and anxiety for me, so to cope I just avoided them and shopped at stores that had low prices. Now that I have more time, I've taken serious consideration and done quite a bit of research on where to buy at the best price. It was a very fulfilling project for me this week.
First, I scanned the available circulars (weekly ads), many of which are available online and in one case, even before the prices went into effect. I compared the basics- what I know we shop for on a regular basis- to see who really has the best price.
If I had known I was going to be able to gather so much information, I would have set it up on a larger sheet with better spacing, but here's a look at my note taking.
After determining the across the board winner, I looked at specific offers, deals, and coupons and made a shopping list. This is where it gets complicated and time consuming. I had two versions of the list. First, I categorized the items by department to see if I had a well rounded pantry by the end of it. I made a quick outline of things we have on hand and then finalized the list with a few "wish list" items that I would have wanted even if they weren't on special. After determining exactly what I wanted to make for the coming week, I made the second version of the list which was by store. The final product was two scrap paper pages long, 2 to 3 columns each, and paper clipped together with the coupons I'd need to use. I did this all yesterday. Today I hit the stores one by one. And here's the result!
A word about buying produce in bulk, especially for smaller families. Of course it seems to work out cheaper, but if you end up throwing half of it away before it can be eaten, you're not saving anything. I have found that the trick is prepping the produce, cut and even portioned in bags for easy access. We have one orange left in what was a 4 lb bag I thought we'd never finish. The key was slicing them up and putting them in the fridge. We've had them as dessert, in lunches taken to work, as snacks and tonight, I had an entire orange with my dinner. Another idea I have about fruit is that it freezes well so with the two containers of strawberries I got today, one will go to immediate use this week in desserts and breakfast, but the other will get cooked into a sauce that I'll use for waffles and freeze the rest. They can be sliced and frozen for smoothies. But again, the key is doing this ahead of time, not after it's too late and they are mushy! It takes time and effort but that's what I"m spending my time on right now instead of being at work, so it's worth it!
The result has been an uncluttered refrigerator. The top shelf is where we put left overs, and usually the bottom two are stuffed to over flowing with food we want to eat, but just aren't organized about. This week there are a few containers with a little bit of food, and actually one of those is the soup prep for tomorrow and another is the rice that will go in it. In other words, I have plans for everything you are looking at in the fridge. There was plenty of room for the new stuff and it is visible enough to not be forgotten. I'm very much looking forward to what we'll be having next week, both cooking and eating it!
I conclude this post by saying this is by no means an exhaustive list of options for saving money on food. It is only what I've gotten through in the very first week. I'll be exploring other opportunities as I work through them. For example, we have a couple of smart phone apps that allow you to download additional digital coupons, one that you earn points towards gift cards for going in certain stores and scanning items, and a couple of bizarre things I've read about taking pictures of your receipts and sending them in for reimbursement of certain items. As I said, there is much more to discover.
Coupons have long been a source guilt and anxiety for me, so to cope I just avoided them and shopped at stores that had low prices. Now that I have more time, I've taken serious consideration and done quite a bit of research on where to buy at the best price. It was a very fulfilling project for me this week.First, I scanned the available circulars (weekly ads), many of which are available online and in one case, even before the prices went into effect. I compared the basics- what I know we shop for on a regular basis- to see who really has the best price.
If I had known I was going to be able to gather so much information, I would have set it up on a larger sheet with better spacing, but here's a look at my note taking.
After determining the across the board winner, I looked at specific offers, deals, and coupons and made a shopping list. This is where it gets complicated and time consuming. I had two versions of the list. First, I categorized the items by department to see if I had a well rounded pantry by the end of it. I made a quick outline of things we have on hand and then finalized the list with a few "wish list" items that I would have wanted even if they weren't on special. After determining exactly what I wanted to make for the coming week, I made the second version of the list which was by store. The final product was two scrap paper pages long, 2 to 3 columns each, and paper clipped together with the coupons I'd need to use. I did this all yesterday. Today I hit the stores one by one. And here's the result!
As you can see, not only did I get everything at the best possible price in town (which was confirmed as I walked through stores and scanned the prices of items I had marked as better priced elsewhere) but I also walked away with three FREE items. Two were buy one get one free, and the other was a deal if you buy the strawberries at the sale price you get a free bottle of whipped cream.
The total price of everything on the table in front of you was $47.50. What is important to note is that it includes staple food items for everyday consumption like milk, oranges, yogurt, and grapes, as well as recipe specific items that were featured on my meal plan like the colored peppers, red potatoes, and pork. But I ALSO was able to find special items like a pound of steak and the strawberries and cream which will be part of our Valentine's day dinner- all on sale, all cheaper than I would have paid just to grab something that looked good without planning ahead. Additionally, a couple of things fall under the "stock your shelves" category. Shredded cheese was on sale at Kroger so I got 4 to put in the freezer. The bag of onions was 3 lbs for .69 for at Aldi! That's cheaper than ONE ONION at most grocery stores. At that price, even if we don't get through all of them, it's still a significant savings.
A word about buying produce in bulk, especially for smaller families. Of course it seems to work out cheaper, but if you end up throwing half of it away before it can be eaten, you're not saving anything. I have found that the trick is prepping the produce, cut and even portioned in bags for easy access. We have one orange left in what was a 4 lb bag I thought we'd never finish. The key was slicing them up and putting them in the fridge. We've had them as dessert, in lunches taken to work, as snacks and tonight, I had an entire orange with my dinner. Another idea I have about fruit is that it freezes well so with the two containers of strawberries I got today, one will go to immediate use this week in desserts and breakfast, but the other will get cooked into a sauce that I'll use for waffles and freeze the rest. They can be sliced and frozen for smoothies. But again, the key is doing this ahead of time, not after it's too late and they are mushy! It takes time and effort but that's what I"m spending my time on right now instead of being at work, so it's worth it! The result has been an uncluttered refrigerator. The top shelf is where we put left overs, and usually the bottom two are stuffed to over flowing with food we want to eat, but just aren't organized about. This week there are a few containers with a little bit of food, and actually one of those is the soup prep for tomorrow and another is the rice that will go in it. In other words, I have plans for everything you are looking at in the fridge. There was plenty of room for the new stuff and it is visible enough to not be forgotten. I'm very much looking forward to what we'll be having next week, both cooking and eating it! I conclude this post by saying this is by no means an exhaustive list of options for saving money on food. It is only what I've gotten through in the very first week. I'll be exploring other opportunities as I work through them. For example, we have a couple of smart phone apps that allow you to download additional digital coupons, one that you earn points towards gift cards for going in certain stores and scanning items, and a couple of bizarre things I've read about taking pictures of your receipts and sending them in for reimbursement of certain items. As I said, there is much more to discover.
Friday, February 6, 2015
In the kitchen
We have taken a hit financially now that I'm not working, but one of my super powers has always been cooking from a limited pantry. I used to refer to it as my "Iron Chef" super power, but having spent more time in the hulu catalog of free Food Channel shows, I now realize it's more along the lines of Chopped.
Anyway. this week I tried shopping at Aldi for the first time. It went great so I have another meal plan and grocery list made up for next week based on their weekly ad (more on that in another post).
We had two Cornish game hens in the freezer so I pulled them out to defrost and then had the best time dressing the little guys. They were so fun to handle. I stuffed them with celery greens and the last of an old onion that I dressed with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning and then shoved pieces of butter up in there. The same rub/butter on top and then into the oven until the hubs got home from work, basting frequently which was another first for me. SO FUN!
I served it with mashed potatoes (from the cupboard), stuffing (.89$ at Aldi) and corn for the man (in the freezer) since he loves it. We ate our fill, but there was quite a bit left over. If I were to do it again, one hen would be plenty for both of us.
The next day I got to work tearing it apart and got two more meals' worth of meat out of the carcasses. I made creamy chicken casserole that has stuffing on top- which was perfect for the amount we had left over- and a chicken soup base that I'll add a little extra broth and rice to on Sunday when we're ready to eat it. I felt so happy and proud of myself as I did it and both of the additional meals have turned out great.
Another fun kitchen victory for me has been coming up with alternative desserts. Eric has wisely chosen to cut back on his sugar intake (the man has a serious sweet tooth inherited from his mother who will literally eat only a chocolate bar for lunch) and I'm trying to not only encourage, but enable him by providing something sweet at the end of the meal that isn't full of refined sugar. We've had orange slices, canned fruit, and pictured on the left, baked pears. We got the weird dark skinned Asian pears and I wasn't really sure how to know when they are ripe so I thought it would be safest to cook them. I sprinkled them with cinnamon, a few drizzles of honey, and handful of crushed walnuts and used coconut butter for the fat to cook them in. They turned out awesome! While I was coming up with ingredients I really wanted to use the nuts but we only had large pieces and I don't have a suitable crushing apparatus...or so I thought. Instead of adding a mortal and pestle to my birthday wish list, I grabbed a small pyrex storage dish and a small jar from the cupboard that I had already re-purposed as a travel size peanut butter container and there you have it- the outcome was beyond satisfactory and the good news is, I have a whole collection of these jars because they came from a box of sample jams that Nana gave us for Christmas from the Amish Market.
Anyway. this week I tried shopping at Aldi for the first time. It went great so I have another meal plan and grocery list made up for next week based on their weekly ad (more on that in another post).We had two Cornish game hens in the freezer so I pulled them out to defrost and then had the best time dressing the little guys. They were so fun to handle. I stuffed them with celery greens and the last of an old onion that I dressed with lemon juice, salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning and then shoved pieces of butter up in there. The same rub/butter on top and then into the oven until the hubs got home from work, basting frequently which was another first for me. SO FUN!
I served it with mashed potatoes (from the cupboard), stuffing (.89$ at Aldi) and corn for the man (in the freezer) since he loves it. We ate our fill, but there was quite a bit left over. If I were to do it again, one hen would be plenty for both of us.
The next day I got to work tearing it apart and got two more meals' worth of meat out of the carcasses. I made creamy chicken casserole that has stuffing on top- which was perfect for the amount we had left over- and a chicken soup base that I'll add a little extra broth and rice to on Sunday when we're ready to eat it. I felt so happy and proud of myself as I did it and both of the additional meals have turned out great.
Thursday, February 5, 2015
Baby {blanket} work in progress
Today I finished a long standing work in progress. Baby blankets don't take me very long to make- usually about 4-5 hours all told. So this was actually deliberately strung out over the past 3 years or so (I actually have no clue when I started it). I hesitated because I didn't have a deadline. I just wanted to start working on a blanket for MY kid. I had made one for all four of my co-workers' babies from when I was teaching middle school. Betsy, Rafa, Stefanie and Kari all had hand made crocheted unique original creations, and since they've all gone on to have #2, I figured it was time I got going on one for me!
I chose to keep it all white, since my tradition was to start with a white center and then after the gender was revealed, I'd add an appropriate color around the edges. But since I didn't know what I would have first, I'd just do the whole thing white and it could be for the day they get blessed at church.
I had to switch to another yarn because I ran out/lost track of what I was using at first. I know I restarted it at least twice due to contrasting textures. Once I finally go moving on an acceptable yarn #2, I worked on making it more interesting by adding a pattern. About this point is where I was actually pregnant and had an end date goal in mind. So I worked on it here and there and about a week ago got moving in earnest. I knew I wanted the edges scalloped so when I ran out of yarn about 5 stitches from the end, I didn't panic. There would be an entire new row around the outside that would cover up the very slight difference between the second and third types of yarn. I thought about using my spare change to run to the store to get more, and then I remembered I had that other yarn in my stash that I had originally tried to use as #2. I grabbed that and finished it off this morning.
Viola!
My idea was to create just a little difference in texture by interrupting the double stitch with a few lines of triple. I like how it contrasted, and next time I would do them closer together and more of them. The way this one is, however, gives it the ever symbolic number 3- "my three white dresses" in the case of a little girl, or even the Holy Trinity. Plus, she'll be the third member of our little family!
There is still quite a bit of the white #3 left so if I wanted to start another white center for one of the 3 other girls' babies I've been going through this pregnancy with, I could. Since I finished so quickly and still have two months to get through, I just might!
Post Edit: Shortly after publishing this post we got word that my husband's cousin is expecting. They will be attending our baby shower in a couple of weeks so it would be inappropriate to not get a gift for them as well. Of course, my heart sank thinking, "How on earth are we going to be able to afford something nice for their baby?" when I remembered...I can MAKE them something priceless, and I have a whole stash of baby yarn. It'll be FREE! I don't know if she'll appreciate it or not, but really who can argue with a hand made gift?
I chose to keep it all white, since my tradition was to start with a white center and then after the gender was revealed, I'd add an appropriate color around the edges. But since I didn't know what I would have first, I'd just do the whole thing white and it could be for the day they get blessed at church.
I had to switch to another yarn because I ran out/lost track of what I was using at first. I know I restarted it at least twice due to contrasting textures. Once I finally go moving on an acceptable yarn #2, I worked on making it more interesting by adding a pattern. About this point is where I was actually pregnant and had an end date goal in mind. So I worked on it here and there and about a week ago got moving in earnest. I knew I wanted the edges scalloped so when I ran out of yarn about 5 stitches from the end, I didn't panic. There would be an entire new row around the outside that would cover up the very slight difference between the second and third types of yarn. I thought about using my spare change to run to the store to get more, and then I remembered I had that other yarn in my stash that I had originally tried to use as #2. I grabbed that and finished it off this morning.
Viola!
My idea was to create just a little difference in texture by interrupting the double stitch with a few lines of triple. I like how it contrasted, and next time I would do them closer together and more of them. The way this one is, however, gives it the ever symbolic number 3- "my three white dresses" in the case of a little girl, or even the Holy Trinity. Plus, she'll be the third member of our little family!
There is still quite a bit of the white #3 left so if I wanted to start another white center for one of the 3 other girls' babies I've been going through this pregnancy with, I could. Since I finished so quickly and still have two months to get through, I just might!
Post Edit: Shortly after publishing this post we got word that my husband's cousin is expecting. They will be attending our baby shower in a couple of weeks so it would be inappropriate to not get a gift for them as well. Of course, my heart sank thinking, "How on earth are we going to be able to afford something nice for their baby?" when I remembered...I can MAKE them something priceless, and I have a whole stash of baby yarn. It'll be FREE! I don't know if she'll appreciate it or not, but really who can argue with a hand made gift?
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