Thank God for COFFEE

Like my last post said I am lagging on the “New Year”. I am more than a month behind.  I have so many projects and family things going that I feel like I’m loosing my mind… Have you ever been that way?  I always wonder who reads this and what they do.  Well, here is my list for the next week.  This does not include the daily things that we have to do.

Monday: finish a Crib bedding set for a friend of mine that is having her baby Thursday!!!  Go to Hobby Lobby to get a few things, Lessons for Declan and feed sis every three or so hours.  Tuesday: Cub Scouts with Hunter, Declan Lessons, Feed sis, Bedding day for laundry, and Kitchen cabinet day.  Wednesday: MOPS!!!! Declan Lessons, Feed sis, Kitchen floor and bathroom day. Get a few small sewing projects done.  Thursday: “off” day, no lessons, feed sis, normal cleaning and normal stuff.  Friday: Gym Day!! Feed sis, Declan lessons, park day, Pizza day and Stay up late day. My normal day is getting up, feeding sis, workout (30 Day Shred) get Hunter up for school, feed the boys, get Hunter to school, get Lessons ready and started for Declan, start the load of laundry, unload the dishes, wipe down all counters and sinks, pick up what needs picking up, figure out supper, nap, lunch and then Hunter Homework.  Not in that order but that is the most of it …that is my normal everyday stuff.

Looking at all that I now understand why I “lost” two months!! Wow… us SAHM’s do a lot.  That is our job, that is how our families survive.  Well, Sis is calling I will finish this later

It’s really 2015 already…

Well, I have been under a rock or something the past three…YES 3 months.

I am behind on a lot of things that I normally do… not cleaning my house or taking care of the now 3 kiddo’s.  Wait that is where the time has gone.  Mid November I gave birth to a beautiful baby girl!  Finally a girl!!! Very busy and excited.  I have been making freezer meals and on a mission to lose all the baby weight by the 9 month mark.  I haven’t really made a dent, yet.  Now that I realize where I’m at I can get moving.  I am getting some things loaded and will have a few posts that I’m getting ready and trying to get pictures to upload on the laptop.

For now, I am sorting out the magazines.  I love them.  I have a two year back log of them. They are going in the bin!!! I am also on a mission to unclutter and let go of the old.  I am not where near the hoarder that you see on TV.  I do have 50 magazines that I’m getting rid of and I have a two drawer filing cabinet full of junk papers…I feel bad when I see it and don’t really, okay EVER look at them. So why did I keep them?  I don’t know.  So I have a new challenge for myself.  If I don’t use it I’m letting it go.  This does not include family items that are true keep sakes.  I will let you know how this goes…

Slow-Cooker Beef Tips. (Beef Stew Meat)

This is an easy and quick one.  I am getting around to getting some other post done and updated and wanted to throw this out there for a quick meal.  I love to serve this over rice.  It can also be served with pasta, rolls, mashed potatoes and various other veggies.

2 lbs. Beef Stew Tips is what is in the ziplock bag.

1 Beef Bouillon Cube

1 pkg. Onion Mushroom

1 Can (10oz ish) Cream of Mushroom

1 pkg. Slow Cooker “Savory Pot Roast” mix

1 cup of water

Mix all the ingredients in the Crockpot and then cook on low for 7-8 hours.

Crockpot/Slow-Cooker Dried Beans!!

This is one of the easiest things that I have learned from family to do.  My Mom, Gandma’, and Daddy… I’m sure there are more, but these are the ones that I remember teaching me how to do this.  There are two ways you can do this.  I prefer the first (pre-soaked) but they are both good and they both work very well.  Remember doing this over the stove top is NOT the same.  This is just for the Slow-Cooker.

Pre-soaked: I start with two cups of dried beans.  It doesn’t matter what kind, as long as they are beans and not lentils. I rinse and sift through them. Then I soak them overnight, about 12 hours.  When I soak the beans I use my Crockpot, turned off, and cover the beans with water about 2in. above the beans.  Put the lid on and leave them alone!!  See easy!  In the morning I drain and rinse the beans, the water that is left over after soaking has the indigestible carbs that may give you gas…  So that is soaking them. NOW, on to cooking them.  Cover them with water that comes up 2 or more inches, cook on LOW for 6-8 HRS.  or HIGH for 3-4 HRS.  I don’t add anything to my beans, I use them in different recipes so it doesn’t do any good for me to add seasoning.  2cups of DRY beans will make about 6cups of COOKED beans.

Uncooked: Use two cups of dry beans.  Rinse and sift though the beans.  Really you need to do this with any beans you have.  Put them in the Crockpot, cover with 2in or more (not much more) water and cook on HIGH for 5-6 HRS or 10-12 HRS on LOW. Once again you can keep the cooking water when they are done, but I discard the water and rinse the beans.

You can now store the beans in an air tight container for three days in the fridge or Freeze them for three months.  I like the zip-lock twist and seal products for this.  Re-heating beans from the freezer or fridge is easy, thaw if frozen and warm in the microwave or on the stove-top.

The new sewing machine

Just noticed that the pictures didn’t upload in the order that I thought!!  I am so sorry and will get this fixed in the next post I make.  Or at least make sure they upload right. 

 

I am “new” to sewing; I’ve never owned my own machine! Well…now I do! It’s a simple, no frills Jonome 2212. I love it!!

It’s great. I have already made a couple things and am on my way to more!!

The first three pictures are of a burp cloth and the last is a curtain for my bathroom. They are not perfect or really even close.

When I am back to both hand duty I will post more about this and what I’ve made. Typing with one had is not easy!!

WOW!! I just found this “Figuring out a Summer Plan”

Well, I have a new journal that I am using for my entries and in my old one I had written this down.

 

Oh, planning!! How I love to make plans, change plans, and not stick to plans…LOL

This summer (2014) I am going to stick to it.  We are expecting another little one (I was 13 weeks when this what written) and my boys need things to do!  I want to keep them busy and keep the education going all summer.  I think this summer will be science themed.  We are also taking a few trips — aquarium, zoo, S.D.C., and a few “small town” museums.  A one week family vacation thrown in the mix and we will do great.  Okay, so we did do a lot this summer.  Most of what we did was science themed like I was wanting and we had a lot of just “lazy” days.  We did one week family vacation at S.D.C..  Sad to say we did not get to go to the zoos that I was hoping to go. It was odd, raining or closed. 

I am also cutting down on the meds!!  We are trying to get them out all together.  Gluten Free and Casein Free don’t do all we need and he still has some meds he has to take.  We have dropped a few pills a day, we still have to take 3 pills a day.  I wish we could cut them out.  We have cut out most of the Meds!!! We are on two pills a day, one in the morning and one at night!  I am so happy to say that.  We are also able to eat “normal” foods, mostly!!

Let’s get to this!! We don’t get out of school until mid-June! Snow days.  We are set for Cub Scout week, our family vacation to S.D.C. and a Birthday Party or three.  We will also find out if I’m having a boy or girl.  (IT’S A GIRL!!!)  In July we really have no plans like June… But we will have the oldest one’s birthday and a couple zoo trips.  August we will have only one week before we have to start getting school ready.. I have quite a few photos that I will post on here of the trips and I will have to back track to add some information about them.  We had a blast and I will have to post all the things we did and how we did it!! 

I think we will have a pool party and do a fourth of July party.  I have a few ideas for the summer. LOL. Pinterest is GREAT

 

Well, OFF TO SUMMER PLAN!!

 

Okay, all updated and happy!  More posts to come soon.  I had surgery on my thumb for some kind of cyst and as soon as that is healed better I will be back on.  (Happy Husband helped type this for me)

 

Yes, I am going to go back to and update this and let you know why we did and didn’t do.  What worked for us and what flopped.  It was in all a very quick and rainy summer for us.

Summer is over!??

Wow!!  That is all I can say.  I didn’t realize that the three months of summer are gone and in two days we start school.  Get ready for the blogging to begin again.  Pregnancy is going good, garden has been torn down, and lunches are being made.  I will blog on all of this with in the next few days.  I have been writing it all down and have a LOT of updating to do on here.  Like I said “GET READY”. Okay that is all for now. 

 

Hope you enjoy what is coming up…

Parties, Pinewood Derby, AND Mary Kay

First and for most I hope everyone is doing great today! 

Now on to business…I have been and IBC (Independent Beauty Consultant) for Mary Kay for a little bit now, I wish I would have researched the company and it’s policies before getting tied into this!!  Www.pinktruth.com will tell you ALL you need to know.  I am going to send all my product back and be done with this over saturated company.  I am not saying by any means that you can’t make money with Mary Kay.  I am saying that it is not for me.  I have a family that actually requires my time, who’s doesn’t?, and I am not about to spend upwards of $3600 on a “starter” inventory.  I also don’t like having to recruit multiple people that make those same amount of orders to make money.  That is how you “make money” in Mary Kay.  You recruit other women or men and bug them to make $225 or more monthly orders.  They also tell you when you sign up that there are no requirements to stay active and get the 50% discount.  YES THERE ARE!!!!  You HAVE to stay active, $225 or more order every 3 months, NOT 90 days, 3 months!  So if you order March 25th, you will HAVE to make another $225 or more order by May 31st, if you can.  Now when you place an order that late you will only have until July 31st to place yet another $225 order.  See where I’m going with this?  Also, say during that time frame you place multiple orders and they add up to $225 or more, THEY DON’T COUNT!!!!!  The order HAS TO BE a single $225 or more.  Also, you will hear the same line (lie) every time you talk to a “higher up” all the stories are the same… with some variation.  I was poor and now I’m rich all because of Mary Kay.  They will also tell you they got a line of credit to start their business with Mary Kay.  They will push you to do the same.  NOPE!!!  The point of doing this is to get out of debt, not add to it!!  And what do you do if you can’t “get rid of” your inventory? Ohh, you add to it every order that you are required to make. 

Now, I am at the point of sending all my unused product back and am happy to lose the money I am loosing due to finally being free of Mary Kay.  Now I am loosing 10% of my cost price and I am loosing all my shipping costs, but I am just happy to be getting something back.  Okay, enough on Mary Kay.

 

Pinewood DERBY!!! My son is really excited about this, it’s his first year.  He has painted and put together his own car! Pictures and more on this will be ready tomorrow… if we don’t get rained out!

 

I have also had about three parties in the last month!! Jamberry, 31 Bags, and my personal favorite All’asta!  I will post links to the pages of my consultants and friends so you can see what each thing is. 

Jamberry was an online party.  I didn’t have to anything but make an event on Facebook and add everyone.  I will be getting 5 pages FREE!!! Really easy!  http://www.chrissycash.jamberrynails.net/about/apply/ This will tell you everything I can’t.  They are little “stickers” you put on your nails.  They come in thousands of designs and colors!! I love them, $15-$18 a page. One page will do your nails twice and your toes once.  They last about two weeks and then you change them!!  LOVE this. 

31 Bags was here at my house last night.  I like this idea of a company, expensive for what they are.  I can go to Target and other sites/stores and get the same thing for less… BUT it will not come in the same color or be able to personalize it like I do.  https://www.mythirtyone.com/lindseyiten/ That is my consultant.  She is very nice and not pushy. 

Now for ALL’asta.  This is a fairly new company and I LOVE IT!!!!  I can’t tell you much about this because I am about to have this party.  They don’t have a personal website set up, I don’t think. But the company website is www.allastaparty.com. This is the neatest company I have ever seen.  Very nice and vintage items  most are hand made and I love the fact that they are useful! 

 

Okay, busy life right now.  Hope everyone is dong great and having fun!!  More to come…

Changes!!

Wow!!  That is all I can say today.  There are so many changes going on right now.  The name of my blog is one thing.  I finally updated it to our family.  I am also getting organized in a major way. I am a Mary Kay Consultant, AND we are finally getting all the things put away in our new house.  I am excited to say that I will also be blogging more.  Life has been crazy and I have not held up my promise from a year or more ago.  I am sorry!! Please forgive me.  I know that it is easy to get lost in the day to day, but we are letting life pass us by and I for one am not standing for that anymore. 

 

Currently I am boiling orange peels and let me tell you, THE HOUSE SMELLS great!!! So, I had about 8 oranges that we ate today and I have a garden so a lot of my “scraps” go to the compost, but this time I kept them to boil.  I added about 1 TSP Cinnamon and 1/2 TSP Vanilla Extract.  Now, I also have to say, I was going to boil water tonight anyway, we have really dry air right now.  Arkansas is not suppose to dry out.  LOL

I am about to start my Pantry List and Meal Planning again.  I use this really nifty calendar from Target, it’s a desk calendar that I fill out and has magnets so that I can hang it on the refrigerator.  Yes, I will take pictures when I have it filled out.  I am starting late this year on calendars and I think I will be late every year!! I have two, one for family and one for Mary Kay.  I got them both for $10, normal price would have been close to $40!!!  It’s crazy how they mark things up!!

Okay well, back to the Pantry.  We go shopping for the “staple” items twice a year, yes that means that we have to watch our money and pocket all that we need for this, BUT it saves in the long run.  I will spend $1200 in one trip to Sam’s for all those items and then during the rest of the year I just buy bread, milk, cheese and things that spoil quickly.  This year we will also save more because we are starting our large “kitchen” garden.  That will have so much of what I buy at the Market in it.  I might have to give some away!!  I really need to learn to can stuff… HMMM I feel another blog post coming up!! LOL

 

Hope you are all doing well!! Have a great day!

Getting used to it…

So far this month we have moved, gotten Christmas over with, unpacked most things and are now getting used to the “new” house.  H is going a little crazy, for lack of a better word.  He doesn’t like the change that is going on and is worried that his friends won’t be at School when he gets back, all because we moved.  Just a little bit away from the other house.

I cooked for Christmas and let me tell you… it will NOT happen again!!  That was CRAZY, moved one week before Christmas then cooked on Christmas!  NOPE, Nope, NOPE!!!

I know a lot of my stuff is unedited and is jumbled, but I really like it that way, Real life unscripted…I dislike when bloggers spend hours on one blog, why not use this like Twitter or Facebook and just type.  Who cares if it is messy?  Isn’t our life messy?  Well, I gotta get back to unpacking everything that is left and to get it organized.  Trust me, I will start doing my schedule and organizing tips, before and after the whole thing.  I will also post our projects that we are doing.