Valentine Ideas Part 1- Quick paper Valentine for teachers!

Here's a cute simple Valentine idea.

I "woof" you Grandma and Grandpa or Ms. ______!

Creative baby shower gifts using diapers!

A darling baby girl bassinet!
This creation is made of diapers, a receiving blanket, ribbons, bows, and of course diapers.Check out what else Jennie makes at her etsy shop! www.custombabygifts.etsy.com.A diaper wreath-This is great for a welcome home wreath or hang on the door for a shower you are hosting. I saw these painted flowers and butterflies at Micheal's (already painted)!

Managers Special cuts of beef--What's tender and what's tough?

I saw this valuable copied information from Pinching Your Pennies. A meat manager named Jeff at a local grocery store provided this information.

WHERE'S THE BEEF?

Middle meats like Top sirloin, T-bone, bone in rib steak, Tenderloin, Tri-tip, New York, ribeye will be your most tender cuts.

Steaks such as Petite sirloin are a good low cost steak, good flavor not overly tough.

Steaks such as Eye of round, bottom round and tip steaks will be tougher.

Flank and skirt steaks are great when grilled, skirt makes wonderful fajita meat.

Cross rib roast and chuck roast are best for pot roast application, remember that a bone in chuck will have more flavor and that a cross rib if the bone was still in would be a round bone roast.

Rump roast, eye round roast, sirloin tip roast petite sirloin roast are all oven roasts.

All roasts will come out very nice in a crock pot.

Ground beef is pretty straight forward, just remember that the higher the number the less fat that is in the ground beef.

Here is a great website for different ways to cook cuts of beef.

Thanks, Pinching Your Pennies for this copied information. I needed a reminder.

A doll cake made with love by Mom (Staci)!

I made this Barbie doll cake for my daughter's 7 th birthday. Harmon's grocery store in Utah wanted $20 to make the cake and I had to provide the doll. Nah, I'll attempt it at home. Check out my other homemade cakes made with love HERE

First, make a box cake according to directions (I followed the high altitude directions for my area in Utah). Fill a Pryex bowl 3/4 the way full (you won't use the full amount but save it). I put a cookie sheet in the oven just in case it spilled over but it didn't-thank goodness.

Then, occupy the kiddos with a bowl of flour and a spoon. She actually wasn't that messy. Check out that poked out belly in the leotard....Cute.

Let the bowl cake cool completely before removing from the bowl. I then made another cake mix and the used the remainder from the bowl cake to make an 8" and a 9" round cakes. Cool and assemble like this.

I did this the day before and froze the cakes overnight. I like to freeze my cakes because it locks in the MOISTURE and they are easier to FROST. You need the extra height with the 8" and 9" cakes for the doll dress height. NOTE: You could freeze each cake individually and frost in between each layer but I didn't this time.

Next, make the frosting while the cakes are still in the freezer. I made my butter cream frosting and tinted it in two shades of pink---Light pink for the dress and dark pink for the bodice and number 7.

Pull the cakes out of the freezer and put on a tin foil linked pizza pan. I put wax paper around the cake bottom in case I got messy with the frosting and clean up was faster. Then I cut out a hole for the doll body in the frozen cakes. I decided it was easier to remove her legs and put her torso in the cake. I used a plastic sandwich baggie to cover her torso. My daughter wanted so bad to help me with the dress decorating so I got these heart shaped cookies and she stuck them on. My plan changed when she wanted to help but oh well it's mommy/daughter togetherness that matters. "Each day of our lives we make deposits in the memory banks of our children."-- Charles R. Swindolle

Bubble Wrap is turning 50 years old today!

I think I'll break out some bubble wrap today after naps to celebrate the 50th birthday of bubble wrap. I just might be able to get a nice dinner cooked with less fighting! My little girl is of course wearing two different high heel shoes to pop the bubbles a few weeks ago.
THEY LOVE THIS STUFF!!
Have a great winter day and get some bubble wrap out!

What's new with me???

Nice face brace face Stace huh? It's my--AHHH I got braces face! It's been a whirl wind the past two weeks. As you see , I got braces on the top (bottom in a few months), everyone shared the stomach flu, the house is DUSTY from the sheet rock dust, loads of laundry are calling my name, I spent lots of money on toy and clothes clearance shopping before we got the throw-ups, and my oldest turned 7 , we had a mother/daughter b-day outing, and I made a my first doll birthday cake. It's been crazy busy!

Grocery store bonuses! It's off the grocery list and fun!

In the past I posted about my grocery store Manager's special shopping routine (mainly at Smith's in Utah). Go HERE to read about it in case you missed it. I find good deals occasionally and the "impulse" buys are cheap and fun.

Veggie tray $2.25
Energy Trail mix $3.XX
Whole Wheat tortillas $1.00
Fattening cheese meat dogs $1.00
Oscar Meyer no filler hot dogs $1.00
Imitation crab and shrimp salad $1.79

Why not make any day a "party" with a managers special veggie tray? I got this veggie tray at Smith's for $2.25 --SCORE! You can see the quality isn't bad either. The costs of grape tomatoes & broccoli would be close to that if I bought alone. The kids were happily gobbling up veggies. Yippee for me.

Helping Haiti!

NO amount is too small to help those suffering in Haiti! Go here to CNN world website to read a list of reputable relief organizations and lots of other information on how your family can help. Keep praying for the people over there!

Seasonal clearance & food shopping insights!

I love a deal and have been workin' the deals for at least 5 years. I have a weekly budget but save some $$ for caselots and toy sales. Yeah Yeah I know this isn't a shopping blog but I could help but pass up some useful information from one of my favorite websites. Pinching your pennies or AKA PYP. Enjoy the very useful information copied from a knowledgeable bargain shopper. If you have any shopping questions please leave me a comment! I am happy to answer them.

QUOTED from PYP:
As a coupon'er/bargain shopper over 13 years, I've discovered (and you may have, too) that coupons and sales run in seasonal cycles. Here's a comprehensive guide to cracking the what and when is on sale. Hope it helps!

Seasonal Sales Cycles (Mainly from Utah but not exclusively)

JANUARY - Historically, Quaker has hot deals on cereal/all items. We see Pepsi/Tostitos go on sale mid-January (again, rebates abound for these). Other items of note this time of year are chili, side dishes, anything for hearty/warm meals.
• Post-Holiday Sales
• White Sales
• Sports and Weight Loss Equipment
• Computers
• Winter Apparel and Accessories
· Organizers, Rubbermaid totes, shelf organizers, planners, filing cabinets

FEBRUARY – many of the same food items as January
• Electronics
• Floor Coverings
• Housewares
• Furniture
• Candy and Chocolates

MARCH - Frozen food month. You'll find many stores are offering free freezers or fill-a-bag deals. Between March and April, look for spring cleaning deals, so many cleaner items will be on sale. With Easter, looks for eggs, ham, Kraft products to cycle into good sales. Paper products like towels, napkins, plates are starting to come on strong. Beverage items.
• Spring Apparel and Accessories
• Winter Sports Equipment
• Gardening Supplies
• Luggage

APRIL –
• Spring Apparel and Accessories
• Coats and Hats
• Paint
• Wallpaper
• Jewish Foods and Eggs

MAY -
get ready for summer! Here come loads of deals on BBQ sauce, frozen veggies, baked beans, and condiments of all kinds, summer-time meats (ribs, hotdogs, and ground beef). Also with all the holidays, look for tons of paper goods that match the holiday and pick them up after clearance. These deals generally continue through September!
• White Sale - Linens and Towels
• Spring Cleaning Supplies
• Auto Maintenance
• Home Maintenance
• Sodas & Bottled Water, Hotdogs, Hamburger Meat, Condiments, Paper & Plastic plates & cups
* Raid/Off bug repellents and sunscreens

JUNE –
• Summer Apparel and Accessories
• Pianos
• Television Sets
• Building Materials and Hardware
• Dairy Products

JULY –
• Air Conditioners
• Summer Sports Equipment
• Sportswear
• Craft Supplies
• Sodas, Hotdogs, Hamburger Meat, Condiments

AUGUST –
• White Sale - Linen and Towels
• BBQ and Patio Equipment
• Back to School Supplies
• Bathing Suits
• Fresh Fish and Vegetables
• Breakfast foods (Cold cereal-Juice-Waffles-etc)
• Cold lunch items for in lunch boxes

SEPTEMBER - back to school; time to fill up on snacks! Pudding cups, Capri suns, fruit snacks, cereal sales start up hard again, peanut butter/jelly. Also, like clockwork, there will be Prego coupons in August, and plan on getting lots and using them in a hurry before they expire in September when the spaghetti sauce goes on sale. Sauce wars between Ragu and Prego this month. Campbell’s soups will go on as well and there will be coupons in the end of August for these as well. Lunchables are on sale this time of year, too.
• Back to School Supplies and Apparel
• Gardening Supplies
• Housewares
• Bicycles
• Canned Goods

OCTOBER - Stock up on holiday foods – Stove Top, turkey, instant mashed potatoes, broth, cranberries, marshmallow, ice cream, pie shells, whipped cream, pudding. Look for great Kraft deals again this time of year. Piggyback those Kraft coupons when you can. Crackers are a biggie - going on for $1 or less a box. Lots of extra deals like $ off cheese WYB crackers. The real kicker is the after Christmas food deals! Save your coupons because pie fixings, fried onion, broth and canned green beans will be on deep discount. I got those onions for .50 a can, normally almost $4. These generally continue through December.
• Cars
• Houses
• Fishing Equipment
• Crystal, Silver, and Glassware
• Candy
· Baking/candy-making items (choc chips, sprinkles, vanilla, corn syrup, nuts, etc)

NOVEMBER -
• Winter Apparel and Accessories
• Quilts and Blankets
• Heating Devices
• Turkey, Sweet Potatoes
• Canned goods (soup, chicken broth, condensed milk, veggies etc)
• Baking goods

DECEMBER –
• Toys
• Gift Items
• Party ware
• Post-Holiday Sales
• Party Foods, Baking Goods, and Various Meat
• Canned goods (broth, soups, etc)

Year-round after a holiday, you can always pick up cheap cookie dough with a coupon and any food related to the holiday.

Continual sales are candy, popcorn, chips, anything snacky, cereal (heavier in the fall/winter, but still around in the spring).
Frozen food sales seem to centralize on a brand and the switch brands the next month. I think the manufacturers buy slot time for sales. So last month, Stouffers was on sale hard, now lean cuisine is. Save the entire frozen coupon and then keep checking back for the brand of the month.

Frozen pizzas go on sale in the fall and then again the spring; not often in the summer because people don't want to turn their ovens on in the summer.

By all means, this isn't everything that you can get on sale, but if you follow the cycle and stock up (I never buy BBQ sauce in the winter), then you can get where you have enough on hand and only need to refill when the items are in season. The result is that you spend less and less with each successful cycle.

Our basement remodel

Well, I promised pictures of our basement remodel. We are moving along nicely. The only hard thing has been spending the $$. We are frugal folks and saved up cash for this project but spending hundreds of dollars at Home Depot is hard for us. The pictures aren't as neat as an "after" shot but we are proud of the progress!We insulated the ceilings and all the walls. Most contractors do not insulate the ceilings. We do this for noise reduction.

Bedroom #1- Here is a shot of one bedroom looking into the hallway.

Bedroom #2- An angle looking at the bedroom closet framed and the room walls insulated. Bedroom #3 also known as the future work out/office room. This picture shows framing and some insulation in progress.

We are also finishing a bathroom but there isn't much to see yet.

Granite....Smanite I have laminate kitchen counter tops!

Now, don't get me wrong, I LOVE granite counter tops. I just won't fork out the moolah at this stage in my life. I also believe you have to work up to something marvelous like granite...I couldn't have it in my 20's! We built this house 5 years ago and only had 1 child. It's what we could afford and I am still proud of our home today.Here is my favorite laminate from Formica called Jamocha Granite. It looks like granite but it's a laminate. I get compliments on it ALL the time!One of the draw backs of laminate is the "glue" seams. Make sure you get a good installer who pays attention to the details. This seam is over done and bugs me a bit but I get over it. :0)

A January favorite past time- Organizing!

I love to organize and to be organized and this is a post from Jan. 2009- Enjoy! It is a constant effort here as I have my little "un-organizers and un-doers" working right behind me. Maybe you'll be inspired to organize something extra this weekend.

Total project cost: $5.00 + tax

Here’s a quick organization project you can do today. I found this perfect art supply tower at Wal-Mart for my kid’s endless art supplies. I labeled each drawer with my label maker. This tower holds the "good crayons and markers" so it is up in a cabinet. I had to move the shelf pegs up a notch (easy they were adjustable) and it fits perfect! The black box shown is my over flow box of broken crayons, etc. It has long slat dividers and a Tupperware container for broken crayons. The kids love it too!

The toys were taking over my kids closets until I had my husband build a shelf in the closet last year. It has a return support on the right side of the photo by his foot. We didn't go all the way to the other side on purpose. WE LOVE IT!

Total project cost: ?$10 or so. We did this last year. We only bought 1 MDF board per closet at home depot (we cut to fit). Then paint with left over house paint.

More closet storage needed!

Total cost: $12.00ish We purchased a brackets package (with center support) and a prepainted shelf. When in doubt go up with vertical storage. I measured the space from the existing shelf to the ceiling and found the midpoint and put the shelf there. It was easy and quick. I couldn't do these projects with out my cute handyman-My husband!

I need a cute infant car seat cover!

I want one of these car seat covers (click for a larger view)!! I want to make it or have a friend make one for me in the colors I love. I also hear some can double as a nursing cover up. Where do you buy them with both features? Or is it a crafty item only found at places like The Quilted Bear and Baby Boutiques in the baby capital of Utah. How much did you pay? HELP me!!

Do you have a resturant craving? Wanna try to "Copy Cat" it at home?

This weekend I want to try to copy the Auntie Annie's cinnamon pretzels at home! YUM! Here's the recipe from Copy kat

Good luck and enjoy trying to make something you crave at home!

Staci's 2010 blogging goals

I love the New Year frame of mind-Don’t you? I love to be organized and have lists galore. I am not super organized but just enough that I feel I have my act together and with three kids that is an accomplishment!! We all have our opinions on New Years Resolutions and here's mine...In this stage of my life I need tangible and achievable goals that keep me going! I often get caught in the daily grind and need something outside of it to help me feel fulfilled. I am a medium believer in having written goals. I have a lot of personal goals in my head and they don’t have to be written down 100% of the time. I have written down a few this year and it feels great. I decided with this New Year I needed to establish a list of blogging goals. So, I am going to share my blogging goals with you today!

Thinking, planning, and writing these goals publicly might just help me be motivated and accountable so here goes!

These are my blogging goals for 2010:

1) My first priority of time will be to God and my family. Blogging and computer work will be after I have fulfilled those relationships. I will not be blogging daily in 2010. My posts will be quality not quantity. I strongly encourage you to comment or pipe in an opinion or tip-I do this to share and get feedback not to hear myself talk/type! :0)

2) I will be sharing the personal remodel of our basement complete with pictures. Our goal is to have it done by Spring 2010! I hope you’ll keep checking back because I will be sharing my personal design process not just the end results.

3) I will continue to share more personal tips and pictures of my mothering journey. Including but not limited to kid friendly recipes, everyday life tips, a few deals, organizing, and crafts.

4) I will be taking the summer off from blogging to be with my brand new baby. Yes, I am expecting and thrilled! It’s my 4^th child!

Those are my blogging goals for this coming year. I hope you’ll keep following me. Happy New Year again! God bless.

It's a new year...and lot's going on already!

Hello everyone! I have been Missing in Action on here huh? This break has been really nice. I really haven't been on the computer. It's been a time of rejuvenation, holiday fun, organizing, cleaning, cooking, playing with the kids, eating out, going on dates, and planning 2010 here at my house.

A new update from my house: We decided to finish our basement to include 3 bedrooms and a bathroom. We already have a large family room area finished when we moved in 5 years ago. So, I have lots of designing and planning to do. I hope to share lots with you. The bedrooms are first till we meet with the plumber.

My husband took off the week in between Christmas and New Years and worked like a dog! Here's the 3 Bedroom update!
Framing DONE (we hired it out before Christmas)
Electrical DONE (Hubby did it all)
Speakers/Co Axle cable wiring ALMOST DONE (Hubby did it all)
Heating and Ventilation DONE (Hubby did it all)

We are trying to do a lot (but not all) of the work ourselves. I'll take some pictures and show you something soon.

Happy New Year 2010!

I hope you have a fun, safe, healthy, and prosperous 2010! Yes, a goofy photo but fun times.