Room Makeover...

Over two years ago (I'm such a procrastinator) Kenneth finally agreed to allow me to paint over the paneling in the house. This is all the further I got on the dining room wall (that's because that's all the further I could reach without standing on a ladder). So now I have decided to post these unfinished projects for all the world to see in order to embarrass myself into completing them.

dining room wall (before)

with the Kilz on...


dining room finished

Room make over with a Sharpie Pen. This is really cool. Go here to see the 360* view of the room. I'm doing good if I can get the paint on the whole wall.

Frugal shopping...

Whenever I go to make a purchase, especially a large item, I always try to do research online and compare prices before making a finale decision. Needless to say this just about drives my dear husband totally bonkers. He would be satisfied walking in and buying the first thing he sees. I just can't do that, because I would always wonder if I could have gotten a better deal.

About 6 years ago when I purchased my very first brand new refrigerator I researched all the models online and checked them for "energy star" (electric usage) and then went to LOWE'S to actually do an on sight inspection, with of course all my wants in mind.

The employee in the appliance area was trying to be very helpful in showing me all the different models and answering any questions I had. I wanted ice/water in the door and clear shelves and drawers and clear holders in the door. He followed me around the four different rows several times but he finally gave up and him and Kenneth just decided to wait it out, as I passed by a couple of times I heard him ask Amanda "What's she looking for now?", while I looked over all the different models until I was able to get it down to one. But the thing is I had already determined where I was going to find the best price and only had to actually visit one store.

I always try to consider these thing when making a purchase:

• Can I afford this?
• Does this purchase have other related costs involved?
• Am I informed on this item?
• Have I comparison shopped?
• Do I need this?
• Do I have room for this?
• Is there a lower-cost alternative?
• Will this purchase help me toward my goals?
• If I waited to purchase this item, would it be less expensive?
• Do I have the cash to buy this or is it going to have to be charged?
• How long would it take me to save up or pay it off the credit card?

You never want to buy anything and then get home and end up feeling guilty because you didn't have the money for it or worse yet find out it has overdrawn you at the bank. Nothing is a good deal if you have to start tacking on overdraft charges!

Dorito Casserole...

this recipe was requested by Sam... Amanda was supposed to post it but she's busy so she asked me to... so here goes. Version 1 -

• bag Nacho Cheese Doritoes
• 14 oz. can Rotel
• 1 lb. Velveeta cheese (cubed)
  
• 1 lb chicken , shredded,(canned, cooked chicken breast) your choice

Mix: chicken, rotel and velveeta in a bowel. Pour into a 13 X 9 pan cover with the Doritoe chips. Bake 350* for 20 - 30 min. You just need to heat through, watch to make sure the chips don't burn too much.

Version 2 -

• bag Habanero or Buffalo Ranch Doritoes
• 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 lb. chicken
• 1 lb. Velveeta (cubed)

Mix same as the above. This version puts the spicy flavor in the chips instead of in the tomatoes. UPDATE: Amanda called and said you need to drain the tomatoes, but if the mixture seems a little thick you can add some milk to thin it out. Also she said she crunches up a few chips and puts them in the bottom of the baking dish before adding the chicken mixture.

Homemade Velveeta

1 1/2 cups very hot water

1/2 envelope unflavored gelatin 1 1/2 teaspoons

1/2 cup milk plus 1 Tbs instant milk powder

1 1/2 lbs grated cheddar cheese

2. line a 9×5″ loaf pan with plastic.

3. In a blender, put 1/2 cup of the water, 3 tablespoons of the milk, 1/2teaspoon of the gelatin.

4. Whip until gelatin is dissolved.

5. Quickly add 1/2 lb. of the cheddar to the hot mixture.

6. Whip until blended.

7. Pour into the prepared loaf pan.

8. Repeat this twice, until all ingredients are used.

9. Cover the pan with more plastic wrap and chill overnight.

10. Remove from frig next day, unmold and slice.

Keep refrigerated and wrapped.

Also I just found this website today "Eat Better America" where they teach Healthified...simple ways to eat healthy. Recipes, using coupons...check it out.

• This week I saved $12.00 on the grocery bill using coupons
• I got an 18 count box of Always pads ($4.97 value) FREE, using a coupon which I received in the mail with samples of some of there new products.
  
• received a sample of Folgers Dark Silk coffee in the mail FREE.
• Have printed out $6.75 worth of coupons so far...
  

I have cats...

Check out this site about reduce, reuse and recycle... Get Wise About Waste. The mailbox is made out of an old cat litter bucket. How cool is that! Check out the other ideas at "Frugal Living".

The Aunt and the Grasshopper...

TRADITIONAL VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be responsible for yourself!

MODERN VERSION:

The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter.

The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away.
Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be warm and well fed while others are cold and starving. CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food.

America is stunned by the sharp contrast. How can this be, that in country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?

Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper, and everybody cries when they sing, ‘It’s Not Easy Being Green.’ Jesse Jackson stages a demonstration in front of the ant’s house where the news stations film the group singing, ‘We shall overcome.’ Jesse then has the group kneel down to pray to God for the grasshopper’s sake.

Nancy Peloski, John Kerry & Harry Reid exclaim in an interview with Larry King that the ant has gotten rich off the back of the grasshopper, and both call for an immediate tax hike on the ant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts the Economic Equity and Anti-Grasshopper Act retroactive to the beginning of the summer! The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number of green bugs and, having nothing left to pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the government.

Hillary gets her old law firm to represent the grasshopper in a defamation suit against the ant, and t he case is tried before a panel of federal judges that Bill Clinton appointed from a list of single-parent welfare recipients.

The ant loses the case.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper finishing up the last bits of the ant’s food while the government house he is in, which just happens to be the ant’s old house, crumbles around him because he doesn’t maintain it.

The ant has disappeared in the snow.

The grasshopper is found dead in a drug related incident and the house, now abandoned, is taken over by a gang of crack spiders who terrorize the once peaceful neighborhood.

MORAL OF THE STORY: Be careful

Hay ride...

We attended a hay ride Saturday put on by friends for their friends, family and church family. Hot dogs, candy, cookies... a scary story and a chainsaw! A good time was had by all. Thank you for including us.

there was candy corn...

OOOOOO...

what was that???

did you see that???

is that the swamp monsters...

Which is better...

have you ever gone to buy an item and wondered..."Which brand is better?" No! am I thee only one who has to research every item to see if I'm getting the best deal? Well if your like me you can now go to "Consumer Reports" online to help with your research. Saves you time and gas from driving from store to store to see whos got the best deal. Check it out.

VOTE...

No matter you affiliation remember to Vote tomorrow...

• McCain 54%
• Obama 44%
• Other 2%

No, I'm not a psychic...This is the final results of the "Family Circle" 2008 Presidential Cookie Bake-off. The winning recipe was Cindy McCain's recipe for Oatmeal-Butterscotch Cookies. (If history repeats itself, the winner will move into the White House.) If it could only be this easy.

“Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It’s already tomorrow in Australia.” —Charles Schulz, creator of the Peanuts comic strip.

I LOVE Oatmeal...

Especially with the cooler weather that has come our way a steaming bowl of oatmeal, cup of hot coffee and warm toast with your favorite topping...Yum Yum. Hungry Girl has a few new ways to fix your morning fix of oatmeal, here are just two...for all her ideas check out her blog.

Choco Monkey Oatmeal:

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup regular oats (not instant)
• 1 25-calorie packet diet hot cocoa mix
• /2 medium-sized banana; mashed
• 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
• 1 no-calorie sweetener packet (like Splenda)
• dash salt

Directions: Pour cocoa mix into a glass with cinnamon, sweetener and salt. Add 1/4 cup of hot water, and stir thoroughly. Once cocoa mix has dissolved, add 1/4 cup of cold water and stir. Place mixture in the fridge to chill. (Make sure it is cold, or oatmeal may bubble over when cooking!) When ready, combine with mashed banana and oats in a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, and mix well. Microwave dish for 2 1/2 - 3 minutes (depending on how thick you like your oatmeal). Give it a stir, and then allow oatmeal to cool and thicken. Enjoy!MAKES 1 SERVING

PER SERVING (entire recipe): 185 calories, 2g fat, 137mg sodium, 37g carbs, 5g fiber, 11g sugars, 6.5g protein -- POINTS® value 3*

Berries & Cream Oatmeal Pudding!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup regular oats (not instant)
• / 2 cup frozen mixed berries (unsweetened)
• 1/4 cup Almond Breeze, Unsweetened Vanilla; fridge temperature
• 1 tbsp. Jell-O Sugar Free Fat Free Instant pudding mix, Vanilla
• tsp. Coffee-mate powdered creamer, Sugar Free French Vanilla
• 1 no-calorie sweetener packet (like Splenda)
• dash salt

Directions: In a medium-sized microwave-safe bowl, combine the Coffee-mate powder with 2 oz. of warm water and stir until dissolved. Next add Almond Breeze and pudding mix, and stir until mixture is well blended. Add all other ingredients to the bowl and stir. Microwave for 3 minutes, and then allow to cool and thicken. Dig in! MAKES 1 SERVING HG Heads Up! (This one has a tendency to turn weird colors depending on the berries you use. And it's also good made with other frozen fruits, like peaches or tropical blends!)

PER SERVING (entire recipe): 188 calories, 3.25g fat, 506mg sodium, 35g carbs, 5g fiber, 6g sugars, 5g protein -- POINTS® value 3*

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Fall Back...

Don't Forget...

Tomorrow @ 2:00 a.m.

aren't you glad you don't have this job?