Make It From Scratch! - The Contest!

I've always loved to cook. As a kid, I remember making a lot of the family meals, not because I had to, but because I wanted to. The family was my tester, and I think they would tell you most meals were pretty good. The ones that weren't were probably too spicy. Mamaw still thinks I use too much spice sometimes!

My roommates in college called me the casserole queen. I could throw together whatever was on hand and make it work. (usually) One roommate was amazed that I actually made brownies from chocolate squares. "You can do that without a box?" he asked me. Now, I don't say these things to brag, just to establish that by the time I got married, I was a pretty decent cook.

But
even though I knew my way around a kitchen, there were still things I did not make from scratch. I still bought mixes for a lot of things. Then at some point, I would be out of my mix and need to make something, and I would try it from scratch. Often, I'd realize it really was pretty easy, it tasted better and was cheaper. "Hmmm," I would wonder, "Why did I ever buy mixes for that?" Corn bread, pizza dough and biscuits are such examples. Those things I always make from scratch now.

No, I don't make everything from scratch. Some things I've just never gotten in the habit of, such as spaghetti sauce. There are other things that just seem too daunting to try. Though I keep reading how easy it is to make noodles and tortillas from scratch, I've never gotten up the nerve to try it.

I know I am not the only one who is intimated by what others seem to make from scratch with ease. When I saw Amy's post about her first try at dinner rolls (scroll all the way to the bottom), I thought, "Wouldn't it be fun to all get together (virtually of course) and try to make something from scratch we never have." Thus was born the idea for my contest, "Make It From Scratch!" Ok, it really is more a play along than a contest, but I am giving out a prize (via random drawing) and I want to call it a contest, so there!

How to Play

1. Think of something you've always wanted to try to make from scratch. I know I've used cooking examples. I cook. I don't sew. I rarely craft. If you want to sew or craft, go for it!
2. Let us know in comments what you're thinking of trying. It is ok if you change your mind.
   
3. (optional) Let your readers know. Steal the button and tell everyone what you're going to try. Maybe they will give you some good ideas. (BTW I am new to this button making stuff. As if that wasn't obvious! If you want to help me make it better I'd appreciate input!)
   
4. After you make your item, post about it. Then email me your link. stkappleto {at} hotmail {dot} com.
5. I will post all entries, carnival style, on Tuesday, February 13th.
   

Easy? Oh, but I didn't tell you about the prize. I will randomly draw a name from those listed on February 13. The prize, of course, will also be made from scratch. Your choice; blackberry jam, peanut butter cookies or homemade vanilla coffee mix.

P.S.
"From Scratch" means different things to different people. Take bread for instance, some would consider it "from scratch" to buy the dough and bake it. Others wouldn't consider it "from scratch" unless they ground the flour themselves. I am guessing we are all somewhere between. No set rules here, just make it at whatever level you consider "from scratch."

This contest is listed at Competizione.

Discovery Toys Up to 62% Off

Now through February 10, 2007 save up to 62% on award winning educational toys. These toys come with a 100% satisfaction guarantee. See what's on sale here. If you have any questions about the products do not hesitate to email me at wvtoymom (at) yahoo (dot) com. When you order please use my consultant number APP095. Here are my top picks from the sale items, by age.

Early years

COPY CATS ANIMAL NOISES Activity Board Book

1

An interactive game book - spin to trumpet like an elephant or quack like a duck. Children develop social skills, gross motor skills and can be just plain silly with imitative play. Approximately 10" x 9½" (26cm x 24cm). Appropriate from 24 months & Up

Price Base $7.99 Sale$5.99

My kids have loved this book. Don't they all love animal noises? It is nice for mom and dad too, because it is different every time you read it.

Preschool

FLEXIBLOCKS®

Add natural movement to your creations! Colorful FLEXIBLOCKS® bricks attach with hinged corners, allowing children to create structures that are more versatile than other brands of blocks. Set includes a variety of special pieces for creations that are as imaginative or as realistic as you desire. Create structures with moving parts - just like the real thing. 166 pieces, in a 10” x 16” (25cm x 41cm) cloth storage bag. From 3 Years – Primary School

Price

Base $36.99

Sale$19.99

These blocks will also fit with other brands.

School Age

TUTTI FRUTTI

This lightning fast card game adds up to fun. Be the first to ring the bell and you win the fruit. Learn to quickly solve math problems in your head, an excellent preparation for timed tests in the classroom. A variety of game options helps improve math skills at every level. Fun to take anywhere you go. Expanded Parent Guide included. 56 cards 3½” x 2¼” (9cm x 6cm). From 6 years & Up

Price

Base $15.99

Sale$11.99

I had a hard time picking a school age favorite. There are several on sale that I really like. Some others would include 4 Take Four and Marbelous Mosaics. In the end I chose Tutti Frutti because it spans a greater age range. You can modify it and play with preschoolers, and my eight year old still likes to play this. That is value for your money!

Sale time is a great time to stock up for birthdays, Easter or even Christmas too! See and order the sale items or other product here or email me. wvtoymom (at) yahoo (dot) com .

My kind of grocery receipt

and another $18 to come in rebates from Banquet, thanks to Amy!

See more Wordless Wednesday.

Cranberry Nut Bread

This is my favorite quick bread recipe. I often make it for the holidays, but never did this year. Maybe because it was so warm then. This bread is most appealing to me when the weather is cold. So, a few weeks ago when winter finally decided to come, I pulled out this recipe and made a double batch. It didn't last long.

Cranberry Nut Bread
For One Loaf
2 C all purpose flour
1 C granulated sugar
1 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 C butter melted
3/4 C orange juice
1 tsp grated orange rind
1 egg
1 C frozen cranberries, coarsely chopped in the blender
1/2 C walnuts

1. Grease 9 by 5 inch pan. Preheat oven to 350 F
2. In a large bowl, combine four, sugar, slat, baking powder and soda.
3. Stir in butter. Combine the juice, egg and peel, then add to the dry ingredients. Mix just to moisten.
4. Fold in berries and nuts.
5. Bake for about 60 minutes. Cool slightly. Remove from pan, cool completely. Wrap and store in the refrigerator until cold.
6. Slice carefully so the bread does not crumble.

Festival of Frugality #59

The Festival of Frugality is up at Money, Matter and More Musings. Golbguru has titled this the "Frugality is for Everyone Edition." It is a fitting title. There are entries there for travel, cars, home improvement, food and drink, and many other categories. Go over and see what is there for you!

A little of this and a little of that

If you haven't noticed already there are a few new things on my side bar. First is the Frugal Blogroll. This is a relatively new blogroll, but I have visited most of these blogs, and there are some real gems there. Give some of them a visit. If you are interested in joining visit Life in a shoe. Kim is the mama of 8 (and you thought I had a large family!) and full of good frugal ideas herself. Tell her I sent you!

They say one way to get to know someone is to see what they spend their money on. What do we spend our money on? (or ask for for gifts?) Look at our Amazon store. This is still very much a work in progress, but we are listing things there that we actually have, like and use, (and a couple on our wish lists) if you are interested. We have some of our favorite books, movies and music listed now. I'd like to list kitchen and homeschool things we like soon, and then who knows what else I may find. If you are going to shop Amazon anyway, please link from here. Help me pay off some debt!

Want to know a little more on a personal level? I posted an "I am" essay on my other blog. This was a entry for a contest. More information on that over there too.

Speaking of contests. . . I have a frugal type contest in mind. . . more details here, later this week.

On the other blog, you will also find a new web ring, "Homeschoolers in the Hills." This is just for West Virginia homeschoolers. If that fits you (or you are just curious) consider checking it out.

Kellen has also joined a blogroll, "Homeschooling Kids." I know there are a lot of different opinions about kids blogging, but it has been a good way for me to get him writing. We have made it part of our school week. Sometimes he puts assignments up there, sometimes just talks about what is going on. It is good practice and he seems to prefer the blog format to paper. I am hoping the blog roll will help him interact with some more homeschoolers too. A bonus: he actually wants to learn to type now!

Ok, maybe I should have titled this " a lot of this and a lot of that," if you are still with me thanks for sticking through my ramblings. Have a good week. Don't forget to check back for contest details!

Refinance your car?

Car Refinance? Really? A house, well yes, been there, done that. I can't imagine carrying enough debt on a vehicle to make refinancing necessary or worthwhile.

We are vehicle shopping, and hoping to take on zero debt in this purchase. I guess, if you did purchase a vehicle for $30,000, (I won't tell you what huge % of our annual income that is and that we don't have that much in our house!) and finance for 60 months (that is 5 years, as old as Lydia, to pay for a car?!) refinancing for a lower rate could save you some money. If refinancing your car (what were you thinking when you bought this?) is something you are looking to do this company's customers have good things to say about them.

This is a sponsored post.

Kellen gets a lesson on brand names

Last night Kellen learned a little lesson about brand names. We were getting ready to watch a movie and the kids asked for popcorn. We went out to the kitchen. I went to the cupboard and grabbed a bag of the Aldi popcorn. Kellen grabbed a bad of Trail's End popcorn. We received a large box of this as a gift and I had put it up until we finished what we already had in the cupboard.

He really wanted the Trail's End, so I let him get one out. This is what we were holding.



Kellen took the outer wrapping off the Trail's End popcorn, and I thought, "That is interesting." I took the outer wrapping off the Aldi bag. This is what we saw.















"How can this be?" says Kellen, "They are the same bag!" I explained to him that often manufacturers and processors make the same product for different companies. They just use different packaging according to what each company wants. When you pay more for the product, you are paying for the packaging and the name.

I am not sure how much the Trail's End popcorn was since we received it as a gift. I can tell you the Aldi box of six bags was $1.39. It is good popcorn, no matter how much you pay for it!

This example is a little different. In this case, because Trail's End is a fundraiser, I have no problem with it being more expensive. Just know you are paying for packaging, a name, and a good cause; not better popcorn! But what about other brands? Are they really different from the store brands or are they the same thing in a different package? Save yourself some money, buy the store brand!

If you still aren't convinced, maybe you should conduct your own blind taste test. Buy the brand and the generic. Have someone else (bet the kids would love to do this) open the container. Look at and taste both products. Are they the same? If not, which is really better? Then have the other person tell you which was the name brand and which was the store brand. I'd love to hear your results.

For more frugal tips visit Frugal Friday at Biblical Womanhood.

We are vehicle shopping

I've posted before about our van having over 200,000 miles. At the time of that post, we thought we would keep the van for awhile. Mechanically it is in good shape, but has lots of little issues, like the sliding door can't be opened too far or it gets stuck. These little issues, wouldn't be a problem if it was just me and I was going back and forth to work, but hauling around four kids? The "issues" get pretty annoying. But, at the time of that post, there was no money for anything different. We do not want to take on more debt.

Well things have changed a bit. No, we still don't have the money lying around, but I have a plan. With Tim's new job came a company car. So, now we have the Subaru, whose book value is about $5500, sitting in the drive hardly ever being used. Can you guess where I am going with this?

It is not big enough for the family, and we still would like to have a second car. Since we drive older cars, it is nice (though not essential) to have a backup. Tim isn't to use his company car for personal use and there are a few times we do need (high priority want, I admit it!) two cars. Sunday morning is an example. Tim plays on the worship team, and leaves about an hour before us. Yes, we could all leave earlier, but getting four kids ready and having them at church for an hour with nothing to do . . . well that is not too appealing to me.

So my plan? Sell the Subaru. We also should be getting a nice tax return and we have some money in savings. Put it all together and we should be able to get a decent used car for the family.

It will be a few months before we are ready to buy, but we are starting to look around now. The first decision what kind of vehicle do we want? Should we look for a salvage title again? We are a family of six, so that right there cuts the choices. Another minivan would work, but because of where we live, a van with AWD would be nice.

We have thought about SUV's. We are concerned about space in a midsized SUV. There are enough seats, but what about the groceries or luggage? We thought for trips we could use a roof rack. Another concern I have is whether the kids would be comfortable in that size vehicle when they are a few years older and are teens and preteens.

Larger SUVs would have plenty of space, but the gas bill, yikes! We have been looking at some diesel vehicles that could then be converted to use vegetable oil. I find this extremely interesting, but we are still checking into it.

Another option we are considering, a friend has minivan whose transmission went out. It is the same model as ours, but a few years newer. Other than the transmission, everything else works fine. They got an estimate of about $1000 to fix it. They opted to purchase a smaller vehicle with better gas mileage, instead of fixing the van. If we could purchase the van for about $500 and then get it fixed, that would make for a very reasonable next vehicle. With the money left from the tax return and selling the Subaru, we could pay off debt or save for the house we want to build.

Oh, the choices and decisions to make when you are trying to be frugal! I would love to hear about the vehicles you drive, especially if you have a family of similar size!

Thinking of spring? $25 off your $50 order.

Now that winter has shown its' face it is time to think of spring planting. The seed and bulb companies are. The catalogs are arriving, and with them special offers to entice us to order early.

Dutch Gardens - bulbs direct from Holland $25 off orders of $50 or more. Now through 3/15/2007
They have a huge selection of spring planted flowers. I really like their search feature. You can search by color, growing zone, height, light requirements, and bloom season. There is even a search by "special attributes" one of which is deer resistance. An important thing to consider around here.

Shopping for cell phones?

The world of cell phones can be a confusing place. So many features to choose from. What do you need? Personally, I am a simple phone kind of gal. I don't need a camera with it, or a MP3 player or something that just looks cool. Just give me a phone that will let me make phone calls - period.

Tim, on the other hand, is a gadget junkie. He restrains himself from buying all the latest and greatest, but he really likes the bells and whistles. He has an older version of this phone. It has a lot of bells and whistles. They are practical for him, though, because he uses them for work.

If you aren't already bogged down by all the choices in phones themselves, consider the choices in calling plans. Is your head spinning? How can you sort through it all? Wirefly is an interesting site, that can help you narrow down the options. Sort for calling plans from the major carriers by your zip code or type of plan you want. Find phones that are free with the plans. Get ringtones and accessories.

If you are considering a new phone or service, you may want to stop by Wirefly. Check out the featured Verizon cell phone deals
too!

This is a sponsored post.

Festival of Frugality #58

The Festival is up at The Simple Dollar. Thanks Trent, for an awesome hosting job!

Free and Fun Winter Activities for Kids

Break those winter blahs with some fun activities. Butterfly Mama is hosting a Winter Activity Festival today. Check out some great ideas and add your own. She will be randomly drawing, from the participants names, for a jar of home canned peaches. Wouldn't that be like getting a little jar of sunshine in the mail?

Here are some of my ideas.

The Kids' Favorite Activity
Exercise Class
This is real simple. I turn on some soft music and we do some stretching. Then comes the kids' favorite part. We turn on the Techno Dance station, real loud, and get moving. I am no aerobics instructor, but I have taken enough classes to know a move or two. There is not set routine and many times we just do what goes with the music. We take turns "leading" and it usually ends up with a free for all crazy dance time. I try to wrap it up with some more stretching. This is fun, free, and we all get a bit of exercise.

My Favorite Activity
Library Story Time
Why is this my favorite? It is free, and 90% of the work is done by someone else! I must say though, we have an exceptional story time lady. She does so much with and for the kids. The class is geared to preschool. Kellen (8) sometimes joins in, or picks out books, or does school work.

Class starts with a stretching song. Then there is a story or two on the theme of the day. She always does at least one craft with them. Sometimes there is a snack or another activity. Class always ends with "We're Going On a Bear Hunt." It is more than a story hour, it is more like a one hour preschool!

What are your favorites? Share them with us at the Winter Activity Festival!

My famous husband and a book meme

My husband is famous, well kinda, well he is in the paper today. Take a look.

And Heather tagged me for a book meme.


Grab the book closest to you.
Open to page 123 and find the 4th sentence.
Post the next 3 sentences on your blog.
Name the book and the author.
Tag three people.

The book closest to me at the time was by Watchman Nee, I read it awhile ago, and am not sure why it is currently on my desk. Anyway, it only has 116 pages, so I chose the last book I read, Rocket Boys, by Homer Hickam Jr.

Page 123
I mentioned him to Mom afterward. She laughed. "You want to know something else about your Jake Mosby? His daddy owns about twenty percent of the steel mill that owns us."

OK that is really four sentences, not three, but it is more interesting with that fourth one!

Who wants to play? I won't tag anyone, but let me know if you want to play.

Haircuts at Home

The cost of haircuts can add up. When you are a family of six they can add up rather quickly. At the barbershop, kids haircuts are $7, adults $12; the walk in salons, kids $10, adults $14. I don't even know how much a full service salon would be, but I'd guess around $30.

Just figuring on the low end, for six people to get haircuts every six weeks it adds up to about $500 a year. I have other things I'd like to spend that kind of money on.

Hair clipper sets start around $20. As you can see, they pay for themselves in just a couple of uses when you are cutting hair at home. Haircuts at home are not the only way to cut the costs. To be completely forthright, I must say, Tim and I pay someone else to cut our hair. I will explain about that in a minute.

We do cut the kids' hair at home. Tim is the resident barber for the boys. Nolan got a haircut last night. Kellen will probably get one tonight. Here Nolan is before the haircut.

During the cut. Ignore the paper bag. It was a make shift attempt at a cape. It yielded mixed results. An old sheet works better, but I probably should just buy a cape.




After the cut. It isn't perfect, but it looks pretty good. Honestly, the barbers never get much better results on the little kids!


Lydia's hair is all one length. I just trim it every now and then. Vivian, well, no need for a haircut yet!



What else can you do to save money on haircuts? Use a barber. They are almost always less expensive. Where I grew up barbers were strictly guys, cutting guys hair. Here, I've see women barbers and women getting haircuts in the barber shop.

Wear your hair in a simple style that grows out nicely. My hair grows quickly. When I was working, I wore it very short. Not a frugal move. I tried to wait six weeks between cuts, but at about four weeks, it started looking very shaggy. I should have had a longer cut that would look better between trips to the salon.

With a simpler style, you can feel more confident about a cut at a cheaper salon. I've had friends who would go to a nicer salon once a year, but keep the cut trimmed up at a walk in salon.

So, why don't Tim and I get haircuts at home? Tim has very coarse, thick hair. Years back I tried to cut it at home. I could never quite get it to look right. He has a hard time finding professionals that do a good job on it. He has found a barber who does a nice job. The price is reasonable. The cost is worth it!

I now wear my hair long. When it was all one length, Tim would trim it for me. I found though, that it looks better and is easier to manage with some long layers in it. Tim didn't want to try to cut the layers. So, I go to a walk in salon. I only go two or three times a year, so it doesn't add up to much.

I am going to a nice salon soon. It was a Christmas gift. I have a shorter style in mind, but this style would still grow out nicely. I may have to go a little more frequently than I do now though. I will post pictures when and if I actually go through with cutting it short.

If you don't already, I would encourage you try cutting hair at home. Especially, if you have kids. If you are feeling a little unsure about how to do it, there are resources available online. Since I haven't actually used any of them, I won't recommend specific sites. I did do a Google search for "cut your own hair" and it brought up a lot of sites that looked interesting. It does take practice, so keep trying if you are not happy with the results the first time. Let us know how it goes!

Have you been invited?

Have you heard about the week long blog party happening at 5 Minutes for Mom? If you haven't, get on over there and check it out. Everyone is invited. There will be new people to meet, music, prizes and food, well recipes anyhow. I am even providing a door prize; a jar of homemade blackberry jam. Jam made from the wild blackberries on the 100 Acre Wood. It is good stuff!

Hope to see you at the party!

Thursday Thirteen #2

Thirteen Free Educational Web Sites Kids Love

As homeschoolers, we are always on the look out for free and educational things. Here are some websites, in no particular order. Of course, you certainly don't have to be a homeschooler to enjoy them!

1. Hands down this is Lydia's favorite web site. It teaches ABC's, phonics and reading. It says it is designed with first graders in mind, but is useful for pre-K to second grade. Lydia started playing this at four and Nolan, at two and a half, loves to watch her play. He isn't able to operate the mouse yet, but is trying.

2. Millsberry is one of Kellen's (8) favorite places to be. There are tons of things to do in Millsberry, some of them just fun, many of them educational. Games in the arcade are organized by category:

Fitness

Civics

Intelligence

Reward

3. Fun Brain also has a variety of games. Choose by grade level or by subject. Math baseball was always one of my students favorites when I was teaching in middle school.

4. Lemonade Larry is a good one for math involving money.

5. Who wants to be a Mathionaire? Get those multiplication facts down by playing Mathionaire, based on the popular game show.

6. Game Goo. I love their motto: Learning that sticks. They have a nice parent section which explains the games and the concepts that are taught. The site is geared to preschoolers to early readers. As you might imagine the games have silly names, such as "Paw Park Sassy Seals"

7. Had to get a history one in. Jamestown Online Adventure for Kids. Students become the Captain of the Jamestown colony and make decisions to ensure the survival of the colony.


8. It has been awhile since I've played this one, but it was popular with my students. Amazon Interactive. There are informational pages and an Ecotoursim simulation game.

9. It is amazing how many people don't know how to type. Kellen is working on learning the key board. A free site to help is goodtyping.com.

10. Have a budding young entrepreneur? Have them play the Lemonade Game.

11. Learning with Dora, Blue's Clues and Diego? Can you beat it? Really, the Nick Jr. games are educational, and, of course, the kids are more than happy to see their favorite characters.

12. The Great Plant Escape. Learn all about plants.

13. The mother of all educational websites. Internet4Classrooms. The site is geared toward teachers, but it is a great resource for parents too. Pick the grade level and subject you want to work on. There are 100's of sites listed. Once you pick the subject and grade level, you can look for a particular skill. This is where I go when I need something new to teach a concept or when reinforcement is needed. For grades K-8.

What are your favorite educational websites? We are always looking for more free and educational!

Visit more Thursday Thirteens.

Free ecards for all occasions

Do you like to send e cards? I like them for a lot of reasons. Paper cards are expensive and most likely will end up in the trash. Free ecards not only save you money on the card itself, but on postage too. Ecards can be scheduled to send on the needed date. I could sit here today and get all my cards ready for the year. I could schedule cards to be sent on birthdays and holidays. Free ecards are instant. Great for those times you forgot to buy a card or if you just want to send someone a little pick me up.

Yahoo! Greetings is offering a free 30 day trial to their ecards. The annual membership is $13.99 and allows you to send unlimited ecards. Something you might want to check into!

This is a sponsored post.

Festival of Frugality #57

It has been awhile since I posted the festival or even participated for that matter. Sorry if you've missed it. If I don't get it up, just know that it is always up on Tuesdays and you can find the host by clicking on the link in the sidebar under the heading "Frugal Inspiration."

This week's Festival is hosted at FIRE Finance. The entries are presented very creatively in a story about Joe. Looks like lots of great frugal advice. I will be checking them later today!

Cloth Diaper Wraps

After five years of using cloth diapers, I have finally decided on a favorite wrap!

We started cloth diapers with our second child, Lydia, who just turned five. We used cloth prefolds and I got a sampler pack of small wraps. There were Bummis Whisper Wraps, Pro Wraps and a fleece and a wool wrap whose brand I no longer remember. I did not care for the fleece or the wool.

The Bummis and Pro Wraps, I feft, performed essentially the same, with minor differences. The differences:

Bummis
+The tabs are more adjustable. They allows you to get a better fit, especially on a new baby.
- The cost $9.25 per wrap.
- Smaller tabs. I found as the baby got more mobile the tabs didn't hold as well.

ProWraps
+The price $7.95

When I needed to buy larger sizes, I bought Pro Wraps. I used these until Lydia was potty trained. I was happy with them.

Then our third child, Nolan, was born. We used cloth again. No complaints through the small size of wraps, but once we got to the next size I started to have problems with the velcro. The velcro was collecting lint and then not sticking. The wrap would come undone and then the diaper would leak. I had to clean out the lint periodically.

I know it is not a major issue, but it was annoying. Nolan trained a little later than Lydia and was also just built bigger, When he was turning two I needed to buy more large wraps. I went checking around, and found that they were now making wraps with snaps. Interesting.

They were more expensive, but I thought since I only needed a few I would give it a try. I settled on Mother-ease based mostly on price. I purchased their XL Air Flow Snap Covers.
I used these with Nolan until he is was potty trained. I really liked them. Vivian is in cloth diapers now. I am wishing all my wraps were Air Flow Snap Covers, but I can't justify replacing what I already have.

Air Flow Snap Covers
+The snaps. No more cleaning lint out of velcro.
+Adjustability. On each tab there are two snaps on the top and three on the bottom. This gives you a lot of flexibility for a snug fit. They are sold in six sizes, but I think you could start with the small and then buy every other size. I had Vivian (about 20 pounds) in the XL (35-45 pounds) the other day when I was behind on laundry. It was a bit big, but it worked just fine.
+The fit. The prefolds fit into these wraps better. Less folding and tucking and a less bulky baby bottom.
+Airflow. The snaps make a vent to allow airflow for healthier baby bottoms.
- Price. $10.50 for XL $9.75 for other sizes. There is a price break if you order four or more.
- Speed. It takes a bit longer to snap the cover than to velcro it. This can be a challenge with a squirmy baby. I figure overall I still save time though, because I am not cleaning lint out of velcro, changing clothes after velcro came undone or folding diapers.

So, after five years of cloth diapers I have a new favorite wrap. If you use cloth what is your favorite wrap? If you have questions about using cloth diapers, feel free to email me. You can find my email here by clicking this View my complete profile.

Homemade Birthday Cake

Today is Lydia's birthday! She is five. We actually celebrated her birthday last weekend because the Miller clan were all here. So, last week I asked her, "What kind of birthday cake do you want?"By "kind" I meant flavor, you know chocolate, white or maybe marble. But "kind" to her meant "What character do you want on it?" Her answer, "Strawberry Shortcake."

In years past we have always bought decorated birthday cakes. The kids have usually picked some sort of character to grace their cake. I have been trying to get away from this habit and make homemade birthday cakes. Store bought cakes aren't cheap and with the number of birthdays we have around here, we can save quite a bit by making our cakes at home. Plus, homemade is just better!

Here we come to the problem though. I can bake, but decorate? Um. . . not too confident (or willing to try) in that category. Could I really come up with a cake decorated with Strawberry Shortcake? No! But I could make a strawberry shortcake.

I have a set of recipe cards that have very nice pictures. I found one that had a strawberry shortcake recipe. I showed it to Lydia, "How about if we make your whole cake a strawberry shortcake?" She was agreeable.

Strawberry shortcake to me, usually involves some sort of biscuit type cake, but this is different. The cake is one layer of yellow cake with orange peel. There was a recipe, but you could use your favorite and add the grated peel of one orange.

Cut the cake in half.

On the bottom layer scoop on two pints of vanilla ice cream.

Top with 2 pints strawberries. (I used frozen ones packed with sugar.) If you use fresh you will want to put them in a bowl with about 1/3 C sugar and let sit for a little bit before you add to the cake.

Then add whipped cream, the top layer of the cake and more whipped cream. (and birthday candles if it fits the occasion!)

Lydia was satisfied and we all enjoyed the cake. I was happy to not have to buy a cake. I had most of the ingredients on hand. I only had to buy ice cream (which I would have even if I had bought a cake) and cream to make real whipped cream.

I only hope this transition goes as smoothly with the rest of the kids. Vivian's birthday is next. I think she will be agreeable to any kind of cake. (She will turn one!) Maybe a carrot cake with cream cheese frosting! YUM!

A Money Making Help Blog

Can you make money online? There are a lot of people out there who seems to make it work. I am amazed at the number and different types of opportunities out there. It can be a bit overwhelming.

How can you sort through it all, and maximize your earnings? Get tips and secrets from someone who is there in the trenchs figuring it all out. No, that would not be me. I am a very part time novice who dabbles at making money on the web, but you might want to check Neil Shearing's blog.

His blog features, "up to the minute money making tips and secrets." It is nicely written and well organized. Categories include "adsense tips, getting out of debt, Q+A, affiliate marketing and recommendations" among others. His posts are personal too, which in my opinion makes them much more interesting to read.

So, if you are looking to make money on the web, I would recommend Neil Shearing's blog as a source of information.

This is a sponsored post.

Recyling Christmas Cards - ideas from someone who is not crafty

What do you do with all the Christmas cards you receive? Ours have been hanging in the kitchen, but now it is time to take them down. I hate to throw them away. Friends and family have spent their money (not to mention time) on these. They are beautiful and certainly worthy of reuse.

I am far from a craft queen. Most of my crafts have either been done with the kids or at social events, such as the ladies craft night our church used to have. Even so, I will share what this noncrafty person can do with Christmas cards.

First, I remove any pictures. This year I am hanging them on the side of my fridge in a collage. This will help me think of and pray for our friends and family through the year. It will also be nice to compare with next year's photos when they come. Then all the cards get put in a drawer for future use.

Kid's crafts
The kids usually end up using most of the cards for their creative efforts. They cut out the pictures and sometimes the words to create new cards or pictures. They have a lot of fun doing this. If you make your own cards, I would think you could do the same for your adult creations.

Name tags
Another thing we have done is create name tags from the cards. Cut out the picture on the card that you want to use. Write your "to" and "from" on the back. Punch a hole in the top of the picture and attach the name tag with ribbon.


Ball ornament
I am not sure if this ornament has a name. The picture is of one that I made at a ladies craft night. It is a little time consuming, but pretty easy. This one is made from colored card stock, but I remember my grandmother making these out of Christmas cards.

Cut 20 circles of the same size. Draw a triangle on the circle whose corners are on the edge of the circle. Use a pattern cut out of cardboard to keep the circles and triangles the same size. Fold on the triangle lines. (Fold so that when the paper is lying on the table the folds stand up and you can't see the pencil marks.) Then glue the folded edges together. Punch a hole in one of the edges and hang with ribbon.


Need some more ideas?

Michelle at Scribbit posted a neat craft for making tiny boxes from cards. Now, she is a crafting queen.

More ideas can be found at About:Family Crafts, or at Activity Village. Check out some of these ideas and reuse those Christmas cards.

Coupon Codes

Don't you just love Old Navy? Their clothes are comfortable and stylish. Shopping there online is easy and hassle free. Shipping is $5 no matter how much you order. Returns are no hassle. They even enclose a return shipping label in your order. You can also make your returns to the store, as I recently did with a coat I ordered. Shopping with Old Navy Coupons is even better!

I do a lot of my shopping online. It is quick and easy and I don't have to drag the kids through a store. Having online coupons to use sweetens the deal. CouponChief is a great source for promo codes to your favorite stores. Before shopping online check there for money saving coupons.

This is a sponsored post.

Wants, Needs, & Practical Things

One of the most popular posts here has been my post about Four for Christmas. In this post, I talked about how we buy Christmas presents for our kids. What I didn't share was the gifts for Tim & I. We don't buy much for each other usually, though this year Tim went all out for me. We almost always ask for practical or needed things. We also may ask for some things we want, but don't want to spend the money on.

We were truly blessed by our families this Christmas. I was thinking yesterday, how the gifts we received fall into the same categories that we use in buying for the kids. We got things we needed, wanted and that were practical. We didn't receive any gifts to help us grow spiritually, but I guess those are the gifts from the Lord!

Wants
Tim totally spoiled me this year and got me gifts certificates for a massage, manicure and hair cut. I can't wait to use them all! I've never had a massage or manicure so those are real treats. I don't get my hair cut often and usually just at a cheapo place. I have a big change in mind. I'd feel more comfortable at a better salon. More on that later.

My parents also got us a what I would call a high priority want; a new digital camera. Our old one is really just a web cam. It didn't take great pictures. They got us this new camera. I haven't gotten much chance to play with it because it is hard to get away from Tim! He has taken some nice pictures with it though! (ours is red!)


Needs
We really needed new dishes. We had been using a set of plates we got as wedding presents twelve years ago. We were down to four dinner plates and six bowls. Doesn't work too well for a family of six! Tim's parents and grandmother really came through. They got us three sets of these dishes. We love them!


Practical
Money is always practical right? We got a unexpected cash gift from Tim's father. We aren't sure exactly what we will do with it. We may need to use it for bills since Tim recently took a pay cut. We talked too about using it toward a different family vehicle. For now we put it in savings.

I also got two cookbooks; Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving: 400 Delicious and Creative Recipes for Today and Biggest Book of Bread Machine Recipes (Better Homes & Gardens (Paperback)) I can't wait to try some of those recipes.

We had a great Christmas, spending the weekend before with Tim's family and this past weekend with mine. The most important gift of course was the time spent with our families.

Remembering to water the plants

I love houseplants. Before kids, I used to keep beautiful plants. I still have plants, but with kids they aren't as lush as the once used to be. Occasionally, one of the kids will pull leaves off of them or dump them, but mostly the problem is I neglect them.

I kept forgetting to water them. I would notice them all limp and droopy and think, "Oh when was the last time I watered the plants?" So in the past few weeks I have figured out something to make sure the plants get watered.

When I am cleaning up after a meal or just picking up the house, there are always glasses left with water. Instead of dumping the water down the drain, I check the plants and water which ever one needs it. It saves a little bit of water (and pennies too) and keeps the plants green. Nothing earth shattering, but it works for me.

For more helpful tips visit Rocks in My Dryer.

In the interest of not losing this,

Normally, I am a pretty organized person. . . under all the clutter. No, maybe I should say it this way; I like being organized, but at this point, often find things not very organized. My recipes are a perfect example. All of my recipes are together, but the ones that are not part of a book are just a pile of loose papers in the cupboard. There are a lot of loose papers.

Today, I wanted to make one of my favorite cakes, Jessie's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake. This is a friend's recipe. I think it actually originated with her mother-in-law. Anyhow, I couldn't find it. I had a small panic and dug through the papers again. Not there. Finally, I pulled out some of the books and there is was stuck in the back. The cake is cooling as I type.

Instead fixing the real problem, and organizing the loose recipes, I thought, "I should put this on my blog. Then if I can't find the paper again, I will be able to find it on my blog. Oh yeah, and maybe some other people might like the recipe too." So, in the interest of me not losing this recipe, here it is.

Jessie's Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake
The Cake
2 C sugar
1/2 C butter
2 C flour
3 TB cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
2 eggs
1 C water
1 tsp baking soda
1/3 C oil
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 C buttermilk

Mix sugar, flour, and salt in a large bowl. Add eggs
Bring water, oil, butter, and cocoa to a boil. Add baking soda, vanilla, and buttermilk.
Mix with dry ingredients. Pour into greased 9x13 pan.
Bake at 350 F 25-30 minutes. Allow cake to cool.

The Frosting
1/2 C peanut butter
2 1/2 C powdered sugar
2 TB butter
1/2 C milk
6 oz chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla
2 TB corn syrup

While stirring, slowly heat peanut butter, butter, and chocolate chips until melted. Add remaining ingredients and frost cooled cake.

Now, I will always know where to find this recipe. Maybe you will enjoy it too!