I'm Back!

As many have noticed, I have been on a bit of a blogging hiatus. A couple of months ago we found out that we are expecting our second child! We are very excited to meet our new little one in June. With this exciting news came the wonderful joys of the first trimester. It was at this point that I decided taking a few months away from blogging was probably for the best. Now that I am in my second trimester and feeling a bit better, it's time to get back to the blog!

Seeing as though Christmas is only 5 days away, it'll be baking central in this household. Be on the lookout for all of the delicious things to come!!

International Babywearing Week!

Today is officially the beginning of International Babywearing Week!
 

Ok, so I only just learned about this a couple of days ago and I have no set plans on how to celebrate. I would however like to take this as an excuse to talk about why I love babywearing so much!

When Peter was first born, I had a ring sling that I used almost constantly. Having been so snug and warm in the womb, it only makes sense that he would enjoy being held so close. It quickly became a convenience. Peter was happy, he'd fall asleep without fussing, and I learned how to get all of my chores done (including decorating cakes) with him asleep on me.

Now that he's 18 months old, he still enjoys being carried. I bring a pouch sling or my Ergo with me everywhere. In the middle of the grocery store I can quickly hold him and still have my arms available to shop. It's nice to know that I can always provide him the comfort and reassurance that he needs.

Why do you love babywearing? What's your favorite carrier? Any ideas on how to officially celebrate International Babywearing Week?

BumGenius' New Prints

I LOVE how they aren't "cutsie" with frogs and cheesy characters. These are great!! What do you think of the new prints??

Fresh Produce

Do you ever get the urge to photograph beautiful food? That's exactly how I look at produce. It's so colorful, so raw, genuine, and delicious! Since I do not yet own land to grow my own garden, these beauties came from the local grocery store.

Peter was just as excited about all this beautiful food and pulled out the celery as soon as we go to the car. We soon had a discussion on why we don't eat plastic. I'm sure we'll be having this talk again until he learns more of the English language.

Spicy Kielbasa Soup

I have a bunch of kielbasa in my freezer that I've been trying to use, so I decided to make a soup with it. We ended up with Spicy Kielbasa Soup. It would probably be delicious with celery and red peppers, but I didn't have any on hand.

Hubby, who does not eat zucchini, said I could make it again. Coming from Hubby, that's success in my book.


Spicy Kielbasa Soup

1/2 pound kielbasa, sliced
1 medium-size onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) chicken broth (or bouillon cubes)
1 can (15-ounces) black beans or kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can (14-1/2 ounces) stewed, diced, or crushed tomatoes
1 small fresh zucchini squash, sliced
1 medium carrot, shredded
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (add more or less on "heat" preference)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

In a nonstick skillet, cook kielbasa over medium heat until lightly browned.  Add the onion and garlic; cook an additional five minutes. Add and stir chicken broth, beans, tomatoes, zucchini, carrot, parsley, red pepper flakes, and pepper; cover and cook on a low simmer for one hour, stirring occasionally.

Makes 5 (1-1/2 cup) servings

My New (and very cheap) Crockpot!!

Since the death of my old crockpot, I've been trying to decide what I was going to replace it with. I looked into only replacing the ceramic part that broke, but it was going to cost $25 to purchase and ship and the company couldn't tell me when they'd have them in stock again. Then it was the debate of how much I wanted to spend on a new one. Ultimately, I decided that a fancy timer wasn't really necessary (although I did love mine) since I'm home most of the time anyway. All I needed was something that could heat up and be reliable.

I decided to start by looking at Kohl's. My mom had recently seen a flier with a 6 quart crockpot on sale. It was originally $39.99 and was marked down to $18.99. Not bad. Just last week I received a coupon in the mail for $10 off any purchase at Kohl's. Now, the crockpot would only be $8.99. Finally, my mom had a coupon for 30% off anything purchased with her Kohl's card. So I bought the $39.99 crockpot and it ended up costing me only $6.29!!

Welcome to the family Mr. $6.29 Crockpot. I sure hope you live up to your $39.99 retail price!

Hubby's Tasty Treat

Who doesn't love an ice cream float? After dinner tonight, Hubby decided he would get a little creative with a fun dessert. We had some leftover sparkling pomegranate and strawberry juice in the refrigerator and a carton of blueberry and pomegranate ice cream in the freezer. Who knew such a beautiful creation be created! The only thing that would have made it perfect is a big squirt of whipped cream on top. YUM!

Note: It was so delicious that I ate a bunch and it melted a bit before the photo op could begin.

Small Successes

This week I have:

1. Seen both the bottom of the hamper and the diaper pail...AT THE SAME TIME!!!

2. Prepared and served a lunch for my grandmother's birthday. We had Lasagna, Focaccia Bread, and a homemade lemon cake. If only we had a birthday everyday...YUM!

3. Frozen a bunch of my dried beans to be better prepared for all of my upcoming soups.

Dried Beans Made Easy

In honor of Soup Season, I spent my morning preparing my dried beans. I used to use canned beans merely for their convenience. When I started to compare the prices of the canned beans to dried beans, I knew I had to make the sacrifice and extra effort to start buying dried beans. Since last soup season, I bought 25lbs of kidney beans and 25lbs of black beans. Now, I'm stuck...there's no turning back!

I always found the worst part of dried beans was not being able to use beans to create a dinner in 30 minutes. You have to soak them, cook them, it just takes forever! It was then that I decided to enlist the help of my freezer. I now soak (and drain) them ahead of time and freeze in portion sized bags. I then use them just as I would a normal can of beans.

Convenient and cost effective!

Soup Season Has Begun!

I would like to officially announce that Soup Season has begun in our house!! I know, I know, I shouldn't be this excited. I can't stand the cold and the only thing that makes it better is a big bowl of soup. MMMMmmm! In our house, we tend to eat soup atleast five times a week during the cold months (in Maine, that's pretty much the entire year).

I started Soup Season with a new recipe, Chile and Beef Soup. I got the idea from an actual recipe, but altered it quite a bit. Here's our version of Chile and Beef Soup. I tend to make HUGE pots of soup and freeze the extra in dinner size portions for fast meals.

Chile and Beef Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 diced onion
• 1 pound lean ground beef (or ground turkey)
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cans or 8 ounces chopped green chiles
• 1 sweet red bell pepper, sliced (Hubby's allergic, so we skipped this)
• 8 tablespoons flour
• 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) diced tomatoes (or stewed tomatoes, whatever's in the pantry)
• 5 cups beef broth (I tend to use bouillon cubes. Not as yummy, but TONS cheaper.)
• 2 cans beans (any kind, kidney works well), drained and rinsed

Preparation:

In a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and ground beef; cook, stirring, for about 5 minutes, until beef is browned. Add garlic, bell pepper, chopped green chile pepper, and flour; stir to blend. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and broth. Bring to a boil. Stir in beans. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes. Serves 8.

Obituary of My Crock-Pot

My dear crock-pot ended it's life on Sunday, September 26, 2010. He came to us as a wedding gift and has been working for our family ever since.

He loved to cook for us, but mostly enjoyed being filled with beautiful pots of yogurt. Never letting us down, his dinners were always prepared to perfection and on time.

His life ended abruptly when an unnamed one year old dropped a glass jar inside. He was built so strong, but his end could not be prevented. He will be missed by many.

Survivors include, but are not limited to, the glass jar, pots and pans, a stand mixer, blender, and several utensils. He was predeceased by a wooden bowl.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent directly to his owner for his replacement.

Small Successes

This week I have:

1. Finished the baby shower gift for my soon to be born Godson!!

2. Actually saw my kitchen table in it's entirety! It doesn't help that it doubles (or triples??) as hubby's office and my sewing desk.

3. Canned 11 quarts of applesauce. Bring it on winter! We're ready!! (Ok, not really...you can stay away. I was enjoying summer).

Pouch Slings

The sling for my Godson

I have recently begun an adventure of sewing my own pouch slings. My first attempts have been very successful including one for a friend and her baby (my soon to be born Godson).

With this new found enjoyment, I have been contemplating making and selling them. There are many slings out there, but this one is small enough for my purse and therefore very useful for on the go baby-wearing. I am also looking forward to using it with a newborn as it cradles a baby very well.

Peter showing off Mommy's sling

Now is where you come in. I have found many beautiful fabrics and prints online but have not yet purchased them in fear of an endeavor that may or may not succeed. Would you purchase a pouch sling for yourself or for someone you know? Do you think I'm crazy? Let me know all of your thoughts!

Tons and Tons of Applesauce!

Directions to make applesauce:

Step 1: Get super tired toddler to take a 3 hours nap. CHECK!

I recently discovered that my father-in-law has this "super cool strainer" thing that makes applesauce a million times easier, smoother, and all around better. I borrowed it, and the experiment began.

I first quartered all of the apples (I had a little less than a bushel of Macintosh, Cortland, and Gala). I didn't bother peeling, coring, or seeding. I was going to test the "super cool strainer" and see what it really could do.

I boiled the apples, about half a peck at a time, until they were soft.

I then put them through the "super cool strainer" and WOW!! This could not be any easier!! It was instant applesauce!

At this point, toddler wakes up. Turn on WeeSing in Sillyville to buy another hour of time.

I then canned, processed, and VOILA! I have 11 quarts of the most delicious applesauce!

Christmas Wish List: A "Super Cool Strainer" thing.

Small Successes

This week I have:

1. Found time to go on a couple of walks with my little guy (including to the Farmer's Market!).

2. Put away all of the "baby" toys.

3. We have completed the first year of our budgeting system. And...it works great!!!

Homemade Cream Cheese

After making my homemade yogurt, I like to take some of it and make cream cheese.

You'll need a bowl, a strainer, and a light cloth (I use a flour sack).

Put the strainer in the bowl and place the cloth inside the strainer. Pour your yogurt into the cloth. Place it in the fridge for about 8 hours (or until it reaches the desired consistency). The whey will drip into the bowl and the cream cheese will be in the cloth.

This cream cheese is slightly tangier than what you would find in the store, but once you eat it with something, you won't notice. Don't throw out the whey. This is the most nutritious part! You can use it for baking and making ricotta! Right now, my whey is sitting in the fridge while I decide it's destiny.

Homemade Yogurt - In the Crockpot!

I love making my own yogurt. It's less expensive and you don't have any added sugars, preservatives, and weird ingredients. I have used a yogurt maker which didn't make quite enough yogurt, there were too many containers to clean, and it just wasn't worth the space in the cupboards. I came across this recipe, which uses a crockpot, about a year ago and haven't gone back!

Things you'll need:

• Half a gallon of milk (I use whole milk, but my mom has great results with skim)
• 1/4 cup of store bought yogurt (plain, not flavored). Make sure it has "Live-active cultures"

Add the half gallon of milk to your crockpot and cook on Low for 2.5 hours.
Turn off the crockpot (do not open the cover) and let sit for 3 hours.
Remove approx. 2 cups of warm milk and stir in the yogurt. Only add 1/4 a cup, anymore than that and you'll have the opposite effect: runny yogurt!
Add the milk/yogurt mixture to the crockpot.
Cover the crockpot with a bath towel (to insulate) for 8-10 hours.
VOILA!! You have yogurt!

A few notes:
- Be sure to save 1/4 cup of yogurt for your next batch. You do not need to buy yogurt every time.
- If you would like a thicker yogurt, add powered milk to the milk when you first start the crockpot. The amount depends on your preference, start with a cup and experiment with future recipes. I do not personally use any, but my mother loves it (could be the different milks that we use).
-To flavor your yogurt, add granola, fruit, maple syrup, or anything else you can think of. I add whatever comes to mind when I sit down with a bowl.


Wait until you see the homemade cream cheese that I'm currently making from my yogurt!

Thrift Store Treasures

Anyone who knows me, knows that I love finding things at Yard Sales and Thrift Stores. I don't see the purpose of buying items straight from the store when you can find quality items second hand for a fraction of the price.

My mother often donates her clothing to St. Vincent's Thrift Shop. While she was there this weekend, the volunteers were setting up a Little Tikes kitchen and table set. Surprisingly, they were selling all of it for only $20! I went over this morning to check it out and decided to bring it home.

My favorite thing about buying second hand is seeing the quality within something old. It was extremely dirty, but after tons of elbow grease and exhausting my supply of Mr. Clean Magic Erasers, Peter now has a beautiful kitchen set to play with! It is complete with a highchair, food, plates, utensils, and everything else a child needs for great imaginative play! The only thing that we don't seem to have is a stove/oven. Do you have one sitting in your basement or garage that isn't getting any use that might somewhat match our set? If not, I'm sure Peter's imagination will create a stove!

With all of these new toys, I decided to finally attack the dreaded chore I've been avoiding; sorting through and putting away all of Peter's baby toys. This is still a work in progress, but wait until you see what I'm doing to keep all of his "toddler" toys organized!

Soap Nuts

They're here! My new Soap Nuts have arrived!!

Peter's also excited about the new Soap Nuts!

I know, I know, it sounds weird. What are these nuts?

Soap Nuts are the dried berry of the Chinese Soapberry tree. Several months ago I discovered, by accident, that I should be a little more careful with what I wash my diapers with. So I went on a hunt. A friend of mine recommended using Maggie's Soap Nuts. I was skeptical at first, so I bought a small box. After bringing them home I immediately attacked my extremely dirty pail of diapers. To my surprise, they came out whiter than ever and they smelled like...nothing! There were no scents left behind to bother sensitive skin. For the first time, I experienced what "clean" is supposed to smell like!

After using my small box of Soap Nuts for months, I finally needed to order some more. This time, I went for the bag that can be used for up to 400 loads for only $34! What a bargain!

Future Engineer??

Ah, the beauty of wooden toys!

Budgeting Part 5

At long last, we have made it to the final part. Using your sheet with all your debt, here's how we pay it off!

When you receive your paycheck every week, take your pay and subtract your expenses from it. For example: Say you make $425 and your weekly expenses (everything on your category sheet plus what you're putting in the Extra category) is $350. $425-$350=$75. You have $75 that hasn't been assigned anywhere. This number will probably change weekly, so be sure to calculate it with every check. Take this $75 and apply it towards the debt on the top of your sheet (the debt with the highest interest rate).

Also, at the end of each month (remember that fiscal month we talked about earlier), look at all of your monthly categories and see what you have leftover from the month. Take all of that money and add it to your debt as well. At the end of the fiscal year, do the same with yearly expenses.

You will continue this process until the top debt is paid off.

Once the top debt is paid off, take whatever you were paying on that debt (the minimum payment) and all other remaining money (extra from your paycheck + extra from monthly expenses) to the second debt. Once the second debt is paid off, take what you were paying on the first and second debt plus the remaining money and apply it towards the third. Continue with this until you are debt free! In the meantime, make sure you are paying the minimum payment on all other debts.

It is up to you, but I would suggest, before paying off any debts, to make sure you have an emergency fund in your savings. Take the $75 and apply it towards your savings until you reach your desired amount. Personally, $2000 keeps me comforted, but it depends on your own personal finances.

If you don't have any debt, (WHOOHOOO! That's great!), you can use this same procedure to save so that you won't need any debt in the future. As soon as our student loans are paid off we're going to set aside as much money as possible. I'd love to never have a mortgage or to have a very small one that is paid off quickly.

I'm sure this all seems very overwhelming at first. Just remember that hiding from debt and unknown expenses doesn't help anything it just puts off the inevitable and makes things worse.

If anything I have said is unclear, you think I may have said something incorrect, or anything else, feel free to ask and let me know!


"Which of you wishing to construct a tower does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if there is enough for its completion? Otherwise, after laying the foundation and finding himself unable to finish the work the onlookers should laugh at him and say, 'This one began to build but did not have the resources to finish." Luke 14: 28-30

Budgeting Part 4

Now that you have everything set up to keep track of expenses effectively, what about all that debt? When my husband and I got married he brought along his student loans. At first, it was extremely overwhelming. Since we don't have a large income, we couldn't qualify for a mortgage unless they were paid off. That's the day I sat down and created a budget and a system to pay off the loans. In 2 years time, we have paid off 2/3 of his loans!

To begin, gather all paperwork for your debts. You'll need to know the company, the interest rate, and how much is owed. This includes car loans, credit cards, student loans, and even a mortgage.

With this information, make a list of all your debt. At the top of the list you should have the debt with the highest interest rate and at the bottom the lowest. It may be overwhelming, but don't worry! When I first sat down and did this we had 5 or 6 student loan companies that we owed money to, some at 8% and others at 2%. It really opened my eyes to seeing what we owed but I looked at it as a game of how to get rid of it.

We'll be working with this list in the next and final part of this budgeting series when we talk about how to pay it off!

Budgeting Part 3

In this section I decided that a visual would be the most helpful, so I created a video. Unfortunately, I write in pencil which is hard to see on this video but the basic information is still there. Also, my camera decided 3 minutes was long enough and stopped recording. Luck for you, I just got long-winded at that point anyway.

I find it really important to keep my receipts (not the ones for everyday purchases, but for car repairs, medical expenses, my electric bill, etc). This way, when it comes to doing taxes if I need anything they're all right there. Also, in the front pocket of my binder I keep any bills that need to be paid. In the back pocket I keep pay stubs.

I also have my own fiscal year. Our year begins on September 18. This is because that was the date I first sat down to create our budget. The 18th day of the month also marks the beginning of our fiscal month. Every month on the 18th I sit down and add what we allocated for that month in each category. For example, I'll add $50 to the electric section and $150 to student loans. For the expenses in the Yearly category, I add it the first day of the fiscal year and nothing is added for the remainder of the year.

At this point you are ready to start keeping track of your expenses! There are two more installments that I will write about, but they will not affect how you keep track of your money in your binder. Instead they will talk about debt and how to overcome it. So, get your binder organized and happy spending! Just remember, every penny you see will probably need to be written down somewhere.

The Franciscan Monastery

After a long week, Hubby and I decided to go on a short road trip yesterday. We have always loved car rides, Peter sleeps, and we have plenty of time just to talk. On this particular trip we decided to head to New Hampshire. We didn't know exactly what we would do but a had a few addresses programed into the GPS. After spending a couple hours in New Hampshire we decided to make our way back north. I had wanted to go to the Tom's of Maine outlet store so we stopped in Kennebunk before heading home. On our way back to the car, we decided we really should bring Peter to the beach since he had not yet seen the ocean. After programing our handy GPS, off we went. We passed by the most beautiful houses, I joked about maybe running into the Bush family, and we found the ocean. Unfortunately, every parking space was "for permit parking only." We decided just to keep driving and forget about our ocean adventure. As soon as we finished driving by the beach we came across a sign for "The Franciscan Monastery." Nathan had just learned of this place the night before but we hadn't thought about it that day. Before we could give it a second thought we were pulling into the driveway. As we drove to the parking lot we saw a bunch of signs announcing that this very day was "Franciscan Day." What exactly this meant made no sense to us, we hadn't been there before, but we were excited to explore.

We found the chapel, an outside grotto, a beautiful path to the ocean (Peter was able to dip his feet in), and finally bumped into some Franciscans. We learned that there had been workshops all day for the participants, there were Franciscans that had come from across the area, and even some from Lithuania. Best of all, mass was starting in an hour!!

We had a wonderful evening talking with the Franciscans, discovering the monastery we never knew about, and even ran into a few people that we knew. We left there wondering what God's plan was in all of this? It was only by His doing that we were there, but why? I'm sure He'll show us in His time.

Budgeting Part 2

Continuing with the lists that have been made in Part 1, let's figure out what your expenses look like for each paycheck. I will explain how to figure out expenses on a weekly paycheck, if you get paid every two weeks, simply multiply by 2.

From the Monthly list, take each figure and multiply by 12 (months) and divide by 52 (weeks). For example, for Rent, I have $500. $500 X 12 (months) = $6000 a year. Divide that by 52 (weeks) $6000 / 52 = $115.38. Do this for each of the items in the Monthly List.
From the Yearly list, divide by 52 (weeks). For Car/Rent Insurance I have $1000. After dividing by 52 we have $19.23 in the Weekly column.Finally, add up everything in the Weekly Column. This will determine how much is needed every week to maintain this budget. Do you make this much every week? If not, it's time to reduce some costs somewhere! Do you need that cell phone? We got a TracPhone for emergencies which costs only $100 a year instead of $550. Is there a cheaper company for Car Insurance? Do you need cable and internet? How about hanging clothes to dry instead of using the dryer, that'll help with electricity costs.

Note that I do not include categories for food, clothing, and anything you would purchase from the store. Feel free to add money for that if you feel it would be helpful. I choose not to do so because it is not consistent. I'll explain that later, but be sure to have enough money left after determining your Weekly Expenses vs. Weekly Income.

Budgeting Part 3: "So now what?? How do I keep track of it all?"

Budgeting Part 1

I've been obsessed with numbers for as long as I can remember, so budgeting has come naturally to me. It has been requested that I share some of my "secrets," so here you go!

This will be part 1 of a several part series so it can be well organized and thorough. For the purposes of this blog, I have not used our actual financial figures. I have used numbers that are easy to divide, multiply, and explain. In my actual budget I account for every penny that will be spent.

To begin, I make two lists, one with expenses that are seen monthly and another for yearly (although some can be interchangeable). These are the categories that we use, but every family is different so add categories as needed. Be sure to add any debts and the minimum amounts that you are required to pay.Although it is very tedious and time consuming, it's very important to go through past bills to accurately assign amounts to each category. If it is not something that has a set amount, (ie. medical bills, electric, gas, cell phone) give a generous estimate. I will go over later what will happen when you have extra money in a category.

Part 2 will answer the question, "How large does my paycheck have to be!?!"

Healthy and Affordable

I've spent the vast majority of my time lately trying to create systems and procedures that can aid in a less chaotic lifestyle. The three major issues I have found as a housewife seem to be: "What's for dinner?" "How much money do we have?" and "How am I going to get all this cleaning done!?" After tons of charts, binders, and lists, I have finally found a way to simplify my life and accomplish all of these tasks! I may not blog often or I may find tons of inspiration during nap time, but it is here that I plan to share some of these ideas and strategies.

Tonight's dinner:

Sauteed Vegetables with Pork cooked in Applesauce
Calories: 319
Cost per Serving: $0.77

I recently purchased several pounds of pork for only $1.99lb and was determined to find a way to prepare it for dinner. After a trip to the local farmers market, a couple of dollars, and about 30 minutes, VOILA! we have dinner!

Peter's verdict: Summer squash and Zucchini are delicious!!

Keep Posting???

In the last month I have received a few messages stating that I should continue this blog. What do you think?? I have really enjoyed updating but have always felt like no one other than my mother reads it. Is this true? Would you like to see more posts? Let me know!!

I'll leave you with a video of the super adorable Peter, who is almost 9 months old already!!