It's WORKS FOR ME WEDNESDAY



HOORAY!!  It's Works for me Wednesday over at We Are That Family!!!

I LOVE WFMW!  It's always been my favorite blog party...mainly because a) I'm really not that crafty~it takes great effort to be even the slightest crafty and b) I am good at finding shortcuts and easy, peasy ways to get the job done! 

This week I wanted to share with you my favorite idea for FINALLY clearing up the adult acne I've struggled with for years.  Seriously folks....it was awful!  I felt worse than a 14-year-old boy, at least a couple of weeks out of the month.  I would have breakouts, mostly on my chin and eyebrow areas.  Of course, never where they could easily be concealed.  I finally broke down and visitied a dermatologist.

Now this is what gets me.  As I am in the health profession, I don't visit health professionals very often.  Let's face it....I'm a bit overeducated!  So most of the time I do really have an idea of what is ailing me or what needs to be done to fix something or if something truly qualifies as an emergency and must be treated.  That rarely happens.  Most of the time, I'm a fix-it-yourself kinda gal.  So actually going to the dermatologist took a humbling, I-swear-I-have-to-take-care-of-this-once-and-for-all moment!

So this was his recommendation:

Yep!  That's it.  Genius in a bottle!  Liquid Gold!!   I wash with this every night and if my face doesn't get too dry, every morning as well.  I use Neutrogena but he did say that any off brand of OIL-FREE cleanser may work.  You have to test them out.  But they must be oil-free and not contain any cream or lotion-y ingredients.  Stay away from additional oils he said!  Genius this man was (or not but I think since I paid him to tell me to buy some over-the-counter remedy, he must be genius~~~)

Seriously, here were his recommendations and they've worked:

A) Wash twice a day with the Liquid Gold.

B) Avoid creamy moisturizers, no facial creams of any kind.  Creams clog the pores and that is causing breakouts.

C) Avoid milk and most dairy.  Dairy is made from cows milk, which most of the time includes some growth hormones.  And since many women, myself included, breakout when it is that time then we need to avoid any additional hormones in our bodies.  I've switched to using some soy milk but mostly just don't drink or consume as much dairy as before.  I do take a multivitamin more often for calcium and vitamins.

D) If your skin is very bad, he did give me some antibiotic cream to apply.  I did for about a week or two and then found that I stopped breaking out as much so have cut back on the cream.  It is very drying as well.

I really believe that if you have oily skin and breakout with surges of hormones like I have, this could help you as well.  Try it.  As I said, it is very drying at first and you'll have to temper how often you use it but it has been exponentially helpful in my skin!  Love it!!

It totally works for me!! 

Now head on over to We are that Family and see what other great tidbits of wisdom await you!! 

Works for me Wednesday!

I couldn't wait to come back to WFMW!  Oh!  How I love it!!  I learn something new and great every single time and astound my friends and family with my wealth of knowledge!  Ahem.....I'm just sayin'......

So today's tips for WFMW are what works for school.  All those great back-to-school tips and tidbits.   

Here is mine:

I took a frame with a glass front:

Then I covered the background with some some scrapbooking paper:

Finally, I measured out my calendar days, added a few boxes for miscellaneous things like grocery lists and other various to-do lists.  I mismatched a lot of different textures and designs, all in my outstanding effort to cover how much of a non-perfectionist I am.   See?  Looks well planned out, right?!  Yep--that's how I work!  :)

And voila!  The final product:

You can simply write on the glass with any dry erase marker and they wipe off in a flash.  I hung it in our kitchen area.  I did the close up because the rest of the wall is not finished yet.  I plan on adding a couple of finished cork boards to hang things on and a little chalkboard for the kids to play on, down below.  

I really use the calendar faithfully....keeps everyone on board with a quick glance to see what is coming up this week.

That really works for me.  What works for you?

Join everyone else on over at We Are That Family for tons more tips!  

It works for me....

Prayer.

It's what Works For Me.

I'm happy to get back in on a WFMW post with friends over at We Are That Family.

Because we too, are one of THOSE families.

And what works for me is prayer. Prayer every. single. day. Sometimes more than once a day.

I've often really wondered about people that have no faith in Christ. Those that are not believers. It is beyond me. I don't ever remember not having faith. Not having a relationship with Christ. Not being a believer in Him, His Kingdom, His Word. I don't criticize those that aren't believers. I just simply don't understand it.

This week, because we are ONE of THOSE families, I've been challenged to stand faithful and strong. Challenged to lean on Him more. Through some of life's everyday happenings, I lean on Him. And through those not-so-everyday happenings, I lean on Him.

Prayer works. One of my favorite quotes is here on my blog. "I pray because I must...it doesn't change God. It changes me." I got it out of a movie called Shadowlands, when Anthony Hopkins portrayed C.S. Lewis. Mr. Lewis had just lost his beloved wife and was grieving terribly. His friends were trying to console him. He could not be easily consoled. If you have not seen this movie or read any works by C.S. Lewis, I would highly recommend it. His writings were and are, phenomenal. The movie was fantastic. His writings have deepened my faith and helped me explore areas of my Christianity that I had not yet looked at.

So try it. Prayer that is. It works. For me.

Join everyone else on over at We Are THAT Family to find out what else works!!

Works for me Wednesday

Need a tip on how to bathe your little ones?  What REALLY works?

I can't take credit for it.  My Super Hubs actually thought of this one.

We outfitted the boys' shower with this beauty:

Works like a dream!  I just pull it off the holder, spray them down, soap 'em up and rinse 'em off!!  Simple!  Easy!  Genuis!! 

Great idea HONEY!! 

Join some other genuis peoples on over at We Are THAT Family for more Works for Me Wednesday!  Have Fun!!

Works for Me Wednesday!

Today's WFMW is all about our favorite cleaning products.  Or favorite ways to clean. 

Me?  I use a variety of products.  This is by far, my favorite:

Smells WONDERFUL!  Cleans great! 

If I'm feeling a little environmentally conscience....and sorry folks, but sometimes convenience just outweighs my desire to save a plastic bottle.....then I just simply use vinegar and water.  Or vinegar and baking soda.  Or vinegar.  You get the point.

If you want to see my favorite ways to use vinegar, you can go here. 

But mostly, if I just get myself in the mood, I can clean like a mad woman.  But I gotta be in the mood.  This always helps me get in the mood! 

How about you?  What gets you in the mood to clean?  What works for you?

Let me know and then head on over to We Are THAT Family for more great cleaning tips on this edition of WFMW!!

My new FAV-O-RITE product!!

Oh.  WOW!

Like....WOW!!!!!

I have a NEW favorite product, y'all!!  And YOU will love too!!!  I'm going back for more colors tomorrow....

It's Chalk Ink---

This fantastic new item is just what I used to write on my chalkboard painted door thingies....you know, those baskets.  And I LOVE IT!!  It goes on just like a magic marker.  Beautiful!! 

This stuff is wonderful!!  Smooth, easy and totally erases just like chalk.  Only better! 

I got mine at Michaels with a handy-dandy 40% off coupon.  Try them--I PROMISE you'll like  LOVE them too!!

Head on over to Kristen's for more WFMW tips and lovelies.  Always a great bunch of stuff over there!!  Enjoy!!!! 

Works for Me Wednesday!

OK...so we've got 93 days until CHRISTMAS!

That's right folks. I said it. Christmas!

Have you started your shopping yet?

Are you one of those planners or are you the "wait until the day after Thanksgiving" or are you the last-minute, rush kinda person?

I'm a planner. Drives me absolutely nuts not to plan. Have to have an idea. Like two months ago.

SH on the other hand, likes to do all his shopping starting about December 23rd...IF he's planning ahead. Most times, he closes the stores on Christmas Eve.

Which drives me batty. I'm home cooking up a storm and he's running out and about for "just one more thing". It's an annual tradition at our house.

So I thought I'd pull out my favorite online shopping haunts to help you get started on your holiday endeavors. Here are some of my favorites that yield the very best bargains:

fishingfordeals.com This is probably my favorite. Start here to get tons of coupon codes, deals from all over the web, connections to all your favorite online stores and some really great bargains. I found Disney pajamas for the boys here 3 years ago and they are still wearing them today!!

DealsofAmerica.com is another site that yields high bargains. They have a little something for everyone. And check out the info on Black Friday! They really do a great job of letting you know what is coming!!

dealtaker.com Check out their forums to find the very best info on bargains! It's terrific!

slickdeals.net Again--find the forums to get all the latest bargain info. All of the best deals are usually passed on from bargan shopper to shopper. Make friends!!

And if you are me, you always check Craiglist.org to see if your list can be filled by someone else wanting to rid their attic of extra stuff.

So have you started your Christmas shopping yet? Where are your favorite bargain stops?? Let me know and then head on over to We Are THAT Family for great Works For Me Wednesday tips!

Works for Me Wednesday

It's Wednesday and that means that we have WFMW over at Kristin's blog.

My little tidbit for today has to do with where we are going TOMORROW!

See....it's Big Boy's birthday on Saturday!!! Yes, my "baby" is turning 5 on September 12. Five years ago this little hurricane stormed into our world. And it's never been the same since! I'm so happy for him and honestly, kinda sad for me. As a mom, I'm overwhelmed all. the. time. with how much I love my guys. I'm equally proud that he is growing into such a wonderful young boy. But that's just it folks. He's a BOY now. No semblance of the baby I once birthed. He hardly fits in my lap, with his gangly limbs and pokey elbows and knees. He still tries. Just for a few moments here and there. For an "I love you Mama" and a quick kiss. Then off he goes.

Anyway...I'm diverging from the post of the day. It's WFMW right?

So we're headed off to a hotel stay for a couple of days and then a birthday celebration with this guy:


Because the guy up there will suck you dry of every penny in your savings account if you let him, we are going to pack up some things with us to make our trip...ummm, more frugal?! Is there such a thing? YES! We are making this trip as frugal as possible and this is how:

--Packing up food! We booked a hotel room that has a full kitchen. We're making all our food except for the day of the park. We'll take cereal and milk for breakfast, yummy deli meats/cheeses for lunch sandwiches, veggies and dip, fruit and dips, chips, etc... We are not planning on eating out at all with the exception of the park. I'm heading off to Sams today for drinks and other supplies so we'll be set.

--Hitting Walmart close to the Walt Disney World, Magic Kingdom. I'm planning to stash some Disney related goodies for the boys. This will cut down on the amount of junk that we buy at the park. We'll have a few surprises so they can have trinkets and such and we don't spend $20 on a Tinkerbell slurpy cup! (BTW--the boys LOVE Tink! Sure hope we get to see that girl!!)

--We saved a few bucks already on the hotel because I have a friend who has a discount they shared with us. Thanks Karyn!!

--We'll have the cake and ice cream celebration at the pool, at the hotel. Because this birthday is such a big one, I didn't think a huge birthday cake celebration was necessary. So I'll head out to our fav bakery (thanks PUBLIX!)to grab a yummy little cake and we'll celebrate with a few friends by the hotel pool. Which leads me to my next point;

--Booked a hotel where we don't mind laying around for 2 days with no other plans necessary. That's because the hotel has all this:

Entertainment for two days...DONE!

What Works For Me is making memories...but not too huge of a dent in our budget plan for this year. We're pretty excited! We realized that this is not only Big Boy's birthday but honestly, the first family vacation with just the four of us that we've ever taken! We usually go to see family any time we have vacation. But this time...it's just us and The Mouse! YIPPEE!!

Storage boxes

Today over at We Are THAT Family, there are tons of brilliant minds giving you their best storage tips. What works. You know the drill....it's

Yeah Kristin!! Thanks for giving me a reason to sit here and just peruse your wonderful blog ALL. DAY. LONG!!! I love organizing but honestly, am always striving to get it together....just a bit more.

These are two of my FAV products for putting junk...err...important stuff away in our house:

I bought this wrapping storage center a couple of years ago after Christmas for next to nothing...less than $10! I absolutely love how it stores all my wrapping needs and I just grab it and head to the kitchen table to do my work. It can slide under the bed but we have no room so this is where I put mine:



This is why I have NO room under the guest bed!! We keep these storage containers full of everything from extra (dusty! jeez honey?! shouldn't you be taking care of that???) computer equipment, and extra sheets, pillowcases and out of season clothing:


I absolutely LOVE how they slide underneath, out of sight! That would explain why they are dusty....out of sight, obviously out of mind!!

I gotta say I almost love this solution as much as THIS one!! Check it out!

What are you FAV storage solutions??? These are mine!

Use it up!

We're leaving on vacation soon. My WFMW tip is simple and makes sense.

Use Up What You Have!

Meaning, get rid of all the perishable foods in your fridge before you leave on vacation. It gives you a great opportunity to use up all that stuff that needs to be finished. It also means dinnertime will be, oh let's say, very interesting! Tonite we had fresh cucumber salad (Thanks Millie for the lovely cucumbers!) and a cheesy-pasta-ham-leftover rotisserie chicken-black olive-last remnants of the cheesy tortilla dip dish! It was delish if not interesting!!

We've got some fresh veggies such as cabbage, lettuce and tomatoes left to finish. And some cheese. And hamburger meat. It'll be some interesting casserole-type dishes for the next few days. It helps to make smaller portions too. I tend to always cook with leftovers in mind but I don't do that before we leave for any period of time.

We also really watch our spending prior to and after any vacation so this really gets us into the survival mode of our budget. It does not have to be pretty. It is functional to simply use up what you have so you have less spoilage and waste. Empty out that pantry too! This is one time that gives you perfect reason to use up any older items and get to the new stuff in your rotation.

That is what Works For Me friends! Now head on over to We Are That Family for more great WFMW tips!!

Hurricane Prep Kit

We live in Florida and were here in 2004 when we Hurrican Charlie and his whole posse decided to pass our way. I was 8 months pregnant with Big Boy and went through 4--yes, friends, 4--hurricanes in the final month of my pregnancy and another right after he was born! It was crazy! So in honor of the beginning of Hurricane Season 2009, I thought I'd show my list and crate of hurricane prep items.

First, we make sure that we have the following ready for the event:

--Generator is checked and ready to go

--Fill 5 gallon gas can

--Batteries--both rechargeable and regular

--3 flashlights

--Candles

--Matches

--Dogfood

--Paper towels, toilet tissue

Then at the first indication that a storm is actually on it's way, I start to gather my food and perishable items in case we are out of power. In the event we are out of power, the generator should last us about 48 - 72 hours and run not only the refrigerator and freezer but allow us some TV usage as well. So we are never quite out of power at our house. Here is what I look to put into the food crate:

--Several gallons water for drinking and hygiene. At least 1 gallon per person, per day so we try to keep about 10-12 around the house.

--Canned protein such as chicken, tuna

--Non-perishable condiments such as mayo, ketchup and mustard. Usually this is from my stash from any fast-food stops we've had in the past several months

--Bread

--Canned fruits

--Chips/crackers

--Nuts and dried fruits

--Breakfast bars

--Juice boxes

We eat up everything we can prior to the storm to avoid food spoilage as much as possible. Sadly, this is where being very frugal and stocking up does NOT help you! It's impossible for us to get through all our items that we have stocked in the freezer. We always have paper plates and plastic utensils on hand. We just make sure we check our supply on those items.

The one thing we still do not have is a weather radio. We really need to get one. I don't get too excited because our neighbors and friends across the street have one. Hopefully they'll be home when the storm hits!

Here is where you can go for the most updated Hurricane info. This is a place we go to when we want to really see what is going on. Sometimes you just have to get away from the local hype and get the scoop. It helps that SH is very well versed in weather, how to read it and what it means!

Even if you don't live in an area where hurricanes hit, it helps to have these items on hand in case of a tornado or snowstorm. It's funny....I have friends and family from the Midwest that think we are crazy for living where hurricanes hit. But now that I've been here and survived through several, they don't bother me too much. It helps that we usually know they are coming so we can be as prepared as possible.

Head on over to We Are That Family this week for more Works For Me Wednesday tips and tidbits!!

MOM! I'm Bored!

This week over at We Are That Family is the Mom! I'm Bored! version of Works For Me Wednesday! As in....kids complain Mom! I'm Bored! and this is what you do with them so they'll shut the yap!


Luckily, our little guys are well, little, yet. And Little Man doesn't even know what bored means yet. Big Boy has said it a couple of times and when I ask him what that means, he can't really figure it out yet.


Nonetheless....here are a couple of resolutions to that complaint of Mom! I'm Bored! at this house:


Watering plants, the yard, whatever gets them outside and in the water! This usually keeps them happy for an hour or so.

Car washes go over great yet! Protective equipment is completely optional!

Now I'm headin' over to We Are That Family for more tips on what to do when the kiddos are bored. I'm takin' notes! Have a great day!!!!

Frugal Summer Activities!

So we're still hitting the Dave Ramsey program as hard as we can. And SH's hours have been cut a bit more and we're expecting a cut and possible lay-off in the fall (did I sound calm? Really? Cuz I'M. NOT!). So we're trying to conserve our resources and not spend a bunch of money this summer. So it's got me thinking of our favorite summer cheap-o activities! Here are our favs:

1. Family exercise: SH & I grab the racquetball racquets, some balls and take the kids to the nearest court. We get in some exercise and the boys chase balls for us. Sounds silly and yes, it's absolutely free! We all love it! We realize we've only got a bit more time before they figure out chasing balls is not their idea of summer fun---so we'll keep at it until they do. LOL! Other things we do are bike riding, running while the kids ride their bikes, shooting hoops and whatever else strikes our fancy. Sometimes we just head to the nearest playground and we adults play like the kids. It's great frugal fun! We love that it instills the value of health with the boys and we all enjoy it. The boys like it so much they often are the first to suggest "Exercise Time"!

2. Movies: Our local Cobb Theatre does free kids movies three days a week. We love that! They are older movies and often we've seen them but hey! They are not in our living room and they are FREE! They offer this all summer long and change the movies weekly. Check with your local theatre.

3. Sprinkler Fun! We don't have a pool yet. And probably won't for several more years because of the initial cost and the maintenance. So we pull out the hose and sprinkler head and the boys go to town! They still really enjoy running through the sprinkler and then taking the hose and "washing" the vehicles! I love it because I can sit in the shade and read AND get the cars washed. Great exchange!

4. Head to the Beach! I realize this isn't an option for everyone. We live in central Florida so the beaches are relatively close to us. It can be a pretty cheap day if we pack our lunch, snacks and drinks. Most of the time, we hit a beach with free parking. So our only expense is the fuel to get to our destination. It's fantastic and a HUGE reason we live in Florida! If you don't live near a beach, is there a park with a lake?

5. Board Games: Our boys are just now getting old enough to learn to play board games. And they are enjoying them. We'll take advantage of this cheap entertainment for as long as we can!

6. Pull out the X-Box: Not my idea of a great time but SH and the boys really enjoy it. After the initial expense, using it over time isn't really expensive. SH usually gets games second hand so he spends very little on those. Big Boy is getting rather good at racing cars. We try to find games suitable for them and if I have my way, throw in a little education too. So I prefer things that make the boys learn their colors or counting. I will say that I ROCK on Guitar Hero though!

7. Arts and Crafts:: I try to do a crafty project with the boys at least three times a week. They love play-doh, painting, sidewalk chalk, water play, drawing, mazes....I could go on and on.
(all photos courtesy of flickr.com)
8. Hit the Library Honestly, before last year, we never went to the library. Maybe once in a blue moon, so to speak. But now it is an absolute staple every week. The boys love story time. We hang out in the kid's area for a couple of hours, reading books, putting together puzzles. Then we leave with a whole lotta books, movies, and books-on-CD. This is truly one of our favorite weekly activities. OH! And we always stop to feed the geese and ducks at the lake across the street!

So there are a few of our favorite, VERY FRUGAL summer outings! It really Works for Me--spending time with the family without spending a lot of dough! What do you do on the cheap in the summer?

Head on over to We Are That Family for more great WFMW tips and see what everyone else is doing this summer!

One Year & Counting!

Shhhh....we have a secret! We are officially weird....yes, I'm well aware most of y'all knew that already, however......We have started doing something that few other people do. Want to know what it is? Are you just dying to know? Are you ready? I mean really ready?

It has been over a year since we ceased using any kind of credit card! Zip! Zilch! ZERO! Nada! Nothing! I just want to shout from the rooftops....WE DON'T USE CREDIT ANY MORE!!! WOO HOO!!

OK....a bit more serious now....It's been over a year since we seriously started the Dave Ramsey, Total Money Makeover. And we've managed to pay off a pretty sizeable chunk of debt!! Most importantly though, we made a conscience decision last year to completely quit accruing any more debt. And, that my friends, is a FANTASTIC feeling and what is REALLY working for us!

Ours is a No More Debt Life! If we cannot swing something with cold hard cash, it does not get purchased. That does mean that sometimes we eat more than our fair share of beans and rice! Sometimes it means that I'm making a LOT of laundry soap! It has meant recycling things throughout the house to satisfy a decorating dilemma instead of purchasing something new. And keeping the heat low and the a/c high...

We've discovered some really wonderful benefits to this new life as well. We spend a lot of time together, doing things that don't cost a lot of money! We enjoy movies together at home (RedBox ROCKS!) We exercise more, many times by taking the boys to the park or local b-ball courts, for free. We're teaching the boys how to play board games (we love a mean game of Skip-Bo!). We cook at home. When we see friends, we are usually hanging out at someone's house, grilling up some great food and playing a little Wii bowling! We've really learned to find the cheapest....ahem!....most frugal method of getting everything done!

We've established a solid Emergency Fund as well, as this is DR's #1 step. It has helped us tremendously. We've handled a few "Murphy's" (as in Murphy's Law....you know the one law that sneaks up on us all and bites us back there!) We're also working on another fund for a future vehicle, as we know we'll need a car within the next 3-4 years likely and want to pay cash for it too. Other than those funds, all our extra money is going into the Debt Snowball, or on to debts to pay them off faster. If you aren't familiar with the Debt Snowball, I'll explain it in another post or you can find it here.

So that my friend is what Works for Us! How about you? Have you changed your financial life in a small way or in a BIG way? What works for you? Let me know and then get on over to We Are That Family for more wonderful WFMW tips!

OKAY, okay...A picture to accompany the pantry post!

Sorry everyone! A complete DUH moment during my 4am post (up for a dog potty-break, thought I may as well get the "early bird" on a WFMW post and I was still way down the list! Do people hover around their computers until the exact moment she opens Mr Linky? JEEZ!!) So anyhoosie....I forgot to post a picture of my pantry....and after all that talk of a well-stocked pantry! So....


Oh! That's not it! That's a dream! Photo compliments of someone other than me....The Home Executive, who does a great job of pantry organization!

So....here we are. This is more like what I'm up to these days....


WOW! That's a lot of liquor up there! You'd think we drank....a LOT! HA!


Still never quite know what to do with those half-empty chip bags.....if I put them in a container, I always forget they are there!


However...I am one mean, can-organizing Mama!

So....there, my friends, you have a well-stocked pantry. Functional does not always equal pretty!

WFMW---Pantry Basics

I'm noticing a trend to this blog....it is more food than crafty. Noticing the priorities....I'm just sayin'. So, I thought that I'd put together my thoughts on what makes a good kitchen, great. I love my kitchen and as I've said before, it is where I feel the most at home. I would love for it to look like this. Alas, it does not. It is open like this but does not have an island, or granite countertops, or white-washed cabinet, or.... Okay...I'll stop now.

What I DO have is a fantastic pantry! It is large, walk-in and about 4 shelves tall. It has plenty of room for our kitchen appliances, as well as food items, liquor, some dishes and staples. And I love it. It has a tendency of getting messy as lots can fit in there but right now, it's not bad. I'm working on getting matching storage containers. Right now, we are a mismatch of plastic buckets for our bulk flours, rices and sugars. Anyhoo, what is so very important in my pantry, and any pantry for that matter is a basic list of items. These items will take you from "what's for dinner" to DINNER in no time. I keep staples on hand for just about any sauce for any kind of dish. It takes a long time to build a good pantry. It is too cost-prohibitive to do it overnight or in one trip. But put a few of these necessities on every trip to the grocer and pretty soon, you'll have a perfectly-stocked pantry as well!

Dried Spices:
-Coarse Sea or Kosher Salt -Fine Kosher Salt (a salt grinder can be used to grind the coarse salt if needed) -Whole Black Peppercorns & Pepper Grinder
-Ground Cayenne -Red Pepper Flakes -Ground Cumin -Cinnamon (ground or sticks)
-Bay Leaves -Chili Powder -Curry Powder -Whole Nutmeg -Dried Oregano
-Dried Thyme

Legumes & Grains:
-Rice (White & Brown) -Quinoa or Bulgur(I don't always have these on hand but they are great for salads) -Rolled and Steel-Cut Oats -Dried or Canned Beans (kidney, black, chick peas; dried beans are cheaper and preservative free. Using dried beans instead of canned allow you to use the exact amount you want without letting the rest of the can go to waste. If you don’t have time to soak your beans overnight, you can always boil them for 4 minutes and then let them sit in the hot water for an hour before draining) -Dried Lentils -Nuts like Almonds, Pecans, or Walnuts

Oils & Condiments
-Extra Virgin Olive Oil -Vegetable Oil -Balsamic Vinegar -White Vinegar (esp. important for cleaning!) -Dijon Mustard -Soy Sauce -Mayonnaise (easy to make your own too!) -Almond or Peanut Butter -Honey

Canned/Boxed Goods
-Boxed Chicken or Vegetable Stock (also VERY easy to make on your own--that's another WFMW!) -Canned Tuna in Water -Canned Tomato Paste (or tube of tomato paste)
-Canned Whole Tomatoes -Canned Tomato Puree

The Rest
-Plain Bread Crumbs (can make from toasted bread) -Pastas (mostly whole wheat for us) -Flours (white and wheat) -Baking Soda (For baking & cleaning) -White Sugar -Brown Sugar -Coffee -Tea (no good Southern kitchen would be without!) -A bar of dark chocolate, sweet and unsweetened for baking -Jello -Cornmeal -Agave Nectar (natural sweetener, great for coffee) -Syrup

Go ahead and head on over to Kristin at We Are That Family. I'm sure there are some terrific other foodie tips to go with your newly stocked pantry!! Enjoy!!

Love This Recipe Site!!

Today's Works For Me Wednesday is simply my favorite recipe website. This site has replaced thousands....well, at least hundreds...of dollars of money spent on recipe books. Cookbooks are my addiction. Or they used to be. Now it is AllRecipes.com. I LOVE THIS SITE!!! It is chock-ful of fantastic recipes. I'll give you a couple of hints on how to stay on the good side of this site. Only choose recipes that are rated 4 stars and above. And don't change them! That's all it takes to have a great new dish on your table. I go to this site probably a dozen or so times a week. Lotsa times it's just to browse. Many times I try new things out. And I've never been disappointed with anything I've tried. You can even sign up and create your own recipe box, saving certain recipes to your box. Try them out! I don't get any kickback from them or anything---the only endorsement comes from SH who is always really happy with whatever I make from there too! Have fun!

Head on over to We Are That Family for more WFMW tips! It's a great place to be on Wednesday!!

It doesn't grow on trees, ya know?

There are two, strike that, many things that really worry me about our boys growing up. One of the main things now is the degree of influence upon them. Particularly when it comes to stuff. The wanting of stuff, the accumulation of stuff, the desire for STUFF. This is incredibly obvious if they are ever allowed to watch certain TV shows or networks that have that evil habit of marketing to children! You know the ones....the ones with every commercial with some new-fangled product like the latest super-hero shooter or the amazing-grow-your-own worm farm (I have news for you kiddos, that's called dirt and it is very likely in your own backyard...). I amazed at the garbage that is marketed to our children and how. My friend Dave Ramsey has an absolutely hysterical bit in his live event about "charge card Barbie". Suffice it to say, he does not endorse this particular Barbie and let's just say, Barbie doesn't quite look the same when he's done... I tend to agree. I think it is insane the way companies have marketed to our kids.

So to combat this issue and to keep me from losing my temper and cussing like a sailor (OK--not really but I want to...), we simply avoid those TV channels. Here is a novel idea....we don't allow our kids a 'treat' or toy or gift every time we go to a store. We talk often about how we don't get everything we want. We reserve gifts for special occasions....and Thursday afternoon is rarely a special occasion. We are trying very hard to combat the desire for stuff in our kids. Don't get me wrong...it doesn't always fly well. We still get whiney children who REALLY WANT IT! But we talk out loud about how 'money doesn't grow on trees' (the oldest is constantly looking for those dollar bills on the trees though...) and how special occasions are just that...special. They have not started Dave's suggestions of save/spend/tithe with their money. We will be starting that before too long. Up until now, their money from holidays, birthdays or whenever has simply went into the piggy bank and there it sits for the most part. So far, we've only had a couple of occasions where we've went to a store specifically to help them to buy something they want. Most times, we ask them to ask God, grandparents and us to remember what their wish list is for special holidays and they may get the item. We try not to base gifts on behavior necessarily, but we have been known to 'pay' for some yard work help (Big Boy works a good rake!) and potty training (Little Man required many, many, many different tactics to get the job done).

So what Works For Us is helping our kids to learn to do without. And learning that accumulating stuff is not necessary. Next task is to help them to clear out some older toys and items in their room that are no longer played with. We have a new baby coming to the family in December so we'll be sending some things to our new cousin soon!

Enjoy other Works For Me Wednesday posts over at We Are That Family!

Frugal Fabric Softener

I found a new way to extend the life of our fabric softener! SH doesn't mind saving money but he sure misses our clothes smelling really "perfume-y" (grad school failed me there.....! what is the correct term?!). So I'm gonna take this tip from Michelle Duggar of The Duggar Family on TLC--you know, the family with 18 kids! I am not the kind of woman to bear 18+ children---no way---but I do like her ideas on how to AFFORD 18+ children!

Fabric Softener-Extender
1 container of name-brand fabric softener
4 inexpensive sponges, cut in half

Pour a whole container of softener into a five-gallon bucket. Fill empty softener container with water twice (two parts water to one part softener). Add sponges to softener/water mixture. When ready to use, wring out extra mixture from one sponge and add to the dryer as you would a dryer sheet.

Excellent & Frugal! Love it!! Head on over to We Are That Family for more WFMW tips!

Raising Polite Kids

We received, what I believe, is one of the nicest compliments ever, just the other day. Friends of ours, rather 'new' friends, invited us over for dinner and a play date with Big Boy's BFF. These two boys get along famously and we, as parents, do as well. We've really grown fond of the whole family. And they paid us the nicest compliment the other day. We had not seen them for about 2 weeks, because of back-to-back vacations for them and us. When we saw them, both of our boys ran up to hug the mom and dad, before running to play with the boy. They were very excited to see everyone, parents as well as the boys. And that was the compliment. The mom, my friend, noticed how friendly our boys are to them, as parents. They were genuinely excited to see both the mom and dad. And she noticed that particular quality. "They are always so excited to see us as well as our son. That is wonderful!" she stated. And, though I had not really noticed, it didn't surprise me. Our children are expected to greet both adult and children, everyone who is in the room or in the family, when we visit other families. We see it as a sign of respect. And from the time they were capable of waving hi or blowing a kiss, we've encouraged them to greet our guests and say goodbye when they were leaving. It never occurred to us that it was a "novelty" but now we have noticed that not all kids are taught this. But we have always made it an expectation and it comes very naturally at this point. And it was so nice to have someone notice. Raising polite and respectful children is high on our list of priorities. We spend a great deal of time talking to them and demonstrating to them, how to be respectful to others. They watch us so closely and it is necessary to show them how to be respectful, as well as openly discussing respect. We identify how others are not kind or respectful, when we see it. Big Boy has gotten quite astute at picking these things up and talks about it often. That is What Works For Us---raising polite, respectful kids. And how wonderful that it is starting to show!

Hop on over this week to We Are That Family for more WFMW tips!