Snippets of Scrapbooks

My niece has been here visiting for the past 3 weeks and is going home soon.  It's been fun having her here, even if we didn't do anything great or crazy.  The girls drug out the scrapbooks last week and had a fun time reminiscing about the old days.  Really, they talked about how everyone looked in the pictures, but it reminded me of why I scrapbook in the first place.  I want to keep those memories as fresh as I can for all of us!

This was our first time meeting our little Great-nephew.  (We called him Baby Junior)

We weren't very excited at all! : )  

{I included a smidge of doodling on this page; 

the tassels under the chevron paper and on the letter stickers}

First day of school from 2011.  

{I used paint and washi tape.   This was a quick page!  

The longest detail was cutting the watches from a sheet of paper.  

I think the watch paper is from Webster's Pages, and the other is from my stash. }

8th Grade promotion in 2012! 

{This and the next page are a little blurry, though.  Some is camera user error (I should be using a tripod) and some is camera error (the picture looked clear on the little screen!)}

First day of work at a candy store.  He worked at an awesome place over the summer!  

{I used a lot of Simple Stories papers on these last two pages.  Love them!!  The make putting together a page so easy, and I feel like I get lot of bang for my buck because they get used and not just stuck in with the rest of the stuff that collects dust.}

To make these pages even faster and easier, I used papers that did double duty; I cut details from them to use as easy embellishments on the page.  Adding a little bit of ink or paint around the edges of elements on the page is a quick way to get things to pop off the page, too.

I'm planning on doing a lot more scrapbooking this year.  It always seems like such a hassle to get everything out, but it should be worth it to me.  I'll make it worth it to me.  I'll even invite my children to help me, although I doubt any of them will take me up on it.  At least for any length of time.  And each page will be counted as one Drop of Awesome.  You have to read this post by Kathryn of Daring Young Mom! So worth reading!  Especially if you're having a bad day.

Meal plan for January 2013, Week 2

I'm loving my pinterest "All Things Food" board, and I'm constantly pinning new recipes.  Check out my 485 (and counting) pins, and follow my board if you'd like!

Chicken Ragout
New recipe to try, but it looked yummy.  I'm going to use chicken leg quarters with this.

Baked Tacos
These I made on the same day as the lasagna and baked penne, along with some burritos that I put in the freezer, too.  Making some meals ahead is actually a strategy I use to keep the kids from eating all of the groceries right after I make a shopping trip, especially since I like to shop for a couple of weeks at a time.  I stuffed and froze these in a 9x13 pan, and then I'll heat them up for dinner.

Baked Penne
I used the sauce from the lasagna last week, made some penne, and layered it with spinach and cheese to make a mock lasagna, then froze it to take out this week.

BBQ Pork Riblets in Crock Pot with Mashed Potatoes
I buy riblets at the grocery store.  They are the small, top bones of pork ribs, and are good thrown in the crock pot with some BBQ sauce and served with mashed potatoes and veggies.

Slow Cooker Enchiladas
I'm using a homemade enchilada sauce instead of canned.  So much cheaper!  I'm not sure why enchilada sauce is over $2/can at the store.

Tri-Tip and Mashed Potatoes 
The tri-tip is leftovers from the freezer and I'm making a double batch of mashed potatoes on the BBQ pork riblet day. 

I'm also working on a master grocery list for at least a month's worth of dinners, so I'll post it on the blog when that is done.  These first 2 weeks of the year I've been cooking for 7 since my niece is here visiting, so I'm more of a large quantity cook.

I'm sharing here:

Meal Plan Monday at Orgjunkie.com

Susie QT Pies

Couponing and Cooking

Tasty Tuesday at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

Of Regrets and Resolutions

Resolutions are a strange thing.  The new year feels full of promise and hope, but for me it seems like most things are left undone, hanging, incomplete.  

I realize it is a process, but most of the time my resolutions are way too grand in scale for me to accomplish, like the losing 10 pounds in 6 weeks of 2012 failure.  

Or a procrastination so long that I didn't even set any goals.  There's one way to not fail; just don't try at all!  Win-win, right?  

And I titled 2010's post "A goal without a daily plan of action is just a wish."  A great thought, and my goals were mighty small that year, so could be an accomplishment.  We were really struggling with some decisions and issues, and I'm pretty sure that I didn't want to be too specific.  Way too scary for me.

2009 saw me working on the same goals as 2008.  What's the definition of insanity?  Oh, yeah, doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.  It's the story of my life.  I go back 4 years and I'm seeing a definite pattern of un-greatness and lack of motivation.  Especially this quote from that post:  I rarely tell others my dreams, goals, and wishes. Then I feel the pressure to be accountable for working towards or achieving those things. Who wants to be accountable? Not I!

And finally, back to 2008, I was really ambitious and broke down my goals by category.  Ack!  I do like the last quote, though, "I will appreciate what little progress I make despite my shortcomings."
 I

One of my favorite talks from this past conference was President Uchtdorf's talk "Of Regrets and Resolutions".  A few of my favorite quotes:

No matter our circumstances, no matter our challenges or trials, there is something in each day to embrace and cherish. There is something in each day that can bring gratitude and joy if only we will see and appreciate it.

One day we will take that unavoidable step and cross from this mortal sphere into the next estate. One day we will look back at our lives and wonder if we could have been better, made better decisions, or used our time more wisely.

To avoid some of the deepest regrets of life, it would be wise to make some resolutions today. Therefore, let us: 

• • Resolve to spend more time with those we love.

• • Resolve to strive more earnestly to become the person God wants us to be.

• • Resolve to find happiness, regardless of our circumstances.

I think those last three resolutions are perfect to focus on.  I will continue working on other goals, including finding a job, building food storage, being a better mom, and everything else I'm continuously working on! 

And when you ask how my resolutions are going, please excuse the snort of laughter!

I see crafting and sewing in my near future...

Pinterest is so useful when trying to put together ideas for a project.  Like a total-DIY-bedroom-makeover-on-a-budget for the newly turned 15-year-old girl in the family.

She's been needing a comprehensive re-do.

The plan is:

1. keep the furniture and paint all of it, each piece a different color!
2. find a nightstand at a local thrift store or garage sale
3. look for some fabric or sheets to make curtains and quilt from
4. diy art
5. bulletin board above desk
6. grouping of frames
7. full length mirror
8. T-shirt rug

And the breakdown:

#1 This painted bookshelf is adorable.  Walls will stay white in the bedroom.

Could not find a source for this photo : (

#2 Nightstand with drawer is on the list of things to look for.

#3 She's thinking an Indian type print would be fun.  Something like this from PBTeen.

Source

#4 Love the look of this canvas, and it would be easy to do on our own.

Eclectic Kids design by Dallas Interior Designer Canon & Company         Source 

#5 We'll probably get a bulletin board then spray paint it to add some more color to the wall.

#6  This cluster of frames would be a cute addition above the dresser.

Orignally pinned from nurseryproject.com but not there anymore.

#7 And we'll add an inexpensive full length mirror and jazz it up a bit.

#8 A time-consuming project will be this t-shirt rug.  But the look is awesome!.

We've got a little bit of work to look forward to, but I think it will really come together!

We'll keep you posted!

Sharing here:  Tidy Mom

Day 18 - Storing Bulk Foods and Grains

***This is a continuation of my 31 Days of Preparing Properly series***

When I was just a young, newly-married bride with stars in my eyes, I went on a grocery shopping trip, which included buying a 5 pound bag of flour.  After coming home to put my groceries away, I noticed some teeny tine little bugs around the flap of the bag.  I carefully opened the bag up to find the flour inside was infested with the little buggers.  Yuck!  I learned my lesson; every time I pick up a bag of flour, sugar, cornmeal, etc.  I check the whole bag for signs of bugs.  Especially since i buy these things in bulk most of the time.

Unfortunately, bugs or larva or eggs in our grains that we store is a fact of life.  Now that I'm an adult I can accept that fact much easier than when I was a kid!  The thought of anything that might be living in my food would have grossed me out!

But how do we store our grains without giving these critters the perfect environment to hatch and eat their little hearts out?

In my research on the best ways to keep critters out of the pantry and food storage, I've found several different techniques.

Bulk food at our local Winco grocery store.

The first and easiest way to protect your food from bugs is to put it in your freezer for a minimum of 3 days.   Make sure it is in a spot that it won't get exposed to excess ice or moisture; you don't want wet grains.  3 days is long enough to kill any larva that may already be in your flour, rain, or cornmeal.  And gross as it sounds, there is more than likely larva already in the bags.  

Gamma lids make it easier to get into your buckets
if you are rotating your food storage.

I use these 5 gallon buckets to hold my longer term bulk food storage.

After the 3 days you can transfer it to your canisters, plastic containers, or 5 gallon buckets. It can be left there longer if you have the extra space for it.  We have an extra freezer that I keep space for a 25 pound bag of flour or oatmeal until I need it or package it for long term storage.   

I store my everyday dry foods in these Tupperware containers.

Another way to keep grains pest free is to use oxygen absorbers for long term storage.  This can be done in addition to freezing the dry foods.  The only problem with oxygen absorbers is that you have to use what you have right away.  They don't keep since they start absorbing oxygen as soon as the package is opened.  Oxygen absorbers work best in non-porous containers like mylar bags or plastic food-grade buckets, or even large canning jars.  I've also seen them used in large PETE recyclable containers. 

Rice that I buy at for less than 50 cents per pound.

These next two options are for whole grain and 

Diatomaceous earth is can be used to protect whole grains (but not milled grains!), and is what my parents used when storing wheat berries for long term in 5 gallon buckets.  There is a good breakdown of food storage tips here that includes diatomaceous earth.  This is not an ideal way to protect foods, though, because the fine silica dust can be inhaled and damage lungs.

A small amount of dry ice can be used to kill insects before storing whole grain.   Dry ice is frozen CO₂. Treatment with dry ice may improve storage life of the grain, but it is not the most effective fumigant for controlling pests in stored grain.  Basically, it will kill anything that is living in there already, except for eggs.  A single treatment with dry ice will be fine, you will not have to treat it again unless you notice little buggers in it down the road.

I hope this makes sense!  If you have any questions or anything to add, please leave a comment!

And if you'd like to read more about buying in bulk you can read my posts here and here.

And start reading from day one here!

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