Wendesday What???

Last night I was driving home from taking my civil service exam and I was able to catch a sermon on the radio.

I caught it in the middle, so I'm not certain who was preaching, or what the title even was.

But I like it. It was all about giving praise for EVERYTHING. If you hate your job, if you are broke, if you hate your house, if your husband irritates you....GIVE PRAISE for it.

God cannot bring you greatness until you do this. You must surrender all to him, otherwise he will keep these irritations and bad things so that you seek him!

So today I am making that change. I am going to start praising the Lord that my children don't pick up after themselves.

I'm going to praise the Lord that my husband is never home anymore, thanks to his job.

I'm going to praise the Lord that I have enough facial hair to grow a beard.

I'm gonna praise the Lord....

Tummy Tuesday

I was lucky enough to find some ricotta cheese on sale the same week I found pasta on sale! You know what that means...

Stuffed Shells

I could not find my tried and true recipe, so I just used my imagination.

1 box Pasta Shells
1 Large Container Ricotta Cheese
3 Eggs
2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
1 Cup Frozen Spinach - thawed
1 Jar Spaghetti Sauce
Salt
Garlic Salt or Powder
Parsley
1 Large Freezer Bag



Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add pasta shells and cook for about 12 minutes.

Meanwhile mix together Eggs, Ricotta, Mozzarella and Spinach. Add a couple shakes of Garlic Salt and Parsley.

Take the large freezer bag and put a scoop or two of the cheese mixture in the bottom.

After your 12 minutes are up drain the shells and rinse with cold water.

Cover the bottom of a 9x13 pan with a little of your sauce.

Snip the bottom corner of the bag with your cheese mixture in it. Start squeezing the mixture into your shells and place them in your pan.

Once you have used up all of your cheese mixture cover the shells with the remaining sauce.

You can now refrigerate the shells for a future meal, or pop them in the oven at 350 for about 35-40 minutes.

Add some garlic bread and a salad and you have a complete meal!!

Monday Movie

This week's movie was actually a mini-series, but is now available in movie form via Netflix.

Lost in Austen

Here is the Netflix description:

After a dispute with her boyfriend, Amanda lands in the 19th-century world of author Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. While helping the Bennet sisters find husbands, Amanda accidentally causes problems that could alter the course of the tale. Throughout this British series, Amanda must balance her feelings for Mr. Darcy (Elliot Cowan) with her responsibility to the one of the world's greatest love stories. Jemima Rooper stars.

I didn't read far enough on Netflix to see that this is a United Kingdom drama. I mean, in my mind ALL movies are made in America.

However my ignorance didn't detract from this witty movie one bit!

I found myself thinking about it even after I watched it. I played certain scenes over and over in my mind and imagined how I would have handled certain situations.

This is a must see for any Jane Austen fans, time travel fans, and plain ol' romantics.

I rated it 5 stars.

Tummy Tuesday

Fish version

I made a delicious fish this week and my family has requested that I make it part of our regular menu.

It was so simple and made up that I agreed. It didn't take much time and my daughter, the pickiest eater, had 2nds and 3rds, asked for it for breakfast (was denied) then ate 2 helpings at lunch. Good thing I made alot!

Ingredients:

1 bag frozen tilapia filets.
Lemon Juice
Paprika
Season Salt
3/4 Stick of butter
Pam
9x13 Pan


I purchased the whitefish Tilapia at Aldis. It's in the frozen section. I can't remember the price, but I will edit this post to reflect it next time I go.

I let the filets thaw, then "pammed" a 9 x 13 pan. I lay 4 filets in the bottom of the pan. I didn't want it to be too crowded. Since I made the whole bag I used 2 pans. I think I may have had 3 in one and 4 in another.

I sloshed drizzled lemon juice over all the filets. Then I took about 3/4 stick of butter and cut into "pats". I put a few pats on each filet.

Then I sprinkled season salt and paprika over top. I baked at 350 for about 40 mins total. Depending on how many you are cooking you want to start with 20 mins and go from there. You want them to be flaky but not dried out.

I served them with white rice and JJ's fried zucchini.

Let me know if you make them and what you think!

Homemade Laundry Soap

A few months ago my fellow Frugal Frannie shared with me a recipe for homemade laundry soap.

I must admit this is a nice way to shave a few dollars off your monthly grocery bill. I've been using it for several months now and am still pleased with the product.

Here is the basic recipe:

1/3 Bar of Fels Naptha
1/2 Cup Washing Soda
1/2 Cup Borax
A 2 Gallon Bucket
A clean Gallon Jug


Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan. Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts. Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved. Remove from heat. Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket. Now add your soap mixture and stir. Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir. Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel. You use ½ cup per load.

I have played with this recipe to suit my hard water. I've added an additional bar of soap grated and added with the Fels Naptha. I've increased the Fels Naptha to 1/2 a bar and I've changed water amounts to be 8 cups to start and dissolve, then 6 cups in the bucket and 1 gal plus 8 cups to the bucket.

When it gels it will look a little like egg drop soup.

I've also added some scent into the mixture. It doesn't seem to scent the clothing, but it smells nice when you start your wash load.

A few more tips:

Do not use fabric softener with a load of towels. This makes the towels develop a film and causes them to not dry as well.

If you fill your fabric softener cup with vinegar in each load the vinegar acts as a natural fabric softener. I promise, your clothes will not smell like vinegar once they come out of the dryer.

Monday Movie

Timer

You can view the trailers and synopsis on the website here


This was a really cute movie. I love Indie flicks and this one was recommended by a trusted friend who shares my interests.

I viewed this movie via Wii Netflix.

This movie raises some great discussion questions.

Would you have a timer, if you could?

What if you were initially disgusted at the first meeting with your soul mate?

Are you betraying your soulmate if you date and/or have sex before you meet them, since you know the exact time you would be meeting them?


+++++Spoiler Alert - Do not read below if you haven't seen the movie++++

I must admit, the thing I thought about the most was "where have I seen the guy that plays Oona's soulmate?" Of course I googled it right away.

No wonder I was drawn to him. He is a main character on one of my fave TV shows, Dexter!

I highly recommend this movie to those that love romances.

Forming an LLC Step One

The first thing we did was purchase a generic forms software from Staples. Our disc of choice happens to be Socrates Limited Liability Companies Made E-Z.

After playing around with this software for about an hour and getting really frustrated I started searching the internet.

What I found out was that I could go onto the Ohio Secretary of State website. There I was able to locate the preferred form for filing the Articles of Organization for a Domestic Limited Liability Company.

I filled out the form. DH and I signed the form. I am mailing in the signed for to the state with a check for $125.00 along with a SASE. After my form is filed I will move onto step 2.

Forming an LLC

Well you don't know what we can find. Why don't you come with me, little girl, on a magic carpet ride.

Those lyrics were on repeat in my mind as I started this LLC process.

Who knew that this would be such a pain in the....well you know.

The even worse news? I'm only on step one. That's right. I'm a whiner.

Ok, I'll back up a bit. My DH and I decided, a few years ago, that it would be in our best interest to form an LLC. My DH does a lot of side jobs that he is paid cash for, and I may someday figure out what I want to be when I grow up. So, for liability sake, we should form an LLC.

Fast forward to present day, I have finally got around to starting this process. I'm doing as much research about it as I can, and trying to follow the advice of my mentors.

My goal is to update my blog on the steps of the process and keep my imaginary friends updated.

Stay tuned for Step One.

Cake Baking Mama....

My daughter's birthday party was this past weekend. She turned 6. Well, actually she turned 6 on June 25, but due to time and money constraints we didn't celebrate it until this past weekend.

One things I did this year for both of my kids is to make their birthday cakes. I figure that at this age they will see my baking and think it's totally AWESOME.

The rest of us all know that it's not so great.

But I thought I would share some pics anyhow.

Here is the first cake:



This is a "Barbie" cake my daughter liked the idea of. I say this because I only had a written description of the cake to go by. I think it turned out pretty cute...and it was pretty easy.

Here is the second one:



This is a picture of two pair of flip flop cakes. Kya actually picked this cake out. It had ice cream in the center and whipped cream as the icing. I didn't get to taste this cake, so I'm guessing it tasted pretty good.

Yes, I made two cakes. We cannot possibly have a small party. All of our friends are too dear and important to us to ever consider not inviting them to party with us. Even if the party is centered around children of all ages skating their heart out in a skating rink, in July, with no air conditioning.

We are just lucky enough that almost everyone invited shows up.

A major life change...

So I decided I am done smoking.

For good.

I hope.

I'll be honest, I get mild anxiety attacks when I think about it. I know, I know. It's a good thing. I have mentally made a list of all of the wonderful reasons I am quitting. My friends and family are cheering for me. They are all very supportive.

But I'll be honest. I loved smoking. Smoking was MY thing. When my husband would take the kids somewhere and I would be alone I could smoke in peace and enjoy myself....

Now what am I going to do when I have some free time? From the looks of things I'll be blogging. Which is good as it keeps my hands busy.

Pray for me as I start this difficult life change!

I love to try new things...

I think everyone that knows me is very aware that I LOVE to try new things. Well thanks to Jen's recommendation I've found a great site that allows me to do this - FREE!

I am a BzzAgent! This allows me to try new things and share what I did, or did not, like about the product. I've been a member for about a month now and I am currently in one campaign. I'm still learning the ins and outs - but so far it's been pretty easy to navigate.

Come visit my BzzSite and see what it's all about!

Tax Time

Yeah, it's that time again. There are always two camps of people during this time of the year.

Camp 1:
These people KNOW they are getting money back, and alot of it. They usually have their taxes done by the end of the first week of February and usually have it spent within days of getting their check back. You can easily spot these people. They are going out to eat ALOT and buying large ticket items. It's a beautiful time of year for them.

Camp 2:
These people KNOW they are going to owe money. They wait until the very last minute to file and when taxes are mentioned they sigh and groan. Their life doesn't really change much, other than to be inconvenienced by the task of getting their taxes filed.

I really, really wish I was in the first group. I wish that I looked forward to the beginning of each year as a countdown to getting a lump sum of "free" money.

Unfortunately I'm not in that group. DH and I decided a a few years ago after listening to RICH DAD, POOR DAD that we were foolish to give away our money to the government thru the year. That our cash flow would better to take the most exemptions we could and have better cash flow throughout the year.

Don't get me wrong. The rest of the year we are pleased with our decision. We are very seldom tight. We can spend money any way we want. We go out to eat whenever we want. In a few short weeks we usually can save up for big ticket items we want or need. But we don't get "spending sprees".

I read an article in the paper this week that said that by getting large refunds families are missing their budgets by $300 a month - sometimes going into the hole, accumulating late fees etc, while they are overpaying their taxes by $400 a month. That by putting aside money for a big refund they are giving the government their hard earned money and allowing the government to use it as they see fit.

I agree. It's more important to me to be comfortable 12 months out of the year, not just "quick rich" for one month. So why am I so bummed that I don't get a big spending spree during 1 month of the year?

I swear I never learn...

Today I decided to do some couponing and to get some much needed groceries before the snow set in.

What I thought would be a 4 hour trip turned out to be an 6 hour trip. I did not factor in that some of the coupons I needed were in my husband's car at his work.

I also did not factor in the amount of time taken up by my son becoming possessed by a demon.

Now I've blogged on this before. I know that it takes about 2 hours for my children to become possessed once we've started shopping.

For some reason I was hoping that since I only had my son that the demons would not enter his body.

I was very wrong. At right around the 2 hour mark he started touching people. I don't mean walking up to them and touching them I mean he was walking along, dragging his fingers on the items on the shelf, and if a person was standing there he drug his fingers along them too.

This made for a very red faced mom! I was apologizing with a smile on my face while squeezing the bejabbers out of his arm as I held him behind me. Then when we walked into an unoccupied aisle I got on his level and gave him a firm warning. Where he cried and said he was sorry that he was starting over.

Then a few seconds later....he's doing it again. When I reach into my purse to pull out my handy dandy whipping spoon he promptly throws himself on the floor and creates a HUGE drama.

So I did what any mom would do....

I walked away and pretended he was someone else's kid.

Yet another use for Ziplock Freezer Bags...

So my kids decided that they wanted to see if they could fly. I remember wondering the same things as a child and decided not to say anything and just observe.

First they climbed onto a box that is in the living room (waiting to be taken to storage) and jump off flapping their arms.

They flapped their arms like crazy and were convinced that they flew just a little bit. But they needed a softer landing.

So they pulled the cushions off my couch and chair, lined them up and covered them with blankets.

Then they tried again. They discussed amongst themselves and decided that the landing was AWESOME but they needed to get more height. So they put another tote on top of the current tote and jumped flapping their arms with all their might.

The conversed again and decided that they flown even higher, but they needed something to give them more lift.

At this point my princess runs into the kitchen and gets into my baggie drawer. She pulls out 4 of the gallon size Ziploc freezer bags. She gets a pair of scissors for her and her brother and then instructs him how to measure his wrist and cut a hole in the bottom of the baggie.

She then helps her brother slip his baggie on and "ziplocs" them around his upper arms. He returns the favor and now they both have wings.

They climb back onto the box and proceed to "fly" for the next 45 minutes. Each time convinced they had stayed in the air even longer. Each sibling was responsible for observing the "time in air" for the other.

I am so blessed to have children that can play together, be imaginative, show teamwork and use problem solving skills. All without a word uttered from me.

Well - ok - I did say something. It was along the lines of -

"If you two break something - either my candleholders or your body parts - you are getting a whippin."

That's Mom of the Year stuff right there.

So clear and yet I still didn't see it.

So today I had MOPS. I mentioned in my post below. This is my Mothers of Preschoolers meeting.

Today the speaker talked about The 5 Love Languages. As I've stated before, this is familiar territory.

But one this that became clear to me....I can use this with people in my life BESIDES my DH.

My life will be so much better (I hope) if I fill my kids, mother, and friend's love tanks.

I spent some time today figuring out what language my kids speak. Unfortunately they speak languages that are difficult for my.

My princess speaks Words of Affirmation as her primary and physical touch as her secondary.

My prince speaks Touch first, and Quality Time second.

The Words of Affirmation are pretty easy. Which is probably why princess and I get a long for the most part.

It's all so clear now. Physical touch for me is very low in importance. So I avoid it. That's not to say that I'm not affectionate with my children. I am. They are always getting hugs and kisses. But they need more than that.

Now that I GET IT I can be pro active with this and fill up my kiddos tanks. Which should make for a happier more cohesive family unit.

Let me know what you think. Has anyone out there tried this with their own kids? Is it logical? Any success stories? If anyone has any questions please post them as well. I would love to help walk you through the thought process on this one.

Love Language #3 - Acts of Service

In our MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) group we are going to have a meeting where speakers will discuss the 5 love languages as written by Dr. Gary Chapman.

I have read The 5 Love Languages and so has my DH. We read it MONTHS ago. But we have never discussed it. I've never asked him what he thinks is my love language, or what he feels is his.

Just a quick run down - you really should read this book if you haven't already!

1. Words of Affirmation
2. Gifts
3. Acts of Service
4. Quality Time
5. Physical Touch

I think we all need a little of all of the love languages.

My primary language is Acts of Service. My DH's primary language (I think) is physical touch.

For me - Acts of Service include, but are not limited to, the following:

Doing Dishes
Doing Laundry
Changing my Oil
Putting Gas in my Car
Putting Air in my Tires
Picking up the Living Room
Brushing my hair
Rubbing my back
Rubbing my feet
Taking the Trash out
Cooking a Meal
Playing/Interacting with the children so they forget about Mom for a few minutes
Cleaning my fishtanks
Dusting
Getting Rid of Cobwebs
Etc.

Here is the problem. I'm a SAHM - as I have previously stated. My DH's work schedule requires him to work from appx. 4:00 a.m. to appx. 6:00 p.m. - sometimes later - sometimes overnight.

This means that the responsibility of children, homework, meals, dogs, discipline, bill paying, bathtime, bedtime, laundry, car maintenance - well everything - falls on me.

When DH IS home I don't feel it's fair that I ask him to do - well - anything. Because when he comes home he is usually cutting firewood. If he has ANY free time - he spends it hunting or preparing for hunting. That's his relaxation.

Which explains why our relationship is usually at an impasse. He doesn't have any energy or desire to do what I need to fill my tank, aka the Acts of Service mentioned above.

When my tank is empty - which it usually is - I don't feel like touching him or feeling physical in any way. Which then makes HIS tank empty. And the vicious cycle goes on and on.....

The question is - how to break it? How to fill up each other's tank.

I would venture to say the first step is just confirming that my guess about his primary language is true.

We better hurry - Valentines Day is around the corner!

To Go from Chore.....To Choice

The title of this blog came from the sermon I heard at church today. That statement reached out and smacked me in the face.

This statement needs to be applied to my life in both spiritual, emotional, and physical ways.

There are so many things in my life that I view as a chore. Cleaning, bathtime, bedtime, getting up and getting DD up for school, paying bills, reading to my kids, laundry, sex, feeding my fish, I mean, I could fill an entire page of because most of time what I am doing feels like a chore.

This week I am going to use the scripture references from the sermon to find a way to make these things go from a chore to a choice. These things, plus bible reading and prayer journal time.

I'm not sure how long that takes.....but the important thing is I'm starting it.....today.