The other day I actually turned down my husband's offer to help vacuum. I explained that you had to be careful because the vacuum only worked a certain way and it would be easier if I did it. Truth is I was in a hurry and I didn't want to teach him. I also wanted it done right. My philosophy is if you are going to go through the trouble of vacumming (or dusting, or moping, or cleaning toilets...) you may as well do it right (probably because it will not be done again for a while *shhhh*)
He shrugged and watched me go at it. When I turned it off he smugly remarked that he found nothing special about my technique. I believe his exact words were, "It's a good thing because I was gong to get down and push it around with my forehead. I see now that wouldn't have worked."
I love him...really.
The thing is, the vacuum only really sucks on the back stroke. Actually it sucks all the time. But it was free. At a garage sale. *bad sign* My mother went garage saleing on our behalf and this one lady practically started throwing free things at her. Hence the vacuum that only smells smoky part of the time, the chair that broke a little more each time you sat in it (note that one is in past tense), the random, not matching shelf of doom, and the hideously ugly wall art.
Some things are not even worth free.
Except for help with the housework. That is priceless...
February 10, 2009
February 01, 2009
Oh ye pantry, I challenge thee...
So I am in the middle of a highly customized Pantry Challenge. I was introduced to this idea my Heather over at Want What You Have (follow the links back to get the whole story) but it is really a very common concept. Basically you use only the supplies in your pantry, plus perishable staples such as milk, eggs, and produce, until you can no longer make a healthy, balanced, meal.
Unfortunately (or fortunately!) for me there is no way I could ever follow that exact description. Bear would leave me for Taco Bell by the second anything got "funky." He is not picky by any means but he is extremely particular. For example, I could eat a bowl of applesauce, a warmed tortilla, and a piece of cheese and easily call that a meal. But to him, those things just don't "go" together. Everything has to "go" together. I still trying to figure out what that means. Apparently there is some magical food rule book I failed to read.
The real problem is that Bug is allergic to me eating tomatoes. He get a terrible diaper rash and everyone is up all night. I was allergic too as a baby. I outgrew it but they still aren't my favorites. I think if I ate enough I might have problems and that is my body's way of keeping that from happening. I could never use every last thing without making a number of soups and Bear only likes tomato based soup. (Besides, soup is a threat to our marital bliss...)
I don't really want to do a full out PC anyways. What I do want to do is use a little creativity to use up the lurkers at the back of pantry and go past the point when there is "no thing to eat." I want shopping on the 20th and my plan was to go at least three weeks, possibly four, and to only spend 20 dollars in that time. Well, I've already blown it. But I still happy. Here's the break down.
On the 20th, I had a fairly good stockpile including a whole turkey and about 8lbs of brisket. I went shopping and got the following items:
bread
crackers
2 crescent rolls
HH CH CH MT ???
2 pie crust mixes
butter
biscuits
oatmeal
tortillas
stir fry veggies
turkey sandwich meat
turkey bacon
sour cream
LC CT CHS ???
2 pinto beans
fruit cocktail
kidney beans
enchilada sauce
pineapple slices
cream corn
cream of celery
2 chillies
peaches
mandarin oranges
black beans
chili beans
tomatoes
cream of chicken
2 bell peppers
2 onions
4 potatoes
sweat and sour sauce
Total: 61.34
On the 25th, I went shopping with my husband (big mistake, he always makes me buy more than I planned):
cornmeal
all-purpose flour
5lbs 73% beef (on sale 1.30 a lb, good for around here)
olive oil (not even on the list)
2 onions (I use a lot of onions)
Total: 18.13
I just got home from shopping, the 1st. This was my list:
salad
onions
mayonnaise
brown sugar
butter
eggs
yogurt
dry milk
chicken granules
flax meal
wheat bran
This is what I ended up with:
salad
4 onions (on sale 0.58/lb from 1.48/lb)
mayo
brown sugar
butter
eggs
yogurt (to use as starter)
flax meal (for bread)
frozen strawberries (to flavor the yogurt I am going to make)
chocolate trio (on sale, guilty pleasure)
2 frozen green beans
Total:26.22
I rarely end up with everything on my list. The good new is that I usually get fewer things. I'm doing far from perfectly but I am still impressed. We are 13 days into it and my husband still hasn't run for the hills. This is about the time that I normally throw up my hands and head for the Hamburger Helper. I'm trying to be creative right from the start so all potential "funkiness" doesn't pile up at the end. I haven't even touched the old stand by recipes yet.
And yes, there is such a thing as two much funkiness...
Unfortunately (or fortunately!) for me there is no way I could ever follow that exact description. Bear would leave me for Taco Bell by the second anything got "funky." He is not picky by any means but he is extremely particular. For example, I could eat a bowl of applesauce, a warmed tortilla, and a piece of cheese and easily call that a meal. But to him, those things just don't "go" together. Everything has to "go" together. I still trying to figure out what that means. Apparently there is some magical food rule book I failed to read.
The real problem is that Bug is allergic to me eating tomatoes. He get a terrible diaper rash and everyone is up all night. I was allergic too as a baby. I outgrew it but they still aren't my favorites. I think if I ate enough I might have problems and that is my body's way of keeping that from happening. I could never use every last thing without making a number of soups and Bear only likes tomato based soup. (Besides, soup is a threat to our marital bliss...)
I don't really want to do a full out PC anyways. What I do want to do is use a little creativity to use up the lurkers at the back of pantry and go past the point when there is "no thing to eat." I want shopping on the 20th and my plan was to go at least three weeks, possibly four, and to only spend 20 dollars in that time. Well, I've already blown it. But I still happy. Here's the break down.
On the 20th, I had a fairly good stockpile including a whole turkey and about 8lbs of brisket. I went shopping and got the following items:
bread
crackers
2 crescent rolls
HH CH CH MT ???
2 pie crust mixes
butter
biscuits
oatmeal
tortillas
stir fry veggies
turkey sandwich meat
turkey bacon
sour cream
LC CT CHS ???
2 pinto beans
fruit cocktail
kidney beans
enchilada sauce
pineapple slices
cream corn
cream of celery
2 chillies
peaches
mandarin oranges
black beans
chili beans
tomatoes
cream of chicken
2 bell peppers
2 onions
4 potatoes
sweat and sour sauce
Total: 61.34
On the 25th, I went shopping with my husband (big mistake, he always makes me buy more than I planned):
cornmeal
all-purpose flour
5lbs 73% beef (on sale 1.30 a lb, good for around here)
olive oil (not even on the list)
2 onions (I use a lot of onions)
Total: 18.13
I just got home from shopping, the 1st. This was my list:
salad
onions
mayonnaise
brown sugar
butter
eggs
yogurt
dry milk
chicken granules
flax meal
wheat bran
This is what I ended up with:
salad
4 onions (on sale 0.58/lb from 1.48/lb)
mayo
brown sugar
butter
eggs
yogurt (to use as starter)
flax meal (for bread)
frozen strawberries (to flavor the yogurt I am going to make)
chocolate trio (on sale, guilty pleasure)
2 frozen green beans
Total:26.22
I rarely end up with everything on my list. The good new is that I usually get fewer things. I'm doing far from perfectly but I am still impressed. We are 13 days into it and my husband still hasn't run for the hills. This is about the time that I normally throw up my hands and head for the Hamburger Helper. I'm trying to be creative right from the start so all potential "funkiness" doesn't pile up at the end. I haven't even touched the old stand by recipes yet.
And yes, there is such a thing as two much funkiness...
January 26, 2009
Really, I'm doing this thing...
I have promised myself I am going to start blogging for real. I am having a small personal identity crisis right now. (surprise, surprise, a SAHM having identity issues) I think writing would really help. I used to write religiously in a journal but now that I'm married, that somehow seems wrong. Weird I know. Journals are private places, places to spill out all those deep down things, sometime nasty hurtful things, sometimes secret insightful things, onto paper. To me it feels like keeping a secret from Bear. I would tell him anything in the world but I would still not like him to read my journal. Therefore it doesn't feel right. At the same time I need to write badly, it always makes me feel better. So here I go...
Also I fell sort of bad for leeching so much from the blogosphere and not giving back. I lurk on so many blogs it's not even funny. I'm pretty sure I have ummmmm, like around zero readers but still.
In other news, I updated the 'look'. What do you think? I feel so blog illiterate because I couldn't figure out how other people got their blogs to look oh so adorable. Then I found the answer! The Cutest Blog on the Block! They have hundreds of free backgrounds and accessories. I didn't look at them all because I totally fell in love with this one. The only bad thing is that I had to get rid of my three page layout that I was SOOOO proud of making. You would think as a third year engineer I would not be so daunted by a little Html editing but I am. :P
So...do you like it? Is the font color easy to read? It looks good on my screen but I'm thinking it could get too bright. Let me know...all zero of you.
Also I fell sort of bad for leeching so much from the blogosphere and not giving back. I lurk on so many blogs it's not even funny. I'm pretty sure I have ummmmm, like around zero readers but still.
In other news, I updated the 'look'. What do you think? I feel so blog illiterate because I couldn't figure out how other people got their blogs to look oh so adorable. Then I found the answer! The Cutest Blog on the Block! They have hundreds of free backgrounds and accessories. I didn't look at them all because I totally fell in love with this one. The only bad thing is that I had to get rid of my three page layout that I was SOOOO proud of making. You would think as a third year engineer I would not be so daunted by a little Html editing but I am. :P
So...do you like it? Is the font color easy to read? It looks good on my screen but I'm thinking it could get too bright. Let me know...all zero of you.
November 17, 2008
Menu Plan Monday...
Monday -- TX Cowboy's Pie http://www.5dollardinners.com/2008/10/tx-cowboys-pie.html
Tuesday -- Chicken Fried Rice (Bear's favorite, a sure winner)
Wednesday -- Mac and Cheese http://www.5dollardinners.com/2008/09/taco-macaroni-and-cheese.html
Thursday -- Marsala and Polenta http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/2008/02/crockpot-veal-marsala-recipe.html
Friday -- Left Overs
Saturday -- Tacos http://www.5dollardinners.com/2008/08/5-tacos.html
Sunday -- Provolone Wrapped Chicken http://www.5dollardinners.com/2008/10/provolone-wrapped-chicken.html
and biscuits http://www.5dollardinners.com/2008/09/homemade-buns.html
Here it is, my first official Menu Plan Monday.
I have been trying this for months but it does not work for me. I'm not sure why I keep trying. I love the theory, I just can't master the application. In fact this plan is already off. We went out this evening. I think I will take out the Mac and Cheese and shift everything.
At first, I only shopped for the minimum ingredients of the plan. But inevitably something would happen, my husband would want something on a different night, I would change my mind, I would have too many leftovers, something. I ended up with a lot of rotten food, an empty pantry, and a very hungry husband. Heather's idea at What What You Have made me think it would be better to keep a fully stocked pantry with everything I might need. In other words, shopping to top off instead of shopping to fill up. I have only tried this for one week so I don't know if it works or not.
I am hoping that a combination of keeping a full pantry and making a meal plan will work. At least it will provide enough structure and ability for flexibility until I master the art of feeding a family...
Get some other meal plan ideas at I'm an Organizing Junkie. Maybe I should go get some ideas too!
November 15, 2008
I'm back...
I didn't completely finish because Bug woke up and "politely" requested a snack from the Boob Cafe. I'll finish tomorrow because we both need to go to bed earlier than we would if I finished tonight.
I'm estimating that I got out two of the big, black yard bags worth, plus a box or two for books and fragile items. I know full well that I let some things slip by but it is a start!
Most of it was maternity clothes. Not hard at all to get rid of. It was all hand-me-downs from my aunt and let's just say she has the tiniest obsession with floral print. The thing that I thought would be hard but surprisingly wasn't was my rocks.
For years I have collected rocks. Not particularly amazing rocks. Just ones that caught my eye with an interesting feature or color.
For years my mother begged me to get rid of the rocks. She made me personally carry them every time we moved in hopes that I would realize they were not the most convenient collection. She made me take them to college. She was shocked when I brought them into the house of my husband.
Well, tonight the rocks went. Not all of them, I wasn't going for a miracle. 57 stayed and 102 left. And it wasn't all that hard. I must be growing up...
I'm estimating that I got out two of the big, black yard bags worth, plus a box or two for books and fragile items. I know full well that I let some things slip by but it is a start!
Most of it was maternity clothes. Not hard at all to get rid of. It was all hand-me-downs from my aunt and let's just say she has the tiniest obsession with floral print. The thing that I thought would be hard but surprisingly wasn't was my rocks.
For years I have collected rocks. Not particularly amazing rocks. Just ones that caught my eye with an interesting feature or color.
For years my mother begged me to get rid of the rocks. She made me personally carry them every time we moved in hopes that I would realize they were not the most convenient collection. She made me take them to college. She was shocked when I brought them into the house of my husband.
Well, tonight the rocks went. Not all of them, I wasn't going for a miracle. 57 stayed and 102 left. And it wasn't all that hard. I must be growing up...
First purge of (hopefully) many...
I have come to realization that I am beat down by the guilt I associate with things I don't need. This article by the Organizing Junkie fits me to a T. I have been feeling so overwhelmed lately and today is the day I am fixing it.
We have a second bedroom filled to the brim with things we don't need or use or want. It is the culmination of a pack rat (me), a person who doesn't think getting rid of things that "don't take up that much space" is important (Bear), and a marriage (read: two of everything).
I'm going in...
We have a second bedroom filled to the brim with things we don't need or use or want. It is the culmination of a pack rat (me), a person who doesn't think getting rid of things that "don't take up that much space" is important (Bear), and a marriage (read: two of everything).
I'm going in...
November 09, 2008
I am ruined…
I don’t understand how people can say that boys and girls aren’t different. They are. Very. As the Mama of a two month old Bug I can firmly say that a baby girl would never do the things my son does.
Last night I gave him a bath because he peed in his ear. When I told my husband he said, “Wow kid! Good aim. But when I was your age I took out the TV.”
We tried ECing (more on that to come) and he would only pee peacefully in God’s Great Outdoors. My husband’s response? “That’s my boy! Just have to let ‘em air out sometimes.”
He gets the biggest kick out of burping, spitting up, farting, peeing, and Lord knows what else. I can’t count how many times I’ve wiped his precious bottom and seen that little butthole pucker and heard a tiny rush of wind. (Having a child has brought new meaning to the phrase, “I’ve changed your diapers.”) And he ALWAYS has the HUGEST smile on his face. Last night, after I figured out exactly what the liquid was in his ear, I looked up to see his round little face broken out in a dazzling, self satisfied, toothless grin. I looked back at him with the frazzled, worn out, tiered look of a new Mama and said, “I’m ruined kid. You will be the death of me.”
And he smiled bigger. (“Wow, only two months and I’ve already got her!”)
And I smiled back…and kissed his belly.
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