For Rachel

Rachel,

I'm sorry I forgot to put this link up until late, but here it is.

http://goingglutenfree.blogspot.com/

My friend's name is Krista, and she has a lot of links on her blog that should be helpful.

Hugs,
Melinda

For those who are hurting.

I hope you find as much comfort in this song as I do.

Another Placemat Purse

I got to stop by a garage sale this morning. I had recently read this article on WikiHow on how to make a purse out of denim shorts or a skirt. So imagine my excitement when I found THIS skirt.
Then I found these handles and this placemat and the star. All of this cost me a grand total of $4. Which was less than the $5 handles cost at Wal-Mart. I am very happy.
Then I went to JoAnn's and got the black trim with the gold coins for the denim skirt/purse, and the D rings, for when I when I make another placemat purse.

I did the handles differently this time. Thanks to Scribbit's tutorial, I used the ribbon this time. I think it makes it look better, and I think it will be sturdier in the long run. I also added a button for a closure. :) It's a nice button, isn't it? Sorry for the blurriness of this picture. But I made pockets again. The fabric is a real soft velvety feeling fabric, but it has a lot of stretch to it. And here's the finished product! :D I think it looks absolutely fabulous.

And that's my creativity for today. I am excited that I got to finish this today. Gracie took a really long nap today. Otherwise, I would have taken forever. I plan on making the denim skirt tonight when everyone else goes to bed. Because right now, I need to go make supper and feed two grumpy girls.

Hugs, Melinda

WFMW - Saving Energy

Today's tips are on how to save energy. It's not that I'm trying to be "green," although that is a definite benefit, but more on the little things I can do to save money.

First off, this tip is pretty simple, but it's one that I'm having trouble getting the rest of my family to follow. When you leave a room, turn off the light. Simple isn't it? Of course, don't turn out the light if your husband is in the room reading, or if your DD is trying to take a shower, but if you are the last one in the room, turn out the light.

Second, we've switched almost all of our lightbulbs to the compact florescent bulbs. They are supposed to last longer, and they are supposed to save you lots of energy and money.

Third, if you are not using a charger, unplug it. In this day and age, almost everyone has a cellphone or a laptop. Once you have charged your phone, unplug the charger. Once you are through with your laptop, turn it off and unplug the power cord. Those things pull power even if they aren't charging anything.

Fourth, unplug your microwave. *shock* I can hear you saying, "What? Are you crazy?" No. That little clock on your microwave draws power. Unplug it to not use so much power.

Fifth, lower the temperature on your hot water heater. You'll save so much per year, you'll be shocked. You don't have to set it at the recommended 120 degrees, but you also don't need it to be set at 200 degrees either.

And right along with the hot water heater is a dishwasher tip. You'll want to read the instructions on your particular dishwasher, but most newer models don't require prewashing. You save water and energy that way. Also, try not to wash your dishes between the "prime" hours of 12:00 pm - 8:00 pm. (I say this at 11:54 am knowing that I have to go wash dishes later.)

When you are cooking, try to match your pot size to your burner size. Turn off the burner a few minutes before you're "done." Your food will still cook and you'll use less energy.

Now for the tips that we're still working on implementing in our house.

Set your thermostat lower in the winter and higher in the summer. I have a problem with this, because I absolutely can't stand being warm. So I have to sit under a fan and wear shorts, but I'm trying to keep the thermostat higher. I don't expect it to be as much of a problem once winter hits full force, and with the onset of cooler fall temperatures, I expect to see a decrease in our bill.

This one is a bit more complicated. Basically, put all of your electronic devices on a power strip, and when you are through with them for the night, turn off the strip. We have a hard time with this one, but I really couldn't tell you why.

Oh, another tip that we don't use, but it's only because we have a "community" laundry room in our apartment complex. When you use your dryer, do one load right after the other, using the residual heat from one load to the next.

These are just a few of the tips I've been working hard on trying to implement. When we moved here, one lady said her energy bill was $300 in the summer. Ours has been $160. So, if you think these will work for you, go for it.

The following links are where I did my research. You may or may not find other helpful tips by following them.
http://www.eere.energy.gov/consumer/save_energy/
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/consumer/tips/
http://www.nbc4.com/news/13648928/detail.html
http://okc.about.com/od/shoppingandservices/a/energyconserve.htm
http://www.nbc4.com/news/6629170/detail.html
http://energyhawk.com/
http://www.ontariotenants.ca/apartment_living/electricity-savings.phtml
http://www.avistautilities.com/saving/saving_tips.asp
http://www.nh.gov/oep/programs/energy/conservation_summer.htm
http://www.energy.gov.on.ca/index.cfm?fuseaction=conservation.tips
http://realtytimes.com/rtcpages/20050905_energyconserve.htm
http://wings.buffalo.edu/ubgreen/content/programs/energyconservation/energysavingtips.html
http://earth911.org/california/flex-your-power/
http://www.caiso.com/docs/2001/08/17/2001081715582220465.pdf
http://www.energy.state.md.us/news/gas_conservation.pdf

And that's what works for me!

Hugs,
Melinda

For my bug lovin cousin

I thought my cousin and her son might like these pictures of things that have been on my back porch lately. This big brown bug was on our screen door tonight.

We found this spider web 2 days ago. The spider is no longer there thanks to DH and his "spider baseball." The web is about 3 feet big, and it's so perfectly circular that I just couldn't resist taking pictures.


Have a fantastic week.
Hugs,
Melinda

A Dyson Giveaway!

Look at this! 5 Minutes for Mom is giving away a vacuum! A pink Dyson!

But don't go comment. Cause that way, I'll win it. ;)

Hugs,
Melinda

My family

If you would like to know more about me, my family and where I come from, then you need to read this post by my cousin. It says alot. And FYI... my momma is Aunt She-She.

Hugs,
Melinda

"E-R-O-D"

What does that spell? According to a certain 2 year old, using her big sister's pom poms, it either spells her name or Mommy. Don't ask me how.

It's so much fun watching her in this stage. Everyday on the way to and from the bus stop, we look for pennies and rocks. (I hereby apologize to my mom for every rock she found in my pockets.)

And the best part? She's starting to use her imagination. We have a Little People dollhouse. She's starting to play with it by herself. **YES** It's fun to listen to her having adventures with her babies.

Hugs,
Melinda

WFMW -- cooking substitutions

My tip this week is really simple. After running out of several necessary ingredients, I found this link on AllRecipes.com. It's a list of sustitutions you can use for just about anything. I know this is really really simple, but it really Works For Me! Check out Shannon's for more tips.

Hugs,

Melinda

Pizza Casserole

I simply HAVE to post this recipe. It's so very yummy. I'm eating it right now. :p

Pizza Casserole

This is so simple, cheap and FILLING...This is such a filling dinner that a 13 x 9 pan, gave our family of 4, three nights of dinner plus my husband taking it in his lunch.

• 3 boxes GENERIC Mac-n-cheese (prepared as directed)
• 1 jar spaghetti sauce (use the smaller size jar)
• 1/2 lb. sliced pepperoni
• 1 lb. shredded mozzarella cheese

1. While mac-n-cheese is still in pan (already prepared as directed) pour in the jar of spaghetti sauce and mix throroughly. (when you make 3 boxes at one time, the water does get a bit white and starchy, but it won't affect the outcome)
2. In a 9 x 13 pan, pour in 1/2 of the mac-n-cheese & sauce mixture and spread to cover bottom of pan. Top that with a single layer of pepperoni, and sprinkle 1/2 of mozzarella cheese on. Then spread the other half of the mac-n-cheese mixture carefully over the bottom layer. Again layer pepperoni and cheese.
3. Bake at 375 for about 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbling.

Serve this with dinner rolls or garlic bread for a really great meal. It will feed ALOT so it's great for a family gathering or group.It's amazing AND tasted JUST like pizza, so kids will love it as well!

Menus on a budget

Time for the Budget Stretcher Meal edition of Menu Plan Monday. First off though, isn't the new header just absolutely great! It cracks me up. I love smileys and this one is just too cute.

Okay, about 1 1/2 weeks ago, I realized I had $50 in my grocery budget and still had to shop for one week of menus. In desperation, I asked a message board how to make my budget go further. They gave me a TON of menus to make my money stretch further. This week... we're trying them out. :)

• Monday: Ham fried rice, Pizza Casserole
• Tuesday: Chicken stir fry, Chili
• Wednesday: Chicken Noodle Casserole, Hamburger Pinwheels
• Thursday: Chicken Fried Rice, Fettuccini Alfredo
• Friday: Hamburger Casserole, Leftovers
• Saturday: Macaroni with Ham, Homemade Chicken and Noodles.

Of course all of this is subject to change. Dale will be working two jobs, and doesn't have a consistent schedule yet. I'm hoping that this will also give me enough for him to take some of the leftovers to work instead of those nasty microwave meals he's been eating.

Happy Dinner! :D

Hugs,

Melinda

Sunday Dresses

I had to take a picture of my girls in their Sunday dresses. Aren't they just beautiful? :)


This dress is special for more than one reason. My momma made it for me. I remember wearing it, because it has a bell hidden in the petticoat. I remember ringing the bell.


The one that Sweet Pea is wearing was her Easter dress this year. It is now about 3 inches shorter than it was then.
And I just think this is an adorably cute picture of Little Bit. :)

Those are my girls. I'm proud of them.

Hugs, Melinda

Placemat Purse

I don't know if anyone else does this. When we were in the military, one of my neighbor's showed me her placemat purses that she makes. I thought, "I can do that!"

I needed an idea for a birthday present for a friend, so I thought... placemat purse! :D

This is the outside of the purse. My friend happens to like orange and green.

This is the inside lining of the purse. Yes, it's another placemat! If you click on the picture, you should be able to see my sewing lines where I made pockets.

And the finished product! :D I'm so proud of myself. I know it's not perfect, but I think she'll like it. And, I'm willing to try it again.

Hugs, Melinda

Emotional Quilt

This is the story of my "Emotional" quilt. The full name of the quilt is "Out of whack emotions," but I usually just say the "emotion" quilt.

When my mom first got sick, I went into my sewing room. I wanted to sew but I didn't know what. I was mad that my mom couldn't sew anymore (even though she thought she could up until the end).

I sat in my chair and said, okay I want to quilt, but what do I want to quilt? I saw black with slashes of color in it. And I thought, I should just draw what I want to quilt, then quilt it!

So I made myself a pattern, a friend sent me some black fabric she had, and off I went.

But it didn't come out like I thought it would; it was ... out of whack. I didn't care, because it was mine. I've added all sorts of trims and different things to it, and I add to it still.

I've even got an idea for a new addition.

This is the whole quilt.


Red is my "angry" color. One person told me she thought it was ironic that I had a smiley face button right next to my anger.

More anger?

The purple fur is my playful side. The silver stars were a gift from a friend. The orange is confusion over my mother's illness. The hole is from when a friend committed suicide, and I edged it in what I thought was a very ugly color.

My idea for an addition is to add some of the ribbon that I've been putting on Sweet Pea's shorts lately. It's fun, it's responsibility, it's frugality.... it's everything I've been lately. And it will be the first thing I've done since my mom died.

Hugs, Melinda

Excitement!

I'm going to the museum today! I'm excited. We're seeing an exhibit about Impressionism, probably one of my favorite periods. I'm SO very excited. I'll be sure to come back and tell you all about it. :D

Hugs,
Melinda

***Update***
When we lived here 8 years ago, Saturday was the only day that was "free" at the Nelson-Atkins Museum. Now the museum is free except for the special exhibits all the time! I plan on going much more often. And I saw that they are either going to have an exhibit on textiles or are having it now. Sorry, I can't remember right now, but I plan on checking it out.

It was awesome. It's hard to remember that these guys didn't always paint these big gigantic pictures. They were sometimes just little bitty things. It was amazing. We saw a Seurat, Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Degas, Cezanne..... Just wonderful.

They also had an exhibit of early American photography. We didn't get to go through the whole thing, but that was still pretty cool. Although they did have some post-mortum photos that kinda shook Sweet Pea up. But it was still amazing to see pictures of Tom Thumb, Walt Whitman, Longfellow, Oscar Wilde, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Niagra Falls in 1855.

Then we took Dale to work. The girls and I went to get tennis shoes for Sweet Pea, dress shoes for Little Bit, and then to get groceries. I have a greater appreciation for Dale right now, because 9 times out of 10, he carries the groceries up 3 flights of stairs. I am tired.............

Hugs,
Melinda

P.S. If anyone is interested, I read the other day that a 5 1/2 Woman's shoe size is the same as a 3 girls. Well, I just bought my size 2 Sweet Pea a size 5 woman's tennis shoe. FYI. In case you're interested. Or dorky, like me. :D

The loss of creative genius

Within two days, the world has lost 2 very important artists. The first and more well known is that of Luciano Pavarotti. Leading the way in a renewed interest in opera, he is "the" tenor we all know and love.

My thanks to Teodo for the video links.
Luciano Pavarotti at the 2006 Winter Olympics
The Three Tenors
La Donna e'Mobile

A little known story about Master Pavarotti. I had a math professor whose son was auditioning for Pavarotti. And in a case of jitters forgot the words to the song he was singing. So, as a well known trick for singers, he started singing "I don't know the words, I don't know the words, I don't know the words." In Italian. After he was finished, the master turned to him and said, "Ah, M___, M___. You did very well, but you should really take the time to learn the words."

The other loss is not as well known. Madeleine L'Engle passed away. She was the author of A Wrinkle in Time as well as other books. Her story is here. Her way of thinking and her logic was so extraordinary. I really recommend the entire Time Quartet if you haven't already read it.

I know that loss is a natural part of life, and that no matter how hard we look for it, that immortality and the fountain of youth will never be found. But I can't help crying a little at the loss that our world has encountered because of their passing. It seems the world is just a little bit darker now.

And yet with that darkness comes hope. Who will step into their shoes? Who will the next "great" opera singer be? Who will be the next "great" writer? Will they arrive in this generation, or the next? I am waiting hopefully to see. Until then,

Hugs,
Melinda

Wall Hanging

I finally got my wall hanging up after having quilted it in 2005. I think it looks pretty good. Amazing how one little thing like that makes such a big difference.

This is a "Storm at Sea" pattern, FYI.

Hugs,

Melinda

Why we can't leave Iraq yet.

I know this is a "hot topic," but this is just one of the reasons for our fight in Iraq. Again, I apologize for having a link only.

Mike Huckabee vs. Ron Paul at Republican Debate

Hugs,
Melinda

P.S. I will allow comments for now, but if I feel that it's gets out of hand or disrespectful at any time, I will close comments.

Don't Buy Stuff You Can't Afford

Dave Ramsey would be proud! ROFLOL

Funny Video

Hugs,
Melinda

Brand Loyalty

Today is the Brand Loyalty edition of Works-For-Me-Wednesday. You may or may not know that I'm on a tight budget these days, so I've been buying more generic brands than brand names. However, these are the things that I simply have to have brand loyalty too.

Cottonelle Toilet Paper and Fresh Wipes

Crest toothpaste and Pro Health mouthwash

Oral B toothbrush

Heinz ketchup

Coca-Cola -- We probably should by stock in this company. LOL

Johnson's Kids detangling spray

Nestle's chocolate chips -- sorry, but store brand just doesn't cut it on this one.

Degree Ultra Clear Deodorant -- Pure Rain

Hmmm... I'm sure I'll think of some more, but it's time to get Sweet Pea off to school, and I'm helping a friend with some babysitting this morning. :) And that's what Works For Me!

Hugs,

Melinda