Chic for Cheap

I looooove table settings. I grew up in a home where my mom always had the table set even if it was just a normal Tuesday night family dinner. In today's society..paper plates, plastic forks and red Solo cups are a staple. I am not hatin' on Solo...some days it is very much appreciated...but I love setting a table up with my finest china and silver. Although, my china is from Wal-Mart and Silverware is well..not silver...I pretend I am classy like that. One of my favorite events every year is our Christmas Brunch at church. The host of the table gets to decorate a table for the ladies that will join her. I have so much fun thinking about the table setting for the next year... the minute the brunch is over. Being that it is mid-February I of course already have everything for my table setting in December...that's normal right???
Since, I am not hosting fancy dinner parties every week(totally would if I had the money) I decided the best way to express this love of tablescapes is to blog about it. Being that it is Valentine's Day I thought I would gather some chic ideas on the cheap to decorate your own Valentine's Day table.
Last year I found the site www.efavormart.com. If you are planning a wedding this is an awesome site to find things on the cheap. I used them for my Sugar Plum Fairy Tablescape at this years' Christmas Brunch. I wanted to find a ballerina slipper pink satin table runner and napkins and they had just what I was looking for. The satin 20x20 napkins were only 3.25 for 5 and the 12x108 runner was 2.18. I think this pink satin would add a lot to a pretty in pink Valentine's day table setting!

Another site I love to use when I am buying for a larger table setting is Oriental Trading Company. I spied the cutest heart shaped mirrors when looking through their catalog for my son's birthday party supplies. I saw the 6 in size first and then discovered they had a 10 inch which would be perfect for a charger underneath your dessert plate..bowl..etc.  You could even write your guests' name on each one with a mirror marker seen below...or if it is just you and your Valentine write a love note....

So...now we have the runner..napkins...place card idea/charger for a dessert party. I am going to pretend that I am going to set a table for my sweetheart and I and that I am serving his favorite peach cobbler:). My favorite place to look for bowls...plates..cups..etc are antique stores or even my cupboards. Most people have serving dishes on hand. Think outside of the box. Use a goblet to serve your dessert in or even a cute teacup if you are serving ice cream or pudding. Also...if you have some nice silverware, use that as well..if not again go to an Antique store and get a few pieces..different styles even...different is good. Designers always say not to buy a matching set of furniture....mix it up...same goes with table settings. It adds a creative and unique flair:). I found these spoons and dishes on Etsy

Now we need a centerpiece which is in my opinion what makes the table. A few small frames of you and your Valentine would be sweet or your favorite song lyrics...poem...verse....etc printed out from your own printer(chic and cheap). Here are some centerpiece ideas that I thought would be easy to do on a low budget.........

found here This would be cute with the heart mirrors underneath.You can find similar letters at Joanns.

These are silk flowers in various sized vases and water

Last, but not least your guests or Valentine need a favor to leave with. Everyone loves a present and it makes a great reminder of the event.Today I watched The Nate Berkus show and my favorite party planner was on, Colin Cowie(who by the way has a new wedding site....eeeekkkkk). He found beautiful lacquered boxes and put in some Godiva Chocolates as a favor for his guests. To keep costs down you could make your own truffles! That may seem like too much work..but trust me it is not as hard as they look. Nate had a Chocolate master on his show today as well who made some truffles...here is the recipe.Placing these is cellophane and tying with some pink ribbon will do the trick.
****Update..just saw these while browsing...you can wrap the chocolates in crepe paper...so sweet:)

Via

So, there you have it a few Chic Valentine's Day table setting ideas for cheap.Hope your day is filled with lots of love and truffles!!!!!

****Side note...while searching for the recipe from Nate's show I saw that his show will not be returning for a third season:(...I am so devastated...yes devastated!!!! Although it took a little bit for Nate to get his groove his show is now so informative and the best show design wise on tv. I don't understand why shows like this last..while others like design on a dime...who are not good a design at all go on forever....sad day:(. Hopefully they put his show on DVD so I can watch it for years to come.

Master Bedroom Budget Makeover

In less than a month we will have been in our home for two years. In those two years I have tried to nail down my style. During this process I have realized that I have major issues. I can not make a decision to save my live. I think it is because I have made poor decisions(design wise) :) in the past and I am so afraid to make more. I have to say many times I go into a store with certain items in mind...but usually am willing to browse and see what is available. Then I see a clearance section or that famous red tag at Target and all plans go out the window. I think to myself..."oh yeah, this will totally work in my room"...when in reality it doesn't and I end up making myself like it simply because it is 75% off! Then I am left with a room and items that I really don't love. 

Design is a hobby. I am in no way calling myself an expert in design. I read blogs, magazines...watch HGTV and Nate Berkus everyday. If I could I would relinquish all control to Candice Olson and be one happy girl. Although...I would ask her if I could go shopping with her. I do enjoy the whole process but I lose focus too easily. Another factor to my deign dilemma(side note...totally have been misspelling that word for years) is that I want the space to reflect my families tastes...not just mine. So...with all that said my Master Bedroom was last in line to be "designed". I love the Hollywood Regency look...but it can get a bit too gawwdddyyy. And The Hubs would definitely not like it. So I took a more traditional palette of Gold, White, Cream, Grey and a shade of blue/green that I have no idea what to call. For the most part those are all neutral colors...the blue/green color just adds that pop of color my room needed. Just a few short days ago my accent color was Navy but then I saw this room on Pinterest:

Gorgeous!!!!!!! If someone knows that color..please let me know:)

It caught my eye..one because I love poufs! Two because my nightstands look very similar to those pictured. I also have a sunburst that I made that I thought would look great above our bed. So...out went my Navy lampshades and a few other small accessories and then the search was on to find accessories around my house in that color. I found one little box that had a gold starfish that my sister gave me for Christmas filled with wonderfully smelling soaps(thanks sis). The box has a little more blue than this color above, but that is ok..I think that pillow in the pic also has more blue in it than the wall color..so I can mix that in as well.I traded out the Navy shades for a similar color shade in the pic and also traded out my greyish silver curtains for some curtains(that I already had) that were the same color as my lamp shades(I have an issue with buying lamps and shades and never buying ones that match so I have a craft room full of them). This immediately lightened up the room...but they were a bit boring so I headed to Joann's were I had already looked at trim for my lampshades previously. Now that I have this new color I looked in the blue/green section of trim and to my surprise found an Ikat trim that had not only that color up there^^^^^ but also Navy and Gold. Can I just express to you my love for Ikat!!??!! If I was fabulous I would have Ikat wallpaper...everywhere. Ok...focus Summer...where was I????? Oh yes trim for the lamp shades. Unfortunately, there was only 2.5 yards left but I made it work..just adding it on the bottom edge...here is another really bad taken by me..oy...Erica...Val (my photog friends) if you are reading this...#1 thank you...#2 don't laugh...#3 HELP:).

Hard to see but that is Ikat<3

Those beautiful lamps are from my Mom and sister....an early birthday present...that they got me last month...and my birthday is in July...what???? that is how we do it:) They were too fab to pass up. Today I found a wood plaque with a chrysanthemum(I think) carved out in the new color and some knobs...at Joanns! They were 60% off. I ended up mounting the knobs on the plaque to use as my necklace hanger. 

Those sheets I found too today. I was on a mission to find sheets today, if nothing else. We only have one set and there was a big hole in them from washing them so much and getting thin. I ended up finding these grey striped ones at Target on clearance(uh-oh) for only 23.99...I bought two sets. They are a great color and they came with a flat, fitted and two shams..but as always I am second guessing my choice..for now they stay. I still after two years have no comforter and I really don't even want to talk about this...this post is already way tooooo long:). That is the next step. 

As I mentioned before I went around my house grabbing accessories in gold, that color^^^^ and the others. I really needed a tray for a top my dresser for all the items that come from The Hubs pockets each day and my perfume and such. I was so happy when I caught my gold tray out of the corner of my eye... that I had bought after Christmas. I picked up two because I loved them so much...and for only 7.50ea they were a steal. Ok...I really so have issues with stuff on clearance....this is getting ridiculous...but sometimes it is cute...seeeee:

Bad pic again but that is my lovely tray.

So all in all I am very happy with my design on a dime Master Bedroom so far. Once it is complete I want to do a break down of what everything cost:). I will post a final pic of the room...for now it is still in need of some key pieces like bedding and a bench. I want to add some fabric or trim to the curtains to add some color to them. I also need a few pieces of art work and that will be difficult for me to choose but I know I am not in a rush and I will try not to let those clearance stickers tempt me:).

Saving at CVS

 

I wanted to share some tips and tricks on couponing at CVS. CVS is my favorite drug store to use coupons at. It seems to be super easy to use coupons there. There are a lot of great promotions each week that you can stack with store coupons and Manufacturer coupons to get many items for free. I know the most about CVS and their policies but I am still not an expert. I will show you how I only spent a few dollars on the products in the picture above!

First off…you need to have a CVS card. This will keep track of all your purchases and will allow you to get all the Extra Care Bucks(will talk about that in a bit) and keeps track of other savings. The cashier will almost always ask you for your card..but make sure to remember..it is a big help in saving at CVS. The first thing I do when I shop at CVS is go straight to the Red Coupon Machine. It is an amazing machine that prints out a few coupons each week with just a swipe of your CVS card. A few coupons will print out like a receipt and are usually good for a few days and sometimes longer. Some sites know which coupons are printing each week and a simple Google search should allow you to find them if you want to know ahead of time. I like to print these first because sometimes there are some surprises and make my transactions even better than I anticipated.

Now to take a few steps back and discuss how to plan your trip. I rarely plan my own trips. If I have some time then I will start from scratch and match coupons with the deals going on but I usually check with all the coupon sites that I follow and see their matchups for CVS each week. KCL(The Krazy Coupon Lady) has a great matchup each week found here. They also have a CVS 101 found on the same link that you should read first to know the CVS coupon policy.

The key to shopping at CVS is to get items where you will get Extra Care Bucks(ECB). These are printed on the bottom of your receipt. You don’t get this savings right away..it is for your next transaction. If you prefer to roll your transactions you can do it all in one trip. So, you would be doing a few transaction all in one trip..instead of waiting to use those ECB on another trip at a later time. I am too chicken to do the rolling. I found that many times other couponers already cleared the shelves and I have to redo my game plan so that is hard to adjust. I just hold onto my ECB for another trip.

Let me show you an example with the items in the picture above.

I bought:

1 Colgate Advance Toothpaste- 4.69…on sale for 2.77 plus 1.00 ECB which would make it 1.77(I take into account the ECB even though I won’t use them until the next shopping trip) plus I had a –1.00 MFR(manufacturer)… coupon for Colgate Advance…so the grand total for the toothpaste was .77cents

1 Almay Mascara 8.79….on sale for 5.99 plus 3.00ECB minus 2.00 MFR coupon making it .99cents. Now this was a bummer because there was also supposed to be a 3.00 coupon that printed from the Coupon Machine but I did not get it and forgot about it until after..but .99 is still a great price. Now, if I would have had the 3.00 store coupon as well it would have been…5.99-2.00MFR making it 3.99 minus the 3.00 store coupon making it .99 oop(out of pocket) and I would have also received the 3 ECB making it a 2.01 MM(money maker)…bummer

1 Carmex Moisture Plus 3.29 on sale for 1.50. I used a coupon from the previous week that I got from the Coupon Machine for –1.50 off making it free!!!!!

3 American Greeting cards…this is my favorite promotion CVS does. I have a large stack of free cards! When you buy three you get 3ECB…and it works on their .99cent cards. So I bought 3 for .99ea making it 2.97…there ended up being a –2.00/3 cards MFR Coupon that came out and so I paid .97cents and got back 3ECB!!!!!! Score!

Finally I bought 1 package of Huggies diapers. They were 12.49(crazy) on sale for 9.50…I messed up and thought I was getting 1 ECB but you had to buy two..another mistake gotta be careful. Anyways, I also had a –2.00 MFR coupon making it 7.50. This is not a great deal but I had a 5.00ECB from the previous week that I applied to this transaction.

Let me break it down a little better

Colgate 1.77oop

Almay 3.99oop

3 Amer. Greeting Cards .97oop

Carmex-free dtmp(don’t touch my pockets)

Huggies 7.50oop

total……14.23 minus the 5ECB from previous trip equals 9.23 then I received 7ECB making my total trip 2.23 plus tax!!!! Now if I would have got that extra coupon for the Almay I would have made money but oh well 2.23 for a transaction that included diapers is alright by me.

This is not all the ins and out of CVS but I hope it helps. Any questions just ask!!!!

Slow Down Old Man

     I have had the urge to run lately. I have had the urge to jog lately. I have had the urge to walk lately. Ok, there we go...that is more like it. There is no denying that I am out of shape! I ache from head to toe. Now I do realize that I am getting up there in age. In just six months I will be the big 30!!! All kidding aside I should not get winded from walking up a small set of stairs. It shouldn't take a few minutes to figure out how on earth am I going to get up off the floor. But...it does and that stinks. 

     With my 30 birthday looming about I can't help but think about how I have wasted my 20's being fat. I look at all the cute clothes that I could and should be wearing but am so far from ever looking good in them. A fat person has noooooo business wearing skinny jeans. It just isn't right. I hate talking about my weight. I try to ignore it and tell myself that I am fine. That I am much happier being lazy and drinking my Dr.Pepper, than I would ever be skinny, WRONG. It is not just about the clothes..but honestly that is a big part of it. It is also just about feeling healthy and being able to sleep comfortably and do thing without getting winded after a minute. So.....back to this urge I have had to walk. I live steps away from one of the prettiest streets in Riverside for walking. It has a walking trail and historic plaques along the way(which I found are good to pretend like you are reading...but really are just trying to catch your breath after you decide to pick up the pace and jog and quickly realize that you are not ready for that). So, today being Monday and it being a New Year and all, I decided no more excuses I am going for a walk. I can't tell you how beautiful it was this morning. It just rained yesterday so it was so fresh smelling outside. It was really cold which is what I like when I walk because I get super hot after about 30 seconds into any activity. I had my mace in hand and my phone. I realized that it was a holiday so there may be a few more people out...but I only passed a few friendly walkers/runners/bikers. I was feeling pretty good....until....I hear a brisk walker coming up behind me. From the sound of the quick steps of this walker I figured the walker to be a young female. I did a quick look behind to make sure it wasn't someone that was going to try to take me down or anything but I was too late the brisk walker was already passing me. I get a look at this person and ummmm...welllllll....it was an old man:(. An old man in jeans and a wind breaker just passed up this 29 year old girl!!! I have to say he did have professional walking headphones on and black leather gloves that made him look like a pro. His lack of running pants threw me off though. I am pretty sure he has been at this for a long time but, I could totally beat him at a race if I wanted to.I saw a grin on his face as he passed by me and I think I gave him a bit of confidence and so I backed down. I let him win this time..but old man if we ever meet again...in like 2 weeks I totally will crush you...better get those running pants on sir! 

     Anyways...back to reality...I feel great mentally... my shins are burning like fire though. I really need new running shoes. My plan is to run/jog/walk Monday through Friday.  Then I will see what else I can do in addition to that. It is all about baby steps for me. Looking forward to this journey of the new healthier me.

Year of Savings

   I am sure many of you are aware that I started couponing last year. Mid April to be exact. If you are not a friend on Facebook..you may not know. I decided with the new year that I am going to kick it up a notch. It is only twelve days in and I have saved quite a bit. I have to say it is a time sucker. So, with that said...I felt a little discouraged as I felt I would have to give up a few things. It has always been a struggle to find the time to coupon. It is a long process if you want to start a stock pile. So, I had to re-do my game plan. Last year I made the mistake of not keeping my coupons organized in a way that worked for me. So I need to get my binder together and make it work for me. I would forget about many coupons and would lose some as they were all over the place in my office and kitchen. 

   I also realized that many times the coupons listed on sites were different from my coupons. Coupons vary by region and I would make my list, have my plan and go to clip and I would have a coupon for fifty cents of instead of a dollar (ohhhh the horror). I really need to search out that deals myself and not rely on the websites completely. The sites are amazing for those of us that do not have time..but sometimes by the time a deal is posted the products are gone. I have discovered some crazy couponers in my area. One lady was doing the same deal as I was. I spotted her from the next aisle over in CVS. She was clearing the self of the Dawn dish soap that was on sale.....ugggghhhh. She finally left and when I went over to get my three she had only left one! The nerve! I had to redo my plan on the fly and ended up being able to do it..but that could have ruined my whole deal. This was on a Sunday night and I realized if there was a good deal that I had to go on Sundays when the deal started. Sometimes that is not possible and I will just have to hope that it is still there when I can make it or just skip the deal. 

   Couponing can get a little addicting and I do not want that. I love getting a great deal...but if I obsess over it than I need to check myself...before I wreck myself(sorry had to do it). Soooooo....with all that said... I made a quarterly/yearly plan. I wrote down what I expected to need to buy this year. There are always surprise items that I don't know about in advanced....but there are many items that I know I will need every year. For example, I know I need diapers for the little one (hopefully not for long). I need toiletries like deodorant...shampoo/conditioner...soap..etc. There are also events such as birthdays and baby showers that I know about. This is going to be a big year for babies..so if there are items I can stock up on and bless my friends who are having children than that would be great!!! I love the deal that CVS had for awhile on their American Greeting cards. If you bought 3 you would get 3.00 back for a future purchase. So, I would buy 3 of the .99 cards and they would be free. I have around 12 cards and it is perfect for this year to use for bday cards...baby showers..etc. I am a planner so couponing is a great thing to use my planning skills on. If this seems too much you can plan a month in advanced or whatever suits you best. 

Another issue with kicking up my couponing game is the space it requires. I already have too much stuff and not enough space. The Hubs and I took on a New Year project and tackled our garage. It freed up a lot of space and The Hubs even said I could have some area for my stock pile..how sweet:). Currently, I have a little spot in my hall closet and some space in my bathroom. I have not started a stockpile of food because I simply do not have the room in my tiny pantry..if you could even call it that. 

    I decided also to blog more about couponing. I love to blog but it is time consuming so I figured I could blog about couponing and kill two birds with one stone that way!So be on the look out for some tip and trick on couponing and hopefully you have a great year of savings.

Catching Up

I LOVE New Years Day! I am a planner and organizer(not to be confused with a cleaner). It excites me to no end to come up with my New Year budget and plan the year's events. Now that I coupon I really have to step up my game. With that being said...I am still way behind. Christmas comes the same time every year....and every year I can't believe how fast it got here and how fast it went. Tonight Shane and I finally caught up on our Christmas Shows. My house is still a wreck from the Christmas tornado. All decorations were already put away a few days after Christmas, but there are still empty toy boxes and Christmas Tree needles spread throughout my home. 

Our Real Tree:)

About this time I want to get rid of everything. While I was on vacation(for 11 days:)) The Hubs and I decided to clean out the garage. That took up 3 of my 11 days and we still have one full day worth of work left!!! What a chore. I realized we just have so much STUFF. I happily put together a couple boxes of things to donate and filled up many trash cans full of well..trash. The time off was so needed. We received many blessings at the end of 2011. First one..we received a free Christmas Tree this year from some friends from church. We were not going to be able to get one this year since we were not going to get paid until a few days before Christmas and we realized it just wasn't going to work. God heard my cries(more like whining) and blessed us with the prettiest Christmas tree we have ever had! I went to Target that day and got a pathetic looking FAKE tree...gasp!!!! It was shorter than I but it was way skinnier...so it had that going for it. I seriously wanted to cry..but I told myself that a least I have something to hang Shane's ornaments on as well as all my childhood ornaments. I thought alot of nasty thoughts and was mad at everyone...then God quickly reminded me that He is good and that I need to stop with the woe is me attitude and remember that He is the Reason for the Season..not my beautiful real tree. Funny how Jesus gave me a gift on His own birthday...that Jesus is something else I tell ya!

Shane admiring our little fake tree:)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On to blessing #2. Free Disneyland tickets!!!! As we all know you could either buy a new car or go to Disneyland. Ugghhh..it is so expensive. Our friends offered free tickets for Scott and I(Shane is still free). We were all set to go the Monday after Christmas. How exciting. All our closest friends were going...then we got the phone call Christmas Eve. Scott's dad was awaiting an ambulance as he could not breathe! Our worst nightmare. We were sort of prepared as he always seems to want to spend his holidays in the hospital! He had not been feeling well for weeks. Lonnnnnnnggggg story short God is AWESOME(there He goes again being so good) and Gary is now home from the hospital. His kidney's were to blame. While he was in the hospital he had various surgeries/test/procedures done. He has a long road ahead of him so I ask if you would continue to pray for him and my mother in law Jan as she now has to become a nurse. It will be hard on us all but we are so thankful we have the opportunity to have him here still(blessing #3)..it was a scary time but God never failed us.

Ok...back to blessing #2..after Gary was improving so much each day...we asked if we could still use the tickets for Disneyland and went late last Thursday. It was so crowded the first hour or two..but it was so fun to see Shane's face light up at all the wonder that is Disneyland. Of course. he loved the Buzz ride where he got to shoot Zurg. His first souvineer was a replica of the gun he shot on the ride:)

I was so glad we were able to spend some quality time with Shane. To top off his awesome Christmas and Disneyland night...he was also invited to go to Toy Story 3 on Ice for free(blessing#4) with his buddy Jacob! They got to watch it from box seats and have a bunch of snacks and a super fun day! 

The Boys..I mean Buzz 1 and 2 waiting to go see Toy Story 3 on Ice!

What a way to end 2011 and begin 2012. May God bless you and send you a Happy New Year!!!!

Set the Table!

To some those three words "Set the Table" may conjure up some childhood memories of an unwanted chore if that was your duty.For me it brings me so much joy. There are very few times that you get the opportunity to set the table with your "good stuff". If I was wealthy I would have dinner parties all the time and have my friends over for lunch like they do on Real Housewives of Beverly Hills..but lets get real..I am just a working mama from Riverside and it just doesn't happen as often as I would like.    So, you could imagine my excitement every year when our church has their annual Christmas Brunch and you can choose to host a table and decorate for the ladies attending. I seriously can not wait for it every year. I usually come up with my idea shortly after the brunch for next year. Mainly because I like to go shopping for all my supplies at the after Christmas sales. I already have my theme for next year..but it's a secret:). Every year I usually start the gears going in my brain..trying to think outside of the box. It is always Christmas centered. Last year I did a Three Wise Men table..with baby Jesus in a manger and crowns and all the gifts the Wise Men brought. Another year I did more of a rustic theme with a little Christmas tree and a sled and ice skates. The first year I believe I did a Winter Wonderland..all in white. So...this year I went super girlie and did The Sugar Plum Fairy theme from the Nutcracker. It was so much fun I found a site that sells items for weddings and other parties and they had the perfect shade of ballerina pink satin napkins and a table runner. My Mom and sister even went out shopping and found a perfect Nutcracker and beautiful white sparkly tree! I had found ballet slipper ornaments as well as ballerinas. It was so much fun. I set everything up on my own dinning room table when I got home. I am having Christmas Eve dinner at my home so I had to remove everything last night in preparation...there was no way we could see each other if I left it up..but no fear..I decorated it with another setting:). So now onto next year's table!

Christmas Eve Setting

  

Annual Christmas Baking Day

Today my mom, sister and I baked up a storm. It looked like a bakery in my mom's kitchen. Every year we each come up with a few different cookies to bake to give away and eat ourselves:). This year we tried a few new recipes and they were a hit! My mom made some white chocolate jumbaloos...I doubt that is how you spell it but that is what I am going with. Basically they are crushed peppermint candies, pretzels and animal cookies dipped in white chocolate goodness..mmmm. My mom also made one of my fav's..Reese's Peanut Butter Bars and my brother's favorite..finger frets.

 

My sister made her favorite cookies called Thumbprints. They are buttery shortbread-like round cookies that are pressed down with your thumb and jam is added.  Sorry I did not take any pics of her cookies..sad face! But believe me they are delish. She also made some cookies that were passed down from her husband's family called "little white ones"..hehehehe. If you are imagining little round white cookies than you would be correct. I did not try these yet but they were tossed in powdered sugar and have crushed almonds in the dough so how can you go wrong. 

I made two new recipes this year. The first were some pecan bars. Classic. The second were some that I saw on Pinterest and they were a Smore turned into a cookie...yes they are amazing! These were so fun to make. You basically start with a chocolate chip cookie dough base and add marshmallows and cinnamon. Then you press a rounded teaspoon on top of half a graham cracker. Bake for five minutes and add a piece of Hershey's chocolate on top and bake again until the cookie is golden brown. So clever..this one is a keeper. Best of all The Hubs told me it was the best cookie he ever had! Funny thing is he is not a sweet person. I should rephrase that..not a person who loves sweets. So he had no interest in any of the cookies. He just wanted plain old chocolate chip cookies. So, he tried these Smore cookies and loved them. SCORE!

Overall, it was a fun and tasty day! Always such a great girl day...except this year Shane and my brother joined in. Mainly they were our "taste testers"..although Shane wanted to wear his chef hat and help stir the ingredients for mama:). 

Pinterest Inspiration

It has been awhile since I had any time to blog. If I do have extra time I am pinning away on Pinterest. If you are not familiar with Pinterest you may want to check it out. However, I must warn you it will suck you in!!! I have many boards that I pin things to. One is my Flour Power board. It is all the baking ideas that I want to try. I recently tried a couple and wanted to share. The first was Pumpkin White Chocolate Chip Muffins. They were delish! I had never had Pumpkin and white chocolate together. Pumpkin seems to make everything so moist and these definitely were. The second recipe I pinned that I tried was the Cinnamon Crescent Rolls. Oh.My.Goodness. Let me tell you these are addicting. I had two and would have had more if I didn't feel the need to share. A group of friends from church got together and baked. It was so fun. I had all the ingredients already for these rolls and thought it would be great to try out. They are like Cinnabon meets Krispy Kreme. Hot out of the oven they are glazed with a powdered sugar vanilla glaze that reminds me of a glazed doughnut from Krispie Kreme..yummmmm. I have a few more recipes that I am going to test out on our annual baking day with my Mom and Sister. I will be sure to remember to take pics and post how they all turn out:). Happy Baking.

Vintage Holiday Limo Tour

This past weekend was SO much fun! Saturday morning I taught a class on couponing with a friend at church. It was my first public speaking event in a long time..actually maybe ever. God totally calmed my nerves and seeing all the sweet faces of all the ladies at my church made me realize that it was all good. Of course there were things I realized I should have said or done differently but overall it was so much fun I can't wait to do it again. After the class my friend who came to the class all the way from SD headed home with me and we met her husband and daughter at our house where we then all went to lunch and had a great time catching up. Finally, my mom and sister came over and picked me up to go to the Vintage Holiday Limo Tour..or something like that. My mom and I went last year and it was so much fun. All the vintage shops/boutiques have their Holiday Open House that day starting at around 10am and are open til about 8pm. There is a limo service that comes around starting at 4 and takes you to all the shops in town that are participating. You get to shop and eat and just have fun girl time. I look forward to it every year! I did find something at one of the shops called "Forget Me Nots". I saw these vintage glass pendant lights in one of the booths. They immediately caught my eye. I stepped away as I really have no where to put them and I am renting my home. But..they lured me back in and I saw that they were originally 87.00 for the pair(they are actually all one piece)..then marked down to 50.00 and there was a sign for 15% off everything in the booth. So..I asked the owner if that applied to already marked down items and she said yes. Now, if you know me, you know I love a bargain. So with tax i would be paying around 45.00. Merry Christmas to ME!!!! I bought them and they are now sitting on the floor in my craft room. Hopefully I can convince The Hubs to hang them in our bedroom. He said they look like something his Grandma would of had in her house and to that I said "your grandma had excellent taste". Here are some pics..unfortunately I did not take any while I was there:(. There were so many other items I wanted to come live with me..but I was good and just bought the pendants. My mom and sister also bought some great finds:).

Fall time goodness

My Bestie called and asked for my Chicken Tortilla Soup recipe...so I thought it was a great time to share with everyone. I heard it was going to get HOT again so I will have to make this soon. 

Enjoy!!!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2 TBS Vegetable Oil or Canola Oil
6 Cloves of Garlic
1/2 cup Cilantro, Chopped
1 Onion, Chopped small
1 Red Bell pepper, Chopped small
1 Jalapeno, Minced. most seeds removed
1 29oz Can Diced Tomatoes
2 TBS Cumin
1 TBS Chili Powder
3 Bay Leaves
6 Cups Chicken Broth
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Cayenne
1 Can Black Beans
1 Can Corn
5 Chicken Breasts...cooked and shredded
Optional toppings...Avocados, sour cream, Monterey Jack Cheese and fried tortilla strips or tortilla chips

***Be sure to cook chicken ahead of time***
Heat Oil...Add garlic, cilantro, onion, bell pepper and jalapeno. Saute for 4-5 minutes.
Stir in tomatoes and bring to boil.
Add Cumin, chili powder, bay leaves and chicken stock.
Return to boil, then reduce heat to medium.
Add salt and cayenne.
Remove Bay leaves and add Chicken, black beans and corn.
Simmer 20-30 minutes.

New Addition

We have a new addition in our family actually two new additions. No....not twins..nightstands! Isn't that exciting. When you are picky like me about furniture and you find something you had in mind that matches to the T...it is exciting stuff. You might remember my Craigslist find awhile back. The Hubs drove to Whittier for a dresser that I had wanted f-o-r-e-v-e-r. It was only 75.00...such a steal. It is a Henry Link Faux Bamboo High Dresser that goes perfectly with what I envision my Master Bedroom to eventually look like. I have had these "nightstands" if you can even call them that...they are from our first apartment. One was  a set of three nesting tables and another a cabinet. They were from my palm tree phase and did not match at all..but I take forever to find pieces of furniture that I like so they worked for the time being.
I searched for months and months looking for matching Henry Link nightstands to my dresser..but nothing ever came up. I also was looking for nightstands that had two drawers..as we have limited space and storage in our bedroom..that would work best. I wanted something with modern lines..nothing curvy..and really wanted brass or gold handles. I had seen a few nightstands that were painted in a high gloss white and stuck those images in my memory bank. Lo and behold..I found the exact ones on Craigslist!!!! They were 125.00 for the pair..which is good but The Hubs wasn't sold..so one week went by and they were still listed...two weeks went by...still there..finally it had been three weeks..no drop in price. I told Scott I could not stop thinking about these nightstands (this is what I think about while I lay awake at night). He said ok but could I get them down in price. I was sure I could since they had been on for three weeks now. Emailed them and YES they took 100.00 for the pair!!!!! Happy Dance!!!! Here they are:

 The handles were perfect. I cleaned them off with warm soapy water and then a mixture of lemon juice, salt and baking soda. They were still not super shiny but that was ok..these dresser were made in 1972(Thomasville). The handles are brass. Apparently if a magnet does not stick then that is how you know it is brass..good to know.

 Love these legs!!!

 Primered-Used Rustoleum..it was ok..loved the nozzle!

 Applied Rustoleum Gloss White..LOVE!!!!

 And here comes the final product.....

 So happy..it only took about an hour..did not need to sand..they were in such great shape for being almost 40 years old. The tracks inside probably need to be replaced...but overall I LOVE them! Spent 3.77 on the spray paint(4). My Master is slowly coming together..I would show a picture of my whole room but it is embarrassing! MESSYYY!

FAIL!!!

So...I decided that I needed to lose some weight. Well more like a ton of weight. It is something that I continue to struggle with.. The idea of having another child is frightening. I would for sure not be in tip top shape. I still have not made an effort to lose the "baby weight" and Shane is now 2..almost 2.5 years old. Needless to say I have not been very good at accomplishing anything for a few years.

I like to take things s-l-o-w. I tried to quit drinking Dr.Pepper for like the 50th time. I lasted 2 weeks. I would have gone longer..but people's lives were in danger and I felt it was best to get back on the stuff. I sound like a drug addict..but I am addicted and I was mean, grumpy and no fun to be around during my detox. So...I failed. Dr. Pepper is now back in my life. The Dr. is not allowed in my house..but is invited to join me at lunch and dinner and long car rides..or short ones..or times I drive just to pick up the Dr and nothing else...ugghhhh...why do you have to be so good Dr. Bad..Bad...Dr.

Ok, back to the issue at hand...my fatness. I say that I will not do certain things until I am skinny. It is such a horrible thing to be over weight and not do things you love. I decided to do a juice diet... more so..a detox. My Brother in law did it and totally killed it. So, I watched the ever so life changing documentary. You know the ones that make you feel so passionate at the end you feel you can conquer the world..or that everything you do is wrong..or everyone around you is crazy. I was impressed because this guy went on a juice only diet for two months. He did say that was extreme..but the idea of juicing for just a week was, in general, a great idea. I need to detox and I need to get some good nutrients in my body. I am pretty sure if I were to get my blood drawn it would consist of mostly Dr. Pepper.

I was really motivated and after talking with my sister found out she had a juicer..perfect! I went to Sprouts spent 40.00 on produce and was ready to conquer my Monday! I made my first juice for breakfast...and that was my last juice..not for the day...FOREVER! EWWWW...gross..no way..are you serious??? Blahhhhhh! Needless to say..it was nasty and I failed! "Oh Lord, what am I going to do with myself"..I cried out.  I realized that I am doing things that are too extreme. I am not an extreme person. God has taught me that I need to think things through...I have to mull over decisions for quite sometime. The best way for me to lose the weight is to eat less..eat healthy and exercise. That is the key..if you can juice than that is great..but if not it's ok. Just be healthy..find the time to exercise..even if it is only 15 minutes a day. So, if I get preggo that's fine I had PLENTY of time to lose the weight and I will just have to be extra careful when the time comes. Plus...I would just lose the weight and then get fat again..I guess I will just get fatter and then have even more weight to lose. It happens...failure is ok as long as I keep trying and eventually I will be SKINNY:).

You might be wondering what I did with all that extra produce I had....I made this(below..see there is spinach in there and plan on making an Apple Pie with the apples...Winning!!!! :) Update: Just made a carrot cake with all those carrots I bought:) I need help..hahahaha.

Hanging onto my 20's life crisis

Yes, it is true..in five short days I will be 29. Getting closer and closer to the dreaded 30s. My youth will be over in one year. I will start to shrivel up(aka wrinkles) gain MORE weight in my mid section...find gray hairs in my once beautiful long blonde locks...most likely I will have to cut my hair short...that seems to be the norm of 30 year olds. I might even find myself wearing the ever popular mom jeans. Yes...my youth will most certainly be over.

Ok...maybe I am exaggerating a bit(just a bit) but seriously this is scary stuff people. I am already listening to country because "there is nothing else good on the radio" ***gasp*** it has begun...I am on my way to getting old..one step closer to death. Sorry there I go again exaggerating...or am I speaking the truth?????hmmmm....

So, you can tell I am not one of those people who look forward to aging. This year is hard...my sister in law warned me she said 30 wasn't bad but for some reason 29 was. It is your last year of your 20s. I thought once I got closer to 30 I would not have that notion that 30 is old, as i did when I was 5, but folks, it IS old. Maybe, I am not so thrilled with this idea of getting older because I am not living my life as I would really want. Am I enjoying every aspect of this wonderful gift of life God has given me? Maybe that is the reason for my detest of aging.

I need to look deeper into this thinking of mine...(hold on this is going to be crazy). In the last few months we lost a few people. For some reason in my life people usually die in threes. I know they say this happens with celebrities too. Scott lost a cousin...we were not close to him..but it is still family and were saddened. We then lost a wonderful dear friend at church..Jim. Jim was a caring and helpful soul. He handed out the bulletins at church each Sunday morning and I would always wait for him to give me one..because his hugs were the BEST:). Then within a week we lost another man at our church, Ken. Ken and Jim were good friends. So, our church was faced with planning two memorials within a week of each other. Jim's memorial was great...but what was unexpected for me was Ken's Celebration of Life Memorial. I did not know Ken..I knew his wife. They were very involved in our church. The stories that were shared and Ken's memorial touched me so. Everyone loved him dearly. He had a twin brother..who shared stories about them growing up and all the trouble they got into. It was so uplifting to hear what a Godly man he was and the legacy he left behind. It is hard to lose anyone. Death is never easy. But the legacy that he left behind made me think about my own life. Family members came up and talked about things he had taught them.Not just how to fix a car or other day to day stuff...but most importantly he shared GOD. You could see that Ken had shared God's love with everyone he came in contact with. Even in his pain he praised God.

Although I did not know Ken...which I am very bummed I did not...his love for God uplifted me. I am young..despite what my crazy brain tells me. Even if I have many years left or just a few...what I need to be focused on is leaving a legacy behind that is gratifying to Christ. One that is filled with triumphs of leading others to Christ. There is a lot of inner cleansing that I need to do. I need to get over somethings. Thankfully God is patient.

God sees our earthly life as preparation for the greater joys of heaven(See Mark 8:36). No matter what earthly issues I may have with getting older or even fears I have of death..I need to work on my legacy that I will leave behind. Will your memorial be one that gives hope to others??Will it encourage and uplift family and friends??? What are you doing to live your life for the one who gave you this wonderful gift of life?

In conclusion, I am still learning to embrace my "old age" but really working through my fears and taking the time to cultivate loving relationships. I still have a long way to go...and many hurdles to jump..but God is waiting and His love alone will get me through any more of my "life crisis" moments I may have. PTL!!!

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes

I recently helped host a dual baby shower. It ended up just being a single baby shower as one girl had her baby girl that morning! I decided to do something different than the usual vanilla and chocolate. Nothing wrong with the classics, but I wanted to try something new. I did a Strawberry Cupcake with a Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting. The frosting had cream cheese, butter and shortening..so of course it was delish:). This one is a little more time consuming if you make the lemon curd yourself. I never made lemon curd before so I wanted to try it. I can cross that off of my baking bucket list.You can always just buy it pre-made in the store. This is a great Summer Time cupcake. Happy Baking!

Strawberry Lemonade Cupcakes with Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
From Cupboard to Cupboard


For Cupcakes:
1 package white cake mix [I like Betty Crocker]
1 (3 oz) package strawberry jello
1 cup mashed fresh strawberries [1 1/2 cups whole=1 cup mashed]
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup buttermilk (If you do not have buttermilk..I always use regular milk and add about a tsp of lemon juice per cup of milk stir and let sit for about a minute)
4 eggs

In a large bowl, stir together cake mix and jello mix.  Make a well in the center and pour in mashed strawberries, oil, milk, and eggs.  Beat on low speed until blended.  Scrape bowl and beat 2 minutes on medium speed.  Pour batter into prepared cupcake pans with liners. Makes about 30 cupcakes.Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until cupcakes are done. Cool on wire rack until completely cooled.

For Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/2 cup crisco
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract
2 pounds powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 Tablespoons lemon curd
1 drop yellow food coloring
1 tablespoon milk if needed( I did not need)

Cream together shortening, butter, and cream cheese until good and smooth.  Add vanilla and combine.  Sift together powdered sugar and salt and slowly add to creamed mixture.  Add lemon juice, lemon curd, and coloring and mix well.  If the frosting is too stiff, add milk.