2014 fall decorating

I didn't buy or make a single new thing- I just opened up the storage tub from previous years and put out the things that I still like and still look fresh. (Some stuff from the tub went in the trash)

Wreath on the front door

Dining room - oops, there are some the new things. The owl print vinyl tablecloths were purchased this month at Walmart. 

The patchwork pumpkins wall hanging was sewn by my mom. 

This is our first year to own the  hutch_we found it at our favorite thrift store this year and it was fun to decorate. 

I have a really nice Thankful banner made by Debby and will put it on the mantle when it gets closer to Thanksgiving. 

I like to have seasonal things out, I think they make a room look more cheerful. But I am just not going to do anything elaborate, I've decided everything for a holiday needs to be easy to put out and it all needs to store away in a single storage tub. 

CVS deals -last week and this week

No extreme couponing here but I do try to do deals at CVS when I can buy things we need at a very low cost.

The trick to consistent savings at CVS is to do a deal every week or so so that you can use the Extra Care Bucks earned one week on a different deal the next week that will also generate more Extra Care Bucks.

SuperMomOf3plus1 on Youtube

This YouTuber does a good job at CVS. She usually buys different things than I do but she spends very little and gets a lot of good stuff for her family.

Shopping at CVS regularly adds up as they pay quarterly bonuses, I think it is 1% of all your purchases every 3 months.
They also pay beauty bonuses, $5 for every $50 spent on beauty products and that is more that just cosmetics, it is also hair care, skin care and maybe other products that I just don't know. 

Last week 

Our laundry room has several containers of detergent already but I saw how cheap I could get Tide with coupons and an ECB from the previous week, I happily did this deal.

After coupons and sales, the 4 Tide and 3 Dawn were $8.10 and I got $5 ECB.

This week- I had a CVS scanner coupon for $5 off any $15 cosmetic purchase and I had $1 ECB when I filled a prescription last week.  So, I used those and the $5 ECB and 2 coupons on 2 mascaras. 

The 2 mascaras were $3.42 and I got a $5 ECB for next week.

Pumpkin Muffin Tops

Hello everyone! September was really a bust with not but the necessities done but I feel good again and am hoping October will be much better.   I have missed you all and plan to now be back blogging and reading your blogs with my pre-crash regularity. 

Here is a recipe I tried and baked the last part of September and they turned out great. 

Inspiration recipe for pumpkin muffin tops

I had less than a cupful of canned pumpkin in the refrigerator leftover from a pumpkin scone recipe I tried that was not wonderful.  But I saw this Pumpkin muffin recipe and thought it sounded like a good recipe and would use up the leftover.  

I mixed up half a recipe and changed it a bit.  They turned out great and I will be making them again. I think mashed Banana or applesauce could be used instead of the pumpkin.  The muffin tops bake up much faster than a whole loaf. 

My small batch version - I mixed it all up by hand with a fork and spatula

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup oil

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

Stir all these ingredients together until blended

1 cup flour

3/4 t baking powder

1/2 t baking soda

1/4 salt

1 t cinnamon

1/2 t ginger

1/8 t cloves

Stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients just until combined and sort of smooth. 

Add 1/2 cup chopped pecans 

Use a large cookie scoop and put batter on a greased or parchment lined baking sheets. They won't spread much but they will rise a little. 

Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven about 16 minutes until done. 

The original recipe has a topping but we liked them plain. 

In the photos, they do look like cookies but they really have a muffin taste and texture. 

Highlights and low spots from the last 3 weekends

I did not mean to take such a long blogging break. 

3 weekends ago, we had a big group here for a meal - I think there were 16 of us. 

The main course was make your own taco salads. 

The day before, I cooked a Dutch oven full of seasoned ground beef. We also had Ranch style beans, tortilla chips, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, assorted salsas, grated cheese and sour cream. 

This menu was easy and a crowd pleaser. This is son Bobby showing his Taco Salad. 

The 2 oldest grands were just amazed at how large some of the adults made their salads. They were giggling as they described the big salads as volcanos with lava on top and running down the sides. 

This is a silly selfie that I took in the bathroom after Andie took a bath - I love this little sweetie! 

2 weekends ago, I went to my parents house with my husband and son Jimmy.  We visited and I did a little cooking and we all cleaned out some more storage spots. 

1 weekend ago, my husband and I were out to do a couple errands. We were traveling south on a 4 lane road. Another driver was going north on this same road. Then she decided to turn west and she turned right in front of us. My husband tried to stop but it happened so fast and we collided. 

That's our car- a 2014 Juke with 6000 miles- 

Both our airbags deployed and that is an experience I hope I never have again.

This is the other drivers car. Her daughter was in that car seat during the collision. They were both unhurt except for a cut on the little girls head where the broken window glass blew in on her. 

I still can't believe this young mother was so reckless to turn her car into ongoing traffic, especially on the side where her daughter was.  

If my husband had not braked as much as he did, we would of collided where the child was and I think she would of had much worse injuries. I am so thankful it was not as bad as it could of been. 

The airbag deployment hit me hard. I went to the ER and was Xrayed. Nothing is broke or fractured but  I have acute sternal contusions - meaning deep bruising that still has me sore and doing everything a lot slower. 

The mother was ticketed and we all have insurance so all the vehicles will get repaired or replaced.

I just hope when she is back behind the wheel that she drives a lot more cautiously. 

And a funny for you - those grandchildren sure get old fast, don't they? 

I'll be back blogging but it may be awhile....... 

2 simple projects

Both of these projects took only minutes to make and were made with supplies on hand, 

Most of the meals here are served buffet style. I did recently fix a utensil holder for the dining table and I also wanted one to keep on the kitchen counter.

I made this one with 4 recycled fruit cans, some spray paint and jute twine. After I lashed the painted cans together, I reinforced each spot where the cans meet with a dab of E6000 glue.

It doesn't take up much room at all but will be handy.

The front door wreath was 7 years old (silk hydrangeas from my daughters wedding) and they were just faded and tired looking. So I pulled them all off and covered the styrofoam wreath form with strips of black and white check fabric. 

I used my Cricut to cut out the HELLO pendants and strung them together with some jewelry size twine. 

The whole front door.....I am really happy with this quick fix.  ( except for those weeds but it is too hot to pull them)  This should be good until is time to change to Autumn things. 

And one more  photo of the front yard zinnias.......

Hope you are all having a good Thursday

Do Stuff Monday #4

Whats on my to-do list this week? Not many chores as I am in the middle of an unusual grands here everyday and staying with me stretch of days. I enjoy the grands so much and I know these days will not last much longer so I am adjusting my homekeeping things.

I did quite a few things Sunday evening - all the laundry, changed sheets, grocery shopped, etc- that I would normally do during the week. 

I also cleaned the floors and one bathroom before my grandson got here this morning.

My husband grocery shopped with me yesterday at Aldi and we bought quite a bit of fresh produce.

I want to be sure and use them all so just to keep myself reminded, I wrote down the ingredients that I need to incorporate in meals this week. 

Supper tonight will be   Crispy Chicken Tenders with this new recipe that I made last week to use some the rice crispy cereal that I also used in those yummy granola bars. Also the last of the French bread, watermelon, and green beans. 

My grandson and I have already done the errands. He is happy riding in the shopping cart and so many other shoppers talk to him and comment on his curly hair. 

We stopped at Dollar Tree and got more Bacos that my husband requested.

Walmart - dill relish in a giant squeeze bottle. My husband and son are dill relish fans and I think they will very pleased to see it in a squeeze bottle instead of the tiny jars I have always bought it in before.

Also bought at Walmart, a 4 quart crockpot. 

Hobby lobby - some the jewelry things were 50% off and I got some narrow natural cord to make a bracelet I've pinned.  Also a storage box that I used a 40% off coupon. 

I got all these beads and jewelry supplies from my mom. I hope to do some beading this week but it may wait till next week.

In case you want to laugh at my gardening adventures, here are the assortment of tomatoes picked last night. 

I think I might of grown the worlds tiniest tomato- maybe I should contact the Guiness book of records people......

My shopping helper is napping now. But before I worked on this blog post, I cleaned the hall bathroom and fixed the breading for tonight's chicken.

I love this little quilt. It is the last piece of patchwork my grandmother sewed. 

Hope you are all having a good Monday.

If you do stuff, stuff gets done! 

Coupons and shopping

I have been using this small organizer for coupons for several years and liked it OK 

Except long coupons would not fit in it without extra trimming or folding. 

During the clean-out at my parents, we found 2 organizers just like my old coupon holder but longer. 

Mom did not want them but my dad wanted 1 and I kept the other. 

It is roomier and easier to look through the coupons in it.

And it is small enough to fit in my purse! 

Speaking of coupon shopping, we didn't have a very long shopping list so I bought everything at Walmart. 

The best deals were the GoGoSqueez-$1.98 minus a $1 coupon on each. All my grands like them.

Almay face wipes were $5.24 minus $4 coupon on each

Grapes were 88 cents a pound. 

Cilantro is for homemade salsa thus weekend

This ultra-pasteurized milk costs more than regular milk but it also stays fresh a lot longer. 

Unless my grands are here for a long time, milk usually sours before we finish a carton. 

So I am hoping this milk might save us money in the long run. 

See that date? Almost 2 months away?

My register tape - lots of coupon deductions! 

Peaches.......

There is no fruit quite as good as Arkansas peaches picked ripe straight from the tree.
My parents and my inlaws all shop at this Farmers Market in Texarkana, Arkansas. They buy lots of produce there like okra, tomatoes and squash. Peaches are the favorite though.

My brother is a peach fan too. He bought these 2 cartons Saturday morning to take back to his home in Oklahoma. 

I should of put something beside these peaches to show their actual size. They are much bigger than grocery store peaches, closer to the size of grapefruits.

My family has always prized fresh picked peaches. This photo is from around 1987 or so. 

My mom and her mom are sitting beside the peaches they just picked in Arkansas. 

Aunt Evelyn and Uncle Jarvis were also here for this harvest.

Home canned peaches are good but we always preferred to preserve ours by  freezing. Just peel the fresh ripe peaches, take out the stone and slice them. Mix with a little Fruit Fresh to prevent browning and sugar as desired then freeze in whatever size containers you choose. 

Peaches on the tree, ripe to harvest. 

This photo is so funny to me. 

The brown sacks contain some kind of produce that my aunt, uncle and grandmother bought and who knows what is in the ice chests. You can see their peaches in the white boxes. Everything is spread out in my parents driveway while Uncle Jarvis tries to load it in his car trunk, under Grandma's supervision. 

This afternoon, I peeled and sliced what was left of the peaches I brought back from Arkansas. They were so sweet, I didn't add any sugar before I froze them. 

Do Stuff Monday #3

Good morning everyone! 

Here is my list for the week. 

We just got back from a 3 day trip to visit our parents, mine live in NE Texas and my husbands live just across the state line in Arkansas.  School starts here soon so I will be busier with my grands that have parents that work the school calendar. 

I got up and got a few things done already but most jobs will get done on childless days. 

Laundry won't be bad- there is a load in both the washer and dryer now and just a few more things to do

We'll be eating good this week. My brother got us a watermelon from the Hope Arkansas watermelon festival. He grew the squash and zucchini.  I grew the tomatos and the peaches are also from Arkansas.  But more about peaches tomorrow!

While I was at my parents, I helped clean out some closets and cabinets, my mom really likes to buy. craft supplies and to make things. I brought back lots of her extra supplies, some of her hand works and some of her works in progress.....I'll be unpacking these this week, 

Hope you all have a good week

If you do stuff, stuff gets done!   

Sweet things to share

I did some baking this week - most of it was shared with my parents and brothers. 

Carrot bread, oatmeal cookies, granola bars, and a can of roasted pecans

These oatmeal cookies from allrecipes.com are so quick to mix up and really good. 

I used pecans instead of raisins. 

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Oatmeal-Raisin-Cookies-IX/Detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Thumb&e11=oatmeal%20raisin%20cookies&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page&soid=sr_results_p1i12

I tripled this carrot bread recipe and it made 2 big 9 inch loaves. It is really good too, kind of like carrot cake but less sweet. I mixed in chopped pecans instead of sprinkling them on top. 

Also, the 2 big loaves needed more than an hour to bake done. 

This granola bar recipe is a new one that I tried and turned out great. They would be a good lunchbox treat. They come out crunchy and chewy, like the store bought kind, but they taste so much better, 

Mix 4 cups of quick oatmeal and 2 cups of rice crispy type cereal in a big bowl. 

In a small saucepan, heat 1 stick real butter, 1/2 cup honey and 2/3 cup brown sugar. Stir often over medium heat. When it starts a low bubble, let it cook for 2 more minutes. 

Now, pour the cooked syrup over the cereals and mix well, I used a rubber spatula. 

Press mixture into a greased 13x19 pan. 

Top with chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, whatever you like. Press in so they adhere. 

Now chill for 20 minutes or so and then they will slice nicely. 

It will make 18 good sized bars or you can cut them smaller.

These 2 sweet Grandsons thought the carrot bread was yummy

JJ - a photo of him that is just sweet....

Do Stuff Monday #2

When I was getting ready for bed last night, I started thinking about my to-dos and it seemed really big and daunting. So I got out paper and pen then, started writing it down, and it is not really that big of a list after all. 

Here it is......

So far this week,  I only have 2 loads of laundry and they are in the washer and dryer.

I plan to mow on Wednesday. I am hoping if I do it midweek, then I can skip a week, if the grass doesn't grow too fast :)

I've also cleaned out my purse. 

I noticed this weekend that my purse seemed too heavy so this morning, I dumped it out

Yikes! I found so many receipts, expired sale ads, duplicates of tissue holders, shopping bags, ink pens, hand lotions, flashlights........

Some stuff went in the trash,

Change went into the piggy bank

Important receipts were filed away,

Duplicates were put back in the first purse and I switched everything out to another purse. 

Better, right? 

About my Cath Kidston bags, I bought them in January 2012 on half price clearance with some birthday money. They still look like new and are the only purses I use.

They are expensive when bought at regular price but Cath Kidston has sales often and I have seen good deals on EBay too. 

I hope you are all having a good Monday and getting lots done! I am off to clean floors and and bathrooms, organize the fridges and do some baking........