use your gadgets

To go with Sunday lunch,  I baked cornbread muffins in some miniature muffin pans that have been gathering dust in the cookie sheet drawers.  

The tiny cornbreads were so popular,  I used those mini-muffin pans again today 

and baked mini blueberry muffins with scrambled eggs for our breakfast.

The blueberry muffins were just as yummy and cute as the cornbread muffins.


I am going to look around my kitchen and pull out some other kitchen items I have not used lately.

Do you have any kitchen gadgets you  have not used in a long time?  

first round of breakfast eaters at Cafe Rhonda -
my parents were here for several days but left to go back to TX this morning.

Gavin and Amanda ate here too but they get here later than Nina and Elizabeth do.

 Toddler fun

 G and E had fun playing ring around a rosie this morning,  you can see in the last photo that they really like the  all fall down part.  

Walgreens and AARP

Frugal tip - if you shop at Walgreens and have an AARP membership - always hand your AARP to the cashier to scan when you check out.  The coupon machine will spit out some extra coupons for you,  usually one like $3 of your next $10 purchase of Walgreens items or $5 off your next $20 purchase as well as some discounts on other products.

The $2, and 2 $4 register rewards were from buying toothbrushes a few weeks ago.  I was expecting 2 of them but the 3rd one was a surprise.  I don't know if the AARP card triggered it or not.

I am not a dues-paying member of AARP,  I read about a sign up for a free membership a few months ago and got my membership card for free.

(almost) Once a month grocery shopping

Doing a "big shop" once a month is still working for us.  It is a lot of work to make a long list, checking it twice,  then driving to Sams and maybe Aldis and Crest.  Putting away all the purchases is tricky too,  good thing I like to work puzzles!  

It is just really a big time saver all the rest of the month to not have to go shopping.

little fridge

We bought lots of oranges, clementines and grapefruit - they keep well.

full size fridge - more meat is in the small chest freezer

Can you see the bottom right drawer is full of romaine lettuce?  Each head is wrapped air tight in a plastic bag and should keep all month.  The grapes, strawberries and spring greens will be used first.

partial view of the pantry

Onions and potatoes are stored in crocks on the pantry floor.  I've been keeping the door shut on the pantry so it stays cooler in there and the root veggies have been keeping very well.

I still watch the local sales and have bought a few things.  One store had Pace salsa on sale for 99 cents for the Super Bowl and I got 24 jars.  That same store had butter for $1.99 a pound and I got 6 to put in the freezer.
I've also bought a few things at Walgreens but mostly I have stayed out of the stores.  I can't say I am really spending a lot less shopping this way but I am spending less time.

Dishwashers and Electric bills

a portion of our last utility bill
our water and electricity is on the same bill
notice that the previous months bill was about $28 higher than this months bill

we heat our home with natural gas and that bill is from a different company

I think I have heard at least a dozen times, from "energy experts" that automatic dishwashers cost less to use than old fashioned handwashing.   I have about decided that those experts must be paid off by the dishwasher and dishwasher detergent makers!  

Several years ago,  I did an experiment with my bill, trying to lower it and hand washed all dishes for a month.  
My utility bill was lower that month,  you can read about it on my old blog
A Home With A Smile 

I had pretty much forgot that until I got this last utility bill.  I was wondering why it was so much lower,  
then I remember I had not been using the dishwasher because it was not working correctly even before it flooded my kitchen.  

And have you priced dishwasher detergent lately?  None of them are cheap.
Liquid hand dishwashing soap costs a lot less than the automatic stuff too.  

So,  if you are really trying to lower your utility bills and grocery store bills,  you might want to switch to handwashing.  
As I type this,  my dishwasher is running- cleaning all the breakfast and lunch dishes-
I am not giving it up right now but I certainly could if needed. 

Valentine boxes 2012

Years ago, maybe around 1994,  we started making and filling Valentine boxes at home.  

Bobby, Jimmy and Nina were all at home for homeschooling for 2 years ( they started school at public schools and graduated from public school but need some intense instruction in weak subjects so we homeschooled them.)

Anyway,  we stayed really busy and they did not miss much about public school but they did miss the school parties.  

So that first year of homeschool,  and most years since,  we have made and filled boxes for Valentines.  

Not every family member participated this year but those of us who did last night had a great time.  

all the boxes on the table with the pink tree
quite an assortment, huh?
Mine is on the far right - an oatmeal box covered with vintage fabric
Nina's is beside mine - it is a giant cupcake, a little hard to tell because the lid is askew
Jeff's is on the back left

Elizabeth's box is a panda bear, she likes the Kung Fu panda and calls all pandas "Po"

Nina put sweettart conversation heats in Starbucks coffee bottles - can you see mine sticking out of the top  of my box?

These next 3 pictures are SIL John's box
Isn't he funny, using that grumpy photo of Elizabeth?

this was on one end of John's box - I think he use paint prints of his feet and Elizabeth's hands.  

Jimmy's box
lots of google eyes

yummy fruit pizza that Nina brought for our dessert



Thats one of our family traditons- it's really fun,  not expensive the way we do it and something we look forward to every year.  

Valentine Decorating - use what you have

It's time to put out the Valentine decorations and since I don't like to shop,  I used what I had -

a small tub of Valentine decorations from years past,

a Christmas tree

lots of crocheted treasures from my Mom

a Christmas wreath 

and a cute little boy

this little pink tree is perfect for Valentines - most of the hearts were crocheted by my Mom
I made the felt and sequined ones. 

apothecary jars decorated with things from that tub
pink doilies from my Mom
and a cute little boy

the living room

the dining room 

frog candy dish
he wishes  he was filled with candy

thrift store cupid dish
and little cherubs that Nina used to collect

this may look silly to some people but I really like it.
This is the evergreen my brother made in December
It is still fresh and hanging by our entry way.
I found these cute red cupids in the tub and hot-glued them to the wreath.
so now,  it is a Valentine wreath!

 Do you have Valentine decorations in your home?

Please tell me in a comment , I would love to come to take a look.   

dishwasher woes and fixes

Good morning everyone!

My dishwasher has not been consistently cleaning the dishes all the way for a few months and I had just about quit using it.  

But last Sunday afternoon,  we had a lot of dirty dishes and I was tired so I loaded up the dishwasher, then  I sat down in the living room with my son and husband.  A little while later,  I went in the kitchen for a drink and saw that the kitchen floor was covered with water that was coming out of the dishwasher.

Thankfully my son helped dry up the water and my husband got the water shut off.

The appliance repairman came Monday morning, ordered a part and then replaced in on Weds morning - pretty fast service!

Anyway,  the water inlet valve was ruined as it was just full of alum that is in our water and it had corroded the fittings too.  That  part was so clogged, it was not letting enough water in the dishwasher 

After the repairman fixed the broken part,  I asked him about the not-clean-enough dishes.  

He told me several things to do and now,  I can happily report that the dishwasher is working right and yields very clean dishes!

clean dishes!

Lemi-shine ( bought mine at Walmart with the dishwasher detergents for about $3.

The appliance man said that all phospates were removed from dishwasher products about 2 years ago.  Phosphates are bad for the environment but were good for cleaning dishes and keeping the inside of appliances clean and free of buildup.
He told me to get some LemiShine.
I followed the directions on the back of the LemiShine.
First,  I ran the dishwasher, empty, on a hot long cycle with a full dispenser cup of LemiShine to clean the inside and all the spray holes, etc.
Then I ran a load of dirty dishes, again following the LemiShine directions.  I put detergent in the first cup, LemiShine in the second cup.
Those steps resulted in a really clean load of dishes.  yea!

I've been handwashing dishes lately and I think I mostly prefer anyway.  It is much quieter and does not take that long unless there are really a lot of dishes.
Even though my hand have been in dishwater a lot,  they are soft and not dry.
I think it is because of this  cream I found at Dollar Tree.
The tubes are big,  10 ounces,  and like everything at Dollar Tree,  they cost $1.  

Dermasil cream from Dollar Tree - $1 for 10 ounces!

I used to like that Blue Spa hand parrafin stuff from Bath and Body Works,  at about $12 for a little tube.
But I really think this Dermasil works much better.
I've bought 3 tubes to keep one in the kitchen, one in my bedroom and one in the living room.
And if I got back to Dollar Tree and they still have it,  I just might buy a few more tubes to have for later.

Another tip from the appliance repairman - he said any dishwasher or washing machine,  no matter the age or brand, could malfunction and flood your house during a cycle.  He said they should never be left running attended - either when we leave the house or go to bed.  I am taking his advice on this one.

Fruit for the week and a new kitchen

I think this fruit is so pretty - looks like jewels!  

We like fruit.  

Jeff takes 2 servings of fruit in his lunch box everyday.  

The grandchildren like fruit at every meal too.   No cooking is involved in serving fruit but all that peeling and chopping  does take time and gets your hands messy.

I like to buy fruit in bulk, usually at Sams,  and because of the mess, I like to prepare it in bulk too. 

Monday morning,  I cut up one fresh pineapple,  peeled about 10 clementines and sectioned about 10 ruby red grapefruit.  

Then some of it got put into serving size containers for Jeff's lunch box.  

The rest is in 3 containers in the fridge,  making for quick and easy fruit servings for me and the grandchildren.  

Gavin is cooking "meat" in the microwave and Elizabeth is filling the pitcher at the ice dispenser.

Isn't this a cute play kitchen?

My son in law got it from a coworker whose children had outgrown it.  

And they got it from as a hand-me-down from another family.  

It is Step2 brand and in really good shape to be several years old.  

Thrifty tip - pass things on that you no longer need and then  happily accept when other things are passed on to you.  

One of my very favorite things about getting something second-hand - no packaging and no giant box to deal with!  

2 recipes and 2 Cath Kidston bags

 How does a simple, low cost, low calorie dessert sound?

I read about this butter and oil free bar cookie recipe on Sunny Simple Life, she read about it on the Cozy Little Kitchen  and she says the recipe is from an older Paula Deen cookbook.  

I was not expecting this recipe to be good but it really is!  It got thumbs up from the 6 family members that ate them - the only complaint is it makes a small recipe so they ran out pretty fast. 

  Brown Sugar Bars

1 egg

1 c. brown sugar, lightly packed

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. chopped pecans or other nuts 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  

Grease an 8 in. square pan. (I used Pam .)

Stir together egg, sugar and vanilla in a bowl. 

Stir together flour, soda and salt in a smaller bowl.

Stir flour mixture into egg mixture.  

Add most of the nuts.

Spread in pan and sprinkle on the rest of the nuts.

Bake for 18-20 minutes.  

The batter will puff up and get golden around the edges, but stay very moist inside.  

Let cool, then cut into bars or squares.

You can sprinkle the top with powdered sugar but I left ours plain- they tasted delicious plain.  

I will be making these again and again!  

I know nuts are expensive but we get usually have pecans from my parents,  I buy walnuts and almonds at Sams so this is not an expensive recipe for me anyway.  

My birthday is in December and my parents gave me some cash.

I have looked at several Cath Kidston catalogs, liked most everything in them, but mostly liked their handbags.  After Christmas,  they had a sale I could not resist- the bags I wanted were about 50% off - 

so I happily ordered 2 with my birthday money.  

pretty wrapper- yes,  I saved the bags from both shipments
They came all the way from England and I had to wait 3 weeks! 

my 2 new bags - my photography is not good,  the pictures are much better on the Cath Kidston site.
I can tell you that these bags are made from very nice materials and seem very sturdy.
I like them both so much,  I don't foresee me buying another bag until these just wear out.  

last weekend I tried a very popular Pinterest recipe
Cinnamon Roll Cake
I halved  the recipe and baked it in a  8 inch square pan instead of the 13by9  for the full recipe.
It made a nice texture cake,  my husband thought it was delicious,  but I thought it was just too sweet and rich -
any body else made any good Pinterest recipes?

Hum Along

this is the cover of the 2012 calendar we got from the Paralyzed Veterans of America.  

I just love  "hum along"  so much,  

it may be my new motto.  

John Deere Fleet from the Thrift Store

I've only been to one thrift store this month and Gavin was with me.
We stopped there after he had been to story time at our public library and before it was time to pick up Elizabeth at her baby preschool.
We did not see much downstairs,  but when we got upstairs to the toy room, we saw all these John Deere tractors.  

Gavin likes tractors a lot!
He lives in the country  and his parents have a real John Deere tractor.

We got his whole fleet plus a bag of pompoms and a package of rose wallpaper border for $8.
Very good bargain, I think.    

Elizabeth lives in town but she likes tractors too, she likes to roll the tractors on the floor.

have you found any good thrift store things this month?

Spend less time and money shopping

Doesn't everyone want to spend less and have more time?  

I have been very frustrated with the huge amounts of money and time I have spent just shopping for groceries.  In the past,  I mostly shopped at the stores in our town, and tried to stock up on the sale items.  It just seemed to require so many trips,  things would be out of stock,  all the time checking ads and then the actual shopping.  I know lots of people do very well with this method.  But it was not really working for me,  and instead of getting bargains and keeping stocked up  - I just spending too much time shopping.  

I've made several big changes 

1.  We did one big shopping trip to Sams,  Aldi and Crest (a discount grocer in OKCity)  and tried to buy about a month's worth of groceries.

We went  Dec. 27, almost 3 weeks ago and I have not bought anything else since then 

(except one bag of frozen cherries for a pie)  

I have not been to Walmart or Walgreens or done any shopping at all, 

except for a quick stop after Theo's vet appt. to get the cherries and one trip to  a  thrift store while I had time to spare between 2 events.  

I would like to average $100  a week for groceries but that is probably too low.  However we spent a little less than $300 on that big trip and still have a lot of it.  It is too soon to know if this method will average out to that low or not though.  

2.  I gave up drinking soda.  Big money saver as well as time shopping 

3.  buying extra milk and freezing it

4. buying produce that will last a long time - we are out of grapes and bananas,  but we still have plenty of apples, grapefruit, oranges, clementines and canned fruit.  

For produce,  the produce from Sams is so fresh, it really will  keep for a month.  I wash it and then package it (well dried) in Tupperware or zipper bags.  

5.  Making all our bread

the last one has been very easy too.  

My parents gave us money for Christmas and we used it to buy  a  large Zojirushi bread maker. 

 It makes the nicest bread too.  

can you tell from the picture how big that loaf is?  

 It is big!

 Gavin thinks it smells really good!

We have a Zojirushi rice cooker that we bought in 1990- it still works great.  

After reading several blog reviews for the Zojirushi bread machine,  I felt very confident choosing it even though it is more expensive than other makers.  

The bread is delicious!  I've baked 6 loaves and every one has been perfect.

Also,  this bread stays softer and moister, even days later, than my normal homemade bread.

Thank you Mom and Dad,  I promise you will love this bread too!

this does not have anything to do with saving money
but I wanted to show you the set of Pyrex bowls my brother gave me for my birthday.


I've been keeping this set on the counter and use them almost everyday for whatever I cook or mix up that day.  

I like spending less money but I am thinking the saving time is equally or even more valuable right now. 

Cast Iron ???

lunch for Gavin and Elizabeth and myself today

grilled cheese  on homemade bread toasted in a cast iron skillet

we also had clementines and a sliced apple

I chatted with another blogger,  Belle at The Bon Bon Club, about cast iron.  She showed some before and after pictures of cast iron that really needed TLC.  They looked amazing after she cleaned and seasoned them.  

It reminded me that I have several pieces of cast iron but almost never use them.  I do a lot of cooking in big non-stick skillets that need replaced about every year or so - not a thrifty thing at all.  

Anyway,  she encouraged me to use them.  

So,  I thought what have I got to lose?  I opened the drawer under the stove and found more cast iron pieces than I remembered.  I knew I had 2 cornbread stick pans and 2 skillets,  actually I have 3 skillets!  

I got out one of them  and was pleased to see it was seasoned a lot better than I remembered.  I've cooked in it 2 days in row now and plan to keep working with it.  

So,  do you have cast iron?

What do you cook in yours and what do you not cook in it?
This old dog wants to learn some new tricks.  

new address for one of my very favorite friends who is also a blogger

  Blue House Journal  

Terri used to write Penny Ann Poundwise and In the Blue House on the Hill.  

She has a new blog address and I just wanted to pass it on in case any of you might be looking for her. 

Big Oops!

I have not heard from anyone who tried to make this recipe.  

I noticed a problem before I gave the recipe card to my DIL.  

This recipe also calls for 2 1/4 cup milk.  

I added it to this card and hope you will too if you try to make them.

They really are good pancakes!

I am so sorry if anyone wasted your time and ingredients because of my goof.  

who does this messy kitchen belong to?

 Before 

 who does this messy kitchen belong to?  That can't be Rhonda's kitchen, can it?

Well, yes it was my kitchen this morning. 

another shot of my messy kitchen.

I have had a few days alone and I mostly just rested for a week.
I did the stuff that had to be done and a few little projects but mostly I just rested.
2011 was a busy year 

AFTER

 I was slow getting around this morning but then I got busy in that messy kitchen.  

All the dishes got washed and put away.

 Supper is cooking in the crockpot -smothered pork chops.

 Potatoes are peeled and waiting in a saucepan to cook for supper.  

Every surface got wiped off including all the appliances and counter tops.  

The floor was swept and mopped

The big pantry needed some organizing and got it

Trash taken out

   awwww

it makes me smile just seeing my kitchen clean and organized again. 

Frugal Doings 

homemade croutons
I made croutons with some bread that just starting to be quite  fresh enough - it is really easy .
We are having salad for supper but the croutons taste so good,
so I had a salad for lunch as I did not wait so long to eat them.  

Kitchen trash can lined with a brown grocery sack.

I try to remember to use those cloth bags when I shop but have not been too good about it lately.
We got a stack  of these brown sacks in December when we bought groceries in Oklahoma City.
One big brown sack is just the right size for our kitchen trash can.  

an announcement and a frugal recipe

This is a photo of some things on my fridge.

edited  !!!!   This recipe also calls for 2 1/4 cups of milk

One is the Christmas card from my stepson Clint and his wife Amanda.  The picture is her torso by their Christmas tree.  If you click on the picture,  you can read the message better.  

The other is a recipe Amanda asked for months ago and I just got around to writing it out for her.  

This baby will be a sibling for Gavin.

Our son Bobby and Sheena will also be having a baby
due the end of March.

We will have 4 grandbabies come next Christmas,

won't that be fun!!!!

So, I think 2012 is going to be a busy year too.  

Good thing I've been resting for a week!

Frugal Makes Cents

I am participating in the saving money in 2012 challenge over at Frugal Makes Cents and will have some posts about it soon.

Go on over and visit if this is a subject you are interested in.  

I should be back posting soon, just resting up as 2011 wound down and 2012 gets started.