Blogging Love

Remember how I said I wanted a break? Well, I did and do- the break just didn't agree with me. What's a girl to do?

Start a fresh new blog of course!

In the end I was right, I can't keep up with SS. I can't keep up with all of the blogs I had been reading. I just got back from a lovely 5 day mini vacation and I'm finally feeling oh so much better. I'm going to try to focus on my own content now, my own life.

Thank you to everyone who left me your comments. I always have a hard time writing good responses. How do you say "ohthankyouohthankyouohthankyoufornoticingmyexistence" without coming off as some sort of nutter?

Well, there it is. I love blogging. I love that people bother to read the simple lines I write (and check out the links for the things I don't write.) If any of you, any of you at all, would still like to check out my latest happenings, mumbling, and the occasional rant (those ants are certainly inspiring one) then I'd love to see you over at my new blog: Waldorf Wishes and Internet Dreams.

It's been a real pleasure!

Somethings Gotta Give-

And right now it's blogging. Actually, no, that's not quite right. It's the internet in general. I wish I could just give it up because it's gotten to the point where it's keeping me from getting things done and doing the things I'd like to be doing. It's distracting in the worst way.

I hope you don't hold it against me but I'm going on hiatus for a bit. I don't know what this means beyond the obvious- I can't keep up with the daily posting schedule anymore. I'm a mom. Heck, I'm a weekday single mom. I also just became the administrative vice president and website admin for my local MOMS Club. This is in addition to: being on my apartment's resident committee, attending weekly ECFE, attempting 3 home "preschool" days weekly, running all the errands/finding all the deals, doing all the cooking, doing a decent chunk of the cleaning (or trying to), attending church twice weekly when I'm able, doing a home bible study weekly, and, beginning the end of August, starting the fall college term as a full time student.

I just can't do it all, though I've certainly been trying. If I could I'd dump the TV and the computer in a garbage can- somewhere where it wouldn't been sucking up 50-75% of my day.

Yes, you read that right. It's like an addiction, as surely as the children who sit in front of a TV mindlessly. I don't want to be that person.

I can't afford to be that mom.

So, for the sake of my family, my home, and my own sanity I'm giving up on blogging for now.

Thank you all for reading my humble slice of the web. It was fun.

Just Because The Pantry's Stocked...

...Doesn't mean we shouldn't still go shopping. First of all let me point out one Q & A from the All You Challenge Blog:

If I don’t spend the full amount I’m allotted one week, can I add the difference to the following week?

No, sorry! Please try to stick to the budget of $25 per person per week.

Yes, you heard them. That means if I had chosen to skip the store I'd be missing out on a stockportunity.

So how did I do?

Let's just say it was decent but not within my personal goal.

Here's what I bought....

• Wild Harvest Organic Dried Beans, 2 Bags- sale, $1.99 each
• Wild Harvest Organic Canned Tomatoes- sale, $1.59 each
• 100% Whole Wheat "Natural" Bread- $1.78
• 12 Refrigerated Flour Tortillas- $2.00 (I thought these were organic but they were just "fine foods.")
• Cub Signature Thinly Sliced Chicken Breast- $3.29 per lb, $3.88 (Again, they had so many things placed together. I thought I had bought Wild Harvest only to find I had bought the wrong brand.)
• Organic Bananas- sale @ $0.77 per lb, $3.67
• Farm Stand (local) Washington Apples- $3.99
• Morningstar Veggie Chicken- $3.99
• Morningstar Veggie Steak- $3.99
• Cub Skim Milk Twin Pack- $3.92
• Pediasure, 6 Pk- $9.99
• Kraft 2% Milk Shredded Cheddar Cheese- $2.98
• 5 oz Alouette Creme de Brie Cheese, Original- $4.99

Subtotal: $50.75

Now the fun part, the savings...

• -$0.75/2 Cub Morningstar Coupon
• -$0.56 Cub Milk Twin Pack Coupon
• -$2 for the $10/10 Products Kelloggs Rebate (Morningstar qualifies)
• -$1 Pediasure Coupon
• -$8.99 Pediasure Rebate
• -$2.98 Kraft Cheese Rebate
• -$4.99 Alouette Cheese Rebate

End Total (drum roll please): $29.48!

I messed up by not calculating the Morningstar stuff before I checked out so I ended up over my $25 goal. As long as I didn't go over $50 I'm still technically fine. I figure a savings of $21.27 isn't too bad. That's a little over 40%, which is nice.

So, what did we learn today?

Always double check when buying organic. Stores have wised up to the organic trend and are stocking "natural" items nearby as yet another way to cash in. If you don't watch it you might end up like me- overcharged for non organic items that strive to look organic. Also, it might not be a bad idea to take a pen with and mark down the prices as you add items to the cart. This way you can double check the calculator total at the end.

Well, live and learn, right?

A Good Way to Start

So, I was just finishing up an experiment in the kitchen when I realized I hadn't typed out my grocery shopping list yet. I hopped back on the comp and looked at the Monday post. Do you know what I found?

Every single ingredient and item in those recipes was already sitting in my freezer, fridge, or pantry. The exception was graham crackers for the Key Lime Parfait. But you know what? We can make those homemade too!

I don't know how to describe how liberating it is to look through your supplies and realize you finally have a decently stocked pantry. This means that if something bad ever were to really happen my family and I wouldn't have to worry about food, at least not for awhile.

This has inspired me to start up my very own post series. Of course in honor of the grocery challenge the first theme will focus on food. Who knows, maybe this will finally break my writer's block. I'm crossing my fingers.

The All You Grocery Challenge

If you haven't already, today is the last day to sign up for the All You Grocery Challenge. In a nutshell it's a month-long challenge where you try to spend no more than $25 per family member each week. The winner will get a $1,000 grocery card, a year's supply of Knorr side dishes, and I'll think they'll be on the today show (or something like that) too. I'm going to be participating.

What this means for SS is that for the next month you will likely be finding more food posts, maybe even a few written by yours truly. I'll still keep the craft posts going but until this is over I think I'll be doing them a bit less often. I'm going to go All You one better on their challenge and try to keep our budget to $25 total per week while mainly buying local or organic. To give you a run down, that's $25 for Am, me, and D, who's here on the weekends. Also, during the month of August I will officially be car-free, meaning my own personal vehicle will be staying parked at the end of the lot. The bike trailer is all hooked up and I'm ready to run with it.

So whatd'ya say, anyone else up for a challenge?

Congratulations!

TO:

Retro Rudolphs, winner of the Mad Tea Party Madness Giveaway

&

Connie, winner of the runner's up package

It's late so I'll be sending out emails tomorrow.
Congratulations to both of you!

Mad Tea Party Madness - Celebrating 250 Posts!

Yes, you read that right. My 250th post just so happens to coincide with this great great day. We'll be celebrating by giving away some handmade goods straight from my favorite place to shop, etsy! You have the chance to win...

One Alice in Wonderland Tea Time Mini Pendent/Charm
Flox & Me

One Pair of White Sparkle Bunny Hair Clips
Clippitydoodah

Tea Time Earrings
Purple Robin Bird Designs

If you'd like to enter all you have to do is leave a comment saying one thing you like about Spiffy Spotlights or any suggestion for improvement.


1 extra entry each for:

Becoming a follower
Subscribing via RSS or email
Having the SS button on your blog


3 Extra entires for:

Writing a post linking to the giveaway


You could also win our runner's up gift:

1 Small "Mystery Prize"
&
10 Recycled Magazine Envelopes, perfect for holding gift cards or small notes.

This will run Saturday-Monday and we'll draw our winners then. Good luck!

Little Miss Muffet

Remember how I've been going on and on about changing to environmentally friendly things? Well, as soon as I run out of paper towels I'm all stocked and ready for cloth ones. In fact I've already started using them every now again.

Unfortunately this left me with a bit of a dilemma. What was I going to do with the paper towel holder I had recently repainted and hung? I mean, I'm already in the habit of hanging cloth towels over the faucet to drip into the sink. If I hung them from the holder I'd just end up having to put down a second towel to keep it from dripping all over the craft dresser. What to do, what to do....



It just so happens I decided to embark on another experiment tonight- making homemade cream cheese from yogurt. I tied it to the holder and wrapped it with some twine for good measure. Fixed two birds with one stone- don'tcha love it?

I even made sure to save 1/2 c so I can make more yogurt as the mood hits! Yep, I'm feeling pretty thrifty right about now. ^^

Midnight Musicals, Part... 2

As a single mom this is certainly one of my favorite "musical" songs, although let's not forget I Dreamed a Dream from Les Mis. That would give it a run for its money.

In fact, I'll let you be the judge- which do you think is better?

Not Quite Tired

It's midnight and here I sit, still on my Rentish music kick. Don't worry though, I'll hop back on in the afternoon and return with our regularly scheduled posts.



(lol. "There will always be women in rubber flirting with me!)

Give Me a Reason

Any excuse to showcase two of my favorite musical loves:

My Favorite of the Songs

Okay, so Raoul's a punk.
Let's just pretend he isn't for the sake of the song.

For a certain Opera fan out there. ^_~

We're all mad here.

This Saturday I'll be stepping through the looking glass.

Want to join me? Check it out over at A Fanciful Twist!

Coupons Giveaway

Edit: Congrats to Together We Save!

So, I've got a large amount of coupons to giveaway due to my recent eco-switch. If you're interested just leave a comment here by 9pm central time tonight. If we have more than one person who wants them I'll do a drawing then.

Okay, I'm slow, I know it.

Finally getting around to giving credit where credit is due. I'm sending out a special thanks to the following people:

Steals and Deals - for the fun iNetVideo giveaway. We choose the Little House on the Prairie Pilot DVD. I have fond memories of my own mom watching this show when I was a child. It's still a comforting memory for me. I know she'll just love it! Maybe we'll make a movie night of it and watch it together, just like old times. Am seems fascinated by it too. ^^



The Life and Times of the Lady Riposter - for the great Green Works Natural Dish Soap giveaway. It came just in time for my change of heart.


Zakka Life - for featuring me on her Facebook Fan Fridays.



Everything has arrived as promised. Thanks again for the wonderful bloggy bits guys. We certainly appreciate it all!

Ever Wondered How To...

1. Build a Teepee
The Daily Warthog

2. Make Healthy Baking Substitutions
Mzharris04 @ ehow

3. Make Panini Without a Panini Press
Panini Happy

4. Transform Your Classic Xbox into a Killer Media Center
Lifehacker

Well, now you can learn how- Enjoy! ^^

You never really know how hard it is to look up a TV show

- until you've tried to look up a Korean sitcom, not knowing the language at all or even the title, when the only thing you have to go on are the English words "melody melody" repeating in the background during the opening song. After about an hour of trying I FINALLY tracked down the show.

Why is it important you ask? Well, it's really not. I just wanted to blog about it. Lately every time I go up to D's house it's on TV. It's a decent show though I'm more of a drama girl myself. If any of you are so inclined you might try to track it down. It's called The Sons of Sol Pharmacy House/My Too Perfect Sons (plus if you click the link you can find a button for the theme song that's been the source of so much frustration - Love Melody by Eru).

I also had these two songs stuck in my head on the ride home tonight, though they're both in Japanese- not the same thing, I know D.

Thought Provokers

I watched this special on ABC last night. I'll certainly have to update this as soon as it's available online or dvd. It was AMAZING!



Also, I can't recommend this book enough. It's another item on the wishlist now.


All of this just reaffirms my new family belief system. This planet can't keep up with our culture and, for that matter, neither can we. Let's try to focus on the things that really matter- our lives, our families, our friends, and our faith.

Hearty Camper Cookies- Another Satsuki Original

I don't know what it is but I'm terrible at taking food-related pics. Oh well. I whipped these up as a late night snack, had to get rid of that horrid cereal I bought. They're actually pretty tasty though, in spite of it....

Hearty Camper Cookies

Ingredients-

1/2 c. plain nonfat yogurt
1/2 c. spread, melted
1 c. brown sugar
1 egg
2 t. vanilla extract
1/2 t. maple flavoring
3/4 t. butter flavoring
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3/4 c. wheat flour
1 c. oatmeal
1 c. Post Trail Mix Crunch cereal
1/4 c. wheat germ
1 t. baking soda
1 t. baking powder
1 t. ground cinnamon
3/4 t. ground cloves


Directions-

In a mixing bowl combine the yogurt, spread, and sugar. Beat in the egg and flavorings. Combine the dry ingredients; gradually adding to wet mixture. Place heaping tablespoons on sprayed baking sheet 2" apart. Bake at 375 degrees F for 10-15 minutes or until lightly browned.

Enjoy!

Makes 36 Cookies.

You can find the nutrition stats here.

In Other News

I'm attempting a photo blog with my crappy old digi camera.

Wish me luck.