Playdough

My three year old loves playing with playdough and some sibling is usually assigned to help.

After a session of creativity the kids left the kitchen table and I offered to clean it up so they could head outside. And this is what I found. Looks like the older sister still likes playing with playdough too. I had to snap some pics and I would love to have a picture for her room made up of these happy little stars. So bright and cheery.

Have a wonderful 4th with your family & friends. See you in a few more days.

Freebies in the Mail

Do you like to go to your mailbox? I know it isn't so fun with those bills laying in there but one way to make mail delivery more enjoyable is to order up some free samples. I try to send for a free sample everyday. Anything from shampoo, to dog food and everything in between. Makes going to the mail worth it just to see what goodies you forgot you even sent away for.

I have received some really great coupons by doing this as well. Every once in a while a nice surprise will come with your sample like this coupon for a free package of Always.

 I have set up an e-mail address for ordering these as they always want you to enter one but I don't want my personal box to be bombarded with junk mail so I have one just for these and just go in and delete it every once in a while.

There are a few good sites for finding them. Hip2Save.com lists a lot of them but you can go straight to Walmart and Target and order free samples. Walmart especially has good ones all the time. Shop4freebies.com is a great sample site that I go to every few days to find samples I want to order. Some sites request more info than others and if I don't want to be bothered I just skip that one.

One thing I do with all my free bath product samples is to put them in a little basket in our trailer bathroom. That way when the girls and I shower we have some fun things to choose from and the girls love trying all the new shampoos and body wash samples out and you can just toss when you are done. Makes a fun little surprise every time they go through it when we take the trailer out. Order some freebies and make going to the mailbox fun again.

Linking to:
Show and Tell Friday
Life as Mom

Spoon Holder

I have a small collection of sterling presidential spoons and really wanted a spoon holder to display them. Cheap was my price range. Low and behold I found one at a yard sale for 10 cents. SOLD! 

I am sure it is cheaply made but with a little acrylic paint and some stain it came out great. Now I just need more spoons.

This is a brief post as blogger keeps freezing on me and not saving what I have typed. UUgh!!

Linking to:
No Minimalist Here

Full Vacation Mode

In two days we leave on our vacation to the Central Coast. So as of today I am in full vacation mode or more plainly: crazy running around, endless washing of clothes, packing like I'll be gone a month mode.

I am so ready to hit the road I can taste it. Long walks on the beach await and I can't get there soon enough.

When I used to have to  pack all my older kids suitcases I literally would start a week ahead and do one a day. The child that was packed first always had to wear some old strange things because all their newer stuff was sealed tight in their suitcase. My hubby packs right before we leave and I don't know how he does that but I guess if you only have yourself to pack for, what's the rush?

I love how there is no internet or cell phone service in the campground. My kids are unplugged and outside. It is good for them. We will play cards and watch the occasional movie but mostly we will be outside playing.

So if any further posts are incoherent then it is because my mind is in a million places and so am I. As much as you plan ahead there always seems to be a lot of work to take a vacation.

Rednesday

Nothing fancy just me cracking up at my husband sneaking his stuff into my vignettes. He is creative and when he hung this shelf up I gave him a couple things I thought would look good and went to the store. Come back and he has added some of his own touches.

I chose this.

He chose these.

Now, don't think I am stingy with display space as he has cabinets full of those little soldiers. I even gave up a corner cabinet I stored all my crystal in to his collection. 

Linking to:

Rednesday

Wow Us Weds.

BNOTP

Potty Training the Reluctant Child

Okay, one last post on this topic I promise. Then never again will these words be spoken. Most of you are past this point but for a few who might be looking for encouragement, I wanted to share my experience. Now, you think you know it all when it comes to potty training and then you get the kid that stumps you or maybe is smarter than you. Who knows. If you can relate then you know where I am with this little one. Things don't always go easily with this her, especially if it is not her idea.

Here is what I have learned potty training my fourth and most reluctant of children. I have to thank my blogger friend Kris for encouraging me to just take the time and take away the diapers and go for it.

1. Do decide to potty train and carve out about two weeks to stay home and just focus on the task.
     I was able to get out and have older kids or hubby keep her at it but for the most part, I was the main potty trainer.

2. Just let your little one know when they wake up one day that diapers are for only night time and naps and slap on those cute panties or big boy pants and let her rip. We tried to stay outside a lot the first day for accidents and I just brought the potty outside.

3. Don't be afraid to put that potty seat in strange places. I had it in front of the TV with a big blanket and towels underneath for a few days so I could get her to sit there. Remember this is a reluctant one so this was my best bet on getting her to do this.

4. Keep your cool and when accident occur just keep encouraging. By the third day I thought maybe this wasn't going to work as she had just pee peed a few times on the potty but just when I wanted to give up, she totally got it by the fourth day.  Give lots of drinks and fruit and veggies to make #2 easier.

5. Treats of all sorts really worked with this kid. I literally bribed her the first few days with clearance toys I had tucked away. Frankly a few toys are cheaper than a pack of diapers so go for it.

6.Don't try to get much done while doing this. I literally stayed with her to keep an eye on her and remind her for the first few days. Keep your stress down so theirs will too.

7. Don't embark on this adventure the week you are pms-ing. What was I thinking or not thinking? No wonder it seemed so stressful there for a few days but now three-four weeks out she is totally trained and has gone in a public restroom (YUCK) and at grandma's even when I forgot  her little seat. I am so glad I did not give up. I still put a diaper on her at night and nap time as she is not always dry. I just remove it as soon as she wakes up. YEAH!!! I will not be doing this again ever...until grandkids.

Linking to:
Time Warp Wife

Frugal Challenge-Keeping Vacation Food Costs Down

If you are heading out of town like us this summer, the thought of how much it takes to feed a family for a week while out of town can be quite scary. We happen to be camping in our trailer so I plan to make almost all of our meals myself. You may think I am nuts because who wants to be cooking when they are camping but over the years I have come up with a system to make this super easy for me. I just cook ahead. For weeks now when I made a meal like lasagna, I just made two and one went in the freezer for camping. When we grilled carne asada we made a bunch and some went already sliced into a freezer bag to just be heated up and served for dinner one night. 

I also buy things ahead on sale and stash in the freezer or cupboards for later. I already have all our drinks in the trailer, cases of water and snacks that I bought ahead a little at a time. I used to shop for it all right before we left and it would cost me hundreds. Now I just work at it in the months prior to leaving.

Last year we had our four kids and three of their friends plus us. To go out to eat with six teens a toddler and us would cost hundreds. Instead we would treat the kids to Starbucks or ice cream out one day and spend what we would spend on meals on fun extras. We rented a boat to float around the harbor for the afternoon and brought a picnic with us. Another day we rented kayaks.

Here is my freezer in the trailer with our pre-made meals all ready to go.

Not pretty but practical.

We have even gone budget in hotel rooms. We have brought our crockpot and plopped meals I have made ahead in when we went out and came back to a hot meal. We like to stay in Marriot's Residence Inns as hubby earns points traveling for work and we can stay for free. They have kitchens and often free breakfast and light suppers. We will usually go out for one nice meal and the rest of the time we eat in. This may not be for some but it takes just a few minutes to heat up and serve and we save hundreds of dollars this way. Works for us.

Linking to:

Homestead Revival

Time Warp Wife

Decorating Those High Spaces

If there is a horizontal space in this house, I am going to decorate it. I love to take the tops of our tall furniture and create little vignettes. This is a great way to squeeze out extra display space.

Disclaimer: I can't take credit for these as my hubby arranged the spaces but I told him to find a place for these things and he is 6'4" so he doesn't require a ladder. I sort of helped direct him right?

This tall cabinet has been in our house since we were married. The little barrow still needs a little something there in the middle. You can see the new crown molding is still not painted so it shows the wood filler. I am almost done in my bedroom and will move to the molding next and then my kitchen. Can't wait to paint that.

This collection of odds and ends is dressed in more prim colors.

The basket was 50 cents from the thrift store.

Even the top of a small shelf gets an old chalkboard and a little lamb for company.

I already showed you this space before. The top of the china cabinet is not even safe.

Linking to:BNOTP

Mod Mix Monday

Dittle Dattle

Show off your cottage Monday

Coastal Charm

Tabletop Tuesday

Show and Tell Friday

Simple Sundays

I have already extolled the virtues of cleaning your kitchen with baking soda here. In my quest to find less toxic ways to clean that also happen to be economical I found another great way to use baking soda to clean.

Now, if you are like me and make coffee everyday and leave the coffee pot on warm you know you can get a stained coffee pot. Ours was also full of hard water spots.

Here is a simple way to make that coffee pot shine. Take 1/4 cup of baking soda and dissolve with one quart of very warm water in the coffee pot. Let sit at least a half hour. Once it is done just rinse out. I wanted to work on some of the hard water stains on my pot and on the bottom of my coffee maker so I made a paste with the baking soda and scrubbed the pot inside and out and wiped down the warming element of the coffee maker. Everything is now all sparkly and clean.

I also like to clean out the coffee maker and disinfect it with vinegar. Just pour about a cup of vinegar straight into the coffee maker like you were going to make coffee. Turn on and let it run through. I then rinse thoroughly by running about 3-4 full pots of water through the coffee maker.

Linking to:
BNOTP
Seasonal Sundays
Sunday Showcase
I heart naptime
Creative Bloggers Party

Thankful

Just a quicky post while I have some internet service.

We had my daughter's friend over for dinner. She is the sweetest of girls but going through a rough time with her divorced parents and living situation and though our little one was climbing all over during dinner wanting a Popsicle and our little dog was whining as she too wanted some BBQ chicken, I just felt so thankful. 

Thankful that so far my home is intact. None of us knows when this could end but for now I am so happy to have us all together.

Thankful that even though our house may seem loud and chaotic to some, the sounds are of a thriving family just trying to make its way in the world. Parents trying to raise ethical, hard working kids who love God and family and remember their priorities.

I am so thankful to be happy with the small things in life like Hazelnut creamer and just sitting with the kids having a Popsicle.

This is it folks. All that matters to me in the world. Nothing else really matters. 

Checking In

Our area is having Internet issues and they have no idea when it will be fixed so I will be on only intermittently and will miss blogging and checking up on you all. Hope this is resolved soon. My addiction to the Internet  is showing but I cleaned my entire fridge out this morning and did some major coupon shopping so this is a good thing and I feel very productive. Lemons to lemonade right?

Just Flowers

As the sun was setting I just set about to enjoy my flowers.

I love the butterfly bush and all the butterflies that fill our yard this time of year.

The petunias are getting a little leggy but hey who doesn't love long legs, flowers or otherwise.

The white impatiens glow in the evening light.

Linking to:

My Romantic Home

Sat. Night Special

Baked Potato Salad

Our love in this house of all forms of potato salad goes unmatched. Here is one of our summer favorites.

Baked Potato Salad

You actually don't bake the potatoes but boil them. I do not have exact measurements for you on this one as I just throw the things together and mix until it tastes really good. This is for a serving for just our family. Adjust as needed.

Take a few potatoes and dice them into chunks with skin left on. Boil in salted water till done but not mushy.
Mix with half mayo and half sour cream.
Throw in some cooked bacon. About 6 slices. (We use turkey but whatever you prefer)
Dice up about 4 hard boiled eggs
Add chopped fresh chives. ( I have them in my garden all year so they are there for the using)
Season with salt and pepper.
Keep cold in the fridge until you are ready to serve or serve warm if you prefer.

Linking to:
Life As Mom
Alphabe-Thursday

Frugal Challenge Update-No Spend Days

***It looks like Blogger is letting post pics now thank goodness.***

First off I was going to put a cute picture up here but Blogger won't let me load any photos. Went to the help section and it appears to be widespread. If you are able to load photos then you are lucky. Not sure how fun blogging will be without pictures. It is as if Blogger is trying to have every problem they can think of. Let me know if you are having the same problem and you found a solution.


Do you ever add up all the little things you spend money on everyday and realize how much it has added up to in a week? Well, I have, and it is a lot. I was shocked. I took the challenge to log in a little notebook everytime I spent any money when I was out. A coffee here, kids lunch there. I mean, I knew I was spending money but to add it up and realize if I had just had my coffee at home and the kids made lunch or ate before we left, how much money would still be in my wallet.

Now, I am not advocating never spending money out as that is sometimes impossible but a more planned approach to my mad money. If say you saved $20 a week and ate at home and just planned more carefully, that would amount to $80 in a month.

Along this vein, I am really liking the idea of "no spend days". Purposeful planning  ahead to have days where I will not spend any money. I may have to use gas, but no cash spent or atm card swiped. I don't think this will be too hard of a challenge but one I will embrace. Just some planning ahead to bring meals or a drink along because when you think about it, I can buy almost a whole bag of good coffee (with a coupon of course) for the price of one coffee at Starbucks. I will not deny myself totally but will keep those purchases for planned outings.

I truly love days when my car never leaves the driveway. I seem to get so much done. My kids might get a little bored but they are usually pretty good at finding something to do and don't bug too  much to have me take them somewhere other than a friends. So less days out driving and spending, more time at home getting things done and more importantly, more money saved.

Linking to:
The Thrifty Home
A to Z
Someday Crafts
wandering-wednesday
Raising Homemakers

Happy First Day of Summer

Well summer is upon us and we are finally feeling it here. I believe we actually made it into the 90s today. My kids are loving it. Swimming weather. My tomatoes are loving it too. 

Sweet 100 Tomatoes

Even though I have not painted the kitchen yet I just had to hang my new curtains in there. I think they will look great with the aqua colored walls.

Enjoy these more relaxing days. I know I am when I am not painting. 

Linking to:

Rednesday

Very Merry Vintage Style

Summer Schedule

Is this even possible? Can you have a summer schedule? The kids are out of school and life is carefree yet I find myself making up a schedule for the summer days. I want to get a few things done and I know if I just let the days slip by, I will look back on my more free months regretfully having not accomplished my summer goals.  

So here goes.

Mondays-Standing Play date with my 3 year old's friend and mom.
Tuesday- Piano lessons in morning for two kids here at home so outdoor time for little one.
                Afternoon for errands and deal shopping.
Wednesday-Painting for at least two hours. Kids will occupy little one so I can get this done. Dinner is at MIL's house so I won't have to worry about this.
Thursday-Activity for older ones with their friends. Most likely the beach, swimming, movies. Things where we can all do it together or I can drop off as I will have my youngest.
Friday-Either more painting or another project I want to work on in morning and then grocery shopping.
Saturday-Mop floors. I always do this on Sat. when dad is around or working. Free time after that.
Sunday- Church and relaxing followed by a BBQ. We always BBQ on Sundays.

Can you tell I have a lot of painting to get done around here? That is why I am going to schedule it in so it is a priority or you know how that goes. Of course this is all a loose plan for the summer and we will be gone here and there but I feel better knowing I have something down to keep me on track.

Linking to:
Hearts for Home

Laundry Room Surface Update

My goal to clean up those flat surfaces in my laundry room that were collecting everything we didn't have a place for has been a success so far. My plan was to come up with some organizational containers and use only what I already had. No spending and I did it including making my cute chalkboard labels that I already shared here.

One big problem was recycling that was waiting to be taken outside. It was always piling up on the counter. I took a small white trashcan that was not being used in another room and slid it under my butcher block table and slapped one of those labels on there. Genius. Why I had not done this before actually shows I am not a genius but two weeks later it is working like a charm.

Already in use, I had my laundry items corralled in a basket but my daughters would always just leave the lint from the dryer on top of it. So I thought I would put a little garbage can from the bar in here and put one of those labels on it and maybe they would get the hint. It has been working great.

I tend to come in here and sort mail and open packages so I needed a place to put mail until I file it away in my desk so I took a sort of rusty metal planter that was not being used in the backyard, and hung in on the wall. A small bucket hold pens, scissors and other items we use frequently. An old baking pan holds tape and  other clips I use to organize my coupons. So I met my goal and came up with organizational areas and found supplies to create them right here in the house. $0 spent. That is always a good thing.

Linking to:

BNOTP

Barn Hop

Homemaker Monday

DIY Showoff

The Girl Creative

The Saved Quarter

Coastal Charm

Time Warp Wife

Not Just A Housewife

Organize and Decorate Everything

Happy Father's Day

A busy weekend here. We are hosting Father's Day and my oldest daughter's birthday tomorrow so you know how that goes. Lots of shopping and housework today. Feels good though as the house is all ready and I am cozy in my jammies knowing tomorrow I can get up and enjoy the day.

I found some company for my lonely little blue pot on the window sill. These old blue jars were in the house when we bought it. Not sure how old they are. I love how the light shines through them.

Happy Father's day to this guy. My one and only. We are having Carne Asada and sides from our favorite Mexican restaurant. Can't wait. Enjoy the Fathers in your life.

Linking to:
Mod Mix Monday

Tour of Our Little Trailer

Okay, I am going to show you way more than you ever wanted to see of the interior of a little trailer but indulge me as I just adore my little home away from home.

The interior is brown so I worked with that to add some homey touches.

A pillow from Target on our little sofa.

This afghan was made by my mom in the early 80s so it is nice to have a place to display and use it.

A basket of goodies and new marshmallow sticks for making our smores.

The quarters are snug but we spend a lot of time outside. I like to eat outside and do lots of walking followed up by a break in the lounge chair with a cold drink.

More bears.

This is the reason we bought this trailer, the bunkroom. There are four beds in here and the kids can sleep in and are out of the way for those of us who like to get up early. I found the cute fleece spreads on clearance and the are perfect in here.

A basket of games and fun items await the kids. I always pick things up to make the trip fun. I am all ready to go. Wish we were leaving tomorrow.

Linking to:

Sat. Night Special

Seasonal Sundays

Boogie Board Cottage

BNOTP

Show off Your Cottage Monday

Dittle Dattle