DIY Taco Seasoning and an Easy Crock Pot Recipe

Some days I'm smarter than others.  Some days I'm lazier than others.  Some days these two coincide and brillance abounds (well that may be a bit of an exaggeration but you get the point).

Lucky for me a moment of brilliance occurred last week smack in between two night shifts.  I came home knowing a) I really wanted to sleep and b) my family needed to be fed.  I also knew there was NO WAY I was going to haul my tired self to the store.

I found some chicken in the freezer and was thinking mexican.  Perhaps tacos.  Crock pot -- definitely crock pot. But of course I didn't have any taco seasoning.  Then a light bulb went off.  I have spices in my pantry. I can make my own seasoning.  And I did just that.

In another moment of brillance I wrote the recipe down on the back of a tag then laminated it with tape.  That way I don't always have to look up the seasonings and ratios.  Today I made another batch and I quadrupled the recipe so it will last a while.  Three tablespoons of this seasoning is equivalent to that of a standard seasoning pack from the store.

Taco Seasoning: 
2 teaspoons chili powder
1.5 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Dash of cayenne pepper
Black pepper to taste (I just ground a bit of fresh pepper over the top)

That's it.  I mixed it all in a pretty glass jar.  I'm having fantasies of a pantry such as this.  Baby steps.

Of course my family couldn't eat plain taco seasoning.  They require a bit more sustenance than that.  So I took six chicken breasts straight from the freezer and tossed them in the crock pot.  To that I added a 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes (including juice) and 3 tablespoons of the taco seasoning.  I put the crock pot on high and went to sleep.

That evening my family was fed and I had delicious tacos to take to work.  Just add tortillas*.  The tacos were a hit with the whole family (including all three kids) and this recipe is a definiate yes for our permanent rotation.

* You can garnish at will -- cilantro, sour cream, shredded cheese -- whatever floats your boat.

Quick, simple, frugal and delicious -- what's not to love?

xo.

Frugal Friday (on Saturday again) - Save Your Green Onion Bottoms

So it's not like this idea is going make the difference between wealth and poverty but every little bit counts, right?  Recently I read that green onions can be regenerated.  Simply take the bottoms with the roots and put them in water.  Last weekend I did just that.  Low and behold the onions grew.

See all that green?  That's a week's growth.  I'd say in another few days they'll be ready for harvesting.

It's ideas like these that I need.  Ideas on how to stretch our budget and make the most of what we've got.

Along that line I've been introduced to a book -- An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace.

Per Amazon: "Reviving the inspiring message of M. F. K. Fisher’s How to Cook a Wolf— written in 1942 during wartime shortages—An Everlasting Meal shows that cooking is the path to better eating."


This is perfect.  We cook at home.  We eat leftovers.  But I want to be creative with what remains; use to whole animal (or plant) as it were.  This book has great reviews and I can't wait until my copy arrives on the library hold shelf.

In the meantime I may just start in indoor herb garden.  I found several old pie tins at an estate sale this weekend.  I'd *love* to do this.   So now the question is -- what herbs to grow?

Any suggestions?

xo.

Frugal Friday: A Paper Bag Floor Update and Tutorial

Well we've ripped out the carpet in two rooms and replaced them with paper bag floors.  And I have to tell you I couldn't be happier.

• They are durable (thus far they've stood up to two dogs, three cats and three children).  
• They are easy to repair.  Under the piano bench I just noticed a few small nicks.  Someone must have been particularly rough there. It'll be a quick fix to lay down another layer of paper and polyurethane over it. 
• They are easy to clean -- a simple swipe with the vacuum or a quick wipe down if something has spilled.  
• They are attractive (so much more than our smelly old carpet)

We like these floors so much we will be replacing the remaining carpeted areas in our house (our bedrooms and the stairs).  I might get creative on the stair risers and use some sort of decorative paper.  I really like the flooring pattern here.  I wonder if I could find a similar paper pattern to use on the risers?

This is such an easy project.  There are tutorials all over the web.   But the process hardly needs a full tutorial.  Here's what we did:

1. Rip up the carpet and remove any staples or nails (our subfloor is OSB board).
2. Fill in any cracks with wood filler, sand even as needed.
3. Rip up brown paper into various sizes and crinkle it. 
4. Dip paper in polyurethane and lay it down on the subfloor.  Smooth to the best of your ability.  There will be wrinkles and bubbles.  The bubbles will eventually get squished into wrinkles.  This is part of the charm of the floor.  Relax and go with it.  The more you dip the paper the darker the color will be.  To add light and dark contrasts lay some paper down without dipping it.  Instead paint a layer of urethane on the subfloor, lay down the paper and paint over the top.  As you are laying the paper be sure to overlap the edges so no subfloor shows through.  
5. Allow to dry.
6. Coat with five additional layers of polyurethane allowing to dry for 2-4 hours in between layers (read the label on your urethane container)

In Progress

And a hint -- splurge on low odor polyurethane.  It's a bit more expensive but well worth it.  Trust me. 

Total cost:  $200.00 per room (~ 13 x 14 feet); this includes the polyurethane (3.5 gallons per room) @ $50.00 per gallon and bulk brown paper from the hardware store.  One roll was plenty for each room.  This could also be done with actual brown paper bags thus saving additional money.  

What do you think?  Are you willing to give it a go?  

xo.  

Frugal Friday (on Saturday)

I may have mentioned once or twice that I am addicted to Pinterest.  I love finding new and crafty ideas.  And, I am proud to say, I not only find these ideas but follow through on them too.

My dishwashing station is a perfect example.  It all started with this pin for a cake stand holder for sponges and soaps.  I promptly made one with thrift store finds and left over paint.  On it I placed knit dishclothes which we've been using in place of sponges.

Then I decided to make dish powder (we found citric acid at our local homebrew store).  The dish powder, of course, had to go into a lovely vintage mason jar scavenged from our garage (and probably purchased from an estate sale).

Finally I came across this tutorial for a simple scrubbie made from onion bags (or in my case a potato bag).  I used left over cotton yarn.

The total cost for all these projects was minimal.  And now I have a fun, bright, environmental and frugal dish washing station.

Win-win!

xo.

The Nectar of the Gods

If you were not already aware I am a person who is chronically sleep deprived. Yes, yes mother. I know this is not good for my long-term health. But I am doing what it takes to, you know, be responsible and pay our bills.

Ahem. Sorry there. At any rate coffee is my best friend. Each and every morning I make a pot -- a full pot. Now on mornings when Mr. Peculiar is home we'll drain that pretty quickly. But on mornings he's not here there are always left overs. And, yes, I can come home from work, drink a cup of joe and then drift contentedly off to sleep. I may have built up a bit of a tolerance for caffeine. Just a touch.

Another thing you may not know about me is that I am fairly peculiar about my coffee. I typically drink a cafe au lait (1/3 heated milk and 2/3 coffee). This must be hot. Very hot. As in near scalding. Once my coffee begins to cool I can no longer drink it. Seriously. It makes me gag. Therefore I am forever reheating my coffee to make it drinkable again.

More than once I have lamented the lack of a vehicular microwave -- you know just a little something in lieu of a glovebox to keep my beverage at an appropriate temperature. Never mind my ovaries smack in front of that radiation box -- at least my coffee would be hot.

But I digress. I also like my coffee cold. Ice cold. As such I've taken to using the remains of the morning pot as an afternoon pick-me-up. Ice, milk and coffee. This is particularly lovely on afternoons such as this given I have to work tonight and have been up all day.

Plus it's frugal, the coffee doesn't go to waste and that's one more dollar in the retirement pile. So I can, you know, retire and restore my health. Smart thinking, 'eh?

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Now if you don't think you'll drink the leftovers that day then freeze them. They can also be used to make mochachinos. Yet another frugal tip.

Tell me -- what are you doing for frugality today?

Frugal Friday -- Web Roundup Edition

Flowers from my garden

My mind is a flutter with a bazillion projects; projects with an eye towards frugality. But, alas, none of the ideas are my own. Nevertheless I want to share them with you. And so today, Frugal Friday, I thought I'd do a little web round-up. And here they are, in no particular order:

• Sew cloth snack bags with Angry Chicken
• Create corn husk dolls with Garden Mama
• Dress up your cupcakes with The Cupcake Project
• Make your own yogurt with Soulemama
• Find 52 free dress patterns at Craft Stew
• Make a custom pet t-shirt with The Longthread
• Make handkerchief sachets with Skip to My Lou (perfect for all that lavender I've been harvesting)

and, finally,

• Dry fall flowers with The Saver Queen.

Tell me -- what frugal tricks are you up to?

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To Save Money You Can't Be a Namby Pamby

My son is on a traveling lacrosse team and has a tournament coming up soon. The games start early in the morning so we decided to drive up the night before. But finances are tight. So I decided to give Priceline a go, and you know, karate chop those hotel booking fees.

We ended up with a room in a Hilton Garden Inn for $55.00 a night. This is half the price listed on the their website. I may be addicted.

There are, however, some caveats ... Priceline only guarantees double occupancy. There will be four of us. All four of us might be sharing one bed (granted it is a king). My kids are also young and flexible -- if necessary they can sleep on the floor. I am told Hotwire allows you to book rooms based on the number of people. I might just try this the next time to avoid the double occupancy issue.

I did call the hotel and request double beds vs a king. I was told there were no more double beds available. Then my husband called and pretended he wanted to make a reservation. Lo and behold they had a room with double beds. So if booking with Priceline don't expect first class service. We will ask for double beds again when we arrive and see what happens. If it's a no go then we'll simply snuggle up close.

Another caveat is that you don't get to pick the hotel when you are bidding. You do choose a star rating and general location. But you only find out the actual location after a bid is accepted.

So the moral of the story is you can save quite a bit of money via Priceline. But you can't be namby pamby and you are going to have to take what you can get.

Happy Frugal Friday!

Frugal Friday: Searching for the Sunny Side

Truth be told our finances are tight. Tighter than I'd care to admit. It's hard to fathom that two people, both with full-time jobs and a less than extravagant lifestyle, could be in such a position. And yet here we are. Granted we live in one of the towns hardest hit by this recession. We should count our lucky stars we are still standing. Many people are not. And yet.

It is hard to discuss finances with Mr. Peculiar. He shuts down. He gets angry. I get sad. I'm the cheerleader of the family. It's alright, it's okay, we can pay these bills, we'll find a way! But some days it's hard to put one foot in front of the other. It's hard to explain to the children that we can not afford luxuries like sleep away summer camp. It's hard to stomach working so hard only to find ourselves hanging on by the tiniest of threads. It's hard to hear people talk about "printing money" and "rolling in dough". It's hard to believe this type of abundance is possible.

If only my husband was happy I'd be okay with our finances right where they are. I can tolerate Tight as long as it befriends Joy. Of course I have desires but I don't need fancy. Frankly I'm content to wear the same grungy clothes day after day. But he's not happy. It's not that he wants bigger better and more. No. He simply wants less worry. He's stressed and depressed. And therefore I am the same. I want to be a team; a team of optimists working towards a common goal. But how to get there?

For lack of a better plan here are the things I'm doing:

• Turned off the sprinklers (it's rainy like crazy here and for now we don't need them).
• Turned off the heat (our house has been maintaining nicely on it's own).
• Turned off the pilot light for our fireplace (our neighbors did this and it saved them $15.00 a month on their gas bill).
• I'm hanging my laundry (indoors due to the weather).
• I'm going to clean up a few pieces of superfluous furniture and put them on Craigslist.
• I'm going to list some household items on Ebay.
• I have an Etsy shop (please visit and pass on the link!)
• I am moonlighting as a Veterinary Expert for Just Answer (see the link on the left sidebar)*
• We are eating at home and using left overs as much as possible.
• Returning all found bottles and cans.
• Using coupons whenever practical (we only use coupons for those items we would normally buy).
• Buying in bulk (Cost Co).
• Preparing food from scratch.
• And, finally, giving my hope to the wind and becoming a feather. May we all fly on the jet stream of universal abundance.

How has this recession hit you? How are you saving money and/or bringing in additional income?

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*Just Answer is a website that allows you to have your questions answered by experts for a nominal fee. You ask the question and you set the fee.

Eat Dessert First (and an Ice Milk Recipe)

Growing up my mother would occasionally throw a curve ball into our standard dinner routine and serve dessert as the main course. I have fond memories of these dinners and am carrying on the tradition. More often than not our dessert was (and is) strawberry shortcake. My mother's version was bisquick scones, strawberries and ice cream. Our version is similar; cream scones, strawberries and ice milk.

Ice milk has a bit of a crunch compared to ice cream. It gives a lovely sensation on the tongue (similar to the crunch you get on ice cream in a float). Growing up ice milk was readily available in the grocery store. Now I'm not so sure -- I haven't seen it in my neck of the woods. Fortunately ice milk is super easy to make.

Ingredients:

4 cups milk (any percent)

1/2 to 1 cup sugar (to taste)

2 teaspoons vanilla

Pinch salt

Put all ingredients in a bowl and stir until sugar dissolves. Place in ice cream maker and mix according to manufacture directions. Place in a container and freeze. For best results freeze overnight (I'm not that patient and have learned to love soft ice milk.)

If you don't have an ice cream maker don't despair -- simply place in a container and freeze (for best results stir every couple of hours until frozen through).

After you master vanilla go wild and experiment. Add strawberries or chocolate or coffee. Tonight's ice milk was made with 2 cups whipped cream (had it and decided to use it), 1 1/2 cups coffee (left over from this morning), 1/2 cup milk, vanilla, sugar and salt. I must warn you the whipped cream fluffs up like crazy and might overflow the bowl so keep an eye on it. The resulting ice milk/cream is very light and fluffy. It is currently hardening in the freezer.

I love this recipe because it easy, inexpensive and contains simple wholesome ingredients.

And now off to make some scones ...

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Things I'm loving today:

• New appliqued tee shirts
• A husband who is enthused and designing new appliques (seriously)
• Crazy weather (sun, rain, hail, thunder, sun, rain)
• Snuggle kitties

Things I'm hoping for today:

• A good holiday weekend at work
• To find a new captivating book
• Children who appreciate one another
• A solution to the crisis in the gulf

Frugal Friday: Go Handmade

These days I feel weird when I buy a gift. Gifts, it seems, were meant to be handmade. A touch of love sewn into the seams or knit into the fiber. And I'm figuring out my standard gifts based on age. Diaper bags for new mommies, shirred outfits for one-year-olds, I Spy Bags for the kindergarten set and, now, boxed pouches with matching bags for the pre-teens in our life.


Today Middle Daughter went to a birthday party. I made a boxed pouch and coordinating shoulder bag. However it didn't seem quite enough. So we included a book (read but not worn) and Bookie the Bookworm Bookmark.


Bookie started off innocently enough -- what good is a book without a mark? But then Little said it looked like a worm. And indeed it did. So we took it a step further and added eye balls. Alas Bookie was born.

This gift is everything I hope to give; full of love and education. It sure beats made in China plastic!

Total cost of the gift? Hard to say. The fabric was on sale for $3.00 a yard. The book was pre-owned. The ribbon for the bookmark and bag -- thrifted. Then of course a zipper and thread. I'd venture to say no more than $6.00. And yet it is a gift I am proud to give.

Happy Frugal Friday!

P.S. -- I do well making gifts for the younger set. But when it comes to teenagers, specifically teenage boys, I fall short. I'd love to make gifts for my son's friends but I'm at a loss for ideas. For Christmas the boy got a knitted hat. Not so good for the summertime set. I love to hear what you make for the young men in your life!

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Things I'm loving today:

• Having the night off work
• Yummy left over pizza fixings (dough, meat and sauce frozen then thawed)
• The Boy's first lacrosse game (he made a goal!)
• Friends and community
• Biking (with a small tumble in the driveway)
  

Things I'm hoping for today:

• A productive but minimally stressful weekend at work
• A house cleaning fairy
• Continued motivation to exercise
  

Frugal Friday: Mulching the Yard

A couple of weeks ago we had our trees limbed up and one rotten elm removed. For this we hired professionals and thank goodness. Watching the tree guy swing about like a monkey while a running chainsaw dangled from his belt? Nerve wracking to say the least. I was quite glad Mr. Peculiar had not taken on this particular task. The work, however, was a budget buster in an already tight month.

As such I was bound and determined to somehow turn this expenditure into a frugal adventure. But how? Then, while picking up the kids, I had a light bulb moment. We were creating a plethora of bark chips. Perfect, I thought, for use as mulch and weed control. After all we'd hauled in playground chips last summer and they worked great.

I discussed the idea with Mr. Peculiar and, to be generous, he hated it. His plan was to have the tree guys chip the wood then haul it away. We would then go and buy new unblemished wood chips (a.k.a. minus the pine needles).

Brilliant. Let's spend money to put pine needle free wood chips under our pine trees. Because, you know, they will remain needle free for, oh I don't know, an hour?!! It's not as if I'd presented this idea without first doing a bit a research. As such I stood my ground.

Needless to say I won the argument but not without compromise. "Fine," said Mr. Peculiar, "you can keep your wood chips but I'm not helping you spread them."

"Fine," I retorted, perturbed but ready for the challenge. And I did it. I spread the entire load of bark ALL BY MYSELF -- thank you very much.


I got a great workout and our previous dirt/weed patch now looks like the forest floor rather than a dumping ground. It smells delectable and is very easy to maintain. Soon I hope to plant some additional fruit trees back there (the roots will be deep enough I'm not concerned about the nitrogen levels). But in the meantime it is perfect just how it is.

Now my frugal tip for you? You don't have to cut down trees to get bark mulch of your own. Simply call your local arborist -- more than likely they'd be willing to dump a load of chips for FREE. And then you, my friend, can develop strong arms and tight abs just like me.

Happy Frugal Friday!

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Things I'm loving today:

• Friends bearing gifts (thanks Susan!)
• Infinitely blue skies
• Pulled pork in the slow cooker
• A touch of me time before work

Things I'm hoping for today:

• A spurt of energy to finish the dishes, bake and shower
  
• An excellent start to the month of May (May Day everyone, May Day!)
• Finding the perfect pair of inexpensive shoes to go with my old dress.
  
• Finding an inexpensive pair of khakis for the boy.
  

Frugal Friday: The Kitchen in the Bathroom

Photographic Snippets of the Week

Back in February 2009 I went No Poo. I was faithful for a year but then got lazy. I started using shampoo again as it just seemed easier. But I discovered I wasn't happy with the shampoo. My hair was heavy, weighed down and greasy. So now I'm back on the No Poo regimen and quite content. I no longer put vanilla in the rinse (I think it dried my hair a bit). And, though I could be wrong, I don't feel like a walking "fish 'n chips" advertisement; i.e. my hair doesn't smell like vinegar.

No Poo, for those who aren't familiar, is a method of cleaning your hair without shampoo. There are many different methods. I use a baking soda paste and dilute vinegar rinse.

I also continue to use honey as a facial mask and brown sugar and olive oil as a facial scrub and moisturizer. For the mask simply take honey and smear it on your face. Let it sit for 15 minutes then rinse off. If some happens to get on your lips - no worries - it's just honey! (I love using all natural, and edible, beauty products).

For the facial scrub combine 3 tsbp brown sugar and a splash of olive oil (I never use an exact amount here but I'd say perhaps a teaspoon or two). Typically I'll scrub my face in the shower. I try to do the facial scrub first and then wash my hair. That way if any of the oil gets in my hair it is rinsed away in the wash.

I love the days when I use this skin routine - my face feels GREAT!

And don't forget the nighttime facial moisturizer - Crisco. Yes. Crisco. Check out this post where Crisco was compared to Creme de la Mer. Guess which product did better. Personally I'm going to take her word for it because I have no intention of spending $125.00 on a measly ounce of skin cream.

Finally check out these recipes for bath salts. My daughter and I made some last night for her to sell at 4th grade town. I can't wait to try it out myself. We used grapefruit seed essential oil which has such a light invigorating aroma.

Happy Frugal Friday!

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Things I'm loving today:

• A contented husband (on my hope list here)
• A weekend to sleep in and meander about
• Garage sales
• A new batch of tulips just for me (they are still on sale and I still couldn't resist)
• Little girls who collect eggs while wearing their brother's boxer shorts and mama's shoes
• Snoozing geriatric kitties
• Green smoothies

Things I'm hoping for today:

• Warm weather
• Exercise
• To find joy in household chores
• That someone will build me a laundry line (hint hint oh hubbie of mine)
• To find specks of inspiration scattered throughout the day
  

Frugal Friday

Ah it's Friday and I've let a few too many Frugal Fridays pass by. As such I have several ideas to make that dollar stretch. Thanks for coming along for the ride.

First off -- pudding. Don't ever buy pre-packaged pudding. Just don't do it. If you're like me, you'll spend way too much time prying those disposable lids off the carpet. Eeeew! There is nothing I hate more than pudding cups and other assorted wrappers spread about the house.

Instead buy instant pudding for half the cost of the pre-packaged stuff. Add milk, stir and in less than five minutes you'll have a sweet treat. You can buy reusable containers in which to put them (I find jelly jars particularly endearing). Save money, the environment and mom's sanity; it's win-win-win.

Second - peanut butter. Here in the Peculiar household we prefer natural peanut butters. However this means jars with gobs of oil piled on top and thick stiff peanut butter. Imagine an exaggerated late-night infomercial: Do you LOVE natural peanut butter but hate the mess? (at which point a housewife dumps an entire jar of oil and peanut butter all over herself and the counter). That is what natural peanut butter is like. Really. As a result we have been buying No-Stir Natural Peanut Butter which is more expensive and not as healthy.

But I knew there must be a better way. First I considered making my own peanut butter. This entails ordering peanuts, roasting, shelling and blending them. Somehow that endeavor seemed a bit too labor intensive. Then I consider this contraption -- a peanut butter stirrer. Not a bad idea and not a bad price. I almost ordered it but then discovered this patent, yes patent.

Doh! All I have to do is periodically flip the jar over and it will be mostly stirred; no device necessary. What an ah ha moment! So now I buy my organic natural peanut butter from Costco, turn it periodically and save a fair amount of cash.

Third - tail lights and head lights. After six-years of faithful service my tail light burned out. Great, I thought, another expense. But, as it turned out, not expensive at all. Two bulbs from the automotive store cost a mere $6.00. It took about five minutes to change out the bulb. Check your owner's manual - these projects are often easier than you might think.

Fourth - if you haven't already done so don't buy Easter egg dying kits. All you need is water, a few drops of food coloring and vinegar. And did you know you can dye brown eggs? I was so excited to find we could use our own eggs this year.

And one final note. Maya over at MayaMade is starting a new Friday tradition -- Fix-it Fridays. Her goal is to fix rather than replace. I love it.

Okay - phew! Long winded post. But, because I promised, a brief list.

I am grateful for:

• Showers
• Warm fresh from the dryer towels

I hope:

• My kids don't freak out when they discover they aren't going to work with me.
• For a productive but stress free night.

Frugal Friday

As I sit here typing there is a mild burn on my shins. And no, it's not from running (though I did hit the trail this week). No. I decided to try an alternative to shaving. Something like this. Only today is Frugal Friday. I didn't want to go out and purchase something. Instead I went shopping in my garage -- for sandpaper. Yes. I just ground down my legs. Literally.

It seems sandpapering is a tried and true technique for hair removal. Women buffed their legs during WWII as no metal was available for razor production. Many women still tout the benefits of buffing: hair removal, exfoliation, smooth legs and softer return hair growth.

Who doesn't want sexy smooth frugal legs? Certainly I do. However I recommend a touch more research before embarking on this particular adventure. Me? I used fine sandpaper - it's what we had.

As it turns out I should have gone with extra-fine or 600 grit paper. Perhaps then I'd still have that extra layer of skin (I'm exaggerating a bit -- my legs are irritated but not raw, at least not yet). I also must place a caveat here. I have extremely sensitive skin; just look at it weird and it breaks out in unsightly plaques. In other words I may not be the best guinea pig.

I can tell you this. Sandpaper exfoliates, very well. And my legs are smoother (though not as smooth as I'd like).

Here's my plan. I'm going to give my skin a few days to heal. In the meantime I'll go and find some extra-fine sandpaper and, once healed, I'll give it another whirl.

Have any of you tried this? What was your experience?

Happy Frugal Friday!

All of My Love -- A Bedtime Story

Mr. Peculiar and I work non-traditional schedules. I'm on duty nights, weekends and holidays. Mr. Peculiar has weekends off but switches between day, swing and graveyard shifts. We are currently both working nights; it's arduous to say the least.

This type of schedule can be problematic for us parents. What is one to do with the children? Life would be much easier if we had relatives in town. But we don't. It'd be great if we could afford a nanny. But we can't and won't.

We briefly considered leaving the kids alone but quickly thought better of it after a night of mayhem where even parental authority wasn't enough to keep all h*ll from breaking loose (if you've seen my marbles let me know!).

Luckily we have amazing friends who are willing to shelter our children. This keeps them from destroying a) our house and b) each other. And it keeps me from losing any more marbles.

This care does not, however, keep middle daughter from being sad. She misses me and wants me home when I'm at work (of course when I am home the term mother is synonymous with persona non grata but that's a different story). The other kids miss us too but not with the same intractable longing as Middle.

Anyway the other day we saw a Hallmark commercial for recordable books. Ah - the perfect solution! I'll put my voice to a story, pack it off for the overnighter and contented bliss will prevail. Not.

You see these books cost upwards of $100.00. And like it or not the Peculiar Household is on a very strict budget. Expensive books are not part of our balance sheet. Another solution was in order ... one that didn't drain our hemorrhaging bank account.

Then the light bulb went off. I have a computer (a Mac, a Mac, a Mac -- I love my Mac). My lovely computer has a web cam and a recording feature. So what did I do? I made a little movie; me reading a book. And I'm so hip that I uploaded it to YouTube.

Now the next time my twenty-first century progeny have a sleepover they can get online for their bedtime story. Total cost? Zero dollars and zero cents. (And no I'm not counting the cost of my computer because I would have bought it with or without that little YouTube feature).

For those who are interested the video is posted below. I'll not list all the ways it embarrasses me.

Happy Love Thursday and Frugal Friday! Here is all of (or Olive) my love.

Frugal Friday: Homemade Granola

Granola is a food that goes in and out of vogue like the tides. It's good for you. It's not good for you. Good. Not good. Gah! How's a girl supposed to eat? I've come to realize, however, that everything is okay in moderation; and the less processing the better. For this reason I decided to tackle homemade granola. I get to choose just what goes into our cereal and subsequently our bodies. Plus homemade is cheaper to boot.

I thought it would difficult. I was wrong. Very very wrong. Homemade granola is simple, inexpensive and healthy. If you google "granola recipe" you'll get hundreds of different combinations. Really the sky is the limit. I fussed around with a couple of different combinations and found I prefer a minimalist approach. Here is my recipe:

2 cups whole oats

1/4 cup canola oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup chopped pecans (or other nut of your choice; hazelnuts are excellent)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. (Hint: put the oil in first then use the same measuring cup to add the honey. It'll slide right out.) Stir well. Place on a baking sheet covered in parchment paper or a silpat mat. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and with a spatula flip the granola. Bake an additional 10 minutes. Allow to cool and store in a cool dark place. If desired add dried fruit.

My absolute favorite way to eat this granola is over plain yogurt with a sprinkling of frozen berries. And when the yogurt container is empty? It's a great place to store your next batch!

Happy Eating and Happy Frugal Friday!

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Frugal Friday: Birthday Edition

My youngest daughter turned six a couple of weeks ago. Next week we'll be having her party. In the past Little's birthdays have been smaller affairs. But this year she is in kindergarten and has gobs and gobs of friends. Her mother is also a sucker and doesn't want to leave anyone out. So we invited all twenty-one kids from her class. Yes. Twenty-one. They won't all show up, will they? No. They couldn't possibly. Nonetheless, if they do all show, we'll be ready.

The party will be at our house. Old carpets, mediocre furniture and scratched wood floors are perfect for a mob of five and six year olds. The theme is "Winter Wonderland". Already we made these fun snowflakes for the windows. The birthday crown has been crafted and I'm hoping to sew a bunting before next week (from my thrifted fabric stash of course).

We'll be making cupcakes -- some decorated with these toppers and some like this (assuming I can figure out how to make the snowflakes). Cupcakes are a birthday tradition in the Peculiar Household and I'm rather excited to get baking.

Now on to activities. Little loves, as in absolutely adores, snow globes. As such we'll be making our own. For months I've been collecting glass jars of all shapes and sizes. I've also been gathering figurines while out thrifting. Plus I picked up a few spiderman and fairy cake toppers that ought to do nicely.

We are working on the snow globe prototype today. The good news is that it doesn't leak (I used a silicone glue around the inside of the lid). However there is quite a bit of "white space" and it would be nice if the figurine were raised a bit. How to do this? How to do this? Back to the drawing board for this one. I am soliciting brilliant ideas - if you have any please let me know.

As for other activities I'm not sure yet. I was considering a game of twister, perhaps pin the tail on something and/or a fishing game. Any suggestions? I'd love to hear what you do for parties.

And, finally, the party favors. Of course each child will get to take home a snow globe. But I also want to send them with a goody bag. I want something that will foster creativity and keep the party goers occupied. I'm not fond of plastic junk that soon fills the landfill. But what to do?

Then yesterday I found a great deal on little colored pencil packs at Michael's - eight small colored pencils for a dollar. And those pencils triggered my memory -- handmade coloring books (something I intended to make for the holidays but didn't quite get around to).

Using this tutorial and this one a coloring book came to fruition. We already had card stock (thank you Stephanie!), paper and ink. Instead of book binding tape we used blue painters tape. It worked quite nicely thank you very much. I did splurge and buy a corner trimmer (what a cool gadget!). We used drawings found online - one animal for each letter of the alphabet. (Twenty bonus points to the person who guesses what animal we used for the letter "x"!). All in all it was relatively easy.

Whew! *wipes brow*. And there you have it. A birthday party for, potentially, twenty plus kids. All that for under $100.00. (The total amount spent thus far is about $50.00 but I'm giving myself a cushion for unanticipated expenses).

Happy Frugal Friday!

Frugal Friday: Advent My Way

Ahhhh. Thanksgiving is over and the holiday season has officially begun. I'm spending the day not shopping (okay - I did hit a few thrift stores but that doesn't count). Instead today has been set aside for creating.

This year my daughter requested an advent calendar and that's just what we're making. We are converting a thrifted pair of holiday pajamas into little stockings and bags. These will be numbered and hung on our Charlie Brown tree. We'll also be using some holiday boxes saved from years past.

Only here's the thing. My children don't need anything. Seriously. I refuse to bring more junk into this house. In fact I've recently been purging -- eliminating all the items my children won't clean up. There are literally bags and bags full of toys piled in the garage.

My goal for each day of advent is to go through these bags. Each child will receive a daily gift from this stock (probably things they've forgotten they own). The rest of the "junk" will be given to a good cause. If they're very well behaved my children might also receive a tasty treat or something homemade.

In this way we will have a fantastic, frugal and uncluttered holiday.

For another great advent idea check out Maya's toilet paper roll tutorial.

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Happy Frugal Friday!

Frugal Friday Tutorial: Quick and Easy Drawstring Bag

My daughter's school has town every two weeks. During town the kids get to spend "town dollars" on homemade wares. These monies are earned throughout the year by participating in various classroom jobs and by running town businesses. I love town because it teaches responsibility, financial management and mathematics. It also encourages creativity and free-thinking.

Last week my daughter and I were trying to figure out what she should make for town. Looking for ideas we began pouring through my fabric stash. Most of my fabrics are thrifted material purchased on a whim; i.e. sheets, curtains, remnants, etc.

We pulled out a canvas shower curtain and inspiration hit -- drawstring bags! Now keep in mind -- this is the outer fancy shower curtain that does not get wet. We are not using the ucky gucky interior curtain (I do prefer my sewing projects to be mold free).

The bags were super easy to make and a huge hit. Now my daughter wants one of her own to carry her knitting in. So I whipped up another quick bag and decided to make a tutorial. This project only takes about 15 minutes and is perfect for beginning sewers. The possibilities are endless -- a knitting bag, a beach bag, a grocery bag, an overnight bag. It could even be the wrapping for a holiday gift (assuming your giftee isn't likely to peek).

In my neck of the woods a thrifted curtain costs around $6.00. A single curtain will make a minimum of two bags using this method with plenty of fabric left over for other projects.


How to make a quick and easy drawstring bag from a shower curtain:


1. Find a shower curtain (or other curtain) with button holes at the top.


The top of the curtain will be the top of your bag.

2. Lay the fabric out flat and cut a rectangle to the dimensions you want. Be sure to have an even number of button holes at the top of the bag.


This particular bag was approximately 20 inches by 35 inches.

3. Carefully cut the side seam off your rectangle. Cut the seam as close to the folded edge as possible without cutting into the folded edge.


4. Cut a small piece of the seam (~ 2 inches) to use as a loop.

5. Fold the fabric in half with right sides together. Place the loop approximately 2 inches from the bottom of the bag. Pin in place.


6. Using a machine sew the side and bottom seams. Don't forget to backstitch at the beginning and end.

7. Trim seams with pinking shears to prevent fraying.

8. Turn inside out.

9. Weave a ribbon in and out of the button holes. Pull one side of the ribbon down and through the bottom loop. Knot the ribbon ends.

10. Enjoy!



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Happy Frugal Friday!

Frugal Friday - Minor musings on money, food and crafts

Well I must say I'm somewhat disappointed in myself. Last week I bought stew meat from Costco. $17.52 worth of stew meat. Typically I'll use a portion of the meat for a meal and then freeze the rest for later. Only I didn't do that. I forgot all about it and the meat went to waste. Not only is this bad financially but also for the environment and the cow. I feel terrible.

This also left me with nothing to make for dinner. So I trudged to the store this morning for ingredients. Now there is a small roast simmering away in the crock pot. The cost wasn't bad - $12.52 cents for the roast, a couple of carrots, a couple sticks of celery and a parsnip. I already had an onion, garlic, potatoes and a bay leaf at home. The roast is stewing in beer that my husband procured from work. I comfort myself with the knowledge that this dinner coupled with the cost of the wasted meat still costs less than dinner out. I'm not sure this information would comfort the cow.

Today, as a means of financial penance, I'm sewing for the holidays. First on the agenda is this adorable rocket ship. I found some great fabric from the thrift store and am anxious to get started. I'd also like to make a couple of these headbands from my fabric scraps.

Just like last year and, it seems all years prior, finances are tight (especially when we throw money out the window!!). And I'm in need of ideas. What budget friendly things do you have planned this holiday season? I'd love to know!

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Happy Frugal Friday!