Tuesday, September 28, 2010

God and kiddos

On days when i am most frustrated with my kids, with my life, I need to stop re group and remember that God has entrusted these little people to me. God Himself created these little beings and gave them to me to care for while we are here on earth. What an amazing honor. To love your babies as God does is not always an easy task, believe me there are days when I think only God could love the kid who flushed my makeup down the now overflowing toilet.....but seriously when was the last time you really thought about the gift from God children really are?

The Bible in the book of Psalms says this

Psalm 139:13-14 (New International Version)


 13 For you created my inmost being;
       you knit me together in my mother's womb.
 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
       your works are wonderful,
       I know that full well.         


knit us together, can you just picture the Creator of the universe deciding if I would have green eyes or blue how tall I would be, my laughter my heart. God loves us and our children.
I wish I was perfect so I could be a perfect mom, but that wont happen in this life time! :-) instead I will try very hard to remember where my babies came from and who loved them first.
baby L and little C

Friday, September 24, 2010

                                                                                EPIC FAIL

Laugh so you Dont Cry

So these are not my kids (thank goodness!) Or I probably would have lost my mind. But I know what it is like to have a mischievous child in the house. My Daughter "C", She is wild and free spirited. Some of the funniest stories i have of her are from when she was so naughty I need to either take a break or laugh. Remember laugh or you will cry moments I must have had a thousand with  C and her daily antics. She is 4 yrs old now and although she is getting better at grasping what is wrong and what is right and what she needs to hide from mom before she wakes up..... lol
The first story i can remember that was of any signifigence is when she was about one. We had her in a huge over sized pack n play because she figured out how to escape the crib. Anyhow she got out of the pack n  play and proceeded to paint with her own poop all over the walls...this happened during the night and when I woke up i had to get her and the walls clean before going to work. I was still active duty Marine and my husband was in Iraq. Anyhow that was the start of the madness.
Another fun one was when she came out of her room and ended up hiding behind the couch eating bisquick out of the box scared I was mad! lol We had hidden all the good stuff on high shelves so Bisquick and pasta was about all she had access too!
Then just a month or so ago she built a stair way in her room, and proceeded to jimmy open the lock on her bedroom window. Then she popped the screen and jumped out!!! We were in the living room watching TV and thought it was a cat outside! The next morning she comes out of the play house as I am letting the dogs out and was like HI! like nothing was wrong! I said where were you??? And she says "I slept outside!!!"
 Oh great mother of the year right here! :-)
I have many more and will probably share then eventually but unless you know this little girl you probably wont believe what I say... next time I will tell you all about the time she got ahold of the garden sheers (the small ones) and proceeded to give herself and the dogs all haircuts!!

Till next time remember this, if you are the mother of a spirited child know it is not your fault, the first step is to admit it, and someday they will make GREAT stories for the high school yearbook so take pictures and record everything! 

Here is my own lil C during one of her finest performances!

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

Greek Chops!!

I made this up last night when I ran  out of eggs....

4 trimmed pork chops
1cup Greek yogurt, either in plain or in honey ( in a bowl)
1 1/2 cup bread crumbs Italian style ( on a plate)
salt/pepper

pre heat your oven to 375


drop your chops into the bowl of yogurt one at a time  making sure they are coated.
Then take them out using a fork to move them and lay them on the plate of bread crumbs.
switching sides and making sure the entire chop is coated.
then transfer them into a pre warmed and buttered/or greased pan.
cook the chops until they are Golden brown on each side,
then transfer to a greased pan for the oven, if you want super juicy chops cover the pan with aluminum foil and place into the oven for around 45 min......

Monday, September 20, 2010

THE MAN YOUR MAN COULD SMELL LIKE!



I love this commercial! Probably more than I should! lol

“Hello, ladies, look at your man, now back to me, now back at your man, now back to me. Sadly, he isn’t me, but if he stopped using ladies scented body wash and switched to Old Spice, he could smell like he’s me. Look down, back up, where are you? You’re on a boat with the man your man could smell like. What’s in your hand, back at me. I have it, it’s an oyster with two tickets to that thing you love. Look again, the tickets are now diamonds. Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady. I’m on a horse.” [Smell like a man, man. Old Spice]

 Anyhow, why do I like this so much, I guess it is the underlying truth to it, like if there was one for women, the girl would be HOT on an island, and a bed, in a bikini, and so on....Guess it is the undertones of what they should be doing! lol although I cant see my spouse on a horse! Well enjoy the video ladies, he is probably gay or married......

http://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/old-spice-commercial-roundup/ Here is a good grouping of old spice


Saturday, September 18, 2010

Frugal and Easy meal planning!

Frugal meal planning can be difficult for someone that works full time and has a family. Trying to prepare cheap easy meals is obviously more time consuming than buying convenience foods. But, some  recipes are really easy. Let’s start with beans.

Pinto, kidney, navy, lima, Great Northern and other bean varieties taste good and they are good for you, too. If you tailor your frugal meal planning around beans, you can satisfy a hungry family, stay on budget and know that everyone is well-nourished.


Frugal meals that include beans are not difficult to prepare, but they do require just a little planning ahead. You buy dried beans in a bag and soak them overnight. If you are used to buying canned beans or bean paste, you might have to ask where the dried bean and lentil section is located. They can be a pain in the butt but if the price is right they can be a good choice

There are many frugal recipes that include beans as the main dish. They are the most inexpensive form of protein, pound for pound, unless chicken thighs are on sale. Chicken thighs and quarters are good choices for frugal meals, but you might need to be careful about the fat content. Quarters include a thigh and a drumstick, bone-in. It’s dark meat and the fat content is higher than breast or white meat.  I sometimes wait until chicken breasts are on special, you know the one it should say BUY NOW OR IT GOES BAD TOMORROW! lol so I buy it up, wash it and freeze the chicken  for later.
I have some ground turkey in my freezer now i got for $1.20 original $5.99!!

If you want frugal recipes that are low in fat and you are not a bean fan, buy regular chicken breasts, instead of boneless-skinless breasts. The skin is easy to remove; you simply make a few cuts and the peel it off.
If you want cooked chicken, cut up, throw the breasts into a pot, cover them with water and let them boil until the meat is white and done throughout.If you season the meat while it is cooking, such as with lemon and ground peppers or garlic and s/p (salt n pepper) . Once the meat is cooked and cooled, it is easily removed from the bone. Frugal meal planning usually involves a little more cooking. But, don’t be afraid. Cooking just takes a little practice. If need be, you can practice cooking frugal meals on your day off, until you get the hang of it.

Look for frugal recipes that include dry pasta. Egg noodles, spaghetti, small shells and other types of pasta are easy to cook and inexpensive, as long as you buy the store brands. or with coupons you can get some AWESOME deals on name brand! I love those new protein, wheat omega pastas! With coupon I have gotten them as low as 50 cents per box!

Instead of buying ready-made spaghetti sauce, buy tomato paste, puree, cooked tomatoes cut up or tomato sauce and make your own. Load up on dried spices like pepper, garlic, basil and oregano. You’ll only need to buy them every couple of months. And fresh veggies galore! If you like carrots, onions green bell peppers and mushrooms, all can be added to sauce to give it some flair! slow cooking it for 4-6 hours makes a great sauce....

Hmmm maybe I will give you guys my slow cook recipe soon!

Frugal cooking does not have to be so hard! getting good ingredients cheap and then learning how to incorporate them into your families lives is the secret!

Friday, September 17, 2010

Easy Lava Cakes

These are fab! and so very easy!

1/2 cup butter
5 1-ounce squares dark chocolate
2 lg eggs
2 egg yolks
1/3 cup sugar
3 tblsp all- purp flour
4 truffles, I use Lindor drk chocolate truffle bars

Preheat oven to 400 deg spray either 4 ramekins w/ cooking spray ( i use evoo spray) or  lg muffin tins (great for lil kids!)

The using two sauce pans one 1/2 filled with hot water on the stove and the other one add the chocolate and butter (not the truffles) place the second pan with the chocolate/butter inside the first and turn the stove onto high.

Then in a med bowl, beat the eggs, and yolks with the sugar at high speed for about five min or its pale and thick. add the melted chocolate and flour stir all ingredients until they are just combined.

Spoon batter into the ramekins or prepared muffin tins. place 2 truffles (if small) or 1 if lg inside the center of the baking dish.

bake for 8-10 min if in muffin tins, or 12-15 if in ramekins. remove from oven when the cakes are firm on the tops and let cool 5min the slide a warm knife around the edging and turn the ramekin over onto a plate so the cake is bottom up.

Garnish with cream and fresh fruit!
enjoy while warm for the best taste!

ENJOY!

Part one The $200 bathroom redo!

Well here is my first series! The $200.00 bathroom redo!

 The challenge: redo the "pink" bathroom in our 1980's middle class ranch
Time frame: Whenever I can get to it! lol
Projects:
 1)counter top resurface
 2)flooring
 3) paint w/ faux finish
 4) theme
 5)color palette
 6) refinish vanity

Start Date: 5/2010


ok so here is the pink room! pink floor, pink toilet cover, pink vanity top, old vanity w/ peeling finish




So my first project is the vanity top and toilet cover, Eww whoever invented a rubber fluffy toilet seat cover should pay a large fine! lol this thing was probably 20 years old and no one had cleaned behind it for God knows how long! taking it off was a project in and of itself! I replaced it with a white hard cover with brushed nickle fittings! yay!

Next was the counter top, this has been harder for me because on a 200 dollar budget I cant get a new one. SOOOO I decided to re cover it. This is funny though because in this instance I did not do the research I should have. I went into the HI (home improvement) store and looked around, I didn't ask anyone (bad idea) and I formulate the idea to spray paint it. So I picked a beige colored textured (again bad idea) spray paint used for plastics. Also I picked up a clear enamel spray to cover the top, I had a clear enamel paint left over at the house from a former cabinet project.
I started by taping all no paint areas, then ventilating the room as well as I could ( a fan and window) I also used a face mask. I spray painted the textured stuff first, then after it dried I sprayed a non textured paint then sanded it sound gently to create a smoother finish. BTW textured is bad! Dont use it unless you never plan to clean the surface! Then about a hundred ( ok maybe 15) coats of enamel.
It is now white-ish and works for now, eventually I plan on replacing it but for the $200 bathroom it had to do for now.  I will post a pic of it soon..... Oh and why it was a bad idea to use spray paint.....They make a counter top cover paint in a can, no fumes no mess...lol thats what I get for not asking!

Well thats it for #1 in the $200 bathroom series.  Hope you liked it! if you have any questions feel free to comment them!



a little about me!

My name is Elizabeth ( hence the E in Mom-E) and I am a SAHM with two kids, I am also a student. We live in a middleclass home on one solid income. my job here at home is to save our money, stretch our dollars, and try to come up with the coolest ideas with the least cash. :-) I am an avid coupon lady and a big DIY'r in the home. I think I have started many MANY ideas for making money, some have worked many have not lol. My greatest thrill at home is knowing I have stretched our money to provide the lifestyle we want for us and our kids without breaking the bank! I hope to share with you all my ideas and lessons learned and through our Facebook page I Hope you all will share with me and other clever Mom-E's your stories tips pictures and advice! We will have weekly themes and daily updates I hope to see you all there! and please share my pages with your friends!

Find us on FB under The Clever Mom-E!

Thanks again for sharing this new journey with me!

Clever Mom-E first post!

Welcome to the new Clever Mom-E blog! I hope to post ideas and stories for the clever Mom-E's out there! I hope you enjoy it and pass it on to any clever mom-E's you know and love!