WFMW - Green Beans, the easy way!

I haven't done a Works for Me Wednesday in forever, not because I don't like them anymore, just because I haven't been able to think of anything to post about. But today, I do!

I love fresh green beans. It's my go to company vegetable side dish. Easy and if in season, frugal. I just steam them for ~7 minutes then toss in a pan with a little butter or olive oil and a clove or two of crushed garlic. Easy right? Well, not if you have to cut all those little ends off. I hate that part, it takes forever...but only if you use a knife. I know what you are thinking "Why, MacKenzie, how else would you cut all those ends of if you didn't use a knife?"

I'll tell you - a pizza cutter! Just line them a handful up, more or less evenly, then run them over with a pizza cutter on both ends and ta-da! Even a several lbs of green beans can be done in a few minutes. Pizza cutters for multiple purposes - it works for me!






*Today is also the day for excessive exclamation point usage apparently, who knew green beans are so exciting!

WFMW - Crackers and Pizza and Bread, oh my!

I have a confession. On my non-controversial cracker post, I lied. Well, maybe lie is too strong of a word, but I said I didn't have a pizza stone. And that was true when I wrote it. But between writing that and actually posting it, I got a pizza stone. I have been baking so much bread, pizza and crackers that I knew I would use it a lot, so I went ahead and splurged.

But I didn't spend $50 on a stone for King Arthur, or even $30 for a stone from Pampered Chef. Nope, I just headed to Home Depot and bought a few 6" unglazed quarry tiles. My oven is small so I only needed six tiles to cover my oven's one and only rack. I just washed them with a little baking soda and water, let them completely dry then laid them on top of the rack. The grand total - $2.67. And that includes the tax!

It was so simply and easy that my post seems kinda short so I thought I would share some of the information I found while swagbucking pizza stones.

Tips for treating your pizza stones right (both the real kinda and the made from tile type)

1) Preheat, preheat, preheat.
The whole point of the stone is to get things hot - getting the oven's temperature up, keeping it there, and allow the food to cook by conduction and not just radiated heat. So you have to let it get hot. Put your stone/tiles in there oven when it is cold, then turn it on. You will also want to increase your normal preheat time by a few minutes.

2) Don't remove it from the oven.
People often complain about their stone breaking. Now since it only cost $0.67 to replace a tile, it isn't as bad as if a stone breaks but it is easy problems to avoid. Breakage is most often caused by a quick and drastic temperature shift. The solution - don't remove the tiles/stone from the oven. That means you have to use a "peel" to transfer your bread or pizza to and from the stone. I just use a cookie sheet. Sprinkle on some flour or cornmeal before placing your dough on it and it will come. It does take a bit of practice to get it to work, but it's not awful. My first time I was nervous about letting all the heat escape and was too rushed. I bumped the tiles and pushed them apart, leaving a hole for my bread dough to drip through. But even then it baked firm before it completely fell. My loaf was odd shaped but still edible.

Another option is to use a sheet of parchment paper on top of a cookie sheet or cutting board, then sliding the dough and paper onto the stone. Taking it out is easier as it should be quite a bit firmer now that is has been baked.

Once the oven is cool, you can take out the stone or tiles if you want, but I just leave them in there all the time. My oven is really bad at retaining heat and keeping a constant temperature, so having the extra mass in their helps. I have made everything from casseroles to cookies on top of my tiles and it hasn't affected anything negatively. (It improved the cookies, before tiles my cookie baking time could vary from 8-16 minutes from batch to batch because of temperature fluctuations, now it is much more constant.)

3) Keep it clean.
Don't use soap to clean a stone. Most of the time, you don't really need to clean it. If you use cornmeal or flour, it will "burn" and leave a black ashy reside (don't let that scare you, it is so little that I've never even smelt it, so don't worry about stinking up your house or setting off your fire alarm although if I am making pizza at 500 I turn the fume hood on). That residue will come off if you wipe it with a dry cloth. There might be some stains but that just makes your oven look like an authentic baker uses it. And if it really needs to be cleaned, you can wash it with water, or water and baking soda but be sure to let it completely dry. It may take a while because the stone is porous and will have soaked up some water.

Pizza stones - they work for me!

WFMW: Classic Hymns (for free!)

While blog hopping a few weeks ago, I stumbled upon Page CXVI, a project/band that has reworked some old classic hymns. (Cool fact - the name is a reference to page 116 of Magician's Nephew. How much do I love the C.of N. geekiness?) While I am learned to love praise and worships songs, real hymns will always have a special place in my heart. From what I have listened to, Page CXVI has done a great job at accomplishing their mission.

You can download a sampling here for free, which includes 5 full hymns (Come thou Font, My Jesus I love Thee, Nothing but the blood, Solid Rock, and Joy). I think my favorite hymn (of all the hymns in the world, not just of these five) is The Solid Rock and their version is pretty good. Another great one is Joy (I've got the Joy, joy, joy, joy, down in my heart). When I first heard their twist on it, I thought it was a little depressing. But as I've been dealing with a lot of hard things these last couple weeks, I have come to really "get it." Sometimes joy isn't a feeling you just have, it's something you make yourself do. That's a hard concept but it helps when it is being pounded into your head through a beautiful song. So classical hymns work for me, especially when they are free!

*And yes, I made a mistake and didn't realize WFMW was a backwards edition but considered this post a break from the question answering.

WFMW: Knit/Crochet help

When I paid $15 for a beginner knitting class, I figured I would at least learn to cast on, knit, purl and cast off but no such luck. Then after the class she told me I was going to need four or more lessons to finish learning "just the basics." Well, I thought about how much yarn I could buy for $60 and decided I was going to try and see what I could get from a book.

Some things I got right away but there were those frustrating moments in between when I just couldn't figure out what they were trying to say. I needed to see the motion. I had been Googling stitches to read different explanations if I was stuck but once the little search box was set to YouTube not Google and I didn't notice.

It was perfect. There are a number of different videos of each stitch and you can watch them repeatedly until you figure it out. You can also see different ways of doing the same thing. Because I had already done crochet, I find continental-style knitting more natural but most of the written descriptions I found were for English style. It is hard enough trying to learn something new without having to adapt it at the same time so I love being able to view both methods. And it isn't just the basics; try searching for specialty stitches or different methods of casting on, there are so many things out there to learn from. While I already know the basics of crochet, there are lots of videos for that too. And at a cost of nothing, it beats expensive lessons any day and it definitely works for me.

WFMW - Food Challenges

I haven't done a WFWM in a while, when Shannon took that summer break, I got out of the habit but I'm back now and ready to start up again.

I've been reading a lot about nutrition in the last 6 months or so but have found myself getting overwhelmed. Plus, it isn't like there's a consensus on what is good nutritious food. One book might label something, like milk, a wonder food while another will say, unless it is raw you might as well be feeding your body poison. It's scary and leaves me wondering if I should just stop caring and eat mac and cheese from a box.

But obviously, that won't work so we have started setting food goals. Here are my guidelines:

• Set 1 goal at a time. It's hard because I want to make all these changes at once but if I stick with one goal until I am comfortable and confident with it, it will actually last. If I make a bunch of changes at one time, I get burnt out and go back to what I am comfortable with.
• Don't set a time limit. It isn't one goal a week. It is one goal until that is part of our routine. Sometimes that will only take a week or two, sometimes it will take longer. The one we just finished lasted over a month.
• Focus on ideas that aren't controversial. Yes, later I will have to make some decisions about who to believe but for now, there is lots I can do that almost everyone agrees on. That way I feel more confident and don't end up second guessing my decision.
  
• Take it as a personal challenge. It isn't something I have to do. I am an adult and since I make the dinners now, no one is forcing me to eat a certain way (just like me mom said so many times when I was younger). It is a choice that I am making and somethings might be harder, but I find that thinking of it as my food challenge puts my competitive spirit to work.

My first food challenge, although I didn't call it that, was to serve fish at least one meal a week. It was hard as I only knew how to make two meals with fish, tuna pasta salad and tuna noodle casserole, and neither is one I would want to eat more than once a month. And yes, we made some big messes and had a few disgusting dinners but we didn't starve and now it's second nature. My fish meal is one of my easiest and tastiest every week.

Other goals we have done:
-Eat beans at least 3 times a week. Again, this was a hard one as I didn't think I liked beans and I didn't know what to do with them. This blog helped a lot and after about 5 weeks, it wasn't that hard to come up with 3 meals with beans. I even managed to do it this week when, due to the hurricane, the stores were so bare that the only type of bean I could find was dry black beans.

- Cut out beverages. We now drink mostly water, sometimes milk.

- Have at least two servings of vegetables at dinner. This is our current goal. We do pretty well with the 5-a-day idea for fruits and vegetables, but that is mostly fruits. Hopefully in a few weeks, that will no longer be the case.

Manly WFMW: Home Depot Sunglasses

I might be the first guy to ever do one of these, but here we go. There are two types of people when it comes to sunglasses: those who buy expensive ones, and (attempt to) take great care of them, and those who buy cheap ones, on the expectation that they will break, lose, or scratch them. I am one of the latter. I bought a pair of (real) Oakleys once, and I still remember the day I stepped on them. I have found the perfect pair of shades to satisfy my sunglass style, and they come from none other than Home Depot.

I am referring to the AO Safety Stylish Ice Blue Safety Glasses, which retail for only $7.98. I originally bought them because I needed safety glasses for a work project, and not only are they impact protective, but they block 99.9% of UV rays. In addition, they are stylish, at least to the extent that I care about such things. See for yourself:

















I am currently on my third pair of these; I lost one, and scratched another. So when it comes to cheap sunglasses that do their job but can easily be replaced when necessary, Home Depot sunglasses work for me.

Zesty Mayo sauce

Works for me Wednesday is themed again, with this week being 5 ingredients or less. Actually this post is really a spotlight on one ingredient - canned chipotle peppers.

I hadn't even used them until I went away for the weekend and left Craig to do the menu planning. I'm so glad he did. These guys are so amazing. They add a lot of nice spicy, almost smokey flavor. Neither Craig or I like super spicy things (we buy mild salsa) but you can get the flavor without having to get to the killing-off-your taste buds level. Of course, if you like to kill your taste buds, you can always add more.

This is the first recipe he tried with them and it has less than 5 ingredients - unless you count salt and pepper, which I don't :-)

Chipotle Mayo:
Mix 1 cup mayonaise , 2 Tablespoons cilantro, 1 Tablespoon lime juice, and 1 tsp minced garlic. Mince 1 tablespoon of the canned chipotle peppers and add to mayo along with about 1 Tablespoon of the adobo sauce from the can. (If you are wusses like us, you might want to start with less than a Tablespoon.) Taste and adjust seasons, add salt/pepper.

Craig served this mayo on grilled salmon but it would also be great on grilled chicken or even on a sandwich. We've also tried chipotle peppers in quesadillas, on eggs and we even mixed a bit of the leftover sauce into our taco meat. All were tasty and delicious. Canned Chipotle peppers are what works for us!

WFMW - Be a diva

This is a women only post, so if you are of the male persuasion, I would really really recommend just clicking away...






Last chance, I mean it. When I responded to Craig's question about my WFMW post, all I heard was "oh no, don't write about that" and "your putting too much girly stuff on the blog."





Okay, now that we got that out of the way, let's get started. So what has been working for me lately? The diva cup. Now don't get all weirded out. It's great. And while the topic is kinda personal, I feel indebted to the woman bloggers I learned about this from, and I feel drawn to share this with y'all. I mean, no more tampons, no more pads. This little cup is my favorite thing about my period. And by that I mean, it's the only thing about my period I like. For those of you who haven't heard of it, it's a little silicon cup that you wear inside. You can't really feel it and to change it, you just empty it, rinse it and put it back in place. I know it sounds icky, but if you think about the more traditional alternatives, they sound icky too. I find it to actually feels much cleaner. There is a slight learning curve when it comes to getting it in place but after a few tries, it is a piece of cake.

I could give you the lots of "green" reasons for using the diva cup. Nothing gets thrown away, no harsh chemicals leaking out into your body, etc. Plus it doesn't have the risk of TSS like tampons do. And yes, it is cheaper. Just a one purchase and you are done forever! (or until you have kids). But no, I don't use it for any thrifty reason or in an effort to reduce my carbon footprint.

I use it because it is comfortable and convenient. I have had some awful cramps in my life. Just a few months ago, I had to leave work at 10am because I couldn't stand the pain and needed to lie down. Luckily, it was the flu season and I work with scientists-boys who told me to go home, lie down and eat lots of oranges. Instead I went home, lied down, and ate lots of chocolate. But after switching over to the diva cup, my cramps have been so much better. I have probably cut my Tylenol usage by 75%. Also, you only have to change it every 12 hours, even on heavy days! That beats a change every fews hours by a landslide!

In case you don't believe me there are some another resource to check out is here.

Once you are convinced you need to try this, you can easily find them online. The cheapest place I found, and hence where I bought mine, was here. There are two sizes, Model 1 for the childless or under 30 crowd and Model 2 for those who have had kids... I guess having kids changes things down there :-) It comes with instructions including one folding method for application, but look around online and you will find others. The official one didn't work for me and I got frustrated at first, but once I tried something different, it wasn't a problem.

And that is what works for me, be sure to check out other ideas at Rocks In My Dryer.

WFMW - Pictures for two

Craig and I love to hike and camp or take day trips to see things. But with it being just the two of us, taking pictures can be problematic. We end up with lots of pictures like this -

Wow, nothing screams "scrapbook material" quite like a double chin. Or Craig takes a picture of me, then I take one of him, like we did at this arch last weekend.
It's a little more flattering, but still not something I want to frame. Sometimes we get another person to take one of us but its tiring to always ask and often times on hikes there isn't anyone around. But halfway through our trip to Arches, I realized I had this mini flex tripod.
It came with my camera and I had never used it much but it is great. It's small and light, I just screwed it into the bottom of my camera and left it there for the rest of the trip. The flexible legs mean I can balance it on an unsteady rock or branch and unlike when I used to just put my camera on the car or a ledge, I can adjust the legs to tilt the camera upwards so we don't end up with pictures of our feet. Here is a picture I took using it...much better, don't ya think? You can't see up my nose but you still think we like each other.
As I said, I got mine with my camera but they aren't expensive at all. I could only find my exact one at this British website but B&H camera has a number of them, most for less than $20. This one looks particularly neat, and so colorful too.

Oh, and for those special shots when you want a real person to take the picture, try looking for another couple struggling with the same problem and offer to take their picture. Most of the time they will reciprocate afterwards.

Pictures for two. That's what works for me.

W(d)WFMW - Crockpot oatmeal

Today's Works For Me Wednesday is different, it is really a What DOESN'T Work For Me Wednesday - I know, it's crazy!

So what doesn't work for me - oatmeal in a crockpot. I tried it last week and it was not good! I used 1 cup of oatmeal and 2 cups of water and all I got was a oatmeal crust around my crockpot with some oat-y water in the middle. Definitely not edible. I am pretty sure that my oats:water ratio was correct, perhaps I just didn't make a big enough batch? Since other people seem to get this to work, I figured that must be it, although that much oatmeal was already going to be more than the two of us could eat so I don't think a bigger batch is an option for us right now.

But I really want a way to make healthy (aka non-instant) oatmeal for us during the week so I am not giving up hope yet. I have heard of using a rice cooker and our rice cooker is quite small (holds ~4 cups) so that might be an option...has anyone done that before? I have also heard of soaking the oats overnight, more for health reasons than convenience, but the result is a faster cooking time in the morning. That might something else I try. Anyone out there have any suggestions?

WFMW - Almost as good.

I like the taste of things made from scratch as homemade is almost* always better. But I love the convenience of some more manufactured items. So I've figured out a way to slightly tweak a few things in a way that doesn't take up much time but can make it taste almost as good as from scratch. Here are my top three:

1. Lemonade - Lemonade is my drink. We don't buy sodas and I only drink water to be healthy. I find it rather boring, but I will take a glass of lemonade anytime. But I don't have the time or money to make homemade even if I did, I couldn't be drinking that much sugar all the time. I have enough cavities as it is. Concentrate tastes good but it still has a ton of sugar. So I follow my dentist's suggestion and drink Crystal Lite. The problem -it's yellow but it doesn't taste like "real" lemonade. The solution - add two or three tablespoons of lemon juice to a pitcher of the fake stuff. That is about a lemons worth but I don't even use a real lemon, just squeeze some out of the little plastic lemon. It gives it that tart taste of real lemonade.

2. Pancakes - You can't beat Bisquick - or maybe you can. Try adding a spoonful of plain or vanilla yogurt to your next batch of pancake mix. It is about the same consistency as the batter so you don't have to adjust the mix-to-liquid ratio. It makes the pancakes so moist and fluffy. I heard this from my friend K. and my only regret now is having waited so long to try it. Don't make my mistake.

3. I lied, I don't have a third point but only having two leaves my list feeling unfinished. So help me finish it! Are there any tricks like this that you use?

And that is what works for me!

*Exception = Brownies. I love brownies from a box better than any recipe I have ever had. Weird but true.

WFMW - Fresh Ginger

Have you ever seen this in a grocery store?

It's a ginger "root."Technically it is a rhizome, but if you call it a ginger rhizomes, people will just think you're weird. For a long time, I knew what it was but when passed by it in the grocery store, I gave it a look of suspicion. It weird and bumpy and I assumed it was hard to use and not at all necessary when you can buy dry ginger in the spice aisle.

I was wrong. I finally got some and it's great. The price per pound looks high but I got a good chunk for only 45 cents and considering most recipes call for less than a teaspoon, it will last a good long time. Especially now that I know the handy dandy super easy way to use it. The first time you use it, peel the whole thing. The outside looks tough but it peels real easily so don't worry. Then grate off what you need (I used a microplane zester but I think a regular grater would work fine too). Then, here is the neat part, put the rest in a plastic baggie and throw it in the freezer. Whenever you need it again, you can take it out and grate it, while it is still frozen and put it back again for the next time! So simple.

And it tastes much better than regular ginger. I used some this week in this marinade (which, by the way is very tasty and has to be the only Paula Deen recipe that doesn't call for any butter). Later this week, I am going to try it in my stir fry. I have heard that fresh ginger is what turns a average stir fry into an incredible stir fry so I am excited about that. And that is what works for me!

WMFW - Sam's Club Help

It's another backwards Works for Me Wednesday so I get to ask you a question. I have high hopes because I got some great veggie side dish ideas from my last backwards WFMW. Carrots have become my new favorite veggie - my eyes are so grateful.

On to the question. A couple weeks ago Craig and I joined Sam's Club. I haven't ever thought that it was worth it but I priced out contacts and I will save ~$33 a year on mine alone. Since a year membership is only $40, I figured I could save enough in other ways to make it a good deal.

But going through that place was so intimidating. I wasn't sure what was a good deal and what wasn't. Would I ever use up 18 rolls of paper towels? I like pickles, but did I need a gallon's worth? It was very stressful and I haven't been back since. But I do want to get my money's worth so I need your help.

Do you use Sam's Club (or Costco)? If so, what have you found to be a good deal? And just as importantly, what have you found to not be a good deal? Both good prices and usability are factors here. So let me know what works for you.

WFMW: One Smart Noodle

I've been trying to improve the way we eat around here, mostly by making easy subtle changes. Switching from regular sugary peanut butter to the all natural stuff, making sure we buy 100% whole wheat bread, not just honey wheat, etc. I tried switching to wheat pasta but it just doesn't taste good. But we eat spaghetti about once a week, and I use spaghetti in stir fry if I don't have time to cook rice. That is a lot of empty carbs if we were to stick with the regular stuff and it had me worrying.

But then I found this, Ronzini Smart Pasta. It has 3 times the fiber of regular pasta (6 grams per two oz serving) and quite a bit of calcium. I am not diabetic but I have heard it doesn't effect your blood sugar as much as regular pasta does. Best of all, it doesn't taste like cardboard! I don't really taste any difference, and more importantly, Craig doesn't either. It is a tad bit more expensive but I have seen a number of coupons out there and even without them, I don't mind spending $0.20 for a healthier meal so smarter pasta works for me.

WFWM - Coconut Oil

Works for me Wednesday is a little different this week. The usual host Shannon is out of the country for a Compassion International Blog thing. (It's hard to describe, just go read about her amazing experiences). Don't Try This At Home is hosting in her place - same great ideas, different location. I don't like change, but even I can deal with this.

Okay, on to my tip. Coconut oil is great stuff. It's a little weird because it's melting point is in the 70s (76?) so in our house it is a solid in the winter and a liquid in the summer. But once you get past that quirk, you can find tons of uses for it. Here are three ways I consistently use it.

1. Moisturizer: Just rub a little of it on your dry skin. It is oil so don't use a ton or you will look like you want to be a body builder but it works well even here. And you know if the air is dry enough to make my hair look good, it's dry enough to make my skin NOT look good. (I need a climate where it is humid until about 5 feet off the ground, then it becomes dry, does that exist anywhere?) I will warn you though, you may or may not like the smell. I don't like coconut scented products but I do like the smell of the oil. Craig doesn't really like it because he thinks it makes me smell like popcorn and that makes him hungry. So use it, but make sure you have snacks on hand for your husband.

2. Pets: We feed a little bit to our cat Zeeba everyday. Her long hair is so silky smooth now and the oil helps keep things a' movin, if ya know what I mean. We have had a few problems with in the past and a little oil every day is much much better than trying to cram a bunch of laxatives down a cat and listen to her moaning for several days till they kick in. Not fun, for her or us. Plus, she really likes the taste of it. And that says something because she is the pickiest eater ever, have you ever met a cat that wouldn't eat any meat? Not chicken, not turkey, not even a piece of salmon that I had dropped on the floor! When she sees me bring out the jar so comes over and hops in my lap (even if I was only planning on cooking something with it). Which brings me to the obvious one .

3. Cooking: I used it last week to make wheat bread last week because my mom makes the best bread and I remember her using coconut oil. In the winter you might have to microwave it for a few seconds to get it to oil form but it works and it is relatively inexpensive for oils. It is also frequently used to pop popcorn (hence the smell) and I have heard that it is good for frying things too.

WFMW - Online Shopping

This week's WFMW theme is online shopping. Luckily I have just found a cute store to share with y'all because most of the online shopping we do at my house is from amazon or ebay which isn't really news to most people.

It's Christa Taylor and they sell women's clothing, that is modest but stylish. They also donate part of the proceeds to an orphanage in Cambodia. I found them by randomly following links and I think I ended up at her sister's blog but I honestly can't really remember, I was sick and killing time until the drugs kicked in a knocked me out. I've gotten a couple things from them:


This shirt was only $15. And I love that it looks like a shirt with a vest but it's not so I don't have to worry about my shirt bunching underneath. I hate that. Especially when I am at work in a cleanroom, wearing a bunny suit so I can't fix it. But you probably don't have that problem.

I also got two other shirts but they were also clearance items and now they are gone. I didn't, but wish I needed a coat so I could, buy this:

Especially since it is on sale for only $60.99. Which I believe is quite the bargain for a wool coat.

Oh, and I also like online shopping at Victoria Secrets. I am on their email list and they send good coupon codes quite frequently. They aren't know for their modest clothing or sending money to starving children, just starving women in the modeling industry, but Valentines day is coming up and not everything you own has to be modest. That's all I'm saying.

WFMW: Lent Help

Next week is a themed WFMW so I will share my Lent tip early. I love giving up something for Lent. If you have never done it, try it, you'll like it, except when you hate it. Because no matter what you choose to give up, God will use it to teach you something. And if you are anything like me, sometimes it will be a big struggle. But I find that having a specific Bible verse on hand to act as a little mantra really helps get past those tough times when I just want to cave.

This year, I am giving up worrying about the future by instead praising God for where he has put me right now. Whenever I have doubts and catch myself not letting go, I just say Matthew 6:34 in my head: "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own." I actually learned that verse in a song when I was little so I really sing it to myself.

A couple years ago I have up being sarcastic. That was one the of hardest Lents I have ever been through. And I failed miserably, but at least I caught myself and apologized to those around me. I don't think there is anything wrong about being sarcastic at certain moments, but it is easy to let that become the norm without even realizing it. An appropriate verse for those of you brave enough to try the no sarcasm thing: Proverbs 15:1 "A gentle answer turns away wrath, but harsh words stir up anger."

There are even good verses for those of you sticking with the more typical Lenten idea of giving up sweets. My favorite: Pr 25:16 If you find honey, eat just enough— too much of it, and you will vomit. It's hard to find room for dessert after that one.

But you can find your fill of tips with no fear of vomiting by heading over to Rocks in my Dryer for more WFMW.

Free digital scrapbooking supplies

I recently started the switch from old fashioned scrapbooking to digital scrapbooking. I like that it takes up a lot less space and I think it will save me money. Since I am just starting out, I don't want to spend a lot of money on it buying brushes and embellishments that I am not even sure how to use yet. Enter ShabbyPrincess.com. They have the cutest digital scrapbooking kits, with matching paper, ribbons, alphabets, and more - all coordinated. It makes it so easy to put together really great pages. And best yet, they offer quite a few of them free! And they are not ugly like many of the free supplies I have found online. I have used, and love, the dinner party, vintage floral, and festival sets and I am just waiting till I can find the perfect pictures to us with urban kiwi. She also offers some for sale and now that I am confident that I can actually do this digital scrapbooking thing, I just might have to try them out. ShabbyPrincess - it works for me.

Edit: I decided to post some of the pages I made on my Monday off, all in just a couple of hours. Click on them to see them bigger. Here is a two page layout of "out day at the beach."

And here is a page for Amanda's bachlorette par-tay! (My first completed page, yah for me!)

WFMW - Veggie Dishes

Wow, I feel like it has been forever since I did a WFMW. I don't know if that is because I am lazy or only had three good ideas to my name and now I'm out. But this week is a backwards day so I get to ask y'all a question. I have been married almost a year now and am doing okay with recipes. I have learned what Craig likes and doesn't, or at least I think I have. And I have enough dishes that we can eat something different everyday for at least two weeks so I'm good on main dish recipes. My problem is side dishes, especially veggie dishes. When it comes to a holiday or a big Sunday dinner type situation I can handle it but not everyday occasions. I'll make a casserole or spaghetti but then I can't think of what to fix with it. Right now I'm just heating up frozen veggies but that gets old real fast. So I need some cheap and easy veggie recipes. Oh, and if they are kinda healthy that might be nice. But I do love butter so that part isn't totally necessary. Thanks! And be sure to check out more places where you can spread out your knowledge at WFMW.

WFMW - Have pie, will travel.

This was meant to be a Thanksgiving WFMW but life was crazy then so I decided to post it now when it might be useful for upcoming Christmas events when you need to carry a bunch of baked goods.

I made three pies for Thanksgiving but then was stuck with trying to figure out how to get them to the dinner on the other side of town. I don't own one of those fancy pie/cake carrying cases that stacks them and they normally only hold two things anyway. I thought about using boxes but only one pie fits in each box and they end up taking up a lot of room and we still had to fit a lot of other stuff in the car. But Craig come to the rescue with this:

(please ignore all the random junk in the picture, as well as the odd angle that makes it look like it was taken by a giant, I'm not sure what that's about)

Yep, it's just a long, skinny, shallow (I heart adjectives) rubbermaid container. It fits three pies (or cakes or 9x9 pans) perfectly. Plus, you can actually use it those other 10.5 months of the year when you aren't transporting bakery items around town. And it doesn't take up a lot of room. We had it sitting on three laps in the back of our car, but I wouldn't recommend that if those laps belong to children, that's kinda risky.

And that is what works for me.