out of milk!

We always sit down and eat supper together as a family.  Yes, I'm originally from Iowa and we call that evening meal "supper".  We were outside working on the yard last night and I needed something quick so I opened up the pantry to grab a chicken helper that I keep for moments like this.  Bad, I know.  But they were on sale for $1 and I had a $1.50 coupon off 3!!  But rats, it calls for 2 cups of milk.  I have none!  So after scratching my head or 10 seconds I came up with my own quick pasta recipe.  It turned out to be a hit with the hubby, so I've decided to share it.  I don't know what to call this dish - help me out and leave a comment with a suggestion!

disclaimer: I measure NOTHING.  All measurements are approximate.  Use your best guess and go with your taste buds. Be generous with the seasonings - especially onion powder.

In skillet:
about 2 cups frozen broccoli
1 cup frozen peas
1 1/2 cups pasta (I used Rigatoni)
cover with water and boil about 12 minutes - until pasta is tender
drain excess water
add about 3/4 cup sour cream and about 3/4 brick of cream cheese
around 2 cups shredded up chicken
seasoning - salt, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder

Hint: I always shred or chunk up leftover chicken and freeze it.  It is ready to pull out and make a dish for a quick meal like this. 

additions: chopped bell peppers, tomatoes

Thrifty Thoughts #6-10

6. I know, there's something about taking fresh smelling, warm clothes out of the dryer. But the dryer is one of the most expensive machines in our house! Hanging clothes out to dry is FREE! Well, after you purchase a "cute" umbrella clothesline (or rig up your own if you want to be really thrifty!).
Side note: I found a huge unopened bag of clothespins at a garage sale for 50 cents once. I still haven't used half of them.

7. Women, if the man in your house needs a haircut every month, that can add up. You wouldn't believe how easy it is to cut hair. If you're uneasy, go with him to the barber and watch. Then buy a clipper and experiment. haha. Just don't clip his ears - it can start big fights that could have easily been avoided! This is a big $ saver in our house since there are three males needing monthly haircuts! And now Daddy even does the boys occasionally.

8. Forget Blockbuster and Hollywood Video. Head to the library where you can usually check out a movie for real cheap (Here in Jackson county, you get 2 videos for $1.00), and you can usually keep them much longer. PLUS, they usually have a nice family-friendly selection.

9. Cancel your newspaper subscription. You're online reading this, so might as well read the news online as well! You'll miss the ads you say? They're all online too! Plus, you may be less tempted to go into a store you haven't seen an ad for, resulting in less money spent!

10. Use grocery sacks as garbage liners. I only buy garbage bags for my tall kitchen waste basket, but the rest get a sack. The handles make it easy to pull out when it's full and then just tie them in a knot. I use paper bags for my "burnable" kitchen trash.
Side note: if you want to be real thrifty, you can just dump the garbage out of those bought-and-paid-for bags and reuse. This of course only works if they aren't "gunky" or torn. :) I can occasionally get 2 uses out of the good bags.

One and the same...

Just gotta have a little vision. Another garage sale find before and after:

FREE by the roadside

Driving home one day, I spotted a garage sale in progress about 1 mile from our house. Note to self: "While daddy's putting the boys down for a nap, I'll ride my bike over and check it out". Self forgot the note. Later that night we are driving home when in the darkness I think I see the silhouette of furniture. I tell Tim to "STOP" and I hit the dashboard. Tim thinks we're about to crash some unsuspecting deer. However, I also spotted what looked like could be a FREE sign. With lots of black spray paint and some new fabric to cover the cushions.... here's my dining room table set!

Before

Sitting in my dining room all finished!

Quick back porch makeover

My mom came up to help with baby. Instead of twiddling our thumbs waiting for my water to break, we decided this drab porch needed a quick makeover. About the only expense to me was buying the fabric and foam for the cushion, and the fabric for the throw pillows. Here are the money saving tips from this room:

*White boxes on the shelf are diaper boxes with the front covered in a white wallpaper border
*Box on the floor to the right of the cupboard is from an old cardboard filing cabinet that we painted white.
*coral wall paint is left over from my mom's office.
*pegs for the boys coats are an old wood peg shelf I found at a garage sale for $.50. Just painted over the ugly hearts and teddy bears.
*silver coat rack was also from a garage sale, just spray painted it silver.
*throw pillows were old pink and purple pillows I had stashed in a closet. New fabric just got sewed over the top. Fabric was found on clearance for $2 at JoAnn's.
*window seat is made from old wood scraps from our barn and the shutters I bought in a Goodwill a couple years ago cuz I just knew they'd be cute somewhere!

This room still needs new rugs so hopefully I'm lucky enough to find some cheap and chic ones somewhere, also the wood pieces still need to be painted coral to blend in with the wall (mom took the paint home with her, rats!), and I need a good welcome sign to go on the wall.

Barstools and a chair

BEFORE: Pulled these out of a thrift store, painted them black and recovered the cushions. Cushions are the easiest to recover - just buy some clearance fabric, pull it real tight, and get staple gun happy! Then for extra protection, I applied a coat of clear polyurethane.

BEFORE: ugly $1 church rummage sale chair

After: ripped the yellow cushion off the back, painted it black, and recovered it with clearanced out fabric from JoAnn's.

Barf, tornadoes, & a lil Angel

The Itty, Bitty reason I've been absent....

April 3rd was an all-time low. 14 days until my due date, miserably preggo, and retching with the stomach flu. I lost count after puke number 20. Two days later, it came back and I drove to the Doctor. I was a pitiful sight and as I heard my name get called by the nurse, burst into tears. Quite embarrassing for this normally tearless chic. Let's make this quick. Sent me to Labor and Delivery, dialated to 3, my friend Sarah was across the hall also in labor (how awesome is that?!), I went home for the night, woke up the next day feeling great and figured "no baby", but headed to my scheduled Dr. apt. He said, hey let's go back up to L&D and I'll just get some induction going on. YAY. One reason I love Dr. Farhat so much. There are many reasons, including the crazy rooster tails his hair gets going on some days, but that's another subject. I was having lots of contractions. Tim and I get to the elevator and are stopped from heading to the fourth floor because of a tornado warning. We are herded into a back hallway. Everyone is staring at "the girl in labor". I WANNA HAVE THIS BABY so I sneak away into a corner and start doing lunges as discreetly as possible. Over the next little while, several nurses kept questioning about my condition and asked if they could carry me to the 4th floor. Finally, Tim and I decided it was time to just go up so I walked all four flights hoping it would get things moving. Life would be too boring without a touch of drama now and then. Anyways, after Ptosin, a cool Harley biker nurse, and a few hours of pain (or is it torture, excruciating hurt, to the point of murderous thoughts pain?) out popped the cutest little baby - Tori Jan. Weighing 7lbs 10 oz and loads of thick black hair. Now it's back to guilt-free spray painting and varnish. :) Oh yeah, and with no more gestational diabetes to worry about, how on EARTH am I going to get rid of this baby fat?! Bring on carbs, dessert, juice...

Kammy + kids + camera = Kam's Kards

These are a few "Kam's Kards" that are used with pictures I take of my boys and just print off at home. I waste a lot of time googling fun birthday sayings to try to go with them. Or, come up with my own - hence the cheesiness! :) All are made with quality cardstock and are 3D. You can purchase any of these, just let me know which ones you like. $1.50 each, or I'll give you a deal if you order 5 or more! These are just a sampling. More to come!
Inside:
I picked this just for you.
Happy Birthday















Slightly older in other places!
Happy Birthday






















And still as sexy as ever!
Happy Birthday











Cuz there's nothing you can do about getting older!
Happy Birthday
















Hope you are blessed with a good hair day!
Happy Birthday

Black and White Kitchen

These were found buried in Goodwill stores or other such thrift shops. I had a little fun with some black and white paint and here are the results! Just remember, anything wood is paintable! Now if anyone has some ideas for the black eagle medallions I pulled off the canisters, let me know!

Thrifty Thoughts #1-5

I realize not everyone (like city dwellers) can put these into action. But these are ways that I personally save money.

1. Burn the trash. Anything that isn't burnable goes into a separate garbage can and about every month or two gets taken to the incinerator. We probably end up paying roughly $5 a month for getting rid of our rubbish! Don't give me a global warming spiel - I like Glen Beck!

2. Tim always has a runny nose. Now that I'm married to him, so do I! So bothersome. But unless you have a full blown cold, do you really need that whole kleenex? Blow your nose in the corner, stick it in your pocket, and in 20 minutes, you'll need to use the other corner. Doubles the usage you get from one box of tissues. Stop making fun of me and read the next tip.

3. Always buy frozen juice concentrate to make juice. Make sure it's 100% juice. It's usually less than half the cost of buying it already made! Unless of course Meijer is having a buy 10 64oz apple juices for $10 - in that case, STOCK UP BABY.

4. If you're like me, you stand in the piping hot shower approximately 25 minutes longer than you should, stripping your skin of any moisture it may have had. So you make up for this by slathering your body in lotion. When you think the bottle is empty, uh uh, don't toss it in the garbage yet. Next shower, cut it open and you'll usually have enough stuck on the sides for another full body application. Although, most people might have double the surface area as me. I promise I'm not calling you big. I'm just mini. Same goes for face creams, sunblock, etc...

5. Never throw away gift bags or tissue paper. I have never purchased either of those 2 items. I have a large box that all the giftbags I receive go in, categorized by occasion, and another box of folded up tissue paper. Makes for quick and easy gift "wrapping" in a hurry!

These are only the beginning. Watch for 6-10 in the future... I'm sure you're on pins and needles!

Lady's Man - ya think?!

Silly faces might impress at this age... but I wouldn't try it at 16.

Is this a sign of what's to come for the teen years?

10 cents to treasure

It all started when I was redecorating my den and decided some turquoise accents - like some fun vases - would be just the thing. Went on Ebay, but really didn't want to pay the prices I was finding. I have quite the stash of old glass vases, you know the kind you get "free" with the purchase of a dozen roses. Not that I would know, since I don't ever get roses. But that's not because of my husband, it's really because of me. Why, I ask, would you want to spend so much money on something that is going to be dead in a few days? So if you have ever been to a single garage sale in your life, there is one thing you are 99% likely to see. Somewhere at the back of the garage usually, on a table that is easily passed over, is a clustering of glass vases. Usually with the whopping price of 10 cents each. Unless the sellers are from the depression era and think they can actually make some money off of them. Here's to turning 10 cents into a treasure. I just use a little bottle of acrylic paint, and when it has dried, (usually a matter of 30 seconds) I paint a silver glaze over the whole vase, and then spray it with clear varnish. Here are a few I have done. The turquoise and brown combos have sold great on Ebay, by the way! But they are a pain to ship...

Note: the brown vase with teal dots was milkglass. I dipped my finger into the teal paint and just dabbed it over each "bump".

Clocks to fit your personality

Two of these clocks were plain old wood clocks that were taking up space in my storage trunk. The one without glass was going to be tossed in the church garbage but I rescued it! Does a clock really need glass to work? I think not... For stuff like this, make painter markers your friend. Easy lines! The squiggly lines are from a red painter marker. Hard to tell from the pic, but it is a subtle red on black.
I think I used a ring sizer as a stencil for the polka dots in the bottom two pics. See, you just have to look around and be resourceful, not run to Jo Ann's every time you need a craft item!! The bottom clock had a gold metal ring, but I spray painted it silver.

Use whatever colors and design you want to make something that goes with your home decor and personal style! No need to spend $$$ on new!

Top 22 Reasons I Hate being Pregnant

I am very pregnant. And very short. I am a whopping 4' 10" and try not to let my weight get over 90 lbs. So imagine what that does to my body when another little being needs to fit inside! Someone once gave me a paper titled "Top 25 Reasons Why I loved being Pregnant." I spit on it and ripped it up! Don't get me wrong, I know there is an amazing little miracle taking place inside me and that going through whatever it takes will be worth it in the end, but boy am I going to have a word with Eve when we get to Heaven since I do believe this is her fault!! Here are my personal "Top 20 Reasons to Hate being Pregnant".

1. Acid Reflux. This hits at around month 5. You're enjoying a good sleep, when suddenly you wake up out of your good dream with the taste of vomit in your throat. You jump up thinking you have the stomach flu, but no. The next night, your throat starts burning before you have a chance to fall asleep. You get up and start googling. Tim digs out all those old college textbooks he KNEW he'd need someday and we raise the head of the bed up about 2 feet. It helps for a little while, even though it's annoying constantly pulling yourself back up cuz gravity is now making you slide off the end of the bed. Soon Pepcid becomes your best friend.

2. You must know where the nearest bathroom is at all times. Especially while grocery shopping. Never know when baby is going to stomp on your already squished bladder.

3. Trying to put socks and shoes on is about as difficult as getting a cat to swallow a pill.

4. Trying to get into vehicles is hard enough with all that weight. But those handles on the ceiling of our mini van really help - until your body is depending on it... and it snaps off.

5. The steering wheel of above said mini van is so pressed into your belly you can hardly turn it. But being a midget, you must sit that close, or you can't reach the gas.

6. Having to miss out on yet another season of your favorite sport - downhill skiing!!

7. Gestational Diabetes. Carb junkies do NOT DO WELL WITH THIS. I'm throwing the biggest pizza party you ever saw - for myself - as soon as this baby makes her first cry in the world. I'm finding myself sneaking into the fridge at 11:00 in the morning to grab that mountain dew that I never would have wanted before this diagnosis... and somehow my mind says stop but my hands just won't quit making that chocolate malt... hey it's a litttttle tiny one.... just need a few tastes... NOW

8. There's no room on my lap to snuggle and read stories to my 1 and 3 year old! And they have a hard time understanding this!

9. Leg cramps. In the middle of the night.

10. The guilty feeling you get anytime you put on nail polish, open a paint can, use "non-green" toilet bowl cleaner...

11. Those late night mind wanderings that leave me in a cold sweat remembering what labor is like. MOVING ON.

12. The pathetic looks you get and then "wow you're about to pop anyday" when you still have 3 months of listening to that to go!

13. What to wear???

14. Back pain. Oh my. But this shouldn't be just a complaint, it should be a kudos to my hubby who gives me an awesome back massage almost EVERY night. No women, you can't have him.

15. Iron pills. The side effects make a certain pregnancy issue already present, much worse. Where's the prune juice? Oh yeah, can't drink that with gestational diabetes!

16. Does anyone else get those weird purple spots on their face, especially under the eyes? I've been told I look like I have a rash. Thanks mom. I don't mind honesty.

17. Oh so tired. But can't nap, because of acid reflux. You feel bad enough already taking Pepcid at night, better not take another one during the day just so you can get a little nap. How selfish would that be!

18. Watching everyone else enjoy the hottub while you stick your toes in... hoping nobody notices your extremely long toenails since you can no longer clip them yourself. And sorry, but the thought of ANYONE going near my nails with a clippers - no way.

19. Months 1-3. You GOTTA have that certain dish and make it as fast as you can. Sit down at the table and get a whiff of it on your plate and have to run outside for fresh air because the smell is enough to make you lose it.

20. Looking like trash in sweatpants to go out to eat because the thought of anything else around your waist is unfathomable.

21. Braxton Hicks. Those uncomfortable contractions that are there anytime you exert a little energy but produce NO RESULTS.

22. It hurts way too bad to walk much (ligament pain I guess??) so you don't get to do the grocery shopping anymore. Husbands getting groceries... well let's just say we are out of eggs, but not out of chips!!

And now that everyone thinks I'm the most pessimistic, grouchy girl around, I'm really not. Don't ask my husband though. But in 4 more weeks (hopefully less!!) I will be holding my third precious little child and this will all be a slightly distant memory! Thank you Lord, for the unimaginable love you give a mother for her child. I can't wait to meet you, Little Girl!!!

Redo those "so-ten-years-ago" LAMPS!!

***Click on a picture to see a larger version and be able to read the type better!***