Here’s a great recipe, that may convert hot cereal haters to a bit of oatmeal for breakfast:
2 T butter, melted
2 eggs
1 C milk
1 1/4 C rolled oats
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 t salt
1 t baking powder
Mix all and pour into a greast 7 x 11 baking dish. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Scoup into bowls and serve wtih milk, cream or our favorite Egg Nog! (Egg Nog is on sale right now, as an after Christmas clearance. Also Honey spiral cut hams are a geat deal too!)
My dear husband is creating my dream basement for me under a strict budget. We have alloted about $500 to complete the project. Here are before pictures:
It wouldn't take much to improve this mess :P, but here's the plan. 1/2 of the 11 x 20 room is to be my Mary Kay spa studio, where I can give personalized beauty consultation in a beautiful environment! The other half is to be my sewing studio, the heart of www.BlessedDesigns.net.
Our color scheme is blue and brown with touches of white, cream, tan and orange.
I chose a beautiful blue paint called Sonata from Behr ($24), synthetic crown molding with an ivy motif ($144), and new door trims that remind me of the trim in the Kirtland Temple ($55). We plan to paint all the doors and trim white (free paint leftover from my parent's remodel), prime and paint the ceiling to hide water stains (free paint–see previous), shampoo the carpets (free since my mom got me an awesome carpet shampooer from a garage sale for my birthday), and hang a cream sheer curtain ($6) from a ceiling mounted curtain rod ($15) to visibly separate the two rooms while still allowing light to pass. We also purchased new ceiling mounted light fixtures ($75 for 2) and a HUGE beautiful mirror with dark brown frame.($100). I bought a ficus tree off craig's list ($12), but I'm not sure I'll keep it.
The crown molding and mirror were splurges, but I love them and think they will make a big difference!
One of my favorite parts of the room makeover is my "new" couch. My neighbor put it out by the side of the road and we rescued it. The cushion fabric was shredded but the frame was solid and very comfy. I bought a luxurious chocolate micro suede upholstery fabric from www.fabric.com ($140) and recovered the cushions, leaving the fabric on the frame as is for a nice contrast. I bought enough to make a cover for my oak futon to match and am trying to decide if I should sew it like a fitted sheet, free motion quilt the top for interest and extra padding, or make a zippered cover with it. Also in the air is whether or not to use piping.
I earned some beautiful wall plaques from Mary Kay's star consultant program that are going to look awesome down there. My goal is to create a spa-like calming atmosphere that is elegant and classy.
Phase 2 of our remodel (separate budget) will include new molded doors, new carpet, and a wall mounted big screen TV and DVD player. I also hope to buy some beautiful iridescent orange silk for accent pillows and great smelling orange pillar candles to place on a long shelf under the huge mirror.
The bathroom is also in deep need of attention. I plan to paint the walls (blue or tan?), paint the thrifted mirror over the sink (the opposite of what I choose for the walls) and to add more mirrors to bounce light. I also want to paint the vanity white and get new hardware. And the flooring needs replaced. Tile would be ideal, but I'm waiting to mention that until Darren has recovered from everything else I've asked him to do ;).
We are tightening the belt even more this year and are currently in survival mode. To make things a little more complicated we are also busier than ever. Necessity is the mother of invention however, so this will definitely be the BEST year to be on the Grocery Shrink discussion group. Membership to the group is free to anyone who purchases the e-book at www.groceryshrink.com
Today I spent a good chunk of time getting a new schedule for our homeschool and businesses. To facilitate speed and thrift, I need to have some premade breakfasts that I can throw together in a jiffy. I thought of breakfast sandwiches with an all natural sausage patty, poached egg and cheese on an English muffin. The most time consuming part and potentially expensive part of this meal is the sausage. To save myself time later, I pre-made a pretty stack of mock sausage patties from ground turkey. I plan to freeze them individually on a cookie sheet and store in a freezer bag. Then I can microwave what I need in the moment. They are MSG free and nitrate free, low fat and yummy!
It was a double time saver because I was making waffles at the same time and had to stay close to the stove anyway. I also threw in 3 loaves of bread to rise for good measure. If you are a member of the Grocery Shrink discussion group, you got my favorite bread recipe recently.
Here’s the recipe and it costs about $2 when the turkey is from Aldi for $1 a pound:
2lb ground turkey
1/2 t salt
1 t garlic salt
1 t black pepper
2 t sage
1/8-1/4 t ceyenne pepper
1 egg (optional)
Mix well (I used my kitchen aid) and shape into 20 patties. Brown well on both sides. Yum!
|
The Lamb |
Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Gave thee life, & bid thee feed
By the stream & o'er the mead;
Gave thee clothing of delight;
Softest clothing, wooly, bright;
Gave thee such a tender voice,
Making all the vales rejoice?
Little Lamb, who made thee?
Dost thou know who made thee?
Little Lamb, I'll tell thee,
Little Lamb, I'll tell thee:
He is called by thy name,
For he calls himself a Lamb.
He is meek, & he is mild;
He became a little child.
I a child, & thou a lamb,
We are called by his name.
Little Lamb, God bless thee!
Little Lamb, God bless thee!
I'm very excited about this year! I think a lot of big things are going to happen for my family and I can't wait to help them unfold.
I had planned to post last week about our annual gingerbread house day at my mom's. But a family crisis got me scrambling in other places than the computer. I hope you don't mind a late Christmas post full of cute and gooey child pictures. Every year my mom bakes scads of gingerbread house parts from an heirloom quality cast iron mold and hosts all her grandchildren for a day of candy eating fun!
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