One Pot Pasta- perfect for the great outdoors! July 7, 2009

Here’s a recipe that is perfect for camping:  it takes ONE POT, uses easily packed ingredients, and takes less than 20 minutes to make.

One Pot Pasta

(2)  16 oz cans diced tomatoes

(1) 10 3/4 oz can chicken broth

2 T. oil

1 1/4 t. italian seasoning (measure out at home and avoid packing measuring spoons!)

(1) 12 oz package spiral pasta

Optional:  (1) can  shredded chicken (you know…like tuna…but it’s chicken!)

Bring to a boil tomatoes, chicken broth, oil, and seasoning.  Add pasta and simmer 16-18 minutes (or according to package directions).  Stir in chicken, if desired.  Serve with some crusty bread and enjoy!

Important Series on Simple Mom July 6, 2009

I was SO EXCITED to see that Simple Mom is going to be doing a once a week series called Back to the Basics. It should be helpful for peeps like me who somehow missed out on most of those Home Economics type skills that I was supposed to have picked up along the way. I have had a steep learning curve in obtaining some of the most basic homemaking skills.  For those of you who are in the same boat, check out the intro post here.

Gift Basket Bonanza July 2, 2009

You may have read my previous post about doing family gift baskets as Christmas gifts, and I must admit that I do love putting them together!  It can be especially fun with a new baby on the way and the many practical things that a new mom needs!  While putting together a gift basket can add up if you don’t watch it, there are a few ways to trim the costs and still keep them fun to give, cute and usable!  This is especially true if you are in a season of life where there are a lot of babies being born (and could be applied to a wedding gift basket too!)

1. Stock up on the practical things when you see them on sale/clearance or have some good coupons for them!  I have a stash on hand right now of newborn size diapers, baby bath wash and lotion, and q-tips that I got for next to nothing and are perfect to stash in a ‘bath time’ basket.
2. Grab those super cute baby outfits that go on sale at the end of season clearances.  Seems like the small sizes always have plenty of selection even when on clearance and it’s so fun to put a cute outfit into a gift basket.
3. Give something handmade!  I love to crochet baby headbands and/or Mary Jane booties for girls and while they don’t cost me much (maybe $1-2 per set for the materials) and they are extra special since they are one of a kind!  If you have enough notice you can even do a baby blanket, although for speed and ease I recommend crochet over knitting a blanket!  You could even do baby washcloths!
4. Include something from their registry … maybe the baby bathtub or the diaper bag to use as the ‘basket’ for your gift!  See if you can find a coupon to go with those articles that might be more spendy.
5. Go together with a friend to help keep the costs down if you want to include something a little bigger!

Just remember to have fun and get creative!

Sale at Shade July 1, 2009

Shade Clothing has stocked about 1/4 of my wardrobe because I have all kinds of t-shirts and tanks from them that are cut modestly and I use for layering. They are currently having a sale- 10-30% off select sale items. Sale ends Sunday.  Check it out here. This is the perfect T, it is $5.99.

Writer’s cramp…the gift that keeps on giving! July 1, 2009

To back-up the effectiveness of the idea Gretchen shared in the last post: my favorite wedding gift (except the beautiful quilt my mom made us…duh.) was my Red Kitchen Aide Stand Mixer.  It was a gift given to me by a group of close to 20 friends who joined efforts to buy us (me!) something that I wanted most off our list.  It was such a wonderful surprise to open and I think of that group of friends every time I use it (no joke…!).  :-)

One of my other favorite gifts was a little metal recipe box that looked awfully unassuming on the outside…then I opened it and saw, literally, a hundred handwritten recipes, each with a Bible verse and a cute sticker on it.  Each recipe was a dish that was a tried and tested recipe from this seasoned mom’s kitchen.  As their family lived on an extremely tight budget, it was the only gift they gave us and we knew that this gift was truly a labor of love.  MANY of the recipes we received in this little garage find box are now part of our family’s menu.  Many are popular potluck dishes and many more are made with ingredients that are friendly to a tight food budget.

Any wedding/bridal shower I’ve attended since, my gift has always included several recipies I believe that the bride will love and appriciate.  I feel so lame when my hand starts cramping up at 10 recipies or so…and then I think of the amazing gift we were given and I write a few more.

I’ve even been quoted as saying it was one of the “5 Things I’d Grab if the House was on Fire.”  :-)

Showers June 30, 2009

I am taking a little different bent on this post.  For wedding and baby gifts I really like to give people what they ask for :) so I usually use the registry.  This might be boring but I figure it is something they really wanted.  To keep things inexpensive, I usually go in on gifts with other friends.

I will share one tip about throwing showers that people seem to have liked.  When hosting a baby or wedding shower you can decorate with items that would coordinate with the friends colors and home decor.  Like for one friend we used fun serving dishes that matched her dinnerware, table cloths that were inexpensive but matched, napkins, candles, etc.  Instead of  going crazy with plastic why not buy things your friend can take home and use??  You can get really creative with this and be a little kinder to the environment in the process :)  At the end of the shower you get to send your friend away with some fun bonus items.

my favorite board books June 29, 2009

I’m sure you’ve heard enough from me this week already, but I have been wanting to post this book we found at the library. It is incredibly fun to read and the kids adore it.

It’s called Trucks Go by Steve Light. Every page has enjoyable illustrations and includes the fun sounds that trucks make, like “Burbaba Burbaba Whirr Whirr.”  This reminds me that board books make a great baby gift. Some of the most-read board books we own are some I received for Byron. They are the Byron Barton series: Trucks, Planes, Boats, Airplanes. Both my girl and boy love these books.

Inexpensive and Creative Wedding & Baby gifts June 29, 2009

It’s wedding season! We have a weekend coming up with two weddings in two days, so wedding season has hit us in full force. Thankfully, I’ve mostly passed the age of being a bridesmaid, but I get to attend least a few every year at this point in my life. Here are my ideas & tips for wedding gift buying.

-Make something special- I used my favorite wedding cards to make a collage to frame and keep. I incorporated our vows into the collage, as well.  If you are crafty, making something for a bride who is not crafty can be a real blessing. You could get a frame for 40% off at Michael’s (they have sales and email coupons regularly) and leave it empty with a note to the bride that you will make her a custom collage of her cards sometime after the wedding.

-Make something special part 2- Some of my favorite gifts I received were things that I could hang on the wall. As a single I only had enough to decorate a room, not an apartment! A wall decoration can be relatively inexpensive to make. Take a few photos (scenic detail photos work well) and get a frame on sale that already has a mat. Choose appropriate scripture verses to go along with your photos and voila! you have a lovely gift. Sidenote: it helps to look at the couple’s registry to get a sense of their style and colors they like and then you can choose photos appropriately.

-Buy something that goes to a good cause- This would fall into the not-so-cheap but meaningful category. I recently had a bride choose a fine art photo from this site, which benefits an adoption from Uganda. It was totally worth it to me to spend the extra bucks and the bride was happy the money went somewhere useful, too.

-Stock their freezer- This is a little unconventional, but you can give the gift of food. When we returned from our honeymoon, my dear friend Brianne had left easy reheat meals for us to eat. I was SO GLAD I didn’t have to cook, especially since I was still unpacking and opening gifts. You can find the person with the key to the newlyweds place (usually someone has it to deliver presents) and you can send in some yummy “Welcome Home” meals.

-Pre-loved items for baby- I spent all my space on wedding gifts, I’m hoping the other ladies don’t mind taking the baby gift portion! I do have one idea to mention in that department. I have attended showers that indicated “Pre-loved items are welcome.” I think this is such a nice way to encourage others to bring along gently used items. One of my son’s favorite toys and many favorite outfits for both children have been pre-loved.

Amazing Jean Sale at Gap!! $20 June 26, 2009

Men’s and Women’s jeans are $20 at  Gap until July 2. I’d go now, though, as they are emptying their stock and will have all new jeans July 30. Take orders for your friends, and send one representative if you can’t get there yourself :)  The only style that they are really low on is Essential Jeans… my favorite. But I did find that curvy jeans are a nice alternative and I can get the same size as I did Essentials.

The good, the bad and the ugly June 26, 2009

Here are a few of my reviews on baby/kid items that we have used!

The Good:

One of my favorite baby things was our bouncy seat!  We were given a seat before the birth of our first and then given another at the birth of our second.  They are a life saver when it comes to doing things with 2 hands while your baby is awake, like blow drying your hair, folding laundry or showering (and they can be good  for napping a gassy baby too!)  They DO both have buckle for holding your baby in place too, if you are not keeping an eye on them or holding a photo shoot  ;)  Just like most baby things, you can find a full range of styles and prices, but really, I think the $25 Fisher-Price one did the job well, even if it is a bit of an eye sore!

Maclaren Rocker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Fisher-Price Bouncer

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Another simple, classic hit around here has been the Ikea Block Wagon.  I’m not sure if you can still get it, but here is a similar one by Melissa & Doug.  It was so fun to see our son’s mind go to work with stacking the blocks, pulling the wagon and just playing with something a little simpler than most of the toys out there today!

The Bad:

I did not have much success with these bowls by Munchkin.  The idea was nice, but my kids thought it was more fun to try to get the bowl up off the tray/table which resulted in some big messes as the bowl reluctantly released!  Having some covered bowls is great for taking homemade baby food on the road and I found that the set of 2 for $.97 at Walmart did wonderfully!

The Ugly:

I had to use this cute title, but I must admit I haven’t run across anything that I swore I would never use again (or at least I can’t remember it)!  I do echo Leah’s sentiments about the Desitin cream … leave it and pick up the ointment instead!  You can even go for the generic A+D ointment and have great results!