Gender Neutral---- Ha!

Last night on the national news we watched was  a story about the push to make language

 "gender neutral"

They said some words were easy to change like 

penmanship should be called handwriting,  

firemen should be called firefighters.

Other words were harder to find a suitable substitute like manhole

I had just been shopping in the toddler department at Walmart and all I could think was

"ha!  where is this gender neutral activist group when it comes to marketing things to children?"

I needed to buy a trainer seat for the toilet for our grand children.  

One boy is fully trained, one girl is new to potty-training and is doing great, 

and we have 3 more grands (2 boys, 1 girl)  who start this when they are older.

So,  I just wanted a simple neutral seat that could be used by all the children and not look horrible in our bathroom.

I was so disappointed to see an entire endcap of bright color seats

all with licensed characters like Disney Princesses, Cars,  Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse-

all were very gender specific- and also way too bright and flashy for my decorating taste.

I was almost going to settle for Micky Mouse as he had a white background and was the least gender specific,

when I spotted on the bottom shelf

3 of these plain white cushy seats - decorated with just a few cute little yellow ducks.  

 It doesn't look too bad at all, does it?  

See that white loop on the center back?  

It can hang out of the way when not needed.  

I also needed to buy some pull ups for the older grands to wear when they sleep.  

I did not see any pull ups in any brand that were not gender specific- 

so we have Cars ones for the boy and Princess ones for the girl

but I would really prefer to just a neutral design that either could wear.

When my children were babies and toddlers,  baby things were usually aqua or yellow or mint green,  maybe all primary colors.  

Now it seems that everything for little ones is very princess pink or very boyish with trucks or sports, etc.

I am not trying to start a big discussion on whether gender neutral is a good  or bad thing for everything,

but I sure do wish the baby and children things for sale

were more practical, 

 less commercial 

and easy to use for multiple children.  

Batteries- My favorite way to organize them

Batteries- we use them in flash lights, cameras, tv remotes, baby monitors,  so many toys, etc!

I used to keep all the extra batteries in their packages in a basket but I never knew how many we had and it was just a mess to try to find the ones we needed.

I saw some plastic cases on my friend Susan's blog.  She uses 2 big pill boxes to keep her batteries.  

I liked her idea but we also use those big C and D batteries so we needed a bigger box.

We found our box in the fishing section of Walmart.
It has moveable dividers and is easy to organize.

It is also deep enough to store those big D batteries standing up.

I can even tell from this picture that we are running low on  AA batteries and will add them our shopping list for our next Sam's trip.    

Can you see it on the shelf in our storage pantry?

The only disadvantage to having this many batteries stored in one box is it is heavy.

But this battery box works for us and is one of the most useful things I've copied from an online idea.

thanks Susan!

And thank you all for your kind words about me being under the weather yesterday.  

I may of had a very mild case of the Rotovirus I keep hearing about on the news but who knows- I am just so thankful to feel good today.

I did go to Walmart today- not in jammies though- but properly dressed.  

Linking to

The Country Homemaker Blog Hop
and
Think Tank Thursday at Joyful Homemaking and Saving for Six

Not going to Wal-mart but I think this is funny

Why yes,  I am still in my pajamas 

I normally wear clothes all day but I am sick for the 2nd time this month - aargh! so I have worn jammies all day.  

 I did feel a little better this afternoon and took a shower and put on clean jammies.

 I hardly ever get sick and don't like this one bit.  

But I am very hopeful that if I get a good night's sleep tonight,  

I will be back to my busy self tomorrow.  

So,  sweet dreams to everyone, me included,

and do whatever you can to avoid germs.  

new clothes for the kitchen appliances

Here is a partial preview of the changes I've made to our kitchen and breakfast area part that I am claiming as more kitchen space.  

I moved this white armoire into the breakfast area for more storage and
for a place for the 2 biggest appliances to sit.
I would like to have cabinets added to this room but for several reasons- that is just not going to happen right now.

Manuela at The Cultivated Nest recently bought a similar white cabinet for her kitchen and that gave me the idea to move this armoire into our breakfast area.
It was originally in our daughter's bedroom when she was a teen but has not really been used for much since she moved out.

Using something we already had saved us at least $600 and so much time too.  

I didn't like the way the appliances were sitting out in the open so I sewed up some  new clothes for them.
I made all 3 this morning after doing my measuring last night.
I used some  natural colored  heavy muslin for all 3.
Then I thought they looked too plain so I added some iron on letters.
The mixer cover says MIX
the toaster over says TOAST and the bread machine says KNEAD.  

I had these iron on letters in my sewing room too.
My children used to made shirts with phrases ironed on and  all the extra letters were left here.
Since some of the letters had been used for other projects,  I had to be a little creative and could not put BREAD on the that machine as there were no Bs left.  

My measurements
and how I made the pattern.
I just measured the appliances and then added seam allowances.
No lining or quilting on these- just simple muslin slip covers~
that were simple to make and made totally with things on hand.

For sure- a Make,  Do and Mend project.


Linking to
Sunny Simple Sunday 

and 

You Flew Tuesday at Feathers Flight

a really fun sewing blog I recently visited

Spice Bottles

this is what my spice bottles started out as.

I cleaned them and scrubbed off the labels. 

Then I painted the metal tops red and added circle labels.  

I did not drink them.

 My mom drank some of them and my daughter's coworkers drank some.  

My daughter used the bottles at her daughter's first birthday party and then after the party,  

I took enough of the bottles to use for my spices.  

I tried to find some of the birthday party pictures to show you but cannot find them right now.

So,  even if you don't drink these coffee drinks,  I'm guessing you have friend or relative who does,  or you might can find some at a recycling place.  

Some little things from this week......

did you know that you can wash the canister on most vacuums?
I did not either until I saw it done on Sunny Simple Life.
This was fast and easy to do-
our vacuum is at least 5 years old and was very overdue for this washing.
The canister on mine comes completely off.
 My filter looks different than Sunny Simple Lifes so I washed mine in the sink and let it dry for 12 hours, like it says my filter but I had never noticed the instructions before.
It smells much better and just looks better too.   

Farmers Pork Chops in the front dish- sauteed spinach behind

I cooked this new to me recipe from the Charm of Home this week- it is a keeper recipe!
I pretty much followed her recipe except I just made a half recipe,  used Mrs. Dash instead of the seasoned salt and put the glass lid on this pyrex dish for the second part of the baking.    

I use the spice rack, junk drawer, utensil drawer and knife drawer every day.  But they had all gotten out of whack  so I spent a few minutes on each one- just straightening and organizing and discarding a few things.

I 've also done a little moving around in my home and have pretty much changed the breakfast room area into an extension of the kitchen- with no money spent.  It has really added to my kitchen work area.

I'll post pictures soon. 

The holiday on Monday was nice but made the week seem shorter and it just sped by.  

No plans for this weekend though and I am hoping to spend some time crafting and sewing Saturday.

I really hope to do a Cricut project,  I never got the Cricut challenge last week.  

I hope you all have a nice weekend!  

Pantry Challenge update

Meals this week

Sunday - I used this nifty triple crockpot to cook while we went to church.

In one pot #1 I put in a lean roast beef cut in cubes with some dry brown gravy mix bought in big containers at Sams. 

pot #2 was sliced carrots

pot #3 -was for instant mashed potatoes- they are not my favorite but my children are fond of them.  So,  I just measured out the water, salt and butter and put it on low to get hot.  When we got home from church,  I stirred in the dry potatoes  and butter,  and the mashed potatoes were ready as perfect as instant potatoes can be.  

We also had a big green salad with this meal.  

Monday- we had takeout from Panda Express

Tuesday- I cooked rice and served the leftover Sunday roast on top with some sauteed spinach and green salad.

Wednesday- Tuesday's leftover rice was made into fried rice with lots of veggies in it,  also heated up the last serving of  pepper chicken from Monday and more sauteed spinach.  

Thursday- shredded pork quesadillas with Mexican rice and a big green salad.  

I've been to the store twice this week- got basics like milk, eggs, yogurt, bananas, chicken broth. 

About that crockpot,  I had some Christmas and Birthday money from my parents.  I had so much fun spending it.  I got a sewing thread rack and about 80 spools of thread and dressmaker shears at Joanns- all on sale.  Then I got houseshoes,  a new Shark iron and that nifty crockpot.

This cooker holds 2.5 quarts in each pot.  

Each one has separate controls so you can cook up to 3 things at different temps.  

It also cooks slower, more like older crockpots,   so it may take all day to cook to something instead of just 4-5 hours like my big crock pot.  

I think this feature is great for when I will be gone or busy all day.   

One disadvantage is its size- the thing is almost 3 feet long and heavy!   I need to rearrange the storage pantry so it will have a place to be stored away when I am not using it.
I ordered mine from Walmart but I also so them in SamsClub when we shopped there recently.
They sell at both places for less than $40.



So far,  for the first 3 weeks in January,  I spent about $100 on groceries and household things.


Then, on Friday,  my husband had an appointment with his knee surgeon.
Husband's 8th right knee surgery could happen sometime in the next few weeks.
Since we were in the big city day and
 since the surgery and recovery will certainly keep us away from stores,
 we broke this challenge and  bought quite a few groceries that day.

Once again our kitchen is stocked but I did not make it all month on less than $200
 that is OK.
I still accomplished the goal to pay that bill with grocery/spending money.

So,  technically, I guess my pantry challenge is over but it is not.
The kitchen is full and  there will be no need to shop again for weeks.

My new plan is to get some things baked up ahead like par-baked pizza crusts and some cookies to put in the freezer for those busy days after surgery when I know we will be going to frequent physical therapy sessions.

Why do people think homemakers must be bored?
There always seems to be plenty of things to keep me busy
and to keep me on my toes.

Have you baked with Princess yet?

 Princess 

Cake and Cookie

bakery emulsion

 I heard about this flavoring from  Caryn Ross that cooks on channel 9 here in Oklahoma.  

She put it in sugar cookies that looked a lot like those big frosted cookies from the grocery store and she raved about how good this Princess flavoring is.  She said is the same flavoring that good bakeries use in their white cakes and sugar cookies.  

So,  I went looking for it.  Hobby Lobby sells it and so does Amazon and King Arthur flour company.  

It is made by Lorann.

It is a thick flavoring,  be sure to shake it well before you measure it out.

I have added it to sugar cookies, pound cake and Mexican Wedding cookies.

and it is delicious- kind of almond-ish,  a little lemon-ish,  a little vanilla and butter-ish.  

I add it along with any vanilla the recipe calls for.   

The pound cake muffins I baked today called for 1/2 t vanilla and I also added 1/2 t Princess and they were perfect.  

Have you ever heard of Princess?  

 linking up to 

Tammy's Recipes
and
Brenda's Tweak it Tuesday 

with a little help from 2 great bloggers.....

Pretty 

Valentine Wreath
 I made it last night
I first saw this on the Homespun  Heart in 2008 and have been wanting to make one ever since but never could find a styrofoam heart base to use.
Thankfully Joann's opened in my town this summer and I found one there!

our entry way

a whole chicken in a can?

Sweet Sue full cooked canned WHOLE chicken
with the bones, skin, broth, meat and all!

This can was a big topic of conversation at our home over the holidays. 

Son Bobby brought it as he had heard about it from a friend of his who is a buyer for Hastings.  

Of course,  my children thought it was so funny and gross but I am going to try this bird soon.

Bobby said he bought it at Crest Foods for about $5.  

My mom said she knew people who have been using this whole canned chickens for a long time.  She told a story about my brother who really liked chicken and dumplings at a neighbor's house and that neighbor told Mom she used a canned chicken to make them.  

Son in law John was probably the most grossed out about the idea of a whole chicken in a can,  but he pointed out the ingredient label was just "chicken, water and salt"

That is a really short list for any processed foods these days. 

have any of you used a Sweet Sue canned chicken? 

I will try it soon. 

I do think it would be a great thing to have if you are a prepper or to have for emergencies.  

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge - week 2 of 2013

This week's challenge at 

Fantabulous Crictut 

was to make a project using tags.  

Tags has a very broad definition and I hope how I did mine fits with their ideas.  

I bake a lot with my bread machine.  Some recipes I can remember in my head but I have several bread recipes and I was having to get out the booklet that came with my machine every time I started some bread.

So,  I thought new recipe card tags would help me out.  

 I used the From My Kitchen cartridge for all cuts on this project.

My tags are the 2 layered potholders.  

I had wrote my favorite recipes on each one.  

I used scraps to play and cut out little embellishments.  Some of them made their way to my tags and some were not the right sizes.   I am still very much a novice at the Cricut but I have fun every time I use this machine.  

So they will be easy to use,  I tacked them to the inside of my baking cabinet.  

But I think I better make some more......

this is the inside of another cabinet door with an assortment of favorite recipes taped on it- it I don't think it looks nearly as cute as my new tags,  

Do you Cricut?  

They have a new project each week and the parties at Fantabulous Cricut are lots of fun!  

I live in such a country town that.......

these "planters" in front of the habitat thrift store

almost look cute and normal here.  

My My My

what would Martha say?  

linking up to Sunny Simple Sunday

at Sunny Simple Life 

Pantry challenge-this weeks update

Good morning!

I did not intend to take a week off from blogging but you all know how life goes sometimes, right?

Anyway,  I am still  doing the pantry challenge.  We've ate at home every meal except lunch last Saturday when we went to the big city.  We also did a little grocery shopping while we there.

I've spent about $100 this month so far- a little more than I wanted but our normal grocery budget is $600 for the whole month and I hope to spend less than $200 this month.  

What I bought- 

produce at Sams like romaine, fresh spinach, cherry tomatoes, carrots

also mixed nuts and goldfish

at Sprouts- fresh pineapple and bell peppers, balsamic vinegar and bulk red pepper

at Aldi- dry milk, red onions, 

At Walmart- diet soda (yep I fell off the wagon and that is OK)  

glow in the dark Pull ups that don't glow nearly as well in real life as they do on the TV commercial

milk

I bought more than this but I don't have my reciepts in front of me 

This is a picture my son sent me,  it is his favorite "go-to" meal to serve his family.

It is a baked potato,  topped with Aldi roast beef in a can,  topped with grated cheese- served on a real plate!  

Bobby says the Aldi canned roast beef is really good,  I've never tried it but do plan on buying a can or 2 and trying it out. 

If you are doing this challenge,  how is it going?  

Pantry Challenge Day 4

My young grandsons spent the day with me but only one of them eats food.  

 My youngest son spent the day here too and had fun playing with his nephews.  

Breakfast - husband took about the same thing as previous days to eat at work.

Grandson and I ate banana muffins and pineapple.

Lunch - pigs in a blanket and chips

Supper - chili from the freezer with corn chips and cole slaw I made early this morning.  

project for the laundry room

the frame was from the thrift store- I added a fresh coat of red spray paint

the black letters were cut with Cricut,  Storybook cartridge, from black card stock

the clothes were printed from Pinterest,  I searched for paper doll clothes until I found ones that I like.  

sneak peek especially for you Tracey


linking to parties at
Common Ground
The Charm of Home-Home Sweet Home

Pantry Challenge Day 3

Just a short update on today's meals

Breakfast was the same as yesterday

Lunch- husband took the same thing except had ham and jalapeno cheese sandwiches on homemade buns for his main course.  I had a peanut butter sandwich and fresh pineapple.

Supper- a big green salad and homemade sausage potato soup, sort of like Olive Gardens, but this batch was spicier and really good and crackers.  

I've also been doing a sort of use it up challenge in my craft room.  

This week, I sewed up curtains for our living room, breakfast room and master bedroom- and used fabric that was bought months ago.  I'll post pictures later.  

I am also working on a picture for the laundry room- also with supplies on hand.  

Pantry Challenge Day 2

Another easy day for the challenge

My husband takes a packed lunch bag to work.  Today, it had a string cheese, a little dish of mixed nuts,  a peeled orange, some fruit cocktail, cole slaw and a dish of leftover blackeyed peas and rice along with a thermos of coffee.  He usually drinks orange and juice before he leaves for work and then eats what I pack on his lunch hour and morning break.

I had banana muffins for breakfast, skipped lunch and ate fresh pineapple for my afternoon snack.

Supper was a big green salad,  mixed veggies, and a casserole made with cooked chicken from the freezer,  a tube of crescent rolls left from Christmas and the last can of cream of soup in the pantry.  I don't plan on buying more cream soup and will try  some of the recipes to make it homes.  

I also made a batch of oatmeal cookies for dessert if we get hungry tonight and for snacks later in the week.  

Our local grocery ads started a new cycle today but I did not see anything in them we need right now.

We have some big financial goals for 2013.  

We think they are doable with a little planning and work.  

But,  today my husband got his first paycheck with the 2% change in SS taxes.  

2% is a big chunk - 

just a warning to you to be prepared when you see your first 2013 paychecks.  

I knew this was coming but it was still not a good surprise.  

It makes me even more determined to continue this challenge.  

Pinterest - Cricut project

Some of my goals for 2013 are to do at least 1 Pinterest project every week 

and to join in the with the weekly Cricut challenge at Fantabulous Cricut. 

This week's Cricut challenge is to  make an organizational project using your cricut

Mine was easy as I combined both into one easy quick project.  

I saw a pin to cover a cereal box  in scrapbook paper with magnets glued on the back and then put on the side of the fridge. The pin said it was a great place to put the mail pile or bills and keep that junk pile off the counter.

I used a cracker box as it would be right size to organize and contain an assortment of note pads we get from some Veteran groups we support.
I cut it along the middle and ended up with mine about a 4.5 inch square.

I reinforced the box with  a few strips of masking tape.
Then I covered it with gift wrap paper.  

With my Cricut,  I used Storybook to make the black square with the scalloped border.
Designer's Calendar has the string around the finger reminder on it.

Rather fitting for the things I write on slips of paper, right?  

the magnets on the back for some heavy advertising magnets that I got from my daughter.  One was almost as big as the back of my box but just for some extra strength,  I added more magnets pieces to cover the back.  

I used E6000 to glue the magnets to the box.

I like this so much on the fridge,

I think I will make a bigger next!

Joining the party at - and hoping to do this challenge every week of 2013

Fantabulous Cricut Challenge Me Monday 

Pantry challenge Jan 1st

many banana nut muffins
frozen in plastic containers that will be washed and reused- a better choice than freezer bags,
especially when there is room in the freezer for the containers.  

Breakfast- cereal and orange juice for husband

I had banana muffins.  I used 5 very ripe bananas to make a double batch of banana bread- it made 48  mini muffins and 17 regular muffins.  Most went in the freezer for future meals and snacks.  My grandchildren will enjoy the mini muffins and my big kids will like the regular muffins.

Lunch- nachos and quesadillas while we watched our town's university play in their bowl game.

Tortilla chips topped with Mexican cheese and diced jalapenos- broiled until the cheese melted.

Quesadillas- flour tortillas filled with leftover taco meat and Mexican cheese,  toasted on a griddle and cut into wedges.

both were served with lots of salsa.

Supper - what all  Southerners eat on New Years- blackeyed peas with rice and sauteed cabbage.  I will use the last of the Christmas ham to season the peas.

Ruby red grapefruit sections for dessert.  

In case you are wondering where I am starting from on this pantry challenge  -we have plenty of stuff!  

this is our pantry,  it is hard to get a good photo 

the freezer inventory wrote up a few days ago
it is not exact but it is close.

Today was easy- just 30 more to go!


linking up to the party
at
Walking Redeemed

Pantry Challenge

Good Cheap Eats 

I read about this challenge on Dawn's blog  and I saw on Pinterest that Tammy is doing it too ,  but I am not sure if she is going to blog about hers. 

We have big goals for 2013- I will elaborate more about them in another post.   Our politicians may not realize it, but I know that big goals usually require both spending cuts and adding revenue.  We've had a bit of a revenue increase and I plan on making a big difference by cutting spending too. 

I was already thinking about doing this but the post on Good Cheap Eats  encouraged me to commit to it and to blog about it.  

We have plenty of meat in the freezer- probably an easy 3 months worth, maybe more.  

The pantry is full.

We've got plenty of non-food essentials like health and beauty things, things to clean with and paper goods.  

We have some fresh stuff but we will eat through it before the end of the month.

So my plan is to mostly use things at home, buying only needed fresh goods or things that we truly need.  

Other purchases will only be if  a low sale of the year price comes along.  

I hope to spend $100-$200 or less,  instead of the usual $600.

how about you?  are you stocked up enough to try a challenge like this one?  

A special old Christmas book

My daughter has been buying books to have an assortment of Christmas books for her daughter.  

She asked me about this book, that she remembers we had had when she was a little girl.  

She wanted to buy their own copy but it is crazy-expensive now

used copies are in the $80 range

and new ones are listed at $120 up to $900!~  

I found our old copy and obviously it is not in mint condition

but it is still in great shape for all the reading it got and to be 28 or years old.  

The First Christmas by Tomie dePaola 

 It really is a special book.  

All the pages are pop-ups 

and it has little things to pull and turn for more activity.  

We won't be selling our copy, even for $900.  

I've read it to the grands several times and I think I enjoyed it as much as they did and just like their parents-aunts and uncles did.  

Tuesday

Grandson Braeden watches his brother and cousin play in the big Target shipping box.

I hope that come Christmas, 

they think the toys are as much fun to play with as the box they came in was.  

This stuff is good!

Have you seen the candy recipe made with a cup of brown sugar, 2 sticks of butter, 40 or so saltine crackers and a bag of chocolate chips?  

I made my first batch today and it is so good and easy.  It got the thumbs up from my husband, daughter and grand daughter too.  One recipe makes quite a bit and it is so quick because all you have to measure is the brown sugar.  The tray gets lined with foil so the only things that need much washing are the saucepan that the butter/sugar gets cooked in and the utensils.

So,  if you need  a quick tried and true recipe for Christmas or for gift giving - try this one!

I used  A Southern Grace's recipe and read through her many comments for all the info about how long to cook it and what to look for.  

http://asoutherngrace.blogspot.com/2008/12/saltines-have-never-had-it-so-good.html

I did not think I would feel like blogging for awhile but I just decided not to let our personal tragedy and then this horrific tragedy in CT completely keep me down. 

I am so sad,  just like you are,  but I am choosing to think about good things and talk about good things with as much of a smile as I can make.  

We all need to grieve as it suits us,  for me- staying busy is what helps me.  

God bless you all 

December

Hello everyone,  

just wanted to post and say I don't plan on making any new blog posts until after Christmas or maybe until the new year.  

Life is busy and good and hard right now.  

Busy with Christmas things.  

Good with Christmas things and new living room furniture being delivered today, sweet grand children and lovely weather for this time of year.  

an old photo from 2008
my husband and our very sweet Theo and me

but very hard as we lost our sweet Theo yesterday.  

He has been sick for months and I thought having all that time to prepare would make his passing easier but nope!  it has been just heart-wrenching.  

We will be fine- in time.  

And I will be back - 

I have been redecorating some rooms and plan to do a blog home tour 

as well was working on a 13 projects in 2013 with  my thrifty homemakers yahoogroups list.  

I will be visiting your blogs,  just not making any new posts

Merry Christmas to everyone!


update
thank you all so much for your sweet comments.  It means a lot to me.
It is still hard and our home seems empty without Theo but it really is just a bit easier with each day.
I know this is silly and not the least Biblical,  but when I think of Theo,  I imagine in my head that he is playing fetch in Heaven with those school children who just left this earth in such a shocking and unexpected way.  

Life is hard but we must keep our faith and go on.

Clean laundry -my thrifty way

My children tease me that I am picky about lots of things and that may be true but I am especially picky about how I do laundry.

Clothing and linens are expensive and I know that careful laundering can keep them looking good or careless laundering can make them look bad before their time.  

First,  I sort the laundry- 

I sort by color and by fabric weight/type

whites get washed alone so nothing transfers color onto them and they get washed in hot water to kill germs 

Darks like jeans and husbands work shirts all get washed together on the sturdy cycle

mostly in cold but sometimes in warm if they are especially dirty. 

lighter weight things like my tops and sleepware get washed together on gentle on cold.

I use 2 kinds of laundry detergent-
 I use Tide for any clothes that might have stains.

This is my grand daughters Thanksgiving shirt that she wore all that day while she ate and played with her Louisiana cousins.
  It was plenty messy with red marker, pink frosting and all kinds of dirt and spots.
Her mom asked me to wash it as she did not think she could get it clean.
I poured liquid Tide on the spots and added it to the rest of that delicate load
This white shirt came out 100% white and spot free after just one wash!

I don't buy or make pre-treatment- I just use Tide on those spots.

Yes,  I know Tide is expensive.  I buy a giant jug at SamsClub and it really lasts a long time.
For me,  it is worth it.  That jug of Tide costs less than one blouse or shirt that might end up stained and useless.  

for laundry that is not stained or spotty,  I buy the cheapest powder detergent and use it  on those loads.  

Drying that clean laundry

I have a clothesline outside and use it for bigger things like sheets, blankets and jeans.

But last week,  I did laundry and cleaning on Monday- a very cold and windy day in Oklahoma.

So,  I use the clothes dryer for the small things.  

For the bigger things,  I started them in the dryer for about 15 minutes and then I put them on their hangers and spread them around the doorways to finish drying,

I did this early in the morning and by mid-afternoon, they were dry and put away in the closet.

Monday was also cleaning day,  that vacuum and mop weren't just there for looks.
It was Monday after Thanksgiving,  and our house had lots of living in it during that 4 day weekend.
It needed a good cleaning and I was happy to do.
and really happy when it was done.   

23 Meals for $50 of Pork Loin

On Tuesday,  I bought 4 whole pork loins on sale for $1.69 a pound- the 4 loins cost about $50 total.

When my husband got off work,  he cooked 3 of them in his electric smoker.
He loves to smoke meat and used to have a big wood heated smoker but he switched to an electric one and he likes it so much better.

Theo,  waiting for the smoked pork to cool- he knows he will get a few slices.

The smoked loins- cooling

My husband trims the loins before he cooks them
and covers them with a spice rub that I make.  

Sliced and bagged up for the freezer
those 3 loins made 17 meal size bags for us.


We like to have this loin with a little Head Country Barbecue sauce on homemade buns.
I try to keep homemade buns in the freezer along with smoke pork and this is our Go-To meal for busy days.
It really is quicker it heat up the pork and toast some buns than to drive somewhere to get a bag of burgers.

With the other whole loin,  I used this recipe for Chipotle Pork,  cooked in the crock pot.
I cooked the meat pretty much like the other blogger said.
It turned out tender and shredded so easy.

From that pork loin,  I dished up 6 meal size portions.  We heated up the one in the Pyrex bowl for last nights supper.  and froze the rest for future easy meals.

this filling is good but we like spicy things.  When I make it again,  I will double the spices.
We usually have a pack of store bought tortillas in the pantry but I guess I have not bought any in awhile.
So,  I looked on line for a recipe- looking for soft flour tortillas.  I found a recipe that uses coconut oil and that blogger said the coconut oil is what makes them easy to roll out.  I followed her recipe exactly.

She was right,  I've made (and fought) with tortillas, trying to roll them out thin and it has always been hard and very time consuming.  These coconut oil ones rolled out super easy and very thin.
I prefer the store bought flour tortillas but will keep this recipe for when we want burritos and don't have store ones.

linking up with Think Tank Thursday 

a joint party hosted by 2 sister bloggers

and 

Homemakers by choice- Friday Link Up