as promised

I'm excited to add some new items to my store! I've been working on things that are perfect for teachers ~ lanyards and wristlet key fobs. What? You're not a teacher? Well, I bet you know one or two. These make perfect gifts for a very reasonable price.

But wait! These aren't just for teachers. People in many different professions wear lanyards these days. They are perfect for holding ID badges, not to mention keys. I made two different kinds. These are all patchwork and are about 1.25" wide.

These are more narrow, at about three quarters of an inch wide, and have a lobster claw clasp.

Gorgeous fabrics, right? You might need a few of them, you know, to match different outfits.

Lanyards just aren't your thing? Well, these wristlet key fobs might be just the ticket for you. It easily slips onto your wrist so you can keep your keys handy, but your hands free. Plus with these cheerful fabrics, it's not likely to get lost in your purse!

Head on over to the shop to check out all the options available. And as usual, I'll add more as I make them.

just a peek

This is just a peek at something awesome that will be coming this way soon.

Probably tomorrow.

fooled

When I make smoothies for Greg's breakfast in the morning, I usually make extra for the kids to have for breakfast as well. Our smoothies are pretty basic ~ yogurt, milk, bananas (2 because Greg likes it extra banana-ish), and frozen fruit (berries). The kids keep telling me how great it would be if I made them with ice cream instead of yogurt. I agree, but that's not flying for breakfast unless it's for the mommy ~ not that I've eaten ice cream for breakfast before! Shhh.

So the other day, the smoothie was straight up strawberry banana since we had used all of the mixed berries. I hear Heather very excitedly tell Stephanie that mommy used ice cream this time. She informed her that not only did it taste like it, but there was an empty ice cream container in the trash. Heather squealed. Stephanie squealed. And they both ran downstairs to devour the delicious smoothie they believed to be ice cream filled.

Fooled them.

Later that afternoon when the subject came up again, I kept up the farce came clean. I told them that it was indeed only yogurt in their smoothie and the reason the empty ice cream carton was in the trash was because Greg and I had ice cream before bed the night before.

From the looks on their faces, I'm not sure which miffed them the most ~ the fact that they had a regular smoothie (that was reportedly scrumptious enough to pass for the ice cream kind) or that we had ice cream without them the night before.

beading with grandma

The kids have been showing and interest in making jewelry lately. I spent some time with beads and such a while back, but my experience is really limited. So we called on an expert to help us. Grandma Smith accepted the challenge.

But first Grandpa Smith took us ladies out to lunch at the club. Ok, well, maybe it wasn't a club. But it felt like one and has the most beautiful view of our city. And there was a golf course somewhere nearby. On our way, the children declared that when they retire they are going to live in that area of town and be close to Grandma and Grandpa Smith. So sweet.

Then we spent the afternoon learning how to make these gorgeous bracelets while Grandpa napped in front of the t.v. So pretty and delicate. These were so much easier to make than I had imagined. Heather did the light blue and Stephanie did the pink. When we showed Greg, he was sufficiently impressed with our mad beading skillz.

I made mine with a darker, almost turquoise blue, but while burning the end of the string, the main string accidentally got severed as well. Oops. I am going to have to redo mine. No worries ~ now I'll be really good at it.

I'm pretty sure that when we have lunch with Suzanne today and go shopping at Joann's I'll be coerced sweet talked into buying some more beading supplies.

a look behind closed doors

Is there ever a time in your life when you declare enough is enough? For quite some time now I have been dissatisfied with the state of my Tupperware (although not all of it is actually Tupperware) cabinets. One holds all the bowls and a shelf in a lower cabinet holds all the lids. It had come to the point where I was so frustrated with the lids that I'd tell Heather which lid I needed and she'd dive in and look for it. She's getting really good at knowing which lids to with which bowls.

Yesterday, even she couldn't find the lid I needed. That moment was the catalyst moment. Something had to be done ~ and now. So on a whim I finally set out to rearrange the cabinets.

The cabinet with the bowls wasn't too badly organized, although a little jumbly. See that red one on top? Why was a bigger one on top of a smaller one? Sometimes this cabinet is in more disarray because for reasons unexplainable to me the kids seem unable or unwilling to stack like bowls with other like bowls. I am constantly restacking the bottom shelf.

This hideous mess is what sent me over the edge. I have attempted time and time again to organize this neatly. There are two baskets holding lids. There was once order and calmness in here. Now there is this. There are even lids on the lower shelf where they aren't supposed to be. At times I will admit that I open the door and throw the lids in there and shut it quickly. Getting a lid out? Well, you need a miner's lamp and some heavy equipment to venture into this black hole.

This cabinet is low (and I am not) which made getting lids out of the back a pain. Note to all home builders: Please only install the lower cabinets with those fancy pull-out drawers from now on! You will make our lives easier.

Viola! I decided to store the lids closer to their respective bowl mate. I moved the biggest bowls out of this cabinet and am amazed at the space it gave me. Let's take a moment to admire the beauty. Ahhh.

Some lids are lined up neatly next to its corresponding bottom. Easy to find. Easy to get.

Most lids are still in a basket, but still very close to their mate. The tiniest lids are in the yellow basket.

Order has been restored.

I put some seldom used items that I am unwilling to part with in the waaayy back of this lower cabinet. The bigger bowls and their lids are in the front of the cabinet. Easy to find. Easy to get.

This little project allowed me to get rid of some stuff. I found I had more lids than bottoms. Out they go. The containers that never shut quite right? Out they go.

cvs games

There are ladies out there who are real pros at shopping at CVS. Me? Strictly amateur! But every once in a while I am able to work out a smokin' deal for myself. All of the above stuff was only $46.95 ~ except the kid. She has been far more expensive than that! She was my shopping helper on Saturday. I ended up doing four transactions ~ only three of which were planned ~ during this trip. We won't discuss how I messed up and had to do a fourth one. The cashier was very accommodating. After it was all said and done I realized I could have had only two transactions. See? Amateur!

Anyway, let's talk about the super deals I got on some of the items.

The Neutrogena sunscreen was $9.99 each. Buy two and get $10 Extra Care Bucks. So each tube of sunscreen was essentially $4.99. Great deal there. I love this sunscreen! It's the only kind I've found besides baby sunscreen that doesn't sting my face and it's not greasy at all.

The Softsoap body wash was on sale for $3. Not a steal, but a good price. But if you bought a total of $15 worth, you get $5 EC bucks. I had four 75 cents off coupons. After coupons and EC bucks I paid $1.40 per bottle of body wash. Now that's a deal!

I've had my eye on the Fit and Fresh containers for the kids' bento-style lunches. At Target they are $9.99. I was willing to pay it, but just kept putting it off. Good thing I did because they were on clearance at CVS for $4.49. There was only one, but there was a coupon inside for $1 off another one. I found another one at a different CVS and only paid $3.49 for it. Awesome! And you better believe that with a cute new lunch container, I will be showing off the girls' lunches when school starts!

The baggies and hand soap were on sale and I did have coupons, but they weren't extraordinary deals just good ones.

When Greg saw me taking a picture of all of this he asked me what I was doing. I just smiled at him and he rolled his eyes and said, "Oh my gosh!"

P.S. Don't go to CVS expecting to get these deals. The sale was over on Saturday. I was shopping on the last day of the sale. Sorry.

menu plan monday ~ august 2

Except for getting milk and Dr. Pepper on Saturday, the last time I went grocery shopping was 12 days ago. I pretty much made my goal of making it two weeks ~ but I knew we'd need milk. Our fridge can't hold enough milk for our family for two weeks. The only time I drink milk is with Ovaltine sometimes while I'm getting ready in the morning. But for the other three chug-a-lugs in the house, I buy three gallons a week.

The kids and I are going grocery shopping today and I'm hoping to make it last two weeks again. That is, with the exception of milk and maybe some produce.

So I planned ten meals for the next two weeks. The other nights will be something easy, like grilled cheese and soup.

• chicken tetrazzini
• roasted chicken (crockpot)
• cheesy chicken & rice casserole (with leftover chicken from the crockpot)
• tacos
• shredded beef quesadillas (with leftover roast from last night)
• pizza
• swedish meatballs
• classic macaroni & cheese (the kind in the oven ~ fancy)
• stir fry
• steak and pasta salad

What's on your menu plan? Visit orgjunkie.com for more ideas.