Earth Hour

Tonight @ 8:30!

Flick those lights off for one hour.
Be part of a global movement.



We'll be playing Mancala by candlelight tonight. =)

Happy Saturday blog friends!

Aloha Friday! Frugal?

Yay! It's Aloha Friday!

My Aloha Friday question is:

Are you frugal? A little? Not at all? Or a total frugalista??



I'm sooo frugalicious! :D
Not on everything.
But, on most.
I love bargains.
I love garage sales.
I love that being frugal sometimes leads to getting back to basics.
I love freecycle.
I love that there are so many ways to be both frugal and 'green'.

Didn't I just hear somewhere that being green and frugal is the new black? =)

So spill, are you frugalicious?

Head on over to An Island Life for more Aloha Friday questions and to play.

Have a fabulous weekend!
-Jen

The Year's At The Spring

Snapped this afternoon- My tulips reaching for the sky.


The year's at the spring,
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hill-side's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in his Heaven—
All's right with the world!
-Robert Browning

Does spring rejuvenate you, too?

What I've been up to...

Spring cleaning. (Vinegar and water my best buds.)


Crafting with the kids.


Changing some decor.


Organizing my linens. (I'm trying to make the switch to cloth napkins at dinner. I need to tuck some stain removal tips under my belt first, though. =)


Watching rentals.

Whatcha been up to?

Happy first day of Spring!
-Jen

The Little Boy and the Old Man

Said the little boy, "Sometimes I drop my spoon."
Said the old man, "I do that too."
The little boy whispered, "I wet my pants."
"I do that too," laughed the little old man.
Said the little boy, "I often cry."
The old man nodded, "So do I."
"But worst of all," said the boy, "it seems
Grown-ups don't pay attention to me."
And he felt the warmth of a wrinkled old hand.
"I know what you mean," said the little old man.
-Shel Silverstein



Yesterday afternoon while Haley was getting ready to go to the movies with friends...

Me: Noticing a yellow thermal tee on her bed. Oh,that's cute. Are you wearing that with tee over it?

Haley: confused?. Ummm. No.

Me: Oh, I thought I seen people wearing the layers like that.

Haley: Not this generation, Mom.

Me: Thinking later... did she really just say not this generation?


Last night in the grocery store after a few minutes of chat with a cute elderly couple...

Haley: You always have conversations in stores with old people.

Me: Mmm-hmmm. I like old people. (Honestly, I'm like an old people beacon, they seek me out to chit-chat.)

Haley: laughing. Did you hear him say, 'buggy?' It's a cart.



Oh how large the generation gap grows...

... or is it just me growing older?

preserves!

Guess what I crossed off my to-do docket?



One word. Delicious!

Pineapple Preserves
Recipe courtesy of Cookiedog- RecipeZaar

20 ounces crushed pineapple in juice
2 cups granulated sugar


1- Bring pineapple and sugar to a boil in a large saucepan and cook 20 minutes, stirring constantly until thickened or until the temperature reaches 200 degrees- jelly stage- on a thermometer.
2- Pour immediately into hot sterilized jars and process in a water-bath canner for 5 minutes. Place jars on a clean towel. Cover with towel to prevent drafts and let cool for 24 hours.

*You'll hear them 'pop' when they seal. =)




They look so pretty all lined up in my pantry in their adorable little jars.

I've already gave away a few of these with one small request- Please return the jar.

Is that tacky? ;P

Wordless Wednesday- Cousins

Two year-old cousins+playdates twice a week= best friends.

If you participate in WW, don't forget to add your blog @ 5 Minutes for Mom!

Happy WW!
-Jen

just canning today

Last summer's jam.


After 3 days of my little guy fighting the nasty stomach/flu bug, I can finally get to something that has been on my mini daily docket for a week!

I was so excited when I found my cute lil' canning jars last week (wait til you see them, they're so tiny & cute!) that I had picked up at a yard sale in the summer (the same jars that I wasn't able to find when I made my strawberry jam so I had to use my old ones) hidden in the back of my storage cabinet in the basement. (One wonders how they got there. Although, after searching and not being able to locate them previously, I told myself that maybe I hadn't bought them after all. Maybe... I had changed my mind and not bought them? Yeah, my memory is that shot.)


Pineapple Preserves is on my docket today, folks.

I'm even going to use an award winning recipe.

Award Winning Pineapple Preserves

What awards, you ask? Not sure. But, I'm counting on them turning out as tasty as they are easy. Wish me luck. =)

Happy Tuesday!

Four things that you cannot recover.

I found the images while cleaning out an old photobucket account and thought I'd share.

Have a great weekend!
-Jen

Aloha Friday! Dessert?

Yay! It's Aloha Friday!

My Aloha Friday question is:

What's your absolute favorite dessert?

Mine? Cherry Cheesecake.



Oh, my. Look at it calling my name.

Now if I only had a personal chef to whip that up for me today...

Head on over to An Island Life for more Aloha Friday questions and to play.

Have a great weekend!
-Jen

this and that

*Isn't it cute?

I think so, too! =)
My bloggy friend, Andrea @ My Chihuahua Bites passed on this adorable award to me. Thanks a bunch, girlie! It made my day!


*I snapped this pic yesterday. Funny, eh?


When I asked about glow worm sitting in the potty on the couch in the living room, Nicholas replied with the seemily obvious answer...

Glow worm had to go potty.

Hindsight is always 20/20 because I should have given Mr. Glow worm a sticker to put on Nicholas' empty potty chart!


*I read Nie Nie's Wednesday post before blogging this morning. I have a lump in my throat. I wish her all the dreams her heart can hold.




I'm off to work now.
Happy Thursay!
-Jen

For the Kids: Colored pasta!

Pasta Dye
1/2 cup rubbing alcohol
Food coloring

1- Mix alcohol and food coloring in bowl.
2- Add small amounts of any type of pasta to liquid and gently stir.
3- Dry on newspapers covered with wax paper.


Colored pasta is a toddler favorite in the K house.

Spoons and bowls- they love it!


*I also dyed some ziti for St. Patrick's Day necklaces we'll be making.



My next set of noodles to color: Wagon wheels!!

Happy Wednesday!

EWD- Nachos Night!

When I asked my sister what's her go-to, easy dinner after she's worked all day and doesn't feel like feel like cooking, she didn't hesitate when she said Nachos.

What else do you have with it? I asked.

Nothing, she said.

Just Nachos.

Piled high with seasoned beef, shredded mexican cheese and black olives. Broiled until the cheese is nice and bubbly.

Top with sour cream.

The whole family devours this, she said.

Reallllllyyy??

Such an easy idea.
Must try, I thought.



My whole family devoured this last night, too.
Even my picky toddler boy.

Oh, I pulled this out and put some on top...



...out of this world.

Thanks for the EWD idea, sis! =)

Weekend W's

Woo-hoo: I finished finding/prepping all the crafts for the kids' remaining pre-preschool theme units this weekend!! (With the help of hubby- I had him cutting sail boats and pirate hats out construction paper last night.) I can't believe we have only a handful of themes left. Time sure does fly. Well, unless you're waiting for warmer weather. Then it drags. ;P

Wish: That I would have picked up that oh-so-cute black & cream fabric I seen the other day instead of being indecisive and waiting. I could be making pillows today. Instead, I have to clean. (see below)

Whine: I barely touched any housework this weekend. That means more fun for today. {snort}

Wisdom: In honor of Dr. Seuss' Birthday:

Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. - Dr. Seuss

Weakness: Dollar bins at Target.

Want: Pecan pie. A big ole piece.

Web: Preschool Express Cute art ideas for the little ones!
I visit this website all the time for art/crafts/activity ideas to go along with our theme units.

Whimsy: Fabric Fortune Cookies


Hope you have a great Monday. What's on your agenda for the day?

-Jen