My tulips this morning.

I'm listening to two, two year-olds go back and forth.

'It's mine.'
'No, it's not yours.'
'It's miiiiiiiiine!'
'NO, it's mine!'

Good morning to me. {chuckle}

Minus the toddler bickering, I'm expecting today to be a good day.

The sun is shining. And, I have the day off. Those two things just reek of loveliness, don't they?!

I'm off to get crack-a-lackin' on my daily cleaning. Hope you all have a great Tuesday! =)

Weekend W's

Woo-hoo: Hubby is almost done with academy! Only one more week!! {It feels like he's been in there forever! Oh wait- he has.}

Whine: I had to work on Mother's Day. The plus side? On my way in to work I stoppped off at McD's for a coffee and they were giving out free Brownie melt's to mom's. Have you tried them? Mmmm, they're pretty tasty.

Wisdom: Live a good life. In the end it is not the years in a life, but the life in the years. - Abraham Lincoln

Weakness: food. seriously. why couldn't I have a weakness for cute running shoes or yoga mats or something?

Worry: Nick will never be potty-trained. :p

Want: A new camera. Too bad Nikon hasn't contacted me to do a review. {{ wish }}

Web: Hulu !! I love watching the cooking shows.

Wish: See above. Nikon D40 review. =)

Working: On some fun PR stuff for the blog.


Have a great week!
-Jen

Oh, Goody! Granola Bars

I've been in a baking mood lately. Can ya'll tell?



Holy sweet-chewy granola bars, batman.

These babies are delicious.

2 cups quick cooking oats
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup all-purpose flour (I used whole wheat flour)
3/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup coconut
1/2 chopped nuts (I used almonds & pecans)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9x13 inch baking pan w/parchment paper & spray with vegetable oil spray.

2- In a large bowl, mix together the oats, brown sugar, nuts, coconut, cinnamon, flour, raisins and salt. Make a well in the center, and pour in the honey, egg, oil and vanilla. Mix well using your hands. Press the mixture evenly into the prepared baking pan.

3- Bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven or until the edges are golden. Pull the parchment paper w/ bars out of the pan and let cool. Cut into bars.

4- Don't eat so many that it upsets your tummy. Ask me how I know.

Have a great Thursday blog friends! =)

WFMW

Frugal Edition. {This week we were asked to share our frugal tips.}

Here's a few of my biggest $$ savers.

* Meal plan, meal plan, meal plan!
Yeah, it's not always the most fun you'll have writing up your menus, but it pays off in so many ways...

1- You don't find yourself staring into the fridge at dinnertime wondering what to cook.
2- You've planned your meals so you know what you need to buy at the grocery store. And, the list helps you stick to your grocery budget so you don't overspend.
3- It helps to keep you out of that cooking rut that many of us can fall into. You know, making the same things over and over and over. When you sit down to plan your menu for the week (or month) get out all those recipes you've always wanted to try and pencil one in here and there. You'll be amazed at the variety of meals you make.

* Let vinegar become your best bud.



I mix 1 part vinegar to 2 parts water. That's it. That's my cleaner. I even use it as a hard wood floor cleaner. Love it.
I also use vinegar to clean for my rinse agent in the dishwasher and I clean the coffee pot by running some vinegar & water through it.

I also have my homemade laundry soap recipe here.


* Join your local Freecycle .
Freecycle is all about re-using and keeping things out of landfills. Look at this little gizmo I picked up Saturday from a freecycler.



Almost-new HP photo printer! It works great, too.


For most frugal folks these tips are old news, but these oldie but goodies work for me.

Visit We are THAT family for more Works-for-me Wednesday ideas, tips and inspiration.



Happy Wednesday!
-Jen

I woke up this morning to Daisy dog snoring, the birds outside chirping and my Nicholas with his heel firmly lodged into my thigh muscle.

Somewhere in between finding out yesterday that I didn't have to watch my sweet niece this morning,
passing out at 10pm last night,
bringing a crying Nicholas into our bed in the wee hours of the morning, to waking up at 7:05 am, the universe failed to recognize that I'd have liked to have slept in.

Call me crazy, but I'd rather not have my eyes flutter open at seven 'o clock if they don't have to, know what I mean?

Nonetheless, with the chirping birds, Daisy and a sore thigh I rolled {{ very reluctantly I might add }} out of bed. As I'm typing this, I'm sipping my coffee waiting for that jolt of energy to push me off my fanny and into a state of motivation & movement.

Until then, I'll be reading some blogs. :D

Happy Tuesday!

Easy to make kids game!

Megan over at Plum Pudding has the absolute cutest ideas for kids.

I'm saving my plastic spice jars to use for her Sprinkle Jars. (My super-duper picky eater son loves to dip and sprinkle- yay!)

But, one of my favorite ideas of hers is the Cereal box matching game .

Recycling + creating a game the whole family can play, what's not to love?




(Just know when to stop cutting circles-- for weeks I looked at any printed cardboard as potential game pieces. I have 40+ circles.)


I used popcorn boxes.


I even used waffle boxes.

Cute idea, isn't it?

We just spread them all out on the coffee table at have at it. =)

-Jen

Aloha Friday!- Fave blog?

Yippee-ky-yay! It's Aloha Friday! I'm keeping it short and simple today. My Aloha Friday question is:

What's your favorite blog?

I have a couple of current faves...

U Create
NieNie
Thrifty Decor Chick

So spill, what's a current fave of yours?

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

Have a great weekend!
-Jen