Thrifty Thursday: Recycling Last Year's Calendar

Due to technical difficulties, this is very late in posting!

I know this is a bit late, considering that this is the 10th of January, but don't they say "Better late then never."?

These days, calendars can be expensive. Yes, some businesses and organizations give out free ones and if you are lucky, you just might like the free one! Or you might find that you hate to toss last years calendar just because the year has changed. That was the case for me. Last year's calendar had handy pockets and it fit in just the right spot on the fridge. I really didn't want to get rid of it, and I like the art work, too. So I decided to give it a face lift for 2013.

Last year's calendar. Love the illustrations on the pocket at the bottom!

Blank calendar page that I made using Microsoft Word. I printed the calendars
out on card stock, both for durability and so that last year's calendar wouldn't
show through.

Using double stick tape on the corners, I carefully lined up the new page and VOILA!!!! 2013 rolls in all thrifty and good looking!

Have a great day, Friends!
Many Blessings,
Kelly

Thrifty Thursday: Christmas Decor & More!

I know it's Friday! I meant to write this yesterday, but my trip into town lasted much longer than I had planned, so I ran out of time. It's been a while since I have done a "Thrifty Thursday" post, not for lack of things to share though! I just don't know how these ladies that blog daily have the time on top of everything else!

Anywho, I thought I would share a few tips for Christmas decor and my latest sewing project that will help with both our budget and our goal to be better stewards of this planet.

TAA DAAAA! Cloth "paper" towels! I've seen this idea before online, but the last time I saw it was a post that was linked up to Homestead Revival's Barn Hop. So Saturday I used the last of the paper towels, and thought that I hated to have to buy more. We're rather crunched for money this month and I'm cutting as many things from our budget as I can. So I looked at my dear hubby and said "What would you think of using cloth paper towels? I'm pretty sure I have all the material I need to make them." He thought for a moment and, to my surprise and joy, answered, "Sure. Can we keep a roll of regular paper towels for in case the cats get sick, though?" I agreed that that was a good idea, but they have to stay under the kitchen sink. And then I got busy hunting down some terry cloth I was pretty sure I had squirreled away.

Now, the terry cloth is not my choice of colors, but it was what I have, and I have YARDS of it! I decided to make some Christmas ones because I also have about 3 yards of that as well from years ago. I used the tutorial from My Healthy Green Family. I didn't do snaps, nor do I plan to. I just re purposed a small basket to hold them and set it right where the paper towel holder sat on the counter.

 If you are wiping up something that might stain and you want to keep them looking as nice as possible, rinse them in cool water immediately! Our first major spill was pizza sauce, and I figured that I'd have a stained one, but after wiping up the initial mess, I rinsed it out will cool water to finish cleaning up and there was hardly any discoloration. I was also surprised at the whole incident because it was Wheels that spilled the sauce and as he reached for a paper towel and realized it was a cloth one, I thought he'd sputter about it, but he just went with it without a complaint. I think it helps that they are on the same spot as the paper ones! Now I just need to make a wet bag for the dirties!

Here is another thrifty tip; tie your cupboards shut so your hubby and kiddos can't get to the food!!! Just kidding! This is a bow on the cabinet door that I made from some homespun fabric. This was a curtain that I had made years ago and haven't used in a long time, so I just cut a little notch and tore the hems off, then continued to tear strips off of. I've always wanted to do the bows on the cabinet doors, but have always been too cheap thrifty to buy the amount of ribbon I would need. Even if I hadn't re purposed this material and had bought it new, 1 yard would have cost less than a spool of ribbon and have been more than enough to do the job!

All of the cupboards along one wall. I think it looks so pretty and festive!

A bow in the middle of my DIY lighted garland in the living room. Our living room, dining room and kitchen are all open to one another, so using the same material through each "room" helps tie things together.



I used another strip of cloth around my canning jar caddy, which is also my utensil caddy. You can use what you have to add some festive flare to your home, too! The cream colored bowl is the usual bowl I use to hold our fresh fruit in, but I put it on top of the red cake stand to add some zip. And the egg basket is in it's usual place on the counter. I had the food processor on the counter, but decided to move it to clear some of the counter.

This isn't the best picture thanks to the glare, but this is a Christmas hymn/carol subway art. I've seen some on Pinterest, and there are some free printable ones, but I wanted to make my own. I used the Word Art in Microsoft Works on my laptop and added a bit of clip art as well. I printed it on some off white card stock. I made 2 subway art prints for our bedroom with the names of Jesus. They came out beautiful, if I may say so myself. And I made yet one more, in the living room.

The dinner menu board even got a Christmas makeover! This is just some computer paper I have. I was going to do a subway art print with all of the Christmas goodies we like and I make, but I didn't want to spend the time. And believe me, you can waste spend lots of time on this project. Of course, it wasn't until after I made the prints that I thought to look up free fonts in Pinterest. And I found many, but then I hit the mother load! Dafont.com has TONS of free fonts!! I even found fonts that look like the writing in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Ring series!! My geeky heart swelled with joy at the thought of making my own nerd subway art. (I totally admit to being a huge fan of the Tolkien books and movies. I even named one of our chickens Arwen and I dressed up as Frodo this past Halloween for the kids Book Character Parade at school. Never would have figured me for suck a wacko, huh?)

I hope this gives you some ideas!

Many Blessings,
Kelly

 

Thrifty Thursday #4: Scratch Recipes & Homemade Snack Bags

Hey Friends! Having a good week? I've been working on getting caught up with house work in the mornings, and relaxing with the kids in the afternoon. Unfortunately I'm in pain again, and I'm completely caught off guard. I'm taking the day "off" today, but will get back to work tomorrow.

So, last week I presented some recipes and sort-of challenge to bake and make from scratch. Since then I've been searching on line to find a homemade alternative to Bisquick. There are some recipes that I really like that used it, but I don't want to buy it. This is one of the few things that I've missed from my pared down grocery list! I found some recipes, but I haven't made any yet. The one recipe I trust most is from King Arthur flour. My biggest hesitation is that it calls for shortening, which I really don't want to use anymore. I have about half a can of butter flavored Crisco that once it is gone, will not be replaced. I've only been using it to grease my baking pans. I'm thinking of substituing the shortening with coconut oil. Any other suggestions are very welcome!
King Arthur Quick Mix

Alright, on to some of my recipes. Most of my recipes are from an old copy of the Betty Crocker Cook Book that my mother in law gave to me. My Mom has a copy of this, as well, and was the cook book that we always used when I was growing up.  It's the first one I go to when llokng for a recipe. I've just tweaked many of them to my specifications!

~Basic Sweet Muffin~

1 egg

1/2 C. milk

1/4 C. oil

1/2 C. sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/2 C. flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Beat egg, then mix milk and oil. Add dry ingredients and mix until just blended. Bake at 400* for 15 minutes. This makes 1 dozen standard size muffins.

I use only about 1/8 C. of olive oil and use 1/8 C. of unsweetened appla sauce. I also add 1 tsp. of vanilla. You can substitute 1/2 C. of all purpose flour for whole wheat flour. I usaully add chocolate chips for the kiddos. If you add about another 2-3 Tbsp. of milk, chocolate chips and pour the batter into a greased 8x8 square pan for chocolate chip bread. Bake at 350* until a toothpick come out clean from the center, about 25-30 minutes. Double the recipe and bake it in a 13x9 pan for a weeks worth of breakfasts!

~Golden Layer Cake~

2 1/4 C. flour

1 1/2 C. sugar

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1/2 shortening**

1C. milk

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

Pre-heat oven at 350*. Grease pans. Measure ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Blend for 30 seconds on low, scraping bowl constantly. Beat for 3 minutes on high , scraping occasionally. Bake until toothpick comes out clean in the middle. Makes a 13x9 cake or 2 8"/9" layers.

**recipe calls for shortening, but I felt it was too dry and I don't want to use Crisco anymore, so I use olive oil. The cake is wonderfully moist now!

~I have a child that will only eat chocolate cake, but loves cinnamon. I added about 1 tsp. of cinnamon to the batter, and he loves it! If you don't have ingrdients for frosting (like me this past Wednesday!) add chocolate chips to make a snack cake. Very yummy!

~Black Midnight Cake~

2 1/4C. flour

1 2/3 C. sugar

2/3 C. unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. baking powder

1 1/4 C. water

3/4 C. shortening**

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

see instructions for Golden Layer cake above.

I have not tried to substitute unsweetened applesauce for the shortening/oil yet. I did try to substitute some of the flour in the Black Midnight cake with whole wheat flour with dissapointing results, but it was before I started using olive oil. I just haven't had the nerve to try again! I hope you try out these recipes. If you do, let me know, I'd love to hear how they worked for you!

And now, something I've been so excited to show you! Say hello to my reusable snack bags!!!!

Three large, two medium and four small snack bags.

I used sew-on velcro for the large and medium sized bags. These will hold pretzelsor crakcers.

I used sticky backed Velcro on the small snack bags, which are lined. These are for cookies/cookie bars.

 

From just one 99cents reusable shopping bag, I made 9 reusable snack bags for my Dear Hubby and kiddos to use for their lunches! How cool and thrifty is that?!?!? I got the wonderful idea from, of course, Pinterest. There were lots of pins of cloth snack bags using ripstop nylon, but I didn't really want have to search or pay for it. And then I found a pin using reusable shopping bags. I will go into detail on how to make these in a future post. But they are super easy to make.

 

Well, that's all for this week! Hope you hve a lovely rest of your day.

Blessings,

Kelly

Thrifty Thursday #3: Scratch That Off Your List!

Could you tell I was working hard on that title?

Hello, Friends! I know it's been a while, but, as usual, I've just been too plumb busy or tuckered out to compose a coherent post. Believe me, it's better that way. I ramble enough as it is with out me rushing or being semi-conscious during blogging!

So, it is another Thrifty Thursday, and today I'm getting out from behind the sewing machine and into the kitchen. One of the best (and tastiest!) ways to save money is to make your own baked goods from scratch. This is also the healthiest way to enjoy your cakes, cookies, muffins and other treats. Now, I know that for somethings, it may seem cheaper to buy some items ready made, or even from a mix. In the long run, though, I think that once you get into the habit of making things from scratch everything will even out. And you might find that you can give up some things because you have replaced it with something homemade.

Now, if you have been reading my blog for a length of time, you know that I bake just about every Saturday. Sometimes I only get to make the kiddo's breakfast item and snack item, but that is a huge help. I like to do a majority of my baking on one day because I do not like firing up the oven for only one thing. This way I can run my oven all at once and bake more than one thing at a time. This saves money by conserving electricity.

I think I'm going to revert to my bullet structure here, cause I can sense some rambling and backing up in the near future!

• Baking from scratch saves money because you are buying 1 ingredient with multiple uses. Yes, you may be able to buy a chocolate cake mix for around a $1 a box, but if you buy a can of baking cocoa for about $2.75 you can make a chocolate cake, chocolate zucchini bread, hot chocolate (made with actual milk, not boiling water!) and chocolate syrup for ice cream or chocolate milk. Talk about more bang for your buck!
• Baking from scratch gives you more versatility and can be adjusted to your family's preferences. You could buy a loaf of bread for sandwhiches and then a bag of rolls for dinner. But if you make a batch of bread dough, you can have both!  Or, maybe Timmy likes plain chocolate chip cookies but Betty Sue like walnuts in hers. You can make one batch of cookie dough and split it in half for them both to take to school with their lunches.
• Baking from scratch is healthier. YOU control what you put into your food. You can add whole wheat flour to your cookies, substitute some of your butter or oil with unsweetened applesauce, and eliminate corn syrup, food dyes, additives and preservatives.

Now, I could go on. (And you know how I can go on!) But I have the feeling that you can all get my point. If you are not use to baking and don't have baking materials, or you really want to embrace making more things from scratch, you may need to invest in some things. You will find that investing is and will be a recurring theme in these posts. You may cringe at the price of a rolling pin, but that is really a one time purchase, whereas refrigerated ready made pie crusts are only good for one or two pies. That rolling pin will make you pies for practically your entire life time, and maybe even your daughter's lifetime. That is an investment worth making and money well spent!

Before I get to the recipes, I would like to tell you about some of the items I have in my kitchen that I find invaluable to have. I am by no means Julia Child or the Cake Boss, so don't feel that you have to have them, or even agree with me! And by all means, if you have something you would like to share, I'd love to know about it!

• Large Pyrex mixing bowls: I have 2 large and one really big one. And every Saturday all 3 of them get used at least once, if not more! I like Pyrex (or Anchor Hocking) because they are sturdy, easy to clean, and you can mix and bake in them.
• standard size muffin pan: good for (obviously!) muffins, cupcakes, mini meat loafs, stuffin' muffins and cloverleaf yeast rolls. My pan has a dozen cavities, so my basic muffin recipe can be made in one batch.
• 2 to 3 bread loaf pans: or even more! I like to make quick breads and yeast breads, and if you are inclined to make homemade bread for your family's weekly supply, it is a very sound investment. And they can stack together so that they don't take up much space.
• a 13x9 oblong pan: I have 2 Pyrex, and 3 metal ones. And I have used each and every one on certain Saturdays. I make the kiddo's breakfast cookies, cakes, casseroles and brownies in them. And all but one of the Pyrex pans have lids, so I can store in them as well. Now, this may be a lot for some people, but I also make snack for our church refreshments on a regular basis, as well as making birthday cakes for my DH and children. I can make the cake for our family party, the children's friends party and the goody to bring in to school to share for a treat. These pans to not sit in the cupboard in neglect!
• a glass 4 cup measuring cup: This, too, is a recent purchase. I wondered if I really would use it as I stood looking over the Pyrex/Anchor Hocking shelves at my local Kmart, $1 off coupon in hand. But, like the sheet pans, I do. I use it for measuring and mixing my wet ingredients for homemade bread and other recipes. And I have even used it for the DH's and mine scrambled eggs.
• a glass 8 cup (2 qt.) measuring cup: I have a Tupperware version of this that I used for about 7 years before I started to become a bit leery at the thought of there being Tupperware scrapings in my muffins, pancakes and waffles. Then I purchased an Anchor Hocking one and gave the Tupperware one to Hubby for a sap dipper. This is the perfect size for a batch of muffins, chocolate chip bread, or homemade waffles. It is also used for pouring off the juices of a turkey or when straining homemade stock.
• rubber or silicone spatulas: I have 4 of these. One is a very large one from Tupperware that I use for mixing up snack mix, granola or sauteing with. It doesn't really get the job done when it comes to scraping the sides of mixing bowls, so that is where 2 others come in. And then there is the double ended one that is more narrow for scooping out of jars with. You will never waste a drop when using one of these, and scraping the bowl clean is handy when it's time for clean up.

I'm pretty sure I'm missing a dozen things, but those can be for another post. It's time to get onto the fun part: recipes! I have posted these recipes before, so I will only be adding the links, but I'll be giving some hints and tips for each. And as I'm writing this, I'm thinking that this is going to be part one of a series because I have so many more basic recipes to share!

Boynton Breakfast Cookie Bars I make these just about every week for my kiddos! You can add what ever stir-ins that you and your family like. These have replaced the white bread toast and cheerios that the kids used to eat for about 2 1/2 years now. I would really like to figure out how to soak the oatmeal for this recipe, but just haven't had the time to experiment. If I figure it out, I'll be letting you know!
Chocolate Zucchini Bread While going over this post, I realized that I didn't include the sugar!! I feel like such a big goober. If you tried to make this, I SOOOO apologize! The sugar is now included in the recipe. Another note on this is that I no longer use canola or vegetable oil, I use olive oil. This is great for a snack or for breakfast. It's yummy with cream cheese, too! I use my food processor to shred the zukes, and take out the big seeds. I'm going to have to make a batch of this Saturday, I froze shredded zucchini for this purpose!
Whole Grain Chocolate Chip Cookies I make these every week for the kids to put in their lunch boxes. I have taken to making these in the sheet cake pan and substituting 1/2 to 1/3 cup of the butter to unsweetened applesauce. I also do not use margarine or shortening any more. You could use coconut oil in place of butter, too. This recipe is really just your basic chocolate chip cookie recipe that I tweaked. If you don't have oat and wheat flour, you can use all purpose flour. By using the sheet cake pan I can save time and I have enough for the entire week for both the kids and my DH. (O.k., o.k., and I can filch a couple for myself!) They also seem to stay more moist in bar form, too.

Well, I was going to post a couple more recipes, but this has been long enough! Have a wonderful rest of your Thursday.
Blessings,
Kelly

Thrifty Thursday #2: Re-purposing Towels

Hello, Friends! Hope you have all been well. We've had some coughs and sniffles around the house, and today Wheels is home from school. He has a chesty cough and had a hard time getting to sleep last night, so we thought it best that he stay home where he can rest and I can make sure that he has plenty of fluids.

It is Thursday again, so it's another post on being thrifty. Before I get started, though, I just wanted to say that some of these posts will require sewing and a sewing machine. (Unless you are extremely talented with hand sewing!) Now, a sewing machine can be quite an investment, especially when you are living paycheck to paycheck. But it is an investment. You don't need a fancy one with lots of bells and whistles, just a basic sewing machine. And it will save you money. You will be able to mend and hem clothing, re-purpose or "up-cycle" clothing (see Thrifty Thursday #1) and make many things for your family and for gifts. Don't have sewing skills? I'm sure you can find someone in your circle of friends and family that will be willing to teach you. That being said, let's move along to Thrifty Thursday #2!!!!

Today is a two-fer! (Wow, really yucking it up with the hyphens today, huh?) The first idea is not my own, but from another blogger that has a lovely blog, complete with music! Over at Blissfully Content she shows us how to make some lovely cleaning cloths. Mine are not that pretty, and I won't horrify you with the results. I was rather slap-dash making mine, but they get the job done and have helped me to cut down on the paper towel usage. That, my friends, is a very nice thing for both the pocket book and the landfill! I even color coded mine according to what color towel I used. Blue for the bathroom and pink for the kitchen. Then I don't need to worry about cross contamination.

So, I made some cleaning cloths ans had some smaller strips of old towel left over. What to do with them? LIGHT BULB! I'll make my own reusable cotton squares for applying my ACV toner! Instead of using cotton balls or those round cotton pads, I now use these terry cotton squares and just toss them into the laundry when I'm done using it. Again, it saves money and the earth. They are easy to make and would make a great project for a beginning sewer, or if you have a little one that wants to see what you are doing and insists on being in your lap. Believe it or not, I snapped some pics for a tutorial! Not that I don't think that y'all can't figure it out on your own, but I have a "technique" that saves time and thread. Here goes!

Cut any banding off of your towel scraps, then cut into the width that you want.
Keep your fabric in strips!

Sew a straight stitch close to the edge of your fabric strip, all the way around.

Now sew stitches across the width of you fabric like pictured above. I sewed my
stitch, then picked up the presser foot WITH OUT cutting the thread, turn your fabric and sew in the other direction, leaving a bit of a margin between your stitching, all the way to the end of your strip.

When you are done sewing, cut between your lines of stitches.

Now you have a lovely pile of reusable cotton squares!

I hope that my "tutorial" wasn't too confusing. I thought that I could do it, but then the words got all screwy in my head and I think I muddled it all up, but the pics should help. Or you can sew them however you want. It's not like I'm going to come to your house and check up on you. (Unless you have some chocolate cookies or something! ;D)

There you go, a two-fer Thrifty Thursday! Let me know if you use these ideas, I'd love to hear from you! And if you have any ideas that you would like to share, let me know. And now, because it's been a long time since the gratuitous pic of my kitty or my kids, another two-fer:

I just love this picture! It loos like Teddy Bear is praying with Merlin. It was so cute that I had to grab my camera. Hope you have a lovely Thursday!
Blessings,
Kelly

Thrify Thursday #1: The Denim Skirt

Now, before I start, I have to say that my original thought for this post was about sewing a denim skirt from a pair of jeans. But then I kept thinking. Dangerous, right? My thought is that a flattering, appropriate length denim skirt is a very wise investment. (Even if you were to pay full price. Oh, did I type that out loud?!) But seriously, it truly is. And here is why I think so.

• A denim skirt is like a pair of jeans. They go with anything. No matter what color or print.
• They are all season. Yes, even winter. Think of hosiery or Capri leggings underneath.
• They can be dressed up or played down. Very versatile.
• They are a bit more rugged than a silky, lighter weight fabric. I'm thinking toddlers or messy eaters. (including the one wearing the skirt!)
• The fact that they go with anything means you can dress as quickly for church on any given Sunday in which you sleep in too late or have the "I Have Nothing To Wear" dilemma. (In which you really do have lots of things to wear, but you are bloated, grouchy or just don't feel like having to deal with skin colored undergarments that slim!)

Also,  a denim skirt may feel more comfortable for those who are trying to get into the skirt wearing habit. I know that I have sisters in the Lord that feel led to wear skirts exclusively. I am not one of them. I do want to start wearing them more often, at least on Sundays for church. I'm not going to go in depth of this issue, as it can be one of the hot button issues for some. Suffice it to say, in my humble opinion, do what you feel led by the Lord to do. I wear pants 95% of the time, and I don't feel that wearing a skirt makes you more godly.

Now, onto making a skirt from a pair of jeans. This was one of those things I saw on another blog where they had made one. I thought to myself that that was really cool, maybe someday. Someday came sooner than I thought when going through my......u-hum.....large pile of mending and hemming to get to my sewing machine. I found a pair of jeans that I had given up on mending, but was keeping for the material. LIGHT BULB!!!! I had the pair of jeans to make a skirt. And I had material that I had purchased to make a skirt last summer, but never got to. (Shocking, right?) I got on line so I could click the link for the tutorial I had saved. After a couple of hours, (I had to get the kids off the bus, make and eat dinner in the middle of all of this!) I had a beautiful skirt! I'm very proud of it, especially since I've never sewn a skirt before, and with the exception of the tutorial post, had no help.(In other words, I didn't bug my Mom for her help, didn't even call her!)

I know, the hem in the back is a tad longer than the front.

The appliques I made using the denim and fabric scraps. They really make the skirt!

Then, inspiration really struck! Languishing in my closet was a denim shirt dress that I bought at the thrift store many moons ago. It was brand new, never worn or washed and I had never worn it because it just didn't feel "right". So, I hacked off  the bottom, let out the darts in the back to add some of the flowered fabric and added some fabric flowers. Voila!

I need to change out the buttons to some silver ones. One of those "I have to
sit down but also need to do something productive" projects.

The added fabric in the back. It makes it kind of swingy. (Oh alright! It also made it fit a bit better!)

The flowers.

So, that is my up cycled outfit!!!! I love it because I can wear a blouse or a t-shirt with this outfit. And, I don't really have to wear the jacket with it either. And I finally have a skirt I can wear to work at the school and not feel too fancy in.

Now, I'm not giving a tutorial, I think we can all agree I'm not that good at it, at least not on projects of this magnitude. But I will give you the link to the tutorial that I used. She used 2 pairs of jeans so that the skirt was completely denim, whereas I used fabric to fill in the gap.
~Jean Skirt Tutorial from Stand By Faith

Thank you so much for stopping by today! If you have any questions or comments, I'd love to hear from you. Have a great rest of your Thursday.
Blessings,
Kelly