Wedding Card Envelopes

I had been saving my wedding card envelopes because I liked looking through them and seeing Mr and Mrs on them and having that apply to me. I decided to cut out all the titles (they vary between just our first names, Mr and Mrs, our full names, etc) and I creatively glued them into our guest book. (Our guest book had lots of extra room). I also glued in one of our invitations, our newspaper engagement announcement, and our church bulletin wedding announcement. I think it's a cute way to keep everything together. I have held onto these things for this long with a plan to scrapbook or something with them. I didn't see the point in buying a new book though when our guest book had about 4 pages out of 40 used. So now they're all together in one place. Things too big for the book (like our programs) got slide into our photo album instead. Have any of you guys done anything creative with your wedding memorabilia?

Ramen Noodles

Because ramen is so cheap, we have a lot of it in our pantry from when we used to eat it all the time. Of course now we realize there are much better things out there (with much less sodium too). However, I have to use these up somehow so I looked for recipes that use them. After much browsing, I sort of came up with my own thing.
Ingredients:

• shrimp (about 3oz a person)
• ramen noodles, any variety (one block serves two people)
• vegetable broth (4 cups per block of ramen)
• ginger, to taste (I used about a tablespoon and a half)
• garlic, to taste (I used about two tablespoons)
• vegetables (I used an entire frozen bag of broccoli and cauliflower and then half a bag of mixed vegetables but you can use whatever vegetables you want. Just make sure you have at least 2 cups)

Note: I don't measure anything, especially spices, when I cook so it's hard to determine how much of something I used.

Directions: While boiling broth, cook vegetables in microwave. When broth boils, add noodles and cook for 3 minutes. Then stir in vegetables, shrimp, and spices and cook for another 2 (ish) minutes (you want everything to be the same temp). Voila. You're done.

I did use one package of seasoning and I had two packs of ramen but I thought even that was too salty so I might take it out next time. Use your best judgment. You know what tastes good. By the end of this, I didn't have that much broth left but it still felt like a soup to me. Of course, you're welcome to use more broth but I thought this was fine. Let me know in the comments what you thought if you end up making it!

Prayer Blankets

Yesterday, I went to help tie prayer blankets at my church. They meet about once a month but this was my first time. I was the youngest person there by about 50 years or more but they made me feel very welcome and everyone was really nice. The quilts get made ahead of time but we stitch and tie so the quilt attaches to the batting and the backing. It actually goes pretty fast when you have enough people working on it. Then people take these home and cut off the extra batting and backing and then bind them. That's why they meet so infrequently, because of all the work done outside the meetings. It was really fun and made me think about starting to quilt but my mother in law quilts and I can already see it is a big job. Plus, the start up is kind of expensive (fabric, tools, space to work, etc) and I wouldn't know what to do with the quilts I make because we already have so many from her. I love having hobbies but I don't like the kind of hobbies where you have no use for the product or you end up with 100 of the same thing (even if the patterns and designs are different). So back to the blankets. After the blankets are finished, we send them off to people who need prayers. When placed on your lap (they're about that size) you are "covered" with the prayers people are sending your way. I think it's a really nice idea. They get sent to parishioners, nursing homes, and in some cases, people in foreign countries. I do wonder what people do with the blankets after they are out of crisis, like do they give them back? Do they keep them for the future? Pass them on? I'm sure I'll learn as I keep attending meetings.

Blind Date With a Book

Some libraries (unfortunately, not mine) are starting this program called blind date with a book. It's exactly what it sounds like. We are all guilty of judging a book by its cover (literally) so in an effort to branch out on your reading, libraries are starting to cover some of their books (like the ones on display, not the entire library) with blank covers and then on these covers they write a little blurb about the book or even just some genre, generic words (just enough to catch your attention). I think this is a GREAT idea! I do find myself saying no to some books because of the author of the cover art and I think this is a way to branch out to other genres or books I might not otherwise consider. On the same note, I feel bad for the books that are placed on the bottom shelf because I feel like people read these less often due to the shelf location. Who ever looks on the bottom shelf? You practically have to sit on the floor or bend completely in half just to read their titles!

One last rant: Can anyone explain the library of congress way of classifying books? To me, it makes absolutely NO sense. I grew up with the dewey decimal system and that doesn't really make sense to me either but it seems much more consistent and easier to find things.

Mud Room

For the past several months, we have had our chest freezer in the place where a normal house would have a kitchen table while we worked in the mud room (attached to the laundry room, off the kitchen). This weekend, we were finally able to sand and then paint where the freezer and cabinets go! It looks REALLY nice and it's the first time we've painted since fall. Then we put up the cabinets and moved the freezer into place. We took our kitchen table out of storage room upstairs (where everything that doesn't have a home yet currently lives) and put it in the kitchen like a real house! Our house is getting somewhere! It's so nice to see plus our downstairs bathroom, dining room, and living room just need a little more plaster then sanding and painting too! I love progress!

Taxes

This is my first year doing my own taxes because my parents have always helped me in the past. In 2012, I graduated college, got married, worked in Wisconsin and Minnesota, bought a house...it's a lot for taxes. I had to fill out several special forms and they took about 12 hours to complete because I had to file taxes for federal, Wisconsin, and Minnesota. The sad part is, even though I am now a housewife, I will have to do this every year because my husband works in Minnesota but we live in Wisconsin. It sure is frustrating and I thank my in laws profusely for helping us figure it all out. I'm just excited to have them done! I know a lot of people get them done professionally or they buy the software to help them do it but I really don't think that it's necessary. Yes, it's a lot of work but none of it is very hard. I feel like I am a good example of someone with complicated taxes and I was able to figure it out. If you can afford to have someone do it for you, that's fine but I do think it should be something you know how to do for yourself. There are so many sources out there to help you and sometimes e-filing is free or you can get the forms for free from the library. This is just one example of how lazy people have gotten since the inventions of technology. We really need to learn to be more independent.

Gnocchi

Hey everyone, sorry I've been gone a couple days. We were having internet issues here. So anyway, a few nights ago I made potato gnocchi. It's two pounds of potatoes, half a cup of flour, two egg yolks, and a pinch of salt. I would give you the recipe (and you can ask for it if you want in the comments) but it didn't turn out how I expected. I've never had gnocchi before (and even have trouble pronouncing it right) but I was told to serve it with pasta sauce. It tasted like mashed potatoes with tomato sauce. It was good but...not really what I was looking for. There is a chance I had too much potato and had the flour ratio wrong then because then measure the potatoes in pounds and I don't have a food scale. But is it supposed to taste like that? Any opinions or suggestions for me? Thanks!

Exercise

I need to do strength exercises frequently for my physical therapy (my shoulder) but lately, my arms are too tired to do them because of all the work on the house. I got more plastering done today since my husband was home for President's Day. I was supposed to do my weights and now I shouldn't push it too hard or I'll aggravate my shoulder again. I do feel a little guilty for not getting the workout in but I obviously worked hard today plastering, just in a different way. What makes you guys skip your workout? Just rest days? Hectic lives? I feel like once I have kids, I'll never get a workout in so I might as well cram them all in now (I'm not pregnant nor planning on it for a couple years but still).

Smoothies

I have found a use for my blackberry jelly! I add it to smoothies. They are AMAZING. Granted, they are full of sugar (some of which is natural) but smoothies are anyway. I used frozen strawberries (I had bought fresh and then chopped them up and froze them), strawberry yogurt, and then I used blackberry jelly and raspberry jam (I had it so I thought I might as well use it) and just blended it all together in my cheap blender. It turned out SOOO good. I definitely recommend making them. I'm sure it works with other frozen fruits too. I am anxious to try it with other fruits or other jams. Do any of you have great smoothie recipes?

Plastering

Today is Saturday, which means that my husband and I work on our house with his parents all day. I got a lot of plastering (some people call it mudding and taping) done. I have the hang of the screw holes and I can even do them without sanding in between the layers first but the seams and corners are hard. I've been shown how to do them but so far, it hasn't made them any easier. Anyone have any technique suggestions? (Let me know in the comments!) It just seems like this should be easier than it is. It looks really easy to do in the videos but that can be true of anything when the person knows what they're doing. So, just let me know!

After Housework

I am a housewife with no kids. Lots of people have their opinions about this but I think it is perfect for me because it is readying me for when we do have kids. I get lots of housework done during the day but there is more to being a housewife than just cleaning. There's cooking, caring for pets (at least in my case), taking care of your husband, etc. However, you can't work hard all day or you'd go crazy. For fun, I try to keep up  an exercise regiment that includes running (when it's nice out), youtube videos (when it's not nice out), and recently I have added free weights. I do believe that this is not just for me. Yes, it's good to be healthy and in shape but it's also prepping me for a future healthy pregnancy and it makes me feel good about myself around my husband. I also read a lot (my goal this year is to read 85 books) and work on my crafts or watch some TV (my guilty pleasure being Let's Make a Deal). These things fill my time quite nicely but I wonder what other housewives do when their work is all done or when they're taking a break. So let me know in the comments below, even if you do have kids.

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's day everyone! Even if you are not in a relationship, you can still celebrate with family or friends. Also, take advantage of all the deals places have right now. Lots of places online have special promo codes, fast food places can have deals, some stores still have things on sale....lots of chances to save money! Have a great day and let me know in the comments what you guys do to celebrate!

Time for Spring Cleaning?

Is anyone else ready for winter to be over? It's been getting slightly warmer and sunnier here and I can't wait to be able to open the windows (it's not getting THAT much warmer yet...) and air out the house. I love spring cleaning when you get fresh air coming in the windows while you dust, vacuum, and scrub everything. Spring cleaning time is a good time to put your sweaters and winter clothes away and bring out the shorts and sandals. Things seem to stay cleaner for longer and I find cleaning in winter sort of depressing because there really isn't anywhere for the dirt to go, other than still inside your house. In the spring, you can plant new flowers and start your gardens outside. Every spring, I make a big to do list (using online lists as a guide) of everything that I want to make spotless. I usually set aside an entire weekend but this is my first time doing it in my own house so I was thinking this year, I might set aside an entire week. I know it's only February but a girl can dream right? What kinds of things do you do when you spring clean?

Organizing My Crafting Supplies

For Christmas, I received a nice tote bag with lots of deep pockets on the outside, sort of like a utility bag (see picture below). I really liked it but I wasn't sure what I was going to do with it. Then as I got more into sewing and buying fabrics, I realized that this would be the perfect place to store it all! My fabrics all fit inside (and I decided that I can't buy  more fabric than that until I use up some of it or have a very specific project in mind. I'm already becoming a fabric hoarder), my pins, threads, and needles have their own compartment, my little travel size iron fits in a pocket (really nice for ironing over seams), etc. I also bought a plastic toolbox/tackle box a few weeks ago and that also works really well for the small stuff. Both the bag and the box keep everything enclosed, portable, and perfectly sorted out and organized! If you're just starting out (like me), or are limited in your space (I've seen some really cool craft rooms on google but not all of us can devote an entire room to a hobby) these are perfect ideas for staying organized.

You can see my mini-iron in the left pocket, my pill bottles with buttons in them, my scissors and hole punch, etc.

Black Beans

Black beans are delicious by themselves but this weekend, I was looking for a good side dish for cheese quesadillas. I had a general idea of how to season them and cook them so they will taste good and I had a few suggestions from different websites. I looked in my pantry and decided to add a can of tomatoes with garlic and onions. I was going to use broth or water for the beans to boil in but the juice from the tomatoes worked really well. Then I added a couple dashes of cumin. I cooked the whole thing over medium-high heat, stirring frequently and mashing a little bit with the back of my spoon to let out some of the starches for the beans to absorb the liquid. Once they  got to a consistency I liked (about 20-25 minutes), I took them off the heat and added a little bit of lime juice. These were AMAZING! I wasn't sure I would even like the lime juice but I had brought it a couple weeks ago because a lot of recipes I have been wanting to try include it so I figured since it's inexpensive, I'd give it a try. It makes a world of difference with these beans. If you make these, definitely don't leave it out! Let me know what you think of them in the comments if you do decide to make them.

Cards After the Wedding

I am finally starting to go through things from the wedding such as putting pictures in the album, figuring out what to do with all the cards, and organizing all the things with sentimental value. The thing that has been the hardest is deciding what to do with all the cards. Some of them have personal notes that seem like they would be fun to read on an anniversary, or at the very least keep. I couldn't bear to get rid of any of them so I looked things up online and didn't find many options. Most people kept their cards in a keepsake box or made them into a book. I decided to sort of make a book. We hole-punched all the cards and then tied ribbon through it (or you could put a metal ring, similar to those found in binders) and they will go on our wedding shelf. (We are currently living in one of the bedrooms, with the master suite unfinished. Once it's finished, it will have a shelf that we put all our wedding memorabilia on such as my bouquet, an invitation, and now our ring of cards). I think it's cute but I bet there are other good ideas out there. What did you do with your cards after the wedding?

(I apologize for the bad picture but you can see the ribbon and the holes. We actually used this ribbon to tie off our bouquets.)

Grilled Cheese

When your town is being engulfed by a snow storm, there is no better lunch than soup. I looked in our pantry and I found tomato soup. As a kid, I actually ate tomato soup plain and wasn't introduced to the grilled cheese and tomato soup concept until college. Since then, I have never had it plain again. Today, I will teach you how to make the perfect grilled cheese sandwich. You would be surprised at how many adults can mess this up.
First: You will need two slices of bread (your choice), some butter (or margarine), and cheese (your choice).
Second: Butter your bread. Only do one side on each slice. Be kind of generous in your buttering but you don't need to slather it on.
Third: Put one slice of bread butter side down in a frying pan. Add your cheese (you can use slices, shredded, small hunks, anything! I will warn you though that anything other than the slices can get a bit messy when you flip it, especially the shredded).
Fourth: Put your other slice of bread on top of the cheese, butter side up.
Fifth: Turn your burner on low-medium. (This method will take a bit for your sandwich to start cooking but if you put the butter in the pan instead of on the bread, it doesn't turn out as well and it makes a bigger mess.)
Sixth: Wait for your sandwich to start sizzling. You can choose to wait to flip until you think it's brown (a couple minutes) or you can flip right away (if you're impatient like me) but then you will have to flip several times.
Seventh: Then do the same with the other side, after you have flipped. The sandwich is done when it's a brown color you like. Then serve with the soup!

You can experiment with all different kinds of cheese and toppings (some people add bacon, tomato, scrambled eggs, etc). What's your favorite way to eat grilled cheese?

Desserts

When you think about the perfect housewife, you expect her to bake cookies or some sort of cake every day, right? Well, first of all, you would think that this would mean you have a lot of extra cookies if shes bakes every day but second of all, how does she stay skinny? I would LOVE to bake every day but I keep track of what I eat and I don't think I could log baked goods every day without feeling guilty or adding to my waistline. I know there are other desserts, such as fruits, that are healthier but I don't know about baking with them unless you do a pie, which isn't exactly healthy either. Maybe the perfect housewife doesn't eat the baked goods herself but then you would expect that her husband couldn't keep the weight off either. Any suggestions? Do any of you bake frequently?

Making Your Own Fast Food

For the past couple weeks, David and I have been obsessed with Taco Bell's crispy potato soft tacos. As cheap as Taco Bell is, we figured it would still be fun to make our own and perhaps then we could make it a little healthier too. We decided that the hardest part was the sauce. Well, after some snooping around on the internet, I found a recipe that looked pretty simple and easy to follow. (If you're interested, I used this recipe.) After that, we made skillet potatoes and then just assembled it all. It was SO easy! If I hadn't found the recipe online, I would've tried to create my own but why create more work for myself when I didn't have to! I am now inspired to try to do this with other things. Depending on the restaurant, it may not be as cost effective (like for Taco Bell because they are so cheap) but keep in mind that you can control the portions and the amount of fat, sodium, etc which makes it a better option if you just keep craving that fast food taste! Have any of you tried to recreate your own fast food dish? Let me know in the comments!

Blackberry Jelly and Cream of Shrimp

Today we bought blackberry jelly in a really cool cup (with a lid). It's like a mason jar with a handle. However, other than toast and bread related items, I am not sure what to do with it. I was thinking I should try to make jelly filled donuts with it or thumb print cookies. Any one have any other uses for it?

Also, we live in a small town but we have never thought too much of it. We don't live in the hicks or anything. We have a Walmart and grocery store with a few restaurants and some other things like Ace Hardware and car dealerships. Then today we saw a good deal on a couple things at the big chain grocery store in a nearby (bigger) city. We were SHOCKED at how big it was! Before we had moved here, we had been to this specific grocery store before and it was no big deal but now we are realizing just how small our town is. The other day, I had gone into our grocery store looking for cream of shrimp condensed soup for a recipe but our store didn't carry it. We didn't think too much of it but today when we were at the chain store, we found it right away! Along with a bunch of other things that we forget even existed. Our store has a half of a freezer door of pizza roll products and this one had FOUR WHOLE DOORS! This probably doesn't seem like such a big deal to most you and you took the convenience of it for granted but sometimes you have to step back and realize how much you have and how easy it is to get your every whim fulfilled. I'm not going to rant about third world countries and hunger problems and everything but there is definitely a big difference in all aspects of life between big cities and small towns. Okay enough ranting but I just had blog about it because I was just so shocked at how much things have changed since we moved to the small town.

Any comments? Do you guys live in big cities or can you relate to my small town?

Reusable Pads

I was unsure whether or post about this or not and after a lot of debating, I decided to go for it. My first sewing project since getting married has been to make my own reusable menstrual pads. It's actually a lot easier than one would think (and believe me, I have no sewing experience!). There are many pros to using them and you don't even have to make your own because lots of companies sell them online. However, if you want something more specific to your needs, then the best thing to do is make your own. There are many websites with patterns and tips on what to do but the one I personally found most helpful was this one. On that site, they also do a great job explaining the pros and cons. Once you get past washing them yourself, they can be really nice. Because of all the waste disposables cost, I highly recommend looking into these. Also, if you don't use pads they have reusable cups, sponges, etc on the market that you may be interested in.

Vinegar and Carpet

Last night, we made Cocoa's pen bigger. In fact, we almost doubled the size. However, this meant moving her litterbox to a different corner. When we picked up the old one, there was lots of stains on the carpet from where things leaked through the box. I didn't want to use harsh chemicals, like carpet cleaner, within her pen but I didn't want her to keep thinking that she could return to this spot either (their pee has a strong odor and they will continue to pee in the same spot). I looked up what smells rabbits are repelled by and it turns out they hate vinegar! This works out perfectly because vinegar can clean just about anything. Needless to say, our carpet is now just as good as new, Cocoa doesn't pee in that spot, and she can enjoy her new area! Just goes to show that vinegar is the perfect solution to any problem.