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Fast Father’s Day Gift!

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

Did you wait until the last minute on getting your dad/husband a gift? Don’t worry! I have a fast solution that is fun and cheap!

First, pick out some pictures that you truly love of your children and plop them somewhere on your computer where you will be able to find them (Flickr users can link directly through their account to their pictures)

Now that you have your pictures, it is time to get creative with them. Go to Big Huge Labs and choose the CD Cover link (or you can just click directly through here).

This is where I got a little confused so I will try and make it easier by explaining what I did. After you have uploaded your photo and typed in your message, it will take a few seconds and then produce the image. That image is not the size you need, but don’t worry! Right click the image and COPY the image. Now open a blank Word document and right click to PASTE the image.

Next, you will need to resize your image. Right click your image again and click SIZE. Change the width on the image to 8.2″ and hit enter.

When you see your image, it might look like it doesn’t fit- don’t worry! It is the perfect size for your compact disc. Print it out (either in black and white or in color) and then cut it out, being careful to cut off those dotted lines so it makes it nice and clean looking. Fold the side flaps, bottom flap, and then the top flap.

You will, of course, need to slip some rocking music in for your dad, but that will be the fun part! I am trying to introduce my dads to some new music, while still staying within their genres and tastes. I find it a challenge to introduce people to music that they haven’t heard of before, and it makes me so happy when I can discover a new favorite for someone.

I am giving the dad’s in our life a fun mix of my music and some homemade cookies! Not only is it frugal, but I hope it is a thoughtful gift too!
Happy Father’s Day, Dads!

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Posted in Gifts | 13 Comments »

Notebook Experiments: Are Homemade Bubbles Better?

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

Experiment: Can homemade bubbles trump our dollar store variety?

Experiment Taken From: Notebook Entry 05.29.08

Materials Needed: Please see Sparkle Power for specific directions on how to complete this experiment. I was able to find the glycerin behind the pharmacist counter at Super Target. The container of glycerin was $2.69 for four ounces. I also mixed my bubble solution up in an old milk jug (inspired by Frugal Dad’s uses for milk jugs) which made it easier to pour and store our homemade bubble solution. The bubble wands were found at the Dollar Spot at Target.

Results: Is it just me or are the dollar store bubbles horrible? My son is able to blow bubbles with these, but my daughter really got frustrated because she couldn’t seem to blow any bubbles before her wand would need to be dipped again.

I was really excited to try this recipe for bubbles and couldn’t wait to mix up a batch of these for the kids.

I followed Candace’s suggestions and actually mixed these up the night before so the ingredients had plenty of time to incorporate. I had some pink dish soap in my pantry so I used that- your bubbles will be whatever color of dish soap you choose.

The next night, we spent an entire evening blowing bubbles and everyone had to take a turn waving the wands through the air to make the giant bubbles. These bubbles were so amazing that our neighbors came over to ask where we had gotten the bubbles from. I couldn’t wait to share the recipe with them and pass it on! After seeing our bubble pictures, my mother-in-law is even going to make some of these for her own house so the kids can blow these bubbles over there too.

Conclusion: Homemade bubbles rocked the socks off of the dollar store bubbles. Thanks to Sparkle Power for such a fun recipe. I will never buy those bubbles again and I hope it is a recipe that we can pass down through generations!

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Posted in Amy's Notebook | 15 Comments »

Amy’s Notebook 06.12.08

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

I love these ideas for organizing your digital photos (@ Small Notebook)

These are some great ideas for teacher gifts for next year (hat tip to Parent Hacks, @ Midwest Mom)

I want to make this chalk paint with the kids (@ The Library Collective)

I want to try these pies in a jar (@ not martha)

This homemade no-bake cheesecake sounds delicious (@ Everyday Food Storage & Preparedness)

I love these ideas for things to do with your kids before they grow up (@ mommysecrets)

This cheese bread looks so yummy (@ Scribbit)

I really like these dishtowel crafts (@ Tip Nut)

Now this is the way to celebrate National Donut Day (@ Skip to My Lou)

The first adult sweater I have ever wanted to knit is finally here (@ Flint Knits)

These homemade dishtowels are so cute (@ Motherhood for Dummies)

I love this Father’s Day project (@ Havin’ Fun Yet?)

These boo boo bags would be another great teacher appreciation gift (@ Crafty Daisies)

The cutest embroidery pattern ever (@ Pimp Stitch)

These little travel suitcases would be great for the kids (@ Blue Yonder)

I need to make some strawberry shortcake this summer (@ Posie Gets Cozy)

A busy day activity with cornstarch and water (@ Pepper Paints)

This round-up of marinades looks great for all our summer grilling (@ Cheap Healthy Good)

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Posted in Amy's Notebook | 6 Comments »

Interview At Blog Coach

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008

Angie, the brilliant inventor of Baby Cheapskate and Freepeats, is now venturing into another blog territory… helping bloggers blog just a little bit better! Blog Coach shares tips for blogging and is featuring some interviews with some really great bloggers.

I am so honored because Angie interviewed me for her site! My interview can be found here and I share some ideas and tips that I learned while working on our blogs. You know, the stuff that I wished someone would have explained to me when I ventured out into the blog trenches. I hope that it will be beneficial to someone out there.

Here are a few other entries that might be helpful to beginning bloggers:

Five Commandments for Blogging

The Player Scores… And Silence

How Do I Track My Traffic?

Gaining a Readership (The Frugal Way)

How Do I Work From Home?

Thanks you to Angie for featuring me and I look forward to learning more on blogging through her new site!

In the beginning, my biggest blogging challenge was what to even write about. What has been your biggest blogging hurdle?

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Posted in Announcements | 5 Comments »

Happiness Is… Blowing Bubbles

Wednesday, June 11th, 2008


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Posted in Family | 9 Comments »

Summertime Planning

Tuesday, June 10th, 2008

I was really inspired by Whatever’s summer list and vowed that we were going to do that this summer for our family. We headed over to the Dollar Tree and picked up a piece of poster board for $.50 and a fresh new Sharpie marker for $1. On the way home, we talked about all of the things that we wanted to do this summer and we both got really excited about all of our fun plans.

Ethan made the list with us and this is what we came up with:

Go to the beach (St Joe and/or New Buffalo)
Go to the dinosaur museum (the Field Museum)
Play Mario Kart with mommy
Make homemade slushies
Run through the sprinklers
Go to the zoo (Ft Wayne and/or Potowatomi Zoo)
Go to playgroup(s)
Go to VBS
Go to the dollar movie
Sleepover with our cousin
Have an Earth Hour family night
Make homemade pizza
Eat at the food court at the mall
Make homemade play dough
Go to St Louis
Go to Granny’s house to play
Make Magic Milkshakes
Go to Grandma’s house to play
Go to the park
Get our first library card
Go to the water park
Make banana pops
Wash the cars with daddy
Get out the rainy day suitcase
Watch the Car’s movie and eat Jimmy John’s
Have an ice cream sundae night
Buy presents for the homeless shelter and deliver them
Go to Krispy Kreme and watch them make donuts
Have a picnic in the backyard
Go to the AirZoo Museum

Ethan drew a picture of his family in the summertime to go along with our list and we hung it in our kitchen for the summer.

I love that the majority of the activities he picked didn’t cost money and that the ones that he did pick that cost something could be special things that we could look forward to together. Since we have no big vacation plans, this looks like a really great round-up of activities to keep us busy this summer.

It is kind of funny though… I think my husband & I are just as excited as he is!

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Posted in Family | 23 Comments »

More Coffee Talk

Tuesday, June 10th, 2008

It has been awhile since I had been to Sam’s Club, but after all the adventures in bread making that I had been doing, I had run out of a key ingredient for cooking… all-purpose flour.

I don’t know what it is about going to Sam’s Club, but it is like I have to give myself a pep talk for an entire week that I am going there. I think it is because it is so big and the lines are so long and walking the place takes so much time, but maybe that is just me? Usually I choose the Click ‘N Pull option, but our Sam’s is under construction so I thought it would be easier if I just ran in and got the stuff myself.

I usually run in and run right back out and rarely do I browse because, frankly, I end up spending money we don’t have. As I was making my beeline towards the flour, this shiny bag caught my eye and I was doing a little happy dance in the aisle.

Sam’s Club is carrying my FAVORITE coffee in the whole wide world- Folger’s Gourmet Vanilla Biscotti. I have been highly addicted to this coffee since the company sent me some samples to review and that, my friends, is why Freebie Friday might not really be free. I can’t tell you how many “free” things I have gotten suckered into buying and this coffee is no exception.

This is a killer deal though, $10.88 for two pounds of coffee! Don’t forget, Sam’s also carries Dunkin’ Donuts for cheap too!

What have you received for “free” that you are now hooked on? Tell me I am not the only one getting sucked in by free samples!

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Posted in Announcements, Family | 15 Comments »

Redbox Code 06.09.08

Monday, June 9th, 2008

Today’s free code for a Redbox movie is 6TK2A3. This code is good for one free movie and you can use it until midnight tonight. Enjoy a free family movie together!

Side Notes:

– If you want to rent more than one movie for free, bring more than one credit/debit card. You can use the same promotional code, you just will need different cards to charge it to. The charge will be zero as long as you return your movie on time for the next day.

– When entering in your free movie code, you need to enter it FIRST before picking the movie. On the very first screen, click the, “Rent with Promo.” Enter in the above code and then make your selection- the amount should then total zero.

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Just a few other quick things that I have added to our site this weekend!

Product Reviews:

Braincandy Products
SmartShield Products
Nalgene BPA-Free Sippy Cups
LeapFrog’s TAG Reading System
Mario Kart Wii Game

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Posted in Freebies | 3 Comments »

Boo To McDonald’s

Monday, June 9th, 2008

I feel like there should be some scary 48 Hours Mystery music playing in the background or that this picture should do some eerie fade effect or that I just grow wider and wider. I just found out that my McDonald’s Vanilla Iced Coffees are made with WHOLE MILK. I only have one word to say to this…WHY?

This picture was taken after I went for a run. Yes, these were my little treats to myself after working out at the gym or doing something amazing like going for a run around the neighborhood in ninety degree weather (which I did this weekend and almost died). Little did I know that I was gulping all of the calories back into my body.

I discovered this after I had went to the gym one morning. Sweaty from a really good workout, I pulled up to the drive-thru and asked for the usual, but this time I asked the one question that I did not want to ask.

“Um, ma’am, can you tell me…is that coffee made with nonfat milk?”

“No.”

“Um, well, could you make it with some nonfat milk?”

“No.”

“Well, is it made with two percent milk?”

“No. It’s made with whole milk.”

“(teeny tiny voice) Can you change that to a medium please?”

What the hay? I love these coffees and they are so inexpensive, but I do not need to be gulping whole milk throughout the day. I am not on a diet, but I prefer not to ingest 11 grams of fat (according to McDonald’s website) in one sitting.

Oh, and here are the ingredients that they have listed:

Premium Roast Coffee. Light Cream: Milk, cream, sodium phosphate, sodium polyphosphate, DATEM, sodium stearoyl lactylate, tetra sodium pyrophosphate, sodium hexametaphosphate, sodium citrate, carrageenan. CONTAINS: MILK. Vanilla Syrup: Sugar, water, fructose, natural (plant source) and artificial flavor, caramel color (with sulfites), potassium sorbate (preservative), citric acid, malic acid. Ice.

Hmm? Sounds like a chem lab in my stomach!

Now I am going to figure out how to replicate this. After all, if I can crack the code on Starbuck’s Peppermint Mochas, these McDonald’s iced coffees should be a walk in the park.

Do you guys have some suggestions for making the perfect iced coffees? Any tips to share before I try to replicate my coffee experience with some good old-fashioned nonfat milk?

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Posted in Family | 45 Comments »

My Little Treat

Monday, June 9th, 2008

I can’t help it! I have wanted these shoes ever since I read Emily’s entry to her husband and now they are mine, all mine! I grumbled an excuse to my husband that Ethan & I had to run to Payless Shoes, after our church service, to get Ethan some sandals. As we marched into the store, I tapped my shoe on the floor waiting impatiently for Ethan to make a decision. After trying on a zillion pairs of shoes, he finally settled on the perfect pair and ran up and down the aisles as I searched the boxes for the pair of shoes that I had been dreaming of.


One pair left in my size, I clutched the box to my heart and practically kissed the $16.99 tag that was hanging off the side of the box. Yeah, it was a love like that.

The girl gushed over the shoes and said she had women coming in with pictures of these shoes asking for them, but they only had a couple of pairs left. And one of them walked out with me.

I had a hard time walking out with just one pair and my son (the perfect little boy he is) kept telling me, “Oh, mommy! You have to get those shoes! Those are perfect!” And then I would blink my long lashes and say, “Can you tell Daddy that when we get home?” After clutching four boxes, I returned three of them back to their spots. Aren’t you proud? You know me and shoes– it was tough!

Alas, we left with one lone pair, but all of the rest of those sweet summer prints will just have to be in my heart for now…or until the next BOGO sale!

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Posted in Family | 14 Comments »

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