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Thursday, May 29th, 2008No Dental or Vision Coverage- Now What?
Thursday, May 29th, 2008My husband’s health insurance with his new job is so much better, but now we no longer have dental or vision coverage. Ethan & I went to get our teeth cleaned last week and the bill came to $350. We do have an FSA, but it still hurts to fork over that much.
Does anyone have any companies that they have worked with that they could recommend? I am curious what others are doing that are missing their dental and vision coverage? Do you just suck it up or is it worth it to get an individual policy?
Thanks so much for your help!
Deals from Hubby: Cheap Bread Machine
Thursday, May 29th, 2008
My husband is just as good at spotting a deal as me. He often sends emails to me throughout the day about things he has found on sale. This is the message I received yesterday:
“I know you prefer growing your own grain, harvesting it with an ox, and baking your bread in an adobe oven in the hot summer sun, but this could work as a backup on rainy days.”
$35.99 for a bread machine- pretty sweet deal! It looks like free shipping on this item too.
You could buy this… or you could just do what I am doing, which my husband enjoys making fun of while stuffing his face with homemade bread!
If you are at a loss as to what the heck to do with that old bread machine, make sure to check out my post on the ins and outs of making bread in the machine!
Notebook Experiments: Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, & Pecan Cookies
Thursday, May 29th, 2008
Experiment: Will Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, & Pecan Cookies satisfy my sweet tooth?
Experiment Taken From: Notebook Entry 11.14.07
Materials Needed: Please see Smitten Kitchen for specific directions on how to complete this experiment. We did omit a couple of ingredients in the recipe because of our personal taste. The recipe called for two cups of pecans, but my family doesn’t like pecans so we left those out. The batter was pretty wet without this addition though so I added an extra cup of the quick cooking oats to firm the dough up. I also omitted the orange zest because I had no oranges here.
Results: With the addition of the extra cup of oatmeal (minus the pecans), these turned out delicious. The dough was very easy to work with, in fact, I could mold the balls in my hands without sticking.
The first batch was a tad too crispy because the cookies did not look done and I left them in for an extra two minutes. This was a mistake. The next batch was perfect at 12 minutes at 350 degrees. Don’t make the same mistake and it should yield a cookie that is chewy, but also soft. The edges should be a light brown and don’t worry so much about the tops!
Conclusion: These cookies were absolutely delicious and the hint of cinnamon in them gave them that extra something special. By omitting the pecans and replacing this ingredient with oatmeal, it helped to keep the cost low on making this treat and yielded delicious results. Thank you, Smitten Kitchen, for generously sharing your recipes with the public!
Amy’s Notebook 05.29.08
Thursday, May 29th, 2008
I want to try this homemade bubble solution (@ Sparkle Power)
This post on booties for babies made me a little misty-eyed, as the beautiful Soule Mama always does (@ Soule Mama)
These decorated lampshades would be a cool and easy project to do (@ design sponge)
These homemade fudgesicles sound delicious (@ Serious Eats)
I love this formula for disinfecting your sink in a green way (@ ohdeedoh)
I love this idea for using your child’s artwork on a cake (@ Bakerella)
I want to try this recipe for good old-fashioned burgers (@ The Kitchn)
This scarf pattern looks like a fun one, but I would need some more needles (@ bag ‘n’ trash)
I love this idea for displaying your child’s artwork (@ ohdeedoh)
This craft room makeover is fun and thrifty- part one, part two, part three (@ Storybook Woods)
I love this Baby Yeti sweater pattern (@ Berroco)
I really like this idea for organizing your child’s artwork (@ maya made)
These framed pictures would make the cutest teacher gift and display my child’s talents (@ the long thread)
I want to try this recipe for homemade caramel corn (@ Sew Liberated)
This recipe for lemon squares will have to be tried in our house (@ Polliwog’s Cakewalk)
I am loving this birthday theme and the ideas for the favors- perfect for my summer birthday for Ethan (@ Thompson Family-Life)
These ideas for practicing our writing are excellent (@ Blue Yonder)
This idea for blowing bubbles in the car is incredibly inventive (@ Parent Hacks)
I want to try this recipe for homemade soft pretzels (@ Pepper Paints)
I love my Dr. Scholl’s sandals so I was excited to see these ideas for embellishing sandals (@ Mad About Martha)
This pattern for a baby blanket looks super cute and easy (@ Purl Bee)
I love these email cards and they would be perfect for all of these birthdays coming up (@ Make & Takes)
These honey bars sound delicious (@ Grace Violet)
Redbox Code 05.28.08
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
Today’s free code for a Redbox movie is RBM14V. 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.
Knitted: My First Blanket
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
Well, I finished my first baby blanket- I am so proud! I have a couple of weeks to spare before our trip to St Louis so I did get this done in plenty of time.
I tied the blanket off with some ribbon and stamped up a little congratulations card to tie on the outside. I spent $8 in yarn (a little more than I maybe should have, but I am still learning) and I know I would have spent a lot more if I would have bought this in the store. This yarn is so soft and irresistible and this blanket was like a little furnace on my knees as I knitted it.
The garter stitch worked well with this bulky yarn, but I was pretty bored with this project about two days into it. It was great to work on though while I watched television and hung out with the kids and was a fun project for a beginning knitter.
The next project I am working on is sets of washcloths for my mom and sister. My mom’s birthday is coming up and I thought I would make her some of these to go along with her present. My sister requested some of these because she loves them for my nephew’s sensitive skin. Washcloths are a lot more portable than this giant blanket was so I look forward to experimenting with some patterns and different colors. I have been finding some great patterns online and have been adding my own little touch to them. I will be sure to share this when I am done.
Thanks for bearing with me through all of these knitting posts. It feels as though a whole new world has opened up to me and I am enjoying it so much!
Happiness Is…My Favorite Coffee Cup
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008
Our Forum Is Up & Where Else You Might Find Me
Tuesday, May 27th, 2008Many apologies for the delays, but we are happy to report that the forum is back up. Please head over and chat it up! We are so glad to have things up and rolling again. Thank you for your patience!
I also added some new guest entries for Frugal Hacks and Blissfully Domestic. On Frugal Hacks, I am discussing ways to strengthen your old noggins and on Blissfully Domestic I share a fun and frugal recipe for pudding paints!
Adventures in Bread Making: Fiddlin’ With Temperatures
Tuesday, May 27th, 2008
My first batch of bread yielded a gummy texture on the inside of my loaf which was commented on by all of the culinary critics in our house. I really loved the ease of this bread though and wasn’t willing to give up just yet. These next two loaves were cooked at 475 degrees for forty minutes.
The exterior ended up being a tad too crunchy, but the interior was gosh darn perfection. These loaves were not gummy at all and the bread sang to me when I opened the oven with that beautiful golden crust. I think we will try it again at 475 for 35 minutes and see if we hit the ultimate perfection.
As we dined on roasted chicken salad sandwiches on this amazing bread, I looked across the table and said to my husband, “You realize that no one else does this, right?” In spite of his full mouth, he grinned and said, “I know, I know.”
Sometimes I feel like I am running the America’s Test Kitchen show over here and I fear that if something should ever happen to me, my husband’s next wife will have one ridiculous act to follow.