Time-Saving & Sanity-Sparing Tips for the Kitchen!

Hello, my snowy friends!  It is a find blizzardy goodness here in Kansas today!  And I'll tell you what, when school gets canceled, it seems to be embedded into my brain that I get the day off too.  So, I've done nary a thing all day long.  Nary a thing!  And the entire world around me is closing up early, so...I'm thinking I'll put a closed sign on my kitchen, and call it good.  Then find a place to hide so these rascally kids can't find me, telling me of their woes, what with their hunger problems and all.




Anyway, this is sort of a repost.  But not exactly.  Well, it's a repeat that has been enhanced slightly!

When I posted a while back about some of my Sam's Club finds, things that are making my life a little easier, I got a lot of questions...so I thought I'd talk about it again (with a couple additions!).  Because honestly, it's just fun.  If there's two things I absolutely love to shop for it's:  1. Office Supplies   2. Restaurant supplies. Even though I don't have an office, nor a restaurant.  But I like to pretend that I do.

So, here ya go.


I bought a slew of extra forks and spoons (and am kicking myself that I didn't pick up some more knives). They're just cheapo-CHEAPOS...but they bring the food from plate to mouth just as handily as fine silver flatware.  Score!

We seem to always be running out of clean utensils, so I'm really happy to have a gob of backups!


And the other thing I really like to do with all the extras is this:

Along with what's in the traditional flatware drawer, I have two jars with forks, spoons, and knives, strategically placed around my kitchen, so that Lori doesn't have to travel far.  It's my highest goal to not move more than absolutely necessary.

The forks were $7.12 and the spoons were $$5.88 for three dozen each.  Sweet!

****

Next up, portion cups & lids.

My people, these are THE best things!

When the kids/husband need to take dipping sauce, salad dressing, granola, w.h.a.t.e.v.e.r., in their lunches...it's perfect for all of it.  And the best part?  You don't have to wash them!

I don't remember the exact cost on these little suckers, but I do remember doing the math and they came to about .01 per cup.  There are 2,500 in each box...so, plan to not run out for a gooood long time.  That makes me really super happy!


*****

Foil sheets.

I use foil sheets constantly when doing highlights in my hair shop.  But it just recently occurred to me that they'd be mighty handy in the kitchen too.  I'm so stoked to have them.   Welcome to the kitchen, my new aluminum friends!

****

Baskets.

Okay, this was by far the biggest hit in my last post.  They are soooo nice to have!  And the kids just love them so much.

(I can't remember how much I paid for them...but they were super cheap!)

Add with them some waxed paper sheets...

And you've got yourself a dynamic diner duo!

And just so you don't think I'm all-deep-fried-all-the-time...we put healthy things in our baskets too! ;)

(I bought these particular waxed paper sheets at Costco...but Sam's has them too.)



****


The infamous paper plates, of course!

And aluminum pans, for your roasting/baking/cooking convenience.

Now.  Let me just say that I do realize that ALL of these things combined are an investment.  I didn't buy them all at once, just here and there over the last couple months.  And since most of them have CRAZY quantities, I won't be buying them again for a really good long time.

Also, I don't use all this stuff super frequently.  Only on days when I know that I need some time-saving {SANITY SPARING} help.

And with water/detergent I'm saving in not washing, I think the cost is a wash.  Haha, a wash...get it?

Well, anyway.  Like I said in my last post, I'd really rather put my energy into what's going into my family's mouths (homemade food!)....so if saving time by buying such things helps me do that, I'm all for it!



If you have any time-saving, sanity-sparing, handy-handy ideas for making your kitchen experience better, please let me know!  I'd love to hear!


So there you go.  Now get out there and shop the restaurant aisle!  You'll have a blast.


Have a blessed and warm Tuesday evening!!

Handy Hints to Make Your Cooking Life Easier

My all-homemade-all-the-time efforts have been a bit strained these days.  It's just so hard, and takes so much darn time, ya know?   I'm thinking we are going to just settle in as a 70/30 family.  70% homemade, 30% whimsical store-bought foods with mystery ingredients.  Some days may even be 60/40, or whatever.

But I have a few rather inexpensive ways to make cooking and clean up easier, without sacrificing food quality.  I'm so excited!

Baskets with wax paper liners.  Can you stand it?!  

My kids were like, "Mom! Wow, they have these at restaurants!"  And so does this rock star mom.

(Don't mind the Taquitos.  This was a 0/100 meal, clearly.) 

Paper Plates.

Alright, so these gems are nothing new, but I have rediscovered them and bought a pallet of them at Sam's.
(My dishwasher is singing my praises!)

Aluminum Foil Pans.

These honeys are a huge blessing when it comes time to throwing a lasagna in the oven.  And when you're cleaning up, you're like, "Oh my gosh, I don't have to wash this dang pan! Yay for me!"

That's all the handy hints I have for you today.  But don't you worry, I plan to hit the Food Service section at Sam's Club pretty hard next time I'm there.

Here's to making our jobs just a little bit easier, moms!


You're welcome.

Making Sure You Don't Drink After Runny-Nosed Kids!

I am such a stickler for drinking out of glass!

And I try to persuade my kids to do the same...although, I really only have the little ones convinced, thus far.

But the trouble with it is...it's easy to forget who was drinking out of what glass.  And being how OCD I am, I just start all over with a new glass if I'm not 100% sure my glass is truly mine.  It's simply not worth the icky risk.

But!  Lucy came up with a brilliant solution!  (Actually, it was Isaiah's idea.)  She whipped us up some various colored bands made with her Rainbow Loom.  That way, we wrap our designated colored band around OUR glass....and it is ours forever and ever!  Well, for the duration of the day, anyway.

I love my kids and their grand ideas.  One of these days they'll surely come up with THE one thing that will put Mama on Easy Street!

Tell your kids to make you some glass bands.  We'll save the world from icky germs, one band at a time!

You're welcome.

And do stay tuned for Thursday's post where I'm going to give you  Lori's Cold and Flu Elixir recipe!
(Just in case you get your glass mixed up with a runny-nosed kid.)

hair-cut tutorial {sort of}

I'll be honest, this post didn't quite turn out the way I had it all planned out in my brain.

My photographer (Lucy) couldn't capture my vision for this project.

And being that I didn't want to ditch the entire thing over our creative differences,

I resisted the urge to stomp out of the room in a huff,

as most supermodels would, I went with the flow.

I'm a big girl that way.

(And it should be noted that I'm not sure how much longer Lucy is going

to continue to go along with my crazy blog-post ideas in which I need

her to photograph me.  We're nearing the end, I estimate.

Thank goodness I have Isaiah on the back-burner.)

Anyway, I had hoped to show you, step-by-step, just how easy it is

to give yourself a haircut.

But I'm not sure I've pulled it off.

My apologies.

Perhaps you'll be inspired anyway, somehow.  Perhaps.

And you'll have to weigh the risks for yourself.

I need-not spell out for you here the very many things that can go wrong

with such an endeavor.

I think you understand this.

Good luck.

Let's get started:

1.  Pitifully wash your own hair.

(Let it be noted that this part alone may be worth the price of a professional cut.)

(My arms and neck are always aching by the time I'm done.)

(But goodness, it's so handy to have my hair-washing sink!)

(This will be Lucy's new job once Isaiah takes over the photography.)

2.  Section off your hair, the best you can. 

3.  Grab a hand mirror.

4.  Steady yourself and start chopping!

(Watch in the mirror to ensure straight-cutting.)

5.  Then cut the rest of the sections.

6.  Cross your eyes and cut your bangs.

Here's the thing about cutting bangs...pull them out away from your face a bit,

and snip them vertically.  You'll end up with nice wispy bangs, instead of kindergarten bangs.

7.  Start trimming the layers, vertically if you can, to ensure less blunt results.

And smile!

8.  Contort yourself into such a fashion to cut the back layers.

This part isn't so easy.

But my theory is that as long as I can stage it to look good in the styling part, it's all good.

All done!!

Styled up and beautified.

The End.

shower buddy!

Here's what I've done so far today:

1.  Up early; breakfast for the whole crew, in shifts of two.  Times three.

2.  Early-morning outside chores (chickens, watering fruit trees, etc.).

3.  Laundry.

4.  Bottled vanilla extract; shipped to buyers. ;)

5.  Homeschooled the children.

(And literally bribed one particular child with cash to focus, not complain, and work HARD.  Not even kidding.)

(And offering one child cash means offering it to both of them.)

(20+ years of parenting has taught me absolutely nothing.  Or perhaps, absolutely EVERYTHING.)

(What I'm saying is, I'm coping.) 

6.  Cleaned bathroom.

Which leads me to the point of this post.

My friend Stephanie gave me a really handy hint.

REALLY HANDY!

Meet my new Shower Buddy!!

Put some dish soap (about 2 tablespoons) and white vinegar (1/2 cup)

into a dish-washing scrubby thingy.

I also added a little water to dilute it just a bit.

Adjust it according to how you like it! 

THEN, just keep it in your shower and scrub away, at your convenience!

And what's even better, let your kiddos clean to their hearts' content

when they're in the shower.

They will be so grateful for a new shower activity!

(Make sure the surface of the scrubber thingy isn't abrasive!)


And bestest of all, it's non-toxic!

It's as if God Himself has written me a prescription for The Easy Life.

(Stay tuned because very soon I'm going to teach you how to give yourself a cute little haircut!)

bulk bovine

Guess what this is!

That's right.

It's a side of beef.

Lori bought a side of beef!

(for the second time in the last year.)

(We're mid-westerners, we likes our beef.)

I loooooove having a whole half-a-cow in my freezer.

It's the best thing ever.

And now if I could just get someone to deliver fresh veggies to me regularly,

my world would be a peaceful place.

Here's what I've learned about making THE very most of

buying bovine in bulk.

1.  Talk extensively with your butcher about the cuts you want.

(If he/she isn't willing to let you custom-order, find another butcher.)

This is the very best way to make sure you will

love every single bite.

(For example:  We don't like roast so much, so I have most of the them made into stew meat.)

(And by WE, I mean, seven of us like roast, K-Man does not.)

(No bitterness here.)

2.  Make sure nothing gets lost in your freezer, by keeping an inventory.

As I was loading all the meat into my freezer,

I jotted down on a list every single package.

Then I put it all back into the paper bags they came in, and numbered them.

(Plastic tubs would have been better.)

Then I typed up the list.

And then I put it in a file folder, just above my freezer.

This way, I can easily find the cuts I want,

AND mark off what I use.

That, my friends, is my fun-filled post for you on this fine Monday.

Go ahead and reread it if you want.

It's riveting, I know.

You are soooo welcome.

Beef, it's what's for dinner!

washing and washer

A couple of things:

I'm determined to start really washing my produce more thoroughly!

I shiver just thinking of what's lurking on it all.

So, I soaked today's fruits and veggies my sink of cold water

and about a cup of vinegar for about ten+ minutes.

Then let it air-dry.

It's so pretty, isn't it?

I feel much better now!

And the water  that was left was gross & grimy, and even left a film in the bottom of the sink.

My goodness.

And unrelated to that,

I'd like to introduce to you my new BFF,

Wilma Washer!

She and I are going to have some goooood times together.

Good, good times.

My heart is leaping with JOY that she's a top-loader.

Wheeeeee!



They even monogrammed it for me.
:)

homemade window cleaner {Hooray!}

I found a fabulously wonderful and easy homemade window cleaner, people!

Non-toxic.

Cheap.

Easy.

Inexpensive.

Cheap.

Hip-Hip Hooray!!!

1/4 cup white vinegar

1/4 cup rubbing alcohol

1 Tbsp. cornstarch 

2 cups water

Mix it all up in a spray bottle.

Shake before each use, as the cornstarch will settle at the bottom.

I've tried it out on my bathroom mirrors and on my microwave front.

It works, it works!

And NO STREAKING!

(Save the streaking for later.)

*Wink-Wink*

Happy Cleaning, everyone!

(I tried to link you to the source of this recipe but I can't seem to find it right now.)

ranger roll

Oh my.

We had SUCH an extended Christmas vacation that I nearly lost my mind.

I know some of ya'll love having scads of children all around you...but I don't.

That's just the way it is. 

I am a woman of habit and I need my routine...and I needs my space.

Except for when I am bored and need change.

But earlier this week we got back into the normal swing of things.

Hooray!

Homeschool resumed with the littles.

Lucy's cursive is gorgeous, isn't it?

So thankful.

:)

And Isaiah, well...bless his heart.

As Brenden was finishing up his laundry to head back to college...he demonstrated his

Ranger Roll.

(I think that's what he called it.  Anyway, it's a military-way of rolling up tee-shirts.)

Take a look!

And then he sat down next to Nick and this was the only pic I could get of them.

Because they are so ridiculously elusive.

And then he left for school.

:(

And that's it for now.