Thrifty Thursday - Trash Cans

This week for my Thrifty Thursday post, I'm talking about one of the most disgusting places in your home - the garbage can.


Your garbage can become a cesspool for germs and odor faster than the blink of an eye if you don't take proper care of it. When we get annoyed with smelly trash cans, especially the ones we keep inside of our home, what do we generally do with it? Toss it out and spend money to buy a new one. Not only is this bad on your wallet, but it's not exactly helpful for the environment, global warming or not. Taking care of your trash can on a weekly basis can extend the life of it by years.

For your inside kitchen and bathroom trash cans, a good weekly scrubbing with your favorite cleaner will keep it bacteria and germs down. I personally use a vinegar and water solution to clean mine, but if you have a really major mess in the bottom, you may want to break out the bleach if you use it. After a good scrubbing and drying it down, sprinkle a little baking soda at the bottom before putting in a new trash bag.

To cut down on odors and messes leaking through the trash bags, there's a few things you can do throughout the week. Make sure that all liquids are dumped down the drain, not tossed in your trash bag. Lids from metal cans and jars can be quickly rinsed before tossing it in the bag, cutting down on odors. And if you know food scraps will be smelly, but you don't compost them, place them in a used ziploc you may have used earlier that day, and it will keep most of the smell from permeating your kitchen.

For outdoor trash cans, you will want to rinse them at least once a week. If you can leave them open in the sun for at least a day, that will help sanitize much of the odor right out. Make sure that any trash bags are tightly tied before placing them inside to help cut down on odors building up, and if you constantly seem to have gooey messes at the bottom of your trash can, it likely is that the trash bags just aren't the right one for your family's messes. Consider trying a new brand of trash bags, or even contractor bags if it's that bad. Cheaper isn't always better when it comes to trash bags - if you constantly find yourself double bagging your trash, or taking your trash out earlier consistently, you're paying just as much, if not more, for the "cheap" trash bags in the long run!

Random Thoughts Tuesday - I Don't Do Hiatuses... I Guess?

So Random Thoughts Tuesday is on hiatus. You know me, I never follow every one else - so guess? RTT is still here. How else will I rant and whine each week?

Speaking of rant and whine - I saw gas for $3.93! Holey Mack-A-Toley, we're about to crack $4 again, aren't we? Excuse me while I just sob and rock myself back and forth.

DH wants a hammock. Yeah, I can't see how that one could be a disaster waiting to happen. /sarcasm

So should I be offended that, I, who adores Nutella and thinks it should be a part of every emergency kit, was ignored by Nutella's recent PR campaign? Hmph. Yooo hoooo.... Nutella? Ya dropped the ball.

It's all in fun. ;)

I see chicken is on sale again at Save-A-Lot for $1.69 a pound. When DH gets paid, I think I'll do some canning and share some how-to's on here. I'd like to go in and buy 20 pounds, but I suppose I had better check his paycheck first - it's that lousy time of the year again where I feel like the checking account has been turned into swiss cheese. Taxes are due, insurances are due, and knock on wood - so far nothing wrong with the car.

So DH decided to check out a truck at a dealership, and um, boy - anyone who doesn't do their research can be had in three seconds flat. This is my advice: do not walk into any car dealership cold. Know your budget, know what cars are going for, and if you can - know what financing through your bank would cost before checking out what financing through the dealership will cost you. Do not let the dealership sit there and ask you what you can afford - because then they can tailor the price as they wish. I let DH run the show, and the truck "supposedly" was about 4K past the blue book price. Um - no? DH is too easy, he had googly eyes from the get-go. If I had not been there, I bet y'all fifty bucks he would have signed on that atrocity. (the contract, not the truck)

I'll pay him back somehow. REI maybe? ;)

Would You Let Your Child?

I'm not delusional enough to ever think that the parent of the year award would ever be mine, but apparently, maybe I actually have a chance. DH surprised me this afternoon with a trip to the movies for the two of us - we went to go see Paul. Paul himself is played by Seth Rogen, so if you're familiar with his acting, you pretty much already know the tone of the movie right off the bat. The movie is rated R.

I was absolutely SHOCKED to see a father bringing his son that looked to be maybe 7 to see the movie. Granted, there was no nudity, but there was a ton of sexual references, some drugs, and foul language - hey, it is Seth Rogen. DH and I knew what we were getting into seeing the movie, and it was hilarious - but definitely NOT appropriate for a 7 year old. Or even a 10 year old.

I hereby gift this father with the Lousy Parent Of The Year Award. C'mon, I know you can't shield your child from everything, but this really didn't seem appropriate to me. I don't feel that the movie theater should have sold the ticket for the child either, since it was a rated R. PG-13, maybe, but rated R? What is the point of movie ratings then anyways?

Would YOU take your seven year old to see a rated R movie?

DVD Review: Big Time Rush: Season One, Volume One

My family and I were recently sent one of the newest DVD releases from Nickelodeon, Big Time Rush: Season One, Volume One, to review.


Big Time Rush: Season One, Volume One starts at the beginning, where four hockey playing best friends from Minnesota - Kendall, James, Logan, and Carlos - are discovered by big Hollywood producer Gustavo Rocque. Gustavo thinks they could be the next big boy band, and brings them down to LA to start their music careers. Along the way, the guys find that they aren't happy with their living arrangements, sulk when they find out even though they might become big music sensations that they still have to go to school, and even get stuck with the record company trying to add a fifth member into the group. Volume one ends up with the last episode "Big Time Jobs", where the guys have to go out and yes - each get a job. (Kendall and Logan start a babysitting service, lol) There are eleven episodes in total featured on volume one.

Hockey? My ears perked right up when I read that on the back of the case when the DVD arrived. Big Time Rush definitely caters to the tween girl crowd with the cute boys in the band, though boys may enjoy it too. The show has definitely become a hit for Nickelodeon, and it's easy to see why - it has all the right elements to get the ages 7-12 crowd watching - even though I'll admit I was rolling my eyes throughout some of the scenes, there was some funny moments that even my DH could enjoy. (Although, he did keep saying Hail Marys that our daughter will be like us and not ever into the cutesy boy band phase LOL!)

There are even guest appearances from Erik Estrada, Chris Masters, and other Hollywood celebs on the show! The two disc set does contain a few special features - the "Big Time Break" episode, where you can see some trivia, and a photo flipbook.

Big Time Rush: Season One, Volume One will be released today, March 29th, 2011. The two disc DVD set is not rated (I rate it PG) and is full screen format, with a total running time of 288 minutes long. The suggested retail price is $16.99, but Amazon has it available for $14.49 as of this posting. (Netflix users: this DVD set is currently available to add to your DVD queue)

You know the drill: I received a copy of this DVD in order to view it and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

Pantry Basics - Oatmeal

Whether you are on a strict budget, working on food storage, or just looking for variety - oatmeal is something good to have on hand in your pantry. It's cheap - purchased in bulk bins, regular rolled oats run about 79 cents a pound, cheaper than any other cereal you can purchase. It's also versatile, because you can use it to stretch other dishes containing meat, or you can bake filling cookies for yourself - as well baking treats for your dogs.

For breakfast, you can cook it on the hot stove or via the microwave. You can add just about any fresh or dried fruit to it, cinnamon, raisins, etc. Instead of spending 2 to 3 times the cost on instant (which really is more chemicals than fruit and oats!), if you are time constrained, you can take a box of ziplocs (or small glass Pyrex with lids, which is what I do) and portion out oats, dried fruits, and spices such as cinnamon or brown sugar. It is easy to take 10-20 minutes once a month and do this, and even with the cost of the plastic bags mixed in (should you prefer it), you still come out far ahead - and eating healthier, too. By the way, if you are cooking your oatmeal in the microwave, if you use a dish bigger than usual, it will stop the oats from bubbling over the sides. To cook, you'll use about two cups water (or milk) to one cup oats.

And my fellow slow cooker lovers will be thrilled to know that it's easy to make oatmeal in your slow cooker! I use my smaller (3 qt) slow cooker and the following recipe:

1 cup oats
4 cups water
1 cup chopped apples
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Cook on low 8 hours, overnight. It will be ready when you wake up in the morning, and it's so good! It's easy to switch out the fruit with whatever you have on hand, as well, which works great when different fruits are in season. (I can't wait for blackberries season!)

Did you know you can eat oatmeal as a cold cereal? Toast a large batch of oatmeal in a shallow baking pan for 20 minutes at stirring about every 5 minutes or so. If your pan is large enough that everything is spread out well, you don't really need to stir the oats. You can mix in any combination of dried fruits, brown sugar just like if you were making hot cereal, and then each morning for breakfast, portion out like you would your favorite boxed cereal! Serve with milk, of course.

You can make muesli using uncooked oatmeal mixed in with yogurt. I use plain, and then mix in fresh fruit such as bananas, and strawberries and blueberries in season. This makes the yogurt even more filing, and you're getting fiber into your diet.

Oatmeal, whether it be steel cut oats or rolled oats is also great used to stretch ground beef in recipes. How about a recipe for Toasted Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies?

If stored properly in a food grade container in a cool, dry place such as your cupboard shelf, bulk oats will be good for at least three months. You can easily package steel cut or rolled oats for LTS (long term storage) into food grade buckets using mylar bags and oxygen absorbers, and the container, if stored properly, will be good for many years. I haven't tried this yet myself, but maybe one day when we have more room. For now though, I keep about ten pounds on hand with about one pound's worth stored in my kitchen in an airtight glass jar for use in my baking and cooking at all times.

Oatmeal really is a great building block in your pantry.

Menu Planning Monday - I Need Cooking Inspiration Again!

I started working on my menu planning for the week yesterday (so I could start defrosting meat and switching from the big freezer to my fridge freezer), and nothing sounded good to me at all. DH was no help either. Sigh! I kept walking back and forth between my pantry shelving and opening the fridge... geez, talk about wasting electricity on that part. I even sat there for an hour flipping through cookbooks! Maybe I need a trip to the big restaurant supply store for some inspiration....


Monday: sweet 'n sour chicken, rice with stir fry veggies

Tuesday: Fiesta Meatloaf

Wednesday: Slow Cooker Simple Beef Stew

Thursday: Chicken Breasts with Curried Stuffing

Friday: toasted tuna melts, homemade seasoned fries, salad

Saturday: Flatbread Pizza

Sunday: recipe of the week

Check out Organizing Junkie for other great Menu Plans!

Book Reiew: Time With God For Fathers by Jack Countryman

The righteous man walks in his integrity; His children are blessed after him. ~Proverbs 20:7

My DH (and I) recently received a copy of the book Time With God For Fathers by Jack Countryman.


Time With God For Fathers features ninety short devotions with Scriptures that encourage fathers to spend time with the Lord and grow with their family. Each devotional is under a small page long, and gives a different focus for each day, spanning different books of the New King James Bible. Subjects include "The Choice Is Yours: God Or Money", "A Father's Eternal Hope", and many others. At the end of the book is a section for notes, a crisis Scripture guide that directs you to scriptures in the Bible to help guide you through the rough patches, and another area that directs you to certain Scriptures depending on what you'd like to read about ("God's Dynamic Examples of Fathers", for instance)

The book itself is presented in a way that makes it perfect for gift giving - the hardcover book has an antiquated feel to it. Most guys don't know what a bookmark is or loose it within the first day of having one, so I feel that the elasticized band that's attached to the cover to keep track of which devotion you are on is a great idea for this little book! It would make a great gift for Father's Day, or even as a small shower gift as not to leave the new father out of the festivities.

Time With God For Fathers by Jack Countryman is a hardcover religious inspirational book published by Thomas Nelson. It is 102 pages long, and the suggested retail price is $9.99. You can purchase it at your favorite Christian bookstore, or online via sites such as Christianbook.com and Amazon. It is also available for download to Kindle and other e-readers.

I received a copy of this book in order to share my opinions of it.

Review: AlpineAire Ranch Omelet With Beef (Pouch)

In our journey into food storage, I'm finding there are a ton of different freeze dried entrees and foods out there. We wanted to add some of the individually packaged meals into our food storage not only for our emergency gear bags, but because in a true emergency, I'm not sure I can really sit there and create gourmet meals if we have a limited supply of water and no electricity.

On today's table is AlpineAire Foods Ranch Omelet With Beef. It contains eggs and lightly seasoned beef with red and green bell peppers. Each five ounce packet contains two 1/2 cup servings, and this pouch is resealable.


Each serving contains 390 calories, which isn't too bad - except that serving also contains 24 grams of fat for a whopping 37% of the average adult's daily value. Gulp! It also contains 580 mg of sodium, or 24% of that average adult's daily value of sodium. I personally would not use this as a daily meal, but rather for emergency purposes, or if you are planning for LTS (long term storage) to mix in with food you are growing and/or already canned or dehydrated yourself.

I liked that unlike some of the Mountain House pouches, this one was air free. It means it takes up less space not only on my shelf before it's rotated in, but it takes up much less valuable space in our emergency "get home"/"get out" bags. This was a HUGE plus to me, but if the food tastes awful, the plus is almost negated. For those new to the long term food storage scene, freeze dried foods store longer than conventional canned foods. They are also much lighter than carrying around regular canned food, which is important if you are hiking - plus, you end up with more servings of food in less space.

The AlpineAire Ranch Omelet With Beef is pretty simple to prepare. Just add one cup of cold water into the package after removing the oxygen absorber (don't forget this! lol) to reconstitute the eggs, and let it sit for 10 to 12 minutes. I suggest using a long spoon, like the ice cream sundae ones, if you have one available. Next, you'll simply prepare as you would scrambled eggs. Here it is dry inside the pouch:



You could cook and eat this out of the pouch, if you wanted to, however, we cooked ours on the stove. Here it is ready to be cooked:


Looking like an omelet:


I ended up "chopping" it into more of a scrambled style to place into tortillas and eat that way to cut down on eating utensils, as I would if our water supply was limited while hiking or during an emergency situation. As you can in the photos, you can clearly see the ground beef and peppers in the mixture.


Even though it has a high sodium content, it didn't taste overly salty. However, don't go into it thinking this freeze dried mix is going to taste like fresh eggs and beef - there's definitely a big difference. My DH ended up adding a bit of hot sauce to his to make it more flavorful (so save those small packets if you eat fast food!) Each serving was filling.

Now, as with all freeze dried meal packets, it usually has a later expiration date for storage. Alpine Aire Foods says each packet will be good three to five years if stored in a cool, dry location. The packet I just purchased (3/2011) is good through 9/2015, so if I wanted to store it, the date is still a good four years away, right in that time frame. There is also an oxygen absorber in each laminated foil package, so that helps for longer term storage.

This item is available to purchase via Amazon, or check with your favorite sporting goods or emergency site.

This product was purchased out of my own pocket. All opinions are my own. Links included are for your convenience.

Blu-Ray Review: Firebreather

My family and I recently received a copy of the new movie, Firebreather, to review.


Firebreather is the first ever original CGI Movie from the Cartoon Network, based on a comic book series of the same name. It follows Duncan Rosenblatt, your typical high school student - or is he? Duncan's dad is actually a monster, making him half Kaiju! Kaiju is a race of monster that are red and a 100 feet tall, and they have been at war with humans for many years.

...the logistics of this whole human-monster relationship (which is talked about a little bit in the movie as a hilarious scene between Duncan and his Mom LOL) is a little out there, alright. The story itself though is pretty entertaining and action packed, while Duncan struggles through attending a new school, and all the problems that come with him being a little bit different, while his Dad tries to help him embrace his monster side. Can he impress the really hot girl he has a crush on? Will he embrace his monster side?

The CGI on this movie is awesome, and viewing it on Blu-Ray, it's crystal clear. It's actually almost life like at moments, I totally have to give them two thumbs up. The story probably leans a bit more towards being for boys, but even I enjoyed it. DH totally loved it and said he hopes that more movies are made based on the series. You don't need to have read the comic books to enjoy the movie at all.

The Blu-Ray disc does have some special features, including a deleted scene, the 2D animated test, and some featurettes showing animatics and visual development. Outside of the deleted scene, the special features probably cater more to older kids and geeks. The movie itself doesn't contain anything too graphic other than some bullying, and a bit of cartoon violence (hey, we're talking monsters here, after all!)

Firebreather is available now on both DVD and Blu-Ray with a total running time of 69 minutes (not including special features). It's rated TV-PG (V), and probably best for the ages 7 and up crowd. The suggested retail price is $28.99, though as of this posting Amazon has it available for $20.99 with free super saver shipping over $25. (Netflix users: this movie is not currently available, but add it to your queue to be notified when it is)

I received a copy of this Blu-Ray in order to share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

It's Been Beautiful...

So we've gone hiking and worked around the yard the last few days. We pruned the tree that is actually the neighbor's and just hangs over our fence. I like shade, but I hate raking those leaves up every fall!

All my onions are in and I am already fighting the slugs. Grrr! We also hit up the restaurant supply store so I have restocked some of the things we use most such as pasta (60 cents a pound, still not my benchmark of 50 cents, but the best price I have seen in awhile!). I wish we had a bigger deep freezer because they had some great deals on frozen foods! We also hit up Grocery Outlet, nothing too special there yet I spent more than I intended to. Grumble grumble - these higher prices are killing me!

Review: Neoteric Diabetic Oxygenated Advanced Healing Cream

When I found out how crummy DH's blood sugar was last year, I had no idea some of the ramifications there was from having diabetes. I had heard some of the horror stories of folks losing limbs and going blind of course, but I really didn't understand how slowly skin can heal thanks to poor circulation. Suddenly, DH's very scary looking scaly hobbit feet made sense! lol I actually didn't know this, but over on WebMD I read that as many as a third of people with diabetes will have a skin condition related to their disease at some time in their lives. That was pretty startling to me!

Neoteric Diabetic Oxygenated Advanced Healing Cream (yeah, it's a mouthful, I know!) is an intensive treatment for those with chronic dry, cracked, damaged, slow healing skin because of diabetes and other diseases. It contains TriOxygenC, which is a patented formula that releases oxygen to the skin in order to stimulate the production of collagen and increases the rate of new cell growth - all of which struggle in diabetics. It also contains Aloe and Vitamin E.


The first thing we both noticed was the smell - it does have a very strong scent to it. I really hate to say this, but the scent reminds me of cream little old ladies would use. DH was not happy with the smell of it! lol He wishes it was unscented, but the scent does fade away after awhile. The cream does glide on easily, and doesn't feel greasy or heavy on your skin (I tried it too) After the first application, DH's feet still looked dry after applying, so we added a little more and he wore his socks for the evening. After a few days, they looked a bit better, so maybe we're on the way to flip flops for him this Summer? ;)

The one thing that did bother me about this product was that it contains propylene glycol, which I am trying to avoid in our home as much as possible. I'll consider it a trade off, since DH really needed something that works on his feet, but I wish this could be left out of the ingredients. I also couldn't find anything about whether or not it was tested on animals.

On the bright side, this is an American company and this product is made here in the US.

A four ounce tube of Neoteric Diabetic Oxygenated Advanced Healing Cream retails for $9.99, and you can purchase it via Neoteric's website. They have free shipping for the month of March, so if you are interested in giving it a try, now is the time!

I received this product in order to try it out in our home and share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own, and not that of the company involved. Your results using this product may vary from ours.

Add Some Spice To Your Wardrobe With EdenFantasys

Please note that while the following post doesn't contain anything controversial - well, I hope not, anyways - the site the post links to may be considered risque to some, and is not intended for those under the age of 18.

It's a gimme, guys love sexy lingerie on their wives. Nothing brings a smile faster to most husbands' faces after a long day than a new chemise or a slinky new nightgown. And when guys get sick and turn into the whiny babies we know they will, there's no better way to get their mind off being sick than a sexy nurse costume. ;)


I've written a review in the past for EdenFantasys, where I was able to try out the Kama Sutra Massage Therapy Kit. Let me tell you, I will take any excuse these days to beg for my DH for a massage, lol. We've tried out other massage oils since, and the Kama Sutra oils are still my absolute favorite - they smell amazing, and nothing beats a good massage!

I noticed EdenFantasys has a bunch of nice tights and even some fun flirty petticoats at really great prices - can you guess what's going to end up in my shopping cart? ;) Seriously, you can't get any cheaper than the prices they have on their fishnet tights, except for buying on Halloween clearance - and EdenFantasys has way more color choices! And sexy costumes? They have a ton to choose from!

Psst - they have a free gift with every order right now, plus free shipping on orders of $59 or more!

This is a sponsored post - I received a gift card in exchange for this post.

Thrift Store Tuesday - Been Awhile

I know, it's been awhile since I posted Thrift Store Tuesday. Have you found anything good lately?

I've donated far more than I've bought in recent months. Here is my latest find:


I almost didn't take it, but DH convinced me to. I'm kinda glad he did, because it does match our home perfectly. ;) I also found a few wire baskets to use in my pantry shelving at half off on the last trip. (One was just 50 cents! Whoo hoo!)

I'm looking forward to garage sale season starting up, because Goodwill seems to be going crazy on some of their prices. I forget what I was looking at in the kitchen department the other day, but it was twice the original retail price!

Review: DYMO LabelManager PnP

Organization? I love it. I'm an organizing fool. ;) I truly believe you save money - not to mention have less stress - if you have a well organized home. It can be a daunting task though, especially if you're face with 2,000 square feet of life!

As I have been Spring cleaning this year, I have been looking for ways to make my home more efficient. I want things organized so not only is it easy for me to find, it's easy for others to find it too. We're set to have a lot of family members visiting this Summer, and I really don't want to have to to constantly be grabbing things for everyone - I like the thought of being able to direct folks to the right area, and then they can find what they need easily. When the opportunity came along to review the DYMO Label Manager Plug and Play Label Maker, I knew this was EXACTLY what I needed to solve my efficiency problems.


I have to tell you, it was love at first sight. It made my organizing loving heart all aflutter! ;) The DYMO Label Manager Plug and Play Label Maker works with your computer - be it PC or MAC. You don't need any batteries, so no worries that it will run out of juice in the middle of your project, zapping your organizing mojo away. ;) It simply plugs into your USB port. It's small enough that it doesn't take up a lot of room on your desktop or counter, and it also means it can easily travel with you to do organizing jobs at the office or church. You can type anything into the label box, and the label that prints out is the correct size - no worrying you've gone over a standard size label if you are typing out a big long phrase like INCOMING PROJECTS or a simple one like SOUP. Because it doesn't need any extra software, you also don't have to worry about it hogging precious memory on your computer, either.

You can use it to organize file folders, or organize totes like one of my big projects that I have been doing. In order to keep not only our costs down, but cut down on trips to the store, I tend to stock up on items by combining coupons and sales. Stocking up little things such as razors or toothpaste on a shelf or in a cabinet can be a nightmare - you'll end up with a cluttered jam, and no way to ever find what you are looking for without making an even bigger mess. I had previously purchased clear Rubbermaid plastic totes, and sorted each kind of item into a box - razors in one box, toothpaste in another. These stack easily on my bathroom shelving, and anyone visiting can easily take a peek and see what they need. Having labels on the outside of each box makes it even easier now! I've separated things like our soap:


Another one of my organizational projects is tackling our first aid and medicine chests. We've been wanting to make it more manageable, and plus, I knew I needed to restock the car and my purse kits, plus DH's backpack kit - the other day, I had ripped off part of my nail (ouch!), and between all our little kits, I could not find a single band aid! Sadly, that's how many my disaster prone family had gone through. We've separated our Band-Aids and wound care from the medicines (which is on a much higher shelf), and we feel this will help keep germs and contagions from spreading this way, too. Here's our wound care "tote", that has a handle on the top to make it easy to carry outside in an emergency, too!


I've also started using it to tackle the home improvement stuff, like the tape and our spare batteries:



I'm hoping to finish organizing our shed this weekend. It's still a scary clutter magnet right now! lol

The super neat-o thing about this label maker is that you can customize your label with any fonts or graphics you have your computer! So if you are making a gift, it's super easy to make it fancy and all professional! This makes it great for labeling spice mixes and homemade canning items as a gift.

The DYMO Label Manager Plug and Play Label Maker does retail for $59.99, and the cartridges retail for around $25 (although I've already found them a LOT cheaper at Amazon), which I totally do realize is on the high end for many. If you are sitting there trying to compare it to making labels using standard office software, here's a few differences: these labels are both scratch resistant, as well as waterproof. Apparently, they are also chemical resistant, but I'm not about to throw chemicals all over the labels to check that part out! lol I feel they look a lot better on my boxes, bins, etc, and can survive being handled by grubby hands a lot more than regular labels. Cost wise, my frugal heart does cringe a little bit, but I'd like to think that the cost comes down the more projects you use it for. If you're going to use it for a single afternoon's worth of organizing, it's probably not worth it; if you're going to organize you're entire home, plus do school projects, create gifts, and get several years worth of labels out of the label maker, then it's definitely worth it - you'll turn into a labeling lunatic like me. ;)

One warning: double check your spelling at least twice, so you don't waste labels on misspelled items and typos!

I received the product mentioned above in order to try it out and share my opinions of it.

Random Thoughts Tuesday - Everyone Wants To Be A Cat

Two words: Mt. Laundry.

Wait, that's one. At any rate, I am convinced the laundry is snuck into my home. It is NOT possible. I just did two loads three days ago, and there wasn't anything left to do except some handwashing. What gives?

I totally crave one of those commercial Beef Jerky sticks. I know, I don't get it either.

"Stuck in the Middle With You" has been stuck in my head for DAYS. Have I mentioned I hate that song?

This past weekend was restock all the pet supplies weekend. I had a cartful of food & litter, and had a few strange looks. I could clearly see the checkout clerk was dying to ask me how many we had, and I was just waiting - I wanted to tell her 23 just to see the look on her face. LOL

DH has been on a paranormal Netflix kick and has been making the round of all the "catch a ghost" shows. I pay more attention to the history than the so-called ghosts on a lot of them. (Not saying there aren't, but some of the shows he's watching, they are really digging for stuff that they WANT to see/hear. Some of the shows are definitely better than others at being impartial and just showing what they found.) Anyways, I noticed that one of the shows that was dealing with demons and evil spirits - all of the homes were cluttered and needed a thorough cleaning, and/or there were problems in the marriage. I can't help but think that an environment like that is an open door to evil. More reason to clean? Methinks so. lol

OH OH OH and none of the houses with "demons" had cats! See? Cats really DO ward off evil! lol

There was an abandoned house on the show he was watching last night that was KILLING me. I wanted to restore it sooooo badly. Everyone always thinks that newer is better, but this home had been empty for over 50 years and was still standing. Try that with the houses they have built these days - I give you 10, max, before they fall to the ground. No thanks. It had this killer wine cellar, too. It screamed Storm... you know you want me!

Sigh. I was born into the wrong century. As much as I love the Internet and computers... send me back 100 years. Or at least the 50's.

I love animals, but the back neighbor's dog makes me want to scream. It's a little thing, and it barks... and barks... and barks... The whole time I was working in the yard the other day, it was out there barking at me. I contemplated starting yelling at it, but I didn't want to start a war so I just kept my mouth shut. Grrr. I want my neighbors a mile away!

Well, at least there are some interesting things on sale this week at the grocery store - including Diet Dr. Pepper for 89 cents at Albertsons. Little things make me happy! ;) I'm going to have to go work out my game plan with my budget.

Spent The Weekend Tackling More Spring Cleaning...

I've mentioned on here that I've been tackling my Spring cleaning the last few weeks. I have started with sorting through our oversized collection of clothing, and I'm just going inch by inch to make sure not only what we have in our home is used, but taking inventory to see what might need to be replaced down the road. On our plate is painting the living room and hallways, and I would also like to re-do the bathroom (I'm stalking Craigslist and Freecycle for a new vanity right now!) I'm also scrubbing down everything. Anyone else who also heats primarily with wood heat will tell you that you end up with dust on the top of all of your cabinets and even on the wall if you have textured walls - can you guess what we have? Yeah, I hate those walls, but fixing it is one big project I'm not sure I want to even bother with.

With what has happened in Japan last week, it's also hit close to home since we're in earthquake territory. I know and understand if we even have half of the size earthquake that happened there, that here in my home, I would be in trouble. We've begun walking around and identifying "problem" areas: areas in our home where things can fall off shelves or walls. Because of this, we've decided to change around our living room a bit - I know, yet again. lol We realized that where my china cabinet was, it could block our exit from the home if it was to fall forward. Scary thought, isn't it?

So anyways, this weekend we hit up Home Depot in search of marked down OOPS! paint to see if maybe there was a color we liked, and um, I guess everyone else has caught on, because there wasn't a single container of paint! Geesh, there goes part of my dastardly plans... lol We left with a couple of paint chips, because if I am going to pay full price for paint, I'm getting the good stuff and I had better love the color we choose! LOL

We also spent a chunk of time out in the yard. It must have been the local dump, because seriously, every time I go out there, something else is poking out or just out of the ground. We've found wires, glass, fuses, even ear plugs - and I am getting super annoyed. One of the garden beds that I had let go dormant the last two years, I went to start turning the soil and almost cried - it's all sandy from about 1/4" on. I was hoping to turn it into a bed for my onions, but it is obviously going to need a lot more help than having the bit of wood ash put on it each winter. It's obvious I am going to have to stick with the raised beds.

...the Corgis were "helping". They took turns digging a nice hole under the back stairs. LOL I've never seen them dig before, so it was kind of funny, yet I hope they don't start doing that. I'm hoping they were just "helping" because they saw us digging.

You know, I bought the kiddo this little gardening set on clearance at Target last year, I think the plastic tools in it are stronger than mine! LOL I "stole" the little hand rake from it! LOL!

But my dirt from the raised bed we started last year is doing so well, I am so pleased with my free project! Check out the back end:


(I didn't realize exactly how lousy that photo looks - DH took it! LOL!) It's all full of good worms, so as long as I can keep it slug free, I'm sure the veggies planted in there will do great. The strawberry plant at the other end of it hung in there throughout the winter and definitely has tripled in size since I planted it.

So far, I've started peppers, tomatoes, and some more basil. I'd like to start more, but I am running out of room safe from kitty terrorists. ;)

Menu Planning Monday - Bring On The Cheeeese

We had yummy ribs and roasted veggies for dinner last night, thanks to a great marked down package of meat! It's been awhile since I've found good deals on marked down meat - I think the competition is getting fiercer, plus Safeway has changed their markdown policy in the meat department. (Booo!)

DH put in a request for nachos tonight, so nachos it is. (Lest anyone think I'm ignoring fresh fruits and veggies in the house, I make my nachos with shredded lettuce, olives, tomatoes, etc. There ends up being more on top than tortilla chips!)

Oh, and that means I am opening a #10 can of cheese sauce, hence a chunk of recipes with cheese!

Monday: Nachos Supreme

Tuesday: Mexican Lasagna

Wednesday: Enchiladas

Thursday: Bacon Cheeseburger Pasta (without the boxed mac n cheese though, using regular pasta instead)

Friday: Fish stick roll ups with southwestern corn (white and yellow corn with chopped red and green peppers)

Saturday: I'm leaving this day open

Sunday: recipe of the week

Check out Organizing Junkie for other great Menu Plans!

Giveaway: Easter With Hershey's!

Easter is just over a month away on April 24th! That means stuffed bunny season is almost here! This is the time of year I'm not allowed anywhere near the feed store, because DH is afraid I'll bring home a bunch of baby chicks. (I WILL have my chickens one day, if it's the last thing I do! LOL) It also means chocolate bunnies and peanut butter eggs is here too! Do you fill your kids' Easter baskets to the brim with chocolate eggs and fill those plastic eggs with chocolate too for the Easter egg hunts? I fondly remember church Easter egg hunts from when I was a child - I think it's the first time I ever tried the peanut butter eggs. Mmm... chocolate!

Hershey's wants to help the Easter Bunny basket filler in your home fill that basket to the brim with yummy goodies! From Hershey’s Solid Milk Chocolate Snapsy Bunny:


to the Whoppers Mini Robin Eggs Bunny Bag:


and even my DH's favorite, Reese’s Peanut Butter Egg:


There are plenty of choices from Hershey's to fill up just about any Easter (or Spring!) basket! Plus, Hershey's is celebrating the new CGI movie, Hop, with a Solid Milk Chocolate Hop The Movie Magic Bunny. Russell Brand does the voice of the main character, who happens to be the teenage son of the Easter Bunny. Normally I'm not much of a fan of Mr. Brand, but this movie looks like a lot of fun so I can't wait for it to be available on DVD down the road.

If you're on the hunt for Easter craft ideas, be sure to check out Hershey's Easter site. There is a fun craft for us adults to make as a hostess gift or as a centerpiece - the Hershey's Flower Pot Bouquet. For kids, you can make Easter Basket Cupcakes! Go take a peek, there's some fun things to do on there.

Win it! Hershey's sent me some Easter basket goodies, and one lucky winner will win an assortment of Hershey's Easter candy too! To enter, tell us what Hershey's candy you'll be putting in baskets this year, or what your favorite candy was in your baskets as a kid.

As always, you can receive extra entries for:

-Subscribing to my feed OR publicly following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway one time (leave the link in your comment below or @psychotichouse) example:
Win Hershey's chocolate! http://goo.gl/fb/ISkNZ ends 4/9 @psychotichouse

That's four (4) possible entries! Giveaway ends April 9th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!!

I received samples from Hershey's. One winner will receive the prize mentioned above, as fulfilled by the giveaway sponsor.

Review: Coleman LED Quad Lantern

Oops. Twice now I thought I had posted this, and it's just been sitting there... stuck in drafts! Sorry! It's alive now!

Thanks to Coleman, my family and I were able to do some fun backyard camping this past Fall. Come next Spring and Summer, we hope to do a lot more camping at our National Parks using some of the equipment they sent us! One of the items we were given was the Coleman LED Quad Lantern. Because this lantern was so versatile, and because I felt it was an excellent emergency preparedness item, I wanted to share a more in-depth review of this item.


When you're camping, especially in an unfamiliar area, one of the most important things you'll need to take along with is something that gives off light. Some choose flashlights, others choose lanterns, and then there are those who use both. The Coleman LED Quad Lantern is really both of those items rolled into one! It can be used singly as just a lantern, and for anyone who has to wander off to pick up more firewood, or go to the bathroom, it also has four removable panels that work as a flashlight! Once back, it can be easily placed back onto the lantern.

What I love most about the Coleman LED Quad Lantern is that versatility. The average family probably only goes camping once or twice a year (if that), so they don't often tend to spend a lot of money on their camping supplies. The Coleman LED Quad Lantern does slide in at a suggested retail cost of $79.99, making it a little on the high side for an item used once or twice. However, that same family probably also has several power outages a year, or may live in a hurricane or snow/ice storm prone area, where having a backup light source is also a must. The Coleman LED Quad Lantern fits both of these bills quite nicely, making the cost per "use" no longer seem so high.


Running in lantern mode, it uses eight "D" cell batteries, which make it a little heavy to carry, but it also makes it very stable - if you are outdoors, and it's a little windy, you can use it to hold down a tablecloth or napkins. Using fresh batteries, the manufacturer says you'll get about 75 hours of use running in just lantern mode. That's over 3 days straight of being on! Each of the four panels can be turned on independently and carried around like a flashlight using the handles at the top of the panels. They use NiMH batteries, and when turned on via the back switch (after being removed from the lantern base), they can run for up to one and a half hours straight. The LED's themselves are lifetime sources, and should not need to be replaced, so you don't have to worry about those.


We've used the Coleman LED Quad Lantern in several power outages, and the lighting is more than bright enough to not only play games, but to read. It brightens up the room better than any candle, and it allows for the family to come together more than each person carrying a flashlight around. According to the website, the light range is 26 feet, and it certainly seems to be that. If you are purchasing this for emergency preparedness, I strongly suggest having an extra set of the "D" cell batteries available at all times. (We actually keep two sets on hand, plus the set in the lantern itself. At least once a month, we turn the lantern on for a few minutes to keep the batteries in the lantern from going bad)

From a safety standpoint, the Coleman LED Quad Lantern beats candles, and many of the oil and propane hurricane lanterns you can find on the market. You don't have to worry about pets or kids accidentally knocking it over, and since it is battery operated, it can be ready to go at a moment's notice - no searching for matches or a lighter. The bright red color makes it easy to grab, and not easy to leave behind at your campground, unlike some of the green lanterns. ;)

You can purchase the Coleman LED Quad Lantern online via the Coleman site, or through your favorite outdoor supply stores, and even Amazon.

Now I have always been a fan of Coleman products and grew up in a household that did a lot of camping using Coleman products. Long before Coleman asked if I was interested in our backyard camp out, we owned their products, and were always on the hunt for "vintage" Coleman camping gear, so please don't think I'm all gaga because I was given this for review purposes - I'm not. I know my gear, I know emergency preparedness, and I purchase these items that last, not based on price. I'm pretty confident that the Coleman LED Quad Lantern will be hanging around with my family for many years to come - well, provided we continue to take good care of it. If a bear gets ahold of it while camping, all bets are off! lol

Disclosure: Coleman sent me the product mentioned above to share my opinions of having a family staycation. I personally wanted to highlight this product more as an emergency prep item. All opinions are my own, and not that of Coleman.

Printable Precious Cat Litter Coupon

There's a new cat litter available called Precious Cat R&R Respiratory Relief litters. If you're interested in giving it a try, there's a printable coupon available to save $1.00 off your purchase. It's a PDF coupon, so you don't have to register in order to print it.

While you are here, don't forget to check out my other printable coupons to see if there are other coupons available to help you save on your grocery bill!

Please note: I take the time out of my busy schedule to share coupons that have landed in my email, I am not affiliated with the companies. Some coupons may be only available for a limited amount of time or for a limited amount of prints. If you come across a coupon that is now dead, please let me know, either by leaving a comment or sending me an email so I can fix the post. Thanks!

Thrifty Thursday - Closet Organizing

This week for my Thrifty Thursday post, I'm talking about organizing your home and taking inventory of what you have, so not only can you save money, but find what you are looking for!

Let's face it, our closets can be the most daunting task of all - many of us have a habit of hiding things in the back of our closet, possibly never to be seen again! Start by making sure you have enough space to work with - push a bed out further, place toys or other things up against the furthest wall.

Then pull everything out of your closet.

Yes, I said everything. From that skirt you haven't worn in 10 years, to that coat leftover from college. Don't forget that box on the top shelf - get ready to empty it all out Start with a huge giant pile. You'll be sorting all of this into three piles next.

The first pile is things that you can actually wear NOW. This is in-season clothing, and most importantly, things that are the size you are wearing right now. If you wear a size 12, and there are clothes in there that haven't seen the light of day since before you were pregnant, it's time to put those into pile number 2. Your incentive to loose all that weight is that you get to go on a shopping spree when you do! If you haven't worn something recently, be sure to try it on to make sure it still fits.

Pile number two is all the items that no longer fit or are circa 1992. This is the pile that will be for donations to your favorite charity. I am all for garage and yard sales, but it's unfortunately a fact that clothing doesn't always sell that well at these sales. Think long and hard if you really want to worry about the $20 you might make. A better option is to take the gently used, currently in style clothing to your favorite consignment shop, especially if it's a nicer brand. Craigslist or eBay could make you a little money, but you are stuck then hanging onto it until it sells - this is up to you. (Freecycle is another option if you are not wanting to haul it to a charity yourself)

Pile number three is all out of season clothing that still fits. For children's clothing, if it's going to be hand me downs, I suggest picking up Rubbermaid totes and labeling them clearly with which season are in the bin, and what size. It's usually easiest to have a single size in each tote.

Stop before going any further and get pile #2 out of the room! Load it into your car for taking to the charity of choice or consignment, or place in your garage or similar place if you are waiting for pick ups.

Now you have two remaining piles of clothing to deal with. How you move forward depends on your space constraints. Do you normally store all of your clothing in your closet? If you do, is there enough room? Is there wasted space? If there is, consider making a quick trip to the store and picking up an extra shelf or rod to quickly add some room. If you have wasted space at the top of your closet, it's the perfect place to add another shelf in. You can use this area to store out of season shoes, hats, or even bins with small mementos. Do you mostly hang shirts and have wasted space towards the bottom? Consider hanging a second clothing rod to double up. (Be sure to place it where the top rod of clothing won't be getting in the way!) Or purchase small shelves to stack shoes and sweaters on towards the bottom. There are many cheaper smaller shelves that don't need to be installed and can simply be placed in the right space in your closet. (check out your local thrift store when you are dropping off your donated clothing!)

If you have clothing that should be neatly folded into dressers, be sure to do that and organize your dresser drawers too while you are doing this.

The bright side is that you probably found quite a few things that you didn't know you had, right? Now that you know what is already in the closets, you'll be better prepared for change of season clothing shopping that's starting up for not only your kids - you'll see what's available as either hand-me-down clothing, or clothing that still fits fine - but for yourself as well - I bet you just found brand new clothing you bought on sale at the end of last year that you had forgotten about, right? ;) You may have spent the better part of a day organizing the closets, but you'll be able to find things much quicker if the temperature suddenly gets hotter (time is money too!), and you'll save money by not buying things you already have.

Celebrity Parenting FAIL

With all the doom and gloom right now, I have to admit I got a serious giggle out of this headline this morning:

Mummy... what are these? Suri Cruise picks out some very inappropriate sweeties

Parenting fail? Yes, of course! Let's be honest though - how many times have you been in the store and heard "MOMMY! MOMMY! Can I have this?" and you look down and sort of see what's in your child's hand, and say alright - without really seeing what toy is their hand? Or you walk into a candy store and tell them they can have whatever piece of candy they want?

It's easy to be distracted. I am sure Katie Holmes had several photographers following her around at the moment, she quickly told her daughter she could have whatever she wanted, paid for it quickly and there it was - hello, media sensation!

It's just a box of candy with a cartoon graphic on it, not a sex toy (though, I am sure if I google it, I'll find someone's blog out there where they are talking about their child finding their v*brator, or something! Cringe!). I'm betting her daughter just saw the box colors, knew it was candy, and that's all she cared about. Totally inappropriate? You betcha! Does it happen? Yes. Half the folks going crazy over it probably let their kids stand in line at the grocery store next to magazines with nearly naked women on them too - is that appropriate either?

Review: Pam Socolow's Family Facts Pregnancy Organizer & Planner

A lot of us have trouble staying organized on a daily basis. Add in a little stress, and a little extra hormones from being pregnant, and well, that's a recipe for organizational disaster for many women! (I swear, I was organized so well until I got pregnant with my daughter! LOL!) Your day to day life starts to go a little off kilter, and then you add in an assortment of doctor's appointments, childbirth classes, (hopefully!) baby showers, and everything else... it can be really hard to keep track.


Pam Socolow's Family Facts Pregnancy Organizer & Planner can help you have a little less stress and a little more organization. It's a six ring binder, so it's easy to open and write in whether you are in the doctor's office writing down your newest appointment, or scribbling by the phone - it even comes with a pretty purple pen inside, so you always have a pen handy. (No digging around in your purse or diaper bag!) What I seriously LOVE is that this planner has a sturdy clear plastic cover around it - if you've ever had a planner in your bag or purse, you know that often they can be destroyed by all the clutter rubbing against it in there. This won't be the case with this planner - you should be able to put it aside as a memento at the end of your pregnancy journey if you'd like to, and it will still look nice.

The inside has four different tabbed sections: a calendar section, a contacts section, a health section, and a baby planning section. The tabs make it super easy and quick to get to the section you need.

The calendar section, while it has a page with the months and dates up until December 2013, has all of the pages without a date, so you can pick up no matter whether you are in the sixth week of your pregnancy, or the thirty-first week. It also has little tabs at the bottom right hand corner that you can easily rip off, so when you are flipping through this section of the book, it's always easy to find your current page this way. There are also stickers that you can use to start off Week 1, etc, as well as important milestones, such as when you felt your baby kick first. And each section has a shaded and unshaded area, so you can keep track of changes or cravings that are suddenly popping up, as well as your day to day commitments. It makes it easy to separate your personal and business life if you need to, and simplifies clutter that you are carrying around!

The contacts section is probably pretty obvious, but it has plenty of room for all the doctors you might be seeing, as well as referrals, and even neighbors - something that could come in handy if you go into labor unexpectedly and have pets at home that might be needed to be taken care of. There's also a page for who you want to call when you go into labor or the baby is here - it seems obvious again, but if it's your husband/significant other, or another family member doing the calling, they might not know who to call - this will help cut down on extra stress.

The health section covers everything from prenatal visit recaps, to a place you can write down questions you might want to ask your doctor or midwife on the next visit. It also has a section for Health Insurance Claims, which as you might know, can be a headache. (!)

The Baby Planning section has pages for writing down favorite names, to advice you've been given, and even a gift log. There is a little zippered pouch, perfect for keeping receipts in, to a page that you can slide your ultrasound pictures in, and a place to slide appointment and business cards in. Also, throughout the book at the bottom of some of the pages, are little tips, like reminding you to drink enough water.

Because Pam Socolow's Family Facts Pregnancy Organizer & Planner is so thorough, it's great for first time Mom's, and even those who have several kids already. This is the perfect little "congratulations" gift! I totally give it two thumbs up!

Pam Socolow's Family Facts Pregnancy Organizer & Planner has a suggested retail price of $16.95, and you can purchase it online. Pam also has a few tips that I'd love to share with you today just in case it's helpful:

Countdown… 10 Important Tips to Getting Organized Before the Baby Arrives

•Mark your calendar so you always know what week of your pregnancy you’re in. Also mark in the recommended time frame which prenatal screening tests you will need. If you’re taking maternity leave, mark your calendar when it’s too close to your delivery date to travel and start planning when and for how long you’ll be on leave.

•Mark when to exercise. Make notes reminding you to drink lots of water and eat certain vegetables.

•Write down all the mothering advice you’re friends and family have given you in one place.

•Make lists of things by category of what you need for yourself and the baby. Suggested categories for baby include: the nursery, changing supplies, clothing, medicine cabinet, getting around gear and feeding. Suggested categories for you include: maternity clothes, for breastfeeding and stationery.

•No later than half way through your pregnancy set up a baby registry at your favorite baby store.

•Make a list of possible baby names. With so many things to remember, simply write down all your favorites. When the time comes it’s easier to eliminate from the list than to have to remember the ones you’ve forgotten.

•Create a list of what you want to include in you “delivery day” bag. So start your own list and add to it the minute you think of something new. When the day comes your customized delivery day bag won’t be missing anything. Do the same for Dad so he has a jump bag ready when the time comes.

•Mark on your calendar the date you schedule for a hospital/birth center tour (if you haven’t delivered there before).

•Mark on your calendar the dates for any and all classes you take for new moms now, while you have the time.

•Make 2 very important contact lists: (1) who to contact when you go into labor and (2) who to contact after you have the baby. You’re not always thinking clearly during each of these times so a list always proves the most successful. If you have a C-section, you might not even be doing the calling! Don’t forget to add to your “after delivery” list the store(s) that are waiting for your call that you’ve had the baby so that they can deliver the goods.

By the way, you can follow Family Facts over on Twitter, or "like" their page over on Facebook!

I received a planner in order to share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

New Printable Zicam Coupon

Here's a printable coupon that will save you $2.00 off your next purchase of any Zicam product. You don't need to register or anything in order to print it!


While you are here, don't forget to check out my other printable coupons to see if there are other coupons available to help you save on your grocery bill!

Please note: I take the time out of my busy schedule to share coupons that have landed in my email, I am not affiliated with the companies. Some coupons may be only available for a limited amount of time or for a limited amount of prints. If you come across a coupon that is now dead, please let me know, either by leaving a comment or sending me an email so I can fix the post. Thanks!

Printable Waverly Tableware Collection By Hefty Coupon

This coupon was previously out there, but wasn't working right - it is now! And you no longer have to visit Facebook in order to print it (hurray!). Plus, even if you were able to print it before, you'll be able to print it again, because it's been reset. You can print a coupon where if you purchase two Waverly Tableware Collection by Hefty items, you'll get one free! (It's bricks coupon!)


While you are here, don't forget to check out my other printable coupons to see if there are other coupons available to help you save on your grocery bill!

Please note: I take the time out of my busy schedule to share coupons that have landed in my email, I am not affiliated with the companies. Some coupons may be only available for a limited amount of time or for a limited amount of prints. If you come across a coupon that is now dead, please let me know, either by leaving a comment or sending me an email so I can fix the post. Thanks!

Book Review: Eat Your Peas For Mom: Simple Truths And Happy Insights

I recently received a copy of the book Eat Your Peas For Mom: Simple Truths And Happy Insights with words by Cheryl Karpen and art by Sandy Fougner.


Eat Your Peas For Mom is a three minute forever book, perfect as a little "gift book" or pick me up. It's a sweet little reminder to your mother about how loved she is. The book does start out with a verse from the Bible:

Her children rise up and call her blessed - Proverbs 31:28 (NKJV)

The book is full of simple, sweet phrases in a fun type style on a pretty ribbed parchment paper. The artwork is simple, with Spring colors that make this book the perfect gift for Mother's Day, which will be here before you know it! Reading through it just brought a smile to my face, and I would happily gift it to my own mother. While the book does contain the bible verse shown above, it's mostly just uplifting and encouraging words ("The older I get, the more you amaze me") - so if the mother to be gifted isn't overly religious, this book could still be a great choice.

Eat Your Peas For Mom: Simple Truths And Happy Insights with words by Cheryl Karpen and art by Sandy Fougner is a hardcover inspirational gift book published by Thomas Nelson. This book will be released on April 5, 2011, and it is 80 pages long. The suggested retail price is $12.99, but Amazon has it available for $10.39 on pre-order as of this posting. It is also available for download to Kindles and other e-readers.

I received a copy of this book in order to share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own, and not that of the publisher(s) or author(s).

Cat And Mouse...

The sun is torturing me - one second it's out, full force and actually warm (well, compared to what it has been, anyways!), and then suddenly, here comes the rain again. Grrr. Late last night, it rained so hard we even had hail - I went through another load of towels. Sigh! If I could get my hands on the nitwit who installed the windows in this house, whoever he is... I think I'd force him to watch to Barney nonstop for 3 days. ;)

I really wanted to work on preparing the soil more for transplanting some blackberry bushes at the back of the yard. I thought that area was a wasteland, but I must have done something right this past winter - I have plants shooting up in it! Whoo hooo! I think they might be tulips from the looks of them.

Talking about food storage for a second - Saturday I opened up a sealed bucket of pasta that I had packaged back in January 2009. Everything inside it was just fine, and the pasta tasted great! (None expire until January 2012!) It took us a few minutes to get the lid off - I guess I did a really great job on that part! LOL (Now I'm only wishing I had bought more/could have stored more, because I haven't seen 50 cent packages of pasta in a very long time!)

By the way, did you remember to replace the batteries in your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors with the time change yesterday? I hope so! Don't forget to check on those flashlight too, while you are at it. You should have one in every vehicle, and hopefully one in each bedroom for power outages, so everyone can get out of their room safely. We keep ours right beside the beds. (I also keep one inside the bathroom, and one right by the couch, just in case we loose the power at night while I am online.)

I wish DH would hurry up and get home from work today.

Menu Planning Monday - A Dream I Wish Would Come True!

I had a dream last night that an Aldi's opened up here - maybe it's a sign? I hope so! I miss shopping there!

The other night DH and I were starving late at night. I had a bit of leftover BBQ shredded chicken, but not really enough for a sandwich. I pulled out some leftover pineapple, turned it into a mix like my Honey Pineapple Chicken, and served it with some ramen noodles as a soup (minus the ramen's seasoning packet, which I simply saved to make a rice mix down the road). It was so good, and cost less than opening a can of soup!

Monday: sweet 'n sour chicken, rice

Tuesday: Spicy Beef Roll Ups

Wednesday: Semi Homemade Mac N Cheese

Thursday: breakfast for dinner - breakfast wraps (crumbled sausage, eggs, cheese, spinach), cut fruit kabobs

Friday: fish sandwiches, homemade steak fries, salad

Saturday: BBQ Chicken Cornbread Pizza

Sunday: recipe of the week

Check out Organizing Junkie for other great Menu Plans!

What The?

How is it my anniversary and here I am doing laundry on top of having made a full breakfast for everyone? Wasn't I supposed to get breakfast in bed with champagne or something? LOL!

I ended up getting DH a new memory card for his Flip, so he can use it to take video at ZomBCon - I know, it was supposed to be something with wood... but it came in a paper package and paper was wood at one time? ;) We also had pre-ordered The Walking Dead and we have been good - we put it aside and were waiting until tonight to get to sit down and watch all the episodes one after another. Yippee!

It is still really hard to believe that it's been five years since we have been married. At times it feels like it's been at least ten, other times I swear we just got married yesterday...

Did I ever tell you that when we went to get married, we actually forgot the license? LOL We had to go back the next day to have it signed by the judge! Murphy's Law has always been involved in our marriage, that's for sure. ;)

Food Storage Friday - Pests

Spring is around the corner, and you know what that means - bugs. Icky, annoying bugs that are after your food storage. What can you do to fight them?

Of course, the easiest thing to do is to head them off before they make it into your food storage. Items such as dry rice, flour, yeast, should all be frozen inside a plastic bag (this is why I prefer smaller bags, it's easier to stack!) for several days in order to kill off any bugs that might be lurking inside the packaging. After a few days (I recommend 3, if possible), keep the food inside the plastic bag. If you can, place all unopened packaging inside an airtight container. The clear Rubbermaid shoe style totes do a really great job for longer term flour and sugar storage.

When it comes to beans and rice though, I don't recommend storing them for more than a month or two in the plastic bags they came in. Glass canning jars, or food storage containers like the OXO Pop ones are your best choices. The reason is simply because in warmer temperatures, those plastic bags can start to break down and ruin the food they are in.

All cans and jars should be wiped down before placing them on your shelves. Eggs can be microscopic, and it can only take one or two to cause havoc and mayhem on your food storage. Can should be checked on a monthly basis to be sure there are no bulging cans that might pop open, sit for a few days, and attract bugs. If at any time something spills, such as flour or rice, in your food storage area, be sure to immediately clean it up. Saying oh, I'll get it in a few minutes is recipe for forgetting it!

So you have bugs lurking, now what? I have some ideas lurking in my Frugal Ways To Deal With Bugs post. Using vinegar is really your best bet for cleaning up your food storage area without contaminating your foods.

Thoughts For Japan...

The folks in Japan and here in the US getting hit with the tsunami waves are in my thoughts, and I hope they are in yours, too!

As you probably know, the American Red Cross will be helping as much as they can - if you are thinking about donating to help out, they are probably one of the best charities to choose.

And this is where I urge you to please, please, please (!), sit down with your family this weekend and go over your emergency plans together. Check those flashlight batteries (and don't forget to check the smoke alarm ones since it's the time change on Sunday!), update emergency contacts in phones and wallets, and make copies of all important documents. Those in hurricane prone areas may want to check through their emergency supplies, and make sure any food included in it isn't expired or icky, and that water has been rotated if it's been awhile.

I call it anti-Murphy's Law - if you are prepared for any situation, nothing will happen - and if it should, well, at least you aren't running around like a chicken without a head! ;)

DVD Review & Giveaway: VeggieTales: 'Twas The Night Before Easter

My family and I recently received a copy of the newest animated BigIdea release, VeggieTales: 'Twas The Night Before Easter.


VeggieTales: 'Twas The Night Before Easter is set at, yes, Easter time over in Crisper County. Cable TV news reporter Marlee Meade comes up with a plan to save the old town theater when she hears it is going to be shut down. She enlists the help of town residents, and gets them into costume to play the characters, pulls out some serious crazy and big props - including a 20 foot rabbit! (!!!) Hello, "Up With The Bunnies"! But wait... something's missing. What could it be? Oh yes - the show needs a star! Rather unlucky for Marlee, singing sensation Cassie Cassava just happens to be visiting her hometown to sing at her church's Easter service. Would Cassie steal Marlee's thunder? Can Marlee steal Cassie to join her show instead? Will Marlee discover the true meaning of Easter in amongst the mayhem?

I can't give away everything! ;) VeggieTales fans will find this is another great offering from the folks over at BigIdea. The message is wonderful, Larry the Cucumber in a bunny costume will make you crack up, and there are some great songs to sing along with on this one. American Idol finalist Meleina Doolittle is actually the voice of Cassie Cassava, so kids - and parents - can enjoy her singing. It's the perfect way to kick off Lent!

VeggieTales: 'Twas The Night Before Easter contains some special features including audio commentary, a great "Hopperena" singalong - yes break out the bunny slippers and ears LOL, a backstage pass with Larry for "VeggieTales Live!", a little interactive matching game called "Easter Cards", and a behind the scenes look at Melinda Doolittle doing Cassie's voice.

Here's the trailer:



Direct link for the feedreaders

VeggieTales: 'Twas The Night Before Easter is available now wherever you purchase your DVD's, and of course, your local Christian bookstore. The disc contains both fullscreen and widescreen formats, and it's not rated, safe for all ages with no content to be worried about. The total running time is 48 minutes long. It has a suggested retail price of $14.97, although Amazon has it available for $11.99 with free super saver shipping, and ChristianBook.com has it for $9.99. (Netflix users: this title is currently available for instant viewing!)

Win it! One lucky reader will win a copy of VeggieTales: 'Twas The Night Before Easter! To enter, just tell us which VeggieTales character is your kids', grandkids - or even yours! - favorite. Easy peasy!

As always, you can receive extra entries for:

-Subscribing to my feed OR publicly following my blog
-Blogging about this giveaway with a link back
-Tweeting about this giveaway one time (leave the link in your comment below or @psychotichouse) example:
Win a VeggieTales DVD! http://tinyurl.com/4cyx5ly​ ends 3/19 @psychotichouse

That's four (4) possible entries! Giveaway ends March 19th at 11:59 PM PST, and please leave your email address in your entry or have it available in your profile. US only, sorry :( Good luck everyone!!

I received a copy of this DVD in order to share my thoughts on it. All opinions are my own.

Calming Collar Winner!

The winner of the Calming Collar giveaway is:

Hbomb said...

tweet - http://twitter.com/xbeautifulcoma/status/44216862422208512

Congratulations! Winning email on the way! Remember I need to hear back from you in the next 48 hours!

Another Great Baby Star Deal!

Oh gosh, you know I LOOOOOVE my Baby Star Rock the Tote that I reviewed last year. Even though my daughter is getting older (sob!), it still gets a workout because it can carry EVERYTHING - and you know what? Even though it's taken heaps of abuse, it still looks great. Can your average cheapie diaper bag do that, and still not scream diaper bag? No? Yeah, I thought so. ;)


Anyways, right now Baby Star has those fabulous totes on sale for 60% off! It's a killer deal, and you can snag one for just $24.99 (plus shipping). The tote comes with a little wipe case, too!

They have some bedding, fitted sheets, knit blankets, ruffle skirts for girls and johnny pants for boys, as well, so take a peek if you're on the hunt for baby shower gifts! (I'm thinking the kiddo just might need the Soy Organic Stella Skirt - it's on sale for just $8.99, in pink!)

Amazon's Seventh Generation Deal

Right now, Amazon Mom has 30% off the Seventh Generation products when you use the code SEVCLEAN and Subscribe & Save option.


The best deal overall to be had is the dishwashing liquid in Lemongrass & Clementine Zest or Free & Clear. They are 25 ounce bottles, sold as a set of 6 for $17.49. This is about the regular sale price at Freddy's when you work it out, but if you use the subscribe and save option, the cost drops down to $14.87 (for the six bottles). It gets even better - with the promo code above, the six bottles are delivered to your door for just $13.30! It ends up being cheaper than using a coupon at the store (at least for me), and a little bit less hassle.

The deal runs until April 10th, but you know Amazon, sometimes when they get a ton of orders they pull a deal, so if you are interested, you might want to jump quickly.

I'm set on dishwashing detergent for awhile now, that's for sure. LOL (and no, I don't receive anything for sharing this deal with you - I found it on my own and just wanted to share in hopes someone else also saves some money!)

Review: ToiletTree Shower Mirror

My DH is a very, very stubborn man. He also spends more time in the bathroom getting ready than me! LOL While he does have some facial hair most of the time, the rest of his beard he shaves daily - and if he misses a hair, he's OCD about going right back to get that hair no matter what time it is!

I bought him an electric razor a few years ago, hoping it would help not only with the environment, but maybe help his shave a little bit better - he's notorious for nicking himself. He uses it from time to time, but still prefers his RetroRazor - think OLD SCHOOL with that one. I cannot tell you how many times I've told him he needs to shave when he gets out of the silly shower, not before so he's shaving closer to the follicle. I feel like a broken record and a nagging wife! (In all fairness, it's a habit he has to break - he didn't really take hot showers back home in hot and humid South Texas most of the year, so there wasn't any steam to open his pores like here where the hotter the shower, the happier we are. lol)

So when I had the chance to review the ToiletTree Shower Mirror, I jumped on it faster than a speeding bullet. I had tried once to encourage him by buying a mirror for the shower - it fell and shattered the frame before the guy even got a chance to use it. Geesh! I had previously read other reviews for this one from ToiletTree, and thought maybe this would work a lot better.


ToiletTree Shower Mirror is guaranteed not to fog in the shower, so you can actually see as you are shaving, unlike some of the other so-called shower mirrors. The ToiletTree mirror uses a removable soft silicone adhesive to attach the bracket to the wall - not a suction cup like the mirror I had previously purchased. This allows it to not only easily be moved, but it won't damage the shower wall or tiles - which is important whether you live in a rental place, or are planning to sell your home anytime soon. The mirror frame itself is also adjustable, so even if you set for someone a little taller like your husband, you can also point it down to remove make up yourself, or make sure your facial mask was completely rinsed off. It also has a little built in shelf to keep your razor (or something similar sized) on, so if space is a premium in your shower, you'll like that feature!

DH was all excited to try it (he got to review something! LOL Men!), and you simply use the silicone on the back of the "bracket" frame, and press it securly against the wall or tile. You have to let it dry for 24 hours before you can add the mirror itself, or it will fall down. (Can you guess how I know this? LOL) Twenty four hours later, it looked like this:


As you can maybe see, we choose to place it at the back end of our shower. Now the ToiletTree shower mirror isn't covered with some chemical to keep it fog free (thankfully!), it's rather low tech - you simply fill the little reservoir at the top with hot water (the mirror is removable), and that keeps it fog free. It also comes with a little squeegee, so if you live with Shamu (LOL) you can clean off the mirror and keep it streak free. DH says while it was a little annoying to fill it up (he's impatient!), it did stay fog free pretty well for the length of his shower. (Now we don't have a large water tank, so we're talking about less than 10 minutes here - I can't speak for if it would stay fog free for a 45 minute shower - I would imagine as the water in the reservoir would cool down however, it might start to fog?)

We'll see if this continues to motivate him to shave in the shower, not before. lol The mirror itself is 6.5in x 8.5in x 1.5in and weighs less than 1 pound, so it's not overly huge and won't take up half the wall in your shower. It retails for $29.99, and you can purchase it at Amazon. If you're not happy with it, it actually comes with a 30 day money back guarantee, so you can't go wrong if you're in the market for a shower mirror.

I received the product mentioned above in order to try it out and share my opinions of it.

Random Thoughts Tuesday - Trainwrecks!

Charlie Sheen will go down as one of the most entertaining trainwrecks EVER. LOL What insanity will happen next? Just when you think he's done... out comes something else. It's amusing, and yet if this was you or I - we'd be locked up faster than you could say Boo.

I saw gas for $3.77. I told DH that at work they might as well implement nearly double shifts (like 12 hour shifts) and add in some bunk beds for those who don't want to drive home, because I think we're looking at $4.50 gas this summer. He drives 20 minutes, there are others who drive 30, and I know at least one drives 45 minutes. (Yikes!)

For me, I've been "training" DH on how to pick out fruits and veggies, so he can grab them on the way home from work if we are running low. One trip out a week, and that's mostly for library purposes or I'd drop it to every 10 days. (We check out at least 20 books a week for the kiddo alone, lol Can you imagine the looks on the library clerks faces if they saw us checking out double that amount? LOL!) Summer growing season can't get here fast enough, and I am really hoping my plants take off well so I can cut some out of my grocery bill for awhile. Bring on canning season!

I don't even want to hear what concerts are going on anymore. :( Between gas and parking, or gas, parking, and ferry, add in dinner before... and a snack after... plus the tickets? And a babysitter? Forget it! Which is why....

I, who doesn't drive, and hates cars and NASCAR, am totally excited for Cars 2 to come out this summer. We're planning our outing to the drive in movie theater (God's gift to those with small children who like to talk and get cranky when it's past bedtime LOL). Bring on the snacks and the movie! Plus, it's great for us frugal folks - $8 gets you two movies. I can pack a picnic or splurge and get hot pretzels or a pizza. Even with gas at $5 a gallon, I'm still walking out of there spending $30 for an evening out, because kids under 4 are usually free.

World’s youngest granny is just 23! I'd go off on that, but then I realized they are Rom, and their world is different than ours.

...at 23 I was more concerned with racking up frequent flier miles and attending concerts, forget kids. Even if I could rewind the clock to say, when I was 19 and go ahead and marry DH then, I still wouldn't. Waiting is what made our marriage what it is. (Or like we joke, we needed our Rumspringa in order to settle down and realize that we already were on the green side of the fence)

Apparently, not that I was as wild as kids are these days. To me, being wild was boarding a bus by myself and traveling around knowing no one. And in this post 9/11 world, I can't say I'd do it now.


Look out, I received a free product coupon for doing a survey for a company - I bet you either A) the maximum price on the coupon is lower than the actual price of the coupon or B) the clerk will argue with me over the coupon. I'm excited they gave it to me though, I was expecting a cents off coupon! (Now, that's happy mail! lol)

Ew. The coming week's grocery ads look rather BLAH. I don't see that much I am super excited over on the first run through it. Is anyone else as frustrated as me at the price of butter? I used to always stock up on the store brands when they were 4/$5 just this time last year, and buy Challenge butter when it was on sale (they really are my favorite brand) Now the best price I have seen in ages is 2/$5 for store brands? Ouch! Same thing with sugar. Remember when you could find it 2 or 3 times a year for 99 cents? I stocked up last week Freddy's when it was $1.99. That hurt! (plus, you are lucky some brands still have 5 pound bags when most are 4! Geesh!)

No inflation my rear end. Hmph.

I know, I'm the boring housewife whining about prices yet again. But higher grocery prices = less fun money to buy other things.

Like zombie t-shirts for DH. LOL You know how when you go to Disneyworld, you have to watch the cost of souvenirs, or you can go broke fast? That's what I am going to have to do with him at ZomBCon. I'm confiscating his wallet, giving him an envelope with his "allowance", and when it's gone, it's gone. I don't mind the unique stuff. And functional defensive weapons, yes. Something that breaks at first swing? No. A Russian gun you can't find ammo for anywhere but online? Definitely NO!

...some women like shoes, I like guns. Wait, I like shoes too, but guns are just as fun. ;) Course at the price of ammo these days - zoinkies!!! They should be silver bullets at that prices! LOL!

So I bought a new cast iron griddle pan (on sale for $14.99!), and the checkout clerk asked me if I was planning to use it to keep my husband in line.

Who, me? I would never thwap my husband up the head with a frying pan... *whistles innocently* I seriously don't know how my DH managed to keep his mouth shut back at her, though. Some days, that man has the patience of a saint.

DH has been watching Billy the Exterminator over on Netflix the last few nights. All I can say is no wonder some of these folks have insect problems... ick, ick, iccckkkk! I got a giggle out of him talking to the very angry racoon in the one episode (the one that bit him on the roof). LOL! I don't know what the guy gets paid, but on a lot of the ones they've shown, he's sure worked for that paycheck!

...I have an exterminator. His name is Magick. The word got out, that he means business. He's able to leap buildings and land smack on all bugs that dare enter his domain, killing them instantly with his overly chunky kitty body.

Your happy giggle of the day: