I discovered this wonderful little surprise one day when making this recipe.

This is probably a common ingredient for more advanced chefs, but I had never used it or heard of it before. It's like chicken bouillon, only better. It's perfect for things like chicken pot pie, or chicken noodle soup, when you don't want to sit around unwrapping twenty little bouillon cubes or use 4 cans of chicken broth.

Everyone in our house has officially caught a little summer cold and the other night I whipped up a batch of chicken noodle soup from scratch and I used the Better Than Bouillon. It was a hit. Devan ate two bowls, including the vegetables! That's rare. And John even said it was the best chicken noodle soup I've ever made. Which is a compliment from him because he has a very "discerning palette" as he likes to say.

I should comment that it is very strong, so if you do use it, make sure you use it to taste. And in the above mentioned Paula Deen recipe, she calls for 1/4 cup of it, which I think is too much. Aside from that, the recipe is great. And you can find Better Than Bouillon in any grocery store. Give it a try!

I have been wanting to make Devan a "real" quilt for a while now. Before she was born I made her several baby blankets and rag quilts, but never a full on patchwork quilt with three layers and hand-sewn binding. I had reserved some of my favorite reprodepot purchases specifically for this project and there were finally no more sewing projects looming around in my brain that I had to make. I was so excited to start sewing, so excited in fact, that I started out right off the bat making mistakes. And the mistakes kept coming. And coming. Seriously, you'd think I'd never sewn a thing in my life. Literally, from the moment I began cutting my fabric to the last hand-sewn stitch in the binding, I made a million mistakes. I don't know what happened. I should have quit somewhere along the way but was so in love with my fabric choices that I couldn't admit that I had practically ruined the quilt that I wanted my daughter to carry with her throughout her life.




Well I finished it and I guess it looks okay. John says no one will ever know, but you can't say that to a quilter. Go ahead, enlarge the image. You will see all the little mistakes that plagued me every day since I started sewing. Oh well.



Onto more succesful projects: John made dinner. And it was terrific. He found this recipe by Rachael Ray. BBQ meatloaf that is definitely worth trying. I'm not a huge meatloaf fan, but these were good. And a great solution to my ground beef troubles.


Thanks for a delicious dinner hubby!

In our ever evolving world, I have begun to notice more and more my traditional style of parenting. I make most meals at home; we rarely go out to eat anymore. We bring our little family to church every week and almost never skip a Sunday. I am a stay at home Mom and I cannot imagine a day without my sweet child. I've trained my 2 year old to help with the laundry already and line dry my clothes when I can. I prefer to go to bed early and wake up early, hang out on my front porch, sew, and take my daughter to the park. And I LOVE being a Mother!

And yet, somewhere in between my strong views of being a Mother lies the "traveling with a DVD player" dilemma. My initial response is, of course, no. However, my awesome sister bought us a portable DVD player last year just in time for our trip to the east coast where we flew to Forida and drove from Ft. Lauderdale to Raleigh. I have to say- it was a lifesaver. We used it on the plane and in the car during the long days of driving. We've since used it on shorter trips as well and it has equally good results.

I became comfortable with the decisions we made regarding when to use or not use the DVD player. Plane rides, and really long car rides when entertaining options are limited or non existent. However, I soon found myself with an even bigger dilemma: What do you do when you suddenly find yourself the (very grateful) recipient of a (like new) hand-me-down car that comes with more bells and whistles than you know what to do with, including a standard built in DVD player?!

While John spent time admiring the leather seats and navigation, I skipped straight to the DVD player. Could I hide it from my two year old? If I used it once would she always remember? Will she have a fit everytime we get in the car?

I am happy to report that my experiences with having a built in DVD player have been better than I expected. Yes, she does know that it's always there, but she also knows that we don't always watch it. In fact, this week I drove to my Mom's house and on the way there she slept the whole way. I was a little concerned for the ride home because after passing one accident, one stalled car, inching along the 405, changing my mind and taking the 101, then the 5, I figured she'd surely need something to get her through the 2+ hours of driving home. I was wrong. What did get her through it? Lots and LOTS of toys, singing, snacks, talking, music and one ring pop. Yes, it would have been considerably easier to have popped in a DVD, but where's the challenge in that? I didn't go through 9 months of pregnancy and 4 days in the hospital to stick my baby in front of a movie every chance I get. Yes, my daughter will grow up to have real memories of her childhood. Which will hopefully make up for her many trips to the dentist as a result of having too many ring pops!

This past week my Mom came to visit for a few days. Devan LOVES it when Grandma is here. She almost completely forgets I exist. Take this little conversation, for instance;

Devan and Grandma were playing on the porch. I walked out to join them.

Me: Hey guys, what are you doing?
Devan: Mommy, go finish your emails.
Me: I don't have any emails to finish.
Devan: Mommy, go back inside the house, your feet will get dirty.

I can take a hint. But really, how does a 2 year old come up with such a compelling argument? It must be the attorney gene from Papa Mow.

Have I ever mentioned that Orange County has no thrift stores? Okay, maybe only south county. But seriously, it's almost impossible to find a thrift store anywhere past Irvine. So whenever I'm visiting my Mom I make sure to make a few trips to some thrift stores. This weekend I found some particularly good deals.

We stopped by the Salvation Army and I found a chair for my kitchen table for 5 bucks. It needs a little TLC but that's what I'm all about. When we moved I only took two chairs with our table because the other two were slightly broken and I really wanted to buy a whole new set. We bought one red chair when we moved in and now I'm really into the whole mismatched chairs look. I also found a flannel sheet that looks and feels brand new. It was 2 bucks, pink, and has a wintery pattern of snow flakes and snowmen. It will be perfect to make some winter pj's for D.

On the way home we happened to pass an "Estate Sale" aka, garage sale. This woman had tons of sheets and bedding for sale and I found these great vintage like sheets. ( I say vintage-like because I really have no idea what makes something vintage). I fell in love with them right away and immediately thought of making a pillowcase dress when I saw the cute eyelet trim.


I got two flat sheets for a buck! That's a lot of fabric. When I got home I found a tutorial and got to work. Here is the finished project:
My model was not very cooperative, as usual. And shortly after these photos were taken she ate mac n cheese for lunch which resulted with me throwing the dress right into the wash.

It was really simple to make. And if you had an actual pillowcase I'm sure it would be even easier. I've found I really love dresses for Devan because they make everything easier. Diaper changes, laundry, getting dressed, etc.

Perfect summer dress. Pefect for an upcoming hawaiian vacation we have planned. I think I'll make a few more and throw them into our suitcase with a bottle of suncreen and be done. Hope everyone is having a happy Monday!

Several months ago while we were shopping in Joanns, my Mom bought Devan a ring pop. Devan loved her ring pop and it kept her quiet the entire time we were shopping. So, the next time I went to Joanns I bought her another ring pop. As it often takes me a long time to pick out fabric, I found the ring pop to be the perfect solution.



Devan started asking for ring pops more and more. She would say "Whats this stores name? Do they have ring pops?" Like any good mother would, I fibbed a little. In fact, I may have lead her to believe that Joanns was the only store that carried ring pops.

So, the other day we were checking out at Target. I saw some ring pops while waiting in line and decided to grab one because I had several more stores to go to and it was getting closer to Devan's nap time and I didn't want a cranky 2 year old on my hands for another hour or more. I paid for it and took it out of the wrapper to give to her. Her eyes got big when I handed her the candy and she then said with great enthusiasm: "TARGET HAS RING POPS!!???!!!"

For those of you who live near a Target, you must go. Here is the bounty I scored this week:

I'll start with the most expensive.

Shoes: $2.98

Orange and white shirt: $2.50

Blue and yellow polo shirts: $1.77 each

Shorts: $.98

4th of July doggie shirt for next year: $.39!!!

I think that shirt is probably the best deal I've gotten in a long time, if not ever. I cannot recall spending 39 cents on a shirt ever before. I know most people aren't as crazy about finding cheap stuff as I am, but if you are, make a trip to Target!

Run down to your local 7/11 and get your free Slurpee. It's free Slurpee day today, July 11th!


Don't drink too many free Slurpees or else you will incur the wrath of the dreaded "Brain Freeze"

A couple weeks ago I was trying to get Devan ready to go to the store. I told her "Devan, please hurry up and find your shoes so we can go to the store". She then looked at me and asked,

"The fabric store?"
"No" I said.
"The grocery store?"
"No, not the grocery store."
"What store, then?"

Apparently we go to the fabric store and the grocery store a lot. Maybe too much? Oh, and every day when John asks her what we did that day she responds "We went to Ross".

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs green beans

3 T soy sauce

1 T sesame oil

1 t sugar

6 garlic cloves, minced

Directions

1. Cook green beans 4-5 minutes in boiling water

2. Combine soy sauce, oil, sugar- set aside

3. Drain beans

4. Spray skillet, place over medium heat. Add garlic, cook, stirring constantly until soft. Add green beans, cook stirring and turning until well coated. Add soy sauce mixture, continue to stir and turn until most of the liquid is absorbed. Enjoy!

Okay- it's really very simple. Once I put the sauce on the beans I keep them cooking until they are very tender; this way they have more time to absorb the sauce. Also, I double the sauce and add a little more garlic than what is called for. So good and good for you! I like to make these to add a little variety to dinner, instead of making a salad like I always do. Try them!

I need new recipes for ground beef or turkey. In a bad way. I always buy it cause it's usually pretty cheap but I always end up making the same meals, which usually consist of spaghetti sauce, tacos and the occasional hamburger or meatloaf. If anyone out there has a favorite/good recipe involving ground beef, please send it my way! The Strategically Placed Amigo family members will be very grateful!

We went to my Mom's for the weekend. As usual. Heres what we did:

We ate.


We had family and friends over and Devan got to play with her friend Kelly, which she absolutely loved!

We went sailing!! Here is John getting the boat ready:

Okay, the picture above really proves that my husband can do anything. We got on the boat and Captain Dan asked John to go to the front of the boat to do adonfaodyofiwueroer. That's what it sounded like to me at least. And as if John had been sailing his whole life, he jumped up and did exactly what Dan asked. Seriously? John is the ultimate jack of all trades.

Cathy and Adrienne can't contain their excitement:

John and Captain Dan:

The open sea!

Adrienne and John driving the boat:

We had such a great weekend, thank you to all who shared it with us!

Most people recall certain years in their lives by relating them to historical moments. How do you remember certain years in your life. For me it was always easy. My history is gauged by the cars my family owned, but mostly my dad's cars. It does get a little difficult in the current years because there was a lot of turnover. So I submit for you my history, as accurately as I can recall it:

Born 1980- Not sure what my dad drove
1984- Chevy Vega (Dad)

1985- Honda Prelude (Dad)

1986- 1968 Chevy Impala (Mom)

1987- VW Bus (Mom)

1989- Ford Aerostar (Mom)

1989- BMW 325i (Dad)

1996- Chevy Corvette (Dad-I get my license and inherit the 89 Aerostar)

1997- Mecury Sable Wagon (Mom)

1999- Mazda Miata and Chevy Silverado (Both Dad's. Don't ask my mom about this. I took over the Silverado when the Aerostar fell apart. I also left on my mission this year)

2000- BMW 540i (Dad) Pontiac Sunfire (Mom)

2001- Acura 2.5TL ("Returned with Honor" and made my first purchase)

2002- Toyota Tacoma TRD 4x4 (My second car and my favorite to date. We traded in the Acura and the BMW 540i)

Porsche Carrera Convertible (Dad. All yellow with yellow stiching. Basically a really fast bumble bee.)


2003- Saturn Ion (A bitter-sweet year. Sold the Tacoma, *sniff *sniff, but got married. I bought that Ion because it was dirt cheap and a huge piece of crap)


2003- Porsche 911 Turbo (Dad. Don't ask my mom about this one either)

Honda Civic EX SE (Morgan. Now a full fledged member of the Walletclan and on her way to the "Car a year" program)

Subaru STi (Dad. It was either the Porsche goes or my Mom goes. This car was gnarly fast and pretty worked over. I really liked it and was sad to see it go.)

2004- BMW X3 (Mom gets a nice little grocery getter)

2006- Honda Element (Morgan. We had Devan and the Civic was too small.)

Mercedes SL500 (Dad steps back into luxury and drops the kid racer image)

Toyota Solara Convertible (Mom gets a new car. There must have been another one in there somewhere

2007- Jeep SRT-8 (Dad gets 425 hp in a family friendly SUV)

Honda Fit (We decide to eliminate two car payments and insurance payments and trade for one car. It's a sassy little thing)

2008- Dodge Caravan (We inherit the 2005 Caravan. Thanks!)

Audi RS4 (Dad picks up this new whip. I drove it the day he got it and MANNNN it's fast, and yellow!)

So that is our car history in a nutshell. Some of the pictures are the best ones I could find, but I tried to show you the exact car we had. This list excludes any of my dad's motorcycles and siblings cars....

What car did you have in 2002?

*Correct me if I am wrong or missing cars.

Before I begin this post I'd like to say that I have been extremely blessed. I was raised by two great parents who made sure I always had everything I needed and more. I was blessed with a desire to work and make my own money which enabled me to have continuous employment from the time I was 15 until two weeks before I gave birth to Devan. Again, extremely blessed to be able to stay home with my little one, and for that I am forever grateful.

However I soon found out that staying home would mean I'd have to get really crafty with our finances. Enter The Grocery Game. Okay. I admit it. I totally knocked it at first. Seriously, what was I gunna do with 20 boxes of cereal and 5 packages of hot dogs? We're only a family of 3. Needless to say I ended up trying it out and haven't looked back since.

It's a system, really. A program of sorts. A program that I would relate to that of weight loss or drug rehab. You're skeptical at first. Am I really going to save that much money? Do I really need to start getting the Sunday paper? Once you begin it takes a while to get your coupon stash up to date. Then you learn the ins and outs of getting the best deal. It suddenly all makes sense and you are left with a feeling of empowerment!

There are some down sides to it though. Like when your husband spends $7 on lunch one day at work and you can't understand how anyone could spend that much for one meal that only feeds one person?! ( On a side note- my husband is actually a very good deal getter. He does his homework and really enjoys finding the best prices on things like electronics or sports equipment-just not groceries or food).

I've had some pretty good weeks, gotten lots of free stuff and have built up my food supply pretty well. I almost never go over my weekly budget and usually am under budget. This week, however, I did exceptionally well. I was a little worried when Ralphs and Vons stopped doubling coupons, so I decided I'd just have to put a little more effort into getting the best prices. I ended up going to three different stores, Ralphs, Vons and Albertsons. I wasn't sure it would be worth the hassle, but it totally was!

Here is what I got:

1 bottle ketchup
1 box cheez its
1 package tortillas
2 packages paper plates
1 package kraft cheese singles
3 packages hot dogs
1 tri tip roast
1 package ground beef
6 plums
1 lb green beans
1 gallon milk
1 can soup
1 box onion soup mix
1 container sour cream
1 package cream cheese
2 pineapples
3 mangos
1 loaf of bread
2 boxes fruit roll ups
1 bottle bbq sauce
1 bottle vinegar
laundry detergent
5 bananas
2 onions
5 pork chops
3 bags goldfish crackers
1 mens deodorant
1 package donuts
1 bottled water ( I got thirsty from all the grocery gamin'!)
= $58.00!
2 dollars under budget!

Okay, it would have been cooler if I said I got all of that for $3 or something, but really, that's a lot of food! And I absolutely don't mind putting in the extra effort, especially since I get to be home with my baby.

So stop spending way too much on groceries and try to grocery game already! My next adventure in saving money is going to be learning how to hypermile.