I've been tagged...

I've been tagged in the game of...name your top 7 oddities/secrets no one knows. I was tagged by my blogger friend Angie over at http://beansntatersmama.blogspot.com/. She has a really great blog with lots of tips for living frugally. Definitely check her out if you have a minute.

Here are my top seven...

1) I deep clean when I'm angry or upset. I'll break out the Comet and tackle the kitchen sink. I dust the corners of everything. You know, all the stuff that gets put off for once or twice a year. I do it when I'm venting.

2) My cleaner of choice is Windex. I love the stuff! I love the smell. I love the squeak the cloth makes when you wipe something. Yeah, I know I'm odd!

3) I organize my DH's sock drawer at least once a week. We share a dresser because our room is small and if it's not just so, all his stuff won't fit in. So, it's my only way of making sure stuff fits.

4) I still have to look up or ask someone what the name of Snoopy's counterpart is. The little yellow guy. As a child...and still, I can't remember if his name is Stockwood or Woodstock. BTW: I just googled it and it's Woodstock in case you didn't know either.

5) I LOVE to bake! It is calming and stress relief for me. I love to mix and pour and measure. Sometimes I love it so much that hubby asks me to stop. Those are the times when he takes things to work almost daily to share. :) His co-workers don't mind though.

6) We don't have a dishwasher, we do them by hand. But the oddity is that my dishes have assigned spaces in the dish drainer. I get upset if they are put in the wrong spot because they all won't fit if they aren't in the right way. (I know...OCD!)

7) I have a secret love for Tweety Bird. I used to have a lot of trinkets but as I've gotten older, I've gotten rid of them by way of donation or passing them on to other kiddos. But I still think she's pretty darned cute. And I do have a sticker on the back of my van. :)

Now, the fun part. I get to tag someone else....who will it be? Will it be you?

I'm thinking it will be MamaNeena. She should have some really funny things to share.

Thanks for stopping by.

Halloween Candy Recall

HALLOWEEN CANDY RECALL

(you can verify this on snopes: http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/coins.asp)

There is a new warning put out by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency....
Sherwood brand Pirate's Gold Milk Chocolate coins are being recalled due to the fact that they contain Melamine, the ingredient in milk product that has caused many infant deaths in china. These candies are sold at Costco, as well as many bulk and dollar stores. please make sure to check your childrenʼs Halloween candy and DO NOT LET THEM EAT THE PIRATE COINS (you know the ones wrapped in the shiny gold foil) and please let other parents know about this!

Make it yourself Monday...Banana Raisin Bread

I'm snack mom at preschool this week so I decided to make a banana bread. And just for fun, I thought I'd add raisins. The kids love them and we can't serve them alone as they are "a choking hazard". I personally don't know too many almost 5 year olds that can't chew, but hey...whatever. I'll cook the little guys. So, here you go...here's the recipe. Go make it yourself...

Photo coming soon...

Banana Raisin Bread

1/3 cup butter softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 Tbsp milk
1 3/4 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup mashed ripe banana
1 cup raisins (or chocolate chips)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease loaf or muffin pan.

2. Cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time beating well after each addition. Add milk; beat until blended.

3. Stir together flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda; add alternatly with banana to butter mixture beating until smooth after each addition. Gently fold in raisins (or chocolate chips). Pour into prepared pan.

4. Bake 60-65 minutes until wooden pick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes then remove from pan to wire cooling rack. For easier slicing; wrap in foil and store overnight.

If you do decide to try this recipe, let me know what you think! Thanks!

Why is it...

That whenever you REALLY need something, in some way shape or form you get it totally unexpectedly? I'm not complaining at all. I've just been pondering this for today.

DH has been off work due to lack of work for 3 days now and it doesn't look promising for the rest of this week either. We are fine on food, our bills are paid, but we're running low on gas. We've made it our goal to get through these tough times without using our credit cards and we would like to stray away from tapping into savings as well. So being low on gas today, I've been plotting my week for all the driving we have to do and making trips run together.

When we got the mail this afternoon; wouldn't you know there was a rebate check we've been waiting for for $20! With gas coming down significantly here over the last couple of weeks...it's now $2.75 per gallon...I'm able to get over seven gallons of gas! WHOO HOO!! This is a big difference from a month ago when gas was almost one full dollar more.

I'm very thankful that I started couponing over the summer and have quite the stockpile of goods. I'm also thankful that we are taken care of. Our needs are met. It makes me very grateful!!

What are you grateful for?

Weekly Reflection

Penny Pinching Diva has decided to make a weekly list of 5 things she is thankful for and I think this is a wonderful idea. I'm going to do it too....that is, if I remember every week. haha.

What am I thankful for this week?

1) My husband: He is such a loving man and hard worker, I don't know what I would do without him! Even though there are days where I would love to send him to Pluto because he's driving me crazy. Love you honey!!

2) My son: His laugh and carefree attitude keeps me grounded. It really does make you realize the important things in life.

3) Coffee: I'm thankful EVERY day for coffee!

4) Being able to pay our bills: In this economy, I'm thankful every day for being able to pay our bills. I know there are a lot of people in lots of financial trouble. I feel for them daily.

5) My Mom: My Mom is my best friend aside from DH and I don't know what I would do without her. Just this morning she helped me find something in my home while she was in her office 3 hours away. She is just plain amazing!

Make weekly reflection a part of your blog too!

Make it yourself Monday. Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Let me start by saying that DH is LOVING my new Monday feature. He gets home from work and the house smells of baked goods. He's in heaven! So here's today's recipe. Go...make it yourself!

Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
About 24 Mini Reese's Peanut Butter Cups

Heat oven to 375 degrees F

Combine butter, shortening, peanut butter, sugars and egg in large bowl, mix until well blended. Stir together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; gradually add to butter mixture until blended.

Shape into balls placing two inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Lightly flatten with the back of a spoon and place a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup upside down in the middle of each cookie.

Bake 8-10 minutes or until set. Cool slightly, remove from cookie sheet to a wire rack to cool completely.

ENJOY! With a huge glass of milk of course!

Notes: I use Pampered Chef cooking stones to bake my cookies and they took a bit longer. It was about 13 minutes for me. You just want them to be golden and pretty.

The end of an era. So sad...

We've finally arrived at the end of an era in our family. I find myself saddened and wishing it weren't so.

Yesterday I was informed of the correct pronunciation of fire hydrant. That's right my friends, the very last incorrect word from DS's vocabulary bit the dust yesterday!

Long gone are the "fra-vit" things and now we have the favorite things.

So long "gross-T store". Hello grocery store.

Goodbye "awful pop" and welcome toaster. (this one still holds my heart, because the waffles go pop!)

And as of yesterday, see you later "fire hard-rent".

I almost get choked up at the idea, but the fact of the matter is...I have an almost 5 year old!

Make it yourself Monday. Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Muffins

I thought I might try a new feature to my blog. I noticed that a lot of bloggers have topics of the day that they reuse weekly. I thought I would start small with one for Monday morning.

Today's very first "Make it yourself Monday" item is a GREAT recipe I have developed over the past couple of years with trial and error and it's finally perfect! If I do say so myself...hehe.

I present you:

OATMEAL CHOCOLATE CHIP MUFFINS

1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup softened butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup chocolate chips or chunks

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray muffin cups or line with paper cups
2. Cream together butter and sugars. Add oats, applesauce, egg, and vanilla.
3. Add flour, baking soda and cinnamon and mix well until completely blended. Gently fold in chocolate chips or chunks.
4. Fill muffin cups 3/4 full and bake for 20-23 minutes until golden and set.

These are a family favorite! What I have been using for the chocolate is Hershey's Bilss candies. I unwrap them and cut them into 12 pieces each. It works great and the fact that the chocolate was a freebie is nice too. This would be a great recipe to hold onto until after halloween and you could steal some of the kiddos' chocolate to use.

Decorating for fall.

I love fall! I love when the leaves start to change. I love the clean, crisp air. I especially love getting out all my candles and decorations and "cozy-ing" up the house.

Yesterday, DH came home and actually complained that the house was "hot". It was 73 degrees. Our furnace never came on once yesterday because I had my candles burning. :) Only a few...like 19. I took some pictures so everyone can enjoy them with me.


This is our side table by the couch. My grandma on my dad's side crocheted the doilly for me. ;)



This is the top of our entertainment center. The middle is actually a metal birdhouse that my mom found for me and it has pumpkins and leaves on it. It's really cute!!


This is my Global Fusion Hurricane by Party Lite. It's a mosiac, hand tiled hurricane done in burgandy, amber and bluish tiles. I have to admit that I thought this piece was ugly until I saw it in person. It has since become one of my favorite pieces!


And finally...If you come to my house, you will be greeted by Gretta my scarecrow. I love her! She's just so stinking cute! And my autumn wreath. I actually made it myself last year!

How do you decorate for fall?

Who do you side with?

My friend PaisleyPenguin sent me a great link here where you can answer a few questions and the widget will pair you with the Presidential candidate that you sided most with. It's kindof cute at the end because the person you don't side with gets catapulted off of the see-saw. :)

Just kindof a fun widget to see what they say.

Enjoy!