Pantry Challenge :: September

Today I organized my pantry and took inventory. WOW! I could not believe all the food I found hiding in the back! So I decided that I needed to use it up and what better way to do that AND save money than a pantry challenge.

I wrote down items that I had in my pantry that I hadn't even used, and then I went to www.food.com (formerly known as Recipeezaar.com) and searched for recipes. Food.com makes it so easy to find by ingredient, menu type, etc.

So, for example, I had seasoned rice vinegar that had been given to me A LONG TIME AGO. I have never used rice vinegar before, so I searched under ingredient and found Sesame Salmon Over Noodles. Oh my goodness, what a delicious pantry challenge meal! Even the kids loved it!

I won't keep you in suspense...here's the link to Sesame Salmon Over Noodles :)

Anyway, I will continue to post with recipes that came only from my pantry items. My goal is to not have to go grocery shopping at all until the next paycheck on the 15th. We'll see if I make it!

Sniff Sniff

Do you hear that? It's the sound of me crying.

Melissa at 320 Sycamore is having a paint party and I can't go. Why? Because my camera batteries are dead. Sigh.

I would love to show off the Bayside (Behr) in our bathroom. But alas, you will just have to imagine the soothing deep teal color.

And Anonymous (Behr) looks lovely on our master bedroom walls. Blogger isn't uploading photos right now so I will have to try later. Anonymous is like being wrapped in a soft grey cocoon. We love it!

Our boys' room is an Oops! paint from Home Depot ($5 for the gallon...wahoo!). Unfortunately, either the HD staff, or the people who brought the paint back, painted over the color code so I have no idea what the name is. It is a bright sky blue that goes perfectly with their curtains and bedding.

Our little girl's room is going to be chocolate brown with pink. Still a work in progress right now. The walls are currently a dark deep brown ( I have no idea what color because we had a major ordeal with an oops paint) and it is nice and soothing...perfect for naptime!

The family/ schoolroom is Grass Cloth (Behr) and it is so restful and relaxing.

My kitchen will become Grape Leaves (Behr) eventually. Currently it is Summer Heat (Behr) which I completely fell in love with at HD off of the paint card. It coordinated well with my chili pepper theme (hey my husband is from Mexico, so what can I say...chickens just aren't us). But after almost three years, I have tired of it and want to try something new.

And our living room and hallway are Brown Sugar (Behr)...I think. It is a nice neutral brown color that goes with everything.

Oh and most of these rooms have been painted over more than three times...LOL!

We LOVE paint over here at Five in the Potter's Hand! (Well, maybe "we" is more "me" and less "him") My hubby dislikes painting and would be immeasurably happy if I would stop changing up the colors. However, he indulges my whimsy :)

I'm A Meal Planning Failure

I have tried every meal planning method possible.

I have spent hours poring over sales flyers, coupons and recipe books.

In theory, meal planning is a fabulous idea.

In our household reality, not so much.

First off, my husband dislikes leftovers. And sandwiches. What did I grow up eating? Leftovers and sandwiches. My mom was a whiz at making a little bit of money s-t-r-e-t-c-h a LONG ways. Purposely creating leftovers helped her do that. So that is what I learned. But what I learned is not serving me well today.

Secondly, two days out of the week my husband goes to school in the evenings and doesn't come home for dinner. So I have to make sure that his lunch will last him all day long. When I calculate it out, I am preparing 25 meals a week.

No wonder I am exhausted! And frustrated!

Lastly, we have some picky eaters in our midst. I won't name names, but it can be challenging to cater to certain palates. And, I am not an adventurous eater. My husband, he thrives on adventure!

He doesn't consider lentils or split pea soup to be adventurous.

Sigh.

Can you see my dilemma now? I want to reap the benefits of menu planning, but I have no idea how to make it fit my family.


Did any of you ladies get a big fat 'F' in meal planning? How do you deal with the need for variety among discerning palates? How do you incorporate specific needs/wants of certain family members without losing your mind?

The Other Side of Staying At Home

Recently I read two blog posts that were inspired by a show done on Oprah. Apparently this show decided to show the real life of a SAHM.

What was really sad is that both of the bloggers focused on the negative side.

Admittedly, yes, there are those days or even weeks when you feel like if you have to pick up one more cheerio or say "Go clean your room" one more time, you...will...lose...your...mind. Oh, I'm not denying the days when it feels like the children are going to pull you apart with the "mommy, mommy, mommy"s.

But what about the benefits of staying at home? Are there none? Do we do this to torture ourselves with unending housework and obnoxious, ungrateful children? Do we "chain" ourselves to our homes because we prefer martyrdom?

NO!

Then why do I stay at home?

When I was working part-time and my husband worked full-time, we were on such a tight schedule (He worked from 7:30am until 4pm and then we would meet at my workplace at 4:30pm, switch cars, talk for 15 minutes and then I would head into my building to work from 5pm-11pm, arriving at home at 11:30pm where he would often be asleep because he had to get up at 6am.) to avoid putting our children in daycare, that we saw very little of each other. Our marriage felt non-existent and we truly felt like roommates rather than lifemates. My primary reason for staying at home was to reconnect with my husband. I love being home when he comes home, greeting him with a kiss and a cup of coffee. I love creating a peaceful, welcoming atmosphere here that causes him to shed any worries or concerns at the door. It makes me so thankful when the kids come running and screaming "Daddy's home!" as they hear the key turn in the lock at 4:30pm. And I know he loves it too.

Another obvious reason is, of course, seeing our children. When I was working, I didn't have much energy for interacting, creating or patience. I feel like those years, my boys got the leftovers of mommy. Whereas now, I can take the time to admire a picture drawn or a job well done. I have the luxury of being present, fully present, to watch tender affections between my sons and daughter. I get to experience the joy of watching them grow in their relationship and knowledge of God. I finally get to be a full-time mom.

Being a SAHM saves my family money. This was not a by-product of stepping out of the rat race that I had ever considered before. I knew quitting my job would cost us income, but I never dreamed that being a home manager meant that I would be able to cut costs so effectively that I, in essence, create income. I treat it like a job, devoting whatever hours and energy are necessary to reach the end goal---having money leftover between paychecks. It has become a personal hobby...one that saves me money rather than causing me to spend money. I don't scrapbook..I coupon!

Creating order in my home is something I am still working on. For some reason I didn't magically get the Suzie Q Homemaker gene when I joined the association. Sigh. My goal is to get to the point where my husband doesn't have to ask if he has clean socks and I don't have to go pull a pair out of the dryer... I am striving toward creating more healthy and frugal meals that everyone loves. Split pea soup is something only I like, so scratch that off the meal list! Learning new ways to be frugal is now a fun way to pass the time. I have exchanged my fabric softener for vinegar, my dishwashing detergent for washing soda, my disinfectant for rubbing alcohol and my house has never sparkled more! Before I started on this journey to frugality, I didn't know you could make your own laundry soap or cleaners! It never occured to me that years ago people did that sort of thing. Being able to stay at home has made me a more creative person.

And, lastly, and most selfishly, I stay at home for me. I was never cut out for the cutthroat environment of the corporate world. I prefer a place where my only competition is the dryer and that pile of dirty clothes. I may not get a paycheck or health benefits, but how can I place a dollar value on my family's appreciation of me or number the advantages to my family and me to have someone keeping the home full time? The answer, in short, there is no monetary value that I can place on my family's peace.

My marriage has improved. My kids are better behaved. My home runs smoother. I am having more fun being a home manager than I EVER did as an administrative assistant!

Yes, being a SAHM does come with its daily challenges. But let's not lose sight of why we do it. We create our family and the environment in which that family will wither or thrive. We are keepers of the home....guardians.

Why do you do it?

Stay At Home Burnout

Currently, I am suffering from SAH Burnout. Symptoms include but are not limited to: An inexplicable desire to run screaming from your house any time someone says "Mom!", daydreams of living in a soft white room with padded walls, visible twitching at the sight (and smell) of another pile of clothes to launder, an irrepressible urge to stay in bed and pull the covers over your head...all.. day.... long, breaking out in hives if you have to sweep up one more pile of crumbs left on the floor after breakfast, and a rash developing at the thought of having to vacuum up crushed Cheerios in your carpet for the umpteenth time.

SAH Burnout patients should be medicated with plenty of chocolate, put on bedrest for at least three days (more may be needed depending on the severity of the symptoms), given a maid service for at least a month, sent to Starbucks for some Chai Tea, and quarantined from all forms of laundry for three months.

I wish...

DIY:: Bring It Into the 21st Century!

What do you do when you have wood trim that screams 1970's? Oh and did I mention you don't have any extra money to splurge on nice updated trim?


You remember that you have some KILZ primer in your garage and you proceed to prime your window frame. For zero dollars and about a half hour of time invested, you can have a totally updated look!
(Yes, the right side needs more primer...I have about a coat to go on that one but I couldn't resist taking the photo halfway through!) No, I'm not going to leave it primer white. I plan on eventually getting a nice glossy crisp white to finish it off, but for now "it doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful". And yes, I do see the brush strokes on the wall surrounding the window. I am painting the walls a different color so I'm not worried about those.

All in all, I am very proud of my thirty minute makeover for my window. Usually I wait until all is perfect and I have everything I need. But waiting for perfection means I might wait forever. So I decided to do it now and worry about fine-tuning it later on.

And Remodeling Guy, you're right paint does count as remodeling! :)

The Paradox...

Lately, I have come to the conclusion that I am a bit of a paradox.

I love being organized. However, you wouldn't know that by looking at the state of my home. Oh sure, I could blame it on the kids. But that wouldn't be entirely true. I could also blame it on my lack of funds to purchase better organizing goodies. But that too would be a half truth.

The sad fact is that I love being organized, but I am a terrible time manager! If I were an employee, I would have been fired long ago. Oh, I start off with the best of intentions. But inevitably I get sidetracked by something else. Say for example, hypothetically of course, blogging. Not that I ever let that get in the way of my organization. *clears throat*

Speaking of getting sidetracked... oh wait, what was I talking about?

And I most certainly can blame the lack of functioning brain cells on my dear daughter who doesn't sleep through the night completely yet.

It wouldn't be such a horrible malady if it didn't interfere in the harmonious relationship that is my marriage. My husband is a neat-freak. I love him for it. But we are total opposites of the housecleaning spectrum. God bless him, he doesn't complain all that much. He's a saint really.
Saint Mr. Clean, that is.

He can bust out a room in one-fourth the amount of time it takes me. He is focused. Determined. Driven. I, on the other hand, am not really described accurately by any of those above adjectives.

But I am a paradox because I want to be. When will the neat-freak house cleaner in me be freed from the time management failure she is imprisoned in? Only time will tell.

Our Gastronomic Diary for the Week

The illustrious and industrious Meal Planner, has persuaded me to post what my family eats in a week. As breakfast and lunch aren't anything special and are pretty haphazardly created, dinner will be the only meal I share here.

I have no idea what each meals costs, maybe that will be something I try out after I get meal planning down pat. And most of these dishes have no recipes. I usually just throw stuff together. Because I am so creative (read: short on time and lacking in a lengthy attention span for recipes with a large number of ingredients and steps to follow.) and I follow the FBTSOYP method of cooking. (That's Fly By The Seat Of Your Pants to all you gourmet chefs out there!) Or is that more like Iron Chef?


Whatever it is, I try to create dinners that don't go over like a lead balloon...lol! This can be an exercise in extreme creativity and patience as I have picky eaters.

I am not a vegetable fan. However, I do try to incorporate vegetables into our diet. This usually takes the form of salad, broccoli, corn, tomatoes, and black beans. Yes, we are a diverse palate over here in the FITPH household...lol. I imagine that the people who dreamed up the Food Pyramid would be appalled, but it works for us. We eat a lot of fruit to compensate.

We also don't do desserts. There is no money-saving rationale behind this, just laziness. After I have prepared dinner, all I want to do is relax. Perhaps if I were a tad more organized (something my husband tells me a lot....and he is) I could get the meal AND the dessert done at the same time. Something to try!

(And because I have been so sleep deprived as of late, I will just be telling you what we had for dinner, but not what day we ate it because all the days meld into one zombie-esque blur!)

Chicken with Sweet Red Chili Sauce Glaze on Rice

Shredded Beef Tacos with Black Beans

Chicken Quesadillas with Black Beans

Fried Potatoes and Cheese

Creamy Chicken Cheese Rice with Salad

All right, my memory is a bit fuzzier than I thought. I can't remember what we ate for the remaining two days of the week. My guess, with the way things were going this week, would be some sort of sandwich and probably scrambled eggs with cheese for the other day.

And unlike the Meal Planner, I don't have yummy looking photos of my dinner fare. Too busy taking care of my sick little baby for that.

So there it is in all its simple glory...our unadorned, un-gourmet and mostly Hispanic meal plan :)

My List....

I just realized that I still haven't cast my ballot yet...

I haven't tallied up my expenses for the months of August, September and almost October...

I haven't balanced my checkbook yet, even though the statement came last week...

I have a load of laundry that has been sitting in the dryer for two days now...

What's even worse is I have a load of laundry that has been sitting in the washer for that long too...yep, I will be redoing that load for sure!

What is on your to-do list that hasn't been done?

And lest anyone think I am a regular procrastinator (I am a recovering one), my daughter has been sick for the last three or four days. I can't remember exactly how long because day and night meld into one exhausting glob....

Penny-Pinching Pantry Products

In the interest of getting more bang for my buck, as well as reducing toxins that come into my home, I have discovered the long forgotten world of pantry cleaners. Frugal, safe to use, what's not to like?

Why buy expensive, chemical-laden cleaners when you can find everything you need in your pantry?


Vinegar::

Streak-Free Shining Windows and Surfaces:
1 cup of vinegar to 5 cups of water. Use a crumpled up piece of newspaper to wipe down the window. Works every time! If using this cleaner for kitchen or bathroom countertops or surfaces, follow up with rubbing alcohol for disinfection.

Lustrous Lineoleum:
1/4 cup vinegar to one gallon of water. Take the frugality one step further and use your broom as a mop by tying a dishtowel around the head! Voila! Instant reusable mop!

Grease Be Gone:
Use vinegar/ water solution for getting rid of greasy messes on your stovetop, microwave, or oven.

For more little-known uses for vinegar check out this site.


Baking Soda::

Rug Refresher:
Before you vacuum, sprinkle some baking soda on the carpet. Let it sit for 15 minutes and then vacuum it up. It will make your home smell fresh and crisp. Adding a pinch of cinnamon will give your house a relaxing fragrance as well.

Does Everything Deodorizer:
Does any more need to be said? Probably the most well-known of its uses :) Try using it on a mattress before you put down that fitted sheet. Leave a box of baking soda open in a fridge to absorb odors. I even like to keep a box in my van to soak up those nasty "Mom-I-left-my-apple-juice-cup-in-here-to-rot-for-two-weeks" odors. (In all fairness, I do clean my van, but sometimes they hide the cup and I don't discover it until the "aroma" assails my nose.)

For more baking soda benefits, check out the Arm&Hammer site!


Come back to explore beauty aides you just might have collecting dust on your pantry shelves!

Living Room Makeover...

Before:
Haphazardly thrown together furnishings. Ill-fitting to the space. An awkward, bare corner that housed the CD player/ radio. Let's not forget to notice the ugly air conditioning unit! Oh, and please excuse the clutter, I promise it disappears on the afters...lol!


The problems:
We need all the seating we can get. We have to keep the ugly loveseat with the beige slipcover (we do have two boys after all). The chaise lounge is so underused and sadly neglected in that lonely corner. Plus, in the wintertime, it would be too close to the woodstove for comfort. One major eyesore...the baseboard heating that we never use but still need to keep until we get an alternative installed (that will probably be in about 20 years...lol!). The baseboard heaters run the length of the window and the long wall that joins the living room with the kitchen.





The sofa just piled up against the hard-to-fill long wall that joins the living room with the kitchen/dining room...





Oh and the opposite wall of the fireplace is the TV cabinet. Which, I loved the photos, but the space was still awkward.


All it took was a little creativity and willingness to think about the furniture arrangement with a fresh perspective. A little bit of shifting the sofa, loveseat and chaise lounge. Bring the bookcase from the hallway to fill the awkward corner. Think about a different place to put the photos.


After: And voila! The solution:

A lovely window seat that invites you to sit and read awhile in the soft light streaming from the window.

A color-coordinated bookcase complements the chaise lounge. We managed to hide the very-necessary but very-unaesthetically-pleasing
air conditioning. And it was my husband's idea to place the candelabra on top of the bookcase to finish it off.

Now the long wall has a gallery feel to it...and it includes my favorite objets d' art...my kids! :)





We flipped the long sofa to parallel the window. And the well-loved loveseat (with oh-so-handy washable slipcover) backs up to the couch. When you are cooking in the kitchen someone can comfortably sit and chat with you!

However, my favorite part about this arrangement of the loveseat, is that I don't have to see it when I first come in the front door! It disappears behind the much nicer looking couch :)









Total cost: $0

We just rearranged and used what we had :) I love makeovers that don't cost anything...lol! And I LOVE my new living room. The kids do too. When Miss Precious woke up and I took her into the living room, she just stared and looked all around. When the boys woke up, they were so enthusiastic about the change. Everyone is happy, including my dear hubby who helped me with it all!

Before, our living room didn't reflect our personal style at ALL. Now, we have subtle sophistication while still being child-friendly. My boys still have room to run around and spread out their toy cars and blocks. Miss Precious has plenty of room to roam. And I have a lovely spot to lounge and read a good book. Our living room now works for us! :)

Tackle it Tuesday...Pantry Perfection!

Once upon a time, this small corner of my kitchen was organized. I had all of my cooking supplies on one shelf, baking on another, cereal on the top and miscellaneous items below. Can't you see the brillance and permanence of my system?
It is my secret shame. I have a door that I can close to make sure that nothing falls out. Sometimes, I really have to put some effort into closing that door because all of the cooking supplies are pushing back!
In all fairness, if I were the ONLY one who got into this pantry, it would look a bit more organized. But I blame these two:

They love being able to pour their own cereal, slap together a PB & J sandwich or just munch on some graham crackers. They are independent. But they independently make my pantry a DISASTER!

So, I decided to inject some order into the chaos...

Top shelf: Baking supplies
(Shhhh...don't tell the kids but I am hiding yummy snacks in the white pot on the top shelf too!)


Second shelf: Cooking supplies


Third shelf: Chips, pasta and tostadas (Being married to a Mexican means you have to stock up on tostadas...lol!)


Fourth shelf plus the bottom of the pantry: Pots, pans and infrequently used small kitchen appliances! While organizing, I had an epiphany. Why do I place my I-use-them-everyday-pots-and-pans in a hard to access cabinent corner? I didn't have a good answer for myself except for "That's what everyone else does!" So I moved them to my easy-to-get-to pantry shelf! Hooray!

And finally....


For more organization inspiration, check out other tackles here

Oh, and did any of you highly observant ladies catch on to the theme of my kitchen? :)

Night Owl Confession

I am a night owl...everyone else in my household is not.

Does anyone else have trouble going to bed after the kiddos and hubby are asleep? I just love the solitude and tranquility of a sleeping household. But I don't love the fact that if I sleep in late, my whole day has passed me by. Thereby leaving me stressed and crunched for time. Not to mention the guilt of letting my toddlers fend for themselves with DIY peanut butter sandwiches! But I LOVE staying up late...*sigh*

In order to get up before anyone else, I would have to be up around 5 am! I am SO NOT a morning person. I don't start to process anything until after 10 am...lol! Why, oh why am I this way??? *frustrated sigh*

I think more clearly at night. In fact, I do my devotions at night. I wish the rest of my body was on the same time track as my mind..lol! But one wants to go one way and the other part wants to sleep in!

It isn't really insomnia, because it is self-induced and thoroughly enjoyed!

Didn't the Proverbs 31 lady stay up late? Did she burn the candle at both ends?

I am here to tell you that burning a candle at both ends only leaves YOU with burnt fingers..

The Nitty Gritty of Homemaking

As I was blog hopping today, I ran across some blogs that extolled the virtues of being a homemaker who didn't need a list to tell her what to make for dinner or what needed cleaning in that day. Some of the comments were downright rude toward those of us who do. Rather than leave a nasty anonymous comment, I decided I would comment about homemaking on my blog. So here is what homemaking means to me.

For me the definition of homemaker is... someone who makes a home. Period. Homemaking is so much more than just cooking, cleaning and doing chores.

If I have a clean home but my children are relegated to their rooms to play, then who am I cleaning for?
If all of the laundry is washed, dried, ironed and folded, but I have neglected time with my husband or children, who did I do the laundry for?
If I make four-course meals completely from scratch, with no recipes, but I work myself into a frenzy and am a stressed out housewife, who did I make the meal for?
A homemaker is patient (even when her children threaten to step on the last little bit of her sanity), kind, is not envious (because she is content with what God has blessed her with), is not boastful (because she realizes that pride comes before a really big fall and that true greatness need not be advertised), is not rude (she holds her tongue even if it means biting it off), is not self-seeking (her family's needs come first), is not easily angered (even when spending all day alone with preschoolers..), she keeps no record of wrongs (even when he forgets to pick up his socks for the zillionth time...but who's counting?), she does not delight in evil, but rejoices with the truth, always protects (guarding the gate of the home...setting the atmosphere with praise and prayer), always trusts (trusts in the One Who is proven trustworthy), always hopes (never lets disappointment keep her down for long), always perseveres (holds on with tenacity to that which is most important).
Lest I seem sacrilegious, my point is that a homemaker is supposed to be the LOVE of the home. The Mexicans call homemakers, ama de casa--"love of the home." I think they have it right!

So I may have to make a meal plan in order to have healthy, frugal meals for my family. I definitely need a list of things to do throughout the day. I was not born organized or without the tendency to get sidetracked. I make a list to keep me on track and accomplishing my goals for the day. This does not make me less of a homemaker.

For goodness sake's, are homemakers now defined by their back to the pioneer days mentality, or lack of? Everyone has to have a label it seems and there is even competition within the domestic ranks? How sad.

I prefer the plain, unadorned label of homemaker. Because that is what I am doing, day in and day out, making a home for my husband and three children. But I am doing it for them, not in spite of them. I refuse to see them as a nuisance, the final hurdle to get over before I can have that picture perfect home that I see in Better Homes and Gardens. Instead, I choose to focus on those things which have eternal value..the people in my home.

"Cleaning and cooking can wait 'till tomorrow

For babies grow up, as we've learned to our sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep,

I'm rocking my baby, and babies don't keep."

--Author Unknown