Projects, furniture makeover

Kevin and I wanted to make all our furniture match.  We have black picture frames and a large black mirror.  I thought, "why not paint our coffee table and movie cabinet black to match?" Our TV trays and entertainment center are already black so I thought it would be a nice fit.  I love the results of the coffee table.  Cabinet makeover coming soon! BTW, we painted both our furniture pieces for under $15. 

Before:

After:

Health, challenged completed

I finished my challenge!  Whenever I finished a workout I would rip off a tab.  I had 10 workouts and two weeks to do it.  They had to be at least 20 minutes, but most of the time I would go over.  If I wanted to do more than one workout in a day I would allow myself. However, I could not do more than two in one day.  There were times I would work out for over an hour because I wanted to.

I am going to do this challenge again but each tab would represent 20 minutes and NOT a specific workout.  I want to change up my goals. In order to rip off two tabs I have to reach 40 minutes.  If I only do a half hour I can only rip off one.  

Going for a walk and ripping off a tab! 

Close up of the challenge paper :) 

My hubby and I after a bike ride. 

Couponing, small week

I just went to Aldi this week.  No coupons this week.  I really need to stock up on meat and produce.  Next week I will be buying even more meat.  I only spent $25.80 this week, but this means I will be spending a lot more next week.  Here is the haul: bag of sweet potatoes, bag of carrots, 6 kiwi, two pints of strawberries, asparagus, garlic, 110 calorie bagels, milk, turkey bacon, meat balls, egg substitute, sugar free lemonade, milk, and four packs of gum.

Hubby,activity list

This is a list I came up with of different ideas my hubby and I do together.  My husband is my best friend.  God has blessed me with him. There is no one I would rather spend my time with. We do, however, have moments where we stare at each other and ask, "What do you want to do?"  This is going to be a reminder for me as well.  Enjoy!

In the past month (more practical list): 

1. Biking - It was warm out so we enjoy a bike ride together.  FREE (If you have bikes)

2. Board game- Play one you both like so it is not a strain.  FREE - (If you already own one)

3. Dinner and a movie- We got Subway to eat and Thor to watch.  We have netflix, but you could always go  to the Redbox for a dollar.  I would make this a special treat. (under $15)

5. Lifting weights-  Exercising is so much more fun when you have someone to motivate you! FREE (if you already own the equipment) 

6. Take a walk-  We walked two miles and back to a gas station and got some Ice cream and a drink.  Make sure you hold hands!  FREE (if you don't buy the ice cream and drink haha) 

7. Sit on the couch- Cuddle and talk.  This one is a favorite of mine. FREE (If you own a couch) 

8.  Watch football- It is not football season, but I watched the draft with him a few day ago.  Ask questions if you don't know what is going on....It makes them feel smart. (Free if you own a computer.  Which I know you do) haha

9. Go shopping- Cost is up to you.

10. Video games- I enjoy doing this with my hubby.  On average I will play 45 minutes with him.  I have gone more than six hours before, but those are special occasions.  If you don't enjoy this just watch him play.  I do this too.  Sit down for ten minutes and give him well meaning complements.  I have watched many games beginning to end because I simply enjoyed the story line and the art.  

In the past year (A little out of the ordinary):

Cooking, Mandoline food slicer

I love my Mandoline food slicer!  I make perfect french fries, potato chips, apple chips, and sliced veggies.  To use simply attach the fruit/veggie to the safety cap and move in a up and down motion over the blade. I cut my finger on the sharp blade because I didn't use the safety cover.  My husband also cut his finger while washing it, so be careful!  There are different options and slicers.  I did some research and the one I picked was not the cheapest, but it was the cheapest one with the highest rating.  It even got higher ratings than expensive ones.  Here is the Amazon link.   It will cost around $20.00.  I hope this was a help!

I don't cry anymore when I cut onions.  My eyes are sensitive to them. 

Apple chips!  

Fresh veggies for a salad. 

Heath, Fast food

Sometimes it is just impossible to make dinner.  You are in a rush and over stressed. The family is hungry and you don't have time to stop home.  Here is a simple list of foods I love from fast food restaurants. I probably eat fast food once a month...This is including Subway or Panera. 

My number one all time favorite "fast food" restaurant is Subway.  99% of the time I will order a veggie sub on wheat bread.  The sweet onion dressing is my favorite.  I promise if you are a veggie lover you will NOT miss the meat.  It is loaded with flavor and doesn't need cheese. It only has 460 calories so I will eat the whole foot long.  Here is a pic of my sub from last Saturday. 

McDonalds has delicious salads.  I would be super careful of the dressings.  The two dressings I would recommend are the Light Balsamic Vinaigrette (40 calories) or the Low Fat Italian Dressing (60 calories). Both dressings are from Newman.  Another tip is NOT to get crispy chicken.  This will add almost 200 calories compared to grilled chicken. OUCH!  My favorite salad is the Southwest Salad with grilled chicken (290 calories.)  The Caesar Salad with grilled chicken only has 190 calories.  Lastly, the Bacon Ranch Salad with grilled chicken has 230 calories.  Remember to add your calories for the dressings! 

(Above: Southwest Salad.)

Girly Things, Flower accessories

I am a girly girl at heart.  Kevin told me I should give tips on hair an makeup when I first started my blog.  At first I said no because I didn't want to come off as shallow. Even though this is NOT the most important hobby of mine, I enjoy doing hair and makeup. I get cosmetics for free a lot since I coupon, so it is an inexpensive hobby as well! Here is a fun hair tip:

SPRING IS HERE!!!!  Ok, even though it snowed out today I am still bringing out the bright flowers.  I just can't wait any longer.  Flower accessories can turn a simple side braid into an elegant look.  It is a fast easy do that looks like you spent time on yourself.  BTW, this is second day hair. 

I got these flowers at Forever 21 for $1.50!  They had so many different colors. Play around with the flowers and see what looks best on you.  Here I put one in the back and one more in the front. 

I decided it looked best when I put them directly lined up in the front. 

Health, Four awesome salads

I have salad 2-3 times a week for dinner.  It depends on how many times I have them for lunch that week.  Salads are not a burden for me to eat.  I have loved them since I was a kid.  They are really one of my favorite meals.  However, I think you need to change them up once in awhile. Here are four salads I had recently. BTW, ALL of them are under 300 calories.  Most are around 250! 

Sweet Summer Strawberry Salad: 1/2 boiled egg, feta cheese, dehydrated strawberries, broccoli, and red onions.  I would use a light sweet dressing for this salad. I used Margetti Light Raspberry Cabernet dressing. 

Apple Chicken Salad:  3oz chicken breast, 1/2 dehydrated apple, broccoli, red onion, carrots, and cheddar cheese. I would use a sweet light dressing for this salad or a balsamic dressing. 

Cooking, Box Baking

It is OK to use a box baking product to cook.  I do make homemade brownies, cakes, and cookies from scratch. However, sometimes it is cheaper for me to use a box because of coupons.  It definitely has a convenient factor to it. Anyways, homemade always tastes better, but these products are a close second.  

 Brownies are probably my number one choice for baking in a box.  I usually get fudge or ones with chocolate chips in them.  I don't go with a store brand when it comes to these babies.  This is one of the few products I am willing to spend an extra $.50 on because I can tell a difference.  You really can't go wrong with Betty Crocker on this one.  In fact, she is sitting in my cupboard right now.  

I don't like box cookies.  They don't come out as moist and fresh tasting. Every chocolate chip cookie mix I used has hardly any chocolate chips in it.  I end up putting my own ingredients in it anyways. ugh! They never turn out right.  Plus when I make homemade I get over 45 cookies in a batch.  Duncan Hines gives me 16.  Tell me if you know of a good baking boxed cookie. 

I love Betty Crocker and Pillsbury when it comes to cakes.  These brands make great cupcakes as well. The only complaint I have with Pillsbury is he never shows up when I am cooking.  It has been a dream of mine to poke his tummy since I was a kid.  Anyways, I always add 1/2 cup of chocolate chips to my chocolate cake batter.  It really gives it moisture and everyone loves it. It really is not a must though. Just a tip. ;) 

Organization, weight loss

The best app for losing weight and/or maintaining weight is Lose it!  I absolutely love this app!  It tracks your progress, exercising, and food intake.  It has great visuals and is extremely easy to use.  I am pretty faithful to this app and it is on my favorite shelf in my Kindle Fire.  It is available for almost every tablet I know of.  Lose It! also has the calorie counts for restaurants and doesn't require WiFi after installation. BEST OF ALL IT IS FREE! :)  

I believe it is super important to track what you eat every day.  1. to make sure you don't over eat. 2 To make sure you don't under eat. 3. To see what unhealthy food you are eating too much of.  4. To see what you need to eat more of. I recommend writing down the food you eat BEFORE you eat it.  It makes you think, "is this worth it?" I have been using this app since Christmas. :)

This is the front cover of the app. (Lose it!)

The left picture shows you the actual food you ate that day.  The right picture shows you how many calories you had and how many you have left for that day. 

When you select a food it will ask you how much of that food you consumed.  It will then calculate the calories for you. There is even an option for you to custom create your own food.  They will even provide icons for visual. 

Couponing, Healthy Haul

I wanted to buy recycled products and healthy food this week.  I know it is tough to get good deals on these things, but I wanted to show you it is possible.  All of this would have come to $55.49!  I bought all of this  for $26.98.  I am stocked up in produce and dinner food, so I didn't have to buy much this week.  

My healthy haul includes Marie's yogurt salad dressing, egg beaters, select harvest soup, sugar free lemonade mix, 10  yogurts, grapes, apples, carrots, broccoli, skim milk,  and 2 boxes of granola bars. 

My recycled products are 2 Reynolds Wrap100% recycled aluminium foil (both for free) and 8 rolls of Small Steps 100% recycled paper towels. 

I got the 2 Glade sprays completely free at Target!  They still have the coupon in the household coupon section at http://coupons.target.com/household-coupons :) 

 

All the products together.

My receipt at Wegmans.  

My receipt at Tops. 

My receipt at Target.

I spent $8.48 at Aldi. :) 

Health, fun exercising tip

Here is a great motivator for exercising.  Cut ten tabs at the bottom of a landscape page one inch in width. Write down different types of exercising that you enjoy or are able to do.  I wrote down jogging and bike riding as a challenge.  Weights is for the rainy days.  Walking is for the days I need to burn extra calories but need a break.  There are only ten tabs, but 14 days in two weeks.  This means I have four days off.  This is going to be a fun goal to reach.  I wrote on the paper at least 20 minutes a day and a verse for motivation.  I drew a picture of a guy on a bike for a visual. 

 When I do the exercise I will pull the corresponding tab!    

This is the original so I could make more copies.  I kept it blank in case I wanted to change my goal.  You could always do this in three weeks instead of two. I wanted to give myself a challenge since I already work out three times a week.  You could also write down the reward you get for completing it.  

Couponing, Tops 4/25- 4/21

Sometime during the weekend I will post my finds with Tops.  I can do Tops before I shop because I have an ad from them.  Many times though they will have specials that they don't advertise.  That is what my coupon binder is for. 

This week I am going to Tops and Wegmans.  I am stocked up in produce from last week so I am not going to Aldi.  This is what I have at Tops so far.  I will do my final grocery haul Tuesday.  

BTW, I try my hardest to pretend I am shopping at the dollar store.  I try to get all my products for $1 or less.  Lets say I got ketchup for $.50 and cereal for $1.50.  I would have made my goal because when I get my bill back it would come to $2.00.  Capiche? ;)   

This Small Steps coupon is from this week's Redplum. Tops did the math for me here.  $2.99 is not bad at all for 6 paper towels. They are usually a dollar apiece at the Dollar Store. This is great because I am in desperate need of them.

This deal is a bit more complicated.  If I buy six things I would receive a $3 of coupon on my next Tops purchase. I am going to buy two of each: Egg beaters, Dole frozen fruit, and Diet rite.  All of this comes to $12.04.  With my coupons (eggs beater's coupon is on coupon.com right now) I bring it down to $8.04   Then I would receive another $3.00 off my next purchase.  I would just turn around and use it the same day.  This means I get 6 products for $5.04  This is stuff I buy anyway.  (Diet pop will be a treat!) 

There were two coupons for this deal.  I printed them both off.  They were kinda hard to find so I will give you a link: http://www.couponnetwork.com/maries-coupon. I am going to get a bottle of Marie's dressing for a buck!  This normally cost over $4.00 at Tops.  Bring both coupons just in case the yogurt dressing is not on sale.  :) 

I need shampoo... $2.00 is not bad for Garnier.  :) 

Projects, My first quilt

This is my first quilt.  I am very excited about it!  Even though I did most of the sewing, I could not have done it without help from a lady in my church (Mrs. Testa). She was so patient and kind when I messed up. I went over her house the past month a total of five times to get this done.  I made it for my new niece, Jenavieve. <3 

This type of quilt is called a Log Cabin Quilt.

Here is the detail of the center block. 

This is the blanket laid out on my living room sofa chair. 

Up close details. I put bees on it because that is how Jannabee's room is decorated.  I call her bee for a nickname as well.

Laid out on my floor. 

Close up. 

Bella, the blanket is not for you. 

My sister, Beckie, opening the gift. 

Spread out.

She loved it! :) 

Health, dehydrating apples

Different people dehydrate for different reasons.  Mine is for snacking and toppings.  Instead of snacking on a bag of chips why not snack on crunchy apple chips? Fewer calories and it is good for you. I really like the taste and so does my hubby! 

First I start out with my GSD Mandolin Slicer.  This thing is a life saver. (I will do a blog on it soon)

After I run it through my slicer I simply cut down the center.  Most people take off the skin because it will cause the apple to go bad faster, but I don't plan on keeping this around very long. ;)

 Next, I lay them down on my dehydrator, plug it in, put the cap on, and let it dehydrate over night. 

This is what it looks like in the morning.  Ready to go!

I usually put them right into the baggies.  This will keep them portion controlled.

They go great on salads instead of croutons!  Adds a lot of flavor.

Projects, The pan experiment

*Update* I was told by one of my mom's friends to use ketchup.  I shrugged my shoulders and thought why not.  Ketchup is vinegar based. I soaked it overnight. The results were pretty amazing, but my pan is not restored back just quite yet.  Here are the pics.

Before I went to sleep I rubbed ketchup all over my pan. Then I laid it on a plate face down.

When I awoke there was a blue paste on my pan.  I looked this up on google and it said:
  "hydrogen mixed with oxygen. When these two mix the setharene inside the hydrogen combines with the glucomate in oxygen to produce setharene glucomide. This invokes a pigment in the copper sulphate with a tiny electrical impulse. It then turns blue."  

Apparently I am a great scientist because there is a formula to do this (NH3 + H2O NH4+ + OH-.)  Yep.

 Anyways, wherever the blue paste was the grime just came off.



 I am going to soak it in my mom's paste next over night. ( dish soap, white vinegar, and baking soda)  
Is it weird I find this fun?