Moving!

After a few weeks of exciting blogging action, I’m moving to a different address. Check it out at http://snowflowersunrise.wordpress.com/.

I am Ella Baby – a song

This is a song I am writing for Ella.

I am Ella Baby

I am Ella Baby
I like to smile and grin
Do you see the drool
flowing down my chin

I am Ella Baby
I like to sing and dance
and I don’t want to go
poopy in my pants

I am Ella Baby
and I like to bounce
I like to go up
and down in the house

Garage Sales

I enjoy shopping at garage sales. I don’t always have the opportunity on Saturday mornings, but ONE Saturday last summer I found some great items.

My mom usually goes garage sailing every Saturday, but this particular Saturday she was out of town visiting my sister. Thus, I thought I should represent our family and visit the sales. I printed out the local listings from Craigslist, and started out ~ 8:00 AM…keeping in mind the items we were looking for: small cups, an ice cream maker, etc.

After maybe 5 garage sales, I happened upon a garage/moving sale. These can be the best kind! People really need to get rid of their things when they are moving. And at this garage sale I found the best deal in the history of our family!!!

Garage Sale Finds

The rug here cost $5 and the glider was $15. Because they are from the same house, they match (the lime green color is in both the rug and the glider). I was so excited because the rug ALSO coordinates with the salmon-colored carpet that goes throughout the house.

A week or so later I found the rug in a CURRENT Pottery Barn Catalog for ~ $850! What a deal!

For more frugal tips visit Biblical Womanhood!

Measuring Cup Pegs

My kitchen has a limited number of drawers (4) and I wanted my measuring cups to be easy to grab. Since I don’t own this home, I couldn’t nail hooks into the back of the cabinet door so I took a piece of wood and hammered in four small nails. I used double-sided foam tape to tape the piece of wood to the inside of the cabinet door. It’s been hanging like this for more than a year!

Measuring Cup Hooks

I can even hang the measuring cups up here to dry. I love having my measuring cups within reach.

This works for me! Find other things that work at Works For Me Wednesday!

How to Order at In-N-Out Burger

Here are some key things to keep in mind when planning an excursion to In-N-Out.

1. Know the menu. If you have to get there early and sit in front of the menu before getting in line, do it. Familiarize yourself with all the posted options (don’t worry, it’s not too hard).

2. Decide what you want. Do you want onions? How do you want them? Cheese? No spread? Burgers are pretty customizable, so decide what you want before you get to the order counter.

3. Order it right.

• Type of burger
• If you want onions
• Anything special about the burger
• Do you want fries?
• Do you want a drink?
• Is it for here or to go?

As an example, my husband orders his burger like this, “I’d like a hamburger with grilled onions with extra lettuce, extra tomato, and extra onion. ” I usually order this way, “I’d like a hamburger with onion add pickles. One fries, and a cup of ice water for here.”

Usually, if you walk in and don’t specify “to go” you can skip the “for here” part. It is assumed. If you’re in the car you can specify “to go” or “in the car”. “In the car” means you might get a lapmat/box as well as be offered some ketchup. If you get “to go” you probably won’t get ketchup packets because they figure you’ll use your ketchup at home.

If you’re in the drive through ordering with multiple people, it helps to organize your order. Preface the order with, “Hi. We’ve got 5 people in here. Let me tell you each burger we’d like.” This way they won’t ask you, “Do you want fries…” after each burger description. It just helps keep things organized.

4. Pay, etc. If you’re ordering at the counter, hang on to your reciept so you don’t forget your number.

How to be a great Grandma

I think my mom does a great job as Grama. This requires thinking ahead-of-time, taking initiative, being creative, and getting excited!

Even before E was born she would tell me about all the ideas she had.

She wanted to get a carseat for her own car so that she could take E out anytime.

If other people hadn’t already organized a baby shower for me, her friends would have organized one.

She finds the portrait coupons and make sure E is photographed at all the right times…even bringing cute outfits for her!

She has a sweet name for E – “Darling Dumpling Doll”

She planned an outing to stroll around the mall with E.

She tells everyone, “Having E – a grandchild close by – is going to change my life!”

And more to come!

The Listerine Cup

I don’t know about your family, but my family often uses the Listerine cap as a cup. This seems a little gross when multiple people use it. I’ve found that a small glass candleholder is just the right size to fit over the Listerine cap. One person can use the cap, and the other person can use the candleholder as a cup!

Listerine Cup

See other handy tips at Rocks In My Dryer!

My Second Menu Plan Monday

Menu Plan Monday was a success last week so I’m trying it again. Here’s a picture of my Chicken Vera Cruz from Friday night.

Chicken Vera Cruz

Monday
Ribollita Soup (uses Swiss chard) – a recipe from Sunset magazine
Boiled Millet

Tuesday
Stuffed orange bell peppers (will be doubled)
Gingered Carrots
Polenta

Wednesday
Pecan-crusted Trout
Dou Miao (a Chinese vegetable translated “pea shoots”)

Thursday
Eat at Grandad’s house

Friday
Leftovers

Visit http://orgjunkie.com/ to see more Menu Plan Monday participants!

This was my car

I just added a custom header to this site. This was my car for 8 years: 14 – 22. Sometimes I miss it. Here’s a story about how I sold it.

I was nearing college graduation and wanted to sell my car. I put it on Craigslist, got a couple callers, but no one ever showed up to look at it. I didn’t know anyone who wanted to buy the car, so Mom and Dad said they’d rent one of those car-trailer things and we’d tow it behind us back home…400 miles.

This was all fine and dandy. We’d towed the car down three years before. The morning we were about to leave we planned to go to church and then drive home. We backed the VW onto the car trailer, only to realize that the wheel base of the trailer was maybe just a little too wide for the bug. It seemed to work, until we got ~ 1/2 block from Grama’s house where we’d been staying.

Ka-klunk *scrape*. These were not good sounds. Dad pulled over and we surveyed the scene. One tire had fallen off the trailer and the VW was angled precariously. Yikes! How were we going to get it back off…much less get it back on and 400 miles to home?

Everything was all packed up in the van and we didn’t have any tools to work with. We didn’t even have a tape measure! As we stood there worrying, Mom said, “Let’s pray about this.” So, we did. We prayed that somehow this situation would work out.

As we were finishing our prayer, a man walked out of the nearby apartment complex – with a tape measure. “Do you need any help?” Yes, we did! We explained our situation. He measured it…and casually mentioned, “That’s a nice car. Are you selling it?” We laughed. “Yes, I am,” I replied.

After some deliberation and a ride around the block, the man was still interested. “How much are you asking? I might buy it.” I named my price, we worked out the paperwork details, and never had to tow the car back home! God answered our prayers in a marvelous way!

Befriend Your Neighbors

This is my first time participating in Frugal Friday!

One of my best Christmas memories this past year was hosting a spur-of-the-moment neighborly Christmas party for our nearest neighbors. Some of them I met for the first time when I passed out the invitations. I was a little nervous, but everyone seemed so happy to attend. We ate yummy food (taking food preferences into consideration!) and played a short game of “stick the star on the Christmas tree” that my husband invented. We are blessed with such WONDERFUL neighbors. I definitely hope to host more gatherings in the future.

One thing you can do to save money (though saving money is a silly motivation) is to become friends with your neighbors! Here are some ways this can save you money:
- Instead of having to drive to the store to buy an egg you forgot, you can borrow one from your neighbor
- When you write Christmas cards, you can easily hand-deliver them to your neighbors
- You never know…one of your neighbors may know how to fix cars or may share hand-wrapped dumplings with you!

Find other money-saving tips at Biblical Womanhood!