Still haven't made it to the grocery store

Breakfast- Instant (store brand) oatmeal packets & organic pop tarts from basement pantry. Cherry limeade (out of juice & milk), cocoa, and instant latte mix to drink.

I think I have some powdered milk in the basement. I'm tempted to go a few more days and see what I can come up with for meals. I can always make baked goods using soy flour/water instead of eggs.

This recipe for Scottish Oat Cakes does not need eggs and might be a suitable replacement for bread with our meals. I have everything in my pantry to whip this up.

There are a few pieces of fruit left in the fridge and I have some clearance/dent&ding cans of fruit when we run out of that.

We have half a jar of peanut butter (my kids favorite protein snack) left. When we run out I have half a jar of roasted peanuts that I could whir in my blender and make more spread.

We're out of pop. I'm not going to cry about it though. I plan on making some sun tea and kool-aid when we run out of limeade.

Update: I found three cans of pop in the garage and dry milk in the basement. My Mom is bringing my girl home today and is bringing some dew berries they picked off a wild bush growing by her yard. We're making a crumble top pie with a no roll pie crust. I'm thawing a frozen chunk of pizza crust for dinner. I think we're having crackers, bread, cheese, chopped fruit and a homemade creamy spread for lunch. I'm making this recipe I found in Yankee Magazine's Living Well on a Shoestring.

Herb Cheese Spread:
4 ounces cream cheese
1 tbs. butter
1 tbs. white wine or balsamic vinegar
2 cloves of minced and mashed garlic
Fresh herbs
Black pepper to taste

Mix it all together and serve.

I'm out of garlic so I have to use powdered. I do have fresh basil growing in my windowsill though.

Does anyone know if dewberry bushes transplant well? I'd like to move one to my backyard.

Trips and Pantry Eating

I've been gone for the past week with Hubby on a business trip to KC. While I was gone I:

Watched way too much Bravo tv in the hotel
Swam with my boy
Spent a great day catching up with a friend and her children
Cleaned out the clearance racks at a Gymboree Outlet (lots of school clothes!)
Finished reading a book
Napped a lot
Ate at our favorite restaurant

Last night we attended a wake for a friend's grandma. I know it's wrong to have a great time at a "funeral" but there was lots of story telling and raising our glasses to the departed. I think Nana would have been pleased with her memorial.

Anyway, this morning I woke up to a kitchen pretty empty of our standard perishables. I made a grocery list but I have to say that I have not been inspired to shop at all today. In fact, it's 6:30 and I haven't showered and am still in my pajamas. I have done a lot of laundry, dishes, cleaning, and hanging out with my two men. My Big Girl is with her Grandma this week and she comes home tomorrow. I'll go grocery shopping then.

I've had to get creative with our food as we ate the last of our eggs last week, our milk was sour, and our last piece of bread was moldy.

Breakfast: Little Guy had a packet of instant oatmeal. Hubby ate peanut butter on graham crackers. I had a bowl of veggie soup and crackers.
I made a loaf of whole wheat onion bread in the bread machine.

Snacks- more graham crackers and yogurt. Slices of onion bread with pepper jack cheese.

Lunch- Mac N Cheese with four chopped up hot dogs. I was out of milk so I had to use Italian dressing for the sauce. It worked okay but I prefer milk.

Dinner- I had two organic potatoes. I cleaned out the crisper too. We had wilted celery, half an onion, a red pepper going soft, and a package of firm tofu. I chopped them all up and fried them in a little butter, water, olive oil, and seasoning salt. It made for a pretty satisfying meal.

Now I've got to finish folding laundry and work on cleaning out Big Girls disastrous room while she's gone.

Better Living Through Pantry Planning

Other than the brief grocery stop for milk, bread, eggs, bananas and dog food I am avoiding shopping this week. I can see the back of my pantry and know that all of the food in there is fresh and will be used. It is a relief.

Monday- stir fry with crisper veg and ginger tempeh. Leftovers got sent with Hubby today.

Tuesday- Tofu and crisper veg soup made using drained, saved, and frozen canned vegetable juice from canned tomatoes, mushrooms, and corn. I threw in half a box of whole wheat noodles and it was yummy. There are leftovers in the freezer for Hubby's lunch next week.

Wednesday- Breakfast- pancakes made from a box of corn muffin mix and served with peanut butter the last dollops of syrup from the pantry.
Dinner is homemade pizza topped with leftover sauce and whatever cheese bits need to be used up in the fridge. I know there is some gouda, Irish cheddar, and parmesan. There's one last can of mushrooms in the pantry too. I made a double batch of wheaty pizza crust dough so I can freeze some for later.

I think we're eating better this way and no one is complaining about not having another meal out.

The TMI Post- Reusable Sustainable Feminity

If you're squeamish about reusable feminine hygiene products then this post is not for you. Feel free to look away. Also, no one is paying me for this post- this is strictly my own personal opinion of these products after using them for a few years.

Today I'm going to discuss two products I use-

The Keeper is a reusable menstrual cup made from natural rubber that is inserted inside the body. The insertion technique is slightly more difficult than inserting a disposable tampon. You fold it in half twice to insert and then you have to twist it bit to get it to fit into place. It took me a little while to figure this out but now that I have I prefer this greatly to any overnight tampons. It has never leaked on me. I've never even needed a pad like I do with regular tampons. I only use this overnight but I am not replacing my disposable tampons. This is in fact, A Keeper, for me. The initial price seems steep ($35) but when you think about paying $5 and up for a box of disposable tampons it pays for itself in a few months. Also, I love those leak free mornings.
The clean up isn't bad. Just dump the contents into the toilet and give it a good wash and rinse with hot water and soap. You can also do all of this in the shower too.

My favorite feminine hygiene product has to be my GladRags though. I know it seems yucky to have to wash out the dirtied pads but it's not much different than washing out leaked on panties or a pee pee diaper. I simply put mine in the wash with dirty towels. They come out clean and ready to go. They are shaped like normal pads with wings but have a snap instead of sticky tape.
There is an envelope bottom that you can put more pads into for however heavy your flow is that day. They are really absorbent. My favorite part of using Glad Rags though is that they are so much more comfortable than disposable pad. I don't feel like I'm wearing a diaper and there is no fear of having the tape stick painfully to anything it isn't supposed to.

If you don't mind the slight squirm factor involved with sustainable hygiene (and really it's not bad) and you are tired of paying out the nose for uncomfortable disposable cotton and plastic then these products might be right for you. I've had menses for over half my life (27 years in fact) and I prefer the comfort and ease of the reusable products to the disposable. I never have to make an emergency run to the store and I'm not filling up our trash cans with used up tampons and pads (discretion is a bonus).

Potpouri

Here's what's been going on in my house-

Our boy cat, Fusty is not exactly enjoying our latest addition, Sarah. He's rebelling by peeing on the carpet or the kids things. Hubby was up late steam cleaning the carpet. This is absolutely the worst part of having cats- especially Mr. Fusty who seems to be the main culprit in these extracurricular pee-cidents. I'm tempted to put a diaper on him or put a collar and tag on him and throw his furred butt outside. Grrr.
Izzy and Fusty in Happier Times

My Mom spent the weekend here with me. We did a little shopping. I had coupons for free samples at Sephora so we both left with Urban Decay eyeliner (eh) and tiny perfume samples of smells we enjoyed. I also picked up a Yankee Candle air freshener and Bobby Jack shirt for Big Girl (she picked it out, I can totally tell that we have completely different tastes already). They were both on clearance and I had a 30% off coupon. So, Yay!
The best part was when we stopped into Value Village and did a little shopping. I picked up Crane envelopes in a pretty box for $1 and a brand new wooden "W" to hang on Little Guy's wall for 80 cents. I spray painted the W an apple green color that I found in our closet.

I bought a new light fixture to update one of our ugly 80's brass and glass fixtures. Hubby's not in love with it so it might need to go back. He's ready to spend big dollars on unique fixtures for our foyer and upstairs hallway. Since we had such good luck the first time we tried shopping at the Habitat For Humanity ReStore I think we should try there first.

Yesterday I broke down and drove to the Whole Foods (aka Whole Paycheck) to get veggie dogs. Apparently Morningstar Farms discontinued them last Fall. I could make my own crumbles and veggie burgers but I am not equipped to make my own hot dogs. Although I don't like the Smart Dogs as much they will at least satisfy our hot dog cravings. And we really like beanie weenie and loaded hot dogs from time to time. While I was there I loaded up on spelt, rye, couscous, and wheat germ from the bulk bins. I've been washing and saving glass jars every time we finish a salsa, instant coffee, or pasta sauce. I loaded each grain and flour into it's own glass container and labeled them. I love looking at them lined up on my shelf and ready for me to whip up a whole grain loaf with my bread machine. I have the bread machine cookbook next to me and I'm going to look through it for a whole grain recipe as soon as I'm done blogging.

I bought my first bottle of Tide detergent in years. I combined a MFR and Store coupon at Target and got a bottle for $7. Ouch. But, I have to tell you that none of my generic or homemade really gets out the smell of cat pee on a stuffed animal (blech) or sweaty arm pit smell from my hard working man like Tide does. I will still use the other stuff up for lightly soiled items though. So, this is a case where a name brand big manufacturer gets my dollars begrudgingly. I still think I will write the company and inquire why Tide is so ridiculously expensive. Anyone have any ideas on how to make a great homemade detergent that really gets the stink out?

Our new couch was delivered on Saturday and we all love it. Our bedroom looks so much nicer since we started decluttering it. It's becoming the haven I've always wanted it to be. We still need to order/purchase our bedroom set but I'm not rushing it. Just having our room be more picked up is such a blessing.

I took Little Guy to the library yesterday and for the first time in a long time we had $0 fines. I cheered for myself. I love it when I can keep on top of our borrowed materials. I have not missed having DTV one bit since we got rid of it. We are so busy just watching our few shows on Hulu, Netflix Streaming, and library rentals that we wouldn't have time anyway. Plus, I am most certainly watching less tv during the day. I am reading more. Our favorite shows right now are Celebrity Apprentice, old Survivors, and The Office.

I received great freebies and samples in the mail yesterday from Kraft. I don't remember what I signed up for but I got a little box full of wheat thins and international coffee packets. Plus, coupons for free products. Nothing makes my day more than that.

Today Little Guy and I are going to hang out together and read the library books he picked out. I've also got laundry to put away, dinner to manage, a bathroom to clean, and the kitchen table to declutter. I think I'll take some baking soda and sprinkle it on the clean carpets too. My dream house has hardwood floors.

Another thing I'd like to do today if I get time is to quickly declutter our pantry and bathroom of new items we don't need or use to donate. I have new make up in the package, new shampoos, new body washes, and canned goods that we don't need. I think I'll pass them on to someone who does. If you need decluttering inspiration too you can check out Making This Home. Katie and Martin are focusing on a decluttering project this week.

Off to do some doing and living.

Thrifting Today & Baby Items

I couldn't pass up a chance to use a 50% off a $35 clothing purchase coupon for Value Village. I focused strictly on clothes for the kids to grow into. And then I refocused on what I can't find for a quarter at a garage sale. I bought great jeans for both kids for $2 and less per pair. One demin skirt and a zip up hoodie for Big Girl. Little Guy has also shown an affinity for printed button up shirts. I let him pick and choose a few because he is pretty picky about his clothing. One shirt I held up was, "Too green". I think I bought 20 items for $31. Decent blue jeans also have a nice resale value at Once Upon a Child.


The Non-Consumer Advocate's post today featured ridiculous baby products. Here is a list of my favorite baby items.

Pack N Play- We put our newborn in our room for the first month or two before we transitioned them to sleeping in their own room. It was also very handy when we went on trips. With our first child we had one pack n play sheet and I just washed it whenever it got dirty. I overbought for our second and we had about five sheets for the pack n play. I think the right amount would be two or three. We used this consistently for the child's first two years.

Bumbo seat- I didn't have one for my first child and we managed ok. I borrowed one for Little Guy to use and we loved it. He sat in the middle of our dining table whenever we ate, when I unloaded the dishwasher, or made dinner. I also put it in the bathtub to wash him because wet babies are so slippery. He loved being able to sit up in it and see all the action. This was only used for the first five or so months but it was used daily.

Absorbent Bibs- Unfortunately I couldn't rely solely on my breast milk to feed my children so they always drank formula. We used a lot of bibs. I like the double layered velcro kind because it was quick to get on and absorbent. Anything with snaps or ties was used as a last resort bib. When the baby became a cracker snacker and solid food eater we loved the vinyl snap pocket bibs. They wipe off easy and are easy to tuck into a purse after a quick wipe down.

Bath tub foam- When our babies were new I washed them in our kitchen sink. Putting the baby shaped foam under them helped to cushion them and prevent bumped heads.


Diaper Rash Cream- Going without it and changing the baby more frequently didn't cut it for us. But, I have noticed no difference between the generic and more expensive name brands. Plus, one tube lasts a long time.


Now here's a list of things that I never used or found worthless:

Bottle Warmers
Hand covers for newborns
Baby tents
Hot/Cold water detecting rubber duckies. Mine never worked better than my own hand
Baby oil
Baby powder
Jumping Things that you hang from the door jamb
walkers

Chloe's Last Day & Pet Adoption

Chloe has hung on through the whole weekend. But she cried all night long. Hubby slept on the floor next to her last night. I made an appointment for her today.

I tend to make rash and impulsive decisions when I'm upset. And lately the only thing I could think of to fix this pain was another cat. So, on Saturday I took Big Girl to Petco just to see if there was a pet adoption going on. The short story is that now we are foster/adopting a 6 year old calico named Sarah. I brought her home Saturday. She seems really good natured and I think we'll end up keeping her. The timing is so bad I know but there is a tiny spot of joy in all of this sadness.

Going to go pet my sick kitty for a few minutes.