TGIF!   My Frugal Friday tip today is using those wonderful cheese boxes.  I think people have been saving and using these for hundreds of years.  Anyone know when they first made these great wooden cheese boxes?  I use an old wooden one on my table for my salt and pepper, and other little treasures get dropped in there, marbles, beads, etc.  The cardboard ones aren't as fun to display, but they are great in drawers and cupboards.  I have one for pens and pencils, magnets for the frig, kids' markers, and they have helped keep my plastic container cupboard neat by holding the lids.  They just seem the perfect size and are still quite sturdy. 

What is your frugal favorite? 

Wow!  Where did the week go!  And, of course, when I tried to do this last night, I was in a spot with lousy connection. 

Okay, again, should add a picture, but just need to get this posted for now.  My Frugal Friday tip this week is using gift bags.  Of couse, who doesn't reuse them for gifts, but just to make my mudroom look somewhat organized and fun, I use a bag labeled for different trips, e.g. grandma's house, Norfolk, Wisner, Library, School.  This way when I make my run to Norfolk, I can grab that bag and hopefully return or do what needs to be done in that bag.  Obviously, large items won't fit, but I can add a note to remind me to grab it.  Books to go back to the library usually fit nicely as do little things back to grandma's house.  And, you can hang them neatly on hooks, easily accessible to dump in stuff and notes and are quick to grab.

What are your frugal favorites?

Monday Motivation

Giggles and Grins

We have a wonderful Longwood furnace, which we can put in large logs and the house stays roasty toasty.  I was tossing in some wood one morning rather quickly as I needed to run to my next adventure, and I tossed in an odd-shaped piece and then I stopped and thought.... that was a really odd piece of wood.  We do get those, but this one did make me stop, think, and watch it burn for a minute.  Yep, somehow a big chunk of horse poo got hauled in on the sled and I just tossed it in.  It could have been part calf pie as they were around too, but what was I to do, grab it out of there.  No way.  I just laughed at myself and thought, well that's what the pioneers sometimes burned isn't it?  Luckily, the furnace is filtered so no smokey smell comes in the house.... and I didn't stick around to smell the outside smoke either.  Isch.  Oh, and yes, I was wearing gloves.  I've tossed one of those in to before.  whooops. 

Frugal Friday

I hope to edit in a picture later, but my one camera is on the fritz and a new one should be here tomorrow… yeah! (Oh, the horror of being without a camera!)

Anyway, my Frugal Friday idea this week is recycling egg cartons. These make great organizers. I have a couple I use for jewelry. They keep necklaces separated and earrings matched up. And, then you can stack them to save space. You can also use them to catch your loose change or organize your beads or buttons at your craft table. Again, you can stack them. Use them in your desk drawer to organize paper clips, rubber bands, push pins, chalk, staples, etc. The kids can keep their little Lego piece organized too!  Once again, you can stack them!

What are your frugal favorites?

Amazing Machines

As mentioned before, I love the snow (except for the ice and wind that may come with it), and most often when those fluffy flakes come, I cheer, "3 feet, 3 feet!"  This year my eldest lad wanted and wished for 8 feet -- guess someone was listening! 

These are a few photos I received... just amazing and beautiful.  This article must have been in some paper, and I would love to give them credit for it, but I don't have that info.  

"These photos were taken on the Bellwood Subdivision, between Seward and David City, Nebraska on the BNSF RR. Seward is about 25 miles west of Lincoln, on the Ravenna Sub. A few blizzards and sub zero temperatures coupled with moderate winds made for a beautiful, but, flash frozen environment. A freight train was snowed in at David City and a rotary snow plow was sent to clear the track of drifts that varied from 6ft or less up to 12ft in spots!! The photos were taken on Jan. 8th through Jan. 10th"

Apparently, my cousin's wife's grandfather invented the railroad's rotary snowblower... cool to be "related" to someone famous!  :-)

Just thought I would share one of my favs... I made chicken enchilada soup last night and am out of my favorite spice to add.  Ugh.  Love this Olde Westport Enchilada Spice for quick easy soup.  Yum.  So, have ordered some (in the bulk size) and will try some of their other spices.  They have recipes too, but I have my own concoction.  Hubby and I would probably add more vegies, etc., but the kiddos like it a is and it is very simple... no chopping!  So, we go with this for now unless we're trying to be fancy.  (Ha!  Usually fast and simple wins over fancy any day here!)

• 1 can cream of chicken soup
• 1 can of fiesta nacho cheese soup (Campbell's makes this)
• 1 can of green chili enchilada sauce
• 2 soup cans of milk
• 3 cups water
• 2-3 chicken breasts, diced and browned
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup of this enchilada spice
• serve with crushed up tortilla chips, sour cream, and shredded cheese. 

Giggles and Grins

This popped in to my head today and made me giggle out loud (love that -- we all need to do that more). Guess it was seeing flower ads for Valentine's Day that made me think of this. My husband has a better knack than I do for fresh cut flower arranging. He is Mr. Greenjeans. One time he had a lovely arrangement sitting there for me when I got home. Love fresh flowers, but I noticed there was something in the bottom of the clear vase. He had read to help keep flowers fresh longer to drop an aspirin in the vase. We didn't have any aspirin on hand, so he dropped in an Advil. Gotta love his effort.

Monday Motivation