Busy Bee

Today was a busy one (so why am I still awake???) I made another Hummingbird Cake, bread dough for Pigs in a Blanket, Lavender Iced Tea, and Banana Pineapple Popsicles. Not sure yet how the pops turned out, they weren't frozen when I last looked at them. I used the leftover crushed pineapple and a ripe banana for them.

I spent the past couple of days without the use of my cell phone (though I didn't realize it for a bit). I had noticed that my poor old Razr wasn't holding a battery charge too long these days, and then it wouldn't keep service bars, even when I was at home.

I looked at it Wednesday afternoon and it had absolutely no bars. I waited it out, thinking maybe there was a service outage in the area or something, because it wouldn't even work when I walked around outside. I emailed my carrier Thursday evening and they responded by telling me that it was likely because of some sort of obstruction; i.e.; walls, etc. (you have to be totally anal when corresponding with phone companies and not leave anything at all to the imagination).

So I waited til Michael got home from work and used his phone (different provider--all bars lit up) and called my carrier. After trying to sell me a $250 network extender, to which I replied was ridiculous and that I shouldn't have to purchase one when I had no issues before!, the lady I spoke to said that I needed to upgrade my phone. As she was rattling along, she casually mentioned that, given the age of my phone (3 years), that it was probably pointless to try the basic troubleshooting steps that they would usually use like updating my roaming capabilities (which I had done less then 2 weeks ago) or removing the battery for 60 seconds then reinstalling it.

Then, as an afterthought, she asked if I wanted her to walk me through those steps.
I said yes, of course, because I don't want to part with my phone just yet if I don't have to. And at that point I was still unsure if getting another phone would solve my issue... Anyway, she had me try to update my roaming, which I couldn't since I had no bars to dial out with.

So I popped the battery out for 60 seconds, then put it back in. VOILA! There were my bars!! I went ahead and updated my roaming, again, because she informed me that it is good to do that as often as possible. I thanked her for her help and have had full bars ever since. It's almost like having a new phone, except I didn't have to redo my contacts or music!

I have also been keeping myself busy the last several days signing up for free samples, survey sites, etc., online. I came across a few good ones that I will post about later (the hour is finally catching up to me and my eyelids are getting heavy).

So for now, I am off to sleep. I would read first to relax, but the only book I have right now is The Sound and The Fury and I have to say... I might have an easier time comprehending a stereo manual written in German. That is yet another rant for another day. Good night!

The past few days...

Yesterday was my grandmother's 70th birthday. Everyone pitched in for a potluck dinner at my grandparents' house last night, and I made her a Hummingbird Cake. We were careful to avoid any meat products, as they are Catholic and can't have meat on Fridays during Lent. As we got our plates and sat down to eat, I realized that EVERY SINGLE DISH HAD CHEESE IN IT. We ended up with a hodge-podge of cheese pizza, cheese enchiladas, Mexican layer dip, cheese dip, and refried beans with cheese. Even the cake had cream cheese frosting. We are all cheese fanatics, obviously, and probably wouldn't have minded sitting down to a block of sharp cheddar for dinner!
I wish I could find my camera (it's around here somewhere!) because I really wanted a picture of that cake to post with the recipe. I will definitely be making it again though, so maybe a photo will show up around here eventually. Anyway, the recipe is here. I had a larger can of pineapple than is called for, so I spread that between the layers, sandwiched between the frosting so the cake wouldn't get soggy. I also toasted the pecans before I pressed them onto the frosted cake. I got rave reviews and recipe requests. One thing I might do different next time is to mash the banana. The recipe calls for "chopped banana", but you only get a bite every now and then that way. Otherwise, it was fantastic!

Tonight for supper, I made Crockpot Chicken in Creamy Chive Sauce, which is almost identical to another recipe I have tried before. I doubled the ingredients for the sauce and added some steamed broccoli and cauliflower at the end of cooking to add some veggies. We ate it over macaroni. There was enough left over to make a lunch for Michael to bring to work Monday, and to freeze for another meal. I don't know yet how it will hold up to being frozen and reheated, so we will see...

The ham I made was okay, but it was so fatty that it disgusted us all. I cut away the leaner looking pieces for dinner, and some more for navy beans the next night, and the rest got discarded. I felt horrible for throwing away all that "meat", but ugh, it was icky. Even Michael, who will eat most anything meat-wise, said it was too fatty. I took a little consolation in that it was a gift from his employer at Christmas, so at least nothing was paid out of pocket for it. If we get one again next year, I will pass it on to the more die-hard ham fans in my family!

Giveaway at Mommies With Cents

One of my favorite blogs, Mommies With Cents is having a fantastic giveaway for a Crane Humidifier! Visit their blog and follow the instructions to register to win. While you are there, be sure to check out the deals and freebies they have posted!




Thanks to Holly and Mindy for this giveaway!

Indian Food

I managed to stick to my menu and make Chicken Bombay tonight. It has a really mild, slightly sweet flavor and will be making it's way into my "to make again" file. I also made the spiced couscous, but it was still a little bland to me. I did not have currants, so I subbed in dried cranberries and apples. I also conjured up a potato side dish that I absolutely adore. I peeled and cubed 3 medium potatoes and tossed them in a skillet with some olive oil. I let them fry until they started getting brown and added some turmeric. I stirred that up then added some chicken broth and let it go until all the liquid was absorbed. Added about 2 - 3 teaspoons of garam masala and 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of curry powder. I continued adding a splash of chicken broth as it would cook down, then added a little chili powder and a pat of butter at the end. I served it with a dollop of sour cream (it was spicy!). The color was gorgeous!

Tomorrow I get to try my hand at making a ham. In my favor, it is precooked, but still, this is the first ham that isn't pre-sliced and in a plastic container that I have made!

I went to Wal-Mart today because I was going a bit stir-crazy from staying home all the time. I happened to catch an employee marking down bedside Touch Lamps to $4.50. They were originally $18. I picked one up because Michael and I had been discussing getting one for my side of the bed, as I had been waking him up when I was finished reading at night to turn off the light. *giggle*

Now I am off to organize my coupons in a binder. I am hoping this will keep me from forgetting half of them when I go shopping!

Back In The Saddle

After a chaotic break from the blog, I am back at last. I've spent the past few weeks drowning in a sea of information in my search for all things frugal, ways to be more "green", and trying to learn how to follow a... **GASP**... budget. I have come across a ton of blogs that fit into at least one of these categories, which I will add to my blog list on the side.
I have also been trying to learn the art of couponing (is that a word?) and reminding myself to actually use the meals in the freezer that I prepared during my OAMC stint at the end of January.
In the midst of all of this, I am struggling to become more organized; both in the physical sense, and in my mind. I have a bad habit of starting 15,000 things at a time and seldom finishing any of them, and it frustrates the hell out of me. But hey, the first step is admitting that there is a problem, right?

Anyway, on the menu for this week is:

Monday: Cheese Tortellini and salad

Tuesday: Chicken Bombay, SpicedCouscous, and possibly some sort of bread

Wednesday: Ham, carrots, green beans, mashed potatoes, Grandma's Lemon Meringue Pie

Thursday: Navy Beans (made with leftover ham), cornbread

Friday: no cooking - my grandmother's birthday; I am making her a Hummingbird Cake

Saturday: Crockpot Chicken in Creamy Chive Sauce, rice, steamed broccoli

Sunday: burritos


I have to say I am really proud of myself for the steps toward frugality that I've been taking lately, however small they might be. My favorite jeans developed a hole in them, and instead of tossing them in the trash, I stitched up the hole and am wearing them for awhile longer. I don't really spend much on clothing anyway, but why buy more when I can make do with these? Once this pair gets beyond repair, I am thinking of using them for a few projects. I can use the seat/front area to make a bag to hang on the top bunk of Kobey's bed for him to put his books in. And there are tons of uses for the legs, so I am confident that the jeans will live on long after they can no longer be worn.

I have several projects planned for the upcoming weeks. I definitely need to clean out my closet, go through and declutter the kitchen, rearrange the pantry, and reorganize my scrapbooking supplies. So much to do! The biggest problem is finding a starting place. Ugh.

But anyway, I'll be trying to keep up my blog (again), and hopefully I will remember to take photos of all these recipes I am trying!