I Need Structure...I guess

I'm sure we all need a little bit of structure.  I like the part of structure that gives me goals to reach for and helps me feel like I'm accomplishing something.  I don't like the part of structure that feels like it's strangling you.  Being a stay-at-home mom, I struggle sometimes with feeling like I NEED to get certain things done but WANTING to do other things.  I NEED to clean, but I WANT to play with my kids or play on the computer or read blogs or do crafts or sew....You can see that my wants are often longer than what I think I need to do.  And I used to make 1 day a week my "cleaning" day, but then I rarely finished in one day, and some weeks didn't get ANY cleaning done at all.  It's funny because the last few weeks I decided that I would focus on one thing a day.  Tuesdays I'd do laundry, Wednesday I'd dust and do bathrooms, etc. 
Then I found this blog.  Perfect!  (This is a really cool blog...check out her other entries, too).  I LOVE this idea...click here for another entry that's more specific to week-to-week.  I can feel like I get it all done everyday...I spend a little bit of time doing my Need-to's and have more time for the Want to's.  I don't have to feel like all day that I Should be doing something else.  And, I can have it in print...to remind me. 

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Homemade Salsa

We had Santa Fe Chicken last night, which is a Homemade Gourmet recipe.  But instead of using their salsa (which I should since I'm a consultant) I use our FAVORITE salsa recipe.  It's one we make from scratch at home.  My childhood neighbor passed this on to my mom, and my husband and I have tweaked it just a little.  Here it goes:

28 oz of Tomatoes (you can use canned, or fresh - our favorite is fresh)
5-6 green onions
3-4 garlic cloves (we used to you minced garlic, but have recently made the switch to fresh MMmmm!)
1-2 teaspoons of ground cumin
jalapenos to taste
3 capfuls of lime juice (or you can use lime pepper and eliminate the black pepper)
salt & pepper to taste

I blend all this up in my food processor.  Then, bring out the chips and taste it so you can add more of anything you want!  Enjoy!

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Calorie Watch

I failed to post yesterday, so I figured I'd post twice today!  Eventually I'd love to come up with a "plan" for the blog, because I just like plans and it helps keep me on target.  Like every day of the week would have it's own category and that's what I'd post on that day...we'll see.  It's a target :)  I will eventually get there!  Anyway, I've been on a mission since April to get back into shape and had hoped to lose a few pounds in the process.  Well, the getting into shape seemed to be going okay, but the losing part was going pretty slowly (aka non-existant) - partly because I wasn't watching what I was eating.  SO, a good friend suggested myfitnesspal.com to me.  It's a FREE website that will help you keep track of your calories.  You enter your goals, what you eat, as well as any exercise. On a tight budget, FREE sounded perfect!  It's been good for me; it was just what I needed to be more aware of my eating habits.  So here's a link in case you're interested here.  I am motivated as the last couple of weeks, this old woman (Yes, me) jogged while pushing my two kiddos and felt better than I felt when I was 19 and had to run a timed 2 mile for basketball.  Maybe it's the fact that it's my idea now and not that I'm forced to do it, but I felt good and excited that it didn't hurt as bad as I remembered.  I will be a runner someday ;)

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Homemade Laundry Soap

The festival wasn't as big of a hit as I had hoped.  I had high hopes of selling out of everything, but that was not the case.  I have contacted the two people that said they would like to host a Homemade Gourmet party, but haven't gotten anything on the calendar yet.  Hopefully, those two parties will pull through and help me make up what I invested and break even.

So the last couple of weeks I've spent catching up on housework and spending time with the kiddos.  I haven't had much time to create.  My first thing to tackle will be the new bedroom curtains, which won't be fancy due to the small amount of fabric I have, but we'll see what I can figure out.  Meanwhile, I wanted to post this awesome recipe for laundry soap.  It is minimal work to prepare and TONS cheaper than buying soap.  My husband's cousin gave me this recipe, but there are several variations online.  This is a powder recipe, but you can even make the liquid stuff from scratch as well.  Here's to saving money!

Ingredients:
1 cup shaved Felz-Naptha soap (I haven't found this in walmart, but the smaller grocery stores seem to carry it by their regular body soap)
1/2 cup Borax (found in laundry aisle)
1/2 cup Arm & Hammer Washing Powder (also found in laundry aisle)

I usually shave about 2/3 of a bar of Felz-Naptha and that makes 2 cups of shavings.  Then I mix in 1 cup each of Borax and A&H Powder.  I bought 1 box of borax and A&H powder over a year ago, and still haven't bought more.  I've bought quite a few bars of soap, but they're about $1.25 or less a piece.  SO CHEAP compared to buying laundry soap.  I love it!  You can save the rest of the bar of soap for pre-treating stains, too!

HAPPY LAUNDERING!

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Old to New Creations

I'm preparing for my first festival.  I have a booth rented for our town-wide festival.  I will be selling Homemade Gourmet products - click here for more information on these amazing products that will help you put a healthy home-cooked meal on the dinner table! 

I will also have a few of my own versions of the pillowcase dresses as well as some bags from "old" and "used" jeans and sheets.  I love the idea of using old things that we normally throw out to make fun and cute things..old to new!  I've found so many things I'd like to try on other people's blogs, so I hope that it's okay to post a link here once I get them done and try them on my cutie patootie!

A couple of the biggest blessings in my life are my two kiddos.  I love them so much, and I am so thankful to God for them, but also for the opportunity to experience the LIFE that they bring.  I didn't have a nursing cover with my first, but made sure to figure out how to make one for my second.  I was so much more comfortable nursing her out and about.  So, I think this is one of the BEST gifts you can give a new mommy or a mommy-to-be.

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First Festival. First Post

I've been looking around at blogs and websites and getting very inspired to start creating.  I have so many ideas right now and other people's {very creative people} ideas that I can't wait to try.

I hope this blog will be a place that I can express and share what is inspiring me.  So...I'm off to create :)

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