An Opal a Day...so they say!

I received a coupon from Bzzagent to purchase Opal Apples for free in return for my thoughts on them.  The grocery store that I regularly shop at did not carry the apples, so I checked on the list for stores.  The first 2 stores I tried, from the list, did not carry them at all.  By my fourth store I was finally able to find the apples.  My family loves apples, we go through a lot during a week, so I generally buy the apples that are on sale that week.  With my $5 coupon I was able to only purchase 4 apples.  Without the coupon this would not be an apple that I would purchase for my family, it just isn't in the budget for us.  The sticker on the apple said sweet, so I surprised that they were a bit more tart then I anticipated.  They had a nice crisp and crunch to them that my whole family enjoyed.  My boys liked the little bit of tart, but I had wished they were a little bit sweeter.  As they are labeled as a non browning apple, I left them on the counter, cut, for 3+ hours and they did not brown.  I was rather impressed with that.  So in conclusion, while the apple did taste good and didn't brown, because of the price I will probably not purchase them again.  

Nescafé Coffeemate Review

Enjoying a quick and easy cup of yummy Nescafé Coffeemate coffee on this cold, rainy day.

I received this for free as a promotion through Smiley 360!

Nescafé

American Craft Sausage-Product Review

Who doesn't love free stuff?  I recently joined a website that will send you free products and in return you do customer reviews on them!  I got coupons for 2 free packages of this American Craft sausage, more coupons for money off, a little cutting board and a product apron.  I got the Jalapeno/Cheddar and the Garlic/Onion flavors, and they were both delicious! Great flavor and great snap on the first bite!   #bzzagent

Valentine Conversation Heart Plaque

I saw a cute idea for Valentine day decorating on Pinterest and I just knew I had to make it.  It was so simple to make and turned out super cute.  

 I bought my hearts at Michaels and used paints and glitter that I already had.

 I painted 5 hearts as I wasn't sure which colors I wanted to use in the final product.  I wanted them to look as close to conversation hearts as I could get them.

 After the paint dried I cut our names out on my Cricut and then used my sticker maker, love that thing, to attach them to the hearts.  I finished them off with some modge podge, to seal and shine the finished product.  With my handy dandy glue gun I attached them to a red polka dot ribbon and tied a bow.

I absolutely love how it turned out!

Final cost:  $4.47

The final cost is probably cheaper as I only used part of the ribbon and the hearts were only $.99.

Conversation Hearts...not just for eating!

I combined two things that I love into one crafty project-Valentines Day and Wreaths!  I know it is a tad early to start decorating for Valentines Day but I couldn't resist hanging this up when I was all done.  It turned out so cute!

You will need:

A foam wreath

1 bag of conversation hearts (I actually bought mine in bulk)

Glue gun

1-2 hours of your time

Accent ribbon

 After I put Damian down for his nap I put a girlie movie on and went to town gluing those little hearts. I finished it off with a pretty pink ribbon and hung it up.  I am still trying to decide what I should use to spray on it to help preserve it for further years.  I will update if I come up with a good solution.

Work in progress shot

A beautiful Valentines Wreath for a wonderful price.

$4.50

(I used my Joanns coupon for the wreath form)

Cleaning up on the Cheap

The other afternoon was a "pin-fest".  Basically I did as many pinterest projects as I could get done while Damian napped!  Most of my projects centered around baking soda and cleaning.  

Shower Power

 The shower cleaner made with vinegar and dawn has intrigued me ever since I saw it so I decided to give it a try.  I love it!  You just mix half vinegar and dawn into a dish scrubber and scrub away.  I keep it hanging in my shower and then give the ol' tub a scrub whenever I am in there.  It makes cleaning the shower less of a chore, because really who likes to clean the shower?  Hard to figure the cost of this as I already had the Dawn and vinegar-I shall say $1 as that is what the scrubber cost me at the dollar store

Garbage Can Scent "Bombs"

You will need:

2 cups (just about 1 box) baking soda

your choice of essential oils, I got cherry at the dollar store

boiled water

muffin pan

muffin pan liners

mixing bowl

Add a few drops of essential oil to 1/2 cup of water.  Gradually add the water to the baking soda and mix until you have a thick paste.  I then used my cookie scoop to place the mixture into the muffin tins. Let them dry for 24 hours and then  you can peel the paper away.  

I individually wrapped each disc and then sealed them into a bag to preserve the freshness.   I would say they are good for about a month of smelly goodness in your garbage can.  

Recipe made 12 and the cost per each disc was $.06!  

Carpet Sprinkles

You will need:

2 cups, about 1 box baking soda

essential oils

bowl

shaker container (I saved an old parmesan container)

Pour the baking soda into a bowl and add a few drops of oil and mix it up.  You may get some clumps if you add too much oil in one spot.  I used my potato masher to incorporate the oil.  Dump into your container and sprinkle away!  

Total Cost: $.60

Seasoning With a Smile

I had such great success with my taco seasoning that I decided to go ahead and give some other mixes a try.  I found recipes for Ranch dressing and Dry Onion soup mix on Pinterest, where else.  Most of the ingredients I already had, but I did have to pick up some extra of a few things.  I doubled the recipes and put everything into mason jars and gave them a good shake!  

Recipes to follow pictures.

 Only 4 ingredients for the ranch dressing/dip mix.  I forgot to take a picture of the onion soup mix.

All shaken, labeled and ready to go!

I put the serving instructions on the bottom of the jars so they would be handy for my forgetful mind.  I haven't tried the onion soup mix yet but the ranch tasted good.  I will post a follow up as soon as I have tried the onion soup mix.

RECIPES:

Dry Onion Soup Mix

2/3 cup dried, minced onion

3 tsp parsley flakes

2 tsp onion powder

2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp celery salt

1 tsp sea salt

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp ground pepper

Mix all ingredients together and you are ready to go.  Stir or shake each time before using.

4TB=1 packet

Ranch

5 TB dried, minced onion

2 1/2 TB parsley flakes

4 tsp sea salt

1 tsp garlic powder

Mix all ingredients and you are ready to go.

dressing: 2 TB mix w/1 cup mayo and 1 cup milk

dip: 2 TB mix w/2 cups sour cream