Recycling

In my community we have two options for recycling. Paper, clear glass, aluminum and bi-metal, and #1 and #2 plastics are picked up curbside. Colored glass can be taken to the municipal building and recycled there. But what about "other" things, specifically plastic that is not a #1 or a #2?

Sine BPA is making the news more and more and the jury is still out about whether or not there are long term effects from exposure, I err on the "better safe than sorry" side and have removed or replaced all of the harmful plastic from my house. This leaves me in a quandary. I don't want to donate said items to goodwill or to a shelter since they may be toxic, that doesn't seem right. but on the other hand, I don't want to throw them out either, that doesn't seem frugal or green. SO what is a girl to do?

Well, the state of PA has a website that will let you search for recycling facilities throughout the state by the type of items they recycle. This is a Godsend!!! I selected the type of material I was interested in, in this case #7 (other) plastic and it gave me a big long list of all the facilities where those items can be recycled. Low and behold there is one not too far away.

YEAH! I can rid my home of potentially harmful plastic and be environmentally friendly!

In case you are interested, here is the list of places in PA that recycle #7 platics:

Bethel Township Municipal Building
	1082 Bethel Road BOOTHWYN (Bethel Twp.), PA 19061
Materials
	7 Plastic (Other), Brown Glass, Clear Glass, Electronics, Green Glass.
Notes
	•&nbspink cartridges •&nbspPlease rinse •&nbspcell phones •&nbspPlesae rinse
Bethlehem City Drop-Off Program
	635 Illick's Mill Road Bethlehem, PA 18018
Materials
	2 Plastic (HDPE Clear), 2 Plastic (HDPE Colored), 3 Plastic, 4 Plastic (LDPE), 5 Plastic (Polypropylene), 6 Plastic (Polystyrene), 7 Plastic (Other), Aluminum Cans, Brown Glass, Cardboard, Clear Glass, Clothing and Textile Donation, Reuse, Computer Paper, Mixed Glass, Mixed Paper, Newspaper, Tin or Steel Cans, White Office Paper.
Brandywine Recycling Inc.
	YORK, PA 17402
Materials
	1 Plastic (PETE), 2 Plastic (HDPE Clear), 2 Plastic (HDPE Colored), 3 Plastic, 4 Plastic (LDPE), 5 Plastic (Polypropylene), 7 Plastic (Other), Aerosol Cans, Aluminum Cans, Brown Paper Bags, Car Batteries, Cardboard, Chipboard, Computer Paper, Drink Boxes, Aseptic Containers, Ferrous Metals (Steel,Iron), Magazines and Catalogs, Mixed Paper, Newspaper, Nonferrous Metal (Alum, Copper, Brass), Paperboard, Plastic Bags, Propane Tanks, Telephone Books, Tin or Steel Cans, Used Tires, White Goods (Non-Reusable Large appliances), White Office Paper.
Notes
	•&nbspThis site accepts steel, iron, cast iron, stainless steel, old cars, car parts, and other scrap metals. •&nbspThis site accepts copper, brass, aluminum, old cars, car parts, and other scrap metals. •&nbspThis site will only accept propane tanks if they are cut in half. •&nbspThere is a small disposal fee per used tire. •&nbspThis site accepts all appliances with and without freon.
Cass Township Municipal Building Drop-off Recycling Site
	1209 Valley Road, Pottsville Duncott, PA 17901
Materials
	1 Plastic (PETE), 2 Plastic (HDPE Clear), 2 Plastic (HDPE Colored), 3 Plastic, 4 Plastic (LDPE), 5 Plastic (Polypropylene), 6 Plastic (Polystyrene), 7 Plastic (Other), Aluminum Cans, Brown Glass, Cardboard, Clear Glass, Computer Paper, Green Glass, Magazines and Catalogs, Mixed Glass, Mixed Paper, Newspaper, Telephone Books, Tin or Steel Cans, White Office Paper.
Notes
	•&nbspThis site will also accept junk mail.
Cougle's Recycling
	1000 South 4th Street HAMBURG, PA 19526
Materials
	1 Plastic (PETE), 2 Plastic (HDPE Clear), 2 Plastic (HDPE Colored), 3 Plastic, 4 Plastic (LDPE), 5 Plastic (Polypropylene), 6 Plastic (Polystyrene), 7 Plastic (Other), Aluminum Cans, Brown Glass, Cardboard, Clear Glass, Computer Paper, Ferrous Metals (Steel,Iron), Green Glass, Magazines and Catalogs, Mixed Paper, Newspaper, Nonferrous Metal (Alum, Copper, Brass), Paperboard, Telephone Books, Tin or Steel Cans, White Goods (Non-Reusable Large appliances), White Office Paper.
Notes
	•&nbspThis site accepts junk mail and catalogs. •&nbspFreon must be removed from refrigeration units.
East Penn Recycling Center Drop-off Site
	4687 Hanoverville Road Bethlehem, PA 18018
Materials
	1 Plastic (PETE), 2 Plastic (HDPE Clear), 2 Plastic (HDPE Colored), 3 Plastic, 4 Plastic (LDPE), 5 Plastic (Polypropylene), 6 Plastic (Polystyrene), 7 Plastic (Other), Aluminum Cans, Brown Glass, Clear Glass, Green Glass, Newspaper.
Notes
	•&nbspThis site also accepts aluminum foil and pie pans.
Eastside Recycling Program Drop-off Site
	BLOOMSBURG, PA 17815
Materials
	1 Plastic (PETE), 2 Plastic (HDPE Clear), 2 Plastic (HDPE Colored), 7 Plastic (Other), Aluminum Cans, Brown Glass, Clear Glass, Green Glass, Magazines and Catalogs, Newspaper, Tin or Steel Cans.
Notes
	•&nbspPlease rinse plastic clean and remove all lids. •&nbspPlease rinse aluminum cans clean. This site does not accept aluminum foil or trays. •&nbspPlease rinse glass clean and remove all lids. This site does not accept broken glass, windows, plate glass, light bulbs, crystal, or ceramics. •&nbspPlease bundle newspapers or place them in brown paper bags and keep them dry. •&nbspPlease rinse tin and steel cans clean. This site does not accept foil, trays, aerosol cans, or paint cans.
Frattarolis Recycling
	YORK, PA 17402
Materials
	1 Plastic (PETE), 2 Plastic (HDPE Clear), 2 Plastic (HDPE Colored), 3 Plastic, 4 Plastic (LDPE), 5 Plastic (Polypropylene), 7 Plastic (Other), Aerosol Cans, Aluminum Cans, Brown Paper Bags, Car Batteries, Cardboard, Chipboard, Computer Paper, Drink Boxes, Aseptic Containers, Ferrous Metals (Steel,Iron), Magazines and Catalogs, Mixed Paper, Newspaper, Nonferrous Metal (Alum, Copper, Brass), Paperboard, Plastic Bags, Propane Tanks, Telephone Books, Tin or Steel Cans, Used Tires, White Goods (Non-Reusable Large appliances), White Office Paper.
Notes
	•&nbspThis site accepts steel, iron, cast iron, stainless steel, old cars, car parts, and other scrap metals. •&nbspThis site accepts copper, brass, aluminum, old cars, car parts, and other scrap metals. •&nbspThis site will only accept propane tanks if they are cut in half. •&nbspThere is a small disposal fee per used tire. •&nbspThis site accepts all appliances with and without freon.
Illick's Mill Recyling Drop Off Site
	Illick's Mill Road Bethlehem, PA 18017
Materials
	1 Plastic (PETE), 2 Plastic (HDPE Clear), 2 Plastic (HDPE Colored), 3 Plastic, 4 Plastic (LDPE), 5 Plastic (Polypropylene), 6 Plastic (Polystyrene), 7 Plastic (Other), Aluminum Cans, Brown Glass, Brown Paper Bags, Cardboard, Chipboard, Clear Glass, Clothing and Textile Donation, Reuse, Computer Paper, Green Glass, Magazines and Catalogs, Mixed Paper, Newspaper, Nonferrous Metal (Alum, Copper, Brass), Paperboard, Telephone Books, Tin or Steel Cans, White Office Paper.
Notes
	•&nbspThis site will also accept books. •&nbspThis site will also accept junk mail and paper with a glossy finish. •&nbspPlace in brown paper bags or tie in bundles with twine.
London Grove Township Drop-off Site
	372 Rose Hill Road WEST GROVE, PA 19390
Materials
	3 Plastic, 4 Plastic (LDPE), 5 Plastic (Polypropylene), 6 Plastic (Polystyrene), 7 Plastic (Other).
Recycling Services Inc.
	365 Elm Street POTTSTOWN, PA 19465
Materials
	1 Plastic (PETE), 2 Plastic (HDPE Clear), 2 Plastic (HDPE Colored), 3 Plastic, 4 Plastic (LDPE), 5 Plastic (Polypropylene), 6 Plastic (Polystyrene), 7 Plastic (Other), Aerosol Cans, Aluminum Cans, Book Donation, Reuse, Brown Glass, Brown Paper Bags, Cardboard, Chipboard, Clear Glass, Clothing and Textile Donation, Reuse, Compact Discs (CD's), Computer Paper, Computers (donation, reuse, recycle), Computers (donation, reuse, recycle), Cooking Oil, Drink Boxes, Aseptic Containers, Electronics, Eyeglass Donation, Reuse, Ferrous Metals (Steel,Iron), Green Glass, Household Batteries, Household Item Donation, Reuse, Innertubes, Magazines and Catalogs, Metal Clothes Hangers, Mixed Paper, Newspaper, NiCd Batteries, Nonferrous Metal (Alum, Copper, Brass), Other Batteries, Packing Peanut Reuse, Paperboard, Propane Tanks, Rechargeable Batteries, Sporting Goods Donation, Reuse, Telephone Books, Tin or Steel Cans, Used Tires, White Goods (Non-Reusable Large appliances), White Office Paper.
Notes
	•&nbspThis site accepts some plastic #7 items. •&nbspThis site accepts empty aerosol cans. •&nbspThis site accepts aluminum cans, pie plates, foil, and trays. •&nbspThis site does not accept window glass, Pyrex, or mirror glass. •&nbspThis site accepts clean clothes, textiles, and shoes. •&nbspThis site does not accept containers with brown linings. •&nbspThis site does not accept window glass, Pyrex, or mirror glass. This site accepts both green and blue glass. •&nbspThis site accepts some household items. Please call for more information and the collection schedule. •&nbspThis site accepts button batteries. •&nbspPlease remove the valve from each propane tank. •&nbspThis site accepts sporting goods including shoes and skis. •&nbspPlease rinse tin and steel cans clean and flatten if possible. •&nbspThis site accepts appliances provided they are fifty percent or more metal.
Superior Waste Services Curbside Program
	NORRISTOWN, PA 19403
Materials
	1 Plastic (PETE), 2 Plastic (HDPE Clear), 2 Plastic (HDPE Colored), 3 Plastic, 4 Plastic (LDPE), 5 Plastic (Polypropylene), 6 Plastic (Polystyrene), 7 Plastic (Other), Aluminum Cans, Brown Glass, Brown Paper Bags, Cardboard, Chipboard, Clear Glass, Computer Paper, Green Glass, Magazines and Catalogs, Mixed Paper, Newspaper, Paperboard, Tin or Steel Cans, White Office Paper.
Upper Frederic Municipal Building Drop-off Site
	3205 Big Road OBELISK, PA 19492
Materials
	1 Plastic (PETE), 2 Plastic (HDPE Clear), 2 Plastic (HDPE Colored), 3 Plastic, 4 Plastic (LDPE), 5 Plastic (Polypropylene), 6 Plastic (Polystyrene), 7 Plastic (Other), Aluminum Cans, Brown Glass, Clear Glass, Mixed Paper, Newspaper, Tin or Steel Cans.
Notes
	•&nbspThis is open to Frederic Township residents only. On the 4th Saturday each month there is assistance for unloading. •&nbspThis is open to Frederic Township residents only…. •&nbspThis is open to Frederic Township residents only. On the 4th Saturday each month there is assistance for unloading. This includes junk mail.
Williams Township Chrin Landfill
	635 Industrial Drive Easton, PA 18042
Materials
	1 Plastic (PETE), 2 Plastic (HDPE Clear), 2 Plastic (HDPE Colored), 3 Plastic, 4 Plastic (LDPE), 5 Plastic (Polypropylene), 6 Plastic (Polystyrene), 7 Plastic (Other), Aluminum Cans.
Notes
	•&nbspThis is for Williams Township residents only. •&nbspThis is available to William Township residents only.

Organizing Menus

I decided to sit down the other night and organize all of our menus. We order out with some frequency (more than before Nate was born, that's for sure) so we have a lot of menus, all of which were stuffed in a pocket of my Longaber Large Desktop Basket. This meant that every time we wanted to order food we had to rifle though all of the menus to find the one we wanted. it was not a very effiencent system.

So I purchased one of these:

And a pack of these:

And these:

And got to work.

I slid each menu into its own page protector. If I could unfold the menus and fit them in that way I did, if not, I slid them in folded up. I then divided the menus in there sleeves into categories according to cuisine. In our case there were four categories: Asian, Deli, Continental, and Italian/Pizza. I wrote the categories on the tabs, stuck the tabs on the first page of each section, put all of the sections in the three ring binder and VOILA! organized menus.

If you have a Home Management Binder or a Flylady Control journal this could be its own separate section.

Do you know they sell menu organziers for $20.00 (plus shipping of course)? My homemade version comes in at half that. Less if you happen to have the supplies on hand.

I Love My Librarian!

The Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times has announced the




"Librarians in our nation’s 123,000 libraries make a difference in the lives of millions of Americans every day. Now is your chance to tell us why we should shine the spotlight on a librarian at your public, school, college, community college or university library. Nominate your librarian for the Carnegie Corporation of New York/New York Times I Love My Librarian Award!

Up to ten librarians will be honored. Each will receive $5,000 and be recognized at an awards ceremony hosted by The New York Times at TheTimesCenter in December 2008."

Of course, I am a librarian, and I am fabulous (if I do say so myself) and would love to be nominated, but I am really just trying to spread the word so that the librarians who have made a difference in your life can get the recognition we all deserve!

Keeping it Real

I don't know who started this, but I found it on Charming the Birds from the Trees. I guess the impetus was to show the world that even though some bloggers seem to have their acts together (I don't know that I come off as one of them) they may not or they may be just like you and I. A snap shot of your refrigerator and freezer say volumes about who you (I guess). Anyway, I thought it was a interesting idea so here they are...

The Fridge

I am proud of all the produce, the Green Juice and the kefir. The chocolate Reddi Whip belongs to hubby and the coffeemate was free :)


The Freezer

Lots of veggies here too. Homemade beef stock on the door and bags and bags of sour cherries that hubby picked from the neighbor's tree (with permission of course).

What does your fridge and freezer look like?

Bright Idea -- Good Idea

I was trolling random blogs and clicking on links to other blogs and found this great idea for recycling, or really extending the life of your favorite scented candles... check it out!

Will Catch Up Next Week

I know I have been MIA, but there has been too much going on and I have been too tired (Nate refuses to sleep through the night, I (hubby too) was up 4 times last night) to be creative and funny and blog. Next week I am on vacation and might be feeling chipper enough to post something.

Sorry.

Wolf Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Look-alike Meter - Free family tree - Free family tree software

Cockpot Babyfood!

Stephanie, at my favorite blog A Year of Crockpotting, has done it again.

As if making your own Haggis isn't enough, she has saved me with her instructions for how to make baby food in the crockpot.

Check it out!

Oh Baggu Bag... How I Love Thee

For the holidays last year, my friend Steph bought me 2 Baggu re-usable shopping bags. I have to admit that I did not use them at first. I didn't use any re-usable shopping bags at first. In fact, and I am completely embarrassed to admit this, the idea of hauling my own bags to the supermarket and seeing people with piles of bags in their carts annoyed me to no end. I actually got irritated when I saw people using re-usable bags. I have absolutely no idea why. It was completely counter to my environmental leanings... but anyway...

I have since gotten over this feeling and have embraced the re-usable shopping bag movement. I have a combination of bags that I keep in my car and take shoping with me. Some are canvas LL Bean-like totes, others are the free giveaway conference totes, but my favorite by far are the Baggu bags.

They are made of rip stop nylon, fold un teeny tiny so I can keep them in the diaper bag or even in my purse. The hold a ton of stuff and are easy to load and unload.

The website offers a ton of funky colors and at $8 each (less if you buy three of six at a time) I think they are a good deal. I am thinking of buying a few more for myself and maybe even giving some as gifts/stocking stuffers this holiday season.

Happy Mommy, Happy Baby

Fun Stuff!

Bridget over at Purity Seekers is having a contest to win some of her homemade goodies. For anyonw who cloth diapers, you should see the wool longies she knits they are all TOO CUTE.

Kids Craft Blog

A friend of mine recommended this Kids Craft Blog called No Time for Flash Cards... it is full of great, timely ideas for fun educational activites and crafts to do with the preschool set.

Be sure to check out the video of the Shark Attack Song!

Hallmark Deals

I was out over the weekend and stopped at one of my local Hallmark stores (Lisa, its the one in Lawrence Park) which usually has GREAT sales on all of their Vera Bradley. I was thinking about stocking up for the holidays. Well, the day I was there nothing in the Vera Bradley section caught my eye, but I was drawn to the huge 75% off sign at the back of the store.

I got two rolls of "self adhesive" wrapping paper, a pack of recipe cards, and a little coupon organizer for $5.57. I was so excited.

Then I saw the sign that said 50% off Yankee Candles, so I ended up with 2 of the really big jar candles in Vera Cruz Vanilla (or something like that) for the price of one.

The candles and the recipe cards will probably end up as gifts.

Hooray for clearance sales!

Crockpot Quinoa

I am thoroughly addicted to A Year of Crockpotting. I was looking, the other day, for a recipe for something involving quinoa and a Crockpot and Stephanie was obliging enough to provide this little gem. I thought that it looked really good and was planning on making it, except I didn;t have half of the things it called for and the other half I didn't think hubby would like (the feta cheese for example). So, I adapted and tweaked this recipe until it became my own and here it is:

-1 1/2 cups Quinoa
--3 cups broth (I used vegetable, but anything would work)
--1 T olive oil
--1/2 t salt
--1/2 t cinnamon
--1 block frozen spinach
--1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes (chopped)

The Directions.

Rinse the quinoa. I don't know why but that is what everyone says to do and in this case I am listening to everyone.

Put all ingredients in the Crockpot

Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or on high for 2-4. You will know the quinoa is done when all the broth has been absorbed and you can fluff it with a fork like rice or cous cous.

Serve.

Carpet Cleaning

I took yesterday off to clean all of the carpets in the house with my trusty Bissell Proheat 2x. It was worth every penny for a number of reasons:

1. I like to clean my carpets every 6 months or so. With two big sporting dogs, our carpets get really dirty and it was cheaper to buy a carpet cleaner than to rent one of a continual basis.

2. Carpet is expensive! I would rather keep cleaning what I've got than replace it.

3. It works really well and gets out more dirt and dog hair than I ever thought possible.

That being said there are a few things I have learned that will help you maximize your carpet cleaning experience.

1. VACUUM First! -- The manufacture recommends vacuuming before shampooing. This does not mean a lazy pass of the vacuum, this mean a thorough vacuuming of all areas to be cleaned. In fact, I would recommend vacuuming the day before and the day of the cleaning to make sure you have picked up as much dirt/hair as possible. Trust me, it is worth this extra step not to have to pick out a wet hairball from the carpet cleaner.

2. Periodically Clean out the Carpet Cleaner -- If you are cleaning more than one room, stopping between rooms make the most sense. If you have a particularly large room on your docket you might want to stop halfway though. Turn the machine off, unplug it to be sure, remove the canister/tank where you fill it with water, and flip the machine upside down to get access to the brushed. Take you fingers (this is why your turn off and unplug) and pull out any clumps of hair, and there will be clumps of hair, and throw them out. if you skip this step, the machine will throw up the hair balls while you are cleaning and then you will have to pick them off of the carpet. It is easier to pull them out of the machine before they form a super ball.

3. Switch Arms -- This may sound like the stupidest tip ever, but there is a reason behind its inclusion. The first time I cleaned all of our carpets I pushed and pulled the machine with the right arm almost exclusively (i am right handed). I didn't think about it and my arm felt fine while I was doing it. It wasn't until a few days later when my arm was throbbing that I realized I over worked the tendons and gave myself tennis elbow that lasted for 6 months! Switch arms, save yourself.

4. Dr. Browns Bottle Brushes Work Best -- For cleaning out the intake (you know, the part that sucks up the dirty water). I found it impossible to get all the hair out of this part of the cleaner until I realized that these little brushes were the perfect size to get in there and grab all the fuzz. I keep the dead ones to use for just this purpose.

Now, in case anyone is interested I did find out that there are 2 types of organic/chemical free shampoos that can be used in upright carpet shampooers: one is by bi-o-kleen and the other by Earth Friendly Products.

Nate is 6 Months Old

I can't believe it went SO fast!

CRAZY!

I noticed that there was a missed call and a voice mail on my cell phone but since I didn't recognize the number or the area code I didn't rush to find out who called. I had a spare minute today and listed to the voice mail. It was from some drunk guy at a Holiday Inn in Arizona looking for a prostitute!!!! The message is hysterical and slightly disturbing all at the same time.

Lest I Forget My Other "Children"

Summer is hard on a puppy!


Jax



Beo

How I Store Baby Clothes

Although my baby boy is not yet 6 months old I am storing a heck of a lot of baby clothes. I don't know if we will have anymore children, but in case we do I do not want to have to start from scratch again, especially so much of what I have in the wee sizes are in gender neutral colors.

I was storing clothes in a giant Ziplock bag under Nate's crib a la Meredith, but I have kind of outgrown the bag and I can only fit one under the crib. Combine this with the fact that my house has neither a usable attic nor a basement, Nate's room has no real closet o speak of, and I have a real storage crisis.

The only place I have to store anything is a shed in our backyard. This is not ideal, but I will work with what I've got. So I decided that I would pack up the clothes according to size in Jumbo Hefty Zipper Bags (2.5 gallons), put the bags in Rubbermaid storage tote, and put the tote in the shed.

So, here is one of the bags. They are labeled with the size of the clothes and sometimes the type of clothes or the season.


Once I had assembled all the bags I put them in an empty tote an then labeled the tote with the contents "Baby Clothes" and the sizes.

Tomorrow or some time over the weekend the tote will make its way to a shelf in the shed.

So how do you store baby clothes?

[Sorry about the picture quality and lack of quantity.]

Improbable Tips #1

I don't know about men's magazines, but women's magazines are filled with tips. Tips for cooking, for cleaning, for de-cluttering, for looking thinner, for shinier hair, better arched eyebrows, a better smelling cat, the list goes on and on. Some of the tips in these magazines sound so far fetched that you would never believe they work... but sometimes they actually do.

my case in point, my mother-in-law read something that said to wipe your dog down with a dryer sheet if they are afraid of thunder storms because what they are actually afriad of is the static electricity in the air, or something along those lines. That sounds a little wacky to me, but she has a dog that is PETRIFIED of thunder storms. Higgins (said dog) was even prescribed some sort of doggie tranquilizer to take but he is so freaked out that he won;t eat so that was not a very good solution. The other night, my mother-in-law decided to give the dryer sheet trick a try and low and behold... it worked!

So, here is my very first Improbable Tip for ya'll... if your dog freaks out during thunder storms, give Fido a rub down with a dryer sheet.

Method Cleaning Products

Two Method cleaning products I Like:

Who would have thought that there was non-toxic toilet bowl cleaner. I was using white vinegar but it didn't seem to be cutting it anymore. This works very well and although it is heavily scented it is not a chemically scent.

I HATE cleaning my shower. This product means I don't have to, or at least I don;t have to scrub very often.

One I don't:

I was excited by these because they are paper and biodegradable unlike the generic Swiffer cloths I am using now. They may be all of that, but they are also expensive and not very effective. I could probably use a paper towel and be a effective. If you are than concerned about the environment use a microfiber cloth and wash it, or better yet, how about a regular old dust mop or even {gasp} a broom.

And One I have to try:

Lunch

What I brought for lunch today:

Garlic Lime Talapia
Broccoli
Water
A Peach

What I ate for lunch today:

Meatball Shortie with Provolone from Wawa
Herr's Kettle Chips
Orange Soda
A Peach

oh well... can't be good everyday!

A Bountiful Harvest

From the grocery outlet that is...


For $43.50 I got:

2 bottles of Real Lime lime juice
1 box Near East Cous-Cous
3 cans of Campbel's Tomato Soup
1 box Nature Valley Cereal
1 box Kashi Heart to Heat Cereal
2 bags Hershey's Cinnamon Chips
4 box Bakers White Chocolate
1 box Cup o Soup
4 bottles Gatorade G2
2 cartons Tropicana OJ
3 bags Peperidge Farm Pretzel Fish
1 Can Hunts Tomato Sauce
2 200 oz bottles Wisk

Our New Addition

An honest-to-god Lazy Boy recliner. What does it mean? What does it mean????????

It is super comfy and great for rocking the baby but I'm really afraid that it signals my descent into middle age.

Coconut Almond Granola

I had some extra energy last night and decided to make a big batch of granola. I do lots of things with this granola... eat it with milk, make muffins with it, make cookies with it, it is very versatile and very easy to make.

6 Tbs. Canola Oil
6 Tbs. Honey
1/2 tsp. almond extract (you could also use vanilla or you could leave it out completely)

4 Cups Rolled oats
6 Tbs. Dried Milk
1/2 Cup coconut (more or less to taste)

1/2 Cup Almonds (flaked, slivered, or substitute another nut or dried fruit)

Mix the first 3 ingredients together in a larger bowl. Add the next 3 ingredients and mix well.

Spread the mixture onto an un-greased jelly roll pan and bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Stir once during baking.

Remove pan from oven. Mix in almonds and return to oven for another 3-5 minutes to toast.

Cool and serve.

Notes from the Grind

A few weeks ago, Meredith asked her readers if anyone made their own sausage. She was wondering if it was really as messy as she thought it would be and I responded glibly,

"We have the grinder attachment for the kitchen aid. We made our own ground beef, It really wasn't messy at all. I don't think sausage would be any messier. The nice thing about the kitchen aid, is that all the pieces come apart and can go in the dishwasher. That makes clean up very easy."

So this week when Pathmark had whole bottom round roasts on sale for $.99 a pound, I decided to buy one and grind it into ground beef. $.99 a pound is way cheaper than what ground beef if going for so I thought it would be frugal and I would get to use the grinder attachment I was talking about.

Well, 17 pounds is a lot of ground beef, so I carved off two 3.5 pound roasts and froze them separately. Then I trimmed off any fat, skin, tendon, yuck that we didn't want to eat leaving me with approximately a 7 pound piece of meat to grind. I cubed and ground, wrapped and froze, and when all was said and done I had 7- 1pound packs of ground beef in my freezer and a HUGE mess in my kitchen.

I almost burned out the motor on my beloved mixer and it kind of looked like Sweeney Todd was barbering in my kitchen.

So, here are my tips from this borderline disgusting experience for all meat grinding in the future:

1. Make sure the meat is cold. And I mean frosty. After it is cubed, put it in the freezer for a little while. Frozen meat grinds better than non-frozen meat and this mean less blood splatter in the kitchen.

2. Grind in small batches. This will save your mixer from over heating. Grind some, and then package, clean up a little, and then grind some more.

3. Use the die with the BIG holes. The grinder attachment for the Kitchen Aid come with two dies that the meat gets pushed through. One has big holes and one has little holes. I started out using the die with the small wholes and it was such slow going, the die with the bigger holes made less work for the mixer.

4. Stop periodically to disassemble the grinder attachment and clean it out. Towards the end of my grinding nothing was coming out because the die was clogged with sinew making the mixer work harder. Had I stopped and cleaned it out halfway though I could have saved the wear and tear on the motor.

5. Have a strong stomach. As I mentioned above it looked like Sweeney Todd was working in my kitchen. There was blood and little flecks of meat all over the counter and me. Along with that there was a not so pleasant squishing sound while I was pushing the meat into the grinder. if you have a weak stomach or are faint of heart, buy your meat pre-ground.

Had I thought about these things before I started I would have had a much easier time cleaning up. Since I hadn't it took me longer to clean up than it did to grin the meat. I actually washed all of the grinder pieces and then put them in the dishwasher. I cleaned all of my cabinets and counter tops and then sanitized them with bleach and water. I washed every stitch of clothing, toweling, etc that was in the kitchen or on me in HOT water (and I don't wash anything on HOT water).

Would I do thins again? Absolutely. Not only is it cheaper, the meat tastes SO much better and I know that it is fresh, I know that it has not been artificially dyed pink to look fresh or injected with gas to puff it up.

Pricebook Reconsidered

I could never get really enthusiastic about a pricebook even though everyone who has one swears by them. It seemed to me like it was a lot of work to create with a product that would be very short lived what with the price of groceries changing every day.

I am beginning to reconsider my position because of my recent shopping activities.

I have spoken before about my love of King Authur Flour's White Whole Wheat Flour. I decided that I was going to start stocking up in case flour went "sky high next year" (to quote Scarlett O'Hara). These were theprices I have seen recently for the same 5 pounds of flour

Trader Joes -- $3.99

Giant -- $4.29

Whole Foods -- $3.19

Genuardis -- $5.99

I was shocked that Whole Foods would have the best price and that Genuardis was $2.80 more expensive.

Since I was only comparison shopping one item it was easy to keep all of these prices in my head but it does make me wonder how many other items would have the same outcome.

Maybe this will be the start of my pricebook.

Do you keep a pricebook? How do you do it? How many itemsdo you monitor the prices of? Do you find it useful?

Happy Independence Day!

http://www.history.org/history/teaching/enewsletter/volume5/november06/primsource.cfm

The Candle Burned Out

I guess I was right... it turns out I have Strep throat. The baby is not sick THANK GOD!!! I will definitely be taking it easy on my long weekend.

First Fig

My candle burns at both ends;

It will not last the night;

But ah, my foes, and oh, my friends--

It gives a lovely light!

-- Edna St. Vincent Millay

This is how I feel today. My candle is burning at both ends. Between working, mommying, wifeing, cleaning, cooking, etc. I am spent. I think I am getting a cold. I think Nate may also be getting a cold. I have a 5 day weekend coming up and I know I should relax, put my feel up (if possible) but all I can do when I look around my house is see things left undone. How do you turn that off?

Scrub a Dub Dub

I popped over to safemama.com yesterday and discovered that the tiny beads in those exfoliating body washes are actually made of plastic which gets washed into rivers, streams, and the ocean and is then eaten by marine animals. That can't be good, plus I never thought they really exfoliated enough anyway.

So, I am offering up an alternative that is not only green, but also frugal. Homemade sugar scrub! I have tried many different variations of sugar scrubs, but this recipe is by far my favorite. This is not my recipe, but I can vouch for it. In fact, I made a huge batch and gave it to my colleagues as Christmas presents last year.

You can find the recipe here: http://laughter4daystocome.blogspot.com/2006/12/works-for-me-wednesday.html

The recipe calls for baby oil but I have used olive oil and grape seed oil and it turned out just fine.

One advantage of the sugar or salt scrub is that both sugar and salt dissolve, so there is absolutely NO chance of clogging up a drain. And no chance of your fish sticks being full of little plastic beads.

Enjoy!

Radio Days

I don't usually listen to regular radio. I have a Sirius satellite radio in my car and I listen to that exclusively. Since Sirius has 4 great country stations that have no commercials I have little reason to listen to terrestrial radio except when I am in someone else's car. Yesterday I dropped my car off to be inspected and borrowed my mom's car to get to work. I was channel surfing during a commercial and came upon the "Oldies" station. You know the one. Not the classic rock station that plays Pink Floyd and Led Zepplin, but the Oldies Oldies station that one that might possible still be playing Rock around the Clock by Bill Haley and the Comets. Anyway, I settled on the oldies station since it was actually playing music when I realized that I knew the song... it was part Time Lover by Stevie Wonder.

"Cool!" I thought to myself and I sang along.

But wait... this song itsn't an oldie... I was in elementary school when this was popular... wait that was in the 1980's... this is "80's music" not "oldies."

"Oh Hell Diddlely Ding Dong Crap" (to quote Ned Flanders) 80's music is now oldies!? I said out loud to no one in particular... I guess that means I am officially old.




P.S. This song was released in 1984... I was 8!

It's Mine All Mine

My car that is. I finally paid off my car loan and the title arrived in the mail yesterday. It certainly feels good to not have that debt anymore. Next up... my student loan.

Meeze

Saturday Night

I was able to sneak taking some blurry pictures with my iphone... here they are.

Me and my many chins in front of the stage (before the rain)

That bright spot (the bright spot in the center) is Jimmy Buffett

Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays

You may not be able to tell this by looking at me but I am a HUGE...

|
|
|
|
|
V

PARROTHEAD!!!!

For those of you unfamiliar with the term, a Parrothead is a fan of Jimmy Buffett. Saturday night, hubby and I will be seeing Mr. Buffett from the 4th row of the floor of Citizen's bank Park in Philadelphia, PA. This is my 8th show (I think) and hubby's second. It is a guaranteed good time and the first time that we have left Nate with a babysitter to go out at night. It will be a big night all around.

Flowers From Hubby

Thanks babe!

Gas

So I bit the bullet yesterday and filled my car up with gas. OUCH! I have a 2003 Honda CR-V and although it is an SUV it is very good on gas this being said, I still spend $50.38 yesterday ($4.12 a gallon). Luckily that will last me about 10 days or so.

Where do you live and what are you paying for gas?

I think it will be interesting to see what the prices are like all over the country and this way we can all laugh (because it ain't worth crying over) at this ridiculousness!

Meme -- Because its Friday

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?

10 years ago I had just graduate from college. Since it is friday I was probably getting ready to go out and celebrate with friends. I was looking forward to starting graduate school and I was working in a hoagie shop.

2. What are five things on your to- do list today?

Go to the bank
Get donuts for work
Wash towels
Edit a dissertation
Get a storage tote for my mom

3. What are 3 of your favorite snacks?

String cheese and an apple
Oatmeal cookie
Cream filled donut


4. What would do if you were a billionaire?

Pay off our house or buy a new house
Set up trust fund for Nate
Quit my job
Buy an entirely new wardrobe
Buy my parents a house in the Outer Banks

5. What states have you lived in?
Pennsylvania

Greatest Holiday Ever!

Happy National Doughnut Day!

Corn Bread

I have written about my search for the perfect cornbread before. I have tried many, many recipes and never been happy with the results.

It occurred to me today to think about all of the cornbread I REALLY liked and see if I could find the recipe. Well, as bad as it is, the corn bread I really like comes from Boston Market. So I Googled it and came up with a recipe clone that I think I will be making tonight after Nate goes to sleep. Here it is:

Ingredients

• 2 (8 1/2 ounce) boxes Jiffy corn muffin mix
• 1 (18 ounce) box butter recipe cake mix
• 5 egg
• 2/3 cup milk
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 cup butter (softened)
• 15 oz can of creamed corn

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and mix all dry ingredients.
  

• Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
  

• Pour into greased cupcake pans or mini loaf pans.
  

• Bake 30 minutes or until golden brown on top and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.
  

• Allow to cool slightly in the pan (until pulls away from side a bit).

• Remove from pan and serve warm.

If I can get my act together I will try and take pictures and let you know tomorrow how it turned out.

Frugality and Health

There are many frugal habits that turn out to be very good for your health as well. Cooking from scratch for instance is usually healthier than eating pre-packaged foods and, as we all know, generally a frugal endeavour. Right now I am wondering about taking frugality too far, when is being frugal actually bad for you?

For instance, I wash and reuse plastic bags unless they contained meat or cheese, in which case they get throw out after one use. But Now I am beginning to wonder how many washes before a bag is kaput? Same thing for plastic water bottles? How many times can you wash and reuse these things before you begin to breakdown the plastic and it leaches into the food or beverage?

If anyone knows the answer I wold be grateful to hear it.