Thrifty Thursday: Free Christmas Cards

Attention all you blogging ladies!

If you didn't already know, you will now...you can receive 50 FREE Christmas Cards through TinyPrints! Oh, how I've always loved TinyPrints. If you are interested, simply go here for all the info. you need and it's as easy as 1...2...3!

What makes this deal even better? Our sweet friend Caroline has a special line of Multiple Blessings holiday cards with TinyPrints! If you're like me (and her), you want to keep the CHRIST in CHRISTmas so she wanted me to be extra sure that you know you can use the artwork on her line of holiday cards but change any of the "season's greetings, holidayish" wording to whatever you would like it to say...a scripture, something about Jesus, the word "CHRISTmas"....what have you. Basically, you aren't bound by the text on TinyPrint's site which is a very helpful tidbit to know.

Sooooo.....ya'll get creative and send us your creations!

Train Up Tuesday: Words of Affirmation and Homemade Gifts

Okay, let's just get it out there. It's NOVEMBER!!! I know it's still too early for most to think about Christmas, and I certainly DON'T want to rush my favorite holiday (Thanksgiving), but if you've been following the Roof for a while, you know that the ADVENT season is one of my favorite times of year. I always wait until almost the end of November to mention it, so I'm trying to get a jump on it this year. I love the "anticipation" of it all - not just the countdown to Christmas, but instilling the love of "anticipation" for our Lord's return.

So, if you are filled with this "anticipation", I'd like to offer some ideas over the next few weeks on what you can do as you await Christ's return AND an idea of how you can prepare for the coming holiday season.

If you recognize the phrase "Words of Affirmation", you may know the book "The Five Love Languages". (And if you don't know the book, it is WELL worth your read!) In case it doesn't ring a bell, it is the love language that uses the spoken (or written) word to encourage someone you love. Oddly enough, it is often people we think who don't need these words (extroverts, performer types, those managing or directing others) who often need them the most!



Recently, God has "blessed" my family with a few opportunities to use kind words (we started calling them "healing words" in light of our recent memory verse: Proverbs 12:18) in public situations dealing with people who work in some form of customer service. In a couple of different situations, women were struggling with either the boundaries of their position or their inexperience on their new job. In the one situation, we did not have the opportunity to "give" healing words, but in the car ride home, my oldest son asked if we could pray that the lady would have a better day (because it was certainly impacting those around her!). In the second situation, my boys heard me encourage the young lady that her day would get better, which led to another prayer for someone we didn't know.

I say this, not to brag on my "perfect" (*snort*) family, but to encourage you moms to take captive of those little opportunities to bring "healing words" to someone your family encounters THIS week! As a stay-at-home mom, I have to hunt and keep my eyes peeled for such encounters.

Homemade gift (#1)
Over the years, my family has experimented with different gift-givings to try to bring it all back into the right focus. We've done "Make, Bake, Sew, or Grow" (where the gifts you give must fit one of those categories thus making it somewhat homemade); with my kids we've given just 3 gifts (to represent the Magi) and last year we did 4 gifts for each (something you Want, you Need, to Wear, and to Read). We'll probably stick pretty close to the latter again this year. However, I always try to make at least one of the gifts I give (can you tell what MY "love language" is?).

This year, I'll try to share with you some easy-peasy gift ideas that you, too, can make (trust me, it'll be pretty easy....with 3 boys running around, I can't really get into too many crazy hobbies and craftiness)!

One gift that has been fun for me is decorating wooden peg dolls. I found loads of inspiration on Etsy.com and one year I made little families for my nieces and one set for our family (and if I can find a pic, I'll post one later).

This year, I hope to make peg superheros for at least one of my boys who is really into Spiderman lately. I found these cuties on Pinterest (but you can by these through an Etsy shop):




You can buy wooden pegs at Hobby Lobby (wait until unfinished wood goes on sale or take a coupon). If you want more shapes and sizes (as I did), you can buy them from Etsy as well. You can even use the old wooden clothespins (without the springs). Have fun with it, add "hair" or fabric if you are so inclined. OR, if you have a crafty one on your gift list, give them the supplies they need (paints, brushes, glue, pegs) so they can design their OWN peggies. I've even seen some drill little holes, attach a small hook, and make a cute necklace out of their peg people!

Peg people - it's a relatively quick, easy, and inexpensive crafty gift!

Happy November!
Ashlie

Marvelous Monday: Summer Reading - Free downloadable books

Summer is a great time to pick up a book and read at leisure while your children nap (if they are still napping age) or after the little ones go to bed at night or you have returned home after a long day at the office and the house is quiet as your family dreams of sugar plums or sprinker time fun. 

I recently came upon amazing Christian fiction author Elizabeth Musser and devoured her recent release The Sweetest Thing.  This is one of the best books I have EVER READ.  This month on amazon you can download a copy of one of her earlier releases called The Swan House. 

From Publishers Weekly

This beautiful story of a young girl coming of age in the midst of racial turmoil and personal tragedy in 1960s Atlanta convincingly describes how religious faith satisfies the girl's deepest longings. Sixteen-year-old Mary Swan Middleton is white, wealthy and privileged "We are, of course, another fine Atlanta family," she says sarcastically. As the novel opens, her artistic and depressed mother has just been killed in an air crash in Paris, leaving a slew of secrets behind. As Mary Swan unlocks the past, she wrestles with her grief over her mother's death and the direction of her own life. But "the Lawd don't neva' waste our pain," says her wise African-American maid, Ella Mae. When Mary Swan begins volunteering with the poor, she falls in love with a handsome black teen, Carl. As she works through her confusion about her feelings for him and her despair over her mother, she finds her true calling as a painter and reformulates her preconceived ideas about race and faith. This creative novel is highly descriptive but not overdone, brimming with touches of humor, factual Atlanta settings, historical incidents and well-developed characters. Some tightening of overlong passages would have accelerated the pace, and the novel would stand on its own more effectively without the introduction and the epilogue, which mostly function as advertisements for a sequel. But these are minor glitches in a book that stands out in recent Christian fiction for its excellent writing and overall quality.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Follow the link here to secure your copy free of charge (only through June).

You do not need to have an ereader to read downloadable books.  For an informative article that tells you how to read them go here.  One of the publishing groups that I have found to publish highly credible work is Tyndale Publishing.  I recently discovered that each month they offer several of their books to download for free.  Tyndale is offering four books in June only  and one is specifically geared towards tweens and teen girls so if you have one in your household it may be a nice addition to their summer reading.  Hurry over here to see what is being offered this month and if something looks appealing take a minute to download your selection(s)  before we enter July.

Happy Monday and Happy Reading,

Caroline

Summer Activity List Ideas

Yesterday the post focused on creating a Summer List as a focal point to utilize family time during the summer months. 

Below please find some ideas to consider for your personal list.  Remember, have some fun, educational, spiritual and serving items to do together.  These are merely ideas.

Do what appeals to your family with as few or as many as desired.

Eat dinner outside
Go to the ocean
Visit a local museum
Visit a zoo
Play miniature golf
Go bowling
Boat trip
Visit a water park
Visit a splash pad
Watch a movie outside
Go camping
Camp in the living room
Attend a concert
Wash family cars together and get wet on purpose!
Go out for ice/cream or frozen yogurt
Water balloon fights
Catch fireflies
Paint outside
Get a slurpee
Bubbles outside
Sprinkler fun
Chalk writing in the driveway
Window writing (use window pens)
Have a grill night
Morning walk
Paint crayon rocks
Library time
Shaving cream fight
Drive Daddy to work and have breakfast
Bike riding
Spend night at local hotel
Learn a new board game
Have a game night
Press flowers
Document one day in photographs from start to end
Go out for breakfast
Visit a relative and take lots of photographs of your time together
Complete reading program at local library or one of the local bookstores
Go fishing
Learn a new joke
Memorize scripture
Hopscotch on bubble wrap
Get Chinese take-out
Create homemade t-shirts
Send photographs to loved ones
Write postcards to loved ones
Vacation Bible School
Skype someone
Write to some missionaries
Make treats for neighbors and deliver as a family
Make treats for the local fire station and deliver as a family
Prepare boxes for Operation Christmas Child
Have a silly string fight (outside)
Try a new vegetable
Try a new fruit
Have a scavenger hunt
4th of July Parade
Have a GIANT family sundae
Surprise Dad at work for lunch
Go on a surprise picnic after church or one evening
Fly a kite
Visit a new restaurant
Go on a secret destination (surprise outing night)
Have a garage sale
Go garage sale hunting
Indoor picnic on the living room floor
Unbirthday party
Breakfast for dinner
Baking time with Mom
Date nights with Mom/Dad
Frisbee
S'mores
Go to a candy store and let each child select a special treat

Make lots of fun memories this summer!  Please share your ideas in the comments.

Blessings,

Caroline

Train Up Tuesday: Summer List 2011

A friend from University posted a fabulous idea on Facebook  regarding a Summer List.  Sunday night we had a family meet to discuss our summer wish list.  We asked the boys what they would love to do this summer and also some things we could do for others.  Our family meeting list is now our Summer List 2011 which is now on the back of our front door.

This is our first year to incorporate a Summer List, however, I ran with the idea based on the fact that lists inspire me. It is a visual for my boys to see the fun that we have in store during summer break.  It will serve as a reminder to set aside time for  activities that are important to each family member which will become memories treasured in our heart.

Think of activities that can be in the following categories:

1.  Spiritual
2.  Educational

3.  Fun

4.  Service

The list can be on a board or just on a sheet of notebook paper.  Remember, you don't have to accomplish everything on your list, just do what is achievable and hopefully many items on your list will make a return appearance in 2012.

Tomorrow I will post some ideas to get you going on your own personal list.

Happy Summer Sisters,

Caroline

Marvelous Monday: No mo Suppahtime rut~Part 5!

Before we begin today's fun, we need to cover one item of bidness. I've been getting some feedback from peeps trying to comment but having trouble. I had tightened comment securities to eliminate those dirty spam comments but didn't mean to cut out your comments! So...if you are having fits trying to comment, please let us know at our Facebook group (since I'm assuming you wouldn't be able to comment on this) and let me know what it does when you try to comment or give me any info. that might help me resolve this issue. I would greatly appreciate it because we would LOVE your comments!

Some days, quick, go-to, easy, tried and true recipes are the ticket to dinnertime sanity. As I mentioned here, it seems many of my fav sisters had the same problemo- a recipe rut. So the recipe sharing began. Thanks to them, you can get outta your suppahtime rut, too, because we're sharing them with you! First, let's review:

Curry Chicken with Brown Rice (Caroline L.)
Homemade Sloppy Joes (Mandi B.)
BBQ Chicken Pizza (Mindi S.)
Black Beans and Rice/Baked Potato Night (Katie L.)

Now, for today's fun! In case you haven't heard me mention like a million times, I big fat heart this time saving, cost saving, flavor bursting tip to getting vein free (gag), grizzle free (double gag), white meat chicken breast.

If you didn't believe my the first 30 times I mentioned it, the proof is in the puddin'. So, here's your puddin'.

I recently bought two packs of those split chicken breasts when they went on sale for .99/lb. Each pack had 3 breasts and did not cost over $3 each (normally close to $8 each). Whipped those babies up in the crockpot like the tips says and here is everything I was able to make with STILL some left over.

• Chicken Nachos
• 4- Musing Foodie's Chicken Enchiladas adding black beans and green chiles
• 24 mini-Nacho Cups for freezer- using leftover Enchilada filling and Trader Joe's whole wheat ready made pizza dough. Babies LOVE these.
• Chicken Divan
• 6-Musing Foodie's Buffalo Chicken Squares- substituting biscuits cuz I was outta crescent rolls).
• 2-Buffalo Chicken wraps (w/ regular ole whole wheat tortillas using leftover buffalo chicken square filling)
• 24 mini-Buffalo Chicken "cups" for freezer (same principle as nacho cups using leftover buffalo chicken square filling). Hubs loves these and requested them to pack in his lunch.
• ...plus I gave the babes some of the chicken straight up for a dinner AND I have a whole tupperware of it in the freezer for a later date.

Convinced yet? That chicken tip really is the ticket to stretching a little bird breast a looooong way. Tell us some recipes you've come up with using this tip so we can be sure to stay out of our suppahtime ruts.

Happy Monday. Have a Marvelous one!

Thrifty Thursday: Summer Reading With Children

It's no secret that coming up with entertainment for the long days of summer can be a challenge to many moms. Caroline has some GREAT tips on how to provide educational, fun entertainment through READING! Thankfully, it can often be acheived at minimal or even no cost thanks to her great program suggestions.

No man can be called friendless who has God and the companionship of good books.  ~Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Many schools have already completed the school year and the summer schedule is in progress.  At the start of summer it seems like there are many weeks to enjoy one another, however, my experience is that it seems like a blink and then my precious ones are back in school.

My children are still fairly young (6 and 8) and to instill in them the love of reading I provide every possible incentive available.  We had great fun last summer doing our Library Summer Reading Program and also participated in Barnes and Noble and Borders.  Click here for a list of programs available.  They are free to join and you can print the form at home.  What a sense of accomplishment to go to the store with a completed sheet of the books read and be able to select a FREE book to add to your own personal library.  Also, create awards for reading a set amount of minutes per week and permit your child to select from the award options.  Make it fun such as frozen yogurt date out, make your own sundae night at home or even staying up an extra 30 minutes.  The key is to make reading fun and provide incentives that will motivate the personality of your individual child.

Our school participates in AR Reading (Accelerated Reader).  If you are a homeschooling family or your school does not use AR the website can still be a great resource.  Click here to go the website and select parent.  You don't have to register or provide any personal information to research books at the desired reading level.  I then make a list of what appeals to my children and is in their reading range and via my online library account  request the books.  I put a post it in the inside cover of each book with the reading level and place in a book basket.  This secures my boys are reading books that keep them challenged, however, are also at their personal ability level.  I purchased the baskets on sale at my local Hobby Lobby and placed a tag with their name on each one, thus, giving them a sense of ownership.  The books stay in the basket when not being read which also aids in getting them returned to the library on time.

Happy reading sweet sisters!  Stay turned because this summer I will also be sharing my personal recommendations for great reading for the lady of the house.

TV.  If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun they'll have with twenty-six.  Open your child's imagination.  Open a book.  ~Author Unknown

Stay at Home Saturday: Savory Smackerel~No mo suppah rut Part 4

We took a little break last week for some Memorial Day inspiration, but today, we're going to resume our regularly scheduled Get outta your suppahtime rut Series. First, let's not forget the quick, easy, go-to recipes already shared from women just like you.

Curry Chicken with Brown Rice (Caroline L.)
Homemade Sloppy Joes (Mandi B.)
BBQ Chicken Pizza (Mindi S.)

Today, my girl, Katie L., has TWO quick, easy, go tos that happen to also be a couple of our favs~especially if we don't have a plan and the "5 o'clock pantry stare" bites. Katie says:

1.Black Beans and Rice is cheap and sooo good. It's a staple for us. Ground beef, yellow rice, onions, green peppers, black beans, sour cream, etc. You can really but whatever you like on there. Even some fresh guacamole is good.

I'm gonna interject and say this is also FABULOUS with a little salsa thrown in there, this chicken and mozarella cheese!

2. My other suggestion is make your own baked potatoes. Put a bunch of toppings out and let your family pick what they want on there's. Chicken, beef, cheese, veggies, etc.

Just me interjecting again-pop those babies in the microwave and they take no time. These are also fabulous with that same chicken, salsa, guacamole, deli ham, mushrooms sauteed in olive oil and cooking wine. She's right--the list is endless!

See!!!! Cooking dinner doesn't have to be intimidating or laborious with a million steps that require a million dishes to clean in order to be yum. Sometimes some of the best meals are the simple ones. Thanks for the idea(s), Katie.

Happy Saturday! Stay cool out there.

Love,
Hannah

Free-for-all Friday: Consignment Store Props & Monthly Reading Program

Awhile ago, my friend, Katie, referred me to a new consignment store in our area. I've had some bad consignment store experiences--mostly due to lack of organization--so I ventured to this new store called Kid 2 Kid with somewhat low expectations. Much to my surprise, it exceeded my expectations and I instantly fell in love.

The store was clean, organized, not crowded, pleasing to the eye...It didn't leave me with the feeling that I needed to plow through dust and moth ball odor to find a glimmer of a treasure. In fact, at just a glance, I spotted many boutique and trunk show items in excellent condition at a fraction of the cost. Right up my alley! Not to mention, the toy, book, gift (many brand new Melissa and Doug items) and BOW selection (beautiful, brand new bows of all sizes at very reasonable prices. Oh, how I love those bows!).

Kid to Kid (K2K) is a nationwide chain and we are blessed to have TWO in our hometown. I highly recommend you check their website to find the closest one to you. They have some great programs from which you can benefit.

• Income- If you consign at K2K, you have the option to receive cash or an additional 20% if you choose to receive store credit.
• Frequent Shopper's Discount- Be sure to ask for a punch card and they will stamp your card for every $10 you spend. After you fill the card, you will receive 20% off your entire purchase on your next visit.
• Discount per transaction- If you sign up for their email list, K2K will email you any sales and specials plus a monthly password so that you can receive $5 off a $25 or more purchase. This usually ends up scoring me a free bow! :)
• Reading program-This last program has been a hidden gem and you don't want to miss it if you have a K2K in your area. Praise the Lord for my friend, Tara, that spilled the beans, or boy, would we have been missing out. Turns out, K2K will give you a Book Club card per child (they even gave me one for my one year old twins) and your child (or you) can pick one book-per card-per month- FREE up to $1.99. If you select a book over $1.99, you simply pay the difference. It makes for a great summer outing and we ended up getting three precious books today for a mere $3.00 out of pocket. How perfect is that to add to your fab new book organizational system from yesterday?!?! :)

Hope you have one of these great franchises near you so you can take advantage of it's opportunities. If not, perhaps you should open one in your area?!?! Just sayin...

Happy Friday ya'll!

-Hannah

Thrifty Thursday: Best Organizational Solution EVER

Do you have overcrowded bookshelves? Do you cringe when you walk by your child's bookshelf and see it crammed with books that aren't perfectly lined according to size and width but know as soon as you organize it to your liking it will end up looking just like that again?

If you answered yes to either of those questions--oh my word!!!!!--do I have THE solution for you. This solution is so brilliant that it pretty much requires all of you to do it in your house immediately. I mean, you even may want it in like every room.

I was at my girl Anna's home for Memorial Day and walked into her playroom to witness this eye candy--a tidy semblance of books! Now, these shelves were not in her playroom the last time I was at her house, so, of course, I had to inquire. I assumed the answer would include words such as "Pottery Barn, Land of Nod, custom made, etc." Boy, was I wrong and had to pick up my jaw off the floor when the two word answer that my ears heard was, "rain gutters." Yep, you heard right--RAIN GUTTERS.

Maybe I live under a rock and this idea is old news but I find it revolutionary. Anna told me to google "rain gutter bookshelves" for a tutorial and to see the other layouts that people have implemented. I encourage you to do the same for your own personal inspiration. You will find an excellent tutorial here. This particular blog also explains that the rain gutter bookshelves "encourage children to read more because they can see the fronts of the books and are intrigued, rather than just seeing the edge of the book and not being able to tell what it is about. " Not to mention, it makes it waaaaay easier for the children to put away their books!

Already have a tidy book system? Don't put this brilliance in a box just yet! Perhaps you need a solution for your craft area/room...

or more gardening space and containers...

Are you wondering about the savings? A 2 foot version of a similar ledge from Pottery Barn would cost you $24.00 and the 3 foot would be $34.00 OR the children's version at Pottery Barn kids ranges from $39.00 to $59.00. At Home Depot, a whole 10 feet of white gutter is a mere $5.23 without any coupon or discounts. You may even be able to find some great gutters at your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore. No more justifiction needed. Get busy and be sure to share how you implement this concotion. I know I'll never look at rain gutters the same.

Thank you, Anna!

Happy Thursday!

Love,
Hannah

Free-for-all Friday: Road Trip Survival 101

Yesterday was my childs...

It's officially SUMMAHTIME (at least, for us). It's also a LONG weekend and there was no better way to kick it off than sitting down last night for BLT's after a day in the HOT sun topped off with a Bruester's Ice Cream celebration. Just the beginning of barefeet, smell of fresh cut grass, sound of kids playing outside, bounty of produce from the garden, days at the pool, road trips..... Love me some summer in the South!


Speaking of road trips, many of you are probably headed out somewhere for the weekend. If not this weekend, I've heard of lots of people hittin the beach as soon as their own school gets out. You don't wanna forget Angela's road trip survival kit for your sweet lil car riders!

When my boys were 3 and 6 months, we took a car trip to visit family and it was a nightmare! An 8 hour trip took 10. There was screaming, throwing, spills, and when we arrived to our destination, I was worn out, had a pain in my neck and I wanted to run away and scream! I didn't have a plan. My boys are now 6 yrs and 3 yrs old. Car trips are still a challenge, but they are much better because we have a PLAN! 

Our family has several big trips this summer. Lots of weddings and visiting family. A few of them are 8 hours or more. I love the dvd player in the car, but I really don't want my kids watching non-stop dvd's the entire time. Not that there is anything wrong with it, but they get cranky after all that tv. My HUSBAND came up with this clever little idea for my boys for the car. It's BRILLIANT! (Man, I really wish I had come up with it.) But, I decorated them. Yep, eh! :)

1. Travel Tubs:
Each of my boys have their very own tub. I drew some of their favorite themes on the tops. I took them to each of their rooms and let them pick a few toys and I put some inexpensive NEW surprises in there too. Yes, that is a PEOPLE magazine of Zack and Cody in Will's box. He loves that show. There are some activity books, a new box of crayons (Crayola $1.14 at Wal-mart), action figures, etc. I didn't let them open their boxes until after they ate their breakfast in the car. The anticipation made it more fun!

2. A CAR SCHEDULE!!!

Yes, I wrote out a schedule. My sister n law gave me this idea. This helped me SO MUCH on a recent trip. I found my boys asking me..."Mom, what's next on our list?" When I gave them allotted time for an activity, they were much more likely to finish it and not get bored. And, bonus, we didn't have the dvd players on all day. 

3. Honest Kids Juice
I'm a huge fan of these juice drinks. They are 100% natural, and VERY LOW IN SUGAR! They are high in antioxidants and have fruits like pomegranate. These 2 things do not go together: being cooped up in a car and sugar. They do not mix! These handy fruit drinks keep my kids hydrated and we don't spend the extra money on drinks through the drive thru's.

Be safe in your travels this summer! Happy Trails!

Love, Angela

Marvelous Monday: A Savory Smackerel~No mo suppah rut Part 3!

Some days, quick, go-to, easy, tried and true recipes are the ticket to dinnertime sanity. As I mentioned here, it seems many of my fav sisters had the same problemo- a recipe rut. So the recipe sharing began. Thanks to them, you can get outta your suppahtime rut, too, because we're sharing them with you!

Tonight, we're having the Coconut Milk Curry Chicken! Last night, we had another EASY PEASY that my friend, Mindi, shared. There are two GOLDEN NUGGETS that you can put to use to make her tip extra easy and yum.

1. Remember this chicken tip? Use that moist (sorry, don't like that word), flavor filled frozen chicken to save time. OR you can even use rotisserie chicken, too.

2. Trader Joe's and our local chain, Harris Teeter...oh and we've even gotten it at Publix at the beach, too!...have balls of white and/or whole wheat pizza dough already prepared and all you have to do is spread it on a pizza pan. It's only like 1.99 and SO good. I usually find it in the deli area by the deli cheese and meats, pre-made subs and take and bake pizzas.

That being said, here's Mindi's GREAT go-to dinner tip to get you outta a supper rut. My hubs told me I should patent it last night he likeyed so much. Thanks, Mindi! ;)

Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza
For homemade pizza (and using frozen shredded chicken) I love to make BBQ chicken pizza.  I keep bacon in the freezer and just cut into bits and fry them.  Use some of the leftover grease to caramelize red onions.  Spread BBQ sauce on the pizza crust, top with shredded mozzarella or mont jack cheese, shredded chicken, onions and bacon bits.  Sooo yum.  It's one of our favorite homemade pizzas.  Not sure if this will go over well for the kids.  I usually make two pizzas.  One with pepperoni or just cheese and one BBQ chicken.

Happy Monday! Have a marvelous one.

Thrifty Thursday: SavvyCents Discount!

You may remember the SavvyCents Debt Free wallet introduced here and our great giveaway of one here. Sweet Melinda, the designer and owner of SavvyCents, emailed me yesterday with a special 15% discount code she thought the ladies of the Roof may like to take advantage of for either teacher appreciation or end of the year teacher gifts. Isn't she so thoughtful?!?!

Details:

• This code is specifically for her red wallet.
• It starts today and ends on May 18th so spread the word!
• Coupon Code:  1305141870

If you're interested, just scoot on over here to check out SavvyCents and here to place your order for one, two or maybe even three (depending on how many chill'uns and teachers you have) red wallets! This wallet is already only a budget friendly 26.00 fully priced so with your special discount it will only be 22.10. Not too shabby for a cuuuuute, stylish (and useful) wallet.

Thank you, Melinda!

Thrifty Thursday: Moms eat free!

If you need to keep it easy on the wallet and are at a loss where to head for Mother's Day festivities, here are 10 Mother's Day Freebies -- where moms eat FREE!

1. Boston Market - Free Dessert: Every mom gets a FREE family-size dessert -- apple pie, chocolate cake, etc.! -- with a purchase of any family meal from May 6-8. Download the coupon to receive the offer.

2. Champps Americana - $10 Off: Moms get $10 OFF with any $25 purchase from May 6-8 at participating Champps Americana, located in 20 states.

3. Denny's - Free Sundae: Send mom (or yourself, if you're a mom) a free Mother’s Day eCard through Denny’s Facebook page (you have to "Like" them first), and get a coupon for FREE Pancake Puppies Sundae on Mother's Day.

4. Fleming's Prime Steakhouse - $25 Gift Card: The steakhouse and wine bar is offering a FREE $25 dining card for a future dining purchase through 6/12/11 when you treat mom to brunch or dinner on Mother's Day. On May 8, Fleming’s brunch menu will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Reservations strongly recommended.

5. IKEA - Free Breakfast: This Mother's Day, visit the IKEA restaurant before 11 a.m. and enjoy a FREE breakfast of fluffy scrambled eggs served with a side of hash browns, scrumptious bacon, plus a hot cup of coffee, all for FREE! And then go shopping! Offer valid Sunday, May 8, 2011.

6. Restaurant.com - 80% Gift Certificate Discount: Restaurant.com is offering 80% off $25 gift certificates. Get a $25 gift certificate for just $3 to use at any of their 18,000 restaurants nationwide. What a deal! Use the coupon code "BONUS" at checkout.

7. Ruby Tuesday’s - Free Red Velvet Cupcake: Visit on Mother's Day and Mom gets a FREE gourmet cupcake! Yummy! Reservations are strongly suggested.

8. Souper Salad - Free Buffet: Print this coupon and get a FREE buffet with purchase of an adult lunch or dinner buffet. Valid Sunday, May 8 only at participating locations.

9. Starbucks - Half-Price Frappuccino: Moms (and anyone else) can score HALF-OFF frappuccinos at your neighborhood Starbucks location between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. May 6-15. No coupon necessary.

10. TCBY - Free Yogurt: For the fourth year in a row, TCBY will offer FREE frozen yogurt to moms on Mother’s Day. Moms will have the choice of their favorite flavors, such as White Chocolate Mousse, Watermelon Sorbet, or Strawberry.

How are you planning to celebrate? Please do tell if you know of any other great deals so the ladies of the Roof can take full advantage!

Marvelous Monday: The Perfect Pinecone

I have a 4 year old who loves to bring me treasures from the yard; a cool leaf, a random rock, a lady bug - you name it. A recent treasure was 'the perfect pinecone' and he was ever so proud of it. I had it on display in the kitchen for about two weeks.

Spring Break was last week for our Preschool and I tried to have something special for my boys to do each day...the library, a play date, lunch with grandma etc. It was a great week and I thought I was home free until someone reminded me that there was no school on Easter Monday. Clearly I was so on top of things as a mom that I knew this? Oh boy. This one blew completely past me and I needed something special for today as well. "The Perfect Pinecone" to the rescue!

After lunch and my youngest had been put down for a nap, my four year old and I set out to make a fun, inexpensive craft involving a pinecone, some peanut butter and some birdseed.

I put about 1/4 of a cup of peanut butter on a plate and gave him a butter knife to spread it all over the pinecone. He LOVED it. It was messy and cool and he had my undivided attention.



After the peanut butter, he got to sprinkle birdseed all over the pinecone.



Next...oh one would think you'd rush right out and tie it to a tree but I used my mom skills for nap leverage! If he took a really good nap, we'd hang it on the tree when he woke up. My plan worked beautifully and we have a pinecone hanging from a tree in our front yard. It's masked well by the leaves and flowers and was a fun project for the two of us.



I hope your Spring Breaks were fabulous - I'm always up for fun suggestions of things to do if you have any to share!  Happy Monday. Have a Marvelous one!

Be blessed!
CC

Marvelous Monday: Parties for Pennies Part 2

I had fun sharing planning parties on a penny part one! I did not get my pics on the post in times so I thought I would follow up with pictures of my great finds.

First, here is a picture of the two boxes that I use all year to collect the items for our personal parties. They are in the top of my closet and when the party comes, everything is gathered in one spot. I will admit that I used to have everything everywhere. I have found this helps a ton.

The second picture is of the party favor bag that cost under $1.00 total. The figure is .50 since I got them on clearance in a pack of 6. The blowers come in at .5 (they were clearance from New Years supplies). I will be using the hats that match for my other sons party later in the year. The skittles were bought with a coupon for pennies and so were the fruit roll ups. This is such a cute idea and far from the $3 a bag I spent last year. This includes the ribbon and bag.

The third picture is a shot of the Tee that I got for $2 at the Disney Store. This was a STEAL and why I am telling you that when you plan in Jan for the upcoming year's parties, your eyes can narrow in on great opportunities! I would have walked right by this tee if we had not planned these parties ahead of time.

I have some fun invite ideas I did last week for the parties. I will do a follow up post on them and some cupcake toppers done for pennies. Happy Planning and Saving!

Imogene

Thrifty Thursday: More Homemade Cleaning

Last Thursday, you received a plethora of homemade cleaning recipes to cut the cost, chemicals and grime all in one. You can find that great resource here.

I wanted to mention one additional recipe that you may find handy in a pinch.

I recently overestimated my stockpile of dishwashing detergent and HAD to run my dishwasher but there was no way I was going to be able to go to the store w/in the next few hours (remember: I have a 3 year old and 1 year old twins so such outings require some planning)

I decided to see if I could find a homemade concoction without suds pouring out of my dishwasher and filling my kitchen (been there done that by using dishwashing liquid). I found a great recipe here! It worked like a charm. I wouldn't recommend for serious pot and pan grime but for your run of the mill dishwasher load, it is great! Give it a whirl.

Dishwashing Detergent Substitute

• 1/4 teaspoon liquid dish detergent (I use Dawn)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water
• Pour into the 2 detergent cups in the dishwasher.

Also, Amy A. shared one of her fav cost and time saving tips. She said:

Our house is currently on the market so I'm often having to run through the house on an hour's notice, cleaning and straightening up. In a spray bottle I keep:

• 1 c. water
• 1 c. rubbing alcohol
• 2 Tbsp. white vinegar.

I like it because I can spray counters, mirrors, faucets, toilet seats, etc. with it without having to switch cleaners.

Check out one of her favorite cleaning resources here.

Happy Thursday, ya'll. We'd love to hear how you're making it a thrifty one. :)

Thrifty Thursday: Parties for Pennies

We've had a couple of posts on birthday parties. Now, how can a mom of two boys that is trying to juggle the world accomplish all these ideas with success-and for minimal cost? I thought I would share a couple of additional points that I've found helpful.

1. Calendar- January plan your parties and get togethers for the year.

• James Birthday ~ Handy Manny (family party)
• Graham's Birthday ~ Diego
• Baby Shower for friend

2. Timeline- Make lists of the supplies that you are going to need for the parties and dates to purchase if time sensitive. This will allow you to purchase things with coupons and jump on deals throughout the year.

3. Storage/Oraganization- Make sure that you have boxes to place these items so when you purchase you will have somewhere to put them. You may also want to put the lists there and mark off items and you collect. By doing this you are going to have a great party with these supplies.

4. Don't Procrastinate- Make sure to do things throughout the month so you are not stuck doing everything the day before. By spreading things out it really allows you to enjoy the preparation and it does not become a chore.

5. Activities- look on websites for color sheet print outs and activities. Note: If you find some and you have color ink in your printer. Print now and place in box. Do not wait till day before because your ink will more than likely run out! Trust me.

6. Party Details- Pick a free place. Your house is always great but you can also look look at parks and pools that will allow you to have party there.

7. Invites-Limit the number of guests. You do not have to invite everyone...maybe just family if there are lots of cousins or your child's very closest friends. Invitations can be done electronically on sites such as http://www.evite.com/. This is nice because you can ensure people get their invitation since it tells you if they've viewed it. You can also check a couple of printing websites such as http://www.vistaprint.com/ for specials and order 10 invites for free or even print your own. These options are good for people that do not have access to electronic invitations.

7. Decorations- Use what you have. Use your child toys to decorate. Example: For the Handy Manny party I am going to use a big dump truck and put the cupcakes in the back and use crushed oreos for the topping. Oh...you could also find a coloring book with the theme of the party for $1 and cut the pages out and use for color sheets as the activity. Keep your eyes open for ideas online, in magazines and as you are around town.

We'd love for you to share any other creative birthday tip you may have. Have fun and happy celebrating!
Love,
Imogene

Stay at Home Saturday: Fix and Freeze~Part 3

The past couple of Saturdays have been devoted to a special Savory Smackerel Series on the topic of Fix n' Freezes...what they are, our insight gained through trial and error and maybe a freezer friendly recipe or two. If any of you are experienced at FNFs we would love for you to throw in your 2 cents! Feel free to comment on this post, email us at roofwithaview (at) gmail (dot) com or join our Facebook group here.

So far, our FNF tips to ensure FNF success and harmony have been:

• Select friends that have roughly the same size family as yours.
• Be sure the people you do it with have similar "taste" as you and your family.
• Be honest with one another about preferences, likes, dislikes (ex.-no grizzle, dark meat, mayo, peppers, etc.).
• State expectations of portion size and # of servings from the onset to prevent assumption and the feeling of getting jipped. :)
• Select your recipes.
• Do not select a recipe that you've never made or perfected.
• Share your recipe that you've selected with your FNF partners to make sure they give an A-OK and aren't repulsed.

Today's FNF tips are focused on how to balance the cost so you can justify the convenience without it costing an arm and a leg.

• Schedule your FNF exchange date far enough in advance (all the while collecting coupons)-- preferrably 3-4 weeks out so you can work the sales and coupons accordingly.
• Even if you aren't a couponer, keep an eye on the sales, particularly meat (a department which doesn't usually have many coupons). Meat will most likely be your most costly FNF item so Buy One Get One or significant cost reductions will be your time to stock up.
• Select your FNF friendly recipe based on the sales you have hit and the stockpile of groceries you already have. It will be more costly if you buy your items based on need because you will most likely be paying full price.
• So far, my most favorite budget saving meat trick is in regards to chicken. I only dig white meat and white meat errs on the expensive side. Awhile ago, Amy A. posted a white meat chicken tip here that is KEY to keeping cost down for FNFs. Note: NOW is the time to take her up on it b/c the particular chicken needed (split chicken breast) for this savings is on sale NOW at Harris Teeter for .99/lb. I stocked up this week on 5 packs of those bad boys at $2-$3 something a pack (normally would've been $8-$9 a pack) and had two crockpots roasting it up in my kitchen yesterday. Half I'll use for a next FNF and the other half will go in the freezer to save bookoos of time. It's inexpensive, easy and saves time in the long run so it's a win win.

Here is an oh so fabulous recipe for which you can use your new batch of homemade roasted, flavorful, white meat chicken~ Chicken Divan and to quote a fan, "Chicken Divan is chicken divine!" The jury is out on how it will freeze but Passionate Homemaking freezes it (even though our recipes differ. can't speak for hers so use the one I just gave you but you should still be able to freeze it) and she also gives you a homemade Cream of Mushroom substitute if you have a prob using the canned version. Check it out here.

What are your fav Freezer recipes? Do tell!

Happy Saturday, ya'll!
HPS

Thrifty Thursday: Cut the Chemicals (and cost)

We got a waffle maker for Christmas that we've loved. As we were making a cozy snow day breakfast a couple days after Christmas, my sister in law informed us that Bisquick has aluminum in it (cue the Downer Debbie "wah waaaahhhh"). That fact had never dawned on me and I tried to disregard it because we had a big honkin' box of Bisquick in our pantry that we use all the time.

BUT since then, everytime I've fed the children something with Bisquick, I can't help but think "aluminum, aluminum, aluminum" since it's linked to ADD (and also Alzheimer's). I've been looking more closely at the ingredients on boxes of similar mixes. Turns out, aluminum is in many pancake mixes as well. The only mix I've noticed it's not in is Krusteaz.

I've found 2 recipes that are easy peasy and give me a piece of mind knowing what my kids are putting in their mouths. Most of the things you probably have on hand so it should cut your costs to use these mixes whenever a recipe calls for Bisquick or pancake mix. My kids seem to likey, too, so it's a win win!

Homemade DRY Pancake Mix
4 cups all-purpose flour (I use 3 cups of the flour and 1 cup of wheat germ)


2 cups whole wheat flour

2/3 cup sugar

2 tablespoons baking powder (without Aluminum)

1 tablespoon baking soda

Mix dry ingredients and store in air tight container. You can use this mix in a recipe that calls for pancake mix OR make pancakes by adding 1 egg and 3/4 cup milk (plus an optional medium banana and/or 3/4 cup blueberries).

I most recently used this mix in Jessica Seinfeld's Pink Pancake recipe and my meat n' taters husband said, "These are the best pancakes I've ever had!" Now, THAT's a compliment. Another healthy pancake recipe you may want to try (it does not call for pancake mix) is posted here on The Carolina Clipper.

Dry Bisquick like mix (can use for anything that calls for Bisquick)
3 1/4 Cups all purpose unbleached White Flour


1/2 Cup White Sugar

1 Cup Non Fat Dry Milk Powder

1/4 Cup Cornstarch

1 tbls Baking Powder (without Aluminum)

2 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 tsp Salt

• In a medium/large mixing bowl, Add flour, non-fat dry milk powder, and sugar, mix with spoon until blended.
• Add cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, cornstarch and salt, mix together with flour mixture.
• Store in an Airtight Container in a cool dry place. Mix ingredients before using for a recipe.

This Chicken Pot Pie recipe is one of my favorite's where I typically use Bisquick. I think I'll give this mix a whirl instead.

By the way, I've also learned most deodorants are full of aluminum. Haven't researched a way to make that or cut that cost yet. Let me know if ya'll come up with something--besides settling for BO. :)

Happy Thursday!
HPS