Santa's Recycle Program

Have you heard of Elf on the Shelf?  (If no, go here.)

We have one named Percy.  This year, I wanted my kids to take a bigger part of cleaning out their room for the new stuff.  I came up with Santa's Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Program.  Santa sent an email to my kids about this program.  This email basically said that our Elf, Percy, will be bringing toys bags for broken and unwanted toys.  The Elf will take them back to the North Pole when he 'flies' back to give Santa the daily behavior report.  The unwanted toys will be passed on to other well behaved children.  The broken ones will be fixed and returned, if wanted, or passed on.

I have also decided that on Christmas Eve, Santa will also leave his presents in their bags, instead of wrapping them or putting them under a blanket.

I made a simple pull string bag.  What do you think?

No Hot Water

What do you do if you wake up and your husband tells you there is no hot water?  Did I mention that it is Saturday and many companies double their service rate just to come out to see what is wrong?  Don't even ask about the cost of the pieces to replace what is broken.  Oh, and your husband can't help because he has to go to Annual Training.  So what is a girl to do?  She calls her Dad and does some 'research' via the internet and a friend.

First thing, Electric tester.  I didn't have one so I borrowed one from my neighbor.  (similiar to this )  He explained how to use it.  No problem.  I knew where the elements are located on my water heater so I checked both of them.  The bottom one gave me a reading, but the top element did not.  So, next I called Lowe's to see if they would have replacement elements for my water heater.  Also, mentioned that I might need additional info on how to change them.  :)  

So I loaded up my kids and headed to Lowe's.  The gentleman that helped me was very helpful by finding me the correct elements and the tool.  He was a little surprised to learn that I knew to turn off the electricity  and water to the tank, drain the tank, and most importantly to not turn the electricity back on without water in the tank.  I did replace both elements since I had to drain the tank anyway.  

Armed with the tool and new element piece, I came home and turned off water and electricity to the water heater.  Then I hooked up a hose to drain the tank.  While waiting for the tank to drain, I disconnected the wires to the elements.  I then had to use a mini sledge to help loosen the old elements.  This is what one of the old elements looked like that I pulled out.  

Before putting in the new element, be sure to remove the old o-ring piece.

Place new o-ring on new element and place it into heater.  Tighten.  Do this for both elements. Turn on water, to refill tank. When tank if full, you may turn on electricity.  It may take a few minutes before you have hot water.  So don't worry, if it takes a while to warm up.  

Talk about savings?

Cost of pieces at Lowe's $25...

Cost of just service call (parts not included) from local Company $130

I SAVED over $105 by doing it myself.

Mission: Turn Basement into More Usable Space

Again, with the temperature outside in the 100s, we have been playing in our basement a lot.  I am tired of walking through the stuff.  I decided to again work on cleaning out the basement and turn it into a room for our homeschool.  (I did some things last year found here and here.)


Where to start?  Let's play what is in boxes?  I came across one box with 2 different labels...

What is really in it?  I knew that it wasn't anything corrosive or liquid, but it could be really light and easy to move if it had empty binders and folders....  Wrong again!

It was really filled with heavy hardback books.

Ever notice when you clean, you actually make a bigger mess to start?  

Notice all the stuff behind the kids...

Even the dog comes to hang out with us and to watch us play.   Really the dog is just another obstacle for me to work around when moving/sorting boxes.  

 I did most of the work when I had just my youngest little helper. 

My two older children went to Nana's house for a few days. Let's see what I can get done while they are gone.  Better yet, let's see what I can move out :)

Snow White

It seems like a lot of people are going to Disney.  

(We are not going to Disney any time soon...still working on paying off our debt. )

 Some friends have been asking me if I can make Disney dresses.  You may remember the Disney pillowcase dress/outfit that I made.  Another friend asked about a Snow White Dress.  

I was putting off making this dress for one reason...elastic thread.  There I said it.  I was afraid.  Turns out it was nothing to be afraid of.  :)  Now my 2 girls also want a Snow White Dress.    

If you would like to learn to use elastic thread, here is a tutorial.  

Hanging Organizer

I found a picture on  Pinterest  (find me here)  of this organizer being used in the car for books.   I thought it would work great when we travel.  A friend of mine also wanted one for her car and asked if I would make one for her.  

 There was not a 'how-to' for this one, but I thought how hard could it be?  It wasn't hard at all.  In fact, I'll be making a few more ...one for my car and some for our homeschool folders.  

Here is my little helper.  Isn't she cute? 

Improved Money Holder System

Do you remember my previous fabric money holder?  Well, I wanted to improve it.  Plus, the one I made for myself sold.  My new one is less bulky and has a area to hold my driver's license and other cards like museum passes.  I have written my labels on the fabric but I need to redo it as the white is to light.

We are so close to being Debt Free!  Want to read our story?  Go here.

Our Debt Story

The following story is not for the faint of heart. It is a story of bondage; and of freedom. It is a story of despair; and of hope. It is a story of normalcy; and true, unadulterated weirdness. It is a story of one family’s journey through the dark forests of MasterCard while battling the Vikings of Capitol One. It is a story of how that family Discovered a new way to Chase the American Dream, and how they built a new future for their family and left FICO way, way behind.

The story began with the first car loan, acquired 15 years ago, and the student loans for college. It continues with more car loans, credit cards the family “just had to have for emergencies” that became, “we can make the payments!” Always asking, “How much down? How much a month.” Instead of asking simply, “How much.” This family wandered into $160,891 of debt, not counting their house! We played the “credit card shell game” for a while and transferred balances from one card to another and looked for new, low rates. We locked in a few rates and called ourselves smart; but the debt remained. 

On a warm, sunny day in June, 2008, we decided that we had had enough. We were sick of making good money, but always being broke. We were sick of the mental gymnastics that were required to keep shuffling the debt. We were sick of random fees charged by banks and credit cards just to see if we were paying attention. That June, we decided to take action. We set our sights on the card with the lowest balance; a First National Bank of Omaha Visa card with $3,072 on it and pulled the trigger. By September it was gone. We took aim next at one of our vehicles. In January 2009, both of us had stumbled across the same book on same day; one from the local library, the other an audio download. We began to read/listen to the book on the same day and began discussing it when we were just halfway through, shocked that the other had been reading/listening to the book at the same time. The book: Dave Ramsey’s The Total Money Makeover. All of the information in the book was common sense. None of it was new. However, it was presented in such a way that it motivated us to step up to the next level. We followed the book for about a year and then decided to take the full plunge and attend “Financial Peace University.” Convinced that “Dave” wasn’t going to teach me anything I didn’t already know, I was shocked to find out how off base I really was!

We are now 48 months into our “Total Money Makeover.” We are budgeting every month before the month begins. In the past, we never really talked about money. We didn’t fight, but we didn’t talk either. Now we are talking about money and planning the month ahead because WE are now in control. In the past 48 months, we have paid off $141,601. At the rate we are going, we expect to be debt free (not counting the house) by before the end of this year! 

In a country of 609.8 million credit cards, and 3.5 cards per cardholder, and a credit card revolving debt of $852.6 Billion, we are a family striving for total weirdness! Less than 25% of the American population does not have a credit card, and we intend to join them. The average FICO score in America is 769, and yet our goal is FICO = ZERO. The bottom line is, who gets the money? Our family or the bank? Embrace weirdness! Live for your family and your future!


Written by my Husband <3

Celebrating 70 Years of Marriage

My Grandparents celebrated their 70th year of Marriage.  I was asked to make their cake for a surprise celebration.   I asked for a picture of their first cake, but I learned that my Grandparents did not have a cake when they were first married.  

I asked my Grandma if she knew about this surprise party.  She said she did not know the details but knew something was happening.  

My Grandparents 1st Wedding Cake at their 70th Anniversary Celebration  

 My 3 kids with their Great Grandparents

Cutting their cake.  

I think they enjoyed their day.  What do you think?  

Disney Safari

Going on a Disney Safari?  

Are you seeing spots and stripes?  

Taekwondo for my girl

My 5 year old daughter asked us she if she could learn Taekwondo.  Maybe to defend herself if her brother attacks?  :)  You may remember the shirt I made for him.

She told me she needed a shirt to wear under her uniform.  For some reason, I saved the freezer paper 'kick person' from my son's shirt and used it.  I decided to use her favorite color.

Take me out to the Ball Game...

One of my hobbies is to play softball.  I can not wait to start this season again!

One of my softball buddies sent me a picture of a cute ball skirt and asked if I could make it for her daughter. Now with her busy baseball/softball schedule, we need to find a time to meet so I can give it to her.  :)

Perfect for the season!

Batter up!

Barbie Jail?

My middle child has a hard time keeping her room clean.  I'm over the crying that happens when I ask her to clean her room.  I have been making a few fabric covered boxes to fit on her shelf.  However, throwing her stuff in boxes didn't allow her to see her things.  So the next day, she would dump everything out to find her Barbies.  To help with the mess, I made her a "Barbie Jail." (That is what she calls it.)  A shoe rack did not work very well as the Barbies fell out of the pockets.

The best part is that I have room to add more pockets in the middle when we need them.  (I haven't allowed her to bring my Barbies up from the basement yet.)

If you would like to make something similar, go here to how A Girl and A Glue Gun made hers.  It is much fancier than mine.  Maybe she has more time???  :)

Bending Water?

My son loves learning about science.  I have been investigating for various experiments for him.  I came across the HomeSchool Scientist on Facebook.  I also have found the HomeSchool Scientist on Pinterest.  EXPERIMENTS!  


The Homeschool Scientist had a challenge to Investigate the Possibilities Experiements.   In this challenge we were able to sample a hands-on science lesson found in the Investigate The Possibilities physical science series from Master Books.   I picked bending a stream of water and was sent the experiment, the student journal and the teacher's manual.  

Okay, back to the experiment...  I asked my son if he could bend water.  He gave me a puzzled look and then decided he could bend water when drinking water with a bend-y straw.   















Um, next question...Using a balloon, could he move paper without touching it?  Yes!  He remembered that rubbing a balloon on his hair would make his sister's hair stand up.   YEAH, Prior Knowledge :)  


Using that prior knowledge, the paper moved up toward the balloon.  However, if we rubbed our hand over the balloon, the balloon lost its charge.   Next, we tried bending water by 'charging' the balloon again.  At first, we could not get the water to 'bend.' (Charges from static electricity usually do not last long.) We then used a wool sweater to charge the balloon.  (We also used a water bottle that would pour a steady stream.)  

It worked!  Now came the why questions...


This lesson did a wonderful job of explaining the "science stuff" of static electricity and molecules.  It compared a water molecule to a teddy bear face which helped my son in creating what his water molecule should look like.    We were able to draw and learn the chemical formula for water.  We even made our own water molecule!  But the lesson did not stop there.  The lesson included 'think about' questions for the activity and 'what did you learn' question.   

In case that wasn't enough, this lesson included a 'making connections' and a 'dig deeper' page.  I loved this page as it encouraged him to think more about water in just the liquid state.  This will lead to more experiments.  :)

Overall, I was very happy with this experiment and the way the lesson was presented.  

Taekwondo Kick Shirt

My son and husband are taking Taekwondo together.  My son asked for a t shirt that he could wear with his uniform.

I made this shirt by making a stencil with freezer paper.

She has a dream...

My daughter had a dream for her 5th birthday cake.  She wanted Rapunzel, Flynn Rider, Maximus (the horse), and Mother Gothel.  I colored Rapunzel with icing using this method (found on Pinterest).

Combine for the Birthday Girl

What?  A combine for a girl?  Yes, that is right.  My youngest daughter loves tractors and combines.  One of her first words was 'ombine.'  She is always on the lookout for combines in the fields...even in the middle of winter.  So for her 2nd birthday, I decided to make a combine cake.  I even had corn in the hopper, the yellow from candy corn.

A Christmas Outfit

Yes, I realize it is March and I am posting something I made for Christmas.

  

I made this outfit for a friend's daughter.

  

My daughter saw them and thought I was making it for her.  She was very sad when I told her they were for a friend.  So, what is a mother to do??? 

 Yes, that is right, go and make a pair for my daughter too.  I also made a matching shirt by adding candy canes from the same fabric.

A happy daughter :)

Another comfy dress....

Can you believe that is March already?

I made this dress at the end of last summer.  I used some left over knit from this project for the top of the dress and straps.  The straps are braided

Need to hang a poster?

Have a poster to hang up for your kids (or yourself)?  My older two children each had a poster they wanted to hang up.  I did not want to buy 2 poster frames to hang them...So I glued a strip of cardboard on each end of the poster to keep it from rolling.  I then added a pop tab to be able to hang it on 3M hooks.

Fabric Envelope System

We have been working on paying off our debt.  We no longer use credit cards.  We use a budget every month.  We only use cash.  I have been using the Dave Ramsey Paper envelope system, but I am tired of mine ripping.  So, I decided that I could make one from fabric.  

This one seems to be missing something....

Oh, cash! 

 I am planning on writing my budget categories on with a fabric marker.  What are my categories?  We have groceries, household, pet, family restaurant, mine, kids, and entertainment.

A New Trade!

I did it!  I have learned the basics to crochet!  


I watched this you tube video and worked along with it, pausing it as I needed.  I first made a little blanket for Strawberry Shortcake, but it is currently being used as a coaster.  I have also made 2 headbands...one for my oldest daughter and the other for a friend's new baby.  So now I have been pinning items on Pinterest.

Now to teach myself how to knit...

Ruffle Fabric - Skirt, Bag, and Bikini

I love this ruffle fabric!  I was able to test the Kayleigh Skirt pattern for Brynnberlee Designs.  I picked up this yellow 1 inch ruffle fabric at Hancock's.  I made this skirt for my youngest!  The directions to make this skirt are very easy to follow.  While I was making it, my older daughter fell in love with it and asked if I could make one for her also.  So...

I made one for my older daughter too.  The pattern only goes to a 5T so I used a skirt that fits my older daughter to use as a pattern.   I am also planning on making a similar skirt for my oldest's baby doll.  

I made me a new bag with the ruffle fabric.  I am ready to go on my cruise now.  :)

I also added some ruffles to a little onesie for a new little baby.  I call this my "Daddy approved Bikini."