I'm in a Treasury!

Just  a quick post.  I just had to share...one of my shop items was picked for an Etsy Treasury!! I'm so excited.. this is awesome. This was the item that was picked:

The Treasury: www.etsy.com/treasury/4d9266bef2876d914f7aeb06/play-ball

My Etsy Shop -- Mommies With Style http://www.etsy.com/shop/mommieswithstyle?ref=si_shop

Hooray me!

Never Fail Scallop Potatoes

• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 1-1/2 cups fat-free milk
• 1/2 cup shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
• 1-3/4 pounds potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced (about 5 medium)
• 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 2 Tbs Butter

• In a small nonstick skillet, melt butter. Stir in the flour, salt and pepper until smooth; gradually add the milk. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in cheese until blended.
• Place half of the potatoes in a 1-1/2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray; layer with half of the onion and cheese sauce. Repeat layers.
• Cover and bake at 350° for 50 minutes. Uncover; bake 10-15 minutes longer or until bubbly and potatoes are tender. Yield: 6 servings.

Coconut Easter Basket Cake

1 package (about 18 ounces) white cake mix (with pudding in the mix)
2 cups sweetened coconut flakes, divided
Vanilla frosting, recipe follows
Jelly Beans
Twizzler's pull 'n' peel candy
Mini kisses chocolate
Coconut Grass, recipe follows

Prepare cake batter with whole eggs as directed on package; stir in 1/2 cup coconut. Using 2 round 9-inch pans, bake and cool as directed.

Place 1 layer on serving plate, bottom side up; frost top with Vanilla Frosting. Place second layer on top, top side up. Frost sides. Mark a 6-inch circle from center of top layer. Using fork, gently remove small amount of cake from within circle, forming an indentation to allow basket to be filled. Lightly frost edges of top.

Cut lightweight cardboard into 14 x 3/4-inch strip for handle; cover with plastic wrap. Bend and insert handle ends into top of cake about 1-inch from sides; frost. Decorate with jelly beans and single licorice strands. When frosting on sides of cake is firm, with fork, alternately press fork tines vertically and horizontally, forming basket pattern.

Place coconut 'grass' on top; decorate with mini kisses Chocolate and assorted candies. Separate licorice into 3 strand groups; twist and place around top rim. Place jelly beans around bottom. Remove handle before serving.

8 servings.

Vanilla Frosting: Beat 1/3 cup softened butter in medium bowl. Add 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; beat well. Add 2-1/2 cups powdered sugar alternately with 3 tablespoons milk; beat to spreading consistency.

Coconut 'Grass': Combine 3 drops green food color with 3/4 teaspoon water; add to remaining 1-1/2 cups coconut. Stir until evenly tinted; use immediately.

Pineapple Bars

Pineapple Bars

20 oz crushed pineapple
2 cups chopped dates
3 cups oats
1 cup wheat germ
1 cup coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/4 cup orange juice
1/4 cup coconut or other favorite oil

Combine pineapple and dates in a saucepan. Cook on
medium heat until thickened. Stir frequently. In a
large bowl, mix oats, wheat germ, coconut, walnuts,
and salt. Stir in juice and oil. Press half of the
oat mixture in a greased 9x13-inch pan. Spread the
pineapple mixture on top, then sprinkle on the rest
of the oat mixture. Press down lightly. Bake at 350
degrees for 30 minutes or until lightly browned.
Cool.  Cut into 32 bars.

My first Blog Hop

Hey everyone!

I just signed up for my first blog hop.  Honestly, I have no idea if I'm doing this right, so I hope I don't get de-hopped. It's a week long hop, so you have plenty to hop along.  Check out Danielle's blog -- The Mommy Chronicles.  It's a great read.  If you're interested in joining her hop, here are the guidelines:

 

 

1. Please grab the blog hop button to spread the word.

2. Please follow the host and co-host: The Mommy Chronicles and The Adventures of My Family of 8 and I Heart Maternity via Google Friend Connect and/or Networked Blogs

3. Please do not link up your giveaways, blog hops, etc. (These will be deleted.)

4. Please link up you Blog, Twitter, Facebook Fan Page

Link up your blog, visit and follow the blogs that interest you and have fun! If you follow our blogs and leave a comment, we will always follow you back!

Now, let’s get hoppin’!

You only need to add your link to one linky for it to show up on all participating blogs. The linkys will open every Sunday at 8:00pm PST and closes on Saturday at 11:59pm PST

Here's a Tip: SAFELY TRANSPORT A FROSTED CAKE

The cake doesn't fit in the cake carrier and covering it with plastic wrap would have smudged the frosting. THE FIX: Top toothpicks with mini marshmallows and insert them into the cake before covering with plastic wrap. The buffered toothpicks keep the plastic away from the frosting with out poking through the plastic wrap...this tip really does work, I have tried it.

Sweet Potato Crunch

  6 sweet potatoes
  1 cup sugar
  1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, softened
  1/3 cup well packed brown sugar
  2 eggs
  1 tsp. Cinnamon
  1 tsp. Nutmeg
  1 tsp. Vanilla extract

 

FOR THE CRUNCH TOPPING:
.
  1 cup brown sugar
  1 cup chopped pecans
  1/3 cup melted butter
  1/3 cup flour
  1 tbsp. Cinnamon
  Handful of small marshmallows (for topping)

 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

 

Boil potatoes til tender. Take skin off when cooled and able to handle. Put in a large bowl and whip them til fluffy adding all other ingredients. Pour into a buttered casserole.

 

Combine the ingredients for the Crunch Topping (except marshmallows) and spread over the potato mixture.

 

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

 

Sprinkle on marshmallows around the edges and bake additional 5 minutes.

Spicy Garlic Chicken Pizza

12 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 cup sliced green onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 Tbsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. oil

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper or 1/4 tsp. ground red pepper
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1 Tbsp. oil

1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 large Boboli pizza shell
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 tsp. pine nuts or sliced almonds

In a large bowl, combine the onion, garlic, vinegar, soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. olive oil and the peppers. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Marinate 30 minutes. Drain, reserving marinade. Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. olive oil in skillet. Add chicken and cook until done. Stir cornstarch into reserved marinade, then add to skillet. Cook and stir until thick and bubbly, making small amount of sauce. Spoon chicken and sauce onto pizza shell. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake at 400ºF. for 12 minutes.

Crunchy Snickerdoodle French Toast

1-1/4 cups of half and half
3 large eggs, beaten by hand
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 cups cinnamon-sugar crispy cereal, such as Cinnamon Toast Crunch
12 slices French bread, 3/4-inch thick
Maple syrup, warmed in microwave
Crisco shortening to grease pan

Grease a 9x13-inch pan.

In a shallow bowl, combine half and half, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. With fork, mix to blend well. Set aside.

Crush the 5 cups of cereal into crumbs (not fine, but small pieces). Put the cereal into a gallon reclosable bag and roll it with a rolling pin. Place crushed cereal into another shallow bowl. Using a fork, dip bread slices one at a time, into the egg mixture (both sides) then into the cereal crumbs (both sides). Place each slice in the prepared pan, forming two rows down and across. Cover pan and freeze until firm, 2 hours or overnight. Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Remove pan from freezer and place in oven uncovered. Bake 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, turning each slice over once. Serve warm with warmed maple syrup. Yield 6 servings.

Mushroom Soup Meatloaf

Mushroom Soup Meatloaf

1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 lbs ground beef
1 pkg dry onion soup mix
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 egg beaten
1/4 cup water

In a large bowl mix 1/2 cup of mushroom soup, ground beef, onion soup mix, bread crumbs and egg. Shape mixture into a 4x8" loaf and place into a greased 8x12" loaf pan.

Bake at 350°F for 1 hr 15 min or until done. Spoon off drippings, reserve. In saucepan, beat remaining soup, water and drippings at med. heat until boiling. Stir occasionally. Thin sauce w/additional water if desired. Spoon over meat loaf servings.

Crunchy Peanut Butter Balls

1 cup peanut butter
1  - 7 ounce jar marshmallow creme
1 1/2 cups crisp rice cereal
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
4 teaspoons shortening

In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter and marshmallow creme; add cereal and stir until well coated. In a small microwave safe bowl, combine chocolate chips and shortening. Microwave, uncovered for 1-2 minutes or until chips are melted; stir until smooth.

Roll cereal mixture into 1" balls; dip in chocolate. Place on a waxed paper-lined pan. Refrigerate until set.

Friday Freebie: Spice Labels

Add some spice to your life with these red hot spice labels.  Save file to your computer and print on 8 1/2  by 11 sticker sheet.  Cut out and stick to your favorite spice jars.  Labels are approximately, 1 inch by 1 3/4 inch.  Enjoy!

In My Inbox

Oh, what will I find in my inbox today:

Fun Stuff:

The Power of a Wife's Love

A very old man lay dying in his bed. In death's doorway, he suddenly smelled the aroma of his favorite chocolate chip cookie wafting up the stairs.
He gathered his remaining strength and lifted himself from the bed. Leaning against the wall, he slowly made his way out of the bedroom, and with even greater effort forced himself down the stairs, gripping the railing with both hands.
With labored breath, he leaned against the door frame, gazing into the kitchen. Were it not for death's agony, he would have thought himself already in heaven.
There, spread out up on newspapers on the kitchen table were literally hundreds of his favorite chocolate chip cookies.
Was this heaven, or was it one final act of heroic love from his devoted wife, seeing to it that he left this world a happy man?
Mustering one great final effort, he threw himself toward the table. The aged and withered hand, shaking, made its way to a cookie at the edge of the table, when he was suddenly smacked with a spatula by his wife.
"Stay out of those," she said. "They're for the funeral.


Spoiled under 30 Crowd: If you’re 30 or older you will think this is hilarious!!!

When I was a kid, adults used to bore me to tears with their tedious diatribes about how hard things were when they were growing up; what with walking 25 miles to school every morning ... uphill BOTH ways …yadda, yadda, yadda.

And I remember promising myself that when I grew up, there was no way in h#ll I was going to lay a bunch of crap like that on kids about how hard I had it and how easy they've got it! But now that I'm over the ripe old age of thirty, I can't help but look around and notice the youth of today.  You've got it so easy!
I mean, compared to my childhood, you live in a da#n Utopia!
And I hate to say it but you kids today you don't know how good you've got it!

1)  When I was a kid we didn't have The Internet.

If we wanted to know something, we had to go to the damn library and look it up ourselves, in the card catalog!

2)  There was no email!! We had to actually write somebody a letter ... with a pen! Then you had to walk all the way across the street and put it in the mailbox and it would take like a week to get there!

3)  There were no MP3's or Napsters!

You wanted to steal music, you had to hitchhike to the damn record store and shoplift it yourself!  Or you had to wait around all day to tape it off the radio and the DJ would usually talk over the beginning and #*% it all up!

4)  We didn't have fancy crap like Call Waiting!

If you were on the phone and somebody else called they got a busy signal, that's it!

5)  And we didn't have fancy Caller ID Boxes either!

When the phone rang, you had no idea who it was! It could be your school, your mom, your boss, your bookie, your drug dealer, a collections agent, you just didn't know!!! You had to pick it up and take your chances mister!

6)  We didn't have any fancy Sony Playstation video games with high-resolution 3­D graphics!

We had the Atari 2600!  With games like “Space Invaders” and “Asteroids” and the graphics were horrible!  Your guy was a little square!   You actually had to use your imagination!  And there were no multiple levels or screens, it was just one screen forever!  And you could never win.  The game just kept getting harder and harder and faster and faster until you died!  .Just like LIFE!

7)  When you went to the movie theater there no such thing as stadium seating!

All the seats were the same height!  If a tall guy or some old broad with big hair or a hat sat in front of you and you couldn't see, you were just screwed!

8)  Sure, we had cable television, but back then that was only like 15 channels and there was no onscreen menu!  

You had to use a little book called a TV Guide to find out what was on!

And there was no Cartoon Network either!  

You could only get cartoons on Saturday Morning.  Do you hear what I'm saying!?! We had to wait ALL WEEK for cartoons!

9)  And we didn't have microwaves…

If we wanted to heat something up, we had to use the stove or go build a fire...imagine that!  If we wanted popcorn, we had to use that stupid Jiffy Pop thing or a pan with HOT oil and Real popcorn kernels and shake it all over the stove forever like an idiot.

10) When we were on the phone with our friends and our parents walked-in…

we were stuck to the wall with a cord, a 7-foot cord that ran to the phone - not to the phone base, the actual phone.  We barely had enough length to sit on the floor and still be able to twirl the phone cord in our fingers.  If you suddenly had to go to the bathroom - guess what we had to do.....hang up and talk to them later.

That's exactly what I'm talking about! You kids today have got it too easy. You're spoiled.  You guys wouldn't have lasted five minutes back in 1980!

Daily Thought:

“No one has ever become poor by giving.”
― Anne Frank

Articles:

12 ways to have springtime fun with your kids

10 Budget Decorating Tips


Thrifty Tip:

Treating Damaged, Brittle Hair
To remedy any dryness in the hair from straightening, perming, coloring, bleaching, etc. try mixing your favorite hair conditioner with a teaspoon of olive oil or jojoba oil. Apply this to your hair while dry, cover with a shower cap and sleep on it. Rinse the next morning.
By duckie-do from Cortez, CO

Beef Salsa Rollups

8 uncooked lasagna noodles
3 cups salsa
1 pound ground beef
1 packet taco seasoning mix
1 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
1 8 ounce container sour cream
1 2 1/4 ounce can sliced black olives, drained

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Cook lasagna noodles al dente to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Coat a 9x13x2 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup of salsa in the bottom and set aside.

In medium skillet, brown ground beef over medium/high heat; drain, Stir in taco seasoning mix and 1 cup salsa. Cut each noodle in half vertically. (On short side, you will still have long noodles with the ripple on each side.) Spread each half with 2 tbsp. of the beef mixture and roll up. Place rollups in the baking dish. Pour remaining 1 cup salsa over the rollups and sprinkle with cheese. Cover the dish loosely with aluminum foil.

Bake 20-25 minutes or until cheese is melted and rollups
are heated through. Spoon 1 tbsp of sour cream on each roll up and sprinkle with black olives to serve.

Lemon Hissy Fits

1 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 egg, beaten
3 T. lemon juice
1/2 t. lemon extract
1/2 t. vanilla extract
2 1/4 cup flour
1 t. baking powder
3/4 cup white chocolate chips, chopped
Garnish: powdered sugar

With an electric mixer on medium speed, blend together butter and sugar until creamy. Beat in egg, lemon juice and extracts. In a separate bowl, combine flour and baking powder. Gradually add flour mixture to butter mixture; stir until combined. Fold in chocolate chips. Cover and refrigerate for one hour. Form dough into one-inch balls. Place on lightly greased baking sheets. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 to 12 minutes, until edges are lightly golden. Remove to a wire rack; dust with powdered sugar while still warm. Cool completely. Makes 3 to 4 dozen.

Coconut Clouds

2 2/3 cups flake coconut, divided

1 pkg. Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe Yellow Cake mix

1 egg

1/2 cup Crisco Vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

1 tsp. almond extract

Preheat oven to 350.Put 1 1/3 cups coconut in medium bowl. Set aside. Mix cake mix, egg, oil, water and almond extract in large bowl. Beat at low speed with mixer. Stir in remaining 1 1/3 cups reserved coconut. Drop rounded teaspoonful dough into reserved coconut. Roll to cover lightly. Put on ungreased baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough, placing balls 2 inches apart. Bake at 350 for 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Cool 1 minute on baking sheets. Remove to cooling racks. Cool completely. Store in airtight container. To save time when forming dough into balls, use 1 inch spring operated cookie scoop. Spring operated cookie scoops are available at kitchen specialty shops.

Makes 3 1/2 dozen

Exploring Etsy: Coffee, Tea or Me?

I love coffee, can't start the day without it.  Well, actually, I can....but it's ugly.  And a  cup of chai tea, sends me soaring to my happy place the minute I take a sip.  So, here's a tribute to my favorite caffeine infused drinks...

Make It Monday: Photo Frame Calendar

Today, I'm going to share with you how to make this really cute, really inexpensive craft project: Photo Frame Calendar. I, originally seen this on Martha Stewart. As usual, I added my own little twist to it and this is is what  you get. 

For this project, you will need: A wooden frame 8x10 (You can get one  at Walmart for 2.00), cardstock ( to print out your calendar),  2 screw hooks, a ruler, possibly a drill and small bit, and your favorite photo.

The frame I used for this project is one that I've already had and it's near and dear to me. My hubby gave it to me on my first Mother's Day.  The picture I chose for it was the first ever picture taken of my son William and I, just hours after I gave birth to him.

 Well, that baby is six now and a sports maniac.  While, pretending he was the next Larry Bird, his lay up hit my favorite picture frame and broke the back off as well as some other damage, but I just couldn't bear to throw it out.   Luckily, I remembered this project (Thanks, Martha!)

Measure an inch and a half in from the end of your frame.

Mark a little spot.  From that mark, measure 1/2 an inch from the long edge of the frame.

Mark that spot.  That will be where you make your hole for your hook screw ( bought these at the Dollar Store).

 The wood on my frame was very soft, so I was able to carefully screw the hook in with my fingers.  Do this slowly so that you keep your hook going in straight.  If the wood on your frame is not that soft, you may have to drill a hole in using a small drill bit, then screw your hook in place.

Repeat on the other side, so that each side has a hook.  Check to make sure they are even before you start to screw in your second hook.

Print out a calendar for 2011. 

Here are several sites that have some great caldendar templates.

http://www.freeprintablecalendar.net/2011/Calendar.aspx

http://www.printable2011calendar.com/

http://familycrafts.about.com/od/calendars/a/2011calendars.htm

http://www.keepandshare.com/htm/calendars/2011_calendars/free_2011_calendar.php

I printed out a full calendar with all twelve months on one sheet, but I think I am going to go back and print out monthly calendar pages.  After looking at the pictures,  I just don't care for the full calendar that much.  You decide which you like best.

Lay your frame flat and I just kind of eye balled it to make the holes on my calendar by laying it under the hooks and putting a little mark.

Using a hole punch or even a small nail, punch a hole on the mark you made on top of your calendar.

Assemble your frame back together with your favorite photo or clipart.

Now hang your frame, like you would any picture frame, anywhere you need a calendar.

Slip your calendar onto the hooks.

And you're done.  These are not only awesome and fun, but functional. Changing your photo is super easy and all in all, it should cost about $4.00 to make. That's including the cardstock and a bit for the ink to print the calendar.  They make great gifts for family, friends, and teachers.  Also, a fantastic way to showcase your budding artist's creation.

Cinnamon Bites

8 oz pkg. cream cheese
1 egg yolk
1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons sugar, divided
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 loaf sliced bread, crusts removed
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup butter, melted and cooled
In a medium mixing bowl, blend together cream cheese, egg yolk, 2 tablespoons sugar and vanilla extract. Roll bread slices flat; spread filling on bread. Roll up jelly roll-style. Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl. Dip bread in butter, then in sugar-cinnamon mixture. Place on baking sheets and freeze. When frozen, cut each roll into 3 pieces. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Makes 45 bite-size pieces

HAMBURGER RICE CASSEROLE

1 pound lean hamburger meat (I used ground turkey)
1 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup finely chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1 can of  cream of mushroom or cream of celery

Brown hamburger meat and drain. Sauté onions, bell pepper, and celery; drain. Mix all ingredients together and pour into casserole dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly at 350 degrees.

TOMATO DUMPLING DINNER

1 can Pillsbury Refrigerated Biscuits
1 tablespoon chopped green pepper
2 tablespoons chopped onion
2 tablespoons shortening
1 tablespoon flour
1  can tomatoes (use one 28 oz. can)
2 tablespoons chopped celery leaves
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup grated cheese, if desired

Saute green pepper sod onion in shortening in large covered skillet.

Blend in flour. Add tomatoes, celery leaves, sugar, salt and pepper. Simmer 5
minutes, stirring constantly.

Cut Biscuits into halves. Place on top of tomato sauce; sprinkle with cheese.
Cover tightly and steam for 25 minutes without removing cover. Serve hot.

Saturday Savings: Yard Sale 101 How to Have a Successful Yard Sale

It's almost yard sale season here in the Bluegrass.  Due to the pretty weather we've had the last couple of weekends, I've already seen several even though it's only March.  So, I thought this would be a good topic for this weeks Saturday Savings.  Yard sales can be a great source for bringing in some extra cash.  Having a successful yard sale can be hard work.  There's a lot of prepration.  I've had many over the years and I'm going to share with you some things I've learned through trial and error to help you have the most profitable yard sale you possibly can. 

For starters go through your house and decide what you want to sell.  Use the six month rule.  If you haven't used it in six months,  get rid of it. Go through everything!!  Closets, drawers, toy box, garage, attic, basement, his stuff,  the kids stuff, your stuff. Leave no door unopened, no box unsorted.

Try to set the date somewhere between May and Sept.  Check your long range forecast to make sure you will have good weather.  Try and make it on a weekend when there is no holiday.  A lot of people think holiday weekends are the perfect time to have a yard sale.  My opinion? Ummmm....No. People have gone away to visit friends or family or if the do stick around they are busy cooking and cleaning for their guests.   It doesn't leave much time for yard sale-ing,  (yes, I'm using it as a verb).

OK, so you've gathered your items, picked a date, you're ready to go right? Not yet. The biggest part of having a successful yard sale is advertising.  You can have the hottest stuff around, but what good is it if no one knows it's there.

The obvious way to advertise is an ad in the local paper.  Of course,  you are having a yard sale to make money, so you may not want to spend any to get the word out.  Thankfully, in the age of the Internet, you don't have to.  There are lots of free places to advertise, like criagslist, garagesaletracker.com, garagesalesource.com, twitter, facebook,  community forums, message boards, Plurk, Twitter, any site really that lets you update your personal status such as Cafemom, and do a search on yahoo groups.  There are several that are used for yard sale announcements.

Locally, put up signs on community bulletin boards in grocery stores, drug stores, laundry mats, etc.  Ask first to make sure its OK.  Roadway signs are your most important advertising tool.  Tape them to poles, stake them in the ground.  Be sure to check to make sure this is allowed in your town.  Your signs should include your address, dates of the sale, times of the sale and if possible key items that you are selling: baby clothes, treadmill, sports equipment, furniture, name brand items, etc.  Mark your house too, get a couple of baloonsand tie them to the mailbox.  A lot of people will just do the "drive around".  Just wandering the side roads in search of a sale.  Make yours stand out.

Now we come to the hardest part of having a yard sale, pricing your stuff.  I never know how much to charge.  Having learned through trial and error of countless yard sales, I will tell you the following:

1. You are not going to become the next Donald Trump by having a yard sale.  Don't expect to get rich.  Basically, you are trying to move stuff that you don't need out of your home, into someone else's and hopefully, make a bit of a profit doing it.

2.  Think about how much you would pay for the item at a yard sale.  Get to the lowest price you would be willing to accept for it, then add a little, a couple of cents or dollars depending on the item.  That leaves room for haggling, which you know us bargain hunters love to do :)

3. Take into consideration the condition, age, and popularity of the item.

A little side note here: Make sure you try all electronics, and toys before you put them out to sale to make sure they work properly.

A few days before your sale start tagging all the merchandise.  If you have alot of free time (which I don't) and patience (which I REALLY don't), you can buy some blank stickers, go item by item and tag them individually.  If you are like me and look for the easiest, less time consuming (OK! Laziest) way, get a pack of colored, blank stickers.  They usually come in neon colors (pink, yellow, green and orange) and sold at Walmart, Target or office supply stores. Pick a price for each color: yellow=$1.00, pink=.50, and so on.  Make a chart or several to hang around the sale to explain your coding system.  The main thing is, make sure you have a price on EVERYTHING. A lot of people won't ask if something isn't priced and you just lost a sale.

On the day of your sale, get up early!  If you planned on opening at 8:00, don't wait til 7:30 to start setting up.  Believe me, it's going to take you longer than you think.  And of course, there are always the early bird shoppes, who show up well before a sale is suppose to start, trying to get first pick.  Group like items together; baby clothes, magazines, craft items, electronics, housewares and the such.  Try not to clutter.  Lay everything out as plainly as possible so it can all be seen.  No one wants to dig through a pile of stuff just thrown on a table. 

Make sure you have plastic bags for your customers.  Very Important: Make sure you have enough change!!  Five dollar bills, one dollar bills and rolls of quarters.  Have a money apron to keep it in, so that where you go, your money goes. You're hubby's old tool apron would work fine here.   I've heard many a garage sale horror story about the sale owner getting busy with a customer only to come back to their table and the money box is gone.  If you do have to use a box, take it with you every time you leave the table.

If you really want to go all out, have refreshments for your customers.  Lemonade, iced tea, water, coffee, cookies, or muffins.  It's a small investment that may go a long way. 

Once the sale starts, be friendly and sociable.  Chat with your potential customers, answer questions pleasantly and above all else, be honest about the stuff you are selling.

That's about it my Frugal Friends.  I have armed you with all of my extensive yard sale knowledge.  Now it's up to you.  Get busy and go make some money.  Good Luck!

Free Printable Yard Sale Signs

http://www.garagesalesource.com/garage_sale_sign/

http://www.paperprintout.com/signs/yard/index.php

Friday Freebie: St. Patrick's Day Tic Tac Toe

I know, I know! St. Pat's was yesterday, but Friday Freebies are today...you see my dilema right?  This printable game is cute any time of  year.  My son loves tic tac toe, so he was the inspiration for this freebie.  Click HERE to download the game to your computer and print it out on cardstock.  This is great for car trips to grandma, doctor's office waiting rooms, rainy days, trips to the park or where ever.  Hope you enjoy it. 

Oui Oui! French Onion Soup

Oui Oui!! French Onion Soup

When I was a kid, I hated soup.  You couldn't pay me enough to eat even a bite.  My mom would go on and on about how soup was not only good, but good for you...( yeah, that was incentive to a seven year old).   Luckily, I got over it. Now soup is a staple part of my dinner menu nightly.  It's a wonderful accompaniment to almost any meal or a meal in itself.  Chicken soup, vegetable soup, broccoli and cheese...can you say yum?!

My newest passion is french onion soup.  I've only developed a taste for this over the past couple years.  So, when one of the hubby's favorite sport shows, The Matthew Mitchell Show, had the Coach's Kitchen segment featuring this delicious delight, you know I had to give the recipe a try.  I stuck mostly to the recipe, but may have changed a pinch here and there.  Here it goes...

Ingredients:

4 large onions, yellow, sweet, etc.
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1 1/2 bottle of dark beer

2 quarts of beef broth

salt, pepper, onion powder
1-2 tbs beef powdered beef bullion
1 loaf of french bread
Gruyere' cheese
Oven safe soup dishes or aluminum pans (I used the ones for pot pies)


Directions:

Chop Onion in medium small size chunks.  Melt half a stick of butter in a sauce pot and dump in onion.

Saute onions in butter until caramelized over medium low heat, approximately, 45 minutes, stir constantly.

Once onions are a lovely shade of golden brown, pour in half a bottle of beer.  Stir and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until all the alcohol has evaporated, approximately, 25 minutes. 

Pour in 2 quarts of beef broth, add salt, pepper and onion powder and 2 tbs of powdered beef bullion.  Cook on low for for 20-30 minutes until broth is completely heated.

Ladle some soup into your oven safe dishes or aluminum pans.  Slice a piece off french bread and lay it on top of your soup.  Cut the cheese in thin slices and top off your bread.  Now put under the broiler for about 5 mins til your cheese melted and bubbly.

Nothing left to do now, except enjoy. Bon Appetite!

Groovy Man Tye Dye Cupcakes

Groovy Man! Tie Dye Cupcakes

Far out!  These flower power cupcakes were not only yummy, but super fun to make.  A great way to get the kiddies involved in the kitchen.  We made these for our weekly craft night, but I think they would be great for a spring party or birthday party.  Hope you have as much fun making them as we did!


Ingredients
1 box of white cake mix
food coloring ( 4 different colors)
cupcake liners
white icing



Prepare your cake batter as directed on the back of the box.  Separate the batter into four little bowls. 
Choose 4 different colors of food coloring.  This is a great part for the kiddos to help with.  Have them add a few drops (or more depending on how dark you want your colors to be) and mix.  Hint: once you have the little ones add the color, recap and put them out of reach.   By the time I went to go get the cupcake liners and return to the table, all of 2 minutes, my son had turned my pink batter, an ugly purple, while my little girl was busy smearing drops of orange all over my table top like it was finger paint.  No...I'm not kidding.

I let my baby girl fill the muffin pans with liners and my boy, fill the liners with batter.  A bit messy and drippy, but all in all not too bad at all I thought.  Carefully spoon one color at a time in layers, for example, Using a tablespoon, I had him add one spoon of blue, gently tapped so spread it out, then we added a tablespoon of yellow, then green, and topped it off with a bit of purple.  We varied the color we started off with, then layered with so that the cupcakes would have some variety.

We followed the cooking directions on the back of the box.  When the timer beeped, tested them with a toothpick to make sure they were done and let them cool completely. 

Frosted them with some fluffy white icing and then of course we had to sample our blast from the past cupcakes. 

Very yummy, as you can tell by my baby girl's frosting covered face.