March week 4

It's here! March week 4! Are you ready? Have you already spent your $5?

Today I was pricing sales ads for my weekly $5 food storage spending. If you remember this week is all about MIXES! That's right... cake, muffin, pancake, bisquick, etc. You can purchase them premade or make your own! I split my money by doing both!

Jiffy mixes are on sale at Albertsons this week 2/$1 I bought 6 mixes and spent $3. I then came home and made "mommy" mixes. Since I can't eat gluten I wouldn't benefit from those that I bought... so I made pancake and cornbread mix with my special "magic flour" and added it to the food storage. We have to remember to accomodate all in our families.

Example: Chloe our oldest is SO PICKY!! So I know that if we had to rely on our food storage I better have items that she'll eat! (She'd eat choc chip cookies all day everyday if I would let her!) They may be different from what other people buy but it's important that everyone has the things they can and will eat.

So go forth and buy! Spend your weekly food storage allowance on MIXES! Make sure to report back and let us know what you bought!

Next week we will begin April shopping! Check back for next week's items! :)

Happy shopping!

My 50 random things

I was reading through my facebook notes a few minutes ago (because there's nothing better to do at 11:23pm... LIKE SLEEP!! OI!) Anyhoo.... I was giggling at my 25 most random things about me posts and laughed even harder when I realized that my friend Nina challenged me to do another 25... they are RANDOM! I thought you would get a giggle out of my randomness!

So here they are straight from my facebook page to my bloggings fans....
Jenn's 50 random things! :) (one or two were changed to represent today not the day I wrote the lists!)

1. I am totally and completely addicted to Dr. Pepper
2. I can count the bones I haven't broken quicker than ones I have
3. Yes... I know that #2 is pretty pathetic!
4. I LOVE my husband with my whole being... though some days I want to hate him with my whole being!
5. I regularly feel certain I could die at any moment for no logical reason
6. I think I'm funny... do you?
7. If you don't like me... your problem! :)
8. I love to play the drums on Rockband... It's my way of getting agression out.
9. I love to swim
10. I hate bathing suits!
11. I am Gluten Free and proud!
12. My oven is no longer in the kitchen... no more buns for me!
13. I love to sing!
14. I'm so proud of my sister and her accomplishments in life!
15. I'm totally jealous of my sister
16. My favorite movie is "So I Married an Axe Murderer" hello! Campbell's Cup-o-ccino?
17. If I could sleep all day I would... seriously!
18. I feel incomplete if I'm not reading a book. I love to read!!
19. My husband is the biggest computer geek I know and I love him for it.
20. All 3 of my children are named after my family members.
21. I am the tallest girl in my family with the smallest feet! (6'1" size 9.5)
22. I am a Cancer Survivor
23. I have WAY TOO MUCH crap!
24. I love my relationship with Christ and try to nourish it daily
25. I hope one day to win an award as a community member or mother... I think those people are SO COOL!
26. I have recently found an amazing tummy holding tank that I now CANNOT live without called Yummie Tummie... try it!
27. It's 11:3890 and I've had 8 cans of Dr. Pepper... not good!
28. I'm the Vice President of my kids school's PTO
29. I hate lipstick! I can never find the right shade and only wear it when deemed "neccessary" tinted chapstick is a must though
30. My husband and I were married 3 months after our first date... yes VERY fast!
31. We've been married for almost 8 years now
32. My children are my life but I'm almost positive that they will someday be the death of me
33. I've lost 5 lbs in the last 2 weeks!
34. I handle money poorly. My own I mean. I want to be wise, and I can be, but being wise is so boring, and you never get to go to Agave or the movies when you are wise.
35. I was a cheerleader in High School. I was the only freshman on the cheer squad my freshman year. (there were a couple freshmen on the Song Squad)
36. My favorite color is RED! I love it! If my life could be enveloped in red I would be a happy girl :)
37. I hated high school... 'nough said!
38. I have 2 tatoos... winnie the pooh on my back which I got when I was 18 and 3 lady bugs on my big toe that I got last summer. The 3 bugs represent my kids... as I call them my little bugs. :)
39. I love flip-flops! If I could wear them all year long I would... freezing temps limit the foot function so I try to wear shoes during the winter.
40. My birthday is February 12th... feel free to make a big deal of it!
41. I am very envolved in my community. I have been on the board for our local ACS Relay for Life for the past 3 years. I volunteer for the local opera company and the local independent film festival. This year I will volunteer with the Britt Festival.
42. The real reason I'm envolved with all the artsy stuff is because I REALLY want to attend the shows but can't afford it... volunteering gets me free tickets! :)
43. I don't drink. I have before, but don't now. Mainly for religious and personal reasons but I just don't like it... it makes me feel sick even with one sip.
44. I once ran down my street naked on a dare... stupid stupid stupid!!
45. I own my own company.. Gluten Free Gourmet! Check it out! www.gfgourmet.net
46. I love my car! It's a TOTAL mommy mobile but it's very comfortable and is perfect for my family.
47. I love parades. But I hate how political they've become! I like current politicians riding on backs of cars but I hate that people have to walk down parade routes telling people they are overpopulating the world and to stop at 2 children... I want to walk behind them and scream "Families are Forever! Procreate and Replenish the Earth! Have 10 kids!!" oi!
48. I hate stupid people! I think that Bill Engvall's sign thought it BRILLIANT!! I wish I could enforce it!
49. I think bathing in a neccesary evil! I know that sounds gross.... but it takes up so much time! I don't want to stink or be dirty... but sometimes I just don't want to take the 5 minutes to hose myself down... I do it anyway!
50. I am an organized mess... it's drives my husband NUTS!!! Yes everything may be in piles but I know exactly what is in each pile and where in the pile it's located... he just calls it crap... boys... they just don't get it!

So there you go.... me listed in 50 random things! Feel free to add any in comment form ... I love hearing what others perceive of me! :)
Happy Blogging!

Challenge for you....

Make your own laundry detergent!!

I was going through our budget a few weeks ago and realized that I was spending at least $30 on laundry supplies every couple weeks... that's obsurd!! So I did some research and found a great way to make my own laundry detergent. I made it a week ago and I LOVE IT!!

My laundry is fresh, soft and smells great... the best part... it's clean and CHEAP!!

After I figured the costs it works out to be 3 cents per load. My initial $12 investment will give me 6 gallons of detergent. I use 1/4 cup of detergent in each load. That's 384 loads for $12. The best part is the next time I buy supplies I'll already have the $7 bucket with lid so I'll only need to invest $5... EVEN CHEAPER!! LOVE IT!!

So here is your challenge... find something in your home that you can made to help reduce your budget! If you want to make laundry soap I've included the directions and pictures. :)

Please post what you are going to make and share your results!!

You'll need the following:

5 gallon bucket with lid

20 mule team Borax

Arm and Hammer Washing Soda

Fels-Naptha bar soap

Directions:

Grate 1/3 bar of fels-naptha soap

Add soap to 6 cups of water in saucepan and heat until melted

Add 1 cup of borax and 1 cup of washing soda

Stir until dissolved.

Pour 4 cups of HOT water into 5 gallon bucket

Add soap mixture to bucket and stir until well mixed

Add 10 drops of essential oil (optional!) We like Sweet Orange or Eucalyptus

Final product looks like "egg drop soup"... it may be a bit chunky.

Store covered and stir once a week.

Have fun experimenting!!! :)

Salt and Pepper

That is my accomplishment for the week!
I know I know... you're thinking... accomplishment? Salt and Pepper? WHAT GIVES!

This year our relief society (church women's group) has challenged us to be prepared through food storage and self reliance. At our last enrichment night they passed out these great booklets that give you a week by week suggestion on things to purchase or set aside in preperation.

Now I've always wanted to build up a years supply of food and water and have all my 72-hour emergency kits ready to go if I needed to run out the door with my family in tow. But sadly... I've yet to accomplish that.. but there's hope! I have been inspired by this wonderful weekly breakdown. I no longer feel overwhelmed at the thoughts, "what do I buy?" "How much will I need?" "Should I really have all that wheat that I myself can't even eat?!"

I am now spurred on by thoughts like, "I can spend $5 a week and gradually add things!" "I am comfortable with what I am buying and how I am storing it" "It may not be a years worth now but in a year it will be alot!"

So that is my accomplishment this week! For March week 3 we were challenged to buy spices. I bought salt and pepper with my $5 for our food storage. It may sound minuscule compared to the big picture... but I now have something that I can spice up my potato pearls and macaroni with. :)

If you would like to join me on this food storage and self reliance adventure please check back frequently! I plan to list every weeks suggested item and let you know what I've done with that suggestion. The key here is to make a plan and stick to it! I chatted with my husband and we agreed that for now $5 a week/$20 a month was something we could do without flinching. Now that amount may grow but it will be discussed and thought about before it changes.

Next weeks assignment.... MIXES! Spend $5 on mixes that you can put aside and store. IE: cake, pancake, bisquick, muffins, or make your own!

Yay for accomplishments!! Make sure to let me know if you want to join me on this adventure!! We're all in this together! ;)

another new adventures!!

I'm so excited! I've been invited to be a regular contributor to the Modern Molly Mormon blog! Click the button to the right to check it out!
I will be known as "Mojo Molly" which I think is the perfect title for me! I just typed my "molly" intro that will be added to my profile and I get to contribute to the blog every month... actually at least 3 times a month!
So I get to share my witty repartay with the Modern Molly Mormon world! SO FUN!! So please go support this great site! I find something fun and uplifting every time I log onto it.

YAY!! :)

my big blackberry mess

I wish I was talking about food! My phone... my pretty, red blackberry curve is having tanrums that I cannot calm. You'd think having 3 children I could handle this small piece of machinery that is my sanity most days but no! And here's the best part... I'm one month out of my warrenty. SERIOUSLY!!

I decide that I can fix this problem!! Hello I'm super mom... nothing can defeat me!? I take my sweet berry down to the battery store to check the battery... I'm brilliant right? WRONG! NOTHING wrong with the battery! Even when the phone "caputs" the battery has a full charge... this is not going to be easy is it?

So my sweet loving computer geek husband (he actually gave me permission to refer to him as that... love him!) said he would try to "swipe" it for me to re-set it and hopefully get it back on track. Well that would involve erasing all my contacts, messages, emails, calendar, etc. to get it working again... ummm... YIKES! I'm scared to china that I'll lose everything on my phone! It would be like killing my second brain!! NOT SO MUCH! So I try to back-up all the phone goodies onto my computer so as not to lose them in the "Swipe". BRILLIANT! I upload the software onto my computer, get it all set up to go, grab the USB cord... oh wait! There is NO usb cord for the phone!! Now we're on day 9 of barely any phone existance and I have to find this cable so I can save my second brain and it can be swiped and be good as new!

HOPEFULLY!! This swipe may or may not detox whatever crack my phone has been smoking.
oi!! I love modern technology but some days I wish I was churning butter with a wooden crock.