• Organizing

    How to Get ALL Your Papers Organized

    I had trouble figuring out how to get ALL my papers organized. I have tried a lot of different ways over the years but everything always ended up in piles. I tried filing cabinets and they worked for some of my papers that I didn’t need very often. I had a file of papers for the medical information I printed out when I was researching infertility, one for baby and wedding shower games, another for craft ideas, another for church camp papers, etc…you get the idea. These all worked because it gave me a location where these belonged and I knew where to go when I needed these particular papers,…

  • Omelette
    Cooking

    How to Make an Omelette

    I don’t make omelettes very often but we really do like them when I do. I know some people think that they are hard to make but they really aren’t. They just take some patience and of course they don’t have to be perfect to taste good. My son loves a lot of meat in his omelette, so I cut up a roll of sausage. I fried the patties first and then scrambled the ends to go in the omelette. I used ham, sausage and cheese in his omelette. I added some bacon bits to mine. That is the nice thing about omelettes, they can be made however each person…

  • I AM HEALTHIER TODAY THAN 10 YEARS AGO
    Life and Family

    I am Healthier Today than 10 Years Ago

    Today is my 50th birthday. I am half a century old. It does not seem possible, yet it most definitely is. I can feel the years when I get out of bed or sit too long, but I don’t really feel this old. I still feel young inside, it is hard to believe that I have been out of high school for 32 years and at the end of this month I will be married for 30 years. I actually feel better most days than I did 10 years ago. I had a bad leg for about 10 years. I am not sure exactly when it started, but I do…

  • Ham and Cheese Hash Browns
    Cooking

    Ham and Cheese Hash Browns

    One of our favorite breakfasts is a one skillet hash brown meal. I have been cooking this for so long that I do not remember where the idea came from. My husband used to not be too fond of this, so it became a meal I cooked for myself when he was at work. Shane liked it so he would eat it with me, but Devin never liked potatoes so I always had to make him something different. It is Shaylee’s favorite meal and John has now decided that he likes it, so we have it for a family breakfast quite often. If we are all eating it, I cook…

  • The Fourth at Fairfield Bay
    Travel

    The Fourth at Fairfield Bay

    A couple of years ago we decided to take a last minute vacation for the Fourth of July holiday. My husband’s work decided that they were going to take the week off with only a week notice. Most of the resorts were booked up for the holidays, but we were able to get a couple of nights at Fairfield Bay, AR before the holiday but they were sold out for the actual holiday. We really enjoyed ourselves the few days we were there. The kids went swimming and we ate at a couple of really good restaurants. We just liked the laid back, easygoing atmosphere of the area. We heard…

  • Garlic Pasta Sauce
    Cooking

    Garlic Pasta Sauce

    My family loves all kinds of white sauces such as Alfredo and they love anything with garlic. I make Alfredo quite often, but unless I plan ahead, I rarely have heavy cream. There were many times that I wanted to make Alfredo but didn’t have the heavy cream or Parmesan cheese, so I figured out a way to make a white garlic sauce that they love that doesn’t require heavy cream or Parmesan. I never make it exactly the same way and it can be very flexible to accommodate your likes or dislikes. I start by melting butter in a large non-stick skillet and sauteing garlic, onions and sometimes mushrooms.…

  • Dollar Tree
    Savings

    15 Things to Buy at Dollar Tree

    I have always loved going to Dollar Tree. How can you beat knowing that everything in the store is only $1. Some things they sell are not any cheaper than at other stores and sometimes the quality is not as good. But you can save money if you know what to buy. You need to know your prices at other stores to know if it is a good deal. There are a few items that we just like better than the ones at other stores. This post contains affiliate links.  Please see my disclosure policy for more details. Orchard Park Hazelnut Coffee Creamer – I started buying it because it was cheap,…

  • Cooking

    Fried Yellow Squash

    One thing I love about summer is the fresh yellow squash. My parents always had a garden when I was growing up. They have always had a lot of extras that they either sold or gave away depending on the summer. Of course there are a lot of ways to cook the squash but my favorite is to fry it.  It can be fried in individual pieces or pan fried like fried potatoes. I like it cut thin and fried in individual pieces until it is crispy.  My husband likes cut a little thicker and fried individually or pan fried with onions and potatoes. I have also put it in…

  • Meal Planning for Vacation
    Savings,  Travel

    Meal Planning for Vacation

    I have several packing lists including meal planning for different types of traveling. We like staying in resorts when we travel because they give more room for our family. When we stay in a hotel room we feel like we are all on top of each other. The other advantage to resorts is that they have a full kitchen. This saves a lot of money when we travel. We still eat out sometimes but we don’t have to eat out every meal. When you are feeding 5 at adult prices, it adds up very quickly. I have a food travel list that makes purchasing and packing the items we need…

  • Macaroni with Tomato Juice
    Cooking

    Macaroni with Tomato Juice

    I was home today by myself, everyone else was out of town. With no one coming home for supper, I decided to make one of my favorite dishes from my childhood. Macaroni with tomato juice is a major comfort food for me. When I was a kid, my mom did a lot of canning from the garden. Tomato juice is one thing that she never had to buy, she always had it canned and ready to go. She used it in a lot of recipes like chili, vegetable soup, goulash, and macaroni with tomato juice. I know a lot of people use tomatoes, but Mom always made macaroni with tomato…