Coffee Mix

A lot of the blogs I follow are sites that contain recipes so once in a while I think I'll throw one of mine in there. this one isn't my original recipe. I found it on the net somewhere and I forget where since I emailed it to myself so I could print it out. Anyway, if you like hot coffee beverages at home but hate paying 4 bucks for a teeny can, this recipe is for you.

Swiss Mocha Coffee Mix

1 c instant coffee
1 c granulated sugar
2 c nonfat dry milk
4 tsp cocoa powder
For Sugar Twin, use 10 tsp for 1 cup of sugar.
* You can also use decaffeinated coffee.

Put all ingredients into a blender or food processor(I used my hand blender); blend until powder consistency. Put mixture into a glass jar with a lid.

The jar I used was a repurposed 26 oz spaghetti sauce jar. It fits perfectly into one of those.

My sister watched my boys for me on Sunday so I could work and when I picked them up the empty jar from the last batch that I made for her was in Lucas' diaper bag. I called her on her subtle hint and I mixed up a batch for her today and it took me maybe 5 minutes, if that. I didn't calculate the cost but it's a lot cheaper than buying it! Suzy won't take $ for watching the boys(we have been each other's free babysitter for several years) but she will take gifts. So she's getting that and a candle I picked up for free with a coupon. Lest you think I'm cheap, I gave her full disclosure! I may be frugal but I'm not cheap!

Welcome Ladytoesocks!

I've lured my sister to the darkside. Bwahahahaha! She is now a proud blog owner. Of course, her life isn't the open book that mine is so she set her blog to private. She sent me an invitation to it so when it showed up in my email it said "You have an invitation from Ladytoesocks..." so I thought it was from a store that sells socks ttherefore I didn't open it right away but I thought "Wow C would like that place. She loves toesocks!" so to me that was kinda funny. Anyway, welcome!

I'm writing this post from my boudoir on my new laptop!! Woohoo!! Mr. P has been talking for a while about getting me one since my blogging and facebooking has been cramping his WoW style. So a couple of nights ago during one of my middle of the night 'net shopping trips (hey, had to replace the midnight snacking with something!) I was pricing netbooks at Ye Olde Bestbuy and discovered that laptops weren't that much more than netbooks so into the virtual shopping cart it went. I saved it until the next morning for Mark to look at to make sure it wasn't junk and now here we are! I'm going to add a random picture of something just because I can!

The GGP $10 Mall Gift Card Giveaway!

The GGP $10 Mall Gift Card Giveaway!

Posted using ShareThis

Ah, the Joys of Boys

A little over a year ago, when I found out that my little peanut inside of my was going to be a boy, I cried because I really wanted a girl but I quickly got over it and then I thought, "Hey, I got a pass on all that annoying girl stuff! Woo hoo!" But yesterday I went to CVS with the boys in tow to pick up some stuff that was on sale. One of those items happened to be Kotex pantiliners. I figured that I'd just pick them up, throw them in my cart, and be on my way to the next aisle. Nope, that didn't happen. So here's the convo that we had:

Garrett: What are those?
Kelly: Those are pantiliners.
G: But what are they for?
K: They're just things that girls use.
G: Yeah, but what are they for?
(at this point I'm desperately trying to think of something that will sufficiently answer his question while at the same time avoiding a whole topic about female menstruation)
K: Garrett, just be thankful that you're a boy and you'll never have to care what they're for.
G: Yeah, BUT WHAT ARE THEY FOR???
K: Garrett, you put them in your underwear.
G: (giggling)

This just goes to show that just because you have boys doesn't necessarily mean you're off the hook on the feminine products discussion.

Totally off topic, but I just found out from Edmunds.com that my car is the most frugal to own. Woo hoo!

Things I've Learned About Solids

Okay, Lucas and I have a budding relationship with the solids thing. We're both learning what we both like/don't like. I am also learning that this is yet another arena where he differs from his older brother. For the most part, Lucas likes pretty much everything you give him. Also, when he likes something, he's a member of the clean plate club. So here's what I've learned, in random order.

1. Lucas has texture issues. Green veggies, for example. I've tried pureeing green beans and peas(not together) but those 2 are pretty darn hard to puree smoothly if you can get them smooth at all. The jarred stuff, however, he will eat. Bananas--same thing. Pureed all the way, no chunks please!
2. Yogurt gets a big thumbs up! When all else fails, yogurt.
3. Unsweetened applesauce works great with those hard-to-puree green veggies. Is it the smoothness? The sweetness? I don't know. But it works.
4. Pureed fruit+oatmeal=great breakfast.
5. Canned fruits(w/juice, not that heavy syrup stuff, watch your labels) pureed with a little of the juice is superfast, tastes a lot like the jarred stuff, and is much cheaper!
6. Cheerios and those new Big Rice Krispies are the perfect baby snack or appetizer! Just throw a few on the highchair tray and you've bought yourself some time.( to make dinner, have a cup of coffee, whatever)
7. Do not eat in front of Lucas unless you're prepared to share. Otherwise, see #6.

New gdiaper Convert...Hopefully

I've been holding out for a while on buying gdiapers because I just couldn't justify the cost of them due to the fact that I can get sposies cheaper than I can get the gdiaper inserts. But then I thought "But what about the cost to the environment?" Well, tonight I caved and placed an order for the starter kit and case of inserts. Green guilt got me. Now I'm checking all over the place looking for the cloth inserts. I'm going to get addicted, I know. I also know that I will never ever ever get Mark on board with this. We're obviously not going to be able to totally switch, but I want to at least try it out on weekends or when we're at home. Even when we're doing it this way it's less trash that we're contributing. I checked out the gdiapers website and they offer a cloth insert option but alas, the size I need is out of stock until the end of the month. So if anyone has any gdiaper tips, likes, dislikes, whatever--please share!

blah. I'm melting.

I was going to write a post about Lucas and his cheerios and stuff but it's just too stinking hot to blog. So, is this heat turning anyone else's babies into crankasses? Remind me of this heat when I'm complaining about paying through the nose for heating oil this winter!