Homemade......

Are you starting to think about the upcoming baking season. Well, I am. I, of course, will not be baking again this year (still a struggling Weight Watcher), but I can fantasize right? I was just checking out a couple of things that maybe you might be interested in trying.........

Homemade Powdered Sugar (I have a friend who is a cake decorator. I wonder if this would help her?) (Thanks About.com)

Place a cup of granulated sugar in the blender for each cup of powdered sugar needed.
Blend at high speed until the sugar turns to powder.
Use immediately, or store in an air-tight container.

Tips:
To prevent caking and improve thickening ability (important when making icing), add 1-2 Tablespoons of corn starch for each cup of sugar made.

Sugar may etch your blender pitcher, particularly if it's made of plastic. If this is a concern, use a coffee grinder or spice grinder instead.
 

Homemade Brown Sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
1-2 tablespoons molasses (depending on how dark you want it)

In a medium-size bowl, add molasses to sugar and mix with mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, working up to high speed, until no big clumps of molasses remain. This will probably take a little while.

Then, you just store it in an air-tight container.

*I read that you can use most any type of granulated sugar. It just would affect the taste a litte.

There are sooooo many different recipes out there for homemade brown sugar and they are all pretty much the same. Happy Money Saver even had one. You might want to check hers out, if you are interested in make a bigger batch.

Happy baking...... ;)

Cheryl

Quick Breakfast Ideas for The Kids

Well, for us, school has not started yet, but will in less than a week. I don't know about you, but I AM ALWAYS pressed for time in the mornings AND I don't even work outside of the home. I actually work from home and I'M STILL pressed for time getting the kiddos out the door in time for school. The make matters EVEN more difficult this year, Blakey will now be in school too. Whoa!!! Seriously, I live about 2 minutes away from the school and I barely make it to drop my kids off at school. We are soooooo pressed for time that I don't even have the little ones take the bus in the morning, 'cause we are not ready by the time the bus comes. I can't even say "well....get up earlier." I already get up at 3 o'clock in the morning to work, so that's out the window. So, now, I just accept the fact that it is just crazy around here in the mornings, but from looking around and doing some reading, I am coming to the conclusion that we are not the only ones who are pressed for time in the morning.

So, my oldest usually gets breakfast for all three of my kiddos, but I like to try to have easy, "healthy" options available as he is doing me a favor. I don't know about you, but there are times I just get stuck in a rut or just plain run out of ideas. Well........I was doing a little blog hopping this morning and went over to see what Money Saving Mom was up to and I found this GREAT post. She asked her readers what they prepare for "quick and easy" recipes and they have many ideas and most of them are "healthified" too! Go check it out when you get a moment. I think you may come across an idea or two.

Thanks Money Saving Mom!

Cheryl

Some things I have been doing

I have been busy lately. I have painted a wall in my front room/dining and now I'm in a mode to PAINT EVERYTHING! Not good. Just ask my husband. ;) Here are a couple of pictures that I would like to share. This first one is of the back of my head (my daughter Faith was the photographer here) painting my white, boring wall the new color. I just LOVE the color.

The next picture is of that cabinet (what is this cabinet called anyway?) and my white, boring wall.

(Again, photographs done by my 6-year-old, Faith, not too bad)

Okay, this next one is of the after. Try to ignore that UGLY light at the top.

I just LOVE this color AS an accent wall. It is not too bold and just right for me. The problem is now I REALLY DO WANT TO PAINT EVERYTHING. So, I figured I would finish up what I started, 'cause now I REALLY REALLY want to paint my kitchen.

Okay, so my friend, Tammy, had this color in her house and I loved it and copied it. She said it was okay. ;) Anyway, she got her paint from Lowe's, you know the kind with the primer in it already. Well, I happened to get mine at Freddies, Labor Day weekend, and only paid something like $15 a gallon. I was very very happy with that and I still have almost a whole gallon left. So, this project here only cost a little over $15 to do. Wow! I consider that frugal.

Okay, so now onto my next project.....So, I was looking around yesterday and and realized that I COULD spray paint my picture frames. So, this is what they looked like before.......

Here is what they look like with a little spray primer ($2.97 a can at Walmart).

Okay, now here is what they look like with a little spray paint from Walmart ($0.97 a can at Walmart)

Look at that beauty. Well, I think it is, as I have NEVER done anything like this before. Now, I am going to put my pictures back in these frames and hang them back up on my "new" wall. I think it will look pretty good. We'll see. I will have to take a picture of that too.

Anyway, the cost of spray painting the picture frames was only around $7 and I spray painted A LOT of frames. Not too shabby. Next, I am going to paint the trim of my wall white and do a little touch up here and there and THEN I will be done.

I am soooo excited about this. Do you have any "frugal" makeover tips for your home? I would love to hear them.

Thanks!

Cheryl

An Idea....

Okay, I'm sure most of you "frugalishious" people out there have already thought of this, as sometimes I am a little slow coming to the table, if you get my drift. ;) Anyway, I don't know what brought this on, but I was just thinking this morning. Of course, about liquid handsoap. I have a lot of body wash that I like to keep on-hand for gifts and whatnot, but why not use it in the liquid handsoap container for handsoap? I was looking to see if all handsoap has antibacterial "stuff" in it, but it doesn't. So, I'm thinking that if I don't donate or give away my stock of body wash that this is a GREAT idea. I still have yet to make the recipe I posted about a couple of weeks ago, as I have not run out of hand soap yet and may NEVER run out, if I can do this with the body wash.

Any thoughts of why this would or wouldn't work?

Thanks!

Cheryl