Once in a lifetime…

Posted on November 11, 2011 by Kelly

Or at least once in a century. 11/11/11. You will never see this happen again. Unless you are under the age of 12 or so, then I suppose it’s a slim possibility.

So what to do on a such a significant day? Get married? Already done that. Buy a lottery ticket? No thanks. Perhaps we will just carry on.

It is Veteran’s Day. And for that I am unwaveringly grateful. So very proud to be an American. And that is how I choose to mark this memorable day.

Thank you to all the Veterans in my life (and even the ones that are not). You are my superheroes.

Happy Birthday, Ladybug!

Posted on November 9, 2011 by Kelly

She is 5 today.

Am I the only mom that feels infinitely emotional about every one of her kids’ birthdays? They seem so eager to grow up. And I long to keep them small. I expect this will only get more difficult with time…

She is my ladybug. That is what we have called her since birth. She is so snuggly, sweet and sensitive. Her tenderhearted spirit is unmatched. And she is silly. Oh, how this child makes me laugh. Her giggle is entirely infectious and everyone who knows her, loves to hear her laugh.

Ladybug is sophisticated in her tastes. When planning her special day today, I asked her about all the things she would like me to make. I was thinking along the lines of chocolate cake and pizza… but no.

For her cake, she requested our family’s favorite pumpkin cake recipe, Harvest Bars. (Not gonna complain about that!) For dinner she has asked for “Daddy’s Chinese.” My dear hubby rarely cooks, but not because he can’t. He is just too darn busy all the time. When he does, “Daddy’s Chinese” is one of his specialties. I don’t know what else to call it. It’s a combination of rice, chicken, steamed veggies, and our favorite classic stir fry sauce. And its yummy. (And I don’t have to cook dinner!!!)

She also asked that I take her to my favorite local coffee shop for spumoni gelato! I’m telling you, this kid has great taste! (I really must post about this newish coffee shop in our quaint little town. It’s fabulously cozy and they serve gelato, gourmet chocolates and to-die-for cupcakes!)

We are planning a “Pinkalicous” birthday party (Ladybug’s favorite book character) in a couple weeks. More to come on party planning later.

Going off the grid today to spend some time with my little lady…

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Blue Jeans & Coffee Beans.

Music to my ears.

Posted on November 8, 2011 by Kelly

“Mama, put on your listen ears.”

At first, I wasn’t sure what she was trying to say. Then, my loveable 2-year-old brought me the earbuds from my iPod. She wanted to listen to music. (Consequently, as a family, we now affectionately refer to all listening devices as “listen ears.”)

As a musician, it thrills my soul for my young girls to have an appreciation for good music. And in our family our tastes are very broad. You name it, we probably listen to it at some point.

My sweet girls love their Bieber (gag) however, they often beg me to turn on Ella Fitzgerald, Beethoven, and Bing Crosby. And oh, how we dance.

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen (like most mothers, I suspect) and it’s often quiet and tiresome. Good listening is a must. (Old time radio shows are my guilty pleasure.) If I am not careful, I would spend good wages on too much music.

Thank God for Amazon! Each month, they come out with a new selection of free mp3 albums. (Yes!) Currently there are 11 pages worth of free albums. There are some real gems hidden in those pages. Over the course of the last year, I have acquired some really great stuff from here!

Some of my favorites currently available for free:

Chacra World Music Holiday Sampler
Native American Flute Lullabies
Allegro Classical Fall 2011 Sampler
Cedarmont Kids Sampler for Moms
The Wiggles Summer 2011 Sampler

Amazon.com also had a great selection of featured albums available for download for only $5.00! (Norah Jones’ Come Away With Me is on this list for November!)

One more great free resource can be found at ancientfaith.com The Chronicles of Narnia books by C.S. Lewis audiobooks are available for FREE download! Check it out here.

Now it’s back to my coffee. The Christmas music is on… and the homemade cinnamon rolls are fresh out of the oven. It’s gonna be a good day.

Continue the coffee love by joining my facebook page:
Blue Jeans & Coffee Beans.

This post is a part of Frugal Tip Tuesday.

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Falling Back.

Posted on November 7, 2011 by Kelly

Time Change. One of my favorite moments of the year because it’s a sign of things to come. Things like early darkness, (I find this incredibly cozy), colder weather (an even better excuse to sip more coffee), and the holidays.

It can also be a time to “fall back,” and re-evaluate and prepare for the upcoming excitement of all things homey, sparkling, and smelling of cinnamon spice.

I am a planner so I adore the list-making. Christmas cards. Gifts. Party Planning. Menus. Holiday goodies. Even a list for the grocery store to buy those ingredients you only buy once each year is special.

It’s easy to get caught up. Distracted. By the parties. By the sales. By the the things that don’t really matter.

This year I have decided to have an Intentional Christmas. This means I choose to intentionally set my own priorities. It seems that there are so many demands thrust upon me during this time of year:

Host this event. Send this many cards. Spend this much money on that person and that much money on this person. Bake treats for this and bring hot cocoa for that. Go caroling. Build a snowman. Buy cute Christmas frocks for my girls. And a partridge in a pear tree.

And then I wake up December 26. And it’s over. And I’m exhausted. And although we had a great time, sometimes it feels like I just finished running a marathon. It’s easy (and dangerous) to reduce Christmas to a series of lists.

My priorities are revealed in the places where my time and money are invested and this year I plan to make some adjustments.

I want to make sweet memories with my little ladies and my sensational husband (like letting little hands measure out all the ingredients to our traditional Buche de Noel even though it will take three times as long to make). I want to be a blessing to someone less fortunate than us (because I remember what joy this kindness has brought to our family through others when we needed it most). I want to teach my sweet girls the value of a thoughtful gift (and not merely a trinket haphazardly snatched from the Walmart holiday gift aisle).

I want to remember the birth of my King in the most intentional way that I can. My darling 4-year-old said to me last week, “Just forget about the presents, it’s really about a baby.” Perhaps I have demonstrated something right so far, but even so…

We are well on our way to the grand crescendo of Christmas and things are going to be delightfully different this year.

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The rake.

Posted on November 2, 2011 by Kelly

I adore my dear husband. Really. And I love that he is frugal like me. Really. And I love his stubborn streak. Really. Or most of the time.

However…

When it comes to the fiasco that has become of our one-and-only rake, I must simply shake my head.

Let me begin at the beginning.

We have trees. Loads of trees. A plethora, if you will.

Which means that come autumn, we have even more leaves. Legions of leaves. At first, it’s great fun with all the piling and jumping. For the kids it’s a wonderland and the colors are spectacular.

But now it’s November. And they simply must go. But our rake… *sigh*

The handle on our dependable rake failed. Broken, completely in two. Naturally, I thought it was time for a new rake. After all, old faithful has certainly served us well and it was time for him to retire. Silly old me.

“Nonsense,” said dear hubby, “I have just the thing!” After disappearing into the basement for several minutes, he emerged with a long metal pipe (consequently calling to mind the lead pipe from our trusty Clue game). The pipe was taller than me. (To this day we have no idea where it came from. My husband might argue it was gift from above, a fall miracle.) Surprisingly the pipe was threaded on the end like a screw and was a perfect fit onto the end of the rake. Imagine that.

So now we have this monster of a rake. I swear it weighs at least 25 pounds and its much taller than me. I can barely wield it at all. On the bright side, it’s a pretty intense workout just to rake the leaves. And judging from the size of our yard and the amount of leaves on the ground, one of us is going to be looking pretty awesome by the time it’s all done. But I don’t think it’s going to be me…

Have at it, Sweet Husband. I think I’ll sip my coffee and watch you from the window seat.

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Blue Jeans & Coffee Beans.

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Double dose.

Posted on November 1, 2011 by Kelly

Some days you just need more.

More help. More time. More coffee.

Mama said there would be days like this. And these are the days for simple, healthy meals like this recipe for Coffee Cornmeal.

“Eating Well For Only $2 A Day” looks like a fabulous addition to my cookbook shelf. I have not yet ordered it, but judging from the 9-page-preview available on the book’s website, its going to be pretty amazing. Definitely worth checking out! (Good Christmas gift idea???)

I love the premise behind this book. Eat Well. Save money. Simple as that.

“Coffee lovers rejoice! Your dream has now become a reality – you can have your coffee IN your breakfast…alongside a cup of coffee. Double the dose.”

The following recipe is taken from Eating Well For Only $2 A Day, a food budgeting book that teaches people how to do precisely that…spend only $2 a day on food! It provides the tips and principles necessary to show anyone how to save some serious money without relying on coupons and includes over 150 inexpensive and delicious recipes like the Coffee Cornmeal dish provided. You can see a preview of the book at www.only2dollarsaday.com. Enjoy!

Coffee Cornmeal

Yield: 4 Servings

1 1/3 cups Cornmeal $0.21
1 1/3 cups Cold Water $0.00
3 cups Hot Coffee $0.07
4 tsp Margarine $0.03
6 Tbsp Sugar $0.09
1 tsp Salt $0.00
4 Tbsp Cream $0.22

Total: $0.62 ($0.15 Per Serving)

1. Combine the cold water and cornmeal in a small bowl and mix until the lumps are gone.
2. Heat the coffee and salt in a medium saucepan on med/low heat until it’s near boiling.
3. Add the cornmeal and cook about 3 minutes until thickened, stirring frequently.
4. Add the margarine, sugar, and cream and mix well.
5. Enjoy!

(Note: I have included the original recipe, but I substitute butter for margarine. That’s just how I roll.)

Read a Guest Post by co-author, Chris Tecmire at Premeditated Leftovers.

Continue the coffee love by joining my facebook page:
Blue Jeans & Coffee Beans.

This post is a part of Frugal Tip Tuesday and Simple Lives Thursday.

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