Well, my coffee ran out this morning, and I had an aha! moment as I was about to throw it away. Use it for the hair goodies canister!! Perfect! This size works for us because she doesn’t have any hard headbands, so we didn’t need to put them around the can. The can might be too big for that. I gathered my supplies :

Did you notice the lid on the coffee can? My husband did that…he is so dang adorable! Anyway, I used two 12×12 pieces of scrapbook paper, one for the lid and one around the can. I peeled the label off and used it to cut the paper to the right size. Then I just glued it to the can. I used the lid to trace the diameter for the paper on the lid and glued it on as well. It looks so cute!

When I saw this pin for the first time, I had to wipe the drool from the corner of my mouth. It was enough to make me branch out and try a new goodie recipe! The recipe can be found here. I also spent some time perusing her blog. I love it!! I found several more tasty looking recipes!

The bars took a couple hours to make because you have to make three layers, including caramel from scratch, which takes a fair amount of time. But trust me, the end product is so worth it!! They are fabulous. Look how yummy:

A couple weeks ago , I described this pin to my mother-in-law. Bless her heart, she provides three empty mint tins for me the next time I saw her! I gathered my supplies and got started this afternoon.

It took only about 20 minutes for me to finish 3 little boxes. I used the hot glue to attach the cardstock paper to the inside and outside of the lids. Theni used clear packing tape to sort of laminate the top so the pretty paper wouldn’t get ruined.

I found packs of Squinkies on clearance at Target earlier this week that I plan to use as little treats or prizes, so I threw a couple in each kid’s box. The boxes are tucked away in my diaper bag. I’m so excited to give them to the kids next time they have to wait somewhere!

- Chicken Helper
- Tuna Helper
- Hamburger Helper x 2
- Split Pea Soup x 2
- Rice and Beans x 4
- Spaghetti x 5
( These are all pantry based meals…I precooked and froze the chicken and ground beef in 1 lb quantities.)

- Chalupa x 2
- Italian Sausage Soup w/ Tortellini
- Sausage-Egg Bake
- Pozole Soup
- Turkey-Cheese Chowder
- Turkey Pot Pie
- Two-Bean Turkey Chili
- Jerk Chicken
- Jerk Pork
- Italian Slow Cooker Chicken
- Southwestern Chicken
- Chicken Supreme
- Garlic Cheddar Chicken
- Hot Open-Faced Sandwiches
- Barleyburger Stew
- Chili Cheese Bake
- Minestrone Soup
(all of the above came from this cookbook…this is the book that taught me how to do the OAMC process)

- Meatloaf x 2
- Vegetarian Chili
(these are family recipes)

- Hearty Beef Stew
- Pork Marengo
- Slow Cooker Enchiladas
(these are from this cookbook)

Okay now here are some tips and tricks for doing this method of cooking:

1) Start small. Try making a week or two at once, especially if you are making your own plan instead of following someone else’s.

2) Soups, casseroles, and most slow cooker recipes are GREAT for adapting to OAMC. Just prepare all the ingredients, assemble, freeze, thaw, and then follow the cooking instructions the day you want to eat the meal.

3) Mark all your meals with the name and date. They will be good for about 3 months. Use a sharpie!

4) If a recipe calls for pasta, fresh potatoes, cream, or half and half, wait to add it until the day of cooking. These don’t freeze well. An exception to this is lasagna. Lasagna is a great candidate for OAMC!

5) Make these lists as you plan: a meal list, an ingredient list, and a prep list. I use excel for the ingredient list. I type in all the ingredients for each recipe then sort alphabetically so I can figure the total quantities. I also have a column to note if an item needs to be processed before assembling the meals (chopping, cutting into strips, etc). This helps with the prep list.

6) I do my prep in this order: chop all vegetables, process all meats as needed for recipes, assemble meatless dishes, assemble chicken dishes, assemble beef dishes, and assemble pork dishes. MAKE A LIST!!! This will be your road map to get you through the day!

7) Shop the day or two BEFORE you plan to cook. The only thing I buy the day of is the meat. Go early in the morning and you may be able to get markdowns. Since you will be using the meat that day, this is a great way to potentially save a lot of money!

8) Put every non-refrigerated ingredient on a counter. Also place a trash can, measuring cups, mixing bowls, measuring spoons, cutting boards, and bowls to put chopped veggies in near your work space. This will save you time.

9) Clean up as you go. This is so important both for sanitary and SANITY reasons!!

10) Make it fun! I love blasting my favorite music as I work.

Finally…
11) Keep your eye on the prize. About 2/3 of the way through you will be exhausted and ready to quit. But keep going!!! Trust me, the next month or more of stress-free dinners is sooooooo worth one long day in the kitchen. Also, it gets significantly easier each time you do it!

Phew that’s a long post! I hope this helps…let me know if you have any questions!

I first went though the pantry and noted what I had on hand (Hamburger Helper, spaghetti sauce, etc). Then I browsed through my family cookbook, my Gooseberry Patch Family Favorites cookbook and my Once a Month Cooking Family Favorites cookbook to pull my family’s favorite recipes. I ended up with a list of 45 meals.

I made my shopping list and set off to the store with the babe in tow. Here’s my kitchen counter with all the groceries, except the meat:

I spent all day Saturday in the kitchen. It’s a lot of work , but look how awesome it is once you’re done:

I prepared about 27 freezer meals. I also precooked ground beef for several meals that I have everything else for in the pantry.

I sat down tonight with my planner and my list of prepared dinners. I have enough on hand to get us through February 19th with NO eating out!!! What a blessing!

I had considered putting more info on here, like a list of what I made, but I live in the boonies and have to do all my blogging from the WordPress app on my iPhone!! So if you want more info leave a comment saying so…if there’s enough interest, I will do my best to get to a real computer soon to post more.

Sigh.

This is what I have instead:

Totally not functional! So I bought 10 shoebox size storage bins from Target for a little over a dollar each. I took everything out of the cabinet, sorted it, and organized it into the bins. Then I pulled out the label maker and labeled the bins with their contents. I even thought to label the edge of the shelf with what I have tucked away behind the bins so I don’t forget what’s back there.

Look how pretty! I think I cried a little at its beauty once I was done.

I even straightened up all the kids’ games.

I am so glad I did this!! As I was working, my brain was already churning with ideas of projects I want to do with the kids now that everything is easily accessible.

Horray for being organized!

I cut a rectangle of fabric 12″ long by 6″ wide. I hate ironing, so I apologize for the wrinkles!

I then folded the fabric so the right sides were touching and sewed it with a 5/8″ seam, leaving a couple inches open at the end so I could stuff it. NOTE: I should have attached the tooth pocket to one side first, but I didn’t. I was still able to sew it on after the pillow was stuffed, but it was more difficult that way.

I took a couple handfuls of poly-fil stuffing and stuffed the pillow and then hand sewed it closed. Next I made the tooth pocket with white fleece and embroidery thread.

Once I had the top edge and the face embroidered, I sewed it to the pillow around the rest of the edges. It’s not perfect, but it’s cute, functional, and my daughter will love it!

Can you even see them?! My closet is so embarrassing.

So I picked up some basic shower curtain rings for a couple bucks at Target. I just hooked them to the hangers and strung the scarves and belts through. Soooo much better!

I have been on a serious organizing kick the last couple weeks. How about you? Any projects or tips you want to share?

For our wedding centerpieces we used old glass of various kinds and this blue mason jar was my favorite. It’s been in a cupboard since the wedding so I figured this would be a perfect way to display it. I used wire cutters to cut two lengths of covered wire, one for the handle and one that I wrapped around the top of the jar under the threaded part. I just attached the handle part to the other wire, making sure to twist each side securely, before twisting the part around the jar tightly closed. I added the bow around the top and voila! Easy peasy.

For the cards to actually write the memories on, I cut some index cards into strips, and placed them in a votive holder along with a pen on the counter next to where the jar is hanging. My husband is going to anchor a hook for me there so it’s hanging securely…I hung it with a push pin just to get the picture!

The first memory I added was that the baby smiled a real smile at me this morning. I am really looking forward to my family filling up this jar over the next year, and reading them next New Year’s Eve.

My hair is long with lots of layers, so it took several practice runs, but I was able to get it looking decent for church.

I think it came out pretty cute! And now that I have the technique down, it is super quick and easy, perfect for this busy mama. So there you have day 1….tune in tomorrow to see where the pins take us next!