Works for Me Wednesday--Greatest Hits

Out of the 10 WFMW posts that I have done, I would say that my one on clothespins was my "greatest hit" originally posted on February 27th! Clothespins are cheap and useful for many things around the house.
Read once again about how clothespins work for me! So what is sooo special about these little things called clothespins??? They serve multiple uses in my house! Not only do I use them for their intended use--hanging clothes or diaper covers to dry, I also use them for....

• holding rubberbands! I clip a clothespin to the side of my bill slot on my desk and then hook rubberbands over the pin.
• holding receipts! I superglued a magnet onto one side of the clothespin and then stuck the clothespin on the side of my fridge. This way I have a place when I or hubby come in from shopping, we can clip the receipt there and the receipt doesn't get lost and forgotten before it is registered on the computer checkbook(better known as Quicken!).
• holding chip or cracker bags closed so that they don't go stale!

You can usually find a bag of these at your local dollar store!

What do you use them for? I am sure that there are more ways that I could use these little inventions! But these are a few of the ways that they work for me! For more tips on things that work for others, head over to Rocks in My Dryer!

Kitchen Tip Tuesdays

Have little children? Ever absent-minded in the kitchen? Ever been using a sharp knife and set it on the counter close to the edge and bumped it off and it lands just centimeters from jabbing you in the foot? What about setting the knife close to edge of the counter and having a little one reach up and try to grab it while you are stirring something hot on the stove,which happens to be across the kitchen?

I can answer YES to all of these questions!! I have a 16 month old right now that loves to be around my legs when I am working in the kitchen. He loves to be able to watch me work.

I have been absent minded in the kitchen...you know get so busy in concentrating on that beautiful creation of meal and forget that you have kids in and out of the kitchen or the 16 month old looking to see what scrapes of food he can reach off the counters only to find that he can reach the knife that you were just using to cut up veggies.

I have had too many close calls with knives and my feet that I have lost count!!

So one day I got smart!! I had just finished emptying a big yogurt container(32 oz) with one of my baking creations(or if you have an empty big 24 oz cottage cheese container would work too!). It was sitting there empty by my sink at the back of the counter. I thought what a brilliant place for putting all the dirty knives into when I wasn't using them! The container is deep enough even to hold my longer knives, like the chef's knive or butcher knife. I keep the container at the back of the sink(central location in the kitchen)!!

So now that is where I put all the dirty knives while they are waiting to be washed. I don't have knives scattered all over the counter or close to the edge for my little ones to grab! It even makes it easy to wash them because I will squirt a little dishsoap right in the container and fill it with hot water while I am washing the other dishes. I have even got hubby and my older kids "trained" to use the container!! I will admit that I still have my absent-minded times that I have left a knive out on the counter only to have hubby or one of my older kids come and remind me to put the knive in the container.

For more kitchen tips, resources, or ideas, head over to Tammy's Recipes!!

New Website and a Contest!

A few weeks ago, I found this blog called Homeschooling with Encouragement and every Wednesday she hosts a meme called "Weblink Wednesday". Now Val has taken those links that have been shared by over 400+ families and compiled them into ONE website!!! All of the links have been tested by homeschooling Moms, so there is no worries about them.

She is also having a contest...write about her new website on your blog by April 11, 2008, let her know that you posted about it and be entered in the drawing for $25 gift certificate from Amazon.com!!

Click on the picture above or the one that I have in my sidebar to visit the new website designed with homeschooling in mind!

Also join her and several others every Wednesday for sharing your weblinks!

Menu Plan Monday 3/30-4/5

**Thanks ladies for your comments last week!!! Last Week's menus were made with a not so great of an attitude. My “don’t wanna but did” attitude is gone and I am back to being cheerful about making a menu plan to keep my family on the right track! I have been spending the week looking thru my cookbooks including one called "Cheap, Fast, Good" from the library, my April/May edition Taste of Home Magazine, and even through other’s menu posts looking for new and exciting dishes to try with my family! I decided to try ONE new recipe this week to us!! I have all the ingredients for the Marlboro Man’s Sandwich so that will appear on Friday night! I still have meat in my freezer and plenty of food in my fridge and pantry to use!

Lunches listed are for the kids and me. Hubby usually will take dinner leftovers each day.

A special thanks to Laura-Organizing Junkie for hosting Menu Plan Monday! Need help with your menus, go check other delicious meal plans that linked at her site! **

Sunday (3-30)
Breakfast: eggs, hash browns, sausage links/bacon, and donuts
Lunch: Totino’s Pizza
Dinner: Long John Silvers (after evening church)
Snack: snack basket

Monday (3-31)
Breakfast: cereal and leftover donuts
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: Crockpot roast, carrots, and potatoes served with homemade rolls or bread
Snack: snack basket or yogurt

Tuesday (4-1)
Breakfast: pancakes and sausage links
Lunch: sandwiches and chips
Dinner: Roasted Chicken(in crockpot & using chicken breasts rather than whole chicken), mashed taters & gravy, corn, and biscuits
Snack: snack basket

Wednesday (4-2)
Breakfast: bagels, yogurt, eggs
Lunch: leftovers
Dinner: Salisbury-Steak(no mushrooms & using stovetop), rice, green beans and rolls
Snack: snack basket

Thursday (4-3)
Breakfast: waffles
Lunch: pizza rolls

Dinner: stuffed breaded chicken(dh & I), chicken nuggets(kids), mac & cheese, and carrot sticks
Snack: snack basket

Friday (4-4)
Breakfast: cereal and toast
Lunch: sandwiches and chips
Dinner: Marlboro Man's Sandwiches, homemade fries and corn
Snack: homemade chocolate shakes

Saturday (4-5)
Breakfast: “Cook’s Choice”
Lunch: ?????(it’s the weekend anything goes!)
Dinner: homemade pizza and breadsticks
Snack: popcorn or snack basket

Singing Sunday

One Way

by Hillsong United

I lay my life down at your feet
You're the only one I need
I turn to you and you are always there

In troubled times it's you I seek
I put you first that's all I'll need
I humble all I am, All to you

One way
Jesus
You're the only one that I could live for
One Way
Jesus
You're the only one that I could live for

You are always, always there
Every how and everywhere
Your grace abounds so deeply within me

You will never ever change
Yesterday, today the same
Forever 'til forever meets no end

One way
Jesus
You're the only one that I could live for
One Way
Jesus
You're the only one that I could live for

You are the way, the truth, and the life
We live by faith and not by sight, for you
We're living all for you