Frugal is Fun!

I'm not gonna lie. I've been so dang frugal and home-makey these past couple a days, it's kinda ridiculous.

Home-makey? Yeah....you know, in the groove of going the homemade route.

1-I made my own cranberry sauce. Super easy and fun. It's kind of therapeutic when the cranberries pop in their boiling sugar hot tub. I don't know why I didn't make them for Thanksgiving (maybe so I could have them all to myself-I'm so bad!)

2-I made my own rice flour. Again super easy. Throw some rice into a blender/food processor until it becomes a powdery consistency and then sift to eliminate any chunks that haven't been ground. I have already made pancakes with said flour.

3-I made hummus. Do you detect a trend? Easiness. Simplicity. Quick.

YUMMMMM :)

4-I got a FREE Venti sized Caffe Misto from Starbucks. Granted, you have to buy a bag of Starbucks ground coffee in the first place, but I didn't buy it. Someone bought it for me. 

Did you know you could return the empty bag to a Starbucks in exchange for a free brewed coffee of your choice. Any size!

5-I've been walking or taking the bus everywhere. Yeah, this one is more out of absolute necessity since we don't have our car here yet. It's been over a month since I've driven a vehicle! That's the longest I've gone since getting my license 18 years ago.

 

6-My next homemade ambitions include making my own laundry detergent again. As well as garbanzo bean flour.  I really need to get back to making detergent. It's actually a fun family project.<-----(click to see how)

QUESTIONS:

1-what kind of frugal things have you done lately?

2-if you have your license, how long have you gone without driving?

Music Monday!

While Liam is known as the main vocalist of the band and Noel as the main songwriter, Noel does have a pretty darn good voice as well.

I learned a while back that Bruce actually prefers when Noel sings. Hmmm.....the things you find out about someone after 9 years of marriage. Never woulda thought he had an opinion on the voices of the Gallagher brothers! 

Uneventful Update

Boy, I bet that title really grabbed your attention, made you stop what you were doing, and just compelled you  to read this, huh?

Eh, what can I say, not too much has been going on.

The whole household (6 of us) have been homebound for about 7 days now. I take that back, we were able to get out and about by foot a couple times-albeit in the FREEZING COLD. I was rewarded with a yummalicious Starbucks Caffe Misto, so it worked out.

Because of the snowpocolypse that hit Seattle on Monday (a whole 3 inches of snow), nearly the entire city shut down so nobody had school or work. 

We kept busy with games, shovelling, building a mini snowman named Steve (and watching him melt), watching football, playing Uno and Dominoes, watching the hummingbirds gorge themselves at the feeder about 50 times in one day. No lie. Apparently they have to eat every 10 minutes :)

On Thanksgiving we all pitched in (I peeled the eggs for the dressing and deviled eggs) with the meal prep.

I had a sweet potato, mashed taters topped with black beans, broccoli, and nutritional yeast. No picture-I just wanted to EAT!

Bruce, Trinity, and her cousin all watched the butter melt on top of the dressing. They actually had a great time hanging out on the kitchen floor.

I also made it to the library and picked up some books and movies, including "The Neverending Story." One of the coolest movies ever.

One book that I can't put down is "Bringing up Girls" by James Dobson. I think I may have to do an entire post on this book. Love it. Great wisdom, insight, and guidance. 

Oh yeah-I also made it to a job interview via the bus-on a day when it was 20 degrees out with limited buses operating. Yeah. I got there just fine. Getting back was another story. I got on the wrong bus and ended up at the very last stop. Um.....I wanna go home! 

So, the super sweet bus-driver assured me he'd get me back to where I needed to go after his 10 minute layover. We chatted it up, he showed me pictures of his trip to Maui and his 12 year old son. He also told me he just got done shooting a commercial for the Seattle transit system. Good times.
And, today, we've been watching the Wisconsin Badgers DOMINATE the Northwestern kitty Cats, I mean, Wildcats ;)

Only one more day off until everyone's back to a regular schedule!!

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and time off.

That was then, This is now

Remember Sunday? There were pretty, little, innocent, benign snowflakes dancing down to earth from the clouds above?

Well, it snowed. And snowed. And snowed some more. In all honesty, it was really only about 3 inches, which, having grown up in Wisconsin and also living in the upper elevations of the Colorado Rockies, was no big deal. It was like a light dusting, if you will.

But, things are different 'round these parts. Seattle is the second hilliest city in the U.S., after San Francisco. It also has these weird little cement "roundabouts" in the residential areas, which I affectionately refer to as Traffic Turtles. The combination of the severely steep hills and the traffic turtles makes it impossible to plow anywhere but the main roads, and even that is tricky.

The kids had a super fun time playing in the snow yesterday, before it turned bitterly cold. They were greeted with cups of hot chocolate upon their return back into the house. 

There were a few who snickered at us when we bought Trinity new snow boots and snow pants when we first got here.

HA! Who's laughin' now suckas!? :)

All the adults were happy to stay inside and watch the snow fall, get a day off work, and watch the news as though it were another Snow-pocalypse. This is nothing compared to what happened a few years ago, but to watch the local news, you'd think the whole world had frozen over.

One news reporter, referring to the snowfall said, "It's all over King County now!"

Oh, that made me laugh so hard. Like the snowflakes were locusts or something.

I get it. Seattle isn't equipped to deal with much snow or ice. So, I understand the novelty and the news-worthiness of it.

It's always fun moving to a new place and learn about all the geographical, political, and historical differences.

So, now that I've lived in each of the 4 time zones in the continental U.S., and on each coast, I think I'm done for a while. Although, I have to say, Colorado still has my heart.

What's the weirdest/most unusual thing you've come across when moving to a new locale?

music monday

Totally had this song stuck in my head for the past week!

Now maybe you will too. You're welcome.

Snowy in Seattle

It's been a pretty memorable weekend out here in the PNW-chilly, but nice. Bruce had the weekend off for the most part, and Trinity and her cousin are pumped about having the entire upcoming week off for the Thanksgiving holiday.
We played Uno (I won twice) and Dominoes with Bruce's brother and his wife! The last time I played Dominoes was with my grandpa when I was little.

Saturday was pretty monumental. We had a really encouraging parent-teacher conference for Trinity in the afternoon. We've only been in Seattle for about a month, but her teacher said it's hard to tell she's the "new girl" because she's acclimated really well. She also said she is very independent, self-sufficient, likes to make the other kids laugh, yet gets her work done well, and is an "old soul."

She's just watching the snow gently fall and contemplating.....well, who knows what a 7 year old contemplates when watching snow fall!

Yes, that kind of glowing report makes a mama's heart smile. And I know all too well about her self sufficient independent attitude. Lord, help me when she's a teenager!

Because of her outstanding report, we got her a new pillow pet. Now, it's a collection. Oh boy. Where will it end?!

I must have been a good girl, too because Bruce bought me an "infinity scarf" which I've SO been wanting!

It's so versatile and I LOVE it! 

He brought it home on Saturday around noon, and the only times I've had it off are while I'm sleeping or in the shower.

When it's cold out, I'm always wearing headgear. Even indoors. I just do. This is my new fave accessory.

weird lighting, i know. i'm in my jammies.

Check the versatility! I'm not gonna lie....one significant reason I love it, is I don't have to do my hair. I've said for a long time that if I knew my head would look good bald, I'd shave off my hair. Seriously.

Getting the scarf came at a great time, too, considering it was the first snowfall of the season today!

Trinity was so excited-as it brought even more normalcy for her. She was so concerned she'd never see any snow again when we decided to move to Seattle. Well, it won't be Wisconsin snow, but it will be enough to dance on her tongue!

it's there, trust me. this was before it REALLY started falling.

Look how happy she is just to see snow!

From the kitchen window.

Now we're wrapping up the weekend with some football, good food, and the fireplace a roarin'. Good times.

Almost a decade since our first kiss...

Why is that so monumental you ask? Well....
today is our wedding anniversary. We've been in a marriage covenant for 9 years!
We've lived in 3 states, moved 8 times, have 2 children, 2 pets, and 1 God who has brought us through thick and thin with every bit of grace and mercy He's promised!
Anyway, for the recap of the how,when,where,why we met, click

HERE. 

It's from my post about our 8 year anniversary, but the how,when,where, why is all the same.
Most friends and family know the story, but for those who don't, check it out.
It's not typical!

Bruce's anniversary cake :)

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BRUCE!! I LOVE YOU.

Trendy

I've been wanting to get my mitts on the oh-so-popular Trader Joe's peanut flour, but every time I've been to the closest TJ's, it's been sold out. I actually called the other day to see if they had any before I headed up there. 

Nope. Sold out. STILL.

The dude said he'd put in my request and call me when it came in. Score!

The opportunity arose Sunday evening to maybe, just maybe, see if it was there even though they never called.

Bruce and his brother had a list of errands to run and on the list was a stop at Trader Joe's. The question came up if I wanted anything. Um-YEAH! Peanut flour!

Bruce: What? What is peanut flour?? So, I explained. Despite my thorough explanation and even a description of the bag and precise price of said item, he came home with this:

Yeah. Peanuts and flowers.

Oh well, a pretty nice substitution for the still sold out coveted peanut flour.

Or so I thought.

Yay!!!!!!!! What a jokester. They actually DID have it, and he tried to pretend like he was all confused about what I wanted.

(Star Wars Jawas sold separately).

Wanna know how excited I was to use this stuff? I dreamt about it all night. No lie. Yes, once again, you see how much of a food nerd I am. I admit it. Bruce has called me on it.

Remember this? <-------click here

This morning I excitedly mixed about 1/4 cup in with my hot rice farina cereal. Yup. As good as I dreamed of. I also plan on using it in pancakes,muffins,cookies,and avocado chocolate peanut butter pudding.

Watch out!

Oh yeah, he also brought me back a package of multi-colored cauliflour and broccoli, purple,yellow, and green.

I ate most of them pretty quick, but the leftovers I saved for today's lunch.

potatoes,brussel sprouts,garlic,cauliflour,purple onion, carrots, and white onion.

Katie-wanna share? Don't forget to bring the homemade mustard and hummus!

Music Monday-a fave

Last week when we were jammin out in the "band room", Bruce got the idea to inspire The Princess to perhaps take drum lessons. So, he got on youtube and proceeded to show her clips of the White Stripes performances, because the drummer is female.

Eh. She's ok, but I decided we should show her a Lenny Kravitz video with his female drummer. Now SHE rocks. Ok, they're both good drummers, I'm just more of a Lenny Kravitz girl than a White Stripes girl

.

I love this song. Inspired by Jesus and His message of love, and it ROCKS!

A Thankful Thursday

There are A LOT of things for which I'm thankful, and to my God and Creator, I express that gratitude daily.

Today, I'm also going to express that thanks to all the U.S. military veterans who have served this country and helped shape what it is and where it's going.

Whether or not you agree with military policy or tactic, the soldiers who serve and have served uprightly and bravely deserve our thanks!

Thank you Dad! (USMC)

Rawr! Look at that handsome dude :) Thank you Bruce!(Navy) 

Also, thanks to all other military personnel out there!

Another thing for which I'm thankful today is a great deal!! I LOVE being frugal and finding inexpensive treasures.
And so, to combine the love of frugality and freedom secured by military vets, we've been  taking advantage of special savings offered by area stores.

 I finally made it to the local Value Village to get a new hoodie, and some jammies for the Princess.
We like to jam out in our newly purchased frugal clothes:
My "new" Adidas gear.

Bruce's contributions to the frugal rock session are his hoodie and hat (free)! Can't get much more frugal than that. Oh yeah, and the fact that he's a veteran is sort of a significant contribution ;)

Trinity's jammin' in her new pjs.

This to me, seems to be hoodie nation. Hoodies everywhere! I love hoodies as much as the next person, so hey, why not a "new" one? It's comfy, versatile, cheap, and perfect when you need to layer your clothing....which is like EVERY.DAY. around here :)

I also got The Princess some new AVIA shoes from a local Fred Meyer. They were originally $30, but with coupons and other discounts-knocked down to $13. That's how we roll.

What are YOU thankful for today??

Applications, Resumes, and Interviews oh my.

 I have been to so many online job search engines, filled out so many applications, and revised my resume so much I'm about to gouge my eyes out!

But, seriously, it's all for a good cause. I need a J-O-B. 

My philosophy when you don't have a job and you need a job is: 

looking for and finding a job is your job until you get a job!

Moving to a new locale with which you're mostly unfamiliar,breeds several emotional reactions: 

fear, excitement, regret, inspiration, anxiety, awe, intimidation, wonder, invincibility, etc.

There are the times it can make you feel like you are a new person, ready to take on the world, try new things, be bold and brave!

So, all that can translate (as it has for me!), a new perspective in job hunting. Yeah, I've applied for the standard jobs in which I'm experienced and qualified.

But, I've also been stepping out of my comfort zone and applying for things I've always wanted to try. Forget that I'm not as qualified as the rest of 'em!

Was Chris Gardner qualified when he took on Wall Street? Were the Kardashian sisters qualified to open several clothing boutiques?
You always hear those inspiring success stories about corporate drones who quit their jobs, follow their hearts, and do what they love. That could be me!

Passion and drive trump qualifications, right?!  Ummmm.....we'll find out! 

Seattle is a hotbed of successful world reknown industries and job opportunities. Ever heard of

Starbucks

REI

Boeing

Google

Microsoft

Amazon

Expedia

Nordstrom

Lots of opportunities here in the Emerald City!

It's been quite exciting to zealously and confidently apply for jobs for which I've never applied before. I have this passion and excitement for certain things, and have enough zeal and desire to learn more, that I will do what it takes to increase my knowledge and experience in those fields to get the job.

And, if those new avenues result in a dead end, I could always go back to what I've been doing faithfully for the past 13 years.

Anyone know if Eddie Vedder or Bill Gates need nannies for their kids?

Have you ever stepped out of your career comfort zone and tried something new?

How did it turn out?
"The major reason for setting a goal is for what it makes of you to accomplish it. What it makes of you will always be the far greater value than what you get." -Jim Rohn

Music Monday

I remember the first time I heard this song nearly 12 years ago. I was blown away at its impact and its message. It fit my life so perfectly at that time and at MANY times since.

And it ALWAYS gets me in a good mood!
What's one of your favorite inspirational songs?

Weekend Wrap-up

I can't believe it's only been 2 weeks since we've been in Seattle. Thanks to God's grace we are adapting quickly and thoroughly. The time change was of big concern to me, since I'm natually a tired person-add in this morning's daylight savings change, and you've got a 3 hour time change to adapt to in only 2 weeks.

But, so far so good!

Anyway, I've been applying for jobs like mad-making finding a job, my job.

This morning Bruce and his brother, who have been further cultivating their "Bro-mance", started prepping a roast at 5 am. Afterwards they hit up Whole Foods and Bruce brought me back a Venti sized soy latte from Starbucks. Awwww.....my man :)

On Saturday we hit up one of my favorite grocery stores: TRADER JOE'S. I got some fun tasty gluten free goodies!

I've got big plans for these tortillas, the red pepper/eggplant spread and the avocado!

Yeah I seal my packages with paper clips. I'm resourceful like that. These crunchy beans and edamame crackers are the things I crave often.

Sadly, I couldn't find the much-coveted Trader Joe's peanut flour I've been wanting to get for so long. The cashier said they were sold out. Drat. I'll try again next time :)

Today we took The Princess to see MEGAMIND. Good movie. Lots of memorable quotes and life lessons. After Megamind, the evil character defeated the local hero and had amassed all he thought he ever wanted, he solemnly surmised, "I have everything and yet nothing."

Exactly. It's like that quote:

How can we be content with what we want, if we're not content with what we have?

She also got to experience her first city bus ride.

While at the theater-4 stories up, Bruce spotted the promotional display for the movie TRON LEGACY, which he's been anxiously awaiting since he heard of its production 3 years ago.

Trust me, he's excited.

We're gonna wrap things up with a little Green Bay Packer action and some pot roast.

It's been a great weekend and I'm not taking one second of it for granted.
What did you do this weekend?

A "blue" day and a cookie muse

Yesterday was a very "blue"day. After sending the Princess off to school, I did a ton of household chores and then made some blueberry muffins.

Sadly for me, I used "normal" ingredients so everyone else could enjoy them. By normal, I mean wheat flour, chicken eggs, and dairy milk.

 

 I grabbed my Bible, my planner, some coffee and headed out onto the back porch. Holy shnikeys! It was hot outside! SEVENTY FOUR degrees to be exact. I originally had on sweats, but had to change into my blue lettered U-Dub Dub shirt and blue shorts. It's funny, the university in Washington is nicknamed U-Dub (short for W). The extra "Dub" on my shirt is in reference to the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, my alma mater, and where Tyler goes.

 Look how incredibly blue the sky is, too! Not a cloud to be found here in "rainy" Seattle.

  

It has been SO long since I've done any baking and I love it, so after yesterday's muffin making, I wondered, "how about some cookies?" I'm on a baking roll now! ha ha ha ha.ok.

I've had these cookies on the brain for a couple days now:

Pumpkin Spice cookies frosted with Vanilla Cranberry Peanut Butter.

You might think the overabundance of pumpkin and pumpkin flavored goods would be my inspiration. My muse, if you will.

Nope. It was the Vanilla Cranberry Peanut Butter.

 Above are all my staples. I used gluten/dairy/egg free ingredients for these cookies.

 Below: In one bowl I mixed the oil (not shown), flaxseed meal, pumpkin, creamer, and brown sugar.

In the other bowl I mixed the flour,baking powder, baking soda, and  cinnamon in one bowl, and then combined and whisked away. That's what's nice about gluten free flour-you can't overstir. With wheat flour, if you stir too much, the gluten will make your baked goods too chewy.

Here's a closeup of the Vanilla Cranberry Peanut Butter. See the chunks of cranberry? Nice :)

 Look at the yummy gluten free goodness! I spread a little warmed up peanut butter on top.

Yup, that's how I "roll".

Recipe:

Bowl 1, dry ingredients

1 1/2 cup gluten free flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 Tbsp cinnamon

Bowl 2, wet ingredients

1 cup pumpkin

1/3 cup flaxseed (this is an egg replacer)

3/4 cup brown sugar

1/3 cup oil

2 Tbsp pumpkin spice creamer

Mix together, plop preferred sized dollops of dough onto cookie sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. 

Peanut butter topping is optional, but highly recommended.

Another Bus Adventure, more coffee, and quality time

 Remember how yesterday I showed you the Cranberry Vanilla peanut butter I found? Yumm-o, BUT, wayyy too sweet! I have as big a sweet tooth as the next person (ok, probably bigger), but that was like frosting. 

That, in turn, gave me the idea to make gluten free pumpkin cookies one of these days and use it as a frosting. Perfect, right?! I thought so.

After yesterday's successful public transit adventure, Bruce's confidence skyrocketed and he was all up for another go at it today. The weather was much nicer today, too, which I think had something to do with his inclination to venture out again. Yesterday was cold and rainy-today sunny and 63.

We got our color-coordinated outfits on (we did NOT plan this) and headed to the Vitamin Shoppe, Ross, and Starbucks :)

 

Look what I found on the clearance rack at Ross! My own perfect "Heather bowl"! Since we flew to Seattle, I sadly left all my kitchen-ware back in Wisco, including my Heather bowl, special mug, and spoon.

I love my new bowl.

 

It's perfect for my morning Cream of Rice topped with cinnamon and peanut butter, Rice Chex, ginormous salads, and heaping servings of roasted veggies.

See my special mug? It's more than half the height of the cereal box. And hey, it practically matches my new bowl! I didn't even plan that :)

 

Whilst at Vitamin Shoppe, I got some more liquid form of Vitamin D3,and a Larabar to snack on. Bruce stopped at Sports Authority and drooled over some way too expensive backpacks. I had to restrain him. I mean, really, $120 for a backpack??!

 

We made it back to the house after our mini shopping spree and walked to the library. This house is on the way. I just love it.

 

About a month ago Bruce spotted this rhubarb growing on the side of the road in a random spot. It's not in anyone's yard, and is in the little area of grass between the sidewalk and the road. Free for the takin'! He just has to remember his pocket knife next time and we'll have some rhubarb crisp up in here!

 

We made it to our local library, not even a mile from the house. Yay! I cannow cross "get libary card" off my to-do list.

 

On our way back. It was another great day full of quality time with my hubby. I've missed that. Seattle has been good to me so far.