Author Archives: Kathy

Finer Thing Fridays: Washable Lovies

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The tummy bug has hit the House of Hills. The Princess had a bit of a fever last night and then woke up this morning with a race to the bathroom. This is NOT a finer thing.

See the Princess’s Lovies – her Beary and Bunny. They ARE a FINER THING. They’re washable!!!! They’re the TY Pluffies. And, they’ve been washed many, many, many times over the years. She’s had Beary since birth. She was a reflux baby so Beary ended up christened with bodily fluids often. He would take a bath almost daily. Bunny came along when she was about two, and they have been a set ever since. It is so helpful to have washable lovies.

Another FINER THING – we have a second set of Beary and Bunny. So, while the first set is taking a bath, the Princess can cuddle with the second set.

Washable Lovies – A FINER THING

Amy has lots more finer things over at Finer Things Friday.

Things I Love Thursday: Cuddles

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Last night was one of those nights. You know the ones where the sweet princess is up and up and up. It was one of those. The poor thing was slightly congested, which was the 3:15 – 3:45 coming in and out of my room and the nose blowing and coughing. We finally got that under control after a few treks up and down the hall and her laying with me for a few minutes.

Then, she woke up at 5 and was just plain excited and giddy about the day. At 5AM! You see, today was Consumer Day at school and she was so full of anticipation. She’d made her sign, made her products, checked off her checklist. She was ready, and she couldn’t wait for the day to come. So, she climbed in my bed chatting about it at 5AM. Seriously, 5AM. I calmed her down, said “Yes, it is exciting. Now get some more sleep!!!” and held her in my arms. She slept for another hour and a half. In my arms. All content and snuggly. Just like she did when she was little bitty.

I was complaining a little this morning about how tired I was today because of our crazy night, but then I got to thinking. Isn’t this what I signed up for when I became a mom. Isn’t this what I wanted. A little person who looks to me to hold her and make it all better. Who thinks that in my arms is the best place in the world. Aren’t the cuddles worth it all. They are. The cuddles are worth every minute of lost sleep. They’re worth the snotty tissues and dirty clothes. They’re worth pretty much everything.

When my “baby” girl curls up in my arms, lets out a tiny little sigh, and falls asleep, I know that she feels loved, safe, and secure. Everything I’ve ever wanted for her.  Today, cuddles are the thing I love the most.

Linked up to Things I Love Thursday at Diaper Diaries.

Top Ten Tuesday: What I'm Watching

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It’s Tuesday… so it’s time for Top Ten Tuesday over at OhAmanda. Here’s my contribution.

I’ve been spending a lot more time in front of the TV. I’m not sure whether the TV has gotten better or I’ve just gotten older, and that’s what I do now. In fact, there are few shows out there that make me think or make me laugh. I thought I’d share them with you. Since I know you wanted to know – here’s what I’m watching these days:

10. 24 – This is honestly the FIRST season I’ve watched – EVER. I know, it’s like season what 3…4…5… I don’t even know. The Sweetie started watching it because so many folks at work watch it, and he wanted to be able to discuss. In fact, it’s on while I’m typing this. I’m obviously not that interested as I’m writing this rather than paying attention.

9. Kim Possible – This would be the Princess’s favorite show ever since we were at Epcot in November and did the Kim Possible adventure thing. It was a BLAST! And, we discovered Kim Possible and her crazy friends. She’s a pretty fun show to watch. Which is good, since we watch her often daily.

8. Phineas and Ferb – Have you watched this one on Disney Channel? They are awesome. It’s such a great one for parents and kids to watch together. I would like to say this is also a Princess show, but there are times I’ve caught myself watching, and she’s not in the room.

7. Iron Chef America – Good food and good chefs. I wish I could cook like that. **sigh** Of course, that much pressure would put me over the edge.

6. As Time Goes By – This one is on BBC – an old British romantic comedy series. Dame Judy Dench is in it so the acting is superb, and the writing is great. It’s one that the Sweetie and I like to watch together. True couple time.

5. Chuck – I adore Chuck. He’s even more fun now that he can do that mad ninja stuff this season. If you are not watching chuck, you are really missing out.

4. CASTLE – Remember Moonlighting? Back in the 80’s? I loved Moonlighting. Castle reminds me of Moonlighting – but better.

3. NCIS – LA – This one is growing on me. I wasn’t sure at first, but it’s getting better. The chemistry between the ensemble is good and the mysteries are good.

2. NCIS – LOVE LOVE LOVE this one. Well, except for that new lawyer chick – not too excited about her, but I don’t think we’re supposed to like her. I love the chemistry between the cast and Abby is my absolute favorite character.

1. LOST – There are no words. It’s just AWESOME! And it’s on tonight!!! Wooop! Wooop!

Do you have a favorite that’s not on my list? Am I missing something?

Menu Plan Monday 02.08.10

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Still trying to eat from the pantry and freezer as much as possible. Going to go shopping with me new coupon binder today and get a few things as well as stuff for tonight’s dinner for small group. I tend to not cook from my pantry for them. They get a special trip to the store.

Monday: Chocolate Chili (That’s what we call it, but it’s not the real name.), Cornbread, Salad, Peach Dump Cake

Tuesday: Leftovers

Wednesday: Breakfast for Dinner

Thursday: (Company for Dinner) Fried chicken, green beans, crock pot mac-n-cheese, rolls, brownies

Friday: Bingo night at school

Saturday: Pork Chops, rice, broccoli

Sunday: HAPPY LOVE DAY! Surprise for my husband so I’m not posting.

If you want even more recipe links, head on over to Menu Plan Monday at Orgjunkie.com.

Coupon Binder

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So I had a REALLY exciting Friday night. I made my coupon binder. I know – thrilling right! Well, actually I was SO EXCITED to make my binder and apparently others were too. I got several Twitter and Facebook messages asking me to show more pictures. So, here you are ladies (and gents) – the promised Coupon Binder Blog Post. It’s a long one, so hang with me…

I’ve been reading lots of blogs and hearing how people are saving TONS of money with coupons, but I’m having trouble accomplishing what they can accomplish. And, I’ve often caught myself in a store, seeing something on a great sale, and knowing that I have a coupon for it at home. SO frustrating. I’ve tried several systems over the years.

The way I’ve couponed for years is using THE COUPONIZER. I actually still LOVE this coupon organizer. It’s got logical categories. I like that you can flip through pages rather than struggling with an accordion file. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the mat that comes with it that helps you organize your coupons. It also fits in my purse and is easy to sue at the store. If you’re just getting started with couponing and are looking for a simple coupon organizer, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this one.

So why did I want to leave THE COUPONIZER behind? Well, two reasons: 1. Mine is falling apart. Seriously, it has been used for at least six years, and I either needed to buy a new one or move on to a different system. 2. I’ve got too many coupons. I get the Sunday paper most weeks. (Yes, I know I need to subscribe – it’s on the to-do list.) I get leftover coupons from my mom. In addition, we get a version of the Sunday coupons every Thursday in a small paper that is distributed to everyone. I get mine and at least two other neighbors who don’t coupon. Folks, that’s A LOT of coupons. It’s also A LOT of the same coupon. What was happening was that my Couponizer was stuffed and I was having to go through a lot of coupons to find the one I needed.

Many coupon savvy people recommend saving all coupon inserts and writing the date of the insert on the front with a large marker. Then, when you go to blogs like Southern Savers and Mommy Snacks, you can easily find the coupon to which they are referring by going to that week’s coupon insert. Clip what you need and go to the stores with a very detailed list and your envelope of coupons.

Ya, that was NOT working for me. That is not to say that it won’t work for you. It’s just not working for me. I have been attempting to do this since the beginning of the year. What I’ve got is a whole bunch of coupon inserts with very few coupons cut out of them. Why? Because I can’t ever seem to find the coupon to which they are referring. And I haven’t been able to find the time to sit down and make a comprehensive shopping list before I end up at the store. I’ve been in Publix, seen something on sale, known there was a coupon at home, and been SO FRUSTRATED.

So, after seeing several COUPON BINDERS online, I am giving it a try. If I don’t like it, I’m going back to THE COUPONIZER. There are lots of places online where our bloggy friends have shared the coupon binder wisdom. These are a few I found:

Being Frugal

$5 Dinners

Mom Saves

And there are some that will sell you a coupon binder:

The Coupon Binder

Get Couponing

I SERIOUSLY considered purchasing a pre-made binder, but it would take time to get here. And, I wanted it done this weekend. I also didn’t want to pay for shipping or really pay for something I could do myself. I headed over to Walmart, and had everything within minutes. I spent about $35 and this is what I got.

I purchased a 2″ (I think) 3-ring binder that zipped. I wanted it to be able to close so that it didn’t fall apart all over the car. I purchased three sets of 8 tabs – well, I actually only purchased 2, but I’m going to get one more. I purchased 2 packages of baseball card pages. These are always near the registers at Walmart. Just in case you’re looking for them. The last thing I bought was a $1 calculator. I’m not really sure why I think I need this since I have an iPhone, but I’ve got one.

The first and biggest step was determining what my categories were going to be. Seriously! It’s a HUGE decision. I looked at what others had done online and I looked at The Couponizer. I decided to do basically the same categories as The Couponizer but break them down a little more. I ended up with 21 categories – and that was eliminating some. Who knew there were that many categories of coupons!?

Now, I know myself pretty well. And I knew that as soon as I wrote a category in permanent marker on one of those tabs, I was going to want to change it. Instead, I used these cool removable labels that I had from Avery. I cut them up into little strips and stuck those strips on the tabs and then wrote my categories on the strips. And, yes, I did change a couple up almost immediately. Notice my cool Bic Mark IT! pen. Still loving it.

Once I had all the tabs ready, I placed them in the binder alphabetically with two baseball card pages in between. Then it was time to add in the coupons. I had PLENTY of those. Remember, I had all those coupon inserts with the dates on the front and nothing clipped out.

I had so many coupons that sorting them was going to be a nightmare. So, I took a cue from THE COUPONIZER and made a sorting mat. I grabbed a half piece of poster board and divided it into 24 sections (an extra few in case I need them later). I then labeled the sections with the same categories as I have on the tabs. This made going through and organizing the massive stack of coupons I had a breeze. If you’re not doing this… well, then I’m not sure how you sort yours.

One thing I discovered when I was putting the sorted coupons in the binder is that they’ve got to be trimmed pretty well to fit into those pockets. The baseball card pockets are …um… the size of baseball cards. Some Many coupons are not that size so they have to be folded or trimmed well. I might investigate different size pages if I decide this is the way for me.

So, I’m pretty excited about my coupon binder. It will be making it’s debut at the local Publix tomorrow. We’ll see how it goes. I’m going to give it a least a month before making any decisions as to whether it’s the system for me. But, I’m thinking it’s going to be.

What do you do to organize your coupons?

Finer Things Friday: Football

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It’s Super Bowl Weekend. That means we will be watching the big game on Sunday. And then football season will be over. The House of Hills is very sad. We at the House of Hills LOVE football. We love watching it all weekend long when college ball is going on.

The Sweetie and I watch football EVERY Saturday and Sunday night during football season. It’s what we do together. I can never remember what we do on weekend nights when there is no football. Guess we’re going to find out soon.

Football… it’s a FINER THING at the House of Hills.

Looking for some recipes for the big game day? Here are some links…

Super Bowl Food at The Finer Things In Life

Ultimate Recipe Swap at Life As Mom


Check out Finer Things Friday for more of the finer things in life.

Things I Love Thursday: Diet Coke

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Last week I joked on Twitter (I’m “kathill” by the way – yes I know I need a button on this here blog, but I need help from Chief Geek AKA My Sweetie for that.) What was I saying…

Oh! I was joking on Twitter that I had a new addiction. I was joking. That’s not an addiction – really. It’s a new love, but it’s not an addiction. I can live without the new Bic Mark It! pens, but there is one thing I cannot – and I mean CANNOT – live without.

DIET COKE!!!

Seriously, It’s a true addiction. If I don’t have it, I will suffer greatly and get a headache. You’re saying, “That’s just a need for caffeine.” Part of it is the caffeine addiction – true. However, nothing, NOTHING soothes my nerves like a Diet Coke.

Preferably from a soda fountain.

The best Diet Coke is from a soda fountain – a soda fountain that is properly calibrated to have the perfect balance of syrup and soda water. The best place to find this balance…

THERE IS GOING TO BE A PICTURE OF ONE FROM A QT HERE. I JUST HAVEN’T GOTTEN OUT OF THE HOUSE TO GET IT!

Ahhhh, pure bliss!!!

I’m linked up to Diaper Diaries Things I Love Thursdays. Go check it out!

Great Minds Think Alike…Sorta

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If you read my menu plan for the week (you all did right?), you would know we were planning to have slow cooker roast sandwiches with cheese last night for dinner.

In the morning, I put the roast in the slow cooker, added a pack of Lipton soup mix, some worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper. I let it cook all day. It smelled heavenly. When it was tender, I shredded it using two forks and then let it sit in its juices until time to eat.

Later in the afternoon, I whipped up some homemade rolls using the recipe from the $5 cookbook for hot dog buns. The Princess loves those rolls. She calls them “Funky Bread” because when she shapes them they never look like an actual roll. We make them in the bread machine (that I almost got rid of during our great purge – GASP!) and then bake them in the oven. Another divine smell.

When the rolls were done, I sliced them in half. Then I layered on the yummy shredded beef and some monterey jack cheese. I put them on some foil and then on the broiling pan. When they came out, they looked SO YUMMY. It’s hard to tell by the picture, but this was pure yumminess…

Well, I thought it was pure yumminess… My Sweetie – not so much. Oh he ate it, and he enjoyed it, but there were no “Oh honey, this is amazing!” I was thinking it was amazing. I was alone in that thought apparently.

Now, we’ve been married almost twelve years, so this would not be the first meal he didn’t LOVE. However, over the years, he’s become more comfortable letting me know when things could be improved. In a nice way of course. Here’s the thing. He likes really intense flavors. He likes spicy flavors. The Princess and I  – not so much. We’re pretty plain in our flavor love. So while I really enjoyed the beef, he thought it could use a little something more. We tried to figure out what we could add to make it more “something” for him, but we were kinda at a loss.

Then, what appears in my feed reader this morning (I use Google Reader – what do you use?), but a post from the Pioneer Woman. What did she cook yesterday to tell us all about?

DRIP BEEF!! (Which is apparently a different name for what I made last night.)

Seriously!! What are the chances? So, I read her recipe. Ummm… SO MUCH BETTER than mine. Like, SO SO SO much better. Embarrassingly so. (A secret – I almost didn’t even tell you about my miserable attempt.) In fact, she made drip beef two different ways, and they BOTH looked better than mine. And sounded more flavorful too.

So, what does a good wife do? Admit defeat immediately! I tweeted (yes, we tweet each other during the day) My Sweetie and sent him the link. I asked which recipe he would like me to try. He favored the one with the peppers, but said he would try either. You know what makes me mad. We keep a jar of those peppers in the house at all times. My Sweetie LOVES those peppers. Neither of us thought of those last night. **Sigh**

So, while the Pioneer Woman and I were both thinking about beef sandwiches yesterday, only one of us did it well. Go check out Pioneer Woman’s Drip Beef Recipe and let me know which one you would try first. Recipe 1 or Recipe 2?

Whichever recipe gets the most votes in my comments section, is the one I’ll make in a couple weeks. Then, I’ll let you know if My Sweetie likes it better than mine. I’m pretty sure he will.