Cute Storage Reuse

I had a bag of dried black beans that were spilling all over my cupboard. I decided to find something to hold the beans so I wouldn't have an extra mess to clean up. I found this old yogurt carton just waiting to be used so I poured the beans in and marked the container. I then found three more of the same countainers so I decided I could make them all into cute new storage for the kitchen.

I Just covered them with some cute adhesive drawer liner I had left over from my bookcase project. I knew I would find a use for it.

                             

I just cut off a big peace and covered the sides. I then used a sharp knife to trim off the ends. You could use an exacto knife, which would make more sense but I couldn't find mine.

I then just printed off some labels I made.

And glued them on with a good old fashion glue stick.

You could put an extra label on the top but I just decided against it. I think they look cute just like this.

I see many more of these containers in my future. I started walking around the kitchen just noticing how many things would be prefect inside this size container.  Chocolate chips? Check! Lentils? Check!

I made the labels into a PDF form so everyone can print them out and use them for whatever you want! Get the labels here. 

I'm linking this post to: Finding Fabulous, Tatertots and Jello,  Sumo's Sweet Stuff

Free label downloads

Here are the labels I used on this project. Download and print them off here for Free. You could use these for so many projects. I can just see them now, all over my house, everything labeled... what a wonderful dream. 

To download and print the labels just click on the image below. 

Behold the power of Vinegar

When I was growing up we used to mop the kitchen hard wood floors with a water/vinegar mixture. I hated the job, it smelled like vinegar (duh) plus I just hated mopping. Still do. Lately I've been reading a lot about household cleaners that can replace all of the products you buy in the store. I've noticed several times vinegar and baking soda are said can clean everything.

Fast forward to this past Saturday. We have had some major carpet stains all over our front rooms beige carpet. I've been procrastinating cleaning them because I thought I would have to use a real carpet cleaner to get the carpet clean again. Boy was I wrong. I was sick of the spots last Saturday and decided to look up a home remedy, I was ready to scrub my little heart out until these spots were gone. It ended up only taking about 15 minutes to clean every spot from my carpet. I just mixed a bowl of one part vinegar to one part water and dabbed each spot. I was amazed to see the spots disappear before my eyes, but I was even more surprised the next day when our apartment smelled nothing like vinegar. I was already prepared to live in a pickle just to make my floors clean, but it didn't take that at all. I'm looking at my carpet right now amazed at how it turned out. Caution: you are supposed to test on an area out of the way to make sure it doesn't harm the carpet. I didn't do that of course, glad it didn't ruin my carpet.

After that amazing experience I decided to try a few more vinegar related cleaning. I just poured vinegar in the "Rinse Aid" spot in my dishwasher and it got rid of my gross foggy white glasses. Without making my clean dishes smell like vinegar. I have now started just pouring vinegar on everything. I probably shouldn't do that because it's bound to ruin something.

Here is a list of a few more favorite uses for vinegar. All of these come from the website Vinegar Tips.com they lists 1001 ideas to use with vinegar so check there if you want more.  What do you use vinegar for? Have you tried any of these?

• To clean and disinfect baby toys add a good-sized splash of white distilled vinegar to soapy water.
• Fabric softener and static cling reducer - use as you would liquid fabric softener.
• Absorb unpleasant odors by setting a container (shallow bowl) of vinegar throughout the house.
• Conditions dry hair. Shampoo, then rinse hair with a mixture of one cup apple cider vinegar and two cups water. Vinegar adds highlights to brunette hair, restores the acid mantel, and removes soap film and sebum oil.
• Soothe sunburn with a spray of white distilled vinegar, repeating as often as you like. Ice-cold white distilled vinegar will feel even better, and may prevent blistering and peeling.
• Create your own window cleaning solution by combining 1/2 cup non-sudsy ammonia, 1 cup white distilled vinegar, and 2 tablespoons cornstarch in a gallon of water.
• To remove a label, decal, or price tag, cover with a cloth soaked in white distilled vinegar. Leave the cloth on overnight and the label should slide off.
• For stained and smelly plastic food containers, wipe them with a cloth dampened with white distilled vinegar.
• Get stained white socks and dingy dishcloths white again. Add 1 cup white distilled vinegar to a large pot of water, bring it to a rolling boil and drop in the articles. Let soak overnight.
• Remove perspiration odor and stains on clothing, as well as those left by deodorants, by spraying full-strength white distilled vinegar on underarm and collar areas before tossing them into the washing machine.
• Get cleaner laundry! Add about 1/4 cup white distilled vinegar to the last rinse. The acid in white distilled vinegar is too mild to harm fabrics, yet strong enough to dissolve the alkalies in soaps and detergents. Besides removing soap, white distilled vinegar prevents yellowing, acts as a fabric softener and static cling reducer, and attacks mold and mildew.
• Kill weeds and grass growing in unwanted places by pouring full-strength white distilled vinegar on them. This works especially well in crevices and cracks of walkways and driveways.
• Preserve cut flowers and liven droopy ones by adding 2 tablespoons white distilled vinegar and 1 teaspoon sugar to a quart of water in a vase.
• Wash fresh vegetables with a mixture of 1 tablespoon of white distilled vinegar in 1 ½ quarts of water.
• Stop insect stings and bites from itching by dabbing them with a cotton ball saturated with undiluted white distilled vinegar.
• Get rid of foot odor by washing feet well with antiseptic soap daily, then soaking them in undiluted cider vinegar for 10 minutes or so. Remember that cotton socks aid odor control more effectively than wool ones.
• Make nail polish last longer. Wipe fingernails with cotton balls dipped in white distilled vinegar before putting on nail polish.
• Keep car windows frost-free overnight in winter by coating them with a solution of 3 parts white distilled vinegar to 1 part water.
• Loosen chewing gum stuck to carpeting or upholstery by soaking it in white distilled vinegar
• Remove pet odors. After cleaning, cover the area with baking soda. Let it stand overnight. The next day vacuum up the baking soda and wash the area with white distilled vinegar. Rinse and let dry.
• Remove skunk odors by wiping down the animal with a 50-50 solution of white distilled vinegar and water, followed by a plain-water rinse. Repeat if necessary.
  
• Make onion odors disappear from your hands by rubbing with white distilled vinegar.
• Add moistness and taste to any chocolate cake—homemade or from a box—with a spoonful of white distilled vinegar.
• If you’ve added too much salt to a recipe, add a spoonful of white distilled vinegar and sugar to try correcting the taste.

And so many more. I'm going to start buying it in bulk.
This is linked to Works for me Wednesday. 

Rite Aid Program

I love getting good deals. We have a Rite Aid around the corner from our apartment so I go there often. I almost always buy diapers there because they usually have really good deals when you combine with coupons.  That's why I'm really excited about this new Free Rite Aid Wellness+ Program. 

Click Here to sign up for the new free Rite Aid Wellness+ Rewards Program. It's this new free program Rite Aid is doing which seems similar to Smiths Value Card. They will have sale prices for people with the card, and you earn points by using the card. Click Here for more info.

Plus if you click Here now you can get a coupon for $5 off 25 or more.

Favorite Reads?

Does any one have any book suggestions? After I finished reading These is my Words I haven't been able to really get into any new books. I need to read the sequel Sarah's Quilt but it isn't available at my library yet. I hate that. I started reading Chasing Lincoln's Killer but I just haven't been able to really get into it. I hate the in between book phase. I like to always be in the middle of a book, that way if I have any free time I know exactly what I'm gonna do. I hate starting and finishing a book, they both make me a little depressed. Anyway, any thoughts? New, old favorites?

Also, did anyone go to Old Navy for the flip flop sale? I went around noon and found a line around the inside of the store. They only had a few basic colors left, but I left with a new pair of dark blue for me and gray for the hubs. All in about 15 minutes and $2.

Did you hear.....

Some styles of flip flops are only $1.00 this Saturday at Old Navy.

Magic Peanut Butter Middle Cookies

At first these cookies just look like plain chocolate goodness.

Then you take a bite and find.......

A creamy, delicious peanut butter middle. 

 

We love peanut butter in our house, we even eat it on our noodles.  I first saw this recipe on the Tasty Kitchen recipe website and I knew I had to try it. I finally made them last night and we LOVED them! They do take a little longer to make because you have to roll the peanut butter balls and then cover in chocolate. I made mine a little smaller by only using 1/2 teaspoon of peanut butter filling and 1/2 Tablespoon of chocolate.

 

Ingredients

• FOR THE COOKIES:
• 1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
• ½ cups Cocoa Powder
• ½ teaspoons Baking Soda
• ½ cups White Sugar
• ½ cups Packed Brown Sugar
• ½ cups Butter
• ¼ cups Peanut Butter
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 1 whole Egg
• FOR THE PEANUT BUTTER FILLING:
• ¾ cups Powdered Sugar
• ¾ cups Peanut Butter

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a small bowl, mix together the flour, cocoa powder, and baking soda. In a large bowl, beat together the sugars, butter, and 1/4 cup of peanut butter until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla and egg. Slowly mix in the flour mixture. Set aside.
For the peanut butter filling, combine confectioners’ sugar and 3/4 cup peanut butter. Beat together well. Roll filling into 30 small balls. Try to keep the balls all the same size—around 1 inch.
For each cookie, use 1 tablespoon of chocolate dough and roll into a ball. It helps to flour your hands first. Squish the ball of chocolate dough flat and place a peanut butter ball in the center. Wrap the chocolate dough up and around the peanut butter ball to completely cover. Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet. Dip the bottom of a glass into white sugar and use the cup to lightly flatten the cookie balls. Bake for 7-9 minutes.

Shoe Coupon

Here is another coupon, one for Shoe Carnival. Right now they are doing Buy 1 get one 1/2 off, plus if you print off this coupon you will get a surprise of ether additional $5, $10, or $15 off 39.98 or more!

I got some really cute boots during the winter there, I wonder if they have any cute spring shoes.

Click Here for the Shoe Caranival Coupon.

Gymboree Coupon

Here is a coupon code for 30% off at Gymboree. I love the cute clothes they have but I think they are a little to expensive for someone who is going to smear spaghetti and dirt on them. 30% off helps a lot!
I might have to get Addie these cute flip flops for the 4th of July.

The Winner is...

Thanks to everyone that entered the Weekend giveaway! The winner was chosen using Random.org. 

The winner is....... Julie Sukert

What did you think about the google document format? Was it better than just leaving a comment? I think it's kind of fun, maybe I use it again with my next giveaway.

These is my words

My new favorite book right now, These is my Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-190 by Nancy Turner. 

"A moving, exciting, and heartfelt American saga inspired by the author's own family memoirs, these words belong to Sarah Prine, a woman of spirit and fire who forges a full and remarkable existence in a harsh, unfamiliar frontier. Scrupulously recording her steps down the path Providence has set her upon form- from child to determined young adult to loving mother- she shares the turbulent events, both joyous and tragic, that molded her, and recalls the enduring love with cavalry office Jack Elliot that gives her strength and purpose."

I cannot even tell you how much I loved this book. I had a really hard time starting because the title and cover are just, blah. That doesn't matter at all once you get into this book because it's amazing. Sarah is my hero, she is a strong stubborn woman that does what needs to be done, Period. Several times during this book I was in awe of her and all the trials she had to deal with. I told Reed a number of times that I would have died if I was in her shoes, I don't know how she did it.  I got so emotionally involved in this book that it tore my heart out and I cried like I haven't done in a long time. Normally that would make me hate the book but I don't, I expected to cry and that's what I did.

I have to mention the romance between Jack and Sarah, this is probably my favorite romance ever, as of right now. I may change my mind later since I just finished the book about 5 minutes ago, but you will love the connection between Jack and Sarah. It feels like Anne and Gilbert to me, but more. LOVED IT, is all I have to say. I'm going to go back and reread my favorite parts of the book now.

If you are like me just waiting for  Mockingjay  to come out so you have something good to read, go check this one out and start reading, you will get so caught up in this story you will forget to feed your baby breakfast. 

Read it, tell me what you think. I've got to talk to someone about this book!

Weekend Giveaway

UPDATE: This giveaway is now over.

I've decided to do a little giveaway this weekend to thank any readers who are still out there waiting for me to start posting again.

We've been going through a TON of yogurt at our house lately. Addie eats at least 2 cups of yogurt a day in her smoothies.  I have to admit that I've never been a huge fan of yogurt, but I like it when it's creamy and this stuff sure is creamy and thick!

Here is what Yoplait has to say:

With 12 grams of protein -- twice that found in leading yogurts-- new Yoplait Greek nourishes from the inside out. Available in four delicious flavors, Strawberry, Blueberry, Honey Vanilla and Plain, the brand´s newest offering has a unique thick and creamy texture with the unmatched taste expected of Yoplait. 

 Ready for the giveaway? One winner will receive:

• 2 VIP coupons for 2 free New Yoplait Greek Yogurt
• 1 Robe, towel thingy
• Slippers and other fun spa items

 All you have to do to enter is just leave your name and email address below. Your name and email address will only be used to notify the winner. The giveaway will only go until Monday at 10:00 PM Mountain time. 

Anyone can click Here for a coupon good for .30/1 off one!
Thanks to Yoplait Yogurt and MyBlogSparks for the coupons, gift packs and information.