Hey y’all!I just wanted to share with you a quick, money saving idea for the new year.A few weeks ago The Hubs and I received a post card in the mail from our power company offering to send us a free box full of energy saving goodies. Well, I love the word free so I told him to jump at the chance!Here’s what we got:2 – 100 watt GE Energy Smart light bulbs4 – 60 watt GE Energy Smart light bulbs4 – Kitchen/bath faucet aerators 4 – Kitchen/bath faucet aerator adaptors1 – energy efficient shower head1 – CyberPower Power Saving Surge Protector plug in stripThe kit also came with a booklet of tips to energy proof your home and some ways to save on your power and water bills. We’re renters right now, so really the only stuff we can use is the light bulbs, but hope to be in our own home this…
Just an FYI
If you haven’t seen this before and you blog, this might be of interest to you:It’s a nice way to get a little love on your Facebook, Twitter or Pinterest accounts. This is NOT a blog hop. It’s a social media hop. Great if you want to grow your following in places besides your blog.
Sunday Pinspiration #5 – Valentine’s Day Ideas
Well it’s a new year and yes, you read that correctly, it’s already time to start thinking about Valentine’s Day crafts. Before I share with you the pins, I wanted to review the rules for our little Sunday theme.1. I have done my very best to find the original link for each picture. If for some reason there is an error or due credit isn’t given, please, PLEASE kindly let me know.2. If the link is directly to your blog – i.e. it is your original work – and you would rather I not post it, please let me know and the picture will be removed.3. If you like any of these and want to add them to your own Pinterest boards, please click the source link and pin from there to ensure proper credit.Remember – ALWAYS Pin Responsibly (Have you taken the pledge?)Here are the goodies:Definitely doing this for The Hubs (hopefully he’s not…
Goals for 2012
Hey guys! I am having the hardest time getting back into a normal groove after the holidays. Anyone else dealing with that?I’ve been trying to get this post written for the last few days but I just couldn’t make it work. Here’s my last shot.So last year I posted a list of Goals for 2011 with the hope that since I put them out there for all the world to see, I’d stick to it. When I went back this year to see how I did however…ouch. Maybe that’s what has blocked me from writing the last few days. I feel kind of crappy for not getting as much done last year as I wanted to.Here was last year’s list -1. Pay down debt. We did quite well in this and continue to progress. Not as fast as I’d like, but I guess it’s teaching me patience. ;)2. Drink more water.…
2011 Wrap Up and an Announcement
Well, another year is over. I can’t believe that tomorrow will be 2012! That sounds weird. And I’m still miffed that I don’t have a flying car. ;)Anywho, I wanted to take a few moments to highlight what has been a great year of growth here at The Scrappy Housewife.My Top 5 posts this year were:#5 – How I organized my pantry#4 – My Master Bedroom Closet Decrapification#3 – More Kitchen Organization for Homemaker’s Challenge #2 – How I Made Dollar Tree Picture Frames Look Fab!And the #1 Post for 2011 Was:My Very First Post on Kitchen Organization!Seriously, y’all – I was so stunned to find that my kitchen organization posts were so popular! I’ll have to keep that in mind as I go forward. (Hopefully, there will be a new(er) and bigger kitchen to organize this year…My Top 5 Referrers this year were:Thrifty Decor ChickThe Complete Guide to Imperfect HomemakingHouse…
Leftovers Make Over – Part 1
Hey y’all! Did everyone have a nice holiday? The Hubs and I took it easy over the weekend and he surprised me by taking the whole week off, so I’ll be a little sparse this week. We see so little of each other during the week and he never takes off, so I’m taking advantage of him being home!Still, I just couldn’t resist sharing this super simple, scrumptious recipe my friend Ree (not that Ree 😉 ) gave me last week. It knocked me out! She’s been my best friend since high school and I trust her cookin’ skills implicitly.OK raise your hand if you had turkey for Christmas dinner. We had ham – oh so much ham, but I had a ton of turkey left over from Thanksgiving and I needed to use it to make room in our freezer since my in-laws sent us eight – count ’em eight filet mignon for Christmas! But…
The Christmas Ornament
I thought I’d share a Christmas story with you. It’s going to start out a little rough, but in the end, I hope it makes you smile and remember those who might not be at your Christmas table this year. The story is entirely true. I haven’t made any of this up. I know, because it happened to me. Grab a soda, it might be awhile.When I was 18, I suffered my first big loss. The summer between high school and college was spent watching my mother, care for hers. And then comforting her when Memaw (that’s Southern for Grandmother, y’all) passed away. I was ill-equipped to deal with death and therefore, I didn’t. I won’t go into details, that’s really not the point of the story, but I will share with you that I have been a different person since that time. That loss changed me forever. It was just…
What Your Child’s Teacher Really Wants for Christmas
This week, many children will celebrate Christmas/Winter holidays and then enjoy two weeks off from school. Most schools have Christmas parties and most kids want to bring their teacher a Christmas gift. I was a teacher for 5 years (and may go back some day), so I thought I’d share some insight into what your teacher really wants for Christmas.First off, let me say this: Teacher’s (99% of them) are really grateful to receive anything. And I mean that, anything. It just means a lot to be recognized for all they do on a daily basis. (I won’t get on a soapbox here, but trust me when I say your teacher’s three months “off” in the summer are spent working, attending training, getting a jump on next year.) So while this may sound like I’m telling you what not to buy, please don’t take it as such. I’m speaking from my…
Our Christmas Tree 2011
Christmas trees around here are pretty serious business. It goes beyond mere tradition. It’s sacred. There’s back story here. Before my mom died in 2007, we would spend months (I do not lie) every year planning our theme. Some years it was elegant, sometimes whimsical, but always special. I have pictures of many of those trees. I cherish the memories of decorating the tree with my mom and I honor our tradition by still taking months to conceptualize our tree. I’m already working on next year’s. Really.This year was no exception. I wanted something timeless, elegant, harkening back to the Victorian era. Actually, the Victorian thing was hubby’s. I might bring him over to the dark side yet. 😉 Anyway, let’s take a look at our tree. I’ll warn you it’s small – all our apartment can hold. And it literally cost us $20 at Target our first Christmas. Top…
How to Make Those Advent Pockets
Hey y’all. I’m back this evening to show you how I made my super adorable (OK, I’m biased) Advent calendar pockets. They are crazy easy. Here’s what you do:Materials You’ll Need:12 x 12 Scrapbooking Paper of your choice – either one sided or double sided – both workTape runner or glue stick (your choice – I used tape runner)Decorations or embellishments of your choice (or none if you so choose)Paper cutterPaper scoring board (optional)Instructions for Double Sided Cardstock/Paper – When using solid color cardstock or something double sided that is not directional you can make a pocket in about two minutes. I do not lie. It’s that easy.First, cut a 7″x3″ strip of paper using your paper cutter.Then, using your scoring board and stylus make a fold line at the 4 inch mark. If you don’t have a scorer, no problem, just use a ruler and mark where four inches would…