The Most Important Work

Grrrrr...TeleCheck

2008-07-24T15:49:00.007-04:00

Have you ever dealt with a company by the name of TeleCheck? You may have dealt with them unknowingly, even. They are a check guarantee system that some merchants use to, well, guarantee checks.

OK - Here's the situation, my parents went away on a week's vacation, and, I took the keys... (got a little carried away with Fresh Prince in my head, there. Anyway..........

Here's what happened:

The kids and I went to the free movie this morning at Regal Cinemas. It was Alvin & the Chipmunks. Cute movie. Anyway, after lunching at Chick-Fil-A (we affectionately call it "Chickee Fil Lay Lay") using our free meal vouchers from the first 100, I thought we'd head to the mall across the street and check out the end of season sale at the Children's Place. Rumor was they had an extra 50% off already marked down stuff.

They did, and I picked some stuff out for both kiddos for next summer. About $50 worth. I try not to shop with kids in tow, but in the name of saving gas money, I succommed to the sale since we were right there. I bought Zach a ton of stuff at $2.50 each and the most expensive purchase was for Taylor. A playdress, coming in at $6.99. Considering that's not tons more than I pay at thrift stores, I'm pretty happy with my purchases. Well...almost purchases...

Are you wondering what the heck this has to do with TeleCheck? Well, here's where it gets frustrating.

My total...$54.99. I wrote my check and handed it to the friendly employee. After a few minutes, she told me that it was declined. They use a check guarantee system and it wasn't approving the check. She didn't know why, though.

She handed me a little slip of paper with this message:

"We are sorry that we cannot accept your check, open your account, or cash your check at this time. Our decision is based, in part, on information provided to us by TeleCheck. If you have recieved a turndown, our decision may also be based, at least in part, on TeleCheck's need for additional information. We encourage you to call or write TeleCheck's check Writer Services Office to obtain the information in TeleCheck's files. Please include...blah...blah...blah..."

Also included on that paper was a toll free telephone number to call 24 hours a day.

So I did.

I rounded up the kids (who may or may not have been crawling on the floor under the clothing racks) and sat them on a bench outside of the store so I could make this phone call and straighten this situation out.

I knew there was plenty of money in the account and that it shouldn't be declined.

Lo and behold, after entering umpteen million (yes. I' m pretty sure that's a real number) phone numbers, check numbers, etc., etc., I was told by a recording that they couldn't accept the check. No reason, no human.

I tried back seveveral times, trying multiple ways to get a human on the phone with me. It. did. not. give. me. that. option. In desperation, I tried pressing zero to get a human. It hung up on me. Seriously. (Is my level of frustration coming across here?)

I went in to talk to the girl at the counter and explained the situation and she over-rode the transaction. Thank goodness for customer service.

We came home and I looked up the TeleCheck company online and found another phone number for them so I could speak to a human.

Enter a not-very-helpful customer service human being that works at TeleCheck. I told her my story...blah...blah...blah. I asked to speak to her supervisor. Cue the not-very-helpful, beligerant customer service human being supervisor that works at TeleCheck.

Get this - she told me that the account didn't have enough history in their system. Mind you, that account is about 5 years old. I told her that. She said that there weren't enough transactions or purchases made with it in the last 365 days. Whah????

Mike & I have several bank accounts for different things. One of those accounts gets money deposited into it EVERY PAYCHECK and rarely gets checks written to withdraw money from it. This is for things like school supplies, seasonal clothes, once-a-year payments, etc. And I use billpay online a lot. So basically, because I choose to save my money in this account, I can't use it when I need to. Seriously flawed system. "It didn't meet their company's parameters" (to quote the ever helpful Telecheck supevisor) for a check that could be approved.

She said that I should've called from the store. I told her that I did (multiple times, in fact), and that I could not get ahold of a human to help me. She says that the recording comes on when all the representatives are busy. It did not tell me that, nor did it give me an option of holding for a human representative.

The wonderful, helpful, beligerent supervisor told me that they just had to call the bank to verify the balance amount. Well - I guess that would've been helpful if I could get ahold of a human while still at the store, then, huh? She could care less that their system is flawed and told me she had no supervisor there and wouldn't give me a way to talk to one.

My next plan of action was to call the Children's Place customer service and let them know about the bad experience with TeleCheck. I thought they'd want to know that they were "partnering" with a company that is that difficult to deal with. The nice CS lady (I was totally nice to her too, btw. My problem was not with TCP at all) at TCP said that they'd had lots of complaints about TeleCheck and they are in the middle of getting a new check guarantee company to work with. She thanked me for sharing my experience and said that it did matter to them how their customers are being treated by TeleCheck.

There. I feel better.

Anyone else have a frustrating experience with a check guarantee company?

(photo sources: http://www.g-easy.com/; http://www.icsc.org/vrn/0008/childrens_place.gif;http://www.blog.wellsfargo.com/)

WFMW: New Favorite Hair Accessory

2008-07-23T16:30:00.005-04:00

Do you ever have one of those days when you can't stand to have your hair around your face? Yeah? Me too.

I have a stacked, a-line bob-type hair cut and its not very long...not really long enough for a ponytail. I showed you what it looks like here.

I found a product at Walmart (not my favorite store...at all) and I love it. It is called the Goody Stay Put headwrap. It looks like this...

I. Seriously. Heart. my new headbands. They grip and stay put just like their name says. Also, they don't give me a headache like other hard plastic headbands. Those little dotted lines you see are rubbery grippy thingys. Yes. That is the technical name.

Thought you'd wanna know what works for me.

To see what is working for other bloggers, check here.

Simple Woman's Daybook: Journal Entry

2008-07-21T14:25:00.007-04:00

FOR TODAY July 21, 2008...

Outside My Window... I'm enjoying the fresh cut grass (thanks to my sister) and trimmed bushes (thanks to my mamma) in our yard. My husband's back prevents him from doing those things, and I'm just not a yardwork kind of girl. I know, it sounds snobby, but it is what it is.

I am thinking...about my little man, who has a bit of a stomach bug as of this morning. I had to reschedule my birthday present massage for Wednesday, but that's ok cause I wanted to be here taking care of him.

I am thankful for...air conditioning. It is hot as hades out today. I think the heat index is something like 105. Yikes!

From the kitchen...I'm roasting a chicken tonight for dinner and chopping up the leftovers for enchiladas.

I am wearing...bum-around-the-house clothes. Comfy, but wouldn't leave the house looking this way.

I am creating...this blog post? Really not creating anything else right now that I can think of.

I am going...shopping tonight to pick up cheap school supplies on sale & other sale goodies at Kroger. Great sales this week!

I am reading...Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen. Although I was an English major in college, I somehow missed out on some great classics. I'm trying to go through Austen's stuff. I've seen the movies, but now want to read the books. So far, I'm not disappointed.

I am hoping...to get organized for our upcoming trip. We will soon be heading to Utah to visit Mike's family for 10 days.

I am hearing...the Mamma Mia movie soundtrack. If you know me, you know I love musicals. My sisters & I (all 4 of us) got together and saw the new movie Friday night. It was fun and way cute. I had never seen the musical before, but my sister said the movie was very close to the stage version.

Around the house...Just laundry & straightening up.

One of my favorite things...Music can really set a mood. The Mamma Mia soundtrack is a great cleaning cd! It worked wonders for me this morning!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:Of course, my massage on Wednesday. We'll probably do the free movie on Thursday. We won't be having a water day this week, as my nephew's 3rd birthday party is Saturday and will be at the POOL!

Here is picture thought I am sharing...aren't cemetery pictures cool? These were taken at Hollywood Cemetery, an awesome, old cemetery in Richmond, VA.

For more of a Simple Woman's Daybook, click here.

Roll N Grow, Anyone?

2008-07-20T23:28:00.003-04:00

As the kids & I drove home from church today, I noticed some beautiful zinnias in lots of colors in a yard we passed.

I commented on their beauty:

Me -"Look at those beautiful colorful flowers, guys."

Taylor - "Yeah."

Zach - "They probably used Roll N Grow."

Yeah...I'm sure they did Zach. All beautiful flowers come from an infomercial, right?

Take a Mini-Vacation

2008-07-18T11:03:00.013-04:00

With the price of everything steadily rising, it is important to be smart with recreational fun.

Problem: Expensive hotels and travel expenses

Solution: Stay with friends nearby, but not in our hometown and do their cool local stuff

We stayed with our friends in Newport News, VA this weeks for several days and had a blast. It was just the kids and I...Mike had to work.

The Virginia Living Museum is an excellent local trip. We all enjoyed it. The friends we stayed with only live about 15 minutes away from the museum, and visit it often, so they have annual memberships.

There is currently a dinosaur exhibit, complete with robotic dinosaurs...a big hit!

The exhibit is complete with baby dinosaurs hatching:

The food chain in display:

A "bare bones" robotic dinosaur stripped of his skin. The kids could control the movements of this one and even make him roar. Kind of spooky:

There were plenty of photo opps:
Hands on areas where the kids could get up close and personal with local sea creatures:

A wildlife reserve path outside that includes many fun animals to observe: beavers, otters, pelicans, coyotes, and bobcats (among others):

There were cool "discovery centers" where the kids could learn about geology, archeology, animal tracks-ology, and fossil-ology. I liked the sign that said, "Discovery area: DO TOUCH!":

Our trip concluded with a fashion show in the museum's gift shop:

Although the museum admission was not inexpensive at $15 for me and $12 each for the kiddos, I feel that our little mini vacation was frugal because we kept the travel expenses low: we didn't go very far from home (only 1 hour drive) and had no hotel expenses. We also enjoyed the nearby beach the next day which was a ton of fun and frugal as well, but alas, the camera was left in the car.

Want more frugal ideas? Go here.

My Surprise This Morning...

2008-07-18T10:41:00.005-04:00

My daughter, Taylor(8), surprised me this morning. This was on the inside of my door when I woke up:

Then this on the upstairs banister:

Then halfway down the stairs on the landing:

Then in the downstairs foyer:

Then on the couch in the family room:

Then on the doorway to the kitchen:

Guess what I had for breakfast?

Scrambled eggs seasoned perfectly and cinnamon toast. Yum! And I didn't even have to cook it! :) Sorry I didn't get a picture of the plate before it was all gone! Thanks Taylor! It was a wonderful surprise!

Does Your Cat Use the Toilet?

2008-07-17T17:10:00.004-04:00

Ok - I'm not a cat person. Partly, I'm sure, because I'm allergic to them. That pretty much hinders my getting close to a cat without itching, sneezing, and runny eyes.

But I had to tell y'all about this new product a friend told me about. The Cat Genie. It's a cat toilet, y'all. You hook it up to the plumbing in your bathroom or your laundry room and it flushes. Yeah, I said it flushes.

Here's what the site says:

The only automatic cat box that flushes away wasteand, like a cat, washes itself clean.
CatGenie uses permanent Washable Granules that never need changing
For your cats, it's like using a clean box of cat-comfy, normal-size cat box filler
For you, CatGenie works like a modern washing-drying, cat toilet appliance
After a one-time, simple DIY hook up to water, you're set
Push a button or preset CatGenie Cat Box to start automatically
Used and recommended by veterinarians, nationwide.

You want one now? The basic version will set you back only $297 smackeroos. Yep. You heard me right. Two Hundred & Ninety-Seven dollars. Wow. That's all I can really say.

Yummy, Easy Crockpot Chicken Alfredo, Anyone?

2008-07-15T10:32:00.004-04:00

Simple, easy, & yummy. These are my requirements for a winning recipe at my house.

Here's one for ya...shared by a friend from college...Danielle...if you're out there, shout out!

Yummy, Easy Crockpot Chicken Alfredo
4 chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (uncooked, frozen is even ok)
1 8oz. block of cream cheese (I use the 1/3 less fat version...still yummy)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/3 soup can of water
1 packet dry Italian dressing mix
1/2 stick butter

Throw it all in there. Stir to mix. Cook on high for 6 hours or on low for 3. Serve over any type of noodles. Easy peasy!

For more kitchen tips, go to Tammy's Recipes for Kitchen Tip Tuesday.

Ants Have Taken Over My Kitchen

2008-07-14T12:53:00.002-04:00

Dear ants inhabiting my kitchen,

Seriously...could you leave, already? I mean come on. I understand that there's good stuff on the countertops sometimes and dirty dishes in the sink callin' your name and all. But still.

Don't you read the internet? There are pages upon pages of tips on how to get rid of you. I have followed all of that advice and none of it is working. I've tried to give you little "ant motels" to hang out in. Were they not decorated cute enough, or something?

From what I understand, you don't like to cross over a line of chalk or a sprinkling of baby powder. Do you realize that it is not fun having baby powder sprinkled all over my kitchen? Although, baby powder is preferable to having you all over the counters.

We've caulked up the spots you use as your special "doors" and bought the nice expensive Terro stuff the internet promises will make you leave us alone. What is with you anyway? Just go away!

I'm seriously too discusted to cook in my kitchen right now and my family menus and budgets are suffering.

Windex kills you right on the spot and I've got plenty of it, but I'm pretty sick of cleaning up trails of your carcasses all over my kitchen. Just eat that sweet smellin' stuff and leave us alone. You have really overstayed your welcome.

Tybee Island, Georgia

2008-07-11T16:01:00.002-04:00

This is a slideshow from last September when my husband & I (no kiddos) celebrated our 10 year anniversary at Tybee Island, GA. It was wonderful. I just thought I'd share my smilebox creation here. Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Take 2 Of These And Call Me In the Morning - Organizing Medicine

2008-07-09T14:43:00.009-04:00

Where is that perfect location to store medicine? We've been told that it is definitely not in the bathroom, due to all the heat and moisture, even though that is where the medicine cabinet lives.

I keep mine in the kitchen. It seems the most convenient spot for my family. In this house, I've kept in on the tip top shelf in the pantry, you know, the one my kids can't reach (I can't reach it either, for that matter). So I dread getting medicine out. Especially since I get lots of free and cheap medicine due to the CVS deals. What's a girl to do?

How 'bout this?

Do you have one of these roll-up makeup/toiletry bags laying around from when you used to sell Mary Kay (and then you used it to tote scrapbooking supples when you sold Close to My Heart)? Well - I did. And it didn't have a use until recently. As in yesterday. Now it hangs on my SKINNY pantry door and holds all the medicines and medicinal supplies (I sound so smart, huh?) that we need to be convenient to get to. As in band-aids and neosporin. And Benedryl and tums...you get the picture.

So go find your leftover roll-up toiletry bag and put it to use (a new use, that is).

This is my challenge to you to think outside of the box, use what you have, and make it work for you.

How's that for inspiring?

What are you currently doing to use creative/out of the box/not what it was created for storage solutions in your home?

For more of my Works for Me Wednesday ideas, look here:

Gimmie 5 (or less) - Recipes with 5 ingredients or less
Painting the Easy Way
Summer Schedule

This is my next organizing project:

The rest of the pantry (cue scary music - cover your eyes and peek through your fingers...don't say I didn't warn you!) There is seriously no rhyme or reason in there right now.

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips, see Rocks In My Dryer, here.

Keep That Fridge Clean

2008-07-08T08:55:00.009-04:00

(pretend this picture is rotated...it is on my hard drive, but when I put it here, it turns...grrrr)

I promised y'all another fridge tip last week and here it is. Now, this is not earth-shattering, or anything, but it helps me keep my fridge clean - so hopefully it can help you too! (Not that your fridge is messy or anything...I'm just sayin').

Problem: Fruits or veggies leak or somehow ~~rot and drip nasty smelly juice all in the drawer~~ make a mess in your produce drawers.

Solution: Place a couple of paper towels in the bottom of the produce drawers to catch any stray drips or other (ahem) messes that might happen there.

Like I said...not earth-changin', but definitely helpful!

For more kitchen tips I've shared check out these posts:

Organize & Conquer: Fridge Edition

Kid Snacks for Less

Leftover Juice Popcicles

For even more kitchen tips, check out Kitchen Tip Tuesday at Tammy's Recipes.

Simple Woman's Daybook - Journal Entry

2008-07-07T11:08:00.006-04:00

FOR TODAY July 7, 2008

Outside My Window... I see clouds in the sky lingering from the wowser of a storm that came through here last night. It was seriously the loudest thunder I've heard in a long time. The electricity flickered for a moment, so now all of our clocks are blinking. I also see fresh mulch in the flower bed out front. I love the look of fresh, dark mulch.

I am thinking... that I need to be patient and consistent in my parenting today. My kiddos are fighting this morning and I need to remember that I can control my attitude today.

I am thankful for... family time. I love it when my hubby is home and can help me with the kids. He is so patient and can talk calmness into our children.

From the kitchen... I am enjoying toffee bars that were made last night. Saltines, butter, brown sugar, and chocolate chips...yum! Tastes like a skor bar.

I am wearing... jammies. I haven't gotten dressed yet for the day and it is 11:30am. Remember, it is cloudy. It feels good to have a jammies day sometimes.

I am creating... order in my home. Today I hope to organize the pantry as well as straighten up in each room.

I am going... to stay home today. It is an at-home day for our family.

I am reading... A Great and Terrible Beauty, by Libba Bray. I picked it up on Saturday. It seems like it will be a fun read.

I am hoping... for harmony and peace in my home today.

I am hearing... birds chirping outside my office window. There is a nest in the tree out there with babies living in it.

Around the house... just tidying up.

One of my favorite things... is that yummy toffee. Seriously, too good!

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: The kids are taking turns spending the night with Grandma. Taylor is going tonight and Zach tomorrow. We'll be swimming at a friend's house on Wednesday and going to the free movies on Thursday.

Here is picture thought I am sharing...

This picture was not staged. Taylor, Zach, and cousin Trevor were amazed with the big fireworks in Grandma & Grandpa's backyard. This was the first "high in the sky" one of the night. Even Grandpa is surprised.

For more of a Simple Woman's Daybook, click here.

Menu Plan Monday

2008-07-07T10:36:00.004-04:00

For your viewing enjoyment, here are some pics of yummy kebobs that my hubby made. I didn't get any of the post-grill kebobs, but they were tasty!

Sunday – Breakfast Casserole & Melon
Monday – Apricot Chicken & Funeral Potatoes, Freezer Veggies
Tuesday – Moe’s Quesadillas Copy-cat & Mexican Rice, Melon
Wednesday – Sloppy Joes & French Fries & Sweet Fruit Salad
Thursday – Leftovers
Friday – Visiting with friends out of town
Saturday – Visiting with friends out of town

For more menus, look to Organizing Junkie for Menu Plan Mondays.

For more of my posts on menu planning, check out these posts:

Five Ingredient Recipes

Meal Planning Using Sales

Menu Plan Monday - March 3, 2008

Menu Plan Monday - February 26, 2008

Be sure to check in tomorrow for a fridge tip and Kitchen Tip Tuesdays.

Gimmie Five (or less) - Recipes with 5 or less ingredients

2008-07-02T09:01:00.004-04:00

Here are a couple of my stand-by recipes that need only five ingredients (or less!). I am a very, very simple cook and like recipes that have few ingredients and ones that are easy to find.

Apricot Chicken

1 package dry onion soup mix

1 cup apricot jam

1 cup french dressing

6-8 pieces skinless chicken breasts or thighs

Combine first 3 ingredients. Place chicken in crockpot. Pour sauce over top, making sure each piece has sauce on it. Cook on low 7-9 hours. Serve with rice. Makes great sauce! Yum!

Mock Caesar Salad

3 Tablespoons cider vinegar

1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/3 cup olive oil

7 cups torn romaine lettuce

Mix first 4 ingredients in blender (I use my magic bullet). Pour over greens and mix to cover greens. Serve immediately. YUMMY!

If you'd like some more great recipes with five ingredients or less, head over to Rocks in My Dryer.

Organize and Conquer - Fridge Edition

2008-07-01T10:01:00.005-04:00

Here's the problem:

Everything is all jumbled in the fridge and freezer and you can't find anything you need even though you know you bought it and it has to be in there (run on sentence anyone?).

How 'bout this for a solution?:

Round up some plastic organizing baskets (or something that can be used in place of them!). I was in this predicament described above, so...last week I picked up some baskets at the dollar store. I did a SERIOUS clean out of aforementioned kitchen appliance and threw out a lot of food. If you've been hangin' around here for a while, you know I enjoy being frugal, so throwing away food felt like throwin' money in the trash can (except it smelled a lot worse).

I now have a basket in my fridge for meat. When I shop for meat, I buy up a lot when it is on sale. For ground beef, I seperate it into 1 pound ziploc bags and pop it in the freezer (labeled, of course). Sometimes I cook up a bunch, then seperate and bag it up. Then I couldn' t find it when I needed it. Now, I have all bagged up meat (and other things like hot dogs, etc.) in the meat basket.

The other basket holds miscellaneous things like frozen fruit and baked items. I want to begin baking more frequently, so I will soon have a basket just for baked goods.

In the fridge, there is a basket for just yogurt, individual containers of fruit (like mandarin oranges), and puddings. An easy go-to for the kiddos & it keeps that small stuff contained in the fridge.

I know this isn't a new idea, but it seems to be a great one. I am looking forward to enjoying a more organized fridge and freezer and wasting less food.

If you are looking for more kitchen tips, check out Tammy's Recipes.

P.S. You know, I had to sneak in a post about my clean fridge and freezer so you guys could see some pictures of all the hard work I did. I'm a sucker for a pat on the back. I didn't take before pictures, though. That would've been too embarassing. Stay tuned for another fridge tip tomorrow (and yes, another picture!).

Frugal Curtain Rod

2008-06-27T15:59:00.006-04:00

So you wanna hang up some curtains and you really want one of those big chunky wood curtain rods, huh? Well, grab a few dollars and head to your closest home improvement store. You'll just need some plastic PVC. You can buy it as skinny or as chunky as you want it. I wanted it chunky.

Most of my guests cannot believe that this curtain rod is made from plasitc PVC pipe. The triple window is kind of large and I wanted the curtains to hang much wider than the window opening. I would be spending a pretty penny to buy a wood rod that size and the style I wanted. I spray painted the white PVC pipe a dark brown color. I used 4 wood brackets to support it due to the length. I am still trying to figure out how to do finials on the ends, since the pipe is hollow. Any ideas?

For more Frugal Friday ideas, head to Biblical Womanhood!

If You Like Decorating Magazines & Good Stories, You'll Love This

2008-06-26T15:05:00.005-04:00

I am ~~addicted to~~ a big fan of Google Reader. For those poor souls who don't know about this yet and still manually check all of the blogs you ~~are addicted to~~ so dearly love, let me give you a quick explanation. Basically, you can subscribe to all of your favorite blogs and it updates your reader when any one of them posts a new blog post. You just check in with Google Reader (from any computer with the internet, mind you) and you can read all of the new posts right there. It is ever so convenient. Just go to google.com, click on "more" at the top of the page, and a menu will drop down. Click on "reader" and there you go. You. will. be. forever. thankful. to. me.

I want to share some excellent posts that have come across my Google Reader lately. Hope you enjoy this little tour...

Tip Junkie is a great site. My favorite posts are the ones like this where she shares great projects her readers have sent her. You're bound to be inspired by several of these ladies.

I am already a huge fan of Heather's, even though I just discovered her site yesterday. She has woven a beautiful tale of how she came to meet her husband in fourteen seperate posts. Lucky us, we get to read them all at once, since we don't like to wait.

Always a huge fan of The Nester, she did not fail to impress me with her quick decorating skills. She recently moved into a new house, and everything already looks so lovely. Go check it out. Soon she'll take us on a whole tour...she promised!

(photo source: http://nestingplacenc.blogspot.com/)

The Life Hackery has given us 50 great kitchen tips in one post. Get out your notebooks, then click.

I don't even own a sewing machine, yet I long for creative ways to make my home beautiful with fabric. Let's just say that this post at Restyled Home is wayfreakin'cool. She's my hero.

(photo source: http://restyledhome.blogspot.com/)

Enjoy. Please share some of your favorites with me!

Painting the Easy Way

2008-06-25T18:09:00.011-04:00

A number of months ago (I am grossly underestimating here) I got a great deal on some french doors. They were only $15 each and fit perfectly in the doorway leading from my foyer to our home office. My husband and father-in-law hung them for me yay! Well, I am finally getting around to painting them.

I decided to share a few painting tips that I've learned over the years, either from watching decorating shows on TV, reading decorating magazines, so on and so forth. Some of them you may alreaady know, but hopefully you'll learn at least one new idea to make painting easier.

If you are a professional painter or a painting perfectionist of any kind, you may want to stop reading now. Some of these tips may feel like you're taking too many shortcuts. Just warnin' you, I'm just sayin'!

1. Line your metal paint tray. Sure you could buy the fancy-schmancy liners from the store, but why should you when you have a gazillion plastic shopping bags sitting around. Just slip the tray into the bag & wha-la a free liner (remember, free is my favorite price). Just toss the bag when your done.

2. While we're on the subject of your plastic shopping bag collection, why don't you get a few out to cover the rollers once you're done painting today, since you'll be going at it again tomorrow? That way you won't have to wash them twice. I know...genius!

3. And to add to your list of free or almost free painting supplies, do you have any rubberbands? Once you are done painting and have washed your brush, wrap a rubberband around the bristles to keep them nice and neat while they dry? Looks good! No nasty brushes for the next project.

4. Since we are getting this job done the easy way, let's not tape of the ceiling or window/door frames. What? I'm getting a little too crazy for you now? Just use one of those cool gadgets with a wheel and a pad for cutting in. But don't. get. paint. on that little wheel thing. Seriously, have you seen my ceilings? Good. Don't look at them. A painting perfectionist I am not.

5. You're not planning on removing the door knobs or taping off the window panes, are you? I didn't think so. I knew you were planning to wrap the door knob in aluminum foil and rub petroleum jelly on the door hinges and the edges of the window panes. That way you can just rub it off when you're done and no paint will stick.

6. And before you close up that paint can for good, put a little in a small glass jar, airtight plastic container, or an ice cube tray. That way if your child crashes into the wall while rollerblading in the house and chips the lovely paint job, you can whip out a q-tip and touch it up. If you choose to freeze a bit in an ice cube tray, you can touch up the chipped spot with your little frozen paint popsicle. That's right, use it just like a marker. Easy peasy.

Here are some pictures that show how the color you choose for your walls can really effect the feel of the room.

(Photos from Southernliving.com, last is from Ratemyspace.hgtv.com)

I believe what The Nester preaches, "It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful." So no comments telling me about the proper prep techniques and such, please. It won't get done around here if it has to be done that way. Now stop procrastinating that painting project like me and get it done already. That's what I'm doing tomorrow. I'll send pictures.

So did you learn anything new here today? Please share your favorite painting tips!

If you'd like to read more tips, visit Works for Me Wednesday.

Kid Snacks for Less

2008-06-23T21:19:00.005-04:00

Who doesn't love convenience? I know I do. But convenience usually comes with a price. When it comes to individual servings of kid snacks, do the math. With this solution, you still get the convenience of grab and go kid snacks, but don't have to break the bank.

Sometimes it is pretzels, other times it is Chex Mix. Whatever you have that you kids love to snack on, you can use this tip for it. Using sandwich or snack size plastic baggies (one of my can't live without staples), make your own bags of snacks. I use a measuring cup to scoop the snack out of the big bag and into the small bag. This way you determine how much each serving includes. You can also use this trick for homemade goodies as well. Put all of the bags you made into a decent sized basket in the pantry or cabinet. Let the kids know where to look for the snack basket. Mine know where to look in our pantry. :)

For more Kitchen Tips, check out Kitchen Tip Tuesday at Tammy's Recipes.

Trying to Make Our Home a Haven

2008-06-23T20:47:00.006-04:00

I'm joining with Crystal over at Biblical Womanhood to share what I did to make my home a haven today.

Make sure to check out my other post from today for some birthday love.

I don't know why, but it seems like my house is a disaster all over on Monday mornings. I guess we just like to relax on the weekends and don't pick up after ourselves like we should. So on Mondays, it is time to restore some order into our home. A home can't really be a haven without some order, right?

1. Straighten all rooms downstairs. - DONE

2. De-Ant the kitchen & clean it. - DONE (We must have a huge sign under our house that says "Ants welcome here" or something. I looked up some remedies online today and have sprinkled offending areas with baby powder, and wiped the counters down with a vinegar/water mixture. We'll see if it works!)

3. Laundry. - Got started, will finish tomorrow.

I ended up having to spend some time on the phone with Sprint, due to a problem with them ordering me a new phone, and with Comcast, because our internet was down. I had to drive over to the Comcast office and exchange our old modem for a new one. We are back online. How could we stand no internet??? :) Those things sucked up some of my time today, but had to be dealt with.

Tomorrow, I will try to follow Crystal's advice on how to begin my day. I know it will go smoother if I do.

Happy Birthday to Jason Mraz!

2008-06-23T19:49:00.009-04:00

So, who is Jason Mraz, you may ask? Well, let me tell you. He was my friend in elementary school. We "went together" when I was in 7th grade and he was in 6th (it made sense then, but what is what the "going together" thing? We rarely went anywhere together at the time). We became good friends. The summer I turned 15 (that would be good 'ol 1991 in case anyone is wondering), we had our birthday parties together in my backyard. You see, my birthday is June 13th and Jason's is June 23rd...only 10 days apart. It was an awesome party. My parents borrowed a flat bed trailer from someone and we had our chorus teacher Mr. Dalton (Dr. D was his DJ-ing name) DJ the party. We were involved in show choir (as were many of our friends), so there was much in the way of live music and performances as well. The electric slide was enjoyed by many. What can I say? It was a blast!

OK - so I had a friend when I was younger and we had a birthday party together...so what? Well, Jason followed his passion and has made a career for himself in the music business. This guy has quite a detailed summary of Jason's life/career on his blog. Have you ever heard "The Remedy" or "Curbside Prophet"? These were from his debut album. He just released a new album called "We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things." (Don't ask me about the title - I read somewhere it was the name of a piece of artwork he admired and he got the artist to do the cover for the album, etc.) There are many great songs on this latest work. Some of my serious favorites are "I'm Yours", "Lucky", where he duets with Colbie Caillat (love her song, Bubbly), and "If It Kills Me." I know I would love his music, even if we didn't have a history as friends. I honestly believe that vocally, his one of the most amazing artists out there. Live he is more amazing than recorded. If you don't know it already, you should check it out. I mean it.

So we didn't hang out during high school. He went to live with his dad and went to a different school in our county. We saw each other around sometimes, though. After I finished with college and moved back home, I found out what he was up to and couldn't believe it. We've seen him live several times since then and spoken to him backstage. It is pretty fun to hear a friend's music on the radio or see their video on VH1. Humor me and check out those songs. I know you'll love them too.

And, HAPPY BIRTHDAY JASON!

My Cell Phone Ate the Fun Dip

2008-06-21T22:20:00.006-04:00

I was happy with the most basic of cell phones for a really long time. I thought that people who just "had to have" the latest and greatest in cell phone technology were a bit greedy. In February, it was time for me to get a new phone. I was planning to get the basic phone that is free (remember, FREE is my favorite price?) when you renew your contract. Then I caught wind of the new Palm Centro. It was an affordable palm/phone combo for the masses. Now, I had been wanting a palm for years for scheduling, digital scriptures, etc. I looked into it more and found out that I could get one for $99 when I signed up for a new contract. SOLD!

I love the phone and sometimes even call her my BFF. I haven't named her yet, but now that I'm thinking about it, I will soon. I'm totally hooked on all the conveniences she provides me. Well, long story not so short, she died. Last week when we were off to the pool to celebrate the first day of no school, we picked up some candy at the drug store. The kids chose fun dip. You know, that yummy colored sugar separated into 3 compartments and the 2 yummy white sticks you lick, then dip into the sugar? Sweet bliss from my childhood memories? (I won't promise, however, that childhood was the last time I enjoyed this treat). Well, at the pool, the opened package of fun dip got put into the bag that was also carrying the precious phone.

Fast forward to my sister's high school graduation the next day. I called my husband to tell him it was time to meet us for the post graduation meal (he stayed home with the kids...small kids & a long graduation do not make a good pair). He couldn't hear me and I couldn't hear him! After much calling and re-calling I figured out what must have happened. Fun dip powder in the speaker and microphone on Precious Red Cell Phone! My dad even put his mouth over the speaker and breathed in really hard...yep he tasted fun dip. (Those of you who know my dad can picture him doing that, right? If you don't know him, it is still a great visual).

You should've seen the look on the faces of the gals at the phone store when I told them what was wrong with my phone. It would have been funnier if I was sure they could fix it. Turns out they couldn't and I'm getting a replacement. While I'm grateful for a replacement, I have lost my first Precious Red Love, and all the information she stored for me.

I promise I will name my new phone...any ideas?

Frugal Friday - Make a Money Plan

2008-06-20T22:21:00.007-04:00

I'm a little late in the game, in that I am just now reading Dave Ramsey's book, The Total Money Mak eover. It seems like several blogs that I follow already sing ol' Dave's praises. Better late than never, huh?

Today I made a plan to see when we could realistically get through some of Dave's baby steps. It will be a tough road, continuing to live frugally plus putting all extras onto debt (student loan). I know we can do it and it will be so worth it when we are able to be debt free.

It all starts with a plan. If you don't have one, I encourage you to make one, write it down (along with your financial goals) and then do it! I have a few pearls of wisdom that have really struck me from Dave's book and I hope to share them with you soon. For now, know that you have to tell your money what to do if you want it to work for you. (An idea from Dave's book, but not a direct quote).

Happy budgeting!
If you want to find more frugal tips, visit Biblical Womanhood here.

Give Me a Great Book - Nothing Will Get Done at My House! My thoughts on BOOK CLUBS.

2008-06-18T15:58:00.006-04:00

I recently completed the 3rd book in the Twilight series by Stephanie Meyer. It is meant to be a book geared towards teens, but I tell you what(!), I couldn't put it down, and it has been a LONG time since the word teen was associated with my age.

The 4th book in the series comes out August 2nd and the movie for the first book releases on December 12th. No - I'm not obsessed or anything, but I do have a friend who is! She shares all of this date goodness with me frequently. I have visited a few sites for mega fans of the series and found some interesting topics, but I'm not nuts about it.

I have never been a member of a book club. I think that I would like too, though. As long as I found a group that had the same interests as I do. I don't like a ton of non-fiction (though some is ok) and I love to read for pleasure. I don't want to learn a bunch of heavy stuff, unless it is mixed in with fiction (like historical fiction, which I happen to LOVE)!

I am not up for organizing my own book club, but in case you are, here is a site that has some pretty comprehensive information on doing so. There is even information there about online book clubs, which seems like a convenient option, but may not give you the social outlet if that is partly what you are looking for.

I wouldn't mind needing to read certain books by certain dates...I don't think that would take much of the fun of reading away from me, but I do think that it would be vital to share common reading interests with the rest of the group. It wouldn't work for me otherwise.

Have you guys participated in book clubs? Were they a great experience, or not so much?