Girls Night Out

As moms we put ourselves last. It's what we do. We need to remember to take some time for ourselves too. I am really bad about this. I don't remember the last time I left the house by myself to do anything other than go to church, the store, or work. Last night was the first time in a long time and I totally needed it! I needed a break to rest and recharge my batteries. I forgot what it was like to go to the store and just look around without hearing, "I want it!" Here's a total shocker; I didn't have to share my food or ice cream! It was great! I totally love my child. He is my greatest blessing along with my husband of course. But, I am not just a wife and mother. I am also a person who every once in a while needs a break so I can be a good wife and mother. When I got home my husband could tell the difference and even suggested that I make it a regular thing. I think I will. Thanks Tiff for a great night! I can't wait to do it again!

So, take some time for yourself. Daddy's need one on one time with the kids too. It's great for bonding. Go take a walk or wander around a store, go to dinner or ice cream, watch a movie, or whatever interests you. 

Life WITHOUT TV

The reaction I normally get when people find out we don't have TV is, "Really? Why not? How can you live without it?" We still physically own 2 but, we use them to watch movies. Truthfully, it's not that hard to do without TV. The last time I had cable was when I lived at home. I was a poor college kid and to me cable was a luxury that I could do without. Plus, in Nursing School there was no time for TV. When Josh and I got married we survived with a rabbit ear antenna. I worked nights so I slept during the day and Josh worked and went to school. Neither of us had time for TV. We did get one of those converter boxes when TV switched to digital. But, it shorted out before lil man turned 1. We made the decision not to replace it. So, that ended my evenings of Rachael Ray, Oprah, Friends, and all the other nightly WB TV watching. It was extremely difficult at first. I had to figure out what to do with all of this time I now had. When you quit watching TV you realize how much time you were really wasting. So, what are the benefits of not spending  time in front of the TV?

1. I do not have to worry about lil man hearing inappropriate language or seeing any violence or adult content. Let's be real TV programs now are nothing like they were when I was growing up. We have more control over what we watch with movies.

2. I don't hear, "I need, I want" for any toy or product being advertised on commercials. This definitely benefits the budget.

3. We spend real time as a family. We talk at dinner time. We take walks, ride bikes, play outside, garden, and work on projects together.

4. We read a lot in the evenings. We want lil man to love books as much as we do.

5. Our house projects get completed a little bit faster.

6. I have learned to sew and do all kinds of crafts. Plus, I've taken up blogging about it all.

7. No cable or satellite bill.

I am not saying that we never ever watch TV. My guilty pleasure is watching Grey's Anatomy and I can watch that online. We do watch movies but, we have been better able to control our time. When we had the box it was so easy to just leave the TV on and just let it flow from one show to the next and completely tune out.

I feel that we have tuned out the TV and tuned into life.

I challenge you to go one week without any TV. I guarantee it will change your life!

8/15 Shopping

Aldi:

Cantaloupe $0.99

Peaches $0.29each x 4

Plums $0.29each x 3

Bananas $0.43/lb x 2.23lbs

Strawberries $0.99/lb x 2

Red Grapes 2lbs $1.98

Iceberg Lettuce $0.99

Applesauce $1.29

Ground Turkey $1.49/lb x 2

Total Spent: $13.33

CVS:

#1: Pampers Cruisers $19.99 get $3ECBS plus I had a $2.50 MC

The Magic Coupon Machine game me 2 awesome coupons; Free CVS Brand Fabric Bandages and a Free Hershey's Bar! Obviously, the chocolate didn't make it home. Honestly, it almost didn't make it to the car!

Total 1: $19.62 Savings of: $11.28 Plus got my $3 ECBS

#2 Dean's Milk $3.19 per gallon. CVS allows ECBs to be used on dairy!

Total: $0.22 plus I got $1 ECB!!

Meijer

Sweet Corn 4/$1

Oral B Stages $1.89 - $0.50MC

Oral B Toothbrush $1.89 - $0.50

Total $4.12

Walgreens:

Blue Rhino Propane Tank. If you exchange your old tank it is $18.99 then there is a $3 mail-in-rebate  making it $15.99. Not a bad deal.

Total with tax: $20.65

Homemade Blueberry Ice Cream

This summer Aldi sold a Crofton Ice Cream Maker for $19.99. It does not require rock salt. You freeze the insert and that's it. Once the insert is frozen you place it in the maker and then add your cold ingredients and 20-30 minutes later you have delicious ice cream.

I bought blueberries when they were $1.66/pint. My husband loves blueberries so, I bought 3. With them I made this ice cream and 2 batches of blueberry pancakes. I have never had blueberry ice cream. I found the recipe when I googled, "blueberry recipes." I had all the ingredients and it sounded awesome. It tastes just as good. If you have an ice cream maker you will definitely want to try this one!

2 cups whole blueberries, washed

1 cup sugar or splenda, etc

1 Tbsp water

2 cups heavy cream or half and half

Boil blueberries, sugar, and water until sugar is dissolved and berries are soft. I used a potato masher to smash the berries. Strain mixture over a bowl. Discard the skin and seeds that are in the strainer. Next, stir in the cream. Refrigerate mixture over night.

Fill ice cream maker 2/3 full and turn it on until mixture is thick.

Place in freezer for 2-4 hours before serving. This allows it to be firm.

Serve in a waffle cone or bowl and enjoy! It's the perfect remedy for a hot summer day!



Dry Erase Calendar

This is one of my favorite new things! I am striving little by little to have our family go paperless. The last project that I showed was the dry erase board found Here. I promised to follow up with this calendar. I followed the tutorial on Infarrantly Creative found Here. I love hers more! Mine is not magnetic, yet. I haven't found the metal for the right price. Total cost of this project $4!! Here's how I made mine;

16x20 picture frame bought at a garage sale for $4

Black Spray Paint for the frame

Cream-Colored Cardstock

Polka Dot Ribbon

For the grid I used our old calendar. I set the glass on top of it and used a black Sharpie to trace it. I added a 6th row of squares so I would never have to double the numbers on one square. Make sure when you put the glass in the frame that the Sharpie side is not facing out. It will wipe off.

An alternative would be to use vinyl instead.

I plan on making it magnetic and adding Magnetic numbers. I also want to change out the cardstock for some neutral fabric.

Another tip is to buy fine tip dry erase markers. They are much easier to read. I bought a multi-colored pack so, I can write Pay Day in green and Birthdays in Red, for example.

Now, go have some fun and make your own personal dry erase calendar for your family!

Under Construction

If you haven't noticed I've been making major changes to the blog. I am doing this myself through trial and error. Please be patient with me as I make these changes to make the site more organized. My OCD has kicked into overdrive!

If you click on the Kitchen tap it will take you to recipes that I have on this blog plus a list of great websites for recipes. I will be adding more pics above the links as I go. If you would like to submit any recipes to be featured please contact me at nestingmadesimple@gmail.com Hope you enjoy the new layout and that it's easier to navigate.

Have a great weekend!

Tabitha

Book Review: Might as Well Laugh About It Now

If you are looking for an upbeat, lighthearted, guaranteed to make you laugh out loud book, this is it. I found this at our public library. I like Marie Osmond and I was curious about the title so, I checked it out. One great thing about the library is, if you don't like the book you aren't out any money! Well, the title certainly delivered. I loved sharing the stories with my husband and also with, Mika, during our 5:30 am walks. It definitely gave us something to laugh about that early in the morning. I also learned the importance of a Sharpie as a necessity to a woman's cosmetic bag. If you want to know why you are just going to have to read the book. Some things you just have to read for yourself!