my humble apologies

It seems I've jumped the gun.
Not literally, of course.

I've received an overwhelming response regarding my recent blog change. And by overwhelming, I of course mean 4 people have spoken... they want their Queen back.

/sigh

Normally I am not so indecisive... and I can be quite stubborn. But I have a feeling that they are right.
So... I will be moving back to Queen of the Creek effective immediately. I will be doing some cleaning up - incorporating some of the ideas I had for you, me & them.

I am very sorry for any confusion, inconvenience, or whiplash... but won't you please come back to Queen of the Creek?  I PROMISE I won't pull any stunts like this again. PROMISE!!

P.S. The giveaway for a Target gift card?! Still going. I will consider ANY and ALL comments from the day I posted it, from either blog - as an entry! So, comment away!

Muchas gracias!

Your amiga loca,
Jaime

an invitiation / lanscaping stuff

I opened up my email this morning to a note from Heather... in that email was an invitation to join a blog project she has going on.





It allows my blog to be critiqued anonymously by peers in the blogging community. I LOVE this idea. [Even though all I have to do is call my mom, and she'll tell me what she thinks in a snap. Note: she prefers the old blog! lol]

I think this is a great chance to see if I made a smart move by switching from Queen of the Creek to you, me & them. *I* think it was a good idea... I have a vision and plan for this new blog. =)

Anyway... Heather has a few spots left, if you are interested in hearing what others like about your blog.
Check out the post here.

In other news, the husband and the oldest kid worked their butts off in the backyard yesterday! We now have a completed sprinkler and drip system installed!! NO MORE WATERING OUR TREES BY HAND!

Here's a pic of our news trees... They were free, from our local electrical company. All I had to do was attend a tree workshop!

This one has grown at least 2 feet in the past 2 months. They are fast growing, thornless Mesquite trees. Perfect for our desert!

So, we are finally making progress on the backyard project. And when I say "we" I truly mean the dynamic duo, Marcos & Alex. I just supervise. ;)

if there were such a place...

The husband and I took our shopping list and headed out yesterday afternoon. We needed to hit Costco, Fry's (our local grocery store), and the gas station.

My goal was to spend no more than $150 on groceries... I went over by $23.
But that's what happens when the husband tags along. He is a perpetual saboteur.

Here's where I mention the SAVINGS.

 With our coupons and our store card, we saved over $90. That's a decent savings!  Also, on gas?! We had 883 fuel points, so I was able to fill up my Van's for $0.80 off per gallon... We paid $3.13 a gallon! Nice savings there!

When all was said and done, I got everything we needed (and then some). Once we got home, the kids and I proceeded to put things away and pre-package snacks and re-package chips, meat, etc.

Re-Package.... Now that's a thought! Re-packing into clear containers or baggies always lets you see what you have left. This is a good idea, especially when it's time to go shopping again. You will only have to purchase what you really need.

I bought a box of 50 snack baggies... and filled every single one of them up, plus 20 additional I had on hand. For the kids' snacks, I portioned out Vanilla Wafers, pretzels, cheese popcorn, and Ritz crackers. They know that they cannot just grab food whenever they want... that we have a plan they have to follow.  If there is more week, at the end of the food, they are stuck with ramen noodles for breakfast, lunch and dinner. {hey, it's kinda preparing them for college, right?!}  We spent about 30 minutes, with all of us working at it. Time well spent, I say!

My pantry is so unorganized right now, but while I have the energy today, I will go in and get it back to the way I like it - everything in its place!

No more standing inside the pantry... trying to figure out what they can have. Between the menu plan and the prepackaging, they should be sitting pretty.

Speaking of 'inside the pantry'... take a gander at our ketchup:

Do you buy the HUGE can from Costco? We started doing it recently... it's SOOO cheap and very easy to re-packaged into old bottles (that sounds weird. they are already used up ketchup bottles, clean!). =)
Sometimes shopping at the warehouse stores is really the best way to go... Especially when I am feeding a six-pack!

Okay - off to organize that pantry now. And to lock it when I am done with it. hehe.

five!

My child... my baby... the kid I waited so long to have, who arrived too early...is getting old. He is five. He has been five since December, but I think it has finally hit me.

With older kids in the home, I realize that there are times we treat Nic older than we should. We need more 1:1 playtime with the kiddo. He has such an imagination and such a personality.

I talked it over with my husband yesterday and decided that we needed a game plan, something that will allow us to spend some good, productive fun time with Nic before he starts Kindergarten in August.

I set about searching for fun, low-cost ideas. I have five thought up so far that I wanted to share.

One of my best girl friends, Stacey, will be taking her brood next week and asked if Nic and I wanted to join in on the fun. The last time we went to the Zoo was with Stacey and her much younger brood, almost FOUR years ago. I have pictures to prove it.

Nic loves animals... I cannot wait to see his face when he gets to see them all again!

Cost: Free (Stacey is a member and can bring guests!)

We have some mini-owls in the field adjacent to our sub-division. They actually create their boroughs out there, but come up to the road and stare at you as you drive by.  We are going to take Nic out and there and see if we can find any of them, take pictures and then come back home to try and identify them. In the process, we can learn more about owls.

Cost: Free

We totally owe Nic a trip to the Science Museum. It's been ages since we last went. We plan to take the light rail downtown and spend the day letting him play in all of the child friendly exhibits. To try and awaken the nerd in him! ;)  

Cost: Low

--> Did you know that Bank of America has a program called Museums on Us®?

It's a great program...if we are able to go this weekend, we could actually get in FREE!

What's more fun than a spontaneous picnic?

Of course, I will have it planned out - but won't provide Nic the details. We will pack all of Nic's favorite lunch items and take him to a local park for a feast built for a five year old!

Cost: Free (I already have the food on hand!

Finally... probably my most favorite thing. Nic has been facinated by volcanos for like...forever (thank you, Backyardigans!). We are going to learn about volcanos... and then I am going to set it up for the husband and Nic to build their OWN.

Cost: Low (building and craft supplies)

So that's it... five things to do with my five year old! We are shooting to get all of the items done by end of month! And then it will be time to find five MORE things to do.

free printables - organization in the kitchen

As per a simple request, I've uploaded copies of my menu planning documents for you to download... for free! And for a limited time, if you'd like to see yours customized (with your last name, or a different color scheme), feel free to send me an email at youmeandthem at cox dot net, and I would be happy to fulfill your request!

You can download the docs below!






I have my major shopping trip today... and I've got everything ready to go, including my canvas bags. Did you know that most stores will pay you anywhere from $0.05 to $0.10 per bag?! It adds up, I am telling you! Enjoy... and happy organizing!

welcome, welcome & a giveaway

fine, yet bold print: target is not sponsoring this post, my checkbook is. also, the puppy is not included.

What are you waiting for?! Follow me, already! Up there... top right of the screen, under my mug... you will find the link to ymt's facebook page. Don't forget Google Friend Connect and Linky Followers!!

Winner of the gift card (and a label of my bff for life) will be announced on saturday, april 14!!

P.S. The comment button is at the top near the post title. I've been trying to move it all morning and it won't stay! Grrr.

menu for the week {organization!}

Before we bought our house, we lived in a 3 bedroom apartment in the city.
"In the city..." --> I laugh at that. Only because we aren't truly out in the country now {shhh! don't let the cows know I said that!}, but the closest grocery store is a little over 5 miles down the road. Whereas, when we lived in Tempe, I had a choice of stores, including Costco, almost at arm's length.

I found that with since moving here, plus the added expenses of owning a home, we've totally gone off of our menu/organization/grocery shopping plan. It used to be that Isabel and I would prep the kitchen, make our lists, and then go shopping very early on Saturday mornings. Very early. Now...? There's really no rhyme or reason. Except for our Costco trips (p.s. closest Costco? 16 miles down the road).

With this new found lack of organization, all of a sudden, the daughter goes to make a cake and there is no oil. NO OIL!? That's never happened before. Or... the kids are eating full meals for snacks, because there is nothing quick and easy to grab.

For the sake of my own sanity, I've decided to pull out all of my old spreadsheets and methods and update them a little. In our monthly budget, I have $500 set aside for groceries and toiletries. I also have $300 set aside for Costco (which includes dog food, meat, cheese, and other bulk items).

Now more than ever, I need to STICK to those numbers. In addition, I need to quit serving the same old meals, I serve all of the time. Tacos, sausage, veggies and pasta, etc. I need to branch out a little more {more on that later}.

This is where the weekly menu comes in. If I write it down... I have to stick to it, right?

Here's a close up of one of my forms... the meal plan and shopping list.

Based on the flyers I scoured through (see above) and the coupons I have on hand, I filled out my menu and our shopping list. For each day of the week, I've listed out breakfasts, lunches and dinners.

In addition, I made the sheet, laminated it and then broke it out by breakfast, lunch, snack and dinner - for each day of the week. This is the copy that will be hanging on the fridge for the family to see.

Ignore the huge GREEN writing... it was the only dry erase marker I had on hand. Hmmm, I need to add that to my shopping list - new markers.

It took me a while to get everything back up and running... but we are ready for our shopping on Thursday.
On Sunday, I am having the family over for Easter - but after that, we are sticking to the schedule. I have 30 coupons that I cut from the paper this past Sunday (okay, two papers)... and based on my shopping list, I am going to go online and see if I can find/print any more. Anything to save a few bucks. ;)

Now that this part of the process is done, I am working on creating a family friendly recipe book to keep on hand for when I am planning meals. The goal is to try one new recipe each week.

a little extra spring in my step

I love this time of year. Especially in Arizona. We have lovely springs around here.
While it's  been super windy and a little cooler the past few days, we will be in the high 80s before the week is up!

And to help celebrate Spring... I have two free 8x10 printables for you!!






Of course... there's another reason for the slight spring in my step, too. I spent all weekend working on a new BLOG. It will eventually replace Queen of the Creek, but all of the old posts and comments, etc will be moved over. I know it's a risky move, after finally reaching out and getting to know new bloggers... but I am hoping that everyone will just save my new URL and pretend this little blip never happened.

{One can hope, right?!} Really... it should be a super smooth transition. You will get the same beautiful face greeting you each time you swing by for a visit... The same horrible stab at humor... The same type of updates as before. But I do have a few things up my sleeve.

More to follow, including all of the important deets. But for now...I will go out and enjoy SPRING!

Err.. After the workday is done, of course.

she got it from me.

My niece, Abby, was in her high school's talent show last night. I wasn't able to go (work stuff), but my mom, dad and Alex and Isa all went to support her.

She sang Gravity by Sara Bareilles. Acapella. Beautifully.

Hopefully Ellen DeGeneres reads my blog and signs Abby immediately.






She'd be silly not to. Right?

P.S. That talent?! She got it from me.

Sometimes 'Easy' can easily be replaced

I shared with you, earlier in the month, an easy art piece. I am no artist. It received only ONE comment (thanks, Suz!). So I tore it off of the wall and threw it in the trash.

Not. I will reuse it somewhere, I am sure.

But I knew it was going to be there temporarily.  I may have even mentioned that to YOU.

The other day, the cutie pie and I were out scavenger hunting. We found a few good thrift stores and old hardware places that sold things like vintage doors, etc.  Now remember.... We live in AZ. More specifically, we live in an area outside of Phoenix that is crowded with snow birds 6 months out of the year. Which means sometimes 'vintage hardware' just means something that came off of an old mobile home.

For reals.

Marcos and I came across a plastic window frame. It certainly had the look I was hoping for, but there was not any wood or glass involved. For $2, I brought it home with me.

I had left over wood from my office project, some unused chicken wire and I ran to Home Depot for shelf holder thingies. {I am sure they have real name, I just don't know it.}

I took the frame, sanded it a little... then spray painted it in Heirloom White, along with the board (that the hubby cut to size) and those THINGS. All white.

Last night, I attached the boards to those THINGS and made a shelf. Today, while multitasking during a conference call, I attached the chicken wire to the back of the window frame. And then screwed everything into the wall.

It's not perfect. It's not real wood and there is no glass... But it's mine. Another mini*mantel to call my own. It's not decorated for Spring yet... but I am getting there.

I moved the couch around. Not sure if it's staying, but I do love how it opens up that window. Here's a before. I am going to give it another week and see how I feel. Here it was before.

Here's a close up of my window/shelf/mantel thing.

The white pitcher I got at Goodwill this past weekend. The blue vase is from Michael's. So is the white bird. The clear bowl with wire, I found at Ross. The old butterfly frame (I know the shape is circular, but it's made out of butterflies), was my mom's Aunt Hazel's. It's really old.

One last look.
I know everything looks weird in there... The couch is short and we have 10 foot ceilings. Once I replace the curtains, I will definitely be taking them higher up. Hopefully that will help a little.

Hopefully.

Oh, the befores....

A bunch of befores... in one little space.

Here are the lamps before they were brown (in the above pictures):

So, with all of those BEFORES done and over with...
I ran across an art piece at Ross (love that place) for $19.99. It screamed at me. It's completely different than anything in my home currently... but I am not afraid of it. With only one and its long, rectangular shape, I figured I would hang it sideways and take down the ivory picture frames.

And then I found its sister. Brother!? Its sibling.

And here we go:

These pieces had a dark frame... one I was not in love with. I thought that they would look wonderful in a white frame. Out came my Heirloom White spray paint. Of course, I had to tape those babies up, off and on, to ensure none of the paint leaked through.

Here they are, outside... ready to be painted.

And here they are drying. So much fun, huh?!

It took a few tries, but I got everything lined up how I envisioned.

WAIT. Look at those lamps!

In that BEFORE picture above (way up there!) they were once clear glass. I then sprayed them white. And then brown. I was going to go back to white, but then I realized that I really wanted to bring some more GREEN into the house.

The space is certainly less cluttered than ever before. And I am really, seriously loving the white and bright of it all. I am taking a lot of that green and putting it in the formal living/dining room.

I still LOVE my radio cabinet. But, when we first got it, we talked about taking out the gold mesh and adding a different fabric to it. I think I am seriously going to consider doing that now. Heck, I may even paint the sucker, some day. Not any time soon though.

P.S. Just ordered my first ever SEWING MACHINE!!! I am so excited I can hardly stand it. Yet another crafty thing to take on and conquer.

Happy Monday!

Task List Chart Completed [Spring Fever Diaries #4.5]

It took a little longer to get to this post than I thought, but at least the Task List is up and the kids know what they have to get done this week.

Of course... the picking of the tasks (blindly) didn't go without a little drama. I should have video recorded it for you, just so you can see how much I have to put up with from a certain almost 13 year old. Sheesh.

Not only did she give me attitude, she also temporarily lost her task cards... so the pictures below show her as having ZERO tasks... when in fact she picked Kid's Bathroom and Trash & Recycle. She was not happy about the bathroom.

Oh well.

Because we will have Nic always take on "Dust the Stairs"... that left 7 tasks for 3 kids. I've decided that each week, one kid will have 3 tasks. They will rotate... and only have to do 3 every 3 weeks. This is in lieu of adding another two tasks to take on. I mean, I COULD EASILY give up dishes, if they want. ;)


The bulletin board border (say that 5 times fast; I'll wait)... is from a teacher supply store. The pennants were part of a scrap booking banner pack and I used Martha Stewart stencils and a sharpie for their names. Easy peasy.

They are attached with Velcro, so I can actually rearrange the task cards each week. Of course, being as impatient as I am, I didn't bother with going to the store and purchasing the 3M Velcro. And I may have added the below Velcro right to my painted, dry-walled walls. Oopsy.

I am not TOO worried; I have Spackle and touch-up paint.
{Pretty soon, my whole house will be Spackle and touch-up paint! lol - more on that later! hehe}

And there you have it.
And to be honest. The kids are glad to have a list, something easy to look at with simple, but direct instructions on how I want the work done. In fact, they kept asking me when we were going to finally pick tasks. For realz.

Love it.