Smoothies make Summer Sensational

In our family, summer equals the best in sensational smoothies.
Since I love taking advantage of seasonal fruits, marked down produce, and a produce warehouse where you must purchase in bulk, I often have large amounts of fruit that are all ripe at the same time.
I can only make so much banana bread in bulk, so I have to come up with other creative alternatives. Smoothies are the number one choice.

I freeze my favorite fruits in zip lock bags so that I will have access to the more expensive fruits when they are out of season. I was thrilled that our peaches lasted all the way through the winter. I can't wait for them to come back in season. I have never mastered canning, so I just peel, and stick in the freezer. It works for me, and the smoothies do not care one bit.


Smoothies are a wonderful way to introduce "cooking to kids." All of my children love to whip up smoothies and it teaches them creativity by learning to mix a variety of fruits, consistencies and flavors. They begin to view cooking as an creative "art" and smoothies allow them to master their art with a very small failure rate. :)
Our staple smoothies nearly always consist of bananas, vanilla yogurt and what ever fruit we have gotten marked down. This winter we had frozen strawberries and peaches (from the spring and summer crop) that graced our blender quite often.
Strawberries are my smoothie fruit of choice. They add color, and mix well with all other fruits. So stock up while they are in season.
I love our Cuisinart blender. It crushes ice like nobody's business, but I am quite certain that a man designed this square shape. I bought this on clearance at Sam's Club and the following week, they re-designed the model. I can see why. Have you ever tried pouring out of a square? UGH! It's so frustrating and since we use our blender almost daily, I may need to invest in something different.
A necessity for smoothies in our home? Fancy glassware. Remember to pick up some miscellaneous pieces while you're out thrifting or at yard sales. It just tastes that much better when it's sipped in a special glass.
Remember, it's the little things that create the memory, and for us, smoothies in wine glasses will be remembered (just don't tell my kids what they're drinking out of. :)



Since I don't ever measure our smoothies, I'm not quite sure of ratios. We always base it on a taste test, but here is a guess with some of my favorites.

• 1 cup of strawberries
• 1 cup of raspberries
• 1/2 cup OJ juice
• 1 cup of low-fat natural yogurt
• 5 ice cubes or frozen berries
  

A fancier one - great for company:
1 - 12 ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate
2 - 25 ounce bottles sparkling water
6-8 fresh strawberries

Mix lemonade according to directions replacing water with the sparkling water. Put the strawberries in a blender and puree until very smooth. Mix the strawberry puree into the lemonade. Garnish with lemon slices (if desired). Makes 6 servings.

Please share what you have been up to this week for Tasty Tuesday.

Hopefully, Mr. Linky will play nice today. He's been quite naughty lately all around blogland. They are working to fix this problem, but it's taking a long time.

As always, please follow the simple guidelines or post will be deleted.
1. Include your post showing us your Tasty Tuesday recipe or ideas.
2. Link up below to the permalink of your post. To find out what yours is, simply click on the title of your post and grab the permalink from the address bar.
3. Link your post back to Balancing Beauty and Bedlam as a courtesy to me so everyone will know where to find more recipe inspiration.

So you can't open my blog? Well, Coupons have reloaded

How's that for a professional title?
It has come to my attention that many of you can't open my blog or are having problems with your internet.
I AM SO SAD...I miss you!! The reason for the glitch? Certain versions of Internet Explorer are causing the nasty issue. Microsoft updated IE and it's causing problems. Blogger is attempting to fix the problem, but right now my only recommendation is that you lose Internet Explorer and download Firefox for free. It takes seconds, and that will completely fix the problem. I have both browsers available on my computer, but after IE became more susceptible to viruses, my computer hubby had us switch to Firefox. I have never looked back.
In the words of the Firefox website, "Internet Explorer is so 2006!" hee hee

For the rest of you....the coupons widget has been reloaded. Again, Kraft has added some wonderful savings. Print quickly and enjoy some inexpensive goodies this month.
You can sign up here for emails and access to the coupons or just print directly from my side bar widget. Off to work on my Tasty Tuesday post. :)

Furniture Fun....frugal find!

I initially titled this post Need vs. Want, but quickly realized I just didn't have the gumption to tackle that tempting topic this evening. It's been an exhausting weekend, but I will be diving into that debate soon.
Here's a little food for thought to get us started...

For two years, many people have felt that I "needed" a new chair.
It has been slowly ripping, seam by seam, and the back is just as bad. Over and over again, I have been encouraged to replace it.
"Really Jen, it's about time you invested in a new chair."

But guess what? For years, it has been serving it's purpose as my cozy reading chair.
I have devoured many books in this chair, savored endless cups of coffee in this chair, shared life with friends in this chair...and it has held up my bootie quite well - regardless of the varying pounds. ;)
I draped a handmade quilt from my sister in love over the offending area, and it has served it's necessary purpose.
You see the desire to replace it comes from a "felt need," not a true need.
I don't need a new chair. This one is just fine, even if I have owned it for decades (which I have). I have looked at new chairs for the last few years, but I just haven't been able to justify the retail cost of replacing it. It's so easy to talk ourselves into thinking something is a "need," isn't it?

Now, don't get me wrong. I am no martyr.
Does that mean that I walk away from a fun frugal find when the Lord showers blessings on me with a "want?"
Absolutely not!! I squeal with delight, and can't believe that I could hit the jackpot with this unbelievable treasure. I used up my yard sale budget with one purchase, but it was SO worth it. It made for a short Saturday of sales.

A company had donated their left over goods from the international furniture market to Foster Families of NC.
They were taking the highest bid, and I happened upon them right as they were closing up.

I got this brand spanking new captains chair in a color that I LOVE for only $40.
They didn't know the exact price of it retail but they knew it was well over $500.

I just love that sometimes patience in the little things equals blessings in the unexpected.
This new chair was still a want...I didn't need it, but I sure am thrilled that I had the opportunity to receive it. :)

(And as my sweet friend IRL just said in the comments...."what a great little God Wink" during my God Watch time. We are still waiting, and watching with expectation. :)

Posted at: Southern Hospitality

Brotherly Love...

There's nothing that blesses my mommy heart more than when my sons lavish gestures of love and compassion on each other.
Giving unselfishly, building the "others first" mentality, turning the other cheek - ah yes, I just adore when all those character traits come oozing out.

So when I see this 'love tap,' I'm convinced that all our life lessons are being implemented, right?
Wouldn't you just covet one of their "five stars," as they have so lovingly called it?

Because it's all about unconditional love among teen brothers. ;)


P.S. The brother who left the love tap also took the picture. He was so proud of his handy work. It wasn't till later that I thought...hmm...blog post. ;)

Core Pieces in a Frugal Wardrobe - the Trench Coat

Welcome to another edition in our weekly Frugal Fashionista series.
If you are new to this frugal fun, click here to see how it all began.

We have spent time dissecting some of the essential pieces in a core wardrobe, and I have had a blast this past year hunting for these treasures. Which piece am I featuring today?
The trench coat. This must have core wardrobe piece can go from day time fun to a night on the town with just a bit of accessorizing.

Months ago, if you had asked me about finding stylish trench coats second hand, I probably would have said that only the "dated ones" are out there. But that was because I wasn't really on the hunt.
Now is the best time to search for coats of any style since people are clearing out winter items to make room for their summer wardrobe. Seriously, buy out of season items now. I know it's hard to think of purchasing wool when it's 80 degrees, but often, this is when you'll hit the jackpot.

I started actively searching the coats section in every thrift store that I visited and just look at all the great trench coats that I have found. All of these, except for one, I've scored in the last four months. My last unmet trench coat goal? A classic black one. But I will not be stopped...I will find one, just give me a bit. :)

This lime green trench coat is my favorite. The color is washed out in this picture, but when I pair it with any pair of pants, I don't even want to take the jacket off....it makes an outfit in itself.

This is a great way to update my wardrobe for spring/summer.

Cost: $5 - Good Will - heart you! :)

This tan trench was the first one I found and I really felt as if I had hit the jackpot. It's a classic style, but the great thing with any solid trench coat is the variety. I can change out the belt and add some bursts of color with a wide patterned, belt or adding variety with any number of scarves would be perfect with this classic khaki coat.
I love white for the summer, but when it's raining and your wet, muddy dog keeps trying to rub up against you, all I could think of was trying to avoid red clay on my pristine white coat.

This was a steal at a yard sale for $3. I know...HATE.ME! :)

I definitely have to feel pretty in pink when I wear this rain jacket. (And yes, another GW find).

Having a bad day? I highly recommend wearing bright colors to help change that mood.
Pair it with my precious pink Liz Claiborne purse and I'm set for my new role in "Legally Blond 3." :)
The first three coats were basic cotton blends, but this one is a rain jacket. It may look like it's sunny out, but it was raining when this picture was taken.
This last coat was an iffy purchase on my part. I should have taken another picture because it does look better in real life.
It is a heavy winter wool coat with a dash of cashmere. I knew that it would keep me cozy for those few weeks when I needed something a bit warmer than what I currently owned, and honestly, I didn't want to have to pay much for something that would get such little wear.
When buying any coats, make sure the fit is good. Pay attention to the fit around the shoulders and the size of the shoulder pads. I was a little afraid this style made me look too line backer-ish, but honestly, I am glad I bought it anyhow. It's a bit too big, but
at $5, I knew it was a steal for a quality winter coat. If I ever decide to splurge and have it taken in and fitted by a tailor, it will be well worth it for a classic coat that will last for years to come.
So get those eagle eyes on and start looking for trench coats. They are out there, and now that you're on the hunt, I'm sure you'll find them.

Due to the finicky nature of Mr. Linky these last few posts, I will take a break today, and add him next week. I'll let you know the date. :)So get ready for another fashion show. :)

Posted at: Good Will Party because you know I HEART GOOD WILL!