Easy Home Decorating Idea

Slowly, very slowly, I'm frugally decorating my girls' room.
Picking up a dresser here, an end table there, along with lamps, pictures etc. has been a patient pursuit of hidden treasures.
Ironically, the girls' room will eventually be the school room. The boys' room will be the girls' new room, and the boys will move to the hidden alcoves of "the attic."
Did you follow all that? You may need to read it again. :)
I've been slow to finish their room since I was anticipating a move, but how sad that I kept waiting for "the next day."
That "next day" may be awhile, so I'm sprucing things up for the time being.

The girls eyed these Dollar Store decals and were so ecstatic when I mentioned they could put them where ever they wanted. (Don't you just love being the hero for $1?)
I decided to work off that theme with some of my beautiful papers.
Seriously, am I the only one who has an entire used scrapbook store in their closet?
And I am not exaggerating. If only I had put that time into my blog..sigh, but I digress.

With one free wall left, I decided to use some of the papers and my circle punch for a little experiment.
Digging around in "the attic" I found an ugly yard sale painting.
Honestly, ugly paintings with a quality canvas is a great find. It's a bonus if there's a solid wood frame with it. Frames are very inexpensive at yard sales, where as they are costly when purchased brand new.
Remember to think outside the box, and "shop your home".
Frames can be painted any color to create a cohesive look.
Collecting ten various wooden frames is one of my "treasure hunts" these days.
I plan on redoing my family photo area that is showcased up our staircase.

I painted over the ugly painting (sorry, Barbara ? from 1998) with a light green paint that was in "the attic." (Are you seeing a theme...there's a treasure cove up there).

I cut out a variety of circles and played around with the positioning.
This is a wonderful DIY for the kids as well.
I simply glued the circles on with rubber cement, and voila...finished masterpiece.


Previously, I had painted this wood frame and knew it would be a "perfect fit" for my creation.
Doesn't it accent the girls' green walls wonderfully?
Well, it wasn't...a perfect fit, that is, but that's why this blog is Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.
So, I am off to "the attic" to find a 12x16 size.
I know I have one up there somewhere.
The beauty of this project is not just the ease, speed and versatility, but the cost...for me...nothing.

My attempt was just an experiment.
I wanted to see how much I liked the finished project, so I did a smaller version of what I originally saw (which was around 2'x3').

Last year, this idea was stirred by Heidi from Mt. Hope Chronicles, it just took me awhile to implement. Now, I'm looking around my walls for a spot that is calling for the larger version to come out and play.

Posted at: We are that family
Rhoda's

Fall Tradition ideas

It's nearly impossible for me to believe that fall is officially here. With it hitting 80 in NC this week, the weather keeps me from switching into fall decorating mode, but I know I must....that post will come shortly.
It's not to early to get those creative juices turning for those of you contemplating some fun, fall tradition ideas that are a bit out of the ordinary.
Our family enjoys so many of the fall/harvest type of traditions (apple picking, hay rides etc.) and on Halloween we participate in our church's Fall Festival which is always a highlight.

Here are just a few tradition ideas to get your October fall festivities off to head start.
I'll be doing one more post with fall tradition ideas, so if you have any unusual ones that you'd like to share, leave them in the comments and I'll incorporate it into my post. :)

Host a Pumpkin-Carving Contest – With neighbors, friends or family, host an annual pumpkin-carving contest. Invite judges to select the winners and prepare some fun fall ribbons to hand out. Try black construction paper ribbons with an orange pumpkin on top where you can write the category. The scariest, the silliest, the most original or just the best all around, are all examples of great awards. Everyone in the family will want to help choose and carve the “family pumpkin.” After the awards ceremony, bring out your refreshments and enjoy! Don’t forget to take photos to add to your Fall/Halloween Album.!

Musical Costumes – This tradition puts a new spin on a favorite childhood game—musical chairs. It’s perfect for an adult Fall/Halloween party. Invite each person to bring a costume in a brown bag. Everyone takes a seat and places their own bag under a chair. Turn on some music and play a game of musical chairs (with a chair for each person). When the music stops, each guest must take the brown bag from underneath their chair and wear the costume that’s inside for the rest of the evening. Your guests will bring outrageous costumes because they know they won’t have to wear them. Be prepared for an evening full of laughter. Year after year, this tradition becomes more hilarious as your guests bring wilder costumes.!
Costume Memory Game – Go through your old Fall Festival/Halloween photos and set aside any that show family members or friends dressed up in sweet, hilarious or spooky costumes. Make copies of every photo you want to use, cut them into identical rectangles (maybe 2” x 2”) and create a memory game your children will never get tired of.
Older children can make this game for the smaller ones, or Mom can make it for all to enjoy. Roast some pumpkin seeds and work on the game together.
You can add new photos each year. If you don’t remember how to play the game, it’s pretty simple. Place all cards on the table, face down in even rows, and take turns turning two over at a time as you try to find pairs. Whoever has the most pairs when the cards have all been picked up is the winner. This will soon become a family favorite and your children will ask to play it over and over again.

Walk Away Your Worries – The fall is a wonderful time to take a walk amongst the brilliant colors of the fallen leaves and breathe in the crisp air which has settled in behind the hot summer months. Plan an annual family walk where you leave your worries behind by picking up a pile of leaves, sharing what your worry is about, praying about it, giving that worry over to the Lord and then throwing the leaves in the air as you walk away.
As you continue forward, talk about all the things that you are so grateful for in your life and only stop when you need to pick up a new pile of leaves, describe a worry, throw them in the air and walk away.

Posted at: Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free

Free Copycat recipe e-book

I am really impressed with this free ebook that I just downloaded. Pictures, great easy "how to" instructions make this a fabulous freebies to recommend.
It includes some of my favorite recipes, including everything from a Wendy's Frosty, Cinnabon Cinnamon rolls to many of Applebee's best.


Click below to sign up, and enjoy.

Delicious Dirt Cake - Tasty Tuesday

I continue to marvel at how God reveals himself through the minuscule, seemingly "meaningless" things.
My daughter happened to mention that she wanted a dirt cake for her birthday months ago. Agreeing wholeheartedly with her, that thought went in one ear and out the other. (Am I the only one that happens too?)
Well, her first ever "friend" party had to be postponed, and dirt cake was the last thing on my mind, (I have enough dirt on my floor lest I create some unnecessarily), that was, until I arrived at a fabulous yard sale.

I glanced at this adorable pot, and the woman volunteered, "Oh, we never planted flowers in there, I just used it for dirt cake. Have you heard of that recipe?"

Had I ever? Well, I about hugged and squeezed off her little neck in excitement, graciously stole it from her for a mere $0.50, and skipped on home.
Entering the door, my daughter was beside herself because this meant that a real life friend party was actually coming to fruition.

I marvel at how the Lord ministered to me through a little old flower pot.
Isn't that so cool? I mean He knew for sure I would never pay retail for one this nice, so He let someone else do it for me. :)


How hard can a dirt cake be to make?
Not hard at all. It's so simple and has such great visual impact that I recommend it for every birthday party, except for the fact that my daughter requested a dirt cake made out of ice cream.
And every single recipe that I googled featured only pudding and cream cheese, so I improvised...which is what I am known for.

Now its official title is Dirt Soup, but I'll know for next time that the freezer is a good thing.
And yes, we still had candles.

And I don't think she minded the Dirt Soup one little bit, do you? :)
Posted at: Chatting at the Sky
Kimba's DIY
Dirt Cake

(this is the most common recipe that is posted...I will highlight how I changed it to suit my daughter's request).

Crush:

1 large package Oreo cookies in blender.

Cream together: (I completely skipped this step)

1/2 stick butter
8 oz. cream cheese
1 c. powdered sugar

Mix: (along with this mixture I added a half gallon of vanilla ice cream)

3 1/2 c. milk
2 pkg. French vanilla instant pudding
12 oz. Cool Whip

Add to cream mixture and mix well.

Place Cool Whip lid in bottom of clean 8-inch flour pot. (Umm, I missed this line...huge mistake. I tried sticking some gummies into close the hole after the fact...don't laugh. You are at Balancing Beauty AND Bedlam). Layer cookie mixture and creamed mixture alternately, ending with cookie mixture on top. Chill overnight. (I put it in the freezer only about an hour before serving it. With ice cream replacing the cream cheese, I needed to put it in for most of the day. It was absolutely delicious anyhow.)

Garnish with artificial flowers and serve with a garden trowel or, layer in a sand bucket. Place shovel in the middle or towards the side. Have gummy worms "crawling" out of the dirt. Make sure you end with cookie mixture.

I just found flowers that I had in my home instead of purchasing special ones. Yes, a wire cutter would have been nice for those long stems. I'll be on the look out though for some cute ones for next time. And yes, now my other daughter wants this next year.

So what have you been cooking up this week for Tasty Tuesday. Link up to your exact URL and please link back here so everyone can join in the fun.

Are coupons worth it?

A common question I receive from readers and friends is, "Are coupons really worth the hassle?"

Guess what, 92% of the time...they are not!
Yes, you heard it from the grocery guru's mouth.
92% of the time, the store is going to make money on you whether you cut a coupon or not.
Your miscellaneous coupons will not skyrocket you to grocery guru status.
But understanding that 92% of all items are priced to make money, while the other 8% of the store items are yours for the picking, will make a phenomenal difference in the way you view shopping.

You see, on any given week, 8% of the store has certain items that are "loss leader" products.
In layman's terms, these are the rock bottom prices.
The store needs to move those products out of the store because the manufacturers have new shipments that are coming to town.
I've talked about how sales are cyclical, typically every 10-12 weeks, and at the end of the cycle, stores have a choice -recoup a fraction of their money or lose out completely.
Obviously, they won't to recoup any amount they can, so they slash those items big time.
It's that 8% of the store that I focus on.
If you understand how to stock up on that 1/12 of the store where the prices are slashed, the grocery guru title will be yours for the taking.
I'm at the point now where I shop my own "store", excluding produce, and only replenish at the rock bottom prices. If you are just beginning a stockpile, you can be there as well in just three short months.
Continually I share that just because you might have a coupon, doesn't necessarily make it a good deal. In fact, there were plenty of coupons that I didn't use this week even though they would have been tripled.
I typically let about 50% of my coupons expire. I wait until the product hits their "loss leader" rock bottom price and then I stack on the double (or triple) coupons.

I know many of you have shared that you don't have double coupons in your area. Understanding the "loss leader" cycle at your grocery store, mixed with your single coupons, will still net you an incredible savings.
For those of you with triples this week, take advantage of them, there's no reason you can't become a grocery guru.

(I'm cracking myself up as I reread this. I sound all mathematically minded and I SO am not. :) But, it is interesting...More details on how this works in my "Grocery Guru" workshop.)

**********************************************
I just got home from my Sunday grocery trip.
Take a guess at what I paid for all of this (and you can't even see it all because it's stacked with a bunch hiding behind the yogurts).
One of the many common misconceptions include that couponing is only for processed foods.
Yes, I did get five Grands biscuits, two large boxes of General Mills cereal, three boxes of Chex mix bars, fruit gushers, Chex snack mix, Snyder yummy seasoned nibbles, Welch's jelly, Fiber One bars, and I admittedly splurged on Toaster Strudles.

But within your guestimate, include in your total - 18 Dannon yogurts, two pounds of grapes, two large bags of marked down fresh stir fry veggies, three bags of flour tortilla and ten boxes of Green Giant frozen veggies....

Any guesses?

ELEVEN DOLLARS!!

Yippee, yes, I do get excited at the check out and often do a happy shopping dance (in my head, of course).
Trips like that occur more often than not. I just stopped posting about them all the time because I thought you might get tired of my grocery pictures...hee hee :)

Coming home to this easy family dinner was the best part of my trip.
I pulled out the bagged chicken from this post, tossed it with some soy sauce and steamed the veggies. Serving it over the free rice that I purchased and stocked piled from a previous grocery run, our family of seven feasted on an incredibly healthy, quick dinner that even the skeptics would approve of...for under $3 (with left overs...)
Yes, this definitely Works for Me!

I've even gotten my oldest brother excited about this. I left a voice mail tempting him with a cart full of groceries for under $10.

Guess what? I am taking him on a brother/sister date tomorrow to show him how it's done.
He loves a deal, and I'm even sharing my coupons.
As any true couponer knows...that's the ultimate sacrifice.