Three Bean Salad

This recipe came from my mom, and it is one of Camille's favorites. If I double it, people complain that there's not enough. So I have already doubled the recipe so when you double it, there will actually be enough.

Drain:

2 cans wax beans

2 cans green beans

1 can kidney beans

Chop 1 Cup of each:

onion

celery

green bell pepper

Mix it all up and marinate at least a few hours (or better yet overnight) in:

1 1/2 C Sugar 

1 C oil

1 C white distilled vinegar

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Tip: my mom taught me when you are doubling recipes you should never double the salt. True? I don't know, but I definitely follow this rule and have never been dissatisfied.

Lasagna

I thought I lost this recipe and nearly proceeded to have a heart attack. I can NEVER lose this recipe, and it's getting hard to read so it's definitely time to post it. It's just sooo easy and sooo delicious. I think I found it in a Kraft magazine. You know, those things we used to get recipes from before Pinterest and blogging were a thing. Without further ado, the best lasagna in the world.

16 oz. cottage cheese (2 cups)
2 1/2 C shredded Mozzarella Cheese, divided
1/2 C grated Parmesan cheese, divided
1 T plus 1 tsp dried parsley
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 jar (26 oz) spaghetti sauce
1/2 C water
1 lb. ground beef, browned and drained (optional)
11 lasagna noodles, uncooked

1. Mix 1 1/4 C mozzarella cheese, 1/4 C Parmesan cheese, cottage cheese, parsley, and egg until well blended. Set aside.
2. Pour spaghetti sauce into meat skillet. Swish water in jar to get all spaghetti sauce and add.
3. Put one layer of the meat sauce on bottom of 8 x 11 in. baking dish.
4. Layer four lasagna noodles, 1/2 cheese mixture, and a layer of meat sauce. Repeat layer and top with remaining 4 noodles and sauce.
5. Sprinkle with remaining 1 1/4 C mozzarella cheese and 1/4 C Parmesan. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes at 350.
6. Remove foil and bake 15 minutes or until bubbling. Let sit 5 minutes before serving.

Aunt Margie's Potato Salad

My dad used to hate potato salad. At a family gathering my mom noticed him take a token portion of potato salad. And then he went back for more. And more. So naturally she had to get the recipe. Thank you Aunt Margie.

10 small new potatoes (red potatoes) boiled with skins on; peel and dice while hot
10 hard boiled eggs
4 green onions
2 C real mayonnaise (original recipe calls for 3, but I find that to be too much)
2 T white vinegar
2 T sugar
1 tsp salt

How to Estimate Utility Bills

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We are currently house hunting, and all of those uncertain expenses that come with owning a bigger home are weighing on my mind. We looked at a beautiful five bedroom home the other day, but with all that extra space would come a higher utility bill...as expected. But how much higher? How do you estimate those additional costs?

Through our local power company I found a resource for estimating your home energy cost. Your estimated cost will depend on the house details, your appliances, and your usage. If you are shopping for a new home, knowing the following about your potential house will help you accurately estimate your future energy costs:

• Is the home weatherized?
• By owner?
• By Professional?
• Wall insulation thickness
• Ceiling insulation thickness
• Floor insulation thickness
• Windows (single or double pane?)
• Type and age of heating system
• Type, age, and location of water heater
• Type (energy star?) and age of appliances that come with the house (stove, dishwasher, etc.)

This fun calculator will also give you tips on how you can decrease your energy costs in the future. It's a great tool that I will definitely be using when planning our budget for our future house!

How to Read Crochet Charts

I found this pattern on Pinterest for a crochet skirt.

I especially like the trim and thought it would be fun to crochet this to a slip and wear as a skirt extender, BUT...I don't know how to read crochet charts.

I did some researching and found a couple excellent resources for crocheting using a chart. Here is a pdf from Redheart yarn on how to read the symbols in a crochet chart. This tutorial shows you how to read the actual chart once you know what the symbols mean.

Skirt extenders add a little length to skirts a little too short to be comfortable and add a touch of femeninity to an otherwise ordinary outfit. Hopefully these will come in handy when I get around to making my fabulous skirt extender!

Slacker Blogger Clean Up

Peril of a slacker blogger: Posts from nearly one year ago still waiting to be published...

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I attended a wonderful class last month last year at church on cleaning your home. There were some great tips that I want to remember, but I certainly don't need another piece of paper lying around waiting to be lost. So hopefully these tips and tricks turn out to be helpful! I'll update as I try them.

Have you ever thought about putting Rain X on your outside windows that get direct rain? You get fewer water marks and don't have to clean your windows as often!

Spot X is supposed to work miracles for getting hard water spots off your faucets. For the edges around your faucet, use a ceramic razor blade or plastic putty knife.

Pumice stones help remove hard water deposits and stains in toilet bowls.

Mr. Clean Magic Eraser works in the shower. I've never used it for anything other than crayons and pen marks an the wall {and let me tell you, I LOVE Mr. Clean. He's the second best man in my house!}

I guess it's time to clean the bathroom and see if these really work!

Random Act of Kindness

Today I had a rough morning. I know as a mother I’m supposed to be the one who holds it all together when everyone else is falling apart, but I just couldn’t do it today. One kid woke up cranky and got another kid cranky, and I joined the cranky team. My great wisdom and many years of experience failed me big time.

I seriously couldn’t figure out how I was going to get in a better mood. I didn’t want to listen to music. I didn’t want to read. I didn’t want to go on a walk. I really didn’t want to do anything. Suddenly I remembered something I saw on Pinterest. One woman spent her 35th birthday doing 35 random acts of kindness with her children. I didn’t have all day to do random acts of kindness, but I did have a half hour.

I loaded up the kids and grabbed $3 in quarters. As I handed out the quarters to the kids, I explained that we were going to be Santa’s helpers.  At first the kids were super excited, but after seeing the neat things in the candy and toy machines they wanted to buy something for themselves. I reminded them that today our treat was to give to others, and they quickly got back into the spirit of things.

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We had so much fun running from store to store leaving little surprises for some lucky kid to find. We went to a strip mall so they would all be close together and hit Albertsons, Ace Hardware, Dollar Tree, the laundromat, and Blockbuster. As we were running over to the bank, Camille said she felt warm inside and that she knew that was the Spirit. Tate told me he felt “very smurfy.” {Has anyone else seen The Smurf’s one too many times?} As we were looking for a candy machine, the teller at the bank asked if she could help us. Unfortunately the only candy they had was what the tellers hand out to the kids, which sparked an idea. We asked if she would give our quarter to a kid who came in to the bank and wish them a Merry Christmas from another kid helping out Santa.

It was the best medicine EVER. Seriously. If you're having a rough day you should try it. If you need ideas {or even just one!}, here is the original post.