Peamite and the Wii

It’s no surprise that Peamite Alpha is video game savvy at only 4 years of age.  He definitely takes after his dad. When he tries, he can actually do really well at the games he has, but sometimes, he just goofs off making the characters go willy nilly.  Do people even say that? Anyway, it’s quite aggravating to watch him do that.

Sometimes, I just have to ignore the TV whenever he plays Mario Kart.  It’s a race! but he’s going backwards, running into stuff, puts his controller down to eat some popcorn…get my drift?

At least he’s gotten good enough to actually play against.  I think David is really looking forward to being able to play more complex games like, NCAA football, with him in the future.  Long gone are the days when he would be able to play his friends over the internet since now we have slooow, limited, internet as a result of living outside the city limits of a small town…few options.

You can see here how serious gaming is in our house.  See, one looks like they’re having fun, and one looks very intent on the race.


Phone pic…can’t ya tell?

Loopy Ribbon Tutorial

I’ve decided that July and September are the birthday months.  A lot of people I know or make cakes for have birthdays in these 2 months.  I shared the cake I made for my dad’s birthday with you the other day, and today I’d like to show you a fun how-to that goes along with the cake that I made this weekend.

It’s a fun, easy way to make your cake look festive! Bows? Half flowers? David says they’re ribbons. (What do ya think? Y’all help decide what to call these once you see them.)  Anyway, whatever we decide to call them, let’s get started.

Loopy Ribbon Tutorial

• Start off by kneading together half fondant and half gum paste in the desired color until pliable.  I like to mix the two so that it dries faster and holds its shape better than using just straight fondant.

• Roll the fondant out thinly.  (about ⅛ inch)

• Use a ribbon cutter or knife to cut ½ inch strips

• Measure and cut 5 five inch strips and 5 three inch strips

• Place 1 three inch strip to the side and cover the rest of the strips with cling wrap to keep from drying out.

• Put a little water on one end of the strip to make it sticky

• Then loop it over and pinch the ends together.

• Put a little water on both ends of the five inch strip

• Loop the five inch strip over the small loop by lining the ends up and pinch them together.

• Continue on until all the loops are finished.

• Wet one side of a loop and press another loop’s end to join them.

• Continue attaching the loops until they are all together.

• To make the center, roll out your color of choice (⅛ to ¼ inch thick)

• Cut out a small circle (I used a large piping tip)

• Put a little water on the back and place onto the ribbons where they all meet.

• Leave the ribbons flat to dry so the loops hold their shape before standing them up to decorate your cake.

Banana Nut Cake

Banana Nut Cake is a favorite of my dad’s, and since it’s his birthday today, I decided to make him one.  I love to bake something for a loved one on their birthday to let them know I’m thinking about them…and who doesn’t like a gift they can eat?!

This cake was a cinch to make, so make one for yourself or someone who loves bananas!

It tasted just like Mamaw’s, so I’m gonna say it’s a success!

Here’s the recipe for ya!  Happy baking.

Banana Nut Cake

Prep Time: 10 minutes  Cook Time: 30 minutes  Serves:  20-25

 

   

 

 

 

 

Ingredients for the Cake:

• ½ cup shortening
• 1 ½ cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 4 Tbsp buttermilk
• ½ cup nuts (I like pecans)
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 cup mashed bananas (about 2 bananas)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 cups All Purpose flour

Cream the shortening and sugar.  Add the eggs and beat well.  Sift the dry ingredients together and add alternately with the buttermilk.
Add the bananas, nuts, and vanilla.
Pour the batter into greased and floured pans and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Cool on cake racks.

Ingredients for Banana Icing

• ½ stick butter
• 1 pound confectioner sugar
• 1 banana (about ½ cup)
• ½ cup nuts

Mix the butter and sugar together.  Add the other ingredients and mix until it’s the right consistency to spread.

National Ice Cream Day

It's National Ice Cream Day!  How are you celebrating?  My family and I are going to our local ice cream shop, Over The Top!  I'm (sorta) patiently waiting for Peamite Bravo to wake up from her nap so we can go!

Since ice cream prices are lower during the summer, now would be a great time to print off this coupon for Breyers Blasts!

Have fun and enjoy!

This post may contain affiliate links.

Summer Time With the Peamites

When I was visiting a friend, I saw that she had a giant beach ball sprinkler.  I thought they were such a neat summer toy, and since she said that her kids absolutely adored it, I started looking for one.  I didn't want to get one at the height of the Summer season since it would be full price then, but didn't expect it to be marked down as soon as early July!

But then again, they are starting back to school sales and where we live, school starts for the public schools at the beginning of August.  A friend of mine that manages a Dollar General store said she opened her first Halloween shipment today, so needless to say, retail is a bit ahead of the rest of us. :) 

I'm glad I was able to get it before Peamite Alpha started back to preschool, so we have plenty of time to enjoy it.  I even had a good time with it.  Very refreshing on a 100 + degree day!

That must be a good hug from Peamite Bravo since his tongue is hanging out!

Clearance Deal Meal

The other day I mentioned a few deals that I saw on the clearance shelves at my local Walmart.  Who knew that inspiration for dinner would be there, too?  I lucked out, I guess.

They had a lot of Lawry's Seasoning Mixes marked down to 25 cents each (down from $1.08!)  They're seasoning for a whole meal - these were the Mediterranean Sundried Tomato and Garlic Chicken.  Sounds yummy already.  There are a couple of recipes on the back, but I went with the main one listed (the packet's name sake.)  The recipe on the back of the packet called for a couple of ingredients I didn't have at home, but figured we didn't really need them for it to be good.  Only one of us would eat the olives, and feta cheese isn't exactly in the budget right now.

Here's the cost breakdown of the ingredients used for the meal I made:

about 1/2 a box of pasta (on clearance for 75 cents) = $0.37
1 Lawry's seasoning packet (on clearance for 25 cents) = $0.25
1 can diced tomatoes = $0.54
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts ($1.88 per pound) = $2.82
Total Cost: $3.98

The total brings this to about $1 per person for my 4 member family!

And here's the recipe (how I made it):

Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta

1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 pkg. Lawry's Mediterranean Sundried Tomato & Garlic Chicken Seasoning Mix
1 1/2 cups Rotini pasta
1 cup water
1 can (15 oz) diced tomatoes, undrained

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Place chicken and pasta in a 13x9 inch baking dish.  Mix water, tomatoes, and seasoning mix until well blended.  Pour over the chicken and pasta.  Stir to coat.  Cover with foil.

Bake for 35 - 45 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.  You can either cut the chicken up and stir into the pasta, or if you have enough, serve a chicken breast along side some pasta to each person.  Since I have 2 little peamites, I cut theirs up anyway.  I liked how the chicken tasted with a bite of pasta, so I ended up cutting my chicken up into the pasta, too!

 

Where I Save: Blogs (Part 3)

Here's the last of my list of blogs that I recommend.  (I may have more for you in the future!)

 

Frugal Coupon Living has just about any kind of savings featured on this blog.  Online and retail stores, restaurant deals, entertainment deals, and coupon match ups.  I even learned that you can buy grocery items through Amazon.com.  Guess I should be a little more observant, huh?  You probably already knew that. 

She has many daily deal sites listed, and will alert you to any super buys happening on them.  Like, right now, on MyHabit.com, you can score something for free or pretty close by using promo code, Summer25 (good through Aug 1st) to get $25 off, but every time I have a chance to check the site, they're all sold out of everything.  Maybe you'll have some luck!

Next on my list is Coupon Pro.  This guy knows about all the samples and free stuff out there!  Really!  Just follow his blog for a little while, and your mailbox should be filling up with samples in no time.  He is also great about alerting you to any Swag Bucks available.

And finally, there is Jill Cataldo who mostly writes about deals in the Chicago area, but despite her being in a different market, I can still glean from the national chains that she writes deals about.  What I like most about her site is the articles she writes or features about couponing realistically and ethically. 

She was even featured in The Sun Herald today.  They ran this article that was from the Chicago Tribune.  I would love to be able to attend one of her seminars.  She does however, have a DVD available for purchase that was filmed at a seminar she did, so those of us that aren't able to attend can learn her methods, too.  Would any of my local friends like to split the cost with me and we'll watch the at home use one?  If you believe there is a large enough group to warrant a group showing, there is a licensed DVD and handouts also available.

So, tell me, what blogs do you like?