Today's Headlines...

Super Cool Website!!!

Where The Money Goes

A great $ video for kids!

Stale Chips? No problem!

If you go to serve your fave tortillas and find they are slightly stale - no problem! Make a single layer of chips on a paper plate (paper towel will work) and microwave for 30 seconds. Wammo! Warm, Crispy Chips!


Side note... if you think I have reached a new low blogging on moldy cheese and stale chips in the same week - I hear ya! someone email me some new material :-)

Moldy Cheese - Is it safe to eat?

I found a sweet package of Wisconsin Cheddar in the back of my unorganized fridge today. The expiration date was July 5th and mold was beginning to grow. I tossed it but decided to google moldy cheese and see if saving it would have been safe... this is what I found.



The answer depends on the type of cheese. Most molds are harmless. Molds are even used to make some kinds of cheese, such as Roquefort, Gorgonzola, brie and Camembert. These molds are safe to eat.

But mold on cheese that's not part of the manufacturing process can also harbor harmful bacteria. With hard and semisoft cheese, you can cut away the moldy part and eat the rest of the cheese. But soft cheeses should be discarded.

Examples:
Hard:
Cheddar, Colby, Swiss, Parmesan, Romano, Gruyere Safe to eat if the mold is removed. Cut off at least one inch around and below the mold spot. Keep the knife out of the mold itself so that it doesn't cross-contaminate other parts of the cheese. Cover the cheese in fresh wrap.
Semisoft:
American, Asiago, baby Swiss, Monterey Jack, mozzarella, Muenster, Gorgonzola Safe to eat if the mold is removed. Cut off at least one inch around and below the mold spot. Keep the knife out of the mold itself so that it doesn't cross-contaminate other parts of the cheese. Cover the cheese in fresh wrap.
Soft:
Brie, blue cheese, Camembert, cottage cheese, Neufchatel, feta, ricotta, shredded and sliced cheeses Discard the cheese.

To prevent mold growth on cheese always keep your cheese covered and refrigerated!
(never allowing it to sit at room temperature for longer than two hours) and try to follow the manufacturers expiration date.

Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2006

Waste Not Want Not -

Today I was googling blankets (Cooper needs a new "furfur") and i came across this (at a blog I already read, cool eh?) I think this is a great frugal idea for a family keepsake! Have you ever made something like this?

Now that is a NeatO Idea!

Chief Family Officer has a great idea for inexpensive kids birthday cards! NeatO!

NeatO! Free Postcards!

A fellow frugal loopie sent me an AWESOME site - Hippopost - They allow you to create your own free postcard and then they mail it out for you postage free... How cool is that?

I am really bad about printing photos and mailing postcards and have even been tacky enough to send email thank yous GASP but I like this site and can't wait to try it. Later today (assuming my to do list is caught up and it storms as predicted) I am going to play with this and Arts Cow maybe I can go ahead and create our Disney photo book and FINALLY mail my Nana Norma photos of my kidlets.

This reminds me of something I read on Charlotte Fru-Gals... Did you know that you can use/mail almost anything flat that meets the USPS size guidelines? Recycled cards, kids art, your digital prints, paper plates, laminated art....be creative and share your ideas here!

Can you Imagine?

I have twins so maybe that is why I am so amazed by this story but - WOW - can you imagine? I can't!

I delivered B&C 6w5d early and they were 5.8 and 5.9 wonder if they would have been whoppers like this NC duo?

Bzzzzzz

Did you miss out on The Great Sunflower Project?
Well fear not! - Burt's Bees is giving away FREE Wildflower Seed Packets.
You can register here.

My First Product Review

I have been wanting to sit down and tell you about my new purchase but in typically ADDAmy style I keep forgetting!

Over the last few months I have been worried (read - complaining) that our counters were looking dull (probably the cleaners I use? since I am too coupon wise (ie frugal) to pay for the high$ "Granite" cleaners). So, I decided that I wanted to seal our kitchen granite (Crema Bordeaux, isn't it pretty!).

After some thought and research I decided on Granite Shield. Granite Shield has no plastic or silicone and is a breathable, penetrating sealer that will not scratch or yellow. Once applied it is ready to go (no lengthy curing process and no work or inconvenience for you).

I contacted Karan at A Granite Guard (Granite Shield Carolinas) and she knowledgeably answered all of my questions and scheduled an appointment to come out inspect and seal it.

Well, Karan and her lovely daughter came out last Tuesday and in under 2 hours they transformed my granite from dulling and porous to the most beautiful counters in Union county! (not to mention they cleaned up and sealed my not-so-white sil-granite sink to where it easily wipes up to a beatiful white). I was so impressed when Karan demonstrated how easy my counters and sink would be to clean and how water (and spills) now beads up rather than soaking in (and staining!). It has now taken a week of abuse (if you know us you know this is true!) and they still shine like they did when Karan left.

Anyway as I said this is my first product review so I am not an expert but I am impressed with this frugal product. Frugal you ask? Yes! Installing this product to protect your investment saves you money and work! The Granite Shield Life Time Warranty has no restrictions! (unlike most sealants which offer limited 5 year warranties and have to often be painstakingly replied by you). So whether you clean with homemade natural products, Windex, 409... whatever.. Granite Shield promises to protect your stone from stains and burns and cuts forever (and ever amen!) it even prevents bacteria from building up! - so kiss those expensive waxy polishes/cleaners goodbye!

Don't have granite? this great product can be used on tile, stainless and various other kitchen and bath stones and products! you can read more about it here.

As for Karan I also want to take a moment to sing her praises. Her customer service and follow-thru have been awesome! She called the night before she came to remind me of our appointment and she has followed up since to make sure that I am pleased! I can honestly say that I would recommend her company with out reservations. So if you live in the Carolinas and are interested in a kitchen consultation, sealing your granite or installing new granite, tile or kitchen/bath plumbing give Karan a call (704.583.9386) and tell her ADDAmy referred you.

Be sure to ask about any specials she is running as she knows I am all about finding specials for you (and me!)

Live Local? check this out!

The Amazing Animal Pet Show Everyone is invited to enjoy food, games, pony rides and visits by pet friendly businesses. All animals are welcome to enter the contest for $1 per category in events like: best dressed, largest, smallest, best trick, most ear-resistible ears, best groomed, oldest, youngest and best of show.

There will also be inflatables, sno-cones, pony rides, food, prizes and a K-9 demonstration by Union county Sheriff's department

Where: Weddington High School, 4901 Monroe Weddington Road, Matthews
When: 6:30 p.m. June 20. 704-225-0210.
Contact: 704-708-5530.

Menu Plan Monday

While blog browsing recently I stumbled across OrgJunkie.com (a site I NEED in my life). She (Laura) advocates meal planning (something I used to be better at) - in fact she feels menu planning is one of the best places to start in your "quest to get organized". Hmmmm. I am not looking forward to multiple weekly trips to the grocer with 3 kids in tow so the idea of being organized to do one run does sound appealing. Plus, I will admit despite my coupon skills (to lower the bills -heehee-) I do have a tendency to try to persuade Mr. J to take us out to eat (with coupon of course!) when summer stir crazies set in or Yummo to pick up Chinese take-out (a thing of the past now that Restaurant.com does not have $10 Wok coupons) when I forget to thaw out meat. The facts are more high dollar meals out mean less summer date nights and weekend family fun... and that will not do! So you have probably guessed where this post is heading... this is my 1st addition of what will hopefully be my weekly participation in Menu Plan Monday!
This week the Dickey Diet will include:


Breakfast - Do your own thing - Choices include:
cereal/cereal bars, bacon
egg & cheese sandwich(s)
oatmeal (only the princess and I willing eat this choice)
cheese toast, strawberries
yogurt smoothies

Lunch - with Mom-:
cheese quesadillas, grapes
chicken salad, strawberries
hoagies, carrots
corn dogs, apple sauce
egg salad, chips

Monday Dinner
WAS honey teriyaki chicken, rice and broccoli but hubby scored Cure tickets for tonight so NOW the kids and I are eating a homemade cheese pizza and field greens from MY garden (my 1st!)
Tuesday Dinner
we are invited to a cook-out if we do not attend (Mr J's work schedule and princess EB is in ALL day camp this week) we will have chicken salad, egg salad and tuna salad on lettuce with cantaloupe
Wednesday Dinner
"UnCut Heidi"'s child friendly taco puffs (yummO), corn on the cob
Thursday Dinner
Outback (Free Gift Card Baby! Thanks Mr J's work!)
Friday Dinner
spaghetti with Italian sausage, salad (hopefully from MY garden again)
Saturday Dinner
pork chops (need recipe! drop me a comment if you have one), potatoes and green beans
Sunday Lunch/Brunch
I am thinking Quiche... Mr J says ick, lets eat out... we will see
Sunday Dinner
shrimp & noodle stir-fry, maybe even eggrolls?

Does menu planning sound interesting to you? Want to hear more? Laura explains the WHY and HOW as well as providing aweseome links to recipes sites and various menu planning resources.

Who woulda thunk it?

There are lots of uses for cooking spray (apparently more than I could ever dream of) But I want you to check out Angie's "Works For Me" post at Thrifty Florida Mama. Who would have thought of these Neat-O uses? Does it make you wanna run out and stockpile it? -heehee- just in case there are some printable coupons here. PS... be sure to share with us if you have some great use for this or other products!

NeatO!

If you shop any of these stores (none are local to my area) this sounds like a NeatO coupon program. You register your loyalty cards at the Shortcut$ website. Pick out the coupons of your choice then shop w/ your loyalty card. The coupons will automatically deduct from your total! I hope my stores get a program like this soon, what a great way to save paper and printer ink.

UNION COUNTY MASTER GARDENERS "GROW LINE"

UCCE is proud to announce their new "GROW LINE." Have a question about your trees, yard, or garden; just give drop them a message. Union County Master Gardeners will return your call/email and answer all your questions. The ph# is 704-283-3822 and the email is unionmg@co.union.nc.us.
They are also offering DISCOUNTED Rain Barrels! You can inquire about them here.

Waste Not Want Not -

Food cost are at an all time high! This is especially so for our military families stationed overseas. You can help by donating your expired coupons.
If you are interested in supporting our troops in this way please email The Happy Housewife at coupons4troops@comcast.net for more information.

Angel Food

Handprints on the Wall has a GREAT visual on if you order it thru Angel Food Ministries.

I have been wanting to check this out for years but I am a last minute gal and never get around to the preorder and well it is rare for me to have freezer room if we are not currently eatting it down (I try to do that 2-3x a year but never succeed as someone will have a triples or a frozen breakfast deal or something... whoa is me...sigh).

While we were at my inlaws Carson went with my sMIL to deliver these. No they do not deliver for you! My sMIL orders a years worth for local impoverished families and picks them up and delivers them. It was a great experience for Carson!

Any way I am getting off topic. I was blog surfing today and saw this and it reminded me what an awesome service this is.

Here is their website to find a location near you!


FOLLOW-UP UPDATE:
Ok I received lots of emails (wish they were in comment form but I guess many of you are as new to bloging as I am) anyway 4 out of 5 of you agree with Mr J (hubby) and think if you can afford the price of normal groceries you should not participate (especially if like me AFM is not any cheaper than what I already pay as a couponer) others say think of it like a food co-op ... Either way it looks like I will be buying AFM but only to donate. That said I still think it is a great program and hope it can help you or someone you know!

Feed Families in Need - FREE

Denise at the Centsible Sawyer found a great way to feed families in need. Just log on to www.yourfamilytable.com and tell about the things that you do to make the lives of your family better and Country Crock will donate a meal to a family in need through America's Second Harvest. You can read more about it here including how to print a .55 coupon!

My 100th Post

100 posts (most about how to save $... if you weed out the politics, children's updates and ADHD posts) Wow it really happened fast. I must type as fast as I talk!
Unfortunately I don't have anything grand to post about and no time to Google up a deal. (Check-in tomorrow night for that!)
Our big plans are to spend the morning doing yard work then head to SC to see our moms. Hopefully squeeze in a date night tonight and then tomorrow the kids and I will visit with my mom, gma and aunts while my sweet husband (lol) takes his mom and sister out for a nice lunch.

Now booking June home shows!