WFMW:No excuses Exercise

It's Wednesday and I've been MIA for too long.......

It's been an extremely busy time of year in Bahama Shores, but I decided to quickly share what has been Working for Me this Wednesday. Nothin' earth shattering, but here goes anyway.

I find the best way for me to conquer any problem I'm having is to work somewhat backwards. I try to figure out where my "road blocks" per se are. When I'm lucky, I can foresee them, other times they come through trial and error. And usually more trial and error.

This is how I mastered my age old dilemma of exercise:

ROAD BLOCK:

1. I don't have the time. Ummmm, we all have the same 24 hours. Use them wisely.
2. I let any little thing pop up and delay or cancel my scheduled workout. Get up an hour early. If all you would be doing is sleeping, nothing else should interfere.
3. I am not able to consistently hold myself accountable. Badger a friend until she relents and agrees to meet you at 6 am at the local park for a two mile walk with free gossip/counseling.....whichever is needed on that day.
4. I go full force in the beginning and then burn out. Let your friend pick the days that work for her. In my case, only 3 days. You can always work up to more.
5. I'm so tired in the morning I can't find my workout clothes, let alone brush my teeth. Or exercising. Put your clock across the room so you have to get out of bed to turn it off. Put your whole outfit -bra to shoes- in the bathroom the night before. Stumble to the bathroom, pee in the dark while attempting to dress (go slow here so your don't pee on your clothes ~lesson learned). Forgo brushing teeth or hair and laugh with friend over your frugal "mace". It's dark anyway. Soon she'll be following suit. And as far as being too tired to exercise: You'll have to trust me on this one.......I swear by the halfway point of the first lap, you will be wide awake chattering away like you're coming off a ten year vow of silence.

With your next challenging issue, try putting up all the road blocks you can and knocking them down one by one. It is so empowering.

To see what is working for other bloggers this Wednesday go see We Are THAT Family.

WFMW: Frugal Edition: Leftovers

One of my favorite dishes is leftovers.

You read that right.

Leftovers.

I can take any leftover and add crescent rolls and cheese and make a meal we all enjoy.

Even if the kids may not have liked it in it's original form, they'll enjoy it the secondtime around :)

Here are some combos that we enjoy:

~chicken, corn, grilled onions, cheese and bbq sauce.

~ham, brocolli, cheese and brown mustard.

~shrimp, asparagus, parmesan cheese and lemon butter.

~taco meat,salsa cheese and corn.

~pot roast and all the fixins'.

~spaghetti, mozz cheese, and extra sauce.

~hot and mild sausages, grilled peppers and onions, mozz cheese and creamy italian dressing.

Get the picture????

Just take any leftover, add cheese and roll it up in two cans of cresent rolls. Doesn't matter how you do it.

It will be fantastic!

(I meant to have a picture to accompany this post, but I've been stuck tending to flu victims ~ and we are hoping it stays as just plain, jane vanilla flu!)

Head over to We are THAT Family to see other frugal ideas this wednesday.

It's my one year blog anniversary today and I'm having a giveaway! Please go enter!

WFMW: Line Dry

Today is Earth Day so I thought I'd share the way I've been "doing my part".

Last summer I bought a clothesline and a bag of clothespins from the dollar store. I hung the line in between a tree and our fence near the gate on the side of our house. Initially, I just wanted a place to hang our wet towels and bathing suits from the daily pool usage.

I then moved on to hanging our sheets to dry. I love the smell of air dried sheets.

I slowly began to add clothes to the line.

It was summer and in Florida that means evening downpours - every evening. So you have to be disciplined about getting the clothes off the line.

Then I broke my foot and this all came to a screeching halt.

In November, once I'd been cast less long enough, I began to want to hang my clothes out again. I did a little google.com research and found a great tip:

~ Each night check the weather.com website for chance of rain for the next three days.~

This allows you to plan how many loads of laundry you need to do. If tomorrow's forecast is clear but the next has a chance of rain you may choose to double up the first day.

Sounds simplistic, but it never occurred to me. duh!

I've since added a second clothesline just under the first but tucked behind the next post and I have enough room to dry 2 full loads.

During the winter months when the humidity is low here in Florida, but the temperature is milder and the sun is not as bright or long..........I put a load of laundry in the washer before I go to bed. The next morning I am able to hang the laundry out as soon as possible.

I feel very Mother Naturist while taking the time everyday to hang the laundry out and that's what working for me.

To see what works for others visit We Are THAT Family.

WFMW: Five Ingredients Or Less Edition

It's Wednesday so I'm putting up a tip and participating in Works For Me Wednesday at Rocks in My Dryer. Today she is asking for favorite recipes using five ingredients or less. It's summer time and any time spent in the kitchen can seem like too much! That's why we love to make cucumber sandwiches. They are perfect as an appetizer or for lunch. You can make up a batch of the cream cheese spread and leave it in your fridge and make the sandwiches on demand all through the week. It's what we call summer living!


INGREDIENTS

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian salad dressing mix
2 loaves French bread, cut into 1 inch slices
2 medium cucumbers, peeled and sliced thin
1 pinch dried dill weed

DIRECTIONS

In a medium bowl, mix together the cream cheese, mayonnaise and Italian dressing mix. Refrigerate for at least 6 hours, or preferably overnight.

Spread the cream cheese blend onto slices of French bread. Top with a cucumber slice, and sprinkle with dill.


What's for dinner at your house tonight? Go pick a recipe over at Rocks In My Dryer ~ it's sure to be a success.

WFMW: Soft Feet

It's WFMW and I've got a tip for those of you who don't have the time or money for a pedicure.

Whenever you have to wear socks and shoes, put thick lotion on your feet. Whether I am cleaning the house or going for a walk, I will slather a thick body butter that comes in a tub on my feet. Then add socks, wipe the remaining lotion on my elbows and put my tennis shoes on. When my feet heat up from the exertion, it's like a mini spa going on in my shoes! By the time I change shoes my feet are newborn baby soft!

Works for me!

Go check out Rocks in My Dryer for more things that are working it today!

WMFW: Green Grocer

Reusable Grocery Bags



An opinion, fact or tip for each bag:


~I have 6 black ones from Publix that I purchased for 99 cents each.


~They need to train the baggers. They don't know how to fill such a large bag. I hate that I feel like they are rolling their eyes at me, when I bought the bags AT THEIR STORE!

~I brought them to Albertsons. They gave me a 5 cent credit on my bill for each bag. After 20 visits, the bag will have paid for itself.



~The bags hold alot. I used the bags to take snacks in the car and and another filled with toys on our two hour car trip last weekend. It was perfect!



~ I leave them folded up in the back of my car. They are always there when I need them.

~I feel so granola crunchy using these. Try it, you'll like it! It works for me.





~~~~~Go visit Rocks in my Dryer to see what works for others! ~~~~

WFMW: Go To Appetizer

Everyone needs a go to recipe for every category. Here's my appetizer that everyone drools over and no one can stay away from:


From my favorite cookbook to date - The Life of the Party by the Tampa Bay Junior League:

Hot Swiss Bacon Dip

8oz cream cheese - room temperature
1/2 c mayo
1 c shredded swiss cheese
2 tbsp chopped green onions
8 slices bacon, crisp and crumbled (or a pkg of the bagged bacon
pieces)

butter crackers crushed for the topping
3 tbsp melted butter

Combine first three ingredients. Then stir in the bacon and green
onions. Spread in baking dish. Top with crushed crackers and
drizzle with butter.
Bake at 350 for 20-25 min. Serve with crackers or whatever and
apple slices.


Even those who swear they don't do swiss cheese will be licking the plate!

What works for me: having a simple, delicious dip that everyone raves over!

Now head over to Rocks In My Dryer to see what works for everyone else.

Making a list, checking it twice

Rocks in My Dryer is holding What Works for Me Wednesday again.

Wanna know what works for me? Basic staple items kept stocked. Cleaning items, paper products and toiletries are things I always have at least doubles of. When I am opening my second to last one of these, I put it on my weekly shopping list. Then I rotate and put the new one in back and move the others forward. I know it makes no sense as most of these items don't expire, but I feel better about it.


I also keep coke, milk and bread on my list, whether I need them or not. I type my shopping list. Yes, I realize I'm one of those. I have a saved document that has my list broken into categories and the above three mentioned items are already typed into it. Then I gather my scrap paper from the kitchen where I write down things as I use them up and then after I've meal planned for the week I type up my grocery list. I print it out right before I leave to go shop and when I close the document, I don't save the changes! The document is ready the next time for me with the categories and these three items. I then bring a pen, pencil, crayon or highlighter to mark things off while I'm at the store. (I've been forced to use lipstick in rare cases).


I can't tell you how much time it saves me to do these two things.

I also can be honest when I tell my kids if it's not on the list.......we aint gettin' it!

We are never without shampoo, toothpaste, laundry soap or Clorox wipes. We ALWAYS have toilet paper, and as Flylady once said, "Nothing says I love you like having toilet paper when you need it" (or maybe I'm paraphrasing here).

Bread goes into the freezer to be rotated out in an orderly fashion. My kids are milk drinkers and we go through about 4 gallons a week. If it seems we have too much milk, I'll plan a meal or snack or treat that uses milk. Having enough coke, always a good plan to make mama happy!

And that, my friends, is what works for me!

Go find out what works for others this Wednesday: click here!~

Works for me Wednesday

To make this whole blogging thing a bit easier I thought I'd hop on a few bandwagons and let more experienced bloggers pave the way. So today I will be following the lead of Rocks in My Dryer. Click here to see her list and a whole slew of other wagon hoppers:

The theme is: What Doesn't Work for Me : or Lessons Learned the Hard Way.


Generic Soda: Sooo not right! Ok, I'll give you orange or grape soda may be fine for grocery store brand.........but cola? Never! And yes, in case you were wondering, there is a difference between Coke and Pepsi, and I can tell!!!!!!! Just give this girl her Coke in a glass with ice, and nobody will get hurt.


Wireless Bras: Underwire IS the support, so I just don't get large cup sized bras without underwire.


Thong Panties: I know some of you think they da bomb, regardless of wearer's size; but I've got to tell you, I've tried them when I was tiny as well as, well, large and I find them to be nothing but the most uncomfortable piece of string up my ass!

Clogs: Perhaps this is just in response to the memories I have associated with them of my mother's choice of footwear, but everything about them are heinous to me. Even the name..... CLOOOOGGGGG. *shudder*


Fragrance Free Detergent: I'm not talking about people who have allergies, but this is all about me, right??? If you don't get detergent that smells good, you might as well go back to washing your clothes in a big tub with water or just don't use detergent at all ~ kinda like Euro's and deodorant.

Hey, this is much easier than I thought, but I could go on and on and on and I have a whole basketball team coming to dinner and I have to clean, and bake cupcakes and it's almost noon. I have walked (twice this week so far, go me!!) and grocery shopped already today. On that note I'll add just one more of What Doesn't Work For Me:

Complaining Janes: You know, the people who find fault with everyone and everything! This was a fun little blurb, but I really do try to look on the bright side of things. I certainly don't want to be a Debbie Downer (am I showing my age again with that reference??) So here's to putting a glow on the rest of your day!

What are some things that don't work for you?????????