Little Chicken Pot Pies

This is what we had for dinner. For this and some of my other brave attempts, check out my recipe blog, The Unpampered Chef. Because we had most of the items on hand, this cost me less than $5 to make, and I was so very excited about that.

Thinking Outside the Box (for once!)

So I bragged in the last post I typed about holding my own with productivity. I then posted pictures of Mason and neglected to mention what I did that was actually productive. So if you are like us, having two large pets at home, and don't feel the need to spend another $60-$150 every time they tear their beds or kennels into chunks, see what I rigged up below.

Dog beds are ridiculously expensive. They don't sleep in them anyway; our dogs prefer to lay on the air vents that blow cold air so no one else feels any. We had moved their beds into the kennels, but they were destroyed by a summer of camping detritus. We did our seasonal clean and had to eighty-six all of it. But I can't leave them in bare kennels because that feels mean. It would be like leaving Mason in a room without a bed and telling him to sleep there. But I also can't sew and I'm not the most creative person, so what was a girl to do? Here it is in step-by-step format.

1. Clean kennels; try really hard not to gag as you throw away the mess that used to be in them. Use dish soap that promises to cut through anything, and be tough on odors even on plastic items. Hose them down; "accidentally" hit the curious dogs with cold hose water.

2. Let kennel pieces dry in the sun; pray it stays warm long enough for this to happen.

3. Realize you have nothing to put inside them; the dogs will have to stay out while you go to the store. It's kind of like a gamble. (We still aren't sure how Rio got the red Sharpie she chewed up in the middle of the living room once when we left her out on purpose; it was seriously put away in a drawer. We think she might have superpowers. We also aren't sure how Kevin got it out of our carpet. He also might have superpowers.)

4. Irritate your cranky kid by dragging him to Costco, Petco, and finally Target on a desperate search for something to put in the kennels that won't require you to dip into his college fund. Anyone priced dog beds lately? Or even the things they specifically make to pad kennels? If your dog is larger than say, a purse, it gets expensive quickly. Grab a few things with a rough idea of what you're going to do with them while your kid is screaming at the top of his lungs that he wants to go home. You will need: a queen sized foam mattress, two twin-sized fitted sheets, and reliable scissors. Pay as quickly as possible and chuck it all into the back of the truck while the cart is still in motion because if you stop your kid will climb out.

5. Head home to put the mostly dry kennels back together in the dark while your previously cranky kid asks repeatedly if he can climb in the tunnel and if you think his trucks will fit in the gaps where the bottom and top of the kennel fit together. (I said no, but his fingers might. I know because I've tried it with my own fingers. He resorted to climbing on top of the kennels to play but was not crying so I let him be.)

6. After kennels are together, take one queen sized foam pad ($22.99 at Target) and figure out the best way to cut it in half to fit both kennels. Cut it lengthwise and fold each section in half. Wrap a twin-sized fitted sheet around each part ($7.99 each at Target). Wrap it around the back/bottom first and then finally lap the sheet over itself so none of the stretchy parts or the foam is visible to the dog with superpowers who can probably undo your 10 minutes of work with nothing but sheer will on her side.

7. Fit each portion into the appropriate kennel, making sure you arrange colors so your husband won't accuse you of trying to turn the boy dog into a girl. Realize that, during your child's hissy fit, you paid no attention to what colors you grabbed and maybe you could've put more thought into this... but yellow is better than bubble gum blue for a boy, right? Maybe?

Total cost: $39 ($19.50 each) and just a small portion of my sanity. However, none of these items were on clearance so I know I should be able to reconstruct this, at the listed price or less, any time we have an unfortunate kennel-related incident. Plus, the sheets are more washable than the beds were, and these are the same materials those $70 beds were made from.

Needless to say, I was pretty proud of myself for rigging this up. Plus if I end up recreating it, I might need these instructions.

Care to join me?

For y'all who live here locally and are interested, I want to put together an order of dirt cheap hair stuff from Salon Savings. The catch is, they are based on the other side of the country and shipping is not dirt cheap unless your order totals $65 or more, which mine does not. So...if you would like to order anything from them and want to help me get on the free shipping bandwagon (and be included yourself), let me know via email (twoandthreebees at gmail dot com.) I'm totally out of shampoo and there was an incident with Mason dumping my conditioner out (he was so proud he could get the lid off the bottle himself), so I would like to place the order by the end of the week. Thanks much!

They say the best things in life are free

So this blog title totally has me singing this song. And then I want to watch Empire Records (hey, Amber!), which might be one of the best stupid movies ever. It's a vicious cycle, isn't it? "Excuse me, ow. Excuse me, ow." Well, back to your regularly scheduled post.

I've been looking into doing my own blog background now, thanks to the fabulous birthday gift my aunt-dad gave me. As a result of this pondering, I've come across some pretty fantastic things. And guess what? They are free. This Friday, here are my Five Favorite Freebies. These things are always linked to on the right hand side of my page toward the bottom of the column.

1. Cute Handwriting and Scrapbooking Fonts- I previously posted about getting my own handwriting turned into a true type font for free. Well, the last time I looked at the fonts on Kevinandamanda.com, she had updated the fonts for peas section and you can now download my handwriting onto your own computer for free. It's one of 20 she deemed cute enough to do! I got over that quickly enough when I scrolled down and saw the others she added that are so cute they make my handwriting look like chicken scratch. If you are looking for something new and a little different, this is one freebie you must check back with often. She also posts some recipes that look wonderful.

2. Blog design tips and amazing backgrounds that go right up- this is where my current background came from. They have about 200 others and new ones all the time. They also have tips for making your own blog design. I'm trying it out. Also, I apologize for anyone who tried using the link I've had for this one recently. I just figured out the other day that I had typed it incorrectly. If you're in the market for a blog background, TheCutestBlogontheBlock is a great place to start. Also, if you're having trouble getting your background from their old link to load, check out this new one for instructions on how to change it; they've recently changed their server and promised that the new links are working much better.

3. More cute blog backgrounds- If you want a layout that is a little different from the pyzam/cutestblogontheblock, try Leelou Blogs instead. Their designs are cute, scrapbook-y, and textured. They also all have a separate design for a header if you are after that, too. This one, like the others, will do a specialized blog design for you for a price if you're interested. But this is all about the freebies, and she has plenty of those!

4. Digital scrapbooking pages and extras- I stumbled across Raspberry Road Designs while I was trying to decide if I'm creative enough to do my own blog background. The blog tips on cutestblogontheblock recommended a site that led me to here with the promise of free "paper". She frequently offers free paper; everything I found on her site is cute and even when there is a price, it's relatively cheap for the download. If you're ever in the market for this kind of thing, stop there first.

5. Drinks- This is totally unrelated to any of the digital/scrapbooking/internet universe (other than I might be drinking one while I ponder this universe), but the Jamba Juice near me recently started offering punch cards again. Words cannot express my excitement about this, considering any trip to the grocery store or the "red" store prompts nearly unlimited patience from a two-year old who knows the parking lot well enough to ask for a "treat, please... pleeeeease?" anytime we're in the vicinity. I mean, a fruit smoothie is a way healthier treat than ice cream or the suckers Kyle gives him at the credit union, so how can I resist something that allows my grocery shopping to commence in peace? Getting every 7th one for free is just icing on the cake.

Handwriting Help and Free Fonts

I recently stumbled across a really fun website. It's called Kevinandamanda.com. My favorite feature are the free fonts. I took advantage of the "Fonts for Peas" section, and did something I had always wanted: I got my own handwriting made into a font for free. You have to follow her simple directions to the letter, and it only took me three days to get it back. I didn't quite make the graphic big enough, and it lost a little of the quality when I enlarged it, but you get the idea. It's pretty clear when I use it in, say, Microsoft Word. Now I can type my scrapbook journaling or Christmas letters and it will have a little bit of a personal touch. I'm typically too big of a spaz to actually handwrite something like that without screwing it up. But if you're like me and crave font variety, check out their website. She also has some fantastic recipes with very easy instructions on there.

Speaking of Emergency Preparation...

First, let me say there is a store called Recreation Outlet in South Salt Lake with a great deal on a bag to help start the emergency kit. According the newspaper ad, they were $9.99/ea. I may try to find something on wheels for Mason, but I plan on checking them out for Alan and myself, so I will let you know if they are as good as they sound.

Secondly, one of my neighbors stopped by a few days ago because our city is starting to focus on Emergency Preparation. She is in charge of six households within the immediate area of her home, which seems fairly manageable.

She brought over a packet from the city which includes a page to fill out our family information so the city will have it on file. It also has the Salt Lake Valley Health Department Family Emergency Preparedness Guide. I will post more on this after I have time to sit down and read it. It then has a Ziploc bag, labeled with the name, address, and cell phone number of our coordinator (neighbor). Inside the Ziploc bag are five sheets of construction paper in green, yellow, red, black, and white. These are to be put in one of our front windows in the event of an emergency, and indicate the following: green=all is well, yellow=we need help but it is not critical, red=we need help immediately, black=someone is deceased, and white=already evacuated. There is a supplemental packet with additional local information and a list of available resources.


For the most part, I think this is a good idea. It's a way for the city to make account for its residents in case of a disaster. We all saw what happens when civic leaders are not prepared for a major disaster after Hurricane Katrina. I think our city is being more responsible and I intend to comply.

I would encourage everyone to check with your ward, city, or other miscellaneous geographical area to see if there is an emergency prep plan in place. If not, please contact me and I will help you get at least a copy of the materials our city is giving out, because they aren't included in the 72-hour kit list I'm posting. I hope every area has one, because from a selfish perspective, I want everyone I care about to be accounted for in the event of emergency.

If there ever is a disaster with wide magnitude here, it is certain that Alan and I will both be called into work. Alan will have no choice in the matter and will have to go. I already know I would need to make sure my family was cared for because that is my most important job.

Like all of us, I'm just trying to get informed and prepared. Hopefully we will never need it.

I like to pretend I'm a bargain shopper

I'm totally spoiled. When I worked full-time and we got through the first married year of being totally house poor, I got used to some creature comforts. I like clothes shopping as much as the next girl. I don't think anything will pick up a bad or sad mood quite like a new shirt or new shoes (this is a more recent thing for me, however). When I agreed to cut back my hours at work, I knew it was a sacrifice I was making for the good of my child. And who doesn't enjoy the opportunity to play in the dirt with dump trucks more often (I wish I were being sarcastic here, but I'm not. I love playing with my kid, even though sometimes my sorta-girly brain can't keep up with the tunnels and race track slides involved in being a little boy)?

One thing I gave up was my salon-grade shampoo and conditioner. Once upon a time, I would've told you this made no difference and it was paying more for the same exact thing. With my particular hair (heat-styled on a good, rare day without a toddler begging me to do anything else), I have decided I like my fancy salon products. The catch is that now I'm more hesitant to go spend $40 on shampoo and conditioner, even if the big bottles last me six months. Luckily, I found this . I can get my favorite (Back To Basics) for $26, which is just over half-price. If you are a hair product princess like me, check it out!

I've also been introduced recently to Ebates. They have always-changing special offers plus regular cash-back incentives for purchasing online from many, many stores. If you shop online frequently (who wants to take their 2 year old boy to the mall with him yelling "Go back out!" from the stroller every time you enter a store with anything other than toys?), this is highly worth the thirty seconds it takes to fork over your email address. As far as I've seen, they don't send out hundreds of annoying emails, either.