One stop deals....

I was at my friends house yesterday and we were talking about prices on cleaning product and groceries.  I love hearing the deals she gets.  She told me that she goes through the grocery newspaper ads and the ads online.  She writes her list of what the best price is for the item and who has it on sale.  She then loads up her cart with the items she wants and then as she is checking out she lets the cashier know the sale price for the items and what ad she found it in (if they are a better price, of course). Her Walmart doesn't even require her to have the ad. If you don't have the ad with you, you can always show them on your phone. She even had a clerk tell her about some deals she didn't know and got an even better price.  LOVE IT!

I use to be the one that would hit multiple stores just to get a deal.  But have stopped cause of time and gas money.....I am going to try this out when I go grocery shopping next.  Why not, she got vegetables WAY cheaper than I did, trust me!

HAPPY SHOPPING and HAPPY SAVINGS!

Samuel's Favorite: Crunchy Onion Chicken

For those who don't know, I have a 10 1/2 year old son.  (He is AMAZING!)  It is the new year so I am eating healthier and that means Samuel is eating healthier too.  He is always asking me..."Mom can you PLEASE make me fried chicken?"  My answer is always, no sorry!  SO I was introduced to French's Crunchy Onion Chicken.  I wasn't sure about it as Samuel doesn't like onions and I wasn't sure it was going to be good.  I was so wrong.  It is AMAZING and Samuel LOVES it!  The chicken is juicy and the outside is crunchy.  I have been making this for a while.  Samuel has requested it for the last 3 nights.  :0)

The chicken cooks for 20 mins.  While it is cooking, it gives me plenty of time to cook veggies, rice, ect.  So with in 30 mins I have a complete meal.  I am all about quick and easy meals.

Here is the recipe! ENJOY!!!

Crunch Onion Chicken
Prep: 5 mins    Cook Time: 20 mins


2 cups French's Original Fried Onions
2 TBSP flour
4 boneless skinless chicken breast
1 egg, beaten

1. Crush French onion with flour in a bag
2. Dip chicken in egg.  Coat in crumbs.  I used a fork to press the crumbs firmly on the chicken
3. Bake on a cooking sheet at 400 degrees for 20 mins (do not over cook) or not longer pink

If you have thick pieces of chicken, slice them in half to make two thin pieces. While your chicken is cooking you can cook or prepare your side items.  

Is your brown sugar hard as a rock?

I don't know about you but I get so tired of my brown sugar drying out and hard as a rock.  I don't want to throw it out and waste it.  I haven't had time to go to the store and buy one of those stones you can put in there to loosen up the brown sugar either.  I was talking to a friend of mine about it and told her how frustrating it was.  She then told me to put a piece of bread on top of the brown sugar, wait a day or two and it won't be hard as a rock.  Once the bread has dried out, you can put another piece in there when needed. 

I went home and I put a end piece of bread (cause I don't like eating the end pieces) in the jar on top of my brown sugar.  I went back a couple of days later and she was right, the brown sugar had loosened up.  I was very excited.  So from now on, when there are end pieces left, I am going to freeze them, so i can have them on had for my brown sugar.  :0)  

Organizing.....

I don't know about you but my first thought when I wake up in the morning is usually not about organizing. But when I decide something isn't working then the wheels start turning.  So today after a full day of work, I decided that my small laundry room was driving me nuts.  As my mom always says "when the spirit is moving, get moving."  So not only did I re-organize, cleaned and de-cluttered my laundry room, I also oraganized Samuel's bathroom, my bathroom and most of the kitchen.  YUP, the spirit was moving alright!  This comes in spurts for me.  I usually have to pray several days in advance for the Lord to help me to have energy and be inspired.  When the timing is right, He does.

Now when I organize or re-arrange a room it usually takes me a while to map things out.  I first have to figure out what bothers me the most and what it will take to fix it.  I write out a list of everything thing I want to do so I don't forget.  Some times the list works but some times it is just a jump start to get the project started.  I usually get inspired to change things when I go to client's houses and see the way they have their stuff organized or decorated.

Next time you are wanting to re-organize write down what you don't like and options to make it work better for you.  IF you get stuck or have lack of energy pray and ask the Lord to give you energy and direction for your project......trust me it works!

How dirty are your blinds?

I was asked the other day how I cleaned blinds. Everyone has a different way but here are some ways I clean blinds.....

 I had to take a moment and think cause I haven’t cleaned binds so many different ways cause it just depends on the blinds.  Then I realized, wow, I need to clean my blinds….yikes!

I have cleaned metal blinds and wooden/plastic blinds.  I have the metal skinny blinds.  When I go to clean them I will use swiffer dusters.  I will twist the blinds where they face me and dust them and then twist them to face the window.  I will pull out the blinds away from the window and dust them.  Sounds silly but then all the dirt comes off the blinds completely.  Otherwise not all the blinds will get cleaned off.

If you have wooden or plastic blinds there are different options.  You can clean the blinds just as I said above.  For the blinds that need a little more TLC.  I suggest dusting them first and then hand washing blind with a rag and all pupose cleaner.  Spray the rag with cleaner and wipe.  You will most likely need lots of rags, I know I did. For those really tough stains use the magic eraser on it (white blinds).  

What I have learned NOT to do….spray the blinds and then wipe each blind individually.  It makes it SUPER messy and doesn’t give you great results. Also paper towels are not helpful either.  

 I am always amazed how black the rag gets after hand wiping the blinds.  It is a lot of work but great work out. SO put on some fun music and clean away!

Taking too much time/energy to clean?

Have you cleaned something and it seems like you are cleaning the same spot over an over again until it comes up?  Well I run into this all the time when I clean houses or businesses.  So I learned to spray whatever it is first and let it sit for a minute or two.  Then I take a sponge or rag and clean it.  Majority of the time it comes up right away.  The cleaner helps "loosen" it up.

My sister was telling me she tried cleaning under her fridge and she tried using a swiffer mop on it. She said some stuff came up but a lot of stuff didn't. She mentioned how it is going to need a good scrubbing.  So I suggested to her that if she sprayed it with an all purpose cleaner and let it sit and then wipe it up.  She said she did it and it came up SO much better and was happy that it did.

So the next time you have dried food on the floor, clean under your fridge, soap scum in your tub, ect.....spray it and wait a minute or two and then clean.  It makes life a bit easier and it doesn't take more energy than needed.

Family Friendly Cleaning Product

Don't like to clean with chemicals and harsh smells.....I have been introduced to Thieves Household Cleaner.  I so LOVE this cleaning product.  You can use it on SO many things.....windows, dishes, counters, toilets, floors, spots on floors....pretty much anything you use your regular house hold cleaners on. My favorite part about it .....it smells like a Chai Latte.....i enjoy that smell and drinking a Chai Latte.  A bottle of this cost about $28 plus shipping on amazon.  It sounds like a lot of money BUT you dilute it to the level of how dirty your area is.  Dilute Example: light degreasing 60:1, windows 100:1. This will last you a long while unless you clean as many houses as I do then it goes a bit faster.  :0)  Let me know if you have tried it and what you think.