College Incentives

If you are planning on paying for your kid’s college, it may be hard to get them motivated to 

do the work it takes to get scholarships. 

My husband and I made a deal to give our kids back a percentage of whatever they saved 

us, but only after they maintained their scholarships through graduation.  Depending on 

their scholarships, you can save many thousands of dollars, and your child could have a 

nice chunk of money to go towards a car or a down payment on a house after they graduate.  

Win – Win!

Here’s another idea: A friend of ours told his daughter that he would pay her school loans 

as long as she stayed in school.  If his daughter dropped out, the loan (which was in her 

name) would be her responsibility.  Isn’t that clever?

Hi, I'm Kristy

Hi, I’m Kristy ~ you know, the “money” person, newly “graduated” Cordova MOPS Coordinator and the one who really likes to do arts/crafts. Hello! 

As I sat and read some of the other ladies ‘get-to-know-me’ intros it got me thinkin’ that maybe I should write one too…after all, not everyone knows me and why I love arts/crafts. 

So ~ here goes.

I have always been surrounded by talented women. My grandma was an amazing cake decorator, doll maker, painter and seamstress. My mom could sew by the age of 8, paint very detailed landscapes and loves to scrapbook. They both can cross stitch, knit, crochet and embroider and well…you get it. They always have a Joann’s or Michael’s coupon ready and waiting. 

Me…I can do all those things to a certain extent, but none of them felt satisfying. I wanted to find my own creative outlet and even though my grandma and mom tried (bless their hearts) like crazy to teach me all the things they loved to do I just refused to make them ‘my’ things. What I did know was that I had a passion to imagine and create as far back as I can remember. All my projects in school were very elaborate and over the top. In middle school I took my first art class and my mind raced with endless possibilities of my future career in the art world. I clearly remember wanting to be a comic strip writer and a set designer/creator. 

Remember in high school all the school spirit banners that were hand painted? Ones that would be at games or rally’s or just hanging up on campus? My high school had a class that you could only take as a senior and the class was in charge of making those signs. You had to master 10 fonts with a Japanese paintbrush before you could even step near the poster making area. Fellow classmates and people from the community came to place orders for banners and signs and our class of 20 would fill the orders. Our school was in charge of all the posters at the Jazz Jubilee in Old Sac each year. I wanted to be in that class so bad and at the end of my junior year I found out I was one of the 20…I was elated!!! I still have the pictures of my posters from the ’92 Jazz Jubilee…ya..I’m old! To this day, it is that class that gave me my love for fonts, handwriting and printing in all forms. My most recent lettering can be found in the Cordova Church hallway and nursery rooms. I love calligraphy and have addressed and decorated thousands of wedding invitations over the years for friends and family.  

In college I took art classes here and there and seriously thought about majoring in Graphic Design-but just didn’t love it. I focused my studies primarily on Art Studio and graduated from Sac State with a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Art Studio in 2003. My favorite classes were Art History, Photography, Color Theory, Pottery and Collage. The only thing I thought I would do with my degree was move to New York, be an artist/waitress, have some gallery showings, sell some of my work, make some money and travel all over the world seeing everything I had studied and loved in person. I was going to be ‘that’ family member who was never around but sent post cards filled with stories of my adventures. I never thought I would be married or have kids…I’m serious!  

Well, a handsome, charming, not artistic by any means but very creative guy named Kevin Bowman changed all that in November of 2001. We met, started dating, fell in love and were married in August 2003. He made my dream of traveling to Europe a reality in our first year of marriage – we toured all over for a month and we both can’t wait to return. We have been blessed with two wonderful kiddos, Matthew (6½) and Cortney (3½) who both have their own unique artistic abilities. They are always asking to do art/craft projects and from time to time I find them trying to do their own unsupervised which I love! 

This year Matthew is in 1st grade and I am the Art Docent and volunteer Art teacher for his class. Each week the kids have so much fun and get so excited as we learn and create. I know I will never lose my passion for creativity and I feel so happy and blessed to be able to spread that passion to those around me. I have so many ideas to share and I am grateful that Courtney asked me to be a contributor to this awesome Cordova MOPS blog. I hope you enjoy my ideas and get together with your kids and each other to get messy, use your imagination and be creative.   

Meal Planning

Amy Redelsperger was kind enough to do a talk on meal planning this morning. She had lots of good information and totally inspired me to be better at planning out our meals (and sticking to that plan). Me and Kristy were both saying that we are emotional eaters, meaning that we have to see how we are feeling that day before deciding what we want to eat so the list plan would work best for us. Although, I would like to give a more structured plan a try. We will see how it goes!

Here is the meal plan example that everyone came up with together. We did a "theme plan" which was: Mexican Mondays, Asian Tuesdays, Italian Wednesdays, American Thursdays, Fancy Fridays, and Leftover Saturdays.

If you missed today but would like all the information Amy has a blog with all of the goods.
Here is the link to Amy's Blog: Homemaker in Training

On a different note we had a ladies night this past Thursday! We had a small group this time but we still had a blast. We went to Ettore's and is was SO GOOD!

Are you jealous yet? I hope so because we would love to see more ladies come to the next ladies night! You won't regret it, I promise! 

Brownies

I'll be honest.  I grew up on brownie mixes, not scratch brownies, and for years that's what I used too.  But as I got more and more into slow food and making my own stuff (especially dessert), I experimented with brownies too.  And now I'm a snob and I can't go back.  A creamy, gooey center with a crunchy top - a brownie mix doesn't come close.  Depending on which brand of unsweetened chocolate you chose, these brownies may be more expensive than a mix, but not too much, and they're relatively simple to make.

This recipe comes from my favorite cookbook: Alice Medrich's “Bittersweet”.  If you have any interest in stories about chocolate, or masterful (but not too complicated) chocolate recipes, I highly recommend at least checking it out from the library!

A note on chocolate choice:  you can use any unsweetened chocolate in this recipe, but keep in mind that what you choose will affect the flavor of your brownies.  Over years of experimentation, I've discovered that the end result I like best uses 2 oz of Bakers Unsweetened, and 2 oz of Ghirardelli 100%.  If you want to, you can play around with brands and find your favorite as well.

Fudge Brownies

Ingredients:

4 oz unsweetened chocolate

8 T (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1 1/4 c sugar

1 t pure vanilla extract

1/4 t salt

2 large eggs

1/2 c all purpose flour

8-inch square pan

Directions:

Assemble your ingredients.

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Line the pan with aluminum foil.  One the most useful tricks I learned in baking school involved lining a pan.  It can be so difficult to get foil to conform to the inside of a baking pan!  So start by turning your pan upside down.

Mold the foil around the bottom of the pan.

Then remove the foil, flip your pan over, and insert the molded foil into the pan.  So much easier!

Melt the butter and chocolate together in a medium-sized heavy saucepan or in the microwave, taking care not to let the butter get too hot.  (If it gets too hot, the batter won't come together very well, and while the brownies will still turn out OK, they won't be as great.)  Stir frequently with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until everything is melted.

Remove the pan from the stove, and add the sugar, vanilla and salt.  

Add the eggs one at a time, stirring until the first one is incorporated before adding the next.  

Your batter will look sort-of mottled and grainy at this point.

Stir in the flour and beat with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula until the batter is smooth, glossy, and beginning to come away from the sides of the bowl (1-2 minutes).  (You should see a noticeable difference in batter texture!)

Scrape the batter into the lined pan and smooth to even it. Bake at 350° for 30 minutes.  Cool on a rack.  Remove the brownies from the pan by lifting the foil out.  

Refrigerate at least one hour for ease of cutting.  Note:  refrigerating the brownies is necessary to produce neatly cut brownies.  If you don't care about neatness , you can serve them warm right out of the pan!

When ready to serve, flip the brownies over onto a cutting board and peel off the foil.  Cut into squares.  (I always cut very small - about 1 inch - squares because these brownies are so rich!)

Leftover brownies can be stored in the fridge or freezer indefinitely.

The recipe can also be easily doubled to make a 9”x13” pan, if you need more brownies.  Adjust the baking time to approximately 35 minutes.  Also, because of the greater weight, lengthen the cooling time before you lift the foil from the pan.

Variations:

These brownies are also great as a base for a cheesecake, with a mocha cream cheese swirl added,  dried fruit and nuts added, or anything else your imagination can come up with.  

Written By: Barbara

Coconut Body Butter

I don't know about you but in the winter my skin is dry. Like uncomfortably dry. But with a little man who likes to give me open mouth kisses and occasionally lick my leg or arm (I promise I'm not letting the dog completely raise him) I'm hesitant to slather on lotion full of stuff I don't particularly want my little guy eating. So I came across this super easy ONE ingredient body butter. Like anything else you can add whatever other ingredients you want, but if you want it to be ok for babies (or puppies) to lick just make sure all ingredients are edible :)

Coconut Body Butter

• 1 cup coconut oil (rough measurement here, and no need to soften)
• Vitamin e oil (optional)
• Essential oil (optional) some great options are tea tree oil (acne), frankincense (great for skin), lavender (healing), and any others just for scent. I split mine into two jars and did jasmine for my generic body butter and tea tree and frankincense for my face. 

Start by scooping out about a cup of oil and toss it in your stand mixer or bowl.

Whip for a few minutes until you have a nice creamy consistency. Then add in your Vitamin E and/or essential oils and mix to combine.

Scoop out and put in a sealed container. That's it! Easy right? 

I should warn you it doesn't go on exactly like lotion. It turns to liquid below 76 degrees so once it touches your skin it will start to melt. It will be a little oily until it soaks in but after a few minutes it's completely absorbed and doesn't sit on top of your skin the way some moisturizers do. I apply mine right out of the shower and by the time I've finished getting ready and get dressed it's completely soaked in. 

 

 

Couponing Basics

Hello, Hello, Hello Ladies. I’m so excited to share with you ways to save with couponing during this session of MOPS.  

This week we will start off with a few basics including: types of coupons and where to locate coupons.

Companies use coupons to persuade consumers to try various products.  The companies utilize this great promotional 

tool with the intention of creating consumers who are loyal to their brand.  We, the consumer, get the opportunity to 

purchase items at a decreased cost (sometimes free), and sometimes choose to become loyal to that brand.  Coupons 

give consumers the opportunity to try products that they may not usually purchase and to purchase staple products at a 

fraction of the cost.

Types Of Coupons:

E-coupons-Electronic coupons that are often tied to a store’s loyalty card (Safeway’s Club Card, 

Bel Air/Raley’s Something Extra, CVS’s Extracare, Rite Aid’s Wellness Plus, Walgreens’ Balance Rewards, etc.)

Manufacturer Coupons-These are offered by the manufacturer and can be found in the Sunday newspaper, online, 

in store, and various other places.  The manufacturer reimburses to the retailer via mail for the consumers savings.  

Manufacturer coupons have barcodes that start with a 5 or 9.

Store Coupons-Coupons issued by the retailer listed and the barcode starts with a number that is not a 5 or 9.

Sometimes manufacturer coupons and store coupons can be stacked (used together on one product)  for increased 

savings.

Where To Locate Coupons

The Sacramento Bee is a great source to manufacturer coupons. The inserts are usually in their Sunday paper. The 

main inserts are Smartsource, Red Plum, and Proctor and Gamble. The Sacramento Bee offers Sunday only delivery, 

which is great for those interested in the Newspaper for couponing purposes only.  It can also be purchased at local 

stores and at Dollar Tree.

Coupons can also be found online directly from a manufacturer’s website, a retailers website, a couponing site or blog,

Facebook, or from the providers listed below.  Usually, two coupons are allowed to be printed per computer.

1.     www.smartsource.com

2.     www.couponnetwork.com

3.     www.redplum.com

4.     www.coupon.com

Coupons are also available at grocery and drugstores. They may be attached to products, in coupon dispensers, in the

store’s sales as or booklet, or printed out with your receipt from the coupon Catalina.

Next week we will take a look at coupon terminology, the power of stockpiling, and store sales.  

Make it a great weekend!!!

Faith, Hope, & Love

Tyra

Interrupting Kids

I used to get so annoyed when I would hear, “Mom, Mom, Mom, Mommy, Mom…”, or to feel 

constant tapping and pulling on your arm.  Like most kids, ours had such a hard time not 

interrupting when I was in the middle of a conversation with someone. 

I decided to coach them to gently put their hand on my arm to let me know they wanted to 

talk to me.  I would then put my hand on their hand to let them know that I understood their 

need, and would excuse myself from my conversation as soon as I could to see what they 

needed.  It worked!  Be sure to get to them in a timely manner so that they know you will 

hold up your end of the bargain.

Shiny Corn Syrup Craft

Who doesn’t have some corn syrup in the back of their cupboard or pantry? Who doesn’t see it standing there…all alone, collecting dust? Do you, like me, wonder why you don’t throw it out even though you know you will never use it? Am I all alone in this? Well, the day I stumbled upon this kiddo art/craft idea I knew exactly why I had never done away with my little bottle and I hope you think it is as cool as I do.

Supplies you will need: 

Corn Syrup

Food Coloring

Paint Brush(s)

Black Crayon or Marker

Bowls or cups

Glossy Paper (alternatives: glossy gift bag or glossy paper plate)

I would recommend putting down a washable placemat or table covering during the creative process or even doing the project outside and washing the leftover mess off with a hose.

Dry time varies depending on the thickness of the medium once applied to the paper – usually a day or more. The results are so pretty and shiny.

Here are some examples and the websites they came from.

eighteen25.blogspot.com/2010/05/summer-craft-ideas-part-five.html

http://creativepreschoolresources.com/2012/06/11/summer-made-simple-edible-painting/

Here is another great idea using the same ingredients but with different paper for a different and fun result.

 http://buggieandjellybean.blogspot.com/2012/09/diy-fall-hanging-art_17.htm

I really love being able to share some of the art/craft ideas I think are neat. I have tons of them so I hope you inspired and encouraged to give them a try. 

Happy creating.

Table Feud

I had a BLAST playing game show host for our game today. Maybe one day when we no longer have kids in the house I can pursue this obvious talent of mine (It was obvious right...no...just me?). 

Thank you Wendy for snapping these pictures. I love that it captures how much fun we were having! 

I already can't wait to see you all again next week! Amy Redelsperger will be showing us how to meal plan and the Chai Tea Chicks will be bringing breakfast. 

Last but definitely not least, birthday shout out to Gherie! If you had been able to make it today we would have serenaded you with a slightly off key rendition of "Happy Birthday". I am sure that you are having fun on your travels though. Looking forward to seeing you in a couple of weeks back at MOPS! 

Hi, I'm Barbara

Hi, I'm Barbara.

I'm passionate about a lot of things, especially my husband Lance, my daughter Judith, and chocolate (yes, in that order).  

I've loved to bake since I can remember – and grew up being in the kitchen a lot with my mom.  Family specialties included brownies, decorated cakes, no-bake cheesecake, and lots of dipped candy (peanut butter, mint, and coconut) at Christmas time.  As I grew older I became more and more of a snob about dessert – and so began to experiment more and more with my own stuff.  I learned how to make cheesecake.  I learned how to temper chocolate.  And I learned that I was really really passionate about baking.

So in the summer of 2005 I started taking classes at American River College toward a baking certificate.  I dreamed of working in a bakery or a tea shop, somewhere that I could be creative but not be the boss (bosses have lots of headaches!).  I graduated with my certificate in December 2006, and I started to look for a way to leave my well-paid secretarial position to work in a bakery.  Everything was planned (in my mind!) for my husband and me to be financially stable enough by June 2008 that I could walk away from my job and find something my heart loved.  

But God had different plans!  In November 2007, I got pregnant!  And there was no way I was going to leave a well-paying job (with benefits!) just before I had a baby.  So my dream of working in a bakery has been superseded (for now) by the joys of being a stay at home mom.  I still get to bake a lot, and sometimes I even get paid for it.  I've created a website ( HYPERLINK "http://www.chocolatecornucopia.com/"www.chocolatecornucopia.com) and a pseudo-business baking for friends and family.  I try new recipes frequently, and I continue to look for ways to improve and perfect old favorites.  And I love to pass on my love of baking to other people.  So I'm really excited to write the baking half of Monday's MOPS blog.  

I'll also be contributing to the Green Living blog posts on Saturdays.  My interest in all things “green” has grown through many different parts of my life.  First, I married into a really green family.  My husband's aunt owns a health food store – and I have become educated beyond my inclination about both the poisons we pour into our world and our bodies through conventional modern living, and about the many natural substances that God has created for us to help in healing.  In addition, as I've become increasingly snobby about food, I've researched more ways to get the best food I can.  And one way that really appeals to me is through making my own – whether it's bread, yogurt, jam, granola, or something else.  And that make-it-yourself mentality has spilled over into non-food items for me too.  Now I've been experimenting with making my own laundry detergent, hand soap, body scrub, lotions, and more.  Yet another influence has been the necessity of living on a strict budget.  Buy organic or “green” items in the store can be outrageously expensive.  But growing my own vegetables, making my own detergent, and baking my own bread saves me money!  While some of what I write about  under green living is stuff I've been working on for a while, some of it will be totally new to me...I hope you'll enjoy the journey with me.

Hi, I'm Amanda

So let's start with a little introduction in case you don't know me. I'm Amanda, married to my best friend Jay and we have two boys; James and Zeek. Zeek is a little hairy, drools a lot, and has four legs. James has just learned to walk upright but still licks and chews on things although I'm sure he'll grow out of that phase soon enough. 

I learned to cook from my parents who are both amazing in the kitchen. My dad's parents, several aunts, uncles, and cousins have all taught and inspired me in the kitchen as well. I was even blessed to learn some from my great grandmother. What can I say, we love to eat! When it comes to my style of cooking, I cook whole, real food. I don't know how to use a measuring cup (but for this blog I’m learning), so some of my recipes might call for a palmful or a few pinches of something. You can blame my dad for that; that's his style of cooking and it's worked for both of us so far. My mother is an amazing baker, but I completely missed those baking genes. The inability to measure probably doesn't help. But one of my goals this year is to become more comfortable with flour, and I'm looking forward to learning from Barbara! If you're looking forward to recipes dripping in sugar, that are fast and easy with canned soup, or out of a box but fancied up, sadly, I'm not your girl. I will however share some of my favorite recipes, most modified slightly, some from my family and a lot found online. Most of them will definitely be easy but might include a few ingredients you may not have used before. I am ALWAYS open to trying new things, so if you have a recipe you've been dying to try but are a little nervous, pass it over and I'll test it out for you. My husband (and dog) will eat anything and I haven't killed them yet! 

I'm relatively crunchy by nature having been raised by a dad who works with solid waste and renewable energy and a mom who loves egg-laying chickens, canning, and baking bread for our sandwiches every day. Being the oldest of their five children living on a small farm, I learned a lot about growing and cooking our own food; a skill I will use for a lifetime. I was involved in both 4-H and FFA and raised cattle, sheep, hogs, and a variety of poultry to save money for college tuition. In the process I learned a lot about organic home-grown meats and how they should, and shouldn't, be raised. Once on my own I wanted to continue to live a green lifestyle and pinch pennies at the same time. A lot of my posts will be about living healthy and simple, how to make your own cleaning and health/beauty products, and other posts will be about living within a pretty tight budget. I'm looking forward to sharing how we live and how easy it can be to live a little "greener" without much effort. I know not all of my posts may apply to you, but hopefully you can find something useful and maybe save a few bucks this month. I'm looking forward to sharing with you and learning a few things along the way.