America's Cheapest Family

So I was just watching the Today show.   They had America's Cheapest Family on.

The family has 5 kids, just like me, and they spend $350 a month on:

groceries

toiletries

cleaning supplies

YIKES!  What is wrong with me?

We spend anywhere from $600- $1,000 a month on groceries.

NOT including cleaning and toiletries!

I need help!!!

I do clip coupons, but there is not a real good supply in the newspapers.

I do use http://www.couponmom.com/ to print more.

But you use so much printer ink, is it really worth it?

Printer ink is expensive!

I'll admit I'm not a planner.

I never know what I'm making for dinner till about 4 pm.

Maybe that is the key, I need to plan out a weeks menu at a time.

She plans out a monthly menu.  I don't know if I could do that.

What about you guys, if your willing, tell me how much you spend on groceries.

Does that include cleaning and toiletries?

Do you clip coupons?

What are your secrets to saving money on food?



Look at these photo's!!!

Home

I follow this blog and today she has some beautiful photo's up!

Warning: there is one photo of a lady in nothing but underwear,(backside) so don't have your daughters in the room with you.

Vendors at Creative Connection

I met  Emmy from Much Ado About You.  She was so sweet, she gave me this calendar.

It has a P for Prudence, I love it!  It is for a whole year and has plenty of room to write.

Each month has a letter made from pretty paper.

And there is blank sheets in back to write extra notes.

I don't know why, but I am a sucker for paper products, pretty paper products.

At her website there are many more things to choose from besides calendar's.

Go check it out!

Thanks Emmy!

One of my neighbors at The Creative Connection Event was Cheri,

from From Out of the Cracks.

Her jewelry was absolutely beautiful!  I wanted several pieces.

It was nice to sit and chat with Cheri.

She was fun to talk to and encouraging.

My very first customer was Jamie.

From City Chic Country Mouse.  She was there with her mom.

They make super cute stuff with super cute fabric...

stuff for your home.  I wanted the ironing board cover.

Then I met the twins...

They were FUNNY.... and they have their own website..

You Can Make This.

They gave me a ton of info on patterns and how to sell a pattern.

It was all very interesting and gave me alot to think about. 

They also have the website...

DIY dish, very informative and tons of great ideas.  I still need to go browse more.

Another neighbor not to far down was...

Red Shoes 26 Design

Her stuff is really cool.

Also Kelly from...

Shiznits

Really fun monsters for your kids.

It is going to be a beautiful week here in Oregon, hope it's nice where you are too!

Food Friday ~ One Rise Caramel Rolls

I think this recipe is from my mom's cousin and then my sister gave it to me. 

But I don't remember for sure.

What I do know is that they are EASY and YUMMY!

One Rise Caramel Rolls

Topping

1C brown sugar

1/2 C whipping cream

mix, put in 13x9 ungreased pan

Filling

1/2C sugar

2t cinnamon

1/2C soft butter

Rolls

3C flour

1pkg. yeast or 2t yeast

1C warm water

1/4 C sugar

1t salt

1 egg

2T soft butter

Put yeast in warm water and let sit while you mix the rest of the roll ing.

mix roll ing. in mixer till dough forms.

If to sticky add flour.  Knead for one minute.

Roll into 15x7 rectangle ( mine is always larger).

Spread filling over dough

Roll up tightly-long side.

Cut into 16-20 rolls.

Place in pan cute side down.  Cover loosly.

Let rise till double.

Bake at 400 for 10-15 min. (mine always have to go longer)  Until golden on top.

Flip pan over onto platter (we always eat right out of pan)

Anyway, I don't work well with yeast, and these always turn out for me. 

So they are easy.

Oh and I thought Lolli looked so cute running out the door for school this morning.

She had all her necklaces on.  She has a ring necklace I made for her, that she adds new rings to.

Happy Food Friday!

THE CREATIVE CONNECTION EVENT!

Yes, I am back.

Yes, I had to caps lock the title.

That is how much fun I had!

I met some gals with class, I'll tell ya.

I've been to some events that made me cringe.

This was not one.  I'm so excited to tell you everything!!

First let me say to those fellow vendors I met, I shipped all your business cards home in a box.

I don't have them yet, but I will be linking up to you when they arrive.

Like I said I met alot of classy gals, and "celebrities" of the event.  To me they were celebrities, I was so excited to meet these women.  The Fancy Farm Girl was there (left) taking pictures.  And so was MaryJane Butters of MaryJanes Farm.  Lauren and I went to her farm fair in Idaho two years ago.  And I subscribe to her magazine MaryJanes Farm.

So after I snapped a photo of them across the way, MaryJane came over to browse my table!  I told her I had just joined the Farmgirl Sisterhood this year and she came around and presented me with a necklace.  I love this picture, she was so sweet.  So then she bought one of my Lollibag's!!

Me, MaryJane (with her new Lollibag on her shoulder) and her daughter Meg.

I also knew Koralee from Bluebird Notes was going to be there.  I was so excited when she came to my table!!  Just the nicest, genuine gal!  I love her blog and have followed it for a while.  Koralee also bought a Lollibag, she has it on her shoulder above.  Go check out her blog, her pictures are beautiful!  She also writes for Where Women Create magazine.

Guess who this is?  Heather Bailey!  I love her fabric.  I have used it on Lollibag's before.  Of course I told her that.  I wonder if these women get alot of bumbling idiots like me, just babbling on to them how exciting it is to meet them??  Or was I the only one?

This is Lisa Leonard.  She makes beautiful stamped silver jewelry.  I have entered several blog giveaways for her designs.  I just love them!  Lisa also bought a Lollibag! 

Ree Drummond!!  The Pioneer Woman.  I want her new cookbook.  She was there for a book signing.  I saw her out in the lobby after the market ended on Thursday.  So I shoved my camera into my best friends hands and said, OK, grab a picture of me!!  I'm gonna run up to her!! 

Ree was very nice, she probably didn't want to hear that I was planning on buying her cookbook or that my best friend had just saw her on the TV program Twin Cities Live.  But Rach and I just kept talking anyway!

Sorry Ree!  But I think your great and I love your blog and cookbook!!

Speaking of Rach, she came out on Thursday to sit with me all day and then she took me out to dinner!

I ran into a guy from elementary school days and he was working at the hotel that day.  He brought us each a piece of strawberry cake!  Thanks Matt!

This is my friend Paula and her 5th baby, Ellie.  She came to sit with me all day on Friday.  Ellie was such a good baby and a great attraction for customers!  Paula brought me lunch and kept me company.

Ellie was very well behaved.

Here was my table on the first night.  I'm so excited to tell you that the new fall Lollibag's sold out on the first night of the event!  It made me so happy to know that people actually like Lollibag's! 

This was my first customer!

And here's a few more....

This gal was so sweet, she carried her bag around as soon as she bought it, advertising for me.

And people kept coming up to my table saying, I have seen so many of your bags walking around so I had to come and check them out!  And most of them bought a Lollibag!

These gals were twin sisters, and so nice.  See the Lollibag in her hand?  She actually bought two of them.

They have a website that sells e-patterns.  Again, sorry, their business card is on a fed ex plane somewhere right now!  I will link up to them after I get my box.

The Vintage Barn was there.  I bought the Old Town Shop sign.  It was my only purchase!  Rolane had alot of great stuff there.

Lisa Leonard Designs

An artist from the Earth Angels group.

Really cool old chairs redone!  Fabric Remix, was the book to show you how.

Amy Butler patterns.  She was a speaker and I was hoping to meet her.  But I never saw her.

Vintage Living.

Those were some of the booths, I walked around before it opened. 

I also met Nancy Soriano, co-founder of The Creative Connection Event.  She liked my Lollibag's and I said, OH please take my business card.  And she said, Oh I know how to find you! 

I also met Jo Packham, the founder of The Creative Connection Event and she also puts out

Where Women Create magazine.  You guys know that is my favorite magazine.

She came to my table and I asked her to sign my Where Women Create magazine. 

She chuckled and downplayed it like she was no big deal.  But I told her how inspired I have been by the magazine.

If I say "magazine" one more time, I am going to throw my keyboard at the wall.

  Thank goodness I had enough self control NOT to say....

It is a dream to have my "studio" featured in your magazine someday!!! (keyboard in tact)

Because I have no studio!  I just sew in my dining room.

But maybe someday I will have my own spot.

I had so much fun, over half of the Lollibag's sold.  I am so grateful for that.

I will be posting more on the vendors I met soon!

It is good to be home.

I'm off to Minneapolis!

Minnesota, my home state!

I have not been back for almost 4 years.

Tomorrow morning at the CRACK of dawn...

My flight leaves at 5:20 am.

I'm excited to meet new friends at

The Creative Connection Event

Wish me luck!

I'll fly home Monday, hopefully with no Lollibag's left!



My firstborn is *20* today!

How can that be?  I'm not sure since I feel like I'm still 28.

But it must be true.

Josh was just a few weeks old here, I was only 18.

We grew up together.  He was my little buddy.

He was 1 here and always slept on top of his stuff animals. 

It cracks me up looking at this picture, because, now days they have all kinds of warnings about putting pillows and stuffed animals in your baby's crib.

I do look back and wonder how Josh survived with me as a mother.

When he was a newborn, I would make his bottle of formula before we went to bed and when he woke up I would just put him in my bed and give him his bottle.

So much wrong with this!

He was laying down, not burped, not changed, I used the SAME bottle ALL  night if there was any left!

My mom always met us at the park.  Josh was about 18 months.

Josh was superman for halloween.

Josh was 2 1/2 here.  I was married to hubby now at this point.

Josh had his own room, he kept it perfect.  Always lined up his trucks and toys and made his bed.

I don't know what happened?  He is not very neat now :)

Josh is 3 here, I am pregnant with his little brother.  Out fishing with dad.

Still in Minnesota here.  Lauren is 4, Josh is 9, and Nic is 6.

This picture is at the Oregon coast.  We had just spent 3 days driving, on our move to Oregon from Minnesota.  We stopped at the Dunes. 

From left:  Nic is 8, I'm holding Portia who is 6 months, Lauren is 6, Josh is 11 about to turn 12.

Josh is 12.  He rode his bike to school his first year in Oregon.  6th grade.  I don't think I stopped and realized how hard that must have been for him to move to a new state and start middle school, not knowing anyone.

Lauren , Nic and Josh down by the river.

Josh, Portia, Lauren and Nic in the pool.

Josh, fishing IN the river!

2008 family photo.

Josh's senior picture,  I could not have been more proud the day my son graduated from high school!

I wish I had more pictures of him.  He grew up so fast.

I love you Josh and am very proud of you!

Love, mom

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