Works for Me Wednesday - Backwards Edition!

Today it's Works for Me Wednesday: The Backwards Edition! This means I get to ask you for tips on my dilemma. What is my dilemma? I'm so glad you asked.

I want to incorporate more bean and rice dishes into our meal plans because they are not only healthy, but frugal. However, warmer days are coming, so I'd like to skip the soup and opt for summer friendly recipes.

I'd love for you to share your favorite/best recipes for bean and rice dishes (can be together or separate) that are especially wonderful when it's HOT outside. :)

I look forward to seeing what you all come up with.

Click on the banner for more Works For Me Wednesday ideas!

Makeup Mess Up Fixes

Don't you hate it when you put your eye shadow on and it dusts your cheek? If you wipe it with your hand, it usually smudges. I put about a drop of water on a cotton ball and wipe it clean. No smudges.

How about when you almost have your makeup all done and you're finishing with a swipe of mascara on your lashes. Oops. You now have a black mark on your pretty eye shadow application.

Or maybe you blinked when you applied the mascara and whoa, you resemble a raccoon. Take a Q-tip and gently dab at the spot. Tada - the mascara is gone leaving your eye makeup intact.

Works for me. :)

Click on the banner for more Works For Me Wednesday ideas!

Gift Wrapping Tradition

We have a new Christmas tradition the kids love. It started the Christmas season of 2005. I was seven months pregnant with our youngest and UNCOMFORTABLE! Anyone who has been pregnant knows what I'm talking about.

That year, my in-loves (in laws) were flying in for Christmas and not only were they planning a huge Christmas, but they wanted to give the girls' room and the boys' room a makeover. They had everything shipped here.

I organized the boxes separating gifts from decorations, plus I needed to wrap the gifts from them and from us because there wouldn't be enough time if I waited until my mom-in-love arrived.

There were boxes, some huge, stacked high the length of our hallway. Can we say, overwhelming? I called in my task force aka the kids (we had five at the time). The kids wrapped and decorated presents in shifts, while I marked what was wrapped on my list.

I had them rotate so they couldn't see their own gifts and they only got to see a couple gifts for each person. The kids loved it! They guarded the secrets well, although, they did enjoy the old "I know what you're getting" routine.

I enjoyed watching the clumsy attempts of wrapping by the little ones, the gentle help offered by the older ones, and the creativity they put into it. Some of the gifts look like they were mangled, but it adds to the charm. I wouldn't want perfectly wrapped gifts if it meant losing the precious look of joy on their faces when they announce, "Look, mom, I did it!" (with a little help).

What seemed like a difficult task became a wonderful new tradition. As gifts come in to the house, I write them down, organize the wrapping sessions and check things off. This is one Christmas tradition here to stay. The kids and I look forward to it each year.

I hope you enjoyed this week's Works For Me Wednesday post. If you'd like to play or read more great tips, click on the banner and visit Rocks in My Dryer.

Christmas List for Grandparents

My mom asked me to email her an early Christmas list for the grandkids this year. She wanted time to mail them all out rather than try and bring them on the airplane with her. I don't blame her. I have six kids so you can imagine how heavy that would get even at one gift per person.

But I also knew how easy it would be if my mom would shop online and have everything shipped here. My mom has emailed, chatted and a few other things, but shopping online? Not so much.

I had to introduce her to this wonderful way of beating the holiday madness at the local stores and post office.

I created a public wish list on Amazon and put the child's name in the comment box for each item. Any gift idea not available on Amazon or if I could find it cheaper, I added a direct link to the item. Then I put prices next to everything to help her choose the price range she wanted.

Since she was new to this, I told her to give me a call and I'd walk her through it over the phone. She chose to work solely with the Amazon list and do everything in one transaction at one place. I don't blame her. Shopping online can be intimidating for someone who has never done it before.

When it was all done and she'd set up her account, I mentioned that this would be a great way for her to shop for birthday items, too. She's hooked.

This takes the Christmas List to a whole new level of ease for grandparents. Even more so for those who don't live close by. They can have it shipped directly to you and either pay a little more for wrapping or you can offer to do wrap it for them as it arrives.

Speaking of wrapping gifts, I have a great family tradition related to Christmas gift wrapping. But you'll have to wait until the next Works for Me Wednesday! Now, go visit Rocks in My Dryer to read great tips from the other players.