Clean Your Oven

Take my advice: Clean your oven at least once a year. Maybe twice.
Don't learn the hard way like I did. Don't wait 5+ years.

Last night I was finishing up my apartment cleaning, and I had to do the task I was avoiding the most. Cleaning out the window trays wasn't fun, dusting the blinds was a pain, scrubbing the shower wasn't that pleasant, either, but this was going to be the worst. Most conversations I had about this went like this:


Random person: But it's so easy to clean them with a self-cleaning oven.
Me: I don't have a self-cleaning oven.
Random person: Really? You don't have one?
Me: No.
Random person: But it's still not that bad if you use Easy-off.
Me: I just bought a can.
Random person: You should be fine! Just let it soak really good.
Me: I never cleaned my oven in the five years I lived there.
Random person: Oh...............................................good luck.

I did just that. I sprayed the Easy Off like it was going out of style, let it soak for triple the time recommended on the can, used a scrub brush, used three rags to wipe up the mess, messed up my shirt really bad, but it worked.
Does the oven look better than it did on last week? Absolutely.
Does the oven look as good as when I moved in? Probably not.
Does it look so spotless I could eat off it? Eew...Never.

Do I care? No.

Things I Love: By the Clock

Saturday, 5:30 pm: I can pull right up to my door to haul groceries in the house as opposed to finding a close parking spot and lugging them up the stairs.
Saturday, 6:30 pm: I can play my music as loud as I want without disturbing the "neighbors" on the other side of the wall.
Sunday, 12:30 am: I don't hear cop or fire sirens as I am trying to sleep.
Sunday, 7:30 am: I don't hear semis whizzing by on the street, feeling like they're going to run into my head.
Sunday, 8:30 am: I can sit on my sofa with a cup of coffee and watch people walk their dogs, ride bikes and get geared up for Packer Sunday.
Sunday, 11 am: I can take a walk in my neighborhood and see last-minute ticket goers park on the street, hearing the rumblings from the stadium.
Sunday, 12:30 pm: I can hear the crowd after the Packers score a touchdown.
Sunday, 7 pm: I can watch tv and not smell cigarette smoke from the neighbor below me.
Sunday, 10 pm: I can feel like I made the right decision after coming "home" from cleaning the (what feels like) tiny apartment. :)

Paint and Drills

Wow, the last few days have just flown! We've been priming and painting and removing cabinets and scraping off border like crazy. The colors look so warm and vibrant. I don't mind the paint under my nails or the aches in my neck, hands and shoulders. I had some great help this week from friends and family, so we got a lot done. The house already looks different from the few changes, and it looks great! I think it will be a very happy home, and a place people will enjoy visiting.

I'll be sure to post the "before" and "after" photos when the current painting is completed. It looks so different already!

Today, I'm going to get a coat of paint on all the trim, and the carpets will be cleaned later this afternoon. If a second coat of paint is needed, I'll do it next week. Tomorrow is the big moving day. I think it will go smooth.

New home!

It's official!! I have a new home! Here it is!

The closing yesterday went very smooth.

I'm excited, but scared, and a million things are running through my head - the painting I want to do before the big move, the move itself, cleaning the apartment, the things I need to purchase that I didn't need for the apartment, etc.

But, it's all worth it!

Where in the World is Swiss Miss?

I was at the grocery store the other day selecting some hot chocolate when I noticed something about my favorite brand - Swiss Miss. The "Swiss Miss" lady with blonde hair, braids, blue dress and a big smile is gone! Remember her?




Here she is!!




But when I was at the store, and searched the ConAgra website (the distributor), the box looked like this.




See.....similar typeface. The cup and mountains are still there, but she's gone!!!



She's not on ANY of the boxes! Not sugar free, not marshmallow lovers, not chocolate marshmallow lovers, nothing. Where did she go? Did she go back to Switzerland? When did they remove her? And why would I even care?

There is something comforting about a cup of hot chocolate/cocoa. It brings back memories of childhood, cold winter days, sledding and sitting by the fireplace. Even now, I rely on it during a workday to warm me up or to satisfy a chocolate fix. I liked the Swiss Miss lady. She looked content. She looked happy. I would be happy, too, if I were plastered all over a hot cocoa box.

I know she really didn't do much. She didn't make that funny laugh like the Pillsbury dough boy or flutter around like that bee for Honey Nut Cheerios. She didn't "Ho, Ho, Ho" like the Green Giant or look cuddly like the "Snuggle" fabric softener teddy bear. But still...it was comforting. Maybe ConAgra is trying to re brand the product or change the image? It sounds like Swiss Miss smashes all the other hot chocolate competition out there, so why change a good thing?
Oh well.

Cooking Cheap

I'd like to share a few things I've recently tried that have saved me money and time, and in some cases, are healthier.

"Cake" cookies
If you're like me, you love cookies, but hate spending the time making them. Mary Hunt, author of "Live Your Life for Half the Price: Without Sacrificing the Life you Love," shares some of her economical recipes. She suggests in her book to make cookies from a cake mix. I tried it, and they are awesome! She says that you can basically make cookies out of any cake mix by adding:
1/2 c oil, 2 eggs, and a dash of water (I use skim milk). I tried her lemon cookie recipe, by using a yellow cake mix, squeezing in some real lemon juice, the oil, eggs, milk, and some vanilla. This will make a nice dough that you can scoop onto ungreased cookie sheets and bake at 350 until they are golden brown (I also put a cookie sheet under the sheet I am baking cookies on, to prevent burning). Last week I used a white cake mix and added chocolate chips and crushed peanut butter cups. Delicious! I made these on my birthday, and they were a hit. Get creative - the next one I'm going to try is Devil's Food with white icing.

These cookies are still somewhat homemade, but do not involve the laundry list of ingredients. Often, you can find a cake mix on sale for under $1, and this recipe makes a solid 2-3 dozen cookies, depending on the size you want. I still love to bake cookies from scratch, but this version can save money and time! Try it!



Slow Cooker
In the same book (it's a great read, by the way), Hunt also suggests digging out your slow cooker, because the cost of running one for eight hours is only pennies! I love my slow cooker, and I can get about 4-5 meals (for under $10!) out of a basic roast or pork, carrots, celery, onion and potatoes. Whatever I don't eat, I freeze in Tupperware or put in the fridge for later in the week. Most meats are already marinated at the grocery store, or you can spice them up on your own. I also dump in the celery leaves for added flavor. And it's healthy!
There are some great slow cooker books that you can get at the library, but a site I like is thatsmyhome.com. See Slow Cooking link to the left.



Homemade pizza
If I'm craving pizza, I make my own using a jiffy pizza crust (under $.50, just add water), can of pizza sauce (under $.60) and some grated mozzarella cheese that I usually have on hand. I can make a nice 12-inch pizza for under $2 !! Again, whatever is left over, I can refrigerate in plastic wrap or freeze. If I have them, I'd add tomato, mushrooms or black olives, but usually I just use cheese. If you sprinkle some pepper, oregano and basil on top before going in the oven, it adds the right amount of kick. I'm still working on making a homemade sauce. Cooks.com has some that I want to try, but you might beat me to it. :)

Moving Check List

Done: :)
- Informed bank of new address and ordered new checks
- Called and updated address for heat, water, doctor office, cell carrier, dentist, and credit cards
- Cancelled land line, auto insurance
- Paid and set up new homeowners/auto insurance
- Filled out forwarding address form at post office
- Emailed family and friends
- Packed lots of stuff


To do: :(
- Pick up new checks at bank
- Keep packing
- Get quotes on carpet cleaners and set up time
- Get new license? Do I really have to do this?
- Buy a washer/dryer
- Remind/bribe those helping with the move
- Buy doughnuts/coffee for move day
- Buy a nice bottle of wine for the closing day
- Be wishful that landlord can lease apt. for November
- Select paint samples for kitchen, cabinets and guest bedroom
- Buy more primer to cover up kitchen, cabinets and guest bedroom
- Stay sane, work out and remember to breathe

3-0

30. Thirty. Thur-teeeee.
For the next decade I'll be a "30-something." Hmmm. I'm no longer a "20-something." No longer am I in my low 20s, mid 20s or late 20s. (Darn it). My friend didn't want to call me at 9:30 on the night on my bday, because she thought I'd be sleeping already. Nice.


It really didn't hit me until I went to work out at the Y. I got on the cross trainer and started punching in the required info so I could get started.
Workout: Interval
Settings: Intense (Bring it!)
Weight: Hmmm. My actual weight minus 10. (Whatever. Don't we all do that?)
Age: 2................. Oh. That's right. No longer a 20-something.


It actually feels ok. After all, they say 40 is the new 30. I suppose that could mean 30 is the new 20? That might be a stretch. Let's say 25. I can honestly say I am in better shape now than I was at 20. I'm not partying or drinking nearly as much, and that leaves out the horrible 2 am Taco or Papa John's runs. My exercise at that age consisted of walking to one of those places on the way home from the bars. Age really is about how you feel.

I hit the "29" anyway that day at the Y. One more day would not hurt. And I don't think it has.

Five Years Stuffed into Boxes

I really went to town these last few days on starting to pack my belongings. I need to be out of my apartment by Nov. 1st. I put away all the picture frames, candles, stemware, etc. I packed away all the shotglasses I've collected from traveling (I have 82!). The boxes are stacking up higher and higher, and the walls are starting to look as plain as when I moved in. As excited as I am to be into the house, I get a little teary-eyed from time to time. It has been home, and I made it as much of a home as I could.

I'll miss reading out on my balcony during a summer evening while sipping a glass of wine. No more walking to the University grocery store when I decide to make cookies at the 11th hour, and discover I don't have eggs. Walgreens won't be a hop, skip and a jump at the new house. I chuckled as I packed up "apartment-warming" gifts that I received from friends. I loved entertaining friends for parties and family for Packers games. It felt good to come "home" after some long days at work, or after being on vacation. I don't know that I'll have a pesty elderly neighbor lady (who my friends and I refer to as "grandma") watching my every move, but also looking out for me. And as annoying as it was, there was something charming about getting my hand on every quarter I could find so I could do wash at the end of every week.


I know once I am in the house, I'll wonder how I ever lived in an apartment for so long. The rewards of homeownership will be great. And everyone I know who lives in a house is telling me how much I will love it. I believe them, but in the meantime, I want to enjoy this last week or so that I have left on Danz Ave. I don't have to leave in disgust, nor do I want to. After all, I've been there five years. That's five years of life, five years of stuff, five years of memories.

Home Sweet Home

I am becoming a homeowner! After weeks of searching, driving by and looking, my offer was accepted on an adorable Cape Cod on the West side of town. Three bedrooms, basement rec room, nice backyard, deck, French doors off the dining room, big living room, 1.5 baths, nice street, etc. I fell in love with it right away. The inspection went well, and everything is underway.

I think it's crazy, but also very exciting! I would post a photo, but I think I'll wait until the close to do that. :)

If all goes as planned, the close will happen on the 23rd. In the meantime, just staying busy with planning, packing and taking care of logistics!