Leslie's Litter

Last week we went up to spend time with Sean's family, and to celebrate my awesome nephew's 3rd birthday! I am amazed how big he is getting already, and it reminds me that I need to take more time to spend with family and friends, and focus on what is truly important in our life. "Aunt Lelly, I'm Busy... I'll Kiss You when I'm Done!"

Last week my amazing husband came home and decided to take me on a date...to the zoo! The Toledo Zoo is recognized around the world, and it is absolutely one of my favorite places to spend time.  It is so peaceful to walk around and watch life happening.  I can just sit and watch the animals for hours, talking, laughing, and just spending time together. We were extremely lucky that it was such a beautiful day and it was the most active I have seen all of the animals in years!   We were lucky enough to see the new baby elephant.... The polar bear was right next to the window.... One of the Lions was Walking Around Roaring.... And My Favorite, The Sloth Bears, had their noses to the window sniffing "Hello!" All in all... an amazingly beautiful day!

Here are the top 10 things I hope to accomplish this week... 1. Spend Time With At Least One Friend, Outside of Work 2. Take Grandma to Church (Now That She Does Not Drive She Hasn't Been Able to Go) 3. Spend an Hour with My "Little" (I am hoping to make a Halloween House... I know it's a little late, but better then never!) 4. Finish Laundry, Including Towels and Sheets, Before Going on Our Mini-Vacation 5. Go To Library to Check Out a Books Financial Goals/Planning/Motivation 6.  Create 10 BzzScapes for  BzzAgent , So I am Able to Gain another Honeycomb.  (Let me know if anyone has questions on how this site works!) 7.  Wake Up Before 8 a.m. Everyday This Week.  This will help me to accomplish so much more during the day, rather then sleeping until I have to run out the door for work. 8.  Put together Monthly, Quarterly, Yearly Goals for Myself and My Surveys. 9.  Update Monthly Budget and Holiday Budget, and Update Survey Earnings ...

My main goal this week is to learn to be better at making and reaching goals.  I always plan to do something, but then I get lazy or side-tracked.  I need to be more accountable for my actions (and non-actions), as well as realize that this is the only life I get and that I need to use my time wisely...loving family, visiting friends, and making the most of every day.

Here is a copy of the Cheese Soup recipe from my mother-in-law, with a few tweaks that I used to make dinner earlier this week...and it turned out delicious!  We ate with grilled cheese sandwiches one night, and crescent rolls the next! 1 1/2 Quarts Water 4 Cubes Chicken Bouillon  2 1/2 Cups Cubed Potatoes 1 Cup Celery 1 1/2 Cups Carrots 1/2 Cup Onions Boil for 20 Minutes, or Until tender Add the Following Ingredients and Boil an Additional 10 Minutes 2 Cans Cream of Chicken Soup 2 1/2 Cups Broccoli 2 1/2 Cups Cauliflower Finally, Stir in 1 lb. Velveeta, Cut Into Cubes, Until Melted. Serve Warm and Enjoy!   But Remember... Don't Let the Bottom of the Soup Burn From Sitting Too Long!

Looking for a quick, easy way to make some extra money?  Check out YouData. It is not a huge money maker, but the pennies add up with time, and it is always nice to see a few extra cents get added into the budget, for something that you normally do on a daily basis...look at ads and watch commercials! Here is a copy of my referral email if you would like to join under my account (which I would be grateful for), or you can always visit the site on your own to sign up! I found something that I think you will like. The company's name is YouData ( youdata.com ). They are trying to convince consumers like us that we should be the ones controlling our own data and selling our own attention, not third parties like broadcasters, newspapers, and spammers. By creating a MeFile at YouData.com, I now control what ads I see and when I see them. Best part - I am selling my attention directly to interested advertisers, for real money. That's right, I get paid fo...

There are so many things that I love about the holidays, but here are a few of the extra-special things that put me in holiday mood.... *Dining Gift Card Specials*      I love stocking up on dining gift cards because you can get so many good deals,  including free gift cards, coupons, or free meals! *The Gift of Giving* I love giving to charity, but more then anything I love to be able to shop for charity.  I enjoy giving something  instead of just money. *Coupons, Coupons, Coupons* 20% off, Buy One Get One, Free Frosting When You Buy the Cake Mix! Any type of coupon makes me happy because I can use them to get even better gifts for family and friends, without going over budget! And Last, but Certainly the Craziest.... *The Red Starbucks Cup* I don't know what it is, but every year the Red Starbucks Cup brings  a smile to my face, and reminds me that the holidays are quickly approaching,  and to cherish these...

This week has already been changed around again and again from my husband being in town, to leaving, to coming home early, to leaving again, so the menu plan has been changing, but that is the great thing about having food in the pantry & freezer! Since I didn't get around to making "Cheese" Soup last week, I made it last night.  While it was an interesting batch of ingredients, it turned out to be quite delicious!  I will post my version of the recipe tomorrow! This week we plan to eat at work everyday for lunch, or to finish up leftovers from the fridge, so even less menu planning! For dinners I am making the following: Taco Salads "Cheese" Soup Loaded Nachos Steamed Vegetables and Crescent Rolls (My husband can live on vegetables alone!) This month is busy at work, and I am having company this weekend, and traveling next weekend so I won't be doing any freezer cooking for a little while, but I am hoping to do a few large freezer cooking s...

We don't have kids to help us celebrate Halloween, and the kitties don't like to dress up (but I got 2 of them to wear hats for 30 seconds), and we live on a quiet neighborhood then doesn't get any trick-or-treaters, however  we still celebrate with apple cider and pumpkin decorations, so... Happy Halloween! Boogs was a Growling Witch, and he Played the Part Perfectly!   Milo Midnight Decided to be Extra Creative... A Black Cat!

While my 1st attempt at making Apple Pie was not a full failure, it was not the prettiest site, as all of the edges were burnt...completely black. I made another pie yesterday, which I covered with foil while baking, and had a great turnout!  We even started eating it before I remember to take a picture, so here it is partially eaten! I used a frozen pie crust and filled it with the apple mixture (recipe below) and then covered with a Pillsburry Rolled Pie Crust that I cut into pieces and created a lattice pie topper.  I then drizzled caramel on top while the pie was still warm so that it would soak in.  The finished project...delicious!  Even my husband (a pie snob) loved it. Apple Mixture (Recipe from Pillsbury) 6 Cups Thinly Sliced, Peeled Apples 3/4 Cup Sugar 2 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour 3/4 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon 1/4 Teaspoon Salt 1/8 Teaspoon Nutmeg 1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice Mix All Ingredients Together and Spoon Into Pie Crust, Cove...

6 years ago today we brought in the oldest kitty of the litter, Milo Midnight.  Since we don't know his birthday we celebrate today, and since we are not sure of his age (since he was a stray), but we are guesstimating 13 years old already... Every time that I hear "God Bless the Broken Road" by Rascal Flatts the following part stands out and makes me think of Milo and how much I wish I had more time with him, especially as he gets older, moves slower, and sleeps longer and longer each day... This much I know is true That God blessed the broken road That led me straight to you I think about the years I spent just passing through I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you But you just smile and take my hand You've been there you understand It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true

As I mentioned before I have been saving up money in my Amazon account that I have received from surveys, panels, focus groups, etc.  I want to be able to get something special with this money that we will enjoy and not just spend it here and there getting things for every day life and forget what my reasoning behind the "hard work" was in the first place. Here are a few things that I started adding to the wish list, but my heart is not quite set on any of them... I guess it is a lot harder to spend the money when you have worked on it, rather then just putting it on a credit card and dealing with it later. An Apple iPad 2 with WiFi Capability,  or a Buffet for Our Dining Room (Option #1) (Option #2), or this Beautiful Lawn Chair for the New Patio?

As I stated before I will be trying to implement menu planning into my weekly routine to help save time, wasted food, last minute eating out, and multiple fast-food trips because there is no plan in place.  I have decided not to include breakfast because I normally don't eat in the morning and our schedule will look a little different then most because I eat at work when we have events.  Here is what I plan on making this week, and the other days will be filled in with leftovers, meals at work, and our traditional dinner out with my family. Crock Pot Minestrone Soup Here is what I have so far: Lunches Minestrone Soup (From Dinner Batch) Beef with Onion Gravy (From Dinner Batch) Chicken Caesar Salad Dinners Minestrone Soup (From  Kraft Food Website ) Cheese Soup (Family Recipe - Once I Try It Out I Will Share!) Beef with Onion Gravy and Noodles (Slow Cooker Cook Book) Chicken Quesadillas with Family So Far, So Good...We'll See How...

My favorite catalog came in my mailbox yesterday...Tiffany & Co. The Tiffany Blue Envelope, the simple layouts, the new designs...Everything traditional, beautiful, and timeless, as always expected. My love for Tiffany & Co. started years ago when my husband surprised me with a trip to Chicago for our first anniversary of dating.  I was asleep in the car thinking we were driving home from a friend's house so he could go to work, and instead I woke up to the Chicago Skyline!  We walked around window shopping, drank Starbucks, and talked about our futures, and Breakfast at Tiffany's (my favorite classic).  As we started to walk back towards the car he took me into Tiffany & Co.  We looked around, I showed him the set that I had wanted for months, and when we spoke to a clerk we made the same jokes they do in the movie, and I'm sure it was the first time she heard them. ;)  We ended up finding a beautiful necklace, ring, and earrings se...

Through reading other blogs and talking to friends who enjoy saving, couponing, and taking surveys I have become even more inspired to try new things that will help us to lower our budget, save more towards our goals, and help those in need when they least expect it.... This week I am going to try Menu Planning.  I have done some research and found quite a few interesting suggestions and ideas on how different people make their menu plans. Here are some of the things I am going to try to help me with my menu planning as I try to find a plan that works for me and my litter. *Plan Out a Week at a Time (I have decided that a Month at a Time is not right for us right now) *Include Some Freezer Cooked Meals That Can Be Prepared Ahead of Time *Include Leftovers from Dinner Into Lunch *Try New Recipes That I Normally Wouldn't Have Time For (I have tons of printed recipes, copies of old family recipe, magazine clippings, and cook books that I have been collecting for years and ...

I am a little embarrassed to show you the finished product, so here is a shot of it just going into the oven! This was my first half-way (store bought crust) homemade apple pie, and the taste turned out great, BUT it doesn't look so wonderful.  I left it in the oven just a few minutes too long and the edges of the crust are burnt.  Also, as you can see I had some issues rolling out the dough without it cracking, but no one noticed once we started eating! I am going to try to make another pie for a Fall Party I am hosting this weekend, but I doubt between work and cleaning I will attempt to make my own crust, so it will be another half-way homemade pie, but I am ok admitting to that. I do have to say that I found a new reason to love the apple-peeler that my husand bought me for Valentine's Day (romantic, huh?).  It cut the time of peeling, slicing, coring, AND cutting the apples down to a minute or two for 6 cup of apples with nothing else needed, except f...

At our house we always have a full list of half finished projects, great ideas that we want to work on, and the realization that it takes our family 3 times to get anything done correctly...  This week has been no different! This is a picture of the "list" that we keep right next to the door coming in to the house from the garage, but there is too much we should be doing, so we just leave our list blank as our goal! On Sunday morning we woke up with the great ambition to get started early, and accomplish as much as possible, but by 1 p.m. I was ready for a nap, but I kept going and crossing things off the list and so did the  rest of the litter.   Here is a break-down of the projects that got some attention from all of us. Milo's List: * Keep the Bed Warm * Make Sure the Pillows Were Comfortable Miley's List: * Chase Away All Spiders * Give Possum a Bath in the Water Dish Boogs's List: * Watch the S...

I have come to love Lazy Saturdays, and learned to use this time to make some extra money.  The TV is set to College Football, my husband is focused on the game, the litter is focused on watching the chipmunks and squirrels run around the backyard, and I have time to work on some of my survey sites, without feeling like there is something else I should be doing. During the week I try to limit my survey taking time so that I can still get some of my to-do list completed, but the weekend is  great time to play catch up on these sites!  I have found that during 1 quarter of a football game I can go through my list of survey sites and earn between $5.00 - $10.00.  It doesn't seem like a lot, but it all adds up in the end!  My 2011 goal was to earn an extra $1000.00, however I took quite a few breaks throughout the year where I just got overwhelmed with too many sites (many of which were not right for my situation), took a few vacations and just couldn't get bac...

Welcome to my blog!  The one I have been talking about starting for weeks, months, probably a few years by now... but time just keeps slipping away, far too quickly.  Today I decided that it is finally time for me to sit down and write, instead of turning on old re-runs and taking a nap on the couch, like I find myself far to often. Here is a little about me, and my "litter"... I am 26 years old, working at a job I love, married to my best friend, and living only a few short blocks from my parents in the city that I grew up in.  My husband and I recently celebrated 8 years of sharing our lives with one another and creating the good, the bad & the priceless memories.  We have a small litter of cats that have come into our lives, one by one, over the last 5 years, and they bring us so much love and laughter that we don't know where we would be without them.  We always thought we were going to be a pet-free home, until each of them c...