Category Archives: Make or Buy

Apr 15

Let’s Give It A Try: Puppy Grooming

Miss Mia was getting a bit shaggy…

She had her full Winter coat, and she was in need of a bath, and claw trim too.

I thought about scheduling her for a full groom, and the I thought about the cost. I wondered if I could do it on my own. I have been bathing her, and trimming her claws since she was a little pup, but I had never attempted a hair cut.

I made some homemade Dog Shampoo, and prepped the bathroom for Miss Mia. I brought her leash upstairs, and secured if safely to the towel rack. I clipped her claws as usual, and then I put her on her leash for the haircut. I selected a 5 on the clipper set that I have, and it worked out well. I started at her shoulders, and worked my way back. I used scissors to trim some unruly leg hair, and fur around her ears.

She wasn’t too happy about having the clippers any where near her head, so I used the scissors only. Once we were all a mess, and covered in fur, I ran her bath. She got a double scrub, and a towel dry too.

It isn’t perfect, but I think she feels better after the haircut and bath.

I think I did pretty good too for my first doggy haircut.

We even took the pup along to pick-up the kiddos after school. She liked the car ride.

It did take a bit of time, but I bet a few more puppy grooming sessions, and I’ll have the hang of it. It was a good savings too. It would have cost me $30-$40 to have Mia fully groomed, and Agnes thought it was funny that Mia needed a haircut too. I’ll be keeping up on the at home puppy grooming, but I don’t know that Mia will be happy about it.

Oct 22

Handmade Costumes

This year the kiddos decided that they wanted to make their own costumes for Halloween. I thought it sounded like a great idea, and a great way to see their creativity. They each have a different character in mind, and it has been fun working with all of the kids getting their costumes just right.

Thade decided he wanted to be Dr. Eggman from Sonic. He drew up a sketch of his costume, and he made me a list too.

He really loves his costume, and he learned a new phrase too D.I.Y.

Dylan decided he wanted to be a cowboy. He already has a cowboy hat, boots, and a good pair of cowboy jeans. We checked out the local used clothing shop, and found a great shirt, and a cowboy belt too.

He loves his cowboy look.

Agnes is dressing as Bonnie from Toy Story 3.

We made a necklace and a bracelet,

and a tutu too.

The kids can’t wait for Halloween!

Jul 10

Take Along Treats

Yesterday we were invited to a friend’s house for dinner. I asked if I could bring a dessert, and she said sure. I had a few new recipes that I wanted to try out. I’m trying to phase cake mixes and pre-made icing out of my pantry. I want to learn how to make both of these items from scratch.

I picked out a recipe for Vanilla Cupcakes and Vanilla Frosting to bring for dessert. I got out the stand mixer and attempted the frosting first.

This frosting was so fun to make. I softened the butter just a bit, and I let the frosting whip for a good 15-20 minutes. The result was a beautiful, light, fluffy frosting, that even Thade approved of! It was a little more expensive than the pre-made, but well worth it.

Feeling pretty good about the frosting, I was moving on to the cupcakes. I have to admit, I was a little nervous about tackling the batter. I’ve always used a cake mix, but I had everything in my pantry to make them from scratch. I did have a back-up recipe planned, just in cast the cupcakes failed miserably.

I did alter the recipe just a bit… I omitted the 2 extra (whole) eggs, and added in extra vanilla. The cupcakes were so soft and whoa baby they were tasty. They were sweet even without the frosting. Cake mixes might just make an exit from the pantry as long as I can find a tasty recipe for Chocolate Cake and Yellow cake too…

I let the cupcakes cool, and while Dylan was taking a nap, I thought it would be fun for Thade and I to Frost the cupcakes together. I also thought it would be cool to dye the icing a few pastel colors. Thade picked Green, Blue, Pink, and Purple.

I had envisioned a plan of Thade helping out with Frosting the cupcakes, but once he realized that he could sample one of the cupcakes, he grabbed his cupcake, and left Mommy to decorate. He did sit still long enough to finish off the Frosting in the bowl.

I decorated the cupcakes with sprinkles… Who could resist a cupcake with sprinkles? My favorite was the pink frosted cupcake with chocolate sprinkles.

I took two plates of cupcakes to my friend’s house, and we were all treated to four delicious homemade pizzas for dinner, too tasty! My friend makes a super tasty veggie pizza that was topped with fresh basil from her organic garden, super yum. The kiddos tore into the cupcakes after dinner, and the from scratch recipe was a success! I’ll be baking these again, and working on a tasty chocolate frosting too.

Jun 20

Make It or Buy It: Turkey

For Father’s Day I planned a “Thanksgiving” style meal for my hubby, Turkey with all of the fixings. I usually buy a Honeysuckle White frozen bone-in turkey breast, but Wal-Mart was out of my favorite turkey. I spotted the Jennie-O Oven Ready Skinless Boneless Turkey Breast, and I thought I would give it a try.

The Jennie-O turkey was a bit pricey for just one turkey breast, but it was easy to make. No thawing, no cleaning, just pop it in the oven and go. However, it didn’t stretch as far as my favorite Honeysuckle Turkey does. We did get 3 meals out of it, but no turkey stock for those tasty Turkey Noodles.

In a pinch for a quick meal the Jennie-O did a great job, but for the money I’ll be buying the Honeysuckle White Turkey and making a big batch of turkey stock.

May 14

Make It or Buy It?

This week I’ve started making my own Baby Food for Dylan. It is fun to make, but there is always a big mess to clean up. I decided to make Butternut Squash. One small Squash made 3 small jars of Baby Food. I decided to do the math, and making my own Butternut Squash vs. buying 3 jars saved me only $.20, and left me a sink full of dishes. The Squash was really tasty though, but the extra dishes got me thinking…

Is is more cost effective to make an item or to buy an item? Where do you save the most in time or money?