"The Thing About..." Thursdays: The Thing About Packing Tape

BubbaB8's mysterious paper creations

Really?  I'm going to blog about packing tape?

You bet your sweet bippy I will!

See, I have packing tape.  Or, I should.  I have purchased packing tape.  I have a designated spot for packing tape.  I have used the packing tape on occasion...not frequently, but not rarely either.  I don't keep it on a dispenser, I don't use it enough for that.  I just have a roll, and I rip a piece off when I need it; sometimes I cut it with scissors.

It's a simple thing, packing tape.

Except when you can't find it.

See, the other thing I have here is children.

Creative children.

Resourceful children.

Highly intelligent children.

Office-supply obsessed children.

Recently one of these children has been creating a lot of things with paper.  Missiles.  Planes.  Guns.  Crossbows.  Slingshots.

It's really quite amazing what he's created with paper.

And tape.  Lots of tape.  MY tape.

So when I'm packing the malfunctioning Nintendo 3DS for mailing, packing my dad's Easter treat, and packing up a little something for my baby nephew (cutest baby ever, by the way), I am rummaging and swearing and stomping and texting people to see if they've seen the packing tape.

I'm not happy.  I want my tape.

A good blogger would have created a solution to this problem, taken photos, and given you the rundown of the new, workable method to letting the children have their own creative workspace with their own supplies.

I thought about this.  I thought about it real hard.

My house is only so big.

Our creative workspace is also our homework station, my darling love's laptop plop-spot, the best space for decorating cookies and allowing cupcakes to cool on a wire rack.  It's also where we eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  It's a busy space.  It's the kitchen table.

In my next life I want Murphy-desks.  You know those Murphy beds that flip up into the wall?  A desk with the same idea would be perfect.  I could have multiple little stations around the room, a shallow cutout in the wall for storage there, and the desk top on hinges.  It would be a divine solution for a small space!

Now watch, somewhere I will see a magazine article about this!

Murphy's law applies to my Murphy Desk.

Ha!

Have a good day!

What's Cooking Wednesday: Quick, Cheap, and Easy

So I'm on a journey here to knock a few pounds off.  Since my post a month or so ago about weight gain, I've managed to try a few things and put on 5 more pounds.  I spent a few days (weeks) in utter despair and hiding in ice cream, pasta, and anything else edible I could get my hands on, but I'm out.  I'm eating healthy foods and watching my portions.

Here's a quick, cheap, and easy lunch...oh, and it's good for you too!

Yummy lunch

Ingredients (for one serving):

whole wheat tortilla or whole grain tortilla or sprouted grain tortilla
1/4 refried beans
1 to 2 T. minced onion
lettuce (any salad greens you have)
grape tomatoes
kosher salt (to taste)
1/4 tsp. dried cilantro (more or less; to taste)

There are really no directions, just assemble and eat!  I spread the refried beans out on the tortilla first to "hold" the lettuce a little.

I also found the easiest way to eat this was to slightly tuck one end in and wrap the other ends up like a traditional hard taco would be folded.

This seems simple, but it is delightfully fresh and surprisingly filling.

I have a busy schedule and this is fast and easy to make.  You could also put the components for it in a container and easily assemble it for lunch at work. 


P.S....I'm down 3 pounds so far.

What I look for on the label when purchasing whole wheat or whole grain products:

• No use of the word "enriched". 
• No high fructose corn syrup.  I prefer no sugar at all, but definitely think twice before getting anything with high fructose corn syrup.  Do not believe the "sugar is sugar" commercials.
• No use of the word "hydrogenated".  Hydrogenated oils and fats have had their molecular structure altered in such a way that products can have a longer shelf life...but it is not good for our insides.  This is what they are calling "trans fats" but beware!  Products that contain hydrogenated oils in part of their make up can still claim "No trans fats" on the label, so read the ingredients before you buy!

Tightwad Tuesday: Vacation Over....

This is me this morning.  Right now.  Since I wrote this post about me, I couldn't think of any other picture to use.  I hope that doesn't come across as narcissistic.

I've been absent for a few days.  Long holiday vacay...I slept in, I goofed off, I cleaned, I ran errands, I watched movies...it was great.

I don't have anything earth-shattering to share.  I've shown you how to save on groceries.  I've talked about saving on clothing, cutting out the "latte factor", and family fun.  I've showed you how to do your own nails and keep your wash going with great savings.

I'm drawing a blank.

I'll never be the woman who rinses out ziploc bags or re-uses tin foil, so I won't go there.

I started thinking about time...my time is nothing I used to consider as something that had monetary value unless I was getting paid to be somewhere....until I started doing this.

Look, I've been blogging for 2 months and I think I've made $6 or $8.

My research shows that it takes quite awhile to build this up, and it has been kind of a reality check of how much time is worth, does that make sense?

Fortunately, blog writing does not take up an enormous part of my time, it's very quick.  It takes me longer to find and add in the pictures than anything else.

So I took a few days off.

I may have missed out on a cent or two.  Ha!

I'm back.  See you tomorrow!