Holepunched Cards as Keepsake: 5/5

Do you keep all of the cards you receive from people? I do. When my dad passed away, I realized he kept 100's of cards he'd gotten over the years. I went through them all and kept the ones that were sentimental or especially funny. Even though I bemoaned my dad's slight hoarding instinct while going through the rest of his things, I was glad to have those memories.

The problem is that these cards take up space! And they're a pain to organize. My dad had a box. And it worked. But it wasn't great. I, on the other hand, had a folder or two in our filing cabinet. It didn't work much better except that it gave me reasonable space constraints (so I couldn't save too many, which I saw as a good thing). SimpleMom.net has some wonderful ideas here! I have used the scrapbooking idea for Baby Girl's cards in her keepsake book, and I loved it! Sadly, it took about a billion years (or at least several hours) to cut apart all of her cards and attempt to collage them artistically. I liked the journal idea but don't have a journal that can be taken apart, so the hole punching thing would be out of the question.

Some pinner along the way had an idea to hole-punch the cards and make them into their own "book." No extra writing required! I gathered all of my folders and sorted the cards. I made categories such as, from Mom, condolence cards, from husband, etc. Then I borrowed a friend's fancy hole-puncher and got to it! I am terribly ashamed of my photography, but I was super excited about the book results!

P.S. The card with the orange and yellow birds was made by my talented friend Meredith. You can check out her other lovely work on her website Lily Jane Stationery. I wish she lived closer so she could take my pictures for me!

Honey Lemon Olive Oil Muffins: 5/5

Weird, right? Who puts olive oil in a muffin? This recipe intrigued me enough to bookmark even before my days of Pinterest. However, it baffled me enough that I put off making them for two years. I'm so glad that I finally caved and tried them. Delicious! The olive oil was just a faint background note, but that little hint was great paired with the lemon and honey. I admit I was too lazy to make a glaze; I'm sure they would taste even more amazing with it. Also, we had some fading blueberries in the fridge, so some of the muffins were technically Honey Lemon Blueberry Olive Oil Muffins. Both ways were yummy! But I would recommend adding the blueberries into the batter instead of remembering them after all of the muffin batter has been scooped into the pan. Otherwise your muffins will look like alien muffins. Like mine.

Baked "Stand Up" Tortilla Shells: 5/5

A few years ago, I stopped buying or frying our chalupa shells. I brush corn tortillas with oil and bake them instead. Much healthier and a little cheaper. Score. Alas, I was still buying taco shells. I mean, how could you replicate that pocket at home--without frying? Enter brilliant idea from EatingWell.com. Hooray! What an awesome concept. Here's how they turned out:

They weren't the prettiest things, and let's be honest, they didn't have quite the same texture as a nice fried tortilla! But for a healthy knock-off, I was exceptionally pleased with them. I don't plan on buying taco shells again anytime soon.

Bathtub Stain Removal: 3/5

We had a bath/shower until installed in our guest bathroom. It looks great except we've had these orange streaks in the tub. I have tried so many things to clean it! Bleach, Magic Eraser, vinegar, baking soda, Pine-sol, and Scrubby Bubbles. Nothing even made a dent. I've used paper towels, rags, stiff brushes, and sponges. No difference there either. Finally I found an old message board talking about something similar. I figured I'd tried everything else, why not try Clorox 2? I still had to scrub a bit and apply twice, but it worked!

*Temporarily. It was suggested on the message board not to use a bleach cleaner. I haven't! And yet the stains came back. Once again I had success with the Clorox 2. I'm thinking the marks are due to something besides using a bleach cleaner, but I have no idea what. Not that I enjoy scrubbing the tub but at least I have a recurring solution, even if it isn't a one-time fix.

*NOTE: Problem solved! I think. I forgot that while we had company, some Clorox Wipes were used. Looks like bleach was the problem after all.

Cereal Container for Car Trash: 4/5

Another easy organization tip! Can you tell I love these? I've had a plastic bag in my car for trash collecting. You know, the used tissues, granola bar wrappers, unwanted receipts, and other random debris. Sometimes the bag spills. And sometimes I worry that ants are going to pick up the scent and make a home in my car.

A cereal container was the solution I didn't know I was looking for. I even found a container that was designed to store cereal while still in the bag; it was easy to just stuff it with a plastic bag. Of course it seals, so I'm less worried about tossing food-related garbage in it. Then when it's full, I'll just toss the bag and put in a new one.

My only complaint is that it does roll around in the car. I don't have a middle console, so the "garbage pail" is underfoot. I'm sure I could weight it down or even velcro it under the dash or something like that. Any suggestions?

Baked Southwestern Egg Rolls: 4/5

Just before Angel baby was born, I made egg rolls for the first time. I was scared about the wrapping and the frying. Both went better than expected. I am not a huge fan of deep frying though, so I knew egg rolls were a once-in-awhile-dinner-item. Then I saw this post for baked Southwest egg rolls! They were delicious. They crisped well for being oven baked, not fried. I was very pleased with the filling. What with the fiber from the beans and limited oil/cooking spray, I felt like they were reasonably healthy too.

The recipe made about double what we could eat, so I just froze half. A few weeks later I popped them in a 350* oven until crisp, flipped, then crisped the other side. They reheated better than the frozen egg rolls I've bought at the grocery store. We dipped them in my favorite guacamole recipe. Definitely preferred that over salsa! The husband agreed.

Oh, and remember how I said I'm a terrible photographer? Yeah, sorry for the picture.

Note: I don't think I'm consistent on my filling portions because I ended up with extra. I just saved the rest and used it as enchilada filling. Tasted great!

In-Style In Boxes: 3/5

These storage boxes are much cuter than the organizers on most desks. I didn't need standard paper size filer, but I thought using mini cereal boxes could make a great coupon organizer. They worked pretty well. I was too lazy to use pretty tape, so I just used plain old duct tape. I do feel like the organizer is lop-sided. Cereal boxes are cheaply made and thus aren't exactly the same size and shape (it's not like the manufacturers are worried about producing perfect craft boxes).

I'm sure most people would be able to make an organizer that looks better and less shoddy than mine. It works though and is still more fun (and cheap) than anything I would've bought. I have two of three more boxes saved so that I can give another one a try. Now I just need to convince myself to eat Lucky Charms, Golden Grahams, or Trix . . . Maybe the husband would like to do it for me.