Month: January 2013

My Top Five Favorite Pins From Pinterest

I’ve had a love affair going with Pinterest for a while now.  After using 2 of my all time favorite pins to make my lunch today, I thought I should share them with you.  If you aren’t on Pinterest yet, do it now.  If you are, come follow my pins here.  Leave your Pinterest name in the comments section and I’ll follow you back.  If there is a pin that you absolutely love AND have actually used, please leave a link in the comments section as well, so we can all get in on that action.  Check out my top five pins that I’ve actually USED successfully below.  I’m not using the pictures from the owners’ posts because that feels a bit shady.  The first link goes directly to the original post so you can pin from there, and the second link goes to that site’s homepage.
Let’s count ’em down.

#5 Cheap and Easy Balloon Garlands from A Girl and A Boy
I used this little trick for The Bear’s 1st birthday that I still haven’t posted about.  It was in May.  Hopefully I’ll get around to it before he turns 2.  Basically you blow up a bunch of balloons and thread a string through the ends, then hang that string up in a garland like fashion.  So cool, so cheap.  Bear LOVED it.  I loved that it was easy and festive and cheap.

#4 Avocado Chicken Salad from Becoming Betty
I never would have though to add avocado to my chicken salad even though I love both things with my whole heart.  Homegirl is a genius.  I will say it still tastes fine without the green onion and cilantro, because I had neither of those things on hand when I made it today for lunch.

#3 Giant Photo Prints for Cheap from Sugar Bee Crafts
You take a jpg of a photo to an office store and ask for an engineer print in black and white.  They give you a 3×4 foot print of your photo.  You pay them $3-6 and feel like a genius, take that sucker home, and mount it on the surface of your choice.  I made one of these for my living room and you can see the results here.  I love it and it only cost about $5.  You can read Sugar Bee Craft’s second effort (mounting on plywood instead of foam board) here.  This is such a great, cheap way to get a big impact.

#2 Free Printable Customized Monograms from For Chic’s Sake
Like any good southern girl, I love a monogram.  For Chic’s Sake offers free printables you can customize with your colors and initials.  I printed one off for our room, one for Bear’s, and will do one for Mini Bear as soon as we decide on a name.  Super cute and free, you can’t beat that with a stick.

#1 Use your Kitchen Aid Mixer to Shred Chicken from Simply Healthy Family
This has absolutely changed my life, seriously.  I told my mama about it, and it changed her life, too.  The post isn’t even about that, it’s about making BBQ chicken sandwiches.  I use this all the time.  I used it today for lunch while making the aforementioned Avocado Chicken Salad.  I just boil my chicken breasts and then toss them in the mixer.  Genius.    

I would love to hear about your favorite pins.  Tell me about them in the comments section or over email.

Family Travel: Hiking the Continental Divide at Cottonwood Pass

I am in love with Colorado in the summer.

Hiking is one of my favorite things in life.  Walking around in beautiful places makes my heart so happy.

We were so blessed to travel for 2 months this past year and experience so much beauty.  While we were staying and working at Trail West in Buena Vista, Colorado, we hiked Cottonwood Pass three times with our whole camp group.  It is a super easy hike for families.

We hiked with babies and kids of all ages as well as adults with all kinds of health problems and an 84 year old grandmother.  She loved it.

The hike doesn’t take long but you get a fantastic payout at the top.  There is a 360 degree view of the Collegiate Peaks and Taylor Reservoir.  The pass is open in the summer, and you can find more about closings and see tons of pictures and videos here.  The trailhead is about 19 miles west of Buena Vista and the pass is used as a route from BV to Crested Butte.  The pass was used in the USA Procycling Challenge, so Jed felt like Andy Schleck when he rode his bike down the mountain.

   For kids under 3 I would highly recommend hiking with an Ergobaby carrier or some other type of backpack type carrier.  Bear was obviously too little to do it on his own, and we saw many a preschool get a bit tired and whiny on the way up.  It’s just how they roll.  The hike is quick and easy, but you do climb to 12,600 feet so you will feel it.

No matter how warm it is at the bottom of the mountain, bring lots of layers for yourself and your kiddos.  We learned that lesson the hard way on another hike with the Bear.  I did not win Mom of the Year in 2012, and I blame that hike among many, many other things.  You can read more about our adventures hiking with a toddler here.

Have you taken your whole family hiking?  Share any tips or what holds you back in the comments section below.
Follow Becca’s board Family Travel on Pinterest.

Frugal Christmas: Five Easy Ways to Save Money Next Year

This year marked our fourth Christmas being debt free with no credit cards!  I cannot believe it has been that long.  The sense of freedom when debts are gone doesn’t go away or lessen over time.  When we started following the teachings of Dave Ramsey’s Total Money Makeover and Financial Peace University in 2009 we had NO idea how much our lives would change for the better.  You can read more about our financial story here if you’re interested.  This past year we transitioned to one income.  Funny story: I actually called in to Dave Ramsey’s radio show to ask if we were okay financially to quit my job and become a stay at home mom in a few months and he told me to do it that day.  I waited six more months, but it was so great having the advice our one of our financial heroes.  Christmas is a tricky time for money and frugality.  We all want to make it special for ourselves, our kids, our friends, our loved ones, and even our pets.  It is totally possible to be frugal and still have a fabulous gift giving, charity helping, generous, festive Christmas.  I promise.  We’ve done it for the last four years and we get better at it every year.  
To start you off I’ll share five easy ways you can start NOW to have a frugal Christmas next year.  
1)  BUDGET!!!  Yes, I mean it.  Plan now for how much you want to spend on everything from decorations to Santa gifts to cookies for your child’s classroom.  Christmas will be here on December 25, 2013, just like always and as Dave says, it is not an emergency.  If you set your budget and start putting a little bit aside in your gift or Christmas fund in January, you won’t be strapped for funds and it will make it easier to save on other things.  Don’t know where to start? Write down how much you spent this year on everything.  If you will be paying it off for months you know you will have to reduce.  I’ll share our Christmas budget as an example.
Cards: $20 
Stamps: $25 
Gifts to each other: $200 ($100 each) 
Gifts for Bear: $50  
Gifts for Family: $160  (We draw names but still buy a little something for our parents and nieces/nephews.)
Decorations: $20
Total: $475
That total may seem super low to some of you and super high to others.  Jed polled his 9th grade students and they guessed overall that we would budget to spend $500 each on each other and about the same on Bear.  Let’s just say they are a little bit confused about how much their teachers get paid.  Our budget will go up next year with our new addition, so we will probably budget $50 per month over the year.  If you like to do holiday specific charitable giving, plan for that as well.  We give monthly to our churches and causes, so we don’t do a big year end gift.  Most folks do get a lot of charity asks in December though, so it might be wise to set aside a bit to cover the unexpected.
2) BUY ON SALE AND HIDE  I start looking for Christmas stuff at after Thanksgiving sales, the year before.  Then I strategically hide everything.  All of the Bear’s presents were purchased at consignment sales, thrift stores, garage sales, discount stores like Ross and Marshall’s, or were at least 50% off at retail stores.  They all looked new and he loved them.  The wooden activity block came from a Rhea Lana consignment sale and cost $12.  They retail from $75 to $150.  I bought it in October of 2011 and saved it for this year.  Your toddler will never know that you got that doll off Ebay, I promise.  We have all fallen prey to the “my baby deserves the best” ploy so many times.  Your baby deserves a stable home with no money problems.  This premise applies to other categories as well.  Decorations are on clearance everywhere right now.  Buy Forever stamps for next year and set them aside.  They will only go up in price.   
3) LOOK FOR DEALS AND THINK AHEAD  If you like to send out photo cards, take a cute family picture in  August and have it ready.  Sign up for emails from printing sites like Shutterfly, Tiny Prints, Minted, and Snapfish.  Companies start sending out emails offering 10 free cards in September this year.  I sent out about 50 cards and paid around $12 total using deal emails like those.  I ordered from several different sites and only paid shipping.  On other things always shop around.  Always, always, always check Amazon.  Download the app and do it in the store.  Target now price matches year round, which rocks.  
4) USE CASH MONEY, HONEY  Studies show that your brain actually reacts differently when you use cash as opposed to cards.  You feel it more and it triggers pain receptors.  This is a GOOD thing.  Remember that money you budgeted each month in #1?  Take it out of the bank and put it in an envelope marked “gifts” and use that to make your purchases.  If you find a deal online, write that amount on the envelope and put amount of cash back in the bank.  Using cash is hard, but it is worth it.  By the end of the holidays next year you will know exactly how much you spent and will have paid $0 in interest on your cards.  Winning.  You can read more about how we use a cash system year round here.  
5)  MAKE MEMORIES, NOT MONEY MISTAKES  If you think back on all your holiday gifts and experiences, you will probably be hard pressed to remember more than a few gifts.  What I remember most are the experiences: cooking together, driving around to see lights, decorating the tree, caroling (or kazooing – I had a really fun youth pastor),  volunteering, Christmas Eve services, etc.  Think about what makes your holiday special to you.  Ask your spouse or siblings what matters to them.  Most people probably won’t say the gifts.  Draw names and set a price limit with your adult siblings, their spouses, and parents to take down the stress level for everyone.  We do a $50 limit with my family.  Buying one thoughtful gift for a family member is sooo much nicer and less stressful than buying 18 crap gifts for the whole bunch.  Give priceless but cost free gifts to friends and family like a night of free babysitting or offer to take their family photo.  Use your natural talents to make special presents for your loved ones.   Our consumer culture has turned Christmas into a competition, instead of celebration of God’s love for us and our love for each other.  Let’s take it back. 
How do you save money during the holidays?
Do you plan ahead?  
Send me your favorite frugal holiday tips by email or blog post comment and I’ll link to you in an upcoming post.  

Summer Flashback: On the Road from Buena Vista to Vail

As a hazy shade of winter makes me sleepy and cold temperatures keep us indoors, I think wistfully back to our summer adventure. Here are a few instagram pics from one leg of the trip.

As
Sweet sleeping baby
A bike race through the pass
Not the Tour de France, but fun to watch all the same.
Downtown Leadville, Colorado
A lovely alpine lake

Our next adventure will be adding a new member to the family.
What is your next adventure?

Best of Bare Feet on the Dashboard: Recipe Edition

This is by no means a food blog.
You can read why here.  
On occasion I do love to share my favorite recipes and the festive things that happen in our kitchen.  I generally prefer recipes with a few uncomplicated steps.  In honor of my three years of (semi) consistent blogging, I’m sharing my favorite recipe posts with you today.  Check ’em out, and feel free to share or pin.  
The Best Cream Cheese Icing in the World 
(in my humble opinion)
Texas Breakfast Burritos
Fresh and Easy Guacamole
Delicious Gazpacho
World’s Easiest Bean Dip
World’s Easiest Key Lime Pie
Iron Skillet Cornbread Dressing
Our Family’s Traditional Holiday Recipe
What’s your favorite food?
Key lime pie would have to be mine.

Best of Bare Feet on the Dashboard: Frugal Living Edition

For folks who knew me back in my wild and crazy shopaholic days, the fact that I live my life debt free with no credit cards and write about frugal living probably comes as a shock.  It’s the real deal though, y’all.  My life changed completely when I came to the realization that if I kept digging holes for myself I would never have the life I wanted.  I was never a saver and always lost at Monopoly because I just had to have those hotels.  Now we live by the Dave Ramsey code of conduct and have a 6 month emergency fund.  Crazy! You can read about our financial story here, and I’m sharing some of my favorite frugal living posts from the last three years with you below in celebration of my three year blogging anniversary.  
Cash Money Honey
We use cash instead of credit cards.
Frugal Pregnancy Tips
Buying a Used Car with CASH
Creating an Emergency Fund
Grocery Shopping at Aldi
It will cut your grocery bill in half, seriously.
The Road to Financial Freedom
Financial Peace University Changed Our Lives
Budget Busting Temptation
How to Save 20% On Your Medical Bills
For real!
Mad Money
This explains how we budget our monthly spending money.
Are you debt free?  If so, how did you get there?  
Share your best frugal living tip in the comments below.

Best of Bare Feet on the Dashboard: Travel Edition

Oh the places we’ve been…
In celebration of three years of blogging I’m sharing some of my favorite posts with you this week.  Today’s edition is all about travel.  We’ve traveled abroad, traveled in the states, traveled as a couple, traveled with an infant, and most recently traveled with our toddler.  Here are my favorite travel related posts of the last three years.  
 The Ancient Mayan City of Tulum
Our Top 8 Frugal Family Travel Tips
Hiking with Toddlers
Playa del Carmen – Our Mexican Beach Adventure
Navarre Beach, Florida, Post Oil Spill
Taking Your Own Travel Photos 
Without Hiring Pros or Harassing Strangers
A Rustic Bachelorette Weekend in Arkansas
Babymoon in Glen Rose, Texas
Looking back through these posts made me nostalgic and realize I still have a ton of travel adventures to share.  Thanks for reading Bare Feet on the Dashboard and sharing my journeys.
What’s your all time favorite travel destination? 

Best of Bare Feet on the Dashboard – Crafty Edition

It’s my 3 year blogging anniversary this week, and I’m celebrating by bringing you my favorite and most popular posts from the past 3 years.   I’m kicking off the party with my favorite crafty posts.  I started blogging to have a creative outlet, and creating fun stuff is a huge part of that.  I’d love for y’all to check out my old projects and feel free to pin away if you like what you see.

DIY Baby Book with Free Printable Pages
(My most popular crafty post so far.)
The Picket Fence Project – Roadside Trash to Wall Decor
Part One   Part Two
Anthro Inspired Sandal Makeover
Anthro Inspired Headband with Vintage Fabric
Cake Plate Jewelry Holder
Festive Paper Flower Tutorial
The Mod Podge Doily Canvas Project
DIY Solar Powered Light Jars
Ribbon Mobile for Baby’s Nursery
Felt Embroidered Bird Onesie
Handmade Felt Christmas Stockings
Burlap Easter Wreath
A Burlap Wreath for All Seasons
Bowtie Onesie Tutorial
Vintage Highchair Makeover
Birds in Flight Nursery Mobile
Burlap and Pinwheels Summer Wreath
Cheap Giant Photo
Pinterest Free Printable
There they are, all my fav crafty posts.  Happy blog anniversary to me!  
What was your favorite craft project that you made in 2012? 

Duck Creek DIY: Our Wallpaper Removal Miracle

 As you may have seen in our before pictures, we have been working with some seriously ugly wallpaper all over our little Duck Creek Ranch.  We’ve dreaded the removal process, but decided to tackle the dining room and entry hall over Christmas break.  We’re so glad we did because what we experienced was nothing short of a Christmas miracle.

 There were not one but 2 layers of wallpaper on an accent wall in the dining room and in the entry hall.  I apologize for the poor lighting, but you can see the 2 layers of ugly from the hall above.  Not the underneath layer in the dining room is actually kind of retro cool, but we couldn’t save it during the removal.

 The wallpaper has been up there for at least 15 years (top layer) and almost 40 for the bottom layer.  We just knew in our hearts it was going to take hours upon hours of spraying and scraping to remove it.  Amazingly, Jed started peeling it from the corners just to see what would happen.  It came off!  Smoothly!  In giant chunks!

A true Christmas miracle.  
In under an hour we removed all the wallpaper from the dining room, entry hall, kitchen, and master bath.  We tried to do the same in our guest bath, but our good luck ran out.  I can’t wait to show you what we’ve done in the dining room and hall.  They are both transformed.  

**UPDATED** Pinterest and Time Management ~ Free Printable

We’ve all seen them.  There are so many unbelievable ideas on Pinterest, but some of them really make you wonder what kind of time the creator had on his or her hands.  Apparently that creative mama is managing her time a little better than I am.  She is probably out making something cool right now rather than wasting her life away skimming through Pinterest.  This little saying came to mind today.  

 After wasting a considerable amount of time on my beloved Pinterest today looking for ideas for Mini Bear’s room, I decided a free printable was in order. Click HERE for the free PDF.  Just play nice and link back here if you post it.

What’s your biggest internet time sucker?