wittersgarden's Profile

With 3 teenage boys pizza is a definite favorite! This is perfect for those times when we are all going in different directions and the guys are left to "cook" on their own. Currently they run to Aldi and pick up a cheap $2.99 pizza.... now I can custom make their favorites and them on hand! Thank you! (it also helps when you have a group of teen boys descend upon your house to play video games!!)

Milosmom, I've often wondered the same thing! I've never lived in apartments in big cities, just military housing overseas (they used to be apartments) where you couldn't do anything. I mean there were even restrictions on the number of nail holes as well as the size of the nails you could use on any wall. Thanks for the enlightenment!

Love all these tips! Some are things I've been doing for years as it was how my mom was raised plus we always had small kitchens.

Honestly we don't do much in the way of a "romantic" dinner as we have 3 teenage boys and typically have something going on whether it be indoor track practice, swim practice or possibly a swim meet. This year no one has to work, no practices... just homework (term papers & a couple of tests tomorrow) so I will make homemade pizza. Dessert will probably be hot fudge pudding w/ vanilla ice cream and sliced strawberries. Afterwards I'll wash dishes and we might watch a movie or play a game as a family! We don't get very many dinners together as a family any longer due to work schedules and sports so I enjoy them all the more when we do get them. This time next year our eldest will be gone and the middle one will be a senior.... I plan to enjoy these times as much as I can because I know we only have a few more months before we'll be in different hemispheres, let alone just different countries.

I had to laugh because my biggest weakness is kitchen stuff & storage containers... it got so bad that I had storage containers storing more collapsible storage containers. :) Currently I looked around our home and I see corners filled with clutter... part mine, part hubby's, and part 3 teenage boys (biggest culprit right now.) Solution... consignment shop! Some else is now the proud owner of many of my storage containers & kitchen stuff. Clutter is now in containers lining top of boy's bookcase, clearly identified. Paper napkins have been replaced with cloth napkins made from old dish towels made by grandmother/mother. Old worn sweaters pullovers became stylish cardigans with a few simple snips and stitches. Too small shoes/clothes of teenagers... donated. hoarded candles... being burned. books... sold or donated to the literacy council. Now I shop my home, grab my camera when the impulse hits to shop to document what we have and then go out and take pictures of the surrounding area... So far so good! Our lives are beginning to be less cluttered with stuff... the guys are spending less money by trading in video games/systems... and we are enjoying time together again!

We have lived in military housing off and all for my ENTIRE life which resulted in living with less than ideal decor... initially. I've used granite looking contact paper (purchased at Lowe's) on all my kitchen countertops... it held up beautifully. And NO I did not baby my countertops... it was a WORKING kitchen i.e. cooking, baking, lots of canning, etc. IN the bathroom I hot glued a skirt on the sink to provide storage... I've also used the spring and cuphook method when the wall was not tiled. Heavy duty wrapping paper has lined my drawers as well as the backs of cabinets for years. Over the door organizers have been life saving as well. Good luck!

Great questions to ask... we are now putting these very same questions to our teenage sons. So far the only things removed would be 1/2 the matchbox cars/trucks, and part of a rock collection. Yes, you read that correctly... a rock collection. Trust me there is no rhyme or reason for the collections of a 13 year old boy. :) but then I have a salt/pepper collection... a few belong to my grandmother but the rest were added to use for semi-formal dinners for our teen youth group... many dating back to the 50's and picked up from estate sales. Yes they are still used. A different set ends up on the table pretty close to every day... (i tried boxing them up but 2 teenage boys dug them back out & even filled them. its odd but they really like them. ha ha!)

I've never lived in the tropics unless you count southern Florida... south of Miami but mangos grew wild in our area and there were local strawberries as well. Talk about a simply divine combination! This bread sounds wonderful! but i have to admit we will be adding chocolate chips as my family would simply be lost if I didn't! :)

I'm not posting my list just yet because there will be much discussion as to whether or not this will include the guys rooms plus a more detailed look at the budget. If it costs more than $5 it will have to wait until after the 15th... :)

So if a teetotaler who drinks no alcoholic beverages were to drink this, they wouldn't get any kind of buzz correct? Just making sure as we don't consume alcohol but do use it for making things such as extracts. Thank you so very much!