A DIY Knock-Off Makeover

I just want to say a quick thank you to everyone who took the time to leave a positive comment on my last post.  I really had no idea what the reaction would be, I just knew I needed to write it, come what may.  All of your sweet and loving comments sure meant a lot to me, so thank you!  I've taken a couple of blogs off of my reading list that were making me feel less than content after reading them, I don't need that pressure in my life.  I haven't been perusing Pinterest quite so much either, wishing and wanting and feeling poor because my house isn't magazine worthy like "theirs."  And you know what?  I've been better for it.  My whole attitude is so much more positive and I just feel happier and more "in the moment."  I will always love decorating, that's just who I am, and I'll always love projects and yard sales, I can't ignore that side of me.  But...when a thought starts to come to mind of, "Man I wish I had...." I just stop it right there and focus on what I do have.  I still have things I want to do to the house, but all in good time.  I no longer feel so anxious about it.

Anyways....on to today's post!

I've slowly but surely been plugging away at the kids' bathroom makeover.  I put up a mini-gallery wall in there a couple of months ago, but I've never shown it to you because 1) I'm a terrible procrastinator and the frames STILL don't have pictures in them (I finally ordered them though!), and 2) I was missing the last piece of the collection.

I knew I wanted that last piece to be a small wall clock and I found this cute retro one online and just loved it.  It had the perfect look and the perfect size.  BUT....

(source)

It cost $60!!

There was absolutely no way I could afford to pay that much for a small clock, nor would I do it even if I could afford it.  That's a bit much for my taste.

Quick & Easy Garlic Bread

I know I said that the next recipe coming from The Farmhouse Skillet was going to be fried chicken, and it still is coming up soon.  I took the pictures yesterday and hope to have it posted next week. BUT...in the mean time I just wanted to share this quick and easy idea with you.

Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast for .99/lb

This is the first of many planned cooking posts in the newest section of my blog, "The Farmhouse Skillet."  Thank you to Jodi M. for coming up with the name, and to all the other Facebook fans for the creative suggestions you gave me.  I liked several of them, but in the end chose this one for more reasons than you probably care about so I'll spare ya the details and get straight to today's post.

Now, this isn't a recipe or even an actual "cooking" post, but we use a lot of chicken around The Farmhouse and I'll be sharing lots of chicken recipes.  So, I thought I'd share with you the cheapest, most frugal way to buy chicken and then what to do with it.

Boneless skinless chicken breast (will refer to this as BLSL chicken from here on out) is great for SO many recipes, but let's face it, convenience can be down right expensive.  The cheapest I've ever found BLSL chicken is on a mark down at Walmart for 1.38/lb.  That's a pretty good price and when I find it that low I stock up.  Otherwise, the absolute cheapest way to get BLSL chicken breast is to wait for split breasts to go on sale for .99/lb. (I price matched mine at Walmart.)  It requires a little more work from you, but in the end you'll have meat for at least 3 different kinds of meals.  It really is worth it.  So, watch your sale papers and when you find it for .99/lb, stock up.  Not just with what you'll need for that week, but if you have the freezer space stock up on what you think your family will eat over the next 4-6 weeks.  That's usually about the length of the sales cycles and you'll have plenty on hand until the next time it goes on sale again.