Thursday, December 31, 2009

2009

is nearing an end. Not only is the year ending, but it is the ending of a decade.

There have been great losses...there have been great joys.

A quote I read once at We Are That Family sums it up for me.....

I believe God orders our steps. The baby ones that move us small paces and the giant leaps that take our breath away.

Here we go...............

Monday, December 28, 2009

Do You Ever Box God In?

I know I do..and I don't know why.

Right now we have in our lives something that could change the course of our lives at least for awhile. It is medical. Today a test was being performed on my husband and I knew he was nervous, not necessarily because of the results but because of the pain.

With the kids out of school right now and the appt. being first thing in the morning, we opted to have his mom take him - he couldn't go alone. Throughout the night I would wake up worried about him, hating that he was nervous. So I prayed. I prayed that the Lord would not let it hurt too bad. I prayed that several times, until I asked myself why am I not praying that it wouldn't hurt at all. I mean the dr. did say there would be pain, so there has to be some pain. There I went.. putting God in a box. I knew He could make it not hurt too bad, but for some reason I apparently didn't believe that He could / would make it not hurt at all, so I didn't even ask.

Have I lost you yet?

When Jesus prayed in the garden, He didn't ask that the pain on the cross wouldn't be too bad, He prayed that He wouldn't even have to bear the cross AND He even knew before hand how that prayer would be answered, but He still prayed that prayer.

So laying in bed last night, I began praying that it wouldn't be painful for him. and you know what...He answered my prayers. My husband called me on his way home and told me he couldn't believe it - he had been nervous for nothing. The procedure went fine. He even gave his dr. grief about telling him it would be painful.

Thank you Jesus!!

So I don't wanna box you in
You've been doing big things since the world began
Sometimes I just don't understand
That you're big enough - but you're big enough Jesus!


Lyrics to Big Enough by Ayiesha Woods... great song!


Wednesday, December 23, 2009

Planning...

for next year already!! Yup - I sure am!!

So I have been reading a series by Kaley over at Cha Ching on a Shoestring how through careful planning she and her husband will be spending less than $50 out of pocket for Christmas... and no, she wasn't a grinch!! In fact she said because of her planning, they has been able to be more generous this year than in years past.


One of her biggest "free money makers" is creating an account with SwagBucks. Swagbucks is an online search engine that rewards you for searching online. It doesn't take but a minute to sign up and you will immediately earn $3 Swagbucks. Download the SwagBucks tool bar and let your searching begin! Unlike alot of online reward programs it doesn't take long to have "earned" enough to redeem for prizes or giftcards.

I am going to give it a whirl for next year....wanna join me? Just click on the banner below to sign up and like every reward program I will get a bonus for you joining!!


Search & Win










Monday, December 21, 2009

Clue Secrets and Spies...


As usual, Amazon is throwing out some ridiculously low prices.. I wanted to post this particular game. I had wanted to get this game earlier in the shopping season, but it was running at least $25 at most places..Amazon at the moment (who knows for how long) has it down to $3.99!!! Check it out here.
Believe it or not you can still get it in time for Christmas with their two day shipping option.


Sunday, December 20, 2009

I Just Have to Share...

what a wonderful weekend we are having!!

We took the kids to Our Lady of the Snows shrine Friday night. My oldest rode a camel, while my son rode a donkey. The other two enjoyed watching them ride, but were a little unsure that they need any other transportation other than their own to feet or mom & dad's van.

We drove through the Way of Lights and tested each other's knowledge on the true meaning of Christmas. I am proud to say we passed!!






Yesterday I was able to get up early, sneak out of the house and go Christmas shopping with my mom. We had a great time.

Then last night Brian and I decided to make a cake using fondant for a family Christmas get together that we are going to today. We enlisted the kids for help, ok actually they volunteered.. Ace of Cakes and Cake Boss is a family fave in our house. While we won't be having our own show anytime soon, I think our collective effort made for a pretty cute cake and certainly made for some great family fun!! Take a look...






As if our weekend was not filling enough, after church we will be heading to a get together with Brian's family for some food and games!!

I hope you had a wonderful weekend too!! Enjoy!





Thursday, December 17, 2009

Need A Little Santa??


If your children need a little reminder from Santa to be good or if you have kids who still believe and want to make their day, then check out PNP. What does PNP stand for you ask... why, Portable North Pole, of course.

For absolutely FREE, you can have Santa personalize a video for your child/children, with a gentle reminder that they still have to be good!!

Check it out - it is really cute! Ok, maybe not for your 2 year old, she was a bit freaked that this jolly ole man knew her name!! LOL

Monday, December 14, 2009

What Do You Do....



when your plans for the weekend are shot?

You make buckeye candies, of course.

My littlest one has a nasty cold. She has had a runny nose for a couple of weeks now, but no fever, no cough, just a faucet for a nose. This weekend she decided to make it a full fledge nasty cold.

Since staying indoors was a must, I decided to make some buckeye candy..a favorite in our house.

FYI the pic above is a google image, mine never turn out so perfectly formed.

Here is the recipe I used to make these....

Buckeyes...

1/2 stick of butter (4tbsp)
2.5 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. smooth peanut butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup melted chocolate chips


Combine softened butter, peanut butter, powdered sugar, vanilla & salt.

Mix 1-2 min. on med. speed

Using tsp. form into balls

Chill for about 30 min.

While those are chilling melt your chocolate.

Once balls are firm, they can be dipped. Using a toothpick, skewer a ball and dip it halfway into the melted chocolate. You want to leave at least a dime-sized circle of undipped candy on top of the ball.

Drag it along the lip of the bowl to remove excess chocolate, and place it back on the cookie sheet. Repeat with remaining peanut butter balls.

Return balls to fridge to set the chocolate. Serve once candies are firm


Enjoy!!!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

Mall Shopping...


is not for someone who could possibly be ADD. So many stores, so many people, so many kiosks, I mean the distractions are just endless.

I had the privilege of going to the mall alone.. that is right, no kids, no husband, just ME!! The older kids were at school and Brian graciously stayed home with the baby (ok, so she's two, but she will forever be the baby!)

I made my list and checked it twice. With my coupons in hand, I was on a mission.

First things first.. where to park. Really that is a big decision, at least for me. I have to park somewhere that will be easy for me to remember where I parked - goes back to the undiagnosed ADD.

Check.. parked at a Macy's entrance. I parked there because when the store was still a Famous Barr and I would go to the mall with my mom, that is where we parked.

Easy enough.. now off to shop. I did well, let me give you a run down on how I did..


Using a Yankee Candle coupon that you can find here I headed to the Yankee Candle store in search of teacher gifts. I needed three, I want them to be nice, we really like our teachers!! So I found some really nice Christmasy candleholders (go figure, candle holders at a Yankee store)

First purchase of the day....

3 Christmas candle holders
2 candles (the third requires a tealight. I already have one at home, in case you were wondering)

Total before coupon...$26.XX
Total after coupon....$16.XX

Three presents bought..I will pair these candleholders up with a previous great deal I got at Bath and Body Works.

I was pleased...

Next stop.. Hot Topic

I can't say that I am a big fan of Hot Topic, but my daughter is and I am a big fan of her. So I popped in there to see what they had. And just in case she would happen to decide to see what mom has posted recently, I am not posting my purchases. I will tell you what I saved...

Total before discounts (no coupon, just good sales)..$40.xx
Total after discounts...$22.XX

Not too shabby...2 presents and 4 stocking stuffers!

Now I am looking for Bath and Body Works. I printed off a coupon that I found here. This coupon is for a free item of your choice, up to a $13 value, when you spend $10 or more. There are a couple of exclusions listed, such as the free item cannot be a gift set. Your $10 purchase can be a gift set though.

So total before coupon $23.XX
Total after coupon - $10.XX (Yup, I spent $10 and my free item was $13..love how that works)

My last and final stop.. the Hallmark Store. I brought with me a coupon that I found here. This coupon is good for $5 off your purchase of $5 or more.
I found there a really pretty bracelet - haven't decided for sure who will be the lucky recipient of it.. I have a couple of people in mind.

Total before coupon... $10.XX
Total after coupon....$5.XX

So in case you haven't been adding in your head as you went...

Trip to mall total before coupons and discounts....$99.XX
Trip to mall after coupons and discounts....$$53.XX

Total Savings...$46.XX (I did not include tax in any of the amounts)

I am happy!!

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

Missing In Action...

That would describe me lately...

Since Thanksgiving, our family has endured some worries I suppose, for lack of better words. The things that have presented themselves as worries are still among us for now, but we are putting aside the worry....God is in control and the Great Physician. Enough said.

I hope everyone is well and on their way to having a Merry Christmas! It is just around the corner!


If you are looking for ways to have a beautiful Christmas on a budget, I encourage you to take a look at Cha Ching On A Shoestring on how to do just that. Kaley has teamed up with a couple of other bloggers to show us how to have beautiful Christmas without breaking our budget!!


Merry Christmas All!!





(Pretty cool, huh?- I can sign my name!)

Monday, November 30, 2009

Well....Did you go???????

Did you go shopping on Black Friday?

I did... we did...


Brian and I were able to go.

Alone.

OK, so there were a million other shoppers, however, we did not have any little ones, saying "Mom, can I get this?" or "Dad, I need that". So for us, we were alone.

We did good. I think we are just about done with shopping. Wrapping will be the next "big" thing to do.

So how are you coming along with your Christmas preparations?

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

HAPPY THANKSGIVING...



Thanksgiving is here this year at our house. I am so excited to have both my husband & my families here this year. We are truly blessed to have them in our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving to all... so many reasons to be thankful!


Count your blessings, name them one by one.
Count your many blessings and it will surprise you what the Lord has done...

Thursday, November 19, 2009

CHECK IT OUT.....

Mommy Optimistic is an exciting, upbeat and positive website for us mommies. From book reviews to recipes to chit chat about our families, this site has much to offer!

As if all of the above were not reason enough to check it out, I will give you one more...


I wrote an article for them...

I revamped my previous post about giving.

If you get a minute check it out and browse the rest of the site!

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Giving On A Budget....



This holiday season we are on a budget that is tighter than it has been previous years. I don't want any giving that we would typically do to suffer because of this.

So the Hasbro game deal really was a blessing, not only was I able to pick up games for our family, but I was also able to pick up some for Toys for Tots! That good of a deal can be few and far between though.

Today as I was waiting for the kids at school, I picked up to read my All You magazine. There was an article about giving without spending any money.
Below are a few of the ideas that you can do this holiday season to help others out even if you yourself are short on cash.

Free Rice - At this website you will answer a series of vocabulary questions, for each correct answer, 10 grains of rice are donated. To date 71,067,033,230 grains of rice have been donated to help feed the hungry.

Good Search This is a search engine that donates to a cause of your choice with every search you do... yes, it is that easy!

Care2 This is a click to donate website. Simply go to the website, find a cause you want to donate to and click. You can click once per day per cause.

Of course, if you happen to have a little extra money this holiday season there are certainly some great places that could use some extra help this year.

I **heard** that Toys for Tots have already received double their applications so far this year. This is a reputable organization that has been around for many years.

Another great organization is Compassion. It is a Christian organization that helps children internationally in poverty stricken countries, not only supplying their physical needs, but meeting their spiritual needs as well. As a family last Christmas we decided to support a child in Nicaragua...it has truly been a blessing for our family in so many ways. I know it would be a blessing to your family too.

Sunday, November 15, 2009

**FREE PHOTO ORNAMENT + FREE SHIPPING**

At SeeHere you can receive a free red or white bulb photo ornament, you do not even have to pay shipping.

Once you are at the website, click on photo gifts, scroll down till you see the round white ornament or the red round ornament. The cost will say $12.99. Click on either of these, upload your picture and proceed to check out. Use code mallornament to receive it for free.

**You will need to create and account in order to use any promo code, but that just simply requires you making up a username & password. You do not have to enter any credit/debit card info at all.


I love free!!!

Thursday, November 12, 2009





I am so excited! Little House on the Prairie is coming to the Fox... I MUST score tickets or if I have to I will buy them, someway, somehow. I LOVE this series so much! Melissa Gilbert is actually going to be in it too, she will play Ma Ingalls.

I am hoping that if we are able to go that it turns out much better than our trip to the Fox Theater to see Mary Poppins!

While cleaning, decluttering, I came across our Little House on the Prairie book set. I am feeling the need to read them all again - this time with the kiddos! I think my son would have loved to live in that era..farms, horses, outdoors, gardens,etc - everything he loves!

What are your favorite books to read over and over again?

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

The Couch...


So last week in one of my few posts I told you about the couch that I was so excited to be buying...

Well, after my post about contentment, after our Sunday School lesson on priorities, after the sell of our fridge in a way fell through (the sale of the fridge was going to be money towards our new couch). We posted it for sale on Craigslist and wouldn't you know the first serious inquiry was from the Army Reserve Unit in St. Louis. Their refrigerator went out and were looking for a new one. They had asked if we would take less because the money comes out of the family support fund... really?? How are we supposed to sell it to them. We were not supposed to - we told them they could have and thanked them for their service to our country.

We decided on no new couch.

See the couch that we have now is comfortable. The couch we have now is in good condition. The only issue with the couch we have is with me. I **think** the furniture is dated. Maybe it is or maybe it isn't, the point is we did not NEED a new couch. I could not justify shelling out a few hundred dollars on something that was not a necessity - I say "I" because Brian was content with what we had and had told me that it was my decision if we bought a new one or not. We are still new at living life as a one income household, so I think that our money is better saved for now.

However, I still couldn't get past that they are somewhat dated. So much to my happiness, Target had a sale on slipcovers. I really wasn't sure that was a look I wanted to go for, but I figured I would give it a try. I did and I love it!!! Now I just need to buy me some throw pillows and we will have a "new" couch!

One day we will buy a new couch, when we really need it, until then I will continue using what we have and be content & thankful.

Monday, November 9, 2009

***HOT*** TOYS R US HASBRO GAME DEAL...


I went to Toys R Us after reading a post from Kaley over at Cha-Ching on a Shoestring about how I can buy seven Hasbro games for .56 each!!

Here is the deal I did...

For $3.99 each, I bought

Chutes and Ladders
Candy Land
Don't Spill the Beans
Memory
Ants in the Pants
Cooties
Hi-Ho Cherry-O

I received a $10 gift card for spending $25 or more on Hasbro games, will send in for a $2 rebate on each of the above listed games to Hasbro ( the rebate form can be found online here or you can find them at Toys R Us in the board game section.)

So my final total..

$27.93
-10.00 gift card
-14.00 rebate money

TOTAL $3.93...divide that by the seven games and you get .56 each (this does not include tax)

Bring on the family game nights....after Christmas of course!!

If you already have some or most of these games or maybe you don't have any young children, this is perfect for Toys for Tots too!!!

Friday, November 6, 2009

It is Finer Things Friday...

A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones. Proverbs 14:30

Wow... what a stick it to you verse!!! I honestly had not heard this verse before or if I read it, heard it.. I did not heed it.

Contentment is something that I struggle with at times. It is far too easy to look around and take notice of where everyone else is at in their life's journey, compare it to where you are and fill your heart with discontent. My struggle isn't always with material things, it is with spiritual things, it is with emotional things. Regardless of where the discontent lies, it can easily harden your heart.

I have two things that if I allow myself to ponder on, I can easily fall into a state of dissatisfaction.

The first thing is our house.. bottom line *I* think it is too small. We are a family of six in a three bedroom home that is around 1500 square feet, are you feeling my clausterphobia yet? When I drive around and look at larger homes, go to family or friends whose homes are larger, I could easily fill up with envy IF I allowed it.

The second thing, is not a thing at all and is something that is much harder. It is a person, it is my dad. My dad passed away almost ten years ago. I miss him so much. I have to be careful though, sometimes while thinking about him, I start thinking about how my kids will never know him, at least here on earth. I know that he would have adored them and they him. I think about my mom not getting to grow old with him, that makes me sad for her.. it makes me envy those whose father is still living. It is hard. Our family has been through alot since he has been gone, some great times.. weddings, births, etc. Some sad times.. loss of loved ones, miscarriages. He would have been our family support during the sad times and would have been the one leading us in a prayer of thanksgiving for the happy ones.

I have come to a place of contentment though for both issues..


So our house is small, but it is ours (ok technically it is Wells Fargo). It is a roof over our heads, but most of all it is a safe haven for our family and we call it home. Many families live in much larger houses than ours and still cannot call it a home.


Yes, my dad is not with us. Yes, I totally hate that my kids do not have their grandfather here. But I know that this separation is only temporary. I know that one day we will be reunited and my children will meet their grandpa face to face and will live side by side with him for eternity. I am so thankful for the legacy he left our family. I would never trade his death for more time if it meant that he was any other kind of father than what he was.


Contentment is a choice and as if wanting to keep my bones in tact weren't enough, I choose to be content because anything less robs you of true joy and a place of peace.


Contentment is a finer thing in life!

Check out some more finer things at Amy's Finer Things Friday.

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Shame On Me...

I have neglected my blog this week! It has been quite the week so far, alot accomplished.

Monday I worked around the house, nothing exciting for sure.

Tuesday, I spent the day working an odd job to earn some cash. We are buying a new couch and I am bound and determine not a penny of it will come out of our general fund or savings fund, it will be all from things sold, odd jobs worked, etc. We should have it by the weekend, which is perfect since the one I want is at Weekends Only. Tuesday evening was my son's awards ceremony for flag football. It was so neat! The guest speaker was the mascot for the Kansas City Chiefs. He is an amazing speaker with a great testimony!

Moving on to Wednesday, I accomplished much in the way of cooking. I went to the grocery store and sadly went over my budget, but am hoping to make that up by saving in next weeks budgeted amount. Anyway, I brought home all my meat (I still stuck to my less than $2lb rule) cooked it all up, divided it, put the appropriate seasoning in it and froze it. So my dinners for the next week or so will be very easy!!

Today I am getting our family room ready for its new tenant - the couch! I am so excited. I am going to try to do a little makeover in there, I love rearranging rooms, problem is I am so decorating challenged.


Have a great day everyone!!

Oh and one more thing, could you all say a prayer that we will find our memory card for our camera... I am so bummed. Fortunately, Brian has made it a habit that as soon as we get back from somewhere that we took pictures, he immediately saves them on the computer. So even if we don't find it, no pics are lost. I just don't want to buy a new memory card!!! Thanks!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Calling All Steven Curtis Chapman Fans...

Tonight at 9:00 CST Steven will be hosting a live webcast on Facebook to talk about his upcoming album called Beauty Will Rise. This will be his first album release since his daughter Maria passed away. Emotional I am sure. He and his wife have always been an inspiration. Even if you are not an official Facebooker, you can still watch and participate in tonights webcast with Steven Curtis Chapman.


Have a great day everybody!!!

Friday, October 30, 2009

God Is Good

Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?

Matthew 6:26



Whew what a week.... I say with a sigh of relief
Whew what a week!! I say in a praise to the Lord.

We had our first crisis, if you will, since I have been home. This is only my second week home. We were having plumbing problems, now typically Brian is my Mr. Fix It guy, buuuuuut (no pun intended - ok I had to say that!) plumbing is not his thing. I mean he can plunge and even snake, but when you have stuff coming up your bathtub when you do laundry. no not his thing. He did have a pretty good idea of what it was, tree roots. We had this problem a couple of years ago and it ran us about $200-$250 to take care of it. Ugh... not yet, I didn't want to have to use any of our emergency money yet.. I have only been home two weeks!
So we call the same people as before, they send someone out and within thirty minutes he is done. Not the good done, the done where he comes and tells us, he has hit a brick wall, doesn't think it is tree roots, possible pipe collapse, etc.
He goes on to tell us that they will need to send someone out with a camera ($$), that we are possibly looking at needing to dig up our front yard and have pipes replaced (even more $$)... at this point I am thinking..hmmmm wonder if I can get my old job back..
I cannot even imagine how much it would be to get a back hoe or whatever it is they use to dig up your yard, I am just positive it would cost A WHOLE LOT OF MONEY!
Don't worry, since he couldn't fix anything he didn't make us pay the full $194, he only made us pay $124 for the half hour he worked.

Note to self...become a plumber.

He leaves and Brian and I start talking.. Brian didn't have a good feeling about this guy from the beginning, felt like he gave up too soon, didn't seem to put any effort in fixing the problem. So we decided to yellow page it and find us a new plumber on a wing and a prayer..more prayer than anything.
We pick one, no answer, left message.
Call plumber #2, he answers and Brian relays what is going on.
He proceeds to tell us that he often goes behind above plumber to fix what they couldn't or didn't. Given what Brian had told him, he too felt that it was tree roots. We decide to go with him. Within fifteen minutes he was here and within another fifteen minutes he fixed our problem for only $85. No colapsed pipes either!!!!
All good news...except we were a little upset that we paid the previous plumber for nothing. All we could do was cancel the appt. for the camera and let them know that we were disappointed in the service. Brian calls, lets them know what is going on and without even asking, they tell us they are refunding our money!!!! Yeah!!!
So what we originally thought would cost us min. $200-$250 ended up only costing us $85.

God is soooo good!!!

As if that wasn't enough for one week, Ashlyn's glasses broke, she has to have them of course. I took them in to Clarkson EyeCare where we had purchased them. I waited for them to tell me how long it would take for them to be fixed and how much it would cost, praying that it would only be a fraction of the cost of new frames.
Well.... they had an extra frame in stock exactly like the ones she had so they fixed them right then and there and the charge...NO CHARGE!!!!

Say it with me... GOD IS GOOD


Cost to fix daughter's broken glasses: $0
Having tree roots removed from your pipes: $85
Having a Heavenly Father who is always taking care of you: PRICELESS
A Finer Thing!

Visit Amy's Finer Things for more finer things!!






Thursday, October 29, 2009

***HOT KODAK GALLERY DEAL***

To celebrate the new Kodak Gallery, Kodak is giving away one million free gifts in the form of $15 gift codes to be used on their website. There are many things to be had for $15 or less at Kodak's online store, you will just have to pay shipping. With Christmas coming up this promotion is perfect timing!!! They are giving the codes away in three phases, I missed the first one and today starts the second. Be sure to check it out here and get your code!

Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Lasagna Gardening...

If you are like me, you love fresh fruits and vegetables, would love to grow your own, but somehow the spring comes and goes and you are still buying your fruits and vegetables from the grocery store or the local farmers market.
Before I go on, I do need to give props to my husband and my "future farmer" son, every year they plant something, sometimes it grows, sometimes not, but they sure give it a shot.

Anyway, again, since I am no longer working, we really need to cut corners where we can and well, cutting out fruits and vegetables is just not an option. So we have been thinking that a serious garden next year will be a must.
Since a green thumb I do not have, I have been doing research on what exactly it takes to have a decent crop.... good soil, seeds needing to be planted a certain depth, needing plenty of water, yet not too much. You know the basics that I probably learned in my 3rd grade science class, a mere 26 years ago, but have long forgotten. Upon my research, I stumbled upon several articles about having a lasagna garden, a no tilling, no digging way of growing your garden. Did you get that? The hardest physical part of a garden is eliminated using this method AND it is a very green way of growing your garden.

In a nutshell lasagna gardening involves layering compost, such as leaves, grass, twigs and some food scraps in such a way that when it comes time to plant your garden in the spring you will have nice soft, very fertilized soil to plant your garden, making digging and tilling non-essential. By doing this now, it will have several months to "cook down" and create perfect soil for gardening.

If interested in this method of gardening check it out here for a much more detailed instructions.

Here are some pics of my "gonna be a farmer when I grow up" son helping me getting the lasagna garden going....




The first layer believe it or not is newspaper... told you it was a green garden




The next layer is leaves, twigs and all that good stuff you can find outside...



More leaves and stuff...



After this picture we put down a bunch of table scraps we have been composting and mixed it real good. Everyday we will add more to it, including shredded newspaper, until it is about two feet tall or so....

Monday, October 26, 2009

Operation Organization Resumes....

This week it is the bedrooms. I am starting with our bedroom... should be interesting - I am on a mission to minimize what we have, so our bedroom will be a challenge. I have a tendacy to store things in there when I am not sure where I should put them..... not a good idea.

Limiting myself on computer time today, my bedroom alone will take a while and plus we are going to finish getting our lasagna garden ready... no, we are not growing lasagna LOL!! Once finished I will post about what exactly this is and why we are doing it now in the middle of fall.



Happy Monday!


Quote of the day: Being kind is more important than being right. Unknown

Friday, October 23, 2009

The Mini Eclairs.....


In our other life, the one with two incomes, we treated ourselves to dinner out every Friday evening. It ranged as to where we would go, but even at the cheapest fast food places such as McDonalds or Taco Bell our total would be close to $25. Multiply that by 4 and we have spent $100 in a month on eating out one day a week, add more for those weeks when we went someplace nicer. $100 is almost two weeks of my new grocery budget - yikes!!!

Today as I was waiting to pick up the kids I had pretty much talked myself into letting this tradition continue until I reminded myself that if we are going to make it on one income then some things have to change and this was going to have to be one of those things. We can make the same memories at home eating store bought or homemade food just as well as sitting at a restaurant, actually better, because there will be no memeories of being glared at because your 2 year old is having a hard time sitting still or feeling guilty because as you are leaving you glance down at the floor under where your kids were sitting only to see that all the food that fell to the floor is equivalent to an entree at least... which means that hardly any food made it to the mouth and as soon as we walk in the door there will be cries of hunger. I digress..... I do that alot, don't I?

Kids picked up and off to Aldis we go. I decided this week I was going to do our grocery shopping there since we didn't need a whole lot, mainly fresh fruits and veggies. Wanting to find something easy for us to eat tonight was on the agenda too, since up until then I had thought we would be going out. Kirkwood southern style chicken, fries, mac & cheese and applesauce. Settled - that is what we would have....

Then we passed them, the mini eclairs..

The BEST mini eclairs...

I tried to resist, I promise I did, but something stronger than me made me pick them up...

Then a little voice in my head told me it was alright, no guilt needed. I traded in a $25 meal out for a $5 box of mini eclairs.

Dining out with family.......$25 or more

Southern style chicken, fries, mac & cheese & applesauce.... $7.62 (see, you can eat just as unhealthy at home and for a lot cheaper!!!)

Mini Eclairs with no guilt attached......PRICELESS





That my friend is a finer thing in life!



Visit Amy here for Finer Things Friday!


Happy Friday all!!!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

We are THAT Family....

I have been following Kristen's blog over at We Are THAT Family for awhile now. I love the way she shares her family's experiences that leaves you thinking.."Whew, I am glad it is not just our family that experiences more than their fair share of THAT family moments!!!" You know those moments...

** when you call the dr. on the weekend because you think your 7 month old has thrush when really it is just crackers stuck to the roof of her mouth (in my defense I didn't know someone had given her crackers in the nursery at church)

** or when you have to pay out of pocket $60 dr. fee to have a piece of styrofoam removed from your son's ear,

**or you come home from work to see your preschool daughter in the cheerleading sleeveless outfit, complete with cable tights and sandals that daddy let her go to school in,

You get the picture, right?

A Christian mom, Kristen always puts a positive spin on things and keeps it all in perspective. Today is her 2nd anniversary in blogging and to celebrate she has asked other bloggers to share their "THAT" family moments. I submitted our most recent, which surprisingly has been a couple months ago.. yikes, I am nervous now!! Check out my family's most recent "THAT" family moment and be sure to visit Kristen's blog at We Are THAT Family today and read other bloggers "THAT" family moments... trust me it will make you feel good about your own!!!

Enjoy reading!

Check List

Living room cleaned and decluttered.... check

Coat closet organized and decluttered..... check

Hallway corner shelving decluttered and windexed.....check

Hallway closet organized....check

Bathroom cabinet cleaned, decluttered and organized..... check

ahhhhhhhhhhh that feels good

The past two days in between doing the above, I have also been doing my endless mount of laundry. Let me tell you, a family of 6 sure can accumulate the laundry. So in my effort to decrease my laundry loads and to declutter our closets, I am going through everyone's clothes and eliminating those clothes that we do not want... (we meaning me... sorry, family, I do the laundry, I get to choose, right?!) Anyway, Goodwill will be getting quite the donation from us by the time I am done. Another win win!!!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Operation Organization 10/21/09

The battle of the living room rages on, although it appears I am ahead. Honestly, I could have won the battle yesterday, but I had this 2 year old little girl, who came up to me and in the sweetest tone ever said "mommy, wanna mmball wif me" that translates, to "mommy, wanna play ball with me" which means she wanted to toss the ball to each other for a

very.

long.

time.


I couldn't resist, I just couldn't. She has spent 5 out of 7 days a week with someone other than me while I was at work for the past two years, right now I cannot get enough of her!!! I digress...
Anyway, once I finish up the living room, my army of two, literally my two arms and I will move to the hallway.. don't laugh, seriously the hallway. I have a corner shelving that has managed to capture many things a hostage, I will free them today.
I also have a hall closet that is in dire need of my attention, it is currently holding my stockpile of hygiene products, towels, toilet paper, anything that would typically be used in the bathroom. Oh the organization that awaits!
And being the ever optimist, the battle of the bathroom will result in a victory today as well. We have ONE very small bathroom, while it itself is clean, what is under the bathroom sink I cannot attest to..bad, so bad.


Since the living room and hallway come together, I will post pics once they are both done.

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Operation Organization 10/20/09

The living room will be my first battle in this war against clutter...

In reality it shouldn't take me long, the only real major thing that needs to be decluttered is our coat closet, aka, Brian's closet - closet space in this house is very minimal. However, I tend to sidetracked very easily.. hence I am posting right now... Anyway, once it is done and I have it decorated the way I want it I will post pics.

Off to battle......


Have a great day everybody!

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Do you shop online?

If the answer is yes, then before you ever hit the "proceed to checkout" button, you must visit Coupon Chief. It is an online shopping community that has coupon codes to more than 8000 online stores. The coupon codes range from $ amounts off, % off to discounted shipping. Most seem to have more than one online code and I have noticed over the past few years of online shopping that alot of online retailers will allow you to stack coupones...Ladies, Victorias Secret being one.
Before using the coupon you can read if others have used the code, if there were any problems with it, etc. Once you use the coupon code I would encourage you to go back and leave a review.

Have an online coupon to share? Well at Coupon Chief once you sign up as a member you can participate in their pay to share program. Pay to share allows you to earn money each time someone uses a coupon that you have submitted. It is a win win situation!


With Christmas just around the corner, Coupon Chief is a must add to your favorites. Brian and I have done a lot of our Christmas shopping on line in the past years and will do this year as well. I have already checked out our most frequented online retail stores and was pleased to find them all participants on Coupon Chief's website.

If you are still unsure of just exactly what Coupon Chief is and how it works, they have a great video tutorial that you can find here.

Happy shopping everyone!

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Do I Get an "A" for effort?

Well, for starters let me do a little happy dance.... yesterday was my last day working outside the home!!!

Ok - so back to what I wanted to post about. I have been mulling over what we should budget weekly for our groceries... the same number pops in my head... $60/week for our family of 6. Soooo, I figured this week I would give that amount a whirl.


The results?


$62.65... not too bad, but still over. In my defense and to my utter shame, that was without coupons......gasp.... This past week was crazy being my last week and Brian's long week, so I didn't get the time or make the time to look over sale ads and match with the coupons.

At any rate though, I did stick to my new rule and that is any meat I purchase must be less than $2/lb. I did fairly well there getting a whole turkey breast for $1.19/lb, porksteaks for $1.69 a pound, pork roast for $1.99/lb and chicken breasts for $1.96/lb. So pork and poultry it is this week!! Maybe not, I do have some beef that I purchased on a previous shopping trip in the freezer, so we will be able to mix it up a bit!

I will update next week with my $60 or less grocery shopping challenge for myself!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Cancer.. Death...

I am not sure what is compelling me to write on this topic, maybe it is because tonight as Ashlyn was asking about an afgan that my grandma had crocheted, it got the emotions stirring. Ashlyn wanted to know about her, which prompted questions from my other children as well. I love talking about my grandma, I love talking about my dad, it is just that when it is my children asking about either of them, I get emotional. I don't want to tell stories to them, I want them to meet them, to know them personally, to see first hand the selfless life that they each lived, but alas they won't and my memories will have to do.

Both my dad and my grandma succombed to cancer, such an ugly disease. The physical process of dieing is hard to watch especially in the case of cancer, it wreaks such havoc on a persons body, bringing victims to the brinks of death just in hope of killing these abnormal cells that have taken over their bodies all with just a slim chance of remission or survival... it is disheartening. However, witnessing a person who has given themselves to the Lord depart from this world, brings about peace, brings about hope.

Seemingly a paradox, I was blessed to have been right by their sides when they moved on from this world to the next. Minutes, even hours before each passed it was obvious to those around that they were teetering between this world and the next, it was obvious that the Lord had opened the gates of Heaven for them to catch a glimpse of what was to come, that He was waiting for them to come home. Not one single time did I witness fear fom either of them, I truly believe they had accepted and were at peace with what was to be, long before any of their loved ones were. During my dad's battle with cancer,he had said that he was in a win-win situation, meaning if the Lord would bring him to the state of remission or better yet cured him, then he won, that was extra time on this earth that he would get to spend with us, however, if he that was not the case and he passed away, he won because he would finally meet face to face his Saviour. He did win, but it was our loss. He and my grandma are whole now, they are complete. Our loss is truly heavens gain.

So for now I will share the memories of these two, as well as of my grandpa, he died alone, maybe of a broken heart, shortly after my grandma passed. I will share with my children as vividly as I can my memories so that maybe in the end it will feel as if they did know them personally. Most of all, I will do my best to live out their legacy, the legacy of love, of selflessness and I can only pray that when it is my time that I too can bring about peace and hope in death just as my dad and grandma did for me. I know that I will see them again one day, that knowledge brings peace, that knowledge brings hope.

Friday, October 9, 2009

Inspiring...Motivating....Appetizing....

Apparently this week was baking week in the blogasphere, most of the blogs that I read daily had some sort of baking going on.... Crystal made muffins, waffles, lasanga and a whole lot more on her baking day. She included recipes too... yummy! Amy made some ever so tempting to the tummy cinnamon rolls, that she has promised to post the recipe for soon - I can't wait,although, I am pretty sure that I gained weight just looking at the pics of them! And Jen made some scrumptious looking banana pancakes and muffins.

Even though I didn't get to partake in baking during the week, I am thinking that tomorrow will be a great day to do a little baking...maybe some of those banana pancakes, something with apples... I was able to buy a good deal of apples that were on sale this week at Dierbergs. Hmmmmm... I will see what else I have the ingredients handy for and report back!

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

On My Way Home...





Wow - I really couldn't have come across Amy's @ Finer Things Mommy Come Home series at a more appropriate time. Several months ago my husband and I decided that it was time for me to "come home". We went back and forth as to when that time would/should/could come, finally making a decision. I am officially coming home October 16th, that is my last day at my current place of employment.

The decision for me to stay home really wasn't hard for my husband, he has been wanting me to quit for awhile, however, I do the bills and budget, so at first I was plain ole scared to not have my income... me of so little faith.

Then my next hurdle was just getting over guilt... the guilt of not being wonder woman. I mean, I couldn't figure out why I couldn't get it all done, keep it all together, be suzy homemaker in the evenings and weekends plus hold my 40 hour a week job too!!! Other woman do and do it well, at least that is how it appears. Honestly, I even went to the dr. thinking that maybe I was ADD - I mean there has to be a reason why I couldn't do it all, right? Guess what, I am not ADD. His diagnosis? I have IthinkIcandoitallwonderwoman"itis".
In laymans terms.. I have too much on my plate, working full time, trying maintain an orderly household, while raising four young children, on top of the fact that my husband and I work opposite shifts, (some days we only communicate over the phone - not good for a marriage). He actually suggested that I find a way to cut down on my time away from home. Him telling me that, really helped me get over the guilt of not being able to do it all - I mean afterall, he did go to school for at least eight years, he has to know what he is talking about....right?

So here it is, I have my husband's support ( I am so thankful for that), I have been able to work through the guilt and the discovery with acceptance that I really am only human. So then I prayed and prayed - however, I do recommend that everyone else do this first, I so could have easily skipped all of the above had I done this first. I know that for us to survive on just one income, we will need the Lord's blessing on every.single.penny. that comes into our hands. I am thankful to say that even though next month we will see for the first time a huge cut in the income that will be coming in, I have such peace. I know that we will be alright. I am learning the ropes of cutting expenses, I already love to coupon and am getting really good about deal finding. But you know what the coolest thing is? I am discovering that we are not alone, I have found so many other families / moms, who have chosen the same path that we/I have because that is what is best for our families, for our marriages, for our children, for us. I am so thankful for this blogging community, I have learned so much from reading those who are already home, their tips, advice, etc. As I learn, I will share too.

Whenever I feel any doubt or worry come over me, I am reminded of Matt. 6:26
"Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than them?

And finally, the best confirmation one could ever ask for came the day we decided to tell our children our plan... the look and excitment that came over them was like we had just told them it was Christmas... priceless.. Mommy is coming home!

Monday, October 5, 2009

Menu Plan Monday

I have fallen off the wagon for meal planning, but I am jumping back on... here is our menu for the week. No new exciting recipes this week, those will come here within the next couple of weeks. I told Brian that we are going to have to get creative with our food to keep from having the same ole, same ole. At least once a week (not starting this week! LOL) I am going to have a new to our family recipe. I love checking out everyones meal planning menus over at Organizing Junkie







Monday - leftovers from the weekend, including homemade pizza, yum, yum!!
Tuesday - Pork chops, baked potatos, corn & salad
Wednesday - Roast w/ potatos & carrots
Thursday - grilled cheese & homemade vegetable beef soup
Friday - Probably Little Ceasers $5 pizza - Hubby's weekend off - yeah!!
Saturday - leftovers for lunch & pork steaks for dinner
Sunday - dinner at Grandma's!!!

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

A Little Glimpse

A little glimpse is what I got this week of what is to come. My seven year old daughter is sick with the flu...yuck, so I was off Monday, Tuesday and today. While it wasn't an ideal reason to be off, (who likes to see their baby sick?), it certainly was nice to be home. I was able to get a head start on some of my decluttering and my 27 fling boogies, for sure. Being home these past few days has been yet another confirmation that I belong at home with and for my family. When Ethan my five year old found out I was going to be home the next few days, his eyes lit up and he did the "yes" motion with his arm - priceless I tell you!

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Operation Organization - 09/27/09

I Corinthians 14:40 says "Let all things be done decently and in order."

That was a weekly Bible memory verse I had when I was in, I believe, the fourth grade.. and it has haunted me ever since!! Seriously, for almost all of my years of education, Bible memorization was pretty much a weekly requirement and yet this is the verse that I have hid in my heart!! LOL Maybe the truth is that this is one verse that I have not hid in my heart and that is why everytime I am looking for my keys, the kids shoes or anything else that has gone missing, I am overcome with the guilt of not living an orderly life.
I know that this is not the context in which this verse was written, but nevertheless, it is driving me to become a more organized person, one step at a time.

My first battle, if you will, in Operation Organization is to declutter.. you cannot organize clutter. So I am starting with FlyLady's 27 fling boogie everynight or at least every other night until my last day on the job. I have about three weeks left at my job, so if I follow through with this or "win" this battle, I should have a pretty good head start on decluttering, who knows maybe I will even be done so that I can immediately begin actually organizing- that would be great!!!
If you would like to find out more about what a 27 fling boogie is you can read about it here.

Have a great night.. I am going to go do a little flinging before I head off to bed!

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Autumn

is upon us! Yesterday was officially the first day of fall and because of that I thought I would share a picture of the fall wreath that I made with my sister when she was visiting over Labor Day. I made a wreath, with her guidance, while she made a fall bouquet of flowers for my father's grave. She is so talented!






Happy autumn everybody!!!

Monday, September 21, 2009

Getting Closer

We have decided for sure of a quit date for me, we have for the most part budgeted our money for the rest of the year... the kids will get Christmas!LOL and now are seeking ways to make the most of our money and to be good stewards.

Let the count down begin.....

23 days, 1 hour and 8 minutes!!

Thursday, September 17, 2009

I Think We Have ***UPDATE***

Eryn won!! She was 1 of about 10 kids ( I beleive she said) that ran for class representative.. We are so proud!! Congratulations, Eryn!


a politician in our family!! My ten year old, a fifth grader is running for Class Representative - she is so excited and I am equally excited for her.
She has told me who she is endorsed for Student Council President, coincidentally his name is Aaron, she told me that his speech "moved her". How could she not endorse him??
Anyway, she is allowing me to share with you her upcoming speech....

As you already know, I am running for Class Representative in Whiteside's student Council.
First of all, I would like to wish all of my fellow candidates good luck. I would like to represent all of you and contribute my strongest dedication. As your class representative I will voice your ideas and insights to the student council.
I believe I qualify for this responsibility for a few reasons. First, I am an extremely dedicated person, I am willing to cut out whatever time it takes to make Whiteside a better place.
Obviously, I can't promise you everything you wasnt like I wish I could. I still will do whatever it takes to get your voices heard.


and in her best Napoleon Dynamite voice she plans to end it with..
So vote for me and all your wildest dreams will come true.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

It Is Getting Close....

I can't believe it, but the time is drawing near for me to put in my notice. I am really excited. I am excited to be able to once again give myself to those that I love the most, God and my family. Far too long have I been trying to juggle everything, only to find that I keep "dropping the balls" . I really envy, or really I should say that I admire, those women that are able to do it all ( I am blessed to be surrounded by many of these amazing women).
I do know that this is the right move for our family, seeing my childrens eyes light up like it was Christmas when we told them our plans, was all the proof I needed!
I would be lying if I said that I wasn't nervous about the financial aspect of this change, but I know that God has promised to supply our needs and that brings the peace.
I have a whole lot of things on my to do list, things that have been on the back burner far too long...decluttering, organizing, deep cleaning (i.e. windows washing - yuck!)I have even thought about doing a little self cleaning on me and try to lose some of this weight, but hey we'll see..can't do it all at once, right!! LOL

Another reason to love Target...

They now price match! I "heard" that rumor but have now seen the sign first hand myself!!!

Speaking of Target I got a couple of AWESOME deals there over the weekend. First off in case you were not aware Target will allow you to use a Target coupon + a manufacturers coupon, that together is great! Anyway here are my two deals of the week...

Chef Michaels dog food (1.5) on sale for $4.29, used a Target $1 off coupon and a $3 manufacturers coupon. Final cost = .29, I did this deal 3xs.

Schick Womans Intuition Razor on sale for $8.29, used a Target $4 off coupon and a $4manufacturers coupon. Final cost = .29, I did this deal 3xs as well.

I love these free or almost free deals!!!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Coupon Heaven!!!

Five coupon inserts in today's newspaper = coupon heaven for me.....

Saturday, September 12, 2009

I am a football mom....

Well, I am a flag football mom. Ethan had his first flag football game today and while they don't officially keep score for his age division, dad did and his team won!! Go Rams!!! I have included a few pics of my lil' guy.. he is soooo cute!!!







This last pic is of both teams in a huddle with coaches and the refs. They are giving words of encouragement and praying before the game!! I love it!

Wednesday, September 9, 2009

Clutter...Clutter...

With our family the size it is, we tend to accumulate so.much.stuff. I am fearful that somewhere in our dna we may have the hint of a hoarder gene. I am so over it!! Our house is small, but would be so much more accomodating for us if we had less "stuff" and then the "stuff" we must keep would stay organized! Slowly, very slowly right now, I am working on decluttering our home. Once I resume my "stay at home" position, I will hit it full force until it is done. I made a promise to myself and to my family, that we will not live disorganized anymore!

About five or so years ago, my sister introduced me to a site called Fly Lady. If ever you need motivation to get cleaning, to declutter or to get organizing this site is for you. Here you will learn the appropriate acronym for CHAOS (can't have anyone over syndrome) and will learn what a 27 fling boogie is, it is a fun site and very motivating should you ever be lacking there. Check out Fly Lady when you get the chance!

Tuesday, September 8, 2009




Because of our busy weekend, I didn't make it to the grocery store or really give much thought to what our menu would consist of this week. I think we will just use what we already have on hand...

Monday - leftovers from our weekend.
Tuesday - grilled pork steaks, pasta salad, corn
Wednesday - Quesadillas
Thursday - Ranch Chicken..not sure about sides
Friday - Homemade Pizza
Saturday - Breakfast for Dinner, probably French Toast
I was given some Bread Co. Texas Toast that I froze, it will be perfect for this.
Sunday - My mom's house

Of course, we will have apples, we have lots of apples! I am going to try to make some apple crisp tomorrow night.

Monday, September 7, 2009

What a Weekend....

This three day weekend was so busy! Filled with fun though!
My sister and her family who live in Chicago visited this weekend and as usual we had a really great time.

We went to two parades, went to the Barnyard Olympics at Eckerts Farm and then apple picking! The best part of this fun filled weekend, other than getting to spend time with our family, is that most of it was free - we obviosly had to pay for our apples that we picked!!! I love being able to do things with the kids, but since we are really trying to watch our pennies, we really rely on community activities that are free or almost free - the bottom line is the kids are having fun, we are making memories, they don't care or even know if it is free or not.

I have included some pics of our eventful weekend






She really isn't as high maintenance as she looks!!!



My beautiful neice Amber!




Saturday, September 5, 2009

Coupons...No Coupons...

Well since this is a holiday weekend there will not be any coupons in Sundays paper. For me that is probably good - I am so behind in getting my coupons organized that I probably shouldn't be adding to the crazy pile I got going on.

I am really trying to fine tune how I organize my coupons, when they are not organized it becomes overwhelming and often then I miss out on good deals - that is where I am at now. When I am organized I keep my whole inserts in an expandable folder until I have a chance to clip them, once clipped I organize them into an index card holder that is divided into sections. This has really worked for me.

Any couponing organizing tips are sure welcome!!

Have a great weekend!

Thursday, September 3, 2009

Thankful Thursday....

I too often find myself taking for granted the things that God has blessed me with and even more too often, I think of all the things that I feel I am "missing" from my life... so today, I choose to be thankful. Be thankful with me... in this uncertain world that we live in, there is one thing we can forever be certain of and that is His faithfulness and for that I am so thankful!

It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning: Great is Thy faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:22-23.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

Funtainers.... how fun!

Lunches from home have always been well... boring.. at our house, it always is sandwich, chips, fruit and a snack. Because I tend to lack in the creativity dept. we have let the kids buy their lunches from school. That really was not a problem, our school lunch offered choices and they were healthy choices, the problem is that now with three of our four children in school, buying lunch everyday is rather expensive! There is a mommys board that I frquent and everyone kept talking about funtainers and how their child took leftover spaghetti, soup and other things that would need to be heated up to eat. Apparently, these funtainers will keep hot food hot for 5 hours and cold food cold for 7 hours! I was so excited because I could get them each one and that would help solve the lunches from home problem, especially Ethan because he does not like sandwiches at all! They are pricey... $16 each, but fortunately I found them 50% off at Target tonight in their back to school section. The kids are taking leftover spaghetti tomorrow. I am anxious for them to report back to me if their food indeed was still warm at lunch time.

Here is a pic of what one looks like...Ethan has this one, Transformers of course!


Tuesday, September 1, 2009

All You...

I cannot believe that I haven't stumbled across this website or this magazine before today, it is called All You. It has all kinds of tips on saving, couponing, organizing ( this is where I really struggle) etc. Right now you can sign up for a free trial of their magazine, if after the first two issues you don't want to continue, just write CANCEL on the bill and send it back. However, judging by the website, I can't imagine not loving the magazine. You can check it out here.

Consumer Testing

I signed up a while back to test product for McCormick Spices and Seasonings. I am so excited, I just received an e-mail asking to test a new product - I am not sure what it is yet, but they will send me the product sometime next week, I will cook with it, submit my evaluation and they will in turn compensate me!! I will post what it is, what I cook with it and if it gets a thumbs up or down as soon as I can.

Monday, August 31, 2009

Menu Plan Monday....

Yesterday the kids were kind enough to share with me what they would like to eat this week so here is what our menu for the week is looking like....

Monday - Filled jumbo pasta shells, salad, bread & grapes.
Tuesday - Tacos or taco salad
Wednesday - Either leftovers from the past couple of nights or spaghetti
Thursday - Homemade chicken strips, corn on cob, mac n cheese & salad
Friday - French bread pizza
Sat - Dinner @ mom's
Sun - Dinner @ mom's

This weekend my sister is coming in, which means the majority of the time will be spent at my moms, which is why I do not have to be concerned with cooking dinner at home Sat. or Sun.

Along with each meal, we will have either fresh fruit or veggies with ranch dressing (pretty much the only way the kiddos will eat them)

Also, I apparently will be making banana bread - this has been requested by three of my children! Fortunately, when I went to the grocery store, I came at the right time (which seems to never happen) and was able to get a huge bag of bananas for just pennies a pound because they had been marked down due to them being very ripe. I brought them home, cut them up, put the slices on a baking sheet and threw them in the freezer, once frozen I will put them in baggies. They will be nice to have when I make banana bread or muffins in the future.

As I have stated before, eating out will be a thing of the past for us soon so I am looking for new recipes, especially kid friendly recipes. If you have one please do share.. you can leave it in the comments!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Our Bathroom Floor is Done!!!

That is our old subflooring (I think that is what it is called) we **think** that may have been mold growing on it - Y.U.C.K









This is what is under the sub flooring
























New sub flooring = no mold!
















Ceramic tile laid..













Ceramic tile, laid, grouted... toilet in! Now we just have to get new baseboard in there!











A close up of the new tile!