Do You Remember Me?

Wow, it has been too long since I last blogged. I have been busy! Time is going by way too fast. My sweet little baby has turned into a terror! People say," Oh I can't believe she is walking as well as she is!" Listen, this child is running, climbing, swinging from furniture.....anything she can try, she does. She is really interested in the potty right now. In fact, after a trip to the potty with Daddy she is now trying to pee pee in her potty standing up! Oh boy! Hopefully I will do better at keeping up with this from now on. The only two readers I know I have is my mom and mil and they both I think have given up on me. Just a couple of pics and I am off to bed.

Yea Me!

It only took me about 9 months but I finally learned how to change my layout! I told you people I was computer illiterate.

Easter Egg Hunt

Saturday morning we headed to the park to have our Easter egg hunt with the kids from church. Gabby didn't know what to expect at first, but after a little help from Daddy she quickly filled her basket. I was so glad to help do it, but thankful it was over. Next year I will be more organized. It was so great getting to see all the kids having a great time. Brandi dropped Kynsleigh off and Mom, Dad, Meredith, Shana and Nanny brought Anja and Ramah. I am so glad to be part of a group of Christians that continually try to find ways for us all to fellowship with each other. Thanks for getting it started Tanya!

Leggo' My (made from scratch whole wheat) Eggo

In my quest to save money and eat healthier I decided to try money saving mom's recipe for whole wheat low fat waffles. She has some really great tips on how to make the most of your freezer. Once a month she has a day set aside to cooking and freezing. She preps a lot of her food for the month and then freezes it. One really smart idea she had was making a double batch any time she cooked a casserole. She put the extra one in the freezer for later. She was pregnant and wanted to stock up the freezer so after the baby came she wouldn't have to cook. Smart Lady! So yesterday I headed to Publix to get some whole wheat flour. I ended up spending $25 bucks on the BOGOs and other great deals but saved $35. Plus, I think I might be able to skip my grocery trip for the next two weeks! Anyway, I didn't have a waffle iron so I had to track one down. Luckily, I was able to borrow my MIL's(and when I say borrow, I mean I will probably end up keeping it! She wasn't using it!) So last night I whipped up two batches of waffles to freeze. It ended up making 2 dozen waffles. It cost approx. $1.50 to make both batches. After they cooled, I placed them flat in a freezer bag and between each layer I put a piece of wax paper so they wouldn't stick. It was so easy and we have breakfast for weeks! I will never buy Eggo's again. This morning I took out enough for Gabby's and my breakfast. Gabby loved them and they went great with the $.89 turkey sausage I picked up at Publix. Does anybody have any more easy made from scratch recipes?

What a Day!

Wheww! I am so glad today is finally over! I felt like I haven't stopped since this morning. Nick had his surgery on his shoulder today. Luckily, it was the minor one and not the major surgery like Russell had to have(Thank you LORD!) We got home about three o'clock and I was off again getting his prescriptions filled and picking up groceries while Gabby was still at Brenda's house. We finally got home around 5:30. Tanya brought supper. It was so nice not have to cook after such a long day! I was able to get our two weeks worth of groceries for $38! I told Rebekah I would send her tips on how I grocery shop for cheap but I think It would be easier just to blog on here. Rebekah, you can put it on your blog if you would like!. My biggest money saving helpers are my freezer and my menu list. The hardest part of grocery shopping for me is figuring out what to cook for supper. Awhile ago I grabbed a notebook and started writing down all the meals Nick would eat(he is so picky!) It took me a couple of weeks to get the list complete. I shop every two weeks for groceries and we usually eat out two to three times during that period. I pick twelve meals from my list and make my grocery list according to it. I have enough meals that usually we don't eat the same thing twice in one month. I also inventoried my freezer. I have a chest freezer so sometimes I completely forget what I have in there. I made a list and taped it to the top of the freezer. I mark off the item as I get it out to cook. My favorite little gadget is my Reynolds Handi-Vac. It sells for around $7 but I found a coupon for $4 off. It really works and is well worth even paying full price! Since the biggest part of my grocery budget goes to meat, I buy it on sale, seal it and freeze it. I also have an Emergency Grocery List. If I am broke and have NO COUPONS and know of nothing on sale, I resort to this list. It is $50 for a family of four. No tricky coupon stacking, just planning.Some of you have asked about it so here is my list and game plan:
Groceries:
2 whole (3lb) chickens -- 2 cans of frozen juice
1 lb hamburger meat -- 1 small bag of frozen corn
1pk of breakfast pork chops -- 1 envelope of spaghetti sauce mix
1 tub of margarine -- 1 pkg of biscuit mix
1 dozen eggs (medium) -- 1 pkg of corn bread mix
1 container of oatmeal -- 1 pkg of pizza dough mix
2 loaves of bread -- 1 bag of baby carrots
1/2 gal of milk -- 1 bag of salad mix
1 3lb bag of potatoes -- 2 cans of green beans
1 bag of pinto beans -- 2 cans of pork in beans
1/2 lb of thinly sliced -- 1 bag of shredded cheese
turkey(from deli) -- bananas
1 pkg of sliced pepperoni --spaghetti noodles
1 can of tomato paste
Plan Ahead:
Boil one chicken till done. Shred and set half aside for lunch options.The other half put back in broth and use your biscuit mix for dumplings. For meal 2-wrap 4 potatoes in aluminum foil and place in bottom of crock pot. Season chicken and place on top of potatoes. Cook on high all day. When done, you have Rotiss. chicken and baked potatoes ready. Make spaghetti sauce and divide it into 2. one part for spaghetti, use half the other for vegetable soup(use for tomato taste) and the other part for your pizza sauce. Set aside some of the shredded cheese for lunch options(grilled cheese, baked potatoes,etc) use the rest for pizza. Divide hamburger meat into two. Half for soup, half for spaghetti. Divide corn in half. Half for soup and half for side dish. Use a few carrots for your soup but the rest save to have a side dish of steamed carrots. One can of green beans go in the soup, the other is a side dish. Turn your pork and beans into baked beans by adding a little sugar, ketchup and onion powder then bake
MEALS:
Breakfast -alternate: 1 egg(each), toast and juice OR oatmeal, toast and juice (may have milk to drink one day)
Lunch Ideas- Make chicken salad with some leftover chicken, serve leftovers, turkey sandwiches,baked potato, grilled cheese, or salad topped with left over shredded chicken
Dinner: 1Spaghetti and salad/2Rotiss. chicken, baked potatoes, corn & green beans/3vegetable soup/4pinto beans, fried potatoes, and cornbread/5chicken & dumplings/6BBQ pork chops, baked beans, steamed carrots / 7 home-made pizza

You won't be eating steak every night but you won't have to resort to potted meat. Don't be afraid of generic items. Did you know a lot of storebrand items are made by name brand companies and sold to companies at a fraction of the cost?(Ex: Great Value brand bread is made by the same company that makes Iron Kids), Even though you don't know of any sales, keep your eyes open. Stores don't put all their sales in the ad paper. You might could spend less than $50! Scan the reduced section. Stores reduce items when their expiration dates are getting close. Piggly Wiggly ALWAYS has a reduced price meat and vegetable selection on items that will be going out of date soon.
Well, I hope this helps. I have always had to grocery shop on a strict budget. I just don't have the time blog about it. It is easier to pass my ideas onto the Thrify Sisters!

Just had to brag on myself a bit. I just got home from the grocery store. Can anyone guess how much I spent on all this?That is: 2 Red Barron Pizzas, 4 boxes of Ritz crackers, 1 box of Cheerios, 1box of Beechnut Banana cookies, 1 jar of JIF, 1 loaf of bread, 1 bag of Bird's Eye Steam Fresh Meals, 2 bags of Bird's Eye Steam Fresh Veggies, 1 jar of Ragu, 1 tub of Smart Balance butter, 4 sticks of Smart Balance butter, 2 cans of Cambell's soup, 2 4pk double roll of Angel Soft, and 1 gallon of milk.

!!!!!! $22 !!!!!!

I bought two weeks worth of groceries AND 45 3/4 inch porkchops for $70!! Don't tell Nick! He might decrease my grocery budget!

My Baby Is ONE!!

Okay, so it has been almost a week since she turned one, but I have had a lot going on since then. Starting off, the day of her birthday we were on our way to meet Nick's mom for lunch when the hospital called. They were so busy the opened up our "back-up wing" and needed me to come in and work. I agreed to come in for a few hours after lunch. As we were getting on the interstate heading back to Athens, I looked over and a truck was stopped on the side of the road and a man was on the ground. There were several people standing there, but no one was helping him so we stopped. The man was completely unresponsive, no pulse, no respirations, and no one knew CPR. He had an extensive cardiac history and apparently had another heart attack.So, I jumped in and did CPR till the Rescue Squad came. It was the most nerve racking, adrenaline rushing minutes of my life! Gabby was crying so I left as soon as they got him on the board and started bagging him. I never caught his name. I got a call from work yesterday. My boss said the family came up to the hospital looking for me to thank me. Apparently, the man's father was with him in the vehicle and recognized me from the hospital. He said many people slowed down and looked but I was the only one who stopped. As of yesterday, the man was still alive. On top of that, I had Gabby's birthday party to get ready for. It was a circus theme. I spent all last week getting last minute details done and making her cake.



I had the cupcakes done at Suzanne's. They looked great! Gabby had a blast!

She dug right into that cake!




shared some with Daddy, gave Mommy cake kisses




and almost slipped into a diabetic coma after all that sugar!

Uncle Bubba(my nephew, he thought he was going to be Gabby's uncle when she was born and Gabby calls him Bubba so we just call him Uncle Bubba) dressed up as a clown.

Gabby decided she would be a clown too! The kids played carnival games after pizza and cupcakes. I think everyone had a great time.
After an eventful Saturday, Sunday I found out my baby sister is getting married! On May 22 of this year!! I think they have decided on a beach wedding. (Yea!) It will be a quick, hectic few months. Please pray that they will have a long, happy marriage, filled with love and joy and centered around God. While you're at it.... pray mine will be that way too! :) We also got a few minutes of playing in the snow after church Sunday.

Gabby didn't know what to think of the snow!
I spent the rest of the day preparing for my speech at school and taking care of a sick baby. She and I both have been sick off an on this week. I think we finally got rid of it yesterday! Well, today is Nick's mom's birthday so we are meeting her for lunch. Maybe this lunch trip will be CPR -FREE!!