Ramblings....

Sorry I've been MIA. We were super busy working on projects around the house preparing for a friend and her family to stay with us. They were here for almost two weeks and have now headed to visit family for a few weeks before heading back to this area to settle into their first home! We've been friends since 8th grade when we both lived in TX. It is amazing to me that both of our husbands joined the military (different branches), yet here we are both settling down in VA.

Speaking of the projects around the house, I will be sharing pics soon. I just haven't taken the time to take pictures. We finally got the drawers in the kitchen painted and we have just about finished the room in the basement! Super excited about that because it will be our homeschool room!

While our friends were staying with us, we went to Mt. Vernon for their Fall Harvest Festival. The boys really enjoy going and the weather was perfect! The boys enjoyed running through the hay bale maze, playing corn cob darts, hay rides, and more!







Lucas especially loved spinning in circles in the barn, riding the shuttle bus, and saying "cheese" for the camera!



And most recently, they enjoyed dressing up as Luigi and Robbie Rotten while scouring the neighborhood for candy! :-)

Some funnies....

There have been a few things lately that Lucas has said that I knew I had to remember to add to the blog. Tonight Logan said something that had us laughing, too! :-)


A few weeks ago, we bought Lucas a sock monkey on clearance for $5. Truth be told, I think I wanted it more than he did. Anyway, he keeps asking if we have a "shoe monkey", too!

This one is something that he has been saying for a while and I keep forgetting to share. He LOVES Mr. Potato Head. Honestly, I wasn't sure how he would do with them, because he STILL puts things in his mouth. However, they have them at school and he was doing well with them there, so he got one from the Easter bunny this past Easter. I'm sure you all know that Mr. Potato Head has a little compartment to store all the pieces in. Well, Lucas loves to take things apart, so he is constantly taking the door to that compartment off. Then he can't find it and he wanders around saying, "Where did the butt door go?".

Speaking of butts.....tonight, we were all laying in my bed snuggling and I told Logan to stop picking at his butt (the boy has some sensory issues and can't stand things to be bunched up). Anyway, his response was, "Well, it is that season you know!". I said, "There's a season for butt picking? I knew there was a strawberry picking season, but I didn't know about the butt picking one." He said that indeed there is one and today was it. Oh my!

He likes it, he likes it!!

Lucas LOVES the show Lazy Town. Thing is, it was on all last year and through the summer, but it isn't on any more. Luckily, I have some recorded episodes for him. You can't find toys for it at the store, but I've been keeping my eye out on e-bay and just found him a Robbie Rotten (the one he is wearing in the video) and a Sportacus costume (2 of the main characters). I'm not sure, but I think he likes it!

Oh, and sorry for the loud Weather Bug alert. It decided to warn me of flash floods and coastal flooding right in the middle of my video. :-)

Somebody stop me!!

Seriously, it might be a problem! I went to Safeway again last night....

Transaction #1:
1 pkg. OreIda southern style hashbrowns = $3 (reg. 3.50)
1 pkg. OreIda curly fries = $3 (reg. 3.50)
2 pkgs. OreIda tater tots = $6 (reg. 7.00)
6 small containers Pillsbury cinnamon rolls, these have 5 in them, I think = $6 (reg. 11.34)

Total before tax and coupons = $18

-$4.04 OreIda Safeway coupon ($1.01 each times 4)
-$6.00 OreIda manf. coupon ($3 each times 2)
-$3.00 Pillsbury coupons ($1 off of 2 times 3)

Total after tax and coupons = $5.31

Club card savings of $7.34, coupon savings of $9.00 for a total savings of 80%!! Plus, I got $3 off future purchase by purchasing 6 Pillsbury items.

Transaction #2:
2 small containers Grand biscuits, 5 biscuits per can = $1.98
4 small containers Pillsbury crescent rolls, 4 rolls per can = $4.00 (reg. 6.76)
1 container Rocky Road ice cream (my husband's request) = $3.99 (reg. 4.99)

Total before tax and coupons = $9.97

-$2.00 Pillsbury Crescent rolls ($1 off of 2 times 2)
-$1.00 Pillsbury Crescent rolls ($1 off of 2)
-$3.00 (coupon from Pillsbury purchase on transaction #1)
-$0.75 Lucerne ice cream coupon

Total after tax and coupons = $3.45

Club card savings of $3.76, coupon savings of $6.75 for a total savings of 77%!! Plus, I got another $3 off future purchase by purchasing 6 Pillsbury items.

Transaction #3:
4 bottles Pepsi, 2 liters = $3.96 (reg. 7.96)
1 Amp energy drink = $1.19

Total before tax and coupons = $5.15

-$3.00 (coupon from Pillsbury purchase on transaction #2)
-$1.19 (free Amp when you buy 4 bottles, 2 liter, of Pepsi)

Total after tax and coupons = $1.06

Club card savings of $4.00, coupon savings of $4.19 for a total savings of 89%!!

So, my total for the entire trip was $9.82!! Now, looking at this week's sale at Safeway I'm thinking I may get some Toaster Strudels as a treat for Logan (he likes the ones with eggs) and after coupon, they will be 88 cents. Also if I can find creamer in the flavor that my husband likes, those will be free after coupon!

Adding to the invenotry.....

Super excited about my Safeway trip today! And, in case you are asking yourself, "Gee. Didn't she post an inventory of her pantry and freezer to use up what she has instead of buying more?". Well, the answer is yes and no. I seriously can't pass up a good deal. As long as I know we'll use it and we have the money to buy it, I go ahead. Now, if there are no more good deals for a while, I'll steer clear of the store.....LOL! The Pillsbury stuff was actually better than free and the OreIda stuff was 49 cents each. The Triscuit and Wheat thins I had coupons to try them for free by signing up at Kraft First Taste. They periodically send you coupons for free products. The fish after coupons was $2.99. I guess that isn't super cheap considering it is only 2 filets, but it makes for a super fast, healthy, relatively inexpensive meal.

My purchase:

Safeway mayo (no coupon used) = $1.99
2 containers Velveeta easy Mac (no coupon used) = $2.50
1 box Triscuit thins = $3
1 box Wheat thin stix = $3
2 packs Ore Ida steam and mash = $6
2 packs Pillsbury Grand biscuits (the small packs) = $2
2 packs Pillsbury cinnamon rolls (the small packs) = $2
2 packs Pillsbury crescent rolls (the small packs) = $2
3 pound beef brisket = $11.73
1 pack Waterfront bistro Tilapia = $6.99

Total before coupons and tax = $41.21

-$0.30 e coupon for biscuits
-$0.30 e coupon for biscuits
-$0.50 e coupon for crescent rolls
-$0.50 e coupon for crescent rolls
-$0.40 e coupon for cinnamon rolls (not sure why only one came off)
-$2.00 e coupon for Rancher's Reserve meat
-$2.00 paper coupon for Rancher's Reserve meat
-$2.00 e coupon for fish
-$2.00 paper coupon for fish
-$3.00 (two) paper coupons for OreIda steam and mash
-$1.00 off 2 paper coupon for biscuits
-$1.00 off 2 paper coupon for crescent rolls
-$1.00 off 2 paper coupon for cinnamon rolls
-$3.59 on Tricuits (made 59 cents here)
-$3.59 on Wheat things (made 59 cents again)
-$1.01 store coupon for OreIda
-$1.01 store coupon for OreIda

Total with tax after coupons = $16.79

I saved $13.70 with club card savings, $17.18 with coupons, for a total of $34.92 saved. That's a savings of 69%!!

I also got the $3 catalina for next shopping trip for the Pillsbury purchase. I applied that catalina in my next transaction for 2 pieces of cake for dessert, making them $2.10!

My dad brought me some marinade for brisket when he came to help with the kitchen and I've really been wanting to try them. I'm pretty cheap when it comes to buying meat, but I'm super excited with my deal on it today!! Yay!

I pretty much get all my coupon matching info from The Krazy Coupon Lady. Seriously, you need to check her out!!

And so it begins....

Today was one week since pre-school started back up for Lucas. This morning it was 10:30 and he was still sleeping. I was just about to go wake him to get him ready for school (we leave at 11:45) when he started crying. I went upstairs and he was talking about throwing up. He hadn't, but I could tell that he wasn't feeling well. So, one week in and already he is sick.

This is how he spent almost the entire day.

Normally my boy is LOUD. It was so quiet here today. It is how I know when he is truly sick. He let out one yell and it startled me. After that he was talking and hanging upside down off the couch and drank a cup of water, so I thought he was feeling better. Turns out it was short lived. I could barely convince him to eat or drink, he just wanted to lay there.

At about 8 o'clock, the door bell rang and I headed to the door. Lucas started crying and screaming, so went to him instead. At the door were two little girls going door to door selling things for a fundraiser (I had already bought cookie dough earlier from a different little girl). They were peering through the door as Lucas was screaming and puking. I couldn't help but laugh. I called my husband to answer the door for me. He said there was no adult out there at all. I know these girls had to be in elementary school, but they were very young. I couldn't believe they were out walking door to door that late.

After we ate dinner (a late one because my husband was working a 12 hour day and didn't get home until around 7:30), I went out to get some gatorade and medicine for Lucas. I had all kinds of meds, but no fever reducer. I just wanted to give him some to hopefully help him sleep tonight. I made it back home just in time to hold the bowl for Lucas to puke some more.

I managed to get him to take the Motrin and sip some gatorade and was going to let him stay up for a bit longer. When I announced it was bed time, he declared it wasn't. "No. It's not bed time. I need lunch. I missed it." So, he is presently sitting beside me on the couch eating the crackers that have been here all day.

Pantry inventory.....

I said I wasn't going to do it, but I couldn't take the mess anymore. I figured that once I had it clean and organized, it wouldn't take much more to inventory the contents, so I just went for it. As you will see below, we seem to have a thing for condiments. :-) I'm going to try to update this as I use things, too.

Prepare to be bored (When I buy new things, I will add them in red to make it easier to see what was part of the original inventory.).....

Pasta/rice:
3 boxes thin spaghetti
2 boxes elbow macaroni
1 box Farfalle
1 box rotini
1 box med. shells
1 box mostaccioli
1 box mac and cheese
5 ½ bags (1 lb. each) brown rice
1 bag white rice
10 pounds Jasmine rice

meal kits:
1 box Hamburger helper (got this free in the mail somehow)
2 boxes Macaroni Grill kits (garlic herb and chicken penne)
1 box Cajun style rice and beans

Misc. side dish items:
1 box chicken flavored rice
2 boxes potato pancake mix

Sauces:
1 jar Trader Joe's curry sauce
1 jar Trader Joe's Masala sauce
1 jar gourmet antipasto sauce
3 jars pasta sauce (Arrabbiata, Artichoke pesto, and Tomato Alfredo)
1 can four cheese pasta sauce

canned goods:
1 large can Hatch green chilies
4 2 small cans diced green chilies
4 3 cans chili beans
12 11 10 cans green beans
1 can coconut milk
9 8 cans 4 oz. sliced mushrooms
7 6 cans Rotel
3 cans tomato paste
10 98 cans diced tomatoes
1 3 can cream of mushroom soup (I bought more)
3 cans cream of chicken soup
2 cans Golden mushroom soup
1 can French onion soup
10 9 cans tomato soup
3 2 cans sliced carrots
5 cans black beans
4 cans garbanzo beans
1 can black beans and rice
4 cans black eyed peas
1 can field peas with snaps
1 can hoppin' John
3 cans cranberry sauce
2 cans pumpkin

dried beans:
1 bag pinto beans
1 bag lentils
½ bag red lentils
2 bags 15 bean soup mix
3 pounds black beans
1 bag red calypso beans

Grains, etc.. :
32 oz. bag Pungo Creek Mills Indian corn meal
½ bag Harvest grains blend
1 box Israeli couscous
4 pounds of Quinoa
1 box steel cut oats
1 container old fashioned oats
1 bag organic barley

Condiments, Marinades, salsas, and dressings:
2 1 jar pepper relish
1 bottle Mexican chili and lime marinade
1 bottle bbq sauce
1 bottle Tuscan style basil herb dressing
1 spray bottle Balsamic vinaigrette dressing
1 bottle honey teriyaki marinade
1 bottle buffalo wing marinade
1 bottle mango curry marinade
1 bottle peppercorn steak marinade
1 bottle Caribbean jerk marinade
1 jar salsa verde
1 can salsa verde
1 jar olive medley bread spread
3 jars Herdez salsa (hot, medium, and chipotle)
1 bottle Louisiana Gold hot sauce
2 bottles brisket marinade
2 bottles fajita marinade
2 bottles spicy brown mustard
1 bottle dijon mustard
1 bottle yellow mustard
1 bottle mayo
2 jars Trader Joe's vegan mayo (my husband got these to try)
3 bottles ketchup

Peanut butter, jams, syrup, etc.. :
4 3 half pint jars homemade apricot jam
2 pint jars homemade apricot jam
2 bottles Agave nectar
1 jar 26 oz. almond butter
1 jar natural peanut butter
1 jar strawberry fruit spread
1 jar organic peanut butter
pancake syrup
1 jar simply fruit (blueberry)

Misc. soups and lunch items:
2 containers noodle soup
2 boxes pad Thai
1 package microwaveable rice
1 container New Orlean's style chicken and rice
2 cans curry beans
1 container microwaveable chicken noodle soup
3 cans minestrone soup
1 can lentil soup
3 cans chicken soup (2 Spongebob ones and one Cars one)

Misc.:
1 giant bag French fried onions (from Costco)
4 3 boxes taco shells
2 boxes Ritz crackers

The above is what I figure I will mainly use to make meals. Here is the remainder of the pantry. These lists are not complete, but a general idea of what else is in my pantry.

Baking goods and nuts:
pecans
almonds
walnuts
pine nuts
pumpkin seeds
dry milk
flour
sugars (organic, Splenda, brown, powdered, and sucanat)
chips (chocolate, cinnamon, white, mint, toffee bits, etc..)
marshmallows
2 boxes brownie mix
3 boxes jiffy cake mix
1 container frosting
50 pounds wheat berries

drinks:
soda
Nestle flavored water
Sobe life water
Lipton 20 oz. bottles half and half (tea/lemonade)
Arizona gallon half and half (tea/lemonade)

snacks:
organic fruit rolls
animal crackers
pudding
crackers (wheat thins, gold fish, cheezits, saltine, graham)
gummy fruit snacks
trail mix
cashews
dried fruit
chips

cereal/granola bars:
3 bags granola
2 boxes frosted mini wheats
3 boxes cinnamon toast crunch
1 box apple jacks
1 box corn pops
1 box fruity cheerios
1 box chocolate cheerios
granola bars (blueberry, strawberry, peanut butter, chocolate chip, Fiber one, Kashi)

Back to School.....

Sweet boy's first day back to pre-school. The report was that he had a wonderful day with no screaming. That is HUGE! Tomorrow is a new day, but I am thankful for the good day today! :-)

Menu Plan Monday...

*= new recipe

Monday--?? spent too much time going through the freezer making an inventory and cleaning it

Tuesday--breakfast casserole, fruit (Edited: ended up making quiche minus the onions instead)

Wednesday--chimichangas (baked instead of frying), salad

Thursday--Letcho * (got to find something to use up the summer sausage!!) and rice

Friday--beef stroganoff over egg noodles (with the addition of celery because I need to use it before it goes bad!), green beans, salad



Lunch:
chicken pasta salad (using some more of my celery)
sandwiches
hot dogs

Time to get organized....

It's Labor Day and labor we have! We are finally trying to finish the room in the basement that had the massive brick wet bar and 70's paneling. We had hung most of the drywall down there and did the electrical work, but in May we finally finished tearing down the little bit of paneling in the room and hallway and got the rest of the drywall up. This weekend we got tape up and corner bead and the first coat of joint compound is currently drying.

Once we finished that, I took inventory of what is in our freezers to more easily plan meals around what we already have. While everything was out, I cleaned the freezers and put it all back in neatly.

I'm trying to get more organized because Lucas starts pre-school tomorrow and Logan and I will start school this week as well. I had planned on starting tomorrow, but I procrastinated with ordering some of his curriculum. However, we have plans to meet some friends at the park for a bit while Lucas is at school and we also need to go to the library to pick up books for our first week of school!

I'm excited to get back into a routine. My husband is now working four 10 hour shifts a week, with Wednesdays off. We will use that day for any appts. that we may have (most especially for Lucas) and he will also be teaching Logan science. I love having him home an extra day, but I don't like him getting home later each day. Now he gets home right around 6. It is only an hour later, but I typically would wait until he got home and start dinner then. Now if I do that, we don't eat until closer to 7! That just won't work with school starting back up.

So, it is time to get back to planning out my meals and being organized! I have enough food to cook for a while, too. I'm listing out the contents of my freezer and will start planning my meals. If you have any recipes you wish to share based on my freezer contents, I welcome them. :-) There is lots in my pantry, but I'm not going to inventory it at this point. I know most of what is in there for meals and I'll try to plan using things in there, too. One thing I'll obviously still have to buy is any fresh produce needed for recipes. I'm going to update this list as I use the items.

Anyway, on to the list (I've bought a few things since the original inventory, so when I buy something new, I'm going to put it in red text to make it easier to spot.):

Meat:
9 8 quart size ziplocs ground beef (appx. 1 pound each)
8 hamburger patties
1 pound maple sausage
8 4 boneless rib eye steaks
4 flat iron steaks
2 T-bone steaks
4 petite steaks
1 4.5 pound roast
3 packages hot Italian sausage
1 package cube steaks
3 pound beef brisket

Chicken/Turkey:
1 pkg. boneless buffalo chicken nuggets
2 pound bag breaded chicken chunks (like popcorn chicken)
18 16 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (I stocked up when they were on sale!!)
1 pound ground turkey
3 pounds breaded chicken strips
5 lemon pepper boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 smokey bbq boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 Italian boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Seafood:
1 Tilapia filet
3 pounds shrimp
1 pound jumbo shrimp
7 tuna steak filets
1 bag (2 filets) Sesame Chili Tilapia
1 bag (2 filets) Tortilla crusted chili lime Tilapia
1 bag (2 filets) Herb crusted Parmesan Tilapia


Veggies:
1 pound bag corn
1 pound bag sugar snap peas
1 pound bag field peas
1 pound bag crowder peas
1 pound bag winter veggies

Misc:
1 pie crust
four veggie patties
1 24 oz. roll summer sausage
1 ham bone
1 pkg. of 10 med. flour tortillas
1 pkg. of 30 corn tortillas
1 pkg. roti bread
1/2 gallon of orange juice (I got several for free with coupons a while back and froze them)
10 mini cinnamon raisin bagels
10 homemade biscuits (ready to be baked)
5 bags OreIda French fries (2 zesty, 2 steak, 1 curly....I got them on sale for 49 cents each!!)
2 packages OreIda tater tots
1 package OreIda southern style hash browns
3 packages of cream cheese (I got them on sale for 49 cents each!!)
2 1 bag OreIda steam and mash potatoes