She’s baccckkkj!

So much has happened since I last blogged. Kylie is a teenager, and Jeree was born! I’ve gained and lost 30 lbs or so. James’s practice has added one full time employee, and gotten a bigger office! Instagram is now a full blown way to make a living + find all the things you may or may not need. We are coming up on 6 years in our house. Wow. We lost our sweet, Scouter boy after a year long bout of cancer. And I got Botox.

Clean Eating 2015

On my quest to become a better me...I'm changing my skin and changing my body. I now only crave water! Hallelujah!

Whole wheat English muffin with Simply Jiff and half a red delicious apple.

Layered Southwest Cornread Salad

I didn't think about taking a picture of the finished product.  James doesn't like the added veggies, so, there's not much I can do to make it "pretty".  I first saw this recipe on Facebook and wanted to make it.  James was skeptical, but, asked me to add some chicken to it.  I found a Martha Stewart recipe and combined two recipes.

2 boxes Jiffy cornbread mix

2 packages spicy Ranch dressing (make using 2 cups mayonnaise and 2 1/3 cups milk)

cheese

4 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

I like to make the cornbread as muffins.  Just follow the directions on the box.  Crumble the cornbread muffins.  Make yourself a little assembly line.  Layer cornbread, chicken, cheese, dressing.  Repeat until you run out of ingredients.

Pass the Cookbook Club, Month 1

Facebook has become just a fun way for me to stay connected..I can keep up with my friends, my family, the latest coupons, and now I can have a virtual bookclub that ties together my two favorite things..Reading and cooking.. I follow along Pass the Sushi, and she recently decided that she wanted to dust off some of her old cookbooks and get cooking..Luckily, she picked Pioneer Woman first..I cook out of both her cookbooks a lot..In fact, I have been following her blog for years and probably wouldn't be able to cook at all if not for her.. I decided on Potatoes Au Gratin..I had made them once before.. I went back and baked the potatoes about 20 minutes longer, because they just weren't soft enough for me..

A Year in Review: 2012

2013, here you are...2012 has been good to us...James's practice continues to grow and we became homeowners.  Kylie went into the gifted program this year and just turned 9 years old on Dec. 4th. We celebrated with a dance party at The Pub with 9 school friends, her sister, grandmother, and dad. We all had a good time other than I was terribly sick with yet diagnosed pneumonia. The holidays were wonderful, but bittersweet since my step-dad had recently been diagnosed with cancer. He waited until after the holidays to let me know that he has decided to stop treatment.

2012 also brought us a baby boom. A trio of unexpected babies and one expected. Kylie became a big sister again. My cousin Brett and his wife had baby number two, and my cousin Jason welcomed his first child with Ally who has become a dear friend. Brett's baby sister celebrated 5 years of marriage and learned she would be welcoming a baby this month. We are beyond blessed with bouncing baby cousins.

We celebrated New Year's with two parties at friend's houses. It was a fun and intimate New Year's with lots of music and laughter.

I am hopeful that 2013 will be as happy as 2012. I am going to try and be more sociable this year. I would like to work on getting this weight off this year, and I think I want to learn to sew and maybe take up quilting.

Love and blessings to all.

Blah's and the Baby Blues..

My poor blog needs some updating...I have saved tons and tons of money this week at Kroger and Walgreens..I've been cooking, cooking, and eating, eating..blah....

Everyone seems to be pregnant, now, too....not me..just everyone else, sigh..

Hopefully soon we will be closed on our house and I can put pictures up and all my obsessions with decorating that are just stuck to my poor Pinterest....

Menus and My New Favorite Blog

I used to be so good about making my menus out..I've been in a funk for awhile, and I haven't..I've looked at the services that do it for me, but, most of them don't have food that my family (or me) likes to eat....thanks to Pinterest, I stumbled upon this blog..eat at home and I think I love her.....

This week's menu that I am using is Summer menu year 3, week 21.

Hope you will take a look and I hope she can help you as much as she has helped me..

Budget Bytes: glazed pork chops

Budget Bytes: glazed pork chops $6.55 recipe / $1.63 serving:

Make these for dinner tonight..you won't be sorry, so good!  Kylie said hers was too spicy, but, she's 8..she thinks everything is spicy..:)

I served them with http://www.southernplate.com/2010/03/butter-stewed-potatoes.html

Indoor S'more Sundae on the Food Network

Indoor S'more Sundae on the Food Network


I saw this on Food Network yesterday and I Can Not stop thinking about it!

Anxiety

Most of my life, the anticipation of an event where I must be dressed up as always given way to that awful, sickening anxious feeling....Today, at 32, is still no exception.  I am co-host of many hosts and hostesses this evening for a wedding shower with a Stock the Bar theme...I have nothing to wear, literally...I'm stressing, yep, stressing...

Walgreens 8/23

bought 2 reams of paper, 4 page protectors, and 1 bodywash..paid $7 and received $3 back.

Deals for the week of 7/8

Walgreens:

Pledge Wipes 18 ct   $2.39
decorative Glad candles $2.36
big pack Dry Erase markers $6.99
washable Dry erase markers $7.99 with the $3 off coupon in booklet
little memo books $.40
Dawn and Palmolive dish detergent $1
hula hoops $3.49

Kroger:

Lysol No touch soap dispenser $7.49
Dove body spray $2

Kroger May 4, 2011

Chips Ahoy cookies $1.79/each - they will be sent to school tomorrow for a party
Ragu $1.39
4 cans of Campbell's soup @ .89/each - .25 coupon (doubled to .50)
Kraft cheese B1G1F sale
Kraft BBQ sauce $.49/each bought 3 and used 3 .45 coupons (the coupon called for a size they did not have and the cashier let me use the coupon..I asked before we got started)
doughnuts $1.99 mgr special
Refried beans .85/each
Old El Paso rice closeout 1.07/each, bought 2
Old El Pason black beans closeout 1.19, used .60 off 3 OEP products (doubled to 1.20)
turnovers $1.29 mgr special
Private selection deli chicken 1/2 lb $3.37 (could have bought 1 lb @ 6.99 and used $1 off)
low sodium turkey bacon $2.79 had .55 Kroger q (doubled to 1.10)
Yoplait yogurt $.60/each, bought 6 used $.40 off 6 (doubled to .80)
Sanderson Farm boneless thights $3.76

Paid $43.56 for 34 items
saved $22.18

Walgreens May 2, 2011

Spent $25.05 OOP and got $5 Register Rewards

Transaction #1
  Cottonelle $5 - $1 Walgreens book coupon = $4
  Cottonelle $1.99
  Gum flossers $2
used $4 RR that I had already and total was $4.62
received $2 RR
Transaction #2
  Right Guard Deodorant $2.99 each, used BIGIF coupon
  Wet n Wild eye pencil .69
used $2 RR and total was $2.15
rec $2 RR
Transaction #3
 Noxzema Razors $3.99
used $2 RR
total was $2.27 and rec $3 RR
Transaction #4
 Gum flossers $2
 GF spray $2.99 - $1 mq
used $3 RR and total was $1.34

rec $2 RR

Transaction #5
 Noxzema Razors $3.99 used $2 RR = $2.27
rec $3 RR
Transaction #6
 Right guard deodorant $2.99/each - B1G1F
 Dawn $.99 - .25 mq
used $3 RR and total was $1.22

rec $2 RR

Transaction #7
 Gum flossers $2
 olives $.99
used $2 RR and total was $1.20

rec $2 RR

Transaction #8
 Noxzema razors $3.99 - $2 RR = $2.27 and rec $3 RR
Transaction #9
 Rightguard deodorant $2.99/each - B1G1F
 GF shampoo $2.99 - $1 mq
used $3 RR = $2.61 and rec $2 RR
Transaction #10
 Gillette Fusion Razor $9.89 - $4 mq
 Hershey's .49
used $2 RR = $5.11

rec $5 RR

= savings of $73.49

Kroger Trip 4/11/11 saved $50.91

I am definitely not ready for my starring role on Extreme Couponing..and I was off by about $30 of what I was going to spend for a final tally of $97.93, but I think as long as I can pay at the end I am a-ok..Kroger had some e-coupon deals that I took advantage of..If I could give up my diet Cokes, I'd be in the $$..they added $12 to my total and I bought JBJ a couple Big K 2 liters..

1 pkg hotdog buns = FREE when you purchase 2 Hebrew National hotdogs
1 jar stirfry sauce = FREE wyp Lachoy Creations
1 pkg egg noodles = FREE wyp combo of 3 Rotel or Rosarita refried beans
1 large eggs = .12 wyp combo of 2 Fleischmann's margarine or Parkay marg
Powerade $1.00 - $1.00 e-coupon = FREE (realized after the fact that I think I could have bought more)
Gatorade $1.09 - $1.00 e-qpon = .09
1 bottle Hunt's ketchup = FREE wyp 1 Banquet frozen chicken product
Febreze $1.49 - $1.00 e-q = $.49

spent $97 and saved $50.91

Kroger clearance beauty 4/14/11

I think I lucked up on some good deals this week at Kroger on the clearance aisle..and also on the deli manager special case..

 

  Kroger clearance $10 OOP

$4.50 x 2 - $3/2 = $1 a razor
$4.20 - $2 = $2.20
$1.85 x 2 - $2.50/2 = $.60 a lipstick

I think the deli items came out to about $12.  I got rotisserrie chicken, Boar's Head Havarti cheese, corned beef...

Walgreen Round up 3-16-11

I normally use my RR before I leave the store, but I was curious to see how I would do..And..they didn't have everything I needed/wanted/needed.....

Here's the breakdown:
Scotch mailers: WAG 3/$1
Purex fabric softener $4.99 - $2 mq = $2.99/each & $2 RR x 2 = $.99/each and I made $4
Dial lotion $4.99 - $1.00 mq = $3.99 & $3 RR = $.99
Aussie shamp & cond $2.99 - B1G1Fmq = 2/$2.99 and $1 RR = 2/$1.99
Irish spring deodorant 2/$6 - 2 $1 mq = 2/$4 & $4 RR = FREE
Duracell batteries on sale $2.99 - $.75 mq = $2.24
Colgate total on sale for $1.09 x 2 (I had a coupon, but Kylie was holding it and thought that was her responsibility) = 2/$2.18
Venus razon $7.99 - $5 mq = $2.99 & $4 RR = I made $1
Jillian Michaels was on clearance for $7.59
Renuzits $.79 x 3 used B3G3F = 6/$
Total Spent :     $50.63 - $14 RR = $36.63
Total Savings:   $78.70

Thursday night dinner

 I have a beef stew that I have put a little of this and little of that..and I thought that I would make these rutabagas as well..We shall see..and I am wondering if I will be able to find the streak o'lean..

 
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/mashed-rutabagas-recipe/index.html

Kroger quick trip

Only used 4 coupons, total spent $40
Free eggs, Free Ben & Jerry's
Crawfish for James $3.76, Roast $8.87, chicken breast $6.15, 5 Big K $3.95, onions 1.50, bananas .95, kroger pickles $2.39, mt olive pickles 2.59-1.00=$1.59, Ragu $1.89/each - .75 = $3.03, and Gladware $1.00

I was anxious to see if I could spend under $50 without strategizing with  my coupons..I was very pleased..

Wal-Mart and Walgreens deals

$3.12each - $3 mfq = .12/each (thanks em)
this was at Wal-Mart and I had 2 $3off coupons

I had a Free for one box Nice & Easy foam haircolor and it gave me the $1 Register Rewards..

2/$4 Jif peanut butter and rec $1 RR