Outside Temp: 5 (and getting colder...)
What I cooked today:
nothing...
Update:
Don't you just hate it when you wake up the next day after shopping, and realize that you forgot something? Yea, I do that a lot.
So, after yesterday's shopping spree, I found myself back in town getting a few things I forgot. Typical. However, since I went alone, it only took me about an hour (instead of 5) and I spent a lot less. Hopefully, I'm done now.
This evening, we had dinner up at the Grandparent's house, with Grandma's brothers and aunt. We had spaghetti, which was wonderful (as usual) and we got to chat. After dinner, I sent my children off to entertain themselves with various electronics, and we had over an hour of nice, adult conversation without any children around. Admittedly, I went and checked on them from time to time, but they were fine. Even Ryan was able to watch a movie, with the addition of Grandpa's wireless headphones, and it didn't bother anyone!
Showing posts with label Shopping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Shopping. Show all posts
Sunday, December 23, 2012
Saturday, December 22, 2012
December 22, 2012
Outside Temp: 10 F (we had a HIGH of 15 today... it was a little chilly)
What I cooked today:
Nothing... shopping, and not here to cook. Allen made pasta for the other kids...
Update:
After church this afternoon, Patrick and I braved the stores in town for Christmas shopping. Ugh, I hate this part of the season. Fortunately, since I used coupons and selective shopping during the year, we actually had money saved up to spend on presents. There were a few things that we wanted to get for the kids, and amazingly, we could buy them.
We did fine for the first few hours, but after hitting Walmart and the game store and the office store and the grocery store and the gas station and a restaurant, then going to Target to get the things that weren't at Walmart, I was in a very cranky mood. And my feet hurt.
My husband suffered through my mood and, after a pretzel and a soda, I felt better enough to finish our shopping. We got home, and I sent the kids to the other room, as I threw all our new purchases on my bed. I spent the next hour or so wrapping presents. I wanted to make sure that when the kids went into my room, they wouldn't immediately know what we got for them. Of course, they pretty much already know what they are getting, but we have 2 1/2 more days in which to make them suffer with anticipation.
Tomorrow will either be a day of rest, or we might go skiing, depending on the weather. I'm not sure which I would prefer.
What I cooked today:
Nothing... shopping, and not here to cook. Allen made pasta for the other kids...
Update:
After church this afternoon, Patrick and I braved the stores in town for Christmas shopping. Ugh, I hate this part of the season. Fortunately, since I used coupons and selective shopping during the year, we actually had money saved up to spend on presents. There were a few things that we wanted to get for the kids, and amazingly, we could buy them.
We did fine for the first few hours, but after hitting Walmart and the game store and the office store and the grocery store and the gas station and a restaurant, then going to Target to get the things that weren't at Walmart, I was in a very cranky mood. And my feet hurt.
My husband suffered through my mood and, after a pretzel and a soda, I felt better enough to finish our shopping. We got home, and I sent the kids to the other room, as I threw all our new purchases on my bed. I spent the next hour or so wrapping presents. I wanted to make sure that when the kids went into my room, they wouldn't immediately know what we got for them. Of course, they pretty much already know what they are getting, but we have 2 1/2 more days in which to make them suffer with anticipation.
Tomorrow will either be a day of rest, or we might go skiing, depending on the weather. I'm not sure which I would prefer.
Sunday, December 16, 2012
December 16, 2012
Outside Temp: 32 F (there was a threat of snow today, but to be just a threat... Clear and beautiful!)
What I cooked today:
Burgers and Fettuccine Alfredo: Allen LOVES Alfredo, so I thought I'd spoil him rotten tonight. He was very, very grateful!
Update:
I started the morning with Katie at the Belt Church. There was a breakfast hosted by the Knights of Columbus, with pancakes and sausage and eggs. I LOVE having breakfast that I don't have to make! I also got a chance to chat with some wonderful people (which is really the reason I do it!)
I sent Katie home with Grandma and Grandpa while I headed into town. I haven't done much Christmas shopping, but there were some things I really wanted to get. So, I wandered through some stores, looking at things that I have no intention of buying, finally picking out a few things and trying to get out of the store without going over budget. I didn't do too bad!
I also stopped at Office Max and got some computer chairs for the boys. They have been using normal folding chairs to work at the desks in their room, and it was time to get them something a little more real. Allen was thrilled... He asked if he could sleep in his new chair. I said no.
There are only 5 more days of school before we are out for Christmas, so the kids are getting ready for the end of the semester. Allen has his final in History tomorrow, so I guess the teacher isn't doing much for the rest of the week. Part of his studying was to write the answers to a bunch of sample questions (my assignment, not his teachers). One of the questions was to write everything you know about the 100 years war. His answer was about 3 paragraphs... on a study guide. I guess if you are going to study, it's best to over do it, rather than under do it! Now, I just hope he does well on the test!
What I cooked today:
Burgers and Fettuccine Alfredo: Allen LOVES Alfredo, so I thought I'd spoil him rotten tonight. He was very, very grateful!
Update:
I started the morning with Katie at the Belt Church. There was a breakfast hosted by the Knights of Columbus, with pancakes and sausage and eggs. I LOVE having breakfast that I don't have to make! I also got a chance to chat with some wonderful people (which is really the reason I do it!)
I sent Katie home with Grandma and Grandpa while I headed into town. I haven't done much Christmas shopping, but there were some things I really wanted to get. So, I wandered through some stores, looking at things that I have no intention of buying, finally picking out a few things and trying to get out of the store without going over budget. I didn't do too bad!
I also stopped at Office Max and got some computer chairs for the boys. They have been using normal folding chairs to work at the desks in their room, and it was time to get them something a little more real. Allen was thrilled... He asked if he could sleep in his new chair. I said no.
There are only 5 more days of school before we are out for Christmas, so the kids are getting ready for the end of the semester. Allen has his final in History tomorrow, so I guess the teacher isn't doing much for the rest of the week. Part of his studying was to write the answers to a bunch of sample questions (my assignment, not his teachers). One of the questions was to write everything you know about the 100 years war. His answer was about 3 paragraphs... on a study guide. I guess if you are going to study, it's best to over do it, rather than under do it! Now, I just hope he does well on the test!
Sunday, December 2, 2012
December 2, 2012
Outside Temp: 38 F (a little drizzly, a little overcast, still very windy but warm... in the 50's... no complaints here!)
What I cooked today:
Greek Chicken: The other night, I made chicken and tried baking it over potatoes. The potatoes didn't work out that well, but the chicken was good. So, I thought I was trying too hard. Tonight, I just rubbed the chicken with seasoning, and fried it. It turned out great! Until I realized that Katie doesn't like my Greek seasoning. Oh well!
Update:
Ahhh, Sunday. Always a good day.
We woke up late (which is good, since I don't think that the boys were in bed until way after midnight) and decided to head into town.
Patrick and I made a date of it, and had a great lunch and then got some shopping done. Which means that we spent way too much money and time looking around. Patrick loves to shop, and loves to spend money, whereas I will usually go into a store and go directly to the item I want, and then leave.
We had a slight altercation in WalMart over the 40 cup coffee urn. Now, you have to understand, I don't drink coffee. This would be for hot tea. I just cannot fathom drinking 40 cups of hot tea in a day or even 2 or 3. 40 cups is a lot. These things are used for concessions and parties and other events where multiple people are drinking something. But, we have these tea bags that are designed for large carafes. Our carafe is not that large, maybe 4-6 cups tops. Which means the tea is very, very strong. Hence our presence in the home appliance aisle, looking for a larger container for tea.
So, there is a carafe, but we couldn't tell if it was actually larger than the one we own, or the same size. And a 40 cup urn. And these are our choices. Amazingly, Patrick sat there, practically begging me for this stupid urn. I couldn't help but laugh, as he was more persistent than my children. In the end, I explained that we were absolutely not getting the urn, and that was final (in my best mom voice).
As we stood in the checkout line, I glanced over the items we had accumulated. And I found an unexpected jacket. I mentioned that it shouldn't have been there, and started to remove it from our pile, as my husband got that chagrined look on his face. "I hoped that you wouldn't have noticed..." he said softly. I glanced at the price, which was almost as much as the desired urn would have been. And, while I wanted to throw a fit, I had to just laugh. He is TOTALLY worse than my kids. And he has a new jacket to prove it.
What I cooked today:
Greek Chicken: The other night, I made chicken and tried baking it over potatoes. The potatoes didn't work out that well, but the chicken was good. So, I thought I was trying too hard. Tonight, I just rubbed the chicken with seasoning, and fried it. It turned out great! Until I realized that Katie doesn't like my Greek seasoning. Oh well!
Update:
Ahhh, Sunday. Always a good day.
We woke up late (which is good, since I don't think that the boys were in bed until way after midnight) and decided to head into town.
Patrick and I made a date of it, and had a great lunch and then got some shopping done. Which means that we spent way too much money and time looking around. Patrick loves to shop, and loves to spend money, whereas I will usually go into a store and go directly to the item I want, and then leave.
We had a slight altercation in WalMart over the 40 cup coffee urn. Now, you have to understand, I don't drink coffee. This would be for hot tea. I just cannot fathom drinking 40 cups of hot tea in a day or even 2 or 3. 40 cups is a lot. These things are used for concessions and parties and other events where multiple people are drinking something. But, we have these tea bags that are designed for large carafes. Our carafe is not that large, maybe 4-6 cups tops. Which means the tea is very, very strong. Hence our presence in the home appliance aisle, looking for a larger container for tea.
So, there is a carafe, but we couldn't tell if it was actually larger than the one we own, or the same size. And a 40 cup urn. And these are our choices. Amazingly, Patrick sat there, practically begging me for this stupid urn. I couldn't help but laugh, as he was more persistent than my children. In the end, I explained that we were absolutely not getting the urn, and that was final (in my best mom voice).
As we stood in the checkout line, I glanced over the items we had accumulated. And I found an unexpected jacket. I mentioned that it shouldn't have been there, and started to remove it from our pile, as my husband got that chagrined look on his face. "I hoped that you wouldn't have noticed..." he said softly. I glanced at the price, which was almost as much as the desired urn would have been. And, while I wanted to throw a fit, I had to just laugh. He is TOTALLY worse than my kids. And he has a new jacket to prove it.
Saturday, November 24, 2012
November 24, 2012
Outside Temp: 25 F (a little rain, a little snow today. The weather wasn't sure what it wanted to do)
What I cooked today:
Turkey Stock: I made up some stock from yesterday's turkey bones. The house smelled just like turkey all afternoon. No, I'm not sick of turkey, yet.
Update:
Patrick and I went into town this afternoon, for some shopping. He needed some things from Home Depot, and I managed to run out of both flour and brown sugar (gasp!). At the grocery store, the kid helping me was amazed that I might actually use a 25 lb bag of flour. I explained that I go through a 25 lb bag about 3 times a year. He was stunned. I laughed.
What I cooked today:
Turkey Stock: I made up some stock from yesterday's turkey bones. The house smelled just like turkey all afternoon. No, I'm not sick of turkey, yet.
Update:
Patrick and I went into town this afternoon, for some shopping. He needed some things from Home Depot, and I managed to run out of both flour and brown sugar (gasp!). At the grocery store, the kid helping me was amazed that I might actually use a 25 lb bag of flour. I explained that I go through a 25 lb bag about 3 times a year. He was stunned. I laughed.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
November 21, 2012
Outside Temp: 34 F (Rainy and stormy today... a little sleet.)
What I cooked today:
Pumpkin Pies x 4: I'm making dessert for tomorrow, and Friday, so I just made 4 of them tonight. It's been a while since I've made pumpkin pie, and pie crust, so I was a little worried. But it turned out fine (after I asked Patrick to stop making suggestions). I spilled a little pie mix in the oven, which caused a lot of smoke, but they smelled good by the end. Now, I just have to hope they taste good!
Update:
No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I was tired and fell asleep early last night, which means that I didn't get my blog written. I debated post-dating a blog entry, which is totally possible, but that would feel like lying, and those who know me know how I feel about lying. So, if you noticed that I didn't get an entry written last night, I apologize.
Yesterday was a busy. I worked at the post office, by myself, in the morning. I started the shift by forgetting to scan something, which caused a little stress. But the customer (one of our neighbors, of course) was kind enough to bring it in this morning, so we got it scanned and all was right with the world. This was my first time working by myself, so there was a reasonable amount of nerves for the first few minutes. I talked to my postmaster a few times during the day, but I think it worked out fine.
After working, I ran over to the school for our class, and then headed home, with 3 of the 4 kids. Allen was so excited to have NO practice!
I managed to get a migraine, so I headed off to bed and left Patrick in charge for the night. He had to feed the kids, do all of Ryan's meds, and get them off to bed (at some point). Apparently, he did fine because when I woke up this morning, the kids were all in bed, dishes and pots and pans were on the stove (waiting patiently for me to clean them) and Ryan was fine. Who knew that my husband could actually be responsible?
Today, Allen and Connor went into town with me. They needed their allergy shots and I needed groceries. I'm not having Thanksgiving at my house, but I do have to feed my family on other days, and somehow, I was out of milk, again. We also stopped and got new headphones for the boys. Connor has re-found his MP3 player, so he was excited to use his ear buds and listen to his music. Ahh, it's the little things (like the Hershey's candy bars on sale for $0.68...)
Patrick and Grandpa were awesome and took my garbage to the dump. We've been trying to get to the dump for a few weeks now, but something (like snow or wind) always seemed to come up. Today was no exception, with the rain and sleet, but they braved the weather and got rid of my garbage! Woo hoo!
The boys spent the rest of the afternoon playing games, and I read my book (I'm reading 'The Count of Monte Cristo', which is much better than I expected!) I mixed up and baked my pumpkin pies, but I didn't feel like making dinner, so I subjected the kids to their own devices. Which means that when I offered to make hot dogs, they all said, "me too!". So, I ended up making dinner anyway. I don't feel bad about feeding them junk for dinner tonight, since we are all going to pig out tomorrow... it's kind of like fasting.
What I cooked today:
Pumpkin Pies x 4: I'm making dessert for tomorrow, and Friday, so I just made 4 of them tonight. It's been a while since I've made pumpkin pie, and pie crust, so I was a little worried. But it turned out fine (after I asked Patrick to stop making suggestions). I spilled a little pie mix in the oven, which caused a lot of smoke, but they smelled good by the end. Now, I just have to hope they taste good!
Update:
No, I didn't fall off the face of the earth. I was tired and fell asleep early last night, which means that I didn't get my blog written. I debated post-dating a blog entry, which is totally possible, but that would feel like lying, and those who know me know how I feel about lying. So, if you noticed that I didn't get an entry written last night, I apologize.
Yesterday was a busy. I worked at the post office, by myself, in the morning. I started the shift by forgetting to scan something, which caused a little stress. But the customer (one of our neighbors, of course) was kind enough to bring it in this morning, so we got it scanned and all was right with the world. This was my first time working by myself, so there was a reasonable amount of nerves for the first few minutes. I talked to my postmaster a few times during the day, but I think it worked out fine.
After working, I ran over to the school for our class, and then headed home, with 3 of the 4 kids. Allen was so excited to have NO practice!
I managed to get a migraine, so I headed off to bed and left Patrick in charge for the night. He had to feed the kids, do all of Ryan's meds, and get them off to bed (at some point). Apparently, he did fine because when I woke up this morning, the kids were all in bed, dishes and pots and pans were on the stove (waiting patiently for me to clean them) and Ryan was fine. Who knew that my husband could actually be responsible?
Today, Allen and Connor went into town with me. They needed their allergy shots and I needed groceries. I'm not having Thanksgiving at my house, but I do have to feed my family on other days, and somehow, I was out of milk, again. We also stopped and got new headphones for the boys. Connor has re-found his MP3 player, so he was excited to use his ear buds and listen to his music. Ahh, it's the little things (like the Hershey's candy bars on sale for $0.68...)
Patrick and Grandpa were awesome and took my garbage to the dump. We've been trying to get to the dump for a few weeks now, but something (like snow or wind) always seemed to come up. Today was no exception, with the rain and sleet, but they braved the weather and got rid of my garbage! Woo hoo!
The boys spent the rest of the afternoon playing games, and I read my book (I'm reading 'The Count of Monte Cristo', which is much better than I expected!) I mixed up and baked my pumpkin pies, but I didn't feel like making dinner, so I subjected the kids to their own devices. Which means that when I offered to make hot dogs, they all said, "me too!". So, I ended up making dinner anyway. I don't feel bad about feeding them junk for dinner tonight, since we are all going to pig out tomorrow... it's kind of like fasting.
Sunday, October 28, 2012
October 28, 2012
Outside Temp: 52 F (yes, 52... it's almost hot outside! )
What I cooked today:
Pancakes: I spoiled the kids with pancakes this morning. I haven't made pancakes in a while, so I thought I'd break out the skillet. Of course, as usual I didn't make enough, so I didn't get any. But perhaps that is a good thing, since it keeps me from drowning my food in syrup.
Papa Murphy's Pizza: We debated while in town today, whether or not to get pizza. By 6pm, we decided that I didn't want to deal with making something for dinner, so we ended up with pizza. We now have tons of leftover pizza.. I guess it wasn't such a good idea.
Update:
Ahhh, a nice Sunday with no requirements.
I made sure the boys got their homework done early, then we headed into town. We needed to get Halloween costumes for everyone, so we brought Katie and Ryan with us (Allen gave us his list, and Connor didn't really care). Ryan had so much fun in the costume store, that we had a hard time getting him out.
I was glad that we got our weekly shopping done, but it meant that we missed the benefit and auction for a member of our community. There were plenty of things I was looking forward to 'bidding' on! I heard that it was a great success, and the food was wonderful! The Grandparents brought us back some leftovers (which will be awesome for lunch tomorrow), and a yummy cake for dessert!
Somehow, the weekend is over. I'm not quite sure where it went, but I think we got a few things accomplished. I still have a dishwasher sitting in my front room, waiting to get installed. I also have plywood in my garage, waiting to replace the skirt on my house. I think this next week will have a little better weather, and perhaps I can get my husband to finish some of the 'house projects' before the next snow hits!
What I cooked today:
Pancakes: I spoiled the kids with pancakes this morning. I haven't made pancakes in a while, so I thought I'd break out the skillet. Of course, as usual I didn't make enough, so I didn't get any. But perhaps that is a good thing, since it keeps me from drowning my food in syrup.
Papa Murphy's Pizza: We debated while in town today, whether or not to get pizza. By 6pm, we decided that I didn't want to deal with making something for dinner, so we ended up with pizza. We now have tons of leftover pizza.. I guess it wasn't such a good idea.
Update:
Ahhh, a nice Sunday with no requirements.
I made sure the boys got their homework done early, then we headed into town. We needed to get Halloween costumes for everyone, so we brought Katie and Ryan with us (Allen gave us his list, and Connor didn't really care). Ryan had so much fun in the costume store, that we had a hard time getting him out.
I was glad that we got our weekly shopping done, but it meant that we missed the benefit and auction for a member of our community. There were plenty of things I was looking forward to 'bidding' on! I heard that it was a great success, and the food was wonderful! The Grandparents brought us back some leftovers (which will be awesome for lunch tomorrow), and a yummy cake for dessert!
Somehow, the weekend is over. I'm not quite sure where it went, but I think we got a few things accomplished. I still have a dishwasher sitting in my front room, waiting to get installed. I also have plywood in my garage, waiting to replace the skirt on my house. I think this next week will have a little better weather, and perhaps I can get my husband to finish some of the 'house projects' before the next snow hits!
Sunday, October 14, 2012
October 14, 2012
Outside Temp: 62 F (strange weather today... cloudy, then a little rain, and now it's warmer and windy. Not sure what to expect tomorrow)
What I cooked today:
French Toast and Bacon: I totally spoiled my family this morning, with the chance to wake up to the awesome smell of bacon. Is there anything better on a Sunday morning? The french toast was just an added bonus.
Burgers and French Fries: I was going to make soup, but I just didn't feel like it. So, I went with the easy old standby. I think I'll get back into my 'schedule' tomorrow.
Update:
I had a fun day today. We had a 'Harvest Dinner' in Belt at the church. I got to go and help sell our cookbooks with another (totally fabulous) neighbor. The two of us sat and chatted for hours! We have been here for over a year, but there are still people that I don't know. She was kind enough to help me with names and faces, which will totally help in that embarrassing, "Hi! I know you, but I don't have a clue what your name is..." moment. Not that it ever happens to me!
I also got to enjoy the wonderful food. We had pasta with chicken and Alfredo sauce (or marinara with meatballs, but I LOVE Alfredo, so I went that direction), along with a wide assortment of salads and desserts. Yummy! But I think the best was the 4 hours of chatting with another adult with no kids. Who knew how fun that can be!
Afterwards, I took Ryan into town and picked up a few things that we missed yesterday. Somehow, I was able to hit 6 stores, get everything I needed, and get out of town in less than 1 1/2 hours. I made it home in plenty of time to take a short nap and then get dinner together.
And, somehow, my weekend is over already. Next week is a short week for school, since they have Montana Teacher Conferences on Thursday and Friday, so we get two days off school! Woo hoo!
What I cooked today:
French Toast and Bacon: I totally spoiled my family this morning, with the chance to wake up to the awesome smell of bacon. Is there anything better on a Sunday morning? The french toast was just an added bonus.
Burgers and French Fries: I was going to make soup, but I just didn't feel like it. So, I went with the easy old standby. I think I'll get back into my 'schedule' tomorrow.
Update:
I had a fun day today. We had a 'Harvest Dinner' in Belt at the church. I got to go and help sell our cookbooks with another (totally fabulous) neighbor. The two of us sat and chatted for hours! We have been here for over a year, but there are still people that I don't know. She was kind enough to help me with names and faces, which will totally help in that embarrassing, "Hi! I know you, but I don't have a clue what your name is..." moment. Not that it ever happens to me!
I also got to enjoy the wonderful food. We had pasta with chicken and Alfredo sauce (or marinara with meatballs, but I LOVE Alfredo, so I went that direction), along with a wide assortment of salads and desserts. Yummy! But I think the best was the 4 hours of chatting with another adult with no kids. Who knew how fun that can be!
Afterwards, I took Ryan into town and picked up a few things that we missed yesterday. Somehow, I was able to hit 6 stores, get everything I needed, and get out of town in less than 1 1/2 hours. I made it home in plenty of time to take a short nap and then get dinner together.
And, somehow, my weekend is over already. Next week is a short week for school, since they have Montana Teacher Conferences on Thursday and Friday, so we get two days off school! Woo hoo!
Saturday, October 13, 2012
October 13, 2012
Outside Temp: 52 F (it was in the 60s today, and quite windy... in town, the leaves were changing colors and it felt like fall...)
What I cooked today:
Scrambled Eggs: I made up eggs for breakfast, which I guess counts as cooking something. We were gone most of the day, so I didn't make dinner...
Update:
I've decided that I love Saturdays.
I got to sleep in, at least until 9am, which made me happy. I think the kids woke up a little earlier, and I had to wake up enough to ask them to turn off their music, games noise, etc. But, I stayed in bed, with my eyes closed, until at least 9am, which was so stinking awesome.
We had church today, with a very interesting homily about politics (in general) and how immature some of our politicians behave. It begged the question of why we refer to our politicians as 'your honor' and give them respect as expected by their position, and then allow them to behave so inappropriately.
After church, Patrick, Allen and I headed into town for some shopping. I have to remember in the future that some places close down early on Saturday. I missed the meat counter at Albertsons, and I missed the pharmacy at CVS. But, we did make it to the library, where Allen found a few books on Socrates for his report due sometime next week (or maybe the week after, he's not really sure).
We also hit a couple other stores, and spent way too much time (and money) in town. But, I'm sure Katie will enjoy her new winter coat, and Allen really needed new basketball shoes, and that new shower head will make our shower much better...
I also picked up my Bountiful Baskets. This week, I went for the 25 lbs of Green Apples, which I'm sure will be turned into at least 1 apple pie sometime this week. I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to go through 25 lbs of apples, but I figure that my oldest will end up eating half of them... he LOVES apples! We also got a pineapple, which I thought was just awesome.
What I cooked today:
Scrambled Eggs: I made up eggs for breakfast, which I guess counts as cooking something. We were gone most of the day, so I didn't make dinner...
Update:
I've decided that I love Saturdays.
I got to sleep in, at least until 9am, which made me happy. I think the kids woke up a little earlier, and I had to wake up enough to ask them to turn off their music, games noise, etc. But, I stayed in bed, with my eyes closed, until at least 9am, which was so stinking awesome.
We had church today, with a very interesting homily about politics (in general) and how immature some of our politicians behave. It begged the question of why we refer to our politicians as 'your honor' and give them respect as expected by their position, and then allow them to behave so inappropriately.
After church, Patrick, Allen and I headed into town for some shopping. I have to remember in the future that some places close down early on Saturday. I missed the meat counter at Albertsons, and I missed the pharmacy at CVS. But, we did make it to the library, where Allen found a few books on Socrates for his report due sometime next week (or maybe the week after, he's not really sure).
We also hit a couple other stores, and spent way too much time (and money) in town. But, I'm sure Katie will enjoy her new winter coat, and Allen really needed new basketball shoes, and that new shower head will make our shower much better...
I also picked up my Bountiful Baskets. This week, I went for the 25 lbs of Green Apples, which I'm sure will be turned into at least 1 apple pie sometime this week. I'm not sure exactly how I'm going to go through 25 lbs of apples, but I figure that my oldest will end up eating half of them... he LOVES apples! We also got a pineapple, which I thought was just awesome.
Sunday, October 7, 2012
October 7, 2012
Outside Temp: 37 F (it was 64 today! I was walking around in a thin short sleeved shirt, with no jacket... I bet that tomorrow, I'll need snow boots!)
What I cooked today:
Pork chops: I picked up a 'pork loin' on sale this week, then I realized I have no idea what to do with it. So I asked my resident cooking expert (Patrick's mom), and she said that yes, I can just slice it up and make boneless pork chops. A little bit of Shake & Bake, and my family was so excited! I only used up half of the loin, so I can do it again in a day or two! Woo hoo!
Update:
So, about 1 1/2 years ago, while we were still in that other place, I learned about coupons. I'm not psycho about them, but I do keep track of them and watch a couple blogs that let me know the best price for things.
When I was first starting out, I realized that I never had to pay full price for toothpaste. Sometimes, I could get it for free. Just wait for the sale to match the coupon price, and voila, free toothpaste. And, when you are first starting something new and exciting, you kind of go overboard.
Within the first 2 months, I probably had 15 boxes of toothpaste. At this point, I decided that even if the toothpaste was free, I wouldn't buy it. The first few months, it was hard. I mean, who can pass up free? But, I realized when we were packing to move, that I had a box entirely devoted to free or almost free 'personal care' products. Shampoo, conditioner, soap, body wash, razors, shave gel, and lots and lots of toothpaste.
So, you can imagine my surprise when the kids let me know on Friday that we were out of toothpaste. I said, grab a new box from the pile. To which I was informed that there was no stash. No more toothpaste.
I guess with 6 people regularly brushing their teeth, every day and every night, you actually use up toothpaste. Not to mention that my kids are not exactly precise with their toothpaste usage. More than once, I have had to clean up globs of toothpaste on the sink or the faucet or the mirror (don't ask).
So, then comes the moment I'd been dreading since we got here. We are out of toothpaste, and I have to drive into town on a day I'm not scheduled to drive into town, just to get a $3 box of toothpaste. I was able to get 2 extra days of toothpaste out of the 'almost' empty tube, but it was imperative that we got toothpaste this weekend.
As always, I can come up with something to get while there. I picked up Ryan's meds, got more milk and cheese, canned tomatoes were on sale, and, oh, those little 3M hooks so I can hang things without putting holes in the walls (it's still not our house, I don't want to damage the walls), so the trip wasn't a waste of gas money.
The worst part was that I didn't have the coupon to match the sale price on toothpaste. I did get a $3 back on a $4 tube of Crest Complete, so that helped. And the Aquafresh was on sale 2/$3, so $1.50 isn't bad. But, now I have to add toothpaste back on my list of 'If it's on sale, buy it'. That list is the reason I have 13 boxes of cereal, and a case of kidney beans, and about 14 little bottles of vinegar, and about 11 bottles of shampoo and conditioner.
But, on the bright side, I now know that my family uses up about 12 tubes of toothpaste in a year, or about 2 tube per person per year. Allen is 14, Connor is 11, Katie is 10, Ryan is 8, which would come out to about 4 years for Allen, 7 for Connor, 8 for Katie and 10 for Ryan, which is 58 tubes plus 40 for Patrick and I, which is 98 tubes.
If I collect 100 tubes of toothpaste, we will go through them all before Ryan is 18. So, perhaps I can start buying toothpaste after all!
What I cooked today:
Pork chops: I picked up a 'pork loin' on sale this week, then I realized I have no idea what to do with it. So I asked my resident cooking expert (Patrick's mom), and she said that yes, I can just slice it up and make boneless pork chops. A little bit of Shake & Bake, and my family was so excited! I only used up half of the loin, so I can do it again in a day or two! Woo hoo!
Update:
So, about 1 1/2 years ago, while we were still in that other place, I learned about coupons. I'm not psycho about them, but I do keep track of them and watch a couple blogs that let me know the best price for things.
When I was first starting out, I realized that I never had to pay full price for toothpaste. Sometimes, I could get it for free. Just wait for the sale to match the coupon price, and voila, free toothpaste. And, when you are first starting something new and exciting, you kind of go overboard.
Within the first 2 months, I probably had 15 boxes of toothpaste. At this point, I decided that even if the toothpaste was free, I wouldn't buy it. The first few months, it was hard. I mean, who can pass up free? But, I realized when we were packing to move, that I had a box entirely devoted to free or almost free 'personal care' products. Shampoo, conditioner, soap, body wash, razors, shave gel, and lots and lots of toothpaste.
So, you can imagine my surprise when the kids let me know on Friday that we were out of toothpaste. I said, grab a new box from the pile. To which I was informed that there was no stash. No more toothpaste.
I guess with 6 people regularly brushing their teeth, every day and every night, you actually use up toothpaste. Not to mention that my kids are not exactly precise with their toothpaste usage. More than once, I have had to clean up globs of toothpaste on the sink or the faucet or the mirror (don't ask).
So, then comes the moment I'd been dreading since we got here. We are out of toothpaste, and I have to drive into town on a day I'm not scheduled to drive into town, just to get a $3 box of toothpaste. I was able to get 2 extra days of toothpaste out of the 'almost' empty tube, but it was imperative that we got toothpaste this weekend.
As always, I can come up with something to get while there. I picked up Ryan's meds, got more milk and cheese, canned tomatoes were on sale, and, oh, those little 3M hooks so I can hang things without putting holes in the walls (it's still not our house, I don't want to damage the walls), so the trip wasn't a waste of gas money.
The worst part was that I didn't have the coupon to match the sale price on toothpaste. I did get a $3 back on a $4 tube of Crest Complete, so that helped. And the Aquafresh was on sale 2/$3, so $1.50 isn't bad. But, now I have to add toothpaste back on my list of 'If it's on sale, buy it'. That list is the reason I have 13 boxes of cereal, and a case of kidney beans, and about 14 little bottles of vinegar, and about 11 bottles of shampoo and conditioner.
But, on the bright side, I now know that my family uses up about 12 tubes of toothpaste in a year, or about 2 tube per person per year. Allen is 14, Connor is 11, Katie is 10, Ryan is 8, which would come out to about 4 years for Allen, 7 for Connor, 8 for Katie and 10 for Ryan, which is 58 tubes plus 40 for Patrick and I, which is 98 tubes.
If I collect 100 tubes of toothpaste, we will go through them all before Ryan is 18. So, perhaps I can start buying toothpaste after all!
Wednesday, September 26, 2012
September 26, 2012
Outside Temp: 47 F (another beautiful day... I'm loving this weather.)
What I cooked today:
Nothing... wasn't home enough to cook, but I did get some dishes done, so that helps.
Update:
I got to sleep in this morning. Okay, I still got up at 6:45, got the kids up and ready for school. But at 7:30, I was back in bed, snoring away.
Sometime around 10:30, I woke back up, with enough time to get back to the school and get Ryan at 11. Our school had an 'early out' at 1, for teacher training, so I had to run back to the school at noon for my class. At 1pm, I grabbed all 3 kids and raced back home. I loaded up my entire family, and we headed into town.
Allen, Connor and Katie all needed some immunizations (they were all missing one or two), and of course, we needed to get the flu shots. Oh, and let's get Ryan's labs while we're there.
When we got to the pediatric floor, to get Ryan's labs drawn, the floor had about 8 nursing students. We got to have them come into our 'treatment room', to watch Ryan get his labs drawn off his line, and talk about his condition and history. It's always fun for us to be able to explain his situation, and especially discuss problems we've had, or prepare nursing students for things that might go wrong. The students were great, and they had some really good questions. I hope they learned something today!
After that, we ran the other 3 kids over to clinic. We set up their 'primary' doctor a few months ago, but we hadn't had a reason to bring them into get a baseline visit. We used the excuse of the immunizations to bring them in, have them meet their doctor, and get that baseline info.
The clinic was great, and we really like our doctor. She had us scheduled back to back, in fact, she just scheduled an hour for our family, rather than the 'suggested' 30 minutes per patient. This worked out great for us, since we could all go into the room together, we all got weighed at the same time, we all got blood pressures at the same time, the nurse pulled up all our immunizations at the same time and we could just run through it quickly and easily. This worked out fabulous for us! And she even threw in a flu shot for Ryan, even though he wasn't officially scheduled.
After clinic, we brought the kids over to Macaroni Grill for an early dinner. Then, we did some shopping, and ended our trek into town with a trip to Baskin Robbins (it was buy one sundae, and get 2nd free... we ended up with 4 sundaes out of the deal!). Allen managed to get his all his homework done in the car, and Katie and Connor only had a little bit to complete once we got home.
The only bad side was that Ryan picked up a new movie, but didn't have the time to watch it, since it was bedtime once we got home. Oh well, he can watch it tomorrow!
What I cooked today:
Nothing... wasn't home enough to cook, but I did get some dishes done, so that helps.
Update:
I got to sleep in this morning. Okay, I still got up at 6:45, got the kids up and ready for school. But at 7:30, I was back in bed, snoring away.
Sometime around 10:30, I woke back up, with enough time to get back to the school and get Ryan at 11. Our school had an 'early out' at 1, for teacher training, so I had to run back to the school at noon for my class. At 1pm, I grabbed all 3 kids and raced back home. I loaded up my entire family, and we headed into town.
Allen, Connor and Katie all needed some immunizations (they were all missing one or two), and of course, we needed to get the flu shots. Oh, and let's get Ryan's labs while we're there.
When we got to the pediatric floor, to get Ryan's labs drawn, the floor had about 8 nursing students. We got to have them come into our 'treatment room', to watch Ryan get his labs drawn off his line, and talk about his condition and history. It's always fun for us to be able to explain his situation, and especially discuss problems we've had, or prepare nursing students for things that might go wrong. The students were great, and they had some really good questions. I hope they learned something today!
After that, we ran the other 3 kids over to clinic. We set up their 'primary' doctor a few months ago, but we hadn't had a reason to bring them into get a baseline visit. We used the excuse of the immunizations to bring them in, have them meet their doctor, and get that baseline info.
The clinic was great, and we really like our doctor. She had us scheduled back to back, in fact, she just scheduled an hour for our family, rather than the 'suggested' 30 minutes per patient. This worked out great for us, since we could all go into the room together, we all got weighed at the same time, we all got blood pressures at the same time, the nurse pulled up all our immunizations at the same time and we could just run through it quickly and easily. This worked out fabulous for us! And she even threw in a flu shot for Ryan, even though he wasn't officially scheduled.
After clinic, we brought the kids over to Macaroni Grill for an early dinner. Then, we did some shopping, and ended our trek into town with a trip to Baskin Robbins (it was buy one sundae, and get 2nd free... we ended up with 4 sundaes out of the deal!). Allen managed to get his all his homework done in the car, and Katie and Connor only had a little bit to complete once we got home.
The only bad side was that Ryan picked up a new movie, but didn't have the time to watch it, since it was bedtime once we got home. Oh well, he can watch it tomorrow!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
September 19, 2012
Outside Temp: 50 F (it was warm enough to need the A/C in the car, but not so hot that we needed it in the house. I take that as a win.)
What I cooked today:
Nothing... to busy.
Update:
Allen was feeling well enough to go to school, although I'm sure there was some debate from the other students and teachers. He was still coughing, but said he was glad he went, since he would have hated to miss another day of school.
He even attempted to go to Football practice. He didn't participate in the practice, but was able to listen to the coach, as they went over new plays. He said that he will go again tomorrow, because he misses too much when he stayed home. I love how dedicated he is! He seemed to be feeling better this evening, so I dosed him with some NyQuil, and he should be better by the morning.
I spent the morning in town, doing my weekly shopping. This weekend is Homecoming, so I'll be spending most of Friday and Saturday at the school, which doesn't leave much time for shopping. And, somehow, I still made it back in time to get to our Web Design class.
When I got home, Patrick let me know that one of my amazing friends had left me some raw honey. A lot of the ranches out here have bees, so they apparently have lots of raw honey, just taking up space. We now have 2 jugs of it! I'm so excited. Of course, I have no idea what to do with it now, but I'm excited just the same. (I've heard that you heat it up, and you can use it just like regular processed honey... we'll see.)
And, I got to top off my evening with an amazing group of women at our book club! This month's book was kind of hard for me to get into, mostly because I was so busy, I couldn't really find the time to read. I didn't get all the way finished, so I had to get the ending from the girls. I asked if I could keep the book for an extra day, so I could finish it. The funny part is that I didn't really like the book, but I have this problem where once I start a book, I really, really want to finish it. Just one of my many little quirks.
What I cooked today:
Nothing... to busy.
Update:
Allen was feeling well enough to go to school, although I'm sure there was some debate from the other students and teachers. He was still coughing, but said he was glad he went, since he would have hated to miss another day of school.
He even attempted to go to Football practice. He didn't participate in the practice, but was able to listen to the coach, as they went over new plays. He said that he will go again tomorrow, because he misses too much when he stayed home. I love how dedicated he is! He seemed to be feeling better this evening, so I dosed him with some NyQuil, and he should be better by the morning.
I spent the morning in town, doing my weekly shopping. This weekend is Homecoming, so I'll be spending most of Friday and Saturday at the school, which doesn't leave much time for shopping. And, somehow, I still made it back in time to get to our Web Design class.
When I got home, Patrick let me know that one of my amazing friends had left me some raw honey. A lot of the ranches out here have bees, so they apparently have lots of raw honey, just taking up space. We now have 2 jugs of it! I'm so excited. Of course, I have no idea what to do with it now, but I'm excited just the same. (I've heard that you heat it up, and you can use it just like regular processed honey... we'll see.)
And, I got to top off my evening with an amazing group of women at our book club! This month's book was kind of hard for me to get into, mostly because I was so busy, I couldn't really find the time to read. I didn't get all the way finished, so I had to get the ending from the girls. I asked if I could keep the book for an extra day, so I could finish it. The funny part is that I didn't really like the book, but I have this problem where once I start a book, I really, really want to finish it. Just one of my many little quirks.
Friday, September 14, 2012
September 14, 2012
Outside Temp: 56 F (it was 84 today, but it was hard to tell through all the smoke. Ugh, I miss my clear Montana skies.)
What I cooked today:
Spaghetti Sauce: I decided early this morning that I was going to make dinner, if it killed me. So, I started the spaghetti sauce early (around 9am, which is early for me). Of course, I didn't have about 4 of the items I needed, since I haven't thought about cooking in so long. It turned out fine, but it could have been better. Oh well! There was dinner on the table and it wasn't burgers!
Update:
You know those days where you are running all day long? Yea, that was today.
I got the kids on the bus, and started. I worked for a little bit this morning, but got out of here by 9:30, which got me into town around 10am.
From there, I stopped at:
Walgreens - to return an item.
CVS - to use up my $10 cash back coupon from 3 weeks ago, before it expired
Hostess - to get bread
Wal-Mart - I was going to pick up Allen's glasses, but realized I needed his head. useless stop
Smiths - Groceries
Office Max - I got a dry erase calendar for Allen to keep track of homework, and a packet of pens for $0.50!
Scheels - to return Katie's volleyball shorts that were too big, and get Allen's socks, in black this time.
Target - Really good deal on Listerine
Albertsons - Detergent and toilet cleaner were on sale.
Hardee's (Carl's Jr.) - I had to eat sometime...
And, I managed to be on the road out of the Great Falls by 12:04.
Which got me home with just enough time to breathe, check my e-mail, say hi to Ryan, before I headed over to the school for our Web Design class.
School was over at 2:30, so Connor and I headed home.
Then I was back at the school at 5pm, to get Allen from practice.
And, finally, I went back to the school at 7pm to get Katie from her game in Harlowtown.
Dinner was on the table by 8pm.
Tomorrow, will be quite busy as well, with both Allen's and Katie's games in Stanford. But, at least that's only 2 trips!
What I cooked today:
Spaghetti Sauce: I decided early this morning that I was going to make dinner, if it killed me. So, I started the spaghetti sauce early (around 9am, which is early for me). Of course, I didn't have about 4 of the items I needed, since I haven't thought about cooking in so long. It turned out fine, but it could have been better. Oh well! There was dinner on the table and it wasn't burgers!
Update:
You know those days where you are running all day long? Yea, that was today.
I got the kids on the bus, and started. I worked for a little bit this morning, but got out of here by 9:30, which got me into town around 10am.
From there, I stopped at:
Walgreens - to return an item.
CVS - to use up my $10 cash back coupon from 3 weeks ago, before it expired
Hostess - to get bread
Wal-Mart - I was going to pick up Allen's glasses, but realized I needed his head. useless stop
Smiths - Groceries
Office Max - I got a dry erase calendar for Allen to keep track of homework, and a packet of pens for $0.50!
Scheels - to return Katie's volleyball shorts that were too big, and get Allen's socks, in black this time.
Target - Really good deal on Listerine
Albertsons - Detergent and toilet cleaner were on sale.
Hardee's (Carl's Jr.) - I had to eat sometime...
And, I managed to be on the road out of the Great Falls by 12:04.
Which got me home with just enough time to breathe, check my e-mail, say hi to Ryan, before I headed over to the school for our Web Design class.
School was over at 2:30, so Connor and I headed home.
Then I was back at the school at 5pm, to get Allen from practice.
And, finally, I went back to the school at 7pm to get Katie from her game in Harlowtown.
Dinner was on the table by 8pm.
Tomorrow, will be quite busy as well, with both Allen's and Katie's games in Stanford. But, at least that's only 2 trips!
Friday, August 10, 2012
August 10, 2012
Outside Temp: 65 F (much cooler today, in the mid 80's and overcast most of the day!)
What I cooked today:
Burgers and Tater Tots: The kids all cheered when I told them what I was making for dinner. I guess the old standby isn't too boring around here.
Update:
We had a very lazy day today. Played games, read books, watched movies and TV shows (Katie's next two disks of Leverage, the TV Show, came in the mail from Netflix, so that took up about 5 hours of the day).
Patrick went into town with his dad, and I entrusted him to stop at Staples and pick up some school supplies. I've been watching the sales for the last few weeks, and (since we got our supply list from the school) I've made up my lists. I already had a little over half the list, but still had plenty to get. I'd been waiting for a good sale price on filler paper, since I didn't want to pay $1 a package for paper. There was a sale at Staples, and I didn't want to drive all the way into town, to attempt to save $0.99 on paper. That makes no sense.
However, I rarely allow Patrick to go shopping. He's notoriously bad at it, and he always picks up something that is not on my list. Since I'll be in town next week, I know I'll be able to finish out my list, but I really wanted to try to get this deal before the sale ends. So, I thought I'd try it. After all, how bad could it go?
The deal was simple. You get paper at $0.01 (max of 5), if you spend $5.00. So, I had to create a list for him that got items on my list, at a good price, and didn't overpay for those items. But, I had to make sure that they met the $5.00 minimum price, without going too far over.
The list included 2 pencil boxes, a 2pk of scissors, 4 2pks of pens, 2 pks of dry erase markers, and (of course) the paper. The total should have been $5.05, exactly (since we don't have sales tax here... woo hoo). I warned him that it is common (especially at the end of the sale) that the wouldn't have everything on the list. He could add and subtract items, as long as he got the deal on the paper. I even sent him with the flyer, with all the items circled and numbered.
So, I was totally amazed when he came home with everything on the list. They had run out of the 2pk of pens, so he supplemented with erasers, but the total on the receipt was exactly $5.05. And I got my 5 packages of filler paper! Wow! I might just trust him with my shopping again, assuming that I send him with a detailed, color coded list, complete with pictures.
That all being said, he did go to Sam's Club with his dad and spend about $25 on chips, nuts, popcorn and pasta. All my careful planning and budgeting goes out the window when he goes to Sam's Club.
What I cooked today:
Burgers and Tater Tots: The kids all cheered when I told them what I was making for dinner. I guess the old standby isn't too boring around here.
Update:
We had a very lazy day today. Played games, read books, watched movies and TV shows (Katie's next two disks of Leverage, the TV Show, came in the mail from Netflix, so that took up about 5 hours of the day).
Patrick went into town with his dad, and I entrusted him to stop at Staples and pick up some school supplies. I've been watching the sales for the last few weeks, and (since we got our supply list from the school) I've made up my lists. I already had a little over half the list, but still had plenty to get. I'd been waiting for a good sale price on filler paper, since I didn't want to pay $1 a package for paper. There was a sale at Staples, and I didn't want to drive all the way into town, to attempt to save $0.99 on paper. That makes no sense.
However, I rarely allow Patrick to go shopping. He's notoriously bad at it, and he always picks up something that is not on my list. Since I'll be in town next week, I know I'll be able to finish out my list, but I really wanted to try to get this deal before the sale ends. So, I thought I'd try it. After all, how bad could it go?
The deal was simple. You get paper at $0.01 (max of 5), if you spend $5.00. So, I had to create a list for him that got items on my list, at a good price, and didn't overpay for those items. But, I had to make sure that they met the $5.00 minimum price, without going too far over.
The list included 2 pencil boxes, a 2pk of scissors, 4 2pks of pens, 2 pks of dry erase markers, and (of course) the paper. The total should have been $5.05, exactly (since we don't have sales tax here... woo hoo). I warned him that it is common (especially at the end of the sale) that the wouldn't have everything on the list. He could add and subtract items, as long as he got the deal on the paper. I even sent him with the flyer, with all the items circled and numbered.
So, I was totally amazed when he came home with everything on the list. They had run out of the 2pk of pens, so he supplemented with erasers, but the total on the receipt was exactly $5.05. And I got my 5 packages of filler paper! Wow! I might just trust him with my shopping again, assuming that I send him with a detailed, color coded list, complete with pictures.
That all being said, he did go to Sam's Club with his dad and spend about $25 on chips, nuts, popcorn and pasta. All my careful planning and budgeting goes out the window when he goes to Sam's Club.
Thursday, July 19, 2012
July 19, 2012
Outside Temp: 63F (it was 97 degrees at the house today! Ugh. )
What I cooked today:
Mexican Lasagna: Patrick asked for this one, so I was more than willing to oblige! It's so easy and I already had some fresh salsa made up. The kids were worried, since if I use pre-made salsa, it's usually too hot. But, since I made the salsa from scratch, it was really, really mild and the kids loved it!
Update:
I decided that, since we had stuff to do this weekend, I would use today to get my shopping done.
With school starting in a few weeks, the 'Back to School' sales are in full swing. I made my list based on what I think is the best price for certain items. Hopefully, if I do this every week, for the next 3 weeks, I won't have to spend too much extra for anything. I really hope that we get 'supply lists' for the school, but I have last year's lists, so I'm going off that. I was most excited about the 8GB flash drive for $5.99. Awesome.
The only problem with today, was that it was in the high 90's today. I had about 9 stops today, so, I found that the car would be cool when I stopped at a store. Then I would go into the store, make my purchases, and come back out to the car. Of course, the car would be about 120 degrees, so I would open the windows and blast the AC for about 4 miles. I would get to my next location just as the car was cooling down. I would get out, go into the store, make my purchases, and come back out and the car would be 120 degrees, again. Over and over and over. By my 7th stop, I actually considered leaving the car running, with the AC going, as I ran into the store. But no, common sense won out and I shut off the car, and just accepted the annoyance of re-cooling the car again.
I did reward myself with a Blizzard on the drive home, so it wasn't all annoying!
This evening, Patrick went to a meeting for our Volunteer Fire Department. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, we don't have a formal fire department. Ours is entirely staffed by volunteers, which is kind of awesome in it's own way.
Of course, most of the guys knew who he was, but hadn't really ever seen him. They knew me, of course, but hadn't really met him. He doesn't get out as much as I do. So, it was a great opportunity for him to get to know the guys around here. I'm not sure how much he will actually be doing, but it seems only right for him to be a part of the team. After all, since he works from home, he's here... all the time.
So, we held dinner for him, until I decided not to wait any longer, and I went over to the fire hall to 'hurry him up'. Of course, he's sitting there, hanging out with the guys, talking... for the last 3 hours. Typical. Next time, I'll remember that guys sometimes need to sit around and BS, just like women do!
What I cooked today:
Mexican Lasagna: Patrick asked for this one, so I was more than willing to oblige! It's so easy and I already had some fresh salsa made up. The kids were worried, since if I use pre-made salsa, it's usually too hot. But, since I made the salsa from scratch, it was really, really mild and the kids loved it!
Update:
I decided that, since we had stuff to do this weekend, I would use today to get my shopping done.
With school starting in a few weeks, the 'Back to School' sales are in full swing. I made my list based on what I think is the best price for certain items. Hopefully, if I do this every week, for the next 3 weeks, I won't have to spend too much extra for anything. I really hope that we get 'supply lists' for the school, but I have last year's lists, so I'm going off that. I was most excited about the 8GB flash drive for $5.99. Awesome.
The only problem with today, was that it was in the high 90's today. I had about 9 stops today, so, I found that the car would be cool when I stopped at a store. Then I would go into the store, make my purchases, and come back out to the car. Of course, the car would be about 120 degrees, so I would open the windows and blast the AC for about 4 miles. I would get to my next location just as the car was cooling down. I would get out, go into the store, make my purchases, and come back out and the car would be 120 degrees, again. Over and over and over. By my 7th stop, I actually considered leaving the car running, with the AC going, as I ran into the store. But no, common sense won out and I shut off the car, and just accepted the annoyance of re-cooling the car again.
I did reward myself with a Blizzard on the drive home, so it wasn't all annoying!
This evening, Patrick went to a meeting for our Volunteer Fire Department. Out here, in the middle of nowhere, we don't have a formal fire department. Ours is entirely staffed by volunteers, which is kind of awesome in it's own way.
Of course, most of the guys knew who he was, but hadn't really ever seen him. They knew me, of course, but hadn't really met him. He doesn't get out as much as I do. So, it was a great opportunity for him to get to know the guys around here. I'm not sure how much he will actually be doing, but it seems only right for him to be a part of the team. After all, since he works from home, he's here... all the time.
So, we held dinner for him, until I decided not to wait any longer, and I went over to the fire hall to 'hurry him up'. Of course, he's sitting there, hanging out with the guys, talking... for the last 3 hours. Typical. Next time, I'll remember that guys sometimes need to sit around and BS, just like women do!
Sunday, May 20, 2012
May 20, 2012
Outside Temp: 58 F (the high today was 73, with a low of 35... I couldn't ask for a more beautiful day!)
What I cooked today:
Lemon Chicken: I normally bake my Lemon chicken, but I didn't want to spend the time. So, I just made up a lemon sauce, tossed the chicken with some cornstarch, olive oil and green onions, cooked it in a frying pan, added the sauce and let it simmer. I think I'll spend the time baking it next time.. It wasn't bad, but it could have been better!
Update:
And, the sole reason I had children... to have Allen do the lawn mowing so neither Patrick nor I have to mow lawns. Of course, he did a terrible job, missed spots and completely forgot an entire section of the yard. But, hey, I didn't have to do it! And I figure he'll learn as time goes on. (I hope)
So, sometime around 1pm, I got up the bright idea of going into town for shopping. I really didn't want to, since I'm going into town tomorrow anyway, but I got talked into it.
Once there, I just had to buy things. I mean, if I'm going to waste the gas going into town, I might as well get this and that and, oh, I really needed those as well!
I decided to get the split chicken breasts (with rib attached) that were on sale for $1.29/lb, instead of the boneless, skinless chicken breasts that were $2.99/lb. Once I got home, I proceeded to de-bone them and pack them in FoodSaver bags, and into the freezer. I turned 10lbs of boned breasts into 6.5 lbs of boneless breasts. Not too bad! By the 10th breast, I had gotten pretty good at knowing where to cut and how to save as much meat as possible. The bones and excess meat and fat ended up in a Ziploc bag, ready for my next stock day! If I had been really clever, I would have cut up some onion, celery and carrots and thrown them into the bag with the bones. Then, I would just have to take the entire frozen mass, and plop it into the pot to make my stock... next time...
What I cooked today:
Lemon Chicken: I normally bake my Lemon chicken, but I didn't want to spend the time. So, I just made up a lemon sauce, tossed the chicken with some cornstarch, olive oil and green onions, cooked it in a frying pan, added the sauce and let it simmer. I think I'll spend the time baking it next time.. It wasn't bad, but it could have been better!
Update:
Patrick asked Katie to collect some dandelions. He is envisioning planting the seeds and feeding dandelions to the chickens instead of chicken feed or some other plant. I'm just going to sit back and keep my mouth shut.
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And, the sole reason I had children... to have Allen do the lawn mowing so neither Patrick nor I have to mow lawns. Of course, he did a terrible job, missed spots and completely forgot an entire section of the yard. But, hey, I didn't have to do it! And I figure he'll learn as time goes on. (I hope)
So, sometime around 1pm, I got up the bright idea of going into town for shopping. I really didn't want to, since I'm going into town tomorrow anyway, but I got talked into it.
Once there, I just had to buy things. I mean, if I'm going to waste the gas going into town, I might as well get this and that and, oh, I really needed those as well!
I decided to get the split chicken breasts (with rib attached) that were on sale for $1.29/lb, instead of the boneless, skinless chicken breasts that were $2.99/lb. Once I got home, I proceeded to de-bone them and pack them in FoodSaver bags, and into the freezer. I turned 10lbs of boned breasts into 6.5 lbs of boneless breasts. Not too bad! By the 10th breast, I had gotten pretty good at knowing where to cut and how to save as much meat as possible. The bones and excess meat and fat ended up in a Ziploc bag, ready for my next stock day! If I had been really clever, I would have cut up some onion, celery and carrots and thrown them into the bag with the bones. Then, I would just have to take the entire frozen mass, and plop it into the pot to make my stock... next time...
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
May 15, 2012
Outside Temp: 62 F (it was in the high 80's today... ugh, I really miss the snow. But the good news is that it should cool back down to the 60's by Friday... )
What I cooked today:
Nothing: We had dinner up at the Grandparents' house, so I didn't have to cook... which is awesome since it means that I didn't have to heat up my house by using the oven!
Update:
Ugh, I really, really don't like it when it's warm. I know, mid 80's isn't that hot, but I still don't like it. I felt all tired and cranky all day long.
I went into town today. Ryan needed his meds and I figured I'd do some shopping while I was there. And, while there, I did something totally unusual for me. Now, those who know me well, know that I hate shopping. Even more, I hate shopping for clothes. And even more than that, I've never seen the use of having more than one or two pairs of shoes. I usually wear my shoes out until they break, or have holes in them, or are simply falling apart. Then, I proceed to buy the same stinking shoes and use them up. You can usually expect me to own one pair of tennis shoes and one pair of semi-nice shoes that I can wear with a dress or skirt.
Well, since being up here, I can't find my dress shoes, so it was only my tennis shoes for the first few months. Then, the snows hit, so I bought a pair of boots. Sometime around February, I decided that I didn't want to wear my snow boots to church, with a skirt, so I broke down and bought a pair of nice boots. I'm not commenting on the current state of my snow boots, which are not useless (yet) but probably need new laces.
Today (in the heat), I was wearing my tennis shoes to town. But I was hot and wearing socks in the heat just sucks. So, I stopped by Wal-mart (yes, I'm one of those). And I actually went to the shoe section to look for something for my feet. Mostly, I wanted to get some flats to wear with my dresses. I found some simple slip on flats that work, so I picked those up. But that wasn't enough.
I looked through all the options (there were about 6 that made any sense) of sandals. The ones I liked were a little more expensive (like $25 instead of $10). Hmmm, spend $25 on sandals? That's a lot for me. But, hey, I got paid today, so I decided to spoil myself. (I can see so many people laughing right now, at the concept of a $25 pair of Wal-Mart sandals being spoiling, but you have to understand, I don't buy things for myself, and I really don't buy shoes).
As I was walking out of the shoe section, with my new sandals in hand, I saw a pair of black Keds (okay, for those not raised in the 80's, I guess they're not called Keds anymore, but they're the slip on shoes, usually white, with absolutely no support). I decided, since I was over budget anyway, why not get a set of slip-on's that weren't sandals, and weren't dressy.
Oh my goodness, me... buying 3 pairs of shoes? At one time? I think I've been taken over by aliens.
As soon as I got out to the car, I pulled off my tennis shoes and socks, and put on my new sandals. I figured by the end of the day, I would have blisters or I would regret them. Nope. I walked around all day in my new sandals, and my feet felt nice and cool. Okay, not exactly cool, it was still in the 80's. But, I felt good. Hmmm, maybe this is why women spend so much money on new shoes?
What I cooked today:
Nothing: We had dinner up at the Grandparents' house, so I didn't have to cook... which is awesome since it means that I didn't have to heat up my house by using the oven!
Update:
Ugh, I really, really don't like it when it's warm. I know, mid 80's isn't that hot, but I still don't like it. I felt all tired and cranky all day long.
I went into town today. Ryan needed his meds and I figured I'd do some shopping while I was there. And, while there, I did something totally unusual for me. Now, those who know me well, know that I hate shopping. Even more, I hate shopping for clothes. And even more than that, I've never seen the use of having more than one or two pairs of shoes. I usually wear my shoes out until they break, or have holes in them, or are simply falling apart. Then, I proceed to buy the same stinking shoes and use them up. You can usually expect me to own one pair of tennis shoes and one pair of semi-nice shoes that I can wear with a dress or skirt.
Well, since being up here, I can't find my dress shoes, so it was only my tennis shoes for the first few months. Then, the snows hit, so I bought a pair of boots. Sometime around February, I decided that I didn't want to wear my snow boots to church, with a skirt, so I broke down and bought a pair of nice boots. I'm not commenting on the current state of my snow boots, which are not useless (yet) but probably need new laces.
Today (in the heat), I was wearing my tennis shoes to town. But I was hot and wearing socks in the heat just sucks. So, I stopped by Wal-mart (yes, I'm one of those). And I actually went to the shoe section to look for something for my feet. Mostly, I wanted to get some flats to wear with my dresses. I found some simple slip on flats that work, so I picked those up. But that wasn't enough.
I looked through all the options (there were about 6 that made any sense) of sandals. The ones I liked were a little more expensive (like $25 instead of $10). Hmmm, spend $25 on sandals? That's a lot for me. But, hey, I got paid today, so I decided to spoil myself. (I can see so many people laughing right now, at the concept of a $25 pair of Wal-Mart sandals being spoiling, but you have to understand, I don't buy things for myself, and I really don't buy shoes).
As I was walking out of the shoe section, with my new sandals in hand, I saw a pair of black Keds (okay, for those not raised in the 80's, I guess they're not called Keds anymore, but they're the slip on shoes, usually white, with absolutely no support). I decided, since I was over budget anyway, why not get a set of slip-on's that weren't sandals, and weren't dressy.
Oh my goodness, me... buying 3 pairs of shoes? At one time? I think I've been taken over by aliens.
As soon as I got out to the car, I pulled off my tennis shoes and socks, and put on my new sandals. I figured by the end of the day, I would have blisters or I would regret them. Nope. I walked around all day in my new sandals, and my feet felt nice and cool. Okay, not exactly cool, it was still in the 80's. But, I felt good. Hmmm, maybe this is why women spend so much money on new shoes?
Sunday, April 22, 2012
April 22, 2012
Outside Temp: 53 F (it was in the 80's today! Wow! We were actually hot!)
What I cooked today:
Burgers with pasta and asparagus: The grandparents gave us some asparagus that would go back before they got back from their trip, so I added that to the thrown together meal of burgers and pasta. It was actually a nice treat for dinner. I also made some artisan bread, which isn't as good as when Grandma makes it, but it was good enough!
Update:
Ahh, the end of my totally obnoxiously busy week. That doesn't mean that next week won't be busy, with teaching on Thursday and Friday, and daily track practice and an extra School Board meeting on Wednesday. But, it's a little less busy than this week was!
We went to church this morning, and the kids did Confirmation practice afterwards. Connor commented that the younger kids (who were practicing for their First Communion) were not paying attention and they didn't seem to take it seriously. I laughed and said, 'They're kids. What do you expect? They are between 7-9ish.' He, of course, said that he took church seriously when he was that age. I think he took life seriously when he was an infant, so he's not really a good comparison!
After church, we headed into town. Amazingly, we really didn't need much as far as groceries (since the grandparents filled up our fridge with their perishables before going on their trip). Of course, we had to stop in the bookstore and look around. I stayed out in the car to take a nap, since I was just plain exhausted from my week. Apparently, Patrick was pretty tired too, since he fell asleep reading a book in the store. The kids had to wake him up. That was our cue that it was time to head home.
We stopped for ice cream, as a pick me up. Of course, we disguised it as a reward for the kids for behaving. Like we would reward them for doing what is required! What kind of parents do you think we are? I just wanted ice cream because ice cream is awesome. Do we really need a reason?
As a last stop, we went by Ace Hardware, where Patrick ordered a lawn mower. A riding lawn mower. Our yard isn't that big, about 1/2 an acre, but he figured he could get the boys to mow it with less complaint, if it was actually fun. And, since the grandparents need one as well, we figured we'd split the cost and both be able to use it. I really hope that it works out well... it should come in on Thursday. Our lawn isn't getting any shorter.
After our trip to town, the kids played outside in the yard and in the creek. They said the creek was cold, but not freezing. And they didn't see any snakes. Oh jeez, I'm not looking forward to the whole 'snake' thing.
Oh, and on a totally unrelated side note, my mom won a Honda Prius today. Yes, like the car. She entered this contest and she actually won! Of course, she'll probably have to pay $10,000 in taxes and registration fees. Ahh, you have love the government.
What I cooked today:
Burgers with pasta and asparagus: The grandparents gave us some asparagus that would go back before they got back from their trip, so I added that to the thrown together meal of burgers and pasta. It was actually a nice treat for dinner. I also made some artisan bread, which isn't as good as when Grandma makes it, but it was good enough!
Update:
Ahh, the end of my totally obnoxiously busy week. That doesn't mean that next week won't be busy, with teaching on Thursday and Friday, and daily track practice and an extra School Board meeting on Wednesday. But, it's a little less busy than this week was!
We went to church this morning, and the kids did Confirmation practice afterwards. Connor commented that the younger kids (who were practicing for their First Communion) were not paying attention and they didn't seem to take it seriously. I laughed and said, 'They're kids. What do you expect? They are between 7-9ish.' He, of course, said that he took church seriously when he was that age. I think he took life seriously when he was an infant, so he's not really a good comparison!
After church, we headed into town. Amazingly, we really didn't need much as far as groceries (since the grandparents filled up our fridge with their perishables before going on their trip). Of course, we had to stop in the bookstore and look around. I stayed out in the car to take a nap, since I was just plain exhausted from my week. Apparently, Patrick was pretty tired too, since he fell asleep reading a book in the store. The kids had to wake him up. That was our cue that it was time to head home.
We stopped for ice cream, as a pick me up. Of course, we disguised it as a reward for the kids for behaving. Like we would reward them for doing what is required! What kind of parents do you think we are? I just wanted ice cream because ice cream is awesome. Do we really need a reason?
As a last stop, we went by Ace Hardware, where Patrick ordered a lawn mower. A riding lawn mower. Our yard isn't that big, about 1/2 an acre, but he figured he could get the boys to mow it with less complaint, if it was actually fun. And, since the grandparents need one as well, we figured we'd split the cost and both be able to use it. I really hope that it works out well... it should come in on Thursday. Our lawn isn't getting any shorter.
After our trip to town, the kids played outside in the yard and in the creek. They said the creek was cold, but not freezing. And they didn't see any snakes. Oh jeez, I'm not looking forward to the whole 'snake' thing.
Oh, and on a totally unrelated side note, my mom won a Honda Prius today. Yes, like the car. She entered this contest and she actually won! Of course, she'll probably have to pay $10,000 in taxes and registration fees. Ahh, you have love the government.
Sunday, April 15, 2012
April 15, 2012
Outside Temp: 30 F (woke up to snow... tapered off to clear and now the snow is mostly gone.)
What I cooked today:
Mediterranean Soup: I made this soup two weeks ago, and it went over pretty well. Since it was quite cold today, Patrick wanted soup. I love it because it has no meat, which means I don't have to defrost anything. And it's made in the crock pot, which is stinking awesome.
Bread: I decided to make a 'Quick Bread' in my bread maker. The good part is that it's done in about 1 1/2 hours, instead of 3. The bad part is that it is really dense. The dense bread isn't bad, and the kids all like it. It just isn't like regular bread. No problems, though, it's all gone now.
Update:
Allen missed church yesterday because of his track meet, so he and I went into Belt this morning for mass. Which also means that I was up and dressed before 8am, 4 days in a row! Wow. That's totally not me. It was actually kind of neat to listen to the readings and the homily again. The homily was a little different, and it still touched me.
After church, we were supposed to have a practice for Confirmation (which will be in about 3 weeks). I had Patrick get the kids up and over to the church by 9:30. But the woman who was going to show us what to do was not able to make it. So, instead of having practice, we just all went into town as a family (minus Ryan, who was more than happy to stay with Grandma and Grandpa). We had lunch together, and went shopping and hit Home Depot. (I tried not to cry over the fact that I didn't have my coupon binder and I just know there was a coupon in there for something I got at the store...Argh... paying full.. well... sale price without a coupon just stinks!) And we still made it home by 2.
Of course, at 2, after making dinner in the crock pot, I was face down in my bed, fast asleep. It's been a busy couple of days for me. And a nap was just awesome.
We finished the day playing a game with the kids. Katie had been asking to play a game for a few days, and I finally found the time.
This week is scheduled to be quite busy, with lots of after school things going on... Altar Society, School Board, Music Performance, Basketball, Track. Oh my. It's amazing how fast time goes by when you are busy!
What I cooked today:
Mediterranean Soup: I made this soup two weeks ago, and it went over pretty well. Since it was quite cold today, Patrick wanted soup. I love it because it has no meat, which means I don't have to defrost anything. And it's made in the crock pot, which is stinking awesome.
Bread: I decided to make a 'Quick Bread' in my bread maker. The good part is that it's done in about 1 1/2 hours, instead of 3. The bad part is that it is really dense. The dense bread isn't bad, and the kids all like it. It just isn't like regular bread. No problems, though, it's all gone now.
Update:
Allen missed church yesterday because of his track meet, so he and I went into Belt this morning for mass. Which also means that I was up and dressed before 8am, 4 days in a row! Wow. That's totally not me. It was actually kind of neat to listen to the readings and the homily again. The homily was a little different, and it still touched me.
After church, we were supposed to have a practice for Confirmation (which will be in about 3 weeks). I had Patrick get the kids up and over to the church by 9:30. But the woman who was going to show us what to do was not able to make it. So, instead of having practice, we just all went into town as a family (minus Ryan, who was more than happy to stay with Grandma and Grandpa). We had lunch together, and went shopping and hit Home Depot. (I tried not to cry over the fact that I didn't have my coupon binder and I just know there was a coupon in there for something I got at the store...Argh... paying full.. well... sale price without a coupon just stinks!) And we still made it home by 2.
Of course, at 2, after making dinner in the crock pot, I was face down in my bed, fast asleep. It's been a busy couple of days for me. And a nap was just awesome.
We finished the day playing a game with the kids. Katie had been asking to play a game for a few days, and I finally found the time.
This week is scheduled to be quite busy, with lots of after school things going on... Altar Society, School Board, Music Performance, Basketball, Track. Oh my. It's amazing how fast time goes by when you are busy!
Saturday, March 31, 2012
March 31, 2012
Outside Temp: 52 F (clear and beautiful, then cloudy, then rain, then cloudy, then rain, then clear, then... It's been like this all day.... I love it!)
What I cooked today:
Taco soup: It's just ground beef with taco seasoning, then carrots, celery, onions and tomatoes. But it's a soup, which Patrick wanted. It's ground beef, which was defrosted. And it's easy, which I wanted!
Update:
Church today, then into Great Falls for some shopping. Allen needed track shoes (as opposed to basketball shoes, as opposed to street shoes, as opposed to baseball or soccer or football shoes... I mean, really? Different shoes for each sport. lame)
So, I'm traveling down the highway at around 80 (which is pretty normal), when I see the highway patrol pass me, and immediately turn around on the highway and come up behind me. I mean, really?
"I clocked you going 79 MPH back there." he said.
Really? 79? And I wasn't getting passed?
I had my licence and my registration and my insurance info ready for him, and he looked it over and asked, "Where are you going?"
I explained that I was heading into town for my weekly shopping, since we're from Raynesford and we only go into town once a week.
He looked over my car (yes, my little Aveo) and said, "You can fit a week's worth of groceries in here?".
He was kind enough to give me a warning and let me go, which was totally awesome. I'm sure he ran my plates and my licence, just to make sure I wasn't wanted for murder somewhere. But I was totally stunned that he was letting me go. In California, I think they run your plates and issue the ticket before they even step up to your window.
There was a 'Officer in Training' standing back, so I'm figuring that he was training a new recruit. And my car is yellow, and I was going over the speed limit, so I was an easy target. And since I don't have to actually pay anything, and it only took a few minutes of my time, I'm more than willing to be a teaching moment for someone else!
What I cooked today:
Taco soup: It's just ground beef with taco seasoning, then carrots, celery, onions and tomatoes. But it's a soup, which Patrick wanted. It's ground beef, which was defrosted. And it's easy, which I wanted!
Update:
Church today, then into Great Falls for some shopping. Allen needed track shoes (as opposed to basketball shoes, as opposed to street shoes, as opposed to baseball or soccer or football shoes... I mean, really? Different shoes for each sport. lame)
So, I'm traveling down the highway at around 80 (which is pretty normal), when I see the highway patrol pass me, and immediately turn around on the highway and come up behind me. I mean, really?
"I clocked you going 79 MPH back there." he said.
Really? 79? And I wasn't getting passed?
I had my licence and my registration and my insurance info ready for him, and he looked it over and asked, "Where are you going?"
I explained that I was heading into town for my weekly shopping, since we're from Raynesford and we only go into town once a week.
He looked over my car (yes, my little Aveo) and said, "You can fit a week's worth of groceries in here?".
He was kind enough to give me a warning and let me go, which was totally awesome. I'm sure he ran my plates and my licence, just to make sure I wasn't wanted for murder somewhere. But I was totally stunned that he was letting me go. In California, I think they run your plates and issue the ticket before they even step up to your window.
There was a 'Officer in Training' standing back, so I'm figuring that he was training a new recruit. And my car is yellow, and I was going over the speed limit, so I was an easy target. And since I don't have to actually pay anything, and it only took a few minutes of my time, I'm more than willing to be a teaching moment for someone else!
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