Goody Bags for the swim team.

Missing in Action

Good Thursday morning.  I have been missing in action the last week or so.  Sorry about that.  I just haven't felt the urge to write.  I will try to do better in the future. 

This week I have been stockpiling cake balls for Valentine's day.  On Monday, I baked red velvet cake balls, Tuesday was cherry chocoate cake balls, Wednesday was strawberry cake balls.  The family likes the red velvet balls okay.  No one has tried the cherry chocolate balls but me.  They are my favorite.  Josh likes the strawberry cake balls.  I decorated some of the balls to give to two friends.  The ugly cake balls went to the library for cake ball tasting.  Red velvet is the fav with strawberry next in line as the favorite.  No one is eating the cherry chocolate cake balls.  I thought for sure this flavor would be a favorite. 

I suppose I will make batches of all the flavors again this week.  I need to find a substitute for the cherry balls.  I may try german chocolate. 

I have been making some Valentine cards with my handy dandy Cricut.  But I ran out of pink and red scrapbook paper.  And NO Walmart does not sell packages of pink or red paper.  I must plan a trip to Hobby Lobby.  I get frustrated when I make cards because  I have so many ideas in my head, but nothing turns out the way I want it.  Same thing with cake balls.  My cake balls aren't as pretty as I want them to be.  I must keep practicing.  I want smooth coating and pretty decorations.  No one is complaining though.  I suppose they taste yummy.

I haven't couponed lately.  I must get back in to couponing again.  I have been doing what I despise.  Stopping at the store for something for dinner instead of planning ahead.   I need to plan my meals, and use coupons.  I must get back on track. 

Blessing for the week - A warm place to live.

Product of the week - Jordon's favorite. Birds Eye Voila!: Garlic Chicken

Grilled seasoned white chicken with broccoli, corn, and carrots with pasta in a flavorful garlic seasoning.  YUMMY!

Rainy Tuesday

So has anyone missed me?  It has been a few days since I last blogged.  Today is a rainy, messy day.  I can't seem to get back into the swing of things after David's vacation.  He came home from his ice trip with no fish and a nasty head cold.  I had a nice weekend with Taylor.  On Saturday, Taylor, mom and I went to Ashland to Gatti's and Hobby Lobby.  We laughed and had a good time.  Taylor, Amelia, and I watched Miss America on Saturday night.  We had ice cream sundaes.  Congrats to Miss KY for doing a great job.  Congrats to Miss Nebraska for winning the title. 

I am going to make Red Velvet Sandwich Cookies for Valentine's Day.  Or should I say, I am going to attempt to make red velvet sandwich cookies for Valentine's Day.  You can go to the stockpiling mom's blog for the recipe.  http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2011/01/for-your-valentine-red-velvet-sandwich-cookies.html



Menu for the week -

Monday - steak and chicken fajitas. 
Tuesday - Turkey, dressing, mac and chese, corn, mash potatoes, gravy.
Wednesday - not sure yet - Any suggestions???
Thursday - Swim meet - McDonalds lol
Friday -  not sure yet
Saturday - Swim meet

Free Day!

Today was PJ day.  I know that Ted is going to rehab, Bob Greene has a new book, Niecy Nash is leaving Clean House, Johnny's cancer has spread to the other eye, and  Nate makes shopping around the world easy.  In other words, I have enjoyed a full day of television viewing. 

Product of the day! Romano's Macaroni Grill Basil Parmesan Chicken  

I purchased this product at Kroger yesterday.  I wanted something different since I knew I would be home alone this evening.  The bag serves two. It is a frozen dinner.  It  has grilled white meat chicken, broccoli florets and tomatoes with cavatappi pasta tossed in a creamy basil parmesan sauce.  You also need to add 1/4 cup of milk.  The sauce was rich and creamy.  The pasta was tender and the broccoli was flavorful.  I did not like the tomatoes.  I felt like the tomato was gone and the skin of the tomato was left.  I could not taste the basil.  I added parmesan cheese before eating.  The serving size is appropriate for two.  Garlic bread would be a nice addition. 

I will try another product from this line, but I don't plan on buying this one again.

You can find a 1.50 coupon at this location if  you would like to give it a try.  Also, it is on sale at Kroger this week.
http://www.macaronigrillathome.com/products/frozen/basil-parmesan-chicken/



Blessing of the day!  Safe travels for the boys.

SNOW and more SNOW!

I am tired of the snow!!  Go away!

Monday was uneventful.  David is on vacation this week, so our normal ritual is not normal this week.  I haven't planned meals for the week.  Monday night we had shake and bake porkchops, fried potatoes and onions.  Not too terribly exciting, but I am using things in the pantry and freezer before I stock up again. 

Poor Jordon is extremely sore.  I am glad he is off from school today so he can rest.  He is so lucky to not have any broken bones.  Taylor went back to school last night.  I hope her classes go well for her. 


Coupon Updates:
I installed the Kroger app to my i-phone.  I will have to say I love it.  It is so convenient.  The app allows you to pick the coupons you want and then "load" them to your Kroger card.  I have also installed GeoQpons, Grocery IQ, mCoupons, and Coupons.  These all are similiar in that you can select coupons and load them to a store card or print them.  I have used GeoQpons several times.  It is easy to select a coupon and email it to yourself to print.  Sometimes you can even show the coupon to the casheir.  How cool is that?

Product of the Day!  Sea Cusine Potato Crusted Cod. I purchased this product BOGO free at Kroger.  I loved it! Super easy. 


Blessing of the day:  All kids accounted for!

What a day!!!!

Can we say cold?  It was below 0 this morning at 8 a.m.  Way too cold for me.  David and I went to Lewis Co.  He went to help his sister-in-law put in an oven.  I went to go visit my mom and go shopping with her in Maysville.  Mom and I ate at Applebee’s for lunch.  We went to Dollar Tree and JC Penny.  We had a good visit.  I came back with a new sweater and a couple of books.  Unfortunately, our good visit was interrupted with the phone call you dread getting.  Jordon had wrecked his truck.  He just bought his truck about a week and half ago.  He hit a patch of ice and landed upside down in a creek.  Looking at the truck and the place he landed, I am very thankful he walked away with a cut on his hand.  He truly had a guardian angel watching over him. 

Sunday is the day to stock up on coupons!!!  Yeah for the Sunday paper.  For a listing of coupons in today's paper, go to this site.  http://www.sundaycouponpreview.com/

I will get back with you on the best buys to be found with these coupons. 

Now let's talk about Applebee’s.  What is wrong with Applebee’s?  Mom and I went in and had to wait.  I don't mind waiting, but I easily counted 8 empty tables.  There were three employees seating people, and they seemed disorganized and not sure what they were doing.  When our name was finally called, the hostess whispered our name.  I mean whisper very, very quietly.  If I had not been watching her, we would not have known she had called her name.  Overall, our meal was average at best.  Our appetizer chips were super salty.  My main entree was warm and and the red sauce too spicy.  Kudos to the iced tea!!!  I had Provolone Stuffed Meatballs with Fettuccine and mom had the Oriental Chicken salad. 

We took Josh to Mt. Sterling's Applebee’s on Jan. 1.  Again, I will have to say the iced tea was good, but our meal was average at best.  Nothing to brag about.  I will think twice before going to Applebee’s again. 

Blessing for the day - Jordon is safe and unharmed.

Bargain for the day - Bargain books are 50% off at Kroger.

Favorite Website

One of my favorite websites for getting suggestions for saving money is called Stockpiling Moms.  You can find a wealth of information at this site. 

http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/

More to come later~

Friday Retrospect

When I was teaching my first year at Fleming Co. High School, another English teacher made a lasting impression on me.  Her name was Ruth Rankin.  She was the nicest lady.  She enjoyed cooking and planning menus.  Often as gifts she would give friends a menu with recipes in a folder she had created and organized.  I still have one she gave me 20+ years later.  Inside the folder was a monthly menu with a recipe for each day.  Isn't that a neat and clever thing.  I orginally went to school to be a Home Ec. teacher and this menu/cookbook was just my thing.  I often think of Ruth Rankin when planning meals.  So with menu planning in mind, I hope to plan menus for my family and become more organized.  I want to plan the weekly menu on what's on sale and what I have coupons available for.  Hmmm should be interesting.  I am  behind for this week, but here is what I have served for supper.  Now that Josh is home, our meals are usually beef.  He will not eat chicken or pork.  However, we need to limit our beef per doctor's request.   I have not been successful.

Sunday - Manwich sandwiches, tater tots  (hamburger on sale, manwich on sale, and tater tots on sale) 
Monday - Roast Beef, potatoes, and carrots.  Pineapple upside down cake.   (everything on sale)
Tuesday - Vegetable Beef soup using leftovers from Monday and pantry vegetables.
Wednesday - Salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, green beans, and corn  (Green beans were not on sale, Allens green beans)
Thursday - I was on the road - No supper planned, but it does look like bacon and eggs were cooked in my abscence.  Potato cakes for Josh
Friday - ????

Definitely need to add some salad to my menus.  You can see how I am cooking too much beef.  Josh just may need to fend for himself.  I am  thinking chicken today.

Yesterday I stopped at The Cheesecake Factory while waiting on Jake and Taylor's plane to land. I splurged on Dulce de Leche Caramel Cheesecake.  Oh my goodness!!!  $7.95 a slice!!  Worth every penny!!!

I did stop at Hobby Lobby yesterday.   They had 90% off Christmas.  I found a few things.  I did buy three frames and three candle sticks for the mantle.  My mantle will still need a few things, but I have a start. 

I also picked up some quilt squares.  I think I will start a quilt.  Why not? 

Blessing of the day!  I had all three kids + 1 home last night.  I sleep easier when the kids are safe and sound. 

Wanting a new look

Today Josh wanted potato cakes.  I have never actually made them.  I can remember my  mom making them years ago.  I wanted to get them just right.  I called my mother-in-law for her recipe.  Josh has eaten hers before and knew he liked them.  I  do believe Mom makes her the same way.  Basically the recipe calls for leftover mash potatoes, onions, egg,and self-rising flour.  I wasn't sure how much flour, but just added some until I could get the potatoes to patty up.  I fried the cakes in vegetable oil.  Result:  Success.  Josh liked them.  I did tweak them a little bit as we went along.  Mine were too fat Josh said so I made them more flat..  And he wanted them crispier.  We also added cheese to one to see if he liked it with cheese.  He did.  He ate six or so.  Sorry Jake wasn't here to enjoy since that is one of his favorite things.  I need to teach Taylor how to make them.  First, I will have to teach her to mash potatoes.  (peel potatoes)  One thing I will do differently next time, I will saute the onions before putting them in the mixture.  I thought the onions were too crispy and had too much of a bite.  I would like them to be more tender. 

I am picking up Taylor and Jake from Louisville airport today at 6:30.  I plan to stop at Hobby Lobby on my way.  If time allows, The Cheesecake Factory may call my name before picking up the kids.  I guess we could go afterwards.  My goal at Hobby Lobby is to purchase 3 frames.  Two large frames for senior photos of Josh and Taylor and one large photo of ring figure for Taylor.  I plan to decorate my fireplace differently this time.  I packed away all the Christmas decorations and need a more finished look for the mantle.  I plan on putting two senior photos above and searching Hobby Lobby for accessories.  I wish Nate Berkus could  go with me and help me select.  I like his show.  He has great ideas. 

Wish me luck!

Today is the day!

Okay, So I am bored and I decided to start a blog.  Will I have any followers?  I don't know and I really don't care.  I just decided to try something new.  I will use this blog to record anything and everything I can think of.  I guess it will be like a public diary.

I have decided this is the  year to try to better myself and those around me.  I am going to use more coupons, and do volunteer work.  Wish me luck.  I also plan to post new recipes and bargains I find.  Enjoy!
New product I tried today.  I had a coupon for 2.00 off a new bath wash.  I decided to splurge.

Olay Body Wash Plus Body Butter Ribbons

I will have to say I loved it.  The smell was wonderful and my skin felt soooo soft.