Sunday Update

Today we went shopping (big shock there huh?). My Mom had a coat to return to Kohls so I went along with the baby. They were having a big sale, 60-75% off of baby loot. I managed to find 9 sleepers from 12 month to 4T PJs, all by Carters (It's an addiction I tell ya) for about $46. A smidge over $5 a pair, I though that was a good deal :)

(my camera isn't working well, I am afraid I am going to have to replace it)

And here is scooter in her cute hippie shirt. Nothing is more satisfying that seeing her wear something that I bought during the wait. When you shop for a baby that isn't here, you do a lot of daydreaming. The real thing is so much better :)

(I can't seem to catch her looking at me either!)

Goodnight!

Saturday Update

My Mom came over tonight to babysit so I could go to CVS. The baby did ok while I was gone (I was secretly hoping she would be torn up) but the hello I got when I came home was fantastic! I think that child levitated because her little legs were kicking so much! I also got a true squeal of joy and a hug when I picked her up :) I'm the mama :)

I took this picture not so much to show how messy the house is (it is trashed) but to show how long and full her hair has gotten. Isn't it pretty?

Ok back to CVS!

I did three transactions.

One
Meter 19.99
- 9.95 manu coupon
------ 11.XX oop

Two
3 boxes of Cascade
3 bags of the Cascade gel packs
------------------ $1.06 OOP

Three
8 Dove hairsprays
2 Dove mouses
5 Dove shampoos
5 Dove conditioners
---------------
BOGO
then
20 $2 off coupons - $6.XX OOP - this was my fun transaction, it was over $100 then they zapped my card and did the coupons. I got a wow from the lady behind me heee heee heee

That used up all my ECBs for that card. I know, I am bad, I do have two of them..it was the Cascade temptation that made me do it! But now I have enough to last for a year. That seems to be a theme with me, I want to stock up on everything for a year so if I start missing deals when I am working full time, it won't be a big deal. I'll be able to slack off :) Tomorrow I get to stock up on Ziplocs woot!

My Mom worked a wedding today with her BFF who caters. They had a lot of no shows and I ended up with the leftovers. I have 20 pounds of fruit and 150 little sandwiches in my house right now (to go with the 15 pounds of fruit I already had!). I am not quite sure how I am going to with all of it. I did take the apple slices and bake them because I figured they'd turn brown. I am going to freeze those and start on the fresh fruit. Unfortunately I cooked a huge meal today and we are overrun with leftovers!

Valentine's Day Pictures

We had a playdate at the rat's on Thursday. There were 15 super cute little girls there!

Outta my way, I'm driving here!
Varrooommm
What?

Hey Tia, need a ride?
Me and my peep Tia!

Wheeeeeee!

What $27 and a lot of planning can get you

I felt like I spent the day shopping. Oh wait, I did. For $27 I got...

18 Dove hairsprays
40 string cheese
2 blocks of swiss cheese
ponytail thingy for the baby
3 large boxes of Cascade
3 bags of Cascade Tablets
a box of baby aspirin
a glucose meter
3 pounds of plums
2 pounds of bananas
2 boxes of honey bunches of oats chocolate
4 boxes of cheese its
a pack of Kraft cheese singles
5 boxes of Kraft mac and cheese
a box of Kleenex
a box of eggos
a tub of countrytime lemonade
a donation to easter seals

All of this was from deals posted by my Frugal buddies on their various blogs. I went to 2 CVS', Food Lion and Target. I could of spent just $21 but I forgot to hand the cashier my ECB. I was pooped, I make mistakes when I'm tired. It was lots of fun tho, I should of taken a picture but I put it all up, toooo late!

Walgreens Photo Deal

Free or almost free groceries!

I am reading a lot of blogs tonight. I have yet another cold (going to the doc tomorrow to see if I have something worse) and if I lay down it is pure sinus pressure misery. So I am surfin baby!

Go here and print out the coupon twice for Honey Bunches of Oats with Chocolate! Buy it at Walmart and it will be free or almost free :)

And visit thriftyfloridamama for info on getting some freebies at Food Lion :)

There is a Food Lion in VA, right next to my fav CVS. How convenient is that?

Free Arbys! Woot!

Borrowed from mimisjewelbox

Join Arby's Extras and you'll get a coupon in your email for a FREE Arby's French Dip. You do need to purchase a medium fries and drink, so it's not 100% free...but it's a goody ! You'll also receive a coupon for more FREE food on your birthday and info on upcoming promotions and valuable coupons delivered to your email. So sign up today!
http://www.arbys.com/

5 Favorite Things

I saw this on stretchingabuck I think it's a great idea.

This week is kitchen stuff. For me it is:
1) Chinese dried mushrooms
2) tofu
3) sushi wrappers
4) Target fancy trail mix bags
5) I have to agree with one of hers, real butter. At $3 a pound it makes fake plastic margarine look good!

Be sure to visit her site and sign the Mr Linky to join :)

Wednesday Update

Sorry, no pictures today. But she was really cute like normal!

Today we went to her daycare to check it out. It seems to be ok, there are just two things that bother me. One, there are some HUGE 1 year old kids out there that look like they are 4. Two of those "kids" are in her class and one was really rough. He doesn't leave until May, that doesn't make me happy at all. I hope that today he was showing off for new people and doesn't act that way normally. If he does, his mother and I will have a chat.

Two, I can't believe the crap they serve the kids and call it lunch. Bologna, hot dogs, pizza bites? Um, I don't think so. They are serving green beans once this month but I am 90% sure they'll be from a can which has zero nutritional value. So I'll be packing her lunch and she'll be the weird kid whose Mom loves her enough to pack carrots, peas and chicken for her lunch. I thought it was just this place but reports from other parents tell me that this type of stuff is served everywhere, at school too. Ick!

Besides that I think I feel ok with the place. The women in her room seemed really nice and the kids were willing to be held by them. The kids were healthy, not a drop of snot in sight. The kids themselves were disheveled, but that was more probably from the parents not combing the bed head out of their head (nap time hadn't happened yet). The women (I call them girls in my head because they are younger than me) were ponytail, running shoes type of girls, that made me feel like they do play with the babies.

And I guess Natalie isn't really a baby or she'd be in the baby room. She got so big so quick!

On to more fun things, the baby got shoes today. We went to Target and got...

In a size larger for this summer, aren't they cute? :)These are darker in real life, they match her Carter's outfits that she'll be wearing in the fall. Good indoor daycare shoes I think.

I also bought my first reusable bag. It is larger than most that I have seen, it was $1.50. All my purchases fit in it and that is one less plastic bag in the house. Woohoo

I had fun today when we went to the salvage store (busy day huh?). They have some really weird stuff in there at good prices. 80% of it is expired, you have to make sure you aren't getting anything bad. All of my stuff is good well into 2008, I got 2 kinds of soy milk for 99 cents a quart, 3 pounds of fresh apples for $1, pickles for $1.19, cream of wheat cereal for 33 cents, 6 lipton green tea bottles for $1, some fancy smansy rice for 77 cents, old bay for 69 cents and LIME scented windex for $1.50. I really didn't need any of this, but it is fun to look. Actually between my grocery shopping for fun and Dad sending groceries to my house (today it was a pound of ground beef, a mountain dew, a chicken noodle soup, a can of ravioli, a jar of homemade spaghetti sauce and a box of velvetta shells and cheese) I have a ton of stuff. A few days ago he sent this:

And my mom is cooking enough food to feed the baby for a week, I am really overrun with stuff. My Monday Meal planning is totally shot!

Tomorrow is the baby's Valentine's day playdate :) We have 15 little bags of M&Ms with Valentines attached that have tattoos inside. How cool are we? :)

Tuesday Update

Singing :)



Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

Deer + Cat

I wish this was my house. First, I'd like to have one huge snow. It's not snowed in 5 years here easy. Second, I like deer :)
Taken in Carter County TN, closer to the mountains than I am :)

I knew it!

What type of Mother Hen Are You?
by Montessorimom.com: Educational Resource

Meal Plan Monday Week of Feb 11, 2008

I read this often on other blogs, posted by women much more organized than me.

So I start thinking, why can't I spend a few minutes planning out our meals for the week. I'd then be able to create a shopping list (gasp! I never have a list lol) and buy JUST what I need for the week. Plus any stockpiling I need. What I've noticed tho, I don't buy a lot of the things other people stockpile so I don't keep a lot of food around comparatively. Plus having a plan for meals will help me when I just stare into the fridge wondering what on earth I am going to make.

Since I am still home on adoption leave, let's plan it out by meal..
* I am editing this as I go so I'll have an accurate listing of what was successful and what wasn't! *
Monday
B - Oatmeal and apples (pantry)
L - peanut butter and banana sandwiches (pantry)
D - Chinese - Dad's treat

Tuesday
B - Cheerios, milk, bananas oranges (pantry & fridge)
L - Hamburger and cole slaw (fridge)
D - Salmon, rice and a veggie steamer Hamburger helper Stroganoff with ground beef and peas(freezer and pantry)

Wednesday
B - Oatmeal and apples (pantry)
L - peanut butter and banana sandwiches (pantry) cabbage and ham
D - Hamburger helper Stroganoff with ground beef and peas (buy frozen peas) Salmon patties, rice and a veggie steamer

Thursday
B - muffins sweet potato waffles
L - bean burritos (buy tortillas, salsa and cheese)
D - Talipia and peas (freezer, buy veggies)

Friday
B - Oatmeal and apples (pantry)
L - leftover stroganoff and peas
D - 10 bean soup Baked chicken, green beans and mashed potatoes

Saturday
B - french toast (pantry)
L - leftover bean burritos
D - leftover 10 bean soup chicken tacos

Sunday
B - peanut butter and jelly toast (pantry, buy preserves)
L - Salmon and green beans (freezer and buy green beans) chicken stir fry
D - small batch of chicken spaghetti

I've obviously bought a chicken that I want to use this week :) I've already browned and frozen the ground beef I was going to use so it won't go to waste. I also browsed the net to find recipes to fancy up what I was going to make.

Snacks include grapes, popcorn, crackers, grapefruit, oranges, dry cereal and cookies.

Here is something to keep in mind when reading my plan. One, I am not a picky eater, I could eat peanut butter everyday. Two, neither is the baby. Three, the baby eats an adult sized portion of food at most sittings. Four, I am going to try very hard to just cook what we'll eat, I hate throwing out food.

Oh and Five, the baby goes to town on grapefruit, funny huh? I am also trying to clear out the pantry and freezer.

I spent $33 at the grocery store planning out the meals for this week and some for next week. I got...
an 8 pound spiral sliced ham
5 pound bag of potatoes
2 pounds of grapes
12 cans of diced tomatoes (15 cents each with coupon)
tortillas
flour
shredded cheese
salsa
blackberry preserves
3 pounds of various frozen veggies
I am just missing milk which I buy at a different store and I might need 2-3 more bananas this week. When I came home I found that Dad had given me an 18 pound bag of grapefruit that was $6 at Kmart. What a deal!

Sunday Update

Well I had a cute picture of the baby crushing her vtech piano but deleted it - oops!

Instead let's talk about her birthday! She got cute toys as pictured in the other post but check out the clothes! My Mom's first cousin (so is that my second?) went to the Carter's outlet and got the cutest clothes! She said she'd get something for the baby and I was thinking cool, a sleeper, she needs those. Um NO, check out these outfits! She said they went nuts because her grandkids are all boys. I love love love it all, Carters stuff is my favorite :)

All in 18-24 month styles (all cut very big) that she'll wear in the fall. And she looks so pretty in purple, I can't wait!

I also got this super cute stuff from my friend Laura and my SIL Kathy. Check out the coat, it is reversible! The zipper is ingenious on it, the pull tab loops around the top so you can flip it either way. Shoot, I should of taken a picture of the zipper! :)

Check out the hat! And Minnie Mouse, cute huh? :)

And look what mama got the baby :)

I don't want to keep talking about all the new stuff until I address some of the old stuff. I am a packarat (nice to meet ya). On my things, I tend to keep them even if they are worn out and way past their prime. Tonight I gave myself permission to get rid of stuff. And 90% of my room is going into my yardsale. I want X number of outfits that all match and x number of shoes to go with it. No more pieces and parts. I look at the baby's clothes and they all match, why can't mine? So on my quest to fix my clothes (thanks to Dad's Christmas $$) I have purchased shoes! FIVE pairs of shoes! Woohhooo! Look how cool I am? Two I got at the mall, three I bought online :)

I don't want you all to think I am abandoning my cheap frugal ways,I am just finally getting organized :)

Happy CNY!

Tonight was our annual Chinese New Year party at the Y. It has really grown over the years, there were so many tables I didn't bring in the walker. She seemed to enjoy herself and she proved me a liar by being a really good baby the whole time. Much thanks to all of those who put the time in to make it a grand party!

Hmmmm hmmm noodles!


Lookie at me! Happy all night!
And lookie at my fab little coat that came in today. Mama wishes she had checked the mail before the party!

Ok that is it for now. Tomorrow we'll have some fun pictures, we are going to a farm to see new baby lambs. Doesn't that scream photo op?

Night night!

Friday Update

Ok, so I am trying to figure out what is wrong with the baby.
Fever? nope
Teeth? not that I can tell
Tummy Ache? not that I can tell
Gassy? nope
Hungry? nope
Itchy? nope
Cranky? good lord yes. What a crankbutt she's being. Now don't get me wrong, some of it is REALLY good. If I leave her sight she cries. Hoooray! But when I hold her too long, too short, too tight, too loose, talk too quiet, too loud, too silly, too serious she cries too. I am going to have to make her a "Little Baby Crankbutt" tshirt. Sheez!

Tomorrow is our Chinese New Year party! To be politically correct it is more like the Lunar Year yada ya, but our group is the China group so there! The baby will be wearing the teal silkie outfit with butterflies and her black squeaky shoes. I am going to take her walker so she can run from one side of the gym to the other. People are gonna hate me teehee

I went to CVS finally. Did I mention I was sick with something viral then caught a cold? That really slowed down my CVS shopping! I got messed up tonight when one of my coupons wouldn't work then I put the wrong tooth stuff on the counter and got all out of whack. I had it beautifully orchestrated to pay less than $2 oop and get ECBS back. Instead I paid more, but did recover that cash in the form of ECBs so that is ok.

Transaction One:
3 Crest Pro Health Rinses (my fav)
1 Crest Pro Health night toothpaste (I have a coupon to mail off this receipt to get a free one woot!)
1 Oral B toothbrush
2 eyeshadows
1 nail clipper
-----------$6.12 OOP

Transaction Two
4 Colgate toothpastes
3 baby aspirin
-------$.31 OOP

Totals to date:
Cost of Goods: $505.15
Out of Pocket: $50.71
ECBs to spend: $20.37

Interesting how my OOP seems to run about 10% of the sale price on the goods. I still have a few monthly deals to do and I'd like to get one more eyeshadow. We'll see how that works out.

Thursday Update

Kissy Face! (I thought it deserved its own post hehe)

Shangrao SWI, Jiangxi

Shangrao SWI, Jiangxi - The roads are blocked due to fallen trees. Very cold. They've been without water and are trying to care for 260 children, 136 of them under 3 years-old. They reported that their area is a real disaster, with no electricity or water supply. Another round of snow is expected on February 10th. The director has asked for warm winter clothing and quilts for the children.

If you have some cash to spare, please click on the mouse above and donate $25.
Natalie is from the Shangrao SWI!!

Tuesday Update

I get so tickled at the baby when she talks, which is 99% of the time. She really carries on when I change her diaper..sometimes I feel like it's "Good job there mama, nice folding technique" and sometimes its like "good grief, she's changed me several hundred times, can she not velcro me straight?" lol

It is hard to get the talking and laughing on video. She just started doing the big laughs, they come from the very tips of her toes and leave her out of breath. It is the cutest thing!


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

I was able to capture a little bit of jibber jabber on video but she heard me walking up to her door. Darn squeaky wood floors! You can't really hear it on video. I am going to try to get a better one in the morning. She is the happiest baby in the world in the morning!

Talk to you all later :)

Did you know this?

You should take your lint filter trap do hickie out of your dryer and run it under hot water. Does the water pool up on top of it? That means your dryer sheets have been coating the screen. This causes a buildup of exhaust heat in your dryer and could lead to problems. A simple solution is to wash your screen with a dishwashing detergent like Dawn (that has a degreaser) then watch the water go through with no issues!

I have several more tidbits that I'll share as I go, I thought that one was pretty good. No water went through my screen at all before washing it!

Sunday and Money Update

I got knocked over by the crud Saturday night so I spent 99% of the time at the baby's party on the sofa. She had a good time tho, check out the pictures :)

My last night as an 11 month old!

Elmo!
Elmo scared me!

Oohhh ponies!

My vtech piano!

Puppy!

Natalie cracks me up, she talks all the time. It is all gibberish, I am trying to catch some on camera, it's hilarious!

I've been tagged on Common Sense with Money too! What fun! I am suppose to:

Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
Open the book to page 123.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the next three sentences.
Tag five people.

Ok here goes...
Mix the peanut oil, garlic, soy sauce, honey, lemon juice, and pepper to taste. Add the sesame seeds and mix well. Pour the dressing over the salad, cover and set aside in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours and preferably overnight.

From Favorite Chinese Dishes by Parragon Publishing Group :)

I'll admit, this is one of the few grown up books I have in the house right now. I goodwilled all my paperbacks and most of the books around here are for 2 year olds :)

I will tag...

Ozimum, her blog is called Australia to China :)
K, her blog is called Mother & Daughter :)
Girlville, her blog is called well, Girlville :)
Kim, her blog is called The Journey to Megan Jean :)
Angie, her blog is called Hold on, My Heart's Giving Birth :)

Post back when you've finished so I can see what you wrote :)

Sunsilk Freebie and other general ramblings

Go to: http://www.sunsilk.us/samples.php

Sign up for their free samples then print out a coupon. It is good until June, I bet CVS or Walgreens will have a deal on it before then.

I have restarted my Walgreens deals for the month. I did January's deal at the last minute and got 5 boxes of tissues for $8.97. I then turned in the deal and got $11 credited to my gift card - score!

Then they had the $5 off of $20 coupon for the 31st. I of course forget to bring my $11 GC and pay for everything out of pocket. I got the 5 minute energy shots, another speedstick for men, another fructis and a clear lipgloss that is a lip plumper. I also got a box of cereal for $1.99. with the coupon I paid $16.92. I will get $20.31 credited to my card.

There are two things I like about Walgreen's deals. One, they only happen once a month. I LOVE CVS but it wears me out. Also, Walgreens often runs specials on milk and cereal that is less than what it is at any store, including Walmart. So I feel like I can use my GC money for something practical if I want.

Oh and something else, the cereal comment made me think of this. My Walmart has boxes of Total cereal on sale for $2.50 a box. There is a $1 peely on it. So $1.50 for Total, that is a good deal!

I have to run to the clubhouse and take inventory for the party tomorrow. I have cooked 6 pounds of roast and I have another 6 pounds in the works. I don't think the whole 24 pounds will make it to the party, that is a LOT per person. For 30 or so people I think I will do 16 instead, it cooks down some and you loose some weight because of the bone. Plus I don't want 8 pounds of leftover BBQ in my freezer lol

Friday Update

Scooter is one! Her party is Sunday, I will have lots of pictures :)

We spent the day eating and shopping. Well actually eating, shopping then eating again. She had noodles from the Chinese buffet today (and they forgot to break them in two before cooking them and they were literally 2 feet long, why didn't I have my camera?) and then we went to the mall. Just so you know, there isn't a size 12 or 18 month winter coat ANYWHERE. She is popping out of her size 12 month china coat (which is cut small) and the next size up I have for her is 24 months and it is huge. So I put the huge one on, it's better than popping out of the other one! Then we went to eat tacos with more family members. No wonder the child is growing so fast, food, lots of it!

I also got her two pairs of PJs, a froggie nightgown and a carters footie sleeper in a lightweight fabric. Both size 24 months. I seem to find all kinds of stuff in the wrong sizes! But they are adorable and she'll need them in the next year. At 75%, I decided to get them :)

We also went to the consignment store in hunt for a coat in good condition. Zero coats there too! But I did take advantage of the $1 sale, all pink and white tags. I got a fantastic new looking pink shower curtain, I really like it. It is cream and pink stripe for the main body and there are bubble baths on the valance type thing across the top. All my towels are pink now and I've had my current curtain for 5 years (do I get bonus points for that?) so to get one I really like and would of paid *gasp* ATLEAST $6 for (ha) was just a buck! - makes me happy!

I also found a lot of stuff for Scooter at the sale but let me vent for a second. All you fat women out there, why aren't you consigning your clothes? I am a big girl who will buy your stuff if you will just put it in the stores for me to buy. Okie back to scooter. She got 6 different pieces of clothing! A pair of Children's Place jeans with crocheted squares on the bottom in a size 18 month, a pair of denim oshkosh overalls in a 2T, a baby Guess denim dress in a size 12 months (a big 12 months) that she can wear now, a size 18 month Halloween shirt, a pair o baby gap jeans with red heart stitching on them (cute!!) and a pretty 18 month pink onesie with roses on it :) Each a buck! The best thing about consignment stores is that they quality check the clothes and you don't have to worry about holes or stains. All these pieces have no fading and look new. Score!

Mama also cashed in and broke the budget on Feb 1 woohoo! lol I've not bought myself anything for awhile now. I got two pairs of shoes (woohoo, I have big feet and it is very hard to find shoes!) for half off. Both are Sketchers, one is a fancy ballet and the other is a mary jane. I feel sooo cool! I also got a pair of bedroom slippers (ok, so that's not as cool) and a sweater for the spring. Now why they had 3/4 length sleeved sweaters on clearance 75% off in Feb..who knows. It's turquoise tho and $10 so I am happy.

Do you know what else I can't find for Scooter? SHOES. Why are they all size 5's? And why are all the little shoes white? I need brown shoes, Carla was smart enough to get Tia brown squeaky shoes. I felt like crud and couldn't think well or I would of gotten more pairs of shoes in brown and black. Oh well.

Ok, I think that is it for now. I made the classic mama mistake of not doing laundry for two days. Of course that is all it took for the back of the kitchen to be overrun with laundry. So instead of going to bed, I have laundry to do. Pooooor me!