Ahhhh

Story of my life right now!!!! Between my meetings for my service learning for my classes, Kenzie's doctor appointments, school and homework... I am going nuts!

Kenzie had her first neurology appointment this week... we go back next week for her EEG and she has to get some blood work done too. We will hear what the doctor thinks in about a month!

TV guy came out on Friday and our TV is basically out of commission... he said it isn't worth it to fix, wonderful!!! Just what I can afford right now, NOT!

Went out Friday night to Kobe's with my hubby, we had a blast! Then we went to Posttime for Mom's birthday bash.... we had the most awesome waitress ever! We got her number on the way out, hoping we can hang with her soon! We left early because I had to be up this morning at the butt crack of dawn to be at UCF for the HAPPY Hour showcase... I was there from 8-4:30... it was really fun, and I got to hang with some friends from my classes!

I came home and ran out with Joe to pick up our pretty white vinyl fence (we had to take two trips)... they all got Five Guys for dinner, and I had a Zaxby's salad. YUM YUM!

Tomorrow will be our fence building day.... I also need to do some shopping and some homework.

I am going to get two 42ct packs of Prilosec (which Joe has to take) for about $15... they usually cost $25 for one pack!!!! (CVS)... AND Winn Dixie had green bell peppers for 99 cents a pound... holy AMAZING PRICE Batman!!!! YAY for deals.

I got some great ideas from the showcase today, so I shall post them with some links later!!!! I ordered some Scholastic books, the girl was awesome, she gave me these awesome bins for free, and the labeling stickers for them. Then I took her seminar later and got a wall clock for free!!! WooHoo for classroom accessories!

Thinking we are going to have grilled kabobs (minus the sticks) for dinner tomorrow night! Going to cut up chicken, steak and maybe shrimp and a bunch of veggies with some butter/ oil and a bunch of seasoning, wrap them in tin fold and throw it all on the grill--- I will let you know how it turns out!!!

Ok, I need to go kiss my child goodnight and head to bed... Night Night!!!

Early to bed!

We had a crazy fun weekend, and now I am pooped!

Last night Kenzie went to "Pappy Carl D's" for a sleepover and we had a kid-free evening... although I missed her, I enjoyed it! It was our friend Aaron's birthday this week, so we took him out last night. We went to Winghouse (his choice)... the waitress was pretty, but man, she was dense! I almost didn't get my food! Then we went Xtreme Bowling! It was a blast! I stink at bowling, but by the end of the night the guys were so drunk (and I don't drink) that I actually won a game!!!! The highlight of my bowling career ;)

Today I ran to Publix. I spent $36 and saved $67, relatively good... I had to get a few things without a coupon (that always erks me!)...

For dinner we decided on lasagna... and I had seen something recently about substituting cream cheese for ricotta... never thought of it before, BUT ricotta is expensive and not something I have lying around, whereas I always have cream cheese AND it's cheap! The lasagna came out AWESOME!!!! Here is my recipe:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

-cook noodles to package instructions... drain and rinse with cold water--- if you do this before and let them sit, they WILL stick together, so periodically run cool water over them to keep them from getting sticky!

-cook your meat... I use ground beef or ground turkey and sausage (I like the hot stuff), but you can use chicken or veggies if you prefer!!! Joe likes it meaty, so I use about 2 pounds of meat, but less is still delicious!

-dice an onion and pepper and garlic (2-6 cloves depending on how you like it) and sautee them up for a bit to soften. (use more colors of peppers and mushrooms if you want more veggies and less meat)

-mix your meat, the veggies, a can of diced tomatoes (I like rotel or something with some peppers and spice to it!), about 35 oz's tomato sauce (I used a 26 oz spaghetti sauce plus an 8 oz tomato paste), and spices
*** I use LOTS of chili powder ( about 4-6 tbsps), 2ish tbsps of cumin ---I like my stuff with spice though, use less if you don't
***about 3-4 tbsps Italian seasoning, a tbsp of Oregano, a sprinkle of thyme, rosemary and sage (not necessary if you don't have them, they just add flavor) and some salt and pepper

-mix all this over low heat in a pot while you ready your cheese filling

-mix 1 eggs, 2 tbsp parsley and 8 oz cream cheese (double this if you like it oozing, I don't ;) in a separate bowl.

pour a little sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish so the noddles don't stick then layer your noodles, your sauce mix, your cream cheese filling, then sprinkle with cheese (I love cheese, so I used about 4 cups all together, use as you like it!) ... repeat until you have used everything!!!! Bake in oven for 35 minutes!

It was super yummy, and much less expensive than the ricotta version!!!

Hope everyone has a great week, I have a lot of running to do. I need to pull permits to put up a new fence, buy the fence, buy a new computer, Kenzie has a doctor's appointment, not to mention class!!!! Night!!!

Long day, early night!

Today was a long day! Dropped Kenzie off at preschool around 8, drove to my Mom's to make use of her ink (I am out, and poor ;) then I went to school... had class from 10:30-4:20, drove home superfast to pick up Kenzie, had some chili, and I have been relaxing because I am not feeling 100%. I learned about Bloom's Taxonomy today, and it is very interesting the way teachers can assess their students, and it amazes me how often they take the easy way out. It is so easy for a student to regurgitate a name or place, but to use what they have learned and make them apply it.... now that is how to make them keep items in their memory banks!!!

I went to the HOA meeting last night for my neighborhood and decided, hey why not become a board member?!?!?! Yeah, just more things on my plate, but I can handle it... it seems like it will be fine, goodness knows what I got myself into! I will let you know how it progresses ;) So far I am in charge of making cookies for the new neighbors this weekend (which you all know I can totally handle)... and they are making me a PO box key... and we shall see what comes of this! It will be a great learning experience, a way for me to get involved in my community, and (as my Mom mentioned) --- it'll look good on a resume!

Heading out early tomorrow for my orientation with the Easter Seals program, I am sooooooooooooo excited to start my "service learning" ... I can't wait--- the orientation will finally make it real!!! Then I have my Junior Achievement orientation in a week and a half--- I will be working at Deltona Middle School with 8th graders--- this will totally be up my alley!!!

Alright, I really need to go to bed, I am wiped out! I made a killer chili for dinner, I will post the recipe for y'all sometime this week!!!!

Forgetful me!

This is my free pile of Halls/Ricola... I got about 25 for free a few months ago... this is what is left!

All those toothpastes and Listerines I got for free... I refuse to pay for toothpaste ;)

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I totally forgot about our HOA meeting tonight... which means no homemade pizza... instead I ran to Two Guys... on of our local pizza parlors, oh so yummy!
*I realize this is not uber healthy.... but I didn't have much time to prepare!!!

I ran to CVS earlier and some of those deals
weren't valid at my store :( I hate when they have "Regional" sales..... especially when I am not in that region!!!

Scarfing down some pizza then off to our HOA meeting! Going to come home and hit the sack straight away... Joe has to be up at 4 am for work and Kenzie and I need to be up at 6:30am....

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This is what my coupon binder looks like... I have pages of card inserts all labeled... this is one of my "Frozen" section pages--- some things like medicines and toothpastes I label by brand!

I take it with me everywhere---it is like my Bible!
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So I posted some pictures for everyone.... this one is of my stock pile of deodorant and shaving stuff... I realize no one needs 20 deodorants... BUT I get them all for free or for close to nothing!

Have a great night!!!!

CVS deals

CVS/ Walgreens/ Target/ Walmart ads run Sunday to Saturday!!!

Boiron Chestal Honey Cough Syrup (4.2 oz) $5 = $5 Ecb (limit 1)
Use the $1/1 coupon found HERE
Pay $4
Get back a $5 Ecb
Final cost FREE + a $1 moneymaker!

Also, if you haven’t done the Vicks deal yet, the Sinex is actually included…

Vick’s 44 custom care 6 oz, Vaporub, babyrub 1.76 oz, Nyquil, Dayquil liquid 6-10 oz, liquicaps or plus Vitamin C caplets 20 ct $4.99 = $1 Ecb (limit 1) *Sinex included

Buy 1 Vicks Sinex $4.99
Use the $4/1 coupon found in the 12/26 PG
Pay $0.99
Get back a $1 Ecb
Final cost FREE!

Also going to get some Tide... it is on sale for $5.?? and I have $1/1 coupon.... plus with all the ECB's I already have, I will not pay anything for this shopping trip!!!

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Thinking I may try to make pizza for dinner tonight... it will be a first.... but I found this recipe:

HOMEMADE PIZZA

This blog "Say Mmmmm..." is awesome... I was reading about helping kids learn their nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc... by MAD LIBS... just mom's thinking up and sharing their ideas!!! Love it!!!

Walmart shopping trip Extravaganza

Today I went to Walmart... and it makes me remember how much I hate shopping at that store. It is insanely busy, I couldn't find half of my list, but I still had an AMAZING trip!!!

See how long my receipt is?!?!?!?

Now look more closely... TOTAL: $4.56

ITEMS SOLD: 53

Their Gatorade Recover and Gatorade Prime drinks were on sale for $1, I just happened to have 46 coupons for $1 off one... SOOOOO, I walked out of Walmart with 46 FREE sports drinks!!!

Also had a coupon for $1 off two Taco Bell seasonings, which were on sale for 50 cents each.... FREE!!!

Coupon for $1 off Reach Floss... was on sale for 97 cents... so I made 3 cents!

Coupon for $1 off Sensodyne Toothpaste... it was on sale for 97 cents... I made 3 cents!

I paid for 2 ice cream's that Kenzie wanted and I spent $1.20 on some dog treats that were on sale and I had a $2 off coupon for... So if Kenzie would not have gotten any ice cream, I would have walked out with a less than $2 bill!!!!

My poor cashier was so nice... the managers didn't know what the heck they were doing... hence the voids on my bill... if they weren't going to honor my coupon, than I wasn't going to buy it!

So I made a pork roast for dinner.. Joe had some pulled pork sandwiches on Texas Toast and loved it... the leftovers are going into a big pot of chili. I will probably start it Wednesday morning before I head out to school so I don't have to worry about cooking when I get home... It will already be done!!!

I put my big hunk of meat in the crock pot with some stock... I used chicken so I could get rid of my open carton... I put in some Chili Powder, Onion powder, Garlic powder, Thyme, Rosemary, Italian Seasoning, and Sage--- LOW for about 6 hours, and it just fell apart... added a bit of BBQ sauce, threw it on some Texas Toast, and voila!

I will let y'all know my chili recipe later this week!

Time for bed! Sweet Dreams!

Yay for deals!

So couponing is definitely not an easy, simple or fast way of shopping, BUT if you have time it is TOTALLY worth your while! I subscribe to various couponing blogs through Facebook and I plan plan plan all my shopping trips. Today my plan was CVS, Target, Publix and Save-A-Lot...

CVS:
Started my trip with $15 ECB's from last week...

Pepsi 12 pks-- 3/ $10... spend $20 get $10 back in ECB's = six 12 pks for $10
Blink Tears eye drops $8... get $4 back in ECB's ( I have a $4 coupon) = FREE
I am totally not a random shopper, BUT their Xmas stuff went 75% off, so I bought a bunch of stuff ;) and they had a cute spatula/ spoon set which I am desperate for, and it was cheap....

TOTAL: After my coupons and EBC's I paid $17, but I got back $14 ECB's to use next week... so technically only $3!!

Target:

needed lightbulbs.... marked at 80 cents, rang up as 49 cents
Johnson and Johnson mini travel first aid kits 97 cents (coupon, but 2 get $1.50 off)
Checked the sale racks, found dog treats for $2 (coupon for $1 off)

PLUS, I used my red card (a Target debit that gives me 5% off every purchase)
TOTAL: 36 cents

Publix:

Welch's Essentail's Juice BOGO (two coupons for $1 off one)
Goldfish (were on sale for $1, Kenzie wanted them)

TOTAL: $2

Save-A-Lot:

whole chickens on sale for 89 cents per pound
celery 79 cents
some kind of istant noodles, on sale for 49 cents (had a coupon for 50 cents off)
... don't remember my total... I picked up a few lunch things for Joe too-- no coupons :(

So I LOVE coupons!

Planning on going to Winn-Dixie tomorrow... their Ken's dressing is Bogo and I have two coupons and their strawberries are BOGO....

I will post pictures one day of my insane coupon binder!

No class tomorrow because of Martin Luther King Jr day... going to take the time to get all my reading for school finished. Kenzie still has school, so I will be glad for some quiet time to get some work done. I have a meeting with the Easter Seals organization on Thursday for orientation for my service learning... I am very excited. I will be working with children with special needs that are Kenzie's age... with her disabilities I feel like I have a leg up, and I am so glad to be able to see some of the tools they implement in the classroom that I could possible do at home!
I am so going to love school this semester! I am waiting to hear back for my Junior Achievement.... it is like a mini- internship this semester... hoping to get into the middle school right around the corner from my house!!!!

Ok, time to get my kids too bed, I have no idea how she gets so much energy!!!! She is pretendig our bed is a train and telling everyone to get "All Abord" ;)

Night Night!!!

Crazy Busy

I made an awesome dinner tonight...
Mexican Chicken Casserole... I cooked my chicken in the oven, then cut it up and threw it in the skillet with their ingredients--- I added onion, chili powder and cumin for more flavor. The part that is shiny just says to spoon 1/3 of mixture into dish, then place a tortilla shell, then another 1/3rd plus some cheese, then the last of the chicken mixture... bake covered at 375 for 20 minutes, take it out, sprinkle more cheese on top and bake uncovered another 5 minutes.

I love to cook and bake, but I find the recipes tend to be bland, I am always adding spices and extra ingredients to make it delicious!


So this is the table I was telling you about! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fabric and buttons I chose.... Can you tell I am uber-traditional?

I found the table and LOVED it.... I guess someone was throwing it out because the glass broke... so instead of getting glass made (with a child keeping glass clean is a multi-daily task! and glass is expensive -somewhat- to get cut) I bought a small piece of wood (we got oak, but you could use plywood). They can cut it in the store if you have your dimensions, but I just happen to be storing my Dad's table saw, so we did it at home. I then measured 6 equal spaces and drilled holes into my wood. I covered the wood with batting and fabric and stapled it down. Then I took a needle up through my fabric ( in the pre-drilled holes), grabbing the buttons and pulling them back through. I used duck tape on the botton to hold the buttons in tightly, giving it the tufted look! I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!! And what is even cooler is I did it MYSELF!!!


I totally splurged and got my nails done. Wanted sparkly tips, but since I am doing massive amount of volunteer work, I wanted to look professional; maybe if I impress them now, they will be offering me jobs next year!!!!


So this last weekend we put together the weight equipment... It took forever, but it was so cute watching Kenzie help! Her wrench is plastic ;)

Yes, those are most definitely leg warmers... Since I hate buying fat clothes for myself, I love buying clothes and putting together outfits for my daughter. This is my Princess, McKenzie!


Pigtails on the way to school... Love these pants, they are tie-dyed skinny jeans!!!

I am totally going old school, bringing back the 80's with a retro twist ;) Found this outfit and HAD TO HAVE IT!!!! Side pony tails are going to come back, wait and see... my daughter is a trend setter ;)

Good night for now.... I am going to try and upload a bunch of recipes this weekend! And if ever in doubt, visit my bestie's site, Candace aka: Mama Grubbs at her awesome food blog!!!

Long Weekend

So we have been running around like crazy this weekend! I spent the day with my Mom on Friday, then we went to Cracker Barrel for dinner ( I had a salad, I was good). Then Saturday we did some running around... someone moved in next door, and since I am known for wandering around my house naked, we decided to get blinds, finally. We also got some wood and ran to Joann's to get some fabric and I finished this table/ ottoman I have been wanting to do for forever.; It looks awesome, I will take some pictures and post them this week. I love the fabric and buttons I chose, they are very traditional--- my style. I tufted it and it looks killer!

Today we did the CVS run... I got six 12 pks of Dt Pepsi, six Renuzits, M&M's, All Laundry Detergent, dish detergent, Lysol sprays, and Airwick smellies... paid $22 and got back $11 to use next week!!! YAY... LOVE saving money.

Well I am heading off to bed because school starts tomorrow! I am so excited, I have to do Service Learning with children with disabilities--- I found one that is totally up my alley. I can work with a local preschool center and help the children as well as the parents. I think this would be a great opportunity for me because I am a mother to a child with disabilities and I can relate to the parents. Lunches are packed, clothes are laid out... shower time and I will be sleeping as soon as my head hits the pillow!

Good Soup Recipes

So I spent way too much time, and money, at Publix today and didn't get my chicken thawed in time for dinner... so we went out to eat at Texas Roadhouse for dinner. It was delicious, and I tried to make healthy choices!!! My chicken will be ready for tomorrow though, and I am going to make a white chicken chili that I found the recipe for in ALL YOU magazine... GREAT magazine for coupons and recipes!!!

http://find.myrecipes.com/recipes/recipefinder.dyn?action=displayRecipe&recipe_id=10000001875803

(idk how to add a link yet, so here is the link)

Personally I always boil my chicken... a whole chicken is about 98 cents per pound at Walmart and BJ's versus boneless skinless at sometimes$4-$5 per pound!!! I boil a whole chicken and I will use half for this recipe, then the other half for something else this week, or stick the cooked chicken in the freezer until next week--- if you are using it in a soup you won't have to worry about it being dry!

Another soup I want to try that sounds pretty good is cheeseburger soup... I found it on the College Inn Broth's site

http://www.collegeinn.com/recipes/cheeseburger-soup?utm_campaign=F11CollegeInn&utm_source=CorpEmail3

I also love that they have the calories!!!!

So I went to Publix today and spent $100... way more than I normally spend at the store, but I wanted to stock up on a plethora of 100 calorie snacks... I am going to be starting classes next week and I am going to need to pack my lunch... I want it to be healthy!!! I did relatively decently considering there are very few, if any coupons for healthy snacks--- I spent $100 and saved $60, usually my savings far exceeds my spending... but when I actually have to buy thing I need versus what I have good coupons for it gets a little out of control!

Well, I can hear "101 Dalmations" coming to a close in the playroom, so I need to give my daughter a bath and get her to bed, then on to my book... on #2 of 2011... I started a goal on Goodreads to read 50 this year--- hoping to do more than that, but we shall see!!! Night!

Starting my blog

So I have decided to start a blog... I figure, why not?!?!?! I am a full-time wife, mother and student... so why not share my tidbits with whoever may want to know!!! I love to cook, although I am attempting to eat healthier ( trying to make a d-i-e-t not sound like one ;) --- and I love to read and craft... although I don't have as much time to do these things while I am in the middle of a semester. I go to UCF studying social science education... I want to teach middle school kids history!!! I love history!
I am also a crazy coupon lady--- I am the one with the huge binder who takes 2 hours to go grocery shopping at each store (and I go to at least 4 a week)... BUT I come out of Publix with a heaping cart for (usually) under $40!!! We are NOT rich, so I am always trying to save money and look for deals!
I would ideally like to use this blog to post my tidbits from the day... if I found a really great deal or coupon, if I learned something earth shattering in a class, if I made a cool craft project, if my child did something amazing, if I tried an awesome new recipe or read a really good book-- I want people to be able to get ideas from someone who likes to have fun and save big!!!

*book I just finished-- Baby, It's Cold Outside ... three short stories by Jennifer Greene, Merline Lovelace and Cindi Myers... it was decent for short romance... total number of books read in 2011: 1