Loving Home

I would like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas. May you remember the reason for the season.

With groceries going up each week it seems this is a must for every family.

I am on my third one right now. I think they turn out so cute.

I know I have missed some weeks here. I just need to get in the habit of posting. Breakfasts: toast with peanut butter pop tarts eggs and toast pancakes cold cereal Lunches: mac and cheese ham sandwich leftovers hot dogs grilled cheese and soup Dinners: mushroom pizza chicken, stuffing and veggie sloppy joes chili taco soup chicken, noodles and veggie date night on Friday Snakes: apples popcorn cookies

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone from our homes to yours.

Here is what is being served in my home this week: Breakfasts: danish cereal w/bananas toad in the hole with bacon oatmeal scrambled eggs, toast and bacon Lunches: hamburger helper lasagna sandwiches leftovers hot dogs Dinners: church dinner chicken, stuffing and veggie or salad turkey lo mein meatloaf, mashed potatoes, veggie baked pasta Confetti Chicken Chili *new recipe* fish sticks and slaw Snacks: popcorn apples chips and salsa

Today my dd and I went to our farmer's market. This was the last Friday morning for the season and will start Sunday afternoon November and December. We knew some of our favorite vendors were not going to be participating on Sundays so we wanted to see them one last time this season. The gentleman that we get our goat cheese from was their. He had not been there for a few weeks so asked about his health. He had had a health scare but is doing better now. We purchased one container as I needed to save my money for our apple lady. She had the last of her apples for the season today so we bought a box of granny smith apples and we will have to make them last. Here is what we purchased: 1 box of apples = $30.00 1 container goat cheese + $6.00 2 peppers = $2.00 (kinda expensive but these are huge) 2 kholrabi = $3.00 7 tomatoes = $3.00 1 bag of kettle corn for dd = $2.00 Not bad for the end of October.

Here is the plan for this week: Breakfast: choice of: cereal, eggs/toast, oatmeal, toast with peanut butter, zucchini or pumpkin bread Lunches: choice of: meat sandwich, peanut butter and jelly or leftovers Dinners: soup and grilled cheese salmon, boiled potatoes, carrots chicken, noodles, veggie beef tips, mashed potatoes, veggie chili steak, sweet potatoes, broccoli baked pasta, salad At the farmer's market, Friday, I got: potatoes, cucumbers and apples. I still have a lot of homecanned pears from last year. I also have taken out of the deep freeze puree pumpkin and shredded zucchini to make loaves for snacks and breakfast.

It seems like our weather can not make up its mind. mid 70's then mid 50's then back to mid 70's. No wonder I am not feeling well. The next couple of days will be mid 70's then around Thursday it will be mid 50's again. It makes it hard to plan a menu also. I will be back with the menu in just a few minutes.

October 15 is here and I feel like it just started. A little more than two months until Christmas and I have barely started. The next couple of days will be spent thinking about possible gifts and money goals for the season. I am not feeling well so off to bed I go. More later.

Since I am already at the 18th this will be a mini list. 1. Continue to lose weight 2. Pick green tomatoes to make pickled green tomatoes for dh 3. Work on organizing craft room 4. Keep kitchen clean.

Wow, I did not realize that I have not blogged since May !!! There is so much to catch you up on. May 2011 End of the year for dd in college and dh teaching middle school. We found out he was being displaced but we didn't know where so we had to pack everything and store it in his classroom until he found out where he would be placed. More on that latter. Dd made honor roll for the spring semester and we are so proud of her. We had to replant the lettuce and cucumbers thanks to a family of bunnies. June 2011 Dh is taking a graduate level course as he is working toward his plus 30. It is in aerospace and he is loving it. He got a flying lesson and they travelled to Florida on a field trip. Ds was excited to pay off his car nine months early. It had been his goal to pay it off by June and he did it. We also celebrated our 27th wedding anniversary and my birthday. More replanting and harvesting the cabbage, broccoli and khorabi. The garden is not starting off to well for...

Here is my CVS shop. They also had everything that I wanted. Here is what I got: 2 boxes of Colgate 4 bottles of Dawn 2 bottles of Pantene = $5.94 +$2 RR This is my Rite Aid shop. They had everything that I went in for, Here is what I got: 3 Scope 2 bags of pistachios 3 boxes of Colgarte = $9.58 OOP This is my take from Walgreen's. They did not have any razors so I will need to go back for those. Here is what I got: 1 Head and Shoulders Shampoo 1 Head and Shoulders Conditioner 6 Right Guard deodarant = $13.49 OOP + $6 RR I don't think I did that bad. I still have the razors to pick up. So today I spent $29.01 plus $6 RR

Well I am trying not to go to the store anymore this week since we ran to Krogers Easter Sunday for Sparkling Grape Juice. I have enough milk and bread for the week so I am not counting on going until Friday (payday) earliest. Breakfasts: choice of cereal, toast with peanut butter, eggs, bacon and toast or oatmeal Lunches: choice of sandwiches, mac and cheese or leftovers Dinners: Easter Sunday - ham, mashed sweet potatoes, asparagus, snow peas and honey bread bunny Monday - chicken, red potatoes and broccoli slaw Tuesday - ham, sweet potatoes and green beans Wednesday - spaghetti and green salad Thursday - sloppy joes Friday - date night for dh and I, dd will have leftovers Saturday - chicken, red potatoes and carrots Snacks: popcorn, chips and salsa or cookies (maybe later this week) I have everything I need for this menu. Right down to the frozen cookie dough for the cookies. I plan on making the hamburger buns for the sloppy joes on Thursday or gather what is in the house and ...

This spring is promising to be one of the wettest ever. We got our spring garden in late due the excessive amount of rain. We got broccoli, cabbage, red leaf lettuce and kohlrabi. Now I am praying that they don't drown. We have so much work to do outside and it rains every other day recently. It doesn't really get to dry out a little bit in between. The first good weekend we will all be outside working. We have been working on inside jobs for now. The bathroom is coming a long with the wall speckled and painted. The storage box that will be beside the sink has been built and installed. This weekend the tile floor will go down, Lord willing. After that we will install the new cabinet and sink, place the toilet in place and hang the new mirror. I can't wait until it is done as we are all sharing the master bath right now. I need to start my spring cleaning. I am going to start this weekend in the kitchen as it is the busiest room in the house. So much to do and ...

Here is what I plan to fix the week of April 11 -17 Monday - Breakfast - scones and milk Lunch - sandwiches and slaw Dinner - beef stir fry with noodles Tuesday - Breakfast - pancakes Lunch - sandwiches Dinner - chicken thighs, corn and carrots Wednesday - Breakfast - cereal. milk and bananas Lunch - sandwiches Dinner - sloppy joes, slaw Thursday - Breakfast - waffles Lunch - sandwiches or leftovers Dinner - spaghetti and texas toast Friday - Breakfast - hard boiled eggs and toast Lunch - sandwiches or leftovers Dinner - date night Saturday - Breakfast - eggs, toast and bacon Lunch - grilled cheese and soup Dinner - chicken, peas and carrots Sunday - Breakfast - cereal and milk Lunch - homemade pizza Dinner - hot ...

I know that it is the 11th but at least I will have them posted. 1. continue to lose weight 2. keep food budget to $75 a week 3. go through master bedroom looking for yard sale items 4. inventory deep freeze, pantry and refrigerator 5. start sewing

Time to take a look at March's goals and how I did. 1. Remove junk food from house - for the most part I got this done 2. Lose 5 pounds - I think I lost 3 so I was close 3. 30 mins of activity daily - did not get it done daily and it is most likely why I only lost 3 pounds 4. check sugar at least 3 x daily - also had troubles with this too 5. Read up on Byette - I read but I don't know how I feel about it yet. 6. Finish FAFSA for Rachel - I am pleased to say that I did get this done. This has been an up and down month for me. A lot of pain and struggling with finances - not a good combo. I hope to do better next month.

Last night I arrived home from a wonderful ladies retreat. There were 28 of us which included at least 10 guests of our members. We studied ACTS = Adoration, confession, thanksgiving and supplication. It was wonderful and I gained alot of insight from our speaker - Tina. We were at Hy-Lake Camp in Tennessee and it was absolutely beautiful. The cabin was nice and clean and the kitchen facilities were amazing. Here are some pics from it.

I went to the doctor today for my three month diabetic checkup. Well my A1C is 9.3 way not good. My blood pressure is elevated and I had gained 10 pounds. So on to this months goals. 1. Remove junk food from house. 2. Lose at least 5 pounds (a must) 3. Do at least 30 mins of movement a day (either walking, Wii or swim class) 4. Check my glucose at least three times a day. Record it for doctor. 5. Read up on Byetta and let the doctor know what I think. 6. Finish FAFSA this month for Rachel.

It is the 2nd of March and it is time to see how I did last month. 1. Lose 5 lbs. = I only lost 1.5 pounds. 2. Cull through my clothes = I did a little bit more of this but still not done. 3. Get my taxes done as well as Ian's and Rachel's = they are all done but I need to fix Ian's and send it back out. 4. Pay down bills = Success !!!!!!!!!!!! I paid off two more bills for a monthly savings of $326.56. For the year so far: $439.56 5. Start Christmas gifts for 2011 = well I did some planning but did not finish the afghans. 6. Finish organizing coupons = I did get this done. 7. Stay in food budget = once again I was a little over.

Ok today I did my first shopping on the month. First off: Sam's Club 1 box Fiber One Bars 2 dozen bagels 1 pkg of Bath Tissue 1 case of Sun Drop (for dd) $35.99 Food Lion 10 boxes pasta 6 jars Ragu 2 Red Barons pizza 1 Texas Toast Cheese bread 1 TGIF potato skins 1 pkg chocolate chip cookie dough $16.85 I saved $46.68. I got the 10 boxes of pasta for free. I also got the cheese bread, potato skins and cookie dough were free with the purchase of the pizzas. I had coupons for the pasta, Ragu and pizzas. The cashier at Food Lion was kinda nasty when I asked for a rain check for the Dove deodorant. Spent: $52.84 Saved: 46.68 Left for the pay cycle (two weeks): $97.16

With a new month starting tomorrow I took the time to think about goals for February. Here we go. 1. The weight loss goal will stay the same = 5 pounds 2. I will continue to cull through my clothes and donate to Goodwill. 3. Get my taxes done as well as Ian's and Rachel"s. Have them all e-filed by the end of the month. 4. Continue to pay down bills. Total saved per month so far: $113 per month. 5. Start working on Christmas gifts. Finish afghans this month. 6. Finish organizing my coupons and start using them more consistently. 7. Stay within our budget. #6 will help a lot in this area. Like I did this month I will revisit at the end of the month.

Well it is the last day of January already. It seems like it was just New Years and here we are staring February in the face. I thought I would revisit my goals for this month. 1. Lose 5 pounds = not good. I gained 2 pounds. When I am stressed I eat and this was a stressful month. Even too much of good things are not good. 2. Cull through my clothes = I have started this but I am not done yet. 3. Get better organized for next tax season = Success !! I found an expandable folder that is designed for taxes and it has been placed where I can find it. I already have some of this years info in it already. 4. Don't buy craft supplies just because = I have had to buy some to finish a piece I am working on. I did buy some for my next project but I haven't spent a lot this month. 5. Pay down bills = Success again !! We have paid off a hospital bill this month. This has freed up $113 a month. Now on to the next bill. Now on to next month.

The other night I cook an 11.6 lb turkey. It was falling off the bone almost when I served it at dinner along with stuffing and green beans. A little taste of heaven ... yummm We have had turkey sandwiches today and tonight I think I am going to try turkey tetranzzi. I have found a new recipe that sounds good and I have all of the ingredients. :) If it is a keeper I will post the recipe. What are some of the things that you like to fix with cooked turkey? I will sometimes make a "thanksgiving" casserole. I also like to fix turkey stir-fry. Tomorrow I might serve some turkey with baked potatoes and carrots. Yummy

So far this winter we have had more snow then I can ever remember having in Tennessee. I have lived in Tennessee for 21 years now. I have enjoyed it as long as I have not had to go out in it. My concern is that the southeast is not use to so much snow and cold. A lot of fragile crops grow in these areas and they are already talking about prices going up due to crop damage. I have already started to see prices going up. Everything from fresh foods to tuna are higher than last month. I have been surprised that apples (that are in season right now) are still very expensive. Dh and I went to do a little shopping yesterday and just like that we spent $27.05. We got 4 thick hamburger patties, 4 servings of white fish, a half pound of bologna, one pound of sliced ham, bag of baking potatoes, sour cream, tortilla chips and sliced cheese. The hamburger patties will be reshaped into a total of 8 thinner patties. With the tortilla chips I made nachos with cheese for dinner. I added 1/2...

Yesterday we had no heat -- just what we needed on a cold, snowy day. Tech came out last night and said that he needed to order a piece and it would be today before he could fix it. Something about a piece that the company knew to have problems and ours just went out yesterday. The piece was covered under warranty but the labour was not. $214 gone. Actually borrowed from dd.

Wow !! As I type we are getting more snow. Schools are closed for the third day straight. I am so glad that I don't have young children anymore. My teacher husband is fine with it. He has been working on lesson plans that will go into next week now. On to the good news -- my ds who has been out of work since the middle of October has found himself a full time job !!!! Yeah !! Praise God. He will start on Jan 21. He will keep his weekend job until he gets past the 90 day window and then will consider quitting the weekend job. He is going to work really hard at getting his bills caught up and then paid off. We are so happy for him. School starts on Thursday for dd. Her classes are MWF but her internship is Tuesday and Thursday mornings. I wish she was being paid for this but she is enjoying it. She is taking 15 hours this semester and she is done with her general required courses. So she is in her major now. She has maintained her GPA so her hope scholarship is still...

We awoke to snow this morning. We have already received more snow this year then we normally get all winter. My dd was kind enough to take some photos for me. Enjoy.

With January usually comes with setting goals for oneself. I am no different. However this year I have been trying to be more realistic. Setting a goal to lose weight is to general but I tend to be to specific also. So here is what I have come up with so far: 1. I hope to lose 5 pounds a month. I think this is doable. 2. I will cull through my clothes and remove those that no longer fit or something I will never wear again. Take to Goodwill. 3. I need to be better organized with our tax information so next years goes easier. 4. I need to focus on the craft supplies that I already have and try hard to not purchase anything that I don't absolutely needs. 5. Start to focus on paying down debt. I have one that will be paid off in January and one in February. I need to look at the rest of it to gauge the rest of them. That is it for now. I hope to have monthly goals also. I need to be held more accountable with my goals.

Here is to wishing everyone a happy new year.