coupon madness

Perhaps there are a few of you who know that I am kind of a deal diva. I love to get a great deal! This is my latest coupon extravaganza... For all of the items shown above, (before tax) I spent a grand total of
.....drum roll please.....
$3.00!!!
And here is the best part, there is a $20 rebate when I mail in my receipts.
I am one happy momma.

A Thankful heart

Today my heart is full of thanks for many things. I sat with all my family, my children, my father and stepmother, my brother and his family, and my Uncle and aunt, and shared a BOUNTIFUL meal, that was delicous. We visited and laughed and truly enjoyed each others company. I was able to talk to my youngest brother in the military and his dear wife, to complete the evening. How thankful I am for them. I am thankful to have my family so close to me. It is often at times like these that I miss my mother greatly, but I am reminded today of how many others I have to stand in her place and help me along my way.

This year has brought many hardships for my family and friends. Of the 6 immediate members of my family at dinner tonight, 5 of them have had lay offs (I was the only one who hadn't been laid off, but you can't really lay-off a mom :). My father faced cancer once, and is fighting it again. My brother was in a serious car accident and walked away without any serious harm. And yet among all of this, God has always seen fit to bless us with enough, and some to spare. Our lives have been lifted with joy and happiness. 2 babies were born into our family within the last year, amid all of this. We all have cars that work, homes that are warm, food to fill our bellies, and the gospel of Jesus Christ- the greatest of all our blessings. It is only fitting to give thanks for him this day as we look to begin this Christmas season. He is the reason for our celebration today and everyday. I am thankful for his love, his tender care, and his watchful eye. For my sweet husband, my beautiful children, and my angel mother, who surely watches over us all. God bless each of you on this joyous day. May you all feel as blessed and cared for as we do today.

Dinner delight

So, many of you know that I am a lover of good food. (when I say good food, I am referring to good tasting food rather than good for you food... :) I try to keep things healthy most of the time, but there are just some days that you need to eat something that really just tastes good. Today was one of those days...

Tonight I make fettuccine Alfredo (and salad), with apple spice cake and lemon sauce for dessert.

Here is the greatest recipe for Fettuccine Alfredo I have ever had, thanks to my friend Kyli's mother -in-law.

PS- it is NOT low-fat, but you will thank me later, it is divine.

Alfredo Sauce:

1 -8 oz. package of Cream Cheese
1 Cube of Butter
1/2 - 1 C. Cream
1/4 tsp. Garlic powder (or to taste)
Salt and pepper to taste
(I also added about a T. of dried parsley because green stuff gives the illusion of healthy right?)

Heat all and serve over cooked fettucini, with a green salad so you don't feel guilty :)


Apple Spice Cake:

1 1/2 C. Flour ( I use half white and half wheat)
3/4 C. Oil
3/4 C. packed Brown Sugar
1 tsp. Baking Soda
1 tsp. Cinnamon
1 tsp. Vanilla
1/4 tsp. Salt
1/8 tsp. ground Allspice
2 Eggs
1 1/2 C. Grated Apples (or applesauce)

Mix dry ingredients- add wet. Stir in apples. Pour into greased 9x13 pan and bake for 25-30 minutes at 350. Serve with Lemon Sauce.


Lemon Sauce:

2 C. Sugar
1/4 C. + 1 tsp. Corn Starch
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 C. Water
1 C. Butter (yes I really do mean 1 CUP of butter :)
1 1/2 tsp. Lemon Extract

Mix dry ingredients in pan. Add water and bring to a boil. Boil 5 minutes, remove from heat and stir in butter and lemon extract.

I hope that some of you will venture to try this and tell me what you think....I hope you love it too.

Allison the Musician

Ally is turning into quite the musician. She loves to play and create at the piano.
I am a proud mommy!

Random Cutie Pa-tooties

Some miscellaneous cute shots of the kids for the grandparents...

Logan with his favorite toys...

Logan and his best little friend Merrit....Aren't they cute!

My Great Accomplishment

After what seems like FOREVER, I finally finished the CHAIR!!!
Not bad for a $5.00 garage sale find!

Here Chicky, chicky, chicky...

Some cute pictures of the kids on Halloween, (mostly for the grandparents who didn't get to see the cute little chickadees!) And by the way, Craig and I are chicken farmers :)

The CHAIR!!!!!

So, do you ever have those days (or weeks) where it seems like the list of things you have to do each day is longer when you go to bed than it was when you woke up? I get up each morning with great intentions and a whole host of things to accomplish and at the end of the day, all I have done is laundry....and dishes...? For the last month, on my list has been- the CHAIR!!!!

A long time ago, I bought this great wing-back recliner at a garage sale. It was the most comfortable chair, though it was worn pretty bad. The lady only wanted $5, so I bought it. I have done some upholstery before, I recovered my 2 living room couches in 2006 (I think). It was a lot of work, but well worth it I thought. So, home I came with my new chair and the best of intentions to recover it....well, several years later, I still had a severely worn, ugly but comfortable green chair...still waiting to be re-finished. When I was pregnant with Logan, I tried to finish it, however, to any of you out there who may be wondering, big fat pregnant bellies and re-upholstery do not mix- that only lasted an hour or so, until I was so miserable I couldn't do it any more. Anyhow, last month I decided it was time to tackle it again...and do you think I am done with it yet? No. It is at current torn apart in 3 different pieces, (2 of which are finished) and waiting for me to get it done! I have it sitting in my living room, so that I can not ignore it any longer, but at the end of the day, there are always things that are more urgent to be done, and so sits the chair....My goal is to get it done by the end of th week...Let's see if I can do it. You can bet that will be a jubilant post on the glorious day when I FINALLY finish the CHAIR!!!!!

The deciding factor

So, if there was ever a debate about wether I am a good mom or not, the following incident could quite possibly resolve the issue, and not in my favor....

Yesterday, I was making dinner, and my oldest, Ally was sweeping the floor for me. Olivia and Logan were playing in the kitchen and living room. Ally finished and asked me if I would help her sweep her dirt pile into the dustpan, I agreed and at that same moment, I heard my neighbor outside. I went to the door and leaned my head out to tell him something quickly, It was intended to be a 60 second conversation, but then we started talking about something else. I walked out onto the porch and then another minute later, I was standing in the driveway talking. We were having a grand conversation, laughing and having a fun time.

After about 5 minutes, I noticed that my 2 girls were now outside with me, riding bikes in the driveway, and that Craig had come up from the back yard. In that instant I thought...UH-OH, where is Logan....I panicked and went running into the house, only to find him sitting on the floor, not far from Ally's dirt pile, helping himself to whatever he could find.....

With dirt on his lips and chin, I picked him up and thought first...how grateful I was that he wasn't hurt, and second, wow, I must be the world's worst mom....

He was happy to have been left in freedom to eat whatever he wanted to out of the great buffet on the floor. And honestly, if it weren't for that tantalizing pile of morsels, he might have made is way down the stair to the basement, or out the door and down the stairs to the concrete....It could have been a great trauma, but lucky for all of us, no harm was done.

So today, I give thanks for my children's gaurdian angels, the spirit's voice of warning, piles of cheerios, crackers and who knows what else, and this subtle reminder to be a better mom... :)

Stink-be-gone

So, this is just a small bit of useful information that I thougth some of you could perhaps find interesting....

I have been searching for a solution to the stinky kitchen rag....It doesn't seem to matter what I do, that sour stinky smell always seems to find it's way back....

A friend of mine told me to put it in the microwave (damp) and microwave it for 1 minute, and that it would kill all the bacteria....so, I took the rag that I had just discovered had soured over-night and popped it in for 1 minute, and you guessed it, stink gone! AMAZING!!! What a fabulous discovery for the day.

So there you have it, the solution to stinky kitchen rags has been discovered! Try it out and tell me what you think.