So Sneaky!

We had (have) so many strawberries from our recent trip to pick them that i have had to come up with creative ways to eat them! I made waffles the other night & decided it would be yummy to puree strawberries to pour over the top instead of syrup. Sounds yummy, right? Not! It was too tart & it really needed syrup with it & i guess that makes sense since when i eat fruit on top of waffles i do usually have syrup too. Jackson refused to eat it (he doesn't like veering from the norm) & Eli tried it & made an awful face before spitting it back out (this was after the tantrum that made him leave the table when he saw me pour "red" syrup on top of his waffle- apparently he doesn't like veering from the norm either!) So- i thought things over & decided that i was NOT trashing the strawberry puree- i just couldn't! So i improvised & turned it into frozen popsicles! Now, THESE were a hit! Isn't it interesting how the same exact thing can look so different (& so much better) under a different circumstance? It's a lot like life, huh?

They have become such a hit, that i made a second batch the next day just so we would have a good lot of them in the freezer for the next several weeks. I have to say, it brought back lots of memories of making baby food cubes! They are baby food cubes with a stick! And i feel good about giving my kids these popscicles since they are 100% fruit & they think it is "ice cream!" Anyone for a serving of fruit??

Change is a coming.......

Beginning in June, our family will have a new company to thank for the food on our plates. Randy was offered his new job Friday & accepted yesterday so he starts the beginning of June & while we (he) are excited, we (he) are also very nervous. When you have been with a company for so long, it is hard to say goodbye even if you know change is what you need to better your future for you & your family. Neither Randy nor myself are good at handling change. We just like the status quo, so hopefully MESCO will become the status quo quickly!! But, Congrats to Randy on the new job. We know he will like it there (eventually!) And praise to the Lord for providing for us, as always .

Simply Ridiculous....

On my way out to work this morning i saw a gas station & was astonished that gas was $3.79 & then during the day i passed this...... $3.84?! There are simply no words, so enough said!

Happy Rainy Mother's Day!

Through the rain & dreary mess, i managed to enjoy my mother's day! I managed to fit in all my mother's in one weekend which was no easy task! We did lot's of traveling but it was worth it to spend some time with each one! And the boys got to hug each one too! And we know that Nanny, Grandma Tee, & Mema can't resist these sweet boys hugs & sugars! When i got home from Wilmington, Randy had flowers waiting on me (& i can't remember the last time i saw those, so he got a big hug too!)

Fun at Grandaddy & Grandma Tee's House

The boys got to visit & spend some fun time with Grandaddy & Grandma Tee while we were in Wilmington this weekend too. Jackson especially likes to play with Kenneth & Eli likes to eat & play! Grandaddy grilled yummy porkchops & grandma tee made her yummy baked beans so dinner was a success! After dinner, I convinced Grandaddy to get out the four wheeler for a little spin. I hadn't been on it since i was a teenager & of course there has been an upgrade since then! I let the boys take a spin with me (of course i didn't go over 5 miles an hour & i held onto them for dear life the entire time!!) but i had to convince Jackson to get on & Eli wanted to get on, until we moved, then he wanted OFF! He didn't like the wind in his face i don't think.

Part of the highlight of the visit for Eli too, was "Playing" with Pete. He kept going to the fence & letting Pete lick him. If Eli were a little bigger, we would have let him run in there & play with him, but Pete has LOTS of energy & might knock him over!Fix your lip, Pete! You tell him this, & he will fix it! Seriously!Once we finally convinced Jackson to get on, he didn't want to get off. He kept saying, "I want to go again!" everytime we came back in from the field. BUt 5 miles an hour got a little boring for Mommy, so 3 trips around the field was enough & she was ready for a little more juice!

We tried one last time with Eli sandwiched between Mommy & Grandaddy & he liked it this way! The wind was off his face & he was looking around & pointing to everything. (And mommy got to squeeze him tight the whole time!)

Thanks for the dinner & entertainment Grandaddy & Grandma Tee! It was yummy & fun!

Strawberry Pickin'

This weekend we went to Wilmington for the first time since February! It was a trip long over due but with gas prices, & our busy schedules, it just took us a while to get down there again. Mother's Day weekend was the perfect opportunity & excuse to go, so we did! While we were there we took the kids to pick strawberries. I used to go (to the same place) with my Memaw when i was a kid, & hadn't been since i went with her myself, so it was a fun time building new memories with the boys. They had a great time, even though we pretty much had to throw back most of the strawberries Eli picked (a.k.a. squished)! But he absolutely loves strawberries so he was in heaven!

After we picked berries, we indulged in some fresh homemade ice cream that the strawberry farm made & i think it was the highlight of the outing for the boys. You can tell from Jackson's face!!

Daddy's nifty new tool...

Okay, for the first time ever, i am actually impressed with a toy Randy got! He got a "micrometer" this week & was testing it out by measuring the thickness of tiny things like a peice of paper. (He needs this for the mandolin building). Well, he started quizzing me saying "tell me something to measure!" so i thought i would stump him & said, "Measure a strand of my hair." So he did & so help me, it worked! Each strand of my hair is .o46 millimeters & each strand of Randy's hair is .051 millimeters! Isn't that crazy!? What i immediately thought of is how God knows the number of hairs on each of our heads (matthew 10:30, "But the very hairs of your head are all numbered") & i am certain He knows that mine is only .046 millimeters!

Just go to sleep already!

So i should make a whole new label for the posts of Jackson's sleep tactics! Lately he has really been stalling & whining & playing around when it is time for a nap. I mostly ignore him once he goes into his room because if he pipes it up too loud from me enforcing the "stay in the bed" rule, then he will wake up Eli, and that is a big no-no! So i just let it go as long as he is quiet & he usually falls asleep without intending to, which is how i have been getting all these ridiculous pictures lately. So here are this weeks newest accidental sleep spots- notice that he is never in his bed!

This day he thought he was being sneaky & watching Tivo'd Dancing with the Stars with me, but exhaustion won out....

And today, i am not sure what he was thinking, but later i heard him knock something against the bottom of the bed he is under when he went to roll or move or something!

$40 menu planning- part 2: the groceries

So i promised i would post a picture of the groceries for my budget this week (or the Lowe's Foods trip anyway) & here it is. Most of it honestly wasn't even on my list, but as i said in this earlier post, i had a hard time passing by things that were on sale & matched doubled coupons.

These things were on my list:

Pasta Sauce (i got Bertolli brand for .80c after sale+coupon)

Pork Chops (substituted drumsticks for this meal, $4.20)

2lbs ground beef (on sale for 2.99/lb- paid $6.20)

Flour Tortillas x2 (on sale for $1 each, so i got 2)

Eggs (full price $1.99)

Ricotta Cheese (sale $1.79)

Salad (marked down to .99c, so i got 2 & used a $1 off/2 coupon thus paying .50c each)

Milk (marked down to $2 since it was going out of date in 6 days- the boys will have it long gone!)

apples (full price $3.99)

Macaroni & cheese (i use the easy mac for a quick lunch for the boys when needed & was out- paid $2.49 on sale)

Total for items i needed: $26.97 w/tax

These were not on my list but a great bargain:

Barilla pasta (after sale +coupon .29c)

Nutrigrain granola bars ($1 each after coupons, bought 2)

Nurtigrain cereal bars (sale for 2/$5 & had the coupon on the back for the above nutrigrain granola bars for next time...)

Live Active cheese sticks (after coupon-1.88)

Motts 100% juices (on sale for 2/$4 & i had coupon for $1off/2, so $1.50 each)

Feta cheese (on sale for $1.50)

Total for items i didn't need: $11.36

Total for both : $38.33

Moral of the story- getting things you don't need is a budget buster (this doesn't even include the Walmart run!)

And just to prove that i am not feeding my family pure junk on my menu planning budget here are the dinner meals we have planned: (some have already been eaten!) And i planned 6 because we usually end up with leftovers at least once!)

yummy chicken drumsticks, salad, & boiled potatoes

stuffed bell peppers, corn, cheese toast (there was enough that i froze half of it!)

chicken & spinach manicotti, breadsticks, salad, & fruit (tomorrow night- i can't wait!)

frozen pizza (okay so this one is junk- but the ingredients are all natural!!)

hamburgers, baked beans, macaroni salad

fajitas, mexican rice, mandarin oranges

Always Room for a First- even for Mommy!

Yesterday was my first experience with chicken drumsticks. Not my first experience eating them, but my first experience buying & cooking them. I saw this yummy looking recipe on a blog i read & the boys love drumsticks when Mema cooks them, so i wanted to try it out, mostly wanted to anyway. Most of you know i am weird about touching raw meat & especially that with bones in! YUCK! Anyway, i passed these .99c/lb drumsticks last week & passed them over because even though i wanted to, i just didn't think i could do it! So yesterday when i was shopping again, i saw them still on sale for the last day & decided to bite the bullet! After all, i was going to be getting 2 meals out of a $4.20 purchase so my squeamishness was overruled by my frugality! When i got home, i called a friend (thanks again, Randi) who helped me through pulling the skin off of the legs. (I am about to gag even now as i type this!) Honestly, the gloves helped a LOT & i did dry heave once, but i made it through pulling that TOUGH (as a bird) skin off! So that was really the only hard part, then it was onto breading which was a breeze. But the problem again came back when it was time to eat it (which i thought might happen), i could only eat one, & i didn't finish it. It was good, but when i cook meat like that, i have a really hard time eating it after i have done all that mess with it! But i will most likely do it again, at least once to use up the other half of the package i froze, & maybe i will graduate to making a whole chicken or something??? Maybe, or maybe not! But for the record, i am so proud of myself (& i know my mama is too!) So the proof is in the pudding..... and here's the pudding.....

And when Randy got home from work, dinner was ready & waiting & as i was beaming with pride waiting for a reaction to this new dinner, he says, "Oh, we are having Shake & Bake?" To say the least, i was ever so slightly deflated... But he recanted with "What? I like shake & bake" But he also likes Hamburger Helper so this isn't saying much! I clarified for him exactly all i had done to make these beautiful legs (of 3 and a half chickens!- let it go Rach, let it go!)