Packages Tied Up with Bows

I might have teared up when I saw this beautiful book laying on my kitchen table when I got home from work today. Hubby had already unwrapped it (which I might have enjoyed, but oh well) and had it laid out for me.

This is not a pretty picture, but the joy in my heart...oh the joy...

The pictures in the cookbook are just as good as on her blog. Step by step...beautiful, yummy pictures. Even stories are intertwined through the recipes. I have never made anything by Pioneer Woman that I haven't LOVED and wanted to eat again and again until I couldn't possibly eat anymore.

Well, I'm off to read it in entirety. See you...when I resurface!

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I Don't Mean to Toot My Own Horn..

Oh, yes I do!! Publix this week was fun, actually fun. I looked forward to it, like an event. And boy, was it an event. See all this below? I got it all for $34!! Yes, that includes the Swiffer Mop :) My hubs broke our last one, so I had to rub that in a little that all I would have spent on food would have been $24.

The best deals were the Knox products which I had two $4 coupons for. Well, I bought 2 Knox gelatin packets which were only $1.39 each and ended up getting PAID to purchase them. I had overage of around $5.00 that was applied to my bill.

There was also a $4 off general mills products when you buy 4. I had a coupon for the Nut Clusters, Flour, Yogurt, and Panko Bread Crumbs. Anyways I got all those items for FREE after coupons and the $4 in ad coupon from Publix :)

Before I tell you what I bought in total, I have to tell you I did not include the bottle of wine and 12-pack of beer that we bought in my total. We budget for a certain (undisclosed) amount of alcohol so that does not go under our grocery bill in the official budget. But, I included it here.

Barefoot Pinot Grigio

Bud Light Wheat

Inernational Delight Creamer

Yoplait Fiber One Yogurt

Breyers Ice Cream -2 cartons

Trident Gum

Meals for 2 Steamfresh 2 packs

Green Giant Vegis 2 packs

Perdue Chicken Tenders 2 packs

Arnolds Bread 2 packs

Muellers Pasta 2 packs

Gold Medal Flour

Knox Gelatin 2 packs

Peanut Butter

Rotel 2 cans

Apples -2

Glade Candles 2

Nut Clusters

Coffee Filters

Panko Bread Crumbs

Swiffer

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Are You Ready for Kids??

I get this question a lot being a newly married youngster. I always say, "no", but I didn't really mean it until I read this posted over at Let's Have a Coctail.

I don't mean to offend anyone, I just thought is was truly hilarious and couldn't help myself!

The test for "Child" readiness.

MESS TEST

Smear peanut butter on the brand new suede sofa you just special ordered. Oh, and hit those

windows and gorgeous window swags too. Place a fish stick behind the couch and leave it there until next August.

PHYSICAL TEST

(Women) Obtain a large bean bag chair and shove it under the front of your dress. Leave it there for 9 months. Now remove 10 of the beans. And try not to notice your closet full of clothes. You won't be wearing them for a while.

PHYSICAL TEST

(Men) Go to the nearest drug store. Set your wallet on the counter. Ask the person behind the counter to help himself. Now proceed to the nearest grocery. Go to the head office and arrange for your paycheck to be directly deposited to the store. Purchase your favorite golf or fashion magazine. Go home and read it quietly for the last time.

TOY TEST

Obtain a 55 gallon box of Legos (or you may substitute roofing tacks). Have a friend spread them all over the house. Put on a blindfold. Try to walk to the bathroom or kitchen. Do not scream because this would wake a child at night. GROCERY STORE TEST
Borrow one or two small animals (goats are best) and take them with you as you shop. Always keep them in sight and pay for anything they eat or damage. Try keeping your voice down when you repeat the same thing to them 50 times.

DRESSING TEST

Obtain one large, unhappy, live octopus. Stuff into a small net bag making sure that all the arms stay inside. Keep a smile on your face as you do so.

FEEDING TEST

Obtain a large plastic milk jug. Fill halfway with water. Suspend from the ceiling with a cord. Start the jug swinging. Try to insert spoonfuls of soggy cereal into the mouth of the jug, while pretending to be an airplane. Now dump the contents of the jug on the floor.

NIGHT TEST

Prepare by obtaining a small cloth bag and fill it with 8-12 pounds of sand. Soak it thoroughly in water. At 3:00p.m. begin to waltz and hum with the bag until 9:00p.m. Lay down your bag and set your alarm for 10:00p.m. Get up, pick up your bag, and sing every song you have ever heard. Make up about a dozen more and sing these too until 4:00a.m. Set alarm for 5:00a.m. Get up and make breakfast. Keep this up for 5 years. Look cheerful.

INGENUITY TEST

Take an egg carton. Using a pair of scissors and pot of paint, turn it into an alligator. Now take a toilet paper tube and turn it into an attractive Christmas candle. Use only scotch tape and a piece of foil. Last, take a milk carton, a ping-pong ball, and an empty box of Cocoa Puffs. Make an exact replica of the Eiffel Tower.

AUTOMOBILE TEST

Turn over the keys to your BMW and buy a mini-van. Buy a chocolate ice cream cone and put it in the glove compartment. Leave it there. Get a dime. Slide it into your DVD player. Take a family size package of chocolate chip cookies. Mash them into the back seat. Run a garden rake along both sides of the car. There, perfect.

FINAL ASSIGNMENT:

Find a couple who already have a small child. Lecture them on how they can improve their discipline, patience, tolerance, toilet training and child's table manners. Suggest many ways they can do a better job. Emphasize to them that they should never allow their children to run wild. Enjoy this experience. It will be the last time you will have all the answers.

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Dinner Party for 3

Every other week we have my good friend Ryan's boyfriend over for dinner. We like him...and it allows us to talk to someone else for a few hours in lieu of each other. :) Just kidding...kind of.

Anyways, tomorrow night I am making (who else?) Pioneer Woman's Pear Crisp and her recent Chicken Parmigiana . Can you say YUM!? Can't wait...

Did you know her cookbook will be in my mailbox on NOVEMBER 2nd!!! (Maybe before...) I honestly cannot contain my excitement!

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Wedding Weekend

We went to Fort Myers, FL this weekend to celebrate a good friend's wedding! It was a great time to catch up with our friends who are now scattered all over the U.S. in Dallas, TX, Gainesville, FL, Atlanta, GA, and Charlotte, NC. Needless to say, we had a fantastic time!

Here is me and MaryBeth, the bride, at their rehearsal dinner.

Here are the members of her wedding party and a few of us who helped out by speaking or passing out programs. It was an honor to read at MaryBeth and Adam's wedding. I was SO nervous, and almost lost it, but pulled it together quite well, I think!

Just some more rehearsal dinner fun...good wine and good friends.

All the Thetas out after the rehearsal...so much fun to see all of you!

We spent the wedding day at the beach, my pale sickly looking skin hadn't seen the sun in months so this isn't the most attractive picture...oh well it's almost winter.

It was a beautiful day and everything went off without a hitch! Congrats Mubby and Adam :)

Looking forward to this week. My grandmother is visiting from Virginia and I am taking the day off on Thursday to spend some time with her and my family. Friday is our school's Halloween party day so that should prove to be...fun, and exhausting!

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I'm So Excited!!

Ya'll, I officially hit the jackpot. I am head over heels in LOVE with coupons. I had to trade my embarrassment at Target today for 5 free Glade candle holders and refills.

Target:

--5 Glade Scented Oil Candle Holders-FREE after coupon that is INSIDE of the box. BEG your cashier to help you get them out and scan them.

--5 Refills (4 Christmas scented and 1 Fresh Linen) FREE--print 5 coupons (see Frugal Fortune's Website).

--Chex Mix FREE- I had three .50 coupons and it was on sale for $1.50

--WONKA Candy Bag --$2.00. It is HUGE and was on sale two for $8 and I had a $2 coupon

TOTAL SPENT: 2.00 :)

Publix:

--All Detergent: 2.00 (On sale for 2.99 and I had a $1 coupon)

--2 Healthy Choice Frozen Meals (2.00--they are 4/$10, $2.50 each and I had 3.00 in coupons)

--POST 2 boxes of cereal (2.00...BOGO this week and I had a $2.00 coupon)

--Muir Glen Organic Tomatoes (.50 I had a $1 coupon)

--Bumblee Tuna Package (.50 I had a $1 coupon)

--onion (.27 cents, just cheap)

TOTAL: $7.27!

GRAND TOTAL: $10!!

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I'm Getting Into the Game!

OK, I officially love couponing, I am obsessed!! Look what I got...all for $2.39!

The Nestle 24 ounce packages were BOGO, so $6.00 for 2. I had two coupons for $2.00, so I paid a total of 2.00 for the candy. Then, I had a BOGO coupon for the Trident Layers gum. So I got 2 for 1.39. I also had a $1.00 off coupon for the gum, so I ended up getting both packages of the gum for .39!! INCREDIBLE! I felt like queen of couponing afterwards!

I am off on a BIG trip tomorrow, many free items will be had--can't wait to share!!

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Pioneer Woman and Coffee...Does It Get Any Better?

This weekend (before my oven conked out) I made one of Pioneer Woman's recipes. I was in the mood for something sweet, but different. I decided on her Coffee Cake--Literally!

I exchanged the caffeinated coffee crystals for decaf so that my husband and I could eat it as dessert and sleep afterwards!

Here are the cakes out of the oven: (this is just one of two 8" rounds)

Here is the cake cooling in the fridge afterwards. I put icing in between the layers and all around---YUM! The icing is VERY sweet, I might use less powdered sugar next time and OH YES there will be a next time!

And finally, after 2 slices :) Mine is lighter than hers because I used the decaf crystals. WOW is it good, you won't regret making it!

We are having friends in town to travel to a wedding with this weekend and I hope there is some left for them to enjoy!

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Fabulous Fixture!

So we have been living with very little light over our dining table for 2 months now. It's been dark, it's been dreary, and full of nasty florescent track lighting...ugh! We had a new chandelier hung on Friday and it looks great!!

Here is the before...you can't see the track lighting, but it's a good thing...promise.

It make the whole room seem taller! It also matches all of our fixtures (handles, pulls, etc. ) for the kitchen/living area.

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Weekend Recap

WHEW! I slept well last night and this afternoon after such a high-anxiety game yesterday. For a little bit there, I didn't know if my Gators had shown up to the game at all! I am just glad they pulled it together. It's games like those that make you realize that football is not just physical, but so much mental as well.

We didn't do much of anything to speak of this weekend. I DID make those muffins. They were OK--kind of dense, but anything can be fixed with a little sugar and butter, right? It has been beautiful in Florida lately--finally dropped into the 60s yesterday and today. But, typical of Florida weather, this front will be gone in a few days and it will be back to highs in the 80s.

I also went to the store and used my coupons. Now, I need to vent...I follow many blogs of people who go to the store and spend $10 on $80 worth of food and so forth, but they never come home with REAL FOOD! No red meat, no chicken, no seafood...just boxes of pantry items! So, I need to stop comparing myself to them and do the best I can while buying REAL FOOD. I think I did pretty good this week. We spent a total of $67 on $112 of food. Lots of BOGO and I used about $15 in coupons. Not bad...just not like some others. I will get there, but it will be through buying REAL sustainable food! Goodness...I'm done...sorry for that.

I work Monday-Thursday this week and we are headed to Fort Meyers, FL to watch a good friend get married! YAY...so excited for a fun weekend with friends.

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A Recipe and Coupons

I used buttermilk for a dinner recipe earlier this week and have some left over. I plan on making these delicious buttermilk muffins tomorrow night--they look incredible!! LOVE the topping!

Ingredients

• 7 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• FOR THE TOPPING:
• 2/3 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted

Preparation

• 1
  Preheat an oven to 350°F. Grease 9 standard muffin cups with butter or butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray; fill the unused cups one-third full with water to prevent warping.
  
• 2
  To make the muffins, in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the flat beater, combine the butter and sugar and beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat well until pale and smooth.
  
• 3
  In another bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. Add to the butter mixture in 2 additions, alternating with the buttermilk and vanilla. Stir just until evenly moistened. The batter will be slightly lumpy.
  
• 4
  Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups, filling each three-fourths full. Bake until the muffins are golden, dry and springy to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let cool for 5 minutes. Unmold the muffins and let stand until cool enough to handle.
  
• 5
  To make the topping, in a small, shallow bowl, stir together the sugar and cinnamon. Put the melted butter in another small bowl. Holding the bottom of a muffin, dip the top into the melted butter, turning to coat it evenly. Immediately dip the top in the cinnamon-sugar mixture, coating it evenly, then tap it to remove excess sugar. Transfer the muffin, right side up, to the rack. Repeat with the remaining muffins. Let cool completely before serving.
  
• 6
  Makes 9 muffins.

It is a Williams Sonoma recipe, so it has to be good!

On another note, do any of you all clip coupons? I have started and I am finding it is frustrating because the rules at my store differ from the rules at the stores certain people post about on their websites. I can't get the same deals they can. Anyone have any ideas?

I think I will do well tomorrow. I have started accumulating quite a few and have many for items that are also Buy One Get One at Publix (the only place I grocery shop) so those should prove to be GREAT deals.

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Crab Boil!

This weekend, to celebrate the Gator Game and tailgate, we headed over to our friend's house to have a crab boil! This was the most delicious food I have ever eaten--absolutely incredible. Allan, my best friend's boyfriend, is from Louisiana and WOW does he make things hot...food...he makes food hot. He boiled blue crab, potatoes, sausage, mushrooms, corn, and onions! I can't wait to do it again...hint hint Allan :)

Here he is..the crab master himself!

And his beautiful girlfriend and my bestest :)

We finished the night with a huge GATOR WIN! We were so excited since LSU ...ahemLSWHO is just.not.nice. They roasted an alligator...a real alligator :( Well, they got what they deserved!

GATOR BAIT! Guess whose going to be Gator bait next week? ARKANSAS! BEAT THOSE HOGS!

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Friends and Foes

Here is the old mirror we had--very small and really just blended in on the wall. I loved it, but it just wasn't going to cut it.

So we returned it and got my new best friend-- I think it works so much better than the last one and is absolutely gorgeous...don't you think?

And now for my foe...this guy has been taunting my baby girl (Lola--the princess kitty) through the windows, sleeping on my husband's car, and obviously just making himself at home. Now, I am not a mean spirited person. But, when I can hear my baby girl crying and hitting our sliding glass doors with her entire body weight, I get a little annoyed. So, I have been spraying him with the hose. I know, NOT NICE, but you know what? He is not my cat! And, he is digging up my flowers and driving me and my baby girl crazy!

I am pretty sure he is not going to be back for a while. I found him earlier today in our carport and made a huge stink-- he ran his plump little self all the way home.

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Tasty Crab Dip

I am a huge follower/lover/admirer of Pioneer Woman. Anyone who doesn't already read her blog, should go and fall in love!

She started a website for bloggers to upload their favorite recipes called Tasty Kitchen. It's like a blog-world rendition of foodnetwork.com. LOVE IT. I found this recipe and thought I would share it for all you crab lovers to eat over the weekend while watching our favorite teams.

I am going to make it on Saturday--I'll post it then and show pictures!

Ingredients:

8 ounces, weight Crab Meat
8 ounces, weight Cream Cheese
1 Tablespoon Milk
½ cups Diced Onion
½ teaspoons Salt
¼ teaspoons Ground Black Pepper
½ cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 375. Mix all ingredients except for cheddar. Spread evenly into glass pie dish. Top with cheddar. Bake about 25 minutes until golden brown on top. Serve hot with cracker (Wheat Thins work best).

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Help Breast Cancer

Have you heard about the new PINK Swiffer? Proceeds from the Swiffer will go towards the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation in coordination with Breast Cancer Awareness Month (October). This is now only available to Canadians...but hopefully they will bring one to the US. I am not huge on pink, but I really do think it would make cleaning so much more fun than my green one!

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Check, Check, Check, Check it Off!

What, what, what's it all about? Ha, sorry...I got carried away there.

OK, So I figured I would show you what my week looks like. I have been trying out the checklist idea since Monday and it is going GREAT. I love it! Yours may be different and probably will be, but here is mine:

Monday:

1. Clean all mirrors and doors and baseboards as needed

2. Empty trash cans in the house and take to the curb along with recycle (Tuesday is trash day)

3. Dust all furniture

4. Make lunches

5. Wipe down kitchen counters and sink

6. Set out outfit for Tuesday

7. Water plants

Tuesday:

1. Vacuum all rooms and rugs

2. Bathrooms-clean counters, toilets, showers, tubs

3. Change and launder sheets/towels

4. Make lunches

5. Run errands

6. Set outfit out for Wednesday

Wednesday:

1. School meetings (I don't schedule much for this day! Try and pick a day during the week where you don't schedule much either)

2. Make lunches

3. Wipe down kitchen counters and sink

4. Set outfit out for Thursday

5. Water plants

Thursday:

1. Laundry--all clothing

2. Mop laundry room/kitchen/baths

3. Empty all trash and take to curb

4. Run errands

5. Plan groceries (check for coupons and BOGO)

6. Make lunches

7. Set outfit out for Friday

Friday:

1. Grocery shopping

2. Wash bath rugs

3. Swifter wood/tile

4. Wipe down counters/sinks/appliances

5. Water Plants

Saturday:

1. Errands

2. Yard/Exterior

3. Relax :)

4. Plan something to do with the hubs

Sunday:

1. Church

2. Rest :)

What I love best about this is that my weekend is not taken over by chores AND I always know when something is going to be done and do not have to feel like it has to happen right away! Try it yourself, and let me know how it goes!

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Weekly Checklist

I work and so does my husband. We just bought a home and have been quickly overwhelmed by all the projects (daily, weekly, monthly...etc) that come along with it!

I was reading over at: Waiting on A Full House yesterday because Lyndsie had posted about a cleaning schedule on Monday.

Let me tell you...this was an epiphany!! I have had such a hard time "keeping house" lately. It seems all of a sudden I have this mountain of laundry and dirty bathrooms and floors that need to be vacuumed. Well, being the crazy person I am, if I notice it...IT HAS TO BE DONE RIGHT AWAY! Yes, I am that crazy. I know it, I deal with it...at least you are not my husband :)

So, I quickly formed my own chart for Monday-Sunday. I tailored it to our needs and spread out all the jobs so that when I see that the bathroom is dirty, I can think "I don't need to do that now, I will do it Thursday" (when I have planned to). This works great and really takes the stress out of all the jobs that come with owning a home.

I also planned in days that I will run errands (days where I have lots of free periods at school and can go during that time) and days to relax (Saturday and Sunday). I don't want to clean on the weekend, so I won't!

Here is the BEST part of the chart: My husband knows what needs to be done every day. He doesn't have to ask, I don't have to ask. If something isn't checked off it is visual reminder that there are things left to do! I LOVE IT.

Just thought I would share--thanks Lyndsie for sharing!

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Laundry Room Re-do!

We finally got around to having cabinets installed in our laundry room. Here is the laundry room right after we moved in. I wish I had before before pictures where the linoleum was ripping up and there was lizard poop all over the floor, yes lizard poop. They had infested the house. My friend Ryan still doesn't like walking into this room. The lizards are gone, I promise!

We had a ceiling installed because before this picture there were just rafters that led to our tiny roof (we have a low-pitched roof, so no attic space). That bookcase is now used as it should be, as a bookcase in our extra bedroom.

We don't have a pantry in our kitchen (yet) so we use one of the cabinets now as a pantry, but we plan on a huge redo of the kitchen in the next year. So, there will definitely be a pantry in it!

Here is the after! Sorry for the dark background. This is looking in from my kitchen.

Here is a close up. We got these at Lowes for an incredible price. At least I think it was. We couldn't have had cabinets made for this price ($94 each). That cabinet looks crooked (the one on the right) I promise it isn't!

We need to pick a different paint color. This was the color the entire house was before we moved in and painted every room, but this one. It isn't going to be easy to get around those cabinets and the washer/dyer! Any tips?

Here is our lovely window over the w/d. I need to get a pretty fabric to hang up there and add some color.

We are so happy to have more storage...I finally don't have a lawn mower box sitting in my kitchen with my blender/kitchenaid/ice cream maker/extra large pots in it!

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