Publix on an empty stomach

All in all, I did QUITE well for someone who was very hungry at Publix. No picture, because I need to start dinner, but my list before going in was:

• 2 boxes of kitty litter (while they are on Advantage Buy, I can get a $9 box for $6.50 with my coupon so I'm trying to get ahead and buy as much as I can before the sale ends Friday)
• 5 boxes of Jolly Time popcorn ($0.39 a box after sale and coupons for 3 boxes, -$0.11 a box for 2 of the boxes w/$1.50/1 coupons)
  
• pizza dough for tonight's dinner (my main reason for going)

I got all of the above (minus two boxes of popcorn since they didn't have the right kind) PLUS:

• Powerade Zero (they were on sale for $1 each and I found a coupon hanging on one of them that said "buy 10 get 5 free" - I couldn't resist)
• bagels from the deli which were only $0.80 for a 4 pack
  

I spent $24 and saved $19, which would have been WAY better except for the $$$ litter, but what are you going to do? I have to have litter. At least their food is free.

Foot update

I attempted to do some exercise today to see how my foot was doing. It hasn't been hurting for a few days now, but I thought I would ease into it by doing the elliptical machine, which is very low impact. Good thing I did, because I can definitely still feel some pain while I was working out, and a bit since. So, I'm thinking I'll continue to ease back into exercising, and not run for awhile longer. I think the 10k on the 18th may be out. :( I'm going to look into finding another one for later on in the year (hopefully AFTER it stops being hot). One of these days, I WILL do a 10k. It just won't be this month.

Menu Plan Monday

Monday: Cornflake crusted chicken tenders, mashed potatoes, green beans
Tuesday: Chicken ranch pizza, salad
Wednesday: Cheeseburger pie, salad
Thursday: Chicken Parisienne, broccoli, rice
Friday: Calzones
Saturday: My grandmother's 88th birthday dinner at Mom's
Sunday: Church lunch, not sure what I'm bringing yet, but it will be something I have on hand

We're having "C" meals this week, apparently.

A few of my favorite things

Some of my favorite things occurred (or will occur) today:

1. good deals at the grocery store
2. a clean house (the actual CLEANING wasn't the favorite part, but the aftermath certainly is)
3. paper written for one of my classes (again, being DONE is the favorite part)
4. enjoying a Reese's Peanut Butter Egg snack this afternoon
   
5. not cooking dinner tonight but instead eating out at one of my favorite restaurants
   
6. watching a movie later on with my favorite person!

I love days of favorites!!

Publix in the rain

One of the things I love about Publix is that even when it is raining, I can do my shopping and get my groceries in the car without getting soaked. They have a drive thru option where the bagger waits with your cart while you go get your car and then loads everything in the trunk. I love that!

I did pretty well at Publix today. I didn't save quite 50%, but since I bought meat that wasn't on a great sale and litter for my dumb cats, I still came out pretty well. Some of the notable deals:

• 3 bags of Goodlife cat food - I didn't NEED cat food, but it was $0.75 overage PER bag, so I decided I would let Publix pay me to take it home.
• Reese's peanut butter eggs - ok, so this wasn't the best deal ever, but they were BOGO free and I had a $1.50/3 coupon, so in the end, I got 18 peanut butter eggs (oh the deliciousness!) for $0.07 each. AND, I'm willing to share. :)
  

For the rest of the rainy Friday, I think I'll clean the house.

Yummmmmm!!!!!!!!

Maybe I've just got the munchies, but I was just sitting here thinking about my favorite candy, which only comes out at this time of year. I have so far avoided purchasing any of them, because once I start eating them I can't stop. But I don't know if I can resist much longer.

Blog fodder

I don't have my own kids to blog about, so I have to make do with blogging about Emily's. Babysitting Caleb and Alexa this afternoon gives me a fun topic to write about on this otherwise very gloomy day.

After school, I picked them up and brought them home with me. We ate lunch, and while I was doing the dishes, this is what they were up to:

In the span of about three and a half minutes, every toy I own ended up in this corner of the kitchen:And every pot or bowl within reach ended up in the den:


I wasn't sure of the motivation for the placement of all the toys and pots, but then I discovered it:
Apparently the empty toy container was much more fun to play with than when it was full of toys.

Before we cleaned up (super duper slowly, I might add), Caleb laid down on the floor with a candle on his belly and closed his eyes and started snoring and telling me to be quiet because he was asleep. Oooookkaaayy!

Thanks for letting me borrow your kids and an interesting blog topic for today, Emily!

New shoes

Emily dragged me to the mall today (kicking and screaming - she had to really work hard to convince me). Thankfully, neither of us fainted nor had a car wreck, since twice recently that has happened to us while on the way to meet each other at the mall.

Even though my self-imposed April 1-October 1 open-toed shoe rule comes into play very soon, I couldn't resist these cute shoes on sale for $12. They are fun and fairly comfy too. I plan on wearing them several times before April 1.

Woohoo!!

This is me doing the happy dance (on one foot) because I'm DONE reading rough drafts. My hand hurts from all the red marks I made, but I'm ready to hand them back to the kids Wednesday!

Monday

"Better slip with foot than tongue." - Benjamin Franklin

Ha ha. That was a little pun given my morning. I went to the doctor, who poked and pressed my foot and then sent me to X-ray. The X-rays of my foot didn't show a fracture, which is good, and she ruled out plantar faciitis as well (sorry, Mom), so she said it was most likely a ligament stretch. She referred me to a podiatrist if I wanted, but with the normal X-rays, said they might not be able to find anything either. She recommended not running (duh) and icing it and Advil. I do feel like it is sloooooowly getting better, but I still do have pain when I walk, so I'm going to take it easy until it stops hurting. I'm still hopeful that it will be better in time for me to run the 10k, but I guess I'll have to see.

The rest of the day I've spent in this spot, complete with Starbucks coffee, a warm kitty, and my slippers nearby grading the last research papers. I had 15 to do today, and at the time of this blog post, have finished 7 today. I'm sooo ready to be done with them!!

Paper reading break

I'm taking a 5-minute-much-needed-paper-reading break. My dear 7th and 8th grade students all turned in their research paper rough drafts a week ago and I've been reading them ever since. 42 papers times 7-8 pages each equals math that is too high for me to do without a calculator and that is A LOT of reading. Especially when the reading involves making red marks all over the pages. So I've not been the bloggiest blogger lately because of that and other busyness.

Other than paper reading, we've had the termite inspection for the year (all clear), Nick took apart one of the computers and parts are now all over my office (not clear yet), and I've managed to hurt my foot running and have been benched by my husband from my 10k training for now. I have a doctor's appointment Monday to see if it is what he suspects it is: a stress fracture. I will NOT be a happy camper if that is the case, so I'm hoping by Monday it will feel much better (Monday will mark 2 weeks since it started hurting).

Tonight, of course, is movie night, and tomorrow we've got a busy day of cooking, cleaning, computer fixing, and celebrating a friend's birthday (I love alliteration!).

So, in case you missed me, I'm still around. And now my five minutes are up! Back to grading!!

A few things at CVS

There weren't any earth shattering deals at CVS this week, but I did get some more shampoo, deodorant, and toothpaste for free. I know you were worried about my declining stores of these items, but worry no more.

I got:

• Dove shampoo - $4
• Dove conditioner - $4
• Dry Idea deodorant - $2.99
• Dove deodorant - $3.50
• Dove deodorant - $3.50
• Colgate toothpaste - $2.99

I used:

• 2 $1.50/1 Dove hair care coupons
• 2 $1.25/1 Dove deodorant coupons
• 1 $2 Dry Idea coupon
• $12 ECBs

I paid $2.05 on a gift card and got $10 ECBs back. I'm happy with that, particularly since the Dove deodorant and Colgate toothpaste are my favorites!

Menu Plan Monday

I'm early this week, but I wanted to get it done since tomorrow my plan us to be knee deep in grading. I have bunches of research papers with my name on them (well, I guess technically my students' names are on them...). I may sneak in a CVS trip sometime, but other than that, I'll be in my grading hole.

Monday - Oven fried chicken, mashed potatoes, biscuits, green beans

Tuesday - FFY

Wednesday - Hamburgers, oven fries, baked beans

Thursday - Grilled chicken, homemade mac and cheese, broccoli

Friday - Taco meat ring w/lettuce, tomato and cheese

Saturday - Emily's house for Dave's b-day party, heavy hors d'ouevres

Sunday - Emily cooks - "something casseroley"

Where were YOU at 2am last night?

I was cleaning up cat vomit from my sheets.

The one in the picture below, who is in the cathouse right now for her actions.

She decided she didn't want the food she'd eaten moments before and graced the edge of the bed (thankfully only the bottom sheet was compromised), and a pillow, slippers, and socks that were on the floor beside the bed.

I was NOT a happy camper at 2am, let me tell you.

Gummy kitty

This is Boo trying to impersonate a Gummi Bear.

Cashew beef stir-fry

Our dinner tonight was delicious, so I thought I'd share the recipe. Nick even liked it, even though he had to eat each part separately (food isn't supposed to be all mixed up, apparently). But I thought it was great and pretty easy to make as well.

Cashew Beef Stir-Fry

Yield: 6 servings (since we don't like leftovers, I halved everything)

2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 cups cold water
4 Tbsp. soy sauce, divided
1 bunch broccoli, chopped
3 medium carrots, julienned
2 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
1 lb. boneless beef sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp pepper
2 medium green peppers, cut into strips (I did not use peppers)
2 medium sweet red peppers, cut into strips
2 medium onions, halved and sliced (no onions in my cooking either)
1 yellow summer squash, sliced
1-1/2 cups salted cashews
Hot cooked rice

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch, water and 2 Tbsp. soy sauce until smooth; set aside. In a very large skillet or wok, stir-fry broccoli and carrots in 1 Tbsp. oil until vegetables begin to soften. Add the beef, garlic, pepper, and remaining soy sauce; stir-fry until meat is no longer pink. Remove and keep warm. In the same pan, stir-fry the green and red peppers, onions and squash in remaining oil until crisp-tender. Return beef to the pan. Stir cornstarch mixture and add to the pan. Bring to a boil; sook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cashews. Serve with rice.

Busy day

I had a good and productive day today.

First, I ran 3.2 miles at the gym.

Then, I enjoyed a CVS trip and coffee with my friend Beth. I ran into an issue at CVS with my ECBs not printing and an item not ringing up correctly, but the very nice cashier got it worked out (after 20 minutes). I think I'll take a break from that one for awhile - they are sure to remember me there! I headed to Publix to get groceries for the week, where I spent a reasonable amount but didn't save a whole lot.

Once I got home I realized that I had forgotten to average grades for my students to send email reports to their parents (they are supposed to go out tomorrow). So I spent 4 hours busily calculating averages, which was tedious at best.

And now I'm in class, where I will be for the rest of the evening, even though I'd rather be in bed reading!!

Weekend in the mountains

Thanks to the generosity of some friends from church who let us use their cabin, Nick and I went with Emily and Dave for a mountain getaway. We enjoyed playing games, eating yummy food, reading and relaxing in the gorgeous weather. I used the opportunity to play with my new camera, so here are a bunch of pictures from our trip:

Boo wanted to go with us, so she made herself at home in our suitcase
A view of the beautiful cabin (and my cute husband too):The view from the front porch of the cabin:The boys reading:Getting ready to go to dinner (yes, Emily and I have on the same shirt, but in our defense we didn't PLAN to do it):

The first night we went to Fatz Cafe, a local restaurant. Despite its unusual name, it was yummy food and we enjoyed it. The next night was FONDUE night!! Our first course was cheese with bread, apples and carrots to dip in it:

Next came broth with chicken, shrimp, steak, potatoes, and broccoli:
And last was the chocolate, in which we dipped strawberries, cheesecake bites, brownies, pound cake, and marshmallows. Here are the before and after pics!!
Between each course we played games to keep ourselves entertained while the food cooked and to keep from getting too full so we could enjoy every bite. Here we are playing Euchre, a fun card game. However, earlier in the day we played Speed Scrabble, and I would like it to be known that I beat Dave, a world renowned Scrabble player (ok maybe not world renowned, but really good). Now I am done playing him so I can keep my record intact.


We had quite a nice weekend and enjoyed our time away. A big thank you to our friends for their hospitality!!

Menu Plan Monday

We're back from a trip to the mountains! It was a great weekend and now I'm doing laundry and starting a new week. Blog post to come with pictures of our trip. For now, here is my meal plan for the week. I found a few fun new recipes in my Taste of Home magazine, so I'm going to try them out this week.

Monday - FFY
Tuesday - Stuffed chicken breasts, rice, broccoli
Wednesday - Fish sandwiches, oven fries (TOH recipe)
Thursday - Cashew beef stir fry, rice (TOH recipe)
Friday - Taco meatball ring (TOH recipe)
Saturday - Cornmeal oven fried chicken, buttermilk biscuits, green beans (TOH recipe)
Sunday - Pot roast, red potatoes, carrots

It's a red letter day!!

I did better than Emily at the grocery store today!! I took her to get some groceries since she doesn't have a car and did spend more than I'd intended to, but ended up spending $31 and saving $21, which is much better than she did. In her defense, however, several of the deals I got because she gave me the coupons to do it. So I have her to THANK for beating her at saving today!

Emily's adventure

I had planned to meet Emily at the mall today, but instead once I got there, I got a phone call from her saying she had been in an accident. I called her back to find out that she had fainted while driving and hit a Waffle House sign. For more details, read her blog: Random Ramblings. This evening I headed to the hospital to visit her and she seemed annoyed by all the wires and tubes, but otherwise fine.

I'm so thankful that the Lord protected her and her children from harm and that they didn't sustain any injuries. I was reminded of this Psalm today and praised God that He was with Emily in trouble.

Psalm 91

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only look with your eyes
and see the recompense of the wicked.

Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge —
no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

“Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;
I will protect him, because he knows my name.
When he calls to me, I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble;
I will rescue him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”

Menu Plan Monday

Monday - Eggs, bacon, biscuits, smoothies

Tuesday - Stuffed chicken breasts, rice, green beans

Wednesday - Baked potatoes w/cheese and broccoli, salad

Thursday - Cheesy chicken bundles, pasta, green beans

Friday - Calzones, salad

Saturday - Out to eat

Sunday - Cheese, broth, and chocolate fondue (three separate courses)

Snow on March 1st

Weather is not at the top of my favorite things about Georgia. I am a big fan of consistency, and that is definitely not what I get living here in the south. But I can say that snow on March 1st IS fun, even if it doesn't last very long or even stick much. It makes for a nice cozy afternoon inside by the fire (probably one of the last days for a fire until next winter).

How's this for contrast? My bright yellow daffodils shivering in the snow!

Car and husband trouble

Yesterday, my newly-worked-on car wouldn't start. This time it wasn't body work it needed, but a battery replacement. Even after jumping it, the battery wouldn't hold a charge, so my auto mechanically inclined husband (ha!) took it out and had it tested at Advance Auto Parts where they indeed informed us of its demise. So we bought a new one, and Nick installed it and lo and behold, it runs like a top now!


Here is my generally sweet-natured husband showing me how he feels about my camera-happy ways!