Grocery Savings - The Challenge Continues

Well, as expected I'm never going to win this Grocery Challenge...but, I'm definitely saving a ton of money. It takes time. Don't let anyone convince you that couponing is easy or quick. You have to really comb through the ads and you have to spend a bit of time actually clipping the coupons. But when ds #3 and I went to the grocery yesterday and ended up with over $105 in savings we were super stoked. Week one savings was $38, week two savings $45 and then we got serious with the $105 for week three. Finding a deal, signing up for freebies, sending in MIR forms and actually planning my shopping and cooking might not be something I will do forever, but for now it's helping our family. That's alright with me.

It is officially day one of the Grocery Challenge, although I did my week's shopping yesterday. In addition to the strategies I posted yesterday, I had a couple of realizations...things that could possibly throw my plan off course. First, the boys keep asking me questions about what "counts" and what doesn't. I have to give them a copy of the official rules to 1) get them to quit pestering me and 2) so that they don't accidentally sabotage the operation. Second, because I am at work all day and loving hubster is home, he will be responsible for executing quite a bit of the meal making so if this is going to work I have to have everything ready, easy and clearly labeled with instructions. Oh, and I have to make some snacks that won't have them diving into the food that is intended to be used for a meal. #2 son is 16 and not unexpectedly starving 24/7. Fortunately, he's not terribly picky so I'm sure I can make snacks that will satisfy him. I'm actually looking forward to seeing how far my family and I can take this challenge. I don't really have any illusion that I will win. I'm probably not frugal enough for that. But I think I can make a difference in my family's grocery budget and eating habits and for me that's an accomplishment.

On another note, it's Father's Day. Our two oldest have moved out and while we won't see them today, we will probably hear from them. That will be nice and Daddy will be happy. We miss our kids who are away. And we miss our own fathers who don't live near by. Fathers are so influential in our lives and we're so blessed to have some of the best ones around. Here's hoping that your Father's Day is terrific and that you get to celebrate with a special guy in your life.

A Grocery Challenge - OMG What Am I Thinking??

For the next four weeks my family and I are going to see if we can spend $25 or less per person per week on groceries. That's $125 a week for a hungry family of 5 of whom 4 are hungry men. True, the 9 year old isn't a huge eater, but Dad, 16 year old and 11 year old brothers can put away some serious chow. And to make matters a little tougher it's summer and everyone is home all day grazing. Here's my strategy:

• Plan the menu - every single meal. Nothing goes unplanned.


• Use sales and coupons to extend my dollars. There is ABSOLUTELY NOTHING more gratifying than when the cashier tells you how much you saved.


• Evaluate the pantry and try to use everything available.


• Buy fresh, in-season produce. Summer in Florida means tons of that. LUCKY!


• Get the boys involved in food preparation. They can cook and bake and they don't hate it.


• DO NOT let my husband go to the grocery store. He's not into the challenge and he isn't good about grocery spending even on the best of days.

Throughout the next four weeks I'll post my weekly menu plan, my grocery spending amount and if I make up something that turns out good, I might even post a recipe. This first week includes a lot of things that are already in my pantry. That's part of the strategy - use it up. Here's the menu plan:

Breakfast

Cereal (we'll have that two mornings)

Homemade Chewy Granola Bars (using all items from my pantry)

Fresh Fruit Smoothies

Waffles

Muffins and Fruit

Pancake Sausage Sandwiches

Lunch

Chef Boy R Dee Ravioli (I had two great coupons and this was on sale at Publix so it was nearly free)

Sub Sandwiches

Chicken Quesadillas

Hot Dogs

Shredded Chicken Sandwiches

Left Overs

French Bread Pizzas

Supper

Slow Cooker Rotissierie Chicken

Slow Cooker BBQ Pork Ribs

Stuffed Peppers

Chicken Enchiladas

Slow Cooker Roast Beef

Grilled Pizza Puffs

Chicken & Broccoli Braid

I spent a total of $113.96 ($11.04 left over) for everything needed to make all of the meals above, and I'm certain that I can make some snacks along the way as well. I'll try to do that pretty much out of my pantry. Oh, and my total savings with sales and coupons was $38.21.

One other tip - I brought my 11 year old with me to the grocery. He's great with the calculator and had a lot of fun trying to help figure out if I was getting a deal. He'll definitely be my grocery partner throughout the challenge. Thanks AllYou Magazine for great motivation to make it happen. I normally spend twice that much or more each week on groceries because we have pretty much meal planned on the fly and shopped every day. I'm planning to use the money I'm saving to help pay down the credit card bills.

Wish me luck!

Welcome 2010!

At long last, the Iron Man Challenge that was 2009 has come to a close. As you can likely tell, I'm not sad. It wasn't a terrible year, it was just really long and felt like a steady uphill climb. Still, despite the low lights, there have been some highlights and it's important to remember that my whole family is healthy and we're still speaking to each other.

I have a few simple wishes and goals for 2010. First, and definitely the most important of all is to relinquish control to God. I'm the kind of gal who likes to manage things myself and over the years I've come to believe that I can work through anything. 2009 taught me that I cannot manage EVERYTHING no matter how hard I work and no matter how determined I am. Next, I am going to make significant strides to get out of the red. 2009 didn't make that any better, but I have hope, and a plan, for 2010. And finally, I would like to make more of the moments I have. I will endeavor to show a little more love to my family and friends. I will endeavor to immerse myself in the things that make my heart happy. I will endeavor to share the Good News a little more often. I am a realist - I know that I'm still going to spend entirely too much time stressing over things that just don't matter when I could be smiling and laughing with my kids. But I hope to be able to catch myself and spend just a few more moments living fearlessly.

I'll get some pictures posted soon, and I am planning to post some information on a pretty fun game I put together for my middle school sunday school class. And I made so many Christmas gifts that I'd love to share. I'm about to get working on Valentine gifts as well, so over the next few days I hope to have a bit more to share.

I hope that you are looking forward to 2010 as much as I am and that you, too, will embrace the idea of living life fully and fearlessly.

Until next time...

A Marine, A Smart-icle and Holiday Photo Shoot

DS #1 is now, proudly, a United States Marine. Congrats Pvt Cannon. We have enjoyed 10 days of 'boot leave' with our new Marine. Fun times. Check out this handsome fella

We cheered, cried and laughed and talked and had a wonderful time. Of course, in the true tradition of our family we had a little car trouble up on Parris Island. Nothing we couldn't resolve, but it did mean a little more time on the Island than we originally anticipated. Still, the entire experience was incredible. Ooo Rah! The Marines are amazing and my heart swells with pride just thinking about all of the boys and their amazing families. These young men are strong, confident and determined. Their families are proud and honored to have them serve. It is like nothing else.

Not to be out done, DS #3 had an honor roll assembly this week as well, where he was honored for having straight A's. He is our smart-icle boy. We are equally proud of his accomplishments. Check out this little cute-y.

We had fun with him, and of course all of his friends and their parents. We've come to really enjoy time with these kids and their Moms and Dads.

But that's not all. This weekend, because it will be quite some time before we see DS #1 again, we decided to take some family pictures. Well, I decided to take some family pictures and everyone went along. Everyone DID NOT go along happily. There were angry words, tears and one storming off episode. That would be the slightly imperfect part. But in the end we have some nice pictures to use for Christmas.


We have some very nice parks near our home. We tried a couple of them and made one trip home to change shirts. One of the really great things about living in sunny South Florida is that you will almost always have good weather for outdoor events like photo shoots. Although I'm not much of a photographer, the kids made up for it with their adorable smiles and beautiful faces. Even though the whole thing was slightly imperfect, looking at this picture makes me smile.





I managed to get a little paper crafting in this morning, too. I haven't made a scrapbook page in ages, so it took a long time. I wasn't comfortable at all with the color combination or the other elements of the page, but it was very gratifying to make a page. I'm hoping it will help me ' get going' and make more. I've got lots of plans for Christmas that include paper, and plenty of pictures that need my attention so I was glad to get something done.

As you can see, I work in a very small space and I'm not particularly tidy. I don't care. I love to have all of my little bits of paper. I love that my stuff sits out waiting for me in a happy little corner of my bedroom. I love that if I want to work on something it's all right there. I used to have to put everything away. No more. Now, I'm off to get ready for an early Thanksgiving with the family. We'll be celebrating on Sunday because DS #1 leaves Monday morning.

Here's hoping that your weekend is filled with laughter and fun and the love of family. Even if it includes some yelling, tears and one stomping off episode. In the end, you'll only remember the important parts and everything that was slightly imperfect will be forgotten.

The Eagle Globe and Anchor

This week has been filled with so many emotions. It was a tragic week -- I am deeply sad about the tragic events at Fort Hood. It's been a whirlwind week -- I'm overjoyed that my oldest son has completed his Marine Basic Training. It's been a standard week at our place -- the alternator went out on our only car (ugh). There is much joy, sadness, work and fun in a family of 7. One thing is absolutely certain - although slightly imperfect, life is not dull.

This morning at about 7am our DS#1 completed The Crucible and is now a Marine - or at least we pray that is what has happened. We will know some time during this coming week. I am so proud of him and so anxious to see him. He will have only 10 days liberty so we'll have to take advantage of every second. Please, if you are so moved, keep everyone in our Armed Services in your thoughts and prayers. These are brave men and women who sacrifice much for our country and the things we take for granted. They are sons and daughters, girlfriends, boyfriends, husbands, wives, mothers, fathers, friends and patriots.

I'm off for now. There is a JUGS challenge that looks quite intriguing I have just enough time before DS#4's baseball game. Besides, I need a thank you card. Bye.

A Frightfully Good Time

Who doesn't love Halloween? Kids with too much candy, ridiculous costumes, parties. What's not to like? Last night we went to a fun Halloween party with some friends from church. Several families all got together for a pot luck and some crafts and activities for the kiddos. I was very ready to bail, but DH was not. That's unusual for us. Typically I love the party and he's ready to bail, but for whatever reason this time he was pushing me to go. So glad he did. We had a great time. Here are some pictures.

The tall one in the back is my DS#3. Baby Spice up front is his best friend. These are some of the greatest kids. I love spending time with them.

Family Time

This weekend #2 son was confirmed. For our family, this is a very big deal. He has spent many hours learning about our/his faith and attempting to grow closer to God. We are richly blessed. Here's a little pic of the boy and his Godparents, Aunt Sue and Uncle Tim.

Indulge me in what I think is a funny story. Our congregation typically has a professional photographer take some pictures of the Confirmands after the service. So one at a time each of the kids comes up for their individual shot. #2 son steps up and the photographer (who by the way is nearly fossilized) turns around and says to everyone in the room, "who belongs to this one?" Of course I say, I do and she says, "he needs to comb his hair, or I can fix it afterwards, it's up to you." I laughed. Apparently the faux-hawk isn't very Lutheran and is not suitable for confirmation photos. Needless to say, I told her that is how he wears his hair and that's what we'd like to remember. Well, the family had some fun with him about that.

I also made a little something this past week. Just a quick banner to hang near the front door. I've seen so many other pretty ones, and I had a bit of KIMemories bits and pieces around from a project last year, so I decided to use up a little of the stash. I think it came out cute and I'm motivated to make another one for fall as soon as Halloween is finished.

I hope your weekend has been filled with good family things and pretty things that make your heart happy. Enjoy the week to come.

The Rapid Passing of Time

OMG, I sound just like my grandmother! Time sure does fly. Much has happened -- good and bad, big and small -- since I last posted. And that is good. Just fine and just as it should be, actually. We're barreling toward the holidays and the days and hours are whipping past at a completely frantic pace. But all is good. Soon we will celebrate the Confirmation of DS#2, head for Parris Island for Graduation, celebrate 8th and 53rd Birthdays and look to the joyful days of Christmas. And then it will be 2010. Goodness how time flies.

Plenty of fun has been had and lots of lovelies are in process. I think that's what I should name the blog - in process -- because nothing really seems to get finished. *sigh* Note to self: work on completion. But now it's late, so maybe tomorrow I'll work on completion. For now I will just settle for slightly imperfect *smile*

A Long Time Coming...

Four months - four long months have gone by since I last had anything to say on the blog. In that time we've finished one school year that included a high school and a middle school graduation. We've enjoyed a fun and sometimes trying summer (including a great trip home for my folks' wedding anniversary) and the departure of our oldest son for Marine Basic Training. That was a week ago. I can't even talk about it without crying. I'm so proud of him, but I miss him more than I ever imagined. I think we all do. We're looking forward to his graduation and being able to say he is a Marine in mid-November. Parris Island, SC should be lovely that time of year so I am sure that it will be an extremely joyful occassion.

Summer and crafty projects just seem to work together for me. A slightly slower pace, not having to worry about homework and other commitments, leaves time to let my mind wander a bit and dream up ideas. I'll post some pictures of things I've been working on shortly. I've been sewing a little (anyone else really intrigued by smocking?), scrapping a little, and during the week of VBS I made all kinds of decorations to create a Bayou in our worship center. It's been fun and gratifying. But everyone goes back to school on Monday so this is my last weekend to let my mind wander. I think I'll play along with Lauren's MTTC Template Challenge. See you soon.

MTTC 01

I'm going to play along, but not officially. Much, much work is needed on my blog and on my creations before I feel like doing that. But I do really like these colors and the flowers on that bag look like they actually might translate kind of nicely to paper interpretations. Stay tuned to see what I can create with my time.

Lookey what I did. I made a card inspired by the flowers on this pretty bag. Only a tiny bit of stamping as I'm still learning. But the color combination is very pretty and this will make a nice "Hi" card for a friend. What do you think?

Clearly I could be a better photographer. Note to self: work on photography a bit.

Feeling Joyful

You know, I've come to the conclusion that in general life is pretty joyful. Times are tough. There are lots of stresses and problems. But there are everyday joys. Big and little. Things like peanut butter cup cookies and little boys nick named Monkey Squirt. There are opportunities to share joy with others and create beautiful things. In fact, I think I'll go see what I can do to *beautiful* up this blog a little. You can always learn something - and that's fun.

Do you ever think...

that you're the only one with a completely messy life? You know the feeling, right? When you've been blog hopping and following all the practically perfect in every way, Mary Poppins, lives that other people lead. And you wonder - is it just me or is it completely impossible that everything is that fabulous all the time? Maybe it's because 5 kids between the ages of 19 and 7 create a lot of chaos. Maybe it's because I'm a perfectionist who's never satisfied. Nah. Nobody's life is that picture-perfect. Mine is slightly imperfect. That's OK. Who am I trying to impress anyway? It might be slightly imperfect (no happy little tea parties or cupcake baking joyfulness), but there are some great moments. And my best, dearest friends think it's great. So I'm good. Keep your practically perfect in every way day.

According to the plan...

I was going to do a bunch of laundry and housework this weekend. Well, I didn't. Sue me. Better yet, fire me. I'm tired of laundry and housework. I'm tired of dishes in the sink and dust on every table and shelf. I'm tired of housework. No, actually, I'm exhausted of housework. So I'm not doing it. At least not this weekend. Unfortunately, that means that the coming week is going to be filled with daily searches for clean pairs of socks. And at least one night during the week I'll come home and be mad that everything is exactly the way I left it that morning. Alas. Today, I'm exhausted of housework. Perhaps tomorrow I'll have a better attitude.

On a happier note, I got some adorable new stamps and had a bit of fun playing with them this weekend. I haven't completed anything, but I've got a couple of projects in the works. Actually, I've got several projects in partial stages of completion. I guess that's just the way it will be right now.

Better Late Than Never

I've been so impressed and inspired by so many blogs lately that I was moved to try my hand at it. I must say, the "mechanics" of it are a bit daunting, but it's fun to just get a few posts up. I will try my hand at posting images soon. I've got about 20 projects in the works so I'll get something (anything) finished and posted. I'll also update my profile so that you can have a little glimps of the life I consider slightly imperfect. Speaking of imperfect, tonight a repair project at my DH's job that was supposed to take 10 minutes turned out to take 4.5 hours. Meantime, DD ended up holding everything down at home including supper, homework, bathtime and bedtime. The next time I fuss about DD, I'll try to remember tonight. She really is a great kid. Here's photo of her, btw. Cute, too, huh?

How Appropriate

...that I can't even figure out how to get the picture set correctly on the template. Clearly my ambition is outpacing my ability and I've got a ways to go with this blogging thing. Not to be outdone, I'll keep trying to figure it out and I'm sure along the way something will happen. It always does. Whether I like it to or not. And so it goes...