Time to Pull Out Those Crockpots

Once the weather starts turning cooler, I start getting inspired to use my crockpot again. One of my favorite meals when I was working full time was to put soup in the crockpot and bread in the bread machine, both timed to be ready for dinner when we got home from school. Since I am home most days now, though, I have a little more flexibility and can make some recipes that only cook 4-5 hours instead of 8-10. Anyway, here are some crockpot recipes I have made in the last two weeks. The first two recipes are adaptations of recipes from Menus for Moms.

Easy Spaghetti Sauce
1 28 oz jar spaghetti sauce (I usually use chucky Ragu because I can get it cheap with coupons).
1 lb cooked ground beef or Italian sausage (my favorite)
2 14.5 oz cans diced tomatoes (I use the kind with basil, garlic, and oregano.)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
2-3 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and simmer for 4-5 hours on low. Serve over spaghetti. I usually freeze the leftovers in Ziploc bags to use for quick dinners at a later time.

Roast Sticky Chicken
1 whole chicken (mine was about 3 lbs)
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp onion powder
2 tsp paprika
4 tsp salt

In a small bowl, thoroughly combine all the spices. Remove giblets from chicken, clean the cavity well (Yuck!), and pat dry with paper towels. Rub the spice mixture into the chicken both inside and out, making sure it is evenly distributed and down deep in the skin. Place in a Ziploc bag and refrigerate several hours or over night. When ready to cook, place in crockpot and cook on high for 1 hour and low for 4 hours, or until chicken reaches 180 degrees. Let chicken rest for 10 minutes before carving. This is good by itself or chopped and used in other recipes.

The Easiest Pot Roast Ever
1 2-3 lb chuck roast
1 pkg dry onion soup
1 can cream of mushroom soup

Place roast in crockpot. Top with soups. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Makes a great gravy to serve over rice, noodles or potatoes.

Lemon Garlic Chicken
1 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1/4 tsp pepper
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 TB butter or margarine
1/2 c water
3 TB lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp chicken bouillon granules

Combine oregano, salt, and pepper. Rub all of mixture into chicken. Brown chicken in butter or margarine in skillet. Transfer to slow cooker. Place water, lemon juice, garlic, and bouillon granules in skillet. Bring to boil, loosening browned bits from skillet. Pour over chicken. Cover. Coke on High 2-2 1/2 hours or on Low 4-5 hours (this is what I do). Serve with rice.

Chicken and Rice Soup
Bring 8-10 cups of chicken broth or bouillon to boil. Add a large handful or two of chopped carrots. Add salt and pepper to taste, 1 tsp poultry seasoning, 1 tsp sage, and 1 tsp thyme. Boil until carrots are crisp tender. Add leftover Lemon Garlic Chicken and rice (see above). Continue to simmer until chicken and rice are heated through.

I made this soup Tuesday night (with the leftovers from Sunday lunch), and Caleb was a bit suspicious (he's a pretty picky eater), but he did eat some. I served it again for lunch today, and both kids at a TON. Alexa even fed it to herself using a spoon like a big girl.

Super Savings at CVS, Kroger, and Publix

I ran my errands last night after the kids were in bed so that I could stay home and clean house (or blog) today. I had a great shopping trip and paid $52.69 for $239.56 worth of merchandise, a savings of 79%.

First stop, CVS. One of Caleb's toys needed batteries last night, and we were out of AAA.

I got -
2 4 packs Duracell batteries - 2 $1/1 coupons
2 8 packs Duracell batteries - 2 $.75/1 coupons
3 4 packs Bic Comfort Advance razors - 3 $2/1 coupons

I paid $17.97 in ECB, $9.22 in cash, and got back $17 in ECB to spend next time.

Next stop, Kroger. They were having a sale from 4:00-midnight last night, and there were a few things I wanted to get. I also got several free items.

I got -
2 6 packs Yoplait kids yogurt - $1.01 each after $75/2 Shortcuts coupon and 2 $.50/1 coupons
2 Tombstone pizzas - $1.99 each
1 pack strawberries - $2.50
1 6 pack Yo Baby yogurt - $2.69 after $.50/1 coupon
2 boxes Eggo waffles (not on sale but we were out) - $1.34 each after 2 $.55/1 coupons
3 Scotch Brite nail saver sponges - FREE after 3 $.50/1 coupons
6 bananas - $1.16
10 Brut deodorants - FREE after 10 $1/1 coupons
16 oz cheddar cheese - $2.99
2 cups Kroger yogurt - $.39 each
1 package string cheese - $3.79
Oscar Mayer beef hotdogs - $1.99
2 bottles Sundown multivitamins - $1.74 each after 2 $3/1 coupons
2 cans peaches - $.58 each
1 bottle Pert Plus shampoo - FREE after $2/1 coupons
2 bottles Clairol Herbal Essences - FREE after $2 Shortcuts coupons and $3 coupon

I also used 2 $4 OYNO coupons. My final total was $25.79.

Last stop was Publix. It is apparently side dish week at Publix as I got lots of free/cheap potatoes, rice, tomatoes and frozen veggies.

I got -
1 bag frozen strawberries - $2.69
12 bags Green Giant Steamers - $.42 of overage after 12 $1/1 coupons (yes, they paid me to take these home)
Barq's Root Beer (not a good deal, but we were out) - $3 after $1/1 coupon
3 bags Ore Ida Steam N Mash potatoes - $.66 per bag after 2 $1/1 coupons and 1 free coupon
Hormel pepperoni - $1.49
5 cans of Muir Glen tomato sauce and 1 can diced tomatoes - $.66 of overage after 4 $1 coupons and 3 $.75 coupons (they paid me to take these home as well)
1 package Kraft American singles - $2.00
2 boxes Kelloggs Pop Tarts - $1.34 each after $1/2 coupon
6 boxes Uncle Ben's rice - $.30 each after 3 $1/2 coupons
1 package frozen Pillsbury Grands cinnamon rolls - FREE after free item coupon
1 6 pack Yoplait yogurt drinks - $1.50 after $.50/1 coupons

My total at Publix was $17.68. Not bad for 6 bags of groceries!

You can see more great savings at Publix at Fiddledeedee.

ABC Stickers

My Aunt Pam sent us some foam letter stickers that she had leftover from a project. They arrived today, and the kids and I had fun using them to review the alphabet.

A Monkey and a Bumblebee

Works For Me Wednesday: Cloth Diapers

I started using cloth diapers on Caleb when he was about 12 months old, right around the time I quit working full-time. I tried several different types/ systems before settling on what works for me. Alexa has been cloth diapered since she came home from the hospital.

The type of diaper I prefer is called a pocket diaper. Basically, it is a waterproof outer layer with a stay dry inner layer. Then, the pocket of the diaper is stuffed with the whatever absorbent material you choose. I use microfiber inserts and trifolded microfiber towels.
Here is the diaper stuffed and ready to go. This is a one-size diaper known as a Haute Pocket. The lower snaps adjust the size to small, medium, or large. The upper snaps adjust the waist size. These diapers fit Alexa at birth (granted she was 9lbs 11 oz), and they also fit Caleb now at 32 lbs. This particular brand also comes in velcro closure, and we have some of those as well.
Happy Heinys are another brand I like. They have a velcro closure and come in 6 different sizes. In my experience, kids get the most wear out of the medium size. Alexa started wearing a medium at a few months old and still fits well in one now. If she stays tiny like she is now, she may never need a large before she potty trains.
I also use cloth wipes. I have some cute ones and some plain ones. I keep a basket of dry wipes at the changing station as well as a squirt bottle of water. I just wet them as I need them.
I have a 13 gallon trash can in the kids' room that serves as a diaper pail. I have 2 cloth laundry bags that I line it with. When it is time to wash diapers, the bag goes in the wash with the diapers. I wash diapers about every 2-3 days. First I rinse and soak them in cold water. Then I run a long, hot cycle with 1/4 the normal amount of detergent. Every month or so, I run an extra hot rinse or two to make sure all the soap gets rinsed out. Every 6 months or so (it's about time for this) I bleach the inserts with just a tiny bit of bleach to keep them stain free and smelling fresh. I dry the diapers in the dryer on medium. Then they sit in the basket for awhile until I get around to stuffing them. :)
I must admit that when I just had Caleb, I used cloth a lot more. We took cloth diapers on Sundays to church, when we were on outings, and he even wore them at night. Once Alexa arrived, it just got to be too much. Also, I was having problems with Caleb's diaper leaking at night. So, I decided to cloth diaper during they day time when we are at home. We use disposables away from home and at night. That's what works for me.

Little Poof Ball

Here's Alexa playing outside today in her poofy coat (and cute, ruffled jeans). I'll let you guess whether her southern Mom or Canadian Dad got her ready to go outside.

Another Caleb-ism

Caleb had a bit of a runny nose yesterday, and after listening to him carefully, I realized that he was not calling the tissues he was using "Kleenexes" but "Clean noses." Too funny!

Great Kroger Shopping Trip

Dave is gone today on a hiking trip with school, so the kids and I headed out to Kroger and the library this afternoon to keep us busy.

I spent $18.68 and saved 71%. I also got back $8.00 in catalinas to use on my next shopping trip. Here's what I got.

3 packages Purdue boneless skinless chicken breasts - $1.99/lb with raincheck
1 gallon skim milk
1 box Kroger mac and cheese (for dinner tonight)
4 bottles of Purex laundry detergent - $.99 each
1 box Lean pockets - $.67
4 packages Starkist tuna - $.25 each
2 Glade plug in scented oil warmers - $4.49 for 2, got back $8 in catalinas
1 roll packing tape (I ran out yesterday when packing up a package)

16 Months Old

Here are some tidbits about Alexa at 16 months -
-is in the process of dropping her morning nap
-naps 2-3 hours in the afternoon and sleeps 12 hours at night
-loves to feed herself and eats more than Caleb
-likes playing with trucks or dolls
-still loves her blankies and pacis
-loves to put on shoes, hers or anyone else's
-wears a size 18 months clothes for the most part
-has 10 teeth
-loves to talk, sing, and dance
-says hi, bye, Mama, Dada, cat, and hot
-roars for most animals, but will also meow for cats
-grunts and growls when happy or in response to question
-can respond to commands such as putting things in trash or cleaning up toys
-loves to help with the dishwasher and the laundry

Menu Plan Monday

Can it possibly be Monday again already? I guess so. Anyway, here's what's on the menu this week.

Tonight - Fish sticks, mac and cheese, mixed veggies (Dave gone)
Tuesday - Chicken and rice soup, grilled cheese sandwiches
Wednesday - Roast sticky chicken, wild rice, broccoli
Thursday - Crockpot beef casserole, egg noodles, green beans
Friday - Out to eat
Saturday - Pizza, salad

A Conversation with Caleb

I got the kids up yesterday morning, and they both snuggled up on my lap to get a hug and a kiss.

C - Caleb get hug and kiss.
Me - Yes, that's because Mommy loves Caleb.
C- Alexa get hug and kiss, too. (He loves the word "too")
Me- Yes. Mommy loves Alexa, too. Do you love Mommy?
C - Yes, I love Alexa.
Me - Do you love Mommy?
C - Yes, I love Mommy.
Me- Caleb, are you cute?
C - Yes, I cute. And Alexa cute. And Mommy cute, too.
Me - Thanks, Buddy!

Super Savings Saturday

Here are the best deals that I got at Kroger this morning. Sorry no picture again.

Raincheck for Purdue chicken breast - $1.99/lb
Raincheck for Totinos pizza rolls - will be $.30 each after coupon
Active Lifestyle Oatmeal - free
2 packs of Cottonelle toilet paper - overage of $1.00
2 Glade Plug Ins - I spent $4.49 on these and got back $8, so overage of $3.51
Pert Plus shampoo - free
Pepperidge Farm goldfish - $.50

I love it when stores pay me to take my groceries home!

Happy Birthday, Oma

Rainy but Productive Day

I posted last Friday about having a rainy, unproductive day. This Friday was rainy again, but at least I was fairly productive today.

I got my grocery shopping done earlier in the week and stopped at the library yesterday, so the kids and I were able to stay home all day. Going out with 2 kids by myself in the rain is one of my least favorite activities, so I was quite happy to stay home. I didn't even have to go get the mail because I got a package today so the mail lady brought it and the mail to the door.

So, what did I do today?
-cleaned both upstairs bathrooms
-vacuumed upstairs
-emptied upstairs trash cans
-washed, dried, and almost finished putting away 5 loads of laundry
-baked cookies for Dave
-handwashed and put away 2 sinkfuls of dishes
-baked apple cake for church on Sunday
-picked out the kids' Sunday clothes
-organized coupons
-straightened up the kids' room
-refused to make dinner and talked Dave into taking me out to dinner :)
-unloaded the dishwasher

Guess Who Wanted to Feed Herself

Merry Merry

So I know it is still just over 2 months until Christmas. But when I came home from school this afternoon, there was a chill in the air and I had a headache. So I knew that my Merry Merry pants were just the thing to wear. I'm not sure they have succeeded in making me Merry Merry, but they are cozy, warm and comfy, just the thing for a lazy evening at home.

Baking Project

The kids and I baked cupcakes this morning and decorated them for fall. Then we ate them, of course. Yes, I am the crazy woman who feeds my kids sugar right before nap time. No, I did not let Alexa eat the whole cupcake in one bite; it just looks like it in the picture.

Outdoor Fun

Caleb played outside for over 2 hours today, and Alexa joined him once she woke up from her nap. The weather was beautiful!

Publix Observations

Yesterday, I ran into Publix to return two boxes of cereal. I meant to grab the ones that were Buy One Get One Free, but I grabbed two that were not on sale. Oops.

Observation #1 - Be careful to get the correct size product.
Observation #2 - Check your receipt BEFORE you leave the store so that you don't have to go back.

The manager at the Customer Service desk was very nice and asked if I wanted the amount put back on my debit card or in cash. I had to choose the cash since Dave still had my debit card from returning a movie on Saturday.

Observation #3 - My Publix has very nice managers who are generally very coupon friendly.
Observation #4 - Make sure you have your debit card BEFORE you leave for the store.

After returning the cereal, I got the kids cookies from the bakery, and then I grabbed a few groceries. I got 3 bananas, 1/3 lb deli chicken lunch meat, 4 boxes of cereal (the same kind I returned, but the right size this time), a 4 pack of toilet paper, and a box of waffles. I paid using coupons, of course, and the cash that I had just gotten from my return. I even still had $1 left over after purchasing all this.

Observation #5 - Whoever came up with the idea of the Publix Cookie Club is a genius. My kids love going to Publix because they get to ride in a car cart (which always has working seat belts unlike the ones at many other stores) and eat cookies.
Observation #6 - NEVER pay full price, especially for cereal. Look how much more I was able to purchase with less money by shopping sales and using coupons.

Menu Plan Monday

Here's what's on the menu this week -

Tonight - Chinese chicken with cashews, rice, broccoli
Tuesday - Spaghetti, pizza, salad, garlic bread
Wednesday - Barbecued ribs, homemade mac and cheese, green beans
Thursday - Bacon quiche, hash browns, fruit
Friday - Chicken bacon ranch pizza, salad
Saturday - Out to eat
Sunday - Lunch at Molly's house

Good Job, Mommy!

During school this morning, I wrote Caleb's name on his paper, while I spelled it aloud. When I finished, he told me, "Good job, Mommy!" It's so nice to be appreciated. :)

Not Amused

This is the second day in a row that Alexa has refused her morning nap, and I am not amused. Yesterday morning, I stayed home from church since I had been sick, and Alexa stayed home with me. I figured she would nap most of the time anyway. Nope, she didn't nap at all despite being in her crib for over an hour. Anyway, when I got her up she proceeded to put on her adorably cute act so I wouldn't be mad at her for not napping.


Messing with Mommy's computer

Eating her snack in the crate. She spilled her Cheerios twice trying to get in there.

Mommy's Little Helper and Mommy's Crazy Man

Caleb's Problem

I'll spare you the details, but I think Caleb is a bit constipated today. I asked him a few times if his tummy hurt or if his bottom hurt. When all was finally said and done, and he had a clean diaper on, he told me, "Ew poopy get hurt. Ew poopy need bandaid." He has asked me to put bandaids on several things before, but this is the first (and hopefully the last) time I have been asked to put a bandaid on poop.

Silly Little Girl

73% Savings at Publix

I packed the kids up and headed out in the rainy weather to Publix this afternoon. At least they always take your groceries to your car for you, so it is not that bad shopping there in the rain.

No pictures today, but I saved 73% or $88.64. Here are some of the best deals I got.

Smart Balance 50/50 Butter sticks - $.80/1 lb box (4 sticks)
4 boxes Shredded Mini Wheats Cereal - $1/box plus I get to send in for a $10 rebate, so I made $6
6 pack Lenders bagels - $.22 each

What Have You Done Today?

A few months ago, I posted a list of what I had done that day before 10:20 a.m. I'm sure none of you are actually under the illusion that I am Super Mom after reading that post, but I'll be glad to correct you if necessary. You see, that was a sunny Monday. Today is a rainy Friday. As you can probably guess, the list of what I have done today is quite a lot shorter. It would go something like this.

- Fed kids breakfast and cleaned up kitchen
- Got everyone dressed (literally moments before 10:20 was when I got dressed)
- Tried to convince myself to do something productive
- Did one load of laundry
- Blogged

So now I'm going to go try to talk myself into more productivity. Or maybe make some coffee and have a snack. We shall see.

Gas Prices

In Caleb's preschool this week, his theme is cars/trucks, and his new vocabulary word is gasoline. When we stopped to get gas today on the way home from school, he was very excited. And I was very excited at the price. Last week on the way home from school, I paid $3.55/gallon for gas to fill up my tank before our trip. Today on my way home, I filled up at $2.87/gallon. That's a $.68 drop in a week, and prices have dropped well over a $1.00 in the last 2-3 weeks. I remember when I got my first car in 1999 (less than 10 years ago), I paid $.69/gallon for gas the first time I put gas in my car. I never could have imagined then paying almost $3/gallon for gas in less than 10 years, much less being excited about it.

Caleb-isms

I am so glad that Caleb is finally talking for many reasons. 1) It means he is not developmentally delayed and does not need special intervention. 2) He can finally tell me why is he crying or what is bothering him or what he wants. 3) It gets awfully boring talking to myself all day when neither child ever answers. 4) He says cute things that make great blog material.

Here are some of the funny things he has said lately -
-"Stuck in dere (there)." He says this repeatedly whenever he things something is stuck, most recently when his train was too tall to go through the tunnel and when he couldn't get his head out of his shirt.
-"Good night, train. Love you, train." His train has one track thingamajig that makes the train lie sideways. He said this whenever the train was on it's side.
-"Ball mess in dere (there)," said to Dave when the ball rolled under the back deck
-"Eat corn, carrots, green balls (peas)"
-"Alexa threw up; Alexa get it new car seat." I'm impressed that he made the connection about why she was riding in a different car seat. I washed and air dried the cover of the one she threw up in, so she was using the spare.
-Last night I put him in new pajamas that had a cow, sheep, and dog on them, and he spontaneously started singing Old MacDonald.
-He kept telling me yesterday, "Gramps go to church with you (meaning himself)." When I asked him if Grammy and Uncle Phillip (who he sat in between at church on Sunday) went to church with him, too, he said, "Grammy finish church. Uncle Phillip finish church."
-He walked around yesterday carrying a Winnie the Pooh story book with handles and kept saying, "Caleb blue purse." Dave and I both explained to him that boys don't carry purses, but he didn't seem to care.
-Yesterday, my dad walked in with a new computer CD-ROM, which basically looks like a silver metal box if you aren't paying attention. Caleb, however, was paying attention, and immediately began repeating, "Gramps get it new CD player."
-Tonight we were getting Alexa to point out eyes and noses. When we got to ears, Caleb covered Dave's ears with 2 halves of a play egg and said, "Daddy's ears all gone."

Works For Me Wednesday - Contacting Customer Service

A few weeks ago when the weather finally started to get cooler (only to quickly return to the 80's again, but that's another story), I pulled out my favorite pair of jeans. I actually have 2 of the exact same pair. I have a hard time finding jeans because I have a high waist and long legs, and I am cheap. So sometime after Alexa was born, when I found a great fitting pair of jeans on sale, I bought 2. Well, after taking off my jeans for the day, I noticed a rather large worn spot right on top of the rear end pocket. Fortunately I had been wearing my shirt untucked, so I don't think I had been showing off my undies all day. I found the other pair of jeans in my closet, and they had a hole in the exact same spot. So I got on the company website right away to leave a comment. I told them that I had been purchasing Lee jeans for years, which is true as they are the brand that seems to fit me the best. I explained that I was typically happy with their products, but that I had two identical pairs of jeans that were less than a year old and had identical holes. I received an e-mail a day or two later stating that they would send me a return label in the mail. When I received it, I just placed the jeans in a priority mail box from USPS (so no cost to me for the box) and placed the prepaid shipping label on the box. Yesterday, about a week and a half later, the UPS man arrived at my door with a box containing two brand new pairs of the exact same pairs of jeans that I had returned. Yay for new free jeans! I'm not suggesting that you contact cutsomer service just to get free items, but if you have a legitimate complaint about a company's product, it can't hurt to ask what they can do to rectify the situation. It worked for me!

FYI

Do not eat anything that Caleb has blown on to cool it off. While it is quite amusing when he does so, he slobbers a lot more than he actually blows. Yuck!

Menu Plan Monday and a Shopping Trip

I have only made an abbreviated menu plan for this week so far, since Dave may or may not be gone this weekend depending on how many kids sign up for the school trip he is supposed to chaperone. So, here is the plan for the few days that I have done.

Tonight - Homemade pizza, peaches
Tuesday - Barber chicken breasts, pasta, Caesar salad, carrots
Wednesday - Pork tenderloin, rice, veggies (bumped from last week)
Thursday - Chicken quesadillas, corn

Tonight I went shopping after the kids were in bed.

Rite Aid - I grabbed several cold medicine and 2 kinds of lip gloss that were free after rebate.

CVS - I spent $1.73 OOP and saved $40.53. I got Colgate, So Be Life Water (Thanks to D for the coupons), Swiffer products, and vitamins.

Kroger - I only saved 46% at Kroger today, but now we are stocked up on cheese for a good long time.

Publix - I saved 61% today. I was excited that the penny item at my store was pretzels, not the candy that most stores had. I also was glad to see that the Barber chicken that is BOGO is ringing up at $3.99 not $4.99 for 2. I may have to go back and get more.

Covenant Pictures

Our Day

This morning were awakened way to early by a certain little boy. After breakfast, we tried to get Alexa to nap, but it didn't work. So we hung out in the hotel until church time. We left about 50 minutes before church started, and we still were late. We turned around a few times, got lost, and then Alexa threw up everywhere. Finally, Phillip (who knew where the church was) came to rescue us, and we arrived a few minutes after church started. Alexa and I sat in the lobby in case of more sickies. Every one else sat in the overflow room upstairs and watched the service on a screen.

After church, we headed to Chattanooga. Fortunately, Alexa didn't throw up again. In fact, she slept for an hour and a half, so we just ate our sandwiches in the car instead of stopping at a rest area to avoid waking her. She woke up about 20 miles out of Chattanooga, so we pulled over at the next rest stop. She ran around outside and ate some lunch like nothing had ever happened.

We arrived at Covenant and settled in to our room. Dave wedged the pack and play in the bathroom somehow, and we tried again to get Alexa to sleep. I'm not sure if she did, but at least she was in a better mood when she got up. Meanwhile, I took the car seat apart and cleaned all the throw up off of it. Fun, fun. I also rinsed the clothes she had been wearing.

We visited Reformed Presbyterian church tonight, which is the church we attended while in college. It is always good to worship with other believers.

We headed back to the room for some dinner and very quickly put Alexa in bed. And now I need to head that way, too.

Tomorrow, we plan to tour the new buildings on campus, do some sightseeing in Chattanooga, and then head home.

Nashville Pictures:Take 2

Hanging out Saturday morning waiting for Alexa to wake up.
At the Nashville Zoo.



Caleb liked the train drink that Mommy bought him.


Splashing in the puddles of the fountain in the Opryland hotel.