Menu Plan Monday

Tonight - Barbecued spare ribs, homemade macaroni and cheese, veggies and dip, and deviled eggs

Tuesday - Barber chicken breasts, noodles, broccoli

Wednesday - Barbecued chicken (What can I say? I have like 12 bottles of BBQ sauce.), salad, corn

Thursday - Eggs, bacon, biscuits, fruit (bumped from last week)

Friday - Subs, chips, fruit, cookies (having a picnic)

Saturday - Going to my parents' house

Sunday - Lunch at Molly's

Princess Birthday Party

We're planning to have a combined birthday party for the kids in a few weeks, and we invited some of their friends from church (who hopefully will not all be out of town and can actually come). In the meantime, though, Aunt Molly, Grammy, and Gramps came over tonight for a small princess party for Alexa's 2nd birthday.

Opening presents. Caleb had to be in on the action.
A muffin baking set from Grammy and Gramps. They also gave her 3 books.
A baby doll from Mommy and Daddy. We also gave her a dress and a fridge magnet toy.

A tiger purse from Uncle Phillip.

And jewelery and a Dora purse from Aunt Molly and Uncle Nick (who was in Chattanooga today, so he couldn't come).

Did I mention that Caleb had to get in on the action? What a great blackmail picture this will be one day.

Time for some princess cake while wearing a princess tiara.

Grammy reading one of Alexa's new books.

Did you notice the new Cars shorts that Grammy made for Caleb?

Two

Alexa - June 27, 2007
Alexa - June 27, 2008
Alexa - June 27, 2009

Happy Birthday, Princess!

A "Beautiful" Cake for my Beautiful Girl

I like cake baking and eating but NOT decorating. It is just not my thing. But since the princess cakes at Publix run around $27, and we are just having a small get together for Alexa tomorrow with my parents and Molly, I decided to make her a princess cake myself. We bought princess plates and tiaras earlier this week, and she keeps pointing to the garage and telling me that her princess stuff is in a bag "in dere." I think she likes princesses or something. Anyway, here's the cake. I only had room (and enough pink icing) to put her name, not "Happy Birthday," but she can't read anyway.

Buddies

New Clothes!

I always love getting new clothes, but it was especially fun today since I don't have many clothes that fit right now. I'm starting to really need maternity clothes lately. This is my third pregnancy, so I do already have maternity clothes. However, this is my first baby that was not born in summer. So, I am normally HUGE in the summer; therefore, all my summer clothes are huge as well. Here's a picture to prove it. This was taken on June 26, 2007; Alexa was born early the next morning.


I am also going to need some more warm maternity clothes since I am not due until December, so I'm starting to get some as I see good deals. So, here's what I got today. I got most of the items in a trade. I sent someone a bunch of boy baby clothes (which will be the wrong season for this baby if it is a boy), and she sent me maternity clothes. A few of the items I purchased today at a thrift store.

Green tank top and black capris
Black tank top, white long sleeve t-shirt, and black hooded jacket
Khaki capris and jeans
Two tankinis
Two summery dresses (BTW, I will be 16 weeks pregnant tomorrow.)

Chillin' With Daddy

Alexa LOVES to do Look and Find books where you have to find certain items in the picture. Caleb sometimes get in on the action as well, but she definitely likes them more than him. She "reads" her three favorite books multiple times a day and gets anyone who comes to visit to read them with her as well. And yes, she is wearing clothes in this picture even though she kinda looks naked.

Caleb's Profound Thought of the Day

"You use those steps to get upstairs."

Menu Plan Monday

I actually almost have a complete menu plan this week after winging it for a few weeks.

Tonight - Chicken Marsala, pasta romanoff, green beans, garlic bread

Tuesday - Grilled Rib-eye steaks, oven roasted potatoes, salad, rolls

Wednesday - Barber chicken breasts, rice, broccoli

Thursday - Eggs, bacon, biscuits, smoothies

Friday - Out to eat with the other half of a gift card we used last week

Saturday - Hamburgers, hotdogs, macaroni and cheese, veggies and dip, birthday cake and ice cream

Sunday - Umm, okay, I have NO idea

Thanks, Aunt Andrea

Alexa got her fist birthday present today (her 2nd birthday is Saturday) from Dave's sister, Andrea. I'll let you see for yourself how she liked it.

88% Savings at Publix

So, granted I didn't buy much today. The only thing we really needed was the honey. Pretty much, I paid for that and got everything else for free. My total was $3.21, and I saved $23.89.

Here's what I got -
1 Publix honey bear - $2.99
1 4 pack Yoplait Yoplus yogurt - $.25
2 4 packs Yoplait Fiber one yogurt - $.25 each
4 cartons Starbucks icecream - $.20 overage each
1 box Publix vanilla wafers - $.01

Happy Father's Day

Happy Father's Day Dave, Gramps, Opa, and any other dads that read this blog!

Saturday News

The kids spent the night at my parents' house last night. You would think that I would sleep in, but thanks to baby #3, I was up WAY too early. Dave did get to sleep in, and then I ran some errands by myself.

Then, we met up with my parents and the kids at my grandparents' retirement home where they were having a Father's Day picnic and car show. The kids had a good time looking at the cars.



We headed home to put Alexa down for a nap, and Caleb and I left for a reception for our new pastoral candidate for our church. He had a good time playing with other kids.

And finally, the BIG news of the day is that Caleb finally did #2 in the potty (the things that moms are reduced to blogging about), so he is currently playing the new Dora game he earned as a result.

Caleb's Profound Thought of the Day

"A movie is like a rectangle." I'm assuming he meant the case or else we need to work on our shapes some more.

83% Savings at the Mall

I got some great deals at the mall today that I wanted to share.

I had a 20% off coupon for Gymboree. I hadn't found anything good there lately, but I'm glad I decided to stop in today. I bought Caleb over $180 (not that I ever would have paid that much) worth of clothes for $30. And Gymboree has great resale value at consignment sales, so I will be able to resell these clothes (assuming he doesn't ruin them) for almost as much as I paid for them.

Brown church pants and two pairs of jeans, all with adjutsable waist
2 button up shirts and one polo shirt, all long sleeves
Church shoes, these alone would have been $34.50 before the sales and coupon

At JCPenney, I had a coupon for $10 off any purchase of $10 or more. I bought myself this maternity shirt, and I only paid $.41. The original price was $22.50.
I also got Alexa these shoes. I had her feet measured, and they had grown a size AGAIN. I paid $5.99 for these, marked down from $8.50. Not as amazing of a deal as my other purchases. But, these shoes are great. She can get them on and off herself (she already has the exact same shoes in a smaller size), and when they get dirty, I can just wipe them clean with a wet rag. And they look equally cute with shorts as they do with dresses.

I definitely got some great deals, but we won't talk about the new hair bows I bought Alexa (they were at least on sale) and the lunch we ate at the food court. :)

Menu Plan Monday

Tonight - Monterey Jack chicken, taco rice, broccoli, fruit

Tuesday - Steak, lemon pepper fish, French fries, salad, garlic bread

Wednesday - Homemade pizza, carrots

Thursday - Not sure yet; we are hosting the pastoral candidate for dinner, so it depends on how many other people come to dinner

Friday- Chicken nuggets for the kids and a party for us

Saturday - Lunch is a cookout at my grandparents' retirement home, dinner is FFY

Sunday - Lunch at church

Yes, We are Still Alive

So, I didn't mean to skip blogging all weekend; it just happened. Here's what we have been up to. First, though, a picture of one of my cuties. She was cracking me up pretending to read this book (on liquor sales in Canada that my mom brought Dave from a used bookstore in Tampa) while eating her play food using the couch cushions (which were on the floor where they usually are) as a table. What a great meal - a doughnut, green peas, and a bun less hamburger.
Anyway, Friday morning Dave and I took the kids to the park and the library. Gotta love free entertainment! Friday afternoon, I took advantage of Dave being home to go shopping during nap time. I got everyone flag t-shirts from Old Navy, and I also bought a few maternity clothes for myself. It was SO hot in the afternoon (welcome to summer in the south) that I even put my bathing suit on and got in the baby pool after the kids got up from their naps. Then we ate pizza for dinner while watching The Little Mermaid since we did ocean activities last week (we started Safari stuff today). Caleb actually watched most of the movie, which surprised me. Once the kids were in bed, it was time for the 7th game of the Stanley Cup finals (hockey for you southerners). Dave had had his friends and family fill out brackets about who they thought would win, and I won the brackets for the second year in a row.

Saturday morning, Alexa and I went to a baby shower. Dave and Caleb went to the park, to see the new Pixar movie Up, and to Chickfila for lunch. And they didn't even bring me anything from Chickfila. Saturday night we enjoyed a yummy dinner at my parents' house.

Sunday was the usual church stuff. Our church's pastor of ten years recently took a job at a seminary. So we had a pastoral candidate there who taught Sunday school and preached at both services (and will be doing so next week as well). We also had corporate lunch after the morning service since he was there. In between services, we hung out with Molly and Nick, which we have missed doing for the last two weeks since one or the other of us was out of town.

Today Dave started teaching summer school. He has four students in three different classes. Fun for him. The kids and did our normal Monday rounds of the library and Publix, but no CVS since there were no great deals this week.

Whew! So there you go. And maybe I will actually blog a bit more this week, but don't hold your breath.

64% Savings at Publix

If you've read my blog with any regularity, you know that I often save much more than 64% at Publix. But when you see what I bought - milk, OJ, ground beef, cheese, fruits, vegetables, yogurt, etc., - you will see why I am still excited about my savings. I've heard many people object to coupons because they are all for junk food, but I think this trip proves that wrong. I spent $23.44 and saved $41.41, and I used a Walgreens $5/$25 coupon on my purchase.

Here's what I got -
2 bags Chex Mix (okay, so I did get some junk food) - $.28 each
1 bag Fresh Express Hearts of Romaine - FREE
About 1 lb ground chuck - $.52 (I had the meat manager package this into 2 smaller packages. I used two coupons for $1.25 off Publix ground beef WYB Velveeta shells.)
16 ox bag Kraft 2% shredded cheddar - $3.99
1 package Oscar Mayer beef bologna - $1.85
1 package strawberries - $1.00 (I used a $1.00 Target coupon on these.)
1 package raspberries - $.25 (I used a coupon for $1.75 off Publix produce WYB Kraft 2% cheese.)
2 cans Starkist tuna - $.69 each
1 package peanut M&Ms - $.04
1 gallon Publix OJ - $2.69
1 gallon Publix milk - $2.25
1 bottle Flintstone Gummies Vitamins - $3.99
1 bottle Coffeemate creamer - $.15 overage
6 containers Yocrunch yogurt - $.23 each
2 boxes Velveeta shells and cheese - $1.49
1 bag baby carrots - $.85
About 1 lb red grapes -$1.83
1 bag Lays BBQ chips - $2.00

Yummy, Summer Dinner

I like to cook lighter meals during the summer. Who really wants to slave over a hot stove when it is 80 something degrees outside (or ever really, but I digress)? Anyway, tonight I made one of my favorite summer meals - Chicken Caesar Pizza. I made a whole wheat pizza crust from a recipe that came with my bread machine. I baked it and then let it cool for a few minutes. Meanwhile, I mixed up Romaine, Caesar dressing, and Parmesan for the salad. I chopped up some leftover grilled chicken and then warmed it in the microwave. Then I topped the crust with the salad and chicken, and Voila! Dinner! I served it with fruit salad (or applesauce for the non-fruit eaters around here). Yum!

For Your Viewing Pleasure

Reading a book to Winnie the Pooh
Who knows what she is doing here. She is in the bucket that all the stuffed animals and dolls are stored in.
The hazards of having an older brother. He piled her high with blankets, books, and toys.
The cool, new balls that Grammy brought them from the Tampa aquarium

7 Years Ago Today

Happy Birthday, Grammy

13 Weeks

Week 13

How Big is the Baby at Thirteen Weeks Pregnant?
During pregnancy week 13 your baby is anywhere from 2 and a half to a little over 3 inches long and weighs up to .7 ounces. Though your baby is significantly larger by pregnancy 13 weeks, he is still pretty tiny. Fortunately there is plenty of room to expand in your uterus as you follow your pregnancy week by week!

Your Baby's Growth and Development
By the end of pregnancy week 13 your baby looks like a tiny yet fully formed baby. While your baby's head is still quite large, his body is starting to catch up. Your baby's eyes are starting to move closer together by pregnancy 13 weeks. Up until this point in time they rested closely along the sides of the head. Your baby's intestines are also moving further into their body, and your baby's tiny pancreas starts producing insulin, which will be vital for regulating your baby's sugar levels later in life!

Silliness