Surprise Savings

I went to the grocery store on a Saturday, BIG mistake.  Being a stay-at-homer, I try to make it a point to do things during the week.  I figure, one less person in the mix on the weekend the better!  I actually enjoy going shopping.  Odd as some may find it, but I have always liked going to the store.  Now it's like a day at the spa (ok, maybe not THAT great).  Food shopping is sometimes the only time I get out alone so I try to savor the moment.  Nothing like getting a cup of coffee & seeing what is on sale that.  And bonus when I have a coupon!!!

I went to the store with my list & a wad of coupons.  I seem to buy a lot of produce.  Unfortunately not everyone in my house is obsessed with veggies, so I tend to throw out a lot. I needed mushrooms & was very excited they were 10 for $10...aka $1.  That was until I got a look at them.  Someone must have expected New Years Resolutions of consuming lots of mushrooms and over ordered.  I will admit, those sale mushrooms were probably just fine.  I cannot buy or eat foods that look bad.  A friend pokes fun at me for doing it all the time, lol.

Still needed mushrooms...wasn't buying the sale ones...then I remembered the good 'ol "Bulk" veggies.  They ones you can pick yourself & not be obligated to buy a whole container when all you need is a few.  So I threw about 6 descent sized shrooms in my bag & it was the perfect about for my hubby's delicious Puttanesca.  (We will save that recipe for another day, but here is a little preview)

Hubby's Puttanesca

Much to my surprise, I only paid $1.19 for the perfect amount of mushrooms! And the savings didn't stop there.  I needed a few cloves of garlic.  I usually just by the garlic minced in a jar. I know the flavor is so much better with fresh, but something that small being chopped or cut by me is scary. Since my husband would be doing the slicing & dicing, I figured I'd grab the fresh stuff.  Usually, I would go right for the 2 in a pack.  Why not, it's there & ready to go. But that day, something was telling me to get 1 bunch of garlic cloves. SCORE!  Paid $0.07 for it.  I couldn't believe when I got home & looked at my receipt.

So moral of the story, when trying to cut corners & shop a little smarter, buy the loose items.  It could really save you quite a bit of money.  I know this isn't brand new information, it was just my "Ah ha" ,light bulb on moment. Trying to make this year better mentally & financially so this is a start in the right direction.

Have a great week!

New Year...New Me!

2013 had lots of ups & some downs. 

Now I am ready to start 2014 on a positive note!

I never make a big deal about resolutions.  Let's be honest, a lot of people are just setting themselves up for failure.  I like to just think of things that I want to make happen or try to do.  Whether, trying to accessorize more, try a new dish or try harder to make sure I blog once a week... I just don't want to beat myself up in a month when I didn't loose those 10 lbs or I didn't end world hunger.  I do have a few things that I do want to do

So this year I started off by starting to clear out the clutter in my "Office".  I am trying to spend more time here, so why not make it a place I really want to be.  The first thing I did was moved my desk.  I felt like I was boxed in & I think it affected my mind. My mind & I am free to move about now.  I find that keeping pictures of special times or vacation help me to be in my happy place.......Ooooooommmm

My office serves a few purposes.  I am a Party Lite consultant.  With that comes a lot of product & supplies.  I have dedicated one entire shelf unit to my Party Lite.  I did leave the top shelf for my pictures & Mason jars filled with decorations. Items get retired often, so I end up with a lot of old pieces.  I need to sell those. Hmmmm, I see another thing I can add to my 2014 "To Do" list.

I have also decided to teach myself how to sew.  My niece decided she wanted to make her own clothes so my best friend got her a sewing machine.  Needless to say, Twy has yet to actually use it.  So I will be the new owner of a sewing machine.  My mother-in-law is quite the avid sewer & she does some great things.  One of my favorites is her place mats.  She makes them for ever occasion AND they are double sided! I want her to teach me how to make them. I tell her all the time that she could sell them at craft shows.  I also really want to make cute aprons.  Something a little more stylish than your Grandmother's 50 year old apron.

My personal #1 mission is to blog at least once a week.  Having an almost 3 year old makes it a little more challenging, but I am up for it.  A lot has happened since September & I am looking forward to sharing some of my ideas & recipes.  Cheers to an AWESOME 2014!

Ha! I'm a Mrs....

Well, my big day has came & went.  

I married my best friend & had an awesome wedding!  

But with most great things, 

it didn't come without it's obstacles. 

That is when you realize just how awesome 

the people in your life truly are!

We were on a budget, a quite tight one.  

We knew what was important to us &

we were fine without the rest.  

My motto has been that through it all, 

s long as we were married on the beach, 

that was all I really cared about.  

Everyone & everything was second next to marrying my honey!  

There were people that wanted to be there, 

but things happen & situations are just that. 

We definitely had a great party with everyone 

once we got back...save that for another day!

Most things all fell into place exactly where needed.  

We have amazing family & friends 

who would do anything for us.  

To see everyone at our wedding, 

all pulling together & getting things done.  

All of them making sure our (my...lol) day 

was everything we wanted 

really made me realize how truly loved we are.  

OUR family, the blood , the chosen & the "new", 

gave us the best gift of all, being there to support us.  

With out them, my vision would have never been seen. 

Girls Weekend...Sometimes it's just necessary!

This past weekend, my friends & I went away for my

Bachelorette party 

 Some "Brides to be" are excited about 

getting all dressed up,

going out dancing, 

wearing a tacky veil 

& having strangers suck candy off their shirt.  

NOT this Bride!
Being in my mid-thirties (ouch.....that hurt a little), 

I am just too old for the 
"Traditional Bachelorette Party"  
I have been with my fiance for 13 years, 
my so called "freedom" has been long gone 
& I am just fine with that.  

We rented an awesome log house in the woods, 
in Maryland and had a very relaxing 
Labor Day Weekend. 

Thankfully we saw no bears.

One of my good friends from High School is a 

Pure Romance consultant.

She did a demo & that was a great time!

I highly suggest it for a Bachelorette Party.

Nothing like starting off the night with some naughty things. 

Plus it definitely helps lighten the mood.

I'd rather check out things to spice it up in the bedroom, than be grind-ed on by some stranger in a banana hammock 

& tube socks...but that's just me!

The guys from Magic Mike were the only strippers we needed!

It played continuously on the TV in the game room, lol

We had a "feast" the guys would've been jealous of...

Ham BBQ

Pulled Beef

Candied Keilbasa

Pasta Salad

Ziti

Coleslaw

3 Bean Salad

Cheesy Potatoes w/Bacon

Fruit Salad

Beer Bread w/dips

Guacamole & chips

S'mores Cupcakes

and 

"Stripper" Cake...hee hee

I had the party I wanted.

We reminisced about our wild days in our 20's, 

discussed our grown-up relationships & 

had a great time without having to worry about

changing diapers, making dinner & cleaning the house.  

I'd say it's exactly what everyone needed! 

Deep Fried Oreos

A few weekends ago we went camping with my future brother in law & his family.  We had 5 kids under the age of 9, which can be a bit of a challenge.  Lucky for us, we were only about 45 minutes from home. Kids these days aren't always "thrilled" to be in the great outdoors.  As a kid, my parents took us camping all the time.  We always found ways to occupy ourselves, even if we didn't want to.  Our next camping adventure, I will be sure to come up with some ideas for the kiddos.

My future BIL brought his deep fryer, he is an avid outdoors man so he has all kinds of camping gadgets.

Well, I heard deep fryer & thought.....DEEP FRIED OREOS!!! 

Yes, that is excatly what every bride to be should be thinking about, LOL! So I grabbed the rest of the pancake batter & a few packs of Oreos and hoped this would be doable.  Not only were they doable...they were down right delicious!

  

I simply made batter & to be honest, I had no idea how much batter was there, I just added water.

Then we dipped the Oreo cookies into the batter

Then put them in the deep fryer at 300 degrees for about 2-4 minutes.  

*Note---Make sure you put them in one at a time.

They are done when they are golden brown. 

All we were missing was the powdered sugar!

Next time you have some fresh oil in the deep fryer try these out. 

An easy crowd pleaser for sure!

Sweet & Spicy Pork

It's been so humid here that the thought of the stove, oven or grill just makes me sweat!
I have been trying to utilize my Crock Pot on those hot & sticky summer days.

Recently I have discovered an AWESOME sauce at Costco, 

Robert Rothschild Farm Roasted Pineapple & Habanero Sauce

It is great on everything I have tried it on.  

Shrimp, chicken, pork......it's all good!

With it being another hot one out there, I decided to bust out the crock pot and experiment!

Ingredients:
Pineapples in juice or syrup
2 lb pork tenderloin
Pineapple & Habanero sauce

 I started out with a can of pineapple slices in heavy syrup, I would have preferred juice.  Oh well
I placed pineapples at the bottom of the pot

Next I added the pork loins, each one was about 1 lb.

Then I poured in the syrup from the pineapple. 

I added a small can of pineapple chunks with juice & 

a few jalapenos with about a half cup of the juice from the jar of jalapenos.

I cooked the pork for 3 hours on low, then I put it on high for about 2 more hours.

They don't take very long to cook because they were only 1 pound each.

I tasted it without the sauce & it was sweet with the slightest hint of the jalapeno. 

Mason ended up eating it with BBQ sauce, so it's kid friendly 

before the pineapple & habanero sauce.

Next time I want to spice up the meat while it is cooking.   

I'm thinking I need to  add fresh jalapeno & definitely use pineapple JUICE.

I really suggest you make this Roasted Pineapple & Habanero Sauce 

part of your summer meals, you won't regret it. 

Have a great day & hang in there,  Friday is almost here!

At the pool with my 2 year old...

As we all know, no one can ever fully know what to expect with a toddler.

And being a first time mom, I had no idea our trips to the pool would be so different this year.  

Last year Mason was all about being held in the water, kicking away.  

This year, I felt like it took everything in me to coax this boy just close enough so I could put my legs in.  

Mind you, it is about 90 degrees & all I have been thinking about is breaking in my awesome 

new bathing suit from Lands End.

FYI-If you have a large chest, this is the bathing suit top for you!!!

It comes in cup sizes & has under-wire for extra support.

I don't like spending my day adjusting myself, hoping that one of the girls doesn't pop out.

http://www.landsend.com/products/womens-beach-living-adjustable-scoopneck-tankini-top/id_231497

Ok, back to the pool...
After today, I have learned that my trips to the pool will be MUCH different from now on
and I've learned that I am NOT a fan of "baby" pools.

Why you ask?

#1 Pee       We all know it happens. I witnessed my own kid take a #2 while wading around the 1 ft pee bath.  It definitely didn't make me feel better when a 4 yr old not wearing a swim diaper makes direct eye contact with me & says "I peed".  Thanks for the confirmation!

#2 Bugs     I am not a fan of them.  Living or dead.  Usually the ones in the little pool are in buggy heaven. 

I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing. Creeps me out either way!

#3 Toys      I feel like I had to carefully investigate which toys Mason would like to play with.  All the while explaining to him that those boats & trucks weren't his, but I would be sure to get his very own next time.

#4 Parents    Some parents pay no attention to their children.  Maybe me being a first time mom, I am a little more observant than necessary.  But if your kid is throwing stuff & snatching things out of the other kids hands, maybe it's time for some discipline?

I felt like such a rookie!  

How did I know that trucks are just as cool cruising around the pool, as they are in dirt...

Pretend fishies are great & it is ok for the kids to squirt each other with water guns...

Back to basics, good 'ol fashion fun...I like it!

With a plan for tomorrows trip to the pool,
here is hoping that Mason warms up to the idea of the pool.