A Beary Good Weekend

I tried writing my Midweek Rambles last week, but I could not get the picture part to load. I don't like posting without pictures, so I just decided to wait. Now here we are at the end of a great 3 day weekend. This post will probably be random since I didn't get my randomness out lol.

I stuck to my meal plan for most of the week. I only have pictures through Wednesday.

 Maddy is starting to get a little hard to feed. She's not a picky eater by any means...her problem is not wanting to take time out to actually eat. She did ok with the beef and mashed potatoes. She ate a little chicken and then said she was done. The best she did was on Wednesday. Bless her heart...she has to eat her dinner in the car on the way to church. I had some lunchable's on hand and it worked out perfect. She loved her ham and cheese crackers.

I may have mentioned this before but we have a kitten that has decided to take up residence at our house. It showed up out of no where but has a collar with a bell on it. Every time we open our door it just looks at us and you can tell it's saying, "Oh just let me in...you know you want to...ain't I purdy?" with it's eyes. I have to just ignore it because one day I did make eye contact and oh my goodness lol. I'm not even a cat person. I'm getting a little frustrated because it digs in my roses on our front porch.

The above video was taken last weekend at my mom's house. She decided to call the flower bed a garden all on her own. She started off saying, "Sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle, sprinkle." She's a mess :)

I tried french braiding hair that same weekend and didn't quite get the hang of it. My mom braided all three grandkids' hair and I let Maddy sleep in hers. When she woke up on Sunday this is what it looked like:

She has such beautiful hair!

We had our first boo boo at our new house on Friday. I'm not really sure just what happened. I was in the process of getting the right key to unlock our door. Maddy was standing on our step and next thing I know she's going down. I imagine she just lost her balance, but she scraped her arm on the corner of the step and it left a pretty good mark.

She jumped up and first thing she said was, "BUT I DON'T WANT BAND AIND." I think she was holding back her tears until she could get that out because she had to take a minute before she could talk and as soon as she got those words out she cried. I felt so bad for her. She made me nervous how she was holding it because she acted like it was a more serious injury than a scrape...luckily it wasn't. 

That is my random wrap up. Now here comes our exciting weekend. For the first time since we've moved we had a slumber party at Nana's house on Sunday night...including Manny. Maddy got to play for a little bit when we first got there because I had to use my chicken before it ruined. I made white chicken chili in the crock pot. Maddy is an orange fanatic...good thing she is a Vols fan lol. I think she ate at least 5 clementine's in a row Sunday night. She had to have a big bowl. She watched Bob and had her oranges.

We both had a bit of a rough time going to sleep. She didn't fall asleep until approximately 10:45 p.m. I fell asleep somewhere around 11:15, but woke back up at 3 a.m. and could not go back to sleep...it was a bit frustrating. I finally got back to sleep and next thing I know Maddy is waking me up asking me if it's time to go to the mountains. We had plans of going to Cades Cove today to try to find a bear. I'm so very excited to say that we were successful in this mission...thank you Lord!

The last picture is to show all three of us sitting in the back. During the bear viewing Maddy was asleep in her carseat, so my mom and I were sitting on the toolbox of my step dad's truck. Once she woke up we pulled out chairs and sat. Maddy was not in a good mood when she woke up and made me a nervous wreck but once we were almost done she decided to actually sit down in her chair...go figure. It was such a pretty day and the mountains were gorgeous! On our way home we ate at Calhoun's on the River and it was so yummy! It's so hard to believe that it's been a 3 day weekend and it's all over. I keep telling myself in just two more months we will get 5 days off (Thanksgiving), in the mean time I'm looking forward to Maddy's birthday...and so is she :)

Weekly Meal Plan

I'm lacking a lot of photos here lately and wanted to change up my blog a little bit until I can get some more pictures. I'm going to post my weekly meal plan for the week. As I've mentioned before I try my best to coupon. I had been looking in cookbooks and pinterest for recipe's that sounded good and that I had most of the ingredients for. I would then build my shopping list on the items I didn't have. I have found that I go over my budget by a good bit by doing it that way. This week I have decided to build my meals around what was on sale and what I already had. I showed you all my publix trip here. It was mostly dog food and powerade. I did get a pack of chicken breast because it was on sale for $2.99 a pound. I also went to Bi-Lo and got a dozen eggs($1.04), london broil roast(on sale for $2.99/lb), baby carrots(.99), and Sara Lee bread ($1.24). I was able to make a meal plan from there. Tonight we had the london broil roast, mashed potatoes, corn bread, and green peas. I must say it really hit the spot! Here is Maddy enjoying her dinner.

Ok, so maybe she was in the middle of talking to me and trying to get out of eating dinner today lol. She isn't much into meat but ate all the rest and even asked for more peas. I love that she loves food like she does and love how broad her tastes are. Ok, back on track :) Tomorrow we are having Paprika Chicken with Mushrooms or Alice Springs Chicken (pinterest inspired). I'm not sure if I have everything for the Paprika chicken so I made a back up just in case. Wednesday is our hectic day so I'm actually not cooking. I am eating left overs and Maddy is either eating at church, eating a hot dog, or eating a lunchable I picked up at Wal-Mart for $1. Thursday is Beef Tips w/Rice and corn. I know corn isn't something you'd normally eat with beef tips, but Maddy loves corn and since she isn't too much into meat she may only have corn and rice. Friday is White Chicken Chili night. I'm not a normal person when it comes to food or drinks. I don't only eat soups/chili's in the fall/winter or drink hot drinks in the fall/winter. I can eat and drink at any given point of a season. It is starting to cool down, but has still been pretty warm. Saturday and Sunday we eat our left overs or eat with my mom. I don't like to waste food and I have actually wasted a lot of the pizza casserole I made two weeks ago. I'm having to figure out this cooking thing so I don't waste a lot of food,but have enough all at the same time. I think this week will be better...I hope anyways lol.

I hope you all had a great weekend and are off to a great start this week!!! If it's already a rough week then just remember only four more days to go and for some people it's a three day weekend :)

*Jeremiah 29:11

Publix Savings

I decided to start showing my actual coupon trips on here. Today Publix was my main store, but I also went to Bi-Lo. Here is what I got at publix minus a thing of chicken breasts:

It's hard to tell exactly what there is in the picture so here is the break down:
30 32 oz. powerade's for $1.00 each
2 Kens marinade for $1.50 each
1 Peter Pan Peanut Butter for $1.70
1 32 oz. Mayo for $2.74
1 10 oz. A-1 sauce for $1.88
20 13.2 oz. canned dog food for .65 each
Perdue Boneless Chicken Breast for $4.75
2 packs of hot dogs for $2.59 each
Lipton Tea Bags for $1.30

I also had a few coupons. $.40 off mayo, 2 buy 10 powerade's get 5 free, $.70 off ken's marinade sauce, and (2)$1.50 off 10 cans of dog food.

My total came to $52.01 and I saved a total of $44.92

I have a pretty low weekly budget for groceries that I am trying to get down to. I miscalculated this trip so instead of being under I went over because I have to factor in my Bi-Lo trip and tomorrow I am going to Wal-Mart to get Maddy's milk, breakfast bread, and papers. I'm getting so close to my allotted budget.

Praise You In the Storm

I can tell you that I am definitely being tested and have been since the last full week of July. Today was kind of the last straw for me...or should I say when I just kind of hit bottom. Luckily our church has been talking about when bad things happen. One thing that has stuck with me is to not question why but to look for the opportunity. I used to always question why when something bad happened to me. I always thought it was always because of my sin that bad things were happening. Yes, when we sin bad things can happen but it doesn't mean that is always the case. This song has been stuck in my head because it's just perfect for my situation. It's not always easy to praise God during a storm, but it's something we should be doing. I do feel at peace with my situation even though I know there are more tears to be shed. I don't like the situation I'm in but complaining about it isn't going to solve anything. Another good song to think of during the storm is by Group One Crew...I've actually posted this before but it's def worth posting again lol

I've got a full day ahead of me tomorrow and I desperately need to clean so I will make this a short post. If you are going through a rough patch just hang in there and lean on the Lord. Life is not easy nor is it by ANY means fair but God wants good things for us no matter what He is always here. On a completely different note have you heard Taylor Swift's new single?? I haven't listened to it completely because I haven't bought it, but I sure love the title lol

*update...i just now listened to it :)

Whirlwind Wednesday

I'm still trying to catch my breath from today. I knew today was going to be crazy, but I had no idea just how crazy it would be. Today was the first day of Awana's. My mom took my two nieces and I had Maddy. We had no idea where to go or what to do, so we decided to stick together to figure it out. The lines were so long, which is good, but Maddy quickly lost her patience. Maddy refused to go at first. She was kicking and saying no and mommy and was just so mad. Thank goodness for this angel who came in and rescued us. She walked right up to Maddy and held her hands out and said, "Do you want to go make a castle with me?" Maddy quit her fit and just listened. She asked one more time and Maddy let her take her and off they went. I seriously wanted to hug her!!! I had every intention of snapping some pictures of the experience, but people were scattered everywhere and you add Maddy's fit and there was just no way for that to happen. I decided to take a picture of her bag and art she did.

When I went back for her she wasn't pitching a fit so I was thankful for that. I think once she gets in the routine of going she will do a lot better. She struggles with change and I think she was pretty tired as well because she went straight to sleep once she crawled into bed. This was a big night for Maddy and my nieces and I'm so very proud of all of them. My nieces were very nervous about going because they don't know anybody, but they both seemed to like it. This wasn't just a big night for the kids...it was a big night for me as well. I tried out orchestra tonight. I only got to play one song because Awana sign ups took forever. I used to play in the church orchestra a long time ago, but it's just so different Fafter being gone for six years. Everybody was nice, but my music reading abilities aren't as sharp and neither is my playing. When I was in the orchestra last time, I was in high school and had band and had a lot of opportunities to better my playing/music skills...I don't have that anymore. I'm hoping it will come back to me after I play for a while, but it's a bit frustrating in the mean time. It's going to be hard on Wednesday's because I still have to get my time in at work and church cuts into my time. I've been praying for a new job...one that will allow me to participate in church without stressing out over my time and production. Before tonight I just knew the Lord would give me a new job, but I'm really not so sure that is going to happen now lol. I won't be playing this Sunday morning, but maybe in a couple of Sunday's I'll manage to get my nerve up.

I tried another pinterest recipe today...chicken parmesan bake

It was super easy to prepare and only took 35 minutes in the oven. I was surprised that Maddy actually ate it. I cut hers up and put it on a plate for her to eat on the way to church.

People at church who knew me before could not believe I had a child of my own. It's amazing how many times I get stopped with Maddy. Everybody comments on her blonde hair and tell me she looks like a doll or tell me she is beautiful. I of coarse happen to agree with all the nice comments, but it's nice to hear other people agree :)

Next week is the final episode of the original teen mom girls and I'm a little sad to be honest. I'm probably going to do a post on this soon. I feel like I've bonded with these girls because when their 16&pregnant show aired I was pregnant with Maddy and I wanted to see how they handled birth and being a mom. Maci lives in my town and hers was the first one I watched...I was hooked from then on.

I'm kind of glad today is over with...now if I can escape the next two days without getting royally in trouble at work I will have made it lol. I hope you all are having a great week!!! Happy hump day!

Our Weekend

I seem to be writing these later and later in the week. We have a pretty hectic schedule during the week and there just isn't much time for anything. We had a great weekend! We spent more time at home. Friday was my grandfather's birthday. He is still recovering from his hip surgery and it turns out he may be having another knee surgery in the future. I didn't think I would be able to make his party due to work, but our systems shut down earlier than normal which allowed me to go. I kept Maddy up and put on a movie for her to watch so I could finish working....of coarse it was none other than Mickey Mouse! She did a great job of letting me work. Towards the end she was wanting me to hold her, so I just called it quits. I don't have any pictures from the party because I've been without my camera for a while. It was a fun time to spend with everybody and Maddy had fun playing with Aria's toys...until the end and she got mad at Aria. We got home around 11:30 p.m. and went straight to bed. There was no cleaning, there was no staying up, we were just plum exhausted. I've decided that Friday nights are my favorite because I know there is no work the next day and we get to sleep in. I woke up at 10:48 a.m. I was shocked! The power had gone out at some point because Maddy's monitor was turned off, so I got up and didn't hear a peep from her room. She did wake up soon after but it was great to sleep until I woke up. I started to clean up a little until I became a little overwhelmed. I decided it was best to get the stores out of the way first and then clean later. I ended up going to my mom's and off to the stores we went. We went to Publix, CVS, Bi-Lo, Baskin Robbins, and Walmart. We got home a bit late....again, so I never got to finish my cleaning. Sunday is church day and Maddy's still adjusting to her new room. She loves going to church, but doesn't like mommy leaving her. She leeched onto me and they had to pry her off me. I felt so bad! When I went to pick her up she was having fun playing. I'm so happy to have us in church. After church we went home and Maddy played while I cleaned. It's amazing what I can get cleaned in just a few short hours. I never get our house totally clean because I tire out fast. I feel overwhelmed with not knowing where to put everything, so I figure if I just keep doing what I'm doing eventually everything will find a spot. I think this was the most uneventful weekend we have had in a long time. It was nice to not have much to do. Pretty soon fall will be here...and Maddy's birthday for that matter and we will have lots of activities planned. I found a fall "to do" list on pinterest that I am most definitely going to do with Maddy this year...I can't wait for all the holidays :) I don't have many pictures to share, but will find something to post here so it's not so boring lol.

These are hand me down pajama's from my niece. I'm not 100% sure what size it is because the tag is torn off, but I'm pretty sure it's a 4 or 4T. You can tell it's still a little big on her, but not as big as I would have thought. I was shocked! I found out Sunday that she can wear some 4's because the dress she wore on Sunday was a 4...talk about growing up!

I took this picture to send to my mom. He was fixing to get a bath and let me tell you...that was a chore! He did not like me picking him up. I finally got him in the tub and halfway through his bath he found a way to jump out. I was soaked and trying to catch him wasn't easy. We did make it through and he feels and smells so much better!!! I'm going to try to give him a bath at least twice a month.

She fell asleep on the way home Sunday. She was so tired because she hadn't had a nap at all that day. I just love watching her sleep!

On Monday she started her new classroom at school. I will write more about that tomorrow. We have a busy week ahead of us this week because I have enrolled her in Awana's at church. I'm hoping she will love it!

I hope you all had a great weekend and are having a great start to your week!

Coupons & Budgets

As my bills start to add up (and go up) each month, I have had to really watch everything that goes out. As I participate in good deals, or what I consider a good deal, I will more than likely write about it because I love talking about good finds :) I do use a website as I've mentioned before...Southernsavers.com. They take all the work out of couponing for those of us who have zero time to figure it all up. This week was a good diaper deal at CVS. CVS has jumbo packs on sale for $9.49, regularly $11.99 (I think). In last Sunday's paper there were two $1.50 coupons for Huggies diapers. If you buy $30 worth of participating items at CVS, you get $10.00 back. I bought 3 jumbo packs of diapers and 1 toothbrush. I had (3) $1.50 coupons for the diapers and a .40 coupon for the toothbrush, which made it $2.59. My total after coupons was $29 and some change. I qualified for the $10 back, so it's like I paid $19. I saved $13.30...talk about jackpot! I am in need of some more foundation because some silly person left the top off of hers and it's kinda gross now lol. I'm going to take that $10 and use it for my foundation and get $3 back. You only have to spend $10 on L'oreal cosmetics, so if I didn't need foundation I could just get $10 worth, which is maybe two eye shadows and make $3 profit. I think foundation is around $15 so I pay $5 up front, but get $3 back so I am buying foundation for $2. Is it starting to hurt your head a little? I think I need some pictures with this post, but my camera is out of batteries and I don't have anymore and my phone...well, it's running out of room.

One thing that has stuck with me since I have been couponing, is the diaper deals. I used to just buy the big box of diapers at Babies R Us for $41.99 and be done with it. I thought it was the best deal. I think it is if you need a lot of diapers and none are on sale. I've learned that those big box of diapers actually cost more per diaper than the small packs. In the jumbo pack at CVS there are 27.  Those diapers cost roughly .17 a diaper, whereas the big box would have cost me around .29 a diaper. My math is probably wrong somewhere, but you get the idea :)

On top of getting a good deal on diapers, I am also going to try out a method of budgeting I've read about before...can't remember who, but I think it may be Larry Burkette. The idea is to figure out what your budget for everything is and put the amount of money you have budgeted for a particular item in envelopes and once you are out of money for that item then you are done until next payday. For example if your grocery budget for the week was $100, then you would put $100 in an envelope to take with you. I would suggest making a list before going to the store and calculating costs, so you have no chances of going over. I'm hoping this will help me stay on target in my budget. I tend to see all these cute things for Maddy and want to buy them all, but I kinda need to stop lol. I did use my personalized tote I talked about here and it was a huge help. I was able to carry all my extra coupons in case I found something I wanted/needed and I was able to leave my purse in the car. Maddy thought it was a great idea to put all the candy at the checkout lane in our bag while I was paying. She has the hang of shopping....grab everything you want and stick it in a bag and somehow it's magically paid for lol...if it's in the basket...it's ours to keep ;)

One more work day and we are done for two!!! We also have Labor Day coming up so woohoo!!!