| The Towne House |
sick againUgh. I have some sinus/head cold thing again. I'm miserable. I've been sick since Monday? Tuesday? I can't remember. I think Tuesday. The week has been a blur of throat lozenges, cups of tea, doses of Dayquil & Nyquil, and tissues. My sinuses hurt. My nose hurts, on the outside from being blown so often, and on the inside, from being inflamed. I'm sick of sniffing. UGH. - Maddie is on antibiotics for an ear infection, but is feeling much better. Her ear feels clogged, but she isn't in pain. I'm hoping her ear pops soon, so that she can hear better. - I've been using my new bread machine! I haven't bought a loaf of bread in over a week (which is saying something--we French Canadians love our bread)! We go through almost a loaf a day, depending on how well I plan our other meals, which this week I haven't done at all. Right now, I have a loaf of Oatmeal Cinnamon bread in the machine-- *SOB* skip that, I just realized that I didn't put the cinnamon in!!!! AUGHHHHHH I hate being sick--it's like having a disability--I cannot think straight! So I guess we'll be enjoying Oatmeal breat tomorrow. I'm sure it will be delicious. Toasted with lots of cinnamon sugar on it, that is. SIGH. - I bought a weighted hula hoop. It's been fun learning to use it--the kids are pros. Pictures will be up soon. :) As well as pics from Patience's birthday and my dad's birthday. As soon as I can stop feeling like I'm underwater.. - Crummy though I may feel, I'm taking the kids to the church's Talent Show tonight. They have friends performing, and they want to go. I have a Sour Cream Coffee Cake (that I remembered to put the cinnamon in!) in the oven, as there will be a dessert potluck after the show. If I make it that long without passing out. - We'll see if I make it to church tomorrow. There's lots of other news, but I'm too sick to type. Have a blessed evening! 3:11 PM - Jan. 30, 2010 - comments {1} - post commentRaisins, Raisins, Up on High!When I was a little girl, my dad was part of a singing, guitar-playing duo called Roger & Ray. They made a couple of tapes, and played locally. I loved listening to them, and singing their songs. One, in particular, went like this: Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, Raise His praises up on high, Let your voices fill the sky, Make a joyful noise unto the Lord! - Being kids, we sometimes got the words wrong, and we would sing "Raisins, Raisins, up on High" instead of "Raise His Praises up on high". - Steve and I are definitley raising His praises today, though! We had the Ford Escort wagon, which we thought was DEAD, towed to the transmission shop, and the guy fixed it! FOR $80! It was just a hose, the whole transmission wasn't shot! So now I have a car again, and Patience can have her birthday party this weekend, and I'm just SO grateful to God!!!!!!!! 11:51 AM - Jan. 21, 2010 - comments {4} - post commentYou have GOT to be kidding meWell, it looks like the transmission on our car is shot. For the 4th time in 8 years. Unless it is a very easy and cheap fix, we will not be repairing it. We will get a new car. That of course, we cannot really afford right now. We'll be staying home from church tomorrow. And I've told our piano & art teachers that we won't be there this week. I have a few other things to coordinate, such as orthodontist appointsments and allergy shot appointments. Sigh. At least this is a swift kick in the pants to work on my tax records for last year, so that we can get our taxes done as soon as possible. Have a great night! 7:33 PM - Jan. 16, 2010 - comments {2} - post commentFeeling much betterThe 2nd antibiotics did the trick, without side effects, and I'm on my way to feeling 100%. I've been exercising, and I even worked last night! (first PC show of 2010) - Today we're doing school work, cleaning, and having some friends over later. Then, hopefully, a really relaxing evening with Steve! 10:10 AM - Jan. 14, 2010 - comments {0} - post commentHay Fever and other thingsWell, the first 2 days on antibiotics went okay. Then, on Thursday, hay fever kicked in. I usually have a hay fever reaction to antibiotics, sometimes worse, sometimes not so bad. Thursday was bad. With a sinus infection, hay fever, and dry winter weather, it's a perfect storm for nosebleeds. And wow. I've had a few doozies. Hate that. The doctor switched my antibiotic on Saturday, so we'll see how I do. Had to go to church yesterday, even though I was beat. Taught Suday School. Maddie and Eli stayed home because Maddie didn't feel well. She's congested today. :( Busy week this week. Steve has to register for the spring semester of plumbing school tonight. We have a meeting tomorrow night. I'm working Wednesday night. Plus all of the regular school stuff with the kids. Okay, off to switch the laundry. Have a great day! 10:55 AM - Jan. 11, 2010 - comments {0} - post commentJust a quick noteUgh. I'm sick. Sinus infection. I went to bed Monday night feeling awful, and woke up Tuesday feeling like someone had repeatedly punched me in the face. I'm on anitbiotics now, and feeling a little bit better. Of course, the world doesn't stop becasue Mama's sick, so I've still been running all over creation. Thank God for Eli's writing class, because I got to take a nap while he was there! - Maddie's finishing her first week of MUS. It's going okay. Not great. She didn't have this light bulb moment or anything. She's just plugging through. Tomorrow I'll start Queen's Language Lessons with Maddie & Patience. Hopefully they'll like it. Looks like fun. And reminds me of when we did FIAR. I miss those times. Okay, I'm off to bed. The Nyquil has kicked in, and I'm starting to get foggy! 10:15 PM - Jan. 7, 2010 - comments {0} - post commentWrapping up 2009Happy New Year! It's a snowy day here in Rhode Island, so I thought I'd finally post some pics from Christmas. The week before Christmas was really hectic. We had a snowstorm the Sunday before, so I was unable to bring all of my cookie trays to church. We ended up delivering some, and bringing the rest to the Christmas Eve service. Although I'm happy that we were able to make & give away so many cookies, I'm really doing to rethink how I do that next year. We didn't get half of the family things done that I wanted to, because I was so concerned about the cookie trays. Christmas stories went unread, crafts went unmade...we were just too busy. Remind me of this post next Christmas, when I'm about to going on a baking binge! After the Christmas Eve service, our friends, Kim & John, and their girls, came over for pizza. They were so kind to get us a gift--the game, Blokus! Steve and I had actually bought that for the kids. Great minds think alike! We had a great time playing games and visiting. They're moving to VA in 8 weeks, so times together are appreciated even more now. - Christmas morning was a quiet affair. The kids let us sleep until 7:30 (have I mentioned how MUCH I love having big kids?
I love the looks on their faces. :) Eli, modeling his new robe. It will last him forever, it's so big!
Showing off his new Sargent Rock comic books--Steve used to read these as a kid.
Patience hugging her fleecey sweatshirt
As I posted before, we were bummed out that my sister wasn't able to come down to RI for Christmas. (My parents ended up going to Canada on the Sunday after Christmas, and brought the scarves that I made my sister and nephews, and some chocolate covered pretzels
and chocolate covered Oreos that we made
Christine said that they enjoyed them immensely!) Because she didn't come, I had my parents over for Christmas dinner. The food came out great, except for the rolls--I bought frozen rolls that had to rise, and they rose WAY too much. Oh well, live and learn. I also forgot to make the Cranberry Pineapple Relish that I wanted--I made it the next day, and it is fabulous: 20 oz can crushed pineapple--drained well 2- 15 oz cans whole berry cranberry sauce 16 oz sliced frozen strawberries, thawed 1/2 cup chopped walnuts Mix well and chill 4 hours or overnight. I ate the whole batch. It took me 5 days. It is SO yummy! (and just so you don't think that I'm a pig, Steve doesn't like cranberry, and the kids don't like trying new things!) - After dinner, my in-law's called to see if we were home. The came by for about an hour to visit. Then, peace and quiet. Kids were in bed by 9:30. A lovely Christmas. - The day after we had the snowstorm on 12/20, Patience went sledding with her friend, Bethany. Patience went over a ramp and slammed down to the ground. Her back was still bothering her a week later, so we brought her to the dr on 12/28. After x-rays, the doctor said that it looks fine, but is probably just bruised. She goes back on Monday for a recheck, but is already feeling better. After Patience goes to the doctor on Monday, I have to call her dentist. Patience has a rather large cavity in one of the molars on the bottom left of her mouth. So large, in fact, that some of the enamel surrounding the cavity actually just chipped off several months ago. She had a cleaning, and they said to let them know when it started bothering her (it's a tooth that she will eventually lose, so they weren't too concerned). Well, this week it started to hurt. Badly. Over a holiday weekend. Sigh. This chick is Calamity Jane. I'm not sure what they'll do--I'm wondering if they'll just pull the tooth? If they do, I'm having them knock her out. *** Warning: Gross picture of the inside of Patience's mouth ahead***
The camera wouldn't flash on the super macro setting, but can you see how there's no side to the tooth next to the filling? No wonder it hurts. ***Back to our regularly scheduled programming*** After Patience medical exploits on Monday, I went to my friend Courtney's home. Some high school friends who were in town for the holidays came as well, and we had a nice time visiting. From L-R, Jessica, Libby, Cerey, Courtney & me
Here's Cerey and her one-year old son, Cameron--what a doll. He was such a happy baby!
I should have taken more pictures, but we were busy chatting! - The kids and I went shopping on Tuesday, so that they could spend their Christmas money. Eli got jeans and some nice, thick sweatpants, and 3 Bionicles. Maddie bought jeans, 2 shirts, but no toys. Patience "Money burns a hole in my Pocket" Towne, bought jeans, cozy pants (what we call nicer sweatpants), a shirt, a video game...there might have been more. That chick wasn't coming home with $ in her pocket. Sigh. I'm forcing her to put some of the $ my sister sent into the bank. Since I have to drive her to the bank--Tine sent a check-- I just won't take her until she agrees. Mwahahahaha! - Wednesday, I got to go out with my best friend, Kathy. We had lunch at the Longhorn Steakhouse, then went to see The Blind Side (it was excellent!), and then did some shopping at Barnes & Noble. It was a really fun time. - Thursday was another day out for the kids. Patience's friend, Katie, invited her to see the new Alvin and the Chipmunks movie. They had lunch at McDonald's, saw the movie & then came home. While they were out, I took Maddie and her friend, Bethany (Katie's older sister) to the mall. I think they had fun (even if they had to hang out with me). We were supposed to go to dinner at a friend's home, but not only had it snowed most of the day, Maddie came down with a fever. I think she just has a cold, but she's feeling icky and congested. That was also the night Patience's tooth really started hurting. So we cancelled plans and just stayed in. The kids stayed up until 9pm (maybe next year I'll let them shoot for midnight?). We just hung out watching USA's Burn Notice marathon. We love us some Michael Weston! - Yesterday was New Year's Day. My dad came over in the afternoon to deliver the gifts from my sister, and my mom came over after work. We ordered pizza and played Blokus and Wii games. It was a fun day. I totally don't feel ready to start school on Monday. I'm sure we're not the only ones, but life is so full right now--piano lessons, art lessons, writing class, doctor appointments (Patience's back, Patience's tooth, Eli's allergy shots, I need to set up eye dr appointments for me & the girls, and a teeth cleaning for me--aughhh!), Maddie's going to start guitar lessons with my dad.....I'm feeling a little overwhelmed. I've been exercising regularly and reading my Bible, and those seem to be the things that go first when life gets crazy. I don't want that to happen. Maddie starts Math-U-See on Monday. She's a little nervous to switch curriculums, but I think it will be good for her. I'm also waiting for Queen's Language Lessons to come in for the girls. I hope they like it. - Okay 3 more pictures from 2009--first, the fabulous scarf that Maddie knitted for Patience--I'm so proud of my girl!
2nd, the gingerbread house that the kids put together. My friend, Carolyn, gave us the kit--we had never made one before!
And 3rd, our crazy kitten in a box playing with a broom
Happy New Year! I hope that 2010 is a fantastic year for you and your family! 11:31 AM - Jan. 2, 2010 - comments {1} - post commentMerry Christmas!Merry Christmas! I hope you're all having a wonderful day with friends and family! Last night, we attended our church's Christmas Eve service. It was very nice. I brought all of the cookie trays that didn't get delivered this week, and was able to hand them out. It was a lot of fun. Then our friends, John & Kim and their girls, came over for pizza & cookies. It was a wonderful time of fellowship. John is in the Navy, and they'll be moving in 9 weeks. We're so sad to see them leave, but so blessed to have had this time with them. This morning, the kids let us sleep until 7:15. We read the Christmas story and prayed together, then it was on to the presents. It's 9:15 now, and Steve and the kids are trying to get the Wii set up. :) Rolls are rising, and the turkey will go into the oven soon. Steve is on call from 8am-12pm--we're hoping that he gets a job early enough that he isn't out late. My parents are coming over around 3pm to eat with us. Have a blessed & peaceful Christmas! 9:09 AM - Dec. 25, 2009 - comments {1} - post commentMerry Christmas!Finally! After a week and a half, I finally had time to upload my new photos to photobucket, and now I can update my blog. This will probably be long and boring, so I apologize in advance! -- This month is always SO busy! I had all these plans of sitting around, reading Christmas stories, having family time....whatever. I was very busy at the beginning of the month with my Pampered Chef business, and I still have some deliveries to make. Yikes. Lots of tax deductible mileage taking place this month. So there have been many days when I had lots of errands to do, and my poor children were neglected. I'm so grateful that they're old enough to stay home alone for bits of time--I remember the days of having to load all of them up for the simplest and quickest of errands. -- Confession time. I have not picked up my Bible in probably close to 3 weeks. I was so excited about that new reading program, and I've dropped the ball. The GOOD part of the program is that I can just pick back up where I left off and I'm not "behind". The sad part is just that I haven't been making time to read the Word. I am reading tonight no matter how late I have to stay up. I'm 3 weeks into the program (210 chapters read--woo hoo!). Goodness knows, though, I need to be reading--I've been dealing with some issues that I can't discuss here, but I know that I need an extra portion of grace to deal with them. And I'm not going to get that by neglecting my devotions! -- Other than some school and Christmas shopping (which I've done woefully little of, even at this late date!), we've been crafting & baking. What follows is a ton of pictures that you may feel free to scroll through. :)
We started the baking week with good old chocolate chip cookies. We have a back porch that stays nice & cold, so that's where the cookies went once they were baked.
Then we made Tasty Cappuccino Bites. This was a new recipe for me. I got it from a Gooseberry Patch cookbook. The dough (I love my Kitchen Aid)
Maddie rolling the dough in sugar
The finished product
Next came Lemon Whippersnappers. This dough is a lemon cake mix, 2 cups of cool whip and 1 egg. Seriously. Then you roll balls in powdered sugar. Bake at 350 (I think) for 10 minutes. This was another first-time recipe for me.
Then another oldie but goodie--Snickerdoodles! I cannot express how much help the girls were to me during this week. I hurt my back/neck very badly at the beginning of the week, and the cookies would NOT have gotten done without them. Rollin', rollin', rollin', keep those cookies rollin'.......
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Patience is learning to use the oven!
Then for something no-bake--Pretzel Wreaths. Dip the bottoms in chocolate, then make a wreath & sprinkle with colored sugar!
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Baking: Day 2 We started with Sugar Cookies, which, quite frankly, are the bane of my existence. We only did roll out cookies because the girls begged.
Decorating had to wait. Onto the strawberry tarts! Maddie scooping tart dough (which we forgot wasn't sweet, and took a bite of, raw. YUCK) into the mini muffin pan.
Patience pressing the dough with the tart shaper
The Easy Accent Decorator, filled with strawberry jelly
Don't burn your fingers!
Ten dozen little beauties
Then onto another new recipe--Lemon Dimples. I have officially died and gone to heaven. Real British Lemon Curd--I'm in love. Before baking
Out of the oven
And with powdered sugar. Bliss.
Eli decided to play paparazzi to his shiny-faced mom
While the kitten took a nap
Once the kids were in bed for the night, I made 10 dozen spritz cookies with my Pampered Chef cookie press.
I also made 2 batches of gingerbread dough, and put that in the fridge to sit overnight. Whew! Baking Day 3 First we had to decorate the sugar cookies (I have mentioned how much I loathe this, right?).
I have to admit, at this point, I was losing steam, but I pushed ahead with Triple Layer Peppermint Bark.
I made 3 pans (one of which still needs to be cut up). My strong man had to cut it up for me.
I was exhausted by this point, but the girls were a huge help, and we baked the gingerbread cookies next. Thank God for my girls--they did most of the work! -- The next day, I hosted a cookie exchange. I have to say, it was a rousing success! Everyone had a great time. The food was good, the cookies looked great, and we all got to visit & chat. I am definitely considering hosting another one next year! 100 dozen cookies (well, with some fudge & candy mixed in)
I had to make some goodies to eat. Here is a Maple Sausage Apple Breakfast Bundt--it's awesome.
Don't forget the Chocolate-Filled Crescent rolls--not a crumb remained.
I recently went to a Tastefully Simple demonstration party, and they had a Sweet Pepper Jalapeno Jelly--over cream cheese with crackers--delish. Once everyone had left, Maddie and I decorated the gingerbread men, while Patience went to play with her friend who lives down the road. We dipped the gingerbread mens' "pants" in white chocolate, then used gel and m&m's to decorate them. Step 1:
Isn't he cute??
Last night I made an ice cream cake for Steve's 44th birthday, which is today! I would like to make another batch of Lemon Dimples at some point this week. Tomorrow I need to bake for a friend who is paying me to make her cookies--she's getting 4 dozen each of Lemon Dimples, Chocolate Mint cookies, Peanut Butter Hershey Kiss cookies and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Walnut cookies. THEN, I can start thinking about Christmas dinner. :) 7:59 PM - Dec. 20, 2009 - comments {4} - post commentHappy Thanksgiving or, what recipes did Amanda make that bombed? :)EDITED(again) to add pictures! Happy Thanksgiving! I hope you had a wonderful day with your family. I made homemade cinnamon rolls for the first time--THEY came out wonderfully.
Moses decided to try & help with the cooking:
Steve was on call from 8am to 12pm. And sure enough, he got a call at 11am. And not an easy, in and out call, but one where he had to call in a 2nd tech, and didn't get home until 5pm. We missed Thanksgiving dinner at my uncle's house. We showed up with some dessert, and hung out for about an hour and a half. Now we're back home. My mom has to work tonight--Toys R Us opens at midnight, so she has to be in at 11pm. So she's sleeping on our couch, instead of going all the way home. I don't mind, but it means we're all stranded upstairs so that we don't disturb her. Ah well. I'm trying to remember to be grateful that Steve DOES have a job, but it's frustrating after 6 years of being late (or almost late) for holiday dinners. Next year, we're having dinner at HOME. No matter what. That way, my kids will get a turkey dinner, instead of leftovers, and Steve will be able to relax if he does have to work, instead of having to go out. And if people want to see us, I will bake delicous desserts and they can come visit. Completely forgot to mention the other half of my title--the recipes that bombed. I decided to make a Butternut Squash Applesauce bread recipe that I got out of the newspaper. Made it TWICE. And both times it sunk in the middle. The first time I read the recipe wrong and added too much milk. The second time I read it right, and it still didn't come out correctly. Aughh! I hate wasting ingredients! Then I decided to make pumpkin fudge. The gals over on the FIAR boards have been raving about it for years. Finally decided to try it. Maybe I wrote it down wrong, but it was more spicey (pumpkin pie spice) than sweet and fudgy. Maybe I did it wrong, but none of us liked it. :( Then I thought I'd make an Apple Butter Pie that I saw on baking bites . com. Same consistency as a pumpkin pie (which I don't like) but with the flavor of apple butter, which I do like! My aunt ate a piece yesterday, and I ate one, and I don't think either of us was impressed. The rest will end up in the garbage. Sigh. It looked nice, though.
I did make a trifle, which was a hit, like it always is. I think I'll do more recipe testing before Christmas! Oh, had to add this pic of Eli, talking to my sister on the phone. He is getting to be such a handsome young man!
7:32 PM - Dec. 20, 2009 - comments {1} - post commentA bit of sad newsWe were so looking forward to seeing my sister and her family over the holidays. Unfortunately, they're experiencing some car trouble, and won't be able to make the drive to RI. These are my 4 nephews: Isaac, Jack, Luke & Judah
Trying to get a Christmas picture--no easy feat with 4 little ones!
(Dave has kind of crazy eyes in that one--LOL) Hopefully we'll see them in the spring! 6:54 PM - Dec. 20, 2009 - comments {1} - post commentPrepping for Christmas & craftingPutting the tree up (Have I mentioned lately how much I LOVE having big kids?)
Moses trying it out...
Kitties getting along
The tree all lit up--we didn't put ornaments on it this year, because of the kitten.
A scarf I made for my nephew
Patience's scarf
A picture of me that I sent out to some of my Pampered Chef customers--Eli did the honors.
Never leave the laptop unattended!
I still have shopping to do, and I haven't wrapped a thing. Plus, we got over a foot of snow today, and church was cancelled, so I'll be trying to deliver cookie trays to my friends. I also have to finish crocheting scarves for my sister and my other nephews. And make chocolate covered pretzel sticks. Ack! :) 6:42 PM - Dec. 20, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentEntry from a slacker bloggerI'm been so neglectful of the blog lately! :) Sorry! We've been busy, getting ready for Christmas, and just general school busyness. I've been crocheting, Maddie's been knitting, we're getting ready for a week of baking Christmas cookies. Eli got his H1N1 flu shot last night, and the girls are getting theirs tonight. Steve wanted them to receive the vaccination, and I'm comfortable with it. I started working out again--using Leslie Sansone's Walk Away the Pounds videos. It's been almost 2 weeks, and I'm doing well. I can feel my muscles tightening up. The girls have been working out with me, which is great. Eli's doing fabulously in his writing class. He's gotten A's on all of his assignments. Overall, the kids are getting through their year's worth of work at a good pace. Finishing by the end of May again shouldn't be a problem. Have a great week! Hopefully I'll have more time soon to get on and post some pictures of what we've been up to! 10:58 AM - Dec. 10, 2009 - comments {1} - post commentQuilt GiveawayCheck out this blog: http://mariemadelinestudio.typepad.com/mariemadeline_studio/2009/11/the-happy-scrappy-quilt-giveaway-again.html They're giving away one of two quilts (one of which is the one pictured above)--go enter now! 4:11 PM - Nov. 30, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentCVS savings--Thanksgiving style!CVS had a pretty good 3 days sale this week. I had $27 in ECB's and 2 other good coupons--$5 off $20 and $5 off $30. This is how I did: 2 King Size packages of Peanut M&M's $1.59 each Earned $1.59 ECB and had a BOGO coupon 2 tubes of Colgate Total toothpaste $2.88 each saved $1.01 on each with sale price, earned $4 ECB and had 2 $1 coupons 2 Colgate 360 toothbrushes $2.99 each saved $1.00 on each with sale price, earned $4 ECB and had one $1.00 coupon 1 Vaseline Sheer Infusion lotion $7.99 Earned $7.99 ECB 2 Bic Soleil razors $6.99 each, saved $1.00 on each with sale price, earned $10 ECB and had 2 $2 coupons 1 Phillips universal remote (badly needed for the upstairs tv!) $6.99 Earned $6.99 ECB, saved $6.00 with sale price 1 Phillips in-ear headphones $6.99 Earned $6.99 ECB, saved $3.00 with sale price 2 bags of Hershey Kisses $3.49 each Saved $3.49 with BOGO sale, had $1.00 coupon 1 bottle CVS shampoo $5.99 14 lbs Kitty Litter $5.99 At full price, my order would have come to $85.92. AFTER my $5/$20 and $5/$30 coupons, my ECB's ($27) and my manufacturer's coupons, my total was: $22.99 And I brought home $41.56 in ECB's! Not bad at all! 12:21 PM - Nov. 28, 2009 - comments {0} - post commentHalloweenOur church hosted a Harvest Party. The kids had a lot of fun, playing games & winning candy. :) After we left (I had to bring Steve home--he had to work that night), I brought the girls to my friend Val's house to go trick or treating. This was the first time my girls had ever been trick or treating. And now I know why. I was exhausted by the time we were done & so were all of the kids! LOL Here are some pics of the party: The cookie that Patience decorated for me
Patience getting her face painted by Miss Heidi. I thought she would get a rainbow on her cheek or something...NOT.
The finished product!
Eli helped the little kids play games. He is growing up so fast!
Next!
Patience doing spin art
Maddie, getting her face painted. Quite frankly, seeing her made up like this was disturbing to me, so I didn't take a picture of the end result.
I didn't bring the camera Trick or Treating--it got dark pretty quickly. The girls had a great time (and for those of you wondering, Eli said he didn't want to come. Steve said he changed his mind 2 minutes after we left--oh well!). 10:22 AM - Nov. 6, 2009 - comments {4} - post commentTGIF!It feels like it's been a long week! I taught Sunday School this past week--I enjoy it, but it's a lot of work. Then I had a show Sunday afternoon in Swansea, MA. A bit of a drive, especially if you're a native RI'er. :) - Monday, Patience started to cough. She's been coughing ever since. No fever, though, thank God. Steve had school Monday evening. We ended up cancelling Patience's piano lesson on Tuesday, and she stayed home from art lessons. I ran to the bank while Eli & Maddie were in art. Steve had school Tuesday night. Eli had writing class on Wednesday, and then I had a show in North Kingstown Wednesday evening (fun bunch of girls--we laughed a lot!). Yesterday, Maddie and I had our first knitting lesson with my friend, Ruth. Then we went to Stop & Shop and Wal-Mart. - Today I need to go to the bank. And tonight my friend, Val, is having a Lia Sophia party. Tomorrow I have an appointment with one of my new consultants, and Steve is working his overnight shift & Wal-Mart. - I cannot wait for Sunday--just church, nothing else. We can put football on and just relax! Oh, I've been meaning to post some more pics of our cats, Moses & Selden. It's been weeks since Selden has been allowed outside, and he seems to be adjusting to having Moses around. Here's Moses, playing in an empty Frosted Flakes box that someone was helpful enough to leave on the floor.
Sleeping together on the window seat
What? Was this seat already taken?
On the table together
9:14 AM - Nov. 6, 2009 - comments {2} - post commentTrying to get back into the CVS gameIt's been absolutely ages since I've shopped at CVS and used Extra Care Bucks with any kind of regularity. All of the shopping I did there over last winter really helped. I think we just recently ran out of toothpaste. -- Since Patience is sick, and I had to make a CVS run anyway, I got out the flyer and my coupons. Now, keep in mind that in order to get ECB's to use in the future, you have to spend some $ to start off. At least I've always found that to be the case. There were things on sale this week that I don't know that I would normally buy (i.e., name brand), but they were items that we use, and I could get ECB's back, so I went for it. -- This is what I bought: 2-Dawn Ultra I saved $1.02 each with the sale, and had 2-20 cent coupons 2-2 liter bottles of Coke saved 49 cents each, and earned $1 ECB 2- 42 count boxes of Prilosec saved $4.22 each with the sale, had a $7 coupon, and earned $10 ECB 2- 5.8 oz Colgate Total saved $1.40 each with the sale, has 2- $1 coupons, and earned $2 ECB 1 package of Neti Pot premixed solution packets saved $2.49 with sale 2-12 count boxes of Nyquil & Dayquil (one box of each) hmmm, I'm just realizing I didn't get the sale price on these....I was supposed to save $.99 each, and I had $2.50 in coupons. Those plus the solution packets earned me $10 ECB. Although I had to go back into the store to get the $10 ECB's because for whatever reason, they didn't print out on their own--probably for the same reason that I wasn't given the sale price on the Dayquil and Nyquil. Not sure if I'll go back to get that $1.98. 2-8.5 oz Soft Soap handpumps BOGO saved $3.29 4-boxes of Kleenex They were BOGO (saved $4.78), and I had a $1 off 4 coupon A SoftSoap handpump with a base refill I had a coupon for a FREE refill ($3.99 value), and I'm just noticing that that coupon wasn't redeemed. Did I drop it? Did the cashier drop it? Is it still in my coupon box? Grrrr. It's not here. He must have dropped it. Do I go back? I have a $3 coupon I could apply to this purchase. I earned $4 ECB by buying both. I also bought a package of gummy vitamins for the kids and a bottle of CVS hand sanitizer. Once I got home from CVS, I found an online coupon for $5 off a $30 purchase. I went back to the store yesterday evening (hence my hesitation to go back AGAIN), and they allowed me to apply it to my transaction. - SO. Before sales & coupons, my total would have been $146.36. I had $4 ECB's to apply to the order. I used $17.90 in coupons. I paid $92.78, and I now have $27 ECB's to use next week. - I have to admit, it's a little frustrating to see where the cashier messed up and I didn't catch it. I need to pay more attention! If I had caught the mix up on the Nyquil/Dayquil price, and realized that he didn't use the Softsoap coupon, I could have saved an extra $6. I did save $54, though, and that's nothing to sneeze at. 8:57 AM - Nov. 5, 2009 - comments {1} - post commentHello, loverI'll see YOU after my show tonight.
11:27 AM - Nov. 4, 2009 - comments {1} - post commentI went to a public school! *gasp*LOL Yeah, it's been a while. But I went to not one, but TWO public schools today, and I'm okay. I had to hand in the consent forms for the H1N1 flu vaccine. Steve and I haven't decided completely if our kids are going to get it, but if we decide to, the consent forms need to be there. The shots aren't being administered until the 2nd week of December, so who knows? Maybe we'll have already gotten the flu, and built up our own immunity! (I'm just kidding--I really don't want to get the flu!) 11:21 AM - Nov. 4, 2009 - comments {0} - post comment
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Description Hi! I'm Amanda, mom to 3 gorgeous kids & wife to Steve. When I'm not homeschooling the kids or cleaning the house, I keep busy with my Pampered Chef business. I'm also learning to sew. I love reading and cross-stitching. We have a great life, here in the littlest state in the Union! Home User Profile Archives Recent Entries - sick again - Raisins, Raisins, Up on High! - You have GOT to be kidding me - Feeling much better - Hay Fever and other things |
). We read the Christmas story, prayed & then dug into the gifts. We gave them the Wii first--they were so thrilled! We hooked it up as soon as the other gifts were opened.
Step 2
My sister & her husband, Dave
