Happy Birthday Sandra

Best Friend

Happy birthday my best friend,
Amazing times, we always spend.
Laughter and jokes are common place,
Since we built that solid base.

Special friend that I hold dear,
Always wish to have you near.
We get along, like bread with honey,
A friendship worth, much more than money.

If you stumble, count me there,
Gratitude; no need to declare.
Your thoughts are clear, in my mind,
Understanding we always find.

Happy birthday my best friend,
I’m excited to attend.
This birthday poem, is just for you,
A great big smile is overdue.

By Martin Dejnicki




Enjoy!

Chandler Christmas 2010

1. Tossing out the Magic Reindeer food
2. Cookies and milk for Santa
3. All the treasures waiting for morning
4. Kai's bike from Santa
5. Rock em Sock em robots from Grandpa Chandler
6. BFF Sandra with her new scarf an coffee cozy



1. Kai's bike helmet
2. Eli's present from Santa (its as big as him!)
3. OMG IT'S BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!
4. Handy Manny tool box
5. What? A Woody too!
6. Seriously do the manufactures make these impossible to open on purpose?



1. Christmas meltdown
2. Family game of Cootie
3. Jayda's easy bake oven
4. Must be exciting it takes three to open it!
5. Grandma Stephanie and Jayda with her Harry Potter ornament
6. Look I was there too!

Menu plan Monday and shopping trip roundup

Well this is my last menu plan of the year. Come next Monday it will be 2011 and a whole norther year to look forward to of saving money on groceries. I only started this menu planning and grocery budget of $70 a week back in August and although I ha vent tallied my 5 month total (I really should do that!) I know I have saved a ton over my old habits of shopping without a real plan. Now I pay attention to what I have on hand and what I can do with that. We have tried lots of new recipes and keep finding new things we like. So here is my plan for this week.

Breakfast - Leftover cinnamon rolls cereal, eggs and sausage, pancakes

lunch - salads, sandwich's, spaghettio's (those are so yummy!) and leftovers

Dinner
M - Turkey soup (from freezer) and rolls
T - Garlic chicken pasta and broccoli
W - Crock pot taco soup
TH - Cheesy chicken and rice casserole
F - Three cheese chicken penne
S - Pork chop bake baked potatoes and applesauce
S - garlic mashed potato and beef bake


Winco

Butter spread - 1.98
milk - 1.99
diced tomatoes - 1.51
spaghettio's - .58
cream of mushroom - 1.44
hidden valley ranch - 1.32
corn - .50
chicken broth - .50
fruit cocktail - 1.92
rotel - 1.08
baked beans - 1.18
cream of chicken - .70
frozen mixed veggies - 1.76
cheddar cheese - 1.68
frozen broccoli medley - 1.18
mozzarella - 1.68
lean ground beef 7% - 6.98
ground turkey - 6.78
1# rotini pasta - .91
1# penne pasta - .88
green onions - .58
yellow onion - .36
spinach - 1.78
broccoli crowns - .84
chips - 1.98


Total - $42.09




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Okay so I did the math (well Excel did) and I had a weekly grocery total of $88.43 not to bad if I do say so myself. This included diapers (expensive!) and any and all entertianing (Kai's birthday) and all personal products for Brian and I. In the last 21 weeks, when I started budgeting, we spent a total of $1857.03 for groceries, party supplies, paper products and diapers and all personal hygene. that seems like a high number but really I know otherwise!

Family

HO HO HO

Saw the big man in red today. This is the 4Th year seeing the same Santa. I love looking back and seeing how the boys have changed.

Eli 3.5 years, Kai 2 years




Eli 2.5 years, Kai 14 months



Eli 21 months, Kai 2 months



Eli 9 months

Menu plan Monday and shopping trip roundup

Christmas week is here! That means days of feasts and lots of treats! It also means extra money going to the grocery budget. I am the baking queen in my family, so if its sweet I make it. That means lots of extra ingredients to buy, but hey, its Christmas and its all worth it!

On the Christmas baking list I have sugar cookies, Hershey kiss peanut butter cookies, two white chocolate raspberry cheesecakes, key lime fudge, Chinese noodle cookies and an artichoke dip. The raspberry cheesecakes (one each for 2 different celebrations) are featuring raspberries grown from my mothers garden, YUM!

Breakfast - Cereal and milk, oatmeal, and Overnight Cinnamon rolls for Christmas morning

Lunch - Sandwich's and fruit, leftovers and whatever else we can scrounge up

Dinner
M - Turkey soup and grilled cheese (soup form freezer)
T - Tacos
W - Homemade pizza
TH - Tuscan beef stew (from freezer)
F - Baked Salmon with cream sauce, mashed potatoes with green beans
S - Christmas at Grandma Betty's house
S - Christmas at Grandma Stephanie's house

Winco

Gogurt - 2.50
8 cream cheese - 7.04
2 milk - 3.98
whip cream - 2.86
sour cream - 1.48
half and half - .78
2 garlic toast - 3.76 (1.00 coupon)
3 doz eggs - 3.84
1.5# cornstarch - 1.00
7.5# sugar - 3.34
7.5# powdered sugar - 4.92
6.5# flour - 1.90
1.25# frosted flakes - 1.89
mozzarella cheese - 1.68
1# fruit loops - 1.48
4.25# white chocolate chips - 10.07
.75# baking powder - .69
pizza dough - 2.12
3 butter - 5.94
taco shells - 1.18
chocolate wafers - 3.78
2 Hershey kiss - 7.56 (1.00 coupon)
maple syrup - 1.92
yeast - .89
black olives - 1.52
artichoke hearts - 1.68
condensed milk - 1.70
almond bark - 1.78
Parmesan cheese - 1.98
dark choc chips - 1.98
apple cider mix - 1.53
fruit cocktail - 1.55
parsley - .58
green onions - .58
tomato paste - .40
tomatoes - .70
lime - .25
apple juice - 1.98

total $92.81

I also got 2 toothbrushes and toothpaste for stocking stuffers so add a extra $7.23 if you want but I took them from a different budget

Costco

Salad - 3.99
grilled chicken - 14.45
sausage - 13.99
bananas - 1.32
cheese -5.69

total $39.42

NOT pictures is 8 loaves bread and 3 pounds apples and oranges purchased yesterday total $10.00

Grand total = $142.23

I didn't think I did to bad especially considering last week was only $23. What really shocked me is how expensive holiday baking can be. Out of all this about $60 of it was just the sweets and apps I am making! Insert jaw drop here!



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Your not going anywhere dad!

At least not without us.



I think after Brian being gone for so long the boys are not willing to let him out of their site for a while. Although smuggling two kids in a bag might be a much cheaper way to fly! Just kidding!

Menu plan Monday and shopping trip roundup

Sometimes I surprise myself! Today I did just that at the grocery store. How, you ask? Well I got this weeks worth of groceries for $23. You read that right, $23 to feed me and the boys all this week and leftovers! So how did I do it and what are we eating?

Breakfast
Cereal, banana bread, eggs and toast

Lunches
PB&J, chicken nuggets, fruit and whatever else we can make on hand

Dinner
M - Creamy garlic pasta with carrots and corn (left over from Sunday)
T - Eating dinner at mom's
W - Crock pot potato chowder
TH - Three-Cheese Chicken Penne Pasta Bake
F - Left over buffet
S - BRIAN'S HOME! We are eating out to celebrate
S - Chicken chow mien

Winco

apple juice - 1.98
2 can cream of celery - 1.62
cream of chicken - .70
spaghettio's - .58
2 can chicken broth - .96
spaghetti sauce - .78
cream cheese - .98
mozarella - 1.80
chow mien mix - .88
bacon - 1.98
2# carrots - .88
milk - 1.99
4# apples - 1.48
spinach - 1.78
3.25# rice - 1.33
2# banana - 1.04
onion -.34
green onions - .58
1.2# pasta - .90
green pepper - .48

Total = $23.06



So even with eating out this weekend when Brian gets home as long as we stay under $40 we will still be on budget for the week!

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Recess Monkey

We went and saw the boys favorite band on Saturday Recess Monkey since they were playing a free show at the Lake Stevens Library. The boys just love them and like to play their guitars and sing along. The music is great, definitely parent friendly and we all had a great time.

Kai's music class

we started going to music class for Eli when Kai was only 4 months old. Once Eli started preschool it was just Kai and I going. He really enjoys the class and singing with Bryan the teacher. Today was the last day of the fall class, maybe last class ever if I get the job I am interviewing for. So we all sat and had cookies and juice and wished everyone a Merry Christmas after class. Kai, a little bored I think, had other things to do, can you say blackmail!

On your marks, get set

I thought it would be a great idea to have the boys help me make a gingerbread house this Christmas. Well it turned into a race of me getting the house put together quicker than the boys could eat it! I ended up victorious, minus more than a handful of gumdrops.

C is for Coffee

maybe I drank to much when I was pregnant or maybe its just because I like my coffee sweet but I have to watch where I put down my cup or next thing I know its gone!

Boys love to bounce!

This morning we headed to a well loved, less known fun place for kidsTime 2 Bounce in Granite Falls. They have open play on Wednesdays from 10-12:30 and its only $5 per child to play. The boys love it there. Kai surprised me today when he showed me that he is no longer a baby when he climbed all the way to the top of the jumbo slide all by himself!







Oh and my favorite part, Parents bounce FREE!

Our favorite place

For a few years now we have had a membership to Imagine Children's Museum the first year it was just Eli playing since Kai was still an infant but as soon as he was old enough to crawl he wanted to play along. Two years later we are still members an still going once a week to play with all the fun things. Today we were train obsessed (so whats new) and had a blast playing in the water with some new friends.

Merrysville for the Holidays

Our little town has a Christmas parade in which Santa comes to town. its a little "redneck" but the boys sure do love a parade!

Happy Birthday Ashley!

Hope you enjoy your day and sorry about the top of the "A" missing. Eli and that mouth of his sometimes.

Menu plan Monday and shooping trip roundup.

No real strategy this week and no real deal busters. Just simple food and a easy week, I hope!

Dinner
M - Leftovers (time to clean out that fridge!)
T - Turkey sloppy Joe's and french fries
W - Breakfast for dinner
TH - Chicken nuggets and mac and cheese (Eli's Christmas Recital!)
F - Turkey soup and grilled cheese
S - Tacos
S - Creamy garlic pasta and broccoli


Winco

2 pie crusts - 4.36 (.50 coupon)
3 creamers - 7.50 (2.10 coupon)
milk - 1.89
cream cheese - .98
go gurt - 2.50
egg beaters - 2.27
Parmesan cheese - 1.86
taco sauce - .98
2 apple juice - 2.96
2 can chicken broth - 1.00
ketchup - .85
crisco spray - 1.98 (.75 coupon)
taco shells - 1.18
5.5# powdered sugar - 3.64
7.4# flour - 2.22
onion - .33
tomatoes - .50
lemon - .58
green pepper - .48
hamburger buns - 1.38
pasta - .96
2 doz eggs - 1.96
laundry soap - 4.98 (1.00 coupon)

total = $42.99

Costco

Chicken nuggets - 19.98
peanut butter - 7.99

total = $19.98

weekly total $62.97




check out how others did in their quest for $60 or less at Grocery Cart Challenge

I'm ready mom

That's what Eli said to me as he streaked by on his way to the shower. I didn't realize it at the time but indeed he was ready, goggles on!