Happy to be Back Again

I am sooo glad to be back and blogging!  It has been a dreadful couple of weeks without my laptop and even thought it's not my old one and I am not used to the keyboard yet. 

The week of our break-in was a big week for us.  My parents were coming in to help us with our bathroom remodel, and if you have ever done a remodel of any kind, you know what an undertaking that can be.  My parents got in Thursday afternoon and me and my mom headed off to a hotel with the kids.  My dad and hubby had the bathroom demo'd and the new bathtub in and completely tiled and I think the new window in by that night!  We had some major roadblocks the next day but they managed to finish everything by Sunday afternoon.  

Here are some before's and these have to be the worst before photos ever, it reminds me of a bathroom in a prison, AHHH!  These were taken after some of the demo was done.

Because we had to replace our door and we decided to go ahead and replace the window, my new vanity got knixed from the budget, but our current vanity is fine until we get a new one.  We also have a super nice toilet for some reason, we priced it and apparently its the ONLY thing in the house that the previous owners spent money on....weird.  So the only thing we had to replace was the horrid claw foot tub and tile :) That and the walls were a mess so lots of drywall work (thus lots of drywall dust all over my house...)

So after one meltdown and some serious hours put in by my dad and hubby my bathroom looks like this.

 I would call this Phase II as we still have to paint, put up new towel bars, decorate, and put the frosting stuff on the window.  But all in due time...

 

I grabbed this photo of the inside of the tub real quick this morning.  For some reason this photo makes the tile look yellow-y but it is actually white.  And excuse the ghetto towel over the window...

So we managed to survive the remodel.  My dad and hubby did an INCREDIBLE job.  You really have no idea.  It took a while for the house to completely recover and it has been a LOOONG couple weeks with no computer and having no internet escape. 

So I am back :) resuming my blogging duties and hopefully going to finish some of my projects that have been postponed due to all this chaos!

Have a great Monday everyone!

Sorry for the Absence...

A couple of weeks ago I came home from bible study to find both of our laptops and our TV stolen.  Both me and my husband do a lot of work on our computers so this has been really devastating for both of us.  I am writing this from the computer lab at my school, I have been coming here several days a week to do my schoolwork.  Not the ideal situation, but at least it is here. 

I will hopefully be back up and blogging again next month, but I just wanted to pop on here and let everyone know I am indeed still alive :)

Hope everyone has been doing well and I so miss reading all my favorite blogs (it just isn't the same on my iphone...)  I have had to do a couple projects with instructions from my phone and while I am glad I have it...I absolutely cannot wait till I have a new laptop!

I also wanted to mention how important it is to KNOW YOUR NEIGHBORS.  We have a fairly successful neighborhood watch in my area and we haven't had any experiences with theft in quite some time.  Soon after the theft at my home our area started seeing auto thefts.  A neighbor a few streets down noticed a neighbor behaving suspiciously and caught him trying to break into her vehicle.  Just as we suspected, we had a criminal actually move in and it is possible this person(s) may be responsible for our theft and others.

Now that being said, I am not saying to watch your neighbors because they are probably criminals, but you really never know and if you do not know your neighbors, you might not know when there is suspicious behavior going on around their house.  We should not be so insulated from the outside that we don't even know our neighbor's names, it is absolutely essential to having a safe community.

So everyone stay safe and get to know the people around you, you never know, you might make some great friends!

Couponing for the Real World Mom

My husband keeps telling me I need to blog about my couponing skills, which I don't think are that great.  I am not one of those people that leaves the store with $100 worth of groceries for $10.  But I got to thinking about it and I think I coupon in a way that is realistic for everyone and I still save quite a bit of money.  

I also help curb my spending by taking out my grocery money in cash every time my husband gets paid.  Occasionally I will have to use my debit card on my last trip of the pay period, but usually only for $10 or less.  If you aren't doing this, I promise it will make a difference.

So let's get started with basics.  It takes time to build a good coupon stash, but thanks to printable Qs, you can have a decent stash so long as you have enough printer paper :)  I use coupons.com, Target.com and various blogs and savings sites that point me in the direction of savings.

Buy the Sunday Paper (and get two), but head over to SundayCouponPreview.com  first and see what will be in the inserts.  Sometimes I don't have to buy the paper and sometimes there are no inserts, so we aware of that.

Find out if your go to store takes competitor Qs.  For instance, Publix takes competitor Qs like Winn Dixie, Target and some even take Walgreens Qs. 

Get those Qs organized!  It may take using a few different methods to find what works for you.  I use aa small accordian file like this:

Many people swear by the binder method , but that doesn't work for me, it may work for you, try it out :)  I have mine organized into categories and I have an empty pocket for the coupons that I intend to use for that particular shopping trip.  Sometimes I will run across an item on sale and having them organized by category makes it easy to find.

Learn the Rules.  Knowing what you can and cannot do with a coupon can make a difference.  Many blogs and savings sites have a run down of the rules for specific stores.  Remember that at Publix you can use a store Q (and this can be a competitor store Q)  AND a manufacturer's Q on the same item.  So for example, if an item is BOGO you could use a store Q and a manufacturer Q for each item  (4 coupons total) and get a REALLY good deal!

Publix - I Heart Publix

CVS - Money Saving Mom

Walgreens - Money Saving Mom

If you do a simple google search you can find TONS more helpful blogs and websites.

I love shopping at CVS for items like laundry detergent, cosmetics and toiletries.  I don't go every week but I always check the ad to see if there are some good deals.  Sometimes it's best to buy something that you may not need at the moment, if you can get a great deal, because it always happens that when you NEED it, its not on sale and there are no coupons.  Just make sure it is something that you need.

I went to CVS on Sunday and I didn't do great, but I didn't do bad either.

I keep thinking I bought something else...but anyways, I got all these items for around $10.  I saved $17.  It's not the best CVS scenario because I wasn't starting out with any EBs and honestly, my Qs weren't the best.  But still its a pretty good trip.

Publix :) - I could go on for days about Publix.  You can save TONS of money at Publix, but don't count out big retailers like Wal-mart.  Make sure you do some price comparison.  For example:  The new Cinnamon Cheerios cost $2.50 at Wal-mart.  They are around $4 at Publix.  If there isn't a BOGO deal going, Wal-mart is a better deal.  Wal-mart tends to have better prices on these kinds of pantry staples, so  if you are low on Qs and the sales ad isn't what you need there are other options.

Take Time to Research.  Take 15 minutes everyday to check your favorite blogs and sites for any deals, printables or matchups that someone else might find that you missed.

Be a Meal Planner - plan your meals with the sales ads in hand.  You will save more this way.  You will also avoid those days where you are too tired and end up ordering pizza.  If you planned for this kind of day you can make soup and sandwiches instead.  And trust me, there is ALWAYS that kind of day.

Food is only going to get more expensive as the year goes on, it's best to save wherever you can.  You will get better at it as time goes on, it does take some time to get the hang of it.  So go get some scissors and clip some Qs and save some $$$

Family Time :)

There is nothing like the impending "doom" of the inlaws coming to make you rush around like a crazy person getting your house in order.  I am fortunate to not have "those" inlaws, so I was thrilled when my father-in-law and his wife, and my brother-in-law came for a surprise visit from New York, but my house was definitely not company ready!

I have had a few ideas rolling around in my head and this was the perfect excuse to get them out of the way and done.  To make for even more fun, MY parents are coming this weekend (my dad is helping with my bathroom remodel) so I had even more motivation to spruce up some things (and keep it clean).

Don't you hate when you buy something pretty for the wall and it sits in a corner on the FLOOR for 3 months.  My pretty plates made it to the wall in two weeks, not too bad!  These plates make me very happy :)

My kids have a SERIOUS stuffed animal problem.  This fab and totally easy tutorial from A Lemon Squeezy Home was a breeze and WOW, I can't believe it worked! This freed up a TON of floor space.  I did it without a fancy trim since we don't really have any sort of theme yet in here, but you could totally add it later.

I am still completely on the fence with no great ideas for a decorating theme for the kids room.  I've wanted to put some shelves up for a while for their pretties and what-nots and these shelves from Joanne were a STEAL thanks to my coupons :)

 I love this frame from Walmart too.  It came with the mat which made it super easy to have a really nice photo display in 5 minutes.

 I made the decoupaged letters, which turned out so cute.

The items on the shelves will change periodically, but I love the idea of their nice things being on display :)

I can't really take full credit because my hubby was the one who had to hang everything :)  It made a huge difference in the kid's room, which has no real rhyme or reason at this point.  It's amazing how a few pictures and pretties can make a room feel bright and new!

What's for Dinner Tuesday :)

This week is going to be slightly chaotic.  My mom and dad are flying down Thursday because my dad is helping the hubs with our bathroom remodel.  Because of this we will be spending a few days at a hotel.  I still wanted to share my recipe and I just know I am not going to have any blogging time after today.  So here we go!

This week's recipe is Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas.  It is actually a Weight Watchers recipe, but you can make it full fat too (haha).  In keeping with yesterday's theme on saving...the Velveeta was on sale and I had a coupon, the rice was BOGO as well, but I actually don't recommend the rice.  It was terrible.  Glad it was on sale.

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Cooking spray

8 oz Velveeta Light Reduced Fat Cheese

1/2 cup fat-free sour cream

1/4 cup fat-free evaporated milk

1/4 cup of scallions

Dash of crushed red pepper flakes

3 cups cooked chicken breasts

6 medium whole wheat tortillas

1/4 cup low-fat shredded cheddar cheese

6 medium olives

1/4 cup salsa

I usually omit the red pepper flakes and olives due to family preferences.  I had a huge red bell pepper that was probably going to get yucky soon so I made cut some strips to add to it, ended up being a really good idea.  Don't be afraid to be creative or omit something :)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Chop up your chicken and cook in some EVOO.  I like to sprinkle some seasoning salt on it just to add a bit of flavor.  My kids aren't huge fans of sauce on their chicken, so I set aside a small amount for them. 

Put your Velveeta and soour cream in a pan and melt over med-high heat, stirring frequently until nice and creamy.

 

Pour half of the cheese sauce in another bowl and add the evaporated milk to it.  Stir well and set aside.

Add the chicken, scallions and red pepper flakes (if you are using them) to the remaining cheese mixture and stir to coat chicken.

 Place about 2/3 cup of the chicken mixture down the center of the tortilla (I added my red pepper strips too) and fold in both sides to the center.  Spray your dish with the cooking spray and lay in a single layer.  Top with the cheese sauce you set aside and sprinkle with the cheese and olives.  Bake until cheese is yummy and bubbly :)

 Right out of these oven :) Yummo!

I served this with some steamed broccoli and the crappy rice.  The rice went in the trash...

If you make this the fat-free way it is 6 WW points per serving (I enchilada).  I don't know what the Points Plus value would be.  If you have this the full fat way...just make sure you eat the broccoli ;-)

Enjoy!

Sneak Peek :)

I recently bought a ton of fabric and have been working on a few dresses to put in my Etsy shop.  

 I love getting new fabric :)

 This one will be going in the shop.  Kinda sad, I need to make another for Isabela to wear.

 I am IN LOVE with this fabric.  I need to get LOTS more.  This dress will most likely be available in a smaller size too.  The fabric is by Tanya Whelan, a new fave of mine :)

This was an experiment, it didn't turn out bad, but the pattern needs some tweaking.  Not the best fabric (I hit the $2/yard rack at Wal-mart for my experiments...look for something similar to this in the store in the future.

It might take me a day or two to get everything up and running, so just keep an eye out for the Etsy box on the right hand side of the screen here on my blog.  I will only be offering a couple dresses at a time and hopefully be getting some new fabric choices, I am even working on trying to do some matching bloomers for all the dresses :)  So make sure to mark my store as one of your favorites and like our page on Facebook as well.  Thanks everyone!

What's for Dinner Wednesday?

I have been SADLY absent from the blogosphere :-(  Between sick babies and just overall craziness, I haven't had a lot of time to do much of anything.  The next few days are going to be a major blogging BLITZ so keep your eye out.

So here we go for another WFDW :)  Today's dinner features a fave savings blog of mine, I Heart Publix.  It is my go-to site for all things Publix and you should too!  For the Italian Days Sale at Publix she is giving away a $25 gift card daily until the 23rd I believe.  I will talk more about saving money and couponing later in the week.

This is a new recipe for me too, so I will follow-up tomorrow with the results.  Almost all of the ingredients were on sale this week, making for a great cheap meal!  

The link for the recipe is here.  I knew I probably wouldn't be able to make the turkey meatballs by hand as tonight is my hubby's teaching night, so I got some frozen turkey balls.  I definitely want to try at a later date to make them ahead of time, I imagine they would freeze well so you can use them whenever.

 Almost everything on sale! Yay!

 Saute up your onion and bell pepper (I added some garlic too) in some EVOO.  Saute until soft.

 Add in the rest of the ingredients, except the meatballs.  Get everything simmering all nice and happy.

Now we're simmering!  

I'm letting this hang out on low for a few hours.  I will add the meatballs about half an hour before dinner time.  If you are making the meatballs by hand, get started on them after you throw the chili together.

It's already smelling good over here so I am excited for some chili tonight!  Will post a review tomorrow.

Have a wonderful day and make something yummy tonight!