Mar
22
Our boys are once again keeping us busy. This seems to happen on a regular basis during the school year. In the summer they don’t do sports so it’s a nice time to relax.
Josh is in the middle of basketball right now. His team is currently undefeated and they are doing great! They have learned so much and their coach continues to teach them new things. They are coming together nicely as a team and have grown into a wonderful team.
The coach is always showing kids new things and encouraging them when they do something wrong or it doesn’t work. Here is a picture of just that. The coach is showing Josh how to do something that he did wrong in the game. Josh learned how to do it and was successful the next time he did it. Way to go Josh!
Chris is in swimming now and having a really good time. He wants to be on the swim team in the follow when he goes to high school. His instructor is showing him how to do things properly and he feels very good about it.
Here is a picture of Chris jumping into the pool.
We enjoy watching our boys in the sports they do. We love to encourage them and help them grow and improve.
Way to go boys!! Keep up the hard work. We’re proud of you.
I have tried to do the coupon thing and checking ad prices from other stores, but the problem I run into is time. It takes a lot of time to go through and print coupons for everything I’m going to purchase. It also takes a lot of time to put the items that are priced differently into another cart and then deal with it at the check out lane. In Casper Walmart requires you to show them the item in each ad before they give you the lower price.
While I know this is the way to go, it’s very difficult. I decided to try something a little different two weeks ago. It worked really well and I figure I saved approximately $35. I was so happy with it, that I decided to try it again. This time I figure I saved $44.
So here is my little secret. I’m hoping to continue this streak and make it even bigger each time.
My secret is a little one, but when you save between $35 and $44 at the store, it’s huge.
My secret was the meals I planned. I looked at the items we had left over and planned my meals around that food. Out of the 13 meals I planned, six meals we completely had the stuff needed and four of the meals only needed one or two things.
I was so proud of myself over this. It’s something I had heard of people doing, but never thought to try and do myself. I really got the idea from Jenn’s blog. You can check it out here. I’m wondering how it will go in two weeks when we go again. I already have one meal that will be complete with nothing needed and one meal that will only require cubed steaks. We’re off to a great start so we’ll see if I can work on more. I’m wondering if at some point my food bill will go up a little so I can stock pile on things so I can do this again. I guess the coming weeks will tell.
If you need to save money on your grocery bill using coupons, store ads, and planning meals around food you already have are the three ways I suggest. You can work all three together or try them separately. Once you find something that works, stick to it.
Kevin and I decided to get away for the Valentine’s Day weekend. This is something we have never done before, so it was exciting to plan. We had home made fried chicken with real mashed potatoes, chicken gravy, corn on the cob, salad, and home made bread for dinner and home made apple pie with icecream for dessert. This morning we had fruit, home made banana bread, bacon, and eggs for breakfast. Tonight we’re going to have prime rib for dinner. Can’t wait for that! I’m so glad Kevin found this place for us. It’s such a wonderful place. I just know we’ll come back again. It’s nice to be so close to home, but feel like you’re in another part of the world. Happy Valentine’s Day to everyone!
We left around 3:30 Friday afternoon to head up to the lodge which is on Casper Mountain. When we got here, we were surprised and knew we would be in for a big treat. Here is a picture of the outside.
We were greeted by the cook and she gave us a tour of the house. It’s beautiful, so warm and peaceful. Here are some pictures of our room.
We decided to give this recipe a try since we had some left over ham in the freezer. Sure sounds good to me.
Cheesy Ham and Hash Brown Casserole
1 (32 ounce) package frozen hash brown potatoes
8 ounces cooked, diced ham
2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of potato soup
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1 1/2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 inch baking dish.
2. In a large bowl, mix hash browns, ham, cream of potato soup, sour cream, and Cheddar cheese. Spread evenly into prepared dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
3. Bake 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until bubbly and lightly brown. Serve immediately.
Click here to see this recipe on AllRecipes.com
Jan
15
Around our house we really enjoy spaghetti, but sometimes you just need a change. Here is a recipe we are going to try this week. I sure hope it’s as good as the picture.
Basic Baked Spaghetti
3/4 pound lean ground beef
# 1 (16 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce
# 1 pound spaghetti
# 1 cup shredded mild Cheddar cheese
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In large skillet, cook hamburger until brown. Mix spaghetti sauce into skillet. Reduce heat and simmer.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Mix in pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.
3. Mix together spaghetti and meat mixture, pour into 9×13 pan. Top with cheese and bake for 30 minutes, or until heated through and cheese is bubbly.
Click here to view this recipe at AllRecipes.com
Aug
9
Jun
13
I have heard all these mom’s online say they take a day for themselves. I’ve hardly ever done that. I’m always busy doing things for my family or working my business.
Well, my mom has had a stressful couple weeks, so my sister and I decided to take her for a manicure. Which meant I had to have one done as well. I’ve never had one before, so I was worried. I haven’t done my nails in years because they always chip on my shortly after they are done and it’s a waste.
I will tell you, it was so nice. I didn’t think about work or family the entire time we were there. Below is a picture of my nails. I just love them so much and I can’t wait to go again. My mom is trying to convince me to have a peticure next time. I’m not sure about that. I think I’d rather have my nails done again. LOL
After the time I had today, I’ve decided taking time for myself is fun and definitely needed. I am planning on continuing to do this because it was so nice. If you don’t take time for yourself, you should. Even if it’s just like me and you only take an hour or two. It will be worth it and you will feel so much better.
Having your nails or toe nails done, a massage, or even a facial can be very relaxing. It doesn’t really matter what you do, just get away from the house and the computer and do something that you enjoy, by yourself. Enjoy!
This is a picture of our new license plates. As all of you know I have two boys. So my husband and I decided to get personalized plates for our truck. As you can tell from this picture our plates read 2 boys. We had to make a trip to Cheyenne to get the plates, but it was so fun and I couldn’t wait to get home and put them on.
I just love my boys and this is one more way for everyone to know!
May
2
There are some things in life that just aren’t fair. Choices we have to make, decisions that have to be made, and things we have to deal with in life. You get this whether you are a parent, a daughter, a sister, or a grand daughter.
My aunt called a family meeting to discuss the future of my grandmother tonight. I will tell you my heart sank to the floor when this happened. It brought back all the terrible feelings I had when the hospital called a family meeting just hours before my grandpa passed away. Of course, I knew this was not the situation with my grandma, but it still brought back those memories.
My grandma was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. I think that is one of the worst diseases to have and one of the worst diseases for a family to have to deal with. It’s so sad when you walk into a room and your grandmother, who has known you all your life, doesn’t know who you are. It’s hard to deal with it when she is so mean and doesn’t remember any of it. She doesn’t remember the harsh words she used or the way she treated you.
This is the case with my grandma. She is in her 70’s and she is going through this. My grandma used to knit and crochet all the time. We used to tease her because she could do it in her sleep. She’d be sitting in her chair watching her soap opera’s, knitting and the next thing you know, she’s sleeping and still knitting. LOL Grandma would make the most beautiful sweaters, blankets, and pot holders. Every time she would leave the house she always had a sack that contained her yard, her knitting needles or crochet hooks, and whatever it was she was working on at the time. It didn’t matter if she came over for a birthday party or a BBQ, she had her sack with her. Grandma doesn’t knit or crochet much anymore and when she does just about the only thing she does is dish rags.
During our family meeting tonight we discussed grandma’s fate. It was the hardest thing I’ve been involved in. Dealing with my husband’s great grandmother having Alzheimer’s 10 years ago wasn’t nearly as bad because I was not apart of her care. Dealing with my grandpa’s illness and my grandma having a brain tumor and dealing with her illness was hard because I was right in the middle of it. Giving up an hour a day three days a week and 4 hours on Monday nights was hard, but I did it.
We haven’t made any official decisions as of yet, but I know for sure the next three weeks are going to be a struggle for the entire family. Getting grandma to get out of bed and into her chair in the morning will be a challenge since she is over 250 pounds and is having issues with her right knee. The other problem will be getting her to bed at night. She is used to her routine and is not will to change it for anything.
It’s so sad to see this happen. I just pray that my grandpa, my dad, his sisters and brother, my mom, my sister, my cousin, and I will be up to the huge challenge that we face in the coming weeks. Putting my grandma in a nursing home is not something we want to do, but I’m not sure my dad and his family are ready to deal with all the care that we are look at doing. I pray that my family will be able to stand up to my grandma and make her do what she needs to do and I also pray that we are strong willed and will be able to do what needs to be done.
Grandma I love you and I hope you understand that we are doing this because we love you and we want to help you so you can live the rest of your days in your home, sitting in your chair, watching your soaps and crocheting your dish rags!