Couponing

I used to do quite a bit of couponing. While it was nice to save money, it was a chore. I never had a passion about it or enjoyed it much. But I did it well, and my efforts were much appreciated by my husband. For several years now, my life has been too busy to coupon. Like everyone else, my priorities have changed. Now I focus on watching sales more closely, stocking up on sale items, changing our eating habits, etc.

Robert has recently discovered the joys of couponing. I've not shared in his excitement; it's more and more clear to me why I DON'T do it. While he makes the effort to be sure I have the necessary coupons for certain items when I shop, I stuff them into my purse only to remember them a few days after I've shopped.

Last week, Robert and I went up to Roanoke, stopping first at Walmart. He gave me a handful of coupons for things we agreed to buy and went off to do his own shopping in the store. I didn't want to leave his coupons in my cart, so I stuffed them into my pocket.

I finished my shopping, checked out and met up with Robert at the entrance. "Did you use the coupons?" he asked. He knew the answer as soon as he saw my face. I immediately went on the offense, challenging him to go back to Customer Service, and he declined.

We ran errands for a few hours and ended up at Kroger. Robert had a few more coupons to use, and we headed for the self-check lane. We bought a lot of groceries, and as we were finishing up, he asked me to grab his coupon organizer, which was sitting in the basket--it was the same color blue as the plastic fold down baby seat. (Yes, I'm back on the defensive here.)

We pushed the cart into the parking lot, put the groceries in the back of the car, and argued over who should return the cart. I won, and I put the cart back. When we got home, he asked for his coupon organizer.

OF COURSE I'd left it in the cart. I immediately began blaming him, "This is why I hate coupons!" "Don't me mad at ME!" "I don't care if it's $20 worth of coupons, it's not worth getting mad about!" (For the record, he wasn't mad, although he stayed clear of me for the rest of the night.)

He called the store and learned that someone had turned in his coupon organizer. When Holly and I went back into town a few days later, we stopped in to pick it up. I told her to stay away when I went up to the counter; I was too embarrassed to have her hear me ask them for it. She found that quite funny and suggested I say that it belonged to my dad (because only old men would leave this behind). So I did. The customer service desk kindly returned my "dad's" coupon organizer.

While Holly and I found the whole thing entirely hilarious, we weren't sure if Robert would think so, so we didn't breathe a word about it to him. He was just happy to get his organizer back.

Fast forward to today. Robert and I are back at the same grocery store. His brother called while we were shopping, so Robert went out to the car to talk on his phone. Relieved to not have coupons, I went through the self-check lane as usual. I put everything in the car, and we drove the 45 mins. home. The kids unpacked all the groceries, and I was keeping everything out that we needed for dinner.

Where's the ham? Come to think of it, where's the chicken? Where's the grocery bag with all of the meat????

Back at the store, left behind by the idiot who packed her own groceries.

Robert's going back up to get the rest of the food tomorrow. But he's a nice guy, I doubt he'll say it's for his mother.

Foggy morning

Despite the fog, spring is making every possible effort to come quickly.

A week off

The public schools around here took off a total of three weeks for snow days, while we plugged on. To even things out a little bit, a few weeks ago, we took school off for "Good Weather."

It snowed anyway.

Yes, Trevor is dissecting an owl pellet.
No, we didn't find it, we bought it.
Yes, we keep the house warm.No, he does not need to wear a hat.

We sailed through the January blues and see the finish of the school year in sight. (Not really, but if I say it enough times, we might believe it.) This is the second school year during which I've worked part time, and our routine is set. We work at a steady pace for the entire school year, instead of hitting ups and downs as we used to when our schedule was more flexible.

Noteworthy

Good thing Robert had made a pie earlier in the day. But I guess the child who wrote this note already knew that.

Book Reviews

Faith of My Fathers by Lynn Austin

As Book 4 of the Chronicles of the Kings series begins, King Hezekiah is dead and his young son Manasseh is on the throne of Judah. Manasseh turns to sorcery and idolatry, eventually defiling the Temple which his father so faithfully restored. Eliakim's son Joshua emerges as the protagonist, seeking to preserve Yahweh's faithful remnant from the wrath that Isaiah prophesied upon Judah.

I enjoy Biblical historical fiction, but it is so important to remember that this IS fiction. Without scriptural reference, it is impossible to discern what is Truth and what is the imagination of the author. I found myself constantly looking to my Bible to see where this book blurs the lines. This story provides one possible explanation for the disappearance of the Ark of the Covenant, but in reality, it is one remote possibility among many--we don't know what happened.

That said, although this book began slowly, it was my second favorite of the series. I would often get caught up and find my heart racing wildly as the author wove her story. I am both excited and disappointed to read the next book--I want to know what happens but I don't want the series to end. This is right up there with Francine Rivers' Mark of the Lion series.

Still Growing: An Autobiography by Kirk Cameron

A nice, simple book about Kirk's family life, rise to stardom in the television series Growing Pains, and his transformation from teen idol to evangelist; nothing remarkable.

A Year Without "Made in China": One Family's True Life Adventure in the Global Economy by Sara Bongiorni

With a little effort, this could have been an interesting book. Unfortunately, the effort wasn't there. On a whim, the author decides to not buy anything Chinese for a year. She barely convinces her husband to join, then refers to him throughout as "The Weakest Link." The only "rule" seems to be that the family won't buy Chinese-made items: they keep any they already own; gifts don't count, so she persuades relatives to give her gifts made in China; although she won't replace her Chinese-made ink cartridge, she'll go to the library and print copies there.

The title is flat out not true. This wasn't a "year without 'made in China.'" It was thinly veiled guise to stay home and write a whiny, pointless, and boring book.

Protecting the Gift: Keeping Children and Teenagers Safe (and Parents Sane): by Gavin deBecker

I've read this book before, commenting on it when I posted a review of the author's book The Gift of Fear. Both are excellent books; I highly recommend reading at least one of them. In a small coincidence, this book was on my nightstand waiting to be read, and I came across deBecker's name while reading Kirk Cameron's book.

Outside my windows

I think this is a red shouldered hawk. I'm pretty oblivious to the wildlife everything, but this guy was big enough for even me to notice.



This turkey was hanging around all morning too. We hear them a lot, although usually they run around in groups.



With all the snow, the deer are sticking together. Earlier in the week, Robert counted nine deer together in a neighbors' yard. I caught these out of my bathroom window. I counted eight, but it was very likely that I couldn't see them all.



They are so cute. Sometimes.



Oh yeah. We've seen a whole lot of this little girl hanging around here too.



7:30 every morning, as soon as her family leaves, she's here. It's a good thing she's so incredibly cute and well behaved. It doesn't hurt that she torments our cats; we find it quite entertaining . . . although it'd be even more so if it weren't quite so early in the morning.

My beautiful daughter . . .

Kitty jail

I didn't put her here, I swear.



Even though she deserves it.

Pumpkin and Buttercup

(Who names these pets??)

Although Buttercup was initially scared of Lucky, the two have made fast friends. If Buttercup comes over, and we humans go outside to greet her, she'll ignore us and whine, her way of asking if Lucky can come out to play. They'll run together in the woods for a few hours before coming home. (We're assuming Lucky takes off with her, as they both disappear, but who really knows what our dog is off doing.)

Buttercup's made herself at home in our yard. That's fine with us. She's an awesome dog. Pumpkin, however, hates her.



Pumpkin hates just about everything and everyone.



Who in the world can resist that sweet sheltie face?? She is SO cute!!!

Snow pics

We had a few snow flurries the other night with the biggest snowflakes we've ever seen. This is the best shot I could get, I was too lazy to go outside.



Snow is piled up everywhere. I'm thinking these won't melt until spring. I have never had to live in seen anything like it. Even in Colorado, the snow would almost always disappear within a few days...



******************************

To top it all off, we woke up to another 1-2" of snow this morning. Seriously.

Starry Night

Trevor's version.

Weekly menu

This will last more than a week, and that's a good thing.

French dip, artichoke and olive salad
Citrus Grill pork chops, browned cauliflower, ??
Orange Chicken, Szechuan style green beans (frozen), potstickers
Shredded Beef Tacos, guacamole, refried beans
Crispy Parmesan Chicken, couscous, ??
breakfast burritos
chicken sausage, sauerkraut, mashed potatoes
hot dogs, homemade French onion dip (need to post this recipe too!), cabbage ramen salad?
quiche, ??
Marlboro Man sandwiches (need to post my version of this recipe), Dijon pasta salad

to have on hand: Giant Breakfast Cookies

Cake of the week: Ummmm....I have lots of ice cream and cookies!

On the back burner:Easy Peanut Butter Fudge, thanks again to Heather
Bobby Flay's fish tacos, and sweet and spicy kettle corn
Pumpkin Bars
Emily's Tortilla Soup
more chicken thighs
boneless chicken

Trevor and lithium

We've hit that winter slump, and Trevor and I have burned out on Rainbow Science. That's not a problem, since he can certainly wait until next year to finish it. In the meantime, I picked up a little Janice VanCleave book, and we'll be spending the next several weeks on atoms. It's a perfect fit for us right now, continuing where we left off in Rainbow, and lots of easy, hands on projects.

The first project was a model of a lithium atom.

Oh yeah

We woke up to this today.



Whatever happened to rain? I liked it.

Sunset

This was taken in January. Back when it was warm. I'm trying to think warm thoughts here and pretend we are not covered in snow.

Obligatory snow pics

Although it snowed again Saturday morning, it warmed up enough by late afternoon to melt most that had fallen on the trees.



The neighbors were out plowing. I don't know what we would do without these men; our road would be completely impassable for many days.

This poor deer kept falling through the snow crust.

And we did too.


Holly, Trevor and I took a short walk.


We watched the Super Bowl, and our game food of choice was hot wings, PW's Crash Hot Potatoes, and Ro-Tel Cheese Dip.



At this point, we've had more snow this year than the last FIVE winters combined. And yet another storm is forecast to blow in Tuesday night.


Spring: 41 days. I'm counting.

Recipe -Pasta with Lemon

I tried Ree's Baked Lemon Pasta a few weeks ago. It was too heavy, sticky, and not a hit at our house, not even in the least. I've made a Lemon Pasta for 12 years ago that the kids and I have always liked. It took Robert to get past the "lemon" part of it, and while he doesn't mind this, he still prefers red sauce.

PASTA WITH LEMON

12 oz. angel hair, spaghetti, or your choice of long pasta
3 T. butter or margarine
2 T. lemon juice
1 t. lemon zest
1 c. half and half
salt, pepper
1/2 c. parmesan cheese

Put butter, lemon juice and zest in a large pan over medium heat. Once butter has melted, let it sizzle for 30 seconds. Pour in half and half, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced to about half.

That sounds too fancy for me; just cook it on medium heat, stir it every few minutes, and it'll be ready in ten mins.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to package directions.

When the pasta is draining, take the sauce off the heat and then dump the pasta and sauce together into one of the pans. Mix well, adding in the parmesan cheese, and serve.

Recipe - Belgian Waffles

Many years ago, my sister-in-law gifted me with a Belgian waffle maker. I pull out occasionally, but we really should use it much more than we do. Trevor made a request for chocolate chip waffles the other day. Since we're snowed in and I have nothing else to do, it seemed like a great plan to me.



BELGIAN WAFFLES

2 egg yolks
2 c. milk (I made it buttermilk by adding a little vinegar)
2 c. regular flour (I substituted half wheat flour)
1 T. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1/3 c. oil
2 egg whites, stiffly beaten

In a large bowl, mix all ingredients except beaten egg whites. Beat on low until moistened; increase to medium and mix until smooth. By hand, gently fold in beaten egg whites.

Preheat griddle. When ready, pour 1/2 c. batter over grids. Close waffle maker, bake until steam no longer escapes, 3-5 minutes. Serve hot with your favorite topping (I ate mine plain). This recipe made six large waffles for me, and I froze the leftovers.

**To make chocolate chip waffles, add one cup chocolate chips to batter just before folding in egg whites.

**To make blueberry waffles, fold 2 c. fresh (or frozen but not thawed) berries into batter just before folding in egg whites.

Try this Maple Syrup and Banana Sauce topping--it was easy and delicious!

Recipe - Snow Cream!

I can't believe I lived in Colorado for 20+ years and never made snow cream. I'm reading that it's a "southern thing," which I find rather odd.

Anyway, it's really awesome stuff. We could have snow cream coming out our ears. I sent the kids outside to gather up a big bowl full of snow.


SNOW CREAM

8 c. snow
14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 t. vanilla extract

Place snow in a large bowl. Pour condensed milk over and add vanilla. Mix to combine. Serve immediately in bowls.

And the next storm...

In Colorado, the weather forecasters seemed to take perverse pleasure in predicting severe storms. We'd brace ourselves, prepare for the worst, and get very annoyed when a paltry two inches would fall to the ground.

It's not like that here. We take heed when the "S" word is even casually mentioned. Yesterday's paper provided seasonal snowfall totals from around the country:

Cleveland 26.7"
Green Bay 28.2"
Roanoke 29.7"
Minneapolis 29.9"
Chicago 32"
Portland, ME 33.8"
Anchorage 36.4"
Fargo 37.7
Denver 40.2"

We are in southern Virginia, for heaven's sake. Our annual average snowfall is 19". We've had two major storms this year already. And what's up with Denver? My only consolation is that I don't live there anymore.

Keep in mind that those measurements are before the snow began again yesterday. Knowing it was coming, we prepared and spent the day running errands. First stops were in nearby Rocky Mount.


Our first library stop.


Cleaners. Not because we had anything cleaned, but because we had some pillowcases shortened. I don't sew either.


Caffeine to keep the day going well. I'm so glad DQ continues to have their half-priced happy hours.


As we made our way to Roanoke, we stopped at Wal-Mart. It was still mid-afternoon, not too crowded here yet.



The gas station was a zoo, with lines at every pump. I'm not sure why everyone was buying gas, it's not like they'll be going anywhere soon.

The cars at the right of the screen were part of a line waiting to get to the street.

We did a few more errands in town and made it to this library just before closing.

...Winter Wonderland? WHATEVER!

It was a big mistake to wait until the end of the day to grocery shop. Between Superbowl weekend, impending storm, and after work on a Friday afternoon, it was like shopping on Christmas Eve. Shelves were bare. People were mostly friendly. Lines were looooooong. While the store was totally unprepared to handle crowds of this size, the employees were all working hard at the front of the store to keep lines moving, to help at the self check, and just in general do what they could to keep customers happy. They made the best of what otherwise would have been an unpleasant shopping trip.



Back to town, with one more stop at our library, hoping that my hold requests had been transferred in time. (They weren't.)


And the post office.


I went to bed early and woke up to several inches of snow already on the ground. ARGH! It snowed heavily for most of the day, later changing to a sleety rain. It's stopped for now, but based on the weather reports, it will begin snowing again overnight.

I. Am. So. Sick. Of. Snow.

Meanwhile, our county offices closed today. It is my understanding that our County Administrator has NEVER closed county offices due to snow. He's held this position for at least eight years.

Although we haven't had snow since last weekend, the outlying roads have been bad enough that county schools have been closed all week. At my house, we still had 7-8" of snow on the ground before this latest round. I can't even guess how much we got today. Robert's comment, "It's really deep. We know that." Yup.

What's Al Gore's number? I want global warming back.

Visitors

Robert put a bird feeder on the back deck. Now, I *know* this is a bad idea, because with the birds will come the bird poop. It'll be okay until the snow is gone (which hopefully will not last another month like the last one).

The suet cage we have in the front yard is a huge attraction for raccoons. We have to take it in at night, because they will steal it off the tree and take it into the woods. Even wiring it, nailing it, to the tree only is a temporary fix. Eventually, they will work it free.

I never dreamed they would actually find the suet on the deck. They climbed up the back steps. Our "coon dog" was sleeping 10 feet away. The cat, however, was staring into the darkness, and I knew something was up.



There were two. One is up on the porch railing and isn't easily seen in the photo.

Nasty little things.

Christmas all over again

We spent some of our Christmas money on a new comforter.



Yippee!!!

Trevor . . .

was tired of waiting for me to start dinner, so he took it upon himself to cut vegetables.



He's such an awesome kid, willing to do anything I ask for help with.