A Recap Of October 2011

Jeez...again, no blog activity in October.  I should start blogging more very soon because life is slowing down.  However, the Holidays are coming here ~ so maybe life will NOT slow down for a while longer.

1. A quick recap ~ I canned quite a bit which made me happy because I didn't expect to.  My mom and dad went over East of the Mountains and brought us home some pears and apples towards the end of September...so I canned. 
2. Also this month my hubby went both deer and elk hunting...and no luck.  I was hoping to fill the freezer but that didn't happen this year. 
3. My sisters, mom, daughters, nieces and one nephew walked the American Cancer Society Breast Cancer Walk in Snohomish county.  This is the second year in the row we have walked this event in support of my sister who is a breast cancer survivor.  It was a wonderful day! 
4. Also this month my favorite youngest daughter had a halloween party and I made the most perfect cake pops ever...and I didn't even take a dang picture.  
5. After being on the Dave Ramsey Total Money Makeover for two months...we paid off our first bill...one of my school loans.  Yahoo!
6. I am working towards another big goal to begin January, 2012 which is to only spend $250.00 a month on groceries...including food, toiletries, paper goods, etc.  WHY?  Our insurance premiums are going up and I don't want to take away from my Dave Ramsey "snowball" amount so I am cutting back on grocery money. 

Here are some pictues from October to share:

My mom, myself and two my sisters at the breast cancer walk.

Cinnamon Pears...first time canning these myself but my mom
used to can these when I was younger.  My mom was a great
canner and I can remember our hall closet being full of her homemade canned goods.

This is the display I created by my front door for this fall season. 
The larger pumpkins are not from my gardent but the corn stalks, the
marigolds and some of the small pumpkins are from my garden!

I planted garlic bulbs this fall for the first time.  They are
already sprouting out in the garden.  It is fun to see things
still growing in this cold dark weather.

I have been much better about couping and I did pretty good
during the month of October...all the pop was FREE!

Apple Pie Filling!  I must admit that I overfilled the jars but
most of them seemed to seal just fine.  I will be wrapping a
pretty ribbon around these along with a recipe for apple pie!
What a fun Christmas present!

A Month in Review

My gosh...where did September go???  For sure work picked up...which is expected when you work for a school district.  My harvesting of the garden and my hubby's salmon fishing has made time go even faster.  Couponing has been put aside for the past couple of months but I am slowly getting back in the groove.  I found I was able to stick pretty close to my grocery budget though...since I have been stockpiling since February. 

Since so much time has gone by since my last blog entry...I thought I would do a review with some pictures.

My favorite youngest daugthers First Day of School ~ she is an 8th grader!

My hubby got very into fishing for salmon in the Snohomish river.
He caugh lots of Humpies...which he then smoked.

He found a great dry brine that used dark brown sugar, kosher salt and
LOT's of fresh garlic.  Then he smokes it. 
ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!  We have a stash in the freezer for the holidays.

Each year I get a bit more out of my garden.  I am actually surprised
that I got anything after the very wet spring and summer we had.
I lost many onions and what onions I did get...are small ~ but still edible.

With wedding preparations and a 10 day vacation...there was very little
couponing.  Then in September...life took off and I am just now
starting to get back into the coupon groove.  I got the above items
at Albertson's using their double coupons.  Full retail would have been
$86.43...but I only paid $16.11!  Gotta like it!

Zucchini never let's me down!  I only planted a hill of them and had
enough zukes to donate to others and make 12 loaves of zucchini pineapple
bread.  This bread is so good...it has nutmeg and cinnamon as well in the recipe.
Smells like fall in this house.

My grocery budget got tight...and we ran out of bread.  However...I did have
flour and yeast so I have been making bread.  Very fun and easy recipe.

My tomatoes did not like our western Washington weather this year and
they have really suffered.  However, I have been able to make two batches
of roasted tomatoes.  All I have to say about this recipe...OMG!

My pumpkins got a late start...but I still got some. 

Fresh tomatoes from my garden roasted with olive oil, kosher salt,
walla walla onions and garlic then mixed with frest basil EQUALS
Roasted Tomatoe Sauce...going into the freezer for a dinner later in the year.

Not only are we harvesting and preserving much more this year ~ we have also decided to get our financial house in order.  We had some very large expenses this year...tires for the truck, braces for my favorite youngest daughter, an over-the-budget wedding for my favorite oldest daughter and my favorite son-in-law plus a 10 day road trip on top of too much spending the past couple of years has equaled too much debt.  We signed up for Dave Ramsey's online debt reducer plan and are now living very aware of where our money is going.  More to come on our journey.

My Favorite Time of the Year

After a VERY wet and cold Spring and Summer...Summer weather has finally hit our area the past couple of weeks.  We are currently experiencing hot days that are reaching 80+ degrees.  The best part is that it is cooling off wonderfully at night. 

I have been busy cutting back my tomatoes so that I hopefully will end up with some red tomatoes.  My plants are loaded but they are all green...EXCEPT one...that just turned orange today.  I have been told to cut back the non-producing stems in order for more energy to go to the tomatoes...I hope it works. I just found a fabulous recipe for roasted tomato sauce ~ and I really want to load my freezer up.

Speaking of recipes ~ Kelsea made dinner tonight.  She found the recipe on www.skinnytaste.com and it used some of the zucchini that I have growing.  It was delicious.  The recipe can be found here:  http://www.skinnytaste.com/2011/08/chicken-rollatini-stuffed-with-zucchini.html

The items needed...please note that we did use bottled lemon juice and not fresh
since this is what we had on hand.  Still tasted yummy!

Kelsea, with her pretty finger nails, cleaning up the chicken.

Cassidy girl pounding out the chicken breast.

A pan full of zucchini, garlic and cheese being cooked together.

A work of art!

Road Trip ~ Day 1 thru Day 3

Three days have past and I am now just finding the time to blog about our road trip.  We left Everett on August 12th and got on I-5 at exactly 12:18 pm.  Exactly 12 hours later we were reserving a room in Redding, California.  I cannot believe we made it to California!  Unfortunately, our first night's lodging was not so good.  I decided we should stop at the Motel 6 in Redding, CA that advertised a rate of $59.95 per night lodging...it was a DIVE.  I tried to make light of it by saying to Mike that it had be a long time since we had stayed in a place this bad to which he replied..."we have NEVER stayed in a place this bad".  We were only there for 8 hours before we were hitting the road again.  Upon talking about our stay at the "dive" we found out that all three of us thought that there were bugs crawling all over us...but I am sure there was not because before I got in that bed ~ I checked them both for bugs.  But your mind sure can play tricks on you!

Second day began at 8:00 am with the first stop being Starbucks.  After driving for a bit we saw that the "Olive Pit" was coming up.  The "Olive Pit" was a "must stop" for my grandparents when they made their yearly trek to southern California.  It then has become my parents "must stop".  My grandparents would always bring us back green olives and almonds.  My parents bring us back almonds and grapeseed oil.  It was fun going in there and trying the many samples of olives and oils that they had...and thinking of my grandparents.  We bought a bag of "Smokehouse" Almonds (which I am munching on right this minute)...then back on the road we went.

At about 1:30 pm on our second day...we drove up to the Radisson Hotel located near the airport in San Francisco.  They did not have any rooms available yet so we decided to go find somewhere to eat.  We ventured into Brisbane which is a cute little community.  We found a great place and had a wonderful greek salad and pizza slice.  We finally ended up gettiing into our room (it took two different tries plus they originally gave us the wrong room number/key and I walked in on another family...) and we then ventured to the heart of San Francisco!  We found a place to park for only $10.00 for the entire time we were there and started out at Pier 39 which was full of shops and crazy full of people.  We then walked down to find somewhere to eat...which we ended up at "Nicks Lighthouse" restaurant which was established on the Fisherman's Wharf in 1934.  We had an amazing dinner.  Cass and I had cod fish & chips and Mike had the most incredible seafood fettucini...the alfredo sauce was good enough to drink!  I am making it my misson to find that recipe!  After walking around for several hours, we decided to go back to our room to get some rest for another busy day in San Francisco.  BTW ~ our hotel room is fantastic and both our beds come with the sleep number beds.  I am unable to tell you how many times we have fillled and unfilled our beds...it is embarassing really!

Day 3 ~ San Francisco

We again found parking really close to the Fisherman's Wharf and only paid $36.00 for the entire 8+ hours we were there...much more reasonable than what we had thought it would cost.  We went to IHOP for breakfast.  In San Francisco all food menu's show the calories for each meal.  I actually think it is a good idea to do this because I totally got a healthier meal by seeing the calories that were in what I really wanted to eat.  Then we signed up to take a tour of San Francisco.  We took a double decker bus around many major sites around S.F. and were able to "hop off and hop on" and various stops.  We drove through the Barbary Coast, Union Square, the City Hall civic center and then we hopped off at Chinatown.  Mike and I really wanted to see this but ultimately it was a disappointment.  It was very geared towards the tourist trade and it was the same shops selling the same items up and down all the blocks.  However, we did find a bakery and I had an authentic chinese dessert.  Cassidy and I were also able to buy her a charm bracelet that we bagained down to $50.00...which whas $95.00 less than what they wanted (original cost was $145.00)  The $50.00 included the tax as well so I think we did okay on that.  Mike thinks it is fake silver...we will see.  We then hopped back on the bus and headed back down to Fishermans Wharf to get on a different bus that was going to take us over the Golden Gate Bridge.  Before heading out, we visited a few more shops...including a bakery that makes the famous sourdough breads.  One thing about S.F is that there are many people and the lines are LONG.  So, I didn't get to buy any sourdough bread...but I will come back one day and visit that store some more.  Finally, it was time to head over the bridge.  The best part of this was watching Cassidy's huge smile.  She just loved going under that bridge.  It was amazing being on such an iconic part of S.F.  Our bus then drove us to Sausalito which is the most quaint, darling little village.  I so badly wanted to get off and look around but there just wasn't the time.  I think that Mike and I will need to visit that place for several days in the future...just not on this trip.  When we got back to the waterfront there was one more stop to make...Ghiradelli Square.  As we walked into the main Ghiradelli store ~ they gave us a free square of chocolate, how nice is that!?  We strolled around the square for awhile and then decided it was time to head back to the hotel...we had been site seeing for 8+ hours!  Tomorrow we are heading out at 5:00 am to Aneheim.  On to a new adventure.

Funny Cassidy story, as we were heading out of S.F. a couple of girls were walking down the sidewalk with short shorts and furry boots on (I guess these are the same type of boots that "Snookie" wears).  Anyway, Mike said...what kinds of statement are those outfits making.  To which Cassidy replied...they look like a word that begins with "S" and ends with "lutty".  We laughed until we cried. 

San Francisco weather report ~ very blustery and not much higher then 70 degrees.  We had to make sure to bring a light jacket and were comfortable in jeans and tennis shoes.  Hair do's do not matter because everyone's hair is wind blown within minutes.  I only asked once how my hair looked!  Even with the blustery weather...we got sunburned!  Need to remember to wear the sunscreen.

On the double decker bus cruising around San Francisco

At the entrance to Chinatown

Alcatraz in the background

Underneath the Golden Gate Bridge

The Golden Gate Bridge in the background

Fisherman's Wharf

  

On Pier 39 at the Fisherman's Wharf

At the Palace of Fine Arts

Trying to Catch Up!

My favorite oldest daughter got married this past Friday.  It was a beautiful ceremony...but boy am I glad it is over.  Planning a wedding takes a lot of time.  I have neglected couponing and gardening for the past month.  I am almost thankful for the lousy weather we have had all of spring and most of the summer...because my plants are just now starting to produce.  However, in a few short days...me, my hubby and my favorite youngest daughter are taking a road trip for 10 days which means my oldest daughter has to do some gardening for me even though she just told me "mom...I am not a gardener!"





My Target Savings...getting my game on again!

Jif To Go ~ Retail: $2.39...My price: FREE (I was sent a coupon for a free box)
Up Panty Liners ~ Retail: 89 cents...My price: 14 cents (used a Target Register Coupon)
Zantac ~ Retail: $7.84...My price: 84 cents (I "stacked" a manufacturer coupon and a Target coupon)
Bread & Eggs ~ Retail: $2.81...My price: $1.81
Bagel Bites ~ Retail: $8.67...My price: $3.78

Total Retail:  $22.60                My Price: $6.57             A 71% Savings!



I did some major cutting back of stems and leaves on this zucchini plant.
These are really late...because I planted them so late due to the wet, cold weather.

I have some pumkins...but just barely.  I chopped back some of these stems
as well in hopes of getting more energy to the pumpkin.

A sea of potatoes.  By the time I get home from our road trip,
I will be doing lots of digging in the dirt.

I have some tomatoes but they are few and far between.  Hopefully
we have a month more (at least) of hot weather and sunshine
(a mighty big dream!)

I harvested some lettuce.  It smells a bit bitter but with some well
seasoned taco meat, salsa and sour cream...no one will know!

Mr. and Mrs. Kory A...congatulations to the new married couple.
Love you both <3 <3

I Harvested Today!

Today is July 30th and I finally harvested from my garden.  Not only that...three tomato plants have small tomatoes on them and my pumpkins & zucchini's are starting to grow.  They are all small...but at least it is something.  This is pretty late to see the small amount of growth but with all the rain and cool weather...it is kind of a miracle that anything is growing at all!  Take a look at my garden:


This is the first artichoke of the season to be harvested...I hope I didn't harvest it too soon.  From what I read it should be okay.  I also learned that the artichoke plant is a perennial...how cool is that!

I also read that when you cut off the artichoke that you should cut back the entire stem.  Eventually you will cut the whole plant down...but I still need to read more about that.

Below are some random pictures of my garden as of today ~ it is looking pretty (though there are many weeds that need to be pulled).





My Garden is Growing Despite the Rain!

While most of the country is sweltering in record breaking heat...those of us living in western Washington are experiencing one of the wettest and coldest Summers that many of us can remember.  Our Spring was the same...so it feels like it has been a VERY long fall/winter.  However, my garden continues to grow and if there is one blessing about the rain...I haven't had to water once this season.  Here is a look at my garden:

Today I drove by Lowe's and found some strawberry plants on clearance ~75 cent a piece. 
They might look a bit neglected now...but I anticipate eating strawberries out of my garden next year!

A sea of potatoes...a couple more months and I will have a stockpile of potatoes!

I threw some seeds in the ground last fall...didn't record what it was but it now looks
like I am growing some sort of cabbage.  The heads are not getting big or firm...so not sure what to do.

I have been so envious of bloggers talking about their harvesting of zucchini's...but I see that soon I will be too.
Zucchini bread in the freezer...here I come.  Found a blogger that adds fresh blueberries to their bread.  Yum!

This is the coolest thing.  My mom brought me an artichoke plant for mother day...and it is growing
three artichokes on it.  I have never, ever grown these but I will from now on.

Albertson's Great Double Coupon Deal

Due to a wedding in the near future and a wedding shower in the very recent past...life has been just about too busy to coupon much less blog about it.  However, today I got such a great deal at Albertsons that I had to take the time to brag about it!

These Nature Valley Granola Thins normally cost $4.29 per box (I definitely would NOT pay full price for these) but they were on sale for $2.50 a box.  I had (5) coupons for 75 cents off which I then was able to double at Albertsons so I paid $1.00 for each box.  BUT...because I bought 5 boxes, I earned the following rewards:

1.  A register coupon for a free gallon of milk (up to $4.50)
2.  A register coupon for $5.00 off my next shopping trip
3.  and ANOTHER register coupon for $3.00 off my next shopping trip

But that is not all ~ I received several game tickets and one held a coupon for a free DOZEN fresh baked doughnuts from Albertsons bakery.

So...for $5.00 of out of pocket (OOP) expense...I earned about $15 or $16.00 worth of goodies.  Not too bad!

This Week At Albertsons...

Look at what I got for $2.40 at Albertsons...

It took 20 coupons and taking advantage of Albertsons...buy 10 get $5.00 off (I got this twice in one transaction)...but I was able to get 10 boxes of pasta, 5 jars of pasta sauce and 5 bottles of salad dressing...all for $2.40.  Full retail would have been $59.30...so I saved $56.90 or 96%...woohoo!!!

Next ~ it was on to Target.  I was able to get 5 packages of Zyrtec for 74 cents each...normally $5.29 each.  I also bought 10 small boxes of fruit rollups.  I am not sure if that was such a great deal...with a coupons I was able to get a box of 4 rollups for 75 cents.  This isn't something I buy very often but I had a Target gift card and thought I would get these for Cassidy.  Retail for this would have been $36.45 ~ and I paid $8.44 (I did use a $5.00 gift card).

Finally I ended up at Fred Meyer for a pretty good deal on toilet paper.  It has been very hard for me to find toilet paper for awesome deals.  The coupons that come out usually have a very small value so I can't seem to get really good deals.  However, Fred Meyers had a coupon in the Sunday paper for $4.00 off a 12 double roll package of toilet paper...bringing the cost down to $4.99 (full retail is $8.99).  But...I was able to download an electronic coupon on to my Fred Meyer card...one for $2.00 and I had another one on there for $1.00.  So...I was able to get (2) 12 (double roll) packages of toilet paper for $7.90...which included the SST.  I saved $10.08 on this for a 56% savings...not extreme but still a pretty good deal.


How did this day go overall? 

Full Retail: $113.73
My OOP:   $  18.74
Savings:   $  94.99 aka 84%   YIPEE!