Desperately Seeking Coffee

Menu Plan Monday

2011-06-27T06:18:00.002-04:00

Haven't done one of these in a LOOOONNNNNGGG time but thought I'd make one again today. I've still been planning my menu, just haven't been posting it. When I started getting those Farmers Market Baskets it became harder because I would pick them up on Tuesday and usually plan my menu over the weekend. It's hard to plan your menu when you don't know what sides you're going to have that week to pick from.

I've also started doing Zumba 2 nights a week and need to have dinner ready a little bit earlier on those nights so it definitely takes some planning.

I'm looking for a good gumbo or jambalaya recipe to make this weekend or for lunch on Friday. I've got some okra that I need to use up. Or, if you have a recipe for okra please share that too!

Monday - Homemade Pizza and salad
Tuesday - Chili slaw dogs and sweet potato fries- I need to find a good chili recipe for hot dogs
Wednesday - BBQ Chicken Sandwiches with slaw, Mac N Cheese, Beans
Thursday - Chicken 'fried' steaks, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Corn on the Cob, Something Green

Dessert - Fresh Fruit popcicles, Ziploc bag ice cream, WINE :)

Have a good week! Head over to MPM on I'm an Organizing Junkie for tons of other menu ideas and recipe links.

Farmer's Market Baskets!

2011-02-15T21:21:00.002-05:00

So, I found a way to save money on produce! I can coupon all day but you rarely find any for fresh produce. Why is it so expensive to eat healthy?!? Anywho...

Here in Atlanta we have a company called Farmer's Market Baskets that goes to the state farmer's market and brings back truck loads of fresh local fruits and veggies. Then you can purchase the premade baskets from them for $10-$15.

It's really an excellent deal! I purchased my first small basket today and here are the contents

I will probably upgrade to a Regular basket for next time and see how that lasts in my house and then decide from there which to use regularly. They have a website that allows you to handle everything online. You can choose to pick up a basket every week, every other week or as needed. You can also place a special order for certain items that vary each week. Then you can go to their warehouse or various other locations in the area to pick up your basket. The other locations cost a little more but it's only a couple of dollars.

I first heard about them last year and I cannot believe that it has taken me this long to jump on the bandwagon! So Farmer's Market Baskets work for me! Visit WFMW at We Are THAT Family for hundreds of other posts.

While I have you here can I ask a favor? I entered my daughter in a Cutest Kids contest to win a $150 gift card to the local consignment sale here in my area. She's in 5th place but has to be in 1st to win and voting ends on Sunday. So, if you don't mind helping a girl out... click HERE and this will take you to the Facebook page for the contest. You have to click on the green VOTE button and then click on the allow button for the app if it pops up. It will also ask you if you want to share it on your wall and I don't mind if you do. It will just show her pic to all of your friends and maybe they will vote for her too! I will forever love all of you and will vote for anything and everything your children do! Here she is... Isn't she just adorable?!?!

O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree

2010-12-09T22:05:00.000-05:00

How lovely are your hand prints?

I decided to make an ornament with Audrey's handprint this year. This year all she did was put her hand on paper. Next year she can help make one with me.

It's very self explanatory. I mean, I figured it out... You just start by tracing and cutting out lots of little hands. I cut out 18 but my tree only used 9 so I'll be making another one.

Then you just layer them at angles to make the tree gluing as you go. I flipped them so that the thumbs were the outside 'branches' on each row. Then cut out a star and a truck and VOILA!

I think I'll by some glitter to decorate it with. Another great idea would be to use a hole punch and punch several different colors and glue them on as Christmas balls.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-12-07T23:44:00.000-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-11-16T22:24:00.000-05:00

Menu Plan Monday

2010-09-27T09:11:00.002-04:00

Well, it's yet another week but this one is short for me! I'm heading to my 10 year high school reunion (gasp!!) so I won't be home to prepare meals the entire week. Instead I will be dining at Cafe Mom.

I think Fall is finally here for the long haul in Georgia. I do believe we'll still have some 90 degree days but the 70's and low 80's have crept in so I'm dusting off some fall recipes.

We went to the Miller Lite Chili Cook-off on Saturday and sampled from close to 300 competitors! One day I WILL compete in this thing! You can enter in 3 categories - Chili, Brunswick Stew, and Cornbread and I believe that I could compete in all 3. So, in honor of that and fall we're having My Secret Chili this week.

Monday - Crock Pot Chops That'll Make You Eat Till You Pop
Tuesday - My Secret Chili - the recipe is state secret, sorry :)
Wednesday - Leftover Bonanza!

Head on over to Orgjunkie.com for hundreds of other MPM participants menus.

Win a $75 Halloween Gift Package from Clear Creek Images & Doodlebug Boutique

2010-09-23T23:54:00.000-04:00

I went to church with a lady named Linda that has a photography business, Clear Creek Images. She's amazing. I love the bright colors and the candid shots she gets of babies. Well, she has partnered with Doodlebug Boutique for a giveaway. Doodlebug has some super cute bows and tutus. Brace yourselves, they're way cuter than the one I made...

They are giving away a custom-made tut costume from Doodlebug Boutique valued at $40. You get to choose from a fairy, bumblebee, ladybug, or princess. How cute would my pudgy princess be as any one of those! We already know she's stylin' in a tutu! :)

Along with the costume you'll receive a Halloween Mini Session valued at $35 from Clear Creek Images. It's 25 minutes and includes 3-5 edited digital images for 1 child. The catch is that her studio is in Acworth, GA so you'll need to be close. Lucky for me!

If you're interested in entering the giveaway go on over to Doodlebug Boutique's blog and read the entry information. And if you win and I don't, I'll never be your friend ever again. I kid, I kid! Good luck!

Menu Plan Monday

2010-09-19T20:55:00.000-04:00

I know, I know... I've been away for a while. I did plan my meals the past few weeks just didn't post about them. So I'm trying to have meals with a more bland pallete this week since we have a bout of upset stomach in our house. We'll see if we stick to it or if we crave spice before the week is over.

Monday - Chicken Ravioli Carbonara, salad
Tuesday - Salisbury Steaks, Mashed Potatoes, Cream Corn
Wednesday - Chicken Broccoli Casserole - Side TBD (new)
Thursday - Chicken Cordon Bleu, Green Beans, Carrots (new)
Friday - Meatball Pizza

Head on over to Orgjunkie.com for hundreds of other menu plans.

9/11/01 - I Remember...

2010-09-11T21:00:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here today watching the coverage from 9 years ago and my heart is truely saddened. I cannot get over the changes that have happend in our lives as a country since that tragic day in 2001.

My daughter wanted to snuggle with me and I let her until she fell asleep and then left her in my arms even longer taking the time to reflect on those events and keep my most precious treasure close to my heart.

Today as we prayed we prayed for the leaders of our nation and for the military members at home and abroad and for those that lost their lives and their loved ones. My heart aches for them all.

I will always remember.

We Survived the FIRST Birthday!! (and a baby shower)

2010-09-08T21:44:00.000-04:00

Well, my daughter's first birthday has come and gone. I've been kind of MIA while planning for that and a surprise baby shower I was throwing for a friend of mine. My party planning days are done until Thanksgiving!

Everything went very, very well. For the baby shower we didn't know the gender so we did a beachy theme. I used sand buckets for the chips and shovels to scoop them out with. I put a beach towel down as a runner and decorated with random sand toys. The cake (not made by me) was simple but oh-so-yummy yellow cupcakes with white icing and crushed graham crackers sprinkled on top to look like sand. She also used a sand castle mold and packed it full of vanilla ice cream and then turned it out onto the platter and sprinkled it with crushed graham crackers too. Sorry I didn't manage to get any pictures with my own camera. I'll have to hound my friend to send me the ones we took with hers.

On the menu was:
Seven Layer Dip
Lindsay's Dip (My friend Lindsay always makes it so I worked hard to come up with the name)
Pillsbury Savorings
Watermelon Baby Carriage (prepared by my hubby)
Punch

Now on to the birthday girl's party!

A girlfriend of mine convinced me that I COULD make her cake myself rather than buying one at the store so I did... I stressed over that more than anything for the party and it really turned out cute! I was very surprised with myself.

Smash Cake

Party Cake

I had another good friend that loaned me some decorating bags, icing tint, and tips and I made the icing from scratch. The cake was just a boxed yellow cake mix. I printed out a butterfly in the size that I needed from clipart and cut it out. Then laid it on the cake and traced the outline with a toothpick and then filled it in with a start tip - Wilton cake decorating 101 style.

For the food I wanted to go simple because I knew I was going to be so stressed about the cake because I tend to be a teeny bit of a perfectionist. So we had a nacho bar and I just had all the fixin's laid out in the kitchen. For the little kids I made cheese quesadillas.

For the guest of honor's attire I made a tutu to match the 'birthday girl' shirt that my girlfriend bought for her. I was inspired by Busy Working Mama when she made a tutu for her daughter. I used these instructions and it was a SUPER easy task that received lots of compliments.

Modeled by a left over baby shower bucket.

Modeled by the Birthday Girl!

We had a great time with our family and friends at the party and everything went over very well. My daughter even played in the cake!! I couldn't have asked for anything to be any better.

I Saved 79% Today at Rite Aid!!

2010-08-31T00:51:00.000-04:00

I'm trying to really get the hang of couponing. I've been clipping coupons and using them at Publix and Kroger for a few months now and only saving about $20 per week and still paying around $100 every week. I know - not very good...

Well, the past couple of weeks I've been shopping at Publix instead of Kroger and I've been better. I don't know if it's the change in store or that I'm trying to be more strict in sticking to my list. Right now I spend entirely too much time preparing for my trips but I think that will decrease soon now that I'm finally getting the hang of it.

Today was BY FAR my best savings day yet.

I took advantage of the +UP Rewards program at Rite Aid. If you are not doing this then you are really missing lots of savings.

Here is what I bought:

Transaction # 1
-2 Dial Body Wash - Regular $5.49
        On Sale for $3
        (2) $1/1 Manufacturer's Coupons
        $2 +UP wyb 2
-2 Gain Dish Soap - Regular $1.49
        On Sale for $0.89
        (2) $1/1 Manufactuer's Coupons
     Total Due $5.53

Transaction # 2
-2 Nivea Men's Body Wash - Regular $4.99
        On Sale for $3.50
        $4/2 Manufacturer's Coupon
        $2 +UP wyb 2
-$2 +UP
     Total Due $0.18!!

Transaction # 3
-1 Nivea Men's Body Wash - Regular $4.99
        On Sale for $3.50
        $1/1 Manufacturer's Coupon
-$2 +UP
     Total Due $0.36

Total of all items before Sales & Coupons = $28.93
Total OOP Expense = $6.07!!!
Total Savings = 79%

C25K, Week 2 Day 2 (again)

2010-08-24T09:46:00.000-04:00

Well, I have chickened out on my running for a while now. Probably somewhere close to 2 months because of the heat and humidity. It's been truely horrendous! But my favorite weatherman said that the lows were going to get down into the 60's last night so what did I do?

I opened my windows!!

And when I woke up this morning to the sound of music (literally) I decided that it felt amazing and I should be a trooper and get back to running. So, I fed the baby and off we went.

I didn't know quite where to pick up so I jumped back to week 2 and accidentaly did day 2 instead of day 1. But that doesn't matter this week because all of the runs are the same. It's 6 repitions of 90 second runs followed by 60 second walks. I did pretty well. I didn't get to totally finish the last run because the baby threw her pacifier down to say, "Hey Mom, I'm DONE! Let's go swing." So, we swang in order to preserve the peace at the track.

It felt really good to get back into it today. I just hope the temperatures stay like this!! We'll see. There's a Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving that a friend of mine asked me to run in with her so I'd like to be able to be finished by then. My original deadline was in 2 weeks but that's not gonna happen.

Baking in your Crock Pot Take 1

2010-08-24T09:33:00.001-04:00

Okay, I gave baking in my crock pot a shot yesterday and I have to say I was rather pleased with the results. I made Chile Relleno Casserole.

From what I've read in order to bake in your CP you put your food in a separate dish then place that dish in the CP and make sure it's elevated. I guess this is for even baking. I placed mine on top of some foil balls. Then, since the foil didn't get dirty I threw them in the cabinet in an unused pitcher for use again at a later date, perhaps today.

It takes a lot longer to bake in your CP than it does in your oven but you have the added benefit of not having to heat your house up. And any of those casserole recipes you have you can prepare in the morning and throw them in and dinner will be ready when you are. I had mine on low for 2 hours then bumped it up to high for another 2.

Here are some pics. Now, keep in mind that the casserole kind of looks like mush, but don't most casseroles? And I am in no way a professional photographer. I like to EAT food, not photograph it. It doesn't usually sit still long enough for that.

I'm linking this post up to Tasty Tuesday that's hosted over at Beauty and Bedlam. This is my first time posting there so I'm excited to look around at all the other tasty recipes! Did I mention that I love eating?

Menu Plan Monday

2010-08-23T11:07:00.001-04:00

Okay, the next two weeks are going to be busy for me. I'm having a baby shower this weekend and my baby turns ONE next weekend so we're having her party for that! I'm doing appetizers/finger foods at both so I have to figure out recipes for that. Also, I'm crazy and decided to make the cake for my daughter's birthday. I've never decorated a cake before so this should be interesting. I'll post pics afterwards.

I heard last week that you could bake in your crock pot. Now, I use my CP frequently in the winter but never thought to bake in it. Today I'm trying it! Why don't I use it more in the summer when I don't want to turn on the oven??

Monday - Chile Rellenos Casserole, black beans, mexi rice
Tuesday - Heavenly Hamburger Casserole
Wednesday - Sandwiches (Mommy's not cooking)
Thursday - Creamy Burrito Casserole
Friday - Pork Chops Yum Yum, Green beans, another side TBD

For my apps and finger foods I'm thinking of a few different things:

Spinach Artichoke dip (frozen, I know...)
Pepperoni Pizza Dip
S'mores Pops
Tortilla Pinwheels
Peanut Butter Cup Cookies

Whew, that's a ton of recipes! If you have any appetizer recipes to share that would be great!! Post a link in the comments section or post the recipe there. I would be eternally greatful... Now, go on over to orgjunkie.com for tons of other meal plans.

Hello? Anybody? Is this thing on??

2010-08-20T16:20:00.000-04:00

Hello to my fellow bloggy friends... I need some advice. I'm hosting a couple of parties over the next several weeks and I'm going to be preparing some finger food/appetizer type dishes. Do you have any tried and true recipes that you can recommend to me? I have a couple but usually I'm taking an app to a party, not supplying all of them. Here's one that I do regularly:

Tortilla Pinwheels

1 8oz pkg cream cheese - softened
1 8 oz tub sour cream
2 cups shredded cheese
1 pkg taco seasoning
1 small can diced olives
8-10 tortillas

Mix first 5 ingredients together well and spread evenly on tortillas. Roll up with ends open and place in dish and cover with plastic wrap. Chill to set then slice and serve. I usually serve with some salsa for dipping.

Works For Me Wednesday

2010-08-17T22:34:00.000-04:00

So, I was waiting on a small pot of coffee to brew tonight (either wine or coffee and I still needed to function so coffee it was) and looked over at my stove. Well, the light was shining on my black stove just right and I could see all of the grease that had built up on it. I wipe it down but never really realized that SO MUCH had built up. I decided I had a couple minutes to do something about it.

Now, I'm not a maid or a good house cleaner. I don't even play one on TV. But let me tell you something... Mr. Clean is my new friend! I opened the cabinet to grab my standby Clorox wipes and saw a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser laying there and decided to give it a shot. One word - WOW!

Of course I didn't think to take a before pic of it but maybe if you look at yours you'll see what I'm talking about. (Or maybe I'm the only one that doesn't notice that part of the stove.) The after is so shiny that I can see myself!!

This week Mr. Clean Magic Erasers work for me!! Visit We Are THAT Family to view lots of other tips and tricks.

Let them eat cake!!

2010-08-17T01:11:00.000-04:00

Hey guys! Nicole over at Colie's Kitchen is hosting an amazing sounding giveaway... Are you ready for it?? CAKE!!!

Daisy Cakes is giving away one of their 4 layer 24 Karat Cakes. Did you see that? 4 layers of decadent cake and as if it needed to be any better than that, it's topped with cream cheese icing. I ♥ cream cheese...

And if I haven't already tickled your sweet tooth, here's a picture of the cake:

Okay, now that you're drooling all over your keyboard go on over to Colie's Kitchen and enter the giveaway.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-08-16T21:51:00.000-04:00

Well, summer is over here for the kids but the heat isn't! It's so hot that I can't stand the thought of cooking and I really enjoy cooking. It's tough but I'm trying to make things that don't require using the stove or oven too much.

Monday - Crock Pot Chops That Will Make You Eat Til You Pop! with mashed potatoes and green beans
Tuesday - We're getting the oil changed in the car so will grab a bite next door while we wait.
Wednesday - Pizza Roll Up Burritos
Thursday - Taco Soup and cheese quesadilla dippers
Friday - Grilled chicken salads
Saturday - Date Night (hopefully) or breakfast for dinner

Visit Orgjunkie.com for tons of other menu plans and recipes.

Where has the time gone???

2010-08-12T10:22:00.000-04:00

My daughter will turn 1 in LESS than a MONTH! I can't belive it. I'm starting trying to prepare for her party by brainstorming gifts I would like to get her and what I want her cake to look like. She doesn't watch TV so she's doesn't have a favorite cartoon character or anything yet. I mean, she may get overly excited to have a cake with Paula Deen on it. That's the kind of stuff we watch :)

Still, I'm learning all about this first birthday party thing. We're just planning on having friends over and I'm going to have a smash cake for her that will hopefully provide TONS of super fun pictures. I'm having fun looking at ideas and pictures for this! And to make things better.... my Mom and sister are flying in to celebrate with us! Ooh, maybe I can put Grandma on cake clean up! What? A girl can dream.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-08-09T10:00:00.001-04:00

So, last week life happened and I didn't get around to every meal that I had planned so there will be some repeats this week. I'm trying to watch our grocery bill and I've been couponing and saving between 20-30% each week but I'd like to try to still try to trim it back some. This week I only bought a few staple items at the store and I'm going to be cooking from the pantry/freezer stock.

Monday - Chicken Ravioli Carbonara, Salad
Tuesday - Meatloaf Muffins, Mashed Potatoes, Green beans
Wednesday - Honey & Soy Chicken Thighs (maybe grilled though), Rice, Broccoli
Thursday - Meatball and Pepperoni pizza
Friday - Teriyaki Chicken and veggies (Okay, okay, it's from a box...)

Head on over here to see what Orgjunkie and the rest of the MPM crew are cooking up in their kitchens this week.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-08-02T09:23:00.000-04:00

Morning everyone!! This week my MIL and my SS are here and today is their birthday. I've prepared a menu for them but I need to find out what they would like to have for their birthday dinner. SS wants either a cheese omlette or crab legs. Well, eggs are in my cooking realm - crab, not so much. :) So we'll see how this goes.

With a couple extra mouths to feed I'm going to go for recipes and extra sides to try to stretch our meals farther because we usually have leftovers for dinner the following day since DH works 2nd shift. So, here's my attempt for this week:

Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans
Chicken Ravioli Carbonara, salad, bread
Chicken Pot Pie - MIL's recipe
Grilled BBQ Chicken, Corn, Squash and Zukes
Pork Chops Yum Yum, Corn Bake, green beans (maybe)
Breakfast for Dinner

Corn Bake

1 Box Jiffy Cornbread
1 Can Creamed Corn
1 Can Whole Kernal Corn - UNDRAINED
1 8oz Tub Sour Cream

Mix together and pour in buttered or sprayed dish and bake at 350 until golden brown on top.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-07-26T14:56:00.001-04:00

I've been missing for the past couple of weeks but I'm back now! I know, you were all worried to death, I'm fine.

So, I'll keep it short and sweet this week.

Monday - Cheeseburger Twice baked Potatoes
Tuesday - Skillet Enchiladas
Wednesday - Homemade Corn Dogs
Thursday - Chicken Spaghetti
Friday - Pizza - Supreme and Pepperoni with extra cheese

Visit Orgjunkie.com for tons of other menu plans.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-07-06T09:10:00.000-04:00

Last week we didn't stick completely to our menu plan. But that's okay. We had a couple of impromptu dinners with friends - and we love those. So this week has some repeats. Also with the holiday I'm behind my regular grocery schedule so I'm cooking mainly from what I have in the house this week. And another wrench in the plan is that Hubby starts 2nd shift this week so I'm not sure yet how we're going to work out lunches and dinners. Visit Orgjunkie.com for lots of menu ideas.

Monday - Chicken Salad Sandwiches
Tuesday - Chicken Ravioli Carbonara and maybe some bread
Wednesday - Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes, Green Beans
Thursday - Shrimp Tacos, Rice and Beans
Friday - Homemade Pizza - BBQ Chicken
Saturday - Grilled Bruschetta Chicken, Sides TBD

Now for a little C25K talk since it's been a while. I'm on week 3 again this week. I should have started week 4 but the past couple of weeks have been tough with my step son here. He sleeps later than the time that I usually go to the park to run and he's not a morning person AT ALL. I was also sick while he was here and it rained another day. So between all of those things I missed a few days. So I decided that I'd do week 3 again this week and start week 4 next week.

In Atlanta they have the Peachtree Road Race every year on the 4th of July. It's a 10K, one of the largest if not the largest, in the country. This year there were 55,000 participants. I started thinking that I might like to be in a position to be able to run in it next year. I know, I need to get in a position to do a 5K first but I'm well on my way to that!

Works For Me Wednesday

2010-06-30T01:27:00.000-04:00

Okay this week I'm going to share with you the most amazing tip I've come across in recent times.

Brace yourself because it's truely life changing!

Here's a video that shows you how to dice a tomato!!

I know... you're thinking "What is she talking about, you just dice it." But really it gets squishy, and messy and I need it to be neat and pretty. This has revolutionized my use of tomatoes!

Simply UH-mazing right?? Told you so.

Visit We are THAT Family for lots more tips.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-06-28T11:06:00.000-04:00

Another week gone of summer... It's flying by!!

Last week feeding my step son was interesting. The winning recipe of the week was the Cheeseburger Twice Baked Potatoes. He said it was the BEST MEAL EVER. Did you read that? Better than a meal of pizza or mac n cheese! Score one for Mom :)

Let's see if this week will have another one that hits home too.

Monday - Blackened Salmon, grilled veggies, rice
Tuesday - Enchiladas
Wednesday - Chicken Ravioli Carbonara
Thursday - Mexican Pizzas (didn't have these last week)
Friday - Probably dinner with friends - it's my step son's last night here before he heads back home.