The Shambled Shack

Reflecting on 2011...

2012-01-24T23:13:00.001-06:00

We are a little over half way into our first month of 2012 and I was going through my blog posts from the past when I came upon my first post for 2011. It was filled with resolutions...some really good plans that never came to fruition and a few that bloomed full swing. I thought I'd take a moment to make my first post for 2012 one of reflection and new resolve.

Reflecting on 2011....

In my 2011 resolution posts I resolved to do more scrapbooking/cardmaking in 2011. I am happy to say, I did do that. I sent quite a few cards to relatives - not as many as I had actually wanted to send out - but still and all...a good fair many. I tried to hit as many birthdays as I could - not everyone made the list in 2011 (not because my heart wasn't in it...but my pocket book wasn't deep enough!) Card making supplies are not cheap.

As for scrapbooking - I feel like I failed a bit there. I created a whole 3 pages last year. I haven't yet shared them just yet but I plan to. I still have yet to journal on them. The biggest reason I didn't create more pages for my scrapbooks was my fear of screwing them up. You can't screw it up if you just don't do it. (I have a major perfectionism flaw, can ya tell?) I think I am passed that now though - so look out in 2012. If you follow my other blog - Shack Scraps, you will get a glimpse of my scrapbook pages and my cards.

I resolved to lose some weight and get more exercise in 2011... now that didn't happen at all. We got a Wii and I do love it - but the house we live in just wasn't built for jumping around. Actually it was built in 1911 and the basement is pretty worn as is the floor I would be jumping on. We found that the weight bearing posts in the basement are split. They look pretty scary. When you walk through the living room (where the Wii is) you can hear echo sounds from the duct work. Steve has banned me from doing my Wii Fit until we can find a safer home in which to do it in - so the exercise I planned sort of flew out the window for 2011. I am just not a gym girl...even though I have access to one at work.

As for losing weight - I am still taking my thyroid meds and I have examined our diet quite a bit. We are now a wheat bread only family and I have learned to eat smaller amounts more often. We are eating healthier foods - much more veggies and fewer fried/greasy foods. Steve is still hell bent on eating pasta though...which just isn't good for his diabetes. I went for a cholesterol test last Friday and my previously borderline high cholesterol is now in the GREAT category...GOOO ME! I think that came from cutting out the cake decorating hobby and adopting a lower calorie hobby - paper crafting, what do you think?

I totally failed at resolving to post more - I posted a whole 8 times in 2011. How much more FAIL can you get? In my defense though, I started a new blog and posted on it much more than on this one - not that I was trying to neglect my faithful followers - I love each and every one of you! Really I do! I just really have gotten into my new hobby...I totally love paper crafting! My "Menu Plan Monday" posts are done I think. I rarely cook at home - heck, I rarely eat at home anymore. If I plan a menu it gets screwed up because I am not there to stick to it. Don't look for more of those on The Shack in 2012. I am mulling over a new and different type of food related post... If your wondering what/where I eat - mostly I am eating at work - soups, sandwiches, salads... Its still healthy and good for me.

We have not yet moved, don't have plans to move (as much as I'd like for us to do so), do have a great need for an extra bedroom now....my budgeting plan has been blown to hell but it couldn't be helped. In July of 2011 Steve's daughter, Bridget, came to live with us - 4 semi-adults in a 2 bedroom house - so yes, I need to move - I just don't have the budget for it yet. I love having her live with us but I have to admit, its really stressful adding another body to the small house and budget. We are getting some assistance with having her live with us - she gets social security because of her mom's passing - so that does help to offset some of the costs. It took us until November to get our first payment though and we still haven't gotten the back pay for August and September so I am still behind on bills - they swear its coming though...just not holding my breath on when....if ya know what I mean. I did take a 2nd job to help out...but its really only helping to fund my hobby budget more than anything. I took a cashier job at Michael's - so between the discount and the extra money I have still been able to keep crafting. My one sanity saver!

Writing more...I really wanted to start a cook book in 2011 - it just didn't happen. Maybe someday...but not in the near future. My focus is truly on capturing memories of my grand daughter through my scrap booking and keeping in touch with family through my card making. I loved making my 2011 Christmas cards and I am hoping to create a birthday file where I can keep track of everyone's birthdays, anniversaries, etc. Writing more in 2012 will consist more of learning calligraphy and journal-ling on my scrap book pages.

My goals for 2012...I'd really like to stay more focused on organization and continue my scrapbooking/card making. I want to get my financial situation under better control and I'd really like to write/blog more. Calligraphy and journaling, blogging, scrapbooking, and card making...that's where I'm at in 2012 at the moment.

What are your goals for 2012...where are you at?

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Menu Plan Monday

2011-09-19T18:16:00.000-05:00

Ok..its been forever since I posted a Menu Plan Monday post...sorry everyone..I sorta fell off the face of the earth for a while...really. Life has been hectic and I didn't realize how comforting it was to plan my meals until I stopped...

Anyway...getting down to business....here's the plan for this week.

Monday - Chicken Breast with Mushroom Gravy, Baked Potatoes, and a salad
Tuesday - Meatloaf, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Peas and Carrots
Wednesday - Spaghetti, Salad, and Garlic Bread
Thursday - Chicken Enchiladas, Seasoned Black Beans, and Mexican Corn
Friday - Liver & Onions, Mashed Potatoes and Steamed Broccoli
Saturday - Chicken Broccoli Alfredo, Salad, Garlic Bread
Sunday - California Chicken Casserole, Dinner Rolls

Well, that's it for this week...I am almost done with next week's menu too..but I will save that for next week.

In case any of you are wondering what has kept me so busy and away from my blog, I will try to explain. For the first half of the year I got pretty much caught up in scrapbooking/card making...still doing it too...and loving it! I started a 2nd blog...Shack Scraps, where I post my cards and such. I want so much to become a demonstrator for Stampin' Up..but that will have to wait a while...With a grandbaby around, there are tons of photos to be taken and scrapped. :)

Baby Avah is another reason I haven't been around much...gotta enjoy my grandbaby every chance I get! Above is a photo of my baby girl and her baby girl....we spent Labor Day weekend at Lost Valley Lake Resort hanging out with family for a mini 3 day vacation...we will be spending another weekend together soon for the yearly Haunted Hayride at my sister's place coming October 1st. Can hardly wait for the camp out/huge pot of chili she always has...

Around April or so we got fed up with our family physician and went to see a specialist for hubbies diabetes. He is now taking 40 cc's injected nightly of a long acting insulin...his sugars are still not in the normal range either...its really scary. He is sick all the time, stomach pains and sleeping alot. He has been through an upper GI, gastric emptying study, and a liver ultrasound. They still don't know for sure what is causing his stomach pain. But they are being more proactive about getting his blood sugars below 150... the 250+ range all the time is NOT good.

At the end of June, my hubby's daughter came to live with us. She was having problems with her step-dad being extremely unreasonable. He kicked her out so she called Gma J (hubby's mom) to come get her. Then she was in a roll-over accident the next night while helping some friends deliver newspapers. A deer jumped out in front of them and the boy driving was not experienced enough - he lost it when the car went off the edge of the road. All three were thrown from the car with pretty bad injuries. They were taken by helicopter to the University. All three survived by the grace of God. My step-daughter, B, dislocated her hip, fractured her knee, and her spine in two places. She had to have neck surgery and we have been dealing with doctors and such since then. She is doing quite well and is very happy living with us. This girl has been through the ringer...her mom died 2 years ago, she continued to live with her step-dad who is disabled with a head injury and has seizures so she could take care of her little brother, and then her step dad flipped his lid, met a girl, moved her in and started getting mentally abusive... He would call her and curse at her while she was in the hospital...accused us of stealing her away when he was the one who kicked her out...he took all of her belongings, with the exception of her doll collection, to goodwill (or says he did anyway). She came to us with the clothes on her back which ended up getting cut off her due to the car accident.... Its been a nightmare for her, but it is getting better. She started school as a junior here in Moberly and she is moving on....one day at a time.

So it has been pretty crazy... We have been lucky though, with Steve's medical bills. We applied for assistance through the University and were granted help. Our medical/surgical bills will be paid in full and we only have to pay 30% of the physician's bills. That is a blessing in itself...though we have already met our deductible for insurance this year and they will be paying most of it anyway. Even still, money has been extremely tight for all of us...wish social security would hurry up and make their determination before we sink. With me the only one working, its hard to feed an extra mouth...we are making do but it would be nice to not feel like I am struggling all the time. Once the social security is in place, I think things will finally ease up a bit.

Hope everyone has had a good year so far and hope the up and coming holiday season finds everyone safe, happy, and healthy...

I'm Still Alive and Kick'n

2011-03-27T02:37:00.000-05:00

Hi all! I am still here. I have gotten out of the habit of doing a Menu Plan Monday post each week - mainly because I am not cooking as much as I used to. My husband and son do the majority of the cooking since I am at work during the evening. This past week my hubby made spaghetti Sunday night and then Thursday evening my son baked chicken thighs in the oven, served with green beans, corn, and a baked potato. The rest of the week they munched on leftovers and Ramen Noodles. Last night my hubby and I put together a roast in the crock pot and had beef stew today - it sure was delicious. I spent the night at my daughter's new place one night this week to save on the dreaded gas bill - driving 30 miles one way to work gets costly as prices rise. We had a delicious frozen pizza and hot wings.

Other than that, my weeks have been somewhat busy. My days are filled with my grand daughter or paper crafting, when I am not at work. I do have a cake to bake next week for my great nephew's birthday - I believe it will be a GI-Joe cake. If you haven't seen the cakes I have made in the past, you can view them on my facebook profile. I really love baking and decorating cakes but I can't do it very often because I end up eating too much sugar while making the icing and such! Not good, I know... but I JUST CAN'T RESIST. I love butercream icing - which is why I decided to switch gears and hobbies. Paper crafting is much less fattening!

I am also looking into joining a stamping company called Stampin' Up. As a Stampin' Up demonstrator I can earn money while having fun with my hobby - I love making cards and one day I hope to be good enough to sell them - until then, I hope I can find some like-minded individuals to enjoy learning stamping and card making with me. What I love most about Stampin' Up products is the fact that the paper and inks are color coordinated. So if you use Rich Razzleberry paper for a background you can accent it by stamping your sentiment in Rich Razzleberry ink or using a ribbon dyed with that same ink. Having everything color coordinated for me helps ensure that I don't screw that up!

So far I have learned a lot of stamping/card making techniques - including dry embossing, heat embossing, die cutting, and flower creation using paper and plastics. Its been tons of fun. I joined a site called Paper Craft Planet where I participate in monthly RAK's - aka Random Act of Kindness. A RAK is where two people are assigned to swap cards, scrapbook pages, embellishments and papers, etc. Its tons of fun and I send stuff all over the world - so far I have sent stuff to Africa. My March RAK will be shipping Monday - one package goes to New Zealand and another to Scotland with a final one going out to Maryland USA.

Here's a slide show of all the cards and stuff I have posted on PCP so far.

Find more photos like this on Paper Craft Planet

I hope you enjoy - and if paper crafting is something your into - please come by and visit my sister blog - Shack Scraps. Thanks for reading - hope you have a wonderful week coming up!

Sister Site - Shack Scraps

2011-03-07T03:53:00.000-06:00

Hi all! I have taken the plunge and created a 2nd blog! The Shambled Shack now has a sister site that is dedicated solely to my paper crafting - Shack Scraps! Since this blog is mainly dedicated to household organization and my cooking links and recipes, I thought it only appropriate to dedicate a blog to my newest and favorite hobby of paper crafting. Shack Scraps will host my latest card designs and scrap book pages as well as tips and tricks (as I learn them) and more of those blog candy links, etc. Oh, and if you haven't ever heard of it, I have plans to become a Stampin' Up demonstrator - I will be selling high quality card stock and papers, coordinating inks, rubber and clear stamps and other fine paper crafting tools and embellishments. I plan to share my Stampin' Up info at Shack Scraps so be sure to stop by and leave me some love!

More Pretty Pressings Candy!

2011-02-21T12:30:00.000-06:00

Claudia over at Pretty Pressings has some more wonderful blog candy for you to win! Make sure you stop by and get your chance at it! Lovely stuff! Just click on the photo above and it will take you to the candy!

Sizzix Bigkick - My Valentine's Day Gift

2011-02-16T19:21:00.000-06:00

My hubby and his mom went together to get me the perfect gift for Valentine's day.

Check it out! I am sooo excited!!!

In addition to the Bigkick I also got two dies of my choosing. Since I am still such a beginner and have very little by way of embellishments I decided to start making flowers. So I chose a circle die and a flower layers die.

Here are some of the flowers I was making before I got the Sizzix Bk, I used whatever I could find - lace, special papers, an old halloween costume (that's the golden looking one)...

Now that I have the Bigkick, I want to really get creative with my flowers...I have a ton of scrap card stock and an endless supply of newspaper...feel free to leave me a link to any flower tutorials you find...

Find more photos like this on Paper Craft Planet

And...if you are into scrapping/card making and you are ever interested in making an exchange for handmade flowers, I'd be happy to do one. I could sure use some embellishments - such as brads, lace, ribbon, etc...

Valentine's Day Candy from Pretty Pressings!

2011-02-15T12:34:00.000-06:00

Hope you all had a wonderful Valentine's Day! I sure did! I got my Sizzix BigKick and a couple of dies as well as an awesome t-shirt, a clean house, and dinner made when I got home from work. How much better can one get! Oh, I know, maybe you or I could win the Valentine's Day candy over at Pretty Pressings! Sign up with me over at Pretty Pressings for your chance to win some awesome stamps and sutff! Check out the items you could win! Click on the image to visit Pretty Pressings!

Isn't it just yummy!

Blog Candy at Pretty Pressings

2011-02-06T13:03:00.000-06:00

Found some really great Blog Candy, if your into scrapbooking that is. Take a look at all you can win!

Not shown are the 6 pro markers that are included in the give away!

Just click on the photo to visit Pretty Pressings and leave some love!

I could really use those stamps! I have a ton of birthday cards to make and since my collection is just starting I am limited on my stamps. I picked up a few stamps this weekend and also a border punch and a flower punch. The flower punch works stupendously for putting together paper flowers. Will show you some eventually. I am planning to create a sister blog to The Shambled Shack dedicated to my scrapping and card making. I do hope you will join me there, as well, when I get it finished. Have a great day!

New Years Resolutions and Other Thoughts....

2011-01-10T01:35:00.000-06:00

Well...It's January and this is my first post of 2011 - and it happens to be almost the middle of the month.....I really do want to post more often, but I get so caught up in life that sometimes its really hard to get on the computer as often as I would like. So tonight, I am playing catch up....please bare with me.

Below are a few of the items that are sure to be taking up my time during 2011 - so most of my resolutions are related to these items.

Scrap Booking/Card Making

I have found a new hobby...slightly expensive but its really very fun. I decided to get into scrap booking/card making because as it stands, I am stuck sharing my computer with my son - and he will be on it more frequently, you will see why further down in this post. I had to find something - other than cake decorating and cooking as those are not conducive to weight loss - you really do need to taste what your cooking and baking or it just doesn't work out so well. Also, I am the world's worst at sending cards, be it birthday, holiday, or even thank you cards. I am hoping that creating my own cards will help me to want to share them with family and friends more. And last but not least, I have a grand daughter now and she is soooo photogenic....enough said!

Here are the first scrapbook pages I have created digitally and a digital card I made for my son. Hope you enjoy!

Turtle Babies

Kitty Kisses

Going off to College

Exercise and Weight Loss

I have to get back into the swing of working out on the Wii and sticking to a more balanced diet- anything I had lost before has come back with a vengeance. I can not diet during the holidays...it just doesn't work for me with all the baking and yummy dinners and such...We really have to start sticking with a diabetic diet too. I have had several instances of my blood sugar being too high. I wouldn't have ever known if my husband hadn't insisted on checking it. He recognized my symptoms as he has them daily. One diabetic in the family is enough! I have to get control over my weight problem.

Posting More on My Blog

My youngest starts college tomorrow. I am totally excited for him! I have been running around trying to help him get things together...he will be living at home and going to a 2-year community college. He is studying computer programming and I think he is totally psyched about it. He has had his head stuck in his books since he got them last Thursday. I fully expect to be kicked off the PC much more. Though, his morning M-W-F classes start at 9 a.m. and I will be driving him until the weather warms - so I may be able to fit a few posts in early in the morning. I resolve to try to get more posts in during 2011.

Money and Moving

We are planning to find a more economical place to live when our lease is up coming in March. Luckily our lease is a middle of the month lease which means we will have about 17 days to get moved should we find a place that will let us move in on the 1st. My goal in 2011 is to tighten our household expenses as much as possible. Moving away from the 20,000 daily train drive-bys will be heaven all by itself!

Writing More
I want to write my own cookbook...or at least I think I do. More though, I really want to compile our favorite recipes into a book to help make menu planning less of a chore. I really do enjoy cooking. I also need to follow through with my menu planning each week as doing so really frees up my time for all of the other things. My goal in 2011 is to create a menu (and stick to it as much as possible) each week. Several ladies are doing a pantry challenge...I don't have a huge stock of food, but it would be nice to save some money right after Christmas - I am thinking of joining them. So far this month we have spent less than $100 on food - I would like to try not to spend any more this month but I know we will run out of milk. My guys are big milk drinkers.

Well, that's my list for 2011...now I have to go cut my son's hair and get to bed...8 a.m. comes pretty early to us night owls!

MPM - Dec 27, 2010

2010-12-27T02:46:00.001-06:00

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone! I know, I know...I am late. This year we are delayed a bit with Christmas as I worked both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. But I did get lots of goodies already so far. My son, bless his heart, just couldn’t wait to give his gifts. He gave hubs and I presents on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Morning. I got some awesome socks, some Coke collectible glasses, and these really cool decorative nesting boxes. I love all my gifts! They are awesome! Hubs got a really cool glass skull candle holder and an all-in-one tool with some really neat gadgets on it.

Our Christmas celebration this year is going to be combined into a Christmas/New Years Eve celebration on Friday. I have invited my mom - who is still recovering from getting her medi-port changed the week before Christmas - and my husband’s parents. I hope his parents bring my step-daughter along. It would be super great to have her and her little brother there too. My daughter and her husband will be there as well as my only granddaughter and also my son.

Friday’s dinner menu is still a bit up-in-the-air so I am not including details yet (I will come back and edit when I am certain what we are cooking). The rest of the week is pretty much laid out. I have plans to bake lots of cookies and clean house. Tuesday is my day to run around - I am getting a long overdue hair cut and shopping for a few trimmings. Gotta love those after Christmas specials. My daughter and her little fam are staying with us this week and she will be cooking a few of her favorite meals too. I am leaving Saturday and Sunday open for leftovers.

Here is our menu for the week of December 27 - January 1

Monday - Chicken Mushroom Supreme (recipe from Kraft Philly coupon book)
Tuesday - Chili (my daughter’s recipe)
Wednesday - Creamy Tomato Basil Pasta with Chicken
Thursday - Chicken Parmesan Bundles
Friday - Dinner Party Plans (pending)
Saturday - Left Overs (pending)
Sunday - Left Overs (pending)

Yummy Fun from Betty Crocker!

2010-12-22T14:41:00.001-06:00

Caramel S'more Cups & Double-Chocolate Caramel-Coffee Cups

I get these awesome newsletters from all over the web in my inbox on a daily basis - that's where I get most of my recipes.The two photos above are from my Betty Crocker newsletter that was sent on December 2nd and entitled Holiday Cookie Headquarters. Not only do these look scrumptious but they also tasted scrumptious too! And they were so easy to make! My co-workers really enjoyed them at the holiday party this year. What special treats have you made this year?

MPM - Dec 13, 2010

2010-12-13T13:29:00.000-06:00

Winter is on! Woke up Sunday morning to strong winds and drifting snow. With winter comes winterizing the house. This weekend we picked up some plastic to cover some of the windows and two of those Twin Draft Guards for our doors. Since we live in an older home, I knew we would have to deal with a drafty house, but I wasn’t expecting it to be this drafty. It wasn’t hard to figure out which windows need covering with the blast of cold wind we have had this weekend. Do you cover your windows to save on the heating bill?

In addition to winterizing the house, this week I am winterizing our menu plan! I am including some of our favorite soups as well as a new recipe for Hearty Beef Chili from DiabeticLiving.com so I can use up the left over beef steak strips from Beef and Broccoli a few weeks ago.

Since Christmas is coming soon and I am working both Christmas eve and Christmas day, I decided to take this coming weekend off from traveling anywhere. I normally do all my running on Friday’s including doctor appts., shopping, bill paying, etc. So my plans are to stay at home and have some fun for a change- I plan to spend some quality time with my hubby, do some cooking and cleaning, and play some Sims 3.

Here is our menu for the week of December 13 - 19

Monday - Curried Cider Pork Stew (an October Family Favorite)
Tuesday - Guys On Your Own (probably frozen pizza or leftovers)
Wednesday - Hearty Beef Chili
Thursday - Chicken Florentine Skillet (from Nov 15th MPM - we loved it)
Friday - Real Chicken Noodle Soup with Homemade Egg Noodles
Saturday - Chicken Enchilada Casserole and Tex Mex Chicken Tacos
Sunday - Left Overs

November Family Favorites

2010-12-10T04:39:00.000-06:00

Its that time again, time to share my family’s favorite new recipes! November hosts some really great dishes. I hope you enjoy them as much as we have!

Creamy Basil Chicken - ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Chicken and Wild Rice Chowder - ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash - ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Spinach and Beef Lasagna - ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Whole Wheat Apple Pancakes - ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Chicken Florentine Skillet - ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Orange Pork and Sweet Potatoes - ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
Ravioli Casserole - ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

Kitchen Clutter - Goals and Ideas

2010-12-01T11:46:00.001-06:00

I haven't talked much about clutter lately, so I probably should mention my kitchen clutter problem. Kitchen clutter is making me unhappy. We moved into a decent sized house but my kitchen lacks storage and counter space. We are planning to move in March or April again because our basement is full of mold and its killing my sinuses - so anything I decide to do in the mean time must be temporary and easily moveable.

Before I can add a furniture option to the mix though, I need to declutter my kitchen - I need to sort through all my spices, appliances, and general kitchen junk! My goal for December is to reduce the clutter and rearrange my kitchen. So stay tuned for future declutter posts! For now, I am looking for inspirational ideas - ways to motivate this old girl into getting it done!

Here are a few ideas I already have in mind:

I really like these moveable storage ideas - anything that rolls will fit my kitchen nicely. We have a portable dishwasher so things left in the middle of the kitchen must move around easily to accommodate the portable dishwasher.

This would be an ideal item to place along the wall between my stove and my pantry. Currently I have all my spices and cooking oils etc on a shelf - it really looks like a big cluster mess. Whatever we place in this spot though, must have an open bottom as there is a floor vent right there. My onions and potatoes are currently stored just above the vent - not good.

I also would love to find something to hold my veggies in...I found this fruit rack at walmart.com. It's nice, but not exactly what I would like. I like the idea of using baskets for my potatoes and onions but I am not sure I like the openness of the fruit rack.

Anyway, what storage options do you use in your kitchen? I could use all the ideas I can get!

Grocery University Practice

2010-12-01T01:20:00.000-06:00

I recently cashed in on a super Cyber Monday deal at Grocery University. I finished listening to the audio files this evening and decided to do some beginning practice. I don't currently have the money to do the shopping, but if I were going to shop - I would visit Gerbes (Kroger) this week - and here is what I would buy:

Mega Event Best Deals
Items in this section require you to purchase 10 participating items to receive the price listed.

Bumble Bee Tuna Pouches - 49⊄

55⊄/1 SS 9/12

Final Price - Free!

Krusteaz Bakery Style Cookie Mix - 99⊄

$1/1 SS 10/10

Final Price - Free!

Carnation Evaporated Milk - 49⊄

50⊄/2 RP 11/14

Final Price - 25⊄ ea

Sale + Coupon Matches

BC Hamburger Helper - 10 for $10

Use 3 - .75/3 - SS 11/7 or

.75/3 printable here

Final Price - 10 for $7.00 or 70⊄ ea

Nabisco Ritz Crackers - $1.99 ea

$1/1 - SS 11/14

Final Price - 99⊄ ea

Era Laundry Detergent - $3.99

$1/1 P&G 11/28

Final Price - $2.99 ea

Bar-S Franks - 4/$5

Use 2 Printable - $1/2 here

Final Price - 4/$3.00 or 75⊄ ea

FYI - I shop in Columbia, MO so my Gerbes/Kroger store deals are for that area and all require the use of a member card for Gerbes/Kroger. Also, there were many other deals in the paper, those above were just the best ones I found. You can view your local sale items here.

If you have the extra cash and are looking for a way to cut your grocery bill down, Grocery University is a great tool to help you get started. Most of the things Carrie introduces I was already doing, but I did learn quite a bit. I learned that I have a small advantage over most - I work for our local newspaper and I get my weekly papers for free - so my inserts don't cost me any extra, unless I want multiples. This allows me to have a sneak peak at the coupons before I decide to buy any extra papers. I currently do not have a food budget - and over the last few months I have been spoiled by free food at Gerbes through their Pharmacy Rewards program. I have $150 in free groceries coming in December yet (just 2 more scripts to go), so when January starts, I really will need all I learned from Grocery University to make food more affordable.

My goal over the next few months is to utilize what I learned and bring my grocery bill as low as I can. It would also be nice to get a lot more groceries for my free $150 Pharmacy Reward. Last time I got Pharmacy Rewards it was $100 - between that and coupons I managed to walk out of Gerbes with just over $150 in groceries for under $5 - not bad for a beginner, eh.

I plan to keep writing more of these grocery deal posts. Hope you enjoy!

MPM - Nov 15, 2010

2010-11-15T14:34:00.000-06:00

Fall is here and Thanksgiving is just around the corner. With it, I bring you a new MPM graphic from orgjunkie.com. Isn't it lovely! I think its super great that we can choose from so many great graphics for our MPM posts. Thanks OrgJunkie.com!

In addition to the great new graphic, I am also bringing you The Shambled Shack’s first printable Weekly Menu Plan - which includes all the recipes in one easy location and suggestions for breakfast, lunches, snacks, and side dishes as well as a grocery list for all of the main course meals on the list. Don’t forget to download it!

Click to Download This Week's Printable Menu Plan

Here is our menu for the week of November 15 - 21

Monday - Southwestern Corn Skillet
Tuesday - Chicken Florentine Skillet
Wednesday - Orange Pork and Sweet Potatoes
Thursday - Easy Chicken and Garden Veggies
Friday - Homemade Supreme Pizza
Saturday - Ravioli Casserole
Sunday - Barbecue Beef Cheese Melts

Thanksgiving has always been a big holiday for both my in-laws and my family. My in-laws always have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on Thanksgiving day. It's always the same time every year and in the same location. The only thing that has changed in the last 10 years that I have been going has been the addition of family members. My hubbies family is very spread out all over Missouri. So Thanksgiving is the only time of year we get to see everyone all in the same place. It used to be a chore to get my husband to even go...he used to be a bit of a relative recluse. He wasn't always the good boy in the family, if you know what I mean. Since I have been pushing the family issue with him though, he looks forward to it every year now.

Since we have begun our family tradition of traveling on Thanksgiving day to visit my hubbies family, it has been doubly hard to visit my family. I have noticed that my family has sort of backed off of committing to a specific day. For a long time, Thanksgiving dinner rotated back and forth from my mom's house to my cousin's house. Then, tragedy struck and my cousin and her husband divorced....since then it feels like my family is floundering. We had a few great dinners - one of which involved traveling out of state to my baby brother's house in Kansas. Unfortunately, my husband was unable to go along...while I had a great time, I missed my husband and I don't want to spend another Thanksgiving, or any other holiday, apart.

I wish it was possible to visit both families on the same day - but to be honest, its just not going to happen. We would end up spending most of the time driving and very little time visiting. I have considered hosting my own dinner but I just don't have the room. I have also encouraged my family to plan in advanced - and preferably on the weekend, but no one will make a firm commitment with adequate time to plan the travels (between work and making travel accommodations). Anyway...I miss my family. And I am curious how do you, if you live more than 3 hours from both families, manage your holiday travels?

Wii Fit Fridays - Week 3

2010-11-13T13:33:00.000-06:00

This week started out good. I decided to change up my workout a bit. I am now working on burning 199 calories per workout. Sticking with it is tough though...and I fell off the wagon this week when I came down with a cold. My good intentions got put on hold as my chest hurt too bad to exercise. My cold started on Wednesday when I woke up sick and its now Saturday and my chest is hurting worse than it was on Wednesday. I am not doing a weigh-in this week due to my chest cold. As soon as I am able to breath better I will jump back on my Wii board and pick up where I left off....so in the mean time....its Hot Wassail and lots of NyQuil for me.

See ya next Friday!

What's Cookin' Wednesday

2010-11-11T11:12:00.001-06:00

This is a day late...but I couldn't resist sharing this wonderful photo and I wish I could share the end result of what I was cookin'. On this week's menu plan, Wednesday's dinner showed Grilled Pork with Apple-Maple Glaze...but I didn't see I needed apple butter for my recipe. So Tuesday night, I found a great recipe for apple butter made in the crock pot...doesn't it look just devine!

Healthy Homemade Apple Butter (no sugar added)

recipe by Eating Bird Food

Healthy Homemade Apple Butter (no sugar added)

10 medium sized apples (choose a sweet variety like Red Delicious or Gala)
2 cups of unsweetened apple juice or approximately 5 apples juiced
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1 T cinnamon
1/2 t pure vanilla extract
1/4 t ground cloves
1/4 t ground nutmeg
pinch of sea salt

Prep:
1. Place cored and sliced apples (not peeled) into a large crock-pot / slow cooker.

2. Juice apples and pour juice on top of sliced apples. Add water, apple cider vinegar and spices. Stir all ingredients together, cover pot and let it cook for 15 hours on low.

3. The liquid will reduce and the apples will be very soft, darker in color, and smell lovely. Turn the crock pot off and let the apples cool down a bit (about 30 minutes), then transfer the mixture into a blender (or use a hand/stick blender) and blend until completely smooth.

4. Let the apple butter cool and then transfer into storage containers. It should store well in the fridge for about 3 weeks, however I filled 8, 1/2 pint freezer-safe canning jars, put the lid on, let them cool and then placed all the jars (besides one) into the freezer. Now I have one jar to eat and some homemade Christmas gifts!!

My apple butter turned out wonderfully, thanks to Eating Bird Food - and I even had to fudge a bit because I didn't have apple cider vinegar - I used white distilled vinegar instead. The fact that it has no added sugar makes it even better for my diabetic husband. Unfortunately, I was unable to make my Grilled Pork with Apple-Maple Glaze using the apple butter because I got sick and didn't feel like cooking anything on Wednesday. Waking up sick to a totally apply smelling house made a terrible morning a bit more bearable!

Enjoy this great recipe and be sure to visit Eating Bird Food for more great recipes and a wonderful blog! She is really an inspiring woman! Thanks for reading!

October Family Favorites

2010-11-08T14:11:00.003-06:00

Each month I am going to publish a list of recipes I have tried and links to those recipes. Each recipe will be one I have found during the previous month and cooked for my family. I will rate them using hearts on a scale of 1-5 (5 being best) These “Family Favorites” are recipes my hubby and son say they definitely would like me to make again.

Curried Cider Pork Stew - ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ (not a curry fan - we used a touch less curry than called for) ONLY 379 CALORIES PER SERVING!

Chicken Caesar Lasagna - ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ONLY 268 CALORIES PER SERVING (SECONDS HERE I COME!)

Burgundy Beef Stew - ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ONLY 317 CALORIES PER SERVING

What new family favorite recipes did you find during the month of October? Share your family favorites by linking up your post in my comments below.

Menu Plan Monday - 11-8-2010

2010-11-08T12:49:00.002-06:00

Last week I showed an amazing photo of Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash. I made this on Saturday and it was so delicious! The actual recipe called for 3 acorn squash but I only had 2. I stuffed the entire mixture into 4 halves instead of 6 halves and it worked out fine. My hubby, daughter, and son-in-law were very skeptical at first but once they started eating they loved it. If you get the chance, definitely try this recipe out - especially now when winter squash are in season and on sale!

This week I let my daughter pick out three recipes from a huge stack of recipe cards given to be by my mother-in-law. She chose three fairly easy to make Betty Crocker recipes. Our family loves to try new recipes and lately I have been finding some great ones. I hope these three turn out as delicious as they appear on the cards. Anyway, here is my menu plan for this week.

Monday - Left Over Potato Soup
Tuesday - Lemon Apricot Chicken, Strawberry Spinich Salad, Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Wednesday - Grilled Pork Chops with Maple-Apple Glaze, Garden Vegetable Medley, Garlic Bread
Thursday - Teriyaki-Sesame-Chicken Wraps and Apple-Walnut Salad
Friday - Take-out Pizza
Saturday - Trip to St. Louis to introduce Avah, my granddaughter, to hubby’s relatives!
Sunday - Easy Chicken and Rice Divan

Thanks for visiting The Shambled Shack, I hope you have a wonderful week! Be sure to visit orgjunkie.com for more great menu plans!

Wii Fit Fridays - Week 2

2010-11-08T11:48:00.000-06:00

Welcome back to Wii Fit Fridays - and I am a bit late this week (2 days late) But here is my “not so good” weigh in anyway...even if it is late.

Weigh In

Weight: 227.5
BMI: 42.98
Waist - 40.5
Hips: 52.5
Neck: 15.25
Body Fat: 57.2%

My weight loss goal is 1lb per week, 4lbs per month.
My current wii fit goal is 13lbs in 12 weeks.
My workout goal is s minimum of 30 minutes per day 5 days per week.

What do you do when your goal grows instead of shrinks?
The first thing you should do is determine what happened that caused your goal to grow. In my case I got a bit lazy and didn’t do all of my full routines each and every day as I had planned. I cheated and drank a couple of Mountain Dews this past week as well, but I did stick to my menu plan and only ate good healthy foods.

Determine your weaknesses:
The hardest part of losing weight and getting fit for me has to be the workouts. I get so busy that before I know it I am just too pooped to do it. I also hate to fight for electronics at my house - be it the television, the wii or the computer. If my son or husband are using the item I need, I will just wait patiently (and not be aggressive about it). I must mention that this means I rarely will get to use said item in the same day as both of them are totally ADHD and can hyperfocus for hours on end...I usually give up and go to bed. I must learn to be more assertive in order to reach my goal. What obstacles are you facing in your quest to be fit?

Reaffirm your commitment:
I am committed to losing weight and getting fit. I want this for myself - my body is badly out of shape and my health is important not only to me, but to my family as well. I have a brand new granddaughter and as she grows I would very much like to be able to keep up with her. Heart disease runs rampant in my family on both maternal and paternal sides. My sister was just 43 when she had her first heart problem. I am just 4 years younger than that now. If I don’t get control of my health now I am facing that same fate. My thyroid problem kept me from losing weight before, but its under control now and I just need to kick start my metabolism.

I can do this.

I will do this.

For me.

Menu Plan Monday - 11-1-2010

2010-11-01T14:42:00.002-05:00

Click image to visit Orgjunkie.com and find more great menus!

Our menu this week:

Monday - Mushroom and Beefy Noodle

Tuesday - Spinach and Beef Lasagna

Wednesday - Creamy Basil Chicken

Thursday - Chicken and Wild Rice Chowder

Friday - Left Overs

Saturday - Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash

Sunday - Breakfast for Lunch

Southwestern Stuffed Acorn Squash

Recipe from EatingWell.com

Mealtime Traditions

When I was a kid growing up, we always ate our evening meals together around the kitchen table.We spent time chatting about the day and hanging out as a family. I remember my brother sitting in his high chair at dinner, falling asleep with his face landing in his mashed potatoes. Mom was a miracle worker with dinner time too. She could turn a measly $40 into a weeks worth of delicious and healthy meals.

Today, with my husband attending school during the day and myself working evenings, meals just don't end up being eaten together. Instead, I cook the evening meals before I leave for work (so I can take some in my lunch) and the guys eat when they feel like it. My husband and son are the only ones home in the evenings so they pretty much do as they please. When weekend comes though, I do try to work out a way for us to all sit together and eat. Its during those times that we chat about our week (instead of our day).

Do you have strange work hours? How do you deal with non-traditional dinner time in your home? What traditions are you having to adjust to fit your busy life?

Just Checking In...

2010-10-31T23:44:00.000-05:00

It's Halloween Sunday and I am just checking in... We had a fabulous trip to my sister's house, hayride was a blast, kids dunked for apples, tons of delicious food and some even more delicious deserts....all in all it was a successful trip. Since my kids are grown and I work every Sunday, I won't be enjoying the trick-or-treater's this year. So my Halloween is pretty much finished for this year (with the exception of a few scary shows my husband plans to record on AMC this year).

Here I sit reminiscing my weekend of family time. We reserved the cabin again for next year. Between now and then, I am dying to pick up an air mattress. First though, let me tell you about this super cozy cabin my sister lets visitors use over the hayride weekend. The cabin is built from pine logs...its probably about 7-8 foot by 12 foot (maybe) with two windows and a dead-bolt locking door. There is a built-in AC unit near the top of the back wall and a dresser with a lamp below that. She has 3 dining chairs, a coffee table, and a couch stuffed into the single room. There is no bathroom. The cabin was built mostly for storage, but they decided to carpet it and add a few furniture items for a nice little get-a-way for guests who stay over night during special occasions. The couch does not fold out, but its comfy enough for sleeping. The cabin is definitely a hit with guests...so much so that she now has a total of 3 small cabins with sleeping areas.

One of the cabins is almost always utilized by her 16 yr old son and his friends - it also has electricity. The other cabin is smaller but has a loft bed within it - its not fully finished and they currently use it mainly for storage. I keep telling my sister she should charge a weekend rooming rate of $25 or something to cover electricity and cleanup. Although, family generally keeps things clean on their own - but you know...it might help subsidize more cabins - these things are amazing. I suggested that my future brother-in-law build multiple cabins and set them up all along the hayride path all the way down to and around his lake. Someday in the future he plans to build a rental cabin down by the lake anyway. He already has a huge heart shaped hot tub for the recreational area on the bottom floor of the cabin as well as a pool table which he plans to put down there. The man is very creative - one of these days I will share photos of his cool projects. My sister is a very lucky woman.

Hubby and I always look forward to visiting my sister - we would actually love to visit more often, but it is a 3 hour drive and we all have very busy lives. She is planning to hold Thanksgiving dinner at her house this year (I keep hoping it will be on Saturday instead of Thursday though, because I hate having to spread myself thin by visiting two places in the same day. Hubby's family rents a church camp ground for their dinner every Thanksgiving Day. My family never makes firm plans until right up to the last week - so planning is difficult and much of the time we end up only going to one or the other but never both. Christmas isn't going to be much fun this year as I will most likely be working both days.

Sleeping in the cabin this year was slightly uncomfortable for Hubby and I. We both could not fit on the couch so we made a palette on the floor. My back couldn't take the stiff floor at all...so I only ended up with about 3 to 4 hours of sleep. Hubby is rather tall and he slept rather cramped with his legs bent and couldn't stretch out... Which is why I am determined to buy an air mattress for next year...

How was your Halloween weekend? Hope you had fun!!

--
Wanda

It's Hayride Time!

2010-10-30T08:38:00.002-05:00

Hope everyone has a safe and happy Halloween...I am off to my sister's place for Fall fun and a great hayride!

Wii Search

2010-10-29T03:47:00.000-05:00

For those of you joining me, I have been doing some “Wii” Search on how many calories one would burn playing Wii Sports and/or Wii Sports Resort.

According to Wii Healthy, a website I happened to run across, they have done the research for Wii Sports and they claim that if you play these games actively on a daily basis for 10 weeks (not just passively moving the wrist and nothing else) then you should burn an average of the stated amount of calories listed below.

Wii Sports Boxing       15 minutes    121 calories burned or just over 8 calories per minute.
Wii Sports Tennis       25 minutes    110 calories burned or 4.4 calories per minute.
Wii Sports Bowling    30 minutes    104 calories burned or 3.5 calories per minute.
Wii Sports Baseball   35 minutes    102 calories burned or about 3 calories per minute.
Wii Sports Golf         45 minutes      99 calories burned or 2.2 calories per minute.

Please remember, these are based on an average person, actual calories burned may be slightly different based on age, weight, amount of activity differences. Read more about how calories burned is calculated at Perfect Body Toning.com I learned a lot about calories and burning them in the article at that link. I am slowly working my way up to 500 calories burned per day on the Wii.

Paul from the Fit Game Forum posted a list of approximate calories burned while playing Wii Sports Resort games. He broke down the games into three categories: balance and control games, semi-active games, and active games.

Balance and control games will burn approximately 2 calories per minute - these games include archery, jet ski and wakeboarding, flying games, and frisbee. Semi-active games will burn about 3 to 4 calories per minute - they include basket ball shooting hoops, golf, bowling, and canoeing. The active game category includes table tennis, cycling, and sword play. Table tennis will burn about 5 calories per minute. Cycling will burn about 50 calories for every 10 minutes. Finally, sword play burns 8.5 calories per minute. Overall, it appears that sword play will probably be the best calorie burn for time spent.

If your competitive or interested in more “Wii” search, come join me at the Fit Game Forums where you can share your high scores, gain more tips and tricks, and learn tons more about Wii Fit, Wii Fit Plus, and several other Fitness games for the Wii.

The Shambled Shack

Reflecting on 2011...

Menu Plan Monday

I'm Still Alive and Kick'n

Sister Site - Shack Scraps

More Pretty Pressings Candy!

Sizzix Bigkick - My Valentine's Day Gift

Valentine's Day Candy from Pretty Pressings!

Blog Candy at Pretty Pressings

New Years Resolutions and Other Thoughts....

MPM - Dec 27, 2010

Yummy Fun from Betty Crocker!

MPM - Dec 13, 2010

November Family Favorites

Kitchen Clutter - Goals and Ideas

Grocery University Practice

Mega Event Best Deals Items in this section require you to purchase 10 participating items to receive the price listed.

Sale + Coupon Matches

MPM - Nov 15, 2010

Wii Fit Fridays - Week 3

What's Cookin' Wednesday

Healthy Homemade Apple Butter (no sugar added)

October Family Favorites

Menu Plan Monday - 11-8-2010

Wii Fit Fridays - Week 2

Weigh In

Menu Plan Monday - 11-1-2010

Just Checking In...

It's Hayride Time!

Wii Search

Mega Event Best Deals
Items in this section require you to purchase 10 participating items to receive the price listed.