Wee Wilhites

Getting an Early Start for Valentine's Day

2012-01-24T20:11:00.000-08:00


Can you guess what we are doing with all these crayon pieces?

The kids and I are making heart shaped crayons.

The boys loved how the crayons turned out being multicolored. It's neat to see how different each one turns out.

We were getting a head start on making gifts for Valentine's Day. Jeremiah is excited to take these for all his Puggles friends at church.

We made soap dispensers last year for Valentine's Day and this was one of my kids favorite projects. I had my daycare kids make them this week so they can enjoy using it before Valentine's Day. The girls had so much fun and they loved it! We have some friends coming at the end of this week to make more soap dispensers and my boys will decorate one for their Nana & Great Grandma too. These make the perfect gifts for family! :-)'

Meal Plan Monday

2012-01-23T11:44:00.000-08:00

Alright, so I'm super excited about my Meal Plan Calendar form I printed out from www.faithfulprovisions.com. I usually only meal plan for dinners, but I have decided to start planning for breakfast. lunch & snacks too!

I'm implementing this Meal Plan starting this week and I can't wait to see how much more efficient and smooth our day will run having all our meals planned out. I have our meal plan posted right on our refrigerator door so it's visible to see whenever necessary. :)

Breakfast:
Cold Cereal, Bananas x2
Cinnamon Toast, Fruit Smoothies
Banana Chocolate Chip Bread, Fruit
Chocolate Chip Waffles, Strawberries
French Toast, Strawberries, Blueberries

Lunch:
PB& J Sandwiches, Carrots, Mandarin Oranges x2
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Green Beans, Peaches
Alfredo Pasta, Peas, Pineapple
Turkey/Ham Sandwiches, Celery w/ Peanut Butter, Raisins
Mac & Cheese, Hot Dogs, Peas, Apples
Cheese Quesadilla, Carrots w/ Ranch, Apples
(Corned Beef Sandwiches for Daddy)

Dinner:
Turkey & Pepper Jack Cheese Pinwheel Sandwiches, Buffalo Wings
Kids: Hot Dogs, String Cheese, Peaches
Breakfast for Dinner: Chocolate Chip Waffles, Turkey Bacon, Scrambled Eggs w/ Sausage & Cheese
Meatloaf Parmigiana, Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Sauteed Zucchini
Marinated Salmon, Baked Potato, Roasted Asparagus
Cream of Mushroom Chicken, Broccoli Au-Gratin Rice-A-Roni, Mixed Veggies, Rosemary Focaccia Rolls
Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Baked Potato, Corn
Buffalo Shrimp, ?

Snacks:
Yogurt w/ Apples
Fish/Animal Crackers
Homemade Granola Bars
Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins
String Cheese, Snack Crackers

12 Do-It-Yourself Projects I Plan to Attempt in 2012

2012-01-23T10:56:00.000-08:00

I made several Do-It-Yourself Projects last year and I have been very happy with the results (laundry detergent, glycerin soap, wheat bread, cinnamon rolls, yogurt, etc.). As a matter of fact, I have continued making these items on a regular basis because they have become our new favorites!

I decided to challenge myself to try 12 new things again in 2012. I have set a goal of only doing 1 per month so it's more realistic for me to actually complete the task I start. I always get side tracked and start doing so many other projects at the same time, but just to find I never complete half of what I start. The purpose for posting this list on my blog is to hold myself accountable! :-)

January- Homemade Granola Bars (I made them already and they are delicious)

February- Sew Heart Shaped Rice Heat Packs for Valentine's Gifts
Homemade Heart Shaped Crayons (Valentine's gift for my sons friends)

March- Homemade Poptarts

April- Homemade French Bread

May- Homemade Wheat Thins

June- Homemade Vanilla Extract (making it now so it will be ready by Christmas)

July- Sew Big Floor Pillows for the Kids (I'm hoping to find pillow forms at yard sales or thrift store)

August-Homemade Bubble Bath

September- Eczema Fighting Lotion

October- Homemade Chapstick

November- Homemade Vick's Vapor Rub

December- Homemade Chai Tea Mix

Everlasting Cole Slaw

2012-01-17T19:04:00.000-08:00

I got a bag of shredded cabbage at the 99 cent store the other day and I was looking for a way to use it. I came across a recipe that my Grandma used to make when I was younger and it was a family favorite. I'm not a fan of creamy cole slaw, but I do like a good vinegar based cole slaw. I made this recipe tonight and it brought back many memories. It tasted just like how I remembered. I thought I would share this recipe. My Grandma was a great cook!

Everlasting Cole Slaw

1 med. head of cabbage (shredded)
1 green pepper (diced)
1 cup diced celery
1 diced onion

Toss together and then add this dressing

1 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. celery seed
1 tsp. dry mustard
1/4 cup oil

Heat together & cool. Add to cabbage and let set for several hours. This recipe keeps well at least 1 week. Enjoy!

Delicious Granola Bar Recipe

2012-01-16T15:29:00.000-08:00

Thanks to my friend Sonna for telling me about this delicious recipe of Homemade Granola Bars. After hearing how easy it was to make them and how good they tasted, I just knew I had to try them out for myself. I made the granola bars for the first time today and oh my goodness, they are fabulous! My kids loved them and I had issues with self control to not eat half the pan (it probably didn't help that I skipped eating lunch today).

This recipe will easily be added as a new family favorite for snack time! :)

Homemade Granola Bar Recipe:

2 1/2 cups rice cereal
2 cups oats
1/2 cup raisins (optional-I used dried cranberries & I also added some mini chocolate chips)
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup or honey (I used honey)
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix cereal, oats & raisins together and set aside. Heat sugar and syrup or honey just to boiling point, add peanut butter and vanilla and stir until smooth. Pour over cereal and mix well. Press into a 9x13 greased or foil lined pan. Allow to cool. Cut & Enjoy!

Note: You can add any fruits, nuts or whatever you like. The possibilities are endless with this recipe!

Kid tested, mother approved! hahaha

Meal Plan Monday

2012-01-15T22:11:00.000-08:00

Last week ended up being a busy week for us so I didn't end up making a couple dinners I had on our menu plan, so I'm adding them back on for this week.

I hope you all have a blessed week! :)

Sunday: Pork Chops, Corn & Salad

Monday: Tri-Tip, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans & Garlic Bread

Tuesday: Chicken Salads w/ all the Fixings

Wednesday: Turkey Burgers, Tator Tots & Fresh Fruit

Thursday: Salmon, Mixed Vegetables & Cheesy Garlic Biscuits

Friday: Cream of Mushroom Chicken, Rice & Broccoli

Saturday: Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza/Canadian Bacon & Pineapple

This weeks make & bakes:
Homemade Granola Bars
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread
Honey Whole Wheat Bread
English Muffin Breakfast Sandwiches (these freeze great and it's easy for my hubby to take to work)

Meal Plan Monday

2012-01-09T17:35:00.001-08:00

Now that the Holiday's are over it's been nice getting back into my normal routine of things. I've started off the year right and we have had a good home cooked meal every night since. We will see how long this lasts! :)

Monday: Breaded Chicken, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Tuesday: Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, Green Peas & Rosemary Focaccia Rolls

Wednesday: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches w/ Homemade Tomato Soup

Thursday: Chicken Salad w/ all the Fixings

Friday: Tri-Tip, Broccoli Rice-A-Roni & Salad (I'm making a lava turtle cake for dessert)

Saturday: Crock Pot Pork Chops, Salad & Cheesy Biscuit Rolls

Sunday: Turkey Burgers, Tator Tots & Fresh Fruit

Yummy French Toast

2012-01-09T10:04:00.001-08:00

I went to the 99 cent store this weekend and picked up a loaf of Texas Toast Bread. I wanted to make french toast this week and I didn't want to pay the grocery store price of $3.58. That's why I love the 99 cent store. They carry lots of items & fresh produce for much cheaper than the grocery store. :)

This recipe is a replica from International House of Pancakes. I got the recipe out of my cookbook called Top Secret Restaurant Recipes by Todd Wilbur.

French Toast Recipe:
Serves 2 (can be doubled)

2 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons butter
6 slices thick-sliced French bread
1 tablespoon powdered sugar

1. Beat the eggs in a large shallow bowl.
2. Add the milk, vanilla, flour, and salt to the eggs. Beat the mixture with an electric mixer. Be sure all the flour is well combined.
3. Heat a large skillet over medium heat. When the surface is hot, add about a teaspoon of butter.
4. Dip the bread, a slice at a time, into the batter, being sure to coat each side well. Drop the bread into the hot pan (as many as will fit at one time) and cook for 2 to 3 minutes per side or until the surface is golden brown. Repeat with the remaining pieces of bread.
5. Cut each piece of toast in half diagonally. Arrange six halves of the toast on two plates by neatly overlapping the slices. Sprinkle about 1/2 tablespoon of powdered sugar over the tops on the toast slices on each plate. Serve with butter and syrup on the side.

Enjoy!

*The kids and I enjoyed this breakfast this morning served with fresh strawberries & blueberries. Yummy! :)

Ranch Oyster Crackers Recipe

2011-12-30T19:08:00.000-08:00

We spent Christmas Day at my mom's house and one of our good friends came over and brought these delicious Ranch Oyster Crackers (warning: they may be addicting). I just had to have the recipe. This has to be one of my new favorite snack crackers! My kids love em and I can't stop eating them. So with that being said, I thought I would share the recipe with you all too.

Ranch Oyster Crackers

1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 box (16 ounces) oyster crackers
1 packet (3 Tbsp or 1 ounce) Hidden Valley Original Ranch Salad Dressing & Seasoning Mix
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder (this is what I use) or 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper

Instructions:

Place crackers in a gallon-size Glad-Lock Zipper Storage Bag. Pour oil over crackers; seal bag and toss coat.
Add dressing mix and spice; seal bag and toss again until coated. Bake on ungreased baking sheet at 250 for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown (I do not bake mine).

Enjoy! :)

Meal Plan Friday

2011-12-29T17:42:00.000-08:00

Alright......I haven't posted my meal plan in several months or have been very good about keeping one with the holidays being here. Life has just been so crazy and now it's starting to settle back down and I'm ready to get back into the swing of things. It's time to get my normal routine back! :-)

Friday: New York Steaks, Sauteed Mushrooms, Salad, Garlic Bread & Homemade Cake (celebrating my little guys 1st Birthday)

Saturday: I'm Making Finger Foods & Dessert (celebrating New Years Eve with Good Friends)

Sunday: Pork Chops, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Sweet Corn

Monday: Homemade Loaded Baked Potato Soup Bread Bowls

Tuesday: Fish Tacos & Homemade Cilantro Ranch Dressing

Wednesday: Grilled Cheese Sandwiches & Homemade Tomato Soup

Thursday: Tri-Tip, Rice Pilaf & Peas

Friday: Turkey Burgers, Tator Tots & Fresh Fruit

Saturday: Marinated Salmon, Mixed Veggies & Homemade Cheddar Cheese Biscuits

Sunday: Tacos, Rice, Beans & Chips w/ Guacamole

This Weeks Make & Bakes:
Whole Wheat Bread
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (I got canned pumpkin on clearance for .80 this week)
Chocolate Zucchini Bread

And the Winners Are.........

2011-11-12T11:44:00.000-08:00

It's time to announce the winners for the 25 Free Shutterfly Holiday Cards Giveaway!

And the winners are..............Katie, Heather & Laurie!

Congratulations girls! I will send you each a separate email with your Shutterfly codes.

Shutterfly Christmas Card Giveaway

2011-11-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

I can't believe Christmas is just right around the corner. Seriously, where has the time gone!? Each year, I get so excited to send out Christmas cards to all our family and friends. One of my favorite photo companies is Shutterfly . I have used their services for years and I have always loved the products that I have ordered. We have a tradition each year of ordering personalized Photo Calendars for ourselves and both sets of Grandparents as an annual Christmas gift. Photo Books are also great too! Who wouldn't love seeing pictures of their Grand kids!?

Here is the Christmas card I ordered from Shutterfly last year. The print quality was amazing and I have never gotten so many comments and compliments (maybe because my boys are the cutest kids ever......ok, so I'm a little biased) on a Christmas card of all things.

Shutterfly just recently released their new Christmas cards for 2011. It's always so difficult to pick out which Christmas card I want to order because they have so many great designs to choose from. I was browsing through all the designs and here are the two I'm contemplating on ordering this year.

Now comes the fun part! Shutterfly is generously allowing me to give away a set of 25 free cards (of the winner’s choosing!) to three of my blog readers. Yay! To enter, leave a comment and I’ll choose a random winner on Friday, November 11th. So, head over to Shutterfly and start picking out your faves.

Meal Plan Monday

2011-09-20T13:33:00.001-07:00

Alright......I can't believe we are in another week already. Seriously, where is the time going? I can't seem to catch up. I haven't done much grocery shopping lately so I'm going to plan our meals around what I have on hand in our freezer already.

Sunday: Steaks on the BBQ Grill & Salad

Monday: Bacon Sandwiches & Fresh Fruit

Tuesday: Turkey Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries & Homemade Dipping Sauce

Wednesday: Chicken Salads (hot dogs, macaroni & cheese, mandarin organges & carrots for the kids)

Thursday: Grilled Salmon, Mixed Vegetables & Rolls

Friday: Cream of Mushroom Chicken, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Saturday: Fish Tacos

Meal Plan Monday

2011-09-12T17:34:00.001-07:00

Sunday: Chicken Noodle Soup (we all have a little stomach bug, so we are eating light)

Monday: Grilled Chicken Salads

Tuesday: Crock Pot Roast w/ Carrots & Potatoes

Wednesday: Homemade Tomato Soup & Grilled Cheese Sandwiches

Thursday: Fish Tacos w/ Homemade Cilantro Ranch Dressing

Friday: Stuffed Chicken Bacon Pizza Rolls w/ Homemade Ranch Dressing

Saturday: Grilled Salmon & Mixed Veggies

Pumpkin Spice Latte

2011-09-09T10:36:00.000-07:00

Fall is just around the corner and I'm so excited! I love all the holiday coffee drinks and I usually try to make them at home to save money. I found this recipe on the Motherload Blog. After making it this morning, I thought it was really good, but it was a little too strong for my taste. I will make it with less coffee next time.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

2 cups milk
1 cup very strong coffee (4 tablespoons coffee grounds to 1 cup of hot water)
2 teaspoons vanilla
2-4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon (plus extra for dusting)
2 heaping spoonfuls of pumpkin

Directions:
Pour all the ingredients into a pot and heat over medium-high heat until the coffee is steaming hot. Pour into mugs and top with whipped cream & cinnamon.

Serving Size: 2

Enjoy! :)

Meal Plan Monday

2011-08-29T13:58:00.001-07:00

Since school has started, I haven't been the best at coupon shopping or figuring out my meal plans early, but thankfully I'm fully stocked on the items we use most often. This has given me some wiggle room to not stress out & to spend more time with my kiddos during the last couple of weeks! :)

Sunday: Ground Beef Tacos w/ Beans & Rice

Monday: Roasted Herb Chicken, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Tuesday: Fish Tacos w/ Homemade Cilantro Ranch Dressing

Wednesday: Turkey Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries & Fresh Fruit

Thursday: BBQ Chicken Salad

Friday: Grilled Salmon, Baked Red Potato & Steamed Veggies

Saturday: Buffalo Shrimp & Cheese Quesadilla's

Meal Plan Monday a Little Late

2011-08-17T19:55:00.000-07:00

Wow......I can't believe this week is already here. Two of my boys & myself have been sick with colds so we are just trying to get over this crud. I have been busy trying to get all our school stuff together & organized, but it seems as though it's taking me a long time to do so. I'm excited to start school with my boys this week!

Sunday: Corn Dogs & Fruit Salad

Monday: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Cottage Cheese & Corn

Tuesday: Turkey Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries w/ Homemade Dip & Fresh Fruit

Wednesday: Fish Tacos (kids will have fish sticks, cottage cheese, carrots & grapes)

Thursday: Meatloaf, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Friday: Grilled Salmon, Mixed Veggies & Corn Bread w/ Honey Butter

Saturday: Chicken Alfredo, Baked Red Potatoes & Broccoli

Foxy Returns!

2011-08-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

About 3 years ago, my hubby and I brought home this adorable little Pomeranian puppy we named Foxy. We just fell in love with her. She was great with our kids, super sweet & one of the best dogs we have ever had. The one big problem we had with her is she kept going potty in the house. I know puppy's take awhile to potty train, but for some reason she just wouldn't stop. We gave her so many chances hoping she would change, but unfortunately she didn't. So we ended up giving her away.

That was one of the hardest choices ever, but the only thing that made it a little better is we gave her to one of our friends. The kids talked about Foxy non-stop and we got updates on how she was doing all the time. It was great to hear that they fell in Love with her just as much as we did. She ended up becoming one of their favorite dogs.

Talk about being blessed........I ended up getting an email earlier this week asking if we would be interested in taking Foxy back? They are moving overseas & they didn't have the ability to take her. I know it's one of the hardest & emotional decisions they had to make, but they knew she would have a wonderful & loving home here & she would be back with her original owners. We still loved her even though we didn't have her for a couple years. AND the best part is.........she is potty trained now! :):):)

Foxy is the same color as Tink!

Jeremiah's 1st Haircut

2011-08-01T22:17:00.000-07:00

I have always LOVED Jeremiah's cute little curls, but he was long overdue for a haircut. Daddy gave him his 1st haircut today (mommy finally caved in & let daddy do it) and it turned out so cute!

Jeremiah was excited to get his 1st haircut (front view).

His crazy curly hair (side view).

Look at those luscious curls (other side view).

Oh.... am I going to miss his curly rat's nest in the back. :)

Mommy's cutting a lock of curls to keep for his baby book.

Jeremiah gave daddy a cute little smirk once he started cutting his hair with the Flowbee.

My cute little guy. He did a great job listening & trying to hold still.

Daddy's like a pro at this. He has gotten lots of practice from our older boys.

TA DA! Look at my handsome little guy. Now he looks a lot like his older brother Noah with his new haircut.

So cute!

The back still has some curl to it. I LOVE it! Thanks daddy for doing such an excellent job!

I'm a little sad to see Jeremiah's curls go because that ends the baby stage for me. He's getting to be such a big boy just like his brothers!

Meal Plan Monday

2011-08-01T17:33:00.000-07:00

I finally finished doing all my grocery shopping for the next 2 weeks. All I will need is fresh fruits & veggies. I'm hoping to do some freezer cooking a few days this week too!

Sunday: Fish Tacos

Monday: Fish Stick Sandwiches & Watermelon

Tuesday: Roast w/ Carrots, Potatoes & Corn muffins w/ Honey Butter

Wednesday: Grilled Chicken, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Thursday: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Salad & Peas

Friday: Tuna Noodle Casserole

Saturday: Grilled Salmon, Rice & Green Beans

My New Chest Freezer

2011-07-30T10:57:00.001-07:00

I am so excited to share with you my new Frigidaire Chest Freezer. One of my family members blessed me tremendously by buying this for my family. I am happy to say I got part of my garage cleaned out this week and I was finally able to plug this baby in and start using it.

This chest freezer couldn't have come at a more perfect time! Since we are a family of 6 now, we go through lots of food (4 boys......oh my) and I feel like I'm at the store a few times a week because we didn't have the storage space before.

I have so many plans on how I will be using my new best friend! :) I want to start doing a freezer cooking day twice a month so I can make many meals ahead of time and be able to freeze them so I can pull them out whenever needed. This will help me save some time and not be in the kitchen 24-7 (I always feel like I'm in the kitchen all day with the kids preparing food).

Isn't she a beauty!?!? :):):):)

I love the 4 baskets that come with the chest freezer. This will help me organize better so all the smaller food items won't go down to the bottom and get lost.

Meal Plan Monday

2011-07-25T21:19:00.000-07:00

Wow......is it just me or is the time flying by!? I feel like I just finished my meal plan from last week and here we are again. My hubby and I want to start eating a little healthier so I am planning all our meals with either fish or chicken this week. Hopefully this will be a good start to shedding a few pounds soon! :)

Sunday: Ham Sandwiches, Fresh Fruit & Carrots w/ Ranch

Monday: Chicken Salad (Corn Dogs, Mandarin Oranges & Drinkable Yogurt for the Kiddos)

Tuesday: Chicken Lettuce Wraps (Thanks Lora for the recipe....I can't wait to try it)

Wednesday: Turkey Burgers, Tator Tots & Fresh Fruit

Thursday: Fish Tacos w/ Cilantro Ranch Dressing

Friday: Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza

Saturday: Baked Salmon, Mixed Veggies & Corn Bread w/ Honey Butter

This Weeks Make & Bakes:
Chocolate Chip Banana Bread & Muffins
Fruit Smoothies
Banana Chips (trying my new food dehydrator)
Apple Chips

One Man's Junk is Another Man's Treasure!

2011-07-25T18:45:00.000-07:00

I love going to yard sales! It's so much fun and it's like I'm on the hunt for hidden treasure. The type of treasure I'm in need of or want. The great thing about buying at yard sales, is you only pay pennies on the dollar for items you would normally buy elsewhere for much much more.

Saturday turned out to be a great yard sale day for me. I found some awesome treasure for my family that I have been either wanting or needing. Check out the items I found! :)

I found this really cute 10 drawer organizer for $5.00. I will use this for organizing my crafts or for the boys school supplies. Either way........I have many ideas on how this can be used.

Pictionary Junior is a little too old for my kids right now, but we will have fun playing this game real soon! I got the Busy Bugs set by Discovery Toys to teach my boys math. This will definitely come in handy this year with school. The big activity & project book will be great to have around for great ideas & fun! I got all 3 of these items for only $1.50.

I was excited to find The Usborne First Encyclopedia Books of Space & Our World. I was wanting these, but didn't want to spend the money buying them brand new. These books have the Internet links inside. I got all 6 of these books for $1.25. What a deal!

My kids LOVE dried fruit so I was on the look out for a food dehydrator. It just so happens that the first yard sale I went to on Saturday ended up having this for only $2.00. SCORE!!!

I couldn't resist this cute Micky Mouse T-Shirt for myself. It looked brand new and it was from the Disney Store. Could you believe they only wanted .25 cents. Yes, please!!!

I like Rachael Ray and I love to cook so I thought this would be a perfect gift to myself (without feeling guilty on buying myself something that costs a lot). This cookbook looked brand new and I got it for only .25 cents. Who could pass this up!?!?

My older son has been asking me when he can learn to roller skate. Where did he get this idea from? I don't know, but I was happy to find him a pair of Blade Runner Roller Blades barely used that are adjustable from sizes 1-4. These specific brand of roller blades retail for around $70.00.... OUCH! The great thing about these is they will last several years since they are adjustable to size. That is awesome! I also found a nice baseball glove at the same place. He wanted one of these too.

I got both of these items for $5.00.

Can you believe I only spent $15.25 for all these items! What a bargain! This is the reason why I like to go to yard sales and the best part is.........I can stay within my budget! :):)

Have you gone to any yard sales lately?

Cheap Expo Dry Erase Markers- Office Max

2011-07-21T14:50:00.001-07:00

I always love when stores have there back to school shopping because you can find some great deals! I just bought a magnetic dry erase white board for the the boys for school. I thought this would be a great way to help them memorize their memory verses for the week. So, of course I needed to go out and buy some new dry erase markers.

Office Max has many of there Expo Dry Erase Markers on sale 2/$5.00. There is a coupon they have in the store (I went to the River Park location) located by the dry erase markers for $5.00 off any 3 Expo or Sharpie products. I was so excited to find this coupon! This is what I bought to make it a fantastic deal!

I did 3 transactions! (I'm sure they let me because I had all 4 of my kids with me) :)

2 Expo Dry Erase Markers $2.50 each
Sharpie 4 pack Highlighters $1.00 (on sale this week)
I used the $5.00 off coupon
My total$ 1.08 for 3 items

I spent a total of $3.24 for everything shown in the picture above.

Now, this is my kind of deal! That's why it totally pays to shop around to get the best deal possible! :)

Oh......I thought I would mention the bigger dry erase markers I got were scented. Cherry, blueberry, apple & choco mint. I thought it would be fun to have some yummy smelling scents for the kids during school time. Hopefully they won't try to eat them. lol

Meal Plan Monday

2011-07-18T16:43:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday Everyone! This week I'm finally getting around to posting my menu plan for the week. I haven't been so great about menu planning lately and it's been driving me nuts. We have been very busy lately and knowing what I will be making for dinner each night will help me prepare and run more smoothly. Have you started planning your meals for the week? If not, I suggest for you to try it out! :)

Sunday: Tacos w/ all the Fixings

Monday: Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza

Tuesday: Sweet BBQ Turkey Tenderloin, Baked Red Potatoes & Green Beans

Wednesday: Chicken & Broccoli Casserole & Buttermilk Biscuits

Thursday: Parmesan Crusted Tiliapia, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Friday: Chicken Salad

Saturday: Pork Chops, Broccoli Au Gratin Rice & Peas

This Weeks Make & Bakes:
Banana Bread
Double Chocolate Muffins

My Book Wishlist

2011-07-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

I have a huge list of books on my wishlist I would love to have someday, especially the ones I want to read with my boys. I'm hoping to read atleast 1 book on my list every couple of months or so. I would love to set aside more time each day to read for myself, but somedays it's difficult when you have 4 boys ages 5 and under! ;)

If you by chance have any of these books I have listed that your wanting to get rid of, please let me know. Thank you!

*Growing up in God's World- At Home, at School, at Play Book #2 - Ron & Rebekah Coriell
*Raising Real Men: Surviving, Teaching and Appreciating Boys- Hal & Melanie Young
*Created For Work- Bob Schulz
*Beyond Boyhood- Bob Schulz
*God's Wisdom for Little Boys: Character Building Fun from Proverbs- Jim & Elizabeth George
*Sheparding a Child's Heart- Tedd Tripp (I found it at a yard sale 08/27 for .50....yeah!)
*Honey for a Child's Heart- Gladys Hunt
*The Treasure Principle- Randy Alcorn
*The Happiness Project- Gretchen Rubin
*Season's of a mother's heart- Sally Clarkson
*The busy mom's guide to wisdom- Lisa Whelchel
*A Love That Multiplies- An Up-Close View of How They Make it Work- Jim Bob & Michelle Duggar
*The Ministry of Motherhood: Following Christ's Example in Reaching the Hearts of Our Children - Sally Clarkson

Books I want to read with my boys
AIO Imagination Station Books:
1) Voyage of the Vikings (found it at Berean Book Store on special for $1.00....Woohoo!)
2) Attack at the Arena
3) Revenge of the Red Knight
4) Peril in the Palace
5) Problems in Plymouth
6) Showdown with the Shephard

7) Miller Family Storybooks (set of 5)
8) Storytime with the Millers
9) Wisdom and the Millers- Proverbs for Children
10) Prudence and the Millers
11) School Days with the Millers
12) Missionary Stories with the Millers

13) 1st or 2nd reader bible story books

A Fantastic Book: Chrissie's Shell

2011-07-01T13:28:00.000-07:00

I took the boys to Story Time at Berean this morning. To be honest with you, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to leave the house today. It's been a rough week & the boys have been acting up a lot. After it was all said & done, I'm glad I ended up going. The boys (and I) had a great time & Jeremiah got his name drawn for a free book called "Chrissie's Shell".

Chrissie's Shell is about a little turtle with a big problem: she believes her shell is empty. She spends her days comparing herself with other animals and imagining what it would be like to be them, only to end up disappointed again and again when she finds she cannot transform herself into someone new. At last, Chrissie is ready to give up all hope she has a conversation with God. She begs him to change her into a creature like the wonderful animals she has seen, but God has something better in mind. God directs her to the pond, where Chrissie finally captures a vision of herself as God sees her. She realizes her shell is not empty after all and that God loves her just the way she is.

This books gives such a WONDERFUL message to little ones! (and us adults as well)! BE your self.. Never want to be anything or anyone else... Because we are who god MADE us to be! *(Psalm 139:14 NIV) I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.*

Meal Plan Monday

2011-06-26T16:47:00.000-07:00

I have been slacking on doing my meal plans the last couple of months because we have been so busy. I have to say........I love having a meal plan and I feel disorganized when I don't have one. I did some grocery shopping today & I figured out my meal plans for this week so I can start getting back on track!

Sunday: Pork Chops, Salad & Corn on the Cobb

Monday: Turkey Burgers, Sweet Potato Fries & Cantaloupe

Tuesday: Tacos w/ all the Fixings

Wednesday: Salmon & Mixed Veggies

Thursday: Grilled Chicken Tenders, Baked Potato & Broccoli

Friday: Eating Out- Heading Out of Town

Saturday: Visiting My In-Laws :)

I Hit The Jackpot at Savemart Today!

2011-06-11T22:12:00.000-07:00

I went into Savemart this afternoon to pick up a few items and as I was walking up to the registers to checkout, I found a shopping cart full of Huggies & Pampers Diapers that just got marked down on clearance. I was so excited because I knew I had some good mfg. coupons in my coupon binder I have been saving. I bought:

2 big boxes of Pampers- $10.00 ($3.00 off coupons) so I paid $7.00 each
2 packs of Huggies- $5.00 ($3.00 off coupons) so I paid $2.00 each
3 packs of Pampers Cruisers-$4.00 ($1.75 & 2-$2.00 off coupons) so I paid $2.25 for 1 and $2.00 for the other 2.

I also had a coupon for a free tub of Pampers baby wipes when you buy a box of Pampers Diapers, so I ended up getting that for free as well.

These are the types of deals I just LOVE running into unexpectedly, so it's always good to have your coupons on hand or stashed in your car just in case you ever need them. That's why I always keep my coupon binder in my van so I always have access to it when I need it! :)

I ended up running back into Savemart again this evening to pick up a few more items I forgot earlier today and I ran into another AMAZING deal! They marked down a variety of Jennie-O meat products by placing a $4.00 off coupon on the top of each package for instant savings. I ended up getting:

6 packs of Jennie-O turkey sausage ($4.00 off coupon)- $0.49 each
6 packs of Jennie-O ground turkey w/ taco seasoning ($4.00 off coupon)- $0.99 each
7 packs of Jennie-O ground turkey w/ italian seasoning ($4.00 off coupon)- $0.99 each

Thank you Lord for blessing me with these amazing deals today!

Meal Plan Monday

2011-06-05T21:24:00.001-07:00

I had a meal plan figured out last week (in my head), but I never posted it or wrote it down so It didn't go as smooth as normal. This week, I am planning out my meals early & making sure I have it posted so I won't have the trouble of forgetting what meal I had planned for what day!

Sunday: BLT Sandwiches & Fresh Fruit

Monday: Homemade Pizza (we didn't do it last week so I still have my pizza dough)

Tuesday: BBQ Chicken, Grillin Beans & Salad

Wednesday: Chicken & Broccoli Casserole & Buttermilk Biscuits w/ Honey Butter

Thursday: Meatloaf, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Friday: Salmon & Mixed Veggies

Saturday: Leftovers

This Weeks Make & Bakes:
Banana Chocolate Chip Bread
Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Pancakes
Strawberry Vinegarette Dressing

Meal Plan Monday-Late! :)

2011-05-24T18:50:00.001-07:00

I'm finally back after taking 3 weeks off of meal planning since my family & I were sick. Thankfully we are all feeling much better now, so it's time for me to get back to my normal routine & start my meal planning again!

Sunday: Baked Potato Cheese Soup & Salad

Monday: Stuffed Manicotti & Fresh Fruit

Tuesday: Black & Blue Chicken, Salad, Buttermilk Biscuits w/ Honey Butter & Fresh Fruit.

Wednesday: Homemade Pizza

Thursday: Tri-Tip, Broccoli Au Gratin Rice & Peas

Friday: Leaving out of town!

Saturday: Dinner at my In-laws

Sunday: Dinner at my In-laws

This weeks make & bakes:

Blueberry Muffins

Rice Krispie Treats (a nice treat for our road trip.....yum!)

Meal Plan Monday

2011-04-25T12:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't been so great about meal planning the past few weeks, but it's time to get myself back on track. I'm going to plan my meals around all the food I have in my fridge & freezer this week so I can clean it out!

Sunday: Easter dinner at my Mom's house.

Monday: Leftovers

Tuesday: Homemade Pizza (never made it last week)

Wednesday: Chicken Salad

Thursday: Manicotti, Salad & Sweet Potato Casserole

Friday: Turkey Burgers, Tator Tots & Fresh Fruit

Saturday: Black & Blue Chicken, Mixed Veggies & Buttermilk Biscuits

Meal Plan Monday

2011-04-11T16:54:00.001-07:00

Here we are again.......another day and another new week! I went grocery shopping over the weekend and got my meal plan in place from all the items I got on sale or got great deals from using my coupons! :-) Sunday: Sirloin Steaks, Sauteed Mushrooms, Broccoli Rice & Corn Monday: Tacos with all the Fixings Tuesday: BBQ Chicken, Sweet Potatoes & Mixed Veggies Wednesday: Hot Dogs, Grillin Beans & Fresh Fruit Thursday: Meatloaf, Garlic Mashed Potatoes Friday: Homemade Pizza Saturday: Eating Out (we are using our gift card at Yosemite Ranch) :)

Lemon Bread

2011-03-29T10:42:00.000-07:00

I have had several of you ask me for my Lemon Bread recipe so I'm finally getting around to posting it. I just made it the other day and I forgot to take a picture of it until it was all gone! :) Lemon Bread: 3/4 stick butter, 1 cup sugar, 2 eggs, 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 tsp. baking powder, pinch salt, 1/2 cup milk, rind of 1 lemon finely grated, 1/2 cup chopped nuts (optional), Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Pour into a greased bread pan and bake at 350 for 1 hour. Brush on top of bread when out of the oven: 2 Tbl. lemon juice mixed with 2 Tbl. sugar. Leave in pan until cool, then remove. Enjoy!

Meal Plan Monday

2011-03-28T11:52:00.000-07:00

With all the rain last week, I was definitely in a baking kind of mood. We sure enjoyed all the homemade goodies around here. This week is going to be a relaxed week for us, so I'm planning on making a lot of our favorite meals.

Sunday: Tacos with all the Fixings

Monday: Crock Pot Porkchops, Baked Potatoes, Green Beans & Rosemary Asiago Bread

Tuesday: BBQ Chicken, Rice Pilaf & Salad

Wendesday: Parmesan Crusted Tilapia & Asparagus

Thursday: Turkey Burgers & Fresh Fruit w/ Yogurt Dip

Friday: Pork Roast w/ Carrots & Potatoes

This weeks make & bakes:

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

Almond Poppyseed Muffins Broccoli Cheese Soup

Meal Plan Monday

2011-03-20T17:32:00.000-07:00

Last week was a very busy week with having my sister-in-law visiting (which was very nice) and planning my sons 5th birthday party. I ended up not doing a meal plan, but I did have in mind what dinners I was making & I used a lot of ingredients I had on hand already. That's the nice thing about coupon shopping & stocking up. I don't always need to grocery shop every week other than getting fresh fruit & produce.

Sunday: Tacos

Monday: Crock pot Pork Chops, Broccoli Rice-a-Roni & Peas

Tuesday: Whole Roasted Chicken, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Wednesday: Fish Stick Sandwiches & Apples w/ Yogurt Dip

Thursday: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Garlic Texas Toast & Salad

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Saturday: Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

This weeks make & bakes:

Banana Chocolate Chip Bread

Broccoli Cheese Soup

Fun New Crayons

2011-03-16T15:23:00.001-07:00

So, this is a project I have been wanting to do with my boys for well over a year now and we finally just did it today. It was so fast & easy and the boys loved how they turned out. They can't wait to start coloring with them. We will definitely be making them again real soon!

I took all their old crayons & pieces and put them in a mini muffin tin on the lowest heat setting (mine is 200 degrees) and cooked them long enough until all the crayons were melted, but make sure you don't leave them in too long otherwise they may burn on the bottom.

I took it out of the oven & put the muffin tin in the freezer to help cool them down faster since I was waiting to do my second batch. You can also leave them out on the counter to cool if your not in a hurry.

They just popped right out of the tin when I took them out of the freezer. I tried to mix the lighter & darker colors together to make some cool color combos.

This is such an easy & fun project that you can get very creative with. I'm hoping to make some different shapes of crayons next time.

Boys and their Toys!

2011-03-16T11:37:00.000-07:00

Can you guess what these pool noodles will be used for?

I took one pool noodle and cut it in half.

I used duck tape & wrapped the bottom of the pool noodle to make a handle (not sure why this picture posted side ways). Any guesses yet?

Then I took black electrical tape & made different designs on the handles. Now I'm sure you know what they are by now. :)

Star Wars Lightsabers! I took red nail polish & painted a small dot to make it more realistic and fun for the kids!

I made a few more since we were short a couple. Each kid got to take these home as one of their party favors.

My hubby & I made these cute little name tags for each kids party favor box. It added such a cute & personlized touch. I even laminated them so they can be reused for many different things. My kids just loved them!

Preston specifically asked for a Star Wars themed birthday party & he wanted to invite all his friends this year. He had such a blast & the lightsabers were such a big HIT!!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-16T11:26:00.001-07:00

This is Caleb's little Daycare buddy Hunter. They are only 6 weeks apart. They love spending time with eachother already. Aren't they just adorable!?!? :)

Wordless Wednesday

2011-03-09T10:03:00.001-08:00

I can't believe my little Caleb is 9 weeks old already! He is always so happy & smiling all the time now. I just LOVE him!

Meal Plan Monday

2011-02-28T22:59:00.001-08:00

Happy Monday everyone! This week's menu plan is based off of what I have on hand already & I'm making it simple & easy. :)

Sunday: Turkey Meatloaf & Mixed Veggies

Monday: BBQ Chicken Pizza

Tuesday: Tacos w/ all the Fixings

Wednesday: Garlic & Herb Turkey Breast Tenderloin, Sauteed Mushrooms & Garlic Bread

Thursday: Parmesan Crusted Chicken (never made last week), Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Friday: Taco Salad

Saturday: Leftovers

This weeks make & bakes:
Whole Wheat Bread (never made last week either)
Banana Chocolate Chip Bread (my bananas aren't looking so hot)
Bread Machine Cinnamon Rolls

Meal Plan Monday.....a little late!

2011-02-22T23:06:00.000-08:00

Since we were out of town this past 3-day weekend, I'm totally behind with my meal planning. I'm just trying to catch up on everything else as well. This will be a very busy week for us and I will also be celebrating my husband's birthday on Saturday! Happy Birthday my love!!!

Sunday: Dinner w/ my in-laws

Monday: Long John Silvers (traveling home from visiting my in-laws)

Tuesday: Lasagna, Salad & Garlic Bread

Wednesday: Roasted Chicken, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Thursday: Fish Tacos w/ all the Fixings

Friday: Parmesan Crusted Chicken, Sauteed Mushrooms, Baked Potatoes & Garlic Bread

Saturday: Out to dinner & a movie to celebrate my husband's 41st Birthday!

This weeks makes & bakes:
Texas Sheetcake (for my husband's birthday-his favorite)
Whole Wheat Bread

Meal Plan Monday

2011-02-13T22:43:00.001-08:00

Wow.....has this week gone by super fast! The weather has been so beautiful lately that the kids and I have been spending a lot of time outdoors to soak it all up! Happy Valentine's Day!!!! I'm going to make it a fun morning tomorrow with the kids to celebrate Valentine's Day. Enjoy your day too with your loved ones! :)

Sunday: Fillet Mignon Steak, Sauteed Mushrooms, Baked Potatoes & Garlic Bread

Monday: Tri-Tip, Broccoli Au Gratin Rice-A-Roni & Salad

Tuesday: Pork Chops, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Wednesday: Chicken Salad

Thursday: Heading out of town to my in-laws

Friday: Disneyland (we never made it last month since the kids were all sick) I will be packing all of our lunches & snacks for the day.

Saturday: Dinner at my in-laws house

Makes & Bakes This Week:
Rice Krispie Treats (for our Disneyland trip)

Valentine Fun With Friends

2011-02-04T23:13:00.000-08:00

My friend Sonna came over today with her 4 kids, so I decided to throw an early Valentine's Day party with all the kids. We had a nice lunch, yummy treats & a fun project the kids got to make. They all had such a blast!

Each kid got a Valentine balloon. What kid doesn't love balloons!?

I made these treat bags for each child with just a little something inside to make it fun.

Jello heart Jigglers.......Yum!

The kids got to decorate & eat their own cupcake after lunch.

Preston & Noah couldn't wait for their cupcake. Lunch couldn't come fast enough. :)

Noah digging in & making a mess. The cupcake was sure yummy!

Preston was super excited to take a bite. Say cheese.......

Sweet little Hailey was enjoying licking her cupcake.

Micah with a neatly decorated cupcake. He is such a sweetheart.

Jake loved playing with the boys Buzz LightYear.

The kids are making Valentine Soap Dispensers.

Preston & Noah are putting beads & hearts into their soap bottle.

The boys had such a great time playing together. They were excited to finish their project & see how they turned out.

Big Brothers!

Preston & Noah's soap dispensers. They turned out so cute!

Great Deals at Vons This Week

2011-02-04T22:47:00.000-08:00

I went grocery shopping at Vons tonight & I got some pretty awesome deals! After visiting other coupon blog sites, reviewing the Vons ad & clipping out coupons, I made my list of items to buy and I only stuck to what was on my list so I wouldn't buy more than what I went in for. My bill came to only $21.47 and I saved 75% off my total bill. I got a lot of stuff for that price! :)

4-12 packs of Pepsi
2 Bags of Tyson Chicken Nuggets
1 Triscuit
4 Fruit Gushers
3 Skippy Peanut Butter
2 Gogurt
Grapes
Mission Flour Tortillas

Smart and Final Ambiance Coffee Giveaway!

2011-01-31T14:17:00.001-08:00

My friend Jackie is hosting this awesome giveaway over at NerdFamily Food . Go here to check it out and enter. Better yet.......maybe you shouldn't enter so I would have a better chance at winning it myself! LOL

Meal Plan Monday

2011-01-30T20:34:00.001-08:00

It's time to think about what meals I will be making this week. I haven't had the chance to check out the weekly grocery store ads, so I think I will base our dinners off of what we have on stock already. It's about time to clear out the freezer!

Sunday: KFC (compliments of Scott's Grandma) :)

Monday: Ground Turkey Tacos, Chips & Guacamole

Tuesday: Turkey Burgers, Tator Tots & Corn

Wednesday: Fish Stick Sandwiches & Oranges/Kiwi

Thursday: Chicken & Broccoli Casserole & Baked Potatoes

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Saturday: Salmon, Rice & Zucchini

This Weeks Makes & Bake:
Whole Wheat Bread
Blueberry Muffins
Pear/Apple Applesauce
Butternut Squash Puree

Meal Plan Monday

2011-01-24T11:33:00.001-08:00

Update: Our kids have been sick with some type of virus, so we cancelled our plans for going out of town this weekend.

Sunday: Leftovers

Monday: Chicken Parmesan, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Tuesday: Meal being provided by a friend.

Wednesday: Pork Chops, Broccoli Au-Gratin Rice, Peas & Buttermilk Biscuits

Thursday: Chiken Strips, Rosemary Rolls, Grapes & Cottage Cheese

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Saturday: To Be Determined.......

Meal Plan Monday

2011-01-16T20:46:00.001-08:00

Wow.....it's been awhile since I have done any meal planning. It's time to get back into the groove of things now that we are getting back into a normal routine since baby Caleb has been born. I can't believe he is 2 1/2 weeks old already. Time is going by so fast! We have been spoiled by all the meals that have been provided for our family & what a blessing (and a lifesaver) it has been!

Sunday: Sausage, Egg, Spinach & Cheese Casserole & Waffles (breakfast for dinner-yum!)

Monday: Dinner being brought by Meals for Moms

Tuesday: Tilapia Fish w/ a Mushroom Cream Sauce, Garlic Mashed Potatoes & Mixed Veggies

Wednesday: Turkey Burgers, Tator Tots & Oranges

Thursday: Fish Stick Sandwiches & Fresh Fruit

Friday: Homemade Pizzas

Saturday: Tacos w/ all the Fixings, rice & beans

Welcome Baby Caleb!

2011-01-16T17:10:00.000-08:00

God has blessed us with our 4th precious son. Caleb Rowe Wilhite was born on December 30th, 2010 @ 3:46 pm weighing 7 lbs 10 oz and 20 1/4 inches long.

Proud daddy, my awesome doctor & my precious new little guy.

Caleb under the warmer after just being born.

Caleb Rowe Wilhite a few minutes old.

Proud mommy & daddy to our 4th beautiful son.

And the kisses & lovin' begin.......

Proud big brothers Preston & Noah.

This new little guy is getting so much love already!

Preston just loves holding & kissing his new little brother.

Noah also enjoys holding & kissing his new little brother.

Caleb is all bundled up ready to go to his first doctors appointment.

Caleb~ 17 days old

My little cutie pie! He's grown so much already. I can't believe he's already 2 1/2 weeks old! :)

Every good and perfect gift is from above.
~James 1:17

Sons are a heritage from the LORD, children a reward from him.
~Psalm 127:3

From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another.
~John 1:16

Homemade Laundry Detergent

2010-12-18T18:03:00.000-08:00

I'm super excited to share with you this recipe for Homemade Powdered Laundry Detergent (courtesy of the Duggar's website) I made today. I know, I know......some of you may think I'm silly for being so excited over something like this, but as a mom of 3 boys (soon to be 4), our family is only growing larger in size which means I can barely keep up with the mounds of clothes each week, not to mention I have one boy that pretty much likes to bathe in his food on a daily basis and another that always seems to add extra sheets & clothes to the piles with leaking pull-ups at night. It's a never ending laundry duty!!!!

I have used so many different brands of Laundry Detergents over the past few years trying to find something that not only will get stains, food & pee smell out of clothes, but not cost a fortune. I never have found anything that worked great, but we settled for Tide along with using Borax Laundry Booster & Vinegar in each load to help clean our clothes better.

That is until today.........I have done 3 loads of laundry with this new Homemade Laundry Detergent and it works great so far! It has gotten out food & grime, pee smell out of pajamas & the clothes look nice & clean with a nice scent. YAY!!!!! I have finally found my new laundry detergent and it literally only costs pennies per load (which I am totally stoked about). This makes me one happy frugal Mama!

Here is the items you will need:

1 Fels-Naptha soap bar
1 Cup- Arm & Hammer Super Washing Soda (Do not use baking soda)
1/2 Cup Borax

Grate soap or break into pieces (do not mistake for grated cheddar cheese) :)

and process in a food processor until powdered.

Mix all ingredients together. For light load, use 1 Tablespoon. For heavy or heavily soiled load, use 2 Tablespoons (which is what I used). Yields 3 Cups detergent. (Approx. 40 loads)

*I trippled the batch & put it in a 2 gallon bucket with a lid to store. I will be making a few more batches again tomorrow so I won't have to make anymore for awhile*

Tips: I had a hard time finding the Fels-Naptha soap bar & the Arm & Hammer Washing Soda. I couldn't find any store in town that carried them. After much research online, I found the cheapest route to go. I ordered from Ace Hardware online & had it delivered to the Willow/Nees location to get free shipping. You can purchase Borax either at Target or Walmart & I'm sure many other various stores as well.

My husband calculated it out to be around .07 cents per load of laundry. Not too shabby!

Another Tip: I add either 1/2-1 cup of vinegar in a Downy Ball into the washer for heavily soiled clothes. It works wonders! I purchase my vinegar at Costco.

My Huge Baby Belly

2010-12-17T12:14:00.000-08:00

Alright, so I'm 37 weeks & 4 days pregnant and I'm feeling HUGE & very uncomfortable now! I can't wait for little man to get here......I am so done being pregnant! With this being my 4th pregnancy and having 3 boys all ages 4 and under, this has definitely been my hardest pregnancy to date. I can't wait until I can start feeling normal again!

(Obviously I need to clean our mirror in the bedroom)

My New Birthday Gift

2010-12-17T11:48:00.000-08:00

My husband and I have a really nice Nikon Digital Camera that I absolutely love, but the only problem is, it's really big & heavy to tote around. When I'm leaving the house with 3 kids (soon to be 4) with a diaper bag, purse & whatever else we may need, it's really hard to carry my big & heavy camera case too. I love taking pictures of my kids & capturing those precious moments which pretty much happen anywhere and at anytime, especially with their age. :)

I'm excited to show you my new pretty pink Cannon Power Shot SD1400 camera my hubby got me for my birthday. I haven't used it yet, but I'm anxious in trying it out. The only thing I will need to get used to is how tiny it is. This will fit perfectly in my purse or diaper bag where I can keep it with me at all times & never be without a camera again! :)

And of course I had to get a pretty pink camera case to match.

Our Christmas Tree & Gingerbread House

2010-12-16T10:23:00.000-08:00

I'm happy to say that we finally got our Christmas tree up Monday evening & my boys are just excited as can be. Thanks to my good friend Lindsay who came over & helped me decorate our tree. We can't thank you enough Lindsay........your the best!

I realized after taking this picture that our Angel Christmas tree topper fell off and I need to have my hubby put it back on. :)

The boys have been asking me for several days to decorate their Gingerbread house, so we finally took it out yesterday (Thursday) and got it done. They did such a great job!

My Baby Shower

2010-12-11T19:38:00.000-08:00

I had a wonderful time celebrating my baby shower today with great friends & family! I wanted to thank you all who came & shared in this joyous occasion with me today. It meant so much to me!

God has definitely blessed me with another precious gift from above and I can't wait to meet you baby Caleb! Your big brothers are very excited to meet you too! :)

Look at this beautiful & tasty fruit bouquet that my mom & her friend Joan made. I thought this was so creative & fun!

Me & my wonderful mom!

Thank you mom for making this day so special & all of your hard work involved. I know it wasn't easy for you considering you are just recovering from your hip replacement. You mean the world to me!

Me & my Grandma! Thank you Grandma for all your hard work in cleaning up. Your the best!

My good friend Lindsay who was such a huge help in preparing for the baby shower, not to mention her much talked about pasta salad (we are all waiting for your recipe?!?!).

My moms friend Joan whom my boys have gotten to know as "Auntie Joan" over the years. She is always so creative & she worked hard in making my baby shower invitations that turned out adorable!

My friends from church that I have gotten to know & adore over the past few years. Jonna, Lora & Jackie.

Here are all my amazing friends & family that came today to celebrate the blessing of baby Caleb. Thank you for making this day so special & all the memories you have created for years to come! I love you all!

I think it's baby fever......4 preggo's all at the same time! :)

Watch out.......who's next?!?!

Delicious Turkey Recipe

2010-11-08T16:09:00.000-08:00

When I went shopping at Vons last week, I picked up an almost 20 lb Butterball Turkey for only $10.00 w/ my Vons Club Card. Since my family loves turkey so much, I thought I would make it for dinner tonight & we will have plenty of leftovers for turkey sandwiches & whatever other meals I come up with involving turkey for the next couple weeks.

We usually do not have many leftovers after Thanksgiving since our family is so large, so I wanted to start a little early this year. I have made this turkey recipe for the last 3 years & this is my families absolute favorite recipe. The meat is so tender & moist and it just falls apart. It has the best flavor too! If your interested in needing a good recipe for your Turkey this Thanksgiving, I will post this recipe below. :)

Homestyle Turkey, the Michigander Way (from allrecipes.com)

1 (12 pound or more) whole turkey
6 tablespoons butter, divided
4 cups warm water
3 tablespoons chicken bouillon
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons dried minced onion
2 tablespoons seasoning salt
I also add a little pepper & some garlic powder

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Rinse and wash turkey. Discard the giblets, or add to pan if they are anyone's favorites.
2. Place turkey in a dutch oven or roasting pan. Separate the skin over the breast to make little pockets. Put 3 tablespoons of the butter on both sides between the skin & breast meat. This makes for very juicy breast meat.
3. In a medium bowl, combine the warm water with the bouillon. Sprinkle in the parsley and minced onion. Pour over the top of the turkey. Sprinkle seasoning salt over the turkey, pepper & garlic powder.
4. Cover with foil, and bake in the preheated oven 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 180 degrees F. For the last 45 minutes or so, remove the foil so the turkey will brown nicely.

Meal Plan Monday

2010-11-08T12:18:00.001-08:00

Here we are to a start of another new week and I'm already feeling a little behind again. I can't believe the holidays are just around the corner already! This is going to be a simple week for me in the kitchen. :)

Sunday: Pizza- Take Out (momma is taking a break)

Monday: Roasted Turkey, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Corn & Biscuits

Tuesday: Salmon & Mixed Veggies

Wednesday: Turkey Sandwiches & Fresh Fruit

Thursday & Friday: Hubby & 2 older boys going out of town- Either leftovers or grabbing something super fast for me & little one.

Saturday: Dinner with Friends

Puzzles, Puzzles & More Puzzles

2010-11-08T09:53:00.000-08:00

My boys just LOVE puzzles! They can sit all day long putting puzzles together one after another. We started out with the 24 piece puzzles, but they are just way too easy for both my 4 & 3 year old boys. I then got some 48 piece puzzles and within a couple weeks, they mastered those & they just aren't challenging enough for them now.

I was happy to find these new Toy Story 3 (which is now their favorite movie) 100 piece puzzles at the dollar store. They had four different ones to choose from, so of course I got them all. My boys were so excited when I brought these home & they are definitely more challenging.

These would be great Christmas gifts or stocking stuffers! :)

Pretend Play

2010-11-08T08:58:00.001-08:00

I went to Target yesterday to pick up of a few items and I was pleased to find the Halloween items marked down to 90% off. I was able to find a few costumes for only $1.20-1.50 each. My boys love to pretend play so they will have loads of fun with these new costumes! :)

Glow in the Dark Crocs.......Only $8.99 Shipped!

2010-11-05T14:48:00.000-07:00

Currently, you can score a pair of Glow in the Dark Crocs available here for ONLY $8.99 shipped! Just head on over there and add a pair of these Crocs to your cart. Once you add a pair to your cart, the price will be reduced to $8.99. Plus, you can use coupon code secondchance to snag FREE Economy shipping. *Note: The FREE shipping will not show up until the final order page.

I just ordered the Dragon Crocs for all 3 of my boys! :)

Looking for the Perfect Holiday Photo Card

2010-11-04T11:15:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for the perfect Holiday Photo Card? Shutterfly has just about every selection of Holiday Photo Cards available to choose from to fit your needs. There are three different styles available: Folded Greeting Cards, Flat Stationary Cards and Flat Photo Cards. As you can see, the varieties are endless to choose from. I always have such a hard time figuring out which one I want to use every year because they always have such great designs!

Here are my three favorite Holiday Cards:

This is my favorite photo card. Faith And Family Religious 5x7 photo card. It has a nice Christian message with a beautiful elegant script. I also like how is has 3 photo spots available so you can highlight your favorite photos without trying to just choose one.

Rejoice Lord King Religious Christmas 5x7 folded card. Not only does this card have a wonderful message, but it also gives you the ability to add 7 photos which is great if you have a large family & you want to share in all those special photo moments.

Holly Jolly Story Christmas 5x7 folded card. You can include 4 photos with 4 captions and 4 text boxes. These can be used to highlight special events of the year or to highlight each member of your family and they are easier to create than a multi-photo collage on the front of the card.

I have personally ordered Shutterfly Photo Cards for Christmas a couple times in the past and I was extremely happy with the quality. I look forward to getting started on my Christmas Photo Cards now. :)

This post is sponsored by Shutterfly. Bloggers get 50 free cards from Shutterfly, find out how… http://bit.ly/sfly2010.

Meal Plan Monday

2010-10-31T22:23:00.001-07:00

I can't believe November is here already! I look forward to all the delicious foods & yummy treats that the upcoming holidays have to offer. Plus, the weather is getting cool so it makes it extra nice to cook all those delicious meals.

Happy November everyone & I hope you all have a blessed week!

Sunday: Pizza- Take Out (Never made it last week)

Monday: Fish Tacos

Tuesday: Roast, Carrots, Potatoes & Corn Muffins w/ Honey Butter

Wednesday: Mini Slider Turkey Burgers, Tator Tots & Fresh Fruit

Thursday: Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches

Friday: BBQ Chicken, Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Saturday: Salmon, Mixed Veggies & Rice

Meal Plan Monday

2010-10-25T15:52:00.000-07:00

I'm planning my meals with the food I already have on hand and I will only go to the grocery store for milk & fresh fruit or veggies this week.

Sunday: Leftovers

Monday: Southwestern Chicken Salad

Tuesday: Lasagna, Salad & Corn

Wendsday: Crockpot Pork Chops, Rice & Peas

Thursday: Cheese Raviolis

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Saturday: BBQ Chicken, Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Footprint Ghost

2010-10-19T15:29:00.000-07:00

Here are the art projects the kids made today. They are ghost's made out of their footprints sprinkled with cinnamon for a delightful smelling aroma. Not only are these super simple, but the kids had alot of fun making them.

Cobb's Pumpkin Patch

2010-10-18T07:58:00.000-07:00

We took the kids to Cobb's Pumpkin Patch Saturday afternoon once the kids woke up from their naps. We all had such a great time, the kids didn't want to leave. Of course, mommy always takes way too many pictures, but having 3 boys, it's hard to get one good picture of them all looking & smiling at the same time! :)

Our beautiful family.

Preston, Jeremiah & Noah........my three handsome little fellas! :)

I can't believe I got two good shots of all 3 boys. Too cute!

Noah being silly as always. He's such a character.

Big brothers.

My adorable Preston.

My sweet little Noah.

My little cutie pie Jeremiah.

Jeremiah is taking after his big brother Noah with his silliness.

I think they were done with picture taking at this point.

Preston liked the weird looking pumpkins in the background.

Jeremiah had to touch & feel them too!

The boys favorite part of the pumpkin patch.......the tractor train ride.

Look at their cute little smiles. They are definitely having a great time!

I love how cute & furry this Llama was. He's adorable!

These donkeys reminded me of donkey on Shrek. They were too cute!

The boys enjoyed feeding the animals.

Noah

Preston

Jeremiah

Meal Plan Saturday

2010-10-16T20:45:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I actually got my meal plan & grocery shopping done for this coming week. I feel like I'm ahead of myself for once. :)

Saturday: Rib Eye Steak, Baked Potato & Garlic Bread

Sunday: Stuffed Pork Chops, Applesauce & Garlic Bread

Monday: BBQ Chicken, Mashed Potatoes & Corn

Tuesday: Crock Pot Tri-Tip, Rice Pilaf & Sauteed Zucchini

Wednesday: Southwestern Chicken Taco Salad

Thursday: Lasagna, Salad & Beef Bouillon Green Beans

Friday: Homemade Pizza

Happy 3rd Birthday My Sweet Little Noah

2010-10-13T08:39:00.000-07:00

October 5th, 2010 was my sweet little Noah's 3rd birthday. We took him out to John's Incredible Pizza to celebrate his special day with family & a few good friends. We all had a great time & here are some pictures that captured those special moments!

Mommy w/ the birthday boy!

Nana w/ the birthday boy. He was so excited over his chocolate cupcakes!

Preston & Noah eating ice cream after their dinner.

Jeremiah was being such a cheese ball while I was trying to take a picture of him.

What a cutie pie!

Our good friends Matt & Lindsay with the birthday boy!

Our dear friends Dan & Joan w/ Preston.

G.G. Rhodes & Nana with Preston & Noah.

Mommy & Daddy getting hugs from the birthday boy!

Noah was excited to finally get his cake that he's been waiting all day for.

Making his wish & blowing out his candles.

Cake time.......as you can see the excitement on both of their faces!

Mommy's 6 month pregnant belly is hard to miss in this pic. :)

The train is the boys favorite ride. They rode it like 3 times!

This is their other favorite ride.

Action shot while they were up in the air.

Nana with the boys right before we left to go to John's Incredible Pizza.

Happy Birthday my sweet little Noah! You are such a blessing to our family & you bring us so much joy & laughter. You are one amazing little man! We love you to pieces!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-13T08:37:00.001-07:00

Best little buddies sharing the love! :)

Our Fun October Calendar

2010-10-08T08:57:00.001-07:00

For the last couple of months, I have been wanting to make a cute & fun calendar for the boys to teach them the months & days of the week. I thought October would be a fun month to start considering they love pumpkins & fall. I got my Cricut machine out yesterday & came up with this fun surprise! The boys just LOVED it! They are looking forward to adding a pumpkin to our calendar each day. I forgot how much fun I have using my Cricut. I already have my November theme picked out & ready to start when the times comes! :)

I want to give a huge thanks to my friend Joan for stopping by yesterday to bring me a new Cricut blade. You were such a lifesaver & I really appreciate your thoughtfullness! :)

Meal Plan Monday

2010-10-03T16:33:00.000-07:00

Sunday: Chicken salad for hubby & I and the kids are requesting pancakes for dinner. :)

Monday: Tilapia w/ a mushroom cream sauce, sauteed mushrooms, baked potato & peas.

Tuesday: Eating out at John's Incredible Pizza to celebrate my son's 3rd birthday!

Wednesday: Turkey burgers, tator tots & fresh fruit.

Thursday: Homemade chicken pot pies.

Friday: Having friends over for game/movie night & eating finger foods: Buffalo shrimp, meatball marinara melts, chicken taquitos, mozzarella sticks & spinach artichoke dip.

Saturday: To be determined........

This weeks make & bakes:
Texas Sheet Cake & Cupcakes for my son's birthday!
Almond Poppy Seed Bread
Banana Scones
Breakfast Burritos

Banana Chocolate Chip Panckaes w/ Maple & PB Syrup

2010-10-01T08:41:00.000-07:00

I planned on making this recipe earlier this week, but we only had 1 banana left & I needed two for the recipe. I got around to finally trying this recipe out this morning and my kids & I loved it! It was delicious & full of flavor.

Banana Chocolate Chip Pancakes with Peanut Butter Syrup

1 1/2 C flour

3 Tbs sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 C buttermilk

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbs canola oil

1 large egg

2 small-med ripe bananas

1/4 C mini chocolate chips (or reg. chips roughly chopped) tossed with 2 tsp flour

Cooking Spray or butter for pan

1 C maple syrup

1/2 C peanut butter

Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl and whisk together. In a separate bowl combine buttermilk, eggs, oil, and vanilla and whisk well. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and mix just until moistened and combined. Place bananas in a bowl and roughly mash with a fork. Fold into batter. Add the chocolate chips that have been tossed with flour and stir.

For syrup, heat peanut butter in the microwave for 30 seconds. Add maple syrup and gently whisk to combine. Heat in the microwave for another 30 seconds, whisk, and then set aside.

Heat a nonstick griddle or skillet to medium heat. Coat pan with little butter and then pour on pancake batter. Use 1/4 C batter for large pancakes (4-6") and 2 T for kid-sized ones (2-3"). Wait until bubbles form and edges are set and then flip.Reheat syrup if necessary and pour over warm pancakes

A Sneak Peek

2010-09-29T12:35:00.000-07:00

Here's a sneak peek of what my boys will be for Trunk-R-Treat at church! My boys are too excited about their new costumes, so I took them out today as they played dress up. They were having way too much fun! :)

Star Wars Clone Trooper & Elmo.

Wordless Wednesday

2010-09-29T09:09:00.000-07:00

My boys are super stoked that daddy set up their very own computer to play preschool games on. When the boys woke up this morning, they were surprised to see their set-up in the living room all ready to go!

My sweet Preston (4 yrs old)

My silly & loveable little Noah (2 yrs old)

Tackle It Tuesday

2010-09-29T08:50:00.000-07:00

My food pantry has been driving me crazy for such a long time now. Everything has been shoved in over time without any organization & I was having trouble finding what I needed. I also didn't know what I had & I knew some things were either expired or getting close to their expiration date. I'm excited to tell you that I finally tackled it yesterday. I can't believe how good It feels with doing such a simple task like this that I have put off for so long. :)

This is how messy my food pantry looked before.

I forgot to take a picture in the very beginning when I started, so this is the food that was on the top shelf all over my kitchen counters.

Awwww........look how nice & organized it looks! Now I know exactly what I have & I can plan my meals around it! :)

Meal Plan Tuesday (a little late)

2010-09-28T11:04:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks have been crazy & I'm just trying to make our meals simple & easy. I haven't been grocery shopping other than buying fresh fruit & milk. I'm doing the same thing again this week. You may notice I mostly have fish items in my freezer, but my hubby loves fish so he will be happy this week! :)

Sunday: Fish & Chips in Half Moon Bay......Yum! (heading back home)

Monday: Shrimp stir-fry

Tuesday: Cream of mushroom chicken, baked potatoes & rice.

Wednesday: Fish stick sandwiches, veggies & fresh fruit.

Thursday: Buffalo shrimp & salad.

Friday: Grilled cheese sandwiches & tomato soup.

Saturday: To be determined?

Ziploc Giveaway at NerdFamily Things

2010-09-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

I love Ziploc storage bags & containers for all my cooking & baking. If you haven't checked out NerdFamily Things, you may want go here & enter for this great Ziploc giveaway!

Meal Plan Monday

2010-09-20T16:50:00.001-07:00

Sunday: Eating Out (traveling home from out of town)

Monday: Chicken Parmesan, baked potato, mixed veggies & honey butter biscuits.

Tuesday: Out to dinner (chicken nuggets, corn & applesauce for the kids w/ babysitter)

Wednesday: Crock pot pork chops, rice & peas.

Thursday: Meatloaf, garlic mashed potatoes & green beans.

Friday: Eating at Family Camp.

Saturday: Eating at Family Camp.

A Must Read

2010-09-16T11:05:00.001-07:00

I came across this post on Heavenly Homemakers this morning I wanted to share with you. I thought this would serve as a good reminder to us all that our kids do matter the most! She did a great job explaining it to the tee!! I felt as if I wrote this post myself & I know most of you are in the same boat.

Thanks for that reminder- it’s sometimes a challenge balancing out being a wife, mother, teacher & house cleaner. God wants us to hear this today. As much as we think we can do it all......WE CAN'T!

My kids need to know their mother loves and cherishes them more than all of that other “stuff". Some days can be rough and I needed to hear that today! :)

Meal Plan Monday

2010-09-14T10:04:00.001-07:00

This will be another busy week for us so I'm once again, making our meals simple & easy.

Monday: Yosemite Ranch (take out)

Tuesday: Turkey burgers, tator tots & fresh fruit
.
Wednesday: Fish stick sandwiches, veggie sticks & fruit.

Thursday: Cream of mushroom chicken, rice, baked potato & salad.

Friday: Chick-fil-A (heading out of town to my sister & brother-in-law's to meet my new niece from China).

The Rusted Chain Giveaway

2010-09-07T14:10:00.000-07:00

The Rusted Chain is giving away a $25.00 gift certificate. If you haven't heard of them, go here to check them out. There jewelry is awesome & inspiring! I have my eye on a few pieces I would love to have. :)

Meal Plan Monday

2010-09-07T09:48:00.001-07:00

This week is going to be a very busy, but fun week! We are headed to Disneyland in a few days so my meal plan will be short & easy.

Sunday: Homemade pizza

Monday: Turkey burgers, tator tots & cantaloupe.

Tuesday: Chicken enchiladas & salad.

Wednesday: Leftovers (Awana for the kids tonight)

Thursday: Leaving for Disneyland

Friday: Disneyland

Saturday: Disneyland

My Boys Love for Rainboots

2010-08-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

I was looking through some pictures today and I came across these photos. I have many favorite pictures of my kids, but for some reason these really stood out to me today! Last fall season, my boys literally begged me for a pair of rainboots. I gave in and let them pick out the pair they wanted at Target (my favorite store). Since then, they have worn them non-stop in the rain or sunshine, whether it's hot or cold, or even just to go get the mail out front or go out back to play. They absolutely LOVE their rainboots! Thankfully I got them a little big in size so they are still wearing them to this day.

Fall is almost here and I can't wait. Fall is one of my favorite seasons of the year! I love watching all of God's creation & beauty during this time of year. It's just picture perfect!!!

Preston picked out Froggy boots & Noah picked Monkey boots.

I couldn't resist taking a picture from behind.

Aren't these ducky rainboots absolutely adorable?! I found these at a garage sale for only $1.00. They look like they have been barely worn. Now my little Jeremiah will have his very own pair of rainboots to match his two older brothers. :)

A Fun Day Trip

2010-08-30T12:59:00.000-07:00

Two weekends ago, my hubby and I decided to make a fun day trip & take the kids to Casa de Fruita to ride the train. Anytime we pass by, we always love stopping & letting the kids out to stretch their legs & have fun playing for awhile. Once we were ready to go, we headed to the Gilroy Outlets to get some new tennis shoes & winter clothes for my older son. Then we decided to surprise my in-laws in Redwood City & pay them a visit. We definitely surprised them! They took us out to dinner to Applebee's & we had a wonderful time visiting. After a long & eventful fun day, it was finally time to go home. We were all very tired! As soon as we got in our Truck to come home, all 3 boys were out like lights & slept the whole way home. We ended up not getting home until 1:30 am.

These spur of the moment trips are always so much fun & they always hold special memories for many years to come! :)

Casa de Fruita Choo Choo Train.

The boys were so excited to ride the train with Daddy. The conductor came by to collect their tickets.

The train was coming out of the tunnel.

Me & my precious boys!

Jeremiah is already starting to make us laugh with his silly faces he makes.

Preston has LOVED trains since he was a baby. The love for trains has never stopped!

My sweet boys.

Their smiles just melt mama's heart!

My little cutie pie!

Mommy can never take enough pictures! :):):)

Meal Plan Monday

2010-08-29T12:06:00.000-07:00

I'm still feeling a little under the weather this week, so I'm going to make my menus fast & easy. I will be using the items I have in my freezer & pantry for my meals this week & I will only shop for fresh produce & veggies until next week.

Sunday: To be determined! :)

Monday: Roasted herb chicken, mashed potatoes & corn (never made last week).

Tuesday: Chicken enchiladas & salad.

Wednesday: Fish stick sandwiches, tator tots & green beans.

Thursday: Crock pot pork chops, rice & peas.

Friday: Buffalo shrimp & chicken nuggets for the kids (not sure of sides yet).

This weeks make & bakes:
Fruit smoothies
Banana pancakes

Meal Plan Monday

2010-08-22T18:08:00.001-07:00

I went to Vons to do some grocery shopping today and I was bummed that I missed the chicken breast sale. It ended last week, so needless to say, we will not be having any chicken this week since I do not have any left. Vons had some great sales on meat! We usually never eat this much red meat in one week, but I'm sure my hubby will be loving it! :)

Sunday: Ordering Pizza (I'm taking a break from not cooking today).

Monday: Roast w/ carrots & potatoes & cornbread muffins w/ honey butter.

Tuesday: Philly cheese steak sandwiches & cantaloupe.

Wednesday: Crock pot pork chops, broccoli rice-a-roni & peas.

Thursday: Trip-tip, mashed potatoes & corn on the cobb.

Friday: Roasted herb chicken, salad & green beans.

Saturday: Leftovers

This weeks make & bakes:
Breakfast Burritos (never got around to it last week)
Banana chocolate chip bread

And The Organizing Continues.......

2010-08-18T13:29:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel like your house is overwhelming with toys & kids accessories & your running out of room?!?! I'm totally having that problem right now! Having 3 boys and 1 more on the way, I'm trying to figure out the best way to organize & to solve this problem. We just don't have enough storage or closet space in this house. It's time to purge!!! What the kids haven't seen or played with in awhile, they won't miss, right?

On a side note: I got this 3 drawer organizer at a garage sale a few weeks ago for $3.00 and I got it to put outside the back patio for all their outside play/activities that I was having trouble storing. This was perfect! I labeled each drawer so the kids can take out what they want to use & put it back in & I'm hoping they will keep it organized accordingly. We will see how this works. :)

I got this blue 3 drawer organizer the other day on sale at Walmart so I can store in the boys room & keep these away from the babies. These are the boys most favorite toys so they want to keep them easily accessible.

My next project I'm hoping to get to clean & organize is my laundry room & kitchen pantry. Oh my.......are they a mess!

My New Bathroom Cabinet

2010-08-18T09:24:00.001-07:00

OK, so some of you may think I'm a little crazy about being so excited about getting my new white bathroom cabinet. I have totally been in the organizing mood lately & this is just what I needed! Maybe I'm already experiencing the nesting phase of my pregnancy, but I will take it since this is not normal for me. :) Anyhow, not only did this free up a lot of space & make organizing much easier, but it looks pretty & fits great in the spot I chose.

I was a little hesitant about opening the doors & showing you all of my goods inside, but this is the prime reason why coupon shopping is a MUST! I have a huge stock pile of toiletries we pretty much use on a daily basis and I have gotten all of these either FREE or barely anything. This is the main reason why I coupon shop. It saves me soooooooo (I can't exaggerate enough) much money and stretches my budget even further. So basically, this is how I shop. I stock up on all the items I either get free or pay barely anything for (even if I don't need it at the time) so when we are out of that specific product, I just go right to my cabinet & pull out a new one. This makes it where I never spend full price on anything!!!

Meal Plan Monday

2010-08-16T07:38:00.000-07:00

Here we go again......another week, another meal plan! :)

Sunday: BBQ chicken, leftover spinach & artichoke dip & salad

Monday: Lasagna, salad & corn

Tuesday: Crab stuffed mushrooms, parmesan crusted tilapia, rice & peas

Wednesday: Buffalo shrimp & shrimp fried rice w/ vegetables

Thursday: Turkey burgers, tator tots & fresh fruit

Friday: Homemade pizza (chicken alfredo & mushrooms & cheese)

Saturday: To be determined! ???

This weeks make & bakes:

Blueberry pancakes
Banana chocolate chip muffins (my bananas are not looking so good)
Yogurt smoothies
Breakfast burritos

Fun in the Sun!

2010-08-09T09:37:00.001-07:00

We had a nice & relaxful weekend. Since the weather was so beautiful, we took the boys out back to enjoy an afternoon of fun.........soaking up the sun, playing in water, playing sports & blowing bubbles. We all had a such a great time! I sure hope this weather stays nice so we can enjoy more days like this. :)

The boys got a new Buzz Light Year Rocket Launcher and they just absolutely LOVED it!

It was Noah's turn to pull the lever to launch the rocket.

Good water pressure= a very high rocket!

Preston taking a time out to pose for the camera.

As Noah put the rocket back on the stand, Preston pulled the lever for it to launch before Noah could let go. The water already started spraying him.

My sweet little Jeremiah having fun on his new rocking horse (I found it at a garage sale earlier that morning for only $1.00).

I just love it when he smiles. My happy boy! :)

Daddy was teaching the boys how to play baseball. Noah did great & hit the ball on the first try.

The boys were also enjoying their new soccer ball, basketball & football set (I found the 3-pack of sports balls at a garage sale for only $2.00 brand new).

I can't believe how big Preston is getting. My handsome guy!

The boys enjoyed a dip in the little kiddle pool to cool down.

Action shot of Preston getting Noah in the face with the hose.

Meal Plan Monday

2010-08-09T08:03:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful summer we are having so far. It feels like fall the last couple of mornings and I am loving it! I'm looking forward to my sister-in-law Julie & my 3 nephews coming to visit us this week. I'm not used to cooking for 9 people, but this will give me good practice, especially since I have 4 growing boys that will probably eat us out of the house later. :)

Sunday: Taco salad w/ all the fixings

Monday: Philly cheese steak sandwiches (never made it last week)

Tuesday: Chicken enchiladas, rice, beans & salad

Wednesday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes & corn on the cobb

Thursday: BBQ chicken, sauteed green beans & butter rolls

Friday: Homemade pizza (choose your own toppings)

Saturday: Crockpot tri-tip, broccoli rice-a-roni & peas

This weeks makes & bakes:

Almond poppy seed bread
Oatmeal & applesauce pancakes
Choc. chip & vanilla ice cream sandwiches
Spinach & artichoke dip

My Deals This Week

2010-08-05T11:41:00.001-07:00

I found some fabulous deals this week I was excited about & wanted to share! I got all of these items below for only $17.33. I can't believe how coupon shopping can make your dollar stretch so much more. It totally pays to shop around, check the ads and clip coupons. I will show why it's all worth it! :)

I went to Ulta in Riverpark yesterday & they had Herbal Essence products on sale 2 for $5.00. I bought 1 shampoo, 1 conditioner & 2 hair gels. I used there store coupon (found in the Sunday paper) $3.50 off a $10.00 purchase. I then had 2 mfg. coupons buy 1 get 1 free (also found in Sunday's paper). My total purchase came to $1.63 for all 4 products. Woohoo! :)

I headed over to Walgreens & got 6 tubs of Huggies Baby Wipes. I used their $1.00 off in store coupon (found in the coupon booklet in front of stores) and paired it with a $2.50 off 3 mfg. coupon making them a little over $1.00 for each tub. I got 4 bottles of Woman's Nivea Body Wash. They were on sale buy 1 get 1 free. I paired it with a mfg. coupon $4.00 off 2. They also had a Walgreens 15% discount off your total purchase coupon I used on top of it all. My total came to $11.43 in total.

Rite Aid: I got 4 bottles of L.A. Looks hair gel (for my hubby) on sale for $1.99. I paired them with a mfg. coupon for $1.00 off. I will also get back a $1.00 rebate on one. I also got 4 bottles of Nivea Body Wash (I got a raincheck for them last week-they were out). They were on sale for $1.99 each. I had $4.00 off 2 mfg. coupons making them free. My total came to $4.27.

As I was taking pictures of my deals, my cute little Jeremiah wanted his picture taken too! Look at how big he is getting. My sweet little man! :):)

It's a Boy!

2010-08-05T07:32:00.001-07:00

For those of you who do not know, I had my ultrasound appointment yesterday and we were excited to find out that God has blessed us with another Wilhite baby boy! :) Wow.........4 boys! I had never imagined myself with 4 kids let alone 4 boys, but God has laid it upon my heart to have these amazing little guys & I couldn't imagine my life without them. Words cannot express the LOVE I have for them & how much they make my life so happy & complete. Thank you Lord for this wonderful blessing you have given us............I can't wait to meet you little man! :):):)

Yep.........he's a boy! :)

Baby's profile. I think it's so amazing how great the ultrasound pictures are these days. It was so neat getting to see my little guy move, kick & bounce around the whole time during my ultrasound. He was one active little guy!

Peach Jam

2010-08-03T12:23:00.001-07:00

Thanks to my friend Bethany, she was gracious to let me come over and raid her peach tree this past weekend. I wanted to make some Peach jam this week to have something a little different than what we normally use for toast in the mornings. Once I was finished making the jam, I had some peaches leftover, so I ended up making peach puree as well. I love making purees and putting them into ice cube trays. We use these for various other things........ making smoothies, flavoring things like oatmeal & even adding it to the kids ice water to give it a little flavor. There is so much you can do with puree's. I'm looking forward to tasting this peach jam with breakfast tomorrow. The little bit I did taste was delicious! We will see how it turns out. :)

I used the recipe inside the pectin box for this peach jam. I can't wait to try this!

Meal Plan Monday

2010-08-01T19:17:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it's August already! Boy does time fly, especially when you are having fun. :) I usually make my meal plans according to what groceries I have on hand or what items I find on sale for the week, but I did it a little differently this week. I asked my hubby what meals he would like to see for dinner this week and he picked most of them out. I haven't done that in awhile and I wanted to make sure he gets a meal maybe I haven't done in awhile or thought about. It worked out well!

Monday: Spaghetti & Meatballs, Corn on the Cobb & Garlic Bread

Tuesday: Taco Salad w/ all the Fixings

Wednesday: Philly Cheee Steak Sandwiches & Fresh Fruit

Thursday: Chicken Parmigiana, Mashed Potatoes & Corn on the Cobb

Friday: Parmesan Crusted Tilapia, Sauteed Zucchini & Green Beans & Broccoli Rice-a-Roni

Saturday: Buffalo Shrimp & Shrimp Fried Rice

This weeks make & bake (I like your idea Lora). I always have additional items I make during the week, but I never list them. This will help me remember what I have planned. :)

Peach jam
Peach puree
Banana chocolate chip bread
Vanilla & raspberry yogurt popsicles
Making more breakfast burritos to freeze for hubby to take to work for breakfast. :)

My Little Tiff w/ Rite-Aid, But Problem Solved!

2010-07-30T15:02:00.000-07:00

I went to Rite-Aid on Wednesday evening to purchase a few items with my coupons and I ended up having problems. Coupon problems that is. I was purchasing an Ace wrap for $3.99 and Rite-Aid had an in-store coupon for $4.00 off. The cashier would not accept my coupon because it was over the purchase price. I told her she would just need adjust the coupon down to $3.99. She said they are not allowed to price adjust coupons. For Peet's sake.......it's only a penny difference! Anyhow, I wasn't going to be happy being told NO, knowing that this is legit. She went to ask the manager and the manager told her it can't be done. So, I gracefully walked out after I purchased my 4 bottles of Men's Nivea Body Wash for free & just paid the sales tax. I was happy to get that, but I wasn't going to walk away quietly.

I contacted Rite-Aid Corporate office yesterday by email because I wanted to find out about their coupon policy. I was surprised to get a response back so quickly. I had the manager from Rite-Aid contact me today by phone (a different one than wed.) asking me to explain what I was trying to do. After I told her, she was very quick to apologize to me stating that her cashier's and other manager were obviously not aware of their coupon policy and they need additional training. She will make sure that this will not happen again. It's sad to see that I know more about their coupon policy than their own employees!

Needless to say, I'm a happy camper and problem got solved. You better believe I will be back there either tonight or tomorrow getting my free Ace wraps along with some other items I will be getting free along with my coupons. Hopefully those cashier's will either not remember me or give me dirty looks when I walk back in & hand them coupons knowing they have to accept it now. :)

Thank You Rite-Aid Corporate Office!

Awesome Rite-Aid Deal

2010-07-28T20:06:00.001-07:00

This week Rite-Aid has an awesome deal going for Men's Nivea Body Wash. They have 16.9 oz bottle on sale for $1.99 each. You can go here to print out a coupon for $4.00 off of 2 making it FREE after coupon. Remember you can print out 2 coupons by hitting your back arrow key a couple times. I went tonight & bought 4 bottles. You also get $1.00 back per bottle in UP rewards which you are able to use on your next purchase.

If your wanting to partake in this deal, I would hurry & get them soon before they are all gone or before the coupon goes dead!

Cute Kids Shoes.....Great Prices!

2010-07-28T11:44:00.001-07:00

Having 3 kids all under the age of 4 and under, I feel like I'm constantly needing to buy shoes every 6 months or less. Therefore, I'm always trying to find deals & I can't stand paying full prices on kids shoes knowing they outgrown them so fast. I was so excited to find such great deals this past week! :)

Preston was really needing a new pair of sandals. He outgrew his other pair of sandals and I was having the hardest time finding him a new pair. Every time we would find something at a decent price, they would be out of his size. I was extremely happy to find these cute pair of Buzz Light Year Light-up Sandals on Clearance at Target for $6.06. They fit great & he absolutely LOVES them! :)

My sweet little Jeremiah was in need of some new shoes because he is smaller than my other two boys at this age. I didn't have any shoes that would fit him yet.I found these 3 cute pair of shoes in his size for only $3.24 each. I couldn't resist all 3 pairs for this price!

My middle son Noah was needing a new pair of shoes for church. I found these cute brown loafer shoes along with these black converse shoes at a garage sale this past weekend. I paid only $1.00 for each pair. They are both in great shape!

I also found these cute sandals for Noah at Target on clearance for $3.24 also, so I couldn't resist buying them to save for when he needs a replacement pair.

All together, I only spent a total of $21.02 for 7 pairs of shoes for all 3 of my kids. That's still cheaper than you can buy 1 new pair of shoes. Not only did I save extra money to put back in our budget for next month, it goes to show you how it definitely pays to shop around. There are always great deals to be found!

Tackle It Tuesday

2010-07-28T11:07:00.000-07:00

Since this week has been a little less busy for me, I decided to do a little bulk cooking yesterday so we can have some meals ready to grab when needed. My hubby was telling me the other day that he has been craving breakfast burritos and he thinks mine are the best (thanks my love). So, I decided to surprise him & make a huge batch so he can just grab them to go on his way to work for breakfast.

My assembly line of burritos. I put egg, tator tots, bacon & cheese inside. OK, so it's not exactly healthy, but very delicious!

I stuck them in freezer bags so it makes it easy for my hubby to just grab them & go. Of course, I told him he must bring my freezer bags back so we can re-use them at least a couple times so we are not being wasteful (the burritos are not that messy). :)

My kids including myself LOVE pumpkin pancakes. I made a batch so we can have a nice breakfast on the mornings I do not feel like cooking.

I wanted to double or even triple the batch, but by the time I got to the end of one, I was pooped. My energy level isn't as good as I thought. This pregnancy is wearing me out. There will be more pancake making later this week! :)

Meal Plan Monday

2010-07-26T16:00:00.001-07:00

Monday: Tempura Shrimp & Chicken Chow Mein

Tuesday: Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas, rice & beans

Wednesday: Chicken & Broccoli Casserole & Baked Potatoes

Thursday: Homemade Corn Chowder Soup, Salad w/ Homemade Italian Dressing (like Olive Garden..yummm) & Breadsticks

Friday: Going out to dinner with friends! :)

Saturday: Turkey Burgers w/ Bacon Cheddar Cheese, Tator Tots & Fresh Fruit

Sunday: Tacos w/ all the Fixings

Cute Pillows

2010-07-25T20:47:00.000-07:00

I have several projects I would like to do, but I seem to never find the time to get them started. This weekend was the first weekend we actually didn't have much going on, so I got energetic on Saturday and broke out my sewing machine. It was so nice being able to start & finish a project in the same day. I felt so proud of myself for completing a few things that my boys have been asking me to do for so long. Even though it wasn't anything difficult, my boys were so excited when they woke up Sunday morning & saw their travel pillows completed with the material they got to pick out all by themselves.

I also repaired my son's froggy pillow he sleeps with every night. Froggy's foot was falling off & he acquired a few holes along the way. I also made two heat packs with rice for my boys. It seems as though they are having growing pains in their legs, stomach aches or something else which requires heat packs. We only had one in our household & they would fight over who would get it. Not any more.....now we have 3 to choose from in fun Thomas The Train & Disney Cars material that come in different shapes & sizes. :)

This is the pillow I made for my niece which matches the blanket I made her a couple weeks ago. I thought it turned out so cute & very girly looking! :) I'm going to get her name embroidered on the black part of this pillow case so it will be customized for her.

My son Preston is still a huge Thomas The Train fan. He has been since he was 2 years old. This is his own travel pillow that we will keep in our car. I made it with memory foam pieces inside which makes these pillows nice & squishy.

My son Noah loves Disney Cars. He picked out this material all by himself. This pillow is the perfect size for the boys to rest comfortably while traveling in the car.