a sticky situation

I was going to post my menu plan on Monday (because I did actually do it), but you know what?  I've already altered it.  We ate leftovers Monday, and tonight we're eating something completely off-the-list.  (My roast didn't defrost, so I needed a Plan B.  It was actually comical--I started two other things before settling on the quiche we actually ate.  I also now have a head start on tomorrow's meal, so I guess that's good). 

I did go to the grocery store yesterday, and I spent $63.08.  This is an improvement over the last month, so I'll take it.  :) 

I do have a funny story from today, although I am somewhat reticent to post it here.  It's kind of embarrassing, but honestly it's too funny not to share!  So red-faced and all, here goes (if you're especially sensitive, stop reading here). 

Natalie got into the bathroom cabinet this morning.  She got into my stash of pads.  She tore open several, removed the backing to reveal the sticky strip, and stuck them to the toilet seat.  Oy!  They stick really well to porcelain, if you're interested.

She and Sarah are both also decorated (clothes, skin) in marker ink from art time today, but that's pretty normal.  :)  Hopefully my laundry skills will be able to rescue the clothing! 

no more mop and bucket

I have a Shark steam mop that I use to clean our floors.  I got it with my Christmas money (y.es, I'm one of those weird people who enjoys getting things like household appliances for Christmas.  If you get inspired to buy me a blender, let me know!).  I like the convenience of the steam mop.  I like the fact that I don't have to mess with mop solution (I hate the smell of cleaning chemicals anyway.  Water is cheap and has no smell).  I like the fact that I can wash and reuse the mop pads, as opposed to the Swiffer where you have to keep purchasing new ones.  I like that it's lightweight and easy to use. 

But you know what my very favorite thing about the steam mop is?   Sarah loves it.  She asks to be allowed to mop.  Who ever heard of a kid begging to clean the floors?  My floor has been mopped more frequently since acquiring this mop than ever before.  I think it's been steam-mopped three times just since last night.

Today some sticky lemonade got spilled.  We all clean up our own messes around here, so Sarah got towels to sop up the liquid, then immediately got the steam mop to take care of the sticky.  It took about two minutes, tops.  Or it would have...if Sarah hadn't asked to mop the rest of the floor while she was at it!  Who am I to turn down a kid who is that excited to mop?  (By the way, Natalie likes the mop too.  She has a harder time maneuvering it, but she likes it.)

Maybe you should get one of these, huh?  It's kid--approved!  :)  (Yes, it's an affiliate link, but please take this post in the spirit it's intended; I just think it's cute the girls like the mop so much.  I'm not really trying to do a "hard sell."  Of course, if you DO happen to need a mop right now, it wouldn't hurt my feelings if you bought it through my link!)  ;) 

Euro-Pro Shark S3101 Electric Steam Mop

confessions

In a conversation with my SIL, I mentioned that I was menu planning today.  She asked if I was going to post my menus.  It's been awhile since I posted menus or grocery shopping results.  It's been awhile since I've even thought about menu planning or trying to save on the grocery budget.  My spending in this area shows this, unfortunately. 

Truth be known, I haven't felt overly great over the past few months and I haven't done much of anything.  The house, the blog, the budget, etc. have all shown the effects of this.  But I am slowly getting back on track and "back in the game."  So I'm going to go back to the beginning and start again.  I've had successes already; my exercise program has become more consistent the last couple of weeks.  I'm putting the house back in order.  And I know how much I spent on food in August so far so that I can begin to work toward lowering that amount in the weeks and months to come (and no, I'm not telling the amount.  It's embarrassing). 

However, I'm hopeful.  There's plenty of room for improvement here!  :) 

I haven't really assigned specific days to any of these meals; I was just trying to get down ideas of what I could make with what I have.  And some of the meals listed might not get made this week at all; I was giving myself some options and some wiggle room, so there are a few extras here to choose from. 

Breakfasts:
Muffins
Toast
Smoothies
Pumpkin waffles
Cereal and milk
pumpkin pie oatmeal
donuts

Suppers:
Cheesy chicken and rice (thanks, Tara!)
Barbecue chicken pasta bake (thanks again, Tara!)--this one's iffy--not sure I have all the ingredients
Pasta carbonara
lentil tacos
burgers and fries
potato soup or taco soup
beef, black bean, and Spanish rice burritos or black bean burritos
macaroni and cheese

a few Easter pics

In keeping with the previous post's theme of keeping promises, I seem to recall promising awhile back to post Easter pictures (okay, it was a LONG while back!).  Better late than never, right?

Please ignore me and just enjoy the girls in all of their Easter finery!

Sarah and Natalie had a great time coloring eggs with my dad. 

keeping a promise

I hate pictures of myself.  I'm not a big fan of taking pictures either (hence the lack of pictures on this blog), but at least being behind the camera keeps me from having to be in front of one.  Some people are photogenic; I don't happen to be one of them.

A few weeks ago, I got my hair cut.  It was the first time in about two years I have been able to get a cut, so quite a few inches got chopped.  With that much needing to go, I did a donation to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths.  I've been enjoying my much shorter, easier-to-deal-with hair.  Happily, I've gotten lots of compliments on the new look as well. 

My long-distance relatives want to see my new look though.  Nelson obligingly snapped a photo.  I really don't like the picture much, but I sort of promised that I would show my mother-in-law and sister-in-law the results of my trip to the salon.  

So...here it is.  Terrible picture, but it will give you the idea anyway. 

a fun-festing we will go...

It's Fun Fest here in Kingsport, so activities abound.  We visited Netherland Inn Saturday (a historic site in town).  After church Sunday, we toured Allendale Mansion then visited Farm Fest.  I had never been to Farm Fest before, but we had a blast!  Sarah was able to play a dulcimer, wash clothes on a washboard, play in hay, string beans, core apples, and more.  We will definitely make it a point to return next year. 

Today we visited Fun Fest's "Kid Central."  There were plenty of carnival-type games, and we also got to see a magic show.  We may return later in the week for some of the other shows and activities there. 

If I really get my act together, I'll try to get some pictures of our activities throughout the week and post them here.  We'll see how that goes.  ;)

long time, no blog

I've noticed something; the longer that I go without posting, the harder it is to start back.  Inertia even affects blogging, I guess.  An object at rests tends to stay at rest, and a post unwritten seems to stay unwritten. 

Of course, once I get in a good groove, I tend to update regularly.  So here's hoping that Karen gets her groove back with this post. 

Nelson's parents are visiting.  Last week we went to the local Splash Pad and to Warriors' Path park to play on the Boundless Playground there (the name of the playground is Darrell's Dream.  Since Nelson's dad is named Darrell, this was an appropriate place to visit!).  Saturday we visited Bays Mountain.  We saw wolves (Sarah's favorite), deer (including several babies), owls, bobcats, and several varieties of fish. 

Today I did the mundane task of grocery shopping.  At least it should have been mundane.  Unfortunately, it ended up being something of an embarrassing trial.  I got my groceries, got to the checkout, and handed the clerk my frequent shopper card.  I even had my coupons ready to go.  But then I opened my wallet and realized that my debit card wasn't in it!  I had to have the cashier void out the order (thankfully she was quite gracious) and call home for Nelson to come rescue me.  He came, paid for the groceries, and all's well that ends well.  It was very embarrassing at the time though!  (And I have since located the missing debit card).