For Those Who Paid the Highest Price

E-mealz

I cannot be more thrilled with E-mealz. The way their plan works, they offer many different menu options, family size options, and store options. I was able to fully check out the many offerings of menus and stores, look at a sampling of menus, and take it for a mini test drive. I signed up right away.

Staying on a food budget is difficult for me at times...most times. I can easily get distracted by the bright and shiny packaging as I meander down the isles. With the E-mealz plan, the menus for the week are done for me, the shopping list is done for me, and for the astronomical price of $1.25 per week. I am loving it!

We are on the first week of the plan. I opted for the WalMart plan for a family of 4. I still plan to shop at my local Krogers for the coupon match-ups for food but only if they beat out WalMart. I took my first week's shopping list, marked off the items that I had on hand, and went off to the store. After a whopping $35.00, I was SHOCKED!!! Yes, I have been to the store since, but for things like bread and milk and items for breakfast and lunches. These menus are for dinners only, but with those being the highest cost meal, I feel like I am way ahead. Now, if only I can get a handle on my impulse shopping and working on family cravings...I will have to set a mini budget aside for those "emergencies".

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I miss you terribly.

What Book am I Reading?

One September Morning by Rosalind Noonan.

I am sooooo loving this book. It was indicated as a thriller, and I can see that now that I am into the real meat of the story. I probably never would have picked it up had I not been looking for Jodi Picoult books and on the front cover of One September Morning, there is an endorsement from Jodi. I am so very glad that I picked this book up...I highly recommend this read.

Well, I did it!

Yes, I rolled over this morning barely able to open my eyes, but I did to watch the Royal Wedding. I was up and watching at 3am when his mother, Princess Diana wed and I was going to be there for her son's wedding, Prince William to Catherine Middleton.

It was a beautiful ceremony filled with all of the pomp and circumstance that one would imagine. I wish them all of the best as they begin their life together.

I am going to need a Royal Nap...

Preparing for Graduation

...well, the physical preparations...I am not sure anyone or anything can prepare me for the emotional preparations of seeing our one and only child graduating from high school...

I ordered these sweet punched owls from Cara at CarasScrapNStampArt on etsy. Originally, I was going to use them on pics for cupcakes, but then I saw a great recipe for a rolled cake that you decorate as a diploma. I am going to go with that so then I had all of these owls. I decided to use them as gum wrappers. Didn't they turn out cute?! I am very happy with the results.

Water for Elephants

My daughter, Amanda, encouraged me to read the most fantastic book ever. I was skeptical, I was hesitant, but I borrowed her copy and started reading. I was engrossed, I was engaged, I was entertained. I fell in love with this book. The research that the author must have endured is clearly evident in the pages. It was one of those books when you are sorry that there are no more pages to turn, but there is a triumph at the end of the book. Now, the waiting began for the movie to be released.

So in the car we went yesterday to our local theater. I told the man at the window that I wished to pay for two hours with Robert Pattinson. My jokes fell on deaf ears. Don't you just hate it when you are funny and the people around you don't get it? Annoying, but not so much so as to ruin my plans. In line for popcorn despite it is 10:30 am. Peanut butter and jelly, Hansel and Gretel, movies and popcorn. We settle in, the lights so down, previews to endure, and then...the main attraction.

I LOVED THIS MOVIE! I don't know if there is ever a movie that can take all of the details of a book and portray them onto canvas, but this was close. The details that were left out did not take away from the movie. What was left in was perfect.

I cannot recommend this book and this movie enough...take your Kleenex.

Coupon Clipping

I am not an extreme coupon queen/king like some of the folks that have been featured on Extreme Couponing; however, when I can make some good deals on things that we use, it is a thrill for me. This morning, I made a quick trip to Walgreen's after dropping my daughter off to school and, with the help of the cosmetics lady, I was able to save so much money. Here is what I bought and with the regular prices: 4 Head and Shoulders shampoo/conditioners $5.99 each, 1 Revlon tweezer $2.49, 1 John Freida hair color $11.99, 5 Schick Hydro 5 blade cartridge refills $11.99 each, 2 Schick shaving gels $3.79 each. Total price paid: $15.97. Total savings $80.23. All I can do is grin...

What I Have Read

I was very much an avid reader in my youth and I believe college texts squelched that love of reading for leisure. It wasn't until a few years back that I started to read again and in the past few months, I have been hit by the reading bug. I tend to read books that will have their movie counterparts "coming to a theater near you"...I think as a way to keep me no track and focused so that I make myself finish the book in a timely manner. I then go to the movie and make my mental comparisons. In any case, I enjoy the entire experience from reading to movie to popcorn.

The last few books that I have read have each one kept me enthralled and I have truly enjoyed each and every one...and, of course, one is coming to a theater near you. One is Water for Elephants and it doesn't hurt one bit that Robert Pattinson will the feature character.

The others are Nineteen Minutes and Pictures of You.

I would highly recommend each and every one of these books. If it has been a long time since you read for leisure, pick a book and get started!

Blubonnets have arrived!

Driving around today, I saw my first Texas bluebonnets. I have to say, I was quite excited as I have heard many speak of the arrival of the bluebonnets, the State Flower of Texas. (photo from Ennis Convention and Visitors Bureau)

I have found out that there is a Bluebonnet Hotline (1-800-452-9292), a Bluebonnet Cam at www.wildflower.org, in addition to trails and festivals. There is even Bluebonnet Etiquette: Don’t trample or pick the flowers because it will ruin the flowers for others and it will reduce the number of seeds the flower produces for next year.

In my searching, I discovered that Ennis is the "Official Bluebonnet City of Texas" and that the Texas Department of Transportation (TXDOT) spreads 30,000 pounds of wildflower seed per year. Interesting little tidbits for your next game of Trivial Pursuit!

6th Annual KISD Schoolwalk for Diabetes

Today was the 6th Annual Keller Independent School District Schoolwalk for Diabetes. There are approximately 20.8 million people effected by this disease with almost 5 million not realizing they have this disease. Amanda and I walked this morning in honor of my sister, Jeanette. She was diagnosed with Type I diabetes at the young age of 11. She is now 48 and thriving...although she would tell you that she recently celebrated the 19th anniversary of her 29th birthday...she is such a little sister.

Easy Peasy Clock

A few weeks back, I was fortunate to take advantage of a special offered by The Canvas People. If you have not had them transfer a favorite photo onto canvas, you need to check them out. I so love my canvas.

When my canvas arrived, the box was super sturdy and in a shape that I thought would come in handy at some point in time.

Well, who doesn't need another clock? My love of clocks was instilled upon me by my father. Growing up, if I heard one, I heard seven or more clocks chime off the hour or the quarter hour or the half hour or all of the above. Anyway, I took the box and with trusty Mod Podge and an old book, I covered the entire box front and back.

I then took pages of the book and fed them through my printer to make the numbers and then with Mod Podge, on they went.

I used a 40% off coupon for Hobby Lobby to purchase the clockworks, and voila!

I did purchase more modern-looking hands than what was with the package, but in any case, I am so pleased with the results.

If you ask what time it is in my house, you obviously didn't look hard enough!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my father's birthday. Can you imagine being born on April Fool's Day? Dad was raised in New Zealand, so perhaps they don't celebrate this silly day like we do.

I was so lucky in my life to have two wonderful parents and today I celebrate my father. He has been such an anchor my entire life. I have always respected, loved, and adored my father and I thank God every day that He blessed me with such a terrific daddy. Happy Birthday, Dad.

Where does the time go?

I am sitting here, listening to the laughter of my daughter and husband as they relax watching an old episode of King of Queens and it strikes me that the time is going so fast. I remember the time when we first time that she laughed, I mean truly laughed from the core of her little being. Amanda was just months old and we were on a quick weekend trip with my beloved mother. Mom and I were relaxing on the bed with Amanda. We were talking to her and tickling her and then Amanda laughed so hard that before you knew it, we were all laughing until tears streamed down our faces.

There are so many times that I look at my daughter and I thank God that she is a happy and healthy young woman of 17. Before you know it, I will be crying at her high school graduation, but they will be tears of happiness. God has entrusted us to raise this wonderful young woman and for that, I will be eternally grateful to my Heavenly Father.

Denim and Burlap

I continue to have an obsession with burlap. I don't know what it is about it...the color, the texture, the feel...all I know is that I am enjoy crafting with burlap. Well, the latest creation is a table runner. Several blogs have shown a multitude of burlap runners, each so creative and lovely in their own right. This one that I made for our table is a simple strip of burlap that I have fringed the edges and then added denim flowers. The flowers are those rolled type that are all over the blog. I was just pleased to be able use up a leg of an old pair of jeans. Recycling at it's finest.

Warming Up

I enjoy this time of spring...when the weather warms up just a bit, but not too much for me to turn on the a/c to survive. The plants and the trees sprout their new growth, the people of town come out of hibernation and you begin to hear the whirl of the lawn mowers. We sat in the living room and watched our neighbor's tree burst from the browns of the winter into a thing of life with green leaves and movement in the wind within maybe three days. This is the time of spring that I enjoy. The miracle of rebirth.

Spring Banner

We are not fortunate to have a mantle to decorate with the seasons, but I have made a compromise. I decorate the top of our entertainment center. For Spring, I made a Spring Banner made of jute twine, clothespins, and tag cards. I covered the top of the clothespins with scrapbook paper, sanded and then antiqued the edges. I strung them onto the twine and then clipped an assortment of scrapbook tags that I made printing them out from our color printer and then mounting them onto paper. A great source of graphics is the Graphics Fairy who generously shares a multitude of designs. You can find at http://graphicsfairy.blogspot.com

Decorating for Spring

I made this bunny silhoutte with the inspiration from eighteen25. Out came the St. Patrick's Day subway art and in the frame goes the bunny. With one piece of 12 x 12 reversible scrapbook paper, a hand-cut white silhouette popped off the paper with some foam dots, and four staples...here you go! A cute little piece of framed art for our entry.

Happy Spring!

Welcome Spring, and in celebration of this change in the seasons, I made this wreath for the front door. I love, love, love it! All I had to do was to purchase a grapevine wreath from Michael's using my 40% off Hobby Lobby coupon (love that they will take those coupons). I made a nest using Lolly Chops Mini Birds Nest and Eggs tutorial at http://vimeo.com/19615893 I made a larger nest and the egg that I used was a paper mache egg that I had painted and splattered. The wreath definitely needed something, so I printed out butterfly pictures, trimmed them out, bent the wings where they meet the abdomen for some shape, and voila! A bit of Martha ribbon and we are in business.

Did I say how much I love this wreath?

Tie Dye Cupcakes

My dessert of choice is usually a New York Cheesecake. I will request this for my birthday year after year; however, this year I asked Amanda to make me something different...tie dye cupcakes. I had seen these done in different places, so I knew this would be something fun for all of us.

Amanda prepared the cake mix as directed and then divided the batter into five different cups. She mixed the colors using gel coloring and then added a spoonful of each color to each cupcake liner stacking the colors as you go. She baked them as directed on the cake mix box and they were perfect! She topped them with cream cheese frosting and sprinkles...yummy and fun!

Tie dye is near and dear to our family. My husband wears tie dye t-shirts on his down time from his job and they travel on vacation with us. This is always a plus because we can find him almost anywhere. In fact, the joke is, "Do you see Dad?".

Amanda meets Paula Deen...or at least the cookbook!

Today, I am very thankful for over ripe bananas. Even without begging, my daughter volunteered, you read right...she volunteered to make banana bread. For a recipe, she went straight to the boss...Paula Deen. Now I love all kinds of quick breads and banana bread is no exception. Amanda made the most delicious and beautiful bread and it sure didn't take long to cut into these loaves. Yummy!