Friday, you will never know how glad I am to see you....

Life has felt beyond crazy lately!

I'm not sure if it is because I am doing too much, or I am just feeling overwhelmed. But either way, I am so happy it is Friday. :-) And better yet, I am so glad that Josh and I are making time for a date tonight! I can hardly wait to spend time with my wonderful man.....we have barely had time to talk (really talk) lately, due to our schedules.
So tonight we will focus on each other and just relax.

We got family pictures taken last week, by a sweet long-time friend of our family. She (and her family) came all the way up from Texas to take our pictures. Well......and to vacation.....but it sounds cooler to say she drove all the way up to Colorado for a photo session. lol I will share more of them in another post......


And before I head back to all of the tasks I have left today, I thought I would share these fun deals. Enjoy your Friday as much as I am going to!!!

>>I think it's GREAT that Chili's is doing this for veterans. If you know of any, make sure they get their free meal--they deserve that (and more) for serving our country!

>>Don't forget to head to your local Noodles & Co. for free kids' bowls on Sunday! Read about it here.

>>These books make awesome Christmas gifts--I think I will be picking up this deal. :-) If you go through Ebates to make your Snapfish purchase, you earn cash back! Go here to sign up for Ebates.

Bargain Meal of the Week: Oct. 21-27, 2009

My husband is a native of Wisconsin, and up until 2008, had lived his whole life in the Midwest. I am a West Coast girl, always living in the Pacific Northwest or one of its bordering states, until I met and married him in 2001.

This has made for some interesting cultural misunderstandings in our marriage. Not fights, mind you.....we never fight (of course). But we have discovered differences between our two upbringings.

One major area of difference is in regards to food. I grew up in a state where organic "tree huggers", if you will, resided. Thus, the food choices were generally very fresh, very healthy, with lots of Latino influences. My husband grew up in a state heavily influenced by German ways of living. Very traditional, heavy, substantial food is the norm. (This is not a hard and fast rule on either side, mind you. But there are definitely different ways of life and eating in both areas of the country!)

Because of this, we had to blend our two styles of eating and cooking. I think we have done very well in this regard.....but we still have a few points of disagreement.

*I would take baked fish over fried any day.
*I would eat frozen yogurt over frozen custard any day.
*I would make a chicken/spinach/artichoke heart pizza over sausage/pepperoni any day.
*I would take a nice light pasta salad over hot German potato salad ANY day.
*And I would take a nice piece of grilled salmon over a brat (pronounced "brawt") any day.

That last point brings me to my $5 meal for the week........

As I was scanning my King Soopers ad, I spotted the Italian sausages on sale for $1.99/lb. My husband would love me even more if he walked into the house and was greeted by the smell of sausages being cooked for supper. (gag.....) But because I am a loving and kind-hearted wife, I just may hop over to KS and buy him a couple. Maybe.

Baked Italian Sausage with Rosemary Potatoes
(Add a few baby carrots to make it a complete meal!)

Italian Link Sausages--$1.99/lb (need 6 sausages)
Bulk Russet Potatoes--10 lbs/$10 (the recipe calls for 28.25 oz. of potatoes....huh?...It comes out to 1 3/4 lbs. :-)
Ecce Panis Ciabatta Artisan Bread--$1.99 (need 2 slices)
Mini Peeled Carrots--10/$10 (use half the bag)

Est. Cost: $5.65

(I will let you know if I bless my hubby with this hearty dish this week. :-)

My baby daddy

Just kidding about the title....I just thought it would get more attention than "It's my husband's birthday" or "I love my husband". :-)

But it IS my hubby's birthday tomorrow, and I DO love him (and he IS the father of my 3 children). He is a wonderful, patient husband, and a fabulously involved father. I could not ask for a better man! God knew exactly what I needed....thankfully, cuz I had some weird ideas about what kind of guy would be good for me. :-)

Happy birthday, honey!
Thanks for being my prince, my financial planner, my travel buddy, my voice of reason, my in-house comedian, my inspiration, my co-child rearer, my taste-tester, and my Bible answer man.
I love you!!!

Excuse me while I go hug my tree....

While we were visiting family and friends in Wisconsin for Christmas, one of my friends asked me if I had become a typical Colorado dweller yet. You know the kind she is thinking of......

No, not the Aspen-living, Paris-copying, Ugg boot-wearing, Hummer-driving, ski lodge-hanging ones.

I mean the ones who exist on organic flaxseed muffins and free trade coffee and who wear bamboo sweaters and Birkenstocks and shop solely at Whole Foods .
And as I told her......"No, I have not become one of those!!!".

(Yet.)

My husband thinks I am slowly morphing into one though.

Just because I enjoy me a few natural products. Come on. Can't a person embrace the culture they are surrounded by, just a bit???


And because it is Friday, I thought I would share the top five "green" things that have infiltrated our family now that we live out here.
(Out here in one of the top counties in the nation with lowest B.M.I....body mass index. Skinny, healthy people. Probably because they are all greenies. Who knows.)

Anyways.......

Five Ways We Are On Our Way To Being Tree Huggers:
(or so my husband thinks......)

(1) I now clean my house with this product. (And for the record, I was already concerned about unhealthy cleaning products before I moved out here. The healthy-ness of my surroundings just encouraged me to make a complete break from my hazardous materials. :-)

(2) We now eat this kind of yogurt. No, it is not organic, but it is fabulously low in sugar, and I adore it.

(3) My husband now walks or rides a scooter to work most days. Because it is sunny so often here in Denver. And because his bike got stolen. :-( But I am sure the thief eats organic and shops with reusable shopping bags.

(4) We bought these bottles to drink our water out of. No more filling up the earth with plastics for us! Umm....actually I just got a fabulous deal on them at Sam's.......that is the real reason.

(5) As posted before, these are our new favorite snacks. (When I have coupons for them and can afford them......)

So there you have it.......we have become the natural, environmentally-friendly family that you would expect out of Colorado. Well, sort of.

Maybe by next year at this time, I will look like this:



or be drinking this:


or be driving this:

Maybe......

(And just a p.s.: I also eat raw, unfiltered, local honey, so as to acclimate my system to local pollens to reduce allergies. Which my husband also thinks is a big crock.....we will see when allergy season comes around. Mmmmwwwwaaaahhhh.)

Things that make you go AAAHHH (but not associated with any 90's songs)

So, here it is.....Tuesday already! (I think.....)

I was just talking to my friend today about feeling mixed-up this week. You know, when the kids are off of school for a few days, it throws you off for the next week or so. That is how I am feeling today.

But I checked the calendar and it is definitely Tuesday. My crazy babysitting day. The day before Wednesday, my other crazy day of the week.

Except this week's Tuesday has been a little calmer.

We made these cute pumpkins today--even the babies "helped" make theirs. :-)


My hubby also was home for awhile this afternoon, so he took the 3 older kids to the park.
(Hence why I am actually writing this post!) God bless him--it was one of the sweetest things he could have done today.

And before I go wash the dishes (I have to do one profitable thing while Hubby is gone!), I wanted to leave you with Tuesday's featured blog......

I am sure many of you are already fans of this woman's creative and charming blog and business--but in case you are not, I just had to share. Whenever I need to feel happy, I check in on her. I love her stuff--it makes me smile (and covet a little.....). :-)

Have a wonderful day!

Frugal women everywhere!

I finally have "my" computer back. I think a laptop purchase ought to be on the Christmas shopping agenda....

Anyways--didn't my husband do a fabulous job on his cooking post. You see why I married him.....for his savvy skills in the kitchen. Best scrambled eggs I've ever eaten. :-) Maybe I will have him share his grilling tips with you next week....


On a different subject: I am always looking for ways to save money........ways that do not require 5 million trips around town to different stores, using every coupon and money-back deal in creation that I have ever found. If it is too much work and time away from my family, I do not go for it.

But there are so many websites and magazines that have EASY ways to save, ways that are do-able and down-to-earth. There are so many awesome women out there, saving tons of money every day. I am very inspired! Do you have specific resources that you check or use every week?
I weekly check:
~my Sunday newspaper coupon inserts
~store sale flyers (Walgreens, Target, local grocery stores)
~this website
~All Things Frugal
~FatWallet
....as well as many other things I come across on-line.

I found this lady's blog last week. She has some great sites on her sidebar for saving money, as well as some good tips of her own. Check her out, and let me know of any sites you use that I MUST check in order to save money. (Keep in mind that I am lazy and slightly ADHD, so they must be easy to use.) :-)

Have a wonderful week!

Finally--something my husband WON'T eat!

I know I should be happy.

Not every woman is able to make food that her family eats up...or in my family's case--devours. I guess that is considered successful.

There's only one problem: No leftovers! Everything gets cleaned out at each meal, leaving nothing for the next day's lunch or a quick supper when Hubby is gone.

Soooooo....when I discovered that my husband really does not appreciate cream-based pasta dishes, I must admit that I was slightly excited. That meant I would have a fabulous meal to make when he was gone to soccer games. It also meant that he would not polish off the leftovers in the fridge when he got home.

Yessssss. :-)

As I was planning my weekly menu last week, I decided to make this recipe. Thankfully Josh was gone one night, so I was able to try it out without complaint. (And thankfully, one of my children decided that she does not like spinach, so all the more left over for me!)

Enjoy "Creamy Spinach Chicken Dinner"....

1 1/2 cups uncooked penne pasta
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 t. olive oil
1 can (10 3/4 oz.) cream of mushroom soup
1 cup heavy whipping cream
10 cups coarsely chopped fresh spinach
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheese
1/2 t. pepper

1) Cook pasta according to package. Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven over medium heat, cook and stir chicken and onion in oil for 5 minutes or until juices run clear.

2) Stir in soup and cream. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered for 2 minutes. Stir in the spinach, cheese and pepper; cook for 1-2 minutes or until spinach is wilted and cheese is melted.

3) Drain pasta; add to chicken mixture and toss to coat.

(Simple and Delicious--Sept./Oct. 2008 issue)

Just what he always wanted!!!!

Or at least you can hope........
Many of you asked where I found the "My Wife Rocks" t-shirt. It took me a bit, but I located it--along with a few other cool shirts. You could buy him one for every day of the week!
If you do buy one, make sure you take a picture,post it on your blog, and let me know! And I will do the same. (Josh doesn't have one yet, but when he does, you will definitely be seeing it!) ;-)

He looks good in brown

I think I am going to buy this for Josh for his next birthday.....what do you think? (I think it is sums it all up perfectly.)

*EDIT: Josh claims he would actually wear this.....I think I have to buy it now. I will try to remember where I found it!*

Love is in the air!

Our summer has been filled with weddings. We had two of Josh's siblings get married, as well as several friends and acquaintances. There are several that we must miss also, due to distance or timing. That is very depressing to me--I love weddings! It doesn't really matter whose wedding it is--I am glad to go. (Josh does not feel likewise.) :-) I was telling a friend the other night that once I even went to a wedding reception uninvited....but that is another story, better left untold from my crazy college years. (Keep your mouth shut, Erica!)

To top off all of the romantic happenings of the summer, my sweet husband and I celebrated our 6th anniversary. Now some of you may think that is no time at all--others may think of us as an "old married couple". To me, it hardly seems possible that I could have been married for six years already!!! Time has flown by, filled with vacations, househunting, a child, soccer, jobs, another child, more soccer, romantic dates, the occasional trial, oh, let's see--another child and more soccer..... :-) And there is so much more to come! I am so blessed and unworthy to have such a wonderful man as my husband.

So, in honor of love, I am posting some of the wedding pics and a few of me and the love of my life.

"Love does not consist in gazing at each other but in looking outward together

in the same direction." --Antoine De Saint-Exupery

A little advertising never hurt.....

My hubby has become addicted to saving us money (not a bad thing to be addicted to, right?!) and as a result has interested me in several avenues of cheap shopping. One that I absolutely LOVE is Ebates. We buy quite a few things on-line (it is easier than driving 45 miles to shop for gifts, etc.) and this is the perfect place to buy stuff and get some cash back. I have already earned $15.20 in just a few months!!! It is really easy to sign up and you don't have to give any personal info. When you sign up, I get $5 after your first purchase, you get $5 just for signing up, and you can also refer people and earn even more money!! The biggest thing is remembering to go through Ebates' site in order to earn the money. I forget all of the time--in fact, I just ordered prints at Snapfish and could have earned 10% back for going
through Ebates :-( So all of you computer-savvy women out there (well, men too, if you are reading this)....you should sign up and start saving!
If you decide to try it out, please use my referral link:
http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?id=32898824
so I can earn $5 for signing you up, and you will earn $5 just for signing up!!! My e-mail address is oregongirl77 at charter dot net.
Have fun shopping (and let me know how much you earn!)

Better late than never, right??

I just realized that I never posted a Father's Day post about my wonderful husband. What a great wife I am.... :-)
I could not ask for a better father for my children. He is always willing to care for them (even when it means changing diapers!!!) I am so grateful for the partner that he is. I think I would go crazy without him. :-) The girls adore him, and I'm sure Little E will soon be trooping along behind him, trying to copy everything he does.
So, although I am late, I just wanted to thank you, Joshua, for all that you do for our family. You are the best daddy (and husband) ever!!!!

Daddy and Big E heading off to go canoeing (she chose to wear the skirt,we didn't make her) :-)

My two handsome men!

All dressed up for Aunt Jill's wedding

Daddy protecting Middle E from the loud trucks

Following in Daddy's footsteps??

A few weeks ago, Josh had the "privelege" of running a peewee soccer camp for 3-5 yr. olds. He made it through the week, running on Starbucks Double Shots and Diet Pepsi. :-) Big E was able to attend 2 out of 3 days with her daddy, and seemed to enjoy it although she does not have alot of athletic ambition.....we think Middle E will be the one interested in sports. She was also able to attend it with her cousin, which made the days even more special. Josh said that even though she may not have been the most skilled or most competitive, she sure looked good! :-)

Daddy time

Little E and Daddy were both sporting the white t-shirts, so I felt I had to take a picture.

Little E gets to watch his first (and I know will not be his last) soccer game. He would get angry every time Josh turned him away from the t.v. Either he likes soccer or is a t.v. addict like his middle sister..... :-)

Josh received his "10 year watch" from Maranatha last week. It is a little scary to think that he has been around here this long---but the Lord has blessed our time here and given us so many good friends and opportunities here in town. Maybe we will be here another 20?? Hmmm...... We'll see...... I am proud of you though, Honey!!! :-)

My Valentine

Since I am not a very emotional or mushy person, I promise you all that I will not bore you with dripping paragraphs about why I love my husband, etc., etc. But I did want to say that on the card-companies' favorite day, I am reminded again of why I love being married to him. I have listed many reasons before (see here)--here are a few more....

1) He thinks through every side of a matter before going ahead with it (I typically do not.)

2) He is extremely patient with our children--at times when I am not.

3) He always looks for the good in people (I am a little more pessimistic).

4) He enjoys simply staying at home and being with his family--I am always ready to go somewhere!

As you can see, there is a pattern....we are quite opposite in many areas, and I know that God planned it that way! I am so thankful for a husband who complements me in many areas, and challenges me in my weak ones. He is truly "meant for me"! Ok, that is all the mushiness I can endure. (And if he reads this, he will be thoroughly embarassed already!)
I love you, Joshua!!!

A historic occasion

Only my former MBBC readers will find this post exciting......I just thought you would all like to see this segment from the most recent "Maranatha Trumpeter":

The Maranatha Trumpeter

Ladies: Slacks Allowed on Campus on Saturday - 2/1/2007- Because of the cold weather forecasted for Saturday, Dr. Oats is allowing ladies to wear approved slacks around campus on Saturday. This exception does not apply to the recital Saturday night.

Because the thought of wearing pants in the dining hall was so thrilling, Josh and I used our faculty pass and ate supper on campus that night.....and I wandered around in pants and felt completely normal. One of the small joys when your husband still works at MBBC. :-)

My handyman

We are fixing up our room, so that we can move the kids in there after the baby comes. It was a hideous blue color that had probably been on the walls for years. But now that Josh has finished painting and rearranging, it looks so nice that he does not want to move out! :-)

I thought I would show off his handiwork since he worked so hard (and we had to sleep on an airmattress for almost a week in order for him to finish it!) It was worth it though--it feels like a new house. :-)

Elise in the old, messy blue room

Josh working hard

Our "new" room!

Where we slept during the project :-)