Ugh, this woman!

We went to Target tonight.  We spent $89.12 and save $80.50.  I would say it was a wootable trip.  We got some great deals on things that we needed.  Except cat food, because I forgot those coupons at home.  See, this is why I keep a coupon binder.

Ok, on to what the title of this post is about.

After Target (and Payless) we stopped by CVS.  They were about to close and I only wanted to get a few things.  I have two rainchecks from when they were having their sale on Aussie and Herbal Essence.  I have a coupon for "Buy any Aussie styling product get $2 off any shampoo or conditioner."  The rainchecks make one styling product $0.99 and one shampoo or conditioner $0.99, which with the coupon would make those two free with a little overage.  I grabbed those plus two small packages of Wheat Thins and two small packages of Fig Newtons.  Those were each $0.99 and I had $1 off coupons for all of them.  Oh and I was getting paper towels, but I didn't have a problem with those.  So I put all of my purchases on the counter and "the lady" rings me up.  I hand her my rainchecks and she tells me I "should have given those to her first".  I apologized to her for it and handed her my coupons.  All of them ring up fine except for the Aussie.  Her explanation is that the coupon is for more than the price of the products.  Now keep in mind that I had done this same exact transaction (Aussie coupons with the rain checks) a couple of weeks before and everything went smoothly.  This was actually my second time to try it with these particular rainchecks and coupon.  Since she was refusing it I asked that she take off the Aussie and give me back my rianchecks and coupon.  She got all huffy and said she had to void the whole thing and ring everything up again.  At this point I really didn't care what trouble she had to go through.  So I ended up getting two packages of Fig Newtons, two packages of Wheat Thins, and an 8-pack of Scott paper towels for $3.18, and a $1.ECB back.  When I got in the car I was telling Jarrod that I really don't want to go back to that CVS again and what happened.  Then I realized... there was overage after the coupons for the Wheat Thins and the Fig Newtons!  Her reason for the Aussie coupon not working should have applied for the Wheat Thins and the Fig Newtons!  Oh this lady aggravates me!  So I shall be making another call to corporate and the store tomorrow.  And, this time I am complaining!

CVS Last Night

Last night we went to CVS.  I wanted to buy a Green Bag Tag and use the ECBs to buy two Starbucks Frappuccinos and two 3-packs of Ivory soap.  Well, they were all out of the bag tags so I set my other purchases on the counter along with my coupons (two for the frappuccinos and two for the soap).  The "difficult" woman was there.  I think I've decided that she's not really difficult, just very particular about coupons.  You will get some that will push the coupons without  making sure they are legit and you will get some that will pull out a magnifying glass to read the fine print.  Ok, a slight exaggeration there, but you get my point.  This lady would pull out a magnifying glass, if she had one, I'm sure.  Anyway she starts ringing me up and when she gets to the second coupon for the frappuccinos she tells me she has to do two different transactions.  I look at the coupon and tell her that it says "per purchase" and that means per item, not per transaction.  She tells me that they had a meeting earlier that day and they will now have to do all of these seperately.  I was very nice.  We did two different transactions and I told her that she's going to get a lot of people arguing with her, because this is not what the coupons say.

Out of curiousity I looked up the number for CVS today and called them.  I talked to a very nice woman who assured me that this is not their policy.  She even credited me a $1 ECB.  I assured her that I was not trying to complain, I just wanted clarification.  After that I called the store in hopes of getting some more clarification.  Perhaps this was a new store policy.  I was able to talk to the Head Store Manager that told me he thinks this lady was mistaken in what they discussed in their meeting.  I did learn that if any of your coupons beep then they will refuse them.  I'm thinking maybe I should just avoid this woman.  Now that makes it sound like I want to use coupons fraudulantly or something.  I don't.  I just don't like that this woman makes me feel like a criminal even when all the coupons work.  It's not like they won't get reimbursed for them.  I got a CVS coupon for $1 off some CVS product the other day.  I don't remember what it was, but I used it to get $1 off a travel size face scrub.  So I got it for free, I think.  Or, maybe $0.50.  This lady practically rolled her eyes as she rung me up.  I understand being particular about coupons, but she can lose the attitude.  I just might really complain next time. 

Now I'm in a tizzy and I'm supposed to be going to bed.  Ach!

Target Tonight!

I'm not a "Frugal Blogger", but tonight's Target run has got me so excited.  This is the second time I've "rolled" at a store.  The first time was at Safeway, but wasn't anywhere near this capacity.  We did four transactions tonight.  That's right, four.  But we only spent $18.51, saved $58.26.  This is what all we got:

1 (free) bag of Sun Chips

2 Scrubbing Bubbles Power Sprayers 

2 cans of Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Cleaner

2 Scrubbing Bubbles Power Sprayer refills

8 cans of Del Monte Green Beans

8 cans of Del Monte Peas

1 loaf of Target brand bread (because we needed some)

2 boxes of Stoufer's Toasted Subs

5 boxes of Special K Granola

All for just $18.51, with the help of shopping sales, using coupons, and 3 gift cards.  Oh!  And, I can send in for two $5 rebates for the Scrubbing Bubbles.  Now do you see why I'm so excited about this? 

The only thing that went wrong was a certain coupon.  I was supposed to get the refills for free, but wanted to see if I could also use the $1 off coupons for them.  Instead of letting me get them for free the register, it seems, voided that coupon and just took $1 off each.  A lesson learned.  I honestly thought they would just object to the $1 off coupon.  I don't know what made me thing that, though.  Oh well. 

Now for CVS, if that difficult woman isn't working.  But, that's another story for another time.

If you'd like more details about how I did it you can email me.  The receipts are downstairs and I don't want to go get them to type out all the details.

A new perspective, sorta

There's something refreshing about rearranging a room.  It's nice to get a new perspective on things and find a new place for things. 
About a year and a half ago Jarrod and I decided that we would be moving to New Mexico.  That is where we thought God wanted us.  Certain events have taken place that have changed our decision about moving there.  For now we are here. 
Well, a year and a half ago I started boxing up our stuff in preparation for the move.  We had a yard sale, but eventually bought some things to replace the ones we sold.  The other day I decided to unbox everything.  Well, not everything.  We don't have anywhere to put the million and one books.  So spring cleaning has been a sort of redecorating.  It's been nice, but exhausting.  Now our house feels more like a home.  Now I'm not embarrassed to invite people over.  Just call first so I can clean up the mess the tornadoes have made.

A victory and defeat in the coupon world.

Remember my post about The Grocery Game.  Well, I don't do that anymore.  Well, I don't use The Grocery Game.  I now use CouponMom.com.  It's free there, and there are more stores to choose from.

Since I've started this I've heard so many times about people getting stuff free.  I want to do that!, I thought.  Last night I was going through my sales papers and I saw that Marie's salad dressing was on sale for $0.99 if you buy 5.  I could've swore I had coupons for that.  I looked and sure enough I hade 3.  I looked online and found 2 more.  They were $1 off 1!  That would mean that I would either get 5 free or get paid $0.05 for 5!   That's called overage!  I was so excited I woke Jarrod up to tell him.  Plus we needed to get ready for church. 
After church we went to the store.  Well, I lost one of my coupons getting out of the car.  I have no idea where it went.  Maybe the wind blew it away.  We picked out 5 bottles of salad dressing and got some other stuff.  See, they had it on sale for $0.99 if you buy 5 and then you get $5 back.  So we got the 5 bottles of dressing and some of the other stuff on the promotion.  Then Jarrod spots some cereal on sale.  Not that we need cereal, but he's been bitten by this sale and coupon bug too.  As we are going to the register I remembered that there were supposed to be some blinkies (coupons that are spit out of those blinking red boxes on the shelves) and wanted to grab some.  There was a deal going on yesterday only where if you buy the cereal listed on this blinkie coupon then you will get a $4 back catalina (coupon that spits out with your receipt).  So, I grab 5 boxes of that cereal.
We finally get to the register and I tell Jarrod that I want to pay for the dressing seperate to insure we get the $5 back, since we were doing 10 items from that promotion and not just 5.  For some reason his rings up to $27.  That is not what we were expecting, but we didn't want to say anything, because people started lining up behind us. 
When the salad dressings were rung up my total was $0.95!  I was so excited.  But, there wasn't a catalina for the $5 back.  I asked the guy and he called over someone else.  She said that she thought it was supposed to be taken off on the receipt.  She looked at the receipt and didn't see anything.  She went to where the dressing was and looked, but came back saying she didn't want to make me wait.  She opened the register and gave me a $5 bill.  I thought we were getting blessed!
When we got home I looked at Jarrod's receipt to see why it turned out to be so much.  Ach!  We bought the wrong cereal.  We had to buy certain cereals together in order for them to be a certain price.  That cereal that I picked up with the blinkies was supposed to total out to $0.80, but instead was $4.50 a box!  We bought 5 boxes!!  And to top it off Jarrod and I were discussing why I didn't get $5 back with mine.  Safeway doesn't do overages!  On Jarrod's receipt you can see where they took the $5 off like a coupon for the items he got for the promotion.  So now I want to take the money back to them.  But, I still got 5 bottles of really good salad dressing for $0.95!!  So one victory and one expensive defeat.  Next time I'm going to read the sales tags more carefully.

Cranberry Pecan Muffins

We have like 100 little bags of dried cranberries.

The kids don't really like eating them right out of the bag so I decided to find a way to use them.

I found a recipe for Cranberry Pecan Muffins.

I added some coconut, because I had it and it sounded good.

YUM!

Especially if you put butter on them.

You should make some! 

Especially if you have like 100 little bags of dried cranberries.

I joined The Grocery Game - Again

A couple of years ago a friend told me about The Grocery Game.  It sounded wonderful so I signed up.  At the time it would only cost me $1.  I figured, at that price, I was willing to give it a try.  I think I saved some money, I can't really remember.  But, recently I rejoined.  It cost me $15 this time, but I knew it was worth it.  I paid $10 for the first store I chose and $5 for the second (each store after the first would cost $5).  Honestly, I think it's worth it.  But, don't be alarmed!  If you would like to join then it's FREE for you for 4 weeks!  Simply go to https://www.thegrocerygame.com/con_Free_Trial.cfm?function=order&smt=0&srm=1 and sign up.  If you say that I refered you (vernitta_w at yahoo dot com) then I get a couple of weeks free (if I refer a certain number of people)

Not sure what I'm talking about?
The Grocery Game is a website that can save you hundreds of dollars on your grocery bill each month. Log in, spend a few minutes with a pair of scissors, and you're off to win The Grocery Game!
When you play, you'll get a weekly list (called Teri's List) of the lowest-priced products at your supermarket matched with manufacturers' coupons and weekly specials -- advertised and unadvertised. The Grocery Game does all the hard work and research, and presents it to you in a straightforward format.
It's not a contest or really a game.  It's just a way to save money on groceries and other household items.

A couple of days ago I got my list and coupons together and we headed off to Safeway.  But, things were not going as I had planned.  There were things that were supposed to be on sale, based on my list, that weren't.  I had the wrong list!  Why?  Because we lived in one zipcode, but shopped in another.  Yes, there was a Safeway in our zipcode, but this one was closer.  But, even though I had the wrong list we still saved $45!  $45 people!  I was so excited!  But, at the same time I was disappointed.  Disappointed, because if I had had the right list we could have saved even more money.  If you join I recommend putting in the zipcode of the store that you frequent instead of your's, just in case you don't live in the same zipcode.
  
Now on the list that I had printed out it had said that Del Monte Fruit Naturals Cups were on sale for $1.  But, guess what?  I had found a coupon that wasn't listed for Buy 3 get a $1 off!  Doesn't that sound wonderful!?  So go and find other coupons.  Do you have favorite brands?  Go to their website and sign up for their newsletter.  Google " 'favorite product' coupons" and see what you get.  You would be surprised.

Also, sign up for newsletters from your favorite restaurants.  Jarrod and I like to go to Chevy's.  We signed up for their newsletters and about 2-3 a month we get a coupon for "Order one combo and the second (of equal or lesser value) is only $2.99" (sometimes $3.99).  Their combos are so big that it's two meals.  So we end up spending roughly $16.49 on four meals.  That's less than $5 a meal!

Also, take a look at this website.  Jarrod had googled "feeding a family for a week"  (He was looking for more information about this.) and found this.  It is what got me interested in couponing again.  That, and I saw my sister, Rebekka's, posts on facebook about using coupons.

Not My Favorite Week

Ugh!  This week!  I'm hating this week and I'm eager for it to be over.
Thursday, I think it was, we got a letter on our door letting us know that there will inspections this week.  The day before that we got one saying a meeting has been scheduled for us with the manager of the place we live in.  Also, there is a guy that's going to come and inspect our fire sprinklers... tomorrow.  So that left me Friday day, Saturday, and today to make this place shine.  Let's just say that it's an exhausting thing to do when you have 2.5 tornadoes living with you. 
It's the end of today and although my house is cleaner, it's still not what I would call clean.  The guy starts inspecting each place at 7:30 in the morning.  That leaves me somewhere between 45 minutes to an hour and a half to finish everything.  I should be in bed right now, but I'm in a little bit of pain (Aunt Flo) and I don't want to lay there stressing about the manager leaving another note on our door saying our place is too cluttered and she needs to inspect it again.  Only for her to not show up, but leave another note saying she's coming and still not show up.  Yeah, she really did that.  It stresses me out every time.  I hate living here.  I hate the invasion of privacy.  But, I guess I have to deal with it until God moves us.  No telling when that's going to happen.  Certain things have taken place (I've been asked not to tell yet) that might change our plan of moving to New Mexico.  So now that's up in the air.
We've been having some awesome services at church!  We are in the middle of transitioning from one building to another and we've been having revival services Sunday night, Thursday night, and Friday night.  Along with the normal services Sunday morning and Wednesday night.  That's the light that shines during this week. 
Oh, and I have a dreaded doctor's appointment Thursday.  I don't want to talk about it.  I just want this week to be over. 

Ingredient of the Week - Oregano

Tonight I threw stuff together and called it enchilada casserole.  But, it wasn't really a casserole. 
I browned some meat, threw in crushed garlic, chopped, fresh oregano, and a can of diced tomatoes with green chiles.  Before that, though, I had cut up some corn tortillas and fried them just to add some moisture in my cast iron skillet I got for Christmas.  I mixed all that together, sprinkled cheese on top and threw it into the oven.  I served it with guacamole, sour cream, and cheese dip.  Afterwards I wished I would've remembered to add the can of corn and make some rice.  And, buy a can of refried beans.  But, that's what I made tonight with oregano.  My husband just told me he didn't notice any in the food tonight.  I'm thinking this one doesn't count.

Ingredient of the Week - Week 2

Oregano!

Oregano is an important culinary herb. It is particularly widely used in Turkish, Greek, Spanish, Latin American, and Italian cuisine. It is the leaves that are used in cooking, and the dried herb is often more flavourful than the fresh.

Oregano is often used in tomato sauces, fried vegetables, and grilled meat. Together with basil, it contributes much to the distinctive character of many Italian dishes.

It is commonly used by local chefs in southern Philippines when boiling carabao or cow meat to eliminate the odor of the meat, and to add a nice, spicy flavor.

Oregano combines nicely with pickled olives, capers, and lovage leaves. Unlike most Italian herbs, oregano works with hot and spicy food, which is popular in southern Italy.

Oregano is an indispensable ingredient in Greek cuisine. Oregano adds flavor to Greek salad and is usually added to the lemon-olive oil sauce that accompanies many fish or meat barbecues and some casseroles.

In Turkish Cuisine, oregano is mostly used for flavoring meat, especially for mutton and lambs meat. In barbecue and kebab restaurants, it can be usually found on table, together with paprika, salt and pepper.

The dish most commonly associated with oregano is pizza. Its variations have probably been eaten in Southern Italy for centuries. Oregano became popular in the US when returning WW2 soldiers brought back with them a taste for the “pizza herb”.
 
Oregano is high in antioxidant activity, due to a high content of phenolic acids and flavonoids.  Additionally, oregano has demonstrated antimicrobial activity against food-borne pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes. Both of these characteristics may be useful in both health and food preservation. In the Philippines, oregano (Coleus aromaticus) is not commonly used for cooking but is rather considered as a primarily medicinal plant, useful for relieving headaches and coughs.

Ingredient of the Week - Potatoes

Last night I made Crash Potatoes and it turned out pretty good.  I think I boiled the potatoes too long, though.  And, they kind of fell apart when I mashed them on the cookie sheet.  But, I found that if I used a spatula to take them off then all of the potato stayed together.  I made some gravy that went wonderful over the potatoes.  They were a little dry without it.

Tonight I made potato gnocchi.  This was my inspiration for making it.  Boy do I not want to make that again.  Well, it wasn't so bad.  I guess I just need more practice.  It came out too big and so tasted like we were just eating big dumplings.  I don't know if I will make it again.  Maybe when I'm in a creati ve mood and we're not in too much of a hurry to eat.

I was planning on making potato lasagna (just like lasagna, but with sliced potatoes instead of lasagna noodles) tomorrow night, but we would need to go to the grocery store and neither Jarrod or I are feeling up to that.

Ingredient of the Week?

So, as I posted yesterday, the Ingredient of the Week is potatoes.  I found the first recipe I wanted to do.  Actually, I've already decided on three, but will let the other two remain a secret for now.  The first one I was going to make is here.  I decided to make this with some chicken and I would make a sauce to go over the top.  But, there's a big hitch in those plans.  I have all of three potatoes!  How can I make something that's supposed to have potatoes in it when I don't have enough potatoes!?  So, tomorrow I will be sending Jarrod to the store.

Ingredient of the Week - Week 1

Potatoes!

The potato contains vitamins and minerals that have been identified as vital to human nutrition, as well as an assortment of phytochemicals, such as carotenoids and polyphenols. A medium-sized (5.3 oz) potato with the skin provides 27 mg of vitamin C (45% of the Daily Value (DV)), 620 mg of potassium (18% of DV), 0.2 mg vitamin B6 (10% of DV) and trace amounts of thiamin, riboflavin, folate, niacin, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, and zinc. The fiber content of a potato with skin (2 g) is equivalent to that of many whole grain breads, pastas, and cereals.


Nutritionally, the potato is best known for its carbohydrate content (approximately 26 grams in a medium potato). The predominant form of this carbohydrate is starch. A small but significant portion of this starch is resistant to digestion by enzymes in the stomach and small intestine, and so reaches the large intestine essentially intact. This resistant starch is considered to have similar physiological effects and health benefits as fiber: it provides bulk, offers protection against colon cancer, improves glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, lowers plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations, increases satiety, and possibly even reduces fat storage. The amount of resistant starch in potatoes depends much on preparation methods. Cooking and then cooling potatoes significantly increased resistant starch. For example, cooked potato starch contains about 7% resistant starch, which increases to about 13% upon cooling.

The nutrients of the potato seem to be fairly evenly distributed between the flesh and the skin. For a medium potato, with and without the skin, nutritiondata.com gives the following:

Almost all the protein content of a potato is contained in a thin layer just under its skin.

The cooking method used can significantly impact the nutrient availability of the potato.

Potatoes are often broadly classified as high on the glycemic index (GI) and so are often excluded from the diets of individuals trying to follow a low GI diet. In fact, the GI of potatoes can vary considerably depending on type (such as red, russet, white, or Prince Edward), origin (where it was grown), preparation methods (i.e., cooking method, whether it is eaten hot or cold, whether it is mashed or cubed or consumed whole, etc), and with what it is consumed (i.e., the addition of various high fat or high protein toppings).

Something New

I'm going to start something new.  A new section/part/hobby of my blog.  I'm going to call it Ingredient of the Week.  Every week I'm going to let Jarrod, my husband, choose an ingredient.  I will then find 3-4 recipes that incorporate that ingredient in a, hopefully, major way and make them that week.  Jarrod suggests I begin the week with a simple recipe and end with a more difficult.  I'll see what I can do.  I will begin this endeavor/hobby on Monday.  Jarrod has already chosen the first ingredient and I have agreed to let him choose whatever he wants with no questions asked.  You will see what I mean on Monday.

Homeschooling

This is why we homeschool.

http://www.cbn.com/CBNnews/144135.aspx

The Beginnings of a Garden

Here are the litle pods newly watered and awaiting seeds.

Here they are all ready to grow.

There are two rows of grape tomatoes and the rest are green beans.

A bag of potatoes!

Here's another tray.

I had just put the seeds in need to cover them up before putting the lid on.

This a picture of the green beans I planted.

I planted them on Tuesday and this picture was taken Saturday.

Simeon says, "They're round like do-nuts."

I didn't take pictures, but we have some green showing through with the strawberries outside.

Everything is looking good!

Are You Prepared?

Every time there is a disaster somewhere in the world this question is raised.  Can you answer it honestly?  Are you prepared for a disaster? 
A disaster can be anything.  You or your spouse lose a job.  Your child becomes very sick and you don't have health insurance.  Your house catches on fire.  A tornado is coming towards your neighborhood.  You are in danger of a flash flood.  You live on a fault line and are in danger of an earthquake.  You are in the path of a hurricane.  These are the ones that most people think of.  But, most people are not prepared for. 

What can you do to be prepared?  You can have money saved for when/if you or your spouse loses a job.  Or, if your child becomes very ill.  You can have your important documents, and copies, in a firesafe box.  These are very basic and "common sense".  But, there are other ways you can be prepared.  You can pack a BOB (bug out bag).  A bug out bag is a backpack for each person in the family.  In that bag are things that you will need to survive for 48 hours.

Say your house catches on fire while you are asleep.  You wake up.  Wake up your spouse and children.  Do you have time to get dressed?  Do you want to take the time to get dressed?  Grab your family and BOBs (which should be in a very accesible place for such emergencies).  Get outside and to a safe place.  You can run to the neighbors to warn them and to call the authorities.  There you are outside and cold.  Your child is crying and worried.  They don't know what is going on, but know that it's not good.  Mommy and Daddy seem worried.  At this point you can pull out of their BOB a small toy that will hopefully distract them.  You may have packed in there an extra Lovey.  You can give them a snack or bottle of water that you packed in their BOB.  If you didn't get dressed before leaving you are probably going to start feeling a little uncomfortable right now as you watch your house burn down.  You can reach into your BOB and pull out a pair of pants or extra shirt.  Maybe just a blanket will do.  A little while later you are going to want to start thinking about where you are going to go.  What are you going to do?  Hopefully you or your spouse put some extra cash and important papers in their BOB.  Maybe an extra set of car keys.  Because you have your BOBs you will be ok for the next 48 hours.  Now think about that same scenario without the BOBs.  Your child is crying and you are trying to console them.  You maybe be able to console them, but you probably don't have anything to distract them from the ghastly sight of their home burning down right in front of their eyes.  If you didn't get dressed before leaving then you are standing there in your pajamas for the whole neighborhood to see.  Your car keys and cash are burning up inside your home.  You hope someone will open their home to you, because you can't pay for a hotel right now.

That's just one scenario where a BOB will come in handy.

Another way you can be prepared is to always have plenty of food, water, medicine... basic supplies to survive for at least three months in your home. 

Let's talk about a scenario where this would be good to have.  The major breadwinner in your family has just been laid off.  They can get unemployment, but you know that won't take care of every bill.  But, you know you will be alright, because you've been saving up enough supplies that you won't have to buy any for at least three months.  You have food.  You can cut down on water usage to lower your water bill by taking fewer/shorter baths and drinking some of the bottled water you've saved up.  Your baby drinks formula.  That stuff is expensive!  But, you've been stocking up whenever you had some extra money.  You stockpiled some gas so you don't have to worry about being able to put gas in your car in an emergency.  You can use the oil lamps and candles you bought to cut down on your electricity bill.  So because you've stocked up on all of your daily supplies you don't have to worry too much right now.  The money that you would be spending on food and household supplies can go towards other bills.  And, because you have these supplies you are able to cut your bills down.

What about after this situation is over?  You've realized the logic in cutting down on your water bill, gas for you car, and electricity.  It was nice not having to go to the grocery store as much.  Well, you can continue to not use as much water.  You can also save rain water, if it's legal in your state.  Ran water is great for your hair.  When you do leave the house you can do all your errands at the same time to cut down on the gas you use and wear and tear on your car.  You can eat by candlelight to save electricity.  You can also grow a garden.  Don't have the yard space to do it?  Use containers.  You can keep chickens, if allowed in your neighborhood, for meat and eggs. 

It's good to be prepared.  You need to keep your future in mind.  Worry about the things of today, but plan for the things of tomorrow. 

Garden Time!

Today I have a headache.  And, I didn't want to go to church.  But, it's when you don't want to go that you really need to go.  I really just wanted to stay home and sleep.  But, I'm glad I went.

I started our garden.  Did I tell you about the accidental potatoes?  Well, (just in case), Jarrod, out of curiosity, threw a potato into our front yard.  The other day we noticed that it started sprouting green leaves.  So, we now have that potato plant and two others (in trash bags) growing in the front yard.  I'll, hopefully, post pictures tomorrow.

We, also, bought a greenhouse tray thingy to start plants in and then we can transfer them to a bigger pot or the outside.  It holds 72 plants.  I did two rows of grape tomatoes and the rest pole beans.  I had too many pole bean seeds so I gave them away tonight.  I'm so excited to be doing this!  Jarrod and I have talked about it for years, but we are finally really doing it.  I can't wait to see some green growing!

I'm Tired

All I ever want to do anymore is sleep.  It has nothing to do with Eliana not sleeping through the night, because she is.  I'm just so tired every day.  I wake up, we get dressed, eat breakfast, do schoolwork, and then I sigh.  I sigh and think, "Ok, what do I need to accomplish today?  What needs my immediate attention and can not wait until the girls go down for a nap?"  And then I trudge along trying to get things done amid cries of hunger, dirtiness, tiredness, another mess to clean, cries for another drink...  The list seriously goes on forever.  Sometimes I tell myself to suck it up.  So and so has three kids and look at them.  Yeah, well so and so has like four years between their kids.  I'm telling you that makes a difference.  Especially when you think of having one preschooler that you are trying to encourage out of "night-night underwear", one toddler you are trying to teach what a potty is for, (It's not a place for your toys to sleep, Sweety), and a very active infant that wants to be in the room with someone all the time.  You've got all that on your plate and I'll say you have the right to hide in the shower when your husband comes home.  Ok, not hide... relax.  I love my kids.  I really do.  When I'm not with them I miss them.  Right now my world revolves around them.  They are my world.  Actually, my whole family is.  My world involves teaching them manners (Stop burping, Simeon!  I know you're doing it on purpose, I used to do it.),  their letters, colors, shapes, numbers... (Yes, your poo poo does look just like a C.  Yes, that bathroom tile is a triangle.  When the light turns green then we can go.), teaching them modesty (Crimson put your dress down.  Simeon, please pull your pants up before you leave the bathroom.  No, you can't answer the door.  You still have your pajamas on.), and teaching them safety (Look for cars or they will run you over.  Stay with me or someone will snatch you.  See, that's why we don't jump on the bed). 
Oh, I love being a mom.  It has it's really frustrating parts.  It seems like I've finally gotten it through Simeon's head that we don't get water on the floor when taking a bath.  Now I have to teach Crimson.  That's when I realized that we either get sliding glass doors or stop having kids.  Just kidding.  But, I hate cleaning up that mess. 
But, it also has so many joys.  Simeon will hug me and tell me he loves me.  Ten minutes later he will tell me he doesn't and ask me to cry.  He is his father's son.  Crimson will hug me real tight then ask for a kiss.  We got her a baby that pees and poops to help her potty train.  It also cries tears if you squeeze it's elbow.  I tried it.  When she saw the "tears" she wouldn't let go of that doll for at least an hour.  Eliana is little Miss Curious.  Everything must be investigated!  That includes tasting it.  Thankfully our cat doesn't mind being slobbered on.  She loves for you to talk to her or sing to her.  Her favorite song simply consists of her name being song over and over.  That makes me wonder about her future.
I said all that to say that I'm tired.  I'm always tired.  I wake up tired.  I continue about my daying praying the coffee helps and then I go to bed tired.  I'm tired.  And then I stay up with Jarrod so that I can have a few minutes to talk to him.  Or just share funny youtube videos.  And when I get too tired I start to slur my words, like I'm drunk.  I can't help but laugh at myself.  And then go to bed.  Because, I'm tired.