Dear Spring

Dear Spring,

Please come soon. Please come and make winter go away. When you do, please also make the snow, the slush, the icy roads, the slippery driveways and this icky yicky dry scaly skin leave too. I wouldn't mind if you could also get rid of the subzero temperatures. After making those things go away, could you please bring some sunshine, fresh flowers and green grass? A few robins and green leaves would be nice too.

If it's not too much to ask, please do this for me ... SOON!

Thanks, Lucy

Thrifty Thursday - Grocery Shopping

Last week I wrote about how I organize my monthly menu plans. Today I'm writing about how I grocery shop based on those monthly plans. After I finish making my monthly menu plan, I go through and write down a grocery list for each week. This includes the ingredients for the meals I have planned that I know I do not have on hand. I also add milk and eggs to the list every second week.

I shop once a week (usually Sunday afternoon or Monday morning). I take the list of the things I will know I need for the month and I add anything else that I know I am running out of. I also look in the flyers for both grocery stores I shop at to decide where I'm shopping that week and to see if anything I need is on sale (or if there's anything on sale that I could get in place of something on my list). I also keep an eye out for products I will be needing later in the month. If they go on sale early in the month and I have room in my budget, I pick it up.

Making a list when grocery shopping is seriously the only way I can possibly manage to stay on budget and not pull my hair out. I am pretty much obsessed with making lists so this isn't a problem for me. I have been known to make a "rough copy" and a "good copy" of my grocery list. I know it sounds silly but I like to have my list written in order of the grocery store sections. All the produce first, the meat and cheese next, frozen foods, etc ... you get the point. I also estimate the cost of products on my list so I can keep myself on budget.

After making a list, it is crucial that you stick to it when you get to the store. Especially if you've already looked through the flyers, there shouldn't be many deals that jump out to you as must haves. You should know what you need, be able to get it and leave.

I think it's also very helpful to find a grocery shopping pattern that suits you. What time is it best for you to go? What day? What store? For me, I like to grocery shop with my hub. I know this won't be possible once we have kids, but for now it works. We both shop better if we're together because we hold each other accountable rather than giving in to our cravings. We can also shop quicker this way, which makes it easier to stay on track. For you this may not be the case, maybe it works better to shop alone, without kids, with a good friend, on a certain day, at a certain time ... whatever the case may be, I encourage you to find the pattern that works well for you. I find that looking through flyers, making lists based on my menu plan and shopping with my husband helps me to stick to what I need and also cuts down on the number of quick trips to the grocery store throughout the week.

Some weeks there is something we would like to have but we don't know if it will fit in the budget. Once the groceries are being rung up, we see if we have a bit extra to spare and if so, we go grab that treat (usually chips, pop or ice cream ... my weakness). If there's no room to spare, then we will wait until next week ... okay, maybe that would be in an ideal world. More like we wait until the next day when we're at Walmart and get it there. Oops. But you get the point. Make a budget, make a menu, make a list. If you find what works for you, I guarantee you'll be amazed at how much money you can save, how many trips to the grocery store you can cut out and how much you can cut back on throwing out extra food. Happy Thrifty Thursday!

P.S. Today I just made my second batch of dryer sheets. That means they last for about two months.

Safety and Snow Tires

Whooie.

Today I am SO thankful for snow tires. Rewind two months you would have found me complaining about the significant chunk of $$ we were forking out to replace our all-seasons with snow tires on two vehicles. No complaining today. Have you ever had that feeling when you're driving on the highway and you realize you just aren't exactly sure which lane you are in and if you are, in fact, even in a lane? Yup, that was me today. Part way home I became aware that I was probably driving on the shoulder of the highway for the majority of the trip. Not fun. My usual 10-15 "commute" to school took me 45 minutes in the morning and a whopping hour and ten minutes this afternoon. It could have taken 50 hours for all I care, I'm just glad that I am home safely, warming up by the fire.

Praise God for safety and snow tires!

Happy Birthday Dude!

Today my hubster turns 23. To celebrate, he has requested that we go out to eat at Kelsey's because they have all you can eat wings Mon-Wed. So, that's what we're doing. We also went to see Defiance on Saturday night. Definitely worth watching.

I fully intended to start his birthday off this morning by getting up while he was in the shower and making him a big breaky before he left for work but my eyes just would not open. (I am NOT a morning person). So, I guess dinner will just have to do. I gave him his present when my parents took us out for dinner on Sunday night but little does he know, the best is yet to come. The gift I gave him was a magazine subscription to Outdoor Canada. When he opened it, it was obvious to the rest of us that he was disappointed but then pretended to not be disappointed when he realized that was really what I got him. So, I hope he will be pleasantly surprised this evening when he opens a gift that he has had his eye on for quite some time.

Today I honour my hardworking, loyal, talented, dependable, handsome, helpful and all together fannnnnnnnntastic husband. Happy Birthday, honey!

Itchy

I have an itch. It's getting stronger. I've had this itch before but I could always keep it under control. This time, I'm not so sure. It just keeps coming back. I think this itch may be contagious because lots of people around me have also had the same itch. Some of them scratched it! My sister even scratched it. Her itch is really cute. I think she passed it on to me. My fabulous dude sometimes gets a bit itchy ... not as itchy as me though.

So, what do ya say? Should I scratch it?

Thrifty Thursday - Menu Planning

I heart menu planning.

Seriously. Because I love cooking so much, I consider it good times to sit down and think about what I'm going to make for the coming month.

Aside from the kick I get out of it, it also is SO helpful in keeping me organized and on budget. So, I've decided to share with you how I do my menu plans. This method may or may not work for the needs of your family. Regardless of the method you use, I encourage you to give menu planning a try if it's not something you do already. It also helps with the stress level because it reduces the craziness at the end of the day when you have to run around like a chicken with your head cut off wondering what's for dinner.

I only menu plan for supper. We mostly eat cereal, fruit and yogurt for breakfast and leftovers and soup for lunch so I don't plan them. I like to menu plan a month at a time, although some months get busy and I don't get it done at the beginning of the month so I end up going week by week. I find it to be more work that way.

I begin with an empty calendar template for the month. If you have a word processing program, you can probably find a template there. If not, just google it and I'm sure you'll find something. Next, I scan the month to see if there are any days that I know we'll be away, won't be eating dinner at home, will be having company etc. If we're away, I just put a line through the day. If I know we're having company I plan those days first and make note of it. I then spend some time curled up by the fire with my cookbooks to browse through and see if there are any ideas I want to try. I also have a list I add to through the month when I think of something I'd like to have or see a new recipe. Then I can try to incorporate them into the menu. Sometimes I don't have the time to do the recipe book search and those months usually are a little more boring. I usually add a step here where I ask the hubs if there's anything he would like to eat over the next month. Sometimes I get a response, sometimes I don't.

When planning my weeks I take a few things into account. I try to plan a crockpot meal on Tuesdays because I have class until 5 so I'm not home until nearly 6. That way I know things will be ready when I get home. I also try to put one or two meals in each week that I already have the ingredients for in my house. I put these meals near the end of the week. That way if something comes up during the week that I didn't plan for but I've already been grocery shopping I can bump out one of those meals and not end up with a pile of food that I don't have a use for. For example, tonight's meal is meatloaf, mashed potatoes, squash and peas. These are things I knew would be in the house regardless of my grocery shopping trip, so if we had been invited somewhere for dinner or something I could cancel this meal out.

I have a few staple meals that I make nearly every month like spagetti, stew, roasted chicken, soup and sandwiches and so on. I go through the calendar and put one or two of these meals in each week. By now, I have a Tuesday crockpot meal, one or two in-house-ingredient meals and one or two staple meals (which often overlap) on the menu. I'm left with a few days each week to be creative and add in the new recipes and ideas I've come up with.

When menu planning for the month, I have to be ready to be flexible. There are obviously things that come up week by week that I didn't plan for at the beginning and that's okay. I just use the monthly plan as a guide and then go week by week and make adjustments as necessary. I thought about including a sample of my monthly menu plan but I wasn't sure anyone would be interested in what we eat. If you are, let me know and I'll post one sometime. Next week I plan on writing about how I grocery shop based on my menu planning system. How do you menu plan? What works for you? I'd love to hear. Happy Thrifty Thursday.

Thrifty Thursday - Organization

You've all heard the saying before: "Organization is the key to success". Well it is. Plain and simple, it is. I might be a little biased on this observation because I am somewhat of an organization junky, but I really find that the only way I can stay on top of things and make sure that I am not overspending and overindulging is to be organized. So, I've decided for the next few weeks I will post a few ideas on how organization can help you to save money while grocery shopping.

The first thing you can do is to set a manageable and realistic budget. Try not to under or overestimate how much you should be spending on groceries per week (or month, whichever is better for you). At one point, I had set a budget that was way too high and I found myself buying things that I didn't need just because "the money was there". Yet on the other hand, I have also had times where I made my budget much too low and got stressed out trying to fit everything in. Finally, I think I have found a budget that fits our needs right now. If you know how much you are allocated to spend each week, it really helps when you're in the grocery store and debating over whether or not to buy that certain treat.

Also, don't beat yourself up if you have a week where you go slightly over budget. Things always come up ... unexpected company, potlucks, etc. Just try to monitor this and be sure that you aren't going over budget every week. If you go over a bit one week, try to aim to spend less the next week. For some people, using a cash only system seems to work. This means taking out the amount of cash that you allocate for groceries at the beginning of the month and using it throughout the month. If you run out before the last week of the month, then you should plan that week around what you've got in the house. Just a side note, I've tried the cash only system and it doesn't seem to work for me. The important thing is that you find something that works for you and your family.

Be specific about what is included in your grocery budget. Does this include cleaning supplies, pet supplies, hygienic products and money used to eat out? Being specific will help you to stick to your budget and not overspend. I have found many times when I am in WalMart or some other store and I see toilet paper on sale so I grab it. Then I'm always faced with the question ... does that come out of my grocery budget or not? This is something I have not been good at in the past. Cleaning supplies, pet supplies and hygienic products are supposed to be a part of my weekly budget, but sometimes I forget this and the products cause me to go over budget. Also, eating out is not in our grocery budget. We really enjoy food and really enjoy going out to eat, so we have a bit of a "fun" budget that we include eating out in.

Lastly, while deciding on a budget, take a few minutes to reevaluate your spending habits. Do you find yourself tossing out rotten produce on a regular basis? Do you open your cupboards and find stale food that hasn't been eaten? Are their products in your freezer that have been in there so long you can't remember where they came from? Guilty as charged. I try to take a bit of an inventory about once a month to see what I've got, what I haven't been using and what I need. If you consider the amount of food that is already in your home, you may be surprised at how much you can reduce your weekly costs.

I hope these tips for budgeting are somewhat helpful. They have sure helped me although I'm definitely not a pro and I go over budget more than I'd like to admit. Next week I will talk a bit about menu planning. Have a Thrifty Thursday!

Family Fitness Challenge

Today my Dad challenged my entire family to a 2009 fitness challenge. He's asked any of us who want to join to commit to engaging in a minimum of 20 minutes of physical activity at least 5 days a week. I think we all loved the idea because everyone in the family joined in. We will have to report to him daily and he will be in charge of recording our progress. This should be a great way to stay on track and be held accountable because he's promised to encourage us and give us some support when/if he notices we're falling behind. What's even better? He is going to tally our progress quarterly and the person who has managed to exercise the most number of times in that span will get a prize! I'm not usually much of a New Year's resolution person but I think that this is worth a shot. I guess this year is different because I also have a few other goals for 2009 that I'm hoping to write about in the near future ... one of them tomorrow.

So, wish me luck as I embark on the "Kirkland Family Fitness Challenge" and beat the socks off the rest of those suckers!!! Nothing like a little healthy competition to get me motivated.

Wouldya like fries with that?

For those of you who don't know my fabulous dude personally you may not realize that there is one thing in his life he holds dear, high above all other things. One thing that he cherishes, desires and thinks about constantly .... food.

So, when he got his wisdom teeth out on Friday the worst part about the whole ordeal was the fact that he could not eat solid food. As Saturday wore on, I could tell his patience with jello, pudding and juice was wearing thin.

My brother and sister-in-law came over on Saturday evening to keep us company and to embark on a Lost Season 4 marathon. We (Bro, SIL and I) had loaded nachos for supper while the Hubster finished off the roasted veggie soup from lunch. Over and over again, he kept wishing for a BigMac. He fell asleep for an evening nap dreaming of McDonalds ....

So, around 8 pm yesterday afternoon, my bro set out on a mission while Hubs was having a nap.

Did you know that ...

+

=

Yup, you got it. We made him a Cheeseburger and Diet Coke smoothie. Here's how it went ...

Add a cheeseburger and Coke to a bowl. Begin blending.

"Come on, throw some fries in there for me".

Add to a glass...

And enjoy. "MMM .. a chunk of pickle".

"That's not that good. It kind of makes me want to throw up".

Unfortunatley, a cheeseburger blended with diet coke didnt' do the trick for this dude.

Warning: Do not try this at home.

Does this make me a bad person?

Today my fabulous dude got his wisdom teeth taken out. Even though I'm not back to class, I still had a lengthy list of readings to do, prepping for meetings, and organization to get through this week. So, I set my mind to working really hard throughout the week so I could laze around with him while he's recovering. Who would expect someone to sit in their office doing boring work while the hubby gets to lounge on the couch watching movies? Well, my plan worked. As of yesterday, I completed more than enough work to take a break until class starts on Tuesday.

But I have a confession. While I was working this week, I kept finding myself looking forward to a weekend of nothing but movies and TV ...

Does it make me a bad person that I was actually looking forward to the day my husband would undergo a procedure that could potentially cause him great pain just so we could have a quiet weekend? I think so.

Wait ... It gets worse ...

Does it make me a bad person because I felt slightly disappointed when the dentist called me into the recovery room and there I found the hubs sitting up and completely alert? I think so.

Does it make me a bad person because I wish he had a little more swelling so that he looked a little more like a chipmunk? I think so.

I was kind of anticipating hearing my hubby say some incoherent things while he was doped up and being able to laugh at his funny looking face. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to settle for a weekend of Prison Break, Tylenol 3s and pureed food.

Yes, this makes me a bad person.

Thrifty Thursday - Canned vs. Dried

Before I start my Thrifty Thursday idea, may I suggest you hop on over to Tereasa's blog to check out her idea for making homemade laundry and dishwasher detergent. I can't wait to try these.

I am recent convert to dried beans. I have always used canned beans before now. I had never really considered dried beans as an option really until I read a comparison of canned versus dried beans in a Cooking Light magazine.


I have found that using dried beans is WAY cheaper than canned beans. The cheapest I usually find for no name canned beans is about .60 when they are on sale. If you look at brand name beans when they are not on sale, they usually run anywhere from .99-1.49 per can. At least that's what I've found. To buy a 2 kg bag of dried beans is about 2.99-3.99.

Well, I used my genius on-the-spot mathematical abilities in the grocery store, and determined that one 2 kg bag of beans would be the equivalent of 10 or more cans. PLEASE do not ask me how I figured that out. I don't really do numbers, I'm a qualitative researcher, give me a break. To be honest, I pretty much just guessed.

Not convinced? Here's the thing...

1/2 cup of dried beans = 1 2/3 cups cooked beans = 1 16 oz can of beans.

Last night I went to Dollarama and bought a few containers to keep my dried beans, lentils, barley etc., in. These containers are 20 cup containers. When I poured what was left of my 2 kg bag of black beans, it filled the container about 3/4 of the way. Since I have been using these beans for about a month, I'd guess that had it been unopened it would fill the entire container.

Therefore, one can assume that a 2 kg bag of beans is about 20 cups uncooked, which would be 66 cups cooked and 40 cans. That's right!! 40 cans! I guess I underestimated the value when I guessed it would equal 10 cans.

So if one bag = 40 cans of beans, what does that cost? Based on 4.00/bag, it will cost you .10 per can! And that is a high estimate.

Confused yet? Okay, just trust me, it's cheaper!

Aside from the financial benefit of dried beans, there is also a health benefit. The article I mentioned earlier stated that dried beans contain 250-500 mg less sodium per serving than canned beans. Certainly you can reduce the sodium level of canned beans by thoroughly rinsing them, but there's no way you can get it all off.

The downfall of dried beans is that they require planning and time. You can't just quickly open a can and dump them in your soup, chilli, or whatever you're making. You need to soak the beans in water overnight, rinse them thoroughly and then cover them with at least 3 times their amount of water and boil for about 1 1/2 hours until they are soft. *Note: you may want to use an old pot or a dutchoven as I have found some beans (especially black) leave a residue on the pot that is very tough to scrub off). I have found if you are crockpotting, you can boil them less because they will cook and soften in the crockpot. Because you have to do these steps, it means you can't count on them when you're deciding what to eat at the last minute.

BUT... if you have freezer space, you can boil a whole lotta beans at one time and freeze them in whatever size portions you'd like. This makes them as quick and convenient as canned beans. And until I get really used to this dried bean thing I have been keeping a few cans on hand just in case. I have also been gradually adding to my bean stock. Each week I have been buying a new variety of beans so eventually I will have a full pantry of beans!

Beans, beans the magical fruit, the more you eat, the more you .... nevermind. Happy Thrifty Thursday!

"I Wonder" Wednesday

I wonder why putting away Christmas decorations in January doesn't elicit the same excitement in me that getting them out in November does?

Yesterday I took the decorations off the tree. Seriously, nothing is worse than staring at a bare naked tree in your dining room. When the hubs got home from work he carried it outside, leaving a lovely mess of pine needles in its wake, reminding me once again that my holidays are over.

Tonight, we tackled the rest of the decorations. Out came the Rubbermaid bins and in went the cute little Santas, Snowmen and Christmas trees. Goodbye for another year. Now my house feels cold and empty with bare walls and a whole lot of what seems like boringness to me right now. Even though I brought back out the everyday decorations I had put away over the holidays that make this house our home on the other 330 days of the year, there is something about my Christmas decorations that make it feel so warm and cozy. So, now I feel all blah about my house and am craving some new decorating ideas. I've got a few things in mind so I will keep you posted if I end up coming up with any creative ingenuity.

Sorry this wasn't a very happy post ... on a happier note, my brother taught me how to make a slideshow with my flickr photos, so there are pictures from our Christmas posted on yesterday's post.

Christmas 2008

This year our holiday season was wonderful. We were able to spend a lot of time with both of our families and had a chance to rest, relax and take a break from the normality of life. We started the festivities on December 20th when we enjoyed a Christmas celebration with our friends (which I posted about here). The next day, I left with the fabulous dude's cousin to head to my in-laws. I spent a few days there with my fabulous dude's family getting things prepared for the holidays.

On Christmas eve, my hubby and the rest of his siblings arrived. We were very excited to be all together because it doesn't happen often. We were all together until the 27th when his oldest sister and family had to head back home. During that time, we enjoyed Christmas morning together which is always a great time with three kids in tow. Our nieces are now 7, 3 and 2 so they are all at an age where they really have a blast with Christmas. Evan gave me a very special gift this year, which you will see in the pictures below. He made a beautiful Hope Chest for me, which is now sitting at the end of our bed. It is certainly something to be cherished, that I hope we will someday be able to pass on to our children. On boxing day, we had a grand feast with the extended family and then spent the evening skating and curling and then playing tennis on Wii at his Aunt and Uncle's house.

We left their house on the 28th, with a quick detour to Vaughn Mills Mall. Evan and I were able to enjoy a quiet day together (if going to a mall that is completely packed is considered a quiet day) and recharge our batteries before gearing up for Christmas #2. We arrived at my parents house that afternoon. The following day, my brother and his wife and my sister, her husband and our nephew arrived. We all spent the week together and enjoyed a lot of laughter, food and fun. Thankfully, we were all able to avoid the Christmas Bugs that seemed to be going around. We played board games, Wii, went out for walks and just had a down-right great time.

Over the course of the holidays, I was continuously reminded of the incredible blessing that a family is. How lucky we are to be able to spend two weeks with our loved ones, enjoying each other and having a great time. I realize that not everyone is blessed to have a family who enjoys each other's company or even to have a family at all. No matter what happens in my life, no matter where I am, I always come back to my family. I am entering the new year with a renewed appreciation for each and every member of my family (including the Jib).

Here are some of my favourite shots from the holidays. I hope you enjoy ...

Thankful Thursday

In honour of the new year, I decided to forgo this week's Thrifty Thursday post (see yesterday's post for a quasi idea) and to post about some things that I am thankful for as we start a new year. I decided to write down the first 29 things that come to mind when I think about what I am thankful for. Why 29? Because it is now 2009 and I didn't think I could handle sitting at the computer for the length of time it would take to write out 2009 things so I shortened it to 29. Most of the 29 are things that are (at least in someway) specific to the year that has just passed. So here you have it, in no particular order, my list:

1. The health of my mom and mother-in-law, who both celebrated 5 years cancer free in 2008.
2. My husband's ability and desire to work hard to support our (wee) family.
3. A new (to me) vehicle.
4. All the new babies in born into my family in 2008: Hannah, Hunter, Rylan, Daniel and Mason.
5. Financial aid to help support my graduate education.
6. A 3 week visit with my sister and her newborn son in the summer.
7. Candycane hot chocolate.
8. My best friend's opportunity to follow her dream.
9. The harvest from my garden.
10. A friend who taught me to bake bread and teaches me many life lessons.
11. Multiple trips north to visit family.
12. My siblings who are also my dearest friends.
13. My nieces and nephew.
14. Parents (both sets).
15. Three sweet chillens: Slugger, Sunny and Bam-Bam.
16. The freedom and opportunity to pursue higher education.
17. My church family.
18. Cousins who are more friends than cousins.
19. My cozy apartment.
20. Baking and canning days with my mumma.
21. My job and my husband's job.
22. Tostitos with cream cheese bacon dip (mmm ... eating it right now).
23. Crepe nights with Katie and Amy.
24. Cooking weekends with my SIL.
25. A freezer FULL of food.
26. The chance to walk in the weekend to end breast cancer with five very special ladies.
27. The fireplace that keeps my house warm.
28. The blessing of another year.
29. The birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus.

I'd love to hear what you are thankful for as we enter a new year. You don't have to write 29 things, you can write more or less, whatever you feel like. Use Mr. Linky to link back to the post. Happy New Year!