Projects for March

I'm continuing with my online quilting class. Here is square #5 and #6. I'm not a huge fan of either of these blocks because I'm type A and OCD. They're quite chaotic and scrappy - you use your scraps which is good but nonetheless too random. I like order. :)

String Block

Broken Spider Web

I also had the opportunity to speak to our Stephen Ministry group at church this month. I made each of them a Scripture memory card holder along with a few Scripture memory cards that we discussed.

J bought me a cake pop maker for Christmas and I really haven't had the time or an event where I needed to make them. I made some for a St. Patrick's Day dinner we went to. They were delicious!

Do you have one spot in your home that seems to collect everything? For us it is our dining room table. It's our landing pad so to speak. My purse usually lands here as soon as we hit the door, the mail seems to collect there, as well as other random objects that come along. I'm trying to keep my dining room table decorated or "set" so to speak so it looks too pretty to collect all this stuff..that doesn't mean that I won't find a new spot for it all to go. :)  To help my cause, I made some Easter placemats and cloth napkins and threw together a few things for a centerpiece for the center of the table. The placemats and napkins are reversible and complimentary so two of the four seats are one side and the other two are the opposite side. They were fairly easy to make and I got to practice my "reverse applique" technique I learned a few months back.

Side 1

Side 2

A few plastic Easter eggs and some paper shreds.

Couponing Update - March

Here's what I got free this month:

• 5 envelopes of soup mix
• 6 packages of gum
• 1 bottle of nail polish (free courtesy of points I earned at Ulta this quarter)
• 2 tubs of butter
• 2 bottles of hair product
• 1 bottle of yellow mustard
• 2 bottles of spicy yellow mustard

Here are some extraordinary deals I got this month:

• I finally went and shopped at Aldi. If you're not familiar with this store, it's very basic. You put a quarter in to "rent" a cart - when you return your cart you get your quarter back. You either bring your own shopping bags or are charged per bag if you use theirs. They do not carry brand names, but you can see how their brand is similar to the name brand you might be used to. You check out and go over to a different counter and bag your own groceries. With this method, they are able to keep costs very low. They were having a MEGA sale on produce (who says you don't buy produce when you coupon...) ! It was a great experience and I will definitely go back. Here's what I got for a little less than $24 - 
• 6 green peppers - $2.98 for all 6
• 3 tomatoes - $1.49 for all 3 
• 3 heads of cabbage, $0.59 each - $1.77 for all 3
• 3 packages of broccoli crowns (2 crowns per package), $0.89 each - $2.67 for all 3
• 3 avocados, $0.69 each - $2.07 for all 3
• 3 lbs. of lemons - $0.99 for all 3 pounds
• 1 head of cauliflower - $0.89
• 1 lb. strawberries - $0.49
• 3 lbs. white onions - $1.49
• 3 - 5 lb. packages of red potatoes, $0.99 each - $2.97 for all 3 (15 total pounds)
• 1 package of white tortilla chips - $0.99
• 1 box of saltines - $0.89
• 1 package of 250 count napkins - $0.89
•  The Fresh Market is a grocery store I typically stay aware from. It's pricey and one of those healthier grocery stores where everything is extremely fresh and weighed - all I see is dollar signs every time I go there. However, for the month of March on Tuesdays, they ran a deal. Each Tuesday they offered pork tenderloin, fresh bacon, and cage-free eggs all BOGO (buy one get one free). On one particular Tuesday, I went and spent $23.45 and got 4 lbs. of fresh bacon and 4 lbs. of pork tenderloin. I was able to break it all into smaller packages and freeze what we weren't using right away. I didn't have to use any coupons and got  A TON of meat for a great price!

With all my shopping trips combined this month,

I saved over $250

which averaged about 54% savings!

2012 - 1st Quarter

Our lives aren't really that exciting, so giving an update on what we do each month, would be quite boring! But here are some things that I want to remember that happened in January, February, and March...not necessarily in this order...

• I was sick for about 5 days and was miserable. I don't know how women do it when they're sick and have children they still have to care for. I was able to stop everything and my precious J took care of me. I was so sick I went to the doctor and got a Z-pac, steroid shot, antibiotic shot, and Mucinex, but even that didn't really make me feel better. It wasn't until about 2 weeks later when I really started to feel like myself. Thank goodness for couponing - I went through at least 4 boxes of tissues, but I had plenty (and still have plenty) in my stockpile. 

• My Aunt Carolyn died unexpectedly. My dad's siblings aren't super close, so I think the last time I saw her I was still in high school. My dad is quite a bit younger than his siblings - he was starting high school when his brother and 2 sisters were already married and had children. I didn't attend the funeral, but my dad did and was able to have some quality time with his brother and sister and for that I am thankful.

• I have a mole on my nose. I've had it since I was at least 4. I don't have it in my baby pictures, but it's in my pre-K picture. Anyway, I went to the doctor because I was sick and he didn't like what it looked like (he said it had changed, but I look at it every day and I don't think it's changed). I had a bit of it removed and sent off for testing, it came back normal. Praise the Lord! Now I have to decide do I want to keep it and have testing done ever so often, or do I want to have plastic surgery and have it removed. Hmmm....

• We hosted a Mardi Gras party for the young adults in our church. J and I did all the cooking and decorating. It was really fun but made us miss New Orleans A LOT! Good thing we're going to visit in June!

 

• J and I went finishing with a friend that is in the FF band with us. He stocked his pond with trout and apparently they die in warm water, so they needed to come out before Spring really hits. J caught 3 and I caught 1. However, I made up for catching less by cleaning most of them. We've already eaten some of them and they were delicious! 

     

• We celebrated St. Patrick's day with a delicious meal prepared by the Irish man himself! It was delicious. Corned beef, cabbage, potatoes, and carrots. Yum!