April week 4

Is all about FLOUR!!

yes people... flour... not wheat... FLOUR!!!

So go forth and stock up! My $5 bought me 20 lbs at the local grocery outlet. It's now out on my foodstorage shelf. Since I don't have a large plastic bin to keep it in and the paper case is just too flimsy for my comfort I put each sack in a zip lock bag. I buy the 2 gallon ones from Walmart to store larger items in.

Post what you buy!! :)

April week 3!

Are you feeling accomplished? Are you spending your designated amount weekly on the specified items to slowly build your storage?

I'm proud of myself for actually sticking to all this! I spend my $5 and have to hold myself back from pulling out my little "guide book" and buying the next weeks stuff. But the budget, timeline and everything else have proven to work really well for our family!

So here's the challenge for week 3:

Build up your medicine chest

Ideas:

sunblock

peroxide

rubbing alcohol

thermometer

Asprin

Tylenol

Ibuprofen

Pepto Bismol

Ipecac

cough drop

antihistamine

laxative

gas relief

These things can be spendy so I checked out our local dollar store and stocked up! They had chewable pepto, ibuprofen, aspirin, ipecac, peroxide, alcohol and many more items!

I personally added items that were not pain relievers. I bought pepto, ipecac, antihistamine and laxatives. I also took a couple days worth of prescription medications and added those in well marked bags.

So go forth and stock! Get ready for those moments in an emergency when you know you'll need a little something for your tummy, head or whatever else ails you. (Don't forget about the kids!!)

a day at the park

It was SO beautiful today that we decided to take the kids to the park for a while. I told the kids that it was HOT outside but the only one who listened was the little zeus... so the bug and the little man were sweating!

Needless to say it was alot of fun watching them. The little man turned into the ring leader for a group of smaller kids. They were "treasure hunting" on the play structure. This one little girl took to him like a fish to water and just kept asking him to hold her hand and help her down. She was so stinking cute!!

Though the trip was a brief 20 minutes it was nice to get out and enjoy the sunshine... 90 degrees in April... yoikes!

April prepardness WEEK 2

Look at me being on top of things!!

Your prepardness assignment for April week 3 is

JAMS AND JELLIES

You know that eventually you will be making bread and what goes better with bread that jam? Or peanut butter and jelly? mmmmm!!

Jelly and Jam are great homemade canning opportunities to help save money. Get a couple friends together to split the costs! :)

JELLO AND PUDDING MIXES

You can purchase pudding cups but the mixes are cheaper and easier to store. I would also recommend having unflavored gelatin in your food storage. It's great to have to make many things, it's a great thickener in a pinch and can even be used for health benefits.

Go forth and prepare!! Remember stick to your limit because you will have other opportunities to stock up this year. You need it ALL NOW.... just get started and you will build and excellent storage!!

Good luck! :)

Big Girl Panties.... for mom!!

Holy heck... I am about to put on "the big girl panties"... are you ready?

Tomorrow (Saturday) we're officially making an offer on a house! OMGoodness!!!
After all the Pear Blossom craziness our realtor is coming over and we're writting up the offer.
SEE?! BIG GIRL PANTIES!!

ok... I can breathe through this. We're so excited and scared and excited... I can't choose an emotion right now! Imagine what my ramblings will be like if we actually get the house!! OI!!

So for those that I KNOW are going to ask... here are the 'tails:
Medford 3rd ward boundries
Still in Med but close to CP
Good yard
GREAT neighborhood

And yes... there will be a HUGE party when we move into where ever we end up.
Pray that the bank will accept our offer and we will be home owners by the summer!!
HOLY COW!! wait I already said that....

April week 1

SO sorry this post is SO late!

I've been so wrapped up in the thought of being a home owner that I forgot to share this weeks food storage items with my blog people... please except my deepest apologies!!

April week 1 is all about GARDEN SEEDS!!

Yes you read it right... seeds! Having a ready supply of garden seeds is a great asset to your food storage. They are cheap to buy and keep and will provide you with the opportunity for fresh produce! (Now if N.Korea get's all hyped up on this nuclear missile thing then the ground may have too much radiation for vegetation... but just in case that doesn't happen!)

Tip of the week: Radishes are great in an emergency!! They grow super fast and are full of vitamins, minerals and WATER. So make sure to grab at least one package of these!!

OFFICIAL GOAL SETTING HERE!!!!!!

This weekend is our local Pear Blossom festival. Every town has something.... where I grew up in CA it was the Prune festival... go figure! But here in the sunny Rogue Valley it's pears!

They hold great events including a scholarship pageant, parade, street fair, spagetti feed, BBQ, and of course the dreaded RUNNING... 5k and 10k races along with the little 1 and 2 milers for the "kiddies"

Now last year I did the 1 miler with my kids then 5 and 6 and enjoyed our little trek... super cute and fun! This year we are doing the 2 miler as a family and as of about 30 seconds ago I've decided that next year... Pear Blossom 2010 I will be doing the 5K!! Holy crap... it's out in cyber space and I'm committed.... OI!!

So... you medfordites... who's with me?! Anyone want to committ to WALKING the 5k with me next year? Just to say that we actually finished a 5k race? I need someone to stand beside me that isn't "THE MAN" (no offense computer geek of mine!)

More house hunting....

Today Abby and I are going to look at 8 properties! I am very excited about the progession of the whole process and we are having fun "shopping" for houses. We have a great realtor who has taken much time to help us on our search... we love him!!
Please keep in your prayers that we will find the right home for our family.

Happy Thursday!

store deals for the week

Since my budget is ever-shrinking I've started scouring the local ads for deals! Not only for my family weekly meals but for food-storage and household needs as well. I sent this list to my ward website person and thought I would share it with my cyber friends as well!
(These are all specials I got off each stores website... these are the circulars for Oregon... you may want to check your local store for any differences.)
Happy Shopping!

Walgreens:
Coke product 12 packs are 5/$13
24 pack Spring Water $2.99

Albertsons:
Gerber baby food 2 packs: 10/$10
Post Cereal: $1.57
General Mills Cereal: Buy one get one free
Albertsons Brand white vinegar: 10/$10
Albertsons brand ketchup and mustard: 10/$10
Jiffy muffin mix: 2/$1
10lb c&h sugar: $4.99
Green Giant veggie steamers (frozen): 10/$10
Umpqua ice cream 1/2 gallon: $2.99
Ajax dish detergent: 10/$10
Butler toothbrush or flossers: 10/$10
Dial liquid hand soap: 10/$10
Basics 3 pack bar soap: 10/$10
TIP: butcher block ground beef MUST be sold the day it's made... all leftovers are put in the meat case marked down to $1.39 lb. after 7pm.

Safeway:
safeway brand hot dog and hamburger buns: $1.00
5 lb. C&H sugar: $1.89
duncan hines brownie mix: $1
5lb. gold medal flour: 2/$4
progresso soup: 10/$10
500ml listerine: $2.99

So excited!

Today we were pre-approved for a home loan... we are house hunting with our agent tomorrow... holy cow! I'm about to put on the big girl panties! :}