THANK GOODNESS THAT'S OVER !

Well the day of the hurricane Sunday morning we woke up to zero power. We didn't even have a phone. I started to get hysterical because I couldn't even check on my children and grandchildren. I was so happy when I finally reached them (by cellphone ) and found out that the whole family had lost phone, internet and power except my babies.


Right then and there I was okay. You see like most mothers and grandmothers we don't care about ourselves but our babies.


They were so worried about me that they sent my parents over to check on me. My son and Mommy had power through this whole ordeal. http://www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com/ my youngest daughter is still without power. My other daughter is also okay.


I have no frozen food, and empty refrigerator but I have my family. And that is all that counts.


I am on my way to the grocery store because I really need cream for my hot coffee. Thanks for all the well wishes across the country. Nana

HOPE ALL PEOPLE ARE SAFE FROM HURRICANE

I've been watching TV and hoping that people are safe and are prepared. I know from the ice storm we had years ago that we were without power for over a week. They are telling people to get prepared to lose power but there really is no way to prepare to lose power for that long.
When you think a head always and have a stockpile you are that much more prepared. I buy batteries when they are on sale, I always have a stock of canned foods like soup , tuna and spaghetti. You can always use your grill outside to cook these items. When I was first married in the winter we used to cook a turkey a day or two before and have leftovers if we could not get out of the house. You can always eat peanut butter ! I also always have cans of fruit , they do not have to be refrigerated. I am soo happy that I do not have to run to the store and be disappointed because they do not have anything that we need.
Not to mention the money that we save. We hope that everyone is safe.

WAITING FOR HURRICANE IRENE TO HIT CONNECTICUT

I guess that Hurricane Irene is coming to visit , probably on Sunday. We have been getting ready for a few days. This is rare in New England . We have made sure that we have flashlights and batteries. I hope we don't lose power ! We have water and some easy things we can make , sandwiches etc. We also can use the barbecue outside if we don't have power for a few days. They said that the winds might bring down trees and power lines.


What a weird week. First we get an earthquake then a hurricane . Some schools that were supposed to start on Monday have already delayed opening till Tuesday. The Governor has already declared a State of Emergency. Tomorrow we will make sure we have all we need to stay safe. Thank goodness we have a good stockpile. There is no bread or water on the shelves in some stores until tomorrow. I cannot imagine running around at the last minute.


We might go and pick some tomatoes and peppers tomorrow if the weather is okay like the weatherman said. I guess we will pray for the best .

BOOK REVIEW FRESH-BREWED LIFE NICOLE JOHNSON

I was in love with this book from the moment I picked up and started reading it. I have recently lost my husband so I was ready to read this kind of book . I looked at the back cover something I have seemed to do since I was in high school .
The back asked questions which seemed to pertain to me . "Are you sleepwalking through your days?" "Are you on the sidelines of your life as a spectator instead of fully participating ?" I answered yes to these questions.
I learned to relax and not worry so much about the little things I could not change and to move forward with the things I could. I learned to try to be involved more with my family , to step up and be a part of it, not sit and let my life pass me by day by day.

I recommend this book for anyone who has suffered a loss and has tried to move ahead. For someone who just wants to reflect on what they need to feel good about themselves. It will help in many ways .
Disclosure I was sent this book by booksneeze.com for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own

WHAT I PLAN TO COOK THIS WEEK

I feel like summer is ending. When the kids go back to school and we begin to pick apples I always start to feel like cooking again. Maybe it has something to do with the cooler air.
Monday , hamburgers , beans and tossed salad
Tuesday, sausage and peppers and onion grinders
Wednesday,chicken in the crockpot
Thursday , meatloaf with homemade potato salad which I will make in the morning to save time
Friday , usually pizza
Saturday , depends on the weather if a tag sale or not

I will go on Wednesday to SHOP RITE GROCERY STORE , they have fresh hotel style breast for only $.99 cents a pound . A 4 lb breast would only be about $4.00. A great way to stretch your grocery bill because this will be for a few meals .
I might end up buying more than one and put them in the freezer

SATURDAY TRIP TO ALDI'S AND VEGETABLE STAND

Yesterday I felt like making sausage with peppers and onions. I had gone to this wonderful Italian store about 15 minutes from our house and bought their sausage links. I stopped at ALDI"S and bought a big bag of onions. Their onions were really big and normally I would by smaller ones but when you need a lot it is so much easier to dice them if they are big. I stopped on the way home at our local vegetable stand. They were picking your own but it was too for me so I got a half bushel for only $5.50 . I filled up 2 of those plastic bags full .What a bargain !
Today I diced the onions, put them in a big frying pan with olive oil waited till they were very soft and diced the peppers and put those in. While this was happening I was frying the sausage in another pan. As the sausage seemed to be cooking I cut them in pieces to cook the inside a little faster. I then put them in with the peppers and onions......Could eat them in grinders with sauce or just alone. I had extra left so it will be for another meal. I am going to pick my own tomatoes tomorrow and whatever else they are picking.

SHOPPING FOR SCHOOL SHOES AND SNEAKERS

Well , today we decided that we better get in gear and go to get shoes and sneakers for Bobo and Sissy. We went to STRIDE RITE SHOE STORE near our house and it was a great surprise to see that they were running a sale buy one get the second pair half price. We were able to get a really cute pair of loafer boat shoes and a great pair of NEW BALANCE SNEAKERS for Bobo. The sneakers were already half price so we got a really cute pair of NEW BALANCE SNEAKERS for Sissy that were pink and purple to use the special.Then we took them for a ride on the merry go round . It was a great day. Tomorrow , if it doesn't rain we hope to go apple and vegetable picking. Then we split up the baskets. We really save money by doing this. With all the rain it has been very difficult to be able to go out. Here's hoping !

BOOK REVIEW THE HARVEST OF GRACE BY CINDY WOODSMALL

I cannot say enough that anyone who has fallen in love against all odds , or who wants to fall in love should run out and get this book ! I received it only a week ago and I have already finished reading it cover to cover . Once I started to read it I could not put it down.
Although it is a story of true love it is also a story of love , forgiveness and loyalty to family. Sylvia is a woman different from other Amish women from when she is a little girl. She enjoys working hard , on her family's farm. After an incident that she had little control of stopping she feels she must run away to protect the feelings of her family. When she leaves she is able to find another family farm where she is treated like a daughter. All is well until the son of the owners comes back after an absence to right that he feels he did wrong. This leaves Sylvia in a precarious situation. What will she do and where will she go ? Although she wasn't looking for love and neither was the son after rubbing each other the wrong way they begin to feel an attraction to each other.
But they both realize thy must have the forgiveness and understanding from both of their familes before they can let their true feelings show.
Although a reader of love stories may be put off by the cover showing an Amish woman on the cover I do not feel that it was your typical Amish love story.
Icannot say enough about this book.

'Disclosure I received this book free from Waterbrook Multnomah for this review." The opinions are 100% my own .

WHAT WE HOPE TO BE EATING THIS WEEK

We have been having rain for so long that we have been getting flood warnings. That means no playing outside on our toys. So we have been reading and getting ready for school.
Today we were all tired from the dreary day so we had soup and bread and butter for supper, applesauce.
Tuesday , I really want some chicken of some kind. I really love chicken and there are so many ways to prepare it.
Wednesday, I think we will have hot dogs and beans, If I am really ambitious we will have potato salad.
Thursday , pasta with a nice green salad , I love fresh tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden , Sissy loves them too.
Friday , we will be getting ready for the tag sale, let's all hope the rain stops. On Friday we usually have pizza.
Saturday , tag sale we hope, I usually try to make french toast for Bobo and Sissy (everyone else too) and sandwiches for lunch. Supper ?
Hope everyone is not having a lot of rain like we are.

BIG Y BUTTER FOR $1.50 A POUND !

First of all I have to thank my sister Lisa B., for this great deal. She also loves to use coupons.For those of you who have a Big Y grocery store near you there is a great deal on their butter, They are on sale this week 2 lbs for $5.00. If you go onto http://www.bigy.com/ and at the top click on coupons. Drag the coupons over that you wish to print. There is a coupon for $1.00 off of each and you can use up to 5 coupons for each butter with your card! So that means you can get 5 for $1.50 each ! I haven't seen it that cheap in a long time ! I am going to freeze mine. We have been freezing butter for a long time and never had a problem.

TAG SALE TOMORROW !

We are getting ready for our tag sale tomorrow. They are saying that it would be a great day weather wise. We all hope that a lot of people go out shopping. It is a lot of work to do a tag sale but it has a lot of rewards. You can make money by selling things you no longer need or use. It is also nice to recycle and let someone use something and save money . All in all I think it is a win win for all concerned. You also get to meet mostly a lot of nice people.

SHOPPING FOR SCHOOL CLOTHES

Today we spent the afternoon going through winter clothes that we have stored away for Bobo and Sissy. We were very happy that the winter coats we bought at the end of the winter last year were great fits. We saved a lot of money buying them ahead. Now tomorrow we will going to look for shoes and sneakers for school. If we have time we are going to look for school clothes. I really don't want Bobo to go to school. He is my first grandchild and he will always be my baby. We will be driving him because we do not believe that they are old enough to ride on the bus and be safe. Oh how I wish I could go with him everyday. Going to shop for school clothes can be happy and sad at the same time. I wonder how other mothers feel ? I guess being a Nana is still a time to worry. I hope I never stop worying about all of my children and grandchildren !

WHAT WE WILL BE EATING THIS WEEK

It was so hot today just going from the car to the house I started to get a headache from the heat. Then it poured for about 4 minutes and it was hotter than before. It was too hot to cook and to hot to even take Bobo and Sissy out. So we stayed in and took leftover rotissere chicken and made chicken salad with our Bullet . The Bullet is a great way to blend great foods and drinks.


So we will be starting our weekly menu planning

Tuesday ;
we will have hamburgers and beans
Wednesday ;
we will have macaroni and a green salad
Thursday ;
we will be having something in the crockpot
Friday ;
we will be having our usual pizza for supper
Saturday ; we will be having a tag sale if it doesn't rain

SCHOOL GIVEAWAY & CAMPAIGNING

I just wanted everyone to see over on my other daughter's blog www.dealsharingaunt.blogspot.com the great back to school giveaway that she is giving away ! Everything you need to go back to school and then some. Don't forget to enter . It might save you money and time shopping for the much needed items.
This week we have spent a lot of time working on my other daughter's campaign. We can't wait until she wins .
Tomorrow I am hoping to get a little rest .
Are all of you ready for school or do you wait until the last minute ?

UPDATE ON BOBO'S AND SISSY'S GARDEN !

It seems as if we are picking out of the garden everyday. We have had peppers. tomatoes, summer squash , eggplant, and cucumbers ,(which were prickly and the kids didn't want to touch.) there were also some beans. But the biggest surprise of all is the corn. It is taller than the kids and they are forming ears and silk tops. Everytime I have had corn growing it seems to get harder and harder to keep it from getting slugs and other insects.

I am soo very proud of the kids and what we have accomplished. There are still lots of vegetables to be harvested. But we have all learned a lot from each other and the garden. We certainly , hopefully will continue next year and many years from now.

WHAT WILL WE BE EATING THIS WEEK ?

Okay so it looks like another HOT and I mean HOT week !


Monday ; will have chicken put into crock pot with instant potatoes and a can of corn


Tuesday ; we will have left over macaroni from Daddy's Birthday party Sunday


Wednesday ; I will make stew early in the morning and it will be easy to heat up in the microwave in the evening without heating up the kitchen


Thursday ; Hamburgers , chips and beans , I'll also make a fresh garden salad


Friday ; usually get together with everyone to get ready for the tag sale Saturday , usually get pizza at LITTLE CAESARS PIZZA . for $5.00 each. How can you go wrong ? Ready when you get there , no wait and you do not have to heat up the house.


Saturday ; usually have sandwiches during the tag sale