40 Weeks Later

Sadie Marie Christensen

Born April 19th 2012

3:09 pm

8lbs 2 ounces, 20.5 inches long

So it has been almost exactly 40 weeks from when I last posted to when my sweet baby girl was born. I've thought about blogging during that time but never knew what to say. I didn't want to be that person who blabbed every unnecessary detail about my pregnancy, or struggle to get pregnant for the record. I know so many people who struggle with fertility/infertility I didn't know what to tactfully say. So I stayed away. Now when my Internet opens and I see my sad blog with no current update I want to be back! So here I am. Now we have a precious addition to our family and will have more exciting material to blog about. It's good to be back :)

I'm a Newbie, but I am Learning

That's right. I am couponing. My good friend Amy happens to be pretty darn good at clipping coupons and she knows all the right blogs and websites that help tell you what deals are out there. So I really have to credit her with my 60% savings this morning. For that being my first time I think I did pretty good! So let me break it down for you. First my store of choice was Homeland. You see out here Homeland doubles just about any coupon up to $1 EVERYDAY. So this morning I got up and checked out the online ad and compared what coupons I had. I was so excited I actually couldn't wait to shower and get ready I had to just go in my "just outta bed appearance".

1. 
   
   3 boxes Kellogs Cereal (I choose Fruit Loops, I really like those:) Priced:$4.49 on sale for $2.24 a box -then used a $1 off 3 boxes (that doubled to $2 off) Total:$1.57 per box


2. 2 (4 pack) boxes Xtreme 3 Schick Razors: Priced:$7.99 (now these weren't on sale but I did find a pack of razors that had a bonus 2 additional razors in it) Used my buy 1 get 1 free coupon. Paid $3.99 for each box and $.80 per razor


3. 2 packages Stayfree pads (normally I wouldn't showcase a purchase like this especially since I don't even like/use pads but hey for this deal I figured it was worth it I'll force myself to use them eventually): Priced $3.69 each (unfortunately not on sale) Used my buy 1 get 1 free coupon. Paid $1.85 for each package


4. 1 Skintimate moisturizing cream shave gel: Priced $3.79 Used my $1 off 1(that doubled to $2 off) Paid $1.79


5. 2 3Musketeers Candy Bars: Priced $.87 on sale for $.79 Used my $.50 off 2 (that doubled to $1) Paid $.29 for each bar


6. 2 packages Thin Spaghetti Noodles: Priced $1.55 on sale for buy one get one free. Paid $.77 for each package


7. Shake 'N Bake: Priced $1.29 on sale for $1 Used my $.50 off 2 (doubled to $1) FREE


8. 3 boxes Kellogs Poptarts Priced $2.59 on sale for $1.29 Used my $2 off 3 boxes coupon. Paid $.63 per box


9. 5 boxes Special K Bars Priced $3.19 on sale for $1.59 Used my $3 off 5 boxes coupon.
   Paid $.99 per box


10. 
    
    5 Weight Watchers Yogurts Priced $.85 Used my $1 off 5 (doubled to $2) Paid $.45 per yogurt


11. 
    
    1 box Post Shredded Wheat Priced $4.09 on sale for $3.29 Used my $1 off 1 (doubled to $2 off) Paid $1.29


12. 
    
    1 box Jello Mousse Priced $1.19 used coupon for $.50 off (I thought this was supposed to double but it didn't on my receipt so not sure) Guess I ended up paying $.69 for it. Darn

So all in all I think I got some pretty good deals. My total before tax for everything was $32.16 if you take out that non food items (razors etc can get pricey!) I paid $18.69 for all the food items shown above. The best part was the cashier at the end who said,"Wow, that was smooth". She is probably just jealous she has never couponed like that before. I think just maybe I've found a way to start a food storage. Happy couponing to everyone out there.

Happy 4th of July

Nothing says Happy 4th of July like my festive trifle I've made for tonights barbecue! This recipe was so easy and it looks delicious. Can't wait to actually try it later.

27...

Eeek. This is what will be staring back at me when I look at myself in the mirror tomorrow. Not sure what to think, or feel. I still think of myself as 21. Even though that ship clearly sailed years ago. Help!

Surviving the Heat

There is not doubt that summer is here. And it's HOT. Let me start from the beginning. The first summer we were here we ran our a/c a lot. Had power bills in the $150-$180 range. Ouch. We then learned our a/c unit is too small for our apartment and consequently runs constantly to make up for the lack of cooling. Hearing the a/c blow in my house means more money out of my pocket. So last year. Cody ended up leaving during the summer to attend Officer Training in Alabama. I decided when he left that I was just going to suffer by keeping the temperature in our house as warm as humanly possible. I lived with it at about 82 degrees (which was really hot!). Fast forward to this year and we have smartened up a lot. Tonight Cody was adamant we purchase a window a/c unit. But I have to give him a lot of credit not only did he think of the idea, he also searched all around for the best price. So at Sears this was regularly $250, we got them to price match a local stores price of $199 and in addition they gave us a 10% discount. It's pure heaven! Cody installed it in our bedroom turned it on for 15 minutes and when we walked back in the room it was like walking into an ice box! It is at least 15 degrees cooler than our living room area. We finally be able to enjoy sleeping again. Not sure how everyone else feels but going to bed when its too hot is extremely uncomfortable. So this years plan is to turn off our house a/c at night and only run our window unit.

Magic...

Started with this.... Turned into this...

Finished with this...

The best part is that it all the magic happened in just about 2 hours. Then I was able to top it with my freshly made strawberry jam. Delicious.

So here's the recipe for this amazing loaf of deliciousness (is that even a word??).

It makes 3 loaves.

4 c. warm water

2 Tbsp. yeast

1 Tbsp. salt

2/3 c. sugar (or 1/3 c. honey)

1/3 c. canola oil

10-12 c. all purpose or bread flour (or 1/2 wheat and 1/2 white like I do)

Directions:Pour water into a very large mixing bowl, or into the bowl of a heavy duty mixer. Add the yeast, salt, sugar or honey, oil, and 5 c. of flour, and mix to combine. Gradually mix in an additional 5 c. of flour 1 cup at a time until the dough is smooth. (Add still more flour 1/4 c. at a time if necessary.) Knead by hand on a lightly floured surface, or with a dough hook on low for 12 minutes. Cover with a dish towel (nikki's note: I always place my dishtowel under hot running water and then wring it out until it is just damp- this helps keep the dough from drying out) and let the dough rise until doubled in bulk 30 to 40 minutes.

Generously grease 3 9x5 bread pans and set aside. Punch down the dough, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead it briefly to remove the air bubbles. Divide the dough into thirds, knead each section a few times, and shape into a loaf. Place the dough into the prepared pans. Cover with a dish towel and let rise 30-45 minues. The dough is ready to bake when you press down slightly with your finger and the indentation remains. Meanwhile preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the loaves for 30 minutes. Immediately remove from pans and cool on a wire rack. (nikki's note: I always run a stick of butter over the loaves just after they come out of the pans, because it gives them tops a little glisten and a yummy tasting crust.)

Enjoy!

A Busy Week

We found these fun letters in our mailbox after getting home from San Antonio Monday night. Cody's older brother has 2 boys who idolize Cody. Since we moved out to Oklahoma we don't get to see them very often. They wrote us letters saying they miss us and are excited for us to come visit in August. Cody ate them up. He loved every word/picture. So we decided to return the favor. We each wrote a little note to them and mailed them off. We're excited to see them in August!
Friday night Amy and I decided to make strawberry jam. We were both actually really surprised at how easy it was. All we had to do was follow the instructions from the pectin box. Growing up my mom always made freezer jam. So I was really missing not having that access to homemade jam. I haven't tasted it yet but I am assuming it's pretty good. I just might find some time tomorrow to make some homemade bread to go along with my jam.

More pictures of said jam.

Who doesn't love water balloons? Tonight we got together with some friends at the park for a little picnic. I decided it would be fun to have some water balloons to play around with. I forgot just how long it takes to fill the darn things. In the end I had this cooler full of them. We all enjoyed a good 5 minutes of water fight fun with them after dinner. It was worth the hour and a half it took just to fill them!

All Things Pink

Can I just tell everyone how much I love new running shoes? Well let me tell you, I love new running shoes. For some odd reason they make me excited to run or workout. Well at the Nike outlet on our trip we found some awesome deals. Cody and I both got new shoes for nearly half what we normally would pay. I was also able to slip in some new shorts and a sports bra. Is it obvious I like the color pink?? I tested out all the new gear tonight at the gym. I thoroughly love everything. I'm so spoiled and its not even my birthday.....yet.

Memorial Weekend Vacation

We decided kind of last minute that a little vacation sounded like fun. So we did just that. We packed up our car and headed to San Antonio, TX with a few of our good friends, John and Amy. San Antonio is a place we have talked about going to for awhile but just never got around to find a good time to go, until this past weekend that is. We figured that living out here in the Midwest we have to take advantage of going to every city worth seeing that is in driving distance. So now we are able to chalk another one off the list... First stop, The Salt Lick. You are all probably wondering what the heck that is (so were we). Well Cody decided to Urban Spoon restaurants in the Austin area so we could find a good hidden gem to eat at. Well this place did not disappoint. We got off the freeway and traveled about 30-40 minutes through a very rural area. It didn't look like there was anything for miles. Then suddenly around a bend we pulled into The Salt Lick. John commented it look like we showed up for a family reunion. There was live music, and people hanging out outside, and the sheriff directing traffic in the place. Weird. However, this was by far the best BBQ I have ever eaten in my life. It was awesome!! So worth the extra drive in, and if we are ever in close proximity to this place again you better believe we are stopping here to eat again. I dare say it might appear on an episode of Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives in the near future if hasn't already.

We finally got to San Antonio about 9:30pm Friday evening. After a long drive it was nice to curl up in our king size bed in our 4 star hotel that was located right on the famous river walk in downtown. Priceline is amazing if you know how to work it. Thanks to Cody we stayed at this place for just $75 a night. We took this picture about 11am. It was already sweltering hot by then. Little did we know it was only the beginning of a hot, muggy day.

First stop, The Alamo. We were within walking distance which was so nice. Although I don't hardly know a thing about the Alamo it was cool to see the old buildings.

They have river boat tours going all day along the river. We decided to take ours in the evening for a little romantic night out. However, on the way back to the hotel during the day, Cody couldn't help but get a picture of him driving the boat. I find it pretty hysterical that he even grabbed this guys coffee mug while driving the boat. I was laughing pretty darn hard.

We ventured a little outside of downtown and found our way to Lackland Air Force Base. Not only did we find the base but we had to find the Dental clinic for these guys. Fast forward 2 years and you just might see another picture like this on our blog.

Sunday we decided to travel down south a couple more hours to South Padre Island right outside of Corpus Christi. We had a little unexpected event along the way. Our tire pressure light came on suddenly as were driving down the freeway. We really didn't think much of it because I've had problems with one of the tires going low and the light coming on every 4-6 weeks because of it. So Cody figures he would check the tire pressure on our way home. Well he didn't get the option to wait because suddenly our tire started making an awful noise and we had to pull over to the side of the road. We got out to see that our tire was flat as pancake. Luckily my husband is pretty darn handy when it comes to things like that. So we had the spare on it about 15 minutes and continued on our way. We found this nice nail hole in the tire. Thankfully we were only about 6 miles outside of Corpus Christi where we were able to go to Walmart and get the flat fixed. Only a minor detour before we were on our way to the beach.

The beach was awesome. We enjoyed playing in the waves for a majority of the day. The waves were some of the biggest I have ever seen!

Cody and John got a little creative playing the sand.

I guess to more thoroughly enjoy their beach visit they decided to move their chairs in the water. We had a great time enjoying the ocean. Although Cody put sunscreen on numerous times he still ended up with a pretty decent sunburn. Ouch. Poor John didn't use any sunscreen and I dare say he really regretted that. We all ended up with some sunburns, it definitely made for an interesting night trying to get to sleep. We had plans to float the Guadalupe river this morning but after the long day at the beach and the painful sunburns setting in we decided that we just didn't have it in us to float the river too. On the way home we stopped in San Marcos out the outlets. I've never seen so many outlet stores in my entire life! But that's another blog post I don't have the time for tonight so more on that adventure later.

Who Doesn't Love Granola?

So, my cousin posted a recipe for granola on her blog. I love granola. After having the ingredients for over a week I finally decided to make it. It was amazing!! So I'll post it for you all to have in case you want to enjoy the same amazingness that I did. I did make a few modifications for my batch. I used olive oil instead of vegetable oil and I did not add raisins or cherries. I threw a few crushed almonds on mine before baking it for the last 10 minutes. Mine was perfect.

Easy Homemade Granola
from "Baked: New Frontiers in Baking"
by Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito

(Marilyn's Note: I tripled the recipe, (except the salt and cinnamon) and then added 4-6 cups of additional oats to lower the sugar ratio. It was still plenty sweet and delicious! This makes 2 comfortably full gallon-sized Zip Lock Bags. I also used much less nuts and dried berries.) Ingredients: 2 cups rolled oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup nuts 1/3 cup golden raisins
1/3 cup dried cherries Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. In a large bowl, toss the oats with the cinnamon and salt. In a medium bowl, stir together the oil, honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Whisk until completely combined. Pour the honey mixture over the oats mixture and use your hands to combine them: Gather up some of the mixture in each hand and make a fist. Repeat until all of the oats are coated with the honey mixture.Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread it out evenly, but leave a few clumps here and there for texture.Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the almonds over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.Bake for 5 minutes, then remove from the oven and use a metal spatula to lift and flip the granola. Sprinkle the hazelnuts over the granola and return the baking sheet to the oven.Bake for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven. Let cool completely. Sprinkle the raisins and cherries over the granola.