Chocolate Chip Cookies, Anyone?

As weird as it may sound, it continues to be pretty exciting to go grocery shopping at Publix! The total for this week's trip, which included everything pictured below, was $9.01 with a savings of $38.52.


While I had coupons for almost everything, these were the best deals.

The three packages of Nestle cookie dough were$.60 each (B1G1 Free price made each package $1.60 and I had three $1 off coupons.) I am using some of these to send to the girls' school for a bake sale next week and am putting one package in the freezer for that last minute dessert I am sure to need in the next month or two.

Each of those six cans of Hunts tomatoes was $.20 (B1G1 Free price made each can $.70 and I had three $.50 off of two coupons which doubled to $1 off of two).

The Extra Strength Tylenol - free! It was on sale for $3.99. There was a Publix coupon for $3 off which I paired with a manufacturers' coupon for $1 off.

All that being said, stocking up is where I sometimes get into trouble. While everything I bought will definitely be used, if I want to end up with extra money in my grocery budget at the end of the month, I have to limit how much I spend that is not going directly for our meals that particular week.

Be sure to enter my giveaway for a $5 Target gift card! You may also want to visit my friend Rachel and see what she was able to get at Publix for only 15 cents!

Others are sharing how they saved at Friday Finals, I Heart Publix, Super Savings Saturday, Super Savers and Grocery Cart Challenge.

Cooking a Whole Chicken in the Slow Cooker

After reading the posts here, here, and here, I decided that cooking a whole chicken in a slow cooker must be the bloggy "in-thing" to do. Well, figuring I would join the crowd, I bought a whole chicken at Publix for $.99/lb and brought it home.

This actually turned out to be a very simple process! I removed the bag of innards, rinsed the chicken and patted it dry. I sprinkled it inside and out with a bit of seasoned salt and pepper, then placed it in the crock pot on top of some onions, carrots and garlic I had chopped up.

I put the top on, turned the crock pot on low for nine hours, and returned home from my daughter's soccer practice that evening to a wonderful aroma!

We ate the chicken with some rice and a green bean casserole for supper. Once the carcass had cooled, I pulled all the leftover meat off of the bones and stored it in the refrigerator to use in a chicken pot pie the following night.

I returned the bones to the slow cooker, which still held the liquid and vegetables, and put the whole crock pot in the refrigerator. The next morning, I followed Gayle's advice and added enough water to the crock pot to make it three quarters full. I turned it on high for about six hours, then turned it off and allowed it cool for a few minutes.

I set my colander into a large bowl and drained all the liquid off. The bowl went into the refrigerator to cool and, after several hours, the fat had solidified and I was able to skim it off the top. I was left with almost twelve cups of chicken broth, most of which I froze to use later.

I thought that this project was definitely worth the small amount of time and effort that it took and, from now on, I will be watching my sales flyers to find a great price on whole chickens!

Find more frugal ideas by visiting Frugal Friday hosted by Life as Mom.

Girly Pink Lamp

One of the advantages of having two daughters is being able to decorate with plenty of pink, feminine touches. While my taste tends to run toward neutral, minimal accessories, this lamp in the girls' bedroom is one of my favorites.


The delicate pearl-beaded fringe around the bottom of the shade is the perfect touch and makes the lamp a bit more sophisticated. It works well in their current room and should be able to transition on to the next stage of room decor.

This post is linked to Show & Tell Friday.

Making a Move to Healthier Snacks

A new day has begun in the world of snacks at our house.

My daughters normally have two snacks during the day; one when they arrive home from school and another just before they get their baths in the evening. In the past, they have pretty much been allowed to eat anything from the pantry or refrigerator that I designate as a snack food, including any homemade baked goods or other sweets.

However, beginning this week, I changed the rules a bit. From now on, their after school snack cannot be anything sweet. Since we don’t serve dessert with supper, they are allowed to have a sweeter treat at their late-evening snack.

Now that I’ve made that declaration, it has become evident that I need to have an idea of healthier options to offer at that first snack time. Here is a list of some things I’ve come up with that can be healthy, yet still relatively inexpensive.

1. In-season fruit or produce. This is the first rule that I broke; I paid $1.98/lb for grapes on Monday. Yes, the girls love grapes and I got a huge bag, but it cost me $5.50! Ouch! I have heard it recommended that you set a goal of $.99/lb for produce and I’m going to try to stick closer to that.

2. Healthier cereals. I’m trying to do better at passing up sweetened cereals (even at great prices!) and don’t mind using cereal as a snack as long as I stick to healthier varieties.

3. Pretzels. Dipping these in some type of sauce or dressing make them more appealing to my kids.

4. Yogurt. This can be expensive, but I usually find plenty of coupons for yogurt which can be matched with sales to keep the cost down.

5. Smoothies. By combining the yogurt mentioned above with fruit that I’ve frozen from the summer, this can be a tasty, healthy snack.

6. Popcorn. Sprinkling this with just a bit of Parmesan cheese is a favorite way to eat popcorn at our house.

7. Canned or dried fruit. Another item to pick up on sale, the girls like most varieties of canned fruit as well as dried fruit, especially cranberries.

8. Whole grain crackers. Pairing these with a slice of cheese or quality lunch meat is relatively healthy.

9. Homemade granola. I have several containers of oats in the pantry and plan to stock up on nuts, the dried fruits and chocolate chips during the holidays when those items should be at a reduced price. I have seen various recipes on the Internet for making your own granola and granola bars.

10. Mini bagel pizzas. I don't buy the frozen version of these, but make my own using a bagel, a touch of tomato sauce, a light sprinkling of cheese and a bit of meat.

Does your child have a favorite healthy snack? I'm definitely open for suggestions!

Committing My Children's Future to God

“Women who earnestly desire to be good mothers need to….commit everything to Him [God] first and foremost, including their hopes, dreams, and expectations, not only for themselves but also for their children.” From the book Mothering Heights by Keitha Smith and Susan Brereton.

As I read this last week, the idea of committing my "hopes, dreams, and expectations" for my children to God caught my attention. While our children are still relatively young, I had to stop and think about whether or not I am purposely doing that in my life.

Am I truly willing to set aside what I would want for our two daughters and be content with how God chooses to order their life? Suppose He has one of them remain single, when I would wish for them a happy marriage and children? I feel that I am at peace about His calling them to minister for him in a foreign country, but am I really?

The older our girls get, the more opportunities that will arise for God to lead them in a certain direction. I foresee my part being first and foremost to pray for them, and then, as I am able, to share any wisdom I may have gained, yet always being careful to allow God to work in their hearts and not imposing what I would wish upon them.

As of this morning on the way to school, one of my daughters has decided that she is going to be an author. She already has ideas for a series of books she wants to write and said she will be looking for an illustrator and a publisher soon! Isn't it exciting to think of how God may use these precious children?!

Bring the Dust to Light

Have you ever heard or read a tip somewhere and wondered, “Why didn’t I think of that?” That happened to me this past weekend when I was flipping through the November issue of Martha Stewart Living. (Just to set your mind at ease, I got a one year subscription free. While I enjoy that magazine, I don't know that I would pay for it.)

So here's the tip. When I dust my lampshades, I sometimes feel that my rag is just transferring the dust around as opposed to actually removing it. The magazine article suggests that you use an adhesive lint roller to get the dust off of lampshades. How quick and easy is that?!

Simple yet effective cleaning ideas certainly work for me!

I wonder how that lint roller would work on one of my most dreaded household chores – dusting the blinds….. Got any suggestions for making that easier???

Find more tips at Works for Me Wednesday.

What I Learned This Week

The last week of October brought a few lessons my way.

• It would be extremely scary to find out how many slices of Carraba's bread I could eat if I didn't have to share the basket with the rest of the family.


• When you live in the South, your girls can don bathing suits on October 31st and play in the water while their dad washes the cars.


• I want it to be light when I get up in the morning as well as late into the evening.


• I get just as nervous as my daughter does when she plays an offertory on the piano at church (although it gives her a great excuse to wear her silver shoes!)


• Riding on a school bus with a group of third graders is not my preferred method of travel.

Visit Musings of a Housewife to see what others learned this week. Be sure to enter my giveaway to win a $5 Target gift card!

Book Review: The Tallest of Smalls by Max Lucado

Since we thoroughly enjoyed Max Lucado's Wemmicks' books, I was very excited to receive one of his latest children's books, The Tallest of Smalls. It is written for children between the ages of four and seven and tells the story of Ollie, who lives among the Too Smalls of Stiltsville, and desires a turn on the special stilts that make the person wearing them higher and better than the rest of the citizens.



The lesson that Ollie learns once he finally receives his turn on the stilts is that while he may not always be "cool" or fit in with those around him, because Jesus loves him, he matters and is just right the way that he is.

The text, with it's rhyming pattern, is very easy to read and understand. The illustrations by Maria Monescillo are well-done and bring the story to life. Surely at one time or another, every child has felt the way that Ollie does at the beginning of the story and can easily identify with the feelings he expresses. While I would still rate the Wemmicks' stories as my favorite, this book teaches a valuable lesson, one that not only children, but also their parents can take to heart.

You can find out more about the book, which is published by Thomas Nelson and retails for $16.99, by clicking here.

This is a Mama Buzz review. The book for this review was provided to me free of charge by Thomas Nelson Publishers. The opinions expressed in this post are my own and I was not compensated for them in any other way.

Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last week I decided it was time to branch out from my typical chocolate chip cookie recipe and try something a bit different. I knew I wanted to use peanut butter, so I went to All Recipes to see if I could find a recipe that incorporated peanut butter and chocolate chips. I printed out the Baker's Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies recipe, but changed it to use chocolate chips instead. My only complaint is that it didn't make a large enough batch!!! Next time, I may double the recipe so that I can have more to share (or consume! :)

1 cup flour
1 cup old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Mix flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside. Beat butter, sugars and peanut butter in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; mix well. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing until well blended after each addition. Stir in chocolate chips.

Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of dough, two inches apart, onto ungreased baking sheet.

Bake at 375 degrees for ten minutes or until lightly browned. Cool one minute on baking sheet; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

This post is linked to Tempty My Tummy Tuesday, Tasty Tuesday, Grocery Cart Challenge Recipe Swap and Foodie Friday.

Giveaway: Target $5 Gift Card

These past eight months of blogging have been a new adventure for me. I have enjoyed writing in this format, recording my thoughts and ideas, along with family moments and just plain, everyday "stuff."

A big thanks to all of you who read and comment on my posts! You have become new friends and offer encouragement and inspiration!

In honor of my 500th post, which will be coming up later this month, I am giving away one $5 gift card to Target. (Sorry, couldn't afford a $500 gift card!!)

There are four ways to enter to win this giveaway.

1. Leave a comment on this post telling me the name of one of your favorite blogs to read.


2. Become a follower of my blog. If you already follow, leave a comment letting me know that.


3. Subscribe to my blog in a feed reader. There is a button at the bottom of this post to make it easy for you. If you already subscribe, put that in a comment.


4. Post about this giveaway on your blog, then come back here and leave a comment with the link to that post.

Leave a separate comment for each entry, with a total of four entries possible per person. Should you comment anonymously, please include your e-mail address as part of your comment so that I will be able to reach you should you win. U.S. residents only, please.

This giveaway will end Wednesday, November 11th at 8:00 P.M. EST. The winner will be selected randomly and announced on Thursday, November 12th. I will contact the winner by e-mail; that person should respond with the necessary contact information within 72 hours or a new winner will be selected.

Here's to another 500 posts!!

"Field Tripping" Again!

Friday brought another field trip opportunity, this time with my third grader. We listened to a local history lesson, learned about plankton and other miniature sea life, toured an aircraft carrier, and got to walk through a submarine. Actually, the group of kids I was with wanted to go through the submarine a second time, so we did. With all there was to experience, I enjoyed this field trip as much as my daughter did!

Besides spending time with my daughter, I also like going on field trips because it allows me to get better acquainted with her classmates. As my daughters get older, there are fewer chances to interact with their school classes and I want her friends to know me as her mom while I also want to learn about them. Another benefit is to see how my daughter interacts with this group of children that she spends so many hours with each day.

There were six children in my group on Friday and they were very well-behaved. As I ate lunch with my daughter and four other girls, they seemed happy to talk with me and answer my questions as I found out about the things that interest them. The benefits of spending the day with my daughter, her classmates, their teacher and other parents were many!