Friday, April 8, 2011

Quick 5

Well I'm kinda sad that all my posts are called Quick 5.  I need to do a better job of getting to this blog, especially because I love it. 

On any account, I went to Bed, Bath and Beyond today.  As I've said before I could fill up a cart there in a nanosecond and frankly I really have to watch myself.  Because suddenly I think that I need everything in sight-- like a fancy coffee maker (really might need one of those!), hamburger patty maker, dog bed, colorful tote, clearance pillow-- or anything off their impressive "As Seen On TV" wall.  Take me now, I need a list and a budget before I go there.  Thankfully, shopping with a 2 year old puts the brakes on things fairly quickly as he doesn't really offer a lot of time to lolly-gag around the store.  When we run errands he typically entertains himself with the cart seat-belt, which he likes to try and put together but can't quite get yet ("don't pinch yourself....").  Today he entertained himself by saying "hi" to every.single.person and by singing to himself.  The combo was DELIGHTFUL and absolutely adorable.  After a morning of whining and crying and getting into everything, I was thankful for a happy, contained boy.

Here is what I bought--
1.  A new non stick pan.  Simply Calphon Nonstick pan.  David hates ours, and I equally do-- and he has asked me several times to get a new one.  This one is hand wash only.  Did you know all non-stick is suppose to be washed in "non citrus" soap-- so no lemon scent, flowery scent, etc.  I asked for help and the little gal pointed me in the direction of several, and I chose this one based on price and quality-- it feels perfectly "middle ground" to me.  Planned purchase.  With a coupon.

2.  Salad Spinner.  I went with the OXO brand because I think they own half of BB&B.  Anyway, I feel like my salad has tasted "dirty" lately, so this was on my list even though I had no idea it was $30!  I got our first one as a gift (and I loved it) and I think Dekker broke it as a baby because who wouldn't love a glorified "top" in the kitchen cabinet.  My mother in law recently discovered some fantastic salad dressing plus my subscription to e-mealz has me eating more salads--- I forgot where I was going with that.  Planned purchase.  With a coupon.

But my son was just being so well behaved and I was roaming the aisles.  I was out of coupons, and I think purchasing anything there without one is against the law, but nay, there I wondered.

3.  Dish Drying Mat.  Even as I look that link up I am thinking, "What?  It's for dedicates?"  Well, I bought it because it looks super absorbent and I'm going to need that with my hand-washing non-stick, you know.

4.  Non-stick grilling basket.  Don't even ask and it was $6.  But I have high hopes that I can grill up all those veggies I plan to buy at the Farmers Market this summer.  Of course, that would mean that I plan ahead to get up and go to the Farmers Market, but you know. 

5.  Earthstone Grill Stone.  "Common Dekker, we need to go.  Mommy's out of money."

I mentioned my e-mealz subscription and all I can say is that I'm not ready to say anything yet.  We have tried a few recipes and have found the ingredients to be flexible, so I'm still giving it at least a moderate thumbs up at this time.  I loved having my grocery list printed for me and categorized!

I have been loving this weather and walking quite a bit.  So thankful for the warm sun, a sweet and healthy boy, a flexible job to be at home with him, a hard working hubby that makes it happen.  We are counting our blessings, for sure.

On the journey,
Stef

Monday, April 4, 2011

Quick 5

Oh my goodness I do not know where my time goes but it has not involved this blog for too long.   For some reason, when I get behind enough, I just kinda shrug like "Where do I start?" and then I don't start at all.  blah blah yada yada yada.

So I will add a few "quick" updates as they come to my mind:
1.  Dekker turns 2 this Thursday.  I can not have a birthday of his without remembering the day my water broke in CPR class and we met him for the first time.  Or the way I bossed the nurses around demanding a grilled cheese sandwich, and the way my husband looked as he was transformed into a Dad.  God has been so.good.to.us. 
2.  We had a crazy weekend with a fun party at the indoor play area at our church and my folks stayed Saturday night.  Dekker got lots of great toys, like a lawn mower, trike, wagon, tool bench and basketball hoop.  He also got some great new books and some clothes and probably other things I'm forgetting but am grateful for.  He has lots of words now like: eye, elbow, Mom, MOM, Hi, Dad, GraPa, Nana, Josie, No, NO, pew-y, please, more, and the list goes on.  He is so big.
3.  Admist all my love for him, we had a stay at home day today.  I purposefully planned nothing for today knowing we'd be recovering from the weekend.  I was thrilled it was so windy when I woke up, because that gives me a great excuse to play inside all day.  Except that by 10AM I'm clutching the Lego's bag half insane claiming "No, we are not going to dump these out again Dekker" and trying to forget my problems with Kathie Lee and Hoda.  I think my mental health might have done better with a walk and break at the park!
4.  I downloaded my first "E-Mealz" shopping list and menu today.  I got a $2/month special off one of the thousand on-line daily coupon sites (which I love) called moolala.com.  So I spent $12 for 6 months and then had a limited selection of menus to chose from.  I wanted to do the Weight Watchers menu but it wasn't available with the special so I did the low-fat instead.  This week's menu does look good.  It even has side dishes.  My list took approximately 5 minutes to print out, modify and add some of our staples to.  I'm headed to the store when Dekker gets up.  No real feedback yet-- I'll see how the shopping, recipes, portions, etc turn out before I get too excited.  E-Mealz has limitations for sure, but I'm as excited as I have been in awhile about menu planning and grocery shopping.
5.  My bestie Beth and I had a wonderful long weekend in Des Moines.  We saw the movie Lincoln Lawyer, which was suspenseful and fun.  We shopped World Market and the beautiful Jordan Creek mall.  We ate at lots of fun restaurants not in Omaha.  And we did a 1/2 day at a spa staffed by students.  It was quite the experience!  They were late getting started but the massage and facial were pretty good.  The mani/pedi was rushed and, frankly, horrible and the scalp massage/hair wash/blow-dry didn't happen because we were so far behind the gun due to the late start.  I wrote an email that night to the "spa" and I have been playing phone tag with the staff to see who to send it to.  Basically, though it was still a great experience and seriously gave us enough material to laugh about for years.
I am forgetting so much!  But for now I am going to spend the last 15 minutes of this nap time picking up around here!
On the Journey,
Stef