Reflecting

I've been thinking about my blessings lately.

An unexpected gift.
A big hug from Lara.
An "I love you" from Brookelynn before heading to school.
Breakfast with two special friends.
Leftovers for lunch.
Supper with my hubby and a great couple.
Starbucks after.
All those on one day!

A husband who works hard.
All so I can be home with the kids.
Wonderful family.
On both sides.

Enough money to live on.
Not tons.
But enough.

A shopping day.
Just me and my momma.
My daddy who took the day off.
To watch two energetic boys.

A Savior who loved me first.
And still loves me.
In spite of me not loving Him enough.
Amazing love!

It's Time for a Change

Welcome back, fall.
We've been waiting for you.It's a beautiful day.
Cool.
Windy.
Rainy.

Now, if I can just convince Ryan
to get my fall decorations down from the attic.

In the meantime, some baking is in order.
I'm thinking something pumpkin-y.
Mmmm.

A Little Rant

If you like wally-world, just stop reading now.
I would hate to make you mad.
If you aren't a fan, none of this is new to you.
In that case, I really don't need to continue.

So...
Now...
Some of you have already quit reading.
And the rest of you are already informed.
But that's not gonna stop me.

Do I spend money at wally-world?
Yes.
Do I go there more than I would like?
Yep.
Do I complain everytime I go there?
Pretty much.

There is no doubt that some things are cheaper there.
Personal hygiene, over the counter meds, other stuff.
But there are also plenty of things that are NOT cheaper.
In an effort to save a little money,
I have been doing some comparisons.
Between my not-so-favorite store and Dillons/Kroger stores.

Most of these have to do with baking.
Baking happens a lot at my house.
(I'm not going to argue over the canned goods, chips, cereal.
Dillons is not always cheaper with these,
but if you watch their sales
you can usually get them for the same price,
if not cheaper.)

Here's what I've found:

Sugar is almost 19 cents/lb. less.
At Dillons.

Brown sugar and powdered sugar are 23 cents a bag less.
At Dillons.

A bag of chocolate chips are at least 70 cents less.
At Dillons.
(Dillons has a store brand, wally-world does not.)

Vanilla is 88 cents/oz. less.
At Dillons.

These are all based upon regular prices.
And often all of these are on sale at Dillons.

I could list others...
But that would get old.
As if it already hasn't.

Also, produce may sometimes be less at w-w.
But Dillons' is sooooo much better.

Milk is the same price both places.
(Braums actually has the best price on milk.
If you don't have a Braums you are missing out.)

Oh, two other things I like about Dillons:
1) I rarely have to wait in line at the check-out.
That's enough said there.
And
2) They take your groceries out to your car.
Help you load your car.
Visit with you.

Okay.
I've said my piece.
Shop where you want.
I promise I'll like you regardless.
I just may like you a little more if you shop at Dillons.

If You're Prone to Jealousy-Don't Read

You know those firefighter calendars?
Where they go around and find the 12 "hottest" firefighters.
(I'm so funny with my puns.
Bet that one has never been done before.)
And put them in a calendar.
Well, I don't need one of those.
Cuz I got this in the mail the other day.September 2010-August 2012.
Two years of Ryan.
In the same photo.
I am one lucky girl.

Sorry gals.
This is a one-of-a-kind.

And, just so you know.
If Ryan was a firefighter.
He would be one of those 12 hottest guys.
Now I've really embarrassed him.
But I call 'em like I see 'em.

What We Saw

At the:1) Lara as a sunflower.2) Lots of ESU bags.
We love Corky.
Go Hornets!3) Pig races.4) Something for Lara's dad to buy for her.
It's on sale.
And I'm sure it won't cost much to ship to Germany.5) The fam.
Minus Lara.
She was taking most of the pictures.6) Cute photo ops.
Shortly after we arrived,
we lost Jobe for about 1 minute.
It felt like a lifetime.
After that, Jobie kept asking:
Daddy, will you hold my hand?7) Some dog competion.
The boys were much cuter than the dogs.8) Grand Champion pig.Sponsored by Dillons.
Someone's going to have a nice Christmas ham.9) Gina making a fool of herself.10) A really large toilet.11) A sign with Lara's last name!
Too funny!Ryan and I had our first date at the fair.
In 1989.
Oh, wow.
That was a long time ago.

Fingerprint Friday

I am loving my time with just Jobie.Today is one of those days.One of those days where I am just bursting with love.For this sweet little boy.Psalm 126:3
The LORD has done great things for me,
and I am filled with joy.

Each week Beki at therustedchain hosts Fingerprint Friday and uses a song by Steven Curtis Chapman as a springboard. Join in. It's a great way to be reminded of God's presence.

Fall is for Soup

It's beginning to feel like fall.
Still hot some days.
But there is a coolness to the breeze
that wasn't here a few weeks ago.
And the evening and mornings are lovely.

Yesterday, was a little stormy.
A little cooler.
Time for a new soup recipe.
I found one among all my recipes.
Not sure where I got it.
But it's now a new favorite of mine.

Cheeseburger Soup
1 lb. ground beef
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup shredded carrots
3/4 cup diced celery
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried parsley flakes
4 T butter or margarine divided
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1-1/2 cups milk
8 oz. Velveeta cheese
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/4 cup sour cream

Brown ground beef, drain and set aside. In same pan saute onions, carrots, celery parsley and basil in 1 T butter until tender, about 10 minutes.

Add broth, potatoes and beef to vegetables, bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 10-12 minutes or until potatoes are tender. In microwave melt remaining butter, add flour. Add to soup and bring to a boil. Cook and stir 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low. Add cheese and milk. Stir until cheese is melted. Remove from heat and add sour cream.

As always, I altered the recipe a little.
Here's the changes I made:
5 cups of potatoes (instead of 4).
I always add more potatoes than recipes call for.
I love potatoes!
4 cups of water and 3 chicken bouillon cubes
(instead of 3 cups chicken broth).
Bouillon cubes are so much cheaper.
4-6 oz. Velveeta (instead of 8)

Things I left out:
Parsley flakes (just because I was out)
Salt
Pepper
(I simply forgot those two.
Definitely didn't miss the salt.
But I will add the pepper next time.
Pepper makes things yummy.)
Sour cream (believe me, it's rich enough)
Oh.
Those rolls were yummy too.
Another new recipe.
Herbed dinner rolls.
Tasty!

There's nearly always extra kids at our house after school.
And I'm typically in the kitchen cooking while they are here.
I was working away on this soup.
One of Jake's friends told me:
Gina, I wish you weren't such a good cook.
It always makes me hungry when I'm here.

He's my new favorite boy.

And, I have to say, those veggies and herbs sauteing
did smell wonderful!

Don't worry.
I will not let his words go to my head.
I have had many flops lately.
Many.
Nothing has been awful.
Just blah.
It was nice to finally make something that turned out good.