The Dixons Crazy Life: January 2009

I LOVE to get a great bargain!!! It makes my adrenaline get going and I get giddy like a little school girl!!! This week at Kroger they are having a promotion (which they do quite often) buy any 10 participating items and get $5 off instantly at the register. Last night I took the list of participating items and started going through my stack of coupons to see what all I had to go along with the promo. Kroger here doubles coupons up to .60 cents :) I did buy a few items that I would not normally buy, but since I was getting them for FREE or nearly free I got them. Here is a picture of what all I got, followed by a list of everything on the table :)

13 cans of Rotel
1 tub of Better Crocker frosting
1/4pk Cottonelle toilet paper
2 boxes of Quaker fruit and cream oatmeal
1 jar Pace salsa
1 bottle cattleman's BBQ sauce
1 can Frenches french fried onions
2 - 2lb boxes of Velveeta
2 bags of Amour meatballs
2 boxes of Life cinnamon cereal
1 box Fiber one breakfast bars
1 bottle Franks red hot sauce
1 bottle Frenches mustard
2 bags 40 ct Pizza rolls
2 bags Green Giant broccoli & cheese vegetable steamers

33 items for a grand total of $31.10

I brought this home and was smiling from ear to ear and Aaron thinks I am nuts.... alright he knows I am nuts, but hey..... finding bargains keeps me happy, and as Aaron says "Happy wife = Happy life"

It has been forever since I have posted anything, I know can you say LOOSER! Lots of things have happened since you last heard from me..... here is a quick run down

Thanksgiving

We all met at my sister (Brooklyn) in-laws house for lunch and stuffed out faces and played Wii, it was fun. My 6 yr old niece is better at Wii bowling than any of the adults :)

Bailey turned 5 in November and Taylor turned 3 in December.

Aaron's surprise 30th birthday party that he was VERY late for...... scroll down to see why.....

I had been planning Aaron's surprise 30th birthday for months! The night of the party he called me on his way home and said that he had been in a wreck on the freeway- I thought he had found out about the surprise party and he was joking and trying to pull my leg. Ummmm no so much...... 4 car pile up with Aaron being knocked down into the median of the freeway and his car teetering on a concrete culvert. The wrecker said he was very lucky he was not over an inch or two or he would have flipped his car six feet down the hill..... he was VERY lucky!

I kept my mouth shut about the party and we waited for him to finish up with the wreck while 25 people waited at my friend Katie's house. One of the guys in the wreck was from Conway so they offered to drive him to Conway and I picked him up. I told him I forgot something at Katie's house and we needed to stop by and get it. Once we got to Katie's house we all surprised him with the party which was a nice ending to a bad night :)

Aaron's sister Lisa and her boyfriend came to visit us from Utah. We had a good time while they were here. We had an early Christmas dinner with them where baked my first turkey :)

This was the BEST Turkey ever!!! We brined the turkey overnight before we baked it. I got a huge stockpot and put one cup (yes I said cup) of salt per gallon of water put enough water to cover bird. We also added rosemary and thyme and other various italian spices. Cover and set in fridge overnight. Before you are ready to bake it, pour all of the brine out and rinse the bird really well. Cover with foil and bake at 275 for 10 minutes per lb. Remove turkey from oven and increase temperature to 375, melt one stick of butter and brush 1/3 of butter all over turkey. Place uncovered turkey back into the oven until the internal temp reaches 170 degrees, basting with butter every 30 minutes. Make sure there are no pink juices running out of the turkey when you tilt it. If there are pop it back into the oven for another 20 min until done and YUMMOOOO. This will be the moistest turkey EVER!!!

Christmas

We got a new dog.... he is a Schnoodle - half Schnauzer half poodle. He is very cute, although I am ready to give him away. I have decided we are just not a dog family. The girls love him, but having a new puppy is like having a new kid and since I am not in the market for another baby..... I am selling the dog!!! Does anyone want a dog????? Bailey does not want to give him away, in fact this week this was our conversation:

Bailey: Mom, since we don't want to sell the dog; how about we just sell you???

me: (mouth wide open and very shocked) you want to sell ME?

Bailey: yes

me: well.... who is going to take you to preschool and pick you up, feed you dinner, bathe you, buy you fun stuff and play games with you???

Bailey: ummm...... DAD

me: Dad has work and school and cannot do all of that for you, do you still want to sell me?

Bailey: yes, because I do not want to sell the dog

me: (frown)

he is very cute and very black, we named him Cole.

New Car

Aaron wrecked his car and I got a new car.... my dream car :) 2008 Honda Odyssey - it is by far the nicest car I have ever owned. I love, love, love it!!! I have been looking at these for a few years, they are rated the number one van. It seats 8 people and the front 2 seats have bun warmers :) can't beat that!!

New Years

We spent new year's at Robynn and Rex's house with our friends Pam and Josh. We grilled steaks and shrimp and ate baked potatoes and salad. We played games until about 10pm and then got the kids from the babysitter (a.k.a. my mother-in-law) and then played more games until midnight. I will confess, I am not very good at staying up late... I guess I need my beauty sleep.

That about sums it up..... :) So let me leave you with a few random pics.