Ash of All Trades

Ralphs: Green Grapes @ .88/lb = Excellent Price Strawberries @ 1.25/lb = Great Price Foster Farms Picnic Packs etc @ .99/lb = Great Price Dreyers @ 2.99 = Good Price (Coupons available for great price) Capri Sun @ 1.99 = Good Price Ronzoni Pasta @ 1.00 = Good Price Sweet Corn @ .33 = Great Price BUY 4 SAVE 4: Tide @ 10.99 = Good Price (with coupons) BUY 4 SAVE 4: Herbal Essences Shampoo etc @ 1.99 = Good Price (coupons) Van De Kamps Bread @ 1.00 = Great Price Seedless Watermelon @ .29/lb - Excellent Price Bartlett Pears @ .99/lb = Excellent Price Albertsons: Green Seedless Grapes @ .69/lb = Excellent Price Bushs Baked Beans @ 1.66 = Excellent Price Heinz Ketchup @ 1.66 = Good Price Dreyers Ice Cream @ $3 = Good Price (coupons available) Capri Sun @ 1.99 = Good Price Langers Juice @ 2.00 = Good Price Corn @ .50 = Good Price Key Limes @ .99/lb = Great Price Red Bell Peppers @ .99 each = Great Price Stater Brothers: Pork Spareribs @ 1.79/lb =

We are so thankful to have wonderful neighbors caring for our garden while we were gone!  Everything is thriving and doing well!  While the weight of the items harvested while we were gone is not present we have plenty of other harvests to capture (in fact to many to post)!  Also for one whole week I had no camera just a paper and pen to write down the weights...the abridged version of our previous 3 weeks of harvest! Before our trip: 12.054 lbs or produce including above! Since we returned we have harvested 15.1 lbs of produce including the above! I do want to mention that while we were gone a squirrel decided to play in our backyard and ate 6-7 cantaloupes and our lone watermelon...we do now have two smaller watermelons growing and our tomatoes are finally coming in so be on the watch for those.  Now that we are home and enjoying our yard the squirrel has disappeared!!!  We also lost a few lemons and oranges to extreme winds but that is mother nature! Dru,m roll please....

 The Hubs & I At Penn State 2011 MBA Graduation     Buggy Ride in Lancaster, PA   Homemade Banner for Big C's First Soccer Team! Thanks for hanging in there while we took a vacation then enjoyed the chaos summer wind down!  We enjoyed a great trip in Pennsylvania for the Hubs graduation!  Then enjoyed a bunch of birthday parties, baby showers, soccer practices and banner making, plus other family events!  Boy are we glad to be back to our regularly scheduled routine and so is this blog; without further ado our menu for the week: Monday:   Breakfast:  Omelettes, Sausage, Mandarin Oranges Lunch: Pasta with Tomato Sauce, Salad Dinner: Leftover Carne and Pollo Asada Tacos, Rice, Beans, Corn Tuesday: Breakfast:  English Muffins, Nectarines, Peanut Butter Lunch: Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Grapes, Goldfish Crackers Dinner: Beef Stir Fry w/veggies, Fried Rice Wednesday: Breakfast:  French Toast, Strawberries Lunch: Quesadillas, Corn, Black

This week was super incredible as we spent a good portion of each day at church participating in Vacation Bible School!  Each afternoon or evening when we returned home we were pooped - but the garden is thriving and still needed care!  Here is what we harvested this week: 1.07 lb Cantaloupe .46 lbs of Zucchini .383 lbs of stuff! .375 lbs of squash and our first bell pepper! 2.484 lbs of cantaloupe 1.453 lbs of cantaloupe 4.117 lbs of zucchini .53 lbs of tomatillos .492 lbs of tomatillos (we made the best green salsa with these) .133 lbs of cherry tomatoes 3.3 lbs of cantaloupe .328 lbs of chiles and artichokes .055 lbs of basil .59 lbs of squash and zucchini .39 lbs of stuff .289 lbs of onions Weekly Weight: 16.449 lbs Annual Weight: 78.622

Sunday:  Breakfast:  Chocolate Chip Pancakes, Blueberries Lunch: Tuna Melts, Peaches Dinner: Mama's Special Chicken, Black Beans, Corn Monday: Breakfast: Oatmeal w/blueberries Lunch: Quesadillas, Salsa, Cantaloupe Dinner: Lasagna, Steamed Zucchini Tuesday: Breakfast: Eggs, Toast, Cantaloupe Lunch: Souplantation with a Friend! Dinner: Bats N Cobwebs Pasta, Salad Wednesday: Breakfast: Smoothies and Toast w/peanut butter Lunch: Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Bell Pepper Strips, Blueberries Dinner: Pancakes, Sausage, Cantaloupe Thursday: Breakfast: Waffles, Peanut Butter, Cantaloupe Lunch: Fair Food! Dinner: Grandma's Tacos!!!!!!!!!! Corn Friday: Breakfast: Pancakes, Fruit Lunch: Peanut Butter Sandwiches, Applesauce, String Cheese Dinner: Grilled Chicken & Mac N Cheese Saturday: Breakfast: Pancakes, Fruit Lunch: Leftovers Dinner: Rotisserie Chicken, Salad, Baked Beans

July was a slow reading month for me as I have been pretty busy organizing a neighborhood 4th of July part (which rocked), getting ready for Vacation Bible School, working in the garden (a lot would be an understatement), working with the girls, vacationing with kids, and well just enjoying life! I did however read the above book and it was a excellent learning experience - my friend gave me this book eons ago and I have to admit the size is what held me back.  I have been enjoying getting through three or four books a month and had a feeling this one would take me longer.  The story itself is especially intriguing as it follows one man's journey to discovering the meaning of Medjugorje and it's message.  This story is based upon a true story: some teens in Bosnia began seeing apparitions of the Virgin Mary some 30 years ago and she is giving them messages which are supposed to help people live a life closer to God and Christ.  This particular book is the story of a protestan

Last week was wonderfully busy for us (and truthfully these next two weeks are going to be even crazier)!  Instead of doing a full unit on the Zoo like I had planned; we read a bunch of books about the zoo, pretended to be zoo animals, and even went to the zoo! On the aerial tram! I just want to hug one of these guys! Big C waiting to see the elephants! Little C hanging out in the shade! Big C caught taking a nap! Happy Thursday all, Ash of All Trades

August 3rd through August 9th Albertsons: So the Albertson's deals this week can be sweetened by using some DOUBLE COUPON COUPONS - they came in my mailbox today with the Pennysaver and will double some coupons folks! Tide @ 10.99 = STOCK UP PRICE with double coupons (there is a $1 and $2 out right now) Pringles @ 1.50 = Great Price (Coupons available) Crest Toothpaste @ $2 = Good Price (with coupons) Oral B Toothbrush @ $2 = Good Price (with coupons) Tobasco @ 1.50 = Great Price (with coupons) New Zealand Kiwi @ .39 each = Great Price Red Bell Peppers @ .99 each = Great Price BUY 6 EACH ONE IS 1.88 Frosted Flakes @ 1.88 = Great Price (coupons) Fruit Loops @1.88 = Stock Up Price(coupons) Rice Krispies @ 1.88 = Stock Up Price (coupons) Nutri Grain Bars @ 1.88 = Stock Up Price (coupons) Club Crackers @ 1.88 = Stock Up Price (coupons) Stater Brothers: Seedless Watermelon @ .19/lb = Excellent Price Green Grapes @ 1.25/lb = Good Price White Peaches @ .99/lb = Excellent

So thankful that we have been blessed with a home that allows us to garden  and that our garden is actually thriving! A bell pepper and yellow squash @ 1/2 lb Cantaloupe @ 1.07 lbs .047 lbs of chili's and tomatillos There were two of these guys but we used one before weighing it So double it to .92 lbs of zucchini 2.19 lbs of squash and zucchini .367 lbs of squash and jalapenos .195 lbs of cherry tomatoes and tomatillos Chives & basil @ .06 lbs .18 lbs of cherry tomatoes and tomatillos Zucchini @ 2.06 lbs .164 smorgasboard 2.234 lbs of cantaloupe 1.266 lbs of garlic Total Week: 11.253 lbs of produce! Total Annual: 62.173 lbs.