five on Friday

5 things that made me happy this week:

1. a super fun bargain shopping expedition: took 2 littles + my handful of coupons to the store that offers a one day text/coupon special. ended up w/$14.98 worth of groceries for 9.88. by far the biggest percentage off I have ever scored! Free kitty litter (sale stacked w/coupon)+canned soup for Tim's lunch/suppers minus coupon+.99 12 pack of pop= 5.10 savings :)  I have done a much larger shopping trip & saved $10 before but never this much of a percentage.
2. remember me talking about rescuing a boatload of tomatoes from a predicted frost? this is what we brough in the house:

 & I have been slowly

working my way thru them... made some salsa, eaten some fresh, then had to take a break from them.  Early this week they started leaking on the floor. Yea, YUCK.  So I cleaned, sliced, halved & tossed some in my 6 qt crockpot & turned them on low for a whole day.  Tuesday evening, we had a bye from darts so I canned them.  2 quarts+6 half pints (jelly jars) full of stewed tomatoes :)  unfortunately (or fortunately I will be thinking in later months) that didn't even put a dent in our supply.  So today I started in again! I filled another 6qt crockpot & turned it on, that wasn't the bottomof the yellow milk crate so I proceeded to sort red vs green (ones that needed immediate attention vs those that could wait a bit longer) into bowls - ice cream bucket + 4 cup bowl & the milk crate is empty. the white strainer remains untouched but the basket in the middle of the pic, it was leaking too... so it got sorted.. I lost count, I think I have 6 containers from it & it also got a shower. TOMATOES!!!!!!

3. I realized today out beef goes to the locker on Monday! that means we will have a freezer full of fresh beef again in 2 weeks! YESSSSSSSSSSSSSS working up my list of cuts we want.

4. I had an interview w/a prospective childcare family this week. it was fun (albeit a bit stressful) to have that process over again but a good sign that all is not lost.

5. Looking forward to lots of family time! Attending my soon to be new nephew's baby shower tomorrow afternoon after spending the morning w/my mom & hosting lunch here @ my house w/her & my aunt!

What made you happy this week???

Wow....November....

Already???/ Really??? sheesh! where has Twenty-Ten gone? 

I am feeling the need to make a list (big surprise I am sure ;)) of my accomplishments for the year:

• I started running
• I completed 2 races, a fun run & have a 3rd race on the calendar for this Sunday
• I lost 15# (then gained 3 back)
• I inspired a neighbor & another friend to try the c25k program
• I got back into reading
• I participated in 2 girls nights outs
• I quit coffee in the spring, then started again when the weather cooled
• I put up alot of fruits & veggies from the garden & farmer's market for winter
• I have continued to get more positive outlook on everything, being more & more of a duck 'letting it all roll off my back' -even being dubbed (& accepting it) 'Miss Silverlining' :)
• I successfully decorated (& Un-decorated in a timely manner) for each holiday
• I organized & held weekly field trips for the local childcare providers this summer-we hope to expand it w/the Clarke county mom's group in Twenty-Eleven
• I bought myfirst stainless water bottle-a Sigg- & proceeded to beat the tar out of it LOL
• I found & stuck w/a chiro that listens, as well as believes the same things I do
• I learned to sew, can & make freezer jams
• I used facebook for constructive communication rather than whining, complaining & rumor spreading
• I organized & pulled off 2 successful crops
• I am still addicted to list making ;)
• I am boycotting alot of store bought items, mixes, canned goods, high fructose corn syrup, soy, & toxic people/relationships

ok.. done ;)  What does your list for twenty-ten look like?

OH what a WEEKEND!!!

it was so great! so full!!

Friday nights @ home ROCK! I looove unwinding to grocery shopping, dinner, dog walk & time @ home w/Tim after a busy work filled week on a Friday night! THAT is what its all about!  (even if one of us is glued to the computer & the other the TV, even if one of us is scrapping in a room @ the other end of the house & the other is napping in front of the TV, as long as we are together, unwinding together, in the same house, its all good!)

Saturday.. this Saturday was one of  many to come I think, Tim up & gone b4 we think about moving. altho this week it threw the dogs off so they were wide awake about 4 whole minutes after he was out the door so I was too.  I changed & grabbed their leashes & we walked. LOVING those early morning walks -once I am out there its great .. GETTING there is not so easy.  then I took them home & went out for a run. a run that will never be repeated. it was a sad emotional disgusting degrading run where I walked the last half of it chewing my own a$$ for wussing out. yuck! was greeted home by happy pups YAY! only one more thing to make it ALL better.. a nap w/them on the couch. dreamy!  later on I did my banking, farmer's market shopping WHOOOP!!! I bought 20# of tomatos! GET OUT!! spending the money means I have to do the work! but not on Saturday :)  I also bought.. okra, purple-green beans, habanero/peach jam, a huge canatalope, carrots & broccoli, yellow squash, a pie pumkin, homemade noodles, onions, & registered to win the big bunga basket full of goodies but didn't win. WOWZA!!!!!!!!! 2 cloth bags & 3 plastic NOW that's DREAMY!! :)  then I was on my way around the square to hand out fliers & donation requests for ScrapPink! yehaw! they were actually happy to see me this year. *whew*  after we both got home, we headed to the Iowa State Fair.  Its not Summer w/o the ISF!! We loooooooove it!!  we cruised the fair grounds from 12-5pm eating here & there, sitting but only for a few minutes here & there-it was too hot to sit by stinky strangers-& headed home. a short day but the speed we took, we got it almost all seen/done/visited. 

Sunday I woke up w/some seriously unhappy legs!  they were screaming sore. I assume it was from the morning run in combination w/the speed we hit the ISF for 5 hrs almost straight.  thankfully they loosened up as I had work to do! I set about cleaning those 20# of tomatos.  My family has seed issues so I avoid them when I can to prevent any issues for myself, & neither of us like skins in our sauce so I seeded & peeled all of them.. it took me about 3 hrs but it was nice mindless work that produced a lot of tomato 'meat' & a sack of junk for the new garden! win-win in my book!   then I spent a while simmering it w/the onions, garlic & spices as it wouldn't all fit in my biggest pot so I had to let it simmer down & add more as it went. after pureeing (is that a word??) & cooking down again for 4 hours we were finally ready to can! yikes. I had no idea they weren't exaggerating when they said "we spent all day canning sauce" they were serious! I wasn't anywhere near satisified w/my 5 quarts of sauce last night, I ws even a bit bummed (emotional much??)  but today, after much encouragement via facebook, I am much better about it & proud that THAT was my first canning solo experience :) during all the cooking down parts, I was able to makr 5 movies off my queue on netflix :) whohooooooooooo multitasking!

ALL OF THIS ACTIVITY & not a single photo taken! can.you.believe. it??? I will, however, share photos soon of my gorgeous jars of Seasoned Tomato Sauce & we are returning to the fair Friday night so there will be photos from that visit.  I am considering doing pickles tonight since there is a slim chance we will be busy this weekend, so maybe some photos from that too...

so tell me, how was your weekend? did you get alot crossed off your list?