Casa Petrie

I got two great deals at the grocery store last week.  I stocked up on 4 dozen eggs and 4 packages of feta.

Feta is expensive and can pack a punch to salads, eggs, and sandwich wraps, so to get it for $1 (versus about $3) is a coup!  The eggs were also $1 per package.  At Casa Petrie, we seem to go through a dozen eggs per week.  I plan on making quiche this weekend.

Perhaps you remember my bulb forcing experiment?  For some reason, the plants didn’t start to flower.  They look like green onions.  Really big green onions.

I think the problem could be that the roots didn’t have enough space.  I put three bulbs in each glass cylinder, which could be too crowded.  Next year I will put one bulb in each container.

I hope you are having  great week.

There are so many things going on here!   I try to plan ahead to get things done, but if I don’t write things down, they will likely not happen. I have moved from an actual paper calendar to Google calendar to organize my appointments, which has also thrown me off my game.  But, as I frantically read for my new graduate class today, I decided to commit to organizing my time better.

January 2012 To Do List

• Enter all known appointments into my Google calendar (the girls’ classes, days my class meets online, doctor appointments, moms club activities)
• Schedule Miss PD’s 2 year appointment with her new doctor
• Call a tree trimmer about pruning our crazy elm trees
• Continue to deal with issues related to our December home burglary
• Replace the hallway toilet (oddly, this was related to the burglary…)
• Dedicate at least one hour per day to my class (reading, writing)
• Continue to take clutter to Goodwill
• Meal plan for the week to make use of stockpiled foods
• Have Mr. Petrie show me how to use new programs for my computer

A few weeks ago Albertsons grocery store had turkey bacon for $1 per package.  I stocked up and bought 10 packages.  Because it has a lower fat content, when you cook it, it gets crisp, but doesn’t shrink down as much.

I became a turkey bacon covert when I had it at a friend’s house.  Mr. Petrie and the kids were skeptical about the viability of this so-called bacon, but everyone has been enjoying the taste and crispness of it.

By the way, I do apologize for the spotty posting, but it’s taken us a while to get things back to normal after the house robbery.  I love posting on Casa Petrie and have missed my creative outlet the past few weeks.

Have a wonderful day!

I made a killing on baking supplies at Walgreens this week.  Chocolate chips for $.84, marshmallow fluff for $.47, cheesecake mix for $.94, cornstarch for $.24.  Chocolate chips are usually about $3 a package, so this price was about 75% off.

The chocolate chips should last us most of the year.

Have a great week.

Happy 2012!  Man, I sure hope this year doesn’t kick my butt like 2011 did.  We try to keep it positive at Casa Petrie.

Well, I don’t have a new computer yet…but I will have to get one soon for my online class and of course to blog!  I’ve had easy access to a laptop for so long that I forget what it’s like to have to share with someone else.  I have had lots of time to percolate blogging ideas for the next year:

• frugalista tips
• great coupon deals
• home organization
• frugal and healthy meals
• living meaningfully
• periodic book reviews
• perhaps a tiny bit about fashion
• making handmade items

One of the big things that snuck up on me this year was a 40 pound weight loss.  I know it seems weird that I didn’t realize I was losing this kind of weight, but frankly, I never weigh myself and I don’t really think very much about what I look like.  I don’t want to look bad, but I try not to obsess about being a certain way.  And when your body is changing from having children, it’s good not to worry too much about your weight.  What I do think has helped me lose weight is cooking from scratch.  We don’t eat low calorie food, but we eat real food that has been prepared without preservatives or added fat or salt.  I’m also constantly watching the world’s squirmiest toddler, which burns calories aplenty.  I will have to post a couple of before and after body shots of myself so you can see the change.

Have a great week, friends.

Hi friends. Our home was burglarized last week and sadly the thieves took my computer, amongst other things. So no easy way for me to blog right now.
I should be back up and running in the next couple of weeks.

Our family donated a pinata to Miss Petrie’s class holiday party.  I had never purchased a pinata, but apparently they do not come filled with candy.  Who knew?  I asked the cashier what to do and she told me to cut a hole in the pinata, pull out the newspaper stuffing and replace it with candy.  We loaded the lion up with lots of candy.

I made the girls pose with the pinata so you could see how big it is!  I like how the proportion of the lion’s legs and torso are identical to Miss Petrie Deux’s.  But I’m glad her head isn’t quite that big.  (I love the weird proportions of the toddler body!)

Have a great weekend.

My friend Dana has an Etsy shop and made the card for us.  I think it came out brilliantly!

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend.

We’ve probably had this waffle maker for ten years.  It has gotten lots of use and makes the best waffles.  I’ve been contemplating buying a food processor, but am worried about where to store it.  But when I thought about all the use we’ve gotten out of the waffle maker, I consider that if something is useful, then it’s worth it to try and store it.  Maybe I have something else I don’t use as much that can be retired…

One more paper for school and then I am done for the semester!  Woohoo!!

Have a great day.

My baby is six!  She is so big and beautiful, articulate and confident.  It still surprises me that I’ve been a mom for six years.

This is her kindergarten picture.  She loves to be photographed.  She told me she had the photographer fix her hair before the photo was taken.

She joined Daisies this year.  She’s outdoorsy, thanks to her dad!

She had me take Hello Kitty cupcakes to her class for her birthday.  As you all know, I think I can cook and bake fairly well.  We took my parents with us to Miss Petrie’s classroom and all of the kids were thanking my mom for the cupcakes.  Very funny!  My mom isn’t really about cooking.

It makes my heart sing to see how well Miss Petrie gets along with other kids.  As soon as I walked into the classroom, an adorable little boy told me he wants to marry Miss P.  During an activity, several kids wanted to sit next to her.  She tries very hard to be fair with her friends, a quality that makes me so proud.

Happy birthday, my sweet, big girl!