Randomness

I took harper to the vet today bc I was concerned with his healing. His tummy was dark red and it just didnt look normal

*warning- skip if u dont want to see a dogs penis*





Luckily she said that he was fine. This kind of bruising is not normal and he was also running a fever but he should be okay. I freaked for a bit there.

Here are a few random pictures from my phone....

Moving Forward

After a long weekend, we are back into the swing of things.  Emory style that is....



Sunday RL threw up for the first time.....all over me....it was awesome.



Harper started urinated blood.  Also awesome.  I immediately broke into tears assuming kidney failure.  I thought of all the times I have robbed him of the attention he has patiently waited for. Its the kids fault, of course.  Luckily, it was not kidney failure but badder stones.  He had surgery to remove the stones on Monday and came home with a nice cone on his head.  I was worried that the kids would try to mess with him post surgery.  Instead  RL feels too sorry for him and doesn't want to hurt him and Ruddick is SCARED of anything new and different.  Seriously he screamed all night.




Monday my office had a gas leak.  That is what they told us anyway as we evacuated and all went home to work.  Turns out.....miscommunication at ATMOS.  Craziness, right?



I have taken the savings/shopping week off to regather myself, my coupons, and my plans.  I need some new staples in my house........and suggestions will be accepted!!!

Uncle Richard.........

There are truly no words that can be said or written to adequately describe who Richard Morrow was. It is simply impossible. You just had to know him. You had to hear his voice, see his smile, and feel his presence. In all honesty, I feel as if there are no words worthy to describe him. Words seem so empty, one dimensional, and flat.

I will try to explain what I mean...

You see my Uncle Richard wasn't just encouraging, a word that could be used to describe him. There was actual belief behind it. Faith, drive, positive expectations intertwined into his encouraging phrases.

He wasn't just kind. It was a spirit. The face of Christ in kind words, kind actions, and quiet prayers.

He wasn't just a believer in Christ. His very presence on the earth was a journey of biblical teachings.  He was steadfast in his belief and was selfless in sharing with others.

He was welcoming to all those who crossed his path. If you shake his hand.........you are loved.  Instantly.

Just a couple a months ago we had an garage sale at my grandmothers house. Uncle Richard filled the room with his knowledgeable chatter and excitement over each item in the house.  He is a natural salesman.  Every person who walked through the door was greeted and welcomed.  He probably learned something about 90% of the customers.  How often do you feel welcomed at a garage sale?  As the sale came to a close we found a bible trivia book.  I flipped through the pages not recognizing the majority of the names or stories.  (I made a mental note to work on this)  I ran the questions by Uncle Richard expecting a little more than my ignorance and was taken back by his almost 100% accuracy.  Really Uncle Richard? You know the story of Deborah?  I said my goodbyes and gave Uncle Richard one last hug.  I didn't know that it would  actually be the last hug.  I remember his smile and it makes me smile.  Every time.

Uncle Richard didn't just love.  He adored, nurtured relationships, genuinely cared, and was unwavering.  He was a salesman by trade, but a teacher by nature.  The world was left a better place because of him. The people who knew him are better for having known him.  We should all strive to leave that legacy

God healed his physical body and opened His arms in heaven.  I will miss him every single day. He is celebrated on earth by those who love him. He himself celebrates in the arms of Jesus Christ

Jules

Defining the Blog

Good morning and happy MLK day!!



I have several new readers that I am super excited about!! I don't know who you are, but my reader number has finally made it to double digits! What! What!! Thank you for taking interest in a blog that is inconsistent, has no theme, you never know what you are gonna get and is always full of errors.  If you stay with me for a couple of years I promise it will get better.  I am hopeful that when my children get just a little bit older some of my brain cells will return.  I am hopeful.



The title of this blog is Random Kitchen.  It was named to represent my kitchen that is randomly stocked with items that follow the sales of the week or month.   I cook based on what I have available and/or what can be purchased at the lowest cost.  I rarely decide on what to make/cook and then purchase the ingredients.  I have my staples and easy week night meals, but they are either consistent sale items OR items that never go on sale (fish/shrimp).  Let me take this moment to mention......just because I follow sales and match coupons does not mean that I ONLY purchase sale items or items with coupons.  My family eats plenty of fresh veggies and fruits ( I try to follow them in season for the best prices) as well as seafood and other meats.  I save money on everything else to balance out the cost of these items.  With that being said.....I do not buy whatever those educated in healthy eating may say is the best purchases...for example, organic, gluten free, ect.  I don't understand those things and its just not my thing.  Sometimes Brookshires has organic veggies on sale......I will buy it then.  :)  Otherwise I stick to the traditional thought of providing balanced meals.



Sometimes I blog about saving money, sometimes meals, my kids, and even random thoughts on life.  The best way to describe this blog is RANDOM.  Sometimes it will help you save money, sometimes you my feel like you wasted your time seeing another picture of a meal I cook all.of.the.time.  I've tried being consistent before and its just too stressful for me.......so I gave in to the randomness.



Happy reading!!



Here is a quick example of what you may read about.....




Turkey balls with brussell sprouts and potatoes.  Everything BOGO from brookshires.  Search the blog for the turkey ball recipe.  It is so so so good!!

Target Clearance TODAY

Great 70% off markdowns today at target. Its gift stock up time!! This is the best one ive seen!! Also look out for frozen cups and even sandals!! LOVE IT!!!


Jules

Happy Birthday Ruddick

Today is this little mans birthday!!!















He is TWO years old and loving life!! He loves to eat almost anything with no obvious favorites. He loves bananas and waffles and request them on the daily. He also loves milk and uses sign language to request it.

He likes to watch football with daddy and stand on top of things and say "ta da"!!! He is super intense and loud but sweet and offers lots of hugs and kisses.

He loves to copy big sister and aggravate her too!!

My precious baby boy is TWO!!!

Weekend Updates

Here are a few updates from our weekend. We made a fun dessert with colored cool whip.






Landon went to a karate bday party and met a ninja turtle.








We found this picture of daniel looking exactly like ruddick!!!


Landon got a new carseat which means we had a new box to play with!!


Being sweet and loving





And of course....one of the many wardrobe changes!!


I also made some progress with arranging the bonus room. I have disliked that room for over 3 years and i FINALLY feel like im close to making it functional!! Ill show pics later this week!!

Deals this Week

Here a few deals this week to look out for

Walgreens









The coupon for the sanitizer and all were found in last sundays paper.

Cvs



Use $4 off from last sundays paper. My cvs was already sold out :(


Office depot dollar sales



Freds storage



The walmart savings catcher *should* reimburse you based on the advertised prices at freds and office depot (if you buy the above at walmart). Im not sure how much I trust it yet though.

Now here are some pics from the target clearance Im stalking......















Its a new year and its time for me to tightened those financial reigns. I want my grocery bill even lower this year. However the hubs is getting a little grouchy about his lack of choices, so Ive got to get creative. What are some cheap meal ideas you have??

New Years Eve Mishap

Well....it is time to share with you the unfortunate mishap of the Jonesboro woods that resulted in a broke face and no meat on the table.

It was the brisk morning of New Years Eve that I decided to join my dad in a little hunting. I covered my body with layers and layers of clothing so that I would not be distracted by pesky shivers.

As we drove in close to the land, the cows were up and moving which according to my dad and his grandfather means the deer will also be moving. We walked to my tent and there standing right in front of us was a deer!! Staring us down....giving us a hint of whats to come!! Im ready, friend. I got this.

Immediately, I saw deer after deer. Heard every bird possible and Im convinced there was a turkey gobbling right outside my window. I never could get a shot.....they were too fast, I was too slow, or they decided to moon me instead of the stance I needed.

Then 30 mins of nothing...... I used this time to gather my thoughts and plan for the future. I envisioned the shot, the fall of the deer, my yell of excitement, the picture I would take in front of my prize and so on. I thought about the jealousy my husband would feel and the reminders I would give him of how totally cool I am. (Clearly we all know this, right?). I KNEW I was getting the next deer that exited those woods.

Then they came. 3 perfectly spaced out in a line. I got this. BOOM!!! Holy crap.....that hurt....thats alot of blood. Oh mi goodness....that REALLY hurts and again thats alot of blood. Hmmm. What to do now.....no phone service, Ill get out of the tent and start walking to the truck. What the heck? The deer is still staring at me!!!! I can hear him taunting me

I walked back to the truck taking a couple breaks to lay down on the leaves and get my bearings. Im not sure if it was the sight of blood or the pain but passing out was def an option.

A few days later it was confirmed that New Years Eve 2014, I broke my nose.

And thats the story....I wish it ended with a deer steak on my table but instead Im empty handed with a broke face.

Here is a collection of the progress over the last few days































Creepy. Mug shot maybe?

Walking into 2015

Here is a recap of the last few days......



After having to reschedule some family time due to the flu, we finally made it to Shreveport to hang out with Candy, Travis, and Shelby.  I love being in their house.....it is just so comfortable to me.  This is the first time I have been able to bring my kids over for a visit and I was quite nervous of what the breakage count could be by the end of the visit.  The kids did really well and only one breakage occured.  Want to guess the kid?? It was actually RL playing with a breakable Tinkerbell and she lost her leg :(  Sorry Shelbs!!













Next....on to Baton Rouge to have Christmas with Aunt Jill, Lottie, John and baby Lukie.  RL and John, who are the same age, have such different personalities that it is really enjoyable to watch them interact.  RL's drama filled life is overwhelming in that household full of boys and a boy mom.













There is quite an interesting New Years Eve story that I will post in the next few days.  Most of my facebook friends have seen the picture......my blog readers will get the exclusive story.




I hope you have been able to get out and pick up a few things at the after Christmas sales.  Target 70%, WalMart 75% and Hobby Lobby 80%.  I picked up a few things that I knew would not make it to 90 % like lights and a couple of knick knacks.  I estimate it may go to 90% on Monday?!?  Another notable find is lots of Target toys on 30% off............I am assuming that these will be the big 70% off toy sale of January!!!



Now it is time to get back in the schedule of day to day life.  My husband is craving a normal home cooked meal and I am craving order in my house.  I have been working on both all day and I feel like I still havent accomplished anything!!! Which means we are back to normalcy!!