Babies, Everywhere!

Well those of you in my ward know there are a bazillion, women pregnant. Well, it is more like 16 of 50, which is still a incredulous amount! I will state this WE ARE NOT PREGNANT! But it something that is on my mind, well often. I have a few close friends outside of my church circle, who are expecting and it is just SO EXCITING! One is expecting her first, one is expecting their third and a couple of my friends are adopting! So it seems like everywhere I go people are expecting! Who wouldn't be baby crazy surrounded by this!

We are planning on starting to have children soon! I can hardly wait! We just have a couple of things which we are waiting for before we jump on the baby band wagon. Some of those have to do will health, finishing school (for me! Graduation is in MAY!!!), and figure out the unanswerable question how to have Brody finish school, have children, and still come out even... Some of you out there make it look, well easy.

Despite, these little bumps we are working to over come, we have been collecting (and I do mean we!), and I have been planning. We have collected a few items: bellybubs (see this post), a raggedy Ann doll (need to find an Andy now), and some beautiful hand crocheted booties from a wonderful vintage shop. My mother, has been collecting items, I swear, since the day I was born! She also has her own little business.

The planning that is happening is very involved. I never really thought about what I would do for the nursery but with so many friends having babies, and seeing all the super cute themes some people do I have come up with what theme our first baby. I have decided a few other things, like I want to do a natural birth, that I do not want to know the sex of the baby until birth, and we are going to cloth diaper. The theme Jungle! I am so excited! I can not wait to start! I am going to make the cutest mobile, and a jungle full of crocheted stuff animals! I know my mother is will make some super fun items. She and a friend own a craft business, they make great items an mother would need!

Here are some photos of those supper cute animals I want to make for our distant little one.

Thank you!

I forgot to post this weeks ago!

I am going to take a moment and break from the normal banter of my life. The other day, I had an wonderful experience and want the world to experience it also! Now, I am the one to criticize the government and complain about how I feel about these drawn out wars (or occupations or whatever they want to call them), and how they seem to be ridiculous. But, on the same hand, I will never ever degrade those that served, have served or will serve to protect my freedom and rights, even the right I have to post this. This is to everyone, those that have, will, or are serving, those married, engaged, dating, children, parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, cousins, nephews, nieces, brothers, sisters, friends, enemies, everyone.

I drove my sister to Spokane for an eye doctor appointment the other day. We were running a little late (just about 15 minutes). We went it, she was looked at, and then send out back out to the waiting room, I think they were low on rooms. As we were sitting in the waiting area, there was an elderly couple and another elderly man. They had a conversation that went more or less like this  (names are not real, we never actually caught what they were...):

Jerry: To other elderly man, Bob "You still Driving?"
Bob: Yes, how about you?
Jerry: Yes, how old are you?
Bob: 90, you?
Jerry: 86. Did you serve?
Bob: Yes, all three.
Jerry's Wife: All three?! Jerry served in WWII and Korea.
Bob: I served in Italy during the big war, during Korea, and in Nam (he never once said Veitnam, only Nam.)
Jerry: I served in Europe, where did you serve?
Bob: Italy. I flew B-29's. I flew through Korea and in Nam.
Jerry: I was in the amphibious attack at (did not catch the place) he is then called into the doctor's office.
Jerry's Wife: What did you do in Korea? I didn't know they had fighters?
Bob: I didn't fly in Korea. I flew missions to Russia during the Cold War.
Jerry's Wife: Oh. What did you do in Nam?
Bob: I flew. It is horrible. We would lose 10 at a time. One plane would go down, and we would lose them all. We stopped saying how many men we lost, and starting talking how many plans.
Jerry's Wife: You are very lucky.
Bob: I served from '41 to '75. I never came out of a mission with a scratch. On time I bullet came through the side of the plane and hit my boot, but it just fell to the ground.

The conversation went to about how their friends are dieing, and how the reunions for the their groups are dwindling. It was a very humbling experience to be apart of, listening to those men talk about their past. I was able to tell Bob, thank you for serving, I am not sure he heard me, I started to tear up as I did.

To all of those service members, Thank you. To my Grandfather, who served in WWII; Papa, who served in Vietnam; to my Aunt, who is serving now; and to my Cousin, who is currently in the Middle East, Thank you!

How I save money at the co-op! (Part Two)

Part Two: How to ‘Shop the Co-op’

For this post I did some research so click on links for more information!

There are so MANY ways to saving time, money, and energy grocery shopping. Some of them are just basics like what I posted in PART ONE. This post, part two, is more specific. This is about how to save at a Co-op. Some of these tips can be used at other local food retailers (farmers markets for example). Many of these examples/tips are for my local co-op the Moscow food Co-op.

a) INVEST in those reusable shopping bags. They are a buck at most places, and are WASHABLE!!! The co-op gives members a 10 CENT discount for each bag you bring, and use! They will ask you if you want to use or donate the discount. Do not feel guilty about taking it, you are on a budget and are trying SAVE while shopping locally!!!

b) JOIN the co-op! The Moscow co-op has the LOWEST membership dues! $10 A YEAR!! If you shopped every week there it would be just under 20 cents a week! Plus being a member gives you access to great saving opportunities! The 10 cent bag credit, a bi-monthly coupon book, and their monthly in-store member only discounts. You can even get a discount on ordering bulk items (not the bulk bins). Here is a website that will help you find your local food co-op!

c) CHECK the in store sales. The Moscow Food Co-op posts their bi-weekly specials online. Just follow the link and from their website you will see the flyers! It is amazing! I love their Bionaturae Whole Wheat Pasta, but I don’t want to pay 3 bucks for a pound of pasta, we stock up on it when it is on sale for $1.99! Which then comes out to a buck a meal for pasta for us. Checking the sales before you go is helpful because if you are low on pasta, like we are, you can know if it is on sale and stock up! *To find the ad, go to the website, scroll down a little it is a link titled something like "Download CO+OP Month A Deals" A and B denote the time the flyer is good.*

d) LEARN basic math. Alright this is where my training as a Material Science Engineer comes in, but I know you people out there can relate. These are things you MUST know to shop at any local food place, Co-ops, Farmers markets you name! I hate the ‘standard system’ and will argue that metric is way better, but until the government gets off its lazy bum, we have to know both! Here are some basics to get you through shopping produce: Peppers DO NOT WEIGH MORE THAN A POUND! I know that the co-op places the price of peppers as $2.50 a pound, but seriously, have you ever held a pepper people? I am so tired of hearing “$2.50 a pound that is ridiculous!” Guess what?! Different sized peppers for $0.76 each is RIDCULOUS!  Most produce is priced per pound at the co-op. It is more fair to the consumer and the farmer. So, with that little digression… 16 oz =1 pound, 32 oz = 2 pounds, 1 gallon = 4 quarts = 8 pints = 128 fluid ounces (that is what fl. oz on juice and milk containers stand for, it is different than the mass measurement ounces). Grams, not many things in the US are labeled with just grams, but some recipes are written that way, invest in a kitchen scale with multiple units.

e) BULK foods. I love to make lasagna, but lasagna noodles are prices when they are boxed, plus half are always broken. When you get them from the bulk section you get you pick HOW MANY you want/need and nice long un broken ones (just be careful on the way home not to break your precious noodles!) The co-op posted on their website this handy 8 Ways to Save article. Number 3 is to shop Bulk, here is what they say about buying bulk “Buying in bulk saves you money, plus it saves packaging and allows you to buy only as much as you want. The Moscow Food Co-op has over 500 items in bulk, including grains, beans, snacks, baking supplies, coffee, herbs, & body care items.” I never was a fan of the bulk bins until I recently discovered their wonderful saving capacity. If you haven’t tried them, DO IT!

f) SEASON Shopping! Seasonal shopping will add so much flavor and diversity to your foods! The NRDC (National Resources Defense Council) has a GREAT website for finding local farmers markets and you can search by state what produce is in season when! It is a great guide bookmark it, or print it out and tape it you’re your fridge!

g) STOP buying prepared/ processed food and BUY ingredients. I said in the first post that making bread saves money, well so does making your own pasta sauce. I have recently started to even make our own Alfredo sauce! It is surprisingly easy and super yummy! Making things like bread or your own pizzas are fun, cheap and can involve the whole family. Plus when you make your own food, you know exactly what went into it!

While I was doing the ‘research’ for this I found a few good sites with lists of ways to save, check them out if you like!

32 Ways to Save

The Frugal Law Student

WebMD 

I know these are long posts but it takes work to save your money! Good Luck to you shoppers out there!

How I save money at the co-op! (Part One)

I made the mistake of saying "We buy all our food at the co-op". I must clarify that statement: We buy 90% of our food at the co-op. We really do, and we have actually been saving money doing so! It is amazing, Brody at first was not sure we could do it, but after 3 months of co-op shopping, I have made my case and no more complaining from him!

I have been asked how we do it, and so here it is my guide on how to save money at the co-op, and to eat healthy! I am going to do this in segments. Part 1 will be just basic on how to save grocery shopping, Part 2: how to save at the Co-op, and Part 3: A complete rundown, step by step, with my full grocery list and amount spent on our actual next shopping trip. PLEASE!! Ask questions, post comments, even call me if you have questions or want to get together and go as a group.

Part One: How to save on every grocery shopping trip!

First here are three things that if you are not going, you should do! These 3 things will save you money on matter where you shop!

1. MAKE A LIST!!! We have all been told many times that a grocery list will save to money and time. It is true! Do it. Even if you never ever shop at the co-op or think I am a crazy non shaving, liberal hippie (I have plenty of friends that will vouch otherwise!) MAKE A LIST!

2. NEVER GO GROCERY SHOPPING HUNGRY!!! Always eat first. This prevents you from deviating from your list and just grabbing whatever looks good. The only time I EVER do go 'hungry' is when I have to go shopping to make dinner, but I make sure I have a list, and before check out I go through the cart and see what is not on the list and ask myself, "Is this because I am hungry?" 9 times out of 10 it doesn't get purchased.

3. COUPONS!!! The co-op always has stuff on sale and they have coupons, this is the best way to try something new. Most grocery stores send out flyers on what is on sale. There are even sites like Coupons.com where you can find coupons for almost everything. I know that coupon clipping takes time, and is hard to start doing, but 50 cents off yogurt adds up. Sales are great too. Just because you like one kind of yogurt, if a different kind is on sale try it (only if it is cheaper than your normal!)

Here are some other helpful tidbits:

Shop the parameter. ~ The healthier food is the non processed food. The smaller the ingredient list the less cheap processed garbage is in it. Apples are apples, pre-cut apples have preservatives which a)cost more, b) are packaged in plastic and shipped from who know where, and c) do not taste as good as a real apple.

Frozen vegetables. ~ What a time saver!! I love vegetables but sometimes you cannot find a good price on some. Frozen chopped vegetables are the answer. Their price rarely changes and they last a little longer than fresh. Plus most frozen vegetables and fruits have been IGF (individually quick frozen)! This means that they were picked at their ripest state the flash frozen for maximum freshness.

Canned goods. ~ We get a mixture of canned beans and dry beans. We also get canned tomatoes and other commonly used (at least in my kitchen) goods. I get these for a few reasons a) food storage, b) quickness, and c) price. Canned goods last for a LONG time (The expiration date is an guideline. Unless cans have been dropped, dented, are rusty, or are bulging they will last for 5+ years) Cans are fast! They are great to have on hand to make soups, rinse and toss on a salad for extra protein, or even cook with rice for the perfect protein! Plus to top it all off canned food is CHEAP! A can of beans for 75 cents, that is enough protein for FOUR PEOPLE! Add a side of rice and some steamed vegetables Dinner in 30 minutes!

Make your own bread. ~ Seriously this does save money! For the same cost of buying bread for a month you can make bread once a week for a SIX MONTHS! You do not need a bread machine, just an oven, and large bowl, a good wooden spoon, and a bread pan. You do not even need a stand mixer. Making bread is a great thing to do on Sunday, it is relaxing, and really does not take too much effort.

Say No, to meat every meal. ~ I know this is hard, but meat is the MOST EXPENSIVE grocery item you are buying. Even changing one meal a week to a completely vegetarian meal will save you money. I am not saying eat tofu (that stuff is nasty!). Once a week have bake potatoes and salads, or red beans and rice with a steamed vegetable, or make spaghetti without the meat. There are so many possibilities! Just have fun with it. Try new foods, you will be surprised at what you like!

So what are the benefits to changing how you shop? Well first off, you will save money! Other than that it varies from family to family and even person to person. We have at least 3 vegetarian meals a week, we also only have two meals a week where meat is the main portions of the meal. Eating like this follows the Word of Wisdom pretty well. To be honest, since we have changed to eating this way, I have been able to lose weight and keep it off, eat less by getting fuller earlier, and my mood swings that come with that wonderful female cycle are less noticeable. Overall, we are loving life and the food that carries us through!

News about the Craziness!

These last few weeks have been super crazy!!! I have been sick and had to restart my senior research project. This semester has been hard on both of us. Brody is taking Calculus I and a 4 hour lab on using the SolidWorks computer drafting software. I am taking 12 credits, but it feels like 20! I have a water aerobics class that is great fun, and then a German lit class, which is also fun. I am also taking Astronomy 150 for fun. So three fun classes and 2 not so fun energy intensive classes... Statistical Microstructures and my senior thesis class. The Statistical Microstructures class is not too bad, but it is a grad class... As for senior thesis, life would be better if my first experimental procedure worked and I would be also most done now...

On top of the school craziness, I got super sick. There were a few days where getting up and just going to the bathroom would exhaust me so much I would sleep for hours just to do it again. So we went to the doc thinking it was mono, only to have that blood test come back negative. I start to feel a little better and then came more grossness; nausea, headaches, weird food cravings. We waited a few days because I wasn't quite late yet, but scheduled an appointment for a few days later for the pregnancy test. Went in doc was super excited, they did the urine test, which was negative, but the drew blood and sent that off for testing. Before she sent me on my way, I asked her, if I am not prego, then what is wrong. Her answer : I a fairly sure you are pregnant, but it could be your intestines, or your thyroid. Then gave me a script for nausea meds and sent me on my way. Friday morning, I got the call, you are not pregnant!!! (Thanks for asking , but not this time!) And now they want me to come back in a week for more blood tests. Needless to say, I am going to a different doctor that will not jump to crazy conclusions of pregnancy after possible mono, and takes four vials of blood and does think to test any for thyroid issues!