More Couponing

I will never become one of those "extreme" couponers. But it is fun to save a few dollars here and there. I stopped by Rite Aid today because I had a few coupons and a couple of "up" dollars. My total for the above was $10.50. And after my coupons, it cost $4.46. Plus I got an extra "up" dollar for the next time I'm there, so really, the total was $3.46. Alex was thrilled when I brought home all the chocolate! I can't wait to do a bigger type of shopping trip and see how much more I can save...

Come on, Irene!

I have no idea what we're really expecting to get out of Irene here. I think it's just going to be rainy. And maybe 20-30 mph winds. I saw this today while I was at WalMart. The utility trucks were from Wisconsin. (Or was it Michigan...) Either way, I imagine they were on their way to the storm zone. There were a lot more when I got there, but by the time I parked and got my camera out, many of them had left. It's nice to see the help on its way. Hopefully they get there safely.

Alex had a "hill" practice today. This picture was from the warm-down. On the other side of the "hill". It was a beautiful day today. The calm before the storm? Or just a beautiful day. I wish I had felt better. I woke up with a slight fever, a stuffy nose and a sore throat. Right out of nowhere. I'm so annoyed. I'm still planning on running that 5k tomorrow. I hope I'm feeling better. Nothing worse than feeling sick while running a 5k during a Hurricane...

Random Things

This past weekend, Alex and I went to Fleet Feet for some new running shoes for cross country season. I was a coupon goddess... or something along those lines. I had a gift certificate for a "free" pair of shoes. (I actually got it during TelAuc, so it wasn't technically free, but I had paid for it long ago...) I also had a $25 voucher for spending so much money at Fleet Feet last year. PLUS, the guy gave Alex free socks. (a $10 value.) So the above shoes, the watch, PowerBars (3 for the price of 2!) and the socks were all of $34. The shoes were valued at over $100. The watch was $55. So yeah, I did well! The guy called me one of those "extreme couponers"...

I thought I'd share our new favorite thing. Well, not really new. Newish. This is from Aldi. It barely lasts an evening around these parts. If you're near an Aldi, pick up a box. You won't regret it!

In other running news, I'm running a 5k on Sunday. I haven't really shared my latest getting in shape stories. There haven't really been any stories. I just sort of started the "Couch to 5k" program a little over a month ago. (It's also known as C25K.) It's been wonderful. I highly recommend it. It's a 9 week program where you start out mostly walking, gradually ease in some jogging with the walking and end up just jogging. I'm currently on Week 6. I probably shouldn't do a 5k just yet, but I had already signed up for it. I feel pretty good about it. I'm up to 25 straight minutes of jogging, so I think I might just be able to run the entire 5k this time around. And my legs feel great. The best thing about the C25K program is the rest. You only run every other day. I think that's the key. Letting your body heal and rest and not pushing too much. If all goes well on Sunday, I'm going to do the Arc 5k on September 10th.

Oh and yet even more running news, Alex's cross-country team has 43 runners on it. It's apparently the largest team in school history. I dare say he's got some great competition this season! It's going to be a fun year. If anyone would like to attend any of his meets, let me know. I'll send a schedule. His first meet is September 14th.

Tin Grin is In

As many of you know, Alex became an officially "normal" teenager this week. He got braces. The orthodontist's office is really neat. They had this TV wishing all the "newbies" good luck with their new braces. And they also had several screens worth of "congratulations" for those getting their braces off. They also had a video game area with several X-Box stations. And they also have a lemon slushie machine. I don't remember my orthodontist's office being that fun!

This is the official "before" photo. I'll have to get a "during" photo to show. He's having a rough few days getting used to the braces. As you can see, his teeth are a mess. They're going to level them out, so those bottom teeth have a lot of moving to do. Plus they're all crooked, which you can't really see in this photo. And he has that dreaded over-bite. So we've been having soup and slushies for a couple of days. But it will all be worth it in the end... once he has the perfect, confident smile.

Company BBQ

Today we had our company picnic at Onondaga Lake Park. It was a gorgeous day for a picnic. (Yes, I know, you're all probably tired of that "70s" look on my photos.. but I'm kind of addicted!)

We played ladderball too.

Eric and I were on the same team. And we kicked butt.

We also ate Sno-Kones.

They were made from a real authentic Sno-Kone machine.

It was nice hanging out with co-workers when we didn't have to do any work!

Oh and I should add that the food was spectacular!

Speaking of food... this is my famous "Egg McManda". (Or as Alex now calls it the "Egg McMom") I used to make them years ago, I think maybe in High School? We had them over the weekend, and they're way better than the version that McDonalds makes...

S.O.S.

This is Sh*t on a Single. Apparently Eric used to eat this when he was growing up, and it left quite an impression on him! He had fond memories of "SOS" and wanted to have it again. So we searched the internet. And much to my surprise, it was everywhere. I had no idea what it was. Perhaps my father knows? He was after all, in the military. And according to Wikipedia, that's where it got its start.

If you'd like to try Sh*t on a Shingle, here's one of the recipes we found. We used ham in place of the dried beef. And we added my super-secret ingredient that I add in everything. (Cavender's Greek Seasoning...) It was surprisingly tasty. And we plan on having it again soon. Perhaps with biscuits next time...

4½ oz. dried beef (or ham)
2 cups milk
2 tbs. butter
¼ cup flour
Salt and pepper
6 slices bread

Melt butter in pan, add dried beef. Cook 2-3 minutes to brown. Add flour and mix with dried beef . Add milk (reserve ¼ cup for later), salt & pepper. Bring to boil. Add remaining milk to thin to your desired likeness. Serve over toast or waffles.

Downtown

A couple of weeks ago, Eric and I went downtown to the Arts & Crafts Festival. We didn't really take photos of the actual "Arts & Crafts"... but we did take some interesting pictures.


This was a neat alley next to the parking lot where we parked.

This is the "Galleries" of Syracuse. Apparently there is a library, some stores and other businesses in there. I've never been there before, but the outside looks really cool.

This is the back of Christopher Columbus. He's overlooking Columbus Circle. This is actually where I sat and had lunch when I was on Jury Duty. There are several hot dog carts that are there every day. It's kind of a neat down-town type thing.

And our "self-portrait". I liked that mirror, it was for sale. I actually took the photo so I could steal the idea and maybe make one for myself.

And speaking of downtown, meet WCNY's new building. The land has officially been purchased and the groundbreaking is in a few weeks. Here's an article the local paper did on the project. We're keeping our fingers crossed that this really happens. Our current building is about to collapse... and it will be a miracle if the roof survives another winter!

Jazz Fest

Last evening, Eric and I went to the Fulton Jazz Fest. It started out to be a lovely evening. Until the clouds, lightning and thunder rolled in. We're not sure how bad the weather got. They cancelled the 9pm act, everybody packed up and we left.

But not before I tried a Red Cat Wine Slushie! (Yum!)

We ended up going to the "Lakeview Lanes" with a bunch of Eric's friends from Fulton. One of the guys he went to HS with co-owns the bowling alley. We didn't bowl, but we did sit at the bar and chat for hours. It was a great evening. We even ran into Sheila and Rich at the Jazz Fest, before they shut it down.

That 70s Show

I know I'm slow getting on the boat on this one, but I love the way pictures look with the "70s" filter applied to them. The following photos are taken with my (new!) phone... from last night at Sheila's house in Fulton.

The evening began with wine. (Of course.)

Jenny came along and enjoyed watching the ducks.

Kelly in her John Deere shirt.

Diane, Paula, Gary, Mark and Rich. Hanging out on the deck. It was a perfect evening.

Laura grew an 11 pound cabbage!

Anniversary Dinner

Sunday was our Anniversary, so we did our annual night out at The Retreat. It was lovely, as usual. We each got our usual dinners. This time we ate outside on the deck. It was a gorgeous evening. The photos on the blog today are from Eric's phone. I let Alex take my camera on vacation with him. (And yes, I've been lost without my camera!!)

This was our Tollhouse Cookie Ice Cream cake that we shared for dessert... and yes, it was delicious!