Free in March

Here's what I got free in March:
4 pouches Betty Crocker potatoes: $4.36
8-oz tub hummus: $2.99
3 bags Mahatma rice: $3
Publix hot cocoa mix: $1.99
Birds Eye frozen broccoli: $1.79
Juicy Juice: $2.49
Land O Lakes spread: $1.89
2 Snickers candy bars: $1.78
Reece's dark chocolate: 89 cents
3 bags Sargento shredded cheese: $8.97
3 Yoplait Greek yogurt cups: $3.57
2 Bumblebee tuna pouches: $3.16
Publix salad dressing: $1.99
3 pkg hamburger buns: $3
Steak rolls: $1.60
20 bags Kraft shredded cheese: $65.80
BBQ chicken: $20
2 qt coleslaw: $6

Johnson's 1st aid kit: $1.47
4 boxes Kleenex: $5.96
6 Scotch mailers: $9.36
Johnson's baby bar: $1.99
2 Johnson's cotton swabs: $5.98
4 bottles Visine: $19.96
Benadryl Readymist: $6.49
2 tubes Cortaid: $11.97
3 rolls 1st aid tape: $11.97
3 boxes Band Aids: $10.47
Colgate toothpaste: $4.89
Crest Pro Health toothpaste: $4.89

Publix Big Roll towels: $1.34
CVS 12-roll bath tissue: $9.49
2 tickets to Diana: A Celebration: $39

Total: $280.50

Finished!

Just as Heather and Jared get ready to celebrate their 4th anniversary, I finally finish their wedding album. All 50 pages of it. There are just a few finishing touches: Heather needs to do a little journaling, and Greta is going to create a monogram for the title page.

Saggy Cake

What is it with my chocolate cake recipes this month? This one has serious sag issues in the icing. It's a new recipe ~ one I probably won't be keeping since it can't seem to stand up straight.

Reporting Back on the Diana Exhibit

Last Saturday Heather and I visited the Diana exhibit at the civic center. We both really enjoyed it. It wasn't a huge exhibit, but it covered her ancestry and life with many interesting artifacts. First were the jewels and portraits of her ancestors.

Next came a room which covered her childhood. There were a few letters to her dad and a diary or two; a ceramic animal collection, some other toys, and a school uniform. I liked a small-ish wood box which all students at her boarding school had. It was called a "tuck box"; they could tuck away their personal papers and games. Just before we left this room we watched a short movie made of pieced-together home movies from her childhood.

The next room was the prize: her wedding gown and accessories, as well as a bridesmaid's gown. We were amazed by the 25 foot long train. It was spread out it's entire length.

Next came a room showing all her charities (I didn't find it all that interesting), and then many of her evening gowns and more casual outfits she wore on state activities. They were interesting too.

The final room was about her funeral. It was quite gloomy.

I really enjoyed it, but I wouldn't pay the full price of $19.50. But that's just me.

Princess Di Day

I got two free tickets for today to the Princess Di Exhibit at the civic center. I invited Heather to attend with me. How fun to have a girls day! The tickets are free because it's Blogger's Day today; they hope we blog about it and encourage all our "thousands" of followers to go too.

For extra incentive, here's a coupon for you:

Little Chocolatey Cakes Look Yummy

It hasn't been our finest week in this house, what with a dead dryer, a jumbo car repair, and sickness and coughing scattered about. To cheer things up, I decided to make homemade cupcakes tonight. But even that didn't go well; the recipe was quite strange: the chocolate failed to fully incorporate, then it separated into two layers while baking. They are still edible, but the lower layer, with sparse chocolate, is rather tough. But at least they look pretty!

A Sense and Sensibility Wedding

Greta wants to re-create the final scene in Sense and Sensibility where the bridal couple exits the church and, as they climb into the carriage, the groom tosses a handful of coins. But Greta wants to use chocolate coins instead of gold coins. And they will be climbing into a car, not a carriage.

So, you need to imagine Daniel tossing chocolate coins to the guests just before they drive away.

Mom's task is to find the chocolate coins. That happened yesterday: I found Mardi Gras chocolate coins at Kroger, and I got the senior discount too, because it was Wednesday. I like that kind of deal.

A Little Cap

I made a little newsboy style cap for Luke. I thought it would be a snap to make but it turned out to be quite tricky. When you have a round fabric disc and you try to wrap a straight piece that seems to be a tad too short around it, "issues" can arise. But I persevered and conquered it. Too bad it's too big.

Luke Asks

Luke saw the (homemade) pancake mix in the pantry last night and asked for pancakes for supper. He loves pancakes! So we ate pancakes. Smothered in Chicken a la King.