gone...fishing

it all started one summer day in june of 2009. my husband and i drove around resorts and camp grounds surrounding big lake chetac. we were searching for a place to rent for our fishing trip later that year in august.

and luckily, we found the perfect place! a very small resort with only three rustic cabins for rent. the rest of it is occupied by trailer homes and pull behind campers.

this is big lake chetac - view from the dock

our fishing boat - aluminum, flat-bottom, 14 ft. it's very light and can be pulled by our toyota yaris.

we used to stay in our small pull behind camper. but last spring, we bought this trailer home from one of the renters at the resort.

so what kind of fish do we catch in this lake?

crappy

small mouth bass

perch

blue gill or sunfish

 

northern pike

perch, blue gill and crappy are the only fish that we keep.  the rest we throw them back in the lake.

hubby guts, cleans & fillets the catch for the day.

i pan fry the fish fillets with beer batter.

of course, this is a family activity! even avery goes with us all the time.

she was only six months old here. she pretty much slept in the boat and would only wake up to eat or drink her milk.

her life jacket was also her chew toy - convenient!

and a year later...she's walking, climbing and all over the boat.

she wouldn't stay in one spot anymore. she loves climbing all over her dad and checking his vest pockets. and she reaches her hand out by the edge of the boat to play with the water.

i thought fishing would be boring. but since my husband loves fishing, i tried it out for myself. it is actually fun. the only thing i wouldn't do until now is hook the bait. he would still do it for me. when i catch a fish, he also unhooks it for me. all i do is cast the fishing pole, reel in the fish and cook it later.

some of my friends know that if i'm "unreachable"...we are home away from home in williams' cottages and we've gone fishing....

an eye for bargain (10)

another week of bargain hunting for this mama. {i just can't let a good deal pass.}

J C P E N N Y

*liz claiborne pearl earrings - free [after $10/1 jcp printable coupon]

T A R G E T

*6 400 ml simply lemonade juice - free [after $1/1 mic]

*kids flipflops - $1.74

*aquafresh fluoride free toothpaste for kids - $1.19 [after $1.50 mic]

*4 aquafresh kids toothbrush - $0.49 each [after $1.50 mic]

*a+d ointment - free [after $3 mc]

*mossimo denim shorts - free [after $5/1 tpc]

*mossimo tank top - free [after $5/1 tpc]

*2 xhilliration tank top - $0.74 each [after $3/1 tpc]

*2 xhilliration flip flops - $0.24 each [after $3/1 tpc]

*mossimo romper - $0.48 [after $5/1 tpc]

M A C Y ' S

in my last post, i got 2 $10 vouchers from macy's. i used it to buy more denim jeans. this is what i got...

*jr denim jeans - $2.74 [after $10 voucher #1]

*jr denim shorts with belt - $0.98 [after $6 voucher #2-split transaction]

*jr denim shorts - $0.53 [after $2 voucher #2-split transaction]

*girl's denim jeans - $0.98 [after $2 voucher #2-split transaction]

and i ended up getting 4 more $10 vouchers! yippey to cheap shopping!!!

i didn't waste my time & combed the clearance racks again...

*born concept wedge sandals - $10 [after $10 voucher #3]

*style & co wedge sandals - $0.49 [after $10 voucher #4]

*girl's summer dress - $0.98 [after $6 voucher #5-split transaction]

*2 girl's bermudas - $1.48 each [after $4 voucher #5-split transaction]

*junior denim capris - $2.99 [after $7 voucher #6-split transaction]

*junior rompers - $1.99 [after $3 voucher #6-split transaction]

whew! ridiculously cheap right? and yes, these are all from macy's. but im not done yet....

*2 junior tank tops - $ 2.98 each

*2 men's cotton tshirts - $8.49 each

*2 men's collared shirts - $4.33 & $5.99

done! clearance shopping + great coupons = free/cheap finds! one valuable thing i learned - it pays to scan the bar code. sometimes the sticker tags in the clearance racks are not updated. it means that the item could be priced lower than it should be.

until next time...have a great week!

tpc - [target printable coupon]

mic - [manufacturer's internet coupon]

mc - [manufacturer's coupon]

this made my day

the couponing to disney blog featured my money saving tip last tuesday. check it out here.

my homemade tomato sauce

i mentioned in one of my posts last month that "i have efficiently & effectively used/saved/stored most of the tomatoes in our garden."

yes! and how? in 4 easy steps...

1. cut tomatoes {any size-it doesn't matter}.

2. bring to a boil in a large pot.

3. take the lid off & simmer for an hour {or more depending on the thickness of the sauce}.

 

4.let the sauce cool down & puree in a blender. place in freezer bags {fill the bags halfway-it will expand in the freezer}.

that's it! i have never bought canned tomatoes since i started doing this last year. fresh is definitely better & i can actually taste the difference.

my dearest little girl (21 mos)

i decided to write at the end of each month rather than the beginning. it makes more sense {don't you think?}

and how are you? good or bad...i hope you will learn to look at things more positively each day.

my, my, my...what a month it has been! you're saying more words now. shoe, sock, mom, by (butterfly), fawr (flower), da (dad), cheese, cow, bow (ball), bihd (bird). once in awhile, your dad and i would repeat a word, and you say it. it is really fun listening to you - babbling everyday. i can't wait for us to have a conversation pretty soon.

aside from your speech, you're much aware of everything around you now. as dad calls it - "investigating all the time". you are very observant & very independent. you would rather figure something out than ask for our help. most of the time, you get frustrated by wailing or crying because you did not get what you wanted. occasionally, we would spank you because you mess around with the computer or a lot of stuff in the house. but surprisingly, you just smile or even laugh and hardly cry at all. {is this a preview of how hard it will be to discipline you? - i hope not.}

today was such a nice day. i can't let it pass so i took you out for a good walk {and some needed sun-vit D}.

running...running in the middle of the road. luckily it is a dead end road, so there is hardly any cars driving by.

investigating the cracks...you love to get the pebbles or sand in between the cracks.

when it's time to head back home...you didn't want to go. instead you lay down in the ground. {stubborness at play here?}

and all that energy got you exhausted. you even ate some of daddy's sweet corn on the cob.

an eye for bargain (9)

before we all head out to enjoy our three day labor day weekend, i would like to share my finds for this week. i got a lot of freebies {after using coupons} & tons of very, very cheap stuff.

@ TARGET

*maybelline eye liner - $0.98 [after $1/1 mic & $1/1 tpc]

*2 maybelline eye shadows - $0.94 each [after $1/1 mic & $1/1 tpc]

*rimmel eye shadow - $0.59 [after $2/1 mic & $1/1 tpc]

*3 mossimo denim shorts - free with $0.52 overage each [after $5/1 tpc]

*2 xhilliration women's cover-up - $1.48 each [after $3/1 tpc]

*6 renuzit adjustables air freshener - free with $0.06 overage each [after $1/1 mic]

*3 10-pack papermate pens - free [after $1/1 mic]

*3 wet ones - $0.47 each [after $0.50/1 tpc]

*2 colgate max - $1.54 each [after $1/1 tpc]

the renuzit coupons had a reset a couple of days ago. i printed them right away & headed to walmart. i got it free after using the $1/1 mic with $0.06 overage each as well. {walmart actually had more scents choices}

@ JC PENNY

*girl's swim cover up - $3.97

*girl's top with denim shorts - $3.37

*girl's summer dress - $3.17

*girl's rompers - $1.97 each {i bought 3 back in july}

*liz claiborne silver hoop earrings - free [after jcp printable coupon]

@MACY'S

*girl's knit sweater - $2.53

*girl's levi's denim jeans - $2.53

*junior's denim jeans - $4.24

and im saving the best for last {thanks to yumsy again}...i received a $10 voucher for each pair of jeans i bought. what does that mean - more free shopping! yes...yes...yes!

so stay tuned next week for my $20 free shopping spree at macy's.

have a safe & enjoyable labor day holiday to everyone!

#note - tpc [target printable coupon]

mic [manufacturer's internet coupon]