Grocery Shopping

Today, we had the Thanksgiving grocery list to finish buying for, as well as our regular food for the next week. (OK, so it won't last a week: I still have two teen boys at home... and the grandkids will be here.)
Tom and I went out as soon as I got home from work, to the Dollar General Store. We had a coupon for $5 off a minimum $25 purchase. Simple enough! We were able to get quite a bit of the items on the Thanksgiving list. I discovered I could get Lipton Onion Soup Mix there, for less than the Wal Mart Brand is at WM! Dollar General may become a regular GROCERY stop for us! Tom "needed to" get back home right away for the Football Pre-Game stuff... so we came back and put away our purchases. Daniel and Sam and I then headed out to Siloam Springs.

Our first stop was the new Aldi's store. It was my first time in this Aldi's. One of the boys expressed it pretty well... it was a discount grocery store trying to look like an upscale market. We were first stymied by the grocery carts. They were locked up outside. There were NO carts inside. We watched, and saw someone wrangle a cart loose from those chained together outside. Dan went back out to investiagte. You had to "rent" these carts! Of course, I had no quarter in my purse, and Dan had to come back in and get the car keys to get a quarter from the car's console.

We had a cart.... and trudged through the store. The first whole aisle netted us a box of off-brand wheat-thins type crackers. The second aisle, we found some list items: fruit cocktail and mandarin oranges for the fruit salad. We also got a few cans of peas, and a can of cranberry sauce. In the dairy section, we tried a gourmet cheese: Gouda with Pesto. (It tastes like my breadsticks, was Sam's decision after we tried it... I have to agree.)  We found a couple of interesting sounding salad dressings to use as marinades, on the discount aisle. Chicken was less than WM... so we got some. They were OUT of turkeys, so whether those would of been a bargain or not is unknown. There were NO bags, except those re-usable cloth bags... very pricey! Our purchases were piled as best we could into the trunk. My opinion of Aldi was , for what we needed, the Save A Lot down the street would of been a better choice.

From Aldi's, we crossed the road to WalMart. It was beginning to be prime time there... yikes. We finished getting everything on our list. As expected, we even found 3/4 a basketful of stuff NOT on the list that we wanted to need. (I found (L.A.) AWESOME refills in a half gallon size for $2! We have only ever found (LA) AWESOME at Dollar Tree.) I am sincerely thinking, we are now done with WalMart until after Christmas. Any groceries we have to have are going to be the local grocery store, or the Dollar General. (We just do NOT do WalMart between Thanksgiving and New Years). (We also bought a new laundry basket to help corral the Aldi purchases.)

I got two "crafty" type canvas aprons. One each for Connor and Alana. They will be here either Tuesday evening, or Wednesday morning, until Friday night or Saturday. (Let me know your preferences, Jenna!) I figure, to help keep them involved, and less bored, they will each make a "cookbook", and decorate an apron. I will endeavor to remember to take pictures of them cooking, and they can later add these to their recipe books. (I will either use folders or  looseleaf binders as the "book".) Each can have their own, and we will choose recipes to go in them. I really want them to have GOOD memories of times spent with their grandparents!

I am planning to put Bill and Glynna, with Nickole, into Sam's room. We have a  queen air mattress they can sleep on, and a portable baby pen Nickole can bed down in. They will have some privacy, and be able to relax a bit more in there. Ben will get his old room, with Dan and Sam tripling up with him. Connor and Alana will either sleep on the second queen air bed in the laundry room, or else Connor on a twin mattress in the laundry room and Alana on the couch. I separated them last time, and both seemed to have really fretted. I am figuring Dan and Sam will decide they have had too much "family togetherness" and decide they are camping out in the van, LOL. Last time, Connor joined them. They didn't prepare well enough that time, and Connor got cold. (He did NOT, however, come inside!)

I guess, except for the cleaning and mopping remaining, we are all set for next week. I only have TUESDAY to work, and then I am off until next Saturday. Saturday's are usually not worth my time going in. By not "rushing", I dragged out 2 hours today... clocking out at 7:30 am. So this next week will be like a family "vacation" get together.... except more work than "Work". (Besides Thanksgiving Dinner, I have had to think of meals the grandkids will actually eat, breakfasts for Thanksgiving Day and the days following, and how to feed leftovers to company! "Necessary" paper has been laid in... extra supplies of coffee and teas... having "company"... even family, does take some effort.

That said, this is pretty much the fewest people we have EVER had for Thanksgiving.... in 26 years of marriage and 27 Thanksgivings together. Only a count of 10 to be here.

Well, I am looking forward to it. I hope everyone has a wonderful blessed week. Tell someone how much you love them!