#! Aldi grocery store fan

So at Aldi you have to rent a cart for .25 cents - big deal!

At least you always know the prices won't go up in the store because someone stole all the shopping carts!

At Aldi you bring your own bags or buy some there.

But I don't.  I just pile all the stuff in the back of my car.  When I get home I put the items in a plastic tote and some heavy duty nylon shopping bags my husband bought from Home Depot and carry it up.

I still shop at Walmart for other items so I have plenty of plastic bags to use if I need to.

Not sure about Aldi?

Check out their website for further details. 

They even have recipes on their site.

What is it like?

It's just like a normal grocery store but they make their own brand of groceries in Batavia, Illinois.

They figured out the top items sold in grocery stores and reproduced them.

That way the customer does not end up paying for the items' advertising.

You end up with groceries for less.

Check out this receipt from one of my trips there.(Click to view larger)

I got about 50 items for $89. On the Walmart receipt I got 36 items for like $100.  Now this is NOT a direct comparison of items.  But it just gives you an idea of the difference. 

You can for sure get a week's worth of dinners there for under $200. Plus lunches and breakfast items too.

A gallon of milk is always less than $2.  

Great place to stock up on basic items like dairy, snacks, cereals, coffee, tea, frozen goods like shrimp, fish, ice cream, and pancakes.  Produce is bought in bulk there.  It's something to get used to but once you do, it is really nice to have an entire bag of potatoes, or onions, or even oranges or apples.  

The meat selection is not huge.  But they focus on white meat, leaner meats, and that is a good thing.

If you want to splurge on lobster tails this is the place to get them.
So please let me know if you have an Aldi and you tried and liked it.
You can go to the website and type in your zip code to find one.

 

New Year's Craft Crazy Weekend with my BFF - Part 1

Sara

Katie

New Year's and crafting - what better way to start off the year?
My friend Melissa and her son Camden came down from Huntsville armed with craft ideas and supplies!  I was so glad to see them.  She is from The Littlest Lobo blogspot. We both love crafts but sort of are skilled in different areas.  So we wanted to share our ideas and skills to make different things....

Our Craft To-Do List:
1.  Giant Swirly-Colored Crayons for my girls Katie and Sara
2.  Items for Camden made from fabric finds at Hobby Lobby
3,  Monogram items we can find of Camden's that could use it with my embroidery machine.
4.  A Laptop Cozy for Melissa's new Macbook
5.  Knit ruffly scarves for Melissa and me

We decided to make the crayons the first night while we visited and caught up with each other.  That was a fun night and Melissa's blog is in more detail about it.  We introduced Camden to Zhu Zhu pets which was a hilarious thing.  There are 3 posts starting with "Hanging with the Brunos" and then "Attack of the Zhu Zhu Rats", etc.

We first began by peeling off the crayon papers of 2 giant boxes of crayon from the Dollar Tree.  That kept the girls busy for awhile!  The crayons were then broken up and thoughtfully placed in each shape of the muffin form that Melissa brought.  They were Christmas shapes made of that flexible baking form that you can bend and pop out the muffins.  The name of that thing escapes me at the moment.

They turned out great!  They are a little big to color with, but fun to do anyway.

2.  Stuff for Camden from fabric Melissa found at Hobby Lobby:

Melissa sewed a pair of pants for the first time on my awesome sewing machine.

She did a great job!

We found this applique design on SWAK or was it Embroidery Boutique, and it turned out really cute!

We had more fabric so decided to make a reversible bib too.  Cam drools a lot!

  

That concludes Part 1 of our craft weekend.  Stay tuned for much more!

Random pictures my 4 yr. old took with my camera...

Me, Susan,  working at my desk.  A lot of my customers think my name is Sara.  I can understand that guys!  But the store is named after my first daughter. 

Figuring she is pointing the camera at me,  I sort of smile.

Okay back to work!

Zhu Zhu pet Chunk:

His ride

The hizzy...

BIG AL a-palooza...

Yay Alabama!

What's For Dinner? Baked Fish and Feta Recipe Your Family Will Love

I just made this again last night...for about the fourth time for us.
This dish is so delicious for a fish entree.  I have a hard time liking baked fish rather than fried or grilled.  Anything fried or grilled is good! 

But we all know we need to eat fish for good health and not always fried either.  Since it's cold out, grilling is not too much fun.

Well, my family loves this fish dinner.  They all eat it. Besides,  this dish sort of looks like pizza!  That's what my four year old said anyway.  It's got the peppers and feta cheese browned on the top of a white meat fish (tilapia).  So it really does look like pizza.

The recipe came from a cookbook of the Assistance League in Birmingham, AL

Here is the recipe:

2 T olive oil

2 med. onions, sliced in thin strips

1 small red sweet pepper, thin strips

1 small green pepper, thin strips

(I also used yellow peppers which my family likes best)

2 large tomatoes, cut into thin wedges (I only had one)

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 lbs. fish fillets (any firm white fish such as grouper, tilapia, or sea bass) I used tilapia.

1 8 oz package of feta cheese, crumbled (I only used about 1/2 cup)

1 T fresh parsley, minced  ( I didn't have any)

Salt and pepper to taste

Saute onions and peppers in olive oil for approx. 5 minutes or until crisp tender.  Remove skillet from heat and stir in sliced tomatoes and garlic.

Arrange fish into a greased 9 X 13 in. baking dish.  Top with vegetable mixture; sprinkle with feta cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes or until fish flakes easily.  To serve, sprinkle with parsley, salt, and pepper to taste.  Yield: 4-6 servings.

Yum.

Enjoy!

A Very Hungry Caterpillar Dress I Sewed For A Customer

A customer and friend of mine brought me two different Very Hungry Caterpillar fabrics she got online.

Cute!

She wanted the food fabric in between the dots fabric.

Quite a challenge but I pieced it together and it worked out pretty well. The buttons are not on yet...

 

And part of the process:

I used the very popular Children's Corner pattern Lucy, the swingier, fuller version.

Sewed an Exact Copy of My Daughter's Anita G Blouse!

SO so so proud of myself today.

I got ready to sew a knit top for my daughter out of this awesome zig zag patterned fabric from the Fabric Fairy.

I ordered it back in the Fall.

Yeah, just now getting to it.

Anyway, I had this neat pattern from Burda that I was going to use.  I lay it all out and discover that, duh!, I need wayyy more fabric than the one yard that I had.  Just for a girls size 10 top.

So that did it!  I had been wanting to copy a top she already has from Girlfriends by Anita G forever.  I got it at market in Atlanta and it is by far our favorite top ever!

It is babydoll style with elastic at the end of the sleeves.  So cute!

Here's our version:

Not too shabby!

  


I have to admit that it does have a few flaws.  I didn't do a "right" and "left" sleeve.  So one sleeve's seam is on the top and one sleeve's seam is on the underside.  Oh well!
And the seam across the gathered part in the front could have matched up with the pattern a little better. 
But I'm just so happy I figured it out.
Now I have a pattern made for a size 8.  I'll be making one or two more before the cold is over, I hope.

New Sample Designs for Birthday and Valentine's

 

What's a birthday without cake?  Pink and green is always a hit.  Put any number of candles on your cupcake for a fun personalized tee. Shirt is $9.50 and the design applied is $14 for total of $23.50.  $3 shipping.

  

For your sweet Valentine.  Bubble initial appliqued in cute Dots and Hearts fabric outlined in pink thread.

Shirt is $9.50, design is $10, for total of $19.50.  $3 shipping cost.

Thanks Frances for ordering these for Isabel because now I have good examples for my customers!