Aldi Experience....

I've mentioned before that I like to shop at Aldi.  I've found they have quality products and fantasticly low prices!  I love that I can fill the shopping cart for less than $100 with healthy food!  One thing about shopping there is you have to pay 25 cents to rent a shopping cart that you get back when you return it to the cart area.  If you haven't been there you are probably wondering how they "rent" the carts out.  They have a little chain system where the chain from one cart connects to the second cart and so on. In order to unhook a cart you have to insert a quarter.  To get the quarter back you have to reconnect it.  Hopefully that makes sense because I am going to tell you a story about me and the Aldi's shopping carts.  Once I went there and someone had left a cart in the parking lot.  That rarely happens since people want to get their quarter back and usually return it.  I thought what a nice thing to happen to me....  It was a good day because that same day I thought I would treat myself to a Starbucks coffee.  I went through the drive thru and it took a few minutes.  When I got to the window they handed me my coffee and told me it was on them!  So I was in a very good mood.  Free coffee and a quarter to boot.  Well, the next time I went to Aldi I went to get a cart, which was right by the other carts.  In fact, it was in the cart stall but the chain wasn't connected.  Again, I got a free cart & when I returned it, after my shopping, I got a quarter for returning it!  Wow.  Two times in a row.  Well, if that wasn't exciting enough - the next time I went there was a man returning his cart, he told me I could take it.  I tried to pay him my quarter and he told me to keep it.  Now this is just crazy.  Is everyone going to Aldi to pay it forward, or what????  So, a couple of weeks go by and I go back to Aldi.  I have to pay for my cart.  I really didn't expect to get another free cart.  After I was done shopping and loaded everything in my car, I saw this man getting out of the car next to mine.  He was an older Asian man.  I said, "Here you can have my cart."  I am thinking it is my turn to be the cart fairy.  He said something in broken English and I waved him on (in my mind I was saying no - no, don't worry about the quarter).  He shook his head and said (again in broken, yet pretty clear english) You are something else!  I smiled.  I was feeling pretty good.  Until I saw him take the cart and leave it in the cart return area!  He entered the store without the cart!  OMG.  That man thought I was telling him to take my cart back for me.  He didn't understand I thought I was doing a nice thing by giving him my cart and my quarter!  It all made sense...."you are something else".  Well, someone got a free cart at Aldi that evening but it wasn't the man I gave it to!  These kinds of things always seem to happen to me!!!

New Year....

Maybe I will make a resolution to write more posts on my blog....LOL.  If it goes anything like last years resolution (to avoid fast food joints)...well, don't expect that many posts. Ha!

I feel like I need to catch you up on all the craziness of the Miller clan.  It is always a real ride, I'll tell ya.  Jake started a job in November at Allstate - remember when I worked there?  His first 5 weeks were training.  It was nuts.  Life was just a rush.  It was quite an adjustment for me to get the kids ready for school and to deliver them to all the different places (Jude to his school, Elise to her school & Avery to the babysitters).  Then work. Then back to pick Elise & Avery up at one babysitters and then Jude at a different house.  Jake had classes in the evening.  Wow.  After the training, Jake's schedule changed and now he delivers and I pick up. He is done with school for a few more weeks.  And we've had a babysitter change.  Now we will have someone come to our home - which I am so excited about.  It will make life a little easier.  

Christmas came and went.  I love Christmas so much but it really was stressful this year.  I was worried about so many things....that all worked out in the end.  Plus it didn't help that I crammed WAY TOO MUCH into my schedule....parties, events, baking and baskets.   Jennifer, Heather and I baked about 75 dozen cookies that we passed out to friends, family, clients, etc...  The week before Christmas I sent an email to our Church members to donate items for baskets for my clients.  I wanted to make 4 baskets - I ended up with enough stuff to make 9!  I still have lightbulbs and paper items in my office!  It was awesome!  Christmas day was great.  The kids really enjoyed all their gifts.  My parents and my sisters family were all at our house.  My Mom made enough food for an Army.  It was fabulous.  Jake bought me an MP3 player.  I'll probably listen to Books more than anything, although I already have 3 GB of music on it. 

We had a little excitement over the break.  We discovered our transmission is going in the van and we need a new one.  Really?!  Now????  Paul (FIL) found a transmission for about $1000 less than the transmission place was charging so he and Jake devised a plan that ended with Tim, Steph and their children stranded on Rt. 77 for three hours, in our van!  Long story.....

Also, Willow - our dog, decided she likes chocolate chips - so much that she ate 3 lbs. of them.  She ate enough to kill her.  She threw up a lot.  Chocolate dog barf.  Think about that one for a minute.  Let's just say she wasn't the only one barfing in the Miller home that night. 

We went to the Looman's for New Years Eve.  Bill, Sherry, Jake and I were playing Mad Gab when we heard Avery slip and fall upstairs.  I ran up and found a river of water on the Looman's second floor.  The kids were filling up plastic bins with water and spilled a few on the floor.  Right around that time water started leaking through the floor to the first floor ceiling - right were we were sitting.  It looked like it was raining.  This was all after Avery and Isaiah had locked themselves in Isaiah's room and ate all of Tyler's candy.  Never. A. Dull. Moment. 

Never - Ever. 

We haven't had Christmas with the Miller's yet.  I know, we are such rebels.  We are going there in a couple of weeks to have our Christmas celebration.  I probably will still wait until the day before to do my wrapping.  LOL.  It is more fun that way - that is what I tell myself. 


I will try to blog more often.  I am out of the habit.  I will really, really try.