Sunshine Days

2012

2012-01-03T09:21:00.003-06:00

Wow. I had so many plans this past year with blogging and it just didn't happen. I'm not making any specific blogging goals for 2012. Maybe I'll end up blogging more, because of it. ha!

I am really looking forward to this new year. I sat down one night and started a list of what I would like to get accomplished this year. The list ended up being 3-4 pages long! To be fair, I included things like buy a new house and all of my business goals on this list. The list has helped me to feel so much more focused on what I want in my life and what I can accomplish when I put my mind to it. I am excited for each day to begin. (today, that is because I am scheduled to get a 90 minute massage)

My main focus for the year, though, is "Health, Strength and Savings." I want to eat better, become stronger through exercise and save lots of money!

I have a strong desire to Embrace Life - enjoy where I am at, while working hard to better myself.

late start

2011-01-04T08:18:00.004-06:00

Well, I am already off to a late start with blogging this year! (of course)

This past Sunday, we switched to 9am-12pm church time. I have always loved the early meeting schedule. You are home by lunch and then everyone gets to take a nap. Well, my kids don't take naps anymore, unless they are sick. Unfortunately, I don't think I will be getting my Sunday nap...

My calling as Young Women's President is taking more time than ever. With me working most of the week and a counselor who works, it is looking like Sunday nap time is the only time we will have for presidency meetings and visiting. sigh Don't get me wrong, I enjoy serving in Young Women, but it does take a lot of time and sacrifice. The girls are worth it, though!

With early church, ward council meetings are even earlier - 7:15am! Wow.

****

Yesterday, the kids headed back to school. None of them were thrilled about it. It was the very first year, though, that Sophia did not cry! She has always had such a struggle with leaving me to attend school and going back after Christmas break was so hard. She is really growing up. She also has a wonderful teacher this year who really understands her. What a blessing!

Corey ended up working from home, so it still felt a little like vacation. I feel like I spent the day doing things just for me. :) I walked on the treadmill, met with Leslie (she is designing some fabulous yw jewelry for me!), went to lunch with Corey and got a massage from the great Hannah Reasoner! The time flew by - but it was a really good day!

I really need to work on taking more pictures!

Holiday Fun

2010-12-31T13:38:00.002-06:00

We have had a very laid back Christmas break. I have really enjoyed it.

We ended up not traveling to visit family this year, due to a lack of funds. I was sad about that, at first, but we are planning trips soon. We missed seeing everyone, but knowing that we will see them soon helped.

Corey's last day of work in 2010 was December 23rd. It has been a wonderful week having him home. I have LOVED sleeping in! Now that Alexandra can babysit, no one even wants to run errands with us anymore. They would much rather stay home. So, Corey and I have gone on a lot of small "errand" dates this week!

We also took the opportunity to swap kids a couple of nights this week with our dear friend, the Ryan's. We dropped our kids off at their house at 2pm Monday and picked them up at noon on Tuesday. They brought their kids here on Thursday afternoon and picked them up at noon today. This works out so well for us, since neither of us have family here who can take the kids for us. Also, our kids get along so well! They have a great time being together.

The New Year is upon us and I have so many plans/thoughts running through my head! One of my major goals is to keep up with this blog at least 3 times per week. This will be my journal of the year. Since I am really not scrapbooking anymore, I plan to turn this blog into a book at the end of the year. I am very excited about this and hope it will keep me from forgetting all of the small moments that mean so much to our family.

I hope you all have had a wonderful holiday! Happy New Year!!

a watched pot never boils

2010-11-02T08:36:00.003-05:00

Or, I should say, a watched email account never delivers. (huh?)

I have been waiting for over a week now for a particular email. It is very frustrating. Part of me, though, is fine with this email not arriving. This email equals change. BIG change. for me, at least.

We have decided that it would be best for our family if I were to go to work. yikes. Yes, yes, I know that I teach preschool. It just isn't bringing in the income that we had planned on this year. So, in addition to teaching preschool I am going to be a substitute teacher.

I am definitely looking forward to the extra income, just not the work hours. Our nights are already so busy, I'm afraid that I won't be able to get everything done. No, this isn't a full time job. I will only be subbing at my kids' elementary school. I am hoping, though, to work 2 days per week. This will give me 2 days of preschool, 2 days of subbing and 1 day for errands and laundry.

Instead of feeling overwhelmed, I am trying to use this time before the email comes to get more organized. I've been going through drawers and closets. I've been compiling my list of crock pot meals. etc. etc.

I'm sure it will all be great. There is always a transition phase when starting something new. My family is very supportive and I have a loving Heavenly Father who continues to bless me. So, I am grateful.

Go Rangers!

2010-10-22T18:49:00.003-05:00

Antlers!

eight - a day in pictures

2010-07-08T09:51:00.003-05:00

wicked

2010-06-18T08:53:00.003-05:00

Last night, Corey took me to see the musical Wicked! I have been wanting to see it for a really long time. He surprised me with tickets for my birthday. What a wonderful husband I have! It was so much fun. I really enjoyed it. I can't wait to see it again!

I had Alexandra take a picture of us before we left. This was the best shot of many. Can you tell that Corey is trying extra hard to keep his eyes open? He was squinting in a lot of the pictures. heehee

"rock and grohl"

2010-06-17T08:11:00.003-05:00

Corey loves The Foo Fighters. So, for our 15th wedding anniversary, one of his gifts was a handmade finger puppet of David Grohl, the lead singer! How clever am I? No, I didn't make it. I found it on etsy. (I love that place.)

We had a great time on our anniversary date! We didn't do anything spectacular, but it was nice to just have time together. It has been a fabulous 15 years and we can't wait for an eternity more. (wasn't that cheesy? but true!)

fun with daddy

2010-05-18T22:11:00.000-05:00

mother's day

2010-05-10T09:38:00.002-05:00

What a wonderful Mother's Day I have had! Sleeping in, pancakes for breakfast, handmade books, cards, paper chains, poems and mix cd's, time to read in bed, yummy dinner and an evening of family baseball in the front room.
What a blessing my family is to me. I often feel as though I don't deserve all of the wonderful blessings that the Lord has given me. I love my children so much and am so proud to be their mother.

beautiful poetry

2010-05-07T17:32:00.003-05:00

I received a planted flower and poem from Sophia today. I want to always remember these little Mother's Day poems. They are so sweet!

Mommy
cooking, reading, sleeping
in the house
at the grocery store
in the car
most pretty, caring, sweet mommy

*sigh* I love it! I think it is funny that she put sleeping - I wish! haha

Here is what Lleyton wrote for me at preschool. It was a fill in the blank.

My Mom is 37 years old.
My Mom's favorite color is purple and pink.
My Mom's favorite food is potato salad.
My Mom is the best at teaching me.
I like it when my Mom plays games with me.
My Mom's favorite thing to do is check out the groceries.

Yes, he knows exactly how old I am and tells everyone he can. :) I love that he thinks my favorite thing to do is to go to the grocery store! Truthfully, when I am getting a great deal with my coupons, it is!

growing up

2010-04-06T17:20:00.003-05:00

Last month, Corey and I were able to attend the temple with the youth in our ward. This was Alexandra's first visit to the temple. What a beautiful experience to be in such a sacred place with your daughter. I am so proud to be Alexandra's mother. She is such a valiant daughter of God. She makes great decisions and has a strong testimony of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

I can't wait until we can go again.

his first talk

2010-04-06T17:12:00.002-05:00

A few weeks ago, Lleyton gave his first talk in Primary. He did such a good job! He was so excited. All year long, he has been very upset when his siblings have been assigned to give talks and he hasn't. Well, this was his week. He wanted his Dad to help him. It was very sweet.

*Have you ever taken pictures in Primary?
Corey thought that I was crazy. (shhh...I am!)

the greatest

2010-04-03T21:08:00.002-05:00

Lleyton plays t-ball. When playing 1st base, we notice he talks to all of the players on the opposing team. When Corey asked him what he says to them, he said, "We are going to beat you guys, because I am the greatest!" HAHAHAHA! When we all laughed, he started to cry. He truly believes that he is the greatest baseball player ever. :) What a sweetheart!

t-ball

2010-03-27T15:07:00.003-05:00

Lleyton has girl on his team this year.

Having a great time!

Color Guard

2010-02-22T22:32:00.003-06:00

Alexandra participates in the Color Guard Club at her middle school.
These pictures are from a recent performance.

They use rifles and flags. She does so well with this! I am so impressed.
(it is difficult for me to get good pictures while she is performing...)

These are pictures from our little peanut gallery while we wait for her team to perform...
Daddy is constantly mauled by Lleyton.

Sophia and Noah play their DS games.

On a side note, my little girl is growing up. Today, a boy in Alexandra's science class asked her a question... "will you go with me?" (excuse me?!!?) "Um, no, I don't think so." (yea!!) "Oh. Well, can we still be friends?" "Sure."

Oh, boy. It has already started. I'm not sure I am ready for this. Heaven help me (and her father!).

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-12T16:08:00.003-06:00

This is the fabulous note I received from Sophia today. I LOVE it! I think my favorite part is where she calls me "Mama." She and Lleyton still call me that and I hope it never stops. What stumped me was her calling Corey "dada." They never call him that. hmmm...

In case you can't read the note, it says,

"Dear Mom, Would you be my valentine? If you would like, I would be your Valentine! Mama I think you are my favorite valentine yet and dada is also my favorite valentine. I hope your day goes perfectly fine today. I hope you like you your present. I love you!"

awards

2010-02-01T17:58:00.003-06:00

We have had some fun award winners at our house, lately!

First, Sophia was given a Jazzy Jag award in December.

Noah got the same award at the end of January!

Then, Sophia was given the "Tipps Citizen" award!
(this one was very exciting - we got to go to school early for a special breakfast)

today

2010-01-29T21:27:00.003-06:00

Ok, so Donna is going to kill me for posting this picture. I will admit that it is not a very good one, but it is the most recent picture I have!

Anyway, today is my fabulous friend, Donna's, birthday! To celebrate, Leslie and I took her out to lunch. We went to Steve's Garden & Grill. SO yummy! Even Darcy and Lleyton got to come. We had a great time. Happy Birthday Donna!

Just before going out to lunch, Corey and I signed papers for this...

Let's hope it turns out better than it did a few years ago.

Since the house was absolutely SPOTLESS, I couldn't bring myself to cook dinner. So, we decided to use our Christmas present from Aunt Jamie and went to On the Border. It was a nice evening of good food (I am totally loving their brisket tacos!), nice service (we had a great waitress), and an even better price! Thank you, Jamie!!!

kung fu

2010-01-12T09:50:00.004-06:00

This movie has been quite the inspiration at our house. On Sunday morning, this was my view as I sat on the couch...

They LOVE pretending to do kung fu fighting! And, yes, there have been some injuries because of Lleyton's enthusiasm. Every day, he asks when I am going to sign him up for kung fu lessons. I'm still deciding on whether that is a good idea.

scenes from Christmas

2010-01-05T09:32:00.002-06:00

Yes, Santa brings Reese's Puffs cereal every year - Yum!

Just before bed on Christmas Eve in their brand new pajamas.
I think they are a little bit excited!

visit #1

2009-12-27T08:56:00.003-06:00

Sophia was just a little hesitant.

She asked for a Webkinz bird.
(notice the goodie bag that Mrs. Claus gave her. It was FULL of candy and treats! I guess it is good to know that our HOA dues go to something worthwhile....haha)

Lleyton was SO happy to see Santa Claus!
He asked for a DS and an ipod (um, aren't you 4?!).

The big kids chose not to see Santa this year. I was disappointed. They are all growing up much too quickly for this mama. *sigh*

a day for noah

2009-12-16T15:10:00.002-06:00

Yesterday was a great day for Noah! Right before lunch, he called me from his teacher's cell phone to tell me he won his class spelling bee! He was so excited, he was shaking! His teacher told him that he just had to call me. Thank you, Mrs. Olson! (I had no idea that he was even having a class spelling bee.) In January, he will compete in the school competition.

Then, last night at pack meeting, he earned his Weeblo award! He just loves cub scouts, which is impressive, considering he is the only boy in his den...

Anyway, he told me it was the best day he has had in a long time. Way to go, Noah! We love you!

BOO!

2009-11-07T16:43:00.005-06:00

We spent October 31st with our good friends, the Ryans. The kids & dads had a great time inhaling the steam from the homemade rootbeer! The moms made homemade pizza and caramel apple dip. Yum! We always have so much fun together!

Vampire cutie

Howdy partner

East High Cheerleader

Pirate

Lleyton the Pirate with his BFF Darcy.

Did you have a Happy Halloween? We did!

Sophia's Surgery

2009-11-06T06:29:00.002-06:00

Several weeks ago, Sophia had her deflux surgery (for the 2nd time). She was such a good patient! I took a few pictures to help document the experience.

Here she is with her "giggle juice" starting to work. She got very loopy. It was so cute! She kept looking under her blanket at the red light on her oxygen monitor (the one they put on your finger). It was so fascinating to her.
That stuff is perfect. It helped her to relax and not be worried when they took her back to surgery without us. It also has an affect on her memory, making so she doesn't even remember it.
After surgery, we had to document the IV.

Of course, Tarin the bear had to come along. She was allowed to take 2 items back with her. She took her blankie and her bear. They labeled them with stickers that had all of her info on them. She is still pretty out of it in this picture. She was just starting to smile, so the morphine was starting to work. :) They had to give her a couple of doses in her IV to help her feel better.

At this children's hospital, they give you as many yummy rainbow pops as you want! She broke a record with 5!

Sophia recovered so quickly. She was bouncing around like normal the next day. On Monday, we go in for another VCUG (not so fun test) to see if the surgery worked. Of course, our appt with the dr isn't until the 18th, so we won't know until then.
We really appreciate all of the thoughts and prayers that everyone has given on her behalf! Please keep it going!

(I was finally able to download pictures from my camera! Yea!)

lack of pictures

2009-10-27T11:27:00.001-05:00

I am so frustrated! I am having problems downloading pictures from my camera to my computer. I have lots of great ones to post...

Hopefully, I can get it working soon.

On a happy side-note, I am getting lots done today! Laundry is almost finished, dinner is in the crock pot, banana bread is in the oven, the kitchen is almost finished getting cleaned and I have put a post up on my other blog!

Whew! I feel so productive! haha :)

Tooth Fairy

2009-10-05T22:43:00.002-05:00

Tonight, the Tooth Fairy came for the very first time to Lleyton. He was SO excited!! Unfortunately, he didn't lose his first tooth the normal way. The dentist ended up pulling it this afternoon, because it was too infected to save.

My baby boy was such a trooper and didn't make a fuss at all! He was sufficiently numbed and, in fact, did not know that the tooth was gone until we told him after. (We have a wonderful dentist who is so good with the kids!)

For being so brave at the dentist, he got to choose a toy from Target. Corey helped him decide on a new nerf basketball hoop. Lleyton loves these. We go through them quite often, though, because of the frequent use!

Anyway, here are a few quotables about the Tooth Fairy...

* Where does she live? What does she look like? Dad - where does she live??
* Mama, how will she get in the house? I bet she'll ring the doorbell. No? I guess she'll use her wands. (I love that he still calls me Mama.)
* She has pink stuff in her hair.
* She likes ponies and stuff.
* I think she'll bring me 50. (50 cents or dollars?) 50 cents. (She actually brought $2)

He was so excited to go to sleep and promised me that he would fall asleep right away so she could come. One of the best parts was watching how much joy the older kids were getting out of seeing him so excited for this.

I have such great kids. I am so blessed to be their mom. I almost ate Lleyton up tonight, he was just so sweet and delicious!!

First Day of School

2009-09-06T21:04:00.002-05:00

My big, handsome 4th grader. This is one of the few pictures where he actually smiled.

We "curled" her hair by putting it in rag curls the night before. Isn't she just adorable?

Lleyton wanted to get in on the picture taking.

Um, she is way too grown up. That is all I have to say about that.

chicken fight!

2009-08-26T07:26:00.001-05:00

This was everyone's favorite activity at Noah's swimming birthday party!

birthday boy

2009-08-24T10:33:00.003-05:00

Noah is 10 yrs old today! I can hardly believe it. Since today is the first day of school (pictures coming later today), we celebrated on Saturday.

We saved one final present for this morning - Wii Sports Resort game!
He was SO excited! He opened it right before leaving for school.
His other favorite present was his Cardinals shirt from Aunt Jamie. I hope that I can get it off of him long enough to get it washed this week!

Noah requested chocolate cupcakes with cream cheese icing. Yum! I added chocolate jimmies.

Library Cards

2009-08-19T10:15:00.002-05:00

This summer, Sophia and Lleyton got their own library cards. They were SO excited! We really enjoy going to the library. The strangest thing happened when we went to get their cards - the librarian actually tried to talk us out of getting cards for them! What?! Aren't they supposed to encourage children to get their own library cards? I guess that she was probably trying to save me some time and confusion, since it is difficult for me to keep track of my own card. The BEST thing, though, is that I was able to get a new card that actually goes onto my keychain with all of my store cards. Now, it won't be so easy to lose. :)

I don't have a picture, but Alexandra started as a library volunteer this summer. She works once a week shelving books and helping patrons. She really enjoys it. I think it is great experience for her. She has a schedule, a "boss," and responsibility.

he loves spikey hair

2009-08-16T00:01:00.000-05:00

deals, glorious deals

2009-08-15T23:58:00.000-05:00

Have you been reading my other blog? If not, you are missing out! I went to Kroger today and got all of this for only $54! I saved $167.74!! Woohoo!

schedules

2009-08-12T23:24:00.003-05:00

Summer has been nice. Every year, I am so ready to let go of the schedules, calendars, daily routine, etc. I love those first few weeks of summer - having my children back home with me, spending time together, lazy mornings, swimming, etc. But, when August rolls around, I am beginning to need the schedule again. The massive Texas heat has shooed all of my children inside for hours on end. Their creativity seems to have flown out the window and "I'm bored" is said way too often.

We are ready for a new adventure - fall.

This fall our weeks will include...
T-Ball
Baseball
Soccer
(3 sports. Just typing that makes me wonder how it will get done.)
Color Guard
Volunteer work
Band
oh, and School

I'm sure that this list will grow. It seems crazy, but I am actually looking forward to it.

What we've been up to

2009-08-11T12:16:00.002-05:00

Life has been crazy lately. (don't I always say that?) I thought that I should update this blog, since it has been sorely neglected this summer.

Alexandra is really growing up. *sigh* I'm not really ready for it, but there is no stopping it. She got her first set of contacts this past week. She is so excited about it. It seems strange to see her without her glasses. I am so impressed with how well she is doing - putting them in and taking them out.
She is at 7th grade orientation camp today! 7th grade - really? She is definitely ready to go back to school. This year, she will be playing the flute and participating in color guard.

Noah and Sophia are excited to go back to school, as well. We have "meet the teacher" next week and are hoping that they get the teachers we want. Backpacks, lunch boxes and school supplies have been purchased (all on sale, of course!).

Noah will be 10 on the first day of school. We have been telling him that going to school is his present. haha! Anyway, he is really looking forward to becoming a Weeblo in Cub Scouts. We went to the scout shop and got his book, yesterday. He has been devouring it! It is so fun to see his excitement! Unfortunately, his best friend is moving, which will leave him as the only Weeblo in our troop. I think he will still enjoy it. He has a good leader.

I have been super busy this summer. We have had a Mom's Day Out program running along with some other daycare. Another year of teaching preschool begins after Labor Day. I also have a new calling in our ward- Young Women's President. Yikes!
I am trying to get really organized before the school year begins.

Well, that is all for now. I need to get some pictures uploaded! Hopefully, I will have a few minutes sometime this week to do that. :)

14 Fabulous Years!

2009-06-15T10:08:00.005-05:00

Happy Anniversary, honey! What an amazing 14 years this has been. I just love these pictures. Don't we look so young? The funny thing is - my heart is still just as young. It is my body that betrays me. :)

Sophia just said, "Wow. Dad sure had a lot of hair!" and "Is that you, Mommy?"

Corey, you are the love of my life. Marrying you was the best thing I have ever done. I can't wait for all of the adventures and fun we will have in the years to come!

Always and Forever,
April

1st Grade Luau

2009-06-03T21:34:00.002-05:00

Here is my Sophia with one of her friends.

Can you tell that she got a haircut? She has been begging and begging to get her hair cut short. I finally caved. They cut 5 inches off!! I almost cried, but, I have to admit, that she looks absolutely adorable. It actually makes her look older. *sigh*

Lleyton was having such a great time! He sat with the big kids for lunch. Sophia even let him play a game with her. What a sweetie.

funny

2009-06-02T18:56:00.002-05:00

Lleyton: I want a drink.

Corey: What is the magic word?

Lleyton: Abra Cadabra!

We absolutely love this kid!

All of this for only $0.04!!

2009-05-25T22:24:00.003-05:00

Yes, I only paid $0.04 for all of this at CVS tonight! You can see how I did it at my new blog - www.mycentsablesavings.blogspot.com

daddy/daughters dance

2009-05-07T15:29:00.002-05:00

They had a blast!

more updates

2009-05-05T16:35:00.002-05:00

Noah's 1st Pinewood Derby Car! (Last year we did a rocket.)
He had a couple of wins and had a blast. Hmmm...I wonder what his favorite major league baseball team is?

Sophia lost her 2 front teeth!
I still can't get over how much older this makes her look. My baby girl is growing up way too fast.

I won the ward chili cookoff! Pretty funny, since I used the recipe on the back of the McCormick seasoning packet. :) Well, I did add black beans.

For Valentine's Day, I sent an all red lunch for the kids. It was fun to put together and they really enjoyed it.

my one excuse

2009-05-04T07:59:00.006-05:00

My only excuse for not blogging regularly has got to be Facebook. Does anyone else have this problem? :)

I realized this morning that I have not posted a picture since January. January, people! That is crazy. So, I am determined to catch up.

I'm not quite sure where to begin, so I'll start with what is currently consuming our lives - soccer!

Yes, Lleyton is signed up for his first, official sports team. He LOVES it! Also, he is a total rock star on the field. They play on the tiniest field. The practice for 1/2 an hour and then play against another team for another 1/2 hour. By the end of the game, it is usually just Lleyton out there for our team, scoring goal after goal. It is very fun. He won't know what to do when he gets older and plays against kids who also know what they are doing.

The kids were supposed to chase Lleyton and kick their ball to him. No one did it, but he had a great time running around with the orange shirt tucked into his shorts.

He shoots, he scores!

Check it out!

2009-04-08T21:56:00.004-05:00

I just entered a great giveaway for a very helpful Food Storage Binder! You should enter, too!

Just go to www.foodstoragemadeeasy.net to enter!

so far behind

2009-03-11T13:54:00.002-05:00

It has been so long since I have posted! I promise that I am still here - just a little busy. :) I have so many pictures on my camera that I would live to post, but I need to find my camera cord for that. Hopefully, it will be within the next couple of days.

In the meantime, I have found a great website that shares a ton of great information on having a well stocked pantry, a full garden, etc. She has some great recipes, too! Go to HERE to see her site.

famous

2009-02-12T16:06:00.004-06:00

Did you see it?? BeCentsAble was a story on Good Morning America this morning! So exciting! I think that they did a great job. I know that you are all dying to see it, so here is the link...

http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/story?id=6739007&page=1

Even more exciting, is that my Aunt Darci (also a BeCentsAble Educator, in fact, the one who introduced me to it) is going to be taped by Inside Edition at her workshop next week!! I believe they will also be following her on a coupon shopping trip! WOW! My Auntie will be famous!! I am so excited for her and for BeCentsAble!

I am conducting a couple of workshops here in Mansfield in the next couple of weeks. (sorry, no camera crews are attending) You are all invited to attend!

The dates are Saturday, Feb. 21st 6:30pm-9pm
and Tuesday, Feb. 24th 6:30pm-9pm.

Do you want to come? If so, just leave a comment or drop me an email and I'll get you all of the info. I can now be reached at centsable.april@gmail.com

BeCentsAble

2009-02-05T08:30:00.004-06:00

I am so excited about my newest adventure! (do you ever wonder when I won't have a new adventure? Corey does...) Anyway - I am now a certified BeCentsAble Educator! What does this mean, you ask? This means that I will be conducting workshops; teaching people how to save time and money on their grocery, household, baby and pet purchases!

As you all know, I just LOVE to get a good deal and save $! I am also quite the talker. :) Becoming a BeCentsAble Educator combines both of these and I get the opportunity to help others. In this economy, who doesn't need to save money??

Another exciting aspect of this is that you can take the course online! This is great for those who do not have an educator living nearby or who are unable to attend a workshop. In-person workshops are $25 and the online class is $20.

I am currently looking for those who might be interested in hosting a workshop in their home. As a host/hostess you get numerous incentives, including a free workshop. All I need is access to a TV and dvd player for the presentation.

In addition to home workshops, I can also do fundraisers. Just think, you wouldn't have to sell or distribute any products!

Please let me know if you would like more information. Thanks!
You can email me at centsable.april@gmail.com

yum

2009-01-27T21:24:00.001-06:00

Go here to request a coupon for FREE Diet Dr. Pepper!!

(I like this stuff WAY too much! Ok, not as much as Donna likes it!!)

prescription coupons

2009-01-25T16:33:00.002-06:00

One easy way to save your family money is to use prescription coupons. Doing this saves my family hundreds of dollars a year! I noticed 2 great coupons in my Sunday paper.

On the back of the CVS ad, there is a coupon good for a $25 gift card with a transferred prescription. This coupon expires on February 14th.

On the front of the Walgreens ad, there is also a coupon good for a $25 gift card with a transferred prescription. But, this coupon doesn't expire until April 26th, 2009!!!

After I get my kids to school tomorrow, the first place I am going is to Walgreens to pick up several more ads and then to CVS for a couple. These coupons are always good to have on hand, even if no one in your family uses prescriptions regularly. Sickness is everywhere during the winter! I always get more than I think I will need and offer them to friends.

You should know that even though the coupon states "transferred prescription," some pharmacies will honor them with refills and new prescriptions. All you have to do is ask! My Kroger pharmacy is very good about this. They will only allow 1 coupon per week/per family, so I space my refills out accordingly.

twilight

2009-01-24T00:13:00.001-06:00

How is it that I just saw the movie "Twilight" for the very first time tonight?!? I think that I was sure I wouldn't like it. But, I loved it! I am so sad that it will be out of the theaters soon.
Ahhh...like my friend, Jann's, shirt says, "Bite me, Edward!"

a job

2009-01-23T08:35:00.002-06:00

Well, the wait is over. It has been interesting. Let's see...AT&T laid Corey off at the beginning of December and now they are offering him another position. Are we excited? no. relieved? YES. This isn't a job that we hope to be at for very long, but it is an income!

Thank you so much for all of your concern and prayers. It has been so helpful through this stressful time.

long time no post!

2009-01-12T15:00:00.005-06:00

I cannot believe that it has been so long since I have posted anything!!! I will admit that I have been devoting more time to my preschool blog instead of this family blog. (but, I haven't really posted much there, either.)

So, here is a picture that pretty much sums up our lives since Christmas. Santa brought a Wii!
When I find a moment to go through all of the other holiday pictures, I will post some more. Until then...

first band concert

2008-12-14T19:46:00.002-06:00

Here is Alexandra right after her first band concert! She did such a great job! She plays the flute - she didn't want to get her instrument back out. We are so proud of her. She just started playing in August. Several members in her flute class take private lessons in addition to school band, but Alexandra doesn't. I was worried that she might be at a disadvantage. I shouldn't have worried...she is 2nd chair!

I impressed my children that night by taking them to my old friend's website. She is an accomplished flutist. www.jessicawarren.com (you should go listen!)

She is amazing! It was really fun listening to some of her music. My kids could not believe that I know her and talk to her on facebook. It was fun. :)

bump in the road

2008-12-12T06:40:00.004-06:00

I haven't really felt like blogging much, lately. Our family has hit a large bump in the road of life this past week. Corey was laid off from AT&T. *sigh* He was not alone. They plan on letting go a total of 12,000 people within the next year.
Please keep us in your prayers. If you know of anyone who is hiring, please pass the info along. We would really appreciate it.

Edited to add: Thank you so much for all of your love and support! We really appreciate it!!

sleepy

2008-12-05T07:19:00.003-06:00

procrastination means "putting off or delaying or defering an action to a later time."

After staying up until 2am last night and waking up at 6am, I am oh.so.weary. Will I learn my lesson and stop procrastinating? Probably not. Let's just hope I don't fall asleep reading The Polar Express to my preschoolers!

thank you for your patience

2008-12-03T07:41:00.008-06:00

I should apologize for the lack of posting, lately. Life has been crazy (as it always is!). Our 2 extra turkeys left Monday morning. Ahhhh...and life came back at full speed.

So, here is my account of my Black Friday activities...

I actually began my shopping on Thanksgiving Day! Around 11am, my sweet husband offered to take over in the kitchen so I could take a break and run to CVS! They started their deals early. I got a TON of free items! I didn't take any pictures - sorry!

Here's what I remember getting -

2 bottles of ALL detergent

4 Bic Soleil razors

2 Sony(?) headphones

2 king size reeses cups

3 bags M&M's

1 nail polish

2 lip gloss

4 Colgate Total

1 Schick razor

3 gatorade

1 body wash

SD card

1 body lotion

There might have been more, but I forget. Anyway, I got 4 bags of items and paid a total of $8 out of pocket! WooHoo! A great way to begin the weekend.

Onto Friday...

Last year, I went by myself. I got what I needed, but didn't really have much fun. (I am such a social person and I don't like doing things by myself. Lame, huh?) So, this year, Stephanie picked me up at the crack of dawn. No, actually it was BEFORE the crack of dawn - 3:45AM!! I couldn't really believe it, either.

She wanted to get to Walmart and buy herself a Cricut that was a very good deal. The deals there started at 5am, so we were there waiting by 4am. I have never been to Walmart on Black Friday before - I avoided it. But, here we were, so I thought I might as well get a couple of things. I won't detail the entire time there. Suffice it to say, I met some nice people while waiting, when the bell rang there was a LOT of pushing and shoving and I got a couple of things that I wanted. (I'm afraid that I can't tell you everything that I purchased this day. There are some gift receivers that read my blog!)

We then headed to Target. Yikes! The line was SO long. So we went to Home Depot first and purchased some things on Stephanie's list.

When we got to Target, the line was beginning to move. I needed several things here and Stephanie was a huge help! She went straight for the movies and I headed back to toys. She grabbed a ton of movies and met me a little bit later and I got to choose from what she got.

I found movies, bedding, Leapster games, a scooter, dart board, etc.

Then to Ulta Beauty Supply - super long line, but fun stocking stuffers!

Next was Ink Stop - MP3 player for only $19.99 and a camera for Stephanie.

My favorite stop was Avenue. Stephanie had printed coupons for $5 sweaters! The limit was 2. It is always fun to get a few things for yourself along the way. :)

Mardel was next for $5 Veggie Tales movie and Charlotte's Web.

Now, it was on to Cavenders!! Ok - Donna was out of town for Thanksgiving and begged me to stop at this cowboy store and get her these short, pink with rhinestones boots. She was so excited that they were on sale. So, we drive to the store, BUT it wasn't Cavenders! GASP! It was a different cowboy store. (they all seem the same to me) Oh no! After looking on the back of the ad, we found that we had to travel a little distance to get to an actual Cavenders.

Right after we turned around, we passed a car accident. We commented that people must be in a real hurry to get to the sales. We hopped on the highway and Stephanie's cell phone rang. It was her sister - she was in the car accident that we had just passed!!! We headed to the hospital to meet her sister (as a passenger, she was slightly injured).

The Cavender's sale only had about 40 min. left. I called Donna to give her the bad news. She was very sad. (Corey thought I was doing her a favor by not getting the boots! lol!)

After other family members arrived and finding out that her sister was fine, we jumped in the van and made it to Cavendars with about 2 minutes left in the sale. A helpful salesman found us the last pair of boots and they were purchased! Donna couldn't believe it! (the sad part of the story is that I had to get the wrong size, hoping that she could exchange them later on. Unfortunately, they cannot locate a pair in her size anywhere! So, she'll probably end up returning them. so sad)

We ended the day at Walgreens getting lil' webkinz for $3.50 each!!

Ahh...I'm tired just reading this. If you stuck around until the end of this, then "thank you!" Anyway, it was a lot of fun and a lot of good deals! Christmas is just about finished now. Whew!

Are you finished with your Christmas shopping?

Did you get any great deals on Black Friday?

stay tuned

2008-11-29T07:56:00.001-06:00

I want to tell you all about my black friday adventures! It is coming soon!

thankful

2008-11-25T15:45:00.003-06:00

I am so thankful for many things this holiday season. I am looking forward to a nice weekend full of eating (homemade rolls and apple bar are my favorites!), shopping (black friday with friends!), watching videos with the family, and just plain "hangin' out." Twinges of jealousy do keep popping up, as many of my family members are gathering without us. I wish life were easier and we could do all of the things we wish for. Anyway, enough of my whining.

I hope that you all have a wonderful holiday weekend!

rules

2008-11-19T22:16:00.002-06:00

I found this note on Alexandra's door the other day. I loved it! My kids are always putting up notes on their bedroom doors. Do your kids do this, too? I think my favorite part of this one is that she is charging a fee for breaking in! If you are having a hard time reading it, here is what it says -

"Private Property

Any entrance without my permission will result in a $0.10 fee.

Rules for My Room:

Treat my things like you treat yours

Be kind

Clean up what you get out

no fighting

No boys allowed!"

J., L., and Alexandra at their Harry Potter Trivia competition. I think that she has read every book in the series at least 3 or 4 times. She is a Harry Potter nut!

Anyway, she and 2 friends entered a competition in Dallas this past weekend. It was really fun for her. They all made a pact that they would not be angry or upset with each other if someone did really well and beat out the others. I was so worried that Alexandra would be the one who lost while her friends moved on to the other rounds. I shouldn't have worried - she moved on to the 2nd round while her friends went home! She came really close to making it through to the championship, but ended up being 3rd. Instead of staying to watch and see who won, she had us take her to get ice cream. :)

holiday open house

2008-11-13T12:20:00.003-06:00

Friday, November 14, 2008
10am - 12noon
and
6pm - 9:30pm
Sonia Wynne's Home
(please email me if you need her address!)

Come join us for fun, food and, of course, prizes! There will be a make and take Christmas card station set up, as well. Some of the companies that will be represented are Stampin' Up, Creations Made by Moi, Coverwear, Altered Art Designs, Mary Kay, Beary J. Designs, and Scentsy. These are just to name a few! There will be several hand-made items to order, as well.

If you are looking to get some of your Christmas shopping done soon, this is a great opportunity. There will be lots to choose from. Plus, we will do one in the morning and one in the evening to make it a little easier to stop by! If you still can't make either of these times, let me know and I'll get you the website addresses for all of the demonstrators.

Feel free to bring your friends and family! There is going to be so much to see, you won't regret coming! We can't wait to see you there!

**If you can't make it, you can still place your Coverwear order through me!

Just give me a call or email me. Thanks!

here it is

2008-11-10T08:14:00.004-06:00

This is what I have been working on. It still needs a lot of work, but I am really excited about it. But, I need your help! I could use some feedback - the good, the bad and the ugly! Please go and take a look and let me know what you think. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

http://www.preschoolpantry.wordpress.com/

Update: Goodness! I'm blushing. can you tell? You are all way too nice! I am glad that you like it, though. So, go on and tell all of your friends who might be interested in a blog full of preschool ideas.

and, a sincere thanks.

favorite fall recipe

2008-11-09T07:04:00.004-06:00

I thought I would share with you my absolute favorite fall recipe - Pumpkin Pancakes with Apple Cider Syrup! Yum! It actually came from Rebecca, so I shouldn't really claim it as mine. It has become a tradition in our family to have them for dinner on Halloween night. Mmmmmm

Pumpkin Pancakes

1 cup flour

1 Tbsp sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 eggs, separated

1 cup milk

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

2 Tbsp oil

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Wisk egg yolk, pumpkin, milk and oil in a separate bowl. Stir into dry ingredients until moist. Beat egg whites with an electric mixer until they form soft peaks and fold gently into batter.

Easy Peasy, right? Also, please note that this recipe makes a small amount. If it is just my family eating, I double it. If I want left overs, I triple it! I also double the syrup.

Apple Cider Syrup

1 cup sugar

2 Tbsp corn starch

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

2 cups apple cider (I just use apple juice)

2 tsp lemon juice

1/4 cup butter

Mix everything except the butter in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over med heat for 1 minute, stirring almost constantly. Take off heat and add butter, stirring it in until melted. Serve warm.

Enjoy!

missing in action

2008-11-09T07:01:00.002-06:00

I know, I know - I haven't been around much, lately. Sorry about that! Life is crazy, as I'm sure yours is. Also, I'm working on a new little project. Well, I thought it was little until I started. :) I'm not quite ready to share it with you, yet, so stay tuned... It will be soon. I promise.

halloween, finally

2008-11-06T16:43:00.004-06:00

Here is Lleyton with his BFF, Darcy. Lleyton is wearing the famous Purple Dinosaur costume. (well, it is famous in our family) I made this costume for Alexandra 9 years ago and all of the children have taken their turn with it. Lleyton made this costume all his own, though. Never before has the purple dinosaur eaten people or used his large tail as a machine gun. I guess there is always a first for everything!

Our beautiful Sophia had her dream come true - she was a mom. :) (please note the use of the wonderful Over the Shoulder Baby Holder sling - yes, you can get your little girl one to use with her dolls!) She only had one problem with her costume - she wanted to know how she could hold her diet dr pepper and her candy...

Alexandra was a simple black cat. I think this costume will serve her well in the years to come. I'm not sure what she's doing with her eyes, but this was the only normal picture I could find of her.

Here is our Pirate King! He even wore his costume to school and had so much fun.

We didn't make it to trunk or treat this year. Sophia was ill and it was the same day as Super Saturday. I was just way too exhausted.

fabulous blog

2008-11-01T15:59:00.002-05:00

I just recently found out that my friend, Sandi (roomies from our BYU days), has a coupon/deal blog! I am so excited!! I just love to get a good deal and she has had some good ones. In fact, I just ordered 2 bras and 1 panty from victorias secret and only paid $16.99 shipped - thanks to Sandi. So, go on over and check out her blog!

www.centsofsavings.blogspot.com

so tired...

2008-10-18T21:59:00.002-05:00

It has been a long day. Let me recap for you...
6am -in the shower
8am - off to Target to buy 2 birthday presents and 1 wedding gift (for some reason, I cannot type wedding present. it just doesn't sound right to me.)
10am - stake leadership meeting
1pm - take Sophia to birthday party
3pm - work class booths at the school carnival
4pm - take my own kids around the carnival
7pm - attend wedding reception while Alexandra BABYSITS!!! (they were all alive and well when we returned home. ahhhhh)

It is now 10pm and I need to sit down and make a list of all that still needs to be done for Super Saturday (which is, now, less than a week away). I will be so happy on Oct. 26th...

Mothers Who Know Are Teachers

2008-10-16T22:00:00.002-05:00

"Mothers who know are always teachers. Since they are not babysitters, they are never off duty. A well-taught friend told me that he did not learn anything at church that he had not already learned at home. His parents used family scripture study, prayer, family home evening, mealtimes, and other gatherings to teach. Think of the power of our future missionary force if mothers considered their homes as a pre–missionary training center. Then the doctrines of the gospel taught in the MTC would be a review and not a revelation. That is influence; that is power."

Sister Julie B. Beck, "Mothers Who Know" General Conference Oct. 2007

I absolutely love this talk and I keep coming back to it. It has been impressed upon my mind recently, how little time we really have with our children to teach, nurture, and influence. One of the greatest desires of my heart, is for my children to have strong testimonies of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This will not happen without much effort from me.
I am continually amazed at how receptive and willing they are to learn. They love reading scriptures together and are always sad when we have to stop. This gladdens my heart and inspires me to do more. There is always so much that can be done...

Here are a couple of things that have worked - off and on - in our family.

Breakfast with the gospel art kit.

This is one that I really should start doing again. It is so simple. Basically, you start from the beginning and go over the scripture story on the back of the first picture. We would then display the picture for the day, moving on to the second picture the next day. We were doing this during breakfast and loving it.

Before bed "chats."

I try to spend some one on one time with the kids before they actually go to sleep. This usually happens when I go in to say goodnight and end up laying down with them. They are given free reign to talk about whatever is on their mind. This has led to many teaching moments and has helped me to learn what is happening in their hearts. They love this time to have me to themselves. I am told many secrets...

I would love to get more ideas!

What works for your family?

crafty girl

2008-10-15T16:48:00.003-05:00

This is what Alexandra did to keep busy at her dad's softball game last night. In case you were wondering, she is braiding yarn into bookmarks to sell at her school "market" on Friday. Hmmm...I wonder if people should pay more, because the bookmarks touched her dirty feet.

B is for ball and butterfly

2008-10-14T16:00:00.001-05:00

We painted coffee filters and put clothes pins on them to make them butterflies.

Lleyton had fun mixing up his colors.

good citizen

2008-10-14T12:00:00.000-05:00

Noah received the coveted "Good Citizen Award" at his school this past week. His teacher nominated him for "always giving 100%." Wow. I wish he would give me 100%...

I am kidding - sort of...We are very proud of him. Way to go, Noah!

animal planet

2008-10-13T12:00:00.000-05:00

Do you know what this is? It is a geko hanging by one "hand" just outside of our back doorway. We thought it was pretty cool, until we looked closer and found that it was DEAD! yuck

We spend the evening trying to solve the mystery and determine a cause of death.

We came up with nothing.

boards

2008-10-12T20:57:00.002-05:00

I had such a fun time making these boards for Rebecca and her friend!

Do you need one, too?

Just email me and let's see if I can create a message board that is perfect for you...or your daughter, sister, friend, mother, etc.

the view

2008-10-12T20:06:00.001-05:00

This is my favorite part of my drive to church every Sunday.

Kroger deals

2008-10-09T22:31:00.003-05:00

I have had such a fun night! I crashed the Mansfield 2nd Ward's Food Storage Enrichment group and then went to Kroger and saved $72.33!! (I spent $73.32, so I saved 1/2) I wanted to share my good deals with you.

First - Kroger and Tyson boneless, skinless chicken breasts and tenders are on sale for $1.67lb - This is a great price! I am thinking about buying a couple hundred pounds to can...

Next - Yoplait yogurt is on sale for $0.50 each. If you purchase 20 (yeah, we eat a lot of yogurt!) then you will get a "catalina" coupon that prints out at the register for $2 off your next purchase at Kroger. I also used 3 "$0.40 off when buying 6" coupons which doubled. I also used a $0.40 ecoupon (see below). Essentially, I paid $0.26 each!

Golden delicious and fiji apples are on sale for $0.97lb. (mmmmm...apple bar)

Romaine and Red Leaf lettuce are $0.97 each.

And 1lb strawberries are $1.50 each.

Ok - here is the really exciting part - If you go to www.kroger.com you can register your Kroger card for ecoupons! This means that you can load coupons onto your card and they will be taken off of your total when you purchase those items. The bonus, is that you can stack these with "paper coupons!" These coupons can only be used once and will not double or triple.

I used ecoupons tonight for the yogurt, a Macaroni Grill meal kit, crescent rolls and toilet paper.

When you get to kroger.com, you can get coupons through 2 different links - the Proctor and Gamble link, which is on the right with a fairly large ad, and Short Cuts. The short cuts did not have a large ad, just a little sentence. You must register for each of these coupon sites, but it is free and no big deal.

One thing to note - I had a Proctor and Gamble ecoupon that did NOT work tonight...I will be calling someone tomorrow to ask about it - it was for $1.50!

I hope that you all are snagging some great deals and are having fun saving your family money!

*What deals have you found, lately?

pinewood derby...girl style

2008-10-07T19:49:00.002-05:00

Stars & Stripes Forever!
She didn't win, but had a lot of fun.
My little girl is growing up way too quickly. *sigh*

nights filled with baseball

2008-10-07T17:39:00.002-05:00

This one enjoys lounging in the chair.
Climbing the empty bleachers is a favorite of Lleyton's.
He also enjoys climbing the fence and...
climbing his Dad. :)
Don't you just love the black eye? No, I didn't give it to him. Although, he will tell you I did. It is the result of a ground ball taking a bad hop at his softball game. Pretty, huh?

Oh, yeah. We also try to watch Noah play...

mothers who know...

2008-10-02T08:11:00.003-05:00

"Mothers who know do less. They permit less of what will not bear good fruit eternally. They allow less media in their homes, less distraction, less activity that draws their children away from their home. Mothers who know are willing to live on less and consume less of the world's goods in order to spend more time with their children—more time eating together, more time working together, more time reading together, more time talking, laughing, singing, and exemplifying. These mothers choose carefully and do not try to choose it all. Their goal is to prepare a rising generation of children who will take the gospel of Jesus Christ into the entire world. Their goal is to prepare future fathers and mothers who will be builders of the Lord's kingdom for the next 50 years. That is influence; that is power."

-Julie B. Beck, General Conference Oct. 2007

I have been thinking about this quote often this week. I have been feeling a little overwhelmed with all that is required of me. Of course, many of these requirements are of my own making. I have been plugging along, though. There are times in life, when I get so overwhelmed with all there is to do that I just sit down and do nothing, because I have no idea where to even begin. Do you ever feel like that? Thankfully, I have a dear husband who seems to recognize that and quietly begins to do the tasks that are normally mine - laundry, bathrooms, more laundry... Earlier this week, he made sure that Noah's baseball uniform was clean, knowing that I was too busy and wouldn't remember.

I am working on choosing less of the good and more of what is best for me and my family. There is so much out there that is good, but we need to focus on the best. I love those nights when we don't have anywhere we have to be. It is such a joy to spend those evenings together as a family. So, if I say "no" to something you ask me to do, please don't take offense - I am busy preparing a rising generation...

more apple fun...

2008-09-24T21:38:00.002-05:00

We found a star inside!

I just love that little, chunky hand. I could just eat him up.

this is a public service announcement...

2008-09-23T13:34:00.002-05:00

Friends don't let friends teach preschool without a Diet Dr. Pepper.

Thank you, Leslie!!!

how many apples tall are you?

2008-09-22T22:18:00.001-05:00

At preschool today, we found out that Lleyton is 13 apples tall.

FHE

2008-09-22T21:47:00.007-05:00

Ahhh...family home evening. What an event this is at our house! Everyone has a specific duty, thanks to Alexandra and her chart making skills. (She has us all planned out through December, I think!) These nights are not perfect, but we are making some perfect memories and I wanted to get them recorded.

We have moved our FHE to Sunday nights for now, as Noah has a baseball game every Monday. Here are some of the things I always want to remember.

Alexandra is the one to always remind us of this important night.

All of the kids are SO excited. No one is grumpy about participating, unless they are wanting to do a different job. :)

Our schedule - Corey conducts our little meeting.

1. song - Lleyton has chosen himself as our pianist. (see photo above) Please note that he does NOT know how to play the piano. He pushes on the same keys over and over through the entire song. Have you ever tried to sing a song correctly when this is happening? It is very difficult. He is very serious about this, though, and we could never ask him to stop. I guess I will try and teach him how to play asap.

2. prayer

3. calendar items for the week - this one is so great! Everyone wants to put their 2 cents in. "I am going to school!" or "I have a baseball game." Every little detail of our lives seems to be hashed out during calendar time and I love it.

4. lesson - This is typically short and sweet. We take turns. I just love hearing the lessons from the kids, especially Alexandra and Noah who actually take time to prepare. It is amazing to me how much knowledge they have and to see, first hand, how the gospel is working in their lives. Their understanding grows more and more each week.

5. activity - this one ranges from games to cleaning up.

6. song

7. closing prayer

8. treat - by far, the favorite! Being the mom, I seem to always be in charge of this, even when someone else is on the chart. :)

I am so thankful for this program. What a joy it is to take 30 minutes out of our week to devote entirely to being together as a family, learning the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

*Please know that I am not trying to make it seem like we are perfect. We are FAR from it! There are weeks we don't end up having fhe, weeks where all of the kids are fighting, weeks where some are crying or we are yelling and weeks when all of this happens at the same time! But, sometimes, it is good and I wanted to record that for myself.

Super Saturday

2008-09-20T17:44:00.002-05:00

My life has been consumed, lately, with our ward Super Saturday. I have created a blog with all of our projects. I hope that people enjoy the crafts and that we have a good turn out. If you live in the area and want to come, you are more than welcome!

Go check it out! Super Saturday Blog

CVS

2008-09-13T12:41:00.003-05:00

With hurricane Ike being here in North Texas, all of our stake leadership meetings were cancelled this morning. So, I took the opportunity to go to CVS.

In our area, they are doing new dates with their sales ads. Our ads now run from Friday through Thursday. I haven't really liked it, mainly because I am used to following the deals of other frugal bloggers and their ads still run Sunday - Saturday.

Well, I did ok on my own today. There is a deal where if you spend $10 on skippy peanut butter, Ragu spaghetti sauce, mayo, etc. then you receive $3ECB back. We go through a ton of peanut butter, so I was all over this deal, especially since there have been recent coupons for these items.

Transaction #1

6 Skippy Peanut Butters on sale 3/$5 - used 3 $1 off 2 coupons and received $3 ECB
1 Excedrin gel caps on sale for $3.99 and received $3.99 ECB

So, I essentially paid $4 for these products. Of course, I used ECB to pay. :)

Transaction #2 (Corey's card)

4 Skippy Peanut Butters on sale 3/$5 - used 2 $1 off 2 coupons
2 Ragu Spaghetti Sauce on sale 3/$5 - used $1 off 2 coupon - received $3 ECB
1 Excedrin gel caps on sale for $3.99 and received $3.99 in ECB

Same deal as above - $4 paid with ECB.

I did 2 transactions, because the skippy/ragu deal and the excedrin were limit 1 deal per card. If I get more of these coupons, I might start cards for Alexandra and Noah to get more peanut butter.

Do any of you have more than 2 cards for your family? I know Stephanie does. :) Is it hard to keep track of it all?

coupons

2008-09-13T12:34:00.003-05:00

I did it! Earlier this week, I actually purchased coupons online. (I really wanted more of the $2.25 Electrosal coupons!) I have heard of so many people doing this, but I just haven't done it. It was so easy and my coupons came in just a couple of days. I especially loved that I was able to pay with my paypal account.

I got my desired coupons from http://www.thecouponclippers.com/ . If there are specific coupons that you want, I would suggest you check them out.

*Please note that I do not receive anything for promoting this company! I just really liked it and thought you would, too.

random thoughts

2008-09-09T16:34:00.004-05:00

I have been wanting to post, but I just haven't had the time this week. So, here are some of my random thoughts from the past few days.

I have 3 different types of ants invading my kitchen. Yes, 3!!! I have just spent the afternoon throwing out all of the food in my pantry. It makes me want to cry. And, yes, the pest control people were here on Saturday and will be coming back asap.
Why would anyone make low-rise jeans for toddlers?? And why would anyone buy them???
Donna has started a blog!!! Go see...
Fall baseball has begun. Noah is now playing kid-pitch. It was so fun watching him play pitcher the other night. His favorite position is catcher and he is starting to get really good.
Corey is playing softball. He hasn't played for a couple of years. His first game was supposed to be tonight, but they have been rained out. Can I tell you just how much I LOVE watching him play baseball/softball? I don't know if it takes me back to our dating years or what the reason is. Have I mentioned how great he looks in a baseball cap? um, is it getting hot in here? *sigh*
My children are all obsessed with the gamecube and their nintendo ds games. I am ready to put them all away. Well, at least until they are driving me crazy and I want them to go play.
The other day, my 3 school age children informed me that homeschooling would be better for them. "We would get a much better education, mom." Alexandra stated that she was going to homeschool her own children. When I asked if they wanted me to homeschool them, they said, "Not right now." hmmmm...
I really like teaching preschool.
We are going out to dinner tonight, because I am refusing to eat with the ants.

another great give away!!

2008-09-02T15:52:00.002-05:00

So, you should all go to Leslie's blog right now, because she is doing another great give away!! All you have to do is look at her beautiful fall line and leave a comment telling which is your favorite. So, hurry on over!! Anyone can enter!
I just love her jewelry. I'm thinking that now would be a great time to buy some Christmas presents...

2008-09-02T14:00:00.002-05:00

Don't you just love these cute salt & pepper shakers? They aren't the most fashionable things in my kitchen, but they are definitely the most loved. They belonged to my Great Grandma Pearl. She used to have an area right outside of her kitchen that had little shelves filled with little ceramics like this. I love having these to look at every day and to be able to tell my children all about their Grandma Pearl when they ask about them.
I think these are cute, too! heehee

I can't believe it, but Corey and I canned peaches yesterday!! I got a good deal on a box of peaches, thanks to Stephanie. I have never canned by myself before, but I just LOVE fresh canned peaches and had to do it. I didn't expect Corey to help, but he came in and asked what I needed him to do. What a wonderful husband I have.

Preschool starts tomorrow! I can't wait.

love my life

2008-08-29T07:28:00.005-05:00

This has been a crazy week for me. I could list all of the many things I have had going on, but I'm sure most of you have the same craziness in your lives and already know.
Amist all of the time consuming tasks, my thoughts have turned almost always to NieNie. I do not know this family, but I am so concerned about them. My heart just aches for her babies. I think of my own little family and what would happen if tragedy like this struck us. The thought I always end on, though, is how blessed I am for the life that I have.
I realized that I do not express often enough, to my family and others, how much I absolutely LOVE my life. What a blessing it is to be me, even with all of the craziness of life thrown in. In fact, most of that craziness is what makes it unique and special.
My plan is to express this joy in life more often to my family and through my blog. If I forget, my thoughts of NieNie will help to remind me.

*Have you gone to A Room Somewhere yet to bid on some fabulous items? The bidding for the purse I submitted is already up to $50! The auction ends on Sunday.
*Alisa is serving others for NieNie. Go to her blog and share what service you will do for someone else, in her honor.

Nie Nie Day

2008-08-27T16:07:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow, Thursday, has been declared as Nie Nie Day. My sister told me the story of this beautiful family to which tragedy has struck. In their honor, I have contributed an item from my shop to be auctioned off with all proceeds going to their family. Please consider a contribution of your own and go to Leslie's beautiful blog and purchase something tomorrow! We can all do a little something.

more chick-fil-a goodness

2008-08-27T13:34:00.004-05:00

Visit any participating Chick-fil-A restaurant wearing your favorite football team’s attire or logo on Labor Day, Sept. 1, 2008, from 10:30 a.m. until close and get one free order of our new Chick-n-Strips (3-count). Limit one order per person while supplies last.

Do I Need a Coupon to Get the Free Order of Chick-n-Strips?

No, all you have to do is wear something that has your favorite football team’s logo on it.

Can I Wear Any Football Team’s Logo or Attire?

Yes, you can wear any clothing or accessory that has a collegiate logo, or the logo of your favorite recreational football team, middle or high school football team, or professional football team.

What Time Does the Free Offer Begin and End?

The promotion begins at participating Chick-fil-A restaurants at 10:30 a.m.
For our restaurants located inside shopping malls, the closing time will vary based on mall operating hours for Labor Day.
For free-standing Chick-fil-A restaurants, the closing time for this Labor Day will be 10 p.m.

Is the Free Offer Valid Through the Drive-Thru Window?

Yes, starting at 10:30 a.m. and going to 10 p.m. on Labor Day, you can get the free order of Chick-n-Strips if you wear the appropriate football-themed attire as stated above. Please be sure to inform us at the speaker box what football team’s item you are wearing!

no tears

2008-08-25T12:04:00.004-05:00

I can't believe it. This is the first year where I haven't cried on the first day of school. Maybe it's because I don't have anyone in kindergarten. Maybe it's because they are happy to go. Corey says that I am finally growing up. yeah, right!

Anyway, everyone did wonderfully this morning. Lleyton and I even went up to the school to have lunch with Sophia. (Noah didn't want us to come eat with him.) They are all doing well. We were concerned about Sophia since there were so many tears from her last year throughout the entire year, but there haven't been any yet today.

The crew.

Noah got his Green Bay Packers shirt for his birthday from his Aunt Jamie. When he saw the package, he said, "I just know that it is clothes." We were teasing him and saying it was socks. Boy, was he relieved when he got it open! He was so excited. I just hope he takes the shirt off often enough so I can wash it!

Lleyton needed his picture taken, too.

Isn't her hair just gorgeous! We put it in rag curlers last night. I just love it. She keeps asking to get it cut short, but I'm just not ready for that to happen.

Here is Noah at his desk. He is sad, because there are only girls at his table. He wouldn't let me walk him to class. After we got Sophia settled, we went to check on him. He was so excited to see all of his friends again and to be doing work. (we'll see how long the excitement about work lasts!)

I can't wait to see Alexandra get off the bus and find out how her day went. Until then, I think I will treat myself to lunch - I have a coupon for a free zaxby's meal!

Birthday Boy

2008-08-25T09:11:00.003-05:00

My sweet Noah is 9 years old. He had many plans for this birthday. It all began on Friday night. It was our monthly Pack Meeting for Cub Scouts. There was a BBQ and swimming. Noah received several awards. He got his Wolf Badge, arrow points and 4 belt loops. Way to go, Noah! We are so proud of all the hard work he has done. He really enjoys scouting.

We did most of the celebrating on Saturday. He requested doughnuts for breakfast. Yummm... We usually let the birthday child choose where to go for dinner. He chose Cotton Patch Cafe. We ended up going for lunch, because he and Corey went to the Rangers game that night. His good friend, Daymon, came to luch with us.

Noah brought me flowers for his birthday!

I had mentioned to Corey that Alisa had this wonderful tradition in her family and that maybe we should start it. I really had forgotten all about it until I was given these flowers.

Yummy texas sheet cake!

Sophia used her own money to buy a present for Noah. It was so sweet. She was very thoughtful about it and got him something that he really wanted. Nerf gun bullets. :)

She also made him several handmade gifts.

This is what Alexandra made for him. I'm still not quite sure what it is, but he really liked it.

All in all, he had a wonderful birthday weekend. We are so glad that Noah is a part of our family. He is loves his family so much and has such a kind heart. We are very proud of him and all of the good choices that he is making.

Giveaway!

2008-08-07T21:00:00.004-05:00

Don't you just love this bracelet??

Ok, I'm not doing the giveaway, my friend is! Leslie has this great new blog where she sells all of her gorgeous & unique jewelry. I love everything she makes! In fact, I just picked up 2 button bracelets and some hair pins from her this morning that Alexandra and I are already fighting over. (my bracelets are red and pink. You can purchase this blue one from her blog.)

So, here is the scoop...Go to her blog, Altered Art, and leave a comment. She will be doing a random drawing on the 18th, so you have a little time - but don't forget! The lucky winner will get a scrabble tile necklace. Fun!

Now, go leave a comment and let everyone else know!

I'm so excited!

2008-07-25T07:42:00.000-05:00

Today, I am being highlighted on a great blog, http://www.kojodesigns.blogspot.com/! More specifically, my placemat purse is. This is a great blog run by 2 sisters. They happened upon my little shop after looking here at my blog for Safeway deals. (how fun is that?)

So, if things get crazy today, I'll just be thinking "It's ok - I'm being mentioned on kojodesigns!" I think this excitement is going to last me at least a week. :)

Thanks ladies!!

New Staples Deals

2008-07-22T08:54:00.002-05:00

I took the kids and went to Staples yesterday. Here is the rundown on what I purchased.

$0.05 Staples cap erasers - limit 2
$0.05 Staples 6" plastic protractor - limit 2
$0.25 1/2" and 1" simply plastic assorted binders - limit 4
$0.99 Pentel RSVP ballpoint pens, fine, assorted - limit 2
$0.35 Elmers School Glue - no limit, I got 6

My total was $5.72. Not too shabby.

They also had the 2-pocket paper folders on sale for $0.05 with a limit of 10, but I didn't need anymore of those. There are also a couple of rebate items, but I don't take the time to mess with rebates. Whenever I do, I always wait to long or forget something so I don't end up getting the $.

milestones

2008-07-16T11:59:00.003-05:00

Corey promised Lleyton that if he went peepee in the big potty, we would buy him a swim shirt. Sunday night he FINALLY did it!! Monday morning we headed to Target, hoping that they were still selling the shirts. The entire way there, Lleyton was telling us that he was going to get the "train one." I could not believe it! There was only 1 little boy swim shirt left, it was a train one, AND it was the right size!! That never happens for me.
Of course, we had to get some matching underwear!
This is the prize jar. (yes, there is a lot of dust on my table) He absolutely LOVES starburst! After one day, he has become the master at bladder control. He will just let a little bit out and say he's done and needs his candy. Two minutes later, we are doing the same thing all over again. I really can't complain, though. The thought of not buying anymore diapers is so exciting!!!

More School Supplies

2008-07-15T13:41:00.004-05:00

Thanks to Money Saving Mom for this great information about the sales this week at Office Depot!

"Office Depot Value™ Red Eraser Caps 12-PK - $0.01 each (normally $0.99!), limit 5 per customer
Office Depot® Brand Semicircular 6" Protractor - $0.01 each (normally $1.99!), limit 5 per customer
Office Depot® Brand 2 Pocket Paper Folder - $0.01 each (normally $0.29 each), limit 20 per customer
Office Depot® Brand Acrylic Ruler - $0.01 each (normally $0.59 each), limit 5 per customer
Also, there is a rebate for a 6-pack TOPS colored junior writing pads - on sale for $7.49, free after mail-in rebate.
All deals are good through Saturday, July 19, 2008; however, the ad says that quantities may be limited so I'd recommend shopping sooner rather than later if you want to stock up on these school supplies."

At Walmart, their 70-sheet Spiral Notebooks are on sale for $0.05. Unfortunately, my super Walmart has been out of these each time I go. When I asked about rainchecks, I was told that they don't run out of sale items. Huh??? Um, yes you do. Anyway, I guess I'll try again later on in the week.

You're Invited!

2008-07-15T09:41:00.003-05:00

You're Invited to an Open House featuring...

Coverwear
stylish & modest clothing
Altered Art
unique, handmade jewelry
Gold Canyon Candles
great summer scents

Tuesday, July 15th
7pm - 9pm
at my home

It's going to be a great night with refreshments and a few door prizes!
Invite your friends and come enjoy a Girl's Night Out!

**Just a note that Coverwear is currently having their annual Red, White & Navy Sale! ALL red, white & navy shirts (including long sleeve) are ONLY $12!!!! This is an incredible price. This is the ONLY time of the year that white is on sale! So, stock up now. If you are unable to make the party, you can email me or order online at www.coverwear.com/aprilfrancom

Free chili dog or kid's cone!

2008-07-15T09:35:00.002-05:00

Today, July 15th from 5-8pm, you can receive a free Original Chili Dog OR Kid's Cone at Wienerschnitzel!

"Celebrate National Hot Dog Month with a free Chili Dog or beat the heat with a free Kid's cone. Either way come to Wienerschnitzel for your free treat on July 15 from 5-8pm."

Visit www.wienershnitzel.com for the nearest location.

At participating locations only. Limit one chili dog or kid's cone per person, per visit. Cheese extra.

We have one of these restaurants down the street and we've never been. I don't think we'll get a chance to get there today. If you go, let us know how their ice cream tastes!

the princess is 6!

2008-07-14T19:01:00.000-05:00

"This is the best day ever!"

The fun included -

Putt Putt golf
Arcade at Putt Putt golf
presents, presents, and more presents
Swimming
dinner at Cici's pizza
Texas sheet cake - yummy!

memories

2008-07-14T13:41:00.002-05:00

I thought this was fun. I got this from Alisa. Here are the directions:

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you knew me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you. If you don't want to play on your blog, or if you don't have a blog, I'll leave my memory of you in my comments.