Colin had school pictures a couple of weeks ago. He came home yesterday with the proof. Do you think I should buy some pictures?
Thursday, April 30, 2009
House with a....
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
For my sisters
I have only gotten up to the trip to the hospital so far. Most of you were there for that much, so it probably isn't that interesting. More is coming.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Thanks for 13 Years of Bliss! (Guest Post)
Prom (1998) Homecoming (1998)
Thanks for taking a chance on a frumpy kid, with fuzzy hair, and oversized ears...:)
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Keepin' It Real Wednesday
You know what is bad about wearing maternity clothes when you aren't pregnant (besides being a major frumpmom)? They are way too comfy and roomy. Your body thinks, hmmm, I really should put some weight on - look at how much stretch I have left in this waistband!
Colin's Klondike bar was my late-night snack last night, and I blame it completely on the pants.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
And now Chad finds me even more attractive
Have I mentioned that I have started doing coupons? I hadn't been doing them (expect at restaurants, of course) for a about five years for a few reasons. For one thing, coupons are only for name brand items, and usually the item still costs more than the store brand item even after you take off the discount. Also, coupons are a lot of work. I never found the amount of work to be worth it.
So I have shopped at Aldi for almost four years and I have been really happy with it. Sometimes I have to go to Walmart for some things, like the brands of bread and mayo that I prefer. When I am planning right I can usually feed my family perfectly healthy meals, with lots of fresh produce, for around $75 a week.
However, a few of the grocery stores around here double coupons EVERY day up to 99 cents. That means if you have a coupon for 75 cents off, they will take $1.50 off. The thing is, these are the fancy pants grocery stores with low lighting and gourmet salad bars, where they actually bag your groceries for you (unlike Aldi). Which means their regular prices are WAY higher than Aldi or Walmart. So sometimes even with double coupons you aren't getting an incredible deal. What you have to do is stalk the sale items and use coupons on top of the sale price. Doing this, you really can get some incredible deals.
Where it really gets fun is sometimes these grocery stores declare triple coupons for a weekend. Last week the grocery store Bloom did this and I scouted out my coupons long and hard to make a trip over there. You can only use 20 coupons at a time, so you want them to be your very best ones. I was a little ticked because I had mine all picked out and when they rang me up they wouldn't accept three of them so I put those items back, but I was thinking, "I could have used 3 more!!" As you can see from the picture, I got all that food for $7.83. My total savings on that trip was $39.60, which is pretty great even taking into consideration the inflated original costs.
I was pretty happy with my haul and planned to make a couple more trips over there during the weekend, but Saturday just ended up being way too busy. My friend Shannon is a coupon pro and has a blog about it that you can check out here.
There is a certain thrill to saving that much money, and I would definitely do more if I had more time that I was willing to dedicate to it. I can't stand going to the store more than a couple of times a week. Hopefully as I get better at it it won't take as long.
Most of you have heard this story but last summer when Chad was fixing up his "flip house" there was a coupon at Lowe's that you could register for online that was $10 off a $25 purchase. You could only register for 10 per IP address, so Chad started buying them online. He would pay about 40 cents for each of them. He went in to Lowe's every day after work and made a purchase (or 4 or 5 seperate purchases at the self check-out) using these coupons. He purchased all the boxes of tile one at a time because it cost $24.99 per box. So he would buy a box of tile with a cheap paintbrush that would put him right over $25, and get $10 off. Chad was totally shameless about doing it, and the workers did not mind a bit. We used to joke that they probably had a picture of him up in the breakroom. He used a total of 74 of these coupons! So if you are ever wondering how much Chad's dignity is worth, your answer is $740!
Monday, April 20, 2009
Just when you are starting to think...
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Walking the halls
The values of the world wrongly teach that “it’s all about me.” That corrupting attitude produces no change and no growth. It is contrary to eternal progress toward the destiny God has identified in His great plan for His children. The plan of the gospel of Jesus Christ lifts us above our selfish desires and teaches us that this life is all about what we can become.....
...Each of us should apply that principle to our attitudes in attending church. Some say “I didn’t learn anything today” or “No one was friendly to me” or “I was offended” or “The Church is not filling my needs.” All those answers are self-centered, and all retard spiritual growth.
In contrast, a wise friend wrote:
“Years ago, I changed my attitude about going to church. No longer do I go to church for my sake, but to think of others. I make a point of saying hello to people who sit alone, to welcome visitors, . . . to volunteer for an assignment. . . .
“In short, I go to church each week with the intent of being active, not passive, and making a positive difference in people’s lives. Consequently, my attendance at Church meetings is so much more enjoyable and fulfilling.”
All of this illustrates the eternal principle that we are happier and more fulfilled when we act and serve for what we give, not for what we get.
Our Savior teaches us to follow Him by making the sacrifices necessary to lose ourselves in unselfish service to others. If we do, He promises us eternal life, “the greatest of all the gifts of God” (D&C 14:7), the glory and joy of living in the presence of God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. I testify of Them and of Their great plan for the salvation of Their children, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Quick Responses to "Just Curious" comments
Dad - I want an albacore taco!
Christie - No NICU! No NICU!
Ashley - I have a couple of purple tulips blooming in my garden right now.
KJ - thanks for mentioning parenthacks.com - never been there before
em - glad your trip went well. Hooray for In-N-Out.
Lindsey - hope you are able to find little things to do close to home this summer for some fun.
Tiffany - when you were pregnant with Callie I secretly envied you because you were so darn cute. I like your summer plans.
Mom - it will be a great summer! Busy, but great!
Audra - Glad to hear you got to go to Williamsburg! And I also enjoy Voice of Reason.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Just curious....
2. What did you have for lunch?
3. What are your vacation plans this summer?
4. What is your favorite website these days?
5. What are your favorite flowers to receive?
My answers:
1. Sunny and warm. Awwww.
2. Ham sandwich and cottage cheese.
3. Spokane, WA, visiting Chad's family, and hopefully a day or two at the beach somewhere closer to home.
4. Facebook
5. Probably tulips or wildflowers
Thursday, April 16, 2009
And finally....
Gabe, Easter 2006
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Monday, April 13, 2009
Camping, Day 2
Right as we were sitting down to eat, the campground host came running around, telling everyone that a storm was coming in about ten minutes and that we would want to take cover during it. About two minutes later we heard some thumps as hail hit the vans. We grabbed our food and ran to the vans. Chad has been teasing me because he says that amidst the chaos of running for cover, all he can remember is hearing me yell, "Grab the chips!!!"
But they kept the boys busy while we were stuck in the van!
You should click on this one to get the full effect.
After the storm let up we went back out to survey the damage...
Camping, Day 1
The kids and I picked Chad up from work on Thursday and took off. We got to the campground in time to set up and eat. Robert and his family went earlier than us and settled in, so they had dinner ready. The campground was beautiful, and we had two really nice spots right by the lake with a big grassy area for the kids to play on (and nice bathrooms close by).
Oliver and his cousin Liam are only three months apart, so really have no choice but to grow up as friends.
My nephew Evan and Colin had a good time posing with this boulder.
Beautiful end to a lovely day. We got a nice fire going after this and my kids got to stay up 'til 9 or so (which is very late for them). They slept quite well. I did not.