Shelly HomeMaker

Kids Tent!

2012-02-07T13:04:00.000-08:00

While hanging out with my buddy Katie one afternoon, I showed her this link-

http://ana-white.com/2011/06/easy-kids-tent-reading-nook

it was for a tent that I had seen on pinterest, and thought my kiddos would love in the basement. So I added it to my someday project list and there I thought it would sit.

A couple months later Katie brought it back up, about making one for the girls for Christmas! Um heck yes!

I also had been thinking that our nephew would love one too.

Since Tim would now be building 1 - I asked if he would be up for the construction of 2. Well this make it pretty easy on me, but I still managed to over complicate making the fabric tented pieces, but in the end it all came together!

This is the one Katie and Tim made for my girls - how lucky are they?

Here's the one Tim built, and I made the tenting for Isaac!

I think this is a great project, it is huge, but great, so make sure you have room for it or shrink it down a 18-24"

Addison tries Gymnastics!

2012-02-03T15:31:00.000-08:00

Addison is a busy little girl, not busy in the sense that she is over scheduled, but busy in the sense that she she needs activity as an outlet. We have decided we want our kiddos to get to experience lots of different things, different sports and activities.

We decided to start with gymnastics because it teaches body awareness, which in turn will help with other sports as well.

Here she is just scooting across the bars

Here she has to hang for the count of 5

I think she looks cute with the tiny pointed toes :)

Here she jumped and hung all by herself!

On a little circuit she has jumps, trampolines, and rolls to do!

I love watching her! I know where parent pride comes from now! It is exciting to watch her do something all on her own, successfully without me!

She has about 14 more weeks of this, it will be fun to see how much she'll get out of it!

Operation no more Mullet a.k.a. Callie's first Haircut!

2012-02-03T15:08:00.000-08:00

It may have taken a while, but Callie finally grew some hair!

I have been pulling it into pony's and pig tails, but she is always pulling them out, so I was ready to lose the mullet.

She was so amazingly good, and actually enjoyed it! She sat still when asked, and was just tickled to be the center of attention.

I know I was a little blondey, and Adam was super blonde, but I still can't get over the brightness of both her hair and eyes. Simply beautiful, and now she looks like a little pixie!

Let's talk Money - Successes and Trials

2012-01-24T12:35:00.000-08:00

Some people are reluctant to talk about money, I am no such person. I have come to realize the more you talk about money, the more you grow to understand it and the less of a stronghold it carries in your life.

We are in transition.

Aren't we all? All the time. I have decided that life is a moving target, as soon as you think you reach a goal, the next one will present itself. All in all that's a good thing, the hard part can be slowing down the train when it takes off. But as we have recently learned, slow and steady really does win the race, and there is now easy way to fix things.

We aren't shy that we have been blessed with friends that introduced us to the financial philosophies of Dave Ramsey. It has literally changed our life. I am ecstatic to share that this February (as in latest 6 weeks from now) we will be completely DEBT FREE (minus the house)!!! We will have paid off a little over $55,000 in 21 months! This has been possible due to Adam's incredible drive at work, and many sacrifices on the part of our little family.

Paying off our final debt (my student loan) will free up almost $500/month for us which will help in building our 3-6 months emergency savings and saving for the upcoming baby bills. Keep in mind this is all the while we have gone on a vacation, paid for preschool and gymnastics and still have a little fun :) We many not eat out as much, and could both use some new clothes but that has been as worthy sacrifice :).

Our next major hurdle on this adventure is to right our housing situation. As I type this I am actually awaiting the call of an ELP that Dave Ramsey recommends, about the value and possibly selling our home. See when we bought in Aug of 2006, we were not exactly wise and took out a loan that is no longer done, and shouldn't have been done for us. This in turn put us in a great house but one that we really couldn't afford. It didn't take us long to realize we were house-poor. Once we realized it, we also discovered that the value of our home has tanked, so we'll see. Things have recovered slightly, and we had some major finishing of the basement done, and we will look and see how off base we still are. At this point we would love to just get out, so we can get in the right priced home for us, so we can continue to see growth in that area of our life. It may be soon, it may be years, but one thing I have learned with this process is, that we CAN do it, and it will all be okay.

So, even with the DEBT FREE scream coming our way soon, don't expect to see us, in fancy new clothes and fancy new cars.... we still have a ton of work to do, but we are SO on the right track.

I strongly urge you, if you need any advice on bettering your situation, realize that it might be only 21 months away.... VISIT DAVE

Carrot Cupcakes with whipped Cream Cheese Icing - to die for!

2012-01-20T10:15:00.000-08:00

Well tomorrow we dive into the 2nd trimester of this pregnancy and I have been told "You're so funny when you're pregnant" - ahem Katie - "why?" I inquired and apparently I obsess over food a little bit. So if you follow me on pinterest, you're likely to see a few more food over home decor pins and I'm likely going to share some more favorite recipes with you! Win, win right?!?

Well as Most who read my blog know I used to own a cake business, like the real deal, Health Department hassles, bridal shows and decorating galore. One thing we prided ourselves on was baking EVERYTHING from scratch, so we would experiment a lot with recipes. Being at high altitude, this sometimes was successful and sometimes not, but always fun. One of my favorites that came about was this Deluxe Carrot Cake.

We called it the 14-karat cake! Get it? Well part of the reason it rocks is we would do a white chocolate cream cheese icing on top, but I recently tried it with a whipped cream cheese (which you could actually do a white chocolate - whipped cream cheese too) and it was awesome so I felt the need to share.

So as most of our recipes started out, we read a lot of recipes and looked for similarities, differences and things well that just intrigued me. Words like buttermilk and fresh produce were always a good sign.

One of the biggest things when working with high altitude cakes is that you need lots of moisture. More evaporates and unless there is enough it will sink and dry out.

Onto the Recipe:

14-Karat cake

**** remember this has been adjusted to work for high altitude baking, if you try it at sea level, let me know how it goes!!!****

4 eggs
3/4 c. buttermilk
3/4 c. vegetable oil
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
2 c. flour
2 tsp. baking soda
2 1/2 c. freshly, finely chopped or shredded carrot
1 c. flaked coconut
1 c. chopped walnuts
8 oz. crushed pineapple with juice
1 c. raisins

Preheat your oven to 325*

Prep your pans (grease and line then flour) or do liners for cupcakes

In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon - set aside

In kitchen aid (or large bowl) combine eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar and vanilla - mix well

Add dry mixture slowly mixing well

Back in your med bowl - combine carrots, coconut, walnuts, pineapple and raisins

Fold into batter

Depending on the size of your pans your cook time will vary

For cupcakes I swear by 15 min. that's it!

For pans set your timer for 30 and check back, if it jiggles, give it 10 more, if it is still gooey 5 more, recheck (super technical I know but it works)

While it's cooking you can make your icing.

Whipped Cream Cheese Icing

16 oz. room temp cream cheese
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1 c. cold heavy whipping cream

Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar, and vanilla until smooth and slightly fluffy

In a separate bowl mix heavy whipping cream on high until peaks are soft

Fold cream into icing mixture - do not over mix or will loosen and slide.

Make sure that your cake is cool before icing!

Give it a try, it's a hit, and let me know what you think!!!

Some cute kid pics

2012-01-16T06:58:00.000-08:00

Every once in a while, I just like to show off my girls, is that so bad?

Papa's (and Grandmama's) Prime Rib and Port Wine Sauce Recipes

2012-01-13T16:16:00.000-08:00

So this was my first year hosting Christmas dinner!

I knew I wanted to do something special, but those fancy cuts of meat just don't fit in our Dave Ramsey budget, but when dad offered to get a Prime Rib, there was no way I would turn that down!

So, I called my Papa and Grandmama, because my mom suggested that "Papa had the best prime rib recipe".

I got Grandmama on the phone and when I told her why I was calling she said, "Do you mean MY prime rib recipe, that he cooks?"

"Of Course I did"

So I was put on speaker and my favorite kind of recipe emerged from their conversation.... the, a little of this, little of that kind, that leaves you hoping you do okay.

PRIME RIB

So step 1: preheat the oven to 375*

Step 2: Prep the meat

Stuff with fresh Garlic - I took this to mean whole cloves, I cut a divot, and shoved it in, and used a ton

Make a rub consisting of Garlic Powder, Cayenne, and Ground Pepper and cover roast

Step 3: Cook at 375* for 1 hr in a shallow pan

Turn oven off and leave in there DO NO OPEN THE DOOR (apparently this is a huge deal because it came up about 1/2 dozen times, so much so, I decided everyone needed to know)

30-45 min prior to eating turn it back on to 375*

Rest for 10 min

Now the goal for Prime Rib is to be cooked Med Rare, and I learned after cooking that the recipe I was given was likely for a bone in, and I had boneless, so it was "over done" at Med/Med Well, but here that is what most would want to eat anyway, so it worked out.

It was OH SO GOOD!

In the picture you can see a sauce behind it, besides horseradish, Grandmama and Papa recommended a port wine sauce, and he gave me that recipe too.... want it?.....

PORT WINE SAUCE

1 c. port wine

1 c. beef broth

1 1/2 tbs whole pepper corns

over med heat

reduce to 1/2

strain

add 4-5 tsp blackberry jelly

reduce to 1/3

serve warm

you get a thick creamy, sweet sauce that is a GREAT compliment to this Prime Rib!

I hope I get a chance to make this again someday! And highly suggest if you get the chance you give it a try, it was so easy and I have NEVER gotten so many compliments on my cooking! Thanks Papa, I mean Grandmama for your recipe!

Big News

2012-01-09T14:27:00.000-08:00

Whew! 12 weeks in, so it's time to spill the beans! This July we are going to be outnumbered! We are excited and nervous about this new chapter, but it is nice to be at the stage where I feel comfortable sharing! Now I'm not "DDing tonight", or "I already had a coffee today", or "maybe I ate something that isn't settling well" now I can just say..... "I'm Pregnant!" Much better.

Ruffle Scarf Tutorial

2012-01-08T15:47:00.000-08:00

My sister Kathy made Christmas pretty easy on me this year, which I totally appreciate, she showed me exactly what she wanted me to make her for and even told me the color she wanted! Love it!

My cousin Staci is super talented, so I just had to copy directions she had already given me on her blog!

Just Sew Sassy

In her directions she uses an old sheet which, is totally my idea of how to do crafts, course I didn't have one that I really wanted to use, so I bought 2 yards of fabric. Now when I do this again, I will probably do 3 yards, just because I like my scarves a little longer.

One huge benefit, is that it only has to be 10" so your gonna get a good number of scarves our of a sheet or cut a fabric!

I also made some organza flowers on pins to put in the scarf. With this length it works really well to not tie it up, but to just pin it together!

I love how it turned out! Thanks cuz for the tutorial!

More Piggy Banks!

2012-01-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

I have a couple "nieces", whose parents share the same money philosophies as we do (in fact they are the reason we are almost debt free!) So for Christmas I decided that these 2 awesome little girls needed their own Give, Save, Spend piggy banks.

For one of the girls I made one on purple with peacock feathers and lots of glitter!

For the other little princess, I made her's pink with yarn and pearls!

Hopefully they will get lots of use, and understanding with their new banks!

For the tutorial on how to make these go HERE!

Santa Visit 2011 at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo

2011-12-31T05:00:00.000-08:00

This year we went to visit Santa at the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

It was fun because since it had just snowed it was cold but it was was so beautiful and gave an authentic feel.

Burlap, Wire and Yarn make a pretty neat gift for the hubby

2011-12-29T13:36:00.000-08:00

I had a clue what I wanted to make Adam pretty early on, what exactly it would say was not quite set in stone because there are so many things that remind me of him. I settled on the lyric "God gave me you", and on 100/0.

I did this by making floral wire into the words I wanted in a script and then tightly wrapping them with yard. A little hot glue at the beginning and the ends would hold in in place.

Some burlap stretched across a coordinating frame and the text attached and that's it!

I chose the lyric "God gave me you" because this song is one that always makes me think about how lucky I am to have this wonderful husband. I have been crazy blessed with a such an amazing husband.

100/0 has become a little thing that we choose to define our marriage. It is the idea that 50/50 is incorrect and not good enough for a growing, thriving marriage, but that 100/0 is the way to go. You give 100% and expect 0% in return. This idea is hard for many in our society, we easily jump to a selfish place, but if both partners are giving 100% and expecting 0% both feel full of love, all the time.

It wasn't a difficult project but it took longer than I anticipated to wrap the wire, so if you're planning this one make sure you give yourself a little extra time.

I'm happy with the turn out and the honey loved it to! Score one for me!

Elf Antics continue

2011-12-29T05:00:00.000-08:00

Elvis may have gone home to the north pole but he sure seemed to have some fun while he was here.

Addison found him funny and irritating all at the same time. She hated when he got into her stuff, but loved him being silly. Callie waved good morning to him everyday and even as I type this she is waving at the computer screen.

Elvis provoked a marshmallow fight with Cinderella, we aren't sure who won, but it looks like a good fight was had.

Found him stuck in a cup one morning

This one made Addison pretty mad, she did not like him in her car!

After I got a swing back that we had loaned out, Elvis was caught playing in it one morning, after the girls had been clearly told, not to touch it..... that elf, breaking all the rules.

We made some cookies for Addison's Christmas party at school and apparently Elvis DID NOT want them leaving.

Leading a Parade, a definite hobby of Addison's

One morning Elvis had a little gift for Addison, then she thought he should bring one every morning.....

Apparently Elvis needed a midnight snack

The Classic elf snow angel out of sugar

Found him on the can.... this was a riot to Addison

Hanging upside down at the bottom of the stairs!

And for his final ha rah Elvis left the way he came, in the tree, only this time he decked it, in is style.

Personally happy to have our home back to an elf free zone, but it was fun to have him here, and Addison really wants him to come back next year, so we will see if he shows!

Presents, Presents and more Presents

2011-12-28T08:20:00.000-08:00

So we are very aware of the "reason for the season" but it is soooo much fun watching you toddler and preschooler on Christmas.

This year we hosted Christmas day dinner so we had a full house and lots of fun. This also meant lots of presents for these little girlies. One of the great things about their age, is that they are excited about anything. It can be a $1 coloring book and Addison's face will just light up.

This year Santa had a special request, actually it had been requested months in advance as the basement was being completed. Addison really really wanted a little table and chair's. So Santa figured it out and it was waiting for the two of them in front of the tree Christmas morning. It was used all day for doing puzzles, eating candy and later, we all ate dinner at it.

Addison and Callie also had many joint presents, which was great because they play with them all together anyway and when Callie started burning out from opening Addison had no problem taking care of it.

One of my favorite things was how the girls had to try everything right when it was opened. It wasn't like open - cool - move on, it was more of a open - wow - let me try - neato - keep on - open something else.

I think one of the biggest hits this Christmas was "let's go fishin" for Addison and Callie. They took to the game quickly and now a few days after Christmas it is still played with constantly.

Funny story, the girls also got a pretend Kitchen aid mixer for the kitchen set, so they would fish and put them in the blender and make "scrambled eggs" Sounds tasty right?

Later in the afternoon the families showed up and the girlies were still just taken with all the new things they got in the morning and got to start again! What fun!

There was definitely definitely an Arts and Crafts theme for Addison this year, everyone seems to see how much she loves to paint and color.

Adam and I did most of our cooking on Christmas Eve because we didn't want to spend all day cooking on Christmas, and our oven would be off limits with prime rib, but I still was jumping back and forth to get appetizers out and sides prepped.

It was awesome having so much family under our roof, of course we missed Adam's brothers and their families who had alternate plans, but we know we will get together soon. I know it meant something special for the girlies to have, all their living grandma's and grandpas under one roof. It was also very special to me.

I had so much fun shopping and creating for family this year, almost everyone got something handmade. I just need to remember to start a little sooner next year to avoid the crunch I ran into this year. I was still finishing on Christmas Eve, that is stressful! I made scarves, bracelets, tents, home decor items, and a few other things too.

Dinner was great! My first Christmas dinner and I am happy with the turn out. I am going to do a few posts with the food and with the crafts I made coming up pretty soon!

We pray that everyone had an amazing Christmas, we were loved, and the presents were great, but the company was the best part. Take away all the "extra" and the reason for the season, glowed from our home that day!

Merry Christmas!!!

Newest Family Pic's!

2011-12-20T07:25:00.000-08:00

I am so lucky to have so many talented people in my life, between sisters, sisters-in-laws, friends and so many others, I have learned so much and been taken care of in so many ways!

These are our latest family pictures, I am using them in our Christmas cards that I need to get out pronto, and also putting a few up at home. I love how they turned out!

Sticking our tongues our was totally Addison's idea! Love her!

I saw something similar to this, where else, on pinterest, and wanted to recreate the photo, Addison thought it was hilarious, Callie thought it was the worst idea ever, still came out kinda cute though!

Merry Christmas from the Gutschick's!

Hand Warming Hearts

2011-12-09T08:00:00.000-08:00

These are pretty basic to make and make great stocking stuffers of small gifts for many friends!

Take some fleece and cut in into a heart shape. I printed a stencil and used it over and over to get the same size.

Starting at the point sew around the heart leaving a small opening at the end.

Use a funnel to fill the heart with rice

Close off the heart

Trim up edges for the finished look!

For my gifts I included 2 hearts with a note that read

"Nothing warms the heart like a great friend, thanks for being mine"

Vanilla Brown Sugar Scrub

2011-12-07T08:00:00.000-08:00

This Scrub smells good enough to eat! (but I wouldn't, it would taste icky)

I made 50 of these for the gift bags for our "Mom's Weekend Away" with church this last weekend. It was a HUGE hit, so I would totally recommend this as a gift, it can be as small as a baby food jar, up to a mason jar

Here's what you need: 2 cups Brown Sugar, 1 Cup White Sugar, 1 TBS Vanilla, 1 cup Sunflower oil

I covered the top with a scrap of fabric and a rubber band to hold it in place.

Enjoy!

It is great for heels, knees, well anywhere you'd want to exfoliate your body, because it is sugar and not salt, you can use it the same day to shave too!

What has Elvis been up to this week?

2011-12-06T13:52:00.000-08:00

Having one of Santa's elves in our home has been pretty fun, this week we hound him all over the place, doing all sort of things. Here's where we found Elvis!

This one was crazy funny, because Addison WOULD NOT drink the green milk. So for the next two days we either had to trick her with a lid so you couldn't see the milk or she would choose water.

Taped on some construction paper glasses, this one was a big hit.

Wonder what kind of trouble we will find Elvis in next week!?!

Coupon Shop: Safeway and Kings

2011-11-28T20:47:00.000-08:00

Shopping at the grocery store is not as heart pumping, giddy feeling, or exciting to me as say Walgreen's, but I can still rock a 40-70% off trip on a regular basis, and that's nothing to bat an eye at!

These 2 stores run pretty much the same way, with a few exceptions that I have noticed.

Overall I think King Soopers has lower prices, so I prefer to hit them up, because of the prices on meat and produce, but Safeway is walking distance, (I don't walk... that't just how far it is) so it is extremely helpful to know their stuff too.

King Soopers and Safeway will both double a manufacturer coupon up to $1, so if it says the value is .40 it is going to be worth .80 there, if it says .90 it will be worth $1

Both of my stores have clearance sections, so if you don't mind a box of cereal that is a little crush of yogurt a week from expiration, even meat that has a sale by date of that day (I freeze it) then these are your best bet! Mine are generally marked down 30-50% right there, and if it is on sale in the store you still get the sale price before the discount. So say soup is in the store for 4/$5 they are in the 50% off bin and you have a coupon for $1 off 2... that is an awesome deal. It makes a soup that is generally $2.50 a piece to 4 for .50. an awesome deal.

You can use store coupons in conjunction with manufacturer coupons at both Safeway and Kings

Safeway has many store coupons and when you pair them with a manufacturer coupon you can luck into a cheap or free item, there are not as many at Kings, but their prices tend to be better from my experience
You can load coupons to your card at both places, but beware, many coupons you load are manufacturer coupons and you CAN NOT use 2 manufacturer coupons on one item.

Coupon Limits

Each store has their own policy on coupons, here Safeway will take 4 in a transaction, and Kings will take 3. That's fine with me, I'm a couponer with a small stock, not an extreme couponer, i'd rather leave it on the shelf for my fellow couponers.

You can earn and use Catalina's at both of these stores

Catalina's are printed coupons of store credit that can be use in a later transaction.
You can see what Catalina's are available at their website

Gas Rewards

You earn gas rewards with your purchase at these grocery store, for every $100 you spend you receive one reward = to .10 off each gallon of gas.
Gift cards typically run a higher reward value or 2x and right now my stores have it at 4x! So a $25 gift card gets you .10 off each gallon of gas. So if you know you are finishing your basement (for example) you can pick up a bunch of gift cards to Lowes, do your shopping there with them and take a boatload off you gas bill.

You cannot buy gift cards to the grocery store of cash cards... I checked

Go with a plan

It is so easy to walk into a grocery store and think you're doing well, when really you're hungry and you want that.... Have a list, stick with it, unless you happen to catch a clearance bin item you know you have a coupon for, that's different.
A weekly menu - I will go more into this in a later post but a menu based on items already in your pantry, and freezer, added to the weekly circular and coupon pairing makes for a great shopping trip. You can get the items you need to supplement your dinners and purchase the next great deals to make in next weeks menu!
Entertain children - don't judge me, but I entertain mine with a DumDum if I know we are going to be in the store for more than 30 min. The first 20 or so they usually do great, then it is a slippery slope, but as soon as I pull out that DumDum I know I have bought myself another 20 min. It is to hard to think when I am also thinking about how to keep my 1 1/2 year old in the cart and my 3 1/2 from touching everything.

Well there you go, the basics to the Grocery Store, remember each chain, and state has their own policies so be sure to check out the coupon policy for the store you shop at!

The Elf has a name....

2011-11-27T11:45:00.000-08:00

With a few name suggestions Addison decided that our Elf's name would be

Elvis

and I think it's awesome.

This morning the girls found Elvis hanging over the breakfast table. I think he wanted to make his presence a little more known, seeing as he had to give such a negative report to Santa :(

Today has been much better :)

Elf Antics

2011-11-25T20:40:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow morning our girls will wake up to a new tradition.

Elf on a Shelf is a fun little tradition where the elf reports on behavior to Santa. Every morning our sneaky little elf will turn up in a new location and the girlies will get to find him.

Tomorrow morning they will find the elf (that they get to name), a story, and some doughnuts delivered by their elf. They are not allowed to touch him, but can talk to him and send messages back to Santa.

Truthfully I think Adam and I are more excited than the girls will be at first, as we have decided that our Elf, is a little mischievous. He'll get into stuff he shouldn't, do thing he ought not, say like a 3 or 1 year old might.

Of course we haven't forgotten the true meaning of Christmas, and our girlies will have a healthy dose of truth this Christmas season, but a little magic in addition is GREAT!

Growing Up

2011-11-22T07:29:00.000-08:00

There are many times where my kids amaze me. They both do things that just point out to me how much they are growing. It is so bittersweet, of course I miss the baby sage with both of them, but seeing them discover the world and learn is so rewarding.

The other day when I went to get Addison up from quiet time she wanted to show me something.

She did this all by herself! I know I'm her mom and biased, but I'm impressed! 3 1/2 and she can spell out her name alone. Pretty cool in my opinion.

James 1:17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,who does not change like shifting shadows.

Christmas is coming! I'm making ornaments!

2011-11-14T21:17:00.000-08:00

Mom's Weekend Away is coming up, and I volunteered to make the ornaments that will go home with the women who will attend, that's oh 60-70 ornaments. So after a little brainstorming with the committee I got to work!

Coupon Shop Walgreens!

2011-11-11T07:44:00.000-08:00

My ALL TIME favorite place to shop with Coupons is Walgreens.

It is a little more complicated than others but you also reap the best rewards for your effort. On average I can save 80-90% there, and I even get free items often!

Here we go!

Walgreens puts out store coupons weekly. They also have a monthly coupon book at the front of the store, and yearly they also put out a few like Infant Care, and Health Products. Look for ALL of them! (you can only use 1 store coupon per item)

You can use manufacturer coupons at Walgreens, they are worth the face value. (You can only use 1 manufacturer coupon per item)

You can combine 1 store and 1 manufacturer coupon per item!

So just like stated in a previous post, Start with a sale item, use a store coupon, and a manufacturer coupon for great savings!

If you are military, on Tuesday's Walgreens offers 15% off with a military ID! This is ON TOP of all the other deals!

Walgreens offers the WONDERFUL things called Register Rewards, this is how you can "make money" at Walgreens.

A Register Reward is basically Walgreens credit. It is a print out at the end of your transaction to use on a later purchase. For example you can get an item for $5 and it could have a register reward of $4, then you will pay $5 out of pocket, but have $4 for next time.

In an ideal world, you will buy a sale item, have a store and manufacturer coupon AND get a register reward back! I have done this and spent $2 out of pocket after my coupons then gotten a $5 register reward! See how you can make money! I made $3 on that transaction!

A few notes on Register Rewards

Only 1 Register Reward will print per brand per transaction - example if Playtex has a $2 register reward, if you buy 2 you will still only get 1, not 1 per item. You must do two transactions get two printouts.
A Register Reward will NOT print out, if you pay with a register reward from the same brand, so split them up. For example, you have that Playtex Register Reward, and the next week another Playtex item has a Register Reward attached to it, if you use the previous weeks Playtex Reward, the new one will not print.
Register Rewards count as Manufacturer coupons in the Walgreens system, and at Walgreens you must have an item for each manufacturer coupon you use. SO if you're like me and like to use a coupon on each item, you will need fillers to have enough in you cart to use your Register Rewards. Good fillers are erasers, single pencils, hard candies, anything super cheap. (Walgreens Coupons do not count in this, so you can use an item with a Walgreens coupon as a filler)
Register Rewards typically expire in 2 weeks, so don't loose track!

I think it is easy to see why this is my favorite! It may be a little complicated, BUT treat it like a game and it can be fun! Because of this store, I no longer buy deodorant, lotion, shampoo, razors, air fresheners, and so much more!

Have fun!

Dressing up the front entry with a wall mounted coat and hat rack!

2011-11-10T12:41:00.000-08:00

Loving my new set up by the front door

This is what we started with, a gift from a friend, but I have wanted to change up the style for a while.

After spending ~~way to long~~ a little time on pinterest I got some ideas and took a trip to Restore

I got 5 cabinet fronts for .50 each, knobs for .50 each and some wall hooks for 2.50. I already had the paint and the tools for this project. The grand total of this project was $9.50

Started with cleaning and painting the drawer front, then attached the knobs and hooks

For attaching the back I used playdoh to hold the tiny nail in place because otherwise ~~I would~~ there is a good chance I would smash my fingers, works good!

For marking placement on the wall I decided to try out the leftover face paints from Halloween, Just marked up the tip.

It totally worked! Yay!

Here's the finished project! Totally worth the $9.50

What do you think?

Gratitude Journal

2011-11-04T07:26:00.000-07:00

It's November, and with November comes a time that many start to reflect on what is important to them and what they are Thankful for in their lives. This is a GREAT thing, but what if we turned that one month idea and made it constant?

Would it change you, people around you, the world?

I'm not sure how far it would stretch but I do know in the last week that I have been doing it, it has strongly changed my perspective on my kids, my husband, my home and my circumstances in life.

Last week at MOPS is when this idea was presented, our speaker, a wise and Godly woman shared with us how she does/did one when her kids were little and how it became a prized possession of hers. I could totally see that, as this week one thing that got included was how I love hearing Callie's deep giggle during a tickle war... that will be nice to recall 10, 20, 50 years from now. My goal is to put one thing in a day. I leave it downstairs because it is easier to get to, and so I can do it when I think of it rather than waiting until right before bed, when it may be hard to recall.

I was given this journal by a friend last year and it has been re-purposed a couple times now but this is by far the best use for it.

I used my Cricut to cut out the Gratitude for the front and modpodged it on.

I encourage you to start one too! We have so many things to be grateful for and i should expand to more than a month of thinking about it.

Mirror and Frame Wall!

2011-11-02T11:16:00.000-07:00

I love how this turned out! I have seen some similar ideas around pinterest so I decided to make my own version! I have been wanting to do something different with the space over our dresser in the Master, and this seemed like the perfect option!

Originally we had a mission style mirror resting up there, that matched the bed we recently moved to the basement when we built the shuttered headboard.

So I have been collecting pretty frames and mirrors from thrift shops and ReStore for a while now and I finally collected enough!

It took me forever to lay them in a way I thought they looked good, and I still changed it when I hung them.

I also wanted then to coordinate a little bit so I took the gold and the white and ran with it. The ones that were a super bright brass, I brushed some paint on.

Then I went back and wiped some of the paint off with a damp sponge. Let dry, then use a clear sealant, or it will all come off when you have to wash the mirror.

Then it was just a matter of making sure there were picture hooks on the back of everything and getting it hung up!

Loving the Result!

Now I need to do something with that dresser....

I think it compliments the green headboard really well! and the white wash of the nightstands.

Making a Peacock (costume, that is)

2011-11-01T14:28:00.000-07:00

Callie's Peacock Costume was actually quite easy!

I made the dress - tutorial HERE

Home Made Legwarmers from a friend - tutorial HERE

Headband is just a basic headband with a couple feathers glued to it

Tail Plume -

I ordered feathers off Ebay, they were $16 for 25 of them
Hot glued them to a piece of felt
Safety pinned the felt to the dress. I also included a few pins around some feathers about shoulder blade level, so the wind wouldn't pull them down. SO EASY!

Quick and Easy T-Shirt Dress

2011-11-01T13:59:00.000-07:00

For Callie's Halloween Costume, I needed something in bright blue, purple or teal. See she was a peacock and though I wasn't too picky about what that something would be, I knew I wanted it to turn out cute... (I realize that is a ridiculous phrase, we all want the costumes to be cute, anyway...) So I searched thrift shop after thrift shop, for onsies, dresses, skirts... anything... and then I realized I had this t-shirt just stuffed in my closet!

See, I won this shirt from our local Christian radio station for having a witty comment on a photo, anyway, the shirt was a children's small.... still too big for my kids and too small for me. Turns out perfect for a dress for the youngest and the perfect color!

This shirt had a monstrous logo on the front that wouldn't work for the costume so I decided I would just sew it so it was inside out! Worked like a charm!

I also didn't worry about doing a finished edge, since it was for a Halloween costume it wasn't necessary. For doing a play around dress I might not either, the fabric from the t-shirt just does a little curl on the edge, and I think that works just fine for many things.

After I got it all together I found a little left over sequin ribbon, so I hand stitched it to the front of the dress to make it a little sparkly!

That's it! Got it done in about 15 minutes including adding the ribbon!

GIVEAWAY from Everlasting Impressions - Winner!

2011-11-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

The Winner of this Awesome Travel Bag and Goodies is.....

Kelly Jones!

Yay, Kelly, thanks for entering! We will get you your kit, thanks to everyone who participated and hopefully we will have another fun giveaway soon!

Diamond in the Rough!

2011-10-31T09:50:00.000-07:00

Check this out!!!

Isn't she pretty?

I Love Craigslist, however it can take ages to find something that is in good shape and a good price. I find tons of stuff there, but you do have to weed through loads of junk.

This Baby is beautiful, and exactly what I was thinking for my craft hutch! I had been searching for something that I would be able for refinish, and fix up, because nice ones go for lots of moolah that this "monetarily challenged" lady can't swing.

Of course I measured! Looking at the picture you might think I didn't but I did! Luckily it fit, see the people who owned it before must have just measured up the side, not counting the arch in the front, we thought we were going to have to cut off the bottom, but low and behold, we had about a quarter of an inch to spare! L.U.C.K.Y.

So looking at it, I can't decide if I want to "do" anything to it.... My first thought is like a printed wallpaper on the inside.... or a painted antique blue on the inside.... What do you think?

SO of course this hutch wasn't around the corner from me... in fact it was about a 150 miles round trip away, and turns out I am crazy blessed in the friend department.... Some friends of ours, that live close by to where the hutch was, went and got it and brought it to me..... crazy right?!? I know!

These are the friends! I made their wedding cake this August!

So after hutch and gas, this beauty was $85.... Couldn't be happier and can't wait to turn it into a crafting sanctuary!

How to use a Coupon

2011-10-29T13:18:00.000-07:00

This is the most Basic of all the things when it comes to MoneySaving and Couponing. You need to know how to use that thing!

It is actually quite easy.

A store sale saves you money

a store coupon saves you money

a manufacturer coupon saves you money

________________________________

Saves you tons of money, and can even get you items for free!

That's really the jist of it. Any one or combo of these things will result in a savings, but the best is when you can line it ALL up! That is the goal, every time. That is when you see the 70% and higher savings!

Questions? Hit me up!

Owl (or any bird for that matter) Tutorial

2011-10-28T07:18:00.000-07:00

First things first, Addison asked for a pink and purple owl... this tutorial could be an owl like I made in any color, or many other birds!

Yellow - Duck

Red, Yellow and Blue- Parrot

Black - Raven

I decided against making a mask, and to paint her face instead,

Fabric - This sweatshirt was a 3t so, it took about 3/4 yard of pink, and 2 sheets of white and 2 sheets of purple.

I cut them out so they ranged in sizes from 1"by 2" up to 2"by 2"

I put a notebook in between the sweater just in cast the glue went through so it wouldn't stick togther

Use a marker to draw where you want your belly feathers to be so when you get there you can just switch over

Make sure you let it dry first!

(On the backside of the sleeve)

I cut these ones so they were about 1.5" by 4"

I forgot to take photos of gluing the feathers on the hood, but it goes the same as the rest, just be sure things dry pretty good before you move it around to much or they could fall off.

I so want to see what birds you make!

Easy Home Made Legwarmers!

2011-10-25T15:19:00.000-07:00

This post is for my friend Meg! She saw Callie's Legwarmers at church this weekend and just mentioned that she liked them, I told her that I made them and you could see the wheels turning in her head! So Meg I took these pictures a while ago, but am finally getting to the tutorial, all because of you! So just in case we don't get together to make some soon, you can get started!

I LOVE LEGWARMERS!

I think they are the perfect gift for baby showers and 1st birthday's alike! Even my preschooler will wear them, and can I tell you how great they were during the potty training stage?!? I have even worn them myself with a t-shirt to make "sleeves"!

Professional Legwarmers will cost you a boat load easily. I bought a pair for my oldest back in the day at Target and they were $15! I know some of the name brand ones out there go for like $30+ That's just crazy and you'll see why.

When you make them yourself you can spend as little as $1 a pair..... yep, that's right $1. Usually I make mine for $2 a pair, just because I like the socks that happen to cost $2.... of course depending on what you find, that price will adjust.

What you Need:

Women's knee high socks

Scissors

Pins

Sewing machine (or patience, I prefer the machine)

Random spare thread (no one will see it)

A cute model

Start with your socks, pin them together so that all your cuts are the same.

Cut off the toe and the heal

(Don't worry about measuring, just keep as much of the foot fabric in tack as possible)

Unpin the socks at this point you will work with them separately

Fold the foot piece in half right side out

Wrap them around the raw edge of the sock, I pin them here

Sew the pieces together making sure that you leave the middle open,

working in a circle.

Also be sure you are going through all 3 pieces of fabric.

Fold down to show your newly made Legwarmer!

Repeat with the other leg!

I made a couple pairs in a matter of minutes. This is super easy and addicting, make them once and whenever anyone has a little girl you'll be chomping at the bit to make them!

Show them off! Remember they stay up better if you keep the original elastic part as the top of the leg warmer!

GIVEAWAY from Everlasting Impressions!

2011-10-24T14:16:00.000-07:00

Today I have a super awesome GIVEWAY from Kat at Everlasting Impressions!

First - She's beautiful .... case in point, photo

Second - She'll make your hair and makeup beautiful too! Whether it is for your "BIG DAY" or everyday, Kat specializes in making you feel relaxed and confident with your on location experience!

If you're looking for someone who will listen to you and give you that style that everyone asks about, you NEED to see Kat, like yesterday.

She is that good.

Today Kat is giving away an awesome

Travel Essentials kit!

Everyone needs some smaller scale items (so that you're not stuck using the junk given to you at the hotel, that makes your hair nappy and matte, what just me?) So be sure to get yourself in the running for this prize!

It's so easy to enter...

1. Follow Shelly Homemaker, and like Everlasting Impressions on Facebook!

2. Come back and comment here saying that you did these 2 things and you're entered!

That Easy!

This Giveaway is for Colorado Residents only! We'll have another soon open to all our followers!

A winner will be randomly drawn on Monday 10/31!

Thanks Kat, you beautiful thing you!

Office Space Costumes - Joanna and Lumburg

2011-10-23T13:36:00.000-07:00

A couple years ago, Adam and I were super motivated to have some awesome Halloween Costumes.... they did win at my sister's party so I guess they turned out!

I have had a lot of interest in these costumes lately so I though I would let you know how we put them together!

For Joanna:

Black Pants - had some
Waitress apron - best friend was a waitress at the time so I borrowed hers!
Suspenders - Way to big but again borrowed from a family member
Buttons - Goodwill and soliciting out to dozens of friends
Name tag - Printed out on paper and attached a cheapie make it yourself pack bought from the office supply store
Shirt - The hardest part! This I bought a cheap polo from the boys dept at Walmart, I bought some cheap cotton fabric from there was well. Cut strips out, and fabric glued them to the polo. As hard as I tried I could not find one that worked well otherwise.

Lumburg:

Office Pants - Seeing that my husband is a CPA this was the easy part
Shirt - This proved to be the challenge with this coutume as well. We ended up buying one on sale from a dept store that was a little to small but we looked for weeks at the thrift stores to no avail.
Suspenders - Borrowed
Tie - Tack tie from Goodwill, actually easy to come by, who would have thought.
Badge - Printed out on the computer and attached to another one of those cheapie name tag things.
Glasses - Goodwill again, they had some serious prescription strength lenses in them so we had to take those out so Adam wouldn't run into walls.
Mug - We printed the logo out and just taped it with packing tape to an old white mug we happened to have in the house. Adam drank is "coffee" from this mug all night!

We Have hung onto as much as this costume as possible over the years so we can whip it out and go win some costume contests should the desire arise :)

Lets see yours! Link your photos over here, or email them my way! Gotta love Office Space!

Pinterest funnies

2011-10-21T10:30:00.000-07:00

So No One reads the newspaper comics anymore right?

Well maybe they do but I don't, so to me that means no one does. Here are a few of my favorite new finds on Pinterest. When I get grumpy (that's the word we use in place of others....) I jump on Pinterest and find a good laugh. Maybe you need one today too?

Don't forget to laugh, you're so much better looking when you do.

You can find me on Pinterest HERE, and if you need an invite just let me know.

Guest Tutorial! Duct Tape made Coupon Organizer

2011-10-20T16:12:00.000-07:00

So My BFF (yes, I know I'm not 12 and yes I still use BFF) Katie, is one of the coolest people I know, mostly because she gets all my corny jokes without any explanation needed. She is also super fun to be around and like me loves being crafty, and as she puts it we are "monetarily challenged" so she perfectly put the two together and came up with this brilliant post! Enjoy!

Don't forget to check out her blog for some other great tutorials and fun posts at Little Bit of Love

Take it away Katie!

awww... so pretty, didn't I get you that necklace?

My friend Michelle is doing a blog series on saving money, couponing, and other sorts of fun things that us ~~monetary challenged~~ frugal Moms do for our families financially. On that note, I offered to do a few posts on this topic, and the first thing she asked for was a picture of my coupon holder...not really cause it's the do-all-end-all coupon holder, but more because I MADE IT and because its a nice simple one. So, I decided to go above and beyond and post more info on how I made it. First, here it is

Now, I decided to make this for myself real quick one day during nap time, so instead of thinking ahead and taking pics along the way for a tutorial, I was simply focused on finished before ~~all heck broke loose~~ my kids got up. So, this isn't a step by step picture kind of thing, but more of an overview:

Here is what I used:

~ 2 Mac and cheese boxes- you can any similar sized box, or a cereal box if you want a larger organizer

~ Fun Duct Tape (I found houndstooth, LOVE IT, and bought at a craft store....with a coupon of course!) This was actually the only item I had to buy for this project, everything else I happened to have at home

~ Clear Packing Tape

~ Scissors (yes, for cutting)

~ Envelopes (I used 3 5/8inx6 1/2in size, you could use longer for a larger holder

~ Ribbon (not a necessity, but it made it prettier and easier to see the flap, I just raided old wrapping paper/craft supplies for a peice)

~ Sticky back velcro- This is just to hold your top flap closed. Again, I happen to be a craft nerd, so I have some but you can find little packages of this about anywear, very handy.

Here is how I cut the first macaroni box- cut off the top and bottom flaps, then cut out one of the skinny side pannels. Voila, you have the folder section for the coupon holder.

The second box for the flap, I patterned this after my billfold, actually, cause I like it. Just cut one of the large sides of the box about 2/3 of the width, then cut triangles off the sides to make the angles.

Okay, assembly. Now to not leave you hangin I am putting up the Youtube tutorial I found for the idea. Notable differences are the size of the holder (I wanted mine to fit in my purse) and the decorative ribbon, and the flap I just stuck the ribbon to the holder and covered it with a strip of packaging tape (which is also used to attach the inner envelopes, as you can see in the video) across the top for protection. For the flap, I made a section for the "hinged" top area out of just duct tape so it would be more flexible, and then have the flap. So, I covered the box folder...then had a strip of plain duct tape...then attached the flap. Hope that makes some sort of sense after you see the video.

A couple things to remember:

~ My duct tape was just slightly see through in the white part, so I made the bright side of the box the inside.

~ Start by taping the inside of the holder and finish on the outside, this way the tape overlap will be on the inside of the holder.

~ These are just ideas, make it your own! And if you have a question for me, just ask :)

Thank you Katie for sharing this with us! Hopefully many of you will try this and link us some photos!

Funny tidbit, I have lived 28 years, been a crafty person for most of those... well from glue sticks and glitter on, and always swore it was Duck tape... like quack quack, not duct tape.... learn something new everyday I guess!

Reading the fine print on a Coupon

2011-10-20T15:48:00.000-07:00

There is a lot to a Coupon, and it can be super overwhelming when trying to understand them. I am going to attempt to translate a few for you, and when you aren't sure, you can ask, ask me or anyone in the coupon world. Do not use it because you don't understand.

Limit 1 per purchase
Limit 1 coupon per person
No other coupon may be used with this coupon

The point of this is so that you cannot use more than one manufacturer coupon per item, thus making it free. It keeps you from stacking manufacturer coupons on manufacturer coupons.
It also means you can use one for any of that item in your cart. So you can use 3 of them if you are buying 3 of the item.

Limit of 4 like Coupons in a shopping trip

This one keeps people from clearing the shelf, so I love this coupon.
Notice how it is Shopping Trip, not transaction. Many extreme couponers will do MANY transactions to get around rules, this one makes it a little harder, they want you to leave the store and come back.

Limit 1 per transaction

This is most common on store coupons (Target Especially) but is appearing more and more on Manufacturer coupons and literally does mean you can only use one of that coupon.
You can do more than one transaction if you'd like to get more than one thing with your coupon.
You can also mix your coupons, for example if something is running a special when you get 2, you can use one Limit 1 Coupon per transaction for one price and one for another, so if you have a $3 off and a $2 off you can use both, or you can use one Limit 1 per transaction and one that doesn't have that.

Do Not Double

This is in reference to manufacturer doubling. If you are at a store that will double (to any amount) this will still happen.

Picture vs. Description of product

Many times if you pay attention to the description it will cover more than the picture that is shown. The picture is generally for the more expensive item and the coupon will actually be usable on many if not all of their products.

Wood Grain Fondant Tutorial

2011-10-15T09:42:00.000-07:00

I have always gotten good feedback on how I make fondant look like it is wood, so I though since I was doing it for a friend's boys birthday cake I'd show you how it's done!

Materials

Cake covered in fondant (I prefer marshmallow fondant, just tastes better)

Brown food coloring gel

Lemon Juice (or Clear Alcohol)

Paint Brush

Sponge Brush

First cover your cake.

One of the nicest things about this one is It doesn't to be the most beautiful fondant covering job. It actually will give your wood character if there was a bubble you had to flatten out or a piece you had to stick back together. It will all work out to give it that natural look.

Create the pieces of wood, and the imperfections.

Using the back of your paintbrush, score the pieces of wood, and the divots that would exist. Vary them in size and depth into the fondant, just be sure you don't go all the way through.

Paint the divots

Using your paint brush dip it directly in you gel color and paint in the divots. Do most of them this way, and don't worry if they look sloppy, it will blend together later. It is also good to smear the color outside of some of the divots.

Thin and lighten to color.

Add some more color to a small dish, add lemon juice until it thins to a liquid. The more lemon juice you add the lighter the color will become. Experiment on a extra piece of fondant until it is the color you want.

Paint the rest!

Using your sponge brush, dip into the color and paint onto the cake. Remember wood has a grain and you need to only go one direction as you paint. Areas may run, when this happens go back and just brush over it again. As areas dry you can add a little more and it will adjust the color. Brush often and let it slide around the darker color from the divots.

Let Dry

Before you can really do any other decorating on this piece it has to dry. When you use lemon juice it takes longer, but surprise I didn't have any vodka. That would have been my first choice when mixing the paint. It dries quickly and the alcohol evaporates off. Don't use water, it wont dry by the time you want to eat the cake, it will remain tacky.

Decorate!

The Wood Grain Fondant looks great for many things, and in this case how about a treasure chest!

Hope this was helpful, if you use this tutorial I would love a link back to my blog and to see your work!

Playing and Pumpkins

2011-10-14T14:45:00.000-07:00

WE LOVE PLAYING WITH OUR GIRLS!

This year we tried a new pumpkin patch. This was totally unintentional. We had planned on Adam taking a day off so we could hit up the Happy Apple Farm on a weekday instead of the weekend, since places get swarmed on weekends. SO for a couple of weeks we planned a Monday off!

Well that Monday rolled around and as we are getting out plan together we saw that they are closed on Mondays..... oops. Guess our planning fell a little short.

We seem to always do things like this!

So Adam got on the computer to find if there was another option. We ended up here!

We had to pay to get in, and that blows but it was fun. They had a ton of stuff for the kids to do. Here comes an onslaught of photos.

Bowling!

Kid Sized Maze

Petting Zoo

Corn Box

So proud of herself for going alone!

Callie Hated it and CRIED everytime- and yes she went more than one, we kept thinking, "maybe this time she'll like it)

We also paused for a few fun family pictures :)

Jazz Hands!

Last stop was for some pumpkins. This was the one thing that wasn't so awesome there, they were just containers full of pumpkins.

I like the pumpkin patch idea so much better where you get to pick a pumpkin off the vine, but I guess most places here were like that this year. So it wouldn't have made much of a difference.

she is crazy blonde, sometimes it just boggles me!

All in all the girlies had a great time. It was fun watching them explore so much and I'm glad we found something to do with Adam's day off!

Hey honey.... I think it's time for another :)

(day off I mean)

(or do I)

Storing Your Coupons

2011-10-13T16:09:00.000-07:00

THERE IS NO WRONG WAY TO STORE YOUR COUPONS!

(I take that back, a pile on the corner or in a box somewhere, that might be wrong)

I'm going to outline a few options for you today, then you can copy or modify, as to how it will fit your life best.

First I want to throw this out there, when I started couponing, I alphabetized my coupons, thought this would be the best method. It didn't take me to long to realize it took to long to find things when I really wanted them, so I revamped that and now I strongly encourage you to do it by category.

I use the binder method. I have a huge binder broken up into categories.

The first page has my contact information.... heaven forbid I leave it in a store or something, I would cry if people couldn't reach me.

Right after that I have page protectors for the coupons I plan on using. For example, my grocery store has a page, so when I find a deal I know I will do next time I am there, I pull the coupons out of the back, then move them to this spot. It saves me some time when I am in the store.

Next I have each category, I start with Produce because that is the first area of the store I hit, then they go in order of the store, so if it happens to be a day where I walk the aisles (not often) they will be in order for me. I use baseball card holders for this part because I can keep them so I can see them :)

Last I have some page protectors for the circulars and store coupons

Another option is a Modified Binder option (and honestly I am thinking of switching over)

In this version you flip through you coupons every week and clip only the ones you know you will use. Then you store the rest. I would still recommend using a binder for this and using page protectors to store by date.

Then you can just watch your favorite coupon blogger and they let you know when the great pairings happen. You can always go through and clip them then!

This version saves you a ton of clipping time, but you can also miss out on clearance bin deals and overstock deals in your store.

The last idea I will share with you is a small file system.

She made this out of a cereal box and duck tape.... wow!

Basically you do a lot of what you do in the first binder, except just put all your coupon under a tab for that category. You still clip and sort, but they are in a much smaller system that will fit in your purse.

Everyone finds what works for them! What works for you? Do you have another way you store your coupons? Share in the comments!

Next time ---- reading the fine print and understanding your coupon!

Finding Money

2011-10-11T13:34:00.000-07:00

Finding Your coupons is the first step to understanding this whole couponing world. Coupons are as good as cash so acquiring them, is a good thing.

Start with your Mail

Realize that most mail these days is bills and junk mail. You'll hardly ever get something you were looking forward to, unless you start counting Coupons and Circulars in that category. Every Weds. I get an insert. It is typically the same as the next Sunday so already I will have 2 of many coupons! (This rocks)

You will also start to notice the store coupons that come your way. Make a file for them, Bed Bath and Beyond, Kohls, Gordmans, JC Penny and so many more will just send out discount coupons to get you in the store. Many times you can use that with a Store Sale and a Manufacturer Coupon and get some serious savings.

Circulars can come in the mail too. One I get is Albertsons, it doesn't typically make it in the Sunday Paper, so I am thankful to see it on Weds!

Get the Paper

The Next step is to get a copy of your local paper. Often if you're a new subcriber you can find an AWESOME deal. Here in our city our local paper runs a fundraising special! It cost me a whole $1 for an entire year of Sunday and Weds. papers. Yes that's 52 weeks of the paper for $1. Call your local paper and ask. You never know what they will have going on. Because of this I also ordered one for my dad who lives right around the corner, and get his coupons from him.

More Coupons

Like I just mentioned I get a copy of coupons from my dad every week, I also happen to get the one from my husband's work. I like 3, it is enough for me. It restocks me until the next time the coupon and sale comes around.

Every once in a while I like a few more. This is where I can trade with friends, pick up an extra paper at the store, or go online and print it out (if available)

You can also have a coupon subscription with your local paper. If you call you can order your paper and up to 10 (here at least) inserts that will come to your home weekly.

The Hardcore couponers out there, will take advantage of a coupon clipping service. These can be found with a quick Google search, and this way if there is a great deal you really want to take advantage of you can order some more. Of course it costs money so you have to be sure that the cost doesn't hinder your benefit to much. I have recently started looking into this more and when I give it a go I will fill you in on the process and how it worked for me.

Online coupons are a great way to get a few more of one or find one you didn't have at all! Of course if you don't end up using it you will have printed out a coupon and spent money on paper and ink that never benefited your budget! So my tip. Don't overprint! If you see something you just know you will use, by all means print it, but otherwise wait. Wait until one of your handy dandy coupon sites gives you a heads up on a great deal, then go print it out. Note: You can only print out 2 coupons per computer, not house, but computer so if you have 2 you can print up to 4; 2 on each computer. They each have their own code and will let you have 2. You CANNOT photocopy coupons, they will hunt you down and shoot you! Okay that's a little dramatic, but it is coupon fraud and a no no. You could find yourself in hot water.

Some options to consider (there are sooooo many more than this)

www.redplum.com

www.pg.com

www.smartsource.come

www.coupons.com

Register print outs, you know those long skinny things that print alongside your receipt at the store, they are actually called Catalinas, but sometimes they have some seriously rocking coupons! Don't toss them, add them to your stash!

Facebook pages are a great way of following brands you like. If you LIKE them you will likely see if they have an awesome new coupon out. Last week I got a completely FREE pizza from Dominos, just because I happened to follow the page and see the promotion! Completely worth it to me.

Manufacturer Websites are great if you are looking for something specific. Especially when getting started, you may need to play a little catch up so even if all the stars don't allign to get the rock bottom price, you can still have some savings until the next time it rolls around. I find this especially true of condiments and diapers. You may just check out their website, or call. Sometimes all you have to do is ask.

This should get you started, on the next installment, we'll make a little more sense of what to do with all these coupons. Thanks for joining in! Leave me your input in the comments and be sure to grab the button to share on the side!

Personal Inventory

2011-10-10T11:15:00.000-07:00

When it comes to MoneySaving it is important to notice that you've already started. EVERYONE does something already, sometimes it is just taking an inventory of those things!

SO... just think through a normal day.... what things do you do to save money?

Make your own Coffee instead of 5bucks?
Pack a lunch?
Wait till you have a full load to do some laundry?
Take kids to the park instead of play-places?

I am willing to bet if you do this you will think of a ton of things

Share what they are!

If you added up the money you could be spending, but aren't it will be super motivating! Remember slow and steady wins the race! You've made some changes, now you'll start learning how you can make other! In turn you WILL save money and that makes it as valuable as a part time job!

I like to think of saving money the same way as making money, both, take time, and thought, and both pull you out of the hole, or leap you ahead!

I would love it if in the comments you started listing the things you do, already to save money!

here are some of mine that I came up with from before I even started my Gazelle like behavior!

wash clothes on cold
borrow maternity clothes from friends
use this wonderful thing called a library
DIY everything
cloth diaper
cloth wipes
Hand-me-downs
redbox
cook dinner, often
cook double and freeze
Shop sale racks and clearance bins

this is a short list, and it could easily have grown had I thought a little harder, what do you have to add, that you ALREADY DO?

MoneySaving and Couponing Introduction!

2011-10-10T07:55:00.000-07:00

So I recently became the coupon guru at Church....

See I did a presentation for MOPS all about MoneySaving and Coupons.

Since taking some friends advice and taking Financial Peace University, we got our Gazelle on and started trying to find every way we could to save a buck, it wasn't just upping the income, but lessening the outgo.

Of course there has always been the option for me to go "back to work"
( Funny, I work harder now than I did as a teacher)
but that was not for us. We made the joint decision that while the kids were young, I was the best teacher for them. We see it as God equipped me, specially to be their mother, which is one of the most important teachers they will ever encounter, and while there are many opportunities for me to teach later, now is my opportunity with them.

Of course this choice is NOT for everyone, and I respect and understand that. (There are Many days where I wonder if it is for me) Some moms are better moms when they get to have their outlet in the form of work. Some just enjoy it, and really there is no right or wrong, just right for a family.

What am I getting at?

Well after doing my talk many were interested in more information, as were some that couldn't be there. So ....

Lets do a series on this very topic!

I share what I did in the talk, and even more! Our family saves $100's a month on some easy changes and even more on ones that take a little more effort, so I'll share what I do and you take what works for you!

If you have questions, feel free to email me or put them in the comments and I will do my best to address them in a future post!

Be sure to Grab the button on the side! Share it on your BLOG or FB. Creating a community with common interest is so much fun! HERE WE GO!

Fabric Organza Flower Tutorial

2011-10-05T07:51:00.000-07:00

When my sister got Married on July she figured out how to make these

BEAUTIFUL

flowers for our hair.

Isn't it super pretty?

Well when a time came up to make some for MOPS friends, we jumped on it!

Snapped a few photos along the way so You wouldn't also have to figure it out!

Start with cutting about 5 circles in graduated sizes, any color combo you like. Solid is great and so is making different "petals" different colors, just go with what you like.

We discovered that if you use organza just from a bolt of fabric, it makes a gentle curl, BUT is you use organza ribbon, it curls a TON! So depending on what you like, there are options! (Gotta love options!)

Tack them together with a little thread.

Hold the edges over a flame. (Candle, lighter, both work fine.) If you get to close you will burn the edges and then it looks a little funky so just get close and wait, if in a few seconds it doesn't start melting, move in a little bit. It will melt and curl the edges.

If you're Katie, Jenn and I this is where you go a little overboard and though you started with wanting to make one per person (about 22) you decide to go for overkill and make about 60....

So now you have the basic together and it is just time for finishing touches...

Depending on how you want to wear it, you may want to put a little piece of felt on the back. We did this for ones that we attached to bobby pins and alligator clip. We also did some super simple ones with just safety pins.

Depending on how many you made and how burnt out you are, you can either sew in some beads to the center or ~~cop out~~ use time management and hot glue them in. (we chose the lazy version)

TA DA!

wear then proud! They make great hair accessories, nice pinned to shirts and cardigans, even nice buckled on some dress shoes! Get creative and tell me how you would wear them!

And she'll have fun fun fun till her daddy takes the bounce house away...

2011-10-04T21:18:00.000-07:00

We had our first official school event this past weekend. Family Fun Night was truly that, fun!

There was pizza, ice cream, games, a cake/cookie walk and the biggest highlight of the evening, A BOUNCE HOUSE!

When you're 3 1/2 what else is greater than bouncing in a bounce house. I think a great comparison would be a really great nights sleep followed by a great hair day and then being told to shop and craft all day... while having margaritas.... ahhhh perfect

Who doesn't love some temporary tattoos? This girl sure does! (so does the boy picking his nose behind her)

Callie was pretty enamored with the sticky hands that were a prize in one of the games. Daddy saved the day when he gave her a new one when another kid took hers away. No one messes with his Callie-bear.

The cupcake and the cookie walk was super cute. Callie thought she had to sit on the number and Addison won some cookies that we later ~~took~~ ~~tailgating~~ let her enjoy.

All in all it was a great start to a great weekend. And the best part was watching Addison bounce, the worst part, taking her home and her not wanting to leave the bounce house. Ah well.

Give, Save and Spend Piggy Banks!

2011-10-03T07:10:00.000-07:00

I am so super excited about this project!

This is one I had been planning for quite some time, just wasn't quite sure how I wanted to do it. See if you didn't know we are a "Dave" family. Meaning we have taken and follow the principles in the Financial Peace University course and we are well on our way to obtaining said peace.

Well having small children we are quickly entering the age of, "Can I have?" "Will you buy me?" and "Please Please PLEASE mommy!" So we have started rewarding Addison with Rocks. She earns and loses rocks based on behavior and extra things she does to be helpful. For example, Addison shares with another, without prompting, or forcing, this can earn a rock. Addison sasses me or anyone for that matter, loses a rock. Then every Saturday we swap our rocks for money. How much is still on the fence, it kinda depends on how good we can do with giving her the rocks. At this point it is .05 per rock. So we swap them out, and now we will distribute them to the appropriate jar at the same time! 1 in Give, 2 in Save and 2 in Spend. This will hopefully teach her how to save and ever Sunday she should have a little bit to put in the basket at church. A very worthwhile lesson early.

SO ON TO THE TUTORIAL!

Started with a few Jars. These happened to be Salsa Jars. See I don't like to buy things, unless I really have to, because it cuts into the money I have for my projects, so the less money, the more projects. The total cost of this project? Well I needed Mod Podge and Puff Paint, everything else I had on hand so the cost of this one for me was $7 and future ones will be even less because I bought the Large Jar of Mod Podge and barely used any!

1. Wash Jars - Peel those labels off or prep your mason jars. You could easily find some fun unique jars at a thrift store, and then they could each be different! That would be cool. If your jars had a label and you have sticky glue left, spray a little WD40 on them and give it a minute, it wipes clean after that :)

2. Make the color you want you jars to be! - use some Mod Podge and food coloring to make any color you want, and bright or light as you want. I went with a Sky Blue, but almost did them different colors, and almost tried to fade it one color to another....

3. Use a foam brush to just paint it on - I like foam brushes, they are cheap and they work for so many things so well! Try to make it even and try to move quickly, as it dries it will get tacky and start pulling the color differently. Brush the outside. Some tutorials out there have you paint the inside but since this will have money dropped in it, it would scrape it up.

4. Dry Glass - Depending on your patience level you can let them air dry (a few hours) or dry them in a warm oven, 175 degrees (45 min ish)

5. Make your lids - So I purposely chose something that would have twist off lids. It is so annoying trying to get things out of a piggy bank that you got in through a tiny hole and only having that tiny hole to get it back out.

I decided to make holes in the lids, this way it would still act as a typical piggy bank. Now you could totally skip this part and just decorate them, as it was a pain. I used a knife and a metal file to get them to the shape they ended up. It took a long time and was annoyingly loud, but it got the job done. Now I would imagine there are some awesome tools out there that would make this step easy and come out nicer and in the future I will figure that out (if you already know, go ahead and tell me, I don't have to figure it out on my own)

I was going to just spray paint the lids, but was worried about little fingers and the sharpish edges if the holes I cut (I filed as best I could, but still) and decided to Mod Podge on some paper so I could fold it through the hole. I also really like the patterned top.

6. Decorate - I used some ribbon around the edge of the lid, some puff paint to write the GIVE SAVE SPEND and the decided to dress it up even more with some raffia and faux flowers. I am super excited to get some use out of it and think it is a beautiful version of a piggy bank! If your gonna do it, may as well do it with style!

Something else I though of, I wonder if you could use old small peanut butter jars? Then they are plastic.... hmmm might have to try that sometime.

I see a few of these in my future as Christmas gifts!

Dave would be so proud :)

If you do this project I would love to see how it turned out and link it back to my blog if you post it! Thanks!

Craps, oops I mean, CRAFTS this week

2011-09-27T10:20:00.000-07:00

I love getting the opportunity to craft. That is where the cake business originally started you know. It was fun, and creative, and that is right up my ally. Well now that that is off my plate (lol, if you see the nerdiness in that, I love you) I have had more of an opportunity to do "MY CRAP". It is also hugely helpful that my awesome husband let me keep the Garage sale money from this summer as, project money.

So the first thing I got to cross off my list was a piano lamp. I needed a piano lame because somehow, under adult supervision, Addison managed to break mine :) I need one considering I teach at night quite often and my eyes are already not as good as they used to be (never thought I'd say that at 28, ugh)

I lucked out and found one at goodwill, and it happened to be the clearance color of the day, so I got an hideous brass lamp for $4! But it was hideous, so I swung by one of my favorite places, Lowes, and picked up a can of spray paint, after a quick couple coats, I love it. Project total $8!

Next on the list was a present for a Very special little girl in our lives, Charlotte, this is her....

She is the sweetest little girly girl! So what do you make a princess for her 2nd birthday? Accessories of course!

So I made Charlotte a headband holder and a few headbands to get her started. Back in the day I made her a barrette holder so now she can have a place for her headbands and hair ties. See, it is an old lemonade container so she can put some stuff inside! Clever I know, but I didn't make it up. It is an idea stolen straight from pinterest...

Callie Modeling one of Charlotte's Headbands

Next on the list, was a couple Mei Tei's. Now I really shouldn't have left these to the last minute like I did, but that's how I roll quite regularly, so I get over it and just get it done. I have some wonderful friends getting ready to bring some new life in this world, (shout out to Dana and Amy!!!) and every mommy need a comfortable way to get that baby around with them. After Katie made me my Mei Tei, I know the great value in one so, I make them for friends who want, and will use, them. They are crazy hard and busy work but the pay off is super awesome.

Katie has a wonderful tutorial on her blog if you want to give it a go yourself.

Up next on my list was just a little gift for a friend and her daughter. Its a barrette holder. I should have added more ribbon, but otherwise I really like it.

This is a pretty simple and inexpensive project. I always get the frames from Goodwill, and spray them any color I want.

The last thing on my list was to turn these old bar stools I got on craigslist for $20,

into nightstands.

It was a fairly easy process, take the backs off, tighten them up, saw off 3" from the bottom, sand and whitewash them. I had the paint and the poly, so this project literally cost the $20 I spent on the stools.

Here's how they turned out! I think they look great in our room!

Making progress on the makeover! One thing at a time, but it totally motivates me to get the dresser fixed up!

SO, yeah I guess I was pretty busy. I think this week I will focus on getting caught back up on the laundry and the bathrooms. I'd so rather be working on my crafts!

On deck?

Table makeover for crafting on

Hutch for craft crap

cover for cord on piano lamp

Mirrored wall for master

Dresser makeover

Casserole carriers

HALLOWEEN COSTUMES

and so much more!

Playing with the Girlies

2011-09-26T21:34:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love my girlies. Now I know that is totally normal and not an original statement, but it's so true! I love their smiles and giggles, hugs and kisses. I am truly blessed to be their mommy.

Softball and Mudpies

2011-09-26T21:26:00.000-07:00

Softball is a ton of fun. Whether it be intermurals in college or old people softball these days. I don't play so much anymore, (someone has the watch the girlies) but I still love to watch.

This is what I should have been watching for the 2 hours that were were at the field....

However this is where my attention was.

If you know me ~~well~~ at all, you know that this is a big deal. I don't like dirt. I don't like my girls in the dirt or making messes. I'm a boring mom like that.

Well I gave in. After fighting them to stay with me and hang out, I figured the best way to get them to stay where I could see them was to let it go.

So I did, and they had SO much fun. They literally played in the mud, making pies, and mountains for a little more than an hour.

Callie only tasted it once. That's not bad right?

I had to take some pictures are proof, I knew there were a few who wouldn't believe me when I told them. Turns out it was actually really fun to watch them make such a mess and just play.

Just had to strip them down for the car ride home...

Oh yeah, and Adam did really well too :)

Before and After!

2011-09-07T21:39:00.000-07:00

I Love my before and After.

My Sister with Everlasting Impressions did my hair today, and I'm in love. Check it out and give her a call!

And the best part! After! Some Highlights and a drastic cut! LOVE IT!

Ah! Now I hope I can keep it up!

Crafty in the blood?

2011-09-02T20:28:00.001-07:00

It is funny when you think about being a Crafty person. See I can't picture NOT being. I love to make things. Usually when I see something, I typically think it is over-priced and wonder how I can do it myself.

I guess it shouldn't surprise me when my kid is the same way. Addison took to decoupaging her preschool bucket like an old pro. I showed her how to do it once, and she took over. Ripping her own paper, taking it one and brushing the top. Nicely done Addison.

Notice Callie in the back. She is YELLING cheese at the camera, these days.

Addison Completely did this part of her preschool bucket. Tomorrow we will write her name on it and use glitter, ~~I'm~~ she's stoked.

On another note, Addison starts Preschool this week.... gulp. What is going on here? We went to the parent information night last night and it was so exciting, and weird at the same time. I have always been on the other side! It is odd to be the parent, not the teacher to me. I am super excited for her, but it weirds me out that we begin the next stage with her, now. In a way it is sad. Part of me wants to not put her in this year (which would be silly in my opinion, because she is there for MOPS regardless) just to keep her "little". I know she still is, by no means is 3 all grown up. But I think any parent that has done this a time or two will get it when I ~~say~~ cry goodbye to my Addison on Thursday.

We love family outings - Sky Sox

2011-08-26T18:58:00.000-07:00

We love going to things like Baseball games.... however I don't have any pictures of the game..... go figure. Well the cutest things I do have pictures of, and the the girls that we are so blessed with.

On the way to the game Addison crashed out, but Callie was raring to go, and since we were waiting on some friends who were just a few minutes behind us, we let Callie take the wheel.... so to speak. (Car off, Adam just out of sight)

She had soooo much fun. I don't think she has ever played in the driver seat. She jumped and honked the horn at people, and it was hilarious.

Proof Adam was right there

All the while Addison remained crashed out. Even through the giggling and honking. She rocked it in her purple skirt, striped tights and high tops though, totally Punky Brewster style!

We had a super time and the girls made it pretty late. Addison got to play with a few friends and turns out they weren't a fan of funnel fries, ah well - more for me!

Love my family.

Book Wreath!

2011-08-26T18:30:00.000-07:00

So inspiration came from pinterest, and looking online these go for $60-$85! Unreal honestly. I mean I got a book at good will and a wreath frame, but really I think you can do with starting with some wrapped up newspaper and duck tape. Anywho for about .50-$3.00 and a few hours you can make this for yourself. If you feel the need to spend the $75, go ahead and send it to me :)

There is really one step. Roll paper, squish and glue.....

but everyone wants a little more info than that sooooo, start with going to Goodwill and finding a book you have no interest in reading, that is cheap, cuz your gonna tear it up.

Tear it up, after you buy it, they may not like it of you tear it first.

Paint a little brown on the edges, unless you were lucky and scored a super old crappy book.

Ok so then you roll it, kind of in a tube, then squish the bottom so it spreads the top, almost in a flower looking fashion. Pinch and hot glue to the wreath form.

Keep going, all the way around, you are doing the bottom first, so it is flat and to the side, so it will lay flat on your wall.

Then you just start filling in, all the way to the center. (This is where I burned myself like a half dozen times and ran out of pages with like 10 to go, so buy a big book, or you'll have to go get another....)

Hang up and enjoy! I chose a brownish with green on a few pages, but you could do anything that would fir the room you could do magazines, or children's books. I don't recommend the Bible, that would be wrong, but go make one, its super pretty above my new headboard.

Making a headboard out of Shutters!

2011-08-24T08:05:00.000-07:00

This has been a super popular post, and I would love to see what people are thinking! Leave me your comments and link me to your work! Thanks for stopping by!

This was Adam's and my first attempt at "furniture making", and I'm happy to say it went well! We finished without help, it looks good and most of all we had fun and didn't want to kill each other doing it! I think this means he'll go for my silly projects again :)

I tried to take tons of pictures so I could walk you through how I did this in case you wanted to give it a shot. Keep in mind depending on the shutters you find, yours will be different! Which is awesome.

First step, gather materials - this took a while, it was hard to find shutters for me. Some people boast that you just go to a salvage and boom - shutters, not my luck. After months of looking I finally got some on Craigs-list.

Here's the breakdown

Shutters - $24

Spray paint - $16

Polyurethane - $6

Screws and Brackets - $12
Crown Molding (from ReStore) - $2

2x4's, nails, putty - free (had all on hand)

Grand total $60 and about 8 hrs of work!

1. Sand your shutters

2. Make a plan

Once I had the Shutters, I could make a plan, you can't really do it before then, because you need to know the size. See mine were 14 1/2 inches wide, so we would need a frame so it would be as big as our 60" queen size mattress.
You also need to determine the height you want it to be, make sure if you are building it legs that you note how high your mattress comes up, so you don't have a gap between mattress and headboard.

3. Attach shutters to 2x4's

We just put them next to each others and screwed them on
Make sure that it looks how you want on the right side, that all louvers are the same direction and such

looking at the back side

4. Since you've already measured out the length of the frame-legs of the headboard - screw them on!

4.5 This is where I stopped to sunscreen kids... again

5. Flip er over! This is exciting, ta da - progress. Then take your crown molding and determine the length you need it to be for the top and each side. We decided to put ours on straight, rather then the angle that crown can do, both would be cool and work fine

We used a miter saw for cutting the molding.... first time we've done this so luckily we had a little extra to account for errors. We had to figure out we wanted 90 degree angles, so each would be 45... that makes sense, but what side do you measure for the board to be the accurate length, after some trial and error, turns out it is the short side, the side you actually cut first.... makes sense to once you've messed it up :)

6. Nail on the molding, a finishing nail gun made this quick work. It took longer to get all the stuff for it out than it did to do the nailing.

7. Putty in your nail and screw holes, preferably with the help of a 16 month old

If you use wood putty, you just have to leave it long enough to develop a "skin" it doesn't have to dry completely before you paint it!

8. This is where I got nervous. Paint it. It was this nice safe shade of white..... I could leave it, or make it cream, or brown, or really any neutral and be happy, but I decided to go pistachio! Gulp....

I highly suggest using spray paint for this part, with all these louvers, you'll be painting for days if you brush it, took me about 45 min to spray it, and 4 cans of paint.

psyching my self up for the paint!

9. You can polyurethane it here if you want a cleaner look, however I got the sander back out, and beat it up a little bit. The way I figure, the shutters are old and beat, don't disguise it, go with it.

Sand ,and when you think you've sanded enough, sand some more!

10. So now would be the time to polyurethane - again more expensive, but go spray for this project.

11. Let it sit out for a couple days, it stinks, and who wants to sleep with that?

11.5 So if your me this is when you realize it is freaking tall.... so re-measure and chop 14" off the bottom.....

12. Then you can put it up! We used a couple L-brackets to attach it to the wall, worked perfect. Slid the bed up, and called it a day!

Course now I have given myself step 13,14,15,16 .... I want new bedding, nightstands and wall decor..... figures.

Thought Vomit Thursday

2011-08-04T21:33:00.000-07:00

So I have the "friend of a friend", which I now consider just friend, because honestly when you stalk someones blog you start to feel like you actually know them. It can be a cool thing, it also make you slightly delusional...

Anyway her blog is hilarious. To the point, but with lots of fun stories, so I dig it. She has started this little thing, Thought Vomit Thursday. I stayed away at first because the idea of having to try for something weekly, may be a little out of reach, but what the heck, if you know me, I am kinda all over the place anyway, so what if I puke a little out here.

Basically, you put out what is on your mind.... that's it.... easy enough.

1. Project Runway is awesome... but sometimes the clothes are horrible and the judges love them... how is it that I can have the exact opposite opinion as professionals? Does that mean I have crappy taste? Well considering I am super excited about a $10 dress I just scored at Ross, maybe I'm just not couture, and cheap... whatever, I have a pretty purple dress, they wore birdseed and dogbeds.

2. White---Green---White---Green---White---Green---purple?---White---Green---Blue?---Green---White.... I am talking about an edger for the wedding cake tomorrow, being trusted to make the right call is stressful and awesome at the same time... I think I'll take a couple and decide on the spot, usually works out, right?

3. Callie has normal poop today! Wahoo... lets keep it going! (Who would have ever thought I would actually be excited to share news about poop) Ewwww

4. Garage Sales Rock... we kicked some serious rear at our last weekend. Because of it I get to finish my headboard and I have enough $ to make this awesome desk I found online.....

sooo pretty, I know

yes, I will make that, watch you'll see!

4. First I have to finish the damn basement.... need to stop getting excited over all the other projects and get to sanding some handrails and painting baseboard.... yea soooooo fun.... so over it.

5. Wedding tomorrow! Get to see some ~~old~~ college friends! An excuse to get together, celebrate and party! What are we going to do when we are all married off? It will be super fun, hope they like their present! (They know what their getting, it's a cake..... duh)

6. How is it that I am running Mops this year? I know I am not running it alone but geeze there are so many more qualified that me. One minute I am stoked about it and the next I am petrified that I will let others down.... scary.

8. When I think of the word petrified, I definitely DON'T think of Harry Potter, that would be totally nerdy.

ok, we;ll call that a night, how was that Natalie?