New Favorite Things!

One of my new favorite things to do these days is buy groceries! Multiple reasons actually! You know me and my love for hunting the bargain. Well, with southern savers, this girl is now hooked on the oh so great deals of Publix and CVS! The couponing is going fast and easily. Something that once frustrated the heck out of me and took forever, is now easy and only takes about an hour or maybe just a smidge more of the entire week! Perfect to do during morning nap!

Today that is what I did. I prepped for Publix and CVS while M was at school and W was sleeping. I had already done the computer portion. checked the things I wanted and printed the coupons I needed that I didn't already have. yesterday, M and I sat down and cut out the computer printed coupons. She enjoyed the cutting and doing big girl things with Mom and she didn't even realize she was helping me!

So, during nap today, I organized. I looked up the coupons I'd need for the trip and cut them out, organizing them in an envelope with my list. I did this for both stores and put them in my purse. Since W had such a marvelous nap, we were going to make these runs together! This should be interesting and certainly aborted at anytime depending on children's behavior.

They were great! Thank goodness for carts that look like cars, buckles in the carts that look like cars, free cookies and balloons, a short list and a store I'm now familiar with to navigate rather quickly!

So here is the run down...

Publix: spent $25.54 (including tax)
saved $43.07

Aldi was out next stop...there are some things my kids will only eat from Aldi! Heaven forbid we ever move to a place that doesn't have one! So we stopped there and thankfully their prices are always incredible!

CVS: spent $13.54
saved $32.22
Extra Bucks for next time $3

Tons of freebies today too! Two 32 oz Gatorades--free, 7 bars of soap--free, TONS of stuff for less than $.75!

Great run today! definitely doing CVS next week as well for some freebies and ECBs on diapers!

Can't top the Diblets!

Well, no stories to top the Diblets today! sorry. Kids are fun aren't they?!

I have a brief moment here, so I thought I'd post. I've been up to all kinds of things. Mostly trying to get my home in order. Guess I got a jump on spring cleaning, throwing out, rearranging and what not. I started by moving the kids to the same room. This has been a bit tricky. But the room looks great! I lucked out finding some wall art stickers on clearance a walmart; a set that will coordinate with the existing color of wall (which is an odd teal color) for M and another set also on clearance for W! They are both thrilled.

After trying several different furniture arrangements, I was finally able to settle on one that is pretty great if I do say so myself. I even moved the curtains from W's old room right onto the window next to his bed in the joint room and it worked perfectly...except that I hung the valance upside down and with a staple gun at that, so it's permanent! The rocking chair fits in there, which both kids are thrilled about. M has a more grown up rock and roll theme going on in there. She didn't get her real stage with curtains and a microphone like she hoped, but maybe one day! And W gets Thomas the train! What could be better.

The playroom / eating space is still in the works, although that has been my main focus of late as the rest of the house appears to have been hit by the misplaced toy bomb. Today and tonight, it is my goal to find a place for all the toys (even if that means the consignment shop or goodwill for some of them)! Before I could have that room also house the eating space, I needed a rug to protect the carpet since our kids are horrifyingly messy and we only rent this house! I headed out to Old Time Pottery today with both kids. M had the day off for rest and recoup as she's not feeling 100%. I was hoping to get a big rug for about $40 or so. I was thrilled to find them having a huge sale for $32.99. Then I stumble upon a bin of 5 x 8 striped rugs for $10! Now don't set anything even remotely hot on this as I am certain this rug is made from recycled plastic bags or something and will melt into unrecognizability (not that I'm speaking from experience...first year of marriage in a tiny seminary apt.), but hey! the thing is $10 fits the requirement as food catcher for young kids AND as if it were definitely meant to be...the stripes are the exact color of the decorative items already in there! yeah baby!

So I tote home 2 kids, a large yellow plastic laundry type bin to hold stuffed animals and such, a large fabric remnant, a new funky broom and dustpan, and this huge rug! How I managed it was amusing, but more importantly successful! We came home and ate leftover pizza. Both kids decided to boycott nap for some odd reason (possibly the medicine?)...at least W finally gave up the ghost. I was able to stick M in my bed with a movie and get some of the actual rearranging done in that room, and now I wait till hubs gets home to move the table. Maybe, just maybe I'll have room for a dishwasher now in the kitchen! M has made it clear that she feels the kitchen needs a rug. I'm afraid that J (being ever so slightly clumsy and no small thing) is not a big fan of rugs however, as he finds himself stumbling over them quite often. That may be up for discussion when everything else finds a home.

Hmmm...and when do we think that will be? Not this week. There's just no way.

The Diblets

You are now entering the realm of the Diblets.

The Diblets are tazmanian devil horse farmer cowgirls that paint the sky. They paint sun, clouds, and rainbows, but never rain because Diblets are scared of rain. They are nice and rather than make a big mess like your typical Tazmanian devil, they clean up messes! I have also been informed that they place people into trees in their beautiful nice forest with rainbows, waffles, and something else lovely and odd that I can no longer remember.

One Diblet sister wears an irridescent pink cowboy hat, flipflops, a shirt and leggings, and carries with her a foam sword. The other Diblet sister wears bat ears, a black tutu with gold glitter on it. a bathing suit bottom, a pink top that is dirty with various types of stains, and carries her pointer which is actually the arm off a doll she got for Christmas (guess which twisted Diblet sister is mine?!).

This is the land that our house has entered since having picked up M and her friend from school! Such imagination!

Mermaid Magic

And the singing telegram was a huge hit! I love being the mermaid! She looks so magical and sings such fantastic songs, and everyone loves her! Singing Telegrams are pretty great too, cause I make a little money, I'm forced to put my make up on that day, and they are quick so I can be back with my most favorite people in the world...my family.

The joint bedroom transformation is almost complete. There is a lot of organization that still needs to happen over all in the house. Most of the toys do not yet have a designated space in the playroom...so they are everywhere! I may tackle that some tonight if my working weekend exhaustion doesn't catch up with me. I'm so ready for organization and flow in this house...hmmm...sounds very chi or feng shui.

The children adjustment to their joint room is going pretty well. Bedtime is the trickiest, but we also took the paci away from the little man this weekend, so that's not really helping. Still, I can not tell you how much I LOVE having my house back. I can move around freely making noise and having a light on, and not have to worry about waking the little one. I even actually have more time to clean! That comment would make one think that I was excited because I love to clean...this is not the case, however I do detest the mess...so I suppose you can't really have one without the other. Unless you have an Alice (as in the Brady Bunch). That is my dream for a day in the future.

Off to put the other babe to bed...then maybe some organizing or sleeping. I haven't quite decided.

Tiny Tink

Well, I had a pixie party yesterday. It was really great! Me in a pixie fairy costume is a bit tricky. Sure makes me feel old and in need of a redo at the gym! Haha! Still it was a great party! The girls were fantastic! The games and crafts were awesome! Such fun and delight. And I even got to tinker and received a tip! I was able to take that tip and take my bff out to my fave Mexican restaurant for a girls night.

I am slipping back into my workout routine again this week now that things have settled down a bit at home. That should help my confidence level when wearing such tiny costumes haha! Now off to prepare a fun big breakfast now that all of my family is under one roof.

Wish I had the WHOLE day off, but I do have to be a mermaid later to sing for a little girl's fifth bday! Fun! Until later...

Waiting

The waiting game is no fun, but what i literally just realized is that waiting often signifies anticipation. The only real alternative to that is waiting with anxiety, and I'm not the anxious type. God has led my family through so much where in all we really had to look and depend was on Him, that there really isn't anxiety left. He's got this!

So, I'm waiting...literally...on children to wake up. On a husband to arrive at the airport after being gone for a week. I'm waiting to see if my personal business is profitable. I'm waiting to save enough to buy a house. I'm waiting to see what's going to happen next in our life. And as I wait, I choose to see it as waiting with the excitement that anticipation brings.

I am waiting for the kids to wake up because when they do they are going to be well rested and ready to see their dad. I'm waiting to pick up my husband, and I can't wait to kiss that face whether he has shaved or not! I am excited to see how God pieces together the puzzle of our life over the next year to reveal more of his orchestration and plan.

I wait not impatiently but eagerly.

in over my head!

I am posting when I ought to be cleaning. You married gals know that there are few things that husbands like more than a clean home. If that isn't true for yours, then you are lucky. Well, if I had a video cam that would allow you to peek into our home right now, it would remind you of an episode of the show Clean Sweep. It's not quite Hoarders material, but it looks like we moved in and then took all the boxes, opened them, and then dumped them out all over the floor in all rooms except the bathroom, and the kids room. The kitchen's not so bad...

All the dishes are clean, all the laundry is clean and swallowing the couch whole. I have redone the kids room and have to tackle the organization of all the other kids things that are all over the rest of the house. Our room will never be clean until we get the storage unit because of all the business stuff that is collecting in the vacant space of our room. The kitchen just needs a little elbow grease.

But...M is still awake because W is having a little bit of trouble adjusting to being moved into her room. And Thursday is the only time I care a thing about television...what to do. And J gets home tomorrow night. This could get interesting. On top of all that, I have two parties this weekend for the business.