Monday

It was another fun-filled weekend for our family!

Friday night was Boo at the Zoo, a yearly event where you can wear your costume to the zoo and get candy. The kids love it and it’s always fun to go and see everyone’s costume. We went with our good friends from church. Brady and Vivian had a ball. He was Peter Pan and she was a pirate.

Saturday we met my friend Karyn and her son, Jacob (he and Brady go to school together), back at Niven’s Apple Farm. I know we were just there last week, but we returned with the intention of doing the Corn Maze. Unfortunately, it had rained a lot the day before and the corn maze was too muddy. So we did the hayride again and picked apples, which was a lot of fun. We got some more pumpkins and came home exhausted!

Sunday was church, yard work and just hanging around the house. A nice end to the weekend.

Have a great week!

I Hate Walmart

Never again. I’m never shopping in Walmart ever again! You know, I’d pretty much stopped shopping there. This last grocery cycle was the first one that I did without going to WM at all and I saved $40. But today I went back because I heard they had some grocery items on sale and I had some good coupons, so I could have gotten stuff for $0.25. So I battled Woodruff Road, the parking lot and the general population to find they had NONE of the items I was looking for. I wanted 3 things and they had none of them. This is how it’s been there. I would leave with only half of my list done because they were out of stock or didn’t carry them at all. Besides the fact that the store is consistently dirty, smells and the employees are less than helpful.

I submitted a complaint to the Customer Service Manager and just sent an email to their Corporate Office. Bloom and Publix are getting my business from now on.

Saving Pennies

During these days of economic turmoil and gas shortages, it really makes you aware of what you spend. I’ve always tried to use coupons when possible and if I saw a good sale, I’d try to jump on it, but that was the thing – I would try. I wouldn’t always succeed.

Thanks to some friends who have really done their research and some great websites like Money Saving Mom. I’m with it now! Now I look forward to grocery shopping week to see what deals the stores are running and how much money I can save between coupons and rebates and BOGOs (But One, Get One Free sales). It’s almost a game, but with a nice outcome in my checking account. Last week I save $40!

We’ve started to cut back in other ways. I used to get lunch almost everyday or at least drive somewhere during lunch just to get out of the office. Now I rarely do that. I bring my lunch and stay in, which saves a lot of gas. We just cut back our Directv and our Netflix. Small changes, but they add up over time.

What are you doing during these tough times? Have you made any changes or none at all?

Happy Monday!

We had a fabulous weekend. The weather was beautiful. We went to Niven’s Apple Farm and had a ball. Not so many apples as pumpkins, which was fine with us. Here are some pictures:

Happy Friday

We’ve finally made it to the weekend! It’s so nice to wake up and realize it’s Friday.

This weekend is pretty low-key for us, relatively speaking. Tonight we’re having Movie Night, which involves the three of us snuggled on the sofa with popcorn, watching a movie. Brady has requested The Little Mermaid, but I’m trying to persuade him to watch Enchanted instead.

Tomorrow we’re going to Niven’s Apple Farm. We went last year and had a great time. You can go on a hayride, visit the farm animals, pick pumpkins and apples and they even have a little country store to visit. Here’s a picture from our trip there last year:

Sunday will be Sunday School and church. A nice, relaxing fall weekend. I hope everyone has a good one!

Check, Call, Care

Two of my co-workers and I spent the day at CPR training at our local Red Cross office. My job requires me to be certified each year and that's fine. These are good skills to know and it's always fun to go to stuff like this. Anything to get out of the office for a few hours!

But I did not anticipate being rolled around on the floor like a rug. I was chosen to be the "dummy" so the instructor could demonstrate how to move someone. Not the day to wear black pants, let me tell you!

I'm back!

Hello all! I know all five of you have been wondering where I fell off to. I’ve been here, but it’s been crazy busy in our world. Let me fill you in on what’s been going on:

First off, we finally turned the corner on potty training. Yay! I was at the end of my rope, so DH stepped in and conducted a “potty training boot camp.” He and Brady spent three days at home doing nothing but potty training. I guess Brady decided he was ready, so here we are. He’s got #1 down, but #2 is still hit or miss. But he’s only using pullups at bedtime/naptime, so I’m elated! DH’s getting a big treat for working on this!

MOPS started for the year this past Thursday evening. I’m head of the Hospitality Committee, so the last week leading up to it were crazy with last minute preparations, but it went off without a hitch. We’ve got a great new steering team and a great group of ladies, so I’m really looking forward to seeing where the year goes. God has been so good to us so far! Now to come up with centerpieces for the November meeting…………..

We had a big fall festival/block party at church this past Sunday afternoon. I made snow cones for two hours straight. It was sticky, but it was fun! I wish I had gotten some pictures of Brady having a good time, but oh well! Hopefully someone else did!

The next few weeks are busy, too, with various fall activities – pumpkin patch, Boo at the Zoo, Trunk or Treat, Judgement House at church, etc.

Oh, and I got my hair cut yesterday! Chopped it off! I love it!

I hope to be around here more often, updating you on what's happening. As Kate Gosselin says, it's a crazy life, but it's our life. See you soon!