A whole week without a post...

I don't know what my deal has been this week but we've been busy! Tyson is off this week so he's being a Groove-Buster as Jill says about her husband! Here's project I've been working on with my friend Rachella~




after asking the opinions of our husbands~who both said the "I" was too big we changed it~it's not that we made it bigger that's just how it cut! Oh, and the middle scrolley thing we changed too!

We made this for our friend Sunshine for her birthday & then I made one also for Rachella for her belated birthday~I know I'm a crap friend!

Happy Birthday Girls!

Happy Birthday Heather!

Wow! It's hard to believe that my baby is already 10 years old! I can't believe it! I keep thinking in 6 more years she'll be wanting a car, in 10 more years she'll be off at college! Ack~I'm getting old quick!

I'll be back with her official birthday post later!

~Afternoon Shopping Trip~

I've had a shopping list waiting all week but for one reason or the other it hasn't been tended to, so today the kids & I ventured out to run some errands. We hit target up first. I had to have a pep talk with the kids before we went in. I told them we were only buying what was on the list and they weren't allowed to ask for anything!

I bought
*4 boxes of cereal (they were on sale 4/$7) $7
*1 8pk Lever 2000 soap~3.50
*2 bottles Suave shampoo for kids~1.50 each/$3
*3 pk Cologate toothpaste $5

My total was 19.something BUT I had 5 $1 off coupons so I walked out paying $14 & some change! I was so excited~it's all stuff we will use (and it probably won't take long!).

So my next stop was walgreens. They had backpacks buy one @ 9.99 get one free. Of course when you wait until the end of the week sometimes you miss out on the deals. They didn't have any backpacksleft!:(

So we headed across the street to CVS~they had Herbal Essance shampoo 2/$5. I needed shampoo & I had a $3 off 2 bottles, so it made my total $2 but THEN I had 1 Extra Care Buck so I paid $1.08 for a bottle of shampoo & a bottle of conditioner making them .54 cents each!WOOHOO

By this tims the kids & I were wondering aimlessly looking for something to eat, we decided we would have Mexican food. We were headed to our favorite local spot but then I remembered I had a $5 off coupon for El Chico so we went there instead.

So for the day I saved $14 total so hum I guess I got my Target purchase for "Free"

I would take a picture but I'm lazy & I'm exhausted so you'll just have to imagine!

*I have a favor to ask of my dear loyal readers~MOM! pay attention...

If you aren't using your coupons from your weekly paper would you mind sending them my way? I would appreciate it!

Bling Bling! ADDED Directions @ Bottom of Post

My friend Jenn found these shoes and decided we needed to make some. I wasn't so sure at first but then she convinced me that my girls NEEDED them & then we decided they could wear them to school because they are tennis shoes I set out to make some.

I had to call my mom to find the shoes because they didn't have them around here (surprise, surprise!) Thanks mom!

I got the shoes in the mail this morning and here's the final creation



My friend Rachella came over this morning so we could work on another project & she ended up helping put the crystals on! They were so easy~we ended up going to payless to get the shoes for her girls.
We started out simple this time & next time we'll do some designs! lol

Ok~here's the directions~These are the payless version of the low top converse. I used E6000 glue to put on the crystals. I picked up the flatback crystals at WalMart then at HL. For Heather's shoes which are a size 2 we used 1 bag, and with the leftovers we started Caroline's shoes which are a size 11. We had some left over so we started my shoes then when we ran out we started on the 3rd bag. I have plenty leftover. The jewels are in the jewerly dept at HL at walmart they are with the craft stuff but not by the jewerly making supplies.

We just used a toothpick to spread the glue on the toe a little at a time. Then put the crystals on a few at a time. Let them cure for a few days before you wear them. We aren't wearing ours until Monday. I took the white laces out and put in the ribbon. Let me know if you have any more questions!

~Good Mail Day~

I came home from summer school this afternoon to a mailbox full of mail~it must have been all the mail from Saturday, since we didn't get any! HA

I got some great mail & some not so great mail the great mail was
this

we had to file an amendment to our taxes, which meant more refund! It's not much but it will help pay for our trip to Austin! WOO HOO

and this

a $10 gift card to Krogers! I will stop by there next week when I go to the dr for my checkup! Thanks Aunt Franci!

Which leads us to the not so great mail! The hospital bills are rolling in & we're at about $50,000~not what I had to pay of course but what they charge! Seriously? ugh thank goodness for insurance.

HAPPY GIRL~

seriously, I know I have no life and it really is the simple things in life that make me happy so this post is going to sound dumb to most of you~I typically don't have lots of expensive material things~not that I don't think they are nice but I just can't see spending the money on them.

So the last time we renewed our cell phone contract 2 years ago, they just sent us the FREE phones. Well, if you ever talk to me on my cell phone you know it was usually a piece of crap! I had decided that I was changing my service to AT&T/Cingular~whatever they call it now. But I'm lazy and I didn't want to have to deal with the headache of changing over!

So I found out this lady, Kathy, who I go to church with is a Regional Manager for Cellular One, who is my cell phone provider. I thought I would call her to see if she could fix my problems. She said I shouldn't have any trouble in my area (where my house is) and that it had to be my equipment~she told me to come in and get my stuff upgraded, which meant new Phones! WOOHOO!!! I was so excited!

I got a silver razor instead of pink. I would have loved a pink one but everyone has one, so I wanted to be a little different! I'm so proud of my new phone I just had to share! I know I'm a dork, but you can laugh with me!

Tyson got a black razor! So we are finally up with the times!

More Pool Pics

so of course tyson can't just put up the pool and be happy with it like most people (including me!) would do. After he got it all set up, he decided to build a deck around it. I'm so amazed at what he knows how to do. He's so smart and he can pretty much make anything! It's not completely finished b/c his funding for the building project ran out (the kids do need to eat this week!), but a few more boards and it will be finished (and I'll post yet another pic!)





Those boards aren't really that close to the pool~it looks like in the picture they could poke a hole in the ring but there's a little space!



Funny thing is that Tyson makes fun of me for having a blog, but yesterday he asked me a million times if I took pictures & put them on the blog! So this post is for him!

Get FIT!!!! Challenge

My friend, Jennifer, sent this to me in my email!

I won't be going anywhere exciting before the month is over, but I'm going to be doing something here where I live. I encourage you to participate! Can't wait to see where your sneakers take you!

There's so much to do during the summer. Maybe you'll visit a museum downtown with friends ... hike one of your local trails ... take a family trip to a national park... or even just enjoy some games in your own backyard. Your sneakers will be joining you on every journey, helping you stay fit and healthy, -- and the American Heart Association wants to know all about where you and your sneakers go to help support The FIT Kids Act!

I hope you will take a part in our Sneaker Story Campaign -- here is how:

1) Take a photo of your sneakers' adventures, wherever you go.

2) Email your photo (or if you like, you can even send us a link to your video posted on YouTube) to sneakers4fitkids@yahoo.com. But hurry, the deadline is July 31, 2008.

3) Be sure to tell us WHERE your sneakers took you this July - what city, state, landmark, or even country.

We'll add your picture to our online Sneaker Story Map, where it will be identified by a virtual "Sneaker Print" to mark where your sneakers took you. All the sneaker images we receive will be collected there to help drive home the importance of physical activity for kids, and to use in our various efforts to urge Congress to pass The FIT Kids Act.

These efforts are critical. Childhood obesity is an epidemic endangering the health of millions of America's children, putting them at risk for heart disease. The FIT (Fitness Integrated with Teaching) Kids Act is one of our key priorities. This important legislation seeks to reduce the problem by encouraging public schools to provide increased, quality physical education and promote healthy lifestyles.

But to pass this legislation we must demonstrate the widespread support -- and that's where your sneakers' adventures come in.

This is your chance to put your best foot forward to ensure our kids have a brighter, healthier future. So lace up your sneakers, grab that camera, and help us promote the FIT Kids Act. We look forward to seeing your sneakers' adventures!

Clarissa Garca
American Heart Association

Heart Disease and Stroke. You're the Cure.

P.S. Everyone can participate, so encourage your friends to email us their photos and videos to sneakers4fitkids@yahoo.com too!

I have family members (you know who you are) going somewhere exciting~I hope you share your journeys by doing this!

Thanks Jenn for sharing!

SPT

This week's element is WATER~

my kids should have been fish because they love to swim! My mom sent this pool back with them when they last visited. Tyson finally got it set up this week & the kids wake up wanting to swim. Quite frankly, it's the only way to cool off in East Texas! Of course, I am not able to jump in with them b/c I'm still recovering from surgery so I grabbed a book and went out by the pool to read.




Of course, I had a huge glass of water beside me! I didn't think to take a picture of that~The kids swam for about an hour this morning & then I'm sure they will swim again when Tyson gets home from work!

And this pool serves another purpose~Tyson & I were talking about food storage the other day. I mentioned that we needed to buy these huge barrels to store water. Tyson asked me why? we have a pool in the backyard. We'll just winterize it and then we'll have it ready year round! So it's also part of our food storage/emergency preparedness!

Menu Plan

Monday-Taco Soup at a friends house~It was YUMMY!!!
Tuesday-Spaghetti
Wednesday-Leftover Chicken Spaghetti
Thursday-Ranch Pork Chops
4-6 pork chops (I purchase the center cut and not the assorted variety)
1/4 cup flour
1/2 cup Ranch Dressing
1 teaspoon dried Italian Seasoning
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In one shallow container, mix together the flour and Italian seasonings. In another shallow container, pour in the Ranch dressing. Trim all fat from the pork chops and then dredge in the flour. Dip the pork chop into the dressing on both sides. Place pork chops on a greased baking dish and sprinkle the tops with a little Parmesan cheese. Bake for 35 minutes.
Friday-Chicken/Brocoli/Rice Casserole
Saturday-Chicken Quesillidas
Sunday-Garlic and Brown Sugar Chicken (I STILL haven't made this!)

4 chicken breasts halves on bone, skinned
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
1/4 cup Sprite
2-3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon pepper

Place chicken in crockpot. Mix all remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Here's to another week! We've actually been doing pretty good. I can't remember the last time we went out to eat!

Please Pray for

this family in our ward

Amanda & Baby Ethan

Serious TALENT...

go check her out...

Grosgrain Fabulous

This one is for MOM~

because she's been asking everyday for the last month...



guess what we're doing tomorrow?

July SPT

Over at Lelly's blog she has the SPT challenages. I really enjoy doing these b/c it MAKES me take pictures I wouldn't normally take. The July challenge is the 5 elements of summer~the first element is SUN.

Of course in Texas we nearly always have sun in some form, whether it is alone, with rain, snow~and I have a love/hate relationship with the sun. I love to be in it, but I don't want to be hot. Then I want a little color but I don't want a sunburn or skin cancer. But I'm always happy for summer & most of the time if I have my sunglasses & a bottle of water I'm good.

Today Tyson decided he needed to wash his truck so enlisted the kids to help. Of course, it's really just an excuse for them to get wet & an excuse for him to soak up some sun.



Jed ALWAYS has a crazy look on his face in every picture!

Earlier today on our way home from Wal-Mart we promised the kids a watermelon, so we bought one from a guy on the side of the road. The way we eat watermelon is by cutting it open and handing everyone a spoon. I told Tyson to cut it open and put half in the fridge but when I saw that it was a yellow watermelon I told them to dig in. It was ok but it would have been better ice cold and red/pink!



Then Jed had the great idea to get a straw and stick it in the melon to suck the juice out of it, so of course the girls had to join in.




Then everyone (except me, of course) had to have a watermelon seed spitting fight. Here's Caroline showing off her technique.



Then I made Tyson take a self portrait with me. I don't know if he was thrilled about it but for a first SPT I thought it turned out pretty good.


(No, I haven't gotten a new camera. I took these with Heather's~I thought they turned out ok.)

Clearly I have issues...

I've mentioned this on here before & I'm ok with the issues I've got! HAHA Isn't admitting you have a problem the 1st step? I've spent the better part of the last 2 days cruising these websites

Sewing Mamas

SewForum

and my favorite of all is this one

Craftster.org

I so wished I could sew something and it not be so difficult. I can do basic curtains, pillows, and minor mending~but anything more is such a problem for me. I blame it on being a self-taught sewer. I have been thinking (these last 2 days) about taking a sewing class, but first I have to find one.

Why I have been looking at these websites? Well, everyone knows how cheap I am & I want to get these skirts for my girls.



They are $80 bucks a pop & I could make one so much cheaper, but probably not cheap enough to be able to afford the therapy I would need by the time I was finished. So I checked several links & found them for 1/3 of the cost the designer sells them for. WOOP! So maybe soon my little girlies will have them!

I told you ISSUES!!!!!

Garage Sale!

My friend Michelle called me this morning & told me about a garage sale that she just went too. I got the kids & Tyson moving & we headed out there. By the time we got out there there wasn't much left but that doesn't mean we didn't get anything.

Jed got a huge box of Bionacles for $8~There were 4 in there that were brand new & never been opened!



Heather got a pair of Moon Shoes for $5




Caroline got the game Wack a Mole for $4




Then Tyson found a movie (I have no clue what it is)$3

Then I bought Jed 2 long sleeve shirts for winter that were supposed to be $2 each. When we got up to pay, the guy said $20. WOO HOO!

I'm always afraid to ask people if they'll take less b/c I just know they'll say NO! After we got home & I saw how many Bionacles Jed got I was very excited about my deal!

MPM~Week 2

Sorry I'm a few days late on this one! I'll do better next week!

Monday~Taco Ring
Tuesday~Grilled Pork Chops
Wednesday~Beef Strognoff
Thursday~Garlic and Brown Sugar Chicken

4 chicken breasts halves on bone, skinned
1 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup vinegar
1/4 cup Sprite
2-3 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon pepper

Place chicken in crockpot. Mix all remaining ingredients and pour over chicken. Cook on low for 8 hours.

Friday~Hamburgers & Hot Dogs on the grill
Saturday~Quesidillas
Sunday~Hum, still waiting for inspiration on this one!:) Any suggestions?

Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho, it's off to the Grocery Store I go...

I had to venture out to the grocery store this afternoon. We were out of important things like Milk, & bread! I went by myself & I looked at the ads before I went. I also made a LIST~G.A.S.P. I heard that!

I had some coupons too so I wanted to make sure I used them right~

Here's what I got & the great deals~
(F.Y.I.~My grocery store doubles & triples coupons.)

DEAL #1
Chex Mix was Buy one get one free & for Chex mix I think they are kind of pricey, but I had a coupon for .50 cents off & they doubled my coupon so it was 2 bags of chex mix for 1.69~making them 84 cents each.

Deal #2
They had Hunts ketchup on sale for 1.19~we REALLY didn't need anymore ketchup b/c we already have a ton~but I have a rebate for free ketchup so I couldn't pass it up.
Ketchup=FREE after rebate (I just need to remember to send in the stupid form.)

Deal #3
KC Masterpiece BBQ Sauce was on sale 5 for $5~you can only buy one if that's all you need. I had a coupon for 25 cents (they tripled it) so it made my BBQ sauce 25 cents~couldn't pass that up either!

Deal #4
PopSecret Popcorn~buy 1 get one free I had a coupon for $1.00. The popcorn was 3.49 for one so with this deal it was 3.49 for 2 then 1.00 off so 2 boxes of popcorn for 2.49

Deal #5
Again they had buy one get one free on this Lugui Ice popsicle things. so it was 3.59 for 2 & I had a 75 cents off of 2 so that sweetened the deal to 1.42 a box.

Deal #6
Deal 6 is the same as #5 but it was Minute Maid popsicles instead so they were 3.99 & the coupon was 75 cents off~Deal was 1.62 a box

Deal #7
Oscar Meyer wieners were 2 for $4~I bought 2 packs b/c the kids like these for lunches. I had 2 55 cent off coupons so that made them 1.45 each. Yes, I know you can buy the cheap ones for like 50 cents a pack, but I've become a hot dog snob in my old age.

I had 2 more coupons for something~I can't remember and they were 50 cents each so that's an additional 1.00 off my total

Grand Total Savings for this Trip~$6.35 (if I added right!)

Then I ventured out to CVS~Tyson needed some new razors and I had a coupon.

I bought 1 tube of Crest toothpaste it was on sale for 1.99 but I got one ECB back so I *paid* .99 cents for it.

Then I bought Tyson's razor~he's getting a new kind he just doesn't know it yet. It was 9.49 and I had a $2 off coupon~razor $7.49

then I printed coupons while I was at CVS & got one for a $1 off a 3 pk of paper towels which made them 99 cents~which I needed.

I had to buy Tyson deodrant & he's very picky about his deodrant so I bought the same old kind. It was 2.99 each x's 2

Then here's where I screwed up~CVS has a deal right now where if you buy a thing of Softsoap BodyWash you get $2 ECB then I had a $1 coupon so it would make it 1.99~not too bad of a deal. it's something that will get used around here~well, for some reason I picked up 2 of them & I don't think I needed 2~I was thinking my coupon was $1 off 2 but I really don't think it was BUT I ended up with $4 ECB on this deal & I'm set on Body Wash for the next year (because I already have some!)

So my total at CVS ended up being 29.43, then I had $1 coupon, $1 coupon, $4 coupon, that made my total $24.71 I should have had a $2 off coupon for the razor~but I just noticed it's not on my ticket. UGH!!!

So I saved $6 at CVS & got $5 ECB to use late. I think I did ok today & it's all stuff we'll use or needed!

Happy shopping!

Just Because I love to BLOG!!!:)

and I know people are actually reading! (HA! yeah, right!) Check out this cute doggie website

Just Fur Doggies

then for some humor check out this blog

The Life of a Mormon Princess

I'll be back in a little while~I'm working on some posts.

D.E.A.D.

Sad news on the blogging homefront~my beloved camera has DIED. I was going to try to take a picture of the dead camera with Heather's camera but I couldn't get Heather's camera to work. So from now on until who knows when my posts will be pictureless:(