A little of this and that

I'm so thankful the Lord gives joy in the midst of sorrow. It was a very difficult week for me personally as we said goodbye to a very dear older friend at church who went Home to her Savior this week. But, we "sorrow not at those who have no hope," for she was a living testimony of one who had firmly placed her faith and confidence in the shed blood and resurrection of Jesus Christ! We will see her again in Heaven! And yet, our hearts are still sad for the fellowship we will miss here on earth.

But truly I am blessed by my two little munchkins who can make me laugh any day of the week . . . what a hoot they can be! :o)

Here's my "rescue workers" -
And here's Peter making sound effects with his Legos . . . can you pucker your lips like that? I can't!

And here's me being beat--soundly--in two games of Candyland. And since you can't really "let" anyone win in Candyland, I can't even use that as an excuse! Ah well! We had fun! :o)

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday, Aunt Janie!

We love you! Hope you have as much fun celebrating your birthday as we did celebrating ours with you! :o)

Lego Occupation

Ever have one of those weeks when you get to Friday and wonder, "Now what did we do this week?" Well, that was us. The week just kind of disappeared, and I hardly even pulled out the camera. But here's a couple pictures from an evening of Lego occupation. :o)

Some other special, albeit undocumented, activities were a "date" night for Chris and I in our own dining room after the kids were in bed . . . a couple good rounds of "Ticket to Ride"--we each won a round which is always fun! :o) I also thoroughly enjoyed the "Seasons of a Woman's Life" ladies seminar at church this morning, and we made a trip to the icecream parlor after dinner tonight. Mmmm! :o) So, that's what we're up to . .. and now it's time for bed! :o)

Good night! :o)

Coupon Blessings

First of all, I want to give a public thanks to the huge efforts of Jenny at Southern Savers! Every week she walks through the ads of the major grocery chains in the South East and lists all of the coupon matchups that make for really good deals. I can manage that pretty well for the coupons I clip from the paper, but she also puts links to online coupons which I'd never know are out there, and that's what really makes it profitable!

I purchased the above items this week at two different stores for a total of $19.14. The retail value of those items was $89.61 for an incredible 79% savings! The Lord is good! And that doesn't include two household items which were out of stock. I have a raincheck though and I'll be paying $0.61 plus tax for those rather than the retail value of $15.22. Now that's fun! :o)

Happy Couponing!

Full Steam Ahead!

It really is amazing how much motivation impending company can provide. :o) We are thoroughly anticipating a visit from my parents and grandparents in October and there's just a few "little" things which it seems as though it might be nice to get spruced up before they arrive --or at least make a good effort towards. :o) I must say that I am VERY excited to have the kitchen counters on order!!! Woo hoo! Hopefully in the next couple weeks they'll be getting installed! Yes, I am VERY excited about that. :o)

And what else have we undertaken? The bathroom. Yep. Our very green bathroom, which for the record, is going to stay green. Do you know what color paint blends perfectly with our lovely tile? Guacamole dip. Yes. As in pull out the Tostitos. :o) It's really not nearly so bad as it sounds. :o)

These pictures aren't overly complete, but they'll at least give an idea of what we're attempting. The Goal: Freshen it up and deal with some safety/mold issues with as minimal $ outlay as possible. (Umm, that generally happens to be our goal in nearly every project we undertake, but that's beside the point.) :o)

So, here's where we're at.

1. Replace the poorly installed light switch with a new double switch outlet so that we (umm, make that Chris) could install an exhaust fan.

The grinder made lots of noise, but of course that just means we cover our ears--who would consider moving to a different area of the house if Daddy is here? :o) Sorry, no pics of the final product. It's a nice, white, straight, double switch. You can use your imagination. :o)

2. We're replacing the old medicine cabinet with a wall mirror, but the intermediary step was removing the light sconces attached to it. We also installed a new vanity light which is currently upside down since the medicine cabinet can't open if it's right side up. :o) (Nope, no pictures of that either.)

3. The ceiling tile in the shower had pulled away from the ceiling, so Chris figured out a way to get glue in there to fix it. Pretty creative if you ask me. :o)

The supports made for an interesting shower the next morning. :o) But, they didn't fall and for that we were very thankful. The ceiling tile is nice and tight now.

4. And today we (umm, make that Chris again) prepped the walls for paint. It's amazing how much better they look just having the multitude of holes filled!!

So, what's my contribution in all of this? I keep everyone fed, keep clean clothes in the drawers, make sure the kids stay out from underfoot, clean up the mess, and pick the paint (among other things!!) :o) I'll also help when it comes time to actually put paint on the walls and I'll take care of the curtains for the window. :o) Team effort--most of my stuff just isn't overly picture worthy. :o)

Good Ol' Fashioned Math

Coming to our home April 2010 when Peter becomes a big brother . . . :o)

A Lovely Surprise

Wasn't this sweet? My wonderful husband came home with these after the last weeknight meeting of the forseeable future! (We've had many this last month.) Thanks honey! :o)

1st Cookies

Hannah and I made cookies on Saturday morning. She noted that it's the first time doing so in our new house, and I think she's right. So we took a picture to document the event. :o)

However, I must also note that I cheated. We used a mix I had picked up on sale and with coupons for 69 cents. It's the first time I've ever used a mix for cookies--although I use them regularly for brownies, and occasionally cakes or muffings. Definitely does not compare to "from scratch." However, they're not bad. And it makes a whole lot less mess while still making for a fun "Mommy-daughter" time! :o) So, for 69 cents, I call it a win. :o) Clip a coupon and try it for yourself. :o)

This is not a paid commercial advertisement. :o)

PS - Some of my impression of the results of this particular mix might be influenced by the fact that I'm a firm believer in using butterscotch chips in my oatmeal cookies--not chocolate chip. :o)

Down for the Count

Well, our little guy who was gleefully moving the table to suit his own purposes earlier in the week . . .
Was down for the count most of Friday due to an ear infection.

Thursday night was pretty rough, and we spent most of it dozing on the couch inbetween cries of discomfort. However, thankfully he really wasn't cranky on Friday. Just wanted a few extra cuddles inbetween naps and play time. :o)

Thankfully, though, the extra sleep, some of Mommy's medicine, and the Lord's healing had him back mostly to his normal self by Saturday. Just a few residual cold symptoms.

Since we already had a few Little People pictures in this post, I figured I'd combine some others from the week as well. I love seeing them get things all lined up just so.

And this picture was specifically at Peter's request . . . "Don't you like my blue truck? It's just like Daddy's!"

On the subject of vehicles

So here's a vehicle more along Peter's size . . .

"Have my hammer in the trunk! I'm ready for anything!"
And it's a good thing, too. Apparently Hannah had some trouble while out on the road.

But her trusty brother came to her rescue!

Ah! that's what brothers and sisters are for!

An evening "out"

We have enjoyed some wonderfully cooler weather this last week . . . high 70's and low 80's! Ah! What a wonderful break from the mid to high-90's summer heat and humidity! Here's some pics of our evening "out" last week . . .

Yep, Daddy can still climb a rope--and yep, Mommy's tummy does little summersaults watching him do it!
Here's Mommy preparing her favorite summer dessert . . . prefer a real fire for such things, but grills are an acceptable alternative. :o)

And Hannah enjoying Mommy's favorite summer dessert! :o)

And then swings all around! :o)

Hannah's getting really good at keeping herself going by pumping her legs. :o) She's definitely having a blast! More summersaults for Mommy though. :o)

And then a little bit of frisby :o)

Nope. I don't know why Peter insisted on picking up the rock instead of the frisbee. He managed to move it though. :o)

And then while Chris and I walked down to the road to get the trash bin, the kids decided to "hang out" on their own. "Where's the keys, Daddy? We're ready to go!"

Sorry, Peter. I have to admit that I'm rather glad your legs are still too short to drive. That time will come soon enough! :o)

Happy Birthday, Great Grandma!

We love you and are looking forward to your visit!!! :o)

Happy Happy Birthday!! :o)
Hope you have a wonderful day!