Have I mentioned I HEART Kroger!

Okay today was a good day at Kroger...I only had to pick up a few essentials and I had some coupons burning a hole in my pocket!

I got all of the above for only $22.45 including tax!!!!

Here is the break down:

Surf detergent (3) on sale for $2.99 -$2.00 Q =.99 per box!!!

All Oxi detergent (3) on sale for $2.99 - $2.00 Q = .99 per box!!!

Golden Flake chips (2) $1.79 - $.55 Q (doubled to $1.10) $.69

Kroger Deluxe Ice Cream on sale for $1.99 - $.75 Q = $1.24

Loreal Kids clearanced at $1.09

Bounty Paper towels $1.39 - $.25 Q (doubled) =$.89

Kroger cheese $3.59

Milk $3.44

Strawberries $2.19

Tax $2.81

Total OOP $22.45!!!

62% savings!!

Obviously the detergent was a HUGE deal!!! One box of the Surf is regularly $5.79 and I got ALL 6 for almost the price of one!!!!! I was so pumped!

I don't normally always share all the details of my shopping trips but I thought this one was worth talking about! Stay tuned for a post on my week at Walgreens...

Before I was a mom...

I've had a few things on my mind lately...I think at some time or another all mom's feel a little lost. Lost in the everyday in's and out's of life. Taking care of little ones (or big ones), feeding the family, trying to contain the chaos, and keeping peace. I once read in a book that when we fail to express our feelings we begin to lose who we are. I think that is true. There isn't much time in the day for us to stop and express our thoughts and feelings (that is where this blog comes in for me) so after a while it is just habit to keep our thoughts and feelings to ourselves. However, with that brings consequences...we begin to lose ourselves piece by piece.

Please don't misunderstand me...I LOVE my life! I love those daily things that make up my life...but I do miss me sometimes. It is much easier not to speak the things we feel...it keeps us from ruffling feathers or even saying things we don't mean. However, it is good to take time for us. Mom's do have a voice....

In honor of this subject I wanted to share a few things with you that use to make up who I was before I was a mom....things I enjoyed!

1. All things tea! I have a teapot and teacup collection. I LOVE a hot cup of tea served in a fragile tea cup!! It makes me smile!
2. Music! I loved music...I normally didn't get the words right or even know who sang the songs, but I loved to play it loud with the windows down! It made me feel good!
3. Sports! I loved playing, watching, and coaching soccer!
4. Girly Movies! I loved a night of girl movies sitting on the couch eating popcorn and crying into a tissue!
5. Scrap booking! I loved the detail and the creativity I could express through my scrapbooks!

There are other things I could list but those are my top 5 picks :)

Now, as I wrote those I realized there is no reason I couldn't enjoy those things again...so maybe it isn't that I lost me...maybe I found a new me in being a mommy :)

Here is my top 5 things I love now:

1. All things JACK! I love that my days revolve around spending time with my son. Just think, I don't get to miss a moment!
2. QUIET! Forget the music...I love to have quiet moments. I love to turn the TV and radio off when Jack is napping and just enjoy the peace!
3. Our garden! Every year I look forward to planting our garden! It keeps our family together...it is an activity that involves all of us, Jack too, and I LOVE that!
4. Dinner time! I love cooking a meal and sitting down together as a family! Yes, I know, Jack doesn't usually eat everything I fix BUT those days that he chooses to try my food and loves it makes my heart swell!
5. Friends! What would I do without good friends?? God has blessed me with an abundance of good people in my life and for that I am soooo thankful!

Looking at that list I realize I like the mommy me....you know the woman AFTER the kids :)

I'd love to hear some of your lists...what things did/do you love???

Once again...a new hobby!

Okay, okay...yes, I like to change hobbies and interest frequently! I think it is the fact that I LOVE to learn something new. I guess that is why I loved teaching so much. I love the process of learning and applying what you've learned. Now, as far as life lessons, I don't always view them so positively hehe!
Here she is...my new interest...cake decorating! I signed up to take a Wilton cake decorating class at a party supply store here in town! It was great not to have to travel to "the big city" to do something like this! The above cake was my very first to make...yes I baked cakes before, but I made the icing on this cake myself!! I then smoothed the icing out to make it pretty...I liked this cake much better in the above picture. Below you will find my after picture.
HAHAHAHA! I'm cracking up as I type this...this was my final product of a baby shower/clown birthday cake. We started making the clowns...which were cute, but at the same time very cheesy for my taste. I added them to my cake and as we progressed through the class session I began running out of icing!! AHHHHH! Therefore, I just decided to practice my flowers and borders in baby shower blue :) I thought this random cake was hilarious, but Jack LOVED it!! He wanted to eat the clowns the moment I walked in the door! Surprise!
This was my final graduation cake...it was actually only my second decorating session in class. I was pretty proud of it since i am a newbie! The roses are so hard to make but once I got the flow of it I didn't think they were terrible.

Moral of story is...I am now wanting to try some new techniques and different cakes. Therefore, I am now currently selling lots of my scrapbook paper and accessories to support the new habit :) Anyone interested? LOL

Far Above Rubies: Prov. 31:10-12

I am so excited about a new Bible study I'm going to be participating in. My friend Kristen at Bringing up Benjamin is hosting the study. We are going to take a verse a week, study, memorize, and discuss it! I'm coming in two weeks late due to traveling, but I'm gonna catch up in this post! I'd love for any of my friends and readers to join in! You don't have to be a blogger, jut leave your comments on my page under this post! I love a good discussion so let's discuss!!!

v. 10 "Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies."

Rubies today are still valuable, but back then they would have been worth even more! I love that God uses figurative language so many times to get get his point across to us. This would be an example of using an exaggeration. Meaning God holds a virtuous woman so valuable that you would not be able to even put a price on her! That is overwhelming for me to think about. We live in a world today that puts a price on everything, and just knowing that I could be held on the pedestal of PRICELESS makes me want it even more!

In thinking about this verse I also got to thinking about the fact that God is asking a question here "Who can find a virtuous woman?" I think it is being asked this way as a challenge to men. All men are interested in valuable things, so why not challenge them to find a "valuable" wife? I think most of the time we focus our attention in the chapter on the many things we should be doing as wives (which we should), but why not look at if from the stand point of the men. I believe we should be teaching this scripture and its value to our young men!! Give them God's checklist for a wife. Issue the challenge to them to seek out the very best, a GODLY WOMAN!

v.11 "The heart of her husband doth
safely trust in her; so he shall have no need of spoil"

I believe the heart here is his absolute soul and entire being! He is able to give her everything of himself because he has utmost confidence in who she is and how she treats him. Take a moment to reflect on a man who's wife is not trustworthy, not only a woman that can not be trusted with the everyday affairs of life but a woman that is demeaning and untrustworthy with a man's feelings. Will a woman like that help her husband be successful and happy in life? Of course not, she will do nothing but hold him back and keep him from any form of success or happiness. Now, think about this same woman and the effect she would have on her husband's spiritual life. We all know that an unhappy man (or woman) is much more likely to give into his temptations whether it be adultery, alcohol, pornography, etc...

I truly believe our homes should be the utmost refuge for our families and ESPECIALLY our husbands! The number one quality that will make our homes a refuge and give our husbands that feeling of safety is TRUST!!

v. 12 "She will do him good and not evil all the days of her
life."

By God instructing us specifically to do our husbands good and NOT evil means it is possible for us to do evil unto our husbands. A lot of times, for me at least, I do not want to admit when I am wrong or when I've done something wrong, BUT it is possible for me to be wrong and I need to be ever aware of that!

We may not be aware at times of those little things that cause him "evil". I think we could make a list of big things we consider evil but what about those little things that affect them on a daily basis? As wives, we need it pay attention and listen to our husbands for clues. We might even need to ask our husbands to tell us of those things we do that cause them difficulty.

I absolutely LOVE the phrase " all the days of her life." Now that is COMMITMENT! This statement alone holds within it God's will for us to be married to our spouses all the days of our lives! Please understand that I know the "exceptions" God has given us for divorce, however God still hates divorce. It was never his intention for men and women to be married as long as they both behave but the design of marriage is for life.

Sorry this post is so long! I had to catch up with three verses instead of one! Next weeks will be shorter promise :) Now go on and DISCUSS!!!

Mommy Moments: The famous Hunting Shirt

Jack learned today that when Mommy is sick you get to wear whatever you want! I've been trying to give him some more independence by encouraging him to dress himself. Now the actual picking out of the clothes I like to give him two of my choices and let him choose. However, we have been soooo sick in this household and I knew we wouldn't be leaving the house so I allowed Jack to pick out his clothes and dress himself. He was so excited...He came around the corner and said, "So, what do you think?" Now, at the time he didn't have the tie on, this was added later of course. It was a precious moment! I loved the sense of pride he had that he had done something all by himself. Plus, it gave him the freedom to wear his favorite hunting shirt that mommy doesn't usually allow in public :) I couldn't help but hug him and tell him how awesome he was and how absolutely proud I was of him. I hadn't thought of taking a picture til the tie was added later...I thought it was the perfect demonstration of how a sick mom feels. Who cares what they look like (messy hair and snotty nose included) when mom is sick the little battles just aren't worth choosing!

Enjoy moms...I know you've had days like this! :)

Checking back IN!!!

Okay so you could say I've been missing from the blogging world for a while now! Three months to be exact....that would have nothing to do with the fact that I was in my first trimester with baby number 2! That's right for those of you who didn't know we are expecting another little one in October! I'd like to say that my lack of energy and concern was entirely the fault of this growing little one but I'm afraid there was something else in the back of my mind.....

Making yourself vulnerable.....

That's right, things happen and they at times can cause you to want to run, hide, and seclude yourself. If you don't make yourself vulnerable then you can't be hurt. I'm not saying it is the right thing to do, in fact it leaves you quite lonely and separate from the outside world. I feared as I was sharing things about myself that maybe I was telling too much...maybe my weaknesses could be used against me....

I've decided vulnerable or not, I need PEOPLE! I need to write down my thoughts, and maybe being vulnerable makes you open up to who you really are...NO MORE hiding

Stay tuned...I hope I haven't lost my blog friends...I'm learning I NEED you!

I'm tired....

Okay get ready...it has been one of those days and this might not be the most positive blogs I've written....................

I'm tired.

I'm tired of being in this house.

I'm tired after sleeping in a toddler bed from 4-7 this morning due to a yucky cold that won't go away.

I'm tired of repeating myself 45 million times............(this one makes me crazy)

I'm tired of laundry always being there.I'm tired of dishes always finding their way to the sink.

I'm tired of NEVER having things put in their place...something is always messy.

I'm tired of never feeling focused enough to finish any job.

I'm tired of worrying about what everyone thinks of me and my family.

I'm tired of being everything to everyone.

I'm tired of being FAT and no matter how hard I try it is always there (tears are coming now)

I'm tired of bills.....paying bills....receiving bills....this includes checking the mail.

sigh..........

Ok ENOUGH of the pity party!

Things I'm NOT tired of:

I'm NOT tired of Jack when he rubs my face with a feverish hand at 4 in the morning and says, "I love you the most mommy!"

I'm NOT tired of Chris saying he LOVES my cooking when I've cooked a meal for my family. (even Jack won't touch it with a 10 foot pole)

I'm NOT tired of worshiping the God in heaven with my brother and sisters in Christ.

I'm NOT tired of my nightly phone calls with my mom and sister.

I'm NOT tired of coupons and anything that has to do with a good bargain.

I'm NOT tired of learning something new everyday!

sigh.....Ok, feeling better now...I actually should probably not post this cause it will show that I'm completely off my rocker, but hey why not let you in on the secret ;)

What snow brings....

I know, I know, it has been a while since I've posted something deeper than coupons! ha! I think of great posts but then I want to do them perfectly and they don't get done at all...I'm going to try to be better at just posting my thoughts more frequently (not that you care LOL) mainly for myself! My blog seems to kind of be a journal for me and my life....




We had close to six inches of snow fall yesterday! That is the most snow I've seen in years!!! Being from Missouri I was use to growing up and having several big snows a year! Chris kept asking me why I was so excited as I ran to the window to see how much more had fallen in the last ten minutes....I didn't know why....so it got me thinking.



Here is what I came up with:

1. It brought back those giddy feelings of listening to the radio til 11:00 at night to see if school was canceled...which led to my next thought
2. I had a good friend, Jessica, that lived across the street. I was around 10 years old and we use to play ALL day long outside together....that included snow forts, sledding (which my mom didn't let me do much for fear of injury), snowmen, snow angels, hot chocolate, moms yelling not to come in again unless we were staying in, and most importantly my sister Ashley alongside us....
3. Ashley....my sister, my best friend.....she is five years younger than me and even though I may have come across as not wanting her with me all the time, I've learned that I loved her place beside me as my little sister, she was a source of comfort, she always made everything FUN....including the snow!! After we came in from a day in the snow together, we got to have a slumber party on those nights that school was canceled the next day. We had two different rooms but we always chose to sleep together (every night, not just school days)......Looking back she really was my best friend even then!
4. Peace....precious peace...snow is peaceful, comforting, and ever reminding us that there is a God! I like snow because of the peace it brings to our busy world...
5. Comfort = families spending time together, sharing warm meals, watching movies and having no other place to be but with each other
6. Family.....My mom is an awesome mom....I'm blessed! She created so many memories that I didn't even appreciate back then like I do now! She was actually a quieter presence in our home...always busy! We never had to ask on snow days if she could make us lunch...we'd open the door and she would have it ready...hot cocoa was only a mug away....and how did our clothes get dry so fast in between play time???? That's right we never had to ask...she had them in the dryer and ready to go. I don't think I ever told my mom thanks for those things...I'm sure that was OK...because I don't need Jack to tell me thank you, his smile and precious hugs say it all! I can't forget DAD........what was his role you might ask...well, professional 4 wheeler driver pulling a sled, he was awesome at throwing us off! Where Dad is you can always find FUN!
7. Memories.....through typing this I've learned that looking outside every ten minutes was my own anticipation of creating those very same memories for my family. I want to give Jack that giddy feeling of when snow approaches there is fun and family time to be had....Here's to all those memories you made on such a beautiful snowy weekend! You never know....the next time the weather man predicts snow you may find yourself at your window looking out a little more.

New Kraft Printables!

Grab these new KRAFT printable while you can!! these are some great high dollar coupons!!

I was able to print all of them twice except the Capri Suns....they may be out of prints on that one!

(Thanks dealseekingmom!)

Free coupon book from ConAgra!!!

Sign up for $17 worth the ConAgra products at the following link! These are great products and the book is sponsored through Wal-mart. I always receive my samples and coupons Walmart sends out!

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

My Favorite Printables!

I'm going to try to be better about being more consistent with these posts! I have so many great deals I come across and then forget to post them here!


Here is a coupon round-up on some of my favorite printables right now!! Some of you that are still new to couponing...you really need to start a junk email account so when you have to register at a website for coupons it doesn't fill up your regular email inbox with junk mail!


Register with Hidden Valley for a $1 off coupon on 1 bottle of dressing! This is one thing I buy faithfully and I NEVER have coupons for it! (Thanks Hip2Save!)


$1/1 Baked Lays !!!! This is a HOT coupon! I don't think it will be around long so print now! This is a rare coupon! (thanks Centsible Sawyer!)


BOGO Sunbelt Granola Bars This is a PDF coupon that was offered on their facebook fan page! Rumor has it these are at Walmart for $2 a box....so with the free box offered you pay $2/2!!!


$5 off EPT Pregnancy TESTS!!! This should make pregnancy tests FREE at Walmart! Don't forget to hit back and refresh to print it twice! (Thanks Deal Seeking mom!)


$1.25 off Yoplait Frozen Smoothie! (Thanks Deal Seeking mom!)


Those are just a few of the higher value ones I've come across! Don't forget www.coupons.com and www.redplum.com . Good luck couponing!

My First Blog Award!!!

So exciting! I got my first blog award from an amazing blogging friend, Kristen! You should check her out at Bringing Up Benjamin! She is a dedicated mother to the Lord first and her family!


This award come with some rules: I am supposed to answer some questions in one word or less and then pick 6 other blogs to give the award to!



1. Where is your cell phone? Desk
2. Your hair? Long
3. Your mother? Strong
4. Your father? Persistent
5. Your favorite food? Pasta
6. Your dream last night? Clueless
7. Your favorite drink? Coke
8. Your dream/goal? Heaven
9. What room are you in? Living
10. Your hobby? Coupons
11. Your fear? Unknown
12. Where do you want to be in six years? Happy
13. Where were you last night? Gym
14. Something that you aren't? Quiet
15. Muffins? blueberry
16. Wish list item? Baby ;)
17. Where did you grow up? Missouri
18. Last thing you did? clean
19. What are you wearing? Jewelry
20. Your TV? HUGE
21. Your pets? Precious
22. Friends? Blessed
23. Your life? Faithful
24. Your mood? Restless
25. Missing someone? Family
26. Vehicle? Explorer
27. Something you're not wearing? socks
28. Your favorite store? KROGER!
29. Your favorite color? Purple
30. When was the last time you laughed? Today
31. Last time you cried? Today
32. Your best friend? Husband
33. One place that I could go over and over? Orlando
34. One person who emails you regularly? Facebook :)
35. Favorite place to eat? Mexican



Now for my nominations ......
1. Laura Beth, her sister is one of my good friends and she is an amazing mom and teacher!
2. Candace, a Christian sister and friend, we went to college together and she amazes me everyday with her strength. Not to mention she is incredibly creative!
3. Jen, a fellow mom and preacher's wife, she is a very talented writer and is not afraid to express herself
4. Amanda, she also is a preacher's wife that homeschools her two children...check out her great ideas here!
5.Cindy Colley, I look up to her in so many ways! Her blog is completely spiritual in nature, and I gain something from it everytime I read!
6. Amy, who is one of my best friends in this world! Her precious family will be moving sometime this year to Brazil for five years as missionaries! I admire their willing heart and willing hands!

HOT deals at Kohls!!!

Okay had to share these coupon codes I came across on http://www.hip2save.com/ (my new favorite deals blog! Thanks Kristen!)

First of all they have these FABULOUS pillows on clearance for $4.99! Chris and I are in desperate need of new pillows! So, I'll give them a try!

Here is the kicker....drumroll...get them for an additional 20% off with the code EXTRA20 at checkout. You can use TWO codes so combine it with NOCHARGE and get FREE SHIPPING!!! They had some amazing clearance deals going on also, so I got Chris a much needed sweater vest. I paid $16 for 2 pillows and a sweater vest! You can't beat that going to the store! Check out their clearance section and let me know if you snag some good buys!