My Big Butt

I may be biased because I think Hubs is the sweetest guy in the world, but (there's always a but) I also think he is the biggest butt in the world. (There's always a butt and he's it.)

This morning, Hubs came up and gave me a hug.

I said, "I'm freezing my butt off."

He grabbed my butt and said, "No, it's still there."

Thanks Sweetie Butt.

Like I really needed My Big Butt to tell me my big butt is still there.

Really, thanks.

Attention Walmart Shoppers...

...clear the shelves! Blizzard's a coming!

My friend who lives in Oklahoma City posted on her facebook page last night that her Walmart was BARE. I cracked up because at our Walmart yesterday, I bought some bananas from a FULL display. Two hours later, Hubs stopped on his way home and told me he saw 3 bananas. A butt load to zilch in two hours. It just cracks me up.

As you can see, I went to Walmart this morning with all the crazies that were out preparing for the blizzard. Ha! I plan on making potato soup this weekend and my recipe takes a lot, so I ran to pick up another gallon. Of course, I was mad I didn't buy it at Dillons yesterday where it was cheaper. Oh well.

I did pick up a few deals. I had a coupon for $1 off 2 boxes of Rice Krispies. As you can see on the box on the left, it had a peelie coupon for a free bag of marshmallows when you buy 2 boxes. I peeled off the one on the other box and got my free marshmallows. Rice Krispie Treats here I come!

Here's a closer view of the peelie.
The Cheerios weren't on sale, but I did have a coupon for $1 off 2 and my boys go through these like there's no tomorrow. I can't stand the smell of these and can't imagine how they taste, but to each his own.
I also had buy one get one free coupons for the granola bars. They are regularly $2 per box and with 3 BOGO coupons, the total came out to $1 per box.
I usually don't find my best deals at Walmart, but every little bit helps. And for things that my boys go through so quickly but aren't on sale anywhere else, Walmart is usually my best bet. We are already living in fear of what it will be like when they become teenagers. I can only imagine how much they will eat, but I should be a coupon pro by then.

By the way, the bananas were back this morning and were they ever green! So for all you crazies out there preparing for the blizzard, don't eat green bananas or yellow snow.

Mega Sale

I go crazy for mega sales at Dillons. So crazy, in fact, that I took my boys with me. Amazing as it sounds, they were actually pretty good for once. My coupon blog is still a work in progress and I'm hoping to have it all up by this weekend. So I'm posting all my deals on here for the time being.

The mega sale has a list which, if you purchase 10 items, you will get an extra $5 off your purchase. The items can be mixed and matched. If you have coupons, it can be a very good deal or in some cases, a free deal.

I got Hub's favorite Chex Mix. They were on sale for $1.79 each. I had two e-coupons that came off. One was from Cellfire for $.50 and the other from Shortcuts for $.50. I also had a paper coupon for $1 off 2. Total cost $.79 each.

I love these Nut Clusters to snack on, but I don't like paying so much compared to the amount in the bag. Today, these were $1.99. I had an e-coupon for $1 off plus a $1 off paper coupon, so I got them for free. Actually, I made a penny! And yes, that bag is open. I needed a snack after two stores with two boys.
There have been so many sales lately that I literally have toilet paper coming out of my butt. But as Hubs says about any toilet paper, "With 3 females in the house, that won't last long." The Quilted Northern was on sale for $5.99. I had an e-coupon for $2 off plus a paper coupon for $1 off. Total cost was $2.99 for 12 double rolls.

The Brawny paper towels were on sale for $6.49. I had an e-coupon for $2 off plus a paper coupon for $1 off. Total cost was $3.49 for 8 rolls.
I swear Hubs eats Frank's on everything and his last bottle is running really low. Lucky for him it was on the mega sale list. The Frank's was on sale for $1.69. I had a $1 off coupon. Total was $.69. After Dillons, I ran to Walmart. I happened to check the price of this and it was almost $2 for the same bottle at Walmart, so I was happy with my deal.

These are some of my favorite granola bars. It's another thing I don't like paying for though unless there is a sale I can add my coupons to. These were on sale for $1.99. I had an e-coupon for $.40 off and a paper coupon for $1 off. Total cost was $.59.
The mustard was on sale for $1.35. I had a coupon for $1 off. Total cost was $.35. The honey mustard sauce was on sale for $1.49. I had a coupon for $1 off. Total cost was $.49.
We go through a lot of Rotel. These were on sale for $.49 each. The 9 cans were $4.41. I had two $.30 coupons which doubled to $.60, making two of them free plus I got $.11 overage on each one. I also had a buy 2 get 1 coupon. That coupon actually took off the regular price of $1.13, so I made another $.64 on that can. I had another coupon for $1 off 4. Total for all 9 cans was $1.08.
I bought Hubs a salmon fillet that he has been wanting to grill.
Lucky for him again, it was on sale for half off.
We like the deli sandwiches for a quick lunch, but this is another thing I don't usually pay for. They were on sale for $1.99 each. I had two $1 coupons. Total cost was $.99 each.
The macaroni and cheese were on sale for $.79 each. I had two buy 3 get 1 free coupons. The free coupons took off the regular price at $1.39, so I got more overage. Total cost for 8 boxes was $3.54.
I also bought two boxes of Ritz crackers for only $2.50. I bought a lot today. I had 40 items that were part of the mega sale so I had an extra $20 come off my order. I also bought a lot of other things I didn't have coupons for like apples, milk, bread, the salmon fillet, pretzels and Goldfish crackers. My total before any coupons or mega event discounts was $131.35. I only paid $52.61.
I also think it's pretty cool that one of the sales taxes went into the negative. I remembered my reusable shopping bags for once and got an extra $.20 for my four bags. And as I was loading my boys and groceries in the rain, the woman getting in her car beside me said, "You're doing good mom. Looks like you have a handful."

Yes, I had a handful. I also had a truck full of groceries that I didn't pay all that much for. And my little "handfuls" were good so I was one happy chick!

Big Question

Big Brother: "How old are you Mommy?"

Me: "35"

Big Brother with a little too much excitement: "Wow! You're really big!"

Me: "Thanks buddy."

Big Brother: "How old is Daddy?"

Me: "Oh, he's really big."

Isabel

I'm posting this video for a friend I've known since we were in elementary school. This is actually her husband's cousin's little girl. She was diagnosed with leukemia just last month. She just turned 3 and is going through treatments at St. Jude's. Isabel, her dad, mom and brothers can use all the prayers they can get to help them through this trying time.

Story Time

This is our nightly routine. After Hubby or I read the books of choice for the evening, Big Brother reads My Truck is Stuck for the bazillionth time to Baby Jaws. I say bazillionth because I mean bazillionth. But I'm proud of my 4 year old because even though the book repeats itself and he's had it memorized for a long time, there are a few words he looks at and sounds out all by himself. They both love books and I love my little book worms!

My New Site

I have my new domain for my coupon blog and have been attempting all day to find a template I like. I have found nothing. So my adventure continues and I will try to make my own template. I am so not good at this. Wish me luck!

Bob

Bob the Builder was living the good life this morning. Baby Jaws had dragged him into the living room and hooked him up with some mini blueberry muffins for breakfast. He let Bob cuddle his Grumpy Bear and Big Brother's Baby Blue Bear. Linus Baby Jaws even covered Bob with his favorite blankie that he drags around behind him everywhere he goes. Lucky man. My husband wishes I took this good care of him.

More Shopping

I had a crazy idea today-go back to Dillons with the boys. Thankfully, they had a car cart and I wasn't there long so I didn't have to endure too much chaos. I just wanted to pick up a few more things before the sale ended today and my mom gave me a giant stack of coupons yesterday that she had been saving for me. I get an extra 3-4 coupon inserts every week because her neighbors save them for me too.

After trekking out to buy my new bible, we traveled to Dillons where I spent another $16. If I would have bought all of these items for full price and used no coupons, the total would have been over $33. I could have saved more, but bought a few things without coupons again.

I got 3 more free noodles. All the biscuits/cinnamon rolls cost me less than $2. The Snack Packs are Hubby's favorite, so when I have coupons for those, I stock up. All 6 of those cost me less than $4. The Old El Paso rice sides were about $.25 each. We haven't tried these yet and I'm sure my homemade Spanish rice tastes much better, but for a quick meal, these were just the right price. The milk was only $2.99, cheaper than Walmart the last time I was there. I'm big on muffins, as you could so obviously tell by the size of my butt. I usually make homemade muffins, but Big Brother really likes the Kroger muffin mixes and I actually like them better than Betty Crocker mixes. And I needed shredded lettuce for taco salad tonight. I know, I know. I could have bought a head of lettuce and cut it up myself to save more money, but there are a few convenience items that I will pay for.
Yesterday, Hubby and I had a 'date day' without the boys. Of course, I took my coupons along. So after shooting our bows for awhile, we headed to some stores. We went to Target where I picked up a few things with coupons, but I wanted to show you what I found at Walmart. These packs of Ivory soap were $1.07 each. I had 4 $1 coupons, so I only paid $.28 for all four packs. We don't even use this kind of soap, but like I've said before, if I can get something free or cheap that I know someone else could really use, I pick it up. I will be giving these away to a shelter or a food bank that takes hygiene items.
That's another reason I like my coupons. Even if I just try things for free or really cheap and my family doesn't like it, I can always give it away to someone who may really like it or could really use it.

My Grocery Adventure

I went a-couponing over the weekend! Big surprise, I know. I'm planning my coupon blog that I would like to have up and running by the end of the month. I wanted to share some of my good deals I found over the weekend.

These are just some of my goodies I got at Dillons. First up is my crab meat. Hubby likes my killer pasta crab salad so I stocked up. These were buy one get one free. At Dillons, when something is buy one get one free, each item will ring up at half price instead of one at full price and one free. These are regularly $3.59 each, but rang up at $1.79 each. I had 4 $1 coupons so ended up paying only $.79 a pack. I paid less for four packs total than I would have paid for one pack at full price.
These are my five free deodorants. They were on sale for $1 each. I had 5 $.50 coupons, which doubled to $1, which in turn meant free.
I actually bought 8 of these Maruchan noodles for free. These were on sale for $1 each and I had 8 $.50 coupons, which doubled to $1, which meant free again. This isn't something we normally eat around here like the poor bachelor/college student that was beside me filling his basket with these noodles. But they come in handy for a quick lunch here or there and you can't beat free. As a matter of fact, half of them are already gone because that's what the fam wanted for lunch after church yesterday.
My boys love their yogurt. I bought 6 Yoplait yogurts and actually 4 of them were marked down to $.29 each (I guess no one like Cherry Pomegranate, but Baby Jaws sure does). My total for all 6 yogurts was $2.36. I used a coupon for $.40 off 6, which doubled to $.80. Plus I also had an e-coupon loaded on my Dillons card for Yoplait yogurt for another $.50. For all 6 yogurts, I only paid $1.06.
The cough drops were on sale for $1.00 and I had a coupon for $.50 off which doubled, so these were free too.
We use a lot of green chiles because we make a lot of Mexican food around here. The green chiles were $1.29 each. I used two $.55 coupons, which each doubled to $1. Plus I had an e-coupon loaded on my Dillons card for $.50 off any two Old El Paso products. So I ended up paying only $.08 for two cans of chiles.
That is just a few highlights of my trip. I bought a lot of other things, even things I didn't have coupons for. Like I said, I'm trying to get my coupon blog up and going as soon as I can. It's my new goal I've set for myself and hopefully my goal will be accomplished very soon.

Five Quote Friday

"If you do not raise your eyes you will think that you are the highest point."
~Antonio Porchia

"We judge others by their behavior. We judge ourselves by our intentions."
~Ian Percy

"The only people with whom you should try to get even are those who have helped you."
~John E. Southard

"If a fellow isn't thankful for what he's got, he isn't likely to be thankful for what he's going to get."
~Frank A. Clark

"Most human beings have an almost infinite capacity for taking things for granted."
~Aldous Huxley

Awaiting My Award

Once again this year, I am awaiting my Mother of the Year Award. I am definitely on top of my game this week.

This morning while I wasn't looking, Baby Jaws pulled his potty up to the toilet like he was ready for a meal, but luckily only used it as a tabletop for his toys. Please, hold your applause.
Yesterday, my husband picked up Baby Jaws and asked why his pj's were wet. Mom of the Year forgot to change him after his nap. Yes, that is a loaded diaper around the ankle of my baby shark. It had slid all the way down to the foot of his footie pj's. Oops!

Lesser Known Facts

I like to eat Ritz crackers with my ice cream.

George Brett has always been my hero.

I was a band geek.

I love to watch TMZ. I can't believe I just admitted that.

I used to wear a baseball cap everywhere when I was little to the point my mom would hide my cap before we left the house. And she would get pretty mad when we got to the store only to find my cap on my head.

I have never owned a Barbie.

When I was little, I had pet pigs, chickens and turkeys that I loved, but in the end, ate for dinner.

I have never entirely watched 'The Wizard of Oz' and probably never will.

I skipped class all the time in college and still got A's.

I still lick the beaters.

I love texting.

I can perform a dance to Vanilla Ice's 'Ice Ice Baby' that always leaves my husband shaking his head.

Sometimes By Step

Here is another video by my favorite singer, Rich Mullins.

Not Your Average Frosty

So I'm a big cheater when it comes to snowmen.

My Feelings Exactly

After this past week, I completely agree.

Winter is nature's way of saying, "Up yours." ~Robert Byrne

Snow Not Fun

This could be fun. My first time sledding.

Big Brother likes it. I'm sure I will too.

Sledding is making me mad!

Sledding is so not fun!

Mommy, are you kidding me? You're still taking pictures?

Mommy, seriously, I'm freezing. Put the camera away!

Quiz

If a good mom were to hear her child crying in his bedroom, she would

a) Drop everything she's doing and run to see what is wrong.

b) Pray he's not hurt.

c) Ask his Big Brother from the other room, "What happened?" And when Big Brother answered, "He's stuck in the box of Lightning McQueens!" She would proceed to go to the bedroom to find he was indeed stuck in a box of Lightning McQueens. But instead of helping the poor little guy up, she would run to get her camera to get back to the bedroom in time to capture this great (hopefully not scarring) moment forever.

Yeah, that's how I thought you'd answer.

The List

Hello 2010

If I would have known 10 years ago what I know today...

10 years ago, I had plans. I had been out of college less than a year. I was single. I was teaching. I had 2 dogs and no kids. I drove my little Ford Ranger and not an SUV. I lived in a duplex and not a house. I had a roommate and not a husband.

It's crazy how one person can change your entire life. In my case, it was 3 people.

9 years ago, I met this guy. I thought he was pretty cute. I thought he was pretty funny. I thought he was really sweet. He was divorced and had two little girls who were just 4 and 2. I thought they were pretty cute too. I had no idea when I met him what would happen, but I had a pretty good idea. I fell for this guy. I fell for his girls.

6 1/2 years ago, I had a wedding. I now had a husband. I now had two little girls. (And lucky me, through gaining a husband and two little girls, I gained his ex-wife, their mom, and all the drama that she has been dishing out since.) But, I also gained great in-laws. I had a great job. I had a home. I had a family.

4 1/2 years ago, I had a baby. I had never been so happy and so scared at the same time. I had never been so tired. I had never given so much love.

19 months ago, I had another baby. I was so happy again and not as scared this time. I had never been so tired. I never thought I could love another baby as much as I loved the first, but it was amazing how it happened instantly.

18 months ago, my husband found out he might possibly have a life-threatening disease. I had never been so scared in my entire life. I had never prayed so hard in my entire life. I had never cried so much in my entire life.

16 months ago, my husband started his own business. I had never been so happy and so scared at the same time (well not since the first baby). I was terrified because we still didn't know where my husband's health stood. We both took a leap of faith.

1 year ago, we found out my husband was ok. He didn't have any horrible health problems. I had never been so relieved in my entire life.

2 hours ago, as I was trying to cook dinner, both my boys were screaming, yelling, crying and driving me completely insane.

1 hour ago, I was trying to fold laundry with two little boys right in my way.

I asked, "Why is it that every time Mommy tries to do anything, I find two little boys right on top of me, bugging me and never letting me accomplish anything?"

Big Brother said, "Because we love you."

...I'd do it all over again.

Happy New Year

"Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man."
~Benjamin Franklin

"Glory to God in highest heaven,
Who unto man His Son hath given;
While angels sing with tender mirth,
A glad new year to all the earth."
~Martin Luther

"One resolution I have made, and try always to keep, is this: To rise above the little things."
~John Burroughs

"A happy New Year! Grant that I
May bring no tear to any eye
When this New Year in time shall end
Let it be said I've played the friend,
Have lived and loved and labored here,
And made of it a happy year."
~Edgar Guest

"May all your troubles last as long as your New Year's resolutions."
~Joey Adams