Jolted Back into Reality

Maybe I should say Slapped Back into Reality. We got back Monday night about 5:30 and it was a whirlwind of business. I had to be somewhere at 7 and Jim took all the kids to Zane's 6:30 football practice. Boy and when this morning came. I was not ready for that.
Anyway, we had a much needed rest and it was way overdue. We had so much fun. We actually got to eat in restaurant that weren't considered kid friendly. No McDonald's. We didn't eat any fast food. We made it down there about 9:45 and it was so refreshing to be alone.

Saturday morning we went Ocean Kayaking. It was a great day to be on the water. There is a little lighthouse that sits int he middle of the sound off of Tybee Island. When the tide is up, the water goes straight to the bottom of the lighthouse. But when the tide is out, you can pull a boat up on the rocks and walk around. That is just what we did.At the top of the lighthouse we ask a kid to make our picture. This was the view looking down from the top. Our kayak is the lone red one.

As we started down, I was a little nervous. There were no rails and you just had to take it slow and easy. Jim snapped this picture. (At the top of these stairs was a wooden ladder that you had to use to climb the rest of the way.)
After we left the lighthouse we paddled aimlessly until we saw a couple of dolphins ahead of us. We started chasing them and just got close enough to get a couple of shots.

I had to include this picture because Jim wants everyone to think he walks on water.

I was only fast enough to get the fin. We realized how far we had chased them and then decided we better start paddling back. We turned in our boat and headed for lunch. We went to Uncle Bubba's Oyster House (Bubba is Paula Deen's brother). It was excellent.
We sat outside on the deck. It was great. There was live music and the food was awesome. We even ordered some fried dill pickles. And...
I got my picture made with Bubba. (A cardboard Bubba.) Bubba was actually there but when they went to find him to send him out to see us, they couldn't. So I guess the cardboard will have to do.

The highlight of my trip was Sunday afternoon. We went to The Lady and Sons (Paula Deen).

It was great. The food was the best southern cooking (in a restaurant) I've ever had. (Sorry, Paula, you still don't have my mom beat.)Jim's favorite part of the meal was the hoecake (For those of you non-Southern people, a hoecake is pan-fried cornbread).Here is a picture of me and Paula (Unfortunately it was cardboard too.)
Jamie and Bobby were going to be there on Monday afternoon from 11-2 but Jim wouldn't let me go back.
Anyway, Sunday night we just hung out at the beach and we did catch a great sunset.

But my very favorite part of the trip was being alone with the man I love. Thanks for the awesome weekend, Jim! I love you!

We Are Out Of Here!

Can't you just hear me breathing a big sigh of relief? I will and do miss my kids when I'm gone. But this is a much needed rest for us. So I'll be posting all about our trip when we get back on Monday. Or maybe Tuesday.

Have a great weekend!

Correction

My husband came home and pretty much told me I am an idiot. He said, "Runs are in baseball. Okay, So, I don't even like football. But anyway, we never scored a touchdown. There it is corrected, Jim!

Almost

Last night, Zane had a football game so we all went to cheer him on. He was playing QB and all of a sudden he gets the ball and takes off running. He made the longest run of the year and almost a touchdown. You see, this is very exciting considering we haven't scored a touchdown all year long. So I guess you can conclude, we haven't won a game all year long either. It wasn't to be! He never made it to the end and we still haven't scored a run. But here's a few pictures that Jim made last night.




I love to hear "Down! Set! Hike! Hike!" coming from that little seven year old mouth. It sounds so manly!

This Morning

This morning I dropped the two big boys off at school and headed to town to drop Jack off. We were almost in town and in the middle of the road was a fox (or maybe a coyote) that had been hit by a car. Right when we got upon it, it lifted it's little head up and looked straight at me. OMG, it really stressed me out. Knowing that thing was injured and couldn't move. For a second (and let me say only a second) I debated on going back and dragging it out of the road. But then I found my mind again and decided that would not be very smart. But apparently someone thought it was okay or either it wasn't hurt as bad as I thought because in the 15 minutes or so it took me to drop Jack off, the thing disappeared. I even turned around to see if it was on the side of the road somewhere. I have a strange feeling someone picked it up. What do you do with an injured wild animal? I hope they called an animal rescuer or knew what they were doing. Anyway, that image is burned into my brain today. Now aren't ya'll glad I shared that with you?!

Garage Sale Finds, Publix, and More

I'm late posting this because we are just so busy. But I did make it to yard sales on Saturday morning.
One of my first purchases was these bar stools. I only paid $3.25 each for them and my kids love them.

At the same sale, I bought these cute little mirrors, the basket, and a wooden bowl. I also bought some baby card kits to make and a light fixture.(Not pictured)
I only paid $9 for all of these things.

One of the local fire departments was having a sale and I bought this little night stand for $2. It has no drawers but I am going to use fabric to cover the holes. I am going to paint for Jack's room.
I also bought several items of clothing throughout the morning but I didn't take the time to take pictures. All in all, I came out pretty good.

I went to JC Penney to buy a Bed in A Bag that I saw on Thursday but they didn't have the size I needed and it can't be ordered. It has taken me a long time to decide what I want to do with the master bedroom in our house. I finally decided and now I can't get the comforter I want. So now, the search is on.

Anyway, Maci Clare and I headed to Publix yesterday morning. I bought $52.00 worth of groceries for $35. It would have been cheaper but the coupon nazi at the cash register would not double 6 of my coupons. Oh well, I guess every little bit helps. Here is what I bought:
4 loaves of Arnold's Wheat Bread
2 Fantastik Anti bacterial Cleaner
2 Land O Lakes Butter tubs
4 bags of Contessa large salad shrimp
2 boxes of Contessa Coconut Shrimp
2 Pillsbury Pizza Crust
2 Pillsbury Crescent Rolls
6 Pack of Publix Water (This was the .01 item)
2 bags of Salad mix
2 boxes of Easy Mac
4 Cans of Del Monte Green Beans
2 bottles of Huggies baby wash

Then we went to Ingles, where they also double coupons. I bought:
4 1/2 gallons of milk (on sale this week 2/$3)
8 lbs. of ground chuck
2 lbs. of red seedless grapes
2 pouches of Southeastern Mills Cheddar Garlic Biscuit mix
2 bags of Dry beans
2 boxes of Toaster Strudel
6 boxes of Uncles Ben's rice mix (which ended up being free with coupons)
1 Oscar Mayer Bologna
2 Premium Land o Frost Deli meats

Total before coupons was $59 and total after coupons was $32.

So I did pretty good.

Last night we had a meeting at the school about Gabe's fiddle lessons at 6. Zane had football practice at 6:30. Jim had a cub scout leader meeting at 6:30. And I had a class at 7. So our lives are just too busy.

But at the end of the week, Jim and I are headed to Tybee Island, Georgia, which is right beside Savannah. I cannot wait. We are taking a much needed break. So there is a bright spot at the end of this week.

One Of THOSE Days

Yesterday was just one of those days. I had several errands to run and I'm trying to get them all done when I go out. You know, that little expense called GAS! Anyway, after dropping all 3 boys off at school, Maci Clare and I headed to Easley. First stop: Walmart. I needed a certain McCall's sewing pattern and I Walmart's seem to be the cheapest (at least around here). So I decided while I was there I would just try to buy the fabric too. I spent more than a few minutes picking it out and then discovered no one was there to cut and price it for me. We waited a few minutes and moved on. I didn't really feel like waiting.
We then headed out to Hobby Lobby to use my 40% off coupon. I picked out the fabric there and guess what? No one there to cut it either. I used "the bell" several times and couldn't get anyone to come. So finally, I had the guy that was in the framing department call someone for me. I did get my fabric and few other things that I wanted to work on.
After we left, I strolled over to J.C.Penney to see what clearance items they had. And I found these cute bathing suit bottoms for $1.97 each.


We had a little bit more time to kill before we had to pick up Jack so we stopped by Zaxby's and grabbed a bite of lunch. That is when the fun began. I realized that I had been charged for 2 items instead of one at Walmart. (it was a pair of basketball shorts for Zane) So we headed back to Walmart to try to get a refund or at least the second pair of shorts. Maci Clare fell asleep in the car so I just grabbed her and carried her in. The customer service desks was swamped. So I just went over to front manager (the one in charge of cashiers) and told her what happened. I just got another pair of shorts instead of messing with them money. She was super nice. As I put MC back in her carseat, I noticed one of her Sketcher's was missing. I searched the whole car and all around the outside. It was nowhere to be found. I unfastened her again and headed back in to Walmart for the 3rd time. I retraced my steps and the shoe was nowhere to be found. I went and asked if a shoe had been turned in. Quite rudely, the woman replied "No".

In the meantime, it was time to pick up Jack. So I called Jim and he took his lunch break and picked up Jack and met me at McDonald's. With both kids in tow, I headed home for what I thought would be naptime. No way! Neither of them wanted to go to sleep. So an hour later we headed out once again to pick up the big boys and a dentist appointment. We all had our teeth cleaned.This was Jack's first dentist appointment so I included this picture.
>
This was the only one I could get of him alone.

This is my friend Karyn(she cleans our teeth) and Jack.
Jim met me and took all the kids home so I could do a little grocery shopping.

We have a new Walgreen's and I stopped there first to check it out. I'm just not super impressed with Walgreen's. The buy of the day was 2 Pickens Football t-shirts for $10. I also bought 2 Edge shaving creams, a box of Kashi Go Lean cereal, and 2 Lady Speed Stick deoderants. After coupons and my gift card ($8.80), I paid $6.17

I then went to CVS and ended up doing 2 transactions. In the first I bought 3 jars of Helmann's mayonaise and 1 jar of Skippy peanut butter. My total out of pocket was $4.23 and I got $3 ECBs back. The second transaction was 2 boxes of Nutripal bars, a huge water bottle (for Zane to use at football), a bag of Hershey's bliss and a gift bag with an out of pocket total of $4.27. Unfortunately, I did not get any ECBs on this transaction and I've used all of them. I'll have to start over this week.

I finally made it to the grocery store where I bought $50 worth of groceries for $34. When I made it home, it was time for Zane to go to football practice and my house was trashed. (Jim took a nap and what did the kids do?) Jim and Zane left and I started supper and cleaning. I cleaned for about 2 hours to get everthing straightened back out.
While Jim was gone, Maci Clare and Jack took turns throwing up. Let me explain. Every time one of our kids cough, they throw up. So I cleaned up throw up 5 times in about a 2 hour time period. Our carpet and couch in the living room look so bad that we just need to rip it up. I want hardwoods so they are easier to clean. That is what I am saving my money for now.
I fell into bed at 9:30 last night and hoped and prayed for a better day. And it has been.

I've Finally Mastered It:: Iced Coffee

After several attempts, I've finally figured out the recipe for a Vanilla Iced Coffee that taste just like McDonalds. It was so simple.

Fill a 16 ounce cup with ice. Pour in
1/4 cup of Coffee Mate French Vanilla Coffee Creamer
2 tablespoons of Sweetened Condensed Milk
Fill the rest of the cup with cold coffee.
It is really good.
And you can add your favorite flavor creamer and it becomes whatever flavor you like. I have tried Mudslide, Chocolate Caramel, and Southern Butter Pecan. They were all good.

That's what Works for me today.
Go see Works for Me Wednesday to see other ideas

I Don't Know Why I'm Headless!

I just had to comment on my headlessness (is that a word?). Anyway, I was in the bedroom trying to take a picture in the mirror but it just didn't turn out too good. So, I ask hubby to take a pic and this is the result. I think I told him just the clothes are fine. Doesn't he follow directions well?

Not Much Happening

It is another Sunday night and I'm cruisin' the net while Jim cleans the kitchen. (It is so nice to have a fabulous husband.) I was trying to make some grocery lists for this week. I did not grocery shop at all last week and we are out of everything. Even my stockpile is running low.
So tomorrow, I'm off to Greenville to take Maci Clare to the doctor. She is so congested and yucky. This has been going on for about 3 weeks. I know, I know, I'm a terrible mother but my doctor won't do anything until they have been sick for 10 days. So that's why I try to wait it out but I think she needs an antibiotic now.
We had a fun weekend. Friday night, my dad took Gabe and Zane to the local high school football game and they spent the night with him. So Jim and I just hung out with the two little ones. I fell asleep in the chair about 10pm.
Saturday, I went to yard sales in the morning. The first yard sale I went to, I got 5 Disney movies for .50 each. They were The Little Mermaid, Born to be Wild, Pocohantas, Dumbo, and The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Then I went to one right down the road and got a pair of Levis, and two pair of Aeropostale jeans for $2 each.
I drove a little while and didn't really see another one but then came across a church yard sale and bought another pair of Old Navy jeans (they didn't fit, I'll sell them on ebay), a pair of Old Navy black dress pants, a cute Arizona shirt with the tags still on and a long sleeve t-shirt (can't remember what brand). I paid $1 for each item.

Then I came across two more church sales. The first one I found a pair of Thinsulate lined gloves with tags for $1. The last one I bought a pair of Express jeans (didn't like them after I got them home, but ebay might), a few Aeropostale and Old Navy shirts (long sleeve and short sleeve). All clothing items were .50 each.
I bought a Fisher Price castle with a couple of extras inside for .50, a Strawberry Shortcake change purse for .10, a little square basket for .10, 2 sets of plastic beaded bracelets for .50, and 2 Hallmark Kiss Kiss bears (the ones with the magnets in their mouths that stick them together) with tags for .50 each. I think I spent about $20 in all and got a ton of stuff.
In the afternoon, we went to Jim's company picnic at the lake which is always fun. We had a great time. Gabe and Zane went to the Clemson vs. NC State game so we just had the two little ones again. Jim won a $25 gift certificate from Copper River. We can't wait to use that.
Last night everyone was home and my mom brought some food up and we watched Mrs. Doubtfire. I had forgotten that the language was so bad in that movie but by the time we realized it, it was too late. Oh well, I guess they've probably heard it before.
This morning we went to church and then to McDonald's to eat. Once again it was just the little ones at home because Gabe and Zane had a birthday party to go to. I took Maci Clare and Jack for a ride on the 4 wheeler and Jim worked outside until almost dark. Now everyone is sleeping and I am going to go spend a little quality time with my husband. That is, if I can tear him away from football for a while. I am posting this picture because I wanted you to see the cute outfit that I wore today. The total cost of my outfit was $3. I bought the top a while back at a yard sale and the jeans were some I bought yesterday. I thought it was pretty cute and fashionable. I got lots of compliments at church this morning. Little do they know, that I can be just as trendy as they can and for a lot less. I Heart Yard Sales!

A Little Review

I love salad. I eat some kind of salad almost every day. Sometimes I just have a bagged salad with nothing but dressing. But sometime I dress it up a bit with whatever I can find in my fridge or pantry. So today when I came across this marked down at the grocery store, I couldn't pass it up. I had to run back to the car because I knew that filed away in my trusty coupon notebook was 2 coupons. These were marked down to $1.99 and I had 2 $1 off one coupons. So for .99 I now have 4 lunches. And they are excellent. I did heat the chicken but this is a perfect lunch if you can find them on sale or marked down. You can find your own coupons here.

Homework Baskets

I bought these cute little dollar store baskets for .25 each at a yard sale with something else in mind but then I decided on this.Homework baskets for each child. They are tagged with each name and have the essentials for completing homework everyday.


We keep them in the entrance hall on the bottom shelf and when the kids come in from school they can grab them and be on their merry way. So far it is working for us.

See more ideas here at Rocks in My Dryer's Works for Me Wednesday.

Random Thoughts About Worship

Sunday, I sat in church listening to the preacher (talking about lying, btw) and the music. My mind started to wander. I started thinking about how God works. As I looked around the room (and it is a big room), I begin to think how different most of the people are in that room. On the front row, sat an African American couple with several children. Two rows behind them, was a Mexican couple. On the other side of the church, sat several rows of teenagers some in "normal clothes" and some wearing what is known around here as "goth". As I continued to look, I saw men with piercings, women with tattoos, several with spiked mohawks, and a lot of people that look a lot like me. But even though we are different on the outside, the one thing we all had in common was the desire to worship. It is so awesome to me how God made everyone different but we are all here for one purpose. As the service closed and we begin to sing the last song, I looked around one last time and watched as people begin to sing, dance, and lift hands in praise. I think this is what God intended. God equips us through our experiences, lifestyles, and personalities. Isn't it great to be in the room where there are so many differences but so many people are coming together for one reason. Just to worship!

And The Winner Is...

Windy from A Peek At Us (who also happens to be one of my faithful bloggy friends), Susan,and Brady from A Day in The Life of Brady. I will email these ladies and if I don't here from them by tomorrow night, I will choose another winner. Thanks to everyone who left and comment and made my first giveaway such a great success. Congratulations to the 3 winners.

What's Going On Today?

Today has been a little slow. I am trying to tag all my items for the big consignment sale next week. My drop off time is Sunday at 5:30. They only allow you to drop off 20 items that are size 0-9 months. So far, I have about 75 items this size tagged. So what did I do? I called and got my husband a consignor number and my mother a consignor number. I'm still over the limit but I'll save them until next year.
I did not sell at the flea market Wednesday because I could not get childcare worked out for Maci Clare. She and I did, however, go to the flea market and buy. I got a couple of great deals.
My first deal were these cute things (don't know what you call them) from Southern Living at Home. Brand spanking new and still in the packaging. I paid $10. Not sure how much they were originally but I'm sure they weren't $10. Probably $30 or more.
Then I got this cute lamp from the same vendor for $4. She was cleaning out her stuff and decided to sell it all. She said they were "downsizing".
I love the shade. BTW, I'm redecorating my master bedroom in black, red, and white. So these purchases were perfect.

I walked down a little bit further and found the bargain of the day. A brand new Pampered Chef Muffin Pan (stoneware). I love Pampered Chef stones and have converted most of my bakeware to stones. I have eyed this thing for a long time but it is $32.50 to buy from a consultant. So what did I pay for it? $6 Can you believe it? The older lady had lots of dishes and cookware but she definitely didn't know a thing about Pampered Chef.

Mr. UPS came Tuesday and brought my long awaited box. My Thirty One Consultant kit. If you have never heard of Thirty One, you need to go check it out. It is an awesome company. The name comes from Proverbs 31. I am excited. I just signed the contract to be a consultant so I could get the kit. It was well worth what I paid for it and then I turned around and place another order because they had a consultant's special for the month of September. I had no intention of staying activated or selling the products but I was showing off my favorite items last

night and now I have several orders.Here is my favorite thing. In this picture, it looks kinda drab but just wait. Look at the next picture. The flap lifts up and there are hooks. For what you say? Just keep scrolling down.You can turn it into this......or this. And there are several other "skirts". It is called the skirt purse. It comes in brown or black. Now do you see why it is my favorite item?

So for now, I am a Thirty One Consultant. Go check it out here. And if you are interested in ordering anything, let me know. They have some really cute stuff.

Maci Clare's schedule is all messed up. She is sleeping really good at night but is not getting a good nap during the day. Which is terrible for me. She slept about 20 minutes today and would not go back to sleep. So she is driving me crazy. We had another football game last night. I promised pictures so here they are.

Don't they look cute in their little football uniforms?

Remember the giveaway deadline is tonight at 10pm. I had the date wrong. It is really Friday, Sept. 5. So make sure you leave a comment on that post before tonight. And Good luck!

My First Giveaway

I am so excited. I've been trying to think of something spectacular to giveaway. Today it came in the mail. I received 5 copies of the first book in a new series called Precious Girls Club. I am a MomSelect Member and they chose me to pass along this product to you. So I am keeping one, giving one to a friend, and the other 3 are up for grabs. This book is called A Little Bit of Faith and is written by Cindy Kenney. Cindy Kenney has written over 50 books and even wrote the Veggie Tales Bible Storybook. To learn more about her and this series go here. These books are based on Precious Moments and were set to hit retail stores today. The characters seem to be an updated version of the Precious Moments characters (which I do not like and was never a collector.) With that being said, I really liked this book and thought the message was great. The website, www.preciousgirlsclub.com, seems to be set up like Webkins and can be monitored by parents. The books were written for ages 6-10 and are Christian based. So if you are interested in winning one of these books, leave me a comment. I will take comments until Friday, September 6 at 10pm. I will randomly select three winners. Make sure I have your email so I can contact you if you win. Now go tell all your friends. Especially the ones with girls.

The Girls Are Alone Again

Today, everyone went back to school. The first two weeks of school are like a teaser. Since Jack had to stay home for 1 week after his surgery, it was a real teaser. But now I'm happy to say everyone is back to normal. As for me and my girl, we're cleaning house, catching up on laundry, and going to the grocery store. Zane's first football game is tonight and I'm anxious to see how it all works out. (I'm not talking about winning or losing.) I want to gauge how long the game is and figure out supper plans. For 6 weeks, Zane has games every Tuesday and Thursday. That is 12 meals that we will eat out if I don't plan ahead. So after tonight, I will try to work in some crock pot recipes. If I find some good ones, I will share. If you have any good ones, please share with me.
I am going to head out to the flea market in the morning and sell some stuff. We have an abundance of baby stuff and it's time to get rid of it. I have tagged most of it for the big consignment sale next week but I thought I would try to sell it without giving a percentage to the consignment people before I turn it all in. So we'll see how it goes. I'll try to take pictures tonight and tomorrow so I can post them later.

Labor Day Meme

Shannon over at Rocks in My Dryer has posted a Meme in honor of Labor day about labor. So here it goes.

How long were your labors?

Kid #1, 18 hours
Kid #2, 33hours
Kid #3, 0 hours
Kid #4, o hours

The last two were planned C-sections.

How did you know you were in labor?

Kid #1 Contractions
Kid #2 Contractions
Kid #3 No labor
Kid #4 No labor

Where did you deliver?

With all of them, at the hospital.

Drugs?

Kid #1 Epidural, but it took forever to get it and it was almost too late.

Kid #2 Epidural was given immediately on entering the hospital but later had to add more medicine.

Kid #3 Planned Section so had Epidural

Kid #4 Planned Section so had spinal block

C-section?

Kid #1 No
Kid #2 Emergency C-section
Kid #3 and #4 Planned C-sections.

Who delivered?
Doctors delivered all 4.

If you want to play, go to Rocks in My Dryer and follow her directions.

I'm having some issues with Blogger right now so if this post looks funny that is why.