Ukrops: .05 cents Special K20 Protein Water!

As I was perusing the diet section at Ukrops today, I noticed that their Special K2O Protein Water was on sale fro $1.15 (down from the regular $1.57). Not bad, right? Well, then I took a second look and saw that many of them had coupons attached to them for .55 cents off! Well, since today is super double coupons at Ukrops, I got $1.10 off each one, making them only .05 cents each!
Forget about looking at the John Rolfe YMCA, but all the other ones should have them! Hurry, hurry, hurry!!!!
This stuff is REALLY good and has 5 grams of dietary fiber, too!
YOU CAN ONLY GET THIS DEAL TODAY, ON SUPER DOUBLE COUPON DAY!

Halloween '09, done! Now for Thanksgiving!!!

Trick-or-Treating was SO much fun this year!

Alex sort of dressed up as a cheerleader (just wore her cheerleading uniform from Western Wildcats) and Aron was the Campbells Soup kid!

Aron's legs couldn't quite make it ALL the way around the neighborhood, so we brought his trusty wagon!

I'm not sure WHY the weather decided to be 80 degrees out, instead of the nice, crisp 70 degrees it's been!!!! I was sweating big time!

Anyhow, I made Aron's costume this year. It was so much fun (and not to mention it only cost me a whopping $8 to make!). I just used felt, posterboard and paper!


Alex really didn't dress up this year. BUT, she definitely wasn't too cool for school, because they had "mix and match" day at school on Friday and this girl went ALL out! I can't tell you how many people came by my job and had "compliments" for Alex as they saw her at her bus stop this morning! Ha! HA! And no, she isn't posing in this picture. She was displaying her true tween attitude because she was forced to take a picture for mom's blog!

F-A-L-L Blogswap 2009! Thank you, Donna!!!

Well, I knew I was in for a treat when I saw that Donna had me! And let me tell you, this girl hooked me UP!!!!!
Before I get to the pictures, I just want to say thank you to Donna for putting so much time and effort into this! From the little note to the packaging to remembering my family members, you did a fantastic job!
Okay, onto the good stuff!
The note included breaks everything down:
F- Enjoy some Fall time Flavor in your home this season. (the cider)
A- Here is a cute Fall Accent piece for your mantle this month. Trick or Treat! (the Trick or Treat banner)
L- These Little pumpkins are perfect for Rivera mealtimes in the Fall. They'll add some spice to your dinner table. (pumpkin salt and pepper shakers)
L- Another way to decorate the table this season- Leaf placemats!

Look at how festive this packaging is!


This is everything out of the package (except the banner)!
Pumpkin salt and pepper shakers, Leaf placemats (adorable!), cider mix (yummy!)
Socks for Alex, spoon & fork set for Aron and (this is my favorite)- a pumpkin whoopie cushion for Eddie! Lol!! It's like you already know him! He LOVES it!


Here is the banner proudly displayed on my mantle! It's beautiful and I've always wanted a banner! Where do you get these??! Does someone make them??


Here is Alex who could NOT wait to put on her socks! (gosh, she is getting so tall I can hardly fit her in the picture!) She wore them to her babysitting job tonight and was telling them that Donna got them for her ('cuz you know...they go waaay back! lol!--this kid cracks me up!)through her mom's blog swap. You can imagine the confused look I got when I tried explaining this to someone who doesn't blog!


Here is Aron saying "Yaaaaayyyy!" for his new spoon and fork set!


Sorry. No picks of Eddie and I. We had just gotten home from working out at the gym and were gross!!! But trust me, I LOVED it and so did my family! THANK YOU SO MUCH, DONNA!

an "off" week

Since Alex started middle school this year, her schedule has gotten SO busy!
I am kind of glad, though. Better busy than so bored that you have to "find" something to do!
I am so thankful for our church that they have so many different programs for her to get involved in. We all head to church on Sunday, of course, but then she has Bible study there on Monday nights with all girls her age, then she has youth group on Wednesday night. Right now she is on a youth retreat in West Virginia. It is just so exciting to see her growing in the Lord! I really think it is so important to be surrounded by christian friends. Especially when you are in a public middle school!
Anyways, with Alex gone on this retreat, Aron has been acting so weird. I think he really misses his sister. She always plays with him. Eddie and I play with him too, but not the way "sissy" does!
So, we decided to go to Trader Joe's for their "one year birthday". He was kind of fussy at the store, so they gave him a balloon. Let me tell you, he held that balloon forever! We went to Chick-fil-A afterwards and he was screaming when we tried to leave the balloon in the car, so we thought it's not worth the fuss, so we let him bring it in. Again, he will NOT let go of this balloon! Everytime he reached for a nugget, his balloon would fly up to the ceiling and he would scream! (it was tied to his wrist, though).
UGh....so we get home and let him watch a little of his favorite show, Thomas and Friends. He is STILL holding this balloon!
He finally let go of his balloon when it was time to get ready for bed.
The next night before bed while Eddie was reading him a story, Aron didn't want him to stop! I think he read the book like 3 times, already! Check out the hissy fit my little guy threw when he stopped reading!
I could not believe this was my happy baby boy!!! I think he was overtired and missing sissy.
Alex comes home today and we ALL can't wait!!!!
For your viewing pleasure, the madness has been captured below:

Praise Him for all things!

I just wanted to do a quick post as I saw this video below, I cried and cried. As a parent, I am so blessed to have two healthy children. I think we sometimes take the little things for granted. Thank you God for the health and well-being of my family.

Yea, yea...so I'm a slacker!

Whew! I really do love summer, but I sure am glad school is back in session! I love being on a schedule. The summertime just kind of seems like a "free for all" or something!!!
Things are still just as hectic as ever, though! Lol!
Yesterday after my daughter came home from school, she told me that some lady at the bus stop claimed she had a son who went to Alex's school and then proceeded to ask Alex and another boy where they lived and if they ever needed a ride home, to "give her a call" and she then pointed to the house down the street where she lived.
Does anyone else find this creepy at all????!!! Not to mention, she was there in the morning for the buss pick up AND during the drop off!
So, yours truly called school to question them about how I should go about handling such a situation.
They said they would "look into it". Which, usually means "I'll write it down on a post-it and then give it a good home in the trash can with all the other complaints".
Well, 20 MINUTES later, my doorbell rang and a Henrico county police officer was on my porch! It was funny, because I wasn't expecting him to pay my family a visit until Alex was AT LEAST 16 years old!
Anyhow, after I opened the door, he asked if he could come in (as he walked past me into my living room). Ummmm....sure...make yourself at home. Bathroom is down the hall and since your here, would you mind changing the trash for me??!
Seriously!! HE just barged right on in!
In any event, he wanted to question Alex about what she saw! The whole time she just kept saying how "cool" it was that a policeman was in our living room. "This is so cool! We've never had a police officer in our house before"!
Easy child!!! Let's not make a habit of this, ok??!
So, he questioned her and left.
The next morning at 7:25am, our doorbell rings, he helps himself inside (again) and of COURSE I'm looking like every other person looks at 7:25am!.....pajamas, no bra, hair in a messy bun, no make-up....yadda..yadda..yadda....
Then, he told me that they found the lady and that she does have a son that goes to the same school and he never leaves the house and she was trying to find him some victims friends for him. My question is...WHO DOES THAT??!!!
UGhh.....I really can't wait to get my car in a couple of weeks! Alex is NOT going to be riding the bus for much longer!
Also, I am losing the battle on my "no cell phone until you are driving" policy!
The police officer told Alex to make sure her cell phone is on as soon as she gets off the bus. Like it's not even a question that she has one?!!!! When I told him she didn't have a cell phone, he acted like those words don't even go together in the same sentence! "Oh...um....well...maybe...cell phone....bus....middle school..."
I get it! EVERYONE has a cell phone except Alex! Sorry!!! I just don't like seeing these kids texting every minute of the day!
So, alas, she will be getting a pre-paid cell phone with a whopping $5 dollars on it to call me in the event of an emergency.
UGhg......well, that's what's going on in my life right now!
Exciting, huh??!!
Lol!!!!

Well, Well...what do we have here??

Look what I found in Sunday's paper in the coupon section!!!! I have NEVER seen any advertisement for Harris Teeter in all my years living in Richmond! Don't lie to us Mr. Ukrop! We know the inevitable!

Harris Teeter taking over??!

OR



I'm not sure if this is going to be good news or bad!
In the Times Dispatch today, it looks like Harris Teeter is (possibly) buying out Ukrops!
I am feeling kind of bitter sweet about this one.
Ukrops is a christian owned grocery store chain that is locally owned. They sponsor just about everything here in Richmond, including the famous Ukrops 10K!
On the other (and *ahem* selfish) hand, Harris Teeter oftentimes TRIPLES coupons!
Not to mention, I would be working ABOVE the Harris Teeter! For those of you that don't know, the YMCA that I work at is above a Ukrops grocery store! Let me tell you, it definitely has it's advantages!
Very interesting! I'm going to miss people rolling my groceries out to my car for me!

Foot Fetish??!

I think my son has a foot fetish!! Eeeewww!!! He absolutely LOVES tickling people's feet! He could literally sit there for hours and do it and just think it's the greatest thing in the world!
Here is a video of him and his latest obsession-
Enjoy!

I love this site!

I love to do arts and crafts, it is just that I have the hardest time coming up with creative and unique ideas! That is why I am addicted to TipJunkie!



Right now, they have gone from a simple blog to a full blown .com website!
They are celebrating their success by offering some great giveaways, so I definitely recommend you check it out!

Click HERE to check it all out!

Elementary School----check!

Wow! I can not tell you how fast Elementary school went by! It is so crazy to think that my baby girl is going into Middle School in a just a couple of months! And just think....I'm not even CLOSE to being done! I get to do the whole elementary school adventure all over again in 4 more years!
Aron has been getting so stinkin' big! He is walking and talking--or trying--Ha! ha!--and this kid LOVES books and Little People!
Anyhow, here is a recent video of him trying out his new sandals!





This kid makes the funniest faces I've ever seen! He must be a "Jim Carrey" in the making!

Hello Everyone!

I have just been busy, busy, busy! My savings blog is just so much fun! I'm so addicted!

On the homefront- I can't believe Aron is 14 months old already!! Where in the world does the time go?! Wasn't I JUST pregnant with him??!
He is walking now. Which is "fun". This is ALL he ever wants to do!!
Well, he also LOVES to snuggle with mommy! I LOVE IT! Alex was never a big snuggler, so I am just eating it up!
He learned how to give kisses, so of course we captured it on camera!


And, here is a picture of my BIG boy! He was fresh out of the bath in this picture (no, I don't just let him run around the house all day in his diaper!)


Also, I am...er...I mean Alex is preparing for middle school this September!
We have a summer choc-ful-of business! Alex is going to Camp Hydaway for the last year :( She is also going to our church camp and to Girl Scout camp. Very sad. Her last summer as a "kid".

I'll be updating more frequently on here. I've gotten really bad about that lately!

Whew!

So, how glad are you that THIS GUY isn't your American Idol?!?!
What a sigh of relief, although I still think Danny Gokey should have won. I can't believe how much the judges pushed and praised this guy!!!! If he would have won, I could never allow myself or my children to watch that show again. Aside from him being a HORRIBLE singer (FYI, Adam- Screaming is not singing!), he is a terrible role model for children (which, by the way, is a huge portion of the audience of this show)!

So, rock on Kris Allen! He did a great job!

Cheesiest show......ever!

My daughter is your typical "tween". She loves the Jonas Brothers....commonly known as "Jonai". Anyhow, they have a new tv show on Disney and it has to be absolutely the CHEESIEST thing I have ever seen! I mean, just going to the website should give you a clue! "The brothers that ROCK together, ROLL together"....isn't that sweet?! Pardon my sarcasm.
As I'm sitting here at the computer, my daughter is over there watching this junk. From what I can hear, the three brothers all like this one girl who works at a pizza place.
Of course, what would a Jonas Brother show be without their music? Yep, that's right. Now they are singing a song "I fell in love with the pizza girl and now I eat pizza every day"...
I am NOT making this up! This is the worst thing ever....yet....I can't look away.......

Nothing new

Well, this isn't an exciting post. Nothing really new to report. I've just been busy, busy, busy with my other savings blog www.bargainnoble.blogspot.com

I have had time to tune in and watch American Idol and Lost, however.
On American Idol----Adam Lambert??! Seriously??! He is so nasty.
It's so overly obvious that American Idol WANTS him to win! Last week when Katy Perry (I can't stand her either) sang live on the show, her "superwoman" cape had "Adam Lambert" embroidered on the back! WHAT?! Is that even allowed??!
Also, how in the WORLD is Danny Gokey not in the finals? Kris is good, but he is no Danny Gokey.
Whew! I just had to get that off my chest!

Lost- I was REALLY hoping for more answers in the season finale. I found out who Jacob was, finally. Even though he died so easily by Ben stabbing him.
I find this whole Jacob scenario so much like the Bible story of Jacob and Esau. My theory is that is who the other guy is that was on the island with Jacob originally. I remember him saying "Do you know how bad I want to kill you right now?" That was very much the feeling Esau had toward Jacob when Jacob stole his birth right. I think that the show is somehow insinuating that the new "Locke" has come back as "Esau" and convinced Ben to kill Jacob.
Although, Esau didn't kill Jacob in the Bible....but still.....it's just so similar...

Anyhow, that's just my take on it!

I know it's been a while!

Whew! Have I been busy!
In case you haven' heard, I have been crazy busy with my other new blog, Bargain Noble!
I haven't had time to update this blog, but hang with me! I'm still kind of new to this savings thing!
Aside from saving money, I have been having so much fun with Aron!
He is really starting to show his personality and it's so darn cute!
Alex is really enjoying it too....



Aron is STILL not walking, but he is getting there. Here is a video of him after his bath in his crib being brave and taking his first two steps! I still can't believe I got this on camera!
He gets so excited that it sounds like he says "I DID IT!"
Just listen......

Bargain Noble!

Yep! You can remember the name easy because it's like the book store!
I am proud to present to you the newest savings blog on the internet!
I plan on keeping it pretty exclusive to the Richmond area, but many of the stores we have here are all over the USA, so it could really benefit a lot of people!
Come on over and check it out!
Bargain Noble

Recent "Finds"!

This is going to be a short but sweet post!
Right now at CVS, they have the Dove Skin Revitalizer on sale for $4. This is normally 12.99, so it's a GREAT deal. But, to make it that much sweeter, head on over to www.coupons.com and print out the $3.75 off of the Dove Skin Revitalizer and you can get it for .25 cents!
For all you Richmonders, the CVS on Patterson has them in stock! The ones on Cox Rd. and Lauderdale are out, but should restock later this week!

Also, if you are looking for something to do with the kids, go penny searching within a 2 mile radius of Cici's pizza on Broad Street. They are running a very unique marketing campaign. They have placed special pennies on sidewalks and parking lots all up and down Broad street and if you find one, you can get a free buffet meal there!
We went searching on Saturday and found one on the sidewalk in the shopping center where Cici's Pizza is. That was the only one we found, though.
Don't bother looking there or the following places:
Buffalo Wild Wings Plaza
Big Lots plaza
The plaza beside Wawa (Booksamillion)
KMart
Play it Again Sports

There are a lot of other places they could be, but we searched high and low in the areas listed above.
The penny looks like this:

Have fun :)

Coincidence!

Remember yesterday I posted on here that in my "All You" magazine, I read that handy little tip about if a store has a buy one get one free sale on an item and you have a buy one get one free coupon, you get BOTH items for free?
Well, today is the perfect day to take advantage of that situation!
Go to www.coupons.com and print out their buy one get one free coupon on Purex!
Then, go to CVS (stat!) because they are having a sale on Purex this week at Buy one, Get one free!!
Note: if it doesn't show up on coupons.com using your own zip code, use zip code 43123

Thanks for the tip Hip2Save !

DEALS THIS WEEK!

Well, this week isn't too bad considering there were no coupons in this past Sunday's paper!

I'll start with Ukrops. Of course, there is the thrift section! I was able to grab some low fat Brie cheese there today for only $4!
Also, they have their Kellogg's cereals 3/$5. That in itself is not a bad deal, but to make it even sweeter, first head on over to Food Lion and go in their cereal isle and grab 3 of their $1.00 off any Kellogg's cereal. Then, go to Ukrops and you can get the cereals at 3/$2!!!

Also, you know the Kellogg cereal that is sold individually in the little bowl and all you have to do is add milk? Well, those are on sale this week at Kroger for only $1. Grab some more of those coupons and go "Krogering"!

For Walgreens, you are going to want to go there asap! All of their Easter candy is on sale for 50% off. This is perfect for their easysaver rebate of $5 from Hershey's. If you are lucky enough to grab some of the Hershey kisses, they are only $1.25 each. Buy 4 of them to total $5 and you will have 4 free bags of Hershey kisses after you submit your rebate. They didn't have any Kisses at my Walgreens, so I grabbed 4 bags of Hershey's Bliss chocolates. They were $2 each, but I used my $1.50 off of three bags of Hershey's chocolates, so at the end of the day, I only paid .38 cents per bag of Bliss chocolates. Not free, but not bad!
If you have the $1.50 coupon and you can get 4 bags of Kisses, you could turn this deal into a moneymaker and be in the green $1.50!

If you do not currently subscribe to the All You magazine, I urge you to do so! It is SO worth the money!
I just read in there this little tidbit of information:
If you have a buy one, get one free coupon and the store has the same item on sale buy one get one free, you will get BOTH items for free!!! I never knew that! This magazine is choc-full-of handy bits of information in addition to the loads and loads of coupons and recipes in there!!! I just signed up online last week to subscribe and I already got my first magazine in the mail this week! Talk about fast! Most magazines say your first issue will arrive in 6-8 weeks!

For today only, drive over to Maggie Moo's and get your free scoop of ice cream in "celebration" of tax day!

Although this isn't a "freebie tip", I thought I'd share my experience with Cracker Barrell (the one off of Mayland Drive)recently. We went there to eat about 2 weeks ago and had a less than pleasant experience. Instead of just "sucking it up" and saying "I'll never go there again", I decided to submit my restaurant experience to them via there feedback form online. Next thing I know, in today's mail is a gift certificate to Cracker Barrel for 4 FREE ENTREES! No price limit!
My point is that if you eat out somewhere and have a bad experience, share it with their corporate office. You never know what they might give you to make up for it.

What have I been up to?

I am REALLY enjoying my new hobby, couponing!
This is not your momma's couponing, either! I LOVE saving money! There's something just so satisfying knowing that you are getting something cheaper (or even free) when someone else is paying full price! Is that so wrong?? I don't think so ;)
So, every week, I am going to try to have at least ONE post dedicated to the best deals and steals in Richmond and on the internet. Of course, if I find something too hard to resist, I'll post it right away!
So, what's on the deal menu today?
FOOD LION!

Hurry, hurry, hurry! These won't last long!
I already have 5 boxes, so I'm done, but you can still go to Food Lion and get Frosted Flakes Grab 'n go for F-R-E-E!
How? Just go to the cereal isle and pull a $1 off any Kellogg's cereal coupon off of the little coupon dispenser and the Frosted Flakes Grab-n-Go boxes are on sale for only .99 cents! They are actually paying YOU a penny to take them! Not kidding! Like I said, I've already got 5 boxes, so my daughter is going to have these babies in her lunch for a very long time! I don't think there is a limit on how many you can get, but I only got one or two at a time.


Also, did you know at UKROPS, they have a "thrift" section? It only happens once every day from 7am-9am. You go to the back of the store in the meat section and they have trays and trays of things that will expire either that day or the next and they are 33 percent off! I have gotten cupcakes, NICE steak filets, italian sausage w/peppers and onions, veggie trays....oh, the list goes on! Better to get their right at 7am to get the best picks!

At KROGER, well...not the actual store, but online, if you "design" a bag online, they will give you a FREE tote bag! Just click here to get started!

Well, that is it for now, but I look forward to posting more great deals!

Mailbox Monday

If you need some inspiration on how to save money, I seriously want you to check out this blog! It's www.afrugalfriend.blogspot.com (I also have it listed on my fav. links)
Check out what she got for free!!! I am amazed and inspired!!!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Aron!!!!

Well, it's here. I knew this day was coming. I am just a mess today!
I can't believe my little guy is one year old!!! Where DOES the time go?? Seriously, it feels like it was just last week that I posted I was pregnant with him!

Happy Birthday baby boy! I love you SOOOO much!!!!!
1st picture:


First Birthday picture:

Rakin' in the deals!!!

I spent about 3 hours yesterday "couponing". And I'm not talking about collecting coupons and putting them in an organizer. I'm talking about comparing/contrasting all ads, looking up deals online...etc.
They pay-off was FANTASTIC!!!!!!
I got all of my groceries for the week for $53 (this included formula, diapers and 3 pkgs. wipes, too!!!!!!
At Walgreens this week, here is what I got and only spent about $3.....
-True Shimmer Chapstick
-Skintimate Shaving gel
-two boxes of Life cereal
-two bottles of Softsoap body wash

I am SSSOOOOOO excited!!!!!!!
There is also a website that you can go to and enter to receive their coupons, too! It's www.afullcup.com AND you have a chance to win a $25 Amex gift certificate! Double bonus!

Well, I'm busy preparing for Aron's 1st birthday this Saturday!!! (wow! A year has FLOWN by!!)
I'll be posting more about that later!!!

Oh, what a weekend!

This past weekend was the West End Assembly of God (aka WEAG) consignment sale! Like many others, I volunteered for this sale so that I could shop the early volunteer sale.
I got there an hour early and there was already about 20 people in front of me! This is just the volunteer sale! By the time the doors opened, there was about 100 or so people behind me! This sale is H-U-G-E!
I found a lot of great deals, but I think the fall/winter sale is much better. I'm not sure why. I guess parents try to get rid of everything before Christmas to make room for the new stuff.
Since my son LOVES Thomas the Tank Engine, here are some cute finds:


I also found some really cute clothes. Sleeveless rompers are so 'presh!

On Saturday, I had to work at the Y from 8:15-11:15, then off to volunteer at the sale, then bring Alex to her first softball game of the season, then off to JC Penney's to get her a dress for the Girl Scouts Father/Daughter dance. Go back to the game, pick her up, bring her home, get her ready and off she and Eddie went to the dance. Whew!!!!
I will post some pictures of the dance later, but they had a great time.
On Sunday, our church is starting a great ministry for kids. They can sign up to be on different teams (drama, dance, STOMP, Human Video). Alex wanted to be on the dance team. This reminds me so much of TRBC growing up and being on ministry teams.
They practice at church 12:30-3:00 and then throughout the year, they will be going to various nursing homes...etc. and performing.
I can't wait for her to enter the middle school ministry. They have some GREAT programs for kids, too!

WEAG Spring/Summer Consignment sale!!!!!

It's Here! It's Here! THe BIGGEST consignment sale of the year!!! WOOHOO!
Remember last year I stood in that lame line for the WEAG consignment sale? Well friends, this year I am volunteering at that sale. Why, you might ask? So that I can shop the volunteer sale!!! If you volunteer at this sale, you get to shop before anyone else!
This sale is so huge that (I hear)there is even a long line to get in just for the volunteers! I won't be bringing my camera as I am going to have my hands full and I don't need a camera to weigh me down! OMG! I can't tell you how 'stoked I am about this sale!!! It's the BEST feeling!!!
I can't wait to post about it later!

First Haircut!

I am so sad! Aron had his first haircut today and now he looks like a little boy, not a little baby! I can't believe how fast this little guy is growing! It's crazy!
We went to this great little place here in Richmond called Pigtails and Crewcuts and they did a great job! They even put in his favorite tv show, Thomas the Tank Engine! That kept him still, so they could do their job! For what I paid for the dang haircut, they should have let me keep the dvd!!! I just wanted to go someplace special for his first haircut, so from here on out, it's the good 'ole barber shop for this little man!
The BEFORE:



DURING:



AND AFTER:


And this is just a random video of him making this little noise. It's hard to explain, so just take a look. He was doing this while we were walking around the mall this morning. Everyone who heard him got a little chuckle out of it!

Top 'O The Mornin' To Ya!

Happy Saint Patrick's Day, Y'all!!!!!
Well, the little leprechauns came and visited us last night and caused a bit of choas. They always leave little green foot prints everywhere and the pot of gold was what you see here:

Then, I made Alex some green eggs. She wanted to have a "side" of ham, but we didn't have any. I know the eggs look like broccoli. She likes to cut up her eggs into tiny pieces. Don't ask why.


Traditionally, our St. Patrick's Day dinner consists of corned beef and cabbage, but corned beef is REALLY fattening, so, we are opting for a low-fat version of Fish and Chips! Some baked tilapia with home made mashed potatoes (colored green, of course!)
I have a TON of running around today, but I'll definitely post later what kind of cupcake I opted for and post my critique for it!

Home Alone :(

I'm all by my lonesome this week. Eddie is off on a business trip until Thursday. I just don't know what to do with myself! Eddie ALWAYS makes the coffee in the morning, so I tried making it today and after 3 tries, I finally got it (somewhat) right! I have off today, so I will definitely be taking my little guy to the gym so that he can play with his friends (seriously, they are his friends! The exact same people come to our gym every day and everyone knows everyone!) and I can work on my abs! I really can't walk or run right now because my personal trainer whooped my butt on Saturday! I entered a Biggest Loser Contest at work with some friends of mine. It's myself, 3 of my friends and Eddie and our team name is "4 Bikini's and a Speedo". The contest ends in August, so fingers crossed we can pull out a win!
Anyhow, since tomorrow is St. Patty's Day, (which we all know is a BIG deal at my house - see THIS POST ) I have to prepare today! This means getting some Lucky Charms, cutting out the feet, making a card....etc. Alex now knows that there are no Leprechauns, but she still wants me to do these things for her! She also wants to help me do this for Aron, too. I guess I'll have to do two sets of footprints?
There is also a new cupcake boutique that opened here in Richmond that I am WAY TOO excited about! It's dangerously close to my house. It's called Two Sweet and tomorrow they are making special St. Patrick's Day cupcakes.
Which one to choose:

little leprechaun
sweet vanilla cake infused with shamrock sprinkles, topped with vanilla buttercream and more shamrocks

irish coffee
bailey's irish cream cupcake filled with espresso cream, topped with bailey's european buttercream

lucky charm
sweet vanilla cake filled with marshmallow cream, topped with the palest of green european buttercreams and lucky charms

chocolate stout
deep chocolate cake baked with guiness stout, topped with our crazy good cream cheese icing and chocolate sprinkles

I'll post tomorrow and let you know!
Also this week - Spring Cleaning and decorating!!!!! Spring can't get here fast enough!!!!!

Cold...Hot!

Well, I just don't know WHAT to make of this weather lately! It's 85 degrees out today!!!
Just a few days ago, we had this! -



Now, today is HOT outside and we are in our Summer clothes! -

This was taken after church this morning. I LOVE little boy's smocks! I got a ton of them at a consignment sale recently! I was TOO excited to put them on him already!

Some catching up....

I've been so busy lately!!!
Let me catch up here. Last week I was in Washington D.C. for some training for my job with HelmsBriscoe. It was awesome! They put us up at the Liaison Hotel on Capitol Hill and we were treated like royalty! It's so fabulous being "woo'ed" by other cities and hotels!
Then, this past weekend we were blessed by a whopping 10 inches of snow! School was closed all week and then yesterday we were two hours late. I thought I was going to go crazy with Alex in this house all day, but we were able to venture out a bit to avoid some serious cabin fever.
Then, on Wednesday, I was in a bad car crash. The car is completely totaled. My wrist is sprained, but other than that, I am good. Thank GOD no kids were in the car with me. The bad news is, we still owe money on the car, so what the insurance company gives us, we will have to use it to pay off the car. So, we are down to one car. This is very challenging as now I have to walk to work, which is going to S-U-C-K! My job is just about 1 mile away and I used to voluntarily walk to work during the fall, but with this crazy weather we have been having, I'm not sure how I feel about it.
Here is a picture of the car.....

We absolutely can't afford another car, so please pray that someone out there has a "beater" they can donate to our family or for a REALLY cheap price! I just need something to get Aron and I to work and back.
These are some tough times we are living in and let me tell you, we are definitely feeling it!

You gotta love Mel Gibson

This is absolutely the best thing I've seen in a very long time!!!
Check out Mel Gibson's new "movie"...

Happy Valentines Day!

I love Valentines Day!
Today I will be making my loved ones some yummy cupcakes with homemade strawberry butter cream icing! Yum!!!!
Of course, Aron can't have any sugar yet, so he will have to settle for some pureed strawberries and bananas!!!
I have so much to love about my husband on this Valentines Day, so this post is dedicated to Eddie.
As most of you know, I met Eddie when Alexandra was 6 months old. He instantly fell in love with her and had no qualms about stepping in as her father. He is the absolute best dad I have ever seen. When Alex was a baby, he would change her diapers, give her baths, even pick up her "mess" when she got sick! (so, he got plenty of experience and was ready for Aron!) I knew he was the one for me when I saw how much he loved me, by loving Alexandra so much.
It's been 10 1/2 years that we have been together, 9 of them in which we have been married and I am so thankful that he is in my life.
Happy Valentines Eddie and I love you SO much!

Throwing a ball and a fit!

Well, as I mentioned a couple of posts ago, Aron is learning new things everyday it seems! I thought I'd capture some of these moments on camera.
This first one is of him throwing a ball....


Then, here is a little video of him throwing a fit! For all you girls out there who say "Oh, he seems so happy, does he EVER cry??!" He LOVED this truck when he got it for Christmas, but has now suddenly developed a fear of it??

Happy Valentines Day to ME!

Woohoo!!! My Valentines swap came today! Caroline had me and let me just tell you, she is SO creative! This girl puts me to shame! Firstly, kudos for packing it in such a cute padded envelope! I love it! She attached a note to each and every item with a cute little ribbon! Thanks for putting so much time into it!
My daughter was SUPER excited (even though it is not for her) and she begged me if she could open it. She gave me the whole sob story that she never gets mail....so, I caved and let her open it, but as she took the things out of the package I took pictures of each thing!
Here is the beautiful package (excuse the coaster, but I had to cover up addressess! This is a public blog, y'all!)


The "R" luggage tag! Which I will definitely use this May when I go to Miami!


Yummy chocolates! These are SO not good for my diet! Too bad I ate them all already!


Valentines Day notecard set! (Caroline, be on the look out for one of these back to ya, girl!)


Valentines Day dish towels! I don't have any Valentines ones, so these are perfect!


Playful pez! I seriously feel like a kid again! I had to FIGHT my daughter for these! I won, of course!


And of course I had to get a picture of myself in there to prove I was there when we opened the package! 'Yea, that's right! I'm posin' hard! Ha! Ha!
These are the cutest spatula's ever!!!!


And by popular request, here is a recent picture of my little man! His recent obsession is Thomas and Friends. He wore some pajamas last night with pictures of Thomas on them and he wouldn't stop looking and pointing at his pajamas!
Also, he is crawling, throwing a ball, saying "da da", "baby", "by bye"!!! I'm such a proud mommy! Now, if I could just get HIM to say "momma"!!!! Videos to come soon!


THANK YOU SO MUCH CAROLINE! It's so great to have a new blogger friend!