Catching up, sort of

Since I just posted an entire blog of nothing related to my children, I figured I should throw one up with some cuteness in it.  What better way to do that then to put up some pictures that never made it to the blog in a timely fashion??  So I give to you Summer in Fall. : )

When we weren't at the pool, we spent a lot of mornings in the backyard at the water table.  Jack was content to sit and play as long as you would let him.

 Sawyer loves the water table as well, it's just that his idea of fun and Jack's are two different things. : )

 We decided to head out to the peach festival this year, and it was a great year for it!  It was probably one of the coolest on record, and even better because we found a great tree to sit under.  We tried, once again for a family picture, and well, you see what we ended up with.  Oh well, one of these days!!

Waiting for the parade to start.

 Waving at all the people going by.  He's such a good little politician.

Back to the shade and our wonderful spot!

And then we discovered that these people gave out candy!!  We had to start hiding it so they didn't both end up with upset stomachs and cavities. : )

 Finally done, and someone was super tired and ready for a nap.  He was such a trooper and we all had fun!

We all went out to Cotton Grill for mom and dad's anniversary.  My sis-in-law and me.  I'm not sure we've ever taken a picture together other than at their wedding! Ha!

All of us, some happy, and some not so happy. : )  There were a bunch of turtles swimming behind us and the boys were not interested in having their pictures taken unless they could do it while looking at them.

My brother and his beautiful new bride 

Mom and Dad, pretty sweet after 28 years of marriage

Grandaddy and his boys, still looking at those turtles



chillin' before we eat

Well, that's by no means our entire summer, but just a taste of a few things that I missed earlier.  I'll try to get another post in the next week about what we're up to these days.  Busy little bees live in my house if that gives you any idea. 

Ebates, Swagbucks, and Coupons

So a friend of mine recently posted on her blog about her disdain for all things coupon related.  I on the other hand LOVE coupons and all things related to them.  I'm not saying they're for everyone, but for those that need to save the money and/or have the time, I think they can be done in a very minimal way so as not to consume hours of your precious time. 

First on the list, Ebates.  I love to shop online these days.  Pretty much anyway that I can get great deals and not have to drag my two, soon to be three, children around a store is GREAT with me!  I shop the off season sales to get awesome deals on stuff for the next season and I use as many online coupons as possible.  One of these ways is to use a website called Ebates.  All you do is sign up on the website and then use their link to navigate to the website from which you want to shop.  It's that simple!  Every few months they will send you a check for the money that you got back from your purchases.  If you're die-hard, and I'm not, you can even follow when places double their percentages and make even more money.  Last year, just by doing my regular shopping online I made over $50!  I'd say that's worth the extra click, wouldn't you?  If you want to sign up, just follow the link below and you'll get $5 when you make your first purchase through the site!
http://www.ebates.com/rf.do?referrerid=QrHUEi12cvE7mDb7GOmKmw%3D%3D

Swagbucks are another on the top of my list.  They are a search engine that rewards you with "swagbucks" or points for searching the internet.  You just use their search engine and then you can redeem your points for prizes, the best of which are gift cards to places like Target, Amazon, and Starbucks.  By the end of this year, I will have bought 1/2 of my boys Christmas presents with gift cards from Swagbucks!  If you want a referral or more info, just let me know!

Last, but certainly not least, is my love of coupons!  This is a topic that I could go on and on about, as could most avid couponers.  I won't bore you with all the details, but since I am a stay at home mom, I felt like it was something I needed to at least try and now I will never go back.  It took me a long time to find the perfect way for me to do it, and I think that is key.  For my friend, Danielle, it meant not using any coupons but just shopping the sales (which according to Southern Savers is an average of 60% of your savings).  For me, it means checking the adds for the 3 stores nearest me, deciding which list is the best (sometimes I do choose two stores), making my list, checking to be sure I'm buying things we need, being sure I'm under budget, and clipping my coupons.  This process takes me about an hour, but I usually save 50% or more, so it totally makes up for it.  I spend, on average, $45-$55 a week for our family of four.  That includes food, cleaning supplies, laundry stuff, hygiene products, and pretty much everything but diapers.  There are obviously a lot of other things that you have to figure out, like meal planning and how to decide what to buy, but for our family it works and works well.  Just let me know if you want the nitty gritty sometime. : ) 

Little Scientist

A friend of mine works for USC publications and called me several weeks ago saying that they needed a child to photograph for an upcoming shoot.  At the start of the shoot, the photographer said he needed Sawyer to pretend to draw without touching the whiteboard, which as you can see is covered in drawings and writing.  I got a little worried at this point, knowing my son, but it ended up working great and they got some pretty cute shots, if I do say so myself. : )

Sugar and Spice

and everything nice, that's what little girls are made of! That's right, we're having a girl! Praise the Lord, everything looked great with her development and we don't have to debate boy names! : ) We're going to name her Elizabeth Caroline and call her Libby. If anyone has seen baby body armor or a fully covered bouncy seat, we're on the look out to keep her safe for the first few months anyway. : )

Funny Faces

We have an awesome group of friends that we love to hang out with, but who also help to keep my freezer full of meals.  No, they do not cook for me out of the goodness of their hearts, but rather help by being a part of a meal swap.  We have dubbed it "Meals in Heels" just for fun. : )  There are 10-12 of us that try to swap freezer meals every 6-8 weeks and it is the biggest help, especially on those days when you feel like you're barely keeping your head above water and can't even think about what to make for dinner (if you want more details just ask and I'll explain the rest!).  Well, several times we have gotten things that aren't exactly the type of food that I would usually cook.  It's almost always good, but as you might imagine the 2 1/2 year old that lives in my house doesn't always know what to think.  Last night was definitely one of those times.  One of my friends had made a veggie lasagna, which tasted great, but Sawyer was less than impressed with it's looks.  I cut up the lasagna just like I normally would and put it on the boys' plates. Jack, as usual, dug right in and ate without complaint. Sawyer on the other hand, got in his chair, looked at it, wrinkled his nose, and said "I don't like that" in a very hilarious tone of voice. I tried not to laugh and told him it was lasagna with cheese, and that he had to take at least three big bites before he could get down from the table. It took him quite a while to make the decision to try it, but after the first bite he said, "Umm . . . tasty!"  Just goes to show that it really is better when Mommy and Daddy are in charge! : )  I didn't force it down his throat, but gave him the choice as to when he would eat it, even if it took all night, and in the end he liked it! 

Anniversary a little late

So last year was our five year anniversary, and I think the year that most people probably try to do something extra special.  Well, since we had a one month old, we went to dinner and stayed out for about 2 hours and that summed up our anniversary! : )  This year we decided we would go somewhere.  However, I had the feeling that I would probably still be in the "yuck" stage or pregnancy so we decided to wait until the weekend after the 4th to head outl.  The boys stayed at my parents house, which they were all more than ok with. : )  Of course Sawyer (the late sleeper) got up at the crack of dawn both mornings, while Jack (the early bird) slept late both mornings.  Go figure! 
Well, while the boys had fun at Granna and Grandaddy's house, we headed off to Charleston.  Being the avid photographer that I am (can you hear the sarcasm in my voice yet??) I took not one single picture!  Yay me!!  Thankfully, we had such a great time that I don't need pictures to remember!  We stayed at the Plantation Oaks Inn in Mt. Pleasant.  I was a little skeptical, because there were only 6 bedrooms and I was afraid it might be a little strange, but it was wonderful!  We were right down the road from Pawley's Island and they have chairs and a pass you can use to go to the beach, so you don't have to pay to park!  The best part by far, was the breakfast.  A couple owns the place, and the husband is an amazing cook!!  In fact, I think amazing food may have been one of the highlights of the trip.  We went to Ile Cortile Del Re for dinner one night.  It was a hole in the wall, but I think it was some of the best food I've ever eaten!!  I didn't know spinach could taste that good!  Awesome fish and pasta!  Just wonderful!!  Other than eating, we spent most of our time sitting on the beach or reading books.  All in all, it was exactly what we needed and an awesome time together!  I love you, hubs and can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for the rest of our years together!!

Best Laid Plans

So I had the best of intentions to blog about the things I mentioned before, and I'm still going to do that, but of course my computer died just a few days after my last blog!  Isn't that always the way it goes?!  Now that I have a new computer, I'm going to try and get my pictures switched over and get a few blogs in as well.  However, this blog has nothing to do with any of the topics I mentioned before. : )  I had to share a recipe with you!  I know I don't usually blog about much other than my kiddos, but I really do love to cook and try new recipes.  One of my favorite new blogs is http://www.myfirstkitchen.net/ .  She has some great recipes if you have a little time to look around.  Well, I really wanted to make some cookies today and couldn't decide what to make when I randomly remembered a recipe I had seen at my first kitchen and decided to give it a try.  What is this recipe worthy of it's own blogpost you might ask?  Homemade Oreos!!  I know some of you reading this, maybe most of you, are thinking, "Why make them when you can buy a perfectly good version at the store?".  My answer to that is to try these once and you'll know exactly why!!  They are greatness on a plate, so I strongly suggest that you try some soon!  And if you're not the cooking type, but you're my friend, you might just be lucky enough to see these at our next get together. : )  http://www.myfirstkitchen.net/blog/2010/5/24/homemade-oreos.html