Busy Busy.

Isn't this the best time of year! I really do love it. Its a little different for me now that I stay at home. Aren't we all super busy?!? I have recently started helping my mom with her Vacation Rental in Utah called the Valentine Carriage House. We opened a FB page, instagram, twitter and pinterest. I did that mostly in one day. Phew I was exhausted! My mom is really the master mind behind all of that. I just get to help...see that I GET to! I love it.

Then here comes Primary and a New Year and preparing our classrooms...Oh yeah and wait...we have Christmas at our house this year!!! So for those of you following me. I am sorry. I promise to get better.  I love this design this year! Jess is BRILLIANT! I have been able to make CD's for our children, binder covers, and yes even bulletin borders which I couldn't find and emailed her and she HAD THEM! life saver! Then as I am browsing Etsy I wanted to find someone to make our primary chair covers and found Amy ... and on a whim (us latter-day saints call it "the spirit") I asked her if she could by chance make some chair covers for me...and it so happened she had started some already for her primary and was released from her calling before she could use them!!!! I know, I know true story ask her!

So now I am getting things together for our Family Christmas Party. Its our second one in 10 years at our house...so I am nervous. Check back for pictures! 

Can I say this blogging is hard stuff!? I admire anyone who can do it and have a decent looking page. (Can I get an AMEN!?) Like I said before this is a new world for me. My sister has really helped me a lot and I am so grateful for her.

Have a Merry Christmas! Please be safe!!

Its the most wonderful time of the year.

Its been a really long time since I have "enjoyed" Christmas. Working as a retail manager, holidays seem to suck the life out of you. You work to many hours to really care what your house or your traditions are. This year is SOOOO different. I DO care and I am having SOOO much fun doing it.

(Pardon my pictures. They aren't professional and my iPhone is well better than what I have.)

I found this book a few years ago and this year we will be trying it out. I wanted my children to understand Christmas isn't just about "getting" gifts but "giving" them that is important. This is a really GREAT book. Don't ask me where I got it I am not sure. I am sure you can find it on amazon.

Trying to get him to calm down long enough to take a picture was impossible. He was so cute pulling each branch out of the box seeing what colors they are. I enjoy a fake tree. Probably the only one in my family...black sheep I know...save a tree. This was one day daddy was off. We got a hair cut, bought a latter, put up Christmas lights outside, AND set up a tree on his off day. He is such an amazing husband and daddy. He puts up with me well.

He was trying so hard to help put up lights. No fireplace this year so our stocking are hanging from out entertainment center. Creative I know. Don't judge me its the best I could come up with.

  

This isn't out "first tree" but it is the first year he has really understood what is going on. He was so sweet and tender putting each ornament on the tree. Lovingly placing each heavy ornament on a light. I loved seeing him place the ornaments. This is the reason I love staying home. Just to see his enjoyment with simple things we do like decorating a tree.

Yes its to early for Santa cookies but you HAVE to have cookies when you decorate a tree.

Socks and Tupperware

Yesterday was laundry and clean out the fridge day. Honestly my most favorite day of the week...NOT, but the Maid quit and the cook walked out so...well...I am on my own. There comes a day in every woman's life when you have to face the music. Mine came early. Anywhooo. As I am folding laundry and pulling socks out and mating them a thought crossed my mind. How many of us have unmated socks lurking around the house? I know growing up my mom would have BASKETS of unmated socks that we would have a party once a month and get it done. Maybe it was more than once a month, but by the time we would mate them most of the socks had packed their bags and moved to the neighbors house never to be seen or heard from again. Tragic if you ask me. When I moved out and got married I thought there (or is it they're)  had to be a better way. That's when I decided I would never have baskets in my house unless it was to hold dirty laundry and never store/transport unfolded laundry to another room. I am CONVINCED those socks make a run for it when you take them out of the dryer and into the basket for transport. Its like a prison break I swear.

Then yesterday as I am unloading the dishwasher for the third time in one day. (Seriously people there are only 3 of us in this house) Remember I cleaned out the fridge of left overs yesterday and had umpteen million lids and containers that I am NOT sticking my hand in to wash...GAROSS! Then another thought crossed my mind. Who looses Tupperware like they loose mated socks? (I am sure thinking about you guys an awful lot) I USED TO! yes. It feels so much better to admit it. My husbands boss made a comment to him that they go through 7 large sets of Tupperware a year.. OMG. SEVEN!? No way. His wife works as many hours as he does so I know she doesn't cook! Are they being eaten? They aren't lunch people.

So I have a confession to make. I don't loose socks any more. If I have an unmated sock its because it had a hole in it and I throw the other one away. No more waiting. "Ain't nobody got time for that." (did you click on that link?? Did ya? Well if you didn't its totally worth the laugh. Trust) I do Tupperware the same way. It gets a lid AS SOON AS it comes out of the dishwasher. Period. This eliminates prison breaks.

Hope this helped.

Go mate your socks and your Tupperware containers.

Sunday is FULL of fun. COUPONS!!

Now that we have the football out of the way time to talk about important things like SUNDAY! WHOOP WHOOP!

After the hustle and bustle of church. Getting a toddler ready. Keeping him happy during Sacrament, and being reverent and happy for an HOUR! I get the privilege of teaching the most impressionable members of our church. The Primary children. Oh how I LOVE IT! Seriously. Listen. Its is the best kept secret in our church. They are old enough to understand and they take everything you tell them to heart. They understand more than most adults and they BELIEVE better. Make fun of Santa all you want this time of year, but it teaches children the most basic foundations of faith. Believing without seeing. Love IT!

I come home and guess what is waiting for me on the counter!!! A SUNDAY PAPER. Oh sweet mother! The smell of a Sunday paper is like the scent of a new car to me. Fresh. Crisp. (insert snapping of money here!) Because folks that is what Sunday and Wednesday papers are!! MONEY!! HOOOOLLLLLAAAA!

Coupon Clipping. Ad Matching. Goodness! Its a passion. Saving money isn't something I can do without. Living on one income I am faced with making $25 feed us for a week! (ok its not that tight around here but you get the picture) I am not as good as those Extreme Couponing ladies, but I am a legend in my own home. I love Sundays. It's the THRILL of getting stuff close to or even free that makes it all worth it. Wanna know how to do it? GREAT! Keep reading.

I usually do all my food shopping at Aldi's now. If you don't have those in your neck of the woods...its ok. We will pretend for a few minutes you just might have a Walmart close by. The reason I choose Walmart is because they have a pretty liberal "Ad-Matching" policy that beats just about anyone around. To the local folks its called "Comping". Find it cheaper somewhere else...Walmart will override the price at the register. Yes. I said it. Do not let the cashier bully you. You do NOT have to have the Ad. (But if you have a large order you may want to have it close by to show her you mean business.)

Ok. Got your pen close by? A pad of paper? And the Sunday paper... --I'll wait-- Ok now lets get started.

1. Always and forever...from now on. You clip EVERY SINGLE coupon you might, possibly, someday, may use. Period. No exceptions. Obviously if you don't have pets you don't need dog food, but you get the picture.

2. Get something small to start out with that you can leave in your purse to store coupons. -NEVER get caught off guard!-

3. Never go shopping without a plan.

Step 1

Collect all the ads and coupons. I don't care if you don't shop at Larry's Food Mart...get it anyway.

Step 2

Cut out those coupons

Step 3

Go through the ads and write anything down that you either A: Have a coupon for or B: You use, or C (my favorite) There is a coupon AND and Ad to match. Which I like to call...

The Double Whammy 

ok. Here is my first "deal". This is a Fred's Ad. Its important to note the size on the bottle and make sure they are they same size in the store.

Walmart has Dawn for .99. (Trust me. I know. I buy it all the time.) This is a good price at Fred's. I have a coupon. Making these Dawn at the register .55! That's a killer deal. If you find a SUPER deal and just cant live without more than a few. Click Here and this place has every coupon that you will need. Its a good deal and they get to you fast.

When you get to the register say "I have a few items I want to ad match." I would HIGHLY recommend you separate your items. Regular priced items and items you are going to "Comp". This way nothing is missed. Hand her the coupons AT THE VERY LAST! I want to watch her take them off.

The Single Hitter

Family Dollar Ad.

In our house Macaroni and Cheese is a food group. Not by choice. My son really won't eat some days and this is the only thing I can get him to eat...I choose not to fight this battle with a two year old right now. Where else can you get KRAFT for that price. Something else you may not have noticed but it NOT just for the original flavor its any Kraft...so there ya go. Usually an ad will specify exactly which flavor.

We will get into double coupon days in other stores another day. That is all for now.

Can you do it better? Let me know! I would love to hear from you.





Auburn beat the Tide

Epic doesn't even begin to explain the awesomeness of that game. To score in the last second of the game and to be the team NO ONE PICKED TO WIN! They did it. Yes, we are Auburn Tiger Fans. -Sorry we bleed blue around here- Going into this game I couldn't help but be excited. Who wouldn't be?! After we watched our National Champions get their butts spanked two years in a row and then come back and beat the #1 team in the nation! Words can not express how proud I am to be a fan. My son even says "WAR EAGLE"!

As my husband watches Sports Center in the living room listening to the "The voice of the Auburn Tigers" we STILL get chill bumps. Yes folks its that serious. Living in the south there is only two teams...Auburn and Alabama. Its a religion around here. There is no way around it you HAVE TO CHOOSE! So I choose the most humble of the two. War Eagle Folks.

 He had no idea no one was behind him. He was told to go in, catch the ball, and to run...Just run.

After the last defender missed him he just kept on and never looked back. No one could believe it. 

You will never know how great it is to win, until you have lost. What an unbelievable finish.

Great Job Tigers. Well done. 

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