Merry Christmas

Here are a few pictures from our Christmas break. We'll update more when we get home. Hope you all had a wonderful holiday.

Great Deal at RiteAid

I was so happy to find this little deal last week:



Oral B Professional Care 7400 Rechargable Toothbrush
(retails for $89.99)

Total price: $0.00 FREE!

Here's how:
On sale $60.00
RiteAid December rebate -$20.00
Oral B mail in rebate -$15.00
RiteAid $5 off a $25 purchase coupon -$5.00 (Got for signing up for their emails)
RiteAid Gift of Savings rebate -$20.00 (I get $20 back because I spent $100 during December, almost 100% of which was a rebate, so really, I didn't "buy" anything.)

I also bought a pack of 3 replacement brush heads which were on sale for $20 with a $7 rebate and a $1 manufacturers coupon, making them $12. Which is almost what 3 regular toothbrushes would cost anyway. So I think it was one of the best deals I've ever gotten.

So this was our Christmas present to each other, a rechargeable toothbrush...that was free...how romantic. I guess it's nice in the sense that we'll both have clean teeth and fresh breath which means more kissing under the mistletoe. So it is romantic after all.

Welcome Home Friend!

I got a call on Thanksgiving night from a very nice police officer that told me that they had recovered my bike earlier that day and arrested the man who was in possession of it. I started jumping around yelling things like, "SUCKAS! That's what you get for stealing my bike!" It was quite embarrassing for Blake, but I couldn't help myself, I was so excited. It was a great Thanksgiving Day surprise.
So the next day, I went to the Springfield police station to pick up my bike, they brought it in, and instantly I knew it's not my bike. It looked like my bike frame, but this bike was much nicer than my bike. It's tires were actually pumped up, the spokes were trued and straight. There was a water bottle holder, a new seat, different pedals, different handlebars, front and back lights and a new speedometer. But after I looked at it closer, I saw some unique scratches on the frame that were put there by my various crashes. So it turns out that it was my bike and whoever had it last, probably someone who bought it off of some bike thief, put about $150 into it to fix it up. Funny huh? Now I'm hoping someone will come steal Blake's bike, because it needs a tune up and some new brakes.

Attenton Target Shoppers

I waited for 2 hours outside of Target today to get Guitar Hero III World Tour, and it really wasn't that bad. But I was only 20th out of 2,000 people, so I was in and out before even half of the line was in the store. Luckily, I got my game, but I'm still not sure if I'd ever do it again.

I Am Lucky!

I won something!!!
I was starting to feel unlucky because I have been entering random giveaways on my favorite blogs, and I never win. BUT...I did this time! Woo Hoo!
I won a Rockin' Baby Sling from Thrifty and Chic Mom. I am so excited. I have been wanting to buy one of these, but I just can't spend that kind of money right now, so this worked out perfect.

Blog fixed...I think

I was starting to get sad because I thought no one read our blog, but it turns out it that our blog wasn't allowing people to leave comments. Otherwise I'm sure I would have had at least 30 or 40 by now. ;) Well, it's fixed, so comment away-it always makes you feel good that someone is interested in what's going on in your life.

So long, friend

Last night one of my longest and closest friends was stolen from me. My bike. It was a good bike, we've been through a lot together, and at one point in my life, it was my only mode of transportation. I'd like to hope that it was stolen and given to a little boy who's last wish was to ride a Cannondale Jekyll 700 SX mountain bike. But it was probably some homeless hippie that needed some money to buy more meth.
Good bye bike, you will be missed.

Grocery Deals

I wanted to share with you some of the deals I got this week, to prove that my constant coupon hording is worthwhile.

Albertsons Total: $26.90 -$15 in-store credit
This week, they are running a promotion that states if you buy $30 worth of participating products, you will receive a coupon for $15 off your next shopping trip. So here's my loot:9 B.C. potatoes $1 each= $9 used 3 $.40 off coupons=$7.80 (that's all I had)
6 B.C. cake mixes $1 each=$6
6 Lipton rice and noodle sides $1 each=$6
3 B.C. cookie mixes $1.67 each used 3 $.75 coupons=$2.76
2 onion soup mixes $1 each=$2
2 tubs of frosting $1.67 used 2 $.50 off coupons=$2.34

Total before coupons: $31.35
Total after coupons: $26.90
Received $15 coupon for next shopping trip, so basically it works out to be about $.50 an item, which I think is good.
I know it doesn't seem like I saved very much with my coupons, but I mostly wanted to show that even if you don't have lots of coupons, you can still get a good deal. It would have been a lot better with more coupons, though.


Safeway Total:$3.39
6 Quaker instant oatmeal on sale for $1.57 used $1 off coupon and a Safeway coupon that will double 4 coupons up to .50 each, so it's like I had $1.50 off on each oatmeal.= $.07 each= $.42
1 Coke 8 pack bottles used in-ad Safeway coupon Buy 3 greeting cards, get Coke free= free
3 greeting cards $.99 each=$2.97
Plus I got the little stuffed dog free from Hallmark since I bought 3 cards

Total before coupons:$19.38
Total after coupons:$3.39

Here's my stockpile, although most of it isn't life-saving food storage, it does help us avoid buying things when they are expensive. Notice the jars of peaches and pears that Blake and I picked and canned this year. I am glad we get yummy fruit all winter long without paying high prices.

Happy Birthday!

Happy 1st Birthday Owen!

You are such a sweet boy and we are so lucky to be your parents.
We love you, Mom and Dad.

Tag

My sister-in-law, Kellie, tagged me. I have to answer with one word answers.

1. Where is your cell phone? unsure
2. Where is your significant other? bed
3. Your hair color? brown
4. Your mother? thoughtful
5. Your father? fun
6. Your favorite thing? family
7. Your dream last night? real
8. Your dream/goal? happiness
9. The room you're in? living
10. Your hobby? sewing
11. Your fear? losing
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? stable
13. Where were you last night? home
14. What you're not? lacking
15. Something on your wish list? vacation
16. Where you grew up? Utah
17. The last thing you did? Office
18. What are you wearing? sweater
19. Your TV? news
20. Your pet? puggle
21. Your computer? Mac
22. Your mood? bored
23. Missing someone? lots
24. Your car? gutless
25. Something you're not wearing? shoes
26. Favorite store? Target
27. Your summer? short
28. Love someone? yes
29. Your favorite color? green
30. When is the last time you laughed? yesterday
31. Last time you cried? yesterday

I need to tag 4 people and they are: Angie, Kayla, Katie and Heidi.

Am I spending too much time on the computer??? It's all for a good cause.

We all like to find great deals, and I spend a good amount of time on the computer each week looking for some of those great deals. So I'd just share some of my favorite money saving websites with you, so you can get in on those great finds too. A lot of these websites also give good advice on living on a budget and reusing things.
Money Saving Mom
The "Cent"sible Sawyer
Deal Seeking Mom
Slick Deals
And I just found a new one today called $20 Challenge 4 Charity. Mostly because she's giving away a set of Baby Einstein DVD's, but hey, I'll check it out, especially if there's a chance I would win something. If you want to enter go here.

Also, I found another blog, called No Time for Flash Cards, that has tons of good craft ideas for your kids. Most of the supplies she uses, are things you probably already have in your house. Owen is still a little too young for this, but not by much.

Please share any of your favorites, I love getting ideas on how to save money. And Owen would be very happy for some new games to play or songs to sing.

Fall Time Fun

I love the fall season, especially in Eugene. The weather here is just beautiful. We've been to a couple pumpkin patches, which I absolutely love doing, so I thought I'd share some pictures, mostly of Owen, with you.

Me and Owen at Johnson Farm with our Mommy 'n' Me group

Owen and his friend, Dallin. And no, we didn't mean to dress them to match, funny though.
Thomas, Owen and Dallin at Thistledown Farm picking out their pumpkins



Owen and Daddy
Almost walking!

We had a LDS Law Halloween party the other night, so we dressed Owen up in his gorilla costume and paraded him around, it was great...


...Owen did not think it was so great, he hated wearing his costume.Gorilla Owen and Monkey Dallin
I don't think he wanted to deal with wearing his costume, so he just fell asleep to make it go away. When he woke up at home, he started crying, like "Why am I still wearing this?".
Today was such a pretty day, so we headed to the park to take pictures of the leaves. Owen was having a blast playing in the leaves and Blake was having fun playing with the camera.


Try to ignore the nasty drool all over his cute shirt. It's inevitable that he will have a wet shirt in all pictures.Snack time

Weekend in Utah

We had the opportunity to go back home for a few days. The main event was Kristin's brother's wedding. We also celebrated Owen's first birthday (one month early) and his great grandparents' 50th wedding anniversary. We have barely had time to rest since we got here. Here are a few pictures.

Kristin, Owen, Hannah (Kristin's cousin), and Jean at Kennecott Copper Mine.

Kristin and Owen at Snowbasin

Owen's Birthday Party

Owen didn't even stop to play with his cake. He wanted to just eat, so we had to take it away before he ate too much.

Kristin and Owen at the Bountiful Temple.

Lynnsey is our wonderful new sister-in-law. She was a beautiful bride.

Owen got to wear a tuxedo. He was a very handsome groomsman.

Nick and Owen.

This is a saloon a friend of the family built in his backyard. Don't worry, I just had a diet coke.

Dinner at the Timbermine for the 50th wedding anniversary.


Kristin's Grandparents. Happy 50th! They came in from Michigan for the weekend.

Happy Anniversary!

I know it's a couple days late, but I wanted to post a wedding picture to celebrate our 3rd anniversary. I really lucked out and got a good one. I love you, Blake!

I want that!

I've been wanting to mention some of my friends' businesses for awhile now, hopefully to send a little business their way, so if you are interested in supporting stay-at-home-moms, they have some really great products!

Embellished Ink & Paper
First, is Heather. She just started a business making homemade greeting cards.They are really cute and unique. Her cards range from $2.50 for a single card to $10.00 for a set, like invitations. I personally like the Thank You cards. She has put a lot of time and effort into her business, and I wish her the best of luck.

Limabeanhome at Etsy
Second, is Kristine. She makes some really great bags from new and "reclaimed" fabrics. I have really been wanting to buy these. I've seen some of her bags and they are really well made, and she can even do custom orders.

Kelly Color Portraits
Third, is Kelly, Blake's brother. Okay, he's not a stay-at-home-mom, but I admire his work, so he's on the list. He started a photography business aside from his career and going to school for his Masters. He is a great photographer, he has taken our family's pictures a couple of times and they turned out great. See this and this post. He lives in Layton, Utah, so if you live close by there, look him up.

Parker Takes A Swim

Every fall one of the local pools allows dogs to come swim the day before they drain the water for the season. We decided it would be a good opportunity for Parker to learn to enjoy water. I know what you are all thinking, I better be up on my vaccinations, right? We made sure we were there first so we weren't swimming in dog broth. And for all you sickos out there, no we did not make Owen swim with the dogs. In fact our friends were nice enough to take him for a couple of hours. Actually, there were more humans in the pool than dogs, hardly any of the dogs wanted to get in.

It was really fun. Parker doesn't like to be in water that much, but he took it with a level of maturity that you don't find among dogs anymore. There was the fiasco where he found the open gate and ran around in the parking lot for a while. Luckily neither man nor dog can resist the wonderful taste of Kraft American Cheese Singles.

Parker must have been swimming really well because a news reporter asked me about him. I was featured on the evening news talking about swimming with Parker. Now before you all rush to the phone and request an autographed dvd of my interview, I must remind you that this is local Eugene news and it was Parker that caught the cameraman's interest. (I don't think he mistook my crazy swimming for Micheal Phelps). That being said, I tried really hard not to look stupid on camera. Unfortunatly, the news station rotates their videos quickly and now I can't find it anymore. Therefore I have also posted our own Parker footage just because I can.


Our video footage.

Family Portraits

My brother was kind enough to take some family portraits for us. We are really happy with the way they turned out. Owen was being a little reluctant to pose, but with enough Gerber fruit puffs, any baby will sit still. Here are a couple of sample shots. Kelly does a lot of interesting things with photography. I recommend checking out Kelly's photo gallery.

The magic behind a calm baby during a photo shoot.

Just like daddy, he likes books with pictures.

The Whole Family (minus Parker)