Wednesday, November 12, 2008

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.

Saturday, November 8, 2008

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.

Friday, November 7, 2008

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.


Thursday, November 6, 2008

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.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

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.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

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


Sunday, October 5, 2008

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 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.



Dinner at the Timbermine for the 50th wedding anniversary.


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