You know how I was telling you about Lexi's recent yelling episodes? Here's a little taste for you. The funny thing about it to me is how Lizette is reprimanding her. I probably should have intervened rather than video this exchange, but I couldn't resist.
And this one. :) Wait for it....wait for it...
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Friday, October 22, 2010
Everyone Has a Story
I recently became involved in a large genealogy project through my church. They are in the process of transferring millions, actually billions (I think) of census records and other genealogical records into digital files. This will make searching out ancestors so much more accessible for millions of people. They are partnering with Ancestry.com and I think some other family search sites to accomplish this. It's a huge work and a great thing to be a part of. If you are interested in learning more and looking up some of your ancestors, click here. Trust me, you'll get hooked!
As a volunteer indexer, I go in and pull up a census record with about 50 names on it and basically enter the data from that portion of the census into preset fields. Doesn't sound very exciting, but it's actually very interesting. I find myself stopping and looking at the names of these people who were living in the early 1900s and wondering what their story was. Why were they single? Why did they have no kids? How did they survive with so many kids?! What was their immigration story? It's so interesting to think about. If you are interested in doing indexing work click here. Anyone can do it. There is an online tutorial that walks you through the process. It's pretty easy to pick up and a very worthwhile thing to do.
Anyway, this experience has really got me to thinking about how important it is to keep good records and journals for our loved ones who come after us. I've never been good at keeping a diary or a journal, but for some reason blogging is easier for me to keep up with. Maybe it's the idea that I know my friends and loved ones are actually reading it now. I'm not just writing on a blank page and wondering if anyone will ever find it some day.
I'm glad to be blogging because even though some of my posts are sort of silly or don't seem that important today, someday it will be nice for my kids and grand kids to have these things recorded and get a little glimpse of what life was like for us.
I haven't done this yet, but you can get your blog made into a book. I've seen a couple and they are great. What a fantastic little piece of family history. So, if you are not a blogger yet, you should get on the band wagon! :) You can make blogs as accessible or non-accessible to the public as you would like.
Everyone has a story. Here's a glimpse of mine:
My mom and dad as newlyweds.
and with their young family.
Soon after I came into the picture with all of my siblings and sister-in-law Lora.
My eternal companion
Starting our family
A little crazy, but very happy!
As a volunteer indexer, I go in and pull up a census record with about 50 names on it and basically enter the data from that portion of the census into preset fields. Doesn't sound very exciting, but it's actually very interesting. I find myself stopping and looking at the names of these people who were living in the early 1900s and wondering what their story was. Why were they single? Why did they have no kids? How did they survive with so many kids?! What was their immigration story? It's so interesting to think about. If you are interested in doing indexing work click here. Anyone can do it. There is an online tutorial that walks you through the process. It's pretty easy to pick up and a very worthwhile thing to do.
Anyway, this experience has really got me to thinking about how important it is to keep good records and journals for our loved ones who come after us. I've never been good at keeping a diary or a journal, but for some reason blogging is easier for me to keep up with. Maybe it's the idea that I know my friends and loved ones are actually reading it now. I'm not just writing on a blank page and wondering if anyone will ever find it some day.
I'm glad to be blogging because even though some of my posts are sort of silly or don't seem that important today, someday it will be nice for my kids and grand kids to have these things recorded and get a little glimpse of what life was like for us.
I haven't done this yet, but you can get your blog made into a book. I've seen a couple and they are great. What a fantastic little piece of family history. So, if you are not a blogger yet, you should get on the band wagon! :) You can make blogs as accessible or non-accessible to the public as you would like.
Everyone has a story. Here's a glimpse of mine:
My mom and dad as newlyweds.
and with their young family.
Soon after I came into the picture with all of my siblings and sister-in-law Lora.
My eternal companion
Starting our family
A little crazy, but very happy!Preschool Field Trip
My friend Hollie took this picture for me at our preschool field trip to the Farmstead pumpkin patch. It was a rainy day, but we had fun (I'm sure Lexi is smiling behind the baby carrier here). I can't say enough how lucky we are to be part of our preschool group. Lizette absolutely loves it and it has been so good for her. She comes home from preschool in such a great mood and loves her friends there. I can't believe the difference in her from last year to this year. She used to be so shy at preschool and now she is so much more open. I'm so happy about that! This will be such a great help in preparing her for 'big kid' school.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
I think we might have trouble on our hands
From the time Lexi was born to about three months were tough months for me. She was fussy. I was tired. But then we entered a very nice period where she was so much happier. I began to feel human again. Things have been good.
I'm beginning to worry that things are taking a turn for the worse!
She has found her yelling voice. Rather than cry or whine, she yells. Loudly.
Today we were at Fred Meyer and she was shaking her fist at me while yelling at me. It was hilarious.
Of course, she's not actually saying words as she yells. It goes something like this: "Yaaaaa, no, no, naaaaa, naaaaa, naaaaa, no, naaaaaaaaa, naaaaaaaa!!!!!" I'm afraid one of these days she might actually explode during the process.
Right now it's mostly funny and cute, but what if this strong personality carries through to her teen years? I hope we can channel it in the right direction! Otherwise, we could have trouble on our hands.
My Coupon Fixation
I just can't help myself...I must do another couponing post!
I don't know if it's my love of shopping and getting a bargain that is feeding this couponing frenzy I am in, or if it's the satisfaction of seeing our stockpile increase. I guess it's a whole combination of things, but I am definitely hooked. I love to get a great deal (who doesn't) but I also feel happy to see our year's supply of food and other necessities building up. Our church leaders have been instructing us to do this for years and years and it is very wise counsel. Who knows when a job loss or disaster might strike and it's a good feeling to know that when those times come, we will not be without our Charmin and Honey Nut Cheerios. :)
So, I just wanted to share a few examples of some great deals I have been able to get over the past couple of months. If you're interested in learning more, go to the Fabulessly Frugal website. They have tons of tips, tutorials, etc. It's my favorite coupon site. Couponing does take some time and effort, but I think it's worth it.
Okay, so the first series of transactions I am going to share took place at good ol' Walgreen's. For the month of September, they had their John Frieda hair products on sale for 3 for $15 and you got a $5 Register Reward back when you bought 3 or more. I had a few coupons for $3 off, but I love John Frieda's Root Awakening products so much, I decided to go on eBay and buy more coupons! (Yes, you can actually buy coupons on eBay... for cheap!) So, I bought 20 $3 off coupons for $4.00. Over the course of a few weeks, I did several transactions using my coupons and Register Rewards and this is what I was able to purchase:
15 John Frieda Shampoo and Conditioners
4 Boxes of NyQuil and DayQuil
2 Vicks Sinex Nasal Sprays
3 Carmex lotions
2 Hyland's Children's cold and cough medicine
9 Nivea travel size moisturizer creams
8 Nivea lip balms
4 Nivea men's body wash
2 Tilex spray cleaners
4 Clorox, 35 count disinfecting wipes
What I paid: just under $40 (including the $4.00 I spent on eBay coupons) and I still have a $4 Register Reward to use on my next purchase! This is over an 80% savings. The trick to doing this is rolling your Register Rewards. (RR) You cannot use a RR on the same product you got it for and get another one to print out. So you have to alternate transactions. So, I would buy the shampoo, then use that $5 RR toward the NyQuil, then use the RR that printed for the NyQuil to get more shampoo. Sounds complicated, but it's really not once you get used to it. And the cashiers are used to this for the most part, so you won't get any strange looks or anything! I just try to be courteous so that if there is someone behind me in line I only do one transaction and then get in the end of the line to do my next one.
The next big transaction I did was at Albertson's. I took a picture, but it's a little dark. I need Shandy to start taking my coupon pictures for me. :)
I paid $33.56 for all of this! Since the picture is not the greatest here is a list of what I purchased:
2 Hunt's ketchups
4 boxes of Swiss Miss
6 boxes of frozen sausage
4 two liters of pop
3 49 oz containers of Wesson oil
8 cake mixes
2 Crisco baking sticks packs
2 Karo Syrup
4 Frostings
2 bags of flour
5 yakisoba noodle meals
1 bag of tortilla chips
4 Pillsbury Sweet Moments desserts
3 bags of Snickers halloween candy
3 bags of Pieces candy
I didn't keep my receipts to show how much I saved, but I think I did pretty well here. Again, I used coupons and Albertson's version of a Register Reward which is referred to as a 'Catalina'. I did three transactions all in a row and was able to 'roll' my Catalina coupon each time. That's the beauty of Catalina coupons at Albertson's...you can usually keep rolling them as many times as you want. You don't have to alternate transactions or anything like that.
The next deal is at Fred Meyer this week! So, I love Tillamook cheese. Don't you? It's awesome. In Sunday's paper, there was a coupon for Tillamook cheese for $3.99 for a 2 lb. brick. This is a great price right? And, it doesn't just have to be cheddar, it can be used toward pepper jack, Monterey jack...a great variety. Well, to make the deal even better, there is a coupon on coupons.com right now where you can get $1.00 off any brand of cheese. So, $2.99 for Tillamook cheese! I get five Sunday papers, so I will be buying a nice variety of cheese. Cheese has a long shelf life. So, I'm getting some pepper jack for those holiday cheese trays too. I love it!
Are you as excited as I am right now?!!
I realize that I may have a bit of an extreme fixation with using coupons, but if you are at all interested, I would highly recommend checking out Fabulessly Frugal or any of the other coupon blogs out there to help you get started. It is work, but after a while you sort of get into a groove where it's really not as difficult as it sounds. I'm not having to drag my girls through the grocery store with me every day or anything. In fact, I try to not take them to the store at all! :)
I don't know if it's my love of shopping and getting a bargain that is feeding this couponing frenzy I am in, or if it's the satisfaction of seeing our stockpile increase. I guess it's a whole combination of things, but I am definitely hooked. I love to get a great deal (who doesn't) but I also feel happy to see our year's supply of food and other necessities building up. Our church leaders have been instructing us to do this for years and years and it is very wise counsel. Who knows when a job loss or disaster might strike and it's a good feeling to know that when those times come, we will not be without our Charmin and Honey Nut Cheerios. :)
So, I just wanted to share a few examples of some great deals I have been able to get over the past couple of months. If you're interested in learning more, go to the Fabulessly Frugal website. They have tons of tips, tutorials, etc. It's my favorite coupon site. Couponing does take some time and effort, but I think it's worth it.
Okay, so the first series of transactions I am going to share took place at good ol' Walgreen's. For the month of September, they had their John Frieda hair products on sale for 3 for $15 and you got a $5 Register Reward back when you bought 3 or more. I had a few coupons for $3 off, but I love John Frieda's Root Awakening products so much, I decided to go on eBay and buy more coupons! (Yes, you can actually buy coupons on eBay... for cheap!) So, I bought 20 $3 off coupons for $4.00. Over the course of a few weeks, I did several transactions using my coupons and Register Rewards and this is what I was able to purchase:
15 John Frieda Shampoo and Conditioners
4 Boxes of NyQuil and DayQuil
2 Vicks Sinex Nasal Sprays
3 Carmex lotions
2 Hyland's Children's cold and cough medicine
9 Nivea travel size moisturizer creams
8 Nivea lip balms
4 Nivea men's body wash
2 Tilex spray cleaners
4 Clorox, 35 count disinfecting wipes
What I paid: just under $40 (including the $4.00 I spent on eBay coupons) and I still have a $4 Register Reward to use on my next purchase! This is over an 80% savings. The trick to doing this is rolling your Register Rewards. (RR) You cannot use a RR on the same product you got it for and get another one to print out. So you have to alternate transactions. So, I would buy the shampoo, then use that $5 RR toward the NyQuil, then use the RR that printed for the NyQuil to get more shampoo. Sounds complicated, but it's really not once you get used to it. And the cashiers are used to this for the most part, so you won't get any strange looks or anything! I just try to be courteous so that if there is someone behind me in line I only do one transaction and then get in the end of the line to do my next one.
The next big transaction I did was at Albertson's. I took a picture, but it's a little dark. I need Shandy to start taking my coupon pictures for me. :)
I paid $33.56 for all of this! Since the picture is not the greatest here is a list of what I purchased:
2 Hunt's ketchups
4 boxes of Swiss Miss
6 boxes of frozen sausage
4 two liters of pop
3 49 oz containers of Wesson oil
8 cake mixes
2 Crisco baking sticks packs
2 Karo Syrup
4 Frostings
2 bags of flour
5 yakisoba noodle meals
1 bag of tortilla chips
4 Pillsbury Sweet Moments desserts
3 bags of Snickers halloween candy
3 bags of Pieces candy
I didn't keep my receipts to show how much I saved, but I think I did pretty well here. Again, I used coupons and Albertson's version of a Register Reward which is referred to as a 'Catalina'. I did three transactions all in a row and was able to 'roll' my Catalina coupon each time. That's the beauty of Catalina coupons at Albertson's...you can usually keep rolling them as many times as you want. You don't have to alternate transactions or anything like that.
The next deal is at Fred Meyer this week! So, I love Tillamook cheese. Don't you? It's awesome. In Sunday's paper, there was a coupon for Tillamook cheese for $3.99 for a 2 lb. brick. This is a great price right? And, it doesn't just have to be cheddar, it can be used toward pepper jack, Monterey jack...a great variety. Well, to make the deal even better, there is a coupon on coupons.com right now where you can get $1.00 off any brand of cheese. So, $2.99 for Tillamook cheese! I get five Sunday papers, so I will be buying a nice variety of cheese. Cheese has a long shelf life. So, I'm getting some pepper jack for those holiday cheese trays too. I love it!
Are you as excited as I am right now?!!
I realize that I may have a bit of an extreme fixation with using coupons, but if you are at all interested, I would highly recommend checking out Fabulessly Frugal or any of the other coupon blogs out there to help you get started. It is work, but after a while you sort of get into a groove where it's really not as difficult as it sounds. I'm not having to drag my girls through the grocery store with me every day or anything. In fact, I try to not take them to the store at all! :)
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
The Birthday Weekend
With Lizette and Lexi's birthdays one day apart, we celebrated them together this year. Saturday morning we got up and went to Linder Farms for a morning of Fall fun. It was great! If you live locally and have never been, you should check it out. They have a great set up and I think the prices are pretty reasonable. Jeff's parents were in town so they came with us, as well as Thayne and Angel and kids. Fun, fun day!
The huge red barn where they sell the scrumptious mini-donuts and apple cider. My favorite part of Linder Farms.
Fun corn box for the kids to play in.
Doesn't Lizette look thrilled? :) She actually was. She loves Princess and the Frog and got a Princess Tiana doll for her birthday. She's been playing with it ever since.
Well, I'm thinking that as the years go by, having our girls with birthdays one day apart could become complicated. Making sure they both have their special day and everything. While they are young, I'm thinking the Linder Farm idea is great.
By the way, I think this is interesting. My mom's birthday is October 19. I so wanted one of my girls to be born on her birthday when I found out I would be due in October. However, if you add their birthdays together, you get 19. Cool, huh?
The huge red barn where they sell the scrumptious mini-donuts and apple cider. My favorite part of Linder Farms.
Fun corn box for the kids to play in.
Taking a ride with Grandpa Rigby.
Lizette and Dad finding their way through the mini maze. The other kids figured out that you can just jump over the hay bales to get out too. :)
Enjoying the hayride. This is the face Lexi makes ALL THE TIME. It is so funny.
She's trying to restrain herself from scrunching up her nose here.
Lizette surprises us sometimes. For being such a timid little thing, there are certain things that she is not scared of at all. Ponies are one. She loved the pony ride.
She also loved the petting zoo. Although I had to do most of the feeding of the animals....eeuuw. Goat slobber on my hands. Thankfully they had hand sanitizer. :)
A very serious goat.
Lizette and Dad finding their way through the mini maze. The other kids figured out that you can just jump over the hay bales to get out too. :)
Enjoying the hayride. This is the face Lexi makes ALL THE TIME. It is so funny.
She's trying to restrain herself from scrunching up her nose here.
Lizette surprises us sometimes. For being such a timid little thing, there are certain things that she is not scared of at all. Ponies are one. She loved the pony ride.
She also loved the petting zoo. Although I had to do most of the feeding of the animals....eeuuw. Goat slobber on my hands. Thankfully they had hand sanitizer. :)
A very serious goat.
The barrel train. Very fun!
And finally, the birthday cake and presents....
My attempt at decorating homemade cakes. Lizette's is supposed to have a princess on it. Sad, I know. I always think that I'm Martha Stewart, only to be disappointed over and over. :)
And finally, the birthday cake and presents....
My attempt at decorating homemade cakes. Lizette's is supposed to have a princess on it. Sad, I know. I always think that I'm Martha Stewart, only to be disappointed over and over. :)
Little miss Lexi wanted nothing to do with her cake. I was shocked. This is the girl who eats everything. And when I place a whole plateful of sugary goodness in front of her, she just turns her head. So, no fun pictures of her diving into her cake and getting it everywhere. Oh well!
Doesn't Lizette look thrilled? :) She actually was. She loves Princess and the Frog and got a Princess Tiana doll for her birthday. She's been playing with it ever since.Well, I'm thinking that as the years go by, having our girls with birthdays one day apart could become complicated. Making sure they both have their special day and everything. While they are young, I'm thinking the Linder Farm idea is great.
By the way, I think this is interesting. My mom's birthday is October 19. I so wanted one of my girls to be born on her birthday when I found out I would be due in October. However, if you add their birthdays together, you get 19. Cool, huh?
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Happy Birthday Lizette!
Lizette turns 4 today! Such a big girl. Happy Birthday sweetie!
Lizette is what a lot of people would call an "easy child". She was a good baby, good sleeper, has only had short stages of tantrums through her toddler years, and always wants to do the right thing. To add to all that, she has the sweetest personality and has brightened our lives from the moment she was born.
She truly is becoming a big girl now. Very smart and independent. We are so proud of her and so, so happy and thankful that she is our daughter.
Sweet Newborn
One
Two
Three
So grown up now!
We love you Lizette!! Happy Birthday!
Lizette is what a lot of people would call an "easy child". She was a good baby, good sleeper, has only had short stages of tantrums through her toddler years, and always wants to do the right thing. To add to all that, she has the sweetest personality and has brightened our lives from the moment she was born.
She truly is becoming a big girl now. Very smart and independent. We are so proud of her and so, so happy and thankful that she is our daughter.
Sweet Newborn
One
Two
Three
So grown up now!
We love you Lizette!! Happy Birthday!
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Happy Birthday Lexi!
Our Lexi Rose turns one today! Happy Birthday Sweetie!
Lexi is truly a joy. There are some days that I think I might literally gobble up her little cheeks. I just can't get enough snuggles and kisses in with her. She is adorably sweet and has added so much happiness to our lives.
I can't believe it has been a year since you came into this world...
We love you Lexi!! Happy Birthday!
Lexi is truly a joy. There are some days that I think I might literally gobble up her little cheeks. I just can't get enough snuggles and kisses in with her. She is adorably sweet and has added so much happiness to our lives.
I can't believe it has been a year since you came into this world...
We love you Lexi!! Happy Birthday!
Wednesday, October 6, 2010
Great sale at JCPenney!
Whatever you are doing, stop right now and go to JCPenney! (If they are open when you read this, of course.)
They are having an awesome sale today through Saturday. (Thanks to my niece Jamie for giving me the tip!) They have tons of stuff marked down to $2.97. I looked through pretty much the entire store and the best selection was in the men's department. They have a great selection of polos and button down dress shirts for $2.97. I also found pajamas, kids backpacks, and women's clothing for $2.97. I saw several kids racks marked $2.97, but they were bigger sizes than what my girls are in yet so I didn't check them out.
If you go here, you can print a coupon for $10 off if you spend $50 or more, or $15 off if you spend $75 or more. This coupon works with the clearance items, which makes the deals even better.
I spent $49.22 and saved $476.56. It was one of those moments when I felt my mom's presence. She was quite the bargain shopper and a sale like this would have had her jumping up and down!
Anyway, I don't know if this $2.97 thing is nationwide or not. Although, I did see on their website that they have an 80% off clearance going. It would be worth checking out if you like a good sale!
They are having an awesome sale today through Saturday. (Thanks to my niece Jamie for giving me the tip!) They have tons of stuff marked down to $2.97. I looked through pretty much the entire store and the best selection was in the men's department. They have a great selection of polos and button down dress shirts for $2.97. I also found pajamas, kids backpacks, and women's clothing for $2.97. I saw several kids racks marked $2.97, but they were bigger sizes than what my girls are in yet so I didn't check them out.
If you go here, you can print a coupon for $10 off if you spend $50 or more, or $15 off if you spend $75 or more. This coupon works with the clearance items, which makes the deals even better.
I spent $49.22 and saved $476.56. It was one of those moments when I felt my mom's presence. She was quite the bargain shopper and a sale like this would have had her jumping up and down!
Anyway, I don't know if this $2.97 thing is nationwide or not. Although, I did see on their website that they have an 80% off clearance going. It would be worth checking out if you like a good sale!
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Poor, poor, pitiful me...
Migraines are about the only big health issue I've ever had. I should be grateful for that, I know. But today I am really feeling sorry for myself.
I'm going on day 6 of what I guess can be described as a cluster migraine. Basically a migraine that won't go away permanently. Excedrin helps to keep the symptoms under control so that I can function through the day, but the pain and nausea are still there. Without the Excedrin, I would probably just cry all day.
Don't I sound pitiful?
I know. It's really not very cool to feel sorry for myself so openly here on my blog. I'm sorry to be such a downer and I'm sorry to complain when there are worse problems in the world. I'm just so sad that I'm sick.
I can't imagine what it must be like to have an illness where you feel sick all the time. It makes me cry to think about that. Every time I get a migraine and then start feeling better it's the best feeling in the world. To finally be free of pain is so great. I can only imagine what it must be like for those who aren't so lucky. I'm so, so sorry. Migraines only give me a small glimpse of what it must be like to be truly sick.
A wise woman once told me "If you have your health, you have everything." (That was my mom who said that.) On these days, I think of her and all she went through with cancer. She must have wanted to feel better so badly. I can see why she told me that. It's easy to take our bodies for granted because most of the time they just work and let us do what we want to do. When we lose some of those abilities to function normally, we appreciate having our health so much more.
Okay, I will end this post now. I'm sure this was a downer to read and I'm so sorry. I'll be much chipper next time I post, I promise.
I'm going on day 6 of what I guess can be described as a cluster migraine. Basically a migraine that won't go away permanently. Excedrin helps to keep the symptoms under control so that I can function through the day, but the pain and nausea are still there. Without the Excedrin, I would probably just cry all day.
Don't I sound pitiful?
I know. It's really not very cool to feel sorry for myself so openly here on my blog. I'm sorry to be such a downer and I'm sorry to complain when there are worse problems in the world. I'm just so sad that I'm sick.
I can't imagine what it must be like to have an illness where you feel sick all the time. It makes me cry to think about that. Every time I get a migraine and then start feeling better it's the best feeling in the world. To finally be free of pain is so great. I can only imagine what it must be like for those who aren't so lucky. I'm so, so sorry. Migraines only give me a small glimpse of what it must be like to be truly sick.
A wise woman once told me "If you have your health, you have everything." (That was my mom who said that.) On these days, I think of her and all she went through with cancer. She must have wanted to feel better so badly. I can see why she told me that. It's easy to take our bodies for granted because most of the time they just work and let us do what we want to do. When we lose some of those abilities to function normally, we appreciate having our health so much more.
Okay, I will end this post now. I'm sure this was a downer to read and I'm so sorry. I'll be much chipper next time I post, I promise.
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