Coupon'ing Queen Hopeful

Hi all, happy Sunday!
I hope you're enjoying
this rainy, lazy afternoon.
James has swimmers ear
so we had a l-o-n-g night.
Needless to say we're taking
advantage of our slow paced day.

Other than the ending of another
school year and baseball season,
what else have I been up to??
Well, I've been inspired by all
you coupon clipping, blogging mamas.
Inspired as in, I want to be in the
Shoppers who Snag $80 worth of Groceries
for $1.57 Club!
Like any other adventure, I began with research.
I read up on all the tips and techniques...
and now, I'm all in.

I started by developing a system for myself.
The goal was to create a simple,
cute and inexpensive coupon organizer.
I picked up a plastic container for $3.50.
Armed with my Cricut, decorative paper and Modge-Podge,
I got to work.
Once my organizer was pretty,
it was time to make it functional.
I used 5x7 envelopes as divider pockets.
To make them more sturdy,
I backed the envelopes with card stock.
Since I was a bit unsure of the best way to categorize them,
I took the easy route and just wrote on the envelopes.
Once I've perfected my method I can redo them.

So, what do you think??
I've been printing online coupons
and snipping the ones from the paper.
I even used a coupon this afternoon,
when I filled James' ear drop prescription.
That'd be a $15 co-pay for medicine
with a $25 CVS gift card in return.
Sweet!
I used the gift card to purchase ear plugs
and a few random things we needed here at home.
With the $7 remaining,
I'm planning a return trip for more bargains. :)
I'll keep you posted on my coupon clipping progress.
But now I wanna know,
do you love and use coupons?
What are your best coupon tricks of the trade??
Thanks for sharing! :D

Thrifty Summer Shopping

Good morning all!
Just had to take a minute to post.
Today's the boy's last day of school...
HOORAY!!!
I'm so ready to get this summer started.

Now on to the topic at hand.
You know I love to shop.
The only thing that makes shopping
more fun is when I score a tremendous deal.
Since this weather's heating up,
I've been pulling out the summer wardrobe.
Let's just say it left a lot to be desired.
Either too big, too small, or just plain u-g-l-y.
Yes, I've been like Goldilocks.

I thought I could purchase everything at once.
You know the kind of shopping.
If you like it, buy it in three colors.
That so didn't work.
Instead I decided to buy one piece each time I shopped.
It made finding the perfect piece so much easier.

I've frequented Walmart, TJMaxx, Tuesday Mornings,
Catos and even stopped by Target.
My favorite finds were two dressier tops from Walmart.
The top I wore to Joseph's party was $3
and the one I wore to church on Sunday was $5,
SCORE!!!
I also love the white to the knee linen shorts
I found at Cato for less than $20.

I know Andy's noticed my bargains.
I'd say I've really impressed him
with my mad shopping skillz.
The proof?
On Sunday I picked up a pair of
dark denim to the knee shorts at Target.
I've been looking for a pair of dark dressy
shorts for about three weeks now.
These fit and I liked them so I had to make them mine.
When the lady at the register told me my total
was $21 Andy gave me the big eye.
I could read his thoughts...
that is SO not a good deal for you!


The morale of the story??
If you're in the market for a summer wardrobe
and you want it on the cheap,
keep your eyes open and check out the clearance rack.
You can pair your bargains with
some cute switch flops & Brighton jewelry.
Before you know it your styling and profilin'! ;>

Middle School Awards & Such

Hi all!
This morning I had the pleasure of attending
Cullman Middle School's awards ceremony.
As I sat on the bleachers in the hot gym,
I realized what an honor it was to watch Joseph
receive both academic and physical awards.
Although I was proud of his accomplishments,
my joy came from simply being his mother.
In just four short years this man-child of mine
will be graduating high school.
I am cherishing every single moment. :)
Here's the proud Mama & sweet boy, after the ceremony.

So, what else is going on??

1. School's almost out... SqUeAL!
2. Only 2 more weeks of baseball (bitter sweet).
3. I'm thoroughly enjoying being outside. I started helping Andy with the yard work & I'm loving it.
4. I've scored a few fabulous and thrifty summer outfits. Thank you Walmart clearance & TJMAX!
5. My birthday is coming up, May 23rd. Andy calls May the month of Sarah. :)
6. Last but not least I've been spending a lot of much needed time with God. He's got me studying Family Driven Faith by Voddie Bauchmam Jr. If you don't already have it, it's worth buying. I was borrowing a friend's copy and just got my own. It's a must have reference book for raising children in today's culture. Who knows, maybe when I finish it I'll post about my thoughts.

Now I'm off to get my hair did.
The birthday girl can't have bad hair. ;>
Enjoy your afternoon!

Pepper & Joseph

Good morning all!
Yesterday while I was kicked back
in my hammock, I captured a great moment.
Pepper and Her Boy (as we call them)
enjoyed a little game of tug of war.

The video's cute but I love what it's a reminder of...
life's simple pleasures. :)

Happy Mother's Day 2010

Hi friends,
happy Mother's Day!
I'm proud to say that not only
are we celebrating Mother's today,
I'm secretly impressed that
Andy & I survived Joseph's party. ; >
But, more on the party later.

For now I have to share what my sweet boys
did to make their Mama feel special.
I started out the holiday last week,
with an early gift from James'.
It was either open it early OR
risk him exploding with excitement.
He bought me a beach ball charm
for my Brighton watch.
He spent his own money and was super proud!

Joseph's was the first gift I opened this morning.
Let me just brag on the boy,
he totally wowed me!
He purchased a beautiful silver & pearl Pandora charm.
After a long night followed by lots of clean up,
I'd say we're almost even. :)

Of course my handsome hubby
couldn't let his boys show him up.
After all, he is the Daddy of gift giving!
I made two gift requests,
a new t-shirt and switch flop covers.
He got them both!

And then??
I opened what I was certain was an air-soft rifle.
Only to be surprised with a hammock chair swing...
HOORAY!!!

Since my fellas hung it
I've been doing my best to get it broke in. ; >
I spent the afternoon swinging, reading and playing with the boys.

Ah, Mother's Day at it's finest!

A 14 Year Old & A Boy/Girl Party??

Good morning all!
I hope your enjoying a lazy Saturday.
I'm preparing to morph into the roadrunner,
again.
So here's what's up.
Yesterday my first baby boy turned 14.
Yep, FOURTEEN!
He wanted a party.
As in boy/girl party.
To protect my sanity and keep it fun
I came up with a Survivor theme.
We'll be having water balloon tosses
and airsoft challenges.
Of course there are prizes and medals too.
I having lots of DIY projects to share.
Pray for a great party!
I'll share the details once I recover. ; >