The Story on Morning Glory

Coupon Queen

- Wednesday, May 26, 2010

In the past month or so, I've become quite the coupon clipper. Blame it on boredom, write it off as a stay-at-home mommy thing...I don't know. All I know is that I've always loved a good deal, and now I'm in love with coupons!

Before now, I'd see coupons, think, "Oh, that's great!" toss them in my purse, and find them 4 months later, crunched and expired in the bottom of my huge purse. Now I get a sad feeling when I find a coupon that has expired and I haven't been able to use, and think of taps playing as I toss it in the trash.

Here is my coupon organizer...yes, I have one. I'm a dork. How else am I supposed to be able to use them all before they expire! I sort them and put the ones I plan to use that week in the front pocket. One group for Target, and one group for WalMart.

Now, my Sunday night ritual is to sit down at the computer, go to coupons.com and find out what kind of deals I can get and plan out what our menu for the week will be! Target also posts coupons on target.com and lists their flier on line so you can see what's on sale. Love! The ultimate thing is to find a Target coupon and pair it with a coupons.com coupon...that's a stacked coupon, people!! Or, see something on sale at WalMart and find a coupon for the same item or two different coupons for the same item...it makes me smile, ya'll! I've even coerced Jeff into taking the coupon section in the paper that is delivered to the station...we don't get a Sunday paper and I NEED those coupons! :)

I also have been following these two blogs that are soooooooo good and post new deals and even ways to stack your coupons to save the most. A Thrifty Mom is great and so is Money Saving Mom. They post coupons for specific stores and ways to save the most with coupons.

This week, one of my best coupon deals this week was a $6.99 Cutter citronella candle for....wait for it.....free! Oh yes. And a free pack of hot dogs for our neighborhood party in a few weeks. I saved $25 at Target this week! And no, I'm not buying random crap that I won't use. And no, you don't want to be in line behind me.

I am a little famous for going through phases...so we'll see how long this one lasts, but for now, you can call me the coupon queen!

Makes me want to cuss...

Labels: life - Tuesday, May 25, 2010

I was just telling my mom about my cute little strawberry that had turned red over the weekend, and she said it's probably ready to eat! So I went outside to pluck that adorable berry and taste the goodness God had gown in my backyard, when I found this.

Dang animal! I'm about to put some type of cage around it...

On the up side, I've got more tomatoes!

Family Reunion

Labels: family, jack - Monday, May 24, 2010

This weekend, we headed back to Palestine for a little family reunion on my dad's side. My great uncle and his wife passed away in the past year or so, and the family hosted a memorial service this weekend. It was good to see cousins that I'd never met before! Cousins from Oregon, Hawaii, Vegas, Montana...what a fun time.

We spent a lot of the weekend out at the lake and it was Jack's first lake water experience! We were totally prepared.

Speedo? Check!

Floatie? Check!

Daddy? Check!

Pool in case the lake isn't a hit? Check!

Mommy to help dry off? Check!

Grandpa? Check!

(notice Jack throwing his gang sign in the bottom right pic)

High chair that my 35 year old cousin used when he was a baby and was passed down to me and my sister and now lives at the lake? Check!

Family picture? Check!

Hangin' trailer park style with Grandpa and Barbara? Check!

It really was a fun weekend. We laughed a lot, ate a lot, played a lot...and Jack stayed in his new "bedroom" at Grandpa's house.

Yes, that's the pack n' play in the bathroom. Jack is too noisy to sleep in the same room! He tosses and turns, moans and groans...and I must say, he slept very soundly in the bathroom! And we slept pretty darn soundly in the bedroom next door.

Good times!

Bed Head

Labels: jack -

So, Jeff and I walked in Jack's room after a nap last week and found this....

Jack's first concert....

Labels: jack, life - Tuesday, May 18, 2010

...and yes, I'm a little embarrassed.

I love music. Love live music, was a big local concert goer in my day! Of course, Jack would be the same, right?

Well, have you head of this little show called American Idol?

Jeff and I are fans...I'm a little embarrassed about it, but we watch every week, get excited (or annoyed) about who gets kicked of...we're a little into it.

And so is our neighbor! Like I've said before, we live in an older neighborhood. Older homes, and older people. Our 75ish year old neighbor, Wacel, is the youngest older person I've ever known! She recycles everything, mows her own yard, takes painting classes, walks like a million miles a day and even has a compost pile in the back yard. And...she loves, LOVES, American Idol! And her favorite has been Casey James.

Oh wait, she swears he performs better when he wears his hair down...:)

Anyways, Casey is a Fort Worth guy, and since he's in the top 3, they did a hometown visit which included a 3 song concert at the Stockyards...how could we not ask Wacel if she wanted to go!?!?!?!?

It was pouring down rain Friday afternoon when the 4 of us piled in the car and headed down to the Stockyards. Thankfully, my sister works at Billy Bob's and had the inside scoop as to the rain plan. We got there, and headed in the direction of the concert and Wacel got a FRONT ROW SEAT to the big show! Love her. She was snatching up the signs they were passing out, bracing herself against the pole support as to not get knocked over by the throngs of teenage girls vying for Casey's attention. She had a blast!!!

And this is how Jack sat the entire time.

Laaaaaid back, feet propped up, chillin'. He's not phased by semi famous people!

As a side note, I think it would be best for Casey to not win....he's more of a John Mayer/Gavin DeGraw type that really will sound better at a small intimate venue, rather than the American Airlines Center. I'm just sayin'. You've got your notoriety, go ahead and pray you don't win and have to jump through all of the hoops that winning AI entails....

Babyfood Fail!

Labels: jack, Motherhood -

Jack is 8 months now....8 months! I can't believe it.

Anyways, I've read at 8 months, babies can start eating meat. Now, meat has a much tougher texture than other fruits and veggies they've been eating, so you have to either buy it in the jar (oh-em-gee, no thank you...that's like dogfood, ya'll!) or make your own chicken baby food. I'm always up for a challenge, and really, how hard can it be, let's do it!

So, like any doting mother would do, I went to Target, picked up some organic chicken, came home, boiled it up, put it in the food processor with some sweet potatoes and a little broth, and served it up!

And....Jack thought it was disgusting. He gagged. He even threw it up! He was having no part in it...at all. I smelled it...it smelled like chicken and sweet potatoes, not like something that should make someone barf up their noodles! We kept trying....he started gagging as soon as the spoon full of the medley came remotely close to his mouth.

Ok, fine. I give up.

No chicken for YOU!