Merry Christmas from our family to yours

...and yes, we're having baby #3 near July 25:)

Christmas Cards

It's that time of year to start deciding what I'm going to do for Christmas cards.  I really like the idea of including a family picture into the card and also having an opportunity to share the true meaning of Christmas.  So, this year, I've found a few from Shutterfly.com that I really like:

1. Shutterfly card 1

I like the color scheme on this one.  It's not the traditional red and green.  I also like the fact that I could put multiple pictures. 

2. Shutterfly card 2

I like that this one folds and the message is simple but profound.  I could even expand the thought to inside the card and even put a bible verse.

3. Shutterfly card 3

This one is neat.  I like that I can put my kids' ages especially for family and friends we haven't seen in a long time.  And again, I like the color scheme of this one.  Black and white pictures always look classy.

So many options but I can't wait to order the one I like and send them out to friends and family.  Shutterfly never disappoints.  They're having a great promotion: Bloggers get 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly, follow the arrow at http://bit.ly/sfly2010. Visit http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

In Memory of Ernest Wellington Fuller, my Grandad.

In an effort to gather information to tell my children one day where they came from, I compiled a booklet of my family's history.  I remember sitting in my parents'  living room with notebook and pen, quickly jotting down information as my paternal grandparents recalled their younger years.  I had a blast learning about them and my dad.  My Grandad went to be with the Lord this afternoon; and, I have to admit that althought I rejoice in the fact that I will see him again one day, I'm still sad.  I guess I'm mostly sad that my daddy is at the airport as I type knowing that he missed saying a temporary 'goodbye' to his dad.  Here are the inserts about my Grandad:

(sorry Uncle Dave that your name is half there. I'll have to fix that)
I am so glad I was able to speak to my Grandad yesterday.  He was very weak and I could barely understand him but I did 'catch' an 'I love you' - and the floodgates opened.  All the crying since yesterday has helped me cope and in case you're wondering, I'm ok.

Grandad knew a lot of people and was respected by many in Belize.  I remember he didn't like going to Belmopan (where I lived) because it was too boring.  He and Granny Chita lived in Belize City and it was where they were comfortable.  I remember visiting them often because our dentist was in Belize City and dad and mom would do their bulk shopping there.  Grandad had the coolest desk and lots of ledger paper.  I would play at his desk pretending to 'work.'

He always looked forward to his next meal.  Grandad LOVED meal times.  He would enjoy his food like nobody else given that every bite had sound effects:)  Sipping his tea was more like slurping.  I thought it was funny. 

Grandad and Granny never missed sending a birthday card with a little surprise inside.  He's definately seen a lot of change in the world, especially technological advancement.  In March of this year he wrote me an e-mail.  Can you believe it?  A 98 year old writing e-mails?  I still have that letter and will cherish it.  He was always determined and maybe sometimes a little stubborn.  Even when he couldn't see well he would hold a book close to his face a read;and, he was adamant about driving his canary yellow car in Belize until finally someone put a stop to that:)   

I was so grateful that he was there for my wedding.  That was such a special day for me and I'm glad he witnessed and approved my marriage to Ben. My grandparents have been married for 70+ years and what a blessing that is.

I could go on about fond memories of Grandad Ernest.  I'm so proud to have been born a Fuller and grateful for my grandad's life.
He didn't make it to his 99th birthday but he lived a LONG life.  I'm glad that one day I will see him again in Glory.

Love you Grandad,
Abigail

My hubby couldn't believe it...

Bought 2 gallons of milk, 6 Sobe lifewaters, and 1 Dawn hand renewal.  Spent 39cents with Qs and ECBs.  My coupons combined with CVS  sale allowed me to get the Sobe drinks for free.  I had a coupon $1/1 Dawn detergent and CVS had them on sale for 97cents; therefore, free.

 

Absolutely had to print out more Sobe Qs and get more free Lifewaters.  Came home with 10 for free.  I ran out of my stock pile for toilet paper so I bought some with my ECBs.  Spent $1.56.

Other ways of saving

I haven't been diligent in keeping my coupons stocked and organized.  I have bought a Sunday paper in a while and most of the Qs that I have now are expired.  I guess it doesn't help that my printer ink is empty:)  I just have to take it to Walgreens to refill but have been procrastinating.  I have, however, been staying within (and sometimes way under) my budget of $60/wk because of Winn Dixie's awesome sales:)  I have discovered a couple other things as well to save.

1. Winn Dixie Fuelperks  I normally fill up at Racetrac b/c it's cheaper but the Shell on the Westbank near my church is usually the same price; and, since I have to go over there at least twice a week, it works well.  This week, I saved 5cents/gallon of gas:)

2. Regions just came out with Rewards for running debit cards as credit.  A couple months ago they credited $10 into our checking account for doing that.  Now they're offering rewards.  Sweet.

3. I received Magic Jack as a gift recently and loaded it on my computer.  My parents use it in Belize and now we can call each other for free:)  You buy the adapter, plug it in your computer, connect a phone line to it and voila.  It's only like $20 annual fee.  That's it!  I'll be canceling my cox phone service as soon as all the important:)

4. Today I got an amazing deal on the new Biotru contact solution.  I noticed the vision center at Walmart had the 4oz bottles for $4.  About the display were $4 tear off coupons.  I only had to pay tax.  So I got several for 35cents each:)

Repainted bookshelf...the memory of a sweet lady.

A sweet lady in our church passed away this year and her daughter decided to have an estate sale of all that was in her house.  I went with the intention of finding a bookshelf for Eden's books and ended up finding one that is so adorable.  It's solid oak but it was an ugly blue color so I decided to buy it for cheap and paint it white.  Eden loves 'her' bookshelf and we have something in our home to remind us of sweet Ms Marjorie.  Here are the before and after pics:

Happy Anniverary!

I love you more than the day I first met you.

I love you because you love the Lord,

you love me,

you love our children.

I love the fact that you encourage me and support me.

We're in this together, babe and I can't wait to continue this journey.

Ruffle Tank & Tutorial

I saw this idea on another blog and really wanted to make it.
http://getyourcrafton.blogspot.com/2010/05/ruffle-corsage-tank.html

I was so excited when I found out Old Navy was having a $2 tank sale.  Here's a little tutorial of my version and I even made one for myself:)  By the way, I don't know that I'll be making another 'little girl' one soon because it took a long time but I'm so excited for us to wear them with our matching Old Navy white long skirts.

Buy an extra XL tank top.  Cut out hearts and overlap three to form a flower.

 Start on one shoulder strap

Tuck each flower close to the previously attached on.  Hand sew a few stitches in the center.

Go all around the neckline to the next shoulder strap.

Final Product.

THE MOMMY VERSION (Ruffle Corsage)

Pretty Amazing Winn Dixie Deals today

If anyone else received the Kraft package in the mail, the coupons that came with it are for free products.  I saw that WD has Mac and Cheese Explosion for BOGO plus I had a Q for a free one so I got both free:)  I got a couple other things for free with the coupons in the kit.  Also, if you got the Potty Training Kit there are two high value coupons.  WD has the Easy Ups on sale for $8.99 and you get an additional $1 off if you are a part of the baby club.  I combined this with the 2 X $2/1 Q from the kit and got 2 packages for $5.99.  Hope this works for someone else.

Another Giveaway

colorinc-gallery-wrap-canvas-giveaway

Check this out guys.  I would love to win this and have a pic of my babies on canvas.

Photography Haven & PSE giveaway

I've been interested in photography and now that I know how to operate my dslr, I could really use a course on PSE so that I can make the most of it.  I've entered a giveaway photography-haven-pse-workshop-giveaway.  Check it out.

Paper Dolls

Wow, paper dolls have come a long way.  I remember playing with them when I was a kid and don't think mine came with a cabana:)  The last Vera Bradley catalog came with an insert of punch-out paper dolls, accessories, cabana, umbrellas, and a beach ball.  Makes me want to go to the beach (Only 4 more months)!!!!  Anyway,  I had just as much fun playing with these as Eden did. 

Where has the time gone - Lincoln is one

It's been 12 months already and I can't believe it's gone by so fast.  My sweet baby turns 1 today and I feel very blessed to have such a sweet, healthy son.  He is definitely a momma's boy and I love it.  He just recently started to crawl.  I was beginning to wonder what was going on and then figured out that he's just lazy and chunky:)  I love you my sweet Lincoln and I feel privileged to be your mommy.  Happy Birthday!

Saving money is fun!

My recent trip to CVS was a great one.  I bought two pedialytes (my boy was throwing up on Sun, poor thing) because I had a BOGO coupon from one of the Sunday papers.  I also had $3 ECB from a previous purchase.  There was a nice little surprise at the end of the receipt.

How much I paid:

How much I saved:

Free money toward next purchase:

New Look!

Now that Spring is finally 'in' the air, I decided to change the look of my blog.  Like it? 

Lincoln is 11 months

Well, I'm a little behind on posting this - oops.  My son is going to be a year old in just a few weeks and I'm soaking up all the 'babyness' that's left before then.  He is not quite crawling yet but will be soon.  I think it's a combination of him just being lazy and heavy.  He now takes a bath without having to sit in his baby bath.  Some of his favorite foods are sweet potatoes, turkey meat, chicken, veg soup, bread (ok almost everything).  The boy loves food:)  He loves to 'talk' when he gets the chance (Eden is a chatter box).  He likes playing peekaboo and pretend to talk on the phone.  Here are some pics.  Videos to come.

His first hair trim (Before)

 

After

Playing and Eating at the same time

Cute little personality

My sweet baby boy

Giveaway - I really like this blog

diaryofacraftaholic giveaway

Check it out!

Check out this giveaway!

Make It and Love It giveaway

Check it out!

New Hobby;)

My friend, Jeanna, recently introduced me to a website that is saving me a LOT of money on groceries.  It's called Hip2Save.  In addition, I have also been advised to check out Southern Savers for similar information.  I tell you what:  I'M HOOKED!.  I started saving and printing a ton of coupons that I would potentially use.  My goal is to save more than I spend and work on stock piling so that each week I only have to buy perishable goods.   This weekend I did my research online at the stores that I usually shop, made my detailed list, printed/gathered as many coupons that I would be allowed to use and headed to Winn Dixie with my reusable bags in hand.  I took advantage of their deal where you buy two Digiorno Pizza's a get Salad, Monkey Bread, 2 liter Mtn. Dew, and Totino's Pizza Rolls for free.  I also took advantage of their BOGO sales.  The Result:  I saved more than I spent and I'm building my stock pile.  Mission Accomplished.  My new goal is to increase the difference between how much I save to how much I spend.  That will come with time and experience.  Here are some snapshots of my receipt. Note: I went over budget on my grocery spending but I'll make it up the next few weeks I go.

Never have I had such a long receipt

 

This is how much I spent.

  

This is how much I saved

  

This are the items that were on sale or BOGO

  

These are the items I got for free

  

These are the coupons that were scanned

  

This is the breakdown of my savings

 

Whew.  Like I said, I have a ways to go before I really start saving more money; but, I have to say that the hubby is very proud of me for gearing toward a more frugal lifestyle.

On a similar note here are some things I got free from target this morning using information from the two websites I mentioned above.  I may print out more coupons and stock up on these freebies:)  The last picture are Animal Crackers that were $1 each perfect for my kids' Easter baskets.  Happy saving and thanks to all you ladies who have inspired me to follow in  your footsteps:)

To No Avail

This morning I woke up feeling a little sad because I still can't find my ring:(  The one place that I hadn't thoroughly looked in was my kids' bedroom.  I decided to take everything, except the crib, out.  And why not clean while I'm at it! 

 

Although I didn't find my ring, the room was spotless and I even left a pair of flipflops for Eden for when she comes back later today (I can't wait to see my girl).

 

  

  

On a slightly unrelated note, I've been thinking of ways to organize Eden's hairbows and I saw a great idea on a website and decided to make my own version.  It turned out pretty cute and I don't have to search through a box for what I need:)

 

Well, I guess I'll have to wait a little longer for my ring to show up:(