My Curious Chaos

Kroger...yet again...slightly disenchanted though...

2010-02-05T23:59:00.001-06:00

So, tonight was my first experience Kroger with employees annoyed at my tactics for saving. I must admit that because I made a mistake and rang up several like items with q's that I need to double, I caused their frustration. However, I was very polite AND apologetic the entire time. Sometimes I think they believe that me saving with coupons is going to come out of their paycheck...I don't understand their thought process. I use manufacurer q's...they will get the money I save back!!

Anyway, my total bill was just over $42 and that about did me in for the night. I don't remember the last time I paid over $30 in one trip. I did get A LOT of great stuff though:

12 boxes ritz
16 tubs I can't beleive it's not butter
12 cans hunts diced tomatoes
1 can rotel
1 bottle frank's hot sauce
2 bottles kraft dressing
1 2 liter mug root beer
1 pkg goldfish
7 pkg kraft block cheese
7 pkg kraft shredded cheese
4 pkg sargento's shredded cheese
1 12 pk toilet paper
1 gallon milk
1 8 bar pk irish spring

My total before my kroger card and q's was $242 +. After my card and q's I paid just over $42. It came out to about $.60 per item. That's pretty good considering the items that are there.

Blessings,
Kristelle

Eggs, eggs and more eggs!

2010-02-03T02:09:00.008-06:00

Our chickens are laying in high gear. We are getting almost one dozen eggs a day from the girls. This is a sampling of what we might get in one day. They are just so pretty...if an egg can be pretty.

Klahdia is responsible for letting the girls out every morning as soon as she wakes. Initially she loved getting up and letting them out. However, with the cold weather we've been having, she's not quite as interested in visiting with them.

Karter on the other hand LOVES everything there is about the chickens. He will go out several times a day to check for eggs...even in the wet and cold. Gary found him cleaning the coop the other day all on his own accord. He is just precious!

One day Karter came in after checking for eggs and announced, "Who wants to see the biggest egg in the world?" Well of course we all did. He wasn't kidding either. It was certainly the biggest egg I've seen. Here it is with others collected that day. Keep in mind not all the girls started laying at the same time so some of them are still laying what's called pullet eggs. Their first eggs they lay are smaller than what they will eventually be laying. The larger one is on the far right. The picture to the left I had put it with the smallest one of the day for comparison. To be fair, the smallest one was pretty little for an egg, but the larger one was pretty big too.

I decided I wanted to measure it because the pictures just didn't do it justice. It was over 2.5" long and measure 5" around. It was huge...okay, it was just really big! We knew when we cracked it open it was going to have two yolks and sure enough...it did. That was my breakfast for the morning.

This is the second double yolk we've had so far. I'm surprised...I don't know why, but I am. Thank you girls for breakfast.

Klahdia's 10th birthday present

2010-02-03T02:01:00.003-06:00

Soo, after months of her asking to get her hair cut, I finally caved and cut it for her on her birthday. I kept telling her that her hair was probably going to get darker like her dad's did and she should wait until then because it was too pretty now to cut it. Yeah, she didn't buy it either. We did agree that she would wait until she had enough to donate to 'locks of love'. They require 8" and we cut off 10". Someone will have a beautiful wig.

She has so much hair that it took quite some time for me to finish...it didn't help that I really don't know what I'm doing either:-) As much as I loved her hair long because she looks so much younger, I really do like the new look. She still hates having such thick hair. She wants it to be flat against her head. I apologized and told her that was just a dream...one of these days she will appreciate it.

Guess what? More Kroger deals!

2010-02-03T01:33:00.003-06:00

So here it is! This was my trip tonight to Kroger. Most of the q's used were printed from the internet. Do ya wanna know how much I paid? Guess? Nope..lower...lower...$14.49!! i had a q for EVERY item. Here is the basic break down:

Ritz $1.99 $2/2 q

ICBNB $o.99 $1/1 q FREE

Rotel $0.49 $.30/1 q tripled(each of these q's actually gave me a credit of $.41 after they

tripled:-))

Goldfish $0.88 $.75/1 q

Cheese $1.49 $1/2 q

Chex Mix $1.49 $1/1 q

I knew that I'd become little obsessed with the savings when I stood in the dairy section of the store trying to figure out which items needed to be checked out with which to maximize the savings. For example (keep in mind this is the mega event at Kroger so you had to buy 10 select items to get the cheapest price therefore explaining why all my transactions had 10 specific items in them)

The goldfish were $.88 less the $.75 q making them $.13 each. That's a great deal, but free is even better. So what I did was purchase 7 goldfish, 3 rotel and 10 other items for the mega event.

7 goldfish at $.88 each $6.16 less $5.25 in q's total $.91

3 rotel at $.49 each $1.47 less $2.70 in q's total credit of $1.23

Take the $.91 off making the goldfish free and I STILL had a credit for the rest of the items of $.32...make sense. I made sure to purchase 3 rotel with every transactions so I would get that same credit of $1.23. I think I had 6 transactions which means I earned $7.38 toward my purchases just by using a q that tripled on an item that was priced less than the q. I'm really getting the hang of this now!

Needless to say, my children are going to be happy when they see the goldfish and ritz crackers...they love to eat!

Blessings,
K

More Kroger savings!

2010-01-25T17:20:00.009-06:00

I've recently realized that in several states, Kroger starts their ad on Sunday rather than Wednesday as it is done here in the DFW area. What does this mean? We can view the upcoming ad several days in advance. However, since it is in a different region, there is no garauntee that it will be a match, but for the most part thus far, the only differences I've noticed were region specific brands that we just don't get here. And in those cases, the brand Kroger carries here is what is on sale:-)

With this new ammunition in hand, I've been able to plan ahead ordering q's from ebay to maximize my savings and truly stock up on items. After viewing this week's ad last week I ordered q's from ebay for items I knew I could stock up on for almost free. Here's what I've saved on so far this week:

30 $.35/3 cans Hunt's tomaotos

$2.94 ebay

Kroger $.99, buy 10 get $5 off

actual oop per can $.16 ymmv

60 $.50/1 Frank's Hot Sauce

ebay $3.99

kroger $1.19 after mega event

oop per bottle $.19 (free when I purchased with rotel from the credit...see below)

I've only purchased 16 so far, but I have next week's ad too!

60 $.30/1 Rotel

$3.99 ebay

kroger $.49 after mega event

oop I actually got $.34 credit with each can I purchased! I strategically this item with other items that were not quite free so I could get them free. For example, Frank's hot sauce was still $.19 after the mega event, however if I purchased at least one rotel with a q, it made the hot sauce free too:-)

$2/2 Nabisco crackers printable q here! You can print two per computer so I used three of ours. Coupon central isn't up and running just yet so I wasn't able to print as many as I'd wished:-(

Kroger $1.99 after mega event

actual oop $1 per box

I hope you are all finding some great deals too! I can't tell you how much this has helped us with our budget as well as trying to maintain healthier eating habits. We don't have to rely completly on the most inexpensive food items and brands anymore. We can treat ourselves to things we wouldn't normally do as well.

As usual, please share your thoughts and ideas!

Blessings,
Kristelle

How do I get multiple q's?

2010-01-25T17:17:00.002-06:00

Exciting news...you can go to the Dallas Morning News on Mondays and purchase the ad slicks for $.75 each! This is how one of my ebay q sources accquires her q's. I don't know any other details, ie..is there a minimum required to purhase or does one have to be registered.

Blessings,
K

Q's from ebay...HUGE savings!

2010-01-25T16:04:00.012-06:00

So I have recently truly seen the value of purchasing q's from ebay. Let me just show you. Following are some of the q's I've recently purchased from ebay and the savings that they provided:

65 $1/1 ANY J&J baby product
Paid $8.55 on ebay
Target/Walmart has them for $.97
I already had several q's free from ss & rp which would bring my total number of q's close to 80.
Actual oop for me after q purchased, $.11 each! We are set for a couple of years for soap:-)

60 $1/2 any Jennie O turkey store item
Paid $5.56 on ebay
Kroger had bogo at $2.79
Actual oop per 1 lb package, $.94
We eat ground turkey in lieu of beef simply because it is higher in protein. This coupled with the chicken breast on sale a couple months back should get us through to Memorial Day sales when I can stock up on meat again!

80 $.35/1 Bird's Eye Steamfresh
Paid $5 on ebay
Kroger had them 10/$10(Kroger triples q's up to $.39)
Actual oop $.06 each
These won't actually last us very long. My kids LOVE broccoli and corn so we can go through 4 bags at one meal.

100 $.35/1 Hormel Pepperoni Package
Paid $5 on ebay
Kroger had them 10/$10(again Kroger triples up to $.39)
Actual oop $.05 per package
This should actually last us around 6-8 months

I LOVE to calculate my actual savings to see just how much I would have paid without q's so here goes:

80 sudzing bars @ $.97 $ 77.60
120 Jennie O Turkey @ $2.79 $334.80
80 Bird's Eye Steamfressh @$1.89 $151.20
100 Hormel Pepperoni Packs @$1 $100.00
Total $663.60
Actual oop $131.35
Total savings $532.25

That is almost our entire grocery budget for one month and that is how much I saved just this past week! I LOVE this stuff:-)

We are going to be out of debt even sooner than planned and that feels GREAT!!!

Let me know what your biggest deal was this week...so deal is too small!

Blessings,
K

CVS $5/$20 exp 1/16/10

2010-01-10T12:47:00.001-06:00

Here is a link to another $5/$20 q for CVS that expires 1/16/10! Use it wisely:-)
Blessings,
K

CVS score!

2010-01-08T15:32:00.001-06:00

I wanted to get this posted, but I'm on my way out the door so it will have to be quick. I will come back to explain a couple of things later:

4 soyjoy $6 ea
total $24
$5/$20 q
$18 ecb
total oop $1
received $18 ecb from soyjoy

10 All detergent $3.99
1 GE light bulb $2.99
1 carmel $.33
total $42.89
$5/$20
10 $2/1 ALL manu q
$18 ecb
total oop
$.24
received $2 ecb from light bulb

today I repeated the same transactions, however I didn't start with the $18 ecb so for the same items I paid a total of around $15 after q's and ecb. So I ended up with

20 all detergents
7 soyjoy ( i only purchase three today because that is the limit. I will take one back from
yesterday which will reduce my total oop by $6)
2 GE light bulbs
3 pkg candy (needed fillers to get me to the $20 mark for the $5/$20 q)
1 caramel

For a grand total of just under $16. That makes everything less than $.50 each!!!

I had seen the ad two weeks ago so I knew the All was going on sale. Therefore I ordered 20 q's on ebay for a total after shipping for $3.44. When you add that in to the total oop, each item is then still under $.60 each! Well worth the savings. The detergetn should last me several months. Once open pool season hits, I'm washing lots of swimsuits and towels!

What did you find this week?

I also got Progresso soup for $.25/can at Kroger

Call me crazy...

2010-01-06T14:36:00.002-06:00

but I had to run out for milk this morning and had a thought. If all gallon milk varieties are the same cost, why not get whole milk and dilute it a little with water for cereal??? We aren't big milk drinkers so I would think that it would go unnoticed AND it would reduce the cost of milk per gallon.

I tried it this morning with my kids (I did not tell them) and they didn't notice a thing. Yes, I even had some with my cereal. Not noticable at all! I did however only dilute it in a glass a little at a time because I know as soon as Gary reads this he is going to say, "Yuck!". Don't worry honey, I left the actual gallon of milk in the refrigerator in it's original state just for you:-)

What frugalities have you employed to stretch your dollar?

Blessings,
Kristelle

Staples Free stuff

2010-01-04T10:22:00.000-06:00

This week at Staples they have lots of stuff FREE after Staples Rewards. Check out their weekly ad here to cash in on their deals. Make sure to take your empty printer cartridges in for $3 Staples rewards. They are having double rewards for HP cartridges!

Blessings,
Kristelle

Kohls $5 off of $5

2010-01-04T09:59:00.002-06:00

If you go here and sign up at Kohls, they will send you a $5 off of your next $5 purchase. You can sign up as many emails as you want, but you can only use one q per transaction. Make sure to sign up the kids too!

I've created several additional email accounts just for this purpose. I don't use them for anything else so I don't have to worry about spam or filtering any other messages that come through becasue there shouldn't be any:-)

So far I have 15 accounts set up. If you are wondering why in the world I would do that for a little $5 q, then you still haven't completely changed the way you think about coupons! Think of all the items that you could purchase for just around $5. Most basics like underwear, some bras, socks, etc you can find on sale or clearance for around $5. What about after Christmas sale right now...all the gifty items are probably 75% off. They will go great in your year round 'gift' stash. What can you think of to spend your $5 q on?

BTW...to all you lurkers out there...I know you're reading my blog....PLEASE LEAVE COMMENTS!! All you have to do is click on comment at the bottom of each post. You're all on facebook so I know you know how to do this! Show me the love!

Blessings,
Kristelle

WAGS today!

2010-01-02T02:35:00.001-06:00

I went to WAGS today for the sole purpose of getting a scrubbing bubbles shower sprayer with free refill and left without it! It was a great deal, but I just wasn't in the mood to spend money on cleaning supplies for my bathroom....however, on another aisle just a couple away there were lots of great clearance items. I had just printed $2/1 q for any nexxus hair product and low and behold they had shampoo clearanced for only $2.59! I only had two q's so I only got two, but it was unexpected so I'm happy.

Check you store out to see what they might have on clearance and combine with an existing q! Great time to stock up and save!

Blessings,
K

Christmas Customers

2009-12-22T23:26:00.000-06:00

I wanted to take the time to thank all my wonderful customers from this awesome Christmas season! I've been blessed to have a great opportunity at my job to market my jewelry and it has served me well.

Everyone was extremely patient and actually loved all their pieces! I can't wait to get some referals from them!

Merry Christmas Ya'll!
K

Whole Foods Coupons!

2009-12-22T23:22:00.001-06:00

That's right...Whole Foods now offers many organic coupons for products they carry in their store. Now we just need to get one closer:-)

Check it out and let me know what you think!

Blessings,
K

Debt Reduction

2009-12-18T13:14:00.000-06:00

So Gary asks me this morning if I want my paycheck to go toward one of our credit card debts. Of course! That's the ONLY reason I'm working:-) Anyway, I decide to put pen to paper and do a little update on our reduction plan to see where we stand.

I was thrilled to see how much farther ahead of 'our' plan we are! I truly see the light at the end of the tunnel and it's getting brighter and brighter! I think back a lot of where we've come from and the sacrifices we've made to get here.

At the time, some of them were hard and we didn't necessarily do them with smiles on our faces, but I have to say that there is only one thing we've cut out that I REALLY miss. Our gym membership:-( Fortunately, since we are doing so well, we've decided to reactivate the membership and it's already paying off because it's a HUGE stress reducer for both Gary and I:-)

If all goes as planned, we will only have one credit card debt left to pay off by the end of March. That is huge for us since we've always used credit cards whether out of need or not. We don't 'need' to use them anymore since we are cash pay only and that feels great. We are hoping that once we are out of debt, we might be able to take advantage of some great rebate offers with some home purchases to help us save even more money with utlities on the house.

If you're in debt reduction mode, hang in there! Even if your light at the end of the tunnel is dim, just focus and beleive!
Blessings,
K

Free Kellogg's Corn Flakes at Tom Thumb

2009-12-17T21:23:00.002-06:00

12 oz. Kellogg's Corn Flakes are $.99 at Tom Thumb this week. Pair this with the following coupons to get them for anywhere from $.24 each or FREE!

$5/4 kellogg's cereals printable here
$1.50/2 kellogg's cereals printable here
$1.50/2 kellogg's cereals printable here

Get them while their hot!

What will you do with all your corn flakes? Share your favorite recipe.

Blessings,
K

Natrol RR is a MM this week!

2009-12-03T14:32:00.000-06:00

I haven't tried this yet, but the Natrol Acai is suppose to be $4 this week with $3 rr. If you click on the coupon it will let you print as many times as you like. This would be ideal if you went in with rr to use from a previous transaction.

1 Natrol Acai $4
filler worth $1
$3/1 Natrol q
$2 rr
Should be close to free plus $3 rr back.

Hobby Lobby 40% off any regular priced item

2009-12-01T23:45:00.004-06:00

Through December 5th! Click on the coupon to print.

Thanks, Money Saving Mom!

Target Deals 11/29

2009-12-01T23:26:00.005-06:00

Here are a few deals available at Target this week...

Wheat Thins $2.5o
$1/1 from 11/8
$1/1 target here
FP $.50

Pepperidge Farm Baked Natural Crackers $2.50
$1/1 from 11/1 SS
$1/1 target here
FP $.50

Up Wipes $1 & up
$1/1 target here THIS EXPIRES 12/5/09 SO GET THEM WHILE YOU CAN
FP FREE

Keebler Wheatables $1.99
$1.50/1 here
FP $.49

Special K Crackers $1.99
$1/1 here
FP $.99

Kellogg's All Bran Crackers $1.99
$1.50/1 here
FP $.49

Thanks, Krazy Coupon Lady!

Diet Vanilla Coke...very disappointing!

2009-12-01T01:22:00.000-06:00

We treated ourselves today with drink at Sonic for Happy Hour....if you have a Sonic near you and aren't aware, everyday from 2-4pm all drinks are 1/2 price at Sonic.

Anywho, we gave up soda almost three years ago and we just haven't reallly missed it. Well, I made the mistake of telling the kids they could get whatever size they wanted...all chose route 44. Then I made the mistake of telling them they could get whatever they wanted to drink that was 1/2 off. Normally they are just itching for a slush...not today...three of them wanted sodas so I thought I would go ahead and get my old favorite...a diet vanilla coke...it sounded soo good...and it's been soo long....YUCK! It wasn't as good as I remember it being...I guess that's a good thing because I certainly won't be wanting one of those anytime soon:-)

Okay, this is my last post for the evening....oops, morning!

Blessings,
K

Stocking up with the seaon

2009-12-01T01:19:00.000-06:00

Keep in mind while the holidays are approaching, certain items will be on sale and it will be a great opportunity to stock up. Some of the items are as follows:

sugar
flour
baking powder
baking soda
salt
pepper
oils
condiments
breads
sauces
dry mix packages
cheeses, cream cheese, bulk cheese
margarine
butter sticks
chocolate chips
nuts
crackers (think appetizers)

Let me know if you find other great sales due to the upcoming holidays!

Blessings,
K

Major SAVINGS!

2009-12-01T01:01:00.000-06:00

I committed to myself that I would keep every receipt and track my spending on groceries/toletries for a two week period. Why two weeks...we get paid every two weeks and that is when I take out the budgeted amount of cash for the next two weeks. I wanted to see if I could make it last longer or at least get more for my money.

Needless to say there were a couple of unexpected purchases(ie, ink for the printer:-) $45, a Dr. visit $15, and $20 for something else that completly escapes me now). Anyway, I was still able to stay within our budgeted amount and even stock up on some items.

Basically, from November 13-28, I purchased $1114.79 worth of product...but only paid $267.93!! Keep in mind the first total does not include the difference for an item that was on sale. It only calculates what I discounted from coupons, store bogo, gift cards w/purchase, or register rewards. If I calculated the savings including the difference of the items original price with the sale price, the first total would be at least a few hundred dollars more meaning I really saved alot more than what it looks.

This pay period I was able to stock up on all natural, no additives/injections boneless skinless chicken breasts at Sprouts Farmers Market for $1.69. I got 61.73 pounds for a total of $104.32. You can see that this was close to half our budget. I would not have been able to do this if the meat wasn't on sale or had I maximized my savings with coupons. This meat is easily $2.99/lb at regular price. We eat lots of chicken and this is even a high quality healthy form of chicken. We should be good for at least six months with chicken and I'm sure it will be on sale again before we need it again. Shopping for items when they are on sale versus when you need them is key. Had I waited until I needed chicken, I would have paid $2.99/lb or have been stuck with the less healthy alternative of skin on thighs or quarters.

Other items I've been stocking up on lately due to the holiday baking are:
carnation evaportated milk
campbell's cream soups
canned vegetables
boxed convience items (easy things dh can make when I work evenings)
egg noodles
glade smelly things (candles, refills, oil plug in's, etc)
chinet paper plates
cereals
cake mixes
brownie mixes
breads

I'm still waiting for the baking supplies like sugar, flour, etc to go down enough to warrant stocking up. Right now it is still cheaper to buy in bulk at Costco.

Blessings,
K

WAGS 3 Day Free Deals 11/26-11/28

2009-12-01T00:04:00.003-06:00

Again, sorry this is a late post...these sales are expired, but I still wanted to post to encourage you to always be checking your local sales flyers. You can get online and google most stores for a 'sneak peek' at next weeks a too so you can stay ahead of the game.

Thursday morning WAGS had seven items that were free after rr. I went in with $5 rr expecting to stock up for a year, but was quickly redirected. Since it was the first day of the sale they limited your purchase to one of every item(I only got 4 of the items). No problem, I can come back Saturday when the sale is about to end...Here is my trasaction for that day:

aquafresh 1.99

nivea shaving cream 2.49

dove ultimate deodorant 3.99

less $2/1 dove manu q

less $5 rr

oop $1.47

+ $8.50 rr

On our way to a movie Saturday night, DH and I stopped at WAGS to try once again to stock up. This time it was after 8:30pm and they were more than willing to allow me to purchase as many items as I liked plus they let me do multiple transactions so I could roll my rr.

I started off with $8.50 rr to use toward my first purchase. Here's the breakdown of my purchases(oops, I just realized I didn't actually put these in order and it's too much time to rearrange...just know that when it states I used rr to pay for a transaction it was with this particular days previous transactions except the first one):

1st trans

aquafresh 1.99

dove deo 3.50(it was advertised 3.99, but was ringing this on Saturday)

right guard deo 2.49

WAGS tape .39

$2/1 dove q

$6 rr

total oop $.37

+ $8.5o rr

2nd trans

J&J Soft body wash 5.99

Nivea shaving cream 2.49

Dove deo 3.50

WAGS tape .39

$2/1 manu q

$7.50 rr

total oop $.37

+ 8.50 rr

3rd trans

right guard deo 2.49

aquafresh 1.99

$4 rr

total oop $.48

+ $4.50 rr

4th trans

dove deo 3.50

right guard deo 2.49 (no rr for this.. I inadvertantly used it's own rr from previous trans)

WAGS tape .39

$2/1 manu q

$4 rr

total oop

$.18

+ $4 rr

5th trans

aquafresh 1.99

right guard deo 2.49

$4 rr

total oop

$.48

+ $4.50rr

6th trans

J&J soft body wash 5.99

WAGS tape .39

$6.50rr

total oop $.27

+ $6 rr

7th trans

aquafresh 1.99

nivea shaving cream 2.49

dove deo 3.50

WAGS tape .30

$2/1 manu q

$6 rr

total oop $.37

+ $8.50 rr

8th trans

right guard deo 2.49

aquafresh 1.99

WAGS tape .39

$4.50 rr

total oop $.36

9th trans

nivea shaving cream 2.49

dove deo 3.50

right guard deo 2.49

WAGS tape .39

$1/1 manu q (printed with each of the dove purchases)

$8 rr

total oop $.67

+ $9 rr

10th trans

infusium conditioner 4.99

aquafresh 1.99

right guard 2.49

$8 rr

total oop $1.47

+ $9.50 rr

So I ended up with

7 right guard deodorants valued on sale(vos) 17.43

5 dove deodorants vos 17.50

6 aquafresh vos 11.94

3 J&J Body Wash vos 17.97

3 nivea shaving cream vos 7.47

1 Infusium conditioner vos 4.99

8 WAGS transparent tape vos 3.12

Total vos $80.42

Total oop $5.52

+ $18 rr

I know, why did I leave still having so many rr...we had to get to our date:-)

Needless to say, we are stocked up on deodorant, body wash and toothpaste for at least six months and it didn't even cost me $6! I'm loving it!

Blessings,
K

Black Friday...crazies!

2009-11-28T20:08:00.001-06:00

It's been over 12 years since I've worked in retail for a black friday. This is was my first year to work a black friday at an outlet store....where do these people come from? Don't they have bedtimes? And the kids that they had out with them at midnight.....??

It was crazy fun though because we were so busy. I was fortunate to be running one of the cash wraps rather than running on the register or being on the floor. I couldn't believe how quickly the lines formed and that they were 2 hours...honestly, there was nothing in the store that was worth standing in line for 2 hours....really....I promise...NOTHING!!

I worked at the outlet for the midnight madness then at my local store in Highland Village at 1pm. My store was nothing compared to the outlet...crazy!

I hope you all enjoyed your Thanksgiving dinner with your families and took some time to really appreciate the things we should be grateful for like...

-the stained carpet from our perfectly created children
-the mounds of laundry that are created from the fun in the mud
-the 'stuff' piled up on the counters becasue we are abundantly blessed with 'stuff'
-the crazies out for midnight madness that ensure job security

I love everyone of you...especially my husband and children. I'm not always sane...I'm not always perfect...I'm not always right(did I just actually put that in writing), but I love my family beyond comprehension!!

Blessings,
K

WOW!

2009-11-28T19:36:00.002-06:00

So sorry I haven't posted lately, but with Black Friday I've been working lots...yeah!

So I am going to try to list some of my great finds over the last couple of weeks...no, not to rub it in....to encourage you and show you that you just always need to be on the lookout.

I had a friend obtain several (like 20 or so) Chinet q's that they were handing out at Target several weeks ago. One was for a free package of cups and another was for a free package of 72ct lunch plates with the purchase of cups...do you see where I'm going with this?

Target also had their Chinet lunch plates on sale for $4.74 AND buy two get a $5 gift card. So here's how itshould have gone:

1 pkg cups free w/q
1 pkg plates free w/q and cups purchase
1 pkg plates @ $4.74 less $1/1 q
$3.74 plus $5 gc
This is how it should have rung, however when the cashier entered an amount for the free q's after he scanned them, he rung in the maximum amount the q stated it was worth (ie, up to $6.99 and $2.99). I don't think this was correct because that meant that he was actually giving me credit since each item only rang at $2.50 or $4.74. He was young and I figured he just didn't know. Normally I would have said something even though it would have caused the potential for a manger to come over, but the line behind me was getting longer and longer and I had a minimum of 7 transactions to make it work for me. So here's how it really went down:

1st transaction
1 pkg cups free w/q
1 pkg 72ct plates free w/q
1 pkg 72ct plates $4.74 less $1/1 q
oop $.98 PLUS $5 gc

2nd transaction
same as above however I paid with the previous transactions gc AND got another for $5

3rd transaction
same as 2nd

4th transaction
same as 2nd

5th transaction
same as 2nd

6th transaction
5 glade candles
5 glade candle refills
5 bogo q's
5 $1/1
total $7.50 pd with gc from previous transactions

7th transaction
seveal cans of Delmonte vegetables
several other items
pd with gc PLUS I was left with over $27 in gc for a later purchase.

I only paid the original $.98 out of pocket for over $75 in chinet cups and plates alone. That doesn't include any of the glade or groceries. This is by far my best deal yet....yes even better than $.99 for 175 pounds of apples!

I also finally made it to Target to use the $1 off Ups wipes and actually found them on the shelf! I got 13 packages. I don't know if I'll get anymore q's printed, but this was great for me since I have my last one that just completed potty training:-)

I'm on my way to Walgreens now for some last minute '3 day free' items. Basically they have men's and women's deodorant, shaving cream, toothpaste, body wash, shampoo and conditioner for free after rr. I went up Thursday morning when it started and was greatly disappointed to know that they were limiting the transactions and I would have to come back Saturday to see if any was left. Soo, I'm off...

The Children's Place

2009-11-24T02:22:00.003-06:00

Now through I believe November 30 The Children's Place is offering a $10 certificate for every $40 you spend in gift cards. That basically adds up to a 25% discount, which is what an employee discount is right now. To maximize your savings, you can purchase these cards this week, even on Black Friday, then make sure to use them Black Friday between 5am-noon when the entire store is an additional 25% off. My brain has stoped working, but I think that works out to somewhere between 45-50% off....Happy Shopping!

BTW..if you tell them I told you to come in and purchase them, I get my name entered into a drawing for a gift certificate at my store level.

Blessings,
K

My new COUPN BINDER and my Glade stash from target!

2009-11-11T15:06:00.004-06:00

So, I made it to three Targets for the Glade holiday items. They have limited quantities, so I couldn't use all my q's at one store(just because they didn't have enough product). Anyway, so far I have 35 of the warmer/refill combos and 5 of the regular warmers w/fan or nightlight. After 4 seperate transactions I paid a total of $8.45 oop and got $45 back in gift cards which I used on more Glade:-) I will also be submitting 3 rebates to Glade for a total of $15.

Some how I used too many q's on my last purchase so my total was $.08 plus I got the two $5 gc's so I decided to go ahead and spend the money on a binder. I just couldn't rationalize spending $10 on a binder to hold q's that are suppose to save me money....but since it's free, I'm good with it. My dh and children will be grateful since I've got them scattered everywhere and get spastic if they get too close to them.

I can't wait to get it filled!

Blessings,

FREE Glade update

2009-11-11T00:58:00.001-06:00

Sooo, I stopped at two Targets on my way home from church and I purchase 10 at on just to test the waters to see if they would limit me. No problem. Then I hit another one on the way home and this time I asked if there were any limits and they said no so I got 20. I wasn't thinking and only paid $5.95 for the first 10 and only got one $5 gc because I didn't get 'free' items that were included in the gc promo...oh, well...not going to be greedy:-)

I paid $7.50 for the first 10 at the second stop and used the $5 gift card from the first stop so really on had $2.50 oop, plus I did get the two Target gc's. The second 10 was $7.50 as well, this time I had $10 in gc's to use so no out of pocket.

By the end of my venture, I had 30 oil plug in's and refills for $8.45, $12.50 in gc's and $15 worth of rebates to mail in. I will have actually made $19 after gc's and rebates.

I just printed as many more q's as I could and should be able to get 30. I know what you are all thinking, "What does any one person need that many plug ins for?" Well, imagine one side of the house with three bedrooms and a shared bathroom....all boys....two are still bedwetters....do you just smell the urine? I know...sounds gross, but that's my life right now and I'm okay with it, but it sure would be nice if it had a little bit of a pleasant aroma. I know what you are all thinking now too, "Doesn't she know it will just smell like apple cinnamon urnie?" YES! I do know that, but that is better than the smell without the apple cinnamon!

Okay, off to find some more great deals with this next ad set tomorrow:-) Happy couponing....I would LOVE to hear about your great bargains....just leave a comment below.

Blessings,
K

FREE Glade

2009-11-10T18:10:00.004-06:00

Target has the Glade Plug in Scented Oil Warmers, Jar candles and Oil Candle tin for $2.50 here in the DFW area plus you get a $5 Target gift card when you buy 5. You can print BOGO and $1/2 q's here to make them free. You will actually make $2.50 on the deal right out of the gate at Target. Quantities are limited at Target and it only includes holiday frangrances.

Then you can make another $15 by going here to print a rebate of $5 for every 5 you purchase(maximum 3 rebates per household).

Blessings,
K

FREE prints

2009-11-10T16:02:00.002-06:00

Click here to recieve 100 free prints just for signing up. Enter prints as the discount code for checkout. You can also get 50 free prints with free shipping by using freebies4mom-1109. I don't know if you can use both on the same transaction or even with the same account. If not, my guess is that you could sign another member of your family up to recieve them. This would be a great time to get those holiday snapshots for your Christmas cards:-)

Blessings,
K

Nabisco Rebate

2009-11-10T15:09:00.002-06:00

Nabisco is offering a $10 rebate for purchasing 10 select items from October 1-November 30, 2009. Click here to print the form. There are lots of coupons online for various products and I'm sure with Thanksgiving coming up there will be lots of sales.

This is my favorite site for coupons right now. The coupon tab at the top has links to most of the popular coupon sites, including Target! Make sure to bookmark this site!

Blessings,
K

What a week...or two!

2009-11-09T22:21:00.006-06:00

So I've been 'couponing' for almost two weeks now and I have to say it is much more time consuming than I'd like. However, I can see that once I get all my current coupons organized and stop obsessing over the ads daily as if a fairy might have added something over night, it won't take much more than an hour or so a week to get everything together for my shopping trips.

Target had some really great deals last week! It's important to know that they have their own store coupons that you may stack with manufacturer coupons. I'm not just talking about the coupons from Target that you get in the mail(although those work), I'm talking about an even larger selection of store coupons you can chose from online here. I check these frequently throughout the week simply because I don't know when they change them:-) Oh, and don't forget to bring your own resuable bags for an added discount of $.05 for each!

So here's what I scored at Target last week:

1st trip

2 loaves bread $1.58

Duncan Hines Icing $.75

price match walmart $1.25 plus $.50/1 Target q

9 Duncan Hines Cake mixes for $.28ea

price match for $.78 at Walmart plus $.50/1 Target q

TOTAL $5.13

SAVED $8.42

2nd trip

4 New Trident Layer Gum $.25/ea

2 BOGO, 2 $1/1 manufacturer

1 Skippy $.66

price match CVS 3/$5, $1/1 Target q

2 Welch's Jam $.66/ea

price match CVS 3/$5, $1/1 Target q

5 Duncan Hines Cake mixes $.28

same as above

4 Kelloggs Cereals $1.14 total for all 4 boxes

B3GO store promo, 4 $1/1 Target q's, 2 $2/1 manu q's, 2 $.75/1 q's

4 Kelloggs Cereals $.42 total for all 4 boxes

B3GO store promo, 4 $1/1 Target q's, 2 $1.50/1 manu q, 2 $1/1 manu q

TOTAL $13.27

SAVED $68.04

3rd trip

22.84lbs Gala apples $.19

price match Sprouts $.49/lb, Target q $1/2lbs

TOTAL $.19
SAVED $33.84

4th trip

8 Campbell's Cream Soups $.08ea

price match walmart $.58, $1/2 manu q

36 lbs Gala apples FREE

price match Sprouts $.49/lb, Target q $1/2lbs

TOTAL $.59(this should be .64 for the soup, but I got .05 for using my own bag:-))

SAVED $95.07

5th trip (I know, I'll be more organized soon for fewer trips)

120lbs Gala Apples $.80 eeek!

price match sprouts $.49/lb, Target q $1/2lbs bulk apples

TOTAL $.80

SAVED $178

I don't remember why I had to pay since they should be free, but I wasn't going to complain!

Kroger ran almost the same mega event this week as last week so that was a bit disappointing because I had already used up my q's for those items, but I was able to get two other computers hooked up to a printer to print more(most sites only allow you to print two manu q's)!

1st trip

10 Keebler Cookies $.24/ea

sale after mega event $.99, 5 $1.50/2

TOTAL $1.40

SAVED $30.30

2nd trip

This trip was a little tricky. I had purchased several Pilsbury refrigerated biscuits/cookie dough last week becasue they had catalinas, B3G $2 on your next purchase(you have to ring every 3 seperately to receive the best deal). Sooo, I got to thinking, if I had coupons for several AND rang each 3 as a sperate transaction, I could get them pretty inexpensive. We don't normally eat a lot of bread, but my kids suddenly have all gotten hollow legs and this is an inexpensive way to help fill them up at dinner time. Anyway, I got 21 cans of biscuits and had the cashier ring all 7 seperatly so I would be certain to get my $2 catalina for every three. When all was said and done, each can worked out to be $.40 each. Keep in mind with the first transaction I had other items and a $3 catalina from a trip last week.

1st transaction

8 Carnation Evaporated Milk $.25ea

same as 1st visit

2 Keebler cookies

same as 1st visit

3 cans biscuits $2.87

$1.29ea, $1/3

TOTAL $5.85

SAVED $15.07

2nd-5th transactions

3 cans $.87

$1.29ea, $1/3, $2 catalina

TOTAL $.87

SAVED $3

6th & 7th transactions

3 cans $1.12

$1.29ea, $.75/3, $2 catalina

TOTAL $1.12

SAVED $2.75

3rd trip

2 All Detergent $1.99

sale after mega event $2.99, 2 $1/1 manu

4 Keebler Cookies $.24/ea

sale after mega event $.99, 2 $1.50/2

4 Carnation Evaporated Milk $.25ea

sale after mega event $.50, 4 $1/2

1 Rozoni lasagna noodles $1.49

$1/2

1 Rozoni egg noodles $1.19

$1/2

1 marshmallo $1

1 valu bacon $1.79

TOTAL $8.24

SAVED $25.84

Walgreen's had Hunts 8oz tomato sauce $3/1

12 Hunts 8 oz tomato sauce $.08ea

3 $1/4

TOTAL $1

SAVED $3

I hope this give you some insight on how much you can save if you take a little time and effort. I can't beleive I didn't start doing this sooner...hopefully you'll catch on too!

Blessings,
K

Wow...it worked!

2009-10-29T21:52:00.003-05:00

Well, I was up until 5 am organizing my coupons and searching online to print more of the most valuable ones, but I did it! I got $201 worth of groceries for only $95! I am so excited! I have to say that I'm not expecting that every week though simply becasue Kroger had really good deals throughout the entire store this week.

The best deal that they were having was buy 10 of many specific sale items throughout the store and you immediately get $5 off your purchase. So my intention was to buy as many of those items in multiples of ten AND to use a coupon with EVERYONE of them. Here is the breakdown with prices after the $5 off for each 10 and manufactures coupon:

5 Bags Snyders Pretzels $2.49 (no coupon)
2 Gogurts $1.09/ea
1 Smart Balance Buttery Spread
1 Smart Balance Butter Sticks
2 Land O Lakes spreadable butter $.19ea
2 Tombstone Pizzas $1.49ea
4 Quaker Granola Bars $.99ea
2 Carnation Fat Free Evaporate Milk $.25ea
2 Keebler Cookies $.74 ea
6 All Detergent 32 loads $.1.99ea
3 Quilted Northern tissue $4.99ea
I got three of the Mega Event savings for a total of $15 off instantly. I also got the following items that were on sale or I needed and had a coupon for...they just weren't in the Mega Event:
2 Oscar Mayer Hot Dogs $.99
2 Chuck Roast @ $1.99/lb
8 chicken leg quarters @ $.74/lb
Bagged popcorn $1.89

The following items had a catalina attached to them which means that if you buy a certain amount you get a kroger reward for a certain dollar amount off of your next purchase(oynp). In this case it was the refrigerated pilsbury cookie dough and biscuit. Buy three and get $2 off your next purchase:
6 grands biscuits $1.29/ea 2 $.75/3 manufacturer q's
6 refrigerated cookie dough $2.33 3 $1/2 manufacturer q's
This got me $8 in catalina's for my next purchase (the computer messed up so I really only got one $3 and $5 in cash back for the mistake).

Before any discounts, the total was $201.68. After all the sales, discounts, and coupons I saved $106.13 and paid $95.55....keep in mind this total does NOT include the $8 in catalinas for a future purchase.

Needless to say, I was very pleased....on to my next adventure.

Blessings,
K

Dinner on the CHEAP!

2009-10-28T23:07:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I think most of you have figured out that I LOVES me a good deal....especially if it's free! We have been on a debt reduction plan for about 6 months now and that is what got me started on the search for great or free deals. Now it's just about an addiction...that's good right...the first step is to admit it...right??

Anyway, between homeschooling, working and my custom photo jewelry, I'm going to try to post the best deals I can find on as consistent a basis as possible, so make sure to check back often. Hopefully you can subscribe to my blog soon, but I don't know much about that yet, so bare with me.

The best deal by far today is Boston Market's $1 Real Chicken Meal. If you go to this website, http://www.bostonmarket.com/restaurant?page=coupons you can print as many copies as you want of this. It is for one quarter white meat or 3 piece dark meat chicken meal with mashed potatoes and cornbread. You can use one coupon per person per visit. I had lunch there (drive thru) and asked details...then I took the kiddos back (drive thru) and got dinner...all for $1 per meal. You can use as many coupons as you want until Sunday the 1st, however, you must have that many people with you. For example, I can't use eight coupns for all eight of us unless we are all present for the purchase....not a problem! Feeding eight of us for eight dollars is about what we do for dinner every night and it's an added bonus that I don't have to cook it! Note: coupon does NOT include a drink (that is why we opted to drive thru and come home...I make a killer sweet tea).

I just recently found out target now price matches. Do you know what that means....no more Walmart!! I don't hate Walmart and it has served me well, however it just doesn't seem right when my pantry is mostly blue and white labels.

Anywho, I called up my local store (I highly recommend you do this before you spend anytime with a price match list or coupons) to clarify what it is they do regarding price matching. I was told by a friend that it's not like Walmart where the cashier just adjusts the price at the register, you actually have to checkout first then go to customer service to get your adjustment. When I called my local Target though, they weren't very clear on this point so I just conceeded and decided to find out when I got there...they confirmed that they price matched and that was the main point. They also clarified that they WILL price match an item and take BOTH their store coupon AND manufacturer coupons. For example, Chex Mix is on sale at Kroger for $1.49 for the 7oz or larger bags. Target has an in store coupon for $.50 off one bag AND there is an internet printable coupon for $.50 which then brings them to $.49 a bag. I'm not familiar enough with Target yet, but Walmart's regular price on the larger bags is over $2 so that is a 75% savings which is HUGE for me with kids who are home for lunch every day and can have this as a side to go with their $.12 pb&j sandwiches:-)

So, I'm currrently in the process of getting my list ready to save at Target. Once I've done that AND actually made it to the store to see if they are as cooperative as I'm hoping, I will post the great deals I've gotten and hopefully it won't be too late for you to cash in on some of them.

Blessings,
Kristelle

Fall Festival

2009-10-27T23:12:00.000-05:00

Although Gary isn't here this week, we all managed to make it to our church's yearly fall festival. It's free admittance to those who serve so we do so to kill two birds with one stone. We think it's very important that our children learn at an early age the importance of serving others. Once inside, everything is free and it is a blast. There are more bounce houses, carnival games and rides than you can imagine for one little festival. We had a hard time deciding which ones were worth waiting in line for, but in the end they had a blast.

Tomorrow is Karter's birthday:-( He's seven...how is that possible? He has a loose tooth and it turning into such a little man...he still says he's going to get married and live with me though...and that's just fine with me.....not sure what his wife might think of that.....

We are all finally healthy other than a few with nagging coughs. We are excited to have another day of sunshine tomorrow so we can hopefully get to the pumpkin patch for our annual pictures. We will also be 'opening up' the house to rid it of the toxic germs we've been harboring for the last week and a half. Gary didn't get sick at all and we don't want him to come home to germs.

I spoke to Gary earlier today and he said they are working 12 hour days and are exhausted. Again, it looks like he won't have anytime to do any sight seeing other than what he sees on the train trip into NEC....so sad that he travels half way around the world and doesn't even get to experience the culture outside of the office. We can't wait until he's back home!

Headed to bed...we've still got lots of school to make up from missing all week last week...

Blessings,
Kristelle

I am grateful...I choose joy!

2009-10-27T00:39:00.002-05:00

Lord, I am grateful....

...for the unending flow of dirty laundry from eight people

...that I am daily washing CLEAN laundry because the kids throw the clean clothes on the floor only to end up back in the dirty laundry the next day

...for the pain in my foot from the million legos on the floor

...for the three 'wet' beds EVERY morning that I have to wash

...that I'm a 'single parent' this week with 6 kids recouperating from the flu

...for the complaints I get EVERY morning when I say "it's time to start school"

...for the arguments I have to break up between my children for petty trickery

...that I rarely get to take a shower or go to the bathroom by myself

...that I often have to share my bed with more than just Daddy

...for the smeared fingerprints and kisses on the windows

...that the kids ate the last of the bread as a snack therefore leaving none for pbj for lunch

...the names written on the walls with pencil

...the paper mess from the curious three year old and a pair of scissors

...the gum in the carpet

...the mud in the sink from washing a toy car covered in it

...the broken lamp from the boys playing catch in the house

I am grateful for all of this because it means that I have a family for the most part that is happy and healthy. That we have clothes to clothe us and food to feed us. That Gary has a secure job in an unsecure economy. That I am blessed to be able to stay home with my children daily and enrich their lives like no one else can. That my children are well balanced and provided for.

I'm reminded daily that we don't know how much time we have on earth with our family and I refuse to let the the enemy steal even one hour of my joy with them. Every day we have a choice whether to embrace joy or let anger seep in. I'm choosing joy because my family is worth it. I chose to enjoy my children while they are still children.

I want to experience life from their perspective and be happy EVERYDAY. I want to create memories with them that they are going to want to share with their children. I want my children to know they are loved and safe no matter the circumstances....how can that happen if anger lives inside.

Won't you join me and choose joy tomorrow?

Blessings,
Kristelle

Look Out Tokyo

2009-10-24T17:51:00.002-05:00

Gary is back in Japan to help a client, NEC. He was slightly hesitant about the decision to go because we've had all the kiddos down with the flu for the last week. The last thing he wanted was to be in a foreign country with the flu...who would take care of him:-) I on the other hand am a little more concerned about the reason that he is going. Apprently, one of the boards they've made for NEC has been returned from NEC customers because of failures due to 'fungus' growing inside....not sure I'm comfortable with him working on a 'foreign fungus'???

Anyway, back to the flu. We went to the Texas State Fair last Thursday, but by the end of the day Ella was very worn out and a little warm. She slept the entire trip home which was odd because she had taken a nap through the last show we'd seen at the fair. By the time we got home, she was cranky and hot.

Normally, we just keep the kids fevers down with meds and make them comfortable in their beds. However, for some reason, I decided to let her sleep with us...she would sleep for about 15 minutes then moan and whine. I guess I don't normally hear this since they are in their beds, but it disturbed me enough that we decided to take her to an urgent care....yes, she had the flu. Was it H1N1....we will never know for sure because they only test for A or B and it sometimes shows up as A...this would be part of the problem with the media frenzy over the number reported of people getting it. Another issue is that when I took Audrey in on Monday with the same thing, the doctor told me that the CDC isn't recommending giving them anything to treat them so unless the other kiddos have get sick with different symptoms, there would be no need to bring them in to be tested...unfortunately, they all had it.....where exactly do the numbers come from and how can we be certain that they are accurate...WE CAN'T!

So...back to the State Fair...we get free tickets every year from our reading program for homeschoolers so we make sure to hit it at least once. Gary took a day off to go with us and it was great! We didn't spend a dime and made sure to see all the shows possible. We also made a point to check out more of the animals. It makes it seem more like a county fair which is what Gary and I grew up with. For the most part the fair just seems like another amusement park. The kids all had fun and we got to see some neat shows.

Blessings,
K

It Doesn't have to be perfect!

2009-09-27T16:21:00.003-05:00

That is what I keep telling myself as I try to get myself motivated to work on some of my great thrifty finds. I have managed to acquire several nice picture frames of various sizes. The plan as of right now is to find a couple more larger frames then paint just the frames black and hang them in a collage on my bedroom wall.

I did manage to get two projects started by painting them today. I have two basic light wood and white tv trays that I use for a myriad of projects (as well as my laptop stand). They are ugly so I decided to paint the one that's not broken black and decoupage the top with a black and white paper. Here it is painted. I'll try to get the decoupage started tomorrow after it's had time to thoroughly dry.

Another project I got started today was a step stool I purchased months ago at a garage sale for $4. My idea was to have it in the kitchen so the kids always had a stool to step on to be able to reach the cabinet for dishes (they are currently climbing on the counter and standing on it). Well I got the stool home and brought it in only to find that it was falling apart! That's what I get for being too excited about a bargain to check it out.

Well, Gary had to get something out of my craft room last night and when he moved it, the stool literally fell completely apart! It was just the shove I needed to get started on it. It needed to be painted black and having it in pieces was much easier. So, that got painted today too. I think I'm going to actually end up switching the girls step in thier bathroom out with this one because of the cut outs on it. Here it is before I painted it.

I'm trying very hard to get my thrifty finds completed before I find more....I'm not being realistic am I?

Bargains and Garage Sales and Thrift Stores, oh my!

2009-09-22T08:44:00.008-05:00

If you know me at all, you know I love the hunt for a real bargain....and I don't mean half off regular retail or even 75%. I mean, dig deep, search high and low, haggle until you're blue in the face treasure! I love to find a diamond in the rough. Granted, it might take me months to get to the diamond, but once I get there, I'm in heaven.

Here are just a few of the items I've found in the last few months:

This first one is actually just one of about 5 bulletin boards I've picked up at garage sales. The most I paid for any of them is $1 and the least is $.10...I got one for free too:-) I painted them all black and hung them in our classroom for the kids to display their artwork.

I got this great frame for only $1.97 at a local thrift store. This particular store is priced at nothing over $1.97...I love it! It had a an aerial view of someones property on a very ridgid piece of material that I'm sure I will find a use for later:-) It measures about 2'X3' so it's just right for my everyday school work. I had a fairly large piece of dry erase board left over from our first year of school and just had Gary cut it to size and ta da! It matches the wood trim in the classroom perfectly too!

This was actually given to me for FREE!! My uncle made it when he was younger and it was at my grandmother's for years. When she moved in to the nursing home, my mother saved it from the trash. It was at her house for a few years and I remember her offering it to me before and declining! What was I thinking....obviously, I wasn't! It is in my bedroom right now and the girls come in periodically just to sit. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it yet. It needs a little tlc, but I'm up for the challenge. Any suggestions?

This piece was my best find by far until just recently(I'll post that later). I was out 'saling' one Saturday even though it was suppose to rain and clouds were looming...that's the best time. Anyway, I'd just gotten a pretty good deal on a box of beanie babies to have on hand for rewards for the kiddos when around the corner I saw this piece. All of a sudden it started to pour and the two neighbors having sales were frantically pulling their items inside to close up for the day. I jumped out and asked how much for the jungle gym...$10...will you take $5...sure! $5!!! It was worth the effort just to get home and consider reselling it...no I didn't resell it...I have 6 kids that love it!!!! However, it is one of those pieces that will last forever so I surely will be able to resell it when my kids are done and recoup my cost.

I've gotten several other items that I'm very excited about so check back to see what else I've found and what I've come up to do with them.

Winding Down the Summer

2009-08-27T16:47:00.001-05:00

I can't believe we are in our third week of school already! My friend Kathy suggested we start early this year and it was the best advice I've been given in a long time. We eased back in to things and are already on a great schedule. This year again is much more organized than last year. I'm just going to assume that this will be the case each year:-)

The temps are still in the high 90's and low 100's here in Texas so we are still taking advantage of our pool. I've been working a lot lately so between that and school, I've not been in the pool much, but Gary and the kids have. It's still the best tool we have to combat the heat. I love the heat though!

It's just about time to get back in the garden to plant my winter crop. I need to get the weeds under control first and do some rearranging. I am planning to plant a boat load of broccoli, garlic and we still have peanuts to harvest. I'm hoping they are good. The popcorn should be coming out soon too.

We started a paper mache solar system for science yesterday. I will post some pictures soon of our progress. I'm probably going to finish the 2nd layer myself tonight and then let the kiddos paint all the planets when they are dry. The plan is to hang it from the ceiling in the classroom.

Oh, I forgot to post pictures of the chicken coop and the girls. I'll have to do that another time!

Off to work...

Blessings,
Kristelle

Fairwell To My Precious Kitty

2009-07-19T17:03:00.005-05:00

The time came last week for us to say goodbye to Dior:-( It was a VERY hard decision, but we all knew it was time. He had been dragging himself around for the better part of a week and you could just tell it was exhausting him. He was only going from our room to his food bowl and back. Every once in a while he would venture to lay on the tile under the dining room table where it was cooler, but not often. He wasn't eating unless it was a treat of tuna and quite frankly, I didn't care if he should get it or not. He loved tuna so he got it whenever he wandered into the kitchen crying. He was my baby and I was going to give him what he wanted during his last days with us.

I tried to love on him as much as I could, however he was never that kind of a cat. He liked to play with you every now and again, otherwise he was happy just wandering around. We decided to take him to the vet Thursday, July 16th at 5pm.

I knew that if we stayed home all day I would be a mess so we set out with the Hoster's to the Audubon Center in Dallas for the earlier part of the day. Boy was it a scorcher! Thankfully, it was free because there really wasn't a lot to see. We had lunch after walking the trails and headed home.

Those few hours until we headed to the vet were just agonizing! All I could do was cry and watch my poor kitty suffer those last few hours. We made it to the vet's office and the whole thing was over way too fast. I held his head in my hands while they gave him the injections and felt the life disappear from his worn little body.

It was a bit of a relief to know that he was no longer going to have to drag himself around, but at the same time, I knew I would never get to see my precious friend running around our house again. All though I wouldn't have done it any other way, I long for the day that I forget the look on his face as he lay on the table wondering what we were all doing there surrounding him sobbing as the doctor injected him.
I wrapped him in the blankets we had brought and we all took turns holding him several times. I chose to use three receiving blankets that I used with all six of the kids. It just seemed so appropriate. I fixed him in his box, added our tear stained tissues and his catnip sock toy Klahdia had made him. When we got home I unwrapped him to take the bandage off his paw. We then buried him in our backyard so we can visit him whenever we want too.

In retrospect, I wish I had taken more time alone with him to hold him. He never let me do that when he was alive and I had the perfect opportunity to do that then. I was just trying to get the whole thing over with as quickly as possible because it was by far one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. The kids were devastated as well and I was trying to gather some semblance of strength to console them. I didn't really do a very good job...

Each day gets easier, but I still miss him terribly. There are still things around the house that remind me of him and it's very hard to get rid of them. I don't want to forget him.

I've prayed for peace and feel more and more of it daily. I can just see him like his old self running around in heaven without pain or misery. I don't regret letting him go, I just miss him...

K

Half Way Through July

2009-07-15T09:30:00.001-05:00

Amber and her family just left this morning after their visit this past week. I didn't get to visit too much because I worked every evening that they were here:-( Hopefully it was restful for them!

On the subject of work, I got quite a few hours last week and this week so that will make for two good checks. We will have our first bill paid off with them! Very exciting!! It's all worth it.

I think I've been in denial for the last couple of week regarding Dior, my precious kitty of 14 years. The doctor said he would slowly lose the use of his back legs and control of his bladder. Both have happened and he is so pathetically dragging himself back and forth from our bedroom to his food. Not to mention that we are still keeping the air conditioning off as much as possible so he is trying to climb in the refrigerator whenever it is open to cool off. I hate to see him go, but he is merely existing right now and I can't take that either. I love him more than I thought and it's going to be extremely hard to let him go, but it is time. I finally have a day off tomorrow and I think we are going to take him in then. I can't imagine how that is going to be.

I've been crying this morning just watching him trying to get around so the kids made me breakfast in bed...grits, tortilla chips and apples...I love them so much! I brushed Dior's underside this morning because he can't fight me and Klahdia took some of the fur, drew a picture of Dior then glued some of the fur to the picture so I can always remember him...how precious is that!

I'm off to turn in pull ups for a marketing research study we're participating in....
Blessings,
Kristelle

What A Great Day!

2009-07-05T15:24:00.005-05:00

So we are actually into the month of July already!! I can't believe how time speeds up as we age...did I just say that out loud? It seems like we were just finishing up school work last week and planning our summer fun...where has the time gone?

Yesterday we had our dear friendst he Hoster's over for swimming and of course food:-) We swam for several hours, ate and saw them off for nap time. We met up again with them at their house for dinner before we all headed out to watch fireworks.

We drove over near the local high school where there is always a fireworks display and parked outside the stadium. We hoofed over to a grassy area with our blankets and chairs awaiting the show. It was a beautiful night with a light breeze. Very comfortable! We couldn't have asked for better weather. Mrs. Hoster was kind enough to bring water bottles, cracker jacks AND glow sticks!! It was great to just sit and watch the kids play together.

Today was not nearly the "fun" we had yesterday, but it was still a great and productive day. The day started raining which my garden was greatly appreciative. I forgot to water yesterday morning and I was concerned my tomatoes were going to start splitting from lack of water. As you can see, I've had a great harvest so far with my tomatoes, carrots, onions and garlic. I just picked some cantelope today too and boy is it sweet!

I got some errands done with Klahdia and managed to find some "containers" at goodwill for the girl's bathroom and kitchen. I'm still putting everything from the pantry in air tight containers from the ant fiasco:-)

Once the rain was just a sprinkle, Gary headed out to finish the chicken coop...or at least try. It seems like we've been working on this thing for months! In reality, it's only been a little over a month, but we've been collecting supplies for a couple of months. I got old fence panels that we tore apart to use as the main part, chicken wire for the run and corrigated sheet metal for the roof. All of these items were free too! The only thing we had to buy were nails, screws, a couple 2X4', a couple of landscape timbers, and cement. We probably put $100 into it, but obviously could have had to spend a lot more if we hadn't gotten the other items free. I love it! Gary wants me to paint it, but I really like the rustic look of it.

If you are reading this you probably know me well enough by now to know that I never work on just one project at a time:-) So another iron I've got in the fire is decorating the game/playroom. We haven't painted it yet and there is nothing worse than white walls, especially in a huge room! I've decided on a gameboard theme. I've acquired several games from friends and freecycle and am currently gluing the pieces to each board so I can hang them on the wall as artwork. I just can't decide what color to paint the room though. We have a denim sofa in there now that is desperatly needing recovering. I was thinking a lime green or something bright and fun. Any ideas??? I don't want it too dark otherwise the boardgames won't stand out on the walls.

Oh, I almost forgot. My fil "donated" a paint sprayer to our cause! I can't wait to put it to use. I recently spray painted two end tables black for use in our bedroom. I then decided to paint the girls step stool in their bathroom black too (it really does match). They turned out great! I'm spray paint crazy now. Next will hopefully be the game room, then the girl's vanity cabinet, then their bunk beds, then the boys bunk beds, I just can't stop! This is all provided we can allow for the paint in our budget:-)

Speaking of budget, we are still working with a gazelle like intensity to get out of debt. I've been begging for more hours at work, not really doing any good yet, and we're continuing with our other tactics. It is now July 5th and we are still boycotting the airconditioning as much as we can stand it. We are in the pool 2-3 times a day just to stay cool in this heat. We expecting visitors this next week so we will have a slight break from the heat. I would never expect someone to deal with the heat on their vacation...yes, it's a great excuse to turn the air on and not feel guilty! So far we have save $300 a month for the last two months as compared to last year! Who needs any more motivation?

Okay, there is more to report, however, Gary has been working outside all day and is obviously a little cranky so I'm going to wrap this post up and come back later:-)

Blessings,
Kristelle

Busy little critters!

2009-07-01T22:01:00.001-05:00

We have an ant problem and they are driving me crazy...okay, maybe I was already there, but I am having to clean more than I've done in the three years we've been in this house....okay, maybe that wasn't too much of a stretch as it is since I'm not really a very good house keeper.

With that said, between my lack of housekeeping and six children that think the entire house is the dining room, we have way too many house guests! We've only had the ants about a week, but they are slowly (praise God) increasing in number and spreading. They were contained to just the counter top when I found them in the pantry this morning!!!!!! Needless to say, I was cleaning the pantry today...what a chore! It does look much better now though. I actually reorganized most of the kitchen and created a whole lot more space in my pantry.

I will begin my cleaning on the rest of the cabinets tomorrow. I think I'll have to start with the cabinet that houses the toaster since it is probably full of all kinds of yummy snacks for the ants:-) The kids are the ones that use the toaster most of the time and don't clean it before they put it back (I say that as if I would actually clean it before I put it back..lol).

More on my escapades tomorrow:-)

Blessings,
Kristelle

Losing A Loved One Is HARD...even if it's just a cat

2009-06-29T13:35:00.003-05:00

I'd wanted a copper eyed white persian cat for as long as I could remember so when Gary and I got married and moved to Chicago, it only seemed natural that we get a pet. I remember the search like it was yesterday. There were so many people in the city trying to breed and sell cats in these tiny rentals and they were cramming as many kittens as they could into these little cat carriers. The stench was nauseating. I couldn't stand that we were leaving these poor little animals to fend for themselves, but there was no way we could afford to take them all.

We finally found a lady that bred her own animals on a farm and that is where we found Dior. He was the last of his litter, so I'm assuming he was probably the "runt", but we didn't care. He was not the copper eyed white that I'd always dreamed about, but none the less, he was precious.

I named him after my favorite designer Christian Dior. He was black as midnight and just so tiny. I carried him home on my lap in the car. We had to stop at Target on the way home to get a carrier, litter box, food, and all the other "stuff"we would need for our new pet.

I was hoping he would be a loving lap cat and tried very hard from the beginning to make this happen. When he was little, he would sleep with us in our bed on my hair next to my back. I loved this, until we realized he had ringworm and then did I...one spot on my back:-)

We also found out very quickly that he was allergic to "carpet fresh"! We had to take him to the ER (believe it or not, they have those for animals) and he was on a ventilator of sorts because he couldn't breath very well. They didn't know what was wrong with him or if he would make it through the night. Of course, he did and he's been with us now for just over 14 years.

I always knew the day would come that he wouldn't be with us and I've actually been trying to prepare myself for the last few years. I didn't really grow up with pets, so I've never really had to deal with the death of a pet. And Dior was our first and really only pet as a couple and now a family. We've had him since before we had children so he is the first and only pet that my children have had either.

We noticed a few months ago that Dior was favoring one of his legs and walking a little off. We put off taking him to the vet hoping it was an injury that would heal on its own. When he started missing his jump onto our bathroom sink and our bed, we knew there was more to it. The vet told us there was nothing to do other than make him comfortable. He was getting old and the nerve that tells his back half what to do was deteriorating. As horrible of an outcome as that would bring, it was easier to take knowing it was just nature. We would not have been able to afford treatments or surgeries to fix something else.

It's been about a month since we've seen the vet and he is just getting worse by the day. He is losing more and more feeling in his legs which is making it very difficult for him to walk. I spoke with the vet today to make sure he wasn't in pain. He reassured me he wasn't so now we just have to decide at what point his quality of life is so poor that we put him to sleep:-( I can't stand to even think of a day without him, but I don't want him to suffer because of my selfishness. The kids are being great and constantly reminding me that he will be happier and healthier:-) They are such troopers.

I know he is just a cat and I don't understand people who call their pets "children", but I can certainly understand the pain when you have to say good bye. I'm guessing it will be VERY soon that we will say our final good byes to Dior. It's tearing me up because he was mine...just mine. I guess I thought he would be with us for at least a few more years:-)

Blessings,
Kristelle

Working Weekend

2009-06-08T10:15:00.000-05:00

I forgot to write about our extremely productive weekend in my last post...it was a lot of work and I can't leave that out!

First of all, as I mentioned in one of my GREEN posts, we accquired several cubic yards of mulch for FREE! There is a local tree service that will deliver their wood chips to you for free in lieu of having to fill the landfill even more:-) It works out for both of us. We get the chips for free and he doesn't have to pay to dump them or increase his carbon footprint:-)

So they delivered the mulch on Friday afternoon while we were out swimming in the pool. I couldn't wait until Gary got home to start in on some greatly needed landscaping! We had mulched last summer, however it was long over due for turning and adding to existing beds. We were also planning on adding mulch to several areas to eliminate mowing and add flower beds.

We worked several hours off and on Saturday and Sunday. The kids all helped and we truly couldn't have gotten all we got done without them. They were real troopers...it was very hot both days! Needless to say, we all got lots of vitamin D!

We mulched around all of our trees, except a couple we missed. We finished all the flower beds, butterfly garden and on the patio where we had torn out some bothersome shrubs. Then we started adding by the shed where the shrubs were getting overgrown by grass. We extended that area out from the shed and shrubs so we can plant there next spring when the mulch has had time to "compost" and enrich the soil a little.

We are having a hard time keeping the weeds out of the pool area this year. There is lava rock from the previous owners in the landscaping around the pool and I want to get rid of it, but Gary is hesitant. I don't like it because it is hard to weed and it hurts when a rock somehow makes it onto the sidewalk and you step on it with bare feet! OUCH! Anyway, we added mulch around the outside edge of the pool fence in hopes of keeping the weeds down a bit and in anticipation of adding some smaller shrubs and plants to "hide" the pool from the passers by on the road.

It's also been a challenge to keep the weeds out of my garden even though I have bricks lining it. I've decided that my best option at this point with no budget is to add mulch around the garden as well. I decided to put about a foot all the way around the bricks and then later go back, take out the brick out, weed under and around them, then put them back. Hopefully, this will help. I've got to figure out a better solution for the fall though. I do not want to be in the garden as much pulling weeds! Love my garden though!

Gary also worked on the coop setting the last of the posts. He also got the 2X4's for the frame up, but he's concerned he used nails that are too short and that the 2X4's will slowly come off when hammering in the panels for the sides. We are going to wait for our next pay period and redo the budget to allow for some other supplies. I'm am bound and determined to get chickens in a coop by the end of next week! I want some fresh eggs!!

We are off to our first "playground/park" visit for the summer!

Blessings,
Kristelle

SUMMER IS HERE!

2009-06-08T09:31:00.001-05:00

Most of us have been done with school for the last couple of weeks, however Audrey was still in PPCD through the public school until Thursday of last week. Oh, does it feel good not to have to be anywhere today!

Tomorrow starts our first day of VBS at Gateway! We didn't get signed up in time last year so this is the first time for all of us. Ella and Audrey are too young just yet, however, since I am volunteering, they will provide childcare for them so they will have a fun week too. Rileigh is too old so he will be volunteering with me as well. That leaves Klahdia, Landon and Karter who will be in the actual "Wacky Week" program. I believe Gateway writes their own curriculum for their VBS. I can't wait to start....it should be a FUN week!

Today we are planning an outing for lunch at a park somewhere close. We are going to try to do a little something everyday. Even if it's just happy hour at Sonic, we are determined to have a great summer even on our extremely tight budget. We know we will have to be more creative, but that's part of the fun.

We've already got info for several differnent reading incentives in the area that are rewarded with prizes or gift cards to book stores. That will be a real treat for the kids. The will get to pick out their own books.

We also have the listing of discounted or FREE movies playing weekly at the local theaters! We should be able to meet up with some friends a couple of times a month for a free movie.

Of course there are lots of playgrounds that are around us everywhere that we've never played at so I think we might make that a challenge. We could print out a map of all the playgrounds in the area and check them off one by one as we visit them. If we keep the map in the car, we can easily locate them if we are out running errands and have spare time to make a stop. I plan on keeping our umbrella in the car at all times so we can create our own shade if there isn't any natural shade:-)

If you have any great ideas that are inexpensive or FREE that would entertain six children....PLEASE share:-)

Blessings,
Kristelle

Going Green to Save Some Green Part II

2009-06-07T16:20:00.002-05:00

Okay, I thought about a couple of more things we've been doing to reduce our carbon footprint and save money. First you have to understand where we live to truly appreciate this next effort. We live in Dallas Fort Worth area where we've been in a drought for the last several years due to lack of rain, high temperatures and short winter season. We have been blessed with a good amount of rain this spring and even though the daytime highs are in the 90's, the evenings are down in the 70's.

With that said, the biggest effort for us has been to keep our air conditioning turned off. We are officially starting the second week of June and we have NOT turned our air on yet. When we paid this past month's bill we compared it to what it was for last year. We saved $300 over last year at this time of year! That's motivation enough for me to deal with a little extra heat. It makes it easier to handle the heat when we aren't accustomed to the cold air inside then going into the extreme heat outside so it has worked well all around for us. We'll see what our visitors think when they arrive in a couple of weeks:-)

On a little different note, we have save a ton on our landscaping this summer by getting plants from friends and from freecycle members. I scored a zebra grass plant and all the canna lilies I wanted from one friend. I have another friend that has all kinds of great texas native plants that she is willing to share with me too.

Last year we joined the Arbor Society for $10 and received 10 trees just for joining. About half of them survived so that was well worth the fee.

I've also found a great resource here locally in a tree service that will deliver their wood chips free to use as mulch. We got our first load Friday and we are already half way done with the pile. We would not have been able to do this had it not been free simply because it was not on our list of priorities:-) God is good and gives us wisdom to be creative!

Blessings,
Kristelle

Beautiful Day

2009-06-04T09:11:00.000-05:00

It's only 9am and I can tell it's going to be a great day! There is a cool breeze blowing through the house, the wind chimes are ringing and I got breakfast in bed for the second day in a row from my kiddos!

On top of all of that, Keith from Keith's Tree Service called me to let me know tree chips would be on the way today! What does that mean you ask? Well, again in an effort to save money and be more environmentally conscience, he gives the wood chips from his job site away free of charge so we have an entire load coming here!

Just as much as we want to get out of debt and life a better life, we don't want to let everything dilapidate around us. So I've been scouring craigslist.com and my local freecycle for items or services to help us. If you're persistent enough, you can find all sorts of things for free or nearly free that you can reuse.

Off to kill me some weeds!

Blessings,
Kristelle

Going Green To Save Some Green!

2009-06-02T22:59:00.004-05:00

In our effort to go green we are trying as many ways as we can actually control to save money and energy. We have never truly adhered to any kind of a budget, but we decided over two months ago now that unless we were happy with our lifestyle we needed to make some changes. Indeed, we decided that we didn't like the path our lives were headed.

Our first hurdle is to pay off all outstanding debt. This would require some very creative and some not so creative ways to save money as well as add to our current income. All of this also makes us more aware of our carbon footprint on society as well as where we are most wasteful. We were amazed at some of our findings. I hope the following will inspire you to take a more candid look at your lives.

The first thing Gary and I did was to sit down and put together a budget. We are fortunate enough to have a dear friend, Brenda, who has gone through Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University and allowed us to borrow the cd set. It was eye opening to say the least. He had some very encouraging words and some "hit below the belt" things to say as well. Regardless, everything we learned was exactly what the doctor ordered.

I remember that first night that we discussed our current lifestyle and what we needed to do to improve it. I don't remember it fondly incase you're wondering:-) As we discussed where we could cut our expenses to get our "snowball" going to pay off our debt, I pulled a couple of punches that were "below the belt". I actually suggested that we eliminate Verizon FIOS! Lordy Be! You'd have thought I had asked him to give up our first born...actually, I think that might have been easier! Anyway, then came the suggestion of eliminating our health club membership...again, I think giving up another child might have been easier than that.

Anyway, after the intial shock of how seriously we needed to change our lifestyle, Gary and I agreed on several changes. We eliminated our FIOS and home phone that were "bundled" together with Verizon. We then added another cellular line to replace the "home" phone for a minimal fee. We did keep our subscription to Netflix since FIOS is gone, but reduced the number of movies monthly and we love it! I'm able to use it to watch movies with the kids for school as well as any other movies we want for movie nights. We don't really even miss the television, especially since almost everything on tv is available online. HUGE savings!

We decide that although our health is important, we would make the sacrifice and eliminate our health club membership. We have both committed to more physical activities here at home and toghther as a family. We all have bikes and we should be using them!

I took on the task of reducing our food bill...argh! What was I thinking...six kids...really it has been a lesson in organization for me. As long as I've got meals planned, I can stay within a budget. When I go to the store without a list or any ideas of what I plan on feeding everyone at every meal, I spend way more than what is necessary.

I love a challenge and this entire adventure has been one big ole challenge! What I did initially was to comparison shop between Walmart, Costco and Target. I don't particularly like shopping at Walmart, but at this juncture in our lives...I have no choice...it's only temporary. Anywho, I made a list of most of the different types of foods we eat as well as our shopping list for that week and the kids and I headed out. We stopped at Walmart first to pick up the things I already knew were cheaper there and to add the prices from their to our comparison list. Then on to Costco. BTW, in case you haven't already figured it out, just because it's at Costco "wholesale" does not mean it is cheaper. Once there we got the items I already knew were cheaper there and added to our comparison list. I did the same at Target, just on another day.

We found that by far Walmart was the lowest price on almost all items and they price match therefore making it much easier to get the great deals from other stores right there all in one trip. There are several regular items at Costco that were less so we will continue to get them there however.

My next step was to put together a very basic menu. I'm not the kind of person that can plan a menu for a month, two weeks or even a week. It makes me crazy if I don't stick to it and I just can't do that. What I do instead is just come up with at least 16 meals for dinners. 14 average meals and a couple of super quick "I forgot to thaw any meat out" meals. This allows me the flexibility to fix whatever I want any night yet still provides a list for the grocery therefore not over spending.

As far as breakfast and lunches go, we do lots of eggs and toast for breakfast. Cereal is just too expensive for the amount it takes to fill my kiddos up. They think of it more as a snack anyway. Lunches are one of several things. Pita pizzas, pbj w/pretzels, tri-colored pasta, mac n cheese, hotdogs w/apples or grapes, or just fruit salad. I cut out snacks and they actually eat better at mealtime:-)

I took our monthly budget and calculated how much I had to spend on each meal and adjusted so our dinner was the larger of all. That required me to figure out how much an egg and toast for breakfast was as well as what a pbj sandwich w/pretzels would run. I found that breakfast and lunch were easily done for just a couple of dollars each. I'm amazed at how much I used to spend just because I did what was easy.

So far, these are the "not so creative" ways to save money. The more "creative" ways are to follow:-)

One of the first things we agreed upon was that I could get a part-time job. It's been 12 years since I worked outside of the home and this quite frankly was exciting to me! But what kind of job could I get...retail. We live just one mile from a fairly new shopping center so I found a job at The Children's Place. I haven't been able to get the number of hours I wanted, but ultimately I can keep this job until all of our children outgrow their merchandise because they have per diem. Even if I decide I don't need to work any longer, I can work just one four hour shift every three months to receive my employee discount. With six kiddos, that is awesome!

The next way we decided to cut costs was to cut back on our usual air conditioning bill. We agreed to leave it off and use the ceiling fans and open windows to cool the house. We live in Texas and if any of you are familiar with the weather, it starts to get very warm by the middle of May at the latest. Again, I like a challenge. It is now the first of June and we have already seen many 80 and 90 degree day, but alas, we have not turned on that beast! It is easier every day because we are climatizing ourselves. Don't get me wrong...I know there is a day coming that we will be forced to turn it on, but until then we are doing well. Having the pool to cool off in helps tremedously too. Last night we compared this months electricity bill with last years at this time and it was $300 less this year! It's amazing how much that beast costs us! I loves me some savings!

I've started making our own laundry detergent to save money and to help the environment. It only costs about a penny a load and it has fewer "fluffy" chemical additives. You know, all the stuff added to make it "pretty" and "smelly". You know what I'm talking about...all the extra unnecessary stuff that makes you think you're buying some super duper detergent when in all actuality, you're buying the marketing. Sorry, down off my soap box now. Anyway, this stuff is great so far. We'll see how it does on the tough stuff.

The next logical step is a clothesline to eliminate the use of the dryer during the warmer months. Not only will that help with the electricity, but hopefully it will help to keep the house a smidge cooler. Can't hurt and our clothes will smell fresher!

Obviously, you can tell from previous posts that we have a garden that helps reduce our food bill as well. I've planted popcorn, peanuts, spinach, lettuce, carrots, onions, garlic, green beans, asparagus, strawberries, yellow squash, zucchini, okra, peppers, canteloupe, sunflowers, watermelon, and 22 tomatoe plants! I am going to learn to can or freeze as much as possible. Right now the plan is for salsa, tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, tomato basil soup, ketchup, zucchini soup, chili, and anything else that comes to mind!

Everyone is feeling the affects of increasing gas prices. Gary and I both drive suv's, but his gets much better gas mileage than mine. Therefore, if he is at home and I need to go out, I take his truck rather than mine. I didn't start doing this until the second month of our new budget. Once I made the switch though, it saved us close to $20 a month. Not a lot at first glance, but it sure adds up over the period of a year and it's not inconvienent at all.

Our most "creative" plan to date is our plan for chickens!! You read it right...we're getting chickens...real live, egg laying chickens. I decided that if we were going to get the little critters to save money and even make us some by selling their eggs, then we couldn't spend a lot of money on the coop. I got most all of the lumber and other supplies on craigslist and freecycle. We are currently in the process of building the coop. The kiddos and I dug the 4 post holes today and attempted to level/square them.

We have gone completly to cash only...well, we do pay a few bills online and by check, but we cut up the credit card we had left and don't even use our debit card. It is way too easy to spend money when you don't have to actually hand it over. I have a much better grasp on how much money I have for various things. We use an evelope system where we budget for specific things and put cash in an envelope for each. Right now we have envelopes for groceries, gas, laundry, household, restaurant, fun, clothing, and hair care. I think that's it. Anyway, once the envelope is empty, that is it. If we really need money for that category, we move money around from other envelopes and reprioritize. It's been a learning experience these first couple of months, but it certainly is much easier now than it was the first few weeks.

That's all I can think of right now, but I know there is plenty more that we are doing. I will post things I remember when I remember:-)

Sonic is having free rootbeer floats tonight to kick off their summer!

Blessings,
Kristelle

The Good Harvest

2009-06-02T22:35:00.002-05:00

Here it is, just the first week in June and I've already gotten a great harvest from my garden. We had a great rain last night and this morning, however it wasn't kind to the popcorn stalks.

Karter, Audrey and I finally got to pull some carrots and boy were they yummy. I'll be using those tomorrow evening for the pot roast I'm defrosting. Of course, we also cut some yellow squash, zucchini and onions. As long as the onions dry out well, we should have onions through the winter until I can harvest the fall crop. I love having fresh onions on hand. Last year I planted mine too deep and they weren't even the size of a scallion:-(

I still have quite a bit of zucchini from last week so I tried a zucchini soup recipe that I found online. I was able to use my own garlic, onion and zucchini. Next time I will have the potatoes and tomatoes called for out of my garden too. Since it was getting late, I just put it in freezer containers for the fall. It will be yummy on a cold day:-)

Blessings,
Kristelle

SCHOOLS OUT FOR SUMMER!

2009-05-28T11:35:00.001-05:00

Praise God for an even better school year this year! I can't tell you how blessed I am to have my children at home with me and to provide their education! We have also had the opportunity, with Audrey, to get addtional confirmation that this is where the Lord wants us to be in our lives.

Let me explain...Audrey has been diagnosed with speech Apraxia which is a fine motor skill developmental problem that affects her speech. The state has a publicly funded program provided through local public schools called Public Preschool for Children with Disablities (PPCD). Anyone who pays their local taxes and qualifies based on specific testing can participate at no cost(BLESSING!). Since Audrey has apraxia and her speech is severly delayed, she's qualified for a couple of years now. This year is the first year, however, that we put her in the preschool program. Last year she stayed at her regular preschool and just attended speech once a week through the state.

Audrey was enrolled in her regular preschool for this past school year and started attending speech once a week again through the state. She had a different speech therapist this year, Ms. Mardi. We love her and she is GREAT with Audrey and her friend that attended speech with her. A couple of months into the school year, Ms. Mardi had convinced me that Audrey really needed PPCD and not just the once a week speech. Relunctanly, we decided to pull her out of her regular preschool that she had been attending for 3 years and enroll her in PPCD. The main difference was she would be attending PPCD 5 days a week for 2hrs 45mins instead of 3 days a week for 4hours each day.

In hind site, I take the responsibility for not asking more questions and assuming we were all on the same page, but I was under the impression she would be getting MORE speech to help her since this is her greatest area of need. She does recieve ONE more day of speech, however instead of it being with just one other pier, it is with SIX other children. This is not exactly what I was expecting.

The program is a great program and the teachers are really good with the children. I just don't buy into the "desperate" feeling of needing to push our children so hard at such a young age. Obviously Audrey needs speech therapy, but at this point in her life, this is all we feel she needs to be focusing on. There is the possiblily that she may have grammar issues as well, but until her speech improves, that can't be diagnosed. This is where the "desperation" comes in to play. We will not push Audrey to "fix" everything at once when it isn't even diagnosed. Audrey has done well at PPCD, however, I truly believe she would still have made just as much progress had we left well enough alone and kept her at her previous preschool and the added speech.

So, what have we learned from this past year? We've learned that we love our daughter regardless of her "diabilities" (I prefer to call them challenges because of the negativity associated with the word) and that they actually contribute to her precious personality that we wouldn't trade for anything in this world! We've learned that we are our children's greatest advocate and we truly know what's best for Audrey because God gave us that ability, not because a state mandated test declares it. We've learned that as a society we have become conditioned to follow "the norm" just because it is "normal" not necessarily because it is what is best and we choose not to live like that. We choose to follow God's plan because we know that is what is best for our family. We've learned that homeschooling has far too many advantages compared to public school, so at this time we are not planning to send Audrey back next year:-)

We have appreciated the efforts of all of the teachers involved with Audrey and think they do a great job with the resources and time they are given. Audrey has made some amazing friendships this year and has loved every minute of school. She wakes up every morning ready to go:-)

I am very excited to continue speech with Audrey over the summer while the rest of the kids are on summer break. Audrey loves school and learning so she has a leg up already. What a great opportunity I have to be this precious child's teacher and help her develop all of her skills and abilities! Praise God!

Blessings,
Krsitelle

What...I know I haven't posted in a couple of weeks!

2009-04-10T20:56:00.004-05:00

So our last two days in Florida were just as good as the rest! We really were sad to leave:-( Friday was our last day at the beach and boy was it windy! I was serioulsy concerned about the waves in the ocean so Gary went out a ways and took turns with one of the kiddos at a time out there. We ended up at a state beach because Pier 60 was just too busy. It was VERY shelly which made for some fun. I stayed dry with the younger kids and searched for shells. We actually found some coral and lots of mother of pearl. It was really cool.

Saturday morning Gary got up and took the three boys to an airshow at one of the bases near Tampa. The were only gone a few hours, but they had a blast...you know, guy stuff:-)

Of course Amber and David's dinner cruise to celebrate their 40th and 50th birthdays was that evening. It was lots of fun and I got to meet lots of their friends. The weather couldn't have been better...well, it was a little windy up top, but still a great night!

So now on to "getting back to our routine". It was very hard to get back in to the swing of school because we started Audrey on a 3 times a week schedule with an addtional speech therapist. By the time I'd get her to school, pick her back up just a short while later, take her to speech and then back home, it was time to start dinner. We had to cut back on that for a while...whew!

Karter is still enjoying soccer and getting better with every game. They are so darn cute at this age even if they aren't headed the right direction. I think he is more interested in getting the trophy at the end of the season than anything else. He's asked about when they get them on several occassions. I guess that's what happens when your three older siblings all have trophies of their own from something or another:-)

We decided to "spring clean" and have a yard sale this weekend. I wasn't thinking about it being Easter weekend, but that didn't seem to keep anyone down. We will be out tomorrow with the sale too. I just hope someone buys it all! If it wasn't nailed down in the house, I was selling it! The kids were afraid to say much for fear they might be the next to go.....now you all know better than that!

I asked the kids if they wanted to bake cookies and try to sell them. What a GREAT idea that was! Klahdia made the first batch by her self, minus putting them in the oven. They were AWESOME! Very impressed! We had people come and buy just the cookies! Landon, Audrey and Karter were on top of everyone that walked up asking if they wanted to buy any cookies. They sold all but 16 because in an effort to make this a math lesson I explained to them how much they had to make to "break even" and when they did, they could have some. Believe it or not, we didn't eat one of them while baking them.....mind you I didn't say we didn't taste any of the batter though. Anyway, when they got down to 16 I told them to take them in the house and we would have them for dessert after lunch. It's amazing what people will buy from cute kids....maybe if I sat them on the tv or bed for sale???

Well, it's been a really long day and we have another long day tomorrow....be blessed!

Blessings,
Kristelle

Spring Break 2009

2009-03-26T22:54:00.009-05:00

Wow! What a week this has been so far!! We headed to Florida to visit my sister and her family. She and my bil are celebrating their 40th and 50th birthdays this year with a dinner cruise and we thought it would be fun to help them celebrate them. At the same time, Gary was required to use two weeks vacation before the end of the third quarter, so why not make it Spring Break??

We left on Friday after Gary got off work and drove to Baton Rouge, Louisiana and spent the night. Naturally, the kids LOVE spending the night in ANY hotel. We all piled in and bedded down for the night so we could get up early Saturday morning to get the last leg of our trip started....8:30am Saturday we pull out...not nearly as early as we had hoped....this made for a VERY long day Saturday:-( The kids were sooo excited when we crossed the Florida state line. Obviously they did not realize how long we would be in Florida before we actually made it to Amber's home! We didn't pull into Tampa until 10:30pm...boy was I glad to be able to go straight to bed.

They all had to work and go to school this week so Amber and I shopped and hung out together Sunday while the rest of the gang stayed home and played. I'm so sad the kids haven't gotten to spend much time together:-( Anyway, we wanted to make this trip as much fun as possible without the added stress of a schedule so we just kind of made plans by the day. I knew I wanted to go to the beach to soak up some rays as much as possible! We all enjoy the water and the kids LOVE to play in the sand.

We went to Siesta Keys on Monday. We got up early and made it there by 9am or so. It rained on the commute there and was very overcast once we actually arrived. The forecast was for sun and 80 degrees so I knew if we just stuck it out the sunshine would prevail. It was sooo windy though and the sand was blowing everywhere. Ella had pink eye and kept rubbing her eyes with sandy hands. Ooo, her eyes looked as bad as they did on day one with the pink eye! I finally convinced everyone to hike up to the concession area to eat an early lunch and wait for the sun to come out. By the time most of us were done eating, the sun had started to poke through the clouds. Everyone excep Ella, Audrey, Karter and myself headed back to the beach. Karter and Audrey had fallen in the water earlier and were cold so I changed them into their dry clothes, however just as soon as it warmed up, they were back in their swim suits headed back to the sun and sand to play with the rest. It was a really windy day, but it was beautiful too.

Gary started digging a little hole for Ella to sit in which led to another hole for one of the other kids. Before you knew it, we were all digging as far as we could and Gary was tunneling between the "fox" holes (that's what Landon was calling them). We all took turns throughout the day digging, but it wasn't until right as we were leaving that Gary gave it one last effort to tunnel completely through...he made it! You can see that I made a chair ledge to sit on in the one pit where the kids are sitting while Gary is hard at work digging through from the other pit. The sad part is that as soon as he got through we had to leave...Ella was trying hard to get comfy in the sand chair and fall asleep....which meant filling the holes back in....the beach patrol told us we had too:-(

Tuesday, I took Klahdia, Karter and Audrey to the Big Bend Power Plant Manatee Viewing Center. We got to see several Manatees that were still at the inlet for the winter. Manatees need warm water to survive and the power plant creates that environment for them with the warm water it emits into the inlets. We got to hold an actual rib bone of a Manatee...they are heavy. We also got to see one that had been injured several times and had tried to heal itself...not pretty. It was 4-5 times the size of a normal manatee rib. It is believed that the animal had been hit repeatedly by a boat:-(

We started Wednesday off with a visit to a strawberry field! Yum! It was so much fun just wandering the field to find the very best strawberries out their. We picked 10 quarts of strawberries...don't know what we're going to do with them before we have to head home, but it sure was fun! Each of the kids got to pick a quart of their own and they made sure that they knew which bunch was theirs. I think I might have eaten a quart on the way home:-)

After the strawberry pickin', we headed back to the sun and sand! I tried to get us to a beach as quickly as possible, but....well, and hour and a half later, we finally pulled into a parking spot and hit the sand. We ended up at Pier 60 in Clearwater. LOVE it! Not extremely crowed...not terribly windy....not too many young spring breakers....it was great! The wind had died down a little from Monday's visit to the beach and it had warmed up several degrees. The kids were in the water within 5 minutes of hitting the sand. I said no way....but, eventually I did make it into the water...not submerged mind you:-) I don't know how they do it in such cold water....oh to be young. I walked the shore with the kids picking up shells....lots of shells....every shell we came across....because, you know everyone is "special"! Ella intially was frightened by the sound of the waves crashing, but slowly warmed up to the idea. She loved sitting just out of reach of the water playing in the sand with Audrey. Audrey on the other hand got a little to warmed up to the water. She was way out with the big kids laughing and playing as the day wore on. She knew her limits though and didn't stay out too long. Gary and I actually got to sit down and enjoy some time talking...to each other! I miss being able to talk to him without being interrupted.

We decided after our last visit to our zoo, we needed to visit as many zoos as we could. Therefore, we decided to go to the zoo today! Tampa has a very nice zoo and the kids loved it. We were fortunate enough to get 4 passes from a friend of Amber's to use. All of the kids love animals so I don't think there is one exhibit that they like more than another. I enjoyed them all myself. Their american white alligator was temporaily off exhibit and that was disappointing, but what are you going to do???

I also wanted to try to get some family beach photos of us while we were here. We tried this after the zoo. I wanted to get the shots as the sun was setting, which is tricky for a professional, let alone me....we'll see I thought. After lunch and a quick change of clothes, we headed back to Pier 60 for the "photo shoot". I had explained to the kids that if they cooperated and did what I asked of them, we could get done with the photos quickly and then they could play in the sand, water and playground. I continually reminded them that the longer they took to do what I asked, the longer it would be before they got to play...they didn't get to play:-( I did get some pretty good pictures though. I just wished I'd have had someone there to get some shots of all of us. A couple of people offered to take some shots for us, but they didn't turn out. I got some really good shot of each of the kids by themselves, but not many of the six of them together. For whatever reason, Ella knows how badly I want to take photos of all of them and she surely knows what the camera is and it never fails....she cries and carries on for Gary the entire time. I did finally get her in some candid shots that are just as good if not better than the posed shots.

Well, after three hours trying to get "the perfect shot", we headed off for dinner and back to Amber's for a good nights sleep. Tomorrow is our last day at the beach and I'm already anxious knowing our wonderful vacation is coming to an end. We have been blessed to have family to allow us to stay with them. It's no small feat taking in eight people under one roof for over a week, especially when more than 75% of them are chilren! We love you Auntie Amber and Uncle David! They have been great this week!

Blessings,
Kristelle

My Little Animals Went To See The Big Animals

2009-03-06T00:05:00.010-06:00

Today was homeschool day at the Fort Worth Zoo. We hadn't been in almost a year and it was going to be in the mid 80's so why not. My kids LOVE the zoo and obviously we don't go near enough. I didn't tell any of them we were going until this morning so I could get them in bed without all the questions and excitement that comes with a field trip.

I got all of our lunches and snack ready last night so we could get up whenever we wanted and head out. We headed out around 10:30am which was a little later than I would have liked, but in the end it worked out great, because by the time we got there, the lines were gone:-)

We had a great time today. Being homeschool day, they had a schedule for the entire day of when different zookeepers would be at various exhibits for us to be able to ask questions. The first one we attended was for the Black Rhino. Rileigh wasn't terribly impressed because he did a report on them a couple years ago and remembered most of the information. Landon on the other hand was chock full of questions...mainly about whether they were aggressive in various situation, could they break down the fence/trees, does the mother "run" with the baby...it was very interesting to hear what he was thinking:-)

After that we headed to the African Lion exhibit...he was sleeping...naturally. Then off to the hippos. That was Audrey's choice. She was clear that she wanted to see the hippos. The zookeeper here did a great job of getting the hippos up above water, but not really enough for a good shot. My kids were more interested in the fact that the zookeeper was in bushes that were making his legs bleed....at least they pay attention to details...maybe not the appropriate ones, but....

Next up were the painted horses. Klahdia has wanted to do something with horses for a couple of years now so she was really excited to see them. I couldn't hear anything they were saying because I couldn't "squeeze" in like the little ones could so I sat on a bench until they were through. At some point Karter sat with me and asked me if they were going to bring out another horse to paint....bless his heart. He is just so darn cute!! Then Ella dropped her sippy into the exhibit...yes, they retreived it for us...no harm, no foul.

Of course there was a train that we had to pass to get to the horses! I rarely ever give in to things like this, especially in a zoo when we came to see animals, however, I was going to splurge and let all of the kids ride on the train today. Audrey was more excited than any of them. I had them following behind me in a single file to get through the crowds and she was "choo, chooing" all day. Poor angel had her heart broken....it was closed for maintenance:-(

At some point we made it to the elephants. Audrey counted there were 6 elephants out today. Klahdia had just read a book about African and India (Asian) elephants so she knew immediately that they were Asian because of the small ears and hump on their back. I'm so proud of her...she really does love animals...too bad her mama doesn't share her passion in the slightest....Everyone had to have their pictures taken on the elephant statue. It's so funny because we do it everytime we're here and it's really not a good "Kodak" spot.

We had such a great time just walking around and enjoying the weather. The kids really wanted to see the bugs, which I could have done without, but I was there for them. We stayed in that exhibit for probably an hour...I think that might explain why Landon just woke up scared because of the bugs....There was a short movie before leaving the insect exhibit and right outside of that was just a nice little space out of the way for the kids to goof off. Nothing exciting...just some barrels and an old well, but they played there and gave me plenty of photo ops!

It was getting late and the zoo closed at 5p so we had to get a move on if we wanted to see anything else. We just hit the opposite side going back whick included penquins, reptiles, kangaroos and the aviary. They have this great enclose aviary with all kinds of small bird...you the kind you might have as a pet. I didn't go in for fear of a bird pooping on my head, but the older ones went in. They sold sticks with bird food on them, but I refused to get them any because there were already sooooo many people in there feeding them I thought it would be a waste of money. Well, I was sitting on a bench right outside, but there was a fence just high enough that I couldn't see in the entire exhibit and unbeknownst to me, after most everyone left because it's closing time, my children were digging through the trash to get the feed stick that still had bird seed left on them!!! They actually scored big...they got LOTS of birds to eat from their "recycled" sticks. Landon even got one to land on top of his head! I think the aviary was one of the highlights for them. Even Audrey eventually went in and got in on the action.

We had enough time for one more stop and Klahdia wouldn't let us leave without seeing the cheetahs. Unfortunately, it was closing time and the animals were all "resting" so she didn't get her opportunity to see them. The first thing she did when she got home was to look them up on the internet. I'm telling you, she's going to be a Zoologist!

As I'm looking at the many pictures I took today, my hear just melts! There are many times my life seems to be so chaotic that I'm not sure which way is up, but I truly can't imagine it any other way. In the world today, there are so many "wrong" things going on and it can be overwhelming if you really think about it for too long. Today was another of those days that reminded me how truly blessed I am. My children are beautiful, well adjusted, precious angels that I thank God for EVERY day. With a large family and with the kids being fairly close in age, you can only imagine the comments and questions I get, but the one that really stands out is when people say that they are glad it's me with all those kids and not them....well, me too! I just want to eat them up!

Blessings,
Kristelle

This Is What 90 Looks Like!

2009-03-03T08:59:00.004-06:00

Sooooo, we went to Jena Louisiana this past weekend for Nenaw's 90th surprise birthday party and it was so much fun to see her surprised look:-) Her actual birthday was Friday, but we surprised her Saturday with a carriage ride to my Aunt's house and a big party. She was so funny on Friday because she had no idea there was a party the next day. Not all of my Aunts were able to make it to her house to wish her a happy birthday and she was getting a little fiesty. She kept looking at my sister and I asking if she didn't have five daughters. Only three of them made it to her house on her birthday and obviously she wasn't pleased that on such a monumentous occassion they didn't all make it to see her. She is a fiesty one I tell you!

Amber and her family got in town Thursday night as we did also. We got up and went to the Burger Barn, yes, it is really called that, and had breakfast. After breakfast, we headed out to Aunt Reatha's where the party was going to be to help decorate. It was a beautiful day and we got everything done just in time for my mother to call and say she made it to the Alex airport and was on her way to Nenaw's. We wanted to wait for her to get there first since she didn't know any of us were coming in town.

When we pulled up to Nenaw's house, my mom was sitting outside with her on her front porch. She was already so worked up that no one had come to see her yet on her birthday that she told my mom she was going to tell us to leave...mind you that was when she thought it was her daughters that lived there in Jena...not Amber and I who had come in from out of town. She sure was surprised to see us too. She wasn't expecting that because we all had just been there for Christmas....I love visiting Nenaw! Jena isn't a happening place and frankly, it's pretty boring there, but I just love going there to see her!

The kids all got to play out in the front yard for the afternoon while I got my chance to have some yummy fried catfish....truly, I go to Jena to be able to eat some good catfish, not to visit my family:-) Anyway, there was a precious little boy at the end of Nenaw's driveway that was just itching to come play with our kids, but he wasn't allowed to leave his yard. They all stood at their magic boundary lines talking and found out that "Grit's" cat was going to have babies. Klahdia just wouldn't give up on the possiblility that she might have them under my car. Oh lordy be, don't have those babies under my car....we have to leave in two days! She didn't:-(

We all met at the high school down the road from Nenaw's to line up for the carriage ride "parade". Mom, Carolyn, got Nenaw all dressed up in her nicest suit under the pretense that she was going to take her in town to get her pictures "made". She hadn't the slightest clue what was going on when John knocked on her door...it was precious. He told her happy birthday and that all these people were here for her. She asked if the "buggy" was for her too...side note.....as much as we thought it was an awesome idea for the carriage and as much as she seemed to enjoy it, I wonder if in the back of her mind she might be wondering what the big deal was because she grew up with horse and carriages:-)...just a thought....

Everyone greeted her as she came down the drive and got loaded into the carriage....did I mention that it was barely 50 degrees??? We had her bundled as best as we could. She had a police escort right down the middle of Jena, Louisiana! People were stopping along side the road and waving. Others could hear the horns honking and came out of their houses or businesses. She was in the spotlight for 7 miles!

Her ride ended at her church where her Pastor and much of her congregation were waiting there for her. Nenaw is a true southern Penecostal lady. She was thrilled to see everyone who turned out just for her and I have to admit, it warmed my heart as well. Lots of pictures...although I did realize we didn't get ONE picture of all of her family together....we are NEVER all together! What were we thinking about!!! Why didn't ONE of us think of this!!! I can't believe it!!!! Very disappointing....anyone have Photoshop???

From there we all headed to Aunt Reatha's for some good eats and good eats is what we got! She sure knows how to cook! Who made that banana pudding....oooo it was good! Everyone got plenty to eat and the kids played in the bounce house ALL day. After a little time to digest and rest, we headed out in the frigid temperature to bust open the pinata...well, Nenaw busted open the pinata:-) 90 year old woman, wooden mallet and a blind fold....that doesn't sound good:-)

We left the next day after we had breakfast and had a chance to visit with Nenaw a little bit more. It's always bittersweet when we leave. I am so grateful that we live so close to her that we can visit fairly often, however, at her age I don't feel like it's often enough. Unfortunately, I feel like I waited until I was afraid she wouldn't be around much longer to come visiting more often. Why do we do that....wait until we think our loved ones won't be around much longer to truly appreciate them? I love to just sit and talk with her, but I could have learned so much more from her if I'd only appreciated her earlier....I love you Nenaw!

We are back home trying to get back into our daily routine. It's hard to do that when we are at home all day everyday. We've made it to the gym twice this week and that helps tremendously to keep us on target. It's March already and we see the end of the school year fastly approaching which also helps up keep on schedule. I have adjusted everyone's lesson plans and we are pressing on! I can't wait for spring to finally be here!

Blessings,
Kristelle

...this is what else I can crochet!

2009-02-24T01:35:00.001-06:00

Okay, so I already had made this one, but Klahdia had it in her room and I'd forgotten about it. I made it for her, but I like it! I usually don't like hats because my head it too big, however, I think this one looks pretty good if I don't say so myself:-)

I've tried a few more styles and found several that I really like so I think I'll be working some of them up too. I've listed one on etsy.com and plan to list more. I would love to sell some, but right now I just love making them, I really needed to find a way to get rid of them. Check out my page at http://mycuriouschaos.etsy.com. I will be adding other items shortly.

Not much happened at the Burgin Compound today. Gary came home from work early today and took a really long and well deserved nap. He wasn't feeling very well so he thought it best to get some sleep before our visit to Nenaw's for her 90th birthday party. He was better after rest.

Klahdia had brownies as usual and Landon had cub scouts. Whew, our Monday evenings are kind of busy. BTW, girl scout cookies came in so if you've ordered from Klahdia, we will be delivering them next week (we are headed out of town Thursday).

For todays "brag" section, I wanted to share a little with you about a new friend of mine. Her name is Kathy Hoster. We met several months ago at Mcalister's deli just up the road. They used to have "kids eat free" every Tuesday and Thursday so we were there every week. Kathy and her family came in one week and we soon realized we had a lot in common with them. Kathy is the mother of seven charming children, 6 boys and 1 girl. My children watched them file in in amazement because they had more kids than we did:-) Soon Kathy and I struck up a converstaion and found out that we both homeschooled. Shortly after that night we were seeing them frequently for dinner at Mcalister's. We quickly became good friends....how could we not with so much in common. We've gotten together several times since we met and our kids just all seem to mesh so well...after all, there's someone for everyone, even the dads:-) Anyway, she is just such an inspiration to me. To see her with all her children, knowing what she does for them and for her husband is nothing short of a devine blessing. I had prayed for a very long time that we would meet a family with a similar dynamic as ours as well as similar Godly principals and he has answered that prayer with the Hoster family. More importantly, He has given me a beautiful friend that I can look up to and share with on a daily basis. She is so kind and compassionate...I couldn't ask for more in a friend....okay, maybe more technical (Kathy will understand what I mean:-0) For example, she called today just to share with me that every year on Fat Tuesday(that's tomorrow....oops, today), IHOP has free short stack for everyone all day. What a great way for us to spend dinner with our family! The kids LOVE IHOP and who doesn't like free pancakes?! She is just a wonderful person and I am truly blessed to call her friend!

Blessings,
Kristelle

2009-02-23T01:24:00.001-06:00

I just finished the girls' pillowcase dresses that I've been promising them...for two years....they understand. Anyway, I had one done that was originally for Audrey before she was one...clearly that one is going to have to be Ella's now. I finishe the other two and just need to get some really elegant ribbon to finish them off. Here is one of them. I will be posting the girls' pictures with them on in the near future. Email me if you want to know how I made the...

Blessings,
Kristelle

No Garden Time

2009-02-22T18:33:00.006-06:00

Today did not prove to be terribly productive, espeically for my garden. I did, however, get an area tilled up as a permanent bed for asparagus and strawberries. I may have already stated that in yesterdays post...sorry.

After we went to church, I ran a couple of errands to return a couple of items. One item needed to be returned to Kohl's. I also had a raincheck for more dishes so I thought I might as well check on the stock there. To my surprise, they had 10 sets...I was thrilled to be able to finally have all of the sets I need. We are still using the same "trendy" dishes I got at my bridal shower 15 years ago....I think we were due for some new ones. I got the 3 pc round set without the mug...who needs mugs anyway....don't we all have enough miscellaneous mugs from "gifts" over the years....I don't need another mug!

I've decided to try something new with each post. I'm going to choose one person that I might or might not know very well and write a "brag" section about why I'm grateful for having known them. To start it off today, I'm going to "brag" on my wonderful husband...seems fitting:-) Gary and I have been married for almost 15 years and although we are very happy and content with what we have now, we've experienced our share of rough patches. With that said, we could not have made it through with out our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. When Gary and I got married, neither of us were saved. By the time we had our first child, Rileigh, I realized it would be hard enough to raise a child in this world today WITH God, let alone without Him. Shortly after our search for a church we both "saw the light" and accepted Christ into our lives. Since then, Gary has been a wonderfully spirit led husband, father and best friend! He is very selfless when it comes to myself and our children. He's not perfect, but he tries his hardest to make our lives better everyday. He loves all of us unconditionally and if you could experience our everyday lives you would realize what that really means:-) For example, my crazy cousin and I planned this awesome weekend getaway to have time to ourselves for crafting. Yes, you heard right, by ourselves...not children....just mommy time...well, baby Ally came, but she doesn't count:-) I know that a lot of husbands immediate reactions would be something like "how long are you goign to be gone" or "can you take some of the kids" or maybe even "who's goign to watch the kids while you're gone", but Gary didn't respond with anything of the kind. His reaction was sheer delight for me that I was going to be able to get away and do something I truly enjoy, but rarely get an opportunity to do. He truly wanted me to have time to myself and get refreshed. He understands how important that is for me. He is a super father too! With six children, one can get worn out quickly attending to their desires, Vug Under The Rug, playing catch, swinging the little ones, riding the 4-wheeler, but he is very patient and good about spending time with all the kids when they "request" his presence. He dotes on the girls and spoils the boys. I couldn't ask for a better husband or best friend than what I have. God has blessed me with six wonderful children and he gave me Gary to be their father...He is awesome! I love Gary with all my heart!

Hope you enjoyed!

Blessings,

Kristelle

What Else Can I Crochet....

2009-02-21T00:12:00.004-06:00

I'm just about addicted to crocheting! It is so much fun and it's instant gratification. I've been scouring the internet looking for new projects. Right now I'm hooked on hats for the girls...can a girl have too many accessories? I tried a slipper for my self with this really yummy velour type yarn and as comfy as it was, it just wasn't my style. Anyway, I was up until 6 am last night working on different hats! Yes, it's midnight now...Gary is not going to be happy:-)

I really want to try an afgan, however, I don't know if I'm patient enough. We will be traveling to my grandmother's 90th birthday next week and I'm thinking that should be enough time to get a really good start. We'll see...right now I've got a really colorful block style picked out.

Karter has wanted to play soccer for over a year now and he is finally getting his chance. He is on the Hurricanes and has his first game tomorrow morning. He's only had one practice so far so it should be interesting. He went to bed early tonight so he could get some good rest before the big game. I will be sure to post some pictures!

I finally made time to help Klahdia finish her American Girl doll dress that we've been working on for months. She is such a good listener...Rileigh had the video camera set up on teh tripod taping Klahdia's "sewing lesson". I had just gotten out of the shower and put my pajamas on so it should prove to be interesting as well.

Speaking of Rileigh...he has been a little Stephen Speilberg lately. After reading a Nancy Drew book, he wrote a script, assigned a cast, produced and directed the entire project! All the kids got dressed up to help with the "film". They started inside then moved to the front yard. I still haven't seen the final product yet, but I will be sure to post anything I can get my hands on:-)

Hopefully tomorrow will bring a little more sun than is forecast. I have more carrots, potatoes and asparagus to get in the garden. I just tilled up the new permanent bed for the asparagus and strawberries. It's going to need a little more work though. It was overgrown with weeds and I don't want to have to worry about them coming back after I plant. Regardless, I'm sure I'll get someting planted.

Off to bed now!
K

Happy Presidents Day!

2009-02-16T23:06:00.004-06:00

My children are ALL very interested in our presidential history...too bad I'm not as interested...there dad needs to be their teacher for that:-) Anyway, I was out and about running errands...you know the dreaded returns that pile up on the counter just waiting for someone to rescue them...you know you have them too. I stopped by Half Price Books and found this great book about our presidents...it only goes to Clinton though. Each president has their own page and very interesting facts. Klahdia loves it and has already read through most of it. Rileigh was fighting for it too, but I had gotten him another book to read so alas his turn with the presidents will have to wait.

During one of my errands, I finally got the Pandigital Photolink Portable Scanner AND new dishes!!! I don't know which I'm more excited about. I didn't realize how many photos I have that need to be scanned to my computer. I can't wait to get some of them on here. I also hadn't had any new dishes since Gary and I got married which was almost 15 years ago! I think it was high time we had new dishes! Nothing exciting, just jade stoneware, but NEW jade stoneware...yippee!

So I'm off to scan...obviously, you'll be seeing lots of interesting pictures soon!

Blessings,
Kristelle

Etsy Here I Come!

2009-02-15T23:24:00.005-06:00

I'm so excited to get started on Etsy.com! I've been crocheting for the girls since Christmas and just love it! It's so theraputic and relaxing. I take it everywhere. I can get so much done in just ten minutes, waiting to pick up Audrey or waiting for Klahdia at dance class. Here is Audrey with one I made for her. Klahdia has even picked up on this hobby. We had a friend refer us to a tutorial on finger knitting and she has made scarves for me, Audrey and a friend too. I love when she mimicks me:-)

Anyway, I'm going to list some of the cute hats I've made and see where it leads me. I've been wanting to make some mary jane slippers for the girls too, so maybe that will be where I go next. I really wanted to knit, but I just can't seem to get it and it is driving me crazy!! I haven't given up yet though.

I was able to work in the garden today. It was kind of chilly with a slight breeze, but just right for "playing in the dirt". I managed to get all ten rows mounded as well as the first two planted. I put in onions, carrots, three types of lettuce and spinach. Mind you I still have brocolli from the winter that I'm harvesting from. It is doing GREAT! I might have to just pull it to make room for the spring vegetables (which would still include brocolli). Most everything else will get put in over the next couple of weeks. I'm still trying to decide where to put the watermelons since they take up so much room. I just love our garden...have I mentioned that lately?

After I got the rows all done, Karter helped me "pat" the paths down. He and Landon got their dump trucks and escavators to run up and down the rows. I told them that this was the only time they were allowed to play in the garden...we'll see how far that goes. I let Klahdia, Landon and Karter all help with planting the seeds so when the vegetables start to grow they can know that they helped to make them. Karter was the biggest helper and stayed outside with me all day...he loves his mommy!

Blessings,
Kristelle

I Am Blessed!

2009-02-15T12:04:00.001-06:00

With all the sickness that has been going around; high fevers for days on end, throwing up time after time, rashes, etc., we have been protected from most of it. Last week was a long week for us with all of the kids (except Rileigh) getting sick at some point, however, they didn't have anywhere near the extreme symptoms as most. God is good!

When we believe and do our part, he will show up and bless you tremendously. Am I glad that the kids were sick? No, but it was such a testimony for all the kids. Each of them asked me to pray with them when they got sick and they felt better within hours! Although we love our pediatrician, the kids all know that the Great Physician is their ultimate doctor and He is the only true healer. We use the wisdom God gave us to use our earthly doctors, but we can't forget where our faith lies and they were all reminded of that this week. Even Klahdia as she dry heaved last night never complained and just asked for prayer. She is such a precious child; never forgetting where her protection comes from.

I often times don't give Gary praise when he deserves it. He wanted nothing more than to sit around all weekend and just relax with us, but since I was up until 3:30am with Klahdia, I really wasn't ready to get up for him to be able to the things he wanted so he kindly got out of bed to get the kids breakfast and shut our bedroom door behind him. He was able to head to the gym. When he got back, he quietly came back in, changed and headed outside with the kids to ride the 4-wheeler. It is 12:30pm and I still have anyone to come barrelling in on me to wake me (little do they know that I've been up for 30 minutes enjoying the quiet playing on the computer before I head out for the day). He is wonderful and thoughtful and I know I don't tell him enough...I love you honey!!!!! Can I do this everyday??

I hope all of you reading this are blessed today and stay healthy!!

Blessings,
Kristelle

Germs, germs, go away!

2009-02-15T02:48:00.000-06:00

We are still fighting something off...the girls have thrown up where as the boys, excluding Rileigh, have just had fever and slept lots. Landon is good minus a very croupy cough and runny nose. Karter had a great day Friday, but was back in our bed for the day yesterday....and tonight. Ella has returned to normal also, however earlier, Klahdia started vomiting:-( My poor little mommy! She's so sweet. I was up late crocheting when she vomitted the first time. She very quietly came into the family room and let me now that she had thrown up....in her bed. She was so pale, I knew something was wrong at first glance.

Earlier in the day, I met my old neighbor at her old house to pick up some wrought iron furniture. I'm so excited to have it because it will fit at the front of the house right where the tree blew over and was uprooted. Perfect spot!

It was much cooler....okay, colder today than I had expected so I did not work in the garden. I'm hoping for a little more sun tomorrow. I really want to get seeds in the ground. I'm being a tad impatient.

Well, since I just got up for the 4th or 5th time with my precious Klahdia to throw up, I'd better get to bed to try to get some sleep.

Sleep tight...
Kristelle

Just another garden day

2009-02-13T17:53:00.001-06:00

What a beautiful day! I didn't feel like I had a choice...I had to be outside...as well as the kids. We aired out the house from a week of the flu and it was just a glorious day.

I was able to till the garden one last time before planting and get a couple of rows ready for seeds. The first thing going in the ground this spring will be onions, carrots, romaine lettuce, two kinds of leaf lettuce, potatoes and spinach. I'm already excited about harvet:-)

The garden has been a lot of fun in general, but it has proven even more exciting for the kids just recently. When we first moved into this house, we found out that the previous owners had a tree in the backyard that was struck by lightening and it is where we've planted our garden. Well, I found the stump. Gary and the kids....well, maybe more the kids...had a lot of fun digging it out. Gary hacked and chipped away at it for about an hour with not a lot of luck. For the next couple of days, the kids dug and dug and dug trying to get it out...or get to China. You can see here what I'm talking about. Needless to say, Gary and the kids managed to get it out and now we're in business.

I know it's just a garden, but.....I'm so excited!!! I love this...okay, that's it for now.

Good night!

Kristelle

Another Day

2009-02-11T16:19:00.000-06:00

I really want to make this blog work, but I just lost my post and now I don't have time to retype it!!! Maybe later:-)
Blessings,
Kristelle

We almost made it...

2009-02-11T02:22:00.006-06:00

Here we are in the home stretch just waiting for spring. I can feel it right around the corner...blue skies, 70 degree weather and bluebonnets as far as the eye can see. Crash! That would be my joy ride screeching to a halt this week for....the FLU:-(

Gary and Rileigh were camping this last weekend while the rest of us were at home actually enjoying some of that forementioned 70 degree weather. Saturday morning we woke up to a fairly overcast day, yet warm air. It was slightly windy....just right to fly a kite. So we did. Klahdia has a very cheap and very old Barbie kite that we have never flown but managed to move with us three years ago...getting side tracked. Anyway, we drug that raggedy old thing out and had a wonderful time. We got it so high that at one point Klahdia said to me, "Mommy don't get it too high that it might fly away." Karter was trying to take a picture, but couldn't find it through the view finder....he doesn't know how to use the zoom lens. We then dug out another more elaborate kite, but wouldn't you know it, that one was NOT successful.

After our fun with the kites, we had a little lunch then headed back outside to take advantage of the glorious day. I tilled the garden in preparation of early spring planting next week....that's a whole 'nother post. All of the kids joined in, whether it was picking out rocks, raking the ground level or moving the edging so I could increase the garden by another 5 feet...shh, Gary hasn't noticed this yet.

By the time I was done in the garden, it was happy hour at Sonic...we loves our happy hour! So I loaded up the kiddos and headed to Sonic for drinks. We were hoping for some friends to be able to join us so we got out and sat on the little patch of lawn they have in front of their tables....it's amazing at how easily my children are entertained if they aren't at home. They played charades, tag and put on quite the tumbling show. After several patrons had driven by with slightly confused looks on their faces, I decided it was time to put the animals back in their cages. Off we went!

Of course after such a long day, I did not want to cook...I don't really ever want to cook....did I just say that out loud....side tracked again. I ventured out to the local Chili's which is one of our favorite restaurants because it is right up the road and very kid friendly. We ate chips and salsa...lots of chips and salsa...really....lots of chips and salsa....so much that Audrey threw up within an hour after getting home. Trust me on that lots of chips and salsa. Before we even left the restaurant, Landon had given up and crashed on the chair there...you guessed it....he had a fever.

Landon is the BEST sick kid EVER!! All he wants to do is sleep and snuggle! He is not my snuggler so I love when he is sick...well I don't like when he's sick...I just like that he likes to snuggle when he's sick...oh, you know what I mean!

We stayed inside all day Sunday anxiously awaiting Daddy's arrival. I don't think they await my arrival with such anticipation EVER. No much going on Sunday. It was a very relaxing and peaceful day.

Monday, Landon still has a fever and Gary has decided to take the day off. So, off to the doctor with Landon. Again, he still has a fever, but doesn't act sick other than a little tired. Sure enough, he tested postitive. It's the flu. No worries. The Great Physician has him covered! Amen. Bedtime, Karter now has a fever. Another great sick kid! He takes Motrin, asks for a bath then heads straight to bed!

Tuesday morning, Landon is back to his usual self other than a croupy cough. Karter is resting comfortably in my bed for the duration. I get the girls dressed to take Audrey to speech and as I'm putting Ella's shoes on I notice one of her toes is very red and slightly swollen. Very odd I think. Gary said he thought she stubbed it....not so much I say. Again, no worries. Off we go to drop Audrey and run one errand then back home for school. The more I thought about Ella's toe, the more I thought it was just plain weird. So nice to have a sister that's a nurse...in comes Amber. Ooo, she says. Sounds like cellulitis...she probably needs an antibiotic...Hello Dr. Jim. We missed you so much that we wanted to come back today to see you AGAIN....I'm glad you did, he says. Ella has cellulitis and needs an antibiotic. So nurse Amber was right!

I get home just in time to fix dinner and change into my gym clothes so when Gary walks in the door, I can head to the gym leaving him time later to head up there....or so that's MY plan. Splat! That's right...poor Ella has vomitted all over Daddy. She is terrified, but calms quickly after she notices that Daddy got the brunt of the mess. She gets a bath and all is well. I sit everyone down to dinner and I'm off.

Intentionally side tracking...I love Facebook....I love my iPhone...I love fb on my iPhone:-)

I have a great workout, by myself....and the hundreds of teenagers that are there. I head to the crunch machine when I glance at my phone...also my ipod...the reason I have my phone with me...and see a notice on fb...yes, I check fb during workouts...no, I am NOT addicted...just very curious....anyway, Gary posted a second round of "puking" as he so mildly put it. Poor Ella tried to eat something for dinner, but it didn't work out so well for her. Bath number two....did I mention that I'm STILL at the gym...see how fb can come in handy?? By the time all was said and done, we had tried to give her medicine, it caused her to vomit one last time....she is now in bed with us. Everyone is sleeping soundly...except me because I am determined to make this blog a habit!

So where are Rileigh and Klahdia during all of this? Rileigh is just trying to stay out of the way of germs. I have asked this of all the kids. Klahdia on the other hand has slipped right into her second role as my little mommy. She manages to keep Audrey and Ella entertained and away from Landon and Karter. She helps with drinks for lunch so I don't have to continue to worry about the younger ones drinking after someone contagious. Then just before lunch, she is reading her spelling story to Karter as he is resting in my bed. It truly blesses me to see where her heart is. She will be a wonderful mother and wife one day.

I am not sharing all of this as complaints. This is just what is going on in our daily lives right now. Phillipians 4:13 "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Tomorrow is another day and we will press on through all of this. We will take authority over sickness and we will prevail. We are blessed to have so many opportunities in life that I don't ever want to focus on what we think of as less than that.

It must be betime now....the voice in my head is quiet.

Blessings,
Kristelle

The first week's gone already!

2009-01-09T01:31:00.000-06:00

I can't believe the first week of the new year is gone already! The weather has been wonderful here for the last several days and it seems like spring....oh how I wish it were spring!

Not much new is going on at the Burgin's this week. Audrey is back to speech fulltime and I'm not enjoying the public school system. There is just an aire in the school that you know most of the people are there because it's a job, not because of the children. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of good teachers, but they can only do so much with what they do and a lot of the time, at no fault of their own, that's not good enough for the children. Okay, I'm off my soap box!

We are back to a semi-regular schedule here at home with school. Landon is really picking up on his reading and Klahdia is almost done with 3rd grade math. She'll be moving on to 4th grade math before the school year is up. Rileigh still hates creative writing and math even if he is good at both. Karter loves handwriting so much he took it upon himself to finish his book one day without my knowledge. I didn't have the heart to explain to him that it is a daily habitual task and it wouldn't do any good if done all at once. He was so proud. I told him we would get him a 1st grade book just like Landon's and that made him smile. God has blessed me tremendously.

So just before Christmas I had this brilliant idea to make some things for my girls instead of the normal purchased toys. They love that mommy sews and makes jewlery. Klahdia would always ask as I was making something for a client if it was for her and I would have to tell her no. What better surprise than to actually make her something. Anyway, I decided to crochet some skull caps for all three of the girls. Boy did that get out of control! I think they all have caps in every color. It was so much fun and they were easy to do. It's kind of like reading a book....very theraputic...ah.

Now I've insisted on learning how to knit. I tried several years ago, but got very discouraged and quit. I don't know if I just had too many little ones under foot or what, but I haven't given up this time....I haven't completely gotten the hang of it yet either, but I'm still trying. If anyone has any great slipper or scarf patterns they want to share for crocheting or knitting, I would love them:-)
What else....Gary and Rileigh have Scouts this weekend at a Merit Badge University. Rileigh will be participating so he can earn some merit badges to advance while Gary on the other hand will be teaching two different badges. He is excited about that opportunity. I don't know if Rileigh will be attending Gary's classes or not, but it should prove to be a fun weekend for the two of them.

I'm starting to plot out the garden for spring planting. We still have brocolli, onions, garlic and head lettuce in the garden now. We expanded the garden by 200sq ft from last summer to make sure we can get everything in we want. I under estimated the amount of tomatoes and onions last summer. I also am planning to add lots of new plants. As of right now we are planning to plant tomatoes, brocolli, squash, peanuts, potatoes, beans, pumpkins, watermelon, spinach, onions, cantaloupe and I'm sure I'm leaving something out. We really enjoyed being able to eat from our garden this last year. I can't wait to see it this summer!

Not a whole lot going on this week to chat up, but I did attend a session from the Call To Battle series we've been involved in for about a year and highly recommend everyone check it out. Just go to calltobattle.org and click on listen! You will be blessed.

Love to all!

Be blessed,

Kristelle

The Best Gift of All

2008-12-30T13:24:00.000-06:00

What a Christmas! We were blessed to have my parents visit not only for Christmas, but for Klahdia's birthday too. The kids all new that Mam and Papa were coming for Christmas, but at the last minute they rearranged their schedules and were able to come a few days early. I chose not to tell the kiddos so that they could enjoy that surprise too. Mam and Papa actually arrived on Klahdia's birthday which made it extra special:-)

Back in October as Karter's birthday was nearing, I came up with an idea to possiblly eliminiate the dreaded birthday party planning. I told all of the kids that they could choose to have a party with all their friends at home OR they could have a special "date" night with just mom and dad at any restaurant of their choosing followed by a visit to a store to pick their own present. Naturally, I thought this was a brilliant idea, but didn't really expect all of the kids to go for it. It worked though! They all thought it was a great idea.

So Klahdia actually negotiated to go ice skating with just one friend, mom and dad and no dinner, just dessert:-) What an intelligent 9 year old I have! She is so compassionate and caring that it blesses me just thinking about her. Anyway, she chose a very dear friend named Molly to come skating with her and since Mam was here, she joined the festivities as well....well, she didn't skate, but she watched on the side lines with me. It was such a joy to watch the two of them having so much fun. They weren't intimidated by anyone. They even got right in the center of the rink and tried their best to learn to spin. I think it goes without saying that they were a little wet by the time the rink closed.

I can't believe Klahdia is 9 years old already! She is such a little mommy and a great helper. She is ALWAYS willing to help me whenever I need her. She knows how important she is when it comes to helping out and she loves that she is needed. I can only imagine how great of a mother she will be when it is her time. God has something special for her and I can't wait to find out with her what it will be.

For Christmas this year the kids really took it upon themselves to make sure they had something for each other. In years past we have tried to do this and for sake of time, it didn't happen. We have been attending a new church this year and they get "jewels" every week for various reasons. They have all been saving their jewels to use at the store before Christmas to buy gifts for one another. They all did such a great job picking out toys for their siblings and they were all so selfless. It warms my heart!

Not only did we get a great gift in the fact that Mam and Papa were here for Christmas, but Grandma and Grandpa got the boys a 4 wheeler and the girls a dollhouse for Christmas. Klahdia has already broken the atv in with her first roll over. She scraped her knees, but that was pretty much all. Ella and Audrey can't get enough of the dollhouse. It is three levels so Ella has plenty of access.

The best gift of all for me was to see my grandmother (affectionately known as Nenaw) in Louisiana. She had been in the hospital the weekend prior to Christmas with pneumonia and seeing that she will turn 90 in February, it was scary to know that she was ill. By the time we made it to see her, she was back at home recouperating. Just knowing she is back at home feeling better is a gift big enough for me. I can't wait to see her in February when she turns 90!

We are all back home enjoying the rest of our Christmas break before returning to school next week. Gary is back at work this week for a few days then one more long weekend for him. We hope all of you are making wonderful memories with your families for the rest of this year and can't wait to see what next year has in store for us!!

Blessings,
Kristelle