Tim and Bethany's Journey for Caroline

Yep, still here...

2011-12-19T22:21:00.002-05:00

Yep, still here. Now I'm waiting on a new camera to appear under the Christmas tree to upload some new pics of Caroline. Things have drastically changed around here on the homefront. We are getting along, but it seems to be quite chaotic! hahahha

YIKES!

2011-09-26T21:56:00.001-04:00

Yes, we are alive! But, I totally forgot my password and haven't been able to access my account until now! Yep, I'm that person! Here's to hoping that people still care and read us! :)

Happy Spring!

2011-04-04T13:09:00.003-04:00

I thought I would post the pictures first so you do know that we are still alive and kicking! Who knew that it would have taken me FOREVER to post a few pics??? CRAZY!

Put Me In Coach....

2011-01-04T15:58:00.002-05:00

I'm adopting the phrase, "Put me in coach, I'm ready to play..." as one of my new sayings. I really hate making resolutions, since I usually break them within the first month. :( I have only kept one and I am proud to say that I have gone 15 years without drinking soda. I honestly don't miss it...but anyway...back to my point.

As you know, the economy tanked out about the time we were finishing up our adoption (not to mention the extra expenses added onto our CRAZY adoption). It was a horrible time to be a stay at home mom, but it was a VERY important decision to help with Caroline's adjustment into our family and we were financially able to do this. As a way of saving money, I began clipping coupons. Little did I know how our lives were going to change with this new 'hobby'. We were paying VERY LITTLE for our groceries and were eating filet mignon at least once a week! As time went on, the 'free' newspapers started dwindling and my patience/energy started going down too. Clipping coupons became a HUGE chore since I was obsessed with it!! I kinda just stopped....yes, it was sad! I was still mindful of what I purchased but wasn't saving the obscene amounts of money like in the past.

Now that I am back to work, I can't even remember the last time I bought a paper. Finances are tighter and extra time is nonexistent. So, I decided my "Put Me In Coach..." moment will be to begin clipping coupons AGAIN. I bought two papers on Sunday and will start out slow and easy. I DO NOT have the time to run all over the place for the best deals. My stockpile will not be trophy-worthy, but I WILL start saving money again. I have even planned my grocery lists for this week and next week at Publix. As usual, I am VERY excited to see how much money just a few coupons can save me. It's about time to get back in the game...

I wish that I could stay accountable to this by taking pictures of my purchases/deals once again, but TIME is of the essence and I have NO extra time. I'm still having a difficult time balancing my work/home/Caroline/tennis and I just don't think I could do that. I'll see what I can manage to come up with since accountability is VERY important. Stay tuned and let's see how many 'points' I'll be able to score.

Christmas Baking

2011-01-03T12:25:00.006-05:00

Caroline and I did quite a bit of baking over the Christmas break. She LOVES mixing and stirring and of course, eating the batter! The pictures are a bit backwards, but I wanted to capture some of the moments for our family members and friends out of town.

On Christmas Eve, we made Reindeer Food. It's to help Santa's reindeer find our house from the sky and to give the reindeer some food to nibble on while Santa is doing his job! It was super easy to make and she LOVED sprinkling it on the lawn and the sidewalk.

We also make a special ornament each year to hang on the tree with Caroline's handprint. I paint her entire hand in white paint and then paint the fingers to look like snowmen. We use the clear ornaments and add 'snow' to the inside. Super cute and super easy! I didn't take a picture of the finished project, but I'll add it to next year's list, hahahahaha.

This year, we made Reindeer Magic Food. Caroline knows how much Papa loves to munch on goodies, so she made this for him. It consists of pretzels, peanuts, rice chex mix, fruit loops, m&m's, and white chocolate. Melt the white chocolate and mix ingredients. Pour onto wax paper and let dry. Break up into pieces and enjoy!

On Christmas Eve, we baked Santa some special cookies. Unfortunately, the cookies turned out AWFUL! I think we used too much flour during the 'cutting out' process which weighed the cookies down. But, Caroline had fun and they looked cute!

In case you're wondering, we have several trees in our house. This one is in our kitchen/breakfast room. It started out with just initials (our monograms) but then we started adding our homemade ornaments from Caroline. I think it may just be one of my favorite trees! And yes, we are VERY southern, so we bake in our new smocked dresses! :)

It's OFFICIAL!! We have a girl!

2010-12-23T14:02:00.000-05:00

On December 16th, we finalized our adoption in the United States and the book is SEALED! We are officially the parents of a beautiful three year old girl!!! I must say this process has been an intense three years of labor pain. But, it has been totally worth it!!!

Posing in front of the courthouse with her 'present'
Caroline wore pink for her Embassy appointment and she wore pink for her readoption appointment!

We celebrated by going to eat breakfast and then to a local cupcake bakery!

A Little Elf Magic

2010-12-22T13:00:00.000-05:00

Percy the Elf baked this yummy cupcake for Caroline at the North Pole!! He surprised her with it on Saturday morning, which she promptly ate for breakfast! Isn't it adorable???!!!

Excuse the bedhead...we hadn't been up long!!!

Eating her cupcake for breakfast....the breakfast of champions, lol!!!

Santa Visit

2010-12-21T13:38:00.004-05:00

We went to see Santa this weekend! The pics are acting crazy and somewhat out of order, but oh well! :) I didn't get a great picture since the elf made me stand outside of the fence to take my two personal pics. But the picture we bought turned out GREAT!

Caroline is telling Santa that she wants a 'Pizza Set' and a 'Donut Set'....both from Melissa & Doug (great toys!!) WOW! Taking pictures with and of Caroline is SUPER difficult these days! She wants to 'fake' smile, squint her eyes and be silly. All of these things I love, but not when you're sitting in the floor of a crowded mall, lol!!

My mom HATES having her pictures made, but I BEGGED her to get in the picture with us. I am going to treasure this picture one day! :)

Caroline posing with the book Santa gave her

Warm Mexican Crab Dip Recipe

2010-12-03T15:00:00.000-05:00

I don't have a picture of this DELICOUS recipe but trust me...IT IS TO DIE FOR!!! Caroline and I love watching cooking shows and this recipe was featured on Paula Deen's. It looked rather easy and 'smelled' so good!

Warm Mexican Crab Dip Recipe

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp seeded and chopped jalapeno (I omitted this)

1/2 cup light beer

2 cups heavy whipping cream

1 package (8 oz) cream cheese

1 package (8 oz) pasteurized cheddar cheese

1 lb lump crab meat (I used 1/2 lb and it was fine)

1/4 cup fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)

1/4 cup minced green onion

1/4 cup minced cilantro

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1/4 tsp ground cumin

tortilla chips

In medium sauce pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onion, jalapeno pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently for about 3 minutes. Stir in the beer and cook until liquid is reduce to half. Stir in the cream, cream cheese, and cheese block, whisking until melted and smooth.

Stir in crab meat, lime juice, cilantro, green onion, and chili powder and simmer for about 15 minutes. Add the salt, black pepper, cayenne, and cumin. Serve with tortilla chips!

This dip was INCREDIBLE! I omitted the jalapeno peppers since I forgot them at the store and I only used 1/2 lb of crab meat due to expenses. This dip is expensive, but well worth it for special occassions.

Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole Recipe

2010-12-01T13:16:00.001-05:00

Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole Recipe

1 lb ground hot pork sausage

1/4 cup chopped onion

2 1/2 cups frozen cubed hashbrowns
5 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

1 3/4 cup milk

1 cup bisquick

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

topping ingredients: picante sauce, sour cream, salsa

Cook sausage and onion in large skillet over medium high heat until meat crumbles. Stir in hashbrowns and stir for 5-7 minutes. Drain mixture on paper towels. Spoon mixture into a greased 13x9 baking dish.

Stir together eggs, cheese, and next 4 ingredients. Pour evenly over sausage mixture, stirring well. Cover and chill 8 hours.

Bake, covered with foil at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Uncover and bake 10-15 more minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 minutes. Garnish with assorted toppings.

**I saw this recipe in Southern Living and thought it sounded so good! I made it after Thanksgiving and my family enjoyed it for dinner! It did take some time, but it was well worth it. Add a bit of salt and pepper at the end though... Some fresh fruit would also be a perfect compliment to this if you decide to forget the salsa.**

Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole Recipe

2010-11-29T14:00:00.000-05:00

I found this recipe in Cooking Light and thought I would try it out. It was pretty easy to make (I took some shortcuts) and it made a TON!

Streuseled Sweet Potato Casserole
About 5 pounds of cubed, peeled sweet potatoes

1/2 cup half and half

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

3/4 tsp salt

1 egg, lightly beaten

cooking spray

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/4 cup chilled butter, cut in small pieces

1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Put potatoes in dutch oven, bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 12 minutes until tender. Drain.
Combine half and half and next four ingredients (half and half through egg) in a large bowl. Stir with a whisk. Add potato to egg mixture. Beat with a mixer at medium speed until smooth. Spoon potato mixture into 13x9 pan that is sprayed with cooking spray.
Combine flour and sugar in food processor; pulse to combine. Add chilled butter; pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Stir in pecans and sprinkle over potato mixture.
Bake covered for 15 minutes. Continue cooking uncovered for additional 25 minutes or until topping is browned and potatoes are thoroughly heated.

**I used the Ore Ida Steam and Mash Sweet Potatoes instead of peeling my potatoes and cooking them! SO MUCH EASIER! **

**Also, recipe can be easily halved for less servings**

An Afternoon in Savannah though Caroline's Eyes

2010-11-28T12:04:00.000-05:00

On our way home from Hilton Head, we stopped in my FAVORITE city and spent the afternoon. SAVANNAH! I would love to live there!!! Anyway, Gene had never been so Caroline and I decided to show him some of our favorite things. The majority of the photos were taken by Caroline, so I thought I would label the post "....through Caroline's eyes".

We are eating at one of our favorite restaurants in City Market...Tapas Caroline caught Papa eating some yummy She Crab Soup!!!
A snapshot of me waiting on my yummy She Crab soup!
Caroline's view of City Market...isn't it beautiful?

She remembered her carriage ride and desperately wanted to go on another one!

She said this was her 'favorite' horse

The fountains at Ellis Square. Last time we were here, it was under construction

Posing with her lollipop in front of Riverstreet Sweets

A real 'pirate' ship that we got to go on a tour...VERY cool!

Relaxing in front of the Waving Girl Statue

Caroline is telling Papa all about the history of the Waving Girl

The boat Caroline said she bought for Papa and Nana....yes, we wish! ;)

This is a REAL pumpkin sitting in front of a restaurant...couldn't help but pose with it!

I did NOT want my pic taken but when your daughter begs...You give in :)

Halloween at Hilton Head Island

2010-11-26T18:07:00.000-05:00

Caroline and I spent Halloween weekend at Hilton Head Island. I had two furlough days on that Monday and Tuesday, so we packed up and off we went. We were joined by my mom and Gene and had a GREAT time! We arrived late Friday evening so we unpacked, got some sleep and woke up early on Saturday morning. Caroline had such an awesome time and LOVED playing in the sand (her favorite thing). I got some much needed relaxation and even got to read a book! There are tons of pictures and I will post a few more of our quick stop in Savannah that Monday.

Sunrise on Saturday morning...I could totally wake up early if my view looked liked this!
Seeing the beach on Saturday morning
Looking at her new beach toys and dishing out orders!

One of my favorite photos!

Dancing for us in the sand

Posing for us while we wait to do a bit of Trick-or-Treating at the Marriott

My happy, dancing little diva

Trick or Treating at the Marriott

Caroline LOVED rolling around in the sand....it was EVERYWHERE!

Doing a bit of swimming

Completely tuckered out after a long day at the beach

Gingerbread Playdough Recipe

2010-11-26T11:30:00.000-05:00

For the next three weeks of school, I am doing something entirely new and needed some fresh ideas. The first week, I am doing a gingerbread unit and the next two weeks, we will be 'traveling' around the world exploring how Christmas is celebrated.

I decided to make gingerbread playdough for each child to use during literacy and math centers. We will be spelling our 'snap' words and completing math problems with our playdough! Each child will be receiving their own special baggie (to help with the spread of germs) and I can't wait to see their faces.

This playdough was SUPER EASY to make and I even had all the ingredients in my pantry. I made some for Caroline and immediately she ran to get the rolling pin and baking sheet!! So cute!

Gingerbread Playdough Recipe

1 cup flour

1/2 cup salt

2 tsp cream of tarter

1 cup water

1 tsp vegetable oil

LOTS of cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, allspice, whatever!

Mix the dry ingredients. Play with the spices to get the scent/color you desire. Mix water and oil FIRST, then mix with dry ingredients. Stir together. In a pot, cook over low/medium heat, stirring frequently (about 2 minutes). The dough will start to pull away from the sides and clump together. Take the dough out of the pan and knead until soft and smooth. Allow to cool and store in an air tight container.

Perry, Georgia National Fair (October)

2010-11-22T17:28:00.004-05:00

Back in October, we went to Perry, Georgia to the Georgia National Fair. We had a blast! My sister, brother-in-law, and niece went with us. We saw lots of exhibits including Sea Lions, an exotic animal petting zoo, a circus, Austrialian animals, and lots of livestock. We spent the entire day and had a great time!

Eating her hamburger in the Circus

Enjoying Aunt Sissy's cotton candy!

Loving her first ride on a pony!

Kissing her pony good-bye

After the pig races (yes, I kid you not), Caroline spotted this pink camo 4 wheeler. She was super excited about this little toy!

Disney Princess on Ice

2010-11-22T17:04:00.004-05:00

On November 12, we took Caroline to see the Disney Princess on Ice. It was so much fun! We decided to NOT tell her where we were going but to just surprise her when the show began. I took the advice from Tammy and brought two of Caroline's princess dolls (Belle and Snow White) with us so we could avoid buying 'goodies'. We had awesome seats and got them at a super price!

I cannot even begin to describe Caroline's excitement when the lights went off and the skaters took the ice. She started shaking with excitement and pure joy! For two hours, she never took her eyes off the rink and wanted more when it ended! As soon as we got back into the car, she immediately crashed and I grabbed some java for some quick energy to drive back home.

This is at the end of the first half when the princesses (minus Cinderella) were skating. You can see how close we were to the rink.

Princess Jasmine...the first of the Princesses to skate

Holding up her Snow White doll when Snow White took the ice!

Posing for a pic before the show started

A little vent....

2010-11-08T20:13:00.002-05:00

Dear Caroline,

I just wanted to let you know that your future spouse does NOT stand a chance! I will be checking their background, starting with personal interviews of their kindergarten teacher and moving up to each grade. If their teacher is dead, I might just ressurect my friend Ann's witch board to summon them from the dead. (Insert sarcasm...maybe....kinda joking...okay, not really) If their mom is CRAZY, then YOU WILL NOT DATE THAT PERSON MUCH LESS MARRY THEM!!!!

Love,
Mom

Balancing Act?

2010-11-07T17:30:00.002-05:00

As usual, I am starting off this blog entry with "We are still here...". Boy, do I sound like a broken record! But, we are still here and we've once again been super busy.

My hat goes off to ALL working moms! I honestly don't know how you guys do it and still manage to keep your house clean, meals cooked, and kids looking great! I AM STRUGGLING! Every time I seem to have my act together, I realize that my floors haven't been handmopped or my ironing is becoming the size of Mount Everest. But, my laundry is caught up and my meals are cooked! Then...as soon as I tackle Mount Everest and mopping, then meals aren't cooked and laundry falls behind! When does this evil cycle end????

We are in the process of domesticating our adoption of Caroline and legally changing her name. As we have found out, NOTHING that pertains to our adoption is easy, so why should this be?? We 'drew' the 'toughest' judge who made us redo our bloodwork and our homestudy. What does this mean? Just more money and more time involved! Arrggghhh.......But soon, we will have every bit of our adoption story CLOSED! :)

Caroline is LOVING school. She loves learning and is well on her way to a Yale or Harvard scholarship, lol! She is quite the conversationalist and doesn't seem to meet a stranger. She loves soccer and going to gymnastics every week. Each Tuesday, we go to Chick-fil-A for family craft night. On Tuesday mornings, she wakes up and reminds me of Chickfila night! Caroline loves putting together puzzles and is quite the puzzle master. She sits down and puts together a 48 piece floor puzzle with ease. I'm still quite amazed!

For Halloween this year, we went to Hilton Head Island for a mini vacation. I had furlough days on Monday and Tuesday, so Nana, Papa, Caroline and I packed up and enjoyed some fun in the sun! Caroline LOVED the beach and spent hours in the sand. It was so nice to get away from the hustle and bustle of life. I loved seeing the pure excitement and joy on Caroline' face!

I have more work to do for school, cleaning around the house and a filthy girl to get in the bathtub, but I will return hopefully soon with some pictures.

August and September Picture Catch-up!

2010-09-15T18:50:00.004-04:00

Love this outfit! It's so pretty and preppy! It looks like Caroline is going out to play a round of golf! Too funny!

We've been watching the Mommy Kangaroo ever since she was a few days pregnant for the joey. Caroline and I went to the zoo on Monday and viola! The joey had its legs sticking out of the mommy's pouch! Pretty cool!

She loves looking at the flamingos and telling me how stinky they are!

First day of soccer! It was quite the disaster and I'm hoping that next week proves to be MUCH better! But, we did go out and buy a shiny purple ball, pink shin guards, and pink/black soccer shoes!

Caroline LOVES the petting zoo now!

We met up with some other Guatemalan American families to spend the day at the zoo. Here Caroline is telling Katherine all about the petting zoo, or at least I hope that's what she was saying, lol!

Caroline, Luke, and Sydney riding the Komodo Dragon outside of the reptile house! Aren't they adorable!!!

Caroline and Sydney checking out the meerkats. Love this pic!

Look at how Sydney is checking Caroline out! Too funny!

Sporting our ever so preppy pink/green/white argyle and plaid shorts! Gotta love pink and preppy! ;) Caroline was trying to show off her fancy tennis hairbow, but she kept turning her head, lol!

As usual, we have been very busy around Casa de Rose! I have returned back to teaching full time and Tim has changed careers! Yes, we have our hands full! I knew I wanted to go back to teaching, but hadn't planned on returning this soon. But, a great opportunity knocked and I am back in the kindergarten classroom (my favorite age!). Tim just finished up broadcasting school and was offered a new job with his own sports talk radio show! Caroline is still in school but now goes until I get off work. It's a long day, but she seems to love it.

I'm sure I have lots to share, but for now, all I can do is post pics and give a brief explanation of where we've been! Talk to you soon!

It's Chapel Day!

2010-08-11T16:43:00.003-04:00

It's Chapel Day at school and I LOVED not figuring out what clothes to have Caroline wear! I made her matching pigtail bows and 'jazzed' up her uniform by letting her wear polka dot canvas tennis shoes. Seeing her all dressed up, almost brought tears to my eyes...she looked so BIG! I wasn't quite ready for it!

For some reason, this picture reminds me of the pictures that we get of our sponsored child in the Dominican Republic...random background, forced smile, and standard clothes. It also made me realize that I need to weed and mulch my flower beds!
Cutie Caroline!

Caroline and Darren Mitchell, one of our good friends, posing together. Caroline LOVES him!

Any takers on weeding my flower beds???

First Day at a New School

2010-08-07T10:15:00.005-04:00

On Thursday, Caroline started a new school. We enrolled her in a local private school for various reasons. She seems to be enjoying it and I can't wait to see her academic progress as the year goes on. The new school has a uniform policy and on Wednesdays, she must wear a 'real' uniform, complete with the khaki skirt and crested polo shirt. I can't wait to post pics of her wearing her adorable knee socks! Even though she doesn't have to wear the 'uniform' every day, they have certain rules pertaining to the dress code (as in no graphics, longer shorts, etc...). Graphics you say? I rarely put Caroline in graphic shirts, but apparently, anything 'sewn' a.k.a. appliques are considered graphics. WHAT??? Okay, so now we're in trouble! Even Tim told me I might need to go shopping! ;)

For the first day, I was very unsure of what to put her in, so I put her in a very 'calm' outfit. The second day, not so calm! Caroline wasn't too thrilled with some of the pictures, but I thought I would post them anyway so you can see her outfits!

We also signed Caroline up for gymnastics class. They come to the school one day a week and do a pull out session for an hour. Her teacher and principal said she loved it! The principal even said she was quite talented at it! But, on Fridays...don't dress her in jumpers/skirts/dresses! LOL!

The night before school started, Caroline boycotted going to sleep. She destroyed her room and decided to sleep 'backwards'!

Happy to go to school and happily eating her yogurt

She wanted to take a picture with her blanket...I said no!
I gave in to the blanket and we got a smile!
I love this picture!

In the car on the way to school (don't worry, I was at a stoplight)
Day 2's outfit. Yep, a bit more wild and looking more like Caroline's 'taste'! Caroline wasn't too thrilled with taking pictures since we were taking her friend D.M. to school.
I wish that I would have taken a picture of the back of her. The dress is supercute in the back and of course, I made her a matching zebra/pink/green hairbow to match! It was quite adorable!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-07-07T20:00:00.000-04:00

Level 2 Swim Lessons....it's hard!

2010-07-06T09:15:00.002-04:00

I love this picture and how it shows Caroline swimming on her back. She is continuing to do great with her swimming. We started Level 2 and it is HARD! The first day was quite painful for me to watch as she wass in the deeper end of the pool and couldn't touch. As a matter of fact, she's so little that she can't hold onto the side of the pool as long as the bigger kids. She had to be put up on the side of the pool to sit and wait for her turn. The older kids were very sweet to her and never took advantage of the fact that she was so little and young. I loved her being with the older kids for that reason (more to come on this subject later this week). Caroline is swimming the length of the pool on her back by herself and can swim the length on her belly with some assistance. They also taught her to roll over onto her back when she needs to take a 'break and rest' and then flip back over and swim. I am so proud of her!
I love how fearless Caroline is with jumping off the diving board. There was another child around 9 years old that refused to jump off. He could jump off the side of the pool but the extra height just freaked him out. Not Caroline! She loves jumping off and can swim independently to the wall.

Caroline is waiting on her turn to jump and listening to her instructors for the directions on how she is going to swim across the pool...belly or back.

Thumbs up for a great job!

I also love this picture of how the older kids took an interest in her and thought of her as an 'equal' in the class.

Caroline is very into posing for her pictures right now (as you can see!). Here she is standing in line to swim the width of the pool and practice her arm strokes. This is a really hard skill for her. She has trouble getting her arms to come up out of the water in the right direction. We practice it every night but it's still hard. She'll get it eventually! :)

We are in Level 2 this week, which will be our last week of lessons for the summer. It's a new instructor and an assistant with a new set of students. I'm not really liking this week as much but it has taught me several things, which I'll post more on later this week.

Moving On Up....

2010-06-25T16:00:00.000-04:00

Apparently, we really have a little fish for a daughter. This week, it was made official...Caroline is moving up to Level 2. I was hesitant to make this decision since in the next level she will not even be able to stand due to the deeper level of water and the fact that she will be swimming the length of the big pool. But, several things happened to make me very sure of my decision.

One, she is in Level 1, but the kids are not up to her level. I'm not being snotty about this but the majority of the other kids are SCREAMING, getting out of the pool to have snack which the parent is allowing, not even attempting to swim....must I go on? I called Tim on Tuesday to let him hear the chorus of crying and screaming coming from the pool. It was quite ridiculous!!

Two, Caroline is now 'teaching' her babies to swim at home. She 'plays swim' ALL THE TIME! As a matter of fact, Caroline wants to come home and immediately get back in the pool at home. She loves it! Today, she was the Champion Breath Holder for all three competitions and set the record for the day in that level. She held her breath for 26 seconds, 24 seconds, and 22 seconds. That's quite a challenge for a little tyke! She was so proud of herself. She came home and told Tim that she 'beat all the boys'.

I think I should probably check her for gills. What do you think?

Potato Salad Recipe--Super EASY!

2010-06-24T20:00:00.000-04:00

I'm not entirely sure where I found this recipe, but it is super yummy! A few days ago, I bought a bag of potatoes on Manager's Special at Kroger. I thought that I had a few days to cook them, but when I got them home, I realized they needed to be peeled. Yuck! So, now I needed to come up with a recipe ASAP. I have to admit, I am a huge fan of buying potato salad already made in the deli section for pure convenience. The end result was great and the taste was awesome!

Potato Salad Recipe

3 pounds of potatoes, cooked until just tender, peeled and cubed

6 hard boiled eggs, cooked and coarsely chopped

1/4-1/2 cup of red onion, chopped

3/4 cup mayonnaise (little more or less depending on preference)

1-2 tbs mustard

salt

pepper

Combine potatoes, eggs, and onions. Stir in mayonnaise and mustard until you have the consistency/taste you desire. Use salt and pepper to taste.

If only I had someone to peel those potatoes, this recipe would have been perfect! This recipe was super easy and relatively quick (after the potatoes and eggs cooled). I made it late one night and then placed it in the fridge overnight to help the flavors come together. We ate on it for several days!

Did I say a schedule???

2010-06-22T19:21:00.003-04:00

I just realized that I told you I was going to post our new schedule. Well...I don't have a written schedule like I had envisioned but I am keeping Caroline VERY BUSY with various activities. I have seen quite a difference in her since I've limited the television, put down the computer, and set a kitchen timer (thanks LB!).

Some of the activities that we have been doing include: cleaning, folding clothes, putting away laundry, and cooking. Yes, I have given her chores to help keep her busy. Caroline has also been playing more independently with her dolls, puzzles, and other toys. It's been quite nice! As far as other activities, we've been going to swim lessons, playing in our pool, having playdates, and doing some crafts.

The battle of the bath has been won, though some nights are much easier than others. The constant snacking has been haulted, and bedtime has been easier. LB suggested that I use a timer for a 5 minute warning before bed and it has been very effective!!! Thanks LB!

I guess my new battle is that Caroline is obsessed with changing clothes. So much so that she has taught herself to correctly put on her shirts, shorts, underwear, and shoes. The problem that I face is that she doesn't fold and put them back in the drawers! LOL! But, I can handle that since she is learning a life skill. ;)

Taking a Swim

2010-06-17T14:34:00.005-04:00

Caroline started Level 1 for her swimming class. She is doing awesome! I am so proud of her! She's the youngest in the class, so some of the instructions are going way over her head, but after she watches the other kids or the instructor demonstrate the technique, she picks up on it quickly. She is able to independently float on her back, holds her breath for 20 seconds (that was today!), and jumps off the diving board. Caroline tends to do the 'running man' while she is swimming on her belly, but is getting the hang of not bending her knees. She can kick correctly on her back and is blowing bubbles out her nose. The pictures are all out of order and I'm still trying to download the video of her jumping off the diving board. It's so cute!!

Her instructor came up to me today and told me that she was still on the fence about passing her to the next level, Level 2. I told her not to worry about it because I would like to keep her in Level 1 to work on her kicking. In Level 2, she has to swim the length of the pool and begins to learn freestyle swim techniques. Honestly, I don't think she's developmentally ready for that level and I don't think she's strong enough yet to get across the pool by herself. My goodness, she just turned 3! Or, maybe it's that I'm a bit freaked out for her!

A side story about how much I am grateful for swim lessons....Last weekend, we went to two pool parties at some of our friends' houses. She did great on Friday night, no problems. On Saturday night, Caroline fell in to the deep end. I was sitting on the ledge of the steps watching her play with a ten year old girl. Apparently, there was a ledge that went halfway around the pool and dropped off. It was dark in the pool (the lights hadn't been turned on) and she didn't know it ended, nor did I. I looked off to say something to Tim who was sitting on the deck, but I didn't. I quickly turned around because of the gut instinct of something was wrong. I looked up in time to see Caroline being pulled up by the ten year old girl. There was no way that she was under for a long time, probably a few seconds. But, when I got to her, I just reassured her that I was there and there was no problem. I didn't want her to freak out. I also told her that was why we take swim lessons to prepare for things like this. She nodded and didn't seem to scared, even though her heart was rapidly beating. The cool thing is that she 'kicked up'. She knew what to do! So, if you are around pools/water...get your kids in swim lessons ASAP! It helped save her life!

Caroline and Miss Sarah doing a belly float on Day 1

This picture shows how small she is compared to the other swimmers.

Caroline doing her backfloat by herself

My cutie!

I love this pose...check out the bent knee!

Practicing her kicks with Miss Sarah

You can barely see her head over the side of the pool...so small!

Pulling herself up to give me a big smile!

This mommy's confession....

2010-06-13T21:00:00.000-04:00

We have made it through the 'Terrible Two's', and I must say, they weren't that bad. Actually, she was quite angelic compared to what we are going through now!!! The "Terrible Three's" have arrived and they are whipping my butt! I feel like I have tried everything to tame the 'beast', but NOTHING is working. So after this weekend's fiasco, I have decided to put Caroline on a regimented schedule with almost every minute accounted for. Tomorrow begins Day 1, but we are doing a 'trial run' today and I can already see a slight difference. I managed to difuse two tantrums this morning. One was over breakfast and the other over giving Peanut a bath. Silly little things really get her blood boiling, lip quivering, and vocal chords going!!

It's time to tell you what a lazy mom I have been since summer started...no judgements please! My child does NOT like to eat breakfast. She simply likes to ease in the morning with some milk and television. I've been horrible at letting her nibble ALL DAY, so when it's time for a meal, she doesn't want to eat. I honestly didn't want to choose this battle since it's a BIG ONE. Again...no judgements, please. But, we will be fixing this problem with our new schedule. I think this may be the hardest one to conquer.

Showers and bath have been a HUGE battle for us, so I simply sponge bathe her and all is right in the world....until it's time for the actual shower time. This turns into crazy meltdowns and always ends up with me and her in tears. What happened to my sweet daughter who LOVED taking showers, who loved singing, and playing in the 'rain'? Again, this will be fixed this week. It's time for Mommy to take back control!

Television...yep, it's a bad one. I am pretty strict on the amount of television she watches, but I am human. Some days seem so long and I'm tiptoeing (is that how that's spelled???) around a meltdown/fit/tantrum, that I just give in and turn the television on. If she leaves the room, I turn it off and BAM! another meltdown! Last week, I put her on television restriction for two days. It was quite wonderful!!! No white noise, no singing cartoon characters, no whining from Rintoo, it was just glorious! So, today we started the timer. She can watch television for a certain amount of time and then it goes off. The timer then is set for 90 minutes and then she can have another tv time. But, today she walked out of the room and I turned it off and started the time. I was preparing for meltdown, but IT DIDN'T COME!!! She was fine with it. I think maybe since she could see the timer, it was a visual reminder that it would come back on...eventually.

Okay, so I basically feel like I have bared my soul. To some, it may not seem like this stuff is a big deal, but it is for us. It's time for me to take back control over my VERY STRONG WILLED CHILD. And, I will for my own sanity. I'll post my schedule later this week and I'll keep you updated on how our progress is going. I also plan on reading "The Strong-willed Child" by Dr. James Dobson. Funny sidenote...I was cleaning upstairs and rearranging the books on the shelf when I found this one. I know that I didn't buy it and Tim certainly didn't buy it. Where did it come from???

Zoo Atlanta Trip #2

2010-06-11T21:00:00.000-04:00

Caroline and Savannah in front of the flamingos

Once again, not impressed with the petting zoo!

Definitely NOT impressed!

Once I gave Caroline a brush for the animals, she was semi-okay with the petting zoo. She kept telling me the animals were dirty and didn't want to touch them!

She brushed this sheep because I bribed her with cookies!

Posing with one of the goats....he looked tame enough....

Didn't want to touch the goat's ear....

My sister and I decided to take our picture with the cute, tame goat. We sat down and smiled for the picture. This cute goat decided he wanted to nibble on my neck and sit in my lap! YIKES! My sister jumped up and I was trapped with the goat!!! You can tell from my face that I was beginning to feel the goat on my shoulder...

I started freaking out and the goat stood completely up and almost took my head off in the process! I was paralyzed!!

Yep, here I am trying it again with a different goat when the 'other' goat decided to pop into my picture!!! He wouldn't leave me alone! LOL! I guess I smelled great!! By the way, look at those chompers and that hilarious smile he is giving for the camera!

Here's my new boyfriend or stalker!!!

Savannah took the next few pics, didnt' she do a great job?

Savannah and Caroline on the carousel

Caroline loved the carousel! I am so glad that Savannah was there to ride it with her. I cannot ride carousels, as I get major motion sickness on things just going in circles!!!

Caroline was telling me next time she was going to ride the lion..."ROAR!!!!"

Swim Lessons Part 1

2010-06-10T10:15:00.002-04:00

Caroline started her swim lessons again this summer. I must say that she is awesome! She's such a waterbaby and LOVES swimming. Last summer, she graduated from Waterbabies/Toddler Time to Level 1, but she wasn't tall enough, lol! So this year, I put her in one week of the toddler time to get her adjusted back to the water. After the first day, she was ready to go into level 1!!! But, being the slacker/ADD mom that I sometimes am, I forgot to sign up in advance for the next week's level 1 class, so we are having to take off a week. :( But, her teacher showed me some techniques to work with her on at our pool and I must say...she's rockin'! She's still able to dive down and retrieve blocks/toys off the bottom of the 5 feet, she swims under the water, and can still float on her back. We are working on swimming above the water with her face in the water. At first, Caroline was unsure about me letting go of her for to her to independently swim, but she's doing much better. She's almost able to do it by herself after a few days of me working with her. Who knows, maybe she won't go to college on a tennis or softball scholarship; perhaps it's a swim scholarship!!! LOL!!

Zoo Atlanta Trip #1

2010-06-04T20:00:00.000-04:00

We bought season passes to the Atlanta Zoo (awesome deal...14 months with unlimited passes for 2 adults and 4 children). Caroline and I went on Memorial Day and she LOVED it! The last time we went to the zoo was in Guatemala and it was quite different. The animals were much closer and the ice cream was much cheaper! LOL! I found a $10 bill as soon as we walked in, so it meant FREE ice cream!

Caroline's favorite thing was the 'map'. She was so adorable with it! She mapped out what she wanted to see and then would find it on the map when we stopped at the various animals. She's definitely our daughter (our parents used to keep us busy in the car by giving us maps!).
We went to see the Panda Bears and this one was so cute! He kept looking at us from the glass and probably thinking...'whatcha looking at? You guys are the 'show', not me!'!! Caroline loved the pandas! She can still tell you they are from China and they eat bamboo! Great teaching moment.

They have a great petting zoo for children. However, Caroline was NOT impressed! Actually, she was quite disgusted by all the animals and didn't want to touch anything!

Can you believe that this pot belly pig is exactly what I used to want as a pet? I even researched how to take care of them years ago. The only reason I didn't get one is because they supposedly can open your fridge so you have to put chains on it! LOL!

Not even the funny goat on the rocks got Caroline to smile...

This is EXACTLY how she looked the entire time we were in the petting zoo!

Devouring her free strawberry ice cream!! Yummy!

We stopped to watch the monkeys while Caroline was eating her ice cream. This little guys was hilarious! He jumped onto the fence and just watched Caroline eat. It was a bit freaky and funny!

Forcing a smile for me next to the gorilla statue!

There was a baby gorilla (week old) and it was so cute! Funny story....I have never stopped and watched the socialization of gorillas. The mom was breast feeding the baby and the father was watching with loving eyes. All of a sudden, the 'relatives' came and started gushing over the baby. They literally patted the father on the back and I was waiting for the cigars to be passed out! LOL! The 'relatives' then tried to hold the baby, but the mom was having no part of that. She took off running and they began to follow her. The father stood up and held out his hand (picture stop sign) and they all stopped. CRAZY!!! It was like watching a human family interact with each other. I'm sure Caroline didn't pick up on it, but it was very cool to watch.

This gorilla was cracking us up! He took his food bowl and put it on top of his head and then just stared at us. When we started laughing, he took it off and began to 'hug it'. Too funny!

Caroline decided she wanted to 'ride' a giraffe. LOL!

We also got to see the baby warthogs. Caroline thought they were cute! A family standing beside us were looking at them and speaking in a different language. But the mom said in broken English to her husband "What are they?" He shrugged his shoulders. Caroline then asked me, "Mommy, what are they again?" I replied, "warthogs". She then tapped the mother on the shoulder and said, "Those are called warthogs." I thought it was so cute! She's no longer my shy girl!

We loved the meerkats! They were so cute and playful! We got to watch them being weighed and fed special snacks. This one is funny because he kept imitating Caroline! Look closely and you can see one laying on his back. It reminded us of our dog, Peanut!

Tim and Tennis

2010-06-03T20:00:00.000-04:00

As I said, I am trying to catch you guys up on what's been going on in our lives over the past month...

Tim participated in a State USTA tennis tournament May 7-9 in Macon, Georgia. Lucky for us, it was only about an hour away and Caroline and I could come watch him. On Friday, I had Bethanie (the babysitter) come and I ventured down by myself to cheer for Tim and his team. I brought Caroline with me on Saturday and Sunday. It was a long weekend of tennis and Caroline was such a trooper! But most importantly...we were so proud of Tim! He did awesome! He only lost one match the entire tournament and the matches he won, he won convincingly! Tennis is a huge part of our daily lives and I can't wait for Caroline to start taking lessons. She's already displaying some tennis skills, as she can hit the ball over the regular net. :) I called the Peachtree City Tennis Center to see if I can bring her for tennis camp, but she's a year too young. However, they said I could bring her for a day to see if she can 'hang' with the older group. I think I may do that. ;)

Tim hitting a winning shot for me on Mother's Day!

Caroline...the #1 Cheerleader!

Showing off her new Nike Tennis outfit! How adorable!!

We were both a bit tired for this picture. :)

Another ta-da moment!

Caroline kept saying, "Go Daddy! One at a time!" How cute!

Just another cute shot!

Caroline kept telling me, "Take my picture Mommy!!"

Such a cutie!

Not sure what's going on here...it may have been after Tim won and he was walking to the net???

Tim on Saturday

A little sidenote...everytime Tim hits a serve, his tongue is out...not sure why, but it must be the extreme concentration!

Moms and Muffins on Friday morning before Tim's tennis tournament. Caroline could have cared less if I was there, LOL! She was so busy playing with her friends!

Don't you just love the 'fake' smile?? I do!

Caroline's Artist Debut

2010-06-02T20:00:00.000-04:00

Caroline's preschool had an Art Show on April 23rd and Caroline's artwork was proudly displayed in the halls. I honestly had no idea what to expect....'grand' does not even begin to describe it! If you aren't family, then you might just want to skip over this entry as it might be quite boring for you. LOL! Really, it won't hurt my feelings. :)

Here's a brief summary of the artwork. Each teacher does a 'special' piece of art each month. She holds it back and the parents don't see it until the big reveal. Each of Caroline's artwork is mainly her own work with some assistance from the teacher. It is NOT teacher finished and this is evident because it is NOT perfect. I cannot stand for a teacher to do the child's art for them...what makes that special? Nothing! Caroline is quite artistic and loves doing art. She loves painting and her fine motor skills are quite exceptional! I know...I'm quite lucky and I'm not just bragging! ;)

Caroline posing in front of her "Bug on a Rug" picture
Caroline and Papa posing in front of the zoo display! Papa hates to have his picture made, but oh, well!! LOL!

Caroline's tiny thumb prints made this beautiful artwork!

Bug on a Rug

Owl Puppet and Baby Owls

Did you hear??? Caroline walked on the moon!!!

Frogs on a Log

Not Caroline's artwork, but mine!! I had my class make the cattails for the pond mural! I love how they turned out!

Caroline's Footprint Dragonfly

Handprint Farm Animals

Prancing Penguin

I love the fingerpainted tree and the handprint turkey! Caroline also told me how she glued all the leaves.

Caroline's "Little Cloud" artwork...can you guess what it is?

This is the Crocodile Pond...isn't it great? I loved how Caroline painted and put together her crocodile perfectly! She's so meticulous and knows exactly what she wants to do! Her tadpoles are even 2 by 2!

Caroline's Third Birthday!!

2010-06-01T20:00:00.000-04:00

We celebrated Caroline's birthday on Saturday, April 24th at our house. I decided to have a 'fiesta theme' and serve Guatemalan and Mexican food dishes. For her cake, I had a local bakery make a pink Sombrero cake! It wasn't quite my vision, but it was pretty cool and Caroline loved it! My family came into town and we had two of our neighbors and a tennis friend come to the party. Since she's so little, I wanted to keep it small. I had planned on having Caroline's fiesta outside but the weather did NOT cooperate and it poured ALL DAY! I totally underestimated the time it took to make this 'simple meal'! My mom and I cooked: chunky guacamole dip, cheese rotel dip, creamy bean dip, pineapple tequila salsa, homemade salsa, hardshell tacos, softshell tacos, Mexican pizzas, and Jalapeno Poppers. But, Caroline enjoyed the dips and tacos, so it was worth it!

Caroline had a great time with her friends Darren Mitchell and Caroline Camden! She loved all her presents and loved eating tacos and Mexican pizza! I'm so sorry that the pictures are out of order, but I'm too tired to fix them right now. :)

Caroline Turns 3!

2010-05-30T10:44:00.002-04:00

On April 21, Caroline turned three years old!!! It's still so hard to believe that my baby girl is getting so big! Her actual birthday fell on a school day, so we baked cupcakes and took them to school to celebrate with her friends. Back in December, Caroline picked out a flower cupcake pan from Williams-Sonoma for her birthday, so we bought it and stored it in the pantry.

These cupcakes were VERY difficult to make! It took me about 4 hours to make 10 of them! CRAZY!! They were the heaviest and the largest cupcakes these kids had ever seen. :) The most difficult thing was trying to get them to school without them falling over! It would have been a perfect opportunity for a Mission Impossible team. We had a few wounded flowers, but all in all, they survived.

For security reasons, I won't post pictures of her friends at school, but let's just say...they were excited! They loved the flower cupcakes and all the icing!

As we are going down memory lane....Caroline just told me, "Mommy! My cupcakes from my birthday! Papa played with me while you made them!!" I think it's so neat to know that she remembered them. All the complaining and hardwork was a small price to pay for my daughter fondly remembering her birthday cupcakes at school. :)

what have we been up to?

2010-05-27T15:40:00.002-04:00

I'm sure if you are still reading this blog, you are probably wondering where we have been! I took a longterm substitute teaching job at Caroline's Preschool in the middle of April. I worked five days a week from 8:30-12:30 (but, a teacher's work is never done...so make that 2:00 then work at home!). I enjoyed being back in a classroom, planning activities, and I LOVED seeing Caroline every day in her classroom. Since I was working five days, Caroline stayed in her 'normal' classroom but attended another classroom the other two days. She was in heaven!

I forgot (or blocked out) how much time teaching consumes of my daily life! It's great, but my blogging became nonexistent and even my couponing slowed down quite a bit. Caroline and I are off for the summer and have lots of activities planned. She will be going to swim lessons again, we became members of the Atlanta Zoo, and have several playdates set up. We also plan on doing several 'mini' vacations to see grandparents and the beach.

I promise to post pictures of Caroline's birthday fiesta and some other fun activities. Stay tuned!

Caroline Sneak Peek!

2010-05-08T09:53:00.002-04:00

We are still here...

2010-05-06T18:25:00.002-04:00

Just a quick note to let you all know we are still alive and doing well! I took a longterm substitute teaching job, so no time for blogs right now! It's been quite the adjustment going back to work. But, life will return back to normal in a few weeks and I promise to resume regular posts/updates. I also have some great pictures to share of Caroline.

Easter Afternoon

2010-04-10T10:52:00.002-04:00

Modeling her Bunny Jewelry that Grandmama sent her

Showing off her new Lelli Kelli's shoes!

The Bunny Cupcakes we made for Easter Dinner

Caroline got tired of waiting for Tim to hide her eggs that she took them outside and hid them herself!

Any eggs inside????

Found one!!!

Sorting her eggs

Look at the sweat pouring off her face! It was SO HOT!

Easter Sunday

2010-04-07T19:02:00.000-04:00

We had a great Easter! Since we had our traditional Easter dinner on Friday night, we were able to 'take it easy' after church. :) We decided to go out to eat Sunday night instead. Caroline is not wearing her traditional smocked dress, but is wearing the same dress my niece wore ten years ago in our wedding. My mom saved it for my little girl. :) She kept swirling around like a princess! So sweet and cute! We took tons of pictures, so I'm going to divide this post into two parts (after Church in our dress clothes) and then part two (egg hunt at our house).

This is what the Easter Bunny brought Caroline. It didn't fit it in her basket! She got a floor puzzle (she's graduated to the large floor puzzles with 50 pieces!), a Melissa and Doug number puzzle, Strawberry shortcake softball glove, movies, books, bath paint, sidewalk chalk/rake, and candy! She was so excited to see all of her goodies!

The following pictures are some of my favorite photos of Caroline from Sunday. I wish that some of them didn't turn out so dark, but I know NOTHING about photography! ;)

A Local Egg Hunt...it was a bit weird!

2010-04-06T19:00:00.001-04:00

I took Caroline to a local egg hunt on Saturday morning. We have never been to an 'official egg hunt', so I didn't know what to expect. I had always pictured my daughter hunting for eggs in her beautiful smocked dress, big hairbow, pink basket, and mary jane shoes. Can you tell I'm from the south? So this morning, my heart skipped a beat (or two or three) when Caroline picked out her clothes! My dream was coming true! She chose the following outfit: pink mary janes, frilly socks, smocked dress, and her big pink/green hairbow! I suppose in my dream, all the children would be dressed in their smocked dresses and jon jons with long white socks. Perhaps, a lamb or some bunnies would be available for photo ops and LOTS of eggs in wonderful green grass...wake me up now...because that is NOT what we experienced today!

As we got out of the car, I knew something was a bit off. Definitely no lambs or bunnies and no green grass! It was almost something out of a nightmare. Children were piling out of cars (who knows how they all got in there...), NO smocked dresses, plastic bags replaced baskets, and I'm not even going to talk about the parents...

When it was time to begin (thirty minutes late), I quickly took Caroline over to the empty area so we wouldn't be tainted by the weirdness...But alas, it was there too. I was totally amazed at how these parents were scooping up eggs and throwing them in the bags while they were running over little children. Seriously? YES! What was UP WITH THAT??? Even Caroline was just staring at them!

But onto my cute princess...Caroline was so cute today! She only wanted to pick up one of each color egg. She was also very bothered if an egg was open. I had to help her close it before she would put it in her basket! How funny! She HATED the cotton candy, didn't want the popcorn, and requested water (much to the lady's dismay...claiming that the juice boxes were for the kids. Hated to tell her that Caroline didn't have a clue what a juice box was!). She enjoyed the spoon egg race (her egg was purple and her competition was me!), so of course, she won!

All in all, we had a great morning. But, I will be traveling next year to the Northside so we won't stand out with our smocked dress and perhaps we will get a lamb/bunny photo op!

Waiting very patiently for the hunt to begin
So excited to see the pink eggs!

I had to help her close this egg before she could put it in her basket!

Posing for a pictureTrying cotton candy for the first time...

DISGUSTING!!! (That's my girl!!!)

Eating a piece of candy

Sweet girl!

Friendly Egg Hunt

2010-04-05T16:45:00.001-04:00

One of our best friends (sniff, sniff) is moving next week, so we had a traditional Easter dinner for them on Friday night. We gathered at one of the neighbor's house to have our egg hunt and then eat. Two of us have little girls, who will grow up to be best friends too, named Caroline. ;) They had their own egg hunt since they are little. The girls were so cute hunting for their eggs! They would just run around and pick up the 'pretty' eggs and then talk to each other about the colors! Too cute! Oh, and isn't Caroline's basket adorable? Her Grandmama gave it to her last year!

After the egg hunt we sat down to enjoy shrimp, baked honey ham, deviled eggs, cream corn, green beans, orange salad, and bread. For dessert, we enjoyed chocolate strawberries, raspberry streusel, and bunny cupcakes (for the kids). So YUMMY!

Nothing is better than close friends gathering over a southern meal chatting! Good times! By the way, I know I am posting tons of pictures of egg hunts, but since all of our family lives far away, it's a way of sharing Caroline's life with them. Once again, the video worked! I hope our family and friends love it!

Posing with Mommy after the hunt
Caroline and Caroline...the best of friends!

The girls are getting really tired of the pictures!!

Seriously? Another one??

Caroline Camden gave Caroline the cute bunny wand. She wouldn't put it down!

How sweet! Sharing eggs among friends!

So excited!

Press play for an egg hunt video

Caroline's Egg Hunt at School

2010-04-04T14:30:00.000-04:00

I'm apologizing in advance for the pictures being so out of order!

On Wednesday, March 31, Caroline had her egg hunt and spring pictures at her school. But, I was that Mom...the one who wouldn't let her hunt in her dress because they hadn't had their class picture yet! LOL! So, I changed her clothes for the hunt and then changed back into the dress for the picture. They were so cute hunting their eggs! They would pass up the eggs right beside them and run towards the one egg across the playground!

Hugging her eggs after the hunt!
These two little boys were fighting over who was going to give Caroline one of her eggs that fell out of her basket! How sweet!
Looking for eggs in the tree

Dividing up the eggs after the hunt

These are the two boys that are 'in love' with Caroline!

Proud of her eggs!

Sweet Angel!

This is one of Caroline's besties from school!

Such cuties!

Bugz Musical at School

2010-04-03T12:54:00.004-04:00

Before the performance...we were 'saving' our seats! Isn't she just the cutest little firefly?

Push play on the video

Caroline had her spring musical at school, Bugz. It was so cute! The little ones were dressed up as fireflies and came in midway. She was so funny! She saw me and immediately said, "There's my mommy!" to her little neighbor. But, when she saw my sister and Savannah, it was all over! She kept yelling "Issy!! Issy! Savannah!!" It was so cute! It was definitely the cutest musical I've seen and the background was awesome! Can you believe those flowers were made out of paper? Her school is so creative and they LOVE their jobs! If you are looking for a great preschool, let me know and I'll send you the information! :) This is the first time that I have been able to download a video on my blog, so I am super excited and I hope you guys enjoy it!

What have we been doing?

2010-03-20T11:04:00.003-04:00

We have been struggling with the 'sickies' around here. I got a horrible sinus infection and then Caroline got this freak virus that had her temperature still rising at 104.1! CRAZY! So for a week, we did nothing but stay in the bed. Once we were all better, life become hectic.

I substitute taught at her preschool for the last 5 days which wore me slap out! I'm not used to chasing 8 2-year olds at the same time! LOL! But, it was fun and Caroline went to school each day which was an adjustment for her in the mornings. She had a great time!

I've been playing lots of tennis as I have made it to the City Finals for one of my singles leagues. Yay! I had the battle of the century last night and now I am hobbling around (yes, thank you wonderful ankle!). But, I am also gearing up for another match this afternoon. CRAZY!

Caroline has rediscovered her love for strawberries this week. Strawberries were on sale for $1.00/lb at Target, so we made several trips to buy her berries. All in all, I bought 14 lbs and I think she could eat them all! I am freezing about half of them so we can make strawberry smoothies and shakes for a bit. It's a GREAT price to stock up, but the sale ends today. Who knows? I may even go back today to get some more (there is a limit). :) She even wanted to take a bag of berries to her friends at school for snack. Of course, we packed them up and she loved sharing with her friends.

Caroline has been LOVING the paints that I bought her. She paints at least twice a day and plays with her new playdough and the tools. She is so creative and can spend hours at the table! I was never really excited about my glass kitchen table until I discovered how easy it was to wipe away the paint! Now, I am loving it!

Here are some pictures of her painting a handprint shamrock. Sorry that the pictures are out of order, but I am having difficulty with downloading my pics. But, you get the point!

Showing off her finished masterpiece!
Placing glue on her handprint to form a shamrock

Painting her handprints green! She LOVES painting!

California Pizza Kitchen Mac & Cheese Recipe

2010-03-11T13:45:00.000-05:00

One of our favorite restaurants is California Pizza Kitchen. Caroline is in LOVE with their mac & cheese, so I decided to find a recipe that is similar. I made this recipe last night and I must say, it was almost dead on! We all loved it and it was super easy to make (which is essential around here!).

CPK Mac and Cheese Recipe:

16 oz Rotini Pasta (I used whole wheat)
8 oz Velveeta Cheese
1 1/4 C Heavy Cream
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter

Cook pasta in boiling water for 10-12 minutes until al dente. Meanwhile, cut velveeta cheese into cubes and add it to the cream and butter in a large sauce pan. Cook on low heat, stirring often. Drain pasta and add to cheese mixture, stirring gently to evenly coat.

General Tso's Chicken Recipe

2010-03-09T12:00:00.000-05:00

I want to introduce you to one of my new favorite recipe blogs Kara's Kitchen Creations. I have tried several of her recipes and they are so easy and super yummy!

On Friday afternoon, I decided to give the General Tso's Chicken Recipe a try. It was very flavorful and Caroline LOVED it! Here's the recipe:

1 lb boneless chicken breast (I used tenderloins)
1/3 C flour
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
2 Tbsp oil
1/4 C sugar
1 Tbsp cornstarch
3 Tbsp water
1/4 C soysauce
1/4 C vinegar
1/4 C pineapple juice
2 cloves garlic (minced)
1 tsp freshly grated ginger (I used ground ginger)
Red Pepper Flakes (optional to taste)
4 green onions sliced (I omitted these, I let mine ruin)

Cut chicken in 1 inch pieces. Mix together flour and cayenne pepper. Dredge chicken in flour mixture and cook in small amount of oil.
In a saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch. Slowly whisk in liquids, ginger, and garlic. Cook and stir over medium heat til thick and bubbly. Add red pepper flakes and green onions. Pour over chicken to coat. Serve with fluffy rice.

As I said, this recipe was yummy! I didn't have time to go to the grocery for fresh ginger and I omitted the green onions and the red pepper flakes (didn't have them). I opted for more cayenne pepper. Also, I would reduce the vinegar by just a bit. It seemed a little too strong, but my taste buds are messed up with a sinus infection right now. So, who knows! :)

My Little Wildcat

2010-03-08T15:30:00.000-05:00

Caroline looks like she is 'up to something' in this picture...
Yep, definitely scheming about something!
Big, cheesy grin for you!

My second favorite picture

My favorite picture!

I bought this dress for Caroline in the fall at a Boutique Overstock Sale in Buckhead. Since we live in Georgia, it's hard to find anything that isn't UGA or GTech, so when I stumbled on this dress, I scooped it up! It got pushed to the back of her closet since it's a shortsleeved dress, but I really wanted her to wear it (UK WAS on a winning streak). So, we paired it with a white turtleneck and wore it to school. She's such a girly girl...she wouldn't even paint at school that day because she was wearing her 'smocked dress'! That's my girl!

The Knox Life is coming to an end...

2010-03-07T16:45:00.000-05:00

My life of living in the land of Knox is coming to an end very soon. They expire on March 9th, so I headed to Publix to use some. I still have 13 left, and they will be gone probably tomorrow. The unfortunate thing is that this week's sale at Publix is a bummer.

Transaction Details:
12- Knox $1.39 ea (12- $4.00 MQ)= Free+++
1- Publix Bread $1.25 ($2.00 MQ wyb Kraft singles)= Free+
4- Kraft Shredded Cheese $1.66 ea (2- $2/2 MQ and 1-$1.00 Target Q)
1- Kraft Singles $2.00 ea (1- $1.00 Target Q)
1- Quilted Northern $5.99 (1- $1.00 MQ)
2- Pillsbury Savorings $1.90 ea (1- $1.00/2 MQ)
1- Tyson Entree $4.00 (1- $1.00 MQ and $2.00 PQ)
1- Hawaiian Bread 4 pack $.99 (Free wyb Tyson Entree MQ)
1- Purpose Facial Cleanser $5.59 (1- $2.00 MQ)
1- Publix Bacon $3.00
1- Dasani Water $4.99
1- Milk $2.28
1- Half and Half $1.75
1- Heavy Whipping Cream $2.45
1- Vinegar $.85
1- Duke's Light Mayo $1.78
1- Strawberry $1.66
1- Capers $1.49
1- Bell Pepper $2.63
Plum Tomato $1.33

Total: $93.14
Total OOP: $4.72

Craft Day at Lakeshore

2010-03-06T15:00:00.000-05:00

Bouncing on a "Bouncy Ball"...she's getting one for her birthday!

She had so much fun with this ball!

This past weekend, Caroline and I went to one of my favorite stores-Lakeshore! I wanted to grab some dot paint dabbers (think Bingo markers) and washable stamp pads for our craft basket. We arrived to find they were celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday with lots of craft activities for the kids. We made a Dr. Seuss hat, Horton Hears a Who ears, Red Fish Blue Fish fish tanks, and a rainbow bookmark. Caroline LOVED Lakeshore and I look forward to taking her back soon.

I'm a Real Mommy now!

2010-03-05T13:26:00.002-05:00

On Thursday, I decided that since my housekeeper (Have you seen her? Her name is Bethany....) was MIA, I needed to pick up her slack! I cleaned ALL DAY long. My floors are now so clean that we might just eat off of them!

Anyway, Thursday night when I put Caroline in the bathtub, I decided to go ahead and clean my bathroom. After cleaning the counters, I climbed up and began cleaning the dust off the lights. Caroline was watching all this in amazement and announced, "Mommy, you're turning into a real mommy now!"

Seriously? Where does she get this???

Snow Days in Georgia

2010-02-24T13:00:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, we experienced a wonderful thing in Georgia...SNOW! We were blessed with about five inches and we LOVED every minute of it! Of course, we weren't totally prepared as we didn't really have the appropriate outfits. Hence, the mismatched clothing, no warm hats or snow boots. :) Caroline had been watching so many movies about 'snowmen', so she was super excited to build her own. She was great at rolling the snow into balls and loved throwing snowballs at us. We had tons of fun with our good friends down the street, Daniel and John. Excuse the pictures........they are in REVERSE order. ;)

The second day...the snow is melting, but is still lots of fun!
Not happy posing with her great snowman! We used brocolli for eyes, carrot nose, and tomatoes for the mouth...yep, we had extra veggies at the house.

Loving the snow!

Throwing a snowball at me!

Gathering up her 'ammo'...

I love this picture because you can see the snow really falling down.

Caroline is making her first snowball!

Running in the backyard with the first drops of snow, notice the giant 'snowball...aka soccer ball' in Caroline's hands. Peaches LOVES playing ball!

Helping Peanut get the snow off her back! Poor Peanut was NOT impressed with the snowfall!

Caroline is yelling, "It's snowing, Moooommmmyy!!!"

Caroline Cuteness

2010-02-22T22:29:00.004-05:00

Caroline's hair was fixed, but she spent the afternoon at "Aunt Issy's" house...the bows are MIA!
Posing with her cheese in a Creation for Caroline Original
Love this picture!

I love how you can see her double dimples...reminds me of my dad's! :)

Pure Sweetness!

And We're Back!

2010-02-21T22:43:00.002-05:00

Caroline and I are back from visiting my family this past week. We had a wonderful time and enjoyed being pampered by my mom and Gene (aka Nana and Papa). As you all know, we got hit by a snowstorm so that delayed our trip by a night. Caroline and I traveled to Nashville and then spent the night in a hotel. We had so much fun...a girl's night!

Caroline was spoiled rotten by Nana and Papa. She had a constant play companion and had everyone 'on call'. I was able to spend time learning/working my mom's new embroidery and sewing machine. Unfortunately, I am taking it to the repair center because something is wrong with the computer screen. I can't wait to start monogramming all her ribbons and shirts, after all, a girl can't live in the South without monogramming!

Since I have been back home, I have hit the ground running. I have a super busy week with a HUGE consignment sale (I'm working 12 hours), a tennis match, the teacher appreciation luncheon (postponed) on Friday and dogsitting my sister's two dogs. I am also trying to get my coupons organized for the Publix Italian Days Sale. We will be stocking up on Progresso Soup, Pillsbury Bread, and Whole Wheat Pasta. At 15cents a box (after coupon), I urge you to buy several boxes and donate them to the Food Pantry!!! Of course, once I get my coupons in order and shop, it will be time to gather the next batch.

I am trying a new recipe this week and I can't wait to post the recipe. My mom fixed it for us and it was YUMMY! I have most of the ingredients in my stockpile, but will be buying a few needed items. I'm also substituting turkey breast for hamburger meat. Since my week is so busy, I'm trying to cook as much ahead of time, to help reduce stress. Tonight, I cooked a honey glazed spiral sliced ham and veggies. It made enough for sandwiches and dinner tomorrow night. It was my first time to cook a ham and I must say, I was quite pleased (not to mention the fact I only paid $8 for a 10 pound ham at Kroger, just made it better).

We celebrated Valentine's Day with Caroline and just loved on her! We gave her some DVD's, candy, cookies, puzzles, and a new furry hat/mitten set. She was so sweet when she opened her gifts. I told her it was "I Love You Day" and these were 'just because we loved you'. She grabbed me and hugged me so tight. So SWEET!

Okay, enough rambling...pictures of Caroline soon!! I promise!

And we're off...

2010-02-16T22:49:00.000-05:00

Caroline and I are at my mom's house this week. I am learning how to work my mother's embroidery machine and Caroline is getting spoiled rotten. I don't have internet access here, so if you are looking for me, I'll be home this weekend.

This past weekend in Georgia, we experienced about 5 inches of snow!!! Wahoo!!! Caroline loved it and I can't wait to show you pictures of her cute snowman and her 'winter' outfits.

Have a great week and I'll be back posting pictures and coupon deals when I return. :)

Helping Out Our Neighbors with Coupons

2010-02-13T09:57:00.003-05:00

Since I have been couponing, I have racked up quite the stash of vitamins and Bayer Glucose Monitors. As a matter of fact, they are 'breeding' in my guest bedroom closet. These are items that I have 'bought' because they gave me overage to pay for my real groceries. But, what do you do when you have so many vitamins and Bayer monitors that you don't know what to do with them? I have been feeling very guilty for having so much stuff and not using them. It's wasteful, greedy, and not to mention taking up space.

I already donate my extra food to the local food pantry Helping In His Name, but have not been able to find a place to donate medical supplies... Until now!

Hands of Hope is in our 'backyard', located at the Henry County Medical Center. They provide free medical care to the low income and uninsured residents of Henry County. I called them this week to ask if they could use the glucose monitors and vitamins. The receptionist was very sweet and very grateful. I had Tim drop them off for me since I was at school all week. He had 50 monitors and 5 bags full of vitamins. He said they were so 'taken back' by the generosity and couldn't believe that someone thought of them.

I was very proud that I could do something to help. I coupon because it helps my family, so I was glad that my couponing skills were helping others. These people are OUR neighbors and with the state of the economy, these people could be someone you KNOW.

I would like to challenge everyone who reads my blog and coupons to take that extra step. Don't just simply get rid of your extras, make sure you are donating them to a place that uses them. For instance, instead of taking your extra shampoo/nail clippers/body wash to Goodwill or throwing them away, take them to the Food Pantry. Did you know that if you are on food stamps, you're not able to use the food stamps to buy toiletry items? Again, with the state of our economy, why not donate these items to people who are in need.

My plan is to put together a box/bag of items that will be donated at the end of each month. Do I know what will be in the bag? Of course not. If I'm buying 'three' items, I'll buy 'four' and put the fourth in the bag. I will also make an extra effort to shop at CVS more. Almost every week, you are able to get 'free' toothpaste/toothbrushes/shampoo/bodywash, etc..., so why not take the extra ten minutes to do this? Since I have stopped working, I'm not able to write checks each month to donate, but I can use my resources and thriftiness to still do my part. Will you?

What is it?

2010-02-10T16:10:00.001-05:00

Something must be wrong with me....I'm cleaning and washing dishes! If you know me, you know that this IS something I HATE doing. I must be pregnant??? Just joking!

It's a Hard KNOX life....

2010-02-07T22:30:00.000-05:00

I am LOVING the $4.00 Knox coupon that was in the paper a few weeks ago! It is really helping me keep my grocery spending to a minimum and has been instrumental in helping me buy teacher appreciation items. BUT, I went today and saw a sign posted that said, "We are no longer accepting this coupon for any other item besides the item pictured. Thanks, Mgmt" WHAT!!!!

The coupon wording CLEARLY states "ANY KNOX PRODUCT"! So, I came home and typed up a complaint to Publix headquarters. We shall see what they say and I'll be sure to report back to you.

Chili's Salsa Recipe

2010-02-07T20:00:00.000-05:00

I posted this recipe back in August, but I thought it was worthy of a repost. I made this for my tennis match and it was a hit! It's super easy and due to stockpiling, I had all the ingredients (other than the jalapeno) in my fridge or pantry.

Chili's Salsa Recipe:

1 can (14 1/2 oz) of tomatoes, not drained
1 can Rotel (I used the lime/cilantro mixture)
1/4 cup yellow onion (diced)
4 tsp jalapenos
1/2 to 3/4 tsp garlic salt
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp lime juice

Mix all ingredients and blend in blender until 'salsa' consistency. Serve with tortilla chips.

OUT OF COFFEE!!! Kinda...

2010-02-06T11:30:00.002-05:00

I am a lover of coffee! Always have been and probably always will! It helps me get up in the morning and nothing beats the smell of brewing coffee filtering into the bedroom from the kitchen! When I was teaching, my students used to know "don't talk to Mrs. Rose until she finishes her coffee" and I even had one kindergarten student ask "Mrs. Rose, did you have your coffee this morning because you are awfully crabby!" Yep, I am COFFEE LOVER! I ALWAYS have plenty of coffee in stock and I don't know if I've ever been out.

This morning, Caroline and I woke up at 10:15. My eyes are super swollen and my body is aching. It was a ROUGH night and I think we went to sleep when normal people were getting up. :( Anyway, Tim had a tennis match this morning and I knew I could count on him to have the coffee made (he almost always does!). I ventured into the kitchen to find the filter in the pot, nothing on and 6 bags of unopened coffee on the counter. WHAT? Why did he do this? Is this some sick joke?? I walked closer to find all the bags were whole bean and not ground. Why is this a problem??? Well, I don't have a grinder!! YIKES!!!!! My body is so tired, eyes swollen, I survived a hellacious night and now I CAN'T HAVE MY COFFEE!!!!!

I bet I know what I buy today at the store! Do you??

It's 9:05 PM

2010-02-02T21:03:00.002-05:00

Okay, my dear blogger friends, it's 9:05 PM and I am sitting in my bed watching Lost (my FAVORITE show!), snacking on free popcorn, and listening to Caroline cry in her room. It's been one of those weeks. Caroline has been sick since last Wednesday and is on some major medicine. We've been doing breathing treatments every 4 hours around the clock, an inhaler for her seasonal asthma twice a day, and is now taking an oral steroid for five days. Yep, you read all that right...'little one' is super sick.

So, in order to help Caroline get better, I ventured into the Herbal Planet to pick up some herbal meds. I am now giving her probiotics (which I highly recommend), silver shield (seems to be over priced and not effective), and ivy leaf syrup (somewhat soothing) for her cough. I honestly haven't noticed a huge difference with the herbal meds, other than the probiotics. I have been mixing the probiotics in her milk, juice, or applesauce for the last several days. Her bowels are regularly moving (HUGE improvement) and I am sold on the benefits!

In other news, I've been putting Caroline to bed around 8ish and it seems to be helping. Ondrea, you were right about the 'getting up at the same time'. It's been hard this past week since she's been majorly coughing, but she does seem to 'go to sleep' a bit earlier; I AM SUPER thankful!

I am asking you to pray for Caroline's health. She's been so sick and the medicine is not seeming to help and is changing her little personality. I definitely don't like the 'new personality'. She's becoming quite the sassafrass and her emotions are highly sensitive. One "Mommy Look" will send her over the edge and then I am in my room crying due to the temper tantrum.

I must go now as the new Lost is coming on and I MUST concentrate. ;)

Maggiano's Giveaway! YUMMY!

2010-02-01T10:14:00.004-05:00

Michelle over at I Heart Saving Money (notice the new button on the sidebar) is hosting an awesome giveaway! She is offering one lucky reader a $50 gift certificate to Maggiano's! Can you say YUMMY? Maggiano's is one of my FAVORITE restaurants and as I am typing this, my stomach is growling. ;) I LOVE the Rigatoni "D" and the Maggiano's Salad. As a matter of fact, I may suggest we go here to eat for my birthday (hint, hint Tim!). Anyway, for a chance to win this giveaway head over here to read all about it! Yep, it's that easy!

10:55 PM

2010-01-28T18:30:00.000-05:00

It's 10:55 PM and I am sitting at my computer, watching Leverage, waiting on my cell phone to beep with tennis scores, rubbing Sportscream on my very tight ankle and calf muscle, eating Ruffles, and listening to Caroline play in her room. Oh, yeah, you read it correctly, Caroline is UP. Our daughter is becoming a late night owl. Her bedtime is 9:00, but Caroline thinks it's okay to 'play' in her room until she decides to fall asleep. Lately, this has been around 11:00. Any ideas as to how to get her to go to sleep any earlier? DON'T tell me to put her to bed at 7:00. I'm not a morning person, so I love her to sleep in a bit.

She's now asleep (11:02) but the coughing has started. The coughing that caused her to be 'dismissed' early from school because of the throw up that follows the cough. The fever has returned and I'm anticipating a rough night ahead...

But, in light of all the stress that is going on right now, I wouldn't trade it for a million bucks! I'll leave you with some Caroline cuteness.

FREE Cheese Nips at WalMart

2010-01-27T21:36:00.002-05:00

Currently WalMart has the Nabisco Cheese Nips priced at $1.00. In the 1/24 SS, there is a $1.00/1 MQ (manufacturer coupon) for any Nabisco cracker product. What does this mean? FREE Cheese Nips!!!! I have it on very good authority from my teenage niece that these ARE THE BEST. ;)

I strongly 'dislike' going into WalMart, but I ventured in there today and came home with 17 boxes of Cheese Nips for $.52! Yay! I am donating 15 of them to Caroline's preschool for teacher appreciation week and giving Savannah the other two.

FREE Rotel!

2010-01-26T20:00:00.000-05:00

This week at Kroger, they are having their Mega Event Sale. I LOVE this sale, but since Publix has stolen back my heart with the Knox Coupons, I will only shop at Kroger for the FREE stuff. Also, we are in dip mode around here (hey, it's close to the Superbowl) and we love Rotel Cheese Dip, but it can get very expensive with the rotel and velveeta.

Good news....Rotel is FREE this week at Kroger. It supposedly is around 39 cents, so use the $.30 MQ from this past Sunday's SmartSource (SS) and get FREE rotel! I will be MAJORLY stockpiling this little gem as it is very versatile. It also goes great in Chili! I will post another dip recipe using Rotel and Cream Cheese later this week. By the way, use the $1.00 MQ on Philly Cream Cheese and get it FREE this week at Kroger! Now, we are talking!!!!

Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe

2010-01-25T20:00:00.000-05:00

Picture: Frank's RedHot Buffalo Chicken Dip

I tried this dip several months ago at a tennis match and fell IN LOVE with it! Now, I'm not a huge fan of buffalo chicken, but this was YUMMY! This recipe was very easy and basically foolproof! My hubby couldn't keep going back to the dish! :) I'll be making it again for some upcoming tennis matches and Superbowl Sunday parties.

Frank's RedHot Buffalo Chicken Dip

8oz package cream cheese softened

1/2 cup blue cheese dressing

1/2 cup Frank's RedHot sauce

2 lb chicken breast (you can use canned chicken for easier prep)

1/2 cup cheddar or mozzarella shredded cheese

1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (I left this out and substitued for cheddar cheese)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Stir cream cheese until smooth. Mix all ingredients, except cheddar cheese. Stir. Sprinkle cheddar cheese on top of mixture. Bake for 20 minutes.

I served this with Ruffles chips but it would be yummy with tortilla chips, fritos and cut up veggies. I also didn't have enough canned chicken so I opted for fresh chicken breasts. I boiled it with cayenne pepper until cooked. Shredded and then combined it with the other ingredients.

Publix Shop This Week

2010-01-25T12:00:00.001-05:00

Like I have said before, I am trying to get back to my extreme couponing. I slightly forgot all the hard work, time consuming efforts, and stress that goes into planning a Publix Shop. Wow!

I loaded up buggy and very carefully scoped out the cashier situation. I decided on a very tall, young boy (think football linebacker) and began unloading my goodies. As soon as I began handing him my coupons, I realized that I didn't do a good job in 'cashier profiling'. He was extremely uncomfortable and nervous. He read every word on the first few coupons and then meticulously inspected the rest. I wasn't worried because I knew my coupons were fine (but I was hoping he couldn't do basic math in his head and realize that some of my Publix coupons would produce overage). I handed over my last coupon (Walgreen's Register Reward) and he politely excused himself and a handful of my coupons. I knew where he was going...manager intervention/help. After about 10 minutes, he came back (yes, my line is VERY backed up and I'm doing my best to keep my composure and carry on a conversation with some VERY irritated women) and told me he couldn't take my RR and my Rite Aid Competitor Q, so make a choice. Since they were both $5, I chose the RR because it was expiring that day. Oh well, you win some and you lose some. :)

Transaction Details:

8- Aleve Caplets $1.97 ea- (4- $5.00/2 PQ)= Free+++

10- Knox Gelatin $1.39 ea- (10- $4.00/1 MQ)= Free+++

3- Benevia $8.49 ea- (3- $4.00 PQ and 3- $5.00 MQ)= Free++

2- Sundown Vitamins $3.29 ea- (1- $6.00/2 PQ and 1- $3.00/2 MQ)= Free++

12- Jolly Time Popcorn $1.00 ea- (12- $.50 MQ doubled)= Free

2- Eggland's Best Egg $2.00 ea- (1- $.50 MQ doubled and 1- BOGO MQ)=$1.50

1- Texas Toast $1.65 ea- (1- $.50 MQ doubled)= $.65

1- Dove Caramel Candy $2.15 ea- (1- $1.00 Target Q)= $1.15

2- Kraft Dressing $1.60 ea- (1- $1.50/2 MQ)= $1.69

2- Frank's Red Hot Sauce $1.50 ea- (1- $1.00/2 MQ)= $2.00

2- Swanson's Chicken $1.50 ea- (1- $.50 MQ doubled)= $2.00

2- Krusteaz Muffin Mix $1.30 ea- (1- $1.00/2 MQ)= $1.60

2- Krusteaz Crumb Cake Mix $1.30 ea- (1- $1.00/2 MQ)= $1.60

2- Chi Chi Salsa $2.00 ea- (1- $1.00/2 MQ)= $3.00

4- Ritz Crackers $1.54 ea- (2- $2.00/2 MQ)= $2.18

1- ThermaCare $6.99 ea- (1- $3.00 PQ and 1- $3.00 MQ)= $.99

1- Charmin $6.49 ea- (1- $1.00 Target Q and 1- $.25 MQ doubled)= $5.00

1- Idaho Potatoes $1.99

1- Sara Lee Honey Wheat Bread $1.99

1- Taco Bell Dinner Kit $1.35

2- Ruffles Chips $1.99 ea= $3.99

1- Old El Paso Refried Bean $1.47

1- Publix Flour- $2.29

1- Lipton Onion Mix- $1.29

Total: $201.77

Total (after coupons): $9.93

Note: Total would have been lower had they accepted the other $5.00 competitor coupon. :(

Note: I found some yummy recipes for dips that I was dying to try! I made a Buffalo Chicken Dip last night that will be PERFECT for Superbowl Sunday. I'll post it this week. It was VERY easy and SUPER yummy! Tonight we are making a Creamy Bean Dip to take to a friend's house for a football party. Anway...my point is, look for sales and use overage to pay for the needed items.

Note: I also thought we were low on toilet paper (something that must never happen!) so I bought the Charmin. When I came home, Tim informed me that he moved about 10 more packages upstairs in the guest bathroom. So, we really didn't need that item. I think you can get better deals at drugstores for toilet paper than you can at Publix. (most of the time).

Note: We have Teacher Appreciation Week coming up at Caroline's school in a few weeks. One of the days theme is "Take Me to the Movies". I quickly volunteered to donate all the popcorn! I ordered 40 Q's off of Ebay. I will only need 15 for the teachers, so the rest will be for us. Tim goes through phases where he can't seem to get enough popcorn. ;) Hey, what's better than FREE!!!

The Bunko Babes

2010-01-23T09:39:00.004-05:00

As part of my New Year's Resolutions, I committed to reading at least 30 books in a year. Crazy, right? Book 1 is finished and I must say it was an easy read. :)

The Bunko Babes by Leah Starr Baker was just what the doctor ordered! On Thursday night, we had our monthly Bunco (yes, I spell it with a 'c' but both are correct) gathering and the hostess brought this book to share. I flipped it over, read the back cover and announced that I was borrowing it! I sat down on Friday afternoon and finished it Friday night! I was expecting a 'juicy' novel about the trials of the "Babes", instead I received a refreshing approach to the meaning of true friendship and an invaluable lesson of Scripture.

If you play Bunco, this is a must read. :) Even if you don't play Bunco but have a group of girlfriends, then this is for you too.

Publix Shop Post

2010-01-21T15:00:00.001-05:00

I've been trying to get back into my couponing, and it's been quite difficult since taking a break. I'll be honest, I was quite nervous when I got up to the checkout lane. I didn't do the numbers in my head like I used to and I had my niece with me (teenager). I decided to add at the last minute a box of Cheez Its. I didn't have coupons but thought it was a great deal. Also, the Progresso Soup wasn't a stellar deal, but since we were finally out, I needed to buy a few to replenish my stock.

Transaction Details:

2- Sundown Vitamins- $3.29 ea (1- $3/2 MQ and 1- $6/2 PQ)= Free++

3- GE light bulbs- $.95 ea (3- $1.50 MQ)= Free++

2- Green Giant Vegetables- $1.00 ea (2- $.50 MQ doubled)= Free

1- Chobani Yogurt- $1.00 (1- $1.00 MQ)= Free

1- Scotties Tissues- $1.00 (1- $1.00 MQ)= Free

2- Swiss Miss Cocoa- $1.00 ea (1- $.50 MQ doubled)= $.50 ea

2- Betty Crocker Fruit Snacks- $1.30 ea (2- $.50 MQ doubled)= $.30 ea

2- Pedigree Dentastix Treats- $1.90 ea (2- $1.00 MQ)= $.90 ea

6- Progressive Soups- $1.15 ea (1- $.25 MQ doubled, 1- $.50/2 MQ doubled, 1- $1.10/3 MQ)= Various Prices

1- Cheez It- $1.65

1- Milk- $2.69

Used: $5.00/$25.00 Competitor Coupon

Total: $51.24

Total (after coupons): $4.51

Ramblings

2010-01-19T15:57:00.008-05:00

Once again, I am here to apologize for my lack of posting. I promise, promise, promise to be better! Instead of writing everything that's been going on, I thought I would share some stories and some pictures.

Story 1:

We survived the HUGE (note sarcasm) snowstorm of 2010. Here in Georgia we managed to get a dusting of snow. I eagerly woke Caroline up from her sleep to let her play in the falling snow. Hey...don't judge me...it only snows every two years here! ;) You can also tell that we aren't really 'snow friendly' by looking at her wonderful snow outfit we threw together at 10:30 PM.

Caroline was so excited to go outside in the snow and build a snowman. Unfortunately, 1/16th of an inch isn't enough to build one. :(

What is this? This doesn't look like the snow on tv!

Now here's the part where you can judge me. Caroline had been dealing with a cough, runny nose and congestion for several days. It was bad enough for me to call the doctor's office and make an appointment. I am good friends with Caroline's doctor, so there's no need to see anyone else in the office, right? I called on Thursday morning and they had an opening. With another doctor. I politely explained to the nurse that we had only seen Dr. Y and though I'm sure the other doctors are quite nice, we would wait until the next day. The nurse then asked me, "Are you willing to let your child suffer just so she can see Dr. Y?" After I recovered from the slap across the face via telephone, I simply said, "Yes."

So, the snow came and we went outside for about two minutes. At midnight, Caroline woke up coughing. I checked on her, she must have had a broken fever because she was soaked. At 2:30, a blood curling scream (the one that sends you into a full run) woke me up. I met Caroline in the hallway who was having a panic attack. It turns out that she was coughing so much that she threw up. Note to everyone....if you are having coughing fits, blueberries are NOT the best choice for food. Ya'll it was EVERYWHERE! I cleaned her up and brought her to our bed, where Tim was snoring.

At 8:15, the phone rang. It was the nurse telling me that the doctor's office was closed due to the ice storm and I would have to call on Monday for an appointment. SERIOUSLY? Yep, the slap was now leaving a big bruise across my face! So what does one do? I call her doctor on her cell phone and she calls in breathing treatments prescriptions. Oh yeah, you gotta love being friends with a pediatrician!

We just finished up our major breathing treatment medicine and now we are down to two a day. According to Caroline, the medicine is "BAD"!

Story 2:

Apparently I have been feeding our two cats rather well lately. How do I know this? Check out this picture!
If your cats are feeling grateful to their owners, they bring you little sacrfices. This beauty was left at the back door. Needless to say, it stayed here until Tim threw it over the fence.

Story 3:

Caroline is going through the TERRIBLE two's and it has been VERY evident this past week. Let's just say that I know why mothers have mental breakdowns and become frequent visitors to bars! (Just joking!!) Take Exhibit A (picture 1). Who would have thought this sweet, innocent princess would look like this in 2.1 seconds (picture 2) when asked why she made this mess (picture 3).

Picture 1

Picture 3

After a few minutes of pure silence, I realized that Caroline was up to no good! I started walking down the hall to find her quietly closing her door. I must have startled her because she then had a look of terror come over her face. When I opened the door, I found that she had dumped all her clothes (except for her socks/tights) into the floor. Not to mention that she had thrown all her puzzle pieces, babies, wipes, and books all over the room. It looked like a giant tornado had touched down in her room. When asked why she made such a mess? "I dunno know Mommy. Why?"

I have lots more stories from the week, but I'll have to save them until later. I am having difficulty with the spacing and picture importing. But, we have vaseline and liquid hand soap stories later! Get a box of popcorn and come back soon!

Progresso Soup Giveaway!

2010-01-14T10:06:00.004-05:00

My tennis friend, Savvy Deal Diva, is hosting a cool giveaway on her website. She's giving away one can of Progresso High Fiber Minestrone Soup, two Progresso soup mugs, and two spoons! How cool! Hop on over to Savvy Deal Diva's page for five chances to win this awesome Progresso Soup Prize Package!

Homemade Biscuit Recipe..Easy and Yummy!

2010-01-10T09:15:00.000-05:00

J.P.'s Big Daddy Biscuits

I made these homemade biscuits tonight for dinner and they were easy and yummy! Now, I am a southern girl, but I have never made homemade biscuits. This recipe was SO easy and didn't take very much time at all. Caroline helped me knead the dough and enjoyed watching the biscuits rise in the oven. We enjoyed them with strawberry jam! I hope you enjoy the recipe!

Swagbucks...really do work!

2010-01-07T09:37:00.004-05:00

Swagbucks is a search engine that allows you to earn points for things that you normally do such as "googling" or shopping, etc... I set Swagbucks as my homepage and everytime I am on the computer I 'search' for things, even if I already know the address. For instance, if I want to check my email, I type in Yahoo Mail. Swagbucks then randomly awards you points for your searches. I have several friends that have been using Swagbucks for quite some time and 'bought' all their Christmas presents using Amazon gift cards they earned for free!

Of course, if you sign up for Swagbucks, I would love it if you would use me as a referral. It greatly helps me out too! I plan on using my swagbucks to start paying for Caroline's birthday presents. I have my eyes on some more of the Melissa and Doug food items to go with her kitchen, buggy, and cookie set.

Join me and start getting paid for your searches using Swagbucks!

A New Year means new thoughts and plans

2010-01-06T10:30:00.001-05:00

Do you ever sit down at the computer with tons of stuff to blog about, but then immediately get writer's block? I swear this has been happening to me for the last month! I sit down and then realize that I have nothing worthwhile to say! So, I'm just going to start typing and praying that this post makes a bit of sense. :)

Wow! Can you believe it's actually 2010? I vividly remember when it was 1999 and everyone thought the world was going to end!! LOL! Since it is a new year, I decided to update the look of my blog and type up a few thoughts/plans for 2010.

Last year, I promised that I would type up our adoption story, and for the most part, I did. I will finish the story soon.
I need to do better on my couponing. I have fallen off the wagon a bit and need to get back on it! Unfortunately, a Sunday has already passed and I didn't buy a paper. Not off to a good start...
I plan on tracking my savings this year. I started doing this last year and found my calendar where I wrote down the numbers. It was quite an impressive start and I would like to do it again. Maybe I can last three months this year...
Each week I would like to cook something in my crockpot. I have already used my crockpot once so I'm actually off to a great start! However, the verdict is still out on the tastiness....we'll see tonight.
Reading books. Oh, how I used to be an avid reader. I would sit down with a book and finish it before the sun came up the next day. Yes, I am a freakishly fast reader. However, since I started working and then having Caroline, reading has been put on the backburner. I would love to see myself reading at least thirty new books this year. I guess since we are on a budget, that would mean getting a library card...anyone have an idea on how to get one of those???
Running....yes, I said running. I started out doing awesome with this, but then I got sick right before Christmas. I didn't even have the strength to get out of bed much less run in the frigid weather. So, I need to get back. I would like to find a small (very short) race to participate in this spring. It would help with the accountability.
Turning off the television more....this is a big one for us. We are horrible at leaving the television on, even when we aren't watching it. It's like we need the background noise. So, I plan on being more aware of this and just exactly how much tv Caroline watches. She doesn't watch tons, but I definitely know she could cut back.

Okay, if you are still here after all of the randomness, thank you! These were just some thoughts that were circling around in my brain and I thought I should at least try to type them up. I hope you guys have a wonderful new year and I would love to hear some of ya'll's (can you tell I'm from the South?) thoughts for the upcoming year.

I Heart Publix Major Giveaway!

2010-01-05T14:13:00.003-05:00

One of my favorite websites for helping me to save money at Publix has reached 1 million visitors! In honor of this accomplishment, she is giving away a $100 Publix giftcard. Hurry and head over here to see how to be entered in the giveaway!!!

Christmas Night at Aunt Sissy's House

2009-12-29T12:30:00.005-05:00

At Christmas, my sister and I rotate whose house will be hosting our Christmas dinner and present exchange. This year, it was at my sister's house. Caroline was so excited about going to Aunt Sissy's that she almost had a panic attack! Tim and I decided to have her open her presents from us at home, but she demanded that we load them in the car to be opened up at Aunt Sissy's. ;) I bet you know who won that battle! Speaking of battles, I lost the wardrobe change battle....Caroline didn't want to change clothes, so she and Tim teamed up against me. I lost! :( Oh, well, she still looked adorable.

Each year, Nana always gives us a 'junk' box full of random goodies. Caroline loved this box! She got tons of stickers, magnets, candy canes, little books, bouncy balls, and much much more!
Caroline's opening her Shopping Cart from Nana and Papa. We found it at a cute boutique in Union City and she just 'had' to have it! She played with it at Thanksgiving, but we 'left' at Nana's house on 'accident'. When she opened it, she yelled out "two buggies!"

Caroline put Shorty in the cart and walked him around while carrying her money from Aunt Janie and Uncle Preston. She really thought she was going shopping. Caroline couldn't wait to put her money in her piggy bank at home!

Nana and Papa got her this cute Cookie Set that she loves. Her friend Ruth has it and Caroline hasn't stopped talking about it! We've been having lots of tea parties and eating lots of cookies the last few days. :)

Caroline LOVES puzzles! I found this one back in September. It's quite difficult and I immediately regretted my decision to give it to her now. But, by the second day, Caroline mastered it! I hope she continues to be great at putting things together.

So exicted over stickers! Tim and I groaned when we saw this present...we'll be picking up stickers for months!

Caroline was again so excited to open up her Max and Ruby stuffed animals. She loves the cartoon and books.

We had a great Christmas this year! I hope that all of you had a wonderful Christmas and we wish you the best in the upcoming new year!

Ho Ho Ho!! Santa Claus came to town!

2009-12-26T15:34:00.001-05:00

Me: "Merry Christmas, Caroline!" I said as I walked into her bedroom.
Caroline: "Huh? Oh, Merry Christmas!" popping up from the covers
Me: "Guess who came to see you last night?"
Caroline: "SANTA!!!" she yelled as she jumped out of the bed and started running to the hall!

Santa left some goodies for Caroline this morning!
Caroline looking over at her new pink cars.

Smiling over her Lemon Merinque doll to go with her new pink car

Noticing that Santa ate her cookies she made for him last night and drank the milk

Pez Snowman stocking stuffer

Strawberry Shortcake Monogrammed Sippy Cup

Ecstatic over her new purple car!

Digging in her stocking....what else???

Look Mommy! I got a sucker!

Playing with her pink Strawberry Shortcake car

Checking out her new table and chairs with her babies

Trying on her new lipgloss

Aren't I beautiful with my new lipgloss? :)

Caroline insisted that I take a picture of her new pink baby with naked baby in her new pink Caroline chair!

Loving that she is able to eat a sucker for breakfast!

Posing with her pink baby in her pink chair

The Polar Express...Blue Ridge Style

2009-12-26T11:00:00.001-05:00

On Christmas Eve, we (Nana, Papa, Tim, Caroline and I) headed towards the Blue Ridge Mountains to catch the Santa Train. Caroline was SO excited! She is obsessed with the Polar Express, so the thought of riding on a real train was almost too much for her to bear! She literally woke up every hour the night before asking if it was time to ride the choo choo! Adorable, right? Absolutely, but NOT in the middle of the night! ;)

On the way there, she was getting very anxious and kept asking if we were at the choo choo. When we finally arrived, we had plenty of time to grab a snack, but she wouldn't stand for it! She was pulling our hands and kept saying "My choo choo....NOW!" So we boarded early and hung out.

The actual train wasn't quite what I had expected and I was a bit disappointed in the theatrics, but Caroline loved it and that was all that mattered! Santa came around to each car and greeted each child. She sat on his lap, told him what she wanted for Christmas, and he gave her the special bell! It was super sweet. She pretended to see her ticket flying out the window and magically reappearing. She then claims to have seen lots of elves walking in the woods as we came closer to the North Pole. :) We sang Christmas carols, drank hot chocolate, ate cookies and popcorn, and met some of Santa's special friends. We met Rudolph, the Gingerbread Man, and Frosty the Snowman. When we got back to the car, she immediately crashed! We had a great time!

**My pictures are out of order!!**

Posing in front of the Engine

The conductor of the train checking tickets

Caroline said, "My ticket!" She was pretending her ticket flew out the train like in the movie!

Napping? I think not!

Posing for a photo with the Gingerbread Man

Enjoying her candy canes

Caroline screamed out "Elves!!" while looking out the window

Ringing her special bell from Santa

Sorry for the blurriness...not sure what happened. Posing with Nana and Papa.

Taking a picture with one of the Elves

The big moment arrived...meeting Santa on the train!

Listening to a story about the Santa Train

On deck with Mrs. Claus for a picture

Disney Live Rock'n Road Show

2009-12-25T15:17:00.005-05:00

As part of Caroline's Christmas present, we took her to the Disney Live Rock'n Road Show at Philips Arena here in Atlanta on Sunday. I took a cue from Tammy over at A Mama's Drama and brought Caroline's stuffed Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy dolls, a juice box, water bottle, and a bag of goldfish crackers. I was determined that we weren't going to spend a small fortune on toys/items that we already had at home. ;) We used Tim's parking pass, so we got front row parking and walked right into the arena.

Caroline was mesmerized the first half of the show! I'm not sure she even blinked!! When one of the characters would come out, she would wave her stuffed animal in the air in excitement. It was so cute! The second half of the show, she wouldn't sit down. She danced and danced and then danced some more!

Snacking on her goldfish during intermission
This is what we came to see!

Mesmerized by the stage!

She wouldn't take her eyes off the stage!

The second half of the show...dancing queen!

Telling us "one more minute" til showtime!

I'm all ready for the show!

Christmas Party at School

2009-12-20T11:36:00.002-05:00

Caroline had her first Christmas party at school on Friday. It was super sweet! Unfortunately, there was a horrible stomach virus floating around, so half of the students were absent. On the upside, she is the only student that hasn't gotten sick from it, YET. It's a doozy, so say some prayers that we don't get it.

They had chick-fil-a nuggets, veggie tray, chips/dips, and fruit. After, they ate Rudolph cupcakes, Snowman Sticks, and cookies. It was also a special treat because Caroline never gets straight juice, so you can tell from the pictures that she really enjoyed it!

I'll take pictures of the adorable crafts that she made for us later. We are super blessed to have an awesome teacher. Let's just say that she was super busy with the children making LOTS of ornaments and presents for us.

Miss Jessica opening up her gift card from the parents. She began sobbing!

Caroline is loving her Snowman Sticks that I made for the class!

All the kids enjoyed the Snowman Sticks!

Just a side note...if you are going to make the Snowman Sticks, I would brush up on my "how to melt chocolate in a double boiler" methods. I had never melted chocolate as an adult and did NOT realize how difficult it was! My new phrase for melting chocolate is "slow and steady wins the race"! They were super adorable, very time consuming, but a HUGE hit!

And yes, my mom made her adorable outfit and I made her hairbows. :)

Caroline's First Train Ride at Clark Park

2009-12-19T18:24:00.004-05:00

Caroline LOVES, LOVES, LOVES trains! I think we have watched The Polar Express a million times. ;) Tim's dad brought down one of his trains and set it up in the living room so that she can have her very own train! Can I say LOVES trains? Here in Henry County, Clark Park was offering train rides, so we bundled up and headed over. Caroline was in heaven! We rode it three times in the misting rain. Afterwards, we headed over to Papi's for some delicious cafe con leche! Yummy! We have a very special surprise planned for her on Christmas Eve, a REAL train ride on the Santa Express in the Blue Ridge Mountains. I may have to take Dr. Elaine in case she quits breathing! ;)

Something I've Been Working On

2009-12-11T13:34:00.003-05:00

I decided to take the time and share with all my readers some of the things I have been working on the past few weeks. For most of you, you probably didn't know that I make all of Caroline's bows. I've been making them for over a year now. Now, I still buy some that I can't make or ones that I just simply fall in love with, but the majority of them are made by me. Here are a few pics. I have even been selling them, but by word of mouth. I handstitch all my bows and place a nonslip grip on the alligator clips. If you see anything that you like, let me know and I'd be happy to make you one too. The prices vary from $1.00-$8.00. These are only a few pictures that I have, but I also make plain bows ranging in price from $3.00-$5.00.

Snowman Ribbon Sculpture $4.00

Crazy Curls- large $5.00, small $3.00
Loopy/Layered with Wooden Center $7.00

Doubled Layered Loopy $8.00

Monogram Boutique/layered $8.00

Cute Idea for Gifts!

2009-12-11T11:15:00.000-05:00

Picture: Beach Brights

Wow! Two posts in a week! I must be getting back to my old self! LOL! Anyway, I saw this idea on Living with Lindsay and fell in love with it! After my tennis match yesterday, I ran to Hobby Lobby to pick up the Wilton cookie mold sheet. Then, Caroline and I sat at the kitchen table last night and attempted to peel off the wrappers of crayons. We even got Tim involved! Note to self...if I go back to teaching and my students peel the paper off, APPLAUD them! I used to get so irritated with students who would peel the paper off, but NOT anymore! Wow, hard work!

I ran out of cooking spray, so I have to buy some before we bake them. But won't this be a precious gift to add to Caroline's goody bags for her classroom?

Look what I got!!!

2009-12-10T16:29:00.002-05:00

PICTURES!!! But, how?? I walked downstairs this afternoon and underneath the Christmas tree was a present...a NEW LAPTOP!!! Santa heard my pleas and delivered a package early!!! Thanks Santa!!!

I spent the best ten bucks ever and got immediate help installing my wireless router and BAM! I'm online!! Yay!!!

Still here? A long updated post

2009-12-10T09:26:00.005-05:00

Are you still here? We're still here! ;) It has been pretty crazy around our house for quite some time. I've been on a major hunt for a new computer and a new camera. My camera software is still missing in action (boo hoo) and every laptop that I want seems to be sold out (sob, sniff, sniff). I am having to share Tim's computer, but since it is his, I can't expect him to jump off of it when I want to blog! ;) But enough about our woes, let's talk about what we've been actually doing!

On the decorating front, I have managed to put up four Christmas trees (each with their own theme), hang garland on the cutouts in the dining room and the kitchen, make a wreath for the front door and hang the garland on the perimeter of the front door. We have been busy making last minute present purchases, visited with Santa, attended Caroline's first Christmas school musical and made lots of crafts. Now, if I could find a magical elf to come and wrap presents, I'll be in business! LOL!

Do you want a Caroline update? Before Thanksgiving, Caroline decided to jump out of her crib. I knew the time was coming, but really was hoping for another six months or so. My sister (and her family) and my parents bought Caroline a lifetime crib, so I just needed to buy the rails to convert it to the next stage. Unfortunately, very quickly I realized that her crib was one of the jardine recalled cribs. YIKES! So, Tim and I went on a mad search to find her a new bed. Jardine will be reimbursing us for a new crib once we send in the screws and labels. Yep, you read it right, a NEW CRIB! How funny is that? So, we will be getting a voucher for a new crib that will never be used. If you know anyone that is interested in purchasing this voucher at a discounted price, have them email me. You can take this voucher to Babies R Us and get you a brand new crib!!! Hint...hint...hint!

In the meantime, we took out the mattress and Caroline just slept on the mattress on the floor. It was amazing! She never got up and never cried! BUT...the good times must come to an end. After we returned from my mom's house, she has not enjoyed sleeping in her room. We even bought her an adorable white toddler bed (to use temporarily until her big girl room transition). She was so excited about her new bed until it was bedtime. Now, each night, we are met with tears and sobs. She wants to sleep with us. She starts out in her room and then ends up crying so hard, we walk in there or she gets up and comes to us. But, we fight the easy urge of putting her in our bed and make her sleep in her room. Needless to say, we are three sleepy people in the mornings...

How is couponing going? It actually has been put on the backburner for now. I am still couponing, but not to the extreme I was. I honestly have been so busy that I still have piles of newspapers to sort through and organize. I haven't used a single coupon in about a month! Yikes! But thanks to all my hardwork of stockpiling, I have only had to buy fresh produce, dairy and a few odds and ends. So, my grocery bills aren't setting record lows, but I'm not having to spend lots of money either. The crazy thing is that I haven't even looked at a grocery ad in about a month! CRAZY, right?

I have started a new exercise program. It's actually a running program for beginners. I play lots of tennis, but as far as running, I have never been a runner. This is an easy program to follow and so far, I've been able to keep up with it. Granted, I'm only on day 4! But, it's a start! It says that by the end of 8 weeks, you will be able to run two miles without stopping. But, being the competitive person I am (you didn't know that right??), I have stepped it up a few notches and by the end of the 8 weeks, I will be able to run at least three miles without stopping. I even plan on running in a race in the spring.

So, I guess that's an update on what we've been doing. Sorry I can't post the awesome pics that we have. Just stay tuned and hopefully I'll surprise you with some pics soon. :)

Canon Software Help!!!

2009-12-02T22:07:00.003-05:00

I can't post any pictures until I find my MIA Canon Camera software!!! Arrggghhh...I have looked EVERYWHERE! I called Canon to see if I could get a new CD, and I can, for $19.99 plus S&H! Seriously? It's a CD!

Anyway...does anyone happen to have one that I can 'borrow' to download onto Tim's computer? My camera model is a Canon Powershot A560. Any help would be greatly appreciated. :)

BTW, I did NOT buy a new laptop on Black Friday. Those crazy folks started lining up at 10:00 on Thursday night! My sleep was way too important! ;)

Blog Break

2009-11-21T12:20:00.002-05:00

I am leaving in the morning to go to my mom's house for a week. :) I will not be able to take my devoted computer as it has reached its final resting place (the graveyard). Unfortunately, Murphy's Law struck and Tim's computer is now in the ICU. I am on one of Tim's work computers now, so it looks like I will be fighting the crowds on Black Friday for a laptop.

I will not be checking my email or blogging for a week, so I want to wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving! Be sure to eat LOTS of turkey, dressing, and the fixins'. Yummy!

When I return, I can't wait to show you all the new pics of Caroline's NEW outfits. Super cute!!

Have a great Thanksgiving and I'll chat with you in a week. :)

Awesome Giveaway!

2009-11-19T11:48:00.004-05:00

You MUST head over to my friend Lou's blog to enter her first giveaway!! You WON'T be sorry! Don't you LOVE the monogram vinyl decal? It can be yours on Friday. If you don't win, you still need to buy one of these awesome decals for your house (especially if you live in the South!!). I am definitely going to be purchasing one for Caroline's new big girl room. (sniff...sniff...)

Laptop temporarily out of service...

2009-11-17T13:19:00.002-05:00

My laptop finally bit the dust (for a bit). I have to replace the internal battery, which means LOTS of tedious work, so it will be a little time before I can post new pictures. I am hoping to have a new battery before we leave for my mom's house on Sunday. Caroline and I will be spending the week there, so that means NO internet!!! Yikes!! Oh, well. It might be nice to have a break away from this wonderful distraction. I might be able to sneak away to McDonald's for free WiFi. ;)

We have had some EXCITING things happen around here, so I can't wait to post updates with pictures. I have been floating on Cloud 9 for a few days!! You'll just have to stay tuned to find out why....

The Monsoon Hit...

2009-11-13T10:09:00.002-05:00

As you know, we live in Atlanta and lately we have BEEN HIT WITH RAIN!! Here are some pictures that I took on Tuesday after Hurricane Ida came to town.

The lake outside is now in our backyard....
Our neighbor's swing is immersed....

These are the islands in the middle of the lake. You can't even see the 'ground'.

It's now Friday and the water level is still above normal, but not flood zone. The water in the first picture is mostly gone, but wowzer...we have TONS of trash in the backyard. YUCK!

We have been super busy around here again. Stay tuned for pictures of my tennis team at the City Finals and some adorable pics of Caroline. (She looked so adorable going to school this morning!!).

Finally...A Publix Shop

2009-11-09T16:16:00.004-05:00

Life has been really hectic around our house over the past several weeks and I have let my couponing/grocery shopping fall behind. But, thanks to great stockpiling, we haven't noticed the lack of groceries. I didn't have one of those 'blow you away' kind of shops today, but I felt good about my total and the items that I bought.

Transaction Details:

2- Snuggle Fabric Softeners $1.93 ea- (2- $3.00 MQ- RAINCHECK)= Free++++

6- Bandaids $.79 ea- (3- $3.00/2 MQ)= Free++++

1- Betty Crocker Potato Box $.79 ea- (1- $.40 MQ doubled)= Free

1- Publix Quick Oats- Penny Item= $.01

1- Dozen Egg $1.39- (1- FREE Kroger egg Q)= Free

1- Special K cereal $2.00 ea- (1- $1.00 MQ and 1- $1.00 TQ)= Free

8- Nestle Morsels $1.25 ea- (8- $1.00 MQ)= $.25 each

4- Nestle Cookie Dough $1.45 ea- (4- $1.00 MQ)= $.45 each

2- Campbell's Select Soup $1.20 ea- (2- $1.00 MQ)= $.20 each

4- Nestle Graham Crackers $1.99 ea- (2- $1.00/2 MQ and 2- $1.00 TQ)= $.99 each

2- Half and Half $1.69 ea

1- Milk $2.59

1- Glad Trashbag $8.99

Bananas- $.97

1- Double issue newspaper- $2.34

Used: $5/$25 competitor Q and $5.00 Walgreen's Register Rewards

Total: $90.85

Total OOP: $12.00

Hoe Down Day

2009-11-06T14:02:00.005-05:00

Caroline had Hoe Down Day at school today. We have been anticipating this event for quite some time since it's been postponed for several weeks. I designed Caroline's outfit and my mom made it for me. It was all inspired by the RED BOOTS! It was a bit cold this morning, so I had to add tights and throw on her red vest. Luckily, it all seemed to work. :)

They had the Kentucky Derby, egg/spoon races, digging for farm animals in hay, farm bean bag toss and of course a hayride. Caroline had a great time....until....I showed up! She became very whiny and REFUSED to take a group picture. Picture this...SCREAMING, CRYING, SNOT, TEARS....YIKES!! I walked her inside with her class and hightailed it out of there until 12:00!! She definitely had an off day. :( I took her to Sonic for lunch and then she went to bed.

Halloween Pics

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

Our our way out the door (in the rain!!)

Checking out her cool bag from Uncle Stan

Dancing with the Big Kids

Like I said earlier, we didn't have a big Halloween this year. Our plans were affected by the rain and my unexpected tennis match (yes, in the rain). I'm also anti-candy for Caroline (everything in moderation) and Halloween is NOT in moderation. :) Caroline was Little Bo Peep. My mom made her the costume for Nursery Rhyme Day at school and I decided to reuse it for Halloween. However, this time, my mom informed me that I put on the coat backwards the first time. LOL! So, we are sporting a 'new' look!

Orange and Black Day at School

2009-11-05T16:38:00.002-05:00

Checking out her Goody Basket from School
Cool! Bandaids!!

More Bandaids!!!!

Cheese!!!!!!

My Sweet Caroline

Friday, October 30th, Caroline had Orange and Black Day at school. My mom made her this adorable outfit and I made her some matching bows. So cute! Caroline LOVED her goody basket that her teacher made for her. The kids helped glue orange crepe paper on an oatmeal can and then her teacher added the fur and the pipe cleaner handle. Adorable!

A New Favorite Blog

2009-11-03T09:00:00.000-05:00

Upon researching activities for Caroline to do at home, I stumbled on an adorable blog full of fun ideas! It is called No Time For Flashcards! We made the Shape Scarecrow this weekend and I can't wait to use her ideas in the near future. Her instructions are very easy to understand and the pictures make an added bonus! I hope you enjoy her site as much as I have. Warning: Be prepared to spend lots of time because it's that GREAT!

Checking in...

2009-11-02T09:36:00.002-05:00

We are still here and doing well. It's been a CRAZY week and I am just now starting to catch my breath! My mom has been here visiting and left yesterday. My stepdad came in on Saturday and will be leaving tomorrow. It's been great seeing my family. I haven't seen them since this summer. :( Caroline loved hanging with Nana and Pepaw! I loved it too (LOTS of things got done around the house!!!).

My women's tennis team made it to the Playoffs, so we had to play on Saturday (Halloween). If you live around here, you will know that it was RAINING!!!! How in the world did we end up playing you might ask???? We used leaf blowers, brooms, squeegees, and beach towels to dry the courts. CRAZY!!!! But the other team insisted on playing. Since it's the playoffs, you only have to win 3 out of 5 lines (points). My partner and I ended up finishing in the POURING RAIN to clench our third point!!! Yay!!! Yesterday, we drove 80 minutes to play the overall number 1 team and WON!!!! So, next Sunday, we play in the Final Four!!! We are so close to winning the silver plate....fingers crossed and say some prayers! :)

After finishing on the courts at 6:00, I rushed home in the rain to pick up Caroline and get her dressed. We raced to my sister's house, went to one house to trick or treat, and called it a night. I'm NOT a fan of candy, so one house was more than enough! Uncle Stan made all the kids treat bags with toys in it, so she was super excited! We then came home and crashed in the bed!

I'll post pictures of Caroline dressed up either later today or tomorrow. For now, I'm tired and my fingers hurt from tennis. I just wanted to give you some updates and to let you know we are ALIVE!!! :)

A Day at the Park in Dunwoody

2009-10-23T13:45:00.004-04:00

My Sweet Caroline

Caroline was mad at me because I was standing in between the 'steps'!
Push me higher Daddy!

Wheee!!

Ooohhh...that slide was MUCH faster!!!

She immediately ran to the bar steps and started climbing. It just about gave both of us a heart attack!

Oh, Mommy!!! You are silly!

Look at me!!

Caroline and I went to have lunch with Tim on Thursday. We ordered yummy sandwiches from Goldberg's Deli and had a picnic at the Liane Levetan Park at Brook Run in Dunwoody. This park was by the far the best that we have visited! I think we are going to make this a biweekly event in our new schedule. It had tons of climbing structures, covered picnic areas, CLEAN bathrooms, walking trail, and an enclosed field with another walking path. It's definitely worth the drive for me! Caroline loved it! As we were leaving, I noticed that there were tons of acorns on the ground. I picked up some and I'm going to use these in a sorting activity for her.