I did it!

OK...I know it's been waaay too long since I last posted but...Well, I have no excuse! Anyways...I did get my pantry cleaned up, organized and inventoried! Here it is...

I apologize for the terrible picture...but I am too lazy to go back and rotate my picture (Hey! At least I am honest!) I promise you it is very stocked, organized, and even a little clean!

I know some may know that I have been inspired to make some changes in my life and the life of my family by the awesome blog I found called Money Saving Mom http://www.moneysavingmom.com/

If you haven't checked it out yet...you MUST! I have started coupon clipping and bargain shopping and so far have saved $150 for my two "girl's trips" coming up this spring!! Yippee! Did I mention I have only been on this FRUGAL journey for TWO weeks! I am rather proud of myself I must say! I am looking forward to being able to save even more in the next few weeks. Actually, I am starting to get a sort of "high" from going to Kroger and finding deals! Did you know you can get stuff for FREE if you clip coupons.

By the way...I am attaching a picture of my three little lovlies. Totally unrelated to this post...Just thought it was cute!!!

Oh....and happy birthday to my sweet hubby!

I'm out of CONTROL!

Alright...I will admit it! I may be slightly out of control with this BLOG thing.

I found the most amazing blog yesterday called Money Saving Mom. If I had a clue how to do it I would add a link into this message for you to check it out. But since I am clueless I will simply tell you to look over there at my Blog list and check out this awesome blog.

I have literally been racking my brain as of late on how to help earn some extra money for our household. There are really no extra hours at my place of employment right now. Plus at less than $8/hr how much can I really make?

Well, as I was feeding my blog addiction yesterday I ran into this blog. It really was like a light bulb going on for me. OK...maybe I can make extra money for our household by saving on the household expenses! I don't have to bring more money in necessarily just prevent some of it from going out.

So I have made a commitment to challenge myself to try out this method of saving money. I am going to cut back by $50 THIS week. Try it out and then cut back some more. The only trick to this for me is going to be getting organized. Anyone who knows me knows this may be a little tricky! So, today to start out I am going to organize my pantry so I can figure out what the heck we already have in there! I don't know how many times I have made a purchase at the grocery store only to find out when I stuffed it into the pantry or freezer that I already had at least one (perhaps more) in there! This alone could save me quite a bit right? Well, my dear husband is giddy with excitement about the possiblity of this working for us! I just hope I can live up to his expectations!!! Ha ha.....

I can't believe I am putting myself up to the shame and humiliation of this but I am attaching a photo of the DISASTER we call a pantry. Hoping that this will motivate me to get my butt in gear. I promise by the end of the week (at least by then) that I will have a brand new highly efficient money saving pantry and a plan!! I will have a photo for the whole world to see this brand new me! Money Saving Mommy in training.

So here it is...my dirty little secret...

I PROMISE to be better!!

Fettucini Phobia!

Well, here it is...another blog entry from me that is focusing on my #3! It seems as though I am showing some blogging favoritisms to my third (an final! Woo hoo!) child but she is just so darn cute and keeps supplying me with such fun things to write about! Maybe it's just that she is at that special little age (TWO!) that she just keeps me busy with enough craziness to write about...Maybe the age or maybe the fact that she is just trying to keep up with the rest of the crazies around here. Who knows....

Anyhoo...we had an interesting thing happen last night at dinner. Why is it at this house that meal time brings out the most chaos in my little family? I don't know...Maybe some day I will be able to eat a meal in peace. Ahhh...some day. So, I bought this AMAZING alfredo sauce mix from my TS friend! It is ooohh soooo good. My hubby and I just love it. I even got my most picky eater to eat a whole bowl of it. Anyone who knows me knows exactly which child I am talking about. But, I cannot get my sweet daughter #3 to even touch it..."No, yosh mommy!" Translated to mean, "No, GROSS mommy!" So I am thinking maybe she's just not hungry. This is REALLY not a picky eater here. Must be something else right? So a couple of days later I make the girls that NASTY lipton alfredo packet thingie. You know the one...right? She LOVES it. So I think, "well must have been an off night for my precious girl!" Well, I mad the same AMAZING Fettucini Alfredo last night. We also had hot french bread right out of the oven so the little precious came running to the table squeeling with delight. That's when it happened. She stopped dead in her tracks looked at the AMAZING ALFREDO FETTUCINE and completely lost her mind. Screaming kicking...absolutely freaking out. I mean this kid will not even come near the dinner table. Of course she wants the bread but literally will not come closer to the table without thrashing around in a screaming fit with the plate of Fettucine Alfredo at her spot. So...this means war to mommy. I am not giving in! Oh no!! So I put her little kicking and screaming bottom right in her booster chair (this was not easy for me) and strap her in. She then proceeds to push her chair back as far as possible. So that is where I left her! But darnit, she was staying at that table with us! Of course being the little "blogaholic" that I have become...I jumped up and started taking pictures thinking, "I have got to write about this!" My husband was looking at my like I was insane the whole time. Oh well...Like I said, just one day in the life of my crazy little family!

Rock Obama!

Jeeze...now I feel like I am going BLOG crazy but wanted to jot something down about my precious baby #3! We were at Walmart today and as I was getting a shopping cart she was standing there saying (in a VERY loud squeel I might add), "Mommy!! Mommy!!! Mommy! Rock OBAMA, ROCK OBAMA!?" Now, I already know she recognizes and knows who he is because she has randomly pointed him out on magazine racks as we stand in line at Kroger so that's not the interesting thing. As she is shouting this I am looking around for a rack of magazines or someone in the store who she could be mistaking for our future president...Because as anyone who has or ever has had a toddler knows...She will NOT stop shouting this at me until she thinks I have a CLUE as to what she is talking about and recognize her for it. She is pointing upwards and I notice that she is pointing at the American flag and saying Rock Obama! Now, isn't that clever!? I would say I have a pretty smart little girl there. So I said, "Yes, Erika that's the American Flag and Rock (yes, I said Rock) Obama is going to be the president of the United States. One SMART cookie she is!!! What a proud mommy I am!! :)

It's the little things.

As I was watching my most favorite show Grey's Anatomy last night (and OH BOY was it a good one!) an Allstate commercial came on that really caught my attention. Maybe you know the one I am talking about? The one with the actor that used to be on 24. The one with the awesome deep voice that kind of sounds like butter. That is if butter had a sound anyways...I liked it so much that the second time it came on I ran for a pen to write it down. By the time I found the pen I didn't get much written but a few things did get down on the Hello Kitty paper I found. It talks about the great depression times and how people were really scared about what was happening and relates it to what is going on in our world right now. Then it goes on to say, "But after the fear subsides people start enjoying the small things. Those are the things that are important. People get back to basics and the basics are GOOD!" Wow...SOOOO true! So this morning I woke up with the "little things" on my mind. Here are a few of my little things that make me so in love with my life.

1. A precious note on my fridge dated November 3rd (it has been posted there since that date) from my sweet boy, scrawled in the most beautiful 1st grade penmanship (is that all one word???), "I LOVE YOU MOMMY!" With the most beautiful colored portrait of me at the bottom. Evertime I open the fridge I get to look at it. Ahhh, what a precious "little thing" to mommy.

2. Cudding on the loveseat with my girls this morning. Each of us as close as possible with our blankies wrapped around us watching PBS. Ahh...a wonderful "little" way to start my morning.

3. Drinking my hot cup of coffee out of the pot of coffee that my SWEET loving husband has been making for me before he leaves for work...EVERY DAY this week I might add. Ahhh...what a thoughtful "Little thing" for him to do.

Today is going to be a GREAT little day. And oh how I LOVE my "Basic" little life.

Just some ramblings...

So, I have decided to get "into" this blog thing and now I am really starting to enjoy it. The problem? The dishes are stacked up in the kitchen, the laundry basket is full, etc, etc. Oh well... So, it's a new year and I have been thinking about all I have and how often I forget or don't think about all of my blessings. I have decided to try to list somethings that I am grateful for as often as I have time to sit down and think about them and write about them. Or at least as often as I am willing to put aside all of the household chores to sit down at the computer. That may be easier than I am willing to admit. We just found out that our neighbor (the mother of our son's very best friend) is moving to take a job out of state. Far away....When I told my son he cried and cried saying, "But mom, he was my 1st best friend! Why does he have to move?" So my thoughts today and most of this week have been about how grateful I am for the friendships that the Lord has brought into my life. He always seems to know just what we need and when we need it. It has been a blessing to live where we do and to make such close friends at a time in my life when I so desperately needed them. So if you are a friend of mine (and you know who you are!) know that I am so grateful for you and love you so much.

Happy New YEAR!

OK...so it's a new year and I thought I would make an attempt at this blog thing AGAIN! This is actually my SECOND attempt at posting something today! Yes, I will agree I am extrememely "challenged" in the blogging area.

I am not going to write much here in case this doesn't work AGAIN!

Just wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year....and share a few pictures of my crazy little family and our celebration pictures.